Year Two: The Secret of Slytherin

Part 8

October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. Anne kept herself occupied with classes, homework, and Quidditch training. Ever since that day when Draco insulted Hermione, Anne gave him the cold shoulder whenever he was around or at practice. That didn't seem to affect his attitude. He considered himself superior, assuming Anne was jealous of his flying talent and role as a Seeker.

By the time Halloween approached, Anne was enjoying herself in Hermione's company discussing an essay they were assigned to write for History of Magic when they came across Harry, who was inching his way along the wall trying to listen to something.

"Harry!" both girls yelled startling him.

"Did you hear that?" he asked urgently.

"Hear what?" asked Ron who had just come from another direction.

"That....voice."

"Voice? What voice?" said Anne bewildered.

"I first heard it in Lockhart's office where I had detention and then again, just ----" he stopped talking and turned his head. "It's moving! I think it's going to kill!" he shouted, before running off.

Anne, Ron, and Hermione exchanged bewildered glances and hurried after him.

Harry dashed madly, taking the steps three at a time. He then slid to a stop when he reached a deserted passage. There was water on the floor. He glanced at one of the large open windows, seeing a line of spiders scurrying up and out the window.

"Strange," he muttered to himself. "I've never seen spiders like this before."

Ron hung back, fear etched on his face. "I don't like spiders."

Anne noticed something reflected in the water. She saw it was dark red. She looked up and gasped.

"Look!"

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!

"It's written in blood!" Hermione pointed out.

Harry edged closer to a large furry animal that was hanging by its tail from a torch bracket. It was stiff as a board, eyes wide and staring.

"It's Filch's cat! Mrs. Norris," he replied.

Suddenly, the stairwell came alive with voices. From wither side of the passage where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, the chattering, the bustling of students coming from the Great Hall.

The noise died at once when they all saw the grim writing on the wall and the hanging cat. Harry, Anne, Ron, and Hermione stood alone, in the middle of the passage as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Draco Malfoy had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive as he grinned at the sight. Anne cast him an angry glare when another voice cut through.

"What's going on here? Make way! Make way!"

Attracted no doubt by Draco's shout, Argus Filch came shuffling through the crowd. He stopped when he saw Harry with Mrs. Norris dangling from the torch behind him.

"Mrs. Norris!" he cried, then rounded on Harry. "You! You murdered my cat! I'll kill ya! I'll kill ya!"

"Argus!"

Dumbledore arrived on the scene, followed by several teachers. Seeing the grisly sight, his face grew serious.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately." He then eyed Harry, Anne, Ron, and Hermione. "Everyone except...you four."

As the passage emptied, Dumbledore stepped up to the wall and looked intently at Mrs. Norris. At that moment, Lockhart appeared looking excited and important.

"She'd not dead, Argus," Dumbledore informed a despondent Filch. "She has been petrified."

"Ah, thought so!" Lockhart perked up. "So unlucky I wasn't there. I know exactly the counter curse that could have spared her."

Dumbledore ignored him. "But how she was petrified I cannot say."

Filch glared at Harry pointing an accusing finger at him. "Ask him! It's him whose done it! You saw what he wrote on the wall!"

"It's not true!" Harry insisted. "I never touched Mrs. Norris."

"Rubbish."

"If I might, Headmaster..." the others turned to see Snape emerge from the shadows. "Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner."

"I'm afraid that's my doing, Severus. You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail," explained Lockhart.

"That's why Hermione and I went looking for him, Professor. We'd just found him when he said..." Anne trailed off uncertain how to explain what Harry had told her.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Miss Borden?"

"When I said I wasn't hungry. We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs. Norris," Harry finished for her.

Snape eyed Harry coldly, knowing he was lying. There was something he was hiding, he could tell.

"Innocent until proven guilty, " said Dumbledore assuringly.

"My cat has been petrified! I wanna see some punishment!" Filch complained.

"We will be able to cure her, Argus. As I understand it, Professor Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes. When matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs. Norris," Dumbledore assured Filch. "In the meantime, I strongly recommend caution at all."

"It's strange, isn't it?" said Hermione once they reached a staircase leading to Gryffindor Tower.

"What is?" responded Harry.

"You hear this voice only you can hear, and then Mrs. Norris turns up petrified," replied Anne who lingered at the bottom. "It's too weird."

"Do you think I should have told them? Dumbledore and the others, you mean?"

Anne was about to reply when she saw Snape come from around the corner and beckon her to him. He wanted her to get on down to the Slytherin common room. She nodded to him before responding, "No Harry. Even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't a good sign."

She left her friends and made her way to her father. He put his arm around her and started to escort her down to the dungeons.