Samantha woke up a few minutes later in the hospital wing. She tried to sit up, but felt dizzy and had to lay down again.
"Sam, you're awake," Max said, walking over to Samantha's side.
"What happened?" Samantha asked groggily, brushing some hair behind her ear.
"You passed out, right as the Quidditch match was cancelled," Max explained. "Madam Pomfrey thinks you have the flu, and lack of sleep. Sam, why didn't you tell anyone you didn't feel well enough to play the Quidditch match?" he questioned.
"Wait, why was the Quidditch match cancelled? Not because of me, right?" Samantha asked.
"No, because there was another attack," Max replied.
"On who? Is someone dead?" Samantha asked urgently, hoping everyone was alright.
"No one's dead…" Max said slowly.
"Who was petrified, then?"
"Well… there were two people, a double attack," Max said. "A sixth year prefect, Penelope Clearwater, and… well, the other one was Hermione."
"Hermione? Like… our Hermione? Hermione Granger?" Samantha asked.
"You know any other Hermione's?" Max said, a small and sad grin on his face.
"She's gonna be alright though, right? Just petrified, and Sprout'll have the Mandrakes ready soon, right?" Samantha demanded, hoping there hadn't been a setback with the Madrakes.
"Just petrified, the Mandrakes will be ready soon, don't worry," said Max. "But Sam, you didn't answer my other question," he pointed out.
Samantha sighed guiltily. "I don't know. I didn't think it would get bad. I didn't really want to admit it to myself either," she answered.
"Tell someone next time. Don't keep stuff bottled up inside until it's too late and something bad happens," Max advised.
Samantha didn't answer. She was best at keeping her own stuff bottled up inside, knowing it was no one else's business what was happening in her life. Keeping things to herself, fixing them alone, was her specialty, what she'd been doing since childhood. She didn't think it was something she could grow out of quickly.
Instead, Samantha switched the topic of conversation. "So, why is it only you here? Where's everyone else?" she asked, not mad that she and max were alone, but still surprised because normally Leslie, Harry, and Lauren at least would be there.
"I followed McGonagall as she brought you here, asked if I could wait here so I could explain what happened to you. Everyone else is back in the common room I'm sure, they're really bumping up security," Max informed her. "It took a lot of convincing to even let McGonagall let me be here alone. She finally gave in when I reminded her I'm a pureblood, therefore least likely to be a target, and agreed to Madam Pomfrey walking me back," Max finished.
"I appreciate it. I doubt Pomfrey would explain much to me," Samantha replied. "Do you think she'll let me go back to the common room? I don't feel too much like spending a night here."
Max shrugged. "Ask her. If she doesn't say no, agree to some sort of compromise. If worst comes to worst, I'll smuggle the Invisibility Cloak down and we can break you out of this joint," he joked.
Samantha grinned. "I hope it doesn't come down to that," she said.
"Me too," Max agreed.
In the end, Madam Pomfrey reluctantly agreed to let Samantha go back to her common room if she agreed to rest and take the potion Madam Pomfrey had given to her twice a day. Samantha didn't too much fancy the potion, but she had a feeling Madam Pomfrey would be checking if she drank it or not, so she agreed.
Max, Samantha, and Madam Pomfrey were reaching Gryffindor Tower just as Professor McGonagall was stepping out of the portrait hole.
"Ah, Samantha, glad to see you're feeling better. I take it Max has informed you of what happened?" McGonagall asked.
"Thank you, Professor. And yes, he told me about Hermione and Penelope," Samanta replied.
McGonagall nodded, a sad look in her eyes. "Poppy, you may go back to the hospital wing. I need to inform these two of the new safety precautions," she told Madam Pomfrey, who nodded and turned away.
"Obviously, these are scary times. We're setting a few rules in place for your safety," McGonagall told Samantha and Max. "First off, you must be in the Common Room by six o'clock sharp every night, and you cannot leave the dormitory after that will be escorted to each class by a teacher, and no student is to use the bathroom without being escorted by a teacher. All further Quidditch matches are postponed, and there will be no more evening activities," McGonagall explained to the two. She studied them for a minute before adding, "And if you know anything about who could be behind the attacks, I urge you to tell a teacher. It's likely Hogwarts will close if the person behind the attacks isn't caught soon enough."
Slight fear seemed to build inside Samantha. She hoped the person would be caught and sent away, because she didn't think she could bear being stuck with the Dursleys until she was seventeen and could legally move out in the Wizarding World.
"Is that clear?" McGonagall asked.
"Yes, Professor," Max and Samantha chorused.
"Alright. Head inside the common room now," she instructed, and Samantha crawled through with Max close behind.
The common room was crowded with people talking loudly amongst themselves, mostly about the attacks.
"Sam!" Leslie called as soon as she saw them, rushing over from where she had been sitting with the other girls in their year, Katie, Gwendolyn, and Alyssa. "So you're alright, then?"
"Fine," Samantha replied airily.
"She has a flu," Max filled in. "And apparently doesn't sleep."
"Did you hear about all the precautions they're taking?" Leslie demanded.
"I know. It's insane, this all is so weird," Samantha agreed.
"Isn't it though? I never would've guessed this to happen, it's so strange," Leslie said with a nod. "I mean, our first year was pretty much as normal as it can get, what with being in a school full of minors learning magic. Last year was rather strange, but I thought that would be it, there can't possibly be anything else in this school no one has figured out. But then this year comes along and the whispering in the walls and the petrification, it's like, okay, so it did get crazier, and now I'm wondering what could possibly happen in the next four years to top all of this?" Leslie ranted.
"I don't know, but things will have to get pretty crazy. You know, someone rising from the grave crazy," Max said. "Sam, what're your predictions for the wildness that is to come?"
But Samantha wasn't paying too much attention to the conversation between her best friend and boyfriend, because she had spotted a different conversation happening in the far side of the common room, between her younger sister and Ginny Weasley.
"Sam? You gonna pass out again?" Max asked her, tapping her shoulder.
"That was a one time thing," Samantha replied, turning back to her friends. "Sorry, I think I'm gonna go talk to Lauren, catch up with her, haven't done that in a while. Don't want her to worry about me, you know?" she said.
"Oh, go ahead," Leslie said. She knew how important it was to Samantha that she and Lauren didn't turn on each other like their mother and aunt did.
Samantha walked through the Gryffindors huddled in conversation to where Lauren and Ginny sat. As soon as the girls spotted Samantha, they stopped what looked like a slightly heated argument.
"Hey. How you doing, Lauren? Ginny?" Samantha asked, sitting next to her sister.
"Fine," Lauren answered softly.
"I'm well," Ginny replied.
"Glad to hear that. What were you just talking about, if you don't mind me asking?" Samantha questioned casually.
"Homework," Lauren said instantly. Lies, Samantha knew.
"Really? It looked like you were arguing," Samantha said, twirling a chunk of hair around her fingers.
"We couldn't agree on what the homework was about," Lauren covered up. "Ginny thinks it's how best to brew the potion, and I think it's what happens when you brew the potion."
"Ah," Samantha said, nodding, pretending like she believed these blatant lies. She wished she had Lauren's touch power, where she could casually brush against Ginny and have all of the secrets be revealed, but she sadly lacked such a power.
"I think I'm gonna go," Ginny said after a pause. "Tell me when you come around, Laur," she finished, and walked off.
Lauren sighed, sadness seeming to settle over her. "I'm really, really sorry about Hermione," she told Samantha.
"Thanks. I mean, it's not your fault or anything. You're obviously not the one opening the Chamber," Samantha commented. "You know, once she's un-petrified, you should really talk to her more. Hang out with the six of us more often, you'd like all of us. Besides, we rarely talk anymore. I miss it," she confessed.
Lauren shrugged slightly. "I didn't know if you wanted an eleven year old hanging around you guys. You're dating people and you know all this magic and all sorts of stuff about the school, and I've barely talked to anyone except Ginny and Sarah, and don't know much magic or school stuff," Lauren confided.
"Laur, half the fun is teaching mischief to you all. The more trouble we can cause people like Lockhart and Trelawny, the better!" Samantha exclaimed.
"Who's Trelawny?" Lauren questioned.
"Right, I forgot you wouldn't know… Trelawny is the Divination teacher, fortune telling basically. I mean, she's made a few accurate predictions, such as Gwen missing a class because she got sick or Katie getting bad news about her little brother, but those are fairly basic. Apparently Divination can't really be taught, you can either do it or you can't. Well, the point is, she likes to predict bad things where someone will get hurt, and so it's fun to mess with her," Samantha said.
"Oh," Lauren said. "Has she predicted anything bad about you?"
"Just said that I'll have an early and painful death about every class," Samantha responded, not even an ounce of interest on the topic she was speaking about.
Lauren's eyes widened slightly. "But you won't, right?" she asked, sounding worried.
"Don't worry Laur. Nothing's happening to me. I'm not going to die anytime soon, trust me. It's for drama. She wants people interested in the class, and throwing some drama in every so often is the best way to capture people's attention," Samantha explained.
"But what if-" Lauren began to protest.
"Think of it like this. History of magic is boring. No one wants to go to that class, no one pays attention. I use it as a study hall, do as much homework as I can. And the reason it's so boring is because nothing interesting ever happens. Divination would be boring too, except for the fact that Trelawny throws a death prediction every so often. Keeps people engaged, participating in the class, and wanting to go back." Samantha fit it all into words, hoping Lauren would understand her. "Got it?"
"Yeah," Lauren said softly.
"Basically what I was trying to say, Lauren, is that we want you around. Bring Ginny too. And Sarah, but I haven't seen you hang around her much anymore," Samantha said.
"Yeah, maybe," Lauren agreed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear with a gloved hand.
"The gloves are still holding up, I see," Samantha observed, nodding her head towards Lauren's hands.
"Oh, yeah. It's nice to not have the touch thing happen to me all the time. I don't feel so… overwhelmed now. I don't have to live all of the horror stories and know more than I should," Lauren said, fiddling with her fingers.
"I'd love knowing more than I should. I already do, about all sorts of things," Samantha said.
"You don't always want to, though. Sometimes it's better to be ignorant," Lauren pointed out.
"Not true. I like knowing everything going on, so I can form opinions and just know the gossip and all. But, agree to disagree," Samantha said.
"Fine," Lauren said, smiling for the first time Samantha had seen since the two had begun talking.
"I miss seeing you smile," Samantha told her sister, a sad grin on her face.
Lauren shifted in her seat slightly, looking the tiniest bit uncomfortable. "There's not a lot to smile about, I guess," she said truthfully.
Samantha sighed, wishing any other year could've been her sister's first year. She was worried this would stain Lauren's image of Hogwarts being a safe and secure place, and worried that if the school shut down, this was all Lauren was ever going to experience of Hogwarts. "Look, this is a really strange year, I know," Samantha started. "But it's not usually this bad. My first year here was normal as can be, with a bunch of children learning magic. Last year was a little strange, and obviously there was Voldemort at the end, but for the most part it was fine. Things'll get better next year. I can't think of what else could possibly happen to top this."
"You probably just jinxed it," Lauren replied. "Someone will die or something."
"No one's gonna die. Hogwarts is safe. Well, as safe as a school where they teach people how to duel and stun each other can be," Samantha added on.
Lauren nodded slightly, not looking convinced, but Samantha didn't press it.
The morning brought news, bad news. Dumbledore had been removed from the school, it turned out, the night before while everyone was asleep. In private, Harry and Ron told Samantha, Leslie, and Max all about their late night sneak away to Hagrid's hut, where Hagrid, Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, and Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, had all met. They all had quite a few thoughts at the end.
"You went exploring the castle and night and didn't invite me?" Samantha cried, as Leslie said, "You're not supposed to leave the common room at night, what if Slytherin's heir had been out?" and Max muttered, "No way they all agreed to send Dumbledore away. Lucius must've blackmailed them."
"Sam, we're not supposed to be sneaking out! This is a matter of safety! What if you died, or were stuck petrified?" Leslie said.
"The Madrakes are almost ready, I'd be out of there in no time. Besides, no one's died yet, I'd be fine," Samantha said. "And yes, that was most definitely blackmail."
There was a pause. "So, what now?" Max asked. "Dumbledore's gone, we're not allowed anywhere unsupervised, and Slytherin's heir remains untouched."
"We'll figure something out. We have to," Samantha said, although she didn't fully believe it.
A week crept by, and Samantha felt restless. Teachers had to escort them everywhere, which made turning back time much more challenging. She had to rely on breaks, and after the first day, went to McGonagall to tell her of this new problem.
"Professor, I can't turn back if I'm with a group of people," Samantha told her after the end of classes Monday afternoon.
"Your safety is our top concern, Samantha," McGonagall replied.
"I need to get to classes, though. Please, can you just tell teachers that I'm allowed to disperse from the group so I can make it to my other classes?" Samantha pleaded.
McGonagall sighed. "Do you promise you won't use this privilege to do anything but go to class?" she asked.
Samantha nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course, I promise," she said.
"Alright. I will speak with the other professors," McGonagall told her.
"Thank you, thank you!" Samantha cried happily.
This small bit of freedom did little to her restlessness of being trapped, and Samantha knew she needed a break. So did Max, evidently, because he suggested one Friday night.
"What if we snuck out tonight? Like we said, go to Hogsmeade, get into the Shrieking Shack?" Max asked. "I need out of here."
"I was thinking the same thing," Samantha agreed. "I'll ask Harry for the Cloak, and tonight we'll sneak to Hogsmeade."
Samantha and Max had agreed to meet in the common room after everyone was asleep, and in there they pulled the Invisibility Cloak over themselves and climbed out of the portrait hole.
The corridors were crowded with prefects and teachers, patrolling the hallways in pairs. It was nerve wracking, hoping no one heard their quiet footsteps or soft breathing. They had to wait at the school entrance for minutes waiting for Filch to walk away, but were soon enough out of the castle on their way to Hogsmeade.
The town was much nicer than Hogwarts, a few people out and about but deserted for the most part. Samantha and Max kept the Invisibility Cloak over themselves the whole walk, not daring to take it off should someone spot them and report it to Professor McGonagall.
As they approached the Shrieking Shack, after slipping past the gate around it, they finally removed the Cloak.
Samantha reached out and shook the door handle, but it was locked.
"Alohomora," Max said, pointing his wand at the locked handle, but nothing happened. He tried the door again, and it was still stuck. "What else should we try?" he asked.
"Er…" Samantha muttered, racking her brain. "I read about another unlocking charm… what was it?"
"Oh! I know this!" Max said after a beat. "Aberto!" he said, pointing his wand at the door. There was a soft click, and Max reached out and opened the door.
"How'd you know that?" Samantha questioned.
"My parents use it on stuff. I guess it's stronger than Alohomora," Max explained. "So, ready to go in?"
Samantha nodded confidently. "Let's do this."
The pair walked inside the building. It was rather bland, Samantha noticed. There was a table on one end of the rectangular room next to some countertops and a stove, and on the other end, a ripped up couch. The walls were covered in scratch marks.
"It looks like someone was trying to escape," Samantha murmured. A feeling of slight unease crept up her body, hoping they weren't going to come across whatever had made such terrible marks.
There was a set of stairs in one corner, and a door a few feet from that. "Let's see what's in there," Max said, pointing towards the door.
They walked, hand in hand, with the Invisibility Cloak laid on the table, to the door next to the stairs. Inside was a small bathroom, only a toilet and a sink inside. Samantha turned the handle on the sink, which looked as if it had been untouched for a decade. No water came out, and she suspected it had been disconnected many years ago.
"Want to check upstairs?" Max questioned.
"Sure," Samantha agreed.
They exited the bathroom and walked up the thin stairs to a hallway. This was decorated slightly better, with a dusty rug running the length of the room. There were a few doors, and Samantha and Max walked into the closest one. It was a small bedroom with a twin bed and a desk, and although the bed was made and the chair pushed in, everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Samantha wiped her finger across the wood surface of the desk, and examined the clean line it had left behind.
They left and went into the hallway again, this time into the room next to the one they had just been in. It was identical, although Samanths noticed instead of the green bed sheets that were in the previous room, this one had blue.
"Think that's another bedroom?" Samantha said, pointing to the room across the hall.
"Probably," Max stated.
They walked together into the room. This one was bigger, a queen sized bed instead. And again, while the bed was made, it was also covered in dirt and dust. And, something the other two rooms hadn't had, there were small rips on the quilt.
There was also a dresser in this room, and when Samantha and Max opened it, they found it was empty with the exception of a few spiders and cobwebs.
"This house looks very abandoned," Max said, pushing the drawer shut.
"I know," Samantha agreed, walking to a door in the bedroom and finding another bathroom, this one with a tub. "It's so… grey. It looks as if someone was trying to escape-" she ran her finger over one of the claw marks on the wall, tracing it until it faded away, "-but never actually lived here."
"I can see why people say it's haunted, though," Max said. "It's bloody creepy in here."
"Whatever was here is gone now. We've gone through all the rooms, there's nowhere else for anything to be," Samantha noted. She went and sat down on the bed, brushing some of the dust off first.
"Something was here," Max replied. "The claw marks… this is the emptiest house I've ever seen."
"It couldn't have been human though. No human could make a mark like that. A vicious dog, maybe, but not a human," said Samantha. Now that she knew nothing sinister was hidden inside the building, she felt much more at ease.
"You'd think more people would come in here, you know?" Max said, joining Samantha on the bed. "If it was that easy to get in, more people would want to explore it."
"Maybe they thought the rumors were true. Maybe they know someone who was here when the rumors were true," Samantha said. "Either way, this building did give me the creeps when we first walked in. I don't blame people for never wanting to investigate."
"That is true," Max agreed.
The two looked at each other for a minute, neither quite sure how to carry on the conversation. Gently, Max reached out and tucked some hair behind Samantha's ear, then let his hand fall to her neck, pulling her body towards him slightly. Samantha glanced at it before meeting Max's eyes again and leaning in for the inevitable kiss.
A few minutes later, Samantha and Max walked back to Hogwarts castle, neither realizing they had accidentally left the Invisibility Cloak in the Shrieking Shack. They figured this out, though, as they walked inside Hogwarts and were immediately faced by Professor McGonagall, Leslie standing sheepishly behind her.
"My office. Now," McGonagall said sharply, and only quickly sharing a glance, Max and Samantha followed.