The Slytherin Mudblood: Book 2

Chapter 9

CAUGHT AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

I split up with Draco to secretly visit Harry, Ron, and Hermione late in the evening. I lied to him by saying I had to rush over to the library to return a book about defensive spells. I dashed around the halls hoping to catch them somewhere. I searched all over the castle and I even went to the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. It was located behind a portrait called "The Fat Lady." She was a plump woman with white robes and a headband made of flowers, similar to those of Ancient Greece. I asked her if Harry, Ron, or Hermione were inside. She informed me that they were indeed not there and that Ron and Hermione said they wanted to visit Harry in Professor Lockhart's office.

I sped over there and caught them by surprise in the corridor, "Ron! Hermione!"

"Victoria? What are you doing here?" Ron groaned.

I spoke out of breath, "I came to see you guys! Ron are you ok? I'm so sorry I laughed!"

"Was not funny, and we were looking for Harry. He has detention with Lockhart!" Ron spat.

"When is he getting out?" I asked, looking around aimlessly.

"We don't know, that's why we're going there," Hermione answered.

"Well, let's go," I said, rushing to Professor Lockhart's classroom.

All three of us hurried to Lockhart's classroom. Instead of meeting Harry there, we bumped into him clutching the walls like he was listening through them.

"Harry!" Exclaimed Hermione. At last we found him!

He continued looking at the walls, looking scared out of his mind, "Did you hear it?"

"Hear what?" I asked.

"That voice," he told, as if obvious.

Hermione was worried, "Voice? What voice?"

"Are you ok? Do we need to get Madame Pomphrey?" I asked jokingly and concerningly.

Harry ignored my questions. "I heard it first in Lockhart's office and then again, just..."

He stopped talking as if he got distracted. He alerted us, "It's moving! I think it's going to kill!" He started running away in the direction he probably heard the voice move.

We chased after him. I was constantly asking questions as we ran, harry never answered. "What?! What is moving? What is going to kill? Who are you hearing?"

We chased him down the corridor, but instead of turning somewhere, he stopped and looked down, pausing. Then, he looked up and started scanning the walls, looking for something, then we stopped. Looking at the ground we found a small trail of tiny, hairy, 8-legged, brown spiders. Harry finally spoke, "Strange?"

"Spiders? How are they strange?" I rolled my eyes.

He finally answered one of my questions, "I've never seen spiders act like that."

Ron shuddered, "I don't like spiders."

"No one likes spiders, Ron," I quipped, lighthearted.

We just stood there for a minute staring at the spiders as they crawled their way up the wall and out the window. All four of us noticed something out of the corner of our eyes, something red on the ground. Ron broke the silence, "What's that?"

It was words, a reflected message, there was water on the ground. Our eyes followed from the ground, up the wall to see a bright red message on the wall. Hermione read aloud, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir... beware. It's written in blood."

I was really uneasy about this, "Guys, I don't like this. This is like a crime scene in a movie and I don't want to be caught. Uh, I'm going to go!"

I hurried off away from the wall thinking of an alibi that someone would believe. I could continue my lie of returning a book to the library? I was coming from the bathroom? I could find someone and say I had been looking for them around the castle? Something!

I turned through a corridor to find a group of students walking away from me, I ran towards them to find they were also Slytherins. Perfect! I figured I could blend in with them. I hurried to find Daphne or Draco and I found them at the front of the group. To my horror, we were walking in a circle right back to the Gryffindor trio. 

A group of Gryffindors were already right next to them in awe, horror, and surprise. I looked over to see them standing next to a dead cat that I'd seen it before. It was a small, furry cat named Mrs. Norris. She roamed the castle to catch rule-breakers when Mr. Filch, the caretaker, wasn't there. She was hanging upside-down from a torch holder by her tail. Everyone thought she was dead.

Draco read the wall aloud for everyone, "Enemies of the heir, beware?" He locked his eyes onto Hermione and Ron, "You'll be next, mudbloods."

Feeling threatened as a muggle myself, I furiously elbowed him straight into his stomach, finally getting my chance this time, "Malfoy!" I used his last name because I wouldn't dare say his first name in this situation. He grunted and fell to the ground clutching his belly. "That's right. You little snake!"

Daphne clings to my arm, "Sorry, I'm just a little scared."

Suddenly, a man pushes through the crowd of Gryffindors asking, "What's going on here? Go on. Make way. Make way!"

Mr. Filch sees Harry and grunts, "Potter. What're you—?" His gaze lurks upward to see his precious cat, Mrs. Norris, hanging from the torch holder. He also thought she was dead, "Mrs. Norris? You!" He looked directly at Harry and accused, "You've murdered my cat!"

"No, no!" Harry pleaded.

"I'll kill you," Mr. Filch said shakily. He grabbed Harry by the collar, "I'LL KILL YA!"

A loud voice boomed behind us, "Argus!" It was Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. He was followed by Professor McGonagall, Professor Lockhart, and Professor Snape. They immediately noticed the blood writing on the walls and Dumbledore requested, "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories, immediately."

We Slytherins all rushed after our prefects to get to our dormitories. What just happened had been on the minds of everyone, no one would stop theorizing about it. Instead of having a conversation with anyone, I just went to bed frightened at the thought of what the trio did. I couldn't sleep. I had left for one minute and the trio killed a cat! Not just a cat, Mr. Filch's cat! 

I was too stunned from looking at the wall that I didn't notice Mrs. Norris at all. I don't know what to believe... They either killed a cat or it was already there and I had missed it. Whatever it was, I needed to see Harry immediately to get the truth out of him.