Chapter 14
The next day everyone in the school knew about the bloody writing on the wall. All the students were dying to know more about what it meant. Everyone asked their professors a million questions about the Chamber of Secrets, but no one wanted to say anything about it, except for boring Professor Binns. Binns was a ghost professor at the school for a long time, and any student would tell you his personality died with him. Most students slept through his class but not today.
Binns said the Chamber was just a myth but the whole class hung on every word he said.
"Salazar Slytherin supposedly created the Chamber to be the home of a monster that was to rid the grounds of muggle borns. You see Slytherin disagreed with the other three house heads on the importance of blood purity. He didn't want any muggle borns in Hogwarts. The chamber was supposedly built in secrecy deep under the school where no one could find it. Many headmasters have searched the school for it, but no one even found a hint that it was real. Now I don't want to hear any more questions about this myth." Binns finished and everyone went back to not paying attention to Binns' droning.
After history of magic class Harry, Ron, and Hermione ate dinner with Cedric and Harry relayed all of the information they learned about the Chamber of Secrets.
The four students were practically leaning across the table trying to keep their conversation to themselves.
"Mind you Binns doesn't believe any of this. I'm surprised he even told us. I think he was just shocked to see students paying attention in his class." Ron laughed.
"If it's true who do you think could be the heir of Slytherin?" Cedric asked.
"Gee what Slytherin do we know that hates all muggleborns enough to try to kill them?" Ron asked sarcastically.
"Malfoy is not the heir of Slytherin." Cedric said in disbelief.
"Why not? It does seem likely." Harry countered.
"He's an bloody idiot but he's no heir of Slytherin" Cedric said with confidence. "What do you think Hermy?"
Hermione rolled her eyes at the nickname but didn't say anything. "It's definitely possible. We'll have to find a way to prove or disprove that theory."
The next few days passed with little talk about the Chamber of Secrets. No one was petrified or killed, but Hermione continued to look for a way to find out if Malfoy was the heir.
At practically the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning Hermione was practially bursting with excitment. She asked Harry and Ron to go get Cedric and meet her in the library. She didn't tell them what for.
"Hermione! It's not even light out yet! What do we have to go to the library for?" Ron complained as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"It's important just hurry up and get Cedric!" Hermione demanded. They protested half heartedly but agreed when she said it was about the Chamber of Secrets.
Hermione was at a table looking through a spell book when Cedric, Harry, and Ron came in looking like the walking dead dragging their feet with messy hair and rumpled clothes they put on in a hurry.
Cedric seemed to perk up when he saw Hermione.
"Now Hermy, I know you want to make sure I study for my O.W.L.'s but on a Saturday morning? Really?" Cedric asked as he plopped down on the bench next to her.
"This is not about your O.W.L.'s it's about Polyjuice Potion." Hermione said matter of factly.
"What's Polyjuice Potion?" Harry asked.
"It makes you look like someone else for a certain period of time. We are going to use it to turn into Malfoys friends so that we can find out if he knows who opened the chamber." Hermione said proud of her idea.
"Does Malfoy even have four friends?" Ron asked and Cedric laughed.
"That's a brilliant idea Hermione, I hope you know how to make it though. Potions aren't exactly our area of expertise." Harry said pointing to himself and the two other boys.
"I have it all figured out. We just need to figure out how to get hairs from four Slytherins. We have some time. The potion will take a month to brew before we can add the hairs and drink it." Hermione told them.
"A month! The whole school could be petrified by then!" Ron exclaimed.
"Where exactly are you going to brew a potion for a month without being seen?" Cedric asked folding his arms.
"The girls' bathroom on the first floor." Hermione said confidently and all three boys looked at her like she grew another head.
"Don't look at me like that. It's the perfect place. No one ever goes in there because of Moaning Myrtle." Hermione told the boys matter of factly.
"Who is Moaning Myrtle?" Ron asked confused.
"She's the ghost that haunts the bathroom on the first floor that's why no one goes in it and that's why it's the perfect place to brew the Polyjuice Potion." Hermione said proud of herself.
"Remind me never to doubt you Hermione." Cedric said proudly.
The ingrediens needed to make the potion were tricky to get, but after some close calls stealing ingredients from Professor Snape Hermione started on the potion and the boys got to meet Moaning Myrtle. She seemed to take a quick liking to Harry and Cedric much to Ron's dismay.
Quidditch was practically brought up daily and now with the first games of the season for Gryffindor and Hufflepuff coming up quiddich talk in her group of boys was to be expected. Now that Cedric was the starting Seeker for the Hufflepuff Quidditch talk was practically constant.
They all loved it. They couldn't get enough of it. In fact in order for both the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams to get more practices in they took to sharing the pitch with each other. Both teams had no ill will against each other so they could peacefully share the pitch with no arguments unlike Slytherin or even Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff used the rings on the north end and Gryffindor used the rings on the south end.
Hermione was glad there was no bad blood between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. It made it easier to have a Hufflepuff around constantly. She sat in one of the towers in the middle of the pitch with Ron and watched Cedric and Harry practice.
Ron was very into it yelling encouraging things to his houses team and criticizing his brothers when they made a mistake.
Hermione was watching but she was also reading. She didn't love quiddich like her boys did but she tolerated it for them. Games could be fun but practice was kind of boring to her so she blocked out Oliver Wood's and Ron's loud voices and read her book. She occasionally looked up at Cedric and Harry.
Cedric was watching Hermione not pay attention to the practice and decided to use that for his own amusement. When Malcolm called for a 10 minute break Cedric flew up to the seats Ron and Hermione were in. Hermione was lost in her book, and Cedric put his finger to his lips signaling for Ron to be quiet. He flew behind Hermione and yelled "Pay Attention!"
Hermione jumped so high in fright that the book she was reading went flying over the railing and down to the ground on the pitch. Cedric and Ron laughed hysterically and Hermione put her hand over her rapidly beating heart.
"Is it your mission in life to give me a heart attack?" Hermione gasped. "Don't do that to me!"
Between fits of laughter Cedric said "I'm sorry."
Ron who was also laughing said "You should have seen her face! The best part is that the book flew over the railing!"
Hermione was not amused. She got up and started walking towards the exit.
"Hermione don't leave I'm sorry. I'll get the book for you." Cedric said and quickly flew down and got the book. He flew back up and gave it to Hermione who still looked mad but took the book and said thank you. She sat down and continued reading ignoring both Ron and Cedric.
"I don't know why I put up with you two, honestly." Hermione said not looking up from her book.
Cedric looked at Ron who just shrugged.
"You love us. Just accept it." Cedric said with a cocky smirk.
Hermione blushed but didn't acknowledge him. Herbert called Cedric back to the field and he flew away still smiling.
When practice was finally over Hermione didn't wait for Cedric or Harry before she started walking back to the castle ignoring Ron's calls for her to wait.
Hermione wasn't really angry anymore but she was trying to teach them a lesson. They thought they could just play tricks on her and tease her with no repercussions well they were about to get the silent treatment which she knew would drive Cedric crazy.
As she was walking to the castle she saw a sea of green robes coming her way. 'Bloody hell' she thought. 'The Slytherin team must have practice now.' As they got closer she heard a voice that surprised her.
"Well, well, well, since when do bookworms try out for quiddich? Where's the freak show you usually hang around with? Did they finally realize they were wasting their time hanging around with a mudblood?" Malfoy sneered in his usual way and the rest of his team laughed.
"When did the Slytherin quiddich team start hanging out with a spoiled daddy's boy? Was it when your daddy bought your way onto the team with all these new brooms?" Hermione retorted smugly.
You'll pay for that one Granger." Draco said as he raised his wand.
Hermione was about to grab for her wand but she didn't have to.
"Expelliarmus!" Cedric shouted from farther down the road. Malfoy was disarmed as his wand sailed into Cedric's hand. Hermione turned to see Harry, Ron and Cedric running to her aid. Hermione smiled despite the situation.
'Maybe they wouldn't be getting the silent treatment.' Hermione thought to herself.
"How brave of you all ganging up on one witch… I mean you'd probably need more people to take Hermione down, but still…" Cedric said to the Slytherin team.
"Why don't you just go to practice before you start something your dad is going to have to finish for you?" Harry said with his eyes narrowed at Malfoy.
Ron didn't say anything he just looked really pissed holding his broken wand tightly in his hand.
"Well then tell your mudblood to know her place." Malfoy replied.
As soon as the words left Malfoys mouth Ron stepped up and aimed a curse at Draco. Rons broken wand backfired and the curse hit himself.
"Ron!" Harry Hermione and Cedric yelled at the same time.
His three friends ran to his side and helped him sit up. He seemed fine until he threw up a slug.
The Slytherin team laughed but Malfoy remembered Cedric still had his wand.
"Give me my wand Diggory." Malfoy sneared Cedric's name. He held out his hand expectantly for his wand.
Cedric was furious with Draco. He was tired of hearing Malfoy insult Hermione with that terrible word, so he took hold of both ends of the wand and split it in two and then threw the pieces on the ground near Malfoy's feet.
"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Malfoy said picking up the pieces of his wand from the ground.
Cedric glared at Draco "If I ever hear you use that word again your wand won't be the only thing that gets broken. Got it?" Cedric said darkly.
"My father will hear about this." Malfoy sneered.
"Good. Now go practice you're going to need it for tomorrow." Cedric said and went to join Hermione and Harry who were trying to help Ron get to his feet."
Cedric took Hermione's place helping Ron to stand.
"Let's get him to Hagrid's." Hermione said. Harry and Cedric helped Ron walk the short distance to their friends hut.
"One thing is for sure. Malfoy is a git whether he is or isn't the heir of Slytherin." Ron said between throwing up slugs.
All four of them couldn't wait until Gryffindor taught Slytherin a lesson in their game tomorrow.