Finding Acceptance | Fred Weasley

Chapter 13: Attacks & Accusations

~* Chapter 13 *~

~* Attacks & Accusations *~

It was Halloween and Cordelia was excited to spend time in Hogsmeade with her friends. They spent the day visiting all of the shops and drinking Butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks.

The Halloween feast was as delicious as ever. Cordelia had eaten more than she should have, and she knew she would regret it with a stomach ache later that night.

The Three Hufflepuffs were about to turn down the corridor to their Common Room when they heard a commotion. People were talking in loud, worried voices before turning in a completely different direction.

"What do you think is going on?" asked Kiana, receiving shrugs from Cordelia and Cedric.

"It happened one floor up! We need to go that way!" They heard a seventh year student shout. Instead of continuing on their path, they turned and followed the older student to see what was going on.

The students didn't know what to expect, but they most definitely did not expect to see a horrifying sight in front of them. There was a massive amount of water on the floor, as if someone left a tap on. Above the water, was a message written in blood: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware." Next to the message was a cat, hanging stiffly upside down by its tail.

Cordelia's eyes were wide and her breath was shaky. She fiddled with her bracelet as she caught sight of the twins, making eye contact with Fred. Without a second thought, she let go of her bracelet and grabbed hold of Cedric and Kiana's hands.

"C'mon. Let's find out what this is," she whispered before leading them through the crowd, pushing their way through to where the Gryffindors stood before dropping their hands.

"Please say this is a horrible prank," she pleaded as she stood next to them. Fred silently shook his head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware," Draco read the message on the wall out loud. All of the students were already silent in shock, so everyone now had their attention on him.

"You'll be next, Mudbloods," he added, looking straight at Hermione. Cordelia gasped.

"Shut up, Draco! That is a horrible thing to say!" she scolded, looking at her brother in fury.

People nearby looked between the two siblings, surprised to see her speak to her brother. No one saw them on the train last year, so no one had actually seen the two interact, except for the Golden Trio who only saw it one time. People were also surprised with the way she spoke. They assumed she was a quiet and meek Hufflepuff who relied on her friends to do the yelling for her. They were wrong.

Fred smiled proudly at the girl. He loved seeing her put Draco in his place. He knew she could be fierce, especially when it concerned protecting someone else. But seeing it caused him to smile all the same. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he found it attractive.

All attention was brought back to the present situation thanks to the school's caretaker Mr Filch demanding punishment for what happened to his cat. He had named Harry, who had been first at the scene. Cordelia couldn't believe that they were accusing him. She didn't think there was any way he could have done it. Luckily, she wasn't the only one who shared those thoughts. After some arguments with the professors and Harry, Dumbledore declared that Harry was innocent until proven guilty and that the cat wasn't dead, but rather Petrified. All students were sent to their dorms.

Fred reluctantly removed his arm from Cordelia's shoulder as they said their goodbyes, going in different directions.

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