The Art of Secrets

Chapter Sixteen: Another Attack

Unfortunately, Erica could find no time to ask Hagrid anything what with her piles of homework as the end-of-year exams loomed- something the Professors seemed to take a sick sort of glee in reminding them- and every spare moment she had between class, homework and exploring the remaining hidden passageways of the school was spent perusing her father's old journals for the pages upon pages he spent writing about his time at Hogwarts.

She had managed to track Jeremy down again, waiting for him as he exited the Charms classroom and yanking him off down the hallway with such aggression that he didn't even protest until they were in a hidden alcove and she was breathing heavily. He'd given her the exact date that the Chamber had been opened without much fuss after she'd yelled at him for a bit, and she'd gone to see Moaning Myrtle soon after, who was more than willing to tell her about the glowing yellow eyes she'd seen by the sink and how she'd died straight after and haunted a girl called Olive Hornby.

She'd figured from that information that her father had been in fifth year when he'd done it, and from what she'd coaxed out of Myrtle Tom Riddle was as perfect a student as you could fine back then. Handsome, charming, top in his class, and a saviour by the end of the year as he found the monster who had hurt so many students and the culprit behind it- Hagrid. She wasn't so stupid as to believe that last part, but she did find his Special Award from the school in the trophy room, even if the reason why was unlisted.

She didn't have the time to go and question Hagrid though, and she didn't really want to have to. He was her friend, and she didn't want him to feel as though he was accusing her, which was surely how it would come across if she did question him, so she resolved herself to trying out every other possible option, unless there was another attack.

If there was another attack, then she would ask him. If there was another attack, she would have no choice, and so she continued on with classes and homework and perusing the journals all whilst hoping that there wouldn't be one.

~

The second-years, which sadly included Erica, were given something new to think about during their Easter holidays. The time had come to choose their subjects for the third year, a matter that she took very seriously indeed as she spent her spare hours instead poring over lists of subjects and looking through the brochures that had appeared early in the common room one morning.

She overheard Pansy talking about the importance of Divination, and Draco marvelling at the complexity of Arithmancy, but they always fell quiet whenever she grew too close and she knew that her own opinions wouldn't be welcome anymore.

Instead she sought out advice from others. Severus thought she should challenge herself and study Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures, her mother thought that she should do what she thought would benefit her the best, though she was adamant that she shouldn't take Muggle Studies because of the Muggle background that she came from already, and Adrian suggested a mix of either Ancient Runes or Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures with Divination.

She tried asking Fred, but all he did was tug on her fringe, call her sunshine and say she should go for the easy 'O' which wasn't too helpful. He only gave her a real answer when she stamped on his foot and threatened to push him out of the astronomy tower, and even then he only said to follow her heart and choose the subjects she was genuinely interested in.

In the end she ended up mixing all of their advice together and signing up for the subjects Severus had suggested along with Divination. It wasn't that she held any particular regards for the future, and it would give her an extremely full schedule, but even if she wasn't exactly friends with Pansy at the moment she felt like she owed it the other girl, even just a little, to try.