When we finally found him he looked around confused.

"Harry?" Ron asked. He didn't listen.

I gently grabbed his arm, "Harry?" he looked at me, startled.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Hermione asked looking around.

"A voice."

"What voice?"

"I heard it earlier in Lockhart's office, then just a while ago here in the hallway."

By this point we were all looking for the source, then I heard it.

It's time…

"…It's moving. I think it's going to kill." Harry said.

The ravenette soon sprinted passed us.

"Harry, wait!"

I ran after him with the others, behind me I heard Ron ask, "What does he mean 'kill'?"

We came to a split hallway, we stood there until Harry turned left. We followed. On the floor was a trail of spiders crawling out of a hole in one of the windows.

"I've never seen spiders act like this before."

"I don't like spiders." Ron replied. I nodded in agreement. As I looked up from the floor I gasped.

"Bambi?" Hermione turned to me, as did the others. "What's wrong?"

I said nothing as I slowly pointed to the wall. The trio looked to where I was pointing. On the wall was writing, in what looked to be blood.

"The Chamber of Secrets is open. Enemies of the heir, beware." Hermione read it aloud.

"oh, no." I heard Harry say.

Looking over we saw Mr. Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris. She looked to be dead.

Just then Students started to fill the hallway where we stood. All were in shock and wonder as to what they were seeing.

"Enemies of the heir, beware." Malfoy sneered. He turned towards us, "You'll be next, Mudbloods."

I started to storm towards him wand out, "I have half a mind to turn you into a little cockroach and squish you!"

He hid behind some of the students, just as I was held back by Sam, who came over to me.

"Bambi, now's not the time."

I glared at the blonde and huffed, putting my wand away and walking away. I walked over in time to see Mr. Filch pushing his way through the crowd. He looked up to see Harry standing next to Mrs. Norris' corpse.

"You murdered my cat."

"No, I— "Harry tried to explain, but Filch grabbed him by the front of his cloak

"I'll kill you!" I started to run forward when we heard the headmaster speak.

"Argus, let him go."

Sure enough Dumbledore appeared, along with McGonagall, Sprout, Lockhart and Snape. He looked up and saw the message on the wall.

"Everyone return to your dormitories." We all started to turn and go when he called out, "Everyone, except you four." He pointed to the golden trio and myself. As soon as everyone was gone except for us few, Dumbledore turned to Mr. Filch, "Do not worry, she is not dead. She has been petrified."

"Darn, if only I had been here." Lockhart exclaimed, "I know the counter curse that would have spared her."

No one was impressed.

"…but how she was petrified. I cannot say."

"Ask him," Filch said, pointing to Harry, "He's the one that's done it!"

"Harry didn't do anything!" I replied back.

"Rubbish!" the bitter man exclaimed.

"Headmaster," Snape inquired, "I do believe Mr. Potter and his friends just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know in Miss McCarthy's case she had been with me serving her detention."

I smiled at the Slytherin while the trio was confused and surprised.

"However, it is rather suspicious, seeing as no one saw Mr. Potter at dinner."

"That would be my fault, Severus! I had young Harry help me with my fan mail." Gilderoy spoke up. Severus didn't look amused.

"Then what were you two doing?" Severus turned to face the brunette and ginger.

"Ron and Hermione came looking for Harry and found me, so I offered to go with them. Harry had said he was too tired to go down to dinner and I went to see them off to their common room when we stumbled upon this." I answered this time.

The potions master turned to Dumbledore, who said, "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

"My cat has been petrified. I want to see some punishment!" Filch said.

"We can cure her, Argus. Madam Sprout has a healthy growth of Mandrake. When they have matured, a potion will be made." Dumbledore explained to the grief stricken man. "In the meantime, I strongly recommend caution to all."

With that we were all dismissed, as we were walking up the stairs Hermione said, "It's strange isn't it?"

"What's strange?" the frail boy asked.

"You hear this voice, a voice only you can hear…"

"Actually I heard it too." I spoke up. The trio looked at me. Harry spoke first, "You did?"

I nodded, "But I didn't hear it until I had grabbed your arm, so maybe that's why?"

Hermione stood there, taking in the new information. Then she replied.

"Either way, this voice appears and then Mrs. Norris turns up petrified. It's a little odd."

"Do you think we should have told them?" Harry asked the witch, who shook her head.

"No. Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't good."

With that, we started to go our separate ways when Harry grabbed my shoulder, "Bambi, let me walk you back to your common room. I don't think you should be by yourself, especially after what happened."

I turned and smiled at the Gryffindor. "I appreciate it but you've already gotten in enough trouble for one day." I grabbed the boy for a hug, "I promise to be safe."

"Bye guys!" I waved and left for my dormitories. When I got there, I was suddenly bombarded with questions from my roommates.

"Where were you?" Penelope asked, getting up from her bed first.

"We thought you might have gotten lost!"

"Or met the same fate as Mr. Filch's cat!" Luna said in despair.

"Were you with a boy?" Cho asked. To which we all looked at her.

"What? It's a valid question!" she defended.

I sighed and answered their questions, "I was with Harry, Ron and Hermione. So in a way, yes I was with a boy. Two of them actually and another girl."

With that I walked over to my bed and plopped down, "Can I go to bed now? I'm exhausted."

The three Ravenclaw women nodded and soon we were all in bed and asleep.

~Transfiguration~

"Good Morning class. Today we will be turning our animals into water goblets. Like so."

McGonagall turned to the bird perched on a stand. She tapped her wand three times and said, "Vera Verto".

The bird morphed into a clear glass goblet. Everyone was in awe. She walked towards the front of the class.

"Who would like to go first? Miss McCarthy?"

She looked to me as she stood by my table. I nodded and turned to the small bird in front of me. I tapped my wand three times and said, "Vera Verto". The small bird morphed into a tiny glass that had gold trim along the rim.

"Wonderful, I award you ten points to your house." She smiled at me.

She moved to across the room, "Mr. Weasley?"

I turned and watched as Ron did the same as I to his rat. The only difference was that his glass still had the rats fur and tail. A few of the students chuckled at this.

"That wand needs replacing." McGonagall said. As she proceeded to walk by Hermione raised her hand. The older woman nodded, "Yes, Ms. Granger?"

"Professor… could you tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?"

The room went deathly quiet as all awaited her response. Finally, she sighed, "Very well…

You all know that Hogwarts was founded a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age, the ones each of the houses are named after: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin." She paused then continued, "Three of the founders coexisted peacefully. One did not."

I heard Ron mutter sarcastically behind me, "Three guesses who."

"Salazar wished to be more selective about the students admitted into Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within magical families. In other words, 'Purebloods'. Unable to sway the others, he left." She paused again. "Now according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber under their tower, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Before departing, he sealed it up. Until the time his own true heir returned to school, it would not open. When the heir returned he would be able to open the chamber and unleash the horror within, and purge those who, by Slytherin's view, was not worthy to study magic."

"Muggle-borns." Hermione said softly. To which McGonagall nodded.

"Naturally the school has been searched, and no such chamber has been found."

I decided to speak up this time, "Professor, what does the legend say lies exactly in the chamber?"

"…It is said to be home to something only the heir of Slytherin can control. Home to… a monster."

With that we moved off the subject and continued with our lessons.

After class we were walking the halls, when Ron piped up, "Do you think it's true? That there's a Chamber of Secrets?"

"Of course, couldn't you tell? McGonagall's worried, all the teachers are." The brunette witch replied.

"But then if there is one, and its open. Doesn't that mean the heir of Slytherin has returned?" I asked concerned. Bella trotted at my feet.

"Yes, but the question is who?"

"If we're talking about a Slytherin who thinks muggle-borns are scum— "Ron started.

"If you're talking about Malfoy— "Hermione interjected but was interrupted by the red-head.

"Of course, you heard him! 'You'll be next, Mud-bloods.' "

"I heard him, but Malfoy? The heir of Slytherin's?"

"Ron might be right, Hermione. I mean, look at his family. The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin for centuries." Harry reasoned with the witch.

"Crabbe and Goyle might know, we could trick them into telling." I suggested.

Hermione chuckled, "Even they aren't that thick… but there might be another way. Mind you it would be difficult. Not to mention we would be breaking about fifty school rules."

This got all our attention as we stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"And it'll be dangerous, very dangerous."

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

~In the library~

I waited in the small section of the library with the boys who were looking at different books. Hermione rounded the corner, a book in hand and already flipping through the pages.

"Here it is. The Polyjuice Potion. 'when properly brewed, the potion can allow the drinker to transform himself into the physical form of another.' "

"So your saying if Harry and I drink that stuff, we'll turn into Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron asked.

"Yes."

"Wicked! Then Malfoy will tell us anything."

"Exactly, but it's tricky. I've never seen a more complicated potion before." I looked over Hermione's shoulder and read the passage containing the instructions.

"I know how to make this one."

The trio turned to me with confused and awestruck looks, "How?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Snape let me help him the few times I was serving Detention with him. We have a month to brew it, for it to work accurately."

"A month?!" Harry exclaimed. We shushed him as there were others around. He turned to the witch, speaking quietly, "Hermione, if Malfoy is the heir, then he will have wiped out half of the muggle-borns by then!"

"I know, but it's the only plan we got."

~Later that week~

I was sitting with Bella in the Ravenclaw common room. I had the book that contained the Polyjuice potion in my lap. I knew Harry had a quidditch match today against Malfoy, but I couldn't bring myself to go. There was too much to think about.

Just then the door opened and I saw Cho with Marietta, another Ravenclaw and Cho's best friend, enter. They were discussing something, when they saw me, Cho spoke up first, "Oh, hello Bambi. I didn't think you would be here."

I looked at her confused, "Why wouldn't I be here?"

Marietta explained, "We heard that Harry was taken to the Hospital wing. We figured you would have been there with him."

I jumped up from the couch and ran out the door past them, without another word. Bella chased after me, right on my heels.

When we got there, I heard moaning. I looked to my right and saw Malfoy, lying in bed holding his stomach.

"Excuse me, Ms. McCarthy." The Medi witch said, I moved out of her way as she made a bee line passed the blonde.

"Hush, Mr. Malfoy. You're fine, you can go now."

I walked briskly to where I saw her turn and found the Gryffindor quidditch team huddled around.

"Mending bones, I can do. Growing them back…"

"You can regrow them though, can't you?" I heard Hermione ask. I walked over to see Harry lying in the bed, a cast around his arm.

"Of course! It won't be easy though." She replied as she poured a clear liquid into a glass, and handed it to the frail boy.

He went to take a gulp and immediately spit it out. I was unfortunate to be in the line of fire.

"What were you expecting, Pumpkin juice?" Madam Pomphrey exaggerated, handing me a towel.

Harry looked up at me and gave a pained grin, "Sorry."

"You're lucky were friends, Potter." I smirked, dabbing my face dry of the concoction.

~The next day~

"Again? You mean it's been open before?" Hermione asked Harry, who shrugged.

We were in the girl's bathroom brewing the potion and discussing things. Apparently Harry was visited last night by a house elf named Dobby, who was the reason for some of the strange things that have been happening to him lately. While the trio talked, I sat on the floor working on the potion.

"Lucius Malfoy must have opened it when he was here at Hogwarts and now Draco knows how to, as well." Ron sneered.

"Maybe…We'll have to wait for the potion to know for sure."

With that the red head turned to me, as I add a vial of the next ingredient to the tiny cauldron.

"Speaking of, why are we brewing this in broad daylight in the middle of the girl's bathroom, won't we get caught?"

I shook my head, "No, no one comes here anymore because of Myrtle."

"Who's Myrtle?" Ron asked.

Just as he said that, a ghost of a young girl around our age appeared from one of the stalls behind him.

"I am!" She squealed in her high pitched tone.

Ron turned to face the girl, terrified.

"I don't expect any of you to know that though." She glared pointedly at the trio. She screamed and flew around the room before diving into one of the toilets making it splash.

"She's a little sensitive." I added, pouring another ingredient into the pot. The boy's looking at me terrified.