Jack's Pov

October finally came, which meant that the snow that I should be delivering, will come soon. Sandy told us in his last letter that they have Snow Queen, Yuki-onna, and a few minor winter sprits on it. I wasn't too happy to know that Yuki-onna was speeding winter. She Kills people!

It was also flu season. So teachers and students were in and out of the Hospital Wing to get a Pepperup Potion. I had to get Eve to go after she caught a cold with the training she and the Quidditch team where doing in the bullet-like rain. Eve was so upset, she kept saying how she wished she could use the full speed of her broom. Fred and George had been spying on the Slytherin team and said that the team was nothing but seven green blurs.

"A deathday party?" Hermione asked as Harry and Eve joined us in the common room after changing out of their robes.

Harry had finished telling us that he had agreed that he could come to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party. I held back a shudder. Eve and I never celebrated our deathdays. We would, if Eve's wasn't so traumatic for her. Mine wasn't much better, but still.

"I bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to one of those—it'll be fascinating!" Hermione said keenly.

"Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died?" Ron said half way done with his potions homework. "Sounds dead depressing to me…"

Then Halloween came way too soon, and I could tell that Harry was regretting the promise he had made. I wasn't happy ether, after hearing how cool the Feast was, I really wanted to go.

"A promise is promise," Hermione reminded Harry. "You said you'd go to the deathday party."

I threw my head back. "Yeah he said he would go, not we would go." I yelped as Eve's hand hit me on the back of my head. I glared at her and I wasn't sure if it was part of the act or if it was real.

So at seven o'clock, we walked right passed the Great Hall and to the dungeons. The passageway was not cheery. The only good thing it had going for it was the blue fame candles that lined the way, but the wax part was tall thin and jet black.

As we descended farther down, I saw that Harry, Ron, and Hermione shivered and I knew that it wasn't me. I looked at Eve to see her grab her ears cringing at something that I couldn't hear. But then I did and winced. It sounded like nails on a chuck board.

Hermione's Pov

"Is that supposed to be music?" Ron whispered with a shiver.

To be fair we were all shivering. I had pulled my robe around me tightly. We turned a corner and saw Nick standing, well actually he was hovering, by a doorway with black velvet drapes.

"My dear friends," Nick said mournfully. "Welcome, welcome…so pleased you could come…"

He took off his plumed hat, put it to his chest and bowed. The drape moved out of our way and I was amazed. The room was filled with pearly white ghosts. Some were talking, but most where waltzing to the dreadful music that the ghostly orchestra was playing on a raised platform. I looked up to see a chandelier with a thousand black, blue flamed candles.

As I breathed out I saw my breath, like a cold winter's day. I turned too look at the others, and something puzzled me. I could see Harry and Ron's breath like mine, but not Jack or Eve's. I could see that they were breathing but their breath didn't fog. That was really odd. I was just about to ask them when Harry spoke up and made me jump.

"Shall we have a look around?" Harry suggested, as he shuffled his feet, I assume trying to worm them.

"Careful not to walk through anyone." Ron said nervously.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I heard Jack mutter, as we set off around the edge of the dance floor.

As we walked we saw a group of gloomy nuns, a ragged man wearing chains, and the Fat Friar, the cheerful Hufflepuff ghost, who was talking to a knight with an arrow in his forehead. I saw the Bloody Barren, the ghost of Slytherin house, was getting a wide berth. My eyes then landed on the ghost girl we were headed to. Her long hair and pearly spectacles proved who it was.

I stopped abruptly. "Oh no." I turned slightly to try and push them back. "Turn back, turn back, I don't want to talk to Moaning Myrtle—"

"Who?" Harry asked as we backtracked quickly.

"She has a strange love for haunting one of the toilets in the girls' bathroom on the first floor," Eve said clearly not wanting to talk to her ether.

"She haunts a toilet?" The boys asked shocked.

I nodded. "Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you—"

"Look, food!" Ron said.

For a moment we ran to the table hoping to get something to eat, but then we stopped. The food was not meant for people to eat. Large rotten fish were laid out on beautiful silver platters; cakes, burned to charcoal black, were heaped on salvers; there was a great maggoty haggis, a slab of moldy cheese, and what had a place of pride was a gray cake in the shape of a tombstone, with teal-like icing forming the words,

Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington

Died 31st October, 1492

"You know, I'm not that hungry anymore…" Eve trailed off.

I held my nose as a ghost came to the table, crouched low and walked through it with his mouth wide open, to get the stinking salmon in his mouth. I cringed a bit when the fish came out the back of his head.

"Can you taste it if you walk through it?" Harry asked him.

"Almost." The ghost said sadly, then drifted away.

I pinched my nose and looked at the others. "I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavor." I said and looked at the haggis.

"Can we move? I feel sick." Ron said and he looked a little green.

We had barely turned around, when a small ghost flew out from under the table. I shook my head at Peeves the Poltergeist.

"Hello, Peeves." Harry said cautiously.

"Nibbles?" Peeves asked holding a bowl of fungus covered peanuts.

"No thanks." I said as Eve held up a hand and shook her head.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," Peeves said at me and Eve. "Rude you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath, even though he didn't need to, and bellowed. "OY! MYRTLE!"

My eyes widened. "Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what Eve and I said, she'll be really upset," I whispered quickly.

"We didn't mean it, She's totally cool—Oh, hi there, Myrtle." Eve said making me turn.

There she was. Her gloomy face was heart breaking how sad it was. Her dark hair was long and thick. She wore a Ravenclaw uniform.

"What?" She asked sulkily.

"How are you, Myrtle?" I asked I tried to sound nice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

Myrtle sniffed.

"Miss Granger and 'Falls' was just talking about you—" Peeves said slyly in Myrtle's ear.

"Just saying—saying—how nice you look tonight," I said glaring at Peeves trying hard to make him to shut up or go away.

Myrtle eyed me and Eve. "You're making fun of me." She said miserably as silvery tears formed in her eyes.

"What?" Eve asked throwing her hand on to her chest. "No, you are very beautiful, the nicest looking Ghost here."

I nodded. "Honestly—didn't we just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" I asked and nudged Harry and Ron in the ribs.

"Yeah, your glasses are so shiny—" Jack said nervously.

"Oh Yeah—" Ron said anxiously.

"They did—" Harry said franticly.

"Don't lie to me." Myrtle gasped as her tears flowed down her cheeks. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back?" She asked on the verge of sobbing. "Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, Moaning, Moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply." Peeves hissed in her ear.

Myrtle burst into wailing tearful sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves was following her, pelting her with moldy peanuts, yelling "Pimply! Pimply!"

"Oh dear." I said biting my lip.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Nick asked getting our attention.

"Oh, yes." We all lied.

"Not a bad turnout," Nick said proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent…it's nearly time for my speech, I'd better go and warn the orchestra…"

But then the orchestra stopped playing and it seemed everyone was quite with excitement. A Hunting horn sounded.

"Oh, here we go." Nick said bitterly.

Suddenly a dozen ghost Horses burst through the walls of the dungeon and each was ridden by a Headless horseman. All the ghosts began to clap. Harry was about to, but stopped at Nicks face. The Horses halted in the middle of the dance floor. The leader leaped off his horse and held his chopped off head high in the air, so he could see over the crowed.

Then he walked over to Nick and, with a sickening squishing sound, put his head back on his neck. "Nick!" Roared the Ghost before us. "How are you? Head still hanging in there?" he said as he clapped Nick on the shoulder.

"Welcome, Patrick." Nick said stiffly.

"Live'uns!" Patrick said looking at us, and a hug fake jump, and his head fell from his shoulders. The ghosts all laughed, exempt Nick.

"Very amusing." Nick said darkly.

"Don't mind Nick!" Shouted Patrick's head from the floor. "Still upset we won't let him join the Hunt! But I mean to say—look at the fellow—"

"I think," Harry began hurriedly. "Nick's very—frightening and—er."

"Ha!" Yelled Patrick's head. "Bet he asked you to say that!"

Eve's Pov

"If I could have everyone's attention, it's time for my speech!" Nick said loudly, making me jump. He flouted over to the podium and into the icy blue spotlight. "My late lamented lords, ladies, and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow…"

But I couldn't hear much more, and I was positive that no one else could ether, what with the Hunt suddenly decided to play Head-Hockey.

I could see the others were very cold, I could see their breath and they were shivering violently. I could only hope that they didn't notice that neither Jack nor myself where not producing the same puffs of air as they were and we were not shivering. I wrapped my arms around my chest and tried to look like I was cold. I tried to give Jack a hint by looking at my arms and then back to him. He just smiled and winked at me.

"I can't stand much more of this." Ron said through his chattering teeth.

I looked away from the ghosts as they moved back to the dance floor as the 'Music' started up again.

"Let's go." Harry agreed.

We worked our way back to the door, nodding and smiling at any Ghost that looked our way. A minute later we hurrying up the stairs past the black candles.

"Pudding might not be finished yet." Ron said as he led the way toward the steps of the entrance hall.

That's when I heard it. A strange, loud hissing sound. It was cold and if hissing could sound murderous, then that is how it was. I then saw Harry stumble to a stop and looked around. He clutched at the stone wall as if trying to listen to something.

'No…He couldn't possibly hear what I do. He's mortal.' Flew through my mind.

"Harry, what're you—?"

"It's that voice again—shut up a minute—" Harry said interrupting Ron.

The hissing started again and it made me flinch. It seemed familiar, but not at the same time.

"Listen!" Harry said urgently, making us all freeze.

The hissing was getting fainter and seemed to be moving up. Panic griped me. Whatever it was, it wasn't good.

"This way!" Harry shouted and he ran up the stairs to the entrance hall, me right behind him.

I winced when the sounds coming from the Great Hall hit me and I nearly fell, but grabbed the wall and kept going.

We turned up a marble stair case to the first floor. I could hear Jack, Ron, and Hermione clattering behind us.

"Harry, what're we—"

"SHH!" Harry said making me flinch.

I listened and then something else hit me. The scent of blood. My eyes widened. "Oh, Goddess…" I whispered quietly.

The Hissing was suddenly loud yet far.

"It's going to kill someone!" Harry shouted and ignored Ron, Jack, and Hermione's bewildered faces. He run up the next flight, I was right behind him.

I didn't need to follow the hissing, I could smell the blood and it was getting stronger the higher we went. We soon were barreling down the second floor hallway and didn't stop until we came to a deserted hallway.

The smell of the blood was stronger now and I closed my eyes in relief. It wasn't human blood.

"Harry, what was that all about?" Ron said wiping sweat from his face. "I couldn't hear anything…"

I turned my head at the same time as Hermione gasped. "Look!"

My eyes widened at the blood on the wall between to windows. It shimmered in the torch-light.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE.

"What's that thing—hanging underneath?" Ron asked a slight quiver in his voice.

We walked forward and Harry nearly slipped on the water that was on the floor. I gasped and my hand flew to my mouth. It was a cat hanging from her tail on the torch bracket. She was not moving at all eyes wide and staring at nothing. I could see that her eyes looked glassy. I turned away to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione had jumped back. Jack saw too.

"Do you guys know this cat?" Jack asked.

"That's Mrs. Norris. That's Filch's cat." Hermione said shakily.

I turned back to her and knew that something was off. She seemed alive, but frozen in time.

"Let's get out of here." Ron said.

"Shouldn't try and help—" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," Ron said. "We don't want to be found here.

I spun as the rumble of feet filled my ears. "Too late."

Then from ether end of the passage happy fed students came. The chatter died as they came to a halt seeing the message and Norris.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next Mudbloods!" I turned to see Malfoy and fire burned in my chest. I really hate that kid.