CHAPTER FIFTEEN: The library.
"Where are you two going? Aren't you coming up to the common room?" Henry asked Martin and I later that evening.
Everyone else was going to celebrate a "welcome back to the welcome back feast" party in the Gryffindor common room organised by one of the fourth years who was friends with Greg and was worried about his dismal attitude. Everyone had found out about Jenny before the welcome back feast when the house was asked to stay where they were in the common room so the headmistress could speak to us. The Weasley, Martin and I knew what it was all about and we stood well back knowing we were now going to be receiving sympathy from everyone. And then down at the feast it had been subdued to say the least.
"We're going to the library to get a head start on some homework." I lied.
"That sounds like a good idea. My parents weren't exactly impressed with my marks.." Henry sighed. "But then Dad was only really good in one subject and that was Herbology."
"So, we better get going. We'll see you later Henry." Martin said.
"Can't you wait for me to get my books so I can come and study too? I'll be a minute." And he rushed off without waiting for an answer.
"Let's go before he gets back." Martin said.
I hesitated. "We can't just go and leave him when he thinks we're waiting for him. That wouldn't be right." I said, with a sigh. Everyone in our year felt sorry for Henry because he wasn't very smart, and he wasn't very good at magic either, but he kept cheerfully telling us about how his Dad was born practically a squib, but eventually got the hang of it.
"Damn him." Martin muttered and I shot him a surprised look. Earlier that day when we'd been talking about working out how to find Jenny he hadn't been exactly enthusiastic, and now he was acting like Henry's coming with us was the end of the world.
"We can still do some detective work." I said. "For example I want to know more about this Basilisk and the chamber of secrets."
I shivered in the cold hallway of the castle and put my hands inside my robes pockets to keep warm and then realised there was a bit of paper in there. I drew it out and read it- it was the note the headmistress had given me to get out a book called "ADADA Beasts." I frowned at it wondering again why she'd given me the book.
There was the sound of running feet and Henry was on his way back with his books. We all trooped into the library and Henry and Martin went and sat down whilst I went over to the librarian and asked her to get me the book from the headmistress. She frowned at me over her glasses. "Why do you want this?" She demanded.
"Because I need it." I said.
She stared at me a moment longer before going and getting the book. "Be careful with it, it's very expensive and very important." She warned me.
I took it back to the table where Martin and Henry were pouring over books. Henry was muttering the names of various ingredients so clearly he hadn't done his potions work yet. Martin had a stack of books on Hogwarts, and creatures of the wizarding world.
I sat down with the book and Martin glanced at it. "ADADA Beasts?" He read off the cover. "What is that?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "The headmistress told me I should check it out just after I told her about..um stuff." I glanced at Henry who was absorbed in his book and Martin got the gist nodding.
I opened it up to the first page to discover that the ADADA stood for "Advanced defence against the dark arts." I flipped through to the "B" section and skimmed it for information on the Basilisk. To my surprise there was only a small amount of information on it: 'The basilisk is one of the most deadly creatures in our world. It is a giant snake and kills people with its look, so those dealing with it should avoid looking it directly in the eye. To kill it there is nothing better than a killing spell, but as you should know by now these spells are not to be taken lightly. Another way of killing it is to stab it.'
"There's nothing new in here." I said frowning.
"Nor in here." Martin said, shutting the book he was reading and opening the next one.
"Henry can I please borrow a piece of parchment and a quill?" I asked.
Henry lent me the items and went back to his study and I sighed and wrote down the heading "What we know for sure." Underneath it I wrote "The headmistress claims the basilisk died and that it didn't take Jenny, but she was concerned when the writing about the serpent of Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets being open was written on the wall. Georgia heard someone speaking a strange language in the girl's bathroom, and had something left on her bed which said, "The Serpent of Slytherin is back. Enemies of the Heir beware." Michael is here under a false name and there is something going on between him and Snape. Alforth seemed to know about Jenny being missing before he should have known."
Martin lent over to look at what I had written. "So where to from here?" He asked me.
"I don't know." I admitted and I began to flip through the big book again wondering why the headmistress had given it to me. And then something in the "S" section caught my eye and with my heart pounding I flicked backwards to "Slytherin, Serpent of."
"Martin." I hissed, trying not to get Henry's attention. "Listen to this. The Serpent of Slytherin is usually assumed to be a myth, but in case it is true you should know something about it. It is said to be similar to the basilisk and is named after Salazar Slytherin because it is evil. The Serpent is said to reside somewhere on the grounds of Hogwarts but because nobody has yet seen it, there is no ideas on where. To kill the Serpent you have to throw a "Serpenthithias" potion on it."
Martin looked shocked. "Do you think that's what's got Jenny?" He asked.
"I'm sure of it. And for some reason the headmistress wanted me to know about it." I said trailing off.
"So what do we do now?" Martin asked again, only this time I had an answer.
"We have to find out whether Alforth, Michael or Snape has something to do with it. And we should probably talk to Georgia again since she was the one who heard the voice and got the note, but we'll have to make her promise not to tell any of the Weasley's since they'd be sure to stop us." I replied.
"That could be easier said than done." Martin said with a sigh.
"I know." I admitted. "But I promised, and I am not going to break my promise!"
"Where are you two going? Aren't you coming up to the common room?" Henry asked Martin and I later that evening.
Everyone else was going to celebrate a "welcome back to the welcome back feast" party in the Gryffindor common room organised by one of the fourth years who was friends with Greg and was worried about his dismal attitude. Everyone had found out about Jenny before the welcome back feast when the house was asked to stay where they were in the common room so the headmistress could speak to us. The Weasley, Martin and I knew what it was all about and we stood well back knowing we were now going to be receiving sympathy from everyone. And then down at the feast it had been subdued to say the least.
"We're going to the library to get a head start on some homework." I lied.
"That sounds like a good idea. My parents weren't exactly impressed with my marks.." Henry sighed. "But then Dad was only really good in one subject and that was Herbology."
"So, we better get going. We'll see you later Henry." Martin said.
"Can't you wait for me to get my books so I can come and study too? I'll be a minute." And he rushed off without waiting for an answer.
"Let's go before he gets back." Martin said.
I hesitated. "We can't just go and leave him when he thinks we're waiting for him. That wouldn't be right." I said, with a sigh. Everyone in our year felt sorry for Henry because he wasn't very smart, and he wasn't very good at magic either, but he kept cheerfully telling us about how his Dad was born practically a squib, but eventually got the hang of it.
"Damn him." Martin muttered and I shot him a surprised look. Earlier that day when we'd been talking about working out how to find Jenny he hadn't been exactly enthusiastic, and now he was acting like Henry's coming with us was the end of the world.
"We can still do some detective work." I said. "For example I want to know more about this Basilisk and the chamber of secrets."
I shivered in the cold hallway of the castle and put my hands inside my robes pockets to keep warm and then realised there was a bit of paper in there. I drew it out and read it- it was the note the headmistress had given me to get out a book called "ADADA Beasts." I frowned at it wondering again why she'd given me the book.
There was the sound of running feet and Henry was on his way back with his books. We all trooped into the library and Henry and Martin went and sat down whilst I went over to the librarian and asked her to get me the book from the headmistress. She frowned at me over her glasses. "Why do you want this?" She demanded.
"Because I need it." I said.
She stared at me a moment longer before going and getting the book. "Be careful with it, it's very expensive and very important." She warned me.
I took it back to the table where Martin and Henry were pouring over books. Henry was muttering the names of various ingredients so clearly he hadn't done his potions work yet. Martin had a stack of books on Hogwarts, and creatures of the wizarding world.
I sat down with the book and Martin glanced at it. "ADADA Beasts?" He read off the cover. "What is that?"
"I don't know." I admitted. "The headmistress told me I should check it out just after I told her about..um stuff." I glanced at Henry who was absorbed in his book and Martin got the gist nodding.
I opened it up to the first page to discover that the ADADA stood for "Advanced defence against the dark arts." I flipped through to the "B" section and skimmed it for information on the Basilisk. To my surprise there was only a small amount of information on it: 'The basilisk is one of the most deadly creatures in our world. It is a giant snake and kills people with its look, so those dealing with it should avoid looking it directly in the eye. To kill it there is nothing better than a killing spell, but as you should know by now these spells are not to be taken lightly. Another way of killing it is to stab it.'
"There's nothing new in here." I said frowning.
"Nor in here." Martin said, shutting the book he was reading and opening the next one.
"Henry can I please borrow a piece of parchment and a quill?" I asked.
Henry lent me the items and went back to his study and I sighed and wrote down the heading "What we know for sure." Underneath it I wrote "The headmistress claims the basilisk died and that it didn't take Jenny, but she was concerned when the writing about the serpent of Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets being open was written on the wall. Georgia heard someone speaking a strange language in the girl's bathroom, and had something left on her bed which said, "The Serpent of Slytherin is back. Enemies of the Heir beware." Michael is here under a false name and there is something going on between him and Snape. Alforth seemed to know about Jenny being missing before he should have known."
Martin lent over to look at what I had written. "So where to from here?" He asked me.
"I don't know." I admitted and I began to flip through the big book again wondering why the headmistress had given it to me. And then something in the "S" section caught my eye and with my heart pounding I flicked backwards to "Slytherin, Serpent of."
"Martin." I hissed, trying not to get Henry's attention. "Listen to this. The Serpent of Slytherin is usually assumed to be a myth, but in case it is true you should know something about it. It is said to be similar to the basilisk and is named after Salazar Slytherin because it is evil. The Serpent is said to reside somewhere on the grounds of Hogwarts but because nobody has yet seen it, there is no ideas on where. To kill the Serpent you have to throw a "Serpenthithias" potion on it."
Martin looked shocked. "Do you think that's what's got Jenny?" He asked.
"I'm sure of it. And for some reason the headmistress wanted me to know about it." I said trailing off.
"So what do we do now?" Martin asked again, only this time I had an answer.
"We have to find out whether Alforth, Michael or Snape has something to do with it. And we should probably talk to Georgia again since she was the one who heard the voice and got the note, but we'll have to make her promise not to tell any of the Weasley's since they'd be sure to stop us." I replied.
"That could be easier said than done." Martin said with a sigh.
"I know." I admitted. "But I promised, and I am not going to break my promise!"
