Lumos: Year Two

February fourteenth came swiftly after break had ended. With all the studying going on, it was almost as though students had completely forgotten about the Chamber of Secrets. It was breakfast time and there were festive pink decorations lining the Great Hall. Heart shaped confetti was falling gracefully from the ceiling. Helena wanted to puke at the sight of it.

Lanee was sitting at the edge of Gryffindor table with Seamus and Dean across from her. Helena headed over to them and took a seat next to them. She had only recently been informed that she didn’t have to sit at her table unless it was a feast. At first, she wasn’t sure what to say. She was too disgusted by the festiveness of the room.

“What the hell is all of this? We’re in the middle of chaos with students scared out of their minds!” Helena clenched her fists.

Both Seamus and Dean were gawking at the teachers’ table without any response, so Helena drew her attention to it as her jaw dropped. Professor Lockhart was wearing bright pink robes to match the decorations.

“So he’s the one behind this… this horrible decor,” Helena glowered. She detested the color pink.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Lockhart stood up as the other teachers begin to sigh and look at each other in disapproval. “And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all—and it doesn’t end here!”

“Oh brother,” Seamus hid his face in his arms resting on the table. “Please tell me he’s joking!”

Lockhart then clapped his hands as dwarves were piling out of the doorway, all wearing golden wings.

“My friendly, card-carrying cupids! They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines,” he triumphantly laughed.

“The dwarf who tries to deliver me one will be lucky if I don’t throttle it,” Helena squeezed her doughnut so tight that the jelly was oozing all over her fingers.

Of course by the time Helena had gotten to transfiguration, a dwarf had attempted to give her a note. She screamed at it viciously and made it quite obvious that she’d hex the thing if it didn’t go away. She then took the note from his hands and burned it without even using her wand, just from her anger.

***

It was a month of silence after February had passed and the Easter holiday had already come to a close. Helena and Lanee often spent their time wondering about what Harry was hiding from the rest of the world—his ability to speak to snakes and all. Neither of them thought he was the heir though, especially since he had been so sure it was Draco.

The Gryffindor students were all under much stress, especially the 2nd year boys when they discovered that their room had been broken into and heavily tousled with. Lanee wasn’t sure who it was, but she was sure it was someone who was a Gryffindor since it happened in their common room.

“Well it had to have been a Gryffindor,” Lanee sighed. She was sitting next to Helena and Seamus. Hermione was reading a newspaper across from them, but she made it obvious she was listening.

“Are you sure that nothing was stolen though?” Helena narrowed her eyes.

“The only thing that was gone was Harry’s notebook, Ron said.”

“Who the hell wants an old notebook? Are they going to sell it because ‘the boy who lived’ touched it?” Helena laughed.

“It could have been a Slytherin,” Hermione set down her newspaper, her expression was stoic.

“Why do you say that?” Helena felt slightly irritated by her stare.

“Well isn’t it obvious? They were after an important clue as to who the heir was that Harry came across. That notebook had valuable information in it. From what I remember, you did stay in our common room during Christmas…”

“Rubbish! Why would I know what this ‘important clue’ is? The only person I thought was the heir was Draco, but he isn’t it. Plus, the password for your room would have changed by now. It changes every month!” Helena growled.

Hermione had no reply to that as her cheeks went red from both humiliations to the flaws in her thinking and from her frustration. She picked up her newspaper violently and walked away.

“She can be so stalwart sometimes and it drives me insane!” Helena started pulling on her hair.

“Are you okay? You seem pretty edgy lately,” Lanee shrugged.

“Ever since I came back from the cottage, I’ve been so angry at the smallest things,” she sighed.

“You really need to work things out with your dad or else you’ll never get over this.”

“It’s not that simple. He’s like Lucius Malfoy, if you’ve ever met him. They’re both inseparable, too. It’s a bit creepy how often they meet up.”

“WHAT IF—What if your father is dating—“

“NO, LANEE,” Helena immediately cut her off. “What I mean is that my father apparently used to be a Death Eater… so did Draco’s dad. They hang out a little bit too much…”

Lanee stayed silent.

“What if they’re up to something... like if You-Know-Who had some backup plan for them or something?” Helena frowned.

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Is there any reason your father is not in Azkaban? Because Death Eaters usually went to jail…”

“He left to start a life with my mother several years before You-Know-Who was at his peak.”

“Then you shouldn’t worry. He obviously loves his family more than moldy-butt.”

Helena looked over at her with a weird expression.

“What? That’s what I call him!”

A few days passed and things were troublesome at Hogwarts once more… Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater were both attacked. Things once again became cautious. New rules were in order and people were to stay in their common rooms after six o’clock.

“You may not leave your class or go to the bathroom without being accompanied by a teacher,” Professor Snape hissed at the Slytherins around him.

“Professor, with all of these precautions, I don’t think my father will want me attending this school for much longer,” Draco crossed his arms. “And besides—isn’t it obvious that the Slytherins are the only house that’s safe?”

“Mr. Malfoy, if you could please keep your mouth shut. All students, Slytherin or not, are in danger. Unfortunately this school may face closure if we do not find the… heir behind it,” Snape pursed his lips and turned around, “Stay in your dormitories until tomorrow. If you require assistance to a lavatory, then ask a prefect who will direct you to me.”

With nothing left to do, Helena headed over to her dormitory. When she got to her bed, she noticed that it was in ashes. A small bud was poking out from the tip. In her eyes, this symbolized an ending followed by a new beginning.

“Exams will start on the first of June,” Professor McGonagall stated in transfiguration. “One week from today.”

“Exams?” Seamus gasped. “We’re still getting exams?”

At that moment, Neville had suddenly fallen out of his chair, which Professor McGonagall had to help him with. When they had finished, she turned back to the class.

“The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education,” McGonagall crossed her arms. “The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are studying hard.”

“This is horrible… I can’t study in this state of mind,” Helena grumbled to Lanee.

“Professor Dumbledore’s instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible. And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year.”

With nothing left to say, McGonagall turned to her desk. Helena and Lanee looked at each other and groaned in disappointment. After classes ended, Lanee and she spent their free period at the library.

“I can’t believe I’m going to have to spend the rest of the week studying… I won’t be able to relax at all until summer, and I barely even relax then,” Helena sighed.

“I know. I don’t really get how anyone expects us to learn when we’re too worried about our safety,” Lanee replied.

“My father isn’t even worried about us. He told us, ‘you’re all Slytherins, you’ll all be safe,’ of course, he looked at me and gave me a weird look after that. I swear, it’s like I’m never going to be a true Slytherin to him no matter what,” Helena rested her head on the desk. “Trust me when I say that dads aren’t all that they’re made to be. Especially when you’re a mistake in their life and they feed off your misery.”

Lanee was a bit quiet at that point, “I’m not clueless about dads, you know—“

”—All students return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers return to the staffroom. Immediately, please.” McGonagall’s voice echoed throughout the large room.

The two looked at each other in confusion.

“What happened? Another attack?” Helena blinked.

“I’m not waiting to find out. I’ll see you later,” Lanee pushed her chair in.

Helena nodded as she left through the other end of the library. She had went to find the nearest bathroom since she needed to go before being locked up once more. Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom was the unfortunate one that she sent herself to. In the stall, she finished her business, but a howl was heard in the distance.

Getting up and trying to open the door, it was jammed. She heard a giggle.

“Um, is someone there?” Helena narrowed her eyes.

“You used my toilet,” someone growled.

Helena suddenly realized what happened. “Myrtle…?”

“FILTHY SLYTHERIN! PEOPLE OF YOUR KIND CONSTANTLY THROWING BOOKS AT ME—“

Helena quickly tried to unlock the door, but it wouldn’t budge as Myrtle continued to howl.

“—YOU CAN’T LEAVE NOW—“

“Let me out!” Helena continued jiggling the handle.

“Oh no. I want you to feel the pain of being locked up in a bathroom like kids used to do to me when I was alive…”

“I can just crawl under—“

“Try and I’ll flood the room. I’m sure Professor Snape would understand why you’re soaked when you come back…”

Helena shook her head and sat down on the toilet seat. She had no choice, but to wait it out patiently.