November 5th 1992
History of Magic was the dullest subject at the school, Professor Binns would drone on forever and most people slept through the subject. It had been that way forever, even when Astrid was in school, which was why she was dreading having to observe that lesson.
Astrid had been working at the school for a while now, over the years she had been given more duties and tasks other than listening to students' problems. Observing lessons and reporting on their teaching style was one of them.
Today she had to observe Professor Binns' lesson with the second years. Honestly she had stopped listening a long time ago, now she was just watching the students being bored into comas, all while trying to keep herself awake.
Binns had been in the middle of a dull lecture in the International Warlock Convention of 1289 when Hermione's hand shot up causing the Professor to get an amazed look on his ghostly face. "Miss - er -?"
"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione spoke. Astrid looked at the girl with a small smile, Dean Thomas jerked out of his distracted trance, Lavender Brown's head came up off her arms and Neville's elbow slipped off his desk.
Binns blinked, "my subject is History of Magic," he states with his dry voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He clears his throat and continues with his lecture.
But Hermione wouldn't let it go. "Miss Grant?" Binns speaks when Hermione's hand flies up again.
"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"
Astrid watched on in amazement, it had been a long time since someone had interrupted Binns.
"Well," Binns begins slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale ..."
By now everyone was awake and interested, "oh, very well. Let me see... the Chamber of Secrets…." he turns to Astrid who is watching on with interest. "Miss Evergreen, perhaps you would like to tell this tale - if I remember correctly, you always had an interest in this type of thing when you were a student here."
Everyone in the room looks to her, she sighs and moves to the middle of the room and takes a seat at the front.
"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying muggle eyes. It was an age were magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution." She pauses, gazing around the room before continuing.
"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them here to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of muggle parentage, he thought them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."
She pauses again, glancing around as she gathers her thoughts.
"Though these facts are usually overshadowed by the legend of the Chamber of Secrets. There isn't exactly any written proof to the Chamber of Secrets," she states, "but the story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all those who were unworthy to study magic."
When Astrid was finished telling the story, the room was not the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns' classes. There was unease in the air as everyone watched on, hoping for more. The old Professor watches, faintly annoyed.
"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he states. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."
Hermione's hand is back in the air within seconds. "What exactly do you mean by the 'horrors within' the chamber?"
"It is believed to be some sort of monster, which the heir of Slytherin alone can control," Astrid answers causing the class to exchange nervous looks.
"I tell you, the thing does not exist," Binns states, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."
"But, sir," Seamus Finnigan speaks, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"
"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," Binns speaks out irritated. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing -"
"But, Professor," Parvati Patil pipes up, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it -"
"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic, doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," the Professor snaps. "I repeat if the likes of Dumbledore -"
"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't -" Dean Thomas begins only to be cut off by Binns.
"That will do," he states sharply, Astrid sighs and moves from the middle of the room back to her original spot at the side. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! It's a foolish story and nothing more! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"
And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into their boring routine.
[][][][][]
"So I heard you had an interesting teaching opportunity in Binns' class," Hope states as she, Cassie and Astrid have their, sometimes, regular catch up.
Astrid smiles shaking her head, "if Binns didn't want the class to become so interested in the legend then he shouldn't have asked me to tell them."
Hope and Cassie let out a small laugh.
"Also, is it just me or do Binns' lessons get even more boring as the years go on?" Astrid asks thinking of how the lesson seemed more boring than before, if that was even possible.
"Oh, they definitely get worse as time goes on," Cassie comments.