Chapter 15

This is my longest Chapter yet! 4,400 words. Please inform me of any and all mistakes. And please, please review. Thanks.

Two months had come and gone since Annie had arrived at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry; and already she had found Hogwarts to be homier then anything she had had with her parents. She had made close friends with Demelza Robins, a fellow first year Gryffindor. Annie had hoped to become friends with Ginny, the red head who she sat with on the train, but the other girl was shy and only wanted to write in her diary. She also had the largest crush on Harry and this made Annie a little uncomfortable whenever she was around both Ginny and Harry. Harry was oblivious to Ginny's puppy eye look that she sent Harry's way but Annie wasn't. Annie's classes were extremely interesting, and every day she discovered something new. From shouting letters to teachers turning into cats; Hogwarts was by far the most remarkable place she had ever been to. Nothing was what it seemed to be. A wall could easily be a door in disguise.

Her lessons, now that she had learned the basics, were extremely fascinating. Annie found potions to be by far her best class. Harry had been shocked when Annie had told him this and had muttered that he had never known Professor Snape to be nice to a Gryffindor. Anne had replayed by saying that Snape was a nasty to her as well, but she just worked her hardest and didn't gave the nasty Professor reasons take points off or say degrading comments. Demelza, who was Annie's Potions partner, told Harry, Snape's grinding of the teath when he didn't have the excuse to yell at a Gryffindor was extremely amusing. DADA was also a favorite with all the Gryffindor girls. The teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart was cute and smart. He even had books were he portrayed his adventures and his brave travels doing good for wizard kind. Annie was almost jealous when she had found out Harry had his detention with Professor Lockhart, and bugged her cousin to tell him everything about the evening. Harry annoyed, told her it had been detention, and one of the worst he had ever had.

Annie knew that this year was the best in her life. She was safe, happy and loved by her foster family, cousin and friends. Her foster mother sent care packages witch she shared with Harry and through the many letters Annie got to know her foster parents very well. The only unfortunate thing was they had made no process in getting Harry away from the Annie's family. When Annie told Harry this he only sighed, and said he was expecting something like this. But other than this everything was perfect.

It wasn't until Halloween that everything changed.

Annie's cousin and his two best friends had been missing during the Halloween feast, nothing to be alarmed at, as Harry had told her he planned to go to a death day party. What alarmed Annie was that Harry and his friends were caught at the sight of a crime. The caretaker's cat had been petrified. And on the wall was a message: THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED, ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been proven innocent by the headmaster, but not all the students believed Harry's innocence. Annie had to be dragged away screaming curses several times by Demelza when she heard other students bashing her cousin repeatedly.

"And the unfair thing is that they are only picking on Harry," Annie complained later "Even though Ron and Hermione were there as well."

The whispers continued in the hall ways, and Annie got several detentions for using the leg lock spell on a fellow first year, and later several boil hexes on second year students.

All the students were scared. Scared that whatever hurt the cat would come back and hurt them. One first year Puff was pulled out of school by his concerned parents, and all the students traveled in packs of three or more students. Ginny's older twin brothers made jokes about Harry being the Hair of Slytherin, but they didn't do it in a mean and malicious way, so Annie was ok with it.

But when no second attack happened everything started to calm down, and the rumors about Harry stopped, even though the scared looks most people shot him didn't.

Soon it was time for the first Quidditch match of the season; one that was most anticipated, not just because it was between the two most rival houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin but because Slytherin had acquired new top of the line broomsticks and Gryffindor wanted to nock Slytherin down a few notches.

The match started at 11o'clock after an early lunch, and the entire school eagerly made their way onto the stands. Colin Creevey, a fellow first year muggle-born in Gryffindor entertained Annie, Demelza, and Ginny who had taken her time to put her diary down with his newly developed pictures of the Gryffindor Quidditch team practicing. Colin sat next to Annie in History of Magic, but they rarely chatted outside class. Soon the match started and Demelza, who had been raised in a magical family, explained the rules.

"So the bludger's smash into all the players to get them off their brooms, right?" Annie asked pointing at Harry as he did a tricky turn to avoid the bludger; as this happened Slytherin team scored again. "Does it often go after just one person; I thought it usually went after as many people as possible?"

It started to rain lightly and then heavily and it was hard to see the players properly. Demelza put a rain repelling spell that the prefects had thought first years before the match. But even though they were dry, it was hard to see the players properly. That was properly why it took such a long time for the audience to notice that one of the bludger's was shadowing Harry.

"That's not normal." Demelza confirmed, when Annie pointed out the mad bludger to her. The game was paused for a few minutes, but then continued. Harry twirled in the sky, looking like a mad ballerina. The other seeker followed Harry carefully, and from what Annie noticed, was as making fun of him. Harry must have been annoyed at the teasing, for he shot his broom towards the other seeker. Annie frowned. That wasn't a Harry like thing to do, let a bully get to him like that, but Harry hadn't been attacking his rival, but getting the snitch witch was just above the Slytherin.

"That was amazing!" Annie couldn't help but grin at her cousin, even though he was in the Hospital wing, getting thirty-three bones regrown. It was after the game, and Annie, Ron, Hermione, and Harry's team were all celebrating their win. Everybody was kicked out just as the party was getting going. Madam Pomfrey was very strict and wanted Harry to rest. Annie promised to visit in the morning before breakfast; and then rushed to the great hall where Demelza was waiting for her. The two girls ate an early dinner with Colin and all three headed up to library to study for a Transfiguration test. They normally wouldn't have, but they had all gotten low grades on the last test, none of the first years felt comfortable about going to the party where rumor had it, the Weasley twins had managed to obtain firewiskey. After half an hour Colin left to hang out with some of his friends and Annie helped Demelza with their potions essay, and Demelza checked over Annie's Astronomy paper. They then headed up to the common room where a party was still going on. Annie was instantly passed a drink. Demelza called it butterbeer; it was warm, and delicious. Annie had felt bad about Harry not being able to enjoy his own team's party, and Colin agreed immediately when Annie shared the thought with him and Demelza. The longer Annie spent around Colin the more she compared him with Ginny. They both seemed obsessed with Harry. But where Ginny was shy, Colin was outgoing and hyper. The boy seamed extremely eager to sneak down to the hospital wing, risk detention, all to give Harry grapes and a butterbeer. Annie almost felt bad for Harry when Colin left. She debated whether she should follow behind, just to make sure that Colin didn't bother Harry. She had a feeling Harry wouldn't know how to deal with the hyper kid. She didn't know Colin well, but she could see the boy asking for an autograph or a picture all the while jumping up and down like he had springs in his feet. She sneaked out and headed towards the hospital wing. She was almost there when she tripped on something.

"What the—," she lit her wand, something she hadn't done to avoid detection "Oh no! Colin?"

Annie distinguished her want and rushed to where she knew her head of house would be, but she never made it. She bumped into a person in the dark, and she screamed thinking it was whatever attacked Colin. Fortunately it wasn't, it was the headmaster on his way to the kitchen for a cup of hot chocolate. He got her to explain what had happened and after calling Professor McGonagall the three took Colin to the hospital wing. After they dropped Colin off to the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall took Annie back to her dorm, all the while scolding her. After taking 20 points off and assigning two detentions, Annie was told to go to sleep.

After the attack on Colin everybody went back to blaming Harry. Annie got her first howler from Lucy and John saying how ashamed they were and how her consequences of wondering the castle got another student hurt. So everybody knew that Annie knew something about the attack.

When Annie told the curious questioners that she knew nothing, they all thought she was covering up for Harry. They knew she and Harry where cousins and for most of them this was more proof that Harry was the one causing the attacks.

But the whispers didn't get bad until Harry revealed himself to be a parselmouth, a talker of snakes, at the one and only duelling club meeting. Annie hadn't been there having been in detention, but everybody was talking about it and Annie couldn't help but overhearing it. When she asked Harry, he was as confused as she was. He hadn't known he was talking another language until Ron told him he was.

Then a second muggle-born student was attacked, and this time the castle was at uproar because Nick, the Gryffindor ghost was also attacked, and Harry was found at the 'crime scene'.

Fortunately Harry was not blamed for this, though this did not stop students from blaming him. This time Annie didn't blame them. Why was Harry always at the crime scenes?

Peeves, the annoying poltergeist even came up with a song and dance routine, and the entire student body was avoiding him.

Annie was surprised though that Harry wasn't as miserable as she thought he should be. She guessed he was used to people being nasty; after all he did live with the Dursley's. But he had an almost determined look on his face, one that became more and more pronounced as the Christmas holidays came closer and closer.

'He must be planning something for this Christmas,' Annie thought. 'That's probably why he and his friends are planning on staying at Hogwarts this Christmas.'

Annie had asked Harry to come home with her and meet her foster family, but Harry had declined.

Christmas at the Jackson's was amazing. The Jackson's might not have had any children, but Annie learned that they had a lot of extended family. There were easily thirty people at the family party, and best of all, Annie was able to meet all Lucy's nieces and nephews. They were all pretty young but Annie had fun playing children's games and not worrying about Chambers and unknown creatures. Annie had also purchased gifts for her parents and brother. Nothing magical, for she knew her parents wouldn't accept any magical gifts. She owled the gifts to Number twelve, and hoped her parents were thinking of her just like she was thinking of them. She wondered if her parents would burn the gifts in the middle of the night.

'Probably would' Annie thought to herself with a snort. At least Harry would like his gift. She wondered what Harry was doing this very moment…

Harry was getting ready to sneak into the Slytherin common room, along with Ron and Hermione; he was going to find out how Malfoy was attacking the muggle-borns. Very few students had stayed over for the holidays. Most of the muggle-borns didn't feel safe, and the others just wanted the safety of home. He was glad Annie had left Hogwarts for the holidays. It was hard enough worrying about one muggle-born but two…

If he was able to prove it was Malfoy attacking the students, then everybody would be safe come the start of the new term. He looked at the goblet of potion that would turn him for one hour into another person. Well, here goes nothing. He tipped back the drink and swallowed it in a few gulps.

A few days later Ron and Harry were eating dinner and talking softly.

"That was a bust. Malfoy is innocent, and we don't have a suspect and Hermione is in the hospital room!" Ron complained. Annie who had arrived at Hogwarts few hours earlier couldn't help but eavesdrop as Ron was talking loudly.

"So you three did have something suspicious planned for the holidays." Annie exclaimed, butting into the boy's conversion. "And what happened to Hermione? Jake Lawrence is telling everybody she was attacked during by the Slytherin monster."

"Suspicious! Us?" Ron laughed, completely ignoring Annie's question about Hermione.

Annie turned away from Ron, knowing she wasn't going to get any answers from him and directed her next question toward her cousin instead.

"So what did you do, that turned out to be a bust, and what is Malfoy innocent of?"

Ron finished the last of his food just then. He stood up and waited for Harry to follow.

"We have just enough time to visit Hermione before curfew." Ron told Harry.

Harry shot an apologetic expression towards Annie and promised to explain everything later before both boys rushed out.

"Do you get the feeling they are up to something?" Annie asked Demelza, who sat next to her reading a sports magazine.

Harry never explained what happened to Hermione, but since Hermione left the Hospital wing a few days after the term, Annie knew that the second year hadn't been petrified. In fact the attacks seemed to have stopped. Ginny Weasley also started being friendlier and stopped stomping around ignoring everybody for her diary. When Demelza had asked what had happened to Ginny's faithful diary, Ginny would only shrug and say she decided that journaling was not her thing, and that she had tossed the book away. Annie now found Ginny to be extremely witty now that the girl wasn't imitating a zombie.

Valentine's Day came, and Professor Lockhart hired elves to go around the school delivering Valentines. Annie didn't get one and she was almost glad for it, when she saw Harry running away from an elf as she was waiting in line for a class. Everybody laughed when poor Harry had to be sat on so he could hear his message. Annie was pretty sure Ginny had sent that message to Harry, for she was extremely pale after watching Harry's reaction to the message. Ginny was so embarrassed about the Valentine message that she started to write in another diary, and started ignoring her first mates again.

Annie talked to Harry and Ron about Ginny; and Ron seemed surprised at his sister's actions. They were in the second year boy's dorm, cleaning up Harry's trunk.

"She's really not a shy person." Ron said. "I have noticed she hasn't been herself, but I thought she would have been acting normal around friends at the very least."

"She has no friends." Annie exasperated at Ron. He didn't seem to understand that something was very wrong with his sister. "All she does is write in that diary that she lied about tossing away."

"Diary?" Harry looked up from his paper's he was sorting out.

"Tossed out?" Ron said his eye's getting extremely big. "Annie, this is important; when did she toss the diary away and when did she start writing in it again?"

Annie thought for a few seconds. "Huh, well she claimed to have tossed the diary soon before Hermione left the hospital wing." She looked at the boys. They seemed extremely impatient and Harry waved his hand in a 'well what happened next' movement. "Then a few days after Valentine's day the diary came back." Annie shrugged a little confused on why they were focusing on this of all things. She just told Ron that his sister had no friends, and what he focuses on is when is sister tossed her diary? Very odd.

She left the boys soon after as she made study plans with some of the Gryffindor first years. She wasn't getting any information from Ron or Harry. As she headed down the staircase leading to the common room, she wondered what the boy's knew that she didn't.

The weather warmed up, and before Annie knew it another Quidditch match was hear. The weather was perfect, and all of Gryffindor was hyped to go out and support their team. But the game was never played. Just as the game was about to be started, McGonagall ran out yelling through a microphone that the game was cancelled, and that all students were to head to their common rooms. To Annie's displeasure, Harry was asked to follow McGonagall.

"What did they think he did this time?" Annie raged to Demelza later in their dorm. "I wonder who was attacked. I hope it's nobody we know."

Later they found out that Hermione and a Ravenclaw had been attacked in a double attack.

McGonagall had entered the common room to tell Gryffindor about the attack, and how the school might close down if the attacks didn't stop. She left the students on a high note though. The Mandrakes, a plant the second year students helped plant, was almost mature. Once the plant was fully grown it could be added to a potion that would awaken the petrified students.

Another shock came a few days later, this time from Harry.

"Hagrid was arrested." Harry told Annie grimly as she served herself breakfast. "Last night. We witnessed it happening."

"What! Why?" Annie was shocked. "They don't think Hagrid of all people is responsible for the attacks?"

Harry shrugged not meeting her eyes.

'Yah, he did know more than he was sharing.' Annie thought to herself.

Just then Ron sat down. "Did you tell her about Hagrid and Dumbledore?"

"What happened to Dumbledore?" Annie wasn't sure she wanted to know. Had the Headmaster been attacked?

"He's been fired!" Ron said

"What! He's gone?" Annie was shocked. Sure Dumbledore hadn't caught the creature petrifying students, but was firing him really the solution? "And why did they arrest Hagrid?" This time she was sure that the boys knew something as they shrugged didn't meet her eyes and rapidly changed the topic.

Fearing another attack, the teachers walked all the students to and from class, and all extra curriculum activities were cancelled (To the dismay and horror of both Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, and Fay Dunbar the Gobstones Quidditch Captain). Everybody was at an even higher state of alert now that the headmaster was gone, but miraculously no new students were pulled out. Visitors were now not allowed to enter the hospital wing, and Annie heard a rumor that they were thinking about placing Auror's in the hallways for protection, but whether this was a truthful rumor or not was debatable.

Nobody reacted as badly as Ron and Harry did. Ron had mouthed soundlessly when Professor McGonagall informed everybody of the new rules. Annie would have thought they would have been relieved to have the extra protection around them, but no. And the two continuously tried to sneak off on their own.

Annie initially reckoned they were trying to sneak into the Hospital wing to visit Hermione, but she didn't know what spiders had to do with their petrified friend and that was all they seemed to talk about whenever Annie eves dropped on them. She initially felt very Slytherin like for sneaking around and listening in on private conversations, but how else was she to find out anything important?

And what odd conversations she was hearing. Unless she was mistaken, they wanted to follow the spiders and how this would help them figure out who the culprit was.

One fine day they stopped talking about the spiders, and Annie wondered if they succeeded in their plot to follow the spiders or if they had just gave up.

To Annie's bewilderment, they then started talking about entering girl bathrooms. At this point Annie gave up thinking the boys knew anything important, and started thinking the stress of the entire situation had gotten to their heads. It had clearly gotten to Ginny's. The poor girl could be seen rocking back and forth at breakfast time, and whenever Annie saw her she looked like she never slept.

On the day Annie witnessed the odd behaviour of Ginny Weasley, was the day the entire school got amazing news.

Dumbledore wasn't coming back and Quidditch matches weren't on again, but the Mandrakes were fully mature and all the petrified students would awake soon.

That night Gryffindor's common room was filled with laughter and merriment. Colin's roommate and best friend was just telling anybody that listened that nothing could go wrong now, when the news came. A student had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets and was presumed dead.

That night the first year Gryffindor girls went up to bed without their roommate Ginny, and though they never really talked to her, they noticed her absence acutely. Was Ginny really dead? Would Hogwarts now be closed down? Did Ginny know something about the Chamber? That could explain why she had been taken. If that was the case, then Annie could have helped the girl. Ginny probably knew something about but because Annie and the other girls didn't talk to her she had been ignored even though something important had obviously been going on in her life.

Annie didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have, because the next moment Demelza was shaking her awake, telling her Harry and Ron had found Ginny and that their room was safe.

"What!" Annie goggled at Demelza and the other girls in the dorm who were all jumping up and down, and all saying that there was a midnight feast planned and to hurry up.

Annie along with the rest of Gryffindor rushed down to the great hall. Annie wasn't hungry for food, but for answers. She felt truly terrible for what happened to Ginny. After all Annie had noticed the weird behavior and had done nothing. Was it partially Annie's fault that the other girl had been taken into the Chamber? She had to question Harry and find out why Ginny had been snatched.

Annie spotted Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table and rushed to where he was.

"What happened?" Annie Gasped as Harry patted the seat next to him. "Is Ginny okay? Where is she?"

"Calm down, Ginny's fine. She's in the hospital wing. As for what happened you'll never believe me," Harry grinned. But instead of telling her anything he just offered her a tart and a cup of milk.

The next day, after Ginny had rested up, Annie and some other first year girls went to visit Ginny in the Hospital wing. This included an odd Hufflepuff who had corks around her neck. She didn't want to share what had happened to her, but Ginny assured them that the company was quite welcome. She acted like the girl who had gotten rid of her diary, and that made Annie think.

"What happened to the diary?" Annie asked.

Ginny shrugged. "I tossed it away; this time for good!"

The last few days were a breeze as all exam's had been cancelled; and soon it was time to leave Hogwarts. Again Annie sat in the same compartment with Ginny, Fred, George, and Hermione; this time joined with Harry, and Ron who this time made the train. Demelza sat up ahead with her own sister, after declining the invitation to sit with the older students. She said she felt strange sitting with second and fourth year students. And since Annie wouldn't see her cousin for a few months it made sense that she would sit with him. For yet another summer, the two cousins were going to separate houses, the plan for the Jackson's fostering Harry having failed.

Annie wondered not for the first time; why did her parents not fight for her as well. Why had they so willingly given her up but not Harry? But as she walked passed her parents at the station she had seen the conflicted emotions in her mother's eyes. Things weren't what they seemed.