Chapter 21
Hell's Angel and Angel's Hell
Since then, Ivy, Sheila and I have spent most of our time sneaking around to Nightshade's underneath my Invisibility Cloak at night. Mostly we talked about two things:
Item number one: Who in the name of Jeff Skinner was the Heir of Slytherin?
Item number two: What was the monster in the Chamber that was Petrifying students like Hermione and She-Cat?
People thought they knew the answer to Item Number One after Hermione, She-Cat and that Ravenclaw girl were attacked. They stopped thinking it was Harry…and they went on to think it was someone else controlling the monster.
Me.
Ernie Macmillan was the first to accuse me at breakfast the day after the attacks. He was walking up to the Slytherin table, where me, Ivy and Sheila were sitting with Draco, Theo and Blaise.
"You!" Macmillan snapped, glaring at me as he stood there "I know which one of you is the Heir of Slytherin."
Ivy, Sheila and I exchanged confused looks as Draco stood up and faced Macmillan "You'd best be on your way, Macmillan." he hissed, his tone icy.
"Not until you hear me out." Macmillan said back, glaring down Draco. "I know that the Heir of Slytherin must have it pretty bad for Drosie." he said, glaring at Sheila, Ivy and I.
I gulped. He suspected us girls. We all hated Drosie with all our hearts.
"And they have to have been extremely annoyed with Creevey and Justin." Macmillan added, shooting daggers at me.
My eyes widened. I found Creevey and Finch-Fletchley annoying.
"Getting tense, aren't we, Potter?" Macmillan said, a small triumphant smirk playing on his face "Yes, I know you did it! You were the one to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. You were the one to set Slytherin's Monster on Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Nearly Headless Nick and Penelope Clearwater."
I looked up. Penelope Clearwater? Clearwater? That redheaded Ravenclaw girl? Could she possibly have been related to Slytherin's own Monique Clearwater?
"It was almost the perfect crime." Macmillan said as Ivy stood up, his eyes twinkling as I was cornered in a deer-in-the-headlights-moment "Sure, you didn't mean to attack Hermione Granger and Ramona Capodebt, but the monster was obsessed with attacking people. You were power hungry. You wanted the attention that being Slytherin's Heir could give you."
"You're wrong!" Draco yelled, standing up and glaring at Macmillan "Hannah didn't do it!"
I smiled lightly. It felt good knowing that there were people on my side.
"Really, Malfoy? You're not just saying that because you're her accomplice! You wanted her powers to help get rid of the Muggleborns in this school, did you not? Your family is the most pure of blood in this world, and you always wanted, did you not, Draco Malfoy, that Hogwarts be kept in the old wizard families?"
Draco stood up and snarled "It wasn't Hannah and it definitely wasn't me, Macmillan. Now shove off before I get Crabbe and Goyle over here to beat the tar out of you!"
Ivy walked up and pushed Macmillan away.
"Let's get out of here." she said, taking my wrist in one hand and Sheila's in the other and pulling us along.
We went into Potions, Ivy, Draco and I, standing close together as McGonagall wanted us to do. Ever since Hermione, She-Cat and Penelope Clearwater were attacked, there were new rules put in place. Like, we weren't allowed to go from class to class without a teacher, we couldn't go to the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher (very humiliating to have a Professor announce to the class "All right everyone, I'm going to accompany Hannah to the loo, finish taking notes on chapter six until we get back!"). Life at Hogwarts was getting more about paranoia, everyone was accusing everyone of being the Heir or Heiress of Slytherin.
To make matters worse, Hagrid and Professor Dumbledore left the school, leaving McGonagall in charge of the school. Harry told me that he read this person's diary, I think he told me his name was…Tom Marvolo Riddle, who was at Hogwarts when the Chamber was opened first. Apparently, the reason Hagrid left was because the school governors, lead by Draco's own father agreed to send him to Azkaban.
Ivy and I looked at each other once the lesson was underway and we got to brewing. Harry tapped me on the shoulder behind us.
"Sis," he whispered as Snape paced around us "We're going to see Hermione during Transfiguration, you and V want to come?" he asked, a light smile playing on his face.
Ivy and I looked at each other and after a while, nodded once "Yeah, sure. But if McGonagall catches us skipping, we'll be so dead." I pointed out, suddenly dreading Transfiguration.
Potions class was boring that day. All we did was brew and take notes on our observations, BORING!
It all changed when I got a note from someone, I opened it and it said in a girl's handwriting:
Why don't you leave us Muggleborns alone, Heiress of Slytherin?
I read and reread the note repeatedly before nudging Ivy.
"Someone sent me this." I said, handing the parchment to her.
Ivy read it and snarled as she shot around, looking for the note writer. Jamie looked at me and mouthed "I'm sorry this is happening."
I smiled as Ivy nudged me and pointed to the back of the room "She's right there, Drosie's stupid little minion."
I looked where Ivy was pointing and saw Nancy O'Neil sitting there, a smug look on her face.
Ivy shot up out of her seat when Snape left the room and stormed up to O'Neil, thinking all the while: That little bitch is so dead!
"Oi, you!" Ivy shouted, smacking O'Neil over the head, causing O'Neil to shot her head up and snarl at Ivy "What's your problem, you slimy git?"
I got up and walked over to Ivy "V, please don't make a scene." I pleaded, trying hard not to blush.
Ivy turned to me, fury plain and clear in her eyes "No." she said, turning back around "I'm waiting, O'Neil, what the hell is your problem?"
Snape was still out of the room. And I kind of wish he still was so he'd stop this.
"Ivy, it's Drosie's minion, she's not worth it!" I protested, pleading with Ivy to sit down. I looked to Harry, looking for back up.
"She is so worth it!" Ivy snapped, turning to face me once more before shooting daggers at O'Neil. "I'm waiting!"
O'Neil sneered at Ivy "I don't have a problem! It's you with the problem! You'd have done the same thing if you saw the Heir of Slytherin and she attacked your friends!"
Ivy glared "News flash, you dizzy bitch. I have two friends Petrified!" she snapped, clenching her fists.
"Then why are you hanging around with the one that did it!" O'Neil demanded, standing up and pointing to me. "You stupid half breed!"
"OK!" I shouted, stepping in between them both "Enough already, please, Ivy, before a fight starts."
I duck as Ivy raises her hand back. I hear the stinging slap of skin on skin and O'Neil when I look up O'Neil is holding her face.
"Never…EVER, call me that!" Ivy growled, grabbing my upper arm to keep from slapping her again "And she was their friends too!"
I turn to Harry, a pleading look in my eyes "Harry, help me! Please, before something goes wrong and Snape comes back in!"
I said it too late. As if my words summoned him, Snape walked back into the classroom.
"What's going on?" he demanded, turning a cold glare at Ivy.
"I'm out of here!" Ivy growled, giving O'Neil one last glare before returning to our Potion and finishing it perfectly before storming out.
I groaned and face palmed myself before I sat back down.
…
After Potions, Ron, Harry and I got a very tearful grant from Professor McGonagall to go see Hermione and She-Cat. Ivy was nowhere to be seen after what happened in Potions.
Harry, me, and Ron went up to the hospital wing and found out where Ivy went. She was with Hermione the whole time.
"Hey." I said, looking down as Harry and Ron went to talk to Madam Pomfrey.
"Hi." Ivy said from her seat next to Hermione.
Harry and Ron came up while Pomfrey started with "There's just no point talking to a Petrified person!"
"Hi." the two boys said together, pulling up chairs on the other side of Hermione.
We all looked down at Hermione. Her eyes were open and glassy, her mouth agape. I glanced down at her hand.
"Do you think she saw who attacked her?" Ivy asked me quietly.
I shrugged "I don't know. We'd be royally screwed if not. But the Mandrake Draught should be ready soon, then everyone will be back to normal. Even, though I hate to say it, Drosie." I said, looking over to Drosie's bed and hiding a smirk "Maybe they won't have enough to give her and she'll be Petrified forever. It'd do us all a huge favour." I joked.
Ivy chuckled, then I saw as Harry wrenched something from Hermione's hand.
"Harry!" I hissed "What are you doing!"
Harry said nothing and wrenched a piece of paper from Mione's hand and read it.
"What is it?" I asked, trying to get over Harry's shoulder to read it.
"Nothing." Harry said quickly, pocketing the paper. "We have to go." he said, taking Ron and Ivy by the arms and dragging them out.
I sighed. Why does my brother always have to be involved in harebrained schemes? I thought And why can't I be a part of them? I could be helpful!
At that moment, Ivy's demon bird, June was perched at the window.
"Crap!" I hissed, as I ducked behind Hermione's bed. Ivy and I may be okay again, but I wasn't sure about that demon owl!
Said owl from hell flew onto my arm and turned her head to the side.
I blanched. What does this hellion bird want with me? I thought timidly as I watched June's head for signs of movement.
She moved and I flinched, tensing myself for a bite.
It never came. June nudged my arm comfortingly. I relax a little and risk petting her.
She flew up onto my shoulder and nipped my ear affectionately.
"So you like me now, huh?" I asked, still petting June.
Another nip on the ear seemed to stand for "Yeah."
I smirk. The Owl From Hell seemed to have a saint side after all.
