Lucretia closed her Charms notes and packed her bag with Emma.
Professor Flitwick's Levitation Charm reinforcement exercise had just ended.
Emma had finally managed to keep a feather steadily floating in the air for a full minute.
Overjoyed, she threw her arms around Lucretia. "You know, I was really worried at first that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the lessons, but that little trick you taught me worked wonders!"
Helena adjusted her glasses and smiled. "This is only the beginning. Didn't Professor Flitwick say we still have to learn at least six basic spell variations before Christmas?"
Sophia nodded quietly as usual. At some point, her sketchbook had already filled with feathers and diagrams tracing the paths of wand movements.
Lucretia glanced at it and was surprised to find that the drawings seemed to capture the paths of magical energy flowing through the air, some layer they could not see.
"Are you hungry?"
No sooner had Emma asked than her stomach gave a timely protest, making all the girls laugh.
Sophia smiled and pulled open the classroom door. "Come on, I heard there's roast beef and Yorkshire pudding today."
The four girls crossed the corridor toward the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was bustling at lunchtime, with dishes clattering at every table and delicious aromas filling the air.
The girls found empty seats at the Ravenclaw table.
Lucretia glanced toward the Slytherin Long Table.
The green-and-silver ties were neatly lined up, but she did not see any familiar faces.
Helena noticed where she was looking. "They might still be in Herbology class. I heard the older girls in the Common Room saying that the fourth-years have a packed schedule on Wednesdays."
Her explanation was perfectly natural, but Lucretia still felt a faint sense of disappointment.
Emma had already started piling food onto her plate.
Apparently deciding that was not enough, she grabbed two more plates and began loading them with desserts. "You need to eat more, especially after you saved me. I owe you a feast."
Lucretia's face warmed slightly. "Don't say that. Anyone would have done the same."
Emma insisted, "No, they wouldn't! Not everyone can control a broom without using their hands. That was incredible!"
Helena and Sophia exchanged a glance, and Lucretia felt a flicker of unease.
Although her roommates had been kind about her unusual abilities, she still worried that too much attention would bring trouble.
After lunch, they cleared away their dishes and prepared to head to their afternoon classes.
They had barely stepped out of the Great Hall when Lucretia heard a familiar voice coming from the other end of the corridor.
Sirius's voice was full of amusement. "You should've seen his face, Fork! Seven broken bones! Madam Pomfrey said she'd never seen anyone fall down the stairs that badly."
James laughed loudly, one arm draped over Sirius's shoulders. "He brought it on himself. Who told that little brat to brag about being able to pull off difficult flying maneuvers when he couldn't even walk properly?"
The two rounded the corner and came face-to-face with Lucretia and the others.
James immediately stopped walking, that suspiciously dazzling smile appearing on his face.
He deliberately raised his voice. "Well, look who it is! Our little Flying class hero!"
Sirius looked a little uncomfortable. His gaze lingered on Lucretia's face for a moment before shifting away, and he quickly resumed his usual casual, elegant demeanor.
James drew out his words on purpose. "Have you heard, Miss Lucretia? What a coincidence... Jasper, the one who nearly crashed into your friend, fell down the Shifting Stairs last night."
He bent down with a wicked grin, his eyes sparkling.
"He's lying in the Hospital Wing howling right now. Seven broken bones."
The implication could not have been more obvious.
Lucretia calmly looked at James's approaching face.
His eyes were full of anticipation as he waited for her shocked reaction.
But Lucretia merely nodded, a small curve appearing at the corner of her lips.
"I suppose it was just a coincidence, Mr. Potter. Hogwarts's stairs have always had a strong sense of... justice, haven't they?"
James's eyes widened dramatically. Pretending to shudder, he took a step back and touched his throat as he looked at Sirius. "Did you hear that, Padfoot? Looks like someone's brother taught her quite a few tricks!"
Lucretia could not help laughing. "Relax, Mr. Potter. I only use justice on people who bully my friends, and my brothers are the same."
James's smile froze for an instant.
His expression shifted from teasing to genuine concern, and his eyes swiftly swept the corridor for any sign of green ties.
James swallowed, his voice trembling slightly. "Merlin. Stop saying that. If Crouch suddenly shows up... I'm finished."
Lucretia's reaction amused Sirius, and a lazy smile curled across his lips.
The girl who was usually so gentle and polite now had a mischievous gleam in her eyes, and she had even learned to scare James.
The contrast made his gaze linger on her face for several seconds longer.
She noticed him looking and tilted her head slightly.
Sirius shook his head and smiled at Lucretia.
He gave James a shove, amusement in his voice. "Ignore him. He's always like this. One minute he calls himself a Gryffindor Champion, the next he's scared out of his wits."
"Hey! It's not like you don't know how fast Crouch's wand is!"
Halfway through his protest, James realized there were three outsiders here. He hurriedly looked around, then glanced at Lucretia's reaction.
"Uh, I mean, we should go find Lupin."
Sirius's gaze lingered on her face a little longer than ordinary politeness required, as though he wanted to see more of this uncommon side of her.
"Have a pleasant afternoon, Miss Crouch."
James was dragged away, but he still looked back with a grin and muttered, "Miss Lucretia, I hope the next time I see you, it won't be in the Hospital Wing."
Lucretia turned back to her roommates, only to find Emma staring at her with wide eyes.
"Wow! You looked so cool just now! I bet that unlucky guy was taught a lesson by your brother, wasn't he?"
Helena immediately looked around alertly and said sternly, "Emma Clark! Watch your volume."
Sophia looked up and said calmly, "Several people have turned to look at us, and those Slytherin girls over there are listening too."
Only then did Emma realize they had indeed drawn attention. She suddenly looked uneasy, completely unlike the excited girl from moments ago.
"Oh, did I say something wrong?"
Helena stopped looking at Emma and led them onward. "We'll talk while we walk."
Only when there was no one around did Helena stop and speak in an unusually stern tone.
"Emma, relationships between the Houses at Hogwarts are complicated, especially between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Openly discussing... private matters involving older students may draw unnecessary attention."
There was obvious worry in Emma's voice this time. "I-I didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I just..."
Lucretia sighed and did not comfort Emma as she usually would. "Crouch is a surname with... political influence. Barty is already under a great deal of scrutiny."
Helena's voice became even sterner. "Emma, if Crouch finds out that what he did for Lucretia has been spread around by you and draws the attention of professors or other students, it will cause him a lot of trouble."
She paused, letting the weight of those words sink in, then continued in an even more serious tone.
"Mr. Crouch's position in the Ministry of Magic means that any rumors about his son will be magnified. And have you considered that, given how much he cares about Lucretia, Jasper's fate... might be redirected toward you?"
Emma's eyes slowly widened, and her face turned pale.
She lowered her head dejectedly, her voice beginning to shake. "I never thought it was that serious! I was too careless. Before I came to Hogwarts, my parents always reminded me to think before I spoke, but I..."
Sophia had listened quietly the whole time. Now she looked up. "School affairs and Ministry of Magic affairs are tangled together. Especially in times like these, we should all be more careful."
Her words made the atmosphere in the corridor even heavier.
Emma looked at the three girls before her and promised again, "I-I'll definitely be more careful about what I say from now on! Really, you can keep an eye on me!"
Before you continue