Chapter 157

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23/5/93

Dear Spencer

Everyone is still freaking out in fear of another attack though there hasn't been one since Hermione and the prefect were petrified. The professors are still walking us between classes, to the library after class and we're supposed to stay in our common rooms after dinner. It's not exactly working because we can't all work in the library at once and we certainly can't get much done in the common room when everybody is in there. Almost everyone has also started freaking out about exams. It seems they all thought exams would be cancelled with everything going on but honestly only four people, a cat and a ghost were attacked. They say that they will all be completely fine once the potion is made and in the meantime classes were going ahead like normal so how would they figure we wouldn't have exams like normal too? There wouldn't be any point to not closing the school early so it could be thoroughly searched and rewarded if we weren't going to finish the year with the normal end of year assessments. Rest assured that I'm not one of the people freaking out. Even with Hermione petrified I wouldn't get top of the class in everything but I know all the spells and if I started trying my best I'd probably make top five even now.

Ginny's been behaving really oddly. She doesn't seem to be crushing on me anymore which is great but I don't think she is well. She tried to tell us something at breakfast but her older brother Percy ran her off. He seemed to think it was something about him, but I don't think that it was. He's a self-important, self-centred arse. She doesn't seem to pay him much attention. I'm worried that something is really wrong with her. Remember that I thought last term that she was homesick, but she seems to be getting worse. It could just be homesickness since she didn't get to go home at Christmas or Ostarra which I think is a really cruel thing to do to a first year. I was surprised when they did it to Ron last year though he didn't seem to mind overly, and I think he was secretly pleased this year when they did it to Ginny too, which is kind of mean but I get where he's coming from, all his stuff was handed down but Ginny had a complete new uniform, or at least if not new then never worn by one of his siblings and in a lot better condition than any of Ron's stuff last year, and bought specifically to fit her, though her books are in even worse condition since Ron used them for a year as well as his brothers and he doesn't treat books well. I think that Ginny was disappointed that Hermione and I didn't offer her the use of our first year books, Hermione couldn't bear to part with hers and I'd already sent most of mine to you. You'd think that the money would be better spent on things for the Burrow and clothes and stuff than an expensive Christmas holiday for the two of them. At least they don't seem to be playing favourites with their children coming home for holidays though Ron tells me that Bill, Charlie, Percy and the Twins always used to be home for Yule or Christmas, I suppose they didn't have anyone to visit back then. I don't go home because my relatives hate me but Mr and Mrs Weasley seemed to like their children, at least while I was there and next to nobody else stayed at school over Christmas and only a few of the younger years stayed at Ostarra. I only hope we don't come to regret not being able to listen to what Ginny wanted when she was ready to say something. I've got a strange feeling that it might have been important. I've been trying not to pay her too much attention and encourage her crush all year so I can't say when she started acting weird and Ron doesn't know even though she is his sister. Percy marched her down to see Madam Pomfrey the other day but she just gave her a Pepper-up potion which cures a cold and makes steam come out your ears, she didn't keep Ginny overnight so it's not something medically wrong. The potion didn't seem to help at all. The twins seem to think that playing pranks on her will cheer her up. Maybe it will remind her of happier times when they were all home but other than that I would have thought picking on her like that would just make things worse. It certainly doesn't appear to be helping.

We visited Hermione today. It seems beyond stupid that we haven't been allowed to visit all this time because they said time isn't passing for her so there's no chance she would know whether we visited or not, and now that the mandrakes are ready for harvesting and the potion will be ready tonight they let us in to see her today when it didn't really matter. Hermione had a piece of paper in her hand, a page torn out of a library book if you can believe it. It was information about a Basilisk, king of the serpents, a giant snake that can kill with it's eyes and can live over 1,000 years. It's not a naturally occurring snake, it's made from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad, though why someone would ever think to do that or how you get a snake from a chicken egg and a toad is beyond me. But it does explain the spiders all leaving the book said spiders are afraid of the basilisk and that the basilisk can be killed by the crowing of the rooster. Hermione must have been really convinced that this is the monster to have ripped a library book. She'd written the word PIPES on the bottom and I think she thinks that's how it's been getting around the school unseen but would the plumbing be big enough for a giant snake or were there tunnels built into the walls specifically for it to move around. But if it's gaze kills people then why would Hermione think that that's what has been petrifying people. It hasn't killed anyone this time, and I don't know that there was proof that it was the monster in the chamber that killed someone last time.

I hadn't thought about the nicknames of the ghosts or some of the portraits, that's just what we were told their names were on the first night in the castle and it became normal. I know that Nearly-Headless-Nick prefers to be called Sir Nicholas which is his actual name, he finds being nearly headless a source of frustration and disappointment since he cannot join the headless hunt because of it so calling him nearly headless is actually cruel and reminding him of his greatest disappointment and I don't call him that to his face but I'm ashamed to say I never broadened that thought to the other ghosts. I asked the Fat lady (the portrait who guards the door to the Gryffindor common room and dorms) her name and she refused to tell me, so I guess she prefers to be known as the fat lady. Her name must be something truly horrible or embarrassing to prefer that, or she's famous for something she doesn't want us to ask about. I will ask Myrtle what she would like to be called when I see her and the other ghosts too though I think the Fat Friar likes his name, and I doubt the Bloody Baron would talk to a Gryffindor and I don't think anyone has heard the Grey Lady speak at all.

Are you busy preparing for exams too? I bet that they haven't snuck up on you by surprise either and you're prepared to ace them all even if they sprung them on you early. Are you looking forward to the end of term? Have you finalised your plans to stay at college and take summer classes or do you need to go home to your mum? We spend so much time talking about the mysteries here, are there any mysteries or adventures happening in your world too?

Superman has a better disguise with his hood changing the shape of his head and his mask covering half his face it's more realistic that people don't recognise him.

Your friend always

Harry

A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed followed or favourited this story for your support.

Please stay safe everyone.