Expendable Life
Hazel sat cross-legged on a cushioned window seat in Samon House, sunlight spilling over the warm wooden floor. Around her, the faint scent of parchment and dried herbs mixed with Marcel's carefully arranged potion ingredients on the small fold-out table nearby. She traced the currents of magical energy in her mind, eyes soft as she sensed subtle threads of fate twisting across the academy.
A small fate whirlpool formed at her feet as she watched absent mindedly. The lines going lax as the fate within Star Academy ebbed and flowed. Her friends had come to her room, as per usual, to study. They always seemed to end up in Samon house together, no matter how much they planned.
The fate whirlpool calmed and the fate lines straightened and went taut. Hazel didn't even try to understand the new fates unfurling before her eyes. She just quietly enjoyed this innate ability.
Evervine, seated opposite, finally looked up from her book. "I've been hearing odd rumors," she said quietly. "Students whisper about unknown boys appearing in the halls of Sof House—strangers that sluggish and walk as if they were zombies. People are beginning to think that there are actual zombies in Sof house."
Marcel scoffed. "Death magic is essentially forbidden in Tan Dimension and potions that can give such effects are hard to create since those ingredients are so strictly controlled and monitored." He scoffed again. "There are no zombies."
Evervine only glanced at him through the side of her eye, her attention remaining in Hazel.
Hazel frowned, an odd feeling blooming within her. Something seemed off. She looked to Shylah on her perch but the Star bird ignored her as she often did. "Hmm… Maybe I should do a divination," she murmured, considering. "See what's really happening. Professor Sing oversees Sof House—I will talk to her first."
Evervine thought for a moment then nodded. "I will see what else I can find out while you do that. It is all rather interesting." With that she seamlessly returned to her book.
---
By mid-afternoon, Hazel found Professor Sara Sing in her chambers.
Candles flickered around the room, illuminating crystal spheres perched on polished stands, causing warm light to spread across the room. Hazel reached for the telekinetic link they had been working to establish. A tenuous connection between them that was slowly solidifying. When Professor Sing first asked her to link with her she was a bit shocked. But now that it was getting stronger she understood its utility.
Sing's voice arrived almost immediately in her mind.
'Hazel, you'll help with the crystal ball lesson today, correct?'
'Of course, Professor', Hazel replied mentally. 'By the way, Evervine mentioned strange happenings in Sof House.'
Sing's eyes widened, a glimmer of concern flashing through her normally precise expression. 'Did she? I intended to speak with you as well. What is the oddness? The fate lines there… unstable, chaotic.'
'Rumors of strangers that move like zombies or sleepwalkers.'
'Really? That is interesting. When I look at the fate lines I only see chaos. This would be a very good assignment for you. Look into this, I can be present of course. Your ability is so profound that I can not wait to see what process you will come up with.'
Hazel nodded. "I can try a divination ritual. Shylah will anchor the energy, and I can guide the intent."
Shylah stirred on Hazel's shoulder, feathers glittering with inner starlight. As usual, what was trill to others, was clear to her ears: "Careful. Threads of corruption. Watch closely."
Your third eye… it is strong, Sing thought. Be cautious. These threads are close to the source. But she did not speak aloud. She simply looked to Shylah, knowing that the bird had spoken and she understood nothing.
---
The crystal ball lesson began, and Hazel's movements were fluid, precise. She guided the currents to respond, demonstrating subtle hand patterns over the balls.
In all honesty she did make it look way too easy. Her hand moved over the ball, her magnifying implement tight in the grasp of the other. Smoke swirled in the crystal ball and, every time, a clear picture formed.
Rosa Ambrose, across the table, scowled as her own crystal ball refused to create even a blurred image.
"Try it like this," Hazel suggested, lifting her own unique crystal ball and sliding her hand smoothly over it. Currents shimmered instantly, responding to Hazel's focus. Rosa muttered under her breath, "It's just a fancier crystal ball."
Hazel handed Rosa her ball. When Rosa attempted the motions, the magic remained stubbornly still. Hazel's fingers followed Rosa's and subtly amplified the currents, drawing the attention of representatives from the Clarkton, Wist, and Swap families.
The members of the divination houses began whispering and Rose gritted her teeth so hard the students closest to her could hear it.
---
After lunch everyone met in the dreamscape for counter curse practice. This time Angelica and Neville joined them. They both looked around the dreamscape in awe. It took them a moment to snap out of it but the others were patient because they all had gone through the same their first time there.
Evervine showed each of them the three techniques. Her demonstrations flawless.
Hazel sat next to her brother thinking about him being chosen for the triwizard tournament. She had actually spoken to her mother about it and, as usual, she was told not to worry, that Dumbledore had everything under control.
Suddenly she was furious and the dreamscape rippled, a large black mountain raising far off to the north of their position.
Everyone stopped and looked at Hazel. She shrugged and fought for calm as she forced the dreamscape into the façade she showed everyone.
Both Angelica and Neville got the incantations down fairly quickly and they all moved on to sparring together. After they had learned them all sufficiently the entire group began sparring in earnest.
After their training session Hazel sat in the middle of the group meditating. Evervine was practicing transfiguration off to the side and Harry came up to her. She had just turned into a dark purple salamander when he asked about Hazel.
"Is Hazel okay?"
The salamander looked up to him before tranfiguring back into Evervine. She looked at him a bit longer before she answered. She pursed her lips and shrugged.
"She is kinda stressed. Just like you don't tell everything she does not tell you all the things going on with her. Don't worry, Marcel and I have her back, just like your friends at Hogwarts have yours."
All most instantly she tranfigured into a large green fly and quickly flew upward.
Harry was just left standing with his mouth open as he contemplated her words.
---
As evening fell, Rosa was sitting in a deep cave below Sof House. Temperance and Timothy were on opposite sides of the cave. Rosa looked bored as a tall dark haired boy took the emotion doll in his hands and began to turn it towards him.
As soon as the sewn shut eyes almost came into view he dropped dead.
Rosa sucked her teeth as both Temperance and Timothy looked down at the now lifeless Brimely boy lay at Rosa's feet. Neither of them looked at the emotion doll as it rose on its own accord and placed itself back in its original spot.
Rosa hissed. "Why are they so stupid?! They all do the same thing like somehow there will be a different outcome." She sighed and pointed to the lifeless boy. Three of her enthrall3d came and moved him to a small barriered area in a far corner, three other bodies already rested there.
"We need to start getting rid of them. They can't stay in stasis forever." Temperance looked to Rosa as she spoke, a mix of awe, pity, and envy on her face. "And why do you insist on using them this way."
Rosa shrugged and rolled her eyes. She looked to Timothy. "Timothy dear go and get me a few more." He simply smiled.
Rachel was working on a new traveler's incantation when the vision came over her. Layers went over her vision. Scenes of her brother, dragons, an underwater seen and all lit with a huge burning goblet in the back ground.
Her eyes fluttered as she came out of it. "It's time to contact Sirius. Harry is in real trouble."
Shylah fluttered on her perch but said nothing.