Across To Elsewhere

Part One: Eight - Memory Charm

From the moment Harri met the new defense professor, she knew that they'd never get along. Not only had that man not known a lick of material he was supposed to teach, but he took every oportunity to be seen at her side. He'd boast about his non-existent prowess in defense magic, often force Harri to take a picture with him, and thought that the only greater thing since sliced bread was himself. 

Often in class the man had called Harri up to do acts with him, all using characters from his books, with Harri being the one defeated and he the one who 'kills' her. They never actually learned anything about defense or spells in his class. He'd once set a cage filled with cornish pixies on a class once and failed to keep them under control, then he'd vanished all the bones in Harri's arm all the while he claimed to know magical healing better than Madame Pomfry. Instead of a broken wrist, Harri had needed to regrow all the bones in her arm!

Now the man had managed to hit Neville with a memory charm that he'd threatened them with. 

While half of Harri had doubts it would actually work, she still hadn't wanted to chance it. Not when Neville had moved to be the obvious target, taking the adult's attention that had been fully on Harri. Within the moment that the spell was cast Harri had cast her own. The memory charm hit seconds before Harri managed to slam the man with a strong repelling charm.

Harri might not have known that memories could be taken until that moment, but she knew that she'd be writing down everything important to her from then on- just in case.

The underground cavern had shook with the force of the blow, causing a cave in. Harri was forced to dive to one side. Neville was out for the count, the spell knocking him out completely. And heavy looking rocks had fallen from the ceiling on top of the defense professor's prone form, separating Harri from Neville and making her unable to go check on her friend.

When the dust settled the raven haired twelve year old slowly pushed herself up, coughing. Her eyes strayed to the large rocks that blocked her path backwards and felt her heart drop to her stomach in icy dread.

"Neville!" Harri cried loudly, voice breaking at first due to the debris in the air. It tore out of her in a high shrill sound that ripped at her throat and held all of her panic. "Neville! Are you alright?!"

There was no returning answer Harri could hear, not even a groan to stir her hopes. 

"Neville...!" 

She tried a few more times, until her voice could no longer form around the lump of emotion in her throat. Wand gripped tightly in her hand, Harri's vision began to blur. Neville wasn't... dead ...was he? Did he no longer have his memories...? Did Harri blast the defense professor on time? Not knowing the answers ate at her insides like how wood fell to fire.

Slowly her gaze settled on the long transparent skin that held a green hue that was right in front of her. A shudder went down her spine at the sheer size of it. It had surely belonged to the great snake that called the underbelly of the school it's home. Something within her stilled at the sight, steeled itself. All at once her purpose for being down here rushed back to the forefront of her mind and Harri forced herself to put things that she could not immediately accomplish aside for the moment.

Ginny Weasley, a small redheaded witch that had joined Hogwarts this year, had fallen under the spell of a dark book. As far as Harri knew it had once been the diary to someone named Tom Riddle. At least, Harri suspected this. 

At one point in the year she had attained the diary herself. Had even written it out of curiosity. After all, why would someone get so angry that they'd try to destroy the book... when it had nothing in it? That was when she found out that the book could, in fact, write back.