#3921 words sdfsdfdfgfggb

[cursed-ice-spirits]

Rebecca’s First Year: Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Talk of the Cursed

Prev: Chapter 6

First: Chapter 1

Next: Chapter 8

“Expelliarmus!” 

The red spell hit Merula and her wand flung out of her hand, flipping to rebound the spell back at her. As she was knocked back, Rebecca reached out and snatched Merula’s wand from the air.

Merula gaped. “How’d you learn that spell already? No fair!”

“Wow!” She heard Rowan’s voice spoke up from the crowd. “That was amazing, Rebecca!”

“You know, you need to stop getting hit by your own spells,” Rebecca remarked lazily as she stared down at Merula. “Maybe you’ll win next time.”

Merula’s eyes lit with anger. “You can’t be better than me! No one can be better than me!”

“And yet, I’ve won,” Rebecca shot back, her face not twitching. “Now I think it’s best that you apologize to Ben Copper.”

“I'll never apologize to you losers and Mudbloods!” She scowls. As she continues her tirade, Rebecca’s eyes drift over her head, her eyes widening when she saw Professor Snape approaching from behind. “I'm Merula Snyde! Fourth-generation Slytherin! The greatest witch at Hogwarts! I do what I want when I want! I run this school! I—"

Snape cleared his throat and that’s all that’s needed for Merula to freeze, her voice catching in her throat. She turns around, face to face with his irritated expression. “Professor Snape!”

Snape’s eyes go right over Merula, narrowing when they landed on Rebecca. “I suspect this is your fault, Lord. Are you aware of Hogwarts’s policy on unauthorized dueling?”

Rebecca’s eye twitched but was rescued from shooting back a retort that will get house points taken away faster than she can curse by Professor Flitwick.

“Did you cast the first spell in this duel, Miss Lord?” He asks as he appears beside Snape. 

Rebecca frowned. “I didn't, no, but I punched her for calling Ben Copper that word.”

“Doing violence?” Snape said, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. “I see… Well, maybe a few weeks detention will—”

“Severus,” Flitwick’s voice cuts sharply in the air. “Miss Lord only has done it to defend herself and her friends. She has done it before. Detention is not needed. As long as she doesn’t do it again, which I trust she won’t. Isn’t that right, Miss Lord?” He directs the question to her. 

“Yes Professor,” Rebecca said, looking straight at Snape. She kept her face blank but her eyes told another story. 

He sneered at her. “And I wonder where she learned the Disarming Charm, Filius.”

“Oh yes,” Rebecca said, “How scandalous that I learned the Disarming Charm before everyone else. It’s not like there’s something called extra studying.”

“She is one of my most skillful first-year students, Severus,” Flitwick said hurriedly before Snape can throw away the rule of ‘no killing students’ and murder her anyway. Although with how much he’s glaring at her, if eyes could kill, she’ll be six feet under. “It wouldn't surprise me if she had learned such spell all by herself.”

Snape clenched his jaw, looking displeased. “Regardless, it is against the rules to duel on the school grounds. Clean yourself up and meet me in the West Towers after dinner to face the consequences of your actions, Lord.”

Rebecca let out a sigh as Snape and Flitwick walked away, the crowd dissolving. Not surprised... Not surprised at all. She goes to leave herself when she feels a hand on her shoulder and turns around, her brows furrowing. 

“Ben?”

He doesn’t look at her, hand still on her shoulder, but he murmured, “I’m sorry you got in trouble because of me.”

A ball of unease forms in her stomach, even though Ben meant no harm, she’s still jumpy when it comes to physical contact that is not given by her, so she places a hand on his and slowly pushes it off, giving him a simple smile. “It wasn’t your fault, I knew what I was getting into and Snape can never be unbiased. Besides, it was definitely worth it to deck Snyde.”

This time, he laughs as Rowan pushes herself between them and links her arms with theirs, smiling at both of them.

“Come on, we’ll be late for class.”

—————

The stares don’t bother her anymore, even as she attends the next two classes before dinner. At least the attention was of her own accord and not because of her brother. 

One thing amusing about it was Snape coming into her Herbology class with Professor Sprout and getting a fucking plant thrown at him.

“You don’t get to say a mean word about my Puffs on my watch!” Sprout had shouted as Snape high-tailed out of there.

Marvelous.

It was enough to keep a smile on her face as she walked to dinner. Not even Lockwood can ruin her mood (“You look weird smiling. Stop that.” “Thanks, you do as well.”). 

Sadly it didn’t last long. Not with Snape.

Finishing dinner early, she started walking to the West Towers. She has to prepare herself for the unfair treatment she’s surely going to get, otherwise, she punches Snape as well and that will get her in trouble. Honestly, how that man is a teacher, she has no—

“Hello, Rebecca Lord.”

Rebecca jumped and turned around, hand jumping to her wand as she finds herself face to face with Penny Haywood. 

She hates the way her brain immediately jumps to ‘Pretty girl.’ It reminds her every single time that she is very very not straight. 

Blinking, she blurts out the first thing that came to mind, “Ah, so you are aware of me other than gossip and being your dorm mate.”

Wait, fuck that was not what I meant to say. That sounded rude. 

Luckily for her, Penny just giggled. “Does that surprise you?”

“Obviously,” Rebecca said, shrugging one shoulder. “You are Penny Haywood, the most popular girl in our year, and in case you were blind, the reputation that precedes me is… ”

Penny shook her head. “I disagree, Rebecca. Everyone is talking about the hero who was brave enough to stand up to the tyranny of Merula Snyde. Not to mention all the rumors surrounding your brother...”

Rebecca freezes. 

Hero. 

“Do something!! Please, Bex, please please please!!”

“I-I can’t!! I don’t know how!!”

“BEX!!”

“I’M SORRY!!”

It feels as though she was underwater, Penny’s voice muffled and distorted as she continues. “I wanted to say thank you. Hogwarts is supposed to be fun, but Merula was making it miserable for everyone. I especially appreciate how you immediately stepped in between Merula and Ben Copper and used your wits to stop her bullying.”

“I punched her in the face,” she finds herself saying.

Penny laughed. It sounded like bells— pay attention you fool. “Nobody said violence doesn’t do wonders.”

Rebecca shifted uncomfortably. She’s no hero. “Honestly, it’s what anyone would do.”

“I agree, but only you were brave enough and you were the one who did.” Penny smiled. God, she’s so pretty. Why is she so pretty? “I hope Professor Snape doesn’t punish you for your bravery and for doing what’s right.”

Penny bounced back on her heels, her smile widening. “Let me know if I can ever help you with anything, Rebecca. I know the gossip around Hogwarts, and I’m pretty good with potions if I say so myself.”

Rebecca smiled at the offer and went to reply but it fell as quickly as it came. The way Penny looked at her with admiration and awe, like she’s some sort of hero… it just rubs her wrong. 

She’s no hero. She’s far from it. Why is she looking at her like she is?

“I’ll… I’ll think about it,” her voice sounded strained, and it was obvious with the way Penny’s face immediately falls into a look of concern. 

“Is everything alright, Rebecca?”

Penny is a nice girl but she doesn’t deserve to be dragged into the roller coaster that is her life. None of them should. 

“Everything is fine,” she forces in a smile. “It’s just…” Rebecca shakes her head and shoulders her bag. “You shouldn’t rely on me, Penny Haywood. I’m no hero. I faced Snyde for my own selfish gain.”

She turns around again so Penny won’t see the look on her face. “It’s best if you stay away from me so you won’t get caught up in the roller coaster that is my life.”

Her voice sounds bitter as she walks away.

—————

Penny stares after the fellow Hufflepuff, blinking after the conversation that took place. 

That… was weird. Was… was she always like this or had Penny always overlooked her because of her loner status?

Penny knew she was a loner and preferred that, but she didn’t know Rebecca could sound this bitter… this sad. 

“Did I do something wrong?” She wonders out loud.

—————

She feels bad for turning down Penny when all she wanted was to be friends but when you consider that her ice can cover the entire school if she doesn’t restrain it with an iron fist, it’s necessary. 

Snape and Merula were at the meeting spot by the time she arrived. Rebecca felt surprised that Merula was there since she was positive the Slytherin would just get a slap on the wrist. That vanishes quickly though when she sees the look on Snape’s face.

Sighing, she readies herself and straightened her shoulders. 

“Now that Miss Lord,” he sneers when he says her name, “is here, I can discuss your punishment. Expulsion seems to be the most logical option.”

Rebecca’s face stays passive but Merula’s eyes grew wide. “I had nothing to do with it, Professor! I only defended myself when this loser attacked me!”

He frowns. “While Miss Lord indeed punched you, you have every right and maturity to walk away. However, you didn’t. Everyone saw you cast the first spell, Miss Snyde. This, however, does not excuse Lord’s behavior.”

He turns to her, black eyes boring into her eyes. “Since you arrived, you caused nothing but trouble, made a mess of my classroom, and dueled on school grounds. This, after the damage your brother did to Hogwarts. Why shouldn’t you receive the harsh punishment for your actions, Lord?”

She feels a hard prod at her shields and she freezes, then her eyes turned to steel. “I stopped Snyde from bullying me and a few others that I find myself growing a fondness for.” Which you shouldn’t, her traitorous brain tells her. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Attacking a student with your wand is against school rules—” he begins but was interrupted seconds later.

“Using Legilimency on minors not just against school rules but also illegal, but that doesn’t stop you.”

The air seems to freeze from Snape’s anger. Not even Merula speaks a word, as she seems to be intimidated by how angry he is. His eyes seem to blaze, and she averts her eyes to his chin before he can prod at her shields again. She may be an Occlumens but she’s not risking it. 

“40 points,” he says through gritted teeth, “from Hufflepuff.”

Her face doesn’t twitch.

“As I was saying before I was… interrupted,” he sends her a glare, “Expulsion is the logical punishment for dueling on school grounds. Unfortunately, our Headmaster is illogical, and believes that expulsion is unfair in this case. If either of you is caught are ever caught dueling on school grounds again, I can assure you that you will not be so lucky.”

He doesn’t even look at Merula. Typical. 

Before she can open her mouth and get herself into even more trouble, a voice speaks up. 

“Professor Snape!”

Filch comes rushing over and she shuts up, eyes analyzing as she tries to figure out why he’s here.

She doesn’t have to wait for long. 

“What is it, Mr. Filch?” Snape asked, turning his eyes away from her.

"Professor Snape, you must come with me right away. It’s about…” Filch glances at her and Merula, before lowering his voice (not that it worked, her ears are sharper from long nights of sneaking down to the kitchens in her home, listening for any noise as she steals some food) into a whisper, “The Vaults.”

Surprise explodes inside of her, but she forces herself to keep a straight face. Merula is looking at her, then at Filch, confused. She hasn’t heard and she’s going to keep it that way. 

Snape tenses and looks sharply at the two girls. “Return to your Common Rooms,” he said sharply, before rushing after Filch.

Rebecca’s sharp eyes followed them, before the rest of her body does the same. They must be talking about the Cursed Vaults.

She keeps a safe distance between her and the two men. Better off not getting caught. Jane will swoop in on her and snap at her for losing more points, not that she cared but she didn’t want another earful because she was spotted and lost even more points. 

Seeing them beside a door with ice surrounding it, Rebecca frowns and slips behind a pillar, tuning out all noise except their soft voices murmuring in the corridor.

“Who else knows about this?” Snape asked

“Only me and Mrs. Norris saw the ice, sir,” Filch responded, said cat in his arms. “I was going to report the incident to the Headmaster.”

“I will inform the Headmaster,” Snape corrects, his voice sharp. “This may have something to do with the Lord situation.”

Ice seems to drop into her stomach. 

“Is it true that the vaults are filled with gold and powerful prophecies and artefacts from before Hogwarts existed? And that’s why the Lord boy lost his mind trying to find them? He was in your house, was he not?”

Snape looked away. “Gold and powerful prophecies and nonsense like that were not the reason why he went after the Vaults. He kept claiming he can save his sister, whatever that meant. Quite unfortunately, his sister seems to be in perfect health. That’s all I know.” He shakes his head and looks at Filch. “Don’t worry about what’s inside the vaults. Worry about keeping everyone out. Look this door, and keep it guarded,” he ordered.

Rebecca presses herself against the wall and waits until the two men left before quickly leaving the area. 

Snape doesn’t know why Jacob wanted to save her but she does. She figured it out shortly before he got himself expelled.

It was because of her-

Something slammed into the center of her temple. She gasped and slammed a hand on the wall, panting heavily as her vision clouded with fog. 

How? What’s going on? Why is this happening? Why can’t she see—she can’t see she can’t see she can’t s—

A walking suit of armor, a staircase shrouded in mist, and ice — was it her ice? She can’t tell, she can never tell — encasing Hogwarts, spreading faster and faster.

The ice is here. A voice shrieks in her mind. The vault will open.

She blinked and just as quickly as it came, it disappeared. She was in the corridors again, breathing slowly, her hand still on the wall beside her. 

What was that?

It was if… something, or someone, was pushing against her—

Rebecca’s face drained of color and she looked around, checking if anyone was near her. Nobody was here.

She has some time. Wouldn’t hurt to check… right?

Slowly, she exhaled as she leaned against the wall and slid down, her legs under her. Hands on her knees, she bowed her head, slowing her breathing. 

In. Out. In. Out. 

It wasn’t the first time she’s done this. Soon, all sounds and smells disappeared from around her, and she’s pulled into her mindscape. 

She taps the tip of her toe on the ground and feels grass. Even as a girl raised in a Manor, Rebecca was always the happiest outside. Therefore, her mindscape is a forest. 

In the center of her mind was a fortress but she’s not there to look around. 

Just to take a look. She told herself as she rushed towards the forest edge. Not too long. Just a look. 

The walls surrounded the entire forest. It was covered in head to toe with vines and ivy, but it didn’t make it any less strong. She sped up, seeing something on the walls, only slowing down to a stop when she saw a hole hovering right above her head, with the stone bricks laying beneath it.

Bingo.

Too small for one of them to slip in but big enough for a Legilimens to get in and give her a vision. 

Rebecca frowned and brushed a hand over the hole, watching as the stone floated up and rebuilt itself until the hole was completely covered. 

She knows that spot. Jacob used to practice Legilimency on her after finding out he was a natural-born Legilimens, since their father was always busy with work, and he hits that same spot as the hole every single time without fail.

She is not a Seer. She knows that for certain. None of her ancestors are Seers so there’s no way it’s a Vision. It has to be something other than that. 

Is this a sign? Of her brother reaching out? To her? 

If so, she didn’t know her brother got skilled enough to…

Rebecca smacked herself. She is not here to debate about how she got that Vision. She’s just here to check and see what’s wrong.

She’ll…

She’ll find out more later.

Letting out a deep sigh, Rebecca closed her eyes again, and slowly, she pulled herself out of her mindscape, finding herself in the corridors again, right where she was last sitting. 

She jerked her head to one side, then tilted it to the other, hearing loud cracks, and rubbed her neck, before getting up, paling even more when she saw what was on her arms and legs. She was too focused on finding out what’s wrong to check but now…

Covering her arms and legs was frost, some starting to form into ice already. She let out a string of curses and checked her control, feeling dismayed when it had weakened when she was distracted by the vision. 

Placing a hand on the top of her shoulder, she brushes roughly at the frost, gritting her teeth at the stinging pains that attacked her chest immediately. It shouldn’t hurt this much but it does and she hates it. She continues to brush at it, until it was all gone and her arm was red and throbbing. 

Get it off get it off get it off—

Moving onto her other arm and legs, she refuses to let another sound to escape her mouth while she slaps away the frost and ice, even with every stabbing pain in her chest, every red patch of skin uncovered when she brushes the frost off her skin. When she’s done, Rebecca pokes distastefully at the red skin, noticing interestedly that her hands were shaking, and lets out a sigh. 

She hates this curse but she doesn’t have a choice other than to grin and bear it. Letting out a low bitter laugh, she feels a stabbing pain in her chest, pricking like needles, and she grabs at it and leans against the wall, her mask slipping off to reveal her greatest pain and despair. 

This incident only reminds her of her limited time. How much time does she have? 20 years? Maybe a few years more? What a damn joke. 

It’s not fair, she has so many things she wanted to do when she graduates. Be a dragonologist, travel the world, discover things, new and old, and so many others but she doesn’t know if she has enough time. Nobody in her family knows. It isn’t fair. 

Why did the curse decide to throw away all protocols and go to her instead?

Why did Jacob have to be so firm on believing that he can break her curse that he went mad from trying to find the Vaults?

Why—

“Oi! Rebecca!” A voice called out and she snapped on her mask again as she turned around. It was Bill Weasley. 

She blinks. “Bill, what is it?”

“Just wanna check up on you,” he said, ruffling her hair and making her freeze up. “You okay? You looked spooked earlier.”

Shit, he noticed. Rebecca looked up and saw his eyes. While the rest of him was relaxed and calm, she saw worry and concern swirling in his brown eyes. 

She forced a smile on her face and attempted to distract him with a joke. “Well when you have to face Snape and see how much he looks like a vampire, you’ll be spooked too.”

It didn’t work. He looked skeptical. “If you say so. Can I walk you back to your Common Room?”

She squinted at him. “Why? I thought students aren’t allowed in common rooms other than their own.”

“Samuel is coming this way.”

“Fuck the rules. Let’s go.”

He laughed this time and ruffled her hair again. “So I heard you dueled Merula and decked her. Nice.”

“I lost 20 points for that,” Rebecca declared as they walked. “Still no regrets.”

Even as they walked, talking about nothing in particular, Rebecca couldn’t help the sickening feeling in her stomach.

She’s cursed, she shouldn’t be hanging around them. She’ll get attached and then she’ll hurt them by leaving eventually or getting hurt herself when they stab her in the back and leave her to die. She has to distance herself eventually. That way, no one will get hurt. 

But… if her ancestors can fall in love and have friends then so can she.

She has time to watch them grow, watch them get married, and be successful before she has to perish long before any of them will.

#LONG SKDFSDFSDF #3921 words sdfsdfdfgfggb #hogwarts mystery #hphm #rebecca lord #hphm mc #jacob's sibling #hphm fanfic #hphm fanfiction #first year #year 1 #ben copper #rowan khanna #merula snyde #severus snape #filius flitwick #penny haywood #argus filch #bill weasley #i really did misspelled merula's name several times skfsdfsdfdgf #i was that tired #it's like 4:45AM right now i need sleep