Metanoia • Harry Potter • Book I

Chapter 12

Word Count: 3400

The next morning, Draco was gobsmacked that Harry and Ron were still at Hogwarts and that Keziah had gone against Filch and made it out alive. So was everyone else.

"You are crazy, Keziah," Blaise said in disbelief as Keziah retold a dramatized version of the tale to her peers.

"I had to, didn't it?" she shrugged, jabbing Draco in the ribs, making him spill pumpkin juice on his robes. "None of this would've happened if you weren't a prick."

Draco shrugged nonchalantly, more focused on cleaning his robes with Pansy's help.

"So what happened next?" Daphne asked in rapture. Keziah smiled cockily, about to carry on with her story when Harry approached the table.

"So, you're still here are you?" Draco snapped nastily.

Not now, Draco," Keziah said sharply. Harry swallowed, fidgeting with his collar.

"Could I speak to you?" Harry mumbled, looking down.

"Sure," she shrugged, standing up, ignoring Harry's hand. Daphne stood up too, glaring at a mildly bewildered Harry. Keziah shook her off and followed her brother to a corner of the hall.

"What is it, Harry? Come to accuse me of some sort of betrayal?" Keziah asked, making to move away. Harry stopped her.

"Wait, I– Keziah, I was being stupi–"

Keziah stared at Harry. He looked so nervous and clearly on the edge of a speech. She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug.

"–I wasn– mmph!"

"I forgive you," Keziah said shortly, releasing Harry from her semi-headlock.

"Seriously?" Harry asked. Keziah smiled and punched his arm gently.

"Course," she said. "You're my brother, right?"

She punched him again, hard. He yelped, rubbing his arm.

"Now if you ever act like an arse again, there'll be more where that came from," she laughed. Harry smiled weakly for a few seconds.

"By the way, thanks a lot," he said quickly, sobering up. "For distracting Filch. Did you get in trouble?"

"Trouble? Pssh, nah. I messed with him for a bit and bolted. What happened to you guys?" Keziah asked casually. She knew exactly what had happened but that was irrelevant.

Harry's eyes widened and he pulled her further from the crowd.

"That reminds me," he said, lowering his voice dramatically. "You know the third-floor corridor?"

Keziah nodded slowly.

"There's a three-headed dog in there. It's protecting a trapdoor," Harry said urgently. Keziah pretended to be shocked.

"What? Is that even allowed in school?" she whisper-yelled. Harry shrugged.

"Ron and I think it's protecting that package Hagrid picked up,"

"Why would you think that?"

Realising that Keziah had been kept majoritively 'in the dark' about most of his sleuthing, Harry used the rest of the morning to recount everything that had happened, including his new status as a seeker.

* 

After the first time Keziah studied with Hermione, it became pretty much a weekly thing. Always after lunch and never on a Thursday, since Hermione was always tetchy before flying lessons. She still hadn't let that whole thing with Harry and the broomstick go.