XI

JUST DO IT COD

There was now a petrified boy, a Creevey from first year. Gossip run around, and people were now giving Harry a wide berth, full of fright, full of fear.

Katie thought this was all very strange. She thought that for a change, people would use their heads to think and see that in the night of the attack, Harry was actually in the Healer precinct.

But they all believed in that whole quack. And people were so trepid with the whole thing that they were now going to take Duelling lessons with that great hack.

Katie and three-quarters of the school came just for the show, and—who knows—maybe they even got a chance to throw a spell or two against that cockatoo—and a more apt description would not be found, as today he was sporting a rather dashing set of white robes, crowned by that golden mess of curls.

"C'mon Cod, you have to do your part," said Leanne, as she glanced at Professor Lockhart.

Katie could keep her plan from Leanne for a grand total of eight minutes straight. But it was Leanne that knew which magical squid happened to make that special magical ink—Katie mixed it in a potion and gave it to The Cod who now only had to sneak it in onto Lockhart's drink.

"Yeah, Big Fish. You're there almost every week and that hair is yet always pretty and sleek."

The Cod huffed in protest.

"I'm not there every week. Professor Lockhart doesn't have much time to rest between answering his letters. And it is rare that he receives a guest."

Leanne snorted.

"Yeah, you are there only like three times a week or so. C'mon Cod, quit being so slow. We're counting on you there, mate—it's already too late."

"I do not—"

But at that moment, they didn't need anymore to wait: the Duelling Club was on!

And to the surprise of all, he went on to call his assistant and there suddenly came a dark and brooding shape; there came Professor Snape in his usual dashing set of black and grey, and for once it seemed house enmity would end as even the most fay of the lions didn't bother pretend to not be rooting for the bat—for Lockhart really was a prat!

Which begged the question more and more, and it weighed a little on Katie's mind and on her face's sneer: what could The Cod have seen behind all the veneer of that fake flake?

But now was not the time to think about that at all, because Prof. Snape went on to send Lockhart flying towards the wall.

And suddenly he began to change.

And then, a most strange bloke, with the same face and the same white cloak, began to rise up from where Lockhart had been thrown but …

Everybody was confused as the figured got up with a low groan.

For Professor Lockhart's hair had turned jet black, and people were so shocked which what they had to unpack that at first nobody had said nothing yet, as Lockhart called for a duet to duel.

And suddenly people began to whisper and to grin at the scene, to which Lockhart only smiled back, the change in his hair yet unseen by him.

Leanne pinched our fishy little rulebreaker.

"Well done, Cod. For a moment I thought that your crush on Lockhart was too much of a tiebreaker."

The Cod frowned at Leanne.

"I do not have a crush," began The Cod, with an angry blush on his face.

"Well, thanks anyway, big fish, and don't worry: that potion won't leave no trace. Though I didn't think it would take this long. But then the potion was made in a rush, and it was quite a bit of slush in the end. But thank you very much for helping anyway Cod, but you should've told us you mixed it in his drink, you prat!"

And then The Cod scratched his head.

"Honestly, I was so tired yesterday I just went straight to bed," he said with a small snicker. "I don't even remember doing that—"

But then, Malfoy waved his wand in a flicker, and they got away from that duelling platform quick—and quicker, when the scene unfolded and that snake began to prowl.

And it was revealed: a foul piece of information. And Harry talking to that snake helped lots to increase his admiration and the gossip cesspool within the school.

Professor Lockhart's fury knew no bounds, as he went on rounds around the school trying to understand who had jinxed his hair. Some people had their suspicions but yet didn't dare voicing them—it was the first time someone saw Lockhart really mad, and Katie was glad there wasn't anything pointing to her or The Cod.

Everyone who was there to see it suspected Professor Snape, the same man who was trying to work on an antidote for that jerk and his hair, which left Lockhart in a bit of pickle, since his potions skills were a tad fickle.

Oh, and about Harry: people were the samesie same as last year, treating the boy like he was Slytherin's heir, giving him only a glare from afar—though a handful of some of the maddest in Slytherin thought he was a star cuz' of that whole snake-talking thing.

Harry's temper was now on a wild swing, calm on a moment, on a short string in the next.

Katie this time did not went away, and she made sure to convey that—many a time after a training session, she and Harry went on a slow procession towards the castle, the rest of the team speeding up ahead, becoming nothing but a little bunch of red points up the road, as Harry and Katie strode towards the building, in a slow pace: discussing the next game, their favourite place, the whole frame-and-blame-Harry fad, and people getting quite mad over that talking-to-a-snake scene.

Granted, it shook Katie a little too, but she wasn't so mean not to notice that it was a surprise to Harry, too. And so, this time, she sticked to Harry through and through.

And then it was Christmas, and this time, Katie and The Cod were at the Beasleys for the date.

Mr and Mrs Beasley were absolutely enchanted by any and all things magic, even though the family history with it was quite tragic. Mr Loweland put in some words in the Ministry and now he and Mrs Bell were entertaining Mr and Mrs Beasley's question about the odd spell, and even helping them trying their hand at Potions, even though the explosions that were occasionally heard did sound very absurd.

Katie, Leanne and The Cod were lounging before the fire, trading stories and some tidbits about the term prior.

"… but the thing I liked most about Hogsmeade were those dwarves in tweed, singing songs in that gnarly language of theirs."

Katie laughed.

"Aye, the hairs on my forearm just about turned to needles when that lot began to sing!"

Leanne smiled.

"Oh, I thought them very charming, especially the one with that little red bow-thing."

"Ah, the Princeling? People were telling he was some relative of their king. Rag-something. If that was truly what I think he is, that was really something quite odd," said The Cod. "Lockhart was trying to talk to these guys for some reason. Something for Valentines, if I'm not mistaken."

Leanne's eyebrows rose.

"I don't know how you've yet not awaken, Cod. Even you must see that Lockhart is a fraud!"

"Yeah, Big Fish. What's the deal with that? Spiel it to us, what do you and that ponce discuss up there?"

The Cod made a funny face.

"Oh, nothing important really. He talks about his travels a lot—you may not believe it, but he really knows his stuff."

Katie let out a huff.

"I'll believe it when I see some proof. That big goof is still walking around with his hair tinted black. C'mon, even I know how to turn it back—though Snape is doing a fabulous job of looking busy and putting up a show to that frizzy, I have to admit."

Leanne grinned.

"Oh, I think we should've went with something more charming, something more disarming, and more dashing."

"Or something truly smashing. I'm thinking about Beasley-red, what do you think?" said Katie.

"Oi, matey, you wouldn't dare. And we can't have a repeat of that, anyways now that the prat is now is quite on edge with this whole affair, which begs the question: how on earth did you manage to do it, Cod?"

The Cod looked pensative into the fire.

"I don't really know—which is quite odd, to tell you the truth. I think I was just so tired on that day that I just made my way towards the bed and just kind of forgot."

Katie grinned.

"Well, I told you that you should've dropped it on the spot that Care of Magical Creatures thing when you saw that Kettleburn had only one arm."

Leanne's eyebrows rose.

"This is not fair, Katie! He said he lost it while working on a farm …"

And the holidays came to an end, and soon Katie had her duties as student and Chaser to tend.

Things were quite fine for a while, but then the attacks came back, and rarely you could see someone smile, for truly the consequences of the whole thing were beginning to stack. Even Prof. Lockhart's Valentines prank was a welcoming sight, though they were not really enough to take their minds off that blight affair.

The attack on a ghost seemed to be a turn point of it all. And the consequences soon came bearing down on our trio, in the form of letters delivered one quiet morning on the Great Hall.

All three of them received letters from their parents, who were now making inquiries and looking into opportunities for them away from there. The Lowelands went to Durmstrang in their scare; the Bells talked to a friend of theirs that went to Ilvermony. Even the Beasleys managed a tentative correspondence with a Beauxbatons representative.

The Cod's hands trembled as he looked at his friends, making some bends on the parchment. His hands were trembling a lot these days—he didn't like to talk but Katie suspected The Cod was more than a little terrified with that whole Chamber of Secrets craze.

Katie couldn't stand losing what she had with them. She and her friends penned very bratty letters back to their parents, something which they regretted not long at all, but it was already too late when they had sent the owls on their call.

Katie chose to focus, above all, on playing Quidditch in the best way she could, and even Wood became impressed with her.

The day of the match came, and she parted ways from The Cod and Leanne as she went towards the changing rooms, where their brooms and their kits were stashed.

There she encountered Harry, and all of her jumbled thoughts and mental images were dashed, being replaced with worry as she saw his face and the way he seemed to be walking all around the room in a hurry.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry turned to look at her, taking long to finally say something. He opened his mouth but hesitated and thought better before looking away from her.

Oh-oh, though Katie.

"Harry, what's with the stir? Is there something amiss?"

He stared at her for quite a long time, her face very close to his, hesitating more and more—

And then the door opened, and Katie almost swore.

Harry went away from her until the match, leaving Katie only to scratch her head on why he'd fled her.

But she soon got more clues, as she saw Professor McGonagall make use of a megaphone in the Professor's stand.

"All students are to make their way back to the House common rooms!"

The team quickly gathered their brooms and went on to demand what was happening. The Professor took only one look at them all and then to Harry, after getting the rest of the team to acquiesce her plea.

"Potter, I think you'd better come with me."

And Katie glanced at Harry, and he glanced at her back. She knew him well enough already: he knew something about this attack.

It was Hermione this time—and whatever grimy theory that he was behind that crime quickly died out, as even the Slytherins had no doubt Harry would never attack Granger. Which only made things stranger, as now they had not someone to blame—which led to many a erroneous claim and a bunch of lame attempts to frame one another.

Katie rarely had an opportunity to talk to Harry, now that they hadn't Quidditch anymore—something that the team found hard to ignore. Wood, for example was devastated, but frankly, the whole thing went into the backseat of Katie's mind as she tried to find Harry, who tried to ignore her.

Katie had to do something and went on to talk to Leanne to see if she had any kind of plan. She touched her shoulder, and to her surprise it was not Leanne who turned back—though the girl looked like very taken aback.

Now that she wasn't distracted she noticed the differences: Leanne was very much taller and her hair had more of an orange colour. This one was smaller, had a bit more freckles to her face and a pair of doe brown eyes that looked nothing like Leanne's penetrating blue gaze.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were one of my friends—you look very similar to her, I kid you not. I'm Katie Bell, what's your name?"

The girl seemed to be in a bit of shock.

"I know you—I mean, from the game. You are a very good Chaser. I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley."

"Ah, that explains it. Thought you were a Beasley—I think Leanne said something about you guys being some distant relatives."

And so Katie talked to Ginny for some time—up until a point she mentioned Harry. Much to her surprise, the girl clamped up and likewise didn't talk too much further. Katie thought she was a very sweet girl, nonetheless, even if it seemed like she was a ball of stress.

But then, if Katie had to guess, so were everyone—Katie herself included, she had to confess.

Katie was becoming very worried with The Cod. He had finally stopped going to that fraud, but that was just because there were very few opportunities to go out after curfew. Ghosts patrolled each and every hall and the Fat Lady had the portraits on a call to have her await if there were any students out late, before she, too, made her rounds, to catch students out of bounds.

The Cod's hands were shaking so much these days Katie thought he was sick. She and Leanne tried to bring him to the Hospital Wing, but that prat was stubborn as a brick.

But they were more stubborn than him, and on a quiet Sunday The Cod finally talked about what was making him tight as a bow-string.

It was a forwarded letter that Mr Loweland had sent him, one that made Katie scoff at the tone: it was a letter from a Mr Igor Karkaroff, a—if Katie was not mistaken—known Death Eater, which explained, at least in part, why The Cod was so shaken.

It discussed The Cod's enrolment as a student in Durmstrang next term. The letter robbed their cheer, and explained The Cod's fear, as it seemed there was now a firm grip over them; there were now the consequences of that whole disaster—even more so now that they wanted to dismiss the Headmaster.

Leanne gave a firm hug to them both, and there was a heavy weight on that action that Katie began to loath: for the cause of this break—when she got her hands on the Heir of Slytherin he would shake and jinx the bastard until they were plastered on that damned hall where they had painted the wall red on that fateful Halloween night.

Leanne's eyes were bright with tears unshed as she clasped their hands; and Katie closed the circle, clasping The Cod's hands, too.

They were so cold and they were trembling so much … Katie would make the Heir pay for breaking her little crew.

It seemed Harry wanted to talk to her alone. She was lounging on one of the less crowded spaces staring absent-mindedly at that wall of stone when suddenly she felt a hand slap a parchment on her lap.

She looked around, but only saw Ginny Weasley looking suspiciously at a point close to her feet. She glanced, too, and saw a footprint or two, if she tried to really squint at it. Ginny looked at her for a moment in suspicion, but on the other just went on to write on her little diary, apparently very engrossed on her mission.

The girl was very tense around Katie for some reason, eyeing her occasionally as if Katie had committed some crime or some treason, always scratching that little black notebook. Katie shrugged at that and had a look at the note, and suddenly she felt a lump on her throat.

"Second classroom to the left of the Common Room. I need your assistance."

It was Harry's scrawl, and she tried to associate that with his previous distance. She said she was going to the loo to Leanne and The Cod and went on to see what Harry wanted her to do.

She dodged the paintings and the statues purview and finally arrived at the place. There it was Harry and Ron—this one at a respectful distance, the other with conflict on his face.

And then Harry told her what he would do. And she didn't want to let him, but he insisted and, at the end, he pushed through, and put on over him and Ron that Invisibility Cloak hiding them from her view.

"Please Katie, you're the only one we knew that we could trust with that. If we do not return in time, please go to McGonagall and explain where we were at."

And so she agreed with that prat. And waited. And waited.

And waited—but that burden was too heavy a chore. Almost everyone went to bed—The Cod, McLaggen, even little Ginny seemed to have went up ahead.

She couldn't wait anymore. She excused herself again, and even went on to insist with Leanne that she was fine, and that she would be back in no time.

She walked at first, but then began to run as she felt something strange grip her heart. She suddenly saw a ghost dart in front of her.

"Back to the Common Room, little Gryffindor girl."

Katie shook her head at the beautiful lady, all in white and pearl.

"I have to tell something to Prof. McGonagall! It is very serious!"

The ghost eyed her with a judging gaze for a moment more, before she replied in a mysterious tone.

"Follow me, then. And do not let go of my dress."

Katie found it odd, but nonetheless, tried to keep a hand on her as she glided through the corridors, halls and doors without missing a turn.

And then Katie heard the hissing, before she saw it and had time to discern.

She saw the Grey Lady stop and, through her, Katie saw something that made her heart drop.

They were like two suns in the dark hall, they were like two red halos, very tall inside that corridor. They held death, and Katie felt her breath being stolen—just before she fell back, just before it all went black.

Notes:

Thank you for reading. I appreciate any and all feedback.