Cast yourself (you are the spell)

Chapter 34

The week that follows is the longest of Hope's short life.

She begins to dread all of her classes, especially the ones with Josie in them. They don't talk much anymore, only when it's completely necessary and wholly unavoidable. And whenever Josie does talk to her-to ask about a potion ingredient, transfiguration spell, or an Arithmancy equation-she only answers with curt nods and blank expressions.

During Defense, Jade and Josie continue to make heart eyes at each other, and Hope continues to pretend she doesn't notice it. All the same, she can't summon a single whisp of something even resembling a patronus out of her wand. Oddly enough, it appears that the muggleborn is having equal trouble.

She tells herself it's for the best, but her heart sings a different story. It pounds against her chest as if to disagree whenever she's in the same room as the other girl. Sometimes it beats so viciously Hope thinks it's trying to escape her rib cage and jump into Josie's hands.

Especially when they're alone. Now, detention with Josie is cold and quiet. Detention without her is even colder. Even quieter. No detention at all is somehow worse. She had grown to actually enjoy her time with the other girl and now, now-nothing.

It only grows more awkward as the weekend comes and goes. Whenever Hope watches her, Josie's eyes become glued anywhere else. Yet, whenever Hope's sight isn't focused on her, she can feel the muggleborn's vice-like gaze like a hand gripping around her neck.

It makes breathing around the other girl that much more difficult. As a result, she distances herself in any way that she can. She sits with her back to Josie at the Slytherin table. She travels everywhere with her friends so the other girl can't approach her, but Merlin, does Hope want her to.

Her classes quickly become boring and monotonous. She can no longer find peace with her plants or anything magical at all, and quidditch practices are excruciating. She finds herself unable to enjoy flying, and she gets the feeling that her teammates are beginning to hate her for it.

On Monday, her final night of detention, she schedules a practice for the hour after. Her friends don't appreciate playing in the dark much, but they don't complain until Hope begins to schedule practices every morning, lunch break, and night of the week.

It's really only to prepare for the game they have against Ravenclaw on Saturday, but it's a welcome distraction for her nonetheless. It allows her to wake up early and go to sleep late every day, which deprives her of the energy to think about Josie and the huge error she made by trying to kiss her. During practice, she works her team harder than she ever has, and punishes every mistake. When Penelope drops her bat by accident, she makes her run a lap. On the field. With her feet.

When Ethan misses an easy interception, she has him use his broom as a pull-up bar and assigns him fifty of them. He breaks a sweat during the first ten. When Ryan gives her attitude after their third practice of the day, she makes him drop to give her twenty push-ups.

Hope Mikaelson has become somewhat of a tyrant.

And it's quickly getting on all of her friends' nerves.

She realizes that they've started talking shit about her when she joins them at dinner and they all immediately stop their conversation. Weirdly enough, Penelope has been the only one not to not say anything about it. Hope thinks that maybe she doesn't want to start another fight, and she's perfectly fine with repairing their relationship that way. So what, if she's become a hard-ass? So what, if she's devoted all her time and energy to quidditch so that they can win the Cup and make her family proud?

They should thank her for being so diligent and dedicated, but she knows that they're all starting to loathe her one way or another. Especially when she can't seem to stop talking about quidditch or school.