Year 3 ~ Chapter 10

For the whole of the following day Rosie could not stop trying to rationalise the wild and scary thoughts about Mendacallius that were swimming around her brain. She tried to convince herself that her Professor was simply trying to protect the Dagger from being used by anyone, that he was probably a spy from the Ministry sent to the school to test how easy it was to uncover the Dagger but she knew deep down that it wasn't the case. Her instincts from day one had been that Mendacallius was not a nice wizard, up to something malicious. She just didn't expect it to be involving murder, immortality and dark magic. All she wanted to do was to curl up in a ball and disappear. She was starting to feel home sick again but she knew why, it was almost the Christmas holidays and she always felt homesick the worst just before going home again. It didn't feel right to her though, leaving the school without telling anyone apart her friends about the possibility that her Defence Against the Dark Arts professor was a follower of the dark wizard Thanatos Altair.

Rosie spent the entirety of her Charms lesson in a world of her own. She hadn't been concentrating on anything, head full of worry and anxiety. She had seriously considered going up to Professor Flitwick at the end of the class and telling him about Mendacallius. He'd understand, she thought, Flitwick was one of the nicest teachers at Hogwarts and she was proud to have him as her Head of house. He'd always told the Ravenclaws that his office was open to them at any time for a chat or if they had a problem he'd resolve it with them. She'd never really spoken to him outside Charms before but she was seriously considering it now, she wanted to warn him about Mendacallius. On the other hand, she thought, if she was wrong about this whole situation she'd get into serious trouble. She's been spying on a Professor, she'd taken his belongings and she'd not only get in trouble herself but her best friends would get in trouble too. She didn't want to risk it without firm evidence to back up her theory. After Charms she had Transfiguration where she spent an equal amount of time not actually concentrating on her class but having a debate with herself inside her head about what to do. The students had been gathered around a table in the middle of the classroom to watch Professor McGonagall turn a teapot into a tortoise. This would usually be a lesson Rosie would have been intently listening to, writing down everything McGonagall was teaching them, instead, she was staring into thin air, daydreaming about being back at home.

'Ouch!' Rosie was abruptly interrupted from her daydream by Draco Malfoy roughly elbowing her. He glared at her as she frowned at him. Suddenly she realised that indeed the entire class were also staring at her and that she'd missed the fact that McGonagall had asked her a question.

She blushed, 'Uh… sorry I didn't catch the question' she said hesitantly.

'I asked you, Miss Chadwick, if this spell were to not be performed perfectly what might one expect to happen to the teapot?' McGonagall patiently quizzed her.

'Um… maybe the tortoise would um… have a spout, or be steaming?' Rosie bit her bottom lip, everyone in the class was starting at her.

'Correct.' McGonagall smiled before continuing to ask the other members of the class to answer too.

Once Transfiguration had ended Rosie sluggishly headed to The Great Hall for lunch. Professor Flitwick was at the back of the hall decorating a very large Christmas tree with a multitude of coloured ball balls and candles that hovered around the branches. Flitwick and Filch had also started to adorn the room with gold and silver covered wreaths. As Rosie walked up to the Ravenclaw table she couldn't see her friends, it took her a few moments before she spotted Luna and Cho sat alone together eating.

'Hey… where's Sophie then?' Rosie asked as she sat beside them.

'I think she's gone to see Flory about something?' Cho replied before continuing to eat her food.

'Is there something wrong Rosie, you look a bit discontent? Would you like some pink jelly, it'll certainly cheer you up?' Luna said as she held out a spoonful of wobbling fuchsia pink gelatin.

'No… thank you Luna.'

'You do look a bit distant though, you sure you're okay Rosie' persisted Cho.

'No I'm fine, yeah' she replied prodding a sandwich that she didn't really feel like eating.

Sophie came bouncing into the Great Hall before proceeding to squeeze in-between Cho and Rosie.

'I've just been nagging my sister about that Room of Requirement. She says the most she knows about it is a rumour that it's on the seventh floor. She doesn't know if there's any truth about that though but we could give it a try.' Sophie said and she dumped her school books on the table, making the jelly spill from Luna's spoon as she tried to eat it.

'That sounds like a good plan,' Cho agreed and thereupon her and Sophie continued to theorise over the location of the magical room.

Out of no where Gregory Goyle appeared behind Rosie, he stood behind her holding a cup of pumpkin juice.

'Rosi-' Luna was about to warn her before Goyle suddenly poured the drink right over Rosie's head. Crabb, Goyle and the other Slytherin's exploded into cackles of amusement. Rosie just sat there, hair dripping with orange liquid, she wiped her eyes.

'Thought I'd forgotten had you? Told you I'd get you back for what you did, now see who looks like the idiot.' Goyle jibed.

Professor Flitwick was walking back along the Great Hall carrying a very large box of decorations, which rather swamped him, when he saw the commotion by the Ravenclaw table.

'Mr Goyle!' screeched Flitwick as he put down the heavy box. 'Outrageous behaviour, 30 points to be taken from Slytherin at once!' Goyle simply snarled and left the hall with the rest of the Slytherin squabble.

'I trust that you're alright Miss Chadwick?' Flitwick said attentively.

Rosie nodded and she tried to laugh it off, 'Yes um… I'll just go and wash my hair, not sure this look really suits me' her voice quivered.
Cho ran after Rosie as she exited swiftly from the Great Hall, pumpkin juice dripping all over the floor. The truth was that on any other day Rosie would have given as good as she got and thrown her pumpkin juice over Goyle too. She hated just sitting back and taking the bullying so she felt she needed to stand up for herself, even if it meant getting in trouble. In spite of this, Rosie was simply not in the mood for an argument today, she'd felt a mixture of worry and home-sickness all day and this embarrassment was now just the final straw she thought.