AN: Good afternoon everyone and happy Wednesday. I am very sorry for not updating sooner but life gets in the way. Same with writer's block. It comes at the worst times. I hope to update more in the future, all of my stories in fact. Since summer is almost over I should be updating all of my stories more. Now on a little side note I wanted to let you all know that I have started a new story, it's the Hunger Games from Peeta's perspective so please check it out when you can. So today is October 5, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.

Hermione POV

Harry, Ron and I made our way from History of Magic to drop off our bags in our dormitories before dinner. Ron was saying how he always knew Salazar Slytherin was a dodgy sort of fellow but I had nothing to say. Okay, that wasn't quite true but I was too busy trying to think through everything. It looked like Harry wasn't listening very closely to Ron either. He was staring at the ground, his eyebrows furrowed together. I started to tentatively reach for his hand but a high squeaky voice made me jump and pull away.

"Hiya, Harry!"

"Hullo, Colin," Harry said unenthusiastically.

"Harry - Harry - a boy in my class has been saying you're -" But Colin Creevy was so small he couldn't fight against the tide of people bearing him toward the Great Hall; and then he squeaked, "See you, Harry!" and he was gone.

"What's a boy in his class saying about you?" I asked curiously.

"That I'm Slytherin's heir, I expect," Harry said, his whole body curling forward. I winced and gave him what I hope was a sympathetic face. He only blinked owlishly before looking away.

"People here'll believe anything," Ron said in disgust. All I could do was nod in agreement, it was true.

The crowd thinned and we were able to climb the next staircase without difficulty. Everyone was either eating or dropping their book bags off.

"D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked turning to look at me.

"I don't know," I said, frowning trying to control my jumbled thoughts. "Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be - well -" I paused finally voicing my true thoughts. "human."

As I spoke, we turned a corner and found ourselves at the end of the corridor where the attack had happened. I stopped and looked around my heart pounding. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message "The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened."

"That's where Filch has been keeping guard," Ron muttered.

We looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.

"Can't hurt to have a poke around," Harry said , dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues. Ron and I exchanged a look before dropping to our knees. I had never been so grateful that the school wardrobe included thick black tights for under our skirts.

"Scorch marks!" Harry said with a gasp. "Here - and here -"

But I was distracted by something else. Spiders. They were crawling as fast as they could out the window in a single file line on a single strand of web. I called the boys over to take a look at them and Ron all but passed out the moment he saw them. Apparently he had a terrible fear of spiders. Of all the things he could be afraid I never thought it would be spiders. Spiders didn't even make my list of fears and one quick look at Harry showed that he wasn't scared of the spiders any more than I was. It took everything in me not to laugh outright.

"Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up." Harry said looking at the floor again. I frowned trying to remember that night in my mind as best I could but the only thing that came to me was the way Draco Malfoy had leered at me when he yelled, "You'll be next Mudbloods!"

"It was about here," Ron said, walking a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing. I shook my head, trying to pay attention to what the boys were saying. "Level with this door."

He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned. I frowned then snickered when I realized why he had stopped.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked pushing himself up off the floor. He reached down, entwined our hands, and pulled me up faster than I expected. I crashed into his chest and felt a warm flush spread across my face as his arm kept me from falling. Harry looked down at me, a curious expression on his face I couldn't possibly begin to describe. It made my stomach lurch as if I was on a roller coaster.

"Can't go in there," Ron said gruffly bring me back to the present. I quickly pulled out of Harry's arms and ran my hands over my skirt nervously. "That's a girl's toilet."

"Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there," I said as Ron turned around to look at me bemusedly. "That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look."

And ignoring the large OUT of ORDER sign, I opened the door.

AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews help me create a story that everyone loves. And the only way to make sure I know you all like it is with reviews telling me what you think, what you love and hate about it. Also any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated and I would give you credit if I used your idea in the Author's Note. Seriously guys every little bit helps.