Metanoia • Harry Potter • Book I

Chapter Fourteen

It was only nine-thirty in the morning and Keziah was ready to kill a bitch.

If she said that aloud, she'd probably get scolded by Daphne but there was no other way to describe how she felt.

Rumours generally spread through Hogwarts like wildfire but this was ridiculous. Even before the duelling club, most of the school treated Keziah like she had the plague and after the events of the previous night, she realised she was wrong. Plague victims were treated with more courtesy.

It had been less than twelve-bleeding-hours since Justin Finch-Fletchley had run from the hall and everybody was already making up stories.

The best one, according to Blaise, was the one they heard a Gryffindor third-year whispering to his mates; apparently, Harry and Keziah saving the school last year was just an elaborate rouse to get everybody on their side and the time Harry lost fifty points was because he actually smuggled Slytherin's monster back into school.

Breakfast was a complete nightmare. When she walked in, every eye simultaneously glanced towards her and looked away again. Some of the particularly bold children kept glaring but eventually went back to eating when Daphne threatened them with her wand.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was conveniently absent from the mornings' proceedings as was Harry, Ron and Hermione. However, that didn't stop a few of Justin's friends from scowling at Keziah even after Theo walked over and told them politely (read: threatened them) to stop.

Of course, Draco and Pansy didn't make it any better. After breakfast, on the way to Charms, they walked ahead, happily gossiping about the Chamber as if it was some soap opera that had ended on a cliff-hanger. Pansy twirled her hair as she talked.

"I still can't believe Potter can speak parseltongue," she said casually. "Do you really think it could be him?"

Draco snorted loudly.

"Do you seriously believe that drivel?" he asked. Pansy rapidly shook her head so her black hair swung side to side. "Potter couldn't kill a fly if he wanted to. It's a disgrace that anybody thinks it's him. I wish we knew who it actually was. I'd like to congratulate them, you know."

It took all of her friends to stop Keziah from strangling Draco there and then, his goonies be damned. She hated the way he talked about the Chamber, with such flippancy. It made her blood boil so badly, Keziah was shocked steam wasn't pouring from her ears that instant.

After a bit, Keziah couldn't take it anymore. She stopped walking, swinging her satchel violently.

"Tell Flitwick I'm sorry I couldn't come to class," she said through gritted teeth. "You'll probably find me in the library unless I'm back in bed."

"You should really stop skipping class," said Theo sagely.

Keziah smiled tightly. "Maybe when everybody stops pissing me off."

Whipping around, she stalked off. What sort of Slytherin would she be if she didn't have at least one dramatic exit?

Keziah bumped into Harry on her way there. He looked stricken. After a little interrogating, she found out he was in search of Justin Finch-Fletchley and that somebody had turned their friend into a badger in Transfiguration. The latter made her laugh but the former, gag. Keziah was quite sick with even the idea of Justin, but seeing as Harry was heading to the library too, she went with him too.

The library was relatively empty but as Keziah made a beeline for her regular table, she noticed a clump of Hufflepuffs sat around it, conspiring. She walked up to them, about to ask them to clear off when she saw who they were.