Ginny's Story

Chapter 21 Hogwarts: A Place of Terror

This is possibly the shortest chapter I've posted, so I'm really sorry about that!

Chapter 21 Hogwarts: A Place of Terror

I looked around the Great Hall one morning as students were polishing off their last plates of scrambled eggs and was astounded by what I saw.

The Slytherin table was the loudest in the hall, as per usual. They were all unscathed and were the happiest I had ever seen them in my six years of attending Hogwarts.

On the other hand, the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff [‘what the hell is a Hufflepuff?’ Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!] tables were quiet and solemn as usual. I looked over every face and there wasn’t one that didn’t have cuts on them. Hogwarts had gotten way out of line with punishment.

McGonagall stood up at the front of the hall. “I will be coming around with a sheet of people to stay at Hogwarts over the Christmas holidays,” she said in a monotone voice. She sat back down at her seat and struck up a polite conversation with tiny Professor Flitwick.

After the plates had all disappeared, I noticed McGonagall drifting along the Slytherin table. It seemed nearly all of them put them names down to stay over Christmas. Their families were all probably too busy doing the You-Know-Who’s bidding than taking care of their children… and it wasn’t like the Slytherin students were being mistreated at Hogwarts nowadays - quite the contrary, actually.

McGonagall then came to the Gryffindor table. Nobody put his or her names down. The same happened with the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables.

For the first time, I didn’t blame them for seeming to give up. I was beginning to feel that way myself. Nothing Neville, Luna, the DA and I did raised spirits for very long and giving the students hope only led to them being tortured. Not much good in keeping staying happy if the only reward you get is a population of scratched up students.

Hogwarts had become a place of terror, and I hated every second of being there.