When Darkness Calls

Chapter 4- The Black Lake

I woke feeling hungry. I had only eaten small bits of fruit in the day that I had taken from breakfast the previous day and now my stomach growled in protest. Breakfast would be underway now and I didn’t relish the thought of seeing Professor Snape, or for that matter Professor Dumbledore again but I needed to eat. I headed down to the Great Hall to much the same interest as the day before people jostling to look at the new face. And as before I simply kept my head up and tried best not to acknowledge their stares. When I got to the hall I sat as far away from the head table as I could sitting next to a group of boys that looked similar to my own age. I looked around the hall and noticed that the students were adorned today in scarves and some wore coloured hats making a stark change to the usual drab uniform.

‘What’s going on today?’ I leaned over to the boy sitting closest to me with is head in a newspaper and gestured to the other students.

He looked up from his paper and looked at me frowning as if I had asked the most ridiculous question he’d ever heard, ‘It’s the first quidditch match of the season.’

I nodded slowly at him indicating that I wished him to elaborate.

‘All students and staff go so we have no lessons today,’ he frowned and gave a slight shake of the head before getting back to his reading.

I had no intention of going to the quidditch match I needed some fresh air and some time to myself. With everyone distracted I could explore the castle grounds in peace. As I began to formulate a plan for my day my eyes drifted to the top table and I saw his black eyes watching me intently, a slight frown on his brow as though he wanted to know what I had said to the boy. A few seats down the table sat Dumbledore who offered the odd concerned looking glance my way. I finished my porridge and took a couple of bits of fruit and an iced pastry for my lunch and headed out the hall.

‘Miss Blake wait one moment,’ Snape didn’t raise his voice but he had a tone of agitated authority which made a couple of girls wince as they passed and look back at me sympathetically.

‘Yes professor,’ I stopped and turned back to him sounding more exasperated that I meant.

‘Today is the first quidditch match of the season and you are expected to attend along with your fellow students.’ He had said it in a way to remind me of my station I was just another student expected to obey by the rules of the school.

‘Yes Sir I know, is there anything else?’ I smiled at him now wishing the conversation to come to a swift end.

He coked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at me then he opened his mouth to say something then shut it again and simply shook his head once as if I wasn’t worth the effort. I turned my back on him and carried on my way. I took in a long sharp breath feeling drained. Being anywhere near Professor Snape was exhausting he made me feel constantly on edge. I knew amongst all those students he would have no way of knowing if I was at the match or not and even if he did I in turn did not care.

I found my rucksack and filled it with the food I had taken at breakfast along with some water and the book I was reading, a romantic fiction about a woman who had left home to travel the world alone and had fallen in love with an Arabian horse trainer. It was a clear September day the remnants of summer clinging weakly on. I put my jeans on with a vest and jumper over and packed a waterproof jacket knowing how quickly the weather can change. I quickly put some trainers on and was ready to go.

I left my room and headed in the opposite direction to the Great Hall along the corridor I remember taking to Dumbledore’s office, I paused at the bottom of the stairs ascending up to his study to make sure no one was coming down and then carried on my way. I was worried about encountering students but with no lessons on they were no doubt all back at their dorms at the other side of the castle or having breakfast. Smelling fresh air I rounded the corner and came to a beautiful old courtyard. It was completely cobbled and in the middle was a fountain and a couple of knarred old trees. It looked like a ruined monastery with ivy creeping up the brickwork. I wanted to go and take a closer look but decided to carry on my way feeling too exposed in the open yard. I finally came to a big wooden fort door much like the one I had entered the castle through and after a tentative push to make sure it was open I quickly left the building.