Out of the Shadow – Year 2

Harry's POV

I was sitting in the library the following day with Ron when Holly sat down beside me and lowered her voice. "What is going on Harry?" I looked between Ron and her before sighing and telling her what happened. "You are hearing voices?" She asked. I nodded slowly. "No one else can hear it." She sat back in my seat just as Hermione approached the table.

"Every copy of Hogwarts; A history has been taken out! I knew I shouldn't have left it at home."

"I can ask Rhea if she has it."

Hermione looked at Holly noticing her for the first time. "Oh, Holly. That would be great." Holly turned back to me. "What happened after last night?" I shook my head. "Nothing. Just asked us some questions, but only arrived a minute before everyone else." I said it as though she wasn't going to believe me, but this was Holly. She put my hand on his arm. "I don't think you did this." I let out a weak chuckle.

"Tell that to Justin who just ran away from me."

Holly raised an eyebrow at me. "That Hufflepuff kid?" I nodded and Holly waived it away. "That's just one person." I didn't believe her. I was convinced everyone was already thinking it. At Hermione's urging we all walked together to History of Magic. This had to easily be everyone's least favorite subject. Everyone was convinced even Professor Binns would prefer to take a nap instead of learning.

However today, Hermione had other plans. She put her hand up and Professor Binns called on her. "Sir, I was wondering if you could tell us more about the chamber of secrets?" Everyone around us jumped to attention at her question. Dean Thomas jerked his head around from the view out the window, Neville's elbow slipped off his desk, and at the desk beside me Holly picked her head up from the desk.

"I deal with facts, Miss. Granger. Not myths and legends."

"But sir." It was Holly's friend Rhea's time to challenge the professor. "Don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

Hermione turned and nodded at Rhea before looking back at the professor. He stared at Rhea and Hermione as if seeing them for the first time. "Well. Yes, one could argue that. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational even ludicrous tale." The entire class was watching him now, and it seemed that the attention excited him a little.

"You know of course that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago. The four houses named after the four founders; Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. For a few years the founders worked in harmony together seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and brining them into the castle to be educated. Disagreements sprang between them as Slytherin wanted to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts."

I looked at Holly who was rolling her eyes. "Arguments grew more serious between Gryffindor and Slytherin and eventually Slytherin left the school. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle. Slytherin sealed the chamber of secrets until his own heir returned to the school to open it. The heir alone would be able to open and release the horror within on all who were unworthy to study magic."

The entire classroom broke into hysterics with students throwing questions at Professor Binns. I tried to pay attention but I couldn't focus on anything but what might happen to all my friends that were Muggle-born, if such horrors existed; Hermione especially. Something inside me dropped heavily. Thankfully the class went back to its normal boring nature and I was left to my own thoughts.

Holly split from the rest of us to go up to the Ravenclaw tower with Ashley and Rhea. Just then Colin popped beside me. "Hi Harry!" He said excited. "Hello Colin." I said flatly. I didn't want to be mean to the kid, but I wasn't really in the mood. "People in my class are calling you…." But the rest of the sentence was cut off as Colin was separated from us due to the mass amount of people trying to get out of class. I spent the evening going over clues, and ideas of who might just be the Heir of Slytherin.

When the weekend arrived, I hadn't realized I needed a distraction until I sat down for breakfast and caught the tail end of Fred and Georges conversation. "What do you think? Follow them?" Fred asked. "Follow who?" Ron asked as he took a bite out of his toast. George nodded towards where he was looking. I noticed Holly in deep conversation with a Ravenclaw boy that the Twins called Davies.

Holly was talking with her hands, which normally only happens when she is angry or excited about something. The four of us kept an eye on her while we ate. "Something weird is going on with her." George said quietly, but I still caught it. "What do you mean?" I asked him. Fred and George exchanged a look before turning back to me. "She's not around much. Constantly has other things to do, and sometimes those things require Roger Davies attention."

I turned back to look at my sister. She had been looking a little more tired and bruised up then he remembered her looking earlier that week. I watched as her two friends came up to them. They didn't stick around, they headed outside without her. That made me wonder. Holly was always either with the two of them, or the Twins. "Hey Wood!" Fred called out. Oliver Wood approached us. "We were thinking about going to see this new Ravenclaw team. You know they keep a new team hidden."

"Good thinking. Any inside help we can get."

"You are going to watch the Ravenclaw game?" I asked coming across more confused than I intended. Fred and George nodded. I turned back to the entrance to find Holly was gone. "I have a feeling that is where she went." I said to no one. So, after breakfast Fred, George, Ron and I headed down to the quidditch pitch while Hermione started making Polyjuice potion.

The twins walked us to were Holly's friends where sitting. "Hey, where's Holly?" George asked them. "Oh, she should be here any minute." Rhea said confidently. This entire situation was confusing. Not only was I worrying about the chamber of secrets, but now my sister was being sneaky. That wasn't like her, Holly always preferred to give it straight. As she would say.

"Good morning my fellow witches and wizards! I hope you are excited for the first quidditch game of the season. Let's welcome the Hufflepuff team!" Lee Jordan's voice rang out. We watched the Hufflepuff fly out of the tunnel in their yellow and black uniforms. "Now lets welcome Ravenclaw. I hope you guys are ready for this, because I have been watching these guys and you are…"

"LEE JORDAN!"

Lee Jordan didn't get to finish his sentence as Professor McGonagall got is mind back on track. Streaks of Blue and silver filled the pitch and a flash of red caught my attention. "HOLLY!" The twins cheered at the top of their lungs. Sure enough, sitting in the hair between two other Ravenclaw guys, was Holly. She was balancing perfectly on the broom pulling her hair out of her face.

"Oh, she is putting her hair up, she means business." George said.

"Harry, I think she's nicked your broom!" Fred pointed out. I looked up and closer at my sister and realized she was in fact sitting on my Nimbus 2000. I probably should have been more upset, but I couldn't get past the fact that she didn't tell me. The game kicked off and I had to admit, I never enjoyed a game that I wasn't playing in as much as I did this one.

Holly was like a dream on my broom, I had never seen her fly like that before. I watched as the Hufflepuff chaser had the Quaffle heading towards the goal posts. Just then Holly appeared above him, but she was upside down. I watched her tap the shoulder of the play. As the player looked over their shoulder Davies knocked the ball into the free air, and it was caught by Ravenclaws another chaser.

"Wow! She is like a fox with those sneaky moves. Better watch out for that one." Lee Jordan was saying. "HOLLY." The other chaser called out to her. She popped up right behind the Hufflepuff keeper, caught the ball and casually tossed it in. The entire game was watching Holly and Davies out smart the Hufflepuff players. In the end Ravenclaw beat Hufflepuff with a record-breaking score.

After the match we went down to the pitch to see Holly. I watched as her teammates high-fived each other before walking into the changing room. She walked over to us looking sheepish. "You saw that." She said, her cheeks turning red. "Why didn't you tell me you tried out?" I asked her. She shrugged. "They made me." She pointed to Ashley and Rhea. They laughed and shook their heads. "We just gave you a little push." Rhea added.

"I wasn't allowed to tell anyone outside my own house that I made it on the team. Our cap is serious about that."

"I see you have my nimbus." I added flatly. Holly blushed again and rubbed the back of her neck. "Erm. Yeah. I don't have one. Sorry." I just shrugged. "At least it's getting used more." She gave me a small smile that reminded me so much of our Dad, it was like a punch to the gut. "You were incredible Hols!" George said rushing up to her. She laughed. "Thanks."

"Don't think we will take it easy on you when we go against you guys." Fred added. Holly rolled her eyes, but she was laughing. "You'll have to catch me first." We waited for her to come out of the changing rooms before we all walked up to the castle. "Why didn't you say anything about this?" I asked her again as everyone walked a few steps in front of us. Holly shrugged.

"Quidditch is your thing. I enjoy it, but I never had a plan to play. Rhea and Ashley kept going on about how I was one of the better flyers in our house, and we desperately needed chasers, so I just tried out and here we are."

"Just because it's my thing, doesn't mean it can't be yours."

"I know, I just….. I like being Holly; not Harry's sister. I just feel like its one more thing that people are going to think I do because of you."

I stared at her for a while, not sure what to say about that. I always knew Holly wanted to be her own person, we weren't the same type of twins as Fred and George. Holly was the best sister anyone could ask for, if I was completely honest. We didn't argue a whole lot, but we also went and did our own things, but I always knew that if I needed something or I was in trouble she was the first person there to help. Especially right now, it was nice to know she was still there in my corner, when our parents weren't.

** Writers note I am evolving as I am writing this series, and I'm attempting different views and writing styles. Please bear with me, and hopefully you still enjoy it. **