Hogwarts Mystery: Ataraxia Gale and the Curious Corridor

4. Gobstones and Gossip

Felix was waiting for Ataraxia in their common room, and her tattered robes certainly took him by surprise. "Bloody hell! What happened to your robes?"

"I got snared by Devil's Snare," Ataraxia grumbled.

"Devil's Snare? How? What the hell happened with Professor Snape?"

She admitted the trap she had fallen into, slightly embarrassed to not have realised prior.

It was still morning, but Felix already seemed tired. "What is it with you and this girl?"

"I think she's threatened by me. And I think she hates that I'm the only first-year who stood up to her."

"And I take it you once again don't have any proof?"

Ataraxia sighed. She was getting sick of the whole "proof" thing. She was beginning to believe she'd be better off if she never heard the word again in her life. "I have the fake letter from Snape, but I can't prove she's the one who wrote it."

"Well, you can't go around the castle like that," Felix said, eyeing Ataraxia's robes. "Professor Snape will have a fit. And people already look at you like you're mad because of your sister. Go and change into fresh robes."

Ataraxia did as told and headed to her dorm, struggling to walk through the pain in all her limbs. Upon removing her shoes to change her bottom half, she found the Devil's Snare had managed to cut right through the left boot and sock as well as her skin. Blood had begun to pool in her shoe, so she sponged it up into the already-soaked sock and discarded it into the laundry, feeling bad for whichever house-elf would be the one to come across it.

She removed her other tattered sock and ripped it into one continuous, slender piece of fabric which was to act as a bandage for her cut. She didn't want to have to visit Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing, so it did well enough for the time being. Once that fit snugly in her torn boot (Perhaps the hole would look like some hip new fashion trend, she thought), she finished up changing and reported back to Felix, attempting to walk without a noticeable limp.

"That's better!" Felix said. "Now, you look like someone who didn't fail to use the Severing Charm."

"Thanks, I think," she said, "but I'm mainly just happy to be alive."

"Well, you'd better hurry to your next class before you're expelled. See if you can find a way to earn back house points while you're there."

Despite her aching body and injured ankle, Ataraxia set off to the greenhouse for herbology class, determined to please Felix. Step one of that was to not be late for class. She had never been great with plants, so she couldn't very well use her skills to impress, so she instead made a point to offer Professor Sprout any assistance she might have needed. Ataraxia knew she looked like an irritating teacher's pet, and even she was annoyed with herself, but she was determined. By the end of the class, she had gained five points for Slytherin, and that was a good enough start.

Her next class was defence against the Dark arts, but she had more trouble putting herself out there when it came to Professor Nottloose. She was a rather passive-aggressive witch who already seemed to dislike Ataraxia — although she, thank Merlin, didn't take away any house points.

After a wonderful lunch of turkey and cheese gyros, Ataraxia learned quickly that Professor McGonagall was not generous with house points. The first transfiguration class was easy, as they only were learning the transfiguration alphabet. There wasn't much Ataraxia could do to impress Professor McGonagall other than take good notes, and that simply wasn't enough.

The end of transfiguration signaled the start of what she knew would be her least favourite class at Hogwarts — flying. Not only was she afraid of flying, but the instructor, Madam Hooch, seemed to be a very strict witch.