Ivy Potter, Year Two | Raised By The Malfoys

Chapter Twenty Three: Monster

          The next day, I was so tired from last night. Draco noticed and was worried about me.

          "Ive, what happened last night? You've got cobwebs in your hair," he asked.

          "Oh no, do I?" I asked and brushed out my braid.

          "Let me," he offered.

          Draco brushed my hair in the common room. It was Saturday and we were going to study for our finals. When he was done, I sat next to him on the couch. For once, his hair wasn't styled.

          "Hey, Ivy? Are you excited for next year?" he asked.

          "I am! I'm looking forward to our new classes. There's going to be Divination and Care for Magical Creatures. You know, Draco.." I said and sat closer to him.

          "Hm?" he hummed and put his arm around me.

          "I like your natural hair like this. You look older," I teased and tugged his hair.

          He blushed and hummed, "Mm, really? Will you be spending summer with me?"

          "Really. I would love to, Draco," I said.

          After the weekend, I noticed Harry and Ron talking to Professor Lockhart while they were walking to class. I ran to join them and they were complimenting him. That was so unusual so I played along. He allowed us to skip class so that we could talk to Myrtle but we were caught by Professor McGonagall. I made up the excuse that we were going to see Hermione in the hospital wing. She permitted us to do so and we went to Hermione's bed. Ron and I sat next to each other and I put my shoulder on his head. He put his head against mine and sighed. Harry was talking to Hermione and touched her hand at her side. We missed her and needed her help. I knew we couldn't do this without her. Suddenly, Harry found a crumpled ball of paper in Hermione's hand. He pulled it out and read it. Harry grabbed both of us and pulled us into the hallway. After dinner, we were going to meet outside of the Great Hall. 

          We ate quickly and I ran with them in the hallway. Harry showed us the paper. It looked like it was torn from a book. The paper was about a basilisk. Basilisks were the king of serpents and making eye contact with it guarantees death. Indirect eye contact results in petrification. Scribbled on the bottom of the page read 'pipes' and one of the lines read that spiders flee from it. Not only that, the crow of a rooster can kill it.

          "Oh, Harry!" I exclaimed.

          Harry nodded, "It all makes sense! Spiders flee from it, and roosters on campus were all killed!"

          "How is it no one has died yet?" Ron asked.

          "Mrs. Norris looked at its reflection in the water that night the hallway was flooded. Colin had his camera, Justin saw it through Sir Nicholas, and Hermione and Penelope had the mirror," I explained.

          "It's a snake! That's why we can hear it," Harry added.

          "How is it no one has seen a massive snake?" Ron asked.

          "Someone wrote 'pipes' so it must be using the plumbing," Harry said.

          I was thinking about the page. It was torn from a book but Hermione would never, let alone crumple it up. She would have borrowed the book, like how she showed us the book where she found Nicolas Flamel. Over summer, Draco had a torn page from the book store where we met. Draco could've bought the whole store if he wanted. I shook my head and an announcement was made to the whole school.

          "All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers, to the second floor corridor immediately," Professor McGonagall's voice echoed.

          Ron and I looked at Harry and we ran to the corridor before the students left the Great Hall. The three of us hid behind one of the pillars and overheard the teachers talking. Their worst fears were realized and a student was taken into the chamber. The school was going to shut down tomorrow. Professor Lockhart showed up late but he was singled out as the school's only hope. They left the monster to him and he left for his office to get ready. Madam Pomfrey asked Professor McGonagall who the monster had taken and she replied that it was Ginerva Weasley. Ron's grip on my hand tightened and he whimpered. The teachers left and he read the message on the wall.

          "Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever. No. Ginny," he said weakly.