Chapter 33. Breaking Curfew

Weeks passed, my first year quickly coming to a close. Learning with Professor Quirrell in our private lessons had taught me so much more than the normal first year curriculum. In time I began to learn more of Quirrell’s life. “Well done Mr. Peterson.” Quirrell congratulated me on my charm being successful. The floor was bouncy, and jiggled when pressed against. “Now, how might you use this spell?” He asked, taking a sip of tea he had made while I learned the spell, and practiced the pronunciation for it.

I thought for a moment, easily seeing the most obvious one. “To help me or anything else survive a great fall?” Quirrell nodded with a smile, but remained silent, his eyes still focusing on what I might say next. “Perhaps if I had known this spell when facing that Troll, I may have used this on the ground beneath him to have him lose his footing…” I thought out loud, continuing my conjecture of how to use the spell.

As Quirrell taught me, the way one uses any spell is what makes that spell powerful. I wasn’t sure about being ‘powerful’, but it was still good advice. “Perhaps…” I mumbled, jumping on the floor where my spell was cast, suddenly being launched into the ceiling. “Spongify!” I yelled, casting it at the ceiling above me to reduce my pain. However I didn’t expect that I would be thrown back down into the floor, starting the cycle over again.

After a few cycles of up and down, I was starting to get sick, finally the one on the floor was canceled by Quirrell, chuckling as I groaned in slight pain. “That is indeed another way to use the spell I had never thought of before… hehe” Suddenly the bell rang, indicating our hour of private lessons were up. We said our goodbyes to each other, and I was left on my own again. I had already taken my medicine for the day, knowing that I would have to go back to that old dusty room tonight, my magical power was at its peak today.

I had my dinner together with Pansy, glancing at me from time to time. It was evident that my eye color changed from blue to green when my energy was built up, but with no excuse for it, I just didn’t mention it, and let Pansy wonder in silence. I left early like usual, heading over to the lake to feed Abarrane. “Abarrane!” I called out for her at the water's edge, Val slashing in the shallows, enjoying the cold feeling on his scales. It wasn’t long until her tendrils slowly crept from the blackened depths, eagerly poking and prodding me. I chuckled a bit from her ticklish behavior, and gave her some food from dinner.

She happily took it down with her, but always kept an arm attached to me at all times. “I wanna play! I wanna play!” Val yelled, and soon enough Abarrane took another of her tendrils, and began tossing Val up in the air again and again. She laughed and squirmed while he flew through the air. I placed my wand on her arm attached to me, helping us to talk better. “Thank you.” I said with gratitude. Abarrane’s tendrils squirmed around me, sucking me with every part of her suckers, giving me a multiple armed hug. “***Ha**y*** Hel*****Y*u.”

Her language was still hard to grasp, but her feelings still were easily portrayed. I smiled while explaining more of my day and how it went. Abarrane was bored from time to time living in the lake, so she enjoyed listening to my daily life, with Val’s inputs from time to time. “We flew high today! I could see so high above everything else!” Val cheered, swimming through the water with Abarrane’s help. “***Fun**Haha…” She responded back, letting Val and I back on shore. I had been talking for so long that I forgot she picked me up halfway to be further from the castle, perhaps for us to not be interrupted.

In fact, I had forgotten I was getting close to my release of magical power. The medicine dulled the pain enough for the time to slip my mind. “Oh, I should hurry! I need to get back to my special room!” I quickly responded while getting back on my feet, Val slithering up my wrist. “Right! I forgot that Lucas’ special day was tonight!” Val yelled, causing Abarrane to chuckle. “***Alr**ht***B*Sa*e” She said, waving her arms goodbye to us. Val and I waved back as we ran to my room for Val. He always slept in a separate room than me so I wouldn’t accidentally injure him, and I didn’t want him to spend the night on a dingy floor.

“Oh, Lucas. Turning in for the night?” Pansy asked after noticing me inside the common room. I knew I didn’t have time, and the curfew was about to take effect in about 10 minutes. “Yes. I’m just putting Val in his tank before I finish up my own things.” Pansy nodded before turning her gaze back to the book she was lightly reading on the couch. I rushed into my room, and placed Val inside of his tank, before sneaking back out the door. ‘Pansy is preoccupied so I have a good chance of sneaking out without her knowing…’ I thought, hoping that this could be handled easily.

Pansy watched, from the corner of her eye, Lucas quietly leaving the common room. When he did, she closed her book, Draco walked out from the rooms behind her. “Where’s Lucas?” He asked, adjusting his robes. “Just left.” She responded, still staring at the door. “He’s breaking curfew? What for?” Draco asked, surprised that the prefect Lucas was knowingly breaking rules. Pansy frowned, shrugging her shoulders. “Then let’s go see.” Draco grinned, wanting to break some rules himself.

Walking through the corridors, I quickly made it back outside, avoiding any of the older students that would tell me to get back to my room, but it wasn't long before I was back outside. I took a breath of fresh air, the cool breeze whisping across my face. Walking towards the Willow tree, a noise caught my attention. I looked over to see very distinct disheveled hair enter the groundskeeper Hagrid’s hut along with two others.

Feeling that I still had time, curiosity got the better of me. I walked over towards the distant hut, slowly, making sure that I made no noise to let anyone know I was outside during curfew either. Carefully making my way to the illuminated window, I was about to peer through, until the window shattered. I stumbled back, falling to the ground in my shock. “Oh my-!?” I heard Hermione yell in surprise, the now open window, allowing me to more easily hear inside.

“Mama…?” I heard a small girl’s voice ask weakly in a chirp. “Oh look at that! He knows his mummy!” Hagrid cheered. “Mmm… Hungry… I smell… Food!” The small girl's voice yelled, when she did I heard crashing and voices yelling in confusion, before a green blur leapt through the window, and into my robes. ‘Oh no!’ In a panic, I opened up my bottle of food, and let the small creature eat its fill and leave before anyone might see me. “Mama!! Yummy!!” She yelled while shoving it all down at amazing pace.

“Ow!” I winced in pain, as it bit my finger, still having reminiscence of my deep fried fish-balls on my fingertips as I hurriedly opened my container. “Lucas!?” Hermione yelled in shock, seeing me when Potter opened the door to find the creature. I grit my teeth, my medicine’s pain reduction for my migraines already starting to wear off. “Get her off of me.” I ordered, moving my hand towards them, finally seeing what was attached to me. A baby Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon.

“What are you doing here Peterson!?” Weasley lashed out. I sighed, my head starting to hurt more and more, but before I could answer, Hagrid pushed the trio out of his hut. “Doesn’ matter! You lot best be back to your houses! Now! I need to keep Lucas here for a moment! Off you go!” He spoke quickly, hurrying out the trio while pulling me inside. “Go!” He waved them away, much to their surprise of his actions, but agreed nonetheless.

Once he saw them leave through the broken window, he looked back over to me, his gaze cautious to say the least. “Just take her, and I’ll be on my way as well.” I didn’t have time for any begging to keep his pet a secret, I would have more interest in the baby dragon myself if my head wasn’t starting to split open. Hagrid frowned under his large unruly beard, finally taking the baby dragon. “Tasty! Want more!” She chirped while flapping her wings, trying to escape Hagrid’s grasp.

As I left as well, I paused, hearing the poor girl cry out for more food. “Feed the girl something if you don’t want her to die looking for food in the middle of the night. She mistook my hand for something to eat.” After I muttered my advice, I slammed the door behind me, as I took off towards the Willow tree again.