Clara sat at the Ravenclaw table, stabbing her food forlornly. “Are you going to eat that? Or just stab it to death?” Ethan asked her, reaching toward her food. Clara slapped his hand away. She didn’t have time to deal with Ethans’s jokes. Someone in the castle wanted her dead. Lola was right, Smith couldn’t hurt her if he tried. He could barely do a simple spell, let alone something so complex as attempted murder. She looked around guiltily, wishing she didn’t have to be so suspicious. But everyone was a suspect. “Hey?” Ethan asked, tapping Clara on the arm when she didn’t respond. “Mhm?” She asked, turning to him. “Your being weird” Ethan told her. “Aren’t I always?” “I mean weirder than usual”. He smiled, but underneath his playful banter, Ethan seemed concerned. Clara ruffled his red hair and smiled. “I’m fine” she told him earnestly, though it wasn't true, and even to her it sounded like a lie. It was a lie. She took a bite of her dinner, and nearly jumped through the roof when the DA coin in her pocket burnt. She turned it over, and it displayed a time. Clara looked over to see Harmony checking her coin, and Ethan doing the same before he stowed the coin in his pocket. Clara thought a little harder about that afternoon in Hogsmeade. Lola was right, Smith couldn’t hurt her if he tried, he barely had two brain cells to rub together. But Lola did. Clara started to hyperventitalte. Lola wasn’t at the DA meeting, Lola hadn’t visited her in the hospital wing, Lola was the best at nonverbal spells, and Lola was...easily jealous. Clara got up from the table and ran hurriedly from the Great Hall. Her former best friend hurrying after her. “Clara, what's wrong with you?” Lola asked her sweetly, putting a hand on her shoulder. Clara felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she stumbled backward. “I um...” Clara stuttered. Lola gripped her shoulder tighter, her face contorting into a twisted scowl. Her hand flew to the wand in her pocket, and within seconds the two girls were duelling in the corridor. “Expelliarmus” Clara shouted, but at the same time Lola shrieked ‘Incendio’. Clara winced as fire burnt her arm but kept duelling Lola. “Why are you doing this!” She yelled. Lola pulled up her sleeve to reveal the dark mark. “Because filthy little blood traitors like you don’t deserve magic” Lola snarled. “Shut your mouth!” Clara cried. “Stupefy!”. Lola flew backwards into the wall. “You could have been a death eater, you could have been on the right side. But you just had to play the hero!” She roared. “ Petrificus Totalus!”. Clara fell limp to the ground. “Crucio!”. Lola screamed, and Clara wailed in agony. “Stop!” She cried, her body twisting in pain. “Advada-” Lola started, but she was cut off by a large shout from the other end of the corridor. “Stupefy” the voice screamed. Lola fell to the ground, and Clara looked up, dazed and shocked. Her mouth fell open at the sight of Draco Malfoy. “You just saved my life” Clara whispered, getting up groggily. “You did most of my job for me” Malfoy pointed out, gesturing to the bruises all over Lola’s body. Clara looked at her feet sheepishly. Suddenly, the doors to the corridor burst opened, and Professor Dumbledore entered the hallway, his eyes glued to the dark mark burned onto Lola’s forearm.
