School was pretty normal for most of the fall. Classes went along smoothly, there was the school wide flu/cold.
But it wasn't until Halloween that something strange had happened.
That night Harry and Draco had snuck out of the Slytherin tower under Harry's invisibility cloak to get some food from the kitchen, they had both forgotten about the time while reading the Animagus book and managed to miss dinner. As they came down the halls, Harry suddenly heard a hissing voice saying, "I smell blood…Kill…. Kill…."
Harry froze and Draco stopped in his steps and looked back at Harry, "What is it?"
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That voice… It was saying… it was going to kill something." Harry said, trailing off a bit.
Draco narrowed his eyes as he tried to listen at whatever Harry head heard, "I don't hear anything."
"Kill…"
"There!"
"Potty, I don't bloody hear anything. Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head during practice?"
"I'm positive. I know what I heard."
"But I don't hear it."
"I don't know!"
"Come on…" Draco growled and they continued down the steps and towards the kitchens when suddenly Draco stopped.
Harry then ran into his back, "What?! Do you hear it now?"
"No… But…look, what is that?" Draco said as his arm extended and pointed up at the wall covered in blood.
Harry read the words, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware."
"Chamber of Secrets, Chamber of Secrets… I remember this… I think my father mentioned it over the summer." Draco muttered as he rubbed his blonde hair, trying to think.
Harry took a look around and then gasped as he suddenly shook Draco's shoulder, "Holy shite! Look at that!"
It was Mrs. Norris, petrified.
They started to move towards the stairs, Draco started, "I think we can skip dinner, just today… may we should head back."
"Good idea."
But suddenly they heard footsteps and the teachers and students were clamoring towards them from both sides.
"Bloody hell, we're trapped." Draco said as he tugged Harry back until they were between the two groups blocking both exits out of the hall.
"My cat!" Filch was screeching and Dumbledore was trying to soothe him by saying, "Now Argus, Professor Sprout has been growing mandrakes that can cure your companion of it's petrified state."
Snape unexpectedly stalked over and looked at the words, when his elbow suddenly caught onto the edge of Harry's invisibility cloak. His dark eyes suddenly darted to where they were standing and they narrowed as he held his hand out, as if trying to grope at them. Harry and Draco quickly took a few steps back so the fingers didn't touch them or the cloak.
"Is something the matter Severus?"
Snape turned around and then shook his head, "No, it's nothing Headmaster. I suggest we get the student back to their towers."
"Yes, I agree. Prefects, please guide your charges back to their respective towers. It may not be safe out tonight."
The Prefects nodded and started to usher the students away. Harry and Draco made sure to follow closely behind the Slytherins.
Actually, a bit too close. Since Pansy let out a small yelp as Draco accidentally tread on her heel. She turned around and looked behind her nervously, but she was one of the last people.
Draco leaned forward a bit and whispered, "Pansy, it's me, Draco, sorry about that."
Pansy's eyes widened as she looked back a bit, "Draco? Where are you?"
"Potter and I are under his invisibility cloak."
"Why are you…Did you do that?" Pansy asked as she looked back at the blood covered wall.
"No. Potter and I were going to get food from the kitchens when we came across the writing on the wall and Filch's cat."
Harry's stomach growled audibly.
Pansy whispered back, "I guess you two didn't get anything to eat then."
"The teachers and students surrounded the hall before we could head in either direction."
"The girls and I have some candy and crackers stashed away. We'll give some to you two. But don't make this a habit."
"Thanks Pansy." Draco replied.
Draco walked back and forth in the common room as he munched on some of Pansy's cheese crackers. Harry and him were the only ones up since the writing was bothering Draco, because he remembered something, and Draco wouldn't let Harry sleep since he wanted someone to talk to once he remembered whatever it was.
"Can't you sit down? You're making me dizzy." Harry said. From his lying position on the couch.
"I'm telling you I remember my father mentioning a Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts."
"That's the tenth time you've said that.We'll just go to the library tomorrow and look it up."
"He said it had something to do with a girl dying… I think a mud- "
"Don't finish that word." Harry said.
"What?! She's not here."
"But I am."
"Geez Potty, you have a pole up your arse all the time?"
"Only when you're rambling like a loony let out of Azkaban after thirty years."
" I'm not rambling! Besides, I'm not the one hearing voices."
"Fine, for your sake. I'll say I didn't hear voices okay?"
"No! I mean… Are you sure you heard?"
"I guess…" Harry muttered, but he was doubting himself more and more now.
"You know it could be related to the Troll incident."
Harry made a face, "Troll incident?"
"Yeah, when you were doing that really weird magic thing, I could hear whispering, like voices coming out of nowhere."
"I don't … think that has to do with this." Harry said in an unsure manner. "This sort of sounded like… hissing."
"Hissing? Like a snake?"
"Ye- " Harry started and then he suddenly froze.
"What is it Potter?"
"Oh my god. It can't be. I totally forgot about it."
"Forgot about what?"
"Last year, I was doing a sort of weird… meditating thing. And I was feeling through the school, digging down through Hogwarts, just feeling the floors and everything. And then…"
"And then what?"
"I came upon this… thing, it was scaly…"
"Like a snake." Draco repleated more slowly.
"Yeah… it was a snake. A Giant Snake…it was sleeping."
"Giant Snake?…Like a basilisk?"
"Yeah."
"When did you see this Potter?"
"Last year… uh, after that game against Hufflepuff. After everyone went to bed…"
Draco made a face, "It makes sense I guess…"
"What does?"
"Father said that the Chamber of Secrets was built by Salazar Slytherin."
Harry closed his eyes, "Right. Hence… a basilisk."
"Potter, can you do that meditating thing again?"
"Why?"
"To check if it's still there."
"Um… okay, I'll try." Harry said as he got off of the couch and scooted to the rug on the floor. Draco grabbed a hold of the sides of the center coffee table and moved it over so Harry would have more room.
"Ready?"
Harry nodded and then he started.
He started with the things that bothered him. Dobby's ominous message, Jerry possibly trying to hurt him after the incident earlier today. Draco knowing so much about the Chamber of Secrets, Draco's father mentioning it to Draco right before this happened…The writing on the wall… the petrified cat….
Then he wiped it all away and stared to reach down.
Once again he could feel through the stones of Hogwarts that made up the halls, the classrooms, the offices, the towers. Then he went deeper, past the lower dungeons where the more difficult Potions labs took place. Deeper, deeper… until… He came upon scales again. And then he moved along the scales until he reached the face of the snake. Its eyes were open.
Harry pulled back as fast as he could, jumped up, and stumbled back in fear. Draco was up too, walking towards Harry, "What is it?"
"It's awake." Harry said, trying to stop his hands from shaking.
Should we tell Snape? Harry read the note Draco passed to him during Transfiguration.
I don't know. What if I'm wrong and we get in trouble by sending them on a wild goose chase? Harry replied and slid the note over to Draco.
I got a letter from my father during breakfast Draco wrote and gave it to Harry.
What did he say?
I don't know, I haven't opened it yet. But the timing… I think it's about the Chamber of Secrets
Really?
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, no passing notes in class!" Professor McGonagall suddenly bellowed and then she held out her hand, "Accio note!"
The note flew into her hand before either Harry or Draco could make a grab for it. The Transfigurations Professor looked down at the note and skimmed it, then she looked up, I will see the both of you after class."
"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Mrs. McGonagall said as she held up the note.
Harry and Draco traded glances, Harry quickly said, "It's nothing. Just wild speculations."
"Even wild speculations may have some truth in them."
"Look, we don't…"
"Or would you rather tell Professor Snape what you know?" Professor McGonagall said.
"Uh… yeah…" Harry answered quickly as both he and Draco nodded frantically hoping that she would drop the interrogation and they could just … slip by Snape.
But no, she was headed to the fireplace and…
"Professor Snape!" She yelled into the Floo induced fire. "A word with you with you please."
Moments later the black clad Professor came out of the Floo, "Yes Minerva?"
"Your students have something to tell you."
Both Harry and Draco looked deflated as they winced and then started on what they had found out.
"And why should we assume that your 'meditation thing', as you so eloquently put it, is in any way accurate? After all, earlier you mentioned that you were hearing voices." Snape said, glowering down at Harry.
Harry appeared frustrated, "Look, we're not tell you to believe in anything. In fact, we didn't even want to say anything because this is exactly what we thought would happen. We know it's farfetched."
"You're saying that three to four stories under the dungeons lies a chamber that no one in this school has ever been able to find! And not only that! You're saying that there is a giant snake down there. And how, do you presume a thing as large as a basilisk moves through the Hogwarts halls?"
"I'm not going to argue this with you Professor. It's completely pointless. Even we aren't sure this is true okay?"
Professor Snape stopped talking and glared daggers down at both Slytherins, "If you can't verify anything, don't spread this ridiculous story around the school do you hear?"
"Yes sir." Harry and Draco said at the same time and then they left for their next class, both feeling as if they had been skinned alive.
A/N: Sorry, I ususally post on Wednesdays too, it's been a hectic week and I just finally finished my midterm and documenting my HashTable and Calculator programs. sigh If you're a novice, being a Computer Science Major is like ensuring that you'll go through 4 years of excruciating torture. I'm still wondering, 'What the hell did I get myself into?' Oh well, at least this quarter is better than the first quarter. (excluding the 14 paged midterm we just had, I dread to think how bad the Final will be .)
But it wasn't until Halloween that something strange had happened.
That night Harry and Draco had snuck out of the Slytherin tower under Harry's invisibility cloak to get some food from the kitchen, they had both forgotten about the time while reading the Animagus book and managed to miss dinner. As they came down the halls, Harry suddenly heard a hissing voice saying, "I smell blood…Kill…. Kill…."
Harry froze and Draco stopped in his steps and looked back at Harry, "What is it?"
"Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
"That voice… It was saying… it was going to kill something." Harry said, trailing off a bit.
Draco narrowed his eyes as he tried to listen at whatever Harry head heard, "I don't hear anything."
"Kill…"
"There!"
"Potty, I don't bloody hear anything. Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head during practice?"
"I'm positive. I know what I heard."
"But I don't hear it."
"I don't know!"
"Come on…" Draco growled and they continued down the steps and towards the kitchens when suddenly Draco stopped.
Harry then ran into his back, "What?! Do you hear it now?"
"No… But…look, what is that?" Draco said as his arm extended and pointed up at the wall covered in blood.
Harry read the words, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir beware."
"Chamber of Secrets, Chamber of Secrets… I remember this… I think my father mentioned it over the summer." Draco muttered as he rubbed his blonde hair, trying to think.
Harry took a look around and then gasped as he suddenly shook Draco's shoulder, "Holy shite! Look at that!"
It was Mrs. Norris, petrified.
They started to move towards the stairs, Draco started, "I think we can skip dinner, just today… may we should head back."
"Good idea."
But suddenly they heard footsteps and the teachers and students were clamoring towards them from both sides.
"Bloody hell, we're trapped." Draco said as he tugged Harry back until they were between the two groups blocking both exits out of the hall.
"My cat!" Filch was screeching and Dumbledore was trying to soothe him by saying, "Now Argus, Professor Sprout has been growing mandrakes that can cure your companion of it's petrified state."
Snape unexpectedly stalked over and looked at the words, when his elbow suddenly caught onto the edge of Harry's invisibility cloak. His dark eyes suddenly darted to where they were standing and they narrowed as he held his hand out, as if trying to grope at them. Harry and Draco quickly took a few steps back so the fingers didn't touch them or the cloak.
"Is something the matter Severus?"
Snape turned around and then shook his head, "No, it's nothing Headmaster. I suggest we get the student back to their towers."
"Yes, I agree. Prefects, please guide your charges back to their respective towers. It may not be safe out tonight."
The Prefects nodded and started to usher the students away. Harry and Draco made sure to follow closely behind the Slytherins.
Actually, a bit too close. Since Pansy let out a small yelp as Draco accidentally tread on her heel. She turned around and looked behind her nervously, but she was one of the last people.
Draco leaned forward a bit and whispered, "Pansy, it's me, Draco, sorry about that."
Pansy's eyes widened as she looked back a bit, "Draco? Where are you?"
"Potter and I are under his invisibility cloak."
"Why are you…Did you do that?" Pansy asked as she looked back at the blood covered wall.
"No. Potter and I were going to get food from the kitchens when we came across the writing on the wall and Filch's cat."
Harry's stomach growled audibly.
Pansy whispered back, "I guess you two didn't get anything to eat then."
"The teachers and students surrounded the hall before we could head in either direction."
"The girls and I have some candy and crackers stashed away. We'll give some to you two. But don't make this a habit."
"Thanks Pansy." Draco replied.
Draco walked back and forth in the common room as he munched on some of Pansy's cheese crackers. Harry and him were the only ones up since the writing was bothering Draco, because he remembered something, and Draco wouldn't let Harry sleep since he wanted someone to talk to once he remembered whatever it was.
"Can't you sit down? You're making me dizzy." Harry said. From his lying position on the couch.
"I'm telling you I remember my father mentioning a Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts."
"That's the tenth time you've said that.We'll just go to the library tomorrow and look it up."
"He said it had something to do with a girl dying… I think a mud- "
"Don't finish that word." Harry said.
"What?! She's not here."
"But I am."
"Geez Potty, you have a pole up your arse all the time?"
"Only when you're rambling like a loony let out of Azkaban after thirty years."
" I'm not rambling! Besides, I'm not the one hearing voices."
"Fine, for your sake. I'll say I didn't hear voices okay?"
"No! I mean… Are you sure you heard?"
"I guess…" Harry muttered, but he was doubting himself more and more now.
"You know it could be related to the Troll incident."
Harry made a face, "Troll incident?"
"Yeah, when you were doing that really weird magic thing, I could hear whispering, like voices coming out of nowhere."
"I don't … think that has to do with this." Harry said in an unsure manner. "This sort of sounded like… hissing."
"Hissing? Like a snake?"
"Ye- " Harry started and then he suddenly froze.
"What is it Potter?"
"Oh my god. It can't be. I totally forgot about it."
"Forgot about what?"
"Last year, I was doing a sort of weird… meditating thing. And I was feeling through the school, digging down through Hogwarts, just feeling the floors and everything. And then…"
"And then what?"
"I came upon this… thing, it was scaly…"
"Like a snake." Draco repleated more slowly.
"Yeah… it was a snake. A Giant Snake…it was sleeping."
"Giant Snake?…Like a basilisk?"
"Yeah."
"When did you see this Potter?"
"Last year… uh, after that game against Hufflepuff. After everyone went to bed…"
Draco made a face, "It makes sense I guess…"
"What does?"
"Father said that the Chamber of Secrets was built by Salazar Slytherin."
Harry closed his eyes, "Right. Hence… a basilisk."
"Potter, can you do that meditating thing again?"
"Why?"
"To check if it's still there."
"Um… okay, I'll try." Harry said as he got off of the couch and scooted to the rug on the floor. Draco grabbed a hold of the sides of the center coffee table and moved it over so Harry would have more room.
"Ready?"
Harry nodded and then he started.
He started with the things that bothered him. Dobby's ominous message, Jerry possibly trying to hurt him after the incident earlier today. Draco knowing so much about the Chamber of Secrets, Draco's father mentioning it to Draco right before this happened…The writing on the wall… the petrified cat….
Then he wiped it all away and stared to reach down.
Once again he could feel through the stones of Hogwarts that made up the halls, the classrooms, the offices, the towers. Then he went deeper, past the lower dungeons where the more difficult Potions labs took place. Deeper, deeper… until… He came upon scales again. And then he moved along the scales until he reached the face of the snake. Its eyes were open.
Harry pulled back as fast as he could, jumped up, and stumbled back in fear. Draco was up too, walking towards Harry, "What is it?"
"It's awake." Harry said, trying to stop his hands from shaking.
Should we tell Snape? Harry read the note Draco passed to him during Transfiguration.
I don't know. What if I'm wrong and we get in trouble by sending them on a wild goose chase? Harry replied and slid the note over to Draco.
I got a letter from my father during breakfast Draco wrote and gave it to Harry.
What did he say?
I don't know, I haven't opened it yet. But the timing… I think it's about the Chamber of Secrets
Really?
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, no passing notes in class!" Professor McGonagall suddenly bellowed and then she held out her hand, "Accio note!"
The note flew into her hand before either Harry or Draco could make a grab for it. The Transfigurations Professor looked down at the note and skimmed it, then she looked up, I will see the both of you after class."
"Is there something you'd like to tell me?" Mrs. McGonagall said as she held up the note.
Harry and Draco traded glances, Harry quickly said, "It's nothing. Just wild speculations."
"Even wild speculations may have some truth in them."
"Look, we don't…"
"Or would you rather tell Professor Snape what you know?" Professor McGonagall said.
"Uh… yeah…" Harry answered quickly as both he and Draco nodded frantically hoping that she would drop the interrogation and they could just … slip by Snape.
But no, she was headed to the fireplace and…
"Professor Snape!" She yelled into the Floo induced fire. "A word with you with you please."
Moments later the black clad Professor came out of the Floo, "Yes Minerva?"
"Your students have something to tell you."
Both Harry and Draco looked deflated as they winced and then started on what they had found out.
"And why should we assume that your 'meditation thing', as you so eloquently put it, is in any way accurate? After all, earlier you mentioned that you were hearing voices." Snape said, glowering down at Harry.
Harry appeared frustrated, "Look, we're not tell you to believe in anything. In fact, we didn't even want to say anything because this is exactly what we thought would happen. We know it's farfetched."
"You're saying that three to four stories under the dungeons lies a chamber that no one in this school has ever been able to find! And not only that! You're saying that there is a giant snake down there. And how, do you presume a thing as large as a basilisk moves through the Hogwarts halls?"
"I'm not going to argue this with you Professor. It's completely pointless. Even we aren't sure this is true okay?"
Professor Snape stopped talking and glared daggers down at both Slytherins, "If you can't verify anything, don't spread this ridiculous story around the school do you hear?"
"Yes sir." Harry and Draco said at the same time and then they left for their next class, both feeling as if they had been skinned alive.
A/N: Sorry, I ususally post on Wednesdays too, it's been a hectic week and I just finally finished my midterm and documenting my HashTable and Calculator programs. sigh If you're a novice, being a Computer Science Major is like ensuring that you'll go through 4 years of excruciating torture. I'm still wondering, 'What the hell did I get myself into?' Oh well, at least this quarter is better than the first quarter. (excluding the 14 paged midterm we just had, I dread to think how bad the Final will be .)