She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Tension

Needless to say, the school was in a state of total shock, but none more so than me.

I was stunned. Here I'd been thinking I should tell someone what I knew about the Chamber of Secrets, and then deciding against it – only for a student to be attacked right then and there!

It didn't seem fair somehow.

And, it would take awhile for the school's Mandrakes to be ready, to 'un-Petrify' poor Vincenzo who, to me, seemed to be a victim of my hesitation.

I didn't sleep a wink the night it happened, which was bad because I had classes the next day, including Defence Against The Dark Arts, which would require all of my concentration because of the duels that Professor Ackerly had promised us. I just hoped I wouldn't have to duel against Sirius – or Remus.

I got up the next morning, feeling like I'd just been run over by a herd of angry Hippogriffs. As I was getting dressed, I listened to Molly, Alice, Serilda and Lily talking about the attack.

"What do you reckon could've done it?" Alice asked in the same hushed tone everyone in the castle had been using since last night.

I pretended to be very busy with fixing my tie.

"The Chamber of Secrets was created by Salazar Slytherin wasn't it?" Lily mused, pulling on her grey school socks.

"So?" Serilda asked her.

"So," Lily said, rolling her beautiful green eyes. "Maybe it has something to do with that."

I cringed. Clever Lily, smart Lily. She'd probably be like Hermione and figure the whole thing out. Not that it would matter, since I was going to the Headmaster straight after breakfast, and I would explain everything.

Because I knew everything about the Chamber of Secrets.

***

"You're not eating as much as you usually do." Sirius noted, as we there at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"Can't." I said shortly. "Nervous."

"What about?" Remus inquired, from behind his copy of Confronting The Faceless, which was propped up against a milk jug. I noticed how tired he looked, and I realised – a full moon was approaching. Poor Remus…

Maybe because of this, or maybe because I was worried about what they'd say if they knew, but I just shrugged. "Oh, you know, life in general – the Chamber of Secrets, trying to finish my Transfigurations homework, the important stuff." I stood up quickly. "I've got Care Of Magical Creatures right now, I have to go. See ya later, guys!" And I hightailed it out of the Great Hall, shuddering as I accidentally ran straight through the Ravenclaw ghost, the Grey Lady, who gave me a look of complete superciliousness but, you see, the thing is, I really was late for CoMC. Talking to Dumbledore would have to wait.

I just hoped no one else would be attacked before I did.

Halfway to the meadow, I came to a dead halt.

What good would talking to the headmaster do? Unless we found out who was opening the Chamber of Secrets, what good would knowing what was in it do?

The monster within the Chamber of Secrets was a Basalisk. That's why only the heir of Slytherin could control it – because it's a snake, and Salazar himself was a Parsletongue, and could talk to snakes. Voldemort, aka Tom Riddle, had opened the chamber when he was at Hogwarts, and had laid on the blame on someone else (typical). What's more, you could only get into the Chamber of Secrets if you were a Parsletongue. I knew enough about it to know that you could mimic it, if you were that skilled, but who in their right mind would want to?

And how do you kill a Basalisk anyway?

Answer: Either with the crow of a rooster, or the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

Neither of which the school had, it became apparent, when I walked by Hagrid's hut, and saw him with the dead roosters.

"Oh no…" I muttered. "Now what..?" I hurried past, not wanting to see it (hey, we used to raise chickens back in the other world). I hoped we weren't going to be dealing with anything dangerous in our CoMC class, because otherwise I'd end up being bitten. I wasn't going to be paying much attention to it.

I needed to think of a way to let Dumbledore knew what I knew, without sounding guilty – which I wasn't!

Many things were for certain though – the school might be closed if the attacks continued, and I couldn't allow that to happen. Also, I might get in trouble if I withheld information for too long, and someone died the way Myrtle did.

I had a lot to consider here.

Was my own future in magic really worth all these students' lives?

Of course, the answer was no.

***

I found the gargoyle that barred the way to Dumbledore's office, and then I realised that I didn't know what the password was.

"Oh, well that's just great!" I said sarcastically, and could swear the gargoyle laughed at me. "Umm…sherbet lemon? Lemon drops? Candy cane? Chocolate frog? Bertie Bots E…oh, no wait, he doesn't like those, does he? Le Chat? Does he even know what they are? Umm…"

"Miss. Pax?" Said Professor McGonagall's voice, and I turned to see her striding up the corridor toward me. "What are you doing here?" She asked me, somewhat suspiciously.

I gulped. "I…umm…I needed to see Professor Dumbledore…immediately." I added, and she gazed at me suspiciously still.

"Why?" She asked eventually.

I thought: 'Do I want to tell Professor McGonagall all I know? About the Chamber of Secrets?'. Somehow, I knew that the answer was no. I shook my head. "I can't tell you…but it's imperative that I speak with the headmaster straight away."

"Well, I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here." Professor McGonagall said in a clipped tone.

I yelped: "What!? He's gone!?"

She raised her eyebrow. "He received an owl from the Ministry of Magic…"

I interrupted her. "But what's he doing going away now!? What with the Chamber of Secrets being opened again!?"

She looked like she was about to answer me but, just then, a fourth year Ravenclaw girl came sprinting down the hall toward us, out of breath.

"Miss. Lindlewalt, what is it!?" McGonagall asked her sharply. "Has there been another attack!?"

If there had been, then I was going to tell McGonagall about it, I decided then and there.

"N-no Professor, sorry, nothing like that…" Henrietta Lindlewalt said, looking embarrassed. "Just, Professor Sprout is having some difficulty with the Mandrakes – none of the other teachers will go near them when they're acting like this…"

I sighed with relief.

McGonagall looked relieved too, and said: "Very well, lead the way Miss. Lindlewalt." To me, she added: "Shouldn't you be in class now, Miss. Pax?"

I gasped. I'd completely forgotten about Defence Against The Dark Arts. The Marauders and Lily were going to be wondering where I was.

People might even think I'd been attacked…since I'm muggle-born.

But then I remembered something, something important…a little detail that might mean something different…but what was it?

Oh well. I could think about later on.

Right now, I needed to remember how to hex Severus Snape. I owed him for last year.