The Threads That Bind Us

Chapter 30

Fidelity woke the next morning with a heavy sigh, with the previous night's events she hadn't slept well. The reality of her detention with Snape hanging over her like a storm cloud. It wasn't that she didn't deserve it-she absolutely did-but knowing she'd spend the evening cleaning cauldrons or scrubbing dungeon floors didn't exactly brighten her mood.

Still, she had a full day ahead before then. Double Defense Against the Dark Arts was first on the agenda, followed by Care of Magical Creatures, and Charms to finish off the day.

"At least the lessons will be interesting," she muttered to herself as she pulled on her robes.

As soon as she entered the Defense classroom, she spotted Cameron lounging at their usual spot. He waved her over, grinning. "Survived the night after our little... adventure?"

Fidelity rolled her eyes. "Barely. I think Josh is planning his defense speech for when we go back to detention. He seems convinced he can talk Snape out of giving us actual punishment."

Cameron shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Josh is mad if he thinks Snape will listen to anything remotely resembling an excuse. The man doesn't have a shred of mercy."

Fidelity laughed. "I know. I think it's all bravado at this point. There's no way we're getting out of this."

Their conversation was cut short as Professor Browning strode into the room, her stern eyes scanning the class. "Today, we'll be continuing our lessons on advanced defensive magic. Shields won't always be enough. Sometimes, you'll need to think on your feet."

She flicked her wand, and a series of magical projectiles began firing from the walls toward the students, their spells lighting up the room. "You'll each take turns using non-verbal spells to deflect these attacks. Begin."

Fidelity shot Cameron a look. "Non-verbal spells? You've got to be kidding me."

He chuckled. "Come on, Gardner. We've done this before."

She grinned, standing up to face the challenge. Cameron was quick to follow, stepping beside her as they faced the barrage of spells. The classroom buzzed with energy as students dodged and deflected. Fidelity concentrated, managing to conjure a non-verbal Protego just as one of the projectiles headed her way.

Cameron, on the other hand, was all show, effortlessly casting shields with a flick of his wand. "See? Easy."

"Show off," Fidelity muttered, though she couldn't help but laugh.

The lesson passed in a blur of dodging spells and concentrating on their non-verbal magic. By the time class ended, both she and Cameron were winded but exhilarated.

As they left the classroom, Cameron nudged her with his elbow. "Don't forget we've got detention tonight."

"Don't remind me," she groaned.

Next up was Care of Magical Creatures, Fidelity's favorite classes. She and Penny joined the rest of the class outside, where Professor Kettleburn waited beside a large crate.

"Today, we'll be working with bowtruckles," Professor Kettleburn announced as he opened the crate. Inside were several small, twig-like creatures with beady eyes and long, spindly fingers.

Fidelity immediately leaned in closer, fascinated. She loved working with magical creatures, and bowtruckles, with their delicate appearance and mischievous nature, were always entertaining.

"Now, these little ones are excellent tree guardians, but they can be a bit... defensive," Professor Kettleburn said with a wry smile. "You'll each take one and learn how to calm them down."

Penny nudged her as they each took a bowtruckle. "Think this one's going to bite me?"

Fidelity grinned. "Only if you irritate it. Which, knowing you..."

Penny feigned offense. "I'm great with animals."

As they began working, Fidelity's bowtruckle quickly took a liking to her, crawling onto her arm and settling into her hand. Penny, on the other hand, wasn't as lucky.

"Why is mine trying to claw my face off?" She muttered, wincing as her bowtruckle latched onto her robes with its sharp little fingers.

"Maybe it doesn't like your hair," Fidelity teased.

After a few more minutes of coaxing and calming, even Penny managed to get her bowtruckle to settle down. They spent the rest of the class feeding the little creatures woodlice and watching them skitter around.

Afterward, Fidelity made her way to Charms with Ava. The familiar comfort of Professor Flitwick's classroom was a welcome change. Ava was already at their usual table, flipping through her notes.

"You look tired," Ava commented as Fidelity sat down.

Before Fidelity could respond, Professor Flitwick cleared his throat from the front of the room, his high-pitched voice commanding the attention of the class. "Today, we'll be practicing advanced summoning charms. You'll need to focus-this isn't your standard Accio."

Fidelity settled in, pulling out her wand as Flitwick began demonstrating the charm. As the class practiced, she found herself struggling to keep her focus. Her exhaustion catching up to her, but she managed to summon her target, albeit with less finesse than usual.

Ava, naturally, excelled, her wand movements precise and controlled. "You alright?" she asked in a low voice as they worked.

"Just tired," Fidelity admitted. "I'll survive."

The lesson ended without incident, and before long, it was time for detention. Fidelity, Cameron, Ava, Josh, and Penny made their way to Snape's office, none of them in high spirits.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Penny muttered as they stood outside the door.

Josh, ever the optimist, grinned. "How bad can it be? It's just cleaning, right?"

Fidelity didn't share his confidence, especially when the door swung open and Snape stood there, his expression as cold as ever.

"Inside," he said simply.

They filed into the dungeon classroom, where several cauldrons awaited them-each one encrusted with what looked like years of grime.

Snape didn't waste any time. "You will clean these cauldrons-by hand. No magic. And you will continue until they are spotless."

Josh opened his mouth, probably to make some cheeky comment, but a sharp glare from Snape silenced him.

The group groaned as they picked up sponges and got to work. Fidelity could already feel her arms aching as she scrubbed at the first cauldron.

Cameron, working beside her, muttered, "This is going to take forever."

"Blame Josh," Ava said from the other side of the room. "He's the one who wanted to up the stakes."

"I still think it was worth it," Josh said, though he didn't sound as confident as he had earlier.

As they scrubbed in silence, Fidelity's mind wandered. She glanced at Noah's empty spot beside her, a small smile tugging at her lips. At least he had managed to avoid this mess. She didn't mind taking the hit for him.

An hour passed, then another, and still, Snape showed no signs of letting them off the hook. Every time they thought they had cleaned a cauldron well enough, he would inspect it with his sharp eyes and find the smallest flaw, sending them back to clean it again.

By the time they were finally dismissed, their hands were raw, and their spirits thoroughly crushed.

"Well," Cameron said as they stumbled out of the dungeon, "I think we learned our lesson."

Fidelity snorted. "Yeah, don't prank Snape."

Josh grinned, though his eyes were half-closed in exhaustion. "Or maybe just prank him better next time."

Ava rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."

As they made their way back to the common room, Fidelity couldn't help but laugh. Despite the punishment, it had been a memorable day. And she had a feeling that, even with the looming threat of Snape's watchful eye, they'd find a way to make the most of it.