For a kid who had grown up almost like an only child in a family, I should have been able to go through a day without any problems at all. However, I realized that there were much worse things that could happen to even the most unwary; and to come away with a bleeding nose at the end of the day was just the cherry on top to the worst first day of school in history.
First off, breakfast was sheer chaos. I barely got my food on the plate when it was upended by none other than Peeves the Poltergeist, who kept whizzing around over my head while I tried to grab more food to eat in peace. Then I somehow ended up causing an explosion in the middle of Charms Class while we were supposed to be learning Lumos, the wand-lighting charm. I had no friends to eat with at lunch time, and to top it all off, Eunice Ahn from Slytherin jinxed my broom before my first flying class of the year, resulting in my broom giving me more than just one painful bash in the face. Eventually the hard wood slapped me so hard in the nose that blood began to trickle out at the end of class, turning into a downpour by the time I reached the Great Hall again for dinner.
Luckily, I didn't have to wait long for company at the Hufflepuff table this time.
"Wotcher--whoa, you alright?" Tonks asked as she approached the table, running towards me the minute she saw me plugging my nose with the sleeves of my robes. "What happened?"
"Jinxed broom," I responded thickly through the blood. "Eunice Ahn jinxed it before class, so it kept hitting me in the face when I tried to summon it. It eventually got me hard on the nose."
Seconds later, the girl with the platinum blonde hair--Chiara--rushed over and pulled out her wand.
"No worries, I can help you get it fixed," she said, gently removing the sleeve and pointing her wand at my nose. "Episkey!"
For a moment, I felt something really cold, then something really hot, over my nose, and I winced at the pain. When it was all done, though, it felt better. I gingerly touched it, shocked at how quickly it mended. "Wow. Thank you, Chiara."
"No problem. I'm working to become a Healer when I graduate, so I'd like to get as much practice in while I can here," Chiara explained with a smile, sitting down beside me.
"At least you got it better than me," Tonks said with a laugh. "I'm dead clumsy, so I get banged up so easily in Flying Class even without a jinxed broom. I got more bruises and nosebleeds than I could count. Things'll get better, Em--you'll see!"
It was hard to find that peaceful moment after such a heck of a day, but I had to believe that Tonks was right. I nodded solemnly as I took a bite out of the first sandwich I got, chewing slowly as the taste of chicken and mayonnaise spread over my tongue like glue, sticking to my tongue and teeth. Nothing like the taste of home to put me at slight ease.
Eventually, as I finished my fill, Clara burst in the Great Hall, and ran right to where I was sitting, completely disregarding the tuts of a few students glaring at her in disapproval.
"I heard you got a nosebleed in flying class, Em," she said, sitting beside me. "Are you alright?"
I nodded, rubbing my nose slightly. "Yeah. Chiara managed to mend it just fine, so don't worry."
"Alright." Clara nodded as she took a sandwich from the Hufflepuff table and began to munch on it with me. "If you don't mind, I would like to take you to see Ben. I just found him in the Artefact Room just now...and he's not in a good position right now."
That does not sound good. I've heard stories of Ben Copper--the scared Muggle-born Gryffindor who would only accept a challenge with so little confidence and a face that said scared tot. Though he helped my sister with the first curse at the school--the curse where ice flooded the school--he was still frightened by everything out of the ordinary. At least, until he went to the buried vault with my sister and shut everyone out after.
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Etched, Engraved, Everlasting (a Hogwarts Mystery Year 6 Retell)
FanfictionWhen at last I thought I had him forever, he slipped through my fingers again. When at last I thought I could find that ray of sunshine in the sudden storm, it disappeared behind even darker storm clouds. There was no way I could continue chasing th...