Chapter 16: CHAPTER SIXTEEN - The Trophy Room
The disappointed, annoyed look on McGonagall's face made Attuoria feel something that she couldn't quite place. She almost felt sorry for her, that Filch was once again disturbing her in the middle of the night because of a mistake she caused.
"Yes Filch, you may leave," said Professor McGonagall, rubbing her temple as she spoke. "The other students will be waiting for you there at Hagrid's hut."
"You don't understand, ma'am, this girl here, I'm sure she's the one causing trouble -"
"Mr. Filch!" McGonagall interrupted loudly. "I am sure that if anything is wrong, I can sort it out with Ms Knight. As of right now, you have your duties elsewhere. Please leave my office."
Filch looked as if he was about to say something else, but after one look at McGonagall's stern gaze, he scampered out of the room.
Professor McGonagall sighed, leaning back against her chair. Her eyes were closed as she beckoned for Attuoria to sit down.
"Ms Knight, I am… surprised, to say the least. Please explain yourself."
Attuoria hesitated, watching McGonagall inhale deeply with her eyes still shut.
"I am tired, Ms Knight. I would like to dismiss you right now, but you have broken yet another rule, and I can't let you off without warning. So if you want to help your situation at all, you'd better start talking."
"Professor, do you know what our detention is?" Attuoria asked. Her question made McGonagall open her eyes.
"Of course. To find the injured unicorn in the Forbidden Forest." she said matter-of-factly. "Now don't tell me you're here to complain -"
"I found the injured unicorn's child." Attuoria blurted out before McGonagall could continue. "Hagrid told us to stay put while he went to help Neville and Malfoy, I mean, Draco. While he was gone, I found a young unicorn hiding behind a bush. It led me to the injured unicorn, which by the time I got there, was already dead. I wanted to report my findings back to Hagrid but I didn't know my way back to our original spot, so I went to his hut instead. Unfortunately, Filch was the one who found me there."
Now Professor McGonagall looked fully awake. She put her spectacles back on and sat up straight on her chair. "You found a young unicorn… and it didn't run away from you?"
"Er, yeah," said Attuoria, slightly confused. "I'm lucky to be a girl. I read that unicorns are friendlier with female humans than with males."
"Yes, friendlier, but not usually as friendly as to trust a human at first sight. Especially a younger unicorn. They're extremely jumpy and are known to be much less trusting of humans compared to adult unicorns. For you to be able to come in contact with one…" Professor McGonagall laced her fingers together as she sat staring at Attuoria, contemplating something in her mind.
Attuoria didn't know what to say. Was this yet another thing that made her un-human? She already knew her Legilimency was superhuman, because Dumbledore said that people who are skilled at Occlumency, such as Snape, can block their minds from Legilimency, yet she can still read their thoughts with ease. She could even connect telepathically with animals, which was something she was positive that others couldn't do. Now a magical creature that tends to run from humans trusted her and approached her for help… Attuoria was sure that she was beginning to look a little suspicious in this mortal, human world. Her cover up story was getting weak.
"Care of Magical Creatures is a class you can take in your third year of studies here at Hogwarts. I think you'll do great in that class," said Professor McGonagall, taking a different turn in their subject of conversation.
"But I digress. I will have to give you detention again for breaking the rules, as you went against Hagrid's instructions and put yourself in a lot of danger by wandering off alone. It seems you didn't learn your lesson from last time. You're lucky not to have come under any harm, but you won't always be so fortunate. So please, Ms Knight, follow the rules and stop making it so difficult for not only me, but also your peers. I can guarantee you that your friends are in the forest right now, worried for you and searching for your whereabouts." McGonagall said all this in a stern, scolding manner, yet Attuoria saw kindness and care buried underneath her harsh tone.
"I will try my best to adjust to all the rules." said Attuoria. She was being completely honest. Her life and duties as a Nightmare demon involved little to no rules or limits, so being at a school with so many rules that limited her decisions was difficult.
Professor McGonagall nodded. "Other students have mentioned that you grew up in a tough environment, so I understand that you tend to make decisions that you believe is best for yourself. But our school rules are set to make sure students are safe, and we take responsibility for anything that happens on our campus. I'm sure you understand."
"Yes, I do. I'm sorry for all the trouble again. When and where will my detention be?"
"I believe the Trophy Room needs some cleaning, so I would like you to go there after your last class tomorrow and polish up all the awards. As of right now, you should head back to your dorm and get some sleep. And don't go wandering the halls alone until morning." said McGonagall, giving her a pointed look.
Attuoria promised the professor to be on her best behaviour and then quickly returned back to the dorm. Hermione wasn't back yet, but Attuoria went to bed without waiting. She wasn't sure she wanted to face all of Hermione's questions about where she went just yet. Maybe tomorrow, thought Attuoria, although hopefully never. She didn't exactly know how she was going to explain to Hermione and the others that she telepathically connected with a unicorn that no one else saw, managed to find the dead unicorn, hopped on trees all the way back to Hagrid's hut and got caught by Filch but got off with only a detention and no house points deducted.
Now that was a difficult story to tell. One that she doubted they were even going to believe.
***
The next morning, Harry and Hermione bugged Attuoria about where she disappeared to, and how Hagrid was so extremely worried about her. She promised them that she'd either give him a visit or send him an owl. As for where she went, all she told them was that she got lost, somehow found her way back to Hagrid's hut and then went back to sleep in the dorm. Surprisingly, Harry and Hermione accepted the story without question.
But Attuoria was surprised when Harry gave her his conjecture about how Snape was trying to steal the Philosopher's stone to help Voldemort come back to life. It sounded even wilder than Attuoria's story with the unicorn, but she had an odd feeling that it was true.
"Do you think Quirrell is involved in this, too?" She asked Harry as they came out of their last class of the day.
"Quirrell is helping Snape get past the enchantments that guard the Philosopher's stone. But the only reason he's helping is because Snape threatened him. He's probably doing everything against his own will." Harry explained.
"And you said Voldemort - he didn't die? He's still alive?"
"No one really knows. But I think he's on the verge of death, and that's why he was there in the forest drinking unicorn blood. I'm not sure that he's even human anymore, judging from what I saw. Anyways, Firenze says that it was Voldemort in the forest, but Hermione thinks that centaurs are not trustworthy and we shouldn't believe him."
Attuoria nodded slowly, trying to piece the clues together. So if Voldemort was just barely alive, that could mean his soul was drifting around trying to find a body… right? And if he doesn't find a body fast enough, then his soul will leave the mortal realm and enter the underworld. Attuoria knew all about these systems, especially the different dimensions and spirits that exist outside of the mortal realm.
Voldemort cannot kill another human and take over their body because one, a soul cannot physically kill, and two, if the body was dead or malfunctioning, he wouldn't be able to survive in it. This meant he was living like a parasite. An extra being on another human's body.
Hence why Quirrell has two voices in his head…
This final statement was such a bold one that Attuoria didn't dare suggest it to Harry. Through her own logical thinking, she deduced that Quirrell could possibly be the host body of one of the most evil wizards of all time. It was such a far-fetched idea, yet Attuoria believed it must be true. What other explanation would there be for the suspicious voice in Quirrell's mind? That voice constantly ordered Quirrell around, and Quirrell referred to the voice as "master". An evil wizard was bound to have followers, and Voldemort had many of those which he named Death Eaters. The information fitted together perfectly, like pieces in a puzzle, but Attuoria didn't think her friends would believe her.
She bid Harry a quick goodbye without saying anything else, and headed down to the Trophy Room.
Compared to her detention in the Forbidden Forest, this one was so much less eventful. There was a rag and a bucket of slightly soapy water near the door, which Attuoria picked up before heading into the room. At least a hundred awards and trophies were waiting to be cleaned. With a sigh, she got to work.
While most people would find this detention repetitive and dull, Attuoria actually enjoyed it. She read the names and descriptions of the many awards she polished, trying to match them with the names that she read about from the many books she drilled through during the school year.
As she picked up a "Special Award for Services to the School" shield, a name on the badge next to it caught her eye.
"Awarded to Tom Riddle for Services to the School."
Services to the school? Hagrid had mentioned that Tom was a model student that all the teachers loved. But what did he do for the school? What was the "service"?
She carried on cleaning with that question in mind. Tom Riddle's name appeared a few more times, once on the list of Head Boys, and another on a Medal for Magical Merit. Neither of the two were out of the ordinary.
But one thing that bothered her was that there were no records of his middle name. There were no records of anyone's middle name on any of these awards. For all she knew, Tom Riddle could have nothing to do with that mysterious message. Maybe she was on the wrong track. Although Tom Riddle was the only person so far that she had encountered with the initials T.R., there were hundreds and thousands of other people out there who have the same initials as him. And Attuoria was certain that at least a few hundred of those people have middle names starting with M.
Her movements became autopilot as she wiped each award with the rag. Her mind was occupied by so many thoughts that she soon lost track of time and reality. By the time she had placed the last plaque back into the glass case, it was already dark outside.
I should go back to the spiritual dimension, Attuoria thought to herself, tossing the rag into the bucket of water at the door before leaving the Trophy Room.
T.M.R.'s message was sent nearly twelve years ago. If she or he really wanted to find a Nightmare Demon, then they would've continued to send messages. Perhaps it was no longer a priority for them, hence there is no point of me being here. I've neglected my duties as a Nightmare Demon for too long, and for nothing.
She went back to her dorm alone for the second night in a row. Most people had gone to bed already, and only a few of the older students remained in the common room.
Hermione was still awake on her bed, reading a book. She gave Attuoria a curt nod before returning back to studying. Hermione had been stressing over the end-of-year-exams for an entire month already, which were to begin in the coming week.
Attuoria sighed, hopping onto her bed and finally noticing how sore her arms and neck were from polishing the trophies. She realised how much she needed to cherish her moments as a human. Whether they were good experiences or bad ones, they weren't going to last forever.
Maybe tomorrow should be my last day, she thought.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
sayhellotohanna
sayhellotohanna ~
published 2/10/2020
A/N: Wow, it's October already! Time sure flies. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I hope you enjoyed it!
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