The Founders

Chapter 14

Kyra sat atop the counter in the kitchens, swinging her legs and recounting her latest defeat in DADA. Oscar seemed to derive enormous enjoyment from each new duel. Oscar had convinced her to join him in the kitchens to bake apple tarts so that he could start to get rid of the huge number of apples that he had forced her to help him pick.

"And then he obviously cast his classic- you know, Oscar, this is sadistic," she said, breaking off and jumping down from the counter. Oscar, in the process of sifting icing sugar, started laughing, and a cloud of white sugar engulfed him.

"Seriously," she continued, whacking him on the back. "Why don't we talk about your latest humiliating experience?"

"Okay," wheezed Oscar. "I was very obviously flirting with Jake at lunch today, and he shut me down extremely quickly."

Kyra pulled the wooden board towards her and arranged some washed apples along the top edge. "Firstly, please tell me you don't mean Jake Seegal because he's a pain." Kyra started peeling the apples, and coring them. "And secondly, I don't think he's gay or bi," she said reasonably. "So, it doesn't really count."

Oscar pushed his sweaty brown hair out of his face and left a smear of sugar on his cheekbone. Oscar had always had a delicate, birdlike bone structure which had never quite filled out with puberty, but it gave him a certain refined handsomeness. "I know," he said with a grin. "I was just trying to make you feel better. I'm not as pathetic as you, really."

"First of all-" Kyra started, tipping some chopped apples into the pan. She was cut off by the kitchen door swinging open. Nina came in in her pyjamas, a book in one hand. "Hey, Nina," Kyra said, dropping her knife and coming over to her. "It's almost your curfew, is everything okay?"

Oscar looked up, grinning. "Don't worry, don't worry, Nina's my sous chef. Come here, boss, Kyra's mangling these apples" he said to her, gesturing wildly with his sieve. Nina grinned back, walking over to behind the counter.

"I know, Kyra's not much good at baking, is she? She once tried making chocolate souffle, but it was just scrambled eggs by the end."

Kyra grumpily pulled herself back onto the counter. "Brilliant, keep it coming guys; self-esteem is feeling fab."

Nina pulled her hair, glossy and dark, into a ponytail, the over-head lights reflected in a white circle on her hair. Oscar took over the chopping of the apples and she helped Oscar weigh out the flour and sugar. Nina chatted merrily about her week to Oscar and Kyra lay with her back flat on the counter, her legs swinging over the edge.

The granite was cold under her skin, and the lights above her glaring. The kitchens were actually the only room in Hogwarts where they used some semblance of modern lighting, with magically powered lightbulbs set in intervals along the ceiling.

Kyra listened idly to their conversation, hearing Nina describe a new friend that she had made, and how she seemed to be pretty good at Charms. Kyra realised with a soft shock that Nina wasn't necessarily shy and introverted by nature. It must have been lonely not having anyone her own age in the house. Of course, she and Grace had done their best to include her, but they had also insisted that certain things, Nina was too young for. Kyra wondered if Nina ever felt some resentment over the fact that Kyra had monopolised her sister so much and that, if not for Kyra, she might have been less lonely.

Kyra sat up, disorientated as she suddenly went light-headed, dark tunnel-pressure against her eyes for a moment. She held the edge of the counter as the usual dizziness passed and then flipped her phone over so that it was face up. It was five past ten, the white numbers leaving a purple after-burn against her eyelids. "Right, Nani it's your bedtime." Nani was what Nina had called herself when she was small. Kyra gave Nina a kiss on the cheek and walked her to door. "Do you want me to walk you back?"

Nina shook her head and smiled over her shoulder. "Night."

"Night, boss."

After Nina left, Kyra resumed her position on the counter and Oscar went to place the tart inside the oven. Kyra began haphazardly casting new DADA spells at the wall above the fireplace, swinging her legs in boredom.

"Hey, hey, you'll hit a house elf," Oscar yelled, ducking just as a spell hit the painting of oranges above the fireplace. It toppled down.

"Shit," Kyra hopped down and ran over to it. There were deep stone grooves carved into the stone where the painting had been. They formed the shape of a badger and as she reached out to trace it, she could feel the pulse in her wrist start to speed up. The charm on her neck felt very warm against her neck.

As soon as her skin made contact with the stone, there was a loud grating noise and she jerked back. Oscar had come up behind her, staring, as the fireplace slid backwards into the wall. It created a lengthening tunnel, which receded into darkness, and slid sideways out of sight. The entrance was now a wide mouth of unmarked stone, the light from the kitchens falling partway down it.

Kyra looked at Oscar, who shrugged. She placed her hand on the lintel and ducked forwards. Walking bent over through a dark passage was uncomfortable and her back was just starting to hurt when a dazzle of torch-light blazed up, blinding her.

Once she'd straightened up, blinking, Kyra saw that she had entered a small, vaulted stone room, the ceilings curving up like the inside of a tulip. Carvings of badgers were set into the walls at intervals, above each bracketed fire, so that their outline flickered blackly with movement. Directly opposite the entrance was the small painting of a woman.

She had honey coloured hair pulled into a bun, and some kind of net over her head. Her eyes were kind, and her face was a soft heart shape. She stood against a deep blue background, perhaps a curtain, and in her hand, she held a sprig of lily-of-the-valley. The painting wasn't animated like most of the others around Hogwarts.

Kyra looked around to see Oscar, startled to find him standing behind her. "Is this place...?" She trailed off.

He nodded. "Helga Hufflepuff's version of the chamber of secrets," he said. "Except her version of a secret is," he looked around and saw a cloak hanging up beside him, hung on a golden hook. Kyra hadn't noticed it coming in. "A mangy cloak?"

Kyra moved forward and rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. It had a summery shimmer to it, and was held together at the neck by a buttery gold clasp. Her fingers tingled. "It's not mangy," she responded.

Oscar gave her a withering look. "I was being witty."

"Right," Kyra responded absently, still touching the cloak.

A pause. "Is everything alright?" he asked. "Or is this about your parents?"

Kyra roused herself and turned around, one hand still idly playing with the cloak. "No. Not really. It's just...Hufflepuff stuff in general." she said uncertainly. "I never know whether I feel a connection to it or not." She dropped the cloak. "Come on, we should go. It's getting late."

Oscar nodded. As they ducked back into the passageway, bright electric lights ahead of them, Kyra forced herself not to look over her shoulder at the painting once more.