Year One

Chapter 11

Annalis and Harry relay everything from the night before to the others the next morning at breakfast while Ron stares sourly at his plate.

"All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away and we could have asked her, and now..." Ron grumbles to his plate, only to look up when Annalis and Draco snort.

"I didn't even know you could make that sound, Draco, but what's funny?" Ron says, causing Draco to stick his tongue out at him.

"Two things: one, why were you two even going into the girl's bathroom in the first place?" Annalis gestures to Harry and Ron before continuing. "And two, in case you hadn't noticed, Ron, I happen to be a girl." She says before standing up and ushering Jooheon, Hyungwon and Changkyun off to class. The boys all whined when the professor made the announcement that exams would start the following week.

"I don't know why you all are whining. Have you seen Ron's wand?" Draco says to Wonho, Kihyun and Minhyuk as they sit down at lunch.

"Don't remind me, Draco." Ron whines causing Annalis and the other boys to snigger. The next couple of days went by uneventfully until Professor McGonagall made an announcement three days before exams.

"I have good news." She starts, pausing when people begin to shout things out. "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit." The room suddenly came alive with cheering. Wonho reaches over to high five Annalis as Draco catches her eye and nods to their house table. Annalis turns to find Pansy looking rather sour and grins.

"It won't matter that we never asked Myrtle, then! Hermione'll probably have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she'll go crazy when she finds out we've got exams in three days time. She hasn't studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till they're over." Ron says cheerily as Ginny comes to sit beside him, looking terribly nervous.

"What's up?" Ron asks her as he scoops himself more porridge. Ginny didn't say anything at first, just kept looking up and down the table.

"Spit it out." Ron looks at his sister curiously along with the rest of the group.

"I've got to tell you something." Ginny says under her breath, refusing to look at Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asks, carefully. Ginny can't seem to put her thoughts into words.

"What?" Ron hisses causing Ginny to open and close her mouth.

"Is it something about the Chamber of Secrets? Have you seen something? Someone acting oddly?" Harry asks quietly, leaning across Shownu so only the group could hear. Just as Ginny looks like she might reply, Percy strides up, looking exhausted.

"If you've finished eating, I'll take that seat, Ginny. I'm starving, I've only just come off patrol duty." Ginny jumps out of her seat, gives Percy a scared look and disappears.

"Percy!" Ron starts angrily as Percy takes the seat Ginny had vacated. "She was just about to tell us something important!" Percy chokes on the sip of tea he'd just taken as Ron says this.

"What sort of thing?" He asks through his coughs.

"I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say-" Harry started to say but Percy cut him off.

"Oh - that - that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets." Annalis raises her eyebrow at Kihyun as Percy finishes his statement.

"How do you know?" Ron asks, mirroring Annalis' expression.