Little Brave Hearts || Neville Longbottom

CHAPTER FORTY THREE

Mr. Filch no longer bothered hiding his hostility towards the five after the incident that happened to Mrs. Norris. He was so convinced that Harry was behind of it all.

The situation turned more serious than what Maykha had imagined it to be. Even their headmaster had came and became involved with it, warning the students and staff to be more weary and cautious more than ever.

What Maykha was had become worried about was what Malfoy said, about the Muggleborns being the next.

Next to be petrified? Next to die? Maykha had no idea but all she knew was they were in danger— the kind of danger that she, too, was afraid of.

Sitting in Transfiguration, Maykha was absentmindedly playing with her quill. Professor McGonagall was discussing about how to tranform an animal into a goblet, but none of those mattered to Maykha. She wondered if it was appropriate for them to continue teaching despite the dangers that loomed around their school at that very moment.

Hermione, who was sitting beside her, raised her hand in the middle of discussion, making all the students' attention went to her.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked as she looked over her eyeglasses.

"Uhh Professor, could you...could you tell us something about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Hermione got Maykha's attention. She immediately fixed her posture to sit upright, and focused on their professor who looked as thought she was hesitant of telling what she knew of the chamber. However, seeing the curious faces of her students, Professor McGonagall decided that they had the right to know about it as well.

"Very well," the professor sighed before continuing, "you are all aware, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Now, three of them coexisted quite harmoniously...and one did not," Professor McGonagall explained. Maykha was all ears, not wanting to miss any single information.

"Salazar Slytherin wanted to be more selective of the children admitted into the school, he thought learning magic was supposed to be kept within all-magic families, or what we call the 'purebloods'."

Maykha secretly glanced at Malfoy who was grinning ear to ear.

"Unsuccessful in swaying the others, he decided to just leave the school, but according to legend, before leaving the school,  Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. He sealed it until that time when his true heir returned to the school. The heir alone has the ability to open the chamber and unleash the horror within. By so doing, it would purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view were unworthy to study magic."

"The Muggleborns," Hermione said in gloom and as if on cue, Maykha felt as if her heart sank in to her stomach. She was pretty sure that Professor McGonagall said something more but Maykha could no longer heard any of those.

Why did it always have to be the Muggleborns? Was it a crime to be born as one? They showed magic, often even better than those pure-bloods, just as them. It was a rubbish discrimination against their blood status, as if it was the basis of much magic they have in their blood.

...

Wanting to be alone to think, Maykha excused herself from her friends saying she was having a stomach ache for what she had eaten that morning. She went straight to the lake and sat on the grass, she hugged her knees as she watched the birds flying above her.

She was worried for herself more than she had been before, and she had been in a lot of dangerous situations in the past, but she somehow managed to get through them all the time. But this time...this time she felt so powerless. How could she not if their opponent was an ancient being that a powerful wizard had created himself.

It was not like her to be so pessimistic, yet by just thinking about being in the same state as Mrs. Norris, her stomach churned with a very unsettling sensation. She was already horrified to see a cat in that state, what more if it had been a human like her.

As her mind wandered off, she heard a few footsteps behind her that made her turn around immediately and saw Cedric walking towards her, "Maykha?"

"Cedric."

The boy walked towards her and sat down, "What are you doing here?"

Maykha looked away, "Nothing, just wanting to have a breath of fresh air. You?"

"Same reason."

There was a moment of silence after that. She glanced at her company and saw he's just admiring the lake.

"You're worried, aren't you?" said the boy, breaking the silence.

Maykha shook her head aggressively, denying what Cedric has said, "N-no, I'm not."

"You are, it's written all over your face," he said with a chuckle. "And it's completely fine to be honest sometimes. Playing tough and mighty won't do you good at all times."

Maykha's forehead formed a knot, "What do you mean?"

"I'm saying it's fine to be vulnerable sometimes, it's fine to be scared and actually be honest about it. Fear doesn't make us less brave than we already are, it just proves that we are human. You're a human being, Maykha, and you're allowed to be scared," Cedric said without breaking his eyes from the lake. Maykha eyed the lake too, as she tried to accept what the boy has said.

The boy made a point. Perhaps, she was too busy acting tough so as to not make her friends worry, but there was nothing for her to be ashamed of for being scared. It was indeed a scary time, they did not even know the depths of danger that lurked in the castle, driving everyone to the edge of their sanity.

"You're right. Perhaps, I am afraid," Maykha said without looking at the boy, "Thanks, Ced. I owe you one"

She just heard him chuckle once again, "You don't owe me anything. I just did what friends would normally do"

"Still, thank you. I'll make sure to be here for you when you're troubled too," she said, now looking at him.

The boy's words consoled her anxiety, and she was thankful for his presence despite wanting to be left alone at first.

Maykha decided to head back to the castle, bidding Cedric, who wanted to stay there a little bit longer, farewell. As she walked with a bit lightened feeling, she spotted Ginny just making an entrance in the castle too.

"Ginny!" she ran towards her friend and when she caught her, she was surprised to see that the girl was looking at her emotionlessly. As if her eyes were nothing but blank.

She had not been with Ginny over the past few days. It was disappointing as she looked forward to being her older sister and guide her throughout her first year, but with the Chamber of Secrets thing happening around, things became so much complicated.

Maykha was happy to see her friend but Ginny looked like the opposite. She was just about to ask what's wrong when Ginny turned her back on her and started walking away. She just watched  her friend got swallowed by the crowd of students but before she could lose the sight of her, she noticed that Ginny was carrying something on her hand...a black notebook.