Lucy, Gajeel, and Natsu sat down, scattered from each other. It was the talk of the whole school, how the mysterious writing appeared, warning about the Chamber of Secrets opening.
"I say it's Snape!"
"No way dude! It's probably Malfoy."
"What do you think is down there?"
"Where is it?"
Natsu put Happy on his desk, not exactly sure why McGonagall wanted animals in the class. "Natsu…. Why am I here? I wanna go back to sleep…." Happy whined, rubbing his tiny paw on his eye. "Sorry pal. McGonagall wanted animals in today. You can go back once class is over, alright?"
"Whatever today has in store, I am all for it." Lily whispered to Gajeel, determinedly. "Yeah, that's my cat!" Gajeel chuckled, rubbing Lily's head. "What are you doing Redfox?" Draco asked snuffly, walking by Gajeels's desk. "Talking to my cat, what else?" Gajeel shrugged.
"Good morning class." Everyone hushed and went back to their respective seats. Hermione snagged a seat next to Natsu in time, Pansy slid next to Gajeel, not saying a word. Meanwhile, Cho smiled and sat next to Lucy, who simply smiled back.
"Now today, we will be learning how to transform animals into water goblets." McGonagall explained, walking to the crow resting on the perch. Draco gave a look that showed that he was interested, everyone else merely shrugging. "Wait, what?" Happy muttered, shocked. "Like so. One two three, Vera Verto." Instantly, the crow like creature slowly shifted and its body becoming clean and clear. In its place, a glass water goblet.
"Woah!" Everyone awed.
Lily froze, staring at the now transformed Crow. "Damn it…" He thought. Happy blinked a bit, before calmly hopping off the desk and walking to the door. "Happy? Where are you going?" Natsu asked, everyone watching him jump to the door handle and opening it. "No way I'm doing that. I'm going to bed now." And with that, Happy flew off. Everyone blinked at that and turned to McGonagall.
"Don't worry Mister Dragneel. I'll provide you with an animal." She explained, trying not to smile at Happy's actions, as she has never seen such an action before. "Uh, Mister Weasley, why don't you go first?" McGonagall asked, walking over to Ron.
Ron nodded and took out his broken wand. "Remember, one two three, Vera Verto." McGonagall reminded him. Ron nodded and tapped his rat three times. "Vera Verto!" An unhealthy spark flew from his wand into the rat, only completing half of the transformation. All that Ron got was a furry goblet with a wagging tail.
Everyone snickered at Ron's misfortune, McGonagall sighing with a statement of replacement. Ron nodded and looked down. "Right who's next? Miss Granger?" She asked, looking at Hermione. Hermione put down her pen and looked down, something clearly on her mind.
"A-Actually, Professor McGonagall…. I was hoping…. If you would… tell us exactly what the Chamber of Secrets is….?" Everyone instantly looked up, their faces asking her to tell them. McGonagall, her face surprised, looked at Gajeel, Lucy, and Natsu, their faces pleading with her the most. They wanted to know.
They needed to know.
"...Very well…. You all know, of course, how Hogwarts was founded." She started, strolling down the classroom. "It was founded over a thousand years ago, by the four greatest Witches and Wizards of Age. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Now, three of the founders co-existed quite harmoniously. One… did not."
"Three guesses who." Ron muttered to Harry.
"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective of the students selected into Hogwarts. He believed, that magical learning should be kept within all magic families. In other words, pure-bloods." McGonagall continued, pointing at Draco.
Draco gave Hermione a look, Hermione glaring at him ice daggers in return.
"Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now. According to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber within the castle, known as The Chamber of Secrets. Though shortly after departing, he sealed it. Until his own true heir returns to the school."
Susan and Justin looked at each other, worried if this had anything to do with Gray's random behaviour. Natsu looked back at Lucy, both of them giving looks of concerns to each other. Lily hummed, and Gajeel looked down at him, concerned.
"The heir alone will be able to open the Chamber. And unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school all those, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic." She finished, adjusting her glasses. "Muggleborns." Hermione thought outloud.
McGonagall nodded, and pointed her wand at Hermione. "Of course, the school has been searched many times. No such chamber has been found." The teacher clarified, hoping to ease her worried students. "Professor, what does legend tell what is dormant in the chamber?" Hermione asked, one last question.
"It is said that inside is a creature that only the heir of Slytherin can control. They believe that it is the home…. Of a monster."
Everyone looked at each other concerned, some wishing they never knew why. Ron had a panicked look on his face and immediately looked at Malfoy, who smiled at him as if he already knew this. Gajeel subtly eyed Natsu who nodded, knowing what they were dealing with now. Lucy tsked, knowing she would have to talk to the others about this.
Hermione looked at the three of them, subtly looking at each other as if they were planning something. "That's it. I'm going to get to the bottom of this." She decided, snapping her head back to the front.
"Do you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked, strolling with Hermione and Harry. "Yes!" Hermione sighed aggressively, rolling her eyes. "Every one of the teachers are worried." She argued, debunking Ron's question. "Well… let's just say there is a Chamber of Secrets, and let's say it has been opened, then that means…."
"The Heir of Slytherin has returned to Hogwarts. The question, who is it?" Hermione asked, looking at the boys. Ron had a bit of a thought, until when Draco and his goonies pushed past Ron, Gajeel the last one past him. "Let's think. Who in Slytherin we know who hates all Muggle-borns-"
"If you're talking about Malfoy…" Hermione interrupted in a sort of disapproving tone, perhaps worried that Ron would call Draco something stupid again. "Of course I'm talking about Malfoy! You heard him, 'You'll be next Mud-Bloods.'"
Hermione scoffed, knowing what she heard. "I just find it ridiculous that Malfoy is the heir." She reasoned. "But Hermione, Ron may be right! I mean, look at his family. The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin for centuries." Harry reasoned.
Ron smiled, finally having a good idea. "Crabbe and Goyle are his best friends. Maybe we can trick them into telling us!" He said with pride. "Even those two muttonheads aren't that thick." Hermione sighed, shaking her head. "What about Gajeel?" Harry asked, looking at Ron and Hermione.
"He's in on something. And frankly, I don't trust Lucy or Natsu either. Even Gray when he was still here." Hermione said blatantly. "Why?" Ron asked. Hermione scoffed, stopping in the middle of the hallway. "All of them are acting weird. A Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, AND a Slytherin sitting in the same cart is a recipe for disaster, and yet they were all acting like they were friends! But at the beginning of last year, they acted like they didn't know each other." Hermione reasoned.
"I'm pretty sure that's called making friends." Ron said, a bit confused. "Yes, but all of them are in different houses!" She tried telling him again. "Oh right…. Yeah, that is a bit weird." Ron admitted, now thinking about it.
"Anyway…" Hermione continued. "Crabbe and Goyle are our best chances. And I think I know how. But we'll be breaking about fifty school rules, and not to mention it will be dangerous. Very. Dangerous." Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged. "Guess it's the only way." Ron sighed. Hermione smiled and nodded.
"Follow me." Hermione turned and walked down, the others following her. As she did, stopped, noticing Gajeel with Lucy and Natsu, all three of them staring at them. As if they had preying eyes. Harry stopped, Ron bumping into his back. "Why'd you stop?" Ron asked, looking at Hermione.
As soon as the fairies noticed she was looking at them, they all turned away and nodded, before Lucy and Natsu splitted ways, leaving Gajeel alone, before Draco called him over. "Hermione, is something wrong?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione's direction, then back her. "I'll tell you later. Let's go." She said, and started walking again.
Hermione skimmed the books on the shelves, and tapped on the book she needed. She pulled it out and opened it to the page she needed. "Here it is. The Polyjuice Potion. When properly brewed, this potion will have the ability to transform you into the physical form another being temporarily." Hermione read. "So if Harry and I drink that stuff, then we could transform into Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron clarified. "Yes."
"Wicked, Malfoy will tell us anything! Let's do it!" Ron whispered triumphantly. "Well, the truth is…. It will take a while. I've never seen such a complex potion." Hermione admitted, flipping the pages. "Well, how long will it take…?" Harry asked, looking Ron, then at Hermione. Hermione put a worried looked on her face, as she looked at her friends.
"A month…." Hermione said sheepishly.
"Wait a month?! Hermione, if Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin, what's to stop him from striking the muggle-borns in the next month?" Harry whispered violently. "I know. But it's the only plan we got." Hermione told him, concerned as he was.
As the three students looked at each other, a dark shadow that was leaning on the bookshelf huffed and stood up straight. He put his hands in the pockets of his robe and walked away. Hermione shifted her position, sensing something was watching them.
"Hermione? You ok? You've been acting weird lately." Ron asked, a bit concerned at her weird behaviour. "No, it's nothing." She lied, looking back at them. "So what did you see back there?" Ron asked. "Gajeel, Natsu, and Lucy were looking at me weirdly. I think they're onto us." She whispered.
"Hermione, you're conspiring over nothing." Ron sighed, he and Harry leaving. Hermione's jaw was dropped, watching them leave. "Oh, why do I bother…" She muttered, stomping behind them.