Chapter 8: Deception

Deception

"No, Elian."

"Fi! You have to. You can't do it. It's too dangerous."

"Elian..." Fi trailed off, sighing. There wasn't a thing she could say to sway him- Elian believed that the Triwizard Tournament was no place for her. Fi decided to give the subject a last ditch effort. "Elian, you know what I can do. I can take care of myself. I have been. All year."

"School isn't the same thing as a Triwizard Tournament, Fia. People have died doing it."

"Yeah, I know. But it's my choice, okay? And I'm going to do it."

Fi walked away before Elian could say anything else. She rarely fought with her brother. Fi felt flustered, confused, and somewhat alone. She was speed walking, hurrying to curl up in the library with a book, or maybe go to the North Tower and let off some steam- or, that is, fire. She rounded a corner, not looking where she was going, and ran smack into someone. Fi stepped back in surprise. "Sorry," she murmured. Fi looked up to see who she had run into. Whoever it was, they were tall and thin. Fi was surprised to see blue eyes matching her own. "Levi."

"Fi." Levi smiled.

"Uh... Sorrry about that."

"No worries. So when are we all gonna meet?"

"Meet?"

"Yeah, to practice."

"Oh. I don't know..."

"Okay. Well, you know where to find me." Levi tapped the house badge on his jacket and Fi realized for the first time that he was a Gryffindor too.

"Yep- uh, bye."

"Bye."

-=+=-

Fi arrived at the door to the Gryffindor common room only to find Kael standing outside. She opened her mouth to greet him when he said, "Finally."

"Hey Kael- what are you up to?"

"You're in the Triwizard Tournament."

"Yeah...?"

"I thought you might want these." Kael passed Fi a stack of books on various subjects, all of which would be helpful for the tournament.

"Oh! Thank you!" Kael shrugged. Kael always had a way of knowing people and knowing what they want, always as what they would need. He was the friend you expected to get nothing from for Christmas and actually got something you really loved from him.

"I'm headed out to practice for quidditch," Kael said, "wanna come?"

Fi nodded, "Sure."

-=+=-

Very sweaty from quidditch with Kael, which Fi thought sounded like the name of a TV show, Fi returned to the Gryffindor rooms. After a quick shower, she had no idea what to do. She had already read for hours, she'd exhausted her one leftover friend source, and her laptop was off getting repaired.

Fi pulled a sweatshirt on over her pajamas and headed out into the hall. Her socks scuffed against the brown carpet. With only the soft light of oil lamps to light her way, Fi navigated through several hallways and up several moving staircases (which always left her out of breath). At last she arrived before the heave spruce door to the North Tower. Relieved, she trudged up the spiral staircase and into the cold night. The stars shone brilliantly against the dark of the night sky and Fi thought about just how beautiful Hogwarts was. Bored, she plopped down on the stone ground and began to play with fire.

Fi crafted all sorts of beautiful things: tiny flame pegasi, a life size fire TARDIS, and more. A sudden thought came across Fi's mind. All her life she'd wanted nothing more than to be able to fly. Not on a broomstick, in a plane, or even on some sort of mythical creature, but by her own power. Fi wished for sprawling, massive wings extending from her own back- wings that she could control. To Fi, flying was the ultimate freedom. Fi wondered if fire could make wings. It wasn't solid, but...

First, Fi crafted a little bird of fire. She practiced detail in the wings; bones, feathers, everything. She made the bird flap and dip and soar. Then Fi looked around for anything of weight. It took her a moment to remember the loose brick on the left side of the tower's top. Fi strode over and wiggled the brick. After what seemed like hours of wiggling and pulling it, the brick broke free. That left Fi wondering how she would affix wings to the brick. She tried it, going on instinct, and found that she could actually melt the wings onto the brick. Fi took a deep breath and stepped away from the brick. She manipulated the wings, willing them to flap and lift the brick. To Fi's utmost surprise, as well as the denial of both logic and gravity, the brick rose gently.

-=+=-

 Fi had gone up every night for the last three days to practice her wings of flame. She'd practiced quidditch with Kael several times, read two books, and gotten a good grade on a potions quiz. She stepped out of the shower, hurrying despite her early morning extreme-slowness. Fi had History of Magic in less then an hour and it was all the way across the school. She wrapped a towel about herself and made a beeline for the clothes she'd left on the bed. Fi grabbed them and was just about to run back to the bathroom to change. 

A voice echoed from behind her, "Fi. What is that?" Fi froze in place. 

She turned to Allifair behind her. "What's what?" she said cheerily. 

Allie's gaze was- for once- serious. "Fi. You know what I'm talking about- those huge red welts on your back."

"Oh. Those. It's nothing... Really!"

"Fi, how did you get those."

"It's nothing... really." Fi felt rapid panic rising. How on earth was she going to explain that she had been using fire magic and trying to affix wings to her back!? It even sounded crazy to her.

"Fi. Tell. Me. You can trust me- I promise." Fi exhaled, mind racing for a believable lie. Enough people knew about her magic, yet she still wanted it to be her secret, to some extent.

"Don't tell anybody," Fi began, "but I was trying a new potion, one we aren't supposed to try. I turned away for a minute and it bubbled up; it burned me. I really am fine though. Just- please don't tell anyone. I don't want Gryffindor to lose points because of it."

Allifair nodded understandingly, "Okay. I won't tell anyone. Just don't let it happen again, please."

Fi agreed heartily to this and ran off to change.

-=+=-

"Fi!" A cheery voice came from across the common room that night. "How've you been?" Fi looked up to see Levi standing above her, hands comfortably in his pockets. 

"I've been good, you?" She shifted in her chair to look at him and fought back a wince. Her back was in a special kind of agony after tonight's attempt. Levi's eyes turned dark for a moment, as if he saw her wince.

"I've been good... I'm heading out to the East Tower for some-" he lowered his voice so no one in the common room would hear, "Element practice." Levi threw a wry grin her way. "Wanna come?"

Fi shook her head, "Thanks, but not tonight. I'm kinda tired."

Levi replied, "I understand! Join me if you feel like it."

-=+=-

The following day was Saturday, and Fi found herself completely lacking anything to do. For some reason she found herself incapable of sleeping in and had awoken long before breakfast. Anxiously awaiting food, Fi lounged in the Gryffindor common room, reading. The morning sun slid through the high, curved windows in the rare way it did only in the early hours of the day. Fi's thoughts kept wandering all over the place, preventing her from focusing on her book. With a sigh, she set it down on the coffee table. Fi rose and left the Gryffindor common room, deciding that even wandering the halls without purpose would be better than the restlessness she was experiencing.

As she scuffed along the scarlet carpets alone in the wee morning hours, Fi found herself singing. She'd always loved to sing, but never in front of anyone. Her voice found its way gently through a song she knew well; one in the minor key with lots of shifts and fun twists for her to navigate through. Without even realizing it, Fi's voice gathered strength until it echoed in the arched, high-ceilinged hallway. It doesn't matter, she told herself, no one is awake to hear anyway. Her lilting voice traveled independently and Fi let her thoughts meander where they wished.

"Beautiful," a smirking voice awoke Fi from her reverie. 

She could not see the source of the voice, but she recognized it immediately. "Levi."

The voice drifted again from unknown corners of the hall, "Did you miss me?"

Suddenly, a large question-mark formed from water was floating in front of Fi. She didn't feel like playing Levi's games today. Fi waved a hand and Levi's water almost instantly turned to steam as fire collided with it- Fi's fire.

"Hey, don't be rude."

Levi stepped from behind a corner up ahead, pale eyes shining brightly, black hair in waves perfectly slicked, and clothes as crisp as always. Fi put on a mock-apologetic face and a burning (literally) image of the word "sorry" appeared above her head. Levi laughed and Fi let the fire dissipate.

"Always a morning bird?" she asked Levi.

"Yes, you?" Fi shook her head.

Levi glanced at his watch, "Well, sorry to leave so soon, but I better be going."

"Bye."

"Bye- see you around!" Fi waved to Levi as he walked off.

-=+=-

At breakfast, Fi ate with Kael and Allifair (whom Kael tolerated but didn't like). She dunked her sausage link in maple syrup and bit into it, enjoying the grease dripping down her chin. Fi wiped away the grease after a moment, finishing her sausage. She visually perused the dining room. She'd chatted with Elian at the Ilvermorny table earlier, but left him when he was flocked by girls again.

Fi glimpsed Neve standing amongst a gaggle of girls, Dimitri at the table near them. Fi thought about how un-Neve this was; they'd both once said they wouldn't have any friends that were girls, were it not for each other. Girls were too much drama- too much trouble. Neve seemed to be the focal point of all the girls, who were giggling and tittering. Fi could see Neve talking to the girls, and if her mouth-reading was correct, Neve said something like Really? Dare me to? The girls all around her nodded. In response, Neve stalked over to the Hufflepuff table. She stood next to a boy that looked about their age, someone Fi didn't recognize. Neve must have said something to him, because the boy stood, looking flushed. Neve gently rested her hands on the boy's shoulders and Fi watched as... Neve kissed him. Fi winced visibly- as much as she loved romance novels, real relationships were something she'd vowed to stay away from for a very long time. Neve had harbored the same disinterest in them before, but now...

It was in that moment when Fi realized for the first time- something she should have known for a long time- the girl she was looking at was not Neve.