Sapphire Witch - Under Editing to make it easier to read

Mrs. Norris!

~Staircase~

Harry dashes madly, taking the steps three at a time. He makes the landing, rushes through the archway, and...

~Second Floor~

 Harry slides to a stop, listening: Nothing. Slowly, he peers down. WATER is oozing over the stone floor, surrounding his shoes. His reflection appears and, behind it, undulating like a dream... words. Ron, Y/n, Draco, Regulus, and Hermione come huffing up. Ron: "Harry, what are you doing?" He points. Shimmering on the wall are the words he saw reflected in the water. THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED ENEMIES OF THE HEIR... BEWARE. Y/n: "Oh great! Someone's doing possessed Arts and Crafts. Is that chicken blood?" Hermione: "'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened...?'" Ron: "What's that? Hanging underneath?" Harry: "That's Filch's cat. Mrs. Norris." The cat hangs stiffly by her tail from a torch bracket, eyes open and blank. Harry's eyes shift to the adjacent window: near the topmost pane, spiders scuttle up a silvery thread and fight to get through a crack in the glass. Hermione: "Look at that. Have you ever seen spiders act like that? Ron...?" Ron: (backing away) "I... don't... like... spiders." Y/n studies the spiders. Y/n: "I can't put my finger on it but this is so familiar." Suddenly, the stairwell is alive with voices and, seconds later, dozens of students stream forth, chattering... when they stop, seeing the wall and, standing before it, Y/n, Draco, Regulus, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. A thudding silence falls. Then Pansy pushes forward, eyes the wall, and grins nastily. Pansy: "Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" Pansy's eyes find Hermione, just as Filch appears. Y/n: "Whose been doing possessed arts and crafts?!" Filch: " What's going on here? Go on now! Make way..." (stopping dead) "Mrs. Norris!" (rounding on Harry) "You! You've murdered my cat! I'll kill you! I'll --" Albus: "Argus!" Albus marches forward, trailed by a phalanx of teachers. Seeing the wall, Albus's face darkens. Albus: "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately. (to Y/n, Draco, Regulus, Harry, Ron, Hermione) Everyone except you lot." As the corridor empties, Albus steps to the wall and, with extreme gentleness, removes Mrs. Norris. Lockhart: "It was definitely a curse that killed her -- probably the Transmogrifian Torture. Encountered it myself once, in Ouagadougou. The full story's in my autobiography..." Y/n: "Shut up, you dumbass!" Hermione: "Y/n!" Regulus: "Said what we were all thinking." Albus: "She's not dead, Argus. She's been petrified." Lockhart: "Precisely! So unlucky I wasn't there. I know the very countercurse that could have spared her..." Y/n: "You'd probably be dead." Albus: "But how she's been Petrified... I cannot say." Filch: (pointing at Harry) "Ask him! It's him that's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall. Besides, he knows I'm -- I'm a Squib." Harry: "It's not true, sir! I swear! I never touched Mrs. Norris -- And I don't even know what a Squib is." Filch: "Rubbish! He saw my Kwikspell letter!" Y/n: "Mr. Filch. Harry is practically a muggle when it comes to wizarding terms and slurs. There is no way he can possibly know what a Squib is." Severus: "If I might, Headmaster..." The others turn and watch Severus separate from the shadows. Severus: "Perhaps Potter and his friends, and Mr. Black were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time..". Harry and the others blink. Is Snape defending them? Severus: "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potters and Malfoy at dinner." Regulus: "Draco and Y/n just finished cleaning." Lockhart: "I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail..." As Severus's lip curls in disgust, Hermione leaps in. Hermione: "That's why Ron and I went looking for him, Professor. We'd just found him when Harry said..." Severus: (raising an eyebrow) "Yes, Miss Granger?" Harry: "When I said I wasn't hungry. We were heading back to the Common Room and... found Mrs. Norris." Severus eyes Harry coldly, knowing he's lying. Harry looks away... and finds Albus studying him as well. Albus: "Innocent until proven guilty." Filch: "My cat has been petrified! I want to see some punishment!" Albus: "We will be able to cure her, Argus. As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes. When they have matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs. Norris. In the meantime, I advise caution. To all." Y/n: "Oooooohhhhhhhh!" Everyone looks at her. Y/n: "I'll tell you later, Regulus."