VERDANT OUTCASTS | cedric diggory

¹¹ | a snitch

CHAPTER ELEVEN,
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Katarina is dreaming.

She's in a kitchen, staring through the glass window of an oven. Inside, cookies slowly rise, their edges just beginning to turn golden. They're Chocolate chip, her favorite. She blinks, unfocusing her gaze from the cookies and glancing at the reflection in the oven door. She recognizes this kitchen. She's been here before, though it's not her own. This one is cozy, with plants hanging from the ceiling and sitting on every available surface.

Her mother hates plants, deeming them a waste of time. "They die no matter what you do," she would say, complaining about the bugs they attract. Katarina hates bugs, too. But not here. Here, it doesn't bother her.

She senses someone crouched beside her and turns her head. A little boy sits next to her, his small frame close to the oven.

"Mum said they need a few more minutes," he says with a lopsided grin, his smile revealing a few missing teeth. Katarina hears herself laugh.

She stares at the boy, her heart tightening with a strange sense of recognition. He has light brown hair, almost blonde, and gray eyes. He seems so innocent. She knows him, somehow, and yet she doesn't.

Katarina smiles back, but something tugs at her. A distant voice, calling her name. It's muffled, like it's coming from another room. She frowns, trying to ignore it, wanting to stay in the warmth of the kitchen. The voice grows louder. It feels far away, but persistent. Her fingers twitch as the noise cuts through the dream, causing her to glance away from the boy.

Katarina stirs awake, faintly hearing her name being called again. She dismisses it, rolling over in bed, convinced she's still half-dreaming. But when she hears a door slam shut with a loud bang, she jolts upright.

She sits up, blinking as her vision clears. Seraphine, still in her night robe, stands at the door to their dormitory, angrier than Katarina has ever seen her. Before Katarina can even begin to process what's happening, Seraphine storms toward her, yanks the pillow from under her head, and whacks her with it— Hard.

"Ow!" Katarina yelps, clutching her head. "What's your problem?"

"Get up!" Seraphine growls, the pillow falling limply from her hand. She's exhausted, Katarina notices, judging from the dark circles under her eyes.

"For what?" Katarina groans, rubbing her tired eyes. She glances around the room, trying to orient herself.

"Lorenzo's been screaming like a lunatic for the last ten minutes! Keeps asking for you," Seraphine snaps, throwing her arms up in frustration. "He's woken me, Isadora, and probably the entire girls' dormitory up."

Katarina looks around, spotting Isadora sitting up in bed, clinging to a small teddy bear, her eyes drooping with sleep. She looks like she might fall over at any second. Nadia Azhar's bed is already empty, though.

"Enzo?" Katarina frowns, now more awake.

"Yes, him!" Seraphine huffs, spinning on her heel to stalk back to her bed. "Go figure out what he wants before I shove his wand down his throat." She flops onto her bed and yanks the covers over her head, muttering something unintelligible.