Always knew it was you

Chamber of secrets

Professor Binns blinked.

I wondered if Hermione had read my thoughts. Probably, everyone in the class, or everyone in the school was thinking about the same thing.

Today morning, Dean, Seamus, I and the hufflepuffs had searched the entire library for "Hogwarts: A History" to check if there was any mention of the chamber of secrets. But there was no copy available.

Susan, Hannah and Ernie had written to their parents asking about it, lying that it was required for their homework. Seamus too wanted to ask his mother, but Dean told him not to because his parents would become afraid.

　　"My subject is History of Magic," he said in his always boring voice. "I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends."

"In September of that year, a subcommittee of Sardinian sorcerers.", he continued as if nothing happened.

　　He stopped again seeing Hermione's hand waving in the air again.

　　"Miss Grant?"

　　"Please, sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?"

　　Professor Binns was looking at her in such amazement.

"Hermione, you are amazing ", I thought.

　　"Well," said Professor Binns slowly, "yes, one could argue that, I suppose." He peered at Hermione as though he couldn't believe his own eyes. "However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale -"

　 The whole class was hanging on to every word of this. No one, had ever listened to his class, attentively in whole of his living and dead lifetime, I guessed.

The class had never been like this, before, well most of the time everyone were asleep and the class would be silent but there was a tension in the air now.

　　"Oh, very well," he said slowly. "Let me see ... the Chamber of Secrets ...

　　"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution."

　　He looked around the class, anxiously.

　　"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."

　　Professor Binns paused again. Everyone in the class was holding their breath .

　　"Reliable historical sources tell us this much," he said. "But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.

　　"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic."

　　"The whole thing is arrant nonsense, of course," he said.

"Naturally, the school has been searched for evidence of such a chamber, many times, by the most learned witches and wizards. It does not exist. A tale told to frighten the gullible."

　　Hermione's hand was back in the air.

　　"Sir - what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

　　"That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control," said Professor Binns in his dry, reedy voice.

　　I glanced at Dean and Seamus who glanced back at me nervously. All of us were doing the same thing.

　　"I tell you, the thing does not exist," said Professor Binns, shuffling his notes. "There is no Chamber and no monster."

　　"But, sir," said Seamus "if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?"

"Seamus, was probably right", I thought.

　　"Nonsense, O'Flaherty," said Professor Binns in an aggravated
tone. "If a long succession of Hogwarts headmasters and headmistresses haven't found the thing -"

　　"But, Professor," piped up Parvati Patil, "you'd probably have to use Dark Magic to open it -"

　　"Just because a wizard doesn't use Dark Magic doesn't mean he can't, Miss Pennyfeather," snapped Professor Binns. "I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore -"

　　"But maybe you've got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn't -" began Dean , but Professor Binns had had enough.

　　"That will do," he said sharply. "It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you such a foolish story! We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, verifiable fact!"

　　And within five minutes, most of the students had started sleeping again. I was pondering over and over what professor Binns had said for a clue. Even a small clue would do.