Short chapter, but I don't have the time to do more. But the chapter after this one will be very interesting. I promise. I have a lot of surprises for you!

The sound of whispers made Harry come back to his senses.

"Did you hear that?" Harry said as quietly as he could to McGonagall. Even under the feeble light of his wand, Harry could see Minerva's face turn white.

"Yes." She said.

"We're nearly there, Minerva."

"Lumos!" McGonagall cried. A light appeared on the end of her wand as well.

Slowly they pointed their wands in front of them.

Chapter 17

There was no one.

Harry knew it as soon as they had stepped into the Chamber. But he still checked the dark corners, just to be sure.

"We're alone." McGonagall said as if Harry hadn't noticed it for himself.

They stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. Then Harry looked down at his feet and let out a cry of surprise.

"Minerva!"

They were standing in a large paddle of what looked like green water. Looking closer, Harry realised the whole Chamber was filled with this strange liquid. The serpents carved on the pillars were covered with it and so was the great statue of Salazar Slytherin.

Harry knew it was not supposed to be there. He bent down and touched the green water with the tip of his fingers.

It was warm.

"It looks as if you were right all along, Minerva." Harry sighed and washed the green water off his hands with a handkerchief.

"What do you mean?" McGonagall asked. She was still staring at her wet shoes with a confused frown on her face.

"The attacker did use the chamber of secrets and he did have a monster with him."

"You mean …?" McGonagall left her question unfinished. Harry nodded.

"The attacker and his friends were here a few minutes ago. We missed them."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alicia was shaking from head to foot. She took in a deep breath with difficulty: she felt as if she couldn't breathe through her nose or her mouth anymore.

"Ali, calm down." Elisabeth pleaded.

Alicia couldn't. She clutched the table in front of her and greeted her teeth to stop herself from screaming.

They had managed it. They had taken Morla away from the chamber and then they had escaped.

Alicia was in a state of shock. She had given everything to save herself and her friends. She had put in all her power and magic in the spell they had created. They had given Morla her normal form back and then they had carried her with them as they escaped under the invisibility cloak. Of course the cloak had been too small to cover them all, but Harry and McGonagall had seen nothing in the dark.

Alicia bit her lip and wished she would stop trembling. The Slytherins in the common-room were looking at them strangely.

Ramona and her brother David were slumped onto the sofa. Peter was sitting on the floor, his hands covering his face. He had given all his energy as well; but what truly shook him was how close they had been to getting caught.

Elisabeth was standing on Alicia's side. She was the only one who could still stand on her two feet. She held Alicia's hand and whispered soothing words in her friend's ear over and over again.

"It's over now, Alicia. We've got away. We did it." Elisabeth said calmly.

"It was my father, Elisa." Alicia said and sighed. She lay back on her armchair and closed her eyes. Slowly the shaking stopped and Alicia felt more peaceful.

"You will stop the attacks, won't you?" Elisabeth asked after a while.

"Yes, of course." Alicia said although she doubted that. She didn't know whether she was able to stop at all.

Elisabeth smiled. She felt like a heavy weight had just been taken off her heart.

For the first time in months Elisabeth Malfoy felt in a good mood.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can't believe we missed them!" McGonagall shrieked.

They were in the headmistress's office once again. McGonagall was pacing the room up and down. Her hands were clutched into fists; half of her hair had fallen out of her usually tight chignon. She really looked mad.

Harry sat in the chair in front of the desk and said nothing. He didn't know what to say. He too felt disappointed. He would have liked to catch the attacker and stop him from hurting so many innocent people.

"Minerva, calm down. At least we found out where they kept their monster." Harry said.

"Yes, but they won't keep it there anymore. They know we checked the chamber. They won't be using it again." McGonagall cried in frustration.

"I still think we have to check it from time to time."

"Yes, of course. And have you given the bottle away already?" Minerva asked.

Before leaving Harry had filled a bottle with the greenish liquid. Maybe they could study it and find out what exactly the monster was. They had decided to give the bottle to Hagrid. He would be able to study it with the help of the Potion master.

"No, but I will visit Hagrid before leaving." Harry said.

"I hope he will understand how serious his mission is." McGonagall muttered.

"Of course he will. Hagrid has lived to see the chamber of secrets open three times. We can trust him completely on this matter."

McGonagall blushed as if she was ashamed of what she had said.

They talked for a while about the students who had been attacked. Harry was very interested in that. It seemed that the monster never did more than blind its victim and then bit it.

After a while, Harry and Minerva shook hands.

Just as he was about to close the door behind him, Harry noticed an old man moving in the portrait behind McGonagall. The picture of Albus Dumbledore was smiling.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alicia, give me back my powers." Morla hissed.

It was night. Alicia was sitting on her bed in the dark. The snake was rolled around her arm. It was a very small serpent. It looked totally harmless, but Alicia knew that the animal she was holding was very evil.

"You will have to wait. We have to find another place for you before we transform you back. We can't have a giant serpent in our dorm!" Alicia hissed back. She hoped Elisabeth was asleep.

"Alicia, give me back my powers right now. Just for one night. I'm hungry." Morla pleaded.

"I said no."

"Alicia, I need the taste of blood one more time. I can feel a muggle-born walking only a few corridors away. It's night. We can do this."

"I said no!" Alicia cried and slapped the snake of her arm. It hissed and spat venom on the floor.

Alicia watched Morla slid under the bed and out of view. She let out a sigh of relief. This was getting more complicated than she had thought it would be. Morla had gotten used to biting humans, to drinking their blood, and she had enjoyed it.

Alicia felt uneasy as she closed her eyes. She could feel the serpent's presence under the bed and it didn't reassure her at all.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They had decided to meet all together in the girls' dorm. Andrea and Frank were still shocked at the news their friends had brought them.

"Thank god you escaped!" Andrea said. Frank was quiet. He looked extremely pale.

"There's no need to think about that now." Alicia snapped. She was back to her old self. Her red hair was tied in a ponytail on the back of her head and it gave the impression she was older. Elisabeth realised things were not going to go the way she had hoped they would. The minute she had seen Alicia comb her hair into a ponytail, she had known the Potter girl was preparing something new.

"We were this close to getting caught." Ramona said, gesturing with her hands.

"Yes, I know. But we need to concentrate on something else now. We have a new problem. Morla needs help." Alicia said.

They all had different ideas as what to do with the serpent. Some said they should transform her only at night, but Alicia shook of that idea. It was too dangerous and hard. They would be exhausted every time they had to transform the snake. And they needn't all their energy right now.

Elisabeth was in the far corner of the room. She was leaning against the stone wall and looked completely disgusted. Alicia had told her they would stop the attacks but here they were planning away their next nights!

This time Elisabeth knew what she had to do. She was not going to let it go like the last time. Elisabeth felt dizzy at the thought of confronting Alicia Potter.

But even if she was very scared of what would happen, Elisabeth convinced herself she was a strong person. And she was right.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The others left. Alicia smiled at Elisabeth who did not smile back.

"It went pretty well, don't you think so? We have a few ideas on how to fix the Morla problem." Alicia said in a casual tone.

"You know I'm not going to let it happen again." Elisabeth said quietly. This was it. The moment Elisabeth had feared so much.

Alicia's happy face faded away immediately.

"What do you mean?" she asked narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not going to let you attack those poor muggle-borns anymore."

Alicia laughed. Her hand was in her right pocket. Elisabeth knew Alicia very well: the girl always had her wand in her right pocket. She had learned that from her father, the famous Harry Potter.

"Oh, and what will do you to stop me?" Alicia said mockingly.

Elisabeth was frightened. Her eyes dropped on Alicia's pocket one more time. But it was too late to back out now.

"Well, it won't be hard." Elisabeth said coolly. She hid her fear very well. "I just have to go and knock on the headmistress's office and tell her truth. I just have to say: 'Professor, Alicia Potter is the attacker.' And then everything will be over for you! It's a good idea to fix the Morla problem, don't you think so?"

Alicia was silent. She couldn't believe it. Elisabeth, her best friend, the only person she could confide in, was telling her she was prepared to betray them all.

"You won't do it." Alicia said. Her eyes were shining but there no tears in them.

"Oh yes I will, unless you stop the attacks yourself!" Elisabeth shouted.

"Elisa, listen to me. You won't do it."

"Tell me, Ali," Elisabeth went on. "Why do you hate the muggle-born so much?"

Alicia wanted to tell Elisabeth the truth, but her tongue was stuck, and she couldn't speak. She couldn't tell Elisabeth the reason she hated muggles so much.

"You won't understand." Alicia's voice broke.

The two girls stared at each other. They knew each other well. Elisabeth and Alicia had been friends the minute Alicia had been put into Slytherin. They had lived four year together, in the same dorm. They had shared many experiences together. They had spent so many good times together. Alicia saw all those moments flash in her mind and she wondered if they had meant anything for Elisabeth.

"Please, Alicia, try to explain to me. I'm sure something happened in your life that messed up your mind about muggles. Tell me. Maybe I will understand."

Alicia shook her head. She suddenly looked so vulnerable, so small, so young. Elisabeth felt like taking her in her arms. But she didn't. Elisabeth was still clear about what she had to do. She had to stop the attacks.

"It's complicated." Alicia said at last.

"Alicia, why don't just let it go? Get rid of Morla and forget it all." Elisabeth said softly. She took a step forward.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. I've seen the injuries Morla does. You only order her to hurt. I know you're capable of killing someone, but you don't want to. You're only attacking muggle-borns to ease the pain. I don't know what that pain is, but I know that that pain is the real reason why you hate muggles."

Alicia realised how clever Elisabeth had gotten, but she didn't say that aloud. Instead she stayed as stubborn as ever.

"I always hate the muggles and nothing will change that."

"There are a lot of muggle-borns in your family and you don't hate them, do you? Harry's mother came from a muggle family. And Hermione Granger was born as a muggle as well. She's your aunt. Oh, and I forgot Jenny. She's a muggle. Isn't she your Uncle Charlie's wife?"

Alicia said nothing but she blushed. It was true she liked all the people Elisabeth had mentioned but she would not admit it.

"What are you going to do now?" Alicia asked calmly.

"I'm waiting for your answer. I want to know if you will stop the attacks. If your answer is yes, we'll be able to forget this horrible story. But if you say no, I feel obliged to tell McGonagall."

Alicia was torn between the two options she had. And then she felt her wand vibrating in her right hand and she knew what to do.

"I say no."

Elisabeth's mouth dropped opened. She had hoped so much that Alicia was going to choose the first option.

"Then I have to go and tell the headmistress."

Alicia smiled.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." She said and pointed her wand at Elisabeth.

"You won't jinx me." Elisabeth said calmly.

Alicia smirked. Elisabeth suddenly realised how ugly Alicia looked when she was like that. It was as if her face reflected her inside. And right now, Alicia's thoughts were not pretty.

"A few minutes ago, I wouldn't have dared." Alicia said. "But you have just admitted to me that you're capable of betraying me and all the others. I don't know why I bothered with you all this time. You are so weak."

For a moment Elisabeth found this situation comical.

"Oh no, Alicia. This is where you're wrong. I'm not weak. You are. You are too damn weak to admit you're wrong!" Elisabeth cried.

"Shut up!" Alicia shouted. A blue light appeared on the end of her wand and disappeared again.

The door of the dormitory suddenly opened. Alicia immediately hid her wand behind her back. A little girl was staring at them. She looked like a first year.

"Sorry to disturb you, but I have a message for Alicia Potter." The little girl said in a tiny voice.

"I'm Alicia." Alicia said.

"Yes, I know." The little girl said proudly.

"Okay, what's the message?" Alicia asked impatiently.

"Professor McGonagall wants to speak to you. You are to go to her office immediately. She won't accept any kind of excuse and she doesn't care if you're busy." The little girl said the message quickly and then left.

There was silence. Alicia looked at Elisabeth in astonishment.

"How did you do that?" she asked amazed.

"I didn't do anything." Elisabeth said. "I'm as surprised as you are!"

Alicia sighed and left the room. Her heart was heavy. If McGonagall said it was urgent, then it was probably something very serious.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Longbottom helped Alicia get to McGonagall's office. He gave her the password for the ugly stone gargoyle. It was the first time Alicia went to McGonagall's office. Even full of dread for what was coming, Alicia couldn't fail to be amazed. As the gargoyle sprang to life, he revealed a spiral staircase which was moving smoothly upwards, like an escalator. As Alicia stepped onto it, she heard the wall thud closed behind them. She rose upwards in circles, higher and higher, until at last, she arrived. There was large corridor, and at the end of the corridor there was a door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffon.

She knocked on the door and waited.