Yo! Some of you had kind words about me wanting to take a bit of a break from the fandom, so thank you. Some of you just ignored it, so meh. Some of you only reminded me exactly WHY I wanted to take that break. So fuck off.
Also, there was some confusion on when I apparently stated Hermione and Luna are soulmates. ...Really? The AN's of Chapters 1 and 12, the latter of those in particular, stated clearly that they were a pairing. I also hinted at it very obviously in chapter 16. It isn't like I randomly decided I wanted them together and tossed it in suddenly. I had it stated plain and clear from the very beginning. This is why I hate when people skip AN's. Because then they get confused and make me feel like I'm the one at fault, when I'm not. Of course, if they skip AN's, then they aren't going to notice this whole thing. ...This fandom exhausts me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...
When Violet woke, she felt utterly exhausted, as if she had been doing chores for the Dursleys all day without any food or water (which she had experienced quite a few times), but even worse. She couldn't even open her eyes, let alone get up.
So she simply lay there at first, struggling to remember where she was and what had happened. It didn't take long for the memories to come flooding back to her.
She was in the Hospital Wing, she quickly realized. And she was there because she had been throwing up and coughing up blood. Marvolo had carried her here, and she had passed out, and she didn't remember anything else.
With a great amount of struggling, Violet finally managed to sit up, and glanced around curiously. The bed beside hers had a curtain drawn around it, blocking whoever was there from view, and...wait. "H-Hermione?"
"She was petrified, Miss Potter."
The girl turned quickly, and then groaned when her head spun. She really, really hated feeling like this.
"Keep still," Snape spoke, stepping forward. "You still have little strength."
Violet swallowed, coughed, and then gratefully accepted the glass of water the Potions Master handed to her, sipping at it slowly, knowing better than to down it like she really wanted to. "What-what happened?"
Snape seemed to look at her closely for few seconds, almost like he wasn't sure how to answer her. Just as the girl began to wonder whether he was going to say anything or not, he spoke. "...You were poisoned."
"I-I was what? But-but how? Is it still in me? Am I going to be okay? Am I going to die?"
"Calm down, Potter. You're fine. We are unsure of what the poison was, because it left your system very quickly, long before it could be identified. We believe it was through something you either ate or drank at the Halloween feast, thanks to your sudden and extreme reaction. We are unsure as to how this poison got into said food or drink. The poison however, appears to have been fairly weak and apparently, mostly harmless. You have been unconscious for twenty four hours, and will remain here for another forty eight. Your strength will return to you sometime tomorrow. I will be taking blood samples from you every six hours to ensure the poison is gone, and will continue doing so for the next week for the same purpose."
Violet stared. "O-oh. I-" She bit her lip, trying to process everything she had just heard. Having no idea what else to say, she simply went with, "Erm, thank you for helping me, sir."
Snape blinked, looking completely caught off guard for half a second, before he masked the expression and inclined his head. Then he told her to hold out her arm, took enough blood from her to fill a small vial, called for Madam Pomfrey, and left the Wing.
The Medi-Witch fussed over her, but ignored her questions about Hermione, much to Violet's irritation, because now that she knew she was fine, she was once again feeling very concerned about her friend. McGonagall and Dumbledore didn't tell her much of anything either, when they came to find out how she was doing.
Why wasn't anyone saying anything? It didn't make any sense, and was extremely annoying, and Violet was actually starting to get kind of angry when, fortunately, Marvolo entered the Hospital Wing.
He looked relieved, she noticed immediately. And tired. She was sure he hadn't slept at all. His shirt under his robes was wrinkled, and his hair was kind of messed up, like he'd run his hand through it multiple times and then forgotten to fix it again. It was weird seeing him this...ruffled.
"Violet..." Like Snape, Marvolo came directly to her bedside. Unlike Snape, however, he lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the bed and reached out, gently brushing her fringe out of her eyes, before pulling his hand back.
"Snape told me what happened," she said, correctly assuming the man didn't know what to say to her. "He said I was poisoned, and no one knows how it happened, but that I should be fine now."
Marvolo nodded. "Yes, he is correct. The poison was easily visible in your blood, but we were unable to identify it. He is still doing tests in an attempt to learn more, but you yourself will be perfectly healthy. Your relatives have been notified-"
"W-what? Why?"
"...It is required by law. Dumbledore had a letter sent to them, though he has yet to hear a response."
Violet cringed. That wasn't good. The Dursleys, of course, weren't going to give a damn that she had been poisoned, and probably hoped she died from it, but if the letter was sent to them by an owl, they were going to kill her when she got back!
"Violet?"
"Sorry," she said immediately. "It's nothing. I'm fine. I-what happened to Hermione? No one's telling me anything." She knew he noticed the abrupt topic change, but she really didn't care right now. She didn't want to think about the Dursleys at all.
"She was petrified."
Okay, she remembered hearing that much when Dumbledore said it. "But how? How did that happen to her? Will she be alright?"
"She will be, yes. There is a potion that can...revive her, but it requires fully grown mandrakes. The ones Sprout has are too young to be used, and will not be mature enough for months. She is currently searching to purchase ones that are mature enough to be used so that Severus may brew the potion."
That was good. Definitely better than Hermione having to stay like-like that forever. "How did she end up petrified in the first place?"
Since Violet had been unconscious for the past day, she was unaware of the rumours that were currently going around the castle. Even despite the short amount of time that had gone by, everyone was already talking about Slytherin's monster being loose and attacking Muggleborns, after escaping from the Chamber of Secrets. Even though Hermione had been the only one to be attacked so far.
Marvolo was entirely aware that even if he said nothing, Violet was just going to hear the gossip from the others, and that was liable to make her worry even more. So he told her what the students knew...
Violet frowned. "What's the Chamber of Secrets? I don't...I don't think I've ever heard of it before. I mean, other than what it said on the wall."
"The Chamber of Secrets is, as it sounds, a secret chamber created by Salazar Slytherin," the man began to explain. "When Salazar left Hogwarts, the other three founders attempted to find said chamber, but were unable to. Many in the centuries after that too have attempted to do the same, but even then no one succeeded. Because of that, the Chamber of Secrets, and the monster said to live within it, faded into a legend."
"A legend? But...is it really?" Violet bit her lip, then said, "So did the person who attacked Hermione only write that the chamber had been opened so they could scare everyone?"
Here, Marvolo smiled just slightly. "The Chamber of Secrets is no mere legend. It exists."
The girl's eyes widened. "How do you know?"
"I know, because I discovered it. I have stood in the middle of the chamber myself."
"And-and the monster?"
"The monster, as they call it, is a basilisk, the king of serpents."
Violet had no idea what to say at first. She simply stared at the man, blinking, her mind working quickly to understand everything she was being told. "But-but if you've found it, how come no one else could?" she asked him curiously.
"Because to open the chamber, you must be a Parselmouth. And that is an ability that is extremely rare. Only direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin have this ability, and as far as I am aware, I am the only one."
The girl's brow creased in confusion. "What is that? A Parselmouth?"
"A Parselmouth is a person who is capable of speaking Parseltongue-the language of snakes. They can speak and understand snakes," Marvolo clarified.
Violet's eyes widened. "I can do that too though!" she exclaimed, more puzzled than anything else.
"You-" Marvolo broke off, surprised and actually somewhat alarmed.
"I can speak to snakes," Violet said. "I knew it was weird, but when I learned I was a witch, I figured everyone could do it."
Still clearly surprised, Marvolo shook her head. "No, Violet, it is very, very rare." And then he realized something. The basilisk had told him that a female had opened the chamber and commanded it to attack. And Violet was indeed female. But...it didn't appear as if she was lying about not knowing what the Chamber of Secrets was. Not to mention Granger was Violet's closest friend. Why would Violet want to attack Muggleborns? Granger was a Muggleborn, yet still her friend. Her own mother had been a Muggleborn as well. No, it couldn't be Violet. ...But if it wasn't, did that mean there was a third Parselmouth in the castle? "Have you told anyone you have this ability?" he inquired a moment later.
Violet blinked, but shook her head. "No, no one. It never came up or seemed important, so I just kept it to myself."
Then it was unlikely that Violet was being framed for the attack. Marvolo dragged his long fingers through his hair, mussing it further, though he didn't notice. "Do you understand me, Violet?"
"...Yes? Why wouldn't I?"
So she was telling the truth. She truly was a Parselmouth, and was clearly unaware of when she ended up slipping into it. He was going to have to teach her how to do it consciously. When he saw Violet yawn, he sighed inwardly. He shouldn't have gotten into all this with her right now. "You need more sleep," he told her.
She didn't even argue, already lowering back down properly. "Are-are you going to find out who hurt Hermione?" she asked him quietly.
"I will," he assured her gently, once more brushing aside her fringe. "I promise it." And he meant it too. Not just because Violet wanted it, but also because he himself wanted to know who this other Parselmouth was. "Good night, Violet." ...Was she already asleep? He supposed he couldn't blame her. He ran his thumb along the lightning bolt shaped scar on her forehead, then stood and left the Hospital Wing. He had work to do.
He returned to his rooms, encountering no one but a ghost or two along the way, and dropped down in an armchair, debating on getting himself a drink as he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Speaking with Violet had only left him with more questions, he realized, rather than given him any answers. Releasing a long, tired sigh, he reached up to once again drag his fingers through his hair, only to catch sight of a spot of colour on his arm. Writing. Violet.
The letters were shaky, even at a glance, no doubt because the girl was not just tired, but still weak from the poisoning. At the same time though, they were written firmly.
'Please sleep. I'm alright.'
Marvolo didn't really understand why, but seeing those words had his entire body flooding with relief. All of his energy leaving him at once, he sagged in the armchair, exhausted. She was alive. She was alright. She was safe. He knew he had spent nearly an hour speaking to her, but seeing this, seeing the writing was what really made him believe it.
Gently, he ran his fingers over the letters on his forearm, and gathered the last of his energy, getting up so he could prepare to head to bed.
That's it for now, especially because this is the last chapter I have finished. I've only written one sentence for the next one, so yeah. I'd say updates for this fic SHOULD remain fairly consistent, even despite my break, mainly because I know what I'd like to happen next, and I'm enjoying this fic, but I can't say for sure. Anyway, looking forward to reviews! Laterz!