Round One Submission Entry
written by Lislchen


Was that…?

Queenie knitted her eyebrows together and turned her head, this way and that, to figure out just where exactly that sound had come from. Oh. There it was again. This time she spun around on the spot and headed back in the direction she’d just come from, determined to find the origin of the sound. It was close to curfew but that didn’t matter to her at the moment. This was more important. One more step, then she paused again. Looking up, Queenie found herself standing in front of a closed door. She could hear the sound more clearly now even though it was somewhat muffled. Either through the door’s material or because someone was trying to keep quiet. Perhaps a bit of both. There was a split second in which she hesitated before...swiftly reaching for the door handle and opening the door.

“Hey, I heard you-”

…

“A No-Maj?!”

See, it wasn’t that Queenie was trying to eavesdrop on other people’s private conversations, or, well, thoughts. But ever since a few months ago, it just happened. Recently she'd discovered that the connection was even stronger when the person she was interacting with was feeling emotional. Like this younger boy, sitting on one of the desks inside the empty classroom, was. She couldn’t recall seeing him around Ilvermorny but a quick glance at his uniform told her that that simply might have been due to him not being in the same house as her. Plus, she was in her fifth year now while the boy in front of her didn’t look older than twelve.

Speaking of said twelve year old boy, he was now staring at her, the tears glistening on his cheeks seemingly forgotten for the time being. It appeared that he was struggling to form words, whether that was due to what she’d just said or simply because he hadn’t expected anyone to find him like this, Queenie had no way of telling. In any other type of situation the way the boy’s mouth was literally hanging open would have been cause for laughter. As it were though, Queenie didn’t even feel like smiling. “But how…?” That question seemed to finally bring the boy out of his stupor and he quickly attempted to wipe away any wetness from his cheeks. “Go away!” His voice was shaking, yet it was still evident that he meant what he’d said. Wholeheartedly. However, there was a hint of wariness in his voice, perhaps even mild curiosity. He’d set his jaw and was glaring at her now.

Neither of which deterred Queenie.

In complete contrast to the boy’s request, she took another step closer, green eyes watching him curiously. “And he’s your friend?!” The boy’s own eyes grew larger at that question, his whole demeanor slowly changing from antagonistic to anxious, almost scared. “H-how- who are you?” He finally asked, instinctively leaning back to get some more distance between them; although, the movement was mostly symbolical. Queenie had come to a stop in front of him, not particularly interested in the question he’d asked her. “How did you meet him?” She wasn’t trying to be rude but ... what she’d just heard was simply a lot more interesting.

Where Queenie was stubborn, the boy clearly was too, however, so instead of answering her question he asked his own. Again. “Who are you?” This time Queenie blinked twice, apparently remembered her manners and held out her hand, a polite smile on her lips. “I’m Queenie. Queenie Goldstein. What’s your name?” Clearly somewhat taken by surprise by the sudden formalities, the boy instinctively shook her hand and gave a curt nod. “Chayton.” He dropped her hand quickly after that, however, almost as if her skin had electrocuted him. “How did you know?” Now, that question was something Queenie was going to have to answer she was starting to realize. With a sigh and an almost coy smile, she looked away for a brief moment before meeting his gaze again. “I heard it.” She nodded to his forehead. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- I just-” She didn’t particularly enjoy talking about this. Plus, she was incredibly curious about the No-Maj boy Chayton had been playing with over the summer. “What did your parents say? What about the law?!” Based on the look on her face, it was probably clear that she wasn’t particularly concerned with the legality of his actions per se. But the law was there for a reason.

Wasn’t it?

Chayton appeared to be taking his time to process what she’d just told him. Or hinted at. “You’re a...a Legilimens?” Naturally, he’d heard about those before but based on the look of disbelief on his face he hadn’t expected someone as young as Queenie to be one. She nodded quickly, working hard on not looking too impatient. But HIS thing was a whole lot more interesting! “Can you write to him?!” So, enough about her and back to Chayton and his No-Maj friend. It was his turn to blink now and it seemed as if her question actually made him remember just why they were both inside this empty classroom. His face fell and he quickly averted his eyes, away from Queenie’s curious gaze. “...no. My parents- they said-” Well, Queenie could guess what they’d said. That it was bad. That it was illegal. That he wasn’t allowed to ever see him again. It was just the way it was. “I wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye.” Chayton picked at a piece of thread on his sleeve that had come loose, avoiding eye contact.

Watching the boy, Queenie realized that there was absolutely nothing she could say that would make him feel better. She reached out and touched his arm. Rappaport’s Law was something she’d learned about from a very early age. Perhaps not in so many words but she’d always been taught that she wasn’t allowed to interact with No-Majs. Because they were dangerous. Because they might hurt her. And everyone she cared about. Up until now she hadn’t even questioned the legitimacy of the law. Yet, here she was, feeling bad for a boy who was clearly incredibly upset that he wasn’t allowed to hang out with his friend anymore. And there was nothing she could do to change that.

So instead, she said something completely different, in the hopes of distracting him.

“You know what I heard the other day? Professor Rivera collects old No-Maj alarm clocks. Imagine all of them going off at the exact same time.”

No, it wasn’t particularly funny but it was the first thing that had come to her mind.

Smile, Chayton? Please?