VERDANT OUTCASTS | cedric diggory

¹⁴ | O.W.L skipper

CHAPTER FOURTEEN,
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Dinner after yesterday's fire in Hogsmeade had been somber, the atmosphere heavy with an unspoken tension that had clung to the Great Hall like a thick fog. Dumbledore had risen, his calm voice carrying over the murmurs of the students as he explained that it was merely a pipe that had overheated and blown up in one of the shops. He'd tried to downplay the incident, assuring everyone that it was nothing to worry about. But Katarina wasn't buying it. She had seen Theo's face, the flicker of something not quite right in his eyes, and it gnawed at her, leaving her restless.

Now, as she sits at breakfast, she's barely touched her food, the plate in front of her still piled high. Her gaze is fixed on the three boys sitting opposite her. Mattheo and Theo are eating as if nothing is wrong, the sound of their cutlery scraping against their plates grating on her nerves. It's a sound she usually finds mildly irritating, but today it's like nails on a chalkboard, setting her teeth on edge.

Enzo, on the other hand, isn't eating either. His head rests on his folded arms, his eyes half-closed as he slouches over his untouched plate.

She leans forward, intertwining her fingers and placing her hands on the table in front of her. "So," she starts. Both Mattheo and Theo look up at her, their mouths full of food, blinking as if they hadn't expected her to speak. "Anyone want to tell me what happened yesterday?"

Mattheo swallows hard, his throat bobbing as he tries to force down the too-large bite he took. He coughs, glancing at Theo before turning back to her. "What do you mean?"

"Was my question not clear?" Katarina asks, her tone deceptively calm.

"It was, but—" Theo starts, his voice smooth, the same infuriatingly composed expression on his face as yesterday. It's almost as if he's daring her to accuse him of something. "Dumbledore said what happened, didn't he?" He glances at Mattheo, who nods in agreement.

"Don't patronize me," Katarina replies, her patience fraying with every second that passes. "You said you were there when it happened, so what happened?"

"A pipe overheated, Katarina," Enzo mumbles, his head still buried in his arms. His voice is muffled, and he doesn't even bother to look up. "Overheated pipes explode sometimes."

"Oh, shut up," Katarina snaps, her glare shifting to Enzo. "Go back to being all depressed and quiet, won't you?"

"Hey!" Mattheo's voice cuts in sharply. "What's the matter with you?"

Katarina clenches her jaw, trying to rein in her frustration, but it's no use. Her anger is bubbling up too fiercely, a wildfire she can't contain. She knows it's not really Enzo she's angry at, but it's easier to focus her rage on him. He made his choice to play the part of a child bully, to turn into a self-appointed savior of pureblood ideals, all because of what happened to her in Muggle London.

Well, he can live with the consequences of his actions.

"Enzo knows what the matter with me is," She spits. "So he can either accept what he's doing and own it, or stop sulking like a child."

Enzo flinches, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes before he lowers his gaze, his shoulders slumping further. Mattheo's jaw tightens, his eyes flicking between Katarina and Enzo.