[A/N: 40 Favorites and 70 Followers~! OMG, thanks so much, guys! I'm so happy that so many of you are enjoying the story so far and I hope you guys will remain so to the end~ If you guys aren't aware, I just uploaded my Drarry one-shot 'Dancing with the Dark Heir', so please go check it out if you haven't read it yet. As usual, the foreign languages in this story are translated from Google Translate so, please let me know if something seems off. Just in case if any of you have noticed, I copied Lockhart's lines from the book because I can't remember it word for word. And as always, please, comment, subscribe and favorite my story and stay tuned for the next chapter~!]
Chapter 8
September 1st
"Tout le monde est là?" (F) (Is everyone here?) Diana asked over the cheerful murmurs of the people on the 9 3/4 train platform. She saw heads nodding once they had made a mental count of those there. "Ici, je veux que vous portiez tout ça." (F) (Here, I want you all to wear these.) Diana said as she passed each of them a plain thin silver ring. "Nous allons utiliser cela pour communiquer les uns avec les autres en code Morse. Chaque anneau est équipé d'un charme d'identification. Placez une goutte de votre sang sur l'anneau et il va changer à la couleur de votre noyau magique. Vous seul pouvez utiliser cette bague, donc si un imposteur ou quelqu'un a votre bague, il alertera chacun d'entre nous. Si l'imposteur arrive à connaître le code Morse, nous le saurons." (F) (We'll use this to communicate with each other in Morse code. Each ring is equipped with an identification charm. Place a drop of your blood on the ring and it will change to the color of your magic core. Only you can use that ring, so if an imposter or someone has your ring, it will alert the each of us. If the imposter happens to know Morse code, we will know.) The gang immediately stowed their ring into their robe pocket. No need to attract attention out here in the train platform where Dumbeldore's spies lingered. They gave her a silent tilt of their head as a 'thank you' just as the sound of the Hogwarts Express blaring out its horn.
"Let's go," Diana said and the gang gave their parents a final kiss goodbye before rushing to board the train. They all found a compartment at the back of the train and settled into the comfy booth chairs with the compartment door locked and secured so no one could look in on what they were doing. The next few minutes were spent with fingers being pricked and blood dropping on to the silver rings. In the end, Diana got emerald green, Draco got white, Daphne got chocolate brown, Blaise got navy blue, Hermione got blood red, Theo got amber orange, and Pansy got gold yellow. The gang placed their ring on their right middle finger and then talked to each other about nothing in particular. Halfway through the train ride, a light knock could be heard and Draco stood up in a middle of a game of wizards chess to open the door. "Ah, Longbottom, we've been expecting you."
Diana heard the blonde male say and she looked towards the door to see Longbottom stepping into the compartment, looking more slimmer and more built than the last time they met, those chocolate eyes harder. "What's this, Longbottom? You've changed from the last time we met." Diana asked with a smirk on her lips, leaning the side of her head against her knuckles, her arm propped up against the window sill. Longbottom clear his throat when he realized everyone else in the compartment was staring up at him. "Well, I have to be strong if I'm going to destroy Bellatrix for what she did. Plus the spell..." Diana smirked as she looked over at her seated comrades. "Je t'ai dit qu'il serait avec nous. Il aime la course." (F) (I told you he would be with us. He enjoys the rush.)
Longbottom's cheeks flushed slightly once he figured out what she was saying. "Est-ce mauvais que je veuille la torturer encore et encore?" (F) (Is it bad that I want to torture her over and over again?) The others grinned evilly and shook their head. "Ne vous inquiétez pas, il y aura beaucoup de mannequins d'entraînement à pratiquer avant de vous venger." (F) (Don't worry, there will plenty of practice dummies for you to practice on before you exact your revenge.) Diana smirked in delight as Longbottom caught her meaning. Pansy stood up with a smile on her face as she gently grabbed his hand. "Come, sit, Neville. You are one of us now."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Merlin, Longbottom is good," Draco said in slight awe when the gang bid the Gryffindor farewell before they stepped into the castle and they noticed Longbottom had put on his 'meek and harmless' self that most of the students were accustomed to seeing. Diana scoffed as the gang followed the herd of students into the castle towards the Great Hall for the Start-of-the Year feast. The students separated into their house tables once they arrived in the Great Hall and soon the high-ceiling room was filled with joyous conversations. "Dear Merlin, it's that stupid pompous idiot again," Draco growled mid breath as he looked over the staff table in the front of the room. The rest of the gang looked up to see what the blonde was talking about and saw a familiar male face acting all high and mighty while talking to the other professors. They all groaned slightly as they imagined how useless their Defense Against the Dark Arts classes was going to be.
The double doors to the Great Hall swung open and Professor McGonagall came in with a line of first years following behind her. "Look, it's that Weasley girl from the bookstore." Pansy pointed out as a girl with red hair walked in towards the back of the line. The Great Hall became silent as the first years stopped towards the front of the room where the Sorting Hat was sat on the wooden chair. "Step forward when I call your name." The Transfigurations professor said as she unrolled a roll of parchment.
One by one, the first years were called out and were sorted, the chamber was filled with clapping from their respected houses. "Ginerva Weasley." Professor McGonagall finally said. The same red-haired Weasley girl walked up to the stool and let the Sorting Hat plop on top of her head. The students were expecting for the hat to say that she will be in Gryffindor like her brothers were before her, but no, they were sadly mistaken. "Slytherin!" Everyone gaped at the Weasley as she hopped off the chair and made her way over to the Slytherin, which was standing at their feet, clapping to greet their new housemate. "Nice to see you again, Ms. Weasley," Diana stated as she sat down next to her. "Please, call me Ginny. I've been waiting all summer to finally break the Gryffindor streak in my family." Ginny said with a smirk as Dumbledore stepped up to the podium and gave his usual speech.
"Your brother looks like he is about to explode," Draco said in a hushed voice, a grin on his face as he leaned over slightly to see the Gryffindor table. Diana and Ginny looked over their shoulder to see Weasley's face was indeed very red from the pent-up anger and it got worse when Ginny flashed him a smug grin as Dumbledore told them to dig in. The gang and Ginny turned their attention to the food and sparked up small conversations when a voice from clear across the room hollered to them. "You fucking snake! I hope Mom and Dad disown you! You're an embarrassment to the Weasley family and I hope you never come back to the house!" Weasley's voice echoed in the chamber and all conversations have ceased, well except for the Slytherin's table. Ginny turned to look at her brother, looking like her brother is the saddest creature in the world. "Ronald, can't you see I'm having an intelligent conversation with my friends here? Having a conversation with you is going to kill my brain cells." The students from all four houses snorted as some tried not to laugh with their mouth full.
Weasley's face got beet red and was about to stand up, a menacing look on his face when Professor McGonagall bustled over and forced him to sit down with a threat of a weeks worth of attention which then caused his twin brothers to smack him on the back of the head. "I like her. She got guts." Draco whispered to Diana. She had to agree. With the end of that fiasco, the Great Hall returned to its usual boisterous self for the rest of the meal.
September 2nd, Tuesday
Diana and the gang walked through the corridor towards the Great Hall for lunch, noticing that there were a quite a few students surrounding the announcement board. "Ah, it must be the sign-ups for Quidditch tryouts," Blaise said when he eavesdropped on two students passing by talking about if they would get into the team or not after the try-outs. "Are you going to try out, Diana?" Draco asked. She already knew the blonde male was going to join since they all have a love for the wizarding sport. "Of course. My father wants to see me play." Diana said and they both wrote their name on the sign-up parchment. Blaise, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle decided to join as well, all very good in Quidditch. "I have a feeling we're going to be a formidable team this year," Diana said with a smirk as they left the area towards the Great Hall.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
Tom sat in a winged-back chair with Nagini laying comfortably on his lap, a roaring fire in front of him to warm up the office. Thin pale fingers gently caressed his snake's nose, hearing her hiss contently as many good and bad memories went through his mind. Suddenly a thought came into his mind, a thought that he knew would be crucial to his return to the wizarding world. With his wand, he levitated the big snake of his lap, laying her on the floor in front of the fireplace before making his way over the dark oak desk that the Ivanvos graciously lend to him. He pulled up a drawer to see a certain item wasn't there. Panic started setting in as he quickly opened each desk drawer, hoping to see the item in one of them.
"Lucius!" He yelled out, slamming the last desk drawer when he couldn't find that item that he was looking for. The door to the office opened and Lucius stepped in. "Yes, Tom?" He asked, looking slightly concerned at his lord's frazzled looked. The Dark Lord leaned over his desk, resting his hands on the cool surface to look at the blonde male, his red eyes hard. "Did I give you black leather notebook, Lucius?" The blonde male looked slightly confused but answered anyway, his head bowed slightly. "Yes you did, my Lord. You told me to bring it to the Ministry Auction gala to sell it off." Tom hissed at his own stupidity, his eyes turned darker red as his finger curled into fists, scraping his nails against the oak desk. Lucius heard that hiss and assumed he had done something wrong and immediately got down on his knees. "Please forgive me, my Lord. I-"
"Don't gravel, Lucius." Tom hissed as he moved to sit heavily in the desk chair, glaring half-heartedly at the blonde male. "There is no need to apologize. You were doing what I commanded of you despite that the fact the command was absolutely stupid of me." Tom quickly grabbed a blank sheet of parchment and quickly scribbled on it before rolling it up which was immediately sealed closed with wax with the Ivanov's family crest imprinted on it. "Send this to my daughter. She and her friends will get this during breakfast. They are the only ones we can count on at the moment." He said as he passed it to Lucius.
September 3rd, Wednesday
"Diana, this is for you," Draco said as he passed the rolled up letter to her before untying the medium sized package from his mother. "Thanks." She said as she took it, breaking the wax seal and started silently reading it as the students in the Great Hall ate their breakfast. She frowned slightly as she reached the end of the letter and crumbled it up into a tight ball. "Who was it from?" Draco asked as he sipped on his pumpkin juice. "My father," Diana stated as she grabbed a slice of toast. "He wants me to find a black notebook." The gang raised an eyebrow, all actions of eating paused. "What makes your father think the notebook is here in Hogwarts?" Pansy asked in a whisper. "Wouldn't Dumbledore have found out about this notebook?"
The gang then turned to look towards the front of the room where the staff table was situated. Dumbledore looked his usual self, acting like the doting friend to his colleagues. "No...I don't think he knows. If he did, Aurors would be here surrounding the castle." The gang went silent, all forgetting about their half-finished breakfast. "So, what do you suggest we do, Diana?" Hermione asked. Diana took a moment to look at her friends before answering. "The only clue my father gave me is that the leather notebook is black. We're going to keep an eye out for the notebook." The other nodded as the students in the Great Hall stood up to head to their first class of the day. "If any of you find it, you know what to do." The gang silently nodded and got up as well to leave the Great Hall.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award. But I don't talk about that; I didn't get rid of the Banden Banshee by smiling at him. I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor until the end of the school year." Diana rolled her eyes at his arrogant words and overly exaggerated smile. The girls from the Gryffindors watched him with utter admiration, goofy smiles on their faces and swooning as Lockhart flashed them a dazzling smile. The ring on Diana's finger suddenly got slightly warm as a message came through, noticing that the rest of the gang was feeling this as well. ".. .-. - / -.. -.- .. -. -. / - - / .-. ..- -. -.-. ... / - ... .- - / ... - .. .-.. . / - ..-. ..-. / ... .. ... / ..-. .- -.-. . .-.-.- / . ...- . .-. -.- - ... .. -. -. / .- -... - ..- - / ... .. - / ... -.-. .-. . .- - ... / ..-. .-. .- ..- -.. .-.-.-" (I'm dying to punch that smile off his face. Everything about him screams fraud.) The gang ducked their head as they hide smirks, knowing that Mione was glaring daggers at their professor. The ring was becoming very useful.
".. / .- .-.. - - ... - / ..-. . . .-.. / -.- .. -. -.. / - ..-. / -... .- -.. / ..-. - .-. / - ... - ... . / ..-. - - .-.. .. ... ... / -. .. .-. .-.. ... / .- ... - / - ... .. -. -.- / - ... . -.- / -.-. .- -. / - .- .-. .-. -.- / - ... .. ... / .-. - - .-. - ..- ... / .. -.. .. - - .-.-.-" (I almost feel kind of bad for those foolish girls who think they can marry this pompous idiot.) Blaise said. They stopped when Lockhart walked by each desk, handing out a piece of parchment paper. "We're going to have a pop quiz to test if any of you have read my books. You may start when you recieved your quiz." The rest of the class groaned. A pop quiz on the first week of the school year? ".-.. .. -.- . / ... . .-.. .-.. / .- . .-. .-. .-. . / -.- - ..- / -. - .. -. -. / - - / .-. . .- -.. / -.- - ..- .-. / -... - - -.- ... .-.-.-" (Like hell wer're you going to read your books.) Diana bites back a snort from coming out as she got the copy of the pop quiz. What kind of questions are these? What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite colour? What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition? What, in your opinion, is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date? You have got to be kidding me. Theres three pages of this?!
Diana looked over at Hermione who was to be her desk partner for the entire school year and saw her already diving into the quiz. Diana looked back down at her quiz and started writing random answers down because she didn't even bother reading the book. After fifteen minutes of quill scratching, all of the quizzes have been returned and Lockhart began looking through all of them, tutting slightly. "I'm slightly disappointed that most of you didn't get my favorite color right. It's violet. No matter, we have a whole school year to really get to know one another." He said in a jovial tone. "Now let us start with Gadding with Ghouls. Turn to the first chapter and I want you to read the first two paragraphs."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Now I want you to feast your eyes on the covered birdcage in front of the room," Lockhart said as he walked down the middle of the room to stand next to the covered birdcage which was rattling on the stool that it was placed on top of, muffled high pitch cackling could be heard from underneath the cover. "Now – be warned! It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. All I ask is that you remain calm." The Slytherins raised an eyebrow at the sudden dramatic change to his demeanor, trying to achieve the spooky vibe which didn't affect them while the Gryffindors bought the act. "I must ask you not to scream," said Lockhart in a low voice. "It might provoke them."
With a sharp flick of his wrist, the covers whipped off to reveal a cage filled with Cornish pixies, causing half of the class to gasp dramatically. The blue creatures hissed at them with wide grins, making bizarre faces all the while. The light seemed to have riled them up, causing them to rattle the cage violently with their toothpick arms. Diana rolled her eyes as Lockhart spoke in a smug voice. "Yes, freshly caught Cornish pixies."Well, they're not – they're not very – dangerous, are they?" Seamus Finnigan choked out. "Don't be so sure!" said Lockhart, waggling a finger annoyingly at Seamus. "Devilish tricky little blighters they can be!"
'Right then,' Lockhart said loudly. 'Let's see what you make of them!' And he opened the cage with a flick of his wand. The class started screaming as the Cornish pixies shot out of the cage and began barreling towards them. Books and objects in the room started flying and breaking as the Cornish pixie proceeded to cause mayhem. Diana and the gang were handling themselves well, forming a circle with their backs facing each other as they shot spell after spell at any incoming pixies. "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!" Diana heard Lockhart bellow out while waving his wand, but nothing happened. She let out a hiss when she saw the bumbling idiot run into his room like a scared cat. "That bastard... Immobulus!" She yelled out.
A blue light flashed in the classroom and the Cornish pixies were left floating in the air with a dazed look on their faces. The students quickly looked up when they noticed the attacks have stopped, Lockhart had stuck his head out of his room to see what has happened. With a flick of his wrist and a strong voice, Draco made the Cornish pixies go back into the cage. The sound of the little metal latch closing had everyone give a sigh of relief. "Bravo!" Lockhart said as he walked out of his room, clapping as if he planned this to happen. "Very good, you seven." He said as he motioned to the gang. "Ten points to Slytherin. Oh, gracious me, look at the time. You best start heading to your next class. Don't worry I'll have everything back to their proper places."
September 5th, Friday
The gang met each other in one o the corners of the corridor and started walking in the same direction. "Ça fait deux jours et je n'ai toujours pas trouvé ce cahier." (F) (It's been two days and still hasn't found that notebook.) Diana said with frustration. The others looked at her sympathetically but also didn't have any answers for her. "Peut-être devrions-nous lui donner quelques jours de plus." (F) (Perhaps we should give it a couple more days.) Daphne suggests as they made their way towards the Quidditch field. "Hm, perhaps you are right, Daphne. I need something to take my mind off of this mindless hunt." The gang smirked at her words as they see the Quidditch field in the distance. They stepped into the stadium to see those who are trying out for the Slytherin Quidditch filing on to the field.
The gang split up, those going to try out headed to the locker room to change while the remaining headed to the spectators stand to watch the tryouts. They changed into the green sweater jersey, cream-colored pants, and brown riding boots before heading out to the filed with their brooms. Diana had received her broom through the mail from her father, a letter saying that the Nimbus 2000 used to belong to him and now being passed down to her. "So you all want to try out, is that correct?" Flint, the Slytherin Captain, said as he started pacing in front of them, his blue eyes carefully examining them as he walked by. Apparently, there was a large attendance this year. "Unfortunately, half of you will be denied. Those who don't meet the cut will be denied. You each will be carefully observed and if you meet the team's requirements, you will be accepted." The Slytherin captain said before calling out those who wanted to try out for the keeper position to stay on the field while the others move to stand on the side.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
It was getting close to sunset when it was finally the seeker's turn. Diana was competing with there other people for the position. Flint took out a Golden Snitch from the Quidditch chest as they mounted their broom. "Catch the snitch. Whoever catches it first gets the spot." Flint said and tossed the snitch up in the air before it disappeared with a blink of an eye. "Go!" Flint shouted and they shoot off the ground. Diana quickly swiveled around, her red flecked emerald eyes quickly scanned the air, trying to catch a glimpse of the Golden Snitch. After a few seconds, a bright flash caught her eyes and she shot after it. She could hear the others following after her as she skillfully flew through the air. Come on...faster! She thought, mentally urging the broom forward, reaching out to grab the snitch as she got up the right behind it.
The moment the cool object was in her grasp, a sharp whistle echoed through the air and everything stopped. "Good. Ivanov, your our new seeker. Everyone, you will your results tomorrow." Flint said ass the seekers touch down on the ground. "Tryouts dismissed." There were soft groans as the players started leaving the field, heavy feet thudded against the ground. "Good job, Diana," Draco said as they were joined by Blaise, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle. "Those older kids didn't have a chance against you." The Italian said, enjoying the fact that the older students couldn't best the second years. Diana smirked as they arrived in the locker room. "The same goes for you four. Those older students didn't even come close to either of you."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The Slytherin common room was relatively quiet with the only sounds were quills scratching on parchment paper, soft rustles of pages being turn, and the soft pops from the ignited fireplace. "Merlin, this assignment is getting more ridiculous by the minute," Hermione said in an annoyed voice as she twirled her quill between her thumb and forefinger, glaring down at the Gadding with Ghouls Lockhart wanted them to base their essay on. "This book is full of rubbish." The brunette finally snapped and slammed the book shut. The gang was sitting at the same table as her, snickered at her reaction. "We know Mione," Pansy said. "That's why none of us are going to do it. Why should we when none of the facts are remotely true." The others nodded in agreement. Hermione sighed deeply once she realized she was losing a fight and leaned back in her chair, a little upset at her current situation.
The gang held back from laughing, knowing the brunette would soon forget about this. Diana was too busy reading a book she had borrowed from the Restricted Section when a low hissing disrupted her thoughts. "Kill...Kill them all..." Diana's head immediately turned her head to look at the walls, the voice sounded so loud, it could have been right behind her. "What's wrong Diana?" Daphne asked with the gang's attention was on her now. Diana frowned slightly as she looked over at them. "Vous n'avez pas entendu ça?" (F) (You guys didn't hear that?) They raised an eyebrow and leaned closer against the table. "Écoute quoi, Diana?" (F) (Hear what, Diana?) Draco asked, looking just as concerned as everyone else.
"Un grand serpent." (F) (A large snake.) Diana said in a low voice, turning to look at the wall briefly once more as if she was making sure she didn't see anything. "Il y a une bande de serpents ici, Diana. Cela vient probablement de la Forêt Interdite." (F) (There are a bunch of snakes here, Diana. It probably came from the Forbidden Forest.) Theo stated, confused as to why she was suddenly concerned about a mere snake that could have ventured into the castle. "Non, il semblait plus grand et plus vieux. La voix semblait être à l'intérieur de l'école quelque part..." (F) (No. It sounded bigger and older. The voice sounded like it's inside the school somewhere...) Diana said with a deep furrow on her face.
October 24th, Sunday
It has been raining on and off all day and luckily, the weather was on their side. "Come, Professor Snape just gave us a written permission to use the Quidditch field," Flint said, holding a roll of parchment as they headed out into the fall weather towards the Quidditch field. "Flint, what the hell are you doing?" Diana sees the captain of the Gryffindor team, Oliver Wood stormed towards them with his team following right behind him. "Gryffindor has booked the field for an hour," Flint smirked and showed him the rolled up parchment. "Professor Snape gave us a written permission to use the field right now. Check for yourself." Wood snatched the roll of parchment paper, unfrilled it and read it quickly. His face looked like he was sucking on a lemon and crumbled it up and that was when he realized the Slytherin's team was mostly made up of second years. "What happened to your players from last year?"
Flint looked over his shoulder to look at his new team. "Oh, those people couldn't hold a torch against these second years." Diana noticed Weasley had peeked over his captain's shoulder and huffed before stepping around Wood to stand in the front, having a very smug look on his face. "I bet you lot paid to get into your position." Finnigan pipped right after, walking up to stand next to Weasley. "Yeah, unlike all of you, we actually got into the team on pure talent." The Irish said in a taunting voice, clearly thinking that his words would hurt the Slytherins. Diana, Draco, Blaise, Theo, Crabbe, and Goyle laughed and Diana took a step forward towards Weasley. "You think you can beat us in skill, Weasley?" She asked incredulously.
Draco snorts as he stepped to stand right next to her, his arm lounged around her shoulder. "Please, with that pathetic thing you call a broom? We can circle you all more times then you can score." He said with a sneer as he nudged at Weasley's broom with his shoe. "Ehi Draco, parla di Ginny e scommetto che esploderà come un pomodoro." (I) (Hey Draco, mention Ginny and I bet he'll blow up like a tomato.) Blaise snickered behind them which caused Draco to have a wicked smirk on his face, causing Weasley to go red on the face since he couldn't understand what they were saying but he had a strong feeling that they were talking about him. "Ah, that's right Weasley, I just wanted to tell you that your sister is enjoying the Slytherin dorms very well."
Like Blaise predicted, Weasley turned beet red at the mention of his sister and he immediately whipped out his duct tapped-wand from his Quidditch robe, pointing it straight at Draco with fury in his eyes. "Eat slug, Malfoy!" Before any of the Slytherin could whip out their wands, a bright flash of green erupted from the tip of Weasley's wand, but instead of shooting straight at them, the green light briefly enveloped the wand it was made from. Weasley flew backward and landed on his back on the cold hard ground. The Slytherins laughed as Finnigan ran over to check if his friend was ok which was quickly changed to grossed out looks as Weasley started puking slugs.
The Gryffindors started freaking out as they watched in horror as Weasley grew pale on the spot. Diana bent down to pick up Weasley's wand and tutted loudly as she picked at the portion of the wad that was crudely put back together with wizarding tape. "My my Weasley, you should really have your wand checked out. Thank Gods that spell didn't hit one of us." The Slytherin team cackled as they turned around to leave, Diana smirked as she tossed the wand back down on the ground.
October 25th, Monday
Apparently, someone had ratted on Weasley sometime last night because breakfast was very entertaining. It all started when the morning owls arrived and the Daily Prophet. The gang received treat boxes from their parents, Hermione receiving one from everyone, much to her surprise. A large owl swooped into the Great Hall with a red envelope in its claws, catching everyone's eyes as it flew overhead. There was a slight mumble as they watched as the owl made a crash landing in front of Weasley. "What is that?" Hermione asked curiously as Weasley picked up the red envelope with shaky hands. "It's a Howler," Daphne explained. "It's great for angry people to show the receiver how angry they truly are. Like this." She made a hand motion towards Weasley as he broke the wax seal.
An ear ringing female's voice suddenly erupted through the Great Hall. "Ronald Billius Weasley! How dare you point your wand at another student! Your father and I taught you better than that! And don't get me started on what you're doing to Ginny's friends! One more toe out of line, young man, or we get another letter from school and you'll be coming straight home!" Everyone's eyes were wide in shock from hearing such a loud voice from a Howler. The red envelope suddenly turned to look towards the Slytherin's table and the voice was gentler this time. "Don't worry about your brother, Ginny dear. I'm sure he will come around soon enough." The letter then turns it's attention back to Weasley and blew a raspberry at him before tearing itself up into tiny pieces.
The Great Hall was deadly silent before it erupted with excited chatter, many laughing at Weasley, causing him to beet red. "Settle down everyone." Professor McGonagall said sternly as she clapped together everyone's attention. "Get back to your breakfast or else you will be late for your classes." Everyone immediately did as they were told, eating but there was still an excitement in their conversation.
October 30th, Saturday
"Um, Ivanov?" Diana looked up to see a first-year Slytherin standing next to her with a slip of parchment paper in her hand, looking nervous from the gang's staring up at her. "Yes?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, pausing from finishing a sentence in her essay. "The headmaster wants me to give you this." She said as she handed the parchment to her before quickly leaving. "What now?" She said with a groan as she read the few lines on the parchment. She sighed in irritation as she crumpled the parchment into a ball. "Damn geezer..." She mumbled, glaring into the burning fire. She was having a nice day but just receiving the note from the old man was ruining the upcoming fun that was to be had during the festive feast for dinner. "What does he want?" Draco asked, look of concern written on his face.
"I'm not quite sure," Diana said, trying to remember if she did anything considered bad to the old man's eyes. Nope, nothing - take that back, she did put a stinging hex on an annoying second year Hufflepuff. "See you guys at dinner." She said as she got up from her chair. The others nodded their head and watched her leave the common room. The corridor on the way to the old man's office was breezy, the sound of the dead leaves rustling on the ground was music to her ears. "Cockroach clusters." She said as she stopped in front of the eagle statue which started turning into a staircase leading up to that familiar wooden door. She walked up the stone steps and rapped her knuckles against the door. "Come in." She heard Dumbledore say from the other side of the door.
"Ah, Miss Ivanov, so glad you could join us. Come, have a seat. Care for a lemon drop?" Dumbledore said with that grandfatherly smile and that annoying twinkle in his eyes. Diana held back the urge to sneer and sat down in the offered chair in front of the desk. "No thank you. Why am I here, Professor? I have quite a lot of homework to do." She said indifferently, her eyes staring hard into Dumbledores. The old man leaned back in his chair, that same smile on his face, though his blue eyes showed some seriousness. "I recently got a complaint that you used a stinging hex on a fellow student. Is that true, Miss Ivanov?" Diana fought the urge to smirk and kept her face neutral. "Yes, it's true." By the way, the old man's next reaction was, he wasn't expecting her to actually admit it this time.
"Why would you do that? From what the student told me, he wasn't doing anything." Dumbledore asked with a frown written all over his face, unnerved by her indifferent attitude. "That twerp was insulting me," Diana said in a matter-of-fact tone as she looks at her manicured fingers. The old man's eyes turned cold as he leaned forwards to lean against his desk. "Miss Ivanov, it's forbidden to use such dark magic on another student. Furthermore, its illogical for a second-year as yourself to learn such spells. I'm going to have another talk with your parents." Diana wasn't sure if the old man was trying to scare her with his threats or not. She sighed and stood up. "Do what you must, Professor, but know this, my parents won't be pleased you asked them to come to the school just for a spell."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
The Halloween feast was exciting as always except, Lockhart was the one who was in charge of the decoration. Everything was over the top, especially the decorations that seemed to line every possible spot. Goblins were seen roaming around the castle, taking pleasure in scaring whichever students happened to be nearby. "I hear Nearly Headless Nick is celebrating his 500th birthday," Draco mentioned, explaining why nearly half of the Gryffindor house wasn't attending the feast. Diana huffed. "That party sounds better than this disaster." She scowled as she sat down in one of the chairs in the Slytherin table a flurry of bats flapping overhead.
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Crabbe, you do realize that they were just teasing you, right? There is no such thing as 'Bloody Mary'. Draco looked over at the lumbering Slytherin with fine eyebrows raised as the gang left the Great Hall as the Halloween feast rolled close to ending. "H-How do you know, Malfoy? In our world, everything is possible." Crabbe stuttered as he looked all around like a paranoid person, fear written in his eyes as they darted from wall to wall. Daphne rolled her eyes. "It's just Muggle rubbish to scare kids into behaving, Crabbe. None of it is possible." Diana was about adding something when she heard that familiar hissing from within the wall, causing her to stop dead in her tracks. Draco noticed her standing taut while staring at the wall and before he could place his hand on her arm to catch her attention, she jolted into action.
"We need to follow it." She blurted out before she started running down the corridor in a seemingly random direction as the other houses started leaving the Great Hall as well. "W-Wait what?!" The gang blurted out from her sudden behavior as they staggered out of their daze to follow after her. "Diana, wait up!" They called after her as they ran to meet up with her in the hallway that was only lit with the torches hanging on the wall. "Kill...Kill them all..." Diana heard the voice hiss out the same words as the first time as it seemed to be moving away. "Hurry up!" Diana yelled back towards the other as she tried to catch up. Their footsteps echoed in the high ceilings as they rounded several corners.
Diana found herself rounding another corner when she suddenly jolted to a stop, almost causing the gang to run straight into her. "What the hell, Diana," Theo grumbled as they struggled to catch their breath. "Why the hell did...you..." He wavered off as the gang looked up at the wall that Diana was also staring up at where words were scrawled in what looks like blood. 'The Chamber of Secrets has been open. Enemies of the heir, beware.' "What the hell- is that Mrs. Norris?" Hermione asked, her eyes furrowed as she looked at something off in the distance. The gang turned to look at what she was referring to. At first, they couldn't tell what it was that hanging off one of the lit torches, but they finally realized it was Filch's cat. The gang's face turned slightly pale at the sight.
The grotesquely scrawled words filled her mind as she tried to figure out what was happening and she couldn't hear the thundering sound of many sets of feet coming towards them. Loud gasps could be heard at the students arrived at the scene, staring in horror at how dead Mrs. Norris looked. "Moving through, moving through." Filch's voice could be heard as the old man made his way through the sea of students until he came to the front. His face turned extremely pale the moment his beady eyes saw his beloved cat hanging from the lit torch. "Mrs. Norris..." He looked completely devasted before he turned his attention to the gang, pointing a shaking finger at them. "What have you done to her! You set her righ this instant! I'll make sure you will pay for this! Mark my-"
"Mr. Filch." Dumbledore's voice cut off the elderly caretaker as he, Professor McGonagall, and Snape stepped through the sea of students. "Please calm yourself. We will do our best to help Mrs. Norris." He said with a grandfatherly look. He then turned his attention back to the surveying students and made a sweeping motion with his hand. "I suggest you all head to the Great Hall. Prefects?" There was mumbling as the students were slowly lead away by their house prefects. Diana and the gang turned around to leave with their house when the old man stopped them. "Wait, Miss Ivanov. I still have questions for you and your friends."
*~*~*~*:*~*~*~*
"Could you be you kind as you explain why you and your friends were at the scene of the crime?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward in his chair, his blue eyes staring at them from across his desk. Diana placed on an confused face. "I am not sure what to tell you, Professor. We were walking from the Great Hall after the feast and we walking into the scene." The gang nodded, all sporting depressed looks on their faces. Dumbledore didn't seem to buy that explaination. "Miss. Ivanov, your fellow peers have seen you and your friends running away from the Great Hall. If you have witness something, I suggest you tell me now." He said, his blue eyes turning steely.
Diand suddenly shot up from her seat, causing the chair to scrape against the floor as it was pushed back, her eyes blazing. "I don't like what you are implying, Professor. I don't have any answers for you and I suggest you not question my friends either." Snape cleared his throat as he moved to stand next to his students, placing his hand on Diana's shoulder as he looked down at the old man from over his nose. "Miss Ivanov is correct, Albus. My students have had an tiring ordeal. May I suggest you conven this inquiry tomorrow?" Dumbledore clearly looked like he wanted to object and question them further but thought better of it especially since McGonagall was in the room with them.
"Very well." He made a gesture for them to leave. The group was silent as they made their wayto the Great Hall, their footsteps echoed loudly in the empty corridors. "What's going on, Severus?" Diana asked as she looked over at the potion master. Severus had a deep frown on his face. "I am not sure. I will sent him a letter tonight. I get the first patrol tonight so I should be able to disappear for a few minutes undetected." The gang nodded and they stepped into the Great Hall to see the students had already gotten into sleeping bags but neither seemed to ready to fall asleep just yet. "I suggest you all go to sleep. It is going to be a long night." Severus said.
The gang nodded and walked over to the diminished pile of sleeping bag and they each grabbed one. They gathered into a corner to lay their sleeping bags down and crawled in as the prefects yelled that it was lights out. "Diana, as-tu ouvert la Chambre des Secrets?" (F) (Diana, did you open the Chamber of Secrets?) Theo asked in a hushed voice which Daphne jabbed her elbow at his side. "Bien sûr, elle ne le ferait pas. Elle avait été avec nous tout le temps. Il n'y aurait pas assez de temps de toute façon." (F) (Of course she wouldn't. She had been with us the entire time. There wouldn't be enough time anyway.) Diana was silent as she stared up at the ceiling while the others talked to each other, millions of thoughts raced through her mind. What the hell is going on? She thought as she felt a head ache forming.