Hogwarts: Era of Darkness

It was a Sunday with dark, grey clouds and heavy rain drumming against the castle's windows. Alongside many others, I was walking towards the quidditch pitch as it was the starting season's first game. Slytherin against Ravenclaw. I was not really ready to go out and cheer in this type of weather… I was starting to really dislike this whole quidditch thing.

"I agree," Quincy whispered next to me, leaning close so I could hear her in the storm.

"Yeah…" I nodded and did not even ask how she managed to read my thoughts. She had a knack for legilimency, it seems…, or she had a hidden skill… who knows.

We had no choice but to attend. Missing it would be an insult to our peers and to our House. We were already disliked, so missing the first match would also be extra wood thrown into the fire.

I won't lie; the whole event turned out to be much more entertaining than I expected. Mainly because Draco was zooming around in the rain aimlessly, barely seeing anything, and he was almost thrown off his broom by the strong gusts of wind coming through. Thrice. The last time I just couldn't help but laugh, watching him dangling in the air, yelping for help that we could hear even through the thunderstorm.

"Haaaah… He should have made himself heavier!" I chuckled, watching Quincy, who was hiding her face in her gloved hands but not because she was worried for him, but so nobody could see her laughing expression. "Maybe if his cronies wouldn't wolf down all the desserts at the table every time they appear…." My second comment made her shake even more vigorously… but I also noticed a few eyes watching me. I ignored them and planned on doing so in the future… but I learned quickly that it just wasn't going to happen.

I blame it on Draco. He ended up fumbling at the end, too, losing the snitch to the opposing seeker and, with that, losing the match for us. Although I must say, it was a glorious fumble, as when he got up from his broken broom, he looked like a snowman made out of mud. A mudman? Well, it did not matter as the mood of many other Slytherins was already pretty bad, and it now plummeted to never before seen depths.

We were just leaving the stands when three fifth-year students stopped us…. Stopped me. I already knew why and wasn't surprised. They may be angry at Malfoy but even angrier with someone openly ridiculing their own. Quincy was let go, but to my surprise, she stood her ground, facing them with an angry look.

"This won't go away quietly!" She said, speaking so loudly her voice overshot the storm itself.

"We are not against jinxing you too." One of them said with a wide smirk.

"We just did not want to look… uncivilized." Another added with a loud chortle.

"Well, at least then you would reach the goblins' level," I replied with a bemused voice, knowing full well it would incense them even further.

"You little prat!" The third spat, and they started pushing us further away from the crowd. Even better… Somehow, I was not afraid. No, I felt excited. Looking at Quincy, I couldn't say the same as she was a shade whiter than usual, but I saw her eyes dart all around, trying to come up with a plan on how to escape the situation.

"Careful, girl!" The first boy looked at her when she tried to put her hand in her pocket, and he was already pointing his wand at Quincy. "Move your hand again, and I will let you experience pain beyond belief!"

"Why? Are you going to strip? If so, then stab my eyes out first, please!" She snapped back at once.

"..."

It wasn't just me who fell utterly silent. All the others looked at her gobsmacked, and before I regained my composure, I found myself clapping.

"Nice!" I laughed, forcing the other two to pull out their wands immediately, ready to cast spells to punish her for her words.

There were three flashes, and they only had time to speak half of the incantation before all of their wands were blasted out of their hands. Then came another flash, and one of the boys was flung backward before I moved my hand again and pulled his body back, using it as a bowling ball to hit the other two. It only took a few seconds before they lay on the mud, knocked out silly when their heads clanked together like weird, fleshy bells.

"Too slow." I shrugged, slipping my hand back to my sleeve and placing my wand back in its place.

"How did you… do that?" Quincy asked, watching me with big, round eyes, her hand only halfway out of her pocket.

"This is why I store my wand in my sleeve," I explained calmly. "It is much easier and quicker to get it into my hands!"

"Not that! The spells!"

"Hm? It was expelliarmus, flipped, and accio in quick succession. Nothing extraordinary!"

"I know, but… but!" She stuttered.

"Then what?" I grunted, "Don't tell me you feel sorry for them!"

"Huh? No!" She said, looking down at the one who threatened her and kicked his face, breaking his nose with a loud crack.

"Ah…" Now it was my turn to be shocked. Damn… She isn't playing around! "So… what is the… problem?"

“You said no incantation!”

"Huh… I didn't?" That was weird… I felt like I did… but… thinking back, it seems I only thought about them without speaking the spells aloud. "Wait… Did I just use nonverbal spells?"

"Duh!" She pointed at my chest, watching me scrutinizingly, "Do you think it was… you know…"

"I have no other ideas either!" I nodded, watching my work before nodding at her to let's leave. It was best if we were off before we got into greater trouble with a teacher.

…
…..
……

I was lying flat on my back in our dorm. It was way past midnight, yet I refused to sleep, going through all that had happened after we came back to the castle. I spent the whole day with Quincy, experimenting, casting spells one after another, and it turned out I could do them without uttering any incantation. It came naturally, as if it was the correct way to do them. I tried explaining to Quincy how it feels and how I do it, but she was unable to replicate it… but I saw the fire in her eyes and knew she would not give up, not until achieving it. I summoned a snake, too, trying to speak to it, but… nothing changed. Quincy said I was still speaking plain English, and the snake simply ignored me.

I won't lie; I was greatly disappointed. Maybe it was indeed just a weird dream… We tried some potion recipes but, once again, nothing. I was average, especially compared to Quincy's skills. She was already reciting me advanced potions that would not be in our course for at least two more years. I didn't notice when I slipped into a dream, but when I came to my senses, I was in the familiar forest, like so many times before.

"Hey!" I shouted, but there was no answer. I started looking around, expecting a snake to come forth like always. This time it was me who wanted to chase it... but no… Nothing. It felt like I searched the forest for hours before waking up, feeling disappointed.

…
….
……

"I don't know, Conrad…." Quincy said as we were at the breakfast tables. "Maybe it was really just a dream…."

"..."

"You said yourself that you feel nothing has changed besides being able to perform nonverbal spells. Maybe that is also possible because you are simply… good at it. Besides that, nothing seems to change, no?"

"I know… but… my previous dream was also weird… it wasn't ever like that!"

"Haah… look-" She turned to me but stopped, and seeing her look, I also turned around and saw Draco standing there.

"Yes?" I looked up at him and noticed that everyone else was also looking at us.

"I want to have a word. Before class." He said coldly.

"To finish what you started?" I asked with a sigh, making even more heads snap towards me, and I barely could hold back my laughter, seeing his eyelids twitch and getting flustered. "Okay…" I murmured, standing up and following him out. I saw from the corner of my eye that Quincy debated whether to follow us but remained seated in the end.

I was curious about where we were going, but we ended up in the bathroom, which was empty at the moment. I waited patiently for him to start, standing there, hands behind my back, already holding my wand, ready for anything… unexpected.

"So… what was it?" He asked me, watching my face.

"You mean… the spell you used on me?"

"You know full well what I mean! That is just what the others came up with!" He barked at me, being extremely impatient.

"Oh, I see, I see…." I replied, playing dumb but unable to hold back my smile. It was too entertaining seeing his reactions. "I really thought it was you who attacked me…"

"Stop bullshitting me!" He growled at me, his hand instinctively moving towards his wand but held back at the last moment. Good… because I almost used a spell too… "Was that a spell you made? Is it ready? It was…"

"Raw." I interrupted, "Yes, you are right; it was my new spell… it needs… refinement." I replied and saw the light in his silver eyes… he wanted to know about it. It seems he wanted to take revenge on Umbridge, maybe even more than I did.

"Good…" He whispered savagely. "If it can act in a delay, we won't be suspected if we can get a good alibi…."

"Oh…" I couldn't help but let my surprise slip. He was… smarter than I thought! Still… not that smart. "Won't work." I shrugged, "Or at least, not for you! Now that you pranced around without refusing the statements it was you who did it, everyone will think it was you! I can try using it on that hag, but I am sure it won't work, and if it does, you will be suspected!"

"I was cleared of all suspicions!"

"This time." I smirked, "Anyway… it is not ready. I won't teach it to you."

"You-! Don't forget-" He put his hand into his pocket but couldn't pull it out as I pressed the tip of my wand against his neck, completely surprising him.

"I'll teach the finished version to you. Relax." I said, looking into his eyes, leaning close, and whispering. I felt as if my own words, like hisses coming from a snake's mouth. I felt confident and sure, and... a wild idea popped into my head… along with a convoluted yet extremely detailed spell. "When it is ready, you will have a chance casting it on that hag and take your… our revenge. Okay?"

"..." He only nodded, and I redrawn my wand, smiling, and left before he could say anything more.

I bet that anybody who saw me hurrying back, finding Quincy, and dragging her out from the Great Hall thought I did it out of fear and not out of excitement.

"What happened?" She asked as we arrived at an empty corridor.

"I got it! In here!" I said, and if it wasn't Charms that we would have as our first period, I would have skipped it.

"Got what? Where?" She looked at me, confused.

"Here!" I tapped my head, "The complete spell… on how to enchant the blood of someone so he can speak to other species! On how to record knowledge into a bloodline!"

"What…?" She looked into my eyes, her mouth slowly falling open.

"Yeah…! I will write it out so you can also have a look at it plus… I already have a guinea pig in mind that I will try it out!"

"Who?" She flinched and then looked at me again, shocked, "No… on him? You mad?"

"If it backfires, no problems! If it works… I will make sure he does not know about it and simply receives a stupid kind of spell~!"