Chapter 15: Venomous Tentaculas
It was the next day at lunch. The group was sitting in their usual spots at the Gryffindor table when the entire hall grew completely noiseless. No one whispered. No one chewed. No one clinked a fork. They were all staring.
A boy, a Slytherin boy, got up from his table and sat down at the Gryffindor table. Right next to Harry.
People began to talk now. They whispered excitedly to their neighbors. Both the Slytherins and the Gryffindors were amazed and furious.
But the boy wasn't just a confused first year. It was Rinaldi, the popular new fifth year. And he knew exactly what he was doing.
Rinaldi stood up again. More chatter. "Mind your own business!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I can sit anywhere I'd like!" He sat back down and smiled warmly at the students sitting near him.
"What do you want?" Ron spat.
"I don't want anything," Rinaldi said calmly. "Just to say hi."
"Hi…" said Harry.
"I know you! You're Harry Potter! Wow!" Rinaldi appeared friendly. Harry must have imagined his eyes flicking red as he mentioned the name. "You're in my Potions class! How about that Snape? He's a fruit bat, isn't he?"
"Er…I guess," Harry said uncomfortably.
"But he's head of your house," said Ron.
"So?" said Rinaldi.
"Wow…." Harry could see Ron was starting to look up to this new kid, as were so many other students. After thinking a while, Harry didn't think there was anything so horrible about him either.
That afternoon brought Herbology. Harry always hated Herbology in the winter because the greenhouses were so cold they had to wear gloves, and scarves to keep from freezing.
They were feeding the Venomous Tentaculas again. It had been getting slightly easier, but now that they had to wear gloves, their hands were clumsy and it was difficult to get the bats into the Tentaculas' mouths. There were bats flying around the ceiling, most of them released when Neville let go of them too far away for fear of getting bitten.
Each Tentacula was fed four bats per class, so four students were assigned to each one. Lauren, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were assigned to a particularly vicious looking one. Lauren, Harry, and Hermione had finally managed to feed their bats to the Tentacula, and now it was Ron's turn.
Ron put on his gloves and grabbed his bat. He moved towards the Venomous Tentacula to throw the bat towards its mouth. All of a sudden he stumbled and fell even closer towards it. Ron let go of the bat, which flew up to the ceiling, and the Tentacula bit him instead.
"OW!" Ron screamed in pain. He fell to the floor and scooted back so he wouldn't get bit again.
Professor Sprout ran over and helped Ron up. She removed his glove and looked at the wound. "Oh, no," she said. "This is very serious. Mr. Potter, can you take him inside to the hospital wing?" Harry nodded and they started to walk up to the castle and inside.
Harry and Ron watched the bite as they walked upstairs. It was turning many shades of green and Ron was starting to feel woozy.
"Harry," he said, as they entered the hall where the hospital wing was located. "Lauren did this."
"What are you talking about? I think you have it in for that girl," Harry replied.
"No, I'm serious. She pushed me. I told you she must have seen me…"
Ron was fading fast, and he started to stumble. Luckily, they had made it to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey said she would take good care of Ron, and Harry went back to class.
"Is Ron going to be okay?" Hermione asked when Harry came back to the greenhouse.
"I think so. Madame Pomfrey had an antidote for him."
"What happened?" asked Hermione. "Did he slip?"
"He says Lauren pushed him," Harry said.
"Oh, but it was an accident!" Lauren cried.
"Of course it was," Harry said. "He said that right before he passed out. He probably didn't know what he was saying."
He hoped what he was saying was true.
Harry had just finished his library book. It was almost pitch black in the common room, and most everyone had gone to sleep. There was hardly enough light to read by, but he had to finish the book and return it to the library book tonight. He wasn't sure how late it was; it was too dark to see the clock. Harry tiptoed up to his dormitory and retrieved his invisibility cloak. In a few minutes, he was out of Gryffindor tower and on his way downstairs.
Harry knew he shouldn't be out at night. Snape threatened to expel him all the time. Sirius and Dumbledore had warned him to be cautious. Awful things had happened twice that school year already. Plus, he didn't know where Voldemort was at that moment.
Harry walked carelessly around the hallway after he had dropped off the book, and he accidentally bumped into Malfoy.
"What are you doing out so late?" they both said at the same time.
"I was returning a library book," Harry said. Malfoy didn't state his reason.
"There's something I've been meaning to ask you, Potter," Malfoy said.
"So you're back to last names now?" Harry asked.
Malfoy ignored the comment and continued, "Do you have that book for the Potions assignment?"
"It's right here. I was just about to return it."
"I've been waiting since Monday for someone to return it. Can I borrow yours?"
Harry didn't feel like doing anything for Malfoy. Besides, he was tired and they had early Quidditch practice tomorrow. However, he did want to know what Malfoy was doing snooping around at this hour.
"I'll make you a deal, Malfoy. You tell me what you're doing out of bed and I'll give you the book."
Malfoy thought for a while. "Deal."
"Now what were you doing?"
Malfoy sighed. Harry could see he didn't want to go through with his side of the bargain. "I was looking for suspicious things," he answered.
"Like what?" Harry said skeptically.
"Remember when my cousin got attacked?" Harry nodded. "I'm still trying to find the cause of it."
"Why don't you just ask your dad?"
"I can't ask him."
"Why not?"
"You wouldn't understand. Now I've kept my end of the bargain, so give me the book!" Reluctantly, Harry gave it to him.
A week later, in Potions, Malfoy walked over to Harry and pretended to make fun of him while slipping him the book under his cloak. Harry noticed there was a slip of paper inside the from cover. He was about to look at it, until Snape started the lesson, and Harry realized he had better put it away before Snape caught him. He pocketed the paper without looking at it.
"I can't believe you kept a library book out late just so Malfoy could read it!" screamed Lauren, later in the common room.
"I wanted to see what he was doing snooping around," said Harry.
"She's got a point, Harry. I wouldn't trust Malfoy if he were the only person left at Hogwarts!" Hermione added.
"No harm done," Harry said. "I won't do it again."
Harry was convinced he had done nothing wrong by giving Malfoy the book, but he did remember that note in his pocket. He was dying to read it.
Neville, Seamus, and Dean were asleep and Ron was still in the hospital wing, but Harry had drawn the curtains around his four-poster bed just incase. He pulled out the letter and read it under the moonlight that leaked in through the window.
-Harry
Meet me in the Chamber of Secrets tonight at midnight. Don't chicken out!
The note had no signature, and he did not recognize the handwriting. It must be from Malfoy, he thought. But why does he want to meet me? Harry looked at his watch. It was a quarter to midnight. They had better get going if he wanted to see what was up. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and went to Lauren's and Hermione's dormitory.
"Lauren! Hermione!" he whispered. They stirred and opened their eyes.
"What are you doing in here?" Lauren hissed.
Harry showed them the note. They nodded silently and got out of bed. When they got out into the hallway, Harry covered them in the cloak and they walked as quickly as they could down to the Chamber.
The walked down to the first floor, watching for trick stairs. They pushed open the door to Myrtle's bathroom. Harry hissed at the faucet and they slid down into the first room of the Chamber.
They walked briskly until they were blocked by the caved-in rock. Harry blasted it with a quick spell, and they went through. They came to a set of rock doors, but they were already opened.
"Maybe we should have our wands out," Hermione suggested.
"Good idea." They took their wands out and held them, ready to attack.
Harry, Hermione, and Lauren walked along. They had all been in this room before. This time it was different. They could make out shadowy figures at the end of the chamber, right in front of the picture of Salazar Slytherin.
As they walked on, they realized there were two figures. One was Malfoy, Harry was sure of that. He was sitting on the stone floor. Light from a torch on the opposite wall reflected off his blonde hair.
Harry stared at the other figure. No…it couldn't be.
"You!" Harry shouted when the figure came into view. "I knew you looked familiar! You're not Rinaldi! You're Tom Riddle! You're Lord Voldemort!"
