Amidst the stressful situations he has had to deal with recently, Harry Potter finds solace in a boy he meets one day in the Shrieking Shack. They spend their nights together studying in the library, though most of the studying is Harry making the b...
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Jasper awoke with a start on the morning of the full moon. Immediately he knew it was the day of the full moon. His whole body was burning, like someone had lit his bed on fire in the middle of the night. The pain was excruciating, his eyes were filled with tears. The mattress was a mess, and he was sweating bullets. His roommates were already down at breakfast, which he was thankful for. He didn't want anyone seeing him in this situation.
It was Tuesday and he had classes, but he knew he was in for a whole day in the Shrieking Shack. He pulled on a deep blue sweater, pulling the sleeves over his hands, and whatever clean jeans he had in his trunk. His legs reluctantly took him down the stairs and into the common room. There were a few other students still in the common room who had yet to make their way to the Great Hall for breakfast, but he walked right past them. As he made his way through the portrait hole, he turned his head back to look towards the few people that were still in the common room, but they spared him not even a glance in his general direction.
He walked as fast as he could towards the hospital wing before spotting the one person he didn't want to see today; Professor Umbridge. She was probably the only professor that genuinely scared him. All the other professors at Hogwarts were very compassionate towards Jasper, given what he was going through. Though he was still incredibly intimidated by Professor Snape, since he could never tell if the professor was angry or if that was just how he looked at everyone. If Umbridge's general presence at Hogwarts wasn't bad enough, she enforced so many rules that made just about zero sense to anyone but her. She was given the spot to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts, but never seemed to teach in any way that would be useful to anyone.
Jasper made a sharp turn into the nearest hallway, looking behind him as though he'd just outrun some sort of vicious beast. Although, that's probably what most people at Hogwarts thought of her. Jasper made his way to the end of the hallway that he took to avoid Umbridge, stopping at the end and placing his hand on the wall next to him. His entire body hunched over immediately after stopping, practically falling to his knees attempting to catch his breath, while frantically looking behind him to make sure Umbridge had not followed him.
When he finally managed to steady his breathing, he checked behind him one more time before taking a light jog the rest of the way to the hospital to not attract any attention from his teachers or peers, though the latter would more than likely not even think twice about seeing him in the first place. When he finally got to the hospital wing, he practically broke the door down, collapsing on the floor, startling Madam Pomfrey quite a bit. She sighed, knowing exactly what the boy had come for. She helped him up, leading him to one of the beds. She helped him lay down and then rushed off to bring him the potion she knew he needed.
He gasped, after drinking the goblet full of potion, practically chugging the whole thing. It was disgusting as usual, but he had to drink it. Sugar would render it ineffective, so there was little he could do about the taste, other than pretend to like it. He was desperate to make the shaking stop, and once he drank the potion, it was like an immediate relief. However, Madam Pomfrey couldn't let him leave. The potion was only to help calm him down, not prevent his transformation. Pomfrey would then lead him to the Whomping Willow, and he would stay in the Shrieking Shack until the morning, when Pomfrey would wake him and take him back to the hospital wing to perform a basic check-up and write a report for Dumbledore.
Jasper lay in the bed Madam Pomfrey brought him to for a minute or so, collecting his thoughts and emotions. He had already dropped off his school bag in Pomfrey's office the night before, so he didn't have to worry about going and getting it from his room. There was a shuffling noise coming from the office for just a moment before she emerged with his school bag and a few of his textbooks. The look on Jasper's face said everything he felt about today, and Pomfrey knew how he felt about having to do this every time, but it was the safest thing for everyone. Although that didn't mean that it was the best option.
Jasper and Pomfrey made their way out of the school and towards the Whomping Willow, careful to not attract the attention of others. Pomfrey was better at coming up with excuses than Jasper was, so he was thankful he was with her and not by himself. The weather was nice, though maybe a few degrees too warm for some. Jasper enjoyed it though, and the smell of fresh air was probably just as soothing as the potion he drank just a little while prior.
Something felt off about today for Jasper, however. He wasn't sure what it was, but the possible answer came in the form of an odd face present in the Shrieking Shack as Jasper and Pomfrey arrived. It was someone Jasper had seen before, though he wasn't sure where or how, as he didn't take notice of others, much how they took no notice of him.
"Mister Potter, what are you doing here?" Madam Pomfrey asked, immediately recognizing him.
Jasper's eyes shot straight towards the ground, his face flushing deep red, and wishing he could disappear into the walls, evaporate in the air, just be anywhere but where he was in that moment.
"I was just missing someone. I came to clear my head, mostly." He replied, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Jasper felt an unsettling silence fill the air, and his thoughts began to race. Madam Pomfrey knew that the current atmosphere must feel suffocating for Jasper, so she offered to walk Harry back to the school, and possibly talk about whatever might be bothering him. He offered a smile in agreement, and they had made it to the doorway when Harry turned to face Jasper. The latter inhaled sharply, now really wishing he could simply vanish.
"I never got your name." Harry extended his hand for Jasper to shake it.
"Jasper." His voice so soft it was almost a whisper.
"I'm Harry." He gave Jasper a smile, and didn't seem to be bothered by Jasper refusing his handshake.
Madam Pomfrey then tapped his shoulder and he let out a chuckle, "Well, that's my cue to leave, I guess. See ya later, Jasper."
It wasn't until the door had shut and he could no longer hear the footsteps of Harry or Pomfrey that he whispered to himself, "See me later?"
The walk back to the castle was oddly silent, considering Madam Pomfrey had offered to talk to Harry about some of the things going on in his life. Though Harry didn't particularly mind the quiet, as he only left when Pomfrey suggested it because he felt the tension rising in the air, and knew it was from his presence in the Shrieking Shack. Madam Pomfrey felt relieved that she didn't have to think of something on the spot to tell him about why they were there. The students were harder to convince about Jasper's whereabouts when they asked, which always made Pomfrey feel drained afterwards, knowing she had to come up with something different each time.
As the pair reached the doors of the castle, she stopped and spoke softly so only the two of them could hear. "I know you want to talk to him, and I want to see him to make more friends. He'll be there until tomorrow morning, so you can see him then. I would strongly advise against you going to see him tonight."
He didn't even have time to process what Madam Pomfrey had said until he realized he was going to be late for his first class of the day. He caught up with his two best friends Ron and Hermione on his way to class. He half expected them to ask about his trip to the Shrieking Shack, but was somewhat relieved that they didn't.
Despite the rumors around Harry and his two friends, he was able to get through the day without much distraction from others. However the fact that Jasper was spending the night in the Shrieking Shack didn't sit well with Harry. He was trying to piece together the information he knew about the Shrieking Shack, but he came up with nothing on what it had to do with Jasper. The most confusing thing about their interaction was what Madam Pomfrey had told him just before they entered the castle. Why would she "strongly advise" against Harry going to see Jasper tonight? The phrase didn't sit well with him, but he knew if he sat and thought about it any longer it would drive him crazy, so he let it drift to the back of his mind.
