A/N: Flutterby is a bush that quivers and trembles.

The trio did not speak of the previous night's events the next morning. It was as though they felt that giving words to the night's strange actions would make it more real, and none of them wanted for it to be real. It seemed like a temporary madness, as though some strange spectre had possessed them, and the rift that had occurred had nothing to do with themselves. But there was no question that they would eventually return to the strange underground chambers. Though Harry appear to be pale, he also seemed to hum with a barely suppressed energy, as if those twisting and turning pipes were calling out to him.

Throughout their classes, Harry seemed unfocused, despite the way that his body language gave the impression of a diligent student. His eyes might have been fixed to the textbook in front of him, but anyone who was looking at him closely could see that his eyes weren't moving across the page. During Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry didn't seem bothered by Lockhart's self-aggrandizing 'lesson' (Lockhart's self-confidence had the resiliency of the most tenacious weed). Harry didn't even notice when Lockhart compared his own level of celebrity to Harry's, nor the way statement had drawn the eyes of the other students, something which would have ordinarily had him gritting his teeth in irritation. It was unsettling. Callidus found himself exchanging glances with Draco. For once, the two of them were in perfect accord. The only question was: which of them would confront Harry first.

In the end, it was Draco. Perhaps it had to do with growing up rich and spoiled, but Draco never did have much patience.

"Harry, about what happened yesterday -" Draco darted a nervous glance towards Callidus, as if for support.

And Callidus, who was tired of dancing around the issue, said: "I think that pendant is changing you."

Draco's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?" But Harry already had his hand around the cord of the necklace and Draco soon caught on. The blond turned towards Callidus, his expression accusing. "You think this is because of the pendant that I gave him? I would never give Harry something that would cause him to act like this! You're just jealous!"

"I admit that I find enchantments fascinating, but jealousy has nothing to do with this. Do you even know the specific enchantments that had been placed on that pendant? You told us yourself that it was your father who had the pendant ordered."

Draco crossed his arms. "My father wouldn't do something like this to Harry."

"Can you even define what this 'something' is?" Callidus shot back.

"Are you two going to just keep talking as if I'm not even here?" Harry cut in. "You know what? I've had all day to think about this. Do you think I'd ignore the situation just because neither of you are talking about it? Because I haven't. And I admit that yes, what happened was weird. Really, really weird. Do you think I like this? Because I don't. But I really don't think it's the pendant."

Callidus frowned.

"But -" Harry continued, "since it bothers you so much, I'll take it off anyway." And with that, he removed the necklace from around his neck and stuffed it in his pocket. "Happy?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "This is ridiculous. Are we supposed to assume that the problem is solved just because Harry has removed the pendant?"

"I suppose we'll find out soon enough," Callidus replied.

Though nothing had really been resolved, Harry's decision to take off the pendant seemed like a move in the right direction. And although the idea of exploring secret chamber still filled Callidus with a measure of disquiet, the light of day made the previous night's fears seem like a small thing, while curiosity stirred like a waking beast.

Since neither Draco nor Harry had Quidditch practice after class, the trio agreed to venture down to the chamber after class. In the light of day, it felt awkward to venture into the girls' bathroom, whether it was out of order or not, but although it was unspoken, each of them preferred to explore the chamber during daylight hours than under the heavy pall of night.

They were standing in front of the sink, grateful that Myrtle was nowhere in sight, and Harry's brows were drawn together as he said: "Open! Open!" but for reasons he couldn't understand, the sink would not move. Harry let out a huff of frustration, running his hand through his hair so that the black strands became even messier.

"I don't understand this," he said. "What's different? Does the chamber only open at night time?"

"I don't want to have to come back tonight," Draco groused. "My skin looks terrible if I don't sleep."

Harry ignored him. "I'm pretty sure it was this sink. This is the one with the little snake on it. Open! Augh! Open!" A hiss of frustration slipped from his lips. Moments later, the sink moved out of the way and revealed the pipe. Harry blinked and then grinned, his frustration forgotten, oblivious the grimaces on Callidus's and Draco's faces.

When the three emerged at the bottom of the chamber, it was just as dark and oppressive as it had been the night before.

"Oh, bloody hell," Draco swore under his breath. "It's even worse than I remembered."

Harry answered with a grin. "It's not so bad. C'mon. Let's see where this goes."

They followed Harry along the tunnel, wands held high, and careful to pick their way around the animal bones that littered the floor. But before long, they spotted a long and winding object on the ground in front of them. Callidus, who had been calm mere seconds ago, felt the alarm bells in his mind begin to ring in shrill panic. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and run, but he didn't dare with his two friends nearby.

"What's that?" Draco asked, his voice nearly a squeak.

To Callidus's and Draco's horror, Harry took a step towards it. Merlin, it was a Gryffindorish level of recklessness and stupidity. If Harry had been closer, Callidus would have grabbed at his robes to yank him away. But it was too late.

Harry crept closer to the long curved object and poked it with his foot, before looking back at his friends, a crooked smile on his face. "It's just a snake skin. Though I've never seen one that was green before. Aren't snake sheds usually clear?"

Relieved that Harry was in no mortal threat, Callidus nodded. "Yes," he said, barely able to keep the tremour from his voice. "Except in the case of magical snakes. Merlin." He shook his head, still feeling shaky. "Don't ever do that again. To be honest, I don't think I'm comfortable down here knowing that there is a giant snake slithering about. That thing looks to be at least twenty feet, and I rather value my life."

"You think it's still alive?" Draco asked, alarmed and stepping backwards.

Harry frowned. "It looks pretty old. I'm sure we're fine. C'mon, let's keep looking. I'm pretty sure that we'd be able to outrun a snake."

"Harry!"

But Harry was already walking ahead, unable to comprehend his friends' fear. Callidus looked over at Draco, and saw an anxiety in the blond's eyes that mirrored his own. But neither of them could let Harry go forward on his own. Hating what was happening, they nonetheless hurried their steps to keep up. They turned a corner, until they eventually came to a dead end. But the wall before them wasn't a pipe or section of tunnel. Instead, the wall contained a carved relief of two entwined serpents.

Draco gasped. "Are those emeralds?" The three of them stepped forwards, and held up their lit wands. And indeed, it appeared as if the serpents' eyes had been set with large gleaming emeralds.

"What is this place?" Draco breathlessly wondered, echoing Callidus's thoughts. Harry only hissed, and as the serpent parted, Callidus suddenly had a feeling that Harry's hissing was more than just a sound of excitement. The hissing had been too deliberate. It was almost as if he had been speaking to the wall. But there was no time to think about this because Harry was already walking forward into the most remarkable space yet.

Fear now struggled with awe, but awe was winning. The chamber had a ceiling that was at least as high as the one in the Great Hall - no, even higher for he could not make out the ceiling at all - and it was supported by pillars that were carved with coiling serpents. A greenish glow lit the vast space, making the chamber feel as familiar as the Slytherin common room.

"It's just like in my dreams," Harry murmured, neck craned back as he tried to take in the details of his surroundings.

Callidus's eyes widened. "This is what you've been dreaming about?"

Harry's grin seemed to split his face. "Yeah! Except there's more. I know there's more!"

As the trio walked forward, Callidus heard Draco say: "This is unbelievable." And in truth it was. This was beyond anything Callidus could have imagined. How could Hogwarts be harbouring a place like this without anyone knowing? It almost reminded him of -

"Merlin." Callidus halted in his steps.

Harry turned to face him. "What?"

"Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber."

Draco's eyes widened. "You were thinking that too?"

"What are you two talking about?"

"There is a legend," Callidus began, "that back in the days of the Founders, Salazar Slytherin had a falling out with the other three. To protect the Slytherin ideals, he built the Chamber of Secrets. There are other stories -" Callidus knit his brows, "but most of them are hearsay."

"A lot of people don't think that the chamber's even real," Draco added, "or at least people from the other Houses like to deny it. But Slytherins know better."

Harry's eyes were luminous, and the strange malachite light made his eyes appear unnaturally green. "Do you really think this could be -" He seemed unable to finish the sentence and instead looked up at the carved snake columns that watched the trio with hollow eyes.

Neither Callidus nor Draco could answer Harry's question. They didn't know. But Harry was too transfixed by this mysterious place, and continued to walk forwards. They had reached the last of the snake-like columns, and at the end of the vast room was a statue so immense that it reached from floor to ceiling. The head of the statue was so far up that the trio had to strain their necks to even see it. But all of them recognized that ancient face with its long beard that very nearly reached the wizard's toes. It was Salazar Slytherin.

"Unbelievable," Draco said again.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, and though Callidus wasn't he facing him, he could hear the grin in Harry's voice. They fell into silence, as if this was all too much to take in. When Harry had told them that he had been dreaming about a secret chamber, Callidus had imagined something like a classroom or if they were lucky, something the size of their common room. But even during his wildest speculations, he couldn't have pictured anything like this. This space was vaster than the Great Hall.

"We can practice our magic here," Draco eventually said. "We can, can't we?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. I think so. If my dreams are any indication, then it's safe."

"Well, dreams led us here. We may as well try," Callidus mused.

Harry lifted his eyebrows, and there was amusement in his voice. "Don't you want to explore first?"

Though Callidus knew that they could return at any time, something about this place made him feel like this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The more he considered the situation, the more that he realized that this room was a cultural artifact. When was the last time that anyone had ever entered this space? If they revealed to the magical community that they had found Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber, they would be famous. He was starting to feel overwhelmed. But Harry was right; exploring was a good idea. The shining brightness in Draco's pale eyes indicated that the other boy agreed. Despite all that had happened this school year, despite the Orange Madness, and Callidus's potion projects, and the trio's pranks, this felt like the most extraordinary thing that had occurred. What might they learn? What secrets might this room reveal? As the trio continued to explore the secret chamber, the snake skin was completely forgotten.

"Imagine what everyone will think of this place," Draco said breathlessly, after the trio had taken a turn around the vast chamber.

Callidus pursed his lips. "Are we going to show everyone? We haven't explored everything that's down here. Do we really want everyone crawling about when we haven't even unearthed Salazar's secrets?"

Draco's eyes widened. "I hadn't even thought of that. What kind of artifacts do you think he had? Maybe his tomes and grimoires are down here. Just think of the spells and magic he must have accumulated. All that lost Founders knowledge." Draco look over at Harry. "Did you dream of any artifacts?"

Harry furrowed his brow. "I can't really remember. The dreams always seem really vivid, but when I wake up I forget a lot of the details. But I knew for sure there was chamber."

Draco hummed. "What do you think we should do? Should we tell everyone? Or keep it to ourselves for now."

"Well, at first I thought about telling everyone. But maybe Callidus is right. If there are other secrets in here, then I really don't want anyone else to find them first."

"Yeah," Draco said, "I agree." He scrunched up his face. "Could you imagine? Us finding the chamber, and someone else finding all of Salazar's secrets? That would be intolerable. If anyone finds the secrets, it's going to be us."

Callidus and Harry nodded in reply. There was something thrilling about knowing they had some part of Hogwarts all to themselves - their own remarkable secret. Though Callidus had always wanted to gain admiration for his own merits, especially in potions, finding the secret chamber was its own accomplishment, and an awe-inspiring one at that. The fifth years may have claimed that he was no true Slytherin, but the fact that he was here proved them wrong. After all, what could be more Slytherin than uncovering Salazar's long lost secrets?

The trio spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening poking around in the secret chamber. They didn't manage to find any artifacts or books, despite saying "open" to everything in sight. When they return to the common room that night, their hopes remain high, and when Pansy tried to pry the secrets out of them (she always did have a good intuition for when people were keeping secrets) the trio were gleeful about keeping her in suspense, much to her aggravation.

In the upcoming days, Callidus did not even reveal the presence of the chamber to his Gryffindor friends. He knew that it would interest them, and he knew that he could trust them, but they weren't Slytherins, and he felt like telling them would be like betraying Salazar himself. Not even the temptation of being able to gloat about the amazing historical discovery could have induced him to tell the Gryffindors. This was the trio's secret, and he meant to keep it that way.

"Caall-id-dus!" came Ginny's sing-song voice, distracting him from his reading. "Did you ever see the poem that Neville wrote for Caiside?"

Callidus's eyes slid towards Caiside, and he felt his lip pull upwards in amusement at the furious red flush that stained Caiside's cheeks.

"Poem?" he said with false innocence, as Caiside exclaimed: "No!"

"Yep!" Ginny said cheerfully. "He wrote her a luuuv poem."

"It was not a love poem!" Caiside cried. "It was just a few - rhymes."

"It was lovely," Hermione interposed. "I never knew that Neville had a talent for words. I never would have guessed it beneath his - well, shy exterior."

Caiside glared at Hermione as if betrayed. "I thought you were on my side."

Hermione's brows drew together. "I am on your side! It was a perfectly nice poem."

"'Miiiione!"

"It was!" Hermione defended. "I'm sure Callidus would agree."

"Arrgg!" Caiside exclaimed, while Ginny grinned triumphantly, handing Callidus a folded parchment (dyed a pale, leafy green). After giving Caiside a merciless smile, he began to read.

The tremours of the Flutterby
Though small and slight, it stirs my core;
For in myself I see the same,
Those quivers that the world abhors:
The frailty of the tame.

My pastimes live in deserts, bare
Where trembling roots grasp only sand,
And thirsting for a kindred flame
For someone who will understand:
Roots cannot grow if maim'd

I wonder, do you feel as I?
Or are these seeds in barren ground?
And quailing like the Flutterby
I almost fear to hear the sound,
And yet I have to try.

Is there a whisper of a hope?
Is there a chance that I might grasp?
Is friendship something that can grow,
Like tendrils to a trellis, clasp'd,
If I dare say: 'hello?'
It's this I long to know.

Callidus blinked. That was - far, far better than he would have expected from Longbottom. When the other boy had mention that he wanted Callidus's help to write a poem, Callidus had agreed, if only to irritate Caiside. But life had gotten in the way; Callidus had far too many other things to worry about. So, he had offhandedly suggested that Longbottom should a research poetry in the library. He didn't realize the other boy would take his advice to heart. Despite the fact that Callidus found poetry to be ridiculous and overly sentimental, he felt a small flicker of admiration for Longbottom. It wasn't Longbottom's words that he admired, but the spirit behind them. Gryffindor bravery might be ridiculous, but at times it yielded positive results. And even if Longbottom might not have won Caiside's heart, he had still accomplished something.

"Well?" Ginny demanded.

"I'm - impressed." He handed the poem back to Caiside, who refused to take it, though Ginny folded it away for her. "How fortunate you are to have such an eloquent admirer."

Caiside scowled. "Oh, shut up! It's not admiration. He just wants to be friends. What's wrong with that?"

Callidus gave her a smug smile. "Oh. Nothing. Nothing at all." And once he grew weary of Ginny rhapsodizing about how romantic it was, he returned to his reading.

He spent an increasing amount of time revising, aware that Hermione was doing the same. He would never forgive himself if he let Hermione claim the top position in the majority of their classes. But he also continued to read about enchantments, even though Harry had removed the pendant.

It was during these readings at one of their later study sessions that he came across a particular enchantment that immediately stirred his interest. As soon as he read the description, he had straightened up in his seat, convinced that the enchantment was of utmost importance to him. But Callidus knew nothing about enchantments. He knew he was intelligent, but that intelligence meant he couldn't fool himself into thinking that he could accomplish something that was well beyond his capabilities. But even if Callidus couldn't enchant for himself, it didn't mean that he lacked options.

That evening, as the trio continued to explore (and clean up) more of the chamber, Callidus stepped up to Draco's side and spoke.

"Draco, about the pendant that you gave to Harry -"

Draco scowled. "You're still convinced that that pendent has something to do with how Harry was acting? Because he doesn't seem any different now that he's taken it off."

Callidus shook his head. "No, I don't want to discuss that. Actually, I was wondering -" he paused, "where did your father have the pendant made?"

"Why? Planning to do some investigations?"

Callidus frowned at Draco's accusing tone. "No. I was thinking of having an enchantment commission for myself."

"Oh? Changed your tune about enchantments?"

Callidus rolled his eyes. "It was never enchantments that I objected to. I've been researching enchantments, and I found one that I think could help with potion making. It's an enchantment that offers partial protection from anything that is ingested."

"Do you really think you can afford to commission an enchanted item?" The question was asked with more doubt than scorn, so Callidus felt no offense. It was just Draco being Draco.

"If you give me the name, then I can find out."

"Hmm." Draco compressed his lips into a line. "Well, this person isn't someone who keeps a shop in Diagon Alley, if you know what I mean. You can't exactly send him an owl to inquire about prices. You have to know people."

"I know you," Callidus pointed out.

"Yes, well, since we're both the stuck in school right now, I can't exactly skulk through Knockturn Alley, and vouch for you, can I?"

Callidus's lips drew downwards. He wasn't about to ask Draco to ask his father for a recommendation. But what other options did he have? Who did he know, besides his friends and classmates? But then it struck him. Wystan!

"Can you just give me the name?" Callidus entreated.

Draco huffed irritably. "Fine. Though I can't believe you want an enchantment after the big fuss you made about the one I gave Harry."

Callidus shrugged. "I may have been wrong." But he didn't think so, even if he also hadn't noticed any major changes in Harry. Admittedly, much of his reasoning was due to stubbornness and not wanting to admit he was wrong. Nonetheless, he was glad to have gotten the name from Draco, and thanked his friend, who simply rolled his eyes. He would write a letter to Wystan as soon as he got back to the common room. But Draco's remarks had given him an idea. Wystan had myriad connections. Why not see if he could find out any information about the pendant that Lucius had commissioned for Harry's? He knew that it was unlikely that Wystan would learn anything, but it didn't hurt to try. Pleased with his course of action, he returned his attention to exploring the underground chamber, putting his mind towards discovering Salazar's ancient secrets.

A/N: Thanks for the review! Still haven't finished writing this, but I'm outlining Book 3 and I hope I can fix some of my writing weaknesses for year 3