Closed A Chapter Closed...Hopefully open

@Illowy Magnard

The broad grin didn't fade when she exited the Hospital Wing. She couldn't remember when she'd last smiled so much, and of course there were still a dozen things she could be worrying about, several tied to the very certainty of this cure, but she was going to avoid thinking about that right now. A moment to celebrate, to pretend everything was great, had been earned, right?

So instead she thought about all the things she was going to do now that she was--fingers-crossed--free of the curse. She would write her parents, maybe in a week to be completely sure. They would want to hear she was healed. And maybe this would lift Flash's spirits; though not cursed, he'd searched for a solution, had felt similarly hopeless when they were getting nowhere. It wasn't perfect closure, the origin and exact nature of the curse still unknown, and so many things were still wrong, but it was a win and that was something.

But before any of that, there was one person at the forefront of her mind: Illowy. The first person she'd talked to after leaving the Hospital Wing that night over a year ago, the pain of the curse barely even memory yet and the weight of the situation only just setting in. She couldn't really remember now what she'd even said, but in the months that followed, they'd worked together in research, become friends. They'd been together through the adjacent struggles, like Illowy dealing with her highly visible scarring. Illowy had mentioned in the spring she used to wear dresses often, and maybe she would do that again.

She'd seen her going in, offering just a short wave, not in the mood to talk then. Now, she came to stop beside her. "Hi." What should she even say? There were so many things and she didn't really know how to formulate them into words. She allowed herself a second to sort through them, sighing and leaning her head against the wall. As ecstatic as she felt, maybe some of the exhaustion from dealing with the curse for so long was setting in. "So," she began after a moment, "do you think we really cured it?"

That was what she settled on, best synthesizing the hope and hesitation stirring in her head. Illowy had been cured the longest, so if any of them had a solid sense of the answer to that, it was her. As she watched her friend, awaiting an answer, she was really hoping for a yes. Her grin had faded to something more reasonable--she knew Illowy to be honest, but Bridget would have struggled to tell a happy friend if it was bad news--a corner still stubbornly tilted up. At least if it was a no she'd bring her expectations down sooner rather than later when they had a chance to take root.

A small smile lifted Illowy's nervous expression when she saw Bridget exit the wing grinning. A sure sign that things had gone well for her housemate. The brunette returned the other's wave with a small one of her own, relaxing a bit as Bridget came to stand beside her. They all deserved this bit of hope, a chance savor this fleeting highlight of their year and believe everything would be better from here. Of course, Illowy knew better. This was just one thing gone well, and there was plenty of time for some other horror to fall over the school. But at least for just this moment, they could enjoy themselves.

When Bridget asked if she felt they were really cured, Illowy gave a small tilt of her head, "I've not had any pain, I've not needed to come back for the potion, and I've checked every day to make sure no sign of the marks has come back." she explained before turning to look at her friend, "I imagine that, if it weren't really fixed, by now I'd have felt something. But so far I'm fine. I think this is it. Its over, Bridget." she spoke honestly, offering a soft smile to the other.

Seeing herself in the mirror still felt odd. She still had trouble recognizing herself. How many hours had she spent in front of a mirror in the last month looking for any sign of the marks? It was like she was making up for all the time she'd avoided the mirror when cursed. Relearning what she looked like, trying to figure out if she'd changed so much since her twelve year old self had been curse. Now she looked like a proper young lady. If she were more vein, she'd even believe she'd come to be quite pretty.

Sometimes, she'd even wake up in the wee hours of the morning from a nightmare, and have to see herself, reconfirm that the curse was truly still gone. Illowy imagined her feelings would probably be shared with many of the cursed students, and she'd still worry for them. However, she needed to believe that in this respect, they would all be okay now. She needed to believe that for her own sanity.

@Illowy Magnard

Illowy's response was exactly what she needed to hear. It was laid out logically, ticking through all the symptoms that had not returned. Bridget hadn't known if she'd still been taking the potion, as it had seemed like something that might be done to be extra safe, but the fact she hadn't and nothing had surfaced was convincing. The most pessimistic line of thought would be that burning the curse had changed it, made it something invisible, but it seemed unlikely. If all those things were gone, why would the threat to their lives remain?

The conclusion it's over carried with it a sureness. Illowy was smart, and if she was confident in this, it made it easier for Bridget to be as well. And besides, the mere fact she was seeing her arm curse-free made her inclined to believe it. With so long of no tangible progress whatsoever, if this were to be an imperfect fix, it was at least a step in the right direction. Trial and error. They hadn't gotten anywhere before now because they hadn't truly tried anything.

She nodded, both to Illowy and her internal thought process. "I might have to hold my breath on it for a bit longer still, but I think you're right." She held her arm up in front of her face, not yet having examined it closely. No amount of squinting picked up any of the black. "I mean, just the fact you can't see it anymore." This was her arm, and for the first time in a while, it looked like any other normal arm. It might take a certain amount of getting used to, seeing her classmates, Illowy included, without the markings, but it would be a good getting used to.

Indeed, it was weird to note how Illowy didn't look like quite the same person anymore. What she'd looked like before February of their second year had long since become difficult to recall, and there was also the fact they'd been growing since then. Beyond the removal of the threat the curse might pose to them, a major plus was the fact Illowy--all of them--no longer had to deal with the highly noticeable black veins marring their skin. No more insecurity piled on top of everything else. "So, does it feel good?"

Illowy thought she could almost see her friend visibly relax under her reassurance. That was a such a good feeling, to be able to offer a bit of hope and comfort, not only to someone she cared about, but to another cursed as well. That was what she'd spent so many sleepless nights, and countless hours reading everything that might provide a lead to achieve. While it was a little disappointing that she wasn't the one who discovered the answer, at least she knew she'd never given up, and she'd played some part in the positive conclusion of this waking nightmare.

She smiled again as her friend looked over her arm with no sign of the blackness there to stain her skin anymore, "If anything were to change, I'd probably be the first to have a sign of it. And I promise if anything does change, I'll tell you." she grinned, "But I really don't think it will." Illowy felt more confident in that belief each time she said it aloud.

When Bridget asked how she felt, the other snake hesitated, trying to pinpoint the answer, "Honestly, its been weird." she answered sheepishly, a hand awkwardly resting against her neck, "I don't quite recognize myself now. I feel like my face looks different, and every time we'd normally go to get potion and I wouldn't go... it was a bit overwhelming." Illowy struggled with her less the eloquent attempts at trying to describe the strange, sweet aftermath of being cured, "You get that foreboding feeling. Like something terrible is going to happen, and you have to remind yourself that you're okay now." maybe that wasn't the most comforting thing to say, but it was honest, "You learn though, and each time it bothers you less." she added.

Quickly trying to shift to something a bit less troubling, she said, "I think I'm becoming vain. I'm pretty sure half the time I'm getting ready in the morning is spent looking in the mirror." she laughed, "Promise me, if I start turning into one of those self-image obsessed girls, you'll knock some sense into me." with the news of the cure finally spread about the school, Illowy didn't feel as much need to hide her new self; it had felt inappropriate to celebrate until she knew Nurse Brumby was confident this was the answer. With the cure open to all the cursed now, she felt more liberty to be confident in her appearance. Naturally there's nothing wrong to taking pride in one's outward appearance, but she certainly didn't want to become one of those girls who was consumed by it.

@Illowy Magnard

She nodded at Illowy's promise to keep her in the loop if she noticed anything. She was right, it would be her. It had always been Illowy at the head of the curse, which had been pretty terrifying. As the months without answer had stretched on, especially, the concerns over what happened when the curse got far enough loomed ever bigger, like storm clouds rolling in. The potion at least mostly stopped the progression of the curse, but if it was creeping forward at even the tiniest rate, eventually they would run out of time, and Illowy would be the first to suffer those consequences. It held such murky consequences as to facilitate denial but worsen how ominous it was.

But with each repetition of the fact they were cured, free, the curse--hopefully--gone from their veins forever, that set of worries rose off her shoulders, carried by a balloon that would rise higher and higher until she couldn't see it anymore. This was over. Her friend was safe, her schoolmates were safe, she was safe. Granted, Hogwarts as a whole still wasn't the epitome of a safe learning environment, but the perhaps most sinister threat to them was gone.

She listened closely as Illowy described how she felt with all of it; Bridget knew she'd struggled with the curse, and it would be nice to hear the change had brought her peace. From the sound of it, it was maybe not such a perfect transition. That made sense. Taking the potion had become such an integral part of their routine, pounded into them by the threat of experiencing the blinding pain again. Especially at first, she knew she'd reminded herself constantly throughout the day that she needed to go, anxious she would forget. That had wormed into her mind, and eventually she didn't treat it like such an occasion every time, but now that Illowy said it, she wondered if this time next week she'd feel odd, compelled to make the trip to the Hospital Wing even though she knew she didn't need to. "Yeah. I bet it will be weird, not going."

And as for the matter of appearance, what she'd most been thinking of when she'd asked her question, she couldn't help but laugh when Illowy admitted to staring at herself in the mirror. Well, she did look quite different, and she was pretty. "You have my word." It was mostly a joking promise, though she would hate to lose her intelligent friend to shallow vanity. "But I think you'll just get used to it," she added with a shrug. "I mean, at this point you're looking at a pretty different you, but eventually it will be this you that you expect to see."

One side leaning against the wall, she glanced over her other shoulder to the Hospital Wing. It was quite an efficient system they had going in there, with all the interns to help. It felt a bit weird for the answer to be a mere second year spell--she'd always figured it would be something advanced, since the curse seemed some sort of complex dark magic--but if it worked, it worked. "Have most people looked happy coming out?" She didn't see why they wouldn't, but she kind of just wanted to hear, from someone who'd seen it herself, that there were smiles and sighs of relief going around. Some cursed the night of the spider attack were even younger than her, first years at the time. Some of the more recent cursed from Ravenclaw, younger still. It had been a lot to deal with at their age, and though she didn't know many of them very well, there was a certain sense of camaraderie from it.

After a few minutes, she would pipe up with an idea. "Do you want to celebrate it? Maybe at Hogsmeade this weekend?" It certainly wasn't anything big or showy she had in mind, and the back of her head whispered that it was too early, that she shouldn't jinx it. Perhaps that was what they needed, a little treat to commemorate being cured, to make them believe that this really was behind them.

Illowy had never been ignorant of her precarious situation. Though she rarely, if ever, had said it aloud, the idea of what might've happened had the curse reached it's pinacol was terrifying. However, she wasn't sure what had scared her more; the idea of death or worse then death, or the idea that her legacy would have been simply one of many soon to be faceless memories of the poor, lost cursed. A short footnote in the history of the school, unnamable in a pitied collective. It had kept her up through long nights, and weighed on her shoulders every time she caught a glimpse of a scar. Not that she felt like she ought to disclose such feelings.

Someone had to be the example. What would it have said to the other's who'd already lost faith in their teachers, if the last cursed had given up as well? Illowy never had been one to go down easily, she never back down, she refused defeat until she was on the ground and unable to get up. Such a high standard for one so young to expect of herself, but there didn't seem to be another answer. It'd been proven to her that, even though Nurse Brumby had pulled through for them this time, one couldn't always depend on anyone, even their superiors, to save them.

At least for now, Illowy was satisfied with the part she'd played, and the knowledge that she'd done some good to help her peers. Especially her friends that had suffered with her. They could sleep at ease knowing they were safe from this, and soon it would just be a memory they'd never have to think of again.

The girl smiled a bit as her friend promised not to allow her to get too caught up in her own vanity, "I guess part of me expected to look twelve still." she giggled sheepishly. The passage of time was so strange. Two summers, two springs, two falls, and a winter and a half when you broke it down. So much had happened since then. So much hiding and working and stressing. With that gone now, the world felt as though it were opening up to her again.

When Bridget asked if people were looking happy as they left the Hospital Wing, Illowy's eyes returned to the door, giving a small nod, "Aye. The recently cursed have been looking more relieved I think. I saw Opeila come out earlier looking more excitable then ever. But I think many from our house are still a bit nervous. Its been so long, I think its harder to adjust to the idea of actually being cured. They'll be okay though, I think." it would be a huge adjustment for those who'd suffered longer. Thankfully the more recently afflicted hadn't been made to live with the curse for too long. Especially the young ones. Illowy had always kept a soft place for the first years, and it tore her up to imagine them having gone through what they had.

A couple minutes of silence fell between the snakes, watching as students shuffled in and out of the hospital wing. Then Bridget voiced her suggestion of a little celebration at Hogsmead, and Illowy couldn't help but light up at the idea, "I think that's exactly what we should do. It'll be fun. I think after all this, we deserve a bit of proper fun without this mess looming over us." she agreed.

@Illowy Magnard

I guess part of me expected to look twelve still. Bridget supposed they had changed a lot in the time they were cursed. No inky curse had extended to her face, so she didn't really notice the changes, but nearly two years was a lot of time to grow and change at their age. And mentally, they were probably the furthest thing from twelve; they'd had to mature quickly to deal with curses and dangers, bearing more worries than kids were meant to.

Illowy reported happiness and relief leaving the Hospital Wing, as hoped. She was glad to hear the specific account of Opeila's excitement. The third year had never really felt younger, organizing interrogation attempts and surely dealing with just as much as Bridget was. Maybe this weight taken off their shoulders would let them act a little more their age, though she wasn't sure she knew what that looked like, exactly. Even just letting go of worries was easier said than done, being so used to paranoid thought processes to catch warning signs and still unconvinced one cure meant things as a whole would be much different.

But they'd see, in time. Like Illowy said, they needed time to adjust, and it was impossible to predict what tomorrow would hold. At least it seemed like the back-of-her-mind consideration that the curse might cut her off from tomorrow would finally be gone. Taking back a little more sense of control was nice.

Illowy agreed to her suggestion. It would be fun. They had won over this curse, and they were going to celebrate it. They would push back the lingering uncertainty, the hesitance to believe they were out of the woods yet. And there was no one she'd rather celebrate with. In a way, she did have the curse to thank for this friendship, uniting them in their plight and research. Maybe it would have happened anyway--they had a lot in common, would have grown familiar through the duelling team--and of course she would have rather not had the whole thing happen, but she was glad to have Illowy. "It's a plan, then." They would work out the details and stand watch a while longer, nothing foreign in their veins for the first time in a long time.

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