Second year is underway! :) Sorry about the late update... I was otherwise occupied.

I don't own Harry Potter or its characters.

Second Year: Relief

Hogwarts, from Padma's two years of experience, was turning out to be a very grim place to spend one's time, at least from what she'd seen. The rest of first year had been a blur of adventures, from detention to Harry Potter's discovery of the Philosopher's Stone to Voldemort's return. Though she knew such life-or-death situations should obviously trump her more superficial problems, Padma's mind kept going back to the beginning of first year, when Blaise had coldly educated her on what it meant for him to be a Slytherin and her a Ravenclaw.

"Oi! Padma!"

She raised her eyes from the book she was reading. Terry Boot, a housemate of hers, was standing near the portrait entrance, looking very distressed. Then again, he was usually stressed about something – his grades were the single most important thing in his life, and as he liked to mention often, OWLs were in a mere three years. Padma looked like a class-skipping slacker next to him, though she did like the fact that her marks were higher than his.

"What is it, Terry?" she asked.

"There's something in the corridor near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom! Come see!" He beckoned her with a less-than-patient hand. "Everyone else is going to see it!"

The tone in his voice made her think that perhaps this wasn't a simple homework crisis and was actually something more. Padma left her book on the couch and followed her fellow second-year out of the portrait.


The crowd was enormous by the time they reached the bathroom, and being a petite second-year, she didn't see much. Terry was already pushing his way to the front, and so, she followed him, smiling sheepishly at the sixth- and seventh-years glaring down at them. Even in a corridor, the houses were divided. On one side stood the Slytherins in a tight pack, then beside them the Hufflepuffs, then the Gryffindors, and finally the Ravenclaws.

Padma turned her attention to the wall and gasped.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened?" she whispered loudly to Terry. He nodded. "But – I thought it was –"

"I thought it was a myth, too." He looked terrified. "What do you suppose 'enemies of the heir, beware' means?"

Padma blinked. "I – I don't know." She bit her lip worriedly. "Do you think they'll close down the school?"

Terry's reply was interrupted by the arrogant blather of one Draco Malfoy.

"'Enemies of the heir, beware'?" he said loudly. Looking straight at the Gryffindors, he smirked. "You'll be next, Mudbloods."

Padma scowled. Always the bigot.

"Mudbloods?" Terry repeated. "I'm a half-blood. D'you think I'm in danger?"

"I don't know," said Padma once more, afraid of her lack of knowledge. Never had she felt so unprepared and inexperienced. It was one thing to read about the terrifying Chamber of Secrets in a dusty library textbook. To have it exist and be an instrument of death was another matter entirely.


Across from Padma, Blaise stood quietly next to Draco, listening to his friend's characteristically Slytherin comments. He could see Padma at the front of the crowd, her thirst for knowledge evident even in situations like these, her mouth twisted into a frown when she heard what Malfoy had to say.

They were herded back to their respective dormitories by the word of the Headmaster, and as an older Slytherin Prefect led them to the dungeons, Blaise couldn't resist looking back to see if Padma had left as well. All he saw was Crabbe's grinning face.

"Finally," he said gaily. "Those Mudbloods'll be wiped out."

Blaise nodded.

"What are you so quiet about?" said Draco suddenly. "Usually you're the first to insult them. Don't tell me you've got a soft spot, now –"

"I don't," Blaise interrupted harshly, too harshly. "I've just been – thinking."

"You're always thinking," Draco said, rolling his eyes, continuing on. "I'm just glad that the scum of this school will finally be gone. It's so insulting, having to brush cloaks with unworthy people." His lip curled. "Like that Mudblood Granger."

Goyle and Crabbe echoed the sentiment. Blaise was only relieved that Padma was a Pureblood.