MJs Hogwarts Journal Chapter 52

Sunday 18^th May

Something scary happened yesterday; it was just like before the Easter holiday. Jed, Josie and I were walking along one of the corridors on the first-floor. Josie wanted to avoid the paintings and some of the prefects were giving out random punishments near the Great Hall for no real reason. Teachers’ voices came from a classroom with blackened out windows. We crept alongside it and listened.

“I’m afraid I am,” came the grave voice of the school’s Headmaster. “I have no choice.”

“Oh Albus, no,” cried Professor McGonagall. “Think of the students. They need this school… we all do.”

“N, n, now Minerva, d-don’t go questioning the Headmaster,” this stuttering was no other than Professor Quirrell. “If the g, g-great Albus d-Dumbledore wishes to c-c, close the school early, why that’s up to him.”

“Are you certain about your choice?” muttered Snape.

“Most definitely Severus,” replied Dumbledore. “I cannot allow the children to stay here knowing that he may near the castle. In the meantime, lock all the doors and keep your windows closed. Follow your students around the castle if you have to. Straight after the last exam, I’m sending them all on the train home.”

A shudder crept up my spine. They’re closing the school. They can’t. By Professor McGonagall’s reaction it sounds like indefinite too. They can’t. I just got here! This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. They can’t close the school, they just can’t. Rubbing a hand across my eyes, I sniffed. A hand rested upon my shoulder. Turning around, Jed forced a smile at me. I leant against him. As he rubbed a hand on my back, Josie placed her hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her. A silent tear trickled down her cheek.

“But what about the last Quidditch matches?” asked Professor Flitwick. “The teams have been training ever so hard. They will be truly disappointed.”

“It’s just one more week,” piped up Professor Sprout. “Surely you can leave the students be and not worry them. You can get the Ministry involved as soon as they have left. But if you inform them, you will only send them into a frenzied panic.”

“Pomona is right,” McGonagall added. “You don’t want to frighten them. Not when their exams are only around the corner.”

“We cannot hide the truth from our students,” Dumbledore told them. “If he isn’t caught… I’m afraid I have no other choice. For the first time in Hogwarts’ history, I will have to close the school.”

Words cannot describe the horror of those few moments that we stood outside the room. My heart ached. It panged against my chest. My stomach swirled. A lump lodged itself in my throat. As the three of us ran away, we went outside. Finding a quiet place behind a corner of hedges, we sat down and discussed what we heard. “A life without magic,” I sobbed. “This isn’t fair. They can’t take this away from me. I won’t let them.”

“I know,” Jed muttered. “I know.” He stared long and hard at the leaves ahead, whilst Josie stroked her hand up and down my arm. “We could always go back,” Jed whispered. “Find it ourselves.”

“Do you think we could?” Josie asked. Jed shrugged.

“What d’ya think, MJ?” he asked me. Shaking my head, I sniffed.

“We have to try something,” I told them. “We have to.”

*

I can’t believe it. Tomorrow we start our exams. I’m absolutely terrified, not just of not passing, but of the possibility of the school closing down. I know that the three of us can’t really do a lot, we’re only First-Years, but we’re the only ones who know about the key and where it goes. I suggested that we go to a teacher, maybe Professor Flitwick, being as he knows us all well – we’ve been to see him with Josie a few times… mostly for the dancing cupcakes. But Jed said no. “If we tell now, we’ll only get into trouble for holding back vital information,” he had told me. “And for eavesdropping,” he added.  I tried to convince him that we technically weren’t in the wrong, being as we didn’t know what we saw, and we were too scared to talk about it. But Jed said that the teachers would see through us in an instant and we would only be getting ourselves into trouble for no reason, so we decided to stay quiet.

As for the exams, I just hope that I’m ready. I know that we have a written exam in Potions tomorrow, our practical isn’t until Friday, because it’s a double lesson. I hope that we don’t have our practical in Charms tomorrow – I still can’t do Tarantallegra. And History of Magic is going to be a killer on Tuesday. I think I may have to stay up all night tomorrow and just study everything.

At least we don’t have an actual exam in Flying now. I think Madam Hooch was just trying to scare us before. I believe that just grades us on our overall performance. Okay, so might fail that one, but hopefully I’ll at least scrape a bare minimum pass, if not better, in everything else. That would be good.

*

Just before dinner, Jed and I decided to take a leisurely walk to the corridor of paintings. Recently Jed has been accompanying me a lot when I’ve been coming here. It’s nice to share the experience with another sometimes, although other times I prefer to be on my own. We had just agreed to leave the table of men from different houses to bicker, when we heard a little voice cry from behind us, “Draco knows.” Turning around, Josie ran into me and Jed. She buried her face in my shoulder and began to cry. I looked over at Jed confused and tapped a hand against her back.

“Knows about what?” I asked her.

“The key, the dungeon, the unicorns, everything,” she muttered, pressing her nose deeper into my chest. “He knows…” Sniffing, she rubbed a hand to her eyes and looked up at me. “He said if I don’t tell, he will.”

“Whoa, when was this?” demanded Jed.

“This morning, after breakfast,” she murmured. Clawing at the sleeves of her jumper, Josie scrubbed her eyes. We walked her further along the corridor, as we tried to calm her down, before stopping at the corner of the corridor next to the girls’ toilets that Moaning Myrtle haunts – we knew that no one in their right mind would pass by here.

“Draco came after me once I left the Great Hall,” Josie told us, as she leant against the wall and slid herself down to the floor. Jed and I sat either side of her. “He called my name and as I turned around to him all he said was, “I know.” I didn’t know what he meant. I must have frowned at him, because then he said, “About the key… I know what you three are up to.” I threw a hand over his mouth and dragged him into an empty classroom. I told him to swear not to tell, but he just laughed at me.” Pulling her knees up to her chest, Josie hugged them, staring at the floor all the while. “Then,” she went on. “Professor Quirrell and Professor Snape stopped right outside the door. Professor Snape was shouting at Professor Quirrell about losing a key… I have never seen Professor Snape so angry. He barked at Professor Quirrell, “How could you lose it? You were given one job, just like all of us. How long have you known?” Then Professor Quirrell muttered, “Several months… maybe five or six?” This only made Professor Snape more angry.” Josie shuddered. “He spat at Professor Quirrell, “If I didn’t know any better Quirinus, I’d say you had changed sides.” Then Professor Quirrell laughed at him, almost mockingly and said, “Says the one with the scar on his arm.” Professor Snape growled at him, before yelling: “If you don’t find it before the end of the week, I will not be held responsible for my actions Quirinus.” I felt myself shaking as they left. I cried. I know I shouldn’t have, not in front of Draco, but I did.”

I didn’t know what to say. There were no words. I have no idea how Blondie knew. Is it possible that he overheard us yesterday? Then there’s the whole argument between Quirrell and Snape. What was that all about? There was so much information in such a little speech. I couldn’t take it all in. I’ll have to try and get her to explain it to me again later.

“After they left,” Josie said with a sniff. “Draco whispered to me, “If you don’t tell… then I will.”.” I shuddered. I stared ahead, wide eyed at Jed. This was bad. This was very bad. I always knew that boasting blond buffoon was up to something. From the moment I saw him, I knew we couldn’t trust him.

“Did he hurt you?” Jed asked. Closing her eyes, Josie shook her head. Jed let out a breath. “Let me deal with him,” he muttered.

“Don’t,” Josie cried. “He’s not all bad,” she whispered.

“Trust me José, Blondie’s good at foolin’ all of us,” I told her as I placed a hand around her shoulder. “Don’t listen to him. Just ignore him an’ he’ll go away.”

“Yeah,” Jed agreed nudging her. “Like Quirrell’s homework… if you ignore it long enough, he forgets you never handed it in.” Josie smirked at him. Jed clambered to his feet.

“Where you goin’?” I asked.

“To confront an evil jerk,” he replied, as though this was a completely normal activity to partake in.

“Be careful,” I warned him. He nodded and left.

*

Jed and I were cautious with what we spoke about during dinner in the Great Hall. He told me that he had had words with Blondie, rather vicious ones at that. I’m just glad that the two of them didn’t start throwing curses at one another again – sometimes I sit there wondering how the two of them are such best friends, when they fight like they do. Whilst we ate, a piece of paper dropped down between mine and Jed’s plates. We glanced over at each other, confused, before looking down at the paper, then for who had dropped it. Blondie was the only one up, walking towards the entrance. Sliding the piece of paper under the table, I opened it.

I passed it to Jed. I guess it looks like we’re going to have to watch our backs over the next week. If exam stress wasn’t bad enough, now we’ve got Blondie and his cursed, “My father will hear about this,” words looming over us. See, I knew he was up to something. I just knew it. Passing the napkin back to me, Jed smirked. “What?” I asked.

“Comin’ from Malfoy, that’s almost an apology,” he said.

“Apology?” I exclaimed. “It sounds more like a death threat to me.”

“It’s in there,” he muttered. “Hey, are you gonna finish your breaded fish?” Glancing down at my plate, I shook my head. Jed smiled as he least over and stabbed my fish with his fork. “Thanks.” Are boys’ brains that simple that all they think about is arguing, insulting one another and food? It’s at times like this, I’m glad I’m a girl.

*

Well what a weekend. I don’t even have the energy in me to list all of the possible potions and ingredients that we could get quizzed on in tomorrow’s Potions theory test. I hope that if I get enough sleep tonight though I’ll be okay for tomorrow. I’ve just been reading a little of my ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ book. I know I’m not going to be tested on it, but it’s something nice and calming to read to take my mind off everything.

- Josie -