MORALITY ⟶ Angelina Johnson [1]

Chapter Ten

[Chapter Ten]

Sleep did not come easy to Saros as much as he desperately wanted to go to bed after the Welcoming Feast had come to an end. The students had long been dismissed and he was showered, dressed in his pyjamas and trying to fall asleep, but Saros only found himself haunted by Draco's words as he rested in the dark of the dorm room. Draco had meant well with what he said, believing his brother to be among the invincible souls at Hogwarts and if anyone was capable of winning the tournament, Draco had full confidence that Saros could do it. However, Saros didn't share in the same confidence in himself like his little brother.

Of course, he wished he felt comfortable enough doing anything, but he was always reminded of his limitations. Even in the dorm room, the same boys he had shared a room with since the first year, they always watched him when he removed his prosthetic for the evening as if they still weren't used to the sight of it. It always left him feeling uncomfortable and usually, he would wait until the lanterns went out before he removed it and placed it by the side of his bed. And normally, he would force himself to be one of the first people up in the mornings so they wouldn't stare.

He knew they didn't stare to be insulting, but because it was different, it was as if they couldn't help themselves. They just saw him as an oddity of sorts, although they would never dare to say such a thing, at least, not to his face.

But Draco bringing up their parents and how they viewed him, that struck a chord with Saros. Since the attack had happened, Saros always felt like he was being loomed over by his parents, even if they meant well. It was almost as if they were waiting for a moment where Saros would need their help so they could tell him that they were correct, that he couldn't do things on his own. It wasn't true at all, he knew that, but he didn't know how to prove that to them. He didn't know how to prove to his family that he could look after himself just fine.

However, the more Saros thought about it, the Triwizard Tournament was coming across as more than tempting to at least try and enter his name. He would be of age when it came time to enter, he could very well place his name in and hope for the best. There was still the idea that the tournament was extremely dangerous, but if he could get through it, it would be proof enough to his parents that he could handle anything thrown his way. There was much to be considered though because Saros didn't know how limited he would find himself as the tasks were not revealed.

Would he actually be able to do it or would he find himself failing right from the very start?

Knowing that he had about two months before the other schools arrived at Hogwarts, Saros tried not to think about it too much. He had time to think it over and consider it, but deep down, he also knew that Draco was counting on him as well. The way he and his peers had formed quite the hype in the corridors on their way to the dungeon, they all seemed to be offering their encouragement.

That was just adding the pressure onto his shoulders as if Draco's request hadn't been enough. But he knew in the recent years, Slytherin was feeling the coldness of the castle a lot more than it usually did. All of the houses with the exception of Gryffindor were just basically cast into the corner since the arrival of Harry Potter.