Elemental

Detention

"Welcome," says Professor Carrow, a sadistic smile playing across his lips. "You will all be coming every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the same time for the rest of the year. You all have double periods during that time, and Muggles just happen to be fast learners."There are five of us—the two Gryffindors, one Hufflepuff, and two Ravenclaws—awaiting our sentences. I gasp, seeing a familiar face. Oh, my gods. Beth. He's going to make us battle, or worse, I know it.

Then he turns to the older students at the desks. "You all are learning about the Cruciatus Curse. Now's your time to practice it." Oh, my gods! They can't do this, right? Right? I don't know how I'm going to survive this, considering the spider alone sent me to the hospital wing. "You each get to practice. There will be four Mudbloods, and there are twenty-five of you. So, you will get to practice once a week. First up..." Carrow checks a list. "Amelia Anderson and Vincent Crabbe."

I don't even correct him, half because if he's anything like his sister, he'll ignore me or curse me, half because I'm scared out of my mind. I glance at my sister. She smiles encouragingly, but I sense the fear behind her brave façade. Then I look at Crabbe. He's too excited. He must be a Slytherin. Yep, there's the silver and green.

"CRUCIO!" he yells. The spell knocks me to the floor. I hear someone screaming and I realize, again, it's me. I stop. About two thirds of the class gasps, and ten people rush to my side to help me up, including Beth, who screams something incoherent, as if I had died—which, for the moment, did not seem like such a bad option. I almost wish—no, I'm stronger than that. I try to tell them I'm okay but I can't and I know I'm not. And the pain... I couldn't describe it if I tried. I think being a demigod and an Element makes me that much more sensitive. All I know is no one ever deserves that. I stagger back to my desk. Everything is black and white. I glance at Beth, unsure what to say to my sister.

But I don't break. I don't get on my knees and beg for mercy. I'm strong. And when it's Lawrence's turn, I do something I've never done before. I take on the pain. And he looks at me like he knows and gets back up. "I'm fine," he insists to the seventh-year who helps him up. Thank gods he is.

And I do it again. And again. And it works every time. There is a reluctant Ravenclaw who manages to hold back and an apologetic Hufflepuff who is nearly in tears, but that's to be expected.

Then, when Neville Longbottom is supposed to curse Lucy Jones, he refuses.

"No."

"I'm sorry?" says Carrow, as if he misheard.

"You heard me. I won't do it! None of these children deserve it." Neville looks right at us when he says it. "Not one of them."

"Well, well..." says Carrow. Then he turns his wand on Neville and yells a curse I've never heard before and hope to never hear again. It's like he slashed Neville with a sword. Beth's friend Tiana screams. But Neville walks to his desk like nothing even happened. The boy next to him who helped Lawrence up mutters a spell that I can't hear, and Neville stops bleeding a little.

Neville is the last of them. Beth isn't picked, thank gods. I know she wouldn't even know what to do.

As I walk down to Charms—we're a little bit early, but I don't have enough time to go back to Transfiguration—Tiana finds me. "What happened there?" she asks. Tiana wasn't picked today, either.

"I was cursed."

"Yeah, I know, I can't stand Crabbe. You're lucky Malfoy left, though." She shudders. "Rumor has it he's a Death Eater, Dark Mark and everything. But I mean—I felt it." She looks at me. "Everyone did. Everybody felt your pain. I mean, it was...beyond just plain empathy, I saw some grimaces from the Sly—"

"WHAT?" I practically shout. "How—"

"I don't know how. I just figured I would let you know."

"Oh. Well, um, thanks," I managed to say. Tiana walked away to her next class.

No one else approaches me about it, but I'm starting to get worried. What if my secret gets out? If people knew I can read minds...the problem is that I'm too young to be a Legillimens. I'd be locked up, sent to St. Mungos. No, I'd be sent to the Ministry, where they'd study me and experiment on me like a lab rat. Certainly, that's what would happen in the Muggle world. If I can send signals well as read them without knowing, who knows how long it'll be before I'm discovered?

Charms is uneventful. We learn the Wingardium Leviosa charm, but I can't concentrate. Juliana tries to talk to me, but I can barely hear her. Eventually she gives up. We work in silence. I manage to lift my feather an inch or two, but only for a few seconds. I just can't think about anything else. What if I accidentally communicate my pain again? What if I'm caught? What if You-Know-Who gets to me? What if...

"Mia," Juliana whispers, "what did they do to you?"