uChapter VIII: Petrifiedbr
The next evening, there were rumours spreading of another attack; this time on a student. "It's true," Harry whispered to Cindra in the library. "They brought Colin Creevey into the hospital wing while I was there."br
It was then that Linda began to worry. She had researched the Chamber of Secrets immediately after the message had appeared on the wall. The monster in the chamber was supposed to rid the school of those unworth to be there. That meant killing the muggle-borns, and she was a muggle born.br
She rose suddenly, explaining to Harry that she didn't feel well and left. On the way out of the library, she grabbed the book she hadread before, which contained information on the Chamber. As she entered the corridor, she began peering into empty classrooms looking for one where she could be in peace.br
Cindra settled on one a ways down the hall from the library and prayed that no one saw her. She say down on the floor in the corner of the room and opened the book. She was enveloped in words. Sh read about Salazar Slytherin, about his hatred toward Muggle-borns, and about the supposed Chamber of Secrets.br
Several hours and five hundred pages later, she heard someone enter the room. Her heart jumped in horror at who it might be. "Cindra?" a soft, sweet voice called. It was Harry.br
Cindra stood. "He-hello," she said. "How'd you find me here?"br
Harry shrugged. "Are you avoiding me?"br
"No!" Cindra was surprised. "Why would you think that?"br
Before he could answer, Cindra said, "Would you like to stay with me?"br
Harry walked over to Cindra and they say back down on the floor. He pulled a cloak from underneath his arm. "It's an invisibility cloak. I brought it so you could stay here as long as you'd like."br
"What time is it?" Cindra was puzzeled at Harry's precautions.br
"Nearly one o'clock."br
"Oh-wow, I didn't realise that," Cindra said. She suddenly realised how tired she was. "Thank you for looking for me." Harry's emerald eyes locked with her sapphire ones.br
Cindra suddenly felt a soft warm hand on top of her's. She looked down at her hand and saw Harry's gently upon it. This was what she had dreamed of, and yet it seemed so awkward and wrong at this moment in time.br
"What are you reading?" he asked, noticing the book that lay open on the floor.br
"Nothing...nothing," Cindra said, closing the book and putting it into her bag.br
"Oh," Harry said, a hint of confusion in his voice. "I brought this for you." He took out a book from underneath his arm. It looked very old, and had no title on it. He opened it up and said, "It's a book of poetry I found in the library. Would you like to hear some of it?"br
Cindra nodded and Harry began to read. "I lift the silver edged leaf to my face, the elves begin to sing near their silver pools in their hidden realm. The black riders ride with evil's force, on a quest of death the shadow starts extending..."br
Cindra became engulfed in Harry's voice and drifted gently to sleep in his arms.br
For almost a month, Cindra hardly saw Harry at all. Him, Ron, and Hermoine were absent from meals fequently and Ginny was also missing quite often. When Linda did see Ginyy, she was always separated from everyond, writing in her diary. When Linda saw Harry, he didn't even give her a passing glance.br
She was beginning to wonder what she had done to make everyone ignore her. On one occasion, Cindra approached Harry during lunch one afternoon. "Harry, are we going to study together tonight?" she asked hopefully.br
"No, sorry. I can't," he said nonchalantly, hardly even acknowledging Cindra's presence next to him.br
"Oh," she said dissappointedly. "I'll see you around then."br
"Yeah, okay," Harry responded with a wave of his hand--as if to wave her away. She obeyed this gesture and left the table. br
Later that evening she spotted Harry and Hermoine sitting together in the common room. It was then that Cindra decided to confront Harry. He had risen and was walking up the stairs to his dorm and Cindra cornered him.br
"I think about you all the time, but I don't need the same," CIndra recited softly. "That's a lie, Harry why have you been ignoring me?"br
"And don't it make ou sad to know that life is imore than who we are/i?" said Cindra in a quavering voice. "Does the famous Harry Potter think he's too good for a first year like me?"br
"You don't understand Cindra--Hermoine had been--"br
"Hermoine? Is that where you've been? With Hermoine?" Cindra accused. Harry was speechless so Cindra continued. "Don't my poems mean /i to you? I wish I could obliviate you from my mind!"br
At that, Cindra swung around and stormed up to her form. harry was awestruck.br
Once in the confined security of her dormitory, Cindra broke down into tears. Out of habit, she pulled out her poetry journal and began to write.iSo I'm back on the floor againbr
Back to memories I thought had fadedbr
But here I am againbr
Love is so overratedbr
It's time for change I hear you saybr
But change comes slowlybr
Why do you feel this way?br
Hugging a golden pillowbr
Of a joy so fair and sweetbr
Wow, I never thought that youbr
Would be my only featbr
White winged doves br
Lure me into the deepest sleepbr
The night birds keep watchbr
And the songbirds sing that my dreams I'll keepbr
But no dreams come to mebr
Cause you've stolen the dreamer awaybr
So there's no joy in lifebr
No joy in life todaybr
In your darkest hoursbr
Did you think of me?br
Or did you just sit and wonderbr
What our lives were meant to be?br
There's no use trying to pleasebr
The one that will haunt you foreverbr
No matter what you dobr
I'll be in your endevourbr
Time passes slowlybr
When I'm locked inside this hallbr
Instead of soaring highbr
All I did was learn to fallbr
The music's playing softer br
Than it ever did beforebr
If all you had to do was answerbr
Then why'd you shut the door?br
But no dreams come to mebr
Cause you've stolen the dreamer awaybr
So there's no joy in life...br
If all you had to do was answerbr
And all I had to do was praybr
Then why did you not answer?br
There's no joy in life todaybr
Cindra closed the book with a sigh, not even bothering to read over what she had written. It was all pointless. Could it be that she was just another overshadowed, overlooked, hopelessly enchanted Ginny Weasley in Harry's eyes? For all she knew, she very well might have been.br
The next evening, there were rumours spreading of another attack; this time on a student. "It's true," Harry whispered to Cindra in the library. "They brought Colin Creevey into the hospital wing while I was there."br
It was then that Linda began to worry. She had researched the Chamber of Secrets immediately after the message had appeared on the wall. The monster in the chamber was supposed to rid the school of those unworth to be there. That meant killing the muggle-borns, and she was a muggle born.br
She rose suddenly, explaining to Harry that she didn't feel well and left. On the way out of the library, she grabbed the book she hadread before, which contained information on the Chamber. As she entered the corridor, she began peering into empty classrooms looking for one where she could be in peace.br
Cindra settled on one a ways down the hall from the library and prayed that no one saw her. She say down on the floor in the corner of the room and opened the book. She was enveloped in words. Sh read about Salazar Slytherin, about his hatred toward Muggle-borns, and about the supposed Chamber of Secrets.br
Several hours and five hundred pages later, she heard someone enter the room. Her heart jumped in horror at who it might be. "Cindra?" a soft, sweet voice called. It was Harry.br
Cindra stood. "He-hello," she said. "How'd you find me here?"br
Harry shrugged. "Are you avoiding me?"br
"No!" Cindra was surprised. "Why would you think that?"br
Before he could answer, Cindra said, "Would you like to stay with me?"br
Harry walked over to Cindra and they say back down on the floor. He pulled a cloak from underneath his arm. "It's an invisibility cloak. I brought it so you could stay here as long as you'd like."br
"What time is it?" Cindra was puzzeled at Harry's precautions.br
"Nearly one o'clock."br
"Oh-wow, I didn't realise that," Cindra said. She suddenly realised how tired she was. "Thank you for looking for me." Harry's emerald eyes locked with her sapphire ones.br
Cindra suddenly felt a soft warm hand on top of her's. She looked down at her hand and saw Harry's gently upon it. This was what she had dreamed of, and yet it seemed so awkward and wrong at this moment in time.br
"What are you reading?" he asked, noticing the book that lay open on the floor.br
"Nothing...nothing," Cindra said, closing the book and putting it into her bag.br
"Oh," Harry said, a hint of confusion in his voice. "I brought this for you." He took out a book from underneath his arm. It looked very old, and had no title on it. He opened it up and said, "It's a book of poetry I found in the library. Would you like to hear some of it?"br
Cindra nodded and Harry began to read. "I lift the silver edged leaf to my face, the elves begin to sing near their silver pools in their hidden realm. The black riders ride with evil's force, on a quest of death the shadow starts extending..."br
Cindra became engulfed in Harry's voice and drifted gently to sleep in his arms.br
For almost a month, Cindra hardly saw Harry at all. Him, Ron, and Hermoine were absent from meals fequently and Ginny was also missing quite often. When Linda did see Ginyy, she was always separated from everyond, writing in her diary. When Linda saw Harry, he didn't even give her a passing glance.br
She was beginning to wonder what she had done to make everyone ignore her. On one occasion, Cindra approached Harry during lunch one afternoon. "Harry, are we going to study together tonight?" she asked hopefully.br
"No, sorry. I can't," he said nonchalantly, hardly even acknowledging Cindra's presence next to him.br
"Oh," she said dissappointedly. "I'll see you around then."br
"Yeah, okay," Harry responded with a wave of his hand--as if to wave her away. She obeyed this gesture and left the table. br
Later that evening she spotted Harry and Hermoine sitting together in the common room. It was then that Cindra decided to confront Harry. He had risen and was walking up the stairs to his dorm and Cindra cornered him.br
"I think about you all the time, but I don't need the same," CIndra recited softly. "That's a lie, Harry why have you been ignoring me?"br
"And don't it make ou sad to know that life is imore than who we are/i?" said Cindra in a quavering voice. "Does the famous Harry Potter think he's too good for a first year like me?"br
"You don't understand Cindra--Hermoine had been--"br
"Hermoine? Is that where you've been? With Hermoine?" Cindra accused. Harry was speechless so Cindra continued. "Don't my poems mean /i to you? I wish I could obliviate you from my mind!"br
At that, Cindra swung around and stormed up to her form. harry was awestruck.br
Once in the confined security of her dormitory, Cindra broke down into tears. Out of habit, she pulled out her poetry journal and began to write.iSo I'm back on the floor againbr
Back to memories I thought had fadedbr
But here I am againbr
Love is so overratedbr
It's time for change I hear you saybr
But change comes slowlybr
Why do you feel this way?br
Hugging a golden pillowbr
Of a joy so fair and sweetbr
Wow, I never thought that youbr
Would be my only featbr
White winged doves br
Lure me into the deepest sleepbr
The night birds keep watchbr
And the songbirds sing that my dreams I'll keepbr
But no dreams come to mebr
Cause you've stolen the dreamer awaybr
So there's no joy in lifebr
No joy in life todaybr
In your darkest hoursbr
Did you think of me?br
Or did you just sit and wonderbr
What our lives were meant to be?br
There's no use trying to pleasebr
The one that will haunt you foreverbr
No matter what you dobr
I'll be in your endevourbr
Time passes slowlybr
When I'm locked inside this hallbr
Instead of soaring highbr
All I did was learn to fallbr
The music's playing softer br
Than it ever did beforebr
If all you had to do was answerbr
Then why'd you shut the door?br
But no dreams come to mebr
Cause you've stolen the dreamer awaybr
So there's no joy in life...br
If all you had to do was answerbr
And all I had to do was praybr
Then why did you not answer?br
There's no joy in life todaybr
Cindra closed the book with a sigh, not even bothering to read over what she had written. It was all pointless. Could it be that she was just another overshadowed, overlooked, hopelessly enchanted Ginny Weasley in Harry's eyes? For all she knew, she very well might have been.br