wearing a long woolly dressing gown and a nightcap. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. Professor McGonagall appeared a second later, carrying its feet. Together, they heaved it onto a bed.
'Get Madam Pomfrey,' whispered Dumbledore, and Professor McGonagall hurried past the end of Harry's bed out of sight. Harry lay quite still, pretending to be asleep. He heard urgent voices, and then Professor McGonagall swept back into view, closely followed by Madam Pomfrey, who was pulling a cardigan on over her nightdress. He heard a sharp intake of breath.
'What happened?' Madam Pomfrey whispered to Dumbledore, bending over the statue on the bed.
'Another attack,' said Dumbledore. 'Minerva found him on the stairs.'
'There was a bunch of grapes next to him,' said Professor McGonagall. 'We think he was trying to sneak up here to visit Potter.'
Harry's stomach gave a horrible lurch. Slowly and carefully, he raised himself a few inches so he could look at the statue on the bed. A ray of moonlight lay across its staring face.
It was Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and his hands were stuck up in front of him, holding his camera.
'Petrified?' whispered Madam Pomfrey.
'Yes,' said Professor McGonagall. 'But I shudder to think ... If Albus hadn't been on the way downstairs for hot chocolate, who knows what might have ...'
The three of them stared down at Colin. Then Dumbledore leaned forward and prised the camera out of Colin's rigid grip.
'You don't think he managed to get a picture of his attacker?' said Professor McGonagall eagerly.
Dumbledore didn't answer. He prised open the back of the camera.
'Good gracious!' said Madam Pomfrey.
A jet of steam had hissed out of the camera. Harry, three beds away, caught the acrid smell of burnt plastic.
'Melted,' said Madam Pomfrey wonderingly, 'all melted ...'
'What does this mean, Albus?' Professor McGonagall asked urgently.
'It means,' said Dumbledore, 'that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again.'
Madam Pomfrey clapped a hand to her mouth. Professor McGonagall stared at Dumbledore.
'But Albus ... surely ... who?'
'The question is not who,' said Dumbledore, his eyes on Colin. 'The question is, how ...'
And from what Harry could see of Professor McGonagall's shadowy face, she didn't understand this any better than he did.
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Amelia Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PART 1
FanfictionPlease read my first book, Amelia Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. PART 1 and PART 2 first or none of the following will make sense. Thank you. This story is marked CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION not becouse I wish for people to rewrite my work but b...