The attack this time was triple as hard to process, why you ask? Because it was a triple attack, three people got petrified at the same time, Ginny and I stood next to Sarah's paralyzed body, her face was full of horror and her eyes were glassy, my heart contorted at the sight, I don't even remember ever seeing her frown once, she doesn't deserve this, not her, I just stood next to her bed my brain frozen in shock, Hermione was in the one next to her, Harry and Ron were also huddled around her bed, "I didn't even know she was a muggle born" said Ginny in a whisper as if talking to herself, she was actively shaking next to me, "of course you didn't" I whispered back, "don't start with me now please, Emma" said Ginny exasperated, "of course because you know it's your fault" I said without thinking, Ginny looked at me and I could swear I saw her face pale a little, "w-what do you mean by that" she said, her voice was shaking that I almost felt sorry for her, emphasis on almost, "the only reason she was there was because she went back to get you, we were headed to the quidditch stadium together, but of course you were sulking in your dorm like your always do and she had to go back because she wanted you to be there" I said all that with my voice rising rapidly I let the anger inside me take control again, something in me new it wasn't Ginny's fault, another part blamed me for letting her go back in the first place, I was devastated. "I'm not always sulking in my room, and it's not my fault that-" said Ginny raising her voice in turn, but I cut her off

"Yes you are, always writing in your stupid diary never talking to anyone"

"That's not true, stop blaming me for everything, you always do that"

"That's because you ruin everything"

"Stop," snapped Ron, we both turned on him, but on seeing the expression on his face looking at Hermione, we both shut up. We stood in silence for a few minutes until we heard someone enter the hospital wing, it was a tall woman with curly blond hair, she rushed to Sarah's side with Professor McGonagall just after her, I figured the woman was Sarah's older sister, Amber, Sarah had told before that she graduated Hogwarts last year and was working in the Ministry, she slipped her hand through her sister's frozen one, "I knew about the attacks and that's exactly was what I'm afraid off, oh god she was so excited to go to Hogwarts" she said tearing up, "I'm really sorry, miss Taylor, but you don't have to worry we're just waiting for the mandrakes to grow so we can make a potion and wake them all up, but right now you can't stay for long, it's not safe and I have to escort Potter and Weasly back to their house", Amber seemed upset, but held herself together, "I trust you, Professor, I just hope she didn't have to go through that" she said calmly and I couldn't help thinking how different she was from her sister.

Professor McGonagall escorted the four of us back to the Gryffindor tower, rolled out a parchment and began talking about the new rules, all about having to stay in our houses at all times and having professors escort us to our next classes, she ended her speech by saying how the school will be closed if the heir wasn't found, I couldn't believe that the first time I find someplace that actually feels like home, it's about to be closed, and the first time I actually have a friend, she gets paralyzed. Ginny stormed to her dorm once Professor McGonagall left, (no surprises there) and I just sat in the common room, trying to comprehend everything that's been happening, after the entire house finished discussing the matter, most of them went to the dorms, the common room emptied, and I just remained there, thinking about how I was not going to let the person who did that to Sarah get away with it when I noticed something weird, a feather that most likely fell from someone's quill, it was floating in the air, but it wasn't floating downwards, it was going horizontally like it forgot how gravity works like it was stuck to something moving or someone, it was heading towards the portrait, but before it could reach it, I pulled the cloak off of Harry and Ron, "what are you doing?" Snapped Harry, "what am I doing, what are you two doing?"

"That's none of your business, give me the cloak back"

"Not unless you take me with you," I said making up my mind,

"WHAT? No, you don't even know where we're going"

"No, but I know you guys know something about the attacks, and I want to help"

"You can't help"

"Why?"

"Because I said so, now give. Me. The. Cloak"

"No, I won't, not unless you take me"

"Just let her come, mate," said Ron exasperated, "no, she'll only slow us down" answered Harry.

"Listen, Scarface, this is the first time I ever had a real friend, and I'm not going to sit still after I just saw her get hurt, so you either going to take me with you or I'm going to report you to Professor McGonagall, don't test me, you know I'll do it," I said, not giving him a chance to retort, "FINE, get in" he said as he snatched the cloak from my hand and covered the three of us with it.

I followed the two of them to the Hogwarts grounds, I wanted to know where we were headed, but I knew I was on thin ice so I kept my mouth shut, finally, we arrived at Hagrid's hut, Ron knocked and Hagrid let us in, he seemed nervous like he was waiting for something, "it's nice to see you again, Emma" he said, smiling nervously at me, "well she's not supposed to be here" said Harry giving me a side glance, "anyway, Hagrid we wanted to ask you about something-" before Harry can ask him, the door knocked, we exchanged worried glances and quickly covered ourselves with the cloak and huddled in a corner, Hagrid opened the door and let Professor Dumbledore in following him was an old man that seemed a little familiar, Ron confirmed in a whisper that he's Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of magic, I don't know what was it about him but I didn't like him, he strode in along with Dumbledore, and started to explain to Hagrid that he's going to Azkaban, when I heard that I shrieked a little, Harry elbowed me hard which made me keep in another shriek and a curse, when Mr. Malfoy, also strode in Hagrid's hut which was getting crowded now, after obviously showing us how much of a aristocrat jerk he is, he got to the point of why he's there, "Dreadful thing, Dumbledore," said Malfoy lazily, taking out a long roll of parchment, "but the governors feel it's time for you to step aside" he said like it was nothing at all, my heart raced almost as fast as my mind did, how is getting rid of Dumbledore going to help the situation at all, how can anyone think that's a good Idea, both Hagrid and Fudge objected, but Dumbledore just went peacefully, I wished he wouldn't, I wished he would curse Malfoy, hide his body in a barrel and go peacefully back to Hogwarts, but alas, he just left and so did Hagrid, when everyone was out and we felt it was safe, we took off the cloak, "we're in trouble now" said Ron hoarsely, "are they stupid or something, if they get rid of Dumbledore there's no hope the school will be saved" I said nervously, "and what was Hagrid talking about with the spider? He was obviously talking to us, and what did you two want to ask him in the first place? and why would they take him to Azkaban? what did fudge mean? What did Hagrid do? Wh-"

"Stop, stop, you're spiralling," said Harry, "let's just go back to the castle now"

"No way, you're going to answer all my questions, right now," I said persistently, Harry sighed giving up and started telling me about the diary and Tom Riddle and the monster Hagrid had raised in the castle, " are you trying to tell me that Hagrid is the one that opened the chamber? No way the guy wouldn't hurt a fly"

"We know that, but we figured he didn't mean to, you know how he gets with magical creatures, especially dangerous ones," said Ron, "well, why did he tell us to follow the spiders?"

"We know as much as you do about that," said Harry, I sighed and put my head in my hands, "So what are we going to do?"

"I guess we just wait till we find the spiders and follow them," said Ron,

"And by we, Ron means the two of us, it might be dangerous and you're not included" said Harry putting the cloak on us and pulling me towards the door.

Throughout the next few weeks to follow, I couldn't get everything out of my head, I felt so bad for Hagrid, I couldn't believe that he was the reason for the attacks despite Professor Lockhart, insisting that he was the culprit and we should all relax now, I don't think anyone actually believed it, even the Slytherins who most of them despised Hagrid, but they couldn't accept that our cheerful Hogwarts keeper has the power to open the chamber and paralyze six students, a cat and a ghost. In our next transfiguration lesson, Professor McGonagall announced that we would be having our exams early, and the classroom erupted in objection, but Diaz and I just stared at each other in challenge, I must admit I was starting to get worried, I hadn't expected the exams to be earlier and ever since Sarah was petrified I was feeling extremely unmotivated, she used to help me with that because she wanted to see Diaz lose as much as I did, we had fun talking about how he's going to feel when I make him admit it, but now I just feemorere alone than ever, Ginny and I stopped talking at all, the only reason we ever talked was because of Sarah, and after our first recent fight at the hospital wing, we were totally avoiding each other. But what I couldn't stop thinking about is the name Tom Marvolo Riddle, for some reason when Harry told me about the diary it all rang a bell, it felt like I'd read that name somewhere, but I couldn't quite place it, it kept bugging me so much that I started looking in all the books I got from the library since the beginning of the school year, but I couldn't find it.

Somehow everyone was starting to feel easy again with the lack of attacks and the Mandrakes just about to be ready, everyone just focused on studying as the exams were way closer than we expected, than afternoon I was buried in my books which provided the perfect distraction for me so not to leave me to my mind when Harry and Ron burst into the common room looking paler than I've ever seen them before, Ron rushed to Fred, George and Percy while Harry stayed back, "Hey, Harry, what happened, is it something to do with the spiders?" I asked urgently, "They're going to close the school tomorrow" he said quietly, "What, why?" I said confused

"The heir... He took Ginny"