FOR A FEW DAYS, the school could talk of little else but the attack on Mrs. Norris. Mr. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Chloe had seen the caretaker scrubbing the message on the wall with 'Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover', but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone. When he wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like 'breathing loudly' and 'looking happy'.
Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs. Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat lover. "But you haven't really got to know Mrs. Norris. Honestly, we're much better off without her." Ron told her bracingly. Ginny's lip trembled.
"Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts. They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled," said Ron. "I'm only joking-" He hastily added, as Ginny blanched.
The attack had also had an effect on Hermione.
It was usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was doing almost nothing else.
Nor could Chloe and Ron get much response from her when they asked what she was up to and not until the following Wednesday did they find out.
Chloe had been held back in Potions, where Snape had asked her to stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks. After a hurried lunch, she went upstairs to meet Ron in the library, and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming towards her. Chloe had just opened her mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of her, turned abruptly, and sped off in the opposite direction. She found Ron at the back of the library, measuring his History of Magic homework.
Professor Binns wanted a three-foot long composition on 'The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards'. "I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short," said Ron, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll, "and Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny."
"Where is she?" Chloe asked, grabbing the tape measure and unrolling her own homework.
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"Somewhere over there. Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas," said Ron, pointing along the shelves.
Chloe told Ron about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from her. "Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot. All that rubbish about Lockhart being so great-" Ron said, as he scribbled to make his writing as large as possible.
"I suppose I care because I was judged and avoided enough at my old Muggle school. I really hoped it wouldn't be like that here. Besides, despite his Lockhart obsession, Justin seems nice." Chloe said.
Hermione emerged from the bookshelves. She looked irritable and seemed ready to talk to Chloe and Ron. "All the copies of Hogwarts, A History have been taken out. And there's a two week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books." She stated, sitting down next to them.
