Late Night Discoveries!
Pulling out a seat, I placed down some parchment.
My agenda for tonight was to write the applications for my special type of magic. The idea was to cast specific spells on my body to either amplify my strength and speed or create a film of protection on my skin, possibly my interpretation of Gojo's defenses.
Quill in hand, I began writing anything and everything I knew from games, anime, or novels about obscure ways to use magic, avoiding things that had special requirements, at least until I was certain I couldn't emulate them myself.
"The mind is the gateway to imagination. If I can circumvent specific universal limitations, I could be untouchable."
Continuing my thoughts, I spent the better part of two hours mulling over each idea until I heard the faint sounds of footsteps approaching me.
Hermione, wearing her Gryffindor robes, was the perfect image of a beautiful witch. With a slim waist and a petite chest, her hips swayed, hiding the dump truck I had noticed last night.
"Hello Theo, have you been here long?" Her sweet voice flowed into my ears. Her face had a slight flush, possibly from a late-night meeting with someone from another house.
"Hey Hermione, not long, though it gave me some time to figure some thoughts out." I smiled at her, gesturing to the seat in front of me. "Please."
Nodding, she sat down before unloading book after book on the table. She looked like she had her own personal library.
"So, I have some news for you," I said, reaching down and pulling out a worn, leather-bound book. Hermione's eyes followed my hands, glittering with excitement as she saw me fish out the book.
'I could explain the Room of Requirement, but I really don't want Harry and Ron to discover the place.'
"I found this copy in the archive at home, so I'm not worried about losing it. You're interested in charms, right? This is for you."
Sliding the book over, I watched her gleefully pick it up. Making quick work, she read the cover before slowly flipping through each page, not uttering a word as she lost herself in its words.
Ten minutes later, she placed the book down gently, her eyes shifting to me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." Blushing, she moved the loose strands of hair away from her face.
"Are you sure I can have this?" Gently, she pushed the book forward, though her hands were clutching it for dear life.
Shaking my head, I chuckled. "Nah, all yours. I've got more if you're interested, though the payment is spending some time with me."
Grabbing the book, she had an enormous smile plastered on her face. That was until she computed my words.
"You want to spend time with me? I'm sure you've heard from the loudmouthed idiots in my house that I'm some uptight bookworm who can't help but show off." Her voice was low, but there was some anger deep inside.
Interrupting her, I dropped my facade of some proper English noble. "Nah, fuck 'em. I'm guessing you're talking about Mr. I-Magically-Defeated-The-Dark-Lord-Whilst-Shitting-In-My-Diapers and Cabbage Patch Weasley?"
My harsh words cut the silence like butter before Hermione covered her mouth and started giggling. I guess she wasn't expecting my nicknames for the duo, but it was nice to see her not be so uptight.
"That's awful, Theo! But… you're correct."
"I don't see how you could take insult from the words of two—let's be real—the most magical act they've done is not get themselves killed." I smirked.
No, I didn't hate the two, but from my knowledge of them, they would have died hundreds of times if it wasn't for this girl in front of me.
She smiled lightly before opening up her homework for the night. It seemed Gryffindor had pissed off Snape enough that he forced them to write tens of pages of theoretical information.
I couldn't help but poke fun at her, watching Hermione get angry at how 'unjust' it was to be subjected to the bullying of a teacher.
"You know, he hates it when someone answers without being called upon. And if you can't answer the question with 100% certainty, it's better to just admit you're lacking knowledge. Oh, and don't sit next to Harry and Ron. I could see his scowl at dinner when he looked at them."
Surprisingly, she listened to my advice, writing it down as she read over it twice.
"Hermione?"
'Oh, fuck.' Standing at the edge of the bookshelf, a ginger teen was there, his mouth agape as he honestly looked confused at the function of a library.
Hearing his voice, she turned to face the bothersome new person. "What is it, Ronald?" Her voice was icy as she scowled at him.
"Oh... uh... Harry and I were wondering if you had completed the potions homework?" Scratching his head, Ron stepped forward as he sheepishly asked her, his intentions clear to all.
Scoffing, she stood up, closing her books and pressing them to her chest, a sight I really enjoyed watching. "No, and I will not help you. You seem to have forgotten. You and Harry caused this."
Turning, she faced me with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Theo. I'm going to complete this in my room." Taking a step, she turned back to me, the red tinge appearing once more. "Can we meet here again? Let's say two nights from now?"
Before I could respond, she hurriedly walked away, bumping into Ron as she left my sight and vision.
'Damn, at least she's not completely dense. Sounds like I have a date in a couple of nights?' Smiling, I stood up and packed my books. Walking past Ron, I placed my hand on his shoulder.
"You really are stupid, aren't you?"
With a hum, I left the Great Library, making my way back to my bedroom.
---
"Who's a cute little cat? You are!" Sitting on my now plush and newly transfigured carpet, I was scratching Alice's stomach as she purred, the happiness radiating from her eyes.
After returning from the library, she seemed to have sniffed around my body before latching onto my side, rubbing her fur across me like she was marking her territory.
This wasn't something new, as she did the same thing whenever I was near other girls, the only exception being Mercy.
"You're like a jealous little girlfriend, aren't you, Alice?" Smiling, I watched her spin around on the carpet, before pausing and sitting still. Her golden eyes stared into mine as if she was peering into my soul.
'Hmm? It's like she understood what I was saying.'
My mind came to a halt as I took a moment to stare completely at her, observing her unwavering gaze fixed on me.
"Alice... can you understand me?" My voice quivered as I sat there, my breath slightly short at the absurd thought I was having.
Tilting her head, she looked confused at my words, before licking her paw, breaking eye contact with me completely.
Releasing the breath I was unconsciously holding, I picked her up and laughed. "God, I'm stupid. You've been with me for years. If you could understand, you'd have let me know by now, right?"
As I laughed at the stupidity, Alice seemed to shake in my hands, a low wheezing sound escaping her chest as she nodded her head at my words.
Nodded?
Huh?
"Nod twice if you understand me." Placing her on the carpet, I seriously took a step back as I waited. Alice once again sat down, her eyes shifting around the room once, before her head moved up and down, twice in succession.
"Motherfucker! What the fuck?!" I screamed out. I was lucky that the room had already been charmed, so no one could hear me.
"Have you always been able to understand me?!" I yelled out, taking another step back, but as I did, she nodded once again.
'I either have a super genius pet, or something is fucky-wucky here.'
Realizing I was slightly fearful of my pet, I shook the nerves off my body as I came back to sit in front of her.
"Okay, so smart cat, I'm going to ask you some questions, either nod or shake your head in response, okay?"
She nodded once again.
"Are you a cat?" Alice nodded.
"Have you always been a cat?" she shook her head.
"W-were you a human once?" Another nod.
'Okay, so we have a cat—no, a human—who is a cat. She can understand what I'm saying and has always been by my side. Is she after something, maybe hiding out in plain sight, something similar to Peter when he stayed with Ron?'
My mind raced through all the possibilities, from a cat being transplanted with human memories to some Illuminati-like conspiracy.
I couldn't help but feel slightly afraid at the concept of being betrayed by the only other being I thought of as family, apart from Mercy.
Lost in my thoughts, I felt Alice's soft fur dance across my hand as she licked my fingers. Her eyes were watery, almost like she was stopping herself from crying.
"Right... I'm getting ahead of myself. Alice, I only have two more questions for you."
Pulling her body into my arms, I wasn't sure now if I should pet her or giving some distance.
"Are you after something that involves me or my supposed family?" She shook her head aggressively midway through my words. Relief washed over me at how furiously she was denying my question.
"Lastly... were you cursed into being a cat?" She paused at my words, before her head dipped slowly, a nod in confirmation.
Stunned, that's all I was this time.
My brain ceased functioning as it shut down momentarily. I had a pet, something akin to Nagini, Voldemort's snake, with me for the past six years.
She completely understood everything, spent time with me, from the sadness to the happiness, even bathing with one another.
The weirdest thing about this whole situation is that I was worried Alice was maybe an Alvin, or Alan. Some dude that got their jollies off watching me change in front of them.
Standing up with Alice in my arms, I trudged to the bed, placing her down gently. Fortunately for me, I had read a couple of books today on curses, and how to remove them.
Now I wasn't sure if this was a blood curse, or someone had forcefully turned a poor human into an animal, but I would figure it out.
"Sit still, Alice. I'm going to remove this fuckin' curse." I gritted my teeth in anger, thinking about how hard life must have been for her or him.
She merely nodded before staring at me with complete confidence.
Pulling my mind internally, I used an idea I had written in the library.
It took a couple of minutes, but I found the heat radiating deep within my core, the familiar sense of magic I'd employed since arriving in this world.
Pulling on it, I slowly extended the feeling outward, sensing the magic that saturated the air we breathed in. Almost like a switch, the world surrounding me illuminated in a bright blue.
Despite having my eyes closed, I could perceive everything around me, sensing the magic bouncing off objects and creating what I would later name 'Magic Sense.'
With my 'Magic Sense', I located Alice, still sitting on the bed staring at me. Focusing, I pushed forward, covering her whole body with my magic, as I peered deep inside of her body, or even soul.
There, deep inside, a dark green malignant fog seemed to swarm, almost looking like a thick swamp-like texture. Moving the magic, I completely covered what seemed to be the curse before envisioning it being erased from existence.
Similar to the Power of Destruction, my thoughts willed its complete erasure, the fog breaking off an atomic level, disappearing completely from my senses.
Snapping my eyes open, I quickly stepped towards Alice, though she seemed completely indifferent to the whole situation.
Then she started wriggling, the muscles and skin slowly moving around, similar to jello as her body expanded at an incredible rate.
I watched the entire process happen. Though it was seconds, it felt more like minutes. And as the transformation ended, I couldn't help but keep my mouth agape.
"Holy. Fucking. Shit."