Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Forty Six

"We are getting absolutely slaughtered, this is embarrassing." Seamus said.

"Well, why don't you get out there and show them how it's done?" Kefira challenged the boy.

The group was sitting in the stands watching the quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor, the score currently ninety to thirty with Slytherin in the lead. Kefira was growing bored again after sitting for awhile and her only source of entertainment was bothering Seamus.

"They wouldn't be able to keep up with me." Seamus told her. "They'd have to ban me from quidditch."

Kefira burst into laughter.

"Why are you laughing! I was being serious."

"Oh." Kefira turned to Neville. "Well this is awkward."

Neville grinned. "You know Kefira, we don't have to stick around if you don't want to. I'm actually quite surprised you've watched this much of the game."

"Well, it's not always about me doing what I want to do, Nevs. I'm fine."

Despite her disinterest in the game, it turned out rather well as Gryffindor won the game, Harry had caught the golden snitch, but in the process suffered from a broken arm. Now while it seemed like common sense to allow Madam Pomfrey to treat the boy, Professor Lockhart took it upon himself. But instead of healing Harry's broken bones, he removed all of them turning Harry's arm into a floppy mess.

"Why is he allowed to teach us again?" Kefira whispered to Neville. "How does Professor Dumbledore find these guys? First Quirrell and now this nutter butter. We'd be safer with a hamster teaching us."

"I don't think we would get much work done with a hamster as a professor." Neville pointed out.

"You're right, that would be the one professor I would find too cute to focus properly with."

"That's not what I meant-"

"His name would be Professor Chuckles. Just picture a little hamster in robes!"

"Kefi-"

"And a itty bitty wand."

"I-"

"Oh my..or he would have a giant wand that he could hardly carry."

Kefira had chosen to push the idea of the Chamber of Secrets out of her mind until it happened. Colin Creevey was the first student to be attacked. Found petrified one evening with his camera on him,  panic surged through every muggle-born wondering if they were the next to be targeted. She hated every second of it, she didn't want her second year to be filled with such nonsense. 

The blood purity subject was one sure fire why to piss Kefira off, anytime someone mentioned it, it would get the girl all riled up. She would argue that it didn't matter what someone's blood type was, it matter how the person was and how they treated others. She cursed Salazar Slytherin multiple times.

Severus was clearing his classroom when he noticed the small red head still sitting at the table long after the class had emptied out.

"Miss Walsh, you're free to go. Class is over." he said.

"I don't want to go out there." she mumbled.

"Excuse me? You can't stay in here."

"Why not? I don't want to go out there because all I ever here is the Chamber is Open or how all the muggle-borns better watch their backs."

If Severus didn't feel uncomfortable enough with the girl always in his presence he became even more unsettled as he watched a couple of tears trail down the girl's face. They weren't tears of sadness, but of anger and frustration. She quickly wiped at her eyes as he remained silent.

"I am so tired of everyone making a big deal of this muggle-born stuff." she sniffed. "It's so stupid. It's not like we all have control over how we came to have magic. Everyone just feels the need to look down on us, but who are they even to judge? I know muggles who will be greater than any wizard..."

He watched the girl's hands hold onto the table tightly before she released her grip with a sigh. She looked up at him.

'Are you against muggle-borns learning magic?"

"Miss Walsh, I am not having-"

"So you are." she said standing up.

"I did not say that."

"You don't have to...I can see it on your face, the way you look at me. You don't think I belong here." 

"Hold your tong-"

"But that's okay." she interrupted him. "Because I'm going to prove you wrong. I'm going to show you and all the others around here that I belong here just as much as a pureblood witch. You can count on it."

Gathering her things she left without another word.

Neville frowned from where he sat beside Kefira in the common room. She had hardly eaten anything at dinner, claiming she wasn't hungry due to eating a lot at lunch. But Neville knew better, she didn't eat anything really all that day. She had been quiet too, a sure sign that something was wrong.

Dean walked over and pressed the back of his hand to her forehead.

"She's not running a fever." he said.

"I'm not sick." Kefira told them.

"Well you must be, you're actually being quiet." Seamus said with a laugh, but Kefira's deadly glare was enough to shut him up quickly.

"He's just teasing, Kefi." Neville said.

Kefira sighed. "Sorry guys, I'm just not in the mood right now." she said picking herself off the sofa and leaving to the girl's dorm.

"Wow, she's cranky." Seamus said.

Dean and Neville looked over at him. "Shut up, Seamus!"

"What did I say?!"