Skinny Love - Ron Weasley

Chapter 4

Alex looks at Ron who shrugs and then Hermione, who is still trying to get Harry to stop, they follow him through corridors stopping as they approach a flooded corridor. Spiders hurry past them making Ron shudder.

"Strange. I've never seen spiders act like that."

"I don't like spiders... What's that?"

Hermione walks forward and begins to read from the message written on the wall, "'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened... enemies the heir... beware.' It's written in blood."

Alex's eyes widen when she looks to the side and sees Mrs. Norris, the devil cat hanging from a lantern on the wall, "Oh, no... It's Filch's cat. It's Mrs. Norris."

Harry walks forward but before Alex can follow both Ron and Hermione hold her back, "No, Alex."

"Yes, Alex."

The pair roll their eyes and watch Harry as he inspects the cat, chattering fills the air as students round both corners having just come from the feast. Students gasp as they watch Harry, "'Enemies of the heir beware!'" Draco reads from the wall, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

"What's going on 'ere? Go on, make way, make way," Filch says as he pushes through the crowd of students, "Potter-- What are you...Mrs. Norris? You've...murdered my cat."

Harrys walks backwards away from the caretaker with wide eyes, "I'll kill ya... I'll kill ya!"

"Argus! Argus, I... Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately. Everyone except... you four."

Ron gulps and looks up at the headmaster as the students get lead away by the prefects of the house, Alex rolls her eyes as she hears Percy shouting at Gryffindor students in the distance, "Follow me, please! Listen to me, I'm a prefect!"

"She's not dead, Argus. She has been Petrified."

Lockhart sighs and rests his hands on his hips, "Ah, thought so. So unlucky I wasn't there. I know exactly the counter curse that could have spared her."

Alex rolls her eyes, "Of course, Professor, just like the counter curse for those Pixies? Or the counter curse for that prank that happened last week?"

Lockhart stutters for a moment and some of the teachers look at the girl with amusement, forgetting the problem for a moment. Dumbledore smiles at her before turning back to the cat, "But how she has been Petrified, I cannot say..."

"Ask him. It's him who's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall." Filch accuses.

Harry quickly shakes his head in denial, "It's not true sir, I swear. I never touched Mrs. Norris."

"Rubbish!"

Snape sighs and steps forward, "If I might, Headmaster? Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner."

Once again, Lockhart steps forward with that same, stupid smile, "I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail."

"That's why Ron, Alex and I went looking for him, Professor. We'd just found him when he said..." Hermione trails off hoping they didn't catch the last part.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"When I said I wasn't hungry. We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs. Norris." Harry says quickly.

Dumbledore nods before turning back to the potions Professor, "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

"My cat has been Petrified-" Filch cries out.