Atlas Malfoy and how history repeats itself

Part 15

Harry's detention drags on, and even Hermione is surprised. I eat early, but her and Ron both finish eating and Harry still isn't out. Hermione is angry, and practically drags me and Ron to go find Harry.
He crashes into us, panicking and says, "Can you hear that?"
We shake our heads and he gasps, "He's going to kill. He is going to kill."
He shoves past, knocking me down a little. Ron helps me up and we race after him, to a corridor where the floor is wet and disgusting. I see a little army of spiders, much to mine and Ron's horror. I look to the wall, where Filch's cat is hanging. Then I see what Hermione is muttering over and over. In blood, the words "The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir... beware" is written.
I cling to Ron's arm as teachers and students alike swarm over. McGonigal gasps and Snape grabs my arm, pulling me away from the group. It looks like I wasn't with them. Draco scoffs, "You'll be next, mud blood."
Hermione glares and I feel my legs buckle a little. Snape pulls me upright and Dumbledore says, "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately. Everyone, except you four."
I know he is talking about me. Severus's fingers are digging into my arm and I try getting away, but failing miserably. The teachers are talking but I can barely comprehend. Filch yells something and it snaps me out my thought.
"In the meantime, I strongly recommend caution." Dumbledore says, nodding. Severus lets go of my arm and hisses, "Don't think I'm forgetting about this."

"We keep saying the same things," I groan, "Whose blood is it? Who wrote it? What is the chamber of secrets and last but not least, who is the heir? Asking these questions is not going to do anything other than cause more stress. And quite frankly, I don't want to know. I want to spend my last year before I have to cram revision for O.W.L's being stupid and messing around. I don't want to be finding the chamber of secrets. As a matter of fact, I don't think any of us should be."
Hermione shakes her head and says, "Quite strange though, isn't it?"
"Strange?" Harry asks. Hermione continues, "You hear this voice that only you can hear, and suddenly the chamber of secrets is brought up? Sort of strange... Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't a good sign."
A little portrait agrees with her, making me jump. Hermione raises her eyebrows and I just groan, rubbing my elbow from the force of my jump which ended with me slamming into the wall.

I don't go to the transfiguration class, and Severus takes it as a perfect time to drag me to his office for yet another conversation. He paces back and forth as I glare from my chair. Suddenly, he snaps, "Honestly, you get a howler from you father and don't listen to any of his advice? How am I supposed to explain what happened last night? I would assume that being a Malfoy, a descendant from the House Of Black, you would have even a morsel of common sense. Surely you can see that Mr Potter is not someone to be playing fool with. I would really assume that anyone would have common sense, but your father tells me you couldn't even speak french well enough to get into Beauxbatons-"
"My Father," I snap, "Does not have the common decency to call me by my name. Atlas Black, as he called me, is not his daughter. His daughter is Atlas Malfoy, and until he realises that me being a Gryffindor has killed an approximately zero people, I wont be associating with him. When I am old enough, so at seventeen, I will be leaving that house. I highly doubt that I will even look at that house without disgust. I will do what I need to survive, but I will not be committing to the group he speaks so highly of. I will not die like Regulus."
"How do you know of Regulus?" Severus snaps, looking at me with fury in his eyes. I glare and say, "I am allowed to know of my family members, Severus. If you have an issue with that, I suggest you stop talking to me. I would prefer if you spoke to Draco more. He definitely needs looking after now I'm not there to... calm situations down. Can I go now, or do you just need me to stay longer so you can insult my intelligence?"
"Get out."

I sit in the common room, sprawled across a sofa. Ginny walks over and says, "Atlas?"
"Ding ding ding, it is I!"
She looks confused and I sit upright, inviting her to sit beside me.
"Yeah," I say, "My name is Atlas. D'you need any help with anything?"
Ginny looks sceptical before saying, "I heard you are really smart. I'd ask Hermione, but she is a little bit intimidating, and out of you two, I'd rather get yelled at by a Malfoy than Hermione. She seems nice, but also apparently has hit Ron with a book or two before, cursed Neville so he wouldn't snitch and lots of other things."
I laugh and say, "Sure, I'll help with your work. Let's move over to a table though, and get any of your friends who need help."

Within an hour, I've got ten little first years all frantically scribble notes as I explain simple spells that have helped me.
"Any questions?" I say, finally taking a seat. A little brunette boy raises his hand and says, "Lumos? How do you turn your wand off?"
Ginny nudges him and he says, "What? I might as well ask."
She smiles apologetically and I explain, "So, Lumos turns your wand on, and to turn it off, you simply say, Nox."
He nods and the girl next to him says, "What are the unforgiving curses and why are they unforgiving? I'm muggle born, and when I asked Snape I lost ten house points."
I splutter, "Are you... wow, okay. Well, there are three unforgivable curses, and... and I would say they are normalised in some households, but they shouldn't be. There is imperious, which makes people do what you want them to do, Cruciatus curse, which is torture. It simply makes the victim feel immense amount of pain. And then there is the killing curse. I'm not going into further detail than that."

Hermione suddenly pokes her head in and says, "Library. Now. Plan."
I just love our lengthy conversations where I'm given all the details needed to successfully pull off the plan. Blimey, she confuses me.