A/N I know what you're thinking. The Chamber of Secrets can't be opened. At least that's what my dad said when he was reading over my shoulder, while typing. Well just read, and you'll find out how it ties into the plot.^_^ I know I'm evil making you actually read.
PLEASE READ!
I changed the chapters around, and if you could please reread chapters four, and five that would really help.
Chapter Nine
Motive
As the three girls left the headmistress' office they started talking about what the events of the day could mean. It was barely ten o'clock in the morning, and it seemed like the world had gone mental in just a few short hours time. As they got closer to the bottom of the stairs they heard two people arguing.
"Let me in!" Lily recognized Hugo's voice, but the second was a mystery.
"I can't unless you have the password! Now could you please bother some other gargoyle with your presence, and leave me alone. I'm not letting you up there even if you begged."
"Please. I need to speak to my cousin." He obviously hadn't paid attention to the gargoyle's words, because he was in fact begging.
"I'm sorry, but I can't, and someone is now coming down, so I need to move to let them pass." Lily started walking again, knowing that she couldn't be caught eavesdropping on Hugo's conversation, without him getting even more upset with her. When they reached the bottom Hugo was waiting.
"I've been trying to get into the Headmistress' office for fifteen minutes now." His facial features then changed from annoyance to shame. "I wanted to apologize."
"Apologize to me, or apologize to Stephanie?"
"Both." He answered quickly, hearing the venom in her voice. Lily really wasn't angry with him, she just wanted him to know how much he had hurt her. Lily had been best friends with Hugo for as long as she could remember, and his behavior the last few weeks had been heartbreaking without her favorite cousin with her. She had been furious with him for about two days for his stupidity. She had realized that, that is what makes Hugo, Hugo. He wasn't bright, or courageous, but he always looked out for her, even if he was being a git by doing so.
"Hugo why didn't you just wait for a better time? I'm sure you're supposed to be in your common room." Lily had learned quickly that Stephanie wasn't a normal Slytherin. At least not the stereotype of cruel, rule breaking, cowards. She wasn't afraid of what other people thought of her, and she followed the rules and regulation as if her life depended on it.
"I'm sorry about your..." He stopped mid sentence. "The cat's alive?" Lily prayed that Stephanie would over look his rudeness. Hugo was looking at the cat with a confused expression. The feline just hissed at him.
"Dusty! You should have better manners than that. Hugo is trying to apologize." The cat looked up at her owner and meowed in defiance. She leaped from her arms, and walked off in a snooty fashion. "I'm sorry, she doesn't have very good people skills."
"It's okay. Lately I've been having the same problem."
"Well, does this mean you've finally come to your senses, and now we can put this behind us and get along?" Alice did an exaggerated eye roll to get her point across. She was obviously fed up with his behavior.
"Yes Alice."
"Good." The three girls said in union, and they all burst out laughing at their odd coincidental reply.
None of them noticed when the gargoyle moved again, but they did when Lily's dad came down with a grave expression. He was mumbling to himself before he saw the four children. He put up a smile that Lily could tell was forced. "Kids why aren't you all in the common rooms, and Hugo why are you here?" His fake smile turned into a small scolding frown.
"Sorry Uncle Harry, but I had to make sure Stephanie was okay, and Lily, and Alice of course." Harry's smile seemed real this time at Hugo explanation.
"I'll tell Neville where you are. The four of you should get to Ravenclaw Tower before he comes down, and finds you in the hallway chatting." His comment was followed by the four of them politely agreeing. "Good, I'll walk with you back as far as I can." Lily and her friends spent the time talking to her dad about his Auror work.
"So Dad, any clues on Yaxley's whereabouts?"
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but no. The last real sighting was in London at the end of the summer. He was definitely there, but not every person that claims to have seem him actually has. A break out like this had caused chaos in the magical community. People get so paranoid, and they suspect him of being everywhere."
"But why would he risk being so close to the Ministry?"
"I have no idea Hugo, but he's not there now." As they kept walking Lily pondered this. Why would an escaped convict go near the place that locked him up? The Ministry was filed with fully trained Aurors. After a while her dad changed the subject to the wall. "Who do you kids think would vandalize the school?"
"I don't know. Maybe some students with relatives in Azkaban?" Hugo answered. Stephanie seemed to take offense to that.
"What, you mean like Slytherins? Not all Slytherins are like that, and do you think a student would attack Dusty for no reason? If it was a Slytherin they wouldn't have because they would have seen her around the dorms, and know that she belonged to a Slytherin!" Hugo was about to retort, but Lily beat him to it.
"Guys, we just stopped fighting. I really don't want to go through this again, and Stephanie I'm sure he didn't mean it like that." After making sure Lily has successfully calmed her down they started walking again, but in complete silence this time. Lily's dad hadn't said a word through the almost argument that had happened, and was watching Stephanie and Hugo closely without making it obvious.
"I didn't mean to upset you," Hugo finally spoke, but quietly, hoping not to get her angry again. "and I also wasn't thinking about the Slytherins. A lot of people were put in Azkaban after the war. Not just Slytherins."
"It's ok, I know you didn't. I just hate it when people judge me by my house or name, and I haven't been feeling that well the last few days. I get kind of grumpy sometimes."
"You do look a little pale. Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey."
"It's okay Alice, I'm sure I'll feel better in a few days."
Professor Crawford walked around the corner taking everyone's attention from Stephanie, and greeted Lily's father with a warm smile. Something the student's had never seen before. Their defense against the dark arts professor had always been standoffish to them. His class was interesting, but he was almost as strict as Parkinson.
"Hello Crawford, how have you been since I last spoke with you? That was right after you quit the auror business, about two years ago wasn't it?"
"Yes, yes. I have been doing well here. I actually quite like teaching young children defense," He looked over at the students. "Speaking off, I have never meet a more determined young lady then your daughter, Mr. Potter. Yes, she isn't like a lot of her house that only care about grades, thank Merlin! She actually had a real gift for defense against the dark arts, and I obviously know where she got if from." Her father looked pleased as he put his arm over her shoulder.
"Thank you, but if she starts to fall behind for any reason, just owl me." Crawford nodded, and said goodbye. Lily noticed as he left that he was holding his right arm as if it were in pain.
They didn't have to walk long before they met another friendly face. Dusty was obviously on the trail of some rodent. She was completely focused on her task, and didn't even notice that they were there until Stephanie called her name. The cat wound through her legs, and hissed at Hugo, before making her way down the hallway following her pray again.
"Well kids, this is where I leave you. I'll see you at Christmas break." They had come to a fork in the road. On the left was the corridor that would take them to Ravenclaw tower, and on the right led back to the vandalized wall. Lily gave her dad a pleading look that he understood. "Yes Lily, I will tell you what I can find out later," He looked at Stephanie. "and I will have to look at Dusty as well?"
"Of course."
The four children started walking, and as soon as they were far enough away Lily told the three about Crawford's arm. "Lily I know what you're getting at, and I think you are over reacting." Alice was shifting her weight from side to side, obviously not sure what her friends reaction might be.
"Why would you say that?" Lily's interested tone made Alice relax.
"Because I know you are going to suspect Crawford of writing that on the wall, and attacking Stephanie's cat."
"Well, it's a possibility. Why would someone try and reenact something that happened like twenty some odd years ago? There has to be a reason behind it."
"I agree with Lily, and I think it was twenty-three." She was relieved that at least Stephanie understood there might be something strange happening in the school.
"Thank you! At least somebody gets it!"
"Lily, I think we should just get to your common room, and talk about this later. The halls are kind of creepy when no one's around." Lily had to admit Hugo had a point. The corridors seemed spooky without anyone going to classes, or walking down to the Great Hall. If they were caught just talking they could get a detention, or points taken away from their houses. That reminded Lily of what her father had said when he found them by the staircase before. Lily nodded, and the group walked the rest of the way in silence.
When they walked into the Ravenclaw common room all eyes turned toward them. No one was talking except for some whispers that were obviously about the wall. They just stood there, with the whole entire house staring at them as if they were slides under a microscope. Some looked at Stephanie in pity, though most saw her as a Slytherin that had no right to be in their common room. A few even gave Hugo, and Alice the same look. No one moved until Cassandra moved away from her friends that were sitting by the fireplace. She came over to the four, and asked Stephanie if she cat was okay, and seemed truly relieved to hear that she was alive. The staring faces had now gone back to what they were previously doing, and Aleera, and Lysander came over to the group as well.
"Not to be the bad guy or anything, but are you three allowed in here?" As head girl Cassie had to make sure that nothing her house did would affect their chances of winning the cup.
"Of course Cassie. The Headmistress didn't want us to split up so she allowed them to come in here."
"Good." and she walked back to her friends that were now giggling at a joke one of them had just said.
"Lily?"
"Yes, Lysander?"
"It's a little crowded in here. I think we should go up to the dorms." He pointed in the direction of a few fifth years that were still giving them dirty looks.
"Good idea. Lead the way, because you know we can't go to the girls dormitory." They hadn't tested it, but the girls dorms weren't supposed to let guys in. They walked past the fifth years without even glancing at them. When they reached Lysander's room it was empty, and they could talk freely without being overhear.
"So what happened?" Aleera was obviously dying to know what had a cured after she was forced to return to Ravenclaw tower. The four told Aleera, and Lysander what had happened all the way up to Crawford before either interrupted. Aleera jumped to the same conclusion Lily had, and she was pleased to know someone besides herself could suspect him.
"He's always been a git, and he was trying to act all nice for your father, how revolting! I'm sure your dad saw past his little masquerade!"
"It didn't seem like it." Hugo answered.
Alice gave a sigh of frustration. "Guys don't you see? He's a teacher, and the head of Hufflepuff house! He couldn't have done it, and how do we know anything is wrong? It could have been some kind of messed up prank, maybe someone just wanted to scare people into believing the chamber of secrets has been opened just to get some sort of laugh out of it?" Stephanie got up from her comfortable position on one of the beds that she had no idea who it belonged to.
"I don't think petrifying my cat is very funny."
"Yeah, and just because he's a teacher doesn't mean that he couldn't do something like this. In fact it helps him. Crawford could have been strolling down the corridors last night, and no one would have questioned him. When my dad was a student there were three teachers that were either working for Voldemort, or some other kind of conspiracy like him." Alice flinched at Voldemort's name, but Lily had been taught that calling him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named only gave power to the fear that some still had for the evil murderer. He had taken so many lives, and in doing so destroyed many others.
"She's right," It was Lysander that spoke up. "and I believe whatever you believe Lily." He smiled his most Lovegood smile, and Lily returned it with her own.
"Thank you, Lysander." She gave him a hug that he returned some what shocked, and a little bit uncomfortably. Lily noticed that it must have been awkward for him, so she went back to her place on his bed with Hugo, and Alice. She didn't notice his cheeks has turned slightly pink for a moment, before the conversation started again.
For two hours they spent talking about possible motives, and suspects. Alice was still not convinced that her head could have been behind it when another first year boy named Jeffery Carter came, and told them they could leave the tower. Lily recognized him from her classes, and the sorting ceremony. She knew he had a twin brother, and it was then that Lily noticed the amount of twins that were in her year. The Scamanders, the Carters, and the dreaded Griffiths, all of which happened to be born in the same year. She humorously wondered if there was some sort of award for most sets of twins in one class.
The rest of their day was pretty normal, aside from the fact that they didn't have any classes, a perk they had overheard Athena rambling about with dismay. The six children spent their day happily enjoying the nice weather. Lily noticed that the teachers on the other hand looked very grave, and would snap if anyone got too out of line in front of them.
Lily still couldn't get her mind off the strange accuracies that had happened early that day. She couldn't wait for her father to relay all the information he probably found. She didn't get a lot of sleep the night before, so she went to bed early. Al least that was the story she had told Aleera, and Lysander when they had gotten back to the common room. It was mostly true, but she really wanted time to think over all the possibilities she had come up with for Crawford's motive. She had no proof it was her defense teacher, but her gut told her he was behind it. She couldn't think of anything, and soon her tiredness took over.
A/N Tell me what you think, and if you think it's getting interesting. I'm sure having fun writing it. I hope you like reading it.
