enchanted • draco malfoy

Year 2: Journal, Detention, and Spiders

Felicity's POV

"It was Hagrid," Harry announced, "that opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago." Hermione shook her head stubbornly as Harry and I retold last night's adventures too her and Ron on the way to Potions. "It can't be," she refused, "It just can't be."

"We don't even know this Tom Riddle," Ron agreed, "And he sounds like a dirty little snitch to me." I sighed in annoyance and rolled my eyes. "Ron, the monster killed someone. As in, death. No more life," I told him again, for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Look," Hermione reasoned, "Hagrid's our friend. Why don't we just go and ask him about it?"

Ron sent her an exasperated look. "That'll be a cheerful visit," he remarked sarcastically, "'Oh, hello, Hagrid! Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'"

"Mad and hairy?" a familiar voice sounded from behind Ron. We all whipped around, our faces equally nervous and guilty. "You wouldn't happen to be talking about me, now would ya?" Hagrid continued gruffly. "No," we all answered in rushed unison. I could see Ron gulp out of my peripheral vision. Hagrid's smile faded a little and he looked down at us suspiciously.

"Uh, what's that you've got there, Hagrid?" I asked, changing the subject and motioning to a dark green canister in his hand. "Oh, it's some Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent," he replied, lifting it up for us too see. I forced a grin, "Pleasant." "It's for the Mandrakes, yanno?" he continued, "According t o Professor Sprout, they still have a bit of growing up to do. But, once their acne cleared up, we'll be able to chome 'em up and stew 'em. Get those people down at the hospital unpetrified. In the meantime, though..." He looked at us all in the eyes slowly. "You four have best be lookin' after yourselves, alright?"

We all nodded quickly and he gave us one last nod of his own before heading down to his hut. He brushed past Neville, who was running the fastest I've ever seen him run straight towards us. "Harry!" he panted, "I don't know who did it, but you'd better come!"

Without waiting for an answer, he took off running back to the castle, with us following not far behind him. He led us up to the Gryffindor Tower and into the boy's dormitories. My jaw dropped a little.

Mirrors were cracked, glass was shattered, pillows were torn open, books were scattered; the contents of Harry's trunk specifically were spilled everywhere. It looked like a tornado had touched down in here.

"It had to be a Gryffindor," Hermione said, her brow furrowed in thought, "Nobody else knows our password. Unless it wasn't a student." "Whoever it was, they must have been looking for something," Ron added, surveying the mess of the room with wide eyes.

"Well, they found it," Harry replied, "Tom Riddle's diary is gone."

~*~

The next morning was the Hufflepuff VS. Gryffindor Quidditch match, which I'd been excited for all week, before Professor Snape came up to me at breakfast.

"Longbottom," he addressed me, his glare withering, "Be in my classroom in 15 minutes. I am, unfortunately, unavailable tonight, so detention will commence while I am around to supervise."

"What?" I gasped, "Professor Snape, there's a Quidditch game today! I can't miss that!" Snape's glare increased. "Everyone who received a detention from me will be missing the game today, Miss Longbottom, now hold your tongue," he snapped. He turned away and strutted out the doors of the Great Hall, presumably towards the dungeons.

"He's a right evil bloody git," I fumed, turning to Harry and Ron. Hermione had left early this morning after telling me she needed to return a book to the library. They both looked at me sympathetically as I groaned, slamming my head repeatedly against the wooden table. I stopped and sighed before slinging my bag over my shoulder and standing up.