Chapter 110: Music, Scheme, and Promise (2/2)
'Poppy is slowly getting used to my learning speed. If I was still spending time at the vault, it probably would've taken me a day and a half.'
Quinn walked across the tiled floor of the hospital wing towards Poppy's office as he looked to the sides at the beds to see if she was tending to some students.
And at the end of the wing hallway, Quinn stopped because he came across two people who he wasn't expecting to see in the hospital wing.
”Daphne. Astoria...” said Quinn, finding the Greengrass sisters with Astoria sitting on the bed while Daphne sat on a stool by her side. Multiple thoughts ran through his mind within the second he first laid eyes on the sister. What came out of his mouth was: ”Have you seen Madam Pomfrey? I have something to talk with her.”
”She is out for the moment. Went down to the dungeon to meet Professor Snape to get some potion ingredients,” replied Daphne, and while Quinn couldn't get a read from her expression, her body language told him that she was feeling uncomfortable.
”You just missed her. She went out a minute ago,” chimed in Astoria with a smile on her face.
Quinn turned his eyes to the younger sister, and his stone-grey orbs noticed a pale pallor on her skin, a thin sheen of sweat on her face; her whites of eyes were muddled, and many other signs that Quinn had learned to pick up from his time with Poppy learning Healing Magic.
'She is obviously sick. The fact Poppy had to go out to obtain potion ingredients means this isn't a common ailment. I wonder what plagues her?' thought Quinn before smiling and asking, ”May I join you two, ladies?”
Daphne opened her mouth to speak something, but Astoria beat it to her.
”Yes, please. You're free to join us,” spoke Astoria with a smile on her face.
Daphne glanced at her sister with an inscrutable expression that Astoria ignored, as she continued to smile towards Quinn.
Quinn nodded and pulled a stool from beneath the bed. He took a seat and set the rabbit cage down on the floor. Astoria was sick, and Quinn didn't want to make it worse by introducing a rabbit to the girl.
'She does look the type who loves fluffy and cute things.'
”How have you two been?” asked Quinn, opening up the conversation. ”I hope you two are feeling fine, nothing serious, I hope.” Quinn knew the topic would come with their location, so he decided to use it as an opener.
”Thank you for asking; we are doing fine, just a small dip in health,” replied Daphne, matching eyes with Quinn.
'Ah, it is serious, then,' thought Quinn and then he heard Daphne speak up. 'She must be worried.' Even though she had used 'we' in his answer, all three knew who she was talking to.
”You don't have to lie. We can't change anything about it, so why hide it?” sighed Astoria and softly glanced at her older sister. She turned to Quinn and spoke without hesitation. ”I have-”
”Astoria!”
”No, I'm telling him. There is nothing to hide, and I don't get why you get to decide. I'm the one who has it. I should be able to decide who to tell and who not to,” answered Astoria in a firm tone, which was less weaker than her usual voice.
Daphne softly sighed and closed her eyes in acceptance. She knew her little sister better than anyone and knew that when Astoria decided to do something, then even their parents wouldn't be able to change her mind.
”I have a condition known as 'blood malediction'. A 'blood malediction' is a curse of the darkest type, passed down to the descendants for generations. Even the most common type of blood malediction is known to stay in the family for half a century,” said Astoria with a smile on her face as she was retelling a fascinating story. ”One of our ancestors was cursed with the curse, and from then on, the curse resurfaces even though it skips some generations. Our great-grandfather had it, and for two generations, our family was free of it, but it turned out that our generation wasn't so lucky because I got it.”
Quinn held his expression in place as he continued to listen to Astoria, and while the younger Greengrass spoke, Quinn felt the older sister glance at him from time to time.
”There are many types of blood malediction: the one I have causes debilitation, leaving me frail and sickly. From time to time, I suffer from these lapses in health that will leave me in a very fragile state.”
The usually young and bubbly of the Greengrass sisters smiled helplessly and sighed, ”Unfortunately, the curse also reduces my lifespan. None of my ancestors who suffered from the curse ever lived past fifty.”
Quinn silently listened to Astoria tell her story without uttering a word, and while he heard all of it, two things stood out to him.
The blood malediction and the resignation in her voice hidden behind her smile.
”I see. So you have a blood malediction. Now, that is rare, isn't it?” started Quinn, and as he spoke, Quinn removed his Hogwarts robe from his shoulder. ”A curse that carries down to the descendants. Descendants that suffer from their ancestors' mistakes or misfortune. I guess if you can get your ancestors' fortunes, then getting their misfortune is a fair part of the deal.”
”And while getting the curse is unfortunate, and I might seem presumptuous for saying it, I don't think I like the fact that you have accepted you'll never get rid of the curse.”
Quinn folded up the sleeves on both of his hands and secured them in place so they wouldn't slip.
”Astoria, don't get me wrong, I like the fact that you don't live your life in despair about your unfortunate circumstances, but your reason is wrong. You should happily live because you know that one day your curse will be erased and you will get to live just as everyone else does— not because you are trying to live the most of your limited life.”
He smiled a wide grin as he spoke, ”Where is the fun in that? If you accept that then there is no hope. That's no fun at all.”
Quinn put out both of his hands towards Astoria and gestured with his finger as he asked, ”Give me your hands.”
Astoria and Daphne looked at Quinn with bewilderment. The light-hearted tone that Quinn spoke with made it seem that he was not taking this clearly heavy condition seriously. But the words did make some sense to them, and that left both the girls confused.
”Come on, now, don't be scared. I won't eat you. Give me your hands,” asked Quinn once more.
Astoria looked at Daphne for guidance, but the look in Daphne's eyes reflected the same confusion as her. So she hesitantly placed both her hands in Quinn's.
”Excellent, thank you for trusting me,” smiled Quinn and gently grasped Astoria's petite hands. ”Now, let me show you some nifty magic. I think you two will like this.” He pointed at his and Astoria's joined hands.
The two Greengrass sisters looked down and witnessed the glowing red veins on Quinn's visible arms and hands.
”Astoria, I don't think you realize that we, who possess magic, are in the presence of something truly grand and extraordinary.”
The two girls watched with wide eyes as the glowing red veins seemed to creep from Quinn's hands to Astoria's hands through the connections of their hands.
”Magic has infinite potential, infinite! There is nothing that magic can't accomplish. Those who possess magic can be saints, gods, devils, or anything they want if they understand and know how to use what was so graciously given to them.”
The glowing red veins traveled up Astoria's arm, and as Quinn spoke, her entire body was covered in fiery red glowing veins. Astoria could feel a comfortable heat all around her body.
”I know this curse has been in your family for generations. And in all that time, there hasn't been a cure to this ailment that you don't deserve. But losing hope is losing the battle before even starting the fight.”
The glowing red veins on Quinn's forearms and Astoria's entire body turned into a sparkling blue color, showing a beautiful charm to the world.
Astoria, who had been feeling a comfortable heat, now with the color change, felt a refreshing cool feeling envelope her body. She closed her eyes because it was the most pleasant she had ever felt. It felt like she was swimming in cool water, and she let go of everything and simply enjoying the bliss as she listlessly floated in the coolness.
But then her eyes snapped open as she felt the frailness and sickness lessen and slowly disappear from her body. It wasn't just that, but the true shock was that her own delicate constitution felt strength and vitality that she had never felt before.
She had never felt so... lively. Astoria felt like she could do anything right now.
Astoria looked up from her hands and looked at Quinn, who was smiling with confidence.
”Astoria Greengrass, I, Quinn West, here and now, declares this to you. From this moment onwards. I assure you that as long as I am alive, you will never ever again feel the presence of the blood curse.”
Quinn's smile widened, and as did the eyes of Astoria.
”I will ensure that you will never suffer and feel weak because of the blood malediction. You will live a long life, and it will be a healthy life just like anyone else's.”
Astoria felt Quinn's grip slightly tighten as he announced.
”It's my promise to you, and I will never forget it.”
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Quinn West - MC - Promise of a lifetime.
Astoria Greengrass - Cursed - Received a promise.
Daphne Greengrass - Worried Elder Sister - Witnessed something magical.
Rivers Lock - Prideful - Planning something big.
Editor - AlanL - Worried. (;ŏ﹏ŏ)
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