How...could things have gone so wrong...so quickly?
It was beyond her ability to process. She was being splattered from all sides, jostled and shoved. It was a scene straight out of a horror film, scarier than Nosferatu or anything else they could cook up for the theatre. When the Gryffindors overturned their table, Kathryn understood that all decency had been lost. Her brother and his girlfriend were slinging spells; liquids were crossing the room with limited precision, and...and no one was doing anything about it.
Horror took hold of her at the sight of the professors at the dais doing nothing to make it stop. That horror doubled when she watched the Slytherin head of house take the Hufflepuff head of house with him back through the door.
No one was coming to the rescue. No one would –
In a flash, something grabbed her by her robes and yanked her across the Great Hall. Kathryn felt as if she'd been dragged into the mouth of chaos itself, sent flying like the clumps of food that had been shown equal regard. It was enough to make her tearful; the little girl was far too overwhelmed to see any 'good' that had rallied the lions and badgers together. Could any of this be considered good? Did anyone dare insist there was a silver lining while something mushy slapped her across the face?
A quiet meal – that was all she'd wanted. A moment for her nerves to settle after the overwhelming day she'd had.
This was overwhelming.
When she landed, it took her an extra moment to realise that it was on a chair between Mr. Maddox and her mother. Tearful blue eyes looked between them, confused and beyond the limits of what she thought herself capable of enduring. She didn't understand why the room had become what it had or why neither of them had tried to stop it when both of them had their wands. Both were powerful; both knew plenty of spells that could make everyone stop long before she'd arrived at her dishevelled appearance. But they hadn't. They let food fly – food was still flying. Peering down the dais, she saw others equally confused, some put out...but no one saying the one word that might return order.
...Why?
Away from the chaos, Kathryn could feel the uncomfortable way her heart pounded. All of her was growing warm as adrenaline forced its way through her system.
Mr. Maddox got her clean, reducing the temperature inside her chest. Then the plate arrived. Instinctively, her hand reached out to begin filling it as she'd tried to do back at the Ravenclaw table, but her nerves were fried, and it was clear she'd slipped into autopilot.
It was too much.
It was beyond her ability to process. She was being splattered from all sides, jostled and shoved. It was a scene straight out of a horror film, scarier than Nosferatu or anything else they could cook up for the theatre. When the Gryffindors overturned their table, Kathryn understood that all decency had been lost. Her brother and his girlfriend were slinging spells; liquids were crossing the room with limited precision, and...and no one was doing anything about it.
Horror took hold of her at the sight of the professors at the dais doing nothing to make it stop. That horror doubled when she watched the Slytherin head of house take the Hufflepuff head of house with him back through the door.
No one was coming to the rescue. No one would –
In a flash, something grabbed her by her robes and yanked her across the Great Hall. Kathryn felt as if she'd been dragged into the mouth of chaos itself, sent flying like the clumps of food that had been shown equal regard. It was enough to make her tearful; the little girl was far too overwhelmed to see any 'good' that had rallied the lions and badgers together. Could any of this be considered good? Did anyone dare insist there was a silver lining while something mushy slapped her across the face?
A quiet meal – that was all she'd wanted. A moment for her nerves to settle after the overwhelming day she'd had.
This was overwhelming.
When she landed, it took her an extra moment to realise that it was on a chair between Mr. Maddox and her mother. Tearful blue eyes looked between them, confused and beyond the limits of what she thought herself capable of enduring. She didn't understand why the room had become what it had or why neither of them had tried to stop it when both of them had their wands. Both were powerful; both knew plenty of spells that could make everyone stop long before she'd arrived at her dishevelled appearance. But they hadn't. They let food fly – food was still flying. Peering down the dais, she saw others equally confused, some put out...but no one saying the one word that might return order.
...Why?
Away from the chaos, Kathryn could feel the uncomfortable way her heart pounded. All of her was growing warm as adrenaline forced its way through her system.
Mr. Maddox got her clean, reducing the temperature inside her chest. Then the plate arrived. Instinctively, her hand reached out to begin filling it as she'd tried to do back at the Ravenclaw table, but her nerves were fried, and it was clear she'd slipped into autopilot.
It was too much.
There's nothing left but
SILENCE
