Metanoia • Harry Potter • Book I

Chapter 17

Keziah considered herself to be a very temperamental person. She got angry far too much and was well aware of that fact. However, during the last few weeks, she felt like she was bloody well justified in her anger.

Although Slytherin had only lost forty points, which were almost immediately regained, the Gryffindors were a different story altogether. In her anger, McGonagall had taken one hundred and fifty points from her own house, leaving them dead last for the house cup.

It was like watching a car crash in slow motion, watching the Gryffindors trail down the stairs and stare in confusion at how little rubies sat in their hourglass. Then the story began to spread about how Harry Potter and two other stupid first-years had managed to singlehandedly ruin Gryffindor's chance at winning the house cup.

Like a flick of a switch, Harry was suddenly the most hated person in the school. Even Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff turned against him because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup for the first time in seven years.

Keziah had yelled at so many people that she had to go to Madame Pomphrey because of a sore throat.

"You children put too much stock into houses and points," the matron huffed as she forced a vial of potion into Keziah's hands. "Drink, my dear."

It disgusted her, watching her brother bullied and insulted for something that wasn't his fault if you thought about it.

*

"I hope you're proud of yourself, Hagrid," she said sourly after bursting into the gamekeeper's hut.

"What are yeh talkin' about, Keziah?"

"Right now, Harry's getting bullied by the whole school because of you!" she spat.

Hagrid looked wounded as he set a kettle onto the flame.

"What do yeh mean?"

"If you had listened to us about your bloody dragon, or at the very least, not act like a bunch of first-years were the adults in the situation, Harry wouldn't be getting insulted from every side!" she screeched.

*

Only Keziah and Ron were sticking by Harry nowadays. Daphne, Theodore and Blaise weren't making things better either, constantly making jibes about how a person could lose so many points in one night.

"Harry, it'll all blow over soon," Keziah promised, hugging her brother's shoulders as they walked around the grounds eating toast.

"Easy for you to say," Harry mumbled in return, wiping his eyes discreetly.

"How's Quidditch?" Keziah asked, hoping the change of subject would lighten the boy up.

"Rubbish,"

"Why? I thought you loved Quidditch practice,"

"Not anymore," Harry said sadly. "Nobody talks to me and if they have to, they just call me Seeker."

"WHAT!" Keziah yelled in outrage. "How dare they?"

"It's fine, Keziah," Harry protested weakly, stopping her.

"It's not fine," Keziah seethed. "I've got to go, Harry. I need to knock some sense into your teammates."

She was deaf to Harry's complaints as she thundered up to the school, cheeks burning in anger. Her mind was like a raging ocean, no coherent thoughts available.

Coincidentally, the first people Keziah saw were Fred and George Weasley, who was coming out of the Great Hall, chattering about something.

"Fred! George!" she yelled, marching up to something. It was funny, how much taller the twins were compared to Keziah's short stature but she didn't care.