The Blood Traitor || Oc x Oc

Rumors

Rumors about Sera being the heir of Slytherin spread quite quickly around the school. Many people avoided her. Even Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Dante seemed to be quite uncomfortable around her, and she felt a pang of guilt in her stomach every time they glanced awkwardly at her.

Finally, she had enough with the staring. She sighed and closed her textbooks. The only way she could work in private without anyone staring and whispering behind her back.

“I’ll see you guys in the Gryffindor common room,” she said as she got to her feet.

Her friends and brother looked up, nodding in return. As she walked out, she overheard fellow second-year Hufflepuffs whispering behind her back.

“I told Justin to hide in the Hufflepuff common room,” Ernie McMillan whispered loudly to Hannah Abbott. Loudly enough for Sera to hear behind the wall. “If Potter really is the Heir of Slytherin, then he’ll know to steer clear away from her.”

Hannah Abbott furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. She sounded hesitant when she spoke. “But Seraphina has always seemed to be so nice, though. She doesn’t seem that stupid to Petrify all of the Muggle-borns and Half-Bloods.”

“She Petrified Mrs. Norris, Hannah. She probably wanted revenge for getting detention last year.”

Sera couldn’t bear the rumors anymore. She had to flee. So she quickly made her way up the stairs, wandering the hallways with an uneasy feeling settling in her stomach. Then she suddenly bumped into someone by surprise.

“Hagrid!” she exclaimed in surprise.

“Hello, Sera!” He squinted at her, noticing the girl's flustered appearance. She was still bothered by Ernie McMillan’s disturbing theories. She swallowed down the feeling of unease. “Are you alright there, Sera? You’re looking all hot and bothered."

She shook her head frantically. She didn’t want Hagrid to be worrying about her problems for her. She could handle the stress herself. She always had.

“It’s fine, Hagrid,” she answered. Her voice did not sound like it belonged to her. It sounded high and unnatural. “Well, I should be heading to Astronomy. I don’t want to be late."

“Well ...,” said Hagrid, who still peered at her through squinted eyes. “Stay safe, Sera. It’s not safe to be wandering the corridors by yourself. I’ll see you later, Sera. Take care.”

Sera nodded silently in reply before making her way around the corner. But what she saw next chilled her to her core.

Nearly-Headless Nick had tried to scare Justin Finch-Fletchley with his nearly-severed head. Justin was on the ground, Petrified. Frozen.

She knew that it was not her this time. Something else was doing damage to the school. And she was determined to find the killer.

She got to her knees. With her eyebrows scrunched together in concentration, she lightly touched the boy's ice-cold skin. She had been so concentrated on the coldness of the student's hand that she was not aware that someone stole not too far behind her.

“Caught in the act, Potter!” said Mr. Filch triumphantly. Sera jumped and spun around on her knees, panic-stricken. Mr Filch gave Sera a gloating smile. “I’ll have you thrown out this time, Potter! Mark my words!”

He sent her one last gloating smirk before going around the corner. Sera tried desperately to call after him. But by now, she knew that he would not listen to her. She figured that no one would listen.

Spiders caught her eye. She got to her feet and began to examine them. They were crawling quickly in a line, the same way she had seen them earlier in the year.