Smell My Pain | A Dreamnotfound Story

Chapter 1

"Hey, Clay!" Nick waved while pushing his trolley.

Clay looked up and saw a man wearing a black wizard robes waving wildly at him. He rolled his eyes.

"Nick, don't embarrass yourself here. What would everyone think if a Prefect displayed such forms of affection?"

Nick playfully hit Clay's arm and they both laughed, though Clay's laugh was a bit more subdued.

"I'm waiting for Darryl and his friends." Clay said, checking his watch. "They should be here right now..."

"Clay!"

A brown haired man with a red and black hoodie came running to them. Beside him, were 2 boys chatting animatedly with each other.

"I haven't seen you in ages, you little muffin." Darryl said.

The group told each other about their holidays, however Clay seemed rather quiet and did not talk much about his. Darryl noticed this and sidled up to Clay.

"You alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine."

Darryl's eyebrows furrowed. It was unlike Clay to be so desolate and miserable. Usually, he was the one leading the conversation, making everyone smile with the contagious laughter of his. Darryl chalked it up to the passing of his mum, who died to a particularly dangerous strain of dragonpox.

Soon, the Hogwarts Express blew its whistle, signalling for the students to come on board. They found an empty carriage and settled down, placing their trunks on the top most shelf.

"Wanna play Exploding Snap?" Vincent, one of Darryl's friends, offered.

Soon, they were placing cards down and Darryl jumped whenever a pair of cards exploded into the air, making Clay laugh wholeheartedly for the first time in weeks.

Just as Nick was about to place the final card and win the game, the carriage door slid open.

Everyone turned their heads to glance at the newcomer. He had dark brown hair which laid flat, and a pair of white glasses propped up on his forehead.

"Could... could I sit here?" he asked shyly. Zak, another of Darryl's friends, flashed a big smile.

"Sure! I guess you can sit with Clay and Nick, we don't have space on this side of the carriage." gesturing to Darryl and Vincent who were squeezing with Zak on the seat.

"Thanks, I guess." he replied, sitting down next to Clay. For the rest of the ride they continued playing Exploding Snap, and bought sweets from the snack lady. The boy introduced himself as George. While Clay was munching on a Chocolate Frog, he asked George why he had never seen him in Hogwarts.

"You're our age. Why haven't I seen you in Hogwarts?"

George scratched the back of his neck.

"My dad didn't let me come here for a few years. I studied at a Muggle school, but I had a magical tutor. I finally convinced Dad to let me go to Hogwarts this year. Told him I needed to know the real world."

"Wait, so you aren't in a house?" Zak asked.

"Nope. I heard that Professor McGonnagal was going to privately sort me after dinner in her office. So at least one of y'all should see me in their common room by tonight."

"Anyways, why would your Dad keep you out of Hogwarts?" Nick piped up.

"Because, I have the... the Gift."

Clay choked on his Chocolate Frog, hacking away violently.

Meanwhile, Nick's eyes lit up.

"The Gift? That's so cool! What do I smell like?"

"Uh... Scourgify."

Nick let out a low whistle.

"Damn, you really do have it."

Darryl coughed once to grab their attention.

"Sorry for interrupting you guys there, but what exactly is the Gift?"

Vincent slapped his forehead with his palm.

"I keep forgetting you're muggleborn. The Gift is the ability to smell traces of spells cast on you. Back in the old days, the Ministry used to have guards with the Gift stand outside the main entrance, so they would know if someone wearing a disillusionment charm waltzed inside. However, the Gift has gotten so rare the Ministry can't afford to do that anymore."

Darryl let out a small 'oh'.

"What do the different spells smell like?", Zak questioned.

"It depends on the intent of the spell. For example, if you performed Scourgify on yourself, you would smell like soap and bubbles to me. But if someone forcefully performed Scourgify on you without your permission, there's a tangy note to the soap and bubbles."

They took turns asking George what each of them smelled like, and George answered correctly to the last spell that was performed on them. Finally, it reached Clay.

"C'mon, what does Clay smell like?" Nick asked eagerly.

George looked at Clay, who looked back with pleading eyes.

"Lumos."

"Yeah, that...that's correct."

The group 'whoa'ed in unison..

Eventually, they reached Hogsmeade. They saw Hagrid leading away the first years to the boats, and boarded the carriages.

"Thestrals pull these things?", George asked.

"Yup. You can see them?" Zak said.

"Yeah. My grandfather passed away when I was 2."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't be. I hardly remember him anyways."

When the carriages reached the worn path leading to Hogwarts, everyone jumped off the carriage. George hung back, going to Clay's side and whispering something in his ear.

"Go on guys, I need to talk to George about something first. I'll catch up with y'all later."

"Uh... sure." Zak said.

The group minus George and Clay excitedly walked towards the grand castle of Hogwarts.

George and Clay strolled slowly, with Clay admiring the lush greenery the decorated the walkway.

"The path sure is beautiful huh?"

"Stop beating around the bush. You know what I want to talk about."

"I have no idea."

"Please. You know for a fact what I smelled from you on the train and what I smelled from you now wasn't Lumos."

Clay turned around and held George's wrist tightly. His eyes formed narrow slits and he leaned into the smaller boy menacingly.

"What is it then?"

George seemed unfazed.

"Crucio, Clay. I smell Crucio."

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989 Words
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Requests at the Heart
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Ooh who do you think crucioed Clay? I mean, it's kinda obvious if you think about it.