Owl Eyes

Owl Eyes

Chapter Five

A Changing of Roles

At waking the day should seem new

Sometimes the mind and the body do too

When change creeps inside and sculpts your soul

You can't protest for it's making you whole

Old thoughts from you depart

They'll slip away and change your heart

Your hands shall mold the Earth

Creating change through rebirth

For others you shall lead the way

Their thoughts you'll change on this fine day

Fear not the change that reaches out

Take hold of it and do not doubt

Walk with strength that is unseen

And change my friend it's meant to be

I dreaded going to defense against the dark arts. My only hope was that someone had poisoned Professor Wiggins during the night and that she had slipped away quietly. This was not to be, I realized as I heard her talking from my place outside the classroom door. If I didn't cross the threshold soon I would be late but my feet felt like lead and I could hardly convince them to move. My legs seemed that of a statue not of a teenaged girl, and most certainly not those belonging to something confident like a dancer. Yet I moved my feet anyway.

My father used to always tell me that I could affect others by my actions. That everything I did and every choice I made would affect another. I often didn't believe him but as I grew older I began to see the change that occurred in others. If someone was having a bad day and I said something nice to them their mood would change for the better. I began to realize this was true of anyone and that we truly have an influence on those around us.

I wasn't sure what influence I might have on Ms. Wiggins but I knew she had influenced my feelings. I had slipped from confidence to fearfulness in just a short time within her classroom. I needed to take hold of myself again and push away my altered thoughts. She was just a woman, perhaps a powerful witch but so was I.

I took two steps forward, entering the classroom and made my way to a seat.

"Today we will begin dueling," she announced to the class.

I thought this was a good sign. Practical lessons always helped to keep my mind engaged.

"I will put you into pairs and you must prove that you can both block and send successful curses by the end of the class period," She said, as if daring us to even make a mistake. "First Miss Lee and I will duel as I must make sure that she is capable of not getting herself killed."

I thought that killed was a little far fetched. After all, the class wasn't going to be allowed to practice unforgivables on each other.

"Come to the front, Miss Lee."

I left my cane and book bag behind and slowly made my way down the center aisle of the classroom. As I walked I drew my wand and took a deep breath to calm myself. I would show this woman what I could do and she was going to be sorry. My anger was rapidly taking over.

"And now we will bow," Ms Wiggins said. I made sure I was facing her and began to focus on her like an archer does on his target.

My bow was shallow and abrupt. I wasn't sure this woman deserved my respect. I stood, wand ready, thoughts flowing out of me so that my mind could be clear.

"We will attempt to disarm each other, Miss Lee," she explained. Her tone was almost laughing. She was mocking me. I could hear the unreleased laughter that had built up inside her. She couldn't know of all the unsaid things I could hear. I could always hear them, the unsaid words, the unseen glares or smiles. A voice could tell a million stories in just one word.

Ms. Wiggins began the count.

"One!"

I pulled myself upright so that I was standing taller and straighter.

"Two!"

I took a deep breath and concentrated harder. I needed to focus on blocking her first curse.

"Three!"

She was faster than I was, I was sure. But then there was an unexpected pause.

"Expelliarmus!" she shouted. She had moved to the left probably thinking that her new position would throw me off.

I swished my wand and the curse fizzled out somewhere between us.

Before Ms. Wiggins had a chance to realize that she hadn't disarmed me I was ready with a curse. "Rictusempra!" I shouted.

I heard no response and then a groan so assumed the curse had hit its mark.

"Expelliarmus," Ms. Wiggins tried to say between the waves of laughter which had taken over.

It was all to easy. I smiled and laughed at her as I deflected the hex. I then decided that I might as well take her out while she was down already and not drag this boring duel out any longer.

"Expelliarmus!" I bellowed, and all the anger I felt for Ms. Wiggins spilled forth.

I heard a bang and then a thud. The next thing I knew the class had gasped audibly and someone was running to the front of the room. Whispers stirred the air like a thousand leaves in Autumn. I was fixed to where I stood, unable to move. I figured the duel was over but what if she was able to jump up and curse me, again?

Ron was at my side. "That was bloody brilliant!"

"What happened?"

"She went crashing into the wall and then splat! She is flat out on the floor! I'd say you won that duel for sure."

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Don't know," Ron said thinking. "You knocked her out for sure."

"I think she needs to go to the hospital wing," Hermione said from the other side of the room. "She's been knocked out!"

The class erupted into cheers and heart felt applause. Some of my classmates began whistling or pounding their palms on the desks. I didn't know what to think. I had injured a teacher! Then I realized that perhaps I had taught her a lesson and maybe it would help to change her opinion of me. But what if her opinion didn't change for the better?

"We'd better levitate her to the hospital wing," Harry was saying across the room. I could hear him clearly even through the cheering and I slowly made my way over to him wishing I had my cane. The classroom was full of excited students and they were all in the way. I slowly pushed my way through the gathered crowd.

"What has been going on in here?" Professor Dumbledore boomed as he made his way to the front of the room.

The class fell silent.

"Ms. Wiggins has been knocked out," Hermione supplied.

"Yes, I can see that," Dumbledore replied quietly. Everyone had their attention focused on him.

Here it comes I thought. I am in big trouble. They'll expel me. I might have to serve detention for the rest of the year! If I was given detention I hoped it wouldn't be with Professor Wiggins. She'd probably make me duel with her until she won a match.

"Exactly which one of you knocked Ms. Wiggins out?"

"I, I, it was m me sir," I said trembling.

"Well," Dumbledore said, his voice returning to its usual merry state. "Congratulations Miss Lee! You have proven your dueling skills quite adequately. Ten points to Gryffindor."

Everyone began to cheer again. I felt so relieved. I let out the breath I had been clutching like a life jacket.

"Now," Dumbledore said speaking above the crowd, "we must get Ms. Wiggins to the hospital wing for a thorough examination."

As Ms. Wiggins was levitated out the classroom door and down the hall I stayed behind in the room which had now become a party. Someone had snuck to the kitchens for refreshments and produced them as soon as Dumbledore had left. We all assumed that class had now been canceled and the party began.

We were almost late for potions because we had been focused on the party. With a few wand flicks from some of the more talented students the room was made clean once more and we all headed for the dungeons.

Snape was in his usual sour state as he was every class. I wondered why he had at least treated me fairly outside of class. He was never fair during class.

"Miss Lee!" he was snapping at me already and I was only chopping ingredients. I hadn't even begun my potion. "Hurry up, we don't have all day for this potion. Why are you daydreaming?"

"Uh"

"Five points will be taken," he said evilly as he stood, his face just a few inches from mine.

I sighed and continued on about my work. I tried to pay better attention and not let my thoughts wander. I wondered if Snape ever day dreamed because he sure wasn't very tolerant of those who did. If he did it wold probably be dreams of being cruel to students, ruining scrolls of parchment which pupils had so tirelessly worked on, with red ink, or just brewing potions alone and uninterrupted.

"Potter you are not following directions. I should think that one as famous as yourself would know what he was doing when it concerned only a simple potion," Snape began pacing up and down the center aisle like a cat stocking its pray. "Ten points and if I catch you ignoring the directions again it'll be fifty."

I decided I better not talk to anyone and just focused on my potion. Luckily when the class had ended no one had blown anything up and no one was sent to the hospital wing. It was certainly an improvement over previous class periods. Neville had even come out unscathed but a bit shaken.

At dinner we discussed sending funny get well notes to Ms. Wiggins. It was decided that we would each send a card.. The cards couldn't just be the normal sort that talked of feeling better. They had to make fun of the professor in some way. By the time dinner was over all of the houses knew about the plan and most of the students agreed to participate. Those students that thought the plan was a bad idea had at least agreed to keep their mouths shut and not mention the cards to any of the other professors.

Back in the common room most everyone was working on constructing home made cards for the defense against the dark arts teacher.

I wrote:

Ms. Wiggins,

I hope you are awake and feeling better soon. I'm sorry I knocked you out. I didn't realize that I needed to go easy on you during our first duel. Perhaps we can try again sometime if you are up to it. We could duel outside on the grass which is much softer.

Miss Lee

Harry read over my shoulder and burst out laughing. He passed the card to Ron who read it and began coughing and choking.

On my way to the dungeons to serve my second night of detention with professor Snape, I thought about the order of the phoenix. What did it mean to me that I was now a member? I had gotten angry before cursing Ms. Wiggins. I would need to learn to control that anger. I could not just act out of reflex anymore. There were important duties I would now have and I would be learning more dangerous curses. I might, no I couldn't think about it. Yes, I had to think about it, had to live in reality. I might even have to kill someone as part of serving in the order. What would that be like? Could I really do it? Who was I becoming? I didn't know but I was going to find out.