The Other Castellan

Theft of the Diary

Chapter 25: Theft of the Diary

Lucas really should've kept a closer eye on the diary. At the very least, he should've stashed it in his trunk. But, no. He had to leave it on the bedside table, where anybody could've stolen it. Why it took so long, Lucas would never know.

"I'm stupid," Lucas muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." Anyone could've taken it. Well, any Slytherin. Students from other houses wouldn't know the password, and they certainly wouldn't know about the diary. Why would they break in just to steal the diary, anyway? It had to be a Slytherin.

"Lucas, what..." Theo's eyebrows were furrowed. "What are you doing?"

Lucas gave up trying to search for the diary. He wasn't getting anywhere. "I was trying to look for the diary. It's gone."

Theo sighed and levelled Lucas with a look, lips tightened. "I can see that. How did you lose it in the first place?"

"I was being stupid." Lucas huffed. "And before you say it, no, I didn't misplace it. It. Was. Stolen. There's nothing else that could've happened to it."

For a few moments, Theo didn't talk. Then, he said, "... We're in serious trouble, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Lucas replied, wincing. "That diary started compelling Ginny to tell Lyra to attack Muggle-borns. Someone writes in it - the attacks start again."

Theo frowned. "Lyra?" he asked.

Lucas glanced at him. "Yeah, Lyra. Didn't I..." He trailed off once he saw Theo's expression. "Oh, Styx." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay, so I forgot to tell you. Lyra... she's a Basilisk. The Basilisk that lives in the Chamber, to be exact."

Theo stared at him. "Lucas, please tell me you're joking."

"Nope!" Lucas grinned. "Don't worry, Lyra isn't attacking anyone. She just thought the Muggle-borns were a threat to Hogwarts. But I've got it sorted out. No more attacks." He sighed. "Well, until someone else gets manipulated by the diary. We need to find that diary, like, yesterday."

Theo frowned. "Okay," he said. "I have no idea what that means, but... okay. Just... calm down. You're not alone in this. I'll try to find Pansy and Daphne, and you can go get... your other friends."

Lucas nodded and darted out of the dormitories, passing many Slytherins in the common room. He decided to go get Ginny, the twins, and Hermione first. They were all in the same house, and it was early, so he didn't have to run around the castle looking for them.

When Lucas arrived in front of the Fat Lady, he just stood outside and waited for someone to come out. He didn't know the password, and he wasn't about to guess. That would be taken as breaking and entering, and he really didn't want Slytherin's reputation to become even lower. It was bad enough as it is.

"Are you coming in or not?" the Fat Lady asked. "I haven't got all day, you know."

Lucas flinched and turned to look at the painting. He could hear and feel his heart pumping wildly. "Oh my gods," he muttered. "Don't do that. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry," she apologized. "But are you coming in?"

"Oh, no, no." Lucas shook his head. "I... I'm a Slytherin. I'm just going to wait until someone comes out so I can ask them to tell my friends to come out."

"Inter-house relationships." She smiled, nodding. "Excellent. Inter-house relationships don't occur often enough, much fewer ones between Gryffindor and Slytherin."