Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Raven's Snake. Enjoy the 2600-word chapter. I do not own Harry Potter, Warner, and JK Rowling do.
Zeb could not stop scribbling down note after note, he knew that it was ridiculous given he and the others had NO idea what they had seen… But it helped him cope.
The insanity of what they had seen was keeping him up. He had not even noticed how hellish Hogwarts had become.
Zeb had expected the ministry to respond to the idea of Harry getting off without a lick of trouble with hellish retribution.
And they got it in the form of Dolores Umbridge. Zeb had seen the woman before and it made his skin crawl.
No. A Woman was too kindly a word and an insult to every witch or female sentient being who operated upon this planet. Umbridge was not a woman, she was not even a HUMAN.
Zeb knew what her presence meant at Hogwarts. Death, the death of all freedom and hope within the walls of this place.
"Gek," Zeb said as he and the Hufflepuff walked to their class. "Have you seen Luna? I have not seen her since breakfast this morning." Zeb stated.
Despite Gek wanting with every fiber of his being to tease his new friend over his attachment to the Ravenclaw? He knew Zeb was honestly distressed without her company. He did not meet him eye to eye, he walked faster with each footstep as if he wished to jolt like a lightning bolt through the wall.
Umbridge wanted Harry but it was clear every student who did not adore the ministry feared her.
"No," Gek said honestly before he sighed. "She has not said anything. If I did? I would tell." Gek stated.
"It worries me," Zeb said with honesty.
"So, you admit you care about Ms. Lovegood?" Gek teased, a smile tugging at his lips.
"I worry about a lot more than that with her around," Zeb stated.
He did not know Umbridge, her foul, toxic presence corroded him too much to live in her presence. If anything could survive in her presence? He would be surprised.
"Has anything happened in Slytherin?" Gek questioned.
"You mean her damn private army?" Zeb stated as if a spat of venom was on his lips. "Yes. I have, plenty of people have been trying to butter her up for brownie points." Zeb stated.
The two turned the corner. Zeb's pace grew more frantic, his eyes narrowed, his breath hitched and he felt ready to scream.
Gek frowned as he realized his friend wanted to go tearing through the halls until he found his friend. He was frantic with such an issue and he knew more and more that he was annoyed.
"Zeb. Calm down." Gek stated, frowning.
"I am TRYING," Zeb said, balling his fingers into fists and his knuckles went white.
"There you are, snake." Zeb heard as he turned.
"I do not have time to fight you." Zeb spat as he rubbed at his temples.
"Too bad." Hatie hissed.
"I. DO. NOT. HAVE. TIME." Zeb hissed, ready to scream.
"Hello, Zeb." He heard as he blinked.
He turned to see Luna behind them. She looked as curious as he had seen before now and he was unable to do more than relax, to find comfort in it when it all came to shove.
"He was worrying the entire time," Gek said as he was given an elbow to the side by Zeb. "What? You were going on and on about the woman when it came down to it." Gek stated to which Zeb hummed.
He had not been able to deal with it for now, he paused and then slowly thought of what was going on as he knew their next operation was to be more chaotic for now as he looked to the ground.
Zeb fell silent, sighing as he simply let his emotions bottle themselves up. He would act in his best interests either way as he sighed and then he looked to the side.
"We should be going," Gek said as the others looked at him. "The wicked witch stated we can't be gathering in groups." Gek heard.
Zeb stayed silent and felt annoyed. Umbridge was a blight upon the school that reminded him of… Painful memories of a time he had wished to keep going on and on and on. The group passed deeper into Hogwarts.
"I am surprised you aren't happy. Most of your Slytherin buddies are ecstatic over her." Hatie spit.
Zeb shot the Gryffindor woman a glare that could melt through steel if he had been a beast. He knew she of all people wished to needle him, to act in haste and without any real reason.
To him? All it did was somewhat push him away. He had not been able to act but he would sooner or later and he wasn't going to be changing that at the same time.
Besides, if he traded barbs with her? All it would result in is bickering which would no doubt attract the attention of said wicked witch.
No doubt she would adore an army of little helpers who could and would do anything asked of them simply for the amusement of getting what they wanted for now… It had been something chaotic for him to overestimate, something he had not the ability to deal with.
If she had a private army? Hogwarts was screwed. Nobody wanted a civil war on their hands. He knew it was not going to be winning any awards anytime soon.
It would be a war that he had no intention of doing in. Someone had to stand up to her as Headmistress, but it was clear they required backup far beyond their normal means now. The second civil war for Hogwarts occurred.
Well? It would be something to deal with it until the end of the day when it came crashing down to the floor in a heap like it was made of tissue paper.
Yes, such was life, such was what he had thrived upon. It had been a part of him that he had been something that he could have been too interested in and what he could have dealt with.
Perhaps it was too much to let him go for now. He hadn't been ok in the evening… Perhaps he had managed more. He had a lot more to try and deal with it for now.
There was a LOT to this, interesting the wizard who had managed to relax… Zeb could see no end to the plotting of forces beyond them.
He decided that fretting over every hellish annoyance the Ministry threw at Hogwarts would take years off his life.
He decided to follow Gek and Hatie. He was much less eager to see Hatie but he had no such desire to act in life… And he had no such desire to deal with it.
Perhaps he hadn't the idea of a normal life… There was a lot more to see and do. Zeb said nothing as he paused, thinking of what was going on as he clicked his fingers.
"You are on edge to a degree I haven't seen in a long time," Gek said.
"You and I have barely been able to meet," Zeb stated.
"Hmm," Zeb said before he sighed.
Gek was silent as Luna seemed to be looking through the group, it was an odd sight but no odder a sight than what he had known before… He had been tired and he had been unable to act in this sort of manner.
"Tired?" Luna asked.
"No, I am simply bored," Zeb said.
"Why, haven't pranked someone yet?" Hatie asked.
"If I was going to prank someone? It would be you and you would have already felt the prank having messed with you." Zeb stated.
"I heard they don't want groups of people together… Maybe it's a curse." Luna said with the same down-to-earth tone she had prided herself on trying to have.
To be fair? Zeb was silent, he hadn't much left to have said in that state. He wished to be silent for there was little he had wished to have spoken now and for good reason, knowing what was to be said… And he had ZERO desire to do so.
"I wish it was a curse," Zeb stated.
He had no desire to be dealing with it for now. He looked at Luna who tilted her head around and then looked at him similarly to an owl who had been busy preening itself.
It was adorable as it was a reminder to him that she was not able to deal with it.
She clicked her fingers before she seemed to try and talk through it… Zeb knew she had no filter with what needed to be dealt with for now.
She had been too interested in the next move made to try and justify it and would always need to justify it in her way when it came down to it at the end of the day.
The group passed through an arch and Zeb knew eventually that damned toad would descend on them with her hidden cruelty tucked away behind the mask.
He had known people that horrid and foul… It was called his family for one. it had tainted every small corner of this place and it flooded over the place like pain.
He hadn't the ability to deal with it for now as he clicked his fingers against the stone.
"I'll meet you guys later if we can…" Gek said before turning to Hatie. "Let's go," Gek said as she and Hatie departed.
Gek watched them go with a frown. He had no damn idea what would come next… Their school did not like their ilk… Well, the woman did not. He knew this and knew it well.
"You are scared," Luna said.
"Yes, very scared," Zeb stated as he sighed. "I do not know what will be happening as long as this goes on," Zeb said before frowning. "You might wish not to be around me this year… Slytherins will not be looked upon kindly for now." Zeb stated.
Luna did not abandon his side at his words. He did not know if it was madness or the mere thought, she saw some speck of kindness worth protecting within him. He judged himself unworthy of it and almost fell back to the stuttering mess he had become onboard the Hogwarts Express.
"People don't like me either," Luna said plainly.
"I'm asking for the sake of you… Not me, Luna." Zeb said as he departed for the next class.
She followed, perhaps because they shared a class. He could not for the life of him see how this went well.
"You are scared of people hating us because of you," Luna said plainly.
"I am scared of the idea a very unscrupulous woman runs the school and has the house I am sorted into at her beck and call," Zeb stated.
"I am frightened by the logic that being here near those I consider friends will endanger my friends. I am not a saint and I know it but I do not wish to be considered a monster for caring about my friends." Zeb stated.
He meant it, he meant every letter as he paused to turn a corner. He cared for her for she was a kindness the world seemed to hate…
The same perhaps, he could apply to Harry Potter. He had no love of the man and yet he did not share the scalding dislike for such a woman at the end of the day… Such a thing was going to be more and more chaotic, thrown down.
How had he come to such an idea like this? He had no clue what was going on. He had no such clues about what was going on. He had a lot more to see and do, a lot of ideas.
Perhaps it would need to be torn down mentally, for him to rebuild it from scratch lest he forget what he had gone into doing once more. There were a lot of things that he had left on his mind before he relaxed… He had been unable to deal with it for now.
Zeb turned his thoughts towards Gek and Hatie. He didn't like Hatie, she was as arrogant and prideful as he might have been with the mindset of someone who wanted to push against the door.
She had been too interested in the next move made but she wasn't willing to try and deal with it for now.
There was a lot more to their game. Yet? Hatie was always the one determined to make a move before waiting to see what their enemy did, let them make a mistake, and then cut them apart.
Then there was Gek. Gek was a lot of things but he was an odd Hufflepuff, he was loyal but it seemed to be more to the idea of friendship rather than his friends himself. He also seemed to be hardworking in the way he conducted himself.
"Zeb?" Luna asked.
"Hmm?" Zeb questioned before he sighed and then looked to the side. "There's a lot of things I got on my mind, I'm sorry," Zeb stated to which he sighed.
"You think a lot about things," Luna said with a matter-of-fact tone.
"I have a lot on my mind," Zeb stated. "I think that is my biggest flaw… Even now, I'm dwelling on subjects I shouldn't." Zeb stated.
"Like the school?" Luna asked with her head tilted.
"Hogwarts has endured far more than this. It won't break to the ministry." Zeb whispered a few moments later. "I don't worry about the school. I worry about the people inside the school for the most part." Zeb said.
Luna frowned but she nodded. She could tell what he meant at the end of the day when push went to shove.
The ministry did not care about Hogwarts. It did not at all care about the school which was older and more significant than they could have ever chosen to have been.
No, they feared Dumbledore and Zeb knew it, they feared the man even the Dark Lord might hesitate against acting with open intent. If Dumbledore ordered a war? It would be carried out with banisters roaring his name and the ministry only hated the fact it wasn't so beloved it could pretty much order war on its enemies.
"Being scared isn't a bad thing," Luna stated.
"It is when your enemies use it against you," Zeb stated with a frown to himself. "We will be at war soon. I am not scared of dying." Zeb stated before he frowned.
"I am scared of the fact that I will not be able to protect those I care about and I know more and more that such things will be harder to comprehend," Zeb stated with obvious exhaustion dripping from each word.
He was too distracted by this; he knew very well his weakness was a vice that he couldn't have endured at all when push came to shove. It was a curse that slunk through his grasp with even the most annoying.
Zeb had been quiet, knowing what had been waiting for now. He had known nothing short of incredible for now… Such chaos was all he had left with and all he could vie for.
He was tired, he was beaten down to the ground. He had been too interested in now as he cleaned his fingers and felt exhausted.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show more of both Luna and Zeb along with setting up the end of the first arc. Until the 900–6500-word chapter, Lighting Wolf out!
