Hey everybody…
Raj:Ok now… First aid and all are done… Now tell us all what happened at the alley!! And I am warning you both… You dare not lie… Coz I was there when they were trying to take Nandini with them…
MaNan gulp hard and look at each other worriedly… They both then nod and start…
FB SHOWS…
MaNan go from Hecate as Navya says… They are flying on the broom bike… Nandini is enjoying the ride… Manik is riding/flying it while Nandini is sitting in front of him closing her eyes, smiling and keeping one hand on her cheeks while her elbow resting on the joining area of the handles… Manik sees her sitting quietly and turns suspicious… He leans forward and looks at her face… He smiles seeing a peaceful expression on her face…
Manik: So you are enjoying it??
Nandini: A lot!! I am loving it…!!
Manik: Beware because… If I will increase the speed, you may fall off if you continue to sit like the way you are right now…
Nandini: Don’t worry… Nothing will happen to me unless I want… (Manik thinks she is joking) and you don’t know me… I was best at bike racing… Even the boys of town couldn’t defeat me…!!
Manik: But there is a difference… The muggles do it on the roads while we fly in the air…
Nandini: Well… Whatever… I just wanted to say that I am not afraid of speed, heights or anything… So don’t worry about me…
Manik: You are so full of yourself!!!
Nandini: Of course… I love being me… Coz no one else can be Nandini Murthy even if they try…!!
Manik smiles… So does Nandini…
Nandini: Look…. We reached… Get me down…
She tries getting off as Manik lowers his broom bike but he leaves one handle and holds her belly from back to prevent her from jumping off…
Nandini’s breath gets struck in her throat as Manik holds her like that… Her heart skips a beat but then she composes herself…
Manik: What do you think it is? A muggle vehicle?? You were planning to jump off!!!!
Nandini: Ok fine… But leave me at least!!!
Manik: No! I won’t!! I can’t trust you in these matters…
He lands the bike and leaves her as well as the handle so that she can get off…. She gets off And after that Manik… He makes his bike small about keeps it in his pocket… They both start going towards the shops in alley….Manik is following Nandini as she is pulling his hand and running from one place to another like a child in funfair… She happily looks at all the shops… Manik smiles seeing her…
She then stops and looks at Manik…
Nandini: Do you know where will we get the ingredients?? I really don’t know…
She smiles sheepishly… Manik Chuckles at her cute childish behavior and nods… He holds her hand properly and they both start going to the required shop… Nandini smiles seeing their hands together and happily follow them… They Happen to pass by Wandatorium and recall the things related to their wand and them… They move forward and suddenly stop at the place where they met for the first time (of course they don’t know that it’s them)… They both recall the incident… And then their mysterious mind readers… It’s ironical that they were at the same place together when they first met, unknown to each other and today they are again at the same place,hand in hand, with each other,knowing each other but still unknown to each other… They both recall each other’s hidden face… Manik’s grip on Nandini’s hand loosens and her hand also slips out of his grip… They both made no efforts… Now they were walking together but separately…
Manik: This is one of the shop… Just look what all ingredients we get here and then we will go for another one… And you will do it by yourself… Let’s see how much you learnt in one night about the potions and it’s ingredients…
Nandini: Are you underestimating Nandini Murthy!!!??? Hello Mr. Manik Malhotra… Don’t you dare do that… Coz you will regret… Now you will see Nandini Murthy can never be imperfect in anything…!!
She helds her nose high and walks into the shop… Manik laughs seeing her attitude… He is watching her amused as she is often being confused between ingredients and is not having a very pleasant time and is not even letting the shopkeeper help her… Manik decides to go and complete the work as soon as possible coz they have to return college as well… As he is about to go in,he feels being watched… He turns and sees a shadow like person wearing a long black silhouetted robe hoodie trying to hide and running…
Manik finds it really suspicious and decides to follow it… He goes behind the silhouetted shadowy person… He doesn’t know why but he wants to follow the person… He feels some kind of connection with that person…
There Nandini gets really confused for an ingredient and decides to take Manik’s help… She turns to call Manik but sees him going somewhere…
Nandini: Now where is he going leaving me alone??? (To shopkeeper) I will be back soon…
She leaves and follows him… Manik goes blindly following the person whereas Nandini tries to catch up with him… She thinks where is he going… The place seems creepy to her… She reads a signboard… THE KNOCK-TURN ALLEY…
Nandini: Dad never told me about this alley… It’s far from the Hogsmede alley as well… And where is this guy going… This place feels creepy… I think I should call him…MANIK!!!MANIK!!!!
Manik heres how name and turns to see Nandini running about calling him out… He then turns other way and sees the silhouetted person nowhere…
Nandini runs and comes to him…
Nandini: God!!! You walk with such long strides!!! I had to run to catch up with you…!!!
She huffs…
Manik: Where that person went?? Just now I saw and another moment vanish!!! How is that possible…??
Nandini: Who vanished? And why you came here?? This place is so creepy!!!
Manik looks around and realizes that he doesn’t know where he is!! The place is all deserted and the shops are closed… A breeze is blowing which is not at all giving a good vibe…
Manik: Where are we??
Nandini looks at him unbelievably :Some KNOCK-TURN ALLEY…
Manik: What!! Nandini we need to get out from here soon… This place is not good…!!
Nandini: But why??
Manik: Because KNOCK-TURN ALLEY is known for its dark magic… This place is not safe for good witches and wizards… The evil ones come here often to get things related to dark magic… Let’s leave from here as soon as possible…
Nandini nods and they both turn to go… Manik gives a last glance to the direction where the person vanished… Just then he hears Nandini’s voice!! He turns to see Nandini looking with wide eyes at the sky… He follows her gaze to see numerous Cornish Pixies flying towards them….
Nandini: What are these creatures???
Manik: They are Cornish Pixies!! And they are coming towards us!!! Nandini run!!! They can be really devilous!! Run!!!
He runs and Nandini follows him… They are about to reach a turn and are only few meters away when the person in the silhouetted hoodie comes walking out of the turn slowly and creepily… MaNan stop in their track at once and look at the silhouetted person… Manik is really worried whereas Nandini keeps on looking at the person frowning her eyebrows… She doesn’t know why but she can’t take her eyes off!! She feels some connection with the one standing in front of her… The person turns and Nandini can see her face well covered… There’s only a small opening left between the edges of the hoodie and mask from which the eyes are visible… Those eyes are really scary and ferocious… A shiver runs down her spine as she sees them and she gulps hard… She starts feeling weak in her knees… But then she is strong and bold, she cannot be harmed… She sees the person aiming wand towards the Pixies… She thinks it to be help but the next moment her opinion changed as she looked into the eyes… She read it!!! A blue jet of ray escapes from the top of the wand and hit the large group of Pixies…
There Manik is worried for him and Nandini… He suddenly see the Pixies were at hault for a moment… He doesn’t wanted to miss the chance so he holds Nandini’s hand and steps ahead to escape but she doesn’t moves… He looks at her only to find her staring intensely at the silhouetted person…
Manik: Nandini!!! What are you doing?? Let’s run from here… They are at hault for a moment… That person is giving us a chance to run…!!
**(Before you think anything else, let me remind you that Manik was looking at the Pixies all the while so he doesn’t know what the silhouetted person had done and thinks that it’s an attempt to help them…)**
Nandini (in a grave voice) :No Manik… It’s not the help… That person is not our savior but our attacker!!
Manik looks at her bewildered!! He then looks at Pixies and three of them are preparing some kind of magical dusts between their claw like hands and aims at Nandini… They throw the dust balls at her…
Manik: Nandini!!! Be careful!!!
He comes in front of her hiding her in his embrace hugging her from his right hand and extending his left hand to cover her completely… He closes his eyes turning his face away from the coming dust ball attack…
Nandini hugs him tightly with both her hands and closes her eyes… She becomes conscious and turns Manik…
Nandini: Aaahhh..!!!!
Manik(opening her eyes instantly) :Nandini!!!
She has got few cuts on her left hand… she looks at him in worry and then at the Pixies angrily… She angrily looks angrily them…
As soon as she sees them in anger the Pixies who aimed at them instantly get burned and their ashes fall on the ground…
Manik senses that Nandini is really angered by this… And so is Pixies’ master,the silhouetted person… He can see the raging eyes and he too reads that the Pixies are being instructed to curse them…
The other Pixies,under hypnosis obey the command… They start creating another dust ball… Manik understands that they both alone can’t face them all together… He thinks what to do… Suddenly he remembers that he secretly learnt a protective sheild spell… Now it’s time to see the practical effects… He leans in to Nandini and whispers something in her ears so that no one could hear… She nods… They both turn their back to each other and then say together…
MaNan: Salvio Hexia!!!!
A protective sheild covers the area… They both then turn to their right and repeat the spell… The sheild joins each other from all the sides and cover them protectively…
Nandini (looking at the Pixies) :Will it work??
Manik: I don’t know… Even I am trying it for the first time…
They both are looking at the Pixies… They throw their cursed dust towards them… It seems as if a Gale has occurred and there is brown dust all around…Nandini closes her eyes and hugs Manik… He also doesn’t want to see it and closes his eyes and hugs her back… They thought that their sheild wouldn’t be able to sustain the curse and they will live only for few moments…Nandini slides her hands up his back and tigthens her grip… Even in this situation, Nandini’s touch is giving goosebumps to Manik… He also reciprocates the hug and tigthens his grip around her waist… His other hand moving softly on her head… Nandini feels good… They be like that for few seconds counting backwards… But nothing happens…
They open their eyes and look around… Their sheild actually worked… They were safe…
Nandini: Oh My God!! Manik we did it!!!
Manik: Yes Nandini,our sheild is the successful one!!!!!!!
Both of them get elated… They look at each other happily… Nandini being a little more excited jumps towards Manik and encircling her arms around his neck she hugs him… Manik also out of reflex lifts her up reciprocating her hug by encircling his hand around her waist…. They both express their happiness and are lost in each other… Just then they hear a crack sound… They both open their eyes and remember their situation and then their position… Manik puts Nandini down and she also removes her hand from around his neck… They look around… Cracks are forming on the surface of their shield… The Pixies and their instructor is doing everything to break their sheild… The cracks are getting huge and huge…
Manik: This sheild won’t stay for long… We need to do something!!!
Nandini: But what!! We are freshers… We don’t know much… Only few things which we learnt either secretly or by our parents… We have to break the hypnosis of these Pixies…!!
Manik: And stop the instructor from ordering them…!!
Nandini: But there are so many of them both of us have to deal with Pixies first… We have to break their hypnosis…!!
Manik: A jerk always breaks a hypnosis… We have to give them a jerk… Something which will make them come out of that person’s control!!!
Nandini nods and looks around..!! She sees some stones lying nearby and an idea strikes her mind… She tip toes and reaches Manik’s ears… She whispers something… Manik looks at her in appreciation… She smirks… Nandini collects the stones and stays ready… Manik also stays ready with his wand…
As the sheild breaks,Nandini throws the stones up in the air towards the Pixies…
The instructor stands there still thinking that till the time they will hit them one by one,it will be too late and both of them will be finished…
Nandini signs Manik… He points his wand at the stone and says…
Manik: Bombarda Maxima!!!!!
The stone blasts making a hhhuuugggeee explosion… MaNan close their ears…
The instructor was unprepared for it and eventually falls on ground hearing the explosion…
The hypnosis on the Pixies breaks and all of them gain their conscience…
MaNan look at each other happily thinking the problem solved… Little did they knew that the Cornish Pixies are the biggest mess in magical world… They are those little creatures who love doing mischievous activities, creating mess and harming others….
Manik: I think so much of stone wasn’t needed…
Nandini: Ha… Even I am thinking that now… I just picked so much to be on a safer side…
Both were unaware of the attack about to happen on them from both… The attacker gets angered seeing the plan failing and takes out the wand…
On the other side,the Pixies fly towards Nandini and snatches the stones from her hands… She gets a scratch on her hand as she wasn’t aware of the attack!!
Nandini: Ouch!!! Hey!!!! Ouch!!!
They both look at the Pixies who fly back high and aims the stone at them… They throw it… MaNan together dodge it and the stone hits the attacker… The Pixies are elated at their mischieves…
MaNan laugh seeing the attacker being attacked…
The attacker gets angered by this and aims the wand at Nandini… For the first time speaking the spell aloud…
Attacker :Locomotor Mortis!!!
Nandini sees the attack happening on her and Manik standing in between them ,she pushes him but in the process,she gets attacked by the leg locker curse… She falls down and is unable to move her legs…
Manik’s mind diverts and he looks at Nandini… He calls out Nandini out of concern and goes to her… Meanwhile the Pixies aim stone at him and throw it… Nandini sees it and shouts at Manik to be careful… He looks back and dodges the stone…Pixies next aim Nandini and thankfully she sees it this time… As the stone is coming near her,it changes it’s way and goes and hits back at the Pixie only who threw it at her… Manik thinks she did that by her eyes as she is unable to move and save herself…and can do magic with her eyes..
The attacker stands up and points the wand at Nandini… Both MaNan notice that and are tensed… But before the attacker could do something,Few of the Pixies come there and starts dragging Nandini holding both her hands and some of them her hairs… Her leg scratches on the ground and she gets injuries in one of her foot and it bleeds…Manik tries to save her but in vain… They fly up with her and her wand slips off her hand… Manik catches it… She shouts for help up in the air… Manik sees a Pixie aiming stone at Nandini hanging in mid air… He instantly points wand at it and shouts…
Manik: Stupefy!!!!
Nandini at once stops wriggling and looks at Manik shocked… Hanging in the mid also, She instantly recalls the market incident where her mind reader saved her using this charm and said it in the same tone and same voice… Even Manik’s eyes resembled his… She then comes out of her thought as a Pixie pulls her hair little bit more… She shouts again…
On the other side,The attacker is about to attack, Manik turns and sees the pointed wand of the attacker but before the attack could happen,the attacker apparates from there… Manik gets confused as to why the person went suddenly… Just then a familiar voice makes him turn… He turns and sees Raj standing there pointing his wand at the Pixies…
Manik: Be careful… Nothing should happen to Nandini…!!
Raj(nodding) :Don’t worry… Nothing will happen to both of you… Immobulus…!!!
The Pixies immobilizes in the air… Nandini also stops in the mid air… She looks here and there and then realizes that she is slipping as the Pixies are immobilized…
She falls down and closes her eyes… She determines herself that she won’t get hurt… Just then she feels herself safely in two strong arms…
She opens her eyes and sees Manik looking at her worriedly…
Manik: You ok??
She nods… Before they could talk further,Raj instructs them…
Raj: Go back to the college right now!!!! It’s not safe to be here further… I will take care of these Pixies!!
Manik nods and puts Nandini down… He takes out his broom bike,makes it bigger,helps Nandini to sit on it and they both fly off that place….
FB ENDS…
Mansi: But The Cornish Pixies are impossible to control… How were they being instructed???
Nandini: The attacker used the unforgivable curse maa… The Imperious curse… I read it in the attacker’s eyes…
Manik at once looks at her in bewilderment and amazement… His heart starts beating faster… He thinks something but is disturbed by Vanshika’s voice…
Vanshika: Professor Malhotra… How you reached them??
Manik: Everybody knows what KNOCK-TURN ALLEY is famous for… Where else he would be if not there…
Manik says and rolls his eyes… All look at him…Nandini looks at him weirdly…
Raj is pained and sighs being defeated of explaining himself…
Raj: Principal Murthy,I was in the Diagon Alley which is beside knock-turn alley and I heard the explosion… I immediately followed the noise and reached them…
Vanshika: Hmmmm… (To MaNan) tell me one more thing both of you… Is there something else which we are supposed to know but are unaware of??
They both at once recall the terrace attack and look at each other worriedly again… But then remember the promise made among them and their friends… They both look at her confidently and shake their head in no… Vanshika tries to read their mind but MaNan are looking at her in full preparation…