The Story of Jessica Black



Chapter Fifteen: Secrets Revealed



It was the beginning of June, and the students were attempting to study for their exams, while the fifth years prepared for their O.W.L.s. No one knew whether anything else was going to happen, as the only suspicious things to occur since Christmas were eerie noises and strange scratching in the walls. Harry, Jessica, Ron, and Hermione were no closer to finding out who the intruder was than they had been back in September. Right now, the only thing they could concentrate on was how on earth they were going to pass Defense Against the Dark Arts. As Ron put it, "At least we don't have to worry about Potions so much this year."

Hermione was thoroughly worn out each evening after studying herself, doing her own homework, then helping Neville. She rarely left the common room during the evenings, except to go to the library and supper. Harry, Jessica, and Ron spent their free time playing card games and offering to help Hermione.

"He asked me, not you," she said, "And I want to do it."

Harry and Jessica were a little confused by this. Ron, however, knew exactly why she was doing it.

"She's upset she didn't make prefect," said Ron. "She's been a little off all year."

Jessica and Harry enjoyed getting out on their broomsticks. Since Hogsmeade visits had been canceled Jessica had never seen it, so they flew off the grounds a few times to see it.

"I've never looked at it from the air before," said Harry one day, "It seems so different from up here."

Harry and Jessica also spent a lot of time walking around at night under his invisibility cloak, not just looking for suspicious behavior, either. Ron and Hermione were both disgusted by this, but for different reasons.

"I wish those two would stop snogging," said Ron one day, putting down his History of Magic textbook and taking a break.

Hermione popped her knuckles in her right hand and went back to writing. "I wish they'd spend more time trying to figure out who this intruder is than go off being all lovey-dovey."

"You're jealous," said Ron.

"No, I'm not," she answered curtly.

"Yes, you are. You want to be off snogging with someone, don't you?"

Hermione didn't answer. Ron laughed. "I'll take your silence as a yes, then," he said, going back to his textbook.

Jessica and Harry were returning late one night from a broom ride when they heard a scratching in the walls down their corridor. Harry took Jessica's hand and decided to follow it. The scratching noise was coming from the end of the corridor they had been wanting to investigate all year long. They decided that they should get Ron and Hermione before they did anything, though, and went back to the common room.

"Ron, Hermione," said Harry as he and Jessica hurried into the common room, "You've got to come now."

Ron and Hermione jumped up from their respective places and hurried through the portrait hole and followed Harry quickly out into the corridor. They were just about to the end of the corridor in question when Professor Hardwell came through a door from another corridor. They stopped immediately.

"Well," she said, "Four Gryffindors out of bed at once. I would never have thought of it coming from you four." Her lips were pursed and she looked different than they had ever seen her before.

"Ten points from Gryffindor and detentions for the lot of you," she said. "Now, go back to bed."

It looked as if the corridor was blocked from them yet again.

They woke the next morning, a Saturday, in foul moods. It didn't matter about the points. They were in a narrow second, but only because Hermione alone had accumulated points from various teachers throughout the year to give them a little leeway. Still, the way Professor Hardwell had acted . . . They didn't think it was going to be a very pleasant detention that evening.

They spent the day trying to study. Their O.W.L.s were coming at the end of that week, and none of them felt very prepared.

Finally, at eight o'clock, the prearranged time for their detention, the four members of the Order trudged out of their common room and into the dungeons. Professor Hardwell was waiting for them with assignments in hand.

"Harry," she said, "You'll be organizing the student store cupboard. Ron, you'll be scrubbing my office floor. Hermione, you'll be down the hall, cleaning out the classroom, and Jessica, you'll come with me."

They each went to their own areas and got to work.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably only one or two, Professor Hardwell came and retrieved Ron and Harry.

"Your detention is over," she said. "The girls will join you in a moment."

She then went down the hall to get Hermione and Jessica. Ron and Harry waited.

Jessica was bent over, scrubbing out old potion flasks in a sink, when Professor Hardwell came in with a very sinister look on her face.

"You detention is over, Jessica Black," she said. Then she laughed. A high, cold laugh. The next thing Jessica knew, she was on the floor. Then everything went black.

The boys down the corridor heard a scream. They ran in the direction Professor Hardwell had gone. When they found her, they saw her staring at a bloodstain on the floor.

"I don't know what happened!" she said frantically, "One minute she was here, scrubbing out the flasks, and the next she was gone! I was only gone for a few moments!"

Hermione came running in a second later. She was rubbing her amulet. When she saw the scene, she said to Ron and Harry, "Go find Dumbledore. Get him down here."

They obeyed, taking off toward his office.

Halfway there, they met him. They didn't need to explain. He already knew what had happened.

When he arrived on the scene, Hermione was now missing, and Professor Hardwell was lying on the floor, unconscious.

"Montrifigus Mortus, Albus?" asked McGonagall. Dumbledore nodded. He picked her up and carried her back to his office.

When the others had left, Ron and Harry turned to each other.

"I'm going to find out what that corridor is," Harry said. Ron nodded. "Tonight."

They ran up the flights of stairs to the corridor they had been questioning since Halloween. They began to prod and pull at bricks, having no success. Suddenly, Ron kicked an empty hole in disgust and frustration. The wall pulled back. They had found a way in.

Harry looked to Ron. Not a word was said. They simply lit their wands and walked inside.

It was dark as a tomb, even with their wandlight. Water dripped down the walls as they walked down a steep staircase. They tried to keep their breath quiet as their feet made loud echoes in the stone space.

"I don't like this," whispered Harry, "It reminds me too much of the Chamber of Secrets."

Ron gulped. "Could you not mention the Chamber of Secrets?" he breathed.

Harry and Ron stayed silent through the rest of their decline. After what seemed like forever, their footing leveled out and they were in a vast, underground chamber. Harry looked around and quickly found Hermione and Jessica in an unconscious heap in a corner of the chamber. Jessica had a nasty cut on the back of her head, and it looked as if Montrifigus Mortus had been performed on Hermione. Ron ran over to them with Harry, but as he did so, a female voice yelled, "Stupefy." Ron fell to the ground. Harry looked up to see who had spoken.

Still wearing her long robes of seafoam green, looking as beautiful as ever, and holding her wand out, pointed at Harry, was Professor Hardwell.

















Ooo, what shall happen next? Doncha just love cliffies? Mmm, so do I! Please, as always, please, please review! Love you bunches (even those who have flamed me w/Mary Sue accusations)!