Rachel and Millie were running late for Charms. They'd stopped in the girls bathroom on the first floor to wash up after Herbology and Theo had gone ahead to Charms while Hermione and Neville had gone to Transfiguration. Rachel had just finished getting the dirt out from her fingernail beds and was giving her hands one last rinse when she heard it.
"Rip. Tear. Kill," sounded in a whispery cold voice.
"Millie," Rachel said urgently. "Did you hear that?"
Millie shook her head, her eyes wide. "Was it the voice?"
Rachel nodded.
"Are we going to follow it?" Millie asked.
"Slept for so long," the voice said, fainter this time.
"I think we should," Rachel said, picking up her bag and putting it over her shoulder.
"Well, lead the way," Millie said, holding her wand tightly.
Rachel took out her own wand and they went out into the hallway. Rachel looked around.
"So hungry."
"This way," Rachel said, pointing down the corridor that led to the main staircase.
They took off running.
"What's it saying?" Millie asked as they ran.
"That it's hungry and that it slept for a long time," Rachel said.
"That's a weird thing to say," Millie said as they skidded to a stop in front of the main staircase. "Up or down?"
Rachel listened carefully but didn't hear anything. "Well, last time we went up, but I don't hear it now."
"Let's go up then," Millie said.
They climbed the stairs quietly, Rachel still focused on trying to hear the voice.
"So much blood!" the voice said very quietly from the corridor to the left.
"This way! It said there's blood!" Rachel said, taking off running again, Millie right by her side.
They ran down the Charms corridor, past the Charms classroom, until Rachel came to a stop, Millie stopping right in front of her.
There was a student on the ground and floating in front of them was what looked like a ghost, but it was filled with dark smoke.
"Do you still hear the voice?" Millie asked quietly.
Rachel shook her head. Steeling herself, Rachel stepped around the ghost and knelt down next to the student. It was Justin Finch-Fetchley and he looked terrified. Rachel touched her fingers to his neck and found him cold and there was no pulse. She hoped that he was Petrified and not dead.
"Is Justin alive?" Millie asked.
"I can't tell," Rachel said, getting to her feet.
"I think this is the Gryffindor Ghost, Nearly Headless Nick," Millie said. "I wouldn't think ghosts could be Petrified."
Rachel shrugged. She had no idea. "We need to get help. Professor Flitwick's class is closest."
Millie nodded, though she looked nervous. "What if they think you did it? You found Mrs. Norris, and now Justin."
"We can't just leave him there," Rachel said. "I think Professor Snape knows it's not me and I think he can convince Professor Dumbledore. Let's go before anyone else comes along."
Millie nodded again and they went back down the Charms corridor to Professor Flitwick's classroom.
"Five points from Slytherin for your tardiness," Professor Flitwick called when they entered the classroom.
Rachel swallowed hard. She very rarely lost points. She forced herself to walk directly to Professor Flitwick and then bent down slightly so she could whisper to him. "Sir, Justin Finch-Fetchley is in the hallway. I think he's either Petrified or dead."
Professor Flitwick's eyes grew wide with shock. "You saw this too, Miss Bulstrode?"
"Yes sir," Millie said quietly. "We can show you where he is."
"Everyone stay here and read from chapter seven. No magic while I'm away," Professor Flitwick said. "With me, Miss Snow and Miss Bulstrode."
Theo was watching them from his seat, his eyebrows raised.
Rachel nodded to him, hoping she was conveying to him that something was wrong but he should stay there.
"This way," Millie said, once they were out in the hallway and the classroom door was shut.
They led Professor Flitwick to Justin and Nearly Headless Nick.
"Oh my," he said, crouching down to check on Justin. "I believe he is Petrified. We'll move him to the hospital wing. As for Nick, we will find a way to move him too. In the meantime, I must summon the headmaster. Expecto patronum."
A bright silvery squirrel appeared from Professor Flitwick's wand.
"To Albus Dumbledore. Your presence is needed in the Charms corridor urgently," Professor Flitwick said to the squirrel. The squirrel quickly bounded away.
Rachel found herself staring at Justin while they waited. He had been so insistent that Rachel had set the snake on him. Could it be just chance that he was Petrified now, or was someone trying to set her up?
Most of the school had been in the Great Hall that night and had seen her stop the snake. Would they think that she had somehow attacked Justin?
"Filius," Professor Dumbledore said as he approached.
"Miss Snow and Miss Bulstrode informed me just a few minutes ago," Professor Flitwick said quickly.
Professor Dumbledore nodded and knelt next to Justin, running the tip of his wand across Justin's forehead. "Petrified," he said, standing up and then examining Nearly Headless Nick.
Rachel let out a sigh of relief. Being Petrified wasn't good, but it was better than being dead.
"Miss Snow and Miss Bulstrode, please tell me how you discovered them," Professor Dumbledore said, turning his attention to them.
"Sir, we were in the bathrooms, on the first floor, and…" Millie trailed off, looking at Rachel.
"Sir, Professor Snape told you that I heard a voice that led us to Mrs. Norris?" Rachel asked.
"Yes, he did," Professor Dumbledore said.
"I heard the voice again, and we followed it here," Rachel explained.
"What did this voice say?" Professor Flitwick asked.
"It said it was hungry, and that it had slept for a long time, and that there was blood," Rachel recounted.
"And you did not hear this voice, Miss Bulstrode?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"No, sir," Millie said quickly.
Professor Dumbledore nodded. "In the future, if you hear this voice again, I urge you not to follow it. Instead, go to the nearest professor. I will ensure that they are all equipped to assist you."
"Yes, sir," Rachel said, though she didn't particularly agree. She would do what Professor Dumbledore said, at least until she had a chance to talk to Professor Snape and see if he wanted her to do that as well.
"Girls, please go back to class. Filius, you can return to your classroom. I'll take care of Mr. Finch-Fetchley and Nick," Professor Dumbledore said.
"Of course, Albus," Professor Flitwick said. "Come with me, girls."
They followed Professor Flitwick back to class and went to go sit with Theo.
"What happened?" Theo whispered.
Rachel looked around and noticed that several people were watching her with curious expressions. "We'll tell you after class, alone," she said quietly.
Theo nodded and looked worried.
Rachel took out her book and valiantly tried to pay attention to class, but all she could think of was Justin laying there, cold and still.
"And how are you finding your schedule now that you've dropped Ancient Runes?" Severus asked, watching Leander Wickes carefully.
"Better," Leander said. "Five NEWTs is still reasonable, isn't it?"
"Five is plenty. In general I recommend students to take four, but you've proven yourself dedicated to your studies in addition to your prefect duties," Severus said. Merlin save him from parents who put too much pressure on their children. It made exam time much more stressful for everyone involved.
Leander nodded. "May I speak bluntly, sir?"
Severus raised an eyebrow. "You may."
"I understand why I'm here, sir. You're trying to find out who is opening the Chamber of Secrets. Naturally the headmaster thinks it's a Slytherin student, because it would make sense that the Heir of Slytherin is a Slytherin student, though I also get the feeling he's not fond of Slytherins in general," Leander said.
"The headmaster is naturally concerned about who may have attacked Mr. Finch-Fetchley, though I assure you he has requested that all of the Heads of House speak with their students. Slytherin is not being singled out here," Severus explained, unwilling to say that Albus wasn't biased against Slytherins. He had seen plenty of that bias in his own time as a student.
"He doesn't think the Chamber of Secrets is being opened?" Leander asked.
"At this time we are uncertain. We have not found any evidence that there is a Chamber of Secrets," Severus said, aware that his words would be repeated to the other prefects and thus to the House.
Leander nodded again. "I've been watching the students in our House. Some of them have been approaching Rachel and asking her about the Chamber of Secrets. She seems to be handling them alright so far, but I'm ready to intervene if she encounters trouble."
"I appreciate that," Severus said, making a mental note to ask Rachel at their dinner on Sunday if other students were giving her more trouble. "How would you describe the current atmosphere in the House?"
Leander paused and looked thoughtful. "Everyone is watching out for each other. The other Houses are against us, I've heard a number of people say that students from other Houses will refuse to work with them during classes. We're keeping an eye on the younger years and have instructed them to stay together in the hallways to help prevent bullying. As far as I can tell, no one is worried about being attacked by Slytherin's monster, because we don't have any muggleborn students."
Severus knew that wasn't true, but also knew muggleborns in Slytherin kept their blood status as private as possible. "I'm glad you and the other prefects are taking proactive measures to protect our students. Do you have any concerns that I should be aware of?"
"I've already talked to the other prefects about this, and to Rachel's friends, but we're doing our best to help Rachel stay safe in the hallways. I'm not worried about her safety within the House, but I've told Millicent and Theodore to stay with her between classes, and I've told Imogen to keep an eye on her to and from Quidditch practice. Rachel's only a second year, she can't really defend herself yet, and I'm worried about the rumors going around," Leander said.
"I appreciate that," Severus said, deciding that he would reinforce that conversation as he spoke to Imogen and Rachel's friends. "We will all do what we can to ensure Rachel's safety. Is anything else concerning you?"
Leander shook his head. "I just hope they find the Heir of Slytherin soon. The longer this goes on, the worse it's going to be."
Severus privately agreed. "The headmaster and the professors are doing everything they can to resolve the situation."
Leander nodded. "Is there anything else, sir?"
"No, you're dismissed," Severus said. "Please come see me if you have any concerns or if you see something suspicious."
"Yes, sir," Leander said, getting up and leaving Severus' office.
Severus sighed. He had a few minutes until his next student interview. He was speaking with his prefects first to get a feel for the atmosphere in the House. Matilda Greenford, his other seventh year prefect, had given him similar information as Leander had.
He had already ordered another Mandrake from South Africa, knowing it would take a week to arrive. That would be just enough time to revive Justin Finch-Fetchley before the Christmas holiday. Hopefully Mr. Finch-Fetchley would be able to tell them who, or what, had attacked him.
A knock at his door roused him from his thoughts. "Come in."
"Hello, sir," Gemma Farely said, peering inside.
"Hello, have a seat," Severus said.
Gemma shut the door behind herself and sat down across from Severus.
"How are you doing, Miss Farley?" Severus asked.
"I'm alright, sir. I'm worried about what's been happening, obviously, but I'm okay," Gemma said.
"I assume by that you mean the situation with Mr. Finch-Fetchley being Petrified?" he asked.
"That and the rumors that Rachel is the Heir of Slytherin. I've been keeping an eye on her and trying to discourage other students from bothering her. Leander and I talked to Theo and Millie about staying with Rachel in between classes. I just keep thinking about how those Gryffindors attacked her last year with no provocation, and what they might do now that they think she's the Heir of Slytherin," Gemma explained, her forehead creased with worry. "There's no way she can be the Heir of Slytherin, is there? I mean, obviously she's not opening the Chamber of Secrets."
Severus prevented himself from sighing. He had a feeling he'd be having this conversation a lot. "No, I don't believe that Rachel is the Heir of Slytherin. At this point, we do not know if there is a Chamber of Secrets - we haven't found any evidence of such a thing within Hogwarts."
Gemma frowned. "If there's no Chamber of Secrets, that means it was a person who Petrified Mrs. Norris and Justin. How do you even do that?"
"It is very Dark magic," Severus said. "I wouldn't expect that you would know how."
Gemma blushed. "I didn't mean it like that, sir. I just mean that I'd never even heard of people being Petrified before this."
Severus nodded. "I understand."
"You don't think it's Professor Lockhart, do you?" Gemma asked.
Severus very much doubted that it was Lockhart. He had yet to see that Lockhart could competently perform any magic, let alone advanced Dark curses. "I do not believe so. Has anything Professor Lockhart has done led you to this conclusion?"
Gemma shook her head. "No. I don't mean any offense, but he's not a very good professor."
"I understand," Severus said. "Are you and the other sixth years finding the guides adequate?"
"Yes, and Tilly has been helping us too," Gemma said. "I'm doing alright, sir. The other Houses are very suspicious of us right now, but I haven't heard of any outright attacks. The first years are worried, but I've been doing my best to reassure them."
Severus nodded. "Is there anything you need from me? Or anything you can think of that I could do that would help the House during this time?"
"I'm fine," Gemma said. "And I think you talking to everyone individually like this and reassuring them will help. I'm keeping an eye on Rachel, I promise."
"Thank you, I appreciate that and I'm sure Rachel does too," Severus said.
"Do you need anything else, sir?" Gemma asked.
"No, you're dismissed," Severus said. "Please come see me if you have any concerns."
Thank you," Gemma said, smiling wanly at him before leaving.
Severus sighed. That was three of his students. He just had sixty students left to speak with.
"This is ridiculous. You wouldn't attack Justin. You wouldn't attack anyone," Millie said as they went into their study room.
Rachel nodded glumly. All of the Hufflepuffs in their year were now refusing to have anything to do with Rachel and she constantly caught them staring at her and quickly looking away when she looked back at them.
"They'll wake Justin up and he can tell them who attacked him," Theo added. "They'll feel like idiots then."
Hopefully that was true. The Mandrake that Professor Snape ordered couldn't come soon enough.
Hermione came through the door a moment later, her arms full of books, Neville trailing behind her. "Sorry about that, had to stop at the library."
"What's the project this time?" Theo asked, craning his neck to see the titles of the books.
"I'm going to find out what Slytherin's monster is," Hermione said, setting the books down on the table.
Rachel blinked. "You think the Chamber of Secrets really is being opened?"
"I don't know," Hermione said, looking pained to admit that. "But since the professors are investigating who might have attacked Justin and Mrs. Norris, I figured I would try approaching it from the angle that it's a something rather than a someone who attacked them."
"Makes sense, though it still has to be a someone that's opening the Chamber," Millie said.
"If Slytherin's monster did attack Justin, then he probably won't be able to tell the professors who attacked him," Rachel said. If that was the case, then people would still think she was the one attacking people.
"True, but at least we'll know whether or not the monster and the Chamber exist at all," Hermione said. "More information is better than less."
Neville frowned. "Salazar Slytherin would have wanted to be in control of this monster, wouldn't he? The legend said that he would call on it to cleanse the school of those he considered unworthy."
"Right. So?" Theo asked.
"Then wouldn't Slytherin's monster be a snake, since he could speak Parseltongue?" Neville asked.
Rachel nodded. That made a lot of sense.
"That's a good idea, Neville. I'll start with snakes," Hermione said, flipping to the index of one of the books she'd checked out of the library.
Rachel opened her History of Magic textbook. They'd just had history before lunch and Professor Binns lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289 had been very dull. She was planning on reading what the textbook had to say about it before she reviewed the notes that Hermione had taken in their two-way books the other day.
"Are we starting our Transfiguration essays this afternoon?" Millie asked as she flipped through a book.
Theo looked up from where he was going over some of his notes. "Let's plan on starting it some time before dinner."
They worked quietly for a long while and Rachel read about Amfred Morley leading the Warlock Convention and the very first laws that tried to protect muggles from witches and wizards. She supposed that laws must have been much harder to enforce so long ago, though she really had very little idea of how wizarding laws were enforced now.
"I think I've got it," Hermione said, breaking the silence. "Have any of you ever heard of a basilisk?"
Rachel shook her head and noticed the others doing the same.
"It's an enormous snake, with skin that is armored like a dragon's and is impervious to spells. They can live for hundreds of years, perhaps even long enough that it could be Salazar Slytherin's original basilisk. It has powerfully venomous fangs - the only known antidote is phoenix tears. And it can kill just by looking into its gaze," Hermione explained.
"Does it Petrify people?" Millie asked.
"No. But what if it would have killed Mrs. Norris and Justin, but they didn't look directly into the basilisk's gaze?" Hermione posited.
"Like if Justin was looking through Nearly Headless Nick," Millie said.
"And Mrs. Norris might have seen the basilisk in the reflection of the water outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Theo added.
Rachel supposed they didn't know how long Mrs. Norris and Justin had been Petrified before they found them. Everyone was either in the Great Hall for the feast, or in class. That had to be enough time for the basilisk to Petrify people and get back into the Chamber of Secrets.
"So it comes down to one of two possibilities," Hermione said. "Either someone is opening the Chamber of Secrets and having the basilisk attack, or someone is Petrifying people using Dark magic."
"Can I tell Professor Snape that we think it might be a basilisk?" Rachel asked.
"Sure," Hermione said. "That might help them better prepare."
"What do we do in the meantime?" Neville asked.
"Be really careful and listen for snakes, I guess," Theo said.
Rachel sat up straight as she had a realization. "I'm hearing the snake!"
"What?" Millie asked.
"That's why I can hear the voice and you can't, I'm a Parselmouth. I'm hearing the snake and it's going through the walls or something," Rachel said, feeling excited and relieved all at once. At least she wasn't crazy.
"Pipes," Hermione said. "The basilisk could be getting through the castle using the pipes, which is why no one has seen it."
"I guess that means that someone is opening the Chamber of Secrets. Which means we won't know who it is when they wake Justin," Theo said with a frown.
"And we're back to trying to figure out who the Heir of Slytherin is," Neville said.
Rachel looked back down at her History of Magic notes. That was a problem they couldn't solve using the library.
That Saturday morning was the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor and Marcus' pregame speech was short. "It's Gryffindor, we know how to deal with them. Let's do it."
They all nodded and went out onto the pitch. Most of the school was booing them, but they could hear the cheers coming from the Slytherin stands as well.
Rachel took her spot and held her broom tightly. She wasn't half as nervous as she had been her first game. She knew what to do - stay out of the way and find the Snitch.
Allison Barnes was Gryffindor's Seeker - she was a fourth year and this was her second year on the Gryffindor team. Both Rachel and Allison were wearing their hair tied back in plaits. Rachel nodded at Allison. Allison nodded back.
All of the Gryffindors were flying Comet 290s, which were supposed to be decent brooms, but not as good as Nimbus 2001s.
Marcus and Oliver shook hands and then everyone mounted their brooms.
"All of you, I want a clean game," Madam Hooch said, looking critically at the Slytherin team. "On three. One, two, three!"
As Madam Hooch blew her whistle they all took off into the air.
"The Gryffindor team, led by Oliver Wood, has had their brooms sponsored by the Comet Trading Company. As you can see, they're all on Comet 290s, while the Slytherins are on Nimbus 2001s. Let's see how they put their brooms to the test," the commentator said.
Rachel flew up higher than the rest of the team and dodged a Bludger that had come her way. A few moments later she dodged it again and sped up.
She flew at near her top speed for about thirty seconds before looking behind her. The Bludger was still coming at her. She dove, she was going to need help with this - she just needed to get Imogen's attention.
Imogen had already seen what was happening and was flying in Rachel's direction. "Hang on," she called, readying her bat as she flew past Rachel. A moment later there was the solid sound of the Bludger being hit hard.
"Thanks," Rachel called, turning back in Imogen's direction just in time to see the Bludger steadily coming back at them.
"Go toward Lucian!" Imogen shouted, holding her bat out again.
Rachel turned once more and headed down to where the Chasers and the other Beaters were busily playing with the Quaffle and one of the Bludgers. She kept an eye out for the Snitch as she flew and she noticed that Allison was making a steady circuit up and around the pitch.
"Incoming!" Imogen shouted as she flew in behind Rachel.
Rachel glanced behind her and saw that the Bludger was heading back their way and fast. She took off again, hoping that Imogen and Lucian would be able to take care of it.
No matter what she did, or how many times Imogen or Lucian hit the Bludger, it kept coming after Rachel.
"What is wrong with this thing?" Lucian called as he hit it away again.
"I don't know, it shouldn't be doing this," Imogen called back. "We've got to get Marcus to call a timeout. I'll guard Rachel, you get to Marcus."
Rachel kept flying and was glad that Imogen was nearby.
"What is happening with Slytherin's Seeker - it looks like that Bludger is after her," the commentator said.
They kept going until they heard Madam Hooch blow her whistle. Rachel went to fly back toward the pitch but was nearly hit by the Bludger, the only thing that had caused her to swerve out of the way in time was the sound it made as it shot through the air.
"It's not stopping," Imogen called. "Keep flying, we've got to stay ahead of it."
Lucian joined them again before long, and a moment later the Gryffindor Beaters - Fred and George Weasley - joined them.
"The game is on timeout!" Lucian shouted, hitting the Bludger hard.
"We know, we're here to help," one of the red-headed twins called back. "You two stay close to Rachel, we'll act as a primary defense."
They didn't have time to talk it through and they all took off in a frenzied flight around the pitch. The Weasley twins were good at what they did - the Bludger only reached Lucian or Imogen maybe two times out of every five that it flew around to attack.
"We can't keep doing this," Imogen called.
"Look," Lucian called. "There are teachers down on the pitch."
Rachel managed to look down and sure enough she could see several teachers gathering on the pitch, though she couldn't make out who from this distance.
"Snow, fly down to the pitch so the professors can help," the commentator instructed.
Imogen hit the Bludger once more and Rachel led the way down to the pitch, hoping they didn't expect her to land while that Bludger was still after her.
She had a brief view of Professor Dumbledore with his wand raised in the air as she flew by.
"Professor Dumbledore has done something to the Bludger and it's fallen to the pitch. Now they don't teach that in Charms class!" the commentator said to the cheers of students in the stands.
Rachel chanced a glance back and found that the Bludger was now lying motionless on the ground. She looped back and landed, Imogen, Lucian, and the Weasley twins all landing near her.
"Are you alright?" Professor Snape asked as he hurried up to Rachel.
"I'm fine," Rachel said, smiling briefly at Professor Snape before looking to where Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and Madam Hooch were all examining the Bludger.
"You're certain?" Professor Snape asked again.
Rachel nodded. "It was a little scary, but I had Imogen and Lucian helping. And the Weasley twins."
Professor Snape glanced at the Weasley twins with an odd expression on his face. "I'm glad they all helped you."
"Just a moment," Rachel said and she darted over to the Weasley twins. "Thanks, for helping me. Even though we're on opposite teams."
"Well," said one of the twins. "Our mom would have given us a talking to-"
"If we hadn't helped save the Girl-Who-Lived," the other twin finished.
Rachel blinked. "Well, whatever the reason, thank you."
"Any time," the first twin said.
"Any chance we can convince you to let our Seeker catch the Snitch?" the second twin asked.
Rachel hesitated and then shook her head.
"Oh well."
"Didn't hurt to ask."
Both twins turned away and went back to their own team.
Rachel shook her head and went back to where Professor Snape was standing with the rest of the Slytherin team.
"Rachel, a moment please," Professor Snape said.
Rachel followed him away from the team.
"Madam Hooch has acquired another Bludger and Professor Dumbledore has checked it for curses. Do you still want to play?" he asked.
"Cursed? Was that Bludger cursed?" Rachel asked.
"We don't know yet. Professor Dumbledore is going to examine it more closely to determine what happened," Professor Snape said.
Rachel nodded. Hopefully they'd be able to figure out what went wrong. "I can still play."
"Are you sure? No one would think any less of you if you decided not to," Professor Snape said.
Rachel stood up straighter. She would think less of herself if she decided not to play, and she was quite sure most of her Housemates would too. She wasn't about to let them down. "I'm not injured. I still want to play."
Professor Snape hesitated and then finally nodded. "Alright. I'll tell Madam Hooch that the game can continue."
Rachel rejoined the team.
"We're playing?" Marcus asked, looking over Rachel.
"Yes," Rachel said firmly.
Marcus nodded. "Good. I knew you were the right choice."
"We'll be resuming the game momentarily. In the meantime, Professor Dumbledore has an announcement," the commentator said.
"I am awarding twenty House points to Gryffindor and twenty House points to Slytherin for their cooperation in assisting a student in need," Professor Dumbledore announced.
Cheers went up from the stands.
Rachel was a little bit embarrassed about being the student in need, but glad that they'd gotten points for it.
"Are you all ready?" Madam Hooch called.
They all assembled with their broomsticks and Madam Hooch blew her whistle.
Once Rachel was up in the air again she checked behind herself reflexively a few times to make sure there were no Bludgers following her and then she began to search for the Snitch.
"Gryffindor is at sixty points and Slytherin at thirty," the commentator announced.
Rachel glanced at Allison as she flew past but otherwise kept her focus on finding the Snitch. It was remarkable how much calmer Quidditch seemed now that she wasn't being chased by a Bludger.
Finally she spotted the Snitch. It was halfway across the pitch and closer to Allison. Rachel kept her flying steady and tried not to look like she was staring at the Snitch while at the same time not letting it out of her sight. She was just in range when Allison noticed it and they both took off at top speed.
"Here go our Seekers, who is going to get there first?" the commentator said.
Rachel leaned forward on her broom as far as she could go and urged it to go faster. She reached out and managed to grab the Snitch, Allison's hand only inches behind hers.
"And Slytherin gets the Snitch. Slytherin wins, 190 to 80!' the commentator called to cheers from the Slytherin stands.
"Good game," Rachel called to Allison.
Allison looked unhappy but nodded. "Good game."
Imogen and Rachel were the last ones back to the Slytherin common room after they had showered and got dressed in the locker rooms at the Quidditch pitch.
Cheers greeted them as they stepped inside and before Rachel knew what was happening Leander had lifted her into the air and placed her on his shoulders.
"The Seeker Who Lived!" he shouted and shouts and cheers echoed from all over the common room.
Rachel grabbed onto Leander's arms as she tried to keep her balance and she was very aware of Leander's hands holding on tightly to her thighs. She did not want to be up here.
"Put her down before you hurt her!" Gemma called as she came over to them.
"Relax, she's fine," Leander said as he walked through the crowds of students.
"What do you think Professor Snape would say if you dropped her?" Gemma asked. She reached her hands up and grabbed onto Rachel's waist.
"Fine, fine," Leander said, letting go of Rachel.
Gemma carefully helped Rachel back down to the ground. "Are you okay?"
Rachel nodded and watched as Leander disappeared into the crowd of students.
"Boys are idiots," Gemma said as she shook her head. "Are you okay after that game? You must have been so scared."
"I'm okay," Rachel said. It had been a little scary, but not as scary as everyone was making it out to be.
"Alright, if you need anything, I'm around the common room," Gemma said, looking at Rachel for a long moment before she walked back out into the crowd.
Rachel made her way through the students to where she, Millie, and Theo usually sat. Sure enough they were waiting for her.
"Are you alright?" Millie asked as she jumped to her feet.
"I'm okay," Rachel said again.
"We saw Hermione, Neville, and Ginny. They're going to be in the study room. We can go join them, or if you want to stay here and celebrate, we can do that too," Theo offered.
"Let's go see the others," Rachel said immediately. The common room was very noisy and crowded and she didn't feel much like celebrating.
"Okay, I just need to grab my bag," Millie said.
"Me too, let's meet back here in a few minutes," Theo said.
Rachel followed Millie back to their dorm room and they packed their bags with the books they wanted to use that afternoon. They met up with Theo and made their way through the common room and out into the dungeon corridor which was a little quieter.
"Say what you want about Slytherins, they know how to party," Millie said.
"Most of them could do with a little less partying and a little more studying, if you ask me," Theo said, shaking his head.
"Could be worse, we could be Gryffindors," Millie said, laughing. "With obvious exceptions."
"True," Rachel agreed. She was glad she was a Slytherin.
They found everyone waiting for them in the study room and they all settled in.
"Are you okay, Rachel?" Neville asked.
"I'm fine," Rachel said. She was glad her friends cared about her, but she definitely didn't need to be asked if she was okay every five minutes.
"I think we should talk about what just happened," Hermione said, her expression grim.
"Rachel flew very well. It's fortunate she was able to stay ahead of the Bludger. Not many could do that, I think," Luna said.
"I had a lot of help. Ginny, your brothers helped a lot," Rachel said.
Ginny nodded. "That was good of them. They don't take much seriously, but they do care about Quidditch."
"I'm glad they saw past the fact you were on opposing teams and were willing to help you," Hermione said. "However, I don't think we should overlook what was done and why."
"It would take some advanced magic to mess with a Bludger like that," Theo said. "And it would have had to be someone with access to the Quidditch supplies. Only Madam Hooch and the Quidditch teams have access to them."
"I don't think we can rule out people out just because they didn't have access. If they knew enough magic to either replace or curse the Bludger, then they probably can get past advanced locking charms as well," Hermione said.
"Also, it's not very consistent," Millie said. "Are they trying to frame Rachel for opening the Chamber, or are they trying to kill her? It doesn't make sense for them to do both."
"Unless they're trying to use whatever methods they have to get rid of Rachel and they aren't picky about how," Theo pointed out.
"But why?" Rachel asked. "Framing me for opening the Chamber doesn't seem like something a Death Eater would do."
"I suppose there could be two separate people. One would be the Heir of Slytherin, opening the Chamber. Maybe they aren't necessarily trying to frame Rachel, just the Parselmouth thing came out at a really bad time. And the other person might be a Death Eater trying to hurt or kill Rachel, and they're responsible for the Bludger," Neville reasoned.
"But why try to kill her so publicly, when all the professors are watching and she can get help?" Hermione asked.
"Just because someone knows advanced magic doesn't mean they're intelligent or good at strategy," Theo said.
"Unless they wanted the attempt not to succeed for some reason," Hermione said.
Rachel frowned as she tried to figure it out. Someone either wanted to kill or injure her, or at least make her think someone was trying to kill or injure her. And someone was opening the Chamber of Secrets to attack muggleborns. At this point it was impossible to tell if it was the same person.
"Well. Same as with the Chamber. Upper year Slytherins are our obvious suspects, with upper year students from other Houses but who have a grudge against Rachel or a relative who is a Death Eater are also on our list. I think we can probably rule out the professors at this point," Theo said, tapping his fingers against the table.
"That brings us back to where we started," Hermione said, frowning. "Rachel, did Professor Snape or Professor Dumbledore say anything to you about the Bludger?"
"Professor Snape said that Professor Dumbledore was going to examine it to determine what happened," Rachel said, glad that something was being done.
Hermione nodded. "Hopefully he will be able to tell what was done and who did it."
Rachel hoped so too, but she had the feeling it wasn't likely.
Severus waited until after he'd had dinner with Rachel on Sunday night to go visit Albus. He had assured Rachel that he would let her know as soon as they found out anything about the Bludger that had attacked her. Truthfully, Severus had hoped that Albus would have contacted him before now.
"Do you have a few moments, Albus?" Severus called through the floo.
"Come on through," Albus called back, his voice distant.
Severus stepped through the floo into Albus' office and walked over to where Albus was examining a silver instrument that was connected to the Hogwarts wards. He watched in silence as Albus moved his wand along the silver wires - the silver wires bent and reformed in response.
"I've examined the wards at several points during this weekend and I have not detected any intrusions," Albus said, lifting his wand.
"Which would suggest that whoever modified the Bludger is a resident of the school," Severus said. He had suspected as much.
Albus continued to watch the silver wires, his expression thoughtful. "Perhaps. I don't have to tell you that it would be very difficult for a student to modify the charms on a Bludger so that it only went after Rachel. They keyed it to follow her magical signature."
Severus frowned. That was advanced magic - NEWT level in Charms at least. "Have you spoken with Filius to see if any of his advanced students have shown such abilities?"
"I have and he indicated that he believed none of his current students would be able to do so. However, it's possible that a student may be holding back in class to conceal their true skills," Albus said, turning to look at Severus. "I hate to suspect any of our students or our colleagues, but the fact remains that someone intended to harm Rachel, perhaps grievously if she hadn't been helped by her teammates."
"I can question my students again, if you believe it would be useful," Severus offered. He didn't think he'd get any further with them without using legilimency, but he wasn't sure what else to do at this point.
"Not at this time. What we need is more information. Ask Rachel to stay close to her friends. Ask your prefects to keep an eye out for her. Whoever modified the Bludger is likely to act again and is unlikely to do so in front of us this time," Albus said, walking back over to his desk.
Severus followed. "I have already asked Rachel to stay with her friends due to the situation of the Chamber of Secrets, and my prefects are watching over her. Rachel said something to me today that I thought you should know," he said, taking a seat across from Albus.
"Yes?" Albus asked, adjusting his glasses.
"She and her friends believe that Slytherin's monster is a basilisk, and that Rachel was hearing the voice of the basilisk traveling through the pipes when she found Mrs. Norris and Mr. Finch-Fetchley," Severus explained. He'd been quite surprised when Rachel explained it to him, but he had to admit it was the first explanation they had for the voices that made sense.
"Interesting," Albus said. "They must account for the basilisk's deadly gaze through indirect exposure."
"Precisely," Severus said.
"Mr. Finch-Fetchley will be able to tell us what he saw soon, I presume," Albus asked.
"Yes, the Mandrake should be arriving next week. If Mr. Finch-Fetchley saw a basilisk that would seem to confirm that the Chamber of Secrets is real," Severus said, barely daring to believe it.
"It would be near definitive proof," Albus agreed. "I had wondered, but we've searched Hogwarts thoroughly. I am quite flummoxed as to how the Chamber is being opened."
Severus nodded. "I am as well."
"We will know soon enough and at that time we will search the castle again, if need be," Albus said.
Severus didn't know what searching the castle again would accomplish, but he would do so if Albus directed. There was little else they could do.
"Is there anything else we should discuss tonight?" Albus asked.
Severus got to his feet. "No. I will keep you apprised regarding the Mandrake."
"Very well. Goodnight, Severus."
"Goodnight, Albus."