meant to be (2)

22

I shuffled closer to Harry for warmth as I was very cold by now, not to mention hungry.

"I can't stand much more of this" Ron muttered, his teeth chattering, as the orchestra ground back into action and the ghosts swept back onto the dance floor.

"Me neither" I said, thinking of all the delicious food that I could be eating right now in the Great Hall.

"Let's go" Harry agreed.

We backed towards the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at us, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles.

"Pudding might not be finished yet" said Ron hopefully, leading the way towards the steps to the Entrance Hall.

Suddenly Harry stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, while squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway.

"Harry is everything alright?" I asked looking at him.

"It's that voice again - shut up a minute"

"You shut up!" I talked back

"Listen!" said Harry urgently. Ron, Hermione and I froze, watching him while exchanging horrified looks. We all couldn't hear the mysterious voice Harry was talking about.

"Harry" I started "there is no voice"

"This way" Harry shouted, ignoring me as he began to run, up the stairs, into the Entrance Hall.

It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall.

Harry sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Ron, Hermione and I clattering behind him.

"Harry, what are we-" Ron tried again.

"SHH!"

Harry strained his ears. He then suddenly looked horrified and as though he was about to throw up.

"It's going to kill someone!" he shouted, and ignoring Ron, Hermione and my bewildered faces, he ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his own pounding footsteps.

Harry hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Ron and Hermione panting behind him, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

"Harry, what was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything..."

But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor.

"Look!"

Something was shining on the wall ahead. We approached, slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been written on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
HAS BEEN OPENED, ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE,

"Is that blood?" Hermione asked while observing the red writing.

"I don't know" I said. "But it definitely isn't normal paint"

"What's that thing - hanging underneath?" asked Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.

As we edged nearer, I almost slipped over: there was a large puddle of water on the floor. Harry caught me and we inched towards the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it.

All four of us realised what it was at once, and leapt backwards with a splash.

Mrs Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

For a few seconds, we didn't move. Then Ron said "Lets get out of here."

"Shouldn't we try and help-" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me" said Ron. "We don't want to be found here!"

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where we stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy well-fedpeople; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends. The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and I stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students, pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

Then someone shouted through the quiet:
"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

It was Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.