modification | t riddle [complete]

Chapter 19: Embers

Chapter 19: Embers

November had come to an end, and a thin layer of frosty ice covered the castle grounds. Estela looked out of her window and saw Apollyon Pringle, the school caretaker, chopping down a large Christmas tree at the far end of the grounds. The past week had been pretty uneventful since Slughorn's Slug Club gathering. Estela still got a few students whispering as she passed, but the number had decreased substantially. She had hardly seen or spoken so Cayra nor Anthony since what happened in the Great Hall, but she feared that she would have to see Anthony later that day for her Prefect duties.

Estela made her way back to her dorm, holding her books tightly to her chest as she braved the cold December wind. She entered the common room and sighed as the heat of the room hit her body. She walked up to the girl's dorm and placed her school books neatly onto her bedside table. As she removed her cloak, she noticed a small piece of parchment lying on her pillow. She picked it up and saw that it had her name on it in a deep green ink. She recognised the handwriting immediately, the way it curved and flowed so effortlessly. She opened the note and read the contents.

I am eager to begin discussing our plan further. Be at our usual meeting place straight after your prefect duties.

- Riddle.

Estela pocketed the note and went back down to the Common Room. There weren't many students there, only a small group of third years huddled around the fireplace and one girl from Estela's year, Eve Meadows, sitting alone working on something. Estela descended the stairs and went up to the girl.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Estela asked, pointing to the chair opposite Eve. The girl looked up at Estela with her large brown eyes framed by long lashes and smiled, nodding her head.

"Thank you," said Estela. She noticed Eve was surrounded by parchment and textbooks, and watched as she scribbled something out in frustration. "What are you working on?"

Eve looked up at Estela and regarded her for a moment, before placing her quill down gently on the table. "It's the essay about the Giant Wars for Professor Binns's class. I wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying, really. I mean, it's so hard to focus on him when his voice is so boring, so it's taking me a while to finish. Have you started it?"

"I finished it yesterday," Estela said, before pulling out a piece of parchment from her bag, "Here, you can take a look at the notes I wrote if you like."

Eve took the piece of parchment and looked over it. "Blimey! It's like you've written down his every word!"

"I did," Estela admitted with a small smile.

"This is really kind of you, thanks."

Estela smiled at Eve before the sound of the Common Room door opening made her look up, and Cayra walked in. They made brief eye contact before she looked away and Estela pretended to read the cover of a book lying on the table.

"Hi, Eve," said Cayra as she walked past, putting emphasis on her name. Estela rolled her eyes and pretended to read the title of one of the books on the table before her.

"I heard about what happened," Eve whispered once Cayra had disappeared out of sight. "I don't believe what she said. Not everyone thinks it's true, you know."

Estela gave her a small smile. "I'm glad some people see sense."

"And even if it were true, nobody has the right to spread it about like that. Especially a friend."

"Cayra and I aren't exactly on friendly terms at the moment." Estela said, looking towards the grandfather clock. "I'd better be going now, I've got Prefect duties."