When Julia got back to Ravenclaw tower, only a few stragglers remained, as well as Chelsea, who looked up.
–I thought you were going to the game.â€
–I need my cloak,†she said, thinking fast. –It’s chilly out. I twisted my ankle a bit coming up here, though. Could you get it for me?â€
Chelsea sighed. –Fine. Is it in your wardrobe?â€
–I don’t remember.â€
–I’ll look for it, then,†Chelsea said, shaking her head. –Wait here.â€
As soon as Chelsea had gone through the door to the dormitory, Julia picked up the book she’d been reading. The cover said –Intermediate Transfiguration†but sure enough, as she tilted it, it shimmered slightly. She glanced around. There was no one left in the room. She took out her wand.
–Aparecium!â€
Slowly, the red cover seemed to melt away, leaving a black one in its place. –Secrets of the Darkeste Artes . . .†Julia whispered, reading the cover. –But . . .†There were footsteps on the stairs. Julia tossed the book to the floor and got up.
Chelsea came back with Julia’s cloak. –Here. Have fun at the match.â€
–Thanks,†said Julia, nodding. –I will.â€
Chelsea smiled and moved back towards her chair as Julia headed back out of the tower.
- -
She headed back to the grounds, a vague idea of going to the game, saying that she’d walked it off, but she ended up stopping halfway to the pitch. She sank down by an old tree, head spinning.
Why would Chelsea be studying dark magic? What good would it do? Had she been secretly reading up on it all year? It didn’t make sense . . .
Maybe she was possessed. Maybe she was working for Sirius Black! But no, that couldn’t be . . . perhaps she’d read the title wrong. Surely Chelsea couldn’t be a dark wizard . . . what if she was on her way to becoming a Death Eater, just like the ones who’d come after her family that one night, so long ago? But that was ridiculous.
She should have left well enough alone. She was no good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, even now that they had a good teacher. She was a coward, not a hero, and Chelsea was her friend. There had to be a rational explanation, a way out . . .
She heard the distant cheering, but was still surprised to see people come flooding out of the pitch. She spotted Willa and Grace among the crowd, but luckily, they didn’t see her. She’d meet them upstairs in a few minutes, say she’d got her ankle fixed up.
The Gryffindor team came after the crowd, surrounded by friends and shouting a lot in a gleeful way. They must have won, then. Fred and George were in the middle, and Julia had half a mind to congratulate them, in a show of good sportsmanship, but the whole group passed her without anyone glancing her way.
Of course, why would they? Just a lone Ravenclaw, away from the rest of the school . . . why would anyone see her?
Connor passed along with a few stragglers. He saw her. He looked away again quickly.
What was the point of being invisible if the people you wanted to avoid could still see you?
Julia followed the stragglers back up to the school, thinking that, for such a sunny day, it really had turned out miserably.
- -
She was almost to the common room when she turned around. She had a real problem now - she had to figure out what to do about Chelsea. She could go talk the Grey Lady.
However, when she got close to where the ghost could be found, she heard another voice. Quietly, she peeked around the corner, and saw the blond second year, that strange girl with the staring eyes, Luanne or something, talking to the ghost. She didn’t seem upset; rather, she simply seemed to be having a conversation, like one would with a friend.
Julia slipped away. She felt better, somehow. Something about the younger girl . . . she hadn’t ever seen that girl really spending time with other people. At least she, Julia, had friends. If she really wanted help, she could talk to Willa and Grace. Maybe she wouldn’t, though. She could have misunderstood the situation somehow. Chelsea had never done anything wrong before. Maybe she was just doing research - Ravenclaws were naturally curious.
As she turned a corner, she spotted Fred and George, their arms loaded down with candy and Butterbeer. –Where did you get that?â€
They grinned. –Get what?†they said in unison.
She shook her head. –Fine. Don’t tell me.â€
–We won’t,†said one.
–Happy to oblige,†said the other.
She smiled. –Alright then. You should probably give me a little candy, though, to keep me quiet . . . I’m pretty smart. It wouldn’t take me long to figure out your little secret if I wanted to.â€
–Ah, prefects,†said one twin. –Believe they can do anything.†He tossed her a Butterbeer. –Here. We can probably spare this.â€
–Thanks.†She caught it just as they turned toward a shortcut.
–See you,†said one twin. –Told you Gryffindor would win.â€
And they disappeared. The sunset light filtered in through the windows down the hall. Julia took a sip of the Butterbeer. It made her feel warm inside, and it was funny to think how short a time it had been since everything had seemed like a hopeless mess.