Work of Karma || Cedric Diggory [2]

Chapter 7: The Slug Club

The air was grim as Analeigh waited outside the classroom, now back within the four walls of Hogwarts. Cedric had dropped her off by the carriages around half an hour ago, and she had rushed back into the castle to catch up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, all who had found themselves in a predicament for the nth time.

Analeigh kept herself hidden behind a pillar right beside the classroom where the trio was, along with Professor McGonagall and Leanne, a Hufflepuff who was with Katie when the latter had gotten cursed. She struggled to hear what was going on in there without getting caught eavesdropping by them and the passers-by. All she knew now was that McGonagall was currently interrogating her friends and Leanne.

"You're sure Katie did not have this in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?" McGonagall asked.

"It's like I said: she left to go to the loo, and when she came back, she had the package," Leanne said shakily. "She said it was important that she deliver it."

"Did she say to whom?"

"To Professor Dumbledore."

"Very well. Thank you, Leanne — you may go."

Footsteps padded across the stone floor as Leanne was dismissed. Analeigh pressed herself closer to the wall, hoping that the pillar and shadows were still enough to keep her hidden from view. Leanne ended up walking past her and not noticing a thing, looking glum with her head bowed as she returned to her common room.

"Why is it when something happens, it is always you three?" McGonagall then said. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Analeigh stifled a chuckle as she agreed with the Transfiguration professor.

"Believe me, Professor, I've been asking myself the same question for six years," Ron replied, making Analeigh's grin widen in amusement.

"I'm almost surprised that Miss Heart wasn't present when it happened," McGonagall added. Analeigh's smile dropped, but she ended up nodding again to herself when she realized that the woman was right. Whenever and wherever she was around those three, especially Harry, some sort of trouble followed them. If only McGonagall knew that she actually was present at the scene, but was too far away to be directly involved. "Oh, Severus."

Analeigh tensed, having not even seen Snape arrive. She wondered if the man saw her hiding there, but when she peeked out from her spot, it seemed that he had come from the opposite end of the hall and was now entering the classroom.

There a long pause. Analeigh presumed that they were observing the cursed item and that they were waiting for Snape to give his thoughts on it.

"What do you think?" McGonagall spoke up, sounding anxious.

"I think Ms. Bell is lucky to be alive," Snape drawled.

"She was cursed, wasn't she?" Harry said. "I know Katie. Off the Quidditch pitch, she wouldn't hurt a fly. If she was delivering that to Professor Dumbledore, she wasn't doing it knowingly."

"Yes, she was cursed," McGonagall confirmed gravely.

"It was Malfoy."

Analeigh nearly slapped a hand to her face at that. It was one thing for Harry to accuse Malfoy of horrible things when he was around his friends, and a whole other thing to say it to teachers. And yet, in spite of that, Analeigh's mind drifted off to what happened at the Three Broomsticks right before she bumped into Cedric — when she saw Malfoy walk out of the loo, looking suspicious. Was Harry actually right? Did Malfoy really take part in cursing Katie Bell? More importantly, was there an attempt to hurt Dumbledore?

"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," McGonagall said in shock.

"Indeed," said Snape."Your evidence?"