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Harry Potter and the Silent Guardian : Ch. 165
🕑 Added 2024-06-30 20:49:54 +0000 UTCChapter 165: "Evelyn Rosier"
As Harry sat on his dorm bed that night, his mind was entirely focused on the information he'd pieced together about the girl he was now certain was possessed by Tom Riddle's diary Horcrux. Through his discreet inquiries throughout the day, he had learned that her name was Evelyn Rosier, a third-year Gryffindor student.
The Rosiers, Harry discovered, were once a prominent pureblood family, traditionally associated with Slytherin and rumored to have Dark leanings. However, the family had fallen on hard times since many of its members died in the two wizarding wars fighting for the dark side, their wealth and influence waning over the years. This decline had profoundly affected Evelyn's upbringing, leaving her caught between her family's tarnished legacy and an uncertain future. Her unexpected sorting into Gryffindor had apparently caused quite a stir when it happened two years ago.
From what Harry gathered, Evelyn's sorting could have made her a prime target for bullying, given her family's reputation and the Gryffindor house's traditional rivalry with Slytherin. However, Harry's efforts to combat bullying in his first year with pranks seemed to have had a lasting impact. Due to this, Evelyn wasn't actively tormented by anyone. However, Harry learned that even without the bullying, she did not have an easy time, and that Evelyn remained somewhat isolated within Gryffindor, her family name creating an invisible barrier between her and her housemates.
The bits and pieces of description Harry had collected painted a picture of a petite girl with long auburn hair that often looked unkempt. Several students had mentioned her hazel eyes, describing them as sad or tired-looking. Her robes, while clean, were noticeably second-hand, hinting at her family's reduced circumstances.
As Harry pondered the situation, he considered how Tom Riddle's diary might have found its way into Evelyn's possession. Most likely, Harry thought, Lucius Malfoy had a hand in giving her the book. It showed how cruel he was, even to people on the same side. Sending to potential death a member of an already dying pureblood family seemed particularly heartless.
Evelyn Rosier's family's declining status and her isolation within Gryffindor could have made her vulnerable to such a manipulative magical object. Her heritage also explained her mind shields, which Harry had sensed during his subtle attempts at Legilimency. These shields clarified why the Chamber was opened and the basilisk was let out for the first time only on Halloween, not before, like in the books when Harry heard the voices in the walls days before the attack. Evelyn likely didn't trust the diary so much at the start, but her loneliness might have won out in the end. It was well known that Tom Riddle had a way of charming vulnerable people. Also, Evelyn's mind shields meant that possessing her took time, ensuring Harry's detection wards at the Chamber triggered for the first time only on Halloween.
However, despite knowing all this, Harry was not going to put an immediate end to the events surrounding the Chamber of Secrets. He had already decided to cause some trouble for Dumbledore, and he was determined to go ahead with this plan.
There was, however, one change he was going to make. Harry was not going to drag everything out to the end of the year like in the books. The possession by a Horcrux was not good for the poor girl's soul. So Harry planned to let the attacks happen, cause some trouble to expose everything to the outside world, get the Ministry and Aurors involved quickly, and when the soul of Tom Riddle in the diary got anxious, end the whole thing himself. This would ensure that Evelyn was not affected too much, and Harry planned on taking her to Cordelia later to ensure no lasting effects of possession were left behind.
And this time, Harry was planning to take the credit. Since he had already shown his skills to the world and planned to participate in adult dueling tournaments next year, there was no need to hide his strength anymore. He could now openly take credit and earn some honors for himself.
With everything planned, Harry resumed his normal routine at the school. Classes, apprentice work with his master Flitwick, and then following Evelyn Rosier around whenever Harry noticed her near the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. For her other actions like killing roosters, he did not follow. Just following to ensure the basilisk did not kill anyone was enough. Harry's tracking charms ensured he knew her every movement.
Days flashed by with nothing much happening. No attacks. The castle also returned to some calm since there was really not much harm caused by the Halloween incident. Everyone learned that it was just chicken blood that wrote the message on the wall and that Mrs. Norris was not dead. So all the fear from that night dissipated rather quickly.
As the tension from Halloween faded, the excitement of the approaching Quidditch season began to take over the school. The anticipation of upcoming matches pushed thoughts of the Chamber of Secrets to the back of everyone's minds, bringing a welcome distraction to the castle.
There were some major changes in the Quidditch teams this year. Draco Malfoy, for reasons unknown to all the students in the school, got into the Slytherin team as their seeker. He didn't have to buy his way onto the team, which many people found odd. Harry was also surprised by this change. He had no idea what had happened to cause this shift from the canon. However, this meant that the Slytherin team was not upgraded with Nimbus 2001s for every player, which would have made them overpowered. Draco did get himself one, though, and his strength using that broom made it so that the Slytherin house accepted his entry into the team despite the suspicious circumstances.
In Gryffindor, Charles got his spot as a chaser again. Despite the team not wanting him after his last year's performance, he won his spot fair and square during the Quidditch trials, and no one could deny him the position. Another change was that Ginny Weasley, a first-year, outperformed Katie Bell and all other competitors for the seeker spot and got herself selected. Many were surprised by this, even her brothers. They didn't know she knew how to play Quidditch as well as she showed during the trials. The fact that first-years were now allowed to participate in the matches worked out well for her.
Harry had paid some attention to Ginny Weasley this year and was surprised to see the changes in her behavior, which was quite different from that in the books. For one, she was not a fangirl of the Boy Who Lived, Charles Potter. She walked and talked calmly around him. They were good friends, though, and Harry could feel a childhood sweetheart kind of vibe in their relationship. Also, since she was not possessed by the diary Horcrux in this world, she was having a very good school year.
Another new addition to one of the Quidditch teams was Susan, who won her place as a chaser for the Hufflepuff team. Harry watched her trials and was very proud of the skills she showed. If not for her young age that limited her physical strength, she was the best one in skills from all the chasers that tried for the Hufflepuff team. Cedric was very excited about getting a good seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.
No prominent change was there in the Ravenclaw teams. Harry was asked to join the team, but he declined since he knew for sure that the matches would be cancelled soon due to the attacks. Also, he didn't have any interest in the game anymore. However, to ensure that he got his name engraved in the history books and also ensure Ravenclaw won the Quidditch cup for once, he planned on playing in the year Roger becomes the Quidditch captain. It would be good to get a cup for his house for one year.
The first Quidditch match of the year was going to be exciting, and it was Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. With the new lineup on both teams, the match promised to be unpredictable and thrilling. However, Harry's excitement wasn't for the game itself, but for what he knew Dobby was planning to do during the match. He anticipated the house-elf's misguided attempts to protect Charles, wondering how it would play out in this altered timeline.
As he lay in bed that night, Harry couldn't help but wonder how the events would unfold, and how they would differ from what he remembered from the books. Would Dobby's interference be as dramatic as before? How would it affect the match's outcome? With a mix of anticipation and caution, he drifted off to sleep, ready to face whatever challenges the next day might bring, both on and off the Quidditch pitch.
