Chapter Five

Liz gasped for breath as she ran through the twisting network of corridors that made up the Hogwarts dungeons, wondering how it was possible to get so hopelessly lost beneath the castle she'd called home for the last six years. She hadn't known that the Hogwarts dungeons were so endlessly vast. It was like racing through a dark, dank maze, except Liz had no idea if she even wanted to reach the middle. She just wanted to escape.

She stopped running and slumped against the cold stone wall, choking back a sob. How could she have gotten herself into such a mess? How could she have been so stupid?

It had all started with a sheet of parchment. She hadn't intended to read it. But as she waited in Davidoff's office for the professor to return and relieve her of her prefect duties, she'd seen her name written in Davidoff's cursive lettering. She hadn't been able to resist the temptation to take a peek. And now she was paying the price.

Liz fumbled in the pocket of her robes for her wand. It was pointless to run any further. If what Davidoff had written about her was true, her very life was in danger. He knew the dungeons better than she did. But she wasn't about to go down without a fight. Liz raised her wand, arm trembling as her persecutor rounded the corner, breathing heavily.

"Ex-Expelliarmus!" Liz shouted, waving her wand wildly. Davidoff darted out of the way and her spell rebounded off the stone wall. The floor shook with the force of the impact. Liz raised her arm to try again, but Davidoff was quicker. With a simple flick of his wand, she tripped. Her wand flew out of her hand, landing with a clatter just a few stone tiles out of reach.

Davidoff stepped towards her, a cold gleam of triumph in his eye.

"No," Liz whispered, still straining for her wand as she looked up into the eyes of the professor who, until now, Liz had never had a reason to fear. "Please…"

"I'm sorry," Davidoff said and his voice held genuine regret. "I did try to fix you. You and the others. But you're an abomination, Elizabeth. A failed project. And now that you know too much, I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave these dungeons alive."

"B-but I'm cured!" Liz protested, her voice shaking with terror. "Chloe Saunders sent the poltergeist away! P-Please…"

Davidoff laughed. "You've seen my report," he said. "You know now that there is more to your condition than the rogue poltergeist I ordered to trail you during your second year. It was a ruse, nothing more. Did you not wonder why the strangeness continued even after little Chloe ordered the bad ghost away?"

Liz's eyes widened as he raised his wand. "No! Wait!"

She stretched her arm out across the tiled floor and though her wand was still too far from her reach, she saw it twitch, as though it was straining to reach her too. Davidoff saw the movement and stamped down, hard. Her wand snapped beneath his boot. Her last hope was gone.

"I'll have none of your tricks used against me," he hissed. "It's over. I truly am sorry, Elizabeth." And then he whispered two words Liz thought she'd never hear and she was blinded by the brilliant green light that swept over her, robbing her of her breath as it rushed through her body, tearing into her very soul –

She slumped onto the floor, her now-empty eyes still wide with fear.

Davidoff stared down at the body for one long moment. Then he raised his wand again. It was time to dispose of the evidence.

xx

Chloe's first point of action when she finally left the Hospital Wing the following morning was to track down Rae. Spending the night in the Hospital Wing had given her plenty of time to dwell on her confrontation with Derek Souza and she realised that if she wanted to know for certain whether or not she could trust Derek's judgement of Professor Davidoff, she'd have to look into his accusations herself. That meant snooping around. Luckily, Chloe wasn't a stranger to snooping around the castle. But if she was going to pull this off, she needed her partner in crime.

It was a Saturday, so tracking Rae down wasn't a problem. Chloe and her fellow fifth-year Gryffindor girls usually spent Saturday mornings lounging around the lake, whatever the weather. She found them in their usual spot, beneath the willow trees. Rae called out to her as she approached.

"Hey, girl! Good to see you walking again!"

Chloe smiled. "You make it sound like I was on death's door. I'm fine, really."

She glanced towards the other girls, who had stopped talking, but hadn't greeted her as Rae had. Instead, they stared at her as if worrying that Chloe would suddenly start screaming about ghosts again. Chloe would have found their expressions comical if they hadn't been directed at her.

Great. Now even my best friends think I've gone crazy, she thought. She plastered a smile onto her face as she sat down, doing her best to integrate herself into the conversation. But not even five minutes later, Rae stood up.

"Got to get down to the pitch," she said, shouldering her broomstick and Beater bat. Chloe had forgotten that Rae usually trained during the early afternoon.

"I'll walk with you," she said quickly, clambering to her feet. Rae accepted and they said goodbye to the other girls.

"You sure you're okay after yesterday?" Rae asked as they walked.

"Yeah," Chloe said, wishing she could confide in Rae as she so desperately wished to. "It was just a panic attack, like Madam Levine said. I'm fine now."

Chloe could feel Rae's eyes on her, but the other girl simply replied, "Good. That's good." They moved on to other subjects while they walked and soon enough, the mood had lightened and they were laughing and joking together as they neared the Quidditch stands.

"So say I knew somebody who wanted to break into one of the teachers' offices," Chloe said eventually with a wicked grin, "Would that somebody be able to rely on your help getting in and out?"

"Hell yes!" Rae said with a whoop of delight. "God, it's been so long since you've been willing to bend the rules! Whose office are we snooping around in? St. Cloud's? Please say it's St. Cloud's. I've been dying to set that poor phoenix free."

"Rae, phoenixes can't be kept against their will. They're immortal. They're free to choose their own masters," Chloe said patiently. "St. Cloud probably doesn't even have a phoenix." You just want to believe he does, she added in her head, because you're obsessed with creatures born of fire. Chloe had never understood Rae's obsession with phoenixes, dragons and other such creatures. She thought it best not to ask about it.

Rae shrugged. "Only way to know for sure would be to find a way in and see for ourselves," she said.

Chloe grinned, shaking her head. Rae could be so stubborn sometimes, but it was one of the things she liked most about her fiery friend. No matter what, Rae could always be counted on to say what she believed and do what she thought was right. It was her very own kind of bravery.

"I don't want to get into St. Cloud's office," Chloe said, choosing her next words with care. "I was actually thinking of Davidoff. Th-The last time I was there I saw an old essay of mine w-with some private notes on it… I… I want to know what it says."

Chloe cursed her stutter; sure that Rae would see straight through the lie. But her friend didn't say a word.

"Rae?"

Rae stopped walking and turned on her. Her expression was dark. Something startlingly close to fury clouded her eyes.

"I thought you liked Professor Davidoff," Rae said slowly.

"I-I do–"

"So why on earth would you want to go snooping around his office?"

"I t-told you –"

"Please," Rae rolled her eyes. "As if anything in Davidoff's office could be of interest to you. You're barely even passing his class. You're taking remedial lessons, for goodness sake."

Chloe felt her cheeks redden as she clenched her fists in anger. Despite Rae's fierce temper, they'd never fought before. But one mention of Davidoff and suddenly Rae had flared up. Why?

"Look," Chloe said, trying to keep her cool. "I just want to snoop around his office, take a look at some of his private notes. Nothing we haven't done before. D'you want to help me or not? It's okay if you don't. I know Davidoff is your favourite teacher."

"Yeah, and I'm his favourite student," Rae said, and then she paused. "This is about me, isn't it?" Her voice took on a shrill pitch and her eyes widened as she spoke. "This is all about me!" She took a step towards Chloe and then another, moving so suddenly that Chloe took a step back in alarm. Rae looked almost mad.

"You're jealous," she accused, pointing a finger at Chloe's chest. "Because Davidoff's the only teacher in the whole school who prefers me over sweet, perfect Chloe Saunders. You just want to get me in trouble with Davidoff so he won't trust me anymore!"

Chloe gaped, incoherent with disbelief and fury. How could Rae, her best friend, honestly think so little of her? Why was she so determined to protect Davidoff that she'd jump to such conclusions? And didn't she realise how little sense her theory made?

"Rae –" Chloe began, with the intention of spilling all her secrets in that moment. But Rae turned towards the Quidditch stands and let out a derisive laugh.

"Oh, look," she spat. "It's lover boy. Why don't you run off to your new boyfriend, Chloe, forget about the only friend who's stuck by your side for the last five years. I'm sure you'd rather have his company than mine. I'll see you at dinner." And with that, she flung her bat over her shoulder, span on her heel and marched towards the Quidditch pitch, dragging her broomstick behind her.

Chloe's vision blurred as Simon Bae strode up, raising his eyebrows at Rae's retreating form. "I'd ask what's got her wand in a knot but after the stink-eye she gave me as I passed, I'm not sure I want to know," he said lightly. He turned to Chloe and his grin faded. "Hey," he said. "You okay?"

Chloe realised with a flare of embarrassment that she was crying. "Oh," she said, wiping her eyes on the wide sleeves of her robes. "I-It's fine. I'm f-f-fine. Really."

"No you're not," Simon said matter-of-factly. "D'you want to talk about it?"

Chloe shook her head adamantly. She did want to talk about it – about everything. But she wasn't sure she could. Everything – even the fight with Rae – was too wrapped up in the secret kept closest to her heart. The secret she couldn't share with anyone. The secret nobody even knew she was keeping. Well, nobody except…

Derek.

Chloe's mind whirled, a thought occurring to her. After their altercation yesterday just the thought of being in the same room as him made her shudder, but if there was one person she could speak freely to, it was him. Sure, she still didn't entirely trust Simon's brother and she wouldn't be able to pour her heart out like she wanted to. But it was a start. And, more importantly, finding and speaking to Derek would keep her mind off her fall-out with Rae.

"I'm fine," she said again, and this time she meant it. She smiled up at Simon. "Are you heading back to the castle?"

By the time they reached the castle, the sting of Rae's betrayal had almost faded completely. As distractions went, Simon was a good one – chatting away as they walked about the comic he was working on. He showed her an enchanted doodle of a big black wolf chasing his tail, which made Chloe laugh. Simon was extraordinarily good with a quill. She wished she had a talent like his, and told him so.

"Quit it, you'll make me blush," Simon said, prodding her in the ribs. She squealed and jerked away. They were both giggling as they stepped into the Entrance Hall.

Simon was the first to regain control of his laughter. "So, Saunders, any plans for today?" he asked, still grinning, as they stopped by the grand staircase. His tone was casual. Too casual. All of a sudden, Chloe was reminded that Simon might not just consider her a friend. Her laughter faded and nervousness set in.

"Oh, uh," she stammered, shoving her hands into the pockets of her robes as she felt her palms grow sweaty, "I was thinking of going to the library. Catching up on the work I missed yesterday."

It wasn't exactly a lie – Chloe had no doubts that she'd find Derek sitting alone in the library while everyone else enjoyed the good weather outside. But Chloe still blushed, whether from the lie or Simon's gaze, she wasn't sure.

Simon's grin didn't fade. "Right. Always so studious. I'll see you later, then?"

She smiled, though she felt suddenly queasy and faint. "Sure."

Simon turned away from the staircase, making his way in the direction of the Hufflepuff Common Room. Chloe waited until he was out of sight before sitting down on the nearest step and putting her head in her hands.

God, what was wrong with her? She really enjoyed Simon's company and she knew he liked her too. He was funny and cute and incredibly popular. So why was it that as soon as she thought about him romantically her mind froze and she felt like she was choking –suffocating even – on the lump in her throat?

You're just scared, she told herself. It's because you've never had a boyfriend before. It's completely normal to be nervous.

She had to get a grip, and the only way to do that would be to put both Rae and Simon out of her mind. She thought of the book in her dormitory that was still waiting to be returned to Derek. Experimental Potions-Making: Taking the First Steps towards Treating the Currently Untreatable. She had a better understanding of why Derek might have a use for such a book now. And she knew that she could get the answers she needed under the guise of returning it. She sucked in a deep breath and got to her feet, making her way up the staircase with new determination.

A/N: Please don't hate me. As I'm sure most of you have guessed this isn't the last we've seen of Liz. If anything, she'll be much more significant to the story from now on!

Sorry for the lack of Derek in this chapter. I promise there'll be lots of Chlerek goodness in the next. As always, signed reviewers will be sent a sneak peek of the next chapter (I'll even make it a Chloe/Derek preview!)