Invisible String

Chapter 08

AMANTHA
She disappeared. Her body was found dead eleven years ago. I must say that this has been the only thing on my mind for the last several days. Not the chamber, not school, not the fact that Dumbledore might know something we don't. Only Carina Black, our potential mother. Laurie and I declared we would close that case last year, but unfortunately, I couldn't. And now I have another problem: school. I sighed heavily. "Amy, is everything okay?" I snapped back into reality; the library was quite full. Harry looked at me with a worried expression. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about what Professor McGonagall said to me." That's only half the truth, but I'm not sure how to tell them. I still remember what the ghost said: the Blacks were known for their wealth, and everyone was in Slytherin. I hear voices that no one except Harry and Laurie hears. And then there's my other problem: my efforts in school are lacking. I didn't care as much as Laurie; practically, I didn't even do anything. But hearing Professor McGonagall's criticism stung. I never had to work hard to pass, but I wasn't as motivated as Laurie, who excels at everything. "It'll be fine, Amy." Harry hesitantly petted my hand for comfort. Maybe he's right; I shouldn't overthink it. I should separate my life: school, friends, and family. Lost in thought, I opened my potions book. Did my mother love potions, or was it my father? Or neither of them? I guess I should live with the thought of never knowing about them. I tuned out Ron's complaints about the history of magic, and Harry's question about where Hermione was brought me back to reality. Over the days, I realized that some students were avoiding Harry more. Do they actually think that Harry has something to do with the chamber? "Every copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' is already lent out! I can't believe it!" Hermione said as she took the chair next to me. Her locks fell slightly, and her face wore a frustrated look. "And mine is at home because it didn't fit into my trunk." She sighed. "Why do you want it anyway?" asked Ron, confused. "The same reason why everyone else does. To find something about the Chamber of Secrets," I answered instead of Hermione. I tried to remember if I read about it last year, but nothing. "I think Laurie has our copy. Maybe he could lend it to you," I said to Hermione, and her expression brightened. I looked at my watch and realized I wouldn't have time for my potions essay, so I started packing my things into my bag. "Really?" she asked excitedly. I turned to her and smiled. "Yeah, we can ask him; we have history of magic with the Slytherins next." As I finished, the bell rang. "What timing," I heard Ron murmuring to Harry. "Thank you, Amy. Do you really think your brother will be okay with it?" Together, we walked down the hall. I shrugged while answering, "Yes, don't worry." We arrived at the classroom, and I walked straight to Laurie, who sat in the first row. "My dear favorite brother, can you do me a favor?" I asked as soon as I arrived, Hermione behind me. Laurie turned around and looked up at me. "What do you need?" he asked in response. "Well, I offered Hermione our copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' because every other one is already lent out in the library." Laurie looked at my friend behind me and then at me. "I'll look for it." I smiled and ruffled his perfectly short hair, knowing he didn't like this. "Thanks, Laurie." We walked to our seats. This is the only class where I don't sit with Laurie, which feels quite weird. "See? I told you it would be fine." I grinned at Hermione while taking my seat next to her. "Yeah...he's the only Slytherin who treats us normally," she said while pulling out her book. Her voice was quiet, and I've known her long enough to know what she means. Laurie doesn't care about blood status, the family someone comes from, or which house they are in. And I am pretty sure that I'm one of the reasons why. Hermione turned to me again, now having a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I think we should ask Professor Binns about the chamber. What do you think?" she whispered quietly.  Professor Binns began his lesson, and most of the students had already tuned out. "You could try, I guess," I whispered back, looking at the professor, trying to imagine his reaction. No one ever raised their hand during his class, so I guessed he might be a little overwhelmed. I looked at my brother; he was writing down probably everything Professor Binns said. He does, in fact, take school way more seriously this year, and since Professor McGonagall's speech about my work, I feel like I should too. Maybe he could help me focus, trying to get these thoughts out of my head. Hermione now raised her hand, and Professor Binns looked at her with disbelief. "Uhm...yes, Miss-?" Everyone woke up from their little nap, and Laurie turned around to look at my friend. His gaze shifted to me, and he gave me a questioning look, like he was asking if I had something to do with it. I just smiled at him, knowing what was coming next. "Granger, sir. I wondered if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." Hermione put on an innocent smile, and the rest of the class watched her intently. "Well, Miss Granger, I teach history, not myths. The Chamber of Secrets is not considered real. Now let's go back to where I was." Professor Binns started talking again about whatever he was discussing before. I didn't know the topic. Surprisingly, Laurie raised his arm, and Hermione lit up after the teacher refused to tell her what she wanted. The class was disappointed as well. Now they all gazed at Laurie. Professor Binns sighed, slightly annoyed. "Yes, Mister-?" Laurie straightened his posture and looked up at the ghost. "Williams. I wanted to note that myths and tales always have a historical background. And these backgrounds were real." He emphasized the last words specifically. Even though I couldn't see him from behind, I knew that he had one eyebrow lifted. Hermione gasped quietly next to me; she didn't expect him to stand up. No one did. The teacher sighed. "Well, then." He started, and everyone looked at him excitedly, which made him quite uncomfortable. "Of course, you all know that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The school's four houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. For a few years, the wizards worked together harmoniously. They sought out young people who exhibited magical powers and brought them to the castle to train them. But then there was an argument. A growing rift opened up between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wanted to select the students who were admitted to Hogwarts more strictly. He believed that the study of magic should be reserved for thoroughly magical families. He didn't want to accept students with Muggle parents because he thought they weren't trustworthy. After a while, there was a heated argument between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school. But these clear facts are overshadowed by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. According to this, Slytherin built a secret chamber into the castle that the other founders knew nothing about. And legend goes on to say that Slytherin sealed this chamber so that no one could open it until his true heir came to the school. The heir alone should be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the terror within, and with his help purge the school of all those unworthy of studying magic." Silence fell over the class, but my thoughts were racing. There's an heir at this school—right now—and they might even be sitting in this classroom. Who can it be? And who came up with the idea that Muggle-borns are unworthy? This is definitely outdated, so the heir must be from an ancient family. I tuned everything out, not noticing the conversation with the professor—nothing. Everything felt far away, and I was surrounded by cotton. One image came to mind—Malfoy. He might be the heir. I gasped for air, trying to breathe. My brother had told me about the Malfoy family, their wealth, and everything. Laurie might be in danger—my friends might be as well. But what if someone suspects Laurie? They wouldn't, would they? I'm his sister; no one thinks that I'm behind it. Well, that's what I hope. Flashbacks from that specific night flashed into my mind. Dumbledore. He suspects something, something we don't know. Something touched my shoulder; was it Hermione or maybe Laurie? Or Harry? They were talking about something. I couldn't understand a thing. I breathed in, slowly. The first thing I saw was Hermione's worried face. She slid her hand from my shoulder. "Is everything alright, Amy?" she asked softly. I could only nod. No words were coming out of my mouth. I looked to the front of the classroom; Professor Binns was already talking about the previous topic, and Laurie was taking notes on everything the professor said. No, Laurie can't get hurt. Never. I'll make sure of that.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"Really, I never knew that Slytherin started with this pureblood mania. Seriously, I would've left if the Sorting Hat had put me in Slytherin." We were lying in the common room, listening to Ron. Hermione nodded slightly in agreement, while Harry and I stayed quiet. I moved over to Harry on the other side of the couch. "Is everything alright, Harry?" I whispered, glancing over at Ron, who was still talking excitedly with Hermione. "Yes, I'm fine," he murmured back. I could tell he wasn't being truthful, and I had a feeling it had something to do with what Ron had said earlier. "No, you're not," I said softly, trying to get him to open up. Sometimes, I think he can't talk to anyone about what's going on. Mrs. Brown would faint at that thought—she's the first person everyone goes to when they have any problems. And that's why I love her. Harry stayed quiet, sensing that denying it would do nothing. "You know, Laurie is in Slytherin, and he's the best brother I could ever imagine. They're not all mad, Harry. My father was in Slytherin too." Harry looked up at me, his eyes sparkling with hope. Now I felt nervous—I had never told them about our father or our parents in general. I swallowed, realizing maybe I shouldn't have said that. "The Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin," Harry said quietly. Now it made sense—he didn't want to tell them because he was afraid they'd judge him. He was scared to lose them. "But you're a Gryffindor. And I think I would still be friends with you. Not because you're famous, not because of your house, but because we are similar. And you have a good heart; you want to make people feel good. Don't worry, Harry, I'll never judge you. You understand?" Slowly, I breathed in and out. Harry's expression lightened. "Thanks, Amy. This means a lot," he said, giving me his usual grin. I smiled back, happy that I could at least lighten his mood a bit. We joined the conversation Hermione and Ron were having. "But who could it be? Who would do such things?" Hermione asked calmly. Ron mimicked a thinking gesture. "Hmmm...let me think. Who thinks that Muggle-borns are unworthy?" I gave Ron a look. "It's not Malfoy, Ron. Trust me—" but he cut me off. "Of course it is! Look at his family, Amy! Everyone went to Slytherin. The Malfoys have an ancient line. It must be him!" I swallowed. What about us? If Carina is our mother, our family would also be full of Slytherins. I doubted that either Laurie or Malfoy was the heir. "What I was trying to say, Ron, is that my brother would know or at least notice it. He's not stupid; he wouldn't surround himself with a potential murderer. Trust me," I answered. "I agree with Amy. Look, maybe Malfoy doesn't like us Muggle-borns, but I don't think he would want to kill us. Plus, Dumbledore said that stoning this cat is beyond our horizon," Hermione agreed. "I think Ron has a point. We don't know any other person, so he's our suspect," I glanced at Harry. At least Hermione shared my opinion. "Then I'm out. I'm not a detective, I'm sorry. I trust my brother enough to know if something's off with Malfoy," I declared while standing up. Well, this is half the truth. Partly, I just want to protect my brother and me if they find out about our potential family. It's safer this way. "You can't just ignore this! Maybe you could be next, or Hermione, or Harry! You can't just run away when we maybe have the heir!" Ron said, raising his voice. "Exactly! Maybe! I'm sorry, but I probably should concentrate on other things." I took my books and walked to the staircase. "Wait, Amy!" Hermione stood up too. "See you tomorrow!" I said before walking up the staircase quickly. Before my dorm door, I breathed in. I hated pushing my friends away, but it's for the better. They shouldn't be involved in my chaos. It's for the better, I tried to tell myself. Or maybe it's not.