Fallen in grace

Information

When I walked away from the library I noticed someone else hiding in the shadows behind the closed door: Dobby, our house elf. He jumped away when he saw that I had seen him. He looked scared and angry at the same time. I wondered if he had also heard the conversation my parents were having in the library.

What would he think of it? House elves mostly served pureblood families so their contact with mudbloods was limited. Though our family didn't treat him very well so there was a chance he would sympathise with those who were also mistreated by us our other families.

I just nodded towards Dobby which seemed to surprise him. He bowed deeply for me as my father had thought him to do. He quickly walked away muttering to himself.

For a second I thought I heard him say the words 'visit', 'warn', 'Potter', 'time', but that must have been a figment of my imagination for I was certain that Dobby would never leave our house. I decided it would be best if I didn't inform my father about my suspicions concerning Dobby.

I spent many days wondering how I would be able to get some information to Potter. I couldn't just walk up to him and tell him what I knew. I doubted he would believe me. I certainly wouldn't believe him if our places were switched.

The option of slipping him a letter explaining that the Weasley girl had a magical journal that could make sure a basilisk killed mudbloods also seemed like a very bad option. He was maybe even less likely to believe that than if I were to confront him face to face. I would have to be very subtle in providing him with information.

I also had to find some information about a basilisks for I only knew what I heard during the secret conversation between my parents and the unknown man I had listened into. I couldn't find a book in our library where the basilisk was mentioned so I would have to find other means to get some information.

The opportunity for me to look for information presented itself. During the last days of summer my father took my to Diagon Alley. We spent half an hour buying my school supplies. I thought we would go back home after that but it turned out I was wrong. We spent the whole day in the bookstore while he seemed to be waiting for someone. He waved me away so I wandered off on my own to look for some information.

There was a signing going on from a guy called Lockhart some crazy author who apparently was going to be our teacher at Hogwarts, what a joy. From what he was telling the crowd he had defeated many dark creatures but by the looks of it he probably wasn't able to perform a patronus charm let alone defeat vampires and werewolves. Apparently many people seemed to believe his nonsense since more and more people were coming into the store.

I went to the second floor of the building since I didn't find information on the ground floor and the shop was getting crowded with crazy witches who were coming to that nutheads signing. I went to the dark and dangerous magic section to try my luck there. I finally found some information in a book on dark magical creatures.

it wasn't much but it was the first information I got. It told me the same I heard during the library conversation that the basilisk could kill with it's eyes. It would have to do, if Potter knew what was in the chamber he could maybe inform Dumbledore who would surely believe him. So just the information about the monster in the chamber could already prevent the deaths of the muggleborns.

Suddenly I heard some familiar voices nearby. I looked down and saw the whole Weasley family, Harry Potter and Granger. I quickly tore the page from the book, walking down the stairs to confront Potter. I decided to do what I always do around Potter and confront him just to annoy him and Weasley when suddenly we were interrupted by my father. 

He seemed very happy to see the Weasleys and suddenly I had the feeling that it was them he had been waiting for the whole day when I saw him look happily at the Weasley girl. He looked with disgust at Granger who was also accompanying the Weasley family.

It made me sick knowing that he wanted her dead within the next months and that he was making sure that was going to happen right at this instant. I didn't like her at all, but still the thought of killing her or another child at school made me sick.

My father had a little confrontation with mister Weasley about mister Weasley's job, I heard about the raids he was doing during the conversation in the library. Suddenly I saw my father put an old leather book in the Weasley girl's cauldron. I figured that must be the journal I heard him talking about. Now all I had to do was get the information to Potter some way so it wouldn't be too obvious.

I would have to give him the information at school for I just couldn't send it by owl. I figured I would have to wait some time, possibly even till after the chamber was opened to not make it too obvious. I could only hope there wouldn't be fatalities until I could get the information to Potter.

When I came home my father went straight to his office, seemingly very satisfied with himself.

I decided to just head up to my room and do some more reading before school started. I noticed once again the strange behaviour of Dobby our house elf. He was muttering to himself when he was pacing around the hall. Before I came into his view I heard him say something about being too late and the journal being gone.

 It was clear to me that Dobby had in fact been aware of the plans my father had about that journal and the chamber of secrets. Once again I decided not to tell my father, I just passed Dobby who jumped away out of fear when I passed him before making an unnatural bow.

I locked myself in my room taking my new spell book to learn some new spells. It was one of my last evening at home before school started. I was even more nervous than last year. Would I be able to prevent the basilisk from killing people without being recognized as the one who helped stop it?