Morgan le Fay Institute for Magic

Chapter 6 - Cheerful Chat

Professor Slughorn's announcement that evening had been bleak. Mr Dankworth had decided against both the exams and the funding. She promised she'd talk to the Ministry and get the decision reverted, but it didn't look very hopeful.

What she didn't mention was who had caused all of this.

Level five sat in the common room that night, staring dejectedly into the hearth. It was quiet. Most students had either gone to bed early or gone out for a drink in Dawnwich. Ravenna couldn't bring herself to do either. Guilt sat like a heavy rock in her stomach, a strange contrast to the warmth of the cosy common room enveloping her.

"I'm really sorry, guys," she muttered once again into the silence. She'd pushed herself deep into her armchair, as if she hoped it would gobble her up and make her disappear.

On the rug in front of the fireplace lay a purring kneazle, a large cat-like creature with tufty ears and tail. It had wandered into the school years ago, quickly making the common room its home. Some idiot, thinking they were clever, had given her the Welsh name Dioneta, so everyone just called her Di for short.

"You know, I want to blame you," Ezra told Ravenna, lying spread out on the sofa with one arm dangling down to the floor and staring up at the ceiling. "I do. But that git had his opinion ready before he ever set foot in our school."

"Yeah," said Dan. "This gave him a good excuse, but he would have found one either way."

The kneazle got to her feet and stretched, clawing into the rug. She jumped onto the windowsill, where she barely fit, and lay down again. They'd taken the plants down from there long ago, because Di kept thumping them off the ledge. Life of a kneazle seemed so easy, Ravenna pondered wistfully. If you did something wrong, the humans simply adapted to accommodate you.

"What do we do now?" Ella sat on an ottoman with her legs wide and her shoulders hunched, playing with a loose thread.

"Nothing," Ezra replied. "We get over it and crack on. Hope for the best next year."

Was that really the only option they had? Wasting an entire year, while not even knowing whether they'd have their chance back next year? Ravenna bit her lower lip, staring at the carpet below her feet. How could this happen? How was this fair?

Ravenna startled when Ella suddenly stood up, breaking the silence with a heavy sigh.

"I think I'll go and write my parents a letter. Explain what happened and let them know my exams got moved to next year. See you all tomorrow."

Ravenna thought that was awfully optimistic, but decided to let it go, as Ezra stood up too.

"I think I'll check out as well," he said, sticking his hand up in goodbye before following after Ella.

"Night," she muttered in response.

She waited for the door to close behind them, before turning back to Dan. "I hate this."

"I know," he replied. "There's nothing we can do though."

"There might be..."

"No," came her best friend's immediate response. "We've talked about this."

"This is my fault. If he can help us, don't I owe it to everyone to try?"

"Who can help us?"

Ravenna jumped at the sound of Willem's voice. She'd forgotten he was still sitting on the armchair behind her. His eyes were red-rimmed, but wide with hope.