It Could Have Gone That Way; A Harmione Fanfiction

Chapter 19: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

October had been a funny old month for the trio. The first out-of-ordinary thing to have happened was Harry being severely told off by Filch for trailing mud into the castle, following him into his office and discovering that he was what wizards and witches referred to as a Squib. He soon learnt that this meant that Filch was born into a wizard family as a Muggle.

Then, Nearly Headless Nick had invited them to a deathday party filled with solemn ghosts. The resident ghost of the out-of-order girls bathroom - Moaning Myrtle - had screamed at Hermione for insulting her.

Next, Hermione had made Professor Binns - their History of Magic teacher - tell the class everything he knew about the Chamber of Secrets. They discovered that there was somebody in the school who was the Heir of Salazar Slytherin, who had supposedly created this chamber when he was a founder at Hogwarts. Inside the chamber was said to be a monster that only the heir could control. Last time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened - 50 years ago - a Muggleborn girl had died. That information had been much more than Harry had expected, and a lot more unnerving too.

"It's Malfoy, isn't it?" Ron asked as they left the classroom,"He's the Heir of Slytherin."

Hermione frowned,"I doubt it."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"You heard what he said! 'You'll be next, Mudbloods.' Of course he's the heir!" Ron said in disbelief.

"Just because you don't like him," Hermione sniffed,"doesn't mean he's the Heir of Slytherin. It would have to be someone more...obvious."

"More obvious? Who's more obvious than that git?" Ron asked angrily.

But Harry understood. He was fully aware that most people in the school now thought that he was Slytherin's heir, despite him being a Gryffindor.

"Salazar Slytherin lived a very long time ago. Even some of the oldest witches and wizards alive today could be the heir. Besides, if it was opened fifty years ago, surely no one apart from the heir could have done it. So, it can't be..." Hermione glanced at Harry,"...a student. Surely not."

"But what if there were two heirs, Hermione?" Harry asked,"One who did it then and one who did it now."

"Nonsense." She insisted,"If it were to be two different people, they would have to be very closely related."

"So it could be Malfoy!" Ron yelled.

"Shut up!" Hermione hissed,"Though I do hate him, I doubt that Lucius Malfoy is in his fifties, Ron."

"Well, what about his dad?"

"I said closely related. But I still can't see how it could be him."

Harry sighed and looked down,"They all think it's me."

"Is it?" Ron asked.

"Of course it's not!" Hermione snapped. She looked at Harry, who was still staring at the ground,"It's not."

"It might be." Harry said.

Hermione frowned,"But it's not. You'd know."

"Would I?"

"Mate," Ron put a hand on Harry's shoulder,"I think you'd know if you'd opened the Chamber of Secrets, killed a Muggleborn fifty years ago and could talk to a monster. You are not the bloody Heir of Slytherin. And, in case you forgot, you're a Gryffindor."