We Will Shine {Book 6 in the Star of Gryffindor Series}

Chapter 22 - Unforgivable

~Wren~

As soon as Professor Edwards and Astra had left the room, everyone started talking. Not loudly, to my surprise; everyone seemed a little spooked. To be fair, Astra had looked completely out of it. It wouldn't hard to believe something else was at play here than just her being impulsive and stupid, even without context.

Albus and I exchanged an alarmed look, and hurried over to Colette.

"What happened?" Albus asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know. Astra stood up, and when I asked what she was doing, it was like she couldn't even hear me."

My eyes widened. "Do you think it happened again? Like when she broke her arm?"

Colette nodded, brow furrowed. "I think it might have. This is bad."

Albus shook his head. "Explain everything."

"She just stood up, almost like she was in a trance. And she stood there for a few moments, and then just picked up the trash bin and pitched it toward Edwards. Right after, she seemed to snap out of."

"That... That sounds like the Imperius Curse." I glanced around the room, but no one was paying us any attention. Luke had hopped up to start campaigning for trash can rights, and that was much more of a spectacle than three students whispering in the back of the room.

Albus and Colette glanced around the room as well. "Who would've done that?" Albus asked.

"Who could have?" Colette corrected. "It's a really difficult spell, isn't it?"

They were both looking at me, now, as if I should have known. "I don't know," I said, blinking. "I've never done that one." Both of them frowned, and I realized I'd just implied something I'd never actually told them. I shook my head. Now was not the time. "But, um, I think it is."

Albus tilted his head thoughtfully. "Okay. Anyway, I've got an obvious candidate. Jasper's just across the room. We at least know he can do that spell."

Colette frowned. "No one was paying any attention to her until after."

"Maybe... Maybe you didn't notice?"

Colette shrugged. "Maybe. Would he do that, Wren?"

"I don't know. He's trying to isolate her, of course. This might be part of it..."

"I suppose he might have been hiding on the grounds when she broke her arm, too," Albus said, nodding.

"Except there wasn't a voice, was there?" Colette said. "She should've heard a voice in her head, telling her to do those things, and Astra never mentioned that."

"She probably would've recognized his voice, too, since he's put her under the Imperius curse before," I agreed.

Albus frowned. "Maybe he told her to forget it?"

"Maybe," Colette said, shrugging. "Seems like that wouldn't work after the curse had been lifted, though."

"Or maybe he used some other spell to make her forget."

Colette shook her head. "That doesn't make sense. What spell could make her forget his voice and literally nothing else? Obliviate isn't normally that specific."

Albus sighed. "Okay, so it's not the Imperius curse, then. What else could it be? Are there other spells that control people?"

"I haven't heard of any," Colette said, then glanced at me.

I just shrugged. "I haven't either. Only the Imperius curse."

Colette nodded. "All right. That's not to say one doesn't exist, of course. People can create any spell, given enough time. I'm just not sure that that's really important enough to Stillens to have someone waste time doing that, simply for the sake of confusing Astra. Especially when he can get basically the same results from just using the Imperius curse."