Setting up plans

At the end of April, I was sitting outside in a courtyard below the tower of Hogwarts Castle. I tuned Starlight to the correct tune and started to play the third melody I had taught myself from the Harmonia Magicae. I played the melody that sounded like a bird song and whispered the incantation <Avi Cantus>.

Birds from around the school flocked to the courtyard, and hundreds of songbirds flew and landed to listen to my song. I was about to give up until I heard a cry, and the bright red bird I was trying to summon came flying down. The phoenix landed at my feet and chirped at me.

"Hello, Fawkes," I said to Dumbledore's Phoenix. "I have a request; soon, you will need to help Harry; when you go to help him, bring me as well." Fawkes tilted his head at me in confusion. "I know you don't understand, but when the time comes, I'll be here in this courtyard" I stroked his feathers, and he chipped and took off. 

Brushing myself off, I went back to the common room. Tomorrow is Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff but I wasn't gonna go to that game. 

As my friends got up the next morning, I was feeling like crap. "not gonna leave today, you guys go on ahead," the guilt was eating at me. I sat in the dorm room listening to music and writing my homework to think of anything other than what was about to happen.

Around lunch, just when the game was about to start, Grant and Tim burst through the dorm room door. "quidditch was cancelled. There was another attack," Grant said. I nodded and started to use occlumency to control my emotions.

"Eddie, it was Hermione", Tim said with shock.

"She petrified like the others?" I asked woodenly.

"yeah, her and a Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," Grant said, grabbing my shoulder. "Come on; Snape has an announcement." 

I followed them to the common room.

"because of the recent attacks" Snape started ", new restrictions are in place. All Students must be in their common rooms by six o'clock. Teachers will escort you to your lessons and to the bathrooms. There will be no more quidditch matches or practice. There will be no more evening activities." there was a bit of an uproar. "silence if it hasn't gotten through your skulls yet, but this is not optional."

I turned and walked back to the dorm. 'I feel so helpless. That snake is way too dangerous,' I sighed and collapsed on my bed. 

That night, Hagrid and Dumbledore were taken away from Hogwarts. 

The next day, my friends and I were barred from visiting Hermione in the hospital wing. With Dumbledore gone, fear had gripped the school apart from Draco. Who was strutting like a peacock, thinking this was the best thing to happen. 

In potions that day, I sat behind him. "my father was the one to get rid of Dumbledore. I told you he thinks Dumbledore was the worst headmaster this school has ever seen." Draco happily taunted, "Maybe we'll get one who doesn't want the chamber closed." 

"and maybe you would shut your mouth one day," I said with a lot of snark.

"What did you say to me, Carter?" Draco roared at me. Snape sat back and looked like he wasn't going to get involved.

"I said the likelihood of getting a headmaster who wants to kill children is as likely as you are not opening your mouth and saying, 'My father will hear about this,'" I mimicked his voice.

"Watch your tone, Carter", Draco said. "One of your mudblood friends has already been attacked. You don't want another," he said, looking at Tim.

I growled, "Is that a threat?" I stood up.

"and if it was," Draco said. I sent a right hook into his nose. his head reeled back and he grabbed his nose and threw the pain; he said, "My father will hear about this"

Snape waved his wand, and I was shoved back. "Enough, Mister Carter; you will be with me for detention after school."

"Happy too," I said, sat back down, and snape tended to Draco's nose.

I probably shouldn't have punched him, but I was so frustrated with not being able to do anything about the basilisk. I took it out on Draco. I'm still surprised at how annoying he is.

My frustrations came from the fact that I couldn't get into the chamber without Harry or the Riddles book. Showing Harry would raise too many questions, and I was not going to let Riddle possess me to get into the chamber.

I couldn't show Fawkes the other way in because I didn't know where it was; he just showed up in the final fight, probably drawn to Harry by some awesome magic of loyalty.

And I had to let the book play out in the attacks because they get petrified but not killed. I mean, it really was totally coincidental that none of them died. There was a theory that the basilisk couldn't actually kill anyone on its own because of the magic of Hogwarts, and Voldemort used the killing curse on Myrtle after she was petrified because he wasn't sure what she witnessed. 

 But I had no proof of that, plus it still had deadly fangs and was a 60-foot snake. It could just crush me to death. 

That night, I was in detention with Snape; he had me assisting him in making a potion. "I know you are worried about your friends", said Snape. "Powder the moonstone." he instructed, "but as I keep saying, you need to control yourself; what is the point of learning occlumency if you don't use it?"

"Sorry, sir, just Draco says some vile things sometimes", I sighed as I crushed the moonstone into powder in the mortar.

"yes, he does; he is much too fanatical towards his father at times", Snape sighed. "But he is my godson, and even though, like you, Eddie, I don't want you to fight with him again." 

"Why shouldn't you try to pull him from the path he is walking down?" I said as I passed the powdered moonstone to Snape. 

"It is not my place," Snape said again, sighing. "Draco hopefully will not have to walk the path his father did." 

"he will," I said in a hushed tone "he's coming back." 

"And how do you know that?" Snape added the powder stone and looked at me.

"Just a feeling," I said and handed him the Syrup of Hellebore.

"Good, be prepared for it. And you are correct with the hellebore." he said with a smile. 'yeah were making poison' i thought.