Paralyzed - George Weasley

Chapter Six - Spilt Ink

After finishing her breakfast and managing to avoid conversations the whole time, some stuff about Sirius Black being spotted again and hunting down the famous Harry Potter, she rolled out the great hall ignoring the snide remarks she would hear every once in a while. Well trying to ignore them. She kept hearing things like "Seems like she can seek for attention better than a snitch. Must've been her plan all along" or things along the lines of "How's the new pair of legs. Seems to suit you well.", "Nice wheels" always followed by laughs and snickers.

She knew one thing for sure. She hates this place now. She hated the people here. She used to love Hogwarts. It used to be a sanctuary from her parents arguing and a toxic home. But now she had no safe haven. Well besides when her uncle Pat was around. She needed to talk to him.

She found herself yet again in the lift to Ravenclaw tower. The eagle knocker started to speak. "I disappear as soon as you speak my name. What am I?" Camille thought for a moment. Thinking what could possibly disappear when it's name is spoken. "Umm" she thought out loud breaking the silence in the corridor. Then it hit her "Silence." The eagle knocker nodded approvingly and the common room door swung open. In her dorm she opened her trunk and reached for her small box of her lettering items, she loved writing letters it was a kind of calming thing for her. She set the box in her lap and then exited her common room and went back into the lift.

She wanted to write outside. It really was a glorious day outside. Once the lift doors opened she checked for the coast to be clear. And then started her way down the empty corridor towards the large doors to the courtyard.

It was quite annoying how her arms were already tired today from the continuous pushing motions she had to make to move. But she thought she'd get used to it eventually. Hopefully sooner than later.

She stopped for a moment to give her tired arms a bit of a break when the box fell from her lap, the lid flew off throwing all of the items onto the stone floor. Camille sighed and tried reaching for the box. She couldn't quite reach it. That's just great. She thought. She went to grab her wand from her pocket and when it wasn't there she started freaking out. But spotted it on the ground next to a pot of ink which was spilling onto the ground. Nearly reaching her wand.

"No, no crap. No. Ugh not my wand" Camille groaned. She tried rolling towards her wand and was reaching for it when a freckled hand grabbed it first.

Camille followed the arm lookin up to the person who had grabbed her wand. She saw a  red headed boy, not fiery red but more of a calm fall red, she examined his face, which was half hidden by his hair that was getting a bit long. His dark brown eyes were looking down at the ground while he was focusing on picking up her wax and stamps. It didn't seem like this boy wanted to criticize her for not being able to grab her things from the ground, it seemed like he just wanted to help.

He handed Camille her wand while he was still crouched over and the placed the wax sealer and wax into her box with his other hand. She hesitantly grabbed her wand back, studying his movements. This red head had started picking up the pieces of parchment and envelopes and putting them back into the box neatly. He still hadn't said a single word to her.

She reached down to help with what she could grabbing her quill and her spare pencils, which she snuck into Hogwarts, she didn't see the need to not have them when it made life easier for writing notes. She put them in the box hastily. She sat back up then used a spell to quickly clean the spilt ink. And levitate the small ink pot towards herself. She grabbed the lid and firmly closed it before putting that back into its rightful spot in the box.

"Here" The red head had finished grabbing the parchment and stood up handing Camille her box. She looked up to meet his eyes, his dark brown eyes. He was tall. Not just tall like Grant was. He was taller than Grant. Camille thought he was even cute.

"Thank you" Camille breathed out while lifting the lid to her box examining the contents making sure she had everything.

"Anytime" he said in almost what seemed like a laugh. He then gave a slight smile and walked off.

Well that was weird. Camille thought to herself. He had only said two words to her and he didn't even bother to mention anything about the fact that she was in a wheelchair. Maybe he just didn't want to embarrass her. Maybe he just felt bad that she couldn't even help herself. But that didn't matter. She'd probably never see him again. Doesn't matter. She had a letter to write.

———

On the grounds after she had finished her letter she just sat there for a minute just thinking about everything that's happened this year. She thought about the day she came here and had found out that a mass murder had escaped Azkaban. She had tried out for the quidditch team and made seeker. She received a letter from her mother, which was only her complaining about her father again and wanted Camille on her side. She had won her first quidditch game. She fell during her second one leaving her paralyzed. What could go worse.

Her thoughts were interrupted "There you are! I was.. looking.. everywhere for you. It's tradition.. time!" Grant wheezed stopping his sprint in front of her and collapsing onto the ground. He put one finger in the air as to say "give me a minute" while he tried catching his breath. For being in the quidditch team and quite a sporty person he didn't like running when he didn't need to. And he was one for the dramatic, hence falling onto the ground.

Camille shook her head. "I can take care of myself you know"

Grant sat up looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Oh, right sure." He flopped back onto the grass crinkling some fallen leaves in the process. He put his arms behind his head and took a deep breath. He couldn't wait for their traditional mischief. "This year we have to beat our record by three."

Camille looked down at him with wide eyes. "Three?! That's like impossible!" She practically screamed.

"Impossible? What's that. It doesn't seem to be in my vocabulary" Grant teased. He sat up and moved to a bench near Camille's chair. "It won't be that hard. They can be small ones."

"What if I don't wanna break 14 rules this year Grant? Did you ever think of that. Yes I know we've done it before but-"

"No buts! We are continuing our tradition. And this year we will break 14 rules without being caught. We've done it since second year. We are not breaking this tradition."

"Stupid tradition" Camille muttered looking down to her lap. In all honesty she thought it was fun breaking the rules and getting away with it without anyone knowing it was them. She loved the tradition. But she just didn't know how she would manage getting away this year.

"Stupid tradition?" He gasped. "It's not stupid. Come on it's been your favorite thing to do every year! You used to count down the days till Halloween just for this tradition."

"Yeah well I can't do it anymore. So what's the point in a tradition we won't be able to do anymore."

Grant chuckled "oh I see! Your worried that this" he gestured to her chair "is going to slow us down."

Camille looked up at him taken aback. "That was blunt"

"It was what you were thinking. Am I right?"

"Well yeah. But that's not the point"

"Then what's the point?" He asked leaning back crossing his arms and furrowing his eyebrows.

"I- I- I don't know" her head hung low. This was stupid. I'm arguing with my best friend about a tradition. What have I become? "Fine" she muttered.

"There she is!" Grant yelled standing up. "Let's get to work salty pie! First step planning." Camille shook her head but followed Grant to their designated planning spot. Which just happened to be a large cushion that sat in a corner where no one liked to study in the common room. Probably because Grant and Camille were usually being loud there, but it was still usually empty. And got straight to work. Listing the rules they've already broken in the past, planning to break them again and then the three new ones. This would be fun.