Chapter 8 here. Chapter 9 shall be up tomorrow.

Sitting at the chair in the circular office of Headmaster Dippet, I gazed disinterestedly off to the side, out the window facing the mountains to the east of the school. Those there were Armando Dippet, Albus Dumbledore, Filius Flitwick, Herbert Beery, and Abraxas Malfoy, discussing something quietly enough so I couldn't hear a word of what they were saying. There was no doubt in my mind that Malfoy and Dippet were siding against me by the way Malfoy kept glaring. Dumbledore looked to be at his most peaceful state of utter disagreement, and Flitwick, whose head was barely visible over Dippet's desk, seemed to be in agreement with whatever Dumbledore was saying. Beery generally got along amiably with Dumbledore, so he had probably taken the same side.

I just wasn't entirely sure what side that was.

Dumbledore had to be mad if he still supported the idea that I was even partially innocent in any of this. I thought Malfoy might have taken my side a bit more after the quick word I had with him earlier, but after everything I said about his beloved family, he was probably just angry enough to claim that he had seen me acting suspiciously and make up an elaborate story to go along with it. None of that mattered. If I was kicked out of school, so be it. However, by the most unlikely chance that Dumbledore might still be on my side, I might just be lucky enough to be allowed to stay. I hoped I would be. I would be prone to patricide if I was sent home to live with the ogre that called itself my father.

"Gaunt." I glanced over when Dippet finally spoke up. "I daresay you know why you are here." I blinked, and he seemed to take this as a valid response. "Yes. I'm going to tell you straight out that unless you can come up with any proof or reasoning that you aren't behind this Chamber of Secrets nonsense, you may not be allowed to remain at Hogwarts for much longer."

I turned my head to consider the frail old man fully. "Is that so, sir?"

"Indeed it is."

"Then it's probably a good thing that I have a good bit of reasoning," I said. "Well, not a good bit, but at least one decent reason. Would you care to hear it?"

"Not particularly, but some of us believe that it is necessary." I noticed him glance off to his right side, where Dumbledore, Flitwick, and Beery were standing.

"Then I suppose I should enlighten you, sir." I sat up straighter. "You see," I said slowly, "the main reason this couldn't have been me is because I'm not an idiot." I struggled not to grin at the look of absolute loathing I received at this.

"Gaunt, this is an extremely serious matter here," said Dippet, strumming his fingers on the table in an impatient manner. "This is a question concerning whether or not you will be able to complete your education at Hogwarts and, in the most serious case, whether or not you should be sent to Azkaban on your seventeenth birthday."

"I'm fully aware of that, sir. If you wish for me to elaborate –"

"Go ahead, then!"

I nodded. "Anyone in my situation would be the least likely to have started something like this automatically. It's easy enough to see why, I suppose. I knew I would be suspected immediately if anything like this ever happened durring my time at Hogwarts. I knew that my first year, and I still know it, which is why I never would do something like this. When I saw the message the 'heir of Slytherin' left on the doors of the castle, I knew immediately I was going to be suspected. The person doing this is deliberately trying to incriminate me by making it seem as though I'm the one doing it. Everyone here knows that the Gaunts are Slytherin's last direct descendents. Everyone also knows that my relationship with Algie Longbottom isn't exactly friendly. If this was me, he would have been the last person to have been targeted. If I had done that, I would have been just asking to be thrown out of school. Whoever's doing this, I can guarentee that they're purposely doing it to make me look like the guilty one."

Dippet looked very unconvinced. "Thank you for that tremendously rehearsed excuse, Gaunt."

"You're quite welcome, sir."

And at that, Dippet's fist landed on the desk with a dull thump. "Gaunt, you're in a bad enough situation as it is, now is most certainly not the best time for you to be making jokes! Your reasoning is intelligent enough, but the facts are a bit overpowering. There was a message on the wall from the 'heir of Slytherin,' indeed, as well as a dead rooster hanging there. Do you know when it would have been killed?"

"No, sir."

"The day of the first Hogsmede trip, yesterday, and if my knowledge is correct, you decided to stay at the castle."

"I suppose it won't hurt to tell the truth," I said with a shrug. "I was out after hours Friday night and got back in a bit late. I was feeling a bit tired, so I decided to stay in on Saturday and work on an essay due for my Defense Against the Dark Arts class. The most I did to leave the castle was to attempt to figure out where Tom had gotten off to. I'd like to tell you my Saturday was a bit more interesting than that, but that would be a boldfaced lie."

"If you're so willing to be truthful, then why not enlighten us as to what you were doing out after hours on Friday night?"

"Sneaking into Hogsmeade."

"When the entire school would be going the next day?"

"The night life it just so much more lively." Seeing the look I received at this, I quickly continued; Dippet was right that I was currently in no place to be spouting sarcastic remarks. "Sorry, sir. I'll do my best to at least start keeping to the Slytherin common room after hours if you allow me to stay."

"I would hope so. Regardless, as you have admitted to being out after hours, the mandatory amount of points that need be taken from Slytherin is fifty." And I noticed the scowl I received from Malfoy at this. I bowed my head somberly in understanding.

"I understand, sir."

"Now, the best course of action to take would be the use of veritaserum, but unfortunately, the school has not been given this right. There are other methods." I grinned inwardly – the only other method Dippet would think of would be Legilimency. Dumbledore was the one professor in the school who knew full well that I had a rather extensive knowledge of Occlumency, as he was the only one who could use Legilimency. As he wasn't objecting at all to this, I knew it was safe to assume that he was still on my side. He might not be if I blocked him out now, but he was for the time being. If he asked me about it later, I could simply inform him that I know something about it that I can't divulge for fear of death or permanent injury.

"Even so," Dippet continued, "there isn't nearly enough evidence that this was your doing for us to lawfully be allowed to use any methods yet. You're free to go for now. Just be warned that if it happens again, you will be back here."

I nodded, just barely managing to hide my surprise. I had been hoping to finish this tonight. "Even if I say I'd rather get this over with now, there wouldn't be anything you could do?" I checked.

"Nothing." Dippet sounded rather disappointed by this. "I myself do wish to get this over with quickly, but the Governing Board of Hogwarts has cast their vote and they do not believe the situation is yet serious enough for any action to be taken except interrogation."

And this was, of course, cause for an accidentally blurted out, "What?" Dippet looked at me oddly. "Someone's made a direct threat to the school and put Algie Longbottom in the hospital in practically the state of a statue. How is this not a serious enough situation?"

"That was all that they told me –"

"Come to me…"

The voice came to me suddenly. I nearly jumped, but managed not to as I continued to half-listen to Dippet. I knew what the voice was well enough. Of course no one else here would recognize it. That voice belonged to Slytherin's monster, the Basilisk. It was on an evening prowl, looking for some unfortunate Muggleborn roaming the halls, perhaps even a prefect, or perhaps – and this struck me quickly and quite hard – even a teacher? That wouldn't be good at all.

"Let me rip you…"

"… and therefore, until they can confirm this wasn't an incident brought about by a cowardly student – or even a teacher, for that matter – who won't strike again, it is not within my power to do anything other than interrogate you."

"Pity," I replied absently, still listening to the voice of the Basilisk

("… tear you…. Let me kill you….")

more intently than anything else. How far away could Tom hear it from, I wondered? Neither of us had heard it prior to Algie Longbottom being found on the floor of the bathroom – at least, I hadn't. I supposed there was a chance Tom had and he just hadn't mentioned it.

"I smell blood…"

I blinked a few times. That definitely couldn't be good.

"Abraxas, please escort Timothy as far as the Entrance Hall."

"I take it you'd still prefer it if I wasn't left alone, eh, sir?" I said, standing.

"Indeed I would."

"I suppose I can understand."

"I SMELL BLOOD!"

I refrained from flinching openly, and this caused my stomach to do a number of somersaults. Still, I followed Malfoy back to the spiraling staircase that lead up to this circular room of hell, only now it was to head back down. I tried to act as calmly as possible, but that last serpentine, hissing screech had come from somewhere close. I wasn't sure where it had come from, and I really didn't want to know. However, when Malfoy stepped back onto the second floor corridor and froze, I immediately knew exactly where it had come from. I reluctantly stepped out and into the hall, and I openly flinched at the scene.

It was a fifth year Hufflepuff; a prefect, but it was too early for them to be on duty. From how Leanne Larring was standing sideways against the wall, it was easy to see what had happened – for me, at least. She was holding a mirror in one hand and what looked like an eyeliner pencil in the other. The pencil was held close to her lower eyelid, and she was holding the mirror in front of her face, though off only a few centimeters to the right – anyone not looking for this tiny detail wouldn't have noticed it, but to me, it explained exactly why she wasn't dead. The look on her face was one of frozen terror, the sort of terror that could, indeed, petrify someone. She was still standing, quite well balanced against the wall, looking like some terribly placed, wrongly made statue.

Malfoy looked to his left at me, shaking his head. "Regardless of whether or not you're going to be expelled for this, it's quite amazing you managed to do it from Dippet's office without even batting an eyelash."

I gaped at him silently for a moment. "M – me?" I managed to sputter out incredulously. "I was a bit preoccupied to –" I pointed at her to indicate my point. "You're bloody mad!"

He stepped in front of the gargoyle and muttered the password again. It leapt aside, and before I knew what hit me, I was being dragged by my arm up the stairs, like a mother would drag her misbehaving toddler out of a store. "You've done a brilliant job of incriminating yourself this time, Gaunt –"

"Let go of – ouch! – it only takes seven pounds of pressure to rip off an ear, you know! Son of a bi–"

And with that, I was dragged back into the office. He let me go, and my first instinct was to clap my hand over my ear, glare, and mutter a few unsightly phrases under my breath about where Malfoy could go, what he could do there, his low intelligence level, and what his mother was.

"I believe you will all want to come to the second floor corridor for a moment," said Malfoy in a calm manner – and I really wanted to punch him, right in the bloody ear.

"What is it?" asked Dippet cautiously.

"Another victim."

All exchanged dark looks. I was giving Malfoy a rather dark look myself, but it was dark in an entirely different context. Basilisk-like, maybe, but I couldn't be sure since I planned to never even attempt to look that snake in the eye.

"And Professor Malfoy here seems to think it was me who did it despite me being in here when it would have happened," I said through gritted teeth. "And in a violent rage," I added, pushing my luck, "I believe he attempted to rip my bloody ear off!"

"Be quiet," said Malfoy in annoyance. I glared at him a bit more.

I was forced back downstairs with the teachers, to see that poor girl again. I chose to stare at the opposite wall this time, however. I could only half hear them discussing what could have happened; I only heard Dippet and Malfoy mention my name. It was a little fuzzy, drowned out by my own voice, yelling at me

(get out of this I have to get out of this I have to)

within my head. I barely managed to refrain from yelling back at it, aloud, as it would have only made the five standing by to examine Larring question my sanity. I vaguely hear Dippet tell Beery and Flitwick to fetch Madam Millden – this left Dumbledore alone on my side, and Malfoy and Dippet to gang up on me.

"I honestly don't know how he managed it," said Malfoy. "For a curse of this magnitude to be performed through an entire floor of the castle – it's impossible to know how he even knew there was anyone walking in the hallway."

I shook my head and looked over. "Are you bloody mad?" I asked him. "I'm nowhere near smart enough to do – that through a wall, much less an entire floor of the castle – most seventh years wouldn't be."

"I believe he most likely would have had someone else do it for him," said Dippet, as though he hadn't heard a word I said. "No doubt at least a couple others know what he's been up to with this Chamber of Secrets business."

"He would most likely tell Tom Riddle, but I highly doubt he would do anything of this sort."

"No, certainly not," Dippet agreed.

"The next most likely, if I dare to say it, would be my own son," said Malfoy in a slightly disgusted manner. "I would hate to think he was involved in this, but then again with his grades, I'm not entirely sure. Of course, it could be Annabelle Potts. She's certainly intelligent enough to–"

"Professor," I said sharply, through gritted teeth. He and Dippet, who had been absorbed into their conversation of who I could have sent to do this, turned their heads towards me. "I've never even thought to attempt to hit a teacher before, but you're really pushing it, sir."

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. "Is that a threat, Gaunt?"

"Just don't bring her into this and it won't be anything," I said coldly.

I was allowed to go back to the Slytherin common room again after some time, after finding out that Dumbledore was still on my side. Brilliant or not, he had to be mad to trust me in the least bit – even Malfoy knew I didn't deserve to be trusted, and almost anything any member of the Malfoy family knew was just general knowledge. While I hadn't been particularly happy that Malfoy saw fit to follow me as far as the entrance hall to make sure I couldn't commit any more atrocities with my apparent amazing petrifying mind powers, I was quite glad to be rid of him when I entered the dungeons.

However, I wasn't quite as glad when I entered the common room and saw that at least a half of everyone in Slytherin was there. None of them looked up as I entered, but I still glared around the room as I made my way through the crowd and to the stairs. As I headed up, I heard a voice within my head that wasn't my own.

"How was the interrogation?"

I glanced over my shoulder, back downstairs. I didn't see Tom, and assumed this meant he was most in our dorm – he hadn't seen me enter, but he knew I had. It wasn't overly unusual. When I focused, I could name anyone who entered the Slytherin common room even from Hogsmeade.

Well, definitely could have been better, was my reply. Did you hear it?

"The Basilisk? I believe so. It was fairly faint, but I assume it struck again from what I did hear clearly."

I reached the dorm and opened the door. Tom, who was sitting alone, looking up from the book he had boredly been flipping through. "Oh, it did," I said with a scoff, moving over to my own bed. "And it did one hell of a job of it. Right outside Dippet's office." I fell backwards onto my own bed and stared at the arched stone ceiling.

"Really? Who?"

"Leanne Larring. Hufflepuff prefect, it looked like she had stopped in the hall to fix her makeup. Saw it in a mirror. I swear, it's almost like the bloody thing is trying to incriminate me on purpose," I said with a half-hearted laugh, flinching as I heard the words pass through my lips. I sat up on the side of the bed. If the time wasn't now, then it would be never. I had to say something. I had to, I'd be stuck in this for the next two years if I didn't, unless I got kicked out of school first. "In all honesty," I continued after a moment's silence, "I don't think I'm going to be able to keep this up. I've got to back out."

Though hearing those words come into form was a great relief, I felt that I regretted them the moment they slipped out of my mouth.

Cliffhanger, anyone? XP