It's you and me, right? Bad Influence

Chapter 5

Everything was cloudy after that night. People whispering, wondering and never walking alone to classes. One day Neville and I passed Lupin on our way to transfiguration and he had dark circles around his eyes, and he– who so often walked proudly through the corridors– was bent forward. When he saw me observing him, he smiled and straighten himself up.

"Good day miss Zeller, mister Longbottom", he said and passed us.

The bad feeling was back.

When we entered the classroom I sat down next to Megan, who rubbed my back and said: "Maybe we should get you some new clothes when we get to go to Hogsmead? I can't believe you freeze this much."

"It's fine", I said and tried to change the subject. "I'm looking forward to the game tonight."

"You won't survive it if you don't put any more clothes on."

"I can't help it. Dad got laid off this summer. We are living on our savings. He said he just got a new job but... you know."

"Why didn't you tell me? Merlin, that's awful."

"I have clothes, it's not that. Just not so much. I outgrew many of my sweaters and stuff last year. The books cost so much we barely could afford it."

"You can borrow stuff from me or probably Neville or someone in your dorm."

I stayed after class and talked to McGonagall about next month's homework. Transfiguration was my favorite subject, even though it wasn't my strongest.

"Well, you're doing very well miss Zeller", she said and flipped the pages. "But just because you do the homework before anyone else doesn't mean you will get an O."

"I know. But I thought that maybe that would mean that I can do some extra homework at the end of the year. Some stuff that the other students won't have time with."

"You need to look over your spelling. I can barely see if you wrote rat or cat on this one."

She handed me the parchment and I read it.

"I meant rat", I said.

"Well, that's good."

"Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Is everything... fine? With Sirius Black and well– are we safe?"

"Don't worry dear. Hogwarts is perfectly safe, especially for students. He has no unpicked feathers with you."

"So, someone has?"

"No", she said and looked around the room. "You should go now, so you have time to eat before the quidditch match."

"Okay. Go Gryffindor", I said and raised my hand.

McGonagall smirked and looked down at her papers.

When I walked through the corridor, I realized that it was the first time I walked alone since that night in the great hall. After that thought everything felt darker. I started to walk faster, hearing my own heart beating. I walked around the corner and felt how my face was pressed into something hard. Was this it? Was this the time the girl with no unpicked feathers came in Sirius Blacks way?

"Zeller?"

I looked up, with my fingers pressing the sides of my nose. Fred stood there, in his quidditch uniform, looking down at me.

"Are you crying?"

"No", I said, even though tears were running down my cheek.

"You walked right into my quidditch gear. Is your nose bleeding?"