Chimaera of Judgement



CHAPTER TWENTY: Jezabel And Damocles

With alarming speed, Jezabel Skirrow went from virtually invisible to the most talked-about person at Hogwarts. By the end of their first day of Winter term, it became evident that even Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were gossiping furiously about why this shy, dirty witch had almost literally switched sides overnight, why the teachers had approved of such an irregular action, and what business she had in Gryffindor that she couldn't get done in Slytherin.

Albus had hoped to encourage her more often in the hallways, to at least give her a thumbs up or a reassuring smile now and then, but he'd forgotten something: despite her shift in sleeping locations, she was continuing with the same N.E.W.T. classes, and he'd be seeing her just as infrequently as before. However, when lunchtime rolled around on Wednesday, for the first time he actually caught her eating in the Great Hall.

"Hey, Jezabel," he gusted, plopping down across from her and moving a plate of pie and mash toward him. "What's up?"

"H-hello, Albus Potter," she said quietly, as if keeping her voice down might stop the other students boring holes through her. "I... not bad. That is, nothing much. You?"

"Well, I've got Potions next... I don't think Dryden likes me so much now I've ratted out Malfoy, but oh, well. Can't please everyone, can you?"

She merely shrugged, staring down into the bland-looking soup she had been sipping from behind her matted barrier.

"What's a good word, you lot?" Rose asked as she joined them, immediately pouring herself a goblet of orange juice. "Finch-Fletchley was going on about some wonky contrivance called the Enter-net... sounds like a way to keep unwanted solicitors out of your house, you ask me."

"You didn't miss much in Divination," said Albus. "We spent the entire period gazing at the stars and waiting for them to 'speak to us' - Firenze did give Logan a good nudge with his hoof when he started snoring, though, that was cool."

"What've you got next, Jezabel?" Rose asked; Albus winced when he noticed her tone was that of someone speaking cordially to an out-of-towner.

"Pardon me? Oh... oh, sorry, I- I have Ancient Runes after lunch."

"Ouch, sounds rough."

"Not particularly. Outdated, yes, I'm not sure it's a very practical discipline, but the classes don't present enough of a challenge to consider dropping it - what if I need to decipher runes in my chosen field?"

"Still, you're in N.E.W.T.s, now," said Albus. "Must be nice to have all those free periods."

"But I don't have any."

"What?!"

"My schedule's full, I didn't drop any classes after O.W.L.s." When they gaped at her, she put her spoon down, trembling slightly. "What? Is... was I supposed to? Oh my, is it not good to keep that many, maybe it's not too late, maybe I can go and drop History Of Magic, I've already read all the books anyw-"

"Hey, hey, settle down!" Rose laughed. "That's not what we meant at all! It's just, well, we're not quite as dedicated students as you are - er, apparently."

"I see..." And she giggled nervously, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Well, yes. Er, anyway, I think I should get going, wouldn't want to be late."

"You don't have to do that," said Albus, but it was too late; she was already pelting from the table at breakneck, schoolbag swinging wildly and almost toppling Brian Ashmore, to whom she apologised profusely before fleeing the Great Hall.

"Can't force her to stay, I guess." Rose shook her head and took a sip of her juice before saying, "So... ready to face Dryden again?"

Albus's lip curled of its own accord. "Of course not, but what choice do we have? I'm out of Skiving Snackboxes."

o o o

In the days after, Albus found he saw very little of Jezabel, which was no doubt her choice; once or twice he happened to glimpse her in the common room, studying heavily, but she seemed to decide she was finished the very same moment he approached, giving him a courteous sort of half-bow before disappearing up toward her new dormitory or out the portrait hole. He began to suspect he'd offended her somehow.

"Don't be thick," Rose reassured him as they picked their way through the snow down to Hagrid's cabin that Friday. "How would you have done - you're pretty much the only friend she's ever had, aren't you? The twitchy witch just needs to adjust, it's natural."

"How long will that take? I mean, she can't keep skipping out like that forever, her legs'll fall off."

As it turned out, they were studying Clabberts that day, which was fine by Albus; he had been lucky enough to avoid the thestrals since they arrived at school, but if Tranky Thomas were to be believed, he knew the class period in which they would have to study them would happen upon him soon. Therefore, an hour involving any other magical beast was a blessing in his book.

"They're just scaly monkeys!" said Atticus Malkin loudly.

"There's more to 'em than tha'," Hagrid insisted as the frog-skinned primate climbed up his arm and rested on his shoulder, horned head twisting this way and that to take in all the students staring at him. "I don' suppose any o' yeh know- ahh, Miss Nott?"

"Well, they're able to swim underwater for long periods, like an amphibian." Albus couldn't help but think Genevieve was squeezing what little information her brain could hold into an eggcup and presenting it to the gamekeeper. "And swing through trees like monkeys. It's the only creature like that."

"Righ' yeh are - five points ter Slytherin!" Genevieve turned to look at the rest of the class, smiling smugly. "Now, there's one more fascinatin' bit abou' this bugger - anybody? Lewis?"

"The pustule on its head," said Caspian, teeth chattering as he held his arms tighter about his chest. "It lights up red when it senses danger."

"Well done, Lewis - take five fer Gryffindor, there's a bright lad. Yep, anytime they're threatened, a clabbert's bulb here'll flash. They do that ter warn the others in their mission, but some wizardin' folk used ter keep 'em in their gardens to alert 'em if Muggles was comin' too close. The Ministry don' allow that no more, o' course, so don' go askin' yer mummy and daddy ter buy yeh one!"

The rest of the period was spent trying to feed the seven or eight Clabberts Hagrid had procured for them. He had bananas, small lizards, apples, dead flies, Honeydukes chocolate and rather ugly looking dead birds to try them on, and Albus was surprised by what they chose to eat.

"They go for the lizards almost every time," he said. "Like they're a delicacy."

"Haha!" Rose laughed as the creature climbed atop her head, hanging its own upside-down to look into her eyes. "These things are so funny, wish I had one!"

"And they don't fancy the bananas at all - I thought monkeys liked bananas?"

"Well, these aren't monkeys, are they?" said Ryan from nearby, nibbling on the chocolate instead of trying to give it to the Clabbert. "The same way crups won't touch liver - just because they look like another animal doesn't mean they're that similar."

Rose glared at him. "I'm so glad we asked for your opinion."

"Knew you would be."

On his way up to Gryffindor Tower that evening, Albus saw something that improved his mood considerably. Laughing giddily all the way there, he found Rose just exiting from behind the Fat Lady and almost exploded in his haste to tell her.

"Zacharias Travers is on the third floor, cleaning up a mess from an exploded yak's bladder - without magic!"

"Urgh!" replied Rose, chortling as well. "That another of his detentions?"

"He's got detentions?"

"You betcha," she said, one of her blue eyes glinting in a very satisfied manner. "I heard from Catherine Orchard, who has it from Penny Camus, who found out from Gladys Stone, who overheard Genevieve Nott telling Tristessa Gulch that Zachy-boy's got detentions from now until Easter, thanks to you and Professor Longbottom!"

"What?!" Albus half exclaimed this out of joy, and half because he had scarcely followed the pattern of Rose's grapevine. "Excellent!"

They were still talking animatedly about this when Jezabel walked up behind them, arms laden with library books. Albus spun around and repeated his news.

"Oh... well, I hope he's not terribly cross with me for it."

"What are you talking about? The bloody-" here he called Zacharias a word that made both Jezabel and Rose gasp in shock "-got no less than he deserved, you should be happy!"

"I'm sorry," she said earnestly, grunting as she readjusted the pile of books. "I... I'd rather he didn't do what he did, obviously I didn't enjoy it, but I'm not sure his suffering makes me feel any better. Excuse me, please - Trevor."

And she walked past them into the opening portrait hole, leaving the two cousins to gape at her back as if having just been told their Summer holidays would be spent doing remedial Potions.

"Y'know, I'm starting to agree with you, Rose - she is fairly odd."

"Weasleys know whereof they speak," she shrugged. "C'mon, let's see if we can knock out that Herbology essay tonight, ease up our weekend load."

But this plan did not prove feasable, for as soon as they set to studying Aqua Rankin let off a few of Weasleys' Wild-Fire Whiz-Bangs, and everyone became so fascinated by the brilliant, shape-shifting, dancing fireworks that no one within the common room could hope to concentrate. After close to an hour, they gave up trying in favour of a fresh start in the morning, as Olivia Wood would soon be commanding them down onto the pitch for another night's back-breaking practise, anyway.

And so it came to be that Albus and Rose were finishing the very same essay on Sunday, having left it until last in favour of their shorter Astronomy homework and some much-needed Transfiguration practise. Indistinct black circles growing under their eyes, they dragged themselves at last from the depths of the library, having finally scratched out all anyone could possibly need to know about why Devil's Snare was not a particularly favourable anti-burglar measure, including historical instances and references.

"Can't believe anybody would ever do such a thing," Rose muttered as they slowly drifted downstairs. "You'd have to have the IQ of a parsnip to think of putting a strangling plant like that in your garden!"

"Not that it hasn't happened before - as we know exhaustively well by now."

"You're not kidding. Was this really necessary, I ask you? Just because we're in O.W.L. year, they ask us to do ridiculous amounts of homework, even though about a paragraph on this would have suffic-"

"What the-"

They'd spotted the disturbance at exactly the same time; a thick crowd of students gathered near the entrance to the Trophy Room, all of them making jerky, worried movements and watching a smaller group of shouting individuals. Edging their way toward the front, nearly having to step on toes to get there, they found Belvina Hitchens spitting and howling, evidently displeased.

"You're sorry? You think 'sorry' will make up for THIS?!"

It was then Albus saw the blood pouring from a nasty shoulder wound; searching the area not cluttered with gawkers, he saw a suit of armour lying nearby on the floor, the tip of the sword it had been proudly holding erect smeared with red.

"B-but this isn't m-my fault, I- I wasn't the one who- who-"

"The hell it wasn't!" Belvina shouted down at Jezabel. Instantly, Albus's heart sank to somewhere around his ankles - why did she have to be there? "You were right behind me, I know I saw you coming out of the Charms classroom, you can't deny it!"

"I don't!" Jezabel squeaked, automatically cowering against the wall. "B-but I didn't do it, I swear, I d-didn't see who-"

"You are such a liar! You conned your way into Gryffindor somehow, nobody knows how you did it, but it had to be a real whopper or else-"

"No, that's- that's not how it happened! Please, I was j-just asking Professor Weasley why the Aguamenti Charm isn't b-bound by Gamp's Law of Elemental-"

"You think I give an Erkling's eye what you were doing before?!" she growled, taking yet another step toward Jezabel. "I'm kind of preoccupied with the gushing hole in my person!"

"Please, I- I didn't, it wasn't me, I swear!"

"I'm going to curse you into kingdom-"

"HOLD IT!"

Albus and Rose strode forward as one, wands out, turned up and into Belvina's throat. The Hufflepuff gapsed, backing up a step as they glared into her face, deadly serious.

"Haven't you learned anything?" Rose barked. "Still screaming at other students!"

"But she attacked me!" Belvina protested, tears playing at the corners of her bloodshot eyes. "I'm actually bleeding down my robes, how can you hold it against-"

"She says she didn't do it." Albus glanced over his shoulder at where Jezabel was sliding down the wall, fingertips digging into her cheeks. "And even if she did, what if it was an accident? You can't curse her for that."

"B-but- but this isn't fair! I'm the one that's been hurt, you should be helping me, not sticking up for that slimy little minx!"

She'd tipped her hand, and Albus decided to make sure she knew it. "Five points from Hufflepuff. Do try and remember you're talking to prefects, hmm?"

"As for that shoulder," snarled Rose, "you should be off to the hospital wing instead of throwing the blame around, shouldn't you?"

"No!" She shoved herself away from them, hands curling into fists, quaking in anger. "I've been impaled, here, and I want to see some punishment!"

Rose laughed harshly. "Are you daft?"

"Your House still has plenty of points left!" Albus shouted, his temples throbbing. "D'you want me to take some more?!"

"Or we could forget we're even in school." He glanced over to see Rose was rolling up her sleeves. "I could do with a scrap, might be good for the overworked soul."

Albus took advantage of the momentary pause in action to survey the scene: Belvina glaring daggers at both of them past her prominent nose; Rose backing into an unmistakable Muggle boxing stance, teetering between hating this and welcoming it; and Jezabel on the floor, sobbing quietly and muttering to herself. Opting not to repeat his mistake from the term previous, he abandoned the squabble and bent down over the forlorn tangle of blackness.

"Did you do it?" he whispered, scarcely loud enough for even her to hear it; she responded in kind.

"N-no, Albus! Y-you have to believe me, I- I heard the crash, and looked over, and- and saw her on the floor, and I came over, and- and she thought I did it, there was- was- there was nobody else there, I thought-"

"Shh - I believe you. You'll be all right, just stay there a minute." Standing again, he announced to the onlookers at large, "Oi, listen up, you lot! If there's anybody else here that actually saw how Belvina here got stabbed, it'd be swell if you said something right about now!"

It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, the only movement coming from Rose when she finally lowered her fists and whipped her wand back out, glancing at Albus as if to ask if he had any idea what to do next. Albus was going to command Belvina to the hospital wing whether or not she wanted to go when a cough sounded from the back of the mob; they parted to allow a small, golden-curled figure to pass.

"I'm sorry, Belvina," said Dorika Dunsmore, unable to look anyone in the face. "I... it was a total accident, I hadn't realised it'd hurt anyone. C-c-can you forgive me?"

Belvina Hitchens gaped at her Housemate, shaking her head slowly as if she'd received a rude gesture from a puffskein. "You... it can't have been... why? Why would you do this to me?"

"I was in a hurry - trying to catch up to- well, er, to Joseph Moran." Her cheeks slowly filled with colour. "He- he's not in many of the same classes as I am, so- so I almost have to catch him after. I was in the Trophy Room, and he walked by, and- oh, I didn't mean to bump into the suit of armour, but I thought I'd come back and pick it up once I'd- I'd-"

"Spit it out, will you?" Albus said rather coldly; Rose nudged him, and when he looked around she was giving him this 'Can't you tell what she's trying to say?' look that tended to infuriate him.

"Once I'd asked him out," she blurted, now a solid crimson. The crowd began to laugh nervously, and Albus suddenly wished Rose had elbowed him before he'd spoken. "I'm sorry, everyone, I didn't mean to cause any pain, or stir up such a fuss, or anything!"

Nearly twenty seconds passed in tense silence before a fourth-year called out, "So did he say 'yes'?"

"I can't believe you!" Belvina erupted, even as several girls in the mob tittered shamelessly. "You just aren't able to keep your head screwed down tight, are you? Grades slipping, can't catch the Quaffle to save your life - oh bugger, now I might not be able to play against Gryffindor, and it's only a month away! I hope you're happy with yourself, Dorika Dunsmore! You're ruining the good name of Hufflepuff because you just can't seem to do anything right! Get knotted, why don't you?!"

And with that, she stormed off, clutching her shoulder and sputtering to no one in particular.

"Yowtch," Rose breathed.

"This is terrible!" said a thoroughly-distressed Dorika as the spectators began to drift off. "And on top of all that, he turned me down... why do I always get the short end of the stick?"

Albus paused to watch her slowly slump off toward the stairs before bending down to where Jezabel was still huddled on the floor, shivering and refusing to move. Rose remained standing, evidently waiting for someone to reinitiate the row.

"It's over, Jezabel," he whispered. "No one's blaming you anymore - they shouldn't have done, anyway."

"This is going to be my life now, isn't it?" she said, a mad amusement in her tone. "Being the 'slimy little minx' that the masses assume is responsible for everything."

"Don't talk like that," he said firmly. "Everybody's watching you now because of the whole House-switching thing; it'll blow over."

"Albus, do..." She glanced nervously at Rose, a corner of her glistening eye barely visible for an instant, then dropped her voice, speaking again in that confidential tone. "Do you think I'm... slimy?"

"Er, what?" That was a tricky question. He did not consider her "slimy" per se, and thought she was a strange-but-nice witch, but he couldn't deny that her hair looked like it had never in its life been introduced to either a barber or a shampoo bottle. In the end, he erred on the side of caution: "D-don't be silly, Hitchens was just being her usual pleasant self."

She nodded grimly. Then, Albus stood and offered her his hand, which she merely looked at; this time, however, he reached down and grasped hers himself.

"C'mon, up we get."

When she was on her feet again, she spent the span of two seconds staring at him, her mouth hanging slightly open, before she stooped to rake her things back into her schoolbag. "Th-this is such a mess, I can't leave anything - what if my ink bottle's rolled away, or I leave behind a quill?"

Rose shrugged. "Go get another one?"

"B-but I only have two," she said, checking her ink bottle for cracks. "If I lose one, I'll have to make absolutely sure the other lasts me the rest of the year, or I won't be able to do any homework!"

"Come off it, you can't be serious," Rose said, smiling in disbelief. When Jezabel only turned toward her quizzically, the smile slipped quite a ways. "But you are, aren't you?"

"You can borrow one of ours, you know," said Albus. "Anytime you need a quill, or anything else."

"N-no, I- my father says the only people worse than lenders are borrowers."

Revulsion inched onto Rose's face. "Oh, that's a lovely thought; can I get that on a sampler?"

Jezabel backed up a step, wringing the strap of her bag as if it had done her personal injury. "Wait, no, that's not- I'm not saying you're any worse for- I just meant- I'm sorry, please, I'm sorry!"

"Jez-"

And she was off, flying up the staircase and out of sight. Even as he stood there, sputtering, he had to admire her speed and agility.

"Amazing how easy she takes things the wrong way," Rose observed. "Has it down to an art, that one."

"Did you have to?!" he shouted. "Make fun of what her dad said?"

"Oi, that's not- it's a deplorable saying, you heard it!"

"Yeah, well..." Suddenly realising this was a poor way to vent his frustration, he opted instead to punch the wall as hard as he could, which only made his fist begin to throb.

"Al!" Rose gasped. "Merlin, are you all right?"

"No! No, I'm not all right - and I think Belvina Hitchens ought to be boiled in oil like the big fat chicken she is!"

"Whoa, easy there, mate!" said Rose hastily. "We got it all sorted, didn't we? Dorika confessed, and- and we did dock them House points, don't forget that!"

"But it's not enough! Nobody gets what really happened here, they'll just come away thinking it was funny that Dorika wants to snog Moran, and- and that poor Belvina had to go see Madam Pomfrey! They'll never remember that Jezabel was unjustly accused because she happened to be on the same sodding floor!"

Rose gave Albus room to breathe, chest heaving, jaw clenched as he shook his smarting hand; meanwhile, her brow was furrowed, the corners of her mouth turned down. Finally, when he folded his arms and leaned back against the same section of stone Jezabel had backed into, his cousin let out a heavy, disquieted breath.

"You're right, of course. That's the rub of it all; even when everybody's talking about her, they're still not really looking at Jezabel, are they? It's low, and unfair."

"Damn right it isn't!" He paused to take a deep, cleansing breath that did little to make him feel cleansed. "That crimeless girl thinks nobody likes her, that she's offensive and unlikeable, and that she doesn't have the right to be her own person. It makes me sick thinking about it, like I want to- to help, but... what can we do, Rose? What can we do?"

Rose finger-combed through her red (and violet) hair, staring through the floor. "We... we'll think of something."

END Chapter Twenty