Entry 70: Why do I always forget things that happen during Quidditch matches?
Hermione has been petrified.
I can't believe that I forgot that one of my best friends was going to be badly hurt. The thing is, I don't know why she was in the library in the first place! Knowing Hermione she wanted to research something, but I don't know if that something has to do with the Basilisk or a random piece of homework. I think it was the former, as she was found with a small mirror next to her, suggesting she knew about how to prevent getting killed by the Basilisk, but I can't be sure. Worst of all, if I had known that Hermione's petrification was going to have a massive impact on the plot, I can't be sure that I wouldn't have let happen. She's one of my best friends yet I can't say for certain that I would have stopped her from getting hurt had I been presented with the opportunity.
As it was, I barely even spoke to Hermione this morning. I let my feelings of awkwardness prevent me from spending time with Harry, meaning that I also had to avoid Ron and Hermione, who were with him the entire time. Instead, I chose to stay with Angelina and Alicia to get ready for the game that I doubted I'd even play in.
The three of us made our way down to the pitch at quarter to eleven, already in our Quidditch robes. There we met Katie and Oliver and the five of us made conversation about the Quidditch tactics Oliver planned to use. Fred and George arrived five minutes later and Harry walked in at five to eleven. The two of us held eye contact for a few seconds when he entered, but Harry quickly ducked his head and turned away without acknowledging me.
With a minute to go until the match started, I made my way to my designated seat where I saw Ron waiting for me. He told me that Hermione was just checking something in the library and would be there soon. We sat in comfortable silence, waiting for the game to begin. It was nice to know that there was no awkwardness between us and that Ron wasn't going to treat me any differently after the events of the night before.
Then, McGonagall ran onto the pitch with a bright purple megaphone in hand. She came to a rest in the centre and proceeded to tell everyone that we were to make our way to our common rooms. Ron and I exchanged a look and moved to where the Gryffindor team was congregating around her. Thankfully, we were near the stairs so were able to make a quick exit from the stands. Ron went to stand next to Harry, but I chose to stay off to the side a bit. Where I was standing ended up not mattering anyway, as McGonagall beckoned the three of us towards her. She told us to follow her, Harry shooting me a wary look as we did so. I avoided all eye contact.
I was racking my brain the whole time we were following McGonagall, trying to come up with some reason as to why she wanted us. If Ginny had given her the diary and she wanted to discuss it then she wouldn't have told the whole school to go to their dormitories. Yet I couldn't think of any other scenario where McGonagall would want to talk to the three of us specifically. I was terrified that I was going to be questioned about my knowledge.
It was only when we walked into the hospital wing to see Hermione's frozen body that this idea shattered into millions of tiny pieces in my mind.
Harry instinctively grabbed my hand, although he dropped it soon after once he realised what he had just done. I fell to my knees beside Hermione's bed, McGonagall placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. She explained that they found her and Penelope Claerwater's bodies outside the library, lying next to a hand mirror.
McGonagall helped me up from my position and told us that she would walk us back to the common room where she would tell the rest of Gryffindor the new restrictions we would have to live under:
Curfew is to be 6 o'clock.
After this time, we cannot leave our dormitories.
We cannot leave Gryffindor tower unless we have a lesson.
We are to be escorted to lessons and even to the bathroom.
Quidditch training, matches and any evening activities are to be cancelled.
The entirety of Gryffindor house was packed into the common room, listening to what McGonagall had to say. A chorus of groans went up between each new proclamation. We belong to the House of the Brave after all, and sometimes bravery results in recklessness and underestimating danger. Many (in particular the third and fourth years) believe that they would be fine if we all went on as normal as they would be able to take out Slytherin's monster themselves.
After McGonagall left the room, Lee Jordan (being one of the aforementioned fourth years) started to make the feeling of discontent worse, by shouting about how the teachers should just investigate Slytherin and it would all be over and done with. He proceeded to make further statements, many of which I could have easily assumed were taken from a book of motivational quotes had I not known that he had no time to prepare such a speech beforehand. Lee's actually a really good public speaker when he's being serious.
While this uproar was occurring, I was still stood near the entrance of the common room next to Harry and Ron. The two boys were talking about what they were going to do now. Harry seemed reluctant to involve me, but with a pointed look from Ron he allowed the ginger to wave me closer. It was also Ron who told me about their plan, Harry standing silently and staring at my face.
They had decided that they were going to instantly break the rules put in place by McGonagall, using Harry's invisibility cloak to visit Hagrid and ask him about his expulsion. We were to go to bed at the usual time and then sneak out once the others in our dorms had gone to sleep. This ended up being far sooner than I had expected, as Lavender declared that she didn't want to hear another thing about Slytherin's monster. As Slytherin's monster was all that was anyone's mind, conversation came with much difficulty. It petered out towards 10pm and Lavender and Parvarti went to sleep soon afterwards. This meant that I was downstairs at about 10:30 and actually had to wait 15 minutes for the boys to arrive so we could set off.
Being in the corridors so late at night was fairly eerie. It's not as if I haven't been out that late before (last year's detention in the Forbidden Forest springs to mind) but the lack of lighting combined with the constant noise of footsteps from patrolling teachers and prefects meant that the three of us were constantly on guard.
Walking under the invisibility cloak had become much harder since the last time more than two of us used it at once. This is probably due to the fact that both Ron and I have had growth spurts in the last few months, so there was more of us to actually cover. At one point, Ron tripped over the bottom edge of the cloak and I had to quickly slap my hand over his mouth to stop a loud swear from coming out. That would have almost certainly alerted Snape, who was walking down the hallway with Professor Vector.
Once we reached the entrance, I had a quick check around us before performing a spell to open the door. Ron and Harry had both been reaching to open it manually, but I knew that it would be a bad idea. The doors were heavy and, even with three of us opening them together, the action could have shaken the invisibility cloak off of us, and that was something we couldn't risk.
It was a clear night. No wind, no clouds, no rain. Had it been lighter it would have been the perfect weather for Quidditch. Godrick, was that really the first thought I had when talking about the weather? I've been talking to Oliver too much.
Anyway, we swiftly made our way down to Hagrid's hut, only taking the cloak off when we were stood outside. Harry made three sharp knocks and was about to start a fourth when the door swung open and the three of us were face to face with a crossbow.
Hagrid was a bag of nerves as he lowered his weapon and waved us inside. His large hands were shaking so much that he could barely make us some tea. Harry was quick to ask if Hagrid was okay, assuming that he had heard about Hermione and was upset. Of course, Harry couldn't guess the real reason behind Hagrid's nerves. Neither could Ron and I, as we looked at each other in confusion and worry. Yet, it was soon revealed to us when someone else knocked on Hagrid's door.
Ron's expression quickly shifted to one of surprise and I'm sure mine was similar. Harry threw the cloak over himself and Ron, moving into the corner. He pulled me under just in time, although he did so rather forcefully. For a fleeting moment, he looked at me with guilt, but the expression almost instantly went blank and he made no move to apologise as I rubbed my slightly sore wrist. Checking that the three of us were hidden, Hagrid grabbed his crossbow and flung open the door.
From where we stood, only Harry and Ron could see who was at the door, but I could easily make out the voice of one of the men.
Dumbledore entered Hagrid's house, his footsteps followed by those of another person. Ron was quick to identify the mystery man:
"That's Dad's boss! Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic!" he hissed, earning an elbow to the side from Harry, reminding him to shut up.
I heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor and a somewhat loud thump, so could only presume that Hagrid had just slumped down onto a chair.
Fudge soon began to talk, calling the petrifications 'bad business' (an understatement) and professing that the 'ministry had to act' (a bit late really, should have been done after the first incident). Both Hagrid and Dumbledore spoke up after that, Hagrid with an undertone of fear and Dumbledore more sternly than I had ever heard him before. The three had a short exchange before it became clear to me what Fudge wanted to happen.
He wanted to use Hagrid as a scapegoat and send him to Azkaban.
I didn't have any time to come to terms with this realisation before my thoughts were distracted by someone knocking on Hagrid's door for the third time that night. As Dumbledore answered it, Harry let out a gasp. This allowed Ron to get revenge, as this time he was the one to elbow Harry for making a noise.
I soon discerned that it was Lucius Malfoy who had stepped into the room, a fact that was difficult to miss once I heard his condescending voice make an approving comment at Fudge's presence.
Hagrid soon got angry, wanting Malfoy out of his house. From Harry's disgusted expression, I can only guess that Malfoy was doing something pretentious instead of speaking to Hagrid. This disgust morphed into anger as Malfoy said his next few words: the governors wanted Dumbledore removed as Headmaster.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Evidently, nor could Fudge, who began a stuttering protest. Dumbledore made no comment, but this did not stop Hagrid from making a loud outburst after Malfoy smoothly dismissed Fudge's concerns. The blonde's next comment only served to anger Hagrid further, telling him he should make sure to keep his temper under control in Azkaban. Hagrid's yells became so loud that even Fang flinched backwards. Finally, Dumbledore spoke up, telling Hagrid to calm down before turning to Malfoy.
"If the governers want my removal, Lucius, then of course I will step aside."
With those few words from Dumbledore, Harry looked as if his entire world was being turned upside down. Ron clenched his fists down by his side and both Fudge and Hagrid made efforts to dissuade Dumbledore from his decision. In contrast to all this, my mind was distracted by other matters.
So many major events had happened in one day and I hadn't remembered any of it. I rely so much on my foreknowledge yet, on a day so important, I knew nothing.
I blame Quidditch completely. For some reason, I always forget anything that happens on a Quidditch day.
Dumbledore continued to speak as these thoughts ran through my head. He said something about not really being gone if people were still loyal to him, or something along those lines. If I'm being honest, it strikes me as slightly weird that a headmaster would hold people's loyalty so strongly, but I guess Dumbledore position is slightly different.
With some parting words from Malfoy in the form of a particularly weak comeback focused more on insulting Hagrid than anything else, the two men left, leaving only Fudge and Hagrid in the room with us. Without Dumbledore present, there was little Hagrid could do to resist his arrest. Instead he took his time to loudly proclaim that people (namely, Harry Ron and I) could find out 'stuff' if we 'follow the spiders'. This must have been in reference to Aragog, although I'm not sure how long it will be until Harry and Ron go off on that little adventure, nor if I will be joining them.
Fudge must have thought Hagrid was crazy, especially when he stated that someone needed to feed Fang, but the two soon left without any resistance from Hagrid.
Once the door banged shut, Ron pulled the invisibility cloak off of the three of us. I moved over to comfort Fang who was whining in response to Hagrid's departure. When he had calmed down and I had finished checking where his food was kept (as I plan on taking care on him while Hagrid is away), Ron gestured me over so that the three of us could leave under the cloak. Once again, Harry made no move to look or speak to me.
I feel terrible for him. One day he finds out that his good friend has been lying to him for months, and the next one friend gets petrified, another is taken to prison and a man who is essentially a father figure is taken away. I didn't blame him for storming up the stairs to his dorm room once we got back to Gryffindor Tower. Ron sent me a concerned look before I waved him away, making it clear that he should go after Harry. I made my way up to my own room and instantly got into bed, not caring about anything else but sleep.
As today is Sunday, Pavarti and Lavender decided to let me have a lie in, sneaking some breakfast to me once I woke up. This has given me sometime to think over the past two days and write everything down.
Someone has obviously been possessed by the diary, but I don't know for certain that it is Ginny, despite her being the most obvious person. For all I know, someone could have nicked it from her and she was too scared to tell anyone.
Nevertheless, the stage has been set for Harry's journey into Slytherin's Chamber, yet I don't know for certain that events will happen the same as they did in the book. I could have very well forgotten another important factor. I had no idea about the events of yesterday after all, something that has lost Hermione so much.
I'm going to be far more wary of Quidditch days in the future.
A Borrowed Life has officially passed 50,000 words! That's without taking ANs into account, by the way.
Also, I uploaded a second one-shot to Behind the Pages a few weeks ago. Its about George's freak-out when he saw Em's silver eyes for the first time and adds a little more context to how they became friends from George's POV, so go and check it out!