I tried to ignore the burning tears behind my eyelids as I sat at the
hospital bedside of my best friend Trisha Yemets. Trisha and I had been
best friends ever since we both came to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry six years ago. Although Trisha was Muggle born, I loved her all
the same. She was my best friend; we were a pair. I hated to see her
Petrified like this.
It was the fourth attack on a Muggle born in the past six weeks. I had become increasingly worried and confessed my fears to my boyfriend, Tom Riddle. He only replied, "You're not Muggle born, Vickie. Why are you so worried?"
He's right. I'm not Muggle born. I'm as pure blooded as they come. Not that I have anything against Muggle borns. But apparently someone, or something, in the school did, for several Muggle borns had already been attacked. Something told me that if nothing were done, there would be more severe consequences following the next few attacks.
"Victoria, you had better leave now." Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts matron reappeared from her office. Her eyes were red and swollen and I knew that she was fearing the same thing I, and the rest of the school, was. The closure of Hogwarts. Silently, I stood up from my chair and left the hospital wing, only after promising that I would return the next day after classes.
Instead of heading to my common room in the Gryffindor Tower, I proceeded to Tom's common room. Many people found it strange that two people, one from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin, had found happiness together. At first, I found it a little scary, how well Tom and I clicked. He was my soul mate; I was pretty sure that I loved him and wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. He was handsome, with jet-black hair and piercing green eyes that reached out into your soul. He was also very smart, with top grades and a school prefect. There was only one thing that troubled me: his past. His father was a Muggle and left as soon as he found out that his wife was a witch. She was pregnant with Tom at the time and died shortly after giving birth to him. Tom was raised in a Muggle orphanage before coming to Hogwarts. He had no home to go to during the holidays so as often as I could, in the three years that we had been dating, I offered that he come to my house. My family was as open and caring as anyone else I knew, and quite often Tom accepted. Due to the fact that Tom, too, was a Muggle born, although a fairly secretive one, I worried that he, too, would be attacked.
When I reached the Slytherin common room door, I waited patiently, as always, for someone to come along. I slid with my back to the wall down to the floor and chewed on a strand of my brown hair, a bad habit I was forever trying to break. My mother often said, "God gave you beautiful brown hair, with gorgeous brown eyes to match. Don't chew your hair," but I rarely ever listened.
"Are you here again?" Jordan Reynolds' voice broke through my thoughts and I stood up rather quickly, making myself dizzy. Before I could speak, he said, "I'll get Tom for you." Pausing slightly, with a strained voice, he asked, "How's Trisha?"
I smiled in spite of the situation. I knew that Jordan was one of Tom's better friends and that he had a crush on Trisha. "She's as well as she can be," I replied and Jordan nodded, whispered his password to the portrait and slid inside. Moments later, Tom came through the passageway and without a word, I fell into his arms, a sobbing mess.
"No one knows what's going on," I wailed to him as he led me outside to the big tree we always sat by. The water glistened in the evening moonlight and the April air was chilly. I shivered and Tom wrapped his robe around me. "Professor Dippet said that if the attacks don't stop, he'll have to close the school."
Tom's eyes were dark and hollow when I looked at him. However, they were back to themselves when he looked at me. Comfortingly, he said, "I'm sure they'll find out what's going on soon, Vickie, don't worry." He looked out at the water again and I could practically see a light bulb flash above his head.
"What is it, Tom?" I asked, almost afraid to find out. Tom sometimes had outrageous ideas. His last was that he and I elope in Canada before coming back to school for our final year.
"We could catch the attacker ourselves!" he said, grasping my hands. "We could catch the attacker and then Hogwarts wouldn't have to close and we can still finish our education here and get married and have kids and rule the world and all that other stuff we dreamed of!"
I couldn't help but laugh. He looked just like a little boy on Christmas morning. "How exactly do you plan to catch this attacker?" I asked, merely for entertainment sake. I knew there was no way that two teenagers in their sixth year of magical education could catch someone, or something, as complicated as the attacker of several Muggle borns.
"I don't know. Vickie, you know that you and I together could accomplish anything." He turned to face me and held both my hands close to his heart. "Let's do it. I don't have anywhere to go if Hogwarts closes."
I reached my hand out and smoothed his hair down. "You could always come live with me," I said, half-teasingly. "My parents love you."
"Your parents are great, Vickie," he said, leaning back against the tree, looking out on the water. "You are really lucky to have them. And Morgan." He chuckled at the thought of my six-year old sister. "She's going to be a heartbreaker when she gets to Hogwarts." Seriousness took over his face again. "If there still is a Hogwarts when she turns eleven."
I knew how badly he wanted to finish his schooling here and I hoped that was why he had been acting so strangely during these attacks. I figured he must be a little worried about being attacked, but there was something else bugging me. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Why was this nagging me so much? Everything else seemed normal in my life. Except for the fact that my best friend was a breathing vegetable.
Suddenly, my nerves took over and all the pain and fear and stress of the past few weeks hit me and I began to laugh. My father told me years ago when I went to my great-aunt's funeral back home, "When you're nervous, you either laugh or you cry." And I guess my body had enough of crying for one day because I began to laugh and I couldn't stop. Poor Tom looked as though he thought I was going crazy, and I don't blame him. I lay on the ground and laughed until my sides physically ached. Sitting up again, I wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed Tom gently on the lips.
"I'm going to bed," I said, standing up and brushing off my clothes. Tom stood beside me and kissed me again. I felt my stomach jump as though a thousand butterflies were flying around. We were both sixteen; we could handle this. Or so I thought. Tom had been pressuring me to take things further in our relationship for some time now. I was playing the role of chicken, always finding excuses to run off. I did love him, but I didn't want to push things. Why change everything when things are going so well? Tom said that it would better our relationship, but I always figured why fix it if it isn't broken in the first place?
I pushed him away. "I'm tired, Tom. Ever since Trisha was attacked two days ago, I haven't slept that well. I'm going to bed to try and get some sleep."
"I know something that will help you sleep." Tom pulled me to him again and grinned that grin that made me melt on the spot. Standing my ground, I pushed him away again.
"You're such a pest!"
"You know you love me," he retorted.
"It's a constant reminder, like a pain in my rear," I replied, grinning back at him. "Now I'm going to bed." I stuck out my arm. "Walk me to the castle." He took my arm and I set out for yet another night without my best friend in the bed beside me.
It was the fourth attack on a Muggle born in the past six weeks. I had become increasingly worried and confessed my fears to my boyfriend, Tom Riddle. He only replied, "You're not Muggle born, Vickie. Why are you so worried?"
He's right. I'm not Muggle born. I'm as pure blooded as they come. Not that I have anything against Muggle borns. But apparently someone, or something, in the school did, for several Muggle borns had already been attacked. Something told me that if nothing were done, there would be more severe consequences following the next few attacks.
"Victoria, you had better leave now." Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts matron reappeared from her office. Her eyes were red and swollen and I knew that she was fearing the same thing I, and the rest of the school, was. The closure of Hogwarts. Silently, I stood up from my chair and left the hospital wing, only after promising that I would return the next day after classes.
Instead of heading to my common room in the Gryffindor Tower, I proceeded to Tom's common room. Many people found it strange that two people, one from Gryffindor and one from Slytherin, had found happiness together. At first, I found it a little scary, how well Tom and I clicked. He was my soul mate; I was pretty sure that I loved him and wanted to be with him for the rest of my life. He was handsome, with jet-black hair and piercing green eyes that reached out into your soul. He was also very smart, with top grades and a school prefect. There was only one thing that troubled me: his past. His father was a Muggle and left as soon as he found out that his wife was a witch. She was pregnant with Tom at the time and died shortly after giving birth to him. Tom was raised in a Muggle orphanage before coming to Hogwarts. He had no home to go to during the holidays so as often as I could, in the three years that we had been dating, I offered that he come to my house. My family was as open and caring as anyone else I knew, and quite often Tom accepted. Due to the fact that Tom, too, was a Muggle born, although a fairly secretive one, I worried that he, too, would be attacked.
When I reached the Slytherin common room door, I waited patiently, as always, for someone to come along. I slid with my back to the wall down to the floor and chewed on a strand of my brown hair, a bad habit I was forever trying to break. My mother often said, "God gave you beautiful brown hair, with gorgeous brown eyes to match. Don't chew your hair," but I rarely ever listened.
"Are you here again?" Jordan Reynolds' voice broke through my thoughts and I stood up rather quickly, making myself dizzy. Before I could speak, he said, "I'll get Tom for you." Pausing slightly, with a strained voice, he asked, "How's Trisha?"
I smiled in spite of the situation. I knew that Jordan was one of Tom's better friends and that he had a crush on Trisha. "She's as well as she can be," I replied and Jordan nodded, whispered his password to the portrait and slid inside. Moments later, Tom came through the passageway and without a word, I fell into his arms, a sobbing mess.
"No one knows what's going on," I wailed to him as he led me outside to the big tree we always sat by. The water glistened in the evening moonlight and the April air was chilly. I shivered and Tom wrapped his robe around me. "Professor Dippet said that if the attacks don't stop, he'll have to close the school."
Tom's eyes were dark and hollow when I looked at him. However, they were back to themselves when he looked at me. Comfortingly, he said, "I'm sure they'll find out what's going on soon, Vickie, don't worry." He looked out at the water again and I could practically see a light bulb flash above his head.
"What is it, Tom?" I asked, almost afraid to find out. Tom sometimes had outrageous ideas. His last was that he and I elope in Canada before coming back to school for our final year.
"We could catch the attacker ourselves!" he said, grasping my hands. "We could catch the attacker and then Hogwarts wouldn't have to close and we can still finish our education here and get married and have kids and rule the world and all that other stuff we dreamed of!"
I couldn't help but laugh. He looked just like a little boy on Christmas morning. "How exactly do you plan to catch this attacker?" I asked, merely for entertainment sake. I knew there was no way that two teenagers in their sixth year of magical education could catch someone, or something, as complicated as the attacker of several Muggle borns.
"I don't know. Vickie, you know that you and I together could accomplish anything." He turned to face me and held both my hands close to his heart. "Let's do it. I don't have anywhere to go if Hogwarts closes."
I reached my hand out and smoothed his hair down. "You could always come live with me," I said, half-teasingly. "My parents love you."
"Your parents are great, Vickie," he said, leaning back against the tree, looking out on the water. "You are really lucky to have them. And Morgan." He chuckled at the thought of my six-year old sister. "She's going to be a heartbreaker when she gets to Hogwarts." Seriousness took over his face again. "If there still is a Hogwarts when she turns eleven."
I knew how badly he wanted to finish his schooling here and I hoped that was why he had been acting so strangely during these attacks. I figured he must be a little worried about being attacked, but there was something else bugging me. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Why was this nagging me so much? Everything else seemed normal in my life. Except for the fact that my best friend was a breathing vegetable.
Suddenly, my nerves took over and all the pain and fear and stress of the past few weeks hit me and I began to laugh. My father told me years ago when I went to my great-aunt's funeral back home, "When you're nervous, you either laugh or you cry." And I guess my body had enough of crying for one day because I began to laugh and I couldn't stop. Poor Tom looked as though he thought I was going crazy, and I don't blame him. I lay on the ground and laughed until my sides physically ached. Sitting up again, I wiped the tears from my eyes and kissed Tom gently on the lips.
"I'm going to bed," I said, standing up and brushing off my clothes. Tom stood beside me and kissed me again. I felt my stomach jump as though a thousand butterflies were flying around. We were both sixteen; we could handle this. Or so I thought. Tom had been pressuring me to take things further in our relationship for some time now. I was playing the role of chicken, always finding excuses to run off. I did love him, but I didn't want to push things. Why change everything when things are going so well? Tom said that it would better our relationship, but I always figured why fix it if it isn't broken in the first place?
I pushed him away. "I'm tired, Tom. Ever since Trisha was attacked two days ago, I haven't slept that well. I'm going to bed to try and get some sleep."
"I know something that will help you sleep." Tom pulled me to him again and grinned that grin that made me melt on the spot. Standing my ground, I pushed him away again.
"You're such a pest!"
"You know you love me," he retorted.
"It's a constant reminder, like a pain in my rear," I replied, grinning back at him. "Now I'm going to bed." I stuck out my arm. "Walk me to the castle." He took my arm and I set out for yet another night without my best friend in the bed beside me.