Chapter Thirty-Four: Petrified

Once Harry was inside, he found himself being transported through time. He saw a much younger version of Albus Dumbledore talking to a handsome young man quite a bit older than himself and was from Slytherin house. Meanwhile, the body of a young girl was being carried down the stairs on a stretcher. Harry couldn't make out what they were saying or what was going on but he figured that the girl was the mudblood who was killed by the monster.

That's when suddenly Harry locked eyes with a ginger cat that started chasing after a mouse. He could hear that there was a bit of chatter going on down the hallway so he decided to go investigate and sure enough the boy had gone the other way and surprised the student that was inside a room threatening to have him expelled and after the student started screaming about a spider that had seemed to have vanish Harry finally found out the truth as the boy pointed his wand at the other student.

"You'll be expelled for this Hagrid, they'll have your wand for it." He told him and that's when it all started making sense to Harry before he was instantly transported back towards the present and he went to go find Ron and Hermione and tell them what he had found out.

….

"It was Hagrid, Hagrid opened The Chamber of Secrets." Harry began the next day as he walked through the courtyard with Ron, Hermione, and Patches.

"I can't believe that it's Hagrid I just can't." Hermione said.

"Well maybe we should just go and ask him about it." Harry suggested.

"Oh that would be a cheerful visit." Ron began sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. "Tell us Hagrid, have you set anything mad and hairy into the castle lately." He said and that's when suddenly Neville and Draco started racing towards them.

"Harry! I don't know who did it but you have to come quick!" Neville cried out before he took him, Ron, Hermione, and even Draco back to the Gryffindor boy's dormitory and that's when they found that the room was left to be a complete wreck.

"It had to have been a Gryffindor, nobody else knows our password." Hermione pointed out before Ron turned to glare at Draco.

"Well, now they do." He pointed out.

"Of course, maybe it was also a teacher. Whoever it was they were obviously looking for something." Hermione continued.

"Well they found it." Harry began glancing up at her. "Tom Riddle's diary is gone." He finished as Ron continued glaring at Draco.

"I didn't take it!" He cried. "I don't even know what you're talking about! Honest!" He squeaked out as Ron just simply groaned and rolled his eyes.

Time seemed to go rather quickly for Harry and his friends before they knew it Easter break had even come and gone, and Draco enjoyed going back to Harry's to celebrate with him and his family. Harry and Draco were both really excited when they had another Qudditch match scheduled, but to their complete and utter dismay Professor McGonagall had stepped out onto the field to cancel the match.

"They can't cancel Qudditch." Oliver Wood protested.

"I apologize Mr. Wood, but it's just become way too dangerous. And Mr. Snape and Mr. Malfoy we need to find Mr. Weasley, there's something that the three of you need to see." She told them before they all followed her to the hospital wing and that's when their hearts sunk as they saw Hermione petrified and frozen as she laid on top of the bed.

"Hermione." Ron whispered in disbelief.

"She was found in the library, along with this." Professor McGonagall began before she held up a mirror. "Does it mean anything to either of you?" She wondered but all three of the boys just simply shook their heads and that's when Ron grabbed Draco by the arm and pulled him out into the hallway.

"Ouch! Watch it Weasley!" He hollered.

"What did you do to Hermione!?" He cried.

"Honestly Weasley, how thick could you possibly get? Why would I attack a girl I have a crush on? I mean I know that I was rude to her before, but I never actually wanted to hurt her!" He exclaimed. "I think that the real reason that you hate me so much is that you have a crush on her too!" He cried and at that Ron's cheeks turned pink and he quickly turned his head away from him and Draco grinned widely.

"Aha! I knew it!" He exclaimed.

"Forget it Malfoy, the only important thing left now is to find out the real person behind these attacks and get Hermione unpetrified." Ron told him as he nodded.

"Alright, let's go!" He cried before both of the boys ran away and then they bumped into Harry again.

"We're in big trouble." Harry began.

"What have we done this time!?" Ron cried out.

"Sorry let me rephrase that, Hedwig just gave me this. It's a note from Hagrid." Harry replied before showing him the note and his eyes widened while Draco's did the same as he read over his shoulder.

"They're taking him to Azkaban!?" Ron cried out in horror and disbelief as Harry nodded.

"Yeah, and he also needs our help about something. We'll use my dad's old invisibility cloak again and go and see him once everybody else is asleep." He told them and later that night he was true to his word. He set the alarm and after he woke up he started scratching Patches behind the ears before he started to whimper. "I'm sorry boy, you can't come this time. You're too small to fit underneath the invisibility cloak and you might give our identities away. I love you." He told him before he lit the tip of his wand and threw the cloak over both his and Ron's body and then they started on their way down the stairs.

"How is Malfoy going to meet us there without being seen?" Ron whispered.

"I don't know." Harry replied with a shrug and was suddenly filled with a verge of curiosity as to how he would wind up pulling it off.