Chapter 1

"Elanora?" Riley questioned.
Riley, dazed, looked around herself.. how did she end up in the prefects bathroom and why was the bathroom in shambles?
Harboured breathing and guttural moaning pulled her from her thoughts. Elanora was lying on the cold tiled floor in her pyjamas.. surrounded by blood.
"ELANORA!" Riley screamed.
Riley ran towards the girl dropping her wand in the process. She couldn't figure out what had happened. All Riley could remember was needing to urgently talk to Elanora but she couldn't remember actually speaking to her or why she needed to. No one but prefects could get into here, unless someone else had been given the password by a prefect which is how Riley was able to get in.
Upon closer inspection Elanora had slashes throughout her body. Panic ensnared every fibre of Riley's body.
"HELP! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"
Riley had never seen anything like this before, not to do with magic anyway. It looked as though someone had repeatedly stabbed the girl but.. where was the knife?
"SLUGHORN!" SLUGHORN!" Riley's voice broke repeating her screams for help. She was a Gryffindor and was baffled as to why her pleas were for slughorn and not her own head of house Longbottom but something in the pit of her stomach knew that Elanora would need the talents of her head of house.
"Nora?... El?... Please." Riley begged. Never once in the years they'd known each other had the other witch not responded to any of her nicknames. Riley's heart broke a little bit more.

"RILEY!?"
It wasn't slughorn. Her concentration didn't leave her hands trying to hold in Elanora's blood.
"Riley" a second calmer voice said.
The same voice came through putting his hand on Riley's arm "Riley Slughorn is on his way" He moved closer to Elanora "Episkey" he whispered. His jaw went slack when his healing charm did nothing. He looked over at Riley, "I don't understand, what happened?" He asked.
"Max I.. I honestly don't know.. I just sort of came to and saw her lying here like this."
The boy who had first run in screaming her name moved to sit next to Max taking a hold of Elanora's hand preparing to cast a spell.
'Rennervate' nothing happened.
"Unfortunately m'boy that spell won't do you any good, she's not unconscious from the jinx itself she's unconscious from lack of blood and well I imagine from the pain too."
"Professor Slughorn!" Riley exasperated. She hadn't realized she'd been holding onto her breath.
Slughorn gave Riley a pitty smile as he bent over Elanora and started his incantation.
"Vulnera Sanentur" he repeated over Elanora's body. Her blood was slowly draining back to her.
"Miss Alton, please fill me in on what you know."
"I'm sorry sir I don't know much of anything, I remember I was looking for Elanora and the next I found her here lying on the ground, I don't remember how I got to the prefect bathroom though it's like my memory is gone."
Slughorn considered her for a moment before returning his attention to Elanora.
"I know she's a Slytherin and all but why would anyone want to hurt her?"
Max looked up at Riley at this moment, a look of confusion crossed his features. He then looked to the boy who had entered with him, the boy nodding slightly.
Before she could even register what was happening Max had his wand on her.
"What was the last thing you said to me tonight in the library?!" Demanded Max.
"Mr Fawley do you really think Miss Alton here could have done this? I could hear her screams of terror vibrate through the castle walls, lower your wand." Said Slughorn.
"Answer me Riley" pleaded Max.
"I never spoke to you in the library tonight Max what are you talking about? What is going on?"
Bewildered he looked to the other boy.
"Te-"
"No" said the other boy. "We need to know how much she remembers"
The other boy turned on her now too raising his wand. What was happening? Why was her best friend of five years suddenly pointing his wand at her.
"Who am I and how did we become friends?"