Hogwarts: The Hidden Serpent - BOOK 2 (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

5: The Duelling Club

'It was you! You stopped the barrier from letting Ron and me through!' I tried not to gasp. I had genuinely thought the boys had just wanted to make an entrance, but it seemed they had been telling the truth when they said the barrier had closed on them.

'Indeed yes, sir. Dobby hid and watched for Harry Potter and sealed the gateway,' Dobby confirmed.

'You nearly got Ron and me expelled!' Harry was angry.

'At least you would be away from here. Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make Harry Potter see --' Dobby was quickly cut off as Harry grew angrier.

'Your Bludger? You made that Bludger chase after me?' I frowned as Harry spoke. Why did this house elf not want Harry at Hogwarts?

'Dobby feels most aggrieved, sir. Dobby had to iron his hands...' I felt a pang of guilt, the house elf had to punish himself for his wrongdoings.

'You'd better clear off before my bones come back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!' Harry was absolutely furious.

'Dobby is used to death threats, sir. Dobby gets them five times a day at home.' Again, guilt washed through me.

'I don't suppose you could tell me why you're trying to kill me?' Harry seemed to calm down as he realised how Dobby lived.

'Not kill you, sir, never kill you! Dobby remembers how it was before Harry Potter triumphed over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We house elves were treated like vermin, sir. Of course, Dobby is still treated like vermin...' I heard a nose blow harshly before footsteps started towards the Hospital Wing, 'Terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts! Harry Potter must not stay here now that history is to repeat itself!'

What was this house elf talking about? They were still arguing as I considered the words Dobby had said. History was about to repeat itself. Had the Chamber been opened before, was that what he meant? Had people been petrified before?

I heard a crack as Dobby disapparated and then the door to the Hospital Wing opened. I fought the urge to look round at the newcomers, still acting asleep.

'What's happened?' Madam Pomfrey burst in at the newcomers.

'There's been another attack,' Dumbledore's grave voice came. Another student was petrified? But who?

'Perhaps he managed to get a picture of his attacker...' McGonagall was there too and I heard a quiet explosion. A camera? That must have meant it was Colin Creevey, 'What does this mean, Albus?'

It means our students are in great danger, Minerva. Mr Creevey was fortunate. If not for this... He would surely be dead,' Dumbledore replied and my eyes widened. Creevey would have died without his camera? But why? And what was causing all this?

'What should I tell the staff, Albus?' McGonagall sounded more anxious than I had ever heard before.

'Tell them the truth. Tell them Hogwarts is no longer safe. Tell them it's as we feared. The Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again,' I fought the urge to make a noise. The Chamber was real and it had been opened! Whatever was in the Chamber was causing the attacks and it didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Fear overtook my senses. Why now?

The next day, a new notice for second years had been put up about a Duelling Club and everyone was going to it. Everyone was talking about who would be running it because the notice didn't say, but everyone knew it would be someone great.

I hadn't mentioned what I had heard to Nico or anybody else. I didn't want to be the cause of more alarm amongst other students, it would do more harm than good.