Sarah Potter (Book 2)

Ch17: The Chamber of Secrets

I feel myself slide to the floor. I don't feel myself touching the floor.

Bonnie's been taken. She's my sister. I need to save her, but how?

I feel Hermione's cool touch on my shoulder. She gives me a sympathetic look, but I can tell she's hurt too.

"We'll send all the students home first thing tomorrow." McGonagall says after a while. "I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts. Dumbledore always said-"

At that moment, the staffroom door bangs open and Lockhart comes in.

"Sorry, must've dozed off. What did I miss?" He says.

Oh I don't know, my sister and my friends' sister just got taken by a Basilisk into the Chamber of Secrets and left to die, but you know nothing much while you were asleep. Bloody git.

Snape steps foreword to Lockhart. "Just the man. Two girls have been snatched by the monster and taken to the Chamber. Weren't you saying that all along you knew where the entrance to the Chamber was?"

I let out a smile. Sometimes Snape isn't such a prat.

Lockhart blanches.

"I-well-I-" He stutters.

"Yes," Professor Flitwick says. "Didn't you say you knew what was inside it?"

"D-did I? I don't recall..."

Ha, Lockhart is stupid. He doesn't know anything. I knew he couldn't do anything remotely dangerous. Seriously, he couldn't even battle a few pixies, I mean come on. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't actually him who did those things in his books.

"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested." Snape says. "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given free rein from the first?"

Lockhart stares around at the rest of the staff.

"I...I really never...you may have misunderstood..."

"Then it's settled. We'll leave you to face the monster and save the girls." McGonagall says. "Tonight would be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone is out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the mister all by yourself. A free rein at last."

Lockhart looks around desperately for someone to help him. No one does. He looks scared.

"V-very well." He says. "I'll-I'll be in my office, getting-getting ready."

And he leaves.

"Right," McGonagall says. "That's got him out of the road. The Heads of Houses should,go and inform the students of what's happened. Tell them that the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing in the morning. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside of their dormitories."

The teachers rose, and left one-by-one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't follow McGonagall to the Gryffindor Common Room. I couldn't bear it. I couldn't bear seeing Fred's, George's, Amy's and Percy's reactions.

So, I went to the library. I've recently figured how to use items now. I can't hold things, but I can sit on them. So, I sit on one of the chairs in the library and just cry.

Bonnie, my only sister, dead. She might not be dead now, but she will be. She can't be saved. I feel so helpless, I can't even help her in the slightest.

Hermione eventually comes in and hugs me tight. I just cry into her arms until there are no tears left.

Once I'm finished, Hermione wipes my eyes and says,