"Tom, I'm feeling very tired all the time now, I think it might be all the work I'm doing, and I have these times when I can't remember where I've been or what I've been doing…"

"Tom, I missed class today because I overslept, and when I got to my second class late Professor McGonagall just glared at me, I've never gotten a look like that before, I almost started crying...I've been crying a lot lately and for no reason...you're the only one who understands..."

"Percy made me take some Pepper-up Potion this afternoon, he said I was looking ill. I'm NOT ill, I'm just tired. And somehow I don't want to eat. But I'm NOT ill. I told Percy that and he said 'Well, the Potion won't do you any harm, either', so I had to drink it while Harry and Ron were sitting over by the fire wringing out their robes which had gotten all wet during Quidditch practice, and all this steam came out my ears and Harry grinned and said it went well with my hair and then everyone laughed and oh, TOM, I've NEVER been so EMBARRASSED in all my LIFE! I must have looked like my head was on FIRE!"

It was getting easier to get into her mind. The more she told him, the stronger he grew. He fed off of her secrets, her joys, her stories, everything and anything that made up her soul…

Halloween, he thought. Not too far away, and it had a certain symbolic resonance that appealed to him. Halloween…the Enemies of the Heir would fear him…

HJS, TIMETABLE:

POTIONS

Homework: (extra credit): Monster Mud Mask—gives you a monster face for the space of three hours; popular for Halloween costumes

Notes: Ask Prof A if I can have more necessaries for Invis Potion—see list

I'm not drinking any more of that stuff

Come on, it might be useful some time

Get your hands on a rose thorn and I'll consider it

DADA

Homework: Make some invis potion, stat. IF LOCKHART MAKES ME DO ONE MORE STUPID DEMONSTRATION I SWEAR I'M GOING TO BLOW SOMETHING UP AND IT MIGHT JUST BE HIS HEAD.

Notes: Ron's wand: "accidentally" set Lockhart's new vermillion robes on fire

It was an accident mostly. I just wanted to singe them a little. For the sake of realism. I mean, come on, NOBODY walks away from a dragon fight without SOME kind of mark. I STILL have teeth marks on my hand and that was only a BABY.

Appointments, 31 October

N-H Nick, Deathday party (?) one of the "roomier" dungeons

Not going

Oh, come on, Ron. Do you really want to tell our grandchildren that you had the opportunity to see a Deathday party and you didn't go?

I've thought it over and I'll take that risk.

How come that line only works when it's something dangerous or illegal?!

Cause that's the only stuff worth doing

"Tom, Tom, I think I'm going to get detention!"

What?! Why?

"I tripped over the damned CAT. I couldn't HELP it, it appeared out of NOWHERE and started rubbing itself all over me and I was going too fast and I tripped and the cat let out this HOWL and the caretaker whose cat it is came running and I thought he was going to hex me but he just grabbed me by the ear and dragged me down to his office and wrote me up and I don't think he can give me detention but he sent the note to Professor McGonagall and recommended that I be HUNG FROM THE CEILING IN IRONS! Just for TRIPPING OVER THE DAMNED CAT!"

Don't worry, Ginny. You won't get detention. I promise...

And he left the diary and slipped into her mind…

"The first one you find. Keep your eyes closed until you smell the cat's blood."

"But why the cat? Why not the Squib himself? Why not any of the Mudbloods in this whole school?"

"This is only a warning…"

"Now go back. I'll finish this." And he produced the paint and slowly, slowly, every so carefully, daubed it on the wall…

THE…CHAMBER…OF...SECRETS...

"I still have no idea how on earth you managed to drag me to that completely unnecessary... do you call it a party? More like a funeral…A very long overdue funeral…"

"We didn't drag you, Malfoy, you overheard us talking about it and insisted on coming," said Hermione.

"Well, if I'd known…"

"Honestly, Malfoy, what did you expect?" Ron asked. "Kittens and bows and pink lemonade with little umbrellas? It's a Deathday party. If the name didn't tip you off you're beyond hope. Anyway, I hope we're back to the Great Hall in time for pudding."

Harry, walking a little ahead of the others, grinned to himself. It had sort of worked, the suggestion about the Trophy Room. They were arguing as much as ever, but it was back—that almost friendly tone, more like mates having a go and less like mortal enemies trying to destroy.

Hermione had noticed too—she wasn't making Ron put his wand away anymore, and Draco hadn't said "Mudblood" in a month, even by accident, and so she wasn't even trying to stop them anymore when they threatened grievous bodily harm on each other's persons. Mostly she just sighed and left them alone to argue.

Draco returned the favour by taking her side in her arguments with Ron, no matter what the subject might be; he was apparently almost unaware of her blood status anymore. Harry found himself agreeing with Ron sometimes when he actually didn't, just for the sake of balance. It was like walking a tight rope over a pool with three very touchy sharks sometimes, but he rather enjoyed it.

"What's that?" Harry asked suddenly. That same voice…the one he had heard in Lockhart's office…he was hearing it again, and it was growing fainter.

"What's what?" asked Ron, breaking off for a moment.

"That voice…it sounds like…it's going to kill someone!" Harry said, and began racing down the corridor.

Ron and Hermione exchanged one startled glance and then tore off after him. Draco sighed heavily, threw his robe over his shoulder, and followed at quite a quick clip.

When they arrived in the corridor on the first floor, they found Harry standing staring at the wall and at a dark shape hanging from one of the torches.

"What is it, Harry?" asked Ron, coming up behind him panting. Harry pointed wordlessly to the wall and the huge red letters thereon.

"Is that…blood?" Hermione asked, her eyes huge. Draco rolled his eyes and stepped forward, swiping a finger through it.

"Paint," he announced after sniffing it. "But it's fresh. Whoever painted it is still around."

"And whoever did that?" Ron said, pointing to the shape hanging from the torch.

It was Mrs Norris, the cat.

"What's a Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked, re-reading the lettering.

Draco's lip curled into an unpleasant smile. "Just a bit of what the school needs," he said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron rounded on him. "I've heard of this thing, it's not anything good! I mean, look what it did to that cat!"

"And you think something that would get rid of a mangy brat like that is a bad thing?" Malfoy asked coolly.

Ron looked thoughtful for a minute, then shook himself. "Well…well, that's not the point, is it?! Whatever did it to her could do that to people!"

"Not just any people," said Draco, grinning maliciously.

"What people, then, Mr Know-it-all?" Ron demanded. But before Draco could reply, there was a noise from behind them, and approximately the entire student body of Hogwarts appeared in the corridor, on their way up from the Great Hall to their dormitories after the Halloween feast.

"No more pudding, then, Ronnie," said Draco. "Bad luck."