Chapter 620 - The Second Harvest Moon Ⅴ (2/2)
A curse escapes Rowan's mouth before she reaches for her wand and unstrapping it from the wand holster. She was just going to have to risk something going wrong with whatever spell she cast as long as she survived the encounter. And though she had a gift with magical or nonmagical creatures that only seemed to apply to land-dwelling creatures as she had never had fish or other sea-dwelling creatures like her very much.
The distance grows smaller and smaller as the Giant Squid rapidly approaches until at long last the enormous creature is before her. A round eye about the size of a soccer ball stares straight at Rowan, who tries not to move, but grips her wand so tightly in hand that her fingers become stark pale white. Her mind hurries to think of a spell that might just work under the water without backfiring.
The two of them just stare each other in the eye until a giant tentacle of the Squid slowly moves towards her. Unsure if the Giant Squid is attacking or not, Rowan waits as her heart beats wildly in her chest. The giant tentacle gently wraps itself around Rowan and begins to speedily lift her to the surface of the lake.
Shivering and breathless with a mix of emotions, Rowan bursts into the freezing night air. Shaking violent from the cold, she is gently deposited at the surface as the giant tentacle retreats and vanishes into the depths of the lake. With teeth loudly clattering, she swims across the surface of the lake until her feet touch the sandy lakeshore and wades onto the shore.
Trembling violently from the cold, Rowan's wand hand quivers as she casts a drying and warming charm on herself. She lets out a loud sigh of relief as her clothes become very rigid but dry. She lets out a loud sigh of relief as the warmth of the charm sweeps over her and warms even the c.o.c.kles of her heart. Feeling much better, she casts, ”Lumos,” to light the way as she takes care to make her way up the muddy banks to where her cloak rests pinned down by a round stone.
Rowan shivers again upon donning her freezing cloak but quickly begins to warm up again thanks to the warming charm. Casting the lake one last final glance, she turns away from the shore when she gets an unsettling sensation creeping down her back as though she was being watched. It was a haunting familiar feeling that she had not felt since during the tournament. Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click /book/a-bend-in-time_14576125306898605/the-second-harvest-moon-%E2%85%B4_50675237682987712 for visiting.
Resisting the urge to teleport away or check her mind mapscape, Rowan grips her wand that much tighter and hurries back to the front entrance of Hogwarts. Crossing the empty lawn and past the greenhouses, she hurries and only relaxes upon entering through the front doors. Letting out a soft audible sigh, she rubs the back of her neck with one hand and stiffens. The hairs on the back of her neck are still standing straight up. She wasn't alone.
A sound rustling sounded further down the hall caused Rowan to cautiously peer into the darkness that lay further ahead. She raises her wand higher in the air to cast the light upon the shadows of the front hall. There standing further down the hall is the figure of a professor dreamily leaning against the entrance of the Great Hall studying the starry sky displayed within the confines of the Great Hall. The Professor in question has slightly red eyes, raggedy oily hair, and long robes that have the scent of burned herbs to them, the Divination Professor, Professor Ariel Zephyros.
Professor Zephyros' eyes are languorous as usual as he stares off into the distance and hums to himself a quiet child's rhyme. His glazed eyes turn away deliberately from the starry enchanted ceiling towards the Slytherin Prefect. ”Prefect Prince, I do not believe that it is your night for patrol,” he dreamily mused out loud. ”A nighttime rendezvous, perchance?”
”No, sir,” Rowan truthfully replied as her grip tightened around her wand. ”I wished to go for one last swim before the lake freezes over. And with upcoming events and festivities, I do believe that I will not have another opportunity.”
”Mm, yes, it does seem like a nice evening for one last final swim,” Professor Zephyros muttered to himself causing Rowan's eyes to widen before her face goes perfectly blank.
”I did not see you during my swim, Professor,” Rowan slowly said. ”I apologize that I did not greet you sooner.”
”No, I'm afraid that the Giant Squid doesn't much like intruders in its lake,” Professor Zephyros dreamily remarked. ”However, I am genuinely surprised that the squid did not attack you. Then again, Prefect Prince, you were born under the sign of Capricorn, a beast. And a beast always recognizes another beast.”
Rowan does not even recoil at the remark and instead retorts, ”It is late, Professor Zephyros, and I have a very long day tomorrow. Please excuse me for the night.” And moved to walk past the Divination Professor as calmly as possible without showing how tightly she was clenching her wand in her hand. Quickening her footsteps, she hurries to the winding staircase.
”Good night, Prefect Prince,” Professor Zephyros called out in passing to the Slytherin Prefect that disappeared quickly down the winding staircase and into the Slytherin's lair hidden within the dungeons.
Returning to gaze up at the starry sky within the Great Hall, Professor Zephyros dreamily mutters to himself, ”The night of a new moon approaches to intertwine with Samhain. The stars shall vanish, and darkness will rule the night. And the heavens will be rent in twain to reveal their inner mysteries.” Long after the words were spoken out loud, there stood the Divination Professor unmoving until at last departing to his quarters before the light of new morning as the early risers and inhabitants of the castle begin to stir and rise.