Gabby
"Come on Gabby, you have to eat something."
"No."
"Come on. Just a little bit of toast," Aria wheedled.
I frowned at her. "No!"
"You're going to make yourself ill if you keep not eating," Seamus remarked.
I scowled at him. "Shut up, Seamus!"
Seamus held up his hands. "Hey, I'm just trying to help!"
"Well, it's not helping!" I said.
Seamus muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "Did I mention lack of food also makes you angry all the time?"
I had stopped eating properly after I had found that note in my Potions book. Everywhere I went, he seemed to be. You know who I mean. Professor Eracs.
I mean, something way scarier had happened way back in my first year. Lord Voldemort himself had kidnapped Jason when he went for a walk around the Forbidden Forest with Draco Malfoy. Voldemort had left a chilling message written in blood, saying: And then there was two.
That was no doubt referring to Harry and I. Less than two weeks later, Voldemort had broken into the boys dormitory in the Gryffindor Tower. Everybody could hear Harry screaming. Aria and I had burst into the boys dormitory to find Lord Voldemort attempting to kidnap Harry.
Aria and I both ran to the window. I tried to rescue Harry, but Voldemort was too fast for me, but not for Aria. She had jumped out of the window, grabbing her father's foot (did I mention Aria is Lord Voldemort's daughter?), and Voldemort shook her off. She fell about ten feet when the human chain we made caught her.
Voldemort got away with Harry and Jason, and left another message on the window sill. And then there was one.
We set up a rescue party, which consisted of me, Aria, Kelly, Dean, Seamus, Coby, Hermione, Ron and Draco Malfoy. We arrived at Voldemort's 'lair', where Aria and I were kidnapped. We were held in the chamber Harry and Jason had escaped from, and we were tortured with the Cruciatus Curse.
We were rescued by our own rescue party, and Kelly also found her long-lost father. Mr Ryan, Kelly's dad, had invented some kind of transport, a bit like Apparition, except you didn't need a wand. Everyone except Jason, Harry and I escaped. When everyone got back to Hogwarts, they saw a message written on the front steps.
And then there was none.
Voldemort came into where we were being kept after everyone escaped. He demanded to know how we survived when he came to kill us when we were one. The truth was, I had nine lives, Jason could turn invisible and Harry was the 'Chosen One', who was destined to kill Voldemort.
Using our powers, we escaped and made it back to Hogwarts relatively unscathed. I don't remember not eating in my first year. Maybe, back then I was tougher. But something was giving me this feeling that something much worse was going to happen this year.
"Skipping food, are we?" said the chilling voice of Professor Eracs. "Ten points from Gryffindor." He walked away.
"Hey!" I said to his back. "That's not fair!"
But he didn't seem to hear me.
"How unfair is that?" I fumed, turning back to my friends.
"We know," said Kelly sympathetically.
"But maybe he's right," said Coby cautiously. "You do need to eat."
"I am eating," I said, holding up a tiny piece of toast and popping it into my mouth.
Aria sighed. "We mean proper, healthy portions of food. Not a crumb of toast!"
I frowned at her, but before I could say anything, I felt prescence behind me and turned around to see Dean standing behind me.
"Turn that frown upside-down!" he said.
I frowned some more. "That's so corny. Why are you late, anyway?"
He held up a piece of paper. "I got held up."
I reached to grab the piece of paper, but he held it out of reach.
"Hey! I want to read it!"
Now it was Dean's turn to frown. "No!" he retorted. "It's none of your business!"
I scowled at him, my eyes flashing dangerously, then swept out of the room. Little did my friends know that I left a handy little gadget behind, one I invented myself, that records people's conversation and plays it back to me. It's about the size of a thumbnail, and you stick it to the bottom of the table or the chair.
I pressed the other half of the gadget, the part that plays the conversation back to me, in my ear.
"What's up with Gabby?" I heard Dean ask.
"I don't know," said Aria, sounding worried. "She's been avoiding being alone with me ever since the second day of school."
"Do you think it has anything to do with him?" said Seamus loudly.
"Shhh!" several voices hushed him.
"Yeah, she said he really creeps her out," interjected Coby.
"Do you think there's anything wrong with him?" asked Kelly in a hushed whisper.
"Well," Dean sounded uneasy. "When I was walking into the hall, he gave me this piece of paper, and told me to give it to Gabby. He had this look that was a bit suss about him."
"Did you read it?" asked Seamus eagerly.
Dean hesitated. "Well, yes."
"Well, what does it say?" exclaimed Kelly impatiently.
"There was nothing on it."
There were several sighs of disappointment.
"Hang on, before we jump to conclusions, give it to me," said Aria. I could hear paper rustling.
"Specialis Revelio!" Aria chanted, and there were several gasps.
"Invisible Ink," said Aria with satisfaction.
"Well, read it, then!" said Kelly impatiently.
"Dearest Gabrielle," Aria read. "I know who you are, what you are, what you can do-I know everything about you. Come and meet me in my office tonight at eight p.m. I will explain everything when you arrive. From Alexander Eracs, a.k.a Professor Eracs. P.S. Do not tell anybody about this."
There was silence.
"Do you think we should tell her?" said Dean, sounding troubled.
There was a pause.
"No," Aria decided. "I don't trust him at all."
"Neither do I," Kelly declared.
"What should we do with it?" asked Coby.
"Burn it," said Aria, after a pause. "Destroy the evidence. That's the best way."
"Deal," they all said as one.
***
I ripped the gadget out of my ear in fury. So, they were planning to keep it from me? What did they know about anything?!
I made up my mind to pay Professor Eracs a visit tonight. I mean, I don't trust him either, but he knows something about me, and I want to know how he knows and what it is that he knows.
***
At eight p.m, I crept out of the common room, where the others were 'doing homework', in other words, messing around.
As per usual, Aria's sharp eyes picked up anything before everyone else. "Where are you going?" she said sharply.
"Oh, I'm just going to Professor Flitwick about the Charms homework we had," I lied.
Kelly leapt up. "I'll come with you! I didn't get it either!"
"No, I, um..." I trailed off, unable to think of an excuse of why she couldn't come with me.
"Great! Let's go!" Kelly indicated for me to climb through the portrait hole. What I didn't see was her giving Aria a subtle thumbs up and Aria complied with an approving nod.
"The part I really didn't get was the essay he told us to write about how the Aguamenti charm is used," Kelly chattered as we made our way to Professor Flitwick's office. "It was just so confusing!"
I nodded and groaned inwardly as we reached his office. Professor Flitwick would be really surprised, because I did get an 'Outstanding' in my Charms O.W.L.
"Hello, Professor Flitwick," said Kelly chirpily as we entered the office. "We just came to see you about the essay you set us for homework!"
"Oh, yes," said Professor Flitwick, looking slightly confused as he saw me standing next to her. "What would you like to know?"
"Well, we just don't get it! It's so confusing!" Kelly said.
"Miss Potter, I thought you would be able to do it, after all, you did get 'Outstanding' in Charms!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed.
"Uh, well, I, um, my brain was just tired," I said lamely.
"Hmmm...well..." Professor Flitwick began to explain it, and Kelly listened attentively, but I didn't. My mind was churning with thoughts about how I was going to escape to go to Professor Eracs office.
"So, do you understand now, girls?" Professor Flitwick said and I jerked back to reality.
"Yes, sir. We'll go back to our common room now to do our homework," said Kelly.
"Do you understand it, Gabby?" said Professor Flitwick, peering concernedly over his desk at me.
"Um, no, I mean yes! Yes! I understand it!" I spluttered.
"Good. Now, off you trot!" said Professor Flitwick, looking a little worried.
As soon as we were out of earshot, Kelly began talking. "Well that was a waste of time! I still don't get it! But that probably had something to do with the fact I put on my 'listening face', but I wasn't really listening."
I gave a wan smile.
"Do you get it?" Kelly asked suddenly.
"Um, yes," I said uncomfortably. I didn't like to tell her that I knew how to do it all along.
"Great! You can explain it to me when we get back to the common room!" exclaimed Kelly, her face shining with anticipation.
I sighed. Looks like I won't be paying Professor Eracs a visit tonight, I thought to myself.
We made it back to the common room and we sat down and I started explaining it to Kelly.
"Thanks, Gabby!" Kelly said when I had finished explaining. "That was a lot simpler than when Professor Flitwick explained it!"
I offered a weak smile. "Your welcome. I think I'm gonna go to bed now," I added, faking a huge yawn.
"Me, too," declared Aria, throwing down the piece of paper she had been frowning at for the last half hour. "I'll finish this in the morning."
I groaned inwardly. My real plan had been not to go to bed, but to sneak out and go to Professor Eracs a visit.
Aria and I walked up to the girls dormitory together, but before we left, I surreptitiously planted another one of my nifty gadgets under the armchair I had been sitting in.
We got into bed, and I pulled the hangings around my luxurious four-poster bed. I jammed the other part of my gadget into my ear and Dean's voice blared into my ear as if he was standing right next to me.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I think she was trying to go to his office. I think she found out somehow," said Kelly in a low voice.
"Then why did she go to Flitwick's office then?" Seamus asked.
"I think that was just an excuse. So I came with her, even though I perfectly understood it as well. I know she did too. She seemed really distracted the whole time," Kelly replied.
"And now Aria's gone to bed with her so she can't go anywhere?" Coby guessed.
"Yep," Kelly confirmed. "We need someone with her 24/7."
***
I tore the earpiece out of my ear with rage. I'm not a criminal, who needs guards in case I do anything rash! I have my own life, and they can't control it, no matter how much they care about me!
Because deep down, I knew they were only doing this to protect me. It still made me angry, though. I'm old enough to make my own decisions!
I decided I would go and ask Harry for his advice on what to do. Surely he would give me good advice, because, after all, we were triplets.
***
The next morning was a Saturday, and we always spend our Saturday mornings finishing homework in the sun - lit common room.
I stood up, and Aria arched an eyebrow at me, and I noticed everyone's bodies tense.
"Calm down, I'm just going to ask Harry about something," I reassured them. Everyone visibly relaxed, as Harry was on the other side of the common room, and they were probably relieved that I couldn't go to Professor Eracs' office without them noticing.
I grabbed Harry's wrist and dragged him into the corner of the common room. I took a deep breath. "Listen. I need you help with something," I began, and explained everything that had happened.
When I had finished, Harry paused, appearing to deliberate on the idea of me going to Professor Eracs' office.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go alone," he said finally.
"But-" I interrupted and Harry held up his hand to silence me.
"I said alone. I didn't say you shouldn't go at all."
"But..." I was extremeley confused.
"I'll go to Professor Eracs' office with you," Harry explained. I nodded. Seemed like a good plan to me.
"We're just going to ask Jason something," Harry said to Ron and Hermione when they looked up questionably as we walked to the portrait hole. They nodded and returned to their work.
I repeated the same lie Harry had told his friends to my friends. Together, we walked out of the portrait hole and to Professor Eracs' office.
When we reached it, I took a deep breath, then twisted the doorknob and walked inside.
Professor Eracs was sitting at his desk.
But he wasn't alone.
________________________________________________________________________
I hope you like this chapter! I've tried to make it a little longer!
So, Gabby goes to Professor Eracs' office even though he gives her the creeps! AND Harry is being a good brother and is going with her! :o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o
Writer of the Day: Sproulie
Book of the Day: The man in the fire (by Sproulie)
Next Upload: Hmmm....Sunday, maybe Monday?
Happy reading! ;P
turnip :)