21. Power over me
Harry fiddled with his black gloves. Hogwarts was no longer the bastion of security he had hoped. Every which path he walked there were students who whispered and pointed. They parted away from him, as though he was some deranged criminal out for their blood.
They saw him as the heir who released the beast of the Chamber of Secrets. No longer their savior, they tossed angry insults at him. In their eyes, he was an unrepentant murderer. Already they had forgotten that such a monster had slain his parents.
Even his Quidditch teammates looked at him warily. Harry did as he often did in pressing times, he sought isolation. Now Harry sat upon a ledge high above the ground. The ledge was thin and mostly decorative. One of his legs rested on it, while the other hung loosely at the side.
All he had for company were the whispers in the walls. They were repetitive and timely. There was little content to the words, but the gist of it centered on finding intruders. There was an almost madding amount of devotion in the voice.
It was a disturbing thing. Closing his eyes, he truly listened, rejecting everything else around him.
"Enemies of the master must be removed. I am his shield and sword. Great are my fangs and my eyes shall kill all."
Harry flinched when he felt an elderly hand grab him by the shoulders. Turning around, he saw Headmaster Dumbledore. "I see that the newest craze of children is staring at walls", he said with some mirth.
Shaking his head, he explained, "It's not that. I'm hearing voices in the wall. What does that mean, Headmaster?"
"I fear that it could be a number of things. But I assure you, it isn't your mind playing tricks upon you. You appear to be sound of mind, Mr. Potter. The question isn't why you're hearing voices, but why no one else does."
Harry thought hard on the voice. "It could be some work of Voldemort. I received news about that from a house elf named Dobby." Harry explained his encounter with the little creature causing Dumbledore to frown deeply.
"This changes things quite thoroughly. Our shared nuisance has been known to be quite resourceful. How are you faring with your fellow students?" Dumbledore asked kindly.
Harry nearly glowered but was overall resigned, "Not well. They all think I'm the heir. Why would they believe that?"
A dark look passed Dumbledore's face before he answered, "I find those riddled by fear become bereft of logic. You were a suitable scapegoat and they latched onto that. It takes far less courage to point fingers than to search for answers. I fear there's very little you can do to clear your name. But I must be off, you've given me much to look over."
Harry bid him goodbye as he thought back to his classmates. Was fear a fair excuse? Did they have the right to reject him solely for their peace of mind? Harry grew disgusted at the mere thought. Harry now knew who his true friends were. With resolute eyes, he walked away from the hallway. It was time to get this sorted out. It wasn't for the students but his friends. It was only a matter of time before the beast became a threat to those he befriended.
