Good grammar, spaces between paragraphs, characters not being ruined, not word-for-word HP with slight changes, and most importantly, slow burn. Not to toot my own horn, but I'd say all of that is something I look for in a fanfic.
Elisabeth- or Lisa...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Over the next few months, there were no more students being attacked. A couple of weird things did occur, including one of the bathrooms' toilets flooding. Other than that, everything was normal.
Lisa and her bestie became ever so close as they sort of ignored Draco and his friends. They were being really annoying, and the girls wanted to pass their exams.
They got to choose their classes for the upcoming year also as time flew by. Lisa also had to practice Quidditch more often. She already aided in the winning of three other matches. The only loss they had was with Gryffindor, unfortunately. But at least Harry's arm got better.
Even though everything seemed fine for a while, things turned quickly when out of nowhere, two girls got petrified. And one of them was Harry and Weasley's sidekick.
Lisa was determined to find Harry after this. If any student knew what was going on, he probably would.
She caught his attention outside of the hospital wing one day and waved her arms at him. "Harry! Wait up!"
"Lisa, now's not a good time-" Harry tried to say.
"It's never a good time with you!" Lisa scoffs. "Look, don't get me wrong, but I feel like you know something about all of this that's happening."
Weasley stared at Harry, waiting for him to speak yet wanting him not to answer. However, Harry must've felt bad for blowing her off for several months, so he finally replied, "I know just a little."
"Tell me!" Lisa implored as Weasley rolled his eyes.
"Okay, but you have to keep it down."
~ * ~ *
Of course, Harry sort of spilled all of it at once and left Lisa looking strangely at them. It took her a second to process everything, but when she did, all she could do was mutter an, "Ohhh."
Eventually, she gathered her thoughts. "You guys went to the Forbidden Forest and almost got eaten by spiders?!"
Harry and Ron shared a traumatized look. "It was the worst night of my life," Ron admitted.
"Okay," Lisa murmured, thinking. "What can we even do about the 'Chamber of Secrets'? Is there a way we can close it?"
Harry looked away, and had an expression like he knew something that the others didn't. Lisa didn't notice and they were all muttering to each other while walking to class.
It didn't seem too long before everyone received startling news. The headmaster and the groundskeeper were taken from the school and replaced with the Minister of Magic himself!
Of course, Lisa knew the reason Hagrid was taken away, but Dumbledore? Just for defending him?
She started to become a little closer with Harry, and reluctantly, Ron, as things began to change. She and Daphne seemed to be the only ones studying to keep their mind off things when the exams were finally announced. Lisa couldn't believe they were still going to take place after everything that's happened.
One day, Harry caught her up to things he had learned. He and Ron needed to ask how Moaning Myrtle had died and wondered if Lisa could help sweet-talk her into telling them. They knew asking a ghost that would be sort of disrespectful.
Lisa didn't want to get into any trouble, but she decided she wanted answers too. They just had to figure out how to get into the bathrooms since they were always being escorted by teachers.
Tensions almost completely disappeared when one day, Professor McGonagall tells the students that the mandrakes being used to un-petrify everyone were almost ready.
Also that day, Lisa was beckoned by Harry to come over while he and Ron convinced the stupid Professor Lockhart to leave them alone.
"What did you even tell him?" Lisa asked, baffled at how terrible the teacher was at his job.
"We didn't have to say much," Ron admitted quietly, as they hurried through the halls. "He was already complaining about doin' it."
Harry shook his head. "We really, really need to see her," he said, referring to Moaning Myrtle, however someone unsuspecting replied.
"Need to see who?" Said a very skeptical Professor McGonagall, crossing her arms.
Harry and Ron became quiet, mumbling with words that didn't make sense, so Lisa stepped in, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. "We need to see... Hermione! I haven't had a chance to go visit her and I feel so bad for being mean to her last year, I feel like I owe it to her."
McGonagall raised her eyebrows as Harry and Ron nodded and Harry added, "She wants to make amends and it would be easier to start while Hermione is unconscious."
Okay, damn, Lisa thought, trying to hide her snicker. She didn't care for Hermione still, so making amends was certainly not on her to-do list just yet.
Somehow, the professor let them go but had to take them up there herself. She allowed them to visit and they kinda just stared at Hermione awkwardly.
As McGonagall left, Harry remarked, "That was quick thinking, Lisa. I wouldn't even have thought of that."
Lisa pretended to be offended on Hermione's behalf. "Have you two even visited your friend before?"
"What's that in her hand?" Ron interrupted.
"Clearly not," Lisa muttered as he opened her hand and found the contents.
It was a little section of an article about basilisks.
Lisa didn't realize until after Harry and Ron what Hermione was just figuring out.
She went with them to try and find McGonagall again and tell her exactly what was let out and what's been attacking students, but they realized there were several adults talking about something major.
"'Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever," someone exclaimed and the three students looked at each other wildly until McGonagall reveals whose skeleton it is.
"Poor Ginny Weasley!"
Harry had to slap and hand over Ron's mouth to keep him from shouting.
Lisa felt distraught for the Weaslet and a cold shiver down her spine. Is she really dead?! At Hogwarts?
She hated to think that the school wouldn't be safe anymore.
Lisa decided to leave as soon as she could as she didn't know any of Ron's or Harry's soon-to-be plans. She needed to tell Daphne, but made sure to keep it a secret otherwise.
"She died?!" Daphne exclaimed and Lisa shushed her loudly and looked to see if anyone had heard.
"I think so," Lisa whispered. Even though she didn't particularly like Ron or his little sister (for being annoying anytime Lisa tried to speak to Harry in front of her) she knew the girl didn't deserve to die! Lisa opted to go to bed as soon as she could and leave all of the scary stuff behind.
In the morning, she received a lot of strange news by Harry, but everything was well in the end. Lisa didn't want to admit it, but she was slightly glad that all of this mess brought her a little closer to him.
~ * ~ * Published 3-10-24
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
