❝"I want to save them."
"You're just saying things that I already know, Nellie."
"You're not going to try and stop me?"
"On the contrary, my little Witch. I'm going to try and help you."❞
***
Viatorem Atramento: Ink Travellers. That was what Noell...
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"Why is it that you've transferred now?" questioned Seamus Finnigan, shovelling some more pie onto his plate. He reached for the gravy. "Where did you study before?"
It was currently lunch time; the Great Hall was full of chatter, students lining all four tables and enjoying their sumptuous meals under the ceiling depicting a mystifying barrage of grey clouds. Noelle had taken a moment to stare at the simple magic in awe as Hermione beside her had clipped that it was charmed, before going on to explain the types of charms used for such illusions. It reminded her that she was going to be quizzed after dinner so Noelle had listened intently, much to the pleasure of her tutor. One thing she loved about it all was that she was physically experiencing the wonder of the magic herself. On one hand, she couldn't wait to get started on the practical stuff. On the other, the amount of knowledge and content she had to cover was more than slightly daunting.
In present time, Noelle winced internally. She considered the question for a moment; she knew her arrival was — strange, to say the least — and not by the means of her physical arrival (being found by the Giant Squid was something she and Dumbledore had quickly decided to keep hidden). No, her "transferral", as she had been told to put it, was odd simply because she was practically a muggle in every way save for the magic that ran through her blood. She had no magical skill at all — this was something quickly spread and understood by those present in the Gryffindor common room at the moment of her arrival, because she had 'special circumstances'. She took a deep breath, and parroted the cover story Dumbledore had fashioned for her.
"I only received my Hogwarts letter today," Noelle began, resisting the urge to shift as she was pinned with curious gazes from her housemates, "because I've been in a magical coma for the past three years." The statement had received many raised brows in return, and a few gasps from the more vocal. "I'd rather not talk about the story behind that, if you don't mind," she hurriedly said, noticing the questions ready to burst from the more curious of the lot. They hadn't gone that far in their cover story yet.
"Over the summer I've been recovering and trying to gain some control over my magic because it hasn't been in use for a long time, so it's very underdeveloped. That's why I'll be having extra lessons with all the professors, and I won't be assessed on the electives as you all will."
There was a collective groan at that. "You're so lucky!" moaned Seamus. "I have no idea what's happening in Divination, and the more time I spend around those Flubberworms the more I feel like one."
"Slow and stupid," supplied Dean Thomas dryly.
"I'm prophesising it now: I'm going to fail Divination for sure," muttered Ron. There was a murmur of agreement.
"I'm not so sure it's as much as lucky as it is unfortunate," chastised Hermione, sending a look at the two. She glanced back at Noelle who looked faintly amused at her friend's antics. "Does that mean you won't be taking any electives at all?"
Noelle shook her head. "I'll be taking them, but sort of like a taster? I won't be present for a lot of the lessons until I catch up the last two years," she rubbed her neck, beginning to feel awkward about it all.
"That must be tough," said Parvati Patil, tone sympathetic. Noelle shot her a small smile and shrugged. She thought back to her conversation with Dumbledore.
She too had asked why she was getting her letter in her third year, and not when she was meant to at age eleven like every other witch or wizard. Dumbledore had explained that at the time the threat to the integrity of this world wasn't as imminent; as per the nature of Ink Travellers, she would only arrive when she was truly needed. At this revelation Noelle was stumped. The realisation that she spent two years unaware of her abilities and of what lay beyond the pages had her skin tingling uncomfortably, and she remembered for a terrifying heartbeat the biting cold of the Black Lake, the tremor of her muscles as she was chased just moments before she had jumped. She felt distinctly unnerved knowing that the creature, the Erinyes, was still out there—
—That the creature must have gotten past Spencer and Amira to reach her.
Amira. Her mind wandered to the brunette woman she was sure had been attacked at Spencer's shop; the grey kitten that greeted her so familiarly. Both Dumbledore and the Ink had mentioned every Viator had companions to guide them — was Amira hers?
Noelle absently twirled her fork in her hand while she pondered until a voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"It's you!"
Noelle looked up to see Harry Potter looking at her, green eyes alight in surprise. "Hi," she smiled sheepishly.
There were exclamations of "Harry!" from his friends who had moved along the bench to make space and pull him down across from Noelle. She took the time to analyse his appearance while his friends interrogated him about how he was feeling. His hair was as messy as ever, but at least looked like he had attempted to tame the black mop that sat on his head, and he didn't have the same sickly pallor that seemed to be inherent in the occupants of the Hospital Wing.
Harry's voice pulled Noelle out of her observation again. He shrugged, "I'm still a bit stumped about my broomstick, if I'm honest." Noelle winced when she remembered exactly what had landed him in the hospital. She had been reading about the very same Dementor attack just moments before she left for the milk and cookies — read about how his sleek Nimbus two-thousand had been destroyed by the Whomping Willow. Noelle was still in awe, and somewhat disbelieving, at the fact that she was to live in a castle where there was a murderous tree that threw its limbs around more than a toddler with teenage angst.
Ron clapped Harry's shoulder with a grimace, "I'm just glad you're alive, mate."
Harry shot him a weak smile before turning to the girl in front of him. "How's your arm?" Noelle remembered with a start that it was broken and raised it, swinging it around.
"I kind of forgot about it," she admitted, bashful, "but I think it's fine now."
"What happened to your arm?" Hermione asked, an inquisitive tilt to her head
"Uh..." Noelle was stumped. She couldn't exactly say it was broken by a more-than-likely mythical creature with corpse-like limbs and icicles for teeth, could she? "I landed on it wrong?" It sounded more like a question even to her own ears.
"In the Black Lake?" frowned Harry, seeming to remember Madam Pomfrey scolding Professor Dumbledore after she'd woken up. Gee, thanks for keeping it a secret, Harry, Noelle thought sarcastically.
"There was... an issue with my arrival. Honestly I don't remember much of it," she said carefully.
"And here I thought Harry's life was wild," said Seamus with a wicked grin. "Remember last year, with the car?"
Ron groaned, "Merlin, don't remind me — my ears are still ringing from that Howler."
"You should have seen what they were up to the last two years," said Dean, picking up from Seamus. "A right mess, I'm telling you."
"Oh?" Noelle tried hard to maintain a clueless expression. I know more than you'd think.
"Lost more points than we ever have!" piped in Fred.
"We accept that challenge, by the way," George continued. "We have a few more tricks up our sleeve," and that was when a bright red rose slipped out of his grey sweater, and Noelle couldn't stop the laughter that escaped her.
"I can't wait," she grinned. And really, she couldn't.
