Chapter Ten: A conference with the headmistress.
The next morning at breakfast there was still no sign of Jenny and Kathy confided to me that her bed hadn't been slept in. I glanced over at Georgia whose face had gone pale at the news. It was time to tell someone I decided, so as soon as breakfast was over I made my way over to the headmistress. She didn't notice me for a moment, and then she saw me standing there.
"Hello Sam, can I help you? Good job on making the house team too- I bet your father will be very pleased." She said absently.
"Yeah, he will be. I sent him an owl telling him about it the other day." I replied. "But Professor McGonagall- there's a problem."
"A problem?" She repeated, and for the first time she looked at my face. "You look serious Sam. Let's go up to my office where we can have some privacy."
I followed her through the castle to a large stone gargoyle. "Chocolate custard." She said, and to my surprise the gargoyle moved aside, showing a large stone staircase.
"Well come on, don't wait all day." The headmistress said, from the stairs, and I hurried after her. The staircase seemed to go on forever, but eventually it came out into a room. From the view outside the window I realised we were in one of the towers. The room was warmly decorated, and a large bookshelf lined the walls. The headmistress went to her desk and sat down.
"Now that you've finished staring, please take a seat and tell me what this problem is Sam." She said, but there was a smile on her face as she said it. I'd come to realise that whilst she was firm and strict, she was also fair. In my father's time here she'd been the deputy under Dumbledore, but he'd retired quite a few years back.
My face red I hastily sat down. "It's Jessica." I said. "She's gone."
The headmistress raised an eyebrow. "Gone?" She repeated slowly. "Gone where?"
"I don't know. She was on her way to dinner with us last night, and then she just..well she disappeared..and nobody's seen her since." I said.
The headmistress's face grew grave. "So she's been missing all night then?" She asked me.
"Yeah," I said. "At first I thought she might have been in the library- she'd live there if she could, but she wasn't and nobody knows where she is. Professor McGonagall- this doesn't have anything to do with the Serpent of Slytherin does it?"
The headmistress leant back in her chair, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "Sam, what do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?" She asked me slowly.
"Not much." I admitted. "It seems like it's kind of a secret..I know that Dad, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione saved someone from the chamber, and that Dad defeated the Basilisk, but that's about it. Dad doesn't really talk about it. I don't know why though.." I trailed off. I knew about much of the things which had happened to Dad at Hogwarts, including the time he was transported to Voldemort and his followers and another Hogwarts student had died, but when it came to the chamber he was surprisingly quiet.
The headmistress nodded. "You're right. The chamber was opened again, and it was your father who was the one to defeat the basilisk and in doing that he saved someone's life, which is probably why he doesn't speak about it much-"
"-If I saved someone's life I'd want to tell everyone about it!" I interrupted and the headmistress smiled.
"Imagine growing up famous for something you didn't even really remember Sam. That was what happened to your father, and therefore his outlook on things would have been a lot different to you and I." The headmistress explained, not seeming annoyed that I interrupted her. "Do you know who opened the chamber Sam?"
"People say it was Voldemort, but I don't know how since at that stage he wasn't exactly well.." I replied.
"Voldemort did open the chamber, but he chose to act through someone else. Voldemort preserved himself in a diary, and then used the diary to get someone else to continue what he saw as his noble work." The headmistress explained.
I felt my jaw drop. "But that's like last year- when he went back in time to get Merlin to kill us!" I said shocked.
"Precisely. Voldemort was very smart Sam, but not smart enough to ever kill your father, nor you." The headmistress said. "But about the chamber Sam- it was destroyed after the incident in it, and the basilisk was killed by your father."
"Are you saying there is no way that the chamber could be opened again then?" I asked.
"I wish I was saying that.." The headmistress looked troubled. "The truth is Sam Voldemort has proven himself on many occasions- both in the past and more recently- to be smarter than anyone had ever anticipated.."
"So the Chamber could be opened again?" I asked, feeling my heart begin to race.
"I don't know." The headmistress said unhappily. "I wish I knew."
"What about Jenny?" I demanded. "How do we find her?"
"WE?" The headmistress repeated slowly. And then she leant forward on her desk. "Sam there are some things which you shouldn't get involved in- this is one. It would take very advanced dark magic to open that chamber again, dark magic against which you would be no match. I want you to do me a favor? We'll put out a story that Jenny is in the hospital wing with a contagious disease to buy time, and the teachers of this school, NOT YOU, will look for Jenny. I need your co-operation on this one though Sam. You must not tell anyone about this conversation here today, and you must lead them to believe Jenny is simply sick. A panic would do nothing to help the situation." She looked at me carefully.
I took a deep breath. I didn't know what to say. The idea of doing nothing when Jenny was lost didn't appeal to me, but then nor did the idea of crossing Professor McGonagall. "Okay." I promised.
The headmistress sighed. "Sam, you remind me of your father in so many ways- not only do you look like him, with your eyes and hair, but you seem to have inherited a lot of his characteristics, including bravery. Not many people would have done what you did last year." She paused. "But you've got to trust me on this one. If, and I stress IF, Jenny has been taken by the serpent the only ones who will get her back would be the teachers." She stood up, signaling the end of the discussion.
I stood up too, but I didn't speak. I don't like to lie, and I wasn't about to say I wouldn't get involved in case I did.
"What class are you missing?" The headmistress asked.
"Herbology." I replied.
"I will give you a note to take to Professor Sprout excusing you." The headmistress said, and she bent over her desk writing something. Then she handed me the note. "By the way Sam, there's an interesting book in the library you might enjoy called "ADADA Beasts." It's in the restricted section, but I am going to give you a note to get it out. I think it could be something you'd like to read." She handed me another note.
I nodded puzzled. Unlike Jenny I wasn't one to get books out of the library for extra reading or something. I remembered Uncle Ron telling us how Aunt Hermione had always borrowed huge books from the library for extra reading, but then adding that even though he and Dad didn't do the same they had ended up getting pretty good marks. After he'd said that Mum had hastened to add that it wouldn't hurt to do extra study, but I made up my mind that I wasn't going to waste my time at Hogwarts in the library.
"You may go now." The headmistress said as she sat back down. "And don't worry Sam- we'll find Jenny for you."
"Thank you." I said, and I left the room, putting the second note into my robes. I'd have to be pretty bored to get extra reading out of the library that was for sure!
The next morning at breakfast there was still no sign of Jenny and Kathy confided to me that her bed hadn't been slept in. I glanced over at Georgia whose face had gone pale at the news. It was time to tell someone I decided, so as soon as breakfast was over I made my way over to the headmistress. She didn't notice me for a moment, and then she saw me standing there.
"Hello Sam, can I help you? Good job on making the house team too- I bet your father will be very pleased." She said absently.
"Yeah, he will be. I sent him an owl telling him about it the other day." I replied. "But Professor McGonagall- there's a problem."
"A problem?" She repeated, and for the first time she looked at my face. "You look serious Sam. Let's go up to my office where we can have some privacy."
I followed her through the castle to a large stone gargoyle. "Chocolate custard." She said, and to my surprise the gargoyle moved aside, showing a large stone staircase.
"Well come on, don't wait all day." The headmistress said, from the stairs, and I hurried after her. The staircase seemed to go on forever, but eventually it came out into a room. From the view outside the window I realised we were in one of the towers. The room was warmly decorated, and a large bookshelf lined the walls. The headmistress went to her desk and sat down.
"Now that you've finished staring, please take a seat and tell me what this problem is Sam." She said, but there was a smile on her face as she said it. I'd come to realise that whilst she was firm and strict, she was also fair. In my father's time here she'd been the deputy under Dumbledore, but he'd retired quite a few years back.
My face red I hastily sat down. "It's Jessica." I said. "She's gone."
The headmistress raised an eyebrow. "Gone?" She repeated slowly. "Gone where?"
"I don't know. She was on her way to dinner with us last night, and then she just..well she disappeared..and nobody's seen her since." I said.
The headmistress's face grew grave. "So she's been missing all night then?" She asked me.
"Yeah," I said. "At first I thought she might have been in the library- she'd live there if she could, but she wasn't and nobody knows where she is. Professor McGonagall- this doesn't have anything to do with the Serpent of Slytherin does it?"
The headmistress leant back in her chair, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "Sam, what do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?" She asked me slowly.
"Not much." I admitted. "It seems like it's kind of a secret..I know that Dad, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione saved someone from the chamber, and that Dad defeated the Basilisk, but that's about it. Dad doesn't really talk about it. I don't know why though.." I trailed off. I knew about much of the things which had happened to Dad at Hogwarts, including the time he was transported to Voldemort and his followers and another Hogwarts student had died, but when it came to the chamber he was surprisingly quiet.
The headmistress nodded. "You're right. The chamber was opened again, and it was your father who was the one to defeat the basilisk and in doing that he saved someone's life, which is probably why he doesn't speak about it much-"
"-If I saved someone's life I'd want to tell everyone about it!" I interrupted and the headmistress smiled.
"Imagine growing up famous for something you didn't even really remember Sam. That was what happened to your father, and therefore his outlook on things would have been a lot different to you and I." The headmistress explained, not seeming annoyed that I interrupted her. "Do you know who opened the chamber Sam?"
"People say it was Voldemort, but I don't know how since at that stage he wasn't exactly well.." I replied.
"Voldemort did open the chamber, but he chose to act through someone else. Voldemort preserved himself in a diary, and then used the diary to get someone else to continue what he saw as his noble work." The headmistress explained.
I felt my jaw drop. "But that's like last year- when he went back in time to get Merlin to kill us!" I said shocked.
"Precisely. Voldemort was very smart Sam, but not smart enough to ever kill your father, nor you." The headmistress said. "But about the chamber Sam- it was destroyed after the incident in it, and the basilisk was killed by your father."
"Are you saying there is no way that the chamber could be opened again then?" I asked.
"I wish I was saying that.." The headmistress looked troubled. "The truth is Sam Voldemort has proven himself on many occasions- both in the past and more recently- to be smarter than anyone had ever anticipated.."
"So the Chamber could be opened again?" I asked, feeling my heart begin to race.
"I don't know." The headmistress said unhappily. "I wish I knew."
"What about Jenny?" I demanded. "How do we find her?"
"WE?" The headmistress repeated slowly. And then she leant forward on her desk. "Sam there are some things which you shouldn't get involved in- this is one. It would take very advanced dark magic to open that chamber again, dark magic against which you would be no match. I want you to do me a favor? We'll put out a story that Jenny is in the hospital wing with a contagious disease to buy time, and the teachers of this school, NOT YOU, will look for Jenny. I need your co-operation on this one though Sam. You must not tell anyone about this conversation here today, and you must lead them to believe Jenny is simply sick. A panic would do nothing to help the situation." She looked at me carefully.
I took a deep breath. I didn't know what to say. The idea of doing nothing when Jenny was lost didn't appeal to me, but then nor did the idea of crossing Professor McGonagall. "Okay." I promised.
The headmistress sighed. "Sam, you remind me of your father in so many ways- not only do you look like him, with your eyes and hair, but you seem to have inherited a lot of his characteristics, including bravery. Not many people would have done what you did last year." She paused. "But you've got to trust me on this one. If, and I stress IF, Jenny has been taken by the serpent the only ones who will get her back would be the teachers." She stood up, signaling the end of the discussion.
I stood up too, but I didn't speak. I don't like to lie, and I wasn't about to say I wouldn't get involved in case I did.
"What class are you missing?" The headmistress asked.
"Herbology." I replied.
"I will give you a note to take to Professor Sprout excusing you." The headmistress said, and she bent over her desk writing something. Then she handed me the note. "By the way Sam, there's an interesting book in the library you might enjoy called "ADADA Beasts." It's in the restricted section, but I am going to give you a note to get it out. I think it could be something you'd like to read." She handed me another note.
I nodded puzzled. Unlike Jenny I wasn't one to get books out of the library for extra reading or something. I remembered Uncle Ron telling us how Aunt Hermione had always borrowed huge books from the library for extra reading, but then adding that even though he and Dad didn't do the same they had ended up getting pretty good marks. After he'd said that Mum had hastened to add that it wouldn't hurt to do extra study, but I made up my mind that I wasn't going to waste my time at Hogwarts in the library.
"You may go now." The headmistress said as she sat back down. "And don't worry Sam- we'll find Jenny for you."
"Thank you." I said, and I left the room, putting the second note into my robes. I'd have to be pretty bored to get extra reading out of the library that was for sure!
