(Eng) Weasleys, Pranks and other Curses

04

"How do I make myself unpopular in under a minute," Madeline groused when she came into the dorm that night and found me on my bed. After my outburst in the hallway, I had holed up here and refused to talk to anyone.

"How's Katie?", I rather steered the topic to more important things.

"Better. I was able to donate blood, thankfully." Only now did I see how pale and tired Madeline really looked. She hadn't left her sister's side all day.

Immediately I jumped off the bed and took her things from her. My guilty conscience was eating me up. If it wasn't for me, Katie would never have been attacked. Just because she had come too close to me at breakfast.

"Do you have any idea what attacked her?", I poked on carefully, hating myself. But if it came out why this creature was here, I would have to leave Hogwarts even sooner than I had planned.

"Not exactly. There are a few guesses, but they're all far-fetched." She flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes. "I just hope they find this thing and get rid of it quickly. Otherwise Wood's going to run amok."

"Isn't he already doing that anyway?", I snorted at the memory of his feverish look.

Madeline gave a dry laugh. "You may have put quite a damper on him, but McGonagall has topped it. No Quidditch until they're sure that thing is no longer on school grounds."

The stones in my stomach could have made me sink to the bottom of the black lake. McGonagall surely knew more about me and my history, too. Was this hint meant for me? Was the teacher just waiting for me to change schools again?

"But hey," Madeline snapped me back to the present. "How come you never said you were such a good dancer?"

You could have fried eggs on my cheeks, they were getting so hot. "I can't at all," I tried to deflect, but Madeline had probably had enough of depressing topics.

"Yeah yeah, we saw the video. Wood's cousin is a real fan of yours."

I would have loved to sink into the floor. It wasn't that I was ashamed of it. I loved dancing. But dancing, like fortune telling, was one of my secrets. "He shouldn't have shown that around," I grumbled, hiding my face in my hands.

"You don't think anything will stay a secret if the Weasleys smelled blood, do you?" Madeline suddenly didn't seem to mind at all that the Weasleys would now only tease us -or me in particular- more. But just as I was about to make a cutting comment, I realized that she could use the distraction right now. Even though the sisters were very different, they were one heart and soul.

"So everyone knows I can dance but refuse to play Quidditch?", I meekly inquired instead.

"Yeah, what's that about?" Madeline had taken off her robe and was curling up under her bedspread. "Can't you make an exception at least once? The guys swear nothing can happen to you. You don't even have to score."

I pulled my knees under my chin and wrapped my arms around my legs. I guess I owed Madeline that much. "I've never been on a broom in my life," I finally confessed.

"What, you didn't have -" I couldn't hear the usual question about not having had flying lessons again.

"I'm so afraid of heights, I can't even look out the window here," I quickly interrupted Madeline, staring at my feet. "I've never watched a Quidditch game in my life because just thinking about it makes me so sick I have to breathe into a paper bag."

When Madeline still didn't respond after over a minute, I dared to cautiously look over at her.
She was visibly trying not to laugh. "We'd better keep that to ourselves, or Wood will just think it's a challenge to get it out of you within a week."

"I'd be very grateful for that!"

*

But that worry was unfounded. On Monday morning, before breakfast, we received the good news that Katie had regained consciousness and half of the Gryffindors spent the morning in or outside the hospital wing, because not everyone could fit in at the same time and Madame Pomfrey was already threatening to deduct points.

Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, I said goodbye to Madeline and went to breakfast in the Great Hall.

I still didn't have much of an appetite, but if I didn't eat, my nerves wouldn't last long in this situation. I had just decided on a strange looking smoothie when a huge eagle owl landed next to me.
"Ernesto." I recognized the owl. He was one of the special animals my parents had been given for encrypted communication. It had been a long time since I had seen him. Carefully, I picked up the heavy letter and patted the bird briefly. Ernesto wasn't a big fan of too much closeness, so he disappeared right away.

Most of the letter owls were much smaller and Ernesto had attracted attention. Especially because he brought only one letter and not a big parcel. Quickly I let the letter disappear in my cloak. Later there would surely be a better opportunity to read it.

First, however, I had to get through McGonagall's transformation class. Madeline didn't show up and I assumed she was with her sister. Since McGonagall was our homeroom teacher, I suppose she would be forgiven.

No one sat down with me, so I found a minute when everyone was concentrating to turn their sticks into earthworms to open the letter under the table.

"Camy, my dear," that was clearly my father's handwriting.
"I'm so sorry we couldn't help you sooner. Your mother and I were called to an emergency. I hope the principal was able to explain everything to you. Dumbledore is a reliable man. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always turn to him."

Suddenly McGonagall stood in front of my desk and cleared her throat. I crumpled up the letter and stuffed it back into my pocket. With a frantic apology, I went back to my exercise, knowing that I was more likely to get Snape to laugh than to turn that branch.

After class, the teacher waved me in and again Madeline's comment ran through my mind. So I had been right.

"Has the principal had a chance to talk to you yet?" the older witch asked me, making sure with her eagle eyes that all the students really left the room.

"If you mean this," I took out the necklace from my collar, "then yes."

Satisfied, the witch nodded and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I don't know the details," she said with a serious look at me and the necklace. "But I have to think about the other students, too."

I just nodded, because I didn't trust my own voice anymore. So they really knew. The teachers knew that this bird had not just been a vulture and that Katie had not been attacked by accident.

That bird was my curse and would not rest until it had me.