Chapter 33 is here... Enjoy!
*** {A few months back} ***
"Here is the list... Once he's awake, he'll need them, once every half an hour for 2-3 hours till he feels himself. Monitor him for the first 12 hours closely and if there's anything that is abnormal, call me immediately," said Kristin. {Icelandic}
"Yes Doctor," replied the nurse. {Icelandic}
...
It had been close to a dozen hours when John's consciousness returned. He opened his eyes faintly but closed almost immediately for the light was way too strong. He tried opening his eyes again, this time slowly. The eyes were extremely sensitive to light but he managed to keep them open and after a few seconds, they got adjusted to the surroundings. He looked around the room, there was a window, a few shelves, a couple of empty chairs. He himself was lying on a bed. After a few seconds, he tried to get up, but the moment he tried, his head hurt. The pain was so piercing and focused that he fell back clutching his head. The sound of him falling back on the mattress alerted the nurses. They came into the room and the only thing John could make out were faint sounds of their conversation. Within a few seconds, he fell unconscious.
...
"John... can you hear my voice?" asked Kristin. {English}
John blinked his eyes slowly. The last thing he remembered was waking up, but couldn't remember much of what actually happened. He clutched his head with his right hand, faintly remembering some pain he felt earlier. It didn't hurt now though.
"Doc... tor," said John in a sore voice. {English}
"It's okay... you will feel like this for a few hours. Don't strain yourself," {English}
"What happened?" he asked. {English}
"We have completed the tests and I have the preliminary reports with me. By the time you're back on your feet, I'll have the full report. Until then, take rest, your body needs it," replied Kristin. {English}
John nodded slowly and closed his eyes.
...
John was walking briskly through the corridors of the healing facility. He was almost about to open the doors to Dr Kristin's office when he saw the door open and out came Remus.
"Good Morning, Remus," greeted John. {English}
"Good Morning, John... had a good sleep?" greeted back Remus with a genuine smile. {English}
"Hardly," replied John. "I had enough rest in the day... I just lay awake most of the night," he added. {English}
"Well... I got to go, see you later," said Remus, patted John on the back and left. {English}
John walked in and was greeted with a smile by Kristin, though not as prominent as it usually was.
"Good Morning, Doctor," greeted John. {Icelandic}
"Kristin... you have been here for almost a week and you still call me Doctor," replied Kristin, smiling wider than before. {Icelandic}
"You are my Doctor," responded John, smiling. {Icelandic}
"So, how are you feeling?" asked Kristin. {Icelandic}
"Full of oxytocin," replied John blushing. And Kristin blushed in return. {Icelandic}
"Glad to know I'm not the only one," she replied blushing. "But seriously, how are you feeling?" she asked, this time a little more seriously. {Icelandic}
"Good... I feel normal. I should, right?" replied John. {Icelandic}
"Yes, yes... everything is supposed to be normal. We have only done the tests yet and they don't have any residual effect," replied Kristin. {English}
"So, what are the results like? I am doing good, aren't I?" asked John optimistically. {English}
"I would prefer not to beat around the bush. John... I can't stress enough, how lucky you are. Had you not visited me, or any other healer, your mind would have collapsed and your body would have crumbled under its own weight," replied Kristin coldly. John's smile had vanished and was now replaced by a serious look. He nodded at her words and she continued, "as it stands, I'm unfortunately unable to provide you with more than two options. You can either remain as you are now, an adult. We will stabilise the magic in you, you will be considerably weaker than you were, but you will live. The second option is, we will help you transform back into your youthful self. Your capabilities as a wizard are hard to judge, but it'll definitely not be as it is now. And the transformation will have to be a permanent one. There could be some side-effects, though we can't be sure what their intensity will be like," she added. John sat there like a brick wall. "If you ask for my professional opinion, I'd suggest you take the first option. Nothing could possibly justify you transforming back," she added further. {English}
"I... uh... I would like some time to think..." replied John, he was shaken. {English}
"Think it through, we will talk tomorrow," replied Kristin coldly {Icelandic}. With that, John walked out of Kristin's office.
The moment he left, Kristin took a few deep breaths to stop herself from getting emotional, she hated doing what she just did.
*** {Back to present} ***
The school was buzzing with what happened at the great hall that morning. There was a sense of relief with large sections of students. Meanwhile, rumour mills had already started their work.
"Hermione... I can't believe this... But it makes sense now, you were the first person he attacked," said Lavender as Parvati nodded beside her. As much as their intention was to console, it only triggered Hermione even more.
"John didn't do it," she snapped.
"Hermione... come on, I know how hard this is. Even we can't believe this. The only reason you are still alive is that you were friends with Harry Potter and you, Harry and Ron were always together. If he had even one moment alone with you, you wouldn't be here talking to us," said Parvati. Hermione left the common room immediately. Harry and Ron, who had both been having similar conversations, followed her.
"Ron... I need to tell you something," said Ginny, who walked up to the boys from the opposite side.
"Uh... what?" asked Ron as the boys stopped for a moment.
"Ginny, can this wait?" asked Harry.
"Ginny... it's nothing Ron, you can go," said Percy who rushed to the scene. Harry left immediately and Ron followed after hesitating for a moment.
"Hermione... wait up," called out Harry. Hermione stopped walking but didn't turn around.
"Where are you going?" asked Harry as they caught up with her.
"I don't know... I just need to be alone, I have had enough of people telling me that John did it," snapped Hermione. Her eyes were glistening and she was nearly in tears.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand how you 2 are so confident he didn't do it," interjected Ron.
"Ron... stop it, will you? Please?" replied Harry, almost pleading.
"Mate, trust me... I don't want it to be him. But why on Merlin's name did he have the cloak with him? And he has been acting pretty weird throughout the year. He even attacked Hermione earlier this year," said Ron.
"You have apologised like a thousand times to me. Till this morning, you thought it was your stupid wand that backfired. And now, suddenly... it was John who attacked me? Make up your mind Weasley," snapped Hermione.
"Hermione... please, will you please calm down? And Ron, come on mate... really? You don't actually think John had anything to do with this?" said Harry, trying to hold everything together. "Let's go to the lake... it's one place where no one will bother us," he added and glanced at Ron and Hermione hopefully. Neither offered any resistance and the trio made their way to John's favourite spot in the castle.
"Whoever stole your cloak, must have planted it in John's trunk. They must have known that they'll get caught soon and hid it in John's trunk to divert the attention," said Hermione.
"I don't think anyone stole my cloak. I think it was John who took it," said Harry faintly. Even Ron was surprised by that confession.
"Harry... not you too?" asked Hermione, hurt by what she had just heard.
"I saw his face the moment that woman accused him of stealing. I don't know... I just got the feeling he was guilty. Plus, think about it... Only 4 of us knew about the cloak. He was in our house, so he could have taken it anytime he wanted. And the biggest reason? Professor McGonagall didn't know my cloak was stolen. Why weren't any of the Professors told? Also, when I found out that my cloak was stolen, he didn't even react alarmed. Because he knew it was him who took it," replied Harry.
"Think of all the times he has helped us... come on, Harry! You can't actually think John's behind this," pleaded Hermione.
"Wait.. hold on... why would he tell the Professors that your cloak's missing?" asked Ron. Hermione glanced at Harry.
"Well... his Aunt is a Professor, you know? So, I just... I thought, he'd have told her and hence all Professors," mumbled Harry in response. And quickly diverted the conversation back to Hermione. "Hermione... I don't think he's behind the attacks... I just think he took my cloak. What for? I don't know... but he was the one who took it," he added.
"What is going on here?" asked Professor McGonagall as she interrupted Emily, John and the ministry officials with them.
"Headmaster, we have reason to believe that Mr Smith is the perpetrator behind the attacks on muggle-born students in this school," replied Emily without stopping. John was being dragged along.
"Mrs Davies, if you are going to arrest or interrogate any of my students, you need to tell me before doing so, not after," replied Professor McGonagall strongly.
"You may be the headmaster of this school, but this investigation takes precedence over your position. And this time, none of your professors are going to be a part of my interrogation," snapped Emily and left Professor McGonagall behind.
Emily took John to her office and gestured to the other ministry officials to leave them alone. The moment they left, she spoke up.
"Mr Smith, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?" she asked. She was sitting opposite John, perfect to intimidate. The room was dimly lit, it was definitely designed to be an eerie experience.
"You have got the wrong guy," replied John, looking around.
"Have I?" retorted Emily and John nodded. "So, who's the right guy, Mr Smith?" she asked.
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be here," replied John.
"Okay... tell me something, why do you have Mr Potter's invisibility cloak?" asked Emily.
John wasn't quite sure how to respond to that question. He was starting to realize that lying may not get him anywhere, but at the same time, the whole truth was definitely not something he could confess to a stranger, especially one appointed by Lucius Malfoy.
"Having Harry's cloak with me doesn't make me the person behind the attacks," he replied.
"Mr Smith... John, you can see where I am coming from, right?" she asked with a smile. "You confessed to attacking Miss Hermione Granger earlier this year. You disappeared for more than 6 weeks and the day you came back was the day Mr Filch's cat was attacked. Nobody has seen the attacker... well, nobody conscious anyway. And from what I have been hearing from your friends, you have been acting differently all year. When we found out that Mr Potter's cloak was stolen, it only made sense to us that the attacker was using it to get by without being seen," she added confidently, staring up and down at John throughout.
"Who are these people who told you that I have been acting differently all year?" asked John instantly. He knew that it couldn't be Harry, Hermione or Ron.
"I'm the one asking the questions here, Mr Smith... and it is about time you start answering," she replied coldly.
"I didn't disappear for 6 weeks. I was suspended," replied John.
"Yes you were... remind me, why was that?" she asked.
"It was for disciplinary reasons," replied John. "There was a confrontation, and my spell hit Hermione and injured her," he added.
"So, you admit that it was your spell that injured her?" she asked. John understood what was going on. Because of his stupidity, he had dug himself a hole and Emily Davies, the official sitting in front of him was making sure John got buried properly.
"Yes, I do," replied John, annoyed.
"So, where were you the night of the first attack, the day the message was delivered and Mr Filch's cat attacked?" she asked.
Jane was going absolutely ballistic at Professor McGonagall. She couldn't believe her ears when she heard that Mrs Davies, the ministry official had arrested John, suspecting him for the attacks. The moment she found out, she rushed to McGonagall's office.
"Professor? This is ridiculous," were the first words that came out of her mouth.
"Jane, calm down," replied McGonagall.
"Calm down? I'm sorry? Calm down? How can I calm down when that b... when that woman arrested my brother for something he had absolutely nothing to do with," snapped Jane.
"Miss Jane, mind your language... I may not be Albus, but you will speak to me with respect," retorted McGonagall.
"Sorry Professor," replied Jane faintly. "But why did she arrest him in the first place?" she asked.
"Mrs Davies found Mr Potter's invisibility cloak in John's trunk," replied McGonagall.
"What?" gasped Jane.
"Yes"
"But how did it get there? John didn't take it," replied Jane.
"Mrs Davies asked for my consent late yesterday to search all the house dormitories for the cloak. She believed that the person who had the cloak with him or her was behind the attacks," replied McGonagall.
"She had to have planted it," said Jane faintly.
"And why would she do that?" retorted McGonagall. Jane didn't have a response for that. The only thing she knew was that John was innocent. And at that moment, for the first time in a while, she had no idea what to do.
"I need to see him," replied Jane.
"Mrs Davies was adamant that she wouldn't allow anyone into her interrogation," replied McGonagall.
"She can't do that... John is supposed to be a 2nd-year student, aren't there rules against that sort of thing? Surely a guardian has to be present," retorted Jane.
"But he isn't, is he?"
"She doesn't know that," replied Jane.
"You can very well try," replied McGonagall and with that Jane left the headmaster's office.
"I returned to the castle on Halloween night," replied John.
"But you weren't at the feast, right?" asked Emily.
"No, I arrived late and went straight to the dormitory," replied John.
"So, no one saw you going directly to your dormitory?" she prodded.
"No," he replied.
Emily started writing down something and after a few minutes of silence, she continued again.
"So, John, tell me about your parents," she said.
"What?" asked John confused by the sudden change in the line of questioning.
"Your parents, Mr Smith, tell me about them," she replied.
"Why?" asked John.
"I'm just making conversation," she replied smiling.
"They're dead," replied John unphased.
"How?" she asked.
"How is this relevant?" retorted John.
"I would advise you to just answer the questions... you are in no position to make demands," she snapped.
"It was an accident," replied John.
"Were they both wizards?" she asked.
"Yes," he lied.
"Oh... so, you grew up in the wizarding community?" she continued prodding.
"You could say that," he replied.
"So, you know about the International Statute of Secrecy?" she asked. And John finally understood the point of this line of questioning. He knew what was coming next and it was Daisy.
"I'm aware," he replied confidently.
"And you are aware of the punishment to wizards who break the law?" she asked.
"I'm well aware," he replied.
"So, why would you help your friend in breaking the law?" she asked. She knew she had him.
"I don't understand what you mean?" he asked innocently.
"Mr Smith, when I asked Mr Potter about his friend, a muggle named Daisy Williams, he all but revealed that he told her about us, the magical community. And he also told me that it was your idea," she replied.
"He did not say that," retorted John instantly.
"No he didn't, but you admit that it was your idea?" she asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about. What Harry does in his personal life is his business. I don't interfere with that," replied John.
"What are the names of your parents, Mr Smith?" asked Emily.
John was losing his patience and with that his resistance. There was something definitely off about Emily Davies.
"I don't know," replied John boldly. He had mentally prepared himself to go down this route, come what may and he was going to go through with it.
"You don't know?" she asked surprised.
"No, I don't... they died when I was young," he replied.
"So, who did you grow up with?" she asked.
"My Aunt," he replied.
"Your Aunt? That would be Miss Jane Smith I presume?" she asked.
"Yes"
"She never told you your parents' names? That seems strange... and you never asked?" she continued prodding.
"No, I didn't... I just took a new name, after my Aunt," he replied.
"So, John Smith isn't your real name?" she asked.
"It is now," he replied.
"Your parents are dead, your Aunt is a Professor here... So, when you were suspended, where did you go?" asked Emily. She had already completed writing front and back on the piece of parchment she had.
"I went home obviously," he replied.
"All alone?" she asked.
John was confused again by the line of questioning. Ever since she had deviated, Emily was prodding John in all but the direction he thought she would. First his parents, then Daisy and now back to his personal life.
"Yes"
"You don't have a guardian at home?" she asked.
"No, I don't," he replied.
"Interesting..." she remarked.
"What's interesting?" he asked.
"Nothing"
After a few minutes of writing, she continued.
"So, what did you do all that time?" she asked.
"Nothing significant," he replied.
"But, that's not true, is it?" she asked smirking.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Do you know a Dr Kristin Magnusson?" she asked. John was stunned the moment he heard Kristin's name.
"Yes, I do," he replied tentatively.
"And yet when I asked what you did during your suspension, you lied," she replied satisfied with herself, having caught John in a lie.
"I didn't lie... What I said was true... nothing significant happened," he replied.
"You wouldn't call getting treated a thousand miles away from home significant? What was it that you were suffering from?" she asked.
"I had issues controlling my magic. And that's why I went to Iceland," he replied.
"Issues controlling magic? That's a stretch, isn't it? You're a 12... beg your pardon, 13-year-old kid, after all," she replied.
"And is this how the ministry treats a 13-year-old kid? By interrogating them without anybody's presence," he retorted.
"We'll get to that part eventually, we still have a long way to go," she replied with a cunning smile. And at that instant, the doors to the office were pushed open wide and in came Jane Smith.
*** {Back to the past} ***
"What would you do if you were in my position?" asked John with a defeated look.
"This is not the end of the world, John... From what you've told me about yourself and your sister, I can confidently tell you that this is just another challenge for you. And you will overcome this as well," replied Remus calmly.
"Dr Kristin told me that I'll be weak. My powers will be greatly reduced. How am I supposed to just live with that?" he asked.
"Do you know how I was when I was bit by the werewolf?" asked Remus.
"No"
"The only reason I'm here right now is because of the wonderful friends I had. Lily, James, Peter, were all there for me when I was at my weakest. You have your friends, your sister there for you. They will help you through," replied Remus reassuringly.
"What about Padfoot? Where is he now, anyway?" asked John, surprised at the fact that Remus had failed to mention Sirius' name.
"Sirius? Don't mention his name... That traitor" sighed Remus angrily.
"That traitor? What are you talking about?" asked John shocked.
"You don't know? He's in Azkaban... he is the reason James and Lily are dead. He is the reason for everything. He was working for You-Know-Who and betrayed us all by revealing James and Lily's location," replied Remus, reliving those memories for an instant.
"No... there's no way... Sirius did not betray them," replied John.
"You don't know... He was their secret keeper, they trusted him with their lives and he betrayed them. He later killed Peter along with a bunch of muggles... He was finally caught and has been incarcerated at Azkaban ever since," replied Remus.
"Remus... I don't know what went on back then... but I can assure you, Sirius did not betray Lily and James. We need to get him out of Azkaban immediately," replied John confidently.
*** {Back to present} ***
"Hermione, what are you doing? We can't avoid them all forever by locking ourselves up in the library," said Harry.
"I'm not avoiding our friends... well, I'm not going to call those vultures our friends... but I'm not avoiding them. I'm reading up on something John said before he was taken away," replied Hermione.
"What did he say?" asked Harry trying to remember the incident from the morning.
"When I told him about my conversation with Myrtle, just before the ministry officials took him away, he said the word, Basilisk. But before he could go on, they took him away," replied Hermione getting her focus back to the book she was reading.
"What's a basilisk?" asked Harry.
Hermione began reading a paragraph from the book loudly, "Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach a gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it."
Harry was listening closely to what was being read to him.
"So, there you go... That's what a Basilisk is... I wonder why John thinks that the Slytherin monster is a Basilisk," said Hermione as she closed the book. Harry remained silent for a few moments, and then it struck him.
"Hermione... Hagrid told us before Halloween about how his roosters were dead. What if the person behind the attacks killed the roosters to protect the monster from it?" replied Harry excitedly.
"That's it... Now we know what the Slytherin monster is, how do we find out where it hides? And how is a large snake roaming the castle without being noticed?" remarked Hermione.
"Miss Jane... I was expecting you," said Emily with a bland smile the moment the doors opened and Jane's raging face became visible.
"It's Professor Jane," retorted Jane and walked towards the desk and sat down beside John.
Emily pulled out her wand muttered something under her breath and swished it around the room. Jane recognized its effects immediately. It was a popular spell used by people who didn't want anybody to overhear any conversation.
"What's the meaning of this? You can't hold a 13-year-old kid," said Jane and looked at John and continued without pausing, "without the presence of his guardian," she added.
"What I can and cannot do is dictated by the situation that is presented to me. You do not have any authority to question my acts," snapped Emily. "Especially since you are under investigation too," she added.
Jane gave a chuckle and replied, "Oh... even I am under investigation, am I? What for?"
Emily took out 3 photos from her bag and sprayed them out on the surface of the desk. "Do you recognize these 3 gentlemen?" she asked. Jane gave a cursory glance at the photos and immediately recognized them as the death eaters who attacked her and Daisy about a year back.
"I don't think I do," replied Jane calmly, though internally her heartbeat was racing.
"Who are you 2? There is proof available for this kid to have used the unforgivable killing curse against a wizard. He has already admitted to having stolen the invisibility cloak and is the prime suspect behind the attacks associated with the Chamber of Secrets. And you are under investigation for killing these 3 wizards. Under investigation is just the official term. But we both know that you did it. And you know what's the most interesting part? There's hardly any information on who you 2 are. The house you call home was uninhabited up until a few years back. There are no records of you ever attending Hogwarts or any other magical school for that matter. Nobody in the magical community seems to know who Jane Smith is. It's almost as if you never existed and randomly appeared out of thin air."
John and Jane glanced at each other a couple of times throughout Emily's monologue. They were stunned at these revelations. And they were even more stunned by the fact that the real investigation the woman in front of them was conducting was a murder investigation and not the attacks at Hogwarts. They both knew that anything they said could come back to haunt them.
"Nothing to add?" taunted Emily. "This is the longest you've been silent for," she added looking at John.
"The school is relying on you to find the perpetrator behind the attacks," said John.
"And you want me to believe that you aren't the perpetrator?" asked Emily.
"Yes"
"Mr Smith... tell me something... Wasn't your wand confiscated? Then how come you were found in possession of this wand? And who does it belong to?" she asked handing John the second wand he possessed.
"This is not my wand. I just happen to have it," replied John.
"Not your wand... I see... So, whose is it?" she asked. John didn't know how to answer that question. Revealing the person it belonged to would only result in... well he didn't want to think of the consequences.
"This wand belongs to a friend of mine," said Jane.
"And what is it doing with your nephew?" asked Emily.
"It's an irrelevant question... It is our business what we do with the wand" replied Jane.
"I know I can't nail you for the things you have done... yet. But carrying an undisclosed secondary wand when you are suspended from using any will get you in trouble. This incident will be reported to your headmaster," replied Emily.
"Will that be all?" asked Jane. Emily nodded and with the twins left the office.
They had walked a few steps outside when Jane put an arm around John and asked, "what are you doing John?"
"I can explain," replied John, guilt written all over his face.
"We both have some explaining to do... We have to go to McGonagall's office right away," she replied. But they didn't have to go that far as they were met on the way by Professor McGonagall.
"Professor..." said John.
"Mr Smith... you are back? That's a relief... Where are you two headed?" she asked.
"To meet you," replied Jane.
"It's extremely late now... and I don't think you would have had anything to eat since the morning. Go back to your dormitory. I'll ask the house elves to send you some food. Whatever it is, can be discussed tomorrow," replied McGonagall. And with that John headed back to the Gryffindor common room and Jane headed towards her chamber. When John reached the common room, it was empty. Everyone had gone to sleep, it seemed.
The following morning, the moment John woke up, he knew it was going to be a long day. He had barely been awake a few minutes when he saw Harry wake up. And soon thereafter, Harry woke Ron up having seen John. They barely spoke a word to each other. They quietly made their way to the great hall. And then finally, Ron spoke up.
"Did you steal the cloak?" he asked bluntly.
"Ron... I wouldn't call it stealing. I borrowed it," replied John.
"You don't get to be cheeky after what you've done," snapped Ron. And John went silent.
"Why though?" asked Harry. "All you needed to do was ask, and I would have given it to you myself," he added.
John did feel stupid about the whole thing. It was Halloween night, the night he came back to Hogwarts when he had taken the cloak from Harry's cloak. At the time, it seemed like a better idea to keep whatever he was doing a secret. In hindsight, he realized that he could have done things so very differently. Before he could reply, they heard the running footsteps and the next instant, they were accompanied by Hermione.
"John... you're back... when did you come back? How are you? What happened yesterday?" she asked rapidly.
"I was back late last night," replied John.
"You didn't take the cloak, did you? I knew you were framed," replied Hermione excitedly.
"He stole the cloak, Hermione. He just admitted it," snapped Ron.
"What?" gasped Hermione and John nodded.
"And he has yet to reply why he did that," added Ron.
John hesitated to reveal the truth. He had taken the cloak to monitor Ginny's activities undetected. And revealing this would mean that he would also need to reveal why he needed to monitor Ginny. And this would lead to an endless pit of questions that went deeper and deeper. And hence John resisted the urge to reply and remained silent.
The lack of response from John infuriated Ron, but he remained silent. Harry too felt uneasy at the lack of answers. He was disappointed at what had happened. Hermione on the other hand felt that John's actions would be justifiable. The rest of the breakfast was completed in silence.
John and Jane met with Professor McGonagall. John confessed to having taken the cloak and also told why he did what he did. The twins also informed McGonagall of the true nature of Emily Davies and the real reason why she was at Hogwarts. McGonagall was not happy about finding that out, but she knew that she could do very little. In a surprising turn of events, their conversation was concluded with McGonagall giving John back his wand.
"I'm getting my wand back? Why now?" asked John.
"We had always planned to return your wand back to you by the end of May. What happened with the cloak and Mrs Davies doesn't change that," replied Professor McGonagall.
"Thanks, Professor," replied John.
He went back to the common room, happy at finally getting his wand back. Later that evening, John was rearranging the contents of his trunk. In all the emotions and discussions that had happened in the previous 24-36 hours, John had completely forgotten the Riddle diary. He was randomly going through his trunk when he realized that the diary was missing. The moment he did, he rushed back to the common room. He couldn't find Harry or the others there. He dashed to the library and there he found the golden trio.
"Guys... Have you seen the diary?" he asked breathlessly.
"What?" retorted Ron.
"The diary, Ron... Tom Riddle's diary, where is it?" he asked.
"How are we supposed to know. We don't go around taking someone else's things," snapped Ron. John was hurt by the response. But he had no time to take pity on himself.
"Ron," exclaimed Hermione furiously.
"John... we don't know where the diary is. We haven't seen it since yesterday or the day before I guess," replied Harry.
"Harry... it's not in my trunk. And I don't remember the last time I saw it. That diary in someone's possession is a dangerous thing," replied John, panicking.
"Maybe Mrs Davies has it," replied Hermione.
"I don't know... she didn't ask me about it yesterday. She would have if she had the diary," replied John.
John seemed to be the only one panicking at the situation. Ron was indifferent, while both Harry and Hermione were distressed at the missing diary.
"Where is Ginny?" he asked, suddenly. A faint buzzing sound could be heard.
"Ginny? Why?" asked Ron, suspicious.
"I just want to know where she is," said John panicking even more.
"And I want to know why," retorted Ron, partially raging.
"I don't have time for this," sighed John and ran outside the library. The trio, who had been taken aback by what had just happened, rushed after him. Ron, who was particularly suspicious and curious caught up with John and pulled him back to a halt.
"Why are you looking for Ginny?" asked Ron, infuriated.
"Ron, we don't have time for these. We need to find Ginny," replied John and pulled his arm from Ron's grasp. But that only made it worse. Before anybody could say or do anything, there was a loud smack. Ron had taken a swing and caught John right in the chin.
"Ouch..." yelped John in pain. Ron pushed John back a few steps and flung himself at him. Harry however reacted quickly and pulled Ron back.
"Leave me alone, Harry. He has betrayed all of us, stolen from you and is now blaming my sister for the stupid diary's disappearance," exclaimed Ron.
"RON! Have you gone mental?" screamed Hermione and rushed towards John. John got up slowly, holding his chin. "John... are you hurt?" asked Hermione.
"Hermione... it's okay... I'm fine," said John weakly. "Ron... I'm not blaming Ginny. I think she is in trouble," he added. "Let's first find Ginny and then I'll tell you everything," said John and then ran towards the Gryffindor common room. But they were interrupted by an echoing voice of Professor McGonagall.
"All students back to their dormitories. And all teachers to the staff room," came the booming voice of McGonagall.
"What? Not another attack," exclaimed Harry. Ron glanced at John momentarily and the 4 of them dashed towards the voice. They had run a few steps when they overheard McGonagall talking to Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape.
"There is a fresh message below the previous one. Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever," said McGonagall.
"A student has been taken into the chamber?" gasped Flitwick.
"Who is it, Minerva?" asked Snape.
"Ginny Weasley," replied McGonagall and with that the 4 of them stood in silence, stunned. John dropped to his knees, distraught.
"No... Not Ginny," sighed Ron with a broken voice.
"Ron... we will get her back," said Harry, even though he didn't believe a word he said. He was in shock. He couldn't believe that the next victim would be a pureblood witch. It made no sense.
"Ron... I'm so sorry," said Hermione in tears and gave Ron a small hug. Ron's eyes fell on John and suddenly, all his fury came back to him.
"You," he exclaimed and dove at John. John was taken aback and fell back awkwardly. Ron was instantly on top of him. He grabbed John's neck and had taken a punching pose.
"Did you do this? Did you do this to my sister?" screamed Ron.
"Ron... no... Believe me, I didn't..." replied John struggling to get words out of his mouth. Hermione and Harry tried hard to pull Ron back but he shrugged them off easily.
"Ron... you're choking him," said Harry, alarmed.
"I have asked you this multiple times and I'll ask you this 1 final time... Why were you looking for Ginny?" asked Ron, unphased.
John had initially been worried about Ginny's impending fate. But the news of her being taken into the chamber had initiated a different thought process in him. There was a single conclusion that remained in his head that troubled him deeply.
"I think..." he said struggling to speak. "I think... she has the diary," he replied coughing.
PS - Chapter 34 will be out soon...