I was afraid. I don't deny that for a second, I was dead scared. Looking at the display on the front doors of the castle, the blood red color of the letters that seemed to glow vibrantly against the dark brown wood of the doors and that rooster hanging by its feet from a nail sent fear coursing through my veins like I had never felt, not even when faced with that Basilisk down in the Chamber. It wasn't the sight that scared me, though. It wasn't the words, the elaborate display of letters, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir Beware," nor even that rooster strung up by its talons.

No… what made me almost nauseous with fear and apprehension was how when I stepped out into the Entrance Hall with Tom and made my way to the center of the crowd to look up at all of it, the student body began slowly parting, forming a circle around myself and Tom. My only instinct was to back into the crowd as well, and both Tom and I did manage to, but that didn't end the fear. They continued looking towards me, whispering, and I knew what they were all thinking. I had done this, I was Slytherin's Heir. Indeed I was Slytherin's Heir, but I didn't understand how they could have expected me to psychotically paint words on the wall in blood or some similar liquid overnight (then again, who would suspect Tom?). The worst I had ever done to a large group of people at one time was organized all of Slytherin House to throw rocks at the Gryffindor Quidditch team in my third year, and I had taken the blame for that entirely. This, though, wasn't me. It wasn't my style and it wasn't anything I could ever do, alone or otherwise.

I was almost considering backing out of it all at that point, when I saw just how many were going to point the finger at me. Even some teachers were looking at me in an utterly flabbergasted manner. When I heard a feeble voice calling for silence as its owner made its way to the front of the crowd to look up at the atrocity, everyone did indeed grow silent (except me, as I was already at a complete lack of words). Headmaster Dippet saw the rooster first, no doubt, and then read the words, and I saw him turn to look towards all of us.

"Everyone, move on to the Great Hall. That isn't a suggestion!" he added when he saw that quite a few were only going to continue to gawk. He then began calling people out of the crowd…. "Er, Albus – Herbert, you as well, and you Horace! Abraxas, if you wouldn't mind? And – Filius, there you are, barely saw you there – and where is… there, Gaunt! Come here at once!"

I flinched, froze, considered faking passing out on the patch of floor I was standing upon to avoid confrontation, and then decided not to all in a matter of a few milliseconds. My feet carried me automatically (though reluctantly) over to Dippet, just as the Heads of House (with a no doubt soon to be Head of House among them) were joining him. There was Herbert Beery, the head of Hufflepuff and Herbology Master. Slughorn, of course, who would most likely be taking over as Head of Slytherin soon. Abraxas Malfoy was the current head, and taught Arithmancy. Albus Dumbledore, who was in the department of Transfiguration, and Filius Flitwick of Charms, had both recently been named the Heads of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

If any time was ripe for me to be intimidated, that time was now. Any one of them could have kicked me out of Hogwarts with no more than a snap of their fingers.

"Mr. Gaunt," said Dippet – it surprised me to hear him use any formal address in front of my name, but I suppose he was a bit scared if he thought I had opened the Chamber of Secrets, "is this your work?"

"No sir," I said, attempting to maintain a tone of someone trying to remain calm who was really scared out of their wits. "I – I've no idea who would have done something like this."

I continued staring up at those glowing red letters, trying to pretend that I wasn't surrounded by people I couldn't get rid of just by hexing.

"Are you sure of it?" said Dippet, his tone sharp. "I've got plenty of ways to find out if you're lying."

"Sir," came Dumbledore's voice next, "I might take care in reminding you that the use of Veritaserum on any student at this school is prohibited strictly by both the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts's own rules."

Was Dumbledore actually on my side in this, with as much as I often tortured the students of his house? If he was, I'd be grateful forever. Whoever's side Dumbledore was on was almost always the winning side. He practically ran the school most of the time. Dippet was rather frail and easily flustered, so Dumbledore was forced to make many important decisions. He also had a better understanding of the students than Dippet ever had.

"Yes, that is correct, but other methods are not prohibited. Legilimency is allowed, we could call in someone skilled in such arts, I'm sure no expert would be needed." I grinned inwardly – despite the situation I was in, that had amused me in the slightest bit. No expert would be needed. I hoped Dippet did call someone in, he'd be in for quite a surprise.

"I hope," said Malfoy, and I took particular care in not looking towards him, "Timothy, that you didn't do this. I'd hate to see someone from my own house expelled for something so petty. Headmaster, you can't actually believe that such a thing even exists, can you?" he said. "This is likely the doing of someone in my house looking to unnerve the other students as a practical joke of utterly abysmal taste, but not a proper threat of any sort. I see no need to panic."

"Definitely not," agreed the short, rather squeaky Professor Flitwick. "Too many experts have searched for it and not found it for any student to be able to. It must be simple trickery!"

"Regardless of whether it is or not," said Dumbledore, "we must take proper precautions. Herbert, for instance – you could start some of your classes raising mandrakes, as they heal many different ailments, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Indeed they do, and I normally have my classes raise them starting 'round this time of the year as it is, a brilliant suggestion. And I'm sure Horace is prepared to make any potion needed in case of an emergency?"

"W – wait," I said, finally looking back down from the message at all of them, "if this is real, then couldn't students end up dead?"

They all seemed to examine me in silence at this. I had expected Dippet and Malfoy to look at me suspiciously, but they were joined also by Beery and Flitwick. Dumbledore and Slughorn, however didn't seem overly suspicious. Slughorn looked amazingly cheery for such a situation, but he normally did look overly cheery in any situation – though that cheer seemed to be accompanied by a bit of moroseness and confusion that expressed he wasn't sure if this was even real or not. Dumbledore didn't seem suspicious, just curious. Dippet was the first to speak.

"That's assuming this is real, first of all," said Dippet, sounding at least slightly irritated, "and if that's the case, then what can be done to reverse death? Do you have any ideas?"

"Headmaster," said Dumbledore calmly, "Timothy is quite right. We must take necessary precautions to guard the castle, so death can be prevented. We may have to appoint more than just Prefects to guard the halls at night; other trusted students who don't have the Prefect status and a few teachers, for instance. Hogwarts needs to be better protected outside and in, if there is some sort of… ah – presence here that could harm witches and wizards, we surely don't want it escaping out into the world. It's better to have it locked within the school where it can't escape."

Dippet blinked a few times. "Yes, I suppose that does make sense. Albus, Filius, I will trust both of you to strengthen the enchantments around the school. Herbert, the mandrakes, as Albus suggested, and Horace, I'm sure your extensive knowledge of Potions will be a great help to the cause. Abraxas, please keep a watch on all members of your house for any suspicious activity at all. If you suspect anyone is out after hours or doing something they shouldn't be, then report them to me at once."

All of the teachers were instructed to head off, as I was instructed to go on into the Great Hall. I was extremely grateful that the Slytherin table was nearest to the door on that particular morning, for my own house (most of whom were solely devoted to "Lord Voldemort's" plans of Muggle purging) wasn't going to start bothering me about the message regarding the Chamber of Secrets. I took my usual seat at the table, rather surprised to find that Annabelle had somehow managed to steal Tom's seat without being cursed, and that Tom was nowhere in sight.

"You're not being expelled, are you?" was the first thing she said as I sat down, sounding genuinely concerned.

"No," I said. "Dumbledore took my side, and I should be safe unless he changes his mind. It wasn't my doing anyway," I added. "No doubt people will think it was."

"Well, you are –"

"A Gaunt, yes, I know," I said, irritated more than ever by that little fact, "which means I technically am the heir of Slytherin, but I'm certainly not mad enough to paint something like that in blood on the front doors of the castle."

Annabelle looked around for a moment, then back at me. "Then you didn't have anything to do with it?" she asked quietly. I could have sworn she sounded almost disappointed. That didn't make any sort of sense for her; what in the world had Tom said to her? She definitely didn't have the air about her of someone under the Imperius Curse. People under it, regardless of how well the spell was cast, seemed to be stuck in a zombie-like state of ignorance, ready to obey the caster at any given moment. Annabelle seemed to be thinking for herself, just thinking differently than what was normal for her.

Of course, I had always managed to avoid this sort of topic with her after finding out about her family. She was a prideful pureblood from a family of blood traitors, people who had made her hate everything to do with the tolerance of Muggles and Muggleborns and Squibs. It wouldn't surprise me that she would support such witches and wizards from being eliminated from the population of Hogwarts' students, but for her to want to openly talk about it in the Great Hall seemed a bit off.

"I can't say."

"Then you are helping Tom," she said, and I raised my eyebrows. "He told me he was planning something to get them out of Hogwarts that you knew about, and that it was why you were being so distant. I never thought it would be this big, I suppose you were right to want to stay behind. I can't believe anyone actually found the Chamber," she added quietly. "I know both of you are smart, but the other three founders couldn't even locate it after Slytherin left, and they were brilliant."

"Slytherin was just a little bit smarter," I said, glancing back behind me at the rest of the Great Hall. I immediately drew my attention back to the Slytherin table, however, upon finding that half of the student body were whispering and pointing in my direction. "And I wasn't the one who found it, I didn't even help, he just informed me he had. Did you get your cloak back?"

"Oh, no," she said, smiling, "I imagine it can be used for more important things this year than my sneaking into Hogsmeade in the middle of the night. I… am sorry I got so angry. I still think I'm right that Tom's changed since his first year, and not necessarily for the better, but his plans for the Wizarding World are… just brilliant, I can't even begin to fathom how a sixteen year old could think up such ideas."

"Yes, speaking of Tom," I said, growing more suspicious with every passing second, "where did he head off to?"

"He said he was going back to the common room for something, why – where're you going?" she asked as I stood.

"Er – I need to go get something from the common room," I said, before heading quickly for the door.

I honestly couldn't comprehend what he could have possibly said to her to turn her into one of his brainwashed followers overnight. I walked past the front doors of the castle without a single glance at them and hurried through the dungeons, barely aware of my surroundings as they passed by me, until I reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room. I practically barked the password "Serpenttongue" at the damp patch of wall, waited for it to fade, and walked into the common room as the wall rematerialized itself behind me. I saw Tom stand from a chair as I entered.

"About time," he said. "We have to get to the Chamber." He tossed me something, which I caught and found to be Annabelle's invisibility cloak. "You're under more suspicion than I am, so I suggest you wear that on the way there. I still have the broomsticks," he added, heading towards the stairs to the boys' dormitories. "As it is daylight, I suggest you carry them underneath the cloak. God forbid Albus Dumbledore should see me pacing the castle carrying those around, I'd become the lead suspect in an instant. I suppose he got you out of trouble with Dippet?"

"Wh – you – what?" I said loudly as he stepped onto the first step of the staircase. "Yes, but –"

"That's good, I guessed Dumbledore would trust you enough. Wait there, I'm getting the broomsticks, we'll obviously need them to get back out of the Chamber."

I shook my head incredulously as Tom hurried up the staircase. He couldn't expect to be able to avoid confrontation like this, just by changing the subject before I even started talking about it, could he? It certainly had worked for that period of time. I had to plan something to say. I leaned against the wall and thought for a moment. When I heard footsteps coming back down the stairs, I had decided on my question, I would simply ask what he said to Annabelle.

However, the moment I opened my mouth to speak, he cut me off by walking past me and handing me the brooms. "Don't waste time, put the cloak on. And it wouldn't be wise to talk, anyone walking past would think I'm talking to myself if I reply to someone who's actually invisible, which is a sign of insanity in both the Muggle and the Wizarding World." I shook my head, but threw the invisibility cloak over me and the two broomsticks and followed Tom out into the dungeon corridors.

"What did you say to Annabelle?" I asked quietly.

"I already told you," he replied. "I told her what I told you I'd tell her last night, and I didn't have to use Legilimency. Why?"

"Because she's acting like she's been brainwashed."

"Like she's under the Imperius Curse?"

"Not so much, no," I said, still quietly in case someone came out from around a corner. "But she apologized for something I did, which I'm still not entirely sure I understand. She apologized for her getting angry, but considering I was the one who got her angry and she's usually stubborn enough to hold onto things like this –"

"All I told her was about my plans for the Wizarding World. I didn't mention the Chamber of Secrets by name, but I did mention that I was working on something to get Muggleborns out of Hogwarts that you were helping me with, and that it was dangerous enough that one wrong move could get either of us killed," said Tom. "I didn't lie, I didn't use any magic to convince her, I just managed to talk her over to my side. I suppose she apologized because she didn't realize how serious all of it was."

"I suppose, but it's still odd…"

We both grew quiet at the sound of footsteps down the dungeons, and I was unsurprised that they turned out to belong to Slughorn. I didn't think he had yet headed back to his office yet after my brief (thanks to Professor Dumbledore, who I now had a new sort of respect for) interrogation. Slughorn stopped Tom for a moment, and I chose to as well. I surely wasn't about to head to the Chamber of Secrets and speak with a giant snake alone, that would have been simply loony.

"Nasty thing, this 'Chamber of Secrets' nonsense, isn't it?" Slughorn was saying to Tom. I leaned back against the wall as much as I could – no doubt Slughorn would notice if he bumped into something invisible in the middle of the dungeons.

"I wouldn't think much of it," said Tom. "Even if it exists, no one at this school would be willing to open it. It's most likely a trick."

"Oho, but that's the thing right there – the staff in charge of investigating everything determined that rooster to have been killed by the Killing Curse, which it's doubtful any student would know as it is! And even if they do," he added, "then I personally doubt they would use it as part of a trick. What's more is Blanell showed up in the castle yesterday claiming someone had killed half of the chickens in the pens by his hut, no doubt the same who did this. Professor Dumbledore proposed questioning the students who didn't head to Hogsmeade yesterday, disregarding those in their first and second year who have doubtfully learned magic that advanced." He gave a quick glance down at his watch. "Oh, the time – loads of work to do, they've set me in charge of any medicinal potions we might need in case this does turn out to have some truth behind it. Must be going. Good day, Mr. Riddle."

And he set off, Tom half-glaring after him. We continued walking, and when he was out of earshot, Tom spoke quietly. "That was a mistake. Using the Killing Curse, I should have known they'd be able to detect it. It is easily detectable. They'd die without showing any signs of health issues, no blood –"

"Then what was used on the door in the entrance hall?" I asked.

"Aguamenti," he said. "I transfigured the water into a similar substance, then used a permanent sticking charm so they'd have trouble removing it. Everything there was mostly just for effect; no one would believe the Chamber might actually be opened if I had decided to write it on the wall in ink. They didn't have to believe it for it to work, I just had to give an alert to the castle before releasing the Basilisk."

A substance similar to blood with a dead chicken hanging over it. That would be nightmare material for any first years – regardless of being an heir myself, had I been in my first year and seen that, I surely would have dreamt of monsters slithering out of the dark through the corridors and dungeons with the letters painted in a "substance similar to blood" gleaming in its wake. The castle was in severe danger now, and I was helping it into a state of further danger. Was it right? Certainly not. It was my own cowardice that kept me going, my own fear that I would be the serpent's first victim if I backed down now. I was just a selfish teenager. I was one of those types that believed, in the back of their minds, that their lives were far superior to those around them. So I had to keep going. If I stopped, I'd be killed, and that was the last thing I wanted. The castle would have been better off if I had stood up, for the sake of Hogwarts and the innocents that roamed its halls, and allowed my life to be taken for the sake of justice.

Lately, I wonder whether I would have been better off.