A/N: Hey, thanks for being patient! I've been out of town for Spring Break (San Diego, CA) so I haven't been able to post anything. I actually have finished up to Chapter 6, so don't worry! Anyways, I warned you in the beginning that it would take me forever to complete a story! XD
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC (Skylar Wolf) - everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling :)
Word Count: 2,412
Skylar sighs at the sight in front of her. They were barely a week into their second year, and Ron was already cursed. He vomited slugs every few minutes into the pail between his legs, while Harry and Hermione had each taken a seat at the table with Hagrid. Skylar sat on the floor near Ron, petting Fang. She hardly got to see Fang since she barely saw Hagrid, along with the fact that Celeste was very adamant about staying far away from any other living creature, aside from Skylar and her three best friends.
"Better out than in." Hagrid chuckled humorlessly before coughing awkwardly into his fist. "Who was he tryin' ter curse, anyways?"
"Malfoy." Harry admitted, "He called, Hermione, well, I don't know exactly what it means…" He trailed off.
"He called me a Mudblood." Hermione whispered.
"He didn'!" Hagrid gasped in both shock and disgust. Skylar began to explain once she noticed Harry's puzzled expression.
"It literally means dirty blood. Mudblood is a foul name for someone who is Muggle-born, or someone with non-magical parents."
"Someone like me." Hermione added. "It's not a term one usually hears in a civilized conversation."
"Yeh see, Harry," Hagrid began, "There are some wizards, like the Malfoys, who think they're better than everyone else 'because they're what people call pureblood."
"That's horrible!" Harry replied honestly.
"Disgusting!" Ron added after spitting out a slug.
"It's illogical, really," Skylar insisted, "I mean, we wouldn't be alive if it weren't for muggles - wizards would've died out long ago. Besides," She glances at the brunette and smiles, "Blood has nothing to do with intelligence or magical ability. Just look at Hermione - she's Muggle-born and there isn't a spell she can't do." Hermione allowed the corners of her mouth to lift.
Skylar strolled past the windows in the hallway, staring out at the dark night sky. Celeste was perched on her shoulder, rubbing her head enthusiastically against the redhead's neck. Skylar's aqua orbs reflected the light of the stars, but as beautiful as the night was, she couldn't help but feel an atmosphere of foreboding. Her head began to pound, which wasn't unusual, the start of a stress-induced migraine. That's when she knew something was wrong. The last time she'd gotten a migraine like this was...last year, with Voldemort, and the whole stone ordeal. The shadows on the wall seemed to dance in front of her, growing fangs and claws and forming silhouettes of creatures. Celeste hissed and proceeded to hide herself beneath Skylar's robes and hair, still clinging on to her shoulder. Her claws dug into Skylar's flesh, and she picked up the kitten and wrapped her arms around it. Celeste instantly calmed down, nearly falling asleep in the witch's arms.
"Blood...I smell blood…" A voice whispered, echoing through the dark wallway. Skylar clutched the animal closer to her chest and shivered. The voice was eerie and deep, although it sounded very similar to Parseltongue, or at least that of the snake from the zoo. That was really the first time Skylar could remember speaking Parseltongue. "Let me rip you...let me kill you…" The voice hissed, causing Skylar to run down the hallway, where she collided with three warm bodies.
"Harry? Skylar?" The redhead opened her eyes to see Hermione and Ron standing in front of her, Harry to her side.
"D-Did you hear it?" Harry asked, a scared expression on his face. He seemed to be out of breath, panting a little bit.
"Hear what?" Ron peered at his friend with concern.
"That...voice." Harry replied cryptically. Skylar's eyes widened as she hugged Celeste to her body. He had heard it too.
"Voice? What voice?" Hermione regarded Harry warily.
"I heard it first in Lockhart's office and then again, just-"
"Kill...time to kill…" Skylar and Harry both froze as the voice spoke.
"There is is again." Skylar whispered. Harry stared at her.
"You can hear it too?" The redhead just nodded. "It's moving," Harry turned to face Ron and Hermione, "I think it's going to...kill." He dashed off, closely followed by Skylar. Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried glance before following the two.
They must have been on the first floor, for the walls were made of stone and murky water pooled on the floor. Looking closer, Skylar noticed something in the water. There appeared to be backwards letters in the water's reflection. She slowly turned around as Hermione and Ron caught up to them.
"What are you guys doing?" Ron hissed. Harry pointed eerily at the words written on the wall in red.
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR...BEWARE.
Skylar shivered as her blue orbs scanned the lettering. The words seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen or heard them before, almost like when Hermione couldn't remember Nicholas Flamel.
"What's that?" Ron pointed to a silhouette beneath the lettering. Hanging from a torch was a frozen animal, gold and grey fur still and eyes frozen in fear, it's tail wrapping around the burning torch.
"That's Filch's cat!" Harry gasped, "Mrs. Norris." Celeste arched her back and hissed, fur prickling in fear, before she sought safety in the comfort of Skylar's arms. The redhead allowed the kitten to bury its face in her robes and wrap its tail around her wrist like a bracelet.
"Look at that," Hermione pointed to a trail of spiders crawling along the wall towards a crack in the window, "Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" She noticed Ron's face growing paler by the second, "Ron?"
"I...don't...like...spiders…" He backed away from the wall. A flood of voices came down from the stairwell behind them. A group of students appeared, all in their Slytherin robes. Draco pushed through the crowd to see the cause of the commotion, grinning evilly as he read what had been written on the walls.
"Enemies of the heir, beware!" He mocked, "You'll be next, Mudblood!" The blonde sneered at Hermione, before winking at Skylar.
"What's going on here?" Filch asked in that scratchy voice as he came down the stairs. He peered at all the students suspiciously. "Go on now! Make way…" He started to push through the crowd of students before stopping in his tracks, eye widening. "Mrs. Norris!" He cried before turning to point a shaking finger at Harry. "You!" He screeched, "You've murdered my cat! I'll kill you! I'll-"
"Argus!" Dumbledore reprimanded, walking over to stand beside the janitor, midnight blue robes swishing around him. He stopped suddenly as he took in the scene in front of him, eyes darkening at the sight of the frozen feline. "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately." He turned to look at Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Skylar. "Except you four." The hallway was a shuffle of students, pushing through one another in order to get away from the headmaster in fear of trouble. As the last of the students cleared out, Dumbledore gingerly lifted Mrs. Norris' body from the wall.
"It was definitely a curse that killed her," Gilderoy Lockhart intruded rather rudely. Heads whipped around to stare at him, for he certainly hadn't been there before, "Probably the Transmogrifian Torture," Skylar looked at him incredulously.
"Did he make that up?" She whispered, earning a snort from Harry and Ron.
"Encountered it myself once, in Ouagadougou. The full story is in my autobiography…" He trailed off as Dumbledore comforted the sullen janitor.
"She's not dead, Argus," He assured the man, "She's been petrified."
"Precisely!" Professor Lockhart jumped in, earning a heavy sigh from three of the four second years, "So unlucky I wasn't there. I know the countercurse that could have spared her…"
"Is there even a countercurse for petrification?" Skylar wondered aloud.
"As to how she's been petrified...I cannot say." Dumbledore sighed. Skylar could tell he was hiding something, but she knew he must have been doing it for a good reason. She could tell if people were lying, and that included the wise Professor Dumbledore.
"Ask him!" Filch spat, pointing an accusing finger at Harry, "It's him that's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall! Besides, he knows I'm a - I'm a Squib." He stuttered.
"It's not true, sir!" Harry insisted, "I swear! I never touched Mrs. Norris - and I don't even know what a Squib is."
"A person, born to at least one magical parent, whom possesses no magic himself." Skylar whispered.
"Rubbish!" Filch kept glaring at Harry, "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"
"If I might, Headmaster…" Snape emerged from the shadows. Hermione, Ron, and Harry winced, bracing themselves for yet another false accusation. Skylar twirled her hair nervously, for she knew Snape was a good person through his tough exterior, even he couldn't block his aura from her, but she knew he wasn't a fan of Harry or his friends. "Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time…" The four of them stared at the Potions professor with skepticism, was he really defending them? "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner." Skylar stifled a giggle as she watched Snape try to hide the fact he helped Harry with a not-so-convincing accusation.
"I'm afraid that;s my doing, Severus," Gilderoy admitted, adjusting his golden locks, "You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail…" Snape curled his lip in disgust while Skylar stuck her finger in her mouth as though she was gagging herself from the disgusting concept.
"That's why Ron and I were looking for him, Professor. We'd just found him and Skylar when Harry said…" Hermione trailed off nervously.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"When I said I wasn't hungry," Harry jumped in, "We were heading back to the Common Room and… found Mrs. Norris." Snape glared at him, and Skylar could tell that he knew they were lying. He didn't push it, though, and Dumbledore wrapped the issue up.
"Innocent until proven guilty." He declared.
"My cat has been petrified!" Filch wailed, "I deserve to see some sort of punishment!" Skylar shook her head incredulously. Geez, does everyone have it out for Harry? She wondered.
"We will be able to cure her," Dumbledore once again comforted the sobbing man, "As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a handful of healthy, growing Mandrakes. Once they've matured, a potion will be made to revive Mrs. Norris. In the meantime, I advise caution." He looked at the four students, his eyes landing on Harry last. "To all."
It was the next day, and Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Skylar were sitting in their desks, an animal placed in front of each one. Scabbers sat in front of Ron, Celeste in front of Skylar, a random toad in front of Harry, and a mouse in front of Hermione.
"Today, we will be turning animals into water goblets." She tapped the bird in front of her with her wand, thrice, before it transfigured into a beautiful crystal goblet. "Alright, who would like to go first…" She scanned the sea of students, her gaze landing on the red-haired boy attempting to duck his head, "Mr. Weasley?" Ron tentatively tapped the brown rat, watching as it transformed into a deep brown goblet the color of Scabber's fur, along with a pink tail.
"You must replace that wand, Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall scolded him. Ron nodded sheepishly before looking at his wand with disdain. "Now, how about...Miss Wolf?" The redhead blushed as all eyes were on her. She tapped Celeste hesitantly, but she didn't need to worry. Her kitten was replaced with a sleek, black goblet, that appeared to be made of crystal like McGonagall's. A silver crescent moon marked the front, reflecting the mark on her forehead, along with silver gems dotting the top of the goblet. After McGonagall gave an approving nod, Skylar transfigured her goblet back into a cat, who seemed to have been asleep throughout the whole ordeal. The other students began trying their luck on the assignment, except for Hermione, who was raising her hand in the air with a determined look on her face. McGonagall called on the brunette.
"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." The classroom fell quiet. Harry and Ron were gaping at their friend, while Skylar's face had turned an even paler shade.
"My subject is Transfiguration, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall responded, seemingly unaffected.
"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, "But there seems to be very little written about the Chamber of Secrets. For those of us with a personal interest in the subject, that is… disturbing." McGonagall simply met the girl's eyes before speaking.
"Very well," She gave in, "You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin." She went on to explain that Salazar Slytherin had isolated himself from the other founders due to his selectiveness: he thought only purebloods should learn magic, and so, he left the school. There was a myth that he had built a hidden chamber in the castle, sealing it before he left, so that only his true heir could reopen it. Something evil was contained in the chamber, and once it was released, it would attack those unworthy to study magic.
"Muggle-borns." Hermione let out a shaky breath. At that point, Skylar just wanted to go over and give her friend a big hug.
"Yes," McGonagall confirmed, "The school has been searched many times for such a chamber, but one has not been found." A lot of students seemed pleased with the answer, but not Skylar. She believed the chamber would only be made visible once the heir opened it. According to her theory, they wouldn't know where the chamber was until it was too late.
"Professor, what exactly lies within the chamber, according to the legend?" Hermione asked.
"The chamber is said to be home to something which the heir of Slytherin alone can control. It is said to be home… to a monster." Skylar shivered as Professor McGonagall finished her explanation, and she felt the overwhelming urge to turn. She obeyed her instincts and turned to see exactly what Ron was seeing, and it disgusted her. Draco Malfoy was sitting there, smug as always, with a sick smile on his face.