Explosions and Explanations
The mysterious attack on Halloween was the talk of the school for the rest of the weekend, everyone was speculating with morbid interest, and not a little fear, as to what exactly had happened. However come Monday morning there was something else to occupy their thoughts.
"Who do you reckon she is then?" sitting up straighter in his seat Ron craned to get a better look at the woman sitting up at the staff tables.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well it's obvious isn't it, she must be a replacement teacher for Professor Binns. We need to have someone to teach us History of Magic."
"Why?" Both Ron and Harry looked at her incredulously.
"I heard," Lavender Brown leant across the table, delighted as ever to share any gossip she had acquired, "that her name is Professor Kreevain; apparently she's written some book or other."
Suddenly Hermione was much more interested. "Really?" It must have been the first time she had ever really paid attention to what Lavender said. "Gosh, that must be Athena Kreevain; she's quite a famous magical historian. I think she wrote Modern Magical History, A Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry, Early Modern Magic: When the World Changed, there was a biography of…" she began to list off every book the woman had ever written as Alice looked up at her with renewed curiosity.
Seated between Professors Flitwick and Lockhart, at first glance she was quite striking being in possession of a profusion of tumultuous dark curls that seemed to determined to grow more horizontally than vertically downwards. Dark blue robes emphasised skin that was so luminescent she seemed almost ethereal, whilst steady grey eyes resting on high cheek bones fixed on Professor Flitwick's face as she spoke earnestly to him. As Alice watched Professor Lockhart - who much to Harry and Ron's disappointment had finally succeeded in removing the blue colouring from his hair - attempted to engage her in conversation, most likely about himself, but she simply gave him a curt response before turning back to her tiny neighbour.
"… Wow, we must be so privileged getting her as a teacher, she's very well respected."
"Don't start that again," Ron sounded aggrieved, "haven't we learnt anything this term about having author's as teachers?"
Hermione flushed and concentrated on her cereal. Despite this, by the time History of Magic came around that week Hermione was almost beside herself with excitement, she'd even drawn up a list of all the questions that she wanted to ask the professor about things she'd mentioned in her books. Alice had to admit that she herself was also looking forward to the lesson, partly because it would be a nice change to have someone teach the subject that had more inspirational potential than a piece of chewing gum, and partly because from the little she had seen of Athena Kreevain she was very intrigued by her.
As they sat at their desks waiting for her to arrive after lunch, Harry brought up something that he had been trying to convince the others of since the attacks on Halloween. "I'm telling you I think Malfoy had something to do with it. I mean look at the evidence: he made that hint about something happening to us and you saw how he was, he was practically skipping, and why was he on the fourth floor in the first place? The Slytherin common room is down in the dungeons isn't it, so why did he go so far out of his way? Then there's the fact that he stayed late in Potions weeks ago to talk to Snape, something fishy was definitely going on there."
As ever Hermione looked slightly sceptical. "I know and when you say it all like that it does sound bad, but - I mean come on it's Malfoy! He might be a repellent little slug but do you really think he could be the Heir of Slytherin? Ok don't answer that," she rushed on just as he was about to. "Look at last year, when something was going on we thought we knew who was behind it all and in the end, even though the evidence we had suggested we were right, we ended up being totally wrong. What if that's the case again here?"
Alice had to admit that she had a point. Much as she disliked the arrogant Slytherin it was a bit of a leap from that to believing him capable of setting monsters loose in the school and attacking teachers.
"Still Harry has a point -" Ron didn't get time to voice his view however, because at that moment Professor Kreevain swept into the room, her arms full of books, and turned in a swirl of midnight robes to face them all with a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
"Good morning class." Alice had to quash the urge to chant back a reply like a primary school child. "Welcome to my History of Magic class, my name is Professor Kreevain and I am going to be taking over here until Professor Binns is able to resume teaching." Her voice was rather low for a woman, and although serious there seemed to be a certain quality to it which suggested that she could be a lot of fun if she chose to be. "Now," she became businesslike as she divested herself of her load and sat on the edge of her desk. "I understand you were studying international wizarding politics in medieval times. Can anyone tell me where you got to with Professor Binns?" She looked at them all expectantly with her level grey eyes as Hermione's hand predictably was the first into the air. For everyone else however the subject matter seemed to come as something of a surprise and Alice wondered if anything that was said in the room was picked up by anyone other than herself and Hermione. Probably not. Her hand twitched slightly as she considered raising it to venture an answer but the habits of a lifetime, and an inability to overcome her shyness however hard she tried, kept it firmly attached to the desk. The motion however did not go unnoticed.
"Yes?" The teacher looked at her with interest. "What's your name?"
"Alice." The word came out at a much higher pitch than she had intended and she heard several sniggers coming from the back of the room, undoubtedly Lavender and Sally-Anne.
"Nice to meet you Alice," the professor seemed to have picked up on her nervousness and gave her an encouraging smile, "so what have you been doing in class?"
"Well last week we covered the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards," Alice noted the Professor's eyes flick quickly to and from Ron's face as he murmured quietly in surprise at this news, "and this week it was going to be the International Warlock Convention of 1289."
"Alright, thank you Alice, that seems a good place to start from. Can anybody else -" The professor paused as the most exercised arm in the classroom once again rocketed into the air. "Yes Miss…" she quickly scanned her class list, "- Granger, is there something you would like to ask?"
"Professor I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?"
In the split second of silence after Hermione asked such a loaded question Alice was convinced a herd of charging Hippogriffs could have rampaged across the classroom and no one would have batted an eyelid. The tension was broken by Seamus Finnegan at the back of the class calling out, "yeah go on Miss!" followed by half the class adding their assent.
"Alright!" Professor Kreevain raised a hand to demand quiet and as she did so Alice noted the many ink splodges on her otherwise porcelain skin - clearly she wrote a lot - "Alright, I'll tell you, but first you need to all settle down." Alice didn't think she had ever heard the class shut up as quickly.
"Well, far be it from me to curb such enthusiasm for learning, let me see… where to begin." The ghost of a smile seemed to be tugging at her lips. "Well Hogwarts was founded, as you know, during the tenth century and each founder created a House which would contain students with attributes which they thought most befitting a wizard. This eventually brought them into conflict and I'm sure you all know that this was none more serious than between Gryffindor and Slytherin. It is said that after a fierce argument between them Slytherin left the school never to return, but he had planned for this eventuality by building a secret room known only as the Chamber of Secrets containing a foul monster which would complete his work to rid the school of muggle-borns. What exactly it may be is a mystery and no one has ever been able to find any solid evidence of the Chamber's existence although many have tried."
"Are you saying it's made up then?" Dean Thomas piped up sounding faintly disappointed at the prospect.
Professor Kreevain grinned at them all with impish delight. "On the contrary, it just means we have to look harder. All the best legends are based on at least a kernel of truth it's just a matter of extracting that truth from the wider myth that has grown up around it. The legend of the Chamber also continues that only the heir of Salazar Slytherin has the power to open the Chamber and control the beast within."
The class gazed at their new teacher in rapt silence for a few moments, History of Magic had never been so interesting, until Alice timidly raised her hand again. "Are their any known heirs of Slytherin living at the moment?"
Those keen grey eyes assessed her as the Professor seemed to come up with the best way to answer her question. "People have always claimed to be descended from the great wizards and witches of the ages, none more so than the Founders. If a family is well established and wealthy this is usually quite easy to prove as they tend to keep records. Not everyone can afford that and that's when it becomes harder, there have been several purported heirs over the years but the family lineage became lost several centuries ago so it would be very difficult to prove irrefutably."
"Unless of course they could open the Chamber," Hermione interjected.
"That's very true Miss Granger," the teacher smiled at them both. "Now if anyone still has any questions or concerns about the issue you are of course more than welcome to come and discuss them with me after class but for now I suggest we return to the International Warlock Convention," she had raise her voice above the collective groan resulting from the end of her statement. "Believe me it wasn't nearly as boring as it sounds. Did any of you know that a wizards' duel broke in the middle of the convention?"
Alice and Hermione had both known this obviously but judging from the sudden hush in the room no one else had. Perhaps History of Magic could become a good class after all.
"I love her!" Hermione announced later that evening. "She makes the whole subject come alive, Binns managed to make even the most interesting bits sound tediously dull. I wish she could stay forever!"
"Don't say that," Alice frowned slightly although she too had been inspired by the class, "that would mean none of the Petrified people would be cured."
"Oh." Hermione seemed slightly crestfallen at this, but rapidly recovered her spirits. "Do you think they would still keep her on anyway?"
"Doubt it," Harry chipped in glumly as he stretched out on the carpet staring at the mountain of homework he had constructed in front of himself. "I mean Binns is dead so even if Dumbledore fired him I reckon he would still float through that blackboard everyday and drone over his replacement." He grinned lopsidedly as Alice and Hermione giggled at the thought.
"What do you reckon about what she said about the Chamber though?" Ron was determinedly ignoring his own pile of work since there were more interesting things to discuss. "I mean she didn't exactly tell us anything that Alice didn't read in Hogwarts a History but I mean at least she seemed to think it exists."
"And at least she seems willing to answer our questions unlike the other teachers. Professor Sprout nearly had a fit the other day when someone mentioned it."
"And besides," Hermione, as usual, seemed deep in thought, "she did tell us something new. She mentioned that it was some sort of creature in the Chamber. The book only said it was an unnamed terror."
"And that we're still no nearer to finding out who this heir actually is."
"Hello Mr Optimistic," Alice prodded Harry gently in the ribs with her foot. "We'll work it out we just need to brainstorm a bit.
"I still reckon that it's Malfoy," Ron seemed determined to blame him.
"So you've said," as usual Hermione's response to one of Ron's ideas was rather dismissive, but when she saw he was about to argue with her she, rather surprisingly, seemed to back down from a potential fight. "I don't think we should rule it out, just look at other options as well."
Ron seemed slightly mollified by this.
"Even if it's nothing to do with the Chamber," Harry's tone denoted that he highly doubted this, "I reckon he's still up to something."
They didn't have long to wait to find out. Two days later he spent the whole afternoon gleefully glancing at them over the tops of many colourfully bubbling cauldrons in the potions dungeon. They all spotted it, partly because his whisperings and decidedly indiscreet nudges to Crabbe and Goyle were hard to miss and partly because they were always on the alert for any Slytherin activity in Snape's class. Ron and Harry's hackles were immediately raised.
"Please let me go and punch that smug grin off his face," Ron pleaded with Hermione who tutted in irritation.
"Just ignore him Ron; he's not worth the effort. Concentrating on getting this potion right will be much better for you."
"I dunno, I reckon I'd feel a lot better if I knocked out a few of his teeth."
Hermione was about to snap back when Harry, who had clocked Snape swooping in their direction, quickly shushed them both. As the teacher bore down on them the five Gryffindors studiously concentrated on the variously complete states of their potions.
"It appears," Alice really hated that slow, supercilious drawl, "that you five are incapable of working together without gossiping and causing disruption to the rest of the class. And it is clearly affecting the standard of your work," he cast a disparaging glance in the direction of Ron and Neville's cauldrons where they seemed to be brewing tar, "which is well below the level I would expect." None of them said a word as the rest of the class gazed on in sympathy or undisguised glee depending on their houses. "To that effect," Snape continued maliciously, "I think it is maybe about time we split up the golden group don't you? Potter, Longbottom up at the front," he motioned to an empty table next to Malfoy's - who looked as though Christmas had come early. "Weasley I think we'll have you over by Miss Brown and Patil," Alice wasn't sure who looked more appalled by this suggestion, Ron or the girls, "and Miss Granger up at the back. Evans… stay where you are." He glared at them all once to ensure the speed of their removal and then turned on his heel and with what could have been misconstrued as a rather melodramatic swirl of his jet black robes he strode back to his desk.
As silence settled once more in the dungeon Alice snuck a glance or two in the direction of her friends. Hermione seemed mildly disgruntled but was typically more concerned about the consistency of her potion. Ron's face had turned the same colour as his hair and he was trying to ignore Parvati and Lavender as much as was humanly possible - a task made all the more difficult by the fact that he kept clashing elbows with Parvati as there wasn't enough space at the desk. However up at the front of the room trouble seemed to be brewing. Neville looked thoroughly miserable and was hunched over his cauldron as if he were trying to disappear within its depths. Glaring at each other in silent challenge Harry and Malfoy seemed to have much less interest in the class. Rolling her eyes and mentally calling stubborn boys all sorts of names in her head, Alice turned back to her own cauldron just in time to stop it from boiling over.
For the next few minutes she worked diligently to correct any imperfections in the mixture caused by her inattention until her concentration was shattered by an explosive bang from the other side of the classroom. Every pair of eyes in the room focused on the huge plume of violet smoke emitting from Harry's cauldron, or rather where Harry's cauldron had been before it turned into a smoking hole in the centre of the desk. It didn't take a genius to work out what may have happened; one look at Malfoy's smirking face was enough of an answer.
Harry was incensed. "You did that deliberately you little - !"
"Mr Potter! I know you may find this hard to believe but there are people besides you in this class, so if you would kindly lower your voice and clean up this mess. Talented though he is Draco would not know a spell advanced enough to create this. It is merely the stunning result of your arrogance and dimwittedness. " He indicated the remains of Harry's cauldron and the splinters of wood which littered the floor around Harry's feet, Alice noted that his shoes and the bottom three inches of his robes were smoking gently.
"But sir Malfoy -"
"Thirty points from Gryffindor for your ineptitude Potter and another ten for trying to cast aspersions on someone else." As Harry opened his mouth again to protest this he cut in. "Any more and I'll make it up to sixty." Harry's mouth shut with an audible click as his face darkened in suppressed anger and frustration. On the other hand, if she hadn't known it was physically impossible, Alice would have said that Snape looked positively happy.
"Of course it was Malfoy!" Harry snarled ten minutes later as they filed along the corridor after class. "I saw him cast the stupid spell, not that Snape would ever admit that a Slytherin was to blame for anything, it would probably kill him. He just relishes the chance to take points from any of us - forty points! And that blonde git was just getting me back for punching him."
"Snape was right though." Hermione's remark made all four of her friends stop and look at her in astonishment as the rest of the class passed by leaving them in an empty corridor.
"I don't think I could have heard you right there Hermione, I could have sworn you just said Snape was right."
Harry's eyebrows shot up so fast they seemed in danger of knocking off his glasses. "You're not seriously taking Malfoy's side?"
"No, no!" Hermione hurried to explain herself. "I don't doubt for a minute that the little toad did it. What I mean is that Snape was right when he said a second year shouldn't be able to cast spells like that. I mean if he had just blown the cauldron up then the potion would have gone everywhere - including over him - and at most the desk would have been a bit singed. What Malfoy did was much more controlled, I mean I might be able to do it if I really concentrated and practiced but…"
"Malfoy's not nearly as brilliant as you," Ron supplied helpfully.
"So the question is: how did he manage it?" Harry set back off towards the Gryffindor common room with his friends in tow.
"Maybe he's been harbouring secret powers all this time."
Alice tried not to grin and failed. "He's not Superman Ron - never mind," she added when she saw his confusion over her reference.
"Whatever, but if he was the heir -"
""Don't start that again," Hermione snapped looking aggrieved.
"Well he could be," Ron muttered mulishly behind her back.
"Maybe one of the older Slytherins taught him," as usual Neville's quiet observation gave them food for thought and Harry latched onto the idea with fervour.
"Yeah, or maybe Snape did, I wouldn't put it past him; he'd relish the chance to take points off, especially from me."
"Maybe he moved you to the front deliberately. And we did spot Malfoy looking sneaky after potions a few months back. It would have probably taken him that long to practice, daft git." Ron seemed to be relishing the opportunity to insult Malfoy, not that he ever really needed an excuse.
"Probably I -"
"Oi Harry!" The twins bounded up to them with their usual exuberance just as Hermione was about to launch into what was undoubtedly a very technical explanation of spell craft. "What happened to your robes mate?"
"Someone take exception to them?"
"Either that or they were trying to sabotage our star seeker."
"Ah then never fear ickle ones, Gred and Forge are on the case." George whipped his wand from his pocket and mimed banishing several imaginary threats. Either that or he was conducting an invisible orchestra, Alice wasn't entirely sure, and she told him so.
"We happen to have many hidden talents which we don't care to share with the public at large."
"We're very modest that way," his twin supplied with a wink as Alice snorted in disbelief. "Anyway Harry we were actually on our way to look for you. Wood's just called an extra practice starting in twenty minutes."
"Apparently winning on Saturday is crucial to the survival of the species." Despite George's attempt at a joke Harry looked even more thunderous than he had a few moments earlier.
"Well we can't keep our Captain waiting," he snapped as he stomped off in the direction of the Entrance Hall.
"What's up with him?"
"Malfoy," Hermione told them by way of explanation as she gazed worriedly at Harry's rapidly retreating back.
Once the twins had departed in the same direction the remaining four continued up to the common room.
A/N: Athena Kreevain's name is from Athena the Greek goddess of wisdom and war and the French word for writer écrivain which I altered very slightly. Also in the section where Athena tells them about the Chamber I figured that if Riddle's family history was generally well known then it would have been much easier to work out who-dunnit.
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