Beyond The Veil「 The Veil Trilogy Part Ⅲ 」

[09] Curse In Hogsmeade

The first Hogsmeade weekend of the term came up and I could feel the excitement among the students. Everyone wanted to take that break and enjoy themselves on the weekend.

Unlike the students, the teachers could go to Hogsmeade whenever they wanted to buy supplies or take a break so the same excitement couldn't be seen in the teachers. Still, I wanted to go out on that weekend to join my friend Katie.

Katie had been a year below me and Angelina so she was completing her seventh and final year at Hogwarts that term. As I couldn't catch up with her during normal working days, I decided to spend the weekend with her.

I joined the students at the gates and Katie smiled to see me.

"Kat, I am so glad to see you!" She reached forward and hugged me. Seeing her made me feel a lot better as well and I looked forward to spending the weekend with her.

"Same here. How have you been?" I asked. The gates had opened by then and the queues of students were walking out of the school's premises.

"I've been good. Final year is very exhausting already and I dread going to Snape's class but hey, there's nothing new in that," she laughed lightly, "oh, and congrats! I was so shocked to see you with the teachers at first but it's so great that you got the job!"

Katie was always like that; very frank and open and that's why I love her so much. I had lost contact with Angelina over the summer break but now that I think about it, I may have to ask Fred to invite her over for Christmas, if you know what I mean.

Hogsmeade village was as magical as ever with beautiful pathways and cute little shops. I strolled with Katie and we brought some quills and parchment from Tomes and Scrolls then went to check out Honeydukes.

"You can't simply come out on a Hogsmeade weekend and not go to the Three Broomsticks," Katie took my hand and led me to the famous pub owned by Madam Rosmerta.

It was full of students and everyone was in a very cheerful mood but for some reason, I felt a strange sensation of being enveloped in something uncomfortable.

Something cursed...

I shook the thought off, blaming it on the visions I somehow always had at the most inconvenient of times. I should focus on something else or I will get a vision again and in such a public place, it won't be so pleasant.

"Hey, are you okay?" Katie asked, her voice snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, I am fine."

"Sit here, Miss Weasley," she ushered me to a table, a smile playing upon her lips as she made me sit down. I know she was joking with me to distract me from the vision and I feel grateful to her for looking out for me. "I will be right back with our drinks. You'll have a Butterbeer, right?"

I nodded, spotting Harry and his trio in the pub as well. Hermione sent me a smile and a wave before turning over to talk to Harry who looked slightly uncomfortable.

Perhaps something had happened again and Ron was being awful to them. I will have to talk to him about it later. He can be mean sometimes and I know exactly how to set that straight. But I will look after it when we get back to the castle.

What's taking Katie so long to come back with our Butterbeers anyway?

I craned my neck to look over at the counter. She was there, talking to Madam Rosmerta. After some time, she came back with our drinks but something felt wrong.

All her cheerful demeanor had vanished and she quickly put a box in her satchel that perhaps Madam Rosmerta had given her.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the box.

"Nothing," she replied but there was an odd mechanic feel to her rather than how she normally behaved, "I just have to deliver this to the Headmaster. I will be off as soon as I finish my drink."

"But Katie, we were supposed to spend the whole weekend together. You said-"

"Yes, I'm sorry Kat but I have to go."

That's strange...

Without even finishing her drink, Katie stood up and left the pub. She seemed to be in a hurry to deliver whatever was in the box.

I shrugged, thinking about what I should do after I finished my Butterbeer. I could stay out or I could return to the castle. Staying out alone didn't feel like a great idea so I decided to go back.

I had just been leaving the Three Broomsticks when I heard quite a commotion outside.

The rest of the students had noticed it too and they rushed out to see what was going on. I followed them as well and knowing that I was a figure of authority in that crowd of students, it was my responsibility to tackle whatever issue had arised.

However, when I saw the sight before me, I was shocked to the core.

Katie was about six feet high in the air, her hair whipped around her face nd she was screaming. Below her on the ground was that ripped package that Madam Rosmerta had given to her and a silver necklace was peeking out from it.

"Step aside!" I called out, parting the crowd of students staring in shock at her and Leanne, another student from her year who was also screaming and crying. "Step back and no one touch that necklace."

I thought of what I should do and conjured ropes that wound up around her to bring her down. But the pull of that curse was too strong.

"Harry, go and find someone to help!" Hermione shouted, joining her wand with mine to strengthen the power of our rope binding spell.

I was worried to see Katie like that my foremost priority was to get her down and to the Hospital Wing. But a question was rotating in my head that why would Madm Rosmerta give her a cursed package to deliver to Dumbledore?

"Make way. All o' yeh step back!" Hagrid had come there as well and we had managed to get Katie slightly lower.

From there, Hagrid was able to bring her down and carried her to the castle but the painful screams hadn't subsided.

"Don't touch it," I quickly spoke up, seeing Hermione bending down to see the necklace, "it's cursed."

"Harry, your scarf," Hermione took Harry's scarf and carefully wrapped the necklace in it, "we have to take it to Professor Snape. He will know how to stop the curse."

Well...

Snape does have a lot of expertise in curses. So I nodded but I couldn't let them go alone. The necklace was far too dangerous for that. 

I used a spell Rem had once taught me and it bound the scarf tightly around the necklace and levitated it so that none of us would have to touch it.

"Come on, I will go with you too."

They nodded, letting me lead the way as we went back to the castle. There was still some time left till the end of the Hogsmeade weekend but it had been spoiled for all of us.

I really hope Madam Pomfrey is able to treat Katie but I felt the curse was too strong even for a skilled Healer like Madam Pomfrey. That darkness and strange feeling of discomfort I had felt when we had entered the three Broomsticks was definitely due to this necklace.

Because right then I could feel it stronger than ever.

It was probably the first time that I couldn't wait to see Professor Snape. He would know how to stop the curse for sure and I hope he succeeds.

Katie's life was at stake and even a second's delay could be fatal.

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