Gillygate - 10. Blasting Curse Misadventures

I sent myself to the hospital wing on Wednesday morning, like a big idiot.

I was all dressed to have breakfast in the Great Hall, made my way out of Hufflepuff's badger-crawl space. Already wasn't in a good mood when I saw another floating bouquet of flowers drifting by the barrels. Daisies. I whipped my wand out, again my spell had more juice to it than necessary.

"Confringo!" The flowers exploded into fire. I was standing too close, blown off my feet and burned. Evidently the barrels were also too close, splintering and spilling vinegar all over the floor.

I cried out and hissed in pain, my arm and face burned. Luckily my fellow Hufflepuffs heard the noise and came rushing to my aid. After a while Professor Barberry, the head of house, arrived onto the scene. He was blustering and pink in the face, dressed in his coat and vest but wearing slippers with fluff balls on the toes. I'd been gritting against the horrible pain while a boy knelt beside me rubbing my back and assuring me help was on the way.

"Here he is, Sir!" a younger year squeaked.

"Thank you, Elis. Move out of the way!" Professor Barberry knelt to survey me with his wand out "Oh dear, my boy…" he started gliding his wand over my burns "Vulnera Sanentur…" he started chanting the healing incantation and I felt my pain subside, the blistering burns somewhat receded. I was able to sit up and stare at all the concerned Hufflepuffs crowding around me. The portly man at my side looked relieved "Merlin's beard, must have been a spell malfunction? A bloody big one at that."

I nodded, too shocked to speak.

"He's going to need someone to take him to the infirmary."

"I'll do it!" The helpful second-year volunteered.

"You won't be able to help support his weight, Elis. I'll take him." It was the boy who'd been comforting me on the floor.

"Thanks for that, Laurent. I'll clean this all up in a jiffy then tell the other teachers. You're lucky nobody else was injured. The rest of you, move along!" He got to his feet and started waving his wand at the mess while my housemates departed "Reparo. Fluvidus Evanesca." I heard the barrels being mended while Laurent helped me up and slung my good arm over his shoulder. We made our way down the hall and away.

Kiena must already be in the Great Hall. I winced. How embarrassing.

"Sorry about this," I turned to look at him as we rounded the corner. Laurent was a plain-looking boy from the year below me. "I'm such an idiot."

"It's no problem."

We made our way through the castle and drew stares from whoever happened to be about. After entering the hospital wing the wide matron known as Madam Merrypot launched out of her seat at the sight of me.

"An explosion! By the looks of it? His sleeve is in tatters." She had a voice as rotund as her body, grey curls under a white cap. She helped Laurent get me to a stretcher with her nubby fingers. I lay back onto the bed with a groan. The lady whipped away "Okay I need that med-kit and essence of dittany."

"Where's my wand?" I felt a flutter of panic. Laurent sucked in his lip while handing it over. Seemed fine "phew. Thanks for the help."

"Just take care." A brief smile and he left me. Strange. I'd never spoken to him before but I remembered seeing him around the common-room, sometimes looking at me.

"This is going to sting." Madam Merrypot warned me before administering the potion with a dropper.

It was half an hour later when Kiena arrived. I'd been all tended to and was resting upright. My best friend rushed over while the matron shook her head at the opposite corner desk.

"What happened? They wouldn't let any of us see you."

"I'm an idiot. That's what happened."

She gave a short laugh before pulling out a bedside chair and sitting. I eyed my right arm where the sleeve had burned away. There was just a ridge of skin and light discolouration now.

I sighed before explaining "I used a combustion spell on Quintin's bouquet."

"Just lighting it on fire wasn't enough for you?"

"It was supposed to be a small explosion. I must've been too heated."

"Ah-huh."

"I have to stay here instead of going to first class. Got to make sure everything heals right and my eyebrow grows back." I sighed and sunk my head back into the pillow.

"Well I'll try to write neat in Charms so you can copy my notes. And I'll bring you a new robe. I'm not sure what spell fixes clothes."

"Me neither. But you know what I'd love? Some breakfast."

"They can get a house elf to bring you a tray."

"I hope they do…" I groaned and Kiena just shook her head at my idiocy.

Through the glass entryway I saw Quintin walking frantically, then skidding to a stop. The curtains by me weren't pulled and he was staring "Oh no…"

He stood still before entering and making his way over.

"Philkin… you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" I spat back.

"We should probably get to class…" Kiena stood.

"I want to talk to you." My ex insisted. "I don't care if I'm late to class."

My friend looked between us uncertainly. I sighed "Fine…"

"Well I'm heading off. See you, Philkin. Quintin." Her long, frizzy hair swept away after her.

My black-haired ex took her seat beside the bed, itching his glasses. I wore a deep scowl while he twiddled his fingers anxiously, head lowered. He was silent for a moment.

"I cheated on you."

"Yes, you did."

"It only started a week before you saw us."

"Was it just with Huet?"

"Yes…"

"Did you have sex with him?"

"…yes."

My fists clenched the light cover of my hospital bed. Jaw set and tight.

"It started off as just a convenience thing." He started speaking in a rush, the floodgates now open "I was studying all the time and Huet was giving off these signs. He was really impressed by the research I was doing. Things haven't been right since Chestimir died over the holidays. I would just randomly start crying at odd moments. Then I was throwing myself into study. And now that it looks like I've ruined things with you I've been crying every night. I love you, Philkin."

Quintin had always been mildly selfish. He had communication issues, affection issues. Trouble expressing his endearment. He'd very much 'got used to me' over the years we'd been together. There were good things about him as well, sure, but for everything to have gone this wrong… For his faults to have accumulated into this. I'd tried being there for him when his uncle died and he just shut down on me instead. Where was the emotional intimacy? He'd idolized his uncle since he was a young boy. What was our emotional connection in his brain amidst his other preoccupation with papers, research and experiments?

"I don't love you." I said to him with tears streaming down my face.

He put his face in his hands and started to cry. I stared forward in bed without sobbing, though tears still ran out.

Across the room Madam Merrypot was facing away at her desk and unaware, reading while biting into a salad sandwich.

o0O0o

spellman's syllabry

Confringo - Blasting Curse.

Vulnera Sanentur - Healing Spell.

Reparo - Mending Charm.

Fluvidus Evanesca - I half-invented this spell. "Evanesco/a" is used to vanish something and since "Vipera Evanesca" vanishes snakes I made "Fluvidus Evanesca" to make most spillages disappear. It's probably not as effective as a spell for the specific fluid in question but will generally do the job. "Fluvidus" in Latin is "fluid/flowing".