Harry Potter: The Forgotten Chronicles-Book 1

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A week had passed since Harry had introduced Evelyn to the Gryffindors, and the change in her life had been remarkable. Despite the mountain of homework and the ever-present pressure of their new school environment, Evelyn found a deep sense of contentment in her new friendships. The Gryffindor common room had become her second home, and she relished the time she spent there, nestled comfortably among the boys who had quickly become her closest friends.

On this particular Monday, as the students gathered in the Great Hall for lunch, the usual hustle and bustle was in full swing. Seamus was in the middle of an ambitious but somewhat reckless attempt to transform a jug of water into a more exotic potion. The liquid bubbled ominously before erupting in a small explosion, sending a splash of water and a puff of steam into the air. Seamus, drenched and slightly singed, shrugged off the mishap with a sheepish grin, pushing the remnants of his experiment aside.

As the noise of Seamus's potion experiment fizzled out, the owls began their daily delivery of letters and parcels. Hermione eagerly tore open a neatly wrapped box, her eyes bright with curiosity, while Ron's face lit up as he unwrapped a box of sweets and the Daily Prophet from home. Harry glanced over at Evelyn, and they exchanged a knowing look. Neither of them had received any mail, a fact that seemed oddly reassuring in their shared solitude.

"Hey, look! Neville's gotten a Remembrall!" Ron announced, drawing everyone's attention to Neville, who was holding a glass ball filled with white smoke. The smoke inside the ball began to shift, turning from its usual white to a deep scarlet.

"I've read about those," Hermione said, always ready with a fact. "If the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something."

"Only problem is," Neville said with a touch of misery, "I can't remember what I've forgotten." This made everyone smile sympathetically, lightening the mood.

"May I borrow this?" Harry asked Ron, holding up the Daily Prophet. Ron nodded, handing over his copy with a grin. As Harry began scanning the paper, Evelyn continued eating, while the others sifted through their mail.

"That's odd," Harry said, his brow furrowing as he read.

"What is?" Evelyn asked, peering over Harry's shoulder to the paper.

"Somebody broke into Gringotts!" Harry replied, reading from the paper. "'Believed to be the work of dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist nothing was taken. The vault in question had, in fact, been emptied earlier that same day.'"

"So?" Ron asked, his mouth full of chocolate frogs.

"It was the same vault that Hagrid and I visited." Harry explained. "Hagrid got a small packet from it. He said it was Hogwarts business, very secret."

"That is odd." Hermione added, listening to the conversation. Ron just shrugged, clearly uninterested.

The conversation turned to other topics, and soon they were packing up to talk to their next class. As they left the Great Hall after lunch, the crowd of students jostled and murmured around them. Hermione was walking with a stack of books in her arms when someone suddenly bumped into her. The impact sent her books scattering across the floor.

"Hey!" Hermione snapped, bending down to retrieve her books. As she looked up, she saw Draco Malfoy standing there with a smirk on his face. Behind him, two of his bulkier friends, Crabbe and Goyle, loomed, their expressions indifferent to the commotion.

Harry rolled his eyes and immediately moved to help Hermione gather her books. The tension in the air grew thicker as Malfoy's voice cut through.

"Is it true that your father died a coward in hiding?" Malfoy taunted, his voice dripping with malicious glee.