Hogwarts Mystery Year 7

Quitting

"Silence!" Snape barked over the chatter of the NEWT Potions students. "Today is the last chance you have at producing a passable regerminating potion. Anyone who does not manage to get these sprouts to grow by the end of the lesson must submit a roll of parchment on each of this potion's ingredients, their properties, and their effects when used...properly."

"Might as well get started on that now," muttered Barnaby. 

Sarah sighed. It was criminal enough that they had double Advanced Potions as their last lesson of the week, but leave it to Snape to find a way to make things worse by assigning extra homework over the weekend. 

As she glanced over at the blackboard for the instructions, she noticed Ismelda wasn't in her usual seat next to Merula. Glancing about, she found her sitting instead next to Tonks at the table farthest from them. Ismelda lit the fire under her cauldron, determined not to look over at them. Sarah heard Merula sigh.

"You two not getting along?" Sarah whispered. 

"What did I tell you about minding your own business?"

"Sorry," she said. "Well, you'll be happy to know that the creature that attacked her has been taken back into custody."

Merula ignored her. Sarah studied her face, looking for a reaction. 

"I wonder what it was doing there in the first place," she said. "Any ideas?"

"How should I know?" she snapped. 

"Well, you just seem to know a lot about it," she said innocently. "You've been nearby twice when it was spotted. You got angry and defensive when I brought it up at the hospital wing."

"I was emotional, okay?" she hissed. "I was worried about my friend." 

"Okay, but I find that hard to believe," she whispered. "I've never seen you worry about your friends before. You pick on Ismelda as badly as you pick on me." 

Merula clenched her fist to bang it on the table, then restrained herself at the last second. She sighed. 

"Listen, Spellman. I'm not the same witch I was when I first came to Hogwarts. I'm trying to be more...empathetic. I get that it would be hard for you to believe, I know we've done some messed up stuff to each other in the past, but you doubting and questioning my motives all the time is making all of this harder. For me and my friends." 

Sarah raised her brows in surprise. She'd rarely known Merula to speak so vulnerably. She searched the violet eyes for a lie, but saw nothing.

"I want to believe you've changed for the better, Merula," she whispered. "But I know things. Things that make it impossible to believe you're not only looking after your own interests. Like how you're connected to that creature in Hogsmeade."

"I didn't have anything to do with the wampus cat!"

Sarah smirked at her. "I never mentioned that the creature was a wampus cat."

Merula's face shone scarlet. "Well, I heard it from someone! Everyone at school's talking about it!"

"Quiet down, Snyde," called Snape, "or I'll take five points from Slytherin." 

Merula cut a deadly glare at Sarah, who was still smirking as she turned her attention back to her cauldron. 

"I'll give you the same warning I did Ismelda," she whispered at length, so softly Sarah had to lean around her cauldron to hear. "Stay out of my affairs. You think you're helping, but you're only making things worse. Butt out, while you still can. I'm only telling you this because I'm not just looking out for myself, got it?"