𝐎𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧/𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭
𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬
"𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫,"
☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☽
Ophelia sat silently, content with her breakfast that was laid before her; a vanilla-glazed cinnamon roll, fresh strawberries, and two hard-boiled eggs. She pulled apart the pastry with her fork, peeling off the outer rims before getting to the ooey-gooey centre that melted in her mouth like a toffee chew. As usual, the owls dropped the mail off, hundreds of letters falling from the sky like snowflakes. The new term had begun, and everyone had returned to school. Everyone came brandishing the new gifts they had received over the holiday to such an extent that Ophelia was getting irritated. Pansy wouldn't stop showing Draco her new ribbons every time she put one on, flipping her hair every so often in his direction so he would notice. Ophelia had to admit it; it bugged her. Pansy should have taken the hint that he didn't like her at this point. But alas, she was naive as a kitten.
A singular letter dropped in front of Ophelia's plate, and she looked up at Apollo circling her head. Then, she beckoned for the tawny owl to the table, where she reached over to the plate of bacon and fed it to him. He gave her a light nuzzle before taking off again, flying out the Great Hall and back to the Owlery where the rest of his companions were waiting.
She picked the manila envelope up gingerly, peeling the wax seal off with care, and unfolded the letter inside it:
(Translation if you can't read this ^)
My dearest, Ophelia.
I am writing to you from Norway! I think... we've been up in the North for so long, it's grown to be rather exhausting. The lead that your mother had followed all the way out here led us to Durmstrang Institute, but it ran cold there. No more information was uncovered; she's devastated.
We'll be returning home in just a few days, the fresh air is doing wonders for her health and I'd like to keep her up here for a few more weeks, but she couldn't stand the idea of leaving you along for much longer, my darling Phelie.
Do try and see if you could visit for a few days next month, we'd be delighted to see you before the Summer. If not, say hello to Draco for us and try not to get in too much trouble! We love you very dearly and we don't want our precious daughter getting hurt.
Much love, my darling.
- Father.
Ophelia smiled at her father's warmth, glad that they would be returning safe and sound. She missed her parents dearly over the break, but it was far from uneventful during her time here at Hogwarts. But now that it was the new term, she had more work to worry about, a higher demand from her teachers, and she doubted she could find a day to take off that would work for her. The logistics would be even more difficult; transportation from Hogwarts would be a hassle, a chaperone would be too expensive, and getting a driver would be way too complicated. Though, she didn't want to disappoint her parents.
She had finished her breakfast while reading her letter, and neatly folded the parchment back into its envelope, and filed it away in her bag, excited to add another message to her letterbox. So, she began her trek back to the common room.
This morning, the Slytherin's had a free first period, rather conveniently as Ophelia had a project she needed to catch up on. The research on frog boils wasn't going to analyse itself, unfortunately. But just as she was about to walk towards the Slytherin commons, she was hauled in the other direction by just who she suspected it would be.
"What is it now, Potter?" Ophelia pulled her cloak from the Gryffindor boy's tightened grip, turning around and falling in step with him and expectedly, Hermione and Ron as well. The four students trotted out of the castle and onto the livening grass, which had sporadic spots of green and brown everywhere. As a result of the melting snow and the return of Spring, greenery could breathe again, bringing new gifts and sights that had been snuffed for the Winter. Ophelia always loved the time between seasons, especially in the early months of the year where you couldn't quite tell whether it would be damp and pouring rain or a dry, frigid cold; it was unpredictable, just like her. She liked that. The hardening silt caked her new riding boots, but she didn't care; she was too absorbed in what Harry was hastily dictating to her, bringing her up to speed on what he had recently uncovered.
"It can't be Hagrid; it just can't..." Hermione shook her head reproachfully, declining the belief that Hagrid could have opened the Chamber of Secrets, which Harry had supposedly discovered when he "went into the journal."
"We don't even know this Riddle," Ron quietly spoke as they passed another group of students turning about the grounds. "He sounds like a dirty, rotten, snitch to me."
"We don't know anything yet, Ron. " Ophelia stated, raising her eyebrows in judgment. "Besides, that monster... Agalop? Maybe?"
She turned to Harry for correction, but he just shrugged. Ophelia turned back to Ron and kept talking.
"That monster killed someone. What else would any of us have done?" She questioned. Ron kept quiet but nodded in acknowledgement as they approached the gamekeeper's hut.
"Hagrid's our friend. Why don't we ask him about it?" Hermione suggested. Ophelia frowned at the mousy girl's suggestion, but what else did they have to lose? If they wanted to find the source of the Chamber's opening, then who better to ask than the person who allegedly opened it fifty years ago?
"What a cheerful visit: "Hello, Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy about the castle recently?" Ron mocked, placing his fists at his sides and jerking his body to the side, causing Ophelia to let out a small giggle but covered it up quickly when they were interrupted.
"Mad an' hairy?" A thick-accented voice asked. "Wouldn' be talkin' 'bou me, now would yeh?"
The four students turned around to face the towering figure of Hagrid, who was grinning and holding a strangely-shaped canister in his right palm.
"Oh!" Ophelia stuttered.
"No...!" Hermione sputtered out, same with Harry. Ron slowly adjusted out of the lilting position that he was in before and stood at attention, quite unnaturally. Harry noticed the canister first and pointed it out quickly to change the subject.
"What's that you got, Hagrid?" The Gryffindor boy asked curiously, pursing his lips as he looked at it closer.
"Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent. It's fer the Mandrakes, yeh know. They got a bit more growin' up teh do, but once their acne clears up, we'll be able to chop 'em up, stew 'em an' get those folks in the Medical wing un-petrified. 'Til then, you four best watch out for yerselves, all righ?" Hagrid went on, Ophelia clinging onto every word he said, rather oddly she had to admit. She barely paid attention in Care for Magical Creatures, yet something about Petrification fascinated her. Frozen in time, all muscles and features ceased to function until woken up by a potion only made by a specific type of plant that they conveniently had this year...
Ophelia kept pandering through her thoughts while Hagrid walked away, but her mental salvation was quickly swiped away from her by Longbottom, the dorky Gryffindor running up to Harry as pale as a ghost.
"Harry," He babbled. "I don't know who did it, but... Oh, you have to come."
The short-breathed boy spun around and began to make a beeline back to the castle, quickly followed by Harry and Ron, and before Hermione could leave, Ophelia caught the girl's arm and pulled her close.
"Tell me what happened after dinner," Ophelia demanded gently. Hermione nodded, before scampering off after the Gryffindor boys, per usual.
Ophelia let go of her tense shoulders, taking in the rest of the dimming sunlight as she stood alone amongst the crowd of fellow students and their friends, all flocking like sheep to the fields to admire the sky. Its many hues of blue and orange flashed across the sky as the sun sank into her evening-long rest, washing the earth clean of her heavenly glow. Finally, another day would come to an end.
She couldn't help but wonder what would ensue in the next few months at Hogwarts, but she knew that she would always have people beside her; she would never be lonely.
☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☽
AN:
omg I'm so sorry i haven't updated in forever i literally have had writers block this entire time but it's the new year and one of my resolutions is to finish the second part of this book (aka just the chamber of secrets) because i love this book and i love all the people who read it okay BYEEEEEE
also listen to boygenius by julien baker, phoebe bridgers, and lucy dacus. CHANGED MY LIFE