A Sombre Study Session

Oz wasn't able to get much sleep as the next day rolled around quickly after the events of the night before. He still couldn't get rid of the bad taste in his mouth after (What's his name?) Craig's death. Such an abrupt situation would be incredibly difficult for the rest of the group to get through. Oz even thought about just avoiding the group until it blew over however that probably wouldn't be the best idea.

After the long night Oz woke up late and ran off quickly to breakfast at the great hall. When he arrived everyone there seemed to be happily eating the food and chatting. Judging from the atmosphere it seemed that no news had been broadcasted by Dumbledore yet. Oz drew some attention as he walked in late, locking eyes with people like Dumbledore, Rose and eventually his eyes landing on where he would usually sit with Harry and Daphne. Walking over he sat himself down next to the two Slytherins.

"Slytherin's Cold King seems to have forgot his alarm this morning huh?".

As Oz sat down Daphne took the chance to make a dig at him. Oz snorted as he heard his cringe nickname.

"I had a busy night last night...".

Harry and Daphne exchanged looks of curiosity and seemed to bite their lip looking at Oz. They knew full well he wouldn't explain the situation if they pressed him. Oz was the type of lad to only speak about a situation when he wanted to, you couldn't ever coerce him to talk about it. Daphne seemed to sigh as she looked over towards the Gryffindor table staring at where Hermione was sat.

"Thats strange... Craig isn't here yet".

Hermione would usually sit with some other girls in Gryffindor however her group wouldn't be far off from Craig's group. Oz wondered how close the twos relationship was considering they were in the same house. Thinking about the news that was coming, whether it came from Dumbledore or he had to explain himself, he felt that lingering bad taste still in his mouth.

"He's probably just oversleeping Daphne... Hey these sausages are awesome!".

Harry seemed to be ever the optimist as he just brushed it off whilst eating his food. Daphne seemed to still look concerned and eventually she turned her head to Oz. Oz however had his head down peacefully eating the soup in front of him slowly. She seemed to sigh again as she continued to eat her breakfast in front of her.

Time passed and eventually the breakfast in the great hall came to a close. Just as all the students were about to leave though, Dumbledore stood up to his podium. Putting his wand to his neck he raised his voice to gain the attention of all the students present.

"Attention all students!".

Everyone stopped their chatting and what they were doing as Dumbledore belted out an "attention". All their heads turned to him as the headmaster wore a dark expression on his face.

"It pains me to have to tell you all this news, however there are some things that you should all know regardless of whether or not the ministry wants to keep it covered for a while longer...".

"Last night in this school a student passed away".

Collectives gasps spread throughout the great hall as everyone's expressions seemed to darken. Harry and Daphne both seemed to be frozen in their seats as they heard Dumbledore announce that a student had passed away. Oz kept his calm façade with his eyes closed, obviously already knowing where this situation was heading.

"The Chamber of Secrets was opened and with that the beast from within was unleashed... This beast managed to claim the lives of one of our students. Thankfully, we managed to deal with the beast as soon as it broke out however that doesn't change the fact that a death still happened at this school".

"The identity of this student... His name was Craig Taplin, a third year from Gryffindor".

Oz opened his eyes at this point looking at Harry and Daphne's expressions. Compared to his silent rage their expressions seemed to be much more colourful. Daphne and Harry had both seemed to gone blue in the face as the shock grew in their eyes. In the corner of Daphne's eyes Oz could even see a tear forming.

Seeing these expressions Oz realised now that the relationship the group had was much stronger than he thought. He himself was someone who banded it together solely for his own needs in the future, hence his interaction with them all besides maybe Harry was incredibly lacklustre. It seemed as though while he wasn't there these people grew into a tight nit group of friends. The bad taste in Oz's mouth seemed to intensify as he realised this. Dumbledore continued his speech.

"While the boy has passed he will forever remain with us in these hallowed halls. He was a kind friend, a good housemate and a student who aspired to join his family lineage in becoming an auror. To have him ripped away from us like so is truly saddening..."

"Now, some questions you all may have now is 'Who opened the chamber?' 'Who should we blame for this?'. Thankfully I can tell you that the perpetrator was taken away by the ministry last night. He used a dark artefact to ensnare a student here tricking them into opening the chamber leading to the death of Craig. With the main criminal arrested, We can only hope now that Craig's spirit can rest in peace...".

"That is all... A moment of silence please for the departed young man".

The great hall fell into a sombre silence as the sounds of slight sobbing could be heard from different corners of the hall. Daphne seemed to be welling up and Harry who was sat next to her seemed to be in a state of shock. The other sounds of sobbing seemed to be on the Ravenclaw table as well as the Gryffindor table. It didn't take a genius to realise that the people sobbing were probably Cho, Luna and Hermione. As the moment of silence passed Dumbledore began to speak again.

"If any of you are emotionally affected by this, you can visit Madam Pomfrey in the hospital ward. Lessons today will be cancelled however you may still meet up with friends in order to cope... Thank you all for your time".

Dumbledore stepped down from the podium and lead the teachers out of the great hall leaving behind a hall of students that seemed shook. While some didn't seem to care as much the vast majority seemed frightened at the fact a death had occurred. It took some time for them to realise that the threat had been dealt with and there was nothing the could do about it now as different groups started to head off from the great hall.

Oz sighed deeply as he looked at Harry and Daphne. Leaning over the table he talked to them.

"That old goat only told you the surface level of the situation... Get Hermione, Cho and Luna and bring them to the Library where we usually study. I have someone I want to introduce to you who can give you the full story about what happened. You deserve to have somewhere to point your anger at".

Daphne's sobbing seemed to slow as she nodded towards Oz. Harry nodded along as well keeping his surprisingly calm face on. Seeing they had affirmed his request, Oz walked over to the Hufflepuff table, scanning it until he found Rose. Walking over to her he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Are you free for a chat outside?".

Rose seemed to still be emotionally unstable as it was now broadcasted that Craig had died. After all she was involved in his death even though she was being controlled at the time. As Oz called out to her, she nodded her head and followed him out of the great hall. As Oz left the hall he turned and saw that Daphne, Harry, Hermione, Cho and Luna had gathered on the end of one of the tables consoling each other.

Seeing that scene made Oz feel uncomfortable.

.

"So Rose, I pulled you aside as I wanted your help with something".

As was the way when Oz ever asked for help, Rose looked at him in shock before agreeing to it with expectation on her face.

"It's nothing too serious. As you've seen when you were... stalking me I usually hang around with a group of people. They were all good friends with Craig and I believe they deserve to know the full truth of the situation at the very least. I told them to meet us in the library where we usually study in a bit, having you there to explain the full situation and what happened last night would be incredibly helpful".

Rose seemed conflicted as she heard Oz's request. After all he was asking her to talk to the friends of a boy she had a hand in killing and asking her to admit her having a hand in it. However part of her realised that if she never did this then the situation would just get worse with time.

"T-That's fine... How much should I tell them?".

A slight grin seemed to creep onto Oz's face as he looked at the girl.

'Clever girl...'.

"I don't mind you telling them that I helped you out of the chamber, however don't mention that I dismantled the beast and kept its materials. I don't care if you mentioned that I killed it but any mention of material gathering is a no go".

Rose stared at Oz for a moment before nodding obediently. Oz smiled as he continued.

"Well then, lets head to the library".

.

Oz and Rose arrived at the library and sat themselves down on the table the group would usually sit on. Oz grabbed a book from one of the shelves and started to read it mindlessly as he waited for the group to arrive. Judging by all that had happened Oz imagined they could either arrive in a minute or in a hour so it was best to be prepared for a long wait. He told this to Rose as well who grabbed herself a book.

"Shouldn't you have PTSD from opening books now?"

"T-These are obviously school material Oz! Don't make me second guess...".

Time passed slowly as they continued to read. Eventually Oz sensed multiple people coming into the library. Lifting his head from the book he confirmed the group there. Harry was in the forefront, still wearing a frighteningly calm face. The girls behind him however all seemed to be worse for wear. They had just heard that a friend of theirs had died after all, someone they talked to regularly. As they spotted Oz sat with Rose confusion rose (get it) on their faces as they sat down on the table. As they sat down Oz closed his book.

"Listen guys, I understand how abrupt this is considering that you just learned Craig has passed however I think that you deserve to know as much as possible as soon as possible so please hold on as me and Rose explained in detail what happened last night... Oh by the way this here is Rose... Rose uh..."

Turning to Rose, Oz scratched his head.

"What was your last name?".

Rose gave an exasperated smile as she looked at Oz and then turned to the rest of the group. She seemed nervous at first however as she spoke she seemed to reign that nervousness in.

"M-My name is Rose... No well my actual full name is Rosie Erin. I'd prefer if you all called me Rose though".

After exchanging a couple introductions after that everyone was acquainted. With everyone acquainted Oz turned to Rose.

"Well Rose, I think its best if you start the explanation on what actually happened last night. It may be best for you to start from when you got that diary...".

Rose sucked in a deep breath as Oz gave her the go ahead and started to give a full account as to what happened. Throughout the story the faces of the rest of the people on the table changed more than once. Different emotions from pity to rage to sadness seemed to flash on their faces. Time ticked on by as Rose came to the end of her story.

"When I woke up in the Chamber I was completely alone... Thankfully Oz found me and helped me out of there".

Hearing the end to the story the group turned to Oz with a shocked look on their face. Oz continued to explanation from his side.

"I was walking down the halls of Hogwarts when I overheard the teachers mention a student had died. I saw Craig's body and lost it charging down to where I believed the chamber to be. Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. As I entered there I rushed down to the chamber and saw Rose passed out. I fought with the beast down there and after some time managed to beat it. After that I took Rose out of the chamber...".

Hearing the story that Rose and Oz were sharing the group seemed to be at the peak of their shock. Harry looked deeply at Oz as his eyes shone slightly, the girls on the table all seemed to be thinking on the story.

"Oz I've got one question... It seems like whenever something serious happens you always end up there. Last year with Quirrell and this year with this snake. Is there something you aren't telling us?".

Everyone looked towards Oz as Harry asked this question. Oz looked down at the table as he pushed out a light sigh.

'I expected this question to come at one point...'.

"I don't mean to seek out this danger Harry it seems to find me. Granted my own studies into my ancestry take priority however when searching for any leads I always seem to end up finding out more about other things. With the Quirrell situation I had the marauders map that I tinkered with which told me he was frequently going to that room. I felt that sitting still wasn't the best and no teacher would believe the situation so I needed to step in along with your help. As for this situation I simply overheard the teachers conversation after what had happened and rushed to the first place that seemed suspicious. I once talked to Myrtle and she explained how she died and it sounded suspicious so she was the first person to come to mind when another suspicious death in the school cropped up".

Harry put his finger on his chin as he thought on Oz's explanation. Hermione was the next to jump into the questioning.

"What was the beast down in the chamber?".

Luna, Cho, Daphne and Hermione all leaned in for this answer as Oz sat back in his chair.

"It was a Basilisk".

""""A WHAT!?""""

The four girls seemed shocked beyond belief as Oz mentioned the beasts identity. Harry looked on cluelessly.

"W-What's a Basilisk?".

Hearing Harry ask that question Hermione snapped her head around and started to explain.

"A Basilisk is a Legendary beast known for its deadly gaze. One look into its eyes can kill you! Not only that the venom it secretes is incredibly deadly, just one bit in your system will ensure that you die!".

Hermione slapped her hands down on the table as she leaned over towards Oz.

"How on earth did you manage to kill such a thing?!".

Oz smiled lightly as he looked at everyone on the table.

"I got lucky".

Hearing Oz's explanation everyone on the table seemed to be exasperated. Luna however seemed to get up from her seat and walk over to Oz at his chair. Oz looked at the blonde girl in curiosity as she held her hand out and lightly slapped his face.

*slap*

"YOU IDIOT! YOU COULD HAVE DIED ALONG WITH CRAIG, WHY BE SO RECKLESS?!".

Oz stroked his cheek where he had been slapped. He wasn't angered by the slap, as a matter of fact he sort of expected it. He didn't feel any pain whatsoever though however that slap spoke volumes to him regardless of that. Everyone else looked at Luna in shock at what she had done. Oz wanting to diffuse the situation put on a weak smile.

"I had full confidence in what I was doing Luna. There's no need to worry about me. After all I promised your parents I'd look after you while you were at school so I can't go dying early can I?".

Luna still seemed upset as she took herself back to her seat and sat down. For now she had accepted Oz's rebuttal.

"Anyway, as a final closing note to you all we managed to find out who gave Rose that diary. He was actually at the school last night along with the minister of magic".

Everyone seemed to reel back from the previous situation as Oz diverted the conversation. Hearing that he was about to identify who indirectly killed Craig they were all ears again.

"It was Lucius Malfoy... Draco's father. He was taken to the ministry last night on charges of indirect murder however with his ties to the ministry I imagine his sentence won't be much...".

Harry's eyes seemed to go from calm to angry. Seeing this Oz's interest perked up.

'Oh? I wonder what he's planning on doing'.

"Thats everything I and Rose know on the situation... Sorry for pulling you all here during all this".

Rose nodded her head along with Oz who was now closing the explanation to the group. As Oz looked at the girl he noticed that it seemed a weight had been lifted from her shoulders after explaining herself like this to Craig's friends.

"T-Thank you all for believing me...".

The faces of the others on the table all grew soft hearing Rose thank them. During her full explanation she explained how she was lonesome at school. Daphne gave her a lovely grin as she spoke.

"It's no problem Rosie. It would be nice if you could continue coming to talk with us and study with us for the rest of the year! Just no reading dodgy books from now on...".

"Don't call me that!".

Rose reacted abruptly to Daphne's prodding of her calling her by her actual name. Seeing this reaction, Daphne and Harry exchanged eye contact before grinning sinisterly. Oz looked at the situation unfold with a sigh.

'You've just dug your own grave saying that Rose...'.

As the group's mood started to lighten Oz looked over to Cho who was remaining pretty quiet. Looking at her expression Oz likened it to another expression he had seen on someone recently.

Her face seemed to mirror the face of Helena.