Toujours Pur: Chamber of Horrors

Rightfully Rattled

Anya and I stayed in our little Alcove for a while before we had to get to class. We promised to meet here over the weekend and I promised to bring Ginny. I had heard that Lockhart had release Cornish Pixies and then fled. He really was a fraud like everyone was saying. I decided to skip my Defense classes. According to Neville, all they did was perform scenes for Lockhart's books. I instead spent that time in the Alcove practicing my second year spells. I had mastered Immobulus, Engorgio, and Finite Incantatem. I was still practicing three different spells, but it was only October. Ginny, Anya, and I would meet in our alcove after dinner every night. We would play games and just talk for hours. We were becoming fast friends. Ginny had missed a few dinners though, she was looking very pale. Her brother Percy had thankfully made her go to Madam Pomfrey and get a Pepperup Potion.

The rest of October carried on, Ginny would disappear up to her dorm randomly and I was getting a bit worried. I had tried mentioning to her brother Percy, he seemed to be the only one who actually cared, but he brushed me off. Anya and I agreed to watch her and if she needed us we would be there for her. Before we knew it was Halloween; the Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in, with gold plates and candles lined on the tables. Ginny was shut in her dorm again, I was ready to drag her down to Madam Pomfrey myself but Anya advised me to let Ginny come to us when she was ready. I hate to admit that might be a better idea. I sat down with Colin Creevey and looked at his picture he took of Potter and Lockhart together. Potter was desperately trying to escape the frame and Lockhart was actively keeping him in. It was a funny picture. He showed me all the rest of his pictures and I told him about the duplicating spell so that he could have multiple copies. We talked about his family and mine. He was enamored with Potter and if Ginny wasn't feeling so bad I firmly believe they would start a fan club. She had a massive crush on Potter. Maybe that is why she is shut in, maybe he said something to her or something happened. Might be worth actually talking to Potter.

I put that thought out of mind when the food arrived and I gladly dug in. I enjoyed two extra helpings of pumpkin pie and was so full at the end I thought I would pass out right then and there. Thankfully Professor Dumbledore called for us to leave and we all headed out. Colin and I were walking near the middle and ending up stopping. It seemed that something had happened. I could hear someone shout something about 'Mudbloods' and Colin and I pushed our way forward.

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.' Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket below the words. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring. I had just convinced Colin to not take a picture of that when Argus Filch came around the corner. Potter, Granger, and Weasley were standing next to the wall and Filch immediately blamed them. Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lockhart, and Snape took those three away. Professors Sprout and Flitwick directed the rest of us to our common rooms. It was all the common room could talk about. No one had really heard of the Chamber before. Some people wandered if Potter had anything to do with it, but those dismissed that. I sneaked into Ginny's dorm and she was sound asleep on her bed. Her diary sprawled on top of her, she was still in her uniform. I picked up her diary and put it on her nightstand before tucking her in. She felt extremely cold so I put a second blanket on her before heading to bed myself.

The next few days were a blur, everyone was talking about the Chamber of Secrets. Some even tried finding information in 'Hogwarts a History', the book was completely checked out of the library. I didn't bother, my Father had told Draco and I about that years ago. He wouldn't say much, only that Salazar had a Secret Chamber built that only his Heir would be able to open. Fifty years ago the Chamber had been opened and a muggle-born had died. That is all I knew, but it still scared my senseless, Anya was a muggle-born Slytherin who hung out with Gryffindors. She said all the first-year Slytherins were horrible, except a girl named Astoria Greengrass. She was the only Slytherin that didn't care about Houses. She was kinder than most, Anya hung out with her when she was in Slytherin areas. Ginny seemed to start spacing herself away from everyone. I tried to talk with her, but she shut me out. I tried going to Weasley- Ron, but he told me to leave her alone. He is not happy with my friendship with her, when he found out in September he tried to get her to stay away from me and she told him that she could be friends with whomever she wanted. Anya and I both agreed to give her more space and hope that whatever she was dealing with, she would eventually come to us about it.