Another Potter

ten

chapter ten
the philosophers stone

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Are you sure you checked the girls dorms?"

Amelia didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. Everyone except for Amelia was in Great Hall for the Halloween feast and Draco was looking at the empty seat next to him as a thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet. Over at the Gryffindor table, Harry and Ron were looking over at the Slytherin table, confused as to why they couldn't see Amelia.

"I'm sure," Daphne said. 

"What about the girls bathroom?"

"Yes," Daphne said, "she's nowhere to be found."

"What even happened?" Pansy asked. 

"That Walker bloke who hates Lia was talking about her," Daphne said as Draco furrowed his eyebrows. 

"What?" he asked, "what did he say?" Daphne hesitated as Draco raised an eyebrow. "Well?" Daphne sighed.

"He said that it's no wonder no one can stand her," Daphne said, "that she thinks she's the greatest person to live and no wonder she's in Slytherin. Weasley said if one of his siblings were in Slytherin, he'd be ashamed and that he's only known Livy two months and he wishes she was dead." Draco's jaw clenched as he stared at Warren who was boasting about something to the people around. "He than said that Lia is just an attention seeing, pathetic little snake who honestly doesn't deserve to be here or be alive."

"Draco," Millicent said, "you alright?"

"Fine," Draco said, his jaw clenched as he held a fork in his hand.

"That fork says otherwise," Pansy said as he dropped the now bent fork to the table. 

"I'll be back," he said, getting up. Before he could leave the table, Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll. . . . in the dungeons. . . . thought you ought to know."

He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.

There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.

"Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"

"Follow me!" Gemma called to the Slytherin's. "Stick together, first years!"

"Where are you going?" Daphne yelled to Draco who was making his way away from the Slytherin's and towards the Gryffindor's. 

"No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now."

"To find El!" he called as he ran off into the crowd. 

"Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!" 

Draco ran up the stairs, his blue eyed darting around for Harry and Ron. His eyes landed on the boys who were passing different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuff's, Draco suddenly grabbed their arms.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Ron asked as Draco looked at him.

"Have you seen El?" he asked. "She's been missing all afternoon."