The Prewett Girl

The School's Exorcism

For the rest of the year I have to try not to hit anyone as I hear them blame Harry for this Riddle dude's heritage. It's not an easy thing to do and I have to start biting my toung about it in front of my friends because it's started to bug them just like Nikki's continuing to worship Lockhart bugs the rest of us. I'll be more than happy when he leaves and this is cleared up so the ground my coven is standing on stabilizes again.

On the day of the Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor match Professor Sprout blocks our way to the pitch.

"This game has been cancelled."

"We don't even cancel for excessively terrible weather. What could be bad enough to cancel it now?" Talia asks.

"It will be explained in the common room. Off you go."

"Can we at least-"

"Now, Mr. Stokes." She snaps, pushing us back towards the school.

We go to the common room and stand towards the front seeing as we'd arrived with our head of house.

"I know you are all confused so I will just get to it, shall I?" She asks before unrolling a scroll and begins to read. "All students are to return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."

The whole common room is silent before someone asks the question we're all thinking.

"Why is all this implemented now? Why not after the last two attacks?" A seventh year calls out.

"There has been another double attack: Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater, bringing the total up to six petrifications adding in Mrs. Norris." She says, rolling up the parchment. "And I need hardly add that the staff is all highly distressed about this. If the culprit who is causing these attacks isn't caught soon it is likely the school will be closed."

As soon as she's gone I look at the silent common room.

"Hermione Granger; still think Harry's the Heir of Slytherin?" I ask them bitterly. Everyone, including my coven, looks properly chided. I shake my head at them and go to the dorm to change.

A month later finds Talia, Brooks, and I walking back to the common room from a 'short' smoke break when we come across Jacob, staring at a wall in horror. I look at the wall, the wall that was left bloodied on Halloween, to see a new message-also written in blood.

"Holy shit." I mutter, eyes wide.

Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.

"The heir took someone into the Chamber." Brooks says.

"What are you four doing just loitering the halls?" Snape demands of us. Our eyes hadn't leaved the wall though. "Snap out of it and get to your common room. Now."

"Come on." Brooks says, the first of us to do as directed. He begins to hit us to snap us out of it.

"Damn, Tellkin, you've got an arm on you." I say, rubbing my head.

"Beater." He says cheekily. I just hum. As soon as we get into the common room there's an announcement for every student to go to their common room.

I sit at a table with my friends, Jacob updating Nikki when she arrives.

"Miss Prewett." Professor Sprout says after she tells us we're all going home tomorrow. I go up to her curiously. "I know you have stayed with the Weasleys since your parents' passing so we believe you deserve to know as well. The girl in question is Ginny Weasley."

"What?" I demand in horror.

"I am so sorry." She says before leaving the common room. I look around turn to the common room with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, not breathing. Nikki comes up to me and wraps her arms around me. She doesn't tell me false promises of hope or words to calm me down, she just holds me.

For the first time in my life I sit completely still, only blinking and breathing, as I process the information that my youngest cousin is gone forever. Slowly the common room heads to bed, leaving just my friends and me; Talia on one side and Nikki on the other, the boys sitting on the floor and leaning against our legs, and both my hands being held. When the common room door opens they look towards it quickly.

"Miss Weasley has been saved by Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter. All three are safe and the Headmaster has ordered a late night feast." Sprout says. I finally move, looking at her sharply.

"Ginny's okay?"

"Yes, Ronald and Harry saved her." She says. I slump in relief. "The culprit of the attacks has been caught and is now gone."

"Thank Merlin." I breathe out.

"Why don't you five head to the Great Hall while I rouse the rest of the house?" She says. The others stand, Nikki and Talia using their grips on my hands to help me up. I hug them as soon as I have my feet under me.

"Thank you for staying with me."

"We're a coven, remember?" Talia asks.

"Based on love-" Nikki says.

"Magic-" Brooks says.

"And blood. We may piss each other off to astronomical levels, but we're stuck with each other for life." Jacob says. I chuckle at his words and allow myself to be ushered out of the common room. The Gryffindors, including Harry, Ron, and Ginny are already seated at the Gryffindor table.

"Go to your family." Nikki says as she and Talia let me go. The second I'm let go I run to the Gryffindor table and hug Ginny, who seemed to have seen this coming seeing as she was standing up.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, still holding her tightly.

"No. Can't. Breathe." She chokes out. She says, gaining chuckles from her brothers and Harry.

"Sorry." I say, letting her go. I look her over to make sure she's okay. "A few cuts and bruises. What the bloody hell happened?"

"Remember that muggle duel dad got into in Borgin and Burkes?" George asks.

"What of it?" I ask in confusion.

"Malfoy Sr. took the opportunity to slip our Gin-Gin here a diary that talked back to her." Fred says, taking his little sister's hand.

"She was possessed." Ron says defensively.

"Obviously. This is Ginny we're talking about." I say.

"It was the ghost of Voldemort, he was in those pages." Harry says, both of us ignoring the Weasley's flinch at Voldemort's name.

"Was?" I ask.

"Harry killed him again." Ginny says.

"Which reminds me." I say, rounding the table and smacking both boys.

"Ow!" That complain in unison. I then hug them tightly individually before looking them over just as I had Ginny.

"We're fine, Andy." Ron tries to assure me. I don't stop looking them over though before nodding.

"You're both in good shape. Just stupid." I say. The second years look offended while the other three chuckle; Percy, who had been silent during all this, just smiles and shakes his head. "Your stupidity came in handy, but still stupid."

"We took a professor!" Harry defends.

"Who?" I ask, eyebrows knitted together.

"Lockhart." Ron mutters.

"See, when you said professor I assumed you meant someone who knows one end of their wand from the other." I say, even making Percy laugh this time.

As more people begin to arrive I head back to my table, hugging my family one more time. I mean, my table is right next to theirs and my friends chose a spot so I'd be next to my family, but...