Coffee & Commentary

Woes and Wisdom

November 1991

"Charlie! Noooo!" I shrieked and laughed as he lunged at me. I side stepped him and he fell face first into a classroom table, nearly upsetting a cauldron of snake fangs in the empty potions classroom. He looked badly hurt as he held his hands to his face. Afraid we had taken our game too far, I stepped close and put my hand on his shoulder. He lifted his hands to reveal his face. He was not bleeding; but laughing as he tackled me once more and grabbed the brooch in the knot of my scarf. We collapsed in a fit of laughter on the floor near the table. "Charlie! Give it back! I swear, you seekers only have one thing in mind..." We didn't realize we were no longer alone.

"Mr. Weasley. Miss Cassiopeia. There will be no foolish snitch chasing in my classroom. You could get yourselves killed. Though that may solve a number of my problems, I do not wish to do the paperwork required should you meet your demise in my dungeon. As for Mr. Weasley's insatiable reflex to chase every snitch he sees, I will keep Miss Cassiopeia's jewelry in my desk until she can learn to behave." Professor Snape grunted at us as he slipped Murphy's pin into the pocket of his robes. The pin was the last thing I had left at school to remind me of Murphy.

 "Please, Professor Snape! It belongs to Murphy. It isn't fair. I'm sorry. It was just a game." I begged, perhaps too desperately. 

He sneered at me. "You will not speak to me to about fairness. You have no idea the kind of... chaos... a distracted Gryffindor seeker can cause." he turned away from us.

Charlie rested his elbow on my shoulder. "I am so sorry, KC. I know what Murphy's pin means to you. You're constantly touching it ever since he went to London. Do you get to speak with him often?" he was apologetic, but I wasn't going to be ok. I held back tears. 

"Not as often as I would like, but he will send a charm to the blackboard in my room every night. It just isn't the same. I'm sorry I've been a downer lately. I just miss him. I miss him, and Bill, and Orion, and Skye....and Rowan. I shouldn't have to miss her this year, Charlie." I couldn't hold the tears any longer. He wrapped his arm tight around my shoulder. "Come on, lets get you some lunch." He led me out of the dungeon.

"Charlie! KC! Over here!" Penny called to us from her seat at the lunch table. She was smiling and talking to a new group of first-year Hufflepuffs. I glared at the pitiful new students. So bright, so happy, so... Hufflepuffy. I hoped they enjoyed the magic of Hogwarts before the hidden dangers of their new home ripped them to shreds like it would eventually do to all who entered.

Penny raised an eyebrow at Charlie. I could see his eyes dart to the bare spot on my scarf where my pin had been. "Oh, KC. I'm so sorry. What happened?!" she looked at me unable to hide the concern she had for me.

I slammed my empty coffee mug on the table in front of me. "Don't look at me like I look at the first-years. You wanna pity someone? You wanna coddle someone? They are the ones who are going to need it." I left my lunch on the table and walked away.

I went back to the girls dormitory and flopped onto my bed. The chalkboard to the left of my bed had not been charmed by Murphy yet today. I turned away from it and rolled to my right side. I closed my eyes and rolled onto my back. Staring at the ceiling was better than looking at a blank chalkboard or an empty bed. I planned on doing a lot of staring at the ceiling this year. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep was a rarity these days. I crawled out of bed and looked at myself in the mirror of my armoire. I looked even more pale than usual. My forehead was broken out. I rolled my eyes at the refection in front of me. I reached for the scissors on my desk and grabbed a handful of fringe. *CHOP* I tussled my hair in the mirror. Instant regret... but at least the bumps protruding from my forehead were hidden. I wanted to be hidden. I changed out of my class robes and into workout gear. I had hoped a run would clear my mind.