The Secrets I Tried to Hide

The Secrets I Tried to Hide

The snake slithered around on the platform and made his way towards the crowds surrounding him. He spotted a boy, close to him, looking frightened out of his mind. Finding his prey, the snake wound it way towards the whimpering child, until something stopped it.

Katie saw the snake making his way towards Colin Creevey. She knew what she had to do, even if it meant revealing the secret she had worked so long to keep.

"Stop. Come to me," she commanded hearing the words leave her mouth in the slithering of Parselmouth. Katie heard the gasps from everyone around her. The reptile was now changing direction and heading towards Katie. It was now close enough to Katie for her to pick it up.

Katie picked up the dark green snake and spoke to it, "Be gone." She tapped her wand on him and he disappeared with a small crack.

Then there was clapping from the platform, it was Snape.

"Bell, you of all people would know Parselmouth," said Snape.

"Of course, Professor. Generations of Bells have been in Slytherin, speaking Parsel. It's a tradition. I would hate to be the one to break it, me being the one of the first Bells to be in a house other than Gryffindor is already a bit disappointing," Katie spat out haughtily.

"Ah, yes. I know all the Bells. I must say they aren't too disappointed with you and your brothers. But it is a shock, you all are, of course, the youngest heirs to Salazar Slytherin, himself," Snape replied, challenging her to reveal more of her secret to those she had tried to keep it from.

Getting frustrated with the conversation, Katie turned around and watched as all the students parted like the Red Sea before her eyes. She stormed out of the Great Hall, knowing everything had changed. Everything she had hid so well was know out for the world to know. It wasn't that Katie was disgraced of being a Bell, but she was different from the rest of her family, minus her brothers. The five of them, her four brothers and herself, had all been sorted into Gryffindor, surprising all the Bells. But, they all quickly got over it. The Bells might've been in Slytherin, but that didn't mean that they weren't a supportive family. In fact, if you had ever met the Bells, you would've never guessed that they were heirs to Slytherin. Tomorrow, she would be shunned by everyone, but she was willing to face it with all she had.

The next morning, when Katie walked in the Great Hall, everything fell silent. Smirking to herself, she made herself towards the Gryffindor table, where she unsurprisingly found no seats left. Her green orbs quickly flashed with anger and she decided to try her luck at the Slytherin table.

"Bell, are your "friends" shunning you?" asked Draco Malfoy as Katie arrived at their table, putting an emphasis on friends.

"Did you expect anything different?" she retorted.

"I see you are starting to sound more Slytherinish. You appearance is changing as well, the side effects of your Parselmouth, I suppose."

It was true, Katie's attitude and appearance where changing because of her speaking Parselmouth. When Katie had first arrived at Hogwarts for her last year, she had come with sun-kissed blonde hair, a homely face, and twinkling green eyes. But, now she had pale white-blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and high cheekbones- an appearance she always took after speaking Parselmouth. Katie's attitude used to be kind and sympathetic. Now, it was sarcastic, witty, and daring. And this time, Katie wasn't sure if she would ever change back.

Soon after breakfast, Katie made her way towards her first class, Advanced Charms. She was first to arrive, but Professor Flitwick wasn't there yet. Finally, students from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw arriving. Katie pretended she didn't see, but she did see the ones who stared, with the exception of Roger Davies who plopped on to the empty seat by her.

"What are you doing, Davies?"

"Sitting with you, Katie."

"Aren't scared of me?"

"Hell, no. I've known you for a while, now. I think I can trust you."

"Glad to see someone in this school is thinking straight."

Roger just chuckled.

After more waiting, Flitwick finally arrived and started the lesson with an apology for his tardiness.

For her next class, Katie had Advanced Transfiguration with Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. That meant Oliver Wood, her house quidditch team's captain, and Cedric Diggory.

This time, Katie wasn't first to arrive, but she didn't pay any mind. She needed to discuss a paper with McGonagall.

When class was about to begin, Katie found that the only seat left was next to Cedric Diggory, which was rather surprising since he usually had girls swarming all around him.

"Do you mind, Diggory?"

"Oh, no. Nothing's changed between us."

"That's assuring, Cedric."

Finally, class ended. Normally, Katie would've walked to her next class with Cedric, but she had important matters to attend to.

"Wood," she called as she spotted him in the crowded hallways. He turned and saw her.

"What?"

"I quit," was all Katie said as she rushed to catch up with Cedric, leaving a seething Wood in her wake.

"You're wasting good talent, you know?" asked Roger, later that evening as they were finishing up Charms homework in the library.

"So? It's not like it matters. He can always get a replacement." replied Katie, putting the finishing touches on her essay.

"Sure, he can. Anyways, I've noticed that you haven't been eating at the Gryffindor tables. What's wrong?"

"I've been rejected by them. In fact, I'm getting bloody sick of it. I'm thinking of asking to be re-sorted in to Slytherin."

"You have to be pulling my leg!"

"No, tonight might actually be my last night as a Gryffindor," said Katie as she packed her books back up and left the library without a backwards glance. Roger just sat there wondering what happened to the sweet Katie Bell that he used to know.

Finally, Katie made her way to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Hullo, my dear. You look a bit upset. Everything alright?" asked the portrait as Katie gave her the password.

"No, everything's fine, or at least it will be," Katie muttered as she climbed through the portrait hole.

Arriving in the common room, Katie noticed that everyone fell silent as she stumbled in.

"Bloody bunch of hypocrites," she muttered loudly enough for them to hear as she made her way to her dormitories.

"What was that, Bell?" asked a prissy little girl named Lavender Brown.

"I said you all are a bloody bunch of hypocrites," answered Katie, speaking loudly as if Lavender was deaf.

"How are we the hypocrites? You're the one always talking about how terrible Slytherins are and it turns out you've got a whole family of them!" Lavender exclaimed.

"Don't even talk about my family. You don't even know them! You're less than half of what they are," growled Katie.

"But, you seem to be the odd one out. I-"

Katie snapped. She didn't want to hear anymore foul talk out of this little wanton, anymore. So, she did the only thing she could do, she slapped her. It sounded throughout the common room and a red handprint was left on Lavender's face.

"You. . .slapped. . .me," Lavender stuttered.

"Personally, I don't regret it," said Katie forcefully, and feeling as if her head would explode from all the stares, she rushed into her dormitory. Katie quickly bent down to the ground and opened her trunk. She was now in the safety of her room, so she let the tears flow freely. Frantically, she searched for something. Finding it, she hurriedly opened the bottle and swallowed two of its contents.

After cleaning up the mess she had made, she grabbed a travel kit out of her bedside drawers and locked herself in the bathroom. Once inside, Katie zipped open her kit and pulled out a syringe needle and a vial. Rolling up the sleeves of her sweater under her robes, she found the right spot and pricked herself with the needle, injecting the vial's liquids into herself. Slowly, Katie began to feel much better and prepared herself for bed.

Giving herself in to the slumber calling her, Katie fell into a dreamless sleep.