34: Ancient Runes
Instead, he seemed obsessed with tinkering with the school's flying brooms. He disassembled and reassembled them repeatedly, often leaving some irreparably damaged. The Slytherins, though heartbroken, had no choice but to toss the broom fragments into the common room fire as kindling.
At the insistence of Marcus Flint, the Slytherin Quidditch captain, Nolan reluctantly contributed a functional Nimbus 2000 for the team's use. The result? Silver and green streaks dominated the Quidditch pitch as the Slytherins reveled in the speed and stability of the broom. During the first Quidditch match of the season, their sixth-year Seeker captured the Golden Snitch in under thirty minutes, securing a victory over Hufflepuff.
As Christmas approached, Cho Chang became increasingly persistent in her pursuit of Nolan. She seemed determined to solidify their relationship before the holidays and to bring her boyfriend home for her first winter break at Hogwarts.
"I thought Easterners were supposed to be reserved and shy," Nolan remarked one day, finally voicing his frustration.
"Oh, don't be silly, Nolan. For a girl, love is war. Would you show mercy to your opponent on the battlefield?" Cho retorted confidently.
Her argument made a strange kind of sense to Nolan, so he decided to stop resisting her daily flirtations. This development left many Hogwarts girls heartbroken, as it seemed the Slytherin prince was growing closer to the Asian witch. He began bringing his tinkering projects out of the Slytherin common room, sometimes working on them in the Great Hall or even the library, where Madam Pince would repeatedly shout at them: "Take those filthy contraptions elsewhere!"
Cho occasionally tried to understand what Nolan was working on. However, when she managed to coax a piece of parchment filled with strange runes and circular diagrams from him, she quickly gave up any hope of comprehension.
"What on earth is this?" she asked, baffled.
"Runic script," Nolan replied softly, setting aside a barely functional Cleansweep Seven. He stretched his stiff shoulders before gracefully sipping his special tomato juice. "Professor McGonagall introduced me to these symbols. They're fascinating. Depending on how they're arranged, they can carry magical properties. Even the way each rune is written—the shape, size, and angle—affects the magic they produce. I've been researching runes through books in the library, but it's not enough. That's why I'm studying the internal structures of these brooms. I want to understand how their creators imbued them with their unique properties."
Cho nodded in a show of understanding, though it was clear she was lost.
Nolan considered her reaction for a moment. "A master of runes could create magical artifacts."
"Magical artifacts!" Cho exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Could you make a makeup kit that sneaks in every morning to apply flawless eye makeup before you wake up?"
Nolan paused, caught off guard by the request. "Why would you think of something like that?" he asked softly before adding, "It doesn't sound too difficult."
On the last day before the holiday break, Eve still hadn't spoken to Nolan. She seemed resolute in her decision to sever ties with him entirely.
Eve's situation hadn't improved much. Miles often muttered to Nolan when he returned to the dormitory, saying, "Eve was bullied again by her own housemates. They really tore into her this time…"
Miles felt sorry for her and genuinely pitied her predicament. He also thought Eve was incredibly beautiful—perhaps even more so than Cho Chang, who had been spending so much time with Nolan lately. Miles sometimes fantasized about being brave enough to rescue Eve from the Slytherins' bullying and winning her heart in the process. Unfortunately, he neither had the courage nor the means to make this fantasy a reality.
As such, he frequently dropped hints to Nolan: "Can't you do something to help her?"
Nolan kept his eyes fixed on the screen of his gaming device, replying softly, "If she asks me for help, I'll do it. But she hates me now, and I don't help people who hate me."
From the adjacent bed, Malcolm Baddock sneered. "That Mudblood, who wormed her way into Slytherin through sheer luck, has finally been abandoned by her protector, the great Nolan Von Draugr. As expected!"
Both Nolan and Miles snapped in unison, "Hey, Malcolm, shut your mouth!"
...
As the winter holidays approached, the first-years eagerly boarded the The Hogwarts Express heading back to London, excited for a whole month of rest.
"You have to come to my house!" Cho insisted as they parted ways. "I'll have Lemon Pie deliver you an invitation. Oh, and your sister is welcome to join us too!"
Lemon Pie was apparently Cho's family owl. The aging bird spent over 300 days a year asleep, and Nolan wasn't entirely sure it could successfully find Randall Gorge.
After stepping off Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, Nolan said goodbye to Miles, Montague, and Alicia before finding the person who had come to collect him.
"Miss Theresa, you're right on time," he said, taking the large cat she carried in her arms and gently stroking its fur. "Miss Nancy, as well—congratulations on not getting lost."
The cat let out a dignified huff, purring as if to say, Praise me more.
During the break, it seemed Miss Theresa had acquired a car. Nolan wasn't particularly fond of cars; they made him carsick. Steam trains were fine, but enclosed spaces in cars were a different matter.
While waiting for Miss Theresa to load his luggage into the trunk, Nolan noticed Eve Stock crying as she embraced her parents. Her family stood out with their striking silver hair, characteristic of their Danish heritage. Eve also had an older brother, perhaps four or five years her senior, who appeared envious of his sister's magical education. He was enthusiastically pestering her about magical gifts she might have brought back.
"Someone you know, Your Highness?" Miss Theresa asked politely after finishing with the luggage.
Nolan considered her question for a moment before replying softly, "Just an acquaintance."
As he climbed into the car, he seemed to catch Eve's gaze. Her eyes were red, and tears streamed down her face in steady trails.
"What a crybaby…" Miss Nancy remarked disdainfully, nestled in Nolan's arms.
Nolan hesitated before murmuring, "She must be happy to return to the Muggle world."
"Because her time at Hogwarts… wasn't kind to her."
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