Awkward

Chapter - 13 The Death Eater's Past

A week had passed by since the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher of Hogwarts, Gilderoy Lockhart, confessed his feelings to the smart, unconventionally charismatic Ravenclaw student - Seraphina Barclay. Not a single word escaped the lips of the ones who knew about it, but the transmuted behaviour was visible.

The Potions Master, Severus Snape was cautious towards the young witch who was internally tormented. He made sure to get a look at her whenever he got time. Lucifer's anger was justified, he was furious with his teacher, and he had all rights to be. Elenore on the other hand felt disgusted towards her once favourite professor. It was hard for Elenore to digest the fact, but Lockhart's proposal lifted the curtain of uncertainty and confusion from in front of her eyes. Seraphina's reaction to the incident was the most sympathy-worthy. Although she had insomnia and she couldn't sleep at night, but in the seven nights that had passed, she spent the whole night worrying about Lockhart's next move. She looked more dreadful than ever, and it stirred up a lot of attention, but she shoved the concern off by making an excuse of bad health.

Lockhart became more desperate than ever. His desperation was visible in his crystal blue eyes. And what bothered him more was the absence of Seraphina from his classes. Seraphina received permission from Professor Snape to skip her Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She spent most of those class hours in the library, where she studied. It wasn't that she was lacking behind or she was scoring bad grades - actually she was rather good and austere with her studies. But it was hard for her to bear the face of Lockhart ever since the last Hogsmeade trip. Severus himself offered her help with the subject, but she courteously refused.

One more precaution Severus and Lucifer came up with was that she should not do her patrolling duty for a while so that Lockhart couldn’t get a chance to meet her alone. Seraphina agreed hesitantly, she hated to refuse her duties, but what Batman and Lucifer were proposing was correct.

Severus's birthday passed away without any celebration from Albus and Minerva, who always threw a party on the 9th of January for the young master. But the match-making pair also understood his anguish and exasperation towards the issue unknown to them. Severus promised Seraphina he wouldn’t tell anyone anything about what happened at her Muggle school and so he kept the promise.

The adolescent Ravenclaw's brain was so engulfed with her own thoughts that Batman's birthday escaped her mind. But Severus didn't mind that.

ልረልክ

Just like on many of her sleepless nights, Seraphina decided to slip out of the castle to the Forbidden Forest. Studying wasn't occupying her mind anymore. As she reached the spring of the Forbidden Forest, a colossally staunch figure awaited her in the shadows of the spring.

" Angel, what is it that bothers you?" came a husky voice from the shadows as it stepped out of the dark.

" Oh Aslan, you scared me! " gasped Seraphina under her breath. The half-horse, half-man stepped in front of the girl and fixed her with a sympathetic gaze. Seraphina sensed his sympathy and felt disgusted yet again.

" Angel, the stars told me, " whispered Aslan.

" What- what did the stars tell you, Aslan? " asked Seraphina, the curiosity growing inside her. Aslan was a Centaur, and they were best at star reading. Many times Aslan had told her what the stars were telling him. He even taught her how to read them, but she was a witch so it wasn’t as easy for her.