Bat-Bogey Hexers

33

"Ginny! Ginny! Are you alive in there?"

Ginny blinked. A hand was waving in front of her face.

"What?" said Ginny in confusion. She stumbled back.

Wish's face cams into focus. The girl was laughing. "What happened to you? Day dreaming?"

"I- yes," lied Ginny.

She looked around and was surprised to find herself in a corridor flooded with students, all talking loudly. Panic settled in. Ginny knew what must've happened. Tom had taken control.

"I thought you were coming to the game with us!" added Vera. Wish was accompanied by the other Gryffindor girls.

"I was but I-" started Ginny.

"Decided you'd rather stare at a wall?" said Romilda.

"I- wait what's going on?" asked Ginny. "Is the game over already?"

Wish laughed. "Of course not silly! I think you were staring at that wall too hard. The game was cancelled." Wish dropped her voice to a loud but confidential tone. "I think there was another attack! We were told to report to our dormitory immediately!"

Ginny blanched. Tom had promised he wouldn't make her attack anyone again. Ginny had never truly expected him to keep his word, but that hardly made her feel better about the whole situation.

"C'mon let's go," said Wish. "I'm sure we'll find out everything in a second."

"I'm sure," murmured Ginny faintly.

The girls hurried up to the Common Room. It was swamped with students and the buzz of talk as everyone wondered what was going on. All the Quidditch team looked severely let down, especially the Gryffindor Captain Oliver Wood.

Ginny wandered to a lonely corner of the Common Room and sat in a neglected armchair. She felt so sick in her stomach she was contemplating going to throw up in the bathroom, then the door of the portrait hole swung open.

In came Professor McGonagall. Ginny was surprised to see the head of house, but even more surprised to see that she was followed by Ron and Harry, both of whom looked very dismal.

Fear flooded Ginny's mind as McGonagalls sharp gaze grazed the room. Harry's had the diary for quite a while. What if Tom had told him Ginny was the one opening the Chamber? What if he had told McGonagall? She told herself Harry wouldn't do something like that.

All the voices died down as soon as Professor McGonagall entered the room. She cleared her throat.

"I am sorry to have to inform you all that there had been another attack. Another double attack," said Professor McGonagall.

The room was silent until someone piped up "Who was it?"

"Penelope Clearwater-" Ginny saw Percy sink slowly into a seat. "- and Hermione Granger."

Ginny's stomach plummeted like she had just been pushed off a cliff. Not Hermione, not Hermione, Ginny thought desperately.

"Due to these attacks there are a few new rules that have been put in place," Professor McGonagall continued, then pulled out a scroll of parchment and began to read. "All students will return to their House common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by s teacher. No student is allowed to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities."

No one said a word as Professor McGonagall rolled up the paper and continued to regard them sternly.

"I need hardly add that I have rarely been so distressed. It is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught.  I would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything to come forward." said Professor McGonagall in a slightly choked voice.

Ginny swallowed hard as the teachers eyes grazed the room once again. She knew she should step up. Knew she should tell McGonagall about the diary. But she couldn't. She couldn't make herself stand. She couldn't make the words come out of her mouth. She was too afraid.

Finally Professor McGonagall turned and clambered out of the portrait hole. As soon as the door swung closed behind her, the Gryffindors began talking immediately.

Lee Jordan, Fred and George's friend, started ranting about how obviously it was a Slytherin opening the Chamber, so why didn't they just chuck the whole house out? Lee's words were met by nods and applause.

Ginny didn't want to hear any of the discussions about the Chamber. She slipped up to her dormitory and hid under her blankets.

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As soon as Snape swept in a bat-like manner from the Slytherin Common Room, after explaining about the attacks, Viola's mind began to whirl.

Another attack, and Ginny hadn't been present at the Quidditch game as Viola had not failed to notice. Conviction of her theory was rising in Viola again.

Viola was not the only Slytherin who was exited by the attacks, rather than sad or afraid. Viola watched from where she sat in the corner of the green Common Room as Draco Malfoy ranted to his friends.

"I glad they got Granger," he said with vindictive pleasure on his pale face. "Although personally I was hoping for there to be another murder with Granger as the victim."

The others nodded in agreement.

"By the time the years over, there won't be any muggleborn's left," said Morgana with satisfaction.

Viola saw Ava slip up to the dorms, obviously discomforted by the topic of conversation. Viola herself was repulsed by it. She'd never seen the purpose of judging people off their blood.

"Like I've said," said Malfoy. "I just wish I knew who it was so I could help them. We don't need those filthy mud bloods in our school-"

"Alright that is enough," interrupted the Prefect girl, Katheryn. Her eyes were sparkling angrily. "I won't tolerate that sort of talk in this Common Room. Muggleborn's are witches and wizards just like this. Hogwarts is facing a dangerous time. We should be sticking together, not turning on people with different blood and casting them out. We stand stronger united than we do apart."

Viola was tempted to cheer for Katheryn's speech, but she appeared to be the only one. The other Slytherins just stared at her blankly.

"You would all do well to remember that," said Katheryn. She turned and went to sit down somewhere.

"Blood traitor," someone muttered after her.

But Viola entirely agreed with Kathryn. What did it matter if you were pure-blood, half-blood or muggleborn?

Muggleborns did not deserve to be singled out, attacked and petrified. Which was why Viola was going to tell Professor Snape that Ginny was the culprit very next morning.