The Older Potter // HP Older Sister

39

I cannot answer any of those questions, Ginny. But you should be careful, especially if you believe that you have been a witness to the attacks. Tom warned her.

A frightening thought struck Ginny's mind and she quickly wrote, But Tom! What if he IS the one who's attacking the students again? Oh no! Tom, what if he finds out that I know about him?

That is why I fear for your safety more than ever, Ginny. That is why I am telling you this. To put you on your guard. If anyone else found out... you could be put into serious danger. You must stay away from him until he has been caught, Ginny. Hagrid is very dangerous so you must keep quiet about what you know until he is taken away for good this time.

And so Ginny, lived in fear for the next couple weeks, as did most of the school. Everyone seemed to be waiting for someone else to become another victim of the monster. But as the weeks slowly passed, nothing at all seemed to be happening. No attacks, no other threatening messages on a wall, she wasn't even having any strange dreams or sleepwalking anymore. Not that she was complaining about that!

Before long it was snowing on the grounds and she was counting down the days to Christmas. Her parents were going to visit Charlie again and she, Fred, George, and Samantha we're going to go. Somehow, Ron declined and wished to stay with Harry.

• • • • •

One day, she was curled up near the fire in Gryffindor tower and doing her homework... for once, not thinking of her brothers. For awhile, they've been trying to cheer her up. Or in other words, Fred and George had been taking turns covering themselves with boils or fur and then jump out and scare her from behind corners, or statues. Of course, she never found it very funny and had been trying to stay as far from them as possible.

Just at that moment, a hideous face that was covered in green fur had popped up over the side of her chair and began roaring at her.

Ginny screamed so loudly that she fell out of her armchair and the entire common room became quiet as they all looked at her. "Fred!" she screamed at him and threw her potion's book at him.

As he started laughing, to her horror, Percy came storming over. He was bright red with fury, his glasses fogging up. "All right, that's it, both of you! No more of this stupid joke! This is the last time that I'm going to tell you both this! If you do this just once more, then I'm going to write and tell Mum-"

The Gryffindors were all in fits of laughter, some were even holding their stomachs as they choked on their own humor. Ginny grew red with humiliation. As she heard Percy yelling at her brothers—threatening to write and tell Mum that Ginny was having nightmares—she gathered up her things and fled up the stairs, leaving Percy and everyone behind her.

When she slammed her door tight, she felt more hot tears fell down her face. What was happening to her? She normally would just brush off her brother's stupid jokes... why was she like this?

• • • • •

'Could Harry really be the Heir of Slytherin?' she wondered to herself after what happened with the Dueling Club. 'But Hagrid was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago. Sso how could Harry possibly be the Heir? But then again, Harry is a Parselmouth. And only the darkest of wizards, like Salazar Slytherin are Parselmouths. Isn't that what they always say? But then how could I understand Harry when he talked to that snake?'

She continued to ponder this throughout the morning, and even skipped breakfast and her morning classes; struggling in vain to understand what was happening to her. She talked to Tom after break that very same day and told him of her fears.