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braveclementine · 1 month

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Chapter 17

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

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𝕴 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖉 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖘 scraping back from the table and someone jerked on the door that I'd locked. I dropped the piece of paper that I was clutching in front of the door and took off down the hallway, hearing shouts which got louder as I turned the corner, meaning the door was open.

A few more flights of stairs and a few more hallways run and I was in Myrtle's bathroom. I paced, back and forth, my head in my hands, trying to see something about the Chamber of Secrets so that I could go down into it and save Ginny.

But I saw nothing. I sat down, squeezing my eyes tight but I kept thinking of other things- the Professors, Dad, Ginny, Hermione, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and then I would think those things over and over again, my attention drifting from the visions. Then, I'd try concentrating again and the cycle continued.

I was there for maybe forty-five minutes, paralyzed on the toilet seat, listening to Myrtle talk to herself. I didn't feel all that good and wondered if maybe I should've waited for Harry and Ron. I got up to go find them.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and I waited, tense, and there were three sets of footsteps. The people walked around the corner, revealing themselves to be Harry, Ron, and Lockhart. (I no longer gave him the title 'professor'. He hadn't earned it).

"Elizabeth!" Harry called in relief. "I'm so glad you're still here."

I smiled grimly. "Hullo Harry."

"What an exit!" Ron said, an unusually determined look on his face.

"How did they react?" I asked, a bit curious.

"Snape threw a horrible fit." Harry said. "I'd never seen him panic before. McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and Hooch were all as extremely worried. They're still looking for you."

I felt a bit pleased about that. Not about the part that they were stilling looking about me- the part that Professor Snape threw a horrible fit.

Moaning Myrtle came out to see what the commotion was about. "Oh, it's you. What do you want this time?" Myrtle asked when she saw Harry.

"To ask you how you died." Harry said, somewhat somberly.

Myrtle looked as though she had been asked a flattering question. I raised my eyebrow in skepticism. "Ooooh, it was dreadful." She said happily. "It happened right here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language. I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then-" Myrtle swelled up as though her next words were extremely import, her face was shining so, "I died."

"How?" Harry asked.

"No idea." Myrtle said in a hushed voice like keeping a secret. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up and then I was floating away. . .And then I was floating again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."

"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere there." Myrtle said, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet. I stayed back with Lockhart, mostly to keep him from running. My wand was out and pointed at his neck.

"The taps' never worked." Myrtle said as Harry tried to turn it. It was the tap that I noticed before, the one that had the snake carved on it. That made sense.

"Harry." Ron said suddenly. "Say something. Something in Parseltongue."

"But-" Harry looked at the tap. He stared at it and then said, "Open up."

We both looked at Ron. He shook his head no. "English." He answered.

Harry looked back at the tap, a little longer this time. He was moving his head a little. Then he said, "Open up."

I heard the difference this time, probably only because I was listening for the difference. A bit of a hiss, but I still heard the words in English as well. Now, the tap glowed a bright white and started to spin. Then, the sink began to move, sinking into the ground which revealed a long pipe, curved enough that it could be ridden like a slide.

I pushed to the front and immediately jumped down without thinking. It was my fault. I could've prevented this. I slid down the slide. It was slimy and greasy but I couldn't think about that. Ginny was alive somewhere down here- I had to believe that. And even if she wasn't- well, I certainly wasn't going to let her body stay down here forever. Either that, or I would be down here forever as well.

For a split second I thought about dad and I pushed the thoughts aside. I couldn't afford to think like that.

I was spit out at the end of the slide onto the stone floor. I got to my feet quickly and lit my wand. I waited for a split second, not entirely sure if Harry and Ron were going to join me. To my surprise, Lockhart was the next down. He too got to his feet and Harry came next and then Ron.

Harry also lit his wand and we led the way while Ron and Lockhart followed. "Remember," Harry warned, speaking quietly. "Any sign of movement, close your eyes right away. . ."

However, there was no sounds except for the sound of our footsteps and there was no movement except for our shadows on the walls. Our first shock was a large crunch, which was Ron stepping on a rat's skull. I shivered.

Harry lowered his wand and we saw that the path was now full of bones. I shivered again. So many little animals had died down here. We continued though. Then, Ron pulled on Harry's sleeve.

"Harry- there's something up there- Elizabeth. . ." Ron sounded hoarse.

We froze, watching. Then, I took a couple of steps towards whatever it was. I heard Harry take a large breath.

"It's not the snake." I whispered, relief filling my body. My stomach stopped hurting for a second. "It's the skin."

Everyone else came forward now and we approached the skin. It was a violent color of green- acid green. It had to have been nearly twenty feet long, perhaps more. And if that was how big the skin was, I couldn't image the size of the actual thing. "They get bigger when they shed their skin." I recited from a book I'd read a long time ago. I usually shared information when nervous.

"Gee thanks for that image Elizabeth." Ron snapped nervously. I took another couple of steps forward so that I was farther ahead than everyone else. We needed to hurry. Then, I heard another noise, but behind me, and I spun around. Lockhart's knees had given out.

"Get up." Ron said, pointing his wand at Lockhart. I shook my leg in anticipation. We didn't have time for this.

Suddenly, Lockhart dove at Ron. I stood there in shock while Harry jumped forward but it was too late, Lockhart had Ron's wand. When had Lockhart lost his wand? Ah, okay, I saw now as a vision flashed through my mind.

"The adventure ends here boys- and girl!" Lockhart said, pointing his wand at the three of us. "I shall take a bit of this skin back up to the school, tell them I was too late to save the girl, and that you two tragically lost your minds at the sight of her mangled body- and Miss Kane. . . well, I'll find an excuse for you. Perhaps you won't be able to accept this fact and you stayed down here to wander forever. Say good-bye to your memories!"

If I hadn't known what was going to happen, I would've been horrified. As it was, I was pissed off that he thought he could have easily gotten away from it. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape. . . none of them would've accepted his side of the story. There would've been questions and a group would've come down here. Dad certainly would've pushed his way down here. I could only imagine. . . but no. I didn't want to imagine. If Dad came down here and the snake wasn't dead. . .

"Obliviate!" Lockhart cried.

The wand exploded. I grabbed Harry's shoulders and pulled him backwards as rocks rained down. There was now, unfortunately, a wall between us and Ron.

Harry quickly climbed to his feet. I turned and continued down the pathway. I didn't want to leave Harry and Ron, but had this incurable need to get to Ginny. Harry caught up to me before I got to far and we set off at a set pace. The tunnel was unbearably long and I couldn't wait for it to end and discover what we'd discover.

I broke the silence on our third turn, "Exactly how mad was Professor Snape?"

Harry looked at me and then said, "Not mad. . . he was. . . well if I thought he had human emotions I'd say scared. Scared that you were going to die. Perhaps he was just mad that you had locked him in the room."

I giggled, amazed. I was sure I was the only one who had ever laughed down here. "I'm sure it was exactly that." I said, satisfied. There was something glowing inside of me, I wasn't sure what it was though.

We finally reached the end of the path where a large stone door sat. It had carved serpents on the door and the eyes were decorate with emeralds. I stared at them, amazed. They probably cost a fortune yet I would never have dared taking these.

"You want the honors?" Harry asked.

I stepped forward and imaged that the snakes were moving. "Open." I hissed. The door parted in two and cracked open, sliding out of sight. Harry and I, both apprehensive, stepped inside.

The chamber was very tall, but not so wide. There was one pathway that led to a large stone sculptured head of Salazar Slytherin. Every so often, there was a side path that led to small interconnected tunnels. There were channels of water in between each side walkway. At the far end of the main walkway, was a figure laying on her face, her red hair, spread out everywhere.

"Ginny!" Harry and I muttered together and we sprinted the rest of the way down the corridor. I stuck my wand in my pocket while Harry set his on the floor. Harry and I flipped her over so that she was no longer lying on her face. I was crying with relief. . . or should I?

"Ginny- don't be dead- please don't be dead-" Harry murmured moving her hair away from her face.

I grabbed her wrist, pulling the robe up her arm to find a pulse. There it was! It was faint but it was there!

"She's alive." I said in an excited whisper.

"Ginny, please wake up." Harry said, shaking her.

"She won't wake." Said another voice and we both jumped.

There, standing right next to Harry was a tall, black-haired boy. I next noticed that he was an extremely handsome boy, but there was something off about him.

"Tom- Tom Riddle?" Harry asked, sounding uncertain.

Riddle nodded, taking his eyes off of Harry's for a millisecond to look at me and then back at Harry.

"What d'you mean she won't wake?" Harry asked desperately. "She's not dead!"

"She's still alive. But only just." Riddle said in the same calm voice that he'd been using. Then, I realized that he had no emotions. . .

Harry stared at him, uncertainly. "Are you a ghost?" He asked.

"A memory." Riddle said in the same monotone voice. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." He pointed towards the floor where a little black diary was sitting. I put all the pieces together about the diary. That it was the same diary that Lucius Malfoy had put in Ginny's cauldron. It was the same diary that Ginny had been writing in before we'd even come to Hogwarts. It was the diary we were late to the train station for. It was the diary that she'd tried to dispose of. And if Lucius Malfoy had had it and it contained the secrets for the chamber of secrets and it was before his time. . . why then Tom Riddle had to be. . . he had to be Voldemort then, didn't he?

I jumped up and backed away. Harry gave me a strange look and Riddle gave me a curious one, but then Harry said. "You've got to help us, Tom. We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk. . . I don't know where it is is, but it could be along any moment. . . Please help us. Elizabeth!"

I stared at Tom Riddle in horror. I had thought he was handsome? Something was terribly wrong with me.

I caught myself and looked at what was happening in front of me. Tom had Harry's wand and I raised my own. He flicked Harry's wand at me and my own wand flew far away. I turned to run and get it but felt my body being lifted up into the air and thrown. I flew through the air as Harry yelled my name and skidded on the stone floor, a bit dazed.

"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter." Riddle was saying as though he hadn't just thrown me like a doll. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you."

"How did Ginny get like this?" Harry asked slowly.

"Well that's an interesting question." Riddle said pleasantly, the wand still raised and pointed at me. Every time I tried to get up, it felt like an invisible hand was pushing me down. I struggled on the stone floor, my cheek pressed down. It was freezing. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley is like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked angrily. I thought that he was a bit slow on the uptake considering the circumstances.

"The diary." Riddle said. "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me her pitiful worries and woes- how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how- how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her. . ."

I closed my eyes and stopped struggling. If only I'd been a better friend.

"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old-girl. But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom. . . I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in. . . It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket. . ."

Every time he said a sentence, guilt stabbed me in the gut. And then, he laughed. He laughed a high cold laugh that didn't suit him. I recognized it too. He'd laughed when he'd killed my father. I cried out in emotional pain, unable to stop it.

Riddle ignored me. "If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted. . . I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her. . ."

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, still clueless apparently.

"Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter." Riddle said softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat."

"No." Harry whispered, but I knew he finally knew.

"Yes." Riddle said as calmly as though he'd just announced what was for dinner. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing,. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries. . . far more interesting, they became. Dear Tom, I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me. . . There was another attack and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad. . .I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!"

He laughed again and I shivered all over but didn't make a noise this time. Guilt had ridden through my entire body and tears fell down my cheeks in streams. Poor, poor Ginny. If only I had been a better friend! The guilt was eating me up inside like a disease.

"It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary. But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you come in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet. . ."

"And why did you want to meet me?" Harry asked. His voice was angry and his teeth sounded as though they were clenched together. I could not see, could not turn my head to see. All I could see was stone and water.

"Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry. Your whole fascinating history." I flinched. I found that I could move my fingers. He must be concentrating less on me and more on Harry. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust-"

Hate burned through my veins. "Hagrid's my friend." Harry said, his voice shaking in anger. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake but-"

Riddle laughed once again.

"It was my word against Hagrid's Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student. . . on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls. . . but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance. . . as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power!"

Hagrid and I were alike, I realized. And also, were werewolf cubs always werewolves? Did werewolves mate while werewolves and then have pure werewolves as kids? Then, scolding myself, pushed these thoughts aside. But, I made a mental note to ask Dad on the side. Well, if we got out of this alive, that is.

"Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippet to keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed. . . Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did. . ."

"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you." Harry said with gritted teeth. I was now finding that I could move much every part of my body. Riddle had lifted the spell. I stayed where I was though. I didn't fancy being thrown through the air again. My back was certainly still sore.

"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled." Riddle said in a bored voice. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."

"Well you haven't finished it." Harry said, sounding a bit triumphant. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again-"

"Haven't I already told you." Riddle said quietly. "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been- you."

I gave a start and since I had done that, I sat up. Once again, Riddle paid me no attention. I was to far away from my wand to cause him any trouble.

"Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery- particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue. . .So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her. . . She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last. . . I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter."

I was sure he was only saying those things because of me. That Ginny had struggled and cried and hurt. I was hurting too. I hurt because I had hurt Ginny. I hurt because I had never wanted anything to happen to anyone but didn't do anything to prevent it. I had hid for months in Hagrid's cabin, hiding from the world, being one with my own personal bubble. I should've talked to her. . . I should've hung out with her. . . there was so much I could've done.

"Like what?" Harry spat.

I got to my feet unsteadily. Riddle glanced at me, then away, and addressed Harry still, "Well, how is it that you- a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent- managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"

"Why do you care how I escaped? Voldemort was after your time. . ." Harry said, slowly, frowning.

"Harry!" I said, starting to get really annoyed about the slow uptake. "He is Voldemort!"

Riddle laughed. "Whoever you are, you are quite right." His eyes gleamed red. "Voldemort is my past, present, and future."

Using Harry's wand, he wrote the words TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE. Then, waving the wand, the letters rearranged themselves to become I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.

I was pissed now, rather than scared, "For future reference, my name is Elizabeth Kane."

"You see?" Voldemort whispered, ignoring me which irked me even more. I wasn't used to being ignored. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry- I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!"

"You're not." Harry said, his voice full of hatred. I knew he was thinking about his- our parents. This boy in front of us had killed our parents. The reason we didn't know each other. I felt hatred fill my veins as well and I drifted even closer.

"Not what?" Riddle snapped.

"Not the greatest sorcerer in the world." Harry said. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days-"

I laughed aloud. It was a perfectly good laugh too. Not high-pitched or anything. I laughed as easily as I would've in the bright sun with Fred and George and Lee. I was proud that I sounded so calm.

Riddle's smile was gone and replaced by a very ugly look. "Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" He hissed.

"He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry said, getting to his feet and also getting a bit louder with every word that he spoke. I was now standing next to him, facing Riddle.

Riddle opened his mouth and then froze. There was music that was coming down the chamber. I looked down. It was eerie and spin-tingling but filled me with hope. Then, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.

For a split second, I thought perhaps Dumbledore had apparated there and was doing a wonderful entrance. Instead, it was a crimson bird about the size of a goose. It had a long glittery golden tail, nearly as long as a peacocks. In its talons was something brown and raggedy.

The bird was flying straight towards us, dropping the raggedy thing in Harry's hands before landing on my shoulder. It felt like a weight, but a warm weight, and it almost seemed to calm me. I felt a little lighter now that Fawkes was here.

"That's a phoenix." Riddle said, staring coldly back at the phoenix.

"Fawkes?" Harry breathed out.

"And that-" Riddle turned his gaze to the thing in Harry's hands. "that's the old school Sorting Hat-"

It was indeed. I stared at it, puzzled. Riddle began to laugh. He laughed hard and long and it sent chills up my spine. I could nearly hear it in my mind, laughter and then a pounding sound on the floor above me where I sat in a white crib in the basement. Dad was dead. My breathing was suddenly uneven.

"This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?"

Harry didn't answer. He certainly looked braver. I moved to the other side of him. I was much closer to my wand now. Riddle's eyes stayed locked on Harry.

"To business, Harry." Riddle said, smiling broadly. "Twice in your past, in my future- we have met. And twice I failed to kill you."

So he knew about Quirrell? He kept his memories alive? That was some weird twisted. . .I wasn't even sure what to call it.

"How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay live." His eyes flickered over to me. "And you're friend, of course."

Harry was silent for a moment, looking between Ginny who was become paler and Riddle who was become more solid. Then he spit the words out of his mouth as quickly as possible. "No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me. I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother. She stopped you killing me. And I've see the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul-"

I was glad that Harry had stuck up for himself. His words though, sliced me like a hot knife. His mother. I couldn't blame him though, I'd never told him. I trembled with anticipation.

"So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now. . . there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike. . . but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know."

Neither Harry nor I decided to correct him that I too was a Parselmouth. I took another step towards my wand.

"Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him. . . and his girlfriend."

I smarted angrily as he cast an amused eye over Fawkes, the sorting hat, and me. Then, he turned and walked away. I seized the opportunity and dashed for my wand, grabbing it, and dashed back to Harry's side.

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four."

"Time to move, Harry!" I said urgently as the statue of Slytherin opened its' mouth. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling extremely vulnerable. I heard something thud against the stone floor and started to tremble.

"Kill them."

Joy, now I was on the death wish list too!

I heard the body slithering heavily across the floor. I started to run sideways, using the wall as a reference point. I could hear that Harry was running behind me and then I heard him smack against the stone floor. I quickly turned, eyes still closed, and felt around for him. I could tell, by the shadows behind my lids that the Snake was only some feet away from us.

Then, there was a spitting sound right above us. I felt something heavy hit me and my hands were ripped from Harry's shoulder and I smashed into the wall. Judging by another fall, Harry had been smashed into the wall too. My back was really starting to hurt.

Unfortunately, I opened my eyes. Luckily, I wasn't looking at the snake and it wasn't in front of my face. I squinted and looked up. The serpent was as thick as a jungle tree or oak tree or somewhere between the two. The snake also had it's head away from us, so the snake's eyes were not visible from us.

Fawkes was what had distracted it. He was using his talons and beak to rip apart the Basilisks eyes! Of course, if the basilisk had no eyes, we could fight with our eyes open because we wouldn't be in danger of death! Well, not immediate death anyways.

The snakes tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry. It turned, probably to get away from Fawkes and I kept my eyes open, but averted them in case I was wrong. Blood was streaming down it's face though and so, I looked. Indeed, they eyes had been punctured by Fawkes and the snake was spitting in agony.

"NO! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY AND GIRL ARE BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN SMELL THEM! KILL THEM!"

The basilisk swayed, confused as Fawkes kept diving at him, again and again. Harry was looking around wildly and then said, "What do we do?"

"We need the sorting hat!" I shouted over the Snake's spitting noises. "And you need to put it on! Think 'help me' over and over!"

"I don't have the sorting-" Harry started to say but then, the Basilisk's tail swept the sorting hat into Harry's arms. Without thinking, Harry jammed it on. I kept my eye on the snake with my wand out. I didn't really know any good spells, but. . . maybe Incendio? Did Basilisks hate fire? I wasn't sure. Then again, it wasn't like I had time to research it before I'd come down here.

Harry pulled the hat off and pulled out the gleaming silver sword of Gryffindor. It was a beautiful thing, rubies the size of eggs set in the handle. He rubbed his head, wincing.

"KILL THE KIDS! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! SNIFF- SMELL THEM!"

I jumped to my feet and Harry did the same, lifting the sword. The Basilisk had turned towards us. One of my ankles was shaky and I wondered if I'd damaged it when I'd been thrown into the wall. I didn't have long to ponder as the snake lunged and I dodged to one side.

The snake hit the Chamber wall, breaking off part of the stone wall. A piece hit me in the face but it didn't hurt much. The Snake had its head towards Harry. Well, I wasn't going to let the stupid snake bite my brother. I launched myself from behind, attempting to climb it's back where I was going to use the fire spell on a small point on it's head. All snakes had sensitive spots. And this basilisk had a rough back, easy to climb, though as it moved it became less easy.

The snake lunged toward Harry, flicking its tail, and I found myself flying again. I hit a wall and slid down into the water that I'd seen as we'd first come into the place.

The water was icy cold, but I was used to cold temperatures when it came to water. I thought that I would just kick off the bottom but found that the water was trying to pull me under. There was some sort of suction- perhaps a magical one-that was pulling the water downwards. I struggled against the current, my fingers reaching for the stone edge.

The current however, succeeded in pulling me farther down. I had lost way to much air. Well this is stupid. I thought angrily as I sunk lower and lower. I didn't know I was going to drown under the effing ground.

No, I thought, as I kept my mouth closed though I longed to take a breath. There had to be a spell to get me out of the water. . .Then I thought back to Herbology when we were planting seeds in water tanks and drew my wand.

"Propulso!" I shouted into the water, pointing my wand down. It had to be now or never. I'd gotten water into my lungs. My eyes were burning. The charm did the job and I shot upwards and out of the water, landing hard on the stone. My arm started to throb. I coughed and choked and vomited up water until it was out of my lungs and then looked around.

The snake was dead. Harry was sitting against the Chamber, clutching his arm. "No, no." I muttered and struggled to my feet. Fawkes had flown over to sit beside Harry. I struggled towards Riddle and Harry. My ankle had indeed been twisted. I ignored the pain.

"You're dead, Harry Potter. Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying."

Fawkes was crying?

"YES!" I cheered aloud, drawing Riddle's attention to me. He scowled and Harry looked up.

"So you didn't drown?" Riddle said, his lips curling into a smile. "Wonderful. Now we'll have our own little duel won't we."

I drew my wand. "You won't kill me easily Riddle." I scowled. "And I certainly aim to kill you."

He smirked. "What could you do against me?"

He was right, of course, but I wasn't going to let that show. Instead, I narrowed my eyes dangerously. "You'll see."

Riddle raised his wand and shot a spell at me. I blocked it. I watched over Riddle's shoulder as Fawkes dropped the diary into Harry's lap.

"STAB IT HARRY! STAB IT!" I shouted, dodging another spell. I felt something snap in my ankle. Alright, so I'd broken it now. Lovely. Dad might just kill me after this.

I remained standing, probably something stupid to do and Riddle smirked again. "Say Good-bye, whoever you are."

I would've been extremely annoyed at that, especially since I'd given him my name, but I had something over him. I lifted my hand and said "Bye-bye." like I would've to a little baby. Riddle stared at me, perplexed and stunned, and then, Riddle started to writhe and twist, screaming and flailing, collapsing to his knees. Then, he was gone.

I would've sunk onto my knees except I knew that if I sat down, I'd never get up again. Instead, I made my way over to where Harry was hurrying over to Ginny as she was sitting up. I felt relief flow through my veins.

She looked from Harry, to the Basilisk, to me, and then to the diary. At the look of the diary, she started to sob and tears poured down in great torrents. "Harry- oh, Harry- I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy- it was me, Harry- but I s-swear I d-didn't mean to- R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over- and- how did you kill that- that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary-"

"It's all right." Harry said, holding up the diary. My ankle gave out and I knelt in the water and blood that was spread out everywhere. "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon Ginny, let's get out of here- Elizabeth, some help?"

Then, Harry looked over at me and cried out, "Elizabeth? Are you alright?"

I smiled at him through the pain. "Never better Harry."

He seemed a bit relieved but he was watching me with scrutinizing eyes. I sighed. "Broke my ankle, that's all."

Ginny and Harry got to their feet and Harry came and helped me up. Ginny was still sobbing, "I'm going to be expelled! I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"

"Hey!" I said softly, putting an arm around her. "They're just going to be happy to see you alive. They won't care if you're expelled or not. Besides, Dumbledore is a fair man. He'll let you stay, I promise."

Fawkes was waiting for us at the end of the walkway. Our progress was a bit slower, because of my ankle. I refused any help. I wanted Harry to help Ginny and I most definitely wasn't going to lean on Ginny after all she'd been through. She was the one who needed someone to lean on.

After roughly fifteen minutes, we were back where we'd split up. I could hear Ron shifting rock still. Harry sped up a little, calling Ron's name and telling him that Ginny was quite alright. There was a strangled cheer on Ron's end.

"Ginny!" Ron said, thrusting an arm through the gap "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? How- what- where did that bird come from?"

Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny.

"He's Dumbledore's" Harry said, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "Help me get Elizabeth through. Her ankles broken."

My cheeks flushed and with a little difficulty, I was through the gap, leaning on Ron's shoulder. It was nice to get off my ankle.

"How come you've got a sword?" Ron gaped, as Harry came through the gap next.

"I'll explain when we got out of here." Harry said, throwing a sideways glance at Ginny. She was sobbing harder and I stopped leaning on Ron so that I could go over and give her a hug. She threw her arms around me tightly and I nearly couldn't breathe.

"But-" Ron said.

"Later." Harry said fiercely. "Where's Lockhart?"

"Back there." Ron said, jerking his head. "He's in a bad way. Come and see."

We made our way back to where the pipe was and Lockhart sat on a stone, humming to himself.

"His memory's gone. The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself." Ron explained.

Lockhart looked up at us.

"Hello. Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No." Ron said, raising his eyebrows at us. I giggled.

Harry looked through the pipe. "Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" Harry asked Ron and then threw me a sideways glance.

Ron shook his head and I hesitantly said, "Perhaps the Propulsion charm? But it would probably take a lot of willpower. . ." I drifted off. If I fell again, I might shatter the bones in my ankle. Then, Fawkes came past me and flew in front of Harry. His long golden tail feathers were waving.

"He looks like he wants you to grab hold. . . But you're much to heavy for a bird to pull up there-" Ron said uncertainly.

"Fawkes, isn't an ordinary bird. We've got to hold on to each other. Elizabeth, you come up here and hold onto Fawkes. I'll hold your hand. Ginny, grab Ron and Professor Lockhart's hands."

I grabbed Fawkes tail feathers and then grabbed Harry's hand. Once we were connected (Harry had to tuck the sorting hat and sword into his belt) Fawkes took off. The tail feathers, I noticed, were strangely hot.

There was an extraordinary lightness as we flew through the air and we were already nearly halfway up. I could hear Lockhart somewhere below shouting, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!"

I laughed again.

Then, the ride was over, the five of us were hitting the wet floor in Myrtle's bathroom. Then, the sink slide back over the hiding spot.

I got unsteadily to my feet and leaned on a broken sink.

Myrtle floated in the air in front of us, goggling as though she couldn't believe her eyes. "You're alive."

"There's no need to sound so disappointed." Harry said, wiping blood and slime off his glasses.

I looked in the mirror real quick. I had blood all over my robes along with mud and slime. I was also soaking wet, looking like I'd climbed out of a river- which I had. My face had blood smeared on one cheek from the stone hitting my face. I looked horrendous and prayed that I wouldn't run into Snape while in the hallways.

"Oh, well. . . I'd just been thinking. . . if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet." Myrtle said, blushing silver.

We left the bathroom, Harry supporting me on one side, and Ron said, trying to make a joke, "Urgh! Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!"

Ginny however, continued to cry, though her sobs were now noiseless. "Where now?" Ron quickly asked Harry. Harry pointed at Fawkes who was leading the way. We found ourselves outside Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked and pushed the door open. I took a deep breath and we headed inside.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 5

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

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𝕺𝖓 𝖂𝖊𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖞, 𝕴 headed down into the dungeons for my first private lesson with Snape. I knew it would be freezing so I wore a long sleeved shirt and long slacks under my Hufflepuff decorated robes. I had pulled my hair up into a neat bun so it wouldn't get in the way. I knocked softly on door and I heard someone stop talking on the other side of the door. "Enter." I heard Professor Snape say.

I entered the room and saw that Snape had been talking to Malfoy. Malfoy glared at me with his grey blue eyes, "What do you want."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Now, Malfoy." Snape said in a warning voice. "I need to talk to Miss Kane alone. You can come back tomorrow."

"Fine." Draco said. He stomped past me and I stepped aside so he didn't hit me with his shoulder as he walked past. I realized what he might've been talking to Professor Snape about and I felt heat go into my cheeks.

"Sit." Professor Snape said coldly.

I walked forward and sat in front of the desk he had laid different ingredients on. I didn't look him in the eye. Oh why had I said those horrible things to Draco?

"Mr. Malfoy had a very interesting story to tell me." Snape continued, his eyes boring into my forehead since I wouldn't look at him.

"Yes, I said what I said." I said, sucking in my right cheek. "And I already know I shouldn't have said it. I regretted saying it the moment I said it, and I am sorry."

He said nothing, just standing there for a moment but I didn't dare look up.

There was an awkward moment and then Snape turned away and said, "Let's start the lesson."

Shocked by the lack of punishment, I just nodded and listened, taking some notes as Snape introduced the new ingredients that he had on the table, their properties of the different parts of the ingredients.

By the time the lesson was over, the beginning of the lesson was ancient history. I put my notebook in my bag as Professor Snape carefully stored each ingredient in a differently labelled glass jar.

"Come back again next Wednesday." he said in his usual, bored voice.

"Er, Sir?" I asked.

Snape snapped his head up to look at me, swallowed, and said with a bit of difficulty, "Yes?"

"Can you tutor me in the Dark Arts too?" I asked and then blushed, "I meant Defense Against the Dark Arts, obviously."

"Why not ask Lockhart for that task?" Professor Snape asked.

"Because he's an idiot." I said before I could stop myself. I continued anyways, "How am I supposed to pass my O.W.L.s if I'm not learning anything? But you're brilliant, I know you love the subject. So if you were willing to teach me Defense Against the Dark arts alongside Potions-"

"Do you plan on eating and sleeping this year Elizabeth?" Professor Snape asked, sounding almost amused.

"Er-" I said, confused, and then realized he'd made a joke and smiled a little before saying, "Oh. Look, I can learn whatever you teach me, I really can. I don't mind putting in the hours."

"There is no doubt about your intelligence Elizabeth, but you're still young and being overwhelmed with to much-"

"But it won't." I said, feeling desperate now.

Professor Snape was standing in front of me now and he reached out, touching my temple lightly with two fingers. "How about I sleep on it?"

I sighed in disappointment, "Alright. I suppose if you must."

Professor Snape chuckled, "Mental."

I beamed.

"It wasn't a compliment."

"Everything from you is a compliment." I said with a smile. "Just the fact that you're willing to give me lessons at all is a compliment, just the same as with Professor McGonagall and Flitwick."

Professor Snape seemed disconcerted as I swept my bag onto my shoulder. Then he rolled his eyes, "Was that just a tactic to get me to teach you Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Maybe." I said with a grin, heading for the door. "Or maybe I meant it sincerely without strings attached. Who knows? Ah, right. Me." With a mischievous grin, I darted out the door.

I had never bantered with Professor Snape before and it had been fun. I was pretty sure I'd won. I grinned again.

I hurried to the common room, not wanting Filch to catch mee

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𝕼𝖚𝖎𝖉𝖉𝖎𝖙𝖈𝖍 𝖙𝖗𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖙𝖘 𝖈𝖆𝖒𝖊 the next day. I hurried after Transfiguration down to the Quidditch pitch, to meet the rest of the team.

It was a good day for tryouts, with the sun low in the sky for the early morning, not to hot, not to cold, with a slight breeze so there wouldn't be to much wind interference.

Cedric Diggory, the team captain was waiting. The permanent team members were standing behind him. There were two spots missing, a keeper and one chaser. I was fine with either, as I had told Cedric earlier. He said I could try out for both if I wanted to. So I was going to.

Cedric was extremely handsome- all the Hufflepuff girls agreed on that. He had pale skin and his hair was a light enough brown to look golden in the sun. He has lovely brown eyes that make your heart melt and his cheeks are always a rosy red like he's constantly blushing. The truth is, he's just naturally happy all the time. He loves to laugh, which is much deeper than you'd think. The only thing off were his lips, which were thin like a girls, but that didn't stop me from daydreaming about kissing them. Not that, of course, he would kiss me, but one could fantasize.

I lined up with the others who were trying out. There was only one other second-year, a boy whose name I was pretty sure was Zacharias or Zachary or something like that. The others were third-years and above. I bit my cheek. There was no way that I was going to make the team. I clutched my Nimbus a little tighter, almost protectively. I took a deep breath. I could do this.

Cedric had each person go up against the rest of the team, either as keeper or as Chaser. It went better than I had thought. When it was my turn to be Keeper, I blocked all the shots- but I wasn't the only one. When I tried out as Chaser, I made all my shots- but the same thing- I wasn't the only one who made all my throws.

Cedric had to sort out after that. One of the girls that I was competing against said there were some things she would put before Quidditch, like her charms club. She gracefully pulled herself out of the pool which narrowed things down a little more.

Cedric picked his keeper- who wasn't me. I felt my heart drop. There were four of us trying out for Chaser. My heart started to beat dreadfully hard as Cedric stared at us for a long moment, debating, and then said, "New chaser- Elizabeth Kane"

The other Hufflepuffs I had been competing against clapped for me. I felt the biggest grin grow on my face. There was some sort of exciting adrenaline flowing through my veins. I felt that I might explode.

Cedric ended tryouts and I raced back to the Great Hall where Fred, George, Lee, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting, eating dinner. They all looked up when I came running in and I gave them the biggest smile. "I made it!" I yelled at them.

They all jumped up from the table and hugged me and we were cheering and celebrating. I sat down at the table with them and we celebrated. It was one of the best moments of my life.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖋 the week passed, uneventfully for me, fairly eventful for Ron and Harry. I slept in till I got shocked awake, like someone had woken me up suddenly, but no one had. I immediately received a vision of Oliver shaking Harry awake and then it was gone. I looked out my window, still feeling extremely tired. The other girls in my dorm were still asleep. Lucky them.

The sky was pink-and-gold. The birds were making a thundering racket and I put my head underneath my pillow. Today was not going to be a good day- I could already see Ron throwing up slugs in my head. I felt the urge to throw up at the sight of them.

Slugs. Disgusting creatures. Slimy little bodies, stick to everything, look like. . . yeck. Ugh. And the ones Ron would be vomiting were huge.

Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I climbed out of bed, pulling on my robes and sticking my wand in my pocket. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and stuck my dragon ring on my middle finger. I tightened my bracelet around my left wrist and then made sure my locket was under my robes. I pulled on my combat boots and then headed out of the common room.

I made my way down to the great hall. There was the occasional sound of clinking glasses and silverware. Early birds, just like me. I was nearly the only Hufflepuff at the table except for Cedric and a few older kids at the opposite end of the table.

"Hey Kane." Cedric called down the table, "Come sit here."

I made my way down to where he was, and sat down, opposite him. "H-Hey Cedric." I yawned, reaching for a piece of toast. "Why are you up so early? Pass me the grape jelly please?"

Cedric stretched before sliding the jar of jam over to me, picking up his spoon to finish off his porridge, "Couldn't sleep, to be honest, you?"

I poured myself a flask of pumpkin juice. "Bad dreams. The birds were obnoxiously loud when I woke up, and I couldn't fall back to asleep."

Cedric laughed. "Yes, some of those birds should be used as alarm clocks." He tilted his head to the side, his brown hair dropping in front of my eyes. I pushed away the urge to fix his hair.

I grinned. This was so cool. Cedric Diggory, Quidditch captain, prefect, probably future head boy was talking to me outside of practice. Not that we'd had a practice yet.

"Anyways, you flew well at tryouts." Cedric said, pushing the empty porridge bowl away. "You'd probably make a great seeker eventually. You have the right build for it"

I wonder if he meant I was skinny or that I was short. I shrugged. "You're a great seeker, I'd never be as good as you."

Cedric laughed. "Not as good as I could be."

I bit the inside of my cheek, starting to feel awkward like I always did when I was talking to someone I admired but didn't really know.

Cedric sighed, looking up at the large clock above the teachers' table. "I ought to go. Professor Sprout w-wants me." He yawned midway through.

"Have fun." I said, a little disappointed. But at that moment, Ron and Hermione came down and I was okay with going over and sitting with them.

I slid down next to Hermione. "What's up guys?"

"We're going to go watch Harry's Quidditch practice." Ron said through a piece of toast. "Wanna come watch?"

I looked ahead and saw Flint jumping in front of Draco so that Fred and George didn't kill him. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina were shouting at Draco. I wasn't exactly sure why they were trying to kill Draco, but I was down for it.

"Sure." I said with a shrug of my shoulders and a grin. "Sounds like fun."

Hermione gathered up a napkin of toast that we could eat while we watched. Ron grabbed marmalade. I grabbed Grape Jelly. One of us had to get our priorities straight. Lee joined us on the way down, claiming he wanted to check out what Fred and George were doing. I think he just wanted to annoy me.

However, when we got there, the team wasn't even there. We sat up in the stands, waiting. A few moments later, the team came out- all of them looking extremely tired except for Oliver.

"When did they get up exactly?" I asked Ron.

"About two hours ago." Lee answered. "That's when he woke up Fred and George anyways."

"Aren't you finished yet?" Ron called down to Harry.

"Haven't even started. Wood's been teaching us new moves." Harry called up to us, swinging his Nimbus in front of him.

He mounted his nimbus and kicked off into the air. We watched as he soared around the Quidditch stadium. I itched to join them in the sky. Maybe I'd go flying after their practice was over. I could probably get Lee, Fred, and George to join me.

Suddenly, I heard a funny clicking sound and looked around for the source of the noise. Fred seemed to be thinking the same thing because I heard him shout, "What's that funny clicking noise?"

Harry looked around as well and found the answer to our questions. Tiny Colin Creevey with his camera was taking as many pictures as he could. Oliver flew over to join Harry and Fred and asked them a question. George flew over and pointed at the end of the field.

I squinted to see better and saw that the Slytherin team was walking across the field. A look of outrage crossed Oliver's face and they all flew down to meet them, dismounting their brooms. Alicia, Katie, and Angelina starting flying down to see what was going on.

"Let's go." I said, quickly standing up and running down the stadium stairs. I heard pounding feet behind me and figured that the other three were following me.

We hurried across the field. I saw that Draco was standing amongst them. Flint, the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team narrowed his eyes when he saw us and said, "Oh, look, a field invasion."

The Gryffindor team turned to look and see who Flint was talking about. I gave a brief look back and saw that Hermione, Ron, and Lee were just a little behind me. Colin was trailing much further back.

"What's happening?" Ron asked Harry, "Why aren't you playing? And what's he doing here?" He nodded his chin towards Malfoy. Subtle, Ron, subtle.

"I'm the new Slytherin Seeker, Weasley." Malfoy said, boastingly. "Everyone's just been admiring the brooms my father's bought our team."

I scoffed. "Ugly brooms, really." They were ugly. Black and dark green, ugh. I loved the golden color of my nimbus. "Draco, do you like my ring?" I held up the dragon ring which, of course, was on my middle finger. Fred and George laughed somewhere to my right

Malfoy glared at me, his cheeks pink while Ron gaped at the broomsticks in front of him. Malfoy turned to Ron, "Good, aren't they? But perhaps the Gryffindor team will be able to raise some gold and get new brooms too. You could raffle off those Cleansweep Fives; I expect a museum would bid for them."

The Slytherin team howled with laughter. I was wondering when I was allowed to punch Draco in the face.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent." Hermione said sharply, ending the Slytherin's laughs.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood." He spat out.

I felt my blood boil with rage. Oliver Wood dropped his mouth in shock. Flint dove in front of Malfoy as Fred and George jumped at him, tossing their broomsticks aside. Another player jumped in, pushing Fred and George back. Katie, Alicia, and Angelina all shrieked various versions of, "how dare you!"

I heard Ron shout, "You'll pay for that one, Malfoy! Eat slugs." I ducked but Ron's spell backfired. I took the advantage and jumped at Draco, punching him in the face. Flint grabbed my shoulders and tossed me backwards which caused me to collide with Oliver Wood.

Draco jumped up, staring at me angrily, blood flowing from his nose, as Lee helped Oliver and I to our feet. "You're going to pay, Kane."

I smirked unfazed. "Hey, that rhymes!"

The Slytherin team stared angrily at me and the others before stalking off towards the castle. Oh dear, I might actually get in trouble this time. Snape had already unpunished me once. But last time, I hadn't really meant it and had regretted it. This time, I didn't regret a damn thing. Draco needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

I turned my back on them and hurried over to Ron. Near everyone was crowding around him because he was vomiting slugs out onto the Quidditch lawn. No one was getting close enough to touch him.

Fred pulled me aside, "You shouldn't have done that." He whispered in my ear.

"It was brilliant." George scoffed, opposite him. "Honestly, you're amazing Kane."

I smiled at George, but answered Fred, "You were going to kill him too, I just wanted to make my opinion clear as well."

Fred smiled, "Well, who am I to stop a little chaos. You're probably going to get seven months of detention with Snape though, touching his precious little pupil."

I snorted, though I privately thought Fred was undershooting it. I was going to get detention for the rest of the year.

"We'd better get him to Hagrid's, it's nearest." Harry was saying, helping Ron to his feet. I quickly walked over and helped Ron up.

"What happened, Harry? What happened? Is he ill? But you can cure him, can't you?" Colin was asking, dancing around with his camera.

"Colin." I said angrily. "Magic can't cure everything and it's high time you understand this isn't all fun and games."

Colin stared at me for a moment, but then Ron gave a huge heave and more slugs ended up on the Quidditch pitch lawn. Angelina wrinkled her nose and turned away. I heard Katie retching. Honestly, I was with her.

"Ooh," Colin said and raised his camera. I sighed, First-years. "Can you hold him still, Harry?"

"Get out of the way, Colin!" Harry said angrily, shoving him aside. Hermione, Harry, and I helped Ron out of the stadium, leaving everyone else behind and across the grounds towards the Forbidden Forest where Hagrid kept his cabin.

Hermione kept whispering supportive comments to Ron while I walked behind in panic. I didn't regret hitting Draco, but perhaps I should've kept my temper. Oh God, Snape was going to kill me. Detention? How many points was I going to lose? Now he might not tutor me in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry seemed to sense my panic because he turned around and said, "If you explain what happened to Dumbledore, I'm sure you'll lose less than 50 points. I mean, Gryffindor lost 150 points in one night last year, remember?"

That made me a feel a little bit better. Snape would probably have taken 60 points away if I had been Harry or a Gryffindor. But what about me? He didn't seem to hate me as much. . .at all really.

Suddenly, Lockhart exited Hagrid's house. Harry quickly dragged Ron behind a bush saying, "Quick, behind here." I quickly jumped behind Harry, crouching down. Hermione came and crouched next to me, though she was rather huffy about it.

"It's a simple matter if you know what you're doing! If you need help, you know where I am! I'll let you have a copy of my book. I'm surprised you haven't already got one- I'll sign one tonight and send it over. Well, good-bye!" He strode away gallantly over the hills back towards the castle. I rolled my eyes and got up and went and knocked on Hagrid's front door.

He opened the front door very aggressively and looked down grumpily on us and then, recognizing us, his face opened into a smile. "Bin wonderin' when you'd come ter see me- come in, come in- though you mighta bin Professor Lockhart back again-"

I was a bit surprised at the last statement, but I trooped through the door and took my customary spot atop the table near the back.

Hagrid's cabin was rather small, but it really only seemed that way because of Hagrid's size. There was a small kitchenette with a sink and some cupboards above a stove. Across from the kitchenette was the fireplace where Hagrid had hatched Norbert last year. In between was a large table with four chairs. A small doggy bed was in the corner for Fang. Farther in the back of the cabin was a large King sized bed for Hagrid to sleep on. A wardrobe was at the foot of the bed for Hagrid's clothes. To the side was a back door that led to the garden.

Harry and Hermione helped Ron over the threshold while Hagrid gave him a large cauldron to throw up into. Harry hastily explained why they'd brought Ron here and Hagrid didn't seem upset by this at all.

"Better out than in. Get 'em all up, Ron." Hagrid said cheerfully, sitting back in his big chair.

"I don't think there's anything to do except wait for it to stop. That's a difficult curse to work at the best of times, but with a broken wand-" Hermione trailed off anxiously.

Really? Was it difficult? I'd never attempted it before. It wasn't a spell that you could use on an inanimate object. Perhaps I should try it out but. . . I looked at Ron again. Perhaps not.

Hagrid had gotten up and was moving around his cabin, making tea. Fang, the boarhound lumbered over to me and I quickly pulled my legs up and tucked them under so he didn't slobber on my pants. I scratched his head, but he wandered over to Harry, setting his head on Harry's legs. I winced as slobber dripped all over him. I was so happy I had a rabbit and not a dog.

"What did Lockhart want with you, Hagrid?" Harry asked, scratching Fang's ears.

"Givin' me advice on gettin' keplies out of a well. Like I don' know." Hagrid growled, angrily slamming the kettle down, moving a half-plucked rooster off his table. "An' bangin' on about some banshee he banished. If one word of it was true, I'll eat my kettle."

I was amazed again at his attitude. Hagrid never criticized Hogwarts's teachers. He held them in the highest respect. Of course, I didn't blame him one bit with his opinion on Lockhart. . . but still. Harry was also staring at him in amazement.

Hermione however, seemed a bit offended. Her cheeks were bright red and she said in an unnaturally high voice, "I think you're being a bit unfair. Professor Dumbledore obviously thought he was the best man for the job-"

I snorted, getting up and going to the kitchen cabinets to look for food. I found Banshee chips which were cheddar cheese and sour cream wavy chips. The Wizarding World potato chips with a different name for each flavor. My personal favorite were Hydra chips which were salt and vinegar, but any of them would do.

"He was the on'y man for the job. An' I mean the on'y one. Gettin' very difficult ter find anyone fer the Dark Arts job. People aren't too keen ter take it on, see. They're startin' ter think it's jinxed. No one's lasted long fer a while now." Hagrid said, interrupting Hermione and offering us treacle fudge. I carefully took one of the bricks and performed a heat spell on it to soften it up. I found this the best tactic on his fudge. When it was soft, it was very delicious.

I placed it on a small plate to let it continue to heat up while I ate the Banshee chips. Delicious.

Hagrid put the plate back down on the table. "Now tell me, who was he tryin' ter curse?" he jerked his head at Ron who was still throwing up slugs, though less and less.

Harry looked at Hermione, "Malfoy called Hermione something- it must've been really bad, because everyone went wild."

"It was bad." Ron said hoarsely, emerging from the cauldron. "Malfoy called her 'Mudblood,' Hagrid-" Then he threw up again. Just hearing the word made me boil with rage again and I found myself not caring about detention once again.

Hagrid looked outraged. "He didn'!"

"He did." Hermione said in a perfectly offhand voice. "But I don't know what it means. I could tell it was really rude, of course-"

I piped up. "It's the worst, most insulting thing, he thought he could say to you. It's a foul name for those with Muggle-born parents- like you, like Dean, like Colin. People like Draco don't think you guys should be allowed to learn magic. Like their founder, Salazar Slytherin."

Ron emerged from the cauldron, looking sickly pale. "Some Wizarding family's, the old ones likes Malfoy's family, think they're better than everyone else because they're what they call pure blood. The rest of us know it doesn't make a difference. I mean, look at Neville Longbottom- he's pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up." He burped a slug into his hand and threw it into the cauldron.

"An' they haven't invented a spell our Hermione can' do." Hagrid said in a proud voice and Hermione turned a bright shade of red. I smiled. Hagrid was really good at comforting people. I wish I could do that.

"Well, I don' blame yeh for tryin' ter curse him, Ron," Hagrid continued as Ron ducked out of sight again, retching slugs. I wrinkled my nose. "Bu' maybe it was a good thing yer wand backfired. 'Spect Lucius Malfoy would've come marchin' up ter school if ye'd cursed his son. Least yer not in trouble."

"What if someone punched his son in the face?" I asked innocently, a bit more concerned, "Do you think he'd come up marching to the school then?"

"Nah." Hagrid said with a wave of his hand. "'Spect he wouldn' do nothin' 'bout that."

I nodded my head but didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if I agreed with that statement. His father seemed rather dramatic- like me.

"So, Elizabeth, I read this very interestin' article over teh summer. What'd yah think o' it?" Hagrid asked me.

I gritted my teeth. "I am on the verge of spontaneously combusting Hagrid."

He laughed. "I knew it was false when I read it. I saved Harry from teh house on teh night you-know-who. . ." he trailed off. "anyway, yeh wasn' in the house, yeh couldn' possibly have bin Harry's sister."

I gave him a small grin. He was wrong, of course, but I wasn't going to tell him that. Then, Hagrid turned to Harry, looking hurt. "Harry. Gotta bone ter pick with ye too. I've heard you've bin givin' out signed photos. How come I haven't got one?"

Harry ripped his teeth apart, apparently he'd tried eating the fudge hard. "I have not been giving out signed photos." He replied hotly. "If Lockhart's still spreading that around-"

Hagrid and I were laughing. I was just glad Hagrid wasn't picking on me anymore. "I'm on'y jokin'" Hagrid said while patting Harry on the back. The force sent Harry face first into the wooden table. "I knew yeh hadn't really. I told Lockhart yeh didn' need teh. Yer more famous than him without tryin'."

"Bet he didn't like that." Harry said as he sat up, rubbing his chin and wincing.

"Don' think he did. An' then I told him I'd never read one o' his books an' he decided ter go. Treacle fudge, Ron?" Hagrid asked, eyes twinkling.

I laughed. "I wish I'd never read any of his books."

Hermione hmphed and drank some more of her tea.

"No thanks. Better not risk it." Ron said weakly, setting the cauldron down on the floor below him. Hagrid set the treacle fudge back down.

"Come an' see what I've bin growin'." Hagrid said, changing the subject again. I set my tea aside and followed Harry and Hagrid out the door. Hermione and Ron followed behind.

In the small vegetable patch were a dozen, large pumpkins. They were each the size of a large boulder.

"Gettin' on well, aren't they?" Hagrid asked, happily. "Fer the Halloween feast. . . should be big enough by then."

I privately felt they were big enough already and thought that if they grew any more, they might explode, but said nothing. Hagrid had been doing this for years, he knew what he was doing.

Probably.

"What've you been feeding them?" Harry asked, getting a closer look at them.

Hagrid looked around and said just a tad quieter, "Well, I've bin givin' them- you know- a bit o' help-"

I glanced over to where his pink umbrella was leaning against the house. Magic, of course. I supposed his wand was inside his umbrella.

"An Engorgement Charm, I suppose?" Hermione asked, sound a bit amused though I suspected she was also disapproving of this as well. "Well, you've done a good job on them."

Ron nodded and Hagrid said, "That's what yer little sister said." Hagrid said, pointing at Ron, "Said she was jus' lookin' round the grounds, but I reckon she was hopin' she might run inter someone else at my house." Hagrid said turning to look at Harry and winked. "If yeh ask me, she wouldn' say no ter a signed-"

"Oh, shut up." Harry said. Ron snorted with laughter and the ground was sprayed with slugs. I laughed even harder.

Ron was dragged away from the pumpkins by Hagrid. After that, we said good-bye to Hagrid and made our way back up to the castle. My anxiety started to grow as we reached the foyer, and when we were greeted by Professor McGonagall at the entrance, I thought my heart might pop out of my chest.

"There you are, Potter, Wesley, Kane." Professor McGonagall said, "Potter- Weasley you have detention tonight."

"What're we doing, Professor?" Ron asked nervously, covering his mouth as he burped.

"You will be polishing the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch. And no magic, Weasley- elbow grease." Professor McGonagall said sternly.

Ron did an exaggerated gulp. Or perhaps he had slugs stuck in his throat.

"And you, Potter, will be helping Professor Lockhart answer his fan mail." Professor McGonagall said.

"Oh, that is a punishment." I whispered under my breath for only Harry to hear.

"Oh, n- Professor, can't I go and do the trophy room, too?" Harry asked desperately.

"Certainly not." Professor McGonagall said with a raise of her eyebrow. Perhaps she couldn't understand why Harry wanted out of such an easy detention. "Professor Lockhart requested you particularly. Eight o'clock sharp, both of you." Then she turned to me, "And Miss Kane, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office."

"Please Professor," Hermione cut in, "Elizabeth shouldn't be in any trouble. It was my fault that she punched Malfoy."

Professor McGonagall did a start, turning to me. "You punched Mr. Malfoy in the face?"

I put my face in my hands. Thank you Hermione. "I guess Professor Dumbledore will talk to me about it." I muttered out loud. "See you guys later."

I walked quickly to Professor Dumbledore's office. Whether I was going to be in trouble or not, I didn't want to show up late. Besides, I'd defend myself and then let the punishment be what it should be.

"Sugar Q-quill." I said in a nervous voice and the Eagle statue sprung aside, revealing the first stair. I stepped on carefully and this time, was ready for the jolt as the stairs started to move. I felt like I might be sick the closer I got to Professor Dumbledore's door.

I raised my hand and knocked, feeling that I might faint. I hated disappointing anyone, especially those I admired most.

"You may enter." Dumbledore's voice said from behind the door.

I slowly opened the door and approached Professor Dumbledore's desk. He wasn't smiling, but he didn't seem like he was mad either. Just thoughtful. "Please sit, Miss Kane." he said.

I sat quickly, my knees seemed to be knocking together from nerves, and I put my hands on them to stop them from shaking.

"I heard a strange story from the Slytherin Quidditch team today." Professor Dumbledore said. "Can you please explain to me what happened?"

I took a deep breath, remembering what Harry had said about Dumbledore being fair. "The Gryffindors had booked the field for today so they were supposed to be practicing." Be fair, don't show bias, I thought. "Hermione, Ron, Lee, and I were watching from the pitch with a couple of other students since it was the first practice of the season. But then, the Slytherins came onto the pitch and the Gryffindors flew down to meet them. The four of us went down to see what was going on. Apparently Professor Snape had written a special note so that the Slytherin practice overruled the booking of the Gryffindors. The Slytherin's, more specifically Draco Malfoy, was showing off the brooms that his father had bought the entire team to let Draco on the team- at least that's how it appeared to us. Hermione Granger spoke up about how the Gryffindor team is made of skill rather than bribery. That was when Draco Malfoy called her a. . ."

I hesitated, unable to say the word. ". . .a. . ."

I took a deep breath and muttered. "Draco called her a. . . Mud-mudblood."

"Ah." Dumbledore said, sitting back in his chair, his hands folded on the desk. "I see."

I nodded and quickly said. "Well it caused quite a reaction as you can imagine. The Weasley twins were wrestling with Flint and another Slytherin team member. Alicia, Katie, and Angelina were screaming. Ron tried to curse Draco but because his wand is broken, the spell backfired. I did punch him in the face."

"Well, while you may have done this act out of loyalty for your friends, I must take twenty points from Hufflepuff and you'll receive a detention to do tonight." Dumbledore said. However, he seemed less disappointed than he had in the beginning. I wondered what the Slytherin version of the story had been.

"But-" I started and then stopped.

Dumbledore looked at me. He wasn't frowning like I thought he might. Instead, he looked rather curious. "Do you not think that the punishment is fair?"

"Not at all." I replied honestly. "I assaulted him. I should've gotten more than one detention."

Dumbledore chuckled, the last thing I had expected him to do. The light was back in his eyes. "You are one of the most curious students I've ever met."

I blushed.

"Miss Kane, I cannot exactly say that I respect what you've done, but you have certainly lived up to your house qualities. You've defended your friends, something that is expected of not only the Gryffindor house, but also of the Hufflepuff house. Now, I must ask you something else that has been on my mind." Dumbledore leaned forward. "Why weren't you put into Gryffindor?"

"Ah." I said. Another round of flush crept into my cheeks. This was the last question that I had expected. "That was the house I was supposed to be put into. . .I think." I admitted. "However, the sorting hat believed that because of my visions, I should be put into a house that wasn't in the spotlight. The sorting hat said it was dangerous for me to be in Gryffindor or even Ravenclaw. And he said something about me being sorted into Hufflepuff long before I'd set in foot in the castle. . . I wasn't really sure what that was all about. But I'm not sure if I was supposed to be in Hufflepuff all along, or Gryffindor."

"Hmm." Dumbledore was frowning now and seemed to be thinking. "Well, there's nothing to do about that. Your detention will be with Professor Snape."

I felt my heart sink. Of all the people I could've gotten detention with, Professor Snape was the last person I would've chosen. At least, for why I was getting detention. He favored his Slytherin students very much.

"Very well." I said softly. I wouldn't complain. I was lucky I only lost twenty points. And it wasn't like I had to do detention for two weeks or something. It was just once.

I got up and left Dumbledore's office, making my way to the Great Hall to get something to eat. I didn't see Hermione, Ron, or Harry so I sat down at the Hufflepuff table and ate a quick lunch before heading to the library to study.

I pulled out my History of Magic essay. Why was there a gap in leadership between 1450 and 1673 in the Ministry of Magic?

I got to work, hoping to put tonight out of my mind. And also- to keep the fact that my dad still hadn't written back out of my mind as well.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 30 days

Text

Chapter 18

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

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𝕱𝖔𝖗 𝖆 𝖒𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙, there was silence as the three teachers and two parents took in the sight before them. Ron, Lockhart, and Ginny were covered in muck and slime. I looked like a water bedraggled rat covered in blood and Harry was just plain covered in blood and slime.

Then, Mrs. Weasley and Mr. Weasley recovered, throwing themselves on Ginny with hugs and tears and kisses.

I looked past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming as though this was what he'd expected all along, a piece of crumpled paper in one of his hands. Perhaps he had figured we'd save her since my outburst in the teachers room.

Professor McGonagall looked she might have an aneurysm. She had her hand over her heart and was taking deep breaths.

Then, for some reason I couldn't fathom considering he wasn't the head of Gryffindor house was Professor Snape. He glared at me furiously. I sighed.

Then, I found Mrs. Weasley hugging me and I yelped as her weight pressed me down into the ground. I found that she was sobbing, "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that." Professor McGonagall said weakly.

"Mrs. Weasley." Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "I think Miss Kane needs to sit down."

Mrs. Weasley let go of me and went back to Ginny's side. Harry helped me into a chair and I felt much better.

Harry laid the sword and diary on the table. Then, he started telling everything that had happened this year. The disembodied voice that both of us could hear, how Hermione finally made the connection, talking to Aragog in the forest, how we figured Myrtle was the girl who died, how the entrance was in her bathroom. . .

"Very well." Professor McGonagall prompted him as he finished telling that part. "so you found out where the entrance was- breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add- but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"

Harry then told about Fawkes arrival, the sorting hat, all the instructions I'd basically screamed at him, and apparently how I'd distracted Riddle while he managed to destroy him. However, he avoided talking about the diary.

"What interests me most, is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania?" Professor Dumbledore said, somehow knowing this without knowing about the diary.

Was that where he was hiding?

"W-what's that?" Mr. Weasley asked in a stunned voice. "You-Know-who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not. . . Ginny hasn't been. . . has she?"

"It was this diary." Harry said quickly. "Riddle wrote in it when he was sixteen."

I avoided Snape's gaze. He hadn't taken his eyes off of me once and I found it a bit embarrassing. Couldn't he tell I looked horrible! Why didn't he let off?

"Brilliant." Dumbledore said softly, "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school. . . traveled far and wide. . . sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny." Mrs. Weasley said. 'What's our Ginny got to do with-with- him?"

"His d-diary!" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year-"

I felt all my guilt wash over me again. "Ginny! Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the diary to me or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic-"

"It was my fault." I choked out. Everyone's heads (excepts Snape's) turned towards me.

"Pardon?" Professor McGonagall asked, shaken.

"If I'd just been a better friend" I exclaimed angrily, "Then she wouldn't have written in it and none of this would've happened!"

"Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said kindly. "Don't put all the blame on your shoulders."

I shook my head. "I knew! I knew at the burrow she was writing in it! I should've made the connection faster! I had all the benefit too! I could see everything! And I still couldn't manage to stop it!"

Professor McGonagall said warmly. "I thought you were the one who told me that to interfere with the future would rip holes in the time continuum."

"Well yes. . ." I muttered. "But still. . ." I clenched my fists in my lap, still extremely angry at myself.

"What I want to know." Professor Snape finally spoke, sounding very cold, "Is what happened to you."

"Oh you know." I said very vaguely. "Thrown into a couple walls, fell into some water, nearly drowned, broke an ankle, nothing very important."

They all stared at me and my cheeks coloured red even more.

"Basically." Harry deciphered. "Riddle controlled her with my wand and threw her around when she tried to disarm him. Then, the Basilisk knocked her into the water while she tried to jump on its back, I don't really know what happened there, but I think the water had jets that pulled her downwards. Oh and she dueled Riddle while I stabbed the Diary."

"Basically what Harry's trying to say," I said, shooting daggers at him, "Is that he did all the work and I was a bit of a nuisance."

"Actually-"

"Alright, we get it." Snape said sharply. "I regret asking."

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away. This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. Bed rest and perhaps a large streaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice- I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione's okay?" Ron said brightly. I looked up sharply.

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny." Dumbledore said softly. The Weasleys left and Dumbledore turned to me. "Professor Snape, will you escort Miss Kane-"

"No." I said. "Something interesting is going to happen and I want to be here to witness it." I said.

"Very well." Dumbledore relented. "Minerva, I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchen?"

"Right." Professor McGonagall said, back in the groove, though she gave me a peculiar look. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter, Weasley, and Kane, shall I?"

"Certainly." Dumbledore said. "Severus?"

"I think I'll stay and see what this interesting event is going to be." Snape said in a fairly bored voice and he drifted over and stood behind my chair. Shivers went over my spine.

"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules." Dumbledore said suddenly and I felt goosebumps go over my arms. I felt Snape tense behind me. Ron opened his mouth in horror.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words." Dumbledore said with a smile and Snape sighed behind me. "You three will receive Special Service Awards for Services to the School and- let me see- yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor and two hundred points to Hufflepuff."

I smiled but it didn't matter. We'd still lost. But that was quite alright.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore went on. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

I chuckled.

"Professor Dumbledore." Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart-"

"Am I a professor? Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, wasn't I?" Professor Lockhart said, an expression of mild surprise on his face.

I heard Snape quietly laugh behind me. I was suddenly glad he'd stayed.

"He tried to do a Memory Charm on us and the wand backfired." Ron explained carefully.

"Dear me. Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy?" Dumbledore said, shaking his head, though his lips seemed to be quivering with laughter. I wasn't sure though, his beard covered it up.

"Sword?" Lockhart asked, looking around. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though. He'll lend you one." He said, pointing to Harry.

Snape coughed, covering his laugh.

"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary too? I'd like a few more words with Harry. . . Elizabeth, when exactly will this exciting thing happen?"

I sighed in disappointment. "I guess I won't be able to see it except in my mind." I got up, stumbled, and grabbed Snape's arm. "Shame. See ya, Harry."

"Actually, Elizabeth." Dumbledore said. "Could you come back in, oh six minutes. I do have a question for you."

Snape helped me out and we stood in the hallway for six minutes and then, I went back in, once again, with Professor Snape.

"-while I write to Azkaban- we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too. We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. . . unless Elizabeth, you might already know who we'll be hiring?"

Harry shot me a peculiar look. I looked at Dumbledore. "Yes sir. His name is Remus Lupin."

"What?" Snape hissed. "You're going to hire him?"

I glanced up at him, not at all perturbed by this reaction. "I understand the concerns with hiring him, Professor, but if you were to put the ad in the paper, he'll be the one who responds and I figured I would save you the trouble of putting an ad in the paper. I can foresee him being a success too."

Dumbledore nodded happily but at that moment, the door slammed open. The door bounced back off the wall. Harry and I, standing shoulder to shoulder, turned around to see what was happening. A smile grew over my face. Show time.

Lucius Malfoy stood there, looking furious. Dobby was cowering behind his legs, carrying a stained rag. Malfoy's shoes were half-polished and his normally sleek hair was disheveled. I smirked.

He stormed past the two of us, knocking into us. I stepped back onto my bad ankle. I could only be glad that Professor Snape was behind me. He caught me before I fell completely, helping me stand again. He bent and whispered, "Was this what you wanted to see?"

I nodded, not daring to say anything. Lucius hadn't seemed to have seen Severus, standing in the shadows. He was too preoccupied with Dumbledore. How had he even gotten on school premises?

"So!" Lucius yelled furiously. "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."

"Well, you see, Lucius, the other eleven governors contacted me today." Professor Dumbledore was smiling amiably but he sounded like he was talking to a little boy. "It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too. . . Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."

I snorted. Lucius went pale and Snape put a cautious hand on my shoulder.

"So- have you stopped the attacks yet? Have you caught the culprit?" Lucius demanded.

"We have." Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Well?" Who is it?"

I very nearly said 'you' but I knew how things needed to play out so I kept my mouth shut.

"The same person as last time, Lucius. But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary." He held up the black diary, and I studied Malfoy closely. He paled ever further. I realized Snape's hand was tighter than before.

"I see. . ." Malfoy said slowly.

"A clever plan." Dumbledore said in a calm voice, still staring into Malfoy's eyes. "Because if Harry here-" Lucius shot Harry a swift look- "And his friends Ron and Elizabeth here-" Lucius looked at me and narrowed his eyes. Snape's hand was even tighter now "-hadn't discovered this book, why- Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will. . .And imagine, what might have happened then. . . The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and killing Muggle-borns. . . Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise. . ."

"Very fortunate." Malfoy said stiffly.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked very suddenly.

Lucius rounded on him. "How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" He sneered.

"Because you gave it to her." I answered for him. His eyes shifted to me. I looked at him calmly. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her Transfiguration book and slipped it inside."

"Prove it." He hissed, taking a step towards me. Snape's hand became even- if possible- tighter.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that." Dumbledore said, smiling at both Harry and I now. I suppose he was proud of us for figuring it out. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you. . ."

I openly grinned. Lucius' right hand twitched. Then he said, "We're going, Dobby!"

"Don't trip on the way out." I said quietly, not looking at him.

He froze. "I knew it was you!" He hissed furiously at me. He stepped towards me, his hand flying to his wand. Dumbledore was out of his seat in a flash, but Professor Snape was there first, moving from behind me to in front of me.

"Lucius." Snape said in a dangerous voice. "Think before you act."

"Severus." Lucius replied coldly and then turned and stalked off down the hallway.

"Harry." I said quickly. I hurried over and whispered in his ear.

Harry grinned and said, "Dumbledore, could I give the diary back to Mr. Malfoy?"

"Certainly, Harry. But hurry, The feast, remember. . ." Harry dashed from the room. Dumbledore turned to me. "Now, Miss Kane. I would very much be relieved if you would go to the Hospital wing and get your ankle fixed. Severus."

"Certainly" Snape said and led me out of the room. Once he closed McGonagall's door, he scooped me up in his arms. My heart thudded in my chest so loudly, I thought perhaps he could hear it and a thrill raced through my chest.

"This is becoming a habit Elizabeth." He said as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"That's okay." I said much more honestly than I had meant to. "But I would like to know something."

"And what's that?" Snape asked as he started up the stairs.

"How did you react when I locked you all in the teachers' room?"

"I didn't react at all." Snape said stiffly.

"Mm." I said, amused. "That's not what Harry said."

Snape's faced reddened. "He saw that fiasco?"

"Yes." I said, delighted. "Nice to know you do care about someone, isn't it?"

Snape's hands were tightened. "You're treading dangerous territory now."

"Perhaps." I whispered. "As long as you always care, I don't think I'll mind much."

I closed my eyes and nothing more was said until we got to the hospital wing. But Professor Snape didn't open the door right away.

"Elizabeth." He said in a strained voice. "I can't-"

"Stop." I whispered. "It doesn't matter and don't say what you were going to say."

I slipped down from his arms and smiled half-heartedly. I opened the hospital door and then paused, turned around, and said, "Thank you for the flower necklace by the way. It was my favorite Christmas present."

Then I closed the door and let Madam Pomfrey take care of me.

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖏𝖔𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 feast around a quarter to three. My ankle was all healed, my scar on my face was healing nicely, and I was dry.

I stopped by the Hufflepuff table to say hello to Justin. All the Hufflepuffs greeted me nicely. I had after all, secured second place with my two hundred points. They all wanted to know what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets. I basically told them the truth- which was Harry had done everything- but I was still treated like some big hero.

The best part about the Hufflepuffs was Ced coming over and saying, "I'm glad your not dead Liz." and clapping me on the shoulder.

"Gee, thanks Ced." I said, laughing.

Cedric gave me a hug which made me receive jealous glares from other female Hufflepuffs. Then he made me tell him the story in detail. I obliged, telling it as it had been and he seemed impressed for some reason I couldn't fathom. I would've liked to have kept talking to him all night. However, I soon made my way over to the Gryffindor table. Hermione was the first person that I hugged. Then, I found Ginny and hugged her.

Fred yelled for me to come join him and I held up my finger for him to wait a moment. I sat down with Harry and Ron.

We were eating when Harry asked, "Elizabeth, how come the teachers were always asking you to come to Dumbledore's office?"

I sighed. "I suppose it's about time that I tell you that I can see the future."

Harry and Ron looked at me for a long time. "Wait, are you serious?" Harry asked slowly.

"Well somewhat." I corrected. "I get visions of what might possibly happen. Like for instance, when Dumbledore asked for the new DADA professor. I could look into next year and see what was happening. Or like how I know that Hagrid is going to show up at half past three."

"I can't believe you kept that a secret from us!" Ron exclaimed. "We are supposed to be friends after all!"

I blushed. "Well, when people know that I know the future, they start asking all sorts of ridiculous questions. I mean, the teachers always thought I had the answers- didn't they?"

"Fair enough." Harry said. "I just hope that you're right about Hagrid."

As it turned out, I was correct. Hagrid came in and approached us. He clapped Harry and Ron on the back, knocking them into plates of trifle. I laughed out loud.

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Ron asked, wiping trifle off his face. I grinned but said nothing and got up and went over to sit next to Fred.

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𝕴 𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 rest of my time at Hogwarts in the Forest, either with Hagrid or Firenze. I was avoiding the castle because Snape had been trying to talk to me. Word had also gotten around that Elizabeth Kane had futuristic visions and people were asking me all sorts of questions.

Hagrid on the other hand, enjoyed my company for my company and nothing else. I had done a couple of dragon sketches which he now had in his house.

"Guess what?" I said, one afternoon as we tramped through the forest. Hagrid was looking for any trees that might have fungus or such.

"Wha's that?" He asked cheerfully.

"Professor Dumbledore will need a new Care of Magical Creatures Professor next year." I said slowly, checking a berry plant for fungus. It looked perfectly fine. "How much do you want to bet he's going to ask you to be the Professor?"

Hagrid looked at me cautiously, "Now, don' play with meh, Elizabeth."

I tapped the side of my head and continued walking.

"Really now? Me? A Professor?" Hagrid said, looking up at the trees, looking for Bowtruckles.

"Well, at least..." I teased. "That's what I'm foreseeing!"

Hagrid remained skeptical, but continued to smile. I knew that he was excited, that he was hoping I was saying the truth. And I was and I was glad that I was.

"Keep it a secret though." I said, pruning a tree limb that had silverweed. "Everyone else gets to know next year, okay?"

"Sure, sure." Hagrid said.

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𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖇𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊 we were supposed to leave on the train, I was out in the forest, getting a few last sketches in when Firenze approached.

"Elizabeth Kane." He greeted me and I jumped down out of the tree.

"Hullo Firenze!" I said cheerfully. "I was going to come find you sometime soon. You always seem to find me so quickly though."

"Yes, one only has to look up to find you though." Firenze said, smiling. "I've heard strange stories through the forest about the school. Perhaps you would enlighten me about your adventure?"

I told it the way I had told it before, though I did not omit details. Every word that had passed between Riddle, Harry, and I were shared. Every moment, from being thrown with the wand to falling into the water bed to the duel was shared.

Firenze was a patient listener and so he did not interrupt as I spoke. It took about ten or so minutes to explain everything and he was silent for a long time as we walked afterwards.

"Hmm." He finally said. "yes, you were quite reckless, weren't you?"

"Perhaps I wasn't thinking properly." I said honestly.

"Yet, I believe you played an important part in the future, don't you think?" Firenze asked. He had an unusual mischievous smile on his face and I frowned.

"You know about my visions now, don't you?" I smarted a little.

"A little bird told me." Firenze said, amused, stepping over a log with his four legs. His blond hair was a bit longer and flew away from his face in the light breeze.

"Hagrid?" I asked.

"Yes, Hagrid." Firenze admitted, helping me over the log.

"Can you talk to birds?" I asked, interested.

Firenze let out his laugh that I loved so much. "Indeed! We Centaurs can talk to any creature if we listen hard enough!"

I sighed, a bit put out. "I suppose I should've expected an answer like that."

His sapphire eyes gleamed. "Now, Elizabeth, my turn for a question."

I waited patiently as he thought about how he was going to put his words.

"Perhaps you could explain your motivation."

I frowned. "What motivation?"

Firenze snorted, sounding more horse-like than ever. "And I thought you were intelligent! Well, if I must put it out so plain for you." He's joking and I know he is because he's smiling with his eyes, not just his mouth. "Just because I live in a forest doesn't mean I don't know the comings and goings at the school. The teachers love you because you are a hard-working student with the highest grades. And yet, you don't stop learning in the class. You ask for private lessons, you read extra textbooks, you even risk your life to come into the forest day and night to learn from us Centaurs. Now, I must ask, why? No student that has ever passed through those doors has ever done what you do. Not even Dumbledore, and I admire him greatly"

I paused. Well, naturally I'd wanted to do well at Hogwarts. Everything in my life had seemed a bit easy, like I had a cheat sheet in my brain. I had always known that I had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. I wanted to know everything. But had really no one else done so? No other student had asked for private lessons? I could believe in me being the first student to converse with the Centaurs. But really?

Firenze was right of course. Hermione had stopped at just the classes- though occasionally an extra book. So, why wasn't I satisfied with that as well? I certainly wasn't better than Hermione.

I opened my mouth to answer and then closed it. The fact of the matter was that I simply didn't know. And so, this is what I told Firenze.

Firenze seemed a bit put out by this answer, "You don't know? You work this hard for no reason whatsoever?"

When put that way. . .

"Well..." I started slowly, gathering the right words. "Perhaps I want to know more than everyone else because I feel that I need to know more, if you get my drift. My father... well, he's a werewolf and it's my dream to make a cure for him. Not just him, of course, but I would like to start with him. Of course, I feel that if I don't learn more than what's in the class, perhaps I'll miss something, something crucial that could only be learned here, in the forest, or in a private lesson that a teacher wouldn't normally teach in class. I may not remember everything I learn, but I can remember most of it."

Firenze did not speak for a long, long time. When he spoke, the question he asked was quite unrelated, "You are adopted then?"

"Well, yes. But can werewolves not have their own children?" I asked curiously, remembering what Riddle had said in the Chamber. "Biologically, I mean."

Firenze was quiet for a moment, thinking. "They can." he finally said. "My knowledge is limited on werewolves but it has been seen that not many marry and have kids. Though, from occurrences that have been heard of, no kid born of a werewolf and non werewolf has ever had the curse."

"What are werewolf cubs?" I asked. If Firenze could provide an answer I would never have to asked Dad.

"If two werewolves meet and mate at the full moon -a highly unlikely contingency which is known to have occurred only twice (though of course it's possible there are more)- the result of the mating will be wolf cubs which resemble true wolves in everything except their abnormally high intelligence." Firenze said, stepping over a little yellow flower. "They are not more aggressive than normal wolves and do not single out humans for attack. Such a litter was once set free, under conditions of extreme secrecy, in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts, with the kind permission of Albus Dumbledore." Firenze tacked on.

"Huh." I said. "They sound cute."

Firenze chuckled. "Perhaps, but back to my original point. Who were your parents, Elizabeth Kane?"

"I thought you knew." I muttered, looking away. "In the forest last year, I thought perhaps you'd picked it up."

"That you're the Potter boys' sister?" Firenze asked. "Well, I had come to the assumption, but I don't like to be solidly based on assumptions."

We walked in silence.

"He doesn't know, does he."

It was a statement, not a question.

"No one does." I whispered.

More silence.

"That's why your so sad when you're with him." Firenze stated, stopping and turning to look at me.

"I'm not sad when I'm with him!" I exclaimed.

Firenze stared at me for a long moment and said nothing else about the subject and started to talk about the creatures that existed farther in the deep forest. I responded with half-hearted questions and eventually said good-bye and that I would see him next year.

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𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖕𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖊𝖉 all my things up and was waiting with the other students for the train. Ginny came up behind me. "Hullo Ginny!" I greeted her cheerfully. The conversation with Firenze was still fresh in my mind and I quickly pushed it away.

"Hello Eliza." Ginny said. She had taken to this nickname and I quite liked it. "I have been meaning to talk to you."

"Alright." I said, "What's up?"

"We haven't really talked about. . ." she hesitated. ". . .the er- other night."

"What about it?" I asked, frowning.

"Do you really believe that everything that happened was your fault?" She asked, staring into my eyes. I flinched.

"Mostly." I finally said. "I feel responsible at least."

"You shouldn't." Ginny said.

I hesitated and then said, "Ginny, I really am sorry."

"I know." she said simply. "But it wouldn't have mattered if you had been there or not. And you were there, whether you knew it or not. I still would've written in the. . . the diary and I still would've. . . would've. . ."

"Alright, fine." I said with a roll of my eyes but I didn't want her to feel that she had to explain herself. "I no longer feel guilty, happy?"

Ginny giggled. "Sure Eliza, sure."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione came up behind us.

I yawned.

"Tired?" Harry asked.

"I took a nice long walk in the forest yesterday." I said, stretching. "But I might've stayed out to late."

This was a lie. I had spent a bit of the night pacing back and forth in front of the Potions classroom door, seeing if I should say good-bye to Professor Snape. However, since I wasn't going to be doing this to any other Professor and since I was going to see him next year, it had felt awkward and I slipped away back to the dorm. But I wasn't going to tell them that.

The train pulled up and staff members came out to help those who needed help with luggage. We climbed aboard and we found an empty carriage and I sat down gingerly by the window.

Fred and George joined us and we played Exploding Snap, set off some fireworks, and also practiced disarming people. Harry was quite good at this particular spell.

We were getting ready as the train started to slow down when Harry suddenly asked, "Ginny- what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

Ginny and I giggled. "Oh that." She said. "Well- Percy's got a girlfriend."

Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head, making me laugh harder. "What?"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater. That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in one them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was- you know- attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" She finished off anxiously.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Fred said who looked as though summer break had been extended by a few more months.

"Definitely not." George said, sniggering gleefully.

The train slowed down and completely stopped. Fred, George, and Ginny grabbed their luggage and left. Fred winked at me as he ducked out the door. Harry pulled out his quill and a piece of parchment. He wrote down some numbers three times and ripped the parchment up.

Speaking, mostly to Ron, he said, "This is called a telephone number. I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer- he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to. . ."

Dudley was our cousin. I'd never met him, of course, though I'd caught a glimpse of the fat boy last year. I wasn't particularly pleased to be related to such a pig, but family was family so I didn't try to think about it to much.

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" Hermione asked as I put the piece of parchment into my jean pocket. (we'd already changed into Muggle clothing). "When they hear what you did this year?"

"Proud!" Harry scoffed, but he was laughing. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious."

We all laughed and together, we walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 16

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

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𝕴 𝖒𝖊𝖙 𝕳𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖞 and Ron at the Gryffindor table the following morning. I avoided Snape's' stares, putting my back to him. Harry started to tell me his theory about the girl who had died in the bathroom but I interrupted him grumpily.

"Moaning Myrtle." I said, slathering grape jam on my toast. "I understood that much."

"All those times we were in the bathroom and she was just three toilets away. And we could've asked her and now. . ." Ron drifted off bitterly, for once not stuffing his face with food. I couldn't talk though, I loved eating.

"We're going to have to talk to her." Harry muttered stirring his spoon in his porridge mindlessly. "Somehow."

"That's going to be impossible." I said, wiping jam off my hand with a napkin. "Its a girls bathroom, we aren't supposed to be in the corridor by ourselves, not to mention it's right next to the place where everyone's been attacked. How are we supposed to get in there? At night, under the invisibility cloak?"

Harry and Ron had no answers and I headed off reluctantly to double Potions in the dungeons.

I took a seat in the back of the classroom, putting my cauldron in front of my face, while Susan took a seat next to me, greeting me solemnly. I said hello back as politely as possible and we started up a conversation about literally nothing.

Professor Snape was in a terrible mood this morning and snapped instructions about. I finished my potion with no mistakes. In any other class, I would've earned points but today, he seemed fit to not notice me and ignored my potion. I didn't particularly care at this moment.

Then, at the end of class, he announced that exams were still going to take place next week. This was met with some mutters of disappointment for those who had wished they were going to be canceled. Of course, I had foreseen this and did not particularly find it interesting nor upsetting. It was good to have something to place my mind on.

The following day, I received a letter from dad. It made me blush and was glad that I had privacy when I read it.

Dear Elizabeth, If Dumbledore is truly gone, then you shouldn't be taking such unnecessary risks. You need to stop going out to the forest and sneaking about at night! I would feel absolutely terrible if something happened to you. I am so sorry to hear about Hermione. I know that she is a really good friend of yours. But you shouldn't worry. Professor Sprout, Professor Snape, and Madam Pomfrey are all extremely skilled at their jobs and so all the petrified are in good hands. I don't understand the idea of getting caught up with boys but then again, I was never particularly caught up with girls either. I suppose this was because of my state of being and I never wanted to harm someone that I could romantically be in love with. However, I don't blame you for being interested in boys. A parents' love can only carry so much. However, I must approve of them and I will say that I don't approve of many boys. I am not going to tell you that I like your sketches because I feel that if I were to tell you that they are beautiful, exquisite, and lovely, I may end up encouraging you to go back into the forest and draw more so I must refrain from any sort of compliments or encouragement. I understand that exams will be coming up very soon so I want you to study hard. Don't be too stressed out, I know you'll do wonderfully (given that you stay safe of course). Love, Dad

I laughed a couple of times while reading it. It was obvious he'd tried to make the letter humorous, probably because I'd told him I was down.

True to my word, I had treats for Sadie to eat while I had read the letter and I didn't feel compelled to write him a letter back yet. So, Sadie (after eating) flew off to the owlery in order to get some sleep.

I wondered, briefly, if dad would continue to have the job over the summer or if it was a winter job only. I didn't have much time to ponder this because I had a flash of vision that made me sick. Ginny Weasley was laying on some stones, dead.

I stood up quickly, making multiple Hufflepuffs around me look up. No one bothered with me though and I went in search of Ginny.

I found her and sat with her. We'd hung a handful of times over the past couple of months, though she liked to be with her friend group. At the moment, she was hanging with her friends in the library. I politely asked if I could sit with them and they all said yes, giggling slightly, and continuing a conversation about the newest gossip magazine.

I didn't join it. For one thing, I didn't like gossip magazines and never took out a subscription for them. For another, I was simply here because I was going to keep tabs on Ginny for the rest of the school year. Perhaps I hadn't intervened with the petrified students, but that was because I knew the effects were reversible. Death wasn't reversible.

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𝕿𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝖉𝖆𝖞𝖘 𝖇𝖊𝖋𝖔𝖗𝖊 the first exam, Professor McGonagall made an announcement at breakfast. "I have good news."

I had expected the Great Hall to go silent while people listened to what this news might be. However, it seemed to have the opposite effect as people started shouting out the sort of news they might like to hear.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" Was one wish of multiple people.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin?" Was another wish, mostly among the Ravenclaws.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" Oliver Wood practically shouted above everyone else. This made me laugh.

There many other shouts including cancelled exams, Lockhart being fired, Lockhart being kept for another year, and a strange wish of Hogwarts food now including American pizza. I laughed at the last one. What was American pizza? I'd have to ask Trang when she came home this summer. It sounded like a disease.

"Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

The Great Hall erupted into cheers.

Ron looked happier than he had in days, "It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then." he said to Harry and I. "Hermione'll have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days' time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over."

I laughed aloud with Harry. Real, true laughter.

Just then, Ginny sat down at the table, surprising me. She didn't usually approach Ron or I when Harry was with us. She looked, understandably, nervous and tense. Her hands were twisting in her lap.

"What's up?" Ron asked, not particularly looking closely at her as he helped himself to some porridge.

I frowned at him, pausing in the middle of getting my own bowl of porridge.

Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table as though to see who might possibly be listening.

"Spit it out." Ron said, a bit rudely I though. But he was also looking at her with a look of concern on his face.

She started to rock back and forth where she was sitting and mumbled, "I've got to tell you something." She wouldn't look at Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

I felt strangely tense myself.

"What?" Ron asked exasperated.

Harry leaned forward and asked very nicely, "Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?"

Ginny drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley came down the aisle and said, "If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving. I've only just come off patrol duty."

Ginny jumped up at once and sped away. Percy sat down. Without waiting, I grabbed my bag and hurried after her. Harry and Ron stayed at the table.

I rushed through the Great Hall, trying to find her. Visions were popping in and out of my brain of different occurrences. Ginny couldn't possibly. . . could she. . .No. . .yes. . .

I lost her in the crowd, which shouldn't have been possible because she was the only student with red hair. However, she was also short and I was shorter than the average second-year and so I couldn't see over the older students heads.

Frustrated, I headed to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, passed it, and went to go sit in an empty classroom nearby. However, when I walked into it, I had a heart attack. Professor Snape was standing against the upper wall, his arms crossed like a. . . like a ninja or Chinese person who put their hands in the sleeves. . . you know what I'm talking about. He looked like he was waiting for someone.

"Er-" I said. I had no reason to be in this empty room. No class was held in here. I supposed that I could say that I was studying here, but would he really believe that? Possibly. . . I had been living in Hagrid's cabin after all. What would really be put past me?

"Are you skipping class?" He asked in his cool slippery voice.

I shifted my bag onto my other shoulder. I needed to stop packing so much stuff. "No." I lied.

He glared at me, "Really?"

"No." I answered truthfully. "Why could you possibly care?"

Why was he always sticking his nose into my business? Why was he always prowling around the Hufflepuff common room? He never took points from me! He treated me so differently from any other student. Why oh why!

Professor Snape strode toward me so quickly that I actually backed up. Then, I thought perhaps he was going to walk past me, but instead he stopped. If I had been the same height as him, we would've been shoulder to shoulder. He said slowly. "There are a great many things I care about Miss Kane. Not all of them I should and yet, there is something lying in me that makes it so."

Then, he stormed out of the classroom, the door slamming behind him while I stood there, a bit startled and confused.

Not all of them I should and yet, there is something lying in me that makes it so? What on Earth? I hated improper grammar! What the freak was that! Was he trying to be cryptic? Was there a hidden message in there? He had put emphasis on the words "I" and "lying".

I shook my head and sank into a seat by a nearby desk. I put my head on the desk so that I could think a bit.

What he lying? I cringed at my own improper grammar. But what in that sentence could he possibly be lying about? Perhaps the word 'many'. After all, he always acted as though he cared about nothing.

I groaned. Why was I so wrapped up in this, in him? I pulled out my textbook, saw that it was my potions one and quickly put it away and took out my Transfiguration textbook instead. I worked on some of the spells in the book with the objects in the room. I found a beetle in the corner and turned it into a perfect button on my first try.

Of course, there were no rabbits or owls or any other creatures to try and perform some of the other transformations so I stuck with the inanimate to inanimate object transformations until the bell rang. Then, I quickly packed everything up and slipped out the door in time to join Harry and Ron at the back of the line.

". . . Mark my words." Lockhart was saying as we were ushered around a corner. The Hufflepuffs then joined another line of Hufflepuffs being led by another teacher down a different hallway. However, I stayed, feeling that I should. "The first words out of those poor Petrified people's mouths will be 'It was Hagrid'. Frankly, I'm astounded Professor McGonagall thinks all these security measures are necessary."

"I agree, sir." Harry said, making Ron drop his books in surprise. If my books hadn't been in my bag, I surely would've dropped them too.

"Thank you, Harry." Lockhart said, holding us up while another line of older Hufflepuffs were being led back down the corridor. "I mean, we teachers have quite enough to be getting on with, without walking students to classes and standing guard all night. . ."

I wasn't sure what Harry was planning, but it obviously had to do with escaping a teacher's notice.

"That's right. Why don't you leave us here, sir, we've only got one more corridor to go-" Ron said quickly, picking his books back up.

"You know, Weasley. I think I will. I really should go and prepare my next class-" Lockhart said and he dashed off down the corridor.

"Prepare his class." Ron sneered, dropping his proper, polite act. "Gone to curl his hair, more like."

The other students continued down the corridor while we hung back and then went back and slipped down the other hallway.

"Where are we going?" I asked, a bit confused.

"Myrtle's bathroom." Ron said. "We want to get information from her even if the others will be okay soon."

I nodded. Brilliant. We headed off towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom when suddenly we heard a voice say, "Potter! Weasley! Kane! What are you doing?"

It was Professor McGonagall and my stomach filled with dread. I turned slowly. Her lips were thinner than I had seen them in a long time- a sure sign that she was mad.

"We were- we were- We were going to- to go and see-" Ron stuttered, unable to finish his sentence and so Harry finished it for him. "Hermione."

The three of us stared at him. I recovered quickly. Obviously, we were going to see Hermione.

"We haven't see her for ages, Professor and we thought we'd sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready, and, er, not to worry-" Harry said, leaning forward. I think he was stepping on Ron's foot. I barely paid attention though as tears had come to my eyes.

It was stupid for me to cry, I knew that, but Harry's sentiment wrenched my heart. Professor McGonagall however, was the last one I wanted to see me cry. She was such a strong woman herself. She would never cry in public. . .

"Of course." She said in a weird croaky voice and I turned, a little surprised. There were tears glistening in her eyes. "Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been. . . I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you've gone. Kane, you're in my class so you have permission as well. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission."

Harry, Ron, and I walked away and we heard Professor McGonagall blow her nose as she went around the corner.

"That. Was the best story you've ever come up with." Ron said, a bit proud.

I stopped walking, horrified.

"Elizabeth?" Harry asked.

"I need- I need to go speak to Professor McGonagall real quick." I stammered. "I'll meet you in the hospital wing."

I dashed off, leaving them there, and turned the corner, sprinting. Professor McGonagall wasn't far ahead and I called her name. She quickly wiped her face and then turned and said, "Yes, Miss Kane."

I breathed hard. "Ginny- Ginny Weasley. Professor, where is she right now?"

I didn't have to explain myself, Professor McGonagall understood right away what I was saying. "Another attack?"

I shook my head. "Worse, I think. But I don't know where she is."

"I'll find her. Go up to the hospital wing, Miss Kane, get Potter and Weasley and tell them to go to the common room. I'll get Professor Snape, Flitwick, and Sprout, and we'll look for Miss Weasley."

I stood there, a bit helpless as I watched her march off and then collected my senses and dashed up to the hospital wing. Harry and Ron were just coming out of the door, Harry clutching a piece of paper.

"Elizabeth!" Harry exclaimed, thrusting the piece of paper at me. "Look at this!"

I took the piece of paper and read:

Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are more wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the roosters, which is fatal to it.

On the bottom corner of the paper, Hermione had written the word: Pipes. Everything clicked perfectly.

"Oh my God." I whispered, dread and joy filling me equally. Dread for not having realized it sooner, joy for finally having the pieces click. "Hagrid's roosters were killed, Aragog said spiders fled from this creature. . . it's a snake Harry! That's why we hear it. . . the walls, the pipes. . . that's why we're hearing the voices in the wall! It's been right next to us. . ." I was so excited I was speaking in incomplete sentences, "No one's died because. . . no one's looked at it directly. Mrs. Norris- water Colin- camera, Justin- Nick, Hermione had the mirror. . .which means. . ." I looked up at them in shock. How could I not have seen this? With every advantage I had? Visions? Smarts. . . and I hadn't seen this! "The entrance is in Myrtles bathroom!" I was giddy with excitement.

All thoughts of Ginny had been thrown out of my head until Ron asked, "What're we going to do? Should we go straight to McGonagall?"

"Let's go to the staff room." Harry said, and we started running down the hallway. "She'll be there in ten minutes. It's nearly break."

I completely disregarded that Professor McGonagall had told us to go to our common rooms.

We ran down the stairs and we went straight into the staff room. The staff room was a rectangular shaped room with two large windows at the back. There was also a long conference table made of pine wood and dark oak chairs were lined up around the table. There were bookshelves along the walls and a wardrobe stood in the far corner.

Harry and Ron paced the room. I still had the piece of paper in my hand and was looking out the window. I had a nice view of the courtyard from here. Professor Flitwick was walking across the stones, looking about urgently. My stomach churned. Was Ginny safe?

It was a bit of time when I realized the bell for break had never rung. Harry and I exchanged a glance. Then, McGonagall's voice came over the speakerphone, "All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staff room. Immediately, please."

Harry, Ron, and I all stared at each other. Harry and Ron looked shocked and I felt my stomach churn even more and thought I might be sick.

"Not another attack?" Harry gasped, "Not now?"

"What'll we do?" Ron asked, his mouth open. "Go back to the dormitory?"

"No." Said Harry, glancing around. He pointed to the wardrobe. "In here. Let's hear what's it all about. Then we can tell them what we've found out."

"Don't you think we should just stay out here?" I asked, hesitantly as Harry opened the wardrobe doors. "It'd be less embarrassing than if we just jumped out."

But before we made a decision, there was a sound at the door, and we all jumped in and pulled the doors closed. My heart beat fast. Please don't be anything about Ginny, please don't be anything about Ginny. . .

I looked through a hole in the wardrobe. Some of the teachers looked puzzled- they obviously didn't know what had happened. Others looked scared. My eyes searched out Professor Snape. He had no facial expression. Then, Professor McGonagall entered the room and the room went silent.

"It has happened. A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself." She said with the air of one delivering bad news.

Professor Flitwick squealed, Professor Sprout clapped a hand to her mouth, and Professor Snape gripped the back of the chair tightly and asked, "How can you be so sure?"

"The Heir of Slytherin, left another message." I realized then that Professor McGonagall was very white and shaky. "Right underneath the first one. 'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever'."

My knees gave out and I fell to the floor of the wardrobe. Luckily for me, Flitwick had burst into tears which covered up any noise I'd made. I had to take very deep breaths. 'My fault' I thought as tears swam in my eyes. 'All my fault'. If I'd protected her. . . watched over her. . . told them that the diary was hers. . .

"Who?" Professor Snape demanded, almost angrily.

"Who is it?" Madam Hooch asked. "Which student?"

"Ginny Weasley." Professor McGonagall said.

Ron sunk to the floor of the wardrobe too.

"We shall have to send all the students home tomorrow." Professor McGonagall said heavily. "This is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said. . ."

I got to my feet. I had to go. I knew what I had to do. At that moment, the staffroom door banged open once more. It was Lockhart. I stepped out of the cabinet and closed the door behind me. None of the teachers noticed, they were all staring at his beaming face. I glared at him.

"So sorry- dozed off- what have I missed."

I felt so happy when Snape stepped forward, glaring at him with hatred. As a matter of fact, every teacher in the room from happy go lucky Professor Sprout to calm Madam Hooch were looking at him with hatred.

"Just the man." Snape said in his most hateful, oily voice. "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."

Lockhart's naturally happy face blanched.

"That's right, Gilderoy. Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" Professor Sprout chipped in. I'd never seen such a mean expression on her face. Or such a spiteful tone.

"I- well, I-" Lockhart sputtered.

"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" Professor Flitwick said, his high-pitched voice higher because of his crying bout.

"D-did I? I don't recall-"

Snape stepped in for another round of bashing Lockhart. "I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested. Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"

Gilderoy looked around at his colleagues and realizing that none of his colleagues were going to help him said, "V-very well. I'll I'll be in my office, getting- getting ready." He left the room. The teachers still didn't look my way.

"If only he did know where the entrance was." Professor McGonagall said. "Right- Miss Kane!" She shrieked as she turned to look behind her, catching sight of me. "What are you doing here?"

Every teacher turned to look at me. I opened my mouth and then closed it. "Nothing?" I said. Then I walked past the teachers.

"Miss Kane!" Professor McGonagall said sharply. "Exactly where do you think you're going?"

I didn't stop walking until I reached the door. Then I turned and with a hard, steely voice said, "I'm going to kill a Basilisk." I then slammed the door closed and locked it behind me.

⬅��➡️

#Braveclementineworks #BraveclementineNovels #Novel #ElizabethKane #ElizabethKaneseries #ElizabethKaneandtheChamberofSecrets #Hogwarts #Hufflepuff #Chamber of Secrets #Harry Potter sister #HermioneGranger #Ron Weasley #Basilisk #Severus Snape #Madam Hooch #Professor Flitwick #Ginny Weasley #Gilderoy Lockhart

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 15

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖑𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖉 different when I woke up and over the various weeks. There was no Hagrid on the grounds. Dumbledore was no longer sitting in the high seat. Even though McGonagall was supposed to have taken his place, his seat was left empty. Madam Pomfrey had stopped visitors from coming to the hospital wing. Fear was spreading through the castle like wildfire. I had stopped hanging with Harry and Ron and Ginny as much, isolating myself from people. There was no more Quidditch, private lessons, or clubs.

I had contented myself with being by myself unless in class. I spent my days studying in Hagrid's cabin. It was abandoned, Fang enjoyed the company, and I could be in peace here. There were some times I didn't even go back to the castle and just stayed in Hagrid's bed overnight.

On some days, I performed Hagrid's tasks that I'd been used to helping with. I tended to the hens- Hagrid hadn't had times to get new roosters- pulled the weeds in the garden, and other miscellaneous things.

My visions seemed to have been backed-up over the winter and were now reacting. I was getting visions every hour. Usually, it was stupid stuff like Draco in potions telling Snape to apply for the headmaster position. Or that we were still getting exams. Nothing extremely important.

The forest also became a sanctuary and I started spending a lot of time in there, exploring, taking notes, finding new places and discovering which trees held fairies and Bowtruckles and so many other things.

A letter from dad came. Sadie found me reading a book on the floor of Hagrid's cabin. It was a new book, one of the Muggle books that Trang had sent me for Christmas. I looked up and took the letter from her beak.

"You can stay in here for a little bit if you'd like." I offered. "It's nice and cozy, just stay high enough, I don't know how Fang will react to you."

She flew about the room and settled on the back of the chair while I opened and read dads' letter.

Dear Elizabeth, I'm getting worried. I haven't heard from you for a long time. I've heard rumours from the school. Is it true that Dumbledore was removed? What is going on, you haven't told me nearly anything since Christmas. If I don't hear from you soon, I will approach the Professors. I'm sure they'll tell me something. Love, Dad P.S. I'm worried, did I mention that?

I sighed, setting the letter aside. Pulling parchment out of my bag and I grabbed my Fwooper quills and started writing to dad.

Dear Dad, I haven't been well. I don't mean I've been sick, just a bit depressed. Cornelius Fudge took Hagrid away because he doesn't have any other suspects for the Chamber of Secrets being open again. Did I mention that the Chamber of Secrets has been opened? I don't know if any of that has made the news yet. It's horrid. Yes, Lucius Malfoy got the twelve Governors to sign a piece of paper saying Dumbledore was to be removed. McGonagall's headmistress right now. Hermione was one of the victims of the chamber. The mandrakes are almost ready though so they should be up in a month or so. I miss her. I suppose I haven't been my cheerful self as much. I got caught up with boys for a time period but I quickly shed that part of me so I could focus on schoolwork. Quidditch has been canceled which was horrid luck because we might've won the cup this year. I've been spending a lot of time in Hagrid's cabin. I haven't slept in my dorm in some time. I feel safer in Hagrid's cabin. Whatever the menace is, it's in the castle, not out of it. It kind've feels like I'm living on my own almost. I didn't realize how lonely it can be, living alone, and it makes me miss you all the more. I still have Harry and Ron but it's just not the same. But, I'm just trying to press on and only focus on grades. I know you've been asking for sketches so I included some. These I drew in the Forbidden Forest. I've met a nice centaur called Firenze. Sometimes I talk about philosophy and the stars with him. (I've known him since my first year actually). Stop being worried, I'll be quite alright. I just hope Dumbledore and Hagrid come back soon. Right, well, I'm off to go to the Forbidden Forest again. I found a nice patch of purple and pink flowers that I want to draw and color before the sun goes down. I miss you horribly too. Much love, Elizabeth

I quickly tore a couple of drawings out of my sketchbook and used a shrinking spell so that they would fit into the envelope. Then, I sealed it and poked a small hole through it. I found some nuts for Sadie to eat while I tied the envelope to her leg.

"Is that okay?" I asked softly as I tied it tightly to her leg. She hooted softly and bobbed her head up and down. I gave her a sad smile, and smoothed her head feathers. She ruffled her head and nibble my ear.

"Safe flight Sadie." I whispered, kissing her head. "I'll get you some treats when you come back, okay?"

She hooted again and flew out Hagrid's open window. I closed it after she left and grabbed my sketchbook and went out to where I wanted to go.

I got back at dusk and headed up to the castle to eat. I ate with the subdued Hufflepuffs (nobody talked to me). Then, I headed back out to Hagrid's cabin. I closed the door behind me, put food in Fang's bowl, turned off the lights, made sure the window was tightly closed, and laid down to fall asleep.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I got dressed and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast and then made my way to Transfiguration. I dully transformed my two rabbits into slippers and was reminded of Sushi who was at Trang's parents house right now. I wished that he was here with me. The wish made me transform my slippers back into rabbits so I could pet them. I felt some of the depression wash away as the rabbits licked my face and cleaned themselves.

Then, Professor McGonagall had to walk us to Herbology. I trailed behind, not watching where I was going. Professor Snape had led the Gryffindors there as well. I didn't even notice if he'd left or not as I filed into the Herbology greenhouse.

I absentmindedly went to a random station so that I could start working at pruning Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. I usually got a whole plot to myself because I did more than any of the other students working together.

I did notice through my stupor however, that Ernie and Hannah were talking to Harry. I supposed that Ernie had apologized. I finished pruning twenty Shrivelfigs before the class was over and Professor Sprout awarded me with 15 house points. I thought it was a bit generous but then again, without the Quidditch match, the houses had to make up for lost points.

I left the greenhouse and caught up with Harry and Ron since we were going to Defense Against the Dark Arts together.

"Hello Elizabeth." Harry said, somewhat cheerfully as I approached.

"Long time no see." Ron said, sounding a bit grudgeful.

"Sorry." I apologized, not feeling sorry at all and also sorry at the same time, "I realize I've been a bit distant. I haven't been a very good friend recently."

"It's alright." Harry said, sounding earnest. Perhaps he thought that if he said the wrong thing I'd stop hanging around again.

"It's not." I said, matching his friendly tone. "But thanks for saying so. I'll be much better after this is all over. To bad we can't pin it on Draco. . ."

We took our usual spots in the back of the classroom. Ron asked me what sorts of creatures were in the Forbidden Forest. I wasn't entirely sure why he was asking but I answered, "Well, there are centaurs, who are very distant creatures. Always treat them with the highest respect. There's also unicorns, though they're quite shy of humans. Bowtruckles, fairies, imps, all sorts of things."

"Any. . .bad things?" Ron asked nervously.

"Sure," I said, pulling my Muggle book out of my bag so that I could read it throughout class. I found that Gerald's Game certainly took my attention away from Lockhart's foolishness. "There's Gytrashes-"

"What are those?" Ron asked.

"They're a spirit like animal. Most like a dog or wolf." I answered, flipping the book open. "The only thing that drives them away is light. They'll hunt in packs and eat you."

Ron gulped nervously, "What about werewolves?"

"Only on a full moon." was my answer.

"Anything else?" Ron asked.

I sighed, looking up from the sentence I'd read about three times now, trying to find my reading groove. "Perhaps. It's a large forest and I haven't explored all of it."

Ron opened his mouth to answer when Lockhart bounced into the room, practically radiating with cheerfulness. We all gaped at him, even me, lowering my book to stare at him. (Though I must admit my expression was more in disgust than anything else).

"Come now. Why all these long faces?" Lockhart cried, beaming. "Don't you people realize? The danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away-"

"Says who?" Dean asked loudly.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty." Lockhart said in a tone as though talking to a young child who didn't know anything.

"Oh, yes he would." Ron and I said together, much louder than Dean.

Lockhart turned his attention to Ron. I was starting to feel my blood boil. This class was useless anyways, why had I come in the first place? "I flatter myself I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley." Lockhart said, sounding satisfied.

I got up from my seat, my chair screeching. I ignored all the shocked looks, grabbed my bag, and strode out of the room. It was official, that was my last class for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year. I stopped by the Great Hall, filled my bag with food, and walked out of the castle.

There were other students out and about on the grounds today. The older students who had free periods. It was a nice day, warm, and also it seemed safer outdoors than in the castle. I strode close to the Forbidden Forest and then slipped inside the cabin that I was starting to call home.

Fang's barks were loud and I quickly filled his dog bowl with food. He ate away messily while I closed the curtains and ate at Hagrid's table myself. Then, I pulled out my Transfiguration homework and started on it.

I worked late into the night, ate some fruit for dinner, made sure Fang's bowls were full, made sure the windows were locked, the curtains were pulled, and then turned out the light, and climbed into bed.

.💚💚.

𝕬𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉 𝖒𝖎𝖉𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙, 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖔𝖓𝖊 entered the cabin, which woke me up, and I rolled over quickly to grab my wand as the lights flashed on.

"Elizabeth?" came a shocked, but familiar voice.

"Harry?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the sudden light.

"What are you doing here?" We all asked at the same time.

"I've sort've lived here since Hagrid left." I said, sitting up, feeling all embarrassed. "I feed Fang and do some of what Hagrid would've done if he'd still been here. Now, what are you doing here?"

"Ron and I are going into the Forbbiden Forest." Harry said, laying his invisibility cloak on the wooden table. "We're going to follow the spiders."

I nodded, pushing my hair back and tied it into a ponytail. "Good lead."

Fang bounded up to Harry. "C'mon Fang, we're going for a walk." Harry said, patting Fang's leg. "D'you want to come? You'd be a good guide."

I shrugged. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do." I grabbed my wand off the table. I had a onslaught of visions as I grabbed my journal and then left it on the table. Alright, we were going to be running for our lives tonight.

I turned the lights out in the cabin and followed Ron and Harry out of the forest.

"Lumos." Harry said. His wand light up like a Muggle torch.

I did the same.

"Good thinking." Ron said. "I'd do the same but it'd probably blow up or something."

I giggled and felt my heart lighten. I'd forgotten how much I loved Ron's stupid jokes and comments.

"So, Elizabeth." Harry said as we searched the grass for spiders. "Is this why you've been so distant?"

I nodded and then remembered that it was dark and we were looking down at the grass. "A bit. I've been really upset about Hagrid and Dumbledore of course. Lockhart's getting on my nerves. I have no Quidditch or private tutoring sessions. My only sanctuary now is Hagrid's house. Plus, since all the attacks happen in the same place, I've assumed I'm actually safer in Hagrid's tiny little cabin."

"Wow." Harry said.

"I know it's not fair and it's extremely selfish." I continued, feeling guilty. "After all, everyone's going through the same thing as me so I shouldn't be reacting so badly."

"No." Harry said, sounding just a little awed. "I've felt real horrible about the whole ordeal. I just never thought about leaving the castle and staying anywhere else. Quite frankly, I don't think I'd have the guts."

I blushed with a bit of pride. Harry thought I was brave!

I scoffed, "You're extremely brave Harry. Think about last year."

Harry said nothing as he found the spiders and we started following them. Fang scampered around the three of us, sniffing tree roots and leaves.

"You've been in here a lot, right Elizabeth?" Ron asked hesitantly. I knew he was frightened of the forest.

"A bit." I lied. "Okay, a lot. Though I've never gone far in this general direction. I prefer the lighter part of the forest near the Centaur camp."

"Perhaps you should lead then." Ron said. "Plus, you know the most spells."

I shrugged, not scared at all. Though I would've liked Firenze to accompany us. "Sure."

I led the way, keeping my wand low to the ground so that I could keep track of the spiders. We were getting into the parts of the forest that were unsafe, I could feel it. It was extremely dark- much darker than I 'd ever been in. The centaurs lived deep in the forest too, but the trees were never this close. At least we were still on the path. . . until the spiders left the path.

I hesitated.

"What d'you reckon?" Harry asked breathlessly. He'd just jumped back onto Ron's foot because Fang's nose had touched his hand.

"We'll be fine." I said, keeping my voice cool and collected. I left the path all the time and technically, the spiders were a type of path. "C'mon."

We moved much slower now. We had to move through the thick trees and hop over tree stumps. I also had to crouch more often to find the trail of spiders and then lead in the general direction. After some moments, we started to travel at a downward slope and I was starting to regret coming.

I could be sleeping. I complained in my head. For some reason, sleeping made me think of Professor Snape, and I quickly returned my thoughts to the mission.

Then, Fang let out a great booming bark. All three of us jumped.

"What?" Ron nearly shouted out. I noticed he was gripping Harry's elbow very hard.

"There's something coming." I whispered, holding my wand a little higher.

"Sounds like something big." Harry said nervously.

We listened very carefully and I lifted my wand higher. The sound was coming towards our right and I turned slightly to that direction. Was it a pack of Gytrashes? The wand light should've scared them off though. . . No, it couldn't be Gytrashes because there was the sound of snapping branches. Gytrashes were spirits, they didn't make such noises.

So what was it?

"Oh, no. Oh, no, oh, no, oh-" Ron was whispering frantically under his breath.

"Shut up." Harry said frantically, starting to panic a little. "It'll hear you." Well, at least he still had some common sense.

"Hear me?" Ron asked, his voice extremely high. "It's already heard Fang!"

"I don't think it's dangerous. . ." I said slowly, starting to walk towards the sound. I had a good feeling about this.

"Are you crazy?" Harry hissed.

I reached the top of the hill and quickly ran back down again, making Harry and Ron panic, and start to run in to the opposite direction "Wait!" I shouted, "Come back."

I stopped and turned back around as the car flew up the hill and stopped up there. It's head lights glowed brightly, showing up the entire area.

"It's our car!" Ron cried in relief.

Ron and Harry came back, nearly running up to the car. Fang however, had run into a thorn bush so I went over and helped him out. Then, I joined Ron and Harry by the car.

The car was completely empty on the inside. The sides of the car were scratched, dented, and smeared with mud. I supposed that it had been exploring the forest on it's own. To bad it hadn't flown back to Mr. Weasley although I supposed it may be a good thing for us.

"And we thought it was going to attack us!" Ron said. He seemed much happier than he had only moments earlier. "I wondered where it had gone!"

I hadn't. I tried thinking about it as little as possible. Perhaps after the end of the year I would go and deposit about 300 Galleons in their vault as repayment. I wondered how much Mr. Weasley had been fined. . . had the newspaper mentioned it? I'm sure I could find a copy of the article somewhere.

"We've lost the trail." I heard Harry say from behind me. "C'mon, let's go and find them."

Ron didn't answer and I looked up from studying the car. His eyes were fixed on whatever was behind me and his face was full of terror. My heart stopped, and then sped up, and I went to turn around to see what it was.

I was suddenly picked up and I shrieked out in terror. I didn't struggle (because the drop would've done some serious damage to my body), but moved my head around to see what had grabbed hold of me. Large. Spiders.

I whimpered softly, terrified. I had forgotten how much I hated spiders. I closed my eyes, feeling the swaying motion as the spiders carried me. I would've scrunched my body up in a ball to protect myself if I thought it would've helped. Instead, I shivered with nerves and fright, my eyes squeezed tight and feeling like I might be seasick. I'd never been a boat before, I'd never seen the ocean before but I was fairly certain that this was the sensation that sailors called seasickness. I could hear Fang squealing and barking and fighting to free himself.

We were in the spider's clutches for about twenty-seven minutes before we reached a place where the darkness was lifted. I peeked one eye open, noticing the shift in light behind my eyelids. I looked upwards in shock. There were no more trees and the stars shone through, bright and fierce. I looked down at the ground, both eyes open now.

There was a hollow, the kind that would've been in a story book. The kind of hollow where you would set up a cottage and a little garden and never be bothered for years. But no one in their right mind would set up a little cottage here. There were hundreds of spiders as large as horses, waiting. There were many spider webs too and I shivered. Imagine getting that in your hair!

But this would've been a nice place to draw. I looked around, hoping to soak in details to draw when I got back to the cabin.

The spiders closed around as the three spiders (one was carrying Harry and me) slowly made their way down into the valley. The one carrying Harry and I dropped us onto our knees.

I heard the spider say, "Aragog! Aragog!" It was hard to understand the spider because it had to click its pincers to speak.

From the domed web, a spider came up out of the gigantic hole. I stared in shock and horror. The spider was nearly the size of a small elephant. He was obviously very old. His eyes were milky white, a sign that he was blind. He also had gray fur mixed in with his black hair.

"What is it?" He asked, his pincers clicking as he spoke.

"Men." the spider said simply.

"Is it Hagrid?" Aragog asked, moving closer. His eyes wandered randomly.

"Strangers." A different spider said, dropping Ron onto the floor. The third spider followed suit, dropping Fang- almost delighted to drop his squirming package. Fang ran and cowered between Harry and I. I put a hand out on his head to comfort him.

"Kill them." Aragog said, sounding a bit fretful. Perhaps he was worried why Hagrid had not come and visited in a while. "I was sleeping. . ."

Understandable. I would want to kill anyone who woke me while I was sleeping too. Yes, yes totally understandable. . .

"We're friends of Hagrid's." Harry said suddenly.

The pincers in the hollow went wild and then quieted down.

Aragog paused. "Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before." he said slowly.

"Hagrid's in trouble." Harry said, his breathing seemed very shallow. "That's why we've come."

"In trouble?" It sounded as though the aged spider actually cared about Hagrid. Maybe. "But why has he sent you?"

Right! Why the hell had Hagrid sent us?

Harry, I realized, was still sitting where the spider had dropped him. So was Ron. I was standing. I wondered if I should be sitting. I decided not to move.

"They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a- a- something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban."

Aragog clicked his pincers madly. I wondered if he knew what Azkaban was. It was like applause, I realized. That's what the sound reminded me of. "But that was years ago." Aragog said fretfully. He really was worried. That was sweet. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that I was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free."

"And you. . . you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked, sounding a bit confused.

"I!" Aragog cried indignantly. Yep, we were going to die. "I was not born in the castle. I came from a distant land. A traveler gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness. . ."

Awww! So maybe we weren't going to die!

"So you never- never attacked anyone?" Harry asked, his breathing a bit deeper.

"Never." The old spider croaked more calmly. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet. . ."

I gave a start and looked at Ron. The girl had been killed in a bathroom?

"But then. . ." I turned my attention back to Harry. "Do you know what did kill the girl? Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again-"

The spiders interrupted, clicking their mandibles angrily and shifting their many legs. I shivered and looked about me nervously. My hand immediately went into my pocket where my wand was at the moment. We were totally dead.

"The thing that lives in the castle, is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school."

"What is it?" Hagrid asked, a bit urgent and yet, a bit excited.

The spiders hissed. "We do not speak of it." Aragog said angrily. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of the dread creatures, though he asked me, many times."

Harry got to his feet, helping Ron up. The other spiders were closing in and I drew my wand, keeping it pressed closely to my body. Aragog was back away into the domed web.

"We'll just go, then." Harry called desperately to Aragog.

Aragog answered slowly, "Go? I think not. . ."

"But- but-" Harry seemed to be racking his brain for an excuse to not die.

"My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friend of Hagrid."

Harry and I spun around. The spiders were closing in. I reacted quickly, shooting spells as the spiders all around us. They backed up a little but I knew it was hopeless. There were too many of them, Ron's wand was broken, and Harry was drawing his much to slowly.

I shot spell after spell at the spiders. If I could keep us alive long enough. . .there! There was the loud noise. I turned, expectantly as Mr. Weasley's car came down the hill, headlights glaring, horn hoking, knocking spiders aside. It screeched to a halt in front of us and its doors opened.

I kept shooting spells while Harry dived into the front seat, yelling at Ron to grab Fang and for me to get into the car. Like I didn't know that the car was the safe place! I made it into the passenger seat, slamming the door behind me. Ron tossed Fang into the car and before the doors were even shut the car was driving away. I clutched the arm seats and closed my eyes, my heart pounding.

"Are you okay?" I heard Harry's voice asking.

I nodded, feeling that if I answered, I may throw up, and I didn't think the car would react kindly to that.

"That was quick spell work Liz." Harry said again.

"Thanks." I murmured.

The car stopped at the edge of the forest and we all climbed out. Fang shot off back towards Hagrid's cabin. I made sure my legs wouldn't collapse underneath me and I made my way back to the cabin as well. I certainly wasn't going to be staying here tonight. I gathered up my things while Harry came in and grabbed the invisibility cloak.

"Going back up to the castle?" He asked.

I nodded, "I can't stand the idea of staying out here alone. I retract my earlier statement. It might not be safer out here than in the castle."

Harry laughed but it sounded strained. He went out to check on Ron and I checked on Fang. He was alright and I covered him with his blanket. I double checked the food bowls and then turned the lights off and headed outside.

Ron was violently sick in the pumpkin patch and I cleaned up his mess with my wand. I certainly wasn't going to work on the garden with vomit in there.

"That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" Ron said, continuing a conversation that they'd been having. He thumped his fist against the wall of his cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where its' got him! A cell in Azkaban! What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?"

"That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets." Harry said, clutching the invisibility cloak in his arms and motioned me over so that we could start walking under it. "He was innocent."

Ron snorted. I supposed that he didn't find Aragog as an innocent case.

"Riddle got the wrong person." I whispered out loud. We reached the castle and stopped talking. Harry pushed open the large front doors and we slipped inside. There were many sentries walking about and we had to take it slowly. I slipped out from under the cloak as we approached one of the corridors near Hufflepuff common room.

I made my way carefully through the hallways, turned the last corner before the common room, and bumped into Professor Snape of all people. I fell backwards and would've fallen to the ground if he hadn't caught my arm and pulled me back up again. The pull was so violent our noses touched.

"What are you doing out of your dorm!" He hissed angrily.

My tongue twisted. He was still touching my arm. He quickly let go. "Are you mad?" He asked, still extremely angry.

"I- um-. . ."

"What!" he glared at me.

I took a deep breath, feeling strangely defensive. "I've er- been sleeping in Hagrid's cabin." My cheeks turned red.

Professor Snape stopped being angry for two seconds and asked in surprise, "Why?"

On the defensive I said, "I think better there. I don't know, it's peaceful there. I feel less lonely when I'm there. Safer."

"You're lonely?" He repeated, sounding a bit confused. My cheeks flushed red again.

"It's not so bad." I muttered.

We stared at each other for a moment. Then he said, "Go to bed Elizabeth."

"Aren't you going to take house points from me?" I asked curiously, as he walked past me.

"No. Go to bed- Now."

Confused, I slipped inside the Hufflepuff Common room and headed up to my dorm. I set my bag down by the bed and collapsed on it, fully dressed, kicking off my muddy shoes. I fell asleep quickly, feeling that something horrible was going to happen. . . and soon.

⬅️➡️

#Braveclementineworks #BraveclementineNovels #Novel #ElizabethKane #ElizabethKaneseries #ElizabethKaneandtheChamberofSecrets #Chamber of Secrets #Hufflepuff #Hogwarts #Harry Potter sister #HermioneGranger #Harry Potter #Ron Weasley #Aragog #Hagrid #acromantula #Forbidden Forest #Protective!SeverusSnape #Gilderoy Lockhart

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Chapter 14

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝖂𝖊 𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 first week of February. Harry showed Hermione and I a diary he had found in Myrtle's bathroom. Someone had apparently tried to flush it away. Hermione was very excited with the diary for some reason. I thought it looked familiar and was trying to place where I'd seen it before.

We were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. I had my back to the rest of the room and kept feeling a prickling sensation on the back of my neck, a sure sign that Fred was probably looking over at us. It took all my willpower not to look at him.

Harry handed the diary over to Hermione. I hadn't seen this either and was starting to get agitated. Maybe my powers were broken. But I had seen the diary. . .it was Ginny's! I kept my mouth shut. It wasn't my business to tell them it was hers. . . or maybe I couldn't? It was hard to tell.

"Oooh, it might have hidden powers." Hermione said, opening the book and flipping through it.

"If it has, it's hiding them very well." Ron said, a bit amused. "Maybe it's shy." I laughed as Ron continued, addressing Harry, "I don't know why you don't chuck it, Harry."

"I wish I knew why someone did try to chuck it." Harry said with a slight frown. "I wouldn't mind knowing how Riddle got an aware for special services to Hogwarts either."

I frowned. Hadn't I seen that trophy last year?

"Could've been anything." Ron said bored. "Maybe he got thirty O.W.L.s or saved a teacher from the giant squid. Maybe he murdered Myrtle; that would've done everyone a favor. . ."

"It's impossible to get thirty O.W.Ls" I corrected him, frowning at him. I glanced over at Harry.

"What?" Ron asked, looking between Harry, Hermione, and me.

"Well," Harry said slowly, thinking hard, "the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, wasn't it? That's what Malfoy said."

"Yeah. . ." Ron said curiously.

"And this diary is fifty years old. . ." Hermione said, tapping the diary.

"So?" Ron asked stupidly.

"Wake up Ron!" I snapped at him. Honestly! "We know the person who opened the Chamber last time was expelled fifty years ago. Riddle won an award for special services to the school fifty years ago. Perhaps Riddle got his award for catching the culprit. Therefore, his diary would hold all the secrets of the event."

"That's a brilliant theory, Elizabeth." Ron said sarcastically, "with just one tiny little flaw. There's nothing written in his diary."

Hermione quickly pulled her wand out of her bag. "It might be invisible ink!" She declared, smoothing down the page and pointing her wand at it, "Aparecium!" Nothing happened and I felt a swell of disappointment. However, Hermione wasn't done. She pulled out what looked like a Muggle eraser. "It's a Revealer, I got it in Diagon Alley." She said and rubbed hard on where the date would've been. Once again, nothing happened.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing to find in there." Ron said, leaning back on the couch. "Riddle just got a diary for Christmas and couldn't be bothered filling it in."

I frowned, unable to accept this theory, but also unable to figure out what the secret was. I would have to be on the lookout for visions.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione also went to look at the trophy that had Riddle's name on it, though I didn't go because I didn't feel like going. Instead, I spent much of the day working on the grounds with Hagrid. He was in a very peculiar mood but wouldn't tell me what was upsetting him.

In contrast, the castle was in a more hopeful mood than it had been before Christmas. There had been no more attacks and the Mandrakes were coming along nicely and healthy. The Heir of Slytherin had obviously lost his or her nerve. Perhaps, as Harry predicted, it was hibernating for another fifty years.

A majority of the younger Hufflepuffs believed that it was because Harry had revealed himself at the Dueling club and he could no longer open the chamber. This of course, was preposterous and not many of the other school houses believed in this, though some of the younger Ravenclaws were siding with the Hufflepuffs. But the Slytherins and Gryffindors didn't believe this at all.

Harry and I were on our way to the library to meet Ron and Hermione when we dodged a corner to avoid Lockhart who was talking to McGonagall. "I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva. I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him."

I scoffed as they passed us. Lockhart wasn't done talking though, while McGonagall looked like she wished she could disappear. "You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing. . ."

He walked away, tapping himself on the nose, leaving McGonagall looking highly relieved. I wondered briefly what his idea of a morale-booster was. As long as it didn't include pixies, I was sure it was going to be. . . possibly okay?

There were no surprises until the fourteenth of February- Valentine's day.

I woke up on the morning feeling jittery for some reason. Possibly because it was a day of love? I dressed slowly, pulling on my robes, and putting my hair into a messy bun. In packed my school books slowly into my bag. Dragon ring- check. Bracelet- check. Three necklaces- check.

Since it was Valentines day, I relented with my self torture and pulled out two of my smaller Muggle novels and one of my more empty drawing pads.

Then, carrying those in my arms, I walked down towards the Great Hall.

I met up with Harry before the doors. He looked exhausted.

"Hullo Harry." I greeted him cheerfully.

"'lo L-L-Liz." He yawned.

He pulled open the door and we stepped through and froze. I dropped my books on accident but didn't bend down to pick them up. I stared around me in disgust. Then, collecting my senses (only partly as I forgot to use magic), I quickly bent down and picked up my books.

The walls were covered with large pink flowers. There was a peculiar smell like lavender, lemon, roses, and the overwhelming smell of cilantro. It was all a peculiar mixture and made my throat tickle, making me cough. There was heart-shaped confetti falling from the pale blue ceiling.

I couldn't believe Dumbledore would let something like this happen. We sat down at the Gryffindor table, the closest table to the teachers. Ron was sharing my look of disgust and Hermione had been overcome with a fit of giggles.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, wiping confetti off of his bacon. I stared at the food in disgust. Everything was covered in a thin layer of confetti, making it inedible. I wrinkled my nose. The smell of the food was mixing with the other smells. I leaned away, starting to feel sick.

Ron pointed up at the teacher's table, unable to speak. Harry and I turned our heads to look. Lockhart was wearing lurid pink robes. I dropped my mouth in horror. He was waving for silence. The teachers that sat on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where we were sitting, I could see a muscle going through McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked as though he had swallowed something disgusting tasting.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all- and it doesn't end here!"

"It's horrendous." I said aloud, not watching how loud my voice was. Luckily, it only seemed to carry to surrounding Gryffindors and some of the teachers. Snape's lips twitched into a two second smirk and Professor McGonagall covered her mouth to stop a laugh. Lockhart however, was too busy clapping his hands and a bunch of dwarfs entered the Great Hall.

The opening of the doors sent another gust towards the tables and the smell entered my nose again. I started to cough again and I pressed a hand against my mouth to stifle it. My eyes were streaming with tears. I looked down at the floor, trying to breathe. Harry shot me a concerned look. He probably remembered how I reacted to the battery acid in the hospital wing.

"I'm not good with overwhelming smells." I choked out in his ear. "Don't know why."

"You should get out of here." Harry muttered back as I wiped tears from my cheeks.

"I hope this is gone soon, I wanted to eat." I muttered.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" Lockhart said. There were titters all around the Great Hall. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion!"

I found myself overcome with my own fit of giggles while still coughing. The idea of Snape doing that was simply ludicrous. Lockhart wasn't finished either.

"And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Snape looked murderous. Professor Flitwick had his face in his hands, either flattered but the compliment or completely demoralized.

Hermione, Harry, and Ron all left to get to their first class which was Charms. I had class with them, but I stayed behind for a second, looking for Fred. He was sitting with George and Lee and didn't look my way as I stood. My heart plummeted but I knew I should've expected it. I turned to leave the Great Hall.

"Elizabeth!" I turned to face Fred, feeling very apprehensive. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Snape turn his head slightly to see what was happening.

"Hi." I said, my heart beating quickly. I thought I may throw up. Fred seemed the complete opposite of nervous.

"Will you be my Valentine?" He asked, a goofy smile appearing on his face.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I'd love to." I said, blushing. He bent down and kissed me on the lips like he had on Christmas day under the mistletoe. Lee wolf whistled and I stuck my tongue out at him, childishly. Then, practically skipping, I rushed to Charms so I wasn't late. Fresh air filled my lungs and I felt much better than I had in a while.

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖍𝖆𝖉 𝖒𝖞 private potions lesson with Snape tonight and for some reason, I was even more nervous than before. Perhaps that was because I had a present and a secret for Snape tonight. My hands shook as I pushed the door open.

I was surprised as I walked in. It was exactly how it always was, but this time, there was a faint smell of. . . cookies? I couldn't find the source of the smell however and sat down at my usual spot. This gave me time to pull out the drawing that I had done today. I waited, nervous, trembling on the stool.

Snape came from his office, carrying about seven or eight jars and set them down in a row on the table. I slid the drawing off the table, setting it down next to me. No cookies.

Professor Snape didn't offer anything outside of the lesson, though for some reason, seemed unlike himself. Perhaps someone had asked him how to make a love potion. Just the mental image in my mind made my lips curve up into a smile and he knew I wasn't paying attention.

"What?" He asked a bit coolly.

"Did anyone ask you how to make a love potion today?" I asked, looking at him.

"No." He said shortly.

"Can you tell me how to make one?" I asked.

He pressed his lips together. "You don't need one, you've already got boys wrapped around your finger."

I frowned. "I wasn't going to use it! I simply want to know for the sake of knowledge. Besides, I'm not dating anyone."

He actually had the audacity to roll his eyes at me! "Would Fred Weasley give the same answer?"

I glared at him. "I'm his valentine for one day! He's not my boyfriend."

"That's not what you said, actually." Snape said though he sounded less cool and more amused. I stared at him, a bit confused and rethought my words over. Snape sighed, "You said you weren't dating anyone. Boyfriend and dating are two different concepts, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes, well of course." I said, blushing. They were different concepts, of course. "But you're the potions master, not the English teacher. Stop correcting my grammar!"

He full out smiled and I couldn't help but smile back. Then, he quickly 'corrected' his expression back to his sullen self and pulled out a sheet of parchment paper with a list of instructions and ingredients on it. He went over the basic ingredients- so basic that he barely had to touch on them as we used a majority of them in different potions this year. He also explained the side-effects of having children if a parent was under the influence of a love potion.

Apparently, if one parent is under the influence of a love potion, it means that the bond between the parents isn't real. The chemical bonds in the love potion then affected the fetus or baby in the mother's womb. When the child was born, it grew up incapable of human emotions- especially and foremost: love. It was a horrible concept but I found it extremely fascinating.

At the end of the lesson I finally asked him, "Why does it smell like cookies in here?"

He gathered up the jars, stacking them and did not look at me as I answered. "It doesn't matter, does it?"

I frowned. Well no, it didn't matter, but I was hungry and I wanted food and if he had cookies, I wanted them. "Well, no, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm just hungry."

He sighed, but it was a sigh of amusement (I think) and not exasperation at my childishness (I think). "Well there are no cookies, if that was what you are getting at." I got disappointed but didn't let it show. "It was because. . ." He hesitated, "I noticed that you were coughing a lot at the great hall. Gilderoy tends to overdo things as you've noticed. I just thought you'd like this particular scent better."

I was overcome with emotion for a moment and then came to my senses and said, "Thank you."

He went back into his office to put away the jars. This was usually when I left and I didn't see him for some time. I stood, uncertainly and picked up the drawing I had made. It was something simple, a glass jar that was full of Lilies and Magnolia 'Elizabeth' flowers on a simple table. I'd drawn a shadeless glass window in the back which let in rays of light that landed on the flower jar on the table. Nothing was colored but if was very obvious what the flowers were.

"Um, Professor?" I asked. He came back out of the office, looking sullen. I held it out with a shaking hand. "Um, I drew this for you. . . not necessarily for Valentines' day. I just. . . er- thought you might like it. But um. . . look at it after I leave."

He took it from my hand and I turned, grabbing my bag, and hurried to the door. I paused for a moment and then said, "You should smile more. It looks good on you." I wrenched the door opened and made my way back to the common room, my heart thumping sporadically from nerves.

I took all my jewelry off, including my parents necklace methodically, and put all of it in the top drawer. I quickly got into my nightdress and laid in the bed. I stayed awake for a long time before I fell asleep.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I didn't have time to think about Fred or Snape or Cedric, or any other boy that I might've wanted to think about. Instead, Harry asked me to meet him, Ron, and Hermione in the courtyard. Perplexed, I did so after lunch.

"What's up?" I asked, wrapping my cloak around me. "Did something happen?"

"Harry found out how the diary works." Hermione said in a hushed voice.

I looked at him in surprise. He didn't seem very happy about it. In fact, none of them did and this made me feel worried. "How? What happened?"

Harry told me how he found out the diary writes back if you write in it. Riddle was the narrator of the story and had actually pulled Harry into the diary! Then, Harry had gone through Riddle's memory where Riddle found that the culprit was none other than. . . Hagrid.

But really, I had known that, hadn't I? I'd said as much in Dumbledore's office months ago. I had said that it was Hagrid. And if it wasn't Hagrid, than Riddle either got the wrong person. . .or Riddle was the culprit and put the blame on Hagrid.

I sat down on a stone bench. Since it was freezing cold, there was no one else about. "There are things that don't add up though." I said, frowning.

"Like what?" Harry asked dully. "We always knew Hagrid had been expelled. And the attacks must've stopped after Hagrid was kicked out. Otherwise, Riddle wouldn't have got his award." He seemed to have accepted this no matter how badly he didn't want to.

I shook my head. "But it's supposed to be the Heir of Slytherin. Hagrid was a Gryffindor."

"People think I'm the Heir of Slytherin and I'm in Gryffindor." Harry said dully. I wondered for the briefest second if Harry wanted it to be Hagrid.

I tried a different tactic. "Hagrid was in his third year, Harry. If Dumbledore doesn't think that you could do it in your second year, what makes you think Hagrid could've done it in his third year? Plus," I tacked on, "If it really had been Hagrid, why would Dumbledore have let Hagrid stay on as gamekeeper?"

"Because." Harry argued back. "Riddle said that Headmaster Dippet- the headmaster at that time- covered it as a freak accident. Plus, knowing Hagrid, it was most likely an accident that the girl died."

I sighed. Some of it made sense, and some of it did not.

"Do you think we should go and ask Hagrid about it all?" Hermione asked in a small voice. Harry, Ron, and I all looked at each other in states of shock, though I thought she might have a fair point.

"That'd be a cheerful visit." Ron said in a fake, cheerful voice. "Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?"

We all laughed a bit half-heartedly. In the end though, we decided not to go to Hagrid unless things got worse.

.💚💚.

𝕺𝖛𝖊𝖗 𝕰𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐, we had to choose new classes for next year, something I took very seriously. Hermione also, took it extremely seriously.

"It could affect our whole future." she said as the four of us pored over the new subjects at the Gryffindor table. I had been obliged to do this activity at the Hufflepuff table but as the other Hufflepuffs were ignoring me, I didn't feel obligated to do any such thing.

"I just want to give up Potions." Harry said glumly, staring at the list.

"We can't." Ron said gloomily. "We keep all our old subjects, or I'd've ditched Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"But that's very important." Hermione said, sounding shocked.

"Not the way Lockhart teaches it. I haven't learned anything from him except not to set pixies loose." Ron said, holding up two pamphlets.

I giggled and then sighed, "I would've given up astronomy a long time ago." I said. Astronomy was the only class that I didn't have an O in- the highest grade you could get. It irked me, but it also wasn't like I was trying my hardest in the class either. Maybe, I thought grudgingly, I should ask Professor Sinistra for private lessons.

Neville hadn't picked any classes yet. He'd been attacked by a flock of owls today as his relatives told him which classes to pick and which ones not to pick. Dean Thomas on the other hand had grown up Muggle. Closing his eyes, he picked two random subjects with his wand. Hermione meanwhile, signed up for every available class.

Percy gave all the second years lovely advice. As much as people tend to think of Percy as a bit of a busy-body, pushy, bossy person, he did have sound advice. I quite liked him too and was eager to take what he said into account. We should, in short terms, pick subjects to help us in whatever field we want to go into.

His advice made me consider every single available class. There were other classes however that were only available to sixth and seventh years like Alchemy, Advanced Arithmancy, and Apparition. However, because I was going to be a third year, I could also take the less known electives. Here is the list of all the classes that are possible to sign up for:

Arithmancy Alchemy Care of Magical Creatures Divination Muggle Studies Study of Ancient Runes Ancient Studies Magical Theory

And Hermione had signed up for everything.

So did I. Except Alchemy.

My schedule next year would consist of 14 classes, which was nearly impossible. Hermione's consisted of 15, which irked me, but I couldn't bring myself to sign up for Alchemy. I knew I would hate it- there was Astronomy involved. We handed our papers in. The entire time, I hated that I hadn't signed up for Alchemy even though I'd know I'd hate it.

I didn't have time to worry about which classes my teachers would make me weed out, however, because the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff game was coming soon. Since Oliver had booked Gryffindor for every night after dinner before curfew, Cedric was having us practice early mornings before breakfast.

This had me going to bed early and I had stopped my Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration tutoring so that I could get enough rest and still finish homework at the same time. None of the Professors seemed to mind. Snape wanted Gryffindor crushed and was more than willing to stop giving me homework if it meant Hufflepuff won the cup. I disapproved of this and practically had to coax homework out of him after class. I hadn't stopped private lessons with him for Defense Against the Dark Arts because I considered it a class, not a private lesson.

Professor Flitwick was neutral in his opinion of the Quidditch game and simply wished me the best of luck, while Professor McGonagall had a harder time wishing me luck.

However, when the day of the match came, I was jolted awake with a vision. I had seen the infirmary again, this time a Ravenclaw laying on the bed next to Hermione. I laid in bed for several minutes, trying to figure out the timeline so I knew when Hermione was going to be attacked.

No, what was I doing? I had to tell Dumbledore!

I got up and got dressed in my Quidditch robes and grabbed my broom. I flew down the dorm stairs and was going to go straight past the Great Hall when I was intercepted by a pale, but excited Cedric.

"Elizabeth!" He cried. "Lovely, hurry! Come and eat!"

I hesitated but, surely it couldn't hurt if I told Dumbledore after the game? I followed Cedric into the Great Hall, glancing over at the Gryffindor table. Hermione was there with Harry and Ron and I relaxed a little. I'd just have to keep my eye on her.

Our team was to excited to eat. Ravenclaw had won last year and Slytherin the year before that. We were pumped because this could be our chance to win the game! I was so excited, that when another vision popped into my head, I pushed it away instead of looking. Mistake one.

We grabbed our brooms at half past ten and made our way out to the Quidditch pitch. We were already at the pitch when I had another vision. The game was going to be. . .cancelled? I realized then that Hermione would be in danger today. I paled greatly and my stomach did a turn. Cedric pulled the team together, but I dashed out the door. He shouted my name, but I ignored him, running as fast as possible back to the castle.

I had to find someone. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, any of them. I ran back towards the castle and sighed with relief as I saw McGonagall coming out of the school.

"Professor!" I shouted, dashing over to her. She looked at me hurriedly. I caught my breath and said, "There's going to be another attack! Hermione-"

"Miss Kane, it's already happened." Professor McGonagall said in an uneasy voice. "The game is cancelled."

"No! Professor!" I exclaimed.

"Wait here, Miss Kane." McGonagall said and continued down to the pitch. I burst into tears. I wasn't particularly sure what I was crying about. Hermione? The Game? Our chance of winning? Pressure? The feeling of being so completely useless with my visions?

A few moments later I heard boos and hisses from the crowd and knew that McGonagall had just told about the cancelled match. McGonagall came back up the stairs another few moments later, Harry and Ron in two. They took a look at my blotchy face.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

I shook my head, unable to answer and drifted behind them as we made our way to the hospital wing.

"This will be a bit of a shock." Professor McGonagall said in a soft tone that I'd never heard her use before. "There has been another attack. . . another double attack."

Madam Pomfrey was bending over the Ravenclaw girl at this moment, giving a clear line of sight to Hermione's petrified body.

"Hermione!" Ron groaned.

"They were found near the library." Professor McGonagall said, sounding a little choked up. "I don't suppose any of you can explain this? It was on the floor next to them. . ." She held up a small, circular mirror.

Harry and Ron shook their heads. I took the mirror in my hands. A vision came to me of Hermione using it to look around corners. I frowned. "She was. . . using it to look around corners for some reason?"

Professor McGonagall took the mirror from me. "Do you know why?"

I shook my head. Professor McGonagall sighed heavily. "I will escort the three of you to Gryffindor tower. Then, I'll take you to the Hufflepuff common room Miss Kane."

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖉 𝖎𝖓 my bed, feeling completely wretched. The others were all fast asleep while I laid awake. There were new rules. No one was the leave the common room after six. We'd be escorted to each lesson by teachers. Quidditch matches were postponed. No more evening activities.

I sat up. I couldn't stay in here anymore. I felt a peculiar urge to go to the forest tonight and that was what I was going to do. I quietly slipped out of bed, pulling on my thick cloak. I left all the jewelry behind so I wouldn't lose it in the dark. My dragon ring was curled up on the side table, snoring softly.

I packed my bag with my journal and sketchbooks. Sometimes, there were scenes that could only be captured at night. And then I'd have an innocent reason for being out of bed tonight. . . whatever the real reason that was making me go outside was, probably wasn't as innocent.

I carried my shoes down the stairs and put them on before I left the common room door. I snuck through the castle and made my way outside. I crept across the grounds, staying in the shadows, and made my way to the same field of flowers that I had drawn on the day of Justin and Nearly Headless Nicks' attack.

The flowers were in full bloom under the moon. The clearing was brightly lit, though it wasn't entirely full moon. The flowers were glowing- they must be moonflowers.

Immediately, there were approaching hoofbeats. I stood quickly. A group of centaurs were running past, none of them paying attention to me except Ivagio who gave me a little nod. Firenze was not part of them and I felt a bit disappointed.

I worked on my drawing until I felt that it was perfected. Then, I compared it to the drawing that I had drawn in the daytime. Sure, there were some major differences. There was no snow in my night drawing. It did look somewhat the same, each flower in it's place. But I'd drawn at a different angle the moon had given the flowers a different shading from the sun.

I got up, brushing dirt off of my robes and made my way back through the forest. I'd come back soon and say hello to Firenze some other time. Then, as I neared the end of the forest, I saw that Firenze was standing near the edge of the forest, looking out towards the grounds.

"Firenze?" I whispered. I did not startle him. I hadn't bothered to be quiet and he had probably heard my approach from several feet away. "What are you doing?"

"Watching, Elizabeth Kane, watching." He did not turn to look at me, nor elaborate, his gaze fixed on Hagrid's cabin. I saw multiple shadows moving behind his veiled windows.

I stood next to him. What was going on? Was Hagrid in any danger. I went to move closer, perhaps even next to the door to hear what was going on, but Firenze put a hand on my shoulder- stopping me. I looked up.

"Can you hear what's going on?" I whispered.

Firenze's face turned amused, but he kept his voice low, "I may be part horse, but my hearing does not extend that far."

"Er- sorry." I blushed and kept quiet after that.

Suddenly, a loud voice exploded for the house, making me jump. It was Hagrid's, "YEH CAN' TAKE DUBMLEDORE! TAKE HIM AWAY, AN' THE MUGGLE-BORNS WON' STAND A CHANCE! THERE'LL BE KILLIN' NEXT!"

Take Dumbledore away? I quickly squeezed my eyes closed. Yes, Fudge- the Minister of Magic- and Lucius Malfoy- Draco's dad- were in Hagrid's house along with Dumbledore, Hagrid and. . . Harry and Ron under the invisibility cloak!

I opened my eyes again, peering out. There were no more outbursts but since I had seen the entire thing in my mind, I had a general assumption of what was being said.

"This is not good." Firenze said. I looked up to see that he was frowning. "Hagrid and Dumbledore are being taken away."

"Why are they taking Hagrid?" I asked. My voice sounded as though I was going to cry. Perhaps I was- it had been a rough day.

"For something he has not done." Firenze said in the mysterious way that centaurs did when asked a straight-forward question.

I moaned softly. Poor Hagrid.

The door was then thrown open and I rushed forward. Perhaps I could convince Minister Fudge not to take Hagrid. Firenze however, caught me around the waist with his long arms and pulled me back against his chest. "There is nothing you can do and you are not supposed to be out so late." he whispered in my ear.

I watched, tears trickling down my cheeks, as Lucius led triumphantly in front with Dumbledore following, looking serious, but not very upset. In fact, he looked a bit amused. Fudge and Hagrid came along- Hagrid looking terrified. I very nearly let out a sob and Firenze actually put a hand over my mouth. Poor, poor Hagrid. He didn't deserve this. I struggled just slightly in Firenze's arms but his muscles didn't deceive his strength- he was much stronger than me and barely had to tighten his arms to keep me restrained.

Fudge too, looked upset as well. However, I suspected this was more about Dumbledore leaving than perhaps locking an innocent person in Azkaban.

Finally, they were all gone and Firenze thought it safe to release me. "Go back to the castle Elizabeth Kane." Firenze said. "Without Dumbledore in the castle and Hagrid in the forest, there isn't much safety anymore."

I did what he said, stumbling back up to the castle, and collapsing on my bed back in my dorm. Weakness overcame me and I cried myself to sleep.

⬅️➡️

#Braveclementineworks #BraveclementineNovels #Novel #ElizabethKane #ElizabethKaneseries #ElizabethKaneandtheChamberofSecrets #Hufflepuff #Hogwarts #Chamber of Secrets #Harry Potter sister #Harry Potter #SeverusSnape #Valentines'Day #Fred Weasley #Hermione Granger #Lee Jordan #sweet!SeverusSnape

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 13

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕾𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖉𝖔𝖚𝖇𝖑𝖊 attack, there was a stampede to book rooms on the Hogwarts Express. I will admit, I would've signed up if dad had been home.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left." Ron told Harry, Hermione, and I one afternoon as we were on a walk outside. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be."

Harry however, had confided in me that he was glad everyone was leaving. I couldn't agree more.

Something we were both happy about were Fred and George's responses to Harry's infamy. They were going out of their way to march ahead of Harry in corridors shouting, "MAKE WAY FOR THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN, SERIOUSLY EVIL WIZARD COMING THROUGH. . ."

This always resulted in some laughs from the other students, mostly in Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I laughed too, and it made Harry grin. Some students, like Percy for instance, found this disapproving behavior.

"It is not a laughing matter." He said coldly to Fred and George.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy." Fred scoffed, pushing Percy's shoulder. "Harry's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant." George said, trying to say with a straight face and failed, laughing.

Ginny of course, didn't find this funny either, and kept telling Fred and George to stop it. Every time Fred asked Harry who he was going to attack next or George warding Harry off with garlic made her go, "Oh, don't."

Their antics made Harry feel better, mostly because it was showing everyone how ridiculous the idea of Harry as the heir of Slytherin was. I wasn't teased as much, simply because for some reason, Harry made for a better target. Perhaps because he was Harry Potter, perhaps because everyone had heard him speak Parseltongue whereas only a few people had heard me speak the language. Maybe Harry just made a better heir than I did. Whatever the case, most people didn't seem to care much about me as they did Harry.

Over Christmas, I was one of the twenty-one Hufflepuffs who stayed for Christmas. The other Hufflepuffs were fifth-year and up, both prefects and both head students, were the ones who had stayed. There was no one below fourth-year except me.

This meant that I had the dorm room to myself and gave me time to organize my jars of nuts and leaves and other things I'd collected in the forest. It also gave me time to dry the flowers properly before pressing them into my journal.

The only Gryffindors that had stayed were Hermione, Harry, and the Weasleys. There wasn't a single other Gryffindor which meant that I could stay over if I wanted. It was like doing a sleepover away from home. . . away from home.

I slept in Hermione's dorm on Christmas Eve and she woke me up early. She had apparently been up early because she had dark circles under her eyes. There was a stack of presents at the end of the bed meaning that Sadie had discovered I wasn't staying in my usual dorm.

"I finished the Polyjuice potion." Hermione greeted me excitedly. "Let's go tell the boys."

I groaned and rolled over, wanting to go back to sleep. Hermione hit me with her pillow. I rolled out of bed and wrapped a thick blanket around me. Then, I scooped up the rest of my presents and made my way up to the boys dorm.

Hermione burst into the room without knocking, jolting both of them awake, and opening their shades, letting in the bright sun. I dumped my presents on an open bed and went and laid down next to Harry, curling up like a cat.

"Wake up." Hermione said loudly.

"Hermione, Elizabeth- you're not supposed to be in here-" Ron said, shielding his eyes from the light.

"Merry Christmas to you, too." Hermione said, too excited to care, and threw his present at him. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It's ready."

Harry sat up, nearly knocking me off the bed. I yawned, stretching out on the bed. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive." Hermione said, moving Ron's rat Scabbers so that she could sit on Ron's bed. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."

I shrugged, closing my eyes, hoping to get some more sleep. The boy's dorm was a bit cooler than the girls. Then, I heard the flapping of wings, and opened one eye. Hedwig, Harry's lovely snowy owl landed on my knee.

"Hello." Harry said happily. "Are you speaking to me again?"

Hedwig nibbled Harry's ear. I reached up and petted her head feathers. "You have a beautiful owl, Harry." I said softly. Hedwig hooted proudly and then flew out the window again. I laid back down on the bed, my head on Harry's knees. I yawned again.

Harry grinned, "Tired?"

"A bit." I said, grinning upside down at him. Then, sitting up I grabbed my own presents. There was a bit of silence while we all opened our presents.

Dad had gotten me another three sketchbooks and a letter telling me to send him some sketches. He also thanked me for the books I'd sent him. Trang had sent me a box of candy and books. Gerald's Game, Snow Crash, Lords and Ladies, The First Evil, and The Things They Carried were the books she had given me. She'd also included my favorite candies from last Christmas including Topps Juice Bubble gum- green apple flavored, a stack of pop rocks, tear jerkers, and zotz.

Fred have given me a box of chocolate frogs and a Quaffle charm for the bracelet he had given me last year.

Hermione had gotten me a set of Fwooper quills which consisted of blue, red, yellow, green, purple, orange, brown, pink, and black quills all out of Fwooper feathers. It was my new favorite set. I also had a matching ink pot for each quill. Blue ink for the blue quill and so on. I could use the ink in my drawings to, to give them color. It was nearly my favorite thing I got.

Harry had gotten me a star charm to go on the bracelet that Fred had given me. He also got me Sugar Quills as well. I loved sugar quills.

Ron had gotten me a Quidditch book called The Noble Sport of Warlocks.

Hagrid had sent me a tin of Christmas flavored treacle fudge and a carved owl statuette like the rabbit one that he'd given me last year. Maybe he'd give me a different statuette each year and I could collect them.

Mrs. Weasley had sent me a large box that I opened carefully because I knew that she sometimes put food in the box. Indeed, there was a covered platter of small vanilla Christmas cakes with vanilla frosting. There was also a blue knitted sweater. I pulled it out and unfolded it. There was a design of white daisies near the heart. I smiled, but my stomach turned as I thought about the car I'd convinced Harry and Ron to take, Mr. Weasley, and the rule-breaking that we were about to do next. I wondered if the others felt like that, opening her presents.

There was one last present. It was a small, though long, black rectangular box. It was like the box a wand might come in. Opening it up revealed no wand (though I hadn't been expecting one). Inside was a small necklace lying on that spongy stuff that jewelry stores put in boxes to cushion the jewelry. It was on a silver chain and in the shape of a flower. The flower was black, which was strange in itself, but it had a bright yellow middle to it. There was no note or anything in the box. I wondered who had sent it and If I should even wear it. What if it was cursed? Maybe Draco had sent it.

Harry and the others wanted to go down to breakfast, so we stopped by the Hufflepuff common room. I showed them around inside and then hurried upstairs to put my stuff away. I changed into my pants but put the blue sweater on over my shirt. Then, I put on my dragon ring, Fred's bracelet, attached Harry's and Fred's new charms, wore my parents' necklace underneath the sweater (the cool metal touching my bare skin), and then put the new flower necklace on top of the sweater. Then I dashed down the stairs so that we could go eat.

The Great Hall looked magnificent. There were roughly a dozen frost- covered Christmas trees that were covered with holly, candy canes, and colour-changing Christmas baubles. Thick streamers of Holly and Mistletoe hung from the ceiling. I quickly dodged the mistletoe as Harry walked under it. I wondered for a moment if I could trap Fred under it, and decided against it.

There was also enchanted snow falling from the ceiling, but it was warm and dry, disappearing before it even reached our shoulders.

The four of us sat down at the Gryffindor table. The other Weasleys came in a little later. I wished Lee had stayed over, but I didn't blame him for not. Dumbledore led us in carols. Ron couldn't carry a tune to save his life. I hated singing, but I had a thing for Christmas songs so I did sing, quite reluctantly. Professor Snape looked like he wanted to murder something, his head discreetly leaning on his hand to hold it over his ear.

Hagrid was drinking eggnog which I suspected was a bit spiked with some sort of alcoholic drink in it since he got louder with each goblet he had. Draco was making snide remarks at the Slytherin table about our new sweaters but I didn't care. It was so warm and fluffy that I thought that perhaps Mrs. Weasley had put some warming charms on them.

Fred had bewitched Percy's prefect badge to read "pinhead" but Percy hadn't noticed yet. He kept asking us crossly what we were laughing at. It seemed to me, as I sat next to her, that Ginny still seemed quite pale and nervous, not as happy-go-lucky as she usually was but I didn't ask any questions. If she wanted to tell me, I would listen. Otherwise, I wasn't going to pry.

Hermione finally got Harry and Ron to leave their Christmas pudding. I told them in a whisper that I would meet them in Myrtle's bathroom is some time. I sat nervously at the Gryffindor table, wondering if perhaps I should ask Fred to go on a walk.

Finally, I felt so sick with nerves that I quickly got up and decided to head for Myrtle's bathroom before I did something I'd regret. I was out of the Great Hall when I heard footsteps running behind me. I turned quickly to see Fred running after me, grinning.

"Hey." He said breathlessly, stopping in front of me. He seemed. . . almost nervous which wasn't an emotion that was associated with a Weasley twin. They were always super confident.

I wondered if anyone was watching us, considering we were standing in the entrance to the Great Hall. I doubted it. All the students would be eating and what did the Professors care?

"Hey." I said, just as nervous as him. What was wrong with me? My stomach churned with nerves and I found that I was shivering.

He glanced down at my wrist and he said with delight, "You like the new charm?"

I glanced down too and said, "Yes, thank you so much."

There was a bit of unsure silence for a moment and then he pointed above my head. "Did you stop there on purpose?"

I looked up now. Mistletoe was hanging there, some feet above my head. I lowered my head so that I could look at Fred and answer, but he was already there. Our lips met and I closed my eyes, a thrill going through me.

We pulled apart slowly and I rested my head on Fred's shoulder, his arms around my waist, one hand on the small of my back.

"Happy Christmas Elizabeth." Fred whispered in my ear.

"Happy Christmas Fred." I said, a smile growing on my face.

I put my lips to his again.

We stood there for a long time.

.💚💚.

"𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 been?" Ron asked grumpily as I slipped into the girls' bathroom.

I glared at him halfheartedly because nothing could ruin my good mood. "None of your business."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their three glasses of Polyjuice potion and their hairs in their hands. Hermione was checking over the book and potion. "I'm sure I've done everything right. It looks like the book says it should. . . once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves."

"Now what?" Ron whispered, a revolted look on his face.

"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs."

"Wait Hermione." I interjected, worried. I could still change this bit if I wanted. "I don't think you should do it."

"Why not?" Harry asked, looking at me, his hand hovering over his glass.

"Not you and Ron." I corrected, "But Hermione shouldn't do it."

"Why?" Harry asked again.

"Malfoy would only tell Goyle and Crabbe. Plus, Millicent left, so if she came back and disappeared again, we're going to have problems. Besides, you got that hair off of Millicent's robes. It could've easily of been her cat's hair." I pointed out all of the problems wrong with that. Harry and Ron looked at each other and I looked meaningfully at Hermione. She nodded her head.

"You're right." she said, putting hers down. "Malfoy probably will only tell Goyle and Crabbe." She turned to the other two. "Are you two ready?"

Harry and Ron looked at each other again and then dropped their hairs into the glasses.

"Drink them in the stalls." I said. "You'll have to change after all." I crossed my fingers as they went into. While they dressed, Hermione got busy disposing of the rest of the potion. Meanwhile, I reminisced about my kiss with Fred.

After some minutes, I heard a new voice rasp from behind the door, "Are you okay, Ron?"

"Yeah." Came a deep grunt from the stall next to Harry's.

Harry unlocked the door and Goyle came out of the door. I took a deep breath, banishing Fred from my mind.

Ron's door opened next revealing Crabbe. Ron approached the mirror, peering closely at his reflection. "This is unbelievable." He prodded his/Crabbe's nose and then repeated, "Unbelievable."

I giggled, unable to stop myself. It was so ridiculous.

"We'd better get going." Harry/Goyle said as he loosened the watch on his wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow. . ."

Ron/Crabbe stared at him incredulously. "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking."

I giggled again and then said more seriously, "If you don't meet anyone, the password to the Slytherin common room is Pure-blood."

Ron/Crabbe snorted and he and Harry/Goyle stepped out of the bathroom carefully and were gone. Hermione and I settled in for a long time. After some minutes she said, "How much did you foresee?"

"The hair was indeed from Myrtle- I mean Millicent's cat- sorry. You would've had ears, a tail, and fur covering your face for several weeks, nearly a month. You also would've gotten a get well card from Gilderoy Lockhart." I said.

"Wait, really?" Hermione asked, a peculiar look on her face.

"Yes. . .?" I questioned slowly. Why was she looking at me like that?

Then, quick as a flash, she grabbed her Polyjuice potion, added the hair, and drank it quicker than I thought possible of such a disgusting potion. I stared at her in shock, jumping down from the sink I was sitting on.

"Oi! What- Why- What- hell- Hermione! What the hell? What did you do that for?" I stuttered, close to shouting, my thoughts jumbled. What the bloody hell had just happened?

She quickly darted into the stall. I just stared at the locked door in shock. A moment later a high-pitched squeaky voice said, "I think it worked."

"No shit!" I said angrily. I slumped to the floor, my head in my hands. The hell had she done that for? And now I had cursed! Bloody hell. And now she'd ruined my good mood! I was going to have to kiss Fred again! Well actually. . . that really wouldn't be that bad, would it.

Moaning Myrtle had come out of her stall to see what was happening and then glided into Hermione's stall. I heard her start to laugh.

The hour seemed to be made up of multiple hours and it was a long time before Harry and Ron returned to the bathroom, back to themselves. "Where's Hermione?" Harry asked, looking at me.

I glared and pointed at the stall door Hermione had locked herself in. Moaning Myrtle glided out of the stall door. I had never seen her look so happy. "Ooooooh, wait till you see, It's awful-"

Harry looked at me in confusion and I shrugged. "She took the Polyjuice potion anyways."

"Why?" Ron asked.

I kept silent. I hadn't told them about my future-seeing powers and I certainly wasn't going to share them now, especially when my powers were the reason that she had taken the stupid thing in the first place. All for a get well card from Lockhart!

Hermione opened the door slowly and Ron backed into the sink. Her face was covered with black hair, she had two ears poking up out of the top of her head and her eyes had turned a bright yellow color.

"It was a c-cat hair!" Hermione said in an uneasy voice. I sighed, mostly in anxiety. We needed to get her to the hospital wing.

"You'll be teased something dreadful." Myrtle said happily. I normally got on good terms with her but this time, I glared at her. She didn't pay me any attention. Hermione looked a bit uncertain about going out of the bathroom now.

"It's okay Hermione." Harry said quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions. . ."

We left the bathroom with Myrtle's comforting words of, "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!"

.💚💚.

𝕬𝖘 𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖉𝖎𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖉, 𝕳𝖊𝖗𝖒𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊 stayed in the hospital wing for several weeks. There were obvious rumours about what had happened to her and so many stopped by the hospital wing that Madam Pomfrey had pulled a permanent privacy curtain around Hermione so she wouldn't be humiliated by her ridiculous cat face.

Harry and Ron went and visited her every day. I visited every other day, mostly because I was still extremely pissed at her.

I was there with Harry and Ron some days after term started again when Harry found the golden get well card under Hermione's pillow. It had mostly just peaked my anger because that stupid card was the reason that Hermione had taken the potion in the first place. Ron had looked at Hermione in disgust and had said in a revolted voice, "You sleep with this under your pillow?" Hermione blushed, exchanged a look with me, and didn't respond.

We had to leave the hospital wing because it was getting close to curfew. "Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met or what?" Ron asked in a disgusted voice. I agreed.

We split apart because they were going to the Gryffindor common room, and I was going down to the dungeons with my private lesson with Snape. We said good-bye, and I went down the stairs so that I could get to the dungeons.

Harry and Ron hadn't gotten anything useful out of Malfoy other than where his family was keeping some hidden dark objects. Apparently (as predicted) Malfoy wasn't the Heir of Slytherin and now we needed to find someone else.

I entered the potions classroom and narrowed my eyes at the sight of Lockhart standing there, talking to a very annoyed Professor Snape.

"-Later Gilderoy." Snape sneered. "My pupil is here."

Pupil? I stood there with a stoic face. Since when did Snape use words like that?

Gilderoy strode out of the room grandly and I sat down in my normal seat, pulling out my journal and sketchbook. I wanted to show Snape my drawings without being obvious.

Snape grabbed a couple of jars and brought them over to the table. His eyes rested on something on my chest and my hand flew up around the flower necklace. "That's a nice necklace." He said, an odd look on his face.

I blushed, "Thank you. I got it for Christmas."

"Who gave it to you?" He asked and then hurriedly asked as his cheeks coloured, "If you don't mind me asking."

I frowned, mostly out of curiosity. "I don't know. There was no card or note." I looked down, holding the flower in my hand. "But I love it."

"You didn't foresee who gave it to you?" Professor Snape asked, sounding just slightly amused. I think he meant it to be a joke but I frowned deeper. Now that I thought about it, I never foresaw what I was getting for Christmas or my birthday or really- anything to do with me.

"I. . ." I trailed off, still frowning. "No, I didn't." I said, dropping the flower back on my shirt.

I opened my journal page, looking down, confused. I'd envisioned occurrences with Harry, Hermione, and Ron and others of course, but myself? I'd never had a single vision about myself. It hadn't taken until now to realize that. I'd never noticed before.

He started the lesson on that note and quickly changed the topic from my visions.

"May I see this?" He put his hand on my sketchbook.

"Sure." I said, my cheeks colouring. I was so proud that he wanted to see it. Yes, I answered. There is definitely something wrong with me.

He picked the sketchbook up. I carefully worked down, comparing my notes from last session with the items in the jar and labelling them how I believed that they would be categorized.

"You like Fred Weasley?" Snape suddenly said a few minutes later. I looked up, curious. Then I realized I had given Snape the notebook that I had drawn a romantic picture of Fred and I together. Oh bloody hell. My faced turned tomato red. I couldn't breathe. I had also drawn a romantic picture of Snape and me. I could not let him see that.

I made a grab for the book as he turned the next page. He moved his arms up so I missed and made it to the next page. I put my head in my hands. God strike me with lightning, please? I thought.

Then the book was slid back over to me. I looked up, a bit curious of his reaction. He had an amused look on his face and he pulled the jars back over to himself and checked the labels. I studied him with curiosity. Had I drawn the pictures in that book? Maybe it had been a different sketchbook?

Then he spoke aloud, still amused and said, "You have an active imagination Miss Kane."

I wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment and shame. I should research it. "S-sorry." I muttered.

I grabbed the art book and flipped it open. Yes, my drawing was there. My cheeks probably grew redder.

Snape didn't say anything. He continued staring at me with amusement and something else behind his eyes that I couldn't make out.

"Umm- can I go to the loo?" I muttered.

"Go ahead." Snape said. He sounded like he was on the verge of laughing, something I'd never heard him do and wasn't sure if I wanted to.

I practically ran from the classroom to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. I wondered how I should be feeling. Ashamed, I was definitely ashamed. I was twelve for crying out loud and he was like ninety-four! Okay so he was more like Twenty-nine but still. Thirty maybe? Embarrassed- definitely.

I fingered my black flower necklace. Why hadn't I seen this? I closed my eyes, focusing solely on me. All I got was the image of my mother and Snape in the mirror holding hands that I got periodically.

I sighed and exited the bathroom and headed back to the classroom reluctantly. Maybe the lesson would be over now.

When I entered the classroom, Snape had opened my sketchbook again. The flush that I'd gotten rid of the bathroom came back into my cheeks. "Okay." I muttered as I approached. "I've already embarrassed myself, you don't have to keep looking."

He looked up from the my flower garden that I had drawn in the Forbidden Forest. "Dumbledore was right, these are good."

I new wave of red washed into my face. "Yeah. . ." I said slowly.

He closed it and handed it up to me. "I don't particularly know what you're embarrassed about."

I took it, confused and hopeful. I opened it up and flipped through it. The drawing of the two of us was in there so I wasn't sure what he was talking about. He had to have seen it, he'd gone through the entire thing! But what if he had missed it? I certainly didn't want to risk alerting him if he hadn't seen it. I hesitated and then threw the sketchbook in my bag, still confused.

"We'll have our next lesson on Friday." Snape continued as though nothing had happened. "And then the DADA lesson will be Monday."

"Right." I said breathlessly. I gathered my other things and hurried out the door. Had I even had the lesson? I couldn't remember. Oh wait, yes. I had labelled jars of ingredients from memory. Good, now I just had to remember what jars I'd labelled.

Back in the dorm I stared up at the ceiling. There was something going wrong all over me. I shouldn't be so hot and bothered by my romantic interests. I was supposed to be focusing on school work. I wasn't supposed to be doing anything else.

Being very quiet so not to wake the others, I grabbed my sketchbooks and Muggle books, putting them in the bottom drawer of my bedside table and locked it. School work only. Then I climbed back into bed and feeling somewhat better and worse at the same time, I fell into an uneasy sleep that involved Fred, Cedric, Snape, and Firenze. I awoke sometime in the middle of the night, rolled back over, and had a dreamless sleep after that.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 12

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕬𝖙 𝖊𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙, 𝕴 met Harry, Hermione, and Ron at the entrance of the Great Hall and then we went in together. Fred, George, and Lee were there too along with multiple other Gryffindors. In fact, I was fairly certain every Gryffindor was here.

The Great Hall looked very different than I was used to. The four house tables were gone and there was a golden stage along one wall. The candles still floated overhead but the ceiling that usually reflected the weather outside had been turned off, revealing only the stone arches that the roof was constructed of. I wondered why that was.

A large majority of the school was packed in here, though I didn't see Cedric or any of the older Hufflepuffs. Heidi had come and had dragged Malcolm with her who looked sulky. Ernie and Zacharias were standing with Hannah, Susan, and Leanne.

"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" Hermione asked excitedly as we pushed our way through the crowd to get to the front row. "Someone told me that Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young- maybe it'll be him."

"As long as it's not-" Harry started and then groaned as Lockhart walked onto the stage, accompanied by Snape. They looked like the most unusual couple. Lockhart was wearing robes of bright plum while Snape wore his usual black.

Lockhart waved his arm for silence, something he immediately got though there were some giggles from the girls. Bloody hell. "Gather round, gather round!" Lockhart called unnecessarily as everyone was already crowded around the golden stage. "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions- for full details, see my published works."

I groaned, putting my head in my hands. Did he ever not talk about his books? Sure, he'd done some great stuff, but what a bragger!

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape." Lockhart continue. "He tells me he knows a tiny bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry- you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear."

I started to giggle and I covered my mouth with my hand. I'm sure he had 'sportingly' decided to kick Lockhart's arse.

"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron hissed in Harry's ear. I overheard and giggled harder. I needed to get a grip on myself. I pinched my lips together and looked up. Snape's lip was curling. His eyes flicked over for the briefest second to meet mine. I wasn't sure what my face looked like, probably amused.

They turned to face each other and bowed. Then, they raised their wands and I had a mental image of them starting to fight with their wands like swords. This brought on another onslaught of giggles. I needed a silencing charm done on me.

"As you see, we are holding your wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." Lockhart said, motioning to their uplifted wands.

"I wouldn't bet on that." Harry muttered. I giggled for what was probably the fourth time, watching Snape bare his teeth.

Both of them swung their wands over their heads and pointed them at each other. Snape yelled, "Experlliarmus!" while Lockhart said nothing at all. There was a bright scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backwards off the stage, smashed into the stone wall, narrowly missing a torch light, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

I jumped into the air and cheered. It was more epic in real life than it had been in the vision!

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione squealed, looking through her fingers.

"Who cares?" Harry, Ron, and I all exclaimed together.

Lockhart got unsteadily to his feet. His robes were ruffled, his hat had fallen off, and his wavy hair was sticking out like a cat in water.

"Well, there you have it!" Lockhart said, walking back up to the stage. "That was a Disarming Charm- as you see, I've lost my wand- ah, thank you Miss Brown-" He said as Lavender Brown handed his wand to him eagerly. "-yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have only too easy- however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see."

I snorted. Snape's face contorted into a look that could quite literally kill. It was perhaps possible that Lockhart may have finally noticed as he decided that it was now time to pair us up so that we could practice with each other.

Snape reached Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I first, sneering down at us. I folded my arms. I wasn't afraid of him. "Time to split up the dream team, I think." He sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter-"

Harry immediately moved closer to me and then towards Hermione, unsure who he was going to be partnered with.

"I don't think so." Snape said, his smile broadening. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. And you Miss Granger- you can partner Miss Bulstrode. Miss Kane, you can partner with Miss Parkinson."

He wasn't showing any favoritism now. I watched the three Slytherins strut over. Bulstrode was one ugly girl. I said so out-loud. Harry snorted but I felt a sharp flick on my ear. My hand flew up and I turned and glared at Professor Snape. He glared down at me. I smiled at him. He stared at me for a second, colour coming into his face, and then looked away.

I walked some paces away and Pansy Parkinson and I faced each other. I wondered if she would actually try to disarm. Slytherins didn't particularly have a problem with Hufflepuffs but considering I was friends with Harry. . .

"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart shouted and there was movement in the crowd as everyone lifted their wands. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents- only to disarm them- we don't want any accidents- one. . . two. . . three-"

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, swinging my arm around my head the way Professor Snape had, and pointed it at Pansy. A scarlet light came out of my wand and sent her flying. I smiled, happy to have done the spell properly first try. It really wasn't very difficult. Pansy on the other hand, wasn't as happy.

She leapt to her feet and shouted, "Locomotor Mortis!" My legs snapped together and I nearly fell over. Luckily, I knew the counter-charm. I pointed my wand at my legs and said, "Locomotor Liberari" Once my legs were free, I glared at her. "Disarm only."

"Too bad." Pansy said narrowing her eyes at me. She shot another spell at me, but this time I was ready for it and I said, "Finite." Whatever spell she'd thrown at me was canceled. Then, angry, I shouted, "Mimble Wimble," and pointed my wand at her mouth.

She started to stutter and was unable to form the words to curse me again. With that in mind, I did Expelliarmus again, this time sending her wand flying from her hand though she stayed on her feet this time. Pansy glared at me and shouted something at me, but she stuttered over her words and against my will, I started to laugh. She sounded ridiculous and I was twelve and it was hilarious to me. She stormed over to where her wand was laying and grabbed it. I wasn't bothered. She wouldn't be able to perform a correct spell with her wand. I prepared to disarm her again, but thought against it.

Snape and Lockhart were moving through the crowd, undoing people's spells like Harry and Draco. Snape wandered over and undid Pansy's tongue-tying curse. She glared angrily at me. I shrugged, turned my back on her, and wandered over to where Harry was pulling Bulstrode off of Hermione. I helped Harry pull her off and made sure that Hermione was okay.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells." Lockhart said, standing in the middle of the hall. "Let's have a volunteer pair- Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you-"

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart." Snape said, gliding over. I say gliding because he certainly didn't look like he was walking. I wondered if he could turn into a bat the way Harry and Ron thought he could. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox."

Neville's face went pink. I scoffed, glaring at Snape. Must he always be picking on a Gryffindor?

"How about Malfoy and Potter?" Said Snape with a twisted smile. I glared at Snape again. Did he always have to torture Harry?

"Excellent idea!" Lockhart said, the way he always did when Harry was involved in something. He gestured that Harry and Malfoy should climb onto the golden stage, but I grabbed Harry's arm.

"Lockhart doesn't know how to block spells." I whispered furiously in his ear. "But if you create a shield with your wand and say finite, it should cancel most spells. Protego will also create a shield between you and your opponent."

"Thanks Liz." He muttered gratefully and then made his way up to the stage. I crossed my fingers and waited anxiously.

Lockhart was showing how he thought Harry should block. Harry wasn't paying him any attention. Instead, he was whispering under his breath the charm I'd given him. Finally Lockhart stepped back and said, "Three- two- one- go!" he shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand as fast as possible and shouted, "Serpensortia!"

Harry lifted his wand and said, "Finite," but it was too late. A black snake was already coming from Draco's wand and fell heavily onto the floor between the two duelers. There were actually screams from the crowd. Hypnotized, I moved even closer as I felt a pull from the snake, like it was a magnet and I was made of metal.

"Don't move, Potter." Snape said lazily. "I'll get rid of it." He raised his wand slowly. This, unfortunately, gave time for Lockhart to say, "Allow me!" He brandished his wand and there was a loud bang; the snake flew up into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud thud. It raised itself up even higher, facing me at first. I stared at it with wide eyes, frozen, but couldn't move my feet. "Go away," I whispered. I didn't think it would listen. But then, it turned to face Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Harry walked forward and I heard him say, "Leave him alone!" The snake slumped to the floor, looking like a black garden hose. Harry smiled and looked at Justin.

Justin looked back in anger and fright. "What do you think you're playing at?" He shouted and stormed out of the room. Harry's face turned from a smile to a shocked face. I quickly jumped onto the stage, avoiding Snape and Lockhart's gazes, and grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him off the stage. Hermione and Ron followed us and we hurried from the Great Hall, people avoided us, even Fred, George, and Lee looked at us like they didn't know us. I looked away, unable to face that sort of look from Fred.

We made our way upstairs to the Gryffindor common room which was completely empty. Ron pushed Harry into an armchair, and he and Hermione cornered Harry. I sat down to the side of him on the couch.

"You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" Harry asked in confusion.

"A Parselmouth." Ron exclaimed exasperated. "You can talk to snakes!"

"I know." Harry said calmly, looking a bit confused. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once- long story- but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to- that was before I knew I was a wizard-"

I laughed tensely. I wish I'd been there.

"A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron asked, sounding like he might faint at any moment. I rolled my eyes. How theatrical.

"So?" Harry asked, more confused than ever. "I bet loads of people here can do it."

"Oh no, they can't." Ron said. "It's not a very common gift. Harry this is bad."

I frowned. I should ask Lupin if my dad or mum could speak Parseltongue. If both Harry and I could speak it, then perhaps it was something we'd inherited.

"What's bad?" Harry asked, anger tainting his confusion "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin-"

"Oh, that's what you said to it?" Ron asked.

I frowned deeper. Even if I hadn't been able to speak Parseltongue, I figured the fact that the snake had stopped being angry and had laid docile on the floor was a given sign that it wasn't going to attack anymore.

"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, still angry. "You were there- you heard me-"

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue." Ron said. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything- no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something- it was creepy, you know-"

I scoffed. "He told the snake to back off."

Harry meanwhile, gaped at Ron in shock. "I spoke a different language? But- I didn't realize- how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?"

Ron shook his head, not having an answer. Hermione and him looked so somber that I burst out laughing. They glared at me. I grinned, shaking my own head in exasperation. Harry was getting snippy. "D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head? What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Haunt?"

"It matters." Hermione finally spoke, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."

Harry's mouth dropped open like this was a bad thing. Of course, I knew that Salazar Slytherin wasn't a bad person or wizard. He'd just had bad experiences when he was a kid which led him not to trust Muggles. People do things when they're afraid.

"Exactly." Ron said, "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-great grandson or something-"

"But I'm not." Harry said, sounding like he was about to panic.

"You'll find that hard to prove." Hermione said. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be."

I sighed. "It's not as bad as you think, Harry." I said. "I speak Parseltongue too."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all turned to look at me. Ron and Hermione's mouths were dropped. "you can?" They all asked together.

I hesitated. "Well I think so at least. I mean, I understood what you were saying to the snake just a moment ago. And when the snake faced me, I told it to go away and that was when it turned to face Justin. I hadn't meant it to go towards another person, I just didn't want it near me."

Ron was gaping. I glared at him. Hermione sighed. "We can't worry about it right now."

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "I'm going back to the Hufflepuff common room. Night." I walked out the door and took the long way back to the common room. Inside, the Hufflepuffs were talking, mostly of them surrounding Justin. When I walked in, the voices hushed and they all stared at me. I knew a few of them had heard me speak Parseltongue. There had been people next to me when I'd told the snake to go away.

I didn't pay any of them attention and headed up to the Hufflepuff dorm room. What a bunch of bloody idiots I was stuck with! I was not looking forward to Herbology tomorrow. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me. It took a long time to fall asleep.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, however, there had been a blizzard and so our Herbology lesson was canceled. On that joyful note, I headed down to eat some breakfast. Cedric was sitting with some older students and the students my age all sat away from me so I sat down by myself in the middle of the table.

I didn't particularly care that they were avoiding me. My friends were the Gryffindors and they were the only friends that I needed. Yet. . .I couldn't forget the looks on Fred and George and Lee's faces. The utter shock. Suddenly, I found that I wasn't hungry. I was going to go to the forest today. I needed to talk to someone intelligent and someone that wasn't going to judge me. I wanted to learn from Firenze the results of my trial from weeks ago.

Knowing that I would get hungry later, I grabbed a couple of apples from the table and stood up, stuffing them in my bag. I left the Great Hall and made my way back to the common room. I was going to need my thick cloak, gloves, hat, and scarf.

In the dorm, I put some other things in my bag besides the apples. I included my sketchbook, journal, some glass jars, a pair of shears, a few muggle pencils I kept for only drawing, a couple of quills, and an ink pot. I left my dragon ring and bracelet from Fred in a drawer and locked it. I kept on my parents' necklace and also slipped on the necklace Lupin had gotten me last Christmas with the sapphire jewel. It reminded me of Firenze's eyes.

Then, pulling on my thick cloak, I stuffed the hat, gloves, and scarf into the bag to put on later. I flew down the stairs and ran smack dab into Cedric.

"Oh, hey, Cedric." I said breathless, bouncing back.

"Hey Elizabeth. I was wondering if I could talk to you real quick."

"Sure." I said, dread filling my veins.

"Can you tell me what happened at the dueling club?" Cedric asked, frowning.

"Draco Malfoy created a snake to attack Harry Potter. Lockhart tried to get rid of the snake but just made it angrier. It faced me, I told it to go away and it did, but it went towards Justin. It was going to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley. But Harry spoke Parseltongue and the snake backed down, becoming docile. Professor Snape got rid of the snake and Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and I pulled Harry out of the room." I said speaking as quickly and as concisely as possible.

Cedric nodded. "Thank you. I figured the others were exaggerating."

"Let me guess, they said Harry and I were egging on the snake to attack Justin?" I asked angrily.

Cedric nodded. "I was also approached that I should take you off the Quidditch team."

I looked at him in shock and my heart thudded. What! My eyes immediately filled with tears. STUPID HORMONES! I quickly looked away.

Cedric quickly said, "I told them to piss off, I'm not taking off one of my best fliers!" He seemed anxious that I shouldn't cry.

I wiped the tears away quickly. "Sorry, knee-jerk reaction." I said in a quavering voice. "I love the Quidditch team."

Cedric then did something unexpected. He pulled me into a hug. I froze for a second and then hugged him back and then we pulled apart quickly. Cedric smiled. "I'll never kick you off, no matter what, promise."

I grinned. "Thanks Cedric."

"Call me Ced." Cedric said. "That's what all my friends call me."

I grinned broadly. I couldn't believe this was happening! "My friends call me Liz." I admitted, blushing.

Cedric laughed and then raised a hand. "See ya around Liz." He walked off, back up to the boys dorm. I stood there for a second, trying to figure out if perhaps I had died and gone to heaven. A heaven were Cedirc Diggory was okay with me calling him Ced and being his friend! I nearly squealed aloud and then remembered what I was supposed to be doing.

I went outside in much better spirits. I made my way into the Forbidden Forest, looking for pretty flowers to pluck and press into my journal. I found a new area that I had never seen before and spent an hour drawing it. It came out a little worse than the intended outcome but I was decently proud of it. I wish I had a camera like Colin so I could take pictures and draw later. Maybe I'd ask for that in the future for Christmas or my birthday. Were cameras expensive? I'd have to ask Colin after he was unpetrified.

I heard hooves on snow and looked up, expecting to see Firenze but instead, it was Bane. I quickly leapt to me feet, unsure of what I was supposed to do. Was he going to attack me? Tell me to get out of his forest? I shivered from cold and nerves. Then, strangely, he simply walked past me and continued on his way. I stood standing there for another moment and then sat back down. That was. . .strange? Unexpected?

I gathered my stuff and made my way to a field of flowers and found ones that I didn't have. I cut them cleanly so that they could grow back and then worked on pressing the flowers into my journal.

I laid my journal and sketchbook out on the snow, taking turns using them. Then, I heard the soft indents of hooves on snow and I looked up. This time, it really was Firenze.

"Hello Firenze." I said, pressing a lavender colored flower into my book.

"Hello Elizabeth Kane." He said as he usually did. He knelt in the snow next to me. "I see you're back to being your artistic self."

I smiled, carefully sticking the plastic across the flower. "I couldn't stay away, to be completely honest. I miss drawing the forest and collecting things."

Firenze was quiet for a long moment while I regrew the flowers I had cut from the stems. I made sure to use as little willpower as possible so that the flowers wouldn't rely on magic to grow from now on.

I broke the silence as I picked up a charcoal pencil to draw the flower field for the umpteenth time. But this time, it would be a winter scene. I wondered what the spell was to bring drawings and paintings to life. I'd have to ask Professor Flitwick.

"I saw Bane earlier." I whispered softly, not pausing from drawing the field to look at Firenze. "But he did not say anything to me."

Firenze was quiet a bit longer, looking thoughtfully out into the field. I had a hard time concentrating and wondered if perhaps I could draw him into the landscape. However, I had a fear that I wouldn't be able to capture his handsomeness correctly, so I didn't.

"Yes. We decided not to do anything particular. You're still welcome in our discussions and forest but we also have decided to keep our teachings to a minimum." Firenze finally said slowly, looking at my drawing.

I sighed, a bit disappointed, but said, "I respect that. I never wanted to know your deep secrets anyways. Only what you wanted to share and I was eager to learn."

Firenze nodded slowly, his handsome face thoughtful. I wondered if there was a phase where I found most boys and men handsome. If so, I was definitely going through it. Lucius Malfoy, Professor Snape, Professor Lockhart, Firenze, Fred, Oliver, Percy, Fred, Lee, Cedric. I was certainly in a boy phase. "Yes, I know that. But it is harder to make the more prejudiced of us see the difference between stealing and learning."

But then again, simply thinking that men and boys were handsome just meant that I was a girl who liked boys, right? It didn't mean that I was particularly infatuated with any of them. After all, it wasn't like when I saw Lucius Malfoy I desired to be with him, no. I simply thought he had good features.

I nodded, blushing like crazy. "That's how the Slytherins at Hogwarts feel about Muggles. They believe that the Muggle-born witches and wizards are trying to steal magic."

Firenze laughed, a wonderful hearty sound that lifted my soul listening to it. "Yes, I do believe it is something like that."

A few more moments of silence and then I asked, "I hope you don't find this question rude, but are you cold, sitting in the snow?"

Firenze's sapphire blue eyes pierced me, amusement dancing like blue fire in his eyes. "Of course not."

I blushed. "Right, just curious."

"I will never be offended by your questions Elizabeth Kane, as long as you don't mind mine." He said, still sounding amused.

I nodded. "Then I'll ask another. Do you make fires? I've always been curious because even in the winter, I've never seen you stand around a fire. Though I must admit, I'm not usually out in the winter. And," I glanced at his upper chest. "do you ever wear a garment, not necessarily clothes, but something to cover your chest in the winter? I mean, you have a human like torso, so wouldn't that get cold at some point?"

Firenze laughed again. I blew away a piece of broken charcoal on my drawing, cheeks burning red.

"Ah Elizabeth Kane, you do ask strange questions. We do make fires occasionally, usually at night in the winter. No, we never cover our 'torsos' with any type of garment, though we do occasionally get cold. But its in our DNA so we've built up a system against it."

I nodded, though my cheeks were still red.

There was more silence. The Firenze rose from his haunches. "I must get back to the tribe. You should leave soon. There will be a blizzard tonight and you don't want to get lost in here after dark."

I nodded. "I'll be done in a moment." I squinted through the glaring sun beaming off the snow, finishing the touches on the drawing. Firenze bent down over my shoulder and examined the drawing. "You have talent, Elizabeth Kane."

"Thank you." I said breathlessly. Just like Professor Snape, Firenze's opinions meant the world to me. I kept the page open to that so the charcoal wouldn't transfer onto the next one. I put the jars, journal, and writing utensils back into my bag. I had forgotten to eat and I quickly pulled out an apple. "Er- would it be rude to give you this? I want to thank you."

Firenze looked at the apple in amusement and took it. He laughed for a third time and then laid his gaze back on me and said, "Elizabeth Kane, you are an amusing person and a joy this afternoon. I will gladly accept this." I blushed, a weird thumping in my heart.

Okay. So maybe I didn't think of being with Lucius Malfoy or Lockhart. But the others- Fred, Ced, Oliver, Percy. . .even Professor Snape and Firenze. If I could've stolen a kiss from any of them, I would've.

Course, Bane might just kill me if I kissed a Centaur. Or Firenze would end up paying the price. I wondered how Snape would react to me kissing him. I daydreamed his reaction for a moment. His reactions varied greatly from him giving me detention, proclaiming his love for me, and also fainting. I tried not to laugh aloud.

Firenze trotted off, smiling, and I quickly gathered the rest of my stuff and headed out of the forest. It was getting close to four, judging by the sun which was low in the sky. It would be dark very soon. I would have Quidditch practice later tonight so I should go to the Great Hall for dinner. But I couldn't bring myself to.

I stopped by Hagrid's cabin on the way in. He looked distracted and I asked what was wrong. "My roosters have been killed an' there was 'nother attack up at ter school." He said, looking out the window.

"Another attack!" I exclaimed. What? I hadn't foreseen that! "Who was it? What happened?"

Hagrid grunted, shaking his head and setting a tea cup in front of me. "I was going ter see Professor Dumbledore 'cause o' the roosters dying and I ran inter Harry. He seemed a bit distracted. Anyway, the attack was on Justin Finch-Fletchley an' Nearly Headless Nick." Hagrid said grimly.

"Oh my. . ." I said and all amusing thoughts about boys and men and Professors and centaurs left my head almost immediately. "Nearly Headless Nick! But what can do that to a ghost?"

Hagrid shrugged, sipping his jug of tea. "Beats me. Professor McGonagall brought Harry up ter Dumbledore's office. Apparently some o' the students think Harry did it. Codswallop, Harry would ne'r do it." I nodded my head in agreement. "Dumbledore don' think it was Harry neither, which is good."

I nodded, not relieved. "I should go up to the castle Hagrid."

"Yeah, yeah. . ." Hagrid said, but I saw he seemed really upset so I didn't get up right away.

I fingered my cup and then asked, "Hagrid, what's really bothering you?"

Hagrid didn't answer me for a moment and then cleared his throat and said, "You 'ought to get up ter the castle Elizabeth. It's dangerous ter be out to late now."

I bit my lip but took the hint and made myself scarce. When I entered the Great Hall, I heard everyone talking about the attack in hushed whispers. I decided I'd go back to the Hufflepuff common room, but Cedric intercepted me outside the Great Hall where people were eating and talking in hushed whispers.

"Liz!" He exclaimed, "There you are. Professor Snape has been looking for your for hours, where have you been?"

I was distracted for a moment because even though it was a serious situation, he still remembered to call me Liz. "I was outside." I answered as honestly as I could. "I visited Hagrid." For about five minutes I tacked on without saying.

Cedric nodded hurriedly and said, "I don't know what he wants with you but he said it was important. He said he'd be waiting in Professor Dumbledore's office."

I started to walk and then I turned and said, "Ced, did something happen while I was out?"

Cedric nodded and then said, "Blimey, you wouldn't know. There's been a double attack. Justin from our house and also Nearly Headless Nick."

I dropped my mouth in mock surprise and said, "A ghost?"

Cedric nodded seriously. "We have to cancel practice tonight."

"What?! Why?" I asked, nearly on the left side of whining.

Cedric said downhearted, "The teachers are talking about upping curfew even earlier. We may have to start practicing early in the mornings instead."

I nodded. "I ought to go see Snape and Dumbledore and see what they want. Thanks for letting me know."

"No problem." Ced said, looking down. Justin was a part of our house after all. "See ya around."

I hurried off in the direction of Dumbledore's office, almost sprinting. My heart pounded with anticipation. I hadn't seen this and this had been a big moment. How had I missed this? Sure, I hadn't been looking, but usually the big moments just came to me.

I knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office, catching my breath.

"Come in." I heard tired words.

I opened the door and stepped into the room. Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore were waiting, all of them standing.

"Where were you?" Snape hissed angrily. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

I thought maybe my thick cloak, gloves, scarf, and snow-dusted boots might've been a dead give away to me having been outside, but I said nothing.

"Severus." Dumbledore said calmly, raising his hand. "Miss Kane, if you don't mind, where were you?"

There was no way in burning hell I was going to tell the headmaster that I had broken one of the schools top rules. So instead, I fibbed just a little. "I visited Hagrid and I also went out to draw." I blushed, embarrassed, and took out my sketchbook, nearly dropping it. I handed it to the Professor Dumbledore who took it.

His eyebrows raised for a moment and he handed it back. "You are quite talented Miss Kane."

"Thank you Professor." I said quietly, sliding the sketchbook back into my bag. "What did you want to see me about?"

"Have you heard about the double attack?" Professor Dumbledore asked, peering at me through his glasses.

I nodded, "Cedric Diggory filled me in on my way here though I had heard about it ten minutes earlier from Hagrid."

"Did you have any prior knowledge to this attack?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

I shook my head. "No, I had no idea. But then again, I wasn't watching. Usually, they come to me, the big moments like this at least, on their own. But I didn't get any notion that this would happen. My last image was that Professor Snape was going to kick Lockhart's. . . er- that Professor Snape was going to duel Lockhart at the dueling club." I blushed and flicked my eyes up to Professor Snape's for just a second. His lips curled into a smile. "I haven't seen anything else."

Professor Dumbledore nodded, "That will be all then."

"That's it?" Professor McGonagall asked. Dumbledore looked at her and I did too.

"That's it unless you have anything you'd like to tell us." Dumbledore said, speaking to her and myself at the same time. My eyes flicked over behind Dumbledore where a pile of ashes lay, a baby phoenix sitting there. I guess Fawkes had been reborn today.

I shifted uncomfortably where I was standing. There were multiple things I could tell Dumbledore about. The Polyjuice potion, the voices that Harry and I were hearing in the wall, etc.

Slowly I said, "Er- well I know for a fact that it wasn't Harry, but you seem to have figured that out. But um, there are some that believe that um. . ." I drifted off uncomfortably and then spit out, "Some think Draco Malfoy is the heir."

Snape made a sudden movement and I avoided looking at him.

"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked me, also ignoring Snape.

I hesitated and then said, "I don't believe it's him. The most obvious person is never the one."

"And why is he obvious?" Professor Snape hissed. It was the only time that he'd been hostile towards me, but it didn't faze me.

I looked at Dumbledore. "Well, he hates Muggle-borns. He also ummm, he said that he hopes a Muggle-born dies this time. . . umm preferably. . ." I hesitated. "Well, he hasn't said it yet, but I've had a vision of him telling Crabbe and Goyle that he hopes that Hermione Granger dies this time." My cheeks coloured.

Professor McGonagall gasped and seemed ready to say something but Dumbledore raised his hand and she pressed her lips together thinly.

"Thank you for telling me this Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said calmly.

"It isn't him, at least I'm 90% sure it isn't Malfoy and he hasn't said what I've just said yet, but I'm just telling you other people's suspicions." I said.

Snape was fuming. "If Professor Dumbledore believes Potter couldn't have done it as a second-year, then why would they believe that Malfoy could have done it- in the same grade as Potter."

I hesitated and then said, "Because of his father. Some believe that Malfoy's father opened the chamber when he was at school and passed the secret down to Draco. But the chamber was opened before Malfoy's fathers time so I knew that it couldn't be possible."

"Do you know who opened it last time?" Snape asked. "Was it really Hagrid?"

I started to get aggravated and anxious. Why the hell did I open my mouth? "No, it wasn't Hagrid. But I also don't know who it was. . . yet." My eyes glinted dangerously. "But once I figure it out, I'm going to clear Hagrid's name."

"Very well." Dumbledore said, but I could tell he was disappointed. "You may go."

I practically fled the room.

⬅️➡️

2 notes · View notes

braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 11

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I woke up late. Harry was already eating his breakfast- left handed as Madam Pomfrey was examining his right one.

"Ah Miss Kane!" Madam Pomfrey said as I sat up slowly. I felt my own arm. It still felt weird, probably a bad sign. "Yes, you'll need about two hours more."

I groaned. Harry winced, "Bad luck Liz."

I grinned at him. "How's the porridge?"

"Great." He said. He seemed a bit distracted. I wondered what they'd said after I'd been knocked out, but I couldn't bloody well ask with Madam Pomfrey right in front of us.

"Miss Kane, when your arm is finished healing, Professor Dumbledore wants to see you in his office." Madam Pomfrey said as she finished poking and prodding my sore arm.

I grimaced. "Lovely." I muttered.

Madam Pomfrey bustled off to go get my breakfast and Harry leaned over and asked, "Why do you think Dumbledore wants to see you?"

I shrugged, feeling guilty, "I have no idea. What did they say after I went under?"

Harry shrugged. "Not much really. Dumbledore just said that the chamber was opened again which I feel is pretty obvious now-"

"Only because Dobby told you seconds before." I pointed out genially.

"Anyways, Dumbledore feels that the more important question is how the chamber was opened rather than who opened it." Harry said, feeding himself more porridge.

I frowned, "Well then, it sounds as though he's already got an idea of who it is."

Harry frowned too. "I don't know. Neither do the other professors."

I didn't answer as Madam Pomfrey bustled over with my tray of porridge. I poured a godly amount of brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk into it before I ate it. Harry wrinkled his nose, "How can you stand that much sugar?"

I shrugged, my mouth full of sugar and milk. "It tastes better." I finally answered when I swallowed. "I love sugar."

"I can tell." Harry said with a laugh, finishing off his porridge.

"Oh, Harry." I said since Madam Pomfrey was out of earshot. "I'd go to Myrtle's bathroom, that's where Ron and Hermione will be."

Harry looked a bit confused, but gave me a thumbs up, and headed out of the hospital wing. I sighed, laying back down on the bed now that I had finished eating too. Harry was a slow eater. Then again, I'd damaged my bad arm and so I'd eaten with my good one.

I stared up at the ceiling. What could Dumbledore possibly want with me now? The next attack? I wasn't up to looking into the future today. There was a flash of images in my head, but nothing distinct and I pulled my pillow over my face. I wondered what dad would say if he knew I was in the hospital wing overnight for something stupid like this.

I thought you said you weren't going to interfere with the future, I scolded myself. I mean, you even told McGonagall that you don't interfere with the future, so why did you go against your own saying? And remember, you promised yourself this summer that you weren't going to get into trouble? What do you think you're in now?

Shut up, I answered myself in my mind. It was a simple fix really, I just missed the wand. Bad reflexes.

Oh yes, because Chasers have bad reflexes. Admit it, the wand was pulled back at the exact right moment for you to miss because you were trying to interfere!

I thought I told you to shut up?

I'm the rebellious part of your mind, and yet somehow, also the logical part of your mind. How about you reinstate that promise you made, not only to yourself, but also to your dad. I mean, how would he feel if you got hurt? I mean, you could end up petrified if you're not careful.

Shut up.

Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you.

I rolled over, trying to fall back asleep, and yet there was this internal battle raging through my head. I had promised not to intervene with the future and I couldn't even keep that promise. Now look where I was. I rolled back over, staring at the ceiling. No more.

Three and a half hours later I was standing in Professor Dumbledore's office. He was seated behind his desk. Professor Snape and McGonagall were standing to the side. Professor Dumbledore gestured that I should sit down in front of his desk. I complied, exhausted.

"How is your arm, Miss Kane?" Dumbledore asked.

"Better than yesterday." I said, waiting to know what he really wanted to know. I was so done with this.

"Wonderful." Dumbledore said, sounding distracted, "Now Miss Kane-"

I interrupted, feeling angsty again. "If you are about to ask me about the future, I honestly don't see anything of any importance." This was a complete lie, but I was done. If I had to lie to preserve the outcome, I would.

Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape both looked a little shocked. Perhaps because I'd interrupted Dumbledore, perhaps because they thought I had all the answers, perhaps because I did sound a little rude. Whatever the case, I did not look at them. I wasn't in the mood. My head was pounding, I felt like I was suffocating. I wanted to be away from everyone who knew that I could see the future. I wanted to be with someone that wouldn't ask questions.

Dumbledore bowed his head once. At least he wasn't looking at me like I was a rude little girl. "Very well Miss Kane. Please come back if anything changes."

"Right." I said, trying to sound politer than before.

I hurried from the room. Thank Merlin that was over! Even though I knew the other three were in Myrtles toilet working on the Polyjuice potion, I didn't feel like going. Instead, I headed down to Hagrid's and helped him work in his garden with Ginny.

.💚💚.

𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕮𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖒𝖆𝖘 𝖇𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖐 started to roll in, Professor McGonagall collected names of who were staying at Hogwarts. I would've gone home, considering I didn't plan on being part of the Polyjuice fiasco one way or another. However, with dad being out of town, I wasn't going to be able to go home anyways.

I had already sent Dad his and Trang's Christmas presents. I'd gotten Trang a bunch of candy (again) and also a dragon ring like the one dad had given me. However, I had performed a bunch of spells to prevent the dragon from moving. I'd have to replenish the spells every summer, but I figured I'd be able to do so easily.

Christmas wasn't for another four weeks, but I knew that wherever dad was- he was far away and I wanted Trang to get her present in time.

My first Quidditch match came a week later. It was Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw. Cedric told us to have a good and easy game. I was so excited, I couldn't eat breakfast. Finally, Harry and Fred were able to convince me to eat some bacon, but at this point, I thought I may throw up.

I was glad we weren't playing against Slytherin as I walked down to the pitch with the rest of the team. Of course, if we won against Ravenclaw, then we'd play Slytherin. Hopefully we won that match and then we'd play Gryffindor for the cup. But first, we had to win this match first. I wasn't to worried- Cedric was a superb seeker.

It was freezing outside and snow was falling. I shivered in my robes. Hopefully the match would be quick and easy. I clutched my Nimbus 2000 tightly in my hand in the locker room. I wasn't able to sit down.

Cedric was talking strategy and I forced myself to listen. Then, we got ready to walk out and start the game. Cedric and the Ravenclaw captain (I forgot his name, perhaps Rogers?) shook hands and then Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

I kicked up off of the ground as Madam Hooch threw the ball up into the air. I held my breath. Luckily, Hufflepuff Chaser Heidi Macavoy caught the Quaffle. I flew some paces ahead and to the right while the other Chaser, Malcom Preece flew on the other side of her. I swerved in and out of the Ravenclaw chasers.

Then, I saw the Quaffle coming towards me. I swooped up and caught the Quaffle and then did a roll to dodge a bludger. I approached the goals, my heart beating fast. I dodged another chaser and then threw the Quaffle towards the right goal- the goal the keeper was farthest from. Grant Page flew down towards my Quaffle but missed by inches.

I heard cheers rise from the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor teams. Gryffindor was supporting Hufflepuff, mostly because of me if I'm going to be honest (and totally humble, totally).

I heard Lee's voice over the intercoms. "Hufflepuff's first score by Elizabeth Kane, newest member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Hufflepuff leads 10-0."

I ignored the rest of his jibber-jabber as Heidi and I raced to the other end of the pitch, trying to catch Jeremy Stretton, the Ravenclaw Chaser with the Quaffle, racing towards our keeper, Herbert Fleet.

Then, Jeremy threw the Quaffle towards his fellow teammate near me, I quickly leaned forward, putting on an extra spurt of speed and reached out and managed to catch the Quaffle with two fingers, thrusting it towards my chest.

I turned around as quickly as the broom would allow and shot off in the opposite direction, dodging a bludger from one of the Ravenclaw beaters. I could hear Lee above the crowd going, "-nice intervention by Kane, now on her way to the other side of the pitch-"

The snow was coming down even harder. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Jeremy coming up behind me and I quickly dove, throwing him off balance. I then swooped up and flew straight towards the goals. Grant watched me carefully and I feinted that I was going to throw right and then threw into the middle goal post. I had scored again.

The rest of the game passed rather easily, though tight. Ravenclaw scored twice in a row and Heidi managed to score four goals. Cedric and the Ravenclaw seeker were doing their best to find the snitch but as of so far, there had been no sign. The snow was coming down even harder and the wind was blowing the brooms and balls off course. We'd missed a goal because of a large gust of wind.

At this moment, Ravenclaw was up by 20 points or two goals. Malcolm had the Quaffle right now and I was nearby, ready to catch the Quaffle if he threw it towards me. I was starting to freeze, my fingers frozen to the broom. When was the game going to end?

Malcolm zoomed nearby and instinctively, I reached out for the ball and he passed it off. It was one of the tactics that we'd practice. I immediately skyrocketed to avoid two Ravenclaw chasers and then sped down towards the pitch. There was a large gust of wind and I narrowly avoided a runaway bludger. I also nearly dropped the Quaffle which threw me off balance and made me start to doubt if I was going to be able to score.

No. I couldn't think like that. I worked my way towards the end of the pitch. Grant was there, looking very uncomfortable on his broom.

"-Kane up to bat once again. Let's cross out fingers on this one Hufflepuffs!" Lee was shouting into his microphone. I took a deep breath and then threw with all my might. I crossed my own fingers as the Quaffle approached the goal. Grant zoomed up towards the middle of the goal posts and nearly got it, his fingers just brushed it and I gasped aloud, but his fingers didn't make purchase.

I pumped my fist into the air and then dove to come on level with the Ravenclaw Chaser who had grabbed the Quaffle. I was having the time of my life.

"-Kane scores once again!" Lee was shouting. "She's unstoppable."

My cheeks burned with pride. If only my dad could've seen my performance. I bumped into the Ravenclaw Chaser, knocking the Quaffle out of her hands so that Heidi could catch it. Heidi, Malcolm, and I sped off in the opposite direction. If we scored, we'd be tied with Ravenclaw. Now, if only Cedric could find the snitch.

Heidi carried the Quaffle until the Ravenclaws started swarming.

"- Nice pass from Macavoy to Kane." Lee was commenting. "Kane takes the Quaffle to the end of the pitch and ooh, close call, almost bludgeoned by a bludger. And Kane fly's up to score and ooh-"

I was pummeled from the side by the same Ravenclaw I had stolen the Quaffle from just moments earlier. I had two options to make in a split second- let go of the Quaffle and hang onto my broom or hold onto the Quaffle and hope that I could stay on by just tightening my legs around the broom.

I went with the second option.

I hugged the Quaffle to my chest while my legs tightened around the thin broom. My broom was spinning off course and I nearly closed my eyes except I needed to keep them open. There were many gasps from the crowd. I gritted my teeth. I WAS GOING TO WIN THIS MATCH! I was upside down at that moment and there were actually a couple screams from the crowd. Heidi flew below me, and I dropped the Quaffle into her hands, and then rightened myself up.

There were cheers from the crowd and Lee was shouting something complimentary into the magical microphone that I couldn't hear as the blood rushed back from my head. Heidi scored and as she flew past, gave me a high five. I was grinning.

At that moment, the whistle sounded and I made my way back down to the ground. We'd won! Cedric had caught the snitch and we'd won! We were all grinning like idiots and high-fiving each other.

We headed into the team locker room to change and get ready for the party that Hufflepuff would be throwing.

I left the changing room a bit after all the others and found myself being bombarded by Harry, Ron, Harry, Fred, George, and Lee.

"Congratulations Liz!" Fred said, pulling me in a huge bear hug.

"Thanks Fred!" I squealed, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"You rocked it girl!" Lee shouted, also pulling me into a tight hug.

"That crazy upside down move you did was so wicked!" George said with a grin.

We headed inside, laughing and shouting.

"Aren't you going to the house party?" Ron asked, as I started down the hallway towards the Transfiguration classroom.

"Oh, no." I said, waving my hand like it didn't matter, though I did want to go. "I have a private lesson with Professor Mc-"

"Absolutely not Miss Kane." Professor McGonagall's voice came from down the hallway. The teachers were entering the castle at the moment. "You flew wonderfully today. Go enjoy the party with your fellow teammates. We'll reschedule the private lesson for tomorr-."

"Actually. . ." Snape said slowly, who had followed her over. "I have her tomorrow."

I blushed just slightly.

"The day after then." Professor McGonagall said warmly, "Unless you have a different class on that day?"

I shook my head. "Two days from now I'll be at your classroom."

"Lovely." Professor McGonagall said with a thin smile, and then turned, and walked down the hallway.

"How many private lessons are you taking?" Harry asked.

"Oh ummm, three official ones." I said. That didn't include helping Hagrid or Sprout in the garden or greenhouses. Or the centaurs, if I was still going to do that.

"Why would you torture yourself like that?" George asked repulsed. "Especially potions?"

"Excuse me?" Professor Snape said icily, towering over George. George grinned in his face.

I giggled. "I happen to find potions one of my favorite classes. Especially the private ones."

Some colour spread into Snape's' cheeks. He turned and stalked off towards the dungeons. I waved to the others and hurried to the common room where the others were waiting for me to celebrate with them.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞, I was in the freezing cold dungeon and Snape was in a horrible mood when I came in. "Er, should I come back? You look angry." I said honestly as he angrily cleaned up a spill on the floor.

His expression softened slightly and he shook his head, his teeth clenched to tightly to speak. I sat down uncertainly in my seat.

"Someone threw a firework in a potion today." Snape finally said. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?"

I blushed. That had been our plan so that Hermione could steal some ingredients from Snape but I didn't know anything about that.

"Er- no?" I said, my cheeks colouring.

Snape was done fixing the mess. "You flew well yesterday." He said, his back to me.

"Thanks." I said, my cheeks even redder than before. There must be something wrong with me if I looked for his praise above all others, even my dad. "That means a lot, coming from you." I muttered, looking down at the table.

Silence again. I bit the inside of my cheek. Bloody hell, what was I doing?

"I've decided I'll tutor you in Defense Against the Dark Arts." Snape said, turning around for a moment, his cheeks seemed a bit pinker than usual.

"Yes!" I said, slightly louder than I meant to.

He snorted, "Yes, yes, so exciting."

"Sorry, but I really am glad you're doing this. Lockhart-"

"Is an idiot?" Snape asked.

"He doesn't know what he's doing." I said, blushing as I knew he was quoting what I'd said before.

"No." Snape said, turning back around to his desk and rearranging something. "No he does not. We'll start the Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons on Mondays, good?"

"Yes." I said, because that wouldn't clash with anything.

Snape turned back around again and sat across from me. "Today I'm going over the different properties of roses. Pay attention."

He didn't have to tell me twice.

.💚💚.

𝕬 𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖐 𝖑𝖆𝖙𝖊𝖗, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I were walking across the entrance hall when we saw that a bunch of people were crowded around the notice board that Hogwarts had up year round. This was where everything about new clubs and events were posted. But there was rarely anything interesting enough that so many people would be crowded around it.

"Wonder what's up." I said aloud and we walked over. Seamus and Dean pointed excitedly like we couldn't read and said, "They're starting a Dueling Club! First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind dueling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days. . ."

"What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" Ron asked sarcastically, but he continued to read the sign with interest.

"Could be useful." He said to the three of us as we walked over to the Gryffindor dinner table. "Shall we go?"

I knew Lockhart was going to be dueling so I wanted to say no, but at the same time, I knew Snape would be there and that alone was what made me say yes. I didn't eat at the Gryffindor table tonight, I was eating with the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.

Cedric and the others were already sitting down when I came over, talking and laughing, and I took a seat next to Heidi. Cedric smiled over at me and I felt my heart flutter. Stupid, stupid.

I whispered to Heidi, "Are you going to the Dueling club tonight?"

Heidi shook her head. "Nah, I don't think it's going to be that useful. Besides, I have a lot of homework. Are you going?"

I sighed. "I honestly don't know. I have homework too, but I don't know- maybe I can learn some new spells."

Heidi nodded in approval. "That is true. I wonder who will be teaching the class."

"Lockhart and Snape." I said automatically without thinking.

Heidi's cheeks coloured, "Professor Lockhart is going to be there?"

I nodded, sighing. Sometimes my girlfriends could be very girlish. But I didn't say a single word against him like I would've if Hermione had said the same thing, "He's the one who set it up."

"Hmm." Heidi said, thinking now and glanced up at the Professors table. "Maybe I might come for a couple of minutes. . ."

I giggled but kept my opinions to myself. After all, the only reason I was going was because I knew Snape was going to be there. Automatically, I looked up to the teachers table and locked eyes with him. I quickly looked away, cheeks colouring. Bloody hell.

But really, wasn't there a difference between me and other girls? They liked Lockhart because he was a fluff-head pretty boy, right? But Professor Snape wasn't really as handsome as Lockhart- that was a given. But Professor Snape had character, didn't he? He had secrets he kept inside and a different person that he kept hidden. And wasn't learning about a person what made you love them?

Of course, I didn't love Professor Snape, but I couldn't deny that there was a type of attraction that I felt for him. But was it really all that more different from how I felt about Hagrid or Professor McGonagall? I mean, I admired them and loved them because they were so much older and wiser. But wasn't that how I felt about Professor Snape too? Surely it was. I couldn't possibly love a Professor and these girl students didn't love Lockhart. They just thought he was hot. But that wasn't really love, was it?

Yet. . . it did feel different with Snape than the other Professors. I sighed, shaking my head. No matter, after all, whether my feelings of affection were different or not was irrelevant. One had to return them for them to matter. You could love someone all you wanted but if they didn't like you back, your feelings were irrelevant.

I got up from the table, waving to my fellow teammates, and headed to the library to finish my Potions essay before the dueling club. Oh, I couldn't wait to watch Severus destroy Gilderoy in battle. My lips curled into a smile and I found it difficult to focus on my essay.

⬅️➡️

2 notes · View notes

braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 10

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖐𝖊 𝖚𝖕 when the other Hufflepuffs started rummaging around in their dressers. I sat up quickly, giving myself a head rush, and rolled over out of bed. Then, throwing my bed together rather sloppily, I raced down to the Great Hall where Harry was sitting with the rest of the Gryffindor team. None of them were eating and they all looked rather sick.

I sat between Harry and Fred. "Eat something." I advised them. "you're going to do fine and you guys are going to win."

"Easy for you to say." Harry muttered.

I rolled my eyes, pulling over the plate of toast, eggs, and bacon. "Eat Harry."

Harry helped himself to some food with some coaxing and the rest of the team gradually started eating.

"Why are you guys up so early anyways?" I yawned, stretching. I shouldn't have gone out last night. "The game isn't until eleven."

"Wood will probably give us a three hour lecture." Fred said loudly, making sure Wood heard him.

The entire team laughed, even Wood, though Wood also looked rather sick. Slowly, the rest of the school filed into the Great Hall, while the Gryffindor team rose, getting ready to go out to their locker room.

"Good luck Harry, you're going to do wonderfully." I said, pulling him into a tight hug. I loved being able to hug him, even as a friend. "You too Fred." I said kissing him on the cheek. Fred grinned like an idiot, and I dashed off to find Ginny so that we could sit together during the match.

Ginny and I found our seats somewhere near Hermione and Ron, though not directly with them. We talked about all sorts of things while we waited for the match to start. She mostly wanted to know if Harry really was a good seeker. I happily complied with all her questions, knowing that she had a crush on him. Then she returned the favor by answering questions about Fred.

Was it that obvious I liked him?

Then the Gryffindor team walked out onto the pitch. The Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws all cheered as loudly as possible. The Slytherins hissed and booed, then cheered as their own team walked out onto the pitch.

I heard the whistle blow, and the teams rose up into the air, level with our sight. I had brought my own pair of binoculars this time, and Ginny and I took turns looking at Harry. (I also looked at Fred and Oliver because they were really good players).

Malfoy yelled something at Harry, but Harry ignored him, dodging a bludger that very nearly took his head off. Both Ginny and I gasped and we grabbed each others arms.

George whacked the bludger towards one of the Slytherins, but the bludger swerved away from the Slytherin chaser and quickly shot back towards Harry. I watched, in shock. Okay, so I'd seen him break his arm, but this?

Quickly, I closed my eyes. Surely I would foresee where this was coming from? I searched my mind and tried to find the source. I frantically searched, but I kept finding unrelated things. What I'd seen in the Mirror of Erised, Mrs. Norris, Lockhart screwing up Harry's arm. . . there! In the hospital after the match! The house elf with large green eyes! It was his bludger!

I jumped up as Fred knocked the bludger as hard as possible away from Harry. The bludger swung back towards Harry who took off across the field. I heard Lee Jordan announce the dreadful score of "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero-"

Fred and George were flying so close to Harry that they looked like a sort of lopsided sandwich. Harry was never going to be able to find the snitch that way. I saw George trying to make a time out signal to wood, while also trying to stop the bludger from knocking Harry out.

It was like a repeat from last year. Fred and George always seemed to be the ones that were trying to save Harry's life whenever he was in trouble. Last year when Quirrell tried to buck him off his broom and now: As the house-elf's bludger was trying to kill him. Well. . . the house-elf probably wasn't trying to kill him, just maim him.

I heard Madam Hooch's whistle sound and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, all of them trying their best to avoid the bludger. Ginny pulled on my arm and I realized that I was still standing. I sat back down automatically.

"Do bludgers normally act like that?" She asked, her voice and eyes full of fear and anxiety.

I shook my head, "Not at all."

I looked down as the Gryffindors angrily jabbered amongst themselves, making rude hand signs at the Slytherins. They obviously believed that the Slytherins were the ones who had tampered with the bludger. George, Fred, Alicia, Wood, and Harry were all waving their arms about, each of them arguing their sides while Katie and Angelina hung back. Madam Hooch started to approach them. I could hear the Slytherin's jeering from the other side of the pitch.

I glanced over at the teachers. None of them seemed to be thinking that there was anything wrong with the bludger. McGonagall looked extremely relaxed, perhaps because I had already told her that Gryffindor would win. Snape was sulking in his seat, his arms crossed across his chest. I wanted to tell them about the bludger, but the Professors never interfered with the Quidditch games- if the danger element was a Quidditch thing like a bludger.

I heard the whistle again and Harry kicked off hard. The bludger was immediately after him. Ginny was clutching my arm very tightly. Harry climbed higher and higher and then he started to do loops and zigzags and rolls. I heard laughter from the other houses, but not the Gryffindors who had, of course, sensed that something was wrong with the bludger.

The bludger just nearly missed him and he turned right, speeding in the opposite direction. It came at him again and he did a kind of twirl on his broom. I saw Malfoy up on there on his broom, laughing at Harry. I gritted my teeth, tempted to curse him. My arm was starting to lose feeling from Ginny squeezing it so tightly.

"MOVE HARRY!" I screamed at him, as he stood still on his broom. He gave a start, but it was too late, the bludger smashed into his elbow. He grabbed it in pain and then shot towards Malfoy, his other hand out. Malfoy moved out of the way, fear flickering across his face. I jumped up, wrenching my arm out of Ginny's grasp, ran down the aisles to the stairs, and started making my way down the stairs as Harry zoomed down to the ground.

He rolled off his broom and splattered into the mud and laid there. I quickly knelt by his side. "Harry?" I asked frantically, "Harry!"

He'd fainted. I tapped his face as the others came running down the stairs and the Gryffindor team came to land around him. The bludger came down again, aiming for him and I quickly raised my wand and shouted, "Finite Incantatem!" The bludger exploded into pixie dust and settled down around us gently.

"Guess we'll have to get a new bludger." Wood said, but he was grinning, glad that they'd won the game.

Suddenly, Lockhart was there, kneeling down next to Harry. Harry fluttered his eyes open and then said, "Oh, no, not you."

I laughed out loud, relieved. Relieved because Harry was awake and sensible, not relieved because Lockhart was there.

"Doesn't know what he's saying. Not to worry, Harry. I'm about to fix your arm." Lockhart said, pulling out his wand.

"No." I said quickly, my panic fluttering up again.

"No!" Harry shouted, panicking. "I'll keep it like this, thanks. . ." Then he added, "I don't want a picture of this, Colin." I realized Colin was taking pictures. I would've snapped at him if I hadn't known what was going to happen to him.

"Lie back, Harry. It's a simple charm I've used countless times-" Lockhart was trying to force Harry to lie back.

Harry gritted his teeth. "Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?"

"He should really, Professor." Wood said, still grinning and then added, "Great capture, Harry, really spectacular, your best yet, I'd say-"

Fred came to stand next to me. "Well done with that bludger." he whispered in my ear. I felt my cheeks redden.

"Stand back." Lockhart said and the crowd all backed up.

"No" Both Harry and I said at the same time and instinctively, without thinking, I reached up to grab Lockhart's wand from him. I missed, an inch short and I felt a tremendous, unspectacular feeling go through my arm. Lockhart didn't seem to have noticed this as I stumbled back in surprise and he did the spell again unconcerned. This time the spell hit Harry's arm.

"Elizabeth?" Fred asked in concern, catching me by the shoulders. "What happened?"

I tried to open my mouth to tell him, but instead, shook my head. I thought I might be sick with pain. I prodded my arm. My bones were still in there, thankfully, but my entire arm had this pins and needles sensation that felt like how TV static looked. My head was starting to feel fuzzy too.

"Ah." I heard Lockhart say as my vision started to swim, "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Harry, just toddle up to the hospital wing- ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him?- Madam Pomfrey will be able to-er- tidy you up a bit."

I leaned around Fred's arm and nearly threw up again. Harry's arm no longer looked like an arm. It resembled perhaps a balloon or rubber glove.

"Let's get you to the hospital wing." Fred murmured in my ear. "Come on."

I was able to walk, though the pain in my arm was immense, and I leaned on Fred on my way up to the Hospital wing, Harry, Ron, and Hermione following from behind, then the rest of the Gryffindor team.

Madam Pomfrey was outraged with the both of us, more specifically Harry because his arm had originally been broken. We got beds right next to each other. She started muttering underneath her breath about incompetent teachers and I wondered just how aware the other Professors were of Lockhart's stupidity and why Dumbledore had let him teach us.

'He was on'y person for the job.'

Madam Pomfrey treated me first because apparently mine was going to take longer to mend than Harrys! My arm wasn't mendable the way it was already. So she had to give me a potion to remove the bones from my arm, then give me a potion to make the bones regrow! Can you believe that? As if I needed another reason to highly dislike Lockhart.

The deboning took nearly an hour so Madam Pomfrey bustled about Harry, giving him Skele-gro in order to regrow the bones in his arms. The Gryffindor team showed up some time later with food and drinks to celebrate but Madam Pomfrey shooed them all out, yelling about the number of bones we had to regrow tonight. Thirty-three, to be precise.

Once all the bones were out of my arm- and my arm no longer hurt- Madam Pomfrey gave me the Skele-gro. It burned my throat and I choked and sputtered and coughed it down. My eyes were streaming with tears as I laid down on the bed and tried to fall asleep as quickly as possible.

I got my wish.

.💚💚.

𝕬 𝖑𝖔𝖚𝖉 𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖐 woke me up and I gave a start, startled. I laid in my hospital bed for a moment, sure that it had just been a noise in my dreams. Then, there were some whimpering noises and someone was scuttling around, and I heard water being run, and someone hopping up onto someone's bed.

I was frozen, not entire sure what was happening. Were we in danger? Then I heard Harry's voice mutter, "Get off! Dobby!"

I rolled over carefully in bed, nearly shouting aloud when I felt pain in my arm again.

I saw the house-elf, crying and peering at Harry in the darkness. I closed my eyes half-way so that I could see and hear, but so that they wouldn't know I was listening in. I wasn't sure that Dobby would talk if he knew I was awake.

"Harry Potter came back to school. Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Harry Potter go back home when he missed the train?"

I heard a sound and flicked my eyes open for a second as Harry pushed himself up onto his pillows, sitting up. "What're you doing here? And how did you know I missed the train?" The house-elves bottom lip quivered, but he said nothing and Harry exclaimed, "It was you! You stopped the barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, sir. Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway when that girl over there put her hand on it. Dobby couldn't let Harry Potter into the school, no matter what! Dobby had to iron his hands afterward but Dobby didn't care, sir, for he though Harry Potter was safe, and never did Dobby dream that Harry Potter would get to school another way!"

Awww, poor Dobby. But my damn hand!

"Dobby was so shocked when he heard Harry Potter was back at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir. . ."

Harry slumped more comfortably into his pillows. "You nearly got Ron and me expelled! And Elizabeth had to stay there for nine hours! You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!"

Dobby smiled weakly, the last thing I thought he was going to do. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home." Then he blew his nose on the pillowcase he was wearing.

"Why d'you wear that thing, Dobby?" Harry asked curiously. His anger had burned out once again. I reckoned he was in to much pain to get properly angry. Plus, he was to nice of a person.

"This, sir?" Dobby asked, pulling the pillow case away from his body for a second and letting it fall. "'Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only be freed if his masters present him with clothes, sir. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever."

I closed my eyes. Perhaps I could fall asleep again? There was another sharp pain in my arm. I gritted my teeth. I was going to hate myself forever for grabbing Lockhart's wand. Or- attempting to anyways.

"Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make-"

Harry interrupted Dobby angrily, "Your bludger? What d' you mean, your Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?"

"Not kill you, sir, never kill you! Dobby wants to save Harry Potter's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, then remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Harry Potter hurt enough to be sent home!" Dobby said, so shocked that his sobs had stopped.

"Oh, is that all?" Harry asked, still extremely angry. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?"

I wondered if Madam Hooch had ordered a new Bludger yet and if I was going to get detention for destroying school property.

"Ah, if Harry Potter only knew!" Dobby groaned. "If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elf's were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir. But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn, sir, and Harry Potter shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sir. . ."

I realized that I was silently crying. Bloody hell, there was something wrong with me. . .but Dobby was painting such a beautiful picture, one that I could connect with. Harry had been everything to me when I had been younger. I had been so excited to tell him I was his sister when we started Hogwarts and yet. . .

". . .And now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Harry Potter stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more-"

I gave a start and rolled over. I yelped in pain, but it was covered my Dobby cracking himself over his head with Harry's water jug and muttering "Bad Dobby, bad Dobby." Harry looked over and we locked eyes for a second. I put a finger to my lips.

"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry whispered, excited now. "And- did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby. . . But I'm not Muggle-born- how can I be in danger from the Chamber?"

Because, I thought but didn't say, you're an enemy of Voldemort.

"Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby. Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Harry Potter must not be here when they happen- go home, Harry Potter, go home. Harry Potter must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous-"

"Who is it, Dobby?" Harry asked. He had a firm hold on Dobby's wrist, probably so that Dobby couldn't punish himself for telling Harry so many things he wasn't supposed to. "Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?"

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell! Go home, Harry Potter, go home!" Dobby squealed.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Harry said fiercely. "One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really as been opened-"

I felt pride fill my heart. I really did love Harry.

"Harry Potter risks his own life for his friends!" Dobby moaned in a joyful, melancholy way that made my bones shiver. Or maybe that was the Skele-gro. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Harry Potter must not-"

He stopped talking, listening. Harry threw himself down on the bed and Dobby disappeared. I quickly rolled back over onto my good arm, my bad arm on top of my chest.

I watched, through squinted eyes as Professor Dumbledore and Snape shuffled slowly, carrying what seemed to be a marble statue. Professor McGonagall trailed after them, a hand over her mouth. What was Snape doing? He hadn't been part of the original vision. Unless he was only here because I'd told him along with Dumbledore and McGonagall about Colin. The statue was probably Colin- petrified.

They laid him down on a bed two away from me.

"Get Madam Pomfrey." I heard Dumbledore whisper. I closed my eyes, in case one of them looked over at me.

I heard urgent voices in another room and then the sounds of feet walking back and then a gasp of surprise from Madam Pomfrey.

"What happened?" She asked, leaning over Colin.

"Another attack." Dumbledore said calmly. "Minerva found him on the stairs."

I nearly scoffed. Sure she did. She probably stayed up the entire night and then went to where she knew the attack was and then she did find him.

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him." Professor McGonagall said and I saw an image in my mind of a pale white hand laying on the ground- a bunch of pure purple grapes laying inches away. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter."

I heard creaking on the bed next to me and knew Harry was lifting himself up to see who it was, probably figuring that it was Colin.

"Petrified?" Madam Pomfrey whispered. I figured it was kind of obvious.

"Yes." Professor McGonagall said. "But I shudder to think. . . If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate- who knows what might have-"

She drifted off. The four of them were silent for a long time. I watched Dumbledore wrench the camera out of Colin's grasp.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" Professor Snape asked slowly. He didn't sound hopeful.

Dumbledore didn't answer, perhaps because he didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. I heard a click as he opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as a jet of steam hissed out of the camera.

The smell wafted over and I smelt the burnt plastic and metal and battery acid and the smell filled my lungs. My eyes teared up and my throat burned and then I started to cough horribly. The Professor's heads popped up, looking in my direction as I rolled over so that my head was over the side of the bed, dry retching.

Madam Pomfrey was by my side in a second, leaning over me. "Miss Kane, are you alright?"

"No, I think-." I managed to say through the retching. I really was going to throw up any second. She quickly conjured up a trash can and I vommited twice, and then laid back on the pillows, breathing hard. Tears were rolling down my face.

"I'll be right back." She said and hurried over to the cupboard and pulled out a bottle. I sat up so that I could take the medicine.

"Thank you." I muttered. I didn't look at Professor Dumbledore or McGonagall or Snape or Harry.

"This'll help you sleep and soothe those coughs." Madam Pomfrey said in her kind voice.

I laid back down and pulled the covers over me thickly. The medicine was fast acting. The last thing I heard was Dumbledore saying, ". . .Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again." Then, I was out like a light and I had no idea what was said after that.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 9

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖉𝖆𝖞 in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione explained a plan to me that I had seen in my visions. I listened patiently, fiddling with my fingers. When she finished, I questioned her under my breath.

"Do you know how many rules that's going to break? Some of those ingredients are going to have to be taken from Snape's private storage!" That was the part that I was feeling the most apprehensive about. I really, really hated the idea of stealing from Snape.

We couldn't talk anymore so Hermione didn't answer my questions. Lockhart had hauled Harry to the front of the classroom. He had Harry play the characters or the Magical Creatures (I refused to call them monsters as that would go against everything I believed) that he was trying to cure. Right now, Harry was playing the Werewolf. I looked on in boredom and amusement.

"Nice loud howl, Harry." Lockhart said, motioning with his fingers for Harry to howl louder.

Harry gave a loud howl, his cheeks turning bright red from humiliation. I bit the palm of my hand to keep from bursting out laughing. I could already see the Slytherins in the corner of the room dissolving into giggles- not trying to be quiet. Seamus and Dean were having a hard time keeping straight faces in the front row.

"-exactly-and then, if you'll believe it, I pounced- and like this-" Lockhart jumped up and landed on top of Harry. Harry's mouth shaped into an o like he'd had the breath knocked out of him. I winced. "-slammed him to the floor- thus- with one hand, I managed to hold him down-" His hand went down on Harry's chest. "-with my other, I put my wand to his throat- I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm- he let out a piteous moan- go on, Harry-"

The moan that Harry let out was certainly one to pity and it also pushed me over my self-control. I dissolved into giggles, managing to keep them silent which only made them worse. Tears leaked out of my eyes and I quickly put my head down on the desk.

"-higher than that." Lockhart said disapprovingly.

Harry made another attempt at the sound. It was definitely higher. Ron also dissolved into laughter. Even Hermione was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"-good- the fur vanished- the fangs shrank- and he turned back into a man. Simple, yet effective- and another village will remember me forever as the hero who delivered them from the monthly terror of werewolf attacks." Lockhart said, standing up and helping Harry up.

The bell rang and I quickly wiped my eyes so that Harry didn't know I'd been laughing.

"Homework- compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed Copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!"

"I'd rather have an actual grade." I muttered, my good mood from Harry's performance gone.

Harry returned to the back of the room. Hermione had the permission slip out hidden behind her stack of books. Ron was standing up, facing his back towards us. I felt my anxiety heighten for no reason.

"Ready?" Harry muttered. I shook my head slightly.

"Wait till everyone's gone." Hermione muttered. "All right. . ."

She approached Lockhart's desk, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand. Like in Myrtle's bathroom, Harry and Ron followed her and I hung back near the back of the classroom.

"Er- Professor Lockhart?" Hermione stammered. "I wanted to- to get this book out of the library. Just for background reading." She held out the book slip. "But the thing is, it's in the Restricted Section of the library, so I need a teacher to sign for it- I'm sure it would help me understand what you say in Gadding with Ghouls about slow-acting venoms-"

It was a good argument if you looked at it from a logical standpoint. Of course, I'm sure he wouldn't even look at the name of the book.

"Ah, Gadding with Ghouls. Possibly my very favorite book. You enjoyed it?" Lockhart said, taking the slip from her.

"No." I muttered under my breath. Actually, it was a good book. He was a talented person. I just didn't like how he'd portrayed me in the newspapers. That was what I was mad about. His books were really good if I could look at them from a non-biased point of view.

Oh and his attitude of course.

"Oh, yes." Hermione said eagerly. "So clever, the way you trapped that last one with the tea-strainer-"

I agreed- silently.

Lockhart interrupted her again. "Well, I'm sure no one will mind me giving the best student of the year a little extra help." Lockhart said in a warm voice. I smoldered at that statement.

"Yes, nice isn't it?" Lockhart said suddenly, addressing this comment to Ron. I couldn't see his face so I looked to see what they were talking about. "I usually save it for book-signings." Oh, his peacock quill. It was very nice. I wish I could feel that I could afford one, but they were so expensive, nearly 25 gallons for a freaking quill! Okay, I could afford one but it wasn't as though I would use it! Not in the classroom anyways.

"So Harry." Lockhart said, giving the slip back to Hermione. I watched her fold the note clumsily and stuff it back into her bag. "Tomorrow's the first Quidditch match of the season, I believe? Gryffindor against Slytherin, is it not? I hear you're a useful player. I was a Seeker, too. I was asked to try for the National Squad, but preferred to dedicate my life to the eradication of the Dark Forces. Still, if ever you feel the need for a little private training, don't hesitate to ask. Always happy to pass on my expertise to less able players. . ."

Lockhart had been asked to join the National Squad? Really! That was amazing. I smarted a little that he thought Harry was a less able player. Harry was a very talented Quidditch player, much more talented than I could ever hope to be. He was the youngest Seeker in nearly 100 years! Pride filled me for a second.

Harry made an indistinct noise in the back of his throat and I left the room, the other three following me.

"I don't believe it." Harry said once Lockhart was out of earshot, "He didn't even look at the book we wanted."

"That's because he's a brainless git. But who cares, we've got what we needed-" Ron was suddenly interrupted by Hermione.

"He is not a brainless git." Her voice had gone up about seven octaves.

"Just because he said you were the best student of the year-" I started angrily and then we dropped our voices as we entered the library.

Madam Pince, the librarian often stalked around the library, looking for those doing magic or talking too loudly. She was an irritable woman but I thought she was handsome. She had flawless skin with thin cheeks so that her cheekbones showed. She rarely smiled, though when she did, she looked quite beautiful. She always wore the same green cloak and hat.

"Moste Potente Potions?" Madam Pince questioned, reading off the slip that Hermione was holding out. She tried to take it, but Hermione wouldn't let go. I frowned.

"I was wondering if I could keep it." She said breathlessly.

"Oh for Merlin's sake." I snapped and pulled it out of Hermione's grasp and handed it to Madam Pince. Hermione glared at me and I said, "We can easily get you another one. I'm sure he keeps a stack of signed photos in his pocket." I shot a look at Harry who grinned.

Madam Pince held the signature up to the light, probably trying to figure out if Lockhart's signature was good enough. She stalked off to go get the book and came back with a large, old book. It had a moldy look to it and I wrinkled my nose. Books shouldn't look like that. Hermione took it carefully and put it in her bag.

We left the library after that and we were in Myrtle's bathroom five minutes later. The four of us crowded around the book while Hermione flipped through it. There was a very good reason that this book was in the restricted section. There were disgusting illustrations that looked painful and gruesome.

"Here it is." Hermione said with an excited voice and stopped flipping through the pages. I leaned over her shoulder to get a better look at the ingredients, though I knew what most of them would contain.

"This is one of the most complicated potions I've ever seen." Hermione's voice had lost its excitement. I nodded solemnly next to her. "Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed, and knotgrass. Well they're easy enough, they're in the student store-cupboard, we can help ourselves. . . Oooh, look, powdered horn of a bicorn- don't know where we're going to get that- shredded skin of a boomslang- that'll be tricky, too- and of course a bit of whoever we want to change into."

"Excuse me?" Ron said sharply, "What D'you mean, a bit of whoever we're changing into? I'm drinking nothing with Crabbe's toenails in it-"

I giggled.

Hermione continued on. "We don't have to worry about that, though, because we add those bits last. . ."

Unperturbed, Ron turned to Harry and me, speechless. Harry spoke then, "D'you realize how much we're going to have to steal, Hermione? Shredded skin of a boomslang, that's definitely not in the students' cupboard. What're we going to do, break into Snape's private stores? I don't know if this is a good idea. . ."

Hermione shut the book with a snap, a strange glimmering look in her eyes. "Well if you three are going to chicken out, fine." Bright patches appeared on her cheeks. "I don't want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion. But if you don't want to find out if it's Malfoy, I'll go straight to Madam Pince now and hand the book back in-"

I stared at her in shock, "When did I say I was chickening out!" My voice climbed three octaves. "I don't chicken out."

"I never thought I'd see the day when you'd be persuading us to break rules." Ron said, also in a state of shock, "All right, we'll do it. But no toenails, okay?"

I giggled again, feeling just a little lighter with Ron's humor. So that was what was worrying Ron the most- toenails.

"How long will it take to make, anyway?" Harry asked as Hermione happily opened the book up again.

"Well since the fluxweed has got to picked at the full moon-" Hermione started but I interrupted.

"I can get the fluxweed at full moon. There's a load of patches out in the Forbidden Forest. If you let me borrow the invisibility cloak Harry, I can get enough."

"That sounds like a plan." Harry and Hermione said together. Then, Hermione continued, "the lacewings have got to be stewed for twenty-one days. . .I'd say it'd be ready in about a month, if we can get all the ingredients."

"A month!" Ron exclaimed. "Malfoy could have attacked half the Muggle-borns in the school by then!" Hermione's eyes narrowed dangerously and he quickly added, "But it's the best plan we've got, so full steam ahead, I say."

Ron had a simpler plan though. As Hermione went to go see if there was anyone in the hallway, he whispered to Harry, "It'll be a lot less hassle if you can just knock Malfoy off his broom tomorrow."

I laughed again.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖓𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙, 𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖆𝖉 of going to bed, I snuck through the castle, always double checking to make sure I wasn't being followed, and hurried out to the forest. I walked with a purpose, once I knew no one was following me, and made my way to where I knew the Centaurs would be gathering tonight.

I saw them in the moonlight, standing in a circle, talking. I stayed behind, not wanting to interrupt, and I climbed a tree to overhear what was going in. Sometimes, I interjected and spoke and that was when they knew I was there. Sometimes, they were in heated debates about humans and I would leave without making an noise.

It was freezing cold, considering it was November and once I was safely in the crook of the tree, I pulled my cloak around me. Then, I listened to what was being said below.

". . . Bane." Firenze was finishing off his sentence. He didn't sound angry- yet- but he sounded frustrated.

"We should not be sharing out knowledge with the humans." Bane said, rearing on his hind legs and kicking his front legs in anger. "You are setting yourself against the heavens, Firenze, by continuing to talk to the Kane girl."

I felt my heart plummet. I should leave. The Centaurs all knew that I stayed in the trees. They'd know soon that I was here, if they were looking.

"Since when has sharing knowledge ever been a danger to us!" Firenze thundered angrily. "The girl is the smartest of her type, and you know it even if you don't like it. And would you want to stop conversing with Hagrid? The human who protects the forest? Not every human is as terrible as you want to make them out to be Bane."

Bane opened his mouth to retort but then Ronan stepped in, "Bane, you must consider that the girl is not sharing her knowledge with anyone. It is for her and her only. She simply has a thirst for knowledge that we've never seen in any other human. The planets have not said that she is a hindrance or a danger to our community. I believe, personally, that her opinions enlighten us as well- share in knowledge, perhaps we could call it."

I felt a little bit of relief in my chest. While only Ronan and Firenze had said anything in defense, I still felt that it was better than nothing. I wondered how the others felt.

A large centaur, Ivagio, spoke next. He was a lovely brown color with large amber eyes and dreadlocks. "I have never found a danger with the Kane girl nor Hagrid. Both are a joy to the forest. I understand the concern of our knowledge, Bane, I do, but we've always conversed our ideas with Hagrid. You even did so last year, telling Hagrid that Mars was bright."

"Hagrid is kind, caring man." Bane spat. "But he also does not know the true meaning behind Mars being so bright. He does not realize-"

I interrupted. "He does not realize that Harry is going to die."

The centaurs went silent, looking up. Bane kicked his back legs, perhaps in frustration or anger. I doubted that he was embarrassed though.

"Elizabeth Kane." Firenze said giving me an almost smile, "Welcome back."

"Indeed." Ivagio said, "Welcome back. You've been gone long, though I must admit with this sort of reception, I do not blame you."

I shook my head and smiled. "I only stayed away so as not to intrude. Though I've had multiple invitations to come back, so I decided tonight would be a night to come."

Bane shot Firenze a look, pawing the ground with his hoof. Firenze was, indeed, the only one to invite me back, but this way it sounded like multiple Centaurs had wanted me back.

I dropped down from the tree. I was now at the mercy of the Centaurs, and they all knew it. I had no defense and no height.

I bowed just slightly and then said, "I will be heading back to the castle tonight so that you can continue your conversation. It's an important one, I do understand, and I will not give my input for this conversation since it's a biased opinion."

I gave them a small smile, turned, and walked away from them, and made my way up to the castle. I felt much better once I collapsed into bed. I was going to have to wake up early for Harry's game tomorrow. Hopefully, he would knock Draco off his broom- that would certainly be fun to see.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 8

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖋𝖊𝖜 days were horrendous for me. Everywhere I went I swear, either Dumbledore, Snape, or McGonagall were shooting me conspicuous looks, waiting for answers. I'd given them a least a months worth of information, what more did they want from me? The grades to people's tests? Every little conversation that was between now and Colin's petrifying?

I was angsty and snapped easily, lashing out at everyone. Hermione had retreated inside herself, not talking to anyone and constantly reading, more than ever. The Hufflepuffs had taken to avoiding Harry despite my assurances that Harry wasn't the one who had petrified Mrs. Norris, and the fact that Dumbledore didn't believe Harry had done it.

A week later on Wednesday, I was with Ron in the library while Hermione was in the stacks of books father back. Ron was measuring his History of Magic essay which was supposed to be three feet long.

"I don't believe it." Ron said, letting the tape measuring shut as Harry walked into the library and sat down next to us. "I'm still eight inches short. And Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny." He let go of the parchment he had written his essay on and it sprang together into its original roll.

"Where is she?" Harry asked, grabbing the tape measure to measure his own essay.

"Mines four feet nine inches." I said with a smirk, able to gloat because Hermione wasn't here. Ron glanced over at my essay and scowled. My handwriting was just as small as Hermione's. Harry chuckled as he sat down.

"Somewhere over there," Ron said, pointing vaguely into the shelves. "Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas."

I snorted with laughter and then refocused on my Potions assignment that was due next week.

"Listen, as I was coming here, I saw Justin Finch-Fletchley from Herbology class, remember him? Anyways, I was going to say Hello to him but he darted off in the other direction to avoid me." Harry said, sounding unhappy and a bit confused. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and rolled up my potions essay.

"Dunno why you care." Ron said, scribbling as largely as possible to take up more space on his essay. "I thought he was a bit of an idiot. All that junk about Lockhart being so great-"

I scowled, pulling the string around my essay just a little to tightly. My essay crinkled and I had to untie the string and retie it. Even though my Hufflepuff friends were wrong, I didn't like anyone talking bad about them.

Hermione came out from behind the stacks of books, looking irritable. I put my potions essay away and pulled out my charms essay that was due in three days. Shallow charming and is it better than deep charming? Two feet four inches due. UGH! Shallow and deep charms were so boring!

"All the copies of Hogwarts, A History have been taken out." She said, sitting down across from Harry. "And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."

"They're a waste of space, you shouldn't have brought them period." I muttered under my breath. While Ron laughed, Hermione scowled at me, but otherwise ignored my comment.

"Why do you want it?" Harry asked curiously, shooting me a grin.

"The same reason everyone else wants it. To read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets." Hermione said waspishly, obviously still mad about my 'Lockhart's books are stupid' comment.

I looked up quickly as Harry asked, "What's that?"

Hogwarts, A History had the Chamber of Secrets legend in it? My book was downstairs, I could run up and get it before class. Did I have enough time? Probably not, Transfiguration started in 10 minutes. I could get it after class.

"Hermione, let me read your composition." Ron said desperately, checking his watch.

"No, I won't. You've had ten days to finish it-" Hermione said in her severe, bossy voice.

I quickly pulled my essay out of my bag and tossed it over to him. "Be quick. I don't want to be late to McGonagall's class."

Hermione gave me a look of disapproval.

"It's two lines, Hermione." I said in defense. "Its a one time pass too." I warned Ron as he clumsily untied my perfect parcel knot.

The bell rang and we parted separate ways- them to History of Magic with Binns, me to Transfiguration with McGonagall.

I sat down in my regular seat in the front of the classroom. We were going to be working on animal to goblet transformations. I had asked Sadie to fly into class today and she was already sitting on the back of my chair. I turned around and petted her head. "Ready for today?" I asked softly. "It'll be quick and painless, I promise. You can always change your mind of course." I added quickly.

Sadie hooted quietly and stuck her beak in my hair like she was grooming me. I grinned at her and petted her head again. Professor McGonagall called for attention at the front of the class and I turned around, leaning forward so that I wasn't pressed up against Sadie.

Suddenly, I was no longer in the Transfiguration classroom, but in the History of Magic classroom. I tried to look around, confused, then realized I couldn't move. I was in a different point of view, looking at Hermione. The view shifted to look at Professor Binns.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students. . ."

I was back in the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McGonagall was going over the wand movement and Incantation. I quickly started scribbling down what she was saying. What a weird blackout.

I'd had a blackout like that before, last year. I hadn't been looking into the future, just as I hadn't been looking just now. And last year I was in the point of view of Harry. Was I in Harry this time again? I certainly wasn't in Hermione's point of view considering that I had been looking at her for a moment. And I couldn't see a reason why I'd be anyone else.

Then, it happened again. I was back in the History of Magic classroom, Binns still talking. "The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to reseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

I came back to the Transfiguration classroom and looked around quickly. Everyone else had started on their transformation. Sadie hooted softly behind me, and I held out my arm, and she hopped onto it.

"Sorry." I whispered. "I got a bit distracted. I'm going to practice a little first so I get the spell perfect on the first try."

I looked down at my notes. Three taps on the target object then say the incantation. The incantation was Fera Verto.

"Fera Verto, Fera Verto." I said multiple times without my wand in my hand. Then, taking out my wand, I tapped Sadie lightly three times on top of her head and said, "Fera Verto."

She shrunk into a large silver goblet and I smiled proudly.

"Lovely, Miss Kane." Professor McGonagall said, who had started walking around amongst the students, looking at everyone's progress. "Five points to Hufflepuff." Sher performed the counter charm to turn Sadie back into herself.

I let out a sigh of relief. "That wasn't too bad, was it?" I asked, in concern.

Sadie hooted and flapped her wings. Then she tucked her head under her wing and closed her large eyes.

"Tired?" I asked, a little amused, a little preoccupied. I petted her head and down her back. She hooted softly again. I kept stroking her until the bell rang and then carried her over to the window and let her fly off. I watched her for a moment, wondering what the hell had just happened inside my head.

Now that I thought about it, it wasn't really the future, was it? It was the present in a different part of the castle. It had been the present last year as well. What was the difference? Why did it happen? It seemed the more I discovered about my visions, the more questions I had about them. Stupid things.

Grabbing my bag, I left the room quickly and headed down the hallway to get to the Great Hall for dinner. I approached the hallway where Mrs. Norris had been. Coming up from the other hallway, I heard Ron's voice saying, "D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?"

I looked over, seeing Hermione, Ron, and Harry were coming up to me. Harry raised his hand in greeting but listened to Hermione say, "I don't know. Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be- well- human."

The came to where I was standing which was right in front of the hallway where the attack had been. They stopped walking.

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard." Ron said, pointing to an empty wooden chair up against the wall.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around." Harry said, dropping to his knees so that he could look for clues better. I raised an eyebrow at him, rolled my eyes, and then looked away from him.

I looked around the empty hallway nervously. We shouldn't be here. I didn't think there was anything we could possibly find here.

"Scorch marks!" He said, pointing to the floor in front of him. "Here- and here-"

Where had the scorch marks come from?

"Come and look at this." Hermione said, across the corridor by the windows. "This is funny. . ."

Against my better judgement, I approached the windows with Harry. Hermione had been pointing at the topmost pane and it took me a moment to see what it was and then I jumped back in disgust. There was a single, long, silvery thread dangling like a rope. There were perhaps forty thousand spiders climbing along it like they were trying to escape to the outside world.

"Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" Hermione asked wondering.

"They look like they're trying to flee the castle." I murmured aloud, frowning. I didn't particularly like spiders.

"No, never. Have you, Ron?" Harry asked. There was no answer. "Ron?"

We turned to look around where Ron was standing well back away from the window panes.

"What's up?" Harry asked, confused and curious.

"I- don't- like- spiders." Ron said through gritted teeth.

"I never knew that." Hermione said with an air of surprise. "You've used spiders in Potions loads of times. . ."

"I don't mind them dead." Ron said, speaking very carefully as though opening his mouth to big would result in a spider in his mouth. "I just don't like the way they move. . ."

Hermione and I giggled.

"It's not funny." Ron said angrily. "If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my- my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his broomstick. . . You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and. . ."

He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was covering her mouth, stifling her laughs. I continued to laugh out loud.

Harry quickly changed the subject, "Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up."

"It was about here." Ron said, walking even farther away from the windows, his back to the spiders. "Level with this door."

Had there been water on the floor? I hadn't remembered that. It was obviously possible. Perhaps Myrtle had thrown a fit again. Peeves had upset her greatly last night.

Ron raised his hand to open the door and then drew his hand back.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked curiously, pushing forward to see.

"Can't go in there. That's a girls' toilet." Ron muttered.

I laughed again.

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there. That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look." Hermine said haughtily, pushing forward and opening the door.

I walked in first, looking around at the large, depressing bathroom. The floor was damp, like it always was. The candles flickered, dangerously close to going out. The mirrors were cracked and on the brink of shattering. The sinks were chipped, one faucet still dripping. The ceilings had stains on them and the bathroom stall doors were scratched and flaking. One door was hanging off its hinges.

I was never sure why this bathroom hadn't been cleaned up and repaired when it would've been so easy to do with a little magic. Part of me suspected it was because the Professors- or at least our headmaster- respected the ghosts and were lenient to let Myrtle have this place to her own.

I hung back while Hermione approached the last stall. "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"

Harry and Ron followed Hermione to see Myrtle. I heard her say, "This is a girls bathroom. They're not girls."

If I didn't like Myrtle or understood her sensitiveness, I would've said, "Wonderful observation." I held my tongue.

"No." Hermione said in agreement. "I just wanted to show them how- er- nice it is in here."

I rolled my eyes, crossed my arms, and leaned back against the stall doors, studying the sinks. They were all shaped the same way except for one. One of them, the middle one, had the design of a snake curling around the tap. Strange design, but I supposed since this bathroom was close to the Slytherin common room. Perhaps that was why?

The sound of Myrtle howling in agony made me pull my attention away from the taps and pay attention again. ". . .My life was nothing but misery at this place and now people come along ruining my death!"

"We wanted to ask you if you've seen anything funny lately." Hermione said in a rushed way. "Because a cat was attacked right outside your front door on Halloween."

"Did you see anyone near here that night?" Harry asked, as though perhaps Myrtle hadn't understood the first time.

"I wasn't paying attention." Myrtle said in a voice that I knew meant she was about to do something dramatic. "Peeves upset me so much I came in here and tried to kill myself. Then, of course, I remembered that I'm- that I'm-"

"Already dead?" Ron asked.

Myrtle gave a tragic sob and I heard a splash that meant Myrtle had dove into the toilet. I sighed, getting up from the wall, pinching my nose.

"Let's go." I said, almost bored. "I'm hungry."

Harry closed the door behind us and we started to walk towards the Great Hall and then a loud voice made all of us jump.

"RON!"

We all spun around. There was Percy Weasley, Ron's eldest brother at Hogwarts, stopped dead at the head of the stairs. I could see his prefect badge gleaming from here. I wouldn't be surprised if he polished it every night before he went to bed. He had a look of pure shock on his face.

"That's a girls bathroom!" He said gasping. "What were you-"

Ron tried to shrug it off by saying, "Just having a look around, clues, you know-"

Percy swelled up, looking a bit like Mrs. Weasley in my opinion when she got mad. He strode toward us in long strides and started flapping his arms, moving us forward like we were birds he was trying to shoo away. "Get- away- from- there-. Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at dinner-"

"Why shouldn't we be here?" Ron asked hotly. "Listen, we never laid a finger on that cat." He said, stopping short. Harry bumped into him.

"That's what I told Ginny." Percy said fiercely. "But she still seems to think you're going to be expelled. I've never seen her so upset, crying her eyes out, you might think of her, all the first years are thoroughly overexcited by this business-"

I felt guilt pierce me like a hot knife. I'd been perfectly friendly with Ginny at the Burrow, but the moment I'd gotten back to Hogwarts it had been Harry, Ron, Hermione, and me. Of course, we were in different years which meant we didn't have a lot of time that we could spend together, but still. We could go to Hagrid's together, explore the forest, study- or I supposed I could tutor her. I had to find some way that we could stay friends. It would be cruel any way else.

"You don't care about Ginny." Ron accused Percy, his ears bright red. "You're just worried I'm going to mess up your chances of being Head Boy-"

Percy's fingers flew up to his Prefect badge, stroking it, almost as though Ron had hurt its feelings. "Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said angrily. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!" He turned around and strode off without making sure we were going to the Great Hall to eat. His neck was redder than Ron's ears.

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𝕴 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖉 𝖆𝖜𝖆𝖞 from the Great Hall by myself instead of with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Ginny came out of the Great Hall some moments later, looking a bit pale.

"Hey Ginny!" I approached her quickly.

She looked at me, looking even paler, and a little disconcerted, and then said, "Oh, hey Elizabeth."

"Um. . . I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk with me. I have something important I want to tell you." I said, clutching my book tightly. I still wasn't entirely sure what I was going to say. Everything that I wanted to say, read in my head, sounded stupid.

"Sure." Ginny said. We walked out of the castle. The sky was turning pink and gold and it was already very cold. We wrapped our cloaks around us and we wandered down to the Black lake.

"Umm. . ." I started out. "I just wanted to apologize to you." I looked out over the lake, unable to look at her, as ashamed as I was. I wasn't entirely why I felt so ashamed, but I did. I couldn't explain the strange feeling in my stomach. I felt like I had committed a crime.

"Why?" Ginny asked, sounding curious and surprised.

"Because." I said, taking a deep breath, my cheeks turning pink from shame and cold. "Over the summer, I was your friend and then we came to Hogwarts and I stopped talking to you. That was wrong of me. I want to be friends Ginny." I said that as innocently as a twelve year old could. "I understand that I've probably been really cold and that's just. . . no excuses." I finished lamely. "I'll always be around, I promise."

I finally looked at her and smiled, hoping she accepted my apology. The words still sounded stupid.

Ginny smiled back at me. She looked strangely relieved, as though she had expected me to say something else. "Friends forever?" she asked.

"Friends forever." I agreed. A warm feeling spread through my body despite the cold temperature outside. I was definitely doing the right thing. Now, I just had to keep my promise and that was always harder than it sounded.

"I have a report I have to finish for Charms, want to help?" Ginny asked, tilting her head to side hesitantly, as though I might have changed my mind in the last three seconds.

"Sure, let's go to the library." I said, smiling like an idiot. But what can I say? I'm twelve years old and I like making friends. There's nothing wrong with that. Besides, despite having a brother, I'd always wanted a sister. Specifically a little sister I could watch over.

We walked back up to the castle, stepping through the huge front doors and feeling the immediate transformation from freezing to warm. We walked through the hallways and up staircases, talking and laughing.

Reaching the library, we stepped inside, finding a table in the back and pulling out essays. Ugh Shallow and Deep charms. I wondered how Professor Flitwick would react if I just didn't do it. To my pleasure, Ginny needed help on one of her Transfiguration assignments.

As I started to help her with a question that I had done last year, I saw a bubbling cauldron in a bathroom stall.

I pushed the vision away. I could think about those later. Right now, it was just me and Ginny. I wasn't going to break my promise.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 7

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

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𝕾𝖊𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖒𝖇𝖊𝖗 𝖕𝖆𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖉 𝖆𝖓𝖉 October started to roll around. Dad had written me back congratulating me on making Hufflepuff Quidditch team and inquiring what trouble I'd been into. He'd also explained that his job was a simple one, perhaps boring, but he never told me the specifics of what he was doing.

Harry came to Hermione, Ron, and I as we were studying in the Gryffindor common room. While I was not a Gryffindor, I was seen in there so frequently that people tended to forget I wasn't one.

He was dripping with mud, having just come in from a rainy Quidditch practice. He had gone to the showers and had come back to tell us about Nearly Headless Nick inviting him, and us, to his Deathday party.

"A deathday party?" Hermione asked, interested. "I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those- it'll be fascinating!"

"Right there with you Hermione." I said, grinning over my fun Muggle book As the Crow Flies. (Not because the book was necessarily a fun book to read or that it was fun, just that I considered books that weren't for school as 'fun' because they weren't serious).

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" Ron asked grumpily, working on potions homework. "Sounds dead depressing to me." He glanced up at me, "How do you have time to read that? Aren't you swamped with homework? Even Hermione's not completely done with her homework."

I looked up from my book. Over Ron's shoulder I saw that Fred and George were trying to figure out what happened if you fed a firework to a salamander. Luckily, it was a magical fire-dwelling salamander from Care of Magical Creatures class. I looked upon them, amused, and then answered Ron, "I finished yesterday. And Hermione only has one assignment left anyways."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, the salamander whizzed through the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs, while it whirled wildly around the room. People jumped out of the way, laughing at its antics. It was funny, but I wasn't entirely sure if it was ethical.

However, once Percy started bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, I started to laugh. The salamander escaped into the fire and started exploding tangerine colored stars from its mouth, and then the fireworks died down, and the salamander curled up on the fire to sleep. I laughed so hard, tears came into my eyes, and Hermione and I collapsed into more fits of giggles.

.💚💚.

𝕺𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝕳𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖉 to come around however, Harry was starting to regret his promise to go to the deathday party, constantly talking to Ron, Hermione, and I about possibly skipping it. Ron was all for that, but Hermione got very bossy about it saying a promise was a promise. I privately agreed with her. Besides, it was going to be a fascinating experience, even if something very bad was going to happen afterwards.

I told them I'd meet them at the Great Hall at seven. I had ducked into the Great Hall and had packed food into my bag so that we could eat after the party. It would be rude to eat in front of ghosts.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron were dressed in everyday wear and were surprised that I was wearing a thick cloak. "It'll be cold in the dungeons." was my defense.

We walked down into the dungeon which was lined with candles. I wondered who had set them out, considering ghosts couldn't move objects. Perhaps peeves, though I doubted he'd do anything nice. There were long, thin, jet-black tapers which burned bright blue. As we got closer to the dungeons, I covered my ears with a start at what sounded like nails on a chalkboard.

"Oh." I whimpered.

"Is that supposed to be music?" Ron whispered, wincing as well.

We turned the corner and I quickly dropped my hands as Nick was floating in front of the doorway. He was wearing velvet black robes and was looking very mournful.

How did he change clothes? Ghosts could change clothes? That was fascinating.

"My dear friends. Welcome, welcome. . . so pleased you could come. . ." He said in a very proper, simpering, mournful tone.

He bowed us inside and I felt a bit more comfortable, seeing all the ghosts that were here. I looked around interested, doing my best to ignore the horrible music. Some were dancing, others were talking and laughing. There was a chandelier overhead with midnight-blue flames, and more candles lined the walls and floor. The same tapers that had lined the hallway outside were put at regular intervals along the walls as well.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry asked, awkwardly.

I was a bit disappointed, wanting to converse with the Fat Friar on the other side of the room who was talking to a knight with an arrow sticking out of his forehead. I wondered what his story was.

"Careful not to walk through anyone." Ron whispered nervously. We set off around the edge of the dance floor so that we weren't around any other spirits.

We walked past many groups of different ghosts and I was itching to stop and have a conversation with them.

"Oh, no." Hermione said, stopping so abruptly that I slammed into her. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle-"

"What?" I asked, still slightly disconcerted by the sudden stop. "Why not?"

"Who?" Harry asked, as we started to go back the way we came.

"She haunts one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor." Hermione said.

"She haunts a toilet?" Harry asked redundantly.

"Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you-" Hermione said, explaining everything.

"I like Myrtle." I said, frowning. "When she's not throwing a fit she's actually really fun to talk to. I used to go in there all the time just to talk to her. I like ghosts."

"Well you've always been a bit weird, haven't you?" Harry said jokingly, grinning at me.

I nudged him with my elbow.

"Look, food!" Ron said, pointing.

They approached the table but I hung back, knowing exactly what it was going to be- rotted food. I couldn't stand the smell, I thought I might just be sick. I quickly took the food I had in my bag and pulled it out so that I could smell it. My stomach calmed down a bit more.

I heard Hermione say, "I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor." and then I heard Ron say, "Can we move? I feel sick."

I walked forward with my own food, but then peeves got in between them and myself.

"Hello, Peeves." Harry said cautiously.

I glared at Peeves, annoyed, and walked around him to stand with the others. He was wearing an orange party hate, a revolving bow tie that flashed different colors, and a bright orange turncoat.

"Nibbles?" He said in a false sweet voice, offering us a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus. I nearly threw up.

"No thanks." Hermione said, wrinkling her nose.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle. Rude you was about poor Myrtle." Peeves said, his eyes twinkling mischievously. He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!"

"Oh bloody hell." I said. Multiple ghosts looked around and glared up at Peeves.

Hermione whispered frantically, trying to cover her tracks saying, "Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be really upset. I didn't mean it, I don't mind her- er, hello, Myrtle."

Myrtle had wandered over. She was a thin girl, with thick glasses and looked a bit like Harry if he had worn a wig and looked a bit more like a girl. Her hair was in pigtails that came down on either side of her head. She wore Hogwarts robes from when she had been in Ravenclaw.

"What?" She asked sulkily as she glared at all of us, her expression softening just a bit when she saw me.

"How are you Myrtle?" Hermione asked in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

I wanted to slam my head into my hands, but thought it might be a dead give away. Myrtle sniffed.

Peeves leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Miss Granger was just talking about you-"

Myrtle eyed Hermione with suspicions. I quickly took charge of the conversation.

"I was telling them about how we used to talk when I came into the restroom last year. Your favorite things to do, what you wanted to be when you grew up, and your life before this life." I lied brightly.

Myrtle brightened up considerably and Peeves glared at me. "Oh yes, dreadful isn't it?"

"Of course." I said sympathetically.

"But Miss Granger was talking about you. . ." Peeves continued, wanting to create chaos tonight. "Don't you want to know what she said?"

I sighed. There was no hope, I guess I really couldn't change the future.

"Just saying- saying- how nice you look tonight." Hermione said, glaring at Peeves.

"You're making fun of me." Myrtle said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No-honestly- didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" Hermione asked, nudging Ron and Harry in the ribs.

"I think you look lovely Myrtle." I said, trying again. "I love your pigtails."

Myrtle hesitated, not sure if she should be upset or not. Peeves whispered something in her ear and then Myrtle said, "Don't lie to me." Tears were starting to flood down her face and I too, glared at Peeves. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply." Peeves hissed at her.

Myrtle burst into sobs and floated away, fleeing. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with moldy peanuts and shouting, "Pimply! Pimply!"

I turned away, frustrated. What good was knowing what was going to happen, if I couldn't make any changes to it?

"Enjoying yourselves?" I turned to see that Nearly Headless Nick had floated over to see how we are doing.

"Oh yes." The other three lied.

"I think this is just fascinating." I said honestly.

"Not a bad turnout." Nearly Headless Nick said proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent. . . It's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra-"

The orchestra stopped playing at that moment however, and the sound of a hunting horn echoed through the chamber. The other ghosts turned to see what was going on. I sighed in exasperation. Would this night ever end?

Nick's face turned bitter and he said, "Oh, here we go."

Ghosts riding ghost horses burst through the wall, the ghosts all holding their heads by their hip. The ghosts that were standing around started to clap. I quickly grabbed Harry's hands as he started to clap and shook my head.

I handed my food to Ron who started to eat it. I was going to have to leave and tell Professor Dumbledore and Snape what was about to happen. After all, if I didn't tell them, then they were going to wonder why I didn't tell them, and if I was covering up for someone. The horses galloped into the middle of the dance floor, rearing and neighing.

I wondered briefly if the horses knew they were dead and what they thought about it. The leading rider jumped down, putting his head back down on his head. I winced at the sight. "Nick! How are you? Head still hanging in there?" He roared as he approached.

He gave a hearty laugh and clapped Nick on the shoulder.

"Welcome, Patrick." Nick said stiffly, still trying to be courteous.

"Live 'uns!" Sir Patrick said, spotting Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I. He gave a huge fake jump of astonishment so that his head fell off again and the ghost crowd roared with laughter. They were starting to close in a circle. The spirits I had once wanted to talk to were making me feel like I was in some sci-fi murder film. Goosebumps broke out on my skin.

"Very amusing." Nick said icily.

"Don't mind Nick!" Sir Patrick's head said from the floor. "Still upset we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say- look at the fellow-"

Harry quickly interjected saying, "I think Nick's very- frightening and- er-"

I sighed as the head shouted, "Ha! Bet he asked you to say that!"

"Perhaps." I interjected angrily. "But I think it's highly biased and prejudiced that you won't allow him to the join the Hunt when it's his greatest wish, and he practically fits the qualifications anyways."

Nick beamed at me, but St. Patrick said, "And how is he going to participate in headless games without a headless head?"

I didn't have an answer for that and Nick quickly said, "If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech." He started to float up to the podium and I saw my chance.

"I'm going to the bathroom." I whispered to the others. I darted back across the dance floor and out of the room. Taking a deep breather, I walked swiftly up the corridor and watched as Mrs Norris trotted past me. I hesitated, not wanting to go down the same path she was about to face.

I let her go past and counted to twenty and then heard a voice in the wall and my blood spiked. ". . . rip. . . tear. . . kill."

"Time to go." I muttered and opened the door to the Great Hall and slipped inside. The feast was coming to a close as the others were eating dessert and starting to get full. I slipped along the back wall, making my way up to the teachers table.

No one paid me any attention, to busy eating and laughing and jesting to take notice. I tried to catch the eye of Professor Snape as I got closer to the table so that I wouldn't have to go up to the table. I'd never seen a student do that before and certainly didn't want to be the first.

Finally, as I reached the end of the student tables, Professor Snape looked over at me and I made a jerking motion with my head. I pointed to Professor Dumbledore. He stood slowly and bent to whisper something in Professor Dumbledore's ear. I dashed up the stairs and stood to the side where the students couldn't see me.

Professor Snape and Dumbledore approached me.

"What is it, Miss Kane?" Professor Dumbledore asked. "Did you see something interesting?"

The students started to file out and I spoke hurriedly. "I might be too late but I saw Filch's cat hanging by its tail from a torch bracket. In my vision, I mean. I don't know how or why, but I don't think she's dead. I'm not sure. It was supposed-"

I was interrupted by someone shouting from the hallway, "Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

"Too late." I whispered.

The other teachers got up from the table to investigate what was going on, and Professor Dumbledore and Snape led the way out of the Great Hall and into the corridor, parting through students to get to the front. I followed closely behind Snape.

On the wall above the cat there was a sign written in paint that said, THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

Filch was lunging at Harry saying, "You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!" Dumbledore said loudly and calmly.

I found that I was clutching the end of Professor Snape's robes in anticipation, and I quickly let go, looking down, and blushing. Dumbledore swept past Filch and neatly detached Mrs. Norris from the bracket. I was trembling with anxiety.

"Come with me Argus. You too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Kane." Dumbledore said.

Lockhart stepped forward, eager as a puppy. "My office is nearest, Headmaster- just upstairs- please feel free-"

"Thank you, Gilderoy." Dumbledore said.

The crowd parted, letting us through, and I followed closely behind Snape, perhaps more accurately, hiding behind him. My fingers brushed the back of his cloak on accident, and he gave a start.

In Lockhart's office, Professor Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris down on an empty table. Filch was sitting in the back of the room, slumped in a chair, his face in his hands, sobbing. I felt horrible for him, and if he hadn't been such a horrible person to the students, I might've tried to attempt to comfort him.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her- probably the Transmogrifian Torture- I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her. . ." He continued talking until I got so annoyed I snapped.

"She's not dead." I snapped at Lockhart.

He looked at me in surprise and both Professor McGonagall and Snape turned their attention to me. "Of course she is Miss Pot-"

"Oh shut up." I snapped moodily. If he called me Miss Potter one more time I was going to curse him into oblivion.

Professor McGonagall's face was one of surprise, probably because I had never been disrespectful to anyone ever. Snape on the other hand looked rather amused.

Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus. Miss Kane is correct." He said.

"Not dead?" Filch choked out, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. I really did feel sorry for him. "But why's she all- stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," Dumbledore said.

"Ah, I thought so!" Lockhart said, looking around proudly. I rolled my eyes.

"But how, I cannot say. . ." Dumbledore said, looking at me with his pale blue piercing eyes. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked, pointing at Harry.

"He didn't do it." I said in a softer tone than I had used with Lockhart.

"No second year could have done this. It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced-" Dumbledore said firmly but was interrupted by Filch.

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found- in my office- he knows I'm a- He knows I'm a Squib!" He finished.

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, seeming very uncomfortable. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

I opened my mouth to give Harry the definition of what a Squib was but Filch interrupted me, spitting mad, "Rubbish! He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster." Snape said, stepping forward. "Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I all launched into different version of the deathday party. We were all talking over each other but I think they got the gist of it.

"But why not join the feast afterward? Why go up to that corridor?" Professor Snape said, his lip starting to curl.

"Because they were looking for me." I quickly interjected. I hated lying but I remembered how Hermione had lied last year about the troll. The three of them looked at me in shock and a bit of confusion. "I'd told them I was leaving to go to the bathroom. We were all going to go to the feast afterwards."

"But Hufflepuffs don't sit with Gryffindors." Snape continued stubbornly. "So why would you guys have gone to the feast together?"

"Since when have I ever listened to that rule?" I asked honestly. "You should know perfectly well I sit with the Gryffindors all of the time."

Ron coughed to stop a laugh.

"Still." Snape pressed on, though his usually pale cheeks had flushed just slightly. "Surely you knew the feast was going to end soon. Why not just meet there?"

"We were tired and wanted to let her know that we were going back up to the Gryffindor common room to go to bed." Harry said.

"Without any supper?" Snape asked. I glared at him.

"We weren't hungry. Elizabeth brought food down to the party with her." Ron said but then his stomach growled.

I sighed.

Snape's smile got wider and I wanted to nudge him in the ribs. Hard. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful. It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

I snorted with laughter.

"Really, Severus." Professor McGonagall sharply. "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look at the moment. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus." He said finally.

Severus looked furious. "Knock it off." I hissed at him over Filch shrieking, "My cat has been Petrified! I want to see some punishment!"

Snape gave me a long look. I glared at him reproachfully. He was a Legilimens for Merlin's sake! At least, I was fairly certain he was. Couldn't he just peek into Harry's mind and see that it wasn't him? Actually, why didn't he just peak in my head and try and figure out my visions? Then I wouldn't have to try and explain any of this.

"We will be able to cure her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris." Professor Dumbledore told him patiently.

"I'll make it." Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep-"

"Excuse me." Snape said icily, whipping his head away from me. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause. Then, Dumbledore said, "You may go."

I turned to leave with the others but then Dumbledore said, "Miss Kane, please stay for a moment longer."

I turned back to him, knowing what he wanted. He spoke to Lockhart. "Could you please go back down to the corridor and make sure everyone is gone back to bed."

"Of course Professor." Lockhart said and made is way out of the room. Filch followed out, wiping tears away.

"Miss Kane, can you tell us exactly what happened?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

I sighed. "Harry had nothing to do with it. I don't know who opened the chamber or why or how. I don't see as much as people think I do. It takes concentration. I can't just ask questions and see what I want to see. My visions unfold like a story line. I don't really know much until it gets close enough and then I know just before everyone else. Funnily enough, the most important things are the things that are hardest to see."

Professor McGonagall didn't look confused, but she acted like it. "Visions? Like seeing into the future?"

I nodded. "I don't tell anyone about it for pretty much this exact reason. Even Harry and Ron don't know about it." I was pretty sure that she already knew.

"Will you try?" Professor Dumbledore asked calmly. "I wouldn't ask unless it was necessary."

I sighed and pulled out a chair and sat down with my back towards them. I rested my head on my arms and closed my eyes. Good lord, how I regretted telling Snape about my visions.

I focused, doing my best to ignore the three teachers behind me, waiting. It took me three minutes to even forget they existed and then I was able to focus. Hermione was asking Binns about the Chamber of secrets, boring. . . Hermione was convincing Harry and Ron to make a Polyjuice potion because they suspected Malfoy, fair. . . Oh, Gryffindor was going to win the game!

"Oh, Ouch." I muttered out loud seeing Harry have his arm broken from a bludger. . .then there was a hand lying on the ground, a bunch of grapes a couple of inches away. . . a camera in the other hand. . .

"That's not good." I said aloud.

"What?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

I pulled my head up, wincing at the horrible headache I had. I closed my right eye, hoping to alleviate the pain.

"Oh it was about the Quidditch game." I said.

"Slytherin won?" Professor McGonagall asked sharply. Snape shot me a triumphant look.

"No. Gryffindor is going to win. Harry's going to break his arm. He'll be put in the hospital wing overnight because Lockhart's going to try and fix his arm. Colin Creevey is going to try and sneak up to the hospital wing and he's going to be petrified. Professor Dumbledore is going to find him, going down to get hot chocolate."

"So we just tell Colin not to leave the dormitory after the game." Professor McGonagall said, looking at Professor Dumbledore.

"No." I snapped unnecessarily. I hadn't meant to snap at her- I would never have been disrespectful on purpose. But I was dizzy, light-headed, and had a thundering headache. Not to mention I was both tired and hungry. My knees felt shaky. I hadn't tried so hard before. I needed sleep. "You can't intervene with the future. It screws everything up."

She stared at me in shock. "But-"

I sighed, frustrated, and pressed my hand against my throbbing head. "You don't understand. The things that I see are set in stone. You change something, you try to intervene, it doesn't do anything. I have been trying since September 1st to change the future. Trying to stop the barrier from closing, trying to stop Ron from cursing Malfoy, trying and trying and trying. It doesn't work and its never going to. If Colin isn't petrified that night, it'll be another night or even worse, he's going to die. You don't stop something from changing it, it happens anyway whether its a second later or minutes later or an hour later. And this is why-" I looked at Dumbledore. "- I don't tell people. They immediately assume that they can change the future. I think you are a brilliant teacher Professor McGonagall, I admire you greatly, but this isn't something that can be changed."

I took a deep breath and sat back down, putting my head in my hands. I needed sleep. Or aspirin.

They were whispering between themselves. I shouldn't have snapped at Professor McGonagall. I shouldn't have reprimanded Professor Dumbledore. I most definitely should've nudged Professor Snape in the ribs though. I regretted not doing that.

"Alright Miss Kane." Professor Dumbledore said after some time. "We'll trust you with this for now."

I nodded, trying to find the strength to get up. I nearly tripped over my own two feet and would've bashed my head into the door handle if Professor Snape hadn't grabbed my arm, steadying me. I muttered thanks, finding strength in my knees after a moment, and left the room. I found my way back to the common room where the entire Hufflepuff house was waiting for me.

"What happened?" Cedric asked.

If it had been anyone else asking, I wouldn't have answered. "Professor Dumbledore decided that Mrs. Norris has been petrified. He also cautions everyone to try and avoid that specific corridor if it can be avoided. That's about it."

"Does he think Harry did it?" A fourth-year asked.

"Um no?" I questioned. "He says the magic that is done is too high of a level for a second-year to have done it. Probably even higher than a sixth-year. It's also dark magic. He doesn't believe that it's Harry at all, or any of the students for that matter."

I hurried up the stairs so that I could get to bed. I collapsed on the bed. I would write dad tomorrow. I rolled over, sleep coming quickly filled with dreams of snakes that when I woke up, I didn't remember.

⬅️➡️

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 6

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖍𝖊 Potions dungeon with apprehension in my stomach. I mean, Snape wasn't going to kill me but still. . .

I was confused when I walked in because the ingredients Professor Snape had taught me a couple days ago were laid out on the table again. I recognized lavender, Adder's tongue, betel nut, African sea salt, and aramadillo bile. Yuck. There was a skin to something green and bumpy on the table as well.

I looked around for Professor Snape, but there was no one in sight. I sat down at the table and waited, my anxiety growing. Did I have time for a nap? You're in trouble, I scolded myself, stop thinking about naps.

The time seemed to grow longer. Then, the door slammed open from behind me, bouncing off the wall. I jumped and spun around. Professor Snape looked angrier than I had seen, Professor Lockhart followed behind him, wearing robes of blood red. I groaned and turned back around.

"Ah, Miss Potter!" Professor Lockhart said, coming over and clapping me on the shoulder. I flinched from his touch, both not having expected it, and also- it was unwelcoming. "Detention with Professor Snape? Unlucky you. I've got Mr. Potter tonight. Perhaps next time you get detention, you can do it with me!"

"I don't make a habit of getting detention." I said stiffly. "And when are you going to drop this 'I'm Harry's sister charade'? It's getting a bit tiresome.'" I shrugged out from underneath his hand.

Professor Lockhart waved his hand, moving out to lean on my shoulder again. "What charade? If you'd just admit-"

"She's already clearly stated that she's not Potters' sister and perhaps if you'd call her by her correct name she'd be more receptive." Professor Snape said icily, stepping between us.

Professor Lockhart didn't seem perturbed at all, not like Professor Snape was the scariest Professor in the school or anything. "Very well, I'll call you by Kane if you want. It's not an attractive last name, but I suppose if that's what you want, that's what I'll do. Now Severus-"

"Gilderoy, you have a detention to attend to as do I, we can continue this conversation. . . eventually." Snape snarled, his lip curling.

Lockhart left the dungeons and I sat back down on my stool. "What am I doing tonight, Professor?" I asked, apprehensive.

"We'll be continuing class." Professor Snape said striding up to his desk and grabbing items off his desk.

"Er- sorry?" I asked, confused. "I'm supposed to be doing-"

"A detention?" Snape asked, rather snappishly. "I'm not stupid Miss Kane, I am quite aware of why you're here."

I had no response for that, feeling quite embarrassed.

Snape turned back to the table with multiple jars and tools. "I may be teaching, but you're going to be doing all the work tonight."

"Oh. So it's a work-learn experience. Wonderful!" I said, getting excited.

"Stop being so excited, you're in trouble." Professor Snape said but he was no longer angry. He almost seemed amused- if amusement was one of his emotions.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"Get to work Kane." Professor Snape said, kicking a stool towards the table and sitting down across from me.

I picked up the first ingredient and started to write.

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐 to the common room, my fingers stiff and my arms heavy. I couldn't wait for sleep. I felt weird too. Why in the world had Snape canceled my detention? If Harry had punched Draco in the face. . .

What was it about me that Snape felt he had to be nice towards me, probably even nicer than he was towards his own students. Would he have canceled Draco's detention if he'd had one? I couldn't imagine it.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from the walls and I froze. I could've sworn that someone had said Come.

Come? Had I really heard that or had it been a vision voice?

Then I heard it again, coming from the wall next to me. "come to me. . . Let me rip you. . . Let me tear you. . . Let me kill you. . ."

I jumped away from the wall, terrified. I ran as fast I could back to the common room, taking a different way. I didn't stop running until I was safe in bed. I was shaking and I clutched the covers around me. Something wanted to kill me -again- and this time it was in the walls.

I put my pillow over my head and fell asleep.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖌, I woke up restless. I hadn't gotten a good nights sleep. I got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall. Ron and Harry looked tired too. Hermine was reading Gadding with Ghouls.

I collapsed next to Harry and rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm so tired."

"So are Ron and I." Harry said, yawning. "What'd you have to do with Snape?"

"You heard about that?" I asked, surprised, picking my head up, and pulling over a crumpet. "Just cutting and sorting ingredients into jars." I picked up the syrup bottle and started to pour it into the holes. I was going to drown it before I ate it.

"That's not bad." Ron said, groaning.

"Not as bad as I thought I was going to get." I corrected, still pouring. Hermione wrinkled her nose in disgust. "But I heard the weirdest thing when I was walking back to the common room last night."

Harry looked at me very quickly. "Really, that's strange. I heard something weird last night too, what did you hear?"

I explained what had happened, how it sounded like a person was saying stuff through the wall, wanting to kill me.

Harry knocked over his pumpkin juice in excitement. "Those were the exact same words that I heard when I was in Lockhart's office, writing out addresses. But I don't understand how someone could've been in the room. And if you heard it, why didn't Lockhart?"

"Lockhart couldn't hear the voice?" I asked, finally putting the syrup bottle up and rubbed my hands together before diving into my five crumpets. "But it was so loud!"

We pondered this for a moment. Then Ron said, "Maybe you two really are siblings."

Hermione, Harry, and him laughed and I joined in reluctantly. Then suddenly, Sadie landed in front of m, a letter attached to her leg.

"Oh my god!" I said, squealing. "I've been so worried." I held up a small piece of bacon and she gobbled it up and then stuck her leg out. I carefully detached the letter from her leg. She drank some of my pumpkin juice and took some more nibbles while I petted her head. Then, she flew away.

"I'm going to go read this in private." I said, tucking the letter into my back pocket. "It's about something important. I'll see you guys around."

They looked confused as I got up, grabbing my plate of crumpets, and left. I hurried outside and into the Forbidden Forest, not bothering to check if anyone was around. I headed deep into the forest, very close to where the Centaurs lived and climbed up in the large, sturdy branches of my favorite tree and quickly opened up the envelope. I put the plate on my lap.

Dear Elizabeth, Yes, I've seen the newspaper article. I'm sorry I haven't written back right away despite how important this is. I've had a hard time settling in but that doesn't matter too much. I did some research, mostly because your father never mentioned Lockhart to me nor did your mother. However, through records I can't find anywhere that seems that Lockhart knew the your parents. He seems to be very boastful and I'm sure that if he had known your parents, it would have come out a long time ago. It's the sort of thing that wizards and witches love to claim if they think they can get away with it. How has everything been going at school? I do hope that you've been staying out of trouble. How about Quidditch tryouts? Have those happened yet? How are Harry, Ron, and Hermione? I hope you've been keeping your Astronomy grade up. Keep in touch, alright? Love, Dad

I stared guiltily at the letter. I should've sent a letter telling him I'd made tryouts. I could've borrowed another owl for that.

I opened my bag, carefully placing the letter back in my bag so the wind didn't catch it. Then, pulling out quill, ink and parchment, I set things up on the wide tree limb and started to write back.

Dear Dad, Tryouts already happened. I'm a Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team! I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner. A lots happened so I forgot and I'm sorry. My Astronomy grade is fine. It's only been a week and I haven't even had a class yet. I've been having a bit of trouble staying out of trouble but everything's fine. I suppose you heard about the flying car too? That was Harry and Ron, not me. However, what didn't make in the news was the barrier to Hogwarts Express closed in the middle of me going through so I had to wait for nine hours until Harry and Ron got to Hogwarts and alerted Professor Dumbledore, Snape, and Sprout. (I'm still not sure why Snape came). Anyways, I'm glad you've been settling into your job. How has it been going? What are you doing? Is it boring? I'm foreseeing in October that Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I are going to a deathday party thrown by Nearly Headless Nick though they don't know it yet. I think a deathday party would be fascinating, right? I'm not sure. I may bring food with me so that I don't starve! I miss you Love, Elizabeth

I screwed the lid back on the ink and set the quill aside so the ink could dry on it before I stuck it back in my bag. I hadn't told dad everything. I was afraid that he would worry if I told him that I was hearing voices in the wall. I still wasn't sure what that was about. I also hadn't told him about punching Malfoy in the face.

I sighed, folding the letter up and putting it in an envelope and addressing it to dad. I'd wait and send it off with Sadie tomorrow, if she wanted to take it. Or, I could give it to one of the Hogwarts owls.

I put it in my bag with other things. I started to eat my crumpets.

"Elizabeth Kane." Came an intelligent voice as I finished my third one.

I looked down saw the gorgeous blond centaur Firenze down below me. I grabbed my bag and crumpets before I climbed down and landed in front of him.

"Hello Firenze, how are you?" I asked sociably.

"Not bad." He said, his sapphire colored eyes piercing my soul. "How are things up at the school?"

I sighed, making a face. "They could be going better I suppose but they aren't bad."

We started to walk through the forest, talking about many things. Firenze told me stories of the old days about centaurs and other creatures and sometimes about what the planets and stars were saying. He, and the other centaurs, were one of the only reasons I kept up with astronomy- the only subject I struggled with.

The hours dragged on and Firenze walked me to the edge of the forest. "I shall leave you here. I hope you will entertain the others with your presence soon, Elizabeth Kane." Firenze said. "We quite miss the human perspectives in things this past summer."

"I will come back soon." I said, giving him a smile. "I just have to nail down my schedule."

Firenze wheeled around, looking amused and galloped off into the forest. I sighed. I had forgotten how much I had missed the centaurs company. I would come back tomorrow night. I started walking back up to the castle, wondering if I should visit Hagrid first when, I heard a different voice say my name.

I turned and was surprised to see Professor Snape strolling out of the forest. "There you are." He said.

"What were you doing in there?" I asked in surprise.

"What were you doing in there?" He answered, staring at me.

I blushed. "I was talking to Fi- a friend." I answered. I didn't want him to know exactly who I had been talking to.

"A Centaur?" Professor Snape asked, frowning. "They don't usually take to kindly to our kind, you know."

"I know." I answered quickly. "But they like me. Or at least, they like my opinions. I understand them too."

We stared at each other for a moment and I felt this electric excitement go through my heart for a split second. I had never realized how handsome his face was. I blushed even darker and quickly looked away. "I'm going to go mail a letter." I said randomly, even though I'd said I wouldn't mail it until tomorrow, "Bye."

I turned back around and started to walk away. I half-expected him to call me back, but he did not, and I hurried across the grounds and up the stairs to the owlery tower because I had to. Sadie was asleep and I coaxed down a Hogwarts barn owl and tied the letter to his leg. Then, I exited the owlery.

I wondered what Snape had been doing in the forest. Why was he following me? Or had he even been following me? It could've been a coincidence. Teachers could take walks too. It could've been coincidence that he'd seen me and Firenze. Maybe he'd been taking a walk to clear his mind.

I stood up and quickly walked down the stairs, heading back into the castle. I realized that a lot more time had passed by, realizing how hungry I was. I hurried to see if dinner was still in session. I sat down at the Hufflepuff table next to Susan. She was working on her History of Magic essay.

"Oh thank goodness you're here Elizabeth." Susan said, putting her quill down. "I don't understand the questions at all!"

"Which one are you doing?" I asked, grabbing some steak, chips, and pumpkin juice.

"I have to compare the differences and similarities between the Wizards' council, Wizengamot, and Ministry of Magic. I just don't understand how I'm going to get two feet of words about this subject!"

I put a piece of steak in my mouth and opened her textbook and riffled through it. Then I stopped at a page. "See, the Wizards' council was the first Government that was created for managing the wizarding world. Now, there were ten people on this council. They eventually went up to 100. Wizengamot on the other hand was for trials only. In 1450, the Wizards' council held a meeting that invited other creatures but it turned into a disaster. Hags, Vampires, Jobberknolls, Pixies, Imps, Ghouls, anything with two legs showed up. Not to mention, this ended up excluding those with more than two legs. The Wizards' council became a laughing stock. So in 1707, they finally changed into the Ministry of Magic. Now, there was actually a gap in leadership with the Wizards' council between 1450 and 1673. Noone wanted to be the Chief after the disastrous meeting in 1450. But you could argue that there was never a gap in leadership in the Wizengamot."

I picked up a chip, dipped it in honey mustard, ate it, and then continued talking.

"Of course the Wizard's Council meeting of 1450 pissed off Centaurs and Merepeople because they had four legs and tails, but were more intelligent than two-legged creatures that showed up like Pixies, Imps, or Jobberknolls. So obviously, that's kind've where the rivalry between us and such intelligent creatures comes from. This also didn't include Acromantula- talking spiders- though that might've been a good thing. Regardless, it was something of a disaster."

I flipped to another section of the book, eating more chips with either honey mustard or ranch while Susan listened to me. "You can really bring a lot of details into the essay. You can include what you want from the Wizards' council of 1450. That'll be a lot of writing right there. But you should also remember to mention events in Wizengamot, like a trial and also the Ministry of Magic which is basically the Wizards' council and Wizengamot combined."

I took a breather, setting her book aside and popped another chip in my mouth. "Anymore questions?"

Susan shook her head. "You're brilliant, you should be in Ravenclaw."

I shook my head. "I like Hufflepuff."

It was true. I had been resentful, being put in Hufflepuff, especially when I wanted to be in Gryffindor so badly. But now, I realized that being a Hufflepuff wasn't as bad as the stereotypes had said. Besides, I liked my house.

Susan started writing her essay while I finished off my steak and chips. Yes, I have weird food tastes. Usually, people only had chips with fish. Fish and chips. But I liked having chips with a lot of things- especially steak.

I wondered what Trang was doing at the moment. I should write her a letter too. The only reason I was holding off was because I'd have to send the letter by owl.

I wondered if she was writing to me. Surely not. She knew dad and I weren't going to be at the house. So, if I did write a letter to her, she wouldn't be able to write back with an owl. The only problem with this was that I didn't want Sadie going over a large stretch of water. Birds can't fly over oceans because there are no rising air thermals or uplifts. I supposed she could take a boat but. . .that wasn't really a good idea.

Susan and I walked back to the Hufflepuff common room. I sat in a chair in the back of the room working on Herbology homework. Then, Cedric walked over and sat down next to me. I quickly looked up. "Hey Cedric."

"I was just wondering if you'd be able to make it to practice tomorrow night." He said.

I racked my brain, unnecessary panic in my chest. "Have I already missed a practice?"

Cedric laughed. "No, no. I just heard you'd gotten in trouble and I didn't know if you had detention tomorrow or not."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment, but glad that I hadn't missed a practice. The panic died down almost immediately. "No, I didn't get into that much trouble and I already did the detention."

"Oh, that's good." Cedric said, smiling in relief. "See you tomorrow night then."

My heart fluttered for some reason as he got up and walked back to where he'd been sitting with his friends. Get a grip, I thought. I tried to focus on my Herbology homework but his words 'see you tomorrow night' kept getting into my head. I banged my fist against my forehead in frustration like that was going to do anything.

Finally, I shut my book closed and went upstairs to bed. If I kept thinking about things like this, it was going to be a long year.

I hated long years.

⬅️➡️

#Braveclementineworks #BraveclementineNovels #Novel #ElizabethKane #ElizabethKaneseries #ElizabethKaneandtheChamberofSecrets #Chamber of Secrets #Harry Potter sister #Hufflepuff #Hogwarts #Professor Snape #SeverusSnape #Cedric Diggory #Detention #Harry Potter #Hermione Granger #Ron Weasley #pg 13

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braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 3

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕭𝖚𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖜 𝖜𝖆𝖘 a wonderful place. It was more magical than where dad and I lived, so I got to see new magical objects. Of course, the Weasleys also lived on the outskirts of a Wizarding village. Dad and I lived in a Muggle town. They had a huge garden with gnomes which was fascinating to me. I loved exploring the garden and found small hidden areas, like a clump of rose bushes that would close up, putting you in a secret hideout made of roses and vines. I think it was meant to be romantic, but I thought of it as a hideout.

I also got to practice Quidditch more often here. Fred and George were both excited that I was going to try out for Hufflepuff Quidditch team, though they teased me constantly about it. We also talked a lot about it.

"What position are you going to try out for?" George asked, "Seeker, like Harry?"

I shook my head. "Cedric is seeker. I'm going to be trying out for either Chaser or Keeper." I grinned. "You Gryffindors won't be scoring if I'm keeper."

George rolled his eyes. "We'll see about that."

"Diggory is seeker?" Fred asked in disgust.

"And Captain." I added happily as I liked Cedric. He'd been made captain this year along with prefect.

Fred made choking sounds. I laughed, though I was just slightly offended. But I liked Fred far to much to argue with him.

Besides Quidditch, I got to catch up on all my studying, mostly my Muggle studies. There was so much to do! I also got to know Ginny quite well since she was the only other girl there. She was shy around Harry, but she liked to talk to me.

Mr. Weasley was also fascinated that I knew so much about Muggles even though I had a wizard as a father. He liked having either Harry or I explain how Muggle things like electricity, TV's, dishwashers, microwaves, and many other appliances, toys, or electronics worked. Sometimes, things that I thought were so easy were so hard to explain. Like how a rubber duck works? What? How do you explain the properties of rubber ducks?!

I read all of the Lockhart books and found them to be, while interesting, weird. Sure, I suppose these things really did happen, but with Lockhart's looks, I couldn't image him wrestling a Yeti in mud and snow. I couldn't see him doing anything that would possibly ruin those curls and his expensive robes. But perhaps he only got the robes and curls after he published his books. It was plausible that he wasn't rich before he did those things.

The newspaper I was dreading came out four days later with a big bold headline saying:

HARRY POTTER HAS A SECRET SISTER?

"Oh no." I muttered, snatching the paper out of the delivery owls claws. It hooted, disgruntled. I put a few knuts in it's tiny bag and it flew out the window. Then I sat down and read the following:

A book signing in Diagon Alley on August 4th revealed more than one surprise. A great deal was covered in that signing that would interest mainly witches, but also wizards. Gilderoy Lockhart, author of the newest book series: Gilderoy Lockhart's Magical Creatures Adventures, announced that he would be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There have been many compliments to Headmaster Albus Dumbledore for choosing such a renowned Dark Arts fighter. Many witches have written into the Daily Prophet saying that they wish they could be going to school this year to have him as their teacher. But this was not the end of Lockhart's secrets and surprises that afternoon. Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, was there on the day of Lockhart's announcement. Of course, Lockhart was excited to meet him, and called him up to stand with him (photograph enclosed, see page 1a). Of course, Harry Potter is just as big as a celebrity as Lockhart, and this was only a natural thing to do. However, Lockhart perhaps made a mistake in also asking a girl to come up with him as well, calling her the sister of Harry Potter. The girl never announced her name, neither denying nor confirming whether or not she is Harry Potter's sister. Experts say however, that it is possible Lockhart made a mistake. "Magihistorians have studied the Potters for years" Says Bariums Lamour, a Magihistorian himself. "There is absolutely no evidence that this girl could possibly be related to Harry Potter. There are no pictures of her in the household (that we have seen as no one has entered the house since the fire was put out), nor evidence that a girl existed there at all. It is most likely just wishful thinking on Lockhart's part that they were related. There are many people out there that wish such a wonderful young boy like Harry Potter still had family. The two also look alike, so it could've been just a mishap in thinking they were related." However, it should be noted that since the Potter house cannot be fully explored due to safety precautions and also to respect the Potter household, not all rooms have been explored. Could there be evidence that Magihistorians have not uncovered? Could this girl be a Potter? Perhaps the world will never know.

I stared at the newspaper, the words blurring together. Oh this was terrible, super terrible.

Percy walked into the kitchen at that moment. "Is that the paper?" He asked, yawning.

I nodded mutely and handed it over to him and then quickly left the room. I went upstairs to the room I was sharing with Ginny. She was still asleep and I took out my quill and ink, writing quickly.

Dear Dad, I know you're at work and trying to settle into your new job, but I wanted to write to you, because I don't know if the newspaper got to you yet. If not, this letter may not make sense. I wanted to ask if my parents ever knew Gilderoy Lockhart. . . if they would've trusted him with such a secret. I'll probably be at Hogwarts by the time you get this. I miss you. Good luck at work. Love, Elizabeth

Then, I set it out on the window to dry and waited, picking up a Lockhart book, the Werewolf one, and reading it.

After seven minutes, the ink had dried. I folded it up before stuffing it carefully into an envelope, writing the name Dad a.k.a Remus Lupin on the outside of it. Sadie flew down from the wardrobe and held out her leg. I tied it on carefully. "This ones important." I whispered to her. I kissed the top of her head. "I'll have a treat for you when you get back."

She hooted softly, making Ginny stir, and then I opened the window so she could fly out. I had a knock on Ginny's door at that moment. I opened the door and stepped out, so the person couldn't wake Ginny. Fred was standing there with the newspaper. I scowled at him.

"Interesting article." Fred said, his voice quavering as he tried not to laugh.

"It's stupid, we don't even look like each other." I muttered, snatching the newspaper out of his hands.

"You seem mad to be seen as possibly related to Harry Potter." Fred said, tauntingly. "Why?"

I sighed, looking around. "Because." I muttered, trying to make this convincing, "Harry's had to go through enough. Don't you think he wishes he had family, that I really was his sister? Or maybe not particularly me, but a sister or brother in general?"

Fred dropped his smile at my seriousness. "You're right, I didn't think of it like that."

I shook my head. "And apparently neither does the newspaper. This will just cause confusion in the world, cause trouble for- not only Harry- but me as well, and all they wanted was a stupid story."

"Soooo." Fred said, "you just hate journalists?"

I laughed, but my heart was still heavy from all the lies. I hated lying. "sure."

"Let's go play Quidditch." Fred said, grabbing the newspaper back and tossing it into the rubbish bin. I thanked him silently with my eyes.

"Agreed." I said, darting into Ginny's room and grabbing my Nimbus 2000. Nothing was going to stop me from getting on that Hufflepuff Quidditch team. Nothing.

.💚💚.

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖓𝖊𝖜𝖘𝖕𝖆𝖕𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖗𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖑𝖊 was not made fun of by myself, Mr and Mrs. Weasley, or Ginny. The others however, found the article hilarious and kept teasing Harry and I about it, unless Mrs. Weasley was around. Mrs. Weasley had the same opinion that I did, that Harry didn't need something else to feel pained about. She also added, to the others, not to my face, that I, as a single child with deceased parents, probably would feel pained over this article as well. I did feel pained over the article, but for much different reasons. Ginny couldn't have teased Harry if her life depended on it. Fred only made jokes about it if Harry wasn't around, and only with George.

To be fair though, I didn't mind the teasing, because it showed that they didn't believe the article. As long as they weren't trying to ask serious questions like they believed it, everything was good.

The end of summer vacation came very quickly. Perhaps too quickly, considering that I wasn't looking forward to school anymore. First, I'd have to face Draco's wrath after tripping and humiliating his father in public. Not to difficult, I could beat him in a duel. But of course, rumors were harder to squash than angry boys. And I had a very large rumor to squash.

On our last evening, Mrs. Weasley made a delicious dinner that was filled with Harry's favorite dinner foods and my favorite dessert- Vanilla cake with vanilla icing on it. I thought it was a nice touch.

Fred and George let off fireworks in the house. They were red and blue, in the shape of stars. I thought they were wonderful. I told Mr. Weasley- as he was interested- that Muggles had fireworks too but that they couldn't be let off inside the house because their fireworks emitted smoke and gases, and also that they went up very high into the sky. If set off in a house, it would probably explode. He thought that was just fascinating. Then, we had hot chocolate, though at this point, I was already full, before we went to bed.

I laid in bed, hoping that tomorrow was going to be better. As if in answer, I saw the barrier to Hogwarts Express, but someone was slapping their hand against it, and it wasn't going through. The vision was gone a moment later, leaving me nervous about the next day.

It took me a while to fall asleep, setting an early alarm. I woke up before the others and quickly jumped out of bed. Trying not to wake up Ginny, I started packing my trunk neatly so that everything fit. Then, I closed it, locked it, and started dragging it down the stairs to put it next to the door so we could put it in the car later. Then, I stacked Sadie's empty cage on top of that.

I went back upstairs and woke Ginny up so that she could get a start on packing. "Don't forget anything." I warned nervously. I could only imagine that the border closed when the train left, which meant we were going to be late. After all, they probably didn't leave the border open year round though I had never thought about it before.

She yawned and I helped her pack everything. "That's everything you need, right?" I asked.

She nodded, confused, but not suspicious. I sighed in relief and helped her carry her trunk down the stairs, putting it next to mine. Another trunk that had joined mine since I had gone back upstairs. Percy's by the look of it.

By this time, near most everyone else was starting to get up. Mrs. Weasley started on breakfast and then commanded me to keep watch of the stove as she dashed about the house, finding extra quills and spare socks.

I had a nice stack of toast going, using my wand made it go much faster, and buttered each side, stacking them on a plate. People kept coming in and grabbing a piece and going out, eating and getting ready at the same time.

I ate a piece of toast myself with a nice cup of lemon zinger tea. That would hold me over until I could stuff my face with sweets on the Hogwarts train.

I started breathing easier when it got to the point where all the trunks were loaded up in the trunk and everyone was starting to get into the car. I dashed back upstairs to Ginny's room and checked every crevice, making sure I had everything. I touched my neck, wrist, and finger to make sure I had my necklaces, bracelet, and ring.

Then I went downstairs and out to the car, grabbing my leather bag and sitting between Percy and Fred in the car.

"You remembered your broomstick, right?" I asked on a whim.

He gasped, and quickly dashed out of the car to run and grab his broomstick. He brought it back just as Mrs. Weasley and Ginny climbed into the car in the front seat.

"Well, Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they? She asked. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

I giggled, quickly putting a hand over my mouth. Harry looked over his shoulder, watching the house disappear from view. Five minutes later, George said that he needed to go back for his Fireworks kit. I felt frustrated but was still able to breathe easily since Fred had his broomstick and Ginny had said she had everything.

We reached the highway, with thirty minutes to spare and then Ginny shrieked, making me jump, saying that she had forgotten her diary.

"I thought you said you had everything?!" I said, trying not to sound exasperated. We turned around so that we could go back for her diary. My nerves started going up again and I rested my head on Fred's shoulder, trying to relax. Good lord, he was tall.

By the time we got back to the house and Ginny got back in the car, we were starting to run late. We would still make it on time, thankfully, but we were going to cut it close. The image of the hand on the brick wall appeared in my head again.

I got that tingly feeling in my stomach and along my arms that one gets from being extremely anxious, almost sick. It was how I felt whenever I was invited to a birthday party somewhere and Dad and I weren't exactly late, but cutting it close.

Mr and Mrs. Weasley were arguing up front about whether or not we should fly the car which would cut our time in half. I wished they would. My stomach was doing flip-flops. I might vomit from nerves.

I mean it wouldn't be so bad, I supposed. Mr and Mrs. Weasley would probably discover, along with other parents, that they couldn't get back through the barrier. They'd find whoever was left behind and then either apparate them to Hogwarts, or send a letter off to Hogwarts to let them know about the barrier.

All we would probably miss, as Dumbledore was quite diligent, was the sorting, maybe the feast. Except I didn't have Sadie to write a letter.

The train left at eleven and we got there at 12 minutes till eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys while Fred, George, and Percy started pulling the trunks out of the car. I waited, anxiously, holding my leather bag and empty bird cage.

Mr. Weasley brought the trollies over, and we started loading them up. I wheeled mine around and followed Percy into the station. Fred and George caught up, we were practically running through the station. Percy took quick look around and then ducked through the barrier. I waited impatiently as Mrs. Weasley ushered Fred and George through. Mr. Weasley followed.

Mrs. Weasley said, "You three come quickly, I'll take Ginny through right now."

I nodded, the hand on the brick in my mind again. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley quickly went through the barrier. I glanced up at the clock.

"Go Elizabeth." Ron said, hurriedly. I walked quickly and gently pressed my hand against the barrier. I sighed in relief and quickly turned to the others. If I kept my hand on it, they'd be able to get through.

"Let's go you two." I said and Harry and Ron hurried over. I went to pull my hand out and found that I was not able too. "Wait, somethings wrong." I said. I pulled again. My hand was stuck in the brick wall. I tugged again, panicking, but it hurt my wrist.

Harry and Ron glanced up at the clock at the same time. 8. . . 7. . .6. . . 5. . . 4. . . 3. . . 2. . . 1. . . The train had left.

"What are we going to do now?" Ron asked, sounding like he was on the verge of panicking himself.

"Can you free your hand?" Harry asked worriedly, looking around. I was just glad they hadn't crashed their trolleys the way I had seen in my vision. He came over, grabbing my wrist, and tugging. I hissed and he let go quickly.

I shook my head. "Take Mr. Weasley's car. Get to Hogwarts and let Professor Snape, Sprout, McGonagall, Flitwick or Dumbledore know. Whoever you see first. I can't do any magic here."

"So what are you going to do?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Act like I'm leaning against this wall, waiting for someone." I said, looking around nervously. No one was looking at us for the moment. I hoped that it stayed that way. "And hopefully people won't pay too much attention to me."

Harry nodded, giving me on last worried look, and then followed Ron out of the station. I groaned and leaned my head back against the brick wall. If only I had Sadie and could write a letter to Hogwarts. Oh I should've used Hedwig! Gosh darn it!

I gritted my teeth and leaned against the wall, waiting.

.💚💚.

𝕬𝖇𝖔𝖚𝖙 𝖓𝖎𝖓𝖊 𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘 later, Professor Dumbledore, Snape, and Sprout came walking down the corridor. I had my eyes closed, half asleep. I was bloody tired and hungry and was about ready to bust myself out of there. But I had already foreseen that Harry and Ron were in trouble with the car and I didn't really want detention either. Or a letter from the Ministry of Magic saying I could possibly be expelled for using magic in a place that was highly concentrated with Muggles for that matter.

It wasn't my fault. They would've taken it anyways and I knew the car had to be on Hogwarts' grounds for something later on, I just didn't know what at this moment.

"Miss Kane?" I heard a familiar voice ask.

I gave a start, as I was half-asleep, and opened my eyes. "P-Professor Dumbledore." I stuttered, straightening my position. "I didn't realize you'd come."

Dumbledore just smiled patiently, drawing his wand, and said, "Let's do something about your hand now."

"If you don't mind me asking, Miss Kane." Snape said while Dumbledore took out his wand and tapped the bricks around my hand. "Why didn't you send an owl instead of Potter and Weasley in an illegal flying car?"

I blushed bright red. While both Snape and Dumbledore knew about my futuristic visions, Professor Sprout didn't and I didn't want to say anything. After all, Professor Sprout was my house head. Letting her know that she was the last to know about something about one of her students wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to. "Oh um Sadie was on another trip, delivering a letter to my dad. And er-" I flicked my eyes between Snape and Dumbledore and then said, "Well I had a feeling the car needed to be on Hogwarts ground for er. . . some reason."

Dumbledore tapped the bricks a few times and my hand fell out of the bricks and I rubbed it. "Thank you."

"Let's get you back to the school." Dumbledore said. "Madam Pomfrey should look at your hand."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm just tired- and hungry."

"Understandable." Professor Dumbledore said. "Let's go. Severus, please take care of Miss Kane's things. Pomona, let's get Miss Kane to the hospital wing for a brief checkup."

Guess he was going to ignore me then. Snape and Sprout both nodded and we left the potions teacher behind.

"Please tell me what happened." Dumbledore said as we walked through the nearly empty station.

I explained what happened the best that I could with Professor Sprout there, and Professor Dumbledore seemed to understand.

"It's not entirely important." He said with a wave of his hand. "You can tell me eventually when you've gotten some rest."

"How are we going to get to Hogwarts Professor?" I asked Professor Sprout as Professor Dumbledore strode ahead. "Floo powder?"

"Yes, we've gotten permission from Madam Rosmerta to transport to the Three Broomsticks. Then it'll be a short walk to the castle." Professor Sprout said. She seemed a bit distracted.

"Is there something wrong, Professor?" I asked, concerned. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head. "It's an extremely dangerous job. Potter and Weasley crashed the flying car into the Whomping Willow. It's going to need some slings."

"Oh no!" I exclaimed. I hadn't foreseen that. "Is the Whomping Willow going to be okay? Harry and Ron are okay too, right?" I added quickly, remembering that people were usually more important than plants.

She nodded. "Potter and Weasley didn't seem to receive anything more serious than some bruises. The car took more damage, according to Severus anyways. The Whomping Willow will be alright as well, probably maybe take three or so days to heal."

I nodded, feeling exhausted just talking about it. The Whomping Willow was a very dangerous plant to deal with. I certainly wouldn't be able to help with that one.

Professor Dumbledore held open a door to a small, abandoned pub. "Is this where you came out?" I asked, uncertain.

"We apparated." Dumbledore said with a calming smile.

"Oh, of course." I said, feeling stupid.

Dumbledore went first and I followed. I fell out into a nearly abandoned restaurant. There were a few customers in the back but it was quiet. The guests didn't look at us as we exited.

"Where's Professor Snape?" I asked as Professor Sprout joined us.

"He's already at the castle." Dumbledore said. "Your stuff will probably be in your dorm room for you when you get there."

We walked the rest of the distance to the castle in silence. My visions, I realized, were a curse and a blessing at the same time. I was only in this position because I'd tried to mess with the future. I didn't mess with the future. That was why Harry didn't know I was his sister, that's why I let Quirrell almost steal the stone, that's why I didn't tell anyone the content of my visions. Because I didn't mess with the future. If I'd just gone through the barrier, knowing that whether I stayed behind or not, Harry and Ron wouldn't have been able to get through, I'd already have eaten dinner and be in bed right now. That was it, I wasn't listening to any more futuristic visions- no matter what.

Professor Dumbledore left me with Professor Sprout who led me to the hospital wing. There was no one else in the wing, but Madam Pomfrey was still up, rearranging bottles of medicine in a cabinet and cleaning up.

"Ah Miss Kane, back so soon?" Madam Pomfrey asked with a thin smile. Probably because I'd been here about the last week of school or so.

"Professor Dumbledore just wants her hand looked at quickly." Professor Sprout said. She quickly explained the situation. Madam Pomfrey didn't even look surprised. I suppose she'd seen pretty much everything. Or maybe she'd heard about the flying car and a hand stuck in a wall was less crazy. But really, what constituted for crazy in the magical world?

Madam Pomfrey took my hand in hers and examined it for about two minutes. "There's a bit of a strain on these wrist bones, right here," she pointed to my radius and ulna. "I can put it in a small brace for about 12 hours, and as long as you take this potion, it should be perfectly fine after that."

I nodded. I needed my wrist healed. "Please."

The brace was applied, the sweet turquoise potion was drunk, and I followed Professor Sprout back to the Hufflepuff common room. "I believe Professor Snape asked a house elf to bring food up for you. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Herbology first thing."

"Do you have my schedule?" I asked quickly. I needed to study it.

"It will be on your bed with your stuff." She said. "Anything else?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you."

I hurried inside the common room. There was a plate of something on the table. I quickly took off the cover. I smiled, picking up the note and burst out laughing, and then quickly clamped my mouth shut.

I grinned, sitting down with the plate of cookies. I set aside the note.

'Because I remembered you had a sweet tooth. . . First private lesson Wednesday night' -your favorite potions teacher

"Only potions teacher." I muttered under my breath, but I picked the card up again, folded it, and put it in my pocket.

I sighed. I seriously wondered why he treated me so differently from the other students. I mean, he absolutely favored Slytherins, hated Gryffindors, and couldn't care less about Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. I wasn't a Slytherin. . . so why. . .

I shook my head and then after I was done eating, I hurried upstairs. Susan, Hannah, Leanne and Megan were all fast asleep. Sadie still wasn't back. I wondered exactly how far dad had traveled. We hadn't discussed it much, he hadn't really wanted to talk about it which had been strange in itself. I usually knew what sort of job he was doing.

I quickly looked over my schedule. I'd have to fix up private lessons with Flitwick and McGonagall. Flitwick had done lessons on Friday. Snape was Wednesday.

I set it aside and quickly crawled under my covers and fell asleep quickly, unable to wait for the next day.

⬅️➡️

2 notes · View notes

braveclementine · 1 month

Text

Chapter 2

Warnings: None, Readers under 18 can read this book. It is solely fluff- nothing sexual

.💚💚.

Dear Elizabeth, Ron just wrote me to tell me that he and Fred and George are going to try and save Harry. That's the way he put it anyways. I think he just means going and picking him up. I certainly hope they don't do anything dangerous or against the wizarding rules. I'm incredibly busy with homework and studying-I'm sure you're doing the same. I just wrote a letter to Ron saying that I'm going to Diagon Alley next Wednesday. Will you be able to make it? . I'm still waiting to hear back from Ron. I figure we should get our Hogwarts letters sometime this week. Love, Hermione

I sighed, setting aside the letter. Hogwarts again. Now don't get me wrong, I love Hogwarts, it's my home away from home but. . .I closed my eyes, laying down on the bed. I'd nearly been killed three times and had jumped from a window to escape death. I could only imagine what horrible things were going to happen this year.

Knock it off, I scolded myself. You put yourself in that situation, if you had just been as obedient as every other kid, you wouldn't have been in that situation. Just don't do anything stupid or irresponsible this year.

Easier said than done though. I turned away from the letter and went over to the music player, putting on a Beatles record. Then, laying down on my bed, I closed my eyes, thinking, looking into this upcoming year.

My visions worked funny. I can't just see into a year, it's like there's a block on them until I get closer to the actual date. But sometimes- and only sometimes- if I concentrated enough, I could get a farther view.

"I wanna hold your hand. . ."

I concentrated farther. The visions moved fast, some of them melting together and others stood out like pictures on a wall. A sudden image of a young blond man with extravagant clothes was standing in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Then red paint on a wall. Then, water on the floor. A potion bubbling in the bathroom. Then, hissing and-

"ELIZABETH!" Dad called from somewhere downstairs.

I jumped, falling off my bed and knocking over the record player. It crashed to the ground. "Idiot." I muttered, pushing myself up off the ground, getting to my feet. I wasn't entirely sure if I was talking about myself or dad.

Dad appeared in the doorway. He surveyed the damage and then grimaced. "Trying to meditate?"

"Something like that," I muttered, pulling out my wand and pointing it at the record player.

"Elizabeth." Dad's voice had warning in it and I sighed, putting down my wand. Dad pulled out his own wand. "Reparo." He said calmly and the record player was repaired. Then, putting his own wand away, he said, "You know you're not supposed to do magic outside of school."

I picked up the player, putting it on my dresser. I'd just said I was going to stop being a rebel and here I was, already breaking the new found resolution. Maybe I should wait until New Years to make the resolution. "Sorry, I forgot."

"Come on downstairs, we have stuff to talk about." Dad said, leaving the room.

Seeing that there was no choice, I followed. I slumped into a seat at the breakfast table. "What happened?" I asked dully. I had forgotten about going and seeing him when he went up to his room last night.

"I got a erm, new job." Dad said uncomfortably, stirring his tea. I sat up and stared at him, trying to find out what was so bad about this new opportunity.

"Okay. . ." I said slowly, thinking, frowning in concentration.

"I'm going to have to leave next Wednesday." He said, "Which means that I won't be able to transport you to Kings Crossing on September 1st."

"Oh that's okay!" I said immediately. Whatever made things easier for Dad. "Ronald Weasley invited me to stay at his house. We're all planning on meeting up at Diagon Alley next Wednesday anyways. I can just go and stay with him. Or Hermione probably wouldn't mind either."

Dad blinked in surprise. "You didn't tell me your friends asked you to stay over."

I blushed. "Grounded, remember?"

Dad gave me an amused smile. "You're going to stay out of trouble this year, right?"

"Yes, and I'm going to make the Hufflepuff Quidditch team." I said. "So that broom doesn't go to waste."

At that moment, my rabbit Sushi sprinted through the room, did a lap around the table, and then did binkies back into the hallway.

"Awww." I squealed, my whole body tightening up in happiness. "You're so-" Then I stopped, turning to my dad and asked seriously. "Wait, who's going to take care of Sushi?"

Dad chuckled, "You would be worried about that, wouldn't you?" He smoothed my hair back with his hand, "I already asked Trang's parents to watch him. They're delighted."

"Oh good." I said happily, relaxing. "I'm going to go upstairs and pack."

"Already?" Dad asked in surprise.

"Well, I also have to send an answer to Ron and my bedroom's a mess so I need to locate everything." I said, blushing again.

"Oh, that's right." Dad said, taking a sip of tea. "I'll be cooking dinner tonight."

"Aww, dad I can still do that." I said.

Dad waved his hand. "It'll taste fine."

I hesitated. "Wait, no."

Dad frowned. "I don't cook that badly."

I laughed. "It's not that, I want to celebrate this new job opportunity. Come on, I'll take you out to eat."

Dad looked even more surprised than he had before. "Take me out to eat? Where?"

I jumped up and down in joy. "There's this great restaurant that you haven't been to before. It's called Panda Inn here. But in the U.S. it's called Panda Express. Apparently, they're supposed to have this delicious chicken that Trang calls Orange chicken. I've been wanting to try it for a long time now!"

Dad laughed and grinned. "So is this celebration for me or for you to try out your chicken?"

"Guilty." I said, grinning back.

"Oh," Dad said, picking up a piece of mail. "This came for you."

I grabbed it. "My Hogwarts letter!" I flipped it over and glared at him. "It's already open. That's a crime you know."

Dad laughed. "Only if you tell. The books ought to be interesting though."

I read over the list quickly.

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart Wanderings with Werewolves by Gilderoy Lockhart Year with the Yeti by Gilderoy Lockhart

"I have to get and read all of these?" I asked revolted by the matching of letters like a children's book. "What a waste of money."

I finally got a real laugh out of dad. Then he grinned at me, "Wonder what he wrote about the Werewolves?"

I gave him a reluctant smile. "I'll read that one first and tell you."

"Alright, so go get ready." Dad said, finishing off his tea, "I'll be waiting."

I stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "Dad, it's a Muggle restaurant."

"So?" He looked at me confused.

"You need to go get dressed in Muggle clothes." I said, my lips twitching upwards into an amused smile. I waved a hand at his wizarding robes.

"Oh that's right." He muttered. "Let's see who gets ready the fastest."

I giggled sprinting up the stairs, and I heard a crack in the dining room, telling me he had apparated. "CHEATER!" I shouted, dashing into my bedroom. I heard him laughing from his room.

I pulled on my shoes and grabbed my purse, quickly checking to see how much money I had. I flipped through the bills- £60. Great, that should be enough to cover dinner tonight. I turned out the light and then dashed back downstairs. Yes! I'd beaten dad.

I bit my lip, slightly amused. I was eleven- almost twelve- why was I being so childish? I had this problem a lot. This was something we hadn't done since I was maybe eight. I sighed. Perhaps dad felt bad about leaving, or maybe there was something he wasn't telling me.

Dad popped down next to me with another crack. "Alright you win."

I grinned up at him. I'd question him tonight at dinner. "Let's go."

.💚💚.

𝕴 𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖉 𝖎𝖓 bed, staring up at the ceiling. I kept messing with the ring dad had given me for my birthday. Turning it over, feeling along it. It was a baby dragon ring, sometimes it curled its tail around my finger tighter. Sometimes it moved its head and I felt a little warmth along my palm. It was green, and sparkly, and felt like it was made of glass but it wasn't.

I sighed, rolling over, and carefully placed it on the bedside table. It curled up and I stared at it. I tried to figure out what was nagging me.

I closed my eyes, trying to sleep. Trang was leaving for America tomorrow, I was going to go and see her off at the airport.

I fell into sleep.

A shadowy figure stood on the edge of a large walkway. There were hissing noises and a snake slithered out and reached up to the person's waist. It was an anaconda snake, a type of water snake- native to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil.

'Dangeroussss thingssss are going to happen. . . more dangerousssss than perhapssss the firsst time. . .' The boy whispered to the snake. He stayed in the shadows so all I could see was that he was tall. So the boy spoke parseltongue? But how could I possibly understand what they were saying? Oh, right, I must be dreaming.

The snake's tongue flicked in and out, 'find the ssssprocket, find the ssink, it all worksss asss well asss you think.'

So snakes could rhyme? Strange.

The boy turned to face me and all I could see were two, glowing red eyes.

I woke up with a start, sweating. I looked over at the clock. It was six in the morning. I slumped back down on my bed. Once my breathing returned back to normal, I climbed out of bed to start my day.

I quickly got dressed for a muggy day- jeans, a T-shirt, and a light rain jacket. I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and tucked my locket under my shirt. I hadn't felt it burn in ages, so I felt safe wearing it under my clothes again.

I hesitated, looking at the ring, and finally realized why I felt so weird last night- I hadn't sent Harry anything for his birthday. But, he could definitely still be at his house, I hadn't heard back from Ron yet for confirmation about staying with him next week.

I picked up the dragon ring and put it close to my finger. It curled around it and I smiled. I was going to have to thank Dad again.

I grabbed my purse, put on my leather black combat boots, and ran down the stairs to go see Trang off at the airport.

.💚💚.

𝕭𝖞 𝖂𝖊𝖉𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖉𝖆𝖞, 𝕴 was packed and ready to go. My trunk was full of my Hogwarts robes, quills, ink bottles, and textbooks that I would need this year. Any book I didn't need was left on my bed. Any book I didn't need, but I wanted to bring, were packed in my leather school bag.

Dad had already left an hour ago so I didn't need to worry about good-byes anymore. I dragged my heavy trunk into the fireplace. I pulled my bag over my head, slinging it on my shoulder. I checked my pocket to make sure that my wand was still there.

I checked that I was wearing my locket, bracelet from Fred last Christmas, and my dragon ring. Then, I grabbed a handful of floo powder from the pot next to the fireplace and stepped into the fireplace. I threw it down and shouted "Diagon alley!"

I felt the spinning sensation and clutched tightly to my trunk so we'd both get out at the right time. When I saw the grate, I leaned forward and fell out. My trunk clattered down next to me and I quickly set it right side up and started pulling it towards the exit. Damn, why was this thing so freaking heavy?

"Elizabeth! Hey Elizabeth!" I heard my name being shouted by a familiar voice. I turned, a smile on my face.

George and Fred Weasley ran up to me. Their bright red hair was combed back the same way. They were still rather thin and tall.

"Hey guys." I said cheerfully, punching George's arm and smiling at Fred, "What's up?"

"Nothing much." George said, chuckling, punching me back lightly. "You?"

"I'm not looking forward to these stupid books we have to buy." I said with an eye roll. "They're ridiculously expensive and sound incredibly stupid."

Fred and George laughed but looked strained.

"Yeah, they are expensive." Fred said quietly, mostly to himself.

I bit my lip. I shouldn't be complaining. I'd grown up poor, but now I had a huge allowance from my parents. On the other hand, Fred and George had grown up poor and were still poor. I decided to get enough gold out of the bank so they could buy their own sets.

Mr. Weasley got out of the fire next and Fred introduced me to him.

"Harry should be coming next." Mr. Weasley said, when we were done with introductions. I waited eagerly, unable to control my excitement. While Harry didn't know that we were related, I did, and I was glad we were friends.

However, the next person that came out of the fire was Percy Weasley. He looked around as he came up to his father and asked, "Did Harry not come out?"

We all shook our heads. Percy cursed and said, "Harry went before me but he mixed up his words."

We all froze. "So. . . we don't know where he is?" I asked.

Percy nodded. Ron came out of the fire next. I closed my eyes, trying to see if I could find Harry. There- he was in a dark shop, a man with blond hair in the room with him. It looked like Harry was hiding in something. I didn't know exactly where he was, but in the end I could only figure one place like this.

"Elizabeth?" Fred asked. "You okay?"

"Oh, um yeah." I said. I quickly put my trunk up against the wall with other trunks, and locked it. Then I took off, Fred yelling my name behind me. Now which was was Knockturn Alley? I ran down the streets, probably looking crazy.

Then, I ran into Hagrid, who was walking up the streets with Harry.

"Lousy Muggles, If I'd known-" Hagrid was saying. "Careful where yer goin' Elizabeth!" he added as I bounced off of him. He reached out with a large hand and caught me before I fell on the street.

"Thanks Hagrid. Hi Harry!" I beamed.

"Hi Elizabeth." Harry said, smiling back shyly.

I heard a voice behind me saying "Harry! Elizabeth! Over here!"

I turned to see Hermione running down the Gringotts steps. "Hello Elizabeth!" Hermione said, embracing me.

Harry, Hermione, and I walked up the Gringotts steps with Hagrid.

"What happened to your glasses?" Hermione was asking Harry. "Hello, Hagrid- Oh it's wonderful to see you two again- are you coming into Gringotts, Harry?"

"As soon as I've found the Weasleys," Harry said with a grin, giving me a proper hug now that things had settled down.

"Let me see your glasses." I said, holding my hand out.

"Yeh won't have long ter wait." Hagrid said with a grin, pointing down the street.

The three of us peered down the street. Ron, Fred, George, Percy, and Mr. Weasley were all sprinting up the street towards us. I pulled out my wand and tapped Harry's glasses with my wand. "Reparo." His glasses snapped together and the glass shards connected again.

"Thanks." Harry said, putting his glasses back on.

"Yeh know yer not su'ppose ter be doin' magic outside of school Elizabeth." Hagrid chastised but he was grinning. The Ministry wouldn't know I was doing magic underage considering Diagon Alley was pretty much as magical and non-Muggle as you could get in London.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley said panting, as they caught up to us. "We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far. . . Molly's frantic- she's coming now-" He mopped his brow with a handkerchief.

"Where'd you turn out?" Ron asked, curious.

"Knockturn Alley." Hagrid said grimly.

"Excellent." Fred, George, and I all said together and then we all grinned at each other.

"We've never been allowed in." Ron said, sounding jealous.

"I should ruddy well think not." Hagrid growled at him.

I saw Mrs. Weasley running up the steps now, a handbag swinging violently from one hand, a little red-headed girl clutching her other hand. That must be Fred's little sister Ginny.

I started walking into Gringotts. I wanted to get the money so that I could get it to Fred and George before they left. Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran up to join me.

"Guess who I saw in Borgin and Burkes?" Harry asked. That must've been the store that I'd seen him in.

"Lucius Malfoy?" I asked.

"Yeah, and Draco." Harry said, giving me a surprised.

"Did Lucius Malfoy buy anything?" Mr. Weasley asked from behind us.

"No, he was selling-" Harry said.

"So he's worried. Oh, I'd love to get Lucius Malfoy for something. . ." Mr. Weasley said slowly and with some sort of satisfaction.

I didn't know Lucius Malfoy, but if he was anything like his son, than he was probably an evil git. Plus, I was fairly certain that he had been a Death Eater. By fairly certain I meant 100%. Oh the things rich people get away with.

We entered Gringotts and I told Harry and Ron to come with me. Ron was more than willing and we left Hermione in the main hall with her parents, who were exchanging Muggle Money for Wizarding coins. Mrs. Weasley went her separate way with Ginny.

We went to Harry's vault first. He had quite a bit of money, though perhaps a bit less than I did. Then we went to my vault. I filled two bags and then we went back up to the surface. I gave Ron half of one of the bags and winked at him and then went off to join Fred and George. I heard Ron sputtering behind me and Harry laughing.

Fred, George, and I met up with Lee Jordan outside the bank. I heard Mrs. Weasley shout from behind us. "And not one step down Knockturn Alley!"

Fred, George, and I laughed. That was the first place we visited. Fred and George went down two steps, Lee went down three. I went down the entire way and then sprinted back up. It became a competition until someone appeared at the end of the corridor and we all sprinted the entire way back towards Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop.

We relaxed, laughing.

"Mum's going to kill us if she finds out." George muttered, looking through the different types of fireworks.

"She's not going to find out." I said pleasantly. "So don't worry about it."

"Oh yeah, Ron says that you're coming to stay with us for the last couple weeks of vacation." Fred said, "Is that true?"

I nodded, "Yeah, my dad got a new work assignment and he had to leave today, so I had no way to get to Hogwarts later. So, since Ron had already invited me to stay, I accepted."

Ron, Hermione, and Harry came into the shop some time later, when we were about to leave. I wandered off on my own for a little bit, buying parchment and new quills. I also bought different types of ink. I was really going to miss my Muggle pens again this year.

I met up with Fred, George, Lee, Hermione, Ron, and Harry as we made our way to Flourish and Blotts. There were many other people trying to get into the shop. I looked at all the witches, a little amused, a little annoyed, cause there were not many wizards.

There was a banner in the window saying:

GILDEROY LOCKHART will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.

"We can actually meet him!" Hermione squealed. "I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist." She smoothed her hair between her hands. It was a battle lost before she started it- her hair was never going to stop being bushy on its own.

I hung back with Fred, George, and Lee, internally groaning. Bloody hell, what a mess this was. I probably wouldn't be able to check the shelves for extra books because the walls would be crowded by witches. Maybe the owner would have some put away specially for me like he sometimes did when he thought I'd like something. Dad and I were his best customers.

We squeezed inside, past the adults. Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I each grabbed the Grade 2 book we needed off the stack by the door. Fred, George, and Lee each got books that they needed for their fourth year.

We went to stand next to the Weasley's and Grangers. I found myself next to Harry and turned to talk to him.

"How was your summer?"

"Could've been better." He said. "Honestly, I would've written back."

I grinned. "Oh I know, Dobby stopped you?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked in surprise.

"I know a lot of things." I said quickly. "But I actually just overheard you telling Hagrid."

Harry laughed.

At that moment, Gilderoy Lockhart came slowly into view and seated himself at a long table. There were many portraits of his face, winking and flashing on the table. The real man himself was wearing robes of light blue that matched his eyes. His hair was wavy and he wore a wizard's hat at an angle so not to mess up those waves. I stared at him with a mixture of horror and also giddiness.

He was extremely handsome though, I did have to admit that. I felt my cheeks grow red and I rubbed them, cursing internally. Stupid female hormones.

There was a short man wearing black and brandishing a black camera that emitted puffs of purple smoke with every blinding flash that emitted a smell of apricots. The reporter stepped backwards onto Ron's foot. "Get out of the way." The photographer snarled. "This is for the Daily Prophet-"

"Big Deal." Ron snarled back, holding his foot and rubbing it.

Lockhart apparently heard their interaction because he looked up at Ron. Then he moved his eyes along our line, eyeing Harry and then me. He leapt to his feet and positively shouted, "It can't be Harry Potter?"

"Oh bloody hell." I muttered as everyone in the store started whispering even more excitedly than they had moments ago when Lockhart had appeared.

The crowd parted as Lockhart walked down the stairs towards us. He grabbed Harry's arm and then, to my surprise, grabbed my arm as well, dragging us both up to the front of the room. I looked back at Fred, panicking. He looked just as surprised as I did.

Lockhart put one arm around each of our shoulders. I didn't smile as the photographer took pictures. "Nice big smile, Harry." Lockhart said through his own teeth. I didn't dare look at him in case the newspaper made my action out to be something other than disgust or confusion. As it was, I was panicking.

He didn't let us go when the pictures were done and I was starting to get strangely uncomfortable. "Ladies and gentlemen." He said loudly and the crowd quieted down. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

"When young Harry and his sister here stepped into Flourish and Blotts today, they only wanted to buy my autobiography- which I shall be happy to present them now, free of charge-" The crowd applauded, but I risked a glance at Harry. He looked at me, looking as confused as I was. The only difference being that my heart was pounding like crazy. Did Lockhart know somehow? I mean, surely not? I looked at the Weasleys. They were looking back and forth between Harry and I. The crowd was whispering. This was a complete nightmare. I should never have come. That seemed to be my signature line.

"They had no idea-" Lockhart continued, not caring about anything else but his little announcement. "that they would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. They and their schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

I groaned out loud but no one could hear me for the explosion of noise that burst in the bookshop. I wanted to die of embarrassment. I found myself being presented with the entire works of Gilderoy Lockhart, even more books than I needed for school.

I struggled back down to the Weasleys, Harry following me. I handed the books to Fred. "Keep them, I don't want them. Especially since he gave them to me for an incorrect reason."

"So you're not really my sister?" Harry asked behind me, and thankfully he was grinning.

I shook my head, my heart breaking that I couldn't tell him that I was. "I don't know why he thought that, we don't even look alike."

The Weasleys all seemed to accept this, but the others in the shop that had overheard were not as convinced and rumors were spreading. I was sure something was going to make the headlines. Bloody hell.

Harry tipped his books into Ginny's cauldron, telling her she could have his books. He'd buy his own. We went up and bought our books and then waited by Ginny's cauldron. I handed George money so that he could buy his own set. When Lee had his set, we all started to walk towards the back of the shop.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Said a sneering voice. We looked up to see Draco Malfoy and I tightened my grip on my huge stack of books. "Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" Ginny said suddenly. I'd never heard her voice before but she had such a sweet voice.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Malfoy drawled, giving Ginny a look over.

"Shut the hell up Malfoy." I snarled.

"Oh Kane." Malfoy said, sneering. "How'd you like being compared to someone as pathetic as Potter?"

"I would be quite proud to be Harry's sister." I said, speaking the truth for once on the subject of our sibling hood.

Ron and Hermione fought their way over, both of them clutching stacks of books.

"Oh, it's you." Ron said, giving Malfoy a disgusted look. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?"

For a moment I was confused and then I remembered that they believed Dobby was the House Elf of the Malfoys. Of course, they were right, but I wasn't going to tell them that.

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley." Malfoy retorted, looking a bit confused himself. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those."

Ron went as red as Ginny and dropped his books into her cauldron. She nearly dropped the cauldron under the weight of two stacks of Lockhart books. Hermione and Harry reached out and grabbed the back of Ron's shirt as he went to hit Draco.

Fred and George were giving Malfoy an angry look. I touched Fred's hand softly and looked up at him and shook my head. It wasn't worth it. Lee was looking angry too, his arms crossed.

"Ron! Fred! George!" Mr. Weasley said struggling through the crowd to get to the back of the store. I felt my stomach drop, seeing a small glimpse of what was about to happen. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

Now, I tugged on Fred's arm, trying to get us to leave before. . .

"Well, well, well- Arthur Weasley." A tall man with long blond hair and piercing gray-blue eyes was standing there now. He could almost be called handsome in his own way if he didn't have such a cruel, smirking look on his face. I felt my cheeks grow red again, the way they had when looking at Lockhart. Hm, maybe there was something wrong with me today. But he was quite good-looking. I supposed even bad people could look good.

"Lucius." Mr. Weasley said, nodding coldly.

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," said Mr. Malfoy. "All those raids. . . I hope they're paying you overtime?"

I gritted my teeth as he reached into Ginny's cauldron and picking out an extremely battered second-hand copy of her Transfiguration book.

"Obviously not." Mr. Malfoy said, his lip curled upwards. Draco stood to the side, smirking. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?"

Fred and George gave a start and I grabbed both of them by the arms. My bag with all my books was cutting into my shoulder. Lee helped me out, restraining them. Mr. Weasley flushed a dark red. Mrs. Weasley, and the Grangers started coming over.

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." Mr. Weasley said under his breath.

"Like you." I piped up, giving him a jaunty smile.

Mr. Malfoy's gaze flicked over to me, and Draco dropped his smile. Fred smiled and relaxed. I no longer felt a reason to restrain him anymore.

Then, Malfoy's eyes flicked over to where Mr. and Mrs. Granger were standing, watching the whole occurrence with Mrs. Weasley, who looked extremely nervous. "Clearly," Mr. Malfoy said, narrowing his eyes at the Grangers. Hermione blushed red and Mrs. Granger took a step back and shot a terrified look at her husband. "The company you keep, Weasley. . .and I thought your family could sink no lower-"

Hermione flushed even darker than the rest of us, and there was a thud as Ginny's cauldron went flying. I ducked to avoid it, Lee quickly pulling me out of the way.

Multiple people were yelling. Fred and George were yelling "Get him Dad!"; Draco was yelling, "Get your filthy hands off of him!"; Mrs. Weasley was shouting "No, Arthur, no!"; The assistant was shouting, "Gentlemen, please- please, the books!"

Then there was a louder voice, not yelling, but louder and much calmer saying, "Break it up, there, gents, break it up-"

Hagrid waded through the crowd and he pulled Mr. Weasley and Mr. Malfoy apart from each other, holding them each in one hand. Mr. Weasley had a cut lip and Mr. Malfoy had a bruised eye. He was still holding Ginny's Transfiguration book. He thrusted it back in her cauldron, his eyes glittering with malice and an image flashed in my mind of a little black book.

Without another word, he pulled himself from Hagrid's grip and tried to march out the bookstore with dignity. Well! That wasn't happening. Pulling my wand I quickly whispered, "Offendo." Lucio's Malfoy tripped over his own two feet and fell flat on his face. There was some tittering and laughter from the crowd. Draco looked back and glared at me. I smiled and waved and turned my back on him. I slipped my wand back up my sleeve.

We were leaving now, with the urging of Hagrid. I trailed behind the rest of the group with Lee. Hermione was with her parents, Harry was with Ron, and the rest of the Weasleys were crowded around their parents. Lee and I walked in silence until we were about to part.

"I saw that tripping jinx." Lee said with a smile. "Nice work, I'm going to find a lot of hard spells this year for you to try."

I smiled back, "Thanks Lee. Have a great rest of your vacation."

I waved and hurried to catch up with the rest of the group. We were going to leave through the Leaky Cauldron instead of the Floo station. I went to get my trunk and then met up with the others in Leaky Cauldron.

We said good-bye to the Grangers and Hermione. I decided, as I stepped into the fireplace, that I could wait for Hogwarts to start. Who didn't like a nice vacation?

⬅️➡️

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