Worthy Of Magic

Part 12 - Part Two The Dream

Survival is the basic instinct that drives conscious beings to want to live.

Hogwarts, Thirty first October nineteen ninety two

The Chamber of Secrets has been opened!

Enemies of the heir beware!

The words sent a chill down Daphne Greengrass. The entirety of Hogwarts was crowding the corridor and those in front were frozen still by the words and the stiff as death; cat, soaked in the pool of water outside the out of order girl's bathroom.

"What's going on here?! What's the hold up? Move you miserable brats!"

Filch pushed his way to the front, past the grumbling students who were getting annoyed by the hold up.

Whispers from the front began to travel at the speed of sound and the news began to spread. Thoughts and imaginations began to run wild until an anguished Filch's scream silenced them all.

"Mrs Norris! Mrs Norris. She's dead! Someone killed my precious!"

Daphne was near the front and could only watch with muted amusement. Someone had killed the cat. Maybe it was curiosity she joked in her head.

Headmaster Dumbledore and his posse' also pushed to the front and a moment later declared the cat wasn't dead. Daphne hummed, maybe it wasn't curiosity after all.

"It sure looks dead," Tracey mumbled queasily. "And what is that god awful smell?"

Daphne shrugged and met the eyes of Hermione Granger. Brown eyes looked surprised find the cold blue ones and quickly looked away. Daphne smirked.

"Alright everyone! Move along. This is not a show. Back to your common rooms or I will start deducting points!"

"Yea, listen to Professor Kitten," someone joked. Daphne turned her head and spotted one of the Weasley twins grinning and high fiving the other twin.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," McGonagall said coldly, wiping their grins away.

Slowly, the crowd began to move past although the movement was slow as everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the cat, the writing and the sobbing caretaker who was still moaning about his cat. Daphne supposed it was quite sad. Her sense of empathy had taken a hike due to the events of last Christmas leading to her being titled Ice Queen by her fellow housemates. Daphne loved it. That title was everything a young teenage girl aspired to be. That or Head Girl. Daphne preferred Ice Queen. Head Girl came with too many responsibilities and she wanted none. She had only one goal. A goal that had evolved and twisted over a long period of time. Now, it was the desire to rule over all the purebloods. To show them that it was her and not some poncy blonde they had to kneel before.

Her smile made Tracey wary and the red head took a step away from Daphne.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Headmaster's Office.

Dumbledore was feeling quite crowded in his office. McGonagall was there looking severe. Minister Fudge who looked more haggard than ever. Auror Bones standing by the fireplace like a pillar of authority. Arthur Weasley; the new head of Muggle Born wizard and witch relations, the M.B.W.R for short and Lucius Malfoy, the new Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, looking like a Salamander had mauled his face, sitting straight as an arrow in his floating wheelchair.

"So," drawled Malfoy. "The Chamber of Secrets? Has Slytherin's heir returned?"

"A clear threat to muggleborn children," Bones boomed. This is going to be bad Albus."

"We don't know that," Arthur said wearily. "It could also be a prank. Merlin knows Hogwarts has enough trouble makers."

"Then it's not one in good taste," Dumbledore said heavily. "And I don't think this is a joke. I fear this is the work of a dark wizard."