The Girl Who Had No Escape [1]

Year 2 - 32

The day of the triple attack, there were many changes to the running of Hogwarts. Hagrid was taken away to Azkaban prison that evening, with his previous record against him. Professor Dumbledore was asked to step aside, with the signatures of the 12 councillors on the order of removal. Harry and Ron followed the spiders into the woods, there they met Aragog- Hagrid's pet spider. He told the boys that Hagrid never opened the Chamber, and that Aragog himself was not the monster- as Tom Riddle had led Harry to believe in his diary. No more attacks took place, with the memory of the last one still on everyones' mind.

William, Ara and Lyra came to visit the following day, as promised. And bursted into tears at the sight of Cassiopeia. They stayed beside her for a long while, they just kept looking at their daughter's pale face. Draco, Theodore, Amelia, Crabbe and Goyle came to visit Cassiopeia and the Reid family a few times- not wanting to let their friend go. But they knew that they would have to. They had a month and a half until the end of the school year, and they knew that they would have to move on then. So, they held on for a short while.

Draco and Amelia both read the books given to them by Cassiopeia. Draco had cried throughout, even at the non-sad parts, jut because he remembered who had given it to him and also because he heard her voice as he read it. When he got to the end, where Cassiopeia read from, he couldn't help but hear it in her voice as he read, and once he got to the end he too burst into tears.

As weeks past there was no notice of the Chamber of Secrets, until one fateful evening when Professor McGonagall's voice rung out through the halls.

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor coridoor immediately." Her voice announced. Everyone did as requested, except three. Harry, Ron and Amelia had just come from visiting Hermione in the hospital wing- where they found a scrunched up piece of paper. The paper told them that the monster in the chamber was a Basilisk. The trio ran to the second floor coridoor, and hid behind a corner where the teachers couldn't see them.

"As you can see, the heir of Slytherin has left another message." Professor McGonagall told the teachers. "Another of our worst fears have been realised. A student has been taken by the monster into the chamber itself. Students must be sent home, I'm afraid this will be the end of Hogwarts." There was footsteps, and all the teachers' faces seemed to turn to annoyance.

"So sorry, dozed off. What have I missed?" Professor Lockhart said.

"A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart, your moment has come at last." Professor Snape said.

"M-my moment?" He asked.

"Weren't you saying just last night, that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?" Professor Snape replied.

"Well, that settles it. We'll leave you to deal with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills after all are legend." Professor McGonagall replied, smirking internally and the fraud.

"Very well. I'll be in my office, getting- getting ready." He replied, walking towards his office. Once he was out of view the teachers smirked.

"Well, that's him out of the way." Professor McGonagall comented.

"Who is it that the monster's taken, Minerva?" Madame Pomfrey asked. The professor looked to her grimly.

"Ginny Weasley." She replied, and the teachers walked away. Around the corner, Ron's face went pale when he heard his sister's name. Once the teachers were out of view, the group read the message on the wall.

"'Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever.'" He read. "Ginny." He said, his voice breaking. Harry then turned to the two and pulled them along, towards the Defence Against The Dark Arts office.