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Last of The Fae Chapter 32: "Troll Killer"
🕑 Added 2024-08-25 11:55:58 +0000 UTCThane knew that he was back in his body as before he even opened his eyes, his entire body screamed out in agony. Every muscle felt like overstretched rubber that refused to shrink back to its original strength and was only a single pull away from snapping, “Ow.”
Slowly opening his eyes Thane looked around only to find himself in a hospital bed surrounded by a privacy screen. Gritting his teeth Thane propped himself upright with tremendous strain before pulling back pulling back the privacy screen, “Hello is anyone around?”
“Thane is that you?” A elderly voice replied as Madam Pomfrey walked into view with a surprised look on her face, “My gods you’re awake.”
“Awake and in quite a lot of pain.” Thane replied as he tried to smile but failed as even that proved too much for his weakened body, “How long have I been knocked out?”
“Not long enough that’s for sure,” Madam Pomfrey answered with a frown as she quickly made her way over to Thane’s bed side, “You were severely mana deprived and had extensive damage to your pathways.”
“Oh that’s not good,” Thane agreed but with a noticeable nonchalantly that didn’t go over well with Madam Pomfrey, “This is serious issues, your pathways are the vessels that allow mana to circulate through your body. Damaging them can have irreversible effects on your ability to use magic.”
“I thought that pathways were supposed to be damaged so they could be repaired and grow back stronger, like a muscle,” Thane argued, being willfully ignorant.
Pomfrey rolled her eyes as she grabbed Thane’s arm and pressed her thumb into his wrist, “Not if you cause the muscle to completely tear, which in this scenario you came dangerously close too.”
Thane wisely chose to keep silent as he let Madam Pomfrey insect him, which was the right move as would have missed the tiny pulses of mana that rippled through his body from the tips of Madam Pomfrey’s finger tips, “What are you doing with your mana?”
Madam Pomfrey froze for a second before she continued moving her hand across Thane’s body, “I’m feeling for your pathways and seeing if they’re damaged. Can you really feel that?”
“Yeah, am I not supposed to?” Thane asked, while Pomfrey’s treatment wasn’t painful it wasn’t the most comfortable sensation.
“Even under normal circumstances most first years haven’t developed their pathways enough to sense mana fluctuations.” Pomfrey answered as she took her hands off of Thane, “But I hardly classify you as normal, from what I can see your pathways are almost completely healed.”
Thane almost didn’t seem to hear Madam Pomfrey’s announcement of his clean bill of health, “Madam Pomfrey, do you know alot about mana theory?”
“It was part of my curriculum to become a certified healer so I believe so. Why do you ask?” The matron responded.
“Do you know anything about ambient mana?” Thane continued.
“You mean the mana released after magic is cast?” Madam Pomfrey clarified.
Thane nodded, “In your studies have you ever come across a different definition for ambient mana?”
“No I can’t say I have,“ Madam Pomfrey answered with a shake of her head, “In other news I’m still going to keep you here in the infirmary for the rest of the week. Just to be safe.”
“I would protest but I have a feeling it wouldn’t end well for me,” Thane replied with a long sigh much to Madam Pomfrey’s chagrin.
“I see that our fearless hero is awake,” A wizened old voice echoed through the infirmary and Thane looked over only to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway.
“Headmaster, what a pleasant surprise,” Madam Pomfrey replied with a smile, “How nice of you to stop by.”
Dumbledore smiled from underneath his bear as he walked over, “Of course I paid a visit, after all it's not everyday that one of your students saves his friends from a rampage troll and manages to defeat it.”
“Defeat it…the troll’s not dead?” Thane asked in surprise.
“Oh heavens no,” Dumbledore replied with a glimmer in his eyes, “Trolls are nearly impossible to kill, which is why I’ve come to talk to you young Thane.”
Dumbledore then turned to address Madam Pomfrey, “Would you mind giving us some privacy Madam Pomfrey?”
“Of course Headmaster,” Madam Pomfrey replied before quickly walking away. Watching Dumbledore take the seat Matron had just occupied, Thane couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous, “Am I in trouble, Headmaster?”
“Why would you think that?” Dumbledore asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Because I broke the rules?” Thane asked slowly wondering if the Headmaster was giving him more rope to hang himself with.
Dumbledore shrugged, “Yes, but for good reason. Hermione, Ron and Harry all swore that you only got involved after learning of the dire situation and even stayed behind to fight the troll so they could escape.”
“I just didn’t want them to get hurt,” Thane replied with sincerity.
“A noble cause indeed, but just how did you manage to defeat the troll?” Dumbledore asked as he leaned in closer.
“Not easily, as you can clearly see,” Thane replied with a smile that Dumbledore returned, “While I like to say I had a plan, I really just threw a bunch of spells at the monster until it gave up.”
“Yes, quite a lot of spells, several of which I’m certain you didn’t learn in charms class,“ Dumbledore accused still with a friendly smile on his face.
“Every spell I used I learned from books in the library, I didn’t even go into the restriction section,” Thane swore.
“Yes, but how do you explain the fairly sizable snake the Professors found wrapped around the troll’s neck,” Dumbledore asked with an expression that said, ‘checkmate.’
Thane fell silent as he realized he had been played, and let out a long sigh, “That was the result of an empowered version of the snake summoning charm.”
Dumbledore’s eyebrows rose in surprise, “A creation of your own making?”
“Yes,” Thane admitted after a moment of hesitation, “I mean if you can really call it that, the spellform was pretty easy to dissect. I just had to change the mana input and add a word to the incantation.”
Dumbledore shook his head with a light chuckle, “You’re Professors have sung your praises Thane, but I think they’ve undersold your genius. But I guess at this point there’s only one thing to do.”
“And that would be?” Thane asked nervously.
“Submit an application to the ministry to have your spell document with you as the creator,” Dumbledore replied with a grin before he stood up with a groan, “Now if you’ll excuse this bag of bones, I’ll let you get your rest.”
Thane blinked wondering what had just happened as Dumbledore quickly shuffled out of the infirmary without another word. Shaking his head after a second, Thane exhaled as he slowly slid back down to lay down in his hospital bed, “That was more stressful than fighting the troll.”
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Two days later Thane was almost back to one hundred percent and he could even walk around without discomfort but Madam Pomfrey refused him to leave early. During that week Thane had never been more grateful that he had compiled every book he ever touched into his grimoire. Without the stimulus Thane was confident he would have gone insane sitting around with nothing to do.
Well that wasn’t completely true, two days into his recovery in the infirmary Pomfrey allowed people to visit Thane but even then if anyone stayed for more than a handful of minutes the matron would start kicking them out.
Surprisingly Thane’s first visitor had been Padma, which was surprising that outside of charms glass they barely interacted. Though Thane was grateful for the company nonetheless. Ron and Harry had been next though Hermione was notably absent and when Thane asked about it the two refused to comment.
And while Thane enjoyed it somewhat he started turning visitors away when random people he had never spoken to started showing up at the infirmary and trying to get a glimpse of him like a lion at the zoo.
Though a quick word to Madam Pomfrey and she put an end to it. For the rest of his stay at the infirmary Thane got to enjoy some time along with his books in relative peace and solitude, that was until the last day when Hermione finally decided to stop by and pay a visit.
