SERPENT'S SONG | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [2]

𝘅𝘅𝘃𝗶𝗶𝗶 | 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘀

Gwen had no memory of the rest of the day. After Defence Against the Dark Arts, she'd blacked out completely, and only regained consciousness when she woke up the next morning.

Harry and Ron were less than impressed with her when she saw them in the common room before breakfast. She explained that she'd fallen asleep, apologised, and then, noticing how sick she still was, they accepted her answer and told her what had happened.

The supposed monster from fifty years ago was a giant spider. Hagrid had been given an acromantula egg when he was young and had raised it in the castle. During his third year, the school had been attacked by the monster in the Chamber, and Hagrid's spider, Aragog, had been blamed for the murder of the girl. The girl, Harry recounted, had died in a bathroom.

'Myrtle,' Gwen said immediately, interrupting the story. The boys nodded.

Harry went on. 'The spiders won't even talk about the real monster. Riddle got it wrong, you see. Hagrid was innocent, he never opened the Chamber of Secrets.'

Gwen nodded, taking it in.

Ron shrugged. 'And then we nearly got killed by thousands of giant blood-thirsty spiders.'

That took her off guard. 'What?'

'The spiders tried to eat us,' Harry said casually.

'Merlin's beard. Did you tell them you were sent by Hagrid?'

Harry and Ron nodded. That was the problem with Hagrid, he believed that even the most dangerous creatures were misunderstood. He probably believed Aragog would never let his friends die.

But some news during Transfiguration drove the thought of anything Chamber of Secrets related from their minds.

'Exams?' Seamus howled. 'We're still getting exams?'

McGonagall frowned, turning to him. 'The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education. The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying hard.'

Studying hard. With the school in the state it was, and Gwen in the state she was, it had never occurred to her that exams would still take place. She, however, knew she probably wouldn't be making it to her exams. She'd already decided her fate.

The class were muttering away, sending looks at each other and grumbling to themselves. McGonagall scowled. 'Professor Dumbledore's instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, she said. "And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this year.'

Gwen had almost no memory of the year.

• • •

Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at breakfast.