The Four Shadows

Chapter 11

   "Okay students now flick and point!" Godric commanded in his charms class. A sad Hufflepuff student sighed and put her wand down, while another student next to her easily summoned a roll of parchment paper from across the room. As the students packed their bags and shuffled out of the classroom, Godric sighed and slumped into his chair behind his desk. He ran a hand through his hair, determined not to look at the stack of parchment next to him. Another day had gone by.

Once every student had settled in the Great Hall, Helga couldnt contain her excitement. She attempted horribly to hide a wide grin, but lost. She squealed with happiness and lept out of her seat, standing up. Godric, whose mouth was full with food, looked up at Helga while James and Rowena put down their forks and waited patiently for her to announce news. Helga, who was still smiling, picked her cup up and tapped her wand against it, causing a loud bell noise to emerge throughout the Great Hall. All heads turned to Helga, some giving her dirty and odious looks.
"Good afternoon students!" Helga said almost out of breath with happiness. She skipped all other important things and go right to the point.  "Next week, we will hold a mid term Ball!" She yelled, overly excited. Every student stayed quiet, making it awkward. "All students are invited! first and second years are invited!" She said once more, trying her best to engage the students. In the awkward silence, Godric coughed, staring at the table, attempting to hide a laugh. Helga sighed and rolled her eyes. "You all may bring a date and its formal wear" She mumbled. The students cheered and the Great Hall filled with applause. Helga flashed a satisfied smile at her friends who were sharing uneasy looks.

    James and Godric scurried out after lunch had lead the Houses down to the Quidditch field. Students ran down to the field as fast as they could, holding their brooms.
  "Slow down! We don't want anyone being admitted to the hospital wing tonight!" James called out to the students. A few Gryffindors were already a few feet in the air, before realizing Godric had a nasty scowl on. As the professors finally caught up with the students, each House lined up in front of them.
  "Alright!" Godric clapped. "All of you have done exceptionally well with flying so since or tryouts were rather- erm- halted, I will continue them today, and choose my House team tonight while Professor Kedt will select his Slytherin team and Miss H and Miss R will select their House teams once they arrive. Go on, practice!" Godric boomed, letting students soar into the sky. He swiveled around, expecting the ladies to be walking down but he didn't see them.
  "James" Godric asked. "You saw the ladies walking behind us, right?"
  As soon as Godric asked the question, an ear splitting scream of a girl had erupted from the castle. Panic mode kicked into gear and Godric sprinted up the hills to the castle. All students dropped to the ground, having chills sent down their spine. What could be happening?
  James, who was rather frightened, turned back around to the kids. "Okay you lot we will stay here, no interfering with them up there!" He ordered.

  Godric skidded up the stairs and around the corner, heaving open the giant oak doors of Hogwarts. He was lucky enough he didn't have to go far because a student was on the ground in the main hall.
  Although she wasn't still. Like an invisible hand, her chest was lifting with each breath off the ground, slamming into the stone floor.
  "Jesus!" Godric yelled. Helga and Rowena were already at the scene. They casted a few reverse spells, but nothing worked. Every time they attempted to touch or hold her, the student slided farther away from them.
  "Help!" Helga cried. Godric slid to the floor and he inhaled with shock.
  The students eyes were no longer eyes. Instead of white and green iris', the students entire eyes were black as if someone spilled ink in them. No white was to be seen, just void in a child's eyes.
  He forcefully grabbed the student, who was now twitching on the floor, getting a tight hold on her. The body writhed and twitched harder, desperate to get away from Godric. All Helga and Rowena could do was watch in shock.
  "Hospital wing, now!" Godric yelled, holding the student close to him as the three ran as fast as they could to the hospital wing.
  Once they slammed open the door, Godric put the student on a bed, restraining her. At the time, Helga had thought of something.
  She ran to the medicine shelf and pulled a cauldron out. Picking off different colored bottles and boxes in a fit of anxiety, she threw in ingredients after ingredients. The liquid in the cauldron began to smoke, bubble and swirl. Helga waved her wand over it, calming the potion. She swiped a cup off a near desk and scooped it up. Helga went to the straining student, and forced the liquid in the students throat.
  In the matter of only seconds, the student ceased and began breathing normally. Breathing heavily, Godric sat down in the nearest desk, rubbing his face. Helga feebly smiled and sat on the bed next to the student.
  The students eyes returned to normal before Godric began interrogating.
  "What the hell happened?" He asked.
"We were walking to the field but caught up in a conversation with Mr. Malfoy in the front courtyard. We got lost in the time but as we were heading down we heard the scream, ran back inside and saw her on the floor." Helga sighed.
  "Ravenclaw I can see." Godric pointed out. Rowena gave a forlorn look.
  "How could she be so stupid?" Rowena asked.
"Stupid?" Godric scoffed.
  "Did you just insult your own House?" Helga questioned.
"Ravenclaws are smarter than picking up-" Rowena stopped abruptly. Godric turned to her.
  "Picking up what exactly?" Godric asked.
"Salazars journal" Rowena said quietly as if she was ashamed to speak of it.
  Through gritted teeth, Godric spoke. "So you decided to leave his journal on the floor?" He asked, and Helga could've sworn she saw a vein bulge out from sheer anger. "I gave you that to read! Not leave it around!" He scolded, leaping to his feet. Rowena defensively backed up and laughed.
  "No. It must have fell out of my cloak pocket because once we heard the scream I remembered and I felt my pocket, realizing it wasn't there. It was loud, students were running past me with their brooms." Rowena honestly said. Godric took a minutes to cool down but continued.
  "Acceptable, but how could you insult your own House? But how did the girl end up like that?" He asked. Helga shrugged.
  "My best guess, was Salazar cursed it. If I had to use Chelidonium Miniscula in a heartbeat, it's a curse. That potion can reverse any horrid curse. It was Salazars journal, she probably found it and picked it up and was cursed" Helga concluded. Rowena bit her lip and inhaled with unease.
  "Stupid girl" she said sharply before exiting the hospital wing and leaving Godric and Helga in utter shock.

   Helga and Godric decided to leave Rowena be and headed back down to the Quidditch field. Putting on rather fake smiles, Godric had told the students that another student had just been horribly frightened by a joke and begun try outs.
  Watching a dry run of a Quidditch game, the three had a side conversation while their eyes when back and forth, following their best and worst players.
  "What really happened?" James asked, keeping an eye on a specific Slytherin girl. Godric sighed.
  "A student was cursed" he said. "Helga guessed it was Salazar because it was his journal the poor girl picked up. Then Rowena had become bitter and called her own student stupid. An outrage" Godric said.
  "Outrage indeed" Helga added.
As the professors watched their students, called them to land and chose their House Teams (except for Ravenclaw), they didn't know a first year student had witnessed the entire debacle up close.
  Monolithos Malfoy had stood behind a pillar in front of the school, scowling. He had decided he needed to get digging.