AN: Sorry this one was a tad late. I had wanted to have it out yesterday, but I ended up being called into work on emergency and haven't had the time to finish it until a few hours ago. I tried to edit this one myself, but it has been a rather tiresome last few days, so please forgive me if I did overlook anything. Well, here it is, and I hope you enjoy!


"Ahh, Longbottom and friends." I replied jovially. "Imagine finding you here."

"Save it, Potter!" Longbottom snarled. "Killing cats now are you?"

"Wrong again, Longbottom." I smiled. "I just stumbled upon her a minute before yourself."

"So you just expect us to believe your in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Weasley asked incredulously. "What are you even doing up here? Your common room is down in the dungeons with the rest of the snakes!"

"I could ask you the same thing." I replied to him. "The great hall is a few floors below as well, and I don't see the rest of the school winding their ways through the halls. So why are you three out before the rest of them?"

"We noticed you weren't there at dinner, and came to see if we could find out what you were up too." Longbottom scowled. "It's a good thing too, I'm sure Filch will love to hear what you've done to his cat!"

"Your incessant snooping has grown rather tiresome." I said seriously while drawing my wand. "Even if I were running around doing something...nefarious...do you honestly think you three would be smart enough to catch me at it?"

"So that's it, Potter?" Weasley snarled. "You just going to kill us next?"

I snorted. "Even if I was, I'm not the type to brag. No, I am merely going to make sure that you three leave me alone once and for all."

I raised my wand towards the trio, ready to strip their memories of this meeting from their minds. "Obl..."

"What have we here!" a happy voice called.

I looked up to notice a very pleased Malfoy along with a few dozen other students rounding the corner. Excitement was shining in his pale-gray eyes as he watched the trio pointing their wands at me, who were doing the same. Then he spotted the message on the wall behind me, along with the cat hanging from the torch bracket.

"Enemies of the Heir beware?" she smiled before turning towards Granger. "You'll be next Mudblood!"

"Shut it Malfoy!" Weasley yelled as the three foolishly turned their backs to me and faced Malfoy.

"What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd, further distracting the trio's attention away from me.

As quietly as I could, I quickly whispered out a trio of Obliviates towards the three, careful to only take out their memory of meeting me here first, and not the rest of their encounter. Taking away too much might rouse suspicion if they suddenly became confused.

"I was leaving from Lockhart's office and stumbled upon these three." I answered him before the trio could regain their bearings.

Filch missed their slight looks of confusion as he had finally noticed Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris? He shrieked

And his popping eyes fell back on the trio, missing my smirk. "You!" he screeched. "You three! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her. I'll kill you! I'll.."

"Argus!"

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Longbottom, Weasley, Granger, and myself and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

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

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster...just upstairs. Please feel free.." Perfect! Lockhart was here. He would have no choice but to cover for me.

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.

The silent crowd parted to let us pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall, Snape, and Sprout.


As we entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; I smirked as I saw several of the Lockhart's in the pictures once against dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. The trio exchanged tense looks, as I ignored them, and they sank into the chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression. It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. Sprout was standing off to the side looking worried and Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.

'Nervous?' Violet asked curiously.

'Nope.' I said popping the P. 'Me being the first on the scene was wiped from their minds, and it is locked solidly in mine. Not much they can pin on me for this one.'

'That and Lockhart will have no choice but to back you up.' she giggled.

'If he knows what is good for him.' I smirked.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her...probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her!"

'Only place he has seen that curse is in his dreams!' Violet laughed.

'Sometimes I wonder just where the hell he comes up with this crap!' I chuckled. 'Perhaps I should give him some pointers if he pulls through for me on this.'

'Yeah, like how to just keep his mouth shut.' Violet smirked victoriously.

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, his face in his hands. As much as I detested Filch, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was a right pain in the arse, but anyone could tell that Mrs. Norris had been the most important thing in the world to him, and I couldn't imaging having something similar happen to Violet.

Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed.

"...I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," said Lockhart, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once..."

I couldn't help but stare at him incredulously as the photographs of Lockhart on the walls were all nodding in agreement as he talked. Although, one of them had forgotten to remove his hairnet.

'Wow...' I said incredulously. 'He continues to reach heights I never thought possible.'

'It really is a talent all on its own, isn't it.' Violet replied half incredulously and half admiring.

At last Dumbledore straightened up.

"She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "but why's she all...all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore ("Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart). "But how, I cannot say..."

"Ask them!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tear-stained face towards the trio. "They were caught at the scene by him!" he added pointing towards me.

"No second years could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced.."

"They did it, they did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what they wrote on the wall!"

"We never touched Mrs. Norris!" Longbottom said loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at them, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "It was Potter! It had to be!"

"Rubbish, Longbottom." I snorted. "I caught you three red-handed at the scene."

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows, my sense of foreboding increasing at the look Snape was giving me. I knew Snape hated both Longbottom and I, but Snape always seemed to hate me just a tad more it seemed.

"Longbottom and his friends may have been found at the scene, but they were also found in the Great Hall for the feast tonight." he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth. "but we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Potter on the other hand, wasn't at the Halloween feast. What could he have possibly been doing down this corridor at all?"

"That would be because I was practicing my Charms work in Professor Lockhart's office." I said giving Lockhart a pointed look that promised retribution if he didn't confirm my story. "I didn't want to join the festivities and he agreed to allow me to use his room."

"This office is an entire floor above where the cat was found Potter." Snape sneered as I felt a small Legilimency probe try to enter my mind before I ruthlessly shoeved it towards a false memory of Snape being molested by Fluffy. I probably should have just led it to a believable memory, but Snape always found a way to piss me off and get under my skin.

"And both of these locations are a few floors above where I sleep...Professor!" I glared at him. "Surely you haven't forgotten the location of the Dungeons? You do after all live there yourself."

"Manors, Mr. Potter!" Dumbledore chided sternly. "Gilderoy, can you confirm Mr. Potter's claim?"

"Ye...yes, of course!" Lockhart only slightly stammered. "Mr. Potter is an exemplary student and I felt it my duty to do my best to help further along his education!"

"I suggest, Headmaster, that both Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Potter are not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if they were all deprived of certain privileges until they are ready to tell us the whole story."

Dumbledore was giving the four of us a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made me feel as though I were being X-rayed, but I felt no Legilimency attack.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus." he said firmly.

Snape look furious. So did Filch.

"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus." said Dumbledore patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris." he added, Professor Sprout nodding along with him.

"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep!"

'Well, there goes Mrs. Norris.' Violet laughed, and I couldn't help but agree if Lockhart was going to be doing it.

"Excuse me!" said Snape icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school!"

There was a very awkward pause.

"You four may go." Dumbledore said to the trio and myself.

I wasted no time in leaving the classroom. Thankfully the trio had to head up and I didn't have to worry about them accosting me.

'What do you think about it all?' Violet asked me nervously once we had made it back to the dungeons.

'I think there is something seriously dangerous loose inside of Hogwarts.' I told her worriedly. 'And it is obviously not human. No human could move through the castle the way it did, and there are no ghosts, spectres, or spirits capable of Petrifying anyone like that.'

'So an animal of some sort?' Violet asked. 'It would be pretty hard for one of them to move about the castle in that sort of manor as well.'

'I know...' I told her thoughtfully. 'I think for now we will have to look into this Chamber of Secrets, and see if we can't find a clue.'

'I guess that is the best course.' she replied. 'For now, I think we should get to the common room, just in case.'

'I agree.' I told her, making my way towards my bed quickly. 'I do know that we will be working heavily on training. Never know what we will have to defend ourselves against.'


"Hey, Harry!" Wayne greeted me as I sat down for breakfast.

"Wayne." I greeted. "How are you today?"

"I'm great!" he said enthusiastically. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that. You see I ended up making the team as a beater!"

"That's great, Wayne!" I congratulated him. "So when if your first game?"

"Wow, you really don't pay much attention to Quidditch do you?" he laughed. "The first game is today! So are you going to come? Please!"

"Fine, fine...I'll go." I laughed. "Just don't wet yourself before breakfast is over."

"Very funny, Harry." Wayne shook his head. "Listen, the team has to meet down at the field at ten, but the game starts at eleven. I will look for you in the stands."

"Sounds good. I hope you guys win." I said before smiling. "Who is it your playing again?"

"Merlin, Harry. You really don't care for Quidditch much do you?" Wayne asked rhetorically. "We play Gryffindor. I hope we get to beat Longbottom, he has been running around all week talking about how bad Hufflepuff is going to lose."

"Longbottom, eh?" I asked, interested now. "Make sure you aim a dozen or so bludgers at him for me then."

"Will do, Harry." Wayne laughed. "I gotta go, Cedric wants the team to eat together before the match."

"Alright, Wayne. I will see you on the field."

As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. I wished Wayne luck before I headed for the stands while I waited for the game to begin.

As the teams walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers except for Slytherin, who were just wanting to see both teams get crushed. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked for Wood and Cedric to shake hands, which they did.

"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three...two...one..."

With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. I ignored most of the players, choosing to turn my focus towards Wayne. I was worried at first that perhaps Wayne wasn't that great of a beater. It seemed as if he wasn't hitting the bludger on target, when the thing was in range that is. That was until I realized that it was because they were effectively only playing with one bludger.

The other heavy, black metal ball was occupied with marking Longbottom wherever he went on the pitch. It was comical to watch one of the Weasley twins smash the bludger away, only for it to come swerving back at Longbottom again and again.

Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Longbottom's head.

'If this is what these games are going to be like, we should come more often.' I cheered to Violet as I watched Longbottom put on a burst of speed and zoom towards the other end of the pitch.

'I must admit, it is nice to see that smug smile off of his face for a change.' Violet grinned.

At the other end of the pitch, one of the Weasley's were waiting for the bludger. Just as Longbottom ducked, Weasley swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger looked to be knocked off course. Weasley could even be heard celebrating that very fact...that was until the Bludger once more turned course and set its sights on Longbottom again, who was forced to take off at top speed.

It had just started to rain and I made sure to cast an Imperturbable Charm over my robes to keep me dry, along with a mild warming charm. The noise from the rain was starting to make it difficult to hear the commentary, all I knew was that Hufflepuff were leading by thirty points.

Meanwhile, the rogue Bludger was doing all it could to knock Longbottom out of the air. The Weasley twins were now flying so close to him on either side that I doubted he could see anything at all except for their flailing arms. He wouldn't have any chance of even looking for the snitch, let along finding it.

The twins signaled to Wood for a time out and the fourteen players all made their way back to the ground after Hooch blew her whistle. After a minute or so they were once more back in the air at it again.

The rain was falling more heavily now. Longbottom had the Bludger hot on his tail as soon as he left the ground. Higher and higher he climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled and zigzagged.

He had to have heard the laughter coming from the crowd; he did look pretty stupid. He began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium to try and lose it. Cedric stopped and asked Longbottom something. In that split second that he went to answer, it was all that it took for the stadium was filled with a sickening sound.

WHAM!

Longbottom had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashing into his elbow. I could easily tell from the sound that the bones in it hadn't survived the hit. Longbottoms distraction had also alerted Cedric to the presence of the snitch. By the time Longbottom had fell the almost twenty feet to the mud below, Cedric had already caught the snitch and won the game for Hufflepuff 250-70.

'I bet that fall hurt.' Violet giggled as the Gryff's all went to their fallen teammate.

'Yeah, but not as bad as that elbow.' I chuckled. It was about time Longbottom had to suffer a bit. He made me suffer constantly with his incessant watching.

'Oh look!' Violet squealed. 'There goes Lockhart to give him a hand. He is bound to do more harm than good!'

'Let's hurry down there and see if we can't catch a bit of the show.' I chuckled as I set off quickly for the pitch.

I managed to make it down just in time to hear Longbottom moan out, "Oh, no, not you!"

"Doesn't know what he's saying!" Lockhart proclaimed loudly to the anxious crowd of Gryffindors pressing around us. "Not to worry, Mr. Longbottom. I'm about to fix your arm."

"No!" said Longbottom. "I'll keep it like this, thanks..."

He tried to sit up, but the pain was terrible. I could hear a familiar clicking noise and turned to spot some short Gryffindor snapping photos of Longbottom.

"I don't want a photo of this, Colin!" Longbottom said loudly.

"Lie back, Mr. Longbottom." Lockhart said soothingly. "It's a simple charm I've used countless times."

'Probably because you can't count a number that doesn't exist.' Violet giggled causing me to smirk at the situation.

"Why can't I just go to the hospital wing?" Longbottom ground out through clenched teeth.

"He should really, Professor." said a muddy Wood, who couldn't stop scowling, probably more to the fact they lost than the fact that his seeker was hurt.

"Stand back!" said Lockhart, who was rolling up his jade-green sleeves.

"No...don't..." Longbottom said weakly, but Lockhart was twirling his wand a second later had directed it straight at Longbottom's arm.

It was a strange sight to behold as Longbottom's arm appeared as if it had been deflated. It appeared as if Lockhart had somehow managed to vanish all of the bones in Longbottom's arm. I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped as I heard the rapid clicking coming from the kid, Colin's, camera.

"Ah," said Lockhart. "Yes. Well, that can sometimes happen. But the point is, the bones are clearly no longer broken. That's the thing to bear in mind. So, Mr. Longbottom, just toddle on up to the hospital wing... ah, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, would you escort him?...and Madam Pomfrey will be able to...er...tidy you up a bit."

Weasley and Granger helped Longbottom up to his feet and immediately set off for the hospital wing.

'Well, that was entertaining!' Violet beamed. 'I doubt anything today will top that.'

'I wouldn't be so sure.' I grinned.

'Oh?' she asked.

'Oh, yes.' I smiled. 'Longbottom is going to have to have those bones regrown.'

'I'm not following you?' Violet replied.

'Well, that means he will have to stay in the hospital wing...overnight!' I told her excitedly. 'The doors are never locked in case of emergencies and that means that there will be nothing to keep me from Longbottom.'

'What are you going to do?' Violet asked excitedly.

'I think it is about time I tried out some memory modification.' I told her. 'I'm going to implant a subtle thought into his mind to ignore me. Hopefully I can get him and his two goons to lay off for a while.'

'Perfect.' Violet cackled. 'We should probably get a few hours rest before tonight then. Don't want to be tired while trying to work around in Longbottom's head.'


'You ready to go, Harry?' Violet asked quietly as I slid out of my bed. It was a few hours past curfew and the rest of the dorm was asleep.

Quickly and silently, I slipped on my invisibility cloak. 'I am now, let's go!'

With the Marauder's Map in hand, I quickly made my way towards the hospital wing. The door was shut but still unlocked. I quickly cast a silencing charm on it before quickly opening the door just enough for me to slip in before closing it again. I quickly spotted Longbottom, but as I started my way over too him, his eyes suddenly shot open. I had almost thought he had somehow sensed me...until I saw what was on the other side of the bed from him.

"Get off!" Longbottom hissed loudly, and then, "Dobby!"

The house-elf's goggling tennis ball eyes were peering at him through the darkness. A single tear was running down his long, pointed nose.

"Neville Longbottom came back to school," the elf whispered miserably. "Dobby warned and warned Neville Longbottom. Ah sir, why didn't you heed Dobby? Why didn't Neville Longbottom go back home when the barrier wouldn't let him in?"

Longbottom heaved himself up on his pillows and pushed Dobby's sponge away.

"What're you doing here?" he said. "And how did you know the barrier wouldn't let me enter?"

Dobby's lip trembled and realization finally came to Longbottom's face.

"It was you!" he said slowly. "You stopped that barrier from letting us through!"

"Indeed yes, sir," said Dobby, nodding his head vigorously, ears flapping. "Dobby hid and watched for Neville Longbottom and sealed the gateway and Dobby had to iron his hands afterward." I could just make out the bandaged hands that he was showing Longbottom in the faint light. "But Dobby didn't care, sir, for he thought Neville Longbottom would be safe!"

He was rocking backward and forward, shaking his ugly head.

"Dobby was so shocked when he heard Neville Longbottom was still at Hogwarts, he let his master's dinner burn! Such a flogging Dobby never had, sir..."

Longbottom slumped back onto his pillows.

"You'd better get lost before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!" he said fiercely.

"Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home."

He blew his nose on a corner of the filthy pillowcase he wore, looking so pathetic that Longbottom's anger ebbed away in spite of himself.

"Why d'you wear such a filthy thing, Dobby?" he asked curiously.

"This, sir?" said Dobby, plucking at the pillowcase. "Tis a mark of the house-elf's enslavement, sir. Dobby can only wear what his master presents him with, and may only be freed when presented with clothes. The family is careful not to pass Dobby even a sock, sir, for then he would be free to leave their house forever."

'I wonder who his family is?' Violet asked curiously. 'Most families treat even their servants better than this. He looks utterly pathetic!'

'Malfoy.' I drawled after a quick and almost silent Legilimency probe. 'Figures they would treat a house-elf this way...they don't treat most human's any better.'

Dobby was still mopping his bulging eyes and said suddenly, "Neville Longbottom must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make..."

"Your Bludger?" Longbottom ground out heatedly. I was barely able to hold in a snort of laughter at the reminder of why he was in here in the first place. "What d'you mean, you Bludger? You made that Bludger try and kill me?"

"Now kill you, sir, never kill you!" said Dobby, shocked. "Dobby only wants to save Neville Longbottom's life! Better sent home, grievously injured, than remain here sir! Dobby only wanted Neville Longbottom hurt enough to be sent home!"

That got my attention! I was curious just what this little elf knew about the danger that was just starting to build here at Hogwarts. Once again, and as silent as I could, I hit the little elf with another probe. Unfortunately, Dobby didn't know all of the details of what was going on. All that he knew was that Lucius Malfoy had given someone a cursed diary that was meant to open the chamber of secrets for the second time. Other than the other time being fifty years ago, the elf either didn't know more, or I was simply not able to find it.

"Oh, is that all?" said Longbottom angrily, not catching the seriousness of what was going on inside of the castle. "I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you wanted me sent home in pieces?"

"Ah, if Neville Longbottom only knew!" Dobby groaned.

'Oh, but we do!' I smirked to Violet.

"If he knew what he means to us, to the lowly, the enslaved, we dregs of the magical world! Dobby remembers how it was when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was at the height of his powers, sir! We house-elfs were treated like vermin, sir! Of course, Dobby is still treated like that, sir." Dobby admitted, drying his face on his pillowcase. "But mostly, sir, life has improved for my kind since you triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Neville Longbottom survived, and the Dark Lord's power was broken, and it was a new dawn sir, and Neville Longbottom shone like a beacon of hope for those of us who thought the Dark days would never end, sir...and now, at Hogwarts, terrible things are to happen, are perhaps happening already, and Dobby cannot let Neville Longbottom stay here now that history is to repeat itself, now that the Chamber of Secrets is open once more."

Dobby froze, horrorstruck, then grabbed Longbottom's water jug from his bedside table and cracked it over his own head, toppling out of sight. A second later, he crawled back onto the bed, cross-eyed, muttering, "Bad Dobby, very bad Dobby. . ."

"So there is a Chamber of Secrets?" Longbottom whispered. "And did you say it's been opened before? Tell me, Dobby!"

He seized the elf's bony wrist as Dobby's hand inched toward the water jug. "But I'm not Muggle-born - how can I be in danger from the Chamber?"

"Ah, sir, ask no more, ask no more of poor Dobby," stammered the elf, his eyes huge in the dark. "Dark deeds are planned in this place, but Neville Longbottom must not be here when they happen - go home, Neville Longbottom, go home. Neville Longbottom must not meddle in this, sir, 'tis too dangerous -"

"Who is it, Dobby?" Longbottom said, keeping a firm hold on Dobby's wrist to stop him from hitting himself with the water jug again. "Who's opened it? Who opened it last time?"

"Dobby can't, sir, Dobby can't, Dobby mustn't tell!" squealed the elf. "Go home, Neville Longbottom, go home!"

'He may not be able to say,' I told Violet. 'But he can't protect that secret from his mind. However, I find it hard to believe that Hagrid really did it. There is no way Dumbledore would have kept him here if he had.'

"I'm not going anywhere!" said Longbottom fiercely. "One of my best friends is Muggle-born; she'll be first in line if the Chamber really has been opened -"

"Neville Longbottom risks his own life for his friends!" moaned Dobby in a kind of miserable ecstasy. "So noble! So valiant! But he must save himself, he must, Neville Longbottom must not -"

Dobby suddenly froze, his bat ears quivering. I had heard it, too. There were footsteps coming down the passageway outside.

"Dobby must go!" breathed the elf, terrified. There was a loud crack, and Longbottom's fist was suddenly clenched on thin air. He slumped back into bed, his eyes on the dark doorway to the hospital wing as the footsteps drew nearer. I moved off to the side of the room where I could still listen in but be out of the way.

Next moment, Dumbledore was backing into the dormitory, wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.

"Get Madam Pomfrey," whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Longbottom's bed out of sight. Longbottom lay quite still, pretending to be asleep while I crept as close as I dared. I heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.

"What happened?" Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.

"Another attack," said Dumbledore. "Minerva found him on the stairs.

"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said Professor McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Longbottom."

Slowly and carefully, I crept a few inches closer so I could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face. It was Colin Creevey, the annoying little Gryff with the camera. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.

"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "But I shudder to think ... If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate - who knows what might have -"

The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and wrenched the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.

"You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?" said Professor McGonagall eagerly.

Dumbledore didn't answer. He opened the back of the camera.

"Good gracious!" said Madam Pomfrey.

A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. I caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.

"Melted," said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly. "All melted..."

"What does this mean, Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked urgently.

"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore. "But, Albus ... surely ... who?"

"The question is not who," said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. "The question is, how..." And from what I could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.

The adults dispersed quickly after that, but I still had something to do and remained behind. I may have found out a great deal of what was going on, but Longbottom was still a thorn in my ass and he had to be dealt with.

I had to wait for almost another half hour before he fell back asleep, but once he had I made my move. I knew I couldn't do anything too radical as Granger would likely catch onto something fishy. However, I would add a little thought to the back of his head that I wasn't any big deal, just another fly on the wall to him. I would have to leave his memories for now until I could get all three of them together and wipe them at once, but this way it will just seem as if he has lost interest in me...I hoped. It only took me a few moments before I was done.

'Let's get back to bed, Harry.' Violet told me once I had put away my wand. 'We have much to do tomorrow.'

'You're right.' I told her as I quietly began my trek back to the dungeons. 'Tomorrow we look into the Chamber of Secrets and see what we can find!'


AN: So as you have noticed, there is a few things very similar here as to how it was in the books. The reason so is that some of the information I needed to put out there fit very well with those scenes and set me up nicely for other situations down the line. So far Lockhart and Creevey are running away with the voting, and it is looking as if Lockhart is going to win it, but it is still never to late to voice your opinions! As always I look forward to hearing and reading all of your reviews, comments, and messages! Thanks!