《Part 2 of Diary of a Slytherin (Not Tom Riddle's)》


 More Secrets Underground

    Some day in March:


    So I asked Ed if he''d like to go for a walk, and, surprisingly, he said he would.


    "Fed up of studying?"I asked.


    "Absolutely,"he answered,"I''m always fed up of studying!"


    "Why don''t you study something you enjoy?"I suggested.


    Ed frowned,"studying isn''t meant to be enjoyed. It''s work! That''s what studying is! You have to actually put in effort!"


    I went quiet. Ed is always judging us for not putting in enough effort when it comes to studying.


    We walked around the edge of the castle walls, from up there we could see the little woodland where the Foxhole Chamber is.


    "Where are we going, anyway?"Ed asked.


    "Over there,"I said, pointing to the small woods.


    "Why do you want to go THERE, for?"Ed asked.


    "Maybe I need some leaping toadstool caps?"I said.


    "That''s not even the best place to find them,"Ed said,"if you need some of them, I know a much better place. It''s a bit far away, though."


    "Well, I''m going where I''m going,"I said.


    Ed followed, looking unimpressed.


    "A very interesting walk, I must say,"he said, sarcastically.


    As we went along, the conversation mainly consisted of Ed grumbling about everything and everyone.


    "Ah yes,"he said, when we got to the foxhole,"this is where I dropped my wand."


    I cast the digging spell.


    "What are you doing?"Ed said,"you haven''t lost YOUR wand down there, have you?"


    "Ed, I''m using my WAND to dig it up!"I pointed out


    "Ah - yes, of course!"Ed said,"I''m tired!"


    "Let''s go down,"I said, summoning the spare rope and fastening it round a tree.


    "Go - down?"Ed said.


    "Yup!"I answered.


    "Cathy, have you gone mad!? I''m not going down a fox hole!"Ed objected.


    I went down first, and Ed followed, but only out of curiosity.


    "What - what is that?"he said, when he saw the archway into the hidden chamber,"why didn''t you tell us about this before?"


    "I didn''t because I couldn''t,"I answered,"come on in!"


    Ed followed me under the archway. He looked around at the potion ingredients.


    "I don''t know about this,"Ed said, picking up the skull fragment,"some pretty dark stuff, this is!"


    "Maybe don''t go touching it, then!"I suggested, as Ed realised what it was that he was holding, and dropped it back onto the shelf with a shudder.


    "Looks like some kind of shady banned-potions laboratory,"Ed was saying, then he turned to me,"this isn''t YOUR secret potions laboratory, is it?"


    "No, of course not!"I said,"as if I could come up with something like this!"


    "Well, you never can tell,"Ed said.


    "Do you really think I would be that kind of person?"I went on.


    "Like I said - you never really can tell,"Ed said,"do you even know me?"


    "I''d like to think I do,"I said.


    Ed gave me what I supposed he meant to be a mysterious smirk.


    I showed him the book. He can''t read Ancient Runes as well as I can, so, to him it was completely unintelligible.


    "It''s an even older form of Ancient Runes,"I said,"I''ve been translating it."


    "Any luck?"Ed asked, paging through the book with interest.


    "A bit,"I said,"that''s why I came here, actually. I didn''t want to come here by myself, and I wanted to show you this place. Now that I''ve shown you, we can talk about it."


    "Who else knows about it?"Ed asked.


    "Just Lotty,"I said,"that I know of. I think there may be some more people at some points that knew about this place, but they won''t have been able to tell anyone else. There''s an enchantment here that prevents you from speaking or writing of it. It doesn''t prevent you from showing people though."


    I started copying down the runes from a random potion page. Annoyingly, I couldn''t use my enchanted quill for this. Whatever enchantment there was on the runes in the old book prevented me from taking any short-cuts like that. My quill was just as confused as people who can''t see past the enchantment, and it was copying down nonsense.


    While I copied the runes by hand, Ed examined the potion ingredients on the shelves. As he did so, he lifted up what he thought to be a large rock, and all of a sudden there was a loud scraping sound! I looked up in time to see a doorway opening from a wall of the chamber.


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    "Did you know about this?"Ed said.


    "No,"I answered.


    "Should we see where it goes?"Ed said, sounding doubtful.


    "Yes, of course!"I said, jumping up.


    I entered first, with some caution. Ed followed behind.


    "It seems to be a storage room,"I observed.


    This was an even bigger cave space, filled with even more potion ingredients.


    "No!"Ed said, pointing to a shelf.


    I looked at where he was pointing, and a skull looked back at me.


    "Come on, Cathy, let''s get out of here!"Ed said,"this is some dark magic place, I''m sure of it!"


    We backed out of the room of potion ingredients, and the wall closed.


    "Let''s go!"Ed said.


    "You go,"I said,"I still have copying to do."


    "Have you gone mad?"Ed objected,"do you know what sort of a place this is? I''m not going to stay here one more minute!"


    "Go on then!"I said, getting annoyed.


    He went, and I resumed copying as quickly as I could. It did seem a bit eerie, being in here alone. It was already too creepy for Ed and Lotty, but I HAD to study these runes! There''s nothing like having a good secret code to work on!


    After a few minutes, I was startled by a shuffling sound behind me, and quickly swung round into a defensive position.


    It was Ed.


    "I accidentally buried you down here, Cathy,"he said, in a grim tone of voice,"when I got out, up at the top, I just started filling in the ground without even thinking. So I decided to come back down here and see if you were alright."


    "Oh yeah - I forgot that''s a thing that happens,"I said,"it''s part of the enchantment."


    "Now that''s dark!"Ed exclaimed,"do you know the Imperius Curse? It''s giving me those kind of vibes!"


    "Now that you mention it,"I agreed,"but it isn''t exactly the same, I don''t think so, anyway."


    "It''s close enough,"Ed said,"let''s get out of here now!"


    "Just - let me copy down one more page!"I insisted,"I''ve got a page for a potion, I just need a page for a spell!"


    Ed gave me a judging look,"what kind of spells and potions would you be needing from that book?"


    "I''m not looking for spells and potions in the book,"I said,"I''m using these pages to help me translate the rune script! That''s my whole goal! I''m studying for once, like you''re always saying I need to do more of..."


    "Yes, you need to do a lot more studying, but not DARK magic!"Ed argued,"if you don''t leave in two minutes, I''m going to bury you down here for the next hour! If I remember to come back for you, that is!"


    I managed to copy down a portion of the spell page in two minutes, then I reluctantly followed Ed up and out. We both filled in the fox hole, without even thinking about it.


    I went to my dormitory to study the runes in peace and quiet.


    End of March:


    Lotty and I were sitting in the invisible treehouse by ourselves, drinking tea and talking about things.


    "What''s this May Festival thing people have been talking about?"Lotty asked me.


    "That,"I said, thinking,"it''s some kind of party. It''ll be in Hogsmeade. I went to one when I was in the 4th Year."


    "If it''s in Hogsmeade, I won''t be able to go,"said Lotty,"I''m not allowed to go there until I''m in the 3rd Year."


    "It''s not the most exciting thing in the world,"I said,"the best thing about it is the food. If I go, I''ll make sure to bring some food back for you and Anita."


    Then Lotty thought she saw something out of the arched window that overlooks the Duelling Meadow.


    "What was it?"I asked.


    "I''m sure I saw a person walking down there!"Lotty said,"and I''m sure they came out of the Forbidden Forest!"


    "You really think so?"I said,"where did they go?"


    "I don''t know,"Lotty said, frowning, she was looking out of a different window now,"unless they''ve gone back into the Forbidden Forest? I don''t know where they''ve gone."


    Lotty and I cautiously climbed down the treehouse.


    "What if it was one of the others?"I suggested, meaning Anita, Ed or Jared.


    "No - I''d have known if it was one of them,"Lotty answered, looking serious.


    We ventured into the Duelling Meadow. I felt nervous looking at the Forbidden Forest. It seemed like there could be anyone, or anything, in there, just looking back at us, unseen.


    "I think we should have a quick look,"Lotty said.


    I didn''t say anything. I didn''t like going up to those creepy, dark trees. There are pine trees, and oaks, and trees so shrouded in ivy that they''re like hedges in the shape of trees. It was eerily quiet, as the wind rushed around us with a gripping chill.


    Lotty went forward and cast Lumos as she entered the forest. When she disappeared into the trees, I had to follow.


    Now I was beginning to realise how Lotty and Ed must have felt in the Foxhole Chamber. As we walked through those trees, I felt extremely claustrophobic.


    "The centaurs won''t be happy about this,"I said.


    "If they catch us,"Lotty responded.


    The trees grew incredibly close together, almost completely stifling any stray daylight that might find its way down to us. Lotty looked around.


    "We can''t go far,"I warned Lotty.


    I really wanted to go back!


    "Ugh, what''s that smell?"Lotty suddenly remarked.


    Then I noticed it too. We hadn''t smelt it at first, because of the direction of the wind (which was really quite wild today).


    "It smells like something''s died!"Lotty said.


    "Let''s get out of here!"I urged, starting to imagine all sorts of horrors.


    Lotty agreed this time. We hastily turned around and scrambled back towards the daylight that beckoned us from the Duelling Meadow.


    But then there was a cracking sound and a scream! Lotty was gone.


    "Lotty!"I yelled,"LOTTY!"


    I noticed a hole had appeared in the ground. Opon closer examination, there appeared to be wooden boards concealed beneath the dirt. Rotten ones. And Lotty had fallen through them!


    "Lotty!"I yelled down the hole.


    "I''m alright!"Lotty yelled back up.


    I don''t think I''ve ever been so relieved in my whole life! I summoned the spare rope, tied it around the nearest tree and climbed down.


    As soon as my feet touched the floor, I was greeted by the horrible, rotting stench we had smelt when we were above. The light from my wand illuminated not only Lotty, sitting on the floor, holding her ankle, but something else. It looked like a pile of green fungus at first, but it seemed to have eyes!


    Within seconds of seeing it, it scuttled away like some sort of giant millipede-spider thing, disappearing into the darkness beyond.


    "It''s a tunnel,"Lotty said,"I think the smell was coming from that creature thing."


    "Do you think it''s dangerous?"I asked.


    "I don''t know,"Lotty answered,"I think it''s scared of us. It''s gone now."


    "Let''s get out before it decides to come back,"I said, helping Lotty up.


    Lotty climbed up the rope into the forest above. I cast a look around the tunnel as she disappeared above me. It went in two directions; forwards and backwards. I couldn''t see an ending either way. It was as big as a train tunnel, the walls were mostly brick, apart from the occasional square of wooden boards here and there in the roof.


    "Come on, Cathy!"I heard Lotty calling down to me.


    I climbed the rope, and we quickly exited the Forbidden Forest.


    "That was terrible!"I said.


    "We''re alright, though,"Lotty said,"didn''t see any sign of that person in there."


    "You''re sure you saw someone?"I went on.


    Lotty nodded,"I think they might have been a student,"she said,"they were wearing a hooded cloak like our school cloaks, the hood was up. It was a plain, black cloak."


    We weren''t sure whether or not to tell the others, as we knew Jared and Anita would want to explore the tunnel. That would be too risky, especially as it was in the Forbidden Forest! Anita, in particular, was most at risk of being a curious cat.


    We decided to tell Ed.


    "That creature sounds like a Bundimun,"he said, after we described it to him,"it rots away wooden boards, gives off a terrible smell, looks like you described."


    "Are they dangerous?"Lotty asked.


    "If they''re rotting away floorboards in your house, they are,"Ed said,"they don''t attack people, though. Just cause a nuisance. We had one in the attic of a house we lived in once, remember?"


    "I do remember there being a terrible smell,"I said.


    "Yeah, we moved out before we saw it,"Ed said,"I knew it was probably a Bundimun, though. I''m surprised you didn''t recognise it. You don''t read enough! It''s in Fantastic Beasts! I read that book before I even came to Hogwarts!"

 The Courthouse

    Beginning of April:


    I need to write about this! I need to do something! Maybe writing it down will help me make sense of it, and realise what can be done, but I don''t know.


    It all happened yesterday, with Dominic being an idiot. It was in the Great Hall, just as we were leaving after dinner. Apparently the Gryffindor 6th Year called Max Castellanos threw something at him, and it started an argument. I didn''t see that part, but I did see what happened next, because I noticed Dominic was being surrounded.


    I wasn''t going to leave him on his own, seeing as the situation was escalating. I approached the group just in time to hear Dominic call Max a ''Mudblood''. I stopped in my tracks. I knew I couldn''t stand up for him now. Calling a Muggleborn student a ''mudblood'' to their face in the Great Hall! He was going to be expelled for that. No question about it.


    I was sure the Gryffindors would run off and report him immediately, but they just stood there, and I can tell you this - they had weird, sort of delighted looks on their faces, almost as if they''d wanted him to say it!


    Then Silas Warren said to Dominic,"apologise!"


    Dominic wouldn''t apologise. He''s too stubborn.


    "You refuse to apologise?"Silas went on,"you''re sure about that?"


    "Go on then! Report me! Expell me! I don''t want to stay here any longer!"Dominic yelled,"I don''t care!"


    "You should care,"Silas said,"if you get yourself expelled, you won''t be able to use magic any more. Do you know what they do? They destroy your wand,"then he turned to Max,"what do you say, Max, should we report him?"


    "Don''t worry, we won''t report you - this time,"Max said.


    "Yes, we have other ways of dealing with people like you,"Silas said, and I didn''t like the way he said it,"which you''ll find out very soon. See you later, Carrow!"


    The Gryffindors walked off. I guessed that wouldn''t be the end of it. I knew something else was going to happen. I hadn''t liked the way Silas had spoken to Dominic...


    I didn''t want to get involved, but I ended up becoming a lot more involved than I intended to!


    Later on, in the evening, when the sun was beginning to set; Lotty came running up to me, breathlessly, as I was on my way to the common room.


    "Cathy!"she shouted.


    I was surprised to see her down here.


    "What is it?"I asked, then I noticed the look on her face, and I felt my stomach drop.


    "It''s Dominic!"


    "What?"I felt rooted to the spot, what stupid, stupid thing had he done now!


    "It''s the gang!"she said,"they''re going to do something really bad to Dominic!"


    "Really bad? What do you mean?"I asked.


    "I know where they''re going to take him,"Lotty continued, paying no attention to my questions,"they were going off to look for him when I left. They''re going to ambush him, capture him and bring him to their courthouse!"


    "Courthouse?"I said,"Lotty, what are you talking about?"


    "Do you remember the old ruin?"Lotty went on,"the one we explored last summer? You called it ''Square Walls'', it''s on the very edge of Hogwarts grounds! Well, they call it the Courthouse - a place where they mean to bring people who have done wrong things and punish them!"


    "Punish them?"I said, not liking the sound of this,"do you know how they would do that?"


    "I have some ideas, from things I''ve heard,"Lotty said,"but they''ve never used the Courthouse until now. I''m going to see if I can find Dominic!"


    I went into our common room. He wasn''t in there, and neither was Antonius. I went back out and was greeted by Lotty, who was out of breath again.


    "I tried calling him!"she gasped (Dominic has the wand call too, though we rarely use it with him),"he doesn''t have his wand or he doesn''t want me to find him."


    "Let''s hope he''s with Antonius,"I said.


    Lotty and I found the Courthouse. It''s only just within the grounds of Hogwarts. We went in and looked around, there didn''t seem to be anything different about it. No sign that it was being used as anything in particular; but then Lotty, who was peeking through a gap in the wall, saw something.


    There was a large group of students, about eight of them were Gryffindors, and two or three Ravenclaws. Two boys were dragging Dominic between them, he didn''t have his wand, and he was trying desperately to get away.


    We quickly ran to the back of the ruin, and climbed up the wall into the trees above it. We could see down into the ruin from there, and we hoped the gang wouldn''t be able to see us.


    I noticed Silas walk forward towards the end of the ruin directly beneath us. He uttered an incantation that I barely heard, and I noticed something rising up out of the ground. A wooden pillar of some kind. Then he turned around and faced Dominic, who was still being held by the two boys (who I noticed were Max Castellanos and Kenneth Brass). Then Silas addressed the group.


    They formed a human wall behind Dominic to prevent him from escaping. The Courthouse didn''t have a roof, it was just 4 red-brick walls with an old doorway going in. The boys released Dominic and shoved him towards Silas.


    "Why are you doing this?"Dominic was saying,"what are you doing?"


    "Dominic Carrow,"Silas Warren said, in a grim voice,"you are on trial for the crime of perpetuating harmful practices, persecution of your fellow students based on blood-status, and uttering an expellable word!"


    "On trial? What is this?"Dominic went on.


    "Dominic Carrow, do you deny the allegations laid against you?"Silas continued.


    "Deny what?"Dominic answered.


    "We find you guilty,"Silas concluded.


    Dominic said nothing now, he was looking frightened and confused.


    "However, we are going to allow you the opportunity to redeem yourself a little - you will still be punished, but it will be much better for you, if you apologise now and get it over with,"Silas continued.


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    I was confused as to how they expected to punish him.


    "I''m not going to apologise!"Dominic said.


    Lotty gave an exasperated sigh.


    "Shh!"I said, anxiously.


    There were so many of them, I didn''t want them to know we were in the tree-tops above them.


    "You won''t apologise,"Silas said, grimly.


    "I won''t!"Dominic insisted,"you can''t frighten me!"


    Silas laughed when he said that, a quiet, sort of sinister laugh.


    "Very well,"Silas said, motioning to the two boys that had dragged Dominic in.


    Now they dragged him again, this time to the wooden pillar, which I realised was some kind of - stake.


    They shackled him to the pillar, his hands above his head.


    Dominic struggled and cursed and threw around random insults.


    "Shut up!"Silas ordered.


    I felt like my heart was going to pound right out of my chest. What were they tying him to a post, for? Surely they weren''t going to hurt him? Lotty clung onto my arm.


    "You are Carrow in every aspect, I see,"Silas said.


    "What? I''m supposed to take that as an insult?"Dominic said.


    "A Carrow,"Silas went on, ignoring him,"just like Alecto and Amycus Carrow who served Lord Voldemort!"


    Here there were gasps, as Silas mentioned the name.


    "At this very school,"Silas continued,"Do you know one of the things they did? They would use the Cruciatus Curse on students as detention, as practice! Imagine that! We''ve seen from your attitude, that if you were in their place, you would have done all of the same things as they did!"


    "My aunt and uncle have been in Azkaban since before I was born!"Dominic answered.


    Silas ignored his response and went on,"so we have decided on a fitting punishment for you."


    He looked at his ''gang'' members. Some of them nodded, some of them had no response.


    "It is decided that your punishment will be to experience the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, for as long as it is necessary to make you understand,"Silas turned around.


    I stifled a gasp. Lotty leaned forward, about to jump down from the tree, I pulled her back.


    "We can''t let them!"Lotty hissed.


    While we were whispering to each other in the tree, we didn''t hear Silas utter the dreaded word, but we did hear the blood-curdling scream that followed.


    I almost fell out of the tree.


    The screaming died down into gasps and whimpers.


    "Now - do you apologise?"Silas asked.


    "No!"Dominic responded, angrily.


    "Crucio!"


    Dominic screamed again, and I was beginning to wonder if we should jump down and try to stop them, when Lotty took action. She jumped down, and I realised I had no choice but to follow.


    She ran up to Silas and shoved him with all of her strength. He turned to her.


    "What the...?"he began, then angrily at the others,"why did you let her through? She''s a Carrow!"


    "Stop it!"Lotty yelled,"I''m going to report all of you! Using Unforgivable Curses! Torturing!"


    That was the point when I jumped down. Kenneth Brass was already pointing out the trees to Silas.


    "You Carrows are like wasps!"Silas greeted us,"squish one and the whole swarm comes after you! Got any more of you up in those trees?"


    He actually got Castellanos to check.


    "We''re going to report this!"I said.


    "Report what exactly?"Silas asked,"what for? What exactly were we doing?"he turned to his gang.


    "Nothing,"was the general murmur.


    "Now, what were we doing, Carrow?"Silas addressed me, in a voice that sent shivers down my spine.


    "Oh, I don''t know - torturing a fellow student using an Unforgivable Curse,"I said.


    Silas shrugged,"no we weren''t, were we?"he asked his gang.


    "We weren''t,"was the general murmur.


    I noticed Julia Brown (Lotty''s friend from last year) was amongst the group. She didn''t participate in the response, and she was looking at the ground.


    "I want to hear EVERYONE say it!"Silas demanded,"what were we DOING? Come on!"


    "Nothing!"everyone said this time, Julia included.


    "See,"Silas said,"report us and no one will believe you. There''s only three of you, and there''s eleven of us. All of you are Carrows, and mostly Slytherins!"


    I was going to report it right away, but they barred the way out.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"Silas taunted,"you''re going to stay and watch! You too, Charlotte Carrow! You''re going to remain here until we''ve finished teaching your cousin a few well-needed manners!"


    Two students grabbed me and held me back. The same thing was done to Lotty (though she put up a better fight).


    Silas resumed torturing Dominic. Hearing it from up in the trees was bad enough, but down here... It made me want to throw myself up from the inside out. I don''t know how else to put it into words. I closed my eyes, but I couldn''t shut out the sound of it, and it went on and on.


    Finally, Silas stopped. I opened my eyes. Dominic was gasping , his face was tear-streaked and there was a terrified look in his eyes as Silas approached him. Silas placed his wand under his chin and tilted his face up towards him, then looked him in the eyes (though Dominic was avoiding eye-contact, and blinking).


    "Do you apologise?"Silas asked, quietly.


    Silence.


    "Well, do you?"Silas asked again.


    "Y-yes,"Dominic stammered,"I apologise. I''m - I''m sorry I said that. I won''t say it again."


    "Well, that I am pleased to hear!"Silas said,"see, that wasn''t so difficult now, was it? What do you say, Max? Should we accept his apology?"


    I noticed Max was looking uneasy, and seemed slightly shaken,"um, I certainly don''t believe it to be a genuine one,"he said, a few grim-sounding laughs followed this remark,"but I''ll take it. You are now absolved, Carrow."


    "You''d better watch there isn''t a next time,"Silas warned Dominic, as he turned back to him,"what do you say? Will there be a next time?"


    "Y- yes,"Dominic said.


    "Yes? You''re saying there WILL?"Silas said, in a tone that I can only describe as being full of evil delight.


    "N-no! I mean no! I meant no!"Dominic pleaded,"there won''t! I won''t!"


    "Well, that''s lucky for you, I was about to give you another bout!"Silas said, and Dominic flinched.


    Silas unshackled Dominic. He slipped down to the ground and lay on the floor, covering his head with his hands.


    "Let''s go,"Silas said,"release them!"


    They left us with Dominic, who was lying on the floor, not moving, completely silent.


    I went up to him and put my hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him, but he violently whacked it away, then got up and shoved me backwards!


    "Dominic, it''s ME!"I said.


    "GO AWAY!"he yelled,"LEAVE ME!"


    "We''re not leaving you,"I said .


    "Leave me alone,"Dominic pleaded, this time in a less loud voice, his voice was hoarse from all the screaming.


    "Please come back with us, Dominic,"Lotty begged.


    "YOU shut up!"Dominic yelled at her.


    "There''s no need for this!"I yelled at him.


    He got up and ran at us, then past us, out of the ruin, in the direction of the castle.


    "He''s going back by himself,"I said,"let him go."


    "I don''t care about what Silas said about us not being believed,"Lotty said,"I''m going to report this."


    I agreed.


    But things weren''t so simple as that. Lotty and I told Headmistress Wells, and she did listen to us, she asked all of the right sorts of questions, she even seemed to believe us - but the VERY person to go and ruin everything and make us look like a bunch of liars, was Dominic!


    Wells called Dominic to see her, and when she asked him about what had happened, he told her none of it did, that we made it all up! Even worse than just that, when Wells was being skeptical about his answers, he told her he was somewhere else when it happened - he told her he was with Antonius WHO BACKED UP WHAT HE SAID! Also Antonius KNOWS about what happened!


    I just couldn''t understand why Dominic and Antonius would do this! So I decided to confront Antonius. I asked him why he backed up Dominic in his lie. Silas and his gang can''t be allowed to get away with doing things like this!


    Antonius looked at me with that usual perfectly calm, irritating expression, his hands behind his back, and replied very simply,"you should have asked him first."


    "I know, yes, I should have done that, but still!"I said,"Dominic lying about it has just made things worse!"


    "Maybe things need to get worse,"Antonius said quietly,"sometimes things have to get worse, before they can get better."


    "What do you mean by that?"I asked.


    "This is war, Catherine,"he answered, grimly,"they''ve started a war, and this is our war to fight. The last thing we need is teachers getting in the way."


    "Teachers getting in the way is EXACTLY what we need!"I said,"you''re planning on retaliating?"


    "Of course we are going to retaliate,"Antonius answered.


    "But what will you do?"I asked.


    "Well, we won''t do anything that could get us into trouble,"Antonius said,"all we need to do, is set a trap. They''ve already made it clear they''re not going to report Dominic for petty things, and Silas will do the rest for us. He will damn himself."


    "So, you''re going to use my cousin as bait to lure Silas Warren into a trap!"


    "Yes,"Antonius continued,"but we have to plan this well. We don''t just want him expelled, we want him sent to Azkaban."


    "But in order to get him sent to Azkaban, Dominic could be put into real, serious danger,"I said.


    "Dominic understands that,"Antonius responded,"and it is a risk he is willing to take."


    "But..."I tried to say.


    "That''s the end of it, Catherine,"Antonius said, coldly,"I have nothing more to say to you."


    He walked off, I didn''t know what to do. I didn''t understand his or Dominic''s reasoning for this strategy. What Silas did in the ''Courthouse'' is already so serious, he would get into enough trouble just for that.

 Duelling Practice

    It was while I was on my way to speak to Lotty, that I bumped into the last person I wanted to see, the villain himself. He was by the Greenhouses, and he was with his usual minions - Brass and Castellanos.


    "I heard you reported us,"Silas said, then he added in a mocking tone,"how did that go?"


    "You won''t get away with this!"I said,"none of you will! The truth always comes out in the end!"


    "I agree,"Silas said,"maybe some archaeologists will dig it up in a couple hundred years time."


    Max and Kenneth laughed. I felt fury rising within me. I don''t often get angry, rarely do I get this angry!


    "I''d like to speak to you, alone!"I said to Silas.


    "Alone?"he replied,"you''re not planning on kidnapping me and getting some revenge, are you? Because that would be so LIKE a Carrow!"


    Max and Kenneth laughed again.


    "What? Are you a coward?"I went on.


    Silas'' eyes glinted angrily when I said this, and he walked towards me,"what makes you think I''d be afraid of you?"he said,"you can''t even block basic curses!"


    "You''ll get yourself expelled, or worse!"I said, backing away,"if you continue doing things like this, you WILL get found out!"


    "You''re talking as if I''m in the wrong,"Silas said.


    "So you actually think you''re in the RIGHT!?"I said.


    "Of course,"Silas answered,"it''s time we started seeing some proper justice around here. You Slytherins are allowed to get away with too much!"


    "WE''RE allowed to get away with too much!?"I said, indignantly.


    I have never wanted to turn someone into a frog as much as I did at that point. It''s a good thing I had low confidence in my transfiguration skills, and an even better thing I have a cautious brain, because otherwise there might have suddenly appeared, in between Kenneth and Max, a half-human half-frog monstrosity. I would have gotten Detention, and possibly (definitely) a trial at the Courthouse, but fortunately I didn''t give in to temptation.


    "Do you REALLY want a war between houses?"I said.


    "A war between houses, I like the sound of that,"Silas said.


    "Well, I don''t!"I said.


    "Looks like things are getting interesting,"Silas went on.


    "You''re just going to cause a whole load of more problems and get yourself into trouble too!"I said.


    "You''re just saying that because you know this is a war Slytherin can''t win,"Silas said.


    "Oh really? You want to BET on that!"I said.


    "I''d bet my life on it!"Silas said.


    I left them, now in a really bad mood. I''d forgotten about finding Lotty. I ran down to the edge of the Black Lake and threw stones into it. It was while I was doing that, that my rock-throwing disturbed someone that had been sitting hidden amongst the reeds.


    It was Julia Brown. Her face was tear-streaked, and for a moment I hoped I hadn''t accidentally hit her.


    Sobbing, she ran off into the distance. I don''t think I hit her, I think she was hiding by the edge of the lake - crying.


    Suddenly I felt less angry, now I just felt sad. I went to find Lotty.


    Later:


    Lotty didn''t know what to do either.


    "We have to keep an eye on them,"I said,"if we suspect they''re about to put someone else on trial, we could get a teacher and bring them to the Courthouse so they can see what''s happening."


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    I told Lotty about Antonius'' schemes of war.


    "That''s one thing I don''t understand,"Lotty said.


    "What''s that?"I asked.


    "I don''t understand why you''re so mad at Antonius'' plan when it''s the same as yours,"Lotty went on.


    "My plan isn''t the same,"I said,"I want Silas to be caught doing something he''s going to do anyway, but Antonius wants to manipulate him into doing something worse! That''s the issue I have with it. Especially as he''s going to be putting Dominic at risk."


    "I don''t think he''d put Dominic''s life in danger,"said Lotty.


    "Do you suppose he''d go to Azkaban for using the Cruciatus Curse?"I said.


    "It''s banned, so he might,"Lotty said,"he''d get expelled too."


    "Antonius did say he''d ''damn himself '',"I went on.


    "Maybe we shouldn''t worry about it so much,"Lotty said,"we should just keep an eye out; and like you said, we can get a teacher if we think someone is in danger."


    I suddenly remembered something.


    "I saw Julia by the Black Lake on the way here,"I said.


    "You saw who?"Lotty asked.


    "Julia Brown,"I said.


    "Oh,"said Lotty, her expression changed to a frown.


    "She was crying,"I said.


    "What about it?"Lotty responded, in a cold tone.


    "I think she''s upset about what happened at the Courthouse,"I said.


    "So what?"Lotty said,"if she didn''t like it, she could have done something about it! She''s a coward!"


    "Lotty,"I said,"no one''s perfect. If Julia is upset about what Silas is doing, you should be there for her. She could become an ally. She could help us try to stop this."


    "She would never be friends with me again,"Lotty said,"not if it makes her unpopular."


    "You could just give her a chance,"I suggested.


    Lotty went quiet. Then she said,"anyway - let''s talk about something else. Something happier. Let''s plan something! Let''s DO something! Let''s go to the Duelling Meadow."


    "I''m not sure I''m in the right mood for duelling practise,"I said.


    "Invite the others,"Lotty insisted,"I will! You can be judge if you want. Just don''t put us on trial, ok?"


    I couldn''t help laughing, though I felt like crying at the same time.


    A few days later:


    In DADA, Professor Livia had us practicing duelling. Gryffindor Vs Slytherin again.


    Professor Livia organised us into pairs. I don''t know if I''ve mentioned before, but there are ten Gryffindor 6th years and only eight of us (if you include Henry Blaise, who joins us for these sorts of classes), so pairing isn''t so simple as everyone Vs someone else. It was actually 4 pairs duelling at a time.


    For the first round, I was paired with Lauren Golding (another of Silas'' loyal minions). I''ve never spoken to her, I don''t even know her, but I always get this idea that she hates me. Antonius was paired with Kenneth Brass, Priscilla with Patricia Finnigan, and Regulus with Max Castellanos.


    We were blocking again. I''m glad I''ve been practicing in the Duelling Meadow because Lauren was very fast in her attacks, and it was quite challenging to keep up; but I survived the session without being blasted backwards...


    I wasn''t in round two, which was: Henry v Elena Thomas, Priscilla v Danielle Turner, Amelia v Amber Harris (another of Silas'' gang), Artemisia v Richard Steel (the only boy in the Gryffindor 6th year that isn''t in Silas'' gang). All attacks were blocked, nothing dramatic happened.


    Then round three. I was called back for this round, with Dominic and the Sanding twins.


    "Right, Castellanos - you will be with Miss Carrow,"Professor Livia was organising us,"Turner, you with Amelia Sanding; Stevenson, you with Artemisia Sanding. Warren, you will be with Carrow."


    I looked over in horror. She was pairing Silas with Dominic. I couldn''t think of a worse combination! I was so distracted that I didn''t notice Max''s attack, and ended up among the desks and chairs.


    "A bit hasty, Castellanos,"Professor Livia remarked,"wait until we''re ready at least!"


    I got up, unsteadily.


    "Would you like someone else to go instead?"Professor Livia asked me.


    I found myself nodding. So she swapped me for Antonius, and I went over to my desk.


    Dominic was frozen, he didn''t even try to stop Silas, and was knocked backwards. Then he got up and ran out of the classroom. Professor Livia was furious.


    "What''s gotten into him?"she said,"he can''t just abandon class like that!"


    "I''ll get him,"Antonius volunteered.


    "I don''t think it''s a good idea to pair Dominic with Silas,"I said.


    "Oh! And why is that?"Professor Livia snapped,"because of some false accusations being thrown around?"


    I was horrified! So Professor Livia had heard about the reported incident. Whether or not she believed it, pairing Dominic with Silas was an incredibly tactless thing to do!


    A minute or so later, Antonius returned with Dominic, who was not at all looking his usual self. Dominic instantly sat down at his desk, but Professor Livia ordered him back up.


    "I won''t have this cowardly behaviour in my class, Carrow!"she said,"I''ve a mind to give you detention! You will return to your position, and you will face Warren, and you will practice blocking!"


    Dominic remained at his desk.


    "If you will not, then I will have no choice but to give you detention,"Professor Livia went on.


    "Can''t you pair him with someone else?"I asked.


    "No,"said Professor Livia, firmly,"he will do as he''s told! I will not have petty feuds disrupting my class!"


    How could she call something like this a ''petty feud''?


    It was Antonius that got Dominic up from his desk and took him over to the duelling arena. He whispered something to him, and Dominic faced Silas.


    He blocked Silas'' first attack, but on the second time, instead of blocking, he cast Depulso on Silas, sending him flying backwards!


    "Carrow, you are supposed to be blocking, not attacking!"Professor Livia said,"that''s twenty points from Slytherin, and if you do it again, it will be thirty points, and detention!"


    Antonius made a disapproving face at Dominic, and waved his hands at him, in some kind of instructional guesture. Dominic looked back at Silas, nervously. Silas also approached Dominic with caution this time. Now Dominic did what he was supposed to. He managed to block all of Silas'' attacks, and then the duelling rounds were over.

 The Tunnel Under the Forbidden Forest

    After classes:


    I met Lotty after the last class of the day. We went to the treehouse. We had decided to explore the tunnel, which we''ve been curious about ever since we found it.


    "We go in the direction that leads away from the Forbidden Forest,"I said,"I don''t think we should explore the other way."


    "Yeah, that''s what I was thinking,"Lotty agreed.


    "Maybe we should tell Ed we''re going to explore it,"I said,"in case something happens, someone needs to know where we are."


    "It''s alright, I already told him,"Lotty said.


    "You did?"I said.


    "Yeah,"Lotty answered,"I saw him in the Great Hall on my way here. I asked him if he wanted to come, but he said he doesn''t like the smell of Bundimuns."


    "Understandable,"I said,"shall we go, then?"


    The Forbidden Forest was just as eerie as usual. I had always thought that the moment you stepped one foot inside it, an angry Centaur would come up and kick you out; but no Centaurs came last time, and they probably wouldn''t this time either.


    We found the hole in the rotten planks where Lotty had fallen down. Using Anita''s rope, we descended into the darkness. Lotty went first, and I followed. I could see the light from her wand glowing welcomingly.


    "Lumos!"


    Now both our wands were lit. There was still an awful stench, but no sign of the Bundimun. We set off along the tunnel in the chosen direction. It didn''t go far before we arrived at a dead end.


    "It can''t just end like that,"I said,"what kind of tunnel doesn''t lead anywhere?"


    We examined the brick wall in front of us, and cast revealing spells.


    I suddenly felt extremely unwell and disorientated. I sat on the ground. I ached all over, it felt like I''d rolled down a long, rocky hill. My head was pounding and I felt a strong sense of anxiety and impending doom; like something really bad had happened - or had already happened. Also I felt like something was - missing.


    "Lotty! Are you alright?"I asked, bewildered.


    "I don''t know,"Lotty said,"I suddenly feel anxious for no reason. Let''s get out of here!"


    "Maybe there''s an enchantment on this wall,"I said, as Lotty made her way back up the rope,"some kind of enchantment keeping people from discovering what''s behind it, like the one in the Foxhole Chamber."


    "Yes,"Lotty agreed,"maybe it wasn''t a good idea exploring a tunnel under the Forbidden Forest."


    We climbed out into the forest, and as we did so, we noticed it had gotten completely dark outside.


    "Were we really down there that long?"I said.


    "It was sunset when we went down, and while we were down there, the sun must have set,"Lotty suggested.


    "I''m sure we were only down there for ten minutes at the most!"I said,"less than that!"


    "Maybe we were longer than we thought,"Lotty said, though she sounded as doubtful as I felt.


    We made our way back to the castle. It felt really late for some reason. We entered the grounds through a side door in the wall that we usually use when we''re returning to the castle a little later than we''re supposed to.


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    As we went through the Great Hall, it looked deserted.


    Lotty and I were about to part ways to go to our separate House-quarters, when, all of a sudden, Ed strolled out from the shadows, startling us.


    "So,"he said, looking at us disapprovingly,"what have you been up to then?"


    "What do you mean? You know what we were doing,"Lotty said.


    "Spending the night in some tunnel,"Ed said.


    "What do you mean ''spending the night''?"Lotty said what I was thinking.


    "Keep your voice down,"Ed said, in a harsh whisper,"we''re not supposed to be out here this late. I suggest you two go to bed right now - sharpish!"


    "Ed, it''s barely eight o''clock!"I said.


    "Eight o''clock!?"Ed raised his voice for a moment,"you''ve got to be joking! Anyway, I''m off now! Going to get out of here before we all get into trouble."


    Now feeling really puzzled, I quickly parted ways with Lotty - she ran towards the Grand Staircase, and I went down into the dungeons.


    In the common room, I was greeted by Jared and Anita.


    "Where have you been?"Jared demanded,"we looked for you! We tried summoning you! We were worried! Then Ed told us you''d gone down some tunnel."


    "I didn''t receive a summoning,"I said.


    "But - we both summoned you! Anita did! I did!"Jared said,"we got Ed to do it too! We were planning on going to look for you, when Ed finally told us he''d seen you and Lotty coming up to the castle."


    "You''ve just spoken to Ed?"I asked.


    "Yes, he summoned us as soon as he saw you,"Jared answered,"it was his idea to keep a look out for you. We decided to wait for you in here, rather than risk getting into trouble out there with Ed. No point in all of us ending up in Detention for your antics! Why on earth are you and Lotty going off exploring tunnels without us?"


    "Yeah!"Anita agreed.


    "We thought it would be dangerous,"I said,"Lotty fell down it by accident a week ago."


    "And you didn''t tell us!"Jared objected,"where is this tunnel, anyway? You forgot to tell Ed where it was, by the way!"


    "It''s in the Forbidden Forest,"I said.


    "The Forbidden Forest!"Anita exclaimed.


    "You do realise that''s completely off-limits!"Jared said.


    "Yeah, well,"I said, wanting to change the subject,"how late is it, anyway?"


    "It''s eleven at night!"Jared informed me,"getting on for midnight!"


    I stared at him in disbelief. It could not be that late!


    "But we were only gone half an hour at most!"I exclaimed,"it can''t be that time now! That would mean it''s been four hours!"


    This was incredibly mysterious and unsettling. I wanted to go back to Lotty to talk about it, but it was too late. It would have to wait until morning.


    Next day:


    I thought I''d never be able to sleep, considering the circumstances, but after writing in my diary, I was so exhausted, I just fell asleep without even realising it. I slept so heavily, that Priscilla had to wake me up when everyone was leaving the dormitory.


    I was feeling somewhat groggy, going through the morning more out of habit than anything else. I remembered the unsettling events of last night, and wanted to go and find Lotty; but breakfast needed to be had, and then the morning classes.


    On my way into the Great Hall, I bumped into Max Castellanos. When I say bumped into, I mean bumped into, in the literal sense.


    "Sorry,"he said, then he saw who I was,"Miss Carrow!"he said,"are you alright?"


    I looked at him as if he had gone mad.


    "Why do you ask?"I asked him.


    "Oh! Yes, of course,"Max answered, in a strange voice,"right,"then he walked off.


    I watched him as he walked away,"you sure you''re not sleep-walking, Castellanos?"I called after him.


    "Nope!"he shouted back, and he didn''t sound annoyed.


    "What was that?"I suddenly noticed Jared standing next to me.


    "What was what?"I asked.


    "Was he trying to ask you out to the May Festival?"Jared said.


    I had completely forgotten about the May Festival.


    "Absolutely not!"I said, horrified.


    "Anyone asked you yet?"Jared went on.


    "No,"I said,"has anyone asked you?"


    "You mean - have I asked anyone?"Jared said,"that is my secret to keep, I''m afraid..."


    "Then why are you asking me?"I said,"that''s my secret to keep too, in that case! Anyway - let''s get breakfast."


    I found Lotty when I could.


    "It seems we were gone for four hours,"I told her,"something really weird happened in that tunnel."


    "I don''t like it at all,"Lotty said,"it''s like when we examined that wall, we were pushed forwards through time!"


    "I still feel terrible,"I said.


    "Why?"Lotty asked.


    "I feel like I''ve been running for miles and miles,"I explained,"I''ve felt so tired since yesterday. How are you?"


    "I''m normal,"Lotty said,"nothing wrong with me - apart from being completely weirded out by that tunnel."


    "Well, I feel like it drained some of the life out of me, as well as pushing us forwards through time,"I remarked, yawning,"I can barely stay awake this morning."


    "I don''t feel tired,"Lotty said, looking at me curiously,"you''re just unfit, Cathy."


    "I hope that''s all it is,"I said.


    This whole thing was really worrying. I remembered the memory issues I''ve been having for the past year. What if this wasn''t us being pushed forwards through time? What if something happened during those four hours and we had forgotten it? Though if it was connected to the memory issues I''ve been having, then it doesn''t exactly explain why Lotty didn''t remember either... In any case, what if something happened down there and both our memories of it had been obliviated? Maybe the tunnel had an enchantment on it that obliviated the memories of those who entered it?

 The Second Trial

    A few days later:


    We discovered something horrible today. We heard whispers of it at breakfast.


    First class of the day was Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Professor Livia told us all about it. It seemed as though she was taking the fullest advantage out of the terrible situation.


    There was a raid done on a meeting of pureblood-supremacists and advocates of dark magic. A fight broke out between the ministry officials, aurors and the people participating in the meeting. Antonius'' parents, and Uncle Julius and Aunt Adrianna (Dominic''s parents) were among the leaders. It is said they were discovered planning a coup on the Ministry. During the raid, Uncle Julius apparently attempted to kill an auror! Dominic''s and Antonius'' parents are on their way to Azkaban...


    Next day:


    In the evening, a few hours ago, a Ravenclaw 6th year approached me with what she called a ''summons''. I wasn''t the only one to receive it, everyone from the 6th and 7th years in Slytherin got the same. It was a ''summons'' to the Courthouse from Silas'' gang. Apparently compliance was ''mandatory'' and there would be ''serious consequences'' for those who refused.


    We met in our common room, in a very confused and somewhat disorganised group. Eight of us must have received the summons, but only seven of us were there.


    "Wait, where''s Antonius?"Priscilla Bulstrode said, looking around.


    "Dominic?"Artemisia asked our cousin.


    "I - don''t know,"Dominic responded,"I haven''t seen him all afternoon."


    "He should be here!"Regulus Flint said, sounding impatient.


    "What if he CAN''T be here?"Amelia Sanding suggested.


    "You think they''ve taken him?"I asked.


    "His parents were ringleaders in the secret meeting the Ministry raided, and I''m sure that''s what started all this,"Amelia went on.


    "So were mine, but I''m here,"Dominic said,"they haven''t tried to take me."


    "He hasn''t done anything,"I said,"he''s always careful to make sure he doesn''t do anything that could get himself into trouble."


    "People know about his views, though,"Amelia said.


    "Yeah, but he hasn''t said anything lately,"I said.


    "What happens if we go? That''s the question,"Amelia said.


    "It''s going to be a trap,"Artemisia said.


    "Another question - what happens if we don''t go?"I suggested.


    "Well, I''m not going,"Regulus said, aggressively,"I''m not going along with any of this ''mandatory'' nonsense. I''d rather wait to see what ''serious consequences'' they have in mind! I''d like to see them try anything with me!"


    The Sanding twins agreed with Regulus.


    "I think we should look for Antonius,"Dominic suggested, looking concerned, then he added,"I''m certainly not going,"with a shudder.


    "What do you suppose they''ll do?"Priscilla asked,"if we go."


    "What even is all of this about?"Henry Blaise asked, looking confused,"why haven''t I been told about any of this?"


    "We only found out recently,"Priscilla answered,"from Antonius. He hasn''t told everyone yet."


    I began explaining to Henry what had happened lately with Silas Warren''s gang.


    "Why don''t they just report issues to the teachers? Or the Headmistress?"Henry asked.


    "Because they want to do things their way,"I said,"and it''s not a way any teacher here or the Headmistress would approve of!"


    "Then why haven''t you reported it?"Henry asked me.


    "I did,"I said, looking at Dominic.


    Dominic looked away.


    "So it''s decided then,"Regulus said,"we will not comply with their summons."


    "We should look for Antonius,"Dominic persisted,"see what he has to say."


    I had a feeling we weren''t going to find Antonius very easily. I found Jared and asked him to summon me if he saw him.


    "What do you want Antonius for?"Jared asked, completely clueless,"I thought you hated him?"


    "I don''t like him,"I replied,"it''s not just me looking for him. He''s gone missing."


    "Fine, I''ll let you know if I see him,"Jared said.


    We decided to split up, when we were looking for Antonius. In hindsight, that wasn''t a brilliant idea. Silas'' gang picked us off one by one.


    I was looking near the Quidditch stadium when Hilary Winter and Lauren Golding suddenly approached me.


    "Lost something?"Lauren asked.


    "It''s not any of your business,"I responded.


    "You''re coming with us to the Courthouse,"Hilary said.


    "I''m not,"I objected,"there''s no school rule that says I have to."


    "There''s OUR rules that say you have to,"said Lauren,"and you will."


    I wasn''t strong enough, or adept enough at magic to fight off the both of them. Especially Hilary. So I found myself being forcibly escorted to the Courthouse.


    When we got there, I noticed Priscilla was there too. She looked like she was glued to the ground. Amber Harris and Luke Stevenson were also there.


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    "Ah, you''ve got another one,"Luke said,"didn''t come willingly, I imagine?"


    "No,"Lauren said,"I don''t think any of them will."


    "Let''s go,"Amber said,"leave Lauren with these two."


    I was stuck to the ground, like I was glued there, I couldn''t get up. They must have used some spells to keep us stuck there...


    Luke, Amber and Hilary were all just leaving through the narrow doorway, when they met Georgina Farthing (the Ravenclaw who''d delivered my summons) and Isaac Perry (a Gryffindor 5th year) with Henry Blaise.


    "He came willingly - in the end,"Georgina said.


    "What is this?"Henry protested, as they glued him to the ground,"you do realise I''m a Prefect?"


    "A Prefect from Slytherin House doesn''t count,"Lauren Golding said, with a mocking laugh.


    "We''ve got four of them, that leaves four,"Amber said,"we''ll need a fair number of us to round up those Sanding twins, they''re always together, and they can be fierce!"


    (Amber Harris is Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team)


    "Four of them?"I was wondering.


    There were only three of us in the Courthouse. I wondered if the 4th was Antonius. Maybe that was why we couldn''t find him? But if that was the case, why wasn''t he here with us?


    A few minutes later, Regulus was dragged into the Courthouse by Hufflepuff 6th year Jeremy Jackson and a Ravenclaw 5th year whose name I do not know. Then the Sanding twins were brought in, and Dominic directly after.


    We were all stuck to the ground.


    Then Silas entered, and behind him followed Max and Kenneth with Antonius.


    "So you all chickened out, and we had to fetch you here by force, I see,"Silas said, looking at us,"typical coward Slytherin behaviour of course!"


    Dominic clenched his fists.


    Now the rest of Silas'' gang flocked in. Julia Brown wasn''t among them this time, but the gang had accumulated more members since Dominic''s trial.


    Silas summoned the stake.


    "You may be wondering why you''ve all been called here,"he said,"the answer is - to witness a trial. No doubt you''ve all heard about what happened recently - a vicious and despicable plot discovered. A grave threat and a dire warning! A reminder that WE need to take action, and YOU need to take warning!"


    "WE weren''t involved! How is this supposed to be about us?"Henry demanded.


    "No, but THEIR,"here Silas pointed to me and Dominic,"and HIS,"he motioned to Antonius,"families were at the epicentre!"


    Silas turned back to Antonius,"your family were caught organising a full-scale coup!"he said to him,"do you, Antonius Parkinson, denounce your family?"


    "No,"Antonius answered.


    My heart sank. I looked over at Dominic, he was looking incredibly pale, like he was going to be sick or pass out. The others, who have never witnessed a trial before, just sat there looking mutinous.


    At a motion from Silas, Kenneth and Max took Antonius to the stake and shackled him. As much as I dislike Antonius, I did not want to see him go through this.


    Silas turned to Antonius again,"I believe you know what will happen to you?"


    Antonius said nothing.


    "I''m giving you one more chance,"Silas said,"do you denounce your family?"


    "No,"Antonius responded.


    He didn''t look frightened or concerned and he stared Silas directly in the eye. Silas backed away, and nodded to Max, who stepped forward.


    "Do it,"Silas ordered.


    Max looked nervous and hesitant,"Silas,"he began.


    "Do it!"Silas demanded.


    Max faltered.


    "Do it!"Silas snapped.


    "I - I can''t,"Max said, lowering his wand and backing away.


    Silas motioned to Kenneth, who took his place without hesitation and went straight for it.


    Antonius, even with his exceptional capacity for self-control, was unable to endure the agony without screaming.


    Silas had to nudge Kenneth, before he lowered his wand. Antonius gasped for breath, but quickly removed any indication of pain or stress from his expression, and held his head up.


    "Do you denounce your family?"Silas asked him again.


    "No,"Antonius answered, in a quiet voice.


    Dominic passed out on the ground. He alone out of us knows how it actually feels.


    Five more times Silas asked Antonius to denounce his family, and five times Antonius defied him. Though by the fifth time, tears were pouring down his face and he no longer looked so brave.


    Kenneth was about to torture him again. By now Antonius was crying and looked terrified. He was close to breaking point.


    "Stop,"Silas motioned to Kenneth, then he said to Antonius once more,"do you denounce your family?"


    "No,"Antonius sobbed,"never!"


    Silas nodded to Kenneth.


    Antonius screamed again.


    "We need to stop!"Max Castellanos suddenly said, taking us by surprise,"he''s not going to give in, that''s clear!"


    "He will give in,"Silas said.


    "No! You can''t do this, Silas, it''s WRONG!"Max protested,"he hasn''t even DONE anything!"


    "He doesn''t need to have done anything,"Silas answered him,"the fact he refuses to denounce his family after what they''ve done proves he is just as guilty as they are! The only difference between them and him, is they''re in Azkaban, and he''s free!"


    "You can''t keep doing this, Silas,"Max said, raising his wand,"I won''t let you!"


    For a moment, Silas gave his friend a look of utter disbelief, then he nodded to his gang,"take him!"


    Three members stepped forward and pulled Max back, prizing his wand from his hand.


    "Hold him down there on the floor with the Slytherins!"Silas ordered,"he''s earned that place with them today!"


    "Silas!"Max called, in a pleading voice,"surely you realise now that this is wrong!?"


    "So you would stand back and watch as dark powers rise again!"said Silas,"you would let evil fester and grow, like a cancer, grow and grow until it''s too late to save the innocent victims who it will inevitably claim! You would risk the lives of those people for what!? Because you don''t agree with punishing those that deserve it! That need to be punished! That need to be stopped!"


    "You can''t keep on doing this,"Max went on.


    "I will keep on doing this until he denounces his family!"Silas insisted.


    "Silas - he''s not going to do that,"Max went on,"what does it matter anyway? He''s been punished enough already. That curse causes real pain! We''ve never felt it, but I''ve heard it''s not something to be taken lightly, that''s why it''s banned!"


    Silas ignored Max and asked Antonius to denounce his family again. Again Antonius refused, but then something happened. Max had somehow gotten himself free, and retrieved his wand.


    "Expelliarmus!"Max yelled.


    Kenneth''s wand flew out of his hand.


    "Incarcerous!"


    Suddenly Silas was tied up in ropes!


    Chaos ensued, several of the gang members turned around to see who was doing what, but all of us Slytherins were still on the ground. Max cast a spell at us that I didn''t quite understand, and suddenly we were all unglued. He threw a wand over at us, Priscilla grabbed it. She immediately jumped up and cast stunning spells into the crowd of confused gang members.


    Regulus retook his wand and got several others while he was at it. Silas was still trying to break free from the ropes, and he had dropped his wand. I noticed that Hilary was also tied up in ropes, and Lauren was sitting on the floor, looking dazed. Max and Kenneth were duelling each other viciously. Then I noticed Dominic (who had woken up during the commotion) approaching Silas, who had just broken free and was reaching for his wand.


    "Crucio!"


    Silas screamed, and as he did, there was a dreadful hush of everyone else. Kenneth and Max stopped fighting each other and turned around as Silas continued to scream and writhe on the ground.


    "Dominic!"I shouted.


    Dominic stopped,"he needs to know how it feels!"he said.


    Silas, now really angry, reached for his wand and jumped to his feet,"idiot!"he said to Dominic,"don''t think I''m not going to report this!"


    "You did it to me! And Antonius!"Dominic objected.


    "Well, maybe you shouldn''t have lied to the Headmistress the first time!"Silas declared, with a triumphant look on his face,"she''ll never believe you! And I have witnesses!"


    "Yes!"Lauren backed him,"multiple witnesses!"


    "If you report him, I''ll report you!"Max threatened, stepping forward.


    "What are you DOING, Max!?"Lauren demanded.


    Then the members of Silas'' gang began chanting,"traitor!"


    "I will! I mean what I say!"Max went on,"and don''t think they won''t believe me! You''re going on about having witnesses, well, what about THEM?"


    He meant us.


    "I''m reporting you anyway!"Henry Blaise said.


    "The word of one House against another!"Silas said.


    While they were still arguing, I remembered Antonius. He was still shackled to the stake, and even though his torture was over, he still seemed to be in pain. I unshackled him and helped him down. He fell to his knees, gasping and rocking back and forth. He looked like he was going to throw up.


    "Antonius,"I said, softly, reaching out to him.


    I expected him to ignore me, or push me away like Dominic had done, but I wanted him to know I cared. He wrapped his arms around me, I was taken by surprise, but then I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly. He didn''t want to let go, and neither did I.


    I don''t know how long I was comforting Antonius, when I heard Dominic saying to me,"come on, Cathy, it''s time to go. Bring him back."


    Dominic and I both lifted Antonius to his feet, and I realised we were now the only people left in the Courthouse. We made our way back to the castle.

 Ed Discovers Something

    The next day:


    Antonius told us not to report what happened. He said he''d deny everything if we did. I can''t help but feel extremely frustrated. I don''t understand him at all. Silas'' behaviour is already enough to get him into serious trouble as it is! If we can get teachers to see what''s going on, that should end all of this here and now! I have no idea what he expects to achieve by dragging this all out.


    That being said, my opinion of him has improved significantly. Even though I don''t agree with him on a lot of things; though I saw him shaking hands with Max Castellanos earlier at the end of today''s DADA class, so maybe there''s some hope there (Antonius knows Max is Muggleborn). It can''t be denied that in defying Silas under torture like that, to the very end, he showed incredible courage and strength.


    I''ve always considered his calm demeanor and cool collectedness to be an act, but I''m starting to see that that''s how he is naturally. Realising that, I find him a lot less irritating. I''m the kind of person that is greatly influenced by personality, especially actions (words so often disguise the truth). Since that trial, I''ve been seeing him in a different light. What Antonius'' parents did was terrible, but Silas wasn''t forcing him to denounce their actions, he was forcing him to denounce his family. Forcing him to reject his core values, and the people he loves. I should know how strong our family bonds can be. I admire Antonius greatly for standing up for himself like that.


    He seems to have recovered quite quickly, though I''m sure someone can''t just bounce back from that kind of trauma overnight.


    End of April:


    Lotty, Anita and I were in the treehouse, waiting for Jared and Ed.


    "Why are they always late?"Anita grumbled,"why don''t we start practicing now?"


    I was sipping tea,"I don''t feel like practicing right now,"I said.


    "We should arrange a tournament!"Lotty suggested,"the best dueller wins!"


    "Best jeweler?"came a voice from below the trap door, then Jared''s head popped through it,"you starting a jewellery-making competition or something?"


    "Dueller!"Anita said.


    "I know! I heard!"Jared replied,"so where''s this jewellery then?"then he added,"can you help me with this?"passing something up to Lotty.


    It was one of his swords - then the other one!


    "Jared, we''re supposed to be practicing duelling, not fighting with swords!"I said.


    "Oh, I thought you was going to practise jewellery making?"Jared jested,"I was going to say - my favourite sword could do with some emeralds on the hilt..."


    "We are planning a duelling tournament! Du-el-ling!"Anita said, taking him seriously.


    I laughed, I knew he was joking.


    "Seeing as Ed''s not here yet, let''s have some rounds in the arena with the swords,"Jared declared,"come on, Cathy, tea can wait!"


    "Tea waits for no man, Jared,"I answered, continuing to sip my tea leisurely,"you, of all people, should know that."


    That was when Ed arrived, he had a bag with him.


    "What have you brought?"Lotty asked, staring at him suspiciously,"don''t tell me you''ve brought shields or something?!"


    "Shields? What?"Ed said, dumping the bag on the floor, and grabbing a mug of tea from the tray.


    "Shields! That''s a brilliant idea!"Jared remarked in the background.


    "Wait until you see what I''ve found!"Ed said, taking a gulp of tea,"ah! That''s hot! That''s bloody hot!"


    "Of course it''s hot, Ed,"I said,"I''ve been keeping it hot for you."


    "Anyway,"said Ed, getting the bag, and pulling out from it, an entire picture! Yes, a picture or a portrait, like one of the many decorating the walls of Hogwarts.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "I found this,"he went on,"in the Ravenclaw common room. It''s been there on the wall right in front of me, in my favourite studying corner, all this time!"


    "What about it?"I asked, completely puzzled.


    "Have a look at it!"Ed implored,"have a good look at it!"


    I looked at the picture. It was a picture of a girl throwing a golden ball up into the air and catching it again and again; then she dropped the ball, and it rolled into a pool of water. The scene replayed over and over in a loop. Suddenly I was reminded of the golden ball Anita found in September.


    "Can you believe the first thing I noticed about it, wasn''t even the ball,"Ed said,"it was the fact that the picture doesn''t act like all the others. You can''t interact with it, and it''s just the same scene over and over again - repeated."


    "You''re right,"I said, usually if you stare at a portrait of anyone in Hogwarts long enough, they''ll start reacting; accusing you of being rude or striking poses to show off.


    I looked at the frame and noticed small writing


    "The Princess and the Frog,"I read it out loud,"isn''t that a Muggle fairy tale?"


    "Indeed it is!"said Ed,"but look at the back!"


    I turned the picture around. Written on it, were the words,''To whomsoever would retrieve, the golden ball within the pool, then that person would receive, a rare and useful tool.''


    Then, below that were more words,''if you wish to discover the rest of this tale, then seek the other three of me.''


    "You think that could be the golden ball Anita found?"I asked.


    "What does it mean -''other three of me''?"Jared said, reading the words on the back of the picture,"does that mean there are three golden balls? Or three pictures?"


    "I think it means three pictures,"I said.


    "Oh!"said Lotty, suddenly.


    "What?"more than one of us asked at once.


    "I''m sure there''s a picture like this in the Gryffindor common room!"she said.


    "Really?"said Ed,"you should check! If it is, then we should know where to find the rest!"


    "Where?"Anita asked.


    "In each common room,"Ed said.


    "We''ll only be able to find two of the remaining three,"Jared said,"it''s not like we can look in the Hufflepuff common room."


    "Or - could we?"Anita said.


    "Anita - don''t go getting any ideas of sneaking into the Hufflepuff common room,"I said.


    "Why not?"Anita said,"it can''t be impossible? You said you snook Lotty into our common room once!"


    "Yes, but that was different,"I said,"you don''t have anyone to sneak you into the Hufflepuff common room, none of us do!"


    Anita went quiet, but she looked like she was thinking.


    "Bet you''re regretting not getting sorted into Hufflepuff now,"Jared said,"well, you should be!"


    Anita glared at him,"you''re the only one regretting me not getting into Hufflepuff!"


    "Well, we will all know for sure when Lotty has a look at that picture in the Gryffindor common room,"I said.


    We did some duelling-practice, and a little bit of sword-fighting, before returning to the castle on a quest.


    The next day:


    We found two more pictures! Lotty was right about the one in her common room! Ed''s theory about there being one in each common room must be true, because Jared also found a ''Princess and the Frog'' picture in our common room! We brought them to the treehouse to examine them.


    Lotty''s picture also had a scene that played in a loop. It was a scene of the princess carrying the frog and placing it on her pillow, and it turning into a prince.


    "I always remembered that picture, because I found it horrifying,"Lotty said,"imagine having a pet frog that suddenly turns into some creepy bloke that stands over you, watching you sleep!"


    We checked what was written on the back: ''To they that deceive, so be honest and true, and ye shall receive, that which ye are due.''


    It didn''t seem to make much sense. The picture from our common room (Slytherin of course) had a scene of the frog following the princess around, and the princess trying to avoid it.


    "That must be the part where it''s reminding her she needs to keep her promise,"I said, remembering the story.


    On the back was written: ''the power revealed, but take great caution, for within is sealed, a deadly portion.''


    "Wait! Aren''t they Roman numerals?"Jared pointed out three ''I''s scratched below the other writing.


    We checked the other pictures. Ravenclaw I, Gryffindor IV and Slytherin III.


    "They must go in a particular order,"Ed said,"Hufflepuff''s picture must be II."


    In correct order, it went like this: ''To whomsoever would retrieve, the golden ball within this pool, then that person would receive, a rare and useful tool... the power revealed, but take great caution, for within is sealed, a deadly portion, to they that deceive, so be honest and true, and ye shall receive, that which ye are due.''


    "I wish we had the missing part,"Ed echoed our thoughts.


    "It says there is a hidden deadly portion to any that try to deceive,"I said,"listen to that, Anita! No sneaking into other people''s common rooms!"


    "Alright,"Anita said, rolling her eyes,"I promise I won''t try sneaking into the Hufflepuff common room. Happy now?"


    "You have to keep that promise now,"I warned,"otherwise remember - deadly portion!"


    We discussed it for a while, before duelling and sword-fighting practice (which is becoming more fun, the more I''m getting used to it). We weren''t sure what to do next, as the riddle didn''t make much sense without the missing piece.


    The reason I made Anita promise not to sneak into the Hufflepuff common room is because if she gets caught, Silas'' gang would probably make a big thing out of it, and try to say she was up to something more sinister. I don''t think they''d put a 1st year on trial, but I don''t want to take any risks.


    Later:


    Antonius asked me if I would accompany him to the May Festival. On the spur of the moment, I agreed. I''m not sure if it was a wise move, but I don''t exactly regret it. Though I can''t seem to shake the feeling I am going to end up regretting it. Anyway, I''m pretty sure it''s nothing I can''t handle.

 The May Festival

    The May Festival:


    It''s the day of the May Festival today. There''s going to be a big party in The Three Broomsticks. I do like events where you get to dress up. It''s even better to be going with someone.


    I have a green dress for the festival. Mum chose it. I don''t usually like the dresses she chooses, but this time I did like it. It''s mostly green, with traces of aqua blue (my favourite colour). It''s one of those dresses you can spin around in, and it floats around like a parasol; but this one is an enchanted gown! When I tried it on, I found out that when I spun around, it floated me up into the air; and when I stopped spinning, it gracefully deposited me to the ground. That''s going to be fun when we do the dancing!


    I went down to the common room to show off to Anita. She wasn''t impressed. That kind of thing doesn''t interest her at all. Also she''s too young to go to the festival - or Hogsmeade, I suppose.


    "THAT''S quite interesting,"she remarked, as I twirled around and was lifted into the air,"but you can do much better than that on a broomstick."


    "You''re missing the point,"I said.


    "What point exactly?"Anita said, rolling her eyes.


    I wished I could show Lotty. I was just on my way back to my dormitory, when I heard a sudden laugh.


    "Cathy! What are you wearing?"it was Jared.


    "Never you mind!"I said, running away.


    "Is that so you can go to the ball with Antonius?"Jared said, in a voice full of irritating amusement.


    "None of your business, Jared,"I said, as I dashed off.


    "Cathy''s excited because she''s going on a date with Antonius!"Jared teased me before I could get out of hearing distance of him.


    I was excited for the May Festival. I couldn''t wait for the evening to come, at first; but then I realised that if the evening happened too quickly, the evening would be over too quickly too. No, it''s better to be at the beginning. When the beginning is about to begin! The last time I went, I was in the 4th year. I''d mostly just wandered around by myself, observing the festivities and eating food. That was when I''d first met Sheila Hunter, and our whirlwind friendship began. She''d been at the festival by herself too. All of the connections I have with people that are not my siblings or close relatives always end after a short time. That got me thinking about Antonius.


    I''m not sure how I feel about him right now, there are still a lot of things I dislike about him. I''m certainly not in love with him, or anything like that. My feelings for him largely consist of new-found admiration and curiousity. I don''t think I know what it''s like to ''fall in love'' with someone.


    But I''d rather not think about that for now. Times like this are meant for living in the present, and being aware of the moment.


    Later:


    I went to Hogsmeade with Ed and Jared. I asked them if they had any ''dates'' in a teasing kind of way.


    "Yes, I''ve got dates! Plenty of them,"Jared said, pulling a paper bag out of his pocket,"want one?"


    "Ah, yes, I could do with a few of those,"Ed said, grabbing the bag off Jared.


    "Tuck in!"said Jared,"I''ve got plenty more where those came from."


    So we walked into the village of Hogsmeade eating dates. There were decorations all around and The Three Broomsticks was lit up brightly.


    I suddenly felt a wave of anxiety wash over me, but it was more of an excited anxiety, like when you''re about to dive into a pool that you know is going to be freezing cold at first impact, but you really want to swim in it.


    "Technically, we shouldn''t have given you any dates, Cathy,"Jared said to me,"because you''ve already got one."


    "Yeah - these are for all us single people at the party,"Ed said.


    "Well, I can''t exactly eat Antonius, can I?"I said.


    "I bet you would if you could, you greedy pig!"Ed said, looking into the now-empty paper bag, after I handed it back to him.


    "Ed!"I replied, horrified.


    "Please don''t put those images into my mind!"said Jared.


    "I''m getting away from you weirdos!"I said, hastening towards the back door of The Three Broomsticks; which was open, and an inviting light poured out from it. Ed and Jared went around to the main entrance, which is down the hill, around the corner.


    I walked in, onto the staircase and made my way down. As I did so, I saw Antonius standing at the foot of the stairs. He didn''t notice me at first, but Regulus was with him, and tapped him on his shoulder.


    Antonius turned around and smiled at me as I descended the staircase. Now that I''m not constantly deciding to hate the very idea of him, I''m actually able to appreciate how attractive he is. He actually has a very nice smile. Though if he looked at me like that just a few weeks ago, I would have wanted to slap him. I certainly didn''t want to slap him now. I suddenly felt extremely nervous for a moment, and I didn''t know what to say, as I reached the floor from the stairs.


    "Look at this,"I said, wanting to break the awkward silence.


    I twirled around in my dress and allowed it to lift me up into the air. As it did so, I found myself elevated above everyone else, and it seemed like everyone was looking at me. I stopped spinning around, and allowed myself to be gently deposited back on the ground, suddenly feeling really embarrassed.


    "Beautiful, Catherine,"Antonius said, reaching out his hand.


    I hesitated before taking it, I tried not to think of it as an invitation to the darkness, but more as myself inviting him into the light.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I couldn''t help but notice a lot of people were still staring at me and Lauren Golding had accidentally spat a mouthful of butterbeer into Kenneth Brass'' face, and he was not happy about it! Silas was looking at me too, and I quickly looked away.


    I took Antonius'' hand, and he lead me over to a table. I still didn''t know what to say. He went to get drinks, and while he was gone, I was trying to think of something to talk about, but my mind was completely blank.


    "Thanks,"I said, nervously, when he returned.


    "Catherine,"he said, sitting down next to me with a concerned look on his face,"I couldn''t help but notice,"he went on,"this scar on your back."


    "What?"I said, taken by surprise,"I have a scar on my back?"


    "Yes, it looks fairly recent too,"Antonius observed,"quiet nasty, though it''s healing. How did that happen?"


    My hair was up in a bun, the dress I was wearing was a backless dress, but when I''d looked in the mirror as I tried it on, my hair had been down and must have been covering the place he said he saw the scar.


    I suddenly felt worried, how could I get a scar on my back without knowing about it? I remembered the time I''d suddenly got a wound on my arm, and had no idea how. Well, now I had no idea where I could have gotten this.


    "I''ll show you,"Antonius said, taking me over to a mirror on the wall.


    A long, diagonal scar, like a lash from a whip ran along the whole length of my back (though fortunately it wasn''t very deep). It appeared to be healing already. I remembered the time Lotty and I had attempted to explore the secret tunnel. I''d been hurting all over after that incident, but I could have gotten it then...


    "May I?"Antonius asked.


    I nodded.


    He ran his fingers along the scar,"does it hurt?"he asked.


    "No, not really,"I answered, shivering.


    "How can you not remember how you got something like this?"he asked me.


    "I don''t know,"I responded,"it''s not the first time. I''ve been having issues with my memory lately, for the last year, and - well, I got a wound on my arm one time, and I don''t know how I got that, even though I was with Lotty and Anita, but they didn''t know either."


    A strange look came over Antonius'' face, almost an angry expression, I noticed him glance over towards Silas as if he thought he might possibly have something to do with it.


    "I don''t think he''s got anything to do with it,"I said.


    "Oh no,"Antonius said quicky,"no, of course not, but you really should be more careful."


    When the dancing started, I enjoyed it a lot more than I''d though I would. It was thrilling and new! There was a lot of floating involved, with Antonius spinning me up into the air and catching me as I came back down. At one point, everyone else stopped dancing and crowded round in a circle, watching us. Some were clapping, some were cheering, some frowning and scowling. Max Castellanos was among those clapping and cheering. I was surprised to see this, but then I remembered how he''d suddenly taken our side at the Courthouse. I smiled over at him, as Antonius caught a hold of me and pulled me towards him, before spinning me around again.


    This time, suddenly filled with a burst of happy energy, I spun myself right up to the wood beams of the ceiling. There were gasps from around. Pale aqua-blue petals began to flake away from my dress, along with tiny, sparkling green stars, sprinkling the room and following me in a train as I descended back into Antonius'' arms.


    I hadn''t been expecting that!


    Then the dancing stopped, and we got more food and drinks. Antonius asked to be excused for a few minutes and went off somewhere.


    "Well, then,"I heard a familiar voice, and saw Ed holding a plate full of cakes, sandwiches and pies,"I always knew you were a showoff, Cathy, but that was the most cringe thing I have ever seen in my entire life! I''ve decided to disown you as my sister. You are no longer related to me."


    "Well, you''re sitting next to me now,"I said.


    "That''s because I can''t deal with sitting at any other table, being judged by a bunch of people thinking I have something to do with you,"Ed went on, stuffing a cake into his mouth,"I''m comfort eating now, just to deal with it,"he said, quickly, as he gulped it down,"oh, crap! Probably should have the sandwiches first! Do you want a sandwich, Cathy?"


    I took a sandwich, but I didn''t feel like eating much at that moment. I also remembered I''d promised to bring some of the food back for Lotty and Anita.


    "You alright?"Ed asked, maybe he noticed I was looking a bit overwhelmed; I imagine I was, anyway, because that''s how I was feeling,"fancy going outside for some fresh air,"he added.


    This seemed like a good idea. We decided to walk around a bit outside, to calm down and breathe. Ed said he wanted to get out of that ''stuffy place'', that all the people around and loud music had been giving him a headache.


    "Ah,"he said, munching a pie,"food savoured in peace, is most sublime."


    I was sipping a glass of water.


    "Where''s Jared?"I asked, suddenly.


    "Ah,"said Ed,"he started acting mysterious and went off somewhere by himself, like he usually always does. You know what he''s like. He''s probably got a secret date, and not the edible kind either."


    "Or maybe he just wants us to think that,"I suggested.


    "Yeah, he''s probably chilling somewhere alone, getting away from all the noise,"Ed said,"then he''ll come back later and hint at being off on all kinds of secret adventures that he can''t tell us about."


    As we were strolling through the village, I suddenly thought, at a glance, that I saw something odd. It looked like Antonius and Silas were standing in an alleyway, talking. I glanced back over my shoulder, trying not to look like I was looking. It really did seem as though Silas and Antonius were talking.


    "I think we should head back to The Three Broomsticks now,"I said, suddenly feeling uneasy.


    We turned around, and were heading back, when I saw Antonius walk out from the alleyway, he looked angry. He was going back to The Three Broomsticks. Then I noticed Silas come out of the alleyway, he was heading in our direction, he looked startled to see Ed and I.


    I found Antonius in The Three Broomsticks.


    "Would you like another butterbeer?"I asked.


    "Uh? No thanks,"Antonius responded.


    "Are you alright?"I asked.


    "Yes, I''m fine,"he replied.


    He didn''t look fine.


    "Why were you arguing with Silas?"I asked.


    Antonius looked annoyed,"I was what? You saw that!"


    "Yes,"I said,"I noticed you were arguing with Silas when I went out with Ed for some fresh air."


    "Did you hear..?"Antonius began, but stopped himself quickly,"you weren''t spying on me, were you?"


    "Of course not! Why would I do that?"I said.


    "Anyway - it''s none of your business,"Antonius snapped.


    I''m not used to him acting like this. It was quite alarming. But then I remembered how, just recently, he''d been ruthlessly tortured at the hands of Silas'' gang.


    "Antonius,"I said, in a softer tone, placing my hand on his shoulder gently,"would you like to come outside for some fresh air?"


    He followed me outside. By now, it was the deep blue of twilight. We kept walking until we reached a place where there was a bench by a wide stream surrounded by willow trees, and no one else seemed to be around. We sat down.


    Antonius was looking distracted and troubled. I moved closer to him.


    "It''s ok,"I said,"you don''t have to tell me anything."


    Antonius sighed and looked down at the ground. I put my arms around him, and he embraced me in return. Then when we let go, I looked into his eyes and saw a deep sadness. Then, in a flicker, the sadness was gone, as he regained his composure, put on a smile and said,"what are you thinking, Catherine?"in a voice that sounded a lot more cheerful than he seemed.


    "I was just thinking about..."I began, feeling my cheeks burning red,"I was thinking about how... how ... I''d... how I''d like to kiss you."


    Antonius didn''t say anything, he pulled me towards him and kissed me. I held him tightly and kissed him again. He ruffled my hair. Then, when I tried to kiss him yet again, he pushed me back and said,"come on, let''s go back now, Catherine, before people start looking for us."


    He stood up and held out his hand to me, I took it in mine and we walked together back to The Three Broomsticks.


    I noticed Ed and Jared standing outside the entrance to The Three Broomsticks as we entered. Jared raised his eyebrows at me and gave me an annoying look that meant I was going to be bombarded with questions and teasing later, but right now, I didn''t really care. Ed was looking at me judgingly.


    Eventually the party was over, and we returned to the castle.


    I couldn''t stop thinking about the evening, as I lay in bed. I didn''t want to go to sleep, I just wanted to remember those moments; the dancing, the floating, the petals and the stars - my first kiss. I wanted to remember it all over and over again. Then I fell asleep, a lot quicker and easier than I usually do.

 A Horrifying Realisation

    The next day:


    In the morning, when I woke up, I felt a little bit embarrassed when I remembered the previous evening, but happy at the same time. I felt well-rested despite having drank more than the recommended amount of butterbeers last night. I pulled myself out of bed, got dressed and went down to the common room. It was too early for breakfast. Jared and Anita were already down there. Up early, as usual (they always like to get up early). They were playing Wizards'' Chess at one of the tables. I sat down next to them.


    "Who''s winning?"I asked.


    "I am!"Anita answered.


    "Only because I''m letting her win,"Jared said.


    "No, you have to play properly, otherwise it''s a fake game!"Anita objected.


    "Yeah, that''s part of my strategy,"Jared explained,"I''m making it look like you''re winning, for now!"


    "Then I''m going to be keeping an eye out for any of your tricks!"Anita warned, as her knight smashed up one of Jared''s pawns.


    "Enjoy yourself last night?"Jared asked me, as he destroyed Anita''s knight.


    "Yes, of course,"I answered,"did you?"


    "Yeah,"Jared responded,"had a lot of fun, did a lot of things."


    "Any juicy details you''d like to share?"I asked.


    "Ah - that''s not for me to tell,"Jared replied, in his usual mysterious way.


    Anita took his bishop with a pawn.


    "Ah! You little...!"he said,"hah! You''ve left your queen exposed!"


    "No!"Anita gasped.


    "Bye, bye, queen!"Jared said.


    Anita, with a red, angry face was examining the board, concentrating hard on her next move.


    "By the way, Cathy,"Jared said, while staring at the board,"there''s something I''ve been meaning to ask you since yesterday."


    "Yeah, what''s that?"I asked.


    "Why do you suddenly like Antonius so much?"he went on,"you went from absolutely despising him to liking him - a lot - overnight! Anyone would think he''s used a love-potion on you, or something?"


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    I considered this idea with sudden horror.


    "He better not have!"I said.


    "Ah!"Jared observed,"that''s the thing though. If you WERE under the effects of a love potion, you wouldn''t have reacted like that."


    "Yes, of course,"I said,"just the idea of it!"


    Jared laughed.


    Anita rolled her eyes,"will you two stop talking about such boring things!"


    "Oi, this is our conversation, Anita,"I said,"you don''t have to listen."


    "Well, this is OUR game of chess!"Anita answered,"and you''re interrupting it!"


    "You''re just grumpy because you''re losing,"I said.


    Anita scowled at me and moved one of her pieces to the end of the board,"this pawn is my new queen!"she announced.


    In the end, Jared won and we went to breakfast.


    Anita has been acting hostile towards me all day, which is really unlike her... I know it can''t just be because of interrupting her game of Wizard''s Chess.


    Later:


    I''ve been sort of avoiding Antonius. Only because I still can''t help feeling a bit overwhelmed, though in a good way. I feel like I need some time to process before I speak to him again. So I''m just going to wait until he speaks to me. I don''t know what to say to him when I see him. I feel as though I''m afraid of something. Maybe it''s because I like being at the beginning. I''d like the beginning to never end. Maybe what I''m afraid of - is an ending?


    In classes, I noticed he was sitting next to Dominic. I couldn''t help feeling a bit bothered by that. Was he avoiding me too? Why would he do that? I wondered if he might be avoiding me for the same reason that I was avoiding him. He didn''t seem like that kind of person, though.


    I kept noticing opportunities to go and talk to him, but let them slip by. I didn''t even greet him when I saw him in our common room, but he didn''t greet me either. I was a little bothered by it, but there was also something else on my mind - some unresolved issue. I wasn''t quite sure what, and I was trying to remember what it might be, though I just couldn''t place it. Something has been bothering me a lot since yesterday evening. Not just seeing Silas and Antonius arguing in the alleyway... wait...


    I suddenly remembered the scar on my back.


    I had a horrible idea, it was like something clicked in my brain. What if my memory issues are being caused by someone obliviating my memories? What if terrible things have been happening, and afterwards, all memory of the events have been obliviated? What if Silas'' gang have been doing more than just the Courthouse trials? What if other things have been happening too, but I just don''t remember it?


    The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Horribly, it all seemed to add up. Anita and her de ja vous moment involving the ruin with the dark water. The fact that Lotty and Anita didn''t notice how I got the wound on my arm - that could be because they''d been obliviated too. The time when we were exploring the tunnel and returned to discover four hours had passed without us noticing - what if we hadn''t been pushed forwards in time? What if something had happened down in that tunnel, and someone had obliviated our memories?


    I began to realise now that this was a very real possibility. Then I also realised something else. In the index from the rune book in the Foxhole Chamber, I remember translating the description of a potion that was meant to restore obliviated memories. I dug around for the piece of paper I''d copied it onto in the drawer of my bedside cabinet, and pulled it out. Yes, I was right. If I wanted to be sure, I would have to pay another visit to the Foxhole Chamber. I wanted to act immediately, but it was time for bed. Too late to really do anything about it.


    I couldn''t stop thinking about it while I was trying to sleep. When I eventually did fall asleep, I ended up having one of those horrible dreams that plays over and over in an eternal loop of repetition and failure.


    I''m going to need to get over my fear and go to the Foxhole Chamber alone.

 I Discovered Something

    The next day:


    I went to the Foxhole Chamber, dug up the soil and went down. This time I could spend as long as I liked studying the rune book and copying things down.


    Using the index, I found the page I needed. The ingredients necessary, preparation and brewing instructions were all on that page. I read it over and over a few times before copying it into my notebook.


    I decided to look at some more things in the book now that I was there. While I was doing that, I noticed something really interesting.


    It was on the third page. This page seemed to be a different kind of index. It wasn''t spells or potions, it was an index of magical processes. On there, were instructions on how to become an Animagus, and something else - something that caught my attention completely!


    A method of achieving the ability to speak with snakes. Until now, and I''m sure 99% of this region of the Wizarding World, have believed that only descendants of Salazar Slytherin (and, with exception due to unique circumstances, Harry Potter) were able to speak Parceltongue.


    But here - this book seemed to be saying there was a way to LEARN how to speak it! If that was the case, then... I knew I had to find that page and copy it down! I flipped through the pages. It was near the end of the book - I found it. I hadn''t even read the page before I started copying it down. There were still some runes I didn''t fully understand, but now I had even more motivation to brush up on my translation workings. What with this and the potion for returning obliviated memories...


    The method for learning Parceltongue began with brewing a special potion; one of the ingredients, not surprisingly, was snakes'' tongues. Weirdly, this was the most difficult of all the ingredients listed. The rest of it seemed fairly simple, and I knew I''d easily obtain the other ingredients. The potion had to be drank daily over a course of three weeks. There were also spells involved and practicing. You had to win over the trust of a King Serpent. That seemed to be the most difficult part of the process. Especially seeing as whoever learned it, will have had to have killed a lot of snakes already to use their tongues in enough potion mix to last about 21 doses. But what even IS a King Serpent? I''d never even heard of such a thing before.


    I looked through the book to see if there was anything on King Serpents. There didn''t seem to be, but maybe I could find information about in from a book in the Hogwarts Library.


    Suddenly I had completely forgotten about the memory restoration potion, and all I could think about was learning Parceltongue.


    Then I had an idea. This chamber was already full of potion ingredients. What if I could find everything I needed in here already? I remembered the secret room Ed had discovered.


    I also remembered his reactions and was glad none of the others were down here to disapprove of what I was doing. I looked in the jars on the shelves closest to me, and already found one of the ingredients necessary for the Obliviated Memories Potion - one of the difficult ones! Then I went to look in the secret storage chamber.


    In there, to my delight, I found the remaining ingredients needed for the OM Potion (Obliviated Memories) and then half a jar of perfectly preserved snakes'' tongues!


    I took all of the ingredients I knew I would need. I wondered where I would brew the potions? The Parceltongue Potion seemed the most simple, and it only took a few hours to brew, but the OM Potion was much more complicated. Also it would take about three weeks to brew! That''s as long as the snake potion takes to be drank! I supposed they were both complex in different ways.


    "Why don''t I work on them both at the same time?"I thought.


    I decided I would brew the Parceltongue Potion first, because that one took the least time. I would brew enough for 21 doses. I already had all the ingredients. This secret chamber had been generously stocked.


    Then, suddenly, my heart sank as I remembered I''m not exactly the most skilled potions brewer...


    What if I got it wrong? What if it didn''t work?


    Well, for one thing, Priscilla Bulstrode is an excellent potion brewer, I could always ask her advice on some of the methods. It''s the methodology that''s the part where I always end up falling short. By this, I realised I''d probably be fine with the snake potion - it looks simple enough to brew; but the OM Potion would be another matter entirely...


    I left the Foxhole Chamber, and returned to the common room with a new objective in mind. Two new objectives actually...


    I put the ingredients into a case under my bed, but I took the ingredients needed for the Parceltongue Potion with me. I knew I''d just about have enough time to brew that before bed. So I made my way to the Potions Classroom where I have my cauldron. There are also all the utensils in there that I''d need.


    Professor Park was in there when I went in. He was sitting at a table and it looked like he was studying a book. I was surprised to see him in there, I would have expected him to be in his office or somewhere else at this time.


    I decided to ignore his presence, he probably wouldn''t pay any attention to me anyway. I didn''t mind him seeing the ingredients I had, just so long as he didn''t see the snake tongues, it would be fine. I''d brought with me a case full of glass vials for potion doses. I had 25 of them in there. 25 in case I were to spill one, or drop one. That should be enough spare anyway.


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    I put this inside my desk, then got round to preparing the ingredients. The main base ingredient was muddy water from the shallow part of a lake, with tall reeds and swampland. I''d obtained that very easily - from the Black Lake. I poured that in. Started heating it right away, following the copied down instructions that I''d brought with me.


    One good thing about the enchantment on these runes is I don''t have to worry about anyone else being able to read them and see what I was up to...


    I made sure it was heated to the correct temperature before I added the diced leaping toadstool caps. The recipe had asked for dried ones, and I''d found them in the secret storage chamber. The potion changed from muddy-looking lake water to a smooth grey liquid. That was just as it was supposed to.


    I had to grind up the next ingredient into a fine powder, then sprinkle it in, little by little, every 30 seconds, for about three minutes, stirring in-between. That was easy enough.


    Now the final ingredient, the snake tongues. I looked into the cauldron, I had filled it enough to fill all my vials, with maybe even some to spare. I also had the perfect ratio of snake tongues for that amount of potion.


    I examined the instructions again. Here, it got a little confusing, and I was left hoping it wasn''t due to lack of proper understanding of the rune language. It seemed to say I could either drop them in one by one, or pour them all in at once.


    It seemed a bit strange that putting them in one by one would be an option, if pouring them all in at once is also acceptable. I wondered if there was some reason behind it.


    I decided to pour them all in at once. Professor Park was more likely to notice if I added them one by one. So I poured them all in.


    All of a sudden, there was a dramatic hissing, and the room was filled with the sounds of Parceltongue! A sinister, hissing, whispering sound.


    I was horrified! Of course - Professor Park heard it too! He snapped his book shut and got to his feet.


    "Carrow - WHAT are you doing?"he demanded.


    "Oh! You heard it too?"I said,"what was that noise?"


    "Let''s have a look at what you''ve got here,"Professor Park said, coming up to my cauldron.


    The potion was now a rich, deep green colour, and it smelled like pine trees. Professor Park looked at it curiously. He dipped a spoon in it.


    "Um... I wouldn''t recommend..."I said, thinking he might be about to taste it.


    "What is this, Carrow?"he asked.


    "It''s - uh - a new thing,"I said.


    "Experimenting with potions again, are you?"he said, examining my chopping board.


    He could see the crumbs from the diced, dried leaping toadstool caps, and some powder remains in the mortar and pestle. He didn''t look too concerned at these.


    "You''ve got some very common ingredients here, I see,"he observed,"you won''t accomplish much with this alone; though I wouldn''t recommend someone with your poor skill level to attempt inventing potions. You''ll end up poisoning yourself, or worse - poisoning other people! Did you know that sometimes when a potion is brewed wrong enough, or certain ingredients are combined, it can create a toxic gas that is lethal to anyone that breathes in the slightest part of it?"


    "Oh,"I responded,"I didn''t know that."


    "Well, now you do,"said Professor Park,"I recommend you thoroughly read ''Dangers of Potion Experimentation'' several times over, and memorise every line of it, before you attempt any more inventing. You''ll find it in the Potioneering Section of the Library."


    I was surprised that he didn''t ask more questions, or mention the Parceltongue sounds. His suspicions seemed to disappear as soon as he''d seen the ingredients I''d been using. Maybe he thought such a simple concoction couldn''t possibly be anything... suspicious.


    I continued stirring the potion for another 30 minutes. Now it was meant to be left to simmer on a low heat for an hour. I was wondering what I would do in that time. Go to the Library? It would still be open now, but not for much longer, it always closes at 9 pm. Then I wondered about leaving the potion unattended. That wouldn''t be a good idea.


    I decided to look at all the books that were already lying around on the shelves here in this classroom. I found one that was about methods in preparing ingredients, and settled down with that.


    By the time the potion was ready, Professor Park had left the classroom. I was alone, and it was time I should be returning to the common room.


    Once the potion had cooled down enough, I poured it carefully into vials using a ladel and a syphon-thing (whatever they''re called). I was right about having some left over. I poured that into a bottle. At least I had plenty of excess in case anything happened to any of the vials. I gathered everything together and made my way back.


    As I entered the common room, Antonius approached me


    "Where have you been?"he asked.


    "I was studying in the Potions Classroom,"I answered.


    "Well, you haven''t spoken to me since the Festival,"Antonius said.


    "I thought the same thing about you,"I said,"you didn''t sit next to me in class."


    "Dominic needs me, you should know that,"Antonius said,"it''s more important he has my support."


    "Yes, of course,"I said,"I''m sorry. I don''t know why I didn''t remember that."


    There was a pause.


    "Are you angry with me?"Antonius asked.


    "No, why would I be?"I responded.


    "Because I haven''t spoken to you,"Antonius said.


    "No,"I said.


    "I didn''t speak to you, because it seemed like you didn''t want me to,"he explained.


    "Why would I not want you to?"I said, then I added,"wait here, Antonius, I''ll be back in a minute!"


    I hurried up to my dormitory to put away the bottle and the vials. As I did so, I looked at the time, and quickly drank one of the vials. It tasted so horrible! The most foul-tasting potion I have ever had! The flavour was stinging and potent, like raw celery and some other horrible flavours that I couldn''t even begin to describe! I wanted to spit it out, but I couldn''t do that. I hoped I had brewed it alright.


    I slid the case with the vials back under my bed and hurried back to the common room. Antonius was waiting where I''d left him. The common room was empty. I went up to him and hugged him.


    "I''m not angry with you,"I whispered,"just - nothing like this has ever happened to me before, and I''m too worried about messing it up."


    "Catherine, how could you mess it up?"Antonius asked.


    "I don''t know,"I said,"I just don''t know what I''m supposed to do."


    "Well, what do you want to do?"Antonius asked.


    I kissed him.


    Then Antonius reminded me that it was late. I kissed him goodnight, and we parted ways.


    It was as I was trying to sleep, that I realised I don''t have anything particularly in common with Antonius. At this point, it just seemed like pure chemistry. Maybe that was why I struggled to know what to say to him. Maybe that was why I felt the unsure way that I did.


    I''m going to keep track in my diary each night I take the snake potion. This is night 1.

 The Room of Requirement

    Next day:


    I woke up early this morning, and started reading the instructions on the Obliviated Memories potion. It seemed so complicated that my brain hurt just trying to comprehend it - and it takes 21 days to brew! I need to start it as soon as possible.


    I got up early so I could go for a quick walk before breakfast. Antonius, Jared, Anita and some others were down in the common room already. I told Antonius I was going for a pre-breakfast walk, and asked if he''d like to accompany me.


    He did.


    "By the way, why were you studying in the potions classroom last night?"Antonius asked me, as we went out into the castle grounds.


    I wondered for a moment if I should mention anything about my potion-brewing, but decided against it. I couldn''t tell Antonius about the Foxhole Chamber even if I wanted to, and I had no desire to show him. I decided to keep all of that secret.


    "You know I''m really bad at potions,"I said,"I need to get better somehow. I need to put in more effort. In just a few months, I''ll be beginning my last year at Hogwarts."


    "Maybe you should have tried to put in more time to study before?"Antonius said.


    "I did try,"I responded,"but I feel like I''m just starting to get the hang of it now. I''m a slow learner, that''s all."


    "Not many people are willing to admit that,"Antonius said.


    I remembered how Antonius had called me ''unintelligent'' all those months ago, and the argument we''d had.


    How on earth had we managed to get from there to here? Oh yeah - Silas Warren''s gang. It took an earthquake.


    "Remember that time you called me stupid and insulted my entire family?"I said.


    Antonius laughed,"do you forgive me for that?"


    "Do you want me to forgive you?"I asked.


    "I am sorry for calling you stupid, Catherine, and I am very sorry for insulting your entire family,"Antonius said,"do you accept my apology?"


    "Yes,"I answered,"but I don''t accept your opinions!"


    "Oh, well, then I won''t bother to argue with you about any of that,"Antonius said,"I need someone to be on an equal academic level to be able to engage in such discussions."


    I gasped,"whatever happened to you being sorry?"


    "I''m sorry for offending you, Catherine. I''m not sorry for being honest,"Antonius went on.


    "In that case,"I said, deciding to brush over the fact that he had just inadvertently called me stupid again,"I shouldn''t need to worry about being honest with you."


    "Oh, please, do,"Antonius said,"tell me exactly what you think of me when you''re thinking it."


    "No matter how harsh?"I said.


    "Of course,"Antonius said.


    "There''s one thing I didn''t say to you when I was arguing with you last time,"I said.


    "You''re not planning on arguing with me again, are you?"Antonius said,"just after we''ve agreed to disagree?"


    "Not exactly,"I said,"the thing I wanted to say was that, if you think it''s important to preserve Pureblood lineage and all that, then that''s alright, I can respect that; but what I don''t like is the idea of telling people who they can and can''t marry. Taking away their choice. If two people love each other and they don''t have matching blood-status, then people shouldn''t be stopping them. That''s their thing. It''s no one else''s business."


    "I never said I agreed with stopping people do that,"Antonius said,"I just believe it''s important to preserve our traditions."


    "So you don''t believe in forcing it on others?"I asked.


    "Of course not,"Antonius responded.


    "In that case,"I replied,"I respect that. Blood-status doesn''t matter to me, but if it matters to you, and it''s something you only apply to yourself and don''t try to impose it on other people, then I accept that."


    "I don''t try to impose it on other people,"Antonius said,"but it I can persuade people, I will "


    "What do you mean ''persuade''?"I asked.


    "I mean, if I can talk to people and get them to realise,"Antonius answered,"not forcing it on them, of course."


    "Then - that''s alright,"I said.


    "What did you think before?"Antonius asked.


    "I''ve always thought that people with your ideas want to force everyone to be like you, and change the laws so that everyone has to comply with those ideogolies,"I said.


    "Well, that''s not always the case,"Antonius said, then he added,"breakfast will be starting now. We should head back."


    I was glad to end the discussion here. I''d started to worry that over time, I would discover more things about Antonius that I didn''t like, and I didn''t want that. Even though finding out more about each other is actually the most rational thing to do. I haven''t been feeling very rational, when it comes to Antonius, since the May Festival.


    At breakfast, I ended up sitting in-between Antonius and Dominic. I looked around for Anita - usually she always tries to sit next to me at breakfast every morning. I noticed her sitting far away from me, with all the other 1st years. She didn''t sit next to me yesterday, either. She''s still mad at me for some reason. Surely she couldn''t have such a grudge over a game of chess?


    Later:


    I decided to talk to Anita, and I found out why she''s been so grumpy at me.


    "You''ve started acting all different,"she said.


    "What do you mean ''all different''?"I asked.


    "Well,"Anita answered, rolling her eyes and nodding her head in the direction of Antonius.


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    "You mean because of Antonius and I spending time together?"I asked.


    Anita gave a frustrated sigh,"not that,"she said,"just you seem to be turning into a grown-up and it seems like you don''t want to do fun things any more. I asked you if you wanted to go to the treehouse, and you were like ''got other things to do'', and you didn''t want to do duelling practise either."


    "Oh - that!"I said,"of course I still want to do fun things! The reason I couldn''t go to the treehouse that time was because I had a lot of important things to do."


    "What kind of important things?"Anita asked, in a sulky tone.


    "Studying,"I said,"there''s an important potion I need to work out how to brew."


    "As long as it''s not a love potion!"Anita said.


    "No! Of course not!"I said,"anyway, Anita, you really do need to start making some friends closer to your own age!"


    "Friends! I don''t need friends,"Anita said.


    "Go and ask Lotty if she would like to go to the treehouse with you,"I suggested,"I''m sure she would."


    "No,"Anita replied,"she''s always hanging out with that girl now, anyway."


    "What girl?"I asked.


    "Julia, I think her name is,"Anita said,"whenever I go to ask her anything, she''s always talking to that girl, and I can''t risk HER finding out about our secret tree castle."


    I was pleased to hear Lotty and Julia seem to be becoming friends again.


    "I''ve seen both of them talking to this other Gryffindor boy too,"Anita said,"the one that keeps bullying Dominic."


    "And who is that?"I asked.


    "I heard them call him ''Max'',"Anita answered,"he''s a lot older than they are, so I don''t know why he''s hanging out with them. He''s in your Year."


    "Have you been spying on Lotty?"I asked.


    "Yes,"Anita responded,"you know. Need to know what she''s up to, in case she decides to turn traitor in the war."


    "Anita!"I said, shocked,"of course you know Lotty isn''t going to do any such thing! That boy, Max, and her friend, Julia, are not enemies!"


    "Well, they look like enemies to me,"Anita said.


    "I have to go now, anyway,"I said,"if you''re bored, why don''t you try finding out more about that golden ball? Try solving that riddle."


    "You''re the one that made me promise not to sneak into the Hufflepuff common room!"Anita responded.


    "I don''t mean that!"I said,"there''s bound to be another way for you to find out about the picture in there. Anyway, I need to go! Talk to you later!"


    In-between classes, I managed to talk to Priscilla about potion brewing. I told her I had a particularly difficult potion to brew and mentioned that I needed to find a safe place to keep it brewing where it couldn''t be disturbed.


    "What kind of potion is it?"she asked.


    I decided to tell her.


    "Why would you need a potion like that?"she asked.


    "I''m not sure if I need it,"I answered,"but I do suspect that someone might have obliviated some of my memories, and if I can brew that potion, I''ll know for sure."


    "I see,"Priscilla replied,"I''ve never heard of this potion before. How do you know it?"


    "It''s kind of a secret,"I said,"but I can tell you how it''s brewed, so you''ll know how to brew it too."


    "You haven''t been in the Restricted Section of the library, have you?"Priscilla asked.


    "Maybe something like that,"I answered.


    "If you''ve found a book on secret potions, you''d let me know, wouldn''t you?"Priscilla went on.


    "I''d tell you if I could,"I said.


    Priscilla looked at me suspiciously.


    "Anyway, if there''s a particular type of potion that you''d like to know about, you can always ask me,"I said.


    Priscilla continued to look at me suspiciously.


    Then she said,"how long does it take for the potion to brew?"


    "21 days,"I responded, with a sigh,"and I''d really like to start brewing it as soon as possible. If I can start brewing it today, it should be finished before the middle of June."


    "I know the perfect place,"said Priscilla,"do you have all the ingredients for it?"


    I nodded.


    "Follow me,"Priscilla instructed.


    I followed her up in the direction of the Astronomy Tower.


    "Where are we going?"I asked.


    "Soon you''ll see,"she responded, mysteriously.


    I followed her up stairs and through hallways, until she suddenly stopped in one of the halls and faced the wall.


    "Just wait here,"she said,"and think about what you need."


    Just as I was thinking, all of a sudden, a door materialised in the wall. I looked at Priscilla in surprise.


    "Well, go on then!"Priscilla said.


    I opened the door and went in.


    "Is this - is this the Room of Requirement?"I asked.


    "It certainly is,"Priscilla answered.


    "But I thought it was destroyed by Fiend Fyre in the Battle of Hogwarts?"I said.


    "It may have been, but it isn''t now,"Priscilla said.


    "How long have you known about this place?"I asked.


    "I discovered it two years ago,"Priscilla said,"like you - I thought it no longer existed."


    This place was a perfect potions laboratory! There were cauldrons of varying shapes and sizes, made from different types of materials. There were all kinds of utensils, and even potion books. The types of potion books you''d usually find lying around Professor Park''s classroom. I even found an exact copy of the book on Potion Preparation Methods that I''d been reading.


    "Is this your potions room?"I asked Priscilla.


    "No, this is your version,"Priscilla answered,"I didn''t think of anything. I do have my own version of a Potions Laboratory, but this is the one that you thought of. It''s your one and you can keep coming back to it, every time you think of it - here - only you, and anyone you bring with you, will be able to access it in this form."


    "What about the Room of Hidden Things?"I asked.


    "I''ve tried getting into that,"Priscilla answered,"but I think that version of the room was destroyed by the Fiend Fyre. At least - I''ve never been able to get into it."


    I got out the potion ingredients and the page with the potion instructions.


    "What is this?"Priscilla asked, looking at the runes on the paper.


    "Oh - that''s just my code,"I answered,"you won''t be able to read it."


    "It''s a good code,"Priscilla said,"just looks like scribbles to me."


    I placed all of the ingredients onto the table before me. I read out the steps to Priscilla. She seemed to understand them a lot better than I did. She helped me with the initial part of the proceedure. The base, the first ingredients that needed to be added.


    "What that means,"she explained one of the instructions that I found confusing,"is that you have to crush those two potion ingredients together in the same mortar, so they get a good chance to blend together into a fine powder; you''re supposed to lightly singe the powder before you add it to the cauldron."


    She demonstrated how to do it, then shook the powder into the cauldron.


    "Look - you can see the potion has turned black,"she said,"that''s exactly how it''s supposed to look at this point, according to the instructions. Now you can just stir it clockwise and anticlockwise for a few minutes."


    "But, I can''t stir it clockwise and anticlockwise at the same time, can I?"I asked.


    That was something that had been confusing me. Did I need to stir it two ways with two stirring spoons? Or was it one after the other?


    "Watch me,"Priscilla said.


    She stirred the potion in a clockwise motion 3 full turns, then she stirred it 3 full turns in an anticlockwise motion.


    "Keep doing this until the potion turns navy blue,"Priscilla said,"then you leave it to bubble and boil until it says the dark blue smoke starts coming out of it - that''s when you add the next ingredient. Which I''ll prepare while you stir."


    So I copied what Priscilla had done until it turned a rich navy blue colour. I left it to boil away by itself and watched how Priscilla wove three Jobberknoll feathers into a perfect circle, with some aid from her wand.


    "Can you do that?"I asked,"use your wand too?"


    "Yes,"Priscilla answered,"it saves a lot of time. Something like this is extremely complicated and needs to be done precise. Now, would you say that is precise?"


    I examined her perfect circle feather wreath.


    "Yes, I could have never dreamed of getting the feathers like that by myself,"I remarked.


    Now the dark blue steam, or smoke, was coming out of the cauldron. Priscilla dropped the ring of feathers into it. We watched as the feathers dissolved into the potion and it changed from navy blue to beautiful, dark iridescent multichrome colours.


    "I''ve never seen a potion like that before,"I observed.


    "Neither have I,"Priscilla said.


    "There''s one part I''m not so sure about,"I said,"it''s a part that''s supposed to happen after the potion has already been brewing for a week."


    "What part is that?"Priscilla asked.


    "The part where you add one of your own memories,"I explained,"I''m not sure how to do the spell where you take out one of your memories."


    "I don''t know that spell either,"Priscilla said,"does it specifically ask what kind of memory it is that you have to add?"


    "No,"I responded,"it just says a memory."


    "Then that will be all that it needs,"Priscilla said.


    "Right,"I said, re-reading the potion instructions.


    We had completed the first stage. We left the Room of Requirement.


    "Thanks, Priscilla,"I said,"I wouldn''t have even known where to begin without you."


    "It''s nothing,"said Priscilla, with a rare smile,"you can pay me back by teaching me the memory spell when you learn it."


    "What if it''s really simple and easy to learn though?"I asked.


    "It''ll be enough,"Priscilla said,"I can''t be bothered to find out about it by myself."

 The Trial of Max Castellanos

    Later:


    After classes were over, I suddenly received a summoning from Lotty. I found her with Julia by the Greenhouses. Lotty was looking serious, and Julia was looking frightened.


    "What''s happened?"I asked.


    "They''re doing another trial,"Lotty answered.


    "What!?"I said,"who are they putting on trial this time?"


    "Max,"Lotty answered.


    "Max!"I said, shocked.


    "It''s true,"Julia said, in a shaky voice.


    "But why?"I asked,"is it because of what happened at the last trial?"


    Lotty nodded,"you were at the last trial, weren''t you?"she said.


    I nodded.


    "They''re saying he''s a traitor,"said Julia,"they''re accusing him of being ashamed of being Muggleborn and being a pureblood sympathiser."


    "Pureblood sympathiser?"I said.


    "Yeah,"Lotty said,"stupid, isn''t it?"


    "If they called him a pure-blood supremacist sympathiser it makes sense,"said Julia,"but Pureblood sympathiser doesn''t make sense!"


    "Do you know when they''re planning on doing the trial?"I asked.


    "I don''t know,"said Lotty,"but I haven''t been able to find Max, neither has Julia, we''ve looked everywhere for him."


    "What can we do?"said Julia.


    "We can go to the Courthouse,"I said,"but no! Let''s get a teacher!"


    "We don''t know if they''re doing the trial right now,"said Julia.


    "Go ahead to the Courthouse and check it out,"I instructed,"if a trial is ongoing, or about to begin, summon me!"


    I ran into the castle and looked around. I didn''t find a teacher, one found me.


    "Don''t you dare run in the halls, Carrow!"Professor Park called after me.


    I looked at my wand, which was glowing red with Lotty''s summons.


    "Professor, it''s an emergency!"I said,"we need your help."


    "Need my help with what?"Professor Park asked, impatiently.


    "It''s difficult to explain,"I said,"could you follow me?"


    "This had better not be some prank, because if it is, you''ll be in detention for an entire month!"Professor Park warned.


    He followed me to the Courthouse. Lotty and Julia were waiting outside, they ran up to us.


    "It''s awful!"Julia said,"they''ve tied him to the stake, just like they did with Dominic!"


    "Tied who to a what?"said Professor Park,"is this about those rumours I heard?"


    "See for yourself,"I answered, in a grim voice.


    Professor Park went through the entrance of the Courthouse.There was an instant hush. Max was tied to the stake, though the trial hadn''t properly begun.


    "What kind of Muggle nonsense is this?"said Professor Park, angrily,"what exactly is it you''re doing to him? Burning him at the stake? For what? For being a wizard?"


    "It''s not what it looks like,"said Lauren Golding.


    "It''s a trial! They''re putting him on trial!"said Lotty.


    "What''s the meaning of this, Warren?"Professor Park asked Silas.


    "It''s just a game!"Lauren insisted.


    "Is it?"Professor Park asked Max,"IS this just a game?"


    "No,"Max answered,"could you ask them to let me go, please, sir?"


    "Let him go!"Professor Park ordered,"do you know what they were planning on doing with you, Castellanos?"


    Before Max could say anything, there was a chorus of denial that spoke for itself.


    "They did it to Dominic and Antonius too,"I explained.


    "Is this true?"Professor Park asked Max.


    "Yes, Sir, but I was also to blame for that,"Max answered.


    "All of you return to the castle at once!"Professor Park ordered,"you four - you''ll be coming with me. Oh, and you, Warren! The five of you - follow me!"


    Silas looked furious.


    We followed Professor Park to the Headmistress'' Office. Professor Park was muttering the whole time, things like,"what is the world coming to?"and,"unbelievable!"


    On the way there, we came across Professor Livia.


    "Professor Livia,"Park said, in a stern tone,"you''re Head of Gryffindor House, so I think it best you come with me. We have an important issue to investigate."


    Professor Livia didn''t say anything, but joined us as we went up to see the Headmistress.


    "You wait outside for now,"Professor Park instructed us,"Professor Livia and I will speak to the Headmistress first."


    "Speak to the Headmistress about what?"Professor Livia asked, as she followed Professor Park through the door.


    We waited outside in an awkward silence for about five minutes. Max was called in. Another five minutes, then Julia was called in. Then Julia and Max came out and Silas was called in.


    "This is it,"I thought,"they''re finally going to do something about it."


    Silas departed the Headmistress'' Office fairly quickly. He cast a glance over at us, and sent Max a look of pure hatred before making his way quickly down the spiral staircase.


    The door to the Headmistress'' Office opened, and Professor Park looked at us with a bewildered expression.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Well, what are you doing out here?"he asked us.


    I looked at him, confused. He departed. Then Professor Livia came out, gave us a very curious look, and went down the stairs.


    "Who is there?"came the Headmistress'' voice from inside her office.


    "Just us?"I said.


    "Well, all of you, come in!"barked Wells.


    We all walked in.


    "Let''s see; Max Castellanos, Charlotte Carrow, Julia Brown and Catherine Carrow,"said the Headmistress, counting us,"what on earth were you all doing outside my office? Who gave you permission to be here?"


    I looked at her in confusion.


    "What do you mean?"said Lotty.


    "Don''t be rude, Miss Carrow!"Wells said, angrily,"could you please, kindly, tell me exactly what is going on?"


    "Didn''t Professor Park tell you?"I asked.


    "He was just in here,"Wells said,"but he''s completely forgotten what it was he wanted to tell me."


    It was then I realised, in horror, what had happened. I don''t know how he managed to do it, but Silas Warren had somehow successfully obliviated the Headmistress, Professor Park and Professor Livia all at the same time!


    "I''m sorry, Headmistress,"I said,"I''ve forgotten what we came here for too. May we go?"


    "Yes, be off with the lot of you!"Headmistress Wells answered,"I don''t have time to be dealing with this kind of nonsense."


    As we left, Lotty asked me why I hadn''t tried to explain things to Wells. As soon as we reached a suitable place, away from the Headmistress'' Office, I turned to the others.


    "I know what happened,"I said.


    "That was just - weird,"Max said,"one minute they were asking me about what happened, and seemed like they were going to do something about it, and then - all they needed was a few minutes with Silas and all of a sudden, they''re completely ignoring us!"


    "He obliviated their memories,"I said.


    "Oh,"said Max.


    "He can''t have!"said Lotty,"all three of them? At the same time?"


    "I''m such an idiot!"said Max, putting his head into his hands and sitting down onto a step.


    "You know he can?"I asked Max.


    "Yes,"Max answered,"I''ve seen him do it before. More than once."


    "I''ve suspected he''s done it to me,"I said.


    "He has,"Max answered.


    "Do you know any times he has?"I asked, feeling suddenly strange and incredibly uneasy.


    Max drew in his breath, in a way that meant he was about to say something very difficult,"yes,"he said,"and you,"he said to Lotty.


    "You KNEW and you didn''t tell us!"said Lotty, angrily.


    "I couldn''t tell you at the time!"Max said,"afterwards, with all that happened in Antonius'' trial, well, I didn''t think of telling you. I wasn''t just suddenly going to go up to you and go ''oh yeah, did you know Silas Warren has been obliviating your memories?''. I had no idea he was so good at it, though. I''d never had thought he''d be capable of obliviating three professors at the same time."


    "What happened when he obliviated our memories!?"Lotty demanded.


    "Has he obliviated any of mine?"Julia asked.


    "Julia - I don''t know; and you, Lotty and Cathy, can I call you Cathy?"


    I nodded.


    "Well, there''s only two times I know of, and one was quite - horrible,"Max answered,"I''m very ashamed I didn''t do more about it then."


    "Horrible?"Lotty whispered, in horror.


    "It was fairly recently,"Max said,"you and your sister somehow found a tunnel near Silas'' base - a secret base he has. I can''t remember where the tunnel is, or the base, it''s like he''s obliviated my memory of its location or something. I used to know where it was, but ever since I left the Muggleborn Rebellion, I haven''t been able to remember where it is."


    "The Muggleborn Rebellion?"I asked.


    "It''s what Silas calls his gang,"Lotty said.


    "Another name for it is APS,"said Max,"Anti-Pureblood Supremacy. For us Muggleborns, it''s mostly referred to as the Muggleborn Rebellion."


    "What happened in the tunnel?"Lotty asked.


    "Silas was furious when you two accidentally discovered his secret place,"Max explained,"he wanted to know how you knew about it, and he wanted to find out about anything other things you might know too. Cathy - he used the Cruciatus Curse on you."


    "Maybe I''m glad I don''t remember it then,"I said, feeling like I was starting to understand some things.


    "I did tell him he shouldn''t do that,"Max said,"but he sent me out. After that, I don''t know what else happened. Silas got Kenneth to make sure that I left. I don''t know what Silas did after that. All I know is that he was trying to get information out of you. Silas and I had a big argument after that happened. I don''t know if I should have told you, it must be really disturbing."


    "Well, we can''t undo what happened,"I said,"I''m appreciate you telling me."


    Lotty was looking horrified, so was Julia.


    "I think we should go now,"Lotty suggested, quietly.


    "Max - will you be alright?"I asked,"they''ll be after you again - even more, after this."


    "Don''t you worry about me,"Max said,"I appreciate what you did for me today, but really, I was just as bad as them until recently. If they want revenge on me for my ''treason'', and they punish me for it, it''s nothing I don''t deserve. Not for trying to stop them, of course, but for all the things I allowed to happen, that I helped them do."


    "But..."I began.


    "I can look after myself,"Max insisted,"please promise me none of you will put yourselves in any kind of danger for me!"


    "I''m not going to promise any such thing,"Lotty said.


    "If Lotty helps you, then I have to help her,"I said.


    "I can''t promise either,"said Julia.


    Max sighed,"I don''t deserve people like you,"then he added,"if any of you get yourselves into trouble on my account, it''ll hurt me much more than anything they''re planning on doing to me."


    "When he puts it that way,"I said to Lotty.


    "No,"said Lotty,"if there''s anything we can do to stop them, we''ll do it!"


    "You''ve already saved me once,"Max said,"you managed to get Professor Park to the trial just as they were pronouncing my sentence."


    We said our goodbyes and parted ways. Just as I was making my way down the staircase from that hall, I bumped into Antonius.


    "Why were you talking to those Gryffindors?"he asked.


    "Those Gryffindors?"I responded,"one of them is my sister!"


    "Looked like you were having a council of war, or something,"Antonius said.


    "We were, sort of,"I said.


    Antonius looked at me curiously.


    "They put one of their own people on trial this time,"I said,"Max Castellanos. They accused him of being a traitor."


    "Well,"Antonius said,"he sort of - was."


    "It''s not right!"I said.


    "Of course it''s not right, Catherine,"Antonius said,"what happened anyway?"


    I knew he was going to be angry at me.


    "Lotty told me what was happening,"I said,"I decided to get a teacher."


    "And did you?"Antonius asked.


    He didn''t look angry. At least - not at the moment.


    "Yes,"I answered.


    "Who?"Antonius asked, calmly.


    "Professor Park,"I answered.


    "What did he do?"Antonius continued.


    I told him everything that happened.


    "You understand now,"Antonius said, quietly,"Silas will have already factored in the possibility of his actions being reported to the teachers. He''ll already have multiple strategies in place in order to deal with that. You''ve seen that now."


    "Yes,"I said,"but you haven''t exactly been helping! By refusing to report what happened to you, and when you lied about what happened to Dominic!"


    "It''s not that simple, Catherine,"Antonius answered me,"even if Dominic''s trial was successfully reported, and the same goes for mine, Silas will already have a strategy in place to counter that. We have to fight this carefully."


    "I don''t see how we''re fighting it,"I disagreed,"all I see is how we''re just allowing everything to happen."


    "For the moment, we can''t do anything else,"Antonius argued,"you should know we can''t fight them, and you know now that we can''t report them."


    "There must be a way of letting a teacher know without Silas being able to interfere,"I persisted,"he can''t just obliviate everyone!"


    "Maybe he can,"Antonius said,"from what you''ve just told me, it sounds like he obliviated three professors at the same time, and one of them was the Headmistress."


    I remembered the potion I was brewing in the Room of Requirement, but, for some reason, and I don''t fully understand why, I felt like I shouldn''t tell Antonius about it.


    "Where there''s a will there''s a way,"I said.


    "Catherine,"Antonius said,"you need to stay out of trouble, and leave this to us. If you want to play a part in it, you can wait for my orders."


    "Wait for your orders?"I said,"so you''re some kind of general now?"


    "This is a war,"Antonius answered,"and you''re not even one of the victims."


    "I am!"I objected, telling him what Max had told me about Silas obliviating my memories.


    Antonius looked surprised for a moment, then he said,"all the more reason to try your best to keep out of harm''s way. If Silas is getting used to doing terrible things and obliviating peoples'' memories afterwards, then he could be capable of a lot worse than he''s already done! I overheard that boy telling you not to risk yourselves as well, you should listen to him."


    "Oh, so you were spying on me, were you?"I said.


    "I wasn''t spying,"Antonius said,"I just happened to overhear some things."


    I remembered when Antonius had suggested I''d been spying on him on the night of the May Festival, and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.


    "If there''s something I can do to stop all this, I will do it!"I insisted,"I''m not going to sit back and wait for others to do things, when others aren''t doing things!"


    "You just have to be patient!"Antonius advised,"anyway, do you have any ideas?"


    I did have one, just one that I didn''t feel like telling him about. Not just yet, anyway.


    "I thought not,"Antonius said, reading my silence,"just - stay out of trouble."


    "I won''t if my sister is in danger,"I said.


    "Well, if you feel like you need to do something, couldn''t you just tell me about it?"Antonius asked,"I won''t try to stop you, but I would like to know."


    This seemed reasonable,"alright,"I agreed,"if I''m about to do something risky, I''ll try to let you know."


    -------------------


    PP Night 2, OM Day 1

 The Snake

    Next day:


    After classes were over for the day, I called all of my siblings to the treehouse. We practiced in the Duelling Meadow (swords too).


    Then everyone returned to the castle, apart from Lotty and I.


    "They haven''t tried putting Max on trial again,"Lotty updated me on the situation,"but I did overhear some of them saying ''something needs to be done about Max'', and I heard Kenneth Brass saying that Silas was planning on ''dealing with him personally ''."


    "That doesn''t sound good,"I said.


    "I don''t know if we''ll be able to help him, but I''ve been trying to keep a look out,"Lotty said,"I don''t think they''ll put him on trial again, I think Silas is planning on punishing him secretly."


    "The least we can do is support him,"I said,"if we''re there for him, and he knows we care, that can help him a little."


    "It''s not really enough though,"Lotty said.


    "It''s better than nothing,"I said.


    ---------------


    Night 3 , OM Day 2


    Next day:


    I haven''t been doing as badly in Potions Class as I used to. Professor Park made some condescending remarks on how I was almost acceptable now that I''d decided to start reading a book for once, instead of ''waltzing in the circle of madness'' whatever that means.


    Later:


    I found Lotty. There was something I wanted to talk to her about.


    "You know how Max said the tunnel lead to Silas'' secret base?"I began.


    "So?"Lotty said.


    "He said he couldn''t remember where it was, but we know where it is,"I said.


    "You''d better not be thinking of going back there..."Lotty said.


    "Don''t worry, I don''t want to go back there,"I said,"I just wish it wasn''t so close to the treehouse. That means Silas'' base must be directly underneath."


    "Two enemy bases, both in the same place,"Lotty remarked.


    "I''m a bit worried about the others,"I said,"especially Anita. Do you suppose Silas knows about the treehouse?"


    "I get the idea we''d know by now if he knew,"Lotty reassured me.


    -----------------


    Night 4, OM Day 3.


    Next day:


    In DADA today, I saw Max, and I think something has happened. He was not looking very well. I looked over at him and tried to give him what I hoped to be a reassuring smile. He gave me a weak sort of smile back.


    When class was over and everyone filed out into the hallway, I waited at the back for Max. He was the last to leave. He''s been sort of separate from the other Gryffindors since they accused him of treason. Some of them have been mockingly referring to him as ''Peter'' instead of Max. At first, I wondered why, but then I found out from Lotty that it was because they were accusing him of being a ''Peter Pettigrew''.


    I get the idea from Lotty that the non-gang Gryffindors don''t really know what''s going on, and the others have been spreading rumours that Max trying to snitch on them about something unreasonable, so they''re all treating him like a pariah.


    When he came out the doorway, I pulled him aside.


    "Are you alright?"I asked.


    "It''s alright,"he answered.


    "Has anything happened?"I asked.


    He tried to avoid eye-contact with me. I gave him a hug.


    "Don''t worry about me,"he said,"I''ll be alright."


    He smiled at me before walking away. I ran to catch up with the others on the way to the next class.


    Later:


    I was casually strolling through the courtyard in Hogwarts, on my way to dinner (which was starting soon in the Great Hall), when I noticed two Hufflepuff 1st Year boys fighting.


    "Give it to me!"one demanded.


    "No, she told me to guard it with my life! So I''m guarding it with my life!"the other boy insisted, dramatically.


    He was lying on the ground, holding onto something tightly.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "You can''t trust anything a Slytherin tells you,"the other boy said.


    I stopped walking and looked back at them.


    "Get away from me!"the other boy yelled.


    "Not until you show me what you''re hiding!"


    "I''ll die first!"


    I decided to intervene.


    "Stop fighting!"I said.


    "This is none of your business,"the aggressive one said.


    "Looks like it''s none of YOUR business either,"I said to him,"leave him alone!"


    The boy pulled out his wand.


    "Expelliarmus!"I was too quick for him.


    I grabbed his wand before he could.


    "You can have this back when you start behaving,"I said.


    "I''m going to report you for stealing my wand!"the boy said, furious,"you stole my wand because I''m a Muggleborn!"


    "I didn''t even know you were a Muggleborn,"I said, throwing his wand back to him.


    I looked around and realised the other boy was gone. He must have snook away while we were arguing.


    Then, a few minutes later, I noticed Anita down the end of one of the long corridors. She was with two Hufflepuffs, and one of them was the boy that had been hiding an object. They appeared to be in the middle of a serious discussion.


    Suddenly there was a pop, and a house-elf appeared. It spoke to them, ran off somewhere, and they all followed it.


    By now, I was very curious. I tried to see where they went, but they went off too fast. I wonder what Anita is up to? At least she seems to be making friends.


    A bit later:


    As I was leaving the Great Hall after dinner, I was walking past the Gryffindor table, and I heard one of them calling Max ''Peter'' again. I couldn''t help myself, I was so filled with fury.


    "Petter Pettigrew was a coward who betrayed his own friends to their deaths to save his own skin! The only person he cared about was himself!"I said,"how can you compare him with someone who stands up for what is right, even in the face of being excluded from his friends and punished. Someone who''s willing to put himself in danger for the sake of people that aren''t even his friends!"


    "We don''t need a Slytherin to lecture us on who is worthy to be a Gryffindor,"Lauren Golding said, coldly.


    "I didn''t say anything about being worthy to be a Gryffindor,"I objected,"but you certainly aren''t!"


    Lauren gasped.


    "If we give you Max, will Slytherin House take him instead?"Luke Stevenson said,"oh - wait - I forgot! He can''t! He''s Muggleborn!"


    The others laughed.


    "No one wants him!"said Amber,"where is he anyway? He''s run away!"


    They all laughed again.


    "There was you trying to say he wasn''t a coward!"Luke shouted.


    I walked away from them. I don''t know how Lotty puts up with being surrounded by people like that all the time. It would drive me insane. Obviously Max quickly left the table, because it''s embarrassing. I wouldn''t have wanted to be there either, if it was me. I hoped I hadn''t made anything worse.


    Sometimes it seems like when you stand up for someone, you can just end up inviting more trouble for them. Sometimes you have to be careful, no matter how unfair something seems; but it''s hard to constantly use discretion in the face of such blatant injustice!


    In the evening:


    I remembered the memory spell I need to learn. There are also some spells I need to practice for learning Parceltongue, and I haven''t done any of those things. I don''t know how I forgot, but I do still have enough time to get everything sorted out.


    I decided to ask Professor Willow about the memory spell. He was in his office, as usual. He''s usually always ready to talk to me about ancient runes, or help me with anything I don''t properly understand. He knew how to do it, and showed me. It was actually really simple.


    "Of course, if you want to revisit your memory, or share it with someone else, you need a Pensieve,"Professor Willow explained.


    "That''s alright,"I said,"I just wanted to know how to do it. Thank you, Professor."


    I showed Priscilla right away.


    A bit later:


    I looked in the library for any information on a ''King Serpent''. I couldn''t find anything, though I looked through all the books on animals and magical creatures. I decided to read the instructions on learning Parceltongue again, and I noticed something I''d missed before.


    It said I needed to practise speaking to snakes while going through the process of drinking the snake potion doses. They temporarily grant you the ability to speak Parceltongue. For all I knew, I could probably already speak it now, but just wasn''t aware.


    I looked at the spells needed for learning. One of them was a Revealing Spell. Maybe that was for finding snakes? It wasn''t too late to go outside and test my theory.


    My first instinct was to go over to the treehouse and look for snakes around there, but then I remembered Silas has a secret base somewhere over there and decided it wasn''t wise to go over there in the evening, alone.


    So I went to the little woodland where the Foxhole Chamber is, and cast the Revealing Spell around there.


    I soon found a snake! A larger-than-usual, bright green grass snake.


    "Hello,"I said to it.


    The snake looked at me.


    "Could you tell me where to find the King Serpent?"I asked it.


    "Why do you want to find the King Serpent?"it asked.


    My heart pounded! It was actually working! Either it was working, or I was dreaming this!


    "Because I would like to learn how to speak Parceltongue,"I answered.


    "You''re already talking to me now,"the snake said.


    "Yes, but I haven''t learnt it properly yet,"I said.


    "The King Serpent is not friendly,"the snake answered,"and he doesn''t like to be found by people like you."


    "People like me?"I asked.


    "Yes, people,"the snake responded,"if you wish to gain his trust, you will have to perform for him three tasks."


    "They''re not - bad - tasks, are they?"I asked.


    "It depends on what you mean by bad tasks?"the snake said.


    "I don''t want to do anything I''m not supposed to,"I said.


    "The first task,"said the snake,"is you have to deliver him three mice."


    "Right,"I said.


    "For him to eat,"the snake went on,"if the mice are good enough for him, then he will ask you to bring to him other kinds of food. Animals, you know - that he likes to eat. If you can complete all three tasks, and he''s satisfied, he might decide to tell you what it is that you need to know."


    "Ok, but don''t I have to find him first?"I asked,"how will I know where to find him?"


    "Follow me,"the snake said,"the King Serpent of this woods has his hole by this oak tree and these boulders. I''ll let him know, and if you deliver the mice here soon, he''ll tell you what to do next; but you won''t be able to see him, you''ll only be able to hear him."


    "Alright,"I said,"sounds simple enough, I just have to look for three mice."


    "Three fat mice!"the snake corrected me,"they have to be plump and juicy. Full of delicious nutrients. They must be satisfactory to his taste - any ordinary mice won''t do!"


    "Right,"I said.


    I was wondering how I would be able to find three of those kinds of mice. Oh, well, the Revealing Spell ought to work with that.


    I went around casting it, but it revealed no mice at all. Then I thought, what about inside the castle? I went back to Hogwarts and decided a good place to go would be the cellars where all the food is stored, and maybe even the castle kitchens. I could ask the house-elves down there if they knew where I could find any suitable mice.


    They did! I couldn''t believe my luck! Just the kind I need too! The house-elves helped me to catch them, and soon I had them in a cage. I left plenty of food in it with them.


    "You''ll keep an eye on them for me, won''t you?"I asked the house-elves,"also keep feeding them?"


    "Of course!"was the response.


    "I''m going to come back for them tomorrow,"I said.


    ---------------


    Night 5, OM Day 4.

 Three Tasks for the King Serpent

    Next day:


    I couldn''t stop thinking about the mouse delivery I was supposed to be doing sometime today. I wanted to get it done as soon as possible. I really needed to know what the next tasks would be. I was sure they''d be more difficult than the first one.


    Unfortunately I was thinking about it far too much, and it got me into trouble in Potions.


    Professor Park was asking us from which animal we needed to obtain a very important potion ingredient, and he''d come over and asked me, when he noticed I hadn''t been paying attention.


    He asked me again, and all I heard was,"which animal?"


    "Mouse,"I said.


    Professor Park stared at me for a moment in utter horror. I noticed everyone''s heads turning in class to look at me, Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. There were some stifled giggles.


    "A MOUSE!?"Professor Park went on.


    My classmates couldn''t hide their laughter now.


    "Does the cry of a mouse, when heard for long enough, cause the listener to become mad?"Professor Park demanded.


    "Well, I don''t know, maybe if they keep you up all night, scuffling around and squeaking - that''s happened to me before,"I said, and I don''t know why I said that.


    "Miss Carrow, does a mouse have FEATHERS!?"Professor Park continued.


    This was followed by uproarious laughter. I heard someone mutter,"she was driven mad by the mice."


    "I ASKED you, Carrow, a FEATHER from which animal is often the most important ingredient in many advanced potions?"Professor Park went on.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, I didn''t hear that part,"I said,"a fwooper."


    "Correct,"Professor Park answered,"at last! I was beginning to think I had finally discovered a creature from which to obtain the main ingredient necessary to create a potion which deprives a person of their brain!"


    Next class was Transfiguration. At the end of it, I asked the teacher, Professor Holmes, something that I had thought about during the lesson.


    "So - you know about the Gamp''s Law thing, the food thing?"I began.


    "Yes,"he said.


    "Well, what if you were to transfigure an object into an animal and then cook that animal?"I suggested,"would you be able to eat it? And would it count as food?"


    "You know,"answered Professor Holmes,"in all my days of teaching, I''ve never been asked such a question!"


    "Do you think it would work, though?"I persisted.


    "I''m pretty sure many a witch or wizard in the days of famine would have saved themselves from starvation by transfiguring stones into chickens and logs into cows, if that were the case,"Professor Holmes replied,"and I believe it would be documented, if that were the case. It is not documented, therefore the only thing I can suggest is personal experimentation - and for the love of everything good in this world, please don''t go transfiguring anything poisonous! My suspicion is, if you cook or consume a transfigured object, you''ll just end up eating the properties of the object, not actual food!"


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    "Right,"I answered,"better not try that one then."


    "Yes, exactly,"Professor Holmes advised me.


    Later:


    For some reason, Antonius sat next to me in DADA Class instead of Dominic. I found it a bit odd, seeing as it''s currently the only class we have with the Gryffindors.


    After classes:


    Finally! I had time to go and fetch the mice from the kitchen and bring them to the King Serpent''s Oak. The house-elves had kept their word, perhaps a little bit too well. the mouse cage was stuffed with all kinds of food. So much so, that the poor mice were buried in it. Though, on closer inspection, they didn''t seem to be very unhappy about it.


    I felt sorry for them when I took them to the oak.


    "I have the mice for you, King Serpent,"I announced, opening the cage and tipping the mice down the hole.


    "Thankssss,"the King Serpent replied,"well done."


    I waited a few moments, wondering if it was gobbling up the mice right now.


    "What task would you have me do next?"I asked.


    "Bring to me five frogssss,"the King Serpent responded,"bring them to me here tomorrow."


    Five frogs? That seemed simple enough.


    I went down to the Black Lake and used the Revealing Spell to find frogs. I found plenty of them. I was satisfied they should be enough to catch fresh tomorrow.


    I was suddenly startled by a voice behind me.


    "Catherine? What are you doing?"it was Antonius.


    I turned around,"I was just looking for frogs,"I said.


    "Looking for frogs?"Antonius asked, looking slightly confused.


    "Yes, they''re needed for some potions..."I said.


    "What is it with you and potions of late?"Antonius asked,"especially after that display in Potions Class earlier - whatever were you thinking?"


    "I was distracted, I didn''t properly hear what Professor Park said,"I explained.


    "Distracted by what?"Antonius asked.


    "Why are you so nosey?"I objected,"I was thinking about mice, actually."


    "Why on earth why you thinking about mice?"Antonius asked.


    "Well, it''s the truth,"I said.


    There was a pause.


    "It wasn''t a wise move, what you did yesterday in the Great Hall,"Antonius suddenly said.


    "What do you mean?"I asked.


    "Arguing with those Gryffindors,"he said,"you have to be careful. They could twist your words and use it as an excuse to put you on trial, or they could provoke you into saying something that would give them an excuse."


    "I wish you would stop watching everything I do!"I protested.


    "I couldn''t help but see it right in front of me,"Antonius said,"it was in the Great Hall in front of everyone, remember?"


    "Well, I can''t help it, I get angry with them sometimes,"I said.


    "You have to learn to control your temper,"Antonius said,"if something makes you angry, just breathe and calm down."


    "It''s not as easy as that!"I said.


    "It gets easier with practise,"Antonius said.


    "You know, Antonius, I think you contain your emotions too much,"I said.


    "Do you?"Antonius responded,"I don''t think so."


    "Yes, I do think so,"I said,"when you bottle up emotions, they stay with you, seep into your soul, grind you down."


    "Well, maybe that''s how it is for you,"Antonius said,"that''s not how it is for me. It still wouldn''t do you any harm to..."


    "Look! What''s done is done!"I said, getting annoyed.


    "And now you''re getting angry again,"Antonius said, in a rebuking tone.


    For a moment, I felt like I wanted to push him into the lake, but I didn''t.


    "See, I am good at controlling my temper,"I said.


    "No you''re not,"Antonius went on.


    "Well, I just managed to stop myself from pushing you into the lake,"I said.


    Antonius laughed.


    "Maybe I could turn you into a frog,"I suggested,"I wouldn''t have to look for them then!"


    "But you might accidentally turn me into a mouse,"Antonius warned,"a mouse with feathers."


    I started to feel less annoyed. I wondered if Antonius had seen me talking to Max recently. Maybe he saw me hug Max outside the DADA Classroom? Maybe he was jealous? I reached out to him and took his hand.


    I took him to a much nicer part of the Black Lake and we sat down in the long grass.


    "Why don''t we stay here until the sunset?"I suggested.


    We did end up staying there, and returned to the castle together.


    ------------------


    Night 6, OM Day 5


    Next day:


    I delivered five frogs to the King Serpent. Again, he thanked me, and I asked him for the next task - the final task.


    "Bring me a newt,"the King Serpent requested.


    "Just one?"I asked.


    "Yessss,"the King Serpent responded,"a nice big one. Bring it to me here tomorrow."

 Anita Discovered Something

    Later:


    As I entered the common room, Anita and Jared called me over to them.


    "What''s up?"I asked.


    "A lot!"Jared announced,"Anita got the final part of the riddle!"


    "Have you?"I asked,"how did you do it?"


    "It''s a long story,"Anita said, grinning.


    "Tell her!"Jared said.


    "Well,"Anita said,"remember you said I wasn''t allowed to sneak into the Hufflepuff common room?"


    "Yes,"I said,"and you better not have!"


    "Well, I didn''t have to,"Anita said,"I remembered the house-elves in the kitchen. They got me Gillyweed that time, so I thought maybe they would borrow the picture for me. I told them where the picture was, and what picture it was, and one of them went to get it for me; but when he was getting it, these kids spotted him and asked him what he was doing, and he told them. I forgot to tell the house-elf it was supposed to be secret."


    "What happened then?"I asked.


    "Those kids found me and asked me why I wanted a house-elf to steal a picture from their common room,"Anita went on,"I remembered the warning about using deceit, and I realised I had to be honest and true. So I told them I needed the picture because it was part of a riddle I was trying to solve."


    "And?"I asked.


    "They said I could use the picture, and offered to help me solve the riddle,"Anita continued,"would you like to hear the final piece?"


    "I certainly would,"I answered.


    "I can''t show you the picture, because it''s back in the Hufflepuff common room now,"Anita said,"but anyway, it was a picture of a frog diving down into the pool and getting the ball out of the water. On the back, it said: ''keep it in the ground, tend it like a plant, listen for the sound, and noon sun shall grant''."


    The whole riddle altogether read as: ''To whomsoever would retrieve, the golden ball within this pool, then that person would receive, a rare and useful tool, keep it in the ground, tend it like a plant, listen for the sound, and noon sun shall grant, the power revealed, but take great caution, for within is sealed, a deadly portion, to they that deceive, so be honest and true, and ye shall receive, that which ye are due.''


    "Keep it in the ground?"I said,"you have to plant the ball in the ground?"


    "That''s where we think,"Anita said,"Jeffrey - he''s one of the Hufflepuff kids I was telling you about - he had an idea of a place he could plant it, and look after it secretly. So we were going to do that. I gave the ball to him to keep safe, and we were going to bring it to the place, but then Horrible Hector..."


    "Horrible Hector?"I said.


    "He''s this Hufflepuff kid that has been annoying Jeffrey and Emily ever since they started helping me,"Anita explained,"Horrible Hector tried to steal the golden ball off Jeffrey, but Jeffrey said you managed to stop him."


    "Yes,"I said, remembering.


    "Well, unfortunately, Horrible Hector discovered the place Jeffrey thought of. He tried to steal the ball again, but Emily stopped him. She''s a 2nd Year, she''s Jeffrey''s older sister. Anyway, we asked Hoppy (he''s the house-elf that got the picture) if he knew of a place, and he suggested the kitchen gardens. The kitchen gardens are where the house-elves grow food and stuff. No students can go in there, so it''ll be completely safe. Hoppy planted it in there, and he''s going to tend it like a plant, like the riddle said. He''s also going to let us know when he hears a sound."


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    "Well, that''s very interesting,"I said,"but shouldn''t we be the ones tending it like a plant? We shouldn''t be getting someone else to do it for us."


    "Hoppy is one of us, as far as I''m concerned!"Anita objected,"he is one of the protectors of the golden object, just like we are! And how else could we do it? Horrible Hector has been following us around, me as well. We don''t want him finding out about it and ruining our plans!"


    "So, what will you do when the sound is heard?"I asked.


    "We have to take it into the noon-day sunlight, I think,"Anita said,"when we''re about to do that, I''ll let all of you know!"


    "That''s not going to be easy,"I said,"we''re usually always in classes at that time."


    "Not if it''s on a Saturday or a Sunday,"Anita said,"when we hear the sound, we''ll have to to wait until one of those days. I already told Hoppy, Emily and Jeffrey that is the plan."


    "Have you told Lotty and Ed yet?"I asked.


    "I''ve told Ed, but I haven''t had a chance to tell Lotty yet,"Anita answered,"you can tell her, if you want."


    ------------------


    Night 7, OM Day 6


    Next day:


    Finding a newt today took ages, but I got one eventually. I looked around to make sure I wasn''t being followed by Antonius, who has been a bit of a nuisance of late, I''m starting to remember why I found him so irritating before.


    I went to the King Serpent''s Oak. I gave him the newt.


    "Thankssss,"he said.


    "I''ve completed all three tasks,"I said.


    "Ah,"the King Serpent answered,"but I am afraid you have not sssucceeded."


    "How?"I asked,"I brought all the food you asked for."


    "Yesss, but the quality of the frogssss, I am afraid they were not ssssufficient,"the King Serpent responded.


    I was furious! If that was the case, then why didn''t he tell me before? I could have gotten more frogs! Then I suddenly had an idea.


    My confidence in my idea was so strong, that I decided to risk losing any chance of ever winning the King Serpent''s trust.


    "Accio snake!"


    It was the large, green grass snake that I had first spoken to! Just as I''d started to suspect!


    "You''re not the King Serpent!"I said,"you tricked me!"


    "A snake has to eat!"the grass snake said, wriggling in my grip, trying to escape.


    "Do you even know who the King Serpent is?"I demanded.


    "No,"the snake answered.


    "I bet that''s the only honest thing you''ve actually said to me,"I said, frustrated.


    I can''t believe I got conned by a snake!


    "I might eat YOU now that I''ve fattened you up!"I threatened.


    "No! Please don''t!"the grass snake begged.


    "Fine,"I said,"go on then! Be off with you!"


    I let the snake go, it slithered rapidly back down it''s hole.


    "If I ever find out who the King Serpent is, I shall tell you,"the grass snake said.


    "If you do, I''ll give you some properly earned food,"I said.


    "Then I shall certainly consider finding it out,"the grass snake said.


    "Thanks,"I said, starting to feel a lot less annoyed,"what''s your favourite food?"


    "Newt,"the snake answered.


    "Well, then,"I said,"IF and AFTER you tell me the truth about the King Serpent, I''ll make sure to find you a nice, juicy newt."


    "That sounds good to me,"the grass snake agreed.


    I returned to the castle disappointed, but not utterly disappointed. I supposed I''d gotten a lot of the ''practice'' I needed, and there were still two more weeks to go.


    I''d completely forgotten about the memory potion. Priscilla reminded me. We went to the Room of Requirement. I couldn''t believe I''d forgotten! I''d been so wrapped up in that Parceltongue business, that the most important project had completely slipped my mind.


    "Don''t tell me you forgot?"Priscilla said.


    "I actually did,"I said.


    "One thing you really DO need is a memory potion, Catherine,"she went on.


    "Well, when you NEED a memory potion, and it happens to be as complicated as this one, it''s not exactly easy,"I said.


    I chose to add the memory of when Lotty and I were exploring the tunnel, before our memories were obliviated.


    "Good,"Priscilla said, as I added it.


    When I did so, for a moment we could see into the cauldron like it was a window into my memory. I saw Lotty climbing down into the tunnel, then I saw us going up to the dead end wall and examining it. That was where it cut off. Priscilla saw it too.


    "You and your sister found a tunnel?"she said, looking at me curiously.


    "Yes,"I answered,"it''s not a nice place though. Certainly not safe. Something happened there, and my memory of what happened has been obliviated."


    "So that''s why you need the potion,"Priscilla said.


    "Yes,"I said,"for that, and any other possible occasions."


    "I understand now,"Priscilla said,"but we need to add the next ingredient."


    I read the instructions. All we had to do next was add powdered Mandrake root, do some more clockwise and anticlockwise stirring, and that was everything we needed to do - done.


    "Now we just have to wait until it''s finished,"I said, looking at the potion, which was purple with dark blue swirls, and a faint luminescence.


    "I don''t think I''ve ever seen such a beautiful potion,"Priscilla remarked, admiring it for a while, before we decided to leave,"what colour does it say it will be when it''s finished?"


    I looked at the rune instructions,"it says clear like water,"I read,"but you''ll see lots of different colours shimmering in it when it moves."


    "That sounds wonderful,"Priscilla said,"I can''t wait to see it."

 The Green Grass Snake Discovers Something

    When Priscilla and I left the Room of Requirement, I suddenly noticed my wand glowing yellow. Swirling yellow.


    A swirling colour meant someone was calling the way to me, and without asking me first! Also, I had no idea whose colour that could be... that is, until Antonius found me.


    "Where have you been?"he asked.


    "How do you know that spell?"I asked, indignantly.


    "I''ve known it for ages,"he said,"Dominic taught me."


    "Well, he taught you the wrong one!"I said, angrily.


    "How is it the wrong one?"Antonius asked.


    "That''s the one we reserve for emergencies,"I answered.


    "He told me that was a different one,"Antonius said.


    I looked at him for a moment, confused, then I explained,"the proper one, if we want to go to someone, is ''Veniam Ad Vos'', not ''Vocare Viam''!"


    "Veniam Ad Vos, Catherine,"Antonius said.


    My wand began to flash yellow.


    "It doesn''t do anything,"Antonius remarked, looking at his wand,"it''s not leading the way."


    "That''s because it''s a polite way of asking,''can I come to you?'',"I said,"the difference with ''Vocare Viam'' is you''re not asking permission, you''re just finding the way to someone whether they like it or not. That''s why we reserve it for emergencies only."


    "But what happens next?"Antonius asked.


    "I see my wand flashing your colour,"I answered,"and I respond by either deciding to go to you, or summoning you to me. If I want to go to you, your wand will start flashing in my colour, and you''ll respond with ''I Vocare Te'', and this will lead me to you. If I want you to come to me, I will respond with ''I Vocare Te'', and this will lead you to me."


    Antonius paused for a moment, in thought, then he said,"so ''Veniam Ad Vos'' just means the other person''s wand flashes your colour?"


    "Yes,"I responded,"it''s politely asking."


    "Does it work if the other person doesn''t have their wand?"Antonius went on.


    "No,"I said,"it will just lead you to their wand."


    "So it depends on the wand, not the person,"Antonius said,"got it."


    "Anyway, why were you so urgently searching for me?"I asked.


    "I wasn''t urgently searching for you,"Antonius said,"I didn''t know that was an emergency spell. I thought the other one was. The one you haven''t mentioned."


    "And what one is that?"I asked.


    "''Omnem Familiam'',"Antonius responded.


    "I''d forgotten about that one,"I said,"that one summons every single Carrow, or, at least, every Carrow''s wand. The entire family. If you were to say that spell with ''Carrow'' on the end, with the intention of summoning us. I daren''t say the whole thing now, just in case I accidentally do it. Well, if you were to say that, it would summon everyone; my parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents - you get the idea."


    "Sounds quite serious,"Antonius said.


    "None of us have ever used it,"I said,"not even all Carrows know about it. I don''t think it''s been used in over a century, maybe even longer than that. I''m surprised Dominic knew about it. When my parents first taught me that, they just said that if I were ever to receive that summons, our family coat of arms will appear and our wands will glow with light, pointing the way to whoever has summoned us. It only works among Carrows, though. If you tried that spell, it wouldn''t work for you, unless you had one of our wands."


    "Why is that, do you suppose?"Antonius asked.


    "The spell was created for use within families only,"I explained,"I believe the reason for it, is because if other people knew about that spell, they could use it against us. To prank us, or trick us and try to lure us into a trap. It''s only ever to be used in time of dire circumstances. Life or death. If it was misused, we might start to ignore it, and then it wouldn''t mean anything any more."


    "So it''s a very serious thing,"Antonius said.


    "Absolutely,"I said,"now why were you looking for me?"


    "I was worried about you,"Antonius said,"and I made a mistake. There''s no need to be angry. I would have summoned you the polite way if I''d known. Where were you, anyway?"


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    "I was with Priscilla,"I said,"you can ask her, if you want!"


    "Calm down, then,"Antonius said,"like I said, there''s no reason to be angry, Catherine."


    "Oh - isn''t there?"I said,"well, then there''s no reason for you to be so mistrustful! I can''t just BE around you every time I''m not in class! What about Dominic? Why aren''t you hanging out with him?"


    "I was,"Antonius replied,"but every time you disappear, and I don''t know where you are, I start worrying about you. I start to think something might have happened."


    "Well, stop worrying about me, then!"I insisted.


    "You''ve been acting different, lately,"Antonius said.


    "That''s because you keep annoying me!"I said,"following me around! Trying to tell me what to do! Constantly wanting to know what I''m doing all the time!"


    "Well, if you didn''t have something to hide, then maybe you wouldn''t be so annoyed,"Antonius said, starting to sound angry.


    "What makes you think I have something to hide?"I asked.


    "The way you''ve been behaving,"Antonius said,"and you''ve been doing some awfully weird things lately."


    I certainly wasn''t going to share the secret of the Foxhole Chamber (I literally couldn''t, anyway), but in the heat of the moment, I felt like I needed to have an explanation, and it had to be an honest one.


    "You want to know why I''ve been doing those ''awfully weird things''?"I said.


    "If you tell me, then yes,"Antonius responded,"but you don''t have to."


    "I''ve discovered I might be able to speak Parceltongue,"I said,"either that, or I''m going mad."


    Antonius gave me a very disbelieving look.


    "That''s why I was thinking about mice,"I went on,"and that''s why I was looking for frogs."


    Antonius gave me a very bewildered look.


    "And if you''ve been spying on me,"I continued,"which, for all I know, you probably have, you''ll have seen me catching a newt and going into a certain woodland..."


    "I haven''t been spying on you,"Antonius interrupted me,"though I have noticed you searching around the shores of the Black Lake, quite often; but do you honestly expect me to believe this nonsense about Parceltongue? Only descendants of Salazar Slytherin can do that."


    "Well,"I said,"if you don''t believe me, there''s a way I can prove it to you."


    "What do you mean by that?"Antonius asked.


    "Follow me,"I instructed him.


    I took him to the green grass snake''s oak, and cast the Revealing Spell which told me the snake was in its hole, probably asleep.


    "Hello!"I shouted down the hole,"wake up, I want to speak to you!"


    "Go away!"the snake hissed,"I was having a nice nap!"


    "Come on out and talk to me for a bit,"I asked.


    The snake reluctantly slithered out to me.


    "Do you have any food for me? Waking me up like this!"he said.


    "Well, that depends,"I said,"have you found out anything about the King Serpent yet?"


    "Of course not!"said the snake,"I need TIME to do that sort of thing! I need to go on long travels, asking other snakes. You can''t have expected me to have done all that in less than one day! I was napping in preparation for my journey!"


    "Don''t worry, I''ll bring you a mouse tomorrow, to make up for it,"I said.


    "You''d better!"the snake answered,"now leave me sleep in peace! Come back to me in a week! Apart from the mouse, you can leave the mouse when you want."


    As it slithered back into its hole, I turned to look at Antonius. He was looking at me with an expression that I can only describe as awe and horror at the same time.


    "You can speak Parceltongue,"Antonius said, as we left the hilltop woodland,"that''s... amazing..."


    "I''m not going mad then?"I asked.


    "You certainly aren''t,"Antonius said,"unless I am too. What were you saying to the snake?"


    "I was asking him to come out and talk to me,"I said,"he was annoyed because I woke him up. I said I''d bring him a mouse to make up for it."


    "So those frogs, and the mice you were talking about,"Antonius said,"you were finding them and feeding them to that snake. And there was me thinking that it might have been something else..."


    "Well, now you know,"I said,"what else did you think I might be doing?"


    "I don''t know,"Antonius said,"coming up with plans on your own to defeat Silas'' gang. Maybe something like that."


    "I already told you I would tell you if I was going to do something,"I said.


    "I still can''t help worrying about you,"Antonius said,"but I''ll try not to annoy you from now on."


    "Please do,"I said.


    "Annoy you?"Antonius said.


    "No, please try not to annoy me!"I said.


    We returned to the castle.


    -----------------


    Night 8, OM Day 7


    ....


    A week later:


    The green grass snake told me to come back in a week, so I did.


    "So, found out anything about the King Serpent yet?"I asked.


    "Yes, I have,"the snake answered.


    "Where might I find the King Serpent?"I asked.


    "There is indeed a King Serpent that lives in the Forbidden Forest,"the snake said,"but I have heard that he already has a wizard master."


    "Already has a wizard master?"I asked.


    "Yes,"the snake answered,"he has already given his trust to a wizard, so you will have to win over his allegiance. It will be more difficult."


    "You''re sure about that?"I persisted,"that would mean someone else around here can speak Parceltongue."


    "There''s a boy in your school that can,"the snake responded.


    I was shocked!


    "Who?"I asked,"is he the master of the King Serpent?"


    "Yes,"the green grass snake responded,"but I can''t tell you who."


    "What about the boy who was with me when I spoke to you?"I asked, for purpose of process of elimination.


    "No need to worry about him,"said the snake,"he isn''t the one. The one I speak of, he can change into an animal."


    "An Animagus,"I thought.


    "Which animal?"I asked.


    "A fox,"the snake responded,"I''ve seen him myself."


    I was about to ask something more, but the snake interrupted me.


    "There is more I need to tell you,"he went on,"the King Serpent is a very dangerous creature. You must be warned. It is a giant, and if you look it in the eyes, you will die."


    I considered this for a moment, then I asked,"is the King Serpent a Basilisk?"


    "Yes, some call it that,"the snake answered,"now that I''ve told you all this, I expect a newt soon."


    "I''ll bring it to you as soon as I can!"I said,"thanks, you''ve told me a lot!"


    I went straight to the Black Lake, a deal is a deal.


    My mind was reeling, though. There was a boy at Hogwarts that, not only could he speak Parceltongue, but he also had control of a Basilisk in the Forbidden Forest, and he was an Animagus! That is - if the snake was telling the truth. He might be tricking me again. I was just wondering whether or not Verita Serum works on snakes, when I found a newt.


    I''m not sure how I would be able to obtain Verita Serum, but if I did know, I''d like to serve it up with this newt! I went back to the snake.


    "I really hope you told me the truth,"I said,"you tricked me before, remember?"


    "This time I told you the truth,"the snake said,"you''ll find out in time that what I said was true."


    "Well, here''s your newt,"I said.


    Maybe there''s a way I can find out for myself...

 Process of Elimination

    Later:


    I''ve been wondering who the boy could be. I remembered Lotty had seen someone coming out of the Forbidden Forest on the day we first discovered the tunnel near Silas'' secret base.


    Could it be Silas Warren? Then I remembered something, Silas'' Patronus is a snake. If the boy is an Animagus, from what I''ve heard, a person''s Patronus is always the same as their Animagus form.


    Then who could it be?


    I suddenly remembered the red fox that Lotty and I had found caught in barbed wire - that had been near the Foxhole Chamber. What if that fox had actually been an Animagus? What if the reason the boy could speak Parceltongue was because he discovered the Foxhole Chamber and learned to speak Parceltongue through the same method I''m using?


    Well, the best way to start, was with process of elimination.


    -----------------


    Night 16, OM Day 15.


    Next day:


    I''d almost decided to give up trying to find out who the Parceltongue-speaker was, when DADA happened.


    Professor Livia was teaching about Patronus charms again. This time, in class, I was able to produce a whole owl. It gracefully glided around the classroom, giving off a reassuring glow.


    The Sanding twins finally managed their Patronuses too. Artemisia''s was a cat, and Amelia''s some kind of bird (not an owl).


    At one point, Professor Livia was called out for something. She informed us class was not yet over, and instructed us to remain seated.


    Feeling bored, and suddenly having an idea, I closed my eyes, imagined I was talking to the green grass snake, and whispered in Parceltongue,"hello, can you hear me?"


    I was not expecting to hear a response...


    "Yes,"came a reply,"who are you?"


    I opened my eyes, shocked. I noticed people were looking around the classroom with alarmed expressions.


    "Did you hear that?"Amber said,"I''m sure that sounded like Parceltongue."


    "Was someone just speaking Parceltongue in class?"Lauren Golding asked Amber.


    Antonius, who was sitting next to Dominic, looked over at me with a disapproving expression.


    "Obviously it was one of those Slytherins,"Kenneth Brass said.


    "Let''s figure out who it is,"Amber whispered, though loud enough for me to hear,"we should put them on trial."


    But hearing that didn''t worry me, I was thinking about something else. One of the boys in this classroom was the one. I was sure it had to be either Luke Stevenson, Kenneth Brass, Max Castellanos, Richard Steel, Henry Blaise, Regulus Flint or Dominic.


    Later:


    I tried speaking Parceltongue (while hiding under a table) in the common room. Henry, Dominic and Regulus were all there at the same time. I listened for an answer - nothing.


    "So it was one of us,"I heard Regulus saying to Dominic.


    "Come on! Own up!"Dominic shouted,"we know you''re in this room!"


    That ruled them out. Parceltongue sounds like normal speech when you speak it, and you answer naturally.


    "Henry,"I whispered in Parceltongue.


    "There it is again!"I heard Regulus saying.


    "Whoever you are, can you please shut up!"Henry Blaise said.


    "How come we never heard them speaking it before,"Regulus said,"why now?"


    "It''s giving me the creeps,"Henry said.


    I whispered in Parceltongue again.


    "Did you hear that?"Henry said,"I heard it again!''


    "I''m getting out of here!"Regulus said.


    Just then, someone moved the table-cloth, and Amelia looked under and saw me,"Cathy, why are you hiding under a table?"


    "It''s scary!"I said.


    It is scary, almost getting found out like that.


    I decided it''s fairly obvious it''s not one of us. It has to be one of the Gryffindors.


    ---------------


    Night 17, OM Day 16.


    Next day:


    I decided not to risk speaking Parceltongue in DADA again. Especially not while Professor Livia was present. I also decided it wouldn''t be a good idea to try it in the Great Hall.


    So how?


    Max was probably going to be the easiest one to test. Maybe I should start with him.


    Later:


    It''s not Max.


    I need to be careful, people are starting to get creeped out by the Parceltongue now, and they''re investigating. I already scared Lotty. She was near Max when I tried communicating...


    Testing it on Luke and Kenneth seems a bit like walking into the lion''s den, as Silas'' gang members have made it a sort of quest to track down the Parceltongue-speaker and put them on trial. I don''t fancy getting caught.


    Antonius has already had a go at me for it. I didn''t tell him I wasn''t the only Parceltongue-speaker in the classroom that time. I knew that would just complicate things. For the rest of the day, I was trying to work out a plan to test Luke, Richard and Kenneth.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    One thing that makes it even more difficult, is Luke and Kenneth are always hanging out with Silas.


    I decided to give it a miss today. I think Kenneth is the person it''s most likely to be, I can imagine him being ruthless enough to earn the trust of a Basilisk.


    --------------


    Night 18, OM Day 17


    Next day:


    Today I had the idea to write down two notes in the enchanted rune language. I left one in the place where Richard usually sits, and one in the places where Luke and Kenneth usually sit. Three notes for three suspects. I managed this before DADA began.


    When the class started, I watched carefully as everyone took their places at their desks. To my annoyance, Silas picked up the note meant for Kenneth. Then I noticed Silas looked like he was actually reading it. He also had a very strange look on his face, almost - worried. He then looked around the room. I quickly looked away, then I glanced back at him. Kenneth had seen him reading the note, and took it from him, laughing.


    "What are these scribbles?"he said.


    Well, at least I now know that Kenneth hasn''t been in the Foxhole Chamber. Silas, on the other hand? Then I thought - maybe Luke Stevenson is the one? He''s in Silas'' gang, if he discovered the Foxhole Chamber, then it stands to reason that he could have shown it to Silas.


    The fact that Silas seemed to be able to read those runes bothered me a lot. I was so distracted by it, that I didn''t even think about looking to see how Luke and Richard reacted to the notes I''d left for them.


    ----------------


    Night 19, OM Day 18


    Next day:


    I hunted around for some frogs to bring to the green grass snake. I''ve named him ''Oliver''. He already has his own snake name, which he''s told me, but it''s really long and complicated. He said he didn''t mind being called Oliver.


    "What do you want?"he asked, after I''d given him the frogs.


    "Could you tell me any more about the boy who speaks Parceltongue?"I asked.


    "Well, now that you mention it,"Oliver said,"I saw him again yesterday."


    "Yesterday?"I said.


    "Yes,"Oliver answered,"as a fox. I knew it was him again. I could sense it. Humans in animal form are not the same as ordinary animals, you see. He went down that fox warren over there."


    So whoever he is, he does know about the Foxhole Chamber!


    "Have you seen him go into that warren before?"I asked.


    "Yes, many times,"Oliver replied,"I''ve seen you too, and some other people with you. Only, you didn''t go down as a fox. He always goes down as a fox."


    "Did he do anything else?"I asked.


    "That was all,"Oliver replied.


    "Is there anything more you can remember about him?"I pressed on,"any more ideas you can give me?"


    "Maybe for a newt..."Oliver began.


    "I''m not going to get you a newt!"I said, frustrated.


    "For a newt, I could go off on more travels,"Oliver persuaded,"I could discover more things from other snakes. Some of them will have seen him too."


    "How long will that take?"I asked.


    "Not so long as it did with the King Serpent,"Oliver responded,"come back to me in two days. With a newt. A good quality one."


    I wondered why I hadn''t thought of this before.


    ------------------


    Night 21, OM Day 20.


    Next Day:


    Tonight will be the last night I have to drink that vile snake potion. The instructions on learning Parceltongue don''t say whether or not I have to win the trust of a King Serpent before the last day. I suspect I won''t be able to speak Parceltongue permanently until I do I''ve decided to keep the remaining vials and bottle of snake potion, as I''m sure it will still be able to grant me the temporary ability to speak Parceltongue. I''ll need it if I do happen to find that Basilisk. I will also need it to talk to Oliver.


    -------------------


    Night 22, OM Day 21.


    Next day:


    As soon as I had a chance, I went up to Oliver''s woods, but then I saw a red fox. It was coming away from the woodland. I quickly tried to look inconspicuous, and made it look like I wasn''t heading for that woods, but somewhere else. I saw the red fox run into the Forbidden Forest.


    I had wondered how the Parceltongue-speaker was able to go in and out of the Forbidden Forest without annoying the Centaurs. I''d wondered if he had possibly obtained some kind of special permission from them. Or maybe if he went there in Animagus form, they weren''t able to detect him so easily?


    I had been thinking about following the fox, but decided against it. Going into the Forbidden Forest would be a dangerous move. Also, if it happened to be a real fox, I would be lead on a wild goose chase. Besides - foxes run fast! Too fast for me. I''d have a job keeping up with the thing, even on my broom-stick - and then it would certainly notice me!


    When I was satisfied the fox was far enough away, I slipped into Oliver''s woods and went to find him.


    "Hello, Oliver?"I asked,"are you back from your travels yet? I''ve brought you the largest newt I could find."


    "Yes,"Oliver answered,"newt first, then the news."


    "Well, then?"I asked Oliver, after his dinner.


    "Some other snakes have seen the boy too,"Oliver said,"they told me he has a place in the Forbidden Forest. There is a cave there, an evil cave, they say. Near there, is where he keeps the King Serpent. It lives in caves underground. He has enchanted that part of the forest, so that the Centaurs cannot enter it. They are not happy about it, the Centaurs, for they forsee a darkness."


    "Right,"I said, starting to feel a little worried,"anything else?"


    "Sometimes they have seen the boy with his friends,"Oliver went on,"but never as a fox with them, and never have they seen him with his friends in the Forbidden Forest."


    I suddenly had an idea.


    "If I took you with me, and showed you, would you be able to identify him to me?"I asked.


    "Yes,"Oliver replied.


    "All I have to do, is hide you inside my cloak,"I said,"don''t worry, I''ll keep you safe."


    "I''m not so sure, but for another newt..."Oliver said.


    "Of course!"I agreed.


    "Then, I suppose I could,"Oliver said.


    "But when you see him, don''t make it obvious,"I said,"if you say anything that might give us away, he''ll hear it."


    "So, what should I say when I see him?"Oliver asked.


    "What do you usually say?"I asked,"when you''re by yourself, looking for food."


    "Delicious newts!"Oliver said,"my favourite food, you know. I like to sing songs about finding newts for supper."


    "Well,"I said,"when you see him, start singing your newt song. Then I''ll know he''s the one."


    I took Oliver with me, back to Hogwarts. I had him hidden under my cloak. I went into the grounds and looked around to see if I could see any of the Gryffindor 6th years.


    I found Richard Steel, sitting by himself, reading a book. Oliver remained silent.


    Then I saw Luke, Kenneth and Silas. Oliver started singing his song.


    But which one of them was it? They were all standing close together, so it was hard to tell.


    I quickly dodged behind a wall, and whispered as quietly as I could,"I need to separate them."


    "Understood,"Oliver replied.


    I went back out from behind the wall, and followed them for a while. Then Lauren Golding came up, and took away Kenneth. For the first time in my life, I was actually glad to see her, of all people!


    As Lauren and Kenneth walked past me, Oliver said nothing. I followed on after Silas and Luke. It must be Luke? But I still had to be sure and certain - I could easily have made a mistake, somewhere along the way, in my process of elimination.


    As I followed them, I made sure to keep a far enough distance to avoid suspicion...


    Then I had my chance! Luke was just saying goodbye to Silas and going off somewhere.


    But as Luke walked past me, Oliver remained silent. So it wasn''t Luke...


    After Luke had gone, and only Silas remained, Oliver began singing his song. He kept on singing his song until Silas went off out of sight.


    How could it be Silas?


    I waited until he was out of hearing distance and whispered to Oliver,"you''re sure he''s the one?"


    "Yes,"Oliver insisted,"he is the one!"


    I felt a bit skeptical, especially as I have been tricked before, and Oliver might be making this all up to get free newts. Then I remembered how I''d spoken Parceltongue in class, and someone had replied. Still - that didn''t mean everything Oliver told me was true.


    "So, you''ll bring me a newt tomorrow?"Oliver asked.


    "Yes, of course,"I said,"I might not be able to speak to you, though. I''m not drinking any more of my potion tonight."


    "All that matters is I get a newt,"Oliver responded.


    Suddenly someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned around in horror!


    It was just Antonius.


    "Oh,"said Antonius, seeing Oliver on my shoulder,"your pet snake. Catherine, you really shouldn''t bring him into school with you. You''ve been causing a lot of chaos already! Those Gryffindors are after the person that has been speaking Parceltongue, and if you keep this up, they''ll catch you, and they''ll torture you in the Courthouse."


    "I know,"I said,"I''ll be careful."


    "Well, you can start being careful by leaving it where it lives,"Antonius urged me.


    "Fine, I''ll bring him back to his woods now,"I said.


    I returned Oliver to his nest under the old oak tree. If nest is the correct word.


    "Don''t forget my newt!"Oliver reminded me.


    "Of course I won''t! Goodbye and thank you!"I called after him.


    Antonius had come with us. He was satisfied to see me return the snake to his den. Then we went to the common room together.


    I was approached by Priscilla.


    "Catherine! Where have you been?"she asked.


    "Outside,"I answered.


    "Yes, but aren''t you forgetting something?"she went on.


    I thought for a moment, and was about to ask what, then I remembered! The memory potion! Of course!

 Restoration of Obliviated Memories

    "I''ve got some potion practise I need to do with Priscilla,"I quickly explained to Antonius, as Priscilla and I left the common room.


    "Good luck!"he called after us.


    We hurried on our way to where the door to the Room of Requirement appears. We went in.


    "I can''t believe you forgot again!"Priscilla chided me,"an over-brewed potion is not a good thing."


    "I know!"I said,"I''ve over-brewed potions before. Do you think it''ll be ok?"


    "Today is just right,"Priscilla said,"but with this kind of potion, just one extra day could be very bad. That''s why I reminded you."


    I took the cauldron off the heat.


    We looked at the potion. It was just as it should be; clear, but with ripples of iridescent colour as we swished the liquid around with a spoon.


    "Gorgeous, isn''t it?"Priscilla remarked, looking into it admiringly,"and just smell it!"


    I smelt it. It was a strong, nostalgic smell; like something from my infanthood that I hadn''t smelled in a long, long time.


    "What do you smell?"I asked Priscilla.


    "It smells like something from my past,"Priscilla replied,"something nice, but something I''ve forgotten."


    "Would you like to try some?"I offered.


    "Oh no!"Priscilla responded,"this is your memory potion! You added your memory, remember? If I drink this, I might end up getting all of your obliviated memories, not my own - if I even have any, that is. I''ve been brewing my own version of this potion, I started brewing it a week ago."


    As soon as the potion was cool enough, I carefully poured it into some bottles. Now I had plenty of it - extra in case Silas decided to obliviate any more of my memories in the future.


    "I suppose you want to be on your own when you drink it?"Priscilla suggested,"but I''m curious to know how it tastes."


    "I don''t mind if you stay here,"I said, taking a sip of the potion,"I can''t really describe the taste... it tastes - nostalgic. That''s the best word I can think of to describe it."


    "Like the smell,"Priscilla said.


    I drank the rest.


    Suddenly I felt strange, really strange.


    "You have memories coming back?"Priscilla asked.


    I nodded, but I suddenly started to feel extremely nauseous, and as though my head would burst. I sat down on a bench that suddenly appeared there for me. Priscilla sat down next to me and asked if I was alright. I nodded, but I probably didn''t look alright at all.


    Then I felt a surge of emotions, like tidal waves washing over me, and pulling me into a spiral of panic, shock, misery, pain, and then an incredible confusion.


    I knew things. I remembered them. I started to remember them in order.


    It was last summer, right back when I''d first started to notice I was having issues with my memory. I was in the grounds of Hogwarts, wandering over towards what I then called ''Square Walls''. I liked to go over there to study and rest in peace and quiet.


    I heard voices coming from inside; Silas'' voice, and Antonius'' voice. In this memory, I was curious, wondering why they were speaking to each other.


    "Are you sure this will work?"I heard Antonius say.


    "You should see how it''s already working, before I''ve even done anything,"Silas answered him,"Professor Livia has been doing a lot by herself, though she obviously doesn''t even realise it!"


    "I''m not sure I like it, though,"came back Antonius'' voice,"it could go wrong! Really wrong!"


    "There''s no gain without pain,"Silas answered,"surely you don''t expect it to be easy?"


    "Of course I don''t expect it to be easy, Silas,"Antonius went on.


    "Sacrifices will have to be made. Lots of them,"Silas continued,"it''s going to be a slow and painful process, but eventually it will work."


    "What do you need me to do?"Antonius asked.


    "Just keep doing what you''re already doing,"Silas said,"use your influence. If I have anything else for you to do, I will tell you. Let''s go now."


    Silas and Antonius emerged from Square Walls, as it was then. They were both horrified to see me.


    "What are you doing?"I asked them,"you''re planning something?"


    Silas drew out his wand,"obliviate!"


    In the next memory, I was walking casually outside the castle grounds, when I noticed a red fox run out of the Forbidden Forest. I stared over at it with interest. Then suddenly it transformed into a person! Silas Warren. Silas was an Animagus. He turned around and saw me. For a moment, he looked startled, then he cast,"obliviate!"


    So Oliver had told me the truth!


    Another memory. Silas and Antonius were talking in Square Walls again. This time I had been sitting up in one of the trees above the ruin, I had a book with me that I had supposed to have been studying, but instead, I had been distracted by the rustling of the leaves in the warm summer breeze, the birdsong, and the beautiful scent of the meadow flowers growing at the edge of the trees. The sudden sound of their conversation took me by surprise.


    "How can you be so sure the other Gryffindors will go along with it?"Antonius said.


    "You have too much faith in Gryffindor honour,"Silas replied,"trust me! A lot of them will go along with it. That''s something I''m already certain of."


    "What if one of them goes and decides to play hero?"Antonius suggested.


    "All they need is a ''just cause'',"Silas said,"besides, I have some other ways of keeping people in check. If we can provoke any of your people to do something ''wrong'', that will give us a justification. That''s where you come in."


    "I have to make my fellow Slytherins get themselves into trouble?"Antonius asked.


    "Yes,"Silas answered,"I''ll make sure they don''t get into trouble with the school. They''ll only be in trouble with us. If you can''t succeed in influencing any of them to do anything that would justify a trial, then you must do something yourself."


    "What happens then?"Antonius asked.


    "They will be tortured in the trial,"said Silas,"it will be best if we can get witnesses, preferably Slytherins at first, but if we can get more witnesses later on..."


    "If I have to do something myself, I will be tortured too?"Antonius asked.


    "Yes,"said Silas,"but you have to be brave about it. You have to put up good resistance. If it happens to you, I''ll make sure we have as many witnesses as possible."


    "But what if I can''t put up a good resistance?"Antonius asked,"what if I can''t deal with the pain? What if I give in?"


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    "You won''t give in,"Silas answered, sounding angry,"this cause needs a martyr, and I''ll guarantee it by having you tortured until the end anyway, whether you give in, or not. You can''t give in. It''ll make no difference."


    There was a pause.


    "I suppose I have to, then,"Antonius said, quietly.


    "Yes, you have to,"Silas said.


    I had been listening to all of this in horror. I moved suddenly in the tree and dropped my book. I quickly jumped down out of the tree, and got ready to run away. I had a feeling something bad would happen if Silas and Antonius caught me overhearing such strange and sinister-sounding plans.


    Antonius found me, he immediately alerted Silas, who obliviated me before I could escape.


    The next memory was back in the autumn. We were near the treehouse. Anita and I were showing Lotty the mysterious ruin with the dark water. Lotty noticed there appeared to be a ladder going down into the water. I cast a Revealing Spell. It looked as though the water was just an illusion.


    "I think we can go down the ladder,"Lotty suggested.


    "I don''t think we should,"I said,"it''s probably hidden for a reason."


    "Well!"Anita said, she was already going down it!


    "Anita!"I called.


    Anita disappeared below the surface of the ''water''. It didn''t look like she was going down into water, there were no ripples or splashes - it was like she was going through a projection, or walking through a ghost.


    Lotty followed Anita, and I followed them both. The ladder went quite far down. When we reached the bottom, we realised we were in some kind of potions laboratory. There were several cauldrons of different types. All around the walls, there were shelves of potion ingredients and old books. Some potions were already brewing. We found a door in the wall. Anita opened it and peeked through the doorway.


    Suddenly we heard a shout! A hand reached out and pulled Anita through the door. Lotty and I quickly followed after her.


    We were in an underground room. Silas, Kenneth, Max and Amber were in there.


    "What are you doing?"Silas yelled at us,"how did you find this place?"


    Anita was too shocked to say anything. I quickly cast a stunning spell at the Gryffindors. I was aiming for Silas, but missed and hit Max. I grabbed Anita and made a run for it!


    We got out and shut the door, but there was no way we knew of to lock it. I told Anita to go for the ladder, she went up first.


    The door opened, but Lotty shut it with a spell.


    "Go!"Lotty yelled to me.


    I went up the ladder after Anita. I looked down as I climbed up, to see if Lotty was alright. She had used her wand to move a heavy object infront of the door, and she was running for the ladder. Anita had already reached the top, and I climbed as fast as I could. I could see daylight above me, like I was looking at it through tinted, dark glass.


    Then I climbed out, and pulled Lotty out as Kenneth Brass was trying to pull her down. We fell onto the ground. Kenneth and Silas emerged from the chamber of the black water illusion. Kenneth cast spells at us as we ran. One of them hit me, slashing my arm.


    "Stop it!"Silas yelled at him.


    Silas cast a stunning spell. I looked behind, they had captured Lotty! Amber stunned Anita, and as I went to help her, I was suddenly tied up in ropes. Anita and Lotty now were too. Kenneth and Amber dragged us all together. Then Silas waved his wand in a strange motion and muttered something that sounded familiar to ''Obliviate'', but not quite the same. Whatever it was, it had worked, he made sure he was behind us, the ropes had disappeared, and Amber and Kenneth had gone back down below the water illusion, before obliviating all three of us at the same time.


    Now Lotty and I were in the tunnel. We were casting Revealing Spells on the dead end wall. Suddenly Lotty found something. The bricks of the wall in front of us began to move aside, revealing a hidden entrance. We went through into a large, underground chamber. It was furnished, there were books and lit candles. We heard voices coming from beyond a closed door. The door opened. Kenneth saw us. I was startled to see him, especially as he stunned me right away!


    He called to Silas,"they''ve found our place again!"


    Silas came out,"incarcerous!"he tied up Lotty.


    Max followed Silas,"what''s going on?"he asked.


    "They found our base again!"Kenneth said.


    "How?"Silas demanded.


    "How did they get in?"Max said,"we were in the room with the ladder!"


    "Yeah, Silas, how did they get in?"Kenneth asked,"is there another way in here?"


    "How did you get in?"Silas asked me.


    For a moment, I was too shocked to speak.


    "What do you mean?"I asked, after a pause,"you said we got in again, but we''ve never been here before."


    "How do you know about this place?"Silas went on,"and why do you keep coming here?"


    "We only just found this place now!"I said,"we found it by accident. Please, just let us go!"


    "Not until you tell me everything you know!"Silas demanded,"what do you know about us? How do you keep spying on me? Are you spying on me? How long have you been spying on me?"


    "I never spied on you!"I objected.


    "Crucio!"


    I remembered the agony, and I was glad I couldn''t feel it in my memory, but even the memory of it was bad enough!


    "Please!"Lotty pleaded,"let us go!"


    "You should let them go, Silas,"Max said,"you can obliviate them."


    "She has been spying on us!"Silas said,"I need to know!"


    "We can''t do this,"Max said,"just obliviate them and let them go!"


    "Take him away!"Silas ordered Kenneth.


    Kenneth disarmed Max, grabbed a hold of him and pushed him through the door into the potions chamber.


    Silas locked the door with magic, and turned back to me,"how long have you been spying on me?"he demanded.


    "I haven''t been spying on you!"I insisted.


    "Then how do you know so much?"he persisted,"you''re always around when I''m planning something important! You keep finding my base, and you know about that tunnel! How do you know about that tunnel? How else would you know about it unless you''ve been spying on me? You''ve been in the Forbidden Forest, haven''t you?"


    "Only by accident! I didn''t mean to!"I said.


    Silas tortured me with the Cruciatus Curse again. He suspected I knew a lot more than I did, but I didn''t know what he thought I knew, so I was unable to tell him what he wanted to hear.


    After a while, he told us he was going to leave us down there.


    "I''ll leave you down here to starve!"he said,"I''ll come back when you''ve had some time to realise!"


    We were down there for what seemed like hours and hours. We tried all kinds of spells to attempt to get out the way we had come in, or get out of the door that Silas had locked.


    Lotty was just blasting the door aggressively, after many failed attempts at unlocking it, when the door opened. Lotty''s spell hit whoever it was that was coming in the door. It was Kenneth.


    We took the opportunity instantly, jumping over him, we ran out of the door into the room beyond. Silas was just behind Kenneth, we had taken him by surprise. We ran around the room, trying to dodge the curses that Silas sent after us. Lotty overturned a cauldron near him, he quickly jumped out of the way, through the door, into the room behind. That was when Lotty spotted the ladder. We were halfway up it, when Silas and Kenneth emerged from behind the door, cautiously avoiding the potion puddle on the floor, which was hissing loudly and seemed to have melted some of the things it had spilled over. What sort of a potion was that?


    They chased us up the ladder, but we got to the top before them. As we were running through the trees, Kenneth hit me with a spell that cut into my back. The same spell that had left a wound on my arm. I fell to the ground.


    Silas grabbed me, and Kenneth grabbed Lotty. They dragged us back to the underground base. Silas sent Kenneth away, when he got us into the chamber at the end of the tunnel. He continued to demand to know everything that I knew. I ended up having to make up a story that must have been so ridiculous that Silas realised I couldn''t actually tell him what he wanted to hear.


    He took us through the fake wall, and obliviated us as he was disappearing back through the secret entrance and we were looking the opposite way.


    I realised I was gasping and shaking, Priscilla had her hand on my shoulder and was asking if I was alright.


    "I will be alright,"I said.


    "Has the potion made you unwell?"Priscilla asked.


    "No, it just restored some really horrible memories,"I said.


    "Horrible?"Priscilla asked.


    "Yes,"I answered,"that''s why they were obliviated, but I''ll be alright. I know now. A lot of things were confusing me before. A lot of things I was worried about. I''ll be alright now."


    Priscilla gave me a hug. I was surprised, Priscilla isn''t the type of person to give hugs; but obviously on this occasion, she deemed it necessary. I hugged her too.


    As we left the Room of Requirement, my mind was reeling. I was trying to process everything I now knew.


    What was Antonius'' part in all this? He was working with Silas on some plan. A plan that involved him being a martyr to a cause. What cause?


    The only cause I could think of was Pure-blood supremacy? The use of dark magic?


    I remembered what Max had said about the Muggleborn Rebellion, how it was making them ''even more unpopular ''. The main thing I couldn''t make sense of was that Silas and Antonius both seemed to be on the same page. They were planning on manipulating people into something. To what?


    Muggleborn students have been going around tormenting and harassing Purebloods, not just Slytherin Pureblood students either. I know Professor Livia''s preachy classes aren''t exactly popular with a lot of people as well, though it may seem like they are, when we have them with the Gryffindors.


    What if the plan was to make us Slytherins seem like we really were the ones being oppressed, even though Professor Livia and the Muggleborn Rebellion/APS constantly accuse us of being the oppressors? To commit terrible crimes against us that go unpunished. To have people hear of them and witness them; see that these things are being done to us and the teachers are doing nothing to stop it.


    What if the plan was to make Muggleborns extremely unpopular? Even though Purebloods are technically a minority now, so are Muggleborns. Most witches and wizards are half-blood, but we Pureblood students have all-magic families to back us up. The moment ordinary half-blood students become apathetic, is the moment Muggleborns will be in the most danger, and the most on their own.


    It was some weird mass-manipulation game - but what was this going to achieve exactly? Were Silas and Antonius hoping to turn society around completely, just by doing these things here and now at Hogwarts? It would take years for something as insidious as this to make a really significant impact.


    In the meantime, all it brought on us Slytherins and Purebloods was suffering and misery.


    Antonius called this ''war''. Maybe their aim was to start a war? Maybe they were part of a bigger plan?


    Now it made sense why Antonius refused to report any of the trials, why he was constantly wanting to know what ideas I had to stop Silas'' gang. He was spying for Silas! Making sure I didn''t do anything to disrupt their plans!


    This was a betrayal that I could have never seen coming!


    Priscilla helped me all the way back to our dormitory.

 Maxs Plan

    The next day:


    It''s no use being miserable about it. Now that I know what I know, I have to do something about it. So, I was thinking what - and how?


    One really difficult part of the problem is Antonius. If I confront him about what I know, he''ll tell Silas. Then Silas will do something about it, and whatever that will be, it will not be good if he realises he can''t keep on obliviating me...


    I can''t face Antonius though. I don''t think I can keep up a pretence that nothing has happened. I don''t want to go near him. I''ve been avoiding him all day.


    I can''t believe how stupid I''ve been. I ignored every instinct that I''ve always had about him. I just suddenly allowed myself to think everything was going to be ok - I let my guard down.


    Thinking about it, Silas'' plan with the Muggleborn Rebellion to somehow manipulate society must be working quite well if it was able to make me change my mind so suddenly about someone like Antonius, of all people!


    I was so furious at him, I didn''t know how I would be able to stand even trying to speak to him about anything now.


    I just refuse to waste more tears. I''m finished with him! I just wish I knew what to do.


    Later:


    I was sitting on a bench in the Transfiguration Courtyard, trying to hide away in a corner, away from where Antonius could bump into me and try talking to me.


    "Cathy?"


    I looked up.


    It was Max.


    "What''s the matter?"he asked.


    "Everything,"I said.


    He sat down next to me,"how can everything be the matter?"he asked.


    "I found a way to return obliviated memories,"I said,"but Silas can''t know! No one can know!"


    "You did?"Max said, raising his eyebrows,"wait - you did what?"


    "A potion,"I said,"to restore obliviated memories."


    "So now you remember everything Silas made you forget,"Max said.


    I nodded.


    "Well, there''s no use being miserable about it,"Max said,"you can''t undo what has been done."


    "It''s not that,"I said,"I discovered some things."


    "Like what?"he asked.


    "Like it''s too difficult to explain in words,"I said.


    "You can try,"Max said,"I''m listening."


    I looked at him for a moment. Was he part of this too? What if he was also one of Silas'' spies? How could I trust him? How could I trust anyone?


    Well, I''d already told him a crucial piece of information, so I might as well sink the whole damn ship.


    "What do you know about Silas?"I asked him.


    "I''ve known Silas since I first came to this school,"Max said.


    "Were you always friends?"I asked.


    "Not quite,"Max answered,"certainly not in the 1st Year. I can''t actually remember exactly when I became friends with him. I don''t even know if ''friends'' is the right word. He''s always been like an organiser. He''s the one that does things, has the ideas. Me and a lot of the others just kind of followed him around. He draws you in, tells you what you want to hear, and some things you don''t want to hear, and provides solutions for all of these problems. Not always the best solutions..."


    "He''s really popular with the Gryffindors, isn''t he?"I said.


    "Not all of us,"said Max,"some of us see him for who he really is. Your sister, Lotty, she always has. Then there are those that never joined APS. At the time, we thought they were just apathetic. Silas really did make us believe there was a rise of Pureblood-supremacist ''ideas'', and all kinds of bad things could happen if we didn''t do something about it. He''s good at that - making you feel afraid, like you need to do something, and then telling you what to do, so you feel like you''re in control."


    "Why do you think he''s doing it?"I asked.


    "I think he likes the power,"Max answered,"it makes him feel powerful and heroic. Though he always has been a bit sadistic."


    "A bit?"I said.


    "He''s gotten a lot worse lately,"Max replied.


    "Do you know anything about his family? Where he comes from?"I asked.


    "Why do you need to know that?"Max asked.


    "I feel like it''s relevant to what I now know,"I explained.


    "I don''t know anything about his family,"Max responded,"I''ve never heard him mention his parents or any relatives. He never talks about them."


    "Not even when you''re going home for the holidays, or coming back from them?"I asked.


    "No,"Max replied,"you know, I never really thought about that before."


    "Didn''t you write to him during the holidays?"I asked,"didn''t you contact him at all?"


    "No,"Max answered,"usually, he would write to us, if he needed to know something, but not the other way round. He didn''t like to be disturbed."


    "Have you ever seen Silas speaking to Antonius?"I continued.


    "I have a few times,"Max said,"but what would that have to do with anything?"


    "I don''t know if I can explain to you what I know,"I said,"but... I might be able to show you."


    "Show me?"Max asked.


    I took out a bottle of the memory potion.


    "Priscilla said that if she drank this potion, she would probably see all of my obliviated memories instead of hers, because that''s how the potion works,"I said,"so if you drink it, you''ll be able to see my obliviated memories, then you''ll understand what I know. But I''m hoping it doesn''t show you ALL my memories..."


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    "Hold on! Hold on! That does NOT sound like a good idea,"Max said,"I think my head would explode if I suddenly had an entire lifetime of someone else''s memories added to my own."


    "Yes,"I said,"that''s the only problem. It would be a lot more simple if we had a penseive."


    "A penseive? I''ve heard of them,"Max responded,"I think there''s one in the Headmistress'' Office."


    "It''s a pity there aren''t any others in the castle that we know about,"I said.


    Then I remembered the Room of Requirement! If we needed a penseive, maybe it would provide one?


    "Come with me,"I instructed Max.


    I took Max to the place near the Astronomy Tower where the door to the Room of Requirement appears. I thought about what I wanted to do, and the door appeared.


    "What is this?"Max asked,"I think I''ve heard about this!"


    "The Room of Requirement,"I explained.


    "I have heard about this!"Max said,"wasn''t it destroyed in a fire?"


    "Well, it may or may not have been,"I said,"either it wasn''t destroyed, or it has been repaired, or it repaired itself."


    We entered, and there was a penseive in the middle of the room. I noticed I was in the same room as my potions laboratory.


    "I wonder why Silas didn''t think about using this place?"Max remarked,"he''s got random secret places hidden all around the school, from what I''ve heard."


    I took out the memory from when I first overheard Antonius and Silas planning things last summer, and put it in the penseive.


    "Where did you learn how to do that?"Max asked.


    "Professor Willow taught me,"I answered.


    "What do we do now?"Max asked.


    "We dive in,"I said.


    It was weird falling into my own memory. When the memory was over, we dove into the next memory, the one in which Silas was talking to Antonius about the trials.


    Afterwards, I asked Max,"well, what did you gather from that?"


    Max was looking utterly confused.


    "Antonius is working with Silas?"he said,"I don''t understand. The trials were planned? Why would Antonius help Silas torture his fellow Slytherins and even himself?"


    "I thought he was brave at that trial,"I said,"it was his trial that made me start to like him. I always detested him before. I never trusted him. After that trial, I started to see him in a different way, but now..."


    "You know it was all staged,"Max said.


    "Not exactly staged,"I said,"he really did suffer. It just wasn''t what it seemed. It was propaganda."


    "Propaganda?"Max said, in a far off voice,"I don''t understand, propaganda for who?"


    "Pureblood-supremacists,"I said,"and people like the followers of Grindlewold and Voldemort - those kinds of people."


    "Are you trying to tell me that Silas may be one of the very same people he claims to be against?"Max asked.


    I nodded.


    "How?"said Max, sitting down, he looked like he was thinking hard,"what purpose is this serving? He can''t do much with this?"


    "That''s what I thought,"I said,"and it''s what I''m worried about. I''m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg."


    "Silas is in Gryffindor,"Max said, suddenly.


    "I''ve been wondering about that too,"I responded,"did you know you can choose a different house while being sorted, if you disagree with the Sorting Hat?"


    "I had heard that,"Max said,"not that it would have made much difference to me. I didn''t really know anything about Hogwarts houses and all that, when I first came here."


    "I remember thinking that if there was a student with the potential to be a really dark wizard, someone with loads of evil plans; they would ask to be sorted into a different house, so they wouldn''t be suspected,"I said.


    "A different house?"Max said,"oh - you''re thinking about your House!"


    "Uh - yes - I suppose I must have been,"I said,"I forgot you were a Gryffindor for a moment."


    "Should I be worried?"Max said, with a brief laugh.


    "But as a 1st Year?"I said,"he would have had to have had plans from the very beginning! It wasn''t until I was the age that I am now, that I even considered that idea!"


    "We don''t even know what''s going on,"Max said,"not really."


    "I know,"I replied,"as it is, I don''t know what to do. I have to keep up a pretence like I still like Antonius, and I don''t know HOW I''m going to be able to do that!"


    "Cathy - there was something I couldn''t help noticing in your memories of Silas and Antonius planning,"Max said.


    "What was that?"I asked.


    "He seemed to doubt Silas a lot, and we all know Silas is very capable,"Max explained,"I spoke like that with Silas sometimes. When I didn''t agree with him, when I thought he was going too far. This just tells me that Antonius is another underling, just like I was. Silas has recruited him to his cause - just like he recruited me - and - don''t look at me like that, Cathy, I went to apologise to Antonius not long after his trial. He was alright about it, and he even shook my hand. He seemed concerned for my safety too."


    "What are you trying to say?"I asked.


    "I''m just saying this, because I used to be one of Silas'' minions too,"Max said,"but I realised that what we were doing was wrong, and I stopped being a part of it. Antonius could do the same."


    "He hasn''t though,"I said,"he''s still working for Silas! Still spying for him! If he was polite with you when you apologised to him, that doesn''t mean he accepts your inclusion in our society. He even acts polite and respectful with Professor Livia, though he secretly detests her. That''s just the way he is. You can''t trust him."


    "Well, I have an idea,"said Max.


    "What idea is that?"I asked.


    "It might be a bad one,"Max said,"and when I say bad, I don''t mean stupid, I mean - bad."


    "What?"I persisted.


    "Well, do you know how to obliviate memories?"Max asked.


    "No,"I answered,"do you?"


    "I''ve seen Silas do it more than once,"Max said,"and I think I could learn how."


    "What is your idea?"I asked.


    "You get Antonius. Interrogate him. Then obliviate him,"Max said.


    "Interrogate him?"I said,"he won''t tell me anything."


    "He might tell you,"said Max.


    "Trust me, he won''t!"I said.


    "Well, there are other ways of getting him to talk,"Max suggested, grimly.


    I looked at Max horrified.


    "Oh no, I don''t mean hurt him!"Max said,"I was thinking of something else. Verita Serum, they call it."


    "I don''t know where I''d be able to get it,"I said.


    "I might know,"Max said,"if I am able to get some, I''ll let you know,"then he added,"or do you have any other ideas?"


    I shook my head.


    Later:


    I got some food for Oliver. I haven''t drank any of the snake potion for about two days now, but I was still able to speak to him. I wonder how long it lasts?


    As I was walking away from the hilltop woodland, I saw Antonius coming up towards me. I stopped in my tracks.


    "I wondered if I''d find you here,"he said.


    I didn''t say anything. I didn''t want to look at him, I didn''t want to hear him, I didn''t want to be near him.


    "What''s the matter with you today, Catherine?"he said,"you haven''t been acting yourself. Has something happened?"


    "I need to be alone,"I said.


    "If something happened, you can tell me,"Antonius said.


    "No, I can''t,"I said, quickly walking past him.


    "Has Silas done anything to you?"Antonius asked,"anything else?"


    "No,"I said, walking on.


    Antonius was running after me.


    "Then who?"he asked.


    I didn''t have the energy to answer.


    "Did your snake tell you something?"Antonius suddenly said,"have you been using it to spy on Silas?"


    "Why are you so concerned?"I asked.


    "He hasn''t been spying on me too, has he?"Antonius asked, his tone changing, worryingly.


    "No, Antonius, he hasn''t been spying on you,"I said.


    I remembered Max''s plan with the Verita Serum. I also realised how dangerous things could become if Antonius realised what I now knew.


    I don''t know enough to know what to do, and I already know too much.


    "What''s made you so upset?"Antonius persisted.


    "I want to be alone!"I insisted,"leave me alone!"


    "I just want to help you,"Antonius went on.


    "I''m sure you''re not being honest with me,"I said, starting to get really annoyed,"you''re hiding something!"


    "Why? Did Oliver tell you that?"Antonius asked.


    "No,"I said,"but the fact you''re so worried about Oliver proves my point. You have something to hide."


    Antonius stopped, he looked lost, and I saw that deeply sad look in his eyes that I''d seen once before. I remembered how he''d reacted when he''d seen the scar on my back; how he had gone outside and argued with Silas. Maybe he did care about me? Maybe it wasn''t all deceit and spying.


    "Maybe I do have secrets, Catherine,"Antonius said,"I''m sure you do too."


    There was a silence for a few moments.


    "You know my parents are in Azkaban,"Antonius said,"I can''t stop thinking about them. I just wish I could get them out of there."


    "I understand that,"I said.


    "I don''t even know what I''m going to do when the summer holidays begin,"Antonius went on, in a shaky voice.


    "You''ll be alone?"I asked.


    Antonius nodded.


    Even though I was angry at him, even though I was heart-broken, I couldn''t help but feel sorry for him.


    It seemed like he wanted me to comfort him. Reluctantly, I put my arms around him. He hugged me tightly, like he never wanted to let go. I remembered how he had held onto me when he had been tortured in the trial. He hadn''t really been as brave as I thought. He hadn''t had a choice. It was all a show for propaganda, though he had the worst of it. Obviously Silas was using him, even if they both had shared goals. Even though they were working together, he was the one suffering. Though, of course, that was his own stupid fault. None of this excused what he was doing.


    This whole situation is extremely complicated. I decided Max''s plan with the Verita Serum was the only one that would move us forward.

 The Story of Silas Warren

    A few days later:


    With Lotty''s help, I found Max. I needed to speak to him again.


    "How''s it going?"he asked,"have you thought about that plan?"


    "I have thought about it,"I said.


    The next thing I knew, I was standing in a different place, feeling slightly confused.


    "Did it work?"Max said to me.


    "Did what work?"I asked.


    "I''ll take that as a yes,"Max said.


    I looked at him, completely bewildered.


    "I obliviated you,"he explained,"about two minutes of our conversation."


    "Oh,"I said, realising,"you can do it?"


    "Yes, and I can show you how to do it too,"Max said,"you can try it on me."


    "But what if I accidentally obliviate too much of your memory?"I asked,"there must be a way to control it?"


    "There is,"said Max,"you think hard, and concentrate. You have to think about exactly what it is that you want me to forget. I''ll make it easy for you."


    He started dancing around and making stupid faces. Then he tried standing on his hands, fell over and said,"wave your wand, think about what I was doing just now, and say ''Obliviate'' and while you do so, think about making me forget THAT."


    Nervously, I waved my wand,"Obliviate!"


    Max sat on the floor.


    "What do you remember?"I asked him, hoping I hadn''t done something wrong.


    "Did you just obliviate me?"Max asked.


    I nodded.


    "I remember obliviating you,"he said.


    "Where''s as far as you remember?"I asked.


    "I remember saying I''d make it easy for you,"Max said,"I think I can guess what I did next, because I was going to get you to obliviate that."


    "You danced around and tried to stand on your hands,"I said, laughing.


    "Right,"Max said,"I thought as much."


    "I hope I haven''t accidentally obliviated anything else?"I said.


    "Well, if you did, I won''t remember what,"Max responded,"I''m pretty sure you haven''t, though. Don''t worry so much. If you accidentally obliviate more of Antonius'' memory than you intend, at least you know how to brew the Undo Potion."


    "I suppose,"I said, slowly.


    "There''s something else,"Max said,"that fortunately you didn''t accidentally obliviate from my memories."


    He handed me a glass vial with a clear-coloured liquid inside.


    "Is this Veritaserum?"I asked.


    "Yes,"he answered.


    "Where did you get this?"I asked him.


    "Silas tried getting it, after you refused to tell him anything, when he found you in his base,"Max explained.


    "I refused to tell him anything, because I didn''t know anything,"I said.


    "Well, anyway,"Max said,"he tried getting it. Got me to get it actually. Just after I managed to get some, Antonius'' trial happened. I still had it, anyway, and here is some of it. This should be enough to get Antonius to tell you everything he knows."


    I took it from him and looked at it curiously.


    "If you do manage to get him to take it,"he went on,"he''ll know what you''ve done, but he won''t be able to stop himself from telling the truth. This means he could try to escape, so you''ll have to tie him down somehow."


    "Just when I thought this was all starting to work out,"I grumbled.


    "Yes, you''re just going to have to find some way to do that,"said Max,"I''m sure you''ll think of something. You are a Slytherin, after all."


    "Max!"I objected.


    "It''s probably better to get it over with as soon as possible,"Max went on.


    "Alright,"I said.


    I was thinking through what I was supposed to do, and I realised I had to put it into steps.


    Step 1 - get Antonius alone. This should be easy. Step 2 - Somehow get him to take Veritaserum and make sure he can''t escape. Step 3 - Get him to tell me what he knows about Silas'' plans. Step 4 - Obliviate him.


    I realised that, after all that, before I obliviate him, I have to make sure the scene looks innocent enough for him not to suspect he has just been obliviated.


    Just thinking about it was giving me a headache.


    "It''s probably easier to do, than think about,"I was thinking.


    Later:


    So this is what happened. I was thinking I had to find a place to do it. Then I remembered the Room of Requirement. Now I had this final part of the puzzle, I summoned Antonius. I was already waiting outside the wall where the door appears.


    "What do you want?"Antonius asked.


    "There''s something I want to show you,"I said,"I found out about it recently."


    Suddenly a door appeared in the wall. I couldn''t help feeling full of dread for what I was about to do.


    "The Room of Requirement,"I said.


    "I know about this already,"Antonius said.


    "You do?"I said,"why didn''t you tell me?"


    "It was years ago that I last used it,"Antonius said,"I used it to hide from people, when I was in the 1st Year."


    "Oh,"I said.


    "Not exactly happy memories,"he went on.


    "You were bullied a lot in the 1st Year?"I asked.


    Antonius nodded.


    I wasn''t sure what to expect when we went in, but I knew the room would provide what I needed. The question was - would it also provide what Antonius needed? What if it provided a way for me to succeed in my plan, but also provided Antonius a way to escape?


    It was my potions laboratory. The penseive was in there too, and the bench I''d suddenly sat on when I''d started to remember my lost memories, but there was nothing new.


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    "Is this where you''ve been practicing potion-brewing with Priscilla?"Antonius asked, picking up a Jobberknoll feather.


    Then he looked over at the penseive.


    I just stood there, wondering how I was going to do any of it.


    Antonius picked up a book. I noticed it was a book on memory potions.


    He turned around and looked at me. He must have read something in the expression on my face, for he suddenly looked worried.


    "Catherine,"he said, slowly,"you brewed a memory potion in here?"


    "I did,"I said.


    "You found out something,"Antonius went on,"you remembered something."


    "I did,"I replied.


    "So, then you know,"Antonius said, quietly,"you remember."


    "I know you''re working with Silas,"I said, taking out the vial of Veritaserum.


    Antonius sat down on the bench.


    "I know the trials were planned on purpose to be used as propaganda,"I continued,"I know the true purpose of the Muggleborn Rebellion, but I need to know exactly what it is that Silas is planning. Do you know what this is?"


    "I know what it is,"Antonius answered,"I suppose you want me to drink it?"


    "I do,"I said.


    He took it from me. I made sure he drank it. Suddenly I felt as though a huge weight was off my mind.


    "I don''t know everything Silas is planning,"Antonius said,"I only know part of it."


    "Tell me all of the parts that you do know,"I said,"when did you first meet Silas? Tell me everything that you know about him."


    "In the First Year,"Antonius answered,"it was when I was being bullied. Kenneth Brass, he wasn''t so good at magic back then, he used to like resorting to brute force. He had me pinned on the ground, and he was punching me in the face. I didn''t think there''d be anything left of me by the time he''d finished. Silas dragged him off me. When Kenneth and his friends were gone, Silas helped fix my injuries. He comforted me, and he told me,''oppression makes us stronger. It makes us try harder, it makes us tougher, it teaches us how to hide, how to fight.'' He said his father told him that, before he was killed by Aurors. His mother was murdered by a group of muggles when he was eight. He saw it happen. His father killed them in revenge. That was when the Aurors began hunting him down. Silas had to live a fugitive life with his father, until the day the Aurors finally caught up with them. There was a fight, and his father was killed in front of him, just as his mother had been. The Ministry didn''t even care! He was adopted by a couple that were determined to educate the ''darkness'' out of him. They used all kinds of physcological torture. But he knew things, powerful magic that his father had taught him. He soon found a way to control them, to stop them from hurting him. That was before he even came to Hogwarts. His mother had been a Hufflepuff, his father a Slytherin. His adoptive parents were both Gryffindor - they were constantly telling him he should get into any house but Slytherin. At first, he hated that. He hoped he would be in Slytherin like his father was, but he remembered some lessons his father had taught him. Lessons about staying secret, about hiding in plain sight. He decided, before he even got to Hogwarts, that he was going to be sorted into Gryffindor."


    It was as I had started to suspect.


    Antonius went on,"he told me that we were his true people. He told me that he was a friend to all the oppressed and unheard. He said he was going to change society when he grew up. He was going to fix things. He said he needed my help, and the help of others, but that we had to be careful and remain hidden at all times. Hidden allies."


    "Did he tell you how he planned on changing society?"I asked.


    "No,"Antonius answered,"he just told me to listen to him when the time came. He would tell me to do things at certain times. For a long time, it was just little things. Getting things for him, telling him what the attitudes were of people in Slytherin House. How many would be true to him, if they knew who he really was. How many I could convince to join our side. Mostly it was information; but last summer, he told me things had to accelerate. He believed the season was ripe. That was when he properly formed the Muggleborn Rebellion, and planned the trials. He said our oppression had to be brought out into the open; and what would happen in the trials would just be the physical embodiment of what was already happening to us. Because of people like Professor Livia, because of the way society is. The way terrible things can happen to us, and they will just ignore it. Like they ignored the murder of his mother, like they killed his father. Like they gave him away to be adopted by ''parents'' that refused to accept him for who he was, and tried to force him to change."


    I listened to all this feeling awful. I could never have guessed Silas had such a horrible, tragic childhood. I had always thought he was spoiled and privileged, and didn''t understand how difficult it was for people who had life harder than he did, but I was wrong.


    "He made me bring out Dominic''s anger,"Antonius continued,"it wasn''t difficult. I had to encourage him to do something that would get him into trouble with APS, and it worked."


    "That was a horrible thing to do,"I said.


    "It was,"Antonius agreed, he went on,"I hated having to do it, but it was necessary. Dominic came straight to me after his trial. He told me what happened. I told him not to report it. I told him this was war - our own war to fight. I told him the teachers wouldn''t help us, even if we did report it. I knew I would be put on trial too. Silas warned me before it happened, and he reminded me what I had to do. It was difficult, extremely difficult. The pain was so extreme that I wanted to die. I wanted to give in, so badly; but Silas had told me he would torture me for even longer if I gave in. He told me I could not give in at any point, but I was worried that he wasn''t going to stop. I was terrified I was suffering a fate worse than death. I was afraid Silas was going to have me tortured to death and make a real martyr out of me."


    I sat down next to Antonius.


    "Then Max Castellanos made them stop, and I had not expected that,"he said,"I didn''t even know what happened at the end of the trial. I was feeling so ill, I was in so much pain. All I knew, when you took me down from the stake, was that it was finally over. I found out afterwards, that it was Max who stopped it. He apologised to me, even though he was the one that stopped it. It was like when Silas had comforted me after I was beaten up by Kenneth Brass all those years ago; but this time it seemed more pure, more authentic. Max didn''t try to get me to do anything for him, or join any ''cause''. He was genuinely sorry for the part he''d played. I started to doubt things. At the May Festival, I saw the scar on your back, and when you told me about your memory problems, I realised instantly that it must have been Silas, and I was suddenly so angry at him! We had a big argument that night. I started to feel like I needed independent strength. I needed a break from Silas and his plans. Maybe there was a different way for things to improve, a way in which we may not need a war, maybe just - something else. Maybe there was a way to get my parents out of prison too. But Silas wasn''t just going to sit back and leave me be. After he lost Max, he lost some other members of the Muggleborn Rebellion. Most of them Hufflepuffs, who are supposed to be loyal to the end. Well, they weren''t to him. At first, I didn''t understand why he was so angry with Max, considering what Max had done for us, because he cared! Silas was so angry before, because it seemed like no one cared when horrible things happened to his family. That everyone was evil and only cared about themselves and looking good in the eyes of society. But Silas was angry now because Max''s actions were disrupting his plans. Then I realised Silas doesn''t just want to change society, he wants revenge. Revenge for everything that has happened to him, and he wants to take it out on all the people he blames; Muggles and Muggleborns, the Ministry of Magic..."


    "So, you started to disagree with him?"I asked.


    "Yes,"Antonius answered,"but when I started to argue with him, he threatened you. He reminded me that sacrifices have to be made, and that he is prepared to do anything to achieve the end goal. He told me if I wasn''t with him, then I was against him, and he knew exactly how to deal with traitors. I had no choice. I''d gone too far. I still respect him, but I don''t agree with him any more. He is really powerful. I know he goes into the Forbidden Forest all the time. He knows all kinds of magic, and he''s a master of the Dark Arts. He told me he discovered a ritual that will grant him immense power."


    "What ritual?"I asked.


    "He said it had to be done at midsummer,"Antonius explained,"he said that this year was the right year, and the only year he would be able to do it."


    "Do you know what the ritual involves?"I asked.


    "He didn''t tell me what the ritual required,"Antonius said,"but he did say that he would need my help at the time, and I had to promise to be there and do whatever he told me. He said if I helped him with that, he would let me be free to do whatever I wanted in peace, if I decided I didn''t want to be a part of the action anymore. He also told me to make sure I kept an eye on you until he had done it. He said afterwards it wouldn''t matter, he would be able to handle things on his own. But from here until then, it is crucial."


    "So, you have been spying on me for Silas,"I said.


    "I have, but there was a lot I didn''t tell him,"Antonius said,"he wanted me to tell him everything, but I didn''t tell him you could speak Parceltongue."


    "All those times you were following me around, asking me questions?"I asked.


    "I was worried about you after Silas threatened you,"Antonius went on,"I was trying to keep an eye on you, mostly for my own reassurance. I was going to stop you going after Silas. He''s too dangerous."


    "Did he say where he was planning on carrying out the ritual?"I asked.


    "In the Forbidden Forest,"Antonius said,"I think he has a tunnel that leads there."


    I wondered if that''s where the tunnel leads in the other direction. But he also has a Basilisk. What if the Basilisk lived in that tunnel?


    "Is there anything else you can tell me?"I asked.


    "That is all I know,"Antonius said, then he added,"what were you planning on doing after I had told you everything? If I had not taken the Veritaserum willingly?"


    "I was going to obliviate you,"I said.


    "Then, Catherine, can you obliviate me?"Antonius asked.


    "Why?"I asked.


    "Because everything is too complicated now,"he responded,"Midsummer is less than two weeks away. Silas said he would leave me alone after that. It''s better that I don''t know. It''s hard enough keeping back from him the things I already knew. Please, Catherine, keep out of danger, but I can''t know this! Silas will be able to get the information out of me, if he suspects I am holding things back. It will be more simple if you just obliviate me. Take me out of this room to do it, then I won''t have seen the Jobberknoll feather and the penseive, and the memory potion books - they''re what made me realise you knew. Take me outside of the room, and then ask me to think of my version of it."


    "Alright,"I agreed, I hadn''t expected things to go this way; Antonius willingly taking the Veritaserum and asking me to obliviate him.

 Noon Sun Shall Grant...

    The next day:


    "So did you manage to do it? Did it work?"Max asked.


    "I did,"I said,"he took it willingly."


    "He did?"Max said, raising his eyebrows,"what did he tell you?"


    I told him everything I''d found out from Antonius.


    "Well, at least now you know what part he has to play in this whole business,"Max said,"but I don''t like the sound of this ritual. Do you know what it involves?"


    "No, but I know when it''s going to happen, and I have an idea where,"I replied.


    "Where?"Max asked.


    "You know the tunnel Lotty and I found?"I said,"in that tunnel, where it goes under the Forbidden Forest, I think it must lead to the place where Silas is planning on doing the ritual."


    "So, we''ve got about a week,"Max said,"do you have any idea what you''re going to do?"


    "Well, I''m planning on finding out more about the ritual,"I said,"I know that''s the next stage of his plan."


    "Do you know if he plans to do any more trials?"Max asked.


    "I didn''t ask Antonius about that,"I said,"but I get the idea that, unless he''s given justification, he won''t. Antonius said he hadn''t accounted for the possibility of losing followers of the Muggleborn Rebellion in the way that he did, and when he lost you in the way that he did, it damaged his propaganda message. When he tried putting you on trial, he made sure that there were no Slytherin witnesses. I know the reason that he put you on trial was to teach a lesson to the Gryffindors. When he starts losing his grip, he uses fear to control people."


    "Yeah, that does sound like him,"Max agreed.


    "One thing I know is, whatever we do, we have to be really careful,"I said,"there''s another thing I haven''t told you. I don''t even know if anyone else knows this about Silas, but he has a Basilisk."


    "He has a WHAT?"Max asked.


    "A Basilisk,"I went on.


    "Don''t you have to be a Parceltongue-speaker to control one of them?"Max asked.


    "You do,"I said,"and he is."


    "Do you think he could be secretly related to Voldemort?"Max asked.


    "No,"I answered.


    "How on earth did you find that out?"Max went on,"he must be the one that spoke Parceltongue in Defence Against the Dark Arts."


    "I discovered there is actually a way to learn how to speak Parceltongue,"I said.


    "WHAT!?"Max said.


    "That''s how I found out about Silas'' Basilisk,"I said.


    "Wait - so you''re telling me you can speak Parceltongue too?"Max said.


    "Not exactly,"I said,"not properly. I started the method for learning it, but I haven''t yet completed it. In order to complete it, I have to win over the allegiance of Silas'' Basilisk, and I don''t think I''m going to be able to do that."


    "This is just getting more and more weird,"Max said.


    "I won''t be surprised if the Basilisk is in the tunnel, or at least goes there sometimes,"I said,"I don''t know for certain, but I have an idea there could be things in that tunnel that are really dangerous. If we decide to see where it goes, we have to be extremely careful.


    A few days later:


    Max and I decided we needed to check out that tunnel. We went in the evening. I met Max near the treehouse. I''d brought Oliver with me. I also had some spare vials of snake potion in case of emergency. I''m not sure if they will still work after the effects have worn off. So I knew I had to explore that tunnel while I still had the ability to speak Parceltongue (I could still speak to Oliver). That way, I was sure I''d be able to tell if a Basilisk was hiding down there.


    Max looked at Oliver in surprise.


    "This is Oliver,"I introduced him,"he''s harmless, don''t worry about him. I''m bringing him with us to be a lookout."


    Max looked at me with horror when I spoke to Oliver.


    "I thought you said you didn''t speak Parceltongue,"he said.


    "I don''t - properly,"I said,"I can only do it temporarily. I won''t be able to do it at all when it wears off. That''s why it''s so important to explore this tunnel as soon as possible."


    "So, you''ll know if there''s a Basilisk down there?"Max said,"for all I know, you could be getting me to go down there with you, just so you can win it''s allegiance."


    "That''s not the reason for this, Max,"I said,"but it''s up to you."


    "Obviously I''m going with you,"Max responded,"it''s too late to back out now."


    We went into the Forbidden Forest. The hole that Lotty had fallen down was still there.


    "Silas must be getting careless,"I observed.


    "What is that smell?"Max asked.


    "A Bundimun lives down here,"I explained.


    "A what?"Max asked.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "A Bundimun,"I repeated,"it''s a creature that eats wood, and things."


    "Ah,"Max said.


    We climbed down into the tunnel.


    "So which way should we go?"Max asked.


    "This way,"I indicated, pointing,"the other way leads to Silas'' base. I certainly don''t want to go back there!"


    "I remember Silas'' base, but I never remember being in this tunnel,"Max said.


    We explored down the tunnel. It seemed to go a really long way. Oliver scouted ahead a lot of the time.


    "Will you be able to tell if there''s a Basilisk in here?"I asked Oliver.


    "There can''t be one anywhere close,"Oliver said,"look - cobwebs."


    Sure enough, there were cobwebs all over the place. I saw some spiders too.


    "They wouldn''t be in this tunnel if a Basilisk was in here,"Oliver said,"not if a Basilisk is in any part of it."


    I remembered stories of there being giant spiders in the Forbidden Forest.


    "I hope there aren''t any really big spiders down here,"I said.


    "It''s really creeping me out whenever you talk to that snake,"Max said,"every time I hear that horrible whispery noise, I imagine a Basilisk is going to suddenly appear and bite my head off."


    "Well, if a Basilisk did suddenly appear, you wouldn''t have to worry about it biting your head off,"I said.


    "And why is that?"Max asked.


    "Because you''d already be dead,"I said.


    We kept on going... we''d been down there for almost two hours, when my wand started flashing yellow.


    Antonius was calling me, but he couldn''t find me down here! I couldn''t allow that!


    "Veniam Ad Vos,"I called.


    I let him know I''d go to him.


    "Antonius is calling me,"I explained to Max.


    "You have a way of calling each other?"Max said.


    "Yes,"I answered.


    "In the Muggle World, we have something a bit better,"Max remarked,"we have phones."


    I wasn''t really in the mood for discussing with Max the differences between the magical and muggle world.


    "We have to get back,"I said.


    "We can apparate,"Max said.


    "You can apparate?"I asked, surprised.


    "Yeah, I turned 17 in the autumn,"Max explained,"started Apparition Lessons in January. I''ve gotten fairly good at it, I''d say. I should be able to apparate us both out of here. I''ll take us to where that hole is, at the start of the tunnel."


    "We can''t apparate into the Forbidden Forest,"I said,"but we could apparate into the little woods outside it."


    So that was what we did.


    "I''d rather you weren''t seen with me,"I said to Max on the way back.


    "Understood,"Max replied.


    I went to Antonius. He was in the common room.


    "Where were you?"he asked,"I haven''t seen you all evening, and I was starting to get worried."


    "I was busy,"I said,"I had things to do."


    Jared approached us,"Cathy, Lotty wants to speak to you. She''s outside the common room."


    I went to speak to Lotty.


    "Have you seen Anita?"she asked.


    "No,"I said.


    "Well, she asked me to tell you that Hoppy told her that the golden ball has been making a humming sound,"Lotty said,"we''re going to meet at noon on either Saturday or Sunday, so make sure you''re ready to be free at noon, all of this weekend."


    "Alright,"I said, wondering why Anita had got Lotty to tell me, and wondering where Anita was.


    When I returned to the common room, I noticed a bunch of students crowded around a table, looking at something.


    It was Oliver. In my haste to get to Antonius, I had accidentally brought him with me to the common room.


    "Where did it come from?"they were saying.


    "Help!"Oliver said.


    I couldn''t say anything to reassure Oliver, because then everyone would hear me speaking Parceltongue.


    "He''s mine,"I said, going up to Oliver and scooping him up.


    I noticed Antonius looking at Oliver, and I didn''t like the way he was looking at him. I know Antonius thinks Oliver is my primary source of information on Silas, and he''s worried that Oliver will reveal his own secrets (that I already know).


    "You have a pet snake?"a 3rd Year was saying,"that''s so cool!"


    "I wish I had a pet snake!"


    "I didn''t know we could have pet snakes!"


    "I need to take him to his home now,"I said,"before it gets too late."


    "I''ll go with you,"Antonius said.


    I let him follow me outside.


    "I know you''re worried about Oliver,"I said.


    Antonius didn''t say anything.


    "I promise I won''t use him to spy on you,"I continued.


    "I don''t understand,"Antonius said,"I know you''ve been so - suspicious, of me."


    "I know you have secrets,"I said,"I accept that. I trust you anyway."


    "I don''t understand,"Antonius said,"how can you trust me if you know I have secrets I can''t share with you?"


    "Because I have secrets too,"I said,"secrets I can''t share with you."


    Antonius looked worried, then he said,"you''re not secretly working for Silas, are you?"


    "That''s a strange thing for you to say,"I said.


    "Are you?"Antonius persisted.


    "No,"I answered.


    "You seem to know a lot about him,"Antonius went on.


    There was a silent pause. We reached the hilltop woodland. I let Oliver go.


    "If anything happens to Oliver!"I gave Antonius a warning look.


    "I promise I won''t do anything to Oliver,"Antonius said, then he added,"Catherine?"


    "What?"I asked.


    "What would you do if you thought I had...?"


    "If you had what?"I asked.


    He seemed to change his mind,"it''s nothing,"he said,"let''s go back."


    The weekend:


    At 11:30 am, Anita summoned me. I found her in a quiet part of the castle grounds, near a fountain.


    She was with Jeffrey, Emily, Hoppy and Jared (who was summoning Ed). There was a strange, melodic humming sound. Lotty joined us a few minutes later.


    "Where is Ed?"Anita asked,"he''s going to be late!"


    "He''s always late,"Jared reminded us.


    While we were waiting for Ed, Anita introduced us to her friends. Then Ed arrived at 5 minutes to 12.


    As the time grew closer to noon, Anita held up the golden ball.


    "Do you really think it''s a great idea to hold it?"I suggested,"we don''t know what will happen."


    "Hoppy will hold it for you, My Lady!"Hoppy eagerly offered.


    "No, I''m sure it will be fine,"Anita insisted.


    Suddenly there was a loud, musical sound; and the ball began glowing with golden light. It opened up, spat out a piece of parchment, then closed and stopped glowing.


    I picked up the parchment. Everyone crowded around, trying to see what was on it.


    I read it out,"I answer questions and find things."


    Anita looked at the ball,"how do you answer questions?"she asked.


    The ball began glowing golden again, opened and spat out another piece of parchment,"this is how,"the parchment read.


    "How do you find things?"Anita asked.


    The next parchment read,"roll me on the ground."


    Anita rolled the ball on the ground. It made a strange humming sound and began rolling around and around the fountain. Anita picked up the ball and dropped it into the basin of the fountain. It rolled to a certain spot and remained there. Anita scooped the ball out of the water.


    Stuck to it, like a magnet, was a silver key. We took it in turns examining it.


    "Do you know the answers to every question?"Emily asked.


    The ball answered with another parchment fragment,"unfortunately not."


    "There was me thinking I could use it to cheat on tests,"Anita said, then she quickly added,"only joking!"


    "Ask it what the key is for?"Jeffrey said.


    Before Anita asked, the ball answered,"the key unlocks a door in Hogwarts school that has been locked for more than a hundred years."


    "Do you know where the door is?"Anita asked.


    "Unfortunately not,"was the answer.


    "This is amazing!"Jeffrey said,"we could find so many lost treasures!"


    "Yeah, we could be the treasure hunters and find all the secrets of Hogwarts,"Emily said.


    "I''ve got an idea,"Anita said,"every one can take it in turns asking it one question."


    The ball spat out another parchment,"I only answer five questions in a day."


    We had already asked it five questions.


    We talked about it for a while. We all took it in turns rolling it around in random places to see if it would find things.


    It found some coins people had dropped; a random unknown potion, that for some reason, someone had hidden in a bush, and a necklace in a flowerbed.


    We decided Anita should be the keeper of the ball, because she was the one that originally found it.


    "If any of you needs to borrow it, you can ask me,"Anita said,"you too, Hoppy."


    Hoppy began hopping around,"thank you ever so much, My Lady!"he said, in an excited squeaky voice.


    "Is that why he''s called Hoppy?"I asked, laughing.


    "Maybe!"Anita said, grinning,"though that''s the first time I''ve seen him do that."


    Hoppy had hopped over to the fountain, hopped in it and was splashing around in the water.

 Where The Tunnel Leads

    Later:


    Max and I went back to the tunnel under the Forbidden Forest. Even though we knew it was free of the Basilisk, we realised we still had to be careful in case there were other dangerous creatures lurking in there. I brought Oliver again, just in case.


    I pointed out the spiders and cobwebs to Max. Also Oliver is good at detecting creatures, I felt a lot safer having him with us.


    After a while, we saw what looked like it must be daylight, but it wasn''t a destination. There was a small hole in the roof. It was a dull sort of daylight, the sun was filtering down through the trees.


    Then I noticed a snake on the ground. Not Oliver, a different one. I tried speaking to it, nothing happened.


    "What are you doing?"Max asked, then he saw the snake,"oh!"


    "It''s happened,"I thought,"I''ve lost the ability to speak Parceltongue."


    "Let me talk to her,"Oliver suddenly said.


    I could understand Oliver just then?


    "Is she ignoring me?"I asked Oliver.


    "No,"Oliver replied,"just - you can''t speak to her."


    Oliver went to the snake. I couldn''t hear what he was saying to her. It just looked like two snakes looking at each other, their forked tongues flickering in and out.


    "Well?"I inquired, as Oliver returned to me.


    "She said she doesn''t think there are any dangerous creatures in this tunnel,"Oliver said,"you really couldn''t hear me talking to her?"


    "No,"I said.


    "Then it seems you can only speak to me,"said Oliver.


    "So I can''t speak Parceltongue any more, but I can still speak to you?"I said.


    "So it would seem,"answered Oliver,"I asked her why she was ignoring you, and she said she didn''t know you were talking to her. She didn''t understand you."


    I closed my eyes and imagined I was talking to a snake, like that time in DADA, I tried speaking Parceltongue.


    "What are you doing?"Max asked.


    "Did you hear me?"I asked.


    "Yes,"Max said.


    "No,"Oliver answered when I asked him.


    That settled it. I''d lost the ability to speak Parceltongue. I decided, from now on, I would keep the snake potion on me at all times, just in case. Though, even then, I wasn''t sure whether or not it would restore my ability to speak it.


    "Max,"I said,"I can''t speak Parceltongue any more, I can only speak to Oliver."


    "Is that bad?"Max asked.


    "Well, I had been hoping my ability to speak Parceltongue would give us an advantage if we came across a Basilisk,"I said.


    "Right,"Max answered, sounding nervous.


    "But we have Oliver,"I went on.


    "At least you have an ambassador, then,"Max said.


    We continued on down the tunnel.


    "I wonder if this means I''ll always be able to speak to you?"I said to Oliver.


    "Maybe it does,"Oliver said.


    We had been walking for two hours and a half when we finally reached the end of the tunnel. I sent Oliver to scout ahead before we went out there. He came back to me.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    "I think,"he said,"there might be something out there somewhere."


    "Something?"I asked,"what?"


    "Somewhere near,"Oliver said,"not outside. Under the ground. There are a lot of caves."


    "When you say ''something'', do you mean the Basilisk?"I asked.


    "Yes,"Oliver answered,"I can feel the vibrations of it moving under the ground."


    This didn''t sound good.


    "Do you think it''ll be safe for us to go outside?"I asked Oliver.


    "Maybe,"Oliver said,"I''ll let you know if the Serpent King is getting closer."


    We cautiously ventured outside. We were in a clearing of the forest. There were standing stones with the enchanted rune markings on them. The markings were numbers. They seemed to be telling times and dates. Behind them loomed several cave openings.


    "The Basilisk is in one of those caves! Be careful!"Oliver warned.


    "Don''t look at the caves,"I advised Max.


    "Do you think the Basilisk could be in one?"he asked.


    "Oliver told me it is,"I said.


    I needed to be sure those runes were the enchanted ones, so I showed them to Max.


    "Runes? I don''t see any runes,"he said.


    That confirmed it.


    "We need to go,"Oliver said,"I can hear the King Serpent. He has sensed your presence!"


    I quickly dragged Max into the tunnel.


    "We need to get out of here!"I told him.


    "You might need to go fast!"Oliver urged.


    "Do you think he''ll chase us down here?"I asked Oliver, as we ran.


    "If the opening is big enough for him to get through, he could,"Oliver replied.


    "I wish you''d tell me what''s going on!"Max said.


    "The Basilisk is coming after us,"I said.


    "Let''s apparate,"Max suggested, quickly.


    In the rush, I had completely forgotten about apparating. I had Oliver safely draped over my shoulder, under my cloak. I grabbed Max''s arm and he apparated us into Anita''s treehouse woods.


    I sank down onto the ground, breathing heavily,"that was scary!"


    "I didn''t even know what it was I was scared of!"Max exclaimed,"it makes it worse when you two are having conversations about serious things, and don''t even take the trouble to tell me!"


    "Its difficult,"I said,"I keep forgetting you can''t speak Parceltongue as well."


    "At least we found out where the tunnel leads,"Max said.


    "Yes,"I agreed,"and I''m quite sure from what I saw, that is the place where Silas is planning on doing the ritual."


    The next day:


    I''ve discovered the best way to find out the details of the ritual will be to pay another visit to the Foxhole Chamber. The fact that those enchanted runes were on the standing stones makes me think I might find something in that old book...


    Now I know Silas knows about the Foxhole Chamber, I am aware it could be an incredibly dangerous place.


    Unfortunately the weather today is awful. Rain plummeting down relentlessly since before I woke up. Thunder and lightning now! I could have still gone there, I know some spells to stop me getting drenched or struck by lightening, but I can''t go.


    I was going to earlier, but I got distracted by Anita.


    "You can ask it a question,"she randomly announced.


    "What?"I asked.


    "The golden ball,"she said.


    "Oh,"I said, remembering.


    She even had it in her hands in front of me.


    "Seriously!?"Anita said,"how could you have forgotten? You really do have a bad memory, Cathy! Now go on! Ask it!"


    I took the golden ball from Anita and thought about what I was going to ask,"will I find what I am looking for, in the place I intend to look?"


    It spat out a parchment,"that would depend on the place you are going and the thing which you seek."


    "Don''t go wasting questions, Cathy,"Anita remarked, looking at the parchment,"you need to be specific! It''s not telepathic. Go on, ask it properly this time!"


    "I''m looking for information on a ritual in a book of enchanted runes, which is in a hidden underground chamber protected by an enchantment of secrecy,"I said.


    Anita looked at me curiously.


    This time the parchment read,"the place you seek is not safe today, but there you may find information on rituals."


    I wondered if it knew exactly the place I meant, and how it knew it wasn''t safe.


    "What are you up to, Cathy?"Anita said, grinning and shaking her head,"were you planning on sneaking into the Restricted Section of the Library or something?"


    "Never mind what I was planning on,"I answered,"I won''t be able to do it today anyway. Can I ask it one more question?"


    "Cathy, you''ve already asked it two!"Anita objected,"alright, but just one!"


    "When will the place be safe for me to go?"I asked.


    "Three days from now,"was the reply.


    Three days! Well, it was better than being caught in the Foxhole Chamber by Silas, and I didn''t have to go anywhere in that pouring rain today.


    I really wished I could ask how it knew this, seeing as Anita had just explained to me how it wasn''t telepathic, but I knew Anita would not be very happy if I used up all the days questions.


    Anita invited me to join her on a treasure hunt with Jeffrey and Emily. They rolled the ball around random parts of the castle, searching for the door that belongs to the silver key.


    It was while they were rolling it near the stairs that go down to the cellars by the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room , that we bumped into Horrible Hector.


    "What is that thing?"he asked, running after it.


    The ball spat out a parchment.


    Emily quickly grabbed the ball and the parchment. We rapidly descended the cellar stairs, and as we passed the area near the castle kitchens, Anita shouted,"Hoppy!"


    Hoppy instantly appeared, Emily threw him the ball, and he disappeared with a pop.


    Hector saw this, gave up, and left us alone.


    "I can''t believe it answered Horrible Hector''s question!"Jeffrey said.


    Emily showed us the parchment.


    "I am a Sivril,"it read.


    "Well, at least now we know what it is,"I said.


    "But what IS a Sivril?"Anita asked.


    "Maybe we could look it up in the library,"I suggested,"and while we''re at it, have you looked in the library for the Locked Door?"


    "Yes, we looked in there yesterday,"Emily said,"there aren''t any strange locked doors. Unless we looked in the Restricted Section, but we can''t do that."


    Even though we searched for ages, we couldn''t find any information in the library on ''Sivrils''.

 Lotty Discovered Something

    Three days later:


    We still haven''t found the Locked Door. Though Anita and her friends have discovered a lot of random, useless odds and ends lying around the place. A few more keys too, which they asked the Sivril about, to which it responded with boring answers like ''there is no longer a lock to match this key'', or ''this is the key to a cupboard which is never locked''.


    I set off for the Foxhole Chamber. When I got to the hilltop woodland, I found Oliver.


    "Could you do me one more favour?"I asked him.


    "And what might that be?"Oliver asked.


    "Keep a lookout, and let me know if you see the fox Animagus anywhere about,"I requested.


    I went down into the chamber.


    This time, in the rune book, I was looking for an index of rituals. It was on the 5th page. There weren''t many rituals listed in the index. I looked for one that had something to do with midsummer. I found one!


    A ritual to summon a power.


    The description seemed to say the ritual would summon an extremely powerful dark force; but in order to obtain it, a great price must be paid.


    I found the page describing the ritual and copied down the runes. I didn''t take the time to read and translate them there, I could do that later. I needed to be in and out of there as quickly as I could. I hadn''t heard any warning from Oliver yet...


    I honestly wished I could find a way to copy down the entire book, but I hadn''t found one, so I''d just have to make do with this.


    When I''d copied down every last rune on the page, I got out of there and filled in the hole. Oliver was up a tree, keeping a lookout for me. He crawled into my arms and wrapped himself around my shoulders.


    "Didn''t see him,"Oliver said.


    "That''s fine, you did a good job,"I said, pleased,"when I can, I''ll get you another newt. They aren''t easy to find."


    "I know,"Oliver answered,"why do you suppose I get you to get them for me? By myself, I''m lucky if I get one a month!"


    "I wish I could bring you home with me in the holidays,"I said,"you could be my pet. I''m sure there are plenty of newts around where I live."


    "Would you?"said Oliver.


    "Would you like to come home with me in the holidays?"I asked him.


    "Yes, I would, very much!"Oliver answered eagerly.


    I let Oliver go back to his den, and went to study the runes I''d just copied.


    However, I didn''t get a chance to study them right away, I ended up being distracted completely - I noticed my wand was flashing red and orange. Anita and Lotty were both trying to summon me at the same time!


    I sent them,''I Vocare Te'', as I headed back towards the castle, and they found me about fifteen minutes later.


    "You took your time,"I said.


    "We got a bit scrambled on the Grand Staircase,"Anita said, breathlessly,"just when we were trying to show you something important!"


    "You''ll never guess what I found!"Lotty said,"try to guess!"


    I thought for a moment, then I said,"the Locked Door?"


    "No,"Anita answered,"we''d forgotten about that, actually! Guess again!"


    "Another special key?"I guessed.


    "Let''s just tell her,"Anita said.


    Lotty drew out, from a pocket in her robes, a silver ball. It was the same size as the golden ball.


    "It''s another Sivril!"Anita declared,"Lotty found it!"


    "Another Sivril?"I said,"are you sure?"


    "Yes, the Golden Sivril said it was,"Lotty explained,"this one is the Silver Sivril. You do all the same things as with the other one, but you show it to the light of the full moon at midnight, instead of the noon-sun."


    "Do you know what it does?"I asked.


    "Nope,"said Lotty,"but we can find out!"


    "Where did you find it?"I asked.


    "It was at one of the..."Anita began.


    "Shhh! This is my story!"Lotty said,"well, we were rolling the ball around outside the castle, and there was this fountain in the grounds near the walls; and the ball started rolling around and around it, like when we found the key. When we put it in the basin with the water, it still went around and around. So we asked the Sivril what it had found, and it said it had found the Silver Sivril. It told us to look for a ball on the fountain statue. There was a round, stone ball that the fountain statue was holding, and it turned out it was a Sivril disguised as a stone ball!"


    "Can I see the fountain?"I asked.


    Lotty and Anita showed me to the fountain. It seemed ordinary enough. I cast a Revealing Spell. Nothing happened.


    "Let''s look at all the other fountains in the castle grounds,"I suggested.


    "That''s what I was thinking,"Anita agreed.


    We didn''t find anything in any of the other fountains.


    "Why don''t you ask the Golden Sivril if there are any more Sivrils hidden?"I asked.


    "We can''t,"Anita said,"not today. We''ve already asked it five questions."


    Lotty said she''s going to bring the Silver Sivril home with her in the holidays. She thinks it will be easier for us to sneak out at midnight there, without getting into trouble. We''ve sort of done it a few times before...


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Later:


    It wasn''t until I went to bed that I remembered the ritual research I was supposed to have done. I wasn''t sure I wanted to find out now, when I was supposed to be going to sleep. What if the details of the ritual were so disturbing, I would feel like I had to do something to stop it at once? I wouldn''t be able to sleep all night.


    After a while, I started to realise I wouldn''t be able to sleep all night, just from wondering about it, and working out when to find time to research it tomorrow. So I got the notebook I had copied the runes into, and carefully translated it.


    The more I translated, the more horrified I became. The ritual involved a particular cave in the Forbidden Forest. It would begin at sunset on Midsummer''s night, and end at the sunrise of the next day. Then I read the most horrifying part. The ritual required the sacrifice of a witch or wizard of pure-blood. Sacrifice? Did that mean human sacrifice? As I continued to read, I realised it was describing a human sacrifice. It was a horrible, cruel ritual too, requiring the victim to suffer a slow death. I won''t write any more of the details of it in here, I believe all knowledge on such a thing, instruction on such a thing, ought to be destroyed.


    Then I realised something. Silas had told Antonius he would need him to help with the ritual, and then he would be ''free''. The ritual requires a pureblood sacrifice...


    What if Silas was planning on sacrificing Antonius in the ritual?


    I had to warn him! But I couldn''t warn him now, in the middle of the night - or could I? I crept down to the common room and summoned him.


    I waited for around ten minutes. I was half expecting him not to notice, but he did. He joined me in the common room, just as I was starting to think about giving up and warning him in the morning instead.


    "Catherine,"Antonius whispered,"it''s the middle of the night! I might have been asleep. What do you want at this hour of night?"


    I wondered how to begin.


    "I found out something extremely important,"I said.


    "What?"Antonius asked.


    "I discovered Silas has a plan,"I explained,"for a Dark Magic ritual."


    Antonius'' eyes widened,"how do you know about that?"he asked.


    "I just know,"I said,"but, Antonius, the ritual involves a human sacrifice."


    "Human sacrifice,"Antonius said, his voice now barely even a whisper.


    "Also the sacrifice has to be someone of pure-blood,"I finished.


    Antonius looked at me,"you know this for certain?"he asked.


    "Absolutely,"I said.


    "Then you have to be careful, Catherine,"Antonius replied.


    I almost gave away the fact I knew he and Silas were in league with each other, by telling him he was in more danger than I was, but I managed to stop myself just in time.


    "You could be in danger too,"I said.


    "I hope this isn''t true,"Antonius said.


    "Promise me you will be careful, Antonius, especially tomorrow and the next day,"I said.


    "I promise I will be careful,"Antonius responded,"and I expect the same from you."


    The next day:


    I made sure to warn all of my siblings of the imminent danger before classes started.


    In-between classes, I found Max. I explained to him what I had discovered. He listened, horrified.


    "Do you really think he would sacrifice Antonius?"Max asked me.


    "I think he would,"I answered,"though it might not even be Antonius, it could be someone else. I know the person has to be pureblood. Antonius seems the most likely person."


    "Did you warn him?"Max asked.


    "Yes,"I answered.


    "What did he say?"Max went on.


    "He didn''t like it,"I said,"he seems worried that Silas might try to sacrifice me!"


    "Cathy!"Max said,"that''s a very real possibility. You should be careful."


    "I know,"I responded,"he told me that too. But really, all the Purebloods here could be in danger! Not just me and Antonius. We have no way of protecting everyone! Midsummer is tomorrow, Max! What can we do?"


    "We''ll have to keep an eye on Silas,"Max said.


    "Something tells me that won''t help much,"I said, then I had an idea,"if we told a teacher, they would have to believe us if we used Veritaserum!"


    "You already know what will happen if we tell a teacher,"Max said,"Silas will just obliviate them."


    "Max, we need to warn evey pureblood in this school!"I said,"Professor Longbottom is pureblood, we need to warn him too. We can tell him about Silas. If we let him know Silas has been obliviating teachers after we report him to them, he''ll know to act in secret. Also he''s friends with the Minister of Magic! They fought Voldemort together!"


    "You know, that might actually be a good idea,"Max said,"let''s do that!"


    "Do you have any more of the Veritaserum?"I asked.


    "I do indeed,"Max said.


    "Herbology is my last class of the day today, you could meet us both in the Greenhouses, as soon as classes are over,"I suggested.


    "Right, let''s do that then,"Max agreed.


    We parted ways.


    Later:


    I remained in the Greenhouse after class.


    "What is it that you want, Miss Carrow?"Professor Longbottom asked me, as he was tending his plants.


    "Something really important that I have to tell you,"I said,"but I have to wait for someone to get here first."


    "And who might that be?"Professor Longbottom asked, looking at me suspiciously.


    "Max Castellanos,"I answered.


    "I do apologise, Miss Carrow, but I''m not the best at remembering names,"Professor Longbottom said,"who is he? Slytherin Quidditch Captain?"


    I looked at him, shocked,"no he''s a Gryffindor! He doesn''t even play Quidditch. Regulus Flint is our Slytherin Quidditch Captain."


    "Like I said, I''m not good with remembering names, Miss Carrow,"Professor Longbottom said,"now where did I put my watering can?"


    "It''s floating over there, by the potted mandrakes,"I pointed out.


    "Ah, yes, of course, thankyou,"Professor Longbottom said.


    I hoped Max would get here soon. I watched as Professor Longbottom carefully watered the plants around him.


    "You were one of the people that helped defeat Voldemort,"I said.


    "Yes, of course,"Professor Longbottom responded, looking surprised,"what''s this about?"


    "It must have been very difficult,"I said.


    "It was - that it certainly was,"Professor Longbottom replied.


    "It was mainly Harry Potter that did it,"I said,"but he couldn''t really have done it without you, without help from his friends."


    "Yes, and?"Professor Longbottom said, looking confused, and starting to look slightly uneasy.


    "Professor?"I began.


    "What?"he asked.


    "Do you think if someone wanted to get into Gryffindor for the wrong reasons, they could do it?"I asked.


    "I''m not sure about that,"Professor Longbottom answered.


    "Aren''t you?"I said,"haven''t you seen the way people in Gryffindor behave these days?"


    "I have noticed that,"Professor Longbottom said,"but not everyone is perfect, you know, not even Gryffindors."


    "What if someone - someone a bit like Voldemort, at least, someone that had the same sort of ideas about things,"I said,"what if someone like that chose Gryffindor instead of Slytherin on purpose, so they wouldn''t be suspected?"


    "Now, I think that would be very far-fetched, Miss Carrow,"Professor Longbottom responded,"and why are you asking me all this? Is there someone in particular that you''re thinking about?"


    "There sort of is,"I said,"what do you think of Silas Warren?"


    "You''re not seriously comparing one of your classmates to Voldemort, are you?"Professor Longbottom said, laughing,"Warren isn''t exactly an ideal representative of Gryffindor House, but he''s hardly as bad as all that!"


    "If you knew the sort of things he does, the sort of things he''s capable of, I''m sure you''d think differently,"I said.


    One of the doors opened, and Max walked in.


    "You''re here!"I said.


    "I am!"Max said, then he went to Professor Longbottom and handed him the vial of Veritaserum,"do you know what this is, Sir?"


    "I''m not sure about that,"Professor Longbottom said, looking at it closely.


    "I had been hoping you''d be able to identify it,"Max said,"it''s Veritaserum."


    "Is it?"said Professor Longbottom,"well, there''s a way to confirm that."


    He began to search through his plants. He plucked a leaf from one, sprinkled something on it, then poured a drop of Veritaserum on it. The leaf changed a strange colour, then withered away into dust.


    "That is Veritaserum alright,"Professor Longbottom remarked.


    Max took it back from him and handed it to me. I drank it.


    "What? Did she just drink that?"Professor Longbottom said, looking surprised.


    "Yes, because we have something important to tell you, and it''s important you believe us,"Max said.


    "Well,"said Professor Longbottom, putting down his tools,"I''m listening now!"


    I told Professor Longbottom everything I knew about Silas and what he was planning. The more he heard, the more horrified he got.


    "I can hardly believe this!"he said,"all this happening right under my nose! I need to inform Hermione, I mean, the Minister immediately! Why didn''t you tell me any of this before? Why haven''t you reported him?"


    "We tried to report him,"I explained,"every time we did, he found a way to stop us. He obliviated three professors all at the same time. You can''t let him know about any of this. You have to keep it secret somehow. Until there''s a way to catch him."


    "I''ll certainly try that!"Professor Longbottom said,"in the meantime, I need to send an owl."


    Professor Longbottom left the Greenhouses. We left them too.

 The Earth Trap

    An account of what happened next:


    This has been written a long time later. Other people''s sides of the story have been included too, to get as accurate an account of the events as possible.


    ------------


    Professor Longbottom immediately left the Greenhouses to send an owl reporting the news to the Minister of Magic. Max and I also left and went our separate ways.


    I returned to the common room for about half an hour. I was happy to see Anita and Jared were both in there. They were playing Wizards'' Chess, taking my danger warning seriously.


    I noticed Antonius was also in the common room, talking to Dominic over by the windows.


    I wondered why I was feeling so anxious, as I sat down and began writing in my diary. There were more than 24 hours between now and the ritual, and Professor Longbottom had already gone to get help.


    I went to check on Lotty and Ed, wishing I could smuggle them both into our common room and keep them safe until Midsummer''s Day had been and gone. I met Lotty outside the Gryffindor common room.


    "Max told me,"she said,"do you think everything''s going to be alright now?"


    "I hope so,"I said.


    "Is it true that you discovered Silas might try to sacrifice someone in a ritual?"Lotty asked.


    "Unfortunately it is,"I said,"that''s why you have to be very careful to stay away from him and his gang. He needs a pureblood sacrifice, and he could still succeed, even though Professor Longbottom has gone for help."


    "You can''t just tell me to avoid Silas and his gang,"Lotty responded,"it''s not so easy as that for me."


    "That''s what I''m worried about,"I said,"but I''ve got an idea. Follow me."


    I took Lotty down to the dungeons, and went into the common room while she waited outside.


    "Anita, does the Sivril have any more questions remaining for today?"I asked.


    "It does,"Anita answered,"two questions."


    We joined Lotty outside.


    "Is there a way for Lotty to stay safe, away from Silas'' gang on Midsummer?"I asked.


    Lotty picked up the parchment it provided,"go now to Emily Smith,"she read,"Emily Smith?"she added.


    "That''s Emily!"Anita said,"Jeffrey''s sister."


    "I need to ask one more question,"I said,"is there a way for Ed to stay safe too?"


    "In Ravenclaw Tower, there is a tiny room for quiet study that is not known by enemies, I will show the way,"was the response.


    Anita told Lotty where to find Emily.


    "If you can''t find her, go down to the castle kitchens and get Hoppy to fetch her,"Anita said.


    I went with Lotty. First, I summoned Ed, told him what to do, and gave him the Sivril. Then Lotty and I looked for Emily in the library. We found her sitting in a corner, reading a book. We explained to her that Lotty needed to hide, somewhere safe, away from Silas'' gang outside classes and meals.


    "Even in the night?"Emily asked.


    "Especially in the night,"I responded.


    "I might have an idea,"Emily said,"but, Lotty, you''re going to have to disguise yourself as a Hufflepuff... I know!"


    She got up, closed her book and put it into the bookcase behind her,"I have a plan! It involves the hospital wing, and some other things, but I''m sure it should work..."


    Satisfied that Lotty was safe with Emily, I left them in the library. I had an idea to ask Oliver if he could help by keeping an eye on Silas for me. I was on my way to see Oliver, when I was suddenly surrounded by members of Silas'' gang.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"Lauren asked.


    "None of your business!"I responded,"get away from me!"


    "We''re not letting that happen!"Amber declared,"you''re coming with us!"


    "What for?"I asked.


    "You''re being brought to trial,"Kenneth said.


    "For what?"I demanded.


    I couldn''t get away from them. They took my wand. Hilary clapped a bracelet on me that I couldn''t remove. Even though I wasn''t 17 yet, it was to prevent me from being able to apparate. I wouldn''t be able to remove it from myself.


    They didn''t seem to be taking me to the Courthouse, they were taking me to the treehouse woods - Silas'' secret base! I began to panic, but then I remembered Professor Longbottom would have sent an owl by now, and the ritual wasn''t even going to be tonight - it was tomorrow night.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I was locked in the main part of Silas'' base and left there. I realised the members that captured me must not know about the secret tunnel behind the wall. I wondered if I would be able to chance escaping through the tunnel. I just had to find a way of opening the way through, but I didn''t have my wand.


    Last time I had been locked in there, Lotty and I had tried for hours to find the way back through the wall, and that was with our wands.


    After a long examination of the wall, I discovered a hidden lever, it wasn''t even magic.


    I made a dash for it! It was just as Silas and Kenneth were coming out of the potions room. Silas noticed just in time.


    I knew he''d catch me, but I decided to run. There was no light to greet me from the hole in the ceiling. All was in darkness. Silas must have repaired the hole in the tunnel.


    I ran on into the darkness. I didn''t have my wand and I couldn''t see in front of me. I kept on running as I heard them shouting behind me. They were chasing me through the tunnel, and I was sure they''d catch up with me, even though I was running as fast as I could.


    A jet of red light flew past me. They were firing spells in my direction to stop me! I quickly rolled onto the ground, grabbed some rocks, threw them in front of me and lay flat on the floor.


    Silas and Kenneth ran on straight past me! Just as I hoped they would. When they had gotten quite far ahead, I ran back in the direction of Silas'' base. They''d left the tunnel entrance open, and the door to the potions room!


    There didn''t seem to be any more of Silas'' gang members around. I climbed up the ladder, went up as fast as I could go. At the top, I remembered the treehouse. I could hide in there!


    I climbed up into the treehouse and lay low, hardly daring to breathe. I hoped Silas didn''t know about it already. He seemed to have a knack for knowing about secret places, but this was one we had built, and maybe he would never suspect a secret place like this to be so close to his own secret base.


    But what if he cast Revealing Spells? Surely my position would be made known? I went up to Wise Wizard''s Watch. From there, I could see far and wide. For once, I was actually using it for the purpose of looking out for enemies!


    I noticed APS seemed to be doing patrols. It was like they were guarding... certainly not normal behaviour. Also, I realised that if I made a run for it, I wouldn''t be able to get past them. I decided to lay low for now.


    After a while, I heard voices below me. Kenneth and Silas. They must have realised what I''d done, and they''d come back out of the tunnel.


    I kept as still and quiet as I could. They were looking around for me. Silas told Kenneth to wait, and disappeared into the Forbidden Forest. I wondered why he had gotten Kenneth to wait. Did he suspect I was still around somewhere? I hoped Professor Longbottom would get help soon. Maybe I didn''t even have to worry about Silas finding me in the treehouse now? It was just a matter of time.


    Suddenly I thought I felt something moving near me. I looked around, but couldn''t see anything. I peeked out of a window, and to my horror, I saw Silas looking directly up into the trees! It was like he knew I was up here!


    Then I heard him and Kenneth casting Revealing Spells down below. I felt something move again, and then I saw it, just a glimpse for a moment, before it disappeared. It was a snake!


    That was when I realised Silas was communicating with snakes, using them to find me! If I didn''t get out of here quickly, I''d be trapped with no way out! I climbed out of one of the windows onto a large branch, and quickly swung myself down, dropping into the bushes.


    I knew the moment I ran out from the trees into open land, Silas and Kenneth would be able to catch me easily. I also knew that if I stayed here, they would find me very soon. I had to run. But not in the open.


    I decided to make a dash for it into the Forbidden Forest. I did! I wasn''t sure if they''d seen me, but they might have, and even if they hadn''t, the snake I''d seen probably had. That was when I realised it might be to my advantage to be able to speak Parceltongue right now. Then I would be able to hear what Silas was asking the snakes.


    I had the potion with me. I''d decided to keep some of it on me at all times in case of emergency (coming across the Basilisk). I hid behind a tree and gulped down one vial. It might not even work, but now was as good a time as any to give it a go...


    I listened for footsteps, or the sound of anyone running through the trees. I saw another snake. It was looking for me. As it crawled away, I called after it,"he''s asked you to look for me, hasn''t he?"


    The snake stopped, looked at me again and said,"you won''t be able to escape."


    Well, that was both reassuring and not assuring at the same time! Suddenly, I heard the sound of Silas'' voice not far behind me. I started running, but Kenneth jumped out in front of me! He hit me with a stunning spell, and I fell to the ground.


    Stunned or not stunned, I was determined not to be caught! For all I knew, Silas was going to do something drastic, like obliviating ALL my memories, and then I wouldn''t be able to do anything!


    I summoned every ounce of will power that I had in me to MOVE. Even though all I could do was crawl at that point. The further I got, the clearer I could think, and my vision became more steady.


    I could hear Silas shouting to Kenneth. I staggered to my feet and ran into Kenneth, pushing him over. I ran on into the forest, stumbling on roots, rolling down bankings. Silas and Kenneth were always just behind me, but I was clinging onto the faint possibility, however small, of escape!


    Kenneth could run a lot faster than Silas. He was always the one first behind me, the closest.


    Then, something unexpected happened. The ground I was running across gave way under my feet, and I began falling into the earth. Kenneth fell down with me, grabbing onto me as he fell. Then we were rolling, rolling down into a narrow space.


    The earth crumbled around us, as though it was going to consume us. When we finally stopped rolling, Kenneth cast Lumos, so we could actually see where we were.


    We were in a very low, hollow cave. More like an animal warren than a cave. There was a ledge of rock above us. Kenneth climbed onto it. It went up into a larger cave.


    Up there, the earth was crumbling, falling. It was raining dirt! There was an opening quite far up, in the large cave. Silas looked down through it.


    "Silas!"Kenneth called,"the roof is caving in!"


    "I can only get one of you out!"Silas shouted back.


    The dirt continued to fall around and onto us. Faster and faster.


    "Catherine!"Silas shouted down to me.


    I didn''t look up at him, I didn''t want the dirt getting into my eyes.


    "Catherine! Come to me!"Silas called,"I can get you out!"


    "Silas!?"Kenneth called.


    "No!"I shouted back.


    Silas threw down a rope. Kenneth ran for it, but Silas hit him with a stunning spell.


    "Catherine! Take it!"Silas urged me.


    "No!"I yelled back.


    "If you don''t take it, you''ll die!"Silas yelled.


    "You can dig us out!"I called,"use a digging spell!"


    "I can''t!"Silas called down to me,"you''ve fallen down an Earth Trap! I won''t be able to use any spells to get you out! If you don''t come to me now, you''ll be buried alive, and you''ll suffocate down there! Come on! Time is running out!"


    I remained where I was as the dirt piled around me faster and faster. The opening quickly disappeared, the rope along with it. Kenneth had dropped his wand, I picked it up,"Lumos!"


    Below us, I saw the opening of the smaller cave we''d crawled up from. There was a shelf of rock there. I crawled down onto it. This low, hollow cave didn''t have any dirt pouring down it.


    "Kenneth! Down here!"I called.


    Kenneth crawled through the dirt, trying to brush off the soil that was falling on top of him. He half-fell down into the lower cave. The dirt kept on pouring, and soon any opening above the shelf of rock was completely hidden. No more dirt was pouring around us, but we were completely sealed in, with no way out!

 No Way Out?

    I looked at Kenneth. He was very pale, shaking and he looked terrified. I still had his wand, and he didn''t try to take it from me.


    I wondered if it would be worth risking using a digging spell in here. It could be a way out, or, more likely, it could cause this tiny cave to collapse on us like the larger one had.


    What had Silas meant by ''Earth Trap''? What is an ''Earth Trap''? Why had I never heard of it before?


    I realised we were in the Forbidden Forest, and Silas seemed to know a lot of things about it, certainly a lot more than I knew.


    For the time being, I didn''t know what to do. At least we had some light. I just waited. I wondered if we''d run out of air soon and start suffocating. Kenneth was hyperventilating already.


    For some reason, whenever I''m in a horrible situation with someone taking it a lot worse than I am, I suddenly feel a lot more confident. I knew I had to calm Kenneth down somehow. I tried speaking to him, but he wasn''t listening to me.


    I put my hand on his shoulder,"Kenneth,"I tried saying, in a softer voice.


    He was still panicking.


    I put both my hands on his shoulders and looked at him,"listen to me, Kenneth, just breathe! Breathe in! Breathe out!"


    Kenneth seemed to start listening to me then. After a few moments, he said, shakily,"how do we get out?"


    "There might be a way,"I said,"but you need to calm down."


    "I can''t! I CAN''T! I need to get out now! I can''t be down here!"Kenneth was saying.


    "We may be able to get out, if we''re able to think clearly and come up with a plan,"I said,"what spells do you know?"


    "Not any to get out of here!"Kenneth responded.


    I dared not use a digging spell. Even though we were already buried, I decided having some space around me was better than choking on dirt. It seemed more likely that using the digging spell would only result in a quicker, but somehow more horrible, demise.


    "We''re never going to get out!"Kenneth wailed, he began to cry.


    I put my arm around him and hugged him,"don''t think about that,"I said.


    "We''re stuck! We''re trapped!"he went on.


    "Don''t think about it,"I said,"think about being alive. While we''re alive, there''s hope. If you calm down, maybe we can think of a way to get out together."


    I continued to hug him, because it seemed to be helping him to calm down; also because feeling another human close to me was reassuring and comforting, even if it was someone as awful as Kenneth Brass.


    There was a silence for a few moments, then Kenneth said, in a voice very unlike his voice that I am used to,"why did he choose you?"


    I was quiet for a moment, then I said,"Silas isn''t who you think he is."


    "He chose YOU!"Kenneth said,"he left me to die, but you''re his enemy!"


    "He''s not really your friend,"I said,"he''s just been using you all this time. He has his own plans, and I think he needs me for something."


    "He needs you more than me?"Kenneth said.


    "He must do, otherwise he wouldn''t have chosen me instead,"I said.


    "Why didn''t you go with him?"Kenneth asked,"you could have saved yourself."


    "I was sure that would be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire,"I said,"whatever Silas was planning on doing with me, couldn''t have been good."


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    "Out of the frying pan..."Kenneth said,"what could be worse than THIS!?"


    "Just be glad you''re not alone down here,"I said.


    I couldn''t think of any plans other than the one that would risk burying us completely. I decided to use that as a last resort. For now, if only I could think of an alternative...


    Then I heard something. A voice. Calling to me. A familiar voice...


    "Cathhhy!"


    It seemed as though it was coming from the rock.


    "I''m here!"I responded.


    Kenneth screamed and pushed me away.


    "Kenneth, be quiet! Can you hear that?"I said.


    "Why are you doing that!?"Kenneth wailed.


    "Cathhhy!"the voice came again.


    Then I realised who it was! It was Oliver! No wonder Kenneth was screaming, he had heard me speaking Parceltongue.


    "Kenneth, listen to me,"calm down. I''m talking to a friend. He might know a way for us to get out of here."


    "Is - is your friend a snake?"Kenneth asked.


    "Yes,"I responded,"but he''s harmless."


    "I hate snakes!"Kenneth yelled.


    "It''s alright, he won''t go near you,"I said,"you want to find a way out of here, don''t you?"


    "Yes,"Kenneth whimpered.


    I took his wand.


    "Lumos!"


    Suddenly I saw Oliver peeking at me from a hole in the rock. Kenneth saw him too, and screamed again.


    "Do you know a way we can get out?"I asked Oliver.


    "I''m looking for one,"Oliver replied,"I managed to find a way down here. I saw the ground eating you up."


    "How were you in the Forbidden Forest at that time?"I asked.


    "I was off travelling, looking for newts,"Oliver explained,"when I heard the snakes of the forest had been called to look for a girl, I knew that girl was you. So I followed them to see what was going on. Then I saw you and those boys. After the ground swallowed you up, I found a way down to you."


    "But can you find a way for us to get out?"I asked.


    "Ah,"said Oliver,"that is the problem. If you were snakes, then yes."


    I suddenly thought of transfiguration. What if I was able to transfigure Kenneth into a snake? Or Kenneth was able to transfigure me into one?


    Though there were several problems with this. The biggest one being the fact that only one of us would be able to get out. The other would remain trapped down here.


    Oliver crawled down onto my shoulders.


    "Are you sure you can''t get us out?"I asked him.


    "I suppose I could keep looking,"Oliver answered,"but if I can''t get you out, I can bring you frogs and mice and things, if you need to eat."


    There was another rock on the other side of the hollow space we were in. Where Kenneth was sitting.


    "Kenneth, move!"I said.


    Kenneth didn''t even ask why, he shuffled out of the way, all the time staring at Oliver, his eyes almost popping out.


    Oliver slithered over to the other rock.


    "There''s a gap in this one too,"he observed, as he disappeared into it.


    He was gone for a few minutes.


    "Find anything?"I asked, when he came back.


    "There''s a bigger cave in there,"Oliver said,"solid rock, most of it."


    "Does it lead anywhere?"I asked.


    "Well, that''s up to you,"Oliver said.


    "What do you mean by that?"I asked.


    "The soil here isn''t too wide,"Oliver said,"you''ll be able to get through it if you''re careful."


    I gave Kenneth''s wand to him to hold the light for me. I began to dig carefully with my hands. I dug a cavity in the soil, being as careful as I could.


    "Keep going,"Oliver encouraged me,"not long now. Go on!"


    Eventually I had dug a hole big enough to fit through. I crawled through. Oliver followed, and I got Kenneth to follow after we''d both gotten through. He was hesitant at first.


    "Don''t worry, Oliver is with me, he won''t go near you,"I reassured him.


    "Who''s Oliver?"Kenneth asked.


    "The snake,"I responded.


    Kenneth crawled through.


    Oliver was right, we were now in a much bigger cave. Though I still couldn''t see a way out, I could stand up now. It was a lot nicer than being squashed in that small space. I noticed a ledge of rock that I could climb onto.


    "How about the earth up here?"I asked Oliver, looking at a part of the cave ceiling that was soil with roots sticking through.


    "If you dig a bit here..."Oliver suggested.


    I dug a small cavity by a root. Oliver attempted to squeeze through, but he got stuck at one point, so I had to pull him out.


    "You could be a bit more gentle next time!"Oliver hissed at me.


    "You were stuck!"


    "I was,"Oliver said,"but no need to yank me out like that!"


    "Do you think I could dig through it?"I asked.


    "I''m not sure,"Oliver said,"maybe you could use one of your spells?"


    This place seemed a lot less likely to get buried in, as more of the walls were solid rock, and the place with the soil was quite high up, so it seemed fairly close to the surface.


    "Kenneth, I need your wand back for a bit,"I said.


    Kenneth gave it to me.


    The cave went dark. Kenneth gasped.


    "Fode Terram!"I cried.


    The soil fell down onto us like a waterfall. I was knocked backwards off the ledge. Kenneth started screaming.


    When all of the commotion, and dust, had cleared, I saw a faint light pouring into the cave.


    Oliver managed to slither out from all the dirt.


    "Ugh!? Did you have to bury me in the dirt like that!?"he grumbled.


    "Come on, Oliver, you''ve found us a way out!"I said, putting him on my shoulder.


    I climbed back onto the ledge and was able to pull myself up from there into the forest above. Then I reached down for Kenneth. I pulled him up towards me, but he was really heavy and quite clumsy coming up, so I struggled quite a bit; but soon we were both sitting on the ground or the Forbidden Forest.


    But where in the Forbidden Forest? Were there more Earth Traps lurking beneath our feet, ready for us to fall into?

 Avada Kedavra

    "Oliver?"I asked,"do you know what an Earth Trap is?"


    "I do,"Oliver answered,"they have them here in the forest, to keep away wizards. Goblins designed them a long time ago. They put them by secret places they wanted to hide from Wizardkind."


    "Do you think there are a lot more of them around?"I asked.


    "I could scout ahead for you,"Oliver offered.


    I let Oliver scout ahead to warn us of any Earth Traps or dangerous creatures. He also knew the way out of the forest, and after about 20 minutes or so, we found ourselves emerging from it.


    "A lot of bigger creatures avoid that part of the forest,"Oliver explained along the way."


    "If Earth Traps are meant to stop wizards, why have I never heard of them before?"I asked.


    "They''re very ancient,"Oliver explained,"the goblins stopped using them when wizards found a way around them. They used animals to set them off. Sometimes goblins fell down them too. They became too dangerous. The goblins had a secret mine around here a very long time ago. They built loads of Earth Traps to keep it safe from wizards. So many, they built, that they forgot where they all were, and it became too dangerous even for them to mine here themselves. Only small creatures come here now. We snakes know this, as we''re also small creatures. We don''t set off the Earth Traps, and there are plenty of small creatures, food, living around here, because they don''t have to worry about the big predators. It''s perfect for snakes. Birds are our only competition, and even they don''t like this part of the forest."


    "How do you know so much?"I asked.


    "Some from other snakes, my mother, and some from the Centaurs,"Oliver answered.


    "So the centaurs can talk to snakes?"I asked.


    "Not just us snakes,"Oliver replied,"there are some centaurs that have the gift of being able to talk to all the creatures in the forest."


    By the time we got out of the forest, it was very late. It was almost dark, and I realised it must be later than eleven o''clock. I looked at Kenneth, he was covered in dirt, and I knew I was too.


    "I''m going to find Silas!"Kenneth angrily declared.


    "You do that,"I said, half absent-mindedly as I was trying to brush the dirt off my clothes.


    After he had gone, I wondered if maybe I should have warned him NOT to go looking for Silas. As Silas would probably just obliviate him, when I wanted him to remember what had happened, as that would be a massive loss for Silas'' gang.


    So I ran after him towards the castle, which was quite far in the distance. There was a clear sky, and the moon glowed brightly among the twinkling stars above the twilight ridge on the horizon.


    Suddenly there was a loud ''crack!'' sound of someone apparating near us. Silas stood in front of us.


    "How on earth did you get out?"he asked.


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    "You left me to die!"Kenneth yelled at Silas.


    I wondered how he''d found us so quickly.


    "People have been looking for you,"Silas said,"I told them you''d disappeared."


    "Disappeared?"Kenneth said,"you know where we disappeared! Did you tell them that!?"


    "You''re in big trouble, Carrow,"Silas said to me,"follow me. Both of you."


    "No,"I said,"I''m not following you!"


    "You''re coming with me if I have to drag you!"Silas ordered, he turned and looked at the Forbidden Forest.


    "Come to me,"he was saying, and by the words he said next, it sounded like he was calling the names of several snakes.


    I realised he was speaking Parceltongue.


    "This is trouble,"Oliver said,"we need to get out of here!"


    Silas looked over at me, he noticed Oliver and his eyes widened in surprise.


    "Oliver! Go!"I said.


    Oliver quickly slipped down me and disappeared into the grass. Silas looked around, but Oliver had disappeared completely.


    Then Silas grabbed my hair and started pulling me viciously in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. I clutched at my hair where he was holding it, and tried to wrench his fingers away, but he was too strong, and I couldn''t help but be half-dragged along by him. Meanwhile, I could hear Kenneth screaming loudly, and briefly glimpsed him being chased into the Forbidden Forest by a group of snakes.


    Then we heard the voices of people calling loudly nearby.


    "CATHERINE!"


    "KENNETH!"


    The search party. They were getting near. Probably alerted by Kenneth''s screams.


    We were now in the Forbidden Forest, on the edge.


    "They brought aurors to look for you,"Silas said, he had a wild look in his eyes.


    I knew he was planning on something bad, but I didn''t know what.


    "Leave him!"Silas ordered the snakes, he was still gripping my hair, so I couldn''t get away from him.


    The snakes left Kenneth, but even a for a few moments after they had gone, he was looking around frantically, trying to blast them with curses. When he realised they had gone, he aimed his wand at Silas.


    "Expelliarmus!"Silas disarmed him.


    Then,"Avada Kedavra!"


    Kenneth fell backwards.


    I had no words, no thought, I was stuck by shock. All I could do was stare at Kenneth lying on the ground, his eyes open and unblinking.


    WHY would Silas do such a thing? Did he really just do that?


    Silas pulled me around in front of him, then he placed into my hands his wand, the wand he had used to kill Kenneth. As I looked down, I saw that the wand he had given me was not actually his one, but my wand. He had killed Kenneth Brass with my wand!


    I could hear the sounds of the searching aurors growing closer.


    "Welcome to the fugitive life, Carrow!"Silas said, then he let me go, then he disapparated in front of me.


    A few seconds later, an auror appeared through the trees.


    "I''ve found them!"he yelled.


    I didn''t know what to do, I was too exhausted to run. I knew no matter what I said, they would not believe me. Part of me was in disbelief that this had even happened.


    The auror saw Kenneth and ran up to him.


    "No!"he gasped, checking Kenneth for the slightest sign of life.


    But, of course, he was dead.


    He turned to me. I realised I was still holding my wand, and instinctively dropped it to the floor.


    "What have you done!?"the auror yelled at me.


    "I didn''t,"I whispered.


    By now, the other auror had arrived, and the first one was examining my wand. He had a way of checking which was the last spell used. Of course it was the killing curse.


    "Come with us,"the other auror said to me.


    I had no choice but to follow them. In Hogwarts, they escorted me up to one of the towers. As they were taking me up the stairs, I heard a commotion down below. Then a horrified, heart-rending scream, followed by wails of agonised despair. Lauren Golding must have discovered what had happened to her boyfriend.


    Near the top of the tower, they locked me in a tiny room. Locked in the cell, I felt like everything was over now. What else was there to do? Silas was too powerful, and too trusted. In my despair, I completely forgot about Professor Longbottom sending for help. The only thing I could think about was what had just happened.


    I felt a weird sort of emptiness and apathy, almost like I didn''t care what happened to me. I felt like whatever I did, everything was futile.


    I don''t know how long I was in the cell. Time didn''t seem to exist at this point, I felt like I was trapped in a permanent loop of doom. Thinking the same things over and over again, like a fever dream.


    Then I heard the door open, Antonius came into the room.


    "Shh,"he whispered,"I''ve come to rescue you."

 Out of the Frying Pan...

    "Rescue me?"I whispered.


    "Yes, you don''t want to go to Azkaban,"Antonius replied,"they''re all saying you killed Kenneth Brass. Once you''re in Azkaban, they won''t let you out. Here - I got your wand."


    He tried to give me my wand. I threw it back at him. He picked it up.


    "Why did you have to kill him, Catherine?"Antonius asked.


    "I didn''t kill him,"I said.


    "Come on,"Antonius said, taking me by the arm,"we need to get out of here."


    As I followed Antonius, my mind was completely blank. I had no strength to decide whether or not I wanted to stay, or attempt to escape with him.


    "Now, listen to me, Catherine,"Antonius said,"when you''re on the run, you can''t use magic. With your wand or without your wand. Because you''re not 17 yet, you still have the trace on you. After you turn 17 in a few months, you''ll be fine. I''m fine because I''m already 17, so I can help you for a bit."


    Antonius took me through a passage I had never known existed before, but right now, I didn''t really think much about my surroundings. I was too distracted, too much in shock, I just followed Antonius along like a dog on lead.


    Then a shadow appeared out of the darkness. I screamed! It was Silas!


    "Shh, Catherine!"Antonius said, holding me, as I tried to run in the opposite direction,"he''s only here to help us."


    The last thing I remembered from that point, was Silas waving his wand and saying,"Imperio!"


    The next thing I knew, I was in a cave with Silas and Antonius, feeling extremely confused. I remembered Silas had used the Imperius Curse on me. What had he made me do? Why didn''t I remember it?


    Silas and Antonius were talking to each other loudly, but it took a few moments for me to actually be able to hear what they were saying. It seemed they were arguing about the ritual.


    "She told me it requires a human sacrifice, Silas,"Antonius was saying,"of course I''m not going to leave her here with you."


    "She lied to you,"Silas said,"there''s no way she could possibly know what the ritual involves! I already told you what I need."


    "She wouldn''t have told me about it, if she didn''t believe it, she''s not a liar, Silas,"Antonius persisted.


    "You stay here with her then,"Silas said,"make sure the both of you stay in this cave while I''m gone. The Basilisk is outside. It can''t come in here, but it''s uncontrollable when I''m not around. Even if you manage not to look it in the eye, it''ll eat you."


    Silas left the cave. I looked around and noticed the enchanted runes carved into the walls.


    Even though Silas was gone now, we were prisoners.


    "What do we do?"I whispered.


    "Stay here,"Antonius said.


    "We can''t be here,"I said,"it''s Midsummer''s Day! What time is it?"


    "About 3 o''clock in the morning,"Antonius answered,"you should go to sleep, Catherine."


    We had the whole day yet, about nineteen hours. That was some comfort.


    "Antonius, what did Silas make me do?"I asked.


    "Here''s some water,"Antonius said, handing me a cup.


    "What did he make me do?"I persisted.


    "Sit down, Catherine, you should go to sleep soon,"Antonius continued.


    I looked at the water, starting to feel suspicious of it, but really I was so tired that I probably wouldn''t need a sleeping potion, if there was one in there.


    "What did Silas make me do?"I went on.


    "What are you talking about?"Antonius asked, as he draped a blanket around me.


    "When Silas used the Imperius Curse, what did he make me do?"I asked.


    "He made you follow us and keep quiet,"Antonius said,"and he made you forget about it afterwards. So you wouldn''t remember the way to this place. See, he doesn''t plan on sacrificing you. I don''t know if what you said about the human sacrifice was true, Catherine. I don''t think it is. You must be mistaken,"then he gave me the water again,"please drink it, Catherine. It''s just normal water. Look - I''ll drink some."


    He drank some.


    "You need it,"he said.


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    I drank it. He put his arm around me, I leaned on his shoulder and he stroked my hair. I allowed myself to relax in his arms as I felt myself succumb to exhaustion.


    When I woke up, I felt really uncomfortable. I''d been lying on the floor of a cave. Antonius was asleep next to me. I reached over and gently stroked his hair, whispering in his ear until he woke up.


    He yawned and sat up.


    "What time is it?"I asked him.


    Antonius yawned again and checked the time,"it''s eleven in the morning,"he said,"we''ve been asleep all night!"


    "Do you have any more water?"I asked.


    "Of course,"Antonius said, looking around for the cup,"Aguamente!"


    I drank the water all in one gulp. I realised I was still in a dreadful mess. Covered in dirt. Dirt in my hair, all over my clothes, my hands, my arms. It was probably all over my face too.


    "I must look dreadful,"I said.


    "You always look beautiful to me,"Antonius said.


    I began to realise some things. We were in a cave, in the Forbidden Forest. Silas said there was a Basilisk outside. We were at the very place Silas planned to do the ritual!


    "Silas is going to do the ritual today!"I said.


    "I know,"Antonius said,"but don''t worry, it''ll be alright. Silas assured me it won''t be as bad as you thought. There''s no human sacrifice involved."


    "Well, did he tell you exactly what the ritual involves?"I asked.


    "It does involve a sacrifice,"Antonius said,"an animal sacrifice..."


    "Which animal?"I asked.


    "The Basilisk,"Antonius answered.


    "No, that... that doesn''t make any sense,"I said.


    I wondered. Maybe it was a different ritual that Silas was going to perform, not the one I''d read about in the enchanted rune book?


    Then I added,"how would he even be able to sacrifice a Basilisk?"


    "He must have a way,"Antonius said,"and the Basilisk listens to him. Anyway, it''ll be fine. After today, we won''t have to worry about the Basilisk any more, and we can get away from here and go somewhere else, if you want."


    "Won''t people wonder where you are?"I asked,"back at Hogwarts?"


    "They''ll have found out I helped you escape, and I''m running away with you,"Antonius said.


    "So, you''re going to stay with me?"I asked.


    "Of course,"Antonius said,"I''ll stay with you for as long as you need me."


    I still felt a bit confused from all that had happened, like my mind was trying to process things. Part of me just wanted to settle down and go back to sleep, pretending the world outside didn''t exist; and part of me was desperately trying to make sense of things - I couldn''t get rid of the feeling that there was something I needed to do - urgently!


    "Antonius,"I said, suddenly remembering something important that I hadn''t told him,"I didn''t kill Kenneth Brass. Silas did."


    Antonius looked at me confused,"why would Silas do that?"


    "I don''t know,"I tried to explain,"he killed him with my own wand in front of me - when the Aurors were looking for us. Then he gave me my wand and told me ''welcome to the fugitive life'' and he left me to get found by the Aurors - with Kenneth dead."


    Antonius looked at me, puzzled,"are you sure you''re alright, Catherine?"he asked.


    "That is what happened!"I insisted.


    "That doesn''t make any sense,"Antonius said.


    "I know, it doesn''t make sense to me either,"I said,"Silas could just have obliviated him, but instead, he killed him."


    "What did happen while you and Kenneth were missing?"Antonius asked,"they were going to put you on trial."


    "They did try,"I said,"but I escaped. I ran into the Forbidden Forest, Kenneth and Silas chased me. It was just the two of them. Then Kenneth and I fell down this thing called an Earth Trap."


    "An Earth Trap?"Antonius asked.


    I went on to explain everything that happened.


    "What did you mean when you said ''Silas could just obliviate him''?"Antonius asked.


    "Oh - that,"I said,"when we were in the Earth Trap, and the ground was swallowing us up, Silas said he could only rescue one of us, and he chose me instead of Kenneth. I refused his help, and when Kenneth tried to grab the rope he threw down to us, Silas hit him with a stunning spell. He only wanted me to escape. It didn''t matter in the end, anyway, because we both got buried. Kenneth was really angry at Silas for that."


    "Do you know why Silas only wanted to rescue you?"Antonius asked.


    I decided to tell Antonius everything, including the part where he drank Verita Serum and asked me to obliviate him afterwards.


    "Max and I managed to convince Professor Longbottom, and he went to send an owl,"I finished.


    Antonius was very quiet for a few moments, then he said,"Catherine, I''m sorry."


    I was about to say something, then stopped when I noticed the look on his face.


    "Catherine,"he continued,"I''ve let you down. I''ve let us both down."


    "How?"I asked, a feeling of dread collapsing over me.


    "I told Silas you knew about the ritual,"he said,"after you told me about the human sacrifice, I asked him about it. He got me to tell him how I knew you knew and what I knew you knew. He used the Imperius Curse on me."


    "No,"I whispered.


    "That was when he told me it was the Basilisk he was going to sacrifice instead,"Antonius went on,"but after he knew you knew about the ritual, he got APS to spy on you all day. In the early evening, one of his spies warned him she''d overheard you and Castellanos snitching on him in the Greenhouses to Professor Longbottom. Silas went after Professor Longbottom and obliviated him before he had a chance to send an owl."


    I realised, in horror, that no help was on the way; but then I remembered Max.


    "Max knows though,"I said,"he could still do something."


    "Silas knows he knows, Catherine,"Antonius said,"Max won''t be able to do anything."


    "What can we do?"I asked.


    "You could be wrong about the ritual,"Antonius said, hopefully,"after the ritual is over..."


    "As soon as the ritual is over, one of us might be dead!"I interrupted in frustration.


    "But if we try to escape now, with the Basilisk out there, both of us will be dead!"Antonius said.


    "Well, while we''re in here, let''s just look around this place,"I said, reading the rune carvings on the walls.


    The carvings included directions to the sacrificial chamber. I made my way through the tunnels in that direction.


    "We can''t wander too far,"Antonius warned,"we''ll get lost."


    "It''s alright, I can find my way back,"I said.


    "You''re sure?"Antonius said, looking at me with uncertainty.


    The next cave was the sacrificial chamber. There was an opening high up in the ceiling, daylight poured down from it. Directly underneath was a stone table with shackles on it.


    "What''s this?"Antonius asked.


    "It''s the sacrificial chamber,"I said,"do you see how Silas is going to get the Basilisk in here?"


    "Are you sure this is?"Antonius said, starting to look uneasy.


    There were enchanted runes everywhere, and I didn''t like the sound of what they seemed to be describing. The dark force that would be summoned, sounded extremely dangerous. Silas seemed to believe he would obtain the power through this ritual, but the more I read from the runes on the wall, I started to get the idea that any power Silas managed to summon would end up consuming him, possessing him - he would no longer be himself, but - something else.


    As I read more of the runes, I realised this ritual did require a human sacrifice. Not an animal, not even a magical creature as powerful as a Basilisk. It was written in the runes. A witch or wizard of pure-blood.

 The Basilisk

    Antonius wondered why I was examining the walls.


    "You look like you''re trying to read the rocks,"he said.


    I found I couldn''t seem to explain what I was doing. The enchantment was somehow stronger in here.


    After some exploring of this small group of caves, we found the passage to the entrance. We sat down near it, but daren''t look out of it, in case the Basilisk was about.


    Antonius thought about using a Vanishing Spell to get rid of all the dirt I was covered in, and I managed to put my hair up into a somewhat untidy, but tidier-than-before bun.


    Then I had an idea,"you could apparate us out of here, do you think?"


    "Silas apparated outside the cave,"Antonius said,"when he left the caves, he went outside to disapparate. So I don''t think you can apparate from inside this cave."


    "We could go outside quickly,"I suggested,"with our eyes closed. If we hear the Basilisk coming, we can quickly run back into the cave."


    "I''ll try inside here first,"Antonius said,"how are you at apparating?"


    "I can''t,"I said,"but I can hold onto you."


    It didn''t work.


    "Oh, I''ve just remembered this,"I said, showing Antonius the bracelet on my arm,"it''s to stop me from apparating. I forgot about it."


    Antonius attempted to remove it with numerous spells, but it was no use.


    "I can''t apparate with you with this,"Antonius said,"and you can''t apparate. I don''t know how to remove it."


    I didn''t know how either.


    "You could apparate yourself,"I suggested,"try to get help."


    "That''s too much risk,"Antonius said,"I don''t want to leave you here alone."


    "So you believe me, then?"I asked,"you believe me about the ritual?"


    "I don''t know, Catherine,"Antonius answered, sounding frustrated,"I don''t know what to believe."


    "We need an escape plan, just in case,"I said,"the entrance is right there! What if we run outside looking at the ground, or with our eyes closed? The Basilisk might not be out there right now, we could make a dash for it!"


    Eventually Antonius agreed to this. We crept outside, looking at the ground, and listening intently for any sounds that might be the Basilisk. At first, it went well, we managed to venture quite far away from the cave. However, there weren''t any sign of the standing stones, and it didn''t seem to be the place Max and I had discovered at the other end of the tunnel. I didn''t dare to look around properly, in case I met the fatal stare of the creature we were trying to avoid.


    Then I heard it.


    "I sssmellll ssssupper!"


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    "Antonius, we need to get back to the cave,"I whispered, grabbing his arm.


    There was a swishing, swooshing sound coming from the trees ahead of us, along with the rapid cracking of twigs and snapping of branches. We turned around and faced the opposite way. I glimpsed the entrance of the cave in the distance ahead of us, and we ran straight for it! We dived in through the entrance, and ran into the deeper caves beyond.


    I was sure we were only just in time, by a few seconds. The Basilisk almost got us! It was a good thing the snake potion I drank yesterday hadn''t worn off. I sank down onto the ground, trying to catch my breath. Then I heard the voice of the Basilisk again. It was from a distance, and it echoed eerily into the cave.


    "Go away!"I yelled at it,"leave us alone!"


    "Who are you?"the Basilisk asked,"who are you that ssspeaksss to me?"


    "I speak to you!"I called, remembering there was a chance I could win it''s allegiance,"what can I do, to earn your trust?"


    "It iss eassssily done,"the Basilisk replied,"tell the boy who iss with you to come outssside. Tell him, it iss sssafe."


    "Will it be safe, though?"I asked,"you won''t eat him, will you?"


    "In order for me to trussst you, you mussst trussst me,"the Basilisk replied.


    It was too great a risk. I''ve been tricked by a snake before. I knew the most likely scenario was that the Basilisk was just looking for a quick snack.


    "I won''t do that,"I responded.


    "Then I shallll not let you passss, I shallll not let you essscape!"the Basilisk answered.


    I decided to ignore it after that.


    "We''re you speaking to the Basilisk?"Antonius asked.


    "I was trying to win its allegiance,"I explained,"but it''s too difficult. We''ll just have to stay in here. It said it''s going to eat us, if we go outside."


    The time passed slowly as we tried to plan what to do in case Silas did try to sacrifice one of us...


    I was just saying,"where are we going to get food?"when Silas entered the caves.


    By then, it was about 3 in the afternoon. He called to Antonius, then went off. He had given Antonius some bread and soup. I looked at the food suspiciously, I didn''t want to trust anything being given by Silas, but I was too hungry to resist it.


    I ate all mine, before Antonius had even started his. I watched him stirring a spoon around and around in his soup, and was about to ask him something, but I forgot what I was going to say. I yawned, instead, and lay my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes...


    ...when I opened them, I was greeted by a golden daylight... evening light... the light of the setting sun...


    I tried to move, but I felt cold metal against my wrists, hard stone beneath me. I was looking up through the skylight in the ceiling of the sacrificial chamber.


    "Alohomora!"that was Antonius'' voice.


    I pulled my arms free, and saw him standing beside me.


    "Catherine, go!"he whispered,"run!"


    "What''s happening?"I whispered back.


    "I managed to distract him, but we don''t have time,"Antonius whispered, dragging me out of the sacrificial chamber.


    We reached the opening of the cave.


    "Run!"Antonius said,"run with your eyes closed!"


    "Are you coming with me?"I asked.


    "Go!"Antonius ordered, shoving me beyond the entrance of the cave.


    I closed my eyes and ran. I couldn''t hear the Basilisk. I kept on running with my arms outstretched, so that if I ran into something, I would feel it in front of me first. I kept running into trees and bushes, falling down things and stepping into mud and water. As I ran, I couldn''t hear Antonius behind me.


    I stopped running, and thought about looking backwards towards the cave, but decided against it. I started running again.


    Silas was more powerful than Antonius, if he has caught him...


    It was sunset! How was it already sunset? I must have fallen asleep... Silas must have tried to sacrifice me! Antonius helped me escape - but - that would mean... Silas would have to sacrifice Antonius instead.


    But it would take about five hours for him to die, and in that time, it was still possible to rescue him. If I could find a way to get back to Hogwarts, tell people what was happening, or just to get help anywhere, I could still save him!


    But I also knew Silas will have accounted for this, as soon as he discovered my absence. He''d initiate the ritual, then come straight after me and try to stop me.


    Then I thought I heard a voice in the distance. A voice calling my name.


    "CATHERINE!"


    Just as the voice grew closer, I started to recognise it; but then I heard another voice, that sent chills down my spine.


    "There she isss!"


    I screamed a warning as loud as I could,"BASILISK! THERE''S A BASILISK!"


    I heard a great swishing noise coming from right behind me, and I knew the giant snake was rushing up to me!

 The Battle of the Basilisk

    The next thing I saw was Max Castellanos running out from the trees, holding a sword. He was running directly towards the monster rearing up behind me, his eyes closed tightly. He flailed the sword wildly, he wasn''t even gripping it properly. He might as well have been going after the snake with a wooden spoon.


    I was sure the Basilisk was going to eat him, and I didn''t even have time to finish worrying about this before the giant serpent had tripped him up with his tail, had him in a coil, and was dragging him backwards.


    The sword fell from Max''s hands, but he managed to pull out his wand, and I noticed he couldn''t help but open his eyes at that point. He waved his wand at me.


    "Obscuro!"


    I was blindfolded.


    "CATHY! GET THE SWORD!"he yelled.


    Being told to grab the sword AFTER being blindfolded wasn''t the most efficient battle strategy, but I''d seen where it had fallen, and I fell to my knees, scrabbling around desperately on the ground until I got it.


    I could hear Max yelling, it sounded like he had momentarily managed to break free, by hitting the Basilisk with a spell.


    The Basilisk was distracted by Max, and clearly very angry at him.


    "I willl sssqueeeze you!"he was saying.


    "Stop!"I called to him, wielding the sword with the proper grip,"you don''t want him, you want me!"


    "You wishhh to win my allegianssse, do you not?"the Basilisk said,"tellll the boy to sssstop."


    "Max! Stop!"I yelled,"I''m trying to negotiate!"


    "Negotiate!?"Max practically shrieked.


    "Just stop attacking, and let me talk to him,"I shouted,"leave it to me!"


    "You can''t hope to reason with a BASILISK, Cathy!"Max yelled at me.


    "What must I do to win your allegiance?"I asked.


    "You willl alllow me to have the boy,"the Basilisk responded,"you willl not try to killl me while I eat him."


    "Certainly not!"I answered.


    "Then I shallll killl you bothhh!"the Basilisk roared.


    "Max! He wants to eat you! Run!"I warned.


    "Well, I don''t need to speak Parceltongue to know that!"Max shouted back.


    I couldn''t see whether or not Max was running. I couldn''t see anything. I knew I had to focus on what I could hear, what I could feel. I held the sword in the defensive position Jared had taught me, ready to thrust it forwards with all my strength.


    I heard the snake moving along the ground. I knew he was going to go for me, he was going to swoop down and bite me! I felt him rushing towards me. As he did so, I quickly ducked, then thrust the sword upwards.


    The blade must have pierced some part of the creature, for he gave a shriek that sliced into my soul! A horrible, warm liquid began seeping out, covering my hands. I could still hear Max sending curses blindly.


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    "Max! Stop!"I yelled,"you might hit me!"


    I could hear the Basilisk now, making a tremendous noise as he thrashed about, crushing shrubs and bushes, flattening small trees. I was filled with revulsion for what I had done. Had I killed him? It had been either him or us, and he was attacking...


    The noises ceased, and it seemed as though the King Serpent was gone, or dead. I dared not remove my blindfold, in case his stare was still fatal, even in death.


    "I think it''s dead!"Max called,"I think you did it! I think you killed it!"


    We stumbled through the trees, away from the scene of the battle. I was still feeling torn apart with sadness for the Basilisk. Yes, I had had no choice, but I couldn''t help but feel intense regret that it had to end in such a way. If only there had been a way to win his allegiance that didn''t involve sacrificing a friend for his dinner.


    When we were far enough away, I removed the blindfold. I saw Max standing in front of me. He still had his eyes closed tightly.


    It was getting quite dark now, even though daylight still remained, but the sun had already set. The ritual will have already begun.


    "You can open your eyes now,"I said.


    We both looked at each other.


    "You''re covered in blood,"Max observed.


    "Where did you get this sword?"I asked.


    "I think it''s the Sword of Gryffindor,"Max said,"it presents itself in time of need. It presented itself to Lotty, and she gave it to me; but you''re the one that ended up using it."


    "Where is Lotty?"I asked.


    "I don''t know,"Max answered,"she went to get help. I''m sure wherever she is, she''s alright. She was with Julia and a Hufflepuff girl."


    "Max!"I said, suddenly,"I think Silas may have begun the ritual! We have to stop it!"


    "Where?"Max asked.


    "It''s in a cave,"I said,"somewhere near..."


    I realised I wasn''t sure where to go.


    "It''s alright, I know the way,"Max said,"I came from the tunnel that goes out from Silas'' secret base."


    I followed Max. We ran through the trees, as the twilight grew deeper and deeper. We reached the entrance of a cave and entered cautiously. I realised I was still holding the sword. I also realised something else, as I observed the bones of creatures scattered around the ground.


    "This isn''t the right cave!"I said.


    "Are you sure?"Max asked.


    "Yes,"I answered,"I spent hours in that cave, and I know this isn''t the one. I think this is the cave that the Basilisk lived in."


    We quickly made our way back outside. Then I noticed the standing stones. On closer inspection, the enchanted runes on them indicated the direction of the correct cave.


    "Come on! This way!"I called to Max.


    We ran off until we arrived at a place with a cliff, and there was the entrance to the cave, the proper one. It had the enchanted runes carved above it.


    We were about to enter, when there was a sound behind us. We spun around just in time to see Silas. He raised his wand, and before either of us had time to do anything...


    "Avada Kedavra!"


    There was a jet of green light, and the next thing I knew, Max was lying on the ground. I looked down at him in horror. He lay still, his eyes closed, he could almost have been sleeping.


    "Expelliarmus!"


    The sword flew from my hands. Silas went to grab it, but it disappeared the moment he touched it.


    In those wild moments of utter despair and agonised grief, I realised there was one thing I could do now that could possibly deliver a shred of hope to save Antonius. I could use magic.


    I didn''t have my wand, but the agony of emotions rushing through me now were enough. I would alert the Aurors hunting me to my location, I would bring them all here.


    With a scream of fury and grief, I lit the trees where I stood on fire. The flames rose up quickly, lighting the trees like torches. Silas looked horrified for a moment, then...


    "Vocalis Silentium!"he cried.


    I tried shouting, but no sound would come. He had silenced me completely. He must have realised the Aurors would be here now, any moment, for he ran towards the cave, cast a spell I didn''t hear, and suddenly the cliff collapsed and the entrance was swallowed up completely. Now it looked as though there wasn''t even a cave there, and never had been.


    Then Silas disapparated. Just as he did so, I heard the swishing sound of broom-flight, and then running footsteps. Soon, I was surrounded by Aurors. I held up my hands miserably as they pointed their wands at me.


    I tried to point to the place where the cave had been, but knew they would not understand. They responded by hitting me with several stunning spells at once, and this knocked me unconscious.


    Everything was over for me now. Max was dead, and Antonius was dying without hope of being rescued. I had been captured by Aurors who would now believe me to be not only responsible for the murder of Kenneth Brass, but the murder of Max too. Both of them Muggleborns. If Silas wasn''t destroyed by the evil force he was attempting to summon, he would use this a propaganda to fuel his war and achieve his aims. Now they were taking me away - to a real trial - and then, to Azkaban.


    I was so distraught, I did not notice that Max was no longer lying on the ground. He had vanished completely.

 Inbetween

    What happened inbetween.


    Back at Hogwarts the day before Midsummer:


    Lotty followed Emily out of the library.


    "There are these prank sweets I got for Christmas,"Emily said,"I''ve never used them because they''re pretty awful. The idea is, they''re supposed to make you seem ill, so you can get out of doing things. Now, listen, here''s my idea. We can swap uniforms, you pretend to be me, and I''ll pretend to be you. We''re already both the same height, and have the same colour hair."


    "How will that work, though?"Lotty asked.


    "I''ll pretend to be you, eat one of the sweets to make myself seem ill,"Emily explained,"Nurse Pamela has really bad eyesight, all I have to do is dress in your Gryffindor uniform and tell her I''m Charlotte Carrow. You can pretend to be me. That way, you can hide in the Hufflepuff common room and spend the night in there too. Silas'' gang will never think of looking for you in there, and they won''t notice you''re missing from the Gryffindor quarters, because they''ll think you''re in the Hospital Wing."


    "There are two problems, though,"Lotty said,"what if people in Hufflepuff recognise I''m not you, and what what if Silas'' gang tries to capture you in the Hospital Wing, thinking you are me?"


    "From what I''ve been told, only pure-bloods are in danger at the moment,"Emily replied,"I''m half-blood, and if they go for me, they''ll realise I''m not you."


    "But then they might guess we switched places,"Lotty said,"they might think about looking in the Hufflepuff common room."


    "Most of the other Hufflepuffs won''t allow it,"Emily reassured her,"ever since Jeremy Jackson left the Muggleborn Rebellion, he''s been warning them about Silas'' gang. We still have some people who are enemies, like Horrible Hector, but most of them are 1st and 2nd Years. If the other Hufflepuffs realise you''re hiding in there to stay safe from Silas'' gang, most of them will try to help hide and protect you. I''ll let Jeffrey know our plan, so he can help with it."


    So Emily and Lotty switched uniforms. The plan worked well. Emily ended up in the Hospital Wing, and Lotty followed Jeffrey into the Hufflepuff common room.


    Sneaking in there reminded Lotty of the warning about the Sivril - ''to they that deceive''. As she thought about it, she realised the reason she was doing this, was because she was hiding from danger, not in order to trick someone for personal gain.


    "But surely the best thing to do would be to stand up for myself and face my fears?"she thought,"hiding away like a coward isn''t honourable. I''m not really being ''honest and true''."


    Then she realised that if she left herself in harm''s way, she wasn''t strong enough to fight Silas and his gang. Standing up for herself would be a brave thing to do, but not exactly helpful for those looking out for her. If she got herself captured by APS to be used in a ritual, she would have to be rescued somehow; and that would just create trouble that could have been otherwise avoided. Though she wasn''t exactly happy with this plan, she knew it was the only one they had, and all she could do was stick to it until the danger had passed.


    The Hufflepuff common room was a cosy, cheerful place. There were a lot of plants, and even though it was down in the cellars, the atmosphere was bright and sunny.


    Jeffrey showed her around, talking non-stop as he did so.


    "Look, there''s the Princess and the Frog picture that your sister got Hoppy to get,"Jeffrey said,"we caught him taking it off the wall. If it hadn''t been for that picture, we probably would have never become friends and discovered the secret of the Sivril, and we would have missed out on so many adventures!"


    Lotty decided to go to bed early that night. It was strange, going to sleep in a Hufflepuff dormitory. It reminded Lotty of being on holiday somewhere, or moving house.


    In the morning, Lotty woke up extra early, she snook up to the Hospital Wing. There, Emily (who was much better now) gave Lotty one of her prank sweets, they switched uniforms again, and Lotty took Emily''s place. This was meant to be until classes were over.


    "Something happened last night,"Emily whispered to Lotty, just before leaving,"I think someone was seriously injured. One of the Gryffindor 6th Year boys. I''m not exactly sure what happened, I overheard some things, but whatever it was, it sounded really serious."


    "Do you know which one?"Lotty asked, anxiously, hoping it wasn''t Max.


    "I think his name is Kevin or Ken or something,"Emily answered.


    "Kenneth Brass?"Lotty asked.


    "Yes, I think that was the name,"Emily responded,"from what I overheard, it sounded really bad. I hope he''s alright."


    It was while she was lying in bed in the Hospital Wing that Lotty overheard the remainder of the rumour. Kenneth Brass had been murdered, and Catherine was accused - but she had escaped and run away with Antonius Parkinson.


    Lotty was horrified, but she was sure her sister wasn''t responsible for killing Kenneth. Something else must have happened, and she knew Silas must be behind it.


    As soon as classes were over, Emily returned to switch places with her. Lotty told Emily what she had overheard.


    "I''m glad you know,"Emily replied,"we heard about it at breakfast in the Great Hall. The Headmistress gave an announcement. There are loads of extra rules, so things are going to be difficult. We''re supposed to be confined to our common rooms and House-quarters outside of lesson times, but I suppose that means you can stay safe in Hufflepuff quarters. Tonight is the crucial night."


    "I wish there was something I could do to help Cathy,"Lotty said, then she had an idea,"I wonder if Ed still has the Sivril?"


    "Get Hoppy to fetch it,"Emily instructed,"if you call him, he''ll come. We thought it only worked near the Castle Kitchens before, but it seems to work wherever we are. Quickly get into the Hufflepuff common room first, Jeffrey is waiting outside. He''ll take you through, then get Hoppy to fetch the Sivril."


    Once again, Lotty found herself following Jeffrey through the through the false-barrel entrance into her place of refuge. Once inside, she made her way over to a quiet corner that was overshadowed by a plant the size of a small tree and called,"Hoppy!"


    Hoppy appeared. For a moment, he looked at Lotty in confusion.


    "Is it the Lady Emily or the Lady Lotty to whom Hoppy speaks?"he asked.


    Lotty laughed,"it''s me, Lotty! I''m hiding in here from Silas'' gang. It''s not safe for me in the Gryffindor quarters."


    "Hoppy understands,"the house-elf answered,"but why has Hoppy been summoned?"


    "Could you fetch me the Golden Sivril?"Lotty asked,"I need to ask it some questions. Ed has it."


    "Certainly, My Lady,"Hoppy replied, disappearing with a pop, then reappearing a few seconds later, holding the golden ball.


    "Where is Cathy?"Lotty asked the Sivril.


    "In a cave in the Forbidden Forest,"was the answer.


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    "What can I do to help her?"Lotty continued.


    "She may need the protection of the Sword of Gryffindor,"the Sivril gave its reply.


    "How?"Lotty asked.


    "Bring the Sword of Gryffindor to Max Castellanos,"the Sivril responded.


    "But where do I find it?"Lotty asked.


    "The Sorting Hat,"the Sivril responded.


    "But can Cathy use the Sword of Gryffindor?"Lotty asked, feeling slightly confused,"she''s a Slytherin. Will it allow her to use it?"


    The Sivril gave its 5th answer,"only a True Gryffindor can pull the sword from the Sorting Hat; but anyone with courage and honourable intent may wield the sword in time of need."


    "How am I to get the Sorting Hat?"Lotty sighed, she''d used up all the questions,"it''s locked up in the Headmistress'' Office, and we aren''t even supposed to leave our common rooms!"


    "Hoppy could fetch it for you, My Lady!"the house-elf eagerly suggested.


    "Would you be able to do that?"Lotty asked,"don''t let the Headmistress catch you!"


    "What are you going to do?"Jeffrey asked as Hoppy disappeared.


    "I have to somehow get the Sword of Gryffindor to Max,"Lotty said.


    "Pity you used up all the questions,"Jeffrey said.


    A few minutes later, Hoppy returned - with the Sorting Hat!


    "Good work, Hoppy! How did you manage it?"Lotty asked.


    "Hoppy had to wait for the Headmistress to leave her office,"Hoppy explained.


    As Hoppy described in detail how he had managed to fetch the Sorting Hat from Wells'' office, Lotty suddenly had an idea about how she could get the sword to Max. That is - when she had it. The idea involved Hoppy and Jeffrey...


    She took the Sorting Hat from Hoppy and glimpsed a glint of metal, then put in her hand and drew out the Sword of Gryffindor.


    "We really are in a time of need,"she whispered, as she held it in her hands.


    The sword was small and light, just about the right weight and size for her to use without too much difficulty; but she resisted the urge to swing it around, and especially resisted the random temptation to use it to slice up the large potted plant she was standing next to.


    "Wow!"Jeffrey gasped, admiring it,"I wish we had a Sword of Hufflepuff!"


    "Jeffrey,"Lotty said,"would you be willing to risk getting into trouble?"


    "I risk getting into trouble all the time already,"Jeffrey said.


    "I''ve got a plan, and this is my plan - we''ll use Hoppy as a scout,"Lotty began explaining.


    "Certainly, My Lady,"Hoppy agreed, promptly.


    "You, Jeffrey, can come with me,"Lotty went on,"and in case a teacher comes or someone is about to spot us, like one of those nosey portraits or ghosts, you can create a diversion. So hopefully they''ll think you''re the one sneaking around, instead of me."


    "I''m up for that,"Jeffrey agreed.


    "Hoppy, could you sneak into the Gryffindor common room and spy out the situation for me?"Lotty asked,"if you see Julia Brown or Max Castellanos, can you deliver them a message? A message to come to the Portrait Hole that goes into the common room. I''ll be waiting outside ready to give the sword to Max, but he has to know he has to leave the castle to deliver it to Catherine in a cave in the Forbidden Forest, as soon as he has it!"


    Hoppy vanished. He reappeared around 10 minutes later.


    "Hoppy has news, My Lady,"he announced.


    "Tell me!"Lotty said, eagerly.


    "The other Gryffindors are keeping a watch on the boy, Max Castellanos, they are making sure that he does not leave the Gryffindor quarters under any circumstances,"Hoppy explained,"Hoppy couldn''t even deliver him the message, he was being guarded so closely; but Hoppy was able to deliver the message to Julia Brown. Another girl, her name is Patricia Finnigan, saw Hoppy speaking with the Lady Julia, and asked what Hoppy was doing. Hoppy told her that you pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, and you needed to get it to the Honourable Max, for there was great danger!"


    Lotty was going to tell Hoppy off for not keeping the message secret from the other Gryffindors, but remembered she hadn''t specifically asked him not to, and didn''t have the heart to criticise the helpful little elf for his honesty.


    "What happened then?"she asked.


    "The Lady Patricia will help us,"Hoppy said,"and there was a boy too, the Honourable Richard. They will both help us."


    "Why would they help?"Lotty asked,"they never helped us before."


    "They said that if you have indeed drawn the Sword of Gryffindor from the Sorting Hat, then there must be real danger, so whatever mission you have, it must be an important one,"Hoppy answered,"they said it may take a while for them to plan what to do. The Lady Julia will summon Hoppy when they are ready to instruct Hoppy on your place in the plan. For now, Hoppy must return to Hoppy''s place in the kitchen, My Lady - Hoppy shall return to you when Hoppy has the next instructions."


    The house-elf disappeared with a pop.


    As she waited for him to reappear, Lotty casually chatted to Jeffrey, but she couldn''t help wondering what her sister would need the Sword of Gryffindor for? Surely she wouldn''t need it to attack Silas? Already she was wanted for the murder of a student. If she used the Sword of Gryffindor to incapacitate, or worse - decapitate - Silas Warren... Lotty decided, as much as she wouldn''t mind doing that to Silas herself, it would not result in ideal consequences; and she doubted Catherine would be capable of that kind of violence...


    An hour passed, and in that time, Lotty realised the Sorting Hat was still with them in the Hufflepuff common room. Fortunately none of the other students had noticed, they were all busy doing their own things; reading, chatting to each other, playing games, studying...


    Jeffrey and Lotty played a game of Wizard''s Chess. Jeffrey was close to winning, when there was a loud pop!


    "You must go to the Portrait Hole now, My Lady!"Hoppy said,"then plan is, if you are to go there and wait, the Honourable Max will come out to you, but he might need you to help get him out of the castle."


    Lotty had another idea,"Hoppy, after I''ve gone to deliver the sword to Max, could you go up to the Hospital Wing and tell Emily what we are doing. Tell her, if she has a plan to help, she can join us."


    Hoppy agreed and instantly disappeared.


    Lotty and Jeffrey snook out into the cellars. They crept up the winding stone steps into the halls above. Navigating the Grand Staircase was the worst part.


    As Lotty was finally getting close to the Portrait of the Fat Lady, she was startled by a voice behind her. She spun around.


    It was Nearly-Headless Nick!


    "What is this?"the Gryffindor ghost asked, floating around them curiously.


    "I am on a very important quest,"Lotty answered,"if you could help keep this quiet, I would very much appreciate it."


    "It must be an important quest indeed, if the Sword of Gryffindor has presented itself to you,"Nearly-Headless Nick replied, approvingly,"I don''t suppose this has anything to do with the corruption that has gotten into our noble House?"


    "It has something to do with that,"Lotty responded,"but don''t worry, I''m not going to murder anyone with it."


    "Well, I should hope not, for I certainly would not keep such a plan as that quiet!"Nearly-Headless Nick said,"I suppose I shall leave you, for what I did not see, I cannot say!"


    He floated off through the wall.


    The Portrait opened.


    "So that''s where the Gryffindor common room entrance is,"Jeffrey observed.


    Max stepped out.


    "I have to give you this,"Lotty said,"I can''t explain, but you''re meant to bring it to Cathy. She''s in a cave somewhere in the Forbidden Forest."


    Max looked at the sword, curiously as he took it from her,"have you heard from Cathy?"he asked.


    Lotty shook her head.


    Suddenly Julia jumped out beside Max,"they''re onto us!"she hissed.


    They fled down the hallway towards the Grand Staircase. Suddenly they were being chased by Lauren, Amber and Luke!


    Luke grabbed Jeffrey (who was the slowest running) and began yelling. A door opened somewhere down one of the corridors and Professor Livia began running up towards the noise!


    Max, Lotty and Julia all quickly stuffed themselves into a cupboard.


    "What is going on here!? Return to your house quarters at once!"Professor Livia yelled.


    "But..."Amber tried to explain.


    "All of you! Back in now! Immediately!"Professor Livia barked.


    "They were sneaking out! They were trying to sneak out!"Amber tried to say, as it sounded like Professor Livia was chasing them all back through the Portrait Hole.


    Lotty was hoping Jeffrey was alright. She didn''t hear anything else. Maybe Professor Livia had caught him, but she couldn''t hear it? What she didn''t realise was that Professor Livia hadn''t noticed that Jeffrey was a Hufflepuff, and now he was locked in the Gryffindor common room while she guarded the way out...


    Max pushed open the door of the cupboard and peeked out. They were around a corner, where Professor Livia couldn''t see them. They crept out carefully. As they were trying to sneak out of the castle, they bumped into Emily and Hoppy.


    "All of the entrances are guarded, according to Hoppy,"Emily warned,"we''ll have to fly out of the windows on broomsticks at this rate!"


    "I overheard they put tracking spells on ours,"Julia said,"on mine, Lotty''s and Max''s."


    "They won''t have put tracking spells on mine,"Emily said,"where''s Jeffrey, by the way?"


    "I''m not sure,"Lotty said,"I think Professor Livia caught him, so he''s probably in trouble, but he''ll have been escorted back to his common room."


    Emily tried summoning her broom, but for some reason it wouldn''t work.


    "Hoppy can get out of the castle,"Hoppy suggested,"Hoppy can take two of you at a time."


    Hoppy, with his own house-elf magic, was able to disapparate with Max and Lotty out of the castle. He left them by the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They waited around a minute, wondering what was taking the others so long. Then Hoppy appeared next to them with Emily and Julia.


    "Lotty!"Emily exclaimed, waving a piece of parchment,"we were just about to disapparate with Hoppy, when the Golden Sivril gave us another message! Look!"


    Lotty took the parchment from Emily, while Hoppy vanished along with the Golden ball Emily had just given to him.


    "It just suddenly rolled up to us and spat it out, like it usually does when we ask it questions,"Emily said.


    "Go to the Centaurs,"it read.


    "That''s it!"Lotty said,"that''s where we''ll go! Max - you need to go to a cave in the Forbidden Forest, and we''ll go to the Centaurs!"


    "I think I know where the cave is,"Max said,"what''s a golden Sivril?"


    "No time to explain now,"Lotty said,"let''s go!"


    They parted ways. Max went off to the tunnel; and Lotty, Emily and Julia went into the Forbidden Forest.

 What Happened In the Ritual Caves

    What happened in the Ritual Caves:


    Antonius didn''t feel like eating the soup that Silas had given him. He had no appetite. Even though he kept trying to convince himself that Catherine was wrong about the ritual, there was a gnawing doubt in the back of his mind that increased as time advanced... but there was no way out, nothing he could do.


    He''d just eaten some of the bread on its own, when he felt Catherine leaning her head on his shoulder. She was fast asleep, her bowl slipped from her hands...


    Antonius put his bowl down and tried to wake her, but she was sound asleep. He realised Silas must have put a sleeping potion in her soup. Why would he do that? Catherine must have been telling the truth about the ritual.


    Antonius poured his soup away and vanished it. He realised he had to come up with a plan. He made sure Catherine was comfortable, and went to explore the caves. There were only four of them, and they all lead into each other, in a circle. The one furthest away from the entrance cave was the sacrificial chamber.


    Unfortunately there was nowhere to hide.


    He returned to Catherine and tried to wake her again; but no matter how hard he tried, she would not wake up.


    Time passed slowly for him, he had no idea what he could do really, but he made his mind up on one thing. As soon as Silas returned, he was going to pretend to be asleep.


    Eventually the sun began to set. Antonius lay down on the ground beside Catherine and closed his eyes. He heard Silas enter the caves, and lift Catherine up off the ground. He opened his eyes briefly when Silas was walking away from him. Silas was carrying Catherine in the direction of the sacrificial chamber.


    There was no time to lose, he had to think of something quick. The Basilisk was still outside, so there was imminent danger outside and inside. He needed to distract Silas and lure him out of the caves somehow. Maybe if he could keep Silas distracted long enough for the sun to set, he could prevent him from being able to perform the ritual at all.


    Then he had an idea. Silas had used the Imperius Curse on him more than once, but would he be able to use it on Silas?


    Antonius decided it was the only thing he could think of, so he would at least have to attempt it. If he failed, he could try to fight Silas - he knew he wouldn''t be able to beat him, but he could at least stall for time. He crept through the caves to the sacrificial chamber.


    Silas had shackled Catherine to the table. He was pouring a horrible-looking liquid over a dagger.


    Antonius whispered,"Imperio!"then,"go outside and tell the Basilisk to go away from here. Tell it to stop guarding the caves."


    To his surprise, and delight, it worked! Silas put down the knife and left the caves. Now was his chance! He quickly went into the sacrificial chamber.


    "Catherine!"he said, putting his hand on her shoulder and shaking her,"Catherine!"


    Catherine opened her eyes slowly. The sleeping potion was beginning to wear off. She had to be awake for the ritual, and Silas had made sure he''d given her just the right amount.


    "Alohomora!"Antonius released her from the shackles.


    Catherine sat up and looked at him, confused.


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    "Catherine! Go!"he whispered,"run!"


    "What''s happening?"she whispered.


    "I managed to distract him, but we don''t have time!"Antonius whispered, half-dragging her out of the sacrificial chamber.


    They reached the opening of the cave.


    "Run!"Antonius said,"run with your eyes closed!"


    "Are you coming with me?"she asked.


    "Catherine! Go!"Antonius ordered, he shoved her out beyond the entrance of the cave.


    She ran off. Her arms outstretched in front of her, her eyes closed.


    There was no sign of the Basilisk, and no sign of Silas either. Antonius decided to run out after Catherine. Then suddenly he stopped. Suddenly everything seemed to be alright. Why was he running? What need was there to run? He turned around and walked back into the caves. Silas was standing in the entrance, but that did not bother him. He walked all the way into the sacrificial chamber, climbed onto the table and lay himself down while Silas shackled his wrists and ankles.


    "I can''t believe you had the AUDACITY to use the Imperius Curse on me!"Silas hissed,"well, now see how you like it! I''m going outside now, to call my Basilisk back and send it after Catherine. Don''t think you''ve saved her, Antonius, my Basilisk will get her, and you''ve only succeeded in killing yourself."


    The spell had worn off by now, and Antonius was realising, full of horror, what had happened. He looked up at the deep orange light cast by the setting sun growing closer and closer to the marker carved into the stone edge of the skylight.


    Silas returned.


    "Silas! Please!"Antonius pleaded.


    "You brought this on yourself,"Silas said,"when you let her go. I didn''t want to have to use you, you''re the last of your line to carry the Parkinson name. I have no intention of ending another Pureblood line. That''s why I chose her - there are plenty of Carrows to spare! This is all your own fault!"


    "You don''t have to do this,"Antonius said,"it''s not necessary. You''re already powerful enough."


    "You have no idea what you''re talking about,"Silas said,"you couldn''t possibly understand what I need. You don''t know how much it is going to take to succeed!"


    No amount of persuading from Antonius could change Silas'' mind. As the orange light grew closer to the line and Silas approached him with the dagger, he imagined Silas would stab him through the heart as the sun set. As Silas got closer to him, he closed his eyes tightly, and waited, terrified, for death.


    Instead, he felt a sharp pain in the palm of his right hand. When he opened his eyes, he realised he hadn''t been killed, but blood was seeping from a wound in his hand.


    "Is that all?"Antonius asked, a strange relief coming over him,"you just needed my blood?"


    "Don''t think it''s over,"Silas responded,"not for another five hours or so. You probably won''t feel much pain right now, but it will keep increasing. Before you die, you''ll be in agony, you''ll beg for death, but it won''t come to you swiftly."


    "Why are you telling me this?"Antonius asked, miserably.


    "Because this is what you deserve,"Silas said,"a fitting execution for a blood traitor."


    Antonius tried to blink back tears. He felt betrayed. All those years he had worked hard for Silas, the things he had done for him, endured for him. Now Silas was revealing his true colours in the most vibrant tones. For a long time, Antonius had considered himself to be Silas'' only true friend; but, Silas himself, was not a true friend to anyone.


    "And all of this suffering will be for nothing,"Silas went on,"Catherine is probably already dead by now."


    "At least she doesn''t have to suffer,"Antonius said, choking back tears,"I''ve saved her from this! You can''t say I haven''t saved her!"


    "Idiot!"Silas said,"what difference does it make? She would have died anyway, the only difference is now you are suffering, and you are going to die, when I had no plans to kill you!"


    Then Antonius heard Silas whispering in Parceltongue, before leaving the cave. What he didn''t know was that Silas'' snakes had informed him of the death of his Basilisk and that was why he left.


    It was quiet then, and Antonius was left alone, with nothing to keep him company, but pain and the fading twilight. He closed his eyes, he started to feel sick now, and feverish, the pain continued to spread as it grew darker and darker.


    Then suddenly, he felt someone touch him. He screamed and opened his eyes. Who was that? Was it Silas? Dark hair, dark eyes, but kind and reassuring - it wasn''t Silas. Antonius wondered if he was hallucinating, he felt he was able to pull his arms free of the shackles.


    He heard a familiar voice,"get up, we need to get out of here!"


    He saw a boy; similar in height to Silas, same red and yellow striped school tie, same red Gryffindor crest on his shirt, not no - it was not Silas - it was...


    "Max Castellanos? Is that you?"Antonius said,"I''m not dreaming this?"


    "You''re not dreaming,"said Max,"come on."

 Omnem Familiam

    The moment Max had noticed Silas appearing, he had sensed the impending danger and instinctively thrown himself to the ground. The killing curse just missed him, it hit a tree beside him. After falling to the forest floor, he closed his eyes, pretending to be dead. He had heard Silas disarm Catherine and realised he was probably planning on framing her for his own ''death''.


    He crawled into the cave, deciding he could stop the ritual while Silas was distracted. He could help Catherine later, but for now it was most important to find Antonius.


    Having discovered Antonius and released him, he lead him through to the entrance of the cave, but the entrance was gone! It was just a wall of solid rock.


    "No, this can''t be!"Max said.


    He left Antonius near the place he supposed to be the entrance, and went to look for another way out; but a thorough examination of the caves revealed no way. The exit had been sealed!


    He returned to Antonius and sat down beside him.


    "Silas has beaten us!"he groaned, in despair.


    "We can''t let him win,"Antonius said,"not after everything he''s done."


    "I know, but what can we do?"Max said,"he''s sealed us in here! There''s no way out!"


    Max tried every spell he could think of, to get out. He even tried some spells Antonius suggested. Nothing worked.


    A silence fell, broken only by Antonius'' irregular breathing. Even though Max had taken him out of the sacrificial chamber, therefore compromising the ritual, he was still dying from the wound inflicted by the poisoned blade. He was growing weaker and weaker.


    Max knew that with every passing moment, the chances of them both getting out alive were fading away.


    But then Antonius said,"there might be a way."


    "What way?"Max asked.


    "There''s a spell connected to Catherine''s family,"Antonius said,"only to be used in dire emergencies. It will summon every Carrow, and bring them to our location, but it can only be done with a Carrow''s wand."


    "Well, that''s not much use then,"Max said.


    "But I have Catherine''s wand,"Antonius said, drawing it out,"she refused to take it when I tried to give it to her. She said Silas used it to kill Kenneth Brass."


    "I knew Cathy didn''t kill him!"Max said.


    "I don''t know if I have the strength to do it,"Antonius said, shivering,"take it. The incantation is ''Omnem Familiam, Carrow."


    Max took the wand from Antonius.


    "You need to summon them, Max, call them, and know you will be calling them all."


    "Won''t they be angry?"Max said,"we''re not Carrows."


    "I''m sure, under the circumstances, they''ll understand,"Antonius said.


    "Omnem Familiam, Carrow!"Max cried.


    A jet of light shot from the wand, and then it stayed, pointing like a lazer beam.


    "Keep it like that,"Antonius said,"now we just have to wait for them to come to us."


    In Hogwarts, simultaneously, a dormitory in Ravenclaw Tower and three Slytherin dormitories were lit by a brilliant light, and then the hovering coat of arms of the Carrow family filled the rooms.


    In the Forbidden Forest, in a glade where three 2nd Year girls sat, surrounded by centaurs, the same thing happened.


    At the Carrow siblings'' home, suddenly their parents were awoken by a light filling their room. Their grandparents were woken in the same manner.


    In a room of Azkaban, where the confiscated wands of prisoners are kept, it was suddenly lit up by the light.


    Everywhere a Carrow''s wand was, there was the light and a hovering coat of arms. Knowing how serious it was, every single one of them that could, followed the call.


    Anita, Jared and Dominic were scrambling around in their dormitories, getting hastily dressed and ready to follow the light, no matter what!


    Lotty was the closest. She, Julia and Emily had been in the middle of a serious council with the centaurs. The centaurs knew of some of Silas'' plans. They knew how he had managed to make a part of the Forbidden Forest inaccessible to them, but they hadn''t known the way to it.


    "Follow the light! We will take you!"the leader of the herd said to Lotty,"get on my back!"


    The three girls, riding on the backs of centaurs, with Lotty guiding the way, following the light, rushed through the Forbidden Forest to the place where they were being drawn.


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    "This is as far as we can go,"the centaurs said,"we cannot move past here. It is from this point that he keeps us out."


    They dismounted and ran ahead, following the light. It took them to the cliff. They were the first there.


    "There it is!"Lotty shouted, pointing to the Carrow coat of arms hovering above a part of the cliff.


    They rushed towards it.


    "The light is pointing through!"Lotty said,"it''s inside the cliff."


    They all tried casting spells at the cliff in front of them, to no avail.


    "There must be something..."Lotty was just saying.


    "Lotty!"Emily shrieked.


    Silas, alerted by the snakes of the forest, appeared behind them. Lotty quickly ducked and rolled out of the way as he fired a curse at her. Julia shot ''Expelliarmus'' at Silas, but he blocked it like it was nothing and disarmed her.


    Lotty realised that even all three of them together wouldn''t be enough to defeat him. She also remembered a spell the centaurs had mentioned concerning the enchantment Silas had placed on that part of the forest.


    "Patitur Introitum Omnibus!"Lotty cried, dissolving the barrier Silas had created.


    Suddenly there was the sound of hundreds of galloping hooves, as the centaurs were now able to rush beyond the vanquished barrier.


    Silas, in a rage, fired the killing curse at Lotty, but she dived out of the way.


    "Incarcerous!"Emily cried.


    Silas blocked it. He tried to disapparate, but because his protective enchantment on this part of the forest had been broken, he could no longer apparate in or out of it, as the forest''s own protection had been restored. He turned and ran.


    Lotty, Julia and Emily chased after him, firing curses in his direction. Then the centaurs swarmed past them, in persuit of Silas.


    "He won''t get away from them!"Julia said.


    Lotty rushed back to the cliff where the Carrow coat of arms was still hovering.


    "What do we do?"Emily asked, running beside her.


    "We have to look for a way in,"Lotty said,"Fode Terram!"


    It didn''t work.


    She, Julia and Emily all tried together. Still, it didn''t work.


    "There must be something,"Lotty said.


    After a while, they gave up trying and sat down at the foot of the cliff.


    Meanwhile, Ed snook out from the Ravenclaw Tower and looked for a way out of the castle. He looked around briefly for any sign of the others, but couldn''t see them, so he got on his broom and flew off in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.


    Down in the Slytherin common room, there was a commotion, as the summoning had woken everyone up in the three dormitories, and students had started to gather there. Dominic, Jared and Anita were already dressed and ready to go.


    "What''s happening?"Regulus asked.


    "We''ve gotten an emergency summoning,"Jared said,"it''s not happened in over a century, so it must be serious."


    "We have to follow when it happens,"Anita said,"no matter what!"


    "It means one of us is in grave danger,"Dominic said.


    "Do you suppose it''s Catherine?"Regulus said.


    "It could be!"Anita said.


    Priscilla Bulstrode and the Sanding twins came down into the common room.


    "We heard a noise, what''s up?"Amelia Sanding asked.


    "We have to go now,"Jared said,"no time to explain! Come on, Anita!"


    "I''m coming with you!"Regulus said.


    "What is it? Is it Catherine?"Priscilla asked.


    "It probably is,"Anita said, as she followed Jared out.


    "Whatever you do, if you come, don''t make a noise,"Jared warned the others.


    Back at the cliff; Lotty, Anita and Julia were starting to fall asleep, when Ed arrived.


    "What is it? What''s going on? Lotty! You ok?"Ed asked, dismounting his broom.


    "The signal is coming from the cliff,"Lotty said, getting up,"but we can''t get in."


    Ed cast a Revealing Spell. He managed to get rid of the illusion Silas had put on the cliff, and they saw what looked to be a collapse of earth and rocks. The four of them tried to clear it together. It did not work.


    "There''s some kind of sealing spell,"Ed observed,"we won''t get through that. We need to try something else. Let''s try tunnelling under it."


    Together; Lotty, Ed, Emily and Julia began digging the earth around the crumbled cliff. This was also useless. The more they dug, the more the rockfall poured into their diggings and filled it back up, even without showing any signs of shifting itself.


    Then Ed thought of flying to the top of the cliff and flying around, looking for another way in. That was when he found the hole that went down into the sacrificial chamber. That was also when Jared, Anita, Dominic, Regulus and the Sanding twins arrived.


    "Hello!"Ed shouted down the hole.


    Meanwhile, Max and Antonius had been waiting for almost an hour. Antonius was in a bad state, and Max was feeling hopeless, as nothing had happened and he had been sitting in the gloom of the cave, completely powerless, while Antonius'' health rapidly deteriorated.


    Then he thought he heard a shout coming from back within the cave.


    "Hello! CATHY!"


    Max heard it again.


    "Hello!"he shouted back.


    "Who are you?"the voice came again.


    "Max Castellanos!"Max called,"who are you?"


    "EDWARD CARROW!"the voice called back,"is Cathy down there?"


    "No, I last saw Catherine outside with Silas!"Max shouted back,"but Antonius is down here, and he''s dying!"


    "What was that?"Ed shouted back.


    Max got up and followed the sound of the voice into the sacrificial chamber. He saw Ed looking down through the skylight.


    Max was startled to see him,"can you get us out? I didn''t know that was there!"he shouted up.


    "What did you say about Cathy?"Ed called down.


    Now Jared''s face appeared next to his brother''s,"where''s Cathy?"


    "I don''t know!"Max shouted up,"can you get us out?"


    Ed tied a rope around a tree and threw it down.


    "I can get up that,"Max remarked,"but I can''t get Antonius up. I''ll try to bring him in here."


    Max disappeared. Jared climbed down the rope, followed by Dominic. They went to help lift Antonius and bring him up through the skylight hole in the ceiling.


    "What happened to him?"Dominic asked.


    "He''s been poisoned,"Max said,"a cut from a poison blade. Silas tried to sacrifice him in a ritual."


    "What!?"Jared and Dominic both exclaimed.


    They tied the rope around his waist and over his shoulders like a harness.


    "Antonius, we''re getting you out of here,"Max said, lifting him up.


    They managed to get Antonius through the skylight; then Max, Dominic and Jared climbed up.


    "Does anyone have a Bezoar?"Ed called, as soon as he heard Antonius had been poisoned.


    "As if someone''s just going to have a Bezoar on them,"Regulus muttered.


    But then.


    "Actually,"Priscilla said,"I have a Bezoar."


    "What?"


    "I carry one out of habit, in case of emergencies and experiment with potions all the time,"she said,"don''t look at me like that! If it saves him, just be glad of THAT!"


    "Brilliant!"Ed responded, knowing exactly what to do.


    Antonius stopped crying out and moving around. He relaxed and lay still on the ground.


    "How are you?"Max asked, not wanting to touch him, in case it hurt him.


    "I''m tired,"Antonius said.


    "Do you feel any pain?"Max asked.


    "It''s gone,"Antonius answered, weakly,"I''m - tired."


    "He needs to rest,"Priscilla said.


    "He can''t rest here!"Ed objected,"we''re in the middle of the Forbidden Forest!"


    "Let''s get him to the Hospital Wing,"Amelia said.


    "No! We need to go to the Ministry of Magic,"Max said.


    "How!? That''s all the way in London?"Amelia was the first to object.


    That was when the Carrow parents showed up.

 The Trial

    The Trial:


    While the others had been rescuing Antonius and Max from the Ritual Caves, I had spent the night in Azkaban.


    The next morning, I was to be interrogated; but the curse of silence stayed with me, and I was unable to speak.


    I was left in a room for a long time. I heard people muttering things and whispering them outside the door.


    Then, finally, the door opened slightly, and I heard someone saying,"yes, she was found, covered in blood, attempting to burn down the Forbidden Forest!"


    "Whose blood was it?"a voice asked.


    "Our tests revealed some very baffling results,"the other person answered,"we tested multiple times, but it seems to be Basilisk blood!"


    "Basilisk blood!"the other person responded,"well, then let''s find out what in the world has been going on!"


    The person that entered the room was none other than the Head of Magical Law Enforcement himself, Harry Potter! He was followed by a short witch dressed in yellow and purple.


    Mr Potter sat down in front of me. If I had not been overwhelmed by grief, and unable to speak, my reaction would have been very different; but I just sat there in misery, tears pouring down my face.


    "So, we''d like to ask you some questions related to the circumstances of Kenneth Brass'' murder,"Mr Potter said,"according to the auror that first arrived on the scene, you claimed ''I didn''t'' in response to his question concerning the scene of the crime. This is despite the fact that you were holding the wand when he found you, Brass had been dead barely one minute, and the last spell cast from your wand was the killing curse."


    I was expecting him to mention Max''s murder as well, but they didn''t seem to know about that. I supposed he was still lying dead outside Silas'' cave, undiscovered. I tried speaking again, but still my voice was silent.


    "It''s no use pretending you can''t talk, Miss Carrow,"Mr Potter said, sternly, then he continued,"you then went on to escape from the tower room in which you were imprisoned in Hogwarts; somehow retrieved your wand, though you don''t have it with you now - then absconded into the Forbidden Forest, with, we assume, a student named Antonius Parkinson. Is this correct?"


    I couldn''t tell him of course. I could hardly bare to think about it. Antonius would be dead now, having died a slow, horrible death alone in the darkness. I felt a fresh cascade of tears pouring down my cheeks. I wished he had not rescued me, and I had died instead - then he and Max would both still be alive.


    "You have nothing to say at all,"Mr Potter went on,"if you can''t speak, then you can write, can''t you?"


    He gave me some paper and a pen, and I tried to write ''the curse is Vocalis Silentium'', but when Mr Potter tried to read it, he simply sighed and muttered,"I don''t have time for games like these."


    I hadn''t written it in the Enchanted Runes, I''d written it in plain English, but it seemed he could not read it.


    He stared at it again, then said,"unless..."he waved his wand, and I flinched instinctively.


    "Finite Incantatum!"


    Still I could not speak.


    "You have no excuse to pretend now, Miss Carrow, if you are under any enchantment that stops your communication, it will be gone,"Mr Potter said.


    But it was not gone.


    "If you have nothing to say, then I must remind you that all evidence of this crime points directly to you being the perpetrator,"Mr Potter continued.


    There was a knock at the door. The short witch opened it. There was whispering, then Mr Potter nodded at the witch and stood up.


    The door opened fully, and Ed walked in! He was the last person I was expecting to see. Was this a dream? Well, if this was a dream, then hopefully everything else was just a horrible nightmare.


    "Finite Incantatum!"Ed said, waving his wand.


    He must have some special permission to use magic here...


    "Ed?"I said, and I heard myself saying it.


    I could speak again?


    Ed left the room. Mr Potter and the witch began whispering to each other.


    "I didn''t kill Kenneth Brass! Silas Warren killed him!"I said.


    "So, you''re suddenly able to speak now that you''ve seen your brother,"Mr Potter said, looking at me with suspicion.


    "Silas cast a spell at me that prevented me from speaking,"I said,"it was ''Vocalis Silentium'' - and he''s killed Antonius Parkinson in a ritual human sacrifice! He killed Max Castellanos too! If you go back to the place I was found, you''ll find Max and you''ll find Antonius if you can get into the cave that Silas sealed. But it''s too late!"


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    I burst into tears.


    I didn''t hear the first words he said next, but I did hear something repeated more than once,"Antonius Parkinson and Max Castellanos are both alive."


    How could this be true?


    I looked up,"they''re alive?"I said, almost in a whisper.


    "Castellanos claims that Warren did, in fact, fire the killing curse at him, but he dodged out of the way,"Mr Potter explained,"he claims he pretended to be dead, then went into the cave to stop the ritual. He is alive and well, and Parkinson is also alive. He is in St Mungo''s, but he is expected to make a full recovery."


    I suddenly felt I was raised from the deepest pit of despair to the highest peak of joy, and this time it was not a curse that rendered me silent!


    Finally,"they''re alive,"I managed to say.


    "The things they claimed were so unbelievable, that they agreed to take Veritaserum,"Mr Potter went on,"you have that option too, of course."


    I agreed, and afterwards was able to explain everything I knew.


    "Have you caught Silas Warren?"I asked, eventually.


    "He''s nowhere to be found, at present,"Mr Potter responded,"he was last seen being chased by a herd of centaurs, who claim that he disappeared while they were persuing him. However, back to the subject in hand, due to the severity of the charges laid against you, you will still be put on trial; but in light of the new evidence we have, it is likely you will be free to go by the end of the day. So there is no need for you to worry. However, there is one more thing that I would like to ask. How is it that you were found covered in Basilisk blood?"


    "That''s because I had to kill one,"I answered.


    "How did you manage to kill it without using magic?"Mr Potter asked, looking surprised.


    "With a sword,"I responded,"a sword Max brought to me. We both fought it. I couldn''t have done it without him. You''ll probably still find the dead Basilisk lying in the Forbidden Forest, not far from standing stones, and a group of caves full of animals bones - that''s where the Basilisk lived. Silas controlled it."


    "So, you''re telling me Silas Warren can speak Parceltongue?"Mr Potter said, looking at me skeptically.


    "I know it sounds ridiculous,"I answered,"but I did just take Veritaserum in front of you, and what I''m saying is true!"


    The trial happened. A real one.


    Like in the interrogation, I was asked questions. Antonius was too unwell to be present as a witness, though his statement was used. Then Max was called as a witness. My heart leapt when I saw him. Hearing that he was still alive was something, but actually seeing him dispelled all of the doubts and fears that and been creeping around in the back of my mind.


    Then... I was free to go. Cleared of the charge of murder - and somewhat cleared, well, no, not exactly cleared, of the charge of ''absconding from justice'' (technically I was kidnapped and kept prisoner in a cave guarded by a Basilisk) which received an undecided vote at the end of the trial. So it was ruled that the school should decide what was to be done about that.


    Worst case scenario, I get expelled. I''m hoping I just get detention...


    My parents, siblings and Max were all waiting for me afterwards.


    They all tried to share their sides of the story at the same time.


    "I managed to dodge the death curse before Silas even got a chance to fire it,"Max was saying,"I knew he''d do something like that, the moment I saw him, it wasn''t even a second that it missed me by, I bet it was half a second! I pretended to be dead because I knew he''d finish me off if he knew I wasn''t. Then I snook in the cave while he was distracted, but got trapped in there!"


    "Suddenly I got woken up by this really bright light in the dormitory!"Anita was saying.


    "Cathy! Is it true you killed a Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor?"Lotty was interrupting.


    I told the others I would like to hear their stories, one at a time, later on.


    "How did Ed manage to break the enchantment that stopped me from speaking?"I asked, remembering something I hadn''t been able to understand,"when he suddenly came into the interrogation room, I started to think I was dreaming."


    "That was the Sivril,"Anita said.


    "We asked the Sivril what would be the best thing to help you,"Lotty said,"and it said to send me or Ed in to see you. We decided it would be better if Ed went."


    "I had heard that you were refusing to speak,"Ed said,"I guessed there was an enchantment. Wonder why they didn''t think of that?"


    "They did think of it,"I said,"but they were unable to break it - but you were. Wait a minute... did you say the Sivril said to send either Lotty or Ed specifically? No one else?"


    "Yes,"Anita said.


    I realised the spell Silas has used on me must not have been any ordinary spell, it had been strengthened by the same same enchantment as the one on the Foxhole Chamber and the ancient rune language. He likely wouldn''t have known about Lotty and Ed being in there, even if he had worked out that I had been in there. If it hadn''t been for Ed breaking the spell, I could have remained cursed by that enchantment for who knows how long...


    27th August:


    It has now been a year since I started writing in this diary. I''m 17 now. I will be returning to Hogwarts for my final year, this September. I''m writing this now in the field outside the garden, lying down in the long grass. Oliver has come to live at my home. He said things had gotten quite hostile after the snakes of the Forbidden Forest discovered he''d been working against Silas, and helping me instead.


    He''s very happy here, he says there are plenty of newts down in the village pond. Right now, he''s crawling around in the grass, eating any spiders that have the audacity to come near me. I can still talk to him, but him alone, out of all snakes.


    Antonius and Dominic are both living with us for the holidays. Antonius recovered from the poison after a few days, he is a lot better now. I will never forget what he did for me.


    Max is going to visit us later today. He and Antonius are friends now. Jared says he''s going to teach Max how to properly use a sword, in case he ever has to use the Sword of Gryffindor again.


    I can hear Lotty and Anita racing each other on their broomsticks.


    A strange flash of multicoloured light just came from Ed''s window. He''s experimenting in his room, as usual. One good thing about being in an all-magic family, is the Trace can''t always tell when underage magic is happening outside of Hogwarts - or at least, parental supervision. Though there was one time when he almost accidentally blew up the house...


    As for the Sivrils; we snook out at midnight under a full moon, when we were back home, during these holidays. Lotty''s Sivril opened with a silver light. It takes you back into memories of important things that happened in the past - in the location that it is.


    At first, we thought we were able to travel back in time, but then we discovered we were just observers. It was a memory, and we had no impact, whatsoever, on our surroundings. Already it has taken us back into the memory of knights riding on their way to battle through a small pine woods near our house; in the memory, it was part of a huge forest.


    It took us into the memory of our house, when it was first being built. While digging the foundations, a Victorian builder unearthed a pot of old gold coins.


    We wonder what memories it will take us into when we bring it back with us to Hogwarts.


    As for Silas, we don''t know what has happened to him. He is on the run. Out there. Somewhere.


    Now that people know who he really is, he won''t be as powerful as before. I know he is still incredibly powerful and I know he will come back to haunt us some day. I just don''t know when.


    I have to be prepared at all times.