Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? We're back again with another chapter where we're finally getting a move on with the plot! Or more specifically, the buildup to the plot! In this chapter specifically, we get to see Harry and Ron's time in detention, the aftermath, the effect the notebook has on Seth, and the lead up to the end of the Halloween feast where the Chamber is declared open.
Like always, I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities.
Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.
Chapter 6: Something Begins to Stir
XXXXXX
Ron grumbled to himself as he sat on top of a short ladder and vigorously polished the unnecessarily large Special Service Award plaque with numerous names inscribed on its surface dating from as far back as 1033. This was the tenth time he was buffing said plaque and he was ready to charm it into flying at Filch's head if the cantankerous man dared to say it needed another polish.
At least a few of the Slytherins and Gryffindors were also suffering alongside him. Flint and Oliver were competing over who could polish the most trophies. Bletchley was keeping to himself and quietly polishing a stack of plaques in a corner.
The rest were off with different professors supervising them. Fred and George were with Professor Sprout, helping her take care of her plants along with Bole, Pucey, and Montague. Ron quietly hoped the venomous tentacula threw the Slytherins about or the twins would exact some sort of vengeance on them in the greenhouses. Angelica and Alicia were the lucky ones, helping McGonagall organize her materials for lessons.
"Oi Weasley," Draco Malfoy's pompous voice cut rudely into his thoughts, "Quit daydreaming and finish your half of the plaque already."
Ron looked down to see Draco scowling as he was finishing up polishing the bottom half of the plaque. He scowled right back. "Put a sock in it, Malfoy."
Draco scoffed and returned his attention to polishing.
Ron did the same but muttered bitterly under his breath, "Can't believe Hagrid's friendly with Malfoy of all people. Little git must've charmed him or something."
Then he heard a clatter followed by a muffled curse and looked down to see that Draco had accidentally knocked over the bottle of polish. Luckily the lid was still on so nothing spilled.
"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked, disgruntled and bewildered.
Then he saw Draco whip his head up with a glare that would make any lesser man beg for forgiveness of his knees. But Ron was not a lesser man, he was still just a boy, nor did he care what Draco's damage was.
"How did you find out about that?" Draco asked in a voice that cracked at the end which Ron found highly amusing.
"Hagrid," he responded in a 'No Duh' tone. Then he sensed an opportunity and grinned at the other slyly. "He told us all about how much of a gossip you are."
He watched with glee as Draco's cheeks slowly burned red from embarrassment.
"You better shut up while you still can Weasley," Draco threatened with all the intimidation of an angry Pomeranian, "You're a gossip too."
"Are you embarrassed, Malfoy?" Ron gleefully taunted, "Least I know I'm not as bad as a granny in a knitting circle."
"Well at least I know how to aim a spell with the right side of my wand!" Draco snapped back with a scowl, "Then I would've gotten Pucey right in the face and this whole detention wouldn't be so miserable."
Ron was surprised by the other's retort. "Really? But you're a snake though. Why would you want another snake cursed?"
Draco scoffed and stated matter of fact, "Because at least I'm not a cheat like him. I wanted to get on the team with my own merit instead of through my father forcing a bribe onto Flint. Honestly, I shouldn't have told him I was planning to try out in the first place. At least mother would've stayed out of it."
When Ron didn't immediately respond and just gave him a strange look, Draco snapped, "What?"
"You know, you're not bad for a snake, Malfoy," Ron said, surprising Draco.
The Slytherin tried to play it off, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're mad, Weasley."
"See, if you were a git like Bole, Pucey, and Montague, then you would've called me a blood traitor or a weasel or something," Ron pointed out.
"If you keep pushing me, I will," Draco retorted and crossed his arms with a huff, "Besides, why should I waste my time engaging in our fathers' pissing contest when I could spend that energy on something useful. Like finishing the polishing before Filch notices and makes us buff this stupid plaque for the hundredth time."
Ron shrugged. "Whatever you say, Malfoy."
"Sod off, Weasley."
The two returned to buffing and polishing the plaque in silence.
"So…" Ron suddenly said, breaking the silence and their polishing pace.
Draco groaned as if in pain. "What now, Weasley?"
"Do you play wizard's chess?" Ron asked, genuinely curious.
Draco scoffed like he couldn't believe Ron was asking such a stupid question. "Do I play wizard's chess? Of course I play wizard's chess. The question is, are you even good enough to play against me?"
"I did beat McGonagall's chess set last year," Ron helpfully reminded, "You should be asking if you're good enough to play against me."
"You're on," Draco said, accepting the challenge the other laid down.
And with that, a tentative truce was formed between them through the power of wizard's chess and the fact that even Ron could agree with how the pissing contest between his dad and Mr. Malfoy had zero bearing on him, especially when Draco Malfoy also thought it was stupid too.
XXXXXX
Harry was numbly helping Lockhart address the envelopes of his endless fan mail while the vain professor gave unsolicited advice about fame and celebrities that went in one ear and out the other. He glanced around occasionally, painfully aware of how the candles in the room burned lower and lower at a painful snail's pace. The candlelight danced over the many moving faces of Lockhart strewn about the room. He shook his aching hand out for the hundredth time, oh so tempted to jinx the winking portraits since he couldn't jinx Lockhart himself without getting into bigger trouble.
He was writing out the address of what must be his thousandth envelope and hoped that it was almost time to leave. He was practically chanting it like a mantra in his mind when he heard something strange. Something that was distinctly different from Lockhart's senseless rambling and the sputtering of dying candles.
It was a voice that hissed with an ice-cold venom that chilled straight to the bone.
Come…come to me…let me rip you…let me tear you…let me kill you…
Harry jerked in surprise and fear, making a long lilac line across the envelope he was writing across. "What?!"
"I know!" Lockhart laughed, thinking Harry was responding to him, "Six solid months at the top of the best seller list, broke all the records!"
"No! Not that! The voice!" Harry cried out, looking around frantically.
"Sorry, what voice?" Lockhart asked in confusion.
"The voice!" Harry said insistently, "The voice that said all that! Didn't you hear it?"
Lockhart looked at Harry in astonishment. "What are you talking about Harry? Perhaps you're getting a little drowsy?" Then he finally noticed how low the candles were. "Great Scott! Look at the time! We've been here over three hours! I'd never have believed it. The times flown hasn't it?"
"Yeah, sure," Harry absently said.
Lockhart continued to ramble nonsensically again as Harry strained his ears to hear the voice again but there was nothing out of the ordinary. Finally, he returned his attention back to Lockhart just in time for him to dismiss him for the night.
"Don't expect a treat like this every time you get detention, you hear? People might start to think I'm playing favorites instead of merely mentoring you on how to properly handle your fame! Now, off you go, celebrities need their beauty sleep after all!"
And with that, Harry left detention in a daze, not feeling relief at having been released from his horrible prison but a sense of dread that began to pool in his stomach.
XXXXXX
Seth tossed and turned in his bed as he dreamed a dream that felt strangely real and lucid.
In the dream, he was wandering down the halls of the castle in just his pajamas, shivering slightly as he walked barefoot on the stone cold floor. Something hissed in his ear and he felt as if he should be recoiling from it given how vile the sound was, how it sent a chill down his spine as if a greater demon was speaking directly to him. But a pair of gentle hands rested on his shoulders, keeping him calm and steady as they guided his movements. He stopped in front of a nondescript door in a hallway that seemed familiar but he couldn't tell from where. He was about to place his hand on the handle of the door when he heard the sound of his bed curtains 'quietly' being flung open and a hand firmly shook his shoulder.
He startled awake from his strange dream and jerked up from his bed. "Where's the fire?" He slurred, staring blearily at whoever had grabbed him.
Harry smiled apologetically as he let go of Seth. "Sorry about that. There's no fire but I've got something I need to tell you and Ron as soon as he gets back."
"And it couldn't wait until morning when we can get Hermione in on the conversation too?" Seth grumpily remarked.
Harry scowled. "No, we can't get her involved. It was something that happened during my detention and you know how she gets about Lockhart."
Seth let out a jaw-cracking yawn. "Fair enough. Ron back yet?"
As if on cue, Ron appeared, nursing his right wrist and carrying a strong smell of polish as if he bathed in it. The redhead meandered over to his bed and fell down onto it. Harry made his way over to him, dragging Seth along.
"My muscles have all seized up," Ron said with a groan as he stretched out on his bed, "Fourteen times he made me buff up that Quidditch cup before he was satisfied. Least Malfoy had to suffer with me so there's that. How was it with Lockhart?"
Harry kept his voice low so as to not wake up the others and told the two exactly what he heard.
Ron shivered despite still being warm from the workout he'd gotten from detention. "And Lockhart said he couldn't hear it? You think he was lying but I don't see how. Even someone or something invisible would've been noticeable in different ways."
Harry nodded in agreement with a confused expression. "I know. I don't get it either."
Seth yawned again and stretched out with a groan. "Whatever it is we can figure it out at a decent time in the morning. Good night." Then he went back to bed before the others could say anything.
"What's wrong with him?" Ron asked, somewhat bewildered by the other's dismissive attitude.
Harry shrugged. "Dunno. I've noticed he's been more tired recently but he just excused it as seasonal depression."
Ron pulled a face as if Harry just said Seth had dragon pox or something similar. "Season depression? What's that?"
"Just a muggle thing, we'll worry about it later," Harry waved him off, "Hopefully Seth's right and he just needs a good night's sleep."
"Well whatever's troubling him, he'll let us know eventually," Ron confidently said.
Harry looked over at Seth's closed curtain bed in worry. "I hope you're right, Ron. I hope you're right."
XXXXXX
By the time October rolls around, there was a constant damp chill that hung over the grounds, almost like an omen for the winter to come as Madam Pomfrey was already busy dealing with a sudden surge of the common cold amongst both the students and the staff.
In regards to the quartet, Harry was busy with Quidditch practice as the season was soon to begin with the highly anticipated first match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Seth and Hermione stuck by their truce and continued to study together albeit with the unspoken agreement to avoid any and all topics involving Lockhart. Ron was more often than not dragged along in order to act as a mediator should they need it but thankfully any tension between the two was only caused by Hermione being Hermione and Seth being Seth.
Speaking of Ron, the Weasley managed to surprise everyone by beginning a standing wizard's chess game with Draco Malfoy of all people. The two still traded barbs and insults as they played, the score of wins and losses were tied between them and a sore subject, but the two had reached a tentative friendship that Seth loved to tease them about.
"Seems like you two are the best of friends now," Seth casually remarked with a shit-eating grin one day.
Immediately, twin protests rose from the two. "We're not friends!" They both shouted simultaneously.
There was a pause when they realized they spoke at the same time.
"We'll never be friends!" They shouted simultaneously again.
Ron and Draco turned to glare at each other and both said at the same time, "Stop doing that!"
"No you stop doing that!" They both tried again only to throw their hands up in the air at the same time in surrender.
Everyone who managed to witness the glorious moment broke down into tears from laughing so hard. Seth was especially guilty of this, even slapping the table from where he'd hunched over and grabbed his stomach that was aching from laughing too hard. Ron and Draco pointedly ignored him and everyone else as they returned to their game with matching frowns.
There was a moment where Seth wondered what happened during detention that would cause such an unlikely friendship to occur. But then he remembered that movies like the Breakfast Club existed and didn't question it further.
As for Seth himself, he'd been focusing his time and effort on schoolwork, the occasional joint prank with the twins and their Hufflepuff and Slytherin cohorts, and writing in the notebook.
He also started to feel a noticeable difference in his health, getting tired more quickly and not feeling as well rested despite sleeping more than eight hours some nights. His friends and housemates expressed their concerns but he waved them off as fatigue from the increased course load and the family issues he had yet to resolve. It definitely had nothing to do with his increasing correspondence with the notebook or the heavy reliance he'd been developing upon it.
Nothing to do with it at all.
XXXXXX
"A death day party? What's that?" Ron asked after Harry unleashed the unexpected word salad at them.
"Nick said it's like a birthday party but instead of celebrating the day they're born, they celebrate the day they died," Harry explained.
Ron gave him a strange look. "Why would anyone want to celebrate the day they died? Sounds dead depressing to me."
"That's probably the point since they're ghosts and all," Seth said with a yawn and gestured for Ron to keep working on his potions homework since it was due the next day. The redhead grumpily complied.
"So you guys will come with me right?" Harry asked with wide hopeful eyes.
"Of course!" Hermione said, eyes sparkling with eagerness at the opportunity before her, "I'll bet there aren't many living people who can say they've been to a death day party. It'll be fascinating!"
Ron shrugged. "As long as there's food and we've got enough time to go back before the Halloween feast ends."
Seth yawned again. "I'll have to pass. I was hoping to get a nap in before the feast and I can't guarantee I'll wake up in time to join you guys for the party."
"Have you been sleeping well, Seth?" Hermione asked in concern.
Seth thought back to how often he stayed up late writing to Tom. "Eh…"
Hermione was not impressed by his answer. "You need to take better care of yourself," she scolded in disapproval, "In fact, it's pretty late already. You should go to bed now."
Ron looked at her strangely. "What do you mean late? It's only just past 8."
"And yet he's barely able to keep his eyes open despite that," she dryly retorted with a pointed look.
Ron raised his hands in surrender before returning to his homework. Then she turned her pointed gaze to Seth who simply shrugged.
"Alright, might as well turn in early. Night guys."
The others said their good nights and watched Seth slowly trudge up to the boy's dormitory. Some of the students in the common room spared concerned glances his way before returning to what they were doing.
"Does anyone else think it's weird that Seth's been so tired lately?" Harry asked, turning his attention back to Hermione and Ron.
"Don't ask me. But I'll admit, I always thought he was a night owl and now he's barely able to stay awake after sunset," Ron remarked.
"It is rather concerning but…" Hermione tapped her chin in thought, "It may have to do with whatever family issues he's dealing with or rather, not dealing with."
"Family issues?" Harry asked, looking at her in interest.
"I don't know all of the details but I thought something was up when he refused to talk about it when we met up at Diagon Alley then again when we were on the Hogwarts Express and I don't think he's received any letters since the year started," she explained.
Harry nodded along with a thoughtful expression. "Now that you mention it, I don't think I've seen Kendra show up once since last year. It's really easy to notice her being missing since she's the only black feathered owl in the school."
"Well what do you want us to do about it?" Ron asked with a frustrated frown, glaring down at a particularly challenging potions question, "It seems clear to me he doesn't want to talk about it with us."
"Or maybe he thinks he can't talk about it with us," Hermione sheepishly said, "I will admit, I haven't helped him feel like he can rely on me these past few weeks. But I do mean what I said when I wanted to be a better friend."
"But how do we do that? He's asleep half the time and when he is awake, he's in class, studying, doing homework, or hanging out with other people since we've all been so busy. This was the first time in a while where we spent time altogether," Harry pointed out.
"Well how about-"
Whatever Hermione was about to say was interrupted when a salamander whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly around the room. When they questioned Alicia, who happened to be nearby, she explained how the twins had been trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster Firework to a salamander that Fred had 'rescued' from Care of Magical Creatures. Everyone in the common room watched the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the flying salamander's mouth and then its magnificent escape into the fireplace with accompanying explosions.
Percy was absolutely livid and bellowed himself hoarse at the twins who barely listened with complete disinterest, instead looking around as if searching for someone. When they couldn't find who they were looking for, they walked away from Percy who yelled at them to not walk away as he wasn't done with them yet, and made their way over to the trio.
"Oi!" Fred said.
"Where's Seth?" George asked.
"He went to bed early. Why?" Ron answered.
The twins seemed to deflate at his answer.
"Oh," Fred said, "We wanted to see if-"
"He saw our little experiment," George finished.
"Everyone's noticed how tired he's been…"
"He barely even bothers to join us for pranks anymore!"
"So we wanted to see if we couldn't help him cheer up a bit."
"Hence the salamander and the firework."
"Guess we'll have to go back to the drawing board though."
"Don't worry Fred. We'll get our little partner back in action."
The trio shared looks of concern as the twins wandered away. If even the twins noticed Seth's current behavior, then things may be much more serious than they previously thought. But what could three 12-year-old students do about it? Nothing at the moment, unfortunately. So they were forced to put the issue on the back burner for now.
XXXXXX
Halloween soon arrived and it was time for Harry to fulfill his promise to Nearly Headless Nick and attend the ghost's death day party. However, Harry regretted making that decision and wanted to put off going for as long as possible until Hermione rightfully reminded him he made a promise and he better keep it.
"Else Nick will hold a grudge against you and you wouldn't want to have a ghost hold a grudge against you now do you?"
Harry reluctantly agreed and turned to Seth, hoping he wasn't as tired as he'd been the past week and could join them at the party. But Hermione stepped in again, pointing out how dark Seth's eye bags were.
"He does look rather like a ghost doesn't he," Ron couldn't help but remark.
Seth was rightfully offended but for an entirely different reason. "Excuse you. I totally rock these designer eye bags. They are Gucci quality I tell you."
"Huh?" Ron asked, confused by the muggle terminology he used.
"It's a muggle thing, don't worry about it," Harry said before Ron's head could explode from trying to figure out what Seth was saying.
"Oh okay…"
"Make sure you actually get some rest though," Hermione said as she fretted over Seth, "Neville's told me all about how late you've been staying up, scribbling in your notebooks."
"What?" Seth said, taken aback, "How would he know what I'm doing at night?"
"Sometimes he gets water when he can't sleep and he can hear shuffling and writing from your bed sometimes as early as two or three in the morning," she explained.
"Two or three in the morning? What is wrong with you?" Ron asked, looking scandalized at the thought of someone staying up that late and not sleeping.
"Do you want the list in bullet points or spread sheet format?" Seth sarcastically asked.
"Huh?"
Harry patted the confused Ron on the back. "It's another muggle thing. Don't worry about it."
"Oh, okay…"
Hermione was not impressed and looked at Seth in disapproval. "As much as I admire your dedication to your studies and completing your homework on time, unlike some people," she gave Harry and Ron a pointed look as they both smiled sheepishly before returning her attention back to Seth, "After midnight is not the time to be doing so."
"Wait what?" Seth asked, taken aback because he thought she might've found out about the notebook but realized she just gave him the perfect excuse instead, "Uh, I mean, yeah, sorry. It's just cause we're second years now so we get to learn so many more things that we couldn't as first years so I guess I got a bit caught up in the flow of learning everything I could."
Hermione nodded in understanding since she'd also been guilty of that. "I can understand that but please make sure your study schedule doesn't impede on your sleep schedule."
Seth gave her a faux salute. "Roger that, el Capitan. I promise that I'm just gonna take a quick nap and then pop down for the tail end of the feast. Now if you'll excuse me, my bed is calling me."
"See you later Seth. Rest well," Harry said as Seth made his way up the dormitory.
He quickly made his way over to his bed and flopped down onto it. The moment his head touched his pillow, he was out like a light. However, while he slept, he had another interesting dream that would've seemed too real to be true if it weren't for the trance-like state he was in.
In the dream, he walked down a hallway with puddles dotting the path. The same pair of gentle hands from before guided him until he arrived at a wall where he wrote something on its surface. He felt amused as if he were pulling some sort of prank though he couldn't tell what it was. In the distance, he could hear a meow and felt deeply annoyed as the meowing persisted. Suddenly, he felt something slither away from his side and there was a sharp hissing sound, a high-pitched shriek of a cat, and then silence. He smiled, content with the quiet as he finished his writing.
Then as he stepped away from the wall with the feeling of satisfaction, he blinked and was suddenly awake in his bed. He slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position and stared at his hands in confusion when he realized they were wet, like he just washed them and forgot to dry off. However, his confusion quickly went away when he realized he felt more refreshed than he'd been in a while so he just dried his hands and checked the time.
He sighed in relief when he saw that it'd only been half an hour since the feast started and rushed down to join before it was over.
XXXXXX
Seth grinned when he arrived at the Great Hall and saw that the Halloween feast was still in full swing with no signs of ending anytime soon. He swept his gaze across the hall and found himself pleased by the mixture of colors at each table and the joyful chatter that filled the expansive room as students enjoyed the food and treats before them.
He quickly made his way over to the Gryffindor table and plopped down between Neville who was carefully making his way through some creamy pumpkin soup and Seamus who was scarfing down pumpkin pastries like they were made of air. Dean and Susan egged him on while Colin watched with fascination and took pictures under Padma's careful instruction. Off to the side, Lavender and Parvati watched the display in disgust while Ginny completely ignored what was happening, intently listening to Luna explaining something to her.
Neville looked up when he realized the space next to him was occupied and perked up when he saw whom it was. "Seth! You're here!"
"Yup!" Seth chirped as he built himself a plate from all the assorted goodies in front of him. "Got a good nap in and thankfully woke up in time to catch the feast."
Percy walked over and nodded in approval at the visible improvement in his health. "Good. You seem to be looking a little better, Seth. Make sure to eat well and keep your health up."
"Oh sod off, Percy," Fred snorted as he suddenly appeared to Percy's left, throwing an arm around his older brother's shoulders.
George popped up at Percy's right and nodded sagely. "We all know Bill's the mother hen among us. See! Even Ginny agrees," he said as he pointed to where the youngest Weasley nodded to what her brother was saying.
"You only care about stupid things like grades and stuff, Percy," Ginny said with all the wisdom of being the youngest child of seven, "You just don't want Gryffindor to look bad during exams so you'll have a better chance at being Head Boy which by the way we won't do bad but it's not like we can hold a candle to the Ravenclaws."
"Don't forget the Slytherins," Luna dreamily added, "They're quite cunning in their own way after all."
Ginny nodded. "Right, them too." Then she turned back to whatever conversation she was having with Luna, something about nargles and mistletoe.
Percy turned red with indignation. "Well there's nothing wrong with me looking out for others' now is there? There's no excuse for falling behind on your studies because of lack of sleep and can't I be concerned for a fellow Gryffindor's waning health?"
"It's alright Percy," Seth interrupted before the twins could say anything, "Thanks for the concern. I'll make sure I don't stay up too late and I personally think you'll make a great head boy one day."
His compliment was spoken in such a charming manner that was entirely new of him, even stunning those who were nearby, but made Percy preen and nod appreciatively. "Thank you. Now see that you do look after yourself. I'll leave you to your food then."
He walked off to the Ravenclaw table where he sat down next to a pretty blonde girl who grinned brightly at him. Seth raised an eyebrow in interest at the sight, and then he turned away only for him to make eye contact with Luna. She smiled dreamily at him though her gaze was not so absentminded and made him feel oddly seen and vulnerable. He quickly looked away.
Fred whistled, impressed. "Gosh Seth. You've certainly become quite the charismatic bugger haven't you? "
George nodded. "Indeed, indeed."
"Thanks I guess?" Seth said, not knowing how to respond to that.
"Well now that you look like you aren't gonna keel over any moment," Fred said.
"I didn't look that bad, did I?" Seth asked, confused.
George shook his hand about. "Eh, you didn't look like death warmed over but you did look pretty tired."
"Huh…"
"Anyways, now that you aren't gonna keel over anymore," Fred continued on.
"What say you help us set off a few pranks near the Slytherin and Ravenclaw common room entrances?" George finished with a flourish, "Some of the Hufflepuffs have some brilliant ideas they wanna try and we promised to help if they didn't prank the Gryffindors."
Seth grinned and nodded eagerly. "Pranks where the Hufflepuffs are the instigators? I'm in!"
The twins grinned triumphantly and dashed off to meet up with their Hufflepuff co-conspirators at their table. The feast then continued on with much interhouse mixing, merriment, and good food shared all around.
Soon it came to an end with Dumbledore dismissing them all with a knowing grin and all of the students walked out of the great hall - well fed, loud, and content.
Seth, the twins, and some fifth year Hufflepuffs were in the back of the pack, hoping to arrive at their respective destinations after everyone else had gone into their common rooms. Seth was going over the game plan with the twins when they noticed a sudden hush fall over the crowd of students. He shared confused looks with the twins before carefully pushing his way up to the front. When he arrived, he was greeted with a horrific sight.
On the large wall before him, foot high words had been daubed onto the stone surface between two windows with what looked to be blood. The dripping red ink shimmered ominously in the light cast by the flaming torches.
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened
Enemies of the Heir Beware
Underneath the message were small puddles of water strewn about the floor. Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the left torch bracket. She was stiff as a board with her eyes wide and starring. And in the middle of it all was Harry, Hermione, and Ron looking like criminals caught in the middle of a crime as they stared back at the gathered students in wide-eyed surprise.
All of the students were either too shocked to speak or started whispering and glancing between the message and the trio in fear and trepidation. Many questions were thought aloud and murmured amongst them.
What could the message possibly mean? Was it really written in blood? If so, whose was it?
Was Mrs. Norris dead? Good riddance but did that horrid cat truly deserve to be hung on her tail like that?
More importantly, what was the Chamber of Secrets? Who was the heir? Who were their enemies? And what did this mean for the school at large?
And scene! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing Ron's detention cause I thought it was a good way to slowly introduce the idea of a truce/alliance with Draco later down the line. The notebook is finally having a visible effect on Seth's health and everyone is noticing it. It hasn't quite affected his personality yet but the signs are there and nobody knows what to do expect make Seth go to bed early and actually sleep.
As for the end, I never understood why it was immediately assumed and stated by book Draco that the enemies of the heir are muggleborns? Like, how the hell did he come to that conclusion? Especially since I'm pretty sure he wouldn't know anything about the Chamber being a Slytherin thing and I highly doubt his dad would tell him either so huh? How? Which is why I had no one shout such a stupid thing at the end of the chapter cause for all anyone knows, this could just be a really bad Halloween prank pulled by Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Anyways, the next chapter will be dealing with the immediate aftermath of this as well as the entire student body trying to figure out what the Chamber of Secrets is as well as Seth getting a little too close to Tom for comfort. Hope you guys are looking forward to it. Until then!