"Take the boy to the Chamber," hissed the high pitched, chilly voice.
"We can do it if we're careful," came in a response.
This was it; it was seconds until the Potter boy was his, and then everything would be over. The Ministry would fall, Hogwarts would be under his control, and every single witch and wizard would be utterly afraid if they said his name. He was going to do it, he was —
Harry's eyes suddenly opened, and his conscious came back to normal. He was being shoved through the pitch black halls of the Hogwarts Express, passing compartment after compartment of frightened students. This was it; his death was nearing him. Any second, he would be dead along with Mr. Weasley, Dumbledore, Sirius, Cedric, and his parents. Voldemort would prevail, and there was nothing Harry could do about it.
Suddenly, a compartment door opened, and revealed Rufus Scrimgeour. "What are you doing?" he asked.
The Death Eaters shoved past him, but Scrimgeour yelled, "Stupefy!" and one of them fell to the ground. The other one picked up his wand quite rapidly and yelled "Avada Kedavra!"
No, this couldn't be. Once again, a headmaster removed. Especially by the worst treatment: death. Then Ginny's words came upon him: Death and Secrets shall be released soon.
The Death Eater stomped over the other one, dragging Harry towards the front of the train. Where was Harry's wand? He suddenly remembered it was in his back pocket. If he could just silently slip his hand into it...
He pointed his wand at the Death Eater and quickly yelled, "Imperio!" The Death Eater stopped in its tracks, took off its mask, and revealed Lucius Malfoy. He looked at Harry, and said, "Why in the bloody hell am I here?" and walked off the train into the rain.
The lights turned on and the train began moving once more. That was strange, but wonderful at the same time, Harry thought, and walked way back to the compartment he was originally sitting in.
When he came to the compartment, he suddenly found it was oddly silent; the whole train was, in fact. Harry sat down, and noticed Ron and Hermione had returned.
Nobody talked for an unusually long period of time, but Harry suddenly broke the silence:
"Rufus Scrimgeour is dead."
"What happened?" Ginny asked.
"The Death Eater killed —"
"No, I mean, what happened? Why did they take you? What did they do?"
"I...fainted...and started thinking Voldemort's thoughts... He was standing in the Chamber —"
"The Chamber of Secrets?" asked Hermione, with her I-Am-Right-And-I-Told-You-So look.
"Yes. And he thought he was going...to kill me —" everyone shuddered at that comment "— but Rufus Scrimgeour...He exited a compartment and...and stood up for me. He stunned one of the Death Eaters...but the other one killed him at that instance."
There was no response to Harry's story. Silence drew on in the compartment, until Luna started discussing on about Nargles, which really didn't catch Harry's attention much at the moment. He was thinking about Voldemort's thoughts: was the Chamber of Secrets really opened again, or was Voldemort trying to draw him there to have him killed?
When the students were filing out of the train to come into Hogwarts, the rain had ceased, and the stars lit up the night sky. Comments on whoever was going to become the new headmaster dawned on the students throughout their path out of the train.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked to find a carriage that would bring them to the castle.
"I think the Chamber could actually be open once again," said Hermione.
"That's just mental," came in Ron, and Hermione gave him a snarling look.
"I just don't understand," said Harry. "Why would Voldemort open the Chamber again if he wanted to protect his Horcruxes more?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione said. She paused, trying not to say the name, but continued on, "...Voldemort...is trying to drag you to the Chamber..."
"So I can get killed," finished Harry. Death was upon Harry, he knew it; he could die right at this instance.
Draco Malfoy happened to just be passing by the carriage, and stopped next to it.
"Little Harry Potter," he snarled. "Had to be saved by big Scrimgeour, I heard. My father had him murdered, and soon, it will be you."
"Buzz off, Malfoy," said Ron.
"Do you want an Unforgivable Curse used on you?" Malfoy said with a hint of happiness at the word.
Ron stood up with his wand ready, but Hermione tugged him, and he sat back down.
"Thought so," said Malfoy, and continued walking.
"Ronald, you've got to control your temper," Hermione said, giving Ron one of her famous perfect-kid speeches. "Malfoy could use the Cruciatous curse on you anytime."
The carriage moved on, into the night, toward the glowing castle of Hogwarts.
One by one, each student was filed into the Great Hall inside the castle. The four House tables were placed onto the floor: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Huffelpuff, and Ravenclaw. Harry, Ron, and Hermione took their places at the Gryffindor table. The first years would be entering the doors soon for the Sorting.
"I'm sure Malfoy's little brother will be placed in Slytherin," smiled Ron.
"Malfoy has a brother?" asked Hermione. Harry did not know that, either.
"Yeah," said Ron. "Perifius Malfoy. Little brat stole my Dungbombs at Diagon Alley years ago."
Harry thought there was a complete hundred percent chance that Perifius would be placed in Slytherin.
"Silence!" came in an echoing voice. All the students looked at the front of the Great Hall, and saw Professor McGonnagal at the place where Dumbledore had always started his first day speeches.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," continued McGonnagal. "As you may have figured out, because of the recent deaths, I am the new headmistress. This year will be a special year, but also a dramatically difficult time. The dark lord has arisen, yes, but it is the strength of Hogwarts to cease any fear or fright of the dark lord, and to persist with out bravery."
Malfoy, along with his friends, laughed at the sentence.
"Anyway, first off, I'd be happy to introduce our first years. Now, I'd like to ask each and every one of you to treat our first years nice, even though you think you're older, smarter, and have more powers over them. They shall enter the Great Hall, and be sorted by the Sorting Hat." At this, she pointed at the crumpled hat that somewhat had a form of a face on it. "Now, allow the first years to enter."
The large, golden doors opened, and first came Filch, which a growling face. Behind him were small children, looking nervous, anxious, jubilant, and amazed all at the same time. Many were staring at the sky-cieling.
"And just think," said Hermione, smiling, "that we were once those little kids there." To that, Ron rolled his eyes.
The Sorting went on, with many being received into Gryffindor, but, of course, Perifius coming into Slytherin. The feast began, and afterwards, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went into their dormitories to have actually have one of their first peaceful nights.
That didn't happen for Harry. He lie awake, under his covers, watching the Marauder's Map. Nothing seemed peculiar, except that Malfoy had left (which was a good thing). Harry put the map away, and fell into a deep sleep...
He would never find it, never. The Chamber would be one of the safest places to hide the Horcrux, yes, in the giant basilisk statue. He shall recreate the basilisk, and everything shall go wrong, everything.
He knew the Potter boy would never find the other Horcrux he hid in the ocean. The place wasn't important to him at all, but, at a time like this, he had to hide everything, no matter what.
No! He was being connected with the boy!
Harry jumped out of his bed, and looked around. The sun was just rising over the horizon. Harry attempted to get a few hours of rest before the first day began, but, could not. It was in the Chamber, it was! All he had to do was enter the Chamber and try to find it, as long as Voldemort was not guarding it. And the ocean...which ocean? Harry wondered about these thoughts for the first few hours of the morning, and it continued to fly with him until Defense Against the Dark Arts, with, for now, since Percy was temporarily dead, Professor Grubbyplank.
"Are you there, Potter?" came in Professor Grubbyplank.
Harry's head rose, and he muttered, "Yes."
"Good, anyway...," and she continued on with what Harry thought to be one of the most boring classes of Defense Against the Dark Arts ever.
"I thought Defense Against the Dark Arts was your favorite class," said Hermione after class.
"I thought it was," said Harry, "but not with Grubbyplank."
"I know," said Ron. "She's the most boring person on the face of this planet."
As the three were walking through the halls of Hogwarts, a screeching sound came out of nowhere. Then, horrible screams. They looked around, and saw one of the portraits screaming their lungs out.
"LITTLE FILTHY EVIL MAN!" it screamed. The portrait was of an enormously skinny woman, with short, brown hair that reached only to the tip of her ears, and an overdose of mascara all around her eyes, and even her cheeks. Harry could swear spit was flying from her mouth as she was screaming.
"STUPID, IDIOTIC MAN CANNOT BE DOING THIS!" she continued.
"What in the bloody hell is that?" said Ron.
"It's Grendawill Hentree," replied Hermione, "or known as the 'Scared Anorexic.'"
"What kind of a nickname is that?" Harry asked.
"How does it seem that you know everything about basically everything and everyone?" Ron asked.
"Maybe because I read just a tad bit more than the two you," Hermione replied, smiling with a self-obsessed look.
"HE'S GOING TO RUIN THE SCHOOL, THE CASTLE, EVERYTHING" Grendawill yelled. "HE'S IN THE CHAMBER AT THIS MOMENT AS WE SPEAK. WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! AHHH!" And she walked out of the portrait, her screams echoing from far away.
"Did she just say —?" Hermione began.
"The Chamber," Harry finished.
"Not that stupid thing again," said Ron.
"Oh my," said Hermione. "We're going to be late for Herbology." Hermione ran through the halls, with Ron and Harry following slowly as they talked.
"Welcome to the seventh and final year of Herbology," began Professor Sprout, in the greenhouse. "I know many of you are disappointed that you must take this class for your seventh year, but this information can actually make you wiser in a world where there is magic you've never imagined being alive."
There was that same sentence Lupin had told Harry.
"Now," continued Professor Sprout, "we're going to learn about dangerous plants, and how to react when you are encountering with one. Could someone tell me one of the five dangerous plants?" Of course, Hermione was the first to raise her hand. "Miss Granger?"
"Poisonous Grasps," answered Hermione.
"Wow! Amazing how you knew that!" Professor Sprout exclaimed, with a look of astonishment. "Fifty points to Gryffindor, for Miss Granger's obvious studying!
"Now, Poisonous Grasps were destroyed by the Ministry many years ago, but I say there are still a few that are alive. They can range in areas from one acre to almost thousands of acres. They resemble dark green vines, but don't be fooled. Even if you are a hundred yards away, the Poisonous Grasp can snap at you suddenly, and you will be instantly poisoned, which that is how it gets its name.
"I do not have any Poisonous Grasps with me here in the greenhouse, since that would be terribly dangerous, and since there are very few in the world. Now, this is the most complex of the dangerous plants. There are many spells related to the Poisonous Grasp, but I am going to show you a few. Well, does anyone know any spells with the Poisonous Grasp?"
No hands shot up, not even Hermione's.
"Well, I'll start out with a simple one then. To find out if a plant is a Poisonous Grasp, rotate your wand in a complete three hundred and sixty degree angle, and say Revealifo.
"Use the spell on the small examples of what a Poisonous Grasp looks like lying next to you."
Harry turned and looked on the table near him. He saw dark green vines grow out of the table, and were swiveling around him. He remembered something like those, but what were they? He saw a dark, eerie atmosphere, and hedges surrounding him, and remembered the Triwizard Tournament. The Poisonous Grasp was planted in the maze at the tournament three years ago. They had tried to grasp Cedric and Fleur.
Suddenly, a few of the vines rapidly lashed onto Harry's hand, and he could feel the circulation rushing out, but they eventually ceased their attempt.
"Don't worry about that, Potter," said Professor Sprout in response to Harry's anxious look. "These are not poisonous."
"Is this the actual size of a Poisonous Grasp?" asked Neville.
"Oh, heavens, no," Professor Sprout replied. "An actual Poisonous Grasp would be much, much larger. Now get to work."
Harry pointed his wand at the Poisonous Grasp, turned it in a three hundred and sixty degree angle, and said "Revealifo!"
A silvery goo squirted out from all of the vines of the Poisonous Grasp.
"The gooey substance," came in Professor Sprout, "is the poison. But, don't worry; this is not the real poison.
"Class is dismissed. Tomorrow, we will learn spells how to treat, and also destroy a Poisonous Grasp."
While walking out of class, Hermione came up to Harry, and said, "Isn't it obvious? She's teaching us about the Poisonous Grasp under McGonagall or someone else's orders. Everybody knows it's one of the most famous plants of the dark arts."
"Then how come I haven't heard about it yet?" protested Harry.
"The Ministry has strict rules on what teachers can and can't tell us," replied Hermione, "and, to many people, such as parents, the subject is just too frightening, but I, on the other hand, think we should learn about this plant, just in case we run into it."
Potions that week was not as Harry remembered it the year before. Professor Slughorn was not as impressed as last year with Harry's performance, since he had lost the Half-Blood Prince's tips.
Slughorn passed Harry's cauldron of what was supposed to be a rundown version of Vertiaserum. Slughorn simply shook his head at the somewhat brown, bubbling liquid, and nodded his head approvingly to Hermione's potion. Hermione looked at Harry with another look of self-obsession, such as saying, "Looks like this year will be a little tougher, huh? Told you so."
While attempting to fall asleep that night, Harry thought about Ginny, and how they hadn't said a word at all at Hogwarts this year. The memories of his second year and the Chamber of Secrets dawned upon him, and that was it. She was becoming possessed again! Harry thought he was crazy, and eventually fell into a deep, deep sleep...
He fell into the graveyard Cedirc was murdered three years ago. Suddenly, all of the Death Eaters, and Voldemort, including Malfoy and his Aunt Petunia, were surrounding them, their wands ready.
"Little baby Potter," sneered Malfoy. "Does he need his mommy now?"
"You never were that great of a nephew anyway," said Petunia.
"Give up now, Harry," said the dark, chilly voice Harry knew as Voldemort's. "You're going to die, and you know it."
"Harry!" came in Dumbledore. "Cast a spell, a jinx, whatever! Quickly!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
A sudden jet of green light poured from Voldemort's wand and towards Harry quickly.
I'm climbing up the wall...through the many walls...underneath the stairs, even...Beware...Kill...Kill...Kill...
Harry suddenly sat upright in his bed. He realized he was safe and sound in the boys' dormitory at Hogwarts, but he knew, all would not be safe and sound, not for long.
"Lumous!" he whispered, and his wand lit up brightly.
"Turn that off!" yelled Dean Thomas.
"Blimey, Harry!" came in Ron.
And there came the voice, the snakelike, chilly voice: Kill...Kill...Kill...