Harry Potter Fan Fiction: For Talia

Chapter 11

Talia held a copy of the Quibbler in her hands. It was disguised of course- it was a page from Standard Book of Spells chapter six. The library was reasonably empty. Her wand tapped the page and she read. She couldn't believe the amount of detail Potter had given, the extent of his ordeal after the Third Task last year. It made no sense yet perfect sense. To make others believe his story Potter had given up a great amount Talia would have rather kept to herself if it was up to her. It was bold. Maybe it would work. She hoped it would- it certainly would ease the attention Umbridge was still giving her. She was curious to know what Anton thought of it. He was good at seeing into the heart of things.

It seemed a waste of parchment but she sent the note anyway. There was always the risk it might have been intercepted. She had heard more and more rumours that had convinced her that the mail was being monitored. Anton replied by the same method. They left messages in riddles. It was such a Ravenclaw thing to do.

Ascending the stairs of the Astronomy Tower, Talia was careful to keep an eye out in case anyone was following her. She knew she might hear them first but the way the stairway twisted she could never be sure. It only reminded her of how relaxed Hogwarts had seemed in their First Year. Dumbledore was still Headmaster and that above all else was reassuring to most students. Umbridge, though, was more than over stepping things. It was making school-life intolerable.

Anton looked better today. It was apparent, upon their return to Hogwarts after Christmas that something bad had happened to him. He had been pale and thin, caught in a constant shiver that made Talia feel edgy whenever she was around him. He wasn't well but it was more than that. He was suspicious of everything and easily irritable. He still learnt magic with her, was patient enough but did not offer more than what the task required. He was closed off, as he had been at the beginning and Talia worried about him. He had snapped at other students in class when they tried to bully him about always being sick around Christmas, and would have done more in all honesty had the teacher not been present. He had drawn their attention which made him angrier. It had taken weeks for him to return to something that resembled himself. Even though he was a bit apologetic to Talia, he kept his distance.

When she entered, Talia couldn't fail to notice the three textbooks hovering in the air above the desk next to Anton. He was reading a stuffy old book on Goblin Wars, tracing the corner of the page with a finger in preparation to move on. His wand sat next to his other hand, just within reach.

It was a sight Talia would never get used to.

She had learnt, shortly after they had officially met, that her friend was exceptional when it came to exercising his own magical powers. He had a fantastic grasp of magical law, refined spell work and could learn a spell almost the second he knew the incantation. It was remarkable but even that hadn't prepared her for the first time she noticed he could use magic without a wand. He had done it so casually. The nib of his quill had snapped one day in the library and without any hassle what-so-ever he held the quill together and a moment later it had repaired itself. He had even kept on writing as though it was the most normal thing in the world. Nobody else had seen it behind the tower of books Anton always seemed to place between himself and the rest of the school. Talia had challenged him at once and all he did was shrug and say that a wizard didn't need a wand. He reminded her of the magic they had performed as children. It was violent and unpredictable but still magic and proof that they were magical beings- it was in their blood. A wand made magic controllable- it channelled their abilities and made the magic performed more powerful. Most wizards and witches simply didn't try to use magic without one because there really wasn't a reason to. All Anton could do was basic stuff- make things hover, vanish, and he could produce red sparks if he wanted to. Anton did so because he believed it made him stronger and a better student of the art. He knew if he understood more about the magic within him, he could use it better to his advantage.