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Everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the warmth that had quickly fallen over Hogwarts’ grounds as the weekend began, and why wouldn’t they? Classes were coming to a close, exams had been muddled through for better or worse, and another mysterious curse had been broken.
For this, Talbott was relieved. As someone who spent so much time in the more quiet parts of the castle, he had discovered that boggarts also enjoyed the same types of places for refuge. He was not keen on seeing Voldemort every other day in an empty classroom.
Talbott was not, however, planning to join in on the large parties of students headed outside for walks by the lake, trips to hogsmeade, or quidditch friendlies. He was looking forward to the solitude of the owlery after breakfast.
As per usual, he waited to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast until Andre had been gone for about 20 minutes. By doing this, most Saturdays he was able to get in a bite without being disturbed much.
As expected, upon walking in, most of the hall had already emptied out in a hurry to get into the sunshine. But, there was still one large cluster over by the Gryffindor table. Talbott didn’t need to guess who was at the center of it.
He would have to be living under a literal rock to have missed the news that it was Madison to break the curse, once again. And there she was, surrounded by friends eating up the details of the previous night’s events. There was certainly something special about her. She proved that to him this year. No one else had ever worked so hard to break down his walls. Although it was hard for him to admit, he was glad for the time they had spent together this year, and he wanted more of it. Not until the commotion surrounding her latest adventure settled, of course.
Talbott took a seat at the end of Ravenclaw table, far from the next student finishing his breakfast. He began to pile a stack of pancakes onto his plate, and without looking up, realized that the crowd had dispersed and began to leave towards the heavy oak doors.
Just then, someone slid onto the seat next to him.
“Talbott Winger, a real treat to see you in the flesh during a Saturday morning breakfast,” Madison said with a smirk in her voice.
“It’s rare for there to be a crowd by this time, but I suppose you had a lot to recount this morning. Have you come to brag?” he said sarcastically. He didn’t mean for that to come off like it might have. He was always building walls, even when he didn’t mean to.
Madison just shrugged. “No, if it’s okay with you, I think I’ve had to relive it enough already. Really, I’m glad it’s over with.”
“Sorry– I mean– I can’t imagine what you had to go through to break that curse.” Talbott casted his eyes down at his pancakes.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m the one who goes looking for it. But, you know, at this rate, I just might be able to find my brother before we graduate.”
“I really think you will. You’re amazing. ” His cheeks became visibly warm. “I mean, you’re a great cursebreaker ... What did you sit down for?”
“Oh... I just wanted to see how you are, I suppose. Also to warn you, I think Penny is going to try to track you down today. She really wants you to come out and get butterbeer with us to celebrate.”
Penny. Talbott really did appreciate the bright, warm force Penny was, but Madison knew how to be far more low key.
“Well then, I better get a move on. Not that I don’t want to celebrate with you, but I was really hoping to make the most of the peace and quiet today.”
“How about this, let me sit with you while you finish breakfast? Then you can hide from Penny to your heart’s content.”
Talbott met her gaze and smiled. “Deal.”
Without noticing, Talbott ate much more slowly than usual. Madison and Talbott had eaten together periodically since finding the necklace, but he had still been reluctant to be personal, usually choosing to quiz her about her animagus knowledge. This morning was different.
She kept things light and talked about how she used to be so jealous when Jacob left for school, because she wanted nothing more than to go to Hogwarts and start her own adventure. She also told stories of all the trouble she would get into while she was homeschooled. That didn’t surprise him at all — Talbott knew how stubborn she could be.
He told her about all the trouble he didn’t get into, because he wanted to make his parents proud. He talked about the views of his hometown from above when he would fly with his mum. He even told her about how he used to eat pancakes with her every Saturday morning, which is why they’re his choice every weekend.
“Is it hard to talk about them? Your parents?” Madison asked gently when he finished describing the green pastures from above.
“Usually, but it doesn’t seem so hard right now. Not hard to talk about with you.” Talbott’s face burned again, but Madison just smiled brightly at the compliment.
When he finished his last bite, neither one noticed that they kept talking for 20 minutes longer. Only when all the plates began to disappear did they realize how long they had been sitting there. Talbott rose to his feet.
“I don’t want to take away your peaceful day, but are you sure you don’t want to come for some butterbeer?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I promise I’ll make it up another time.”
Madison stood up. “In that case, you can make it up to me by giving me an address to write you over the holiday. Just write it on a scrap of parchment that you can give to me before we board?”
The warmth from Talbott’s cheeks seemed to spread throughout his body. He hadn’t had anyone write to him over summer before.
“Okay, I can do that.” They began to walk towards the oak doors. Once in the corridor, they came to a stop.
Madison glanced at the light shining through the stained glass window. “Have a nice flight today.”
He laughed a little. “Thanks, have fun celebrating. You really deserve it. See you later, Madison.”
They turned and went their separate ways, but Talbott didn’t head for the owlery. His mind was running a hundred miles a minute, but it wasn’t paying attention to where his feet were taking him. He just needed to think.
Talbott had been reluctant for so long to let anyone inside his walls, to really know him. It was for his own good, for his protection. So why then did everything feel so right when it was just him and Madison?
Without realizing it, he had taken the wrong moving staircase to Ravenclaw tower and found himself on the seventh floor. But what did it matter? It seemed everyone was outside, and he had the castle to himself, or so he thought.
Penny Haywood was one determined girl. She had been checking empty classrooms that she had found Talbott hiding out in previously to see if he would come out. She wanted him to feel like he was a part of the group and less like an outsider.
At the end of the corridor, Talbott saw Penny peering into a classroom, very apparently looking for him. He didn’t want to have to turn down her offer, and so he turned on his heel in a hurry to get out of sight. Just as he did, he noticed a door forming on the wall that he’d never seen before. Without thinking twice, he slid inside.
Inside was a giant room stacked with curious things. There was no rhyme or reason to it. Brooms, cauldrons, quills, chairs, books, and plenty of trinkets he’d never seen before; he needed a place to hide, and he’d found it.
All thoughts of Penny and Madison melted away as he walked down the aisles of stacked objects. This room was a never ending maze. He couldn’t believe he’d never been here before, given all the time he’d spent exploring for the best quiet places in the castle.
He came to a stop when a large, ornate mirror caught his eye. Inscribed in the gold on top were the words “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi,” whatever that meant.
Talbott took a step forward to look squarely at his reflection, but inhaled sharply and fell back when he did. He could have sworn he’d seen others with him in his reflection, but he was quite certain he was alone.
Cautiously, he stepped forward to get a proper look, but he couldn’t comprehend what he saw.
There was his mother, smiling gently as she looked below at her only son. She had the same bright eyes and smile. A few feathers were entwined into the braids that fell to the middle of her back. She was exactly as Talbott remembered her.
His father was there too, beaming with brilliant, white teeth. He was long and lean, half a foot taller than his wife, who was tall herself. Talbott had his same pointed features and striking jaw line. Unlike Talbott and his mother, he had blonde curls and chocolate brown eyes.
Tears welled up in Talbott’s eyes. It had been seven years since he had been able to see them like this. They were so close, and yet they stood before him as a reminder that they hadn’t been there in so long. He longed for their touch.
Minutes stretched into hours. Talbott had taken a seat before the mirror, still trying to process everything he was feeling. He knew that they weren’t really there with him, but it felt so good to see their faces, and he wasn’t ready to move.
Only when an ache in his lower back began to develop from his stillness did he realize how long he had been sitting there. It must have been nearly time for dinner. Slowly getting to his feet, he kept his eyes trained on the mirror. What were the odds he’d be able to find this place again? He’d never seen that door in his life. Perhaps he had stumbled across one of the castle’s secrets.
But, he couldn’t stay there forever. The grumbling in his stomach told him that much. He would just have to hope that he’d be able to find his way back here again.
After winding back through the aisles, he found his way back to the front, his thoughts turning back to his appetite. But before he left the room. He noticed a few parchment scrolls, quills and ink bottles strewn about the floor to the left of the door. He took an extra minute to rip off a piece of parchment and scrawl down his aunt’s address before heading down to the Great Hall.