Chapter Seven
October brought with it a damp chill that seemed to follow the students wherever they went, they went around huddling from fire to fire trying to keep warm. It also had made over half the students come down with a nasty cold. Harry was just coming from the hospital wing, his ears steaming from Madam Pomfrey's Pepperup Potion, when he ran into Ginny pacing the corridor.
She looked pale and ill, still clutching the leather diary although the picture of her and Harry was now gone.
"Ginny isn't it?" Harry asked walking over to her.
She flinched but nodded, "Hi."
"Are you OK?" Harry asked, worried about her.
Ginny nodded and managed a weak smile, "I...I've just got this cold." she shrugged.
"You should get the Pepperup Potion. The side effects aren't that bad." he said pointing to his ears.
Ginny smiled, "Thanks Harry." she left quickly, hurrying down the corridor. Harry shook his head wondering what was wrong with her.
Harry didn't hear the voice again but still made an extra prayer when he dressed in his white robes come Halloween morning. The day past peacefully, Harry enjoyed the time off classes and played chess with his friends and father in the great hall.
The hall had been decorated beautifully. Dozens of live bats fluttered around the ceiling and huge pumpkins, as big as several people stood in the corners. Hagrid had been very proud of his pumpkins making sure they were protected and even risking using his magic umbrella to make sure they were magnificent.
Harry took his seat at the Slytherin table next to his friends. Dumbledore welcomed them all to the feast and said a few words before they dug into the feast.
Harry was on his third piece of treacle tart, he'd just added a large scoop of ice cream to his bowl, when he heard it again.
"Look at the feast….all those little mudbloods….rip tear….."
Harry stood up, "It's here."
Pansy stood as well, much to Draco and Daphne's confusion. "I can't hear anything Harry." Pansy said.
"It's heading for the door." Harry said climbing over the bench and running towards the door. Draco, Pansy and Daphne followed him out.
"kill….rip….tear…."
Harry followed the voice up the stairs, ignoring the shouts from his friends.
"So hungry….for so long…."
"Harry we can't hear anything!" Draco said catching Harry's arm and pulling him to a halt.
"Listen!" Harry shouted.
"Time to kill….kill….time to kill….."
"We are listening!" Draco shouted back.
Harry thought the voice was moving upwards. He stared up the wall, there wasn't a staircase here so how could it be moving upwards?
"I heard it I swear!" Harry said.
"We believe you Harry. It's just not that simple clearly." Pansy said
Harry nodded and tried to catch his breath. He started walking back towards the hall, filling Draco and Daphne in on what was going on.
"I still think you should have told your father when it first happened." Daphne said.
"I...smell...blood…..blood!"
"It can smell blood. It's going to kill someone!" Harry shouted taking off up the nearby stairs and down a corridor.
"Harry slow down!" Draco called catching up with him. Harry was looking around frantically listening for the voice.
Daphne tapped him on the shoulder, "Look."
They'd reached an empty corridor, in the dark, low light they could see the wall was covered in writing. The words were at least a foot tall and stopped the four of them dead.
"THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
HAS BEEN OPENED,
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR,
BEWARE."
"Is that...is that blood or paint?" Pansy asked stepping forward.
Harry caught her arm and stopped her; shaking his head, "Stay back."
"Are you OK Harry?" Hermione's voice came down the corridor.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.
Hermione gasped as she saw the writing, "I was at...I was at nearly headless Nick's death day party. I saw you running past."
"What's that?" Draco said pointing.
Harry moved forwards a few steps and tried not to slip over in the large puddle of water that had covered the floor. There was something hanging underneath the writing.
"It's Mrs Norris." Harry said stepping back, "We have to get out of here."
"Shouldn't we try and help?" Hermione asked moving towards the frozen cat.
"No. We'll go and get Professor Snape." Daphne said pulling Hermione back.
There was no need though as Snape arrived a few seconds after, "Why did you leave the hall so suddenly Harry? Are you…." he also stopped as he saw the wall. He pulled Harry behind him.
There was a rumble, like thunder, drawing nearer that told them that the feast had finished and the corridor was soon filled with students and teachers. The noise dying off quickly.
The five students and Snape stood in the corridor apart from everyone else.
"What does it mean the chamber is open?" someone called
"What is the chamber of secrets?"
"Enemies of the heir?" Tracy said pushing to the front, "That means you lot." She said looking over to the Gryffindors.
"Depends on which heir it's talking about." Ron shouted back before being pushed back into the crowd by Percy.
"Of course it's their heir." Percy hissed, "Do you really think a Gryffindor could do something like this?"
Snape glared at him.
"Look they're standing right there!" Fred shouted forward.
"What's going on here?" Filch shouted pushing his way through the crowds, "You should all be in bed, not clogging up the corridors."
He stopped suddenly at the sight of the lifeless cat. He dropped to his knees in the puddle of water and ran his fingers through it's fur.
"My cat." he cried, "My cat! You've killed my cat! I'll kill you!" he screamed moving towards Harry and the others.
"Argus!" Dumbledore said walking slowly though the crowds. He swept past the students and looked over Mrs Norris.
"She's not dead." he told Filch quietly as he detached the cat from the touch bracket it was hanging from, "Severus, Mr Potter, Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger, Miss Greengrass and Miss Parkinson please come with me."
"I'm coming as well." Filch said, still glaring at Harry.
Lockhart stepped forward, far to happy for the situation, "My office is closest Headmaster." he volunteered.
Dumbledore nodded to him and lead them all to Lockhart's office. Harry walked in and saw several of Lockhart's pictures dart out of view, their hair filled with rollers. It wasn't cramped in the large office, even with all eight of them but Harry pressed himself into the corner as much as he could anyway.
Lockhart lit all the candles quickly and ushered them all into chairs. Dumbledore laid Mrs Norris on the highly polished desk and looked over her. Harry could feel his heart beating in his ears. Dumbledore's long hooked nose was barely an inch away from Mrs Norris's fur as he looked over every inch of her.
Snape hoovered over Harry's shoulder looking worried. It seemed a long time before anyone spoke and even then it was only as there was a knock on the door. Professor McGonagall came in and looked over the room.
"I heard one of my students was here." She sniffed, looking over Harry, Draco, Pansy and Daphne, "I wouldn't have thought it would be you mixed in with all this Miss Granger."
Hermione hung her head solemnly.
Lockhart paced the room looking important, "It was definitely a curse that killed her. Probably the Transmorgrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter-curse that would have saved her."
Filch who was sat in the corner burst out in loud sobs. He slumped in his chair, tears streaming down his face. Harry might not have been his biggest fan but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Filch.
Hermione looked utterly heart broken by it, with silent tears falling off her nose. Daphne reached over and gave her hand a quick squeeze.
Dumbledore took out his wand and began to tap Mrs Norris with his wand, muttering strange spells under his breath. Nothing happened, Mrs Norris continued to lie motionless on the desk; looking like she'd been recently stuffed.
Lockhart continued to pace the room "I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadougou." he said as if reminiscing a fond memory, "I was able to give the villagers several amulets that stopped the attacks dead. Full story is in my autobiography, of course."
Several of the portraits nodded along. Harry spotted that one had forgotten to remove his hair net and looked like a dinner lady from a muggle school.
At last Dumbledore straightened up and looked over to Filch, "As I said, she's not dead Argus."
Lockhart stopped dead in the middle of going through all the deaths and murders he'd single handedly prevented.
Filch looked up and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and sniffed, "Are you sure?"
Dumbledore nodded kindly. Hermione also dried her eyes.
"Not dead? But why is she all stiff like that? All stiff and frozen?" Filch sniffed.
"She's not dead," Dumbledore said, "But she has been Petrified."
"I knew it!" Lockhart said looking proud of himself, he was ignored.
"How?" Professor McGonagall asked looking shocked.
"That I can not say." Dumbledore shook his head.
"Ask him." Filch said, leaping to his feet and pointing angrily at Harry, "It was him that did it! Caught red handed at the scene!"
"I'd be grateful if you held your temper." Severus snarled, standing between Harry and Filch.
Dumbledore sighed, "No second year could have done this." he said firmly, shaking his head, "This was dark, powerful magic. Most advanced."
"I know he did it!" Filch cried, "He must have found out! Found out I'm...I'm a squib." he burst back into tears,
"I never touched Mrs Norris!" Harry said loudly, "I had no idea that Filch was...a...was a squib." Harry squirmed at using the word, it wasn't one his mother approved of.
"Rubbish!" Filch snarled, "Everyone knows he's going around calling people mudbloods! Squibs are worse than muggleborns, everyone says that! He's been corrupted by his house!"
Snape coughed loudly to silence Filch, glaring in his direction. Professor McGonagall looked like she was about to laugh. All the Lockhart pictures were staring shocked at him.
"If I may suggest." Professor McGonagall said stepping forward,
Harry gulped, he was sure that she wasn't going to be on his side, in fact he was pretty sure she would be loving every moment of his unhappiness. Right now Harry just wanted to go to bed. The horrible voice was still echoing around his head and he was wondering if he should mention it.
"I think this may be a coincidence. Potter and his friends may have simple been in the wrong place at the wrong time." she frowned, it was clear she didn't believe that Harry was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, "I certainly can't ever imagine Miss Granger getting mixed up in anything so nasty."
"And yet here she is." Lockhart said shaking his head before falling silent at the look of betrayal from Hermione.
"Why were you not at the feast Miss Granger?" Snape asked
"I was with Nearly Headless Nick. It was his death day party and I was invited. I wanted to see what it was like, it's not a very well documented event and I was curious. There were hundreds of ghosts there, they'll tell you." She said quickly.
"There is no edible food at ghost events correct? So why didn't you come to the feast afterwards?" Professor McGonagall demanded.
"I...I saw Harry and the others running down the corridor and followed them. I thought they might be in trouble." Hermione explained.
Professor McGonagall's gaze turned to Harry.
"I...I.." Harry didn't know what to say.
"He was after my cat! See he hasn't even thought of an alibi!" Filch said jumping up, "Didn't think you'd get caught did you?" he shouted.
"I NEVER touched Mrs Norris!" Harry shouted back.
"Calm Harry." Severus ordered.
"I do believe that Potter and his friends are hiding something." Professor McGonagall said looking over them, "Perhaps removing them from the Quidditch team will help them feel like talking."
Snape rolled his eyes.
"No." Daphne said, "It's not like the cat was smacked over the head with a broomstick!"
Harry bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing, it wouldn't go down well. Dumbledore looked over him for several minutes. Harry felt a chill go down his spine and was sure Dumbledore was looking straight through him.
"I think...innocent until proven guilty." Dumbledore said slowly, "Mrs Norris will be fine. Professor Sprout has a very healthy batch of Mandrakes growing and when they are fully grown in a few months we can prepare a Mandrake draft which will fully restore Mrs Norris."
"I'll do it!" Lockhart said pushing forward, "I've done it a hundred times. More in fact. I could do it in my sleep I'm sure there's no one more suitable to make it than I." he straightened his robes importantly.
"Excuse me." Snape said icily, "But if I remember correctly I am the potions master here."
There was a painfully awkward silence that filled the room as Lockhart looked guiltily at Severus who simply glared back.
"You five may go and get some rest." Dumbledore told them.
They stood quickly and left the room.
"What's a squib?" Hermione asked once they were down the corridor and out the way of being over heard.
Draco, Pansy and Daphne looked awkwardly at their feet.
"It's like the opposite of a muggle born." Harry explained, "It's someone from a magical family but born without magic. They're fairly rare but sort of made fun of in the wizarding world, thought of as 'less than'."
Hermione nodded, "And what about a mudblood?"
Harry looked down at his feet,
"It's a bad word, like a swear word. It means dirty blood. It's normally used to describe someone…. someone who's muggle born." Pansy said quietly.
Hermione's face fell, "Oh." she began to walk away.
"It's not like that Hermione, wait." Harry said catching her hand, "I didn't say it nastily to a muggle born. Ronald was just being horrible and I blurted it out."
"I understand." She said with a small smile, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Harry lent back against the wall, "Well now I feel horrible. Do you think I should have told them? About the voice I mean?"
Draco and Pansy shook their heads,
"No not in a room full like that. You should tell Professor Snape though." Daphne said
"I agree. Hearing voices isn't a good thing and it's unlikely it even could have been someone invisible with the way it was moving around." Draco said, "Professor Snape does need to know though. It's getting serious now."
"Something really bad hurt Mrs Norris." Harry nodded, "Lets get to bed before we're blamed for something else as well."