HP: The Crazy One

I wake up in a daze, feeling a sharp pain across the side of my ribs. It turns out sleeping with your wand in your robe is uncomfortable. I look around my room and see my roommates are not present. After our initial meeting, I don’t think I have seen them since.

“Tempus,”

I wave my wand and out came that time smoke once again.

[17:41]     (5:41 PM)

Thankfully, I still had some time before dinner. I take my hair and walk out of the dorm room. In the common room, there are some students who are reading books and generally minding their own business. Looking around, I realize I never bothered to take in the scenery of the Common Room. All sorts of interesting trinkets and books littered the bookshelves on the walls, each of them worth studying. There is also the miniature library that is just down one of the hallways of the Common Room.

There wasn’t much time before dinner, but I made a mental note to check out the library later tonight. I make my way towards the great hall, trying to guess what would be on the menu tonight. So far, I don’t think the house elves have made the same thing twice. Of course, it might be a weekly schedule that they follow.

Whilst I was walking towards the great hall, I stopped before something that had caught my attention. Or rather, someone.

“... OK?” I was baffled with what I saw.

“Hi Zane,” Before me was Luna, who had been ‘stuck’ to one of the ceiling arches.

“How?”

“Nargles,” She smiled as she answered.

Seems like I have got to make more progress on the anti-Nargle runestones for both my safety and Luna’s sake.

“Do you want to come down?” I asked. I don’t think the view from up there would be too bad, if not just a bit boring.

“Yes, please,” She kicked her feet while answering.

How do I get her down? The levitation charm doesn’t work on people and using it on someone's clothes is just asking for the wedgie of a lifetime. I looked at the walls of the castle and got some inspiration. What if I climbed it like some sort of lizard?

I reached my hand out towards the castle stone and moved magic into the palm of my hand. Nothing happened though. I kept pressing my palm onto the walls, wanting my hand to stick.

“Maybe more intent?” I muttered.

This time, I willed the palm of my hand to be “sticky,” and pressed it to the wall. This time, my hand didn’t come off the wall when I tried to pull it off and only let up when I stopped focusing my magic into my palm.

I looked at Luna and judged the distance and figured it should be possible to climb the walls and then the ceiling. If it was as tall as the great hall, probably not, but the ceiling could not be 4 to 5 meters off the floor.

*Plop, Rip*

*Plop, Rip*

After some expert maneuvering, I climbed up next to Luna and helped her get down from the ceiling. I make a mental note to put Nargle research higher on my list of things to do, as I don’t want to find myself attached to a ceiling in a similar matter.

Whilst I was thinking over the Nargle issue, we made our way towards the Great Hall just in time for Dinner. The Ravenclaw table was where it always was, but there didn’t seem to be any space for us to sit down. Upon entry to the Great Hall, I noticed the chatter die down.

“Ahh... Crowds...” I mutter.

I don’t do well with a lot of people looking at me. Perhaps I will never be a public speaker, but I have accepted that. Towards where all the first years sit at the Ravenclaw table, there was some space for us to sit.

What progressed was a normal enough dinner, floating plates of food whizzed by, as well as some actual food thrown by other students who thought they are being discreet. I also spot my roommates chatting with other groups of students, making an active effort to avoid my gaze.

“... Sorry,” Luna apologized for some reason.

“Hm? What for?” I asked, confused.

“You’re a crazy, now,” She tried to explain, but I wasn’t really understanding what she said.

I give a simple shrug and continue eating the Nargle-free food. Which got me thinking, what would happen if I ate such food?

“Hey Luna, is this chip narglified?” I held out a chip towards her.

“Yes?” She sounded confused, then her eyes widened.

I ate the chip, not really knowing what to expect.

Fire.

Hot.

I opened my mouth and burned the food in front of me.

I picked up the goblet that was next to me and attempted to quench the flames and evaporated all the liquid out of the goblet.

Before I could frantically run to the toilets to drown myself, the flames stopped. I looked towards Luna with my eyes wide open, who is now laughing at my expense. I drop my head in my hands as the hall breaks out into laughter.

“It seems we outdid ourselves, Fred,”

“Thats right, George,”

I heard the dastardly duo take credit for this from the Gryffindor table. I will have my revenge, sooner or later.

…

Dinner progressed somewhat uneventfully. It would have stayed that way if not for me seeking trouble by eating Nargle-infested food. Dumbledore didn’t have any announcements for us, nor did any of the teachers.

I didn’t see Lockhart at the professor table either, maybe he went to bed for his ‘beauty sleep’ to take effect?

Doesn’t matter, time to write to my parents about my Christmas plans.

I sit down in the Ravenclaw Common Room and pull a piece of paper out of my robes that hasn’t been used yet and get to writing. I detail everything I have seen so far, and the many magical things that have caught my attention as well as a general life update, then my request.

“... I would like to spend the Hogwarts break at Mr. Lovegood’s abode...” I didn’t really know how to word it. While there is a great sense of freedom regarding my parents’ parenting style, I don’t think they can accept me not being there for Christmas. Hopefully, we can work something out or even have both of our Christmas’s at one house...

I finish writing my letter and look at the time, which seems to be late at night. I stopped by a student who looks older and ask for directions to the Owl room. I have heard a few times that there are owls that the students can use to send out letters which is handy for my situation since I brought Meowser.

I reached the Owlery, but upon my entry most of the Owl’s flew off. This seemed to freak out some students who were already there, as they gave me weirdly frightened looks before running off.

“Err...”

“Oh!” I heard a shocked voice behind me. Turning to face them, I see Harry holding a snow-white owl’s feet in place, as the owl tried to escape.

“Zane! What are you doing here?” Harry asked me, while struggling with the Owl.

“Well, sending a letter, but I guess not,” I look to the now vacant perches the Owl’s once resided on.

Yet another thing to research. As I get lost in my thoughts, Harry calmed down his Owl and started petting its head.

“Do you want to use my Owl?” He offered.

“Huh?”

“Do you-“

“Oh, you would do that?” I responded.

“…Yes.” He said.

I take him up on his offer, and approach him. I curiously look at the Owl who seems to be incredibly on edge.

“What’s its name?”

“Hedwig!” He seemed excited to show me the Owl.

I reached out my hand to pet Hedwig, something it violently tried to avoid.

“Interesting…” I mused.

So far only Meowser and the Thestral’s seem to have no problem interacting with me. Harry was giving me an apologetic look, as if he was embarrassed by Hedwig’s behaviour. I simply smile and hand harry the letter to my parents.

“This is addressed to my parents,” I told him.

“What’s it for?” Harry asked, though somewhat gloomily.

“I want to spend Christmas with Luna’s Dad…” I said somewhat vaguely.

He gives me a blank stare, before handing my letter to Hedwig. Hedwig took the letter with its beak and gave me a deep stare. I felt as if I was being observed by an ancient will, staring deep into my eyes.

I cracked a smile out of intrigue. This magical world really is fascinating, for even Owls to have such magical attributes. Hedwig looked towards Harry, who nodded, then flew off into the night sky.

“You better have a treat for Hedwig when she gets back, Zane.” Harry let me know. He seemed serious, so I just nodded and thanked him for the warning. I made my way down the Owl tower and headed towards the library.

The trip was relatively short once I figured out the castle can speed up your trip by knowing exactly where you want to go - or something to that effect. I haven’t exactly figured out how the castle knows. I am willing to wage galleons that it has something to do with runes.

The fact that such a structuralized method of using magic exists in a world where magic is chaotic is fascinating. I was reading a book on runes that had some rather interesting concepts using the fundaments of what runes are, to manipulate magic at its most fundamental level.

Of course, to do something like this, you would need an accumulation of knowledge, something I realize I sorely lack every time I observe a new type of magic that I don’t understand.

Once again getting lost in my thoughts, I arrive at the door to the Library, which was as grand as ever. The paintings next to the door were pretending to be asleep again, whilst sneaking peaks at me. I couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at their actions.

They are paintings, who cares if they are awake past the curfew…

Oh well, no use thinking about it, into the library I go. The door this time wasn’t locked, though no one was inside when I did a quick check. So many books, and the smell of the library was filled with what can be described as ‘aged paper’ smell. Something that would make for a great perfume.

I quickly get lost in the depths of knowledge…

 

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Authors Pit:

Hey Guys, long time no chapter.

I have been mostly consumed by balancing Uni VS a Job life and have submitted my final assignment last week. Fingers cross I pass and don’t have to redo the course.

Thanks for your feedback during this time of absence and the readers in my discord who keep thinking I’m dead… I appreciate it.

Regarding him being a reincarnator then using none of this knowledge… what if it’s a plot point? That is all I will leave you with on that front.

 Cya next time.