We had just finished dinner and were searching for Harry. He wasn't in the Great Hall, and we hadn't seen him for hours. Well, Ron and Hermione were searching... I was lost in thought.

What if Ernie was right? What if confronting Malfoy in front of the Slytherin team was the biggest mistake of my life? His father was rich and certainly had a lot of power. What are they going to do? Get me expelled from Hogwarts? Ban me from the Wizarding world? Kill me?

Ok, I don't think they will actually kill me, I mean, wouldn't that hurt their reputation? Or is it ok in the wizarding world under certain circumstances? Maybe they'll-

"Harry!" Hermione said.

"Did you hear it?" Harry asked, in distress.

"Hear what?" Ron asked.

"That voice." Harry said, looking around.

"Voice? What voice?"

"I heard it first in Lockhart's office. And then again just... It's moving. I think it's going to kill." Harry said, and started running towards a specific direction.

What was going on?

"Kill?"

"Harry, wait! Not so fast!"

We were following him when suddenly we saw a bunch of spiders forming a line and leaving the school through a small hole in a window.

"Strange. I've never seen spiders act like that." Harry said.

"I don't like spiders... What's that?" Ron asked as we all turned around and saw a wall covered in blood.

First time I'm glad my mum took me with her to work on some days. When your mum's a nurse, you are accumulated to blood.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware." Hermione read out. "It's written in blood."

"Oh, no." Harry said as he approached the wall.

At first I just thought he was talking about the blood-covered wall but then I noticed Filch's cat hanging. Poor animal... Who would do something like this?

"Enemies of the Heir, beware." Malfoy read the the wall. "You'll be next, Mudbloods." he said, looking towards us.

"What's going on here? Go on. Make way, make way." said someone who I was pretty sure was Filch.

Oh no... This looked bad.

"Potter? What are you...?" And then he noticed his cat. "Mrs. Norris? You've murdered my cat."

"No. No." Harry said in a whisper.

"I'll kill you." Filch said with a creepy smile. "I'll kill you!" he repeated, this time not smiling at all, while grabbing Harry from his robes.

"Argus! Argus, I..." Dumbledore started, passing through the crowd but stopping at the sight.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately. Everyone except you four."

All of the students followed their respective prefects, leaving in the hallway only the teachers and us.

"She's not dead, Argus. She has been Petrified."

Wait, we learned about that in Herbology. We can use a Mandrake to cure it, right?

"Thought so. So unlucky I wasn't there. I know exactly the countercurse that would have spared her." Lockhart said, as he was examining Mrs. Norris.

"But how she has been petrified, I can not say." Dumbledore continued.

"Ask him. It's him that's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall." Filch said.

"It's not true, sir. I swear. I never touched Mrs. Norris." Harry said, trying to defend himself.

"Rubbish." Filch spat out.

"If I might, Headmaster? Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time." Snape said.

We all looked at each other. Snape? Was defending Harry? That can't be right.

"However..." There we go-

"...the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner." Snape said, getting closer and closer to Harry with each word.

"I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail." Lockhart said.

Ok, he may be a little crazy and over his head, but at least he's standing up for Harry. And for some reason, I didn't expect that from him.

"That's why we went looking for him, professor." Hermione started."We'd just found him when he said..."

Don't say it. Don't say it.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"When I said I wasn't hungry." Harry finished Hermione's sentence as Ron nodded at what he was saying.

"We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs. Norris." he continued.

Snape raised his eyebrow at him, like he was asking Harry if he was really expecting him to believe all that.

Then Snape turned around and looked at Dumbledore.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus."

"My cat has been petrified. I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus. As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrake. When matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs. Norris. And in the meantime, I strongly recommend caution to all."

When I returned to my dormitory Susan, Hannah and Justin surrounded me. To be honest that scared me a bit.

"So what happened?" Susan asked.

"Yeah, what did the professors want to tell you?" Hannah asked.

"Is Potter in trouble again?" Justin asked.

"Are you in trouble?" Susan asked.

"I- "

"Oh Merlin, you are! I've told you a hundred times: don't be friends with Potter! Wherever he is, trouble follows him." Hannah said.

"Yeah, nothing against the guy, but you remember what happened to him and his friends at the end of last year. You don't want that happening to you." Justin said

"Imagine what would have happened to you if you were with him! Because no offense, but you would have probably died in the spot from panick." Hannah said.

"Don't be silly, she wouldn't have died." Susan said.

"I know you're are trying to defend her, but we bother know that she would have died."

"Hannah! She- "

"Will you all stop this and let me read my book in peace?" Ernie said from the armchair on the left side of the sofa.

"Why can't you read in your room?"

"I like it better here. Besides you are suffocating her."

"Y/N can you tell Mr.Annoying over there that he is wrong?" Hannah said, crossing her arms.

I sighed.

"Just stop, all of you." I said in a defeated voice and walked through them to go plop myself down on the sofa.

"Are you ok?" Susan asked, as she sat down beside me.

"Yeah, it's just that... it's been a long day. Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Alright. What do you think of that essay we have to write-" Justin started as he sat in the armchair across from Ernie.

I didn't hear much of the rest of the conversation. It's convenient isn't it? That our first lesson of Herbology this year was about Mandrakes, and now Filch's cat has been petrified and she needs a Mandrake to get well...

Is it a coincidence? Fate? Or is there a deeper meaning behind it? But then again, I don't think that, even if there was a deeper meaning, Sprout would have anything to do with it. I'm just overthinking it.

I just hope that this year will be calm, that nothing weird will happen, and that my friends won't almost die again.

Ok, now I'm just being dramatic. Nothing bad will happen, I'm sure.

]

"Right. Now, today, we will be transforming animals into water goblets. Like so. One, two, three. Vera Verto." McGonagall said, and the bird beside her turned into a water goblet. Everyone was stunned.

"Now it's your turn. Who would like to go first? Oh, Mr Weasley. 'One, two, three. Vera Verto.' "

Ron nodded, cleared his throat and attempted to cast the spell. He did it right, but with his wand broken the spell worked only halfway, turning the mouse in front of him into a water goblet out of rat skin, with a tail.

"That wand needs replacing, Mr Weasley."

Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?"

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." Hermione said.

Actually, I've been thinking about that too. I mean, a lot of kids were probably thinking about it, wondering what it is. It was written on the wall in blood. It must be something of great importance, right?

McGonagall looked around the classroom, but no one else said anything. Everyone was just looking at her, expecting an answer.

"Very well. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. Now, three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously. One did not."

"Three guesses who." Ron told Harry, causing McGonagall to stop and look at him.

"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, pure-bloods."

I think I saw Malfoy glance at Hermione. Oh, how I want to... to... well, I am not a violent person, but I'd be happy to throw a bucket of water at his face.

"Unable to sway others, he decided to leave the school. Now, according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle known as the Chamber of Secrets. Though, shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his own true Heir returned to the school. The Heir alone would be able to open the Chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic."

"Muggle-borns." Hermione said.

"Well, naturally, the school has been searched many times. No such chamber has been found."

"Professor? What exactly does legend tell us lies within the Chamber?" Hermione asked.

"The Chamber is said to be home to something that only the Heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be the home of a monster."

Ron looked back at Malfoy, who was sitting there with a sinister smile...

Ok, I hope you enjoyed it! See you soon!