Hidden Secrets ☆ HARRY POTTER UNIVERSE | 1 [BEING EDITED]

45 | what now?

❝ You are not alone. We are all wolves, howling to the same moon. ❞ — Atticus

Twelve hours later, I found myself in the Gryffindor common room. My mind was still in turmoil from the article I had read earlier that day, the words of which had imprinted themselves in my skull.

I reached for the blanket that lay discarded on the couch, pulled it over my legs and hugged my torso with both arms. Mike was sitting on the ground by the fireplace with his legs crossed. Sibi was next to me on the couch, her brows furrowed as she reread the article for probably the hundredth time. I glanced at the wall clock that hung above the fireplace. 1 a.m.

Greg's small head was tucked underneath my neck and I could feel its soft rising and falling as he breathed in his sleep. I brushed my fingers against his feathers and closed my eyes.

A soft hoot broke the silence, but it wasn't Greg's. It came from Sibi's tawny owl, Tirol, who had been sitting by the windowsill, pecking on some Owl Treats he now ran out of.

"I don't have any more cookies for you, Ti. I'm sorry," Sibi said. She put down the magazine and rubbed her face tiredly.

"What are we going to do?" asked Mike, finally addressing the elephant in the room.

"I'll go talk to Breeze tomorrow morning," I said. "Couldn't find her today. I hope those scumbags haven't put her in much trouble."

Sibi clenched her jaw, her hands curled into fists.

"I can't believe the lies that git Akker wrote about me," she muttered through gritted teeth. "And his bloody sister. How awful can one get? What they said about me, you, Stella, and professor McBon . . . Ugh, I can't believe them!"

"And to think you used to defend that arse," Mike mumbled.

I looked at Sibi in apprehension. A red glow came over her face. For a moment, I thought she would lash out in anger, but instead she just lowered her head and let out a sigh.

"If I could turn back time and change everything, I would," she whispered.

I reached out and squeezed her arm gently. I hated seeing Sibi defeated like this. I hated that she felt responsible for the awful behavior of two people we had all considered our friends.