The Raven's Call

Sectumsempra

Sunday, March 9th 1997

So, it turns out the reason Ron and Harry didn't come to the party was because Ron got poisoned. He's fine now—thankfully—but that's why they were missing.

I enter the Great Hall for breakfast, settling in beside Luna and Stella like usual. As I take a bite of toast, someone tugs at my arm—firm, urgent.

"Atti, I need you to come with me. Now." Asteria's voice is sharp with urgency as she pulls me to my feet before I can protest.

"Woah, what's the hurry, Astra?" I ask, hesitating even as I follow her.

"I don't like the look Harry had in his eyes when he followed Draco just now. I think I know where he went." She glances at me, a determined edge in her expression. "Fancy paying Moaning Myrtle another visit?"

The castle is eerily quiet as we move. Only the sound of our hurried footsteps, the shifting staircases, and our shallow breathing fills the space. The weight of what we might find settles heavily on my chest.

We reach the bathroom door just in time to hear it—

"Sectumsempra!"

"Oh, no, he didn't—" Asteria mutters under her breath, already drawing her wand from her boot. She turns to me quickly. "Go get Snape."

There's no time to question her. I nod and sprint back toward the staircase, heart pounding. Just as I reach for the door, luck is on my side—Snape is already there, looming like a shadow.

"Gaunt." His voice is low and cold. "Please tell me why you and Miss Malfoy were seen running through the castle."

"It's Harry—" I gasp, still catching my breath. "And Draco—"

Snape's expression darkens. "Say no more. Take me to them."

I don't waste another second. Turning on my heel, I bolt back toward Myrtle's bathroom, Snape following closely behind.

The moment I push open the door, my stomach drops.

Draco is on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. Asteria is beside him, pale and shaken. Harry stands over them, wide-eyed, his wand still raised.

Snape rushes past me, muttering the counter-curse as Harry turns and shoves past me, bolting from the scene.

"Harry, what did you do?!" I shout, following after him. "What was that spell?"

"I—I don't know," he mumbles, fumbling with a book in his hands.

"You cast a spell without knowing what it does?!" My voice rises with disbelief. "Do you realize how reckless that was?"

"Well, yes. I know that now." His voice is laced with sarcasm, but I barely register it.

My eyes lock onto the book in his hands. Without thinking, I snatch it from him, flipping through the pages.

"This is how you brewed the perfect Draught of Living Death," I murmur, my stomach twisting.

Harry reaches for it. "Give it back."

"You need to get rid of this," I say firmly, holding the book above his reach. "This isn't safe."

"I know that! I'll get rid of it, okay?" He snaps, lunging for the book—and to my surprise, he actually manages to grab it.

I exhale, watching him carefully. "Okay," I say softly, letting him walk away, the book clutched tightly in his hands.