** Pop Jumble **
--Pov Extimum--.
** Cough Cough**
**Bluergh**
The moment I hit the ground, a violent cough burst from my mouth, followed by a pressure in my throat that forced me to bring up the contents of my stomach.
My head was spinning.
** Bluergh **
Judging by the retching beside me, I wasn't the only one.
Following the sound, I spotted Bloom not far away. She wasn't in much better shape than I was, though at least she wasn't coughing.
** Deep breath **
** Haa... **
Shaking off the dizziness, I pushed myself to my feet and lightly dusted off my clothes.
The sour taste in my mouth was awful.
I clenched my hands into fists before opening them toward my mouth.
'Aguamenti.'
A thin stream of water flowed into my mouth.
** Puff Ptui **
I quickly rinsed away the disgusting taste.
It would be far more convenient if the quick-cleaning spell could clean the inside of the body as well. Unfortunately, it only worked on the outside.
Ugh.
Maybe I should look into that later... it might save me from having to brush my teeth.
Not far away, Bloom followed my lead, rinsing out her own mouth with a somewhat pale expression.
** Sigh **
I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and wiped my mouth.
That had been far too close.
Had I not acted at that exact moment... it was hard to say whether either of us would still be alive.
I looked around at the forest surrounding me.
I had done it.
I had gotten us out of there at the very last moment by using Apparition. Bringing us to the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.
Even so... the price had been rather steep.
I had only tested it once before. By forcibly merging the magic of my two bloodlines, I could temporarily increase my magical capacity. Just enough to perform Apparition.
It wasn't something I could do in the middle of a chase. Forcing the fusion of my two magical natures required a few moments of concentration, and only when the basilisk's attention shifted for a brief moment did I have the opportunity to do it.
The most surprising part, however, was that it had actually worked inside the castle. I still couldn't understand why the castle's defenses had such a significant vulnerability—let alone why so few people knew about it.
The anti-Apparition wards seemed to restrict only those they recognized as wizards. Yet... it appeared that simply altering the nature of my magic enough was sufficient for the wards to no longer recognize it, treating me as an exception instead.
Then again, it did make a certain amount of sense when I considered that there weren't many creatures capable of teleporting or performing Apparition on their own.
However, just because there were few didn't mean there were none.
Bloom: "Are you alright, Extimum?" .
"*Cough* Yeah, I'm just a little exhausted. *sigh* Damn, how can you be so unlucky?"
To make matters worse, the ideas in my head are more and more like voices, but not just voices, but rather persuasive voices.
*Cough*
My involuntary actions at that time could have ended very badly, in fact, I'm pretty sure my glasses would only protect its wearer from dying, but I still have no reasonable idea as to why I wasn't petrified despite sharing a direct look...
*cough cough*
And what about this cough?
Removing the hand that covered my mouth, I sighed and was about to speak, when I noticed that Bloom's eyes widened in the direction of my hand.
Following her gaze, I noticed a light red stain with some blackish tinges on my hand.
Blood.
Bloom: "Are you hurt?!" Bloom exclaimed in alarm and concern as she reached over and took my hand for a closer look.
"No… The basilisk didn't even get to touch me, though, I have a good idea what it could be. For now, I just need to rest."
It wasn't surprising. To some extent, I'd expected it.
Ignoring Bloom's gaze, I wiped my hand on my handkerchief and turned my gaze to survey the surroundings.
A couple of quick glances were enough for me to realize we weren't far from Hagrid's hut. That would at least be useful if I needed anything. After all, I couldn't return to the castle in my current condition.
Besides, I'd lost my bag...
The more I thought about it, the more I couldn't help but find my situation both strange and almost laughable. Especially how easily I could pinpoint my own location.
Literally, all it took was a glance.
Tree.
Tree.
Oh, look! What's that?
Another tree.
Yeah...
The fact that I could still joke around like this made me think my injury was more serious than it seemed.
But jokes aside, I could perceive countless differences between every tree, shrub, and leaf, making it easy to determine exactly where I was.
With that in mind, I started walking in search of a suitable place to rest, while Bloom flew along behind me.
Bloom: "If I don't touch you, then...Wait, I saw a greenish mist come out of the basilisk's mouth before I closed my eyes, don't tell me that was-"
"Poison, yes."
Bloom: "But we were both at the same distance, it's impossible that only you show signs of being poisoned and I don't, unless... You!... You didn't, did you?"
"Do what?".
Bloom: "Use your magic to block the poison coming at me".
"*Cough* Even if I keep several layers of illusion reinforced, it still isn't too much of a burden to create an insulating barrier around you *cough*."
Bloom's face changed at my response and I commented with a few hints of anger.
Bloom: "Why did you do that stupid thing? You could only have told me, I could have done it too, so you could have protected yourself".
"Heh, who are you kidding here? Do you think I didn't realize that just throwing that fireball used up almost all of your stamina? *cough cough* Although you've recovered very well, but after all, you don't even have a year since you recovered and you were frozen for at least a few centuries *cough cough*".
The anger on Bloom's face was greatly reduced by my words and now she looked even a little embarrassed with herself.
"For me it will just be a bit of pain, but for you, the results may not necessarily be something as simple as that. You can't just force your body to such levels without even your magic core recovering. Besides, hadn't I told you before?"
"*Cough cough* I've never been sick before, so this may not be so bad".
It may not be that bad, but that wasn't what mattered to me, it was that Bloom didn't get hurt.
After walking a little farther, I finally came to a stop.
Standing before me was exactly what I had been looking for: a tall tree with a broad trunk.
I pointed my wand. After a flash, a large hollow opened up inside the trunk.
An application of Elemental Transfiguration, reshaping the tree's interior into a small, secure space.
Giving a small jump, my body shrank and I took on my heavenly fox form.
I could tell I'd grown a little since the last time, but the hollow was still large enough to hold me comfortably.
The moment I transformed, the venom coursing through my body became far more bearable.
Aside from the coughing, I hadn't let any other symptoms show, not wanting to worry Bloom, but the situation wasn't nearly that simple.
Even breathing hurt. It felt as though my lungs were burning and my body was boiling or being corroded from the inside.
Even so, compared to what I had experienced when I activated the pendant, this was almost a joke. To some extent, it was bearable.
Looking up, I found Bloom watching my body intently. Her eyes were watery and slightly red, as though she were desperately holding back her tears.
"Come on, you don't have to look so upset. I'll only be staying here for a little while. At least until the venom dissipates. I wasn't exposed for very long, so I didn't inhale much of the mist. All I have to do is focus on expelling the venom and be careful about where and how I release it."
"That's also why I can't return to the castle yet. Releasing something like this inside the castle..."
Bloom: "But I... I feel so useless. I barely managed to hurt the basilisk, and in the end, you even had to protect me."
Bloom's voice was filled with frustration, and although she was hovering in the air, her tiny feet still stomped in exasperation.
"You're not useless. You just haven't recovered yet. If you hadn't been there, finding an opportunity to escape would have been much more difficult."
"...If it hadn't ambushed us... Considering the circumstances, I'd say this is already a good outcome. We're still intact."
Bloom raised an eyebrow in silent objection.
"Well... almost intact."
It had been a combination of bad luck and carelessness that I'd left behind the case containing the roosters.
I'd gone through the trouble of "borrowing" several from Hagrid's farm before Ginny carried out her massacre of the entire flock.
If I'd had them with me at the time, I could have harassed the basilisk enough to seize the initiative and attack instead of remaining so passive.
At least I was fortunate not to have come into direct contact with the basilisk's venom. Had that happened, I wouldn't have had any way of getting rid of it without phoenix tears.
Bloom: "Are you really going to be okay?"
"Yes, I can feel it. I just need to rest and... sleep. My body can take care of the rest. Still, you shouldn't stay too close to me while it's expelling the venom."
Bloom: "But then... how will I know you're okay?"
As Bloom spoke, I felt my eyelids growing heavy. My body instinctively demanded sleep so it could focus entirely on eliminating the threat.
"You'll start to notice the nearby vegetation... withering. Once there are no more signs of corrosion... you can come... ba...ck."
At last, everything faded into darkness as my mind drifted toward the world of dreams.
--End POV--
Bloom remained there for several minutes, watching Extimum's body in his fox form. However, the moment she noticed a faint greenish mist beginning to seep from his body, she quickly flew backward.
The mist was so faint it was almost imperceptible unless one looked closely. But the instant it came into contact with the surrounding vegetation, the grass lost its vibrant green, and the flowers withered before collapsing.
Everything around him slowly began to wither.
Bloom hovered back and forth, torn by indecision. At last, she came to a stop, cast one final glance at Extimum, and flew back toward the castle.
.
--Pov Mitchell--.
Unease.
It was the only word capable of describing the atmosphere that hung over Hogwarts. One look at the faces of the students around me was enough to understand it.
Something big had happened.
I couldn't even tell when everything had started to go so wrong. That very morning, the castle had been completely peaceful.
By the afternoon, things had been thrown into turmoil by the revelation of the identity of the monster that had been lurking within the castle. Yet it didn't take long for everyone to calm down again. After all, although the basilisk had been roaming Hogwarts for quite some time, there had only been a handful of victims, and no one had died.
Of course, that sense of calm was largely thanks to the combined efforts of several students and professors.
Extimum himself had done his part by selling a pair of glasses that supposedly prevented you from dying if you looked into the basilisk's eyes.
Honestly, I wasn't entirely convinced they actually worked, but I knew Extimum well enough to know he wouldn't joke about something like that. Besides, after seeing some of his inventions, I decided to trust him.
Even if they ultimately didn't work, they still gave us a sense of security.
The Headmistress also did her best to reassure the students and had the kitchens prepare a variety of desserts to help lighten the mood.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the tense atmosphere gradually eased, and although a certain amount of unease still lingered, things slowly began returning to normal.
For a moment, I even overheard a few Hufflepuff students joking about the basilisk.
I thought things might finally be returning to normal.
I was wrong.
Everything changed during the break after the afternoon classes.
--FlashBack--.
I was sitting at my table with the others while we were doing a boring essay that Professor Snape had left.
Ugh.
Sometimes I wish I were like Extimum with his eidetic memory. I literally saw him write a short essay on moon salts within minutes of Snape saying he'd give it up for homework.
Is that even fair?
Steve: "Hey Mitchell, what's up? Why are you making that face? I'd say this is one of the simplest topics Snape has ever put up, even I'm not complaining". Steve's mocking tone was not hidden at all.
"Tch, of course you're not complaining, your family has a moon salt factory, you don't even need to read the book and you already know the vast majority of related things".
Steve: "Hehehe, it's just a coincidence, besides, I don't know everything yet, and I only know some basics, however, hehehe, look what I have here". Finishing speaking, Steve took out a thin scroll.
The scroll itself was quite ordinary, but seeing the neat and symmetrical handwriting on it, I knew immediately who it was from.
"Impossible! How did you get it? Did you manage to take it without him noticing?"
Steve: "Hmp, I would never steal anything, besides…"—Lowering his voice slightly, Steve continued—"Is it even possible to take it without him noticing? Don't you remember what happened last time?" Steve flinched slightly at his own words, though I was not much better.
Extimum can be very scary when he wants to be.
"Good point, but then?"
Steve: "Hehehe, well, do you remember that I was late going to the potions room? Actually, I was deliberately late and used the opportunity to quickly sell all the glasses that Extimum gave me. I didn't even have to give discounts, I only sold a few and I said that Extimum made them and with that, most of the students came by themselves to buy them".
"Only in that short time did I manage to sell them all. So, on the way out of potions class, I proposed to Extimum that instead of giving me my share of the sales commission, he lend me his homework instead".
"And, he agreed, can you believe it? I'll finally get an O in potions".
Padma: "You know, saying that, that's pretty lame in itself, how can you even not have one for the entire school year? Besides, Extimum always helps if you ask".
Steve: "Yeah, but there's a limit to what you can get just by asking".
Padma gave me an "oh, you haven't told him yet" look as soon as she heard his words, but did not say anything else.
The highest grade Steve usually got was an (A) Acceptable and very occasionally an (E) Exceeds Expectations, but with the exception of last year, this year he hadn't gotten a single (O) Outstanding in any subject.
"Tsk, I would have preferred the money".
Hahaha... Oh, Steve, poor Steve. You spent a good amount of money for so little. If it'd been me, I would've asked for at least a week's worth of homework.
It was a shame he still didn't know how Extimum worked, though I had no intention of telling him anytime soon.
It was true that Extimum never let anyone copy his homework, but he'd left a small loophole himself. As long as you asked while he was in a good mood—though that was admittedly hard to tell—he'd agree to dictate the assignment.
Of course, he'd only say it once and never repeat himself. Even so, Padma, Trudor, and I eventually figured out how to take advantage of it. While one of us listened, the others wrote down different parts of the dictation as fast as we could. Thanks to that, our grades on written assignments had improved dramatically that year.
Was there some kind of magic in the way he wrote his essays that made the professors grade them more favorably? Hmm... Honestly, it was still one of our biggest mysteries.
McGonagall: "Your attention please. All students are to return to their respective houses immediately. Teachers are to proceed to the staff lounge. Please hurry". Professor McGonagall's voice echoed throughout the castle.
Trudor: "Hey, what's up? It's still half an hour until free time is over".
Padma: "Maybe… maybe there was another attack?".
"Never mind, we'll find out later, for now, let's go back to the common room, maybe Extimum will know something."
--End Flashback--.
Arriving in the common room, the three groups from our house had already gathered, which were essentially the students who decided to go to the library, the great hall, or the Quidditch pitch. They were the three supervised places they'd been allowed to go to in the last few days besides the common room.
I didn't see a trace of Extimum though, maybe it's already in his room?
While we waited for the arrival of a teacher to explain the situation to us, the prefects made a silent count of all the students.
The students started whispering among themselves wondering what was going on or making crazy theories. Nervousness grew when the calm that had been built among the masses seemed to waver.
Although I'll admit it, I was a bit nervous too, I just hope it's nothing serious… Who says it cannot be an emergency meeting for a good deal?
Perhaps will Dumbledore return?
*sigh* I looked around to see how the others were.
Trudor was talking to the other students in our year, apparently discussing the homework Snape left behind and we still haven't finished.
Padma had also met a small group of girls, most of them from our year, but there were also a few third years.
Luna was... well... being Luna, although she was together with Padma, she only spoke occasionally and other times she was looking at something...
Seriously… What is she looking at so much? Maybe there is something I am not seeing? Hmm… sounds likely, sometimes she says very observant things, things that most people sometimes overlook.
Though for some reason, she seems worried?
Steve, on the other hand, he was… What is he doing? It looks like… Ugh, I have no idea what he is doing, it has a weird object, it looks like those weird prototypes that Extimum sometimes makes.
However, he stopped whatever he was doing when a boy approached him from within the crowd and began whispering something into his ear.
Oh, on a closer look, that's Reinold, one of the most active informants and gossip finders who works for Steve, although I'm still not sure what he pays them with… oh forget it, I can already make a guess.
hmm?
What's the matter? What could he have said to make Steve go that pale and look so worried?
Sensing my gaze, Steve also looked at me and then, careful not to draw the attention of our friends who seemed busy with other matters, he approached me and secreted information in my ear that made me open my eyes in surprise.
--End pov--.
Flitwick: "Silence, everyone, please. Thank you. As some of you may have noticed, an incident has occurred again, however, the seriousness of the situation this time is truly dire, for which the headmistress together with the rest of the teachers have decided to close the school until the situation can be properly dealt with".
Flitwick's voice sounded incredibly serious and carried a slight hint of heaviness in it.
The mere sentiment in his voice made the students listen carefully, they had never seen the normally friendly and cheerful teacher in such a state even when the previous incidents occurred.
"Therefore, you will leave on the train to return home in two days. Until then, classes will be cancelled and instead, they will be assigned a compendium of topics and assignments that will serve to bring a satisfactory closure to their school years".
Student x: "But Professor Flitwick, how will the papers be graded if we leave in two days?"
Flitwick: "You could say that, in order not to disadvantage students, the end of the school year will be dealt with by mail".
"Ah, one last thing, students who are close acquaintances of young Extimum, please follow me to my office for a moment to discuss some matters". Saying the last part, Professor Flitwick seemed slightly downcast.
His last comment caught everyone's attention and caused different reactions in some.
Steve, Mitchell, Trudor, Padma, and Luna only shared a glance, and then followed Professor Flitwick out of the common room; while the other students discussed the information, they had just been told.
…
Some time later, the door to the Ravenclaw common room was opened again, as Steve and the others were seen returning, however, some more observant students noted that they looked visibly downcast and a little clueless.
Of course, not everyone was so observant or considerate and they immediately surrounded them to try to get some information out of them.
For some reason, on this occasion, the victims or the general situation were not reported, which greatly puzzled the other students.
Among the small group, Luna was the one who stood out the most, as she did not stop to look at the students around her and walked slowly, but without stopping through the crowd, while holding a bag tightly in her hands.
Her vacant gaze, seemingly oblivious even to the path she was walking, and the faint aura of dejection and detachment surrounding her caused every student who saw her to unconsciously step aside.
Only to then return to surround Steve, Mitchell, Trudor and Padma under his circle of people and questions.
.
--Pov Extimum--.
My mind wandered through the landscape of dreams as I felt my body slowly expelling the venom. Although I slept through most of that time, by the moment I sensed the last trace of it had finally disappeared, I found myself even more exhausted than before instead of refreshed.
So much so that I remained fully lucid for only a few seconds before slipping into a state somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, retaining just enough awareness to keep watch over my surroundings in case any creature approached. Even so, I doubted any would dare come near, thanks to the corrosive aura permeating the area.
At some point, I sensed Bloom's aura drawing closer. I also vaguely perceived another aura accompanying her, but at that moment, feeling Bloom nearby and detecting no sign of danger, my body finally let go of that last sliver of consciousness.
And I drifted back to sleep.
…
I woke up some time later.
I felt completely recovered, though still somewhat sluggish. It was an unfamiliar feeling for me.
I stretched lazily to shake off the lingering stiffness and was just about to open my eyes when every hair on my body stood on end.
Without a second thought, I rolled to the side without the slightest hesitation and snapped my eyes open.
I was in a room... but it wasn't mine.
A few meters away, two little girls were staring at me with a... strange, unsettling look in their eyes.
There was excitement. Affection. Tenderness. And...
Ugh.
A chill ran down my spine.
As soon as I identified the source of that unease, most of my alarm subsided. Even so, that last emotion continued to make me uncomfortable.
Student A: "Kyaaa! He's so cute!"
Student B: "Yeah! He finally woke up! Does that mean he's okay now? Can we play with him now?"
Pl-play... with me?
--End Pov--.
All Extimum's thoughts suddenly calmed down when he heard that girl's last comment.
And if possible, a swollen vein might have been visible on his forehead upon hearing such words.
Extimum: ' Breathe… Breathe… Exhale, they are just uneducated children, you must not take them completely seriously- '.
As he calmed down and analyzed his current situation, he quickly realized that he was in the girls' dormitory, however, he couldn't figure out why he was here.
He didn't have much time to think though, as his body instinctively jumped back as one of the girls lunged at him trying to catch him.
Only to almost trip in the attempt, due to a blanket that had been covering his body and he hadn't initially noticed.
Student A: "Oh, it's a very fast".
Student B: "I know, we're going to surround him, so he has nowhere to go".
The two girls were getting into position to try to catch Extimum again, when suddenly, the door to the room opened, making a rather screeching sound that caught everyone's attention and made the two girls stop in their actions.
Luna: "What are you doing? I told you not to bother him because he needed to recover".
Luna said with a firm and slightly angry voice, different from her usual calm, as she looked at the two girls, at the same time, she also gave a few curious glances at the fox who was now lying awake on her bed.
She recognized him as the one she had met that time when she woke up sleepwalking, but she still wasn't entirely sure why Bloom had asked her to help bring him to the castle.
Although at least, in all that journey to bring him to the castle, she had learned several things that had greatly cheered her previously low mood.
--FlashBack--.
After returning to the common room, Luna looked visibly downcast as did the others who accompanied her, so she ignored everyone else and went straight to her room.
Upon arrival, she simply sat on her bed and stared at the wall, trying to reign in her thoughts and make sense of what had happened and at the same time, herself.
Student to: "Hey, Luna".
Student b: "Luna?"
Her two roommates tried to talk to her, also wanting to know what Professor Flitwick had told them, but she just ignored them, keeping her eyes on the wall.
In the end, her two roommates got tired of calling her and trying to get any answers from her and just left her alone while they went back to doing their things.
It was like that until at least…
**Ti-lililin Ti-lin**
A familiar sound entered her ears.
**Ti-lilililin-lin-lin**
The first time she partially ignored it, but when said sound entered her ears for the second time, the depth of her gaze was reduced, replacing it instead, with a much more lucid gaze accompanied by a touch of surprise.
That sound was soft and a bit dreamlike, but despite its low key, it managed to completely get Luna out of her thoughts or rather, the absence of them.
So her gaze moved around the room trying to find the source of the sound.
**Ti-lililin Ti-lin**
Hearing the sound for the third time, Luna's gaze finally focused on the window near her bed.
There, behind her window, was Bloom, who was flying and beckoning her with her hands.
'Bloom… If Bloom is here and okay, then Extimum…'.
Thinking about it, Luna's hands tightened on the bag she had carried with her all this time.
It was a blue bag, with a peculiar design full of stars.
Without dwelling any longer on her thoughts, she went to her window and opened it.
As soon as the window was opened, Bloom immediately flew into the room; however, she did not stop immediately, but circled around Luna several times and finally, after giving her a scrutinizing look, stopped in front of her.
The slight sound, accompanied by Luna's actions, attracted the attention of Luna's two roommates, who were looking on curiously.
Looking Luna, Bloom frowned slightly.
Luna: 'Hmm? Why is she looking at me like that?'
Seeing Bloom's expression, Luna was taken aback, her actions upon entering had been as if she was checking if she was all right, besides, why was she frowning? Not understanding, Luna quickly looked at herself in a nearby mirror.
Luna: 'I look normal, maybe just a little sloppier than usual, though… my eyes are a little red… No wait, that's not important right now'.
Just as Luna asked the question that disturbed her mind, Bloom also seemed to have a change of mind and cast aside Luna's somewhat haggard state, while instead putting on a somewhat anxious face that Luna had never seen on her before.
Bloom walked over and tugged on her robe while pointing outside repeatedly and looking at her.
Luna: "Do you want me to go outside?"
**Ti-lin**
Bloom nodded immediately.
Luna: "I don't think I can go out and much less now... things have become very complicated". 'Maybe she doesn't know yet?'
Bloom's face screwed up, frowning, however, her attention quickly seemed drawn to something else and she shifted her gaze to the star patterned bag in Luna's hand.
Bloom flew over and put her hands on the bag, her gaze resting on it for a moment and then, while pointing at the bag, she pointed out again.
Luna: "You say Extimum is out there?" Understanding her implication, Luna immediately asked her guess.
However, the instant she understood her own words, Luna suddenly felt energized, as if all her earlier decay was just an illusion.
Nonetheless, Bloom immediately shook her head upon hearing her question, causing all that energy to disappear and her mood to drop again, however, seconds later, Bloom nodded much more discreetly, reviving Luna's spirits again.
Luna almost felt like Bloom was playing with her emotions just by nodding or shaking her head.
At all this, Luna finally noticed that her two roommates had actually been paying close attention to their entire exchange, however, they seemed a little less interested when they saw Bloom shake her head.
Understanding the situation, Luna made a sign to Bloom, which she understood immediately, flying towards her and sitting on her shoulder, later, they left the room.
She needed a more secluded place in order to fully understand Bloom, however, with the current situation, there didn't seem to be anywhere that was discreet enough.
Just as Luna was weighing her options, Bloom caught her eye and then pointed to a seemingly normal wall in the area just after going down the stairs
Looking at said wall, Luna's eyes lit up and she didn't take long to go towards it.
Because that was the entrance to the Extimum room and although she didn't know how they would get in, she believed that Bloom should have a way since she had suggested it herself.
Arriving in front of the wall, Bloom waved her hand, causing the wall in front of them to suddenly turn translucent.
And without too many thoughts and not wanting to draw too much attention, Luna quickly crossed to the other side of the wall, to which she became corporeal again right after, noticeable by the astonished gaze of some nearby students at that moment.
Passing the short dark corridor and reaching the room, Luna went straight to Extimum's desk.
Luna: "Just give me a moment. I'll get something to write with."
???: "That won't be necessary."
Luna stopped dead in her tracks at the sudden unfamiliar, yet slightly familiar voice that sounded close to her ear.
And as her eyes flickered in surprise and she turned her head to look at Bloom, Bloom spoke again.
Bloom: "There's no time to explain how I can speak. Extimum and I were attacked by the Basilisk. He's fine now, but he's recovering and I need your help to…to…bring someone very important to the castle".
Luna: 'Bloom can talk!... It's amazing! I had suspected it, but seeing or hearing it for myself is something completely different'.
'But…'
"What about Extimum?".
Bloom: "He…he'll be fine".
There was something else, Luna could tell, but it was fine, just knowing that he was fine was enough for her at the moment.
Luna: "But I don't know if I can help you, going out is currently very difficult, I don't even think I can leave the common room outside to go to the bathroom and only under the supervision of some teacher. Everyone believes that the basilisk did something to Extimum and since nothing but his bag was found, there's too much speculation, on top of that, the basilisk took Ginny, while the heir of Slytherin left a message enacting her death".
Professor Flitwick had informed Luna and the others of the situation when they entered his office.
Starting from the potions classroom in the castle dungeons, a trail of destruction was found. Several cracked walls, traces of an explosion, ashes from burnt things and what were believed to be drops of blood. As if that were not enough, at the end of that destructive trail, the solitary bag of Extimum was found lying on the floor nearby.
With a short investigation, several conclusions could be drawn about what could have happened, added to the fact that no one had seen Extimum since the potions class.
In addition, the heir to Slytherin had left a message written in blood under the old one, along with Ginny's disappearance. Everything pointed to the fact that the basilisk had reappeared and attacked two students, taking one of them and as for the other… it was not known, but the worst was feared.
Bloom: "That won't be a problem, that's precisely why I asked you to come here". Speaking up to here, Bloom opened the bag of Extimum and then took out a long sword from there.
The sword was mostly silver with some purple details, however, its body and especially the silver parts, gave the feeling that, instead of some metal, it was made of some kind of silver and translucent glass.
Luna: "What will you use the sword for?". Luna's curiosity grew when she saw her draw a sword in such a situation.
Bloom didn't answer her question and instead opened the bedroom window and then threw the sword directly.
However, to Luna's surprise, the sword, instead of falling, floated there a few inches from the window.
Luna: "A flying sword! It's fantastic, my father had told me about them, but I've never seen one".
Bloom: "Well, get on".
Although the idea sounded very tempting to Luna, the sword was very thin…. 'Oh, it can expand'.
Without further thought, Luna climbed onto the desk and then held on to the window frame while stepping one of her feet on the blade of the sword.
And contrary to what she expected, the sword held incredibly steady and she was able to put her second foot down with ease.
Already standing over her, Luna couldn't help but comment.
Luna: "But…I don't know how to fly a flying sword…"
Bloom: "Okay, I'll drive". As Bloom spoke, she also flew towards the sword and sat in front of Luna and soon after, the sword began to move.
--End Flashback--.
After accompanying Bloom, it was quite a surprise for Luna when they reached a part where the entire forest seemed dead and at the epicenter of all that disastrous area was the mythical nine-tailed fox that had been found that snowy night.
It was even more so, when Bloom asked her to help him bring it to the castle and although she didn't know why she wanted to do it, when she saw the poor fox in what seemed like an area of devastation, she actively helped her in the process.
It was so much so, that she refused when Bloom told her to leave him in Extimum's room and ignoring all her words, she brought him to her room to take care of him.
In addition, Luna could not help but think that Extimum might be angry when he came back if he saw that they had brought an animal into his room and even let him sleep in his bed. It's not like she saw him angry, but she guessed that he might not like it and would rather not be the cause of his anger.
Considering all that, she left him in her bed and covered him with one of her blankets, where he had slept all the rest of the afternoon and night, until early today.
Precisely because it was already early, she had gone out with Bloom to go to the bathroom and when she returned, she found herself in this situation.
Student A: "Ugh… But he's already awake, besides, look at him, before you got here he was able to jump and even make all this mess".
Student B: "Yes, besides, we didn't do anything wrong to him, we couldn't even touch him, he's very slippery".
Looking at the situation in the room, Bloom was first glad to see Extimum awake, however, when she felt the atmosphere in the room her joy quickly faded.
The blankets on the bed were torn, accompanied by a trail of claws reaching to Extimum's position.
And although the two girls had moved away a little when they saw her and Luna arrive, Bloom could see that they still hadn't taken their eyes off Extimum.
However, what alarmed her the most and made her feel uncomfortable was actually that she could clearly sense that Extimum was very angry and displeased with the situation.
He had seen Extimum angry, at times domineering or grumpy, but she had never seen him angry.
Furthermore, the gaze with which he looked at the two girls was beginning to turn dangerous from her perception.
Luna: "Of course he would try to move and escape if he feels threatened, but that doesn't mean it's good for his health. I'm back anyway, so you can go back to your business".
Student A: "Hmp, stingy".
At Luna's words, the two students were not entirely convinced and even felt a bit resentful, however, all those thoughts quickly died upon hearing a low, but chilling growl.
**Grr**
The growl almost made them wince, so they looked scared at the fox that had seemed completely cute and harmless before and took a few steps back.
« insolence » «it is blasphemy» «they must die»
'silence!'.
«...»
Extimum mentally sighed that he could finally silence the voices in his head and not wanting to stay here any longer, he was about to slip away, when he felt a hand lightly rub his head.
Luna: "There, there, don't be angry. They were a little rough, but they didn't mean any harm." Luna said softly as she gently rubbed the fox's head, trying to comfort him.
Extimum froze in place when he felt someone touch his head, for some reason, he felt that today everyone was testing his patience and self-control.
However, he quickly snapped out of his daze and stepped back, pulling his hand away above his head, while staring into Luna's eyes.
Luna also kept his gaze, a little insecure and nervous inside, although she didn't show it outwardly, since she was aware that she wasn't too close either, nor had she gained the trust of the nine-tailed fox in front of her.
She knew that a magical creature could not be treated as a simple animal, much less those that had a certain level of renown and history, because all of them were mostly possessed of great intelligence.
Of course, the main reason why she dared to do so was because she believed that he must be an acquaintance of Bloom's, and besides, she had helped him, so he shouldn't be hostile towards her.
Sharing glances with Luna for a while, Extimum finally sighed mentally and just turned around preparing to leave the room.
Extimum: '*sigh* I think I'll get old from so much sighing. Forget it, it must be that I have exhausted all my good luck in the past few days and this is just my retribution'.
Luna: "Wait, you can't leave."
Seeing the nine-tailed fox heading for the exit, Luna unconsciously walked over and hugged him to try and stop him from leaving.
However, she quickly released him upon being aware of her actions.
And feeling the gaze of the nine-tailed fox, Luna hurriedly said.
Luna: "You can't just go out like this, to begin with, you're not supposed to be here, besides, although you seem to be fine, but when we found you, you were in a devastation zone, so maybe you should rest more".
Extimum considered it a bit and took a quick glance at Bloom, mainly to better understand his situation and finally agreed.
So he walked over to the corner of the bed and lay down there, planning to at least stay for a while before he just disappeared.
Extimum: 'So my actions managed to make Voldy nervous, huh… so I guess he decided to act earlier, presumably I should have considered it by directly healing his victims. Although seen from another side, they could actually be considered more like a game for his entertainment or just a very large series of coincidences'.
'Otherwise, it would not make sense that none of those affected were completely petrified and all were only partially petrified due to one event or another'.
Luna sighed to herself seeing the nine-tailed fox accept her request, on the other hand, contrary to her calm, Bloom felt a little restless.
The look Extimum had given her seemed normal on the surface, but it seemed like he blamed her for the unfolding of current events and felt like his look promised revenge.
Extimum: 'On the other hand… I'm currently reported missing and only Luna knows I'm fine. So how should I go back? Just showing up isn't entirely unfeasible, but I would need a good excuse, no, wait, first of all, my disappearance could raise a lot of problems, because even ignoring the fact that someone in my family cares, but only for the sake of the image, they could take action'.
'Damn it, I swear that even if Harry doesn't, I'll find my ways so that basilisk doesn't rest in peace even in its death, as for its master, we'll see…'.
Extimum's mind began to race as he thought of different ways to deal with this situation, mostly ignoring what was going on around him.
**drag**
As Extimum thought of a solution to his situation, a slight shuffling sound was heard around him and as he looked, he noticed that the canopy curtain surrounding the bed was beginning to close.
And turning his eyes, he didn't find Bloom anywhere, only Luna...
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