The Founders

Chapter 32

Oscar was discharged later that day and told that he could go home early for the holidays. His physical injuries were actually fairly minor and Madame Pomphrey was able to fix the muscle damage quickly with some re-growth solutions.

Considering the trauma involved in the event, though, the nurse decided that what Oscar needed was bed and rest. She even agreed that Grace and Kyra should be allowed to go home early with Oscar and spend Christmas with him.

She drew the line at Kat, however, who came tearing into the Hospital Wing mid-morning, having evidently rushed out of one of her lessons. She was white-faced and shaky when she saw Oscar lying in the hospital bed.

Kat hated hospitals, though she rarely mentioned it. She had once told Kyra about having to visit her younger sister in St Mungo's for a few months, and about how she hated the smell of the hallways, the hyper-clinical blue of everything. She sat down beside Oscar, silent, until Oscar had made some kind of inappropriate joke.

It seemed that he was more concerned about the fact that all his biscuits were burnt to a cinder. They had been pulled out of the oven that morning, a crispy blackened mess, by an appalled house elf.

"I'm so embarrassed," Oscar said, covering his face with both hands. Kyra was keeping him company while Grace started packing their bags, and Kat had just been forced to go back to her lesson. Kyra was starting to suspect that Madame Pomphrey had favourites. "The house elves will think I can't bake," said Oscar in shock. "And the teachers. They'll be expecting their Christmas biscuits, and guess what. They're burnt to shit. Awful. This is so awful."

It was probably lucky, Kyra thought as the three of them stood in front of Professor Brockett's fireplace, bags in hand, that Oscar couldn't remember being crucioed. At least that way, he could continue being his chattering, insufferable self.

As for Kyra herself, she no longer felt numb. She felt angry, and oddly focused. She may not know who was behind the attacks, but that didn't mean she had to act helpless. That didn't mean she wouldn't learn how to protect her friends properly, in case the attacker decided to come after Grace or Kat next. When they got back to school, she would resume her DADA research.

She watched as Oscar and Grace stood one by one in the fireplace, dropping ash and disappearing into flame. When it was her turn, she stepped up into the grit strewn grate and turned back to face Professor Brockett. She wouldn't let herself shut down this time, because she had people to look after. Her last thought, as the blue flames spun her away, was that she wouldn't fail this time.