Magic? || Years 1-5

Hagrid's Gone: Year 2

"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 a teacher. No student is 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," Professor McGonagall's speech carried easily over the common room.

It was silent.

No one dared to speak.

There was a bitter chill in the air, but it wasn't from the weather.

She rolled up the parchment she had been reading off of, "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 about them to come forward."

Amisty felt herself freeze at the words.

She didn't want to be living on the streets for the rest of her life, magicless.

She had been doing that all the way up until she turned eleven. Going back now would be harder than ever.

Professor McGonagall left the common room through the portrait hole, her exit prompting the silence that had fallen over the Gryffindors to shatter like glass.

There was an immediate uproar.

"That's two Gryffindors down, not counting a Gryffindor ghost, one Ravenclaw, and one Hufflepuff. Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin -- why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" Lee Jordan shouted, counting off the attacks on his finger.

Several people roared in agreement, the sound of clapping scattered around the room.

"Percy's in shock. That Ravenclaw girl -- Penelope Clearwater -- she's a prefect. I don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect," George explained, his voice hushed.

Amisty looked over at the said boy, seeing him sitting in silence behind Lee with wide eyes. All the color seemed to have seeped out from his face.

"What're we going to do? D'you think they suspect Hagrid?" Ron whispered to the two of them.

"We've got to go and talk to him. I can't believe it's him this time, but if he set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start," Harry replied, sticking to their decision to visit him if there was another attack.

"But McGonagall said we've got to stay in our tower unless we're in class -- " Amisty protested.

"I think it's time to get my dad's old Cloak out again," Harry's eyes glinted with familiar mischief.

Another mission.

-=+=-

Amisty was sitting on her bed, writing a reply to a letter she had never properly received.

She was also waiting impatiently for the rest of the girls in the dormitory to settle down for bed.

She was using the quill Madame Pomfrey had given her for Christmas.

Dear 'You',

Unfortunately, I can't answer anything that your previous letter said. My owl decided to fly away before I could read it. Sorry about that, if you could rewrite it that would be amazing since it is the letter that reveals your name, after all. How do you feel about the new rules? I'm sure by the time you get this letter your Head of House would have told you them by then. To be perfectly honest, I'm rather scared with what's happening. Hermione is one of my best friends and now I won't be able to talk to her until the Mandrake's are ready. I wish whoever's doing this would stop, what's the good in it?