The Chamber Of Secrets (A Harry Potter Rewrite)

CONFUSION AND REVELATION

Ria woke up the next morning with a slight headache. The snow that had started falling the night before had turned into a blizzard and the last Herbology lesson before Christmas was cancelled.

The four of them were sitting near the common room fire. Ria was trying to get in a bit of reading before the next Transfiguration lesson, but she couldn't concentrate.

Hermione and Ron sat opposite to a chessboard most of their focus on the game. Harry seemed restless and it got progressively worse to the point where he was constantly tapping his foot on the wooden chair leg.

"For heaven's sake, Harry," said Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron's bishops wrestled her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Go and find Justin if it's so important to you."

Harry looked up startled then sighed and got up. "I'll see you guys in class then?"

"Yes. Go.", Hermione replied firmly.

So, Harry left. About a minute later, Ron gave a slight whoop.

"Checkmate!", he said to Hermione cheerily.

Hermione sighed. "You're too good at this thing."

Ron smiled.

"What's up with you?", Hermione asked after a while, shaking Ria out of her transe.

She sighed. "Had a rough night."

"But you seemed fine when you went to bed with us!", she said, startled.

"Yeah well.... I didn't sleep. My head was going a mile a minute. So I left and went to the lake."

"You went into the black lake in the middle of the night after curfew?", Hermione asked slowly and Ria knew she was a hair's breadth away from snapping.

"Look, I know it was stupid, ok?", she said with another sigh. "I mean, now I know it. Like I said I wasn't really thinking."

"What happened?", she asked with a much softer voice.

Ria looked around but nobody was paying them any attention. Ron and Hermione looked at her expectantly.

"I finally made contact with water", Ria said to Hermione with a little smile, deciding to keep the rest of it for later.

Hermione looked stunned. Then a happy smile spread over her face. "That's great!", she exclaimed. "So she's over you not being worthy now?"

"Far from it. You were right when you said I might be too young for water. She said the same thing."

"Uh -- Can anyone explain to me what exactly is going on?", Ron asked, looking utterly perplexed.

Ria laughed, recalling that Ron and Harry hadn't been present for the essense of elements conversation. So, she explained.

She told him about Wind. She told him about her difficulties with Water and then finally she told them about feeling that Vastness last night, the conversation they had, and her tiny little breakthrough in the very end.

She left out the darkness. She wasn't very sure yet what that had been all about and she didn't want to cause anymore unnecessary panic.

"Woah --", said Ron looking dazed once she stopped talking. "That's - - really something"

Ria laughed a little. "Yeah, it's a lot to take in."

Ron stared into space, definitely still trying to make sense of everything Ria had just said.

"I'll tell you something that you'll understand better.", she finally said.

"What?", Ron asked eagerly.