Chapter 111: Music, Scheme, and Promise

[The chapter is edited by my Editor: Alan_Loo/AlanL]

It was a time of the year that Quinn really enjoyed. Just as his second year when he completed the Icy Vault; this year, he had completed the Aquatic Vault, and now he was feeling as cool as a cucumber.

There was spring in his steps and dance in his moves. At random times, he would break into a dance and enjoy the vibe he was feeling. The same thing happened when he finished the Icy Vault.

While he very much enjoyed going through the vaults, there was always a sense of urgency in the back of Quinn's head in which he needed to complete one vault a year.

So when he wrapped up the Aquatic Vault, Quinn felt he was done for the year. If he had to draw a very loose parallel, then the cursed vaults to him were what examinations were to students. When they ended, students rejoiced like they were part of a nation that just got independence from an oppressive power. The only difference was that Quinn enjoyed the time he spent down in the vaults, unlike many students who didn't enjoy exams.

And for the first time in months, Quinn was free, so he took out his violin, and with it, decided to cast some magic to lighten up that extra-high tension exam mood that plagued the Ravenclaw house every year.

He rested the violin on his shoulder and his fingers on the strings; the other hand grasped the bow. He then gently descended on the strings to play a vibrant tune with sweet calm tones.

At first, the sound was only audible inside Quinn's dorm room and partially audible to the nearby rooms, but as the minutes progressed, the fiddle of the violin traveled all across the boys' dorm.

Some of the boys didn't appreciate the sudden disturbance when they studied for the exams, which were close, but no one got up from their seats and asked the player to stop; something in the sound made them keep still and listen.

In his room, Quinn smiled with his eyes closed. Seeing that no one was here to stop him from playing meant that the magic was working and, thus, he could increase the radius.

Streams of magic traveled down from Quinn's arms to the violin and bow, and the sound started to flow with an extra something behind it. The slow tempo mixed with magic carried all the way to the common room and the girls' dormitory on the other side, and filled the entire Ravenclaw dorms with Quinn's music.

Anyone who heard the music felt the tension drain from their bones, and calm seep into their minds and bodies. The slow sound made them forget about the stress of the incoming exams. That moment made them stop running, stop and kick back to get a relaxing pit-stop.

Quinn, who had his eyes closed while playing the violin, mixed two types of magic together to create his desired effect.

He blended mind magic together with the enchanting sorcery of sound and music to create magical melodies. Using the wings provided by the harmonies, Quinn spread the influence of the mind arts to sway the mood of those who listened.

This idea came from two sources: the first was, of course, the dreaded Sin vault, which had messed with his mind and emotion on a deep level; the second inspiration was from his mind magic teacher, Alan D. Baddeley, who had once used mind magic to forcefully calm him down.

Like Alan, Quinn subtly altered the listeners' present mood. It wasn't as intrusive as the Sin Vault, but did reside on the same mental magic line.

The use of sound magic was to increase the range and effectiveness of magic. Quinn, who had studied illusion magic, knew how to influence the human senses and recognized its efficacy while manipulating a target.

People would subconsciously concentrate on sounds, and this was especially true for magic. So when Quinn laced the music with mental magic, the listeners got quickly influenced because their minds were concentrating on the music. Of course, there were downsides to this usage— it wasn't particularly effective when people were at guard against it, or if they had earplugs on and couldn't listen to the music, or were outright deaf.

'Alright, let's hype up this performance,' thought Quinn, and the tune went through a drastic change. The rhythm started to build up, and the sound turned from gentle and calming to upbeat and exciting.

Everyone in Ravenclaw started to tap their feet and bob their head to the rhythm of the cheerful tune. Slowly they were being guided from the calmness of the earlier piece to the bop of the current one.

The person who felt the most was Quinn himself, who channeled his current spirit into the animated funk. His moves while he played the violin were wild and crazy.

'Oh, yeah, let's blow the roof off this place. Come on, move it~,' thought Quinn as he continued to play; the more he got into playing, the more freely his magic flowed, making everyone who was listening to the melody, felt their hearts beat faster with excitement and exhilaration.

'Rum, pum, tum, and we are done~,' thought Quinn as he finished his piece and bowed to no one.

"WOOHOO!!!!"

"I'm going to ace these exams!"

"Bring it on! I'm going to smash the O.W.L.s!"

"I'm going to get a girlfriend!"

"Exams are nothing! I'm the smartest girl alive!"

"Wrackspurts!"

"I will recreate Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem!"

"Where is Professor Flitwick. I challenge him to a duel!"

Quinn's piece had left the people in a hyped-up state and filled with confidence and enthusiasm. It caused them to feel exhilarated and happy.

Quinn smiled at the shouts coming from the common room and the dorms around him and knew that his showcase of mental and sound magic was a huge success.

Looking at the violin and bow in his hands, Quinn nodded with a grin, "Yeah~, I still got it."

- (Scene Break) -

A shady figure stood under the shade of a tree looking at the abandoned house with the windows and doors boarded up.

"The Shrieking Shack," muttered the figure looking at the building, which was supposed to be the most haunted in Britain. "To think this shack would be hiding something of such importance."

Rivers Lock smirked at the thought, "It seems this building is just like me. And that's why it's going to get me what I want."

The smirk from his face dropped like it was never there, and he thought about the circumstances that brought him here.

"A bunch of cowards, they are. How can they be scared when I'm planning their moves."

Rivers Lock was the one who created and managed the group known as Novellus Accionites. Just within a couple years, he had been able to gather people together into his banner, and he did it without ever showing his face.

But the series of raids from the Auror Office had instilled fear in the members of Novellus Accionites, and when he tried to bring down the order, he didn't get much of a favorable response.

"I didn't ask them to go to those gatherings," Rivers clicked his tongue in distaste. "If they wanted to mingle together like fools, they could've at least made sure they weren't tracked."

The disadvantage of being a hidden leader was that he couldn't be involved too deeply without being in danger of revealing his identity. As such, he couldn't control what his followers did outside of the plans he drafted for them.

He wanted people to be good with the Disillusionment charm. People who would be able to get around without others noticing. But all he got was some dumb bozos who were absolutely shit at magic, who were complete rock brains and didn't have an ounce of cunning in them.

But this opportunity was too critical for him to miss. The school was about to end soon, and if he didn't act, he would've to wait for the next few months to get the next chance.

Rivers didn't have those months. The Aurors were striking hard on his minions, and he couldn't be sure what would be the situation down the line.

And this opportunity was what he needed to gain the momentum back. If he could pull this off, then the world would know about Novellus Accionites, and all the members who refused his calls like cowards would come scurrying back.

"I guess I will have to do this on my own. This is too important for me to leave it to the idiots," muttered Rivers. He decided that he would be going inside on his own with a couple more members that were at his disposal.

The gears in his mind turned as he continued to stare at the abandoned and decrypt shack.

- (Scene Break) -

Quinn shimmied his way to the hospital wing with a rabbit in a cage. The rabbit had been very sick, infected with rabbit calicivirus, which was an illness that had an incubation period of 48-72 hours.

Poppy had given him the brown rabbit and told him that he had a day and a half to return with a perfectly healthy rabbit. He knew nothing about calicivirus; it was a type of hemorrhagic disease virus. So he had only 48-72 hours to learn everyone about the disease and then heal the rabbit before it died.

The research had been easy but lengthy, so by the time Quinn was done learning about the rabbit calicivirus, the rabbit was suffering from lethargy and fever.

Quinn eradicated the disease from the brown rabbit and then healed the fluffy bunny. He did it within the confines of the time Poppy had given him; the rabbit was back to new in twenty-four hours.

'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.

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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.

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"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."

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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