Harry Potter and the Lost Cities

CHAPTER EIGHT

This is a really long chapter, so I hope you enjoy! Remember to vote and comment if you like it! <3

"What?" Sophie exclaimed. "What d'you mean, gone?"

"I― I can't feel emotions..." Keefe said, his voice quiet and shocked. "I― I don't..."

His eyes rolled back into his head before they shut, and his head flopped down onto his pillows.

Elwin rushed over, flashing several colored orbs before reassuring the worried group. "He's fine, he's just in shock," Elwin explained, rushing over to his shelves of medicine and choosing a green vial. "This should wake him up." He hurried back and tipped the elixir down Keefe's throat.

A few moments later, Keefe's eyes fluttered open, and Sophie released the breath she'd been holding. "Thank goodness."

"Sorry," Keefe muttered. He started to prop himself back up, but Elwin placed a firm hand on his chest.

"Oh no you don't. Not until you drink these." Elwin fed him two more elixirs and flashed some more light around his head before helping Keefe sit up.

"Okay, now we can talk," Elwin said. "What do you mean, your abilities are gone? You can't feel anyone's emotions? How is that possible?"

"It must have been whatever Lady Gisela did to him," Sophie breathed, and Keefe tensed.

"The next time I see her..." he muttered.

"How could it take away his abilities, though?" Alden asked. "You said she used shadowflux and light? How could that take away abilities?"

"The more important question is: can we fix it?" Elwin asked, flashing some more light. After a few seconds, he added. "I don't see anything weird physically."

"What about light-wise?" Alden asked. "Is there anything weird that your ability might pick up related to light? If that makes any sense."

Elwin took off his spectacles, and for once, squinted at Keefe without any orbs of light hanging over his head. Then he shook his head. "I can't see anything."

"Maybe we should ask Tam to look for any shadowy stuff," Biana suggested.

Sophie was surprised to see that Dex looked rather uncomfortable at this suggestion, and maybe― was it possible― jealous? His eyes lingered a moment on Biana before he looked back at Keefe, Alden, and Elwin.

Weird, Sophie thought.

"Definitely a good idea," Alden agreed, and Dex seemed even more upset.

Sophie, meanwhile, was more concerned about Keefe's emotional state. He was still rather pale, and had barely said anything. She'd never seen him this scared. She'd seen him angry and sad plenty of times. And it always seemed to lead to him being reckless.

It frightened her what he would do when he was like this.

"Hey," she said quietly, approaching his cot and grabbing his hand. "Are you okay?"

He glanced at their entwined hands, then met her eyes for a half a second before looking down. "It just feels so weird... he whispered. "I've known what everyone's feeling for so long...I know it probably stupid, but.... I don't know how to function now."

Sophie could relate. She remembered when the Council had forced her to wear Dex's ability restrictor. She'd felt so helpless, being stripped of her abilities.

"It's okay," she promised. "We'll figure out how to get them back."

She just hoped it was a promise she could keep.