𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗻. ✭

𝟎𝟏𝟔. myrtle warren

━━━━━━ CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

━━━━━━

hogwarts had been becoming more and more anxious after the attacks of hermione granger and penelope clearwater. it was clear that the staff decided there needed to be heavy precautions made.

"all students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evening," mcgonagall had stated in the gryffindor common room one evening. "no student is to leave the dormitories after that time. you will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. no student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. all further quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. there will be no more evening activities. you three—" she had suddenly pointed at lani, carina, and rory. "to your dormitories, please."

"yes professor," the three girls muttered, quickly rushing out of the common room. the gryffindors had been packed inside it, listening to professor mcgonagall in silence.

"i need hardly add that i have rarely been so distressed," mcgonagall spoke as she rolled up the parchment from which she had been reading from previously. "it is likely that the school will be closed unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught. i would urge anyone who thinks they might know anything about them to come forward."

as she walked out of the portrait hole, lee jordan began to count on his fingers. "that's two gryffindors down, not counting a gryffindor ghost, two hufflepuffs, and a ravenclaw... haven't any of the teaches noticed that the slytherins are all safe? isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from slytherin? the heir of slytherin, the monster of slytherin—why don't they just chuck all the slytherins out?" he roared, to nods and scattered applause.

evelyn had no visible reaction to any of this. she was sat on a chair, deep in thought, glaring at the ground with a numbness spread over her face. 

"percy's in shock," she heard george weasley tell harry quietly. "that ravenclaw girl—penelope clearwater—she's a prefect. i don't think he thought the monster would dare attack a prefect."

she brought her eyes to look at the pair, only to see harry mirroring a similar expression as hers. evelyn sighed at his absent-mindedness and leaned over to him.

"you okay?" she asked him, watching him look up. "y'know, hermione and everything." harry merely shrugged.

"what're we going to do?" cindy whispered tearfully. 

evelyn watched ron mumble something in harry's ear, to which he said, "i have an idea."

"what're you about to do?" evelyn asked grimly.

"keep your nose out of it," he replied, dragging ron and cindy up to his dormitory. 

evelyn sighed, letting her head fall back onto the headrest of the chair as she voided out the voices of the gryffindors.

tom riddle was lord voldemort. realistically, tom riddle could've murdered her family, could've murdered her. and hogwarts may shut down due to the chamber that he opened fifty years ago. but he had everyone fooled, everyone. there was absolutely no chance that any of this was a coincidence. perhaps she should go to dumbledore, surely this information may be critical to finding the attacker.

"potter junior?"

evelyn looked up to see a familiar redhead looking down at her.

"evening, george."