
Chapter 13 - Two Good
“What did you put?” Silas tried to see Terry’s list, but it was also blank.
“How are we supposed to know what subjects to pick? I can’t make up my mind.” Terry grabbed his hair in frustration. “I want to pick Study of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy, but Care for Magical Beasts also sounds interesting.”
“Why not sign up for everything?” Caspian said, quickly writing down “Care for Magical Beasts” and “Study of Ancient Runes”.
“And how well do you think that will go? I heard Dorian is currently the only one that is doing it in Ravenclaw. I asked him and he said it’s incredibly difficult and that some classes even overlap, so you have to study them on your own.” Terry glanced over to see what Caspian had written.
“Bit of a flawed system, don’t you think? They say ‘minimum two subjects’ and yet there seems to be a limit on the maximum. I think I’ll go for Arithmancy and...” Silas looked around and picked up a book; he then opened it to a random page. “One-five-six, that’s twelve, that’s three, so that would be.... Ancient Runes, I guess.”
“Did you just pick at random?!” Terry asked, shocked.
“I mean, if it’d rolled Divination, I probably would have chosen something else.” Silas said nonchalantly.
“Your whole future depends on this!” Terry continued.
“I told you I wanted to be a Potions master. Guess what subjects I need for that? Potions and Herbology. And wouldn’t you know it, they’re both mandatory.” Silas beamed with confidence.
Terry knew Caspian had also chosen his subjects based on the fact he wanted to be an auror. After careful consideration, he finally put down “Arithmancy; Study of Ancient Runes; Care for Magical Creatures”, meaning the three of them would be studying Ancient Runes together. (A/N: Silas’s choice of Ancient Runes WAS completely random, so it’s funny how things turned out)
“Done.” he said and lay down in his bed.
“Nice. We’ll always have someone else in the same class.” (A/N: C + S + T in Runes; C + T in Magical Creatures; S + T in Arithmancy) said Silas after taking a peek at what Terry had written.
“I wonder what Orion chose.” Caspian looked over to Orion’s bed where a sheet of paper lay. He exchanged a couple of glances with Silas and Terry; all three seemed to be of the opinion that a quick peek wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“Merlin’s beard, he’s done it.” Caspian’s eyes were wide open.
Orion had signed up for every subject.
---
“Caspian, Caspian!” Ingrid screamed across the corridor.
“Y-yes?” Caspian asked confused and slightly scared.
“Liam can’t take part in our match tomorrow against Slytherin. He says there is a family emergency, and he must go home for the weekend.”
“Why? What happened?” Silas worried.
“I’m not sure, he said it’s nothing scary, but it’s urgent. Either way -” Ingrid placed her hands on Caspian’s shoulders and looked at him extremely serious, “you realize what this means, right?”
Caspian, who had so far been thinking only about the fact Liam was in a tough situation, realized that it was now his responsibility as a reserve chaser to fill in, and of all matches - he’d have to sub against Slytherin – the team that was most brutal, had the fastest brooms and excluding their rivalry matches against Gryffindor – were mostly undefeated for the better part of two decades. Just the thought of him having to face the notorious Slytherin charge, which was the major cause for most Quidditch injuries at Hogwarts, terrified him. He stood in the corridor, his eyes full of horror; even if they were facing Hufflepuff, he would still be nervous – he was still fairly inexperienced and had yet to play in front of a crowd.
“Pull yourself together, Caspian.” Ingrid shook the boy out of his dreadful thoughts. “It will be OK. We’re all going to be there, we’ve come up with a plan to make sure you don’t have a hard time, it will be fine.” she repeated.
“We’ve been practicing day and night for this.” Silas tried to sound reassuring, but there was a noticeable hint of doubt in his voice.
The Ravenclaw team had a strict policy not to practice on a day before a match, to make sure that everyone was well rested and with a clear mind, and yet Caspian spent his whole Friday evening flying alone, tossing a quaffle he’d enchanted up and down the field. The night wasn’t any better for him, he was wide awake until two in the morning when finally, the tiredness he’d accumulated got the better of him and he fell in such a deep sleep, Silas waking him up was the only reason he showed up for breakfast the next morning.
Despite the clear sky, the usual perfectly cooked breakfast and the excited buzzing in the Great Hall, Caspian perceived every image as grey and every sound like a fork scraping a window. A bite of any food item, a sip of any liquid would have made him nauseous. A blink too long would have caused him to faint. And yet, through all the thoughts of the inevitable upcoming humiliation and all his senses being tortured at a hellish breakpoint, a question arose. Was this what Orion was experiencing?
He didn’t even have much time to ponder that, as he suddenly found himself, wearing his Quidditch mantle, in the changing rooms, trying to listen to what Ingrid was saying, but every word that came out of her mouth managed to twist and crumble before reaching him.
Ingrid noticed that, so after finishing and sending everyone out to stretch, crouched in front of Caspian. She looked over towards Silas, who was sitting next to him, trying to make him feel even a modicum better, and urged him to go out as well and leave them alone.
“Cian joined the team when he was only a third-year. Our seeker back then, we used to call him ‘The Khan’, got both his hands smashed by a bludger one game, so the team called a timeout and subbed Cian in. I don’t expect you to believe me, but the game went on for three hours and afterwards he said he hadn't even managed to catch a glimpse of the snitch until the last third. We lost a pretty tough game, but it was only because he did everything he could, that we didn’t lose in a blink. You don’t have to perfectly replace Liam nor play on the same level as Roger, you just have to do what you’re capable of. That’s what he told me two years later when I joined. Just... try, don’t give up before you have tried.”
Caspian nodded. He felt he’d gotten a slight boost in confidence, but that wasn't enough to overpower the anxiety.
“In short,” Ingrid said, as the two of them left the tent as well, you’re going to be back left in our square formation. Otherwise, we play the same positions. Make sure you hold the broom tight and don’t forget the bludgers.”
Match day truly was completely different. Even though it was the same grass, the same six posts, the same tribunes, everything was more saturated; the students’ roar were louder than ever; the wind was pushing against Caspian stronger; his heart was beating faster.
“WELCOME! WELCOME! WELCOME TO OUR FOURTH GAME OF THE SEASON – RAVENCLAW VERSUS SLYTHERIN. A MATCH DEFINED BY TACTICS AND ACCURACY AGAINST STRENGTH AND SPEED.” Lee Jordan’s voice echoed throughout the oval field. “WILL WE SEE THE SLYTHERIN TEAM’S NEW GENEROUS AND EXTREMELY FAIR AND- yes... yes.... ok, Professor.” he whispered, “AS I WAS SAYING, WILL WE SEE THE SLYTHERIN TEAM OUTPLAY THE EAGLES WITH THEIR FORCE OR WILL WE SEE ANOTHER STELLAR PERFORMANCE BY THE YOUNG SEEKER CHO CHANG AND THE EVER-AMAZING DUO OF INGRID ADLER AND EMER CARROLL. AND SPEAKING OF YOUNG STARS IN BLUE, CASPIAN STORMCLOAK WILL BE TAKING LIAM MIST- MISTGLEN'S, what a name, PLACE, AS THE EXPERIENCED CHASER IS UNABLE TO TAKE PART IN TODAY’S GAME. NOTHING IS FOR CERTAIN EXCEPT THAT WE CAN EXPECT ANOTHER FANTASTIC GAME FROM BOTH TEAMS.”
Just as abruptly as Lee’s casting ended, the teams leapt off the ground, Caspian a second later than his peers. Though he was still worried about his performance, once he got into the air, his mind completely changed focus to the game. His muscle memory helped him make his way through the clashes of both teams. A couple of minutes into the match, his eyes briefly darted towards Cho who was shoulder to shoulder with Malfoy. Just a few meters in front of them was a tiny golden glimmer. A large thud came from behind Caspian; a thud he was most familiar with – someone had just smashed a bludger his way. He turned in a split second, and to his surprise the bludger was instead going towards Cho. Instinctively, Caspian stretched his leg out; he knew this was gonna hurt, but he also knew that if he hit it just right, it should only leave a small bruise, and that if he averted the small ball, Cho’s chances of catching the snitch would only increase. He clenched his teeth and with just the heel of his foot grazed the ball. This play didn’t go unnoticed, as the crowd went wild. The adrenaline of the cheers suppressed both the pain and his nerves.
The match dragged on for a while, with Slytherin constantly breaking through and Ravenclaw retaliating. The gap between the scores never exceeded thirty, but it was always them who were chasing. Thankfully, they were spared having to prolong this any further as once again the better seeker was the deciding factor. Though Malfoy was evidentially better than most second-years, and he was backed by the fastest broom on the market, his skills were still not as polished as any of the other seekers, so it was only understandable that Cho would be the one holding the snitch.
It was a wild celebration in the Ravenclaw common room. They had finally managed to defeat the “Snakes” and were now in the lead, with only Gryffindor standing in their way. There was blue punch, blueberry-glazed cake, white and blue French kisses, golden biscuits and even a chocolate Quidditch cup replica. The decoration was also not to be ignored as golden garlands beautifully complemented the navy-blue lettering of “Stormcloak’s claw!” which was the term coined for Caspian’s interference with the bludger. The boy himself had to slightly limp, as his heel was still sensitive and Madam Pomfrey refused to fully heal him, since that would have "set a precedent for future recklessness".
“I can’t believe you would do such a thing. In your first match no less!” Terry helped the rest of the students in the dormitory toss Caspian up and down.
“I can’t – woaaaaah – believe it myself. I just did iiiiiiiit.”
“It was a fantastic play!” Silas also congratulated. “It really makes me want to play a match myself.”
“Maybe next year when,” Emer pinched his ears, but the joy in her eyes quickly vanished, “Ingrid’s gone.”
---
The Ravenclaw against Gryffindor match was pushed back at Ingrid’s request. Liam was still unavailable and Caspian – still limping, though it wasn’t even noticeable anymore. Still, her wish was granted, and it was agreed that Gryffindor would instead face off against Hufflepuff on the eighth of May.
“Aren’t you coming?” Dorian asked Orion who was sitting by the lake. “The match starts in an hour.” he walked a few steps forward, so that he was next to the boy, and admired the stillness of the water. “I’m gonna miss this view. It was o-” a loud flap of wings interrupted him.
A large black bird, with crimson eyes, claws and beak was sitting on a branch. It had a small envelope attached to its leg.
“Is that – is that Kassandra’s bird?” Dorian scratched his head.
Orion turned quicker than he would have liked. It was unfortunate that Dorian had such good relationships with everyone in Hogwarts; perhaps this gave away too much information. The bird was staring intently at Orion, but it didn’t dare approach.
“Come here, come here.” Dorian raised his hand, inviting the bird to land on it, but the creature did not take its eyes off Orion. “Seems to be quite focused on you. Do you know Kassandra?”
“My parents are close with the Nefarias family.”
“I see... well, I’ll leave you to yourself then.” Dorain said. He was clearly suspecting something, but it was probably his desire to win the House Cup that put his attention primarily on the game between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, since the result would have a significant impact on the house scores.
No sooner had Dorian gone out of reach than the bird spread its wings again and glided smoothly onto a rock near Orion. There was a stark difference in the intensity of its glare, but the blood-red color still held a haunting allure. The envelope was, surprisingly, pure white, the corners straight, and the seal a gentle, warm maroon. On the face Orion’s initials were elegantly written in cursive lettering. The boy knew what the contents of the letter most likely were, yet still dreaded opening it.
“O.,
I hope this letter finds you well. I have been struggling for a while to find the words and courage to tell you this, for I know you most certainly don’t want to hear from me again.
On the 14th of April our child was born - a boy. His hair is as white as yours. I thought about what we should name him for a long time. Casimir. Of course, I want to know what you think as well. My father tells me we’ll be visiting again at the beginning of July. I hope to see you there.
Kindest wishes,
K.”
Casimir.
“Our child”.
The paper felt as light as a feather for some reason. The bird was fidgeting with something. The water was quietly splashing. The trees on the far shore were waving. It was silent.
---
The doors to the library opened loudly. Hermione came rushing in, short on breath. She was frantically looking up and down the large room, searching for something. Orion had wandered into the library, his mind totally blank.
“Hawthorne! A snake! I-I-it's some sort of snake.” she urgently said to the boy.
He looked at her confused.
“Harry... Harry has been hearing voices since the beginning of the year. The only reason why he’s the only one who can hear them is because he’s the only parselmouth in the school. He’s always heard the voice right before an attack happened. That must be it!” she said so quickly Orion barely managed to follow.
Orion looked up, trying to recollect all the information he knew about snakes that could petrify their victims, happy to have been given a distraction. “There is the Chilean Cobalt Cobra, but they went extinct long before Salazar Slytherin and also require a lot of sun and heat to survive...”
Hermione was listening closely, also trying to come up with answers.
“There is the Sao Tome Saxeus Python. But they need moisture and heat... More importantly, all the snakes with paralyzing venom must bite you for it to take effect. Surely Madam Pomfrey would have noticed the bite marks. I also can’t think of a paralysis as strong as a petrification curse.”
“But what if it isn’t a bite that petrifies them, what if it’s something on their skin or....”
Hermione and Orion both got the same idea at the same time. It was so obvious now. There were only two snakes that could live for over a century and only one of them fit the title of “Monster of the Chamber of Secrets”. It was the basilisk, a beast studied in ‘Most Macabre Monstrosities’ - another old book, though this one was available to every student.
“Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born -” Hermione mumbled, reading quickly through the paragraph. “-methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death.”
“And none of the victims actually saw it directly.” Orion added.
“YES! THIS-” Hermione had a wide smile on her face.
“QUIET!” Mrs. Pince ordered from the bottom floor.
“But where does it go? It should be massive in size, if it has survived for this long. There’s no way no one would have caught a trace of it.” she pondered.
“What are you two doing here anyway?” Mrs. Pince was climbing up the spiral staircase.
Orion didn’t hesitate to rip the page off and hide the book. He conjured a piece of parchment and a quill and covered the ripped page.
“Homework?” the librarian approached; her eyebrow raised. “On a Saturday, when Gryffindor is playing for the Quidditch Cup?” she looked at Hermione with immense suspicion.
Neither of the two said a word.
“So be it.” the woman said and moved to a nearby shelf, her eyes still darting over quickly to check on what’s going on.
Instead of speaking, Orion slid the empty parchment and wrote “Pipes” under the paragraph. “Make sense?” he whispered in order to pretend they were working on something together. “Go tell Dumbledore, he’ll deal with this accordingly.” he said so even Hermione could barely hear him.
The girl stood up and crumbled the piece of paper. Just as she was going to exit the library, Orion caught up with her.
“Granger. Here.” he handed her a hand mirror.
“Thanks.” Hermione said, understanding the use for it.
Not ten minutes later, just as the thoughts of his child began to flood Orion's mind again, a loud warning came, surprising even Mrs. Pince.
“All students to their dormitories immediately. Faculty members, please gather in the staff room. Heads of Houses will explain further. All students to their dorm-” the message looped two more times.
“Surely it can’t be.” the librarian looked exceptionally worried. “Mr. Hawthorne, quickly please.”
---
“What’s going on?”
“Why was the match cancelled?”
“Was there another attack?”
“Does this mean we win the Cup? Owww – what?! It's the question on everyone’s mind.”
“Quiet, please!” Flitwick entered the common room that had never looked so full. Behind him stood Dorian. His face resembled Snape’s, he was dead serious. “Yes....” the short professor took a deep breath, then a deep sigh, “I fear there has been another attack.”
Instantly the room began throwing out questions. Who? Where? When? Some were even throwing allegations towards either Harry Potter or the whole house of Slytherin.
“QUIET!” Dorian’s voice silenced everyone. It was much deeper than usual.
“Dorian, please.” Flitwick looked at him with empathy, but also sadness. “Penelope and Miss Granger from Gryffindor were both found, near the library.” Orion’s chest tightened. “Thankfully, they are both only petrified, and the attacks continue to have zero.... casualties. However, there will be some new rules established for everybody’s safety. All students will return to their house common rooms by six o’clock in the evening. No student is to leave the dormitories after that time. You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No student is to use the bathroom unaccompanied by a teacher. All further Quidditch training and matches are to be postponed. There will be no more evening activities.”
No one dared protest. Not with a prefect, and no less Penelope who was one of the most masterful witches in Ravenclaw, being a victim of petrification.
Orion sank into an armchair and pressed his palms against his eyes. Thankfully, the teachers reading this list of rules meant that Dumbledore wasn’t planning on sending everybody home, but that was not to say the Ministry would share his opinion on the situation.
---
The Gargoyle statue had a much more ominous aura now that the corridors were eerily empty. There was also the constant threat of being attacked and Orion knew that no matter how competent he was, a face off against a basilisk would end the same for everyone. It had been three weeks since Hagrid was sent to Azkaban and Dumbledore – suspended. Orion came to the statue every day for a reason he couldn’t explain. The statue no longer moved upon receiving the password “Sherbet Lemon”. The first time Orion tried, it had spoken in a rough, raspy voice to let him know that he shouldn’t be wandering through the corridors alone and at a late hour.
Orion was hesitant in telling any of the other faculty members of what Hermione and he had discovered. If he told McGonagall, who was now in charge, that a giant snake was roaming around the school, she wouldn’t hesitate to send everyone home. Any other teacher would have just passed the information onto her.
For now, he was stuck searching for the entrance to the Chamber by himself, but he was no more successful than Penelope and Percy.
“MY BOY! I’ve been waiting a whole year, where have you been?” Gerald Aurendale jumped at the sight of Orion. “Is everything alright?” he tilted his head, noticing Orion didn’t look the same as last year.
“Have you heard of the Chamber of Secrets?” Orion got straight to the point, he wanted to prioritize resolving this before focusing on ancient magic again.
The smile on Aurendale immediately vanished. “What has happened?”
Orion explained as simply and quickly as he could.
“Exactly fifty years, huh?” Aurendale said, deep in thought. “So that Hagrid boy really was innocent... he was looking after a spider. At least that’s what I was told. Heh, to think the actual monster was, or rather - is the polar opposite...” he once again went quiet, trying to come up with an answer. “That Riddle boy....” he muttered.
As soon as he said that Orion remembered where he had heard the name from before. It was here, a year ago, when they were discussing the Gaunt family who were supposedly descendants of Slytherin. Orion didn’t waste a second more and immediately ran out.
“HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” the portrait shouted but was promptly ignored.
As Orion was running towards the Gryffindor common room, he passed by the wall where the first attack – the one on Mrs. Norris, had occurred. The scarlet letters still stood untouched, but there was another line written: ‘Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever.’
“I tell you boys, this will all be much better, if we just decide to -” Lockhart’s voice came from around the corner.
“Stop talking.” Ron’s voice followed.
Orion cloaked himself once again, slightly tired of having to use the spell so much.
“It’s here.” Harry said, his wand behind Lockhart like a pistol. And just like a captor, he pushed him to go in first.
Orion closely observed as Harry questioned Moaning Myrtle on her death; he seemed to have also discovered that a basilisk was behind this and only confirmed it when Myrtle said the last thing she saw before she died was a pair of “big yellow eyes.”
“Where exactly did you see the eyes?” Harry asked.
“Somewhere there.” she pointed towards the sinks.
Harry bent down and examined every nook and cranny. It looked like every other sink in the other bathrooms.
“The tap’s never worked.” she said as Harry turned it.
Orion was dangerously close, but he had managed to notice an engraving of a pair of snakes. Thankfully, Ron noticed them as well and suggested the same idea Orion would have.
“Open up.” Harry tried to speak in Parseltongue, but couldn’t force it. He put the candle close to the snake and began moving it for some odd reason. His plan worked, however, and he hissed, once again making Orion shiver.
The sink began to descend downwards and then fitted into a gap on the side of the walls, revealing an enormous tunnel.
“Well, there you have it. It seems my being here was unneeded as I had assumed. I know you boy will be able to-” Lockhart tried to escape, but both Ron and Harry pointed their wands at his chin.
“You go in first.” Harry said strangely happy. He was certainly enjoying toying with the man.
“I, erm,” Lockhart looked down the abyss, “Boys, my good boys, what will that accomplish? Surely, we can come to a better – AAAAAAAAH.” Ron pushed him in.
The three second-years looked down and listened carefully.
“Oof. AH!” Lockhart’s voice echoed upwards. It sounded more like he was surprised by something than that he was hurt.
“Let’s go.” Harry said to Ron and they both nodded encouragingly to one another.
Harry slid first, followed closely by Ron. Orion knew that he needed to wait a few minutes before he can slide as well, in order to avoid being heard when he drops as well.
“Why are you hiding from them?” Myrtle asked.
Orion was slightly taken aback by the fact he’d been seen, but lifted the enchantment nonetheless.
“Oooh, aren’t you a handsome one.” she teased, flying over his head. “That teacher was also quite handsome; a shame he is a coward it seems.”
“Myrtle.”
“Yes?” she continued to swoop around.
“Could you tell me more about Tom Riddle?”
“Ugh! Tom. Everybody’s favorite Tom. Teacher’s pet is what he was.” she said disgusted. “But then again," her voice changed to a dreamy one, “even I was fooled back when I was still... alive. He had a way with words.”
“Can you give me some details on his past perhaps?”
“From what I remember he was an orphan, and that’s about it. Supposedly, Professor Dumbledore personally went to try and get him to apply. Even th-”
A loud bang came up from the bottom of the tunnel, followed by a noise that indicated rocks had fallen down.
“Hehe, I hope I get a partner.” Myrtle creepily chuckled.
Ron’s voice could be heard, he had mentioned something about Lockhart, but everything else was inaudible. This meant that Orion still couldn’t drop down. He deducted something had caused a wall or ceiling to collapse, and since Ron was shouting, they probably had been separated.
“I'll move some of the rocks, so you can get out.” Ron’s voice confirmed the hypothesis.
“A shame.” Myrtle said, and Orion couldn’t distinguish whether she was truly sad.
Orion sat on the ledge of the hole for a while, invisible in case someone decided to come in. After a bit more than thirty minutes, a loud screech came in as fast as a bullet and dove straight down. Orion managed to catch a glimpse of what had so quickly sped past him; it looked like a phoenix, similar to the one in Dumbledore’s office, though its feathers bore a much more vibrant orange. It seemed to be carrying a large piece of leather, but the boy couldn’t make out what the item was. He immediately slid down, following the bird; it would certainly provide a good enough distraction. Sure enough, once he reached the floor, Ron was still looking in the direction of the bird which had most likely gone through a small hole in the rubble and didn’t notice him landing in the pile of bones that were all over the floor – some animals’, some humans’. Lockhart was sitting next to a wall with a stupid and clueless expression. The back of his head had a slight bump as though he was hit by something. Orion had partially gotten himself stuck, since there was no exit in sight.
In only a minute, the phoenix flew back. It was no longer carrying the leather item; instead, its beak and claws were covered with thick, deep-red blood. It looked at Ron, then at Lockhart, then at the place where Orion stood. It sank its claws into the rock and with ease lifted it, placing it far away.
“Wicked.” Ron beamed at the fact this would get done quicker.
In just ten minutes there was a hole big enough for Ron to crawl through. The Weasley boy hesitated, but went through regardless, dragging Lockhart by the hand. Fawkes went next, followed by Orion. After a couple of minutes of curving tunnels, there was a large circular crack in the wall that revealed a long corridor, at the end of which a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin loomed. Beneath it lay the titanic snake, still, most likely dead. In front of it – two bodies – Ginny Weasley, and Harry, both of which unconscious, the latter on his knees.
“GINNY! HARRY!” Ron screamed and rushed towards the two.
He checked to see whether Ginny was still alive, tears going down his cheeks. He looked towards Harry and shook him lightly, waking him up. “You did it, Harry!” he said and hugged him.
“Couldn’t have done it without Fawkes.” Harry petted the bird, his voice quiet and strained. “Let’s go, we need to tell Professor McGonagall.”
Harry grabbed the same black diary that he’d fought with Malfoy over. This time it had a circular hole in the middle with ink covering it all over. Harry also grabbed the Sorting hat, which Orion recognized as the item Fawkes had delivered and after that the phoenix picked and carried everyone except the still transparent boy out of the Chamber, the excited screams of Ron lingering for a while.
Once alone, Orion once again cancelled his spell and approached the dead body of the basilisk. There was a large deep cut in its mouth, and one of its fangs was missing, venom still spilling from the remaining ones. Orion looked for something he could use to store it, but only found a couple of rocks which he transfigured into flasks. As he was collecting the liquid patiently, he felt a presence, reminiscent of a ghost or a poltergeist, but much darker and colder. He glanced around, his wand in his left hand, but only a gentle and eerie howl of the wind remained.
As Orion was going up a flight of stairs which he’d found, he was thinking about Tom Riddle. From what he’d learned so far, he was a descendant of the Gaunts and in turn - Slytherin himself; he was also almost certainly Voldemort, since he had a vendetta with half-bloods and muggleborn witches and wizards. But how had he returned? Last year it was through Quirrell, this year... maybe it had something to do with the diary. He theorized for so long that he didn’t realize he’d finally reached the top of the stairs.
---
“Wake up! Wake up, Orion!” Caspian shook the white-haired boy. “There’s a feast, a pajama feast, Dumbledore said. C’mon, apparently the Chamber of Secrets’ monster was defeated, by Potter no less.”
As the two were going down, Orion noticed Dorian looking horrible.
“There’s no way Dumbledore won’t award them like last year. Even if they resume the Quidditch Cup, Gryffindor will most likely win ag-” he began to explain after Caspian asked what was on his mind, but a loud and thick slap behind his neck from Penelope stopped him.
“Is that what’s important to you?!” she asked, causing him to blush in embarrassment. While she was giggling, she quickly winked at Orion, mouthing ‘Thank you.’
The feast was better decorated than both the Christmas and St. Valentine’s feasts combined, and the atmosphere outmatched both as well. On the teacher’s table Dumbledore and Hagrid both discussed something, laughing loudly, both their long and bushy beards full of crumbs from the lavish meals.
As Dorian had feared the four hundred extra points awarded to Gryffindor immediately secured them the House Cup, even with the remaining month, and though this was a blow to most houses, none cared, since celebrating their reunion with the students who were petrified took priority.
From the other side of the Hall Orion noticed Hermione sending a timid wave, a warm smile on her face. His responding in the same manner must have come as a shock to her, as she blushed and covered her face.
“Glad to have you back.” Silas said, slapping Orion’s back while stabbing another sausage with his fork.
“Don’t they smell good?” Orion said.