CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
ACCUSATIONS
***
𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗕𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗔 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛 𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗢 and no more attacks have happened in a while so that was good and I was right, the snide comments towards Harry happened less and less.
After a pretty awful quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff me, Ron, Harry and Hermione were just walking around outside.
"I still don't think that Hagrid's the heir of Slytherin - or at least the one who opened the chamber fifty years ago," Ron said out of the blue.
"Sill on this are we," I asked unimpressed, fiddling with my Slytherin scarf.
"It can't be Hagrid, it just can't be," Hermione ignored me, "The heir would have to be a parselmouth."
I raised my eyebrows and sharply inhaled.
"We don't even know this Tom Riddle either, he sounds like a dirty rotten snitch to me," Ron said.
"The monster had killed someone Ron, what would any of us have done?" Harry said, emphasizing the word 'killed'.
"Er, not bait my friend out?" I said looking at each of them, "If any of you killed someone I wouldn't go running to Dumbledore,"
"Look, Hagrid's our friend, why don't we just go and ask him about it," Hermione suggested.
"That would be a cheerful visit, 'hello Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose into the castle lately?'," Ron said full of sarcasm.
"Mad an' hairy? Yer wouldn't be talkin' 'bout me now would yer?" A voice said from behind us.
We all turned around and the three all said at once, "No!"
I looked to the side with a smirk, "Slick," I muttered to myself.
An awkwardly long silence grew between us, "W-what's that you've got Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"Oh this it's er," He held up the contents in his hand, "This is flesh eatin' slug repellent - for the mandrakes yer know? Now, accordin' to Professor Sprout they still got a bit of growin' up ter do bu' once their acnes cleared up, we'll be able ter chop 'em up an' stew 'em and then we'll get those people down at the 'ospital un petrified. In the meantime though you four best be lookin' after yerselves, alrigh'?" He said and then walked off, " 'Ello Nevillie,"
He greeted Neville who was bolting towards us, "Harry! I don't know when or who did it but you've got to come quick!"
The four of us exchanged looks and then followed Neville back into the castle and into the Gryffindor common room.
Harry's dorm room was completely trashed. Harry was searching through his things, Percy, Dean and Seamus also walked in looked around in shock.
"Who ever did this must of been looking for something very hard," Ron said.
"It had to be a Gryffindor, no one else knows our password," Hermione spoke up, watching Harry dig through his things.
"Unless..." Percy said suspiciously staring at me. Everyone else also looked at me with the same expression.
I smiled in disbelief, "That's right, blame the Slytherin,"
"You're the only non-Gryffindor who knows the password," Percy said.
"I never remember your stupid password, I'm never in here without one of these three anyway." I nodded my head to the trio.
"I'm sorry Elise but that's a little hard to believe, now it's probably best you-,"
"-I forget your password the same way you forget my bloody name!" I shouted, "I'm never rude to any of you in this room so for you lot to think I did this to Harry, one of my best friends, is bang out of order!"
"I didn't say anything! I promise!" Neville held his hands out in front of him and shut his eyes, as if he was expecting a hit.
"Neville are you actually scared of me?" I asked softly. He opened his eyes and lowered his hands.
"You just - nevermind," He muttered barely above a whisper.
"So you lot really think I did this?" I looked at everyone individually.
"I mean," Seamus said quietly.
They looked at the floor sheepishly, "Goes to show dunnit?" I shook my head and took of my Slytherin scarf and handed it to Hermione. "You can keep this - you know as a reminder that your 'sister' is in Slytherin but still stands by you no matter what." I walked out bumping Percy hard on the way out.
I walked off and sat in the courtyard making a flower float in front of me.
"Ay Gaunt!" Someone shouted my name. I didn't bother turning around since I heard them sit down next to me, "You okay?"
I nodded, "Yep," I popped the 'p'.
"What's the matter?"
"Not in the mood Flint," I said without looking at him.
"Okay well, I know that everyone's in the common room so when you're ready and feeling better come see us all," He suggested.
I nodded, "I will," I flashed him a fake smile and he walked off.
After sitting by myself for a bit the trio finally came up to me. The flower fell into my hand as I turned my attention to them.
"So are any of you gonna speak or?" I looked at the three of them,
"Someone's stolen Tom Riddle's diary," Harry said quickly.
"Sounds like a personal problem to me," I got up and went to leave but they stopped me, "Ohh, you want to see if I nicked it don't you?"
"We don't think you stole it, Elle," Ron said softly.
"Really? I didn't hear those words come out your mouths earlier," I crossed my arms and the three remained silent, I scoffed,"If you think that I stole it then let's go to my dorms and look for it, all together. Mind you that the other Slytherins will be there but that doesn't matter since you like them so much," I said leading the way to the dungeons.
I said the password and walked in, however the Gryffindors didn't step through, "Come on, as much as you think so we don't bite,"
The stepped in and stayed close together, as if they'd been let in a cage with tigers.
The people in the common room all stopped talking, "What's going on?" Draco asked.
"Eloise are you okay?" Daphne asked.
"Yep," I turned to the Gryffindors, "Come on you three," I lead the way to my dorm. My friends also followed to see what was happening.
I began opening and tipping out every box and drawer. I lifted up by bedding and turned to face the three once more who actually looked surprised that it wasn't with me.
"I don't have your stupid stuff okay?" I spat, "Or do you still think it was me?"
Flint, Pucey and Bletchley all came up too, "What's going on?" Pucey asked.
"Why are they here?" Flint pointed to the three.
"I don't know why you're still standing here because I don't have your things, you can go - oh and tell Percy he's lucky I don't have whatever's been stolen because I would shove it so far up his-
"-Okay okay, that's enough," Blaise stepped over next to me, "You three should go though," He said to the trio in a nice tone. They just nodded quickly and left.
"What just happened?" Theo spoke up.
"Something gets stolen and everyone blames me," I sat down on my bed, looking at the floor that had all my belongings laid everywhere
"Come on everyone, let's give her some space," Bletchley clapped his hands, everyone nodded and left my room apart from Draco.
He shut the door and sat next to me, "Do you want help cleaning this all up?" He offered.
"No it's fine I'll do it," I sighed and got up.
He ignored me and helped. When it was all done was sat on my bed and just talked for a while.
"What even got stolen?"
I shrugged my shoulders, "I don't know I'm not the one who stole it."
"Why did they think it was you, I mean you are friends with them, for some reason," He finished his sentence in a quiet, hushed voice.
"Percy Weasley was just saying how I'm the only non-Gryffindor who knows the password - I don't know his stupid password actually," I briefly explained, "It's fine, I'm over it."
"You don't seem fine," He retorted.
I nodded, "I am, thank you for helping me clean up," I smiled looking around the room.
"You're welcome,"
"You know what, I don't even care,"
"Good,"
"They can think what they want,"
"Yep," He stood up in front of me and pulled me up from the bed.
He hugged my tightly, I groaned loudly into his chest, "I'm so pissed off!"
He laughed and rubbed my back, "There it is,"
"I can't believe they think it was me!" I stepped back from him and plopped back onto the bed.