a/n short-ish chapter. more Gryffindor bonding <33

Many hours later, I was in the girls dormitories furiously working on trying to connect the dots. I had my mind maps out in front of me, perusing the mythology book.

"Wow, you're really invested in this," Parvati observed. She was the only one awake of the other Gryffindor girls, Hermione only having gone to sleep after her homework was finished. I knew for a fact she had Ravenclaws doing her homework. What was she even awake for? I looked at her shrewdly.

"Well yes, you would be too if you were in perpetual danger."

She scoffed and flushed, trying to mask embarrassment with defensiveness. "I'm not saying I wouldn't help. It's just the teachers have got it under control, I would think." Her expression softened. "But I get it. Every day that goes by with whatever or whoever is behind this running loose I get more and more worried."

I too softened my scorn. "It's okay. I guess I'm just not the type to sit by and let things happen. I'm sure Dumbledore's working on it, but it's not enough for me if I'm not helping too."

I picked up the mythology book, leafing through it. I idly glanced at a few of the chapters that Malfoy had indicated. However, I realized suddenly that Malfoy had circled the heading above the Gorgons. On the following page, he circled a short passage so aggressively that the words around it were hardly legible.

"While the Gorgons slept, Perseus attacked, using Athena's polished shield to view the reflection of Medusa's awful face and avoid her petrifying gaze while he beheaded her with a harpe, an adamantine sword."

I stared, re-reading it. Parvati made a face.

"Whoever did that to a library book deserves jail time," she expressed. I would have laughed, had the situation not been so serious. Suddenly, I procured a quill and began to scribble furiously into my mind map.

Don't look into it's eyes, I wrote. USE MIRROR.

"Um," Parvati glanced at me warily. "You don't reckon Slytherin's monster is Medusa, do you?"

"Slytherin's monster can Petrify people," I said. "Most likely through eye contact. Meaning, if we protect ourselves with mirrors, we're not likely to fall victim to it."

Parvati seemed surprised. "You're so sure."

I pursed my lips. She was right. I had a lot of faith in Malfoy, and that trust had become unstable a long time ago. For all I knew, he could be the Heir.

I sighed. "I'm not, actually. But it's the best lead we have, and—"

"I smell blood . . ."

I dropped my quill, my heart racing. Parvati looked at me strangely.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"There's about to be another attack," I said, feeling my skin prickle. "That, I am sure of."

Parvati stared in disbelief. "How could you know that?"

"I—" I hesitated. "I hear a voice, whenever it happens. I heard it last time, with Ms. Norris."

And in the dream with Anne, but Parvati didn't have to know that.

Her eyes widened. "What are you going to do?"

I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood. "I don't know."

Suddenly, Parvati stood and began to rifle through her bag. I watched her anxiously until she suddenly produced two makeup mirrors.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You said you're not the type to sit by and let things happen," she tossed me a mirror. "Lead the way. Let's see if we can catch this thing."

I stared at her in shock. "Isn't that a bit reckless—"

"We're in Gryffindor, Lila, that's what we're known for," she rolled her eyes. "Any idea where it's going?"

I could hear the voice again, though much more faintly. I closed my eyes, then opened them widely. It was moving toward the Hospital Wing.

"Harry!" I hissed, jumping to my feet."We have to go!"

"Now we're talking," Parvati helped me up. We sneaked swiftly down the stairs and out the portrait hole. Once we left the common room, we moved using our compact mirrors to guide our way.

"It was moving toward the Hospital Wing," I explained quietly. "That's where Harry is now. I know it's after people like me but Harry's always at risk of being killed."

"Well I hope we can save him," Parvati whispered gleefully. "Maybe then he'll finally start talking to me."

I snorted. "I'm not sure you want that as much as you think you do. He's the worst conversationalist ever."

Parvati giggled. "That might make him cuter."

I rolled my eyes. "Not when he doesn't want to talk to you. You should see how he talks to that poor first year, Colin Cr—"

I didn't even get to finish saying his name. By the light of my wand, I caught the outline of a shoe in the mirror. Parvati fell silent as well, staring at hers open-mouthed. I looked around with the mirror, but to no avail. We were the only ones in the corridor.

We approached slowly as the rest of the body came to view. He was still standing upright, camera still poised in front of his face—

"Oh my God," I muttered. "That's him."

"But where's the monster?" Parvati asked, using her mirror to look around as well. "It's already gone?"

"Maybe it heard us coming," I mused. I frowned at Colin. "What do we do now?"

"We should take him to someone," Parvati suggested. "Perhaps Madam Pomfrey would be able to—"

"And what would you two be doing out of bed?"

Parvati and I both jumped, instinctively turning both of our mirrors behind us to see Professor Dumbledore at our backs.

"You're lucky it's only me." He said, though his cheerful disposition suddenly grew grim the closer he got. He was able to see Colin now, his old face drawn into a grimace.

"Well," he said, voice suddenly sobered. "It appears we have another victim." He observed Colin's still form curiously, Parvati and I exchanging nervous glances. He finally turned back to us.

"I don't suppose you two could help me carry him up the stairs?" He asked. Us girls exchanged another look before we cautiously approached Colin's figure. We lifted his feet while Dumbledore grabbed his back. He felt scarily like a statue.

We walked him up the stairs in a tense silence, Dumbledore finally shouldering open the door at the top. Together, we hauled him into a bed across from Harry's. The boy was so strangely silent that I figured he was awake and only pretending to be asleep. Had he heard the monster?

"Get Madam Pomfrey," Dumbledore instructed Parvati. Wordlessly, she nodded and went to get her from her office. She came out shouldering a robe over her nightdress. Her eyes went wide as she caught sight of Colin.

"What has happened?" She cried in a hushed whisper.

"Another attack," Dumbledore told her. "We found him by the stairs."

"He was probably coming up to visit Harry," I added. "If we hadn't shown up, I don't know what might have happened—"

"And why were you there?" Madam Pomfrey squinted at us.

"I convinced her," Parvati admitted. "She said she heard something and we were worried Harry was in danger."

"Heard something?" Madam Pomfrey asked shrewdly. "Like what?"

I opened and closed my mouth. I couldn't admit to her I'd been hearing voices each time there was an attack.

"Let's not question the girls too heavily, Poppy," Dumbledore cut in. "After all, they're likely just as traumatized as the rest of us after finding this."

Madam Pomfrey examined Colin once again, her expression grim. "What does this mean, Albus?"

"It means," he said darkly. "That the Chamber of Secrets has been opened."

That was a confirmation if any. Parvati and Madam Pomfrey both gasped, but I only looked at Dumbledore.

"Again," I added. Dumbledore turned and looked at me as though he were seeing me for the first time.

"Yes," he said. "Again."

"But who?" Madam Pomfrey asked. Dumbledore only shook his head.

"The question is not who, Poppy, but how."

We exited the Hospital Wing after a few minutes, though those words rung through my head regardless. Did Dumbledore know who the Heir was? Why wouldn't he share?

Parvati startled me by speaking suddenly. "She was with me the whole night, I swear."

I smiled at her gratefully. "Yes, we were with each other."

Dumbledore chuckled despite the circumstances. "There's no need for that, either of you. I believe you."

It must have been suspicious, seeing the two of us left at the scene of the crime moments after it occurred. I wondered what it was about us that could let Dumbledore trust us so much.

"May I ask what the mirrors are for?"

"Protection, sir." I said. "Though, I'm not quite as certain of their effectiveness."

Parvati looked at me, startled. "Why?"

"Because," I sighed. "Colin was clearly looking at the monster through the camera. He couldn't have made direct eye contact with it, but he still was Petrified."

"I wouldn't discount your efforts," Dumbledore remarked. "There are worse things than being Petrified. At least we can make a restorative for that."

I recalled the student that had died the last time this had happened. How did the creature kill, then? Venom? Poison? If it were an Acromantula, why wouldn't it have killed Colin immediately?

By this time, we'd reached Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore gestured up the stairs.

"Next time you suspect an attack, please tell Minerva." Dumbledore said sternly. "I'll leave the details of our meeting outside of what I tell her, so long as I don't catch you two in a situation such as this again."

"Of course, sir," we said together. Dumbledore seemed to believe Parvati, but not me. He gave me a look I couldn't quite read.

"And Lila, let us talk soon," he said cryptically. "I'll be in my office, whenever you feel so inclined."

"I thought you were appointment only," I said, not bothering m to hide my snideness. Parvati elbowed me where he couldn't see, but he chuckled anyway.

"Consider the appointment made," he said. "Goodnight now."

"Goodnight," Parvati answered, tugging me up the stairs so I would stop sassing our Headmaster. Once we returned to the portrait hole, we climbed into the common room and up to our dorms in silence. Only when we were laying in bed again did she speak.

"How do you know about the Chamber opening before?" She asked.

"It's a long story," I sighed. "I dreamed it."

"Prophetic dreams are pretty common in witches, you know," Parvati said wisely, not seeming surprised at all. "Maybe someone is trying to connect with you to warn you."

"Maybe," I conceded, though I'm sure it was just as confusing for Anne as it was for me. I wondered how she had been doing, but unfortunately I didn't get the chance to find out. My sleep was deep and dreamless, and when I woke my thoughts were still churning.