Hi! This will be a short chapter I am sure for those people still reading this! I am very pleased if you are, by the way! The next school year for our characters will include much more romance blossoming! I have mixed parts of the book and the film together wherever they clash, just in case people are wondering.
The Heir of Slytherin
The next day during lunch, McGonagall's voice boomed around the castle magically,
"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor corridor immediately." It says and Elsie looks at the twins nervously,
"There must have been another attack." George says as they get to their feet and run along the hall like the other pupils who are also thinking the same thing. It is chaos, the teachers have disappeared and everyone is trying desperately to run as fast as they can to their common rooms.
"Excuse me, I'm a prefect!" Percy bellows indignantly as he tries to keep order,
"Ah!" Elsie exclaims as she is pushed away from the twins by a tide of sixth and seventh year Hufflepuff's.
"Els!" Fred cries as she battles her way through the throng to her friends again,
"It must have been a really bad attack." George says worriedly as they run up the stairs,
"Come on, we don't want to get separated." Fred says taking Elsie's hand as they try and battle their way up the stairs and down the corridor, Elsie breathes a sigh of relief as the fat lady's portrait comes into view and they hurry inside.
"Where's Ron and Ginny?" George asks looking around the room,
"They're probably with Percy, they'll be alright." Fred replies as Angelina, Alicia, Katie and Lee hurry towards them. Their eyes fall on Elsie and Fred's hands still joined together and Elsie looks down at them only just realising and her and Fred spring away from each other.
"Come on sit down." Lee says and they head to the corner closest the window.
"Do you think someone's been killed?" Elsie asks calmly,
"Don't say that!" Katie cries,
"It could be possible." Lee says reasonably,
"I heard that when the chamber was last opened fifty years ago someone died." Elsie chokes and their eyes focus on her,
"Well at least you're safe." Angelina says forcing a smile at her and she returns it,
"Thanks Angelina." Elsie replies smiling at her weakly. Suddenly the common room door opens and Harry and Ron stumble into the common room, shortly followed by Percy and then Professor McGonagall. Harry and Ron look terrible, like they've been petrified themselves, and Professor McGonagall calls,
"Fred, George!" and they get up and walk over to her, "I am so sorry to inform you that your sister, Ginny has been taken by the monster, into the chamber of Secrets."
"What? P-Professor…" Percy stutters aghast as Fred and George look at her in horror,
"I will be sending an owl to your parents immediately, I am so very sorry." She says sympathetically to them all before heading out of the room.
Using her knowledge of knowing when something is wrong with her two best friends, Elsie gets to her feet and is the only one who walks over to them tentatively.
"Fred, George, what's wrong?" she asks as they look at her with a pained expression,
"Ginny… she's… the monster…" Fred get's out, before screwing up his face as if he's about to cry and Elsie silently wraps her arms around his middle, gently,
"The monster took Ginny into the chamber." George finishes for him, blinking back the tears as Elsie releases Fred, clasping her hands over her mouth. Little Ginny Weasley. So silent and shy, she had sat with her at Christmas, she had spoken to her once or twice a week to make sure she was settling in alright.
"Oh no. I am so, so sorry." Elsie says quietly.
"I must send an owl to mum and dad." Percy says, almost running up to the boys dormitory and they don't see him for the rest of the afternoon.
Most people in the dormitory, including Lee, Alicia, Katie and Angelina decide to get packing as it is obvious the governors will be closing the school, but Elsie and Harry sit with the Weasleys, waiting… waiting for news. Elsie sat in between the twins, comforting them silently, unable to say anything, just like anyone else. They sat in silence for what seemed like days, before Fred and George silently headed upstairs to bed. Elsie gets to her feet, deciding to get some rest as well. She turns to Harry and Ron and whispers,
"I'm sorry… really I am." Before trudging upstairs to her bed. Angelina and Alicia are there, as well as Julie and Katherine.
"Any news?" Angelina asks her as she enters and Elsie shakes her head.
"Fred and George have gone to bed." She explains as she starts to change.
"Why would the monster take her though? She's pure blood!" Alicia says as Julie and Katherine shut the curtains around their beds annoyed.
"I don't know." Elsie says climbing into bed,
"Maybe she knew something." Angelina says quietly,
"Maybe." Elsie replies hoarsely, and she tosses and turns for hours, imagining poor little Ginny Weasley and what may be happening to her down in the chamber.
The next morning, Elsie wakes extremely early. She didn't get much sleep at all thinking about Ginny and she changes silently as the others still sleep. She walks slowly down the stairs to the common room, where she finds Harry, Ron, Percy, Fred, George, Mrs Weasley and a red haired balding man that she guessed was Mr Weasley standing in the centre of the room. Hardly anyone else is awake and when Fred and George see her, they rush towards her and Fred hugs Elsie so tightly that he lifts her off the ground.
"What's going on?" she asks as he sets her down and she then is hugged tightly by George as Mrs Weasley dabs her eyes with a handkerchief.
"Harry and Ron saved Ginny! She's safe, she's alive!" Fred says beaming,
"They did what?" she exclaims and Fred and George recount the whole tale of the pair of them finding the entrance to the chamber in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
"How could I have been so stupid? I never once thought of asking Myrtle how she died even though I've been to see her so many times!" Elsie exclaims embarrassed and the twins continue with the story. They say how the monster was a Basilisk and the heir if Slytherin was he who must not be named who was possessing Ginny through one of his old diaries.
"Wow, that must have been very dark and powerful magic, how did you destroy it?" she asks Harry,
"I stabbed it with a Basilisk fang." He says, his face turning red,
"How extraordinary. I'm so glad she's alright." Elsie says to Mr and Mrs Weasley who beam at her,
"She's with Madam Pomfrey just now, we should really go and check on her." Mrs Weasley says and they leave.
That night the feast is amazing. Dumbledore is reinstated as Headmaster and he announces that all exams have been cancelled, much to the delight of Fred and George, although Elsie shakes her head disapprovingly. Also he states that Professor Lockhart will be unable to carry on teaching due to the fact he has to regain his memory back and the twins and Elsie exchange pleased glances while Angelina and Alicia groan disappointedly. Hermione and the other victims return to the feast un-petrified and she runs and hugs Harry before shaking hands with Ron.
"I'm so glad you're alright!" Elsie calls to her and she waves and grins. Ginny turns up for the feast looking unscathed. Hagrid arrives towards the end and there is a great deal of applause and cheering for him before the students and teachers settle down long enough for Dumbledore to announce that Gryffindor has won the house cup for the second time in a row.
"Yes!" Fred and George shout together and the room explodes with noise once again in celebration. After the feast Mrs Weasley seeks out Fred and George in the entrance hall,
"We'll see you back at home tomorrow." She tells her sons as Elsie leaves them to say goodbye, and once she is out of earshot she asks her sons, "She's a nice girl isnt she. I thought so the first time she spoke to me on the platform. Why don't you ask her round during the holidays for a few days?" she asks them,
"Alright mum." George says looking embarrassed as his mum flattens his hair,
"Do you fancy her?" she asks them both,
"No." they exclaim even more embarrassed, although George turns more red than his twin.
"Well off you go then." Mr Weasley says and they hurry back up to the common room.
The following day as Fred, George and Elsie take their seats in an empty compartment on the train home, Fred brings up the question their mother asked them the previous day.
"Our mum was wandering whether you wanted to come round for a few days during the holidays." He asks picking at a whole in his jumper,
"Oh, alright. That does sound like fun, I've never been in a wizards house before. But I must ask my father first." She says brightly grinning at them, as they begin to talk about what goings on will take place the next year.