Chapter 16 – Pulling a Professor Magus
"And don't forget to study, because your exam is in two days," said Professor Magus, beaming at them all. I am having a review session tomorrow night at seven if anyone wants to join me for some extra practice. Class dismissed."
Everyone got up to leave the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. It had been a long day, but now it was over. Liz stood in her spot. "Liz, are you coming?" Michael asked. Beside him, Rachel's face was blank.
"No. I have to ask Professor Magus about the manuscript. I'll catch you up."
Rachel groaned loudly and led Michael out of the classroom. Liz watched them go, wishing Rachel would only understand. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder. It was Professor Magus.
"Are you having problems?" she asked.
"Yes, I can't find—"
"No, I mean are you having problems with your friends? I happened to notice that you and Rachel haven't sat together in a while."
"It's nothing, really. But about the manuscript, I can't find the letter D anywhere in the library. Do you have any suggestions where to look?"
"If I were you, I'd try Professor Stickler," Professor Magus replied. "His room is full of all kinds of Ancient Runes. After all, he does teach the subject. When do you have him next?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. I'll ask him if—"
"No, don't ask him! He doesn't know I took it, remember? You'll have to just…take it, like I did. It'll be all right. The old bat's half-blind anyway."
"Fine," Liz said. "I'll do it tomorrow. Thanks for the help, Professor."
"Anytime, Liz," said Professor Magus.
"Oh, and Professor?" Liz said. "I won't be able to attend the review session. I'll probably be translating."
"Fair enough," the teacher smiled. "Goodbye, Liz."
Liz grinned back and shut the door.
By the time afternoon the next day came around, Liz's grin had vanished. How in the world was she supposed to find the page she needed while Professor Stickler was still in the classroom? This was beginning to sound impossible. But nevertheless, she waited patiently after class until all her classmates were gone. Then she crawled under her desk, waiting. Finally, Professor Stickler left the room, leaving her path to his desk clear.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," Liz muttered to herself under her breath. She crept up to the desk, where stacks and stacks of papers cluttered the area, exposing no surface of the actual desk. She began to file through them until she heard footsteps. He was coming back.
She dove behind a bookshelf just as he reentered. "Almost forgot my wand," she heard him murmur. With a few more footsteps, he was gone again.
Liz waited for a few seconds, and then peeked her head out, making sure the coast was clear once again. Then she tiptoed back to the desk and began flipping through the pages one more time. Finally she found what she was looking for: a stack of paper all with a large letter D for the heading. She began to pick it up, but footsteps told her he was returning again. This time she picked under his own desk as her hiding place.
Professor Stickler came back in and this time he made to pull out his chair and sit down. He never got to, however, for he spotted Liz.
Liz thought fast. "I found it!" she cried excitedly, getting up and bumping her head on the edge of the desk.
"Miss Potter, what are you doing?" he roared. "Found what?"
"Um, my earring. I thought I lost it." She smiled weakly. "I'm sorry, Professor."
"You should be! Get out of my classroom or it'll be ten points from Gryffindor!"
Liz's mind was racing. How was she supposed to get the papers back? There they were, just sitting on his desk, but he was right behind her. That was when she decided to pull a Professor Magus.
She purposely tripped, creating a racket and at the same time knocking over the stack of paper and just about everything else on the desk. "Dead clumsy," she said, remembering Professor Magus's words when she had done the exact same thing. Hastening to restack the mess that now littered Professor Stickler's floor, Liz carefully tucked the D papers inside her robes. "I am so sorry," she apologized, grabbing her bag. "I'll be going now." And she was gone before Professor Stickler had any idea what was going on.
That night, Liz found the D she was looking for and added it to her sheet of translated Ancient Runic. When that was done, she plugged in all the missing letters. Now it was finally complete. She stared at it disbelievingly, reading it over.
My name is Salazar Slytherin. I am one of the four founders of Hogwarts. I have been shunned, ridiculed, and sneered at by those I once called my friends. After leaving my legacy in the Chamber of Secrets, I have succumbed to their wishes and resigned. They have now put protective spells on Hogwarts so I may not Apparate back. But little do they know, I took their plans with me, so I know how to undo them and enact my revenge. The basilisk in the chamber is not enough.
If you are reading directly from my instructions, translated into Ancient Runic, the process will take one day. If not, it will take six months to a year, depending on the strength of the individual wizards who will put it into action.
Reading from this, stand at the edge of the Forbidden Forest under the dead oak tree that never falls, and say aloud, "Come down, the shield of Hogwarts, come down!" three times. Take one step forward, and the ground will quake under your feet. Then you know that it is safe to Apparate or Disapparate whenever you please.
If you are reading a translation, then do the same every night. Add at least one person every two months. On the last day, you will know it will be ready when a branch from the dead oak tree falls. Everyone take a step forward and it will be complete.
Care for my legacy. Salazar Slytherin
So Slytherin wrote this in hopes that someone would undo the protective spells of Hogwarts. In the wrong hands this could be deadly. This could be catastrophic. The consequences would be immeasurable.
Liz took the original manuscript and locked it in her drawer. The translation she stuffed into her bag. She'd show it to Professor Magus tomorrow, after her Defense Against the Dark Arts exam, which was her last. Right now, though, it was late, and she was tired. She climbed into bed, fell asleep, and dreamt of people vanishing into the night.