Chapter 20: The Proof is in the Journal

Since Crystal and I were locked in Lockhart's room and made up, we went right back on the best friend trail. It was almost like it never happened.

As for Percy and I, we were pretty awkward. I didn't talk to much around him now, seeing as he was outside Lockhart's door when I yelled out "I liked him!" at the top of my lungs. And not to mention what I did when I saw his face after I got out of the room. I beat his ass into the Great Hall and back. That showed him not to trick me again!

My relationship with Damian was getting a little ways. We agreed not to be boyfriend and girlfriend until we knew each other a little bit better. So, Damian was added to the group that Percy, Crystal and I ate with.

Anyways, a little ways after that incident was the Quidditch final, Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff. That was the longest day of my life, and not just because Harry was playing in the match.

It started out with me oversleeping. I woke up that morning and looked out the window. The sun was pretty bright in the sky.

"Oh well," I said to myself pulling out my watch "I could probably get a piece of toast before the-HOLY SHIT!" I yelled, looking at the time. It was five after ten "Screw breakfast, I need to get dressed and down to the pitch!"

I scrambled into a set of robes and tugged the hairbrush through my tangled mess of hair while I brushed my teeth. If I was lucky, I could get something to eat down in the kitchens.

I ran down the stairs as I pulled my scarf around my neck. I saw Harry, still in his Quidditch robes with Crystal.

"Hey, why didn't you get me up?" I asked walking out the door "Did the match start? Did it end? What'd I miss? Why are you in here when you should be at the pitch?" I asked at once.

"The match hasn't started or ended." Crystal said gravely "It was cancelled."

I stopped in the common room threshold and spun around to face Crystal "What?" I asked shocked.

"The match was cancelled." Ivy repeated solemnly, tugging at a clasp on her cloak.

"What happened to cause the rest of the game to be cancelled?" I asked, tugging my scarf off my neck.

"Harls, you aren't listening." Crystal said, looking down "McGonagall never let the match start because…" she paused, obviously upset about something "Come with me. I'll show you. There was another attack."

gulped as I walked up to the hospital wing with Crystal, only one question running through my mind.

Who was attacked?

I thought about it long and hard about who it could possibly be. It couldn't be me, I overslept. Harry…I don't know, he was half blooded like me. Ron? Blood Traitor, possibly. Malfoy?.

Nah! I thought Malfoy's a pure blood! The Heir wouldn't go after a pure blood!

Hermione? That was a definite possibility. She was a Muggle Born, perfect target for the Heir.

Then there was Stephanie and Cameron. Stephanie…no way! She was…well, I don't think she was Muggle Born. But I knew She-Cat was.

My thoughts came to a halt when I walked into the hospital wing to see a flash of long red hair on a pillow. I gulped, thinking it was Ginny. But I looked closer, it was some Ravenclaw.

I looked on the bed next to her, where Harry and Ron were, and I gasped when I saw:

"Hermione!" I groaned, looking down at Hermione's Petrified face.

My groan was drowned out by a wail. I looked over to see Stephanie and her dragon, Fireball, sobbing over another Petrified person.

It was She-Cat.

"Shit!" I hissed, face palming myself. "No wonder the match was cancelled."

Stephanie looked up at us, obviously miserable.

"Hey, Steph." I said, fighting the urge to cry myself.

Stephanie nodded in greeting and petted Fireball.

My eyes widened and I turned to Crystal "Cryssie, Nightshade hasn't changed the password yet, has she?"

Ivy shook her head "No, it's still Hemlock. Why?"

"We need a meeting in the tree. You, me, and Stephanie." I said, looking out the window to make sure that nobody was around to see us all enter the tree.

"Good idea." Crystal said, turning to Stephanie. "Steph, do you remember that tree you and She-Cat ran into me and Harls into inside last term?"

Stephanie nodded "Yeah, that was where She-Cat met her ancestor's ghost, right?" she asked, wiping her eyes.

I nodded "The very same. Well, we're going to have a meeting in there, and you're allowed to come to, if you want."

Stephanie's eyes lit up "Ok, let's go!" she said, shooting up, knocking poor Fireball off her shoulder, who wound up flying next to her.

After Crystal and I said the password and slid into the common room, I pulled out the journal from my book bag (I read it a lot since Crystal returned it to me) and handed it to Ivy.

"Ok, Cryssie," I said "open the journal to the last entry."

Crystal opened the journal and read aloud the last entry. As I had known, there was mention of a Chamber, Slytherin's heir and a monster in that entry! It was an entry about the Chamber of Secrets.

"HA!" I shouted with joy, taking the book from Crystal and handing it to Stephanie "Steph, remember when Crystal and I told you about when Crystal and I weren't speaking, and I had that debate with Binns about the Chamber of Secrets?" I asked.

Stephanie nodded "Yeah, you never shut up about it, why?"

"Because," Crystal said, stretching herself across the sofa she was occupying.

"If Binns reads the journal…" I said, throwing myself on a couch next to Crystal and lounging across it.

"He'll believe us that there is a Chamber of Secrets!" Crystal and I said together, reaching in between the couches and fist bumping each other.

"Genius!" Stephanie said awe clear in her eyes "But one problem…where's Binns?"

Ivy and I looked at each other and smirked "We have our ways, Sheila." Ivy said.

I read Crystal's thoughts, wondering what she was talking about. Crystal looked back at me and smiled.

We can find Binns in the History of Magic room! Crystal thought to me, eyes sparkling as she took the journal back.

"Man, I'm dumb!" I said, face palming myself and standing up "To the History of Magic classroom, girls!" I called, pointing upwards in a Batman-telling-Robin-What-Their-Genius-Plan-Is-Moment.

Ivy, Sheila and I ran back to the castle, clinging the journal tightly between us all as we burst through the door of the History of Magic classroom, where as I had hoped, Professor Binns was writing on the blackboard.

"Professor…Binns!" Crystal, Stephanie and I shouted together, clutching stitches in our sides and gasping.

Binns looked up from his writing startled "Miss Wells, Miss Cane and Miss Potter!" he droned, placing the ghost chalk down on the blackboard "What is the meaning of this?"

"I found proof there's a Chamber of Secrets!" I shouted, holding up Slytherin's journal "It's Slytherin's journal! The last page is chalk full of information on it!" I said, holding the page to Binns' face.

I looked at Binns' face as his eyes scanned the page. They were widening with wonder and amazement.

"Miss Potter…" Binns said when he waved the book down, noting he was finished "I have never seen such an entry of Slytherin's in my whole life! I guess the legend is true. I owe you an apology, Miss Potter." he finished, looking down and beaming at me "And I'd say twenty points to Gryffindor."

I beamed back at the ghost "Thank you, sir!" I squeaked, stowing the book back in my bag "And apology accepted. Let's go, girls." I said to Crystal and Stephanie.

As we left we turned to Professor Binns once more.

"Thanks again, Professor." I said before turning back and leaving the classroom.