Contort

HARRY POTTER walked the corridors of Hogwarts aimlessly, deep in thought. It was now a week into the new school year, and though he was happy to be back, he was doubly worried. There was something different about this year. He could feel it in his bones. Ron was progressively becoming worse, each night twisting and turning in his sleep because of another nightmare. Though he was awake every time Ron woke with a start, Harry pretended otherwise, refusing to let his friend know that he had heard his whimpers. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

And then there was the new girl. Karas Haylett was a mystery to Harry. Though Ron pretended he didn’t, Harry had noticed him watching Karas from a distance, a certain look on his face. It was a sight that Harry was less than happy to witness. He had an uneasy feeling whenever she was around, which was often since she had made a habit of sitting with them at meals, though her focus was mostly on Ron. Now that Harry thought about it, her focus was almost always on Ron.

Harry’s thoughts began to scatter as he came to a dark hallway, one that seemed to hold a chill that no familiar corridor in Hogwarts held. He furrowed his eyebrows, taking slow and measured steps toward the lone window at the end of the hall. He watched the sky as a frightening bolt of lightning struck over the Black Lake, a roll of thunder shaking the ground. The students below, who had been leisurely wandering around the courtyard only moments before, began to disperse in search of shelter. The rain fell heavy then, soaking everything in sight instantly.

Harry couldn’t help but think that the weather matched his mood in that moment, a feeling of complete dread. Dread for the unknown. He wasn’t sure who he could trust anymore, and that was a truly scary thought.

NAGINI slithered in and out of the shadows, eyeing the silhouette ahead of her greedily, her tongue flicking in and out of her mouth every now and then. The boy who lived, his back to her, was staring out the window contently, completely unaware that he was being watched. Stupid boy. Nagini quickly glided through an open doorway, changing into her human form and silently closing and locking the door behind her.

“Karas.”

Karas turned to greet the owner of the voice.

“Severus”, she said, nodding her head and walking across the room to where he was standing. Her eyes still held the malice they’d had when looking at Harry Potter, as if she was ready to attack at any moment.

“Thank you-”, Severus began.

“For meeting you here?” Karas cut him off. “I hope you have something good to say to me. I don’t take kindly to unessential meetings.”

A heavy silence filled the room then as they stared at each other for a few moments longer. Snape sighed, folding his hands behind his back and lifting his chin, looking down the bridge of his nose at his master’s pet.

“I only wish to warn you that if you want this plan to work, you will have to be careful around Mr. Potter. He’s noticed a change in the Weasley boy and I can tell just by looking at him that it makes him uneasy. He obviously doesn’t know who to trust.”

“So, what? You want me to befriend Potter too?” she asked through clenched teeth. The only thing keeping her from yelling her question was the fact that Potter was just down the hall. “If I would have known how many blood traitors I was going to have to take under my wing, I wouldn’t have agreed to this plan.”

“Karas, the Dark Lord agrees with this plan. Do not upset him by ruining it because of your pride.”

Karas took in a deep breath and held it for several seconds before letting it back out. He had found her weakness.

“Fine.”

And with that, she morphed into her other self, quickly slithering out of the room and into the shadows of the great corridors. When she looked back, she found that the silhouette of the boy who lived was no longer there. Someday, Harry Potter will disappear for good. And it will all be because of Ronald Weasley.