What If? Year 1

Chapter 40

The summer air was calling me from the common room. The table in front of me was covered in books and parchment. Everyone else was out on the quidditch pitch for some outside time, but I wanted to look through some more animal books after finishing my homework. I lay my last book down, finally finished with it. I have learned about every magical animal, except one that can petrify you, or even kill you without being bitten by it.
Suddenly the portrait door opens and no one comes in. Harry and Ron appear from underneath the Invisibility Cloak.
"We followed the spiders," Harry says, out of breath, "Hagrid's innocent." I look at Harry with a straight face.
"Really? Hagrid isn't guilty of killing children? Wow, never would have seen that coming," I snark, "so what was at the end of the spiders?"
"A r-really b-big sp-spider," Ron stutters out, his face white as a sheet, "Why follow the spiders? Why couldn't it have been follow the butterflies?"
"The spider said a girl died in the bathroom," Harry continues, "but.. I don't know who it is."
"It's Moaning Myrtle," I tell them, "She died in the bathroom, didn't see? She just didn't leave."
"How long have you known this?"
"Since the beginning of the year," I tell them, "it's honestly not that difficult to figure out. I tried to ask her, and she didn't give me any useful information."
"We'll go try," Harry replies.
"Take this books back for me on your way, will you? And get me a few more."
"Yes, Captain," Ron salutes, grabbing the books. I stick my tongue out to both of them.
"You won't be going anywhere?"
"It's not like I can." Ron and Harry throw the Invisibility Cloak back on before leaving. I reach for a piece of parchment and start to scribble out some possible ideas.
Goes through the pipes
Harry and I can hear it
Petrifies people
Goes after Muggle-borns
Tom Riddle's diary?
I continue to scribble out connections each thing might have to each other. Ara and Heather walk into the common room.
"Whatcha doin'?" Heather asks, sitting down besides me.
"Trying to figure out what the monster is."
"I think you should take a break," Ara tells me, "you look.. sorry to say this, terrible." I look at her. I was certainly tired, but I slept the best when I was in the spirit realm, which is not safe right now. I also had skipped breakfast the last few days, instead going to the library to get more books.
"I don't understand how your grades aren't suffering," Heather continues Ara's rant, "you look stressed out of your mind, Golds... why don't you take a nap for a little bit? We'll come get you for dinner." I look between the both of them, and realize that I am not going to win this fight.
"Okay," I say, "Harry and Ron are bringing me some more books from the library, could you wake me up when they get here?"
"I'll take the books from them for you. Goldie, you need to sleep." Ara scolds, "please.." I sigh and get up to go to the dorm. I get under the covers, closing my eyes to sleep.

"Goldie, it's time to get up," Ara's voice breaks through the blankness of my sleeping brain. I roll over and onto the floor.
"Crap," I grumble, sitting up, "Yeah, I'm coming."
"McGonagall says that she has good news," Ara tells me, as I slip on my shoes, "I hope it has to do with the Mandrakes." I nod, my brain cloudy from sleep.
"I.. I let you sleep till the next day. Please don't be mad. And Harry and Ron didn't do what they set out to do by the way," she speaks quickly, "they said that Snape was to close." I frown, but nod.
"No library either?"
"No books," she replies, "but that might be a good thing, with finals coming up and all. You should probably focus on that now."
"Yeah," I whisper, "I guess that for the best." We walk down together to be greeted by a pale faced Ginny.
"Hey, Gin, what's wrong," Ara asks. Ginny shakes her head, and runs up the stairs.
"She's fine," Percy says, "I accidently scared her." I look at Percy and whisper to Ara.
"I'll be right back."
"You're eating today, Marigold Potter," she scolds. I nod and walk back up the stairs. Ginny is sitting on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Hey, are you alright?" I ask her. She shakes her head.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't feel well," she tells me.
"Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"
"No, just going to lie down for a minute."
"Okay, I'll bring you some breakfast than." Ginny nods and lays down. I go back to Ara and we walk to the Great Hall. McGonagall goes to the front of the hall once everyone goes to their tables.
"I have good news," she says. The Great Hall erupts into yells.
"Dumbledore's coming back!"
"You've found the Heir of Slytherin!"
"Quidditch matches are back on!" Oliver shouts. I just sit their quietly, waiting for the actual news. The yelling finally stops and McGonagall tells us.
"Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with out catching the culprit." An explosion of cheers breaks into the hall.
"It won't matter that we didn't ask Myrtle, then!" I hear Ron shout, "Hermione'll have all the answers when they wake her up."
"Oh, Mione is going to be cracked out of her mind, with exams just three days away," Ara says, "though, I would think that they would not have them take exams, since she was kinda gone for part of it.." I nod, and watch Ginny walk over to Harry and Ron.
"I thought you said she doesn't feel well," Ara says, "and that she was going to lay down."
"That's what I was told," I reply, staring at her and the boys. Ginny was shaking on the bench. Harry leans in to talk to her, and Percy walks over to them. Ginny shoots up from her seat and runs off.
"We've got class after this!" I say. Ara and I eat breakfast, with Ara practically putting food into my mouth.