Chapter 63. Beginning Year Three

“You got bigger!” Val cheered as we both looked into the large mirror in my room. I had indeed grown taller, but I could only scoff while feeling his body coiling all around my arm. “Speak for yourself.” I said, seeing how Val who used to only be around 3 feet at length when I met him, had grown a foot over the 2nd year, and now another foot over summer. His coiled body had even started to cause slight discomfort in his weight. “You’re getting too heavy for me…” I sighed with a smile, glad that he was growing big and strong. Val gasped, slithering his body closer to my chest instead. “No! I can be smaller again!”

I laughed while patting his scaly head. “Just not putting all your weight on my arms is enough.” Val chirped as he constricted his body around my waist. I took another glance in the mirror, sighing while thinking of the last year. “Are we not gonna see Abarrane and Gaynor soon?” Val asked worriedly over my sighing. We were both excited to see the both of them again, Gaynor wanting to stay in the chamber to make it her more permanent nest, as well as becoming famous for being the first of her kind to eat their mortal enemy.

I shook my head while getting dressed in my school robes once again. “No, we’ll see them soon. Along with Pansy.” Pansy was the real reason for my sighing. Things had been bumpy last year, our friendship threatening to be torn apart. Pansy was truly lost after learning about how ‘pureblood’ was a term that could not describe any wizards at all. I was surprised by how logical it all was after she described it to me, surprised that I didn't already figure it out for myself.

‘For me… my parents hate all magical creatures, but I knew they were wrong. So I had that doubt for my whole life, it’s nice to have some vindication.’ I remembered saying to her, only to have her happily joke over how she knew things I didn’t. We discussed in secret over the falsehood of our house's beliefs, after the rough patch in our friendship. With the new foundation of understanding, we slowly grew more accustomed to one another again.

However there was still one thing I was keeping to myself, my newly discovered Lycanthropy. Hiding the belief of equality, or the falsehoods of the Slytherin house was one thing, however my own strange curse was something much more different. I had a monster living inside of me. One that I had been luckily tame for now, however it was one that I never even remembered. I should have memories of the time inside that monstrous body after shifting back, but I never did. My parents never uttered a word of werewolves, and I knew not to ask now.

My blood was truly cursed, but cursed in what way I didn’t truly know. I searched the school library for any other cases like mine, but found nothing, leaving me for the summer to wallow in anxiety of something I could neither understand nor control. I stared at my face in the mirror, looking deep into my own eyes, I could see the lingering hue of green under my usual blue eyes. The new meaning behind my eyes reminded me in every reflection that something laid further underneath, beyond my skin.

During the time we were rebuilding our friendship, Pansy had asked about my eyes, and I quickly lied, the same lie I had myself believed only months prior, about it being magical overcharge. I could see in Pansy’s gaze that she didn’t fully believe me, but her smile never dimmed. Somehow in our fight, Pansy had decided to accept my lies, not as a personal attack towards her, but as something more of my character.

A knock at my door caught my attention, Val quickly slithered down my chest, hiding from my mother entering inside. “Oh my! You have grown so fast!” She cheered with a sense of sadness, wrapping me into a tight hug. “Morning mother…” I sighed while my face was pressed against her chest. She let me go and flicked my ear, making me wince in pain. “You don’t have to grow up so fast! You’re not too old to still love your mother!” She said, wagging her finger at me with a frown.

A smile slowly formed seeing my mother’s affection. Even despite knowing what I was, she still loved and cared for me. The lies perhaps were just as much for my peace of mind as her own. I began giving her a hug, just as my father entered my room with our house elf. He had on his usual stoic expression as he handed me a small enchanted box. “Your medicine.” He announced as I glanced at the golden engraved musical box, made to be larger on the inside with enchantments. I glanced at the box, knowing now that there was perhaps more to just 'headache medicine' he concocted for me. During summer I held off taking the potion for as long as I could, the splitting headache growing more and more intense as the moon slowly arose outside my special chamber. After I could feel myself starting to shift, I could no longer wait any longer, taking a swig, a wave of fatigue overtook me, and I could no longer keep my eyes open. Waking the next morning I found the room to be the same as how it usually was partially destroyed, broken brick, torn mattress and sheets.

I nodded at him, thinking back to the past events of my own testing while Nalby opened my case to carefully place the box inside with the rest of my things. “Thank you father.” I said, silently pondering what was inside that medicine that I had been drinking before the beast would emerge. I had only known that some of the ingredients was wolfsbane obviously, lavender, and a few others. My best guess was that it was perhaps a sedative, a very strong sedative that kept the beast tired, and sedated to mostly laze around compared to how others I read about did. With that idea, I felt much better about myself, and the safety of my classmates. My father silently motioned me to follow while my mother stroked my hair, caressing and fiddling with it to pristine condition.

Inside our luxury car, driving to the train station, my mother began making conversation. “You have all your books?” I nodded while remembering myself placing them in my luggage. “Really… How could that Headmaster think of giving students a book like that as a good idea.” She grumbled, obviously talking about the strange book of magical creatures for class my parents tried excluding me from. The book was enchanted to be much like a vicious beast, most likely as a way to warn students at all times to be cautious of magical creatures.

My father sighed while shaking his head. “Fools…” My mother nodded her head, before turning around to me. “Now if anything happens in that class, you send us a letter with Howell, and right away we’ll take care of things.” I nodded at her worried expression, before looking towards Howell in his cage screeching at me. Avoiding my mom's gaze and doing my very best to hide my pure elation of this class being required for this year.

After taking a parking spot made specifically by the Ministry for other witches and wizards to drop off their children, I glanced at the empty space where the Malfoy's usually sat. 'I suppose we are a bit early.' I thought with a shrug before my mother tapped my shoulder. I grabbed my handkerchief, and placed it over my mouth as to her silent instructions. My mother nodded, grasping at my shoulder tightly as we walked through the sea of muggles in our way. Attempting not to get any 'filth' stuck to us.

At the platform, the plentiful amounts of people all shuffling about, saying goodbyes to their families, and excited greetings to their friends filled the echoing halls in a symphony of noise. “Anything about that beast class bothers you, and we’ll get you transferred out of the class.” My father told me with his usual frown, my mother nodding right beside him. I could guess that they both didn’t want me to hear of werewolves, trying to push me away from the truth of my own being.

Not knowing whether or not I should be upset with them keeping my condition a secret from even myself, I instead nodded with a smile, waving goodbye to my parents as I entered the train. I went to my usual train car, and opened the door to the carriage, and a surprise then met me in the shape of a blonde girl sitting in my seat. Pansy and Draco were both not present yet. I had come early so it was expected, but I had no idea who this person was. I frowned while leaning against the now closed door.

She turned to look at me, her sky blue eyes shining despite the rainy weather we were having now. Like a little piece of the azure sky was taken and placed into her gaze. I glanced down past her wavy blonde hair, to the marking on her robes. A raven adorned crest was sewn onto her chest. At least a second year, she was already placed into a house, and Ravenclaw at that.

“What are the likes of you sitting in my seat?” I asked, my poisoned tongue striking as my mask quickly snapped itself on over my face. The girl tilted her head, studying me silently, a sudden thought of her strange mannerisms matching another certain quiet girl I knew. I frowned at her, wondering why she would be here at the end of the train cars if she had already had a year to find others in her house to sit with. “My friends ran out of space…” She said, continuing to stare at me, studying me. Her voice was calm, and light.

I sighed avoiding her eye contact, a portion of me uneasy with her stares. “Well for someone as popular as you, I would imagine that another car of acquaintances would suit you much better than one here.” I glanced at her, only to have her azure eyes peering deep into me in silence. The mumblings of others entering the train continued as the only noise between us, frozen in silence. Only after what felt like minutes of her stares did she finally speak. “I’m happy sitting here…”