Never Is Our Always

Her Skeleton Will Lie In The Chamber Forever 2

(Oliver pov)

It was now three days before our first exam, Professor McGonagall was up and out at the front of the Great Hall when she beckoned us to be quiet as she was going to make another announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" I roared excitedly.

Professor McGonagall waited for us to be quiet again before she smiles.

"Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching of the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering.

Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous.

"What's up?" Ron said, helping himself to more porridge.

Ginny didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face.

"Where is he..." I mumbled as I looked around for Percy, I wanted to tell him the good news about Professor Sprout.

"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her, I tuned out and then eyed Fred and George who were sitting across from me.

"What happened to you two?" I ask them.

"We were caught by Madam Pince so she told Filch and well..." Fred put his head on the table with a groan.

"...We've been cleaning the castle with Filch." George concludes.

"Serves you right," I mumbled before I saw Percy appear, looking tired and warn.

"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty."

Ginny jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table.

"Percy!" Ron said angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!"

Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked.

"What sort of thing?" he said, coughing.

"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say!"

"Oh- that- that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once.

"How do you know?" Ron said, his eyebrows raised and then I snickered as Percy swiped me on the back of my head.

"Ow! Hey!" I yelp, "lad it was your own fault," I told him before drinking from my own cup of coffee.

"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny, er, walked in on me the other day when I was- well, never mind- the point is, she spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked her not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think she'd keep her word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather-"