Chapter 11
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"There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses."
-George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), "Mrs. Warren's Profession" (1893), act III
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Only after checking on her friend, did Liz confront Oliver. She found him in the library, sitting alone in a corner. He had not spoken to her about McGonagall and it worried her. They had always shared confidences, and the fact that he was hiding something, wounded her to say the least. Bringing a strain upon their relationship.
"Please! Oliver, you've got to understand, if this is about what happened to Susan, we can help you."
Oliver remained silent and refused to look at Liz in the eyes as she begged him to tell her what he had discussed with the Deputy-Headmistress. He knew it hurt her, but he had been sworn into secrecy and would not divulge the information he had been trusted with.
Frowning and sighing loudly Liz closed her eyes, and then they popped open as an idea sprung into her mind. "Oh, Oliver?" she asked in mock innocence. When he turned towards her she smiled inwardly. "I've just got such a hankering for..." trailing off with implications latent in her look. "What do you say?"
Oliver visibly gulped but shook himself mentally. "Can't," he choked out just as Kyra rushed into the library.
Her eyes lit up immediately when she spotted Liz and she rushed over quickly. "You want to help your friend right?" Kyra asked right off the bat, not being one for subtlety or subterfuge.
The disorientation this statement caused Liz was just enough time for Oliver to give her a quick peck on the cheek before racing out of the library, in what appeared to be an escape. Liz glared at Kyra and pointed to a chair across from her. "Sit."
Smiling ruefully, Kyra slapped a large dusty book down on the table and sat down quickly. "I've got this idea, that something is affecting Ginny and several other students who are around her. Like some sort of spell."
Liz slapped her hand into her forehead and shook her head in exasperation. "And just what, exactly, gave you that idea? I mean, I'm one of her friends, wouldn't I notice something like this? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Kyra looked at Liz with a raised eyebrow and waited for a moment, "Compared to what?"
Jaw dropping and eyes widening Liz let out a sound that could only be described as outrage. "I...you...how dare...I should...and you..." she spluttered and stood from her chair, ready to strangle the offensive Slytherin girl.
"Enough! Do you want to hear what I have to say or do you want your friend to die?" Kyra whispered loudly and shoved Liz back into her seat.
Liz breathed heavily to calm herself before nodding towards Kyra. After all, she may not have liked being insulted, but the words die and friend in the same sentence would make any Hufflepuff sit up and pay attention. Loyalty was inbred after all.
"As I was trying to say before," Kyra began again. "I'm almost positive that Ginny and a select few others are under some sort of spell. Something that wasn't even written down. It's old, very, very old." She paused when Liz opened her mouth but one look and Liz shut it again. "This book," she started again, laying a hand on the large dusty volume in front of her. "Is the only way I formulated my theory. It's got a short passage written by Rowena Ravenclaw in here."
"WHAT?!" Liz shouted before clamping a hand down on her own mouth and shooting a glance across the library to a frowning Madame Pince. "Sorry." she muttered quickly.
Kyra continued as if Liz hadn't even spoken. Resigning herself to pretending that Liz was a wall, slowly breaking down and that every brick needed silence to fall properly. "In the text it talks about some sort of trial. It's like a portion of Rowena's Journal, which makes it so very hard to understand, she wrote in Latin and my own knowledge of Latin isn't perfect so I think some words are translated wrong. But from the overall, this trial happened between the other three founders and it has happened continuously since then, in different places, between different generations. It all revolves around the female figure, or more specifically Helga Hufflepuff, and in our case, Ginny."
"WHAT?!"
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Meanwhile...
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"Please, Anthea! Just listen to me!" Pearl pleaded outside the Great Hall.
Anthea would not speak to the haughty Slytherin. Pearl had approached her, proclaiming her innocence in the Susan Bones case and sworn that she would never hurt Ginny. She'd begged Anthea to help her give an alibi and Anthea had flat out refused.
After another five minutes of Pearl's whining and begging Anthea had, had enough, "No, I will not give you an alibi, not until you can tell me where you were at that exact same time."
Pearl stomped her foot on the ground, much like a child going through a tantrum, "I've already told you! I can't do that! I wasn't outside, but I also wasn't in a place you could exactly call legal either. I just need you to say that I was at the dance and you saw me there at the same time Susan was killed!"
Before Anthea could reply, someone behind her cleared their throat and she turned to see Fayth standing there with arms crossed and a smug look across her face. Anthea and Fayth had never had any inclination to talk to each other in even a civil manner. Always exchanging insults at every turn, Anthea knew this time would be no different.
"You know Anthea, you may want to go have a talk with Trelawny, the two of you seem to have loads in common. I mean, you're both insane, and you both think you're actually worth something."
Anthea scowled at the now smirking Fayth before turning on her heel and leaving Pearl and Fayth in her wake. She wasn't even going to dignify the insult with a response. Between Pearl's outrageous request and Fayth's insults, she was not in the mood to stick around.
Once Anthea was out of sight Pearl smacked Fayth hard on her arm and was greeted with a glare. "Why the hell did you do that Fayth?! I was trying to get myself out of this mess!" Pearl yelled before storming off in the opposite direction.
Fayth stood confused watching as Pearl disappeared around the corner. The entire situation had been strange for Fayth. She'd never thought Pearl would talk willingly to any student other than a Slytherin unless it was to exchange insults. The very fact that Pearl was trying to come up with an alibi through use of a Hufflepuff was far beyond any measure of sanity Fayth was willing to deal with.
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As Anthea walked through the corridors her anger ebbed and she fell into a lull of melancholy. Her friend was in the Hospital Wing and there was nothing she could do. Liz was busy with Oliver and the only other people who wanted to talk to her were people wanting to know more about Ginny and what had happened or, like Pearl, wanted a cemented alibi for the night of the murder.
She wasn't paying any attention to where she was walking, her eyes glued to the cobblestone floor, when a pair of black shoes and robes made her halt abruptly and she looked up to see a man hated by most of the student population. His long greasy hair almost made her want to wretch on his shoes the moment she looked at it.
He scowled down at her before clearing his throat and looking a little resigned. "Follow me." Snape ordered quickly before turning around and walking quickly down the hall.
Anthea stared after Snape for a moment in shock. She nearly tripped over herself trying to catch up to his fast moving form. She had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore. What could Snape possible want from her?
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In the Hospital Wing three figures lay on separate beds, each deep in their own unconsciousness. The figure in the middle was Ginny, flanking her left was Draco and on her right was Harry. For all their bruising and bleeding, both boys seemed to be lying in complete peace. Ginny on the other hand, was restless, images were flying across her brain, images she would not remember when she woke up a few hours later. All three had absolutely no idea what would be in store for them.
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In the Astronomy Tower, the figure with red hair and golden robes sat quietly in contemplation as Cassiopeia and Firenze awaited the decision. Both centaurs had been waiting patiently for over an hour, not moving an inch. Centaurs were able to do so, waiting was something they always did at night as they waited for the stars to change and reveal the future.
"I'm not entirely sure things are going as they should, there are mitigating factors present as well as new elements. Some of the players don't know that they are in the game. It makes them anomalies, dangerous because we know not what they will do."
"But is she safe? Are you safe? You've said already that he's gotten in here, what if next time you don't have time to hide?" Cassiopeia asked with agitation.
Firenze placed a calming hand on Cassiopeia's arm and nodded, "I'm sure Dumbledore is making sure security around them both is being tightened. Nothing will harm either of them. Not while I still live and breath."
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Author's Note: Sorry for the shortness of this Chapter. ^_^ I just wanted to shove along minor characters a bit and the next chapter will have G/D/H waking up, you'll find out more from what Kyra has found and what Snape wants from Anthea. ^_^ Stay tuned! Leave a review and if you want I can email you when the newest chapter comes out. ^_~
_______________________________________________________________________
"There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses."
-George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950), "Mrs. Warren's Profession" (1893), act III
_______________________________________________________________________
Only after checking on her friend, did Liz confront Oliver. She found him in the library, sitting alone in a corner. He had not spoken to her about McGonagall and it worried her. They had always shared confidences, and the fact that he was hiding something, wounded her to say the least. Bringing a strain upon their relationship.
"Please! Oliver, you've got to understand, if this is about what happened to Susan, we can help you."
Oliver remained silent and refused to look at Liz in the eyes as she begged him to tell her what he had discussed with the Deputy-Headmistress. He knew it hurt her, but he had been sworn into secrecy and would not divulge the information he had been trusted with.
Frowning and sighing loudly Liz closed her eyes, and then they popped open as an idea sprung into her mind. "Oh, Oliver?" she asked in mock innocence. When he turned towards her she smiled inwardly. "I've just got such a hankering for..." trailing off with implications latent in her look. "What do you say?"
Oliver visibly gulped but shook himself mentally. "Can't," he choked out just as Kyra rushed into the library.
Her eyes lit up immediately when she spotted Liz and she rushed over quickly. "You want to help your friend right?" Kyra asked right off the bat, not being one for subtlety or subterfuge.
The disorientation this statement caused Liz was just enough time for Oliver to give her a quick peck on the cheek before racing out of the library, in what appeared to be an escape. Liz glared at Kyra and pointed to a chair across from her. "Sit."
Smiling ruefully, Kyra slapped a large dusty book down on the table and sat down quickly. "I've got this idea, that something is affecting Ginny and several other students who are around her. Like some sort of spell."
Liz slapped her hand into her forehead and shook her head in exasperation. "And just what, exactly, gave you that idea? I mean, I'm one of her friends, wouldn't I notice something like this? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Kyra looked at Liz with a raised eyebrow and waited for a moment, "Compared to what?"
Jaw dropping and eyes widening Liz let out a sound that could only be described as outrage. "I...you...how dare...I should...and you..." she spluttered and stood from her chair, ready to strangle the offensive Slytherin girl.
"Enough! Do you want to hear what I have to say or do you want your friend to die?" Kyra whispered loudly and shoved Liz back into her seat.
Liz breathed heavily to calm herself before nodding towards Kyra. After all, she may not have liked being insulted, but the words die and friend in the same sentence would make any Hufflepuff sit up and pay attention. Loyalty was inbred after all.
"As I was trying to say before," Kyra began again. "I'm almost positive that Ginny and a select few others are under some sort of spell. Something that wasn't even written down. It's old, very, very old." She paused when Liz opened her mouth but one look and Liz shut it again. "This book," she started again, laying a hand on the large dusty volume in front of her. "Is the only way I formulated my theory. It's got a short passage written by Rowena Ravenclaw in here."
"WHAT?!" Liz shouted before clamping a hand down on her own mouth and shooting a glance across the library to a frowning Madame Pince. "Sorry." she muttered quickly.
Kyra continued as if Liz hadn't even spoken. Resigning herself to pretending that Liz was a wall, slowly breaking down and that every brick needed silence to fall properly. "In the text it talks about some sort of trial. It's like a portion of Rowena's Journal, which makes it so very hard to understand, she wrote in Latin and my own knowledge of Latin isn't perfect so I think some words are translated wrong. But from the overall, this trial happened between the other three founders and it has happened continuously since then, in different places, between different generations. It all revolves around the female figure, or more specifically Helga Hufflepuff, and in our case, Ginny."
"WHAT?!"
________________________________________
Meanwhile...
________________________________________
"Please, Anthea! Just listen to me!" Pearl pleaded outside the Great Hall.
Anthea would not speak to the haughty Slytherin. Pearl had approached her, proclaiming her innocence in the Susan Bones case and sworn that she would never hurt Ginny. She'd begged Anthea to help her give an alibi and Anthea had flat out refused.
After another five minutes of Pearl's whining and begging Anthea had, had enough, "No, I will not give you an alibi, not until you can tell me where you were at that exact same time."
Pearl stomped her foot on the ground, much like a child going through a tantrum, "I've already told you! I can't do that! I wasn't outside, but I also wasn't in a place you could exactly call legal either. I just need you to say that I was at the dance and you saw me there at the same time Susan was killed!"
Before Anthea could reply, someone behind her cleared their throat and she turned to see Fayth standing there with arms crossed and a smug look across her face. Anthea and Fayth had never had any inclination to talk to each other in even a civil manner. Always exchanging insults at every turn, Anthea knew this time would be no different.
"You know Anthea, you may want to go have a talk with Trelawny, the two of you seem to have loads in common. I mean, you're both insane, and you both think you're actually worth something."
Anthea scowled at the now smirking Fayth before turning on her heel and leaving Pearl and Fayth in her wake. She wasn't even going to dignify the insult with a response. Between Pearl's outrageous request and Fayth's insults, she was not in the mood to stick around.
Once Anthea was out of sight Pearl smacked Fayth hard on her arm and was greeted with a glare. "Why the hell did you do that Fayth?! I was trying to get myself out of this mess!" Pearl yelled before storming off in the opposite direction.
Fayth stood confused watching as Pearl disappeared around the corner. The entire situation had been strange for Fayth. She'd never thought Pearl would talk willingly to any student other than a Slytherin unless it was to exchange insults. The very fact that Pearl was trying to come up with an alibi through use of a Hufflepuff was far beyond any measure of sanity Fayth was willing to deal with.
________________________________________
As Anthea walked through the corridors her anger ebbed and she fell into a lull of melancholy. Her friend was in the Hospital Wing and there was nothing she could do. Liz was busy with Oliver and the only other people who wanted to talk to her were people wanting to know more about Ginny and what had happened or, like Pearl, wanted a cemented alibi for the night of the murder.
She wasn't paying any attention to where she was walking, her eyes glued to the cobblestone floor, when a pair of black shoes and robes made her halt abruptly and she looked up to see a man hated by most of the student population. His long greasy hair almost made her want to wretch on his shoes the moment she looked at it.
He scowled down at her before clearing his throat and looking a little resigned. "Follow me." Snape ordered quickly before turning around and walking quickly down the hall.
Anthea stared after Snape for a moment in shock. She nearly tripped over herself trying to catch up to his fast moving form. She had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore. What could Snape possible want from her?
_________________________________________
In the Hospital Wing three figures lay on separate beds, each deep in their own unconsciousness. The figure in the middle was Ginny, flanking her left was Draco and on her right was Harry. For all their bruising and bleeding, both boys seemed to be lying in complete peace. Ginny on the other hand, was restless, images were flying across her brain, images she would not remember when she woke up a few hours later. All three had absolutely no idea what would be in store for them.
_________________________________________
In the Astronomy Tower, the figure with red hair and golden robes sat quietly in contemplation as Cassiopeia and Firenze awaited the decision. Both centaurs had been waiting patiently for over an hour, not moving an inch. Centaurs were able to do so, waiting was something they always did at night as they waited for the stars to change and reveal the future.
"I'm not entirely sure things are going as they should, there are mitigating factors present as well as new elements. Some of the players don't know that they are in the game. It makes them anomalies, dangerous because we know not what they will do."
"But is she safe? Are you safe? You've said already that he's gotten in here, what if next time you don't have time to hide?" Cassiopeia asked with agitation.
Firenze placed a calming hand on Cassiopeia's arm and nodded, "I'm sure Dumbledore is making sure security around them both is being tightened. Nothing will harm either of them. Not while I still live and breath."
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Author's Note: Sorry for the shortness of this Chapter. ^_^ I just wanted to shove along minor characters a bit and the next chapter will have G/D/H waking up, you'll find out more from what Kyra has found and what Snape wants from Anthea. ^_^ Stay tuned! Leave a review and if you want I can email you when the newest chapter comes out. ^_~
