Hogwarts: The Blood Mage

The journey from King's Cross to Hogsmeade lasted nine hours, giving Aidan and Silas plenty of time to catch up. Fortunately, the Prefects were expected to leave the carriage at intervals during the trip to ensure everything was in order throughout the train. That would allow them some privacy —though the other Head Boys and Girls would remain present.

Before they could slip away to a quieter corner, Aidan and Silas were approached by a girl neither of them recognised.

"Hey there!" she greeted brightly. "Erm... I'm a transfer student from Durmstrang, and I don't really know anyone here... but I heard you two talking and you seemed nice, so I thought maybe you could help me settle in?"

"A transfer in seventh year?" Silas asked, incredulous.

"And you're the Head Girl... for Ravenclaw?" Aidan added, even more so. "I was sure it would be Amelia... Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it or anything —it's just a bit of a surprise."

"Don't worry about it!" the girl told Aidan, waving off his concern. "No offence taken. I understand it's not the most normal of circumstances."

"Well, I'm Aidan Haimadros, and this doofus here is Silas Abbott." Aidan introduced, offering a hand to the transfer student.

Accepting the handshake with a smile, she replied, "I'm Alva Íkornsdóttir."

The trio began chatting about unimportant things, testing the waters, trying to get a feel for each other's limits. They learned that Alva was Swedish, an excellent student — rivaling Aidan — and deeply interested in understanding magic. From there, the conversation flowed easily, as they shared similar interests, until Silas decided to shake the newly formed foundation of their relationship with a more personal question.

"Mind if I ask how you ended up transferring for the last year?" he said, steering the conversation into more inquisitive territory. Little did he know he'd just opened a can of worms.

"Well, I was having issues with Durmstrang's curriculum and the way they went about it." she replied matter-of-factly — but it didn't quite convince the boys. Silas, as people-smart as a Slytherin could get, immediately sensed she was holding something back. Aidan, on the other hand, felt something else — not quite certain how, but he could sense her apprehension in answering.

"So, I heard something about Aidan while you two were talking earlier." Alva said, pivoting the conversation away from herself. "Something about you being the 'Low-key Prince of the Crows'? Does that have anything to do with your looks? Maybe that red eye?"

Silas and Aidan exchanged a brief glance. She was digging. They'd been carefully avoiding the topic of Aidan's eye in front of the others, since it was clearly tied to his new surname. She wanted in on the secret.

"Not really." Aidan said calmly. He wasn't quite as skilled as Silas when it came to manipulating conversations, but he'd picked up a few tricks over the years. "Something about my dashing looks and book smarts."

"His demeanour helps." Silas added mockingly. "He's always oh-so-calm, as if he's above any reaction."

"I see." Alva muttered, drawing out the vowels more than necessary. She was clearly determined to figure out what the whole thing was about — and her curiosity was only growing.

"Well, I can agree on the looks-side of things." She added with a teasing grin. "But book smarts? That's my domain."

"Maybe you'll become the new 'Queen of the Crows'." Silas replied, not expecting her reaction to the joke.

"Uhm, uuh… I don't know about that..." she stammered as a blush crept into her cheeks. "Wouldn't that be, like, us being shipped?"

Aidan and Silas exchanged a look —then immediately burst out laughing. They both knew how Hogwarts worked. Unfortunately for her, she and Aidan would be shipped even if no one ever saw them speak again. And worse yet, the Head Boys and Girls of other Houses had already seen them talking. 

"Sorry to pop your bubble, but any pretty girl who walks the halls of Hogwarts has been shipped with me for at least a week." Aidan explained when he sensed she hadn't quite appreciated them laughing —even though it was clear they hadn't been laughing at her.

'Wait, how did I feel she was getting annoyed?' Aidan thought, unable to suppress the confusion spreading across his face.

"What is it? Are you feeling okay?" Alva asked, noticing his sudden shift in mood.

"Hm? Oh —yeah, yeah, it's nothing." he replied, waving it off. "You know, you really ought to try and placate your curiosity a little."

Again, the words slipped out as if he'd heard her emotions speak to him. He could feel her curiosity —sharp, digging, relentless. Then he felt Silas's concern for him. Then a sea of emotions crashed into him, each one distinct yet indistinguishable, and they quickly began to overwhelm him. 

Doing his best to maintain his composure, Aidan stood and excused himself, claiming he needed to use the bathroom. His steps were unsteady as he made his way out, the growing swarm of foreign emotions making it increasingly difficult to focus even on moving his own body.

He had read about this in the grimoire —the awakening— but he hadn't expected it to surface at the worst possible moment, nor with such overwhelming force.

As soon as he reached the bathroom, Aidan closed the door and locked it with a Colloportus —the counter-charm to Alohomora. Leaning against the sink, Aidan grabbed his head with both hands. He had to focus, as hard as it was in his situation. 

"Come on, Aidan." He muttered through gritted teeth, the emotions swarming his mind and giving him the worst headache he'd ever had. "You've read about this — what are you supposed to do?"

Then he remembered —as if a loose ray of sunlight had broken through the clouds to illuminate the path. He could turn it off. He had read that much. The question was how?

"It's an ability of your bloodline, Aidan." He said aloud, trying to steady his mind by focusing on a solution rather than the headache. "I should be able to control it... I just need to focus."

And so he did. He began by muting the furthest emotions —those faint, distant echoes that barely brushed his awareness. A student birthing a hopeless crush, a first-year quietly crying in fear —all of it faded.

Then came the closer ones, more vivid but still outside his immediate reach. A couple feeling both nervous and excited, scattered bursts of joy, someone caught in a wave of embarrassment —and then silence.

Lastly, the nearest and clearest impressions, amongst which were Silas' genuine concern and Alva's probing curiosity. Feeling more grounded, Aidan lingered briefly on Alva —just enough to pick out the layers beneath the surface. Excitement about a fresh start, fear of being misunderstood, and a small but sincere flicker of worry for him.

With that, he let it all go. The noise vanished. Stillness returned.

In that moment, he realised two very important things.

First —he was blessed to be able to control his ability.

And second...

He was absolutely going to abuse it.

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What do you think of the awakening of his empathy? I did my best at making it gradual and tease it throughout the chapter, but I still wanted to make it feel as something very related to adolescence and hormonal changes —sometimes sudden, unexpected, and potent.