Metanoia • Harry Potter • Book I

Chapter Seventeen

Normally, sun and blue skies would be a reason to celebrate, especially if you were in Northern Scotland, where 'cloudy' was considered a good day.

However, Keziah couldn't help but despise the sudden spell of good weather. Summer was coming and she couldn't have felt worse.

On paper, the scene was glorious. The lake and the sky had turned equal shades of the clearest blue, while the rippling green lawns were bursting with wildflowers. But without Hagrid marching around while Fang barked at his heels, the Hogwarts grounds were eerily empty.

When Keziah had found out the groundskeeper and Dumbledore had been suspended, Keziah's heart fell to her heels. Things were well and truly fucked, slipping down the slope from bad to awful.

The Hospital Wing had been barred off so only the worst cases were dealt with and even Keziah's check-ups (now monthly) just included Phoebus worriedly checking her leg while he glanced around her common room as if everything was about to attack him.

Fear spread like a plague, coiling around every student and leeching any hope or joy, leaving ice-cold emptiness behind. The light that reached the castle felt cold and bleached. There wasn't a face around that wasn't worried or tense and any laughter that managed to echo through the halls was shrill and unnatural.

A thick cloud of guilt hung over Keziah, choking her wherever she went. She was slightly glad that she couldn't go into the Hospital Wing. The sight of Ayman lying on the sand was burned into her retinas as it was. She didn't need even more reminders of him. If only she'd found the Chamber sooner, she thought bitterly, kicking the desk in front of her.

Blaise startled, glancing at her, eyes full of empathy. He raised his eyebrows, a silent question, and she shook her head in reply.

Keziah knew she wasn't the only person who felt terrible. Daphne was constantly tearing up and Blaise was uncharacteristically snappish. Theo was quieter than ever, usually sitting out of discussion about the Chamber as he curled into himself, glazed eyes watching the fire rise and fall.

She couldn't even talk to Harry about her worries. The boy had enough to deal with. Even if she wanted to, though, she couldn't. Nobody was allowed to wander anywhere anymore. There were accompanied everywhere by a teacher and the only places you were allowed were lessons, the Great Hall and your respective common room.

Most people enjoyed being shepherded from class to class by their teachers but Keziah heavily disliked it, as did most of her Slytherin classmates. It was tiring at best and down-right intrusive at worst. But she understood why the teachers were doing it.

Whenever she spotted her, Ginny Weasley looked like she was living at Rock Bottom, population: her. Keziah felt so bad for the girl. Her first year was completely ruined by the Chamber. All the first-years were suffering. Astoria didn't look like the happy little girl Keziah had met the previous summer either. But she wouldn't talk to anybody who pried.

The one person who was thoroughly enjoying the fear and paranoia was Draco Malfoy. The boy waltzed around the castle with his pointy head high in the air. He acted as if he'd just been awarded 'King of the Universe™'.

However, Keziah was far too disgusted to even talk to the boy. This was how it always was. She tried to talk to him, hoping he'd change and their discussions would end with an explosive argument. She couldn't take it.

As it turned out, she didn't need to talk to Draco. She found out the reason for his good mood merely a week after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left. The blonde sat a few seats away from her, gloating with Crabbe and Goyle.

"I always thought Father might be the one to finally got rid of Dumbledore," he said, his voice bouncing around the quiet classroom. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in..."