Charely Potter | 04-08-2021 08:04 PM | Five
Taddy had been cooped up in the castle for a while and he definitely wanted the fresh air, but he wanted to take in a nice view of the scenery. Winter was almost over, as he rubbed his hands together. He didn't know why he was getting so hot and cold lately, but this wouldn't stop him. His blanket fell beneath them as he climbed out one of the open windows.
The outdoors felt much better as he walked through the grounds. It was a huge fog encircling the area but each step taken left a clear path for Tad. There was little reason to turn back as the breeze greeted him. It's okay.. It's okay.
Tad considered if he should have told Elisa where he was headed. She had promised to leave him alone to recover so that she didn't get sick as well. Sometimes it annoyed him having a constant eye over him, but it was nice knowing he had an Aunt that cared. She was family. His little sister, however, definitely could use the extra watching over compared to him. He was fourteen and would be fifteen later in the year.
"There," Tad exclaimed in relief. Almost running towards the wooden bridge.
After reaching the bridge, he leaned against the railing to take a nice look. Now this was neat.
As Tad gripped onto the railing of the bridge, he had looked out into the open. It was a shame that it was getting foggier by the day. Suddenly he was reminded of the new rule enforced. Why am I out here? Tad thought to himself. They weren't allowed outside at all. But on the other hand, he had been feeling feverish the past couple of days. Logically he would visit the Hospital Wing. Why didn't I go there instead? Tad couldn't find a reason, something compelled him to take care of himself instead. He could feel his brain contradict his own thoughts at times. His head pounded in the mornings and before bed, the acne on his face wasn't stopped anytime soon.
Just as he looked down, he could see how far the bottom was due to... there not being a visible bottom. He also noticed his hands, they were normally slender and soft but were now tinted in a faint purple. Something wasn't right and he was starting to no longer feel comfortable and relaxed but chilled and cold. He needed to go back to the castle. He could go inside the way he came in and see Auntie Elisa about taking him to the Hospital Wing, he didn't want to scare his little sis, Daisy about this. They both worried, but Auntie Elisa was more straight-forward in the end and he had to be the big strong brother Daisy admired.
Tad thought about them as he trenched back out of the walkway of the bridge towards the castle. It was empty, there was a definite silence other than the crunch noises his footsteps made across the ground. How long had he been walking? A few seconds? A few minutes? ... Hours? It was starting to feel like that for some reason.
Taddy furrowed his brows. The walk from the castle to the bridge wasn't that long, that's why he chose this spot specifically. He looked over his shoulder to not see the bridge or anything anymore. Just fog. He turned back attempting to walk faster and faster and faster.
But he wasn't making much of a distance if any at all. The castle grew fainter and he began to feel himself be pulled back. He forced himself forward as much as possible, which only caused him to trip forward. Goosebumps were forming onto his skin as the cold drew over him and he felt himself being pulled.. away... His fingers only grazing the dirt in fit attempts to grab a solid object.
The fourteen-year-old cried out. "HELP! SOMEBODY!" His mouth opened but nothing came out as he tried to scream out. It was as if someone had cast a Muffliato charm on him. The silence was still there, it was deafening as he started to wonder if this was real.
What could he do? He turned around seeing nothing but fog. That's when he heard a scream, it indistinguishable, as he looked around to find the location. He couldn't see a thing, it was starting to bother his eyes after a while. Whispers then came in all directions, growing louder and louder as he felt it against it.
"STOP!" Tad cried out. The scream was still ongoing, was there someone else out here with him? He didn't have time to figure out as he felt himself get thrown, pulled, pushed, knocked down. His body was being sent in all directions hitting objects he didn't know of. Was he still at Hogwarts? Where was this taking him?
He felt himself getting pulled enough for him to finally cry out in pain before the cold returned. He was so cold. He could barely move or even open his lips to make noise any longer. When he opened his eyes he saw figures of shadows with faces. Scary faces. Faces terrifying enough that he couldn't look any longer when he saw a girl lifelessly moving with him. No more.. He thought. He hugged himself as he felt himself get thrown with the impact. This was it? He thought. It was difficult for him to even think with all the noises.
Tad thought back to cheering up Daisy when she was scared about starting Hogwarts and hugging her after the feast. Then there was Auntie Elisa playing with them. His friends playing Quidditch with him. Chloe glaring at him for trying out for Seeker again before they were laughing together on the Quidditch field when she was Seeker once again. Getting his beater's bat and thanking his parents. Christmas seeing all of his family together. They were so happy.
There were more memories flashing by him. Cheering with his siblings as he watched his dad play Quidditch. Getting to play Quidditch with his dad's team for practice. His grandpa telling him stories about the past. Giving Darius and Tierra piggyback rides before Daisy joined in. Seeing his siblings born and holding them each. Seeing his extended family. They were a big part of his life. Then there were memories of stuff he didn't think he could remember.
His dad and mom holding him as a baby. His dad showcasing him to all his friends. Then flashing through his own dad's life, seeing how he and his mom met, their adventures. Then his grandfather's memories. Then his great-grandfathers and beyond. He was starting to feel sad to see what began his life would come to an end. He felt so cold until.... the cold started to disappear. ---
Tad started to feel warm as the incredibly sore pressure he felt after getting thrown start to disappear. He felt like he was flying but he was not trusting this growing safe feeling just yet. Until he took the chance and then...
Tad finally opened his eyes. He was confused. He was home. Did the mist carry him out of Hogwarts and back home? He smiled, running towards the house. He could hug his parents, Dare, and Tierra, and then they could tell Daisy and Auntie Elisa it was safe to leave as he headed to the brightness... only for it to disappear.
The sight of his home transformed and he was now standing in a vast white space. He looked down at himself, he wasn't cold anymore and his skin was returning to a natural tone that he hadn't seen since before winter. He took a chance to speak, surprised to hear himself again.
"..I'm alive?"
"I'm afraid not."
Taddy jumped at the grave voice looking around before seeing...
"Grandpa?" It looked just like him walking towards him, perfectly groomed, but now with incredibly long hair. The laugh that escaped him was similar but not the same as his grandfather Charely. No, it wasn't Grandpa Charely, it was his-
"You don't remember me? I'm your Geepa Darius." It took a moment for Tad to remember him, his great-great-grandfather, who his own little brother was named after. Darius Potter. The long hair on the man was pitch-black, but then turned a silver grey resembling closer to the image Tad was more familiar with. Darius Potter was over a century-old when Tad had memories of him. He was 5 years old by the time his Geepa had passed away. He had just enough amount of memories to fully recall him.
"..Oh yeah, Dare was named after you," Taddy then paused for a moment. "But if I can see you that means..." He couldn't even finish the words before he felt the hand touch his shoulder. It hurt. Not the hand, but the realization. It was over. The pain was over... But so was his life, all before the age of fifteen.
"...Do they know?" Tad looked up to find his sight blurred and his cheeks moist.
"They will," So they didn't know yet, but they would eventually. He didn't want to think about how they would react. He felt bad. So bad that more tears fell down his cheeks.
"Taddy... it's not your fault. You weren't in control for a good while," Darius explained. "You were experiencing early signs of Spattergroit, which fought against your better judgment leading you out."
Tad listened but he couldn't believe it. It explained the last couple of weeks with his recklessness and lack of logistics. One moment he was coherent in class, the next he found himself awake under the table in an empty class bundled up. But it still didn't ease the pain.
"...I... I can't go back?" Taddy's voice croaked at that word. "Not even to say goodbye?" He couldn't believe it. "..Why?"
"I know, son.. while you do have the option to go back, but if you do you can never return home," It sounded hopeful, until the last bit. Seeing Tad's confused expression. "You are aware of the ghosts in the school?"
That's when it dawned on him. He remembered Professor Dopple who had died the previous term but still managed to stay on to teaching for the remainder of the year. Did he want to go back to forever be at Hogwarts? He would see not only his siblings attend and graduate but also future relatives. And... then they'd too would go on without him when they passed away. Then what? He would be the next Moaning Myrtle crying about death in his spare time? He didn't want that.
"What if I don't want to be a ghost... what then?"
His Geepa Darius reminded him so much of his dad and grandpa. The voice of reason, they were patient, kind, he admired that. His Geepa however had more spunk, probably from being a Slytherin. He wanted to be just as fun for his own kids which... he never will have.
"To answer that I will have to ask, where would you like to go?" His Geepa asked.
Tad was still in the process of sitting through all of this. "Er.. before I say where, can I still ask something?"
His great-great-grandfather didn't object.
"They will be able to find me.... right?" He had to know about the mist and what took over him. He had felt himself being thrown all over the place. For all he knew he was below the bridge he was admiring not too long ago. That had to be the worst. Not only the idea of his family not knowing where he is but never being able to find him. Like his grandmother Eve, who he had never met before that went missing too. But it made him feel bad for his dad. Would he have to suffer missing him without any closure as well?
"..They will."
Suddenly Tad's vision began to blur and he felt something wet glide over his cheeks at that moment again. He had to take a few deep breaths before he was able to speak again.
"Then.. I'd like to go home. Not as a ghost but as.. me."
His Geepa smiled solemnly down at him before holding out his hand.
"Follow me then, you're safe."
Tad took his hand and followed him into the light with a smile.
---
It would be a few months in the latter half of 2099 before Tad was discovered with an older student Kamryn Keighley on Hogwarts grounds by the task force. Protected safely by a mound of vegetation that covered them like a blanket. They were able to return home and rest peacefully at last. The End
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