Amelia Merlin

Part Fifty One: A student has been taken

"Don't you already have a necklace like that?" Lavender peered over Amelia's shoulder into the box.

"Yes." Amelia's voice was small, and dead. "How strange."

"I think you have a secret admirer!" Parvati and Lavender squealed at the idea.

"How strange." She repeated.

"Amelia! What's wrong?" Parvati cried out and put a hand on her shoulder, while Lavender immediately stroked her hair.

"What?" Amelia didn't understand the sudden change in attitude.

Lavender wiped at her cheek, and she felt dampness spread. "You're crying, dear."

"Oh." Amelia's voice broke. "How strange."

And then it happened again. Those damn tears. Those fucking sobs that broke through her body like bombs.

"Darling!" Lavender cried and hugged her. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

Amelia's two friends pulled her to her feet, they grabbed the box and scurried out of the hall with her, ignoring the hundreds of stares.  The girls made their way to the dormitory and sat down on the bed.

Amelia lay down with her head in Parvati's lap, who stroked her hair while she cried. Lavender sat on the floor beside the bed and held Amelia's hand.

The best part about being a girl, is the friendship you have with other girls.

They lay on the bed for god knows how long. They didn't ask Amelia any questions or push her to talk about it. Lavender even went to go find Fred and get him to bring her a cup of tea, knowing that he could make it happen.

When she stopped crying, Amelia started to draw. Instead of drawing the things that scared her, like she did last year, Amelia drew the things that made her happy. She filled her sketch book with pictures of trees, flowers, the lake, and her friends. Over half the pages were covered in the people who made her happy.

"These are amazing." Lavender smiled, picking up the one of herself. "Can I keep it?"

"Yeah sure." Amelia smiled, with that spark of her usual self returned. "Here's one of Seamus, you can have that too!"

"Cheeky Amy!" Lavender swatted at her with a laugh.

"Fred always says that to me."

"It's because you're always so sassy!" Amelia stood up and stretched.

"I think I aught to get out of here." She felt better, not good, but better than before.

"Well there's the final Quidditch match in half an hour!" Lavender was thrilled with the idea of Amelia wanting to do something.

"Who's playing?"

"Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

Amelia hurried to get ready, and made her way down to the pitch with the girls. They were almost there when she the dark tunnel flashed before her eyes. Amelia stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Lavender asked.

"Nothing." She shook her head and rolled her shoulders back, determined not to let this stop her.

Rip.........

The girls scurried down the stairs and through the Entrance Hall.

The wolf growled, menacingly.

Parvati and Lavender chatted about how jealous they were of Amelia and Cedric.

Tear.........

The grounds were warm and sunny, the dull roar of the spectators could be heard from far away.

The wolf gave a loud bark.

They reached with pitch, giggling the whole way down.

Kill...........

Amelia tugged at her necklace as she shoved the visions away. She felt the pressing feeling in her mind release, like someone had given up trying to get in. The girls found some seats next to the boys in their year.

"We are definitely going to win this one." Dean said with confidence.

"I dunno about that! Hufflepuff has Cedric, and-" Amelia started before Dean cut her off.

"Yeah yeah, your boyfriends amazing, we know. You only talk about it all the time." He waved his hand.

Amelia laughed. "I do not!"

Dean raised his eyebrows at her. "Of course you don't."

The players walked onto the field and the crowd cheered. The game was about to begin, and there wasn't a single person in the school who wasn't excited for this.

Except apparently McGonagall. She strode on to the pitch. "This match has been cancelled!"

The spectators roared in disapproval, but the players were even angrier. Amelia though Wood was going to throw a fit, or pass out.

"All students are to make their way back to the house common rooms, where their heads of house will give them further information. As quickly as you can please!" she lowered the microphone and the crowds flooded from the stands. Amelia and her friends stayed together, pushing through the mass of people.

"What's going on?"

"She can't cancel Quidditch!"

"McGonagall sucks."

Amelia knew, as everyone discussed what may have happened, that there had been another attack from the Heir of Slytherin. Something in her gut told her it was true. By the time she reached the common room, every chair and couch were full of people, waiting to hear from McGonagall. When the Professor arrived, everyone fell silent. She unrolled a piece of parchment and began.

"All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities." McGonagall rolled up the declaration and continued, her voice somewhat choked, "I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

With that, she left the common room. Amelia stood in silence as everyone around her broke into riotous discussion. Distantly, she heard Lee Jordan explaining why all the Slytherins should be expelled.

Amelia tugged at the wolf necklace that hung around her neck. She knew that she was connected to the Chamber of Secrets. It couldn't be a coincidence that all these terrible things happened. Amelia didn't want to tell anyone though, she didn't want to be seen as a the Heir of Slytherin, or someone who tried to kill people. But not saying anything made her just as bad.

She took a deep breath and climbed out the portal after McGonagall, Amelia had to run to catch up with her.

"Professor!" She called out.

"Miss Merlin! Did I not just tell you, you are not to go anywhere without a teacher?" she reprimanded, and Amelia was slightly scared for a moment, but there was something more important she had to do.

"I know, Professor. But you also said, if anyone knows something, they aught to come forward."