Revelations and Romance

Revelations and Romance chapter 16/25

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16: The Betrayed

March 11th, Potions class

Last chapter ended with:

Following an accident in Potions, Malfoy has to jump up onto his desk to avoid a cauldron spilling potion on his shoes. Everyone else finds this amusing.

Malfoy glared round the class, and decided to pick on Harry, who was laughing more than most. Malfoy snapped, 'And you can just drop dead, Potter!'

Harry collapsed on the floor. Ron put his hand over his mouth, hoping to look aghast rather than amused. Seamus did his best not to laugh, recognising the same trick as Harry had pulled on Trelawney.

Hermione, though, knelt beside Harry and felt for his pulse. When she looked up at Ron, he saw from her expression that she wasn't joking as she said, 'His pulse has almost stopped. Ron, I think he really is dying!'

---

Professor Grubbly-Plank hurried over to check Hermione's claim. A quick charm, and a wave of her wand over Harry, and she turned pale. She levitated Harry, and said quickly, 'Clear all your things away, this lesson is at an end.' She hurried out of the Potions dungeon, Harry floating ahead of her. Ron and Hermione followed her.

Everyone was now glaring at Malfoy, except Crabbe and Goyle, who just looked bewildered. 'Death Eater boy!' snapped Blaise.

'I didn't do anything! I didn't even have my wand out -- you all saw that -- I just yelled at him, and he collapsed,' said Malfoy desperately. 'It was a coincidence!'

He looked around. Nobody appeared to believe him. Blaise's wand was pointing at Malfoy. 'We're not stupid. That wasn't a coincidence. Stupefy!' Malfoy collapsed to the floor unconscious.

'You two, don't move!' Terry Nott snapped at Crabbe and Goyle. 'Blaise, you can't just go around Stunning people -- I'm the Prefect!'

'Sorry, Mr Prefect. You should have been faster. Or were you going to wait until he cursed a few more people? Same for you, Pansy. You should both have been faster -- Malfoy's already got one of the four Prefects in this class.'

'We'd better get our stuff cleared away,' said Seamus. He looked at his watch. 'Twenty minutes to Herbology.' He started to put Harry's ingredients away in his bag. Dean, Lavender and Parvati joined him with Ron and Hermione's bags, then they did their own.

'I'll take these to the hospital wing,' said Lavender, when she'd finished with her bag.

'We might as well all go,' said Dean, checking his watch.

*

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey had finished checking Harry, who was lying, still unconscious, on one of the beds. She cast some healing charms, and told them, 'He's stable, at least. I don't know what sort of curse that was, but it was a really nasty one. It's as severe as if it's been working on him over a couple of months.'

'It's certainly not one I've ever seen used,' said the Professor. 'Malfoy didn't even touch his wand to cast it.'

'He's not really dying, then?' asked Hermione, looking at Harry's still form.

'Not now. But if you'd had to carry him, rather than levitating him, you might have been too late,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'I could probably revive him, but that's not a good idea just now. He needs to rest and recover his strength, so it's best if he's allowed to sleep. I've put a Sleep Charm on him, ready for when he'd otherwise wake.'

'All right,' said Hermione, still not taking her eyes off Harry. 'As long as it means he's getting better, and not dying.' Ron hugged her.

'I have a second year Potions class to teach,' said Professor Grubbly-Plank. 'I will leave him in your hands, Poppy. Will you be needing any more remedies and restoratives?'

'Not for Mr Potter, but another cauldron of Pepperup would be appreciated. I'll give him some now, to help him.'

Professor Grubbly-Plank left, just as the other Gryffindors arrived. 'Here's your bags and stuff,' said Seamus, putting them against the wall. 'How is he?'

'Thanks,' said Hermione, not looking round.

Ron told the other four what they knew.

'"A really nasty curse"? I don't know how Malfoy did it, but it must have been him,' said Dean. He told Ron and Hermione how even the Slytherins had turned on Malfoy. 'They've dragged him off to McCardle so she can do something with him.'

'Good. I don't think I'm in the right mood for Herbology or duelling class -- can you tell them where we are?' asked Ron.

'Sure, no problem,' said Seamus. 'But are you sure you want to miss duelling?'

Ron nodded. 'What good is it? Harry's one of the two best duellers in our year, and look at him now. It didn't stop Malfoy cursing him.'

'One of the two best in Gryffindor, anyway,' said Parvati.

'Oh? How many other fifth-years are being taught by Dumbledore himself?'

'None that I've heard about. OK, so it's just him and Hermione,' said Lavender. 'But you're right, it still didn't help him.'

'Hermione ...' said Parvati hesitantly. 'I want to apologise for taking your duelling notes. Lavender said you had to write out a second set after she took them earlier. The duel was stupid, we shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry. I've just put the notes back in your bag.'

'It doesn't matter. Don't worry about it,' said Hermione, still not looking round at the others. 'Wait! Did you say the Slytherins took Malfoy to McCardle? In her Dark Arts class?' She finally looked away from Harry and at the others.

'Yes. Why? They're probably going to wait for the end of the lesson, if you're worrying about that,' Dean answered. There was someone running along the corridor outside.

'What does it matter if they interrupt her class, anyway?' asked Ron.

'It'll be Ginny's class. She does Dark Arts when we do Potions on a Friday,' Hermione told him.

'Oh, no. She can't find out that way,' he began, but the door burst open and Ginny entered, red-faced and out of breath.

'He's stable,' said Hermione before Ginny could ask anything. 'He just needs to sleep.'

Ginny nodded, and sat on one of the empty beds to get her breath back.

'We'd better be going to Herbology. We'll see you later,' said Seamus.

'You've got another lesson too,' Ron told Ginny.

'So have you,' she managed to retort. Ron nodded, and didn't press the point. She'd recovered her breath by the time the next visitor arrived, and had heard the full version of what had happened.

Professor Dumbledore entered, and spoke to Madam Pomfrey, then came over and sat on one of the chairs that were now around Harry's bed. 'From what Professor Grubbly-Plank has told me, there seems little doubt that Mr Malfoy was, somehow, responsible for this curse, just as he was for the curse on Mr Creevey. I do not understand the boy.'

'He's had so many warnings, he probably doesn't think he's going to have anything worse than a detention,' suggested Hermione.

'Perhaps. Well, I have not given him a detention. There is a train to King's Cross in fifteen minutes. He has been suspended for the remainder of this term, at the very least, and will be on that train. Mr Filch has been told to make sure of that, and Mr Malfoy's wand is at present in my office, where it will stay.'

'I thought wands got snapped in half for expulsion,' said Ron, disappointed. 'The rest of the term -- that's only two weeks! And he might be back after the Easter holiday?'

'They do -- for an expulsion. However, as yet this is merely a suspension, so he may return then. There are reasons why I would prefer not to have to expel him.'

'Because if you do, he'll go to Durmstrang instead and learn Dark Arts instead of Defence against it,' said Hermione absently. She was taking Harry's pulse again to reassure herself.

'Well, since you have guessed as much, I see little point in denying it.'

'So you're trying to stop him becoming a Death Eater like his father?' asked Ginny.

'This is not to become public knowledge, do you understand? Even Mr Malfoy is not to know.'

The three of them agreed. 'Not that we'd tell him anything polite, anyway,' added Ron.

When the last lesson of the day ended, a swarm of visitors descended on the hospital wing. The Quidditch team and reserve team arrived en masse to find out what had happened, and to find out how Harry was. Only Dean was missing, as he had gone to his DADA class. Most of the Hufflepuff team also visited to express their concern. Madam Pomfrey shooed them all outside into the corridor, so that she had room to move.

'You'll still be able to borrow his broom, if that's what you're worried about,' said Ron.

Jenny Saint's face reddened. 'That is not why we're here! Whether we can borrow it or not, it's the gesture that counts, and we all want him to get better.'

'Ron, that was uncalled for,' Hermione rebuked him.

'Sorry. So it's you and Lorelei who'll be flying the Firebolts?' he asked, hoping a more neutral subject would calm Jenny.

'No, I'm a Beater. Hannah's our most experienced Chaser, so she'll be flying the other one.'

'Where is Hannah?' asked Ron. Neither she nor Ernie were present. 'Oh! Sorry -- she's got duelling class now. I should have remembered.'

Once the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams had left, a tearful face peered cautiously around the corner. 'Is it all right if I come in?' asked Raine.

'Of course you can,' said Ginny. 'Just because Malfoy's in Slytherin too doesn't mean you can't visit Harry. Have you been hiding there?'

Raine hugged Ginny, and the four of them went back in to look at Harry. Ginny hadn't shed a tear so far, as the shock of overhearing what had happened and her rush to the hospital wing had been followed immediately by Hermione's reassurance. Raine seemed to have cried enough for all of them, though. They told her how Harry was -- all three could have recited it in their sleep by now.

'I thought it was just the Imperius Curse he was having trouble with,' said Raine, looking at Harry sleeping. 'I hope he's safe in here.'

'How did you hear about that? Does Lavender gossip about everything?' asked Ginny.

'Pretty much everything, yes. Oh, Harry.' Raine sounded as though she was about to start crying again. 'I wish that bastard of a Dark Lord had died forever when he attacked Harry that first time. Look at him, lying there. It's because of him that my parents have been safe all these years, and now they're in danger again, and so's he. I wish I knew where Voldemort was hiding. I'm sorry, Ginny; I'm really sorry this happened to him.'

Ron looked at her in surprise. He'd never heard any pupil other than Harry and Hermione say that name, and he wasn't expecting it from Raine.

'I don't suppose you've heard anything about what sort of curse Malfoy could have used,' said Ron.

'Just because she's in that house, doesn't mean she's an expert on curses, Ron!' said Ginny.

'How about being the daughter of the head Auror? Your dad is that Mr Dunsmuir, isn't he?' asked Ron.

Raine smiled and nodded. 'There's a curse that can weaken people's minds -- it lowers their will-power, so that they can't resist Imperius.'

'McCardle and Dumbledore both mentioned curses like that,' said Hermione. 'But Dumbledore used an advanced Analysis Charm on Harry, and it didn't show up anything like that.'

'What?' Raine stared at her in disbelief. 'How can it not have detected a charm like that?'

'Maybe because You-Know-Who used something different,' suggested Ron.

'Maybe,' agreed Raine. 'I know that the curse I heard about has side-effects. As well as the will, it weakens the victim's emotional control, and it also makes them very suspicious and cruel.' She looked at Harry again. 'If it lasts long enough, they'll agree to anything -- even what Malfoy said. I'm not going to repeat that near him, just in case.'

'Harry has been unusually suspicious -- he even accused Hermione,' said Ron.

Hermione said, 'I suppose that could explain how Malfoy cursed him without a wand.'

'Look, Dad says if you suspect a curse, and there's nothing you can detect on the person, you look near the affected part for a cursed item,' said Raine. 'So, if you can't aim your wand properly, check for cursed rings, and that sort of thing.'

'I can't imagine Harry wearing an earring,' said Hermione, looking at him again, and smiling at the thought.

'It wouldn't have to be a ring!' said Raine impatiently. 'What about that headband he's wearing? Did Dumbledore forget to check that?'

'Flitwick checked it when Harry first got it,' said Ron. 'There wasn't anything wrong with it.'

'Maybe he should check it again, then. Something's obviously wrong, and an anonymous gift that just happens to wrap round his head has to be suspicious. We should at least take it off him now, in case.'

'All right, we'll tell him you suggested that,' said Ginny. Harry's headband was on the table with his glasses, where Madam Pomfrey had left them.

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office. 'Come on, it's dinner time. You must be hungry.'

'OK. I'll see you later, Ginny,' said Raine. As she reached the door, she turned and repeated, 'I'm really sorry all this has happened.'

'I'm not hungry,' said Ginny. Ron and Hermione weren't either, and they just stayed by Harry's bedside. They knew they weren't helping him, but they all felt they couldn't just leave him there.

After dinner, more visitors arrived, including the other fifth-year Gryffindors and Hannah and Ernie. Dumbledore also returned, and was told Raine's suggestion. He reluctantly tested the headband, but was surprised by the results.

'Did you say that Professor Flitwick has already examined this?'

'Yes, Harry asked him to as soon as he got it. I thought he was worrying about nothing,' said Ron.

'Miss Dunsmuir's idea was correct. This headband is indeed cursed. Miss Granger, you were present when I used an Analysis Charm unsuccessfully. Do you recall if he was wearing the headband then?'

'He usually did -- no! He'd lent it to Dennis. That's how Malfoy cursed Dennis.'

'I should have realised,' said Dumbledore, frowning. 'You even told me that Mr Creevey was wearing Harry's headband. I thought it was merely something that was used to target the curse, not that it was itself cursed. How long did Mr Creevey wear this?'

'One week -- from one training session to the next,' said Ron.

'He should be all right, with so short an exposure. I will check on him, however.'

'Why didn't your Analysis Charm show the headband's effects, even though Harry wasn't wearing it?' asked Ginny.

'I only tested for directly-cast spells. If I had checked for indirect charms, the results would have been affected by the charms on his Firebolt and any spell cast recently through his own wand. It would have been almost impossible to find one charm among so many. But I should have realised he was not wearing the headband.' Dumbledore left the room, the headband in his hand.

Ginny closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. 'It's my fault. It's all my fault.' From the sound of her voice, she was finally giving in to tears. Ron and Hermione went over to her, and hugged her.

'How can it be anything to do with you?' asked Ron. 'You're just being silly.'

'I told him he looked good in it, and that he should wear it all the time. If I hadn't told him that, he'd only have worn it for Quidditch -- and it wouldn't have had much effect.'

'But you didn't know,' said Hermione gently. 'You were just saying the truth about what you thought of it.'

'We could get him another headband, a nice innocent one, when he's better,' suggested Ron.

'That might not be too tactful,' Hermione pointed out.

'Well, I'll ask him first. At least we know now why he can't resist Imperius, so that should get cured,' Ron said.

'I wish Raine had been suspicious of the headband earlier,' said Ginny, wiping her eyes.

'She was,' said Hermione. 'Don't you remember, the first time she saw it, she worried that it might be from You-Know-Who, and it might be cursed?'

'She was right,' said Ron, amazed. 'I'd forgotten about that. I suppose she has to be paranoid, with her father being an Auror. There must be some Slytherins that'd try to get at him by hurting her.'

*

Ron, Hermione and Ginny spent sleepless nights in their dormitories. In the morning, they visited the hospital wing to check on Harry before they had any breakfast.

'He's still stable, and I still want him to sleep. It is now my spell keeping him asleep, not the curse,' Madam Pomfrey told them. 'I suppose, as it's Saturday, you'll be wanting to spend most of the day here.'

'Can't we?' asked Ginny.

'He's not likely to wake, and you might be in the way if other patients arrive.'

'I'd feel better just for being here with him, though,' said Ginny. Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement.

'Well,' said Pomfrey reluctantly, 'why not check on him after each meal -- you're not going to be able to spend all day with him when you've got classes, are you?'

They came back after breakfast, and found Raine sitting there looking at Harry, who Madam Pomfrey was again checking. They greeted Raine, and Ginny told her how they wished they'd taken her suspicions more seriously.

'But you told me then that Professor Flitwick had checked it,' she reminded them. 'It should have been safe -- then, at least.'

'I wonder if Dumbledore's found out what happened about that,' said Ron.

'I've heard nothing,' said Madam Pomfrey. 'I have other work to do, so I'll leave you with him. You'll like to know that he's still stable, and slowly recovering.' She went into her office to start ladling the new cauldron of Pepperup into small bottles.

The pupils sat beside Harry's bed in silence. They'd said everything relevant the day before. To break the silence, Ron said to Raine. 'Ginny told us you're a big help to her in Potions, and you're one of the top pupils in the class.'

Raine frowned. 'I'm second in the class, but I don't help Ginny much. Did you really tell them that?'

'Something like that,' said Ginny evasively.

'You don't? I thought you would,' said Ron.

'Well, I would, if she needed any help. How modest are you, Ginny?'

Ginny pulled a face at Raine instead of answering.

'Does that mean you're top of the class, Ginny?' Hermione asked.

'She's top in all our classes. Didn't she ever tell you?'

'No, she didn't!' said Ron. 'I'd no idea.'

'What do you expect?' demanded Ginny. 'Even before I started here, it was all "Perfect Percy, top of all his classes", and you and the twins complaining about having two Head Boys in the family. Hermione's top of the class in everything, and you'd hardly want to hear that I am too, you seem to think I've got to be your little sister forever and never get anywhere.'

Ron looked at her in surprise. 'Did you really think that? You're nothing like Percy -- I don't think anyone would complain if you'd just told us how good your marks were.'

'Well, they are good, and she deserves them,' said Raine.

'No, I don't,' said Ginny, quieter now after her outburst. She looked at Harry. 'If I hadn't told him I thought he looked so good in that headband that he should wear it all the time, he probably wouldn't have. It's my fault he nearly died, just like Hermione. It'll be Ron next.'

Before Raine could ask what Ginny meant, Hermione said, 'That's got nothing to do with the marks you get, and it's my fault, too. I was thinking about it last night when I couldn't get to sleep.'

'Oh, stop this!' said Ron. 'It's Malfoy's fault, and You-Know-Who's -- and nobody else's! Malfoy must have sent that headband, and that's why he knew he could curse Harry. But he let himself get annoyed, so he gave himself away in front of us all.'

'I don't think it was Malfoy,' said Raine. 'I don't like him, but I don't want to blame him for this. Look -- I've got to go. Don't blame yourselves, because it wasn't your fault, was it?' She left, looking back at Harry once.

'The only reason she's got to go is because she can't stand you two blaming yourselves,' said Ron.

'Ron, when Harry got back from spending Christmas with Sirius, he told us how worried he was that I might be attacked,' Hermione reminded him.

'But he doesn't have to worry about that now,' said Ginny.

'No, but I think he was so worried about me that he didn't realise what was happening to him. Ron and I didn't realise either, because we were too busy sneaking off to make love and trying to stop people finding out, so we weren't paying attention. So it's my fault for two reasons.'

'Then it's my fault for two reasons, too,' said Ginny. 'Not just because of what I told him, but because I didn't have anyone else to stop me paying attention to Harry. I just thought he was so suspicious because -- well, because You-Know-Who always is plotting against him.'

'But you haven't spent the last four and a half years with him, every day,' Ron pointed out. 'It's only recently you got brave enough to tell Harry how you felt, and spend so much time with him.'

'Then it's my fault for not being brave.'

'Why did we care so much about people finding out?' asked Hermione. 'Did it really matter more than Harry's life? Are we that selfish? Half the fifth year and above are probably making love anyway, so why did we think we were anything special?'

'I don't know,' said Ron quietly. 'But I'd still rather people didn't know. The twins would find some way of turning it into one of their pranks.'

'So, just get them back,' said Ginny. 'You know what room they go to with their girlfriends, and they can't get into the Prefect bathroom to do anything to mess you up, can they?'

Ron laughed. 'No, they can't. Even if they find out we've been going there.'

'You'd only have to leave the door of their favourite room unlocked, and watch how paranoid they got, hiding under Harry's Cloak,' Ginny suggested. She looked at Harry. 'Wait until he can enjoy watching them, though.'

The three of them sat in silence for a while, then Ginny suddenly remembered something. 'Harry's bag is still over by the wall. Do you think his Divination notes are still in there?'

'They might be,' said Ron. 'Why? Do you want to see if you get the same cards again?'

'Not quite, no.'

Ron looked quickly through the parchments in Harry's bag, and handed her the Divination notes. Ginny took a folded cloth from her pocket, and unwrapped it to reveal the Tarot cards. She looked at the notes, and found the same seven cards she'd drawn before. She laid them out on Harry's blanket, in the same horseshoe pattern she'd used before.

'That's cheating,' said Hermione. 'What are you trying to do, anyway?'

'I want to get more information from the cards,' replied Ginny, shuffling the cards while she looked at Harry. She dealt out three cards beside the King of Wands. 'Oh. I forgot to bring my book with me. Is Harry's in there too, Ron?'

Ron looked in the bag and passed her the book. She had found the chapter she was looking for. 'This is extra information about his obstacle. The first card was probably You-Know-Who. So, the Emperor reversed is his past -- "tyrannical attitudes and abuse of power" ...'

'That sounds right,' said Ron, looking over at Hermione, whose expression obviously showed she thought this was a waste of time.

'His present is the Ten of Wands, also reversed -- "subversion and hidden enemies". Do you think Malfoy is the hidden enemy?'

'He's not very well hidden, if so,' said Ron. 'Now, if it was someone like Blaise, maybe.'

'Seamus said Blaise Stunned Malfoy. I suppose that was to stop him cursing anyone else, and not to hide who'd really cast the curse?' Hermione wondered.

'I thought you didn't believe in this? Anyway, even Harry was only suspicious of Blaise because of the headband,' Ron reminded her.

'I don't believe the cards "know" anything. They just focus your thoughts on a problem, and the random cards make you think about different ideas,' replied Hermione.

'You-Know-Who's future is the Tower, reversed again, which means "false accusations, imprisonment and oppression". Imprisonment sounds good. I wonder what the false accusations are?' Ginny continued.

'That must be suspecting Blaise,' said Ron, grinning at Hermione.

'I'm going to try more information about the other people card.' Ginny dealt three more cards next to the Page of Wands. They were the Lovers, the Two of Swords, and the Five of Wands, all reversed.

'I think Harry's right, and you have got the deck upside down,' Hermione commented.

Ginny pulled a face at her, and read, 'The past is "unhappy love affair, emotional loss" which might be his parents' deaths, I suppose.'

'It had better not be anything to do with you,' said Ron.

'Yeah, not until I'm sixty. I know. The present is "betrayal by someone you trust".' She looked uneasily at the other two. 'He doesn't trust Malfoy, does he?'

'That's definitely not Malfoy,' said Ron. 'You know, if these cards are right, you're almost clearing Malfoy of blame here.'

The door opened behind them, but none of them noticed.

'I don't think even a wizarding court would accept a Tarot reading as evidence,' said Hermione. 'You don't seriously think it was Blaise, do you?'

Ginny giggled. 'Keep arguing. The future card means "danger of far-reaching deception, quarrels". Now do you believe it?'

'No,' said Hermione.

'It's too close to be wrong, though,' said Ron. 'Are you going to do any more?'

'I think I'll look into the last one, the Death card.' She dealt out the Six of Cups, the Ten of Clubs and the Wheel of Fortune. 'Oh look, the Ten isn't reversed. That's two cards so far that aren't.'

'What do they mean, then? asked Ron.

'Well, the Death card was the eventual outcome, and I don't know how that can have a past. But this says "bad memories; old, unresolved pain". Maybe it's his parents again? Then the present is "betrayed, lost, loveless".' She looked at the others. 'He'll never be loveless, though, will he?' Both shook their heads. 'It's right about him being betrayed, though. And the future's future is "bad luck, unpleasant surprises".' She looked at Harry. 'That sounds more like the present.'

'Tarot cards can be difficult to interpret, even for those who have had much more experience,' said Dumbledore. They all jumped.

'We didn't hear you come in,' said Hermione.

'I realised as much.'

Ginny asked Ron for a blank parchment and a quill, and copied down the original layout and the extra cards, so that she could look at them again later, then wrapped the cards again and put them back into her pocket.

Madam Pomfrey came out of her office, having noticed the headmaster's arrival. 'I don't think he should be woken before Friday at the earliest.'

'We will have to delay the investigation of the Chamber, then,' he said. 'I had hoped he would be conscious and able to recite the two known phrases, so that we would at least be able to enter the Chamber.'

'I'm sorry, Headmaster. The boy needs sleep to recover. If we wake him even for something that simple, he may take much longer to recover.' She returned to her office.

Ginny bit her lip. 'You have to look at it as soon as possible, don't you?'

'Ginny, don't!' said Ron.

Dumbledore frowned at Ron's strange reaction. 'Yes, either to learn the worst or to set our minds at rest.'

Ginny sighed. 'I'll go down there with you.'

'Ginny!' hissed Ron.

'I appreciate that you probably know the Chamber better than anyone except Lord Voldemort himself, but we cannot enter without Harry's rare gift.'

Hermione put her hand over Ron's mouth. 'Let her talk.'

'If he is down there, he might attack Harry again,' said Ginny. 'We can't let him. I can't let him.' She leant forward and touched Harry's scar. 'Harry's a Parselmouth because Riddle gave him that scar.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'But it is not possible to transfer that gift to another person, however much you might want to.'

'Riddle possessed me, and he had to be able to open the Chamber,' Ginny said quietly. 'It seems it was permanent; I'm a Parselmouth too.'

'Ginny! You weren't going to tell anyone!' moaned Ron.

'I have to!' she snapped at him. 'Don't be stupid!'

'That does change things. I would still prefer that you simply recite the phrases here, in safety.'

'What if Hermione's right and you need more? Professor, I've been in there five times. I can guide you all. You were going to have to take Harry into the Chamber, and you don't have a choice now.'

'How many people are going to know she's a Parselmouth at the end of all this?' asked Ron.

'As few as possible. I do not wish to cause Miss Weasley any future problems.'

'When are we going? Will I need a broomstick again?' Ginny asked.

'Shortly after lunch tomorrow, at two pm. I will levitate all of us down.'

'All right,' said Ginny, taking a deep breath.

'This is a very brave thing you are doing.'

'No it isn't,' she said. 'I want to make sure he can't attack Harry again.'

'You may protest it, but it remains a brave act. I will see you in last week's meeting room at two.' He looked at Harry. 'If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen an earlier date, but the other teachers have other tasks to do first.' He left the hospital wing.

'Ginny, are you sure you want to do this?' asked Ron.

'I'm sure I never want to see that Chamber again. But suppose it's true that You-Know-Who is in it, and cursing Harry from there? Maybe that's why Flitwick didn't find anything -- maybe it's like when Dennis was cursed from a distance, because he had the headband on.'

'If he is down there ... Ginny, you can't go! You almost died last time you went there!'

'Harry almost died yesterday,' she reminded him. 'If he's there, he can try again. Dumbledore's not going to go down there without making sure he's safe, is he? So I'll be safe too.' Ron didn't look convinced. Ginny added, 'How many times does he have to try to kill Harry before he succeeds? How many times before you agree someone needs to take the teachers down there? I'm a better choice than Harry anyway -- I've been there more often, and I remembered it all as soon as the diary was destroyed.'

'I hate this whole idea,' said Ron. 'I wish Sirius had never thought of it.'

'We have to know,' said Hermione gently. 'Harry was going to go into the Chamber with them, and you thought he'd be safe. Ginny will be just as safe.'

'Ron, I've been in there when there was a Basilisk down there, with You-Know-Who possessing me. This time will be the safest -- whatever's down there, I'll have company for the first time ever, and they're all going to be powerful wizards,' Ginny pointed out.

Ron just shook his head, clearly unconvinced.

'Did you fly down there before?' asked Hermione, to take Ron's mind off the next day. 'I suppose that was what you meant about the broomstick?'

Ginny nodded. 'The first time, Riddle didn't know if the Basilisk was still alive. After that, he just did it the same way each time.'

*

Ron, Hermione and Ginny returned to the hospital wing after lunch, to check on Harry. When the door opened again, Ron and Hermione were sitting on one side of Harry, their backs to the door, but Ginny could see the man who entered, and it wasn't anyone she recognised. The other two turned to see who she was looking at. 'Sirius!' they said together, getting to their feet.

'Oh, are you Harry's godfather?' asked Ginny.

Sirius nodded. Ron said, 'This is my sister, Ginny.'

'I've heard a few things about you, when Harry stayed with me over Christmas,' he told her. 'Or shouldn't I say that?' he asked Ron.

'Ginny's officially not his girlfriend,' said Ron. 'Even the Daily Prophet said so.'

'Of course, I remember reading that. But -- how is Harry?'

They told him, and that it had been a cursed Quidditch headband that had caused the trouble.

'Even though you'd got it checked by a teacher? Well, I can't think of anything else you could have done. Poor Harry. He's had no real peace since he was fifteen months old. I wonder if he'll ever be able to live a normal life.'

'He deserves to,' said Hermione, looking at the sleeping Harry.

'He'd better be able to,' said Ginny. 'At least, once I'm twenty-one, to make Ron shut up.'

'What?' asked Sirius.

'It's a long story,' said Hermione. 'You don't want to know, anyway.'

'OK. I've been talking to Dumbledore. He says Harry's always spent the Easter holidays at Hogwarts.'

'Yes, he has,' said Ron. 'Christmas too, until this year.'

'He thinks it would be safer if Harry stayed with me for these holidays. He should be over the worst of the curse by then.' He added hurriedly, 'Obviously, you'll be able to visit by Floo powder if you want to.'

'We know he wasn't safe here so, if Dumbledore thinks that's best for him, it's OK with me,' said Hermione. Ron and Ginny nodded.

'Poor Harry,' Sirius repeated. 'He doesn't even know I'm here, or that you are. I'm glad he's got such good friends. I'd better go and talk to Dumbledore, see if there are any special precautions I should take. Nice to meet you, Ginny, and you two again.'

*

At two pm on Sunday, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood outside Myrtle's toilet, waiting. Ginny had changed into jeans and a warm sweater. 'Either way,' she said, 'this is going to make me feel less guilty, because it's something positive.'

'Something brave, too,' said Hermione, smiling at her.

'I wish people would stop saying that. I'm being selfish -- I want Harry back, and safe.'

'"You may protest it, but it remains a brave act",' quoted Hermione. Ron shook his head, but didn't say anything.

Professor Dumbledore arrived, accompanied by Professors Flitwick, McCardle, Sinistra and Binns.

'Not Professor McGonagall?' asked Ginny.

'I think it more important that she remains here, as she is the Deputy Headmistress,' replied Dumbledore. Ron closed his eyes and shook his head.

'We might as well start, then,' said McCardle.

Ron grabbed Ginny and hugged her. 'You come back -- or I'll kill You-Know-Who myself!'

Ginny smiled, the first time she'd done so since insisting she had to guide the group.

Ginny and the five teachers entered the toilet. The door closed behind them, and Ron sank down on the floor. 'He's taking my little sister to somewhere he doesn't dare take McGonagall. She has to stay, so she can be the Headmistress when they all die down there.' He looked at Hermione, who'd crouched beside him to hug him. 'I think, that thing you quoted -- we're going to be putting it on her headstone.'

'Ron, don't. She's got five very experienced teachers with her. How much danger is she going to be in, with all of them protecting her?'

'She's got to be at the front though. She's guiding them. She has to be there at each door to open it, and be attacked by whatever's behind it.'

Hermione sat down beside him, as her knees were getting sore from crouching. 'I don't suppose you want to go and see if Harry's any better, then.'

'I'm staying here until we know. At least Myrtle and Binns can come back and tell us what happened, even if nobody else can.'

'Do you want to go inside and sit on the benches instead of this floor, then?'

'Yeah, all right. Might as well be comfortable in case it's a very long wait.'

*

The group landed gently at the bottom of the shaft, thanks to Dumbledore's levitation spell. Sinistra immediately cast Lumos. Myrtle was already down there, and smiled at them. Ginny didn't wait, but walked along the winding corridor to where Ron's wand had brought down the rocks. 'Can you all get through this?'

Flitwick uttered a charm, and the stones moved out of the way. 'Now, we can.'

'Those bits of skin used to be a whole cast-off skin,' said Ginny.

The group continued to make its way along the corridor, which turned several times. 'Should we be drawing a map of this?' asked McCardle.

'Does it matter?' asked old Professor Binns, who was looking around with great interest. 'This is truly fascinating. I had believed that the Chamber was mere myth, yet here I am, in it.'

'This isn't the Chamber,' said Ginny. 'That's much bigger, beyond that door.' She pointed to a wall with two entwined serpents sculpted onto it. 'Open,' she hissed, and the serpents separated, revealing the dark Chamber itself. Dumbledore cast a brighter light spell, and the shadows withdrew. The teachers beheld the Chamber for the first time.

'This is much, much bigger,' said Sinistra, awed by it. She lowered her wand, which showed the dusty floor. Ginny could see her own and Harry's footprints in the dust, despite almost three further years of dust. Rat tracks also ran across the dust.

'Footprints -- so there has been someone here,' said McCardle.

'They're from when Harry rescued me,' said Ginny. 'It doesn't look as if anyone's used this door since, unless they didn't walk.'

'I've been here,' Myrtle pointed out. 'I didn't see anyone else.'

Flitwick's attention had been caught by the giant bones that lay across the Chamber. 'That must have been the Basilisk. Potter slew that?'

'A most impressive child,' said Sinistra. 'What worries me about the size is that it was clearly mature. Suppose it bred? How do we know that there are no younger Basilisks?'

'How could there be?' asked Ginny.

'Perhaps you should take my class, Stella,' said McCardle sharply. 'Basilisks do not breed, they have to be made. Voldemort may have tried to do so, as he is certainly beyond the control of any Ministry Inspectors, and he is one of the few people who could control them. But I do not believe that he could successfully make one here. Even they need light to thrive as hatchlings. Nor do I believe he could have made a Basilisk and brought it across country to this Chamber without being seen.'

'Suppose there's an entrance in the Forest, and he made one there?' asked Sinistra. The others looked around uneasily.

'We are fortunate that Ginny survived her ordeal and gained the ability to speak to them,' said Flitwick. 'We may need that.' He looked around nervously.

Dumbledore had told them that was how she became a Parselmouth, to avoid them guessing the truth, or that she'd been there more than once.

Dumbledore said, 'Vincent, Miss Green, please check for any Basilisks -- but be careful. You are not immune to their effects.'

The two ghosts nodded, and flew off to the sides, looking cautiously around them. They soon returned. 'I couldn't see anything, sir,' said Myrtle. Binns agreed.

The group headed deeper into the Chamber, towards the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin, making their way around the giant bones, although Myrtle flew through them and looked out of the skull's eye sockets, almost as though relishing the death of the creature that had killed her.

Ginny pointed to the statue. 'The Basilisk came out of its mouth. I don't know what's behind there; I only came this far before.' She looked round at the others. 'But it's got to be big enough for something that large to live in. Should I open it now?'

'Miss Green, did you investigate past this point?' asked Dumbledore.

'I didn't know there was anything behind the statue,' said Myrtle. 'Do you want me to look now?'

'Yes, please. Be careful.'

Myrtle vanished through the statue, and returned a few moments later. 'It's big! There's a really big cave behind this. I couldn't see anything alive in there.'

'Should I open it now?' asked Ginny.

'Yes, but you will stay here while we go in. Stella, stay with her,' said Dumbledore.

'All right.' She turned to the statue and said, 'Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four.'

The mouth moved, and became a large hole into the space behind. Dumbledore levitated the group up through it. Ginny waited anxiously -- she could hear vague echoes of their voices, but not clearly enough to understand anything. Dumbledore reappeared in the opening and levitated her up to join him. 'It appears to be safe. It appears there are more exits from the cave.'

Ginny looked around with interest at the large cave. There were steps carved in the wall, leading down to the cavern floor, which had been levelled. It smelt of years of Basilisk dung, but not very strongly. She supposed that there must be insects or something getting rid of it. Flitwick was standing over to one side, by a large flat space of wall, with a snake engraved upon it. She went over to him and got there just as Myrtle emerged through the wall. 'Nobody's there again, but there's lots of things in there,' Myrtle told them. Flitwick nodded to Ginny as Myrtle glided off to another part of the cave.

'Open,' she said. Nothing happened. 'Open up.' The wall stayed shut. 'I command you to open.' Still nothing had happened. 'What could the phrase be?' she asked herself in English. 'In the name of Salazar Slytherin, open!' Finally, the wall split down the middle and they could see the glint of gold beyond. Flitwick stepped forwards into the space, and Ginny followed. This was a much smaller area, hardly larger than her dormitory. It made up for its small size by being almost filled with what looked like antique magical equipment, much of it gilded. The others came into the room.

'What is all this?' asked Ginny.

'They must be items that Slytherin stored here to prevent the other founders getting them,' opined Binns.

'They're so old, I can't even recognise them,' said Flitwick. 'Even if we can't make them work, they are of great historical interest.'

'They are indeed,' agreed Binns, who was studying the objects so closely that he was standing in them without even noticing. He seemed to be enjoying this exploration more than he'd enjoyed anything since his death, and perhaps for decades before it.

Myrtle returned. 'The other four don't have anyone behind them either. Three of them have more things, and the last one has a long tunnel. I didn't go far down that one.'

The same phrase opened the three other rooms, all of which contained more historical items.

'Why do you think there are four?' asked Ginny. 'Do you think maybe three rooms are things he stole from the other founders?'

'That is possible,' said Dumbledore. 'But unless they are marked with their owners' names, we will never be able to find out.'

The fifth of the suspected doors refused to open to any of the phrases Ginny had tried before. She looked at her watch. 'We've been down here more than two hours! Ron must think we're all dead!'

'Miss Green, would you kindly go and reassure Mr Weasley?' Myrtle nodded to Dumbledore and glided back towards the Chamber.

'Salazar Slytherin commands you to open. Umm, the greatest of the Hogwarts four demands that you open. Oh, this is hopeless. Let me out.' Finally, the entrance opened. Ginny giggled. '"Let me out"? What sort of secret phrase is that?'

'Apparently, the correct one,' observed Sinistra, stepping into the tunnel beyond the door, her wand at the ready. The others followed, including Ginny, as nobody said otherwise. They walked for about twenty minutes and then the tunnel began to slope upwards.

'Sirius's guess may well have been correct,' said Dumbledore. They walked up the gentle slope for another twenty minutes, and met a dead end, which also had a serpent carved upon it.

'Let me out,' said Ginny again. The phrase worked, and muted daylight shone in as the door opened. The group emerged. Ginny looked around, puzzled. 'Where are we? Is this the Forbidden Forest?'

'I believe that it is,' replied Dumbledore, as the door closed behind them. Ginny turned as she heard it -- the door was in a small mound, and looked from this side like simple bare earth.

'If Voldemort knows of this exit, he can enter Hogwarts without our knowing it,' said Sinistra.

'We must ensure that does not happen,' said Dumbledore. 'I would prefer not to return to the castle through the Forest. Ginny, if you would re-open the door?'

'Let me out. I mean, let me in. Oh, that's not it. I want to get into the Chamber of Secrets. What would Slytherin have said? I'm a pure-blood, let me in.' The door opened once more, and the group returned to the large cave. 'There's another snake carving,' she said, pointing to an area of the cave wall just beneath the steps up to the entrance.

'How could we have missed that?' asked Flitwick. 'What else might we have missed?'

Ginny tried the same phrases as before, but none of them worked. She looked at the carving, and saw it was of a snake wound about a cross.

'It resembles a tomb,' said Binns. Ginny fought a sudden urge to ask him if he'd ever visited his own tomb. Binns added, 'There was a verse by his supporters, written immediately after his death, entitled "I mourn for Salazar Slytherin". Perhaps that might be the phrase.'

Obediently, she echoed, 'I mourn for Salazar Slytherin,' and the entrance opened.

Dumbledore stepped in cautiously. The others followed. This room was the same size as the four storerooms, but its contents were very different. There was a marble table, on which lay an embalmed body, which Ginny recognised as being the original for the statue.

'That's Slytherin?' she asked. 'So he's been buried here under the school all these centuries?'

Dumbledore nodded. 'It would appear so. His immediate heirs must have inherited his gift and entombed him here, knowing of the Forest entrance.'

Ginny looked at the body. This was Slytherin himself? He wasn't very tall -- she'd always imagined him as a much taller man. This was the man who started all the prejudice against Muggle-borns like Hermione and Penelope? Riddle's ancestor? The man who had presumably bred the Basilisk she'd unleashed? 'He doesn't look very impressive,' she said. Flitwick laughed.

Dumbledore smiled at her. 'No, he does not. Yet, in Voldemort, his legacy lives on, continuing his prejudices, killing and terrorising so many families, so many of my former students. Miss Green was Voldemort's first victim. I hope that Cedric Diggory was his last. We will leave Slytherin's body untouched.'

Ginny looked around. 'There's enough room to put You-Know-Who in here as well. I hope that'll happen one day.' Sinistra frowned at her.

Binns nodded. 'He would doubtless appreciate such a gesture.'

'And the whole of our world would appreciate his death,' said Flitwick. 'If nobody except us knows this place exists, his tomb cannot attract the attention of his former followers. A public display to prove he's dead, then a private entombment in a place that is believed to be only legendary. That's a very good idea, Ginny.'

McCardle said, 'We'd better get back to the castle. By the time we get back, dinner will be almost over, and the students will be wondering why so many teachers are missing from the Great Hall.'

The group returned to Myrtle's toilet. Ron leapt up and hugged Ginny. 'Now we can go and have dinner,' he said. 'You were gone for hours. I'm glad Myrtle came back to tell us you were all OK, though. She said you even seemed to be having fun -- and that was a big relief.' They started walking down towards the Great Hall.

'It's very big down there.' She told them about the rooms filled with stuff, but didn't mention Slytherin's body. She thought she'd better ask Dumbledore about that before she told anyone. 'There's another entrance, too, which is much easier to use than the one we knew about. I don't think Dumbledore wants me to tell anyone where it is, though.' She realised as she said that that she had no idea how to get to the Forest entrance anyway.

After dinner, they returned to the hospital wing to see how Harry was.

'There has been little change in his condition,' Madam Pomfrey. 'I don't think I should wake him for a few days yet. Did you enjoy your afternoon?'

'No,' said Ron. 'We spent almost three hours thinking that Ginny must be dead.' Madam Pomfrey looked at him, but he didn't explain what he meant.

*

After their last class on Monday, the three of them met up in the hospital wing. Fred, George, Angelina and Lee were there too.

'How did you three manage with your homework?' asked Angelina. 'You can't have got it all done in here.'

'The teachers gave us extra time,' said Hermione. 'They were very understanding about it.'

'Trelawney doesn't even want it done later,' said Ron in disgust. 'She's delighted about Harry, she keeps saying she predicted it, and it's all come true.'

'I had her too,' said Ginny. 'I asked if I could hand in the extra Tarot reading I did for Harry, and she was quite happy about that. I got an A-plus for it.'

Angelina shook her head. 'I used to do Divination, and she doesn't sound as if she's changed.'

Ron told the seventh-years that Harry was going to be spending the holidays with his godfather. 'So you get better and have fun, Harry,' he added.

'He'd better,' said a deep voice as someone else entered the hospital wing.

'Hagrid!' exclaimed everyone.

'It's good to see you again,' said Hermione, and the others agreed.

'Yeah, I'm better. An' Harry's in here again. Everythin' happens to him, doesn' it?'

'Are you going to be teaching us again?' asked Ginny.

'Nah, not this term. Only two weeks lef', aren't there? I'm back here nex' term, though.'

'We've missed you,' said Ron.

'Harry's still sleepin', then? Oh well. I gotta go an' see Professor Dumbledore now. See yeh later, everyone.'

He turned to leave. 'Oh, hello Raine. Didn' see yeh come in.'

'Hello, Hagrid. I'm glad you're better.' She looked at the seven Gryffindors, and seemed nervous.

'This is my friend Raine,' Ginny told the seventh-years. 'You've seen her before, haven't you?'

'My little sister's got a friend in ... Slytherin?' asked Fred. He clutched his heart and collapsed carefully onto the floor.

'You insensitive thug!' snapped Raine. 'That's just about what happened to Harry, and you think it's a joke?'

'Ah, yes,' said Fred sheepishly, standing up again.

'He can be quite a sensitive thug,' said Angelina, smiling at Fred.

'Really. Harry almost died, and you just think it's a joke? How did you ever get made Head Girl, with that stupid attitude?' demanded Raine.

'We'd better go,' said George hastily. 'Come on, everyone.' The four seventh-years left, Angelina glaring at Raine.

'You might have been a little too strong,' said Hermione, ' but it's understandable.'

'Don't they even care?' Raine asked, sitting beside Ginny. 'Even if they don't care about him as Harry, they should care about the best Seeker in the school.'

'Fred's just like that, and Angelina's dating him,' explained Ginny.

Silence followed, as nobody could think of anything to say for a moment. Ron said, 'You've got one thing to be happy about -- Malfoy got suspended.'

Raine frowned. 'I know, but it was for the wrong reason. He didn't curse Harry.'

'How do you know? We weren't there,' said Ginny.

Raine hesitated. Hermione asked, 'Do you know who did curse Harry, then?'

Reluctantly, the other girl nodded. 'But don't ask me to tell you, it's too dangerous.'

'How can it be dangerous?' asked Ron.

'Look at Harry and ask that.'

'Good point,' said Ron weakly.

'I'm going to tell Dumbledore, just as soon as I've worked out how to do it safely.'

'Are you all right?' asked Ginny. 'I mean, you're not in danger from whoever it is, are you?'

'I'm hoping Dumbledore can do something,' Raine said quietly. 'If he can't, then no, I'm not all right.'

'I'm sure he'll be able to,' said Hermione reassuringly. 'If you think whoever it is might know you've spoken to him, why not tell me, and I'll tell Dumbledore?'

'I might. I'd better go and work how to do it. If Harry wakes up, tell him I was worried about him, please.' She left.

'Why doesn't she tell him herself when she visits him next time?' Ron wondered.

'You don't think that she doesn't expect to be able to see him awake, do you?' asked Hermione. 'She didn't sound very optimistic.'

'She can't think that!' said Ginny. 'If anyone threatens her, surely her dad'll do something?'

*

At lunch on Tuesday, Ginny told Ron and Hermione quietly, 'I talked to Raine after Muggle Studies, and she's still not saying who it is. She's not sure how best to tell Dumbledore. I tried to convince her it's best if she just tells him soon.'

'Yes, whoever it is has to get expelled. Won't that keep Raine safe, anyway?' asked Ron.

Ginny nodded. 'That's what I told her, but I don't think she's convinced.'

After the afternoon's lessons, Ginny joined the others in the hospital wing, where they'd spent their free period doing a bit of homework and watching Harry.

'Is he still going to be woken up on Friday?' she asked.

Ron nodded. 'Madam Pomfrey says he's slowly getting better, and he should be well enough to wake then. She doesn't think he'll be safe flying in next week's training session, though.'

Ginny looked sadly at Harry, then grinned, leant over him and kissed him. She sat back and watched, but he didn't move or show any signs of waking. 'So much for the Sleeping Beauty story,' she said.

'What were you expecting, violins and roses?' asked Hermione. 'It's not that sort of enchanted sleep, is it?'

'I suppose not,' Ginny admitted. 'I wish he'd wake up though -- as long as he's better.'

Ron changed the subject by asking, 'Do you know if Raine's told Dumbledore yet?'

'I don't think so. She looked very ... distracted, I suppose, in our Magical Creatures class. She didn't say anything, and I don't even think she heard anything Professor Kettleburn said.'

'She's got to tell him what she knows,' said Hermione, distressed. 'Suppose whoever it is knows that she knows? She won't be safe until she tells Dumbledore.'

'I know,' said Ginny. 'Fen was talking to her at lunch, because Raine told Fen she knows who it was. She's trying to convince her to tell.'

'Do you think it would help if I went to see Dumbledore with her?' asked Hermione. 'Or if we asked Angelina to go with her? She might feel better with the Head Girl or a Prefect with her.'

'I'll ask her. I don't think she'd want a Slytherin Prefect with her, but your idea might persuade her. Better you than Angelina after yesterday, though.'

'DADA tomorrow,' said Ron. 'I'd better get this homework done. This essay is going to take ages.'

'We know where Dumbledore's office is,' said Ginny hesitantly. 'Why don't we go and tell him that Raine knows who cursed Harry, and then he can ask her about it?'

'That would do Harry more good than us just sitting here,' agreed Hermione. 'Ron?'

'Oh, OK. McCardle will probably understand if I don't get this essay finished,' he said, putting away the book he'd been resting the parchment on.

'I don't suppose it'll take all that long,' said Hermione. 'There'll be plenty of time after dinner.'

The three of them went to the gargoyle statue and Hermione gave it the password. They knocked on the door at the top of the stairs, and waited for Dumbledore to tell them to come in.

'Well,' he said, once they'd entered. 'As Madam Pomfrey has said nothing to me about Harry's condition, I do not suppose this is a happy visit?'

'Raine Dunsmuir told us that she knows who cursed Harry, but she's scared of being attacked if she tells you,' said Ron in a rush.

'I see. That is most interesting. I shall have to reassure her of her safety. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.'

There seemed nothing more to say after that, and they went up to the common room, where they tried to do their homework in between speculating who had cursed Harry.

*

Ron, Hermione and Ginny all had a free period after lunch on Wednesday, and sat in the common room doing their homework, having visited Harry to check on his progress on their way back upstairs from lunch.

'Raine said she'd think about what you suggested, Hermione. She thanked us for telling Dumbledore, and says that's helped her decide how to tell him. She's going to decide this afternoon, and maybe tell Dumbledore after class,' said Ginny.

'OK. I hope she can clear this up, and put an end to all the trouble Harry's had so far,' Hermione said.

'Anyway, she knows she can find you in the hospital wing after meals, if she does want to ask you to go along with her,' said Ginny.

Ron and Hermione had DADA for the rest of the afternoon, while Ginny had Divination. After the end of the double lessons, they all returned to the hospital wing. Harry was still asleep.

'Have you seen Raine yet?' Ginny asked Hermione.

'No. I hope she decides soon.'

'All we can do is wait for her here, in case she does want Hermione's company. We can't get into her common room,' said Ron. The three of them got on with their homework, but after an hour or so, footsteps hurrying along the corridor outside the hospital wing made them look up from their homework. The Hufflepuff Quidditch team entered, carrying someone between them. Hannah, leading the way, looked as if she'd fallen in the lake, as she was dripping water onto the floor. Whoever they were carrying was also leaving a trail of water. The Gryffindors couldn't see who it was, as the six pupils carrying him or her were in the way. Hannah knocked on Madam Pomfrey's office door and she came out, gasped at the person being carried and hurriedly got the team to put her on a bed. The Gryffindors could see she had shoulder-length dark hair, but then Ernie moved and they couldn't see her.

Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione. 'What do you think happened?'

Ron was frowning. 'It looks as if Hannah fell off the Firebolt. But if all of the team are here, who else fell in?' he asked quietly, not wanting to disturb Madam Pomfrey.

Ginny shrugged. 'Could they have been holding trials? The only Hufflepuff I can think of with hair like that is Elena.'

Madam Pomfrey had finished casting some charms to stabilise the girl's condition, and was just asking if the same accident had happened to Hannah. Ernie answered, 'No, she jumped into the lake to pull the girl out.'

'Well, you'd better go and get yourself dry before you catch something. Good work, though.'

'Will she be all right?' asked Hannah.

'I don't know,' admitted Madam Pomfrey, glancing over at Harry's three visitors. 'If she is, though, it's because you got her here in time.'

'What if she isn't?' asked Lorelei.

'It sounds as though you did all you could, anyway. We'll have to wait and see.'

'We think someone pushed her in, but we didn't see anyone,' said Jenny. 'Hannah looked round when she heard the splash, and got there first, because she had the fastest broom. Well, and the fastest reflexes.'

'There is entirely too much of this happening recently,' said Madam Pomfrey. She raised her wand and cast a charm that created a small silvery ball floating before her face. To it, she said, 'Headmaster, another pupil has been attacked and is here in the hospital wing.' She tapped the ball with her wand, and it sped off, presumably to find Dumbledore and deliver its message.

'We'd better go and get the brooms back,' said Jenny.

'You get dry, Hannah,' said Ernie. 'I'll bring Hermione's broom back.'

The Hufflepuffs left, after looking at Harry and seeing there was no change. Ginny got up and went over to where Madam Pomfrey was drying the girl's hair. Ginny gasped as Madam Pomfrey moved the towel away from the girl's face, and she recognised her.

It was Raine.