Two Amazing Discoveries
They got back from Christmas and formed their own Defence group. They would usually meet in the boy’s dorm as the boys were not allowed in the girls or an empty classroom. They had started off by learning how to disarm each other, properly this time and then learnt some basic jinxes.
As they weren’t very advanced, yet they were trying to work on spells that would inconvenience or distract their opponent such as Tarantalegra which made their opponent dance, or Rictumsempra the tickling jinx or the jellylegs jinx.
February came along and they were starting to get quite good, just the night before Beth had managed to disarm Ernie and put the jellylegs jinx on Neville.
One morning Beth and Susan headed down to breakfast together and found that the whole room was scattered with pick confetti which was getting in Beth’s cornflakes.
“What the hell is going on?” asked Susan as she sat down.
Beth indicated towards Lockhart who was wearing his fuchsia robes again today and was beaming like a madman.
“Happy Valentine’s day everyone!” called Lockhart.
“Oh God!” muttered Ernie banging his head against the table.
“Today is day of love so feel free to tell that special someone the way that you feel. Perhaps ask Professor Flitwick about entrancement charms, or Professor Snape about love potions.”
“Those are both versions of rape, aren’t they?” muttered Artie.
“Er yeah,” nodded Zach glaring at Lockhart.
“Right,” nodded Ernie, “if he could get another strike, he’d be getting it now.”
All the way through Charms that morning Beth noticed that Susan was looking at her nervously as if waiting to say something, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. The same thing happened in Potions and then Transfiguration that afternoon.
“Sus,” asked Beth as they packed away their books, “what’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just you’ve been looking at me strangely all day,” Beth pointed out, “there is clearly something wrong.”
Susan shook her head and pulled her off to a deserted corridor on the second floor.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” muttered Susan pulling at the end of her plait.
“Has something happened?” Beth stammered, “are you alright?”
“No nothing’s happened,” blushed Susan, “it’s just well, its Valentine’s day.”
“I’m aware,” Beth sighed, “Lockhart won’t let us forget.”
“Yeah, well,” she stammered, “um Beth, I have feelings for you.”
“You’re my friend, right?” said Susan, “anything I tell you now won’t change that?”
“No of course not Sus,” said Beth putting her hands on Susan’s shoulders.
Susan smiled slightly and took a deep breath.
“Beth, I think I love you.”
Beth smiled slightly.
“You know what Sus, I’ve been trying to find the right moment to tell you the same thing for the last month, but I didn’t want to scare you away.”
“I love you Sus!”
Susan pulled Beth in for a hug, but it was different from when they had hugged before. Susan’s hair smelt of strawberries, Beth had never noticed that before.
Susan gave her a light kiss on the lips.
“I love you so much Sus,” beamed Beth as they picked up their bags to head down to the Great Hall hand in hand.
Susan was skipping along as they headed down for dinner, she was practically walking on air.
Beth couldn’t believe her luck, she had been so worried that Susan wouldn’t like her back, but now she knew that Susan felt the same way, she was the luckiest girl in the world.
“What’s that?” asked Beth as they reached a flooded corridor outside a bathroom.
“I don’t know,” shrugged Susan, “shall we go find out.”
They went into the bathroom and found all the sinks and toilets were flooding. There was a ghost crying on one of the windowsills.
“Um are you ok?” asked Beth.
“Who are you?” asked the ghost sulkily.
“I’m Susan Bones, and this is Beth Potter,” said Susan, “has someone been bullying you?”
“Myrtle,” said the ghost loftily, “most people call me Moaning Myrtle.”
“That’s not very nice,” said Beth.
“Why were you crying Myrtle?” asked Susan.
“Somebody was throwing a book at me,” she moaned.
“Why would somebody throw a book?” muttered Beth.
“I don’t know,” said Myrtle, “they left it over there.”
Beth walked over and picked up a book from a puddle of water.
“Myrtle,” said Susan gently, “if you ever need to talk to someone, we can always talk to you ok?”
Myrtle nodded as they left.
Beth and Susan went off down to dinner and then went up to their dorm.
“Sus,” said Beth as they sat down on Beth’s bed, “did you notice that that book earlier wasn’t wet although it was in a puddle of water?”
“Maybe it’s enchanted!” beamed Susan as Beth pulled out the book.
Beth got out a quill and some ink and began to write in the book.
She dropped a drop of ink and it disappeared.
She looked over to Susan, both of their eyes were full of equal parts confusion and excitement.
“Our names are Beth Potter and Susan Bones.”
The writing disappeared and more writing started to appear instantly
“Hello Beth, hello Susan, my name is Tom Riddle.”
“Tom Riddle,” mouthed Beth.
“There something wrong Beth?” asked Susan.
“No, it’s just that name seems familiar,” she muttered.
Beth stammered for a moment and started to write again.
“Tom, do you know anything about the Chamber of Secrets?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me?”
“No.”
“For god’s sake,” sighed Beth trying to close the book.
“But I can show you.”
Beth and Susan looked at each other nervously as what looked like a small television screen appeared on the page.
Beth and Susan were pulled into the book and watched as Riddle talked to Professor Dippet and then Dumbledore, and then framed Hagrid for the Chamber of Secrets.
They both landed back on the bed with a thump.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” muttered Beth.
“What doesn’t make sense?” asked Susan.
“Well, we made a list of all the creatures that can petrify, we found about fifty but none of them were spiders, spiders can’t petrify.”
“So what does that mean?”
“That Hagrid’s innocent,” Beth muttered.
At this moment Artie, Hannah and Ginny came into the dorm.
Ginny hung out in their dorm quite often as there were no first-year girls in Hufflepuff. Beth had noticed that Ginny had been very quiet this year, but she supposed that was just because she was shy.
Ginny’s eyes moved suddenly to the book on Beth’s bed, and she looked more than slightly shocked.
“Can I do your hair Beth?” asked Susan excitedly.
Beth nodded as Susan got out the ribbons Hannah had given Beth for Christmas. The ribbons were black and yellow for the Hufflepuff colours.
Beth sat still as Susan intricately plaited the ribbons into her hair as Susan talked away.
“So how was everyone’s Valentine’s day?” asked Artie only half-jokingly.
“I got a Valentine’s day card from Neville,” said Hannah blushing more than slightly.
“Do you like him?” asked Beth.
“I think I might,” giggled Hannah.
“What about you Artie?”
“I got one from Michael, but I threw it in the bin,” she shrugged, “it was probably cursed, I did get a chocolate heart from an admirer though.”
“How about you Ginny?”
“Not this year no,” muttered Ginny hiding behind her hair.
“So did the saviour of the Wizarding World, the Girl Who Lived, get any Valentine’s day cards?” asked Hannah.
“Or are people too scared of you because they think you’re the heir of Slytherin?” asked Artie.
“Well actually yes and no,” said Beth blushing slightly.
“What does that mean?” asked Ginny confused.
“It means I didn’t get a card, but I did find out that someone has special feelings for me.”
“What!” screamed Hannah, “what are you talking about!”
“Give me their name house and number,” said Artie.
“You actually know her really well,” said Beth as both she and Susan tried not to laugh.
“Her!” exclaimed Ginny.
“You’re gay?” asked Artie her eyes popping out.
Beth nodded still biting her lip trying not to laugh.
“Oh my god!” exclaimed Hannah, “it’s Susie isn’t it!”
“Wait you’re both gay?” said Artie who was so deeply confused she felt she was in a parallel universe.
“You lot got a problem with that?” asked Susan defensively raising her eyebrows.
“No, no,” stammered Hannah, “it’s just you know we weren’t expecting it.”
“Congratulations!” said Ginny smiling for what seemed like the first time in a month.
“Oh!” said Artie, “we need to go tell the boys!”
Artie and Hannah left the room cackling slightly.
Susan and Beth both went to go and change into their pyjamas.
Beth kept her ribbons in her hair from where Susan had plaited them in and pulled on a pair of blue flannel pyjamas.
When she got back to the dorm Susan was doing her hair, and both Ginny and Tom’s diary had gone.
Beth pulled her curtains shut and fell asleep almost instantly.
She was in her dorm but there was something different. It was dark so it was the middle of the night, but there was no light snoring or breathing from the other girls when they were sleeping, so either they weren’t asleep, or they weren’t there.
She hopped out of bed and grabbed her wand and lit it up.
All three beds were empty.
“Sus!” Beth called going out into corridor.
“Sus!” she called walking down the stairs. “Hannah! Artie!”
She reached the Common Room which was also deserted and pitch black.
“Where are you guys?”
“They can’t hear you,” said Voldemort chuckling lightly as he came into view.
“What have you done?”
“What have I done?” asked Voldemort raising his eyebrows, “why don’t you see for yourself?”
Voldemort indicated towards an area of the Common Room and Beth edged towards it with her wand.
Eventually her light shone over three bodies, all three were lifeless, Susan’s eyes were wide with shock and her eyes were askew.
“Sus,” muttered Beth kneeling down.
“Susie!” she called shaking Susan’s body slightly.
“Wake up Susie!!”
She woke up covered in sweat and looked over to her alarm clock. It was two o’clock in the morning.
“Sus,” Beth whispered walking over to Susan’s bed.
“Hmm?” Susan muttered drowsily as Beth sat down on the bed.
“You ok Beth?”
“Nightmare,” Beth whispered.
“What happened?”
“Voldemort killed you and Artie and Hannah.”
“Well I’m perfectly alive,” giggled Susan.
“Want to get in?” asked Susan lifting the blankets for Beth to hop in.
Beth nodded and snuggled into bed.
Susan pulled her in close and Beth felt warm and safe, she had never felt so safe in her life.