Annabeth Chase and Things Are Getting Intense

Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Guess who's graduating high school tomorrow! Woooooooo! And I'm also going to be singing there with the other senior musicians, so that'll be fun. 

Anyway, here's the chapter! 

The wind whipped everyone's hair into a frenzy as they all stood there, processing what had just happened. Katie's friend was wailing into her hands, and Hermione rushed over to put an arm around her.

"It's Leanne, isn't it?"

Leanne nodded.

"Do you know what happened?" Annabeth asked gently.

"It was when that package tore," Leanne sobbed, pointing to the now wet package laying on the ground. It had split open, revealing just a bit of something green and glittery that stood out against the dirt road.

Ron leaned down, hand outstretched as if to pick up the package, but Annabeth grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back.

"Don't touch it," she said, crouching down to see it better. Using her wand, she nudged the brown paper out of the way. Underneath it was an ornate opal necklace that she recognized.

"I've seen that before," Harry said, also crouching down.

Annabeth nodded. "It was in a display case at Borgin and Burkes." she looked up at Leanne. "How did Katie get this?"

"Well, that's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom at the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it... oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been imperiused and I didn't realize!" Leanne burst into new sobs.

Hermione patted her shoulder. "She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?"

"No... she wouldn't tell me... and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to the school, and she just wouldn't listen to me... and then I tried to grab it from her and—and—"

She wailed and buried her face in her hands again.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "Let's go up to the school, Leanne. We'll be able to see how she's doing. Harry, take the necklace, but cover your hand with your scarf. Be careful. Double wrap it if you need to."

Nodding, Harry leaned down and carefully wrapped his scarf around the necklace before picking it up.

It was mostly quiet as they made their way back up to Hogwarts. Annabeth was thinking, Hermione was comforting Leanne, who was sobbing, and Ron and Harry were walking silently. Finally, when they stepped through the gates and onto the grounds of Hogwarts, Harry broke the silence.

"Malfoy knows about this necklace," he said. "It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. This is what he was buying that day we followed him! He remembered it and went back for it!"

"I—I dunno, Harry," Ron said hesitantly. "Loads of people go into Borgin and Burkes. And didn't that girl say Katie got it from the girl's bathroom?"

"She said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily say she got it from the bathroom itself—"

"McGonagall's coming," Annabeth muttered.

Harry and Ron paused their little argument to watch McGonagall rush down the stone steps of the castle and out into the cold to meet them.

"Hagrid said you five saw what happened to Katie Bell—upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding, Potter?"

"It's the thing she touched," Harry said, holding out the necklace in his scarved hand.