SABAISM | H. POTTER

TEN. | PRANKS AND PETRIFICATION

Gemini, Hermione, and Ron huffed and puffed, their breaths coming in labored gasps as they staggered to a halt in front of their bewildered friend, who stood frozen in place as if paralyzed by fear. Harry Potter, a young boy known for facing the darkest of evils, now appeared almost balmy as he fixated on the cold stone wall of the corridor, his emerald eyes wide with shock. The tension in the air was palpable, and while the trio had always thought of Harry as their resilient leader, his current state raised questions about his mental state.

"What are you doing, Harry?" Ron asked, his voice tinged with uncertain confusion. Rather than directly reply, Harry's fingers quivered nervously as he extended his trembling hand and pointed at the wall before him—a gesture that spoke volumes in its silence. Curiosity and dread propelled Gemini and Hermione to follow his finger's trajectory, their collective breaths hitching as they took in the horrific sight. With horror, they noticed that the wall was stained in a drenching scarlet—too vivid, too horrid to be anything other than blood. Uneven letters dripped from the stones, leaving behind a gruesome message: "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened." The words hung ominously in the air; a sense of dread settled like a thick fog over them, thickening their hearts and minds alike.

"What does that even mean?" Hermione mused aloud, her brow furrowed in bafflement as she exchanged a wary glance with Gemini, who felt an uncomfortable knot in her stomach growing tighter with each passing moment. The atmosphere felt heavy with unspoken fears, a chilling echo of potential danger that emanated from the very stones that surrounded them.

Ron's voice was shaky as he pointed at the wall, as if trying to detach himself from their grim reality. "What's that? Hanging underneath?" he managed to stammer out. The rest of the group turned their gazes, and the sight that awaited them was one of further horror and disbelief. There, dangling grotesquely from a torch bracket, was the still body of a cat—Miss. Norris, Filch's beloved companion—suspended by its tail.

Gemini's stomach turned at the sight. "That's Filch's cat. That is definitely Miss. Norris," she announced gravely, dread pooling heavily in her chest at the implications of what could happen once Filch realized what had befallen his feline friend. All eyes widened in shock, and they collectively released a muffled gasp.

A heavy silence followed, only broken by the faint sound of spiders scuttling through the corners of the corridor as they raced up ghostly silver threads. It was as though the very atmosphere had become a living entity, swirling with a sense of impending doom. Harry's troubled gaze shifted from the dreadful message to the racing arachnids, soon breaking the tension with his own astonished observation: "Ron, look at that! Have you ever seen spiders act like that?"

Harry's words hung in the air for a moment; Hermione and Ron exchanged uneasy glances that spoke volumes of their shared discomfort. Ron took a deliberately cautious step back, his apprehension clear. "I... I don't... like spiders," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, betraying his deep-seated phobia.

Just as the tension thickened like a storm cloud, a cacophony of voices erupted from the stairwell beside them, and a wave of students spilled into the corridor. The boisterous chatter abruptly halted, frozen by the sight that met their eyes—the unsettling words scrawled across the wall—and then the shocked silence turned into hushed whispers.

In that grim atmosphere, Draco Malfoy pushed his way to the front of the throng, an insufferable smirk plastered across his pale face. With notable glee, he read aloud the menacing message as if savoring the dread it provoked: "Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!" His voice oozed with malice, and Gemini felt an instinctual surge of protectiveness as Draco's icy blue gaze landed squarely on Hermione. Without a moment's hesitation, she moved in front of her friend, her heart racing—ready to defend Hermione with every ounce of strength within her.