Open On second thoughts

[Todd Cobbler]

Todd lay awake that night, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing. Just a few months away from his seventh year at Hogwarts, and what did he have to show for it? When he looked back on his time here, he realised he hadn't really done anything noteworthy or achieved anything significant. It was a gnawing thought, one that ate away at him until he had to do something about it. He threw off his covers and sat up. He decided it was time to do something crazy. He left the Ravenclaw tower to go for a midnight stroll. For someone who usually played it safe, this was a pretty wild idea.

As he crept down the staircase, Todd's heart pounded in his chest. The castle was eerily silent at this hour. Maybe he could make this even more crazy. Maybe he could go outside? The thought sent a thrill through him, and he picked up his pace. But as he reached the entrance hall, he felt an unsettling sinking feeling and started to second-guess his plan. Was this really worth it? Was it dumb to risk getting caught, or endanger himself just to prove a point for nobody? It was reckless, and reckless never had suited him. He paused and looked back up the stairs. The warmth and safety of his bed suddenly seemed very appealing after all.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley couldn't believe her last few weeks in the castle was drawing closer and closer. It was both a relief and a weight of sadness, she was finding. This evening, the sadness prevailed and so she had walked down to the kitchens for a cup of tea and a small snack. Heading out with both, the professor was wandering the halls, reminiscing. She lost some track of time doing so until a small noise caught her attention. It sounded like someone up ahead though she couldn't be sure and so she continued forward to investigate.

 

[Todd Cobbler]

Feeling disappointed in himself, but not surprised, Todd decided it was time to head back to bed. He'd taken a few steps when he heard footsteps approaching that were unmistakable in the quiet hall. His pulse quickened, wishing he could apparate out of there, or better yet, turn invisible. Then he thought of the Disillusionment Charm. He wasn't very good at casting the charm but he hoped that the dim light and long shadows would work in his favour.

He backed up against the darkest wall while his fingers fumbled for his wand. He cast the spell around himself, feeling the cool liquid sensation trickling from the neck down. He looked down to check he was blended into the shadows. The shadows were on his side that night, but unbeknownst to him, the spell had only worked from the neck down and Todd was now a disembodied floating head!

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

The professor was sure that it was going to end up being nothing, perhaps a house ghost wandering or someone's pet had run loose from their common room. So she continued eating her snack as she did. Coming around a corner, the professor wasn't bothered by the darkness that fell across the entrance hall. The windows illuminated the area somewhat but shadows overwhelmed the space. The professor looked around slowly as she continued forward, her eyes and ears continuing to pay attention to find the source of the noise she'd heard.

A moment later, she let out a small shriek as she came across a sight she was not expecting and she dropped her cup in her rush for her wand. The professor sent a silent prayer up as she hoped her eyes were mistaken thought she didn't stop rushing forward to provide aid. "Lumos" Her cup clattered across the floor, the noise sounding far too loud to her ears, as she used her wand to illuminate the space where she thought she'd just seen...she wasn't sure what she thought she saw. Her eyes fell on a teenaged boy, well his head to be specific. "What the-" she exclaimed.

 

[Todd Cobbler]

As soon as Todd saw that it was a professor passing, he froze, hoping she would pass by without noticing him. His heart raced when she let out a shriek and dropped her mug. Surely, she couldn't see him. Or could she? It seemed she was looking right at him.

The sudden bright light in his face startled him, and Todd instinctively put his hands up to shield his eyes. It was then that he noticed his hands had changed from the midnight shadow to look like his face, blending with the background. The cogs started turning as Todd began to piece together what might be going on, though he wasn't quite sure how he was going to explain it to anyone else. "Hello?" he said, finishing the professor's sentence with a sheepish smile.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

The professor stopped herself right before she let out an expletive. Her mouth in a line, the professor took a moment to compose herself before pointing her wand over her shoulder to clean the mess behind her. That taken care of and her heart working its way back to a more normal rage, she finally broke the silence.

"Care to explain this...situation" she stated, waving at the area she assumed the rest of his body occupied. Now that she wasn't convinced some terrible situation had befallen the student, she could allow herself to be amused by this though she was not going to laugh. She was going to try not to anyway.

 

[Todd Cobbler]

The silence was unbearable. Todd was awkward at the best of times but this situation took him to a whole new level of discomfort. He watched Professor Kingsley clean up the mess behind her, briefly considering a comment about how wonderful magic was, but deciding against it. It was the professor who broke the silence and he knew declining an explanation wasn't an option.

He cleared his throat before speaking, "Firstly Professor, I'd like to apologise for causing you alarm..." Todd began, stalling for time while he scrambled for an explanation and came up empty. He'd just have to wing it. "I don't know exactly what happened, but I don't think my Disillusionment Charm worked properly?" He offered a weak smile, though inside, he wished the floor would swallow him whole so he could disappear forever.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Heart no longer beating at a frantic pace, the professor nodded to his apology before letting out a chortle at his next words. "I am far more used to hyberbole than understatements like that" she replied. "I'm gathering you've only just learned that charm? I think you might need to hold on to the incantation a little longer, so it covers everything you want it to " Professor Kingsley added, the laugh still on her lips.

 

[Todd Cobbler]

Todd relaxed when Professor Kingsley laughed, even chuckling himself. He nodded when she asked if he'd recently learnt the Disillusionment Charm and listened to her advice, "Thank you Professor, I'll remember that for next time." He had been in a rush when he cast the charm, but left out explaining that it was because he was trying to hide from her as quickly as possible. Deciding to try make his exit while the mood was still favourable, Todd asked politely, "Professor, if it's alright with you, may I head to bed now?"