Chapter 6

Bloody Warnings

As Orion had hoped, no one had been harmed in any way other than Ron's sore muscles from detention. Hayden had tried to talk to Orion about the voice but Orion just pushed it off, saying that it must have been one of the ghosts. His insistence—or perhaps denial—was strengthened every day that passed since then. When October arrived, any thought of the voice had faded into memory due to the increase in schoolwork and the fact that many were catching colds due to the damp chill that had settled over Hogwarts. The Pepper-Up Potion was in high demand leaving any who took it smoking at the ears for several hours afterwards.

Hayden and the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team were some of the more frequent consumers of the Pepper-Up Potion since Oliver was determined to have as many training sessions as possible to prove that they didn't need fancy brooms in order to win a game. They practiced through heavy rain and into chilly nights. Orion, Hermione and even Neville quickly found themselves in the role as tutors when Hayden fell behind in classes. It had become a team effort to ensure that everyone's schoolwork was completed on time.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, Halloween was upon them and everyone was looking forward to the feast. Hayden, unfortunately, had given his word that he would attend the 500th Deathday Party of the ghost of Gryffindor Tower, Nearly Headless Nick. Ron and Hermione had immediately jumped to Hayden's aid, assuring him that they would go too but Orion and Neville had declined the offer. In Orion's opinion, celebrating the day you died sounded rather morbid.

As dinner arrived, Orion and Neville bid farewell to Hayden, Ron and Hermione before entering the festive Great Hall. Live bats fluttered around above them and Hagrid's large pumpkins had been carved into lanterns that could easily fit three men inside. The rumor that Professor Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for entertainment was quickly proved false but it was still an enjoyable celebration. Both Orion and Neville ate their fill and managed to pack away some for Hermione, Hayden and Ron. Both Orion and Neville figured that since the dead didn't eat, there wouldn't be any eatable food at the party.

It turned out to be a smart plan since Hermione, Hayden and Ron arrived just as pudding was being served. Orion and Neville desperately tried to hide the knowing smiles threatening to form as they listened to Hayden and Ron complain about the party. It had been freezing, boring for anyone who had a pulse and there had been no food that could ever be considered edible. Peeves had attended and ended up teasing Moaning Myrtle (a ghost that haunted on of the toilets in the girl's bathroom on the first floor) to the point that she fled from the dungeon in tears.

The feast concluded with the bats above them flapping around into Halloween related formations, dispersing to another area when an explosion of sweets fell upon the students. Ron took the opportunity to fill his pockets with as much as he could grab while Orion, Neville and Hayden got a head start on heading back to the Gryffindor Tower. Hermione and Ron quickly caught up as they reached the doors. Orion, Neville and Hayden had to bite their bottom lip to refrain from laughing at how disgruntled Ron looked even with his mouth full of food.

Stepping into the Entrance Hall, Orion listened to Neville and Hermione begin on the specifics of ghosts when he heard it.

"…rip…tear…kill…"

Orion stumbled to a halt. It was the same voice. The same cold, murderous voice that he heard over a month ago.

"Ori?" Neville asked curiously. "Ori, what's wrong?"

A hand grasped Orion's arm, pulling him off to the side. "You're hearing it again, aren't you?" Hayden whispered into Orion's ear.

Orion nodded as he looked around frantically for any indication of who the voice could belong to. Unfortunately, having the Entrance Hall full of students made that extremely difficult. "You didn't hear it?" he asked, meeting Hayden's hazel eyes.

"…so hungry…for so long…kill…time to kill…"

Orion jumped, looking around again only to have Hayden usher him on with the crowd. It was difficult to ignore the confused looks on Neville, Hermione and Ron's faces. The voice was growing fainter as if it were moving away. Or upward. What if it's going towards one of the Common Rooms?

"Orion? Hayden?" Hermione asked nervously. "What's going on?"

"Shhh!" Hayden hissed. "Not now!"

They walked with the masses up the marble staircase. Chatter increased with every step, making it difficult to make out anything. Orion couldn't determine whether that was a good thing or not. It was clear now that the voice didn't belong to any of the ghosts since they were all at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party. But then, if it wasn't a ghost, what was it and why couldn't Hayden—or anyone else—hear it?

Gasps filled the air as people in front of them came to a sudden halt, causing everyone to run into each other. Orion suddenly had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and quickly fought his way through the crowd. The moment he did, however, his entire body froze. On the wall, foot-high words had been daubed between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN

OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.

If that wasn't bad enough, Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket over a large puddle of water on the floor. She was as stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring as some invisible horror.

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

Orion was too shocked at the sight to even consider taking action against Draco's foul language. It just didn't make any sense. There before him was the evidence that the voice was an actual threat but how could such a thing even be possible without anyone in the castle noticing? Because everyone was at the feast, you prat. Who would patrol empty corridors in the middle of the Halloween celebration?

Mrs. Norris, obviously.

Returning his stare to the message, Orion couldn't help feeling extremely uneasy. He knew the legend of the Chamber of Secrets, at least he knew the basics. It was another one of the 'myths' that Remus had told him about before bed. Unfortunately, it seemed that this 'myth' like the Mirror of Erised was as real as they were.

"What's going on here? What's going on?" Argus Filch asked as he pushed his way through the crowd. As his eyes fell upon Mrs. Norris, he stumbled back, clutching his face in horror. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" His eyes searched the crowd until they landed on the person standing at Orion's left which happened to be Hayden. "You! You! You murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll—"

"Argus!" Professor Dumbledore and a number of other teachers had arrived on the scene. No one moved as Dumbledore detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket. "Come with me, Argus. You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Black."

Orion shared a quick glance with Hayden, desperately passing on the silent message to not say anything about 'the voice'. This was not the time to reveal that piece of information. He needed answers first and he didn't want the majority of the teaching staff to think that he was out of his mind.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster—just upstairs—please feel free," Lockhart said eagerly as he stepped forward.

"Thank you, Gilderoy," Professor Dumbledore said and led the way to Lockhart's office with Professors McGonagall, Snape and Lockhart on his heels. Orion, Hayden, Neville, Hermione and Ron walked closely together, trying to avoid the stares and whispers from the students as well as the glares from Filch.

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office, there was a flood of movement from all of the portraits on the walls. Orion fought the urge to roll his eyes as the majority of the Lockharts in the pictures ran out of sight so no one would notice their hair in rollers. Candles were lit on Lockhart's desk, allowing Professor Dumbledore to lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and examine her. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles as he gently prodded and poked her.

Professor McGonagall was at Dumbledore's side, bent almost as close while Snape loomed behind them. Lockhart, however, was hovering around them, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her—probably the Transmogrifian Toture—I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her…"

Orion fought back the urge to ask what it was as Filch broke out in dry, raking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk with his face in his hands. Orion couldn't help feeling sorry for the man. If that had been Hedwig, Orion didn't know what he would do.

Professor Dumbledore pulled out his wand and started muttering strange words under his breath while tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. Mrs. Norris continued to look as still and as stiff as ever.

"…I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," Lockhart continued on, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…"

Orion ran a hand over his face wearily. If this continued for much longer he didn't think he could be held responsible for his actions.

Finally, Professor Dumbledore straightened up. "She's not dead, Argus," he said softly causing Lockhart to stop reciting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" Filch choked out, looking through his fingers. "But why's she all—all stiff and frozen?"

"She had been Petrified," Professor Dumbledore answered, ignoring Lockhart's declaration that he had known that all along. "But how, I cannot say…"

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked as he pointed at Hayden.

"No second year could have done this," Professor Dumbledore countered. "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced—"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat angrily. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found—in my office—he knows I'm a—I'm a—He knows I'm a Squib!"

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Hayden said loudly. "And I don't care if you're a squib! My mum's Muggle-born. It would be stupid of me to think any less of those who can't do magic!"

Professor Snape chose that moment to speak up. "If I might speak, Headmaster. It is suspicious. Potter, Weasley and Granger were extremely late to the feast—"

"—that's because we were at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party," Hayden interrupted. "You can ask any of the ghosts. They saw us there. We left as soon as we could to get to the feast."

Professor Snape stared at Hayden for a long moment before turning back to Professor Dumbledore. "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges—"

"—Severus," Professor McGonagall interrupted sharply. "Potter has explained his whereabouts."

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," Professor Dumbledore added.

"My cat has been Petrified!" Filch shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Professor Dumbledore said patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart offered instantly. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep—"

"Excuse me," Professor Snape said icily. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room until Professor Dumbledore turned his attention to the five Gryffindor Second Years. "You may go," he said, "but if you recall anything that may help, please tell a teacher."

They didn't need to be told twice. Orion was the first to hurry out of the room. As soon as they were far enough away, Hayden pulled Orion into an empty classroom with Neville, Hermione and Ron following Hayden's lead. Orion tried to glare at Hayden but the lack of made it difficult to see anything other than where everyone was standing.

"All right, what's going on?" Hermione asked impatiently. "What are you two hiding?"

"Nothing!" Orion answered quickly.

"It's not nothing, Ori," Hayden insisted. "It isn't a coincidence that you heard a voice just before Mrs. Norris is found Petrified. I just don't understand why we didn't hear it."

"Wait a minute," Neville jumped in. "This has happened before, hasn't it?" Orion and Hayden remained silent. "Ori, what were you thinking? Maybe this was what that bloody house elf was talking about! We need to tell your dad—"

"—tell him what?!?" Orion interrupted angrily. "Tell him that I'm hearing voices? Tell him that I'm mad? No way! Dad has enough to worry about already! We can tell him about Mrs. Norris being Petrified but that's it."

"I—er—well, I agree with Orion," Ron offered. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world. But—you must admit it's weird…"

"Things have been weird ever since Dobby popped into my bedroom," Hayden muttered. "What was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber Has Been Opened…What's that supposed to mean?"

Orion let out a sigh. "It's an old legend dating back to the founders," he said softly. "Hogwarts was built by Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin to offer an educational setting for young witches and wizards away from the prying eyes of Muggles since magic had been feared by the masses during that time. For a while, everything was great but soon disagreements started getting in the way of things. Slytherin didn't want magical students of Muggle parentage attending. There are a number of theories why."

"Like what?" Hermione asked eagerly.

Orion shrugged as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, many believe that Slytherin viewed them to be untrustworthy while others believed that Sytherin feared the possible risk the Muggle parents posed to the magical students. It could have been that a Muggle offended him at some point or that there was some misunderstanding with his Parseltongue ability. Slytherin wasn't fond of Muggles, that much was certain. The reason behind it, though, is complete speculation. Anyways, with Slytherin's views, a rift grew between Slytherin and the rest of the founders. It got so bad that Gryffindor and Slytherin argued to the point that wands were drawn. No one knows if there was an actual duel but Slytherin left the school after the confrontation."

"So, where does the Chamber of Secrets fit into this?" asked Hayden in confusion.

"I'm getting there," Orion answered patiently. "Before Slytherin left, his fears pushed him into creating the Chamber of Secrets, a hidden chamber that only he could find. It was believed to be sealed until Slytherin's heir returned to Hogwarts to unseal it and release the horror within against all of those who were unworthy to learn magic. Once again, there are many theories to what could possibly be inside the chamber and where it could be but it's never been found so many believe that it's nothing more than myth."

"Until tonight," Ron muttered. "How do you know all this?"

"My uncle has a fascination with legends," Orion said earning a snicker from Neville. "They were common bedtime stories when I was younger."

A clock chimed, echoing through the halls.

"It's midnight," Hermione said worriedly. "We need to hurry before someone finds us."

No one protested but it was clear that the discussion was far from over.

The next few days seemed to crawl as everyone repeatedly discussed the attack on Mrs. Norris. Filch was completely distraught. He was only seen pacing the spot where she had been attacked or lashing out at students by trying to hand out detentions for 'breathing loudly' and 'looking happy' during such a traumatic time. The only other person who was extremely disturbed by what happened to Mrs. Norris was Ginny Weasely and no amount of talking from any of her brothers could change her mind. Apparently, she was a great cat lover.

To make matters worse, Hayden had become the recipient of stares, whispers and the occasional frightened look due to Filch's accusations. Justin Finch-Fletchley was avoiding Hayden at all costs, making it difficult to Orion to spend any time with his Hufflepuff friends when Hayden was around. Of course, after Orion found out the rumors that had been going around about Hayden, he wasn't too keen on spending time with the Hufflepuff second years.

For some reason, people actually thought that Hayden could be the mysterious heir of Slytherin which was ridiculous. The Potter family was as dedicated to Gryffindor as the Malfoy family was dedicated to Slytherin. The problem was that there was no way to actually prove Hayden's innocence without the actual heir stepping forward and that wasn't about to happen any time soon.

Neville and Hermione had tried to push for details concerning the voice Orion was hearing every chance they had, refusing to back down when Orion insisted that he didn't want to talk about it. Both of them had been hurt that Orion hadn't mentioned the voice the first time he heard it and furious that Hayden had known all along and kept it to himself. Neither Neville nor Hermione seemed to understand how important it was to blend with the crowd, especially when certain secrets could destroy the life some had worked so hard to build.

Hayden and Ron, on the other hand, were eager to work out another mystery. They made an effort to pass the corridor where the attack had happened as often as possible to look for clues, sometimes dragging Orion, Neville and Hermione with them. Orion had tried to urge his friends to stay away from the scene of the crime but his advice fell on deaf ears. They were just too curious for their own good.

There wasn't much to find and what was discovered didn't make any sense. The presence of scorch marks was extremely odd but not as odd as the twenty spiders that were scuttling to get through a small crack in the wall. None of them had ever seen that sort of behavior from a spider before…well, Orion, Neville, Hayden and Hermione hadn't. Ron had moved as far away as possible the moment he noticed the small creatures. Evidently, Ron had a bad experience with Fred and George turning a teddy bear into a spider when he was younger.

As fascinating as it was, Orion drew the line when Hermione led Neville, Hayden and Ron into the girl's bathroom near the crime scene, ignoring the large OUT of ORDER sign on the door. He didn't care if Moaning Myrtle haunted in there. They had been there too long and if they didn't leave soon, Orion knew they would be caught…which they were.

With nothing else to do, Orion nervously paced outside the bathroom until he came face to face with Percy Weasley.

"Just what are you doing here, Black?" Percy demanded angrily. "This is a closed corridor!"

Orion glanced at the bathroom door uncomfortably. "Well, you see, Percy, Hermione had to go to the bathroom," he said in a hushed voice. "She said it couldn't wait—er—something about pains and—er—schedules. She was really anxious so I thought I would just wait here for her."

Percy's anger quickly faded only to be replaced by embarrassment. "Oh, well, I guess that can't be helped," he said quickly. "Just—just hurry to dinner when she's done, all right?"

Orion nodded and waited until Percy was out of sight before letting out a relieved breath. That had been too close. As soon as Percy's footsteps faded away, Orion turned to see Hermione, Neville, Hayden, and Ron emerge from the bathroom. He shot them a look that clearly said 'I told you so' before heading to the Great Hall, vowing to never cover for them again. Orion had promised his father that this year wouldn't be like last year. There would be no dangerous encounters with enormous creatures or Death Eaters trying to bring Voldemort back to power.

He wouldn't worry his father or his uncle like that again.

Neville and Hermione caught up with Orion just before he entered the Great Hall. No words were said but it was clear that an understanding was reached. Until everything settled down, the corridor was off limits. It really wasn't much of a sacrifice since it had already been investigated but the gesture was appreciated. Hayden and Ron joined them shortly after, both of them keeping their distance from Percy, just in case.

It was difficult to complete homework in the Common Room that night due to never ending stares as well as the hushed conversations between Hayden and Ron. Orion had to admit that he was concerned. This 'mystery' was turning into an obsession for Hayden and Ron. They were starting to fall behind in their schoolwork once again which was bound to get them into trouble, especially from Professor McGonagall.

"But who can it be?" Hayden asked Ron quietly. "Who'd want to frighten all of the Squibs and Muggle-borns out of here?"

"Let's think," Ron said dryly. "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

Orion, Neville and Hermione glanced up at them, frowning. Hermione was the first to speak up. "If you're talking about Malfoy—"

"Of course I am!" Ron exclaimed quietly. "You heard him—'You'll be next, Mudbloods!'—come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him—"

"—it's not," Orion interrupted. "There is no Slytherin blood in the Malfoy line. I know Draco. If there was the blood of any founder in his line he wouldn't hesitate to brag about it. Besides he lacks—" A thought hit him like a hyperactive Grim. There was one small fact that everyone was forgetting. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth, a trait that was supposed to be passed down to his heir. But that meant…

Orion jumped to his feet and hurried up the stairs to the Second Year dorm. He needed answers…reassurances that his line of thinking was wrong. In no time, Orion had his trunk opened and half of the contents tossed on his bed before finding what he was looking for. The small square mirror was the quickest way to get the answers he needed. Sitting on the floor, Orion stared into the mirror and called for his father.

The mirror misted over for a moment before clearing to reveal what looked like a dark colored ceiling. Orion opened his mouth to call again when a familiar voice stopped him.

"I understand that Rufus is demanding answers, Kingsley, but I don't have any. We're working as fast as we can. If he has a problem with that he can do the work himself."

"Do you really want me to tell him that?" asked a deep voice.

A sigh could be heard. "Tell him I'll be there shortly. I just need to take care of something first." There were footsteps followed by a door opening and closing as the ceiling was replaced by Sirius' tired face. "Hi kiddo," he said sounding have excited and half concerned. "What's the emergency?"

Orion bit his lower lip nervously as he tried to piece together a question that could summarize his worries but there were just too many. "How much do you know about the potion I took when you adopted me?" he blurted out.

Sirius frowned. "Why do you want to know about that?" he asked cautiously.

Orion launched into giving an overview of what had been happening at Hogwarts with the Chamber of Secrets. He even told Sirius about the rumors that Hayden was the heir of Slytherin. "Don't you see?" he asked reaching the end of his summary. "If either of my birth parents are—"

"—now stop right there, Ori," Sirius interrupted. "I know for certain that you have no Slytherin blood in you. Don't you remember all those tests I put you through when your magic started acting up?" Orion nodded. "Well, one of the possibilities was that the adoption potion caused a conflict between your birth father and me. I had the Healers run a few ancestry spells to make sure that wasn't the case. Salazar Slytherin wasn't on your list."

"But then how can I—"

"—I don't know, Ori," Sirius said softly. "Believe me when I say that it was as much of a surprise to us as it was to you. Now, about this Chamber of Secrets ordeal, there has only been one attack?" Orion nodded. "And no one—other than Filch's cat—has been—well, for lack of a better term—hurt?" Orion nodded again. "Well, I suppose there is a chance that this is a prank although that wouldn't explain the Petrifaction." Sirius' gaze turned thoughtful. "I'll see what I can find out on my end and I want you to let me know if there's another attack."

"But—"

"No buts, Ori," Sirius interrupted firmly. "I'm not happy that we haven't heard anything about this until now, especially when what happened last year is taken into consideration. I'll talk to your grandfather about this. I know he wants to avoid Ministry involvement at Hogwarts but this…well, he should have at least told me."

Orion suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, as if he had just snitched on a friend. "Dad—"

"—don't worry about it, son," Sirius insisted. "You didn't do anything wrong. For now, I want you to keep your mirror on you at all times. If there is the slightest hint of danger, I want you to contact me. I know you love Hogwarts but your safety is what's important."

The sound of approaching footsteps caused Orion to jump and look over his shoulder just in time to see Neville, Hermione, Hayden and Ron entering the room. Returning his attention to the mirror, Orion knew that this was going to bring about a round of new questions. "I should go, Dad—"

"—Ori, promise me that you'll stay out of trouble and absolutely no investigating," Sirius said firmly. "I don't want to be contacted with the news that you happened to be the next victim."

"I promise," Orion said quickly as Neville and Hayden looked over his shoulders to see the mirror.

"Hello boys," Sirius said with a knowing smile. "Listen, I know I can't order you to do anything but please follow Orion's lead. I'll see what I can find out about the Chamber of Secrets and who's behind the attack." Sirius shifted his gaze so he was staring directly at Hayden. "I know you're not the heir of Slytherin, Hayden. What people are forgetting is that Slytherin was a Parselmouth, a trait that he passed down to his descendents. The last known Parselmouth was Voldemort and the last we heard was that the task force searching for him lost his signature somewhere in Albania."

Neville winced slightly along with Ron. "So You-Know-Who is the heir of Slytherin?" asked Neville worriedly.

"It was never proven but many believed him to be," Sirius answered. "In order to perform the spells, we would need a sample of his blood. Before he met his downfall, it was nearly impossible to get close enough to Voldemort to even attempt obtaining a sample and live to do anything with it. Voldemort was obsessed with the Dark Arts and knew how valuable his blood could be to the enemy."

"So how do we prove Hayden innocent?" Ron asked from behind Neville.

Sirius let out a sigh. "With no proof it will be difficult," he answered truthfully. "What you have to realize is that people will believe what they want to believe, even with evidence to the contrary. Is there any logical reasoning to their theory? Absolutely not but they need a culprit to put the blame on. Hayden is the obvious scapegoat at the moment."

"So you don't think Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin?" Ron jumped in.

Sirius burst out laughing. "If that were true then we'd never hear the end of it," he said as soon as he calmed down. "Lucius Malfoy is bad enough with all of the bribing he's done in the past. Let your teachers and me worry about who the heir of Slytherin is. You five focus on your classes and—with your remaining free time—research possible ways of Petrifaction."

"We can do that," Hermione said quickly. "There are enough of us to over different areas at the same time."

Orion remained silent. He knew what his father was really doing. This 'assignment' was nothing more than a way to ensure that the five of them stayed out of trouble and out of danger for as long as possible. As he bid his father goodnight, Orion had to wonder what tomorrow would bring. Professor Dumbledore had already been on thin ice with the Black family. Orion could only imagine what tomorrow's conversation would entail.