(Ansh POV)
I waved my wand and uttered the incantation, and watched with dead hope as nothing happened.
The murmurs and stifled laughter around me have become a new normal, perhaps the only one. Other students turn their whistles into watches, some working, others misshapen, but squint just enough, and you can see the resemblance.
I try the same trick with mine, and nope—still a whistle.
'Perhaps this is also important. In every class, there must be that one student who fails at everything so miserably, that others feel content about their own half-success when compared to him. This is, in fact, an important duty. And my selfless self has decided to shoulder this burden on its own.'
'Truly magnificent, my great self!' I wipe a tear that appeared at this act of selflessness.
Professor McGonagall comes near me and looks at my still unchanged whistle.
"Keep trying. You will see the results if you do." She pats my shoulder and moves on to other students.
The professors have all been kind, but after 3 weeks, I can see their patience wearing thin. They don't say anything outright, but their gaze says enough. Whether this is worry or suspicion, both outcomes are bad for me.
'But what can I do, except wait for it?'
'Honestly, I am still shocked at the fact that Granger didn't oust me.' Since that day, I haven't seen her anywhere except class. And even there she avoids eye contact with me.
"It is good this way." I speak to myself.
"What is?" Anthony asks me.
"Nothing. Just speaking to myself." I say, and he focuses back on his whistle.
Soon the class was over, with an assignment as homework, we were all free to go.
Free to go to the dungeons for the double potions class, the worst of all. But when has whining about a class made it disappear? So, with a bright smile, I make my way to the potions lab.
As I enter the class, I see a tuft of pink-purple hair waving over.
"Well, someone seems to be in a cheerful mood." I say to Dora as I sit beside her.
"Of course, today I made 10 whole points for Hufflepuff. Professor Flitwick even praised my 'Excellent execution'."
"Nice." I watch as her smile widens, "Just be careful not to lose them in potions". and just as quickly, it fades.
"Well, I can just get excellent grades in charms to counter the potions. And I am on a roll today, maybe I'll even get points from Prof. Snape."
"Sure." I pat her head, "and maybe I'll get a million galleons."
She pushes my hand away in annoyance just as Snape enters with his signature scowl.
Potions and flying are the only two subjects where I am able to do something. Dora handles the wand-waving in potions, and I have no idea how I can fly, but I am not going to question it. DADA and History of magic are not counted.
Today's lesson didn't even need any magic. It was about the processing of different materials, which means I was not alone in my failure. Though Snape seemed to be extra critical of me, I enjoyed that feeling. If it happens once or twice, he has some grudge with me; if it happens every time, he expects better from me because he believes I can do it.
"Mr. Patil, the mandrake leaves have to be cut evenly and placed in the solution within 3 seconds of the first cut. Or do you believe that your magical hands can help them survive for 4seconds somehow?"
'Or he might just be doing it to annoy me.'
Dora did not get any points from Snape, but on the bright side, she only lost a single point.
"I mean, +9 can be said to +10. And only a single point after you annoyed him so much. Consider that a win."
"I wasn't annoying him, just asking him to check on my work."
"After every ingredient." She shuts up after that, instead talking about how she will read up before next charms class to continue her streak. I encouraged her while knowing fully well she was going to forget about it by dinner.
As we separated and I started going outside, a hand grabbed mine and pulled me into a classroom.
I barely catch myself from falling and look to see Hermione standing there, clutching a book. She quickly locks the door and turns to me, with a crazed look in her eye, hair all fuzzy.
I quickly cover my chest, "Look, I get that I am handsome and all, but I will scream 'bad touch' if you do anything."
"Not in the mood." She cuts me in between and moves towards me, flipping through her book. "Look, I have been looking for something that matches your condition in the library. I read everything I could find in the past month, and this is the only one that seems similar."
She shows me the book and the chapter read– 'Obscurus'.
I felt light-headed the second I read the title.
"An Obscurus develops when a young witch or wizard, known as an Obscurial, suppresses their magical abilities, often due to fear, trauma, or the suppression of their magic." She reads from the book and then looks at me.
I keep my gaze at the book, at the possibility as my mind matches my conditions to it.
"This is the only thing that matched your condition. A witch or wizard suppressing their magic."
"Other than the fact that I can't use magic, nothing matches. Obscurial suppresses their magic themselves, I am actively trying to use mine. Nor do I have any trauma or fear." I try to reason, more with myself than her.
"Are you sure about that?" She says in a voice so quiet I almost didn't hear it. "That day, you were clearly afraid. I don't know of what, but that was fear. And you were crushed by a troll, that qualifies as traumatic." She looks at me after speaking, and I notice the redness of her eyes and the dark circles under them.
The thought that she has been cooped up in the library, searching through all those books, made me feel immense guilt.
'A kid shouldn't bear this. This is my problem.'
I pat her head, "Look, Hermione, I am really thankful you did all this for me. But you don't need to worry yourself over it."
"But if this is true then the consequences written here are-"
"Yes, I know." I stop her before she starts rambling, "I know how serious an obscurus is. And I know that I probably have some trauma from that troll. And yes, I can't use magic right now. And yes, I am scared of something." As she shoves my hand aside, I continue, "Not of magic — of me. Of being this... broken thing that doesn't belong here. That one difference proves I'm not an Obscurial."
"You can't be sure. I am sure if you tell a professor, they'll be able to help you."
"If you think professors should be told, then don't worry. I can not perform any magic in the class, surely the professors have started suspecting and will ask me about it soon. Then whatever happens, happens. And no obscurus forms in a month or two, so it will still be safe then."
She opens her mouth and closes it a few times, unsure of what to say.
"1 week. If by next Sunday you don't tell the professors, I will." She says at last.
I close my eyes, accepting that a deadline for my life has been issued. "Okay." Better to accept it.
"Please don't think that I am doing this to get you in some trouble. But it is something like obscurus, then we have to do something about it." She looks ready to cry.
'I am the one who wants to cry here. But what use will it be?'
So instead, I smile, "Don't worry about it. I know you are only looking out for me." I pat her head again. "Now stop taking this stuff seriously. Kids shouldn't worry about adults."
"Scoff~, as if. You are shorter than me." This time, she doesn't shove my hand away.
After that, we simply sat there and talked. About useless stuff, like our favourite ice-cream flavour, books, imaginary scenarios, and everything in between.
I gently pat her head as she sleeps. She'd dozed off mid-rant, and I didn't have the heart to wake her. She needed the rest — and it's not like I had anything better to do.
As I gently run my fingers through her hair. She really is annoying. Nosy. Bossy. Just as described in the books. But behind all that, the concern she shows for others makes it impossible to hate her.
I look to the side, at the book still open on the obscurus.
'That can't be it, right? Trauma, fear, suppression of magic…. It seems to all fit.'
'No. Obscurials don't form this late. None survive past childhood.'
'Right?'
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(Hermione POV)
I swat away whatever it is disturbing my sleep.
*Poke Poke*
'Ugh~ what is their problem.'
I open my eyes to see the culprit who's poking my face and give them a piece of my mind.
And Ansh's face comes in front of me.
I blank out for a second, not understanding how he got inside the Gryffindor female dormitory, before it clicked where I actually was. And that's when I realised that I have been resting on his lap and shot up so fast I almost hit his chin.
"Sorry. When did I fall asleep? What time is it?"
"It's almost time for curfew. I would've let you sleep more, but if the prefects or professors find us, it could be bad."
"What! Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You looked like you could use some sleep."
"And you were here the whole time?" I asked, feeling guilty for wasting his time.
"Eh, don't mind it." He tries to stand — and immediately topples
"My feet are a bit numb." He says as I help him stand up.
'It's because of me.' I want to find a hole and bury myself in it.
"Grrrrrr~"
"What was that?" Ansh asks.
"Nothing. I didn't hear anything. Maybe your ears are ringing."
"Grrrrrrr~"
"No, it's clearly there."
I cover my face in shame.
"Grrrrrrr~"
"There it is again; it sounds like it is coming from…. Oh."
'Why isn't the ground swallowing me up?'
"Let's go. I skipped dinner as well and am starving." Ansh says as he pries my hands away from my face.
"But dinner must have ended hours ago."
"Yes, but we can still get food. Just come along."
I follow him beside him as he walks. My stomach making sure I am embarrassed the whole way. I try and ignore the noise as I catch him trying to stifle his laughter.
We stop in front of a wall with nothing but a portrait, and he does something which makes a doorknob emerge.
"After you, my lady ~" he keeps the door open, and I am half suspicious if there is a prank on the other side.
I enter and see.... creatures. I don't know what else to call them.
All of them turned to look at me, freezing mid-motion. I was preparing myself to run when Ansh entered behind me and they erupted in cheers.
"Okay, calm down. Today I brought a friend over and we are both famished. So, if you guys could make an omelette for me, and whatever she likes, that would be great." Ansh told them.
Their happiness seemed to reach a new peak after he told them that. One excited creature pulled us over to a table and, after asking what I wanted, went away to make it.
"What are they?"
"House-elves. They are loyal creatures that find joy in helping and serving wizards."
"How come I never saw them before?"
"Magic." He said, and I had no response to that. Making a mental note to read about them later.
Very quickly, a house elf brought our dinner over, and I dove straight in as soon as the smell hit me.
I quickly stuffed the food into my mouth, but with manners.
'I am not like a pig.'
Ansh had his omelette, and when I looked at it, a smile lit over his face.
"You want to try some?" He offers.
I tried to object, but he insisted that I try it as his was different from the usual ones I ate. And brought the fork near my mouth.
So I did.
...and regretted.
"Water, WATER!"
He pushed a glass of milk towards me and I downed it in one breath.
"Huff huff, what was that?"
"My special omelette." He says with a smile, that now seems to match the devil's.
"How can you eat that? That thing is a weapon on its own."
"Well, as someone once put it- it is an acquired taste." Someone insane, I bet.
After that little prank, we ate the rest while chatting. I realise that Ansh was just trying to divert me from the earlier obscurus topic, but I decide to let him. After finishing dinner, we went back to our dormitories.
"Hermione," Ansh says before we go separately, "Thanks for worrying about me. But you don't need to anymore. If the professors don't say anything, I'll talk to them next Sunday myself."
I simply nod and make my way to the Gryffindor room.
Later, lying in bed, I can't stop thinking about how I spent the whole evening sleeping on his lap. My face goes hot at the memory.
I pull the quilt over my head.
Sleep doesn't come easily tonight.
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A/N: I give you this chapter in the middle of my end semester exams, so try not to judge too harshly.