Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses.

Dudley, Dean and Ron had tried to visit Ginny, but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing.

"We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off..."

The atmosphere in the Great Hall was subdued. Not like usual when it was full of cheerful, chattering students.

"I don't see why everyone is upset," Dudley said, his mouth half full with sausage. "The culprit is gone." There was little doubt in his mind that Hagrid was responsible. Why else would he have been arrested?

"Yeah, but the monster is still out there," Dean had pointed out. Which was true, they had heard nothing about any dangerous monster or beast being killed or captured either. "Without Hagrid to control it or Dumbledore to stop it, it could easily just go running amok."

It wasn't just Dean feeling this way. With Dumbledore gone, fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled.

One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. Draco Malfoy was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. Dudley didn't realize what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Malfoy, Dudley overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle.

"I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. "I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in..."

"Sir," said Malfoy loudly. "Sir, why don't you apply for the headmaster's job?"

"Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough."

"Yeah, right," said Malfoy, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job - I'll tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir-"

Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron.

"I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods and blood traitors haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't the Weasel Brat-"

Before anybody else could react, Ron had leapt out off his stool and given Malfoy a hard punch to the side of the head.

"Go, Ron!" Dudley cheered.

There was a bang and Ron and Malfoy were separated. Snape had his wand out and looked livid.

"Detention, Weasley, and 10 points from Gryffindor for fighting in my classroom." He turned on Dudley. "5 points and detention for you too."

This was so unfair that Dudley opened his mouth to argue. Dean and Hermione both quickly shepherded him off.

"He says stuff like that and gets away with it!" Ron fumed as they headed to Herbology.

"Yeah, but when has Snape ever been fair," Dean said.

They were speaking softly so Snape, who was herding them to Herbology, didn't hear. The potions master seemed to have good hearing for he rounded on Dean. "Five points from Gryffindor, Thomas, for criticizing my teaching methods."

The three were furious as Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs.

Dudley went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found himself face-to-face with Ernie Macmillan. Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Dudley, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Ginny Weasley, and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well-"

He held out a pudgy hand, and Dudley stared at him.

"You expect me to accept your apology," Dudley said, incredulously. "After all you and your idiotic friends have said about me?"

Ernie looked ashamed, but Dudley didn't care.

"Shove it, Macmillan, and stay out of my way."

He went back to join the others.

"You should have let bygones be bygones," Hermione said.

Ron, however, was on Dudley's side. "They've been saying it for months, Hermione. Even though they surely must know that Dudley, a muggleborn, isn't Slytherin's heir."

Dean too was on Dudley's side. "They were appalling. All of them—spreading rumors."

At Defence Against the Dark Arts, Lockhart was buoyant.

"Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?"

People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered.

"Don't you people realize," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, "the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away-"

"Says who?" said Seamus loudly.

"My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two.

"I agree, Professor," Dudley said.

"Thank you, Dudley." Lockhart smiled.

"Hagrid was clearly involved—we've always known he has an obsession with monsters."

"Remember the dragon from last year," Ron pointed out.

"And he had a three-headed dog," Dean said.

Lockhart was nodding. "Yes, Yes. I suspected him from the start. Tried to warn Professor Dumbledore but he didn't listen."

The class still looked unconvinced. "The monster's still out there, though," said Lavender.

Lockhart frowned. "My dear girl, the monster will be long gone. And even if not, it wouldn't dare attack you here, not while I'm around."

Dudley gave a small, satisfied nod in agreement. He thought it was silly to be afraid of the monster now. "Sir, why don't you apply to be headmaster now that Dumbledore has gone?"

Ron, who had never liked Lockhart gave a separated sigh. Dean, who knew what Dudley was up to rolled his eyes.

"That's an idea," Lockhart said. "I never imagined teaching—ridding the world of the darkest creatures known to man was more my calling. But I can't keep that up forever—the wizarding community of Armenia needs to learn to look after itself at some point." He winked at them.

"Now, back to the book at hand. We will discuss my methods used to defeat the Minsk Troll. And Dudley, five points for Gryffindor for a very sound suggestion."

After class, Ron and Dean made kiss noises to Dudley. He threw his copy of Gadding with Ghouls at Dean, missing and instead hitting Parvati on the head.

Ron and Dean laughed as he retrieved it from next to a very annoyed Lavender and Parvati.

Later that evening, they joined Hermione in the common room. She was hard at work with what Dudley assumed to be homework, but when they arrived, she put the parchment in the center of the table for all to see.

"What's that?" Ron asked, sitting down.

"Ideas of where the monster might be—and what it is," Hermione informed them. "I've narrowed it down to a basilisk, cockatrice and a medusa."

Dudley looked triumphant that his suggestion of a medusa passed muster.

"Why those?" Dean asked.

"They can all paralyze people and, I think any monster of Slytherin's has to be some sort of snake."

They all nodded. That suggestion made sense.

"What I was struggling with is where it is hidden."

"Forbidden Forest?" suggested Dean.

"Secret passages?" said Ron.

"Maybe it can just be summoned?" Dudley said. "Remember how Malfoy conjured a snake?"

"But after Hagrid got arrested, I started thinking where would he hide it." Hermione continued as if there had been no interruption.

"You don't mean his cabin?" Dudley interjected.

"He's the grounds keeper, so I thought, where better than the Forbidden Forest?"

"It is the obvious choice," Ron admitted. "But, Hermione, the forest is huge—we can't search the entire thing to find Slytherin's monster."

"Do we really want to seek out a monster?" Dean said.

"I'm not saying we seek it out," Hermione said. "That would be stupid. I'm saying now we have an idea of where it is, we tell someone."

"McGonagall, you mean?" asked Ron.

"I was thinking Lockhart."

"But he's a prat!"

"This is his area of expertise!" Hermione said.

"He has beat lots of dark creatures in the past," Dudley said fairly.

Ron snorted, but didn't argue.

"We'll have to tell him after our next class," Hermione said. "Wandering the corridors at night would be stupid."

The next class with Lockhart was next week. Hermione hoped that they would bump into him before then to tell him their theories. Before they could, the next day, McGonagall came with news that drove all thoughts of the monster from their minds.

Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today.

"Exams?" howled Seamus Finnigan. "We're still getting exams?"

"The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education," she said sternly. "The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard."

Studying hard! It had never occurred to Dudley that there would be exams with the castle in this state. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor McGonagall scowl even more darkly.

"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year."

Dudley looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What had he learned so far this year? He couldn't seem to think of anything that would be useful in an exam.

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.

"I have good news," she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" several people yelled joyfully.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table.

"Quidditch matches are back on!" roared Wood excitedly.

When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, "Professor Sprout has informed me that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching the culprit."

There was an explosion of cheering. Dudley looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn't at all surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn't joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than he'd looked in days.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to see Ginny again," Ron said, smiling.

"Yeah, I've kinda missed seeing her around," Dudley admitted.

"I bet Luna misses her more," Dean said, nodding.

Dudley looked up. Luna Lovegood was approaching. She didn't look her usual dreamy self. Her hair looked lank, her face was pale and she looked anxious and melancholy.

"What's up?" said Ron, helping himself to more porridge.

Luna didn't say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on her face.

"Spit it out," said Ron, watching her.

"Is it about Ginny?" asked Dean. "You heard McGonagall, she'll be better soon."

"I …" Luna began. "I've got to tell you something."

Hermione, who was listening in leant forward. "Is it about the Chamber of Secrets? Do you know something?" she asked, shrewdly. "Have you seen someone acting odd?"

Luna drew a deep breath and, at that precise moment, Percy Weasley appeared, looking tired and wan.

"Come on, Lovegood. You should go back to your own house."

Luna jumped up as though her chair had just been electrified, gave Percy a fleeting, frightened look, and scampered away. Percy sat down and grabbed a mug from the center of the table.

"Percy!" said Ron angrily. "She was just about to tell us something important!"

Halfway through a gulp of tea, Percy choked.

"What sort of thing?" he said, coughing.

Hermione said, "I just asked her if she'd seen anything odd, and she started to say …"

"Oh - that - that's nothing to do with the Chamber of Secrets," said Percy at once.

"How do you know?" said Ron, his eyebrows raised.

"Well, er, if you must know, Ginny and Luna, er, walked in on me the other day when I was - well, never mind - the point is, they spotted me doing something and I, um, I asked them not to mention it to anybody. I must say, I did think they would keep their word. It's nothing, really, I'd just rather-"

Dudley had never seen Percy look so uncomfortable.

"What were you doing, Percy?" said Ron, grinning. "Go on, tell us, we won't laugh."

Percy didn't smile back.

"Pass me those rolls, Dudley, I'm starving."