The Girl Everyone Forgot About

Chapter 9

A few weeks had past since the start of term, school days were pretty mundane with the usual lessons and homework. Evie and some of the other first years had celebrated Reggie's 12th birthday in the Hufflepuff common room, playing games and listening to a wide range of music, both by popular wizarding musicians and muggle ones too. Turns out that Leo is full of surprises, adding some heavy rock music to the playlist from some of his favourite muggle artists. 

After a heavy week of lessons, Evie managed to sit down with Harry one Saturday to catch up and get to know each other. He was very apologetic for missing her sorting ceremony, explaining that he and Ron couldn't get through to the platform like they usually could, so had to use other means to get to Hogwarts. Borrowing Mr Weasley's blue Ford Anglia, he and Ron made it to school but with serious repercussions. Unbelievably, Snape had tried to have the boys expelled!

Evie learned a lot about Harry's life with their maternal aunt and uncle. By the sounds of it, they were horrible. Evie found herself once again thinking of how grateful she was to Remus, Lyall and Hope for taking her in as a baby. 

Harry had explained that the Dursley's hated anything to do with magic, and particularly hated Harry too. After Dobby had shown up in Harry's bedroom this summer, warning him not to come back to Hogwarts, the Dursley's had put bars on his window and multiple locks on his bedroom door to stop him from escaping and talking to anyone from the magical community. It wasn't until Ron and the Twins came to rescue him in the flying Ford Anglia, that he had been able to speak to anyone all summer. Evie felt so sorry for the way Harry was being treated, she offered for him to come to Yorkshire with her, even if it was only for a visit over the summer - to get away from those monsters. Harry had agreed enthusiastically, if he could get away from Petunia and Vernon he gladly would. 

That day, Harry and Evie really connected. They had spoken about their scars and Evie had shown Harry that hers was concealed behind her left ear, far less noticeable than his. They agreed that they would try to meet up once a month, perhaps a Saturday where they could have time just for the two of them, to catch up on lost time. Though they would have to also fit this around quidditch matches as Harry was the Gryffindor seeker. Evie explained to Harry her dread of flying and the multiple incidents she'd had upon a broomstick, when Remus had tried to teach her to fly. It made Harry laugh, and she'd playfully hit his shoulder. They couldn't help but think how easy it was for them to talk to each other, both glad to have family close by whilst at Hogwarts. 

As the weeks went by Harry and Evie grew closer, seeing much more of each other than they had originally agreed to. This was easily done seeing as Evie had become very close friends with Ginny during their lessons, and spent a great deal of her free time studying with her in the library. It was during these times that Harry, Ron and Hermione would often pass them by, stopping for a chat as they did so. 

Harry invited Evie to watch the first quidditch match of the season against Ravenclaw. She hastily agreed, she had never seen a quidditch match in real life before. She was especially excited that Harry had asked her to watch him play, she wanted to cheer her big brother on from the side lines. Harry had asked Ginny if she would be there, which of course she would be. Fred and George were Gryffindor beaters, she wouldn't miss an opportunity to cheer them on. Plus, Evie could sense that Ginny had developed a little crush on Harry. This was evident from the fact that most of the time Evie spent with Ginny, if she wasn't talking about homework, she was asking and talking about Harry. It was sweet really. 

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October came and things around Hogwarts had started to change. Their was an eerie chill that had spread across the grounds, including the castle itself. Evie had been studying hard with the other Hufflepuff first years in the library, as Ginny had become absent in recent weeks. She would often rush back to the Gryffindor common room, choosing to study alone. However, her concentration in class was beginning to falter, so Evie wasn't sure if Ginny had been studying at all. She had become concerned and tried to stay with Ginny as much as she could, offering to study in the library, which sometimes Ginny agreed to. Evie wasn't allowed into the Gryffindor common room, no pupil was allowed to enter an common room that wasn't theirs. This made it difficult when Ginny insisted on going back to her own dorm to 'study'. 

Halloween soon arrived and the castle was teeming with ghouls and ghosts. There were rumours that Sir Nicholas was hosting a Death Day party somewhere in the castle. Evie knew Harry had been invited by Sir Nicholas himself but wasn't going to confirm the rumours, she had heard all about ghosts' parties, and they weren't very pleasant for the living. Overly odorous food was top of the menu - usually fish, something Evie wasn't overly keen on. 

As Evie and the others were leaving the great hall having finished their dinner, they heard a commotion coming from the corridor. Looking up at the wall in front of the their was a message written in a blood like substance:

'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED, ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE'

Filch was throwing a fit, Mrs Norris was seen dangling by her tail next to the message and most thought she had finally run out of her nine lives. Dumbledore assured filch that she had just been petrified and that Professor Sprout would be able to help. In the bizarre scene that had unfolded before the students, Harry, Ron and Hermione were in the thick of it. The three of them told to remain, as Dumbledore dismissed the rest of the school back to their dorms. 

Evie had to fight the urge to stay hidden behind a pillar so that she could hear what was said to Harry and the others. Instead she decided to head back to the common room with Addie and Hallie in search of Leo and Reggie, so the group could lighten the mood of the evening after the chilling message written on the school wall.