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Thirty-Seven

The following day word had spread all over the castle about Mrs Norris and the Musketeers involvement. The students were treating the seven of them like they were diseased and staying away from them. The rumour was that they had attacked Mrs Norris.

The Musketeers spent their time studying and trying to figure out what the words meant. It was practically driving Hermione insane. It wasn't until Transfiguration on Wednesday that the group got their answer.

"I don't understand what it means," Hermione huffed as she and Harley worked on transfiguring a deck of playing cards into a bowl. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware. What does that mean?"

"Maybe I should have said something," Harley muttered from her seat. Her deck of cards was sitting on her desk but she hadn't touched it. "You know…about hearing the voices."

Neville shook his head. "No. As a muggle I imagine hearing voices is strange…in the Wizarding World it's not any better."

"He's right," Hermione nodded. "But I was thinking about it last night in bed-I don't like the whole principle of it but we should ask McGonagall about it. She's been here a long time."

Neville shrugged. "I've heard worse ideas." He held his hand up.

"Yes, Mr Longbottom?" McGonagall replied. "Are you having trouble with your spell?"

"Professor, we were wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?" Neville asked her. "Everyone's all nervous and it's hard to understand the problem without knowing anything about it."

Professor McGonagall sighed. She went and sat back down at her desk and cleared her throat. "Well, you all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Now, three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously. One did not."

"Well the candidate for that is obvious," Hermione muttered.

McGonagall nodded. "Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, 'pure-bloods'. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now, according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Though, shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the Chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those, who in Slytherin's view, we unworthy to study magic."

"Muggleborns," Dudley frowned.

She nodded. "Well, naturally, the school has been searched many times. No such chamber has been found."

"What exactly does the legend tell us lies within the Chamber?" Harley questioned.

"Well obviously a monster of some kind," Dudley muttered.

"Mr Dursley is correct," McGonagall nodded. "A monster that only the Heir of Slytherin can control." She cleared her throat. "No…I need all of you to return back to your tasks at hand."

Harley sighed. She drew her wand and tapped the cards, flawlessly reciting the spell to transfigure her deck of cards.

The first Quidditch game of the year was Slytherin versus Hufflepuff.

It wasn't a terribly long game, Draco catching the snitch within ten minutes and Dudley being knocked off his broom by a bludger to the back of the head. His broken arm forced him into the Hospital wing with Harley holding Kenzie, the familiar practically shouting at Dudley in a sequence of squeaks.

Lockhart had almost tried to heal her bonded mate only to walk away covered in facial scratches and hair missing much to the Musketeer's amusement.

Harley stayed with Dudley, writing a letter to Petunia to tell he what had happened and that Dudley had also made the Quidditch team. Apparently he'd neglected to write his own mother in his excitement. Madame Pomfrey had given Dudley a sleeping draught to make him sleep before sending Harley out for dinner. The girl returned after dark and sat by her sleeping cousin's bed to finish her letter, her communications mirror shrunk and attached to her necklace in case it was needed.

Harley had almost fallen asleep herself when the sound of muffled, panicked voice woke her up.

"What happened?" Madame Pomfrey gasped, walking out of her office.

"There's been another attack." Dumbledore answered grimly.

Harley slipped off her chair and walked around Dudley's bed, opening the curtain just a fraction so she could see what was going on.

McGonagall was there as well. "I think-I think he's been Petrified. Maybe he managed to take a picture of his attacker." She had to be speaking about Collin Creevy, Harley's resident stalker. His attempts at getting pictures of her were more annoying than anything, Dudley had scared him off more than once. "What can this mean, Albus?"

Dumbledore was silent before he spoke. "It means…it means that our students are in great danger."

"What should I tell the staff?" McGonagall asked.

"The truth," Dumbledore replied. "Tell them Hogwarts is no longer safe. It is as we feared, Minerva. The Chamber of Secrets has indeed been opened again."

"The Chamber of Secrets had indeed been opened again," Hermione repeated the following day. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we muggleborns get the first carriage out of here," Dudley answered honestly. He shifted in his seat on the old couch in what was now the Musketeer's Secret Space.

"If another student shows up petrified I think my mum's gonna pull me out for safety reasons," Draco advised them.

Harley sat back in the overly large armchair decorated in red and gold-it used to be her fathers-her Charms homework was opened but not touched in her lap, Prongs at her feet. She went to say something when the door slammed open to reveal Pansy and Neville coming in, both had flyers in their hands. "Get kept late?"

"Professor Flitwick wanted to talk about our Charms assignment," Pansy explained. "When we were coming back, we found this on the wall." She handed Harley the flyer and Neville gave his to Draco.

"Holy cow," Harley muttered. "No. No. No." She thrust it at Hermione who grinned.

Gilderoy Lockhart

Order of Merlin, Third Class,

Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League

Five-time's winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming Smile Award

Presents

THE

HOGWARTS DUELING CLUB

In light of the recent troubles that plague our beautiful halls,

I, Gilderoy Lockhart, shall be teaching any student who possesses the mind and talent to duel.

Guaranteed to save your life.

I will be joined in kind by Professor Severus Snape.

Friday night, 7 pm, Great Hall

Open to all students 1st Year to 7th Year

"We have to go!" Hermione grinned.

"Despite everything that's happened with the sod you still have a crush on him?" Harley asked her.

Hermione grinned. "He's dreamy. Besides, we might learn something."

"Yeah, from Snape," Draco muttered.

"We should go for a laugh," Pansy shrugged. "I need a giggle considering everyone's avoiding us."

Harley snatched the paper off Hermione and threw it in the bin where it belonged. "Can we talk about something else? How's everyone going with their transformation?"

The pre-teens all nodded enthusiastically.

"I grew a tail yesterday," Draco admitted earning laughs from everyone.

"Hey, I had new ears," Harley shrugged. "Dad says the way I'm going I could transform by the end of the year. Oh-Remus wrote the other day-he's organized a big Christmas Eve party at Potter manor. He wanted to make sure everyone was coming home for Christmas."

Between chatting and open discussion about Quidditch, potions or their homework, the Musketeers remained in their study room until it was time for dinner.