Unofficial Portkey Archive

Chapter Five

"Markings on the Wall"

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters. All characters are creations of Joanne K. Rowling, © 2007, to whom I am deeply indebted. I make no money from any of this. I'm just taking her world and tweaking it a bit.

Note One: A big thanks to Majerus for editing this chapter!

Note Two: I AM BACK! Sorry it took so long. I'm just going to say that real life and responsibilities and career stuff got in the way. But here is the next chapter, I hope it was worth the wait for everyone!

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

Hermione, Fay, and Shae spread what had happened in the girl's bathroom to the others as soon as they had the chance, not wanting other girls to experience the same thing they had. Hermione was surprised to hear that Moaning Myrtle, as the ghost was called, had been haunting that bathroom for as long as anyone could remember. According to Alicia Spinnet, there were rumours going around that she had been murdered but it had yet to be proven.

Hermione's run in with Myrtle apparently had a huge effect on the ghost. Every time she passed the bathroom she could hear the pitiful wails coming from inside. One week in mid-October there was even water flowing out into the corridor; Myrtle had decided to plug all the toilets because a Slytherin sixth year had stopped by to make fun of her. The next day a large `out of order' sign had been placed on the door, barring all students from using that bathroom.

Shae made a speedy recovery and soon Hermione and the redhead continued their homework sessions in the library from the previous year. Hermione also decided to ask Sally-Anne to join them so she could see her friend outside of their lessons. Hermione extended the invite to Harry, Ron, and Fay but they had declined; Harry was too busy with Quidditch, Fay preferred to work alone, and Ron just didn't want to do homework.

Shae sighed, setting her quill down and sat back. "Can I just not do this now?" she whined.

"Shae, you know you should do it now," Hermione reminded, looking over at her. "You'll have to do it either way, may as well get it done now."

"I know," Shae sighed. "This is just so…boring."

Sally-Anne grunted in agreement, running a hand through her hair as she exhaled. "School work this year is so much harder than last year."

"Of course it is," Hermione nodded. "Last year we were just learning the basics, now we're getting into the good stuff. Plus we'll have new lessons next year."

"Oh, goodie," Shae said dryly.

Sally-Anne laughed, quickly jotting down something then passing her paper to Hermione. She took it and looked it over, nodding and handing it back to her friend. With their homework sessions, Hermione also offered to go over her friends' homework as long as they did most of the work themselves.

"How will we get all the homework done next year?" Shae moaned. "I can barely keep up with school now - I can't imagine adding on three more lessons."

"I just don't know how I'll be able to choose," Hermione added, biting her lip. "There are so many lessons to choose from - and the lessons you choose will affect your career after Hogwarts."

"I don't even want to think about that," Sally-Anne groaned. "All I'm focusing on is surviving until Christmas."

Hermione resisted rolling her eyes and picked up her quill. For several minutes, there was only the sound of quills scratching on parchments and the rustle of pages turning until an angry hiss from the librarian made Hermione look up.

Harry shot an apologetic look to Madam Pince as he hurried through the library towards Hermione's table. He set his bag on the table and sat down next to Shae. "Is your offer to work on homework still good?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, watching as Harry began to pull out his textbooks. "What happened to Quidditch practice?"

A mischievous glint sparked in Harry's eyes as he grinned. "Oliver is in the Hospital Wing with a cold," he said gleefully, "and Madam Pomfrey is making him stay overnight."

Hermione laughed. Oliver had been relentless with pushing last minute Quidditch practices on his team. He didn't care whether or not it was raining or if his team was sick, Oliver was obsessed with beating Slytherin.

"How is practice going?" Sally-Anne asked.

Harry's smile dropped slightly. "As well as to be expected. You heard about their new brooms, right?"

"Hermione told me," Sally-Anne nodded.

"Well, Fred and George looked in on a Slytherin practice and they said the Slytherin team are nothing but green blurs on their brooms." Harry said moodily.

"They can't do that, though. I mean, Slytherin with the brooms," Sally-Anne added hastily when Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't there some sort of rule against doing that sort of thing?"

"Sally-Anne, it's Slytherin," Shae said, rolling her eyes. "If anyone can find a way to do it, it's them."

"Money talks, unfortunately," Hermione said. "But the Gryffindor team has talent."

"Exactly!" Shae snapped her fingers. "Malfoy may have bought his way onto the team but that won't mean a thing if he can't play."

"Hufflepuffs are cheering for Gryffindor, too," Sally-Anne piped up, smiling at Harry. "I'm pretty sure Ravenclaw will be too. Slytherin needs to be taken down a notch or ten."

"No pressure, then," Harry said, weakly.

"You'll be fine," Hermione reassured. "You aren't the youngest Seeker in over a century for nothing, you know?"

Harry squirmed in his seat, his face starting to go pink. Shae grinned at Hermione, clearly enjoying Harry's discomfort.

"How are your Sexual Education lessons going?" Hermione asked, changing the subject. "I've been wondering how the two lessons are different."

"Erm, all right?" Harry said, scratching his neck. "We're learning the… well - you know… mechanics of how things work."

"Us too," Sally-Anne winced.

"Although I don't see what was so bad about the first lesson," Hermione said, pointing her quill at Harry accusingly. "You boys had all of us so nervous about the lesson and it wasn't even that bad. All we had to do was listen to Madam Pomfrey talk."

"No diagrams?" Harry asked.

"She gave us them for homework." Shae said.

"That's not fair," Harry groaned, "we had to do them together! And she called on us! We had to say the names of parts in front of everyone."

Shae and Sally-Anne laughed while Harry gave an embarrassed grin. Hermione smiled as well - she could see why Madam Pomfrey did what she did. She knew the boys would have put off the homework and not done it.

"That isn't the worst part," Harry continued, grinning to himself now. "At the beginning of the lesson Madam Pomfrey told us to get all of the nicknames for body parts out of our system. We all had to stand up one by one and say one before the lesson continued."

Shae and Sally-Anne burst out laughing, earning a nasty glare from Madam Pince. As the girls tried to stifle their giggles, Hermione cocked her head to the side. "Nicknames?" she asked.

"Nicknames for the different parts?" Shae giggled. At Hermione's blank look, Shae stared at her in shock. "Really? Twig and berries?"

"Hooters?" Sally-Anne giggled.

"Willy's wand?" Harry added, his eyes glinting.

Hermione felt her face flush in embarrassment once she realized what they were talking about. "Wha- no!" she sputtered. "How would I know that? How do you know that?"

"You hear things in the common room," Shae shrugged.

"I don't," Hermione sniffed.

"That's because you're always reading or talking with Harry and Ron. Oh, don't give me that look Hermione - you know it's true."

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms. "It's not something kids our age should know about."

"Actually we're exactly the right age for this sort of talk," Harry added cheekily. "Madam Pomfrey said so."

Hermione glared at Harry. He quickly ducked his head and cleared his throat, "So where is everyone else?"

"Nice save," Shae grinned. "Let's see Fay doesn't like working with others and Ron, Lavender, and Parvati just don't want to work on homework."

Harry nodded. The conversation stilled as the group slowly got back to working on homework. Nearly twenty minutes had passed when Harry's head snapped up, making the girls jump? "What?" he asked.

"What what?" Hermione asked, watching as Harry's head whipped back and forth. An uncomfortable feeling began to spread through her stomach.

"You didn't hear that?" Harry demanded.

"Hear what?" Shae asked. "Are you alright?"

"Shh!" he said quickly.

Hermione had a feeling she knew what was going on but didn't want to voice it. She strained her ears to listen but couldn't hear anything other than sounds of the library.

Harry stood up suddenly, mumbling that he would be right back and hurried out of the library. Shae and Sally-Anne had concerned expressions as Hermione quickly got up and hurried out of the library and after Harry.

The corridor was empty except for Harry and Hermione. Hermione saw him at the end of the corridor, glancing around as he frowned.

"Harry!" Hermione ran up to him, grabbing his arm. "Harry, what do you think you're doing? Is it the voices?"

Harry gave a curt nod, his eyes scanning along the corridor.

A chill shot through Hermione. "Did they say the same thing as before?"

"More or less," Harry sighed. "It kept going on how it wanted to kill, but couldn't."

Hermione frowned, biting her lip. She knew it wouldn't be wise to suggest going to Madam Pomfrey - even Hermione could tell that saying he was hearing voices that wanted to kill wouldn't go over well.

"What do you plan on doing after chasing the voice?" Hermione demanded.

"I don't know, something," Harry urged, sitting down on the staircase. "I could try and stop it."

"Harry, you are twelve years old." Hermione sighed. "If this thing is going through the school invisible and saying it wanted to kill somebody, do you really think a second year student could take it?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond and then snapped it shut, realizing Hermione was right. She sat down next to him with a sigh.

"I'm not saying to do nothing," she said gently. "But it's just too dangerous to chase after."

Hermione didn't want to add that she wasn't exactly sure if the voices were real.

"Maybe you're right," Harry relented.

"Of course I am," Hermione playfully scoffed.

She glanced to the side to see Harry smiling softly. Smiling, Hermione realized this was the time she had been looking for to talk to Harry.

"Hey Harry…" she began softly. "Do you remember me?"

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, turning to Hermione with amusement clear in his voice. "I believe I do… you're my best friend Hermione Granger."

"Not like that," Hermione laughed. "I mean do you remember me before Hogwarts?"

A confused expression flickered across his face as he began to think.

"It was in June before our first year at Hogwarts," Hermione coaxed. "At the zoo…"

A flicker of recognition flashed across Harry's face as he turned to look at her. "You had your little sister with you while you were getting ice cream," he said.

"Yes!" Hermione nodded enthusiastically, smiling. "I was also in the reptile house when the snake escaped."

"Why did you keep that from me for so long?" Harry asked.

"I didn't remember or recognize you until I saw your aunt and uncle at the end of last year," Hermione explained. "I tried talking to you through letters over the summer but, well, we know how that turned out. And you've been so busy with Quidditch and school here, I just haven't had the chance."

Harry nodded. "That snake was something else."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked. She remembered the fear she felt when she heard Harry hissing at the snake and suppressed a shudder.

"She was talking about how she was bred in captivity and wanted to go to Brazil."

Hermione stared at her friend. The way Harry was talking made it seem like he was able to have a full conversation with the snake.

"What?" Harry asked warily.

"You were able to have a conversation with the snake?"

"Well, yes," Harry nodded. "Why?"

"When I heard you, all I heard was you hissing."

"Really?" Harry asked, frowning. Hermione nodded. "I remember her talking to me - I could clearly understand her."

"Interesting," Hermione said slowly. She could vaguely remember reading about snake talking somewhere, but she couldn't remember where she had read it.

"You do believe me, right?" Harry asked suddenly, looking over to Hermione with wide eyes.

"I do," Hermione nodded slowly. "Although I heard the hissing, I could tell you were having a conversation with it. I just thought you were a little boy playing a game when I saw it."

"Thanks," Harry replied dryly.

"It's better than thinking you were mad, isn't it?" Hermione asked, laughing.

"Okay, I see your point," Harry shrugged. He stood up and turned to Hermione. "We should get back to Shae and Sally-Anne."

As Harry began to walk back to the library, Hermione's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. "Harry, wait," she said, "can you promise me something?"

"Anything," he replied, turning to look down at her.

"Can you promise me if you hear the voices again, you won't go running after it?" Hermione asked, pulling on his arm for emphasis. "It's too dangerous, Harry."

"I will," he promised.

Hermione smiled and stood up, brushing her skirt off. Together, she and Harry slowly walked back to the library. "So," Hermione began, peaking at Harry, "are the voices gone now?"

"Yeah, they disappeared by the stairs," Harry replied. "You really do believe me, right? These things aren't just in my head."

Hermione wasn't entirely sure if the voices were in Harry's head or not, but she could tell from Harry's worried expression that saying so wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. Instead, Hermione gave a reassuring smile, "I do."

"Thanks, Hermione," Harry breathed, smiling.

Shae and Sally-Anne looked up when Hermione and Harry returned to their table.

"Are you alright?" Shae asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Harry responded. He began to pack up his things as Hermione sat down.

"Where are you going?" Sally-Anne asked.

"I'm going to find Ron, maybe play some Wizard's Chess," he said, shrugging. He slung his bag over his shoulder and smiled. "I'll see you at dinner."

As soon as Harry was out of the library, Shae and Sally-Anne immediately rounded on Hermione. "Explain," Shae demanded.

"Oh, uh," Hermione stalled, not liking being put on the spot. "It's not something I can really say…"

"Really?" Sally-Anne frowned.

"Of course," Shae sighed. She turned to Sally-Anne, "Harry and her have moments like that a lot, you'll get used to it."

"No we don't," Hermione defended.

"Yes, you do," Shae retorted.

Hermione huffed, rolling her eyes as Sally-Anne laughed. "Hermione, if you wanted some time alone with Harry all you had to do was ask."

"What-" Hermione sputtered, blushing. "But I didn't -"

Hermione stopped when she saw the two girls struggling to hold in their laughter. Her eyes narrowed at them as she realized they were making fun of her. She pushed Shae's paper, which was placed in Hermione's spot, back to the girl and crossed her arms. "You can go over your own homework," she snipped.

"No, no!" Shae said hurriedly, sobering up immediately. "Sally-Anne was just joking - please don't stop helping us!"

Hermione rolled her eyes but smiled, picking up her quill. Once Shae realized Hermione would continue helping with homework, she shot Sally-Anne a nasty glare. The raven haired girl ducked her head in embarrassment and quickly began to work on her own homework.

The month of October passed quickly and Hermione was in full blown school mode. She loved how they were going deeper into what they learned the previous year, learning the answers to questions Hermione had wanted to know for such a long time. Hermione's friends, however weren't enjoying the lessons nearly as much as she was; Shae was having problems keeping up with all the homework and Ron was finding any excuse to complain about the ridiculous amount given to them instead of actually doing it.

Hermione especially felt bad for Harry. After Oliver's sickness, he seemed to be dead set on getting back on track with his training schedule and nothing seemed to get them to where they had been before he got sick. It was painful to watch the Gryffindor team drag themselves out of the common room almost daily.

"Can Oliver really do that?" Ron asked as Harry said a weary goodbye and hurried after Fred and George. "I thought there was a sign up board for who can use the pitch. Oliver can't have Gryffindor using it every day."

"I don't think this can go on for much longer," Hermione added, glancing outside. She winced when she saw it was pouring rain out. "The professors will begin to notice when their grades start slipping."

"I don't think that will stop Oliver from getting the team to practice," Ron said dully. "You should hear some of the things Harry's said he's said to him. He's obsessed. Can you check this for me?"

<><><><>

A delicious aroma woke Hermione up the morning of Halloween. She sat up, sniffing the air as her stomach grumbled loudly in hunger.

"What's that smell?" Lavender mumbled sleepily.

"It smells so good," Parvati sighed, coming out of the bathroom.

Hermione nodded in agreement and quickly dressed, the spicy pumpkin smell making her mouth water. Once she was ready for the day, she headed down to the common room to find Harry and Ron sitting on a sofa.

"There she is," Ron groaned, standing up as Hermione walked towards them. "Finally. Took you long enough."

"Pardon me?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know you two were waiting for me."

"Harry wanted to wait for you," Ron said, jerking his thumb to his friend who just rolled his eyes. "Even though I told him it wouldn't matter to you if we were in the Great Hall or not when we saw you."

"Oh, well thank you Harry for thinking of me," Hermione said, pointedly ignoring Ron as she spoke.

"Yes, yes - come on let's eat," Ron ushered, placing his hands on Hermione's shoulders and steering her out of the common room.

"Ron, it's not even time for the feast yet," Harry laughed, following the two of them.

"I know, but that smell of them preparing the food is making me so hungry," Ron replied. As if on cue, Hermione's stomach gurgled again. "See? Hermione's stomach agrees with me!"

"You always want to eat," Hermione laughed, rolling her eyes as Ron finally let go of her shoulders.

"You can't blame me for it," Ron defended, placing a hand on his chest. "I am a growing boy, after all."

"Yes, we've heard," Harry deadpanned. Hermione nodded, not bothering to hide her grin as she thought of the constant ribbing Ron was getting from the twins about hitting puberty.

A flash of red caught Hermione's attention. Ginny was walking in front of them, clutching her diary to her chest and keeping her head down. Ron noticed his sister as well and sped up, calling out to her.

"Yes?" she squeaked, turning around. Her eyes went wide when she saw Harry standing behind Ron and rushed out, "What is it?"

"Mum sent a care package," he told her, grinning wickedly as he stepped aside so Harry was in full view.

"Oh, um, okay," Ginny stuttered, her eyes shifting. "I'll get it from you later. I'm - I'm meeting with, uh, friends right now. Bye."

Hermione watched as Ginny turned in the opposite direction she had been going and practically sprinted down the corridor.

"That's the most I've ever heard her say at once," Harry stated as they continued down the corridor.

"You never mentioned receiving a care package," Hermione pointed out.

"That's because I didn't," Ron said, grinning. "I knew she'd try and leave if I didn't have anything to say."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, slapping him hard on the arm. "That's a horrible thing to do!"

"She's my little sister, it's my job," Ron protested, ducking behind Harry so he wouldn't be hit. "You can't tell me you've never done that to your sister."

"I have not," Hermione sniffed. "I happen to be a nice person."

The rest of the day passed by quickly. Hermione and Harry played Wizard's Chess while Ron tried to finish his homework that had accumulated. Hermione refused to feel guilty when Ron began to whine, he had numerous chances to get it all done with Hermione, Shae, and Sally-Anne.

"This is insane!" he cried, glaring at his Potions textbook. "How am I supposed to do a two foot essay on this stuff by Thursday?"

"You would've finished it by now if you had started it when Snape gave us the essay three weeks ago," Hermione said idly as she watched her knight be dragged off the board.

"Thanks, Hermione," Ron snapped.

"Play nice you two," Harry chided, grinning at the two of them.

The enticing smell of the feast soon overpowered the entire castle, leaving everyone hungry. As Hermione and the rest of the Gryffindors made their way down to the Great Hall, they could see the massive pumpkins Hagrid had been growing placed along the Entrance Hall as great big jack-o-lanterns.

"Viola would love to see this," Hermione sighed as she passed by one pumpkin that was taller than her.

"How is she doing?" Shae asked. Hermione had told her about Viola's tantrums and obsession with all things magical.

"She's alright, I suppose," Hermione shrugged. "Mum says that she won't put down Hogwarts, A History. They had a huge row because Vi's school made them do a little essay on their favourite book and Vi wanted to do Hogwarts, A History."

"Yikes," Shae winced. "When will you talk to McGonagall about it?"

"I'm thinking seeing if I can catch her after the feast," Hermione said, sitting down beside Harry at the Gryffindor table.

"Is there really anything you can do about it?" Fay asked, sitting down beside Hermione. "If Vi is stuck in her ways, I don't think anything is really going to change."

"I have to try something," Hermione sighed. "It's getting to be a bit much for Mum and Daddy."

From the Head Table, Professor Dumbledore stood up and clapped his hands, gaining the attention of everyone. "Good evening," he said, his blue eyes twinkling. "I know the scents have been taunting you all day long, but it is finally time to dig in and enjoy the Halloween feast!"

He clapped his hands again and mounds of food appeared along the tables. Ron groaned and immediately began reaching for food. Hermione's mouth began to water as she reached for some stuffing.

"This is so good," Seamus moaned, his mouth full of chicken. "Hogwarts food is always really good, but a feast is just so much better."

Hermione nodded in agreement, hoping she would be able to eat everything she wanted to and began to work on the food that was on her plate. It wasn't until she heard Ron call Harry's name that she looked up.

Harry was staring at his plate wearing a huge frown as he sat there motionless. Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried look as Hermione poked him.

"What?" Harry gasped, coming out of his trance.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Harry said quickly, picking up his fork and stabbing a carrot with it. He stuffed it in his mouth and gave Hermione an exasperated look. "Really."

"Alright," Hermione backed off. Fay gave Hermione a questioning glance to which Hermione just shrugged.

If Hermione thought the main course was delicious, the desserts were completely out of this world. An assortment of pies, pastries, and things Hermione had never even seen before replaced the food before it. Hermione knew she would probably pay for grabbing dessert but she didn't really care at this point.

"Might want to slow down there, Hermione," Lavender said snottily from across the table.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, her fork pausing in mid-air.

"That's the second slice of pie you're having," Lavender explained, rolling her eyes as if it was obvious. "You might want to watch your figure a bit."

Dean and Seamus both made `ooh' sounds as they looked on eagerly.

"Excuse me?" Hermione repeated, a hard edge to her voice.

"I didn't realize you cared so much about what Hermione ate, Lav," Fay said, her eyes glinting dangerously. "If that's the case than you might want to watch what you're eating, too. That's the third square of fudge I've seen you eat tonight and you've already had some issues with acne."

Hermione couldn't suppress the satisfaction that ran through her as Lavender stared at Fay in shock. Dean and Seamus burst out laughing, gaining the attention of everyone around them as Lavender glared angrily at Fay.

"What a cow," Shae muttered to herself. "Don't listen to what she said, Hermione."

Hermione nodded and, making sure that Lavender was watching, took an even bigger bite out of her pie, making sure to moan loudly as she did so. Lavender huffed and turned to talk to Parvati while Fay and Shae giggled.

"Well played," Fay said appreciatively.

"Seriously, Harry what's up with you tonight?" Ron asked. "Are you sick or something?"

Hermione looked over to see Harry once again staring in concentration at his goblet. Hermione and Ron shared a look again as Harry's head snapped up suddenly. Without a word he scrambled up out of his seat and hurried out of the Great Hall.

Hermione and Ron stared at each other with wide eyes before hurrying after their friend, ignoring the looks the others in the Great Hall were giving them.

"Harry!" Ron shouted, sprinting up the stairs after him. Hermione was right behind him, trying to keep up.

"What do you think you are doing?" Hermione called out.

"It's going after someone!" Harry panted over his shoulder, not slowing down. "It's going to kill!"

"What?" Both Hermione and Ron exclaimed.

"Harry you promised!" Hermione shrieked. Using the extra energy she had left, she sprinted past Ron and closer to Harry, crying out when she rounded the corner and smashed right into him. Grabbing onto him to keep her balance, she glared dangerously at him. "You promised me you wouldn't go after those voices again if you heard them - what are you looking at?"

Harry's eyes were trained on the wall in front of him the entire time Hermione was speaking, his eyes wide with horror. She turned to look at what he was seeing and gasped, feeling herself go weak.

Large puddles of water were around the middle of the corridor. Words that looked to be written in blood were high up on the wall. Ron came up behind them, cursing under his breath as they all read:

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

"W-what's that thing hanging underneath?" Ron asked, a slight quiver in his voice.

Hermione's eyes trailed from the words down to what looked to be a stuffed animal hanging by its tail from the torch bracket. As the three of them slowly moved closer, inching around the puddles, Hermione realized with a jolt that the stuffed animal was actually Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat.

"We need to get out of here," Ron said, his voice strained. "Now."

"Shouldn't we try to help -" Harry began weakly.

"No," Ron shook his head. "If anyone asks why you sprinted out of the Great Hall, say you were feeling sick. Look, the boys bathroom is right over there."

"Ron, what's going on?" Hermione asked fearfully, unable to tear her eyes off of Mrs. Norris' stiff form.

"Trust me; we do not want to be found here."

It was too late. A rumble from downstairs signaled that the feast had been let out. From either end of the corridor came the sounds of hundreds of feet as the students made their way to the respective common rooms.

Hermione's heart rate began to pick up. They were going to be found at the scene.

The noise died down instantly as people came upon the gruesome sight in front of them. Hermione clutched fearfully onto Harry and Ron's arms, her eyes squeezing shut as she heard someone shout from the crowd.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Hermione couldn't believe the hatred she felt for Draco Malfoy at that moment. A murmur went through the crowd as more and more people saw what happened. Then to make matters worse, the voice of Filch echoed throughout the corridor.

"What's going on here? Why are you all standing here?"

Like a car accident about to happen, Hermione found her eyes opening on their own accord as she watched Filch push his way through the crowd. His eyes narrowed dangerously on the large puddles and was about to snap when his eyes moved upwards and he saw Mrs. Norris.

Filch fell back against the wall, his eyes wide with horror. Then they moved to Harry. "YOU!" he screeched, pointing a shaking finger at Harry. Hermione whimpered, pulling Harry closer to her. "You! You've murdered my cat! I'll kill you!"

"Argus!"

Professor Dumbledore moved through the crowd, along with a number of other teachers. In a matter of seconds, he swept past Hermione, Harry, and Ron and gently detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said softly. "You too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger"

"My office is just upstairs, Headmaster," Professor Lockhart said immediately, gesturing to the stairs.

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Professor Dumbledore said. He looked at the crowd. "That is all you need to see here. Prefects, if you would kindly escort your students back to the common rooms."

Hermione finally let go of her death grip as she, Harry, and Ron followed Professor Dumbledore, Filch, and various other professors up the staircase and into Professor Lockhart's office. Professor McGonagall and Snape moved items off of Lockhart's desk and stepped back as Professor Dumbledore gently placed Mrs. Norris onto the surface.

Hermione felt like she was in a wind tunnel. All she could hear was a buzzing noise, drowning out the conversation around her. With a jolt, Hermione realized she must be going into shock. She, Harry, and Ron stood against one of the walls and watched as Professor Dumbledore bent over Mrs. Norris and began to examine her. Hermione couldn't tell how long had passed when he finally stood up. She forced to listen past the buzzing to hear what was going on.

"- been Petrified," Professor Dumbledore said solemnly. "How, I cannot say…"

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked, turning his tear-streaked face to Harry. "He's the one that did it!"

"No second year could have done this," Professor Dumbledore said firmly. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced -"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, reminding Hermione of some of the tantrums Viola used to throw when she was younger. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found - in my office - he knows I'm a Squib!"

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, his eyes wide. "I don't even know what a Squib is."

Filch swore loudly and began protesting when Snape spoke up. "If I may, Headmaster," he began smoothly. Hermione was immediately on guard; nothing good could ever come out of Snape.

"Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer appearing. "However, I do recall seeing Potter sprint out of the Great Hall while the feast was in progress with Weasley and Granger following. Why did they go to that corridor?"

Harry and Ron seemed to shrink under Snape's glare. Before Hermione could stop herself, she blurted out, "Because Harry was sick!"

All eyes turned to Hermione and she felt herself flush. "Sick?" Snape drawled, piercing her with his gaze.

Ron nodded eagerly from beside Hermione. "He's been off all day," he added. "He didn't eat much at the feast, either."

"I somehow find that hard to believe," Snape continued.

Professor McGonagall scoffed. "Look at the boy, Severus," she said, "he looks paler than usual."

"That could be an aftereffect of what they witnessed," Snape countered. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter isn't being entirely truthful. He hasn't even defended himself. It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"I see no reason to stop the boy from playing Quidditch, Severus," Professor McGonagall said sharply. "The cat wasn't hit over the head by a broomstick. There is no evidence that suggests Potter or his friends had anything to do with this, nor have they done anything wrong."

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," Professor Dumbledore stated firmly.

"My cat has been Petrified!" Filch shrieked, looking furious. "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Professor Dumbledore said reassuringly. "Madam Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made which will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I will make it," Professor Lockhart said eagerly, stepping forward. "I must have done it a hundred times, I could do it in my sleep -"

"I believe I am the Potions Master at Hogwarts," Snape said icily. Lockhart seemed to shrink back as a very awkward silence followed.

"You may go," Professor Dumbledore said to Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

The three of them nodded and hurried towards the door, only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Granger, Weasley, I want you to take Potter to the Hospital Wing for a Pepper-Up Potion, he's looking a little too peaky for my liking."

"Yes, Professor," Hermione squeaked. Ron yanked the door open and the three of them hurried out into the corridor.

"Now what?" Harry hissed.

"We take you to the Hospital Wing," Ron hissed. "Do you realize what we just managed to escape? I'm not taking the chance of getting into more trouble."

Hermione nodded, for once agreeing with Ron's logic. Harry sighed and the three of them headed back downstairs.

"Do you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?"

"No," Ron said immediately. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."

"Why did you go after the voice?" Hermione hissed, glaring at Harry. "You promised me you wouldn't go after the voice if you heard it again."

"It was different this time," Harry said. "Before the voice wanted to kill, this time it had found its victim."

Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes, and walked into the Hospital Wing. It took a while for Hermione and Ron to convince Madam Pomfrey that Harry just needed the Pepper-Up Potion and not to stay the night. When they finally managed to leave, a clock began to chime.

"It's midnight," Harry said grimly. "We better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame me for something else."

<><><><>

For the next few days, all anyone could talk about was the attack. Filch wasn't helping with letting people forget. He had set up post where Mrs. Norris was found and snarl and yell at people as they tried to pass by. It also wasn't making the incident better that the writing wasn't coming off of the wall. No amount of magic or scrubbing power made the writing fade so every time Hermione passed that corridor; she was reminded of the horrible events that happened there.

Hermione was positive she'd heard about the Chamber of Secrets before but couldn't place where she had read it. Since her Hogwarts, A History was back at home, Hermione made frequent visits to the library multiple times a day to see if she could check it out. However, Hermione wasn't the only one who wanted to know about the Chamber of Secrets - all copies of Hogwarts, A History had been taken out and there was a huge back-order for people wanting to read it when the book was returned.

Hermione ended up sending a letter home asking if they could send the book to her and was severely disappointed in the response.

`Hermione,

It's so good to hear from you. School must be really busy since you're letters have been slowing down. Everything is fine here, we all miss you dearly. There is one thing I think you'll find amusing, as it's driving your father and Uncle Robert absolutely mad. Claire has her first boyfriend. I think she is entirely too young to have one but you know how stubborn that child can be.

Unfortunately Vi is holding onto your book like it's a lifeline. When I told her you needed it for school she asked me what it was for and refused to give it to me until I gave her a reasonable answer. Apparently `Hermione needs it for school' isn't a good enough excuse. Why do you need it so badly? Is it possible for you to take the copy out of the library? I'm sorry dear, but you know how she's been getting when it comes to talk about magic.

Please write to us more, we miss you so much!

Love,

Mum.'

Hermione sighed, crumbling up the letter and rubbing her eyes. Not only did she not get the book, her mother also managed to guilt trip her. She flopped back onto her bed, staring at the canvas and biting her lip. There was no way she could tell her parents a cat had been attacked, they would get ahead of themselves and try and pull her out of school.

Groaning, Hermione made a fist and slammed it onto her bed. She had to lie to her parents about last year and now it looked like she was going to have to lie about this year as well.

The door to the dormitory opened and Fay poked her head in. "Are you coming?" she asked, checking her watch. "History of Magic starts in ten minutes."

"What?" Hermione gasped, checking her watch. She couldn't believe she had lost track of time like that. Scrambling off the bed, she dashed around the room, gathering the things she needed.

"Are you okay?" Fay asked as the two girls walked out of the portrait hole. "You've been acting weird since Halloween."

Hermione shot Fay a rueful look and sighed. "I just don't like this," she muttered. "We had enough trouble last year and it looks like it's going to be the same this year. I don't like lying to my parents like this."

Fay nodded and didn't say anything as they entered the classroom. Professor Binns entered through the wall moments later as Harry gave Hermione a curious look. Hermione shook her head, pulling out her quill and parchment and began to take notes.

Hermione's mind couldn't help but wonder as Professor Binns drawled on about a Warlock Convention. She, like everybody else in Hogwarts, wanted to know about the Chamber of Secrets. Steeling herself, she raised her hand high up into the air, cutting off the ghost's rant.

"Miss - erm -"

"Granger," Hermione said. "Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets."

That broke the stupor the other students had been in. People sat up straighter, looking at Hermione.

"My subject is History of Magic," Professor Binns drawled. "I deal with facts, not myths and legends."

"But don't legends always have a basis in fact?" Hermione said quickly before he could continue reading.

"Well, yes, I suppose," Professor Binns said, looking at Hermione in amazement. He glanced around the room, seeing that everyone was now listening to his every word, and sighed.

"Oh very well. You all know of course that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is unknown - by the four greatest witches and wizards of all times: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggles eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.

"Reliable historical sources tell us this much, but these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders new nothing.

"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

Professor Binns stopped talking but there was an energy in the air as everyone listened with bated breath. "The whole this is nonsense, of course," he continued. "The school has been searched for evidence of such a Chamber and there have been no signs that it even exists. It's a tale to frighten the gullible."

"Sir, what exactly do you mean the horror within?" Shae asked, raising her hand.

"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the heir of Slytherin alone can control."

The class exchanged nervous looks.

"I tell you this entire thing is hogwash. The Chamber does not exist," Professor Binns stated.

"But sir," Seamus said, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, then no one else could really find it, could they?"

"Nonsense!" Professor Binns retorted. "If a long succession of Headmasters and Headmistresses haven't found the thing -"

"But Professor," Parvati said suddenly, raising her hand, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it."

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't," Professor Binns snapped."

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin," Dean continued.

"That is enough," Professor Binns snapped, glaring at everyone. "It is a myth and that is that. It does not exist! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

The entire class groaned and lost interest as Professor Binns began to spew out dates and facts.

"I always knew Slytherin was twisted," Ron said once the lesson was over. "But I didn't think he was the one who started the whole pure-blood stuff."

"Well the good thing is that you're no longer a suspect, Harry," Hermione said happily. "You were placed in Gryffindor, there's no way you're the heir of Slytherin."

Harry nodded idly as they pushed through the crowds. Colin was ahead of them and his eyes lit up once he saw Harry.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hi, Colin," Harry replied dully. Ron sniggered from behind Harry's back.

"Harry - a boy in my Transfiguration lesson says you're -"

With Harry moving and the rest of the crowd around them, Colin was soon pushed out of sight. Hermione glanced back curiously. "What's the boy in his class saying about you?" she wondered.

"Probably that I'm the Slytherin heir," Harry grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"People have been acting weird around Harry," Ron said, rolling his eyes. "That git Justin Flitch-Fletchley was acting weird around Harry the other day too. People here will believe anything."

Hermione scrunched up her nose in disgust. "That's absurd," she said. "Why would you want to attack a cat?"

"Because I'm the Boy Who Lived," Harry drawled dully. "If something like this goes down, it's automatically me who is responsible."

[][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]

End Note: And there you have it! I'm not entirely sure when the next chapter will be out, I'm moving in a few weeks, but I'm still plugging away at the story!

Thank you to everyone who is sticking with it. I really appreciate it.

Until next time

Kelci

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 1.2.7

-->