A Hogwarts Legend: Round Two [2]

Chapter Twenty Five

Unedited

Chapter Twenty Five - "Let's put our positive pants on."

"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 it 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."

The Gryffindors packed inside the common room listen to Professor McGonagall in silence. She rolls up the parchment from which she had been reading and says in a somewhat choked voice, "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 us caught. I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

She climbs somewhat awkwardly out of the portraits hole, and the Gryffindors begin talking immediately.

"That's four Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw and one Hufflepuff," says Lee Jordan, counting on his fingers. "Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin - why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" he roars, to nods and scattered applause.

Well that's just assuming. Not all Slytherins are bad.

Percy is sitting in a chair behind Lee, but for once he doesn't seem keen to make his views heard. He's looking pale and stunned.

"Percy's in shock," Fred tells me quietly. "That Ravenclaw girl - Penelope Clearwater - she's a Prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a Prefect."

"How are you?" George asks.

"I think you know the answer to that," I smile weakly and he pulls me into a hug.

"They'll be fine," Fred says, hugging me as well.

"That doesn't stop me worrying," I reply, pulling away from them. "But thanks. You two are going to have to be my Maya and Elinor for now."

They both laugh and I walk over to Ron and Harry.

"What're we going to do?" says Ron quietly. "D'you think they suspect Hagrid?"

"We've got to go and talk to him," I say, making up my mind. "I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start."

"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class -"

"I think," says Harry, more quietly still, "it's time to get my dad's old Cloak out again."

*

I wait for Harry and Ron down in the common room, wearing my. They run down the dormitory steps and Harry throws the cloak over us.

The journey through the dark and deserted castle corridors isn't enjoyable. I've wandered the castle at night before, but I've never seen it so crowded after sunset. Teachers, Prefects and ghosts are marching the corridors in pairs, staring around for any unusual activity. The Invisibility Cloak doesn't stop us from making any noise, and there's a particularly tense moment when Ron stubs his toe only yards from the spot where Snape is standing guard. Thankfully, Snape sneezes at almost exactly the moment Ron swears. It's with relief that we reach the oak front doors and ease them open.