To Harry's annoyance, Professor Lockhart's office had been the closest. Professor McGonagall and Snape had followed Professor Dumbledore to Lockhart's office. Dumbledore placed Mrs Norris onto Lockhart's desk and began to examine her. Lockhart was hovering around making all sort of suggestions. Dumbledore ignored him however his fingers poking and prodding Mrs Norris. After a few moments, he began tapping his wand on Mrs Norris muttering strange words under his breath.

'She's not dead Argus,' Dumbledore said straightening up. 'She has been Petrified, but how I cannot say.'

'Ask her! She was standing right next-'

'Argus no mere second-year, no offence Harry, could have done this. It would take the most advanced Dark Magic.'

'Oh.'

'If I may suggest Headmaster, perhaps Potter and her friends were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,' Snape said. 'But in the circumstances, one does wonder why they were in the corridor at all? Why they weren't they at Halloween feast like their fellow students.'

'We were at a deathday party for Nick, the ghosts will be able to tell you we were there,' Harry said.

'Why not join the feast afterwards? Why go up to that corridor?'

'We were heading up to the tower, we were cold and wanted to warm up. When I asked to visit the library first,' Hermione explained speaking before Harry got a chance to. 'That corridor was the quickest way through from the dungeons.'

Harry was ever so grateful that her friend was such a quick thinker under pressure. The excuse had been a good one too, Hermione had been indeed correct about the corridor being the quickest route. And the Professors wouldn't blink twice about her saying she wanted to go to the library Hermione practically lived in it.

'A cure will be provided, I believe Professor Sprout recently manages to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size I'm sure Argus that Severus wouldn't mind brewing the potion to revive, Mrs Norris.'

'You may go,' Professor McGonagall said to them.

As they reached the portrait Harry turned to Ron and Hermione.

'You believe me, right? That I could hear - hear a voice?'

'Of course, I do,' Ron exclaimed.

'So, we should have mentioned it then.'

'Harry even in the wizarding world hearing voices is considered weird.'

'Yeah, the whole thing is weird if you ask me. What do you reckon the writing on the wall was about? The Chamber has been opened ... what's that supposed to mean.'

'You know it rings a bell. I think Bill told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once.'

...

The attack on Mrs Norris and the secret chamber within the castle walls. Ginny had seemed rather disturbed by Mr Norris's fate. Hermione had been rather rattled. Having spent most of her time reading through books, not unusual however she was almost doing nothing else. She had emerged for breakfast having from the library in a sulky mood.

'Just as I thought all the copies of Hogwarts: A History have been taken out.'

'You've been trying to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets?' Harry surmised.

'Yeah, and I can't remember if it's in it. I can't find the story anywhere else-'

The bell rang.

'Wonder how quickly we'll fall asleep in History of Magic today,' Harry said heading towards the hall doors.

'Harry, you should be - Harry you're brilliant, just brilliant.'

'Reckon she's going to clue us in,' Ron said to Harry.

Harry shrugged. 'No idea, just go with it. Best thing to do sometimes. I just take the compliments as they come.'

Ron sniggered as they slid into their seat for the lesson.

It was as boring as ever, Professor Binns. Nearly everyone in the class had fallen asleep due to his voice droning on. While he had been talking about International Warlock Convention. Hermione did something no one had go so before in their class. She raised her hand.

'Miss Granger?'

'Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets?'

'I deal with facts, not legends.'

'But don't legends always have a basics in fact sir,' Harry pointed out.

'Well, one could argue that. The legend of the chamber is a very ludicrous tale.'

The class was very much awake now, hanging onto every word their Professor was saying.

'Very well as you know Hogwarts had four founders. The four houses were named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The castle was built long before the founders decided to turn it into a school. And for years the founders worked together educating those with signs of magic. A rift between Slytherin and the other houses broke out. For he believed that only those that learnt the art of magic should be kept with-in all magic families. Slytherin left the school after a serious argument broke out between himself and Gryffindor.'

'The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, one, of which the other founders knew nothing. He sealed the Chamber of Secrets according to the legend until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleashing the horror within. The horror is meant to be that of a monster, which only the heir could control. Nonsense, of course, it doesn't exist and there is no monster.'

'Now where was I.'

Five minutes later the class had begun to fall asleep again.

'So, you think that the chamber exists?' Ron yawned on their way out of History of Magic. 'That's why you asked right?'

'Well didn't you want to know if it was more than just rumours,' Hermione said irritatingly.

'OK let's think about this for a moment. If we want to find out if it is more than just rumours, we need to talk to someone who isn't running around trying to find out about the chamber. I just don't know how to do it.'

'I hate it when you two are like this. Care to share?' Ron said.

'OK, look while everyone else is running around the castle trying to find out about the chamber. There is someone that may already know if it does actually exist.'

'So, they wouldn't be looking for the information. But just who do we need to talk to?' Ron asked.

'Isn't it obvious who else walks around like they know everything about the school,' Hermione said.

Ron sent them both a glare.

'Well let's say you're not going to like it.'

'Harry, who is it?'

'We need to speak with Draco Malfoy.'

Ron's mouth gaped like he had just heard something unbelievable.

'Just how do you expect us to do that? Go up to him and say hi Malfoy have you opened the chamber and let a beast roam around the castle unaided? It's not going to work.'

'That's not going to work, we're going to have to do something a bit subtly. I just don't know what,' Harry said looking out of the nearest window pane. There were spiders scuttling and what appeared like fighting to get through a small crack in the glass. 'I've never seen spiders act that like.'

Ron shivered. 'Spiders give me the creeps. Don't like them at all. If Fred turned your teddy bear into a spider suddenly one day, you wouldn't either.'

'I didn't know that.'

'I've got an idea,' Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

'To cure my fear of spiders, loved to hear one.'

'No Ron, I've got an idea into how we speak to Malfoy. There are a few glitches though.'

'I'm listening.'

'We'd be breaking a lot of school rules.'

'Like we haven't done that already. Next.'

'Getting hold of the ingredients, I would need to get hold of the recipe for it as well and it will be in the restricted section.'

Harry shut her eyes taking a deep breath, there was no way Snape was going to let them just take ingredients.

'Professor Lockhart loves signing things without really looking just ask for his autograph. We would need a distraction during potions well away from where they are kept.'

'That's easy talk to the twins, they're masters at distractions,' Ron said. 'What else?'

'Somewhere we could brew it without being seen and where the smell won't attract anyone's attention.'

'What kind of potion are you- we going to brew?'

'Polyjuice, it allows you to turn into another person for a limited time.'

'Oh, I remember Snape telling us about that potion. It's complicated and takes a month until it's ready.'

'That's why we can't be seen while brewing it. I'm not doing it alone.'

'Hermione I can think of one place no one will dare to enter not even the teachers.'

'Really?' Ron said.

'Yeah and trust me when I say this, you are really not going to like it.'