Potter

Chapter 64

"Happy Christmas, Alecia." Neville said, and I looked at him with a grin.

"Same to you, cousin." I replied as I let his hand slip from mine. "Where's the food?"

"At the table, in the back- Eggs and toast. Not much for Christmas, but we were lucky to convince the house elves of giving us anything. Apparently the Carrows were pretty rough on them."

"I've not doubt. Alright, I'll be right back." I said, turning to head towards the direction area. It only took a few moments to fill plate, and afterwards I returned to my friends, squeezing myself in between Neville and Seamus.

"So, what's the topic of conversation?"

"Oh, the Carrows- Apparently Alecto caught a fourth year Hufflepuff out of bed after curfew- Not even a minute out of curfew, mind you. Spooked her real bad, made a pretty bad mark on her cheek- It'll heal fine, but I dunno about scarring." Neville said grimly. I scowled as I chewed my eggs, pondering this new information.

"What's her name?"

"Holly. She's with Nigel and Colin, if you want to speak to her. You could look at her cheek too- See if there's anything that can be done to keep it from scarring." Neville said. I nodded, setting my plate down without much of a thought. I wasn't that hungry anyway.

"Yeah, sure- Thanks, Neville. Watch my food. Don't let Seamus eat it." I said as I rose from the spot on the ground, turning my head around and searching for the two Gryffindor boys. They were on the further side of the room, a small girl with dark skin and hair sat between them. Her head rested on Colin's shoulder, and even from here I could see the mark that made it's way down her face. Inwardly I cringed.

"Hey guys." I approached the two sixth year boys with a smile. I hadn't gotten to know either of them too well, but we had had our conversations. I had been weary of approaching Colin again after having berated him for coming to the school at all- He was a muggle born, and though somehow he had managed to keep a low profile(And lie about blood status when directly asked), I knew it wasn't safe for him to be here. He had argued that it wasn't safe for anyone to be here. I couldn't disagree.

"Hello, Alecia." Nigel spoke first, regarding me quietly. I smiled weakly.

"Would it be okay if I spoke with Holly for a moment? I want to check on her cheek." I tapped my own in a quick gesture. The boys exchanged glances, then turned to Holly, whose only sign of approval was a brief nod. They both rose then, saying they were off to get more food before leaving me with the Hufflepuff girl.

"So, this happened last night?" I asked as I took Colin's previous spot. Holly nodded quietly, lifting her hand up to her cheek and cover the mark.

"I was hurrying back to my common room- I was almost there, I swear it- but then Alecto saw me. She yelled at me, and then-" She shrugged helplessly. I frowned lightly, biting my lip. It was true, the mark seemed bad, and it would be awhile before it went away.

"It's not forever," I said honestly, gently putting my hand on her shouler. When she didn't move away from it I took it as a good sign. "Can I look at it real fast? I want to see if there's any way I can help."

"One of the olders in my house already did a healing spell. I don't see anything else anyone could do." Holly said with a sigh, but removed her hand so I could have a better look. Upon inspection, I felt better about the cut. It wasn't as deep as it had seemed from a distance, and it would definitely heal with time.

"Well, you're in luck. It's not so bad after all." I said as I pulled away, smiling encouragingly. "I bet you it'll be gone completely in a few months. That's better than permanent."