Hiding Bruises

Hiding Bruises- Chapter 4- Patronuses

I woke up the next day feeling marginally better then the night before. It was all a bit silly really; I mean what was so bad about being noticed? It might even make school a bit more fun if I had someone to chat to during lessons and sit with in the library doing homework.

The whole of my year was on tenterhooks because it was the annual school ball the next night. We had all of Friday of because teachers had to help set up the great hall.

It didn’t really bother me as I wasn’t planning on going so I just decided to concentrate on today’s lessons and the extra homework we were bound to get.

We had transfiguration first and Miss McGonagall set us a huge essay (20 inches) on why animagi were so carefully watched over by the ministry of magic and the dangers of being an animagus. I would probably find this quite easy, not to boast but animagus are a sort of fascination of mine so I know a lot about them.

The Marauders seemed to find this subject quite humorous as Peter, Sirius and James were in hysterics the whole time Professor McGonagall was telling us about the various things she had had to do to be able to become a registered animagi. Remus however seemed really stressed and was glaring at the other three the whole time as they only just managed to keep on their chairs.

At one point I heard him whisper to Sirius, “this isn’t funny, I thought this would have made you realise how dangerous what you’re doing is.”

The next lesson we had was double potions; I never really enjoyed this subject as Slughorn only seemed to pay any attention to members of the ‘Slug Club’ a group of handpicked talented students. Not that any other teachers noticed me but his ignorance to the rest of the class meant that there was a lot of messing around in the lesson and I often got distracted from my work by pieces of parchment and other objects being thrown around the room.

After lunch we had double Defence Against the Dark Arts. This years teacher, Professor Stronghald, was quite interesting and often did stuff with us that we were sure weren’t exactly meant for 6th years.

This lesson everyone was pretty excitable so he decided to do something he was sure would hold our attention, and what he chose definitely did that.

Everyone was talking as he walked to the head of the class, “Silence” he ordered an most people duly shut up, “today we will be practising the patronus charm.” He smiled as his words sunk in and the whole class became silence, “I know that it is a charm and that you shouldn’t really be studying it until next year but Professor Dumbledor felt you were ready and that I was better qualified to teach it then Professor Flitwick.”

We cleared the room and all took up spaces on the floor as he gave us our instructions.
Soon everyone was shouting “Expecto Patronum” at the top of their voices but no one was getting even a wisp of smoke, including James and Sirius who were normally top of the class. Stronghald didn’t seem at all perturbed by his classes failure and sat down on his desk to watch us struggle for the rest of the lesson.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the one memory I knew would be strong enough to bring about a Patronus: my sister’s birth. “Expecto Patronum” I said forcefully under my breath.

I didn’t think anything had happened but when I opened my eyes I saw the figure of a sleek animal, some sort of big cat, formed out of a thick silvery smoke. I also felt two pairs of eyes on me, Professor Stronghald’s and Sirius’s. The Professor’s were praising but Sirius’s looked rather apprehensive and I guessed that he was annoyed that him and James would be stripped of their titles as best in the year at Defence Against the Dark Arts.

“Tina,” said the Professor, and I was secretly surprised that he knew my name, “ that was amazing. I honestly don’t think I have ever seen anyone master the Patronus charm on their first attempt.” Now nearly all of the class was looking at me with undisguised surprise and scrutiny.

The Professor gave 20 points to Gryffindor as a reward and told the rest of the class to continue before walking over to me and saying that I could leave early and was excused from this weeks homework.

I felt Sirius’s eyes on my back as I left the room.

I decided to get a head start on the Transfiguration homework and headed towards the library.

******

When I got back from the library the rest of my year was already in the common room and I felt many eyes turn to me as I crossed it to get to the girls stairs. I noticed two patronuses by the fire out of the corner of my eye, a big black dog and what looked like a stag. I took this to mean that James and Sirius had also mastered their Patronuses and wondered if any one else had managed it.

Up in the empty dorm I lay on my bed with my head in my hands.

Why did I do it, why did I draw attention to myself like that?

Everyone was bound to be talking about how a girl had beaten Sirius Black and James Potter at Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Then I remembered the awestruck looks on all my classmates’ faces and felt strangely proud of what I had done. After all, who wouldn’t feel pleased with pulling of a spell that some grown people couldn’t pull off.

Bella couldn’t punish me for being good at something, could she?

No, I thought to myself, she has no reason to be mad at me, none at all. But then, said a little voice in the back of my mind, she had never needed a reason before now.

My thoughts were interrupted when two girls walked into the room; Lily Evans and Marlene McKinnon. They were giggling together but the tallest looked up and stopped when she saw me kneeling on the bed looking at them, obvious confusion in my eyes at the unexpected intrusion on my privacy.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, talking to me for possibly the first time in 3 years (she had taken the longest to give up on me and had carried on talking to me till the beginning of 3rd year).

“It’s ok,” I replied, taken aback by her apology, after all it was her dorm too, why should she have to knock before entering?

Marlene had also stopped giggling now and was also looking at me, though I found her scrutinizing gaze made me more uncomfortable then Lily’s also intrigued but not as aggressive one.

We stayed like that looking at each other, as if sizing each other up in preparation for a fight.

“Ummm” said Lily obviously feeling uncomfortable, “you were amazing in defence! Sir said he’d never seen anyone get it so fast!”

“Thanks” I said looking down, her praise made me feel uncomfortable.

“Had you really never done it before?” asked Marlene as though she wasn’t sure if she believed that this random girl no one had heard of could really be that good at anything.

“Really” I said, “I was so surprised myself, I had no idea I would be able to do it like that.” I guess what I really wanted to say was my memory wasn’t that happy, but then I guess in comparison to some of my other memories it is.

Lily went over to her draw and got out a book, “I just wanted to get this,” she told me before her and Marlene moved to the door. At the door Lily stopped and asked, “do you want to come sit with us?”

“No thanks,” I said; taken aback by her question, “I’m doing some homework” I lied.

“Ok,” she said, “ well maybe another time.”

“Yeh,” I said smiling at her.

“Great,” she said, her face breaking into a huge smile that seemed to light up the room, “ see you round.”

All I could do was nod happily as she and Marlene walked out.

Once they had gone I looked around for something to do, but there was nothing. Maybe I should have gone with them, I thought to myself but I didn’t want to go down now, it would look weird. Next time I will, I told myself as I hoped desperately there would be a next time.

*****

My hair was flying around in the strong gale that was starting to blow, obscuring my vision so that all I could see was the outlines of my captors.

I looked down and saw the floor, what seemed like miles below. My feet searched for the ground but they couldn’t move, though I wasn’t sure if my body was immobile from fear or some spell of Bella’s.

Suddenly I was jerked inwards, so that only my head was sticking of the edge of the astronomy tower.

I saw one figure come away from the others, moving closer to me until she was standing beside me. “ You remember this night,” Bella hissed at me, “ ‘cause if you ever do anything to annoy me again then I’ll actually throw you off here, understand?”

I nodded frantically.

“I said, do you understand?” Bella screamed in my ear,

I nodded again but couldn’t speak.

“I can’t hear you” Bella practically sang.

“Yes” I managed to say but my words were instantly whipped away by the cruel wind.

“I still can’t hear you!”

“Yes!” I screamed to the night sky with all the effort I could muster.

“Yes what?” Bella asked, cackling.

“Yes, I understand,” I screamed.

I felt myself being released and crumpled to the floor in a heap, my head hitting the side as I fell.

“You’ve had your fun now Bella,” Snape said coolly, “let’s go.”

With that they all walked away and I was left there, on the floor, crying with blood from a big gash on my head dripping into my robes.

*******

I woke from my dream, panting from the effort of pulling myself into consciousness.

I had dreamt of that night so many times and still it shocked and scared me, I would never forget any of it. Never forget the wind ripping at my hair, Bella screaming in my ear, the pain as my head banged against the ramparts, the promise I had made to Bella to never annoy her in anyway.

My patronus would definitely annoy her.

I couldn’t get back to sleep that night and as I lay awake in my bed I was sure I heard a wolf howling and the bark of a dog from outside.