Introduction: Hi everyone! How are you all doing in this beautiful foggy morning? I hope you're having an awesome day and wish you the best of Thursdays. I wanna thank you guys so much for the reviews and send a special thank you to the Guest Reviews which I cannot answer back. So thank you, thank you, thank you for all the support! I am absolutely loving writing this story and it's helping me cope with a lot of stress. Though there are a lot of people not really liking the game, I confess I'm thrilled with all the mystery and I can't wait to see what happens next. Of course it's not flawless, especially because my character (and I assume it's like that for everyone) has a tendency to look for trouble, even though sometimes her actions aren't exactly what I would do. But well… that's what this story is here for. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying and please, send me messages about your thoughts on the story, writing, game and theories. You guys give me a lot of inspiration! As you know, any comments, critiques or concerns, feel free to contact me.

Chapter Seven – Karma

She has a fever.

She has the flu.

She has an eating disorder.

She tripped and hit her head.

All the excuses I tried coming up with are ridiculous. In the end, I simply said she fainted while we were going to have breakfast. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey didn't ask any other questions, neither looked at me with suspicion.

Rowan is at the hospital and it's all my fault. Why did I have to touch that goddamn snowflake? Why didn't I convince Rowan to say in our beds instead of wandering around in a life-threatening adventure? Why? Just why?

I told Penny everything after breakfast, before heading to the dungeons. She didn't say much, but she rubbed my arm in such kind and comforting way that my woeful feelings diminished a bit. Her big bright eyes were so incredibly reassuring, that I managed to go to Potions class without feeling so terrible.

After facing that icy door, the dungeons don't look so cold and gloomy anymore, but it's hard to look to the side and not see Rowan brewing her potion too.

One measure of doxy eggs…

I'm trying hard to focus, but I can sense Merula's stare, almost burning my skin. Sometimes I think that even if she was on the other side of the world it would still be too close.

"What have you been up to, Lockhart?" she asks, walking to my cauldron with her nasty violet eyes.

"Gaining more points to beat Slytherin," I simply say. "Again."

She snorts, her lips twisting into an expression of disdain.

"I've been investigating the vaults myself," she says in a low voice. "You would never believe the things I've discovered."

"Good thing you know I'd never believe a liar like you," I hiss, focusing on my potion, heating it up until the mixture turns pink.

"Like everything in your life, your search for the vaults is doomed," she spits, apparently not satisfied with annoying me during one of my favorite classes. "I'm working with someone to locate the Cursed Vaults before you. All their power will be mine," I can see her smiling from the corner of my eye. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, not believe she's bold enough to threaten me.

"You'll see," she says, simply, and goes back to her table.

Professor Snape is nowhere to be seen. I look around to see if he's helping someone, but he's not in the classroom. I didn't notice him leaving, but then again, I was just too concentrated. Why isn't he here when Merula is threatening me?

By the time I'm adding toasted dragonfly thoraxes to my potion, the door opens with a bang, and a turn to see Professor Snape's livid face, my heart nearly stopping when I see him rushing straight to me.

"I've received information that you've been stealing supplies from my personal storage," he sibilates, placing both his hands on my table, his dark eyes looking directly into mine.

"I beg your pardon?" I say, looking at him with indignation. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Because you thought it would somehow help with your foolish pursuit of the Cursed Vaults," his voice is incisive. "Because, like your brother, you insist on testing the boundaries of school rules, as well as my patience."

I close my fists on the sides of my body, taking a deep breath in.

"I have no desire to know what goes on in your warped, tiny mind," he growls. "Explain why there were stolen potion ingredients in the drawer next to you bed."

Oh.

No.

She.

Didn't.

"Merula obviously put them there, sir," if I'm going down, she's going with me. I look at her with stabbing eyes. "She's sabotaged me before, and she'll do anything to get me expelled. Or worse."

My eyes turn to Professor Snape's, and his eyes are so very black that I can see my angry reflection in them.

"And how would Miss Snyde enter your dormitory?" he inquires.

"I wouldn't put it past her to bribe or blackmail or trick someone into helping her," I retort, feeling so much anger that I don't know if drowning Merula in the Black Lake will be enough.

"Is it true?" for my surprise, Professor Snape turns her face to stare at Merula. "Miss Snyde?"

"Of course not!" her voice has a false offended tone, looking very hoarse and not at all confident. "I want to see Lockhart expelled, but only because she's a disgrace and a danger to everyone at Hogwarts."

Professor Snape straightens his back, looking at Merula with complete disgust.

"I genuinely wish you weren't lying."

"Excuse me?" Merula's annoying voice exclaims.

"You are an absolutely atrocious liar," Professor Snape hisses. "Particularly for a Slytherin. You will help Mr. Filch clean the castle without magic every day after classes, as punishment for attempting to frame Miss Lockhart."

I am trying so hard not to smile, so I'm simply pressing my lips together, releasing the tightness of my fists, sighing in relief and bliss. I risk a look at Professor Snape, who's sitting at his table, writing something in a piece of parchment.

My heart races when his jet-black eyes look straight into mine, and I can almost spot a glimpse of a smile when he turns his eyes back to his writing.

Thank you, Professor.

Thank you so much.

"Athena," Rowan gasps when I sit next to her, her hands softly holding mine. "You came to visit my sick old bones."

"Aren't you a drama queen?" I giggle, rolling my eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold," she says. "But I guess that's expected."

"I brought you some cookies from lunch," I tell him. "Smuggled them in my pockets like you taught me, and brought you my essay for Herbology class."

"Thank you, Athie," she smiles at me, her face looking too pale for my taste.

I tell her everything about Merula's attempt to frame me and how Professor Snape finally stood by me this time.

"Karma is a bitch," she rustles, her eyes looking tired and heavy.

"Go to sleep, Row," I tell her. "I'll come by later. Just try and get some rest."

The day is so absurdly warm and beautiful, that I decide to take a stroll around the castle, absorbing some sun rays and feeling my body warm from the inside out. A great feeling after almost freezing inside that icy corridor.

"People say your friend ended up in the hospital for trying to find a Cursed Vault," Merula walks in my direction, her voice filled with coldness. "How is she?"

"Don't pretend you care 'bout my friends, Merula," I spit her name like it is bitter.

"I don't," she says. "But I do care 'bout the Cursed Vaults. Though not as much as your mental brother. Why do you think he was so obsessed with them?"

I walk by her, making a point of bumping my arm in hers, looking at they violet eyes like she's less than I worm. It is best to stay away from her before I do something I regret.

Like drowning her in the Black Lake.

Or throwing her against the Whomping Willow.

Or immobilizing her and leaving her body inside the Dark Forest.

Or sticking my wand in her eyeball.

"Rowan!" I exclaim when I see her walking to me during breakfast. "What are you doing here?"

"Madam Pomfrey discharged me," she says with a big smile, sitting next to me at Ravenclaw's table. "Holy moly, I'm starving!"

I look at her completely mesmerized as she fills her plate with eggs, pancakes and a huge croissant. Her face has a healthy color again, her eyes are shiny and alive, and her skin is warm again, as I notice when I hug her, ignoring the insane amounts of food she's stuffing in her mouth.

"I'm so happy you're better," I mumble in her hair, feeling my heart flooding in joy.

"Me too," she says, drinking big gulps of chocolate milk after her food. "I just don't feel strong enough to go back there."

"Go back?" I say, squinting my eyes at her. "Row, we're not going back there."

"No, Athie," she says. "You have to. Something wicked is going on in this school and you know it," she coughs and I look at her with worry. "Sorry, I'm okay. Listen, you can't let Merula find the Cursed Vaults. She'll probably release something terrible that will kill us all."

"It's not a good idea, Row," I say. "If Merula is involved I'd rather leave it to our teachers."

"They don't know what's going on," she says. "You heard Professor Snape. Dumbledore is not even in the castle! We're all at Merula's mercy. Unless you put a stopper to it."

"I can't do it alone, Row," I stare at my tea. "And I don't want you to get hurt again."

"I'll help you in another way," she says. "With books and a good plan. But you'll need to take someone else to the vaults. Someone better than us."

"Who? Penny?"

"No," she smiles at me. "Bill Weasley."

"What?" I say. "How am I supposed to ask him to go with me if I never even spoke to him?"

"You'll find a way," she says. "I heard things while I was at the hospital. That he's one of the bravest students when it comes to spells. He's the best choice we've got."

I can see her cheeks blushing as she has another bite of her croissant.

"Fine," I say, at last. "I'll talk to him."

"Oh," she says, looking at me with sparking eyes. "When you do, tell him I'm available to study if he ever wants a partner."

"Frankly, Rowan. You're one of a kind."

I spend the next weeks trying to find a not disturbing way to ask Bill to help me, but every time I look at him he's surrounded by his friends and one or another bedazzled girl.

"You could do it next Saturday," Penny says, sitting next to us by the fountain. "Charlie asked me to invite you girls to his birthday party. In the Gryffindor Common Room."

"But it's against the rules to enter another house's Common Room," Rowan says, looking at me with a frown.

Yeah. Like we haven't done that before.

"We'll have the password," Penny says. "The Prefects and the Head Boy and Girl are okay with this. They all like the Weasley brothers."

"Speaking of Weasley," I say, turning my face to Rowan's. "You never said how your date with Charlie in the Quidditch match was."

"It wasn't a date," Rowan rolls her eyes. "He simply walked me to the pitch. He's very nice, actually."

Penny and I exchange amused stares.

"Fine," Rowan says. "What's the password? We'll go."

"Victus serpens," Penny says with a smirk.

Defeated snake.

Very pertinent, Gryffindors.

We watch Merula walk by us, following Mr. Filch, holding a bucket and a mop, looking completely dismayed.

Very pertinent, indeed.