Winter was beginning to melt into Spring, and after several weeks Eric felt no closer to an answer than he was when he started. He needed to learn more, but unfortunately, students weren't allowed to examine school records. It was time to do something he had neglected for some time. Eric needed to call on his foster uncle.

A rap on the door of Hagrid's small hut failed to bring the usual cheery voice. Rather, an abrupt "Who's there?" shot from within the cobblestone walls.

"It's just me, Hagrid."

The door opened wide. "Eric, lad! I haven' seen yeh in weeks, an' yeh haven' been by to talk proper all year." The cheery welcome put things far more at ease, and Eric made a point of going through an immense amount of small talk to bring Hagrid up to speed on all his schoolwork, his new friends, and most of what he had seen this year.

Hagrid shuffled in his seat slightly. "It's been a bad year, fer sure. Don' worry, though, Dumbledore will set it right."

Eric knew the time had come. "Hagrid, the last time the chamber was opened – were you here?"

Hagrid had been the only family he had known, and Eric had spent a great deal of time with him. Through all that time, he had never seen his guardian appear so nervous. "Well, um, yeh understand, that was a long time ago…" Hagrid paused, then heaved out a great sigh. "Yes, Eric, I was here."

"What happened?"

Hagrid related the tale, the details blending into one another. For Eric, it didn't really matter, for the story sounded much the same as the occurrences this year, with one difference. In Hagrid's day, a young girl was killed. "It all ended suddenly after that." Breaking from his narrative, he turned about to check a kettle.

Eric hated the feeling he had, but the thought needed pursuing. "Hagrid, are you telling me everything?"

Hagrid's hands stopped where they were. His great body arched back into his seat and he turned around again. "No, that's not everything. I didn't want yeh t' find out the truth, but if yeh keep nosing about, yeh'll hear things – things that'll make yeh believe what ain't so."

The rest of Hagrid's story was far more personal. He always had a fondness for all kinds of creatures. He had come across a pet spider that he raised from an egg. To his delight, it was a most unusual creature, growing to the size of an ottoman before long. Unfortunately, another student discovered his pet and blamed it for the attacks. Hagrid set it free, but because he protected it, he was blamed for all the attacks and expelled.

Eric made a note of all that he heard. "But it wasn't him, was it?"

"Aragog didn' come from no Chamber, so it couldn' be him. B'sides, he's too big to be attackin' the school these days." Clearly, retelling his story aggravated him considerably. He looked down intently at Eric. "Yeh do believe me, don' yeh?"

Eric had no doubts. "I believe you – really. Everything that's happened lately suggests the same thing. I just wish that what you've told me would get me closer to finding where the entrance to the chamber is."

"Eric, that chamber's nuthin' but trouble. Yeh listen to yer uncle an' get back to yer studies. Fergit about the chamber an' stay outta trouble!"