Harry Potter: The Vanishing Student
Chapter 11 of my Harry Potter story, enjoy.
Reviews
Boris Yeltsin: Yes indeed and quite the storm too as you'll see.
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.
Chapter 11
The return of the students from the Christmas holiday was usually met with joyous reunions between those who went home and those who stayed, along with preparations for the new term. But this year, things were worryingly different. Namely those that had stayed were suddenly anxious and worried, it was enough to put those returning on edge. It was something that had happened in the last couple of days of the Christmas holiday, but the announcement did not come in full until the first morning of term where everyone was back and seated at the tables, the tension was thick in the air, the Professors were sharing anxious glances while Professor Bennett looked more serious than they had ever seen her. She'd already built up a reputation as an excellent teacher, but now she was grim, a dark shadow seemed to have passed over her face and indeed, she looked somewhat scary. Now she truly did look like the kind of person who'd survive the things she had done while fighting against Solomon. Finally everything went quiet as the uncharacteristically grim Dumbledore rose to his feet.
"It is with a heavy heart that I deliver grim news upon your return." He announced. "But I am afraid it is important. A few days ago, one of your fellow students...a First Year, Jamie McIntyre of Hufflepuff, went missing. There has been no sign of him since that day and in light of reports he made before his disappearance...we have reason to believe something or someone is behind this."
Shocked silence followed Dumbledore's words. He let out a heavy sigh before continuing.
"After all this, we urge you to be alert. We will try to continue to run things as normal and we require that you attend your lessons as expected and for nobody to be alone. Nobody to be out of their Common Rooms after hours. We will all be searching for Jamie and we urge you not to take unnecessary risks. Also Mr. James Warren has agreed to put his research on hold and help us search."
He gestured to the back of the Great Hall where James was indeed standing, the situation was now made clear, but it did little to ease their fears. If anything it magnified them.
Despite their efforts to do so, the other three, the girls who more or less befriended Jamie over Christmas, and Jeff who was of course Jamie's friend from day one of Hogwarts, couldn't get the disappearance out of their minds and during lunch they tried to slip away from everyone else and get to the corridor where Jamie was last seen. Although they approached from different directions and therefore didn't see each other, they soon noticed the same thing and hid nearby, watching up ahead. For standing there, in a rather tense posture and eyes narrowed as if she didn't trust what was she was hearing, was Professor Bennet, talking with James.
"It seems rather...flimsy, there's not much to confirm your theory, Mr. Warren." Bennett was saying.
James shook his head. "I understand that, Professor, but only because I simply said my theory. I do have evidence, this book itself, it belongs to the missing boy, got his name in it and there is this inside it."
As the hidden First Years watched, James handed Professor Bennett a scrap of parchment which she took and looked at.
"A note." She remarked. "I know who was pursuing you and can help, meet me in the fourth floor corridor, don't be seen as they are still trying to find you."
She looked up from the note to James who nodded.
"See what I mean, sounds like a lure, bring him here into a trap. I'd wager the person who sent the note was the person following him."
Shaking her head and taking the book from James, Professor Bennett sighed.
"You have a point." She explained. "But we still don't have much to confirm it. But it is very compelling."
Seeing that they were about to depart, the watching First Years slipped away.
XXXXX
Unaware that, due to the kindness Jamie had shown them over Christmas, the girls had sneaked out of their Common Rooms to try and look into things, Jeff was prepared to slip away from the Slytherin Common Room to do just that himself.
'Jamie is my friend, I owe it to him to help him.' He thought to himself. 'I'd never forgive myself if I didn't try to help him, to save him...I've gotta go out and look for him.'
"Uh-oh, the Half-American has got that look again." Michael Graham remarked.
Jeff looked up to see him along with Thomas Barnett smirking at him.
"Hope you're not gonna cause us problems." Thomas said. "We're in the lead here on House Points and I don't think you should be screwing that up for us out of some selfish notion."
Jeff rolled his eyes, but he ignored them, they didn't understand and they still mocked him for his birth. He had more important things to worry about. So it was that he managed to wait until the other Slytherin's had all gone to bed before slipping out of the Common Room and wasted no time moving stealthily through the night to the Fourth Floor Corridor, the area where Jamie had seemingly gone missing and where that book and the note had been found.
Reaching the corridor he looked around, listening for a moment and then pulled out his inherited wand.
'Don't fail me now.' He prayed. "Lumos."
The wand tip lit up and he was able to look around better. That was when he spotted something he did not expect to see, another note. He picked it up and read, surprised at the contents.
"Whomever finds this note, if you are seeking the missing Jamie McIntyre, I've found him but need help to save him. Come to the old storeroom at the far end of the Fourth Floor and we can save him, please hurry."
Jeff reacted at once, not caring that it may be a trap, if there was even a chance that Jamie was there, he needed to do his best to help. So he immediately began to hurry to that very room mentioned.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.