A Blockhead Emerges

It was dark, airy, and cold.

What could only be described as a nightmare turned out to be a reality. Adeen never really experienced the cold. It was unnatural to her. The cold never managed to break past her burning skin. It was like that for as long as she could remember.

But it had tricked her. Out of nowhere, her skin began to feel as if the entire world had turned to ice. Freezing. It could only be described as a never-ending frost. Her entire body shut down and didn't know how to react. All it could do was try to preserve as much heat as possible. Adeen know if her flames ever went out, it meant her death. Her flame was the reason why she woke up every morning.

And then, out of nowhere, the cold stopped.

Now Adeen's body was warm. She felt her fire slowly growing and her temperature rose to her average. The cold that had once engulfed her had disappeared. She could breathe once more. Her shaking had stopped.

For Adeen, there was nothing more irritating than being sick. She hated it. It's why she took such good care of herself.

And yet there she was, laying in a hospital bed, defeated and alone.

Well, not completely alone.

"How are you feeling, Miss Kalama?" Dumbledore asked the afternoon she had woken up.

Adeen frowned. The feeling in her fingers returned once Madam Pomfrey had stabilized her and had given her fluids. Although her vitals said she was fine, the ringing noise in her head said otherwise. She wanted to die.

"Miss Kalama?"

Dumbledore watched the Slytherin carefully. Adeen refused to speak. Not even to Madam Pomfrey when she asked if she was still in pain.

She wouldn't even speak to her best friend when Wendy was finally allowed to go into the hospital wing.

"Off to class now, Miss Gilmera! Off!" Madam Pomfrey commanded. Wendy obeyed but not before letting the rest of her group know what had happened.

"How peculiar..." Marcus mused as Wendy explained what had happened. She shook her head as Cedric shooed her to her Potions class.

"Snape will kill you if you miss another class. Go, I'll visit her later."

After convincing Wendy to go to class, Cedric glanced at Marcus.

"Let's go see her. Quickly now!"

The two boys rushed off in the direction Wendy had came from. They were eager to see their friend but we're initially stopped by the head of the wing.

"No more visitors for Miss Kalama! You can see her when she's well and ready to leave!"

And with that, the doors were shut before their faces.

Cedric and Marcus sighed before trudging off. The boys were nervous to tell Wendy she wouldn't be allowed to see Adeen for a while.

Cedric was sure Wendy would throw the biggest fit he had yet to see.

~

"It was because I ate my flames huh?" Adeen finally spoke one afternoon when Professor Dumbledore returned. The headmaster looked down at her and hummed.

"It's a possibility. Won't do any good to fret about what has been done. Rest now, Adeen," he said calmly. Although he said it with confidence, he was worried. He knew the risks that came with Adeen consuming her own powers again, but for it to cause her such pain was something he had not seen before.

Adeen was left on her own after Madam Pomfrey checked her vitals again. Tests were constantly ran to see if it was truly the consumption of her flames that caused her to crash. But Adeen ready knew the truth.

She knew better than to suck up her powers after they've been released. She knew better.

She was a foolish child.

For the following days, Adeen sat in her depression and refused to speak to anyone who wasn't Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey. The other students in the wing would occasionally glance at her but say nothing.

It was three days into Adeen's stay when Madam Pomfrey allowed Cedric to visit one morning for an hour only.

Cedric placed the basket of muffins at Adeen's tableside and sat on the bed next to her. The firecracker wasn't awake, but even if she was, she wouldn't have said anything. He stayed for the hour before leaving in silence.

"How are you feeling today, Miss Kalama?" Dumbledore said four days after she had initially woken. Adeen shrugged and sighed.

"I'm feeling fine now, you know. When can I leave?" She asked for the third time. The professor hummed softly and took a seat on the bed next to hers.

"Adeen. I need you to understand the severity of what has happened," he started but Adeen cut him off.

"I already know, professor," she muttered. She clamped her hands shut and glanced tightly at the headmaster.

"I'm ready to leave the hospital wing," she repeated. She was a persistent one. Dumbledore finally agreed she could leave the following afternoon but that she would be on strict health watch. Every day for two weeks, Adeen was to report to Madam Pomfrey for a check-up. Adeen agreed to the conditions and felt lighter already, waiting for her release time.

~

Adeen stood alone again, in an empty, vast area. She saw nothing but darkness. She blew out a breath and glanced down at her hands. She looked around for the same tiny flame she had seen in her last dream...

But there was nothing.

She tried walking but she got nowhere. It was like she was stuck in place. She sighed and pinched herself. She hoped to inflict enough pain on herself so she could wake.

Instead, Adeen was surprised to find her skin cold again. She gingerly touched her face and gasped when she felt her cheeks icy cold. She stumbled back and fell to the ground. Her back felt immediate pain and she moaned in discomfort.

"I hate everything and everyone."

As she rose to her feet again, Adeen then felt a familiar burst of warmness.

But it wasn't her flame she felt.

It was the feeling that someone was next to her. But as the feeling began to grow and grow with no intention of stopping, Adeen felt the familiar burn rising in her stomach again. The Slytherin groaned at the growing pain.

"No not again, please," she whined and gripped her stomach. She fell to her knees and squeaked at the heat.

Just as she was about to succumb to the pain, she suddenly felt a cloud of warm, pleasing heat next to her. It was nothing like the painful fire she had experienced. It was beautiful and comforting. And she wanted to never let it disappear from her fingers.

But then she jerked awake.

She gasped for air and groaned as she struggled to catch her breath once again. She pierced her eyes shut in pain as she tried to not think about the discomfort banging on her head.

"Adeen?"

Her eyes grumily opened again and she sat up slowly.

Fred Weasley stood in front of her bed, looking down at her with both relief and concern. Adeen frowned lightly and moved her aching limbs in an attempt to stretch. She wanted to stand but all she felt was pain.

"Let me help you," Fred suddenly said as he rushed to her side and help onto her arm. The skin-to-skin contact shocked Adeen and she blushed softly when the familiar warm feeling she had felt earlier returned.

Her first instinct was to jerk her arm away. Instead, she let Fred help her to her feet. He held onto her gently as he made sure Adeen didn't fall to her knees. Adeen let out a breath as she stood for the first time in days. She whimpered as tried to take a step but her legs couldn't hold her, and she tumbled to the floor. Fred's Quidditch instincts kicked in and he wrapped his arms around her waist before she collapsed.

"Oh Adeen," he whispered before helping the Slytherin sit on her bed again.

Adeen could feel her face burning red, a mixture of embarrassment and pride.
She couldn't believe she was so weak in front of someone else. She would rather eat her left hand before a Gryffindor saw her in such a state.

But she couldn't help it. She was too weak to fight against Fred. She was too drained.

"Here."

Adeen looked up to see Fred handing her a glass of chilled water. She accepted it and chugged it down without hesitation.

"Do you need anything else?"

Adeen frowned as she returned to the cup. She glanced up at the redhead and cleared her throat.

"Why are you here?" She asked. Fred shrugged and glanced around the hospital wing, thankful it was empty.

"Felt like going out for a nice midnight walk," he said softly. He watched as Adeen's eyes fell to her fidgeting hands and she refused to look up. Fred took it as a sign to continue,

"I just needed to see if you were okay."

Adeen cleared her throat again and avoided eye contact.

"Thank you," she responded softly. She finally had enough courage to peek up at him and instantly blushed when she found Fred already staring at her.

Adeen took a deep breath. She could feel her temperature suddenly rising so she quickly tried her best to not torch the place by thinking of all the homework she needed to catch up on. Her face scrunched up as she realized she would be working long into the night to even come close to catching up. She knew it would take her months to even finish half of whatever essays Professor Snape assigned.

"Do you need me to take notes in class for you?"

It was as if Fred read her mind but Adeen suddenly chuckled at the thought of him actually paying attention in class. Fred grinned. It was the first time he had seen even a sliver of joy from the Slytherin and he was over the moon.

"Do you even know how to write?" Adeen mocked and Fred puffed his chest up.

"You insult me, Kalama," he said as he stood to his feet and gave a dramatic bow to the Slytherin, "I swear upon my life to take the most ideal notes for you! You have my word."

With those words, Fred sprinted out of the hospital wing. Adeen curiously watched as the redhead disappeared. She was left with a minor headache, one she had hoped Fred would magically take with him.

~

The headmaster made sure to show up for Adeen's release from the hospital. He stood behind her patiently as Madam Pomfrey gave her specific instructions for the next two weeks.

And as she finally walked out, she felt immediately much better. She was happy to get out of the stuffy wing.

"I expect you to listen to Madam Pomfrey, Miss Kalama. Down to the last detail," Professor Dumbledore said as he bowed his head to passing students. Adeen could feel the student's curious eyes on her. Normally, she didn't care about the stares but for some reason, she felt self-conscious. Adeen cleared her throat and fiddled with the sleeves of her school robes.

"I promise to do exactly what Madam Pomfrey said," Adeen responded softly. Together the two walked to the Slytherin dorm entrance. Once there, Dumbledore bid her farewell and strolled off. Adeen watched as he did and then entered her dorm once he was out of sight.

The common room was empty and Adeen liked it that way. She managed to avoid the gazes of her housemates for one night. Her dorm was also empty and Adeen was able to take a shower in peace.

A clean and refreshed Adeen sat on her bed and stared at her clock. It was almost dinner time and she knew she would have to go to the Great Hall to eat. If she didn't, she was sure Dumbledore would come and find her. Adeen took a deep breath, popped three of her purple pills and left the security of her dorm room.

Adeen usually did a good job of blending into her surroundings when she was alone. But today, it seems the release of her hospital stay was the top gossip of the day. The students cleared a path for her as she headed down to the Great Hall. Adeen scowled and refused to show her weakness.

But it was getting to her. The whispers were getting louder and the stares weren't breaking. She was ready to turn around and go back to her dorm to hide from the world and her headmaster when she was stopped by a group of Slytherins. Pansy Parkinson stood at the front and Adeen rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure why a fourth-year thought to get in her way was such a good idea, but Adeen was ready to make her regret it.

"Oh look, the house disgrace is out of the hospital," Pansy spat. Her friends snickered behind her. Adeen didn't flinch. She simply rolled her eyes and pushed past them.

Adeen would've ignored them. She would've gone down and eaten a nice meal.

But Parkinson opened her big, fat mouth again.

"It's a shame. If she would've died, she and her pathetic family would've reunited in hell."

Adeen wasn't known for being a forgiving person. She held grudges and liked to throw hands whenever she could.

And she did.

Or at least, she tried to.

Adeen spun on the heel of her feet and pulled her arm back, her fist ready to collide with Pansy's dog-like face.

But she never made it.

She was suddenly lifted off her feet as sent out non-kid-friendly threats to Pansy, causing the Slytherin and her friends to run off in fear.

"I know where you sleep, Parkinson!" Adeen screeched, her face red with anger and her temputpure increasing every second. She continued to fight against the arms holding her back but stopped when she heard a very familiar voice.

"Adeen, please. Don't get in trouble again."

She immediately calmed down. Once she stopped squirming, she was put down to her feet again. Adeen cleared her throat before turning to face her kidnapper.

"Why did you stop me from punching her heart out? Or whatever black sludge is in the place of her heart," Adeen hissed.

Cedric Diggory chuckled a little before pulling Adeen into a tight hug.

Adeen was a little surprised but didn't fight her friend.

"Hug me back, blockhead."

"If you ever stop me when I'm about to end someone's life, I'll murder you instead."

*unedited*

An extra long chapter for my lack of updates.

Hope y'all enjoy! Cheers