Hogwarts Mystery: Kenneth Russell & The Mysterious Room

Chapter 9: Dealing with Trouble

"Greasy-haired git," Kenneth mumbled to himself as he grabbed his back and sulked out the classroom and out from the dungeons. As he climb the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room, he wanted nothing spend the rest of the day there and not have to deal with Snape or Merula. He wasn't paying attention and the next moment he was on the ground, having run into another person.

"Oww," Kenneth groaned, rubbing his head. Looking at the figure he had run into. It was Ben. "Oh, Ben! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Getting up and helping Ben to his feet.

"It's alright," Ben dismissed, rubbing his head as well. "I've had worse."

"What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to say thank you," Ben said, timidly.

"For what?" asked Kenneth.

"For standing up to Merula Snyde."

"Who told you I did that?" asked Kenneth, even more confused.

Ben took a breath and looked afraid of what he was going to say.

"I was watching from the end of the corridor," he confessed. "I've been following her so she can't sneak up on me, and if she sees me,I'll at least have a chance to run away."

Kenneth tried his best to hold back his laughter. He couldn't fathom something so odd it was ridiculous.

"That is the oddest thing I've ever heard," said Kenneth. "Ben, why in the world would you do something like that?"

"Because,"said Ben, looking down, almost ashamed of himself. "She was the one that tormented me the entire way here on the Hogwarts Express. She kept threatening me and called me a 'Mudblood'."

"So it was her that was responsible," said Kenneth, not surprised in the least. He remembered that day of how Ben was so tormented he had to find another compartment to sit in.

"I'm sorry, Ben. That is terrible." Kenneth sympathized.

"Merula is obsessed with being the best witch in our year," Ben continued, "and she thinks she has to impose her will on us to prove it." Ben was starting to look more depressed, he looked as though he was on the verge of tears. "I'm just glad that someone was brave enough to stand up to her. I'm certainly not. I'm a joke that I got put into Gryffindor."

"Everyone is afraid of something, Ben." said Kenneth, trying to boost Ben's confidence. "And I don't want to hear you say you don't belong in Gryffindor."

"That's easy for you to say," said Ben. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid of everything. I come from a Muggle family, so all of this is new andscary to me."

"I know how you feel," insisted Kenneth. "I come from a wizard family, and this is hard for me too."

Ben looked at Kenneth, eyes wide like saucepans.

"How?" he asked.

"Because of my brother," admitted Kenneth. "I'll try to help you however I can, Ben."

Ben relaxed and smiled from that last remark. He definitely felt better.

"Thanks, Kenneth!" exclaimed Ben. "I'll see you around." With that, he took his leave and moved on into the nearest corridor.

Shaking his head at the absurdity of Ben's confession, Kenneth moved on and found the portrait to the Gryffindor portrait. Answering the password, he crawled into the Common Room, hoping to find no one there.

He was wrong.

As he entered he saw Rowan talking with Angelica. When she saw Kenneth enter the room, she had a look of disappointment on her face. She crossed her arms as Kenneth approached.