Amelia Potter and the Chamber of Secrets PART 1

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Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole.
'Harry!' she said. 'You gave us such a fright. Come in – how's your arm?'

'Fine,' said Harry, squeezing into the cubicle. An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Harry they had lit a fire beneath it. Conjuring up portable, water- proof fires was a speciality of Hermione's.

'Glad your arm is good. Now you can punch Lockhart,' Amelia got punched in the arm by Hermione.

'We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion,' Ron explained, as Harry, with difficulty, locked the cubicle again. 'We've decided this is the safest place to hide it.'

Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted. 'We already know, we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going –'

'The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better,' snarled Ron. 'D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin.'

'He's an egotistical chicken dick,' grumbled Amelia. Ron let out a laugh.

'There's something else,' said Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. 'Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night.'

Ron, Hermione, and Amelia looked up, amazed. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him – or hadn't told him. They listened with their mouths open.

'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?' said Hermione.

'Knew it was real!' Amelia pumped her fist into the air.

'This settles it,' said Ron in a triumphant voice. 'Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking round the school.'

'Maybe it can make itself invisible,' said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. 'Or maybe it can disguise itself – pretend to be a suit of armour or something. I've read about Chameleon Ghouls ...'

'You read too much, Hermione,' said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked round at Harry.

'No such thing Ron! Chameleon Ghouls, I haven't heard of them go on,' Amelia leaned in the spackle of curiosity burning in her eyes. Hermione smirked over at Ron and started filling Amelia in about Chameleon Ghouls.

'So Dobby stopped us getting on the train and broke your arm ...' He shook his head. 'You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you.'