When it's time to leave for breakfast Snape comes into the common room to walk us all to the dining hall. No ones very excited about this arrangement, especially Snape who looks like he's ready to kill someone. All night George has been writing to me, asking to talk, making sure I'm okay, but I've been ignoring him.
After breakfast, Dumbledore tells us to meet in front of our first-period teachers so they can walk us to our classroom. "Violet? Are you okay?" George says to me as soon as he sees me.
"Fine yeah. Surprised you want to be seen with me. Given I'm a Slytherin and all." I say back to him. Emma and Walter excuse themselves from the conversation and Professor Sprout starts to lead us towards the greenhouses.
"Oh don't be like that. I mean it is the heir of Slytherin. And it is Slytherins monster. It's just all a little uncomfortable you know?"
We turn the corner and follow Sprout outside. "Yeah. Uncomfortable. Almost as uncomfortable to be labelled as evil, rude, mean, horrible, vicious people just because of the house you're sorted into." I snap, drawing attention from a few other students walking ahead of us.
"You're not like that though! You're different!"
I scoff, "Everyone in Slytherin is different! None of us are what you all think of us! Just because the rest of this damn school doesn't even try to see us as any different is the problem! And the fact that you just agree with them is just-"
"Who said I agree with them? It's just an observation is all. An observation that I'm sure you have noticed as well."
I nod slightly and shrug my shoulders, "I'm sorry I'm just loyal to people I care about. Including my housemates you know?"
George throws his arm over my shoulders, "Course I do, that's something I love about you."
No one left the classroom for anything that day. Professor Sprout was on edge the entire time, so much so she knocked over three pots when Cedric Diggory asked her a question. At the end of the day, we are all led back to our common room and locked in by Snape.
"At least we are going to be able to get all our work done without any distractions...?" Walter says trying to lighten the mood.
Emma rolls her eyes, "Distractions like what?"
"Distractions like Cedric Diggory. Merlin knows you pay attention to him more than you pay attention to your schoolwork."
"What can I say? He's beautiful." Walter rolls his eyes and starts to work on the Care of Magical Creatures composition.
As summer began to creep over the castle, the rules around school got stricter and stricter. No one went anywhere without a buddy, the whole school murmuring about Slytherin.
"Violet! Violet! Did you hear!" Draco comes practically soaring into the common room Thursday night.
"Oh goodness Draco, I love you but if you say one more thing about Harry Potter I might have to disown you." I put my quill down and look up from my notes. Emma laughs and focuses her attention on Draco.
"No not this time! Its father! He had Hagrid sacked and sent off to Azkaban! And -and he got the Headmaster an order of suspension!" Draco says out of breath.
My jaw drops, "He did what? Dumbledore is gone..?"
"Yeah! It's fantastic, isn't it? I have to go tell everyone!" Draco dashes off leaving Emma and me alone.
"Your uncle is powerful. Bloody hell." Emma says, half watching Draco tell the story to anyone who'd listen.
"This just means the attacks are going to get worse. If Dumbledore can't stop them then who can?"
Emma turns her full attention to me. "Okay but if they took Hagrid to Azkaban, and he was the one attacking students, then the attacks will be done and over with and we can get a better headmaster!"
Walter comes back from the bathroom and sits down beside us, "So it's true? Your uncle really went and had our groundskeeper thrown in Azkaban?"
"Apparently. Which is honestly not what I need right now. Can't we all just study for our exams and call it a year?"
YOUR UNCLE GOT HAGRID SENT TO AZKABAN? Appears on my arm.
APPARENTLY. DUNNO THE FACTS. I JUST WANT TO STUDY. I write back George. He doesn't respond, getting the idea that I'm very much not in the mood to have a conversation right now.
Nearly the whole school was talking about Hagrid and Dumbledore the next day. Everyone blaming Draco and I simply because we are related to uncle Lucius and he was the one that caused all this mess.
"Out of all the things my family has done. This is the one that gets me weird looks?" I joke with Emma.
Apparently she doesn't find it funny because she hugs me long and hard telling me it's okay to cry.
"Don't worry love, it'll all come full circle eventually. No one's even going to remember your uncle's actions by the time exams come round." George whispers to me during charms one afternoon. But they do, Uncle Lucius, Draco, and I were the talk of the school till the end of May. Then everyone started talking about the exams we have to take on June first.
"I don't get it. Like I know that we have to write exams because we are at school and everything, but how are we supposed to study when we can't even go to the library? Or spend extra time with our teachers after class?" Walter moans after McGonagall reminds us that exams are coming up soon at the end of her transfiguration class.
Three days before exams McGonagall steps up to the podium at breakfast. "I have some good news!" She says loudly, the entire hall falls silent.
"Dumbledore's coming back!" Someone shouts from the other side of the room.
"You've caught the heir of Slytherin!" Another voice says loudly.
"You've expelled LeStrange and Malfoy!" Someone at the Gryffindor table shouts. Emma grabs a hold to my wand arm, sort of an instinct at this point in the school year.
"Quidditch matches are back on!" Oliver Wood shouts, standing from his spot at the Gryffindor table.
"Professor Sprout has told me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with catching our culprit!" McGonagall continues. The room erupts into cheers and applause.
I look down the Slytherin table and notice that Draco is one of the few that aren't cheering along with the rest of them. I never thought that Draco could be capable of doing such a thing as petrifying muggle-born students. But with the look on his face right now I could have been fooling myself.
"What'd you think they're going to say when they've been woken up?" Emma asks excitedly.
I sigh and shake my head. "Dunno. But whoever or whatever it is, I hope its got nothing to do with Slytherin."