Chapter 6 – The Semi-Late Mrs. Norris

They had been coming back from Sir Nicholas' Death Day party when Harry heard that same cold, murderous voice that he had heard once before. This time Harry could sort of follow it even if Ron and Hermione couldn't hear it at all. It seemed to be travelling through the very walls of the castle.

Harry left the other two scrambling to catch up as he hurried up the stairs up to the entry hall and then up to the first floor. Harry was still running hard to catch up to the voice and had traversed most of the second floor before arriving at a dead end corridor where he finally lost track of the voice. Ron and Hermione were both gasping for breath when they finally caught up to him.

It was in that short dead end that they found two disturbing things. The first was a set of foot-high letters on the wall that appeared to be written in blood that dripped and ran over a large puddle of water.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE. (Ch. 8, Harry Potter and the COS)

Although that message was creepy enough, the second thing the three had discovered had really shocked them. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from one of the torch brackets. She was as stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. Before any of the three could recover from their surprise, a great number of students had appeared from the Halloween Feast in the Great Hall and had trapped Harry, Ron and Hermione at the scene. The students had stopped in horror at the sight of the frozen cat and writing; it was of course Draco Malfoy's voice that broke the silence.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware. You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Harry swung around as he heard the glee in the voice of the Slytherin second year and swung his wand up and held it out toward the second year git.

"And how come you are so far away from your usual hole in the Dungeons Malfoy? Come back to survey the damage you caused?"

Malfoy sputtered and his face got red. "How dare you Potter? No half-blood tries to frame me; I'm free to go anywhere I choose."

"So where are your bodyguards Crabbe and Goyle?" Hermione asked.

Malfoy looked around and saw that his two slabs of muscle hadn't made their appearance to back him up. He tried slipping back into the crowd of students but they were too tightly packed for him to retreat or the two other Slytherins to come forward. 'They, of course, could still be stuffing their faces at the feast' Harry thought.

"Let me ask you this Mr. Malfoy. You are aware that you are surrounded by Gryffindors and Ravenclaws there, aren't you Malfoy? Who do you think they'll choose as the most likely to have caused this – me or you?"

Everyone backed a few steps away from the thin Slytherin and Malfoy looked around for a method to escape the suspicious crowd. It was just then that Argus Filch shouldered his way upon the scene. He almost tumbled over in absolute horror as he saw his companion.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked.

And then his popping eyes fell on Harry.

"You!" he screeched. "You! You've murdered my cat. You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll- (Ch. 9, CoS)

Ron and Hermione had quickly moved to place themselves between Harry and the school caretaker but Filch was brought back out of his rage by a shout from Dumbledore. As other teacher's arrived, Dumbledore went and examined the cat. With Lockhart blithering on as to the exact spell that had been used, it was a very disheartened Harry Potter that conversed quietly with his friends. It came as a complete surprise to everyone when Dumbledore announced that Mrs. Norris wasn't actually dead.

While some of the other teacher's dispersed the crowd, Dumbledore carried the cat to Lockhart's office, which was the closest to them. The three Gryffindor students were told to follow Filch, Lockhart, Snape and McGonagall there.

"She's just petrified" Dumbledore said. "But I don't know how."

"Ask him!" Filch said pointing at Harry.

"I didn't do it" Harry protested.

"I don't think a second year, even as one as talented as Mr. Potter, could cast a spell so horrific" Professor McGonagall stated.

"This is Dark Magic; advanced Dark Magic" Dumbledore stated.

"Professor Dumbledore, excuse me but isn't there a way to tell what kind of spell was last cast from anybody's wand? I'll volunteer to have mine checked."

"A marvelous suggestion Harry. If you will hand over your wand?"

With Filch and Professor Snape staring daggers at him, Harry handed his wand over to Professor McGonagall. She brought it over to Dumbledore who made a few strange waves with his own wand over it.

"Priori Incantato." Harry's wand emitted a faint beam of bluish light which Dumbledore identified as a tickling charm. Harry ducked his head at the glare he received from Hermione for the mock combat that the second year boy's dorm had held the night before.

"Harry's last spell wasn't what hit Mrs. Norris" Dumbledore declared.

Filch was still staring at Harry. "I know it was him. He's getting back at me. He found out I was taking a… a magical correspondence course. He wanted to get back at me for yelling at him."

Harry frowned. "I don't care about your course. And I'm certainly not the only student that might be holding a grudge against you Mr. Filch. Professor Snape?"

"What Mr. Potter?"

"As reluctant as I am to ask you a favor…. Would you please tell Mr. Filch the degree of difficulty of such a spell that would cause this petrification and whether you think I'm capable of that?"

Professor Snape had an ever sourer look on his face than normal but finally huffed just a smidge and spoke. "The spell that caused this could only be cast by a very experienced wizard. Mr. Potter is certainly not that as he has never displayed the skill, knowledge or power that could do this."

Filch rocked back, still in anguish. "But he was there. He had to have done it."

Dumbledore turned to Harry's companions. "Mr. Weasley, perhaps you could relate what happened to you three this evening?"

Ron looked surprised that the Headmaster had called on him and tried to answer honestly. "We were just coming back from Sir Nicholas' Death Day Party. Harry never was out of our sight; he had just gone on a little ahead of us. He had no time to cast a spell like that. Even Hermione doesn't know a spell like that."

Hermione tried not rolling her eyes and getting mad at Ron for even bringing her name into this bit of conversation. Dumbledore just smiled over at her and winked.

"Perhaps Mr. Filch, you should take Mrs. Norris to the infirmary and let Madame Pomfrey try to make your cat a little more comfortable for the time being."

Filch was still very convinced that Harry had to be the guilty party but he lovingly picked up his cat and was accompanied by Professor Lockhart as they went to the Medical Wing.

"I think it is time for you three to get back to the Gryffindor dorms" Professor McGonagall said.

Hermione had been chewing on her lip since they had reached the DADA office. She finally raised a tentative hand. "Could someone please tell me what the Chamber of Secrets is?"

"Otherwise she'll keep herself awake trying to figure that out Headmaster" Harry said with a small smirk. The only thing that prevented Hermione from slapping her friend was the presence of the teachers.

The Headmaster shook his head sadly. "Perhaps we should get used to answering that question as the tale will certainly be on everyone's mind tomorrow."

McGonagall tightened her lips but Dumbledore nodded at her to explain. "The Chamber of Secrets is one of the historical legends of the school Miss Granger. Salazar Slytherin supposedly left a hidden place and a monster of some type to protect the school. No one has ever found such a place or seen any such monster. There were however some unfortunate incidences about 50 years ago that included a murder and were blamed on the monster and the Chamber."

Harry and the others blanched at this tidbit of news and Harry had a million questions he wanted to ask. The frightened look on Hermione's face drove most of them from Harry's mind and he just pointed to the exit. The three students were more than glad to get out of the office but Harry had a thought that he needed to express. "Sir?" Harry asked to Dumbledore. "All those students heard Mr. Filch and Malfoy accuse me of hexing Mrs. Norris."

"I shall speak to everyone at breakfast Mr. Potter and let them know that our investigation cleared you of any wrongdoing." Snape snorted lightly at that but Harry wasn't going to respond to the Potions Professor's snideness.

"Thank you sir. I appreciate that."

The three made their way to the door of Lockhart's office but Ron spoke louder than he needed to when he asked Hermione "So how do you unpetrify a cat?"

"Mr. Weasley?" Ron flinched and froze in place when he realized that his question had not only been overheard but the headmaster himself was responding.

The two wizards and witch stopped in the doorway of Lockhart's office and looked back to the Headmaster. "Mandrake root is a powerful restorative. A potion containing mandrake root is commonly used to counteract the effects of a Transfiguration or curse on a person."

"And we're growing some Mandrakes in Herbology class" Hermione volunteered.

"Then it won't be too long until Mrs. Norris will be restored" Harry guessed.

"Only mature roots can be used Mr. Potter so it will be many months before we can even begin brewing the antidote."

Harry frowned at Professor Snape's statement. "There is none in stock or waiting to be mixed?"

"Mandrake roots are hard to come by and very expensive" Professor Snape said.

Harry looked confused. "And there isn't a need for them at a school where wizards and witches are trying spells of different types for the first time?"

"That is why we have teachers Mr. Potter. To keep dunderheads like you from trying spells above their abilities."

McGonagall looked at her fellow professor as if wanting to say something against the obvious insult that Professor Snape had casually tossed out against one of her favorite students. But she kept her mouth closed.

"Sir?"

"Yes Mr. Potter?"

"If it's matter of money, I still have some left over from buying my school supplies. Would anyone mind if I contributed some or all of the money needed to buy that potion from wherever it is available?"

"And why would you do that Mr. Potter?"

Harry frowned as he thought that type of question would be coming from Snape instead of Professor McGonagall. "There has to be some of that root or potion available somewhere even if it is rare. I just thought it would be better for Mr. Filch if Mrs. Norris was cured sooner than later."

"And why would you care what Mr. Filch feels Potter?"

Harry looked back at Snape's familiar sneer and just shook his head. "You might think I'm much too sentimental but nobody, including Mr. Filch, should have to suffer with the loss of their best friend in such a horrible manner. We'll be going back to our dorms now; thank you for believing me Sir and answering our questions."

With that said Harry led Hermione and Ron out the DADA office and closed the door quietly behind them. Professor McGonagall nodded her head as if satisfied by the response she had received.

Dumbledore placed a hand on Professor Snape's shoulder. "And that answer is why Severus we will make sure that no student in this school will ever try and start the tale or rumor that Harry Potter is mixed up with the Chamber of Secrets. Do you understand?"

Snape barely nodded his head as he swept his robes around him and left to return to the dungeons.

Dumbledore slumped against the wall. "The Chamber must not be opened. The danger to the students is too great."

Professor McGonagall tried to find some words to comfort her friend and boss.