When Myths Meet Magic || 5

10|| Will

It was with extreme pride that Leo showed them the bleeding words carved into his skin.

Hazel snorted as they climbed up the ladder to the Divination room. "And did she notice?" She asked as they entered the sweltering hot room. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Well, duh," he said. "But she can't do much about it. It's etched into my skin now where the feather was enchanted to put the words. If she adds the normal words over it, then it will just look like a squiggle and 'not teach me anything'," He said with air quotes.

Will leaned over a floofy armchair and inspected the wound. It was still deep and blood red, with beads of blood trickling out every time Leo wiped it on his robes. Shaking his head, Will reached into his robes and pulled out a glass vial filled with nectar, enchanted not to break, and snapped his fingers. "Hand."

Leo complied, and Will poured a few drops onto the wound. The cut sealed and the bloodflow stopped, but the marks were still white against his skin. Leo turned it this way and that, inspecting it with a frown.

"Can you turn it red again?" he asked Hazel. "It looked cooler."

Frank rolled his eyes. "For gods sakes, Leo, that shouldn't be what you're thinking about when you look at words carved into your skin!"

"Well it is," said Leo with a deal-with-it voice. "C'mon, have you guys learned anything the past five years?" He snapped his fingers. "Turn it red!"

Hazel pulled out her wand and tapped the scar. Like water running through a series of funnels, a scarlet coloring ran across the letters until the entire thing was a fiery red on Leo's skin. He grinned and held it up in front of Frank's face, wiggling his fingers.

At that moment, a misty voice came from the shadows, "good day." The weird lady came gracefully out of the shadows, like a hippie ballerina. Her large glasses cast ripples of light across her features as she looked around. "We will be reviewing palmistry today, as my Inner-Eye has revealed a stunning lack of comprehension."

Someone yawned in the back of the room, but she didn't turn to him as she settled herself in a large, ornate armchair.

"Now, turn to page 47 of Unfogging the Future, edition 5. There you will find a key of the basics. Then I want you to turn to your partners and read their palm."

Will turned to Leo and glanced down at the book. "Well, lets see here..." the pair flipped randomly through the pages as Professor Trelawney swooped around rather like an owl, observing them with a certain grace. She stopped at Leo and Will's table and spread her arms wide to allow her dropping shawl to spread around her.

"What is this, now?" She murmured curiously, lifting Leo's palm. Her fingers traced the lines, and her eyes widened in utter sadness. "Oh my dear... my poor dear..." she looked at Leo mournfully. "Your lifelines is shorter than most, my dear... expect ten years of life before you are drawn to the grave."

Sighing sympathetically, she dropped Leo's hand and examined Will's. She nodded, her eyes scanning them, and Will shifted awkwardly. Finally, Trelawney heaved a sigh again.

"A great struggle lies before you," she said. "A great danger... wounds... illness... but I see a warrior's spirit in you," she gasped, eyes widening dramatically. "My dear, think not of the trials you occur, but stay forever bright for the future and you will prevail!"

She swept onwards.

Will glanced at Leo; Leo glanced at Will, they both looked to Frank and Hazel who shrugged.

"You get used to it after a while," said Frank tiredly.

>>>•O•<<<

Piper sat alone in the common room, completely and utterly miserable. She had done her homework, the essays that weren't due until next week, and re-arranged her trunk, and she was still bored to death. Pansy was talking with Draco in the corner, Blaise and Daphne were playing wizard chess, and Millicent was never really nice to her anyways.

From the ground next to Piper, surrounded by books and parchment, was a young Slytherin girl. As Piper observed the activities around her, the girl suddenly burst into tears.

"I can't do it!" She yelped, tucking her head in her arms. Piper knelt down by the girl and put an arm around her.

"Shh-hh. Do what?" She asked gently. The girl lifted a red face and pointed at a book.

An Overview of Muggles: vol. 15

Piper smiled gently. "I can help you if you want," she murmured. "What are you doing?"

"I have an essay on the American Revolution," she said. "But there's almost nothing in here and it's due in my next Muggle Studies class."

Piper smiled again. "Oh, I was raised in a muggle family. I learned some of this in sixth gr— I know some of this," Piper corrected hastily.

The girl wiped away her tears and sat cross-legged as Piper flipped through the section.

"You're one of the Americans, aren't you?" She asked. Piper nodded. "And you're on the Quidditch team. Chaser, right? Number ten?"

Piper nodded again.

"You're so good at quidditch," the girl said in awe. "I want to try out but... I don't know how to fly." She said the last statement flatly, and Piper considered the subject closed. She flipped to a page and pointed at the line.

"Okay, this here is a timeline from the start of the revolution to the end." She walked the girl through the timeline, describing a few events as the girl took notes. When she finished, the girl's tears were long gone and she nodded in understanding.

"Thanks!" The girl exclaimed breathily. "I think I get it now."

Piper smiled. "That's good. What's your name, by the way?" She asked bashfully.

"I'm Amelia. Amelia Knight." She beamed again before turning to her essay. "Thanks for your help," she said, scribbling away.

"No problem." Piper looked at the clock. It was around nine thirty, late enough to finally sleep.

"By the way," Amelia said as Piper stepped away. "D'you mind if you helped my brother sometimes too? He's a first year... needs help with Transfiguration... and I don't remember the material at all."

Piper nodded. "Sure."

"I'll tell him to go to you, then," Amelia decided. "His name's Callum."

Piper nodded again. "Okay, great." It would take up a load of her spare time, at least. What she didn't know was that helping Amelia was basically the start of her long task of basically being the Slytherin tutor for first, second, and third years.