"I... it had nothing to do with me... I just went to look for a book... when I came back... she was already like this!"
Harry was baffled too. Why was he always the first to discover anyone attacked by the Chamber Monster?
He suddenly felt as though the monster had been following him all along, lurking in some dark corner and glaring at him with cold, murderous eyes. The very thought sent a chill through him.
"Potter, I trust you realize that your hands are empty. There is no book in them!"
"I... I couldn't find it!"
Under Snape's hollow, cold stare, Harry was terrified. He wanted to turn and run, but he knew that fleeing would be as good as admitting he had something to do with the girl's petrification.
Salasha (Tea) stepped forward, shielding Harry from Snape's gaze. It made him feel a little better, but only a little.
"Professor Snape, Harry couldn't possibly have hurt Anna Karenina. I was the one who suggested coming to the Library, and I chose the table by the third window too."
"Even if Anna's parents are both Muggles, neither Harry nor I knew when she would come to the Library or where she would sit. Harry was only the first to discover that Anna had been petrified by coincidence."
"Coincidence?!"
Filch snorted.
"Miss Fudgey, do you mean... Anna Karenina is a wizard who isn't pure-blood?"
Snape narrowed his eyes. His gaze was still cold and hollow, but it was ten times more intimidating than before.
"Professor, that isn't the point. The point is that Harry and I decided to come to the Library on the spur of the moment. We sat here so that, when we got tired of reading, we could turn sideways and look at the stars. We...