ALOHOMORA | CEDRIC DIGGORY

11〝eleven〞

AT ROLF'S WARNING ELLIS PIVOTED, but before she could register anything else, something hefty had sent her crashing backwards. Ellis laid on the cold stone floor, all wind knocked out of her, the ceiling of stars spinning before her eyes, a nasty image swimming in the back of her mind. After some time, she felt the weighty mass roll off her chest and breathing became much easier all of a sudden.

It was Rolf who helped her sit up as she clutched the back of her throbbing head: there wasn't anything warm or wet, and her palm seemed clean when she pulled it out of her hair and inspected it—at least she wasn't bleeding. Massaging the wounded spot, she looked around slowly.

"Is it me," whispered Ellis, "or is everything kind of...green?"

"It's not you," assured Rolf. "I think Justin's wand did something when he fell."

Through the greenish haze that enveloped them, Ellis gazed towards where Rolf had indicated. It was the ducking boy, sprawled ungracefully and gulping for air. And though she already knew, his reaction made it plain that it was he who had collided into and subsequently landed on her.

When she caught his eye, he hastily hurled himself backwards until he was pressed up against his partner, then, because he had nowhere else to go, curled up his legs as though every inch placed between him and her counted towards saving his life. If only that were true, Ellis wouldn't mind it; in fact, she hoped, dearly, and for his sake, that it was.

Cowering next to him was the round-faced Gryffindor who looked equally, if not more, frightened (he was most likely to have been responsible for the spell that led to this disaster) and trembled so much that he made Ellis feel dizzy again.

Somehow, Professor Snape had arrived at the scene. With a wave of his wand the green mist vanished. He lifted Ellis back onto her feet. The Great Hall went revolving around her once more; Snape grabbed hold of her as she swayed slightly. Finally, things that shouldn't be moving stopped moving, and she saw the Hogwarts teacher staring down at her.

"Where," demanded Snape, "does it hurt?"

"I'm fine," said Ellis quietly, shaking her head.

The Potions master was not at all convinced. He swept around her (Rolf had to skitter out of the way to avoid being bulldozed) and Ellis could feel him disturbing her half up crown braid with his wandtip. She knew he had found the injured site shortly because he jabbed it, causing her to wince. On the ground, Finch-Fletchley and Longbottom both flinched. But then the pain ebbed away steadily. The bump seemed to be shrinking and within seconds, all aching sensations had gone. There was a brief tug at her roots and Snape was standing before her again. Ellis reached to the back of her head; her braids felt good as new, and the swelling was no more.

Snape cast a deadly glare towards Justin and the Gryffindor, the latter of whom became promptly weepy. The Hufflepuff gave a start and recoiled even more when Snape pointed his wand at him. Ellis instantly latched on to her Head of House's arm with both hands, wishing and praying to persuade him not to inflict whatever punishment he'd planned on inflicting. And though no words had managed to come out of her, nothing appeared to be happening to Finch-Fletchley either—unless it was Snape's very intention to make the boy hyperventilate.

Next moment something came hurtling from beneath his robes; Ellis recognized it right away. With the invariable instinct of a Seeker, Ellis stretched out an arm and seized the slim stick of pine that was her wand, just like she once did with Colin Creevey's. Snape lowered his wand arm, and then glanced to his other which was still grasped by Ellis; she released her grip at once.

"I'm sorry, sir," said Ellis, "and thank you." Snape jerked his head.

"Be careful now," Snape said to Ellis, who returned a nod of her own.

Then, giving one last dirty look at the pile that consisted of a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor, Snape yanked the boys up by their collars and onto their feet. He dusted his palms an excessive number of times, then glided away to help others recover from the aftermath, which, as Ellis just noticed, was a wreck.

Most of the younger students had been involved in some sort of accident. Predictably, the seniors were more proficient and hence immune, and many of them, too, had come to the aid of the victims of unskilled magic.

Ellis espied the redheaded prefect who summoned her to Professor Snape's office the day she was named Slytherin Seeker and his female associate who discovered her out of bed the night of Colin Creevey's Petrification tending to a group of ashen-faced Ravenclaws; Luna Lovegood and Adrian Goldstein looked to be amongst them. Marcus Flint and Slytherin Keeper Miles Bletchley were half mocking and half hurling up a pair of meaty Slytherin boys; one of them, whom Ellis had looked through to learn the events of Hallowe'en, sported a black eye, while the other's eyebrows were charred and smoking. Twins with the same striking mane as Ginny Weasley were supporting a couple of smaller Gryffindors. Beside them, the same was being done for some Hufflepuffs by a brunette, a blonde, and—

Cedric Diggory had straightened up from letting go of a squat girl with honey-colored pigtails when Ellis caught his eye. She didn't need Seer's blood to be unsurprised by his signature move: he gave her a smile, albeit it was much longer compared to the previous one, presumably as his blonde friend was currently distracted. But this time Ellis wasn't perplexed or annoyed, and neither did her insides act as though they were forming knots on their own. Instead, she felt vaguely angry and quite revolted, and she clutched her wand unnecessarily tightly as she wheeled around.

Just then, Professor Lockhart called across the hall.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells. Let's have a volunteer pair—Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you—"

It was as if Lockhart had completely discounted their blanched faces and breathlessness as being normal. Professor Snape came drifting over to prevent yet another calamity; in their place, he suggested Malfoy and Potter. Lockhart agreed ("Excellent idea!") and they took to the stage.

Draco Malfoy was a pale boy with a sharp chin and light hair like Ellis neatly sleeked back; his eyes carried an arrogance, a my-father-owns-the-place attitude. More interestingly, he had been the Slytherin Seeker before Ellis. This, however, was the first time she'd seen him somewhat up close after being a subpar blur on the Quidditch field. Snape whispered something in his ear, instructions perhaps, and they both smirked.

"Three...two...one...go!"

"Serpensortia!"

A thick black snake was ejected from the end of Malfoy's wand. It thudded onto the golden surface and began slithering around. Wherever it went, the crowd rapidly retreated, screaming. The commotion had startled it; Ellis could see fear glinting in its beady eyes. She opened her mouth to say that there was nothing to worry about, that the students were more afraid of it than it was afraid of them, but never got started. She was lugged backwards—Rolf was pulling her to safety as the serpent advanced on them. He had a conflicted look, like he was sympathetic but also scared, as he eyed it moving along.

At the other end of the stage, Harry Potter and his round glasses stared blankly at the large reptile coming towards him. Snape offered to remove it, but Lockhart got there first. He flourished his wand fancily and a blast thundered through the Great Hall. The snake had gone from the stage, but only because it had been tossed into the air. By gravity, it was smacked back onto the stage, now undeniably provoked. Fangs bared, it charged towards its nearest target—the ducking boy. The hall held its breath, but then there was a hissing noise.

And it wasn't coming from the snake.

AN: New year, new chapter. Wishing everyone a wonderful 2021 ahead ❤️ PS, I'm not going to go into how annoyed I am that they are recasting Grindelwald in the FB series.