Chapter Fifty-Seven: Unknowns
⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅
ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Lifeline
"Yeah, I'm a little scared to put my life on the line
I was kind of hoping you're a lifeline"
Things hadn't been all sunshine since the Quidditch game. Despite the mood in Gryffindor being a little lighter than usual and Sapphire receiving the odd congratulations on the cup as captain in passing, other things had taken her over completely.
She still missed Fred and George — though Fred more — and was struggling to sleep again. Alex had suggested it was due to the fact she was beginning to stress over her exams too, and unable to hold off the nightmares like she had grown to. They got worse and she was back to barely sleeping again.
Sapphire did her best to keep it under wraps and since she mainly spent her time around Lee, Angelina, Alicia and Katie, no one else particularly noticed and she had convinced her friends it was just stress.
Alex knew better than that.
"Black, a word," Severus Snape called before Sapphire could leave potions.
Sapphire sighed, hovering at her desk. She'd been avoiding the Professor the best she could, knowing that he would have talked to Alex about the matter and she didn't need him getting meddled in her business. They were allies, not friends.
"I swear, I haven't done anything!" Sapphire said immediately. "No trouble from me—"
"I doubt you can ever stay out of trouble," Snape muttered. "Still, this is about your brother's constant harassment over your stability."
"He's just being overdramatic, I'm good," Sapphire said unconvincingly. "I appreciate the concern, Professor—"
"Alex also says you've stopped replying to the order and your father," Snape continued. "You're idiotic, do you know that? If you can't sleep, you could have—"
"I'm not dosing myself on potions!" Sapphire threw her hands up. "I need the dreams, alright? I feel them...they're warnings. I know they are."
"No, they're not," Snape drawled. "They're the Dark Lord trying to contact you and your cousin who cannot close off his mind!"
"That's because you stopped teaching him Occulemency!" Sapphire crossed her arms stubbornly. "I'm not talking about this with you. Alex can mind his own business. I have things to do—"
"Things," Snape scoffed. "You mean the magic you're messing with?"
"I'm not messing with it," Sapphire placed her bag over her shoulder. "At current, I'm ignoring it. Now if you excuse me, I need to ask Harry how his exams went."
Sapphire stormed out of the dimly lit room, her heart racing as she struggled to ease her breathing. She could feel the weight of her emotions closing in, and the only person she felt she could turn to was her brother. Navigating through the bustling corridors of the castle, she made her way toward the Great Hall, where she knew he would be.
When she finally spotted him, Alex was leaning against a wall, fiddling with a small, intricately carved charm that sparkled in the flickering candlelight. "Hello, sister," he hummed, a hint of warmth in his voice.
"Hi, Saph!" Jaden, a mutual friend, waved enthusiastically as he passed by, oblivious to the tension simmering between the siblings.
Sapphire felt a surge of frustration within her.
"Why are you telling Snape I'm not sleeping, Alex? That's my business!" she whispered-yelled, casting a wary glance around to make sure no one else was listening.
Alex rolled his eyes, his expression shifting to one of concern.
"I told you to get help, but you ignored me. I asked you to at least share what's been plaguing you, and you brushed me off. You nearly slept through your N.E.W.T. exam!" His voice carried a note of exasperation. "Excuse me for caring!"
"I'm really trying—" Sapphire began, but her brother cut her off.
"No, you're not," he replied, taking a long, steadying breath. "Ever since Fred and George left, you've been closed off, like a book with half the pages torn out. I know you miss them, but you have plenty of friends who care about you. You haven't even practiced the magic that Dumbledore told you to work on."
A cold glare settled on Sapphire's face.
"I don't give a crap about what Dumbledore wants or doesn't want me to do," she snapped. "He just wants me for his chess game, a pawn in his grand scheme."
Alex rubbed his forehead in frustration, and, sensing the rising tension, Jaden glanced between them, deciding it was best to slip away and leave the confrontation to the siblings.
"I'm sorry for telling Snape, alright?" Alex admitted, his shoulders slumping slightly in defeat. "I just... sometimes I worry that you've been given something so extraordinary, and yet you're not willing to discover how to truly use it."
"Alex," Sapphire replied, her voice strained but resolute, "it's exactly because of what I have that I'm terrified. If I learn to control it, I know there's a chance it could be exploited, and someone could get hurt—maybe even killed."
"But who dies if you don't?"
⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅
Sapphire's heart raced as she paced back and forth in her corridor, the news of Professor McGonagall's injuries echoing painfully in her mind. The usually composed Gryffindor Transfiguration teacher, the one who had guided her through countless lessons and inspired her with her unwavering strength, had been attacked by the Ministry while defending Hagrid. Anger and despair coiled together, fuelling her frustration. How could anyone dare to hurt someone so pure to this world?
"It's not fair!" Sapphire whispered fiercely to herself, her fists clenched tightly.
"Hey, Sapphire! You okay?" Angelina's voice broke through her spiraling thoughts, pulling her back to the present.
She glanced up to find Angelina and Alicia walking towards her in the corridor, their faces etched with concern.
"I don't know," Sapphire replied, trying to mask her turmoil with a weak smile. "Just processing the news about McGonagall."
"Oh, I heard. It's horrible!" Alicia frowned. "She's such a brilliant teacher, and she doesn't deserve this. It's nuts, isn't it?"
"Totally," Sapphire muttered, the heaviness in her chest tightening further. "Are you guys done with your exams yet?"
"Thank Merlin, yes!" Angelina beamed, relief washing over her like a wave of warm sunlight. "Last one was today, thank goodness! I think I did pretty well, actually."
"Lucky you," Alicia replied, rolling her eyes playfully. "I'm pretty sure I bombed mine. It was like the questions were written in a different language! I swear I just stared at the paper for half of it."
"I told you not to take history of magic," Sapphire teased.
"It's interesting! There's just too much information to absorb," Alicia whined, her brow furrowed in frustration.
"Well, that feels like a you problem," Sapphire sang, her melodious voice echoing slightly off the walls. "My exams went well. I nearly fell asleep in the Charms one, but I managed to finish, good thing too since Dora says charms is important."
"You do look tired all the time," Angelina remarked, concern creeping into her voice. "I know you say it's exam stress, but surely that can stop now? Or is Lee talking to you about his heartbreak over Fred and George every night?"
"Both?" Sapphire replied, her tone light.
Alicia snorted, a chuckle escaping her as she tried to picture Lee's dramatic recounts of the twins' exit. Yet, Sapphire suddenly felt an unsettling wave of dizziness wash over her, like a sudden gust of wind that toppled her balance. She tried to shake it off, but the world around her began to blur, the colors of the bustling corridor fading into wisps of indistinct shades. The pressure on her head intensified, making it feel as if a heavy weight was pressing deep inside her skull. Her mind instinctively flicked to Occlumency techniques she'd learned, but it seemed to only make things worse.
"I need to find Harry," Sapphire announced abruptly, a sense of urgency lacing her voice. "Right now."
"What, why?" Angelina questioned, her eyes widening in surprise. "He'll be in an exam—"
"Something is really wrong," Sapphire insisted, her heart racing as a cold sweat formed on her brow.
"How do you know?" Alicia paused, her bright eyes filled with concern. "Actually, I don't need to know. I trust you."
"Listen, he'll be in his exam, but we can wait outside for him," Angelina suggested, trying to reassure both Sapphire and herself.
They didn't even make it halfway down the corridor when Sapphire's vision began to blur and darken, her surroundings turning into a dizzying landscape that felt like it was spinning out of control. The pulsating pressure in her head drowned out the familiar sounds of laughter and footsteps, overwhelming her senses. Just as her knees weakened and she felt herself losing grip on reality, she collapsed into the outstretched arms of Angelina and Alicia, who caught her just in time.
Something was coming.
Just gonna warn you all now that I'm really going to start mixing up the books and movies! Mainly because the ministry fight in the book is so long and I'm not going to copy it over cuz that would be boring!
Also just prepare yourselves :D