Everything- Oliver Wood

𝟚𝟛. ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 𝕊𝕖𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕤

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A few weeks go by. This year's workload is considerably easier than last year's; I'm taking far less classes now. 

With my extra time, I've been helping Joyce with her studying a little bit. She's been adjusting to Hogwarts quite well; she always tells me about the various new people she's met and made friends with. 

One day, I'm helping her look something up for an essay when she asks me, "What does 'mudblood' mean?" 

I stop what I'm doing and look at her. "Where'd you hear that word?" 

Her face falls. "Is it something bad?" 

"Joyce, who called you that?" 

"No, it's not a big deal," she shakes her head, picking up her quill. "Are you going to tell me what it means?"

I sigh and rub my temples. "Some people think they're better than you because their parents are both wizards. 'Mudblood' is a word they use to describe people like us who've got muggle parents." 

"Oh," she says, her face hard to read. 

"Who said that to you?" 

"It was nobody, really," she pleads. 

I sigh. "Fine, but if they do it again, tell me and I'll sort it out for you." 

"Please, Laurie, it's not a big deal." 

I shake my head and go back to reading the textbook, jotting down a couple of notes I could use for one of my own essays. 

Before we leave the library that night, I ask her one more time, "Come on, Joyce, who called you a mudblood?" 

"Laurie, just drop it," she says, shoving her textbooks in her bag and rushing off towards the Gryffindor common room. 

---

As October goes by, everyone starts talking about the Halloween Masquerade ball that the Ravenclaws are supposed to put on. 

One day, I'm leaving the quidditch pitch when I run into Oliver Wood. 

"Oi! Parker!" he waves at me as he walks down the hill. 

"Alright, Wood?" I ask, walking up to him, setting the end of my broom on the ground. 

"I was wondering- do you have a date to the Masquerade ball?" 

"Nah, me and Penny are counting on Percy to not approve of the party so we can go stag." 

"Oh, well, he just asked her to go with him." 

"Damn, there goes my plans," I shake my head in disappointment. 

"Yes, what a shame- if only there was a ravishingly handsome and single young man nearby who you could go with," he clicks his tongue. 

I sigh dramatically. "Yes, if only." 

"Perhaps a star quidditch player as well; the best keeper at Hogwarts." 

"Well, I can't go with myself!" I grin, shielding my eyes from the sun. 

Oliver rolls his eyes. "What do you say, Parker? Want to go to the ball with me?" 

"Yeah, sounds like fun," I nod. 

"Alright- that's settled," he rocks back and forth on his heels. 

"Have fun at practice," I wave at him as I walk back up the hill towards the castle. 

---

I thought that Halloween couldn't get much worse than a troll invading the castle, but, on the night of October 31st, 1992, I'm proven wrong. 

I'm heading up to the Ravenclaw tower to get ready for the ball with Penelope. The corridor seems to be clogged up ahead. 

I push to the front enough until I can see what's going on. The floors are flooded. Someone's written something on the wall in blood. 

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir... beware." 

There's a cat hanging from the wall above the message. It looks like it's been killed and stuffed; it's stiff and unmoving. I recognise it as the old caretaker's cat- Mrs. Norris. 

McGonagall takes control of the situation, "Prefects- take your houses back to your common rooms." 

Penelope makes her way to the very front of the crowd and starts calling out, "Ravenclaws, follow me!" 

I find Patty and Eleanor as we're going back up to the tower. 

"What the hell was that?" Patty asks. 

"Did you hear what that Malfoy kid said?" Eleanor asks. 

"What did he say?" I ask. 

"He- he said, 'You'll be next'," Eleanor says, looking around nervously. 

"Who'll be next?" I ask. 

"Muggleborns," Patty says. 

"Jesus," I mutter. 

"Laurie, I'm sure he's full of shit. He's literally 12 years old; who does he think he is?" Patty shakes her head.

"I need to find my sister." 

"You heard McGonagall- we're to go to our dormitories and stay there." 

"Joyce is probably scared out of her mind!" 

"You could probably talk to her tomorrow," Patty says. 

"Or I could talk to her now-" 

"You don't know if it's safe-" Eleanor says. 

I shake my head. "I'll tell Penny to tell Percy to tell Oliver to check on her."

"You could just have Penny tell Percy-" 

"Don't want Joyce being chummy with Percy," I laugh, in spite of the situation. 

Patty rolls her eyes as we climb the staircase to our dormitories. About a half hour later, one of the seventh year girls comes in and tells us that, once again, the Halloween masquerade ball has been rescheduled to tomorrow night. 

Penny doesn't get in until late that night. As soon as she does, I fire a hundred questions at her, few of which she's able to answer. 

"I'm sorry, but I really have no idea what's going on; Flitwick just told us to keep an eye out for anything suspicious." 

"What even is the Chamber of Secrets?" Patty asks. 

"I don't know; 'Hogwarts: A History' says nothing about it."

I pull my knees to my chest. "I just hope Joyce is okay." 

"She's probably alright," Penny says to me. 

"She got called a mudblood a few weeks ago." 

"By who?" She frowns. 

"She wouldn't tell me; just asked what it meant," I put my head in my hands. 

"Jesus," Penny shakes her head, looking away. 

"Let's go to bed," Eleanor says, after a long silence. We all agree, blowing out our candles and getting under the covers. 

I'm not sure how much any of the other girls actually sleep that night. 

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