Always Together

23. Mrs Norris

Chapter 23 | mrs norris

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds. Caitlyn had kept herself very busy with writing on her father's diary — she loved talking to him and they became very close.

On Hallowe'en night, Caitlyn went to the Chamber of Secrets alone again. Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone to a party — Nearly Headless Nick had been dead for five hundred years — he needed to celebrate! Down in the Chamber, Tom Riddle convinced Caitlyn to start the plan — she was going to let the monster out. But once she finished, her mind was a blur, she couldn't remember doing anything.

Later that night, she found herself wandering around the castle with no excuse. She was in a corridor, walking through it, when she heard a voice — a cold murderous voice.

"... rip ... tear ... kill ..."

She stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all her might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway. Then she heard Ron talking.

"Harry, what're you —?"

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

"... so hungry ... for so long ..."

"Listen!" said Harry urgently. Caitlyn walked a few steps and saw Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"... kill ... time to kill ..."

The voice was growing fainter. Harry and Caity were sure it was moving away — moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped them as they stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter?

"This way," Harry shouted, and 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 and Hermione clattering behind him. Caitlyn was a little behind but she caught them.

"That voice, Harry, I can hear it," said Caitlyn.

"Harry, what're we —" Hermione started.

"Shh!"

Harry strained his ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, he heard the voice: "... I smell blood ... I SMELL BLOOD!"

"It's going to kill someone!" he shouted, and ignoring Ron's and Hermione's 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. Caitlyn barely kept up with them!

"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. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed 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.'

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