Courage

-23-

Book: Courage
Chapter 23
Word Count: 1949

Hermione remained in the hospital wing for several weeks. There was a flurry of rumours about her disappearance when the rest of the school arrived back from their Christmas holidays, because of course everyone thought that she had been attacked. So many students filed past the hospital wing trying to catch a glimpse of her that Madam Pomfrey took out her curtains again and placed them around Hermione's bed, to spare her the shame of being seen with a furry face.

When the new term started, Harry and Ron had suggested that they brought Hermione each day's homework, but Layla had told them that she had always visited Hermione the night before and wanted to sit in her bed and just finish her potions essay that she had already been assigned in the first week back.

As Layla finished her two-paged potions essay, she placed it on her bedside table and then caught sight of her diary. She decided that a conversation with Tom felt rather nice, so she placed her diary in front of her and grabbed her quill and ink.

Hey, Tom!

Hello, Layla. How are you?

I'm fine, thanks. And you?

I am doing fine, I just have one particular person on my mind.

Really? Who? A secret lover?

Quite the opposite, actually. Harry Potter.

Oh! Why are you thinking about Harry?

That isn't important. Tell me more about him.

I've already told you everything I know about him.

Tell me how he survived the attack from Voldemort.

How do you know his name??

Tell me how Harry defeated Voldemort.

No one really knows. Harry never told me and I never pushed him on it. I doubt even Harry knows how he did it.

Well, someone knows. Ask around. Find out how Voldemort was defeated.

Several more conversations between Layla and Tom turned to the subject of Harry and how he survived the attack from You-Know-Who. The constant interrogations were starting to frighten Layla. She felt that Tom was turning very, very controlling. She didn't know what to do. Tom was getting angry, his handwriting was becoming messier with his impatience to get information that Layla didn't have.

The day came when Layla had had enough. Tom was after something, and she reckoned that he wanted to hurt Harry.

It was late afternoon, just before dinner. Layla ran through the corridors and into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Grabbing the back that was hung over her shoulder, Layla rifled through it before pulling out the diary. It looked small and innocent, but it was the opposite.

"Goodbye, Tom," said Layla as she went into one of the cubicles and shoved the diary into the toilet bowl. She flushed the diary down into the pipes that emitted a strange gurgling sound.

Satisfied, Layla left the bathroom. As soon as she had shut the bathroom door behind her, she heard a wail that could belong to none other than Moaning Myrtle, followed by the rushing of water.

As February rolled around, the sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.