SABAISM | H. POTTER

SEVEN. | A HALLOWEEN NIGHTMARE

Professor Flitwick reminded Gemini of the dwarves in Snow White. His diminutive stature, as he perched atop a stack of ancient, leather-bound books, made it difficult for her to maintain her focus in class. The little Charms professor had a cherubic quality, with rosy cheeks and a perpetually twinkling smile, his silver hair forming a fluffy halo around his head. While she would never mock someone's appearance, her mind was racing with distractions. Last night's detention with the Weasley twins, sorting through old slips that bore her parents' names too many times to count, flooded her with thoughts both painful and nostalgic. George had insisted it spoke volumes about her remarkable lineage, and maybe that was supposed to comfort her—but all it did was deepen her thoughts, reminding her of the legacy she carried and the expectations that came with it.

The classroom was bathed in the warm, golden glow of late morning sun. Dust motes drifted lazily through the air, swirling in the beams of light that filtered through the tall, arched windows. The stone walls, lined with shelves of spellbooks and jars of peculiar magical ingredients, seemed to lean in, listening to every whispered incantation and giggle. The air was thick with the scent of old parchment, melted candle wax, and the faint tang of something floral—perhaps a remnant of Professor Sprout's herbology lesson from earlier in the day.

"Now, class," Flitwick began in his squeaky, enthusiastic tone, "one of the most fundamental skills a wizard can master is levitation—the ability to make objects fly! Do you all have your feathers? Good! Now, remember the swish and flick technique we've practiced. Repeat after me: Wingardium Leviosa!"

Gemini glanced down at the pristine white feather on her desk, its delicate barbs catching the sunlight and glimmering like spun silver. Her fingers toyed absently with her silver scrunchie, twisting it around and around as she tried to push away the memories of last night. The warmth of the sunlight streaming in through the windows was a poor counterbalance to her racing thoughts. Sitting between Harry, who had complimented her hair with an endearing sincerity that left her cheeks tinged pink, and Seamus Finnigan, who always seemed on the verge of blowing something up, she felt an unfamiliar weight in her chest. Perhaps sitting behind Ron and Hermione wasn't the best idea today; at least some entertainment might have provided a distraction from the swirl of emotions inside her.

"Wingardrium Leviosar!" Ron bellowed, wildly waving his wand with all the finesse of a troll wielding a tree branch. Gemini snorted, unable to help herself, the sound escaping before she could stifle it.

"Stop, stop! You're going to take someone's eye out!" Hermione snapped, exasperated. Her bushy brown hair was frazzled, her eyes narrowed in concentration and annoyance. "It's Leviosa, not Leviosar."

The way Ron's head hit the desk in defeat made Gemini chuckle softly. It was hard not to admire Hermione's brilliance, even if it sometimes came across as a bit much. When the brown-haired witch swished her wand and expertly pronounced the spell, her feather floated gracefully into the air, spinning and twirling as if dancing to some silent music.

"Excellent, Miss Granger!" Flitwick exclaimed gleefully, clapping his tiny hands together. "Splendid work!" The small crowd of students shifted their focus to Hermione's victory, a ripple of admiration and jealousy passing through the room.

Meanwhile, Seamus was still flailing about with his wand, completely oblivious to the commotion. Suddenly, with a loud bang, his feather exploded into a cloud of smoke and soot, some of which hit Gemini's silver scrunchie and dusted her hair with a fine layer of black ash.

"Whoa!" Professor Flitwick squeaked, clearly startled, nearly toppling off his stack of books.

Before she could brush the soot away, Harry took up the task, his fingers gentle as he flicked the ash from her scrunchie, his attention back on her with an affectionate grin. "You okay, beautiful?" he teased, his green eyes twinkling with mischief.