REPOSTED ON: 10.25.07
OKay people. I had to redo this chapter after a continuity problem was pointed out by a kind reviewer named:
ginny-potter-7
thank yoou for pointing this out, I have a lot of continuity problems huh? Yes, I admit it, I accidently put Ron as a Gryffindor in this chapter and I mentioned that his mother was disappointed of him being in Slytherin in another chapter...I am sorry. So I hope you reread!
POSTED ON: 10.17.07
Okay, this is officially the longest chapter I have ever written...hehe, sorry about the wait, but I was trying to write a chapter and it wasn't coming to me, so I sat down today and wrote like 85 of this chapter...hehe, I was determined. Anyway, here we go
Thank you to all of my reviewers:
Merlins-wolf
gizzer18
Caitie Babie
PrincessDitsy
tumshie
njferrell
and islay12
Okay, hope you like the chapter!
Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own the plot or the line I just used.
It was two months since the sorting of Ginny, school had gone extremely well for the four. Draco had two henchmen, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. The two weren't allowed to be around the New Marauders that much, but they were with Draco when they could be, it annoyed Draco, but, he liked the protection, he was too small to fight back for himself. Draco had also made a small acquaintance with Ginny's older brother, Ron, who was the first Slytherin Weasley. Neville had made friends with a girl named Su and a boy named Justin in Hufflepuff, so Neville had his house friends. Harry was friends with a girl a year ahead of him, Cho, and a girl a year below him, Luna. Sirius had told him that at the age of twelve, his Potter charm was already working on girls, Harry told him Luna and Cho were just nice. Ginny had made friends with a girl in Harry's year, her name was Hermione. Ginny always talked about how much she wrote in this stupid diary, it was scaring Ginny a bit. Ginny also made friends with two girls in her year, Abby Walker, a bright girl who had no problem standing up for her friends, and Eloise, Eloise Midgen to be exact. Eloise was only eleven, but she already had acne squirting across her face. So all of the New Marauders (they were still debating on a new name, if one at all…) had their own friends in their houses.
Classes had gone boring, nothing unusual, although, they had a new teacher this year, his name was Gilderoy Lockhart, he knew nothing more than a memory charm, although, his legendary works were the things qualifying him for the job, although, the New Marauders thought there was more to his story. They were all sad to see Professor Lupin, a friend of Sirius' leave, but he had to, people were beginning to get suspicious of his secret…lycanthropy.
The four had an outstanding detention, and Sirius told Harry that he had never been prouder of Harry, except when Harry became Seeker, Quidditch was important to Sirius. Even with their detentions and late night shenanigans, the four still kept the top grades, Ginny's grades were adequate, but not top. Neville was the studier of the group; Harry found it amazing that Neville wasn't a Ravenclaw. Harry and Draco were the procrastinating geniuses of the group; they could whip out a paper just minutes before it was due.
Ginny was now walking back from Potions class, which, unluckily for her, was held at the end of the day before dinner. She began walking to the Great Hall. She scanned the crowds and tables and found that Harry, Draco, and Neville were all sitting at the Slytherin table. Ginny, who didn't really care about the differences between the two groups, sat down at the Slytherin table with them.
The Great Hall looked at her. Normally, the group would sit at Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, mainly Ravenclaw, but they never sat at Gryffindor and until today, they had never sat with the Slytherins. This was shocking that a Gryffindor would dare come to the Slytherin table, but the Slytherins who cared couldn't do anything about it.
"Hey guys…this is annoying, they're staring." Ginny said.
Harry looked around, his arrogance rose, "They're just jealous." He joked.
"Probably." Neville said. "Everyone is still shocked by Harry and the rest of Ravenclaw defeating the other teams in the house match at Quidditch. And well, they're all jealous because Hufflepuff won the House Cup, and because Slytherin came in second place. And then everyone is always jealous at Gryffindor's success. So basically, they're shocked we conspire with each other." Neville explained.
"Well that's mean." Ginny pouted.
"I didn't say we weren't going to get back at them though…" Neville said.
Draco and Harry turned to Neville. As much as Neville loved and helped with pranks, he always thought the rules meant something…him initiating a prank was a new thing.
"What?" Neville innocently asked.
"Nothing." Draco and Harry said in unison.
Ginny turned to the two. "Oh my god, will you stop that. You're worse the Gred and- arg- Fred and George." She said.
Harry, Draco, and Neville all laughed. Ginny's brother would joke around by the names Gred and Forge instead of Fred and George.
"So…Gin." Draco began. "Anything interesting in Gryffindor?"
Ginny put down her bread and looked at him. "Not really. More kids have started teasing Eloise about her acne, it annoys me, and Ron is one of them. There is a girl a year above me, in your year, her name is Hermione." Neville nodded, Neville and Hermione were the two smart kids of the year. "She has this obsession with writing in this diary, it is really scary. I swear, once, I saw it write back to her. I don't know what that diary is, but it can't be good. As my parents used to say, don't trust anything if you can't see where it thinks. The only problem is, I can't prove anything, and I'm a first year known for pranking and Hermione is the top student of second year. If she didn't want others knowing about it, people would leave it alone. It really irks me about how people won't listen to us." Ginny pouted.
Neville smirked. "Oh and I guess the fact that we lie to them on a daily basis is no reason whatsoever."
"I know." Ginny said in a literal voice.
Neville turned to Ginny. "Gin, I was joking." He said.
"Oh…" Ginny replied.
Neville smirked and went back to his chicken.
--v--
The next day, Ginny woke up bright and early. She stumbled down the girls' staircase and into a common room that was vacant except for four people. A group of sixth years snogging 'Oliver needs to stop snogging every girl he meets' Ginny thought. Ginny's classmate Colin Creevey was in the common room finishing up homework. Hermione was the fourth person in the common room, she was scribbling away in her diary. 'I know there's something wrong there, but what? I mean her diary couldn't be writing back to her, could it?' Ginny thought to herself.
Deciding to do something, Ginny sucked up the bravery within her and walked over to Hermione. "Hermione." Ginny said. "What is with your diary? You write in it all of the time, and it sometimes seems as though it writes back." Ginny said.
Hermione looked at her as though she was crazy. "Ginny, get some common sense. Diaries don't write back. Oh and I write in this a lot because I want to. Just like you want to go and fraternize with the enemy." Hermione spat back.
Ginny looked at her. "The enemy?" She asked.
"Harry, Draco, and Neville are in different houses, they're our enemies. You should know that." Hermione said.
"Well, you're being just as prejudicial as some of the Slytherins when they call you a mudblood," Hermione flinched at her call-cat name, whereas Ginny shrugged it off, it was only as bad as you wanted it to be. "So tell me, where is the difference? They call you things. You are mean to them." Ginny said.
Hermione looked hurt. She began scribbling in her diary again.
'That got me nowhere.' Ginny thought. She turned away from Hermione, as she turned, she noticed something red on Hermione's robes, it looked like blood, but there was nothing Ginny could do. So Ginny walked over to Colin who was putting the finishing touches on his homework.
"Hey Colin." Ginny said as she sat down.
"Hey Gin." Ron said. Colin scribbled down the last of his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay. "Sorry, had to redo my essay." He said putting the paper carefully in his bag.
"Redo? Why?" She asked.
"Theodore Nott destroyed mine. You know sometimes I really want to smother all of the Slytherins." Ron said.
"Why all?" Ginny asked.
"Well, could you name me a nice one?" Colin asked his classmate, he thought for sure he was going to win this argument.
"Draco." She replied thinking quickly of her friend and not her brother.
"Draco Black, the boy who hexed me?" Colin asked.
"Draco Black, the boy who hexed you after you repeatedly mocked his father." Ginny finished for her now dumbstruck classmate.
"Why are you sticking up for the Slytherins?" He asked.
"Why can't I?" Ginny asked.
Colin couldn't respond, he didn't have a good comeback. So instead, he walked up to his dorm.
"Oh, and Colin, my older brother, Ron, he is another nice Slytherin." Ginny yelled to him.
Colin, out of lack of sleep, gave her a rude hand gesture.
Ginny shrugged it off her mind, she didn't care, he was wrong, not all Slytherins were bad, and she knew that, which was important.
--v--
Harry woke up to the sun glistening in on the Ravenclaw second year boys' dorms. As he got up, he realized that even thought it was seven-thirty; he was the only one in his dorm up. He took in this time to absorb what he had heard the previous day. What was Hermione doing? None of them could figure it out, but Harry knew it couldn't be any good. This seemed to be Dark Arts influenced, but as Ginny said. They no longer had trust, Hermione had loads, she would win, if she wanted to, which, they were sure she did.
Harry pulled out the Marauders' Map and opened it. He searched and scanned the halls, nothing important was going on. Then, he found something, a group of people, teachers, gathering around an area. He decided that he needed to find out what was going on, but first he would get Neville and Draco. He knew he couldn't get Ginny, if she was still asleep, there was no chance of them being able to get her.
Harry pulled on his black and blue robes, grabbed his invisibility cloak, threw it over his head, and grabbed the Marauders' Map. He was going to get Neville…
--v--
Neville Franklin Longbottom was one of the smartest kids at Hogwarts; he was second in his year, behind Hermione of course. He was a rule-follower most of the time, he would break it when he found it to be subconsciously right, which was whenever Draco, Harry, and Ginny could sweet talk him into it. Neville couldn't very well say no, he was very loyal after all, which is why he was put in Hufflepuff.
All of those thoughts plagued Neville as he fell asleep, while he was asleep, and when he woke up. Only, he didn't wake up naturally, he woken up by a shaking.
Neville opened his eyes. "Arg, Harry, what do you want?" He asked.
"Well, I came here to tell you that a bunch of teachers are gathering in one area, so, I came here to get you, then I was going to get Draco, then go down there with you guys." Harry explained.
Neville sat up in his black pajamas and rubbed his eyes. "What about Ginny?" He asked.
"Do you want to try getting up the staircase of hell?" Harry asked; that was what they had nicknamed the girls' staircase in Gryffindor.
"Never mind…so, we're going to get Draco. Can I wake him?" Neville devilishly asked.
Harry shrugged, "Whatever rocks your boat." He said.
Neville smiled, threw on his black robe, which covered his pajamas and began heading out the door with Harry. "Sweet…"
--v--
Draco Malfoy was snug in his bed, he was dreaming. His dreams whisked him away to what he wanted the most. He was content dreaming, so he was most certainly not prepared for what was going to happen…
Neville and Harry walked in to the second year Slytherin boys' dorm. They noticed that oddly enough, Slytherins woke up early, Draco was the lone sleeper.
Neville widely grinned.
"Come with me Honey,I'm your sweet sugar CandymanRun like the wind - fly with me to BountylandBite me, I'm yours - if you're hungry please understandThis is the end - of the sweet sugar CandymanOh my love - I know you are my Candyman,And oh my love - your word is my commandOh my love - I know you are my Candyman,And oh my love - let us fly to Bountyland"
Neville loudly sang this part of the song; it didn't take Draco too long.
"Silencio" Draco said while pointing his wand at Neville.
Neville's mouth kept moving, but nothing came out.
Draco turned to Harry. "Okay what was good enough for you to wake me up before eight-thirty?" Draco asked.
Harry decided there was an easier way to show Draco. He pulled out the Marauders'' Map and showed Draco.
"Wow, what are we waiting for…let's get down there!" Draco enthusiastically said.
Neville tapped on Draco's shoulder and signaled to his mouth.
"Do we have to?" Draco asked.
Harry nodded.
"Fine." Draco said. He muttered the counter curse and Neville was able to talk.
"Thank you for letting me speak…did you like your wake-up call?" Neville asked.
Draco glared at him.
After a second of staring, the three burst into laughter.
"Come on, let's go." Draco impatiently said.
"Okay." Harry said.
The three boys ventured down to where the teachers were. They slid the invisibility cloak over their heads and crept up to see what was going on.
Harry finally saw it, Abby Walker, a first year girl who was muggleborn, was lying on the floor.
"Unconscious?" Harry asked.
Neville studied Abby's body.
"Paralyzed?" Draco guessed.
"Petrified." Neville said.
"Let's go, we don't want to get caught." Surprisingly enough, it was Draco speaking.
The three boys hurried out of the corridor.
"Where do we go?" Harry asked.
"We tell Ginny. Abby and Ginny were good friends.
--v--
Harry, Draco, and Neville hurried down to Gryffindor tower. They ran in and saw Ginny as one of the only occupants. She was sitting on a maroon couch next to Eloise, who was catching up on homework.
Eloise knocked a bottle of ink on Ginny, by accident.
"Arg." Ginny said.
Eloise looked up. "Oh my god Gin, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize what I was doing, I'm really sorry, want me to help with the stain?" Eloise asked.
Ginny looked at her. "It's okay." Ginny muttered a spell and the stain disappeared. "No damage done, just finish your essay, it's do in three hours and you're just starting." Ginny said.
Eloise looked at her. "Yes Ma'am." She said while jokingly saluting Ginny.
Ginny laughed. She turned around to see Harry, Draco, and Neville. "What's up guys?" She asked.
They looked at her, it seemed so wrong to burst her bubble, but they knew that she needed to know.
Neville sucked up his inner courage. "Abby is petrified." Neville whispered so low that Eloise couldn't hear.
Ginny held her Gryffindor courageous face high. "Are you sure?" She asked.
"No, but it was petrified, unconscious, or paralyzed. But-"Draco was cut off.
"We thought that-" Harry said.
"Neville would know better than we did." Draco finished.
They must have noticed something was wrong when she didn't get onto them about finishing each other's sentences.
Neville enveloped an arm around her. "It'll be okay Gin." He said.
She tore away from him. "You don't know that." She spat at him. She turned to head out of the common room.
The three boys who felt weird in the Gryffindor common room alone, and wanted to help their friend, followed her.
They ran after her down the hallways. "GINNY SLOW DOWN!" They yelled with no effect. Ginny continued running.
"Where do suppose she's running?" Neville asked in heaves while they were running.
"I'm betting the hospital wing. Which, if you think, where Abby is, is on the way." Harry said.
The boys approached the scene. Ginny had run over to Abby and was in denial of her friend's state. Neville went and offered a comforting gesture to Ginny who, this time, didn't reject it. Harry went and followed Neville's suit and began comforting Ginny. Draco looked around and dropped his jaw. He pointed to the wall.
Professor McGonagall, who had just noticed the four new students, went over to them. "Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, and Miss Weasley, leave now, you shouldn't' be here." But it was too late.
"Professor. Who did that?" Draco asked.
"Did" –sob- "What?" Ginny asked in between sobs.
Neville's eyes broadened. "That." He said pointing to a bunch of red writing.
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir, beware.
"Is that blood?" Ginny asked.
"I think so." Neville said.
"It is indeed, but you four best leave." McGonagall said.
"No. We won't, not with Abby like this." Ginny said.
"Miss Weasley, do not try to be brave now, there is nothing you can do." McGonagall said.
Draco interrupted Ginny trying to respond. "Professor McGonagall, where'd the rest of the teachers go?" He asked.
"They left for a meeting to discuss what to do, this is very serious. And, I agreed to come back and bring Miss Walker to the hospital wing. Now you four can meet her in the hospital wing, but I please ask that you do not spread this around school, for the time being." McGonagall said.
Harry, Draco, and Ginny nodded, Ginny was still sobbing.
"Can I tell Eloise?" She asked.
"I guess it will do no harm if Miss Midgen knows since she was Miss Walker's friends, but absolutely no one else. Understood?"
Draco, Ginny, and Harry nodded again.
Neville was still staring at the wall and the writing. "Professor, what does it mean?" Neville asked. "The writing I mean. 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir, beware' I'm confused. What does it mean?" He asked.
McGonagall sighed, there was no way she couldn't not answer their question. "It means that everyone, muggleborns especially, are in serious danger."
"What are you going to do?" Harry asked.
"We are not sure Mr. Potter, this can not continue, if it does, we may have to shut the school down."
"What can we do?" Ginny asked.
"I'm afraid there is nothing you can do. You can only keep yourselves and friends, especially muggleborns, safe." McGonagall paused. "You can keep an eye out for any suspicious people, but I am afraid that you can not do anything physical to stop the attacker. Only prevent yourselves from falling victim." McGonagall said. She picked Abby up and carried her to the hospital wing a corridor away.
Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Draco began walking to the hospital wing very slowly.
"Any ideas on who it is?" Draco asked.
Harry and Neville shook their heads.
"Hermione." Ginny whispered.
Neville looked to Ginny. "No way, not Hermione, she's too nice." Neville said.
"But she had something that looked like snippets of blood on her robes, and she has been anti-social lately, and she has been writing to a diary, and I swear that I saw it write back once." Ginny said.
"Oh right Gin, yeah, I diary is probably commanding Hermione to hurt her own kind, yeah Gin, I see the logic." Draco said.
"Oh…" Ginny said. "Then I have no clue." She said as they entered the hospital wing.
Ginny walked over to Abby and kneeled beside her, holding Abby's hand. Ginny began talking to Abby, asking her to come back, but Abby was indeed petrified. It would take fully grown mandrakes to heal her.
Okay, I hope you liked, I was tryinig to make it longer, but I honestly thought that this was as far as I could go today, I was shocked by my writing, as I said before, I wrote 85 today (in like two-three -probably less- hours) hehe, anyway, I hope you like and I have to say that the New Marauders know all of the common room passwords because of each other... oh and my chapters say Year 1 because it is their first year of maraudering...if anyone is wondering about the song, it is Lollipop (Candyman) by Aqua...I used to listen to it as a child...hehe, oh and yes I changer Hermione, but she doesn't have many friends, so her attitude would be different, and, well...never mind...hehe, anyway, I hope you review!
--Cherry--
Due to continuity problems, had to redo this chapter, I apologize, but please point out any other continuity problems.
--Cherry--