Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only the OCs and some plot.
Chapter Nine- Eyes Wide Open
Grace sat in that armchair for at least another hour. She kept her eyes open, staring at the fire, mentally preparing herself for what she was going to say to her brother. The rest of the Gryffindors had already gone to bed, most of them scared out of their wits at what they had seen. Just a few minutes after the stroke of midnight reverberated around the castle, the portrait hole opened up.
"Hi Harry," Grace greeted, bouncing to her feet.
All three of them jumped at her voice, having thought that nobody else would be in the common room this late. Ron looked warily over at Harry, seeing Grace crossed arms and furrowed brows.
"We're just going to go to bed," Hermione said hurriedly, dragging Ron along with her.
"Harry, are you alright?" Grace questioned. "What happened? Did you get hurt?"
"I'm fine, really," Harry told her. He explained how they had just left the Deathday party when Harry heard the voice again. It had led them all the way up to where they had found the writing on the wall and Mrs Norris. After that Dumbledore had taken them to Professor Lockhart's office where he explained that Mrs Norris wasn't dead but petrified.
"Did you tell Professor Dumbledore about the voice?" Grace asked when he had finished.
"No, do you think I should have?"
"Look he could have some great advice and explain what's going on but . . . you don't really know what it could be," Grace said then sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair. "Normally I would tell you that it's nothing so worry about but I really think it is. A voice telling you it's going to tear and kill straight before the caretaker's cat gets attacked? I'm really worried. But I still don't think you should have told Dumbledore, especially since Snape and Lockhart were there."
"Yeah, Ron and Hermione said the same. In a less older- sisterly way. Do you think it's real?"
"I don't even know what the Chamber of Secrets is," Grace shook her head.
"And you're still worried?" Harry ventured a guess.
"Yes, of course I am. I'm gonna keep on worrying about you and making sure you don't get hurt. So do you think you could keep out of trouble?"
"I always keep out of trouble, Grace."
For some strange reason, Grace didn't believe him. She just didn't want for Harry to get into some big mess like last year.
"Riiiiiiight. Well, after that comforting chat, I'm going to bed," Grace turned away from the dying fire and headed up the girl's staircase. "But I am going to watch you carefully."
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Over the next few days Grace kept to her promise. She studied in the library at the same time as Harry, sat near him at the Gryffindor table and attended the Gryffindor Quidditch training sessions. She always kept a watchful eye on him but never got so close as to seem like she was stalking him.
In other ways Hogwarts was still getting used to the idea of what had happened on Saturday night. Some even thought it was a Halloween prank and that Mrs Norris was going to come skulking around the corner, ready to catch someone out of bed. But no one was out of bed; they were all too scared of what might happen. Even Fred and George restricted their antics to the common room at night. It was hard enough for them to try anything away from the tower with Filch lurking around the corridors; punishing students for 'being too happy' and 'destroying the sombre mood.'
No matter what Filch did, he couldn't stop the whispers circulating the corridors. People wanted to know what the Chamber of Secrets was, what had happened to Mrs Norris really, whether there was a real threat. The only thing Grace couldn't stand was when people started speculating whether Harry was involved. Everyone had seen him there. They all wanted to know why.
On top of all that their workload was steadily increasing. Professor McGonagall lectured them constantly about the importance of OWLs and how this year leading up to it could determine how well they were prepared for the next. All of their teachers followed suit; the worst being Professor Snape who didn't mention the OWLs but piled them with difficult essays and research topics.
That was how Grace and her friends ended up in the library Wednesday afternoon, hidden by towers of books.
"Where is he?" Grace asked, craning her neck around a massive copy of Intermediate Transfiguration: Everything thing you would need to know before delving deeper. "Hermione and Ron are here so where's Harry?"
"He's probably just a bit later than them," Miranda reasoned. "You don't have to watch him every single second of the day."
"Yeah, I know," Grace said. "I'm just afraid something will happen to him the second I turn away."
"Yesterday you were telling us that Harry has nothing to do with what happened to Mrs Norris and now you're worried about every little thing he does," Ciara commented.
"I'm not-," Grace argued.
"Is there something you're not telling us?" Ciara cut across.
Grace looked between the expectant faces of all of her friends. Some part of her wanted to tell them about the voice that Harry had heard. She just wanted to confide in someone about the niggling feel at the back of her mind that something was going to happen.
"No, Harry wasn't involved and that's it. Oh look there he is; nothing happened."
"Love, just remember that we are here if you want to talk," Trina reminded her.
"I found it!" Lara exclaimed, having turned a page of the thick book she was searching through. "The story of the Chamber of Secrets."
"Is that what you were scanning the pages for?" Miranda asked.
"Yeah, well, I'm lucky I even have a copy of Hogwarts: a History. I must have left mine at home and I borrowed this one a week ago for some homework. All of the other copies have been borrowed out," Lara explained.
"So what is the story?" Grace said.
"Well, it's a bit hard to read but here goes," Lara began. "So we all know that Hogwarts was founded by four greatest witches and wizards of their age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They built the castle so Muggles couldn't find it and worked really well together for a couple of years. Then, of course, Slytherin became a pure blood idiot and didn't want Muggleborns to come to Hogwarts. He and Gryffindor had a huge argument about it, which is probably where all the rivalry comes from, and Slytherin left. That's where the facts get a bit unclear but basically rumours say that Slytherin hid a monster in secret chamber he built in the castle. Only he or his heir can open it and once they have the monster will kill all unworthy students in the school. Muggleborns, basically."
Miranda snorted. "Yeah, there's just some monster wandering around the castle that nobody has ever found."
"Maybe only Slytherin could open it," Hannah suggested with a shrug of her shoulders.
"At least we know what the message means now," Grace said, returning to her transfiguration essay.
Five pairs of eyes once again stared intently at Grace.
"No we don't," Trina contradicted. "We know what the legend is; how does that make any difference whatsoever?"
"It makes all the difference in the world!" Grace told them with wide eyes. "This means that either somebody is copying the legend for kicks, or the Chamber is real and that monster is really in the castle."
Grace's eyes, filled with determination, flicked around the group to see Miranda roll her eyes unconvincingly, Lara stare down at her homework uneasily, Hannah frown in concern, Ciara's face light up at the thought of adventure and Trina chewing her sugar quill thoughtfully.
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That night, Grace chose a table at the common room close to Harry, Ron and Hermione. She had taken her friend's words to heart and relaxed a little more but she still felt bad letting him out of her sight for too long.
"How much more of that essay do you have to do, Ginny?" Grace questioned the girl sitting next to her.
"I've finished it now," she replied. "Thank you for your help."
"It's alright. I'm glad to be here. Besides Potions essays are always the hardest."
Ginny shook her head at Grace.
"I don't understand how you can do them so easily."
"My dorm-mates say that too," Grace laughed. "For some reason I just get it. Maybe it's in my genes."
Grace shrugged her shoulders dramatically, making a funny face at Ginny, who laughed at the antics.
"I think I should go to bed," she said, once the giggles had subsided.
"No, no, no, please stay," Grace moaned, grabbing her arm. "Just a couple more minutes. I can finish my homework later but for now let's talk."
Ginny reluctantly dropped her homework back on to the table.
"Are you looking forward to the Quidditch match this weekend?" Grace said.
"Yeah, I just hope Gryffindor will win."
"We deserve it. It would do good for the Slytherins to have their faces wiped in the mud," Grace said viciously. Ginny let out a small giggle.
"Fred and George will make sure of that, won't they?" Ginny asked.
"Course they will," Grace nodded. "They are the best beaters in the world. Just don't tell them that or we'll be hearing it for weeks!"
"It was worse growing up with them," Ginny commented.
"Speak of the devils," Grace muttered in Ginny's ear, gesturing to where Fred and George made their way over.
"Well, if it isn't our favourite girls!" George announced. "What are you two lovely ladies giggling about?"
"Hang on, I thought Miranda was our favourite girl," Fred interrupted.
"They're all our favourite girls, Freddie," George corrected. "How could they not be when we have friends as gorgeous as Gracie here?"
"You calling me gorgeous then?" Grace smirked, raising her eyebrows.
"You and every one of dorm-mates," Fred said.
"Of course, Ginny here is lovely just by being related to us," George added, winking at his sister.
"As much as I love all the compliments being thrown my way, is there any particular reason you came over here?" Grace inquired.
"Now that you mention it Percy is writing a letter to mum and wanted to know whether Ginny had anything to add," Fred said.
"I've got something in my room," Ginny told them, gathering up her books and racing away.
"We'll leave you to your work then," George said to Grace.
"Just make sure we can copy it before class," Fred added.
Grace scowled at their retreating backs, continuing to do so until Ginny's vacant seat was taken by Lara.
"Hey, how's the essay going?" she greeted.
"Barely started," Grace responded, making a face at the long roll of blank parchment in front of her. "I've been helping Ginny all night."
"Aw, that was nice of you," Lara commented. "I'm halfway through mine; we can finish it together. Grace? What are you staring at?"
On the table next to them, Hermione, Ron and Harry were leaning their heads closer to each other and murmuring in low voices. Grace, deaf to Lara's calls, frowned at the trio, wondering what it was that had got them to act like that.
"Grace!" Lara clicked her fingers in front of Grace's face.
"Oh sorry, cutie pie," Grace apologized. "What do you think they're talking about?"
"Uh . . . second year homework?" Lara guessed.
"Oh never mind, let's start this essay then."
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