A/N: I must apologize in advance for not only taking so long to upload a new chapter, but for the length of this one. I had a lot to include in this chapter, so much was happening at that moment I didn't want to leave anything out. Enjoy!
"Do you remember this place?" Rema Traussle asked me opening the door.
I nodded walking inside the abandoned classroom. The room looked the same as it did when I last left. It still had a fireplace, a few chairs and some shelves. I noticed that a few things had been added. I saw three of the house symbols had been placed against the wall in front. Just below it were the book shelves full of various books. I saw the large window with the shelves underneath it to my right. Jean's radio was off to the side resting in the corner. In the center was lthe arge furnished table with chairs surrounding it, and a rug beneath it. The fireplace was to my left and beautifully decorated. I walked forward and onto the red carpet.
"It feels like a lifetime since I've been in here," I muttered.
"Welcome back," John-Claude Verese greeted while standing up.
"How did you guys get all this stuff in here?" I asked. I could tell they had gotten more things since last time.
"Some of it we brought from home. The rest we got from around the castle. Trust me its easier than it looks," Cissy Portello said walking in behind me.
I took a seat in one of the large chairs surrounding the table.
"I know that look," John said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"I'm sorry about Draco," John said placing a hand over mine. "Not all things are meant to be."
"Please, can't we have one conversation that does not involve Draco," Cissy shouted.
"Sorry Cissy," I responded. I glanced back up at the banners. Only one house was missing-the Slytherin Serpent. I sighed and glanced back up at John. Henry took a seat beside him.
"Halloween is coming up," Henry Beause chimed in.
"I can hardly wait for the feast," Cissy said. "Oh, I just hope there aren't any trolls this time."
"That was taken care of because of Harry and Ron," I told her.
"And Hermione," Rema added. "She was there to."
"Do you remember the dares and challenges we did afterwards? I thought we were going to lose you to that Whomping Willow Tree," Henry said.
"I remember the Forbidden Forest," Cissy said. "The first and only time we all got detention."
"No, there was that time we went after Jean's pet," I corrected her. "I just don't want to see that three headed dog again," I shuddered at the memory. I glanced down at my right hand. The dog had landed on it and broken it last year.
The door suddenly opened. Jean Reign walked inside with Keci Thomas and Stuart Campbell. The rest of us just gawked at their entrance. Jean smiled and walked over to the radio. She turned it to one of her usual favorite stations.
"Hi Stuart and Keci," Rema said with a smile. "Please have a seat."
They quietly took seats around the table. They were both shy but it didn't bother me.
"So, what shall we do this year?" Cissy asked.
I bit my bottom lip. I wasn't about to tell them about the jaguar's head I found. I had heard voices inside. People were in there and probably wouldn't want to be disturbed.
"I think we should let the adventure find us this time," John said. "It did last year."
"You wouldn't know about this Stuart," Rema told him.
"You would have loved it!" Henry said. "We were chased by vampires."
"I didn't think it was that great," Cissy said.
"You're just saying that because you were kidnapped," Henry retorted.
"No, I am not," Cissy said angrily.
"Well," Rema began", I don't think there's such a thing as a normal year at Hogwart's."
"Doesn't seem to be," I muttered to myself.
We continued to visit the abandoned classroom. October finally arrived to fullfil our excitement. Henry kept telling Stuart about last year's Halloween feast. I could tell that he was making Stuart nervous; mostly about the troll part. I kept my distance from Draco. I figured that if he didn't want to be my friend then there was no point in prolonging the inevitable. Several of the students and teachers had gotten sick. Jean had gotten sick and passed it on to Stuart, Keci, and Cissy. Mme. Pomfrey gave them Pepperup potion. It cured them instantly.
I used the spell that Ms. McGonagall showed me to keep warm. I had gotten used to constant rain. I would often run outside and try to dance in it. In Arizona it rarely rained so I was going to enjoy it while it lasted. Several of the students thought I was weird for doing so. The only thing I didn't like about dancing in the rain was that I always got muddy. I always had to take a shower afterwards. One night I saw Nearly Headless Nick send off a letter, but didn't bother to ask him about it.
"Come on," Jean said excitedly. "You don't want to be late do you?"
Jean was pulling me forward. The Halloween feast was about to begin. I fell behind practicing a few spells. I had gotten better, but I didn't think I was at the best of my skill just yet. I sent Cissy ahead of me. Jean came back for me and refused to leave without me. She pulled me off the bed and down towards the Great Hall. It was decorated with live bats, Hagrid's carved pumpkins, and the table was filled with tasty foods. I took my seat beside Cissy and Jean sat on my other side. I watched the dancing skeletons with great amusement.
"They're pretty good aren't they?" Cissy asked me.
I watched them finish the waltz dance, and begin the tango. "I think they're amazing," I replied. I applauded and cheered with the rest of the student body.
Once the feast ended the skeletons gave their bows. There was a loud applause for their talents. I grabbed a few pastries to snack on later. We got up and were each heading to our dormitories. Jean talked my, and Cissy's, ears off about how much fun she had. I shouldn't have let her eat so much candy tonight. We made our way up the stairs then stopped suddenly.
My mouth dropped slightly. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were standing in front of a large wall. On the wall was written 'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR BEWARE.' It was written in blood and will visible from the fire of the torches. I saw Mrs. Norris hanging by her tail under one of the torch brackets. The rest of the student body also came across the sight and froze in shock.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next mudbloods!" Draco suddenly shouted.
It snapped me back into reality. I closed my mouth and shook my head. The image was still there. Draco was grinning at the sight. I wasn't sure how he was getting joy out of this.
"What's going on here? What's going on?" Argus Filch shouted. He pushed his way through the student body to see what was happening. The reaction of Filch frightened me. It was the only time I had truly been afraid of someone. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" Filch demanded. He turned his attention to Harry. "You!" He screeched in fury. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"
I took a step back from them.
"Argus!" Dumbledore shouted. He walked swiftly towards Argus. "Come with me, Argus," he told Filch. I had to admire his way of handling these types of situations. "You too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," Dumbledore told them.
Lockhart eagerly stepped forward. "My office is nearest, Headmaster-just upstairs-please feel free-"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore cut him off.
I, and several of the other student body, moved out of their way. I watched them walk past me. Lockhart, Mcgonagall, and Snape followed behind them. I didn't feel much like going to bed now that I had seen this. The House Prefects took over and guided students to their dormitories.
"I can't believe that just happened," Cissy said stunned.
"Why would Harry do that to Mrs. Norris?" I asked.
"What makes you think it was Harry?" Cissy asked me.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Who else could have done it?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Cissy took a seat on my bed. "Last year Harry defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and now he's come back for revenge. Trust me I don't think Harry's the type to do something like that to anyone."
"Harry had already defeated him last year. How could he come back to get revenge this year?" I asked.
"I don't know and I don't care," Cissy responded. "Who else would do such a thing to Mrs. Norris?"
"Marina," I heard someone say. "Marina, are you there?"
I lifted my bag and searched through for a few seconds. I pulled out the mirror that Rema had given us over the summer. "John," I responded. His face was in the mirror. "I'm here."
"Are you okay?" John asked.
"I think so. Why?"
"Well, I wasn't sure. I heard what Draco said. I wasn't sure how you would feel?"
"I'm all right. I don't think he meant it. It was probably just-"
"Oh grow up Marina," Cissy said frustrated. "When are you going to learn that he's not perfect! If he really wanted to be your friend then he would be your friend. Just get over it already."
"Well," John interrupted", if you ever need to talk I'm always available."
"Thanks," I responded. The mirror went blank once again.
A few days later hadn't changed the situation. Filch continued to pace the spot where Mrs. Norris was hung by her tail. Filch had tried to remove the bloody message, but nothing worked. The thing I hated most about the situation was that I had never gotten so much detention before. Filch told me 'I was looking too happy' or 'you're breathing too loudly' among other idiotic excuses. I tried to avoid him but he always managed to find me. The student body gossiped about nothing else. Cissy made sure I knew every detail of everyone's theories.
Life still continued on, in one form or another. The teachers made sure we had plenty of homework to occupy our time. I just barely finished my History of Magic Homework before the class started. I always had trouble with essays. Professor Binns appeared through the chalk board. He took out his notes and began his lecture. I felt myself about to snooze when Hermione raised her hand in the air.
"Miss-er-?" He asked.
This had been the only class where Hermione didn't have her hand up every ten seconds. I still needed to make friends her. Who else was going to help me pass another year at Hogwarts?
"Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets."
I blinked myself awake. I was suddenly interested in the class. I waited for his response.
"My subject is History of Magic," he replied in his usual wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat to go back to his lesson. "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers-"
Hermione raised her hand in the air once again. Mr. Binns stopped his lecture again.
"Miss Grant?"
"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"
Mr. Binns just stared at her in amazement. He probably wasn't used to being interrupted in the middle of a lecture.
"Well," he began", yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He stared at her curiously. "However, the legend which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale-"He paused staring at the students in his classroom. For the first time everyone's faces were staring straight at him. "Oh, very well," he went on.
"Let me see…the Chamber of Secrets…" he paused trying to remember. " You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago-the precise date is uncertain-by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.'
"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.'
"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he went on. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.'
"Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."
The room was filled with an eerie silence. Professor Binns paused and stared at the curious students. I don't know what the others were waiting for, but I wanted to hear more.
"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," Binns said bitterly. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."
Hermione shot her hand back into the air. "Sir-what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"
"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," he responded.
I felt the sides of my mouth curl. This was really starting to get interesting.
"I tell you, the thing does not exist," he said angrily. "There is no Chamber and no monster." He began shuffling through his notes.
"But, sir," Seamus interrupted. "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"
"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," he said aggravated. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmaster and headmistresses haven't found the thing-"
"But, Professor," Cissy began", you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it-"
"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," Binns snapped. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore-"
"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't-" one of the boys began.
"That will do," he spat. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"
It didn't take me too much longer to get bored out of my skull again. We went to our usual classes and then eat dinner. Cissy had found something new to talk about-the Chamber of Secrets. She was now gloating about how He-Who-Must-Be-Named's heir. She came to the conclusion that his heir, whoever it was, had opened the chamber to get revenge. I had to admit it did fit with the clues in some strange way, but I tried to ignore her all the same.