The Writing on the Wall
Quidditch practice soon became a much anticipated part of Harry's routine. Much less welcome was his new routine of trying to avoid a seemingly omnipresent first-year Gryffindor: Colin Creevey. After Harry had given him the promised autograph (something that Draco had unfortunately witnessed and made fun about ever since) he had fortunately toned it down a little, but was still waving at Harry excitedly from across the hall whenever he spotted him. The boy seemed to be attached to his camera and was constantly taking pictures of everyone and everything. He seemed to think Harry was his new best friend for some reason, and it really grated on Harry's and Tom's nerves.
Lockhart also seemed to have taken a curious interest in Harry and often happened to run into him and offer unsolicited advice. Walking the corridors wasn't as relaxing as it used to be, but around Halloween, these troubles took on another dimension.
The feast, like last year, was bombastic. Hagrid had grown pumpkins that were as big as doghouses, which now decorated the Great Hall. The food was rich and plentiful (which meant greasy and heavy for most of the main dishes, and sweet and sticky for most of the desserts), and everybody took their fill. There were enormous amounts of sweets and special Halloween treats from Honeydukes – like chocolate frogs, which were hopping around the tables. There was so much to try that Harry didn't even know where to begin: One dish looked better than the other. He ended up trying nearly everything, which probably hadn't been the best of ideas. He should definitely have stopped after the cauldron cake, as there was no way he could finish the treacle tart still sitting in front of him. Harry's stomach grumbled and rumbled, and the smell of all the sweets on the table was making him feel slightly nauseous.
"This happens when you imitate Dudley," chided Tom, who had only been able to enjoy the smell, but was now sharing the discomfort of a protesting stomach. It wasn't fair! "We get to be like him: stuffed and bloated and about to pop at the seams."
"Thanks for the imagery," groaned Harry, who really felt he needed a loo now. Maybe something had not agreed with him. Or maybe the mixture of everything had been too much. He excused himself from the table and hastened out of the hall before something embarrassing happened.
Harry slipped into the bathroom nearest to the Great Hall, found the stall the furthest from the door and relieved himself. His business kept him a little longer than expected, but at least he felt much better now. He washed his hands and even splashed some water on his face for the feeling of freshness, then left the bathroom to go back to the Great Hall.
A familiar hissing noise stopped him dead in his tracks. 'Rip – tear – kill' … There it was again – the mystery snake that had somehow found its way into the castle and was obviously chasing after something! It was moving away from Harry, but it couldn't be far yet. Harry turned away from the Great Hall and ran the other way, following the hissing voice – 'hungry, so hungry for so long' - up the staircase to the second floor. He still couldn't see anything, which was weird – the voice was so close to him now. Still, the snake seemed to be just ahead of him, and Harry followed it along a classroom corridor, then past the library and around yet another corner without ever catching a glimpse of it. It was as if he was chasing an invisible snake.
He spotted something else instead – a huge puddle on the floor at the end of the corridor. Something had flooded the girl's bathroom to his right. But much more eye-catching than that was the writing on the wall right next to it:
'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE!'
It was written in blood red paint (or was that actually blood?!) in big angry letters, and from the torch bracket next to it, a dead cat was dangling upside down, her stiff and slightly curved tail serving as hook. It was a most gruesome sight.
Still, with the same morbid fascination that made people unable to look away from a train-wreck, Harry unconsciously edged closer to the scene, as if he was still hoping that his eyes were deceiving him. He found that the cat was Mrs Norris. She was stiff as a board, as if she had been dead for hours, and her eyes were wide open. She looked as if she'd seen something truly frightening before dying, and Harry, who hated the cat like every other student in Hogwarts, felt a wave of pity.
"Harry, we need to get away from here!" urged Tom inside his head, and Harry could hear the shock in his voice as well. "You don't want to be found here all alone!"
But it was too late for that. Downstairs in the Great Hall, the Halloween feast had ended, and students were roaming the castle again – heading for their common rooms, alcoves in the corridor to hang out with friends in the short amount of time that remained before curfew, or the library. Another staircase at the end of the corridor led straight up to it, and before Harry knew it, a bunch of students had come up and walked right into the scene. The happy chatter died down as they all stood transfixed, staring at the puddle, the bloody letters on the wall, the dead cat dangling form the torch bracket and Harry, who was standing there as if glued to the floor, probably looking highly suspicious.
For a moment, one could have heard a needle drop, but then someone screamed, and others joined in. Some students dashed away, probably running for help, the older students pulled their wands. Then Filch arrived, either alarmed by the commotion or in search of his missing cat. The first person his eyes fell on was Harry, still standing motionless apart from the crowd at the other end of the puddle.
"Oh dear," said Tom."This is not going to end well ..."
*'*'*'*'*'*
"But I swear, I didn't do anything!" Harry repeated, looking beseechingly at the headmaster. He, Harry, Filch and Lockhart were standing in Lockhart's office; it had been, as the owner had pointed out solicitously, the closest. Their highly incompetent DADA teacher was giving totally unhelpful input even now.
"It was definitely a curse that killed her," he said poking the dead cat with his wand. "Probably the Transmogrifian Torture Curse."
The headmaster ignored him, which Tom thought was pretty telling. "She isn't dead, Argus," he declared after having inspected the stiff body and waving his wand over it. "Just petrified."
Filch insisted that Harry had done it, who found the notion so absurd that he didn't even know what to say in response. He had no idea how to petrify animals, even if he had wanted to do so. Arguments went back and forth, then Professor Snape entered and came to his aid.
"Mr. Potter might simply have been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, turning his attention to Harry. "What were you doing in the corridor before the feast ended?"
Harry blushed. Embarrassed, he explained about his stomach problems and the need for a bathroom. "And you chose the second floor girl's bathroom for that?" asked Professor Snape, raising his eyebrows.
"No, I was in the downstairs bathroom. And then …"
"Don't tell them about hearing the snake, Harry!" warned Tom."Remember what Hagrid said. This is not the ideal time to give anyone reason to think you're a dark wizard!"
"… and then I remembered that I wanted to look something up in the library," Harry finished instead, hoping it sounded convincing.
"He's lying!" cried Filch, insisting that Harry had some kind of vendetta going against him for being a Squib (Harry had no idea what that even was) and for hating his cat.
Dumbledore finally managed to soothe him by explaining that they'd be able to unpetrify Mrs. Norris as soon as the Mandrakes that Professor Sprout was growing in the greenhouse were mature enough to be used in a reviving potion (which Lockhart claimed to be able to whip up in a heartbeat, earning him an angry retort from the resident Potions Master.)
Filch was allowed to take his stiff cat to his quarters and Professor Snape was allowed to take Harry down to the dungeons. As expected, he steered Harry straight to his office.
"Do you have anything to add to what you told us about tonight's events?" he inquired, rightfully suspecting that there was more.
Harry briefly considered confessing about the snake he'd heard. But as a snake could hardly be responsible for Mrs. Norris being petrified, the floor being flooded and a threat being put on the wall, he judged it irrelevant and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want Professor Snape to believe him an evil wizard, and so he shook his head, keeping his eyes down, lest the professor read it in Harry's mind.
"Professor Snape – what is this Chamber of Secrets? And who's the heir of Slytherin mentioned in the message?
"It's one of the castle's mysteries. Supposedly, there is a secret chamber somewhere that was built by Salazar Slytherin himself. It was rumoured to have been opened about fifty years ago, when students ended up dead, hurt or missing – supposedly, a monster of some kind that lived in it was responsible for the incidents. But while the culprit was found eventually, the chamber wasn't, although it had been searched for. The general consensus is that it's a myth."
"Who was the culprit?"
"Some pet of Hagrid's which now lives in the Forbidden Forest."
"Is that why he was expelled?" Harry remembered Hagrid having said something about getting in trouble for keeping a dangerous pet inside the castle.
"Yes. A student had died – someone needed to be punished."
"That sounds like you don't believe that Hagrid's pet was responsible …"
"I wasn't even born at that time, so I have no idea. I can only tell you what I've heard. Hagrid insists that it wasn't his Acromantula, but well, you know Hagrid. He never believes any creature could do any harm."
"An Acromantula?" Harry gulped. "I read about them. Aren't those humongous, poisonous, man eating-spiders?" Professor Snape nodded. "And it now lives in the Forbidden Forest?"
"It and its about two hundred descendants. There's a reason why the Forbidden Forest is forbidden, Mr. Potter."
"Yes, I definitely won't venture into it knowing that."
"Unless a teacher assigns us another detention in there," added Tom sarcastically. The idea of a secret chamber in the school that harboured a monster didn't really seem so outlandish, considering.
Professor Snape didn't seem to be sure about Harry's assurances either. "You definitely have a knack for getting into unfortunate situations, Mr. Potter. So pardon me if I won't bet on it."
*'*'*'*'*'*'*
From the moment that Mrs. Norris was found petrified, the entire school knew only one topic: The Chamber of Secrets. All copies of 'Hogwarts, a History' were gone from the library as everyone tried to find out more about it.
As Hermione seemed to know the entire book by heart (something even Tom couldn't boast about), she was able to tell them the story of the four founders and Salazar's misgivings about Muggleborns being taught magic.
"At that time, many Muggles still believed in magic but were afraid of it. The church was mighty and hostile towards people suspected to be witches or wizards. So in Salazar's opinion, associating with Muggleborns and bringing them into the fold of the wizarding world increased the likelihood of bringing the pureblood witches and wizards to the attention of the church as well. Anyway, the rumour goes that Salazar left a monster in the chamber as a weapon for his heir to purge the school of Muggleborns."
Neville frowned. "I don't think Salazar had a son, at least I never heard of his heir returning to the school in his stead."
"Maybe he didn't mean heir as in son or grandson, but anyone of his line in later centuries," Hermione guessed. "The last opening happened in the 1940s."
"Professor Snape said it's only a myth," objected Harry, who had shared the information he had received yesterday with his friends. He had also given them the same excuse as Snape as to his presence in the corridor, which they had accepted without question. Their trust made Harry feel even more guilty for lying to them."They didn't find a chamber back then, and Hagrid's pet was blamed for the incidents. And I don't think anyone believed Hagrid to be Salazar's heir."
"But what if his Acromantula really was the monster and acted independently?" suggested Neville. "They can grow really old and you said it's still around."
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. How would it know how to only kill Muggleborns?"
"That wouldn't be the most astonishing feat for a spider to perform," Tom added his own five cents. "Putting the message on the wall would!"
"I don't believe in a monster," decided Hermione. "Someone in this castle knows the story and probably thought it was a great prank."
"A prank?" asked Harry, disbelief in his voice. "Mrs. Norris was petrified! Even if I don't like Filch or his snooping cat, that's not funny, and I don't think the twins would do something like that. And threatening Muggleborns isn't funny, either. If it's a prank, it's a really malicious one."
"I didn't say it was good," Hermione clarified, feeling defensive. "But if the intent was to intimidate Muggleborns, it's most likely that a Slytherin is behind it. Why would he call himself Salazar's heir otherwise?"
"I bet it is Malfoy," said Neville. "His family is old and pureblood and might well have ties to Salazar Slytherin. He keeps calling Hermione 'Mudblood'."
"I don't know." Though Harry often took offence at Malfoy's behaviour, he didn't find the theory of him being Slytherin's heir very convincing. "Dumbledore said no second year could have done it."
Neither Tom, nor Neville nor Hermione were able to come up with a theory that made sense. There were wild speculations and guessing games among the rest of the student body as well, and Harry was completely taken by surprise when a main suspect emerged who was also a second year and should, for various reasons, never have made it to the top of the list of potential culprits: Harry.
"What?" asked Tom, totally baffled when they first heard the whispers that Harry had petrified Mrs. Norris and was probably an aspiring dark wizard. "But they don't even know you're a Parselmouth!"
"It's insane! Why should I petrify Mrs. Norris? I didn't even know anything about the Chamber before Professor Snape told me."
"You know how people are," said Hermione dismissively. "They love to gossip, and pointing at you is easy and doesn't require a lot of brainwork. You were there and you're a Slytherin. So much for the brilliance of the theory."
Tom nodded emphatically. Hermione had nailed it in his opinion. Most people were stupid. An added reason to keep Harry's talent for speaking with snakes a secret.
"We should try and get some first hand information. Hagrid should be able to tell us more about what happened back in 1943."
His friends agreed that this was a good idea, one they could have come up with days ago, and so they found themselves once more in the giant's hut for cake and tea. Hagrid was a bit reluctant at first to talk about events back then, until he learned that Harry already knew about his giant spider.
"Aragog was a good pet, Harry, just like yer Marvolo. Wouldn'ave hurt anyone! Besides, Acromantulas eat their prey, an' there was not a single wound on the body they found. Might have been a heart attack or an Avada, who knows. But everybody said it was Aragog an' they tried to hunt 'im down. But not a chance – he knew how to hide and he escaped to the forest!"
Hagrid smiled like a proud father, then his face turned once more to sadness and resignation. "I always told 'em there's a monster in the castle somewhere. Aragog told me, but no one believed 'im!"
"Aragog told you?" asked Hermione, surprised. "Your spider can speak?"
"Maybe spider-talk is an ability like Parseltongue, and that's why Hagrid was so concerned about people finding out!" mused Tom.
But Hagrid seemed to think that it was common knowledge. "Of course Arcomantulas can speak. 'S just nobody ever talks to 'em."
"That's probably because people tend to get eaten before they can say as much as 'good morning'," Neville ventured, his eyes wide at the thought of chatting with an Acromantula.
"Yeah, tha' might be it," agreed Hagrid.
"So – Aragog knows what the monster is?" Hermione asked, wondering if she had heard that correctly.
Hagrid nodded. "He said spiders fear it like no other. Wouldn' even talk 'bout it or speak its name."
"Seriously? You mean the monster of the chamber is 'You-Know-What' to them?" Tom's very sensible question sadly remained unheard.
"But – Hagrid, if he knows, this information could be really helpful!" Harry pointed out.
"Why would he wan' ter be helpful, Harry? The Ministry wizards wanted ter kill 'im. Didn' believe a word he said then. He won' say anythin' now. Can' blame 'im, can I?"
No, probably not, Harry thought. "Back then, were there petrifications, too, like Mrs. Norris?"
"Na. Never heart of somethin' like tha' before."
"Well, then let's hope that what happened was really a malicious prank and that nobody else will come to harm."