The woman in the mirror (Harry Potter fanfic)

Chapter 2.8 (The legend of the Chamber of Secrets)

The History of Magic classroom 4F
First floor, Hogwarts castle
November 4 1992

He stuttered to an halt when Artemis raised her hand. "Miss Lupos?"

"It's Lupin, sir, and don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

"Well." The Professor said slowly. "Yes, one could argue with that, I suppose. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale..." The whole class was now hanging on Binns's every word. He was completely thrown by such an unusual show of interest. Normally, half of the students were dozing off by now.

"Oh very well," he said slowly. "Let me see...the Chamber of Secrets...Not many of you may know that Hogwarts castle and surrounding lands used to be the home of the wizarding royal family. They were direct descendants of the very first wizard called Eridon. The last king Gerauld only had a daughter before he died. A girl named Gwendolyn, princess of Hogwarts. Because during that time women weren't allowed to have any money or an estate of their own, she was the end of the royal bloodline.

"The princess and her aunt sold the castle to the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They turned it into a school for young witches and wizards, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution." He paused, gazing blearily around the room, and continued.

"The princess continued to live in the castle and was allowed to join classes. She was actually the very first student to be sorted."

"What was she sorted into?" Artemis asked, fascinated.

"Gryffindor. She later married Godric Gryffindor's only son, Gideon. But that's not important. For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school." Professor Binns paused again, pursing his lips.

"Reliable history sourches tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing. Slytherin sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

There was a silence as he finished telling the story. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed. "The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course." He said. "Naturally the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

Hermione's hand was back in the air. "Sir....what exactly do you mean by 'the horror within' the Chamber?"

"That's believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control." Dean and Artemis exchanged nervous looks. "I tell you, the thing does not exist." Professor Binns said, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."