Adam:
Well, that was embarrassing. No, that word doesn’t cover it “ humiliating does the job better. As we all went back to work, attempting to levitate that stupid feather, I sat there with my face as red as a tomato, with Albus and Scorpius sniggering every time they caught my eye, and Claudia deliberately avoiding them. The only positive “ Nina was equally embarrassed, and kept her head down throughout the rest of the class.
The bell rang mercifully, and I got up out of my seat, gathered my books up and practically flew out of the room. I ran to the common room, where the Fat Lady looked at me, startled, as I reached the entrance, panting and gasping for air. I gave her the password, ran up the spiral stairs to my dormitory and flopped down on my bed, gazing at the ceiling. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, it was dark and cold. I looked over at the other beds “ all of them filled. I could hear Albus snoring. I must have been asleep for a long time. I felt hungry “ maybe if I wandered down to the kitchens, I’d be able to get some food. I made a mental note to thank Zane for telling me exactly how to get there.
I crept out of the dormitory and down the stairs to the common room. I was halfway there before I heard voices “ familiar ones. I was going to go down there and say hello to Rose and Claudia, but something stopped me dead in my tracks “ my name.
“Can you believe what Adam did today in Charms?” I heard Rose say. “He so likes you. You could tell.”
“Shut up, Rose!” Claudia grumbled. “What happened was embarrassing. Nina’s an absolute brat, but he didn’t have to do that!”
“Oh, come on! You’ve got to admit, it was cute the way he stuck up for you. Maybe you should go and thank him,” she sniggered, and then I heard her loud “Ouch!” where Claudia must have hit her.
“Oh, get a grip, Rose! I’m not going to go out with him. I’m only eleven “ and besides, if I wanted a boyfriend, it definitely wouldn’t be Adam... he’s annoying! Sure, he’s alright looking, but all he ever talks about how great at Quidditch he is!” I felt the blood rush to my face, and as corny as its going to sound, my heart broke inside. So, is that what my ‘friends’ thought about me? That I was a stuck-up creep? And Claudia... her, of all people... I really liked her. I thought she was different.
I guess not.
I turned around to head back up the staircase and into the sanctuary of my bed, but it was too late. Rose had seen me.
“Adam...” she said, her voice faltering.
“I can’t believe this.” I said, staring her down.
“I’m really sorry, Adam. Truly sorry,” said Claudia softly. Merlin, her voice was pretty.
“Save it, Claudia. I don’t want to hear it.” I turned away, and left the room.
“But wait... Adam!”
Claudia:
Since… that night… in the common room, Adam hadn’t spoken to Rose or me. He pretty much steered clear of Albus and Scorpius too, who were quite puzzled at this, and pressured us to tell them what had happened. I wasn’t going to either; I didn’t want them thinking I was a mean person. Rose and I had tried apologizing to Adam countless times, but he’d just walk away or roll his eyes. It was getting really annoying “ he couldn’t even stay there and listen. He now spent nights in the common room with Josh Stone, or acting cool around Zane Finnegan and his friends.
Five days later, we all woke up to the smell of baking pumpkin wafting up from the kitchens. It was the thirty-first of October “ Halloween! Not even Adam could spoil my mood today, I decided firmly as I walked down to breakfast.
Classes just couldn’t hold our attention today. We were all too hyped up for the feast later tonight to really understand about what was happening in Transfiguration or to really care what Zabini was yelling at Albus for this time. We all had Halloween on the brain.
“Are you coming?” asked Rose later that day when the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch, as the Gryffindors made their way towards the DADA classroom.
“Umm… no, I’ll be there soon. I forgot my books. And I really don’t want another detention from Professor Patil,” I told her, and waved goodbye to her, Albus and Scorpius, and started running to the common room so I’d make it to class on time, and found it in record time.
On my way out of the portrait hole, I bumped into someone and fell to my butt with a loud “Ouch!” I looked up, still wincing from the pain. Nina Jordan was smiling at me “ but surprisingly, not in a hateful way. She offered out her hand to help me get up, and I grudgingly took it.
“Thanks,” I said warily, waiting for her dark side to kick in.
“No problem,” she said, still grinning. Then her expression softened a little. “Hey listen, Claudia… I came up to find you to apologise for what I said to you the other day in Charms, and my behaviour to you the last two months,” she said, her face looking truly apologetic. “I’ve been way out of line, and I promise you, it ends here. Maybe even we could someday be friends… that is, if you forgive me?
“Sure, why not,” I said, now grinning too. She gave me a quick, awkward hug before saying something very interesting.
“Oh, by the way, Claudia,” she said enthusiastically, “I was just down in the grounds with Hagrid… he’s found a baby unicorn!”
“Are you for real?” I squealed, and my face lit up. “Where are they? Can you take me to see it?”
“Umm… Claudia, we’ve got Defence in three minutes. Unless you’re willing to skip it with me?” she said, her face lighting up.
“Better not… my friends are waiting for me there, and Patil will kill us.”
Nina’s face fell, crestfallen. She really looked like she wanted to make nice with me. And what better way than to sneak out of class together and go pat a unicorn? “That’s a shame,” she said, sighing. “Hagrid had told me that it’s a one-in-a-million chance. And they’re so beautiful!”
Did I trust her? Not quite. But it was a freaking unicorn!
“Do you think Hagrid would let me pat it?” I said slyly. She grinned back, and linked my arm with hers.
“Let’s go!”
Rose:
Where in Merlin’s name was Claudia? She hadn’t turned up for Defence, even though she told me she was on her way. When Professor Patil enquired about this, I just shrugged and tried my best to look nonchalant.
“Stomach bug, I think,” I said casually. “She didn’t look too well during lunch. She said she’d go up to her dormitory and have a rest.”
“Make sure you persuade her to visit Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing if her symptoms continue,” Patil said in a sympathetic tone, and resumed the lesson. Scorpius and Al looked at me, wanting answers “ they could tell I was covering for her. I mouthed “Later,” to them, and looked at Adam. He was deliberately one-hundred percent focused on the blackboard, copying down the information on the Knockback Jinx perfectly, as if his life depended on it.
The second the bell rang, signalling the end of class. The second it was over, I filled in my friends (minus Adam and obviously Claudia) on the situation. Al was all for storming up to the girl’s dormitory and checking on Claudia, as that was the last place we’d seen her going. Maybe she was just sick “ fell asleep, most likely. It just didn’t fit, though.
“Come on, we’re going to be late for Herbology,” I sighed. “Claudia’s a big girl; she can take care of herself.” However, all through class, that anxious feeling did not subside. It was almost halfway through the lesson before I realised another of the Gryffindors was missing “ Nina Jordan wasn’t there either. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen her in DADA either. I instantly became suspicious. When I whispered my theory to Al and Scorpius, they agreed with me heartily. Scorpius suggested throwing a bucket of mini Acromantulas in her bed “ Al wanted to forget about the ‘tiny’ part. But I shuddered “ spiders just creeped me out.
As soon as the bell rang, signalling the end of classes for the day, the three of us virtually sprinted up to the Common Room. Panting heavily, I instructed Scorpius and Al to wait downstairs as I checked our dormitory. They grudgingly obliged, and I ran up the spiral staircase.
“Claudia?” I called. “Are you in here?” Silence followed. I did a thorough check of the dormitory, and soon it became apparent that nobody was here. I checked Claudia’s trunk to see if she’d collected her books. No “ The Dark Forces: a Guide to Self Protection by Quentin Trimble and One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Vol. II by Rolf Scamander were still lying messily on top. Her notebook, the one that was decorated with hearts, smiley faces and flowers (I’d tried to convince Claudia to keep her workbook neat, but she just didn’t listen) was sitting beside the textbooks. As I searched further, I realised that her whole book bag “ wand, notebook, quills and other of Claudia’s useless junk, was there as well. I then went over to Nina’s area. Her bag, as well as her books for DADA and Herbology, were gone. So was her wand. This did not look good “ Nina was armed and Claudia wasn’t.
I raced back down to the Common Room, and filled in Scorpius and Al again. By now, the Common Room was filling up, packed with people talking animatedly about the feast. Their hats, looking out of place, were sitting on top of their heads. It had been the first time we’d seen the school wearing the hats, as it was only required for feasts and important events.
“We’ve looked top-to-bottom of the Common Room,” Al said worriedly. “She’s not here, that’s for sure.”
“What do you think has happened to her?” Scorpius said, also looking nervous. “Do you think Nina’s somehow got to her? Remember what she said last week in Charms?”
“Oh, come on Scorpius,” I scoffed. “Nina’s a first year “ what’s the worst that she could do to Claudia? Shoot green sparks at her?”
“I don’t like the look of her cousin, Mia. She’s a cow, seriously. And she’s the biggest sixth-year girl at Hogwarts. Not to mention that she can hex people into next year without lifting a finger.”
“Oh, scared of a girl, are we, Scorpius?” I taunted him, laughing humourlessly. “Are you too frightened to “”
“SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP, THE PAIR OF YOU!” yelled a new voice. Scorpius and I ceased our bickering immediately, and I turned around to see who it was. It was Adam, looking just as frightened as we did. “CLAUDIA’S MISSING “ YES, I HEARD EVERY WORD THAT YOU’VE SAID!” he continued, before going hoarse. He continued in a much softer tone. “I say we go and search for her. Nina’s definitely got something to do with this, I can feel it.”
“No kidding,” said Al sarcastically, muttering under his breath. I shot him a look that would make our Nana Molly proud.
"Listen, Adam," I began. "I'm really sorry about-"
“Forget it, Rose,” he said briskly. “Right now, let’s concentrate on the situation at hand. Does everyone have their wands?”
Scorpius and Al nodded, but I shook my head. “I left it back up in the dormitory,” I said. “Let me go up there and get it.”
The room was just as empty as it was five minutes ago. However, while I was digging through my bag for my wand, I noticed a note left on my bed. My heart jumped when I recognised Claudia’s hurried scribble.
Rose “ I’m down in the grounds, probably at Hagrid’s. Don’t worry; I’ll be back before the feast. It’s really exciting and important, I’m sorry I skipped class. You can lecture me later! “ Love Claudia xx.
How could I not worry? She was with Nina Jordan, I shuddered to think of the condition we’d find her in afterwards.
“Let’s go down to Hagrid’s,” Scorpius said two minutes later after I’d sprinted back down the stairs, my wand in my pocket, and showed them Claudia’s note. “Then… if she’s not there… we’ll panic then.”
Albus:
Nobody looked twice as they saw four first-year Gryffindors sprinting down the marble staircase. Maybe they assumed we were overexcited about Halloween. Perhaps they thought that all first-years were equally as crazy as each other, and this was totally normal. Who knew “ the important thing was that nobody tried to stop us from running outside the Entrance Hall into the cold, windy autumn air. We shivered in our thin cloaks “ there was no need to wear thick clothing inside the warm, heated castle. Only Rose looked warm; she had obviously remembered the practical idea of wearing her school jumper as well as her cloak.
“Hagrid’s,” she said briskly, pointing west, where the hill sloped down to reveal Hagrid’s hut nestled down next to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. We ran after her in silence. Once his hut became in full view, it was apparent that nobody was home “ no lights were blazing through his windows. The sky was becoming very dark; it must be getting near the feast.
“What do we do?” I asked anxiously, mostly because I already knew the answer.
“Let’s poke around a bit near Hagrid’s,” decided Adam. It appeared that he was taking charge for now. Rose nodded fervently with him. And I knew better than to disagree with my cousin.
So that was why, five minutes later, we were trudging in the mud of the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Rose looked troubled “ maybe she was scared she’d get caught in the Forbidden Forest.
“What’s up, Rose? Why do you look even more freaked out then us three?” Scorpius said.
“Hasn’t it occurred to… forget it,” she snapped. Obviously, now we couldn’t very well “forget it” now that she’d brought it up.
“It’s just that… haven’t you realised that maybe someone more… sinister… than Nina Jordan… has something to do with this?”
“Huh? I’m not following.” Adam looked confused.
“Well… think about what’s different about us four to Claudia… maybe…” Adam still looked puzzled, but a light switch flicked in my head. I paled, and I wish Rose hadn’t brought this idea in my head. Claudia was a Muggle-born. Crap.
“The Illuminati…” I whispered, trembling. Scorpius and Adam looked freaked out when it clicked in their heads.
“I don’t know, Rosie,” Scorpius said. “Maybe this is just Nina’s idea of a prank… hold on, I’ve found something!”
We all peered over his shoulder to see what he was pointing at. It was footprints “ two sets of them. One set was very tiny, the other pretty average. We could only guess whose foot was that tiny. And it didn’t look like Hagrid had been the one with Claudia.
“Let’s follow them,” said Adam, attempting a look of nonchalance and failing miserably. Rose just looked like… well, she looked like she was going to vomit, actually.
“There’s… there’s… spiders in there! We can’t go into the Forest! Let’s run to get a teacher!” she whispered.
“Listen Rose… it’d take forever to go and get someone,” said Scorpius softly to her. “They’re all at the feast by now. We need to go save Claudia. She could be in serious trouble. And we’ve got each other… we’ll be fine.”
“Thanks,” she replied, smiling. “Lumos.”
The tip of her wand exploded into a brilliant beam of light, and the three of us followed suit. We began following the footprints, Rose leading the way.
After ten minutes, the footprints still lead deeper and deeper into the heart of the forest. Nobody spoke. The atmosphere was so tense that you could cut a knife through it. I tried to push the thoughts that came to me about what lead to the end of this trail. After another five minutes, Rose stopped abruptly.
“Can you hear that?” she whispered, and the three of us shrugged, although Rose couldn’t see it. We stood silently for a few seconds, before I heard the sound of twigs snapping. They were pretty close. And then, we heard a chilling shriek; a shriek that chilled me to the bone marrow. It was a high-pitched shriek. And it was familiar.
The Gryffindor Gang by U-No-Poo
Chapter Notes: Okay guys, I'm back! Thanks to my wonderful Easter break I can now finally update!
I'm very happy with this chapter, and the next one that I've written. They're both really halves of the same chapter, but I needed to seperate them to really add more context. It'll thicken the plot a lot and leave you questioning a lot of things!
As usual, thanks to Sarah and Katie who kindly beta'ed. J.K Rowling still owns Harry Potter - I'll let you know when I do, okay?
Chapter Endnotes: Yes, yes I did just give you yet another cliffhanger. There's nothing you can do about it either! Even though this chapter was pretty short, I felt that I simply had to leave you hanging. Aren't I simply cruel?
Did anybody else get immediate alarm bells ringing in their heads when Nina was friendly to Claudia? I bet you all think she's up to no good. Well... that's for me to know, you to find out! Also, Adam - I'm pretty sure you all saw that coming. Of course he has to join the others on a rescue mission! Oh, on an extra note - did anyone notice a hint of Rose/Scorpius? As this is only a first-year fic, there will be very limited romance, but be prepared for the next one!
You know, I'm feeling pretty nice today. I'm going to give you an excerpt of Chapter Five:
“Adam… I’m serious… look over here. This is urgent… ADAM! QUICK, RUN!” And before I knew it, I saw a very large, hairy creature with eight legs and lethal pincers heading towards Nina and I. It was twice the size of me. I didn’t need Rose Weasley and her books to tell me what it was. It was a spider, and it was hungry.
Juicy, hey? Okay, you know the drill. Leave a review after the beep... [insert beep].