Hazel found Ginny in the Common Room. She was sitting in the corner and staring at her untouched Potions homework. She only looked up when Hazel down across from her and handed over the diary. Her expression lit up and she squeezed it like a long-lost friend.

"Oh Hazel, thank you!" She said breathlessly, "Thank you so much! I was so worried what Harry might read about me!"

Like what? Hazel wanted to ask it so badly. But Ginny looked so happy and that would make things so awkward.

More awkward than they were going to be…but she deserved to know…

With a deep breath, she told Ginny everything. The smile vanished from her face instantly and she went very pale.

"Hagrid? But that makes no sense…"

"I know," Hazel nodded fiercely, "I don't care if he has a soft spot for monsters, he would never let them hurt anyone!"

"Did Tom tell you anything else?" She shook her head and Ginny stood up, "Okay, good. I'm just going to put Tom in my trunk. Then I might lie down, I'm not feeling very well."

"Aren't you going to do your Potions homework? You missed one yesterday and you heard Snape, if you miss another one he'll put you in detention!"

"Yeah, maybe I'll do it later. Night Hazel, thanks again."

Hazel watched until she was out of sight. What was wrong with her? Was she getting the same illness she'd had before Christmas? Maybe she should tell Madame Pomfrey, or Professor McGonagall? Maybe they would be able to help?

No, if she told them and they told Ginny, then Ginny would never speak to her again. Atia already hated her, the least she could do was keep her friend's secret for her.

It wasn't until the next morning that she saw Ginny again. There were deep bags under her eyes, just like at Halloween and she looked pale.

"Are you okay?" Hazel asked.

"Fine," Ginny's voice was hoarse "I'm just coming down with something. I'll go to Madame Pomfrey later."

At least she was finally going to see someone about it.

"Wow, you look dreadful," Romilda sat down next to Ginny and took an apple, "Your hair looks so greasy. Snape will love it!"

"Oh no, Snape!" Ginny buried her head in her hands, "I didn't finish the homework. I'm going to get detention for sure!"

"Here," Hazel pulled a roll of parchment out of her bag, "We can write it together! We have time before class starts."

"Oh, thank you Hazel! You're amazing!"

"I don't know what you mean," It was hard not to smile, "Any excuse to talk about potions."

The Slytherins were waiting for them in the dark, cold dungeon.

"Hey Runtley," Tallow called, "Love your hair, have you dipped it in bubotuber pus just for us? I wondered what the smell was."

Ginny ignored her as they got their ingredients out. Atia was late and sat at a desk on her own, head down.

Snape swept into the room and the dungeon fell silent.

"Homework, now," He waved his wand, and their parchments flew to his desk, "We will continue working on scouring solutions today. Begin."

Snape marked the homework as they worked at their cauldrons. This was looking quite good this time! Right colour, right consistency and definitely the right smell!

Don't add the frog's eyes too early this time, or it'll go blue and smell like damp dog again…

Ginny's wasn't looking so good. It had gone a horrible green and was starting to smell like fish left out in the sun.

"Ginny," Hazel whispered, "You've added too many newt scales."

"What?" She'd been staring up at Snape.

"Put some powdered beetle in, it should rebalance it."

"Okay, thanks."

"Weasley, Potter. Come here please."

Hazel froze. Snape was staring right at them. Tallow sniggered very loudly and obviously as they stood up.

Snape was reading holding Ginny's homework in his hand, "You wrote this, Weasley?"

"Yes, Professor." Ginny said incredibly unconvincingly.

"It's a well written piece of work, well laid out with excellent use of the textbook."

"Thank you si-"

"It's very far above your usual mediocrity, which is how I know you didn't write it," Snape turned his cold eyes on Hazel, "Did you write this Potter? And allow Weasley to copy it?"

"No, Professor." She said without meeting his eye.

"No?" Snape sneered, "Very well. Weasley, why should you preheat your cauldron before adding your first ingredients?"

Ginny was quiet.

Come on, come on. You can remember.

"Sorry, Weasley. You need to speak up," The whole class was watching now. Tallow snorted like a pig, "No need to be modest. Your logic was very convincing."

"I can't remember, sir."

"No? It rather defeats the purpose of education, does it not? If you cannot remember something you have written so recently? Perhaps it's just wasted on you, Weasley."

Ginny was shrinking with every cruel, slow, sneering word. Hazel felt a rush of anger.

"I helped her, Professor!" She shouted. Snape looked at her coldly.

"Do you think me a fool, Potter? You didn't help her, you have practically written it."

"Ginny was too ill to finish it last night Professor, I just helped her because you said she would get detention if she missed another homework."

"Indeed I did, and I keep my promises. Detention, Weasley, and twenty points from Gryffindor."

"But Professor! Ginny did her homework like you asked!"

"No, she transcribed from a superior student. I will not allow this to elevate the pathetic marks she has been getting all year."

"But that's not fair!" The anger was rising.

"This is my classroom, Potter. I decide what is fair. Now, sit down."

Ginny slouched back to her desk. Hazel stood where she was.

"I told you to sit down, Potter."

"I don't think Ginny deserves a detention, Professor."

"I do not recall asking for your opinion."

"She wasn't well."

"That is unfortunate," A sneer, "But no excuse for a homework not being finished."

"But-"

Snape slammed his fist on the table and she jumped, "Miss Potter! I have indulged this childish behaviour enough! If you do not sit down, right now, then Gryffindor will be deducted 100 points!"

A hundred points? She could lose Gryffindor the house cup!

She could feel the eyes of the class burning into her back. She stormed back to her seat and just caught Atia's eye at the back of the classroom. Did she look sad? Or was she sneering? Right now, Hazel didn't care as she threw her powdered beetle into her potion. It went bright green and stank of old socks. She didn't even care. Even over her hissing cauldron though, she could still hear Tallow.

"It's only natural, what else do you expect from a Weasley."

The next couple of weeks were quite lonely. Ginny was spending a lot of time by herself, pale and unwell, and she was having nightmares again. Atia still wasn't talking to her and even Harry was out every night, getting ready for the upcoming match against Hufflepuff.

"It's a very busy time of year," said Hermione one night, "And the exams are coming up."

"Why did you remind me?" Ron groaned.

"I just wish I knew what was wrong with Ginny," Hazel sat with her elbow on her Charms homework.

"It might just be the pressure of studying," Hermione said, "I always get worried about my grades around now."

"What do you mean 'around now'?" Ron snorted. Hermione ignored him.

"She'll be okay, Hazel. She just needs some time to herself."

She needed plenty of time to herself. Hazel barely saw Ginny for the next few weeks. It wasn't until the morning of the quidditch match that Snape swept over to the Gryffindor table.

"Weasley. You will serve your detention today, during the match."

"But Professor!" Ginny looked more tired than Hazel had ever seen her. She looked close to tears, "My brothers are playing."

"I'm sure you'll keep that mind next time you copy another student's homework." He swept off.

Ginny buried her head in her hands.

"I'm sure it'll be a boring match," said Hazel, because she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Yeah."

The match never happened. Just as Hazel was sitting with Ron and wondering if her brother would make it through this match with all limbs intact, Professor McGonagall ran onto the pitch with a megaphone.

"This match has been cancelled. All students will return to their dormitories immediately."

"What?" Ron howled with the other Gryffindors, "How can she cancel the match like that! Gryffindor were going to win the cup for sure!"

"Something's wrong," Hazel was watching Professor McGonagall who was looking both very severe and very concerned even from so far away, "Something's happened."

Please don't be Ginny, please don't be Ginny.

"I'll go find out," Ron pushed his way through the crowd. Hazel allowed herself to be swept back up to the castle and into the Gryffindor common room where everyone sat in near silence, with only the occasional, nervous statement. Even the Weasley twins were quiet. Where was Atia?

A horrible wave came over Hazel, like she'd been drenched in cold water. It felt like it was seeping into her very heart. She hadn't felt like this since, since the last attack.

Oh no…

It wasn't until Harry and Ron returned that they found out what had happened.

"Another attack?" Cormac McLaggen roared. Everyone was now looking very scared.

"It's Hermione," Harry was very pale, and Hazel felt her stomach drop, "Hermione and a Ravenclaw prefect. They were attacked just before the match."

"Not Hermione," The very thought of her lying like Colin made her feel sick.

The Common Room was starting to get very angry. People were muttering to one another. That gave Hazel time to talk to Ron and Harry.

"Is she okay?" It was such a stupid thing to say, but she couldn't think of anything else.

"She's petrified," Ron looked at her like she had two heads, "She's lying like a statue in the hospital wing. Apart from that, she's great."

Harry punched him in the arm, "We need to go talk to Hagrid."

"You still don't think it was him?" Hazel asked.

"No, but he might know something. Even if he knows what the creature is, that could help."

"I'm coming too."

"No you're not."

"Whatever the monster is, it attacked my friend too. I want to help!"

Harry looked at her long and hard, "Fine! Fine! But if we get the chance to visit him without you, then we're going."

"Fine."

It was about 30 minutes later that Ginny returned to the Common Room, escorted by Snape and Vector with their wands drawn. She looked scared.

"What's going on?"

"There's been another attack," Harry said and Ginny put her hands to her mouth, "It's Hermione."

"Oh no," She moaned, "Oh no."

"I know," Ron snarled angrily, "I agree with Lee, why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out? That would solve the problem right away!"

Ginny eyes filled with tears as she ran for the dormitories. Hazel tried to follow her, but Harry grabbed her by the shoulder,

"Come on. If you want to be part of this, then we need to work out when we can visit Hagrid."

It wasn't until that evening that she got up to the dormitory, by which time Ginny had closed the curtains of her four-poster bed.

"Ginny?" Silence.

"Ginny, are you okay?"

Nothing.

What was going on? Why was Ginny not speaking to her? Perhaps she was in shock, it had only been her, the Ravenclaw prefect and Hermione in the school. If she hadn't been in detention…

She lay awake for a long time that night, staring at the roof of her four-poster bed.

Hopefully Hagrid would have some answers.

Ginny didn't get up the next morning and she wasn't at breakfast. There was a sombre mood in the Great Hall, and no one felt like talking.

Well, almost no one…

"Of course, it's about time the heir raised his head again," Lockhart said loudly from the staff table, "But he'll be regretting that he did. I'm already hot on his coattail and this will all be sorted in the next few days. Damned fool."

Professor Flitwick looked close to tears. Professor McGonagall looked like she was chewing a wasp.

"Do you think he knows about Hagrid?" Hazel asked Ron and Harry.

Ron snorted, "I'd be amazed if he knows what day of the week it is."

Ginny didn't appear for Charms, or for History of Magic. Hazel had to tell Flitwick and Binns that she was unwell and lying in bed. She had definitely heard Ginny awake that morning, so at least she wasn't that unwell.

"Do you think I should tell a teacher?" She asked Harry that evening as everyone gathered in the Common Room. With all extra-curricular activities cancelled and teachers patrolling every corridor, the room was very crammed and very unpleasant.

"If she's not up by tomorrow," Harry said tersely. He was watching the clock, "We'll give it another couple of hours."

It was quite a bit longer than that. People drifted up to bed in ones and twos but Fred and George seemed determined to stay up all night. They played game after game of Exploding Snap until, after midnight, they finally went up to bed.

"Finally!" Ron groaned and rubbed his hand, "Those cards were going to burn through to bone if we had to play another game."

Hazel nodded, fingers in her mouth. Why did the cards have to actually explode?

"I'll go get dad's cloak," Harry was back very quickly, silvery cloak in hand. Despite the dangers of running into the monster or being caught out of bed at night, she was looking forward to using the cloak, "Let's go."

It wasn't a comfortable journey. They had to walk incredibly slowly to keep from slipping under the cloak and at every corridor and corner there were prefects, teachers and ghosts patrolling. They eventually made it through the main doors and out into the grounds. Hazel started shivering immediately. The cloak certainly didn't give much warmth.

The lights were on in Hagrid's hut and when Harry knocked on the door, Hagrid opened it with his massive crossbow nocked and ready.

"It's us!" Ron hissed, "Don't shoot!"

"Wha' are ye doin' out?" He growled, "Come in, come in!"

"What's that for?" Harry asked?"

"Been expectin…" He trailed off, "Hurry up!"

The fire was gloriously warm as always, but Hagrid spilled most of the water into the hearth his hands were shaking so much.

"Hagrid," Hazel asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'" He said, "I 'eard about 'ermione. How are ye holdin' up?"

"Okay," Harry said, "We were hoping to talk to you about…"

He trailed off and Hazel didn't blame him. How were you supposed to bring something like this up?

There was a knock on the door and Hazel flinched.

"Quick!" Hagrid pushed the three of them into the corner and threw the cloak over them, "No' a wor'!"

He opened the door. It was a severe-looking Professor Dumbledore with a rotund man in pinstripe robes and a green bowler hat. Ron gasped. Harry stamped on his foot.

"That's Cornelius Fudge," Ron whispered, "The Minister of Magic."

Harry stopped dead, as if he'd been petrified.

"What?" Hazel whispered.

"Dumbledore can see through the cloak," He muttered without moving his head, "He saw through it last year."

Ron gulped very loudly.

"Good evening, Hagrid," Dumbledore said without looking into the corner, "Apologies for disturbing you at this late hour."

"Nasty business, Hagrid," Fudge was playing with the bowler hat between his fingers, "Very nasty business. So many attacks and after the latest…well..."

"But Headmaster," Hagrid sounded terrified, "Ya know it wasn' me, it jus' wasn'"

"I would like to say," Dumbledore said very firmly, and Fudge seemed to wince, "That Hagrid has my full confidence, as he has had since Halloween. This action will not stop the attacks."

"Be that as it may," Fudge played more furiously with the bowler hat, "But the Ministry has to act. We have to be seen to be doing something. If it turns out that you had nothing to do with the attacks then you'll be released with a full apology."

Hagrid gulped, "Where am I goin'?"

"It's only a temporary measure," Fudge wouldn't look at him, "Just until we can get to the bottom of this."

"Not Azkaban?" Hagrid croaked, "You can' take me there!"

"Minister," Dumbledore said even more strongly, and his eyes glowed a fierce blue, "I must protest this. If you wish to remove Hagrid from the castle, then I will not stop you, but he cannot be taken to Azkaban without a trial. Those are the laws of the Ministry itself."

"Yes," Fudge went a little pink, "But we must act! The Daily Prophet are already asking serious questions! There'll be an editorial tomorrow and then after that, who knows!"

There was a rap at the door. Before Dumbledore could open the door though, it was pushed open. Hazel put her hands over her mouth to stop a gasp, but not quickly enough to stop Harry elbowing her.

Lucius Malfoy swept into the hut, wearing a regal and expensive cloak and carrying a long cane.

"Wha' are ya doin' here?" Hagrid growled, "Ge' ou'a my house!"

"I assure you I had no desire to visit your…you call this a house?" Malfoy sneered, "I wish to speak to the headmaster, and I was told he was here."

"What is it you would like to discuss, Lucius?" Dumbledore said quite calmly.

"Shall we go somewhere private? I'm sure you'd rather not bother the Minister with trivialities."

"Anything you have to say to me can be said in front of Cornelius and Hagrid."

Lucius glanced at Hagrid as if he'd just noticed something unpleasant sitting in the corner.

"Quite. Well, it's about this ghastly business at the castle. All these attacks on muggle-borns," He tutted and shook his head. But he was smiling. How could he be smiling? "And with no end to them in sight. At this rate there'll be no muggle-borns left and we all know what a terrible shame that would be. The board of governors met this evening and, as you're no closer to stopping these attacks, we have decided it would be better for the school if you were to step aside."

Hazel's stomach dropped horribly but she elbowed Harry as he let out a gasp this time. Fortunately, no one heard as Hagrid yelled at the same time.

"Ye can't do tha'! Dumbledore's the only thing protectin' the muggles-borns! Without 'im, they won' stand a chance! There'll be killin's next!"

"Be that as it may," Lucius smirked, "The governors no longer have confidence in your ability to contain the situation."

"And 'ow many did ye 'ave te threaten to do yer biddin', Malfoy?"

"Careful, Hagrid. That temper might get you in trouble."

"Now," Fudge was playing with his hat so fiercely it looked like it might fall apart, "Is that really necessary, Lucius? I mean, if Dumbledore can't get to the bottom of this-"

"The governors have spoken, Minister," Lucius said in a horribly slimy, gloating voice. Hazel had a sudden urge to just hit him, "Frankly, we've had doubts over Dumbledore's suitability for a while now. Ever since the beginning of the year."

"I made it very clear, Lucius," Dumbledore's voice was calm but his eyes blazed, "Atia's sorting is not something I will interfere with."

"No," Malfoy's lip curled, "but perhaps a new headmaster will be more reasonable."

"Perhaps. Very well Lucius, if this is indeed what the governors desire, then I shall of course step aside."

"No!" Hagrid moaned.

"However," Dumbledore raised his voice, "You will find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask of it."

"A very touching sentiment," Malfoy smirked, "After you, headmaster."

Dumbledore left the hut and Fudge waited for Hagrid who took a deep breath, "And, uh, if anyone were listenin', all I woul' say is to go where the spider wen'. Tha's all."

He strode past a bewildered looking Fudge, "Oh an' someone'll nee' to feed Fang while I'm gone!"

The door clicked shut behind the Minister. They waited a while in case anyone came back before Harry threw off the cloak.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know," Ron scowled, "but without Dumbledore, we're in big trouble."

"How could the governors want to get rid of him?" Hazel was shaking and it had nothing to do with the cold, "How could they be so stupid?"

"Hagrid's right," Ron scowled, "Malfoy's probably scaring them."

"What do we do now?" She looked at Harry. He always knew what to do.

"I think Hagrid was trying to give us a clue," He said slowly, "'Go where the spider went' sounds like a clue."

"Does it?" Ron went the colour of snow, "Did he definitely say 'spider'? Maybe he meant 'unicorn' or 'bunny rabbit'?"

Harry ignored him, "How can we go where the spider went? It doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does," A shiver ran down Hazel's spine that had nothing to do with the cold, "When I helped Atia Malfoy at the start of the year, the monster that attacked her was a giant spider."

"How…giant?" Ron's voice was quivering, "Finger-sized? Hand-sized, right?"

"It was as big as me. I still don't know how I fought it off."

"Oh. Brilliant."

"Do you remember where you saw it?" Harry asked excitedly.

She nodded. It wasn't exactly something you forgot in a hurry.

"Okay! Then we'll go tomorrow night. We need to get back now before anyone notices we're missing."

But there wasn't a chance to go the next night. Or the night after that. The security in the school was so heavy now that even getting to the toilet between classes was an ordeal. News that Dumbledore was gone spread like wildfire through the school the following morning and the panic reached new levels. Owls arrived throughout the day for students, delivering letters from parents demanding they return home. The teachers looked exhausted from trying to both patrol and teach. Ginny was back in bed as her illness flared up again, Hazel went to the hospital wing to pick up a potion for her from Madam Pomfrey but there wasn't a word as she left it by her bed.

It was one day, just back after feeding and walking Fang, that she saw the trunk packed in the dormitory. Atia Malfoy was sitting on top of it.

"Hello," she said glumly.

"Hey," This didn't look good, "Are you going home?"

"Sort of," Atia wouldn't meet her eye, "My father spoke with the governors. Now that Dumbledore's not the headmaster anymore, they've agreed to put me in Slytherin."

"Oh," Shouldn't she be happier about it? "Congratulations?"

"Yeah, I guess," Atia stood up, "I just wanted to thank you. You were always very kind to me."

"We're friends," Her heart ached, "I'll always be your friend."

"Thank you, but I don't think it'll be possible when I'm in Slytherin. I mean, your brother and my brother hate each other."

"Doesn't mean we have to."

"No," Atia took a deep breath, "Thank you again. Maybe I will see you around."

She left the room without a backwards glance, trunk hovering after her. Hazel felt like she'd been slapped.

She stole a glance at Ginny's bed, the curtains pulled around it.

The dormitory suddenly felt very empty.

At every class after that, Hazel sat on her own, Ginny, Colin and Atia's chairs empty. This was so much worse than having the entire school accusing her of attacking people. At least she'd had people to talk to. People who believed in her.

It was hard not to feel lonely.

The last class of the week was Defence Against the Dark Arts, and it crawled by. Lockhart spent the entire class with his chest puffed out and grinning with that stupid, white smile of his.

"Of course, I knew it was Hagrid all along," He kept saying, "I'm just glad the Minister finally acted on my advice. Of course, you hate to see a colleague go this way, but I simply couldn't stand back any longer and do nothing. Trust me, that's the end of these attacks now that monster is safely away from the school! Oh my, Miss Potter, you'll need to clean that up."

Hazel squeezed her quill so tightly she'd broken it in two.

They were escorted back to the Common Room for another long evening of waiting. It was even worse than last time because even the twins weren't in the mood for games. No one was, everyone sitting listlessly about until one-by-one, they went up to bed.

"Come on," Harry muttered, "We'll try tonight. The sooner we go, the quicker we're back."

Another long, slow and terrifying journey through the teacher infested castle and they were back out in the grounds. At least she'd remembered to bring a coat this time. It might have been spring, but no one had told the weather that yet.

Ron muttered to himself the entire way and he had the look of a man about to jump out of a plane. After leaving the cloak at Hagrid's hut, they walked down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest and then around it's boundary for ages.

"Are we getting close?" Harry hissed impatiently.

"I think so."

"You don't know?"

"It looks different in the dark."

"Seriously? My feet are going numb!"

"Wait," She recognised this view of the castle, the tree down at the edge of the lake. "This is it."

"Finally!" Harry stepped out of the cloak and into the trees with Hazel behind him. Ron gave a shuddering groan and followed.

It got dark very quickly amongst the trees and all three of them pulled out their wands.

"Lumos," Harry and Ron's wand tips lit up. Harry looked at her.

"Aren't you going to help?"

Hazel gulped. Professor McGonagall hadn't had time to help her since Hermione's attack.

She took a deep breath, "Lumos."

Her wand tip shone an intense yellow and her heart skipped. It worked!

"Was it far in?" Harry asked.

"Not far," Even in the dark she recognised the path. It wasn't long before they were in the clearing. She couldn't help but look over at where Atia had laid, the spider closing in on her. Her heart ached again.

"What direction did it go?" Harry was looking around the clearing.

"That way."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"Trust me, it was this way."

They walked deeper and deeper into the forest until it was pitch black and completely silent. The hairs on Hazel's arms were standing on end.

"We've been walking for hours," She said, "We need to turn back."

"Just a little further," Harry said, "It feels like we're getting clo-"

A large black shape lunged out of the dark. Hazel screamed as it knocked Harry to the ground. Something hit her like a charging rhino. She fell to the ground and barely kept hold of her wand as she was picked up like a newspaper. As she rushed sideways through the forest, nose barely off the ground she caught sight of long and hair legs.

They went further and further but no matter how hard they struggled, there was no escaping the vice like grip.

They stopped at last, and Hazel was dropped onto the cold, web-covered ground. They were in the shadow of a large tree the size of the Burrow. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Spiders.

Hundreds of spiders just like the one she'd fought off. They surrounded the three, chittering excitedly. Hazel's arms hung limply by her side. They simply wouldn't work.

"Aragog!" The one that had carried her chittered, "Aragog!"

From out of the tree root came a spider as large as a car with eight milky eyes, "Who disturbs me?"

"Humans!" The spiders clicked with their pincers.

"Kill them!" Aragog said.

"Wait!" Harry shouted, "We're friends of Hagrid!"

Aragog stopped, his chittering slowed down, "Hagrid has never sent humans amongst us."

"He's in trouble! There's something attacking students at the school! They think it's…you…"

It sounded a horde of angry bees such was the noise around them.

Please don't annoy the angry spiders, Harry…

"It is not I attacking students at the school," said Aragog, "I did not attack anyone. I saw no more of the school than the cupboard in which I was raised."

"Then, what is it? What's attacking people?"

Even angrier noises. If Hazel's heart beat any faster it was going to burst. Ron looked petrified.

"We do not speak of it!" Aragog roared, "It is our greatest enemy that dwells within the chamber. I sensed last time it awoke and begged Hagrid to release me so I may escape it, but he did not. The creature finally claimed a victim, a girl in a bathroom."

Aragog was retreating back into the root of the tree. The other spiders were getting closer.

"Wait!" It was the first time she'd ever heard fear in her brother's voice, "Hagrid said you wouldn't hurt us!"

"My children do not harm Hagrid on my command, but I cannot deny them fresh meat when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Goodbye, friends of Hagrid."

He disappeared. The horde of spiders were closing in from every direction. Harry grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her to her feet.

"Your wand!" He shouted, "Your wand!"

She raised her wand. It was shaking furiously.

There was a burst of light.

The spiders scrambled in every direction as another shape, larger than the spiders ploughed through them and knocked them in every direction. It was Mr Weasley's car.

It braked in front of them and the doors flew open.

"Inside!" Harry had to grab Ron and drag him into the car.

Hazel dived for the back seat. Just as she landed a spider grabbed her painfully by the leg.

"Hazel!" Before Harry could do anything, Hazel's wand flashed a fierce white and the spider was knocked back. The door slammed shut behind her.

"Go!" Harry yelled. The car seemed to hear him as it went into gear and roared from the clearing, spiders hanging off every surface. One by one they were knocked off by the branches until they were alone. The trees got thinner and thinner until they burst out into the open. They were outside Hagrid's hut.

The doors to the car opened. Hazel tried to climb out, but she practically fell out. Her legs still weren't working.

She wanted to say 'thank you' but nothing came out. She just patted the car from the ground.

It went beep, beep and drove back into the Forest.

They sat in Hagrid's hut for what felt like hours. Fang walked between each of them with his wagging. It was like she'd left her voice back in that clearing.

"When I get my hands on Hagrid," Ron croaked, "I'm going to kill him. Follow the spiders. Follow the bloody spiders, he said!"

"Maybe," Her voice was shaking, "He didn't think Aragog would attack his friends."

"That's his problem though, isn't it! It's always been his problem! He thinks a giant spider is a step below a cuddly bunny! What was the point of that? Other than ending up as a snack!"

"Didn't you listen to Aragog?" Harry said as he scratched Fang behind the ears, "He didn't attack anyone in the castle. Hagrid's innocent."

Ron snorted. Bringing Aragog into the school wasn't very innocent in her book.

There were fewer students as the days passed. More and more students took the train home and most looked happy to do so. Hazel looked every morning at breakfast for Atia sitting at the Slytherin table, but she was never there. Maybe she'd gone home too? But Malfoy was still there, looking more and more smug with each passing day.

"Do you think I could hit him from here?" Ron said late one morning.

"With what?" Harry asked.

"This plate of sausages?"

"Maybe, but you'll probably hit Crabbe or Goyle if you throw the whole plate."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. What class do we have first?"

"Transfiguration, but I want to visit Hermione first."

"Yeah okay," Ron checked his watch, "We'll have to hurry, Madam Pomfrey has the Hospital Wing locked like Gringrott's."

They hurried off and Hazel went back to her breakfast. She would need to hurry as well if she wanted to get back up to the dormitory and check on Ginny before class.

"Hey, Hazel," She jumped at the voice.

"Ginny?" She looked truly awful, pale and unhealthy with heavy bags under red eyes. Her hair was greasy and untidy, "Are you feeling better?"

"Hazel, I need to tell you something," she said urgently, voice low.

"What?" Hazel's heart started racing.

"Ah, Ginny!" Percy sat down next to Hazel, "Can you pass me the waffles please? I've been patrolling the Dark Arts corridor all night and I'm exhausted."

Ginny flinched violently and whispered to Hazel, "Meet me in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. I'll tell you there."

She hurried from the Great Hall. Hazel hesitated for a moment, then picked up her bag. There was something very wrong here. Should she get a teacher? She would have asked Harry, but he'd be halfway to the Hospital Wing by now.

There was only one teacher in the Great Hall. Lockhart.

For goodness' sake.

Well, he was still the Dark Arts teacher. Maybe he would know what to do.

"Ah, Miss Potter," He grinned as she approached, "Been reading more of my books, have you?"

"No, Professor," Even he looked more untidy than usual. He must have been patrolling last night too, "Can you help me with something?"

"Certainly! What is it?"

Did she mention Ginny by name? "Someone's asked me to meet them in the bathroom on the second floor and I'm a little worried. Could you come along with me, please? Just in case something's wrong."

"Ah," His smile slipped, "Well. Of course. Why don't you head along, and I'll follow."

At least she'd told someone.

She went straight to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The corridors were so empty compared to the start of the year.

A deep breath.

"Ginny?" She pushed open the door. The bathroom was dark and mirky and it stank of sewage, "Are you here?"

There she was, close to the sinks. She had her back to the door. Hazel approached carefully. Something didn't feel right at all. Her footsteps splashed in the inch high water on the tiles.

Don't think about where that came from.

"Ginny, are you okay?" She was close enough to place a hand on her shoulder.

Ginny whipped around. Her expression was blank as she pulled out her wand.

There was a flash of red and everything went dark.