Chapter 76: Quinns Trust In Magic (2/2)
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It was the night after Quinn had come back to Hogwarts, and now he was making his way to the Astronomy tower. As he climbed the stairs to the tower, Quinn thought about the upcoming conversation with the ghost he had most contact with.
He didn't blame Friar for the things that had happened to him in the last few months. Oh, no, the Hufflepuff ghost couldn't be blamed at all. Friar had warned him about the vaults and the danger that was within them.
Sure, Quinn had cursed Friar a lot while he was suffering from his ailment, but after thinking about it a lot and accepting the situation, he realized that Friar had given him plenty of warnings.
Quinn sighed as he finally reached the top of the Astronomy Tower, and there stood the ghost of the religious monk, looking at the stars like he did every so often.
After taking a deep breath, Quinn alerted the ghost of his presence.
”Friar.”
The translucent ghost turned around mid-hover and greeted Quinn on seeing his favorite Ravenclaw.
”Quinn, it's nice to you after this time.” Friar hovered near Quinn and smiled. ”How have you been?”
”I'm fine. Thank you for asking, Friar,” Quinn walked towards the edge of the tower and looked at the waning moon shining in the sky. ”I'm better now than I was a few months ago.”
”A few months ago?” Friar asked as he floated close to Quinn. ”Did something happen?”
”Yes. Something happened, Friar,” Quinn clenched his fists behind his back. ”I underestimated the second vault and lost my magic.”
”Y-You lost your magic?!” Friar wasn't expecting to hear this piece of information.
”I'm fine, Friar.” Deep patterns suddenly etched on the floor of the tower, glowing with a fiery light. Showing Friar that his magic was fine, Quinn calmed the ghost down. ”My magic is fine now. I have it under control.”
”What did the vault do to you? What was in there?” Friar asked with curiosity.
”I can't be sure, Friar,” replied Quinn truthfully.
He turned to face the ghost and continued, ”I asked someone who knows about all this better than me.” Quinn was talking about Alan. The two had discussed the true nature of the vault. The conclusion that we came up with was that the vault was an experiment to see if it was possible to artificially increase the magic of a human by tapping into the emotional connection and strengthening it to gain more magic.”
”B-But, why would something like that be Hogwarts?” asked Friar, confused in disbelief.
”That is the thing, Friar,” Quinn looked at the ghost and spread his hand to point at Hogwarts. ”What better place to set up an experiment like this than a school full of adolescent children.”
”Do you know why Hogwarts has become such a mystical place?” Quinn asked Friar a question about the nature of Hogwarts.
The ghost shook his head. He always assumed that Hogwarts was great because the founders built it, but he felt that wasn't the answer Quinn was looking for.
”The magic grows at an accelerated rate between the ages eleven to eighteen; the seven years of magical development that comes once in a lifetime. Children go through this change and development of magic, and it might not be the correct way to explain it, but the magic during this age is unstable.”
Quinn held his chin and thought for a second.
”If I were to give a better word, then it would be in flux. And that state of flux is in children who experience extreme emotions, both positive and negative. Magic behaves abnormally when mixed with extreme emotion.”
He looked at the Hogwarts castle and continued.
”The magic influx combined with extreme emotions is the reason Hogwarts is so mystical and magical. A millennium of hundreds of adolescent children staying in the castle for most of the year would change even the most normal places into a magical place. Hogwarts, even when it was newly built, was anything but normal.”
Friar listened to Quinn, who continued to speak.
”Children with 'unstable' magic were the best test subjects for an experiment that targeted emotion. Maybe it was one of the Headmasters that dabbled in the art of emotions and didn't mind using the children as test subjects.”
Quinn pointed at Friar and revealed.
”The reason that ghost disappeared was maybe that the magic inside the vault has a soul aspect. The magic in the vault wasn't meant for ghosts, and it caused the ghost to cease to exist. Ghosts have strong emotional ties to the place they haunt. So when you go near the vault, your emotions are affected. Your ghostly instincts tell you that if you go near the vault, you will cease to exist.”
A twisted smile of self-derision appeared on Friars as he completed what Quinn was speaking. ”... And ghosts don't want to pass on. Even though we know it is wrong to remain in the mortal world, we continue to exist. The vault is a threat to our existence, and thus we feel dread and fear from it.”
”Yes, that is the conclusion I have come up with. It is up to you if you want to accept it,” Quinn told his understanding of the second vault.
There were a few minutes of silence in the Astronomy Tower before Friar spoke up, ”Will you go inside the second vault?”
”No,” came Quinn's response. It was so quick and firm that Friar was taken aback. ”I'm not going back there. The only way I go in there is if my life depends on it.”
It was unusual to see such a serious expression in Quinn's eyes and voice. Even though Quinn had regained his magic and had a better understanding of what emotions were, this didn't mean he wasn't afraid of the second vault. The second vault exploration had become a frightful experience for him, and nothing about it would change that opinion. One visit and he was under the influence of magic for months.
There was once again a period of silence before Friar broke it, ”Do you want to continue exploring the third vault?” Friar wasn't sure if Quinn would want to continue after what had happened to him.
Quinn focused on the ghost, ”I had a lot of time to think in the absence of magic, Friar. At that time, I thought about the possibility of what would happen if I didn't get my magic. I thought of what would I do if I didn't regain the control of my magic and somehow could lock it away to live a magic-less life. What would be my future? What route would my life go?”
Friar stared Quinn with slightly wide eyes as a twisted and contorted smile marred Quinn's face.
”Do you know what I found? I realized I didn't want a life without magic. I had devoted years of this life and being to this one thing, and if you took it away, I would be left with nothing, nothing at all... Quinn West is nothing without magic.”
Quinn broke into laughter for a stretch before proclaiming.
”Oh, Friar. I don't love magic. Oh, no, love isn't the correct emotion that I feel for magic. No, the correct emotion would be...”
The twisted smile split Quinn's face as he revealed,
”... Obsession.”
Quinn's glimmered at the stars as he went on.
”The cursed vaults are a way for me to learn about magic. I only have a few more years in this castle, and after that, I will be gone. Before that happens, I want to go into all the vaults and find the secrets. So my answer is yes, Friar, I want to continue.”
Quinn turned his eyes back to Friar and said,
”There is just one teeny-tiny problem that I need to take care of before I continue on the quest of the cursed vaults and my life in general.”
Quinn slowly walked backward while facing Friar.
”The thing is, I have this small irrational fear that has taken root inside of me. I lost control of my magic, and I fear that it would happen again.” Quinn no longer had that contorted smile on his face, but instead, a sad smile took its place. ”Gosh, it is an irrational fear. I can feel my magic under my firm control, but you see, I can't just get rid of the thought that one day it will once again rampage.”
Friar frowned when he saw that Quinn was inching towards the edge of the tower roof. ”Quinn, what are you doing?”
”I thought about it, and the only way for me to get rid of this fear is if I can completely trust my magic once more.”
Quinn finally reached the edge of the Astronomy Tower and held onto the railing with his back to the tower's railings.
”My magic must not betray me at the one moment I need it,” Quinn smiled and stated. ”And that moment is when my life is in danger. I need to confirm the bottom line. I need to make sure my magic won't leave me when I am about to die.”
He turned his head to see the distance between him and the ground below before turning back to Friar, who was staring at Quinn with a worried gaze.
”My meeting with you here at the Astronomy Tower started all this, and if things are going to end, then I want it to end here and with you present.” Quinn chuckled and added, ”It is fitting in a way.”
”Q-Quinn, what are you doing,” Friar hovered closer and quavered. ”Please step away from the railing and walk my way.”
”Your words won't have the effect you are hoping, Friar,” Quinn sighed as he looked at the ghost. ”And you, a ghost, can't interact with material things, so you can't stop me.”
He looked at the bright half-moon and smiled, ”It is a clear night today. Suitable if I am to die.”
He turned to face Friar and spoke, ”See you in a bit, Friar.”
Friar's ghostly eyes widened in horror as he saw Quinn shifting his weight over the railings and falling off Hogwarts' tallest tower.
Quinn, who was off the roof's floor and in this air, shifted himself while falling to face the ground below.
There were no unnecessary thoughts in Quinn's mind as he fell. No revolving lantern, showing him his life flashing by. No thoughts about his family or friends.
Quinn's mind was focusing on his magic. Every fiber of his being was calling on his magic as he rushed closer to the ground.
In this life-threatening moment, Quinn felt the wind flapping against his face and body, his beating heart, the pulsating magic inside his body, and the Friar's faint shouts from above him.
He locked his eyes on the approaching ground, and even though he never did it, Quinn felt that the moment was appropriate, and so he closed his eyes and whispered.
”Arresto Momentum.”
A bright blue flashed just moments before Quinn was about to hit the ground and turned into a bloody mess.
There was no collision with the ground, no breaking of bones, no splatter of blood, no exploding skulls, or gore of any kind.
Quinn opened his and saw that he was floating above the ground.
He grinned and released the magic and fell to the ground with his elbows and knees supporting his body on the ground.
The boy pushed himself off the ground so that he was on his knees. He looked up at the sky and roared in laughter.
”Hahahahahaha!”
His magic hadn't betrayed him. It was there with him at the moment he was about to die.
The irrational fear in Quinn's heart vanished as magic amplified his laughter, carrying it all over the castle.
Every single resident of Hogwarts heard a roaring, joyful laughter that night.
No one ever found where the laughter came from or who was laughing, but in the years to come, it would be talked about it.
Only one person knew the meaning of the laughter.
And it was...
Quinn West was finally and truly back.
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Quinn West - MC - Reboot Complete
Friar - Hufflepuff Ghost - Scared out of his ghostly existence.
FictionOnlyReader - No Author's note - I will answer comments.
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