Melanie Rosen Chamberson: Year 2 (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 14 Going Home

Chapter 14

Going Home

I had awoken in the hospital wing along with all the other petrified victims. It just felt as though I was in a very deep sleep. Quite some time passed too while I was out. I learned it was now close to summer based on the conversations I heard in the hospital wing. I got some strange looks from the other patients but no one said anything to me. I wondered how many people knew the truth about me by now. Considering I had been a victim of the monster, I doubted it was difficult for most to figure out.

My heart thudded as I made my way towards the Slytherin common room. I did not even want to think about facing my peers, but now I had no choice. I do not even know if Lenora would accept me. She seemed the most likely if anyone. Without her, I truly would be alone in this school.

As I entered the common room, I found it to be mostly empty, with the exception of Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. I took in a deep breath. Draco made it quite clear how he felt about muggle borns since I first met him. I did not expect any good to come from this next encounter.

“Well, well,” Draco began in a tone mixed of smugness and anger. “She returns. It’s amazing you led the entire school to believe you were the Heir of Slytherin, when you were actually the lowest of the low.”

So it was true. Word of my true identity had gotten out.

“I didn’t want people to think I was the heir,” I muttered, trying to make my way to the girl’s dormitories.

I knew there would be no point in trying to reason with him. Our friendship, as I knew it, died the moment I was attacked.

“You wanted everyone to believe you were pureblood when are most certainly not!” Draco retorted. “You don’t belong in Slytherin! The hat made a mistake!”

“Yes it did,” I mumbled, heading towards the steps and thinking privately, Actually I did.

Unable to face him anymore, I rushed up the steps, desperately holding back tears. I hoped Pansy roamed about elsewhere at this moment. I do not think I could take being around her right now.

Fortunately, when I reached the top, I found Lenora sitting alone on her bed with a pile of books. Several were thrown on the ground like leftover scraps. I noticed all of them were Lockhart’s books.

“Hey,” I greeted, looking at her, uncertainly.

Lenora gazed up, but did not smile, and muttered grimly, “Hey.”

She then went back to throwing books on the ground.

“What are you doing?” I asked, taking gradual steps towards her bed.

“Sorting out all the books I plan to burn over the summer,” Lenora answered, bluntly.

“Those are all Lockhart’s books,” I pointed out.

She snorted. “Clearly you haven’t heard.”

“Heard what?”

She looked back up at me and responded, “Let’s just say you’re not the only fraud in this place.”

Lenora went on to explain how Lockhart never did all the extraordinary things he claimed to in his books. Instead, he used a memory charm to erase the memories of those who really performed the deeds. At the beginning of the year, I would have been horrified to hear this. Now, I felt so numb from everything that has happened with the heir and my secret coming out, Lockhart did not seem that big of a concern.

“So is that really how you see me now?” I asked, glancing at the pile. “Like him?”

“Well, it is pretty much the same thing,” she replied, looking down at the pile of books on the ground. “You both pretended to be something you’re not, and lied to everyone about it.”