My heart skipped a beat as the photo came to life. There we were, Jacob and I, jumping up and down and grinning at Mom. She must have thought it was because we were excited. Mischievous, giggling, and making silly faces at each other. Little did she...
Am I supposed to be grateful to have survived this?
— Brenna Twohy, "I know it's a little late"
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I lazily stirred my soup in the Great Hall, twirling my spoon around the bottom of the bowl as I tried to scoop up the lentils and build a dam with them. I was a terrible architect, so the dam never held for more than a couple of seconds.
I sighed and pushed my plate away. Oddly enough, I had no appetite since our unlucky venture to the Cursed Vaults. My immobilized hand was a constant reminder, its fingers unresponsive, the spoon slipping from my grasp, and a large mark appearing on my palm. If I bent my hand a certain way, the mark looked like a Hippocampus. Another peculiarity of it was that Madam Pomfrey...had been unable to cure it.
Every evening we descended to the Hospital Wing, where Rowan and Bill were given potions, Penny rubbed ointments, and I was subjected to everything at once. But it was no use. Eventually, Madame Pomfrey gave up and sent an owl to St. Mungo's. In response, we received several endless lists of recommendations. I couldn't believe that I would have to go there all summer!
"So, Gelider?" Merula sneered. "Ready to embarrass Ravenclaw this year? You foolish little brat."
I didn't look at Merula (who was the real brat here?), but at the house point reservoirs. There were four flasks, enormous and filled with precious stones in the colors of each house. The sapphires inside ours sadly blinked through the glass.
I went back to staring at my plate again. Yes, we had lost a hundred points in total: fifty from me and fifty from Rowan. The same fate awaited Bill, Ben, and Penny — all because of the Cursed Vaults. It was unthinkable that we would allow Merula to win the House Cup that easily!
The lentil dam collapsed again. The emeralds in the Slytherin reservoir watched its downfall, gleaming tauntingly. The snakes' table erupted in laughter and jeers once again. It took great effort to suppress the thought of how well a mass-hiccuping charm would work on them.
"Gelider, there you are!"
My heart started pounding as I recognized their voices. It was Bill, who had thawed out considerably, with Ben and Penny right behind him. Rowan, looking paler than usual, was leading the parade with a showy smile aimed at the Slytherin table. Snyde snorted loudly and turned away.
"Circe's chin! I was worried that—"
I trailed off, stood up, and grabbed my bag, heading for the exit.
"Hey! Leaving already?"
"Mia, we need to talk! Where are the Kelpies taking you?"
I nodded towards the door, and everyone turned to look, some even cursing under their breath. It wasn't shaping up to be a good day. Davies was standing there, arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. The prefect badge on his robes glinted so ominously that everyone knew something was up. My friends backed off, giving me a sympathetic look. Even Merula seemed to feel sorry for me.
We caught up to each other and nodded in unison, then went down the corridor. The hall seemed longer than usual, with more portraits, more passageways, but fewer people along the way. We walked in silence, lost in our thoughts. I couldn't help but think about the book and Jacob's broken wand, about how much guilt one can bear when facing Flitwick's wrath, and about the hidden dangers of the seemingly safest school in magical Britain.
"Are you listening to me, Gelider?" Chester asked.
"Not really."
He stopped and looked at me reproachfully. I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Dumbledore is waiting for you in his office. We're very unhappy with you...especially me."
