By Ron Potter
Chapter 6: Déjà vu of Serpents
POV = Harry Potter
All of my lessons from the next morning were cancelled for me because of my collapsing twice last night so I got to have the whole Gryffindor Tower to myself and sleep in late and even have extra time to work on the essays we were assigned. Though it was pretty boring once I saw out the window how much fun everyone had with his or her dragon in Care of Magical Creatures.
But for months up until March I've had strange flashbacks to my second year and the Chamber of Secrets. I was progressing very well in Occlumency and could almost even close my mind from Dumbledore with no visits to Wizard Space. Each Occlumency lesson I have, the shield becomes more and more stronger and the flashbacks become less and less until the point in the middle of April when they were completely gone.
By this time, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Penelope Clearwater, and Hermione were kidnapped and hidden somewhere and no one has been able to locate them. Also Dumbledore made my wand stronger a week after it happened by throwing it in the fire and allowing the phoenix core to be reborn so it's stronger. I feel like I can break free of anything with this "new" wand I have. I'm much better at Occlumency and breaking free of imperious curses (Bill was given ministry permission.)
Rumors then spread like wildfire what happened to the missing students. Some say they were expelled for being muggle born, that of course was the stupidest rumor made by Slytherins.
After April died off and May came into existence with rain showers every other day, a giant bluish green almost holographic basilisk floated in the sky above Hogwarts. All the little first and second years were so scared one was reported magically locked in a bathroom for a week and another was reported to have taken up advanced protection charms with Bill Weasley. But none-the-less everyone could not even step foot outside. Hagrid, Fang, and his hut were leveled down underground so you could reach Care of Magical Creatures off a trap door in the dungeons.
But the scariest thing that even got Slytherins was the fact that ghostly white figures of Penelope, Justin, Colin, and Hermione were seen coming out of the basilisk's mouth begging to become Hogwarts House Ghosts. This one particularly scared the teachers too but it was soon demolished when the Bloody Baron clearly described the wrongs of them, being a ghost.
Despite all the basilisk stuff, everyone was still really scared. No one could figure how it got up and how to stop it. Wild rumors were sprouting up another basilisk popping up redoing another Chamber of Secrets attack. To try and figure out these problems, I went to Dumbledore with Neville and Ron.
"Professor, could tell us exactly what's happening with the missing students?" Neville asked grasping Trevor firmly.
"What would you like to know?" Dumbledore asked from behind his desk as if talking to the Sorting Hat.
"Professor! We're over here!" Ron shouted waving his arms.
"I am quite aware of that Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied still gazing up at the Sorting Hat as if asking for help now.
"We just want to know what's going on with the basilisk and what kind of magic that is," I said.
"Well Ummm," Dumbledore finally looked at the trio looking nervously toward Neville.
"I understand Professor," Ron said quickly. "Neville why don't go watch Ginny."
"No way I want to find out what's happening with my girlfriend!" Neville shouted.
The room seemed to stop with motion at that precise moment. Fawkes could be heard fluttering above but no one else made a noise. It wasn't only the first time Neville shouted but also the first time he admitted one of his secrets.
"Wait, she's your girl?" Ron asked looking more bewildered than anyone.
"You got a problem with it?" Neville asked as if ready to fight for Hermione's heart.
"Y-ye-no– of course not-gross," Ron stuttered sweating nervously as if not give away a secret.
"I think you three shall figure this out on your own," Dumbledore said as Fawkes landed its large package on Dumbledore's desk and Dumbledore handed Neville a scroll of parchment containing the information of the Order of the Phoenix I knew already.
"Tell us now!" Neville ordered at Dumbledore. It was the first time either of them had ever heard Neville shout like that and even at a teacher, yet Dumbledore to not of heard.
"I suppose it will be alright," Dumbledore replied calmly. "We, the Order believe that the basilisk is a model devised by Death Eaters to scare off any loose non-Voldemort supporters. The spell was in fact the same spell that releases the dark mark into the sky only it was used with a basilisk. We also believe that neither of the children are dead nor alive."
There was an eerie pause now. The three of our spirits seemed to have lifted when he said no one was dead, but it was drowned out when he said they weren't alive either. It was odd how you could be neither dead nor alive. Then I was strikingly remembered back two years ago when Lupin told me the effects of a dementor.
"How are they not dead and not alive?" Ron asked. "Are they vampires?"
"Of course not Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore replied calmly. "Take it like three years ago with the Chamber. As being petrified, they are dangling between life and death. But they are not petrified either."
Dumbledore then made an odd motion with his wand as the door swung open awaking several portraits. He gestured the three of them out and just as they left, Dumbledore was speaking with Lupin and a woman named Nymphadora Tonks.
About a week later Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Penelope, and Hermione were freed but couldn't remember where they were or what they were doing. It was as if they were never gone but we all have a pretty good idea that Voldemort's plans for the four fell through when Dumbledore got a lead to it and he memory charmed the four letting them go free.