"What… was that?"
That did not seem like a prank. If the sound can travel up to here, it means that it was a serious explosion. Causes by powerful magic.
Adeline quickly wrote a message to her brother.
"Are you alright? Were you at the scene?"
"No. But I'm going to investigate. You should stay put."
Adeline wanted to stop him but she knew that as the headboy, Aiden was obligated to take action.
"Be careful." That was all she could say. She next contacted her Aunt, since an explosion due to a failed experiment was very much a possibility.
"Everything is fine here. We barely felt it due to all the reinforcements. Oh, and Lily already contacted Harry. It wasn't him."
At the same time, she also got a message from Harry and Hermione.
"Just for your information, that wasn't me. P.S. Are you still mad? I'm sorry."
"That was scary. I could feel the vibrations even from here. I wonder what it was."
Adeline was slightly relieved after making sure everyone was fine. She ignored Harry's message, but replied immediately to Hermione.
"I am in the owlery and I heard it too. Aiden is going to investigate so I'll let you know."
"Yeah. How are you holding up?"
"I'm fine now. I guess I just realized there are more important things in life than worrying over a boy's petty jealousy. Especially when that explosion occurred. Nothing is safe right now, is it?"
"Yeah, and I was so relieved after instantly confirming everyone's safety. It's at times like these when you realize just how useful Lucas's instant messaging feature is. Wait! Adeline, I sent messages to everyone just now, but I realized - Lucas hasn't replied!"
"Also… I think the direction was also from the southern part of the dungeons!"
Hermione's writing suddenly took on an urgent messiness, and upon reading it, Adeline suddenly felt like she had plunged into icy cold water.
The southern part of the dungeons… was where the Beauxbatons Champion training room was allocated.
Adeline was already on her feet, running for the door. But then, she stopped.
"Where are you?! I'll take you there!" She wrote.
Hermione seemed to understand what she meant as her immediate reply was:
"2nd floor, one-eyed statue."
Adeline closed her eyes and did something she was only warned to do only in emergencies.
The cacophony of noises of owlery was suddenly cut off and the world around her shrank as she squeezed through a narrow tunnel, reappearing at the second floor, in front of the one eyed statue. It was not far from the second floor bathroom which is out of order.
Yes, she had apparated.
She found Hermione running up to her, hand outstretched and eyes filled with urgency.
Adeline grabbed her hand and they were off again, appearing directly inside the spacious room with training dummies, swords, and books scattered all over - the Beauxbatons Training room.
The whole time, Adeline was hoping this was simply her and Hermione being paranoid. She wouldn't have minded even if Harry and Ron kept making fun of them for rushing here like idiots.
… But reality was clear as soon as she saw the wooden doors that had been reduced to splinters.
'No!'
Adeline approached the doors at record speed and was met with a scene of utter destruction outside.
The broad stone walls seemed to have been swept through by dragon tails, having deep depressions. Stone debris lay scattered across the floor along with a number of swords and… bodies?
And then there was the blood… so much of it that it gave her flashbacks of the World Cup.
Adeline's feet almost slipped from underneath her.
"Since they don't want me there, I'll leave." Lucas's words rang in her ears. How could she let it happen?
There were already a number of students present at the scene. And Professor Narcissa seemed to be trying to direct them to levitate the injured bodies to the Hospital wing.
Adeline quickly caught up, her eyes darting over each of the bodies. Her mind seemed to go blank for a moment. What kind of injuries were these? Did Lucas cause them? Was Fleur with him?
"He's not here," said Hermione, and Adeline came to the same conclusion.
"Professor! Professor! Where is Lucas?!"
Professor Malfoy ignored their voices until she saw them. "Miss Dumbledore, your friend is up ahead, and not in a very good condition. I need you to–" But Adeline and Hermione were already off. "--make sure he stays alive!" She finished, raising her voice.
Adeline finally found him near the stairs. Rather, she found the group of students who were following him.
Then she saw him up ahead - his blue beauxbatons robe stained red as he climbed the stairs one step at a time with the support of the stone bannister.
"Lucas! Wait!" She rushed forward, past the group of students, quickly approaching him. "Lucas!"
She kept calling his name but he didn't respond until she was already touching his shoulder. It was only then that he flinched, turning around to point his wand at her.
Adeline's breath hitched as he saw him upclose. Lucas's robes were mere charred ribbons, clinging to a torso of jagged, raw lacerations. The blood didn't flow, but only because it was pinned against his skin by the shimmering, translucent film of stasis charms.
His face was a mask of trauma—deep, angry scratches wept down his cheeks, and a split lip leaked a slow trail into his jawline. And his eyes were completely bloodshot, filled with a ferocity that she had never seen before.
Behind her, she heard Hermione let out a whimpered cry as she too, stood frozen in place. Lucas's tense muscles seemed to relax when he saw them, but he simply turned around and continued his journey to the infirmary.
"Lucas…? Are you… okay? Let us help!" Adeline tried but got no response. She could only hear his slow, ragged breath as he continued to climb.
And Adeline's guilt kept overflowing every second. 'It's all my fault. It's all my fault. It's all my fault. It's all my fault.'
"He… can't hear us… because of the explosion," said Hermione. Adeline turned around and saw tears in her best friend's eyes. It was only then that she realized that she was crying, too.
Adeline stepped forward once again, trying to take Lucas's hand, but Hermione stopped her. "Look at his hand," she said shakily.
It was only then that she noticed - his left hand, visible through his sleeve, was a mix of red and blank mangled flesh.
Adeline's eyes widened. It was clearly hit by a dark spell, similar to the faces of one of the victims.
Lucas climbed the stairs on his own, with Adeline and Hermione guarding him from other students. The whole time, he completely ignored them.
The heavy oak doors of the Hospital Wing swung open with a violent thud as Adeline entered. The medicinal scent of dittany and floor wax usually felt safe, but tonight it felt suffocating.
"Madam Pomfrey! Please!" Adeline's voice cracked, echoing off the high stone ceiling.
The Matron emerged from her office, a lantern swinging in her hand, her face set in a look of practiced annoyance that vanished the moment the light hit Lucas. She froze.
"Merciful Merlin," she whispered, a sound of genuine horror. "Lay down right here!" She said, removing the curtains from an empty bed.
She laid Lucas down and he was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow. His grip loosened as his wand clattered to the floor, along with a regular potion vial which seemed to contain a silvery white wispy thread.
Adeline quickly picked up both the items.
Meanwhile, with a flick of her wand, Madame Pomfrey removed Lucas's upper body garments. Upon seeing the condition underneath, the three witches gasped sharply once again.
Upon seeing everything clearly, Adeline realized just how much worse his condition actually was.
There was a deep purple bruise at his ribs which was actually caved in. There were also other lacerations, splinters and bruises in many places. And the condition that she saw of his left palm actually reached all the way up to his shoulder.
Madam Pomfrey's wand moved in complex, frantic arcs as she diagnosed the injuries. "What happened? Was it a beast? A dragon?"
"It was students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang - all above 6th year."
"This is butchery," Pomfrey hissed, her hands shaking as she reached for a bottle of Blood-Replenishing Potion. "Broken ribs and flailed chest, serious head trauma in two places, hand and shoulder hit with some kind of horrible dark spell, bloodloss due to lasce– why was he walking here on his own, completely conscious?! Have you two forgotten magic?!"
Madame Pomphrey had to pause in her diagnostics to question this. Adeline and Hermione exchanged glances.
"We tried to help but he wouldn't acknowledge us. If we came close he would attack."
Madame Pomphrey nodded slowly, continuing her ministrations.
"It seems that he wasn't fully conscious but simply holding on through will power. His only thought must have been to reach the Infirmary."
"I knew something like this would happen! Bringing those... those thugs onto school grounds! He's a child! Look at his eyes, the burst capillaries - the internal pressure alone could have killed him!"
….
Lucas pretended to remain unconscious throughout the treatment. In the later parts of his previous life - this was what his condition felt like on a good day, so yeah - he was fine.
Adeline and Hermione must have had some rudimentary knowledge of healing as well since Madame Pomfrey let help in his treatment while she overlooked other goons who had arrived not long after.
The Professors didn't take long to come as well, along with Aiden Dumbledore.
"Can someone explain exactly what happened?" Professor Mcgonagall's stern voice sounded after she had examined everyone's condition.
"I was among the first of the Professors to arrive and the fight was already over by then. Only those involved seemed to be the witnesses," came Professor Narcissa Malfoy's silky voice in a curt tone.
"The students are in no condition to be interrogated," Madame Pomfrey interjected.
"I will try to best describe my observations," said Professor Malfoy. "Seven of the students involved are above sixth year, wearing similar attire and masks. Only the Beauxbatons Champion was in regular clothing. The location was right in front of the Beauxbatons' designated training room."
"Professor Malfoy, are you implying that the seven senior students jointly attacked a fourth year student?" A low, cold voice asked in a drawl. It was Professor Snape.
"I believe that is the case. I have identified the attackers." It was a young and energetic voice - Aiden Dumbledore's, Lucas realized. "They're all affiliated with Alec Rosier. They came as Champion candidates but none of them entered their names. It is clear that the Rosier family had reserved the spot for Alec; they are retaliating because Lucas was selected instead."
"May I interject? Professor Mcgonagall, Lucas was clutching this memory vial before he lost consciousness. I believe it contains the memory of the event," said Adeline.
After that, everyone soon left with the memory while Adeline and Hermione seemed to have decided to stay behind.
"He didn't deserve any of this…" He heard Adeline's whisper in the silence. Her voice sounded shrill and weak, as if she was about to cry."He only entered the tournament because he wanted to help."
Then he heard a sniff, followed by a sob. Hermione was crying. "He… He knew all along…. That's why - sniff- that's why he never let G-Gabrielle go alone anywhere."
"It's my fault… How… could I be such an absolute idiot?!" Adeline was also crying. The girls cried silently for a while.
"I can never forget the look he gave me when he turned around. I… have to make up for it," Adeline finally declared, her voice filled with determination. "No matter how angry he is, no matter how much he hates me. I will be there for him. No matter what."
It was then that Potions Madame Pomphrey had given him, along with the exhaustion that finally caught up to him that Lucas finally fell asleep.
….
When he woke up, it seemed that it was already the morning of the next day. Lucas stretched, feeling energetic again.
"Lucas?!" x4
But he paused when he heard four female voices overlap. When his vision cleared, he witnessed the scene of the two veela glaring across at two beautiful girls.
Gabrielle was the first one to react, as she jumped him, her eyes already glistening with tears. "You shouldn't have entered your name!"
It seems that she has been feeling guilty as well. While enveloped in the pleasant scent of Gabrielle's hair, and her soft cheek pressed against his, Lucas groaned, patting her back. "It's…alright. My ribs…"
"Get off, Gabby. You're hurting him."
Fleur pulled her sister off. She glared at him. "It must have been a tough fight," she said, the sarcasm in her voice only obvious to him.
Of course, having seen his full abilities, Fleur could definitely tell he was pretending.
Adeline took his hand, which both the sisters focused on immediately. "I'm so sorry you went through all of that. I swear I'll make it up to you," she said, looking meekly at him. Her eyes were slightly red and her auburn hair was messy. Even then she looked incredibly beautiful.
Lucas just smiled bitterly, slowly taking his hand back. "It's not your fault. I was simply way over my head to plunge head-first into danger while expecting everything to work out."
He saw the corners of her lip turn into a downward arc, as if she'd cry. Lucas knew she wanted him to be angry at her. Because this hurt her more.
"So, what happened after I was out? Am I getting punished? The dark spell was actually Alec Rosier's."
"Don't worry. Your memory was very helpful," said Fleur. "You were acting in self defense so you're fine. And Alec Rosier and his goons will be leaving Hogwarts soon. And they might be thrown into Azkaban if we're lucky."
"Seriously? I was expecting to wake up under custody," said Lucas.
That used to be the norm in the Harry Potter series during Albus Dumbledore's reign. Harry Potter defend himself - let's throw him into Azkaban.
"Don't worry. You should have seen my Aunt. She is taking action after a long time. With her backing, you don't need to worry about anything.
Lucas blinked. 'Aurora Dumbledore?'
…..
A.N.
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