For You I Will #2- The Chamber Of Secrets

History Lesson

It had been a couple of days since the incident with Mrs. Norris. Y/N had tried to talk to Filch following what he had seen, but Filch responded with his usual empty threats and angered yelling. Y/N had just sighed and walked away. There was nothing he could do anyway.

—~—

The Gryffindors and Slytherins had settled into a double session of History of Magic. In years past this would have been worse than a Snape-detention with the ghostly Professor Binns' dry monotone lectures, but Rowan was one of every students' favourite teachers. His enthusiasm for his subject was infectious and engagement levels of students in the History of Magic class had skyrocketed.

He was partway though the difficult task of making the international Warlock Convention of 1289 interesting when Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes Ms. Granger?" Rowan smiled at the girl and she immediately retracted to her position of cuddling up to Y/N's arm. Rowan allowed the use of quick quotes quills in his class and Hermione would frequently employ one, using every opportunity possible to cuddle up to Rowan's best friend's little brother.

"I was wondering, Professor Khanna, if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets" Hermione asked with a tone of concern. She had looked through the library since they found the blood stained warning but hadn't had much luck on the subject.

Rowan removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, chuckling before answering:

"Something that seems as unlikely as the Chamber of Secrets should normally be resigned to myth..."

He returned his glasses to his face:

"...but if my experiences with Dean L/N and the Cursed Vaults taught me anything its that all myths start with some truth... very well".

He cleared his throat and looked out to his class, every student was now even more keenly engaged in what he had to say.

"Well you all know of course that Hogwarts was founded 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 however, did not."

"Three guesses who" Y/N muttered to Hermione.

Rowan nodded at Y/N and continued.

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

"Yeah, cos he was a fucking idiot" Y/N said a bit too loudly while glaring at Malfoy and Goyle, who both instantly averted their gaze, looking down in fear. Y/N meanwhile was met with an elbow to the ribs from Hermione as she whispered "language." Rowan chuckled:

"Thank you Ms. Granger"

as he continued to speak, walking along the classroom's rows of desks.

"Anyway, as he was 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. Well, 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."

"Muggleborns" Hermione said sadly, causing Y/N to remove his arm from her grip and wrap it round her tightly, a hug which she gratefully received and melted into. Just the mention of this anti Muggleborn sentiment made her feel uncomfortable. Y/N's warm and caring embrace instantly made her feel safer.

Rowan nodded at her:

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

Y/N raised his non-hugging arm and Rowan called on him.

"But with respect, sir, the Vaults were the same, almost unplottable right, you and my brother couldn't find them until they had been opened?" Y/N asked. Rowan sighed.

"That is unfortunately true Y/N."

Hermione raised her hand, still snuggling against Y/N and asked when called upon:

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

Rowan smiled at the young girl. She and Y/N reminded him so much of a younger Dean and Penny.

"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."

Most of the class gasped. Y/N's face tightened with resolve, his natural hunting instincts and bravery rising to the surface as he muttered resolutely:

"Sounds to me like something that needs killing."

Rowan chuckled.

"L/N's... now back to the convention..."

—~—

After dinner that night the five friends were sat in their usual places near the fire.

"If the chamber has been opened it means the heir of Slytherin has returned right?" Lavender asked the group.

"Yes, but who could it be?" Hermione posited.

"Malfoy" Ron sneered. "He hates muggle borns and look at his family. Everyone of them has been in Slytherin for centuries".

"What do you think Y/N?" Harry asked looking towards his friend. Y/N looked towards the group from where he had been staring into the fireplace.

"Ok well firstly, my dreams- I see something with yellow eyes and the voice we heard, so we can assume the chamber has been opened and a dark creature of some sort has been released. Secondly, it would make sense for it to be a Slytherin who is the heir but...."

He leant in further and lowered his voice:

"I've been... interrogating Slytherins in classes and in the hall and no one has known anything yet. If Malfoy is opening the chamber his mind doesn't show it... but it is possible, if his father has tasked him with this, he would have trained him in extensive occlumency shielding to hide it in a compartmentalised part of his mind and present to anyone attempting to invade his mind a false memory matrix, although I would be stunned if Malfuck had anywhere near the juice needed for that."

The three Gryffindors across from Y/N stared at him blankly. Even Hermione was struggling to keep up and Y/N had been training her in Occlumency during their DADA classes.

"I guess there's only one way to find out, for sure, without Veritaserum" Y/N sighed. Hermione looked at him puzzled momentarily before realisation set in. Her face grew a look of shock as she asked:

"Surely you don't mean?"

Y/N chuckled:

"Yeah, but what choice do we have."

Hermione thought momentarily, nodded and replied:

"We will be breaking about 50 school rules, and it's dangerous."

"I know 'Mione but it's you and me, we can brew it" Y/N said with his cocky smirk.

Hermione smiled and blushed before hugging Y/N tightly, adding: "you always have so much faith in me."

"Well you're amazing. Lucky we have that note for the Restriction Section hey?" Y/N chuckled.

Hermione giggled and rolled her eyes, muttering: "Yeah, yeah."

The three opposite them had been following this conversation back and forth with little to no idea what was going on. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Ron muttered in frustration.

"We have a plan Ronald" Hermione smiled at Y/N as she spoke.

"We'll get the book from the restricted section tomorrow, just need to figure out a place to brew it, somewhere we won't be disturbed" Y/N added.

Lavender grinned at the pair.

"I think I know somewhere."