Chapter 73: Aftermath
Christian returned to the common room and sat on a sofa with his eyes closed. Classes hadn't ended yet, and he had no desire to return. So, he chose to take a nap to deal with the pain. He cursed Voldemort for putting him through all of this and reveled in the fact that the bastard wouldn't live long.
Although he had learned much about dark magic, curses, and counter-curses, he sometimes wondered whether the pain or guilt toward the unicorn was worth it.
Just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound that reminded him that his mother was contacting him from the Two-Way Mirror. However, as soon as he saw her, he stopped himself from asking if he was in trouble.
"Why do you look so peeved?" asked Christian.
"No teacher, under any circumstances, should be pointing their wand at a student. This is simply absurd," Tiara scoffed.
"So you see my point."
"You're not innocent either," Tiara countered, forcing Christian to remove the glee forming under his eyes. "I know you, and this is out of character. What made you act this way?"
"Like I said, I snapped."
"Don't lie to me," Tiara said with a stern tone. "From what I was told, you obviously baited him into attacking you. I know you can control your emotions better than this. So, tell me the truth."
Christian thought about it for a while. However, before he could think of something, he suddenly grunted due to the immense pain. So, he sighed to himself before casting a spell around him to isolate the noise. "I was in pain and couldn't take it anymore."
"In pain?"
Christian thought momentarily, "I knew a unicorn in the forest was going to be killed, so I tried to save it. I fought a dark wizard, and one of his curses broke my shield and hit my shoulder. I treated the injury, but I was in constant pain throughout the healing process. Today was so intense that I couldn't take it anymore."
Tiara sighed, "And why didn't you tell me about this?"
"I didn't want you to worry and make a big deal about it."
"Do you think I'm so irrational?" argued Tiara. "If you had told me, I could have provided you with better healing resources." She would not tell him not to save the unicorn or get in trouble because she knew it was pointless. As a prophesied individual, he is a trouble magnet. Even if he does nothing, troubles will find him, so Tiara has always believed that it would be better for him to be proactive. In that way, he could be prepared, and the initiative was in his hands. That's why she's been trying to prevent him from translating and activating the artifact; she wants him to wait a few more years until he's fully prepared.
"In hindsight, that was indeed stupid of me," replied Christian with a wry smile.
"Zed, I already know your life is destined not to be peaceful, and as a mother, it's gut-wrenching knowing there is nothing I can do about that. So, I need you to be comfortable coming to me if you're in trouble or need any help," said Tiara seriously. "I'm afraid that's the only way we will survive the upcoming years."
Christian frowned, feeling even more guilty for not telling the whole truth. So, he decided to tell the whole truth after the year ended.
"Is my prophecy really that bleak?" he asked.
"Let's not talk about this," said Tiara. "I've talked with Dumbledore and concluded you both were wrong, so you will have one day of detention."
"What about Snape?"
"He will be suspended indefinitely."
"Suspended but not fired?" asked Christian, making Tiara pause. "Yes, and from his tone, he might give him another chance for the next year."
"I should have expected this," said Christian, very annoyed. "How could he easily give up his double spy?"
"Excuse me?"
"Snape has been acting as Dumbledore's double agent, sending news about the Death Eaters and Voldemort since the war. That's why he vouched for him and prevented his incarceration."
"A lot of things make sense," commented Tiara. "Sadly, there is nothing I can do."
"What if you were one of the school's governors?"
"With Dumbledore's influence, the others would probably side with him," explained Tiara.
"But you would still have some say on what happens in school. I think it's not a bad idea for you to become governor."
"You have a point. I'll see what I can do," nodded Tiara. "Before then, don't do anything stupid."
"I won't."
"Alright. How is your injury?"
"It should heal completely in a few days," replied Christian.
"Are you sure?" Christian nodded. "Regardless, I will send you an ointment; it should help."
"Thanks."
They ended the conversation, and Christian tried to fall asleep again. However, he didn't sleep for long before his friends awakened him after coming from Potion Class.
"That was bloody brilliant, mate," said Ron. "You baited Snape and knocked him out — what a brilliant move. I wish I could do that."
"You're too loud," grunted Christian, still a little groggy.
"Is it true? What you said, are they true?" asked Harry.
"Yes," nodded Christian.
"So, he knew my mother and…loved her?"
"Still do, apparently."
Harry could not wrap his head around this information. However, a few things started to make sense. For example, Snape has been extremely harsh with him after seeing the picture on his necklace.
"How did you know this?"
"Divination," replied Christian, but Harry had a puzzled look.
"It's magic to see the future," explained Ron.
"And the past," corrected Christian.
"So, you can see the future and past?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, but I can't control it."
"It's hard to believe such magic exists," she commented.
"Weren't you confused about who called the Department of Education on the Dursleys?"
"It was you?"
"I saw how they treated you and told my aunt," explained Christian. "She had contacts there and asked them to ensure they no longer treated you so poorly."
Harry paused for a few seconds. "Thank you." Since that visit, the Dursleys no longer dared treat him horribly; even Durdley stopped bullying him. Although they never treated him as one of their own, it was way better than it used to be.
"What about me? What did you see?" asked Ron.
"You're afraid of spiders because of a prank Fred and George pulled on you." Ron's body shuddered as the memory rushed back. "It was terrible."
"My turn," said Hermione. However, Christian did not know what to say as the books revealed little information about her life before Hogwarts.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I saw your future instead of the past, and all I can say is a famous Quidditch Player will be enamored with you."
Hermione blushed in embarrassment. "Stop talking nonsense."
"Who is it? Is it someone I know?" asked Ron.
"Yes, and I won't say anymore."
"Come on." Ron knew how tight-lipped he could be after the Nicolas Flamel situation, so he didn't badger him. He turned to Harry, "It's hard imagining Snape being in love — No, I did not think he was even capable of such a thing."
"Don't mention it." The image disturbed Harry, and he did not want to think about it for a second. He opened the locket around his neck to see the picture of his mother and father; he immediately felt creeped out and closed it. While the four were talking, Fred and George rushed to them, praising Christian for his actions and saying that they wished they were the ones who had done it. They were even more ecstatic to know Snape would be suspended until the end of the semester, which was not a lot of time, but more than enough for everyone.
Many people came to give Christian a thumbs-up or praise him for his actions, and at some point, there were so many that he had to leave. Luckily, his mother's package had arrived, so he had a good excuse.