Disclaimer: I don't own HP, only Evan and Iris Potter. Happy birthday (albeit belated) to Harry and JKR! Apologies for not updating last week, I'm recovering from a bad episode of illness. Enjoy the coming chapter!

6-8-2023

Chapter Eleven

The Situation Worsens

The next few weeks made it seem as if the quintet had never been friends. Evan and Ron once again made up their twosome, while Aludra, Neville and Susan formed their own little group. The only difference to last year was the weekly letters Aludra exchanged with Iris, who she had grown to look on like her own little sister. Annoyingly, Aludra's granddad pushed incessantly for her to make up with Evan every time she went for tea. He finally fell silent about it when Aludra put her foot down and threatened to stop coming if he didn't leave her to sort out her relationships herself.

She didn't intend to be angry at Evan forever, after all. She'd felt the Dark Magic and knew that it had affected his judgement. She just wanted him to apologize and acknowledge he'd been wrong to keep the darn thing.

Unfortunately, Sirius' team had yet to find the diary. Though he'd claimed he would be going in order of year starting with the Seventh Years, in fact they ransacked the entire Gryffindor Tower during the following school day. He hadn't found it, though he apparently knew the year and gender due to the traces of Dark Magic left by the diary. The information was classified, but Aludra knew enough to be wary of the younger Gryffindor girls. Sirius suspected the student was carrying it around with them, but he needed permission from the Board of Governors to search the students personally, and they were stubbornly refusing despite his best efforts to persuade them.

Sirius was convinced that Lucius Malfoy, who'd bought a seat on the Board three years ago, was behind the refusal, much to his ire.

He was retaliating against the Malfoys' bank account, and Draco had subsequently lost his broomstick due to the need for extra funds to pay for their extravagant lifestyle. He retained his position on the team though, so Aludra didn't feel too badly for him.

In the midst of that battle between Aludra's father and the Board, the Easter holidays arrived, and with it the need for the second years to choose their electives for third to OWL, and possibly NEWT, level. They would be finishing compulsory Muggle Studies and Wixen Culture, though both were elective options if you wanted to continue to OWL level, and choosing two or three electives. It was a big decision that would affect their future careers and one that had almost everyone stressed. Aludra, however, had visited several classes for each of the electives while visiting her grandparents when younger, and she already knew her choices.

"Don't take Divination," she urged the other second years she spoke to on the subject. "The teacher's terrible. Constantly drunk and traumatizing students with dire fates. Not one of her so-called 'prophecies' have come true."

Hermione Granger was sulking and snapping at everyone constantly because Professor Flitwick had refused her permission to take all the subjects. For time tabling and health matters, you could take a maximum of three subjects. Not that you needed to take them all in order to take the OWL, or even the NEWT.

Aludra herself was taking Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures. Neville had chosen COMC and Muggle Studies on his father's suggestion, and Susan was doing Muggle Studies, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, ensuring two of them were in each class save Wixen Culture and Divination, which they considered useless. And of course, as Heirs, they were experts at Wixen Culture and would be perfectly capable of flying through the OWL exam. They'd all tutor one another, and ensure that they could all take all of the OWLs in fifth year.

Evan apparently took the easy way out of the decision and chose the same subjects as Ron, COMC and Divination, even though there wasn't a drop of Seer blood in either of their family lines. Knowing Evan's luck, he'd be the chosen victim destined to spend the next three years being terrorized by Professor Trelawney with predictions of imminent and painful death. Aludra was vindictive and upset enough with him that she thought it was a fitting punishment for him being so stupid.

Quidditch practice had grown extremely awkward, with none of the team understanding why the two second years had suddenly gone from best friends to being so upset with one another they didn't even look in each other's direction.

As the match against Hufflepuff grew closer, Oliver grew more determined that this year, his sixth and second-last year, Gryffindor House would finally get the Cup. In pursuit of said goal, he (tried to) implement nightly practices. Aludra, however, who was struggling to maintain her high grades and finish her assignments in time, turned to the Weasley twins for assistance, assistance they were glad to give. Making ample use of their prank products, the twins and Aludra ensured that they had practices four nights a week at most. Oliver tried to complain to Professor McGonagall about it, but, devoted as she was to the sport, she was still less than impressed at the thought of her students working themselves to collapse trying to juggle schoolwork and practice, especially when one of those students was her only grandchild.

The day of the match dawned clear and bright with just a hint of a breeze, enough to keep them cool while flying. It was perfect for a match, but it swiftly went wrong. Aludra was pinning her braid around her head like a crown, waiting for Oliver to begin his usual spiel, when the tent was ripped open and her grandmother entered, looking pale and tense.

"The match has been cancelled!" She announced bluntly, her Scottish burr thick from stress. "Everyone please follow me to the Common Room immediately."

"What?!" Oliver gasped in dismay. "Professor! You can't do this-!"

"Who was attacked?" Aludra interrupted him rudely, heart thudding in her chest. There must have been another attack. It was the only explanation.

Grandma Min looked solemn and let out a grim sigh. "Miss Penelope Clearwater and Miss Hermione Granger of Ravenclaw," she informed them softly, before going stern again. "They were found near the Library. Both Petrified, same as the rest. Thank Lady Magic they had a hand mirror with them." She sighed again then shook her head briskly and smoothed out her tartan skirt, turning stern again. "Now. Change quickly so I can take ye back ta tha Common Room. Ye're not to be goin' about without a teacher anymore, understood?"

"Yes Professor," they chorused in a subdued manner. Even Oliver didn't argue anymore, not after glancing worriedly at the team. Aludra knew that, no matter how devoted to Quidditch the older Gryffindor was, he did in fact prioritize his friends and teammates' health and safety over that. She glanced at Evan, seeing him looking at her with a guilty, worried expression.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her as they were hurried back to the Tower. "I should have listened to you and handed it to your dad. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I had."

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it quickly before releasing it so nobody saw the mildly inappropriate action. "You should have," she agreed with a sigh. "But there was a lot of Dark Magic on that book, probably aimed at making you want to keep it and write in it. It's not an excuse, but it is a reason." She was still upset, but she knew Evan. She knew he was struggling, with so many people accusing him of being the Heir, especially after Ernie's cruel words about Aimee had re-opened old wounds that never healed.

The fact was that Evan had blamed himself for Aimee's death since the day she died, and he'd never gotten over the mental trauma of their magical twin bond breaking. Then his parents had responded to their child's death by cossetting and protecting their remaining children, shielding them from consequences, protecting them from things as small as a parchmentcut, even while they told him he was destined to be a hero who would save the world when Voldemort came back.

The plain truth was that Evan was a young boy, grieving his sister who wanted to make her loss worth it, but he'd never really learned that his actions had consequences, and last June wasn't enough to change a lifetime of thinking. But looking at him now, and Aludra thought he really was growing up, and learning to think things through.

Besides, no twelve-year-old could resist the strong Dark Magic that had rolled off the diary in waves of horrific, mind altering, venom, and it was unfair of Aludra to expect otherwise. Even her father had gently pointed that out to her, she was just too stubborn to forgive her friend without an apology. Now she'd receive it, she would forgive him.

It was that simple.

They arrived back at the Tower and gathered the others in the boys' dormitory to discuss the situation. Aludra could tell that the others were pleased that herself and Evan had fixed their friendship, Ron a little less so than Neville and Susan.

"Maybe we should speak to Hagrid," Ron suggested. "I mean, if he was blamed last time, there must be a reason for it, right?"

"No, Ron," Evan was the one to sternly refuse. "We can't. The Aurors will have spoken to him already. We need to stay out of this. We'll only cause them more trouble."

Ron looked mutinous, but seeing the determination on the rest of the quintet's faces, reluctantly gave in to Evan's firm declaration.

The next morning, it was all over the school that Hagrid had been arrested by Minister Fudge and the Board of Governors had suspended the Headmaster.

"We're doomed," Neville predicted grimly when they learned this terrible piece of news. "Without Dumbledore here to protect us..." He trailed off and Aludra clenched her hands into fists, feeling the Black Heir Ring, which she had received from her father on her thirteenth birthday, as was customary, pulse with protective Family Magic as it sensed her fear. The Urquart Lady and Dumbledore Heir rings had much more basic protections on them, given neither family had Family Magic, something that belonged only to the Ancient and Noble families old enough for their magic to have gained a personality. As such, the rings did not react, even despite having combined into one when she put them all on her dainty finger.

The one consolation was that Hagrid hadn't been taken to Azkaban, only the holding cells in the Ministry. Apparently the Minister had been planning to do so initially, but Sirius had put his foot down and terrified the rather cowardly little man into forgetting that idea entirely. They had laws, after all, and it was highly illegal to send someone to Azkaban without a trial to determine their guilt.

If only Sirius could find the diary. All the victims were saveable so far, but Aludra knew in her gut that it wouldn't last. Sooner or later they'd be out of luck, and someone would suffer a worse fate than Petrification.

Aludra was right.

Less than a week after Dumbledore left the castle, Neville, Ron and Susan were finishing their homework at the library while Evan and Aludra were in the Common Room, quietly discussing the Chamber again (just because they weren't actively involving themselves in the investigation, didn't mean they couldn't try to figure things out mentally) when a revelation hit both Aludra and Evan at once. They stared at each other in shock for a moment before Aludra snapped into action.

"Evan, do you still have your Invisibility Cloak?" She demanded, too flustered and frantic to think of contacting her father on the Communication Mirror.

"Upstairs, I'll go grab it," he replied, rushing to his room before returning a moment later with the silvery fabric in hand. Aludra was finishing a quick letter to her father with what they'd figured out on it, just in case they were attacked on the way. She had a small pocket mirror with her, and they used it to check around corners to make sure it was safe as they scurried through the halls.

Thankfully, they arrived at Professor McGonagall's office without incident, where they found Sirius and his team (Remus-unofficially, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ethan Williamson and Aurelia Proudfoot) speaking in low voices with the Acting Headmistress.

"Daddy! Daddy, we know where the Chamber is!" Aludra exclaimed, ripping off the Cloak.

"Aludra Scarlet Black!" Sirius thundered in shocked anger. "Why aren't you in your Common Room?!"

"We figured out where the Chamber is!" Evan told them eagerly. "It's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom! All the victims were found on the same level, there's pipes for the Basilisk to get around, the writing is right across from it-"

"And there's a snake carved on one of the sinks," Aludra added pointedly. "I used it once and thought it was strange, but I never thought to mention it to you. And Myrtle, she must be the student who died fifty years ago!"

Sirius began to speak, but was cut off by Professor Sprout running into the office, weeping and clutching her wand tightly.

"Pomona?" Professor McGonagall guided the distraught witch to a seat. "What is it? What's happened?"

"It's happened at last," Professor Sprout sobbed. Aludra felt her excitement at discovering the Chamber's location pop like a muggle balloon and her heart fall to her stomach. She exchanged fearful looks with Evan, who looked sick. "A student- A student has been taken into the Chamber!"