Michael Brown
As I was walking down the corridor on the second floor, listening to the sounds of protest coming from below, I couldn't help but smile. The last few days had been simply wonderful. Tom was active again, Dumbledore was suspended, students suddenly began to resist the school's oppression... It was truly beautiful.
I couldn't of course be sure it wasn't just part of Dumbledore's plan to expose dissidents, but whatever the reason, it gave me the perfect opportunity to complete my preparations. It was simply impossible before, partly because my tools were previously not ready, and partly because I couldn't be sure I wasn't being watched. But with the huge protest drawing everyone's attention away from me, it was the best time to take action.
That's why I was walking with a purpose in my steps, determined to finish my task as quickly as possible. For that reason, I didn't even stop when I saw Hermione slowly walking down the corridor with the mirror in her hand, knowing that I shouldn't waste the opportunity I had just to deal with some low-level Ministry enforcer.
"Basilisk hunting, I see? Carry on, Granger," I threw in passing, walking past the surprised girl. I knew, of course, that the monster was actually a hydra, but there was no reason to correct Hermione. I could have of course reinforced the lie even more, but I had more important things to do.
"What?" The girl exclaimed in surprise, but before she could engage me in conversation, I had already turned the corner without stopping to chat with her.
A few minutes later I found myself standing outside Myrtle's bathroom, ready to take the final steps necessary to gain access to the chamber of secrets.
Myrtle didn't seem to be around during my arrival, most likely watching the ongoing protests instead. I was glad for her absence, though not because I disliked her. During the various visits to her bathroom I made to build my cover, Myrtle and I had built up a certain rapport. It was based mainly on her complaining about her former bullies and my describing my 'counter-bullying' under her insistence, but it existed. I was however glad for her absence because, despite our interactions, I still wasn't sure she wasn't Dumbledore's spy and I needed to be discreet.
My target was the sink located in the middle of the bathroom. As always, the hidden entrance to the chamber of secrets looked quite innocuous, no different from any other sink on the school grounds, especially now that the snake ornament placed on one of the taps was gone.
After approaching the sink, I reached into my pocket and took out the tool I had been preparing since Tom's disappearance - my voice recorder.
Although the plan was quite simple, it was actually the culmination of months of work, as I had been trying for months to successfully enchant the recorder with varying degrees of success. For the longest time, I couldn't stop it from interrupting its recordings with random sounds. It was only recently that I was able to fix it. Well, actually it seemed to fix itself one day, but it was basically the same. Since I finally had a properly enchanted recorder, I could finally put it under the sink and record the parseltongue used by Tom's vessel. With Dumbledore gone, the ongoing protests and my recorder finally usable, it was a perfect opportunity.
I once considered using a camera to learn the identity of Tom's new partner as well, but eventually abandoned the idea. Although I was able to successfully enchant it, the camera would probably just fry when recording the hydra, rendering my entire plan useless. Therefore, it was safer to simply use a voice recorder.
I gently placed the recorder under the sink to the right of the one with the snake ornament on it, using a piece of tape to connect it to the ceramic surface. Although placing it under the snake sink would have been better for recording purposes, I suspected that it would break during the opening of the chamber. Losing the recorder that way would be...embarrassing.
Finished with my work, I left the bathroom with a small smile on my face. Soon Tom would open the chamber again, emboldened by his previous victory over Dumbledore. When that happened, I would be ready.
Luna Lovegood
She didn't really understand what was going on. When she received the mysterious letter instructing her to come to the Great Hall, she expected to find some legendary beast or magical phenomenon, not whatever was happening in front of her.
"Brothers and sisters! For too long we have been oppressed, trampled by the heavy boot of authority! For too long we have been discriminated against by those perfidious purebloods who considered us inferior to themselves! No more!" Thomas Williams shouted passionately, addressing the crowd gathered before him "It's time for us to prove that we are equal to purebloods! It's time to defend our rights!"
"Ladies and gentlemen! For too long we have been attacked, sabotaged by the envious masses! For too long we have been forced down to the level of those inferior to us! No more!" Anastasia Selwyn shouted passionately, addressing the crowd gathered in front of her "It is time for us to prove that we are purebloods! It's time to defend our rights!"
Luna didn't exactly know why, but for some reason there were currently two separate groups of students protesting in front of the Great Hall. They seemed to have different goals though, as one was trying to defend the rights of muggle-borns, while the other was trying to defend the rights of purebloods. The two groups were gathered on opposite sides of the corridor, with a small space between them through which unaffiliated students could enter the Great Hall. Groups seemed to be quite antagonistic toward each other, as members of both groups were constantly glaring at each other and shouting insults.
The negative attitude they displayed confused Luna quite a bit, as many of the protesters on both sides were members of the Heirs of Slytherin. They had always been friendly during the meetings, so she couldn't understand why they were behaving like this. It was especially strange with Thomas and Anastasia, because the last time Luna checked, they were dating. She was pretty sure of that, as many members often complained about their public acts of affection.
But now they were shouting at each other, hurling insults and pretending not to know each other. Did they have a fight? Was that why they were acting like this? Were they angry with each other, so they vented their grievances? But if so, why were so many people following them?
As Luna was trying to make sense of the situation, she noticed someone quite unexpected moving between the groups. For some reason, Colin Creevey, a Gryffindor first-year who had attended some of her lectures, was walking among the protesters, chatting with them and taking pictures of them with his camera. He didn't seem to belong to either group though, as he cheerfully interacted with both muggle-born and pureblood students.
Noticing her stare, the boy stopped interacting with some unknown Hufflepuff students and approached Luna with a smile on his face.
"Hello Luna, it's nice to see you. Are you here for the protests too?" Colin asked.
"I don't think so? I don't really even know why these students are protesting," Luna replied. She was only here because of a mysterious letter she found on her bedside desk that morning. While others would probably find something like that very spooky, Luna found it intriguing. After all, for all she knew, arriving in the Great Hall could be the start of an amazing adventure. "And you, Colin?"
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just... someone suggested that I should come here. Apparently I have the makings of a good reporter? I was told I should talk to these people, take some photos. You know, basic reporter stuff" Colin replied hesitantly, apparently not quite knowing himself what to think of the suggestion. He didn't however look displeased "I had nothing better to do, so I came here, because why not, right? I took some photos and talked to people. I actually found it quite enjoyable, especially since everyone was so passionate in their responses. To be honest, I even have some ideas about what to write about. It's just that I don't think anything will come of it. I mean, what's the point? After all, no one will publish my article and I can't really do it on my own"
Oh.
Luna suddenly knew what was the reason for her coming here. It was not the beginning of her new adventure. No, she was supposed to help Colin start his.
"Colin, did you know that my dad is the publisher of his own independent newspaper?" she asked Colin, causing the Gryffindor boy to look at her with hope in his eyes. Seeing his reaction, Luna smiled "If you want, I can send him your article and photos. I'm sure he'll agree to publish it"