CHRYSALIS - FRED WEASLEY

CHAPTER 13

hey guys!!! lol... surprise!! how are we feeling about the time jump? sound off in the comments 😁 I really wanted to write some smut for you guys, but I felt uncomfortable as an adult writing it about school-age people, even if they were technically 18 at the time. So, I thought about how I could do that and move the story along, create some conflict, and get Fred to become the main love interest. So don't worry, SMUT IS COMING!! I just love an incredibly slow burn, and I hope you guys do as well. Thanks for being so patient. For those asking, Charlie's death will be revealed soon, and it will be a main point of conflict for the rest of the story. 

 I love you all a lot, and know that I read ALL your comments, I really appreciate them. You guys are keeping me going right now, so thank you. 

Now, on with the story... 

 "Lillie," Professor McGonnegal says curiously, "What would you have us do about the abundance of secret passageways inside the castle, given the fact that the locations of many are unknown to us?"

Lillie nods thoughtfully, mulling over the question McGonnegal has posed. She combs through the months of knowledge she acquired in New Mexico, trying to decide the best course of action. They stand in the rare spring sunshine, gazing up at the castle's towering walls. Professor Flitwick has to crane his neck painfully to see all the way up to the tip of the turret.

"Well, I'd be happy to do a sensory scan of parts of the castle, see if I can feel any abnormal air flow or dust patterns. I can also try using my tourmaline," she pauses, "And maybe some granite, just to suss out the castle's weaknesses."

"Would you mind if I sit in on the ritual?" Professor Flitwick chimes in. Lillie looks down at him. "I've never seen Puebloan wandless magic before, only read about it. I'd love to watch you work."

"Of course, yeah," Lillie says. A year ago, she would have been embarrassed by his praise, and reluctant for anyone so accomplished to watch her cast. However, her six months studying with the Pueblo tribe offered her a confidence she hadn't known it was possible to possess; she now understands the value of her craft.

"Oh yes," McGonnegal says, "I'd love to view as well. You have an incredibly rare talent Ms. Wenlock, I've only seen it in two other students in my time. Even then it was untapped, unstable. To have been trained in telekinesis makes you an incredibly useful asset."

Lillie bristles at the use of the term asset but remains polite, assuring them that she'd be happy to allow them to observe. She excuses herself before making her way back to the Great Hall for lunch before she starts research on the materials she'd need for the spells she would soon be performing.

***

Lillie sits on the floor in the Gryffindor common room, criss-cross with her eyes closed. The area is empty of students, who are all at various classes or else enjoying the sun outside. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick sit in the lumpy leather armchairs in the living room, observing Lillie quietly. Lillie stifles her laughter at seeing them settled into the chairs; the sight is more casual than what she is used to from them, and the image makes her laugh.

Lillie focuses herself, her heart rate slowing almost immediately and her breathing becoming steady and controlled, like she's sleeping. Though there is no window open, goosebumps prickle on her arms as she lowers her own body temperature, essentially entering a hibernative state.

She is solely focused on the space around her, attuned to the flexing energies. In her mind, she forms a sort of map of the room. It feels as though she is blind, and is exploring the room with a pair of probing hands, discovering things that she may miss with her eyes. She makes note of McGonagall and Flitwick's glowing presences. McGonagall glows a cool, shimmering gray and Flitwick's a muted chartreuse. She extends her metaphorical hands beyond the room she's in, reaching up the tall tower. As she explores, she sees the sleeping forms of a few students, sick in their dorms or skipping class. She reaches farther and senses a few spaces in the walls, including a hidden shaft reminiscent of a muggle dumbwaiter. She makes note of this as she moves onward.