Turned - Tom Riddle

Chapter Twenty Eight

She truly thought in that moment that everything would be fine. She and Joshua were as happy as ever, taking that crucial step that Matilda had advised her to. Elizabeth hadn't talked to Tom, not one word since the Slug Club.

The morning after, she sat in the stands watching Gryffindor play against Hufflepuff. Joshua seemed to have an extra motivation to his play. She thought it had to do with the night prior. The memory made her smile all over again.

"Where is Klaus?" Matilda huffed as she looked from side to side.

"I'm sure he's just making the finishing touches on the posters," Elizabeth told her.

Matilda shrugged. "Watch it!" she yelled as a bludger came flying towards them. In a split second, Bonnie dove in front of them and clubbed it away. She waved to Elizabeth and Matilda as she saw them. "How is she so good?"

"Takes practice," Elizabeth pointed out the obvious. She always wanted to be a Seeker, but she hadn't touched a broomstick in five years.

Without warning, a loud whistle rang throughout the Quidditch pitch. The voice of Dippet echoed, "All students are strongly advised to report to the Great Hall, immediately."

The students all groaned and shuffled out of the stands, not even knowing who had won the match. The players came down off of their brooms and walked quickly to catch up to the rest of the students. Elizabeth walked next to Matilda until they reached the Great Hall. The teachers were all conversing with Dippet and looked extremely distraught. Once Elizabeth had sat down with her group of friends as well as Joshua's, the students were quiet. Joshua came in and sat down in between Melissa and Elizabeth, still in his Quidditch robes. He gave her a quick hug, then giving his attention to the front of the room.

Dippet stood, "I know it was incredibly unfortunate to cut your Quidditch game so short, but there will be a rematch." His voice sounded tired and strained. The students took notice and began worrying. "I also know that there is no acceptable way to tell you all what I am about to tell you. Last night, after you had all gone to sleep," he began slowly, "there was a murder."

The students all began gasping and looking around to see which of their companions weren't there. A pit formed in Elizabeth's stomach and she couldn't even breathe. It was Baxtart's all over again.

Dippet silenced the commotion, "It pains me to tell you in such a weak state, but you have the right to know." He stopped talking again, attempting to somehow put into words the horror that the hundreds of students were about to go through. "Last night," he sighed, "our beloved Gryffindor, Klaus Brandt... was killed."

As if all happiness had gone from the world, the students sat there in silence for a moment, contemplating what they had just heard. Where Elizabeth sat, where all of his friends sat, they were frozen. Matilda was the first to shed a tear. It began with silent weeping, then turned into full on sobbing. All of the students were in hysterics, not believing that a fellow student had been killed.

Elizabeth finally looked over to Joshua, tears in her eyes. He was sitting there, completely still. His best friend of nearly seven years was gone, just like that. Elizabeth knew how to help those who had just lost someone, so she slowly reached out and held his hand, not saying anything. A tear dropped from his eye, but he quickly wiped it away.

After a moment, Dippet spoke again, "We believe this unfortunate disaster to be the responsibility of Grindelwald. Until the castle has been investigated, until every passageway has been blocked, you all must not leave your Common Rooms under any circumstances. If this issue isn't resolved, you may have to return to your homes."

Everyone was crying. Elizabeth looked to those around her. Matilda was sobbing heavily into the arms of Walburga, who was crying along with her, but not as drastically. Melissa was quietly weeping into her hands. Across from Joshua, Henry was angrily muttering to himself, tears subconsciously rolling down his cheeks. Bonnie sat next to him, her lips parted and her face completely drained of color. She hadn't let one tear fall, but Elizabeth knew that no tears often meant the same as one million tears. Elizabeth rubbed her hand over Joshua's back in a soothing, circular motion. Nobody had said anything of substance yet. Finally, Elizabeth wanted to see how Tom and his entourage were taking the news.