CH37 - Life Goes On

Silence.

The only sounds Edmund could hear were those coming from within himself. His breathing was harsh and fast because of exertion, and his heart was pounding loudly.

With a twist, he jumped between two spells above and beneath him, landing in a crouch. His eyes, previously narrowed with concentration, relaxed.

A blaring alarm rang, piercing even his self-imposed hearing impairment. With a swish of his wand, the shrill screech was silenced.

Only after that did Edmund remove the earplugs he had in, tossing them onto a nearby table. He waggled a finger inside each ear, tensing and untensing his jaw to relieve the uncomfortable sensation. His gaze was drawn to a board, the content of which made him smile.

'95% accuracy and 18% bullseye,' Edmund grinned, feeling satisfied. 'Only five hits too. Hmm. I'll need to configure another attacker next time.'

His level of mastery at the range within the Room of Requirement had jumped massively in the few months he had been using it, making Edmund feel incredibly proud.

As time passed, he continued to handicap himself further for a more significant challenge, pushing himself to the limit.

Initially, there had only been five dummies pelting him with stinging jinxes throughout the exercise. When his number of hits received had decreased to only five, he added another striker. He was up to seven, and it would be eight next time.

The earplugs were a recent idea meant to improve his awareness of his peripheral vision. With no hearing and the mind-sense not functional because of the robotic nature of the attackers, his eyes were his only tool.

'Better. Getting better every day,' he wheezed dryly.

Despite his promise not to let Moros' victory affect him, Edmund knew he was working much harder than before. His regular physical training in the morning had been transformed into an entire practice session like the one he completed in the afternoon. His time spent with his friends had decreased, and he knew they had noticed it.

It could not be helped. Much as he tried to slow himself down, his memories would not let him rest.

The range was one of the few things that helped Edmund temporarily rid himself of the antsy feeling that always seemed to plague him. The repetitive motions calmed him, and the quantifiable progress he made each time soothed his nerves like nothing else. The bruises he got as a result were a pain, but highly motivational all the same.

Edmund's stomach rumbled in hunger, making him look down at it.

'Yeah, yeah, I'll get a move on,' he shushed mentally.

*-*-*-*

- (Scene Break) -

*-*-*-*

Holding a salt and pepper shaker in each of his hands, Edmund sprinkled his scrambled eggs with the two seasonings. Taking a small tentative bite, his worries were washed away. He had asked the house-elves to serve him just the egg whites, so he could boost his protein without thinking about the fat in the yolk. He had not become a health nut, but he would rather save his calories for the unhealthy food he wanted to eat. The house elves had been confused but had acquiesced without complaint.

"So far, things are pretty dicey," Jeremy rambled into his ears. "We beat Gryffindor in the first game, but not by that much. Then, as you know, Ravenclaw basically flattened us, winning by over 150 points. Here's where things get interesting. Slytherin ended up beating Ravenclaw after that, which means both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have one win and one loss each."

Edmund placed a slice of toasted brown bread on his plate and slathered it with a thick layer of spiced boiled beans. He finished the sandwich with another piece of toast, sinking his teeth into it. Beans on toast was not the most lavish of meals, but it was hearty and comforting in its own way.

"That begs the question. What's the best outcome Hufflepuff should hope for in the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match that's coming up? I did the math, and as it turns out—" Jeremy babbled.

Seeing the plate of bacon emptying rapidly, Edmund quickly snatched two pieces for himself. He interspersed his bites of the sandwich with mouthfuls of the crispy meat, chewing on it with contentment.

"—there is actually one option out of the two that might be better for us. If Ravenclaw wins, they will have two wins and one loss. The winner of the cup would be a battle of points between them and the winner of the Hufflepuff vs Slytherin match," Jeremy explained animatedly.

From the array of fruit placed on the table before him, Edmund hand-picked a few pieces that looked especially juicy. A few slices of peach, a portion of cantaloupe, and a chunk of watermelon were piled into a bowl.

"But if Gryffindor wins, then Ravenclaw is out of the running. The Hufflepuff team will have to beat Slytherin and hope that the Gryffindor vs Slytherin game is low-scoring. So really, we should support Gryffindor," Jeremy gesticulated wildly.

A forkful of french toast melted on Edmund's tongue, almost making him moan in pleasure. He happily cut another piece of the sugary treat for himself, planning to make the most of their meal time.

"What do you think, Edmund?" Jeremy asked at last.

Edmund hummed, making Jeremy frown.

"Edmund? Edmund!" Jeremy shouted, nudging the other boy's shoulder with his own.

"Hmm?" Edmund questioned, looking in Jeremy's direction for the first time that morning.

Gesturing the other boy to wait, Edmund wiped his hands on a napkin before pulling out the earplugs he had put in once more.

Edmund had been testing himself for the past week or so. His mind ability gained from the wampus ritual increased in power with sensory deprivation. If he could perfectly control the input of information from his surroundings while his eyes and ears were closed, then he had nothing to worry about. And he had proven himself right. Edmund could finally sift through the emotions around him without them overwhelming him.

Unfortunately, he could not convey this fact to Jeremy, who was slowly turning red with fury.

Cecilia and Ben howled with laughter as Edmund let out a nervous chuckle at the look of rage on Jeremy's face.

"I heard you, I heard you. Promise! We have to wear Gryffindor face paint to the next game; I get it," Edmund tried to appease him.

Jeremy's features settled, but a cold mask of wrath remained in its place. Edmund could only hope his friend would calm down sooner rather than later.

The side effects of the ritual finally being negated made Edmund both relieved and excited. With his mind now stable again, he could move on to the next ritual: an enhanced danger sense through sacrificing the shavings of a horned serpent.

Edmund had previously been hesitant about the usefulness of the ritual. With mind sense available to him, detecting danger seemed only to be a minor variation. However, his fight with Moros' had made him realize the folly behind such thoughts. Even if it was coming head-on, being warned of a dangerous event before it occurred would be a major addition to his martial capabilities.

'My progress with the spell range is definitely going to increase big-time after it, that's for sure,' Edmund mused.

Withdrawing into himself after annoying his vengeful housemate had probably not been a good idea. Edmund was reminded of this swiftly.

A pitcher of pumpkin juice was slowly emptied over his head, drenching his robes and trousers. Edmund jumped up quickly, casting Scourgify on himself repeatedly. No physical evidence remained of the spill, but the scent and stickiness of the juice lingered on him.

Jeremy looked particularly pleased with himself as he ran out of the Great Hall to avoid retaliation.

Edmund inhaled deeply.

'Danger sense can't come fast enough,' he complained gloomily.

*-*-*-*

- (Scene Break) -

*-*-*-*

"Vermillious!" Professor Lupin announced, dropping the year one DADA textbook onto the pedestal at the front of the classroom with a bang.

Both the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws groaned unhappily, causing a wry smile to appear on Lupin's face. He clapped his hands together twice to call for silence before continuing.

"Yes, yes, you're bored of talking about it. I understand! But the Vermillious charm is a large part of your first-year Defence course, and I do need to spend a proportionally similar amount of time on it," he explained. "You will be pleased to hear, however, that we will only be reviewing it briefly today before moving on to another spell. So! Work with me here, hmm?"

"First, can anyone outline the different versions of the spell we have covered so far?" Lupin threw out the question to the class.

Almost everyone's hands went up immediately.

"Mr. Cooper, if you please," he called out.

"There is the basic Vermillious charm, Vermillious Duo, and Vermillious Tria. All three spells default to red, but their colour can be changed depending on the caster's intent," Ben recited dutifully.

"Excellent!" Lupin cried out. "I couldn't have put it better myself. Five points to Hufflepuff."

"And can someone tell me why they might use different coloured sparks in different situations?" he asked. "Go on, Ms. Fletcher."

"Different colours are useful to alert those who see them to different situations. There are basic conventions on which colour to use depending on if the caster is lost, or reporting a medical emergency or a crime," Ann Fletcher summarized.

"Very good! Five points to Ravenclaw!" the Professor commended.

In front of Edmund, Jeremy let out a dreamy sigh, looking at the first-year Ravenclaw sitting opposite the aisle to his right with dopey eyes. Edmund smirked at the sight. Everyone knew of Jeremy's blatant crush on Ann, likely even the girl herself. Jeremy, however, would deny it to his dying breath.

"Now! Today's topic is the smokescreen spell, better known as Fumos," Lupin introduced. "Repeat after me, and keep your wands out of your hands as you do! Fumos!"

"Fumos!" all the students chanted in unison.

"Perfect. Fumos can be used to create a defensive cloud of smoke to hinder visibility," the Professor lectured. "The spell is quite useful in duelling. And more importantly for your purposes, it allows the caster to escape unseen. There is no wand motion necessary, only clear visualization. Give it a go, everyone!"

Shouts of Fumos erupted immediately, filling the classroom with white smoke. Pandemonium reigned as everyone lost sight of each other, clamouring loudly.

"Oh, dear..." Lupin's voice strained.

Noticing the golden opportunity he had been granted, Edmund smirked evilly. 'Ah, there's nothing sweeter than instant revenge.'

With a flick of his wand, Jeremy was sent flying out of his seat and into Ann's side, barrelling into her with a crash. When Professor Lupin cleared the room with a Ventus charm, it was to the sight of Jeremy on the floor, with Ann haphazardly strewn over him.

Jeremy turned pink in an instant as the rest of the class snickered. The bell rang to signal the end of class, and Ann hastily clambered to her feet, blushing all the while.

Jeremy glared at Edmund, who only grinned back unrepentantly.

"What? I thought you were the playboy of our group. You couldn't come up with any funny quips?" Edmund teased.

Jeremy looked slightly abashed at that, trying and failing to keep the look of anger on his face.

"Don't worry, man, she knows you're not like that," Ben reassured Jeremy.

Cecilia chose the gap in the conversation to pipe in with her own take.

"That's for sure. She definitely knows exactly what you're like," she leered.

Jeremy made to protest but was cut off.

"Bye, Jeremy!" Ann yelled as she ducked out of the classroom.

"B- Bye!" he squeaked in reply.

A pause ensued then.

"Not a word," Jeremy warned the trio, who were barely stifling their giggles with their hands.