My Best Friend George Weasley ~ Year Two

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter 14:

~Esca~

                I spent the rest of the week ignoring what my teachers were saying, as usual, sneaking out in the middle of the night with Kyle, as usual, acting like I never knew what people were feeling, as usual, and watching ever move Echo made, not usual. I don’t ever recall being so concerned about someone before. While she was always important to me, I never really kept a really close eye on her. I thought George or Fred or the other list of people that cared so much for her could do that, but now that Leon was taking an interest in her, I knew she needed someone who knew about the world she belonged to to protect her.

                “So how is little Echo doing?” Miss. Maritime asked after pouring me some tea.

                I poked the cup to see how hot it was. “Seem fine,” I answered before putting my burnt finger in my mouth.

                “Has Leon tried to contact her again?”

                “Not that I know of,” I told her, still with my finger in my mouth.

                “And she still does not know that you are like her.”

                My eyes narrowed. Slowly, I moved my now wet finger to my napkin and wrapped it in that to dry. “Correct,” I said through my teeth.

                “Do not sound so angry Esca, I know you do not like letting her in on your secret, but it is necessity that she does not know what you are.”

                “Actually I do not know that that is the case, for you never explained it to me.”

                Miss. Maritime sighed. “Right now she knows that you know something, but not exactly what. If she were to discover that you were like her she would cling to you. Her aura is not like other Readers. She has a way of bending the aura of the people closest to her. If she were to do that to you it could harm you. As you know if a Reader’s aura is –“

                “– badly misshaped then they can die from some kind of shock that I do not understand,” I finished for her. “I know, I know that dangers of that, but she doesn’t affect my aura. I would know if she did, for unlike most like us, including yourself and Leon, I can read and see my own.”

                “I know you can, but I do not want to risk it,” she snapped. “You are more powerful than most of us and so is she. You know that an emotional bond between two powerful Readers can cause horrible damage to not only everyone around them, but them themselves.”

                I crossed my arms across my chest. “That is just a legend,” I huffed. “There is no way that story is true.”

                “I don’t want to take the chance.”

                “I’m leaving,” I announced. “I have homework and a girl to look after.”

                “Be careful Esca,” Miss Maritime called as I walked towards the door.

                To respond I waved my hand as I kept walking. Once out of her room, I sprinted down the halls and towards the grounds of Hogwarts, taking the tiny spiral stair case that led to a door on the outside of the castle. It was hidden by a bunch of thick bushes that lined that side of the castle.

                There I headed towards the patch of woods that met the lake. I knew Echo would be there because I had asked her to meet me there. The rest of the way, I ran as fast as my feet could carry me; running towards Echo, the person that made me smile, and away from Miss. Maritime, the person that told me to keep my distance from her. I could never do that. She saw me for me unlike everyone else in the world, and she could not even read my aura.