NOTE: So I decided to read the whole Harry Potter series through a few days ago and right now, I'm at the part of Chamber of Secrets where Justin Finch-Fletchy (sp?) and Nearly Headless Nick were Petrified. It really is a fantastic series! But we all know that.
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The trials had taken place on September fifteenth, and everyone was looking forward to a great season of Quidditch. That, and the Halloween feast. The classes were getting harder than anything the second years had ever experienced, but for the Ravenclaws, each new lesson was a challenge that needed to be overcome. Actually, it was like that for everyone, but the Ravenclaws had a more...positive out look than the average student.
Rumors had been going around that Dumbledore had booked dancing skeletons as entertainment. The feast was to take place that night, and none of the second years could concentrate in their classes. That didn't stop Professors McGonagal and Snape from giving them a great load of homework.
The feast was sumptuous. But all good things do eventually come to an end, and the students went to bed full and content. Valentine, Terry and Padma decided to take a shortcut and were met with a terrifying sight.
They hadn't noticed anything was wrong until they stepped into a large puddle.
"What the-" Valentine looked up. "Harry, Ron, Hermione, why weren't you guys at the feast?"
A crowd of students converged on the scene and Draco Malfoy's voice could clearly be heard. "Enemies of the heir, beware?" He looked at the crowd in general. Valentine glanced at the wall and gaped at the writing: The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware. "You'll be next, Mudbloods," finished Malfoy.
"What is it? Out of the way!" came the wheezy voice of Argus Filch. He pushed his way through the throng of students, through the puddle and saw the message. "Who in th-" He stopped as he laid eyes on something hanging on the lamp. Valentine couldn't see what it was. Filch rounded on Harry. "You've murdered my cat!"
With an odd mixture of delight and fright, Valentine looked at the lamp, and it was without a doubt Mrs. Norris hanging there.
"I'll kill you!" Filch lunged for Harry.
Valentine gasped and was about to cry out when there was a cry of, "Argus!" Filch froze. There could be no mistaking the power of Albus Dumbledore's voice. He walked straight through the crowd, followed by several teachers, some of whom gasped. Lockhart was seem muttering to no one in particular about how he could have saved Mrs. Norris.
Dumbledore looked on the scene with an intrigued look on his face. Everyone fell silent until, "Everyone will return to their dormitories immediately." The crowd turned around, doing just that. "Everyone except," said Dumbledore as the crowd stopped in their tracks, "Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger."
The crowd obeyed.
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The Ravenclaw Common Room was packed. It seemed as though the whole house was going to stay up and discuss this.
"How did it happen?" asked a scared looking first year.
"I dunno," said a rather burly seventh year. "Maybe this is someone's idea of a sick joke."
"I mean, no one likes Mrs. Norris or Filch," began a fifth year, "but no one would actually hurt them. None of us, anyway."
His friend nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't doubt that it was a Slytherin who did it."
Many people nodded.
"But was she actually dead?" asked Terry. "She looked like a statue..."
"And dead people don't?" asked the fifth year.
"Not for a couple of hours they don't," said Valentine.
"So maybe she's not dead. But what else could she be?" asked a third year.
The third year's question silenced the room completely until the door to the common room opened and Professor Flitwick came through the door. "I see none of you wanted to be sleeping. I can't say I blame you- this is a troubling thing." He cleared his throat. "Professor Dumbledore has asked the Heads of Houses to tell you all what happened to Mrs. Norris." The students paid him full attention. "Mrs. Norris has been Petrified." Murmurs. "Now, we're still trying to figure out how, but rest assured that this is not the work of Potter, Granger or Weasley."
"But Professor," asked the fifth year, "Who else could have done it? I heard Potter and Filch argued yesterday, and then this happens! It can't be a coincidence!"
"It was not Potter," said Flitwick firmly. "Now, it is late, and even though you don't have class tomorrow, you should all be getting some rest. Now off to bed!"
Ignoring the protests, Flitwick walked out of the room and the door shut itself behind him.
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The next day was History of Magic, and as usual, no one was paying any attention except for Hermione. Even Valentine wasn't in the mood for note taking, which was very unusual for her. She just couldn't get her mind off of Mrs. Norris. Her mind passed possibility after possibility back and forth until she happened to glance up at just the right time. Hermione was raising her hand. Valentine and Hermione sat next to each other; well, across the aisle, and Valentine watched her with interest until Professor Binns noticed her hand.
And the legend of the Chamber of Secrets was told.
"As you all know," began Professor Binns, "Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of their age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin." He paused, bemused that he, for the moment, held the classes' rapt attention. "For a long while, the four founders ran the school without much clashing, but after a while, it became clear that one of them was not happy with the way things were run."
Ron leaned to Harry and whispered, "Three guessed who."
"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective of the students admitted to Hogwarts; he preferred that magical learning be kept within all magic families. Eventually, he decided to leave the school." Professor Binns paused again. "Now, this is where the line between facts and myth becomes blurred. Legend has it that Slytherin built a hidden chamber somewhere in the school called the Chamber of Secrets. Naturally, the school has been searched many many times over the years, and no such Chamber has been found."
Hermione raised her hand. "Sir, what does legend tell us lie within the Chamber?"
"The myth says that the Chamber is home to a monster, which the heir of Slytherin himself could control," said Binns with obvious contempt. "But that's all it is: a story, designed to scare children!"
"But sir, don't myths and legends have a basis in fact?" asked Valentine.
"Some do, Ms..."
"Lynn."
"Well, Ms. Lynn, then you should know that if even such a long line of powerful witches and wizards couldn't find it, then it doesn't exist," said Binns. "Rest assured knowing that it is merely a tale told to scare the gullible."
"But sir," piped up Terry, "wouldn't you need to use Dark magic to open the Chamber in the first place?"
"Mr. Boyle, just because a wizard doesn't use Dark magic doesn't mean he can't!" Binns exclaimed. "As I've said, if even the likes of Dumbledore-"
"But if we follow that train of thought, you'd have to be related to Slytherin," said Dean Thomas. He sounded like he was going to say more, but Binns cut him off.
"That's enough! All of you. It is a myth, nothing more than a ridiculous tale told to frighten others. Now, let's get back to history, to provable fact," said Binns.
And the class resumed its normal routine.
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The first Quidditch game of the season was a week after the incident with Mrs. Norris. It was a fantastic match, but the one thing that really made Valentine nervous was that Bludger that seemed to be following Harry. Once she noticed it kept on coming back for him, Valentine kept her binoculars on it. She saw it smash into Harry's arm, breaking it. He then defied all expectations and made the best catch she'd seen all week and crash landed in the mud.
Valentine pocketed her binoculars and ran onto the field to see if she could help her friend. When she got down and gotten her way to the front, Lockhart had already worked his magic on Harry's arm. "Professor, what exactly..." Valentine looked down and nearly threw up her breakfast. Harry's arm was a sack of flesh, just hanging there, useless, at his side.
"Harry-" said Colin Creevey, a Gryffinfor first year.
"Colin, I don't want any pictures of this," Harry protested.
"Let me help you to the Hospital Wing," said Valentine, offering her arm. Harry accepted it.
Ron and Hermione quickly followed, Terry and Padma close behind.
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Not twenty four hours passed before the news of the attack on Colin spread. It terrified everyone to the point that they thought Harry was the Heir of Slytherin.
On the way from Herbology one day soon after the attack, Valentine overheard some Hufflepuff third years talking about him.
"I'm just saying, isn't it suspicious? He has an argument with Filch, and the next day, Mrs. Norris turns up Petrified? And then it happens again with that Creevey kid. It doesn't add up," said one.
"I'm with you," said another.
The conversation continued for a little while before Valentine came up to them. "I've known Harry for a few years now. He'd never do something like that!"
"What makes you say that?" asked the first one.
"First off, his mother was Muggle born, and so is his best friend!" said Valentine.
"What about his family?"
"Oh, you mean the ones who starve him and generally despise him?"
"My point exactly." The Hufflepuffs walked away, nearly in tears from the force of their laughter.
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Not soon after that, notices were put up in all the common rooms: there would be a dueling club formed in the face of all these attacks. Valentine, Terry and Padma all agreed it was necessary to go.
So they went.
The first bit of it was just a demonstration; during that time, Lockhart had been blasted off his feet by Snape and Valentine almost had to leave the room to stop herself from bursting out laughing. Then they got paired up with partners.
Harry and Malfoy got partnered, Terry and Padma were together, and Ron and Valentine were partners. A few minutes into the practice, Valentine collapsed on the ground in pain. "Wh-what did you do, Weasley?" asked Lockhart, alarmed.
"I-I might have done a Stinging Hex by accident. My wand, sir," said Ron, gesturing to it.
Snape rushed over. "Let me take care of this. Finite incantatum!"
Valentine immediately stopped writhing in pain. "You arse!"
Harry rushed to Ron's side. "It's not his fault, Val!"
"Oh, don't you stick up for him! He shot that Hex at me on purpose!" yelled Valentine.
"No he didn't!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
Snape had had enough. "Silence!" he bellowed.
Valentine, unable to stand them any longer, glared at Ron and Harry and stormed out of the room, no one daring to follow her. She left the Great Hall blinded by rage, just letting her feet take her wherever. She ended up in a corridor that had a few mirrors in it. Valentine looked at them, mystified, transfixed. All was quiet. All was dark. Then she heard something. She jumped and turned around quickly, wand out. "H-Hello? Who's there?"
No one answered. Valentine lowered her wand and put it in her pocket. All of the lights were still out. "I'm being silly." She walked down the corridor and looked into one of the mirrors.
All she saw were two great big, glowing yellow eyes.
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NOTE: I know she's not technically a Muggle born, but Salazar Slytherin believed in ONLY pure blood families learning magic. And since she's a half blood, she doesn't fit with Slytherin's vision, therefore, she's a viable target. A little shorter than I'd like it, but I needed to cut it off there, because it would seem too awkward if I didn't.