Mara's Magic

ii - stress at home

"I don't know how you managed to convince Professor McGonagall to let us do this," Diana laughed through the fire. I sat on the floor by the fireplace, leaning against the bricks with a large, fluffy blanket wrapped around my shoulders with a pile of sweets sitting next to me.

"She's my godmother, it's really not that hard," I replied, grabbing a half-eaten chocolate frog and taking a bite.

"True," she replied.

"So, what's life like at Hogwarts now?" I asked, my mouth full.

"Are you eating right now?" She asked, ignoring my question for the time being.

"What else would you expect?" I gurgled out.

"That was a gross noise, Mars."

"Oh shut up. What's going on?"

"Well, quidditch has been cancelled, though I'm sure that Oliver has already told you," she started.

"Yep. I think it's bloody ridiculous. Why cancel quidditch at such a time? People are going to need an outlet, some fun to get away from all the terribleness happening at Hogwarts. Bloody absurd. Anyways, yes, I got a howler as soon as Minnie announced it. I don't know how people are even dealing with him right now without quidditch," I laughed.

She groaned. "He is a handful. He keeps bugging me and Ced because he has a lot more free time than before and still, all he talks about is quidditch. And you. He asks how you are literally every single day."

"And what do you say?" I asked.

"That's you're okay. You're not good, but you're not bad," she answered.

"Pretty accurate," I nodded. "Though, that's a bit odd that he asks. I owl him all the time."

"Eh. You and quidditch are really the only things we have in common and since we are some of the only people willing to deal with him right now, he really milks it," she explained.

"Ah. Makes sense. Anyways, go on," I said.

"Well, more kids have been petrified. Justin.... something, I can't remember. I dunno, he's a Hufflepuff Second Year. Think he was the kid that that snake nearly ate during Lockhart's dueling club," she replied.

"Oh yeah, Harry told me about that," I agreed.

"Did he tell you he's a parselmouth?" She asked.

"What? No!" I exclaimed. "He's a parselmouth? How do you know?"

"He talked to the snake in front of everybody. Surprised he was able to tell the story without mentioning that," she answered.

"Well, he did. He just didn't say he spoke in another language. Last time he spoke to a snake he spoke in English," I told her, adjusting my position on the floor so that I was sitting crisscross and pulling my blanket tighter around me.

"He's done it before?!"

"Yeah, last year before start of term. I don't remember how it came up, but yeah, he said he talked to a snake at a muggle zoo and it talked back."

"And you didn't think that was concerning?!"

"He was eleven! What am I supposed to believe?"

"Eleven year olds don't talk to animals like eight year olds do, Mara."

"Well, now I know. Anyways, who was the other kid who got petrified?"

She didn't reply for several seconds.

"D?"

No answer.

"Diana? Did the connection break?"