Chapter 9
As morning came, Cameron awoke to find herself back in the hospital bed, her head throbbing wildly. She shook her head to try and clear it but couldn't. The motion only made it worse. She squeezed her eyes shut as a surge of pain shot through.
"Dear, what's wrong?" Madame Pomfrey asked, seeing Cameron had begun rubbing her throbbing temples.
"My head kills," Cam replied sleepily.
"Lay down and rest," the old woman said. Cam did as she was told and she drifted back to sleep.
In the hallway leading to Gryffindor Tower, Harry Ron and Hermione were making their way to Potions when they saw a young girl lying on the cold stone floor.
"Oh my god! That's Melinda Reynolds!" Hermione exclaimed, having tutored the second year in herbology just last week.
"Is she ok?" Ron asked, a greenish tint showing at the edge of his mouth.
"No. I think she's…. dead," Harry said and gulped.
"We'd better go to Dumbledore," Ron said. The three Gryffindors hurried to find Dumbledore but were stopped by Professor Snape.
"And where are you three going?" he snarled.
"We have to speak with Dumbledore immediately," Harry said.
"Whatever it is can wait. Get to class before I give you detention," the teacher spat.
"Um, sorry to disappoint you Professor but I think our matters are a bit more urgent then Potions," Harry said quickly and rushed off the find the headmaster.
"Potter get back here!" Snape bellowed angrily after the boy.
"We found a girl dead in the hallway, Professor," Hermione explained as if it were an every day occurrence.
Jack had overheard Hermione tell Professor Snape that she, Ron and Harry had found a dead girl in the hallway. Immediately his thoughts jumped to Cameron. 'Cam. Can you hear me?' he called out to her. 'Go away I'm sleeping,' a very sleepy sounding Cam replied. A faint smile appeared on Jack's lips. It wasn't his sister who had been found dead.
Before Harry got to Professor Dumbledore, Elizabeth stopped him.
"Potter, what class are you supposed to be in right now?" she questioned him.
"Potions but---" he began.
"Then what on Earth are you doing here?" she cut him off.
"We found a dead girl in the hallway," he said very quickly.
"Dead. Girl," she said. "Where?" she asked.
Harry led the way back to the Gryffindor hallway. Sure enough the bloodstained body of Melinda Reynolds lay in a heap on the floor.
"My word," Elizabeth breathed. "Potter, get back to class," she ordered. Harry did as he was told and hurried off to the dungeons.
Elizabeth sprinted down the hall and up the stairs to Dumbledore's office. "Albus, Potter found a student dead," she said in one breath.
"Dead?" he queried.
"I have a feeling it has to do with that creature inside of Cameron," Elizabeth said quickly. The two teachers rushed off to the hospital wing.
"Miss Williams we need to talk to you," Elizabeth said matter-of-factly.
"Hmmm? Whatimesit," she asked sleepily.
"Elizabeth, the chains," Albus whispered in her ear. Although the chains were self-attaching, once broken they could not be fixed.
"Cameron, what do you remember from last night?" the young woman asked.
"I-I-I…" she trailed off. A sudden look of panic and fear showed in her eyes. "I let him out," she cried and covered her pale face with her hands.
"He killed that poor little girl and I couldn't stop him!" she sobbed. "I tried but…but---" she said but couldn't finish. She was crying uncontrollably now.
"Calm down now," Professor Dumbledore said softly. "Crying doesn't solve anything," he continued. She leaned into him and he rubbed her back.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice muffled by tears.
"It's not your fault," Elizabeth said kindly.
At dinner two months later, Taylor sat next to Draco and looked down the table to try and find Cam. She hadn't seen her in the last few weeks and wanted to know what was going on.
"Who are you looking for Tay?" Draco asked a bit annoyed that someone else had her attention besides him.
"Cameron," she said simply.
"I don't see why you two get along," he said taking a sip of pumpkin juice.
"And you never will," she said. Not seeing her friend anywhere she turned back to Draco.
"Christmas break is in two weeks you know," she said playfully.
"Yes I know that," he said taking a bite of biscuit.
"So am I spending it with you?' she asked hopefully.
"Of course," Draco said as if his response should have already been known.
Cam looked out the window of the hospital wing. She had grown accustomed to calling it her room and had made herself quite comfortable. Strangely, she hadn't seen or rather felt Asesino's presence since the night he had killed Melinda. She knew better than to get cocky and she knew the teachers kept a vigilant eye on her. She had been getting private lessons so that she could keep up with her work but not put any students or teachers for that matter in danger. The sound of footsteps brought her out of her thoughts and back to reality. Elizabeth walked in with a package and sat down in the chair next to Cam's bed.
"What's that?" Cam asked, indicating the package.
"Oh. Your brother thought you might want some sweets since you missed the trip to Hogsmeade in November," Professor McGonagall said handing Cameron the package.
"Does he know what's been going on?" she asked setting the package of sweets on her bedside table.
"Yes, we've been keeping him informed," Elizabeth said.
"Good. I think he would have freaked out if he found out second hand," Cam said more to herself than Elizabeth.
"How are you feeling tonight?" the young teacher asked.
"Honestly, I feel kind of nervous. I don't know why but I feel as if something doesn't feel right," the Slytherin said truthfully.
"That's not a good sign," Elizabeth said. She stood up and turned to the door. "I've got to go to a staff meeting," she said with a look of dread on her face. "God. Every time I say something Severus just counters me on it," she said, shaking her head as she left the room.
Later that night when the rest of Hogwarts was sleeping, Cam sat up thinking. Suddenly as she closed her eyes, a familiar scene appeared. The forest. Sure enough, Asesino stood dominantly in front of her.
"Why are you back?' she asked.
"You do not question me Cameron. We have been over this before," he said bluntly. "Now close your eyes."
"No. I won't let you kill anyone again!" she screamed but to no avail.
He pounced on her and she quickly slid out of consciousness. He had won once again. The majestic panther slunk out into the halls and headed for the Slytherin dormitory. When he reached the entrance hole, he merely walked right through it. He moved stealthily to the girl's dormitory and found the sixth years. Once inside he looked for the bed nearest the far corner from the door. The noise woke the girl up. Before she could make a move, the giant cat was upon her. Claws ripped flesh, teeth created waterfalls of veins and pain ripped through the girl's body like wildfire. The last thing that she saw was a pair of menacing, deep, brooding amethyst colored eyes.
