Emrys Riddle and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2 of The Four Ribbons Series)

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

I was sitting in the library by myself trying to do my homework for potions, it was late so I was trying to hurry so that I could head to the Great Hall for dinner, when a cold chill ran down my spine and a voice just as cold filled the room. " Come...come to me...let me rip you...let me tear you...LET ME KILL YOU." The quill fell from my hand, rolled across the table and hit the floor. I tried to steady my breathing, as I reached down to pick it up before slipping everything back in my bag.

My thoughts spun as I hurried from the library. I had tried all my life to ignore the words that often whispered to me, the words that no one but myself could understand. My mum had told me that it was natural, and that one day I would be able to choose whether I heard them or not, that I just needed to practice.

Parseltongue, the language of snakes, and the mark of the heir of Slytherin. Yet another unwanted thing I got from my father, and something I had to keep from my friends.

When I reached the Great Hall, I found a seat next to Spencer and Cass, both giving me confused looks when I nearly dropped my goblet of pumpkin juice. " Emrys, are you okay? You look like you've seen...well, a ghost" Cass asked in concern.

" I...I'm fine." I stuttered, managing to calm myself down enough. I glanced toward the head table, and found that Dumbledore was looking toward our table. Did he know?

I tossed and turned that night, and was lucky enough to even get an hour, or two, of sleep.

October arrived, and with it came the chilling autumn winds and murky mornings. Jackie had kept her word, and by the time the time September ended, Lockheart had been attacked by a explosion of not just one, but three brightly colored glitter bombs; one of which contained a residue that Jackie told them was an American product known as Slime. The ooze left Lockheart's hair rather greasy, and sticky, forcing him to wear a rather large hat for about a week. Amazingly, Jackie was never punished for it, even though after our first year it was obvious that it was her.

 I had convinced myself that the voice had all been a figment of my imagination by the time that Halloween rolled around, though my friends often glanced at me with concerned looks. It was during the feast though, that I was proven very, very wrong. I was reaching for a tray that held several shaped cookies and cakes, when a very familiar voice hissed. " RIP....TEAR...KILL..SO HUNGRY...FOR SO LONG...KILL...TIME TO KILL..."

" Emrys?" Cass questioned.

" I SMELL BLOOD...I SMELL BLOOD."

Cass was shaking my shoulder now. " Emrys." She cried and I blinked out of my trance.

" I...I'm fine, I'm just tired."

" Good thing it's time to go to the common room then." She told me and I glanced around to find that the Great Hall was nearly empty. " Come on." Spencer called, and I got up to follow them. It was most definitely not a figment of my imagination, something was happening, something terrible.

I didn't understand just how terrible, until we rounded a turn in the corridor to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing in the middle of the corridor before a message, written on the wall in blood.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.

ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

Hanging below the message, was the petrified form of Mrs. Norris.