Conall Wolf

2) The flight

Everyone who is in their seventh year was overexcited this morning. They couldn't stop talking about the tournament, about Hogwarts and everything else. The all wore their travel outfit, which was obligated because everyone needs to wear their school costume when they arrive at Hogwarts.

Everyone waited excited on the schoolgrounds until a flying carriage came, with the winged horses in front of it. Conall looks amazed at them. He saw the winged horses a few times before but he wasn't allowed to come close to them, so every time when he gets the chance to see them he is still amazed by the size and the beauty. He then looks at the famous carriage, which looks really small and where a maximum of four people could sit in. However he heard from stories about the magical carriage, which doesn't look the same from the inside. He knows they used an extension spell so everyone would fit in the carriage.

Conall is still a bit flabbergasted of seeing this scene and he realises he is the only one left standing still on the side, while the others are queuing to enter the carriage. He takes his suitcase and joins the queue, standing next to a winged horse. In the beginning they were peacefully eating some grass, waiting till they could fly. However when Conall comes close they start being restless and one horse even rises. Conall quickly does some steps back and the one who was caring for the horses noticed it. He shushes them and demands Conall to keep his distance. Conall does what is said and he walks away from the carriage, then turns around and looks at everyone who is looking at them. Conall sighs and sits down on a rock, looking at his hands. This always happens when he comes close to animals that doesn't know him, they can smell the scent of him being a werewolf and because most of the animals and creatures are scared of werewolf they all panic. Unfortunately this wasn't the first time this happened, almost every cat runs away from him, while the dogs love him. He scans the queue wondering where Faolán is, because these things should happen to him as well. But when he doesn't spot him he supposed he was one of the first who entered the carriage.

While he drifted of again in his thoughts he can still notices someone walking up to him. He scans who the person is and then he realises it is Brigitte de Laval. She is a girl who stalks him the whole time. On first sight you won't think that Conall would get a lot of attention, because sometimes he comes across as a silly boy who has weird scars and is really mysterious. But Conall is a pretty popular boy among his fellow students. He is the one who makes a lot of jokes in classes, he is always in for a talk and he stands up for who he is. Except maybe when it comes of him being a werewolf but he managed it pretty well and as far as he knows no one knows he is a werewolf, except for six persons.

"What are you doing all the way up here? Aren't you supposed to be in the queue?" Brigitte says. Conall sighs when she starts to talk, Brigitte just really annoys him. He really gets the feeling she loves him but he doesn't love her back, he loves no one in that way except for one person. But that can never happen so he just ignores that whisper in his head. So he just blocks out everything that has something to do with love.

"No... the winged horses went crazy when I came close, and since I was the last one in line I will just wait here. Making sure everyone will stay fine, and they won't get hurt because of the horses." Conall says calmly, almost emotionless.

"Why would the horses don't like you? I mean everyone like you right, so why not them?" Brigitte says calmly and she sits down on the rock next to him, her little finger slightly touching his hand.

Conall completely freezes when that happens and he stays alert the whole time. "I-I... I do-don't k-k-kno-ow. A-ask them."

Brigitte has no clue of what is happening and just talks further as if nothing happens, getting a bit closer. "Well the horses don't matter, what matters is the journey. Do you already have something to do?"

"Yes." Conall says really quick, to quick. The sweat is rolling over his neck and that is not only because it's a hot day. His heart starts to pump and he stares in front of him, looking at the queue getting smaller and smaller.

"Well you are always welcome to join me." Brigitte whispers in his ear, her hand now completely on his hand. Conall shoots up and looks stressed, sweat breaking out everywhere. Brigitte frowns of his sudden action and takes back her hand, rubbing it slowly.

"We should go to the carriage, look the queue is almost done." And without saying anything else he takes his suitcase and runs to the entrance of the carriage. He quickly says his name to Madame Baudelaire, who is checking the list and when that is done he walks in, without looking back of where Brigitte is.

He doesn't have any time to look around at the carriage because he immediately scans the room for Faolán, and when he finds him he stumbles to him and sits next to him in the empty chair, trying to catch some breath.

"Everything alright bro? What's going on?" Faolán says immediately worried.

"B-b-Brigitte... she... she just..." Conall breaths heavier every word and Faolán rubs with his hand over his back to calm him.

"Sssh. Remember our exercises. Breath slowly in and out. In... and out..." Faolán demonstrates the breathing and Conall copies him, and slowly he breaths normal again. "Okay, now tell me what happened."

Conall first scans the carriage for Brigitte but his sight just got distracted. He sees the carriage which doesn't even look anymore like a carriage. You have some places to sit, some cosy couches, some tables where you can play games and even some beds in the corner where you can sleep if you want to. His eyes then fall on Brigitte who is sitting with her best friend Léonie de Foix, whispering. When Brigitte notices Conall is staring she winks and Léonie immediately turns around and stares at him. Conall breaks the eye contact and turns to Faolán, he looks in his brown eyes that feels so comfortable. He then takes a deep breath and starts to explain everything that happened. "-and then I just panicked, every time when she came closer I panicked more. It all feels so wrong..."

"Hhmm I think you are suppressing your feelings Con... tell me, when was the last time you had an effection for someone?" Faolán says slowly. He listened to every words closely, and always comes with his good advise.

"Not last summer but the summer before." Conall says and he gets a lumb in his throat. There was only one person he loved, and no one else came even close to that feeling.

"Alright, and when was the last time you saw her? Maybe you are just avoiding her because you are scared to confront her. So when someone confronts you, you are not getting confronted by the fact someone loves you, but by the fact you are avoiding that confrontation." Faolán says.

Conalls lumb only gets bigger and bigger. He told no one about his feelings, not his friends, not his parents, not even his own twin. He bites his lip and looks outside but he can only see white because they are flying through a cloud.

"I-it is not a she..."