C059 - Two Days of Normality

Thoroughly put in my place by an angry Pomfrey for many things, ranging from the curse energy working on my mind, all the way to the hairline fracture on my femur I allowed to heal without proper magical care back when those two Death Eaters attacked me in the forest just before I met with the assassins for the first time, I made my way back upstairs with Hermione.

The influence the horcrux put me under was already fading thanks to my Occlumency, and Pomfrey in her capacity as a simple healer akin to a general practioner as opposed to a mind healer just asked me to check in with her daily. She did give me a calming potion and a dreamless sleep potion so that the influence couldn't grow in my mind and would continue to do so until the effect of the horcrux was gone.

She also ordered Hermione since I seemed to trust her, to keep an eye on me - ideally not leaving me out of her sight. The brunette witch blushed up another storm but agreed to do so.

And so the two of us found ourselves in the Ravenclaw dorm where I answered tens of questions from the older students about the things they had read in Daily Prophet this morning. None of them got to the heart of the matter and asked why the article from the day before was so vicious, but I didn't care much. I put Draco and Snape in their place, and though I'd likely have to face the consequences for my very Gryffindor-like behavior soon, I didn't care much at this moment.

Some eventually asked me what I truly thought about Lucius Malfoy and since I didn't care to be on the man's good side, I pointed out all I knew to be true about the man who would allegedly get away with anything - as he himself stated when he threatened me almost a year ago.

By the time dinner came along, I sat with Luna, Penelope, Hermione, and Lara and we discussed some more illusive magical creatures, debating whether or not big foot was real - it was, same as the Loch Ness monster - and generally having a good time. I ignored most of the consistent attention once more brought my way, even Harry, Lisa, Mandy, and Padma animatedly arguing about something away from our group, and eventually ended up in a quiet reading session in the common room.

Luna, too, sat next to me and read the Quibbler, a tabloid published by the girl's father, Xenophilius Lovegood. The moment she sat down, I asked the blonde girl about a subscription and paid for a full decade ahead of time as she promised me a huge discount if I did... and thinking about it now, I still felt like she tricked me somehow.

Slowly learning how mischievous she could be, I was wondering if Luna simply pocketed the money and would just hand me the issue she got for free from her dad each time he published another issue. But... I had the money anyway and was even beginning to wonder if I shouldn't start looking into engaging Xenophilius and maybe be allowed to publish a few articles.

Changing society wouldn't happen overnight, and it wouldn't happen at all if those changes wouldn't reach the populace through the media or public speeches.

Sure, the Quibbler barely had fifty ongoing subscriptions and sold a little over a hundred issues on a good day if Luna was to be believed... but I could change that. I wasn't Potter rich, but I could still buy a hundred copies for the students at Hogwarts to allow them to read certain articles and increase interest in the Quibbler slowly.

"Hey Lara, what do you know about Excalibur?" I eventually asked since something was bugging me.

According to Heimdall, Excalibur was destroyed, and a part of it was recreated to be the Elder Wand. It directly clashed with my canon knowledge that said it was a wand made out of elder tree wood and thestral tail hair... and maybe that was still the truth - just that nobody knew that a third ingredient was used in its creation.

"King Arthur's sword? Why are you asking?" The girl with beautiful braided hair asked with a huge tome on her lap. It was a century old ledger in a dead language detailing the logistics of some tribe from the European mainland. Gauls, I believed. I still didn't know why she cared to read such things in her free time.

"Just humor me," I countered with a shrug.

"Hmm, according to myths, King Arthur drew it from a stone. It supposedly repelled evil and could be used to light the way or blind his enemies. It allegedly ensured victory in any battle. It was said no lies could be told in its presence. It was unbreakable, and that was before his court wizard made him a scabbard. Merlin crafted it, and it was said to prevent death from blood loss once Excalibur was sheathed so that King Arthur could show mercy to the enemies he cut with his sword. Additionally, the scabbard made the sword unstealable. According to myth, Merlin invented the anti-theft charms we use today for holsters, trunks, and pouches to do that," Lara calmly recited as she keenly watched my expression.

"Have you heard what happened to it after King Arthur's fall?"

Lara lifted a brow but still earnestly thought about it before she answered, "I believe King Arthur was buried with his sword. None of this offspring was worthy of it or something. We can't know. His country and legend ended with the king."

If Avalon, King Arthur's kingdom, ended before Hogwarts and the sword was lost... it did give enough time for the Peverell brothers to happen upon the sword or a broken piece of it. Truly, though, it didn't matter much. I had no other choice than to believe that Heimdall said the truth. He was long dead and could still see me. None of the information he provided would mean anything to me if they weren't true. It was nonsensical for him to go to all this effort and... lie.

"Why the interest?" Lara asked as she roused me out of my musings.

"I promise that if I ever find what I am looking for, you'll be the first to know," I stated with a warm smile that slowly but surely seemed to placate the young witch.

I couldn't come out and say, 'A Norse god told me in my dreams that Dumbledore held a piece of the sword and it's technically from Eden, yeah, that Eden - oh also, the Deathly Hallows are just pieces of ancient technology from before Adam and Eve. Haha, yeah, they are actually real. Haha, no, the Catholic Church is still technically wrong, I think. The god who talked to me wasn't too elaborate, but I know the Egyptian, the Norse, and the Roman gods are real. Yeah, I guess there either can't be one true god, or he's like their grand daddy or something.'

I quickly stopped thinking about that so as to not send myself in a panic attack due to an existential crisis.

I was in the here and now. Why would I care what gods did thousands of years ago. Or a little over two thousand years ago. I still couldn't quite wrap my head around the timeframe, and Heimdall's explanation didn't tell me much.

All it did was make me believe that Jesus' miracles, Moses parting the Red Sea... all those fantastical stories in the bible... if they did happen without the aid of magical beings... they happened with the help of other Pieces of Eden.

I deeply suspected that was why the Catholic Church even managed to mass murder so many magicals without getting wiped out over the centuries since the first witch hunts. Just one wizard as powerful as Grindelwald or Dumbledore should have been enough to simply eradicate the Vatican in retaliation unless the pope himself at the time was a magical on the same power scale or they had guards with that power. A piece of Eden, if Heimdall's solemn expression was anything to go by as he explained those three pieces to me... those could certainly protect the Church.

-----

"Talion, my boy. Wait up a second," Professor Sprout ordered when the first double lesson on Monday was over, and I was about to head to the Great Hall for lunch.

With a deeply relaxed smile after one of the most satisfying sleeps I had in a long time thanks to Pomfrey's potion, I waited for the stout witch to tell me what I was waiting behind for at that moment. As always, her lesson was informative, and I still greatly enjoyed herbology.

More than that, it was a time I could truly show off because I had long handled every plant we would be discussing before our N.E.W.T. years thanks to Sprout allowing Longbottom and I, as well as older students with a green thumb, to help her tend to the greenhouses on the grounds of Hogwarts. Finding all those rare plants during survival lessons in the Forbidden Forest only managed to improve Sprout's impression of me even more.

"Come here, boy," the greying professor ordered and enveloped me in a big motherly hug when I walked over. Before amusement about the fact that her head barely reached my chest could build up, I gained a particularly fond smile the moment she started to pat my back.

"Professor?"

"You did very well winning that tournament. And good riddance that you got your emancipation early. You deserve it," Sprout praised, still not releasing me from the hug. She smelled like wet grass coated in morning dew and a bit like fertile soil after a long time in the rain. Not muddy, just... right. She smelled like my home in Goldsborough.

Eventually, when she wouldn't release me, I returned the hug in earnest. It felt really nice, after all.

After she took a step back, she reached out to me with her slightly dirty hands from repotting plants during the class and gently patted my cheeks. With a reassuring smile, she said, "You did well becoming as kind as you are. If only you had been sorted with my badgers."

With a slightly forced smile, I countered, "But just yesterday, I cussed out a professor and revealed his secret past to the whole school."

"Pish posh! Severus had it coming. Everything you said was the truth. I know for a fact that he was a double agent and helped us win in the end, but that doesn't make it any less true that Severus should have known what happened to your poor, poor mother. He has no right treating you like he did!"

Patting the witch's arm in an affectionate way, I thanked the woman sincerely.

"I don't have many people in my corner. Thank you for being one of them."

"Heh, of course. Always, little Talion. Did you know you're the first student in almost a decade to send me a rare specimen from their travels? Can you believe it? Not one Hufflepuff thinks of little ol' me when they roam the world," Sprout pointed out in mock anger as she waved her little fist around.

"Oh! Uh, I must admit I bought it on a mere whim when I walked around a bazaar with Professor Flitwick. It was one of the few plants that would survive in this climate, according to the vendor," I explained with a sheepish smile.

"A whim's a whim. You still bought it and went to the effort of sending your beautiful owl to me with the present. Thank you," Sprout once more praised as she gently patted my cheek again.

It was a nice feeling. I could get used to it.

"Now, off you go. That Granger lass is about to stomp a circle into my lawn out of worry," the professor said with a wide grin as she peeked past my body and outside of the greenhouse. I turned to see what she was talking about and saw a worried Hermione run in a tight circle as she muttered something under her breath.

"Okay. See you later tomorrow for Herbology Club? Or do I have to wait a week?"

"You're welcome here anytime," Sprout waved away and started to busy herself putting everything in order so that she could go to lunch without worry.

Outside, I collected Hermione, and the two of us made our way to the Great Hall.

"What got you so worried?"

Hermione looked at me angrily and pointed out, "Pomfrey was very clear that something was wrong with you! Why aren't you more worried about this? You've been joking around and laughing with Luna at breakfast and Mandy and Isobel the entire time during class! And you made an enemy out of Professor Snape yesterday! Why aren't you horrified about that either???"

"She also said that the potions she gave me would help me get rid of the influence of the curse. And I'm quite certain it did. Though, I won't take it for granted and go to the infirmary again after history. Are you coming with me again?"

Hermione stayed quiet as she watched me with narrowed eyes for a moment.

"You'll tell Madam Pomfrey not to tease me so much anymore?"

I almost started laughing at the quiet request of the brunette witch next to me, but kept my cool and nodded in confirmation.

"Sure, I can do that."

-----

Madam Pomfrey had merely given me two more potions, same as yesterday, and told me that it was working fine. So, she came to the same conclusion as me once I walked over with most of the girls minus Lisa after our History of Magic lesson.

It was still a good two hours before dinner and still a rare sunny day. I suggested we make our way to the Black Lake instead of the library. The term had only just started and I promised them I'd help them with the herbology assignment since it became pretty clear I knew more about the magical plant we dealt with today than anybody else, even Longbottom.

The boy didn't even try to apologize. All three of them, Neville, Hannah - his girlfriend, and Susan - someone I thought of as a good friend before - had ignored me the entire time we were in the greenhouses together.

But I didn't care because I was no longer alone. It still hurt that most of the girls ignored me to some degree over the summer - especially those that spent their birthday at Longbottom manor - but like I thought before. We weren't in a relationship. We were yearmates at a boarding school. And I didn't throw a birthday party. They didn't owe me anything - especially since all of them, even Lisa, got me a card at the very least.

"What are you doing!" Mandy screamed after we reached the lake, and the girls started sitting on blankets on the stony beach on one of the sides of the water. With a few nifty spells from me that I learned during survival club, the stones and boulders around turned into comfortable sitting opportunities that allowed the girls to bask in the sun with comfortable back rests and soft seating.

"Uh, it's a sunny day? I wanted to take a swim while it's still summer," I asked as I continued to unbutton my shirt after ditching my robe.

"T-that's, you can't just do that without a warning!" Mandy insisted and turned around so she wouldn't be looking at me.

I spent a half day at a beach near Venice with Flitwick and the older brother of the Minister of Magic of Italy during the summer before we went back to Magical Britain and learned I quite liked swimming. I never learned how to swim during my time in the orphanage... but I actually learned how through my dreams of the assassins. Just like with fighting and parkour, the muscle memory for the sport was built as the movements of the brotherhood experts bled through my nightly visions.

Compared to fighting, swimming was much, much easier, too. The movements were much more straightforward and less varied. So I learned it despite only dreaming about an assassin jumping from great heights into a body of water and swimming away two or three times.

Once I was only in my trousers and with my kelpie wand holstered at my wrist because I didn't want my goblin silver wand to get wet, I transfigured the pants into swimming trunks, equipped a knife into a holster I transfigured at one of my thighs, and jumped into the water.

It wasn't my first dip, too, because Hagrid dared us to take a swim a few months ago before my first school year was over and summer was about to start at the end of May. Most of the members of the survival club were too scared. Only two older Gyffindors and I dared to do it. Though, in the defense of the rest... Hagrid dared us to do it while he fed the kraken, and its gigantic tentacles were trashing around playfully as the half-giant tossed entire pigs into the water as food.

I had the distinct impression that both Kettleburn and Flitwick wouldn't have jumped into the water either if Hagrid had dared them.

Once I was in the water, I cast a bubblehead charm on my head that would allow me to stay underwater for a while. I didn't want to fight any of the Grindylows or mermen, but the Black Lake had a few rare aquatic plants that I wanted to see as a form of relaxation.

Far into the distance, I saw a small part of the kraken, but it was unmoving. The giant mollusk seemed to be resting. As much as I didn't fear it after Hagrid's continued reassurance... I was still glad about that.

Two minutes into my dive, I saw one of the things I was looking for. Gently cutting it free from the rock it was growing on, I wrapped the Luminous Mirage Fern around my arm and started swimming back to the surface.

Arriving at the beach with a wide smile, I waved to get the attention of the girls and called out, "Look! Luminous Mirage Fern! It grows underwater and looks like it's waving gently in the wind above the water surface during the night. With moonlight directly shining on it, it glows like a light bulb, and it retains that glow until well into the day. Only during New Moon does it not shine at all. As a potion ingredient, it's mostly used for healing potions that help the eyes or I think to help with visual hallucinations?"

I was slowly unwrapping the aquatic plant to lay it out near the blanket I brought so that I could bring it to Sprout before dinner - so I didn't see that none of the girls were looking at the plant.

Nobody was, not even the other groups that had settled near the lake to enjoy the sun.

Once I was done laying the plant down, I looked to the girls who were here with me since nobody had said a word despite the cool thing I found.

All the girls were quite openly gaping at me with various degrees of bright blushes.

Looking down in horror, hoping desperately I didn't expose myself somehow, I quickly grew puzzled. My swimming trunks were still on my body, and I was decidedly not sporting a stiffy that would warrant such a reaction.

But as I gently waved a hand over my torso to see if something stuck to me that I didn't see, I heard another squeal and was now sure... they simply had never seen a half-naked young man who was in shape before.