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CHAPTER SEVEN

The next day, the Chamber of Secrets was all anyone talked about. Arabella was stared at whenever she entered a new room. The only people who would talk to her were Seamus, Dean, Harry, Hermione, and her siblings. Ginny was so upset about what had happened that they were always having to comfort her, as she was crying often.

Arabella was not in a very good mood as she sat next to Seamus in Transfiguration waiting for class to start. The room was filled with animals in cages, and she hoped that whatever they were to be doing in class would take her mind off of what had happened the night before.

"Can I have your attention, please?" Professor McGonagall said. "Right. Now, today, we will be transforming animals into water goblets. Like so." She pointed her wand at the bird on her desk and muttered, "Vera Verto." The bird quickly transformed into a perfect water goblet. "Now it's your turn. Who would like to go first?" She didn't wait for anyone to raise their hands. "Ah, Mr. Weasley. One, two, three, Vera Verto."

Ron nodded, waved his broken wand at his pet rat, Scabbers, three times and said, "Vera Verto."

Scabbers almost transformed into a water goblet, but he still had fur and a tail and was squeaking. Everyone in the class laughed except for Arabella, who still was not in the mood.

"That wand needs replacing, Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall told him as he stared at his former rat in horror.

"That's what I've been telling him," Arabella muttered.

Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall called on her.

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets," Hermione said hesitantly.

Professor McGonagall looked around at all the curious faces in the room before sighing and saying, "Very well. Now, you all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Now, three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously. One did not."

"Three guesses who," Ron whispered. Arabella shushed him.

"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, pure-bloods."

"Sounds like someone I know," Arabella whispered, glaring at Draco from across the room. He heard her and glared back.

McGonagall continued. "Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. Now, according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle known as the Chamber of Secrets. Though, shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the Chamber and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic."

"Muggle-borns," Hermione said.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Well, naturally, the school has been searched many times. No such chamber has been found."

"Professor, what exactly does legend tell us lies within the Chamber?"

"The Chamber is said to be home to something that only the heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be the home of a monster."

As they left class, Seamus and Dean seemed to want to continue the conversation about the Chamber of Secrets.

"Do you really think it has been opened? The Chamber?" Dean asked. "Or do you think it's just somebody playing jokes?" He seemed anxious about the whole thing, and Arabella didn't blame him; he was Muggle-born, so if the legend was true and the Chamber had been opened, he could very well be attacked.

"I don't see how it could be a joke. It's not funny, it's bloody terrifying," Seamus said.

"But why would a cat be attacked?"

"As a sort of warning, I presume," Arabella said. "The message did say 'beware,' after all. But I'm sure if it's serious, Dumbledore will figure it out in no time and take care of it before it gets out of hand. And if it's someone stupid doing it thinking it's funny to scare people like that, they'll be expelled for sure."

Of course, she was choosing to ignore the fact that Harry had said he heard a voice and he had followed it straight to Mrs. Norris, and that nobody else had seemed to hear it.

"Who do think it is, then?"

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Seamus asked. "It's Malfoy. That's why you kept giving him dirty looks in class today, right, Ari?"

"I kept giving him dirty looks because he's a terrible person who has gotten me in detention twice now," Arabella said. "Plus his face just annoys me."

"If his face annoys you, then why do you keep looking at it?"

"Seamus!"

"Only joking."

"Besides, I don't think he's capable of Petrifying a cat. Not only does he have lousy marks, but he's a coward as well. I just can't see it. Someone else in Slytherin, definitely, but not him. Now, I'm not saying he can't be involved, because he's got some pretty twisted morals, but I just don't think he did it."

[word count: 890]
[written: 4/19/20]
[published: 5/20/20]