Good Enough | hp

20| The Singing Valentine

Hermione left the hospital wing, de-whiskered, tail-less and fur-free, at the beginning of February.

After that, Estella and the 'Golden Trio' didn't interact much and they returned to the occasional wave in the morning at the Great Hall and a smile during Charms.

Hermione did, however, tell Estella about her theory regarding the diary they had found in Myrtle's bathroom.

According to her, T. M. Riddle was the one who stopped the attacks fifty years ago, which was what he got awarded the 'Special Services to the School' for.

She was set on the idea that the diary had a clue on how to close the Chamber of Secrets.

It all lined up, but something about it just didn't seem right to Estella. Besides, she wasn't exactly eager to flip through a book they'd picked up in a school bathroom any day soon.

Harry himself seemed to have become enthralled with the book, desperate to find some sort of hint as to who precisely T. M. Riddle was, a point which Estella found both admiring and worrying.

Although now, Estella wasn't sure if she should meddle or not. She wasn't that close with them(with the exception of Hermione) and she didn't want to bother them and risk having them be annoyed at her.

As far as she was concerned, as long as they weren't getting hurt or doing anything dangerous again, they should be fine. At least that's what she told herself.

It didn't matter. She had her own friends and her own friend group. Whatever Harry, Ron and Hermione did were none of her business. She shouldn't interfere.

She instead focused her energy on spending time with her friends, an action that should've been enjoyable, but was instead plagued with ominous, horrible thoughts of how she ought to have been studying instead.

Nevertheless, the sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again and the mood in the castle had grown more hopeful.

There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood.

"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again," Estella heard her tell Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs Norris back in no time."

Maybe the heir of Slytherin's lost their nerve, Estellaf found herself thinking regularly, allowing optimism to creep into her mind once more. It must be getting riskier to open the Chamber of Secrets with the school so alert and suspicious. Maybe the monster, whatever it is, will go back into hibernation- preferably forever but another fifty years would be great.

Ernie Macmillan didn't take this cheerful view. He himself was still adamant that Harry was the guilty one and that he had 'given himself away' at the Duelling Club.

Estella remained resolutely distant from him, not even sparing a smile anymore for the Hufflepuff.

What was almost even more annoying(Estella wouldn't have believed it possible but she stood corrected) was that Gilderoy Lockhart seemed to think that he had made the attacks stop.

Estella overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up from Transfiguration.

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught them. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on them."