Circi | 2

TWENTY FIVE (and a half)

"Friction"

Upon returning to the castle, everything seemed to pick up. While she wasn't the centre of attention in the slightest, Circi felt the world rushing around her. The noise, the movement, it all descended on her the moment she stepped into the warm hallways. Students were rushing around in groups, whispering to themselves in the loudest way possible. Their whispers all said the same thing: Katie Bell had been cursed.

Looking up at Mica, Circi's eyebrows knitted together. The blonde's face had dropped significantly and she was looking around, lips parted, as though she was five again and had lost sight of her parents in a crowded space. Her eyes were desperate and she propelled herself into the sea of students, grabbing at a fifth year and demanding details.

What information she did get was not enough to satisfy her. She was walking faster than Circi could keep up with and didn't falter until her friend tugged at her sleeve.

"I need to find Katie," she was bouncing on the balls of her feet and her fingers fidgeted at her side. There was nothing more that she wanted than to turn around and run the rest of the distance to the infirmary. But Circi was holding her by the bicep, rubbing her thumb over her coat subconsciously.

"Who is she?"

"She's on the team, I have to make sure she's okay." Mica pulled out of her touch and sped away. She left Circi in her wake, with more questions than answers.

After a brief moment to think, she glanced around before spinning on her heel and heading back to the Slytherin common room. She was certain that the answers she couldn't get from Mica could be extracted from Leslie well enough.

It wasn't until late in the evening, about seven o'clock, did Circi finally catch Leslie alone.

She discovered very quickly that his study date was with Francis, whose name she had to correct herself multiple times. The girl still made her uncomfortable three years after meeting so she left them to their studies without interruption. For the most part of the day she sat alone in the herbology section of the library, studying for the upcoming exams to the best of her ability. There were whispers throughout the library, though, about Katie Bell that even Madam Pince couldn't silence.

As soon as Circi caught Leslie passing through the common room after dinner, she had a rough idea what the whispers were saying. More specifically, what Harry Potter was saying.

Harry never willingly spread rumours, he was usually the focus of them, but this time Circi couldn't help feeling as though it was personal. He was saying Draco had cursed Katie Bell, that he would give her such an object that could kill her- that nearly killed her. Leslie confirmed it almost immediately. Circi grabbed his arm on passing and pulled him to the side.

"Is it true? What people are saying about Draco?" Leslie hesitated, taking his arm out of her grip and decisively nodding.

"Yeah, Potter's pretty adamant about it. He told McGonagall and Snape."

"How do you know?" Smirking, Leslie taps his nose.

"A wizard never tells his secrets." She rolls her eyes but soon descends into a thoughtful silence. Leslie pats her shoulder, mumbles 'goodnight' and leaves her to her thoughts.

She took a seat on one of the couches by the lit fireplace and curled her legs under herself, leaning on her hand and unwillingly dozing off. To dream was an ambitious notion and, as she floated in the abyss of her consciousness, time passed by slowly. And when she opened her eyes, what felt like half an hour had really been two and a half.

Draco was sitting on the other end of the couch, watching her. Noticing she was awake, he looked away, watching the last few students go to bed. As prefect, he could remain downstairs as long as he liked.