Cored

Chapter 19: L. Ollivander

Closer to her meeting time with Professor McGonagall, Katherine wandered around the flat straightening everything up. She quickly unpacked her suitcase and tried to fish everything out of her backpack, folding the clothes neatly into dresser drawers. She stashed the suitcase underneath the bed. When she came across the small bag that held her ring, she tucked it into the drawer of her bedside table.

She sat quietly, unsure what she was waiting for. But it was just a short rap at the door. She hurried to the door and let the Professor in.

The woman walked in briskly, looking around briefly before turning to Katherine. A trunk followed behind her, landing on the ground by her feet.

"I thought it might be more comfortable for you to work here rather than at Hogwarts," the older woman said. "The school can be a bit overwhelming if you aren't used to it."

Katherine nodded.

"Well," McGonagall continued, "we obviously are a bit limited in what we can do, seeing as how you can't hold a wand. But I do think it is important to ensure you can control the magic you have. Have you noticed anything unusual beyond the burns on the couch last night?"

Katherine blushed, thinking about her dust cloud the night before. "It feels like static," was all she said.

"Static?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," Katherine continued, "like a ball of static in my chest. If I can hold it there, keep in from reaching my fingers, then it doesn't cause any problems."

"And how difficult do you find it to contain it?"

"It's harder when things are challenging," Katherine admitted. "But manageable."

McGonagall looked at her curiously, not quite seeming to buy it. "It is interesting," she said finally. "Because children are typically the ones in this position, it is uncommon for anyone to have the ability to explain it."

After a pause, she clapped her hands together. "Well, I suppose we ought to put it to the test."

She turned to the trunk. "Inside this trunk is a creature called a boggart. Boggarts turn into your deepest fear. Can you think what that might be?"

"Needles," Katherine said quickly with a shudder.

"Needles?" McGonagall asked.

"They're a muggle thing, I'd assume. They're used to give shots or draw blood—things like that."

"And that's your biggest fear?" McGonagall didn't seem to believe her.

"Yeah," Katherine said, a bit annoyed at her doubt. Why would I lie about that? "My body just freaks out about them for some reason—I normally pass out."

"Well, let's see how this boggart deals with needles," McGonagall said. "My hope is that the boggart will, by emulating your fear, cause a visceral reaction. It will give us a baseline for your ability to control your magic. Just do your best to hold it together."

She waved her wand and the trunk opened. Katherine peered around look at it, also curious what would burst out. Just the thought of a needle made her shiver, and she could feel her adrenaline start to increase. But she focused on the static in her chest, which was growing in anticipation. She envisioned a barrier, building brick by brick, that left some growing room but would keep it contained. She pictured each brick—but it stopped looking like a wall. It started to look like Kevin's home.

Katherine felt the static starting to grow. She didn't have time to re-envision the structure—she focused on the bricks, the windows, a bit of smoke coming out of the chimney. She even saw Lottie in the window, stretching behind the couch.