On the way to visit Hermione, Ron and I decided to go back to the Common Room and spend some time with our siblings. We walked in and saw Fred and George in the middle of a "sword fight" with their wands. Ginny and Percy were nowhere in sight.
"Don't break your wands! Mum would go mad if three of you broke your wands this year." I said while sitting down on the sofa. I pulled out my wand and aimed it at Fred's satchel. "Accio Jelly Slugs!" Right as I said that, a package of Jelly Slugs flew out of his satchel and into my hands.
"Oi! Those were mine." Fred moaned.
"Oh, shut it. You guys can go to Honeydukes and get more!" I said plopping one in my mouth. Fred just smirked and shook his head.
"Sometimes, I swear George and I are bad influences on you."
"You are!" I laughed out. They just sent me looks and I placed another Jelly slug in my mouth. "Now tell me, Fred. Where are our brother Percy and our sister Ginevra?"
"Percy has locked himself in his dorm with some other sixth-years. Apparently, Snape is giving them a very difficult end-of-year exam and they have been studying for weeks!" George said sitting down beside me on the sofa. He reached down and grabbed a Chocolate Frog also from Fred's bag.
"C'mon! Not you too!" Fred said grabbing his bag. "You've gotta leave me something to snack on during class!" He quickly walked his bag up to their dorm. George and I fist-bumped and Ron just chuckled.
"Sometimes, you three act like triplets!" He said flopping down on the chair closest to me. "Well, news flash! She's my twin!" He said reaching over and grabbing my hand. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Oh ease up Ronnie! I can't deny you're my twin brother if I tried!" I shook his hand off and stood up. "You act like a lost puppy if I don't hug you at least once a day!" Ron crossed his arms and pouted as Fred walked down from his dorm.
"What did our little Ri Ri say to make Ickle Ronniekins pout?" He chuckled leaning over behind us.
"I just told him, he acts likes a lost little puppy if I don't hug him at least once a day." Ron reached over and slapped my hand.
"Well ... Ron, she's not wrong."
"Oh shut up, George!"
***
The next day Hermione was no longer a cat and was able to leave the hospital wing and return to our dorm. After she was back into our dorm we met Harry and Ron down in the common room. When we got down there, Harry told us about his little adventure into the diary.
"Hagrid?!" I semi-shouted. "That's preposterous!"
"It can't be Hagrid. It just can't be." Hermione added. Ron nodded and spoke up.
"We don't even know this Riddle. he sounds like a dirty, rotten snitch to me." I gestured that I agreed with Ron as Harry got up and started walking away.
"The monster had killed someone, Ron. What would any of us done?" I sighed and followed him out along with Ron and Hermione.
"Look. Hagrid's our friend. Why don't we just go ask him about it?" I said. Ron let out a snort and responded with a very obvious tone of sarcasm.
"That'd be a cheerful visit. Hullo, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?"
"Mad an' hairy?" A voice behind us said. "Wouldn' be talkin' 'bout me, now would yeh?" We turned to see Hagrid smiling down at us. We all exchanged a look before exclaiming in unison.
"No!" Hagrid chuckled and shook his head. Harry cocked his head and looked at the canister in Hagrid's hand.
"What's that you've got, Hagrid?" Hagrid lifted up the bottle and explained what is was to us.
"Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent. Fer the Mandrakes, yeh know. Accordin' ter Professor Sprout, they still got a bit o' growin' up ter do, but once their acne clears up, we'll be able to chop 'em up, stew 'em, and get those people in the hospital un-Petrified. 'Til then, you four best watch yerselves, all righ'?"
We nodded our heads, even though we could only understand about half of what he said due to his accent. Hagrid ruffled my hair and walked off. I grumbled while reaching to fix my hair, but got distracted as Neville came running up.
"Harry, I don't know who did it, but ... you'd better come." I put my hand on his shoulder and whispered with him. "Guys! Let's go!" I grabbed Nev's hand and rushed over with the others to their dorm. When we got there we saw why Neville was so frantic.
The room was a complete mess! Trunks were open, belongings were thrown all around the room, and even a lamp near Neville's bed was shattered!
"It had to be a Gryffindor. Nobody else knows our password." Hermione said walking into the room. I followed and spoke.
"Unless it wasn't a student..."
"Well, whoever it was, they were looking for something," Ron said. I nodded, as Harry claimed and pushed past me to get to his area. I rolled my eyes and joined Neville near his bed.
"I'm sorry, your dorm is trashed," I said kneeling beside him. He nodded while looking at the floor beside his bed. Just staring. I furrowed my eyebrows and placed my hand on his shoulder. "Nev?"
He just knelt there in silence. I sighed silently and followed his gaze and saw what was making him so distant. It was a small picture frame of a man and woman holding a small baby boy. I could just figure it was Neville's parents holding him. I bite my lip and rubbed his back some more as Harry groaned from his bed.
"They found it! Tom Riddle's diary is gone." All of us in the room shared a look of worry. That was until there was a knock on the door.
"Sorry to interrupt but dorm cleaning will have to wait." We turned to see Angelina Johnson standing with Fred in the doorway. "Harry, Lori, it's time for our match against Hufflepuff."
Harry and I nodded. He turned to walk out with Ron and Hermione, while I walked back over to Neville.
"Nevy, c'mon. Let's go enjoy a game of Quidditch." Neville slowly nodded and we headed out of the dorm and down to the pitch. I left him with Dean and Seamus and rushed to the Gryffindor team room. I changed into my uniform and joined the team as Oliver was beginning his pep talk.
"Listen up now. We play our game, Hufflepuff doesn't stand a chance. We're stronger, quicker, smarter." He began.
"Not to mention they're dead terrified Harry'll petrify them if they fly anywhere near him." George interrupted. I being right behind him slapped him on the shoulder and sent him a glare. We continued to walk until McGonagall came up and blocked our path.
"Professor?" Wood questioned. McGonagall's face was pale and she looked distraught.
"This match has been canceled!" We all let out a gasp, but Oliver had the biggest reaction.
"Cancelled? You can't cancel Quidditch!"
"Silence, Wood!" She spoke strenly to him. "You will return to Gryffindor Tower now. Potter, Miss Weasely, you two and I will find Mr. Weasely ... There's something the three of you need to see."
Harry and I exchanged a look and I felt my heart sink. I turned to see Fred and George were not wanting to let me go alone. I quickly ran over and gave them a hug and told them that I'd be fine with Harry and Ron.
We found Ron in the stands and he followed us with caution. Once we got to the hospital wing, I reached out for his hand. We held hands as she lead us into the hospital wing. We approached a curtain hiding a bed. I bit my lip as McGonagall turned to us. Her face dripped with sympathy.
"I warn you. This will be a bit of a shock." She pulled back the curtain to reveal a girl laying on the bed. I gasped once I realized who it was.
"Hermione!" Ron and I shouted. I rushed over to her side and felt a few tears fall down my cheek. Ron stood behind me with his hand on my shoulder.
"She was found near the library. Along with this," She held up a mirror. "Does this mean anything to any of you?"
"I-I think she said something once about it being a gift from her Mum for getting her letter? I-I honestly don't remember ..." I said trying my hardest not to cry. Ron just kept his hand on my shoulder and rubbed it.
McGonagall frown and sighed. She let us have a few more moments with Hermione before escorting us back to the Gryffindor Common Room. When we got there, we were greeted by all the rest of the Gryffindors and sat waiting for McGonagall to get back with an announcement.
I scanned the room and immediently found Fred, George, and Percy sitting together. I rushed over and crashed into Percy. He was shocked but after a moment he started stroking my hair while Fred and George rubbed my shoulders.
"H-Hermione ... s-she's ..."
"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay." Percy said. The three kept comforting me until McGonagall came back and began to read of a roll of parchement.
"All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evening. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions." She rolled up the parchment and spoke softly yet strenly to all of us. "I should tell you all this. Unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught, it is likely that the school will be closed."
She quickly left the room, and the crowd of students dwindled down to only a few students. I sat on the sofa starign into the fire, not blinking, just staring. I was sitting alone until Neville, Dean, and Seamus sat down with me.
"Haven't the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe? Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin -- why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" Neville said, normally he wouldn't say such a thing ... but now ... he was just about over this year.
"They can't close Hogwarts. Where would we all go? Seamus said.
"Durmstrang? Beauxbatons? Bloody hell, they wouldn't send us over to Illvernmorny in America would they?" I said. Before anyone could voice their opinions on that, Dean scoffed.
"I don't care what anyone says. As long as Dumbledore's here, Hogwarts will be here too."
We stayed up talking back and forth a few more moments before they headed up to finish picking up their dorm room. Ron and Harry asked if I wanted to follow them to Hagrid's ... I didn't. I couldn't get the image of Hermione laying on that bed.
After about another hour of just sitting in silence, I walked up to my dorm. I didn't even change out of my Quidditch uniform but just flopped onto my bed. Whoever was behind these attacks, should wish the teachers get them before I could. For they messed with my friends, and my friends are my family.
Watch out The Heir of Slytherin, you've got a Weasely on the warpath. And nothing is gonna make me back down, not when everyone and everything I love is on the line.