Circi | 2

THIRTY SIX

"An Ally"

She thought that she'd be able to sleep at Hogwarts. Next to Myrna, wrapped in Rhiannon's arms, Circi felt every ounce of comfort they were trying to give her but lay staring up at her canopy all night. If she let her mind stray too far she could see the corpse of Professor Burbage floating above her or feel the body of Voldemort's snake brushing up against her. She took to counting, starting from one hundred and counting down before counting up when she reached zero.

At some point she did fall asleep, for she was waking up to Rhiannon rolling off the bed with a thud claiming 'I didn't want to wake you.' The first few weeks passed slowly. Every corner she turned someone was watching her.

Students who knew nothing about her except that she was a Malfoy sneered at her, grimacing and whispering among their friends as she walked past. A group of second years jeered at her as she walked the corridors, calling her names and tailing her until Professor McGonagall turned a corner and gave them all detentions.

It seemed that McGonagall was watching her closely. Even if the woman herself was not present, Circi always noticed the tail of her cat animagus turning a corner or hanging off a window ledge.

Students in her own year and above treated her carefully now. Or simply paying attention to her. She had never been the centre of attention before but everyone knew what Draco had done, what Snape had done, and they all knew she had disappeared last year because of them. Those who had heard the rumours about how she had looked on the train looked at her as though she may break, some of her classmates even offered to carry her bag for her.

But, the eyes she dreaded the most between classes was that of the Carrows. They had taken the empty positions teaching Muggle Studies and Defence Against the Dark Arts and, unfortunately for Circi, she could not escape Amycus Carrow and his Dark Arts lessons. Whenever she passed the Muggle Studies classroom, Alecto Carrow would watch her through the open door with those deep-set eyes accentuated by the orange of her sleek hair.

She often met with Leslie on the way to this dreaded class but he had been otherwise preoccupied in his free period- or, at least she hoped- and was left to enter the classroom alone. Forcing herself to breath evenly, she took a seat beside Myrna on the middle row,

Carrow was generous in handing out detentions and notorious for forcing the older students to perform the cruciatus curse on the unfortunate targets.

As the clock ticked towards the hour, the class held their breath. They weren't all present and anyone who entered the room anytime after the class began was either the subject to whatever hex they were practising today or, worse, given detention. Watching the clock at the front of the room, Circi ignored Amycus Carrow's long face looking at her and followed the seconds hand ticking around.

Footsteps shuffled into the room and everyone turned to watch as Leslie and Rhiannon rushed through the door with heavy breaths and stole into two seats at the back of the room. But, Circi realised, the Gryffindors in the room were still watching the door.

Carrow looked back at the clock, watching it strike the hour, and approached the door as the clock in the distance chimed the hour. Holding the door as the second chime struck, he paused.

"Crane." His voice was slow, calculating, relishing the taste of her name. When Circi turned around her blood ran cold. He had to tilt his head down to look Mica in the eye and glanced back at Circi for a fleeting second. She knew, immediately, what he had in mind. It was the same sick and twisted joke they would play back at the manor but, here, she was vulnerable. They had noted those she cared for immediately and made them targets.