17. Imperio
Age 12, Term 24 Plot
It was a free butterbeer. What could possibly be wrong with that? Tiberius gleefully skipped down to Hogsmeade, having had his coupon replaced after Celandine had blown up his first.
Stepping into the Hog’s Head, Tiberius wrinkled his nose and tried to ignore how much he disliked the look and smell of this place. Free butterbeer. FREE. BUTTER. BEER. Tiberius grinned as he pushed the coupon across the bar toward the rather unpleasant looking man. Hmm. He must have been beginning to relax because Tiberius suddenly didn’t feel so bad. In fact, this seemed like quite a pleasant place to be. Feeling comfortably warm, Tiberius grabbed his butterbeer and uttered a quick thank you before sitting down and enjoying his beverage.
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Waking up in his own bed covered in dirt, leaves, and blood was startling. Not knowing what had happened was disturbing. Seeing others in a similar state, alarming. Sitting with Jake in the healer’s office, Tiberius yearned to confess that he had no idea what had happened. But Jake said that it would be bad to say so. And so Tibi kept quiet as the adults talked around them, tears clinging to the edges of his eyes.