15 || Leg-Locker Curse

                                    

                                          
It was the end of Potions class when Harry approached Katie, asking her to join him in the Gryffindor common room that evening so he, Ron and Hermione could make amends. Not only that, but he told her that he had something else he wanted to discuss with her, and the air of urgency to his tone had piqued her interest. And so, after dinner, she found herself climbing staircase after staircase as she made her way to the Gryffindor common room. It was only once she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady that she realised, with a wave of exasperation, that she did not know the password to get inside. 
Katie glanced behind herself, hoping to see a Gryffindor student making their way up from dinner, but she had no such luck. Just as she had a mind to give up and retreat to the dungeons, the portrait swung open and someone clambered out.
"Hi Katie," Neville smiled. In his hand he clutched his Remembrall, swirling with scarlet smoke. "I spent ages trying to figure out why this thing was red. Then I saw everyone coming back to the common room and I remembered that I forgot about dinner. See you later!"
As Neville hurried off down the corridor, Katie hastened through the open portrait hole before it could close. The Gryffindor common room was surprisingly empty, with only a few students here and there doing homework or conversing with friends. Ron and Hermione were sat cross-legged on the rug by the fire, engaged in an intense game of chess, and Harry was next to them in an armchair, deep in thought.
"Hey," Katie began, selecting the plush red couch to sit on. "You wanted to—"
"Don't talk to me for a second," Ron said. "I need to concen—" He caught sight of Katie in his peripheral vision, tips of his ears growing a faint pink. "Oh, hi, Katie."
She was beginning to grow tired of the nervous glances shared between Harry, Ron and Hermione every time she was around. When none of them spoke, Katie decided she would take this opportunity to express her own feelings.
"Look, I get it, Slytherins have a bad reputation," she started. "I'm not particularly fond of my housemates either. But you need to understand that I never asked to be sorted into Slytherin. If I was given the choice, I'd switch to Gryffindor in a heartbeat."
With a pink tinge dusting her cheeks, Hermione looked down at her feet in shame. "We know."
"You guys are my friends," Katie went on. "Or I want you to be, at least. But that means trusting me and not leaving me out."
"We're really sorry, Katie," Harry said, voice swelling with sincerity. Ron passionately nodded in agreement. "We never meant for you to feel excluded. I don't know what we were thinking, really. It just felt like a secret that wasn't meant to be shared."
"Well, you've shared it with me now," Katie reminded me. "Care to keep me filled in in future?"
Ron gave a firm nod of his head. "Absolutely."
Feeling a smile curling at her lips, Katie tucked her legs up onto the couch and nodded towards the ongoing chess game.
"So, who's winning?"
"Me, obviously," Ron snorted, clearly oblivious to the burning glare that Hermione was sending his way. She did not like being bested at anything, and chess was evidently no exception.
"Did I tell you what Wood told me?" Harry asked, and when Ron hummed in response, he elaborated. "Snape is refereeing our game against Hufflepuff."
"Don't play," Katie said at once, thinking back to how Snape had jinxed Harry's broom during the last Quidditch match. If he could cause that much damage as a spectator, she didn't want to imagine what he could do as a referee.
"Say you're ill," Ron suggested.
"Pretend to break your leg," Hermione said.
"Really break your leg."