Everyone sat in the great hall before the big quidditch match today. After telling Harry the news we were all wary of any and all Gryffindors except for our friends. While silently eating Oliver came up to our group and sat directly between Harry and I with a very serious look. Oliver asked if Harry was excited about quidditch.
"Lockhart isn't what he seems." Oliver muttered looking over at the teachers table and quickly standing and retreating out of the great hall.
"That points out the obvious." Ron muttered shimmying his food around with his fork.
"Maybe he meant something more serious?" I offered pushing away my plate.
"I think it's time to talk to Hagrid." Harry seriously said looking up at us. "After curfew, Lavender and I will go."
"Why Lavender?" Ron asked looking offended.
"Lavender is as quiet a a mouse." Harry reasoned standing from the table. "I better go get ready."
We continued to eat until it was time to go get ready for the game. We made our way to the common room to get our scarves and mitts for the brisk spring air. I walked alongside Seamus, as per usual, to the pitch followed by the rest of our friends. We found some seats in our section and happily sat down ready for an excuse to get our mind off of things. Dean was distant and spent every second either in class or in the library. We were worried until he sat next to us at the match. He looked at us serious and whispered something to Neville who passed the message along. Dean has a lead and he's trying his best to follow it.
The match was set up a prepared to be started and both teams look determined to win that was until Professor McGonagall ran onto the pitch with a look of great distress. She waved both team captains down and spoke to them together in a quiet manner. Both captains signalled the landing of their own teams. McGonagall then turned to address the grand number of confused spectators. McGonagall raised a megaphone to her mouth and quickly shouted out her order.
"All student to their dormitories at once!" She shouted with great force that sent chills down the spines of every student.
We were lead by our prefects to our common room and while we were in a mob of Gryffindors I saw Dean slip out towards the hospital wing I assume. I said nothing to anyone but continued on to the Gryffindor tower. I followed Seamus until we landed in the room and quickly scurried to the boys room where we waited for Harry and Dean. It took Harry an extra ten minutes and we didn't see Dean until thirty minutes had passed. Dean shut the door behind him and held his ear against it for a quick moment. He then gestured us closer together and we all moved in.
"What was your lead, Dean?" Parvati quietly spoke to ask what we were all thinking.
"Pipes." Dean answered bluntly. "After I found out it was a Gryffindor doing these things I was angry so I went for a walk. I ended up at the hospital wing and I snuck in to tell Colin what happened. He couldn't hear me of course but I thought he ought to know. I grabbed his hand to say good bye and get well when I realized there was a slip of paper there. I opened it and it just said pipes in messy handwriting."
"How do you know that even had anything to do with anything?" Ron asked leaning on a bed post looking at Dean like he had something loose in his head.
"I'm getting to that." Dean shushed him and continued on with his story. "Anyway, I heard someone coming and thinking I was going to get in trouble I sort of freaked. I shoved the note into my pocket and hid under Colin's bed. It was Pomfrey checking on everyone. After she left I ran out of there and kept walking. I ended up in the library and decided to check out some books on monsters."
"What does this have to do with what's hurting people?" Ron asked losing the little patience he had.
"I am getting to it." Dean muttered looking at him and bean to also lose his patience. "Anyway, I read about vampires and trolls and stuff but they can't petrify and trolls won't live for century's but I came across something called a basilisk. At first I brushed it off because people would see a giant snake type beast going around the halls."
"It's going around the pipes." Neville smiled having the pieces put together for him.
"Exactly!" Dean shouted but lowered his voice and walked to the door to check outside then walked back over.
"Do basilisks petrify?" Parvati asked gripping the sheets under her hand.
"Excellent question Parvati. No they do not." Dean clarified pulling his lips into a tight line.
"So it's not a basilisk?" Harry asked confused about Dean's theory.
"I still think it might be." Dean said standing. "The basilisk kills on sight but it says nothing about an indirect contact." Dean smirked and continued. "Mrs. Norris was around water which she could have seen the Basilisk in. I think Justin may have seen the basilisk through Sir Nicholas, and since you can't kill someone who's already dead Sir Nicholas was also petrified. Colin had his camera and since he's always snapping pictures he must have seen it through his camera. Last but not least, the girl who was petrified earlier, she had a mirror in her hand. She may have seen it while checking herself out, as Lavender often does." Dean joked smiling at the curly haired girl with a jokingly shocked face.
"That's brilliant Dean!" Ron exclaimed smiling and losing all the scepticism he once had.
"I say we go to Dumbledore, after talking to Hagrid." Harry declared putting his foot down on this one.
"Tomorrow then, we'll go tomorrow." I said stretching with a yawn.
"Lavender, are you ready to go to Hagrid's?" Harry asked standing a grabbing his invisibilty cloak from his trunk after shooing Seamus from his seat on it.
"Yeah, I'm good to go." Lavender replied standing as well.
"Be careful and listen very carefully." Parvati warned pointing at the pair who're reay to go on their way.
"We will, Parvati." Harry promised with a chuckle and a smile.
We all walked out of the boys dorm and down to the common room. Lavender opened the portrait and peeked out holding it open and waiting for Harry to finish his chat with Neville. They rushed out the door right after putting on the cloak. Everyone else sat by the fire and waited for Harry and Lavender's return. Seamus and Neville were playing chess by the window and I walked over to talk to them. As soon as I got over Neville insisted that he was losing so bad so I should take his place.
"You've been quiet all night." I observed taking my turn.
"Something that kills you when you see it." Seamus muttered moving his knight.
"That's the theory." I smiled at Seamus but he sent an emotionless stare my way way and my lips turned into a very thin straight line.
"It's not a joke." Seamus clarified moving a piece with little to no enthusiasm.
"You think I don't know that?" I snapped at him and he flinched a little but his face returned stoic.
"Well, sometimes I wonder." Seamus snapped back standing up to leave.
"Wait," I mustered and he turned to look at me. "If I promise that I won't go anywhere you don't approve of will you sit back down?"
He silently sat back down and we continued playing the game in silence. I could hear Neville and Parvati talking about exams. I could also hear Dean and Ron talking about how Colin Creevey of all people knew exactly what was happening before any of us did. What I couldn't hear was the basilisk. Whether that's what is actually reigning terror on our school or not, I'd have no way of knowing where it is, and where is safe.