In The Great Encyclopedia of Many Magic Marvels, there is a large and quite detailed section on Hogwarts and it's history. Lydia was in charge of reading that book and finding anything along the lines of The Chamber of Secrets, which led to no avail. Ever since the "grave" incident with Mrs. Norris, every student, from all years, was trying to find what the Chamber actually was. And since Lydia was quite the gifted persuader, she managed to let us read books she had "borrowed" from fellow Slytherins, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. The boys, Crabbe and Goyle, weren't expected to do much. Only read The Four Founders. And not much luck there. I had my copy of Hogwarts, A History hidden in my trunk. To my escalating irritation, there was no such Chamber in the book anywhere. Draco had sent a letter to his father asking for old newspapers of The Daily Prophet that dated back fifty years, but in order to keep our search a secret, he didn't mention to send only the newspapers that mentioned Hogwarts. So he got useless stacks of newspapers that cluttered up his bed.

"Well it's not as if I could've asked him directly!" He spat, shoving the papers off and making a large pile on the floor.

Lydia, who was munching away on a Chocoball spared him a glance and then looked back down, reading her book and marking anything onto a separate parchment. She had taken a break and was taking notes for our quiz next class on History of Magic.

"Really now, you should like, take a break Dracey." She mumbled, extending her hand, waiting for Goyle to place another Chocoball in her open palm.

I was hunched over my book besides Draco, quills in my hair and parchment with notes organized in a like on my right. My left hand was intertwined with Draco's while my free hand alternated from Bertie Botts Beans to jotting phrases down from my History book. I stayed silent as I kept studying, trying to figure out how to remember that Witch Hunts started around the 15th century.

"Well you seem awfully calm about this, Lydia." Draco accused, eyeing her.

"Because," Lydia said, not giving him much attention. "I happen to know that Vanice has a plan. Right, Van?"

Draco spun to look at me and a pretended not to notice, continuing to chew on my mango-flavored Bean while reading away. He gave me a light nudge and I hid my smirk, brushing it off as if I didn't feel it.

"Vanice." He said.

Lydia began to giggle and the boys snickered, opening a new bag of Crunch Chips.

He let go off my hand and shifted himself to sit in front of me, taking away my book and notes. I huffed and took out my scrolls, holding them up to block Draco's face. In a split second he had taken the scrolls and tossed them with my other school supplies, smirking at me.

"Yes, Draco?" I finally asked, knowing I couldn't evade his question any longer.

"What is your plan?"

"Binns."

"Miss - er -?"

"Crypton, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets," I asked in a clear voice.

Millicent Bulstrode, who had been sitting with her mouth hanging open, gazing out of the window, jerked out of her trance; Parkinson's head came up off her arms and Zabini's elbow slipped off his desk.

Professor Binns blinked.

"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his dry, wheezy voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Crypton, not myths and legends." He cleared his throat with a small noise, picked up his chalk and continued, "In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers-"

He stuttered to a halt. Lydia's hand was waving in the air.

"Miss Serpinton?"

"Like, don't legends always have a basis in like, fact?"

Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement, I was sure no student had ever interrupted him before, alive or dead. He was the only teacher that could possibly tell us anything, since McGonagall hated us and Snape had ordered us to research for ourselves. Draco besides me began to take out his quill, using the parchment we were using to write notes to jot down important information.

"Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose."

He peered at Lydia as though he had never seen a student properly before. Crabbe and Goyle were looking at Binns with as much interest as they had ever given a teacher.

"However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale -"

But the whole class was now hanging on Professor Binns's every word. He looked dimly at them all, every face turned to his. I could tell he was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest.

"Oh, very well," he said slowly, giving in. "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."

Everyone smirked in pride for our house.

"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."

He paused, gazed blearily around the room, and continued.

"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."

"Mudbloods." Draco muttered under his breath, continuing to scribble down on the paper.

Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips, looking like a wrinkled old tortoise.

"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."

Crabbe snickered and I heard Goyle kick his shin in attempt to keep him silent.

"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's 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."

Draco's hand was in the air.

"What exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

"There is believed to be some sort of monster, Mr. Mason, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.

The class exchanged nervous looks. Crabbe, Goyle and Draco raised an eyebrow and Lydia gasped, making the rest of the girls follow in her action.

"I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

"But, sir," said Jean Hatcher, "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Nonsense, Hamphrey," said Professor Binns in an aggravated tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing -"

"But, Professor," piped up Zabini, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it -"

"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Mr. Basington," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore -"

"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't -" began Pansy, but Professor Binns had had enough.

"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

And within five minutes, the class had sunk back into its usual torpor. I looked at Draco and he smirked at me, waving around the paper full of facts on the Chamber. I smiled and gave him a wink, knowing this would help all five of us a lot.

"I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a genius," Crabbe told us as we fought our way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off our bags before dinner.

"I don't understand why no one like, agreed with him." Lydia scoffed, putting out bags in a basket that would send them all off to our dormitories.

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