Bloodline | Harry Potter x Reader [DISCONTINUED]

Second Year~Chapter Eight

Third Person POV

For a few days, the school could talk of little but the attack on Mrs Norris. Filch kept it fresh in everyone's minds by pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as though he thought the attacker might come back. Harry had seen him scrubbing the message on the wall with 'Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover', but to no effect; the words still gleamed as brightly as ever on the stone.

When Filch wasn't guarding the scene of the crime, he was skulking red-eyed through the corridors, lunging out at unsuspecting students and trying to put them in detention for things like 'breathing loudly' and 'looking happy'.

Ginny Weasley seemed very disturbed by Mrs Norris's fate. According to Ron, she was a great cat-lover.

'But you hadn't really got to know Mrs Norris,' Ron told her bracingly. 'Honestly, we're much better off without her.' Ginny's lip trembled. 'Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts,' Ron assured her. 'They'll catch the nutter who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking –' Ron added hastily, as Ginny blanched.

The attack had also had an effect on Hermione. It was quite usual for Hermione to spend a lot of time reading, but she was now doing almost nothing else. Harry, Ron and (Y/N) could not get much response from her when they asked what she was up to, and not until the following Wednesday did they find out.

Harry had been held back in Potions, where Snape had made him stay behind to scrape tubeworms off the desks. After a hurried lunch, he went upstairs to meet Ron and (Y/N) in the library, and saw Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, coming towards him. Harry had just opened his mouth to say hello when Justin caught sight of him, turned abruptly and sped off in the opposite direction.

Harry found Ron and (Y/N) at the back of the library, measuring their History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had asked for a three-foot long composition on 'The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards'.

'Just one more inch,' said (Y/N), holding up her parchment. 'I should've made my writing bigger.'

'I'm still eight inches short ...' said Ron furiously, letting go of his parchment, which sprang back into a roll, 'and Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny.'

'Where is she?' asked Harry, grabbing the tape measure and unrolling his own homework.

'Somewhere over there,' said (Y/N), pointing along the shelves, 'looking for another book.

'I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas,' said Ron.

Harry told Ron and (Y/N) about Justin Finch-Fletchley running away from him.

'Dunno why you care, I thought he was a bit of an idiot,' said Ron, scribbling away, making his writing as large as possible. 'All that rubbish about Lockhart being so great –'

Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable and at last seemed ready to talk to them.

'All the copies of Hogwarts: A History have been taken out,' she said, sitting down next to Harry, Ron and (Y/N). 'And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books.'

'Why do you want it?' said Harry.

'The same reason everyone else wants it,' said Hermione, 'to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets.'

'What's that?' said Harry quickly.

'That's just it. I can't remember,' said Hermione, biting her lip. 'And I can't find the story anywhere else –'