Hermione Granger and the Chamber of Secrets (Completed)

Chapter 8 - Professor Binns' Story

Just when Hermione was considering making a run for it, another voice accompanied Draco's
"What's going on here? What's going on?"
Mr Filch had arrived on the scene and, understandably, he was not best pleased at the fate of his cat
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he screeched. For some reason, he seemed to immediately suspect Harry
"You!" he shrieked "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll -"
Thankfully, before things could get out of hand, several teachers appeared
"Argus!" Dumbledore said warningly, before taking Mrs Norris off the torch wrack
"Come with me, Argus" he said "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger"
"My office is nearest, Headmaster - just upstairs -" offered Professor Lockhart "please feel free -"
"Thank you, Gilderoy" said Dumbledore.
Professor Lockhart lead the way to his office on the third floor. When they got there, Professor Dumbledore laid Mrs Norris on a table and started examining her, prodding at her gently and mumbling strange words. Professor Lockhart was hovering in the background, making helpful suggestions
"It was definitely a curse that killed her - probably the Transmogrifian Torture - I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her..."
Hermione wished that the other teachers would pay Professor Lockhart more attention. The only other person who was listening was Snape, who was wearing a peculiar kind of smirk, almost as if he didn't believe Professor Lockhart!
"... I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou" he said "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once..."

Finally, Professor Dumbledore stood up straight
"She's not dead, Argus" he said quietly
"Not dead?" Mr Filch spluttered "But why's she all - all stiff and frozen?"
"She has been Petrified" said Dumbledore softly "But how, I cannot say..."
"Ask him!" shouted Mr Filch, pointing dramatically at Harry
"No second year could have done this" said Dumbledore "It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced -"
"He did it, he did it!" Mr Filch shrieked "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found - in my office - he knows I'm a - I'm a - He knows I'm a Squib!"
"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said unnecessarily loudly, immediately casting suspicion on him "And I don't even know what a Squib is"
"Rubbish!" snapped Filch "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"
Snape emerged from the dark corner of the room
"If I might speak, Headmaster" he said silkily "Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"
The three of them instantly started explaining about the deathday party
"But why not join the feast afterward?" Snape interrupted "Why go up to that corridor?"
Hermione stared at Harry, willing him not to tell the truth
"Because - because -" Harry started nervously "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed"
"Without any supper?" Snape questioned further "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties"
"We weren't hungry" said Ron. Unfortunately, his stomach growled at that exact moment

Snape's smiled, which Hermione didn't take to be a good thing
"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest"
Hermione found this incredibly unfair, and thankfully Professor McGonagall intervened
"Really, Severus" she said "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong"
Dumbledore stared at Harry for a second
"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus" he said calmly. Mr Filch did not seem very happy with this judgement
"My cat has been Petrified!" he shouted "I want to see some punishment!"
"We will be able to cure her, Argus" said Dumbledore firmly "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris"
"I'll make it" Professor Lockhart contributed "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep -"
"Excuse me" said Snape coolly "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school"
There was a pause that made Hermione very uncomfortable
"You may go" Professor Dumbledore said, and they did, as quickly as possible