The Raven's Call

Those Voices

"Kill..."

I sit up in my bed, the soft sounds of my fellow Ravenclaws snoring fills the room as I rub the sleep from my eyes.

"Kill..."

I jump out of bed, throw on my sweater and slippers, waiting until I'm out of the bedroom before casting Lumos. It's that voice again, that voice I had heard the night Mrs. Norris was petrified. Whatever the voice was coming from, is going to kill.. or at least try to.

"Time to kill..."

I follow the voice, it always seems two steps ahead of me and I can't keep up. Not until I hear the faint sound of a camera clicking in the distance. And then silence. No more voice. No more camera clicks. Just my own footsteps.

And then I see him. Colin Creevy - First year. Laying on his back, camera to his face, like he was taking a picture. My eyes widen before I turn heel and sprint for Professor Dumbledore's office. "Professor! Professor!" I exclaim, luckily I wasn't too far from where his office is. Dumbledore is at his desk, writing some paperwork. He looks over at me past his half moon spectacles, his soft smile on his face. "Mr. Grey? What are you doing up so late?" He asks me. "Professor, there's no time to explain! I think someone else has been petrified." I tell him. He immediately stands, summoning for Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey. "Go back to bed, Atticus." He demands, brushing past me. I follow behind him. "How do you expect me to go back to sleep after what I've just seen?" I ask. I could hear a soft sigh coming from him for a moment. McGonagall and Pomfrey are already helping Colin onto a stretcher when we get there, and of course I offer to help, why wouldn't I? I take one end of the stretcher, and some man I've never met before took the other end. I think not to ask questions right now.

We take him to the hospital wing. "Put him here." Madam Pomfrey whispers, as not to wake up Harry, who is asleep a few beds down. "What happened?" She asks as we move Colin onto the bed. "There's been another attack." Dumbledore spoke calmly. "I-.. I think he's been petrified.." I speak up, taking a step back to let the teachers get a closer look. "Look.." McGonagall gasps, pointing to the camera. "Perhaps he managed to take a picture of his attacker?" Dumbledore slides the camera out of the students' hands, opening up the back, where the roll of film is kept. It basically burst into smoke once exposed to the cold midnight air. "What can this mean, Albus?" She asks him, a comforting hand on Colin's arm. "It means.. that our students are in great danger." Dumbledore speaks, his voice soft, yet with a hint of worry. "What should I tell the staff?" McGonagall asks. "The truth." Dumbledore responds. "Tell them that Hogwarts is no longer safe. It is as we feared Minerva. The Chamber of Secrets has indeed been open again."

Again..? You mean this has happened before?!

Dumbledore looks to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Not a word of this until we figure out what to do here, alright?" He speaks, a small smile on his face. "Y-yes sir." I respond with a nod. "Minerva, if you could escort young master Grey back to his common room?" She nods, motioning me to leave the room. I sigh and leave with her. Though I know I won't be able to go back to sleep tonight.

And that I didn't.

***

I didn't tell anyone about what happened with Colin, as per Dumbledore's orders. Not even Alex or Asteria. I kept it to myself, though this also made me distant. And I'm sure it was noticed. Before I knew it, mere weeks had passed and eventually the teachers had informed us of recent events, so Professor Lockhart opened up a duelling club, and of course I wouldn't miss that.

"Gather round! Gather round. Can everybody see me? Can you all.. hear me?" Lockhart asks, walking along the duelling stage as everyone crowds around. "Excellent." He turns and begins pacing along the stage. "In light of the dark events of recent weeks.. Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this Duelling Club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves.. as I myself have done on countless occasions. For full details, see my published works." He boasts as he removes his emerald green cape, I can't help but roll my eyes. He throws the cape into a group of girls who all swoon over him, my eyes cannot roll back any further. "Let me introduce my assistant.. Professor Snape." He gestures over to the stairs, Snape making his way onto the stage. "He has sportingly agreed to help with a short demonstration. I don't want any of you youngsters to worry. You'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him. Never fear." He says, winking. Nope, I was wrong, my eyes rolled even further. Lockhart and Snape ready their wands, walking up to each other. Lifting their wands in front of their faces, then lowering them, they bow before turning away from each other, each heading to their respective ends of the stage and facing each other once more.

"One."
"Two"
"Three-"

"Expelliarmus!"
A flash of white light leaves Snape's wand as he casts the spell toward Lockhart, launching him back, Lockhart landing with a thud. The crowd all murmurs as Lockhart slowly gets back up on his feet. "Do you think he's alright?" Hermione asks from beside me. "Who cares?" I ask back with a grin.

"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy." Lockhart flaunts smugly, there go my eyes again. "Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, professor." Snape suggests, a small grin on his face. That's probably the first time I have ever seen him smile. "An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape. Let's have a volunteer pair. Potter, Weasley, how about you?" Lockhart asks, pointing toward the two. "Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the Hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest someone from my own house? Asteria, perhaps?" Snape asks as Potter heads to the stage, Snape turns towards Asteria, pointing to her before beckoning her over.

I watch as the two make their way to the middle of the stage, a soft grin on Asteria's face. "Wands at the ready." Lockhart demands. The two lift their wands to their faces, exchange a small conversation, which I can't hear, and lower the wands again, walking to their respective ends of the stage. "On the count of three., cast your charms to disarm your opponent. Only to disarm. We don't want any accidents here. One. Two-"

"Everte Statum!" Asteria casts, a light blasting at Harry, sending him flying back, flip after flip before landing to the ground. I can hear Draco laugh. Harry quickly stands back on his feet before casting his own spell. "Rictusempra!" Another bright light is cast, this time from Harry's wand, sending Asteria flying towards Snape, landing on her arse. Must be a Malfoy thing.

She stands to her feet, her smirk was now a scowl. "I said disarm only!" Lockhart exclaims. "Serpensortia!" Asteria casts, conjuring a snake onto the stage. Well, that was unexpected.

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Snape says, walking towards the snake. "Allow me, Professor Snape. Alarte Ascendare." Lockhart casts, though it only lifts the snake into the air, then back down where it just was. Though, the snake's attention was now turned towards a Hufflepuff, Justin Finch-Fletchley.

"Stop." Harry demands, walking towards the snake, though it ignores him, slithering towards Justin. "Leave him alone." Harry says, though is ignored once more by the snake. "Leave him alone." Harry repeated, in a harsher tone this time, him now gaining the snakes' attention. "...Vipera.. Evanesca.." Snape utters, causing the snake to disintegrate from the middle and out towards the ends.

"What are you playing at?" Justin asks Harry, seemingly scared from his encounter with the snake. The entire room is looking at Harry, looks of concern on their faces, even the teacher's and I don't understand why.