“There are several
different types of spells you’ll need,” Hailey told Mark the next day. They
were in the courtyard, and the sun had barely begun to appear. Very few
students, if any, roamed the castle halls at this hour. “One important one is a
more passive approach to the killing curse.”
“You mean Stupefy?”
Mark asked. “My sister taught me that one. She said if I needed someone out of
the way, it was better than the killing curse. And more legal.”
“True,” Hailey shrugged. “That is the one I was referring
to. I’ll trust you know it, because I don’t want you to knock me out
immediately at this hour. We’ll try it tonight, when classes are done. Another
one we want to do is Impendimenta,
but that’s not terribly important. I want to try to get Petrificus Totalus in as well, so we’ll work on that, too. In just
a moment, we’ll practice an important one, Expecto
Patronum. It’s a very powerful defensive charm that’s difficult to master,
and I haven’t done it yet, but we can try together. We’ll both need it.”
“Expecto Patronum,”
Mark muttered. “The name means, ‘Expect Patronus’.”
“Or, at least, it sounds that way,” Hailey added. “There
are false cognates in words, you know.”
“True, true,” Mark agreed.
“And finally, a spell that I will teach you as a last
resort,” Hailey took a deep breath, “is Incendio.
Never, ever use it, except as a last resort.”
“I’ve never heard of that spell,” Mark told her.
“It’s taught in first-year Herbology and second-year
Defense Against the Dark Arts,” Hailey replied. “It’s just…it starts fires, and
fires are incredibly dangerous. Promise me that Incendio will be your last resort.”
Mark felt a sick feeling enter his stomach. Something about
the way she said it made him shudder. “I promise,” he replied. He stared at the
pinkish-purplish light that had began to spread across the horizon. “We’re
running out of time. We should get some practice in before classes.”
“Right,” Hailey nodded. “Wand up. Expecto Patronum!” Nothing happened. She turned to Mark with a wary
smile. “Like I said, we can both master it together.”
“Forget whatever you were
going to teach me,” Mark told Kiera before she could speak. “I need to learn
some advanced potions. Very advanced potions.”
Kiera crossed her arms. “Planning on breaking school rules
without me?” she asked.
“No, Dumbledore just wants me to prepare,” Mark told her.
“He’s having Hailey teach me high-end spells ahead of time, and I need to know
high-end potions, too.”
“Yeah, right, not buying it,” Kiera shrugged. “I’ll teach
you the Strengthening Solution today, but I’d have to research other potions to
teach you.”
“Alright,” Mark nodded. “So what do I need to get a hold of
for this potion?”
“Not much,” Kiera shrugged. “Although, think you can get
your hands on some salamander blood?”
Later that day, Mark met
up with Hailey in a very lush field. “You ready?” she asked him. Mark nodded.
“Remember, tonight, we’re trying to use the Stupefy
spell. I chose to meet here so that you wouldn’t have to move me back to
the common room. I could just sleep here in the grass. Supposedly, it’s safe
out here.”
“Supposedly?” Mark checked. He wasn’t keen on taking risks,
especially with an Amnesia Curse affecting Hogwarts. What if she forgets about training me? What if she forgets Hogwarts?
What if she forgets everything?
She seemed to
understand his concerns. “Relax, Mark. Sofi gave me a drop of liquid luck. I
should be good for now. If it worries you too much, you can send Dumbledore or Pomfrey
to find me. It’s more important that you get this spell down, though. I’m a
fifth-year, which means I know this stuff, but you don’t, and you need to. Got
that?”
“Yeah,” Mark nodded. “Ready?”
Hailey nodded. “Don’t mess up and cast Avada Kedavra on me. Sofi would never forgive you.”
Mark gave a cocky grin and lifted his wand. “Keep your feet spaced out, if it gives you
confidence. Lift your chin, too, my little Dumbledore. Now, with as much
confidence as you can muster, shout the spell, lifting your wand and aiming at
my chest. Got it?”
The memory of his
sister’s words startled him and he dropped his wand. Searing pain struck his
entire body and he fell. The green grass now looked dark, and it no longer felt
lush. It felt…cold. Inhospitable. Mark stared at the sky as darkness claimed
his vision, hearing someone shout “Mark!”
The response was answered with a distorted voice shouting,
“We found him!”
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