Ancient Magician (Severus x Reader)

Chapter 41: Chamber of Secrets?

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𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 41: 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑠?

'𝑂𝑓 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑙!'

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"All that time," Ron muttered darkly over breakfast the next morning, stabbing his spoon into a bowl of porridge with far more aggression than necessary. "All those times we were in that bathroom, talking to Myrtle—and she was just three cubicles away. Just there. We could've asked her something. Anything."

I winced a little, setting my mug of tea down with a quiet clink. "I know. It's maddening. If only we'd known earlier... but it's going to be near impossible to sneak off now. The prefects are on patrol every hour and the professors practically have eyes in the back of their heads."

"Don't even get me started on Snape," Ron grumbled. "He's been gliding around the corridors like a bat with an attitude. Probably waiting for someone to sneeze too loudly so he can take House points."

I opened my mouth to say something, but at that moment, we were ushered off to our first class of the day—Transfiguration. I hadn't expected anything to pull my mind away from the growing unease about the Chamber of Secrets, but ten minutes in, Professor McGonagall tapped her wand against the board and made an announcement that caused a collective groan to ripple through the class.

"Your end-of-year examinations will commence on the first of June," she said crisply. "That is precisely one week from today."

Seamus let out a strangled squawk. "Exams? You're still making us do exams?"

McGonagall's lips thinned. "The purpose of keeping Hogwarts open is to continue your education, Mr. Finnigan. Exams will proceed as scheduled, and I trust that you've all been revising during your free time."

I almost laughed. What free time? Half the school was on edge, half the other half was hiding, and we were stuck somewhere in between—trying to pretend things were fine while a monster might be lurking just behind the next door.

"Professor Dumbledore's instructions were very clear," McGonagall continued, softening only slightly. "He asked us to keep the school functioning as normally as possible. And that includes determining what you've learned this year."

Ron looked as if she'd just told him he was being dropped off in the middle of the Forbidden Forest with nothing but a broken wand and a can of beans. He slumped in his seat and held up his wand, which promptly let out a high-pitched, ghostly whistle that made Lavender Brown glance over in alarm.

"Can you imagine me taking exams with this?" he asked miserably, looking at Harry and me. "It doesn't even let me stir soup properly anymore."

I smirked. "No, Ron. I think you'd fail before you even turned over the first paper."

Despite the chuckles, the heaviness in our chests lingered. But three days later, just before breakfast, there was a shift. Something finally changed.

Professor McGonagall stood at the staff table, looking almost—dare I say—pleased. Her voice rang out over the chatter in the Great Hall.

"I have good news," she announced.

Instantly, the room burst into a frenzy.

"Dumbledore's coming back!" someone cried from the Hufflepuff table.

"You've caught the Heir of Slytherin!" a Ravenclaw girl squealed.

"Quidditch is back on?" Wood yelled, half-rising from his seat, looking positively wild with hope.