Chapter 16:
Hermione sighed in frustration, and Ron and Harry where just sitting there looking extremely confused. "What was all the about?" Harry asked. Hermione looked at me and I just sighed. "Arrington likes George, and he likes her, but for some reason Arrington won't believe me or Ginny." Hermione said in explanation. "What? Really?" Ron said surprised. "That's cool with me why don't you talk to him?" I shook my head. "Why?" Harry asked looking at me. "Because number one he doesn't like me," I said glaring at Hermione, "and two even if he does it can't happen." "What, why?" Harry asked surprised. "That makes no sense, Arrington." He continued. He was about to speak again when Hermione interrupted, "Oh. Arrington are you trying to say your not good enough for him? That's stupid." I just shrugged and responded, "It's not stupid if it's true."
"Arrington come on that's stupid." Harry said. "Yeah he's right, I mean if my brother likes you obviously your good enough for him." Ron said. I still just shook my head and said, "It's not just that I'm not good enough for him, it's also because I would bring him down all the time. It would be better for him to go with somebody else." Everyone just looked at me, and then Hermione said, "Well I think your being stupid." "Whatever." I mumbled going back to my homework.
As the week went on, I could tell everybody was getting together to try and get me and George in the same room. But I was always elusive and could get away, and George wasn't helping them any, but he wasn't trying to stop them either. One day while we were in the library studying, Fred came in and asked "Hey can I talk to you?" I stared at Harry trying to see if this was just another set up, but he just shook his head confused. "Ok." I said suspiciously. I got up and followed Fred to a secluded hallway by some classrooms. "What's up?" I asked. "Why are you avoiding George? I know your not avoiding me because you still talk to me, in fact I have to basically deliver messages between you too. Except you both don't know that you constantly keep asking about each other. So I'm going to change that. Why are you avoiding George? I know that you know that he likes you, and I also know you like him, so why?"
I just sighed. "Well as I told Harry, Hermione, and Ron; I'm not good enough for him. But is not only that I honestly would just bring him down. He's always so happy and well I'm not." "But Arrington can't you see that that's why it's perfect? He's always so happy so when your sad he can make you happy again. And you'd be the voice of reason to him because a lot of times he's to emotional and does everything based off of that." I just sighed again. Maybe I would have to be a little more honest to get them to understand. "Fred, I don't think I can get in a relationship with anybody, because I don't want to hurt anyone, I'm sorry but that's final. I will be friends with him but that's it." "Fine, but I'm not gonna stop trying, and neither is he. By the way I am telling him about this you know?" I figured your twins." I said rolling my eyes.
During a History of Magic, I was zoning out thinking about my talk with Fred, I would have to tell them about it later thinking of how Hermione, Harry, and Ron all wanted to know but we were going to be late to class, when suddenly Hermione raised her hand. Even the professor, who was a ghost, faltered in his talking because nobody had ever asked a question in his class before, when he was alive or dead. "Yes, Miss..." "Granger sir. I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." At the words Chamber of Secrets everybody sat up straighter and paid close attention to how he responded. Professor Binns obviously didn't think he would ever have such an attentive class so he said,
"Oh, very well. Let me see . . . the Chamber of Secrets . . . You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago — the precise date is uncertain — by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution. For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them.
A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school. Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said.
"But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."
There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled Professor Binns' classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.
"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said. "Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible." "What do you mean about what lies in the chamber?" I asked speaking without raising my hand.
Professor Binns looked very annoyed but answered anyway, "It was said to be a monster only the heir of Syltherin could control." Everyone than looked around at each other scared and Professor Binns seeing everyone's reaction scoffed and said, "This is all of course merely myths, anybody who would believe this is stupid now let's get back to real history based on facts and truth." The professor then continued talking in his mundane voice, but nobody was listening even Hermione. We were all to distracted from the information we had just learned about the Chamber of Secrets.