LXXXIII ; we are young

17.9K 757 2.1K
                                    

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.



* * *



            AS HERMIONE HAD PREDICTED, THE SIXTH YEARS' FREE PERIODS WERE NOT THE HOURS OF BLISSFUL RELAXATION RON HAD ANTICIPATED, BUT TIMES IN WHICH TO ATTEMPT TO KEEP UP WITH THE VAST AMOUNT OF HOMEWORK THEY WERE BEING SET. not only were they studying as though they had exams every day, but the lessons themselves had become more demanding than ever before. elara had to really try to keep up with what professor mcgonagall said to them these days; even hermione had had to ask her to repeat instructions once or twice. incredibly, and to hermione's increasing resentment, harry's best subject had suddenly become potions, thanks to the half-blood prince.

            nonverbal spells were now expected, not only in defense against the dark arts, but in charms and transfiguration too. elara frequently looked over at her classmates in the common room or at mealtimes to see them purple in the face and straining as though they had overdosed on u-no-poo; but she knew that they were really struggling to make spells work without saying incantations aloud. it was a relief to get outside into the greenhouses; they were dealing with more dangerous plants than ever in herbology, but at least they were still allowed to swear loudly if the venomous tentacula seized them unexpectedly from behind. elara took advantage of this quite often.

            one result of their enormous workload and the frantic hours of practicing nonverbal spells was that elara, harry, ron, and hermione had so far been unable to find time to go and visit hagrid. he had stopped coming to meals at the staff table, an ominous sign, and on the few occasions when they had passed him in the corridors or out in the grounds, he had mysteriously failed to notice them or hear their greetings.

            "we've got to go and explain," said hermione, looking up at hagrid's huge empty chair at the staff table the following saturday at breakfast.

            "we've got quidditch tryouts this morning!" said ron. "and we're supposed to be practicing that aguamenti charm from flitwick! anyway, explain what? how are we going to tell him we hated his stupid subject?"

            "damn, ron," said elara after downing her third cup of coffee, "that's heartless."

            "it's true," he said, "besides, i don't think drinking three cups of coffee in half an hour is healthy."

            "i got no sleep last night thanks to anya," said elara begrudgingly, as she and her mentor had begun practicing through her dreams. last night, she made elara practice weaponizing her fire. as elara discovered, that takes a ton of energy.

           "how does that work again?"

            "technically i am asleep, but when i wake up, it feels as though i've had run a marathon."

O, CURSED CHILD. ﹙ harry potter ﹚Where stories live. Discover now