This is the other missing chapter :(. Sorry to be so stupid, I must have uploaded then completely forgotten, I can be such a goldfish sometimes.

Chapter 10

Of Nightmares and Nargles

Ginny was shaky the next morning, to say the least. When I told her what had happened she cried, the twins argued that she was a cat lover. But I knew the truth.

"What do you think is wrong?" Liz was as concerned as I was. We were alone at the Great Hall that Thursday, I got Madame Pomfrey to issue me with a note for the first two lessons today, there was no way I was waking her up when she'd fallen asleep in Astronomy last night.

"Can't you See?" Liz usually didn't have to question anything but today she shook her head, her hands covering her face.

"I haven't Seen anything about Ginny lately, what either of you did when you were meant to be at the feast, her lack of sleep, the homework she hasn't done, what she writes in that diary every night, her nightmares, anything. Nothing's messed with my prophecies before." She paused for a moment, frustrated, but her eyes gazed off sadly. "I keep getting nightmares though."

"Really?"

"But I can't remember them afterwards. It's how I get half of my prophecies usually, I always remember the important dreams. But now, now I wake up with a head ache, gasping for my life and my throat sore from screams...and I don't know why." Liz gazed off and we both sat and worried. Something was very wrong.

Ginny was much better after a good night's sleep, you could see it in her eyes. She wasn't fully back by any means but it was amazing what a bit of sleep could do.

"Hey, did I miss much?" She asked brightly when she sat down next to us in DADA.

"Colour transfiguration and boredom in Potions. Astronomy was fascinating though, I'll show you the work afterwards."

"What did you change the colour of?"

"Tables, chairs. Colin missed the table and accidentally died McGonagall's hair blonde. But all in all a rather boring lesson." Ginny chuckled and we both turned our heads to Liz, she was muttering to another Slytherin, I think her name was Bethany Violet, a rather pasty looking girl with high cheekbones and hair black as coal. If it weren't for her bright blue eyes I could swear she was in permanent black and white.

"What's the Chamber of Secrets anyway?" The pale faced girl asked.

"It's a secret chamber which has never been discovered."

"Well done Sherlock, but what do you think is inside?"

"What does that matter? Matters who it attacks doesn't it?"

"It doesn't take a genius to work that one out."

"No?"

"Filthy, untrustworthy, good for nothing Mudbloods." She nodded towards me, exhibit number 1. Ginny, overhearing this, rose from her chair in rage.

"How dare you call her that?!" She shouted. Lockhart froze in position at the front of the classroom and the whole class turned to Ginny who sat down again, equally furious but also now a slight shade of red.

"Thank you Ginny, I shall be seeing you four" He gestured towards Bethany, Liz, Gin and I "after the lesson. Now back to the werewolf."

The class returned to its usual volume and Liz gave Bethany a dirty look before turning back to us.

"What was all that about?" Liz asked, as quiet as she could.

"Do you not know about Mu-?" Near 12 years of good bringing up stopped Ginny from saying the word. She reminded me of myself, the one time my brother taught me a swear word and I was far too ashamed to say it. I've never sworn in my life.

"Enlighten me."

"It's a really foul name for someone who is muggle born. It means dirty blood, as if we're diseased. Slytherins are well renowned for hating muggle borns." I concluded and Ginny gave me a meaningful look. It was only a matter of time before she found out why I always knew far too much.

"That's horrible." She paused for a moment. "The others in Slytherin are always talking of how unworthy and over liked muggle borns are, but I've...I've never thought of you as one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm a Slytherin, sometimes I hate that I am in such a prejudiced and filthy house and I deserve to be there. Sometimes I hate myself for being a muggle born. But you never fit any of the things they say about muggle borns. I do, so does everyone else I know who's muggle born, to an extent, but you never do."

"Maybe it's because A, you don't really know any other muggle borns and B, you have a low self esteem?"

"Probably!"

"Hey Meg," Said Ginny, a little quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Didn't I say I was going to murder the first Slytherin who called you that?"

"Yes, now I come to think of it."

"Do you think you could let me off? Violet's scary." Whined Ginny, Liz and I laughed.

"Now, has anyone got any leads on the heir of Slytherin?" Lockhart asked the class, rubbing his hands together. "Remember, we need to tackle him-"

"Or her!" Katherine insisted.

"Or her indeed with everything we've got. Don't forget anything I've taught you! Or you could be next!" Everyone laughed but Lockhart was completely serious. Hit by a brainwave, I shot my hand up.

"Yes Miss-?"

"Andrews, why don't you arrange a duelling club for all years so we can revise all the defence you've taught us this year?" I suggested quite innocently and he pondered for a moment.

"I have just come up with an amazing idea, just this second! I shall be holding a Duelling Club over the weekend for everyone to practise the defence spells they have learnt in my lessons!" Everyone cheered but I cringed as Liz and Ginny moaned over me how unfair it was that he'd just stolen my idea. I didn't really care. But Liz and Gin thought it was an outrage. As the bell rang the class was dismissed but Bethany, Liz, Ginny and I all stayed in our seats.

"Now I want a full explanation." Lockhart declared, for once not showing his award winning smile.

"Bethany called Meg a-" Ginny and Liz argued in unison.

"Mudblood." I whispered, and the other two stared at me.

"I see. And what is your form of events Miss Violet?"

"I was talking about Mudbloods in general and Lindsay and her Weasley friend were being prejudiced and assumed I was talking about her. I mean why would I?"

"Miss Andrews, did she specify?"

"Does it matter? I'm rather desperate to get do my homework actually."

"I must agree, I have a huge stack of mail to reply to, and I really don't like to neglect my fans. So I shall indeed send you on your way." Lockhart can be so dim sometimes. No, make hat all the time.

"What did you do that for?!" They both groaned and grumbled.

"Sorry."

"Idiot." Ginny tapped me on the head with a rolled up newspaper.

I dragged her off round the castle. We were aiming for the common room but, as always, took a wrong turn. Ginny gave it a little gasp as she recognised where we were.

"The Chamber of Secrets." I read. "I wonder what that is." Ginny leant against my shoulder. She bit her lip and started to cry. "Hey, hey." I turned to put my arms round her. "It's going to be alright. You never told me you were a cat lover." Grasping this as the most likely excuse, Ginny nodded. I put my arm round her and we walked together roughly in the direction of the common room.

"Who do you suppose it'll attack next?" Ginny queried.

"I don't know." We rounded the corner to find a blonde Ravenclaw, appearing to talk at a wall. It was of course, Luna.

"If I say 'everything I tell you is a lie', am I telling you the truth or a lie?" Asked a lady's voice, appearing to resound from one of the portraits on the wall. Luna pondered for a moment but was very confident in her answer.

"It would be a lie. It can't be the truth without contradicting itself which therefore makes it a lie anyway. But some of your statements may be lies, and this is one of them." She answered simply.

"Good deduction, my friend." The portrait swung forward but,

"Wait, Luna!" I called and she turned to face me.

"Hello." Luna said in her usual dreamy tone.

"Hey, Luna. We were wondering if you could help us with Transfiguration."

"You? Need help with Transfiguration?"

"Well, actually, Ginny was away during the lesson and I thought it would help to get a second opinion on the work. But no one from Gryffindor would help so I thought I'd come here."

"I see. Sorry, today's a bad time. Wouldn't you just look how many nargles are in Ginevra's head? They're almost pouring out of your ears. A very bad time to practice spells."

"Ginny, what are nargles?" Ginny corrected.

"They're very curious creatures, unseeable to the human eye. They infest places where strong emotions are held, feeding on those emotions, not draining the emotion, sharing it I guess. Don't worry, they're completely harmless, just make your brain run rather slowly.

"You can always find them in mistletoe, they're real suckers for romance. But they're often unlucky, a bad omen if you are not currently experiencing very strong emotions when they are upon you so I wear butterbeer corks to keep them away. I'll get you some too. But for now have plenty of hot cocoa, that keeps them away too." She smiled and disappeared behind the portrait.

"I see why they call her Loony." Ginny confirmed.

"You can say that again."

"Has Ginny gone to bed?" Asked Percy when he saw me sat alone at the back of the common room.

"I hope so, I think I persuaded her to get some sleep. It would be a shame to miss double Herbology."

"Has she been having nightmares?" He was really concerned, I never realised how thoughtful Percy was of his little sister. They were all a bit over protective.

"Every night."

"Does she ever tell you what happens in them?"

"No, she always says she doesn't remember."

"Are you sure it's Mrs Norris-?"

"Be fair, what else could it be?"

"I'm writing to Mum."

"No don't, she'll just get more anxious."

"But-"

"If she gets worse. Feel free."

"Thank you Meg." He allowed me to get back to mine and Ginny's homework in peace. I stirred my mug of cocoa, purely for something to do. We had followed Luna's recommendations on that, but we were still trying to find a way of turning down her offer of butterbeer corks.

When I finally went up to the common room, having finally finished all the homework, everyone was fast asleep. Ginny kept flinching and twisting as I tried to get to sleep. It got to the point that her covers were all over the floor and she had her head at the opposite end she started from. I couldn't sleep either, listening out for the next rustle of sheets, whimper or squeal from my neighbour. But I did drift off eventually.

"Meg! Meg! Make her stop!" Katie shouted, shaking me awake. Someone was screaming like hell was upon them. Ginny. One glance of her agony and I was immediately wide awake and by her side. It was comforting to hold her close and know she was safe.

"Ginny, it's alright. Shhh, nothing can hurt you in your dreams." She whimpered a little but her breathing finally evened out as she listened to my voice "I'll see you in the morning, Ginny." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she turned onto her side and breathed evenly again. I pulled the covers back over her, with Holly's help, and we all went back to sleep, for it was 2.00 in the morning.

Well, tried. I was up all night worrying about Ginny. Holly, to my right, turned and fidgeted restlessly. No one could sleep when Ginny was like this.

"Meg?" Holly whispered, I hadn't noticed she knew I was awake, it took me a little by surprise.

"Yes?"

"I'm worried."

"We all are."

"Do you know what's happening? I mean, she's your best friend..."

"No, I don't. I don't know anything." I hated having to lie to Holly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought..."

"Goodnight Holly."

"Night." She turned away from me and I buried my head in my covers. But it was useless trying to get to sleep. I tried everything, pacing, practising spells, thinking of nothing (how the hell does that work?), wrote half a dozen fan fictions under the covers, there's infinite inspiration in Hogwarts itself. But I was still awake at 5.00. On nights like these, there was usually only one thing that could send me off, Harry Potter.

I was a bit too hasty in pulling out my beloved books. As it was pitch black, I went for the first one my fingers touched. It was the thinnest of the lot and the cover was battered and peeling from every angle. I really did over use these. If one of them ever fell apart...it would be like my heart was sawn in two. I lit my wand and started to read...

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.

You're welcome...