I made my way outside to an unoccupied area and met up with Abarrane. The crunching leaves revealed the location of the girl I knew had been following me from the beginning. Offering food to an outstretched arm emerging from the abyss, I called out to my pursuer.
"You can come out, she doesn't bite."
A few moments of silence passed before Pansy emerged from her hiding place not far away.
"I could smell her! I'm amazing at finding things!" Val cheered as he splashed in the water, proudly telling Abarrane of his achievements.
Pansy was cautious, to say the least, of the tentacles waving through the water, some latching onto my arms and hands. I chuckled and nodded to reassure her as she slowly moved closer.
"I had the same feelings when I first met her too."
Abarrane's suckers latched onto my hand, then released them again—a motion she seemed to enjoy.
"Abarrane, I have my friend here. Are you okay with her touching you?" I asked with the help of my wand, using it to convey my feelings.
Abarrane continued to move calmly, and I sensed no feelings of worry or hostility from her. I held out my other hand to Pansy. She frowned slightly but slowly placed her hand in mine.
"Okay, stay calm," I told her, guiding her hand toward one of Abarrane's tentacles still attached to my other hand.
As Pansy's hand made contact, she gasped and froze. Abarrane then shifted her suckers from me to Pansy, gently grabbing and releasing her hand. Pansy gulped, her fear-ridden face slowly softening into amusement. She giggled, her expression one I wouldn't forget—a mix of unease and cheerfulness.
At the end of the day, after studying with Pansy in my room, I finally decided to read the parchment Dumbledore had given me.
'I forgot about it last night with the surprise of Pansy, but now I need to know.'
I could already feel myself changing from the overabundance of magic. My hearing grew sharper, my vision adjusted effortlessly to the darkness, and my body warmed. All at the cost of worsening headaches the closer I came to the day of discharge.
'I was lucky that no headaches struck yet, but I feel they'll be worse tomorrow.'
The main reason I was searching for the room today was to avoid doing so in a weakened state. I unfolded the parchment and stared at the map I had received.
"Here…? I guess that works…" I mumbled under my breath, glancing at Val's tank.
'I'll have to let Pansy take Val back here. I don't know if there's a place for him in this strange place.'
I then looked back at the map, noting the instructions written on an empty portion of the parchment.
"Just hope I don't destroy it…"
The next day, I woke up with a dull, throbbing headache. It wasn't debilitating but annoying nonetheless. I grunted as I got out of bed and prepared for the day. Once in the Great Hall, I sat down next to Pansy.
"You're late," she said, flipping a page of Magical Drafts and Potions—most likely studying the Cure for Boils, which every first year learned to make as soon as possible.
I sighed as food appeared before me, and I devoured a large quantity of bacon and eggs, slipping bits of egg to Val, hidden in my sleeve.
"Didn't sleep so well," I muttered, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ease the constant thumping in my head.
"Well, it's a good thing most of today's classes are boring anyway."
I nodded, already familiar with our schedule. Today only required basic bookwork that didn't demand much magic—a lucky break, considering the difficulty of casting spells in my current state. However, the one class that did require magic was something I had never done before.
Before long, our first class began. All the first-year Slytherins followed Pansy, Draco, and me. Draco was the textbook example of someone I preferred to avoid, but he stuck close to Pansy and me, clearly hoping to be part of the so-called "head of first-year Slytherin"—a title many of the younger students had given me.
Dealing with Draco was easy enough—one mention of "inferior masses" sent him into a rant about the superiority of purebloods. Pansy agreed with some of his points but found studying far more worthwhile. As for me, the most I could manage was a half-hearted, "Just because they're below us now doesn't mean we can sit around without trying," before tiring of the words coming from my own mouth.
After our first two classes, we broke for lunch. My headache had worsened, making me irritable.
"Are you okay?" Valdemar hissed worriedly.
It was obvious that I was in a foul mood—so much so that even Draco avoided his usual pureblood remarks, not wanting to push me. I kept tapping my foot under the table, trying to vent my growing frustration at the relentless pain.
'It keeps getting worse as I get older… I wish I could read my ancestors' books for insight…'
I sighed and was about to complain to Val when the sudden whooshing of owls descending from the ceiling interrupted me, delivering the morning mail.
'Oh, please…' I thought, scanning for my family's owl.
Draco's owl dropped a letter into his lap. He frowned slightly before quickly tucking it away in his robes, clearly not eager to discuss his worried mother. Much like myself—except I prayed that my letter would bring something other than family concerns.
Two sets of clawed feet latched onto my left shoulder, away from Pansy and the rest of the table. I sighed with relief at the sight of my feathered friend: a gray, great horned owl. He stood elegantly, a small package in his beak. I took it from him and handed him a ball of Val's food in return. He happily swallowed it whole, cooing softly as I smoothed his feathers.
"Thanks, Howell."
He let out a soft hoot in response before taking off. My mood lifted slightly.
"What did he give you?" Draco asked, while Pansy quietly observed.
I rattled the box and smiled at the sound of something inside. Opening it, I found a small note and a glass vial. I read the note first:
'I noticed you forgot, so I sent over some of your medicine. Love, Mom.'
I felt a wave of embarrassment at having forgotten something so important but was grateful for my mother's worrying. I uncorked the vial of purple potion, its lavender scent filling the air. Taking a deep breath, I sighed with relief before drinking it all in one go.
The pain in my head gradually subsided, my mood improving as the potion took effect. Pansy and Draco stared, along with a few other curious Slytherins who caught the scent.
"Headache relief potion," I explained. "Something my father made. I get them a lot, so this helps from time to time."
The potion not only soothed my headache but also dulled the enhanced hearing and vision caused by my magic, bringing me back to normal.
After lunch, it was time for our next class—one where I decided to leave Valdemar in my room. However, once he knew what the class was, he stubbornly refused to stay behind. Annoyed, I eventually caved and let him tag along.
"Just remember, if you make too much noise, you can't come again."
"Yes! I'll be quiet!!"
With no books or wands in sight, we stepped into the courtyard. It was time for our first flying lesson.