As Mr Filch pushed his way through the crowd, he spotted the quartet stood out in the centre and his eyes narrowed.
'What do you little-?'
But he never got to finish his sentence as his eyes fell on the hanging Mrs Norris. He clutched at his face and staggered forward.
'My cat! MY CAT! What's happened to Mrs Norris?' he shrieked. His voice was much higher than usual, he sounded almost deranged.
His eyes wandered the quartet, then fell on Y/N who was closest to the cat.
'You!' he screeched. 'You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-'
Y/N was backing away, his wand now pointing at Filch instead as the caretaker advanced.
'Argus!'
Dumbledore swept through the crowd like a ghost, a number of other teachers following along in his wake. He moved straight over to the wall and detached Mrs Norris from the torch bracket.
'Come with me, Argus,' he said, turning back towards them, 'and you too, Miss Granger, Mr Weasley, Mr Potter and Mr L/N.'
Lockhart immediately pushed to the front of the line of teachers.
'My office is nearest, Headmaster, just upstairs, please feel free- '
'Thank you Gilderoy,' said Dumbledore, and he swept back off up the corridor. The crowd of students parted, and the quartet, caretaker and Professors Snape and McGonagall followed. The rest of the Professors stayed behind and began calling out to the assembled students, shepherding them back towards their respective common rooms.
As they moved through the corridors, Professor McGonagall chanced a look at Y/N, who was staring at her the entire walk. He tried to convey with a look that he had no idea what had happened, but she simply shook her head slightly and kept wandering. He hung his head, but a moment later looked up again as he felt Hermione wrap his hand in her own. She smiled reassuringly at him and he felt his stomach warm.
They stepped inside Lockhart's darkened office and many of the Lockhart pictures began emptying out of their frames. Many had their hair in rollers or face masks on. It was a pitiful sight. The real and somehow just as pitiful Lockhart swept across the room, lighting the torches and candles before stepping back. Dumbledore set Mrs Norris down on the table and began examining her. The quartet sat down on chairs, Hermione pushed hers so that its legs were touching Y/N's and leant her head against his shoulder.
They watched as Dumbledore leant in, his face inches away from Mrs Norris, his fingers moving and prodding the frozen cat as he muttered under his breath. Y/N felt his head rippling painfully.
'Got any of that chocolate on you?' he muttered to Hermione she snapped a piece off and handed it to him
'What's up?' she asked as she handed it over. Y/N simply nodded to Dumbledore.
Lockhart was practically dancing around the room speaking loudly about his own theories, whilst Professor Snape was lingering behind Dumbledore. He looked as though he was trying very hard not to smile. Professor McGonagall was looking everywhere bar at the quartet.
'It was definitely a curse that killed her, probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter curse that would have saved her...'
His rolling monologue was interrupted regularly by Filch's dry wheezes and sobs. He was in a chair off to the side, his head in his hands and his entire body shaking. They didn't like Filch, but that truly was a sad sight. It wasn't pleasant to see a man so broken.
Dumbledore's mutterings had grown louder and faster, his hand now replaced with his wand as he tapped Mrs Norris unmoving body. Y/N stuffed the chocolate into his mouth and bit down. The rippling lessened but didn't subside.
'... I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou,' said Lockhart, 'a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once...'
'Professor Lockhart,' said Y/N. 'As much as we all enjoy hearing about your stories, perhaps it would be best to keep them to a minimum whilst Filch does his best to not have a breakdown over his best friend being like that?'
Lockhart stammered and Filch raised his head to look at Y/N. He couldn't read his expression, but his eyes were red and puffy.
'Right, of course,' said Lockhart, falling silent at last. Hermione squeezed his hand and smiled weakly at him before placing her head onto his shoulder once more.
After what felt like a century, Dumbledore straightened up.
'She's not dead, Argus,' he said softly.
Filch's head shot back up out of his hands as he looked at Mrs Norris' unmoving body.
'Not dead?' he choked. 'But why's she all stiff and frozen?'
'She has been petrified. But how, I cannot say,' said Dumbledore, raising his voice slightly for the second sentence as Lockhart also attempted to speak.
'Did you see anything?' Filch asked turning towards Y/N. His voice wasn't angry, it was almost pleading.
'I'm sorry Filch, but no,' said Y/N. 'We just found her like that.'
'If I may speak, Headmaster,' said Snape, looming from out of the shadows. Y/N heard Harry gulp.
'These four may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time-' the words sounded reassuring but all four of them could see the smile creeping onto his face, Snape was far from done '-But, we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why were you in that corridor at all? Why weren't you at the Halloween feast?'
Harry launched into the story of the Deathday party.
'There were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there-'
'But why not join the feast afterwards?' asked Snape, his eyes narrowing. 'Why go up to that corridor?'
Y/N felt Ron and Hermione look at Harry and figured it would be best to get attention off him.
'We figured the feast would be over not long after. We knew we'd missed most of it, we'd have sat down just to get up and leave with everyone.'
'Without supper?' asked Snape, his eyes now turning onto Y/N. 'I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties. An exception could have been made I'm sure.'
'I hardly think any of these students are responsible, Severus,' snapped McGonagall before Y/N could respond.
Dumbledore was nodding. 'It would take powerful Dark Magic of the most advanced level to perform something such as this,' he said as he gestured at Mrs Norris.
'I still do not believe that Mr L/N or Potter are being entirely truthful,' Snape continued maliciously. 'It might be a good idea if they were deprived of certain privileges until they are ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel they should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until they are ready to be honest.'
'This cat was hardly hit over the head with a broomstick,' said McGonagall. 'There is no evidence at all that any of these students have done anything wrong.'
Dumbledore was watching Harry closely.
'Innocent until proven guilty, Severus,' he said, and Snape's face fell. Filch sniffed loudly and turned to look at the Headmaster.
'What are we going to do about my cat?' he asked. He didn't seem able to look at Mrs Norris.
'We will be able to cure her, Argus,' said Dumbledore. 'Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs Norris.'
'I'll make it,' Lockhart said, forcing his way into the conversation. 'I must have done it a hundred times, I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep- '
'Excuse me,' said Snape, now turning his furious gaze onto Lockhart, 'but I believe I am the Potions Master in this school.'
There was a pause in which Y/N asked Hermione for another large piece of the chocolate she carried.
'You may go,' Dumbledore said to the quartet.
'One moment, Headmaster,' said Y/N, getting to his feet and walking over to Filch. He crouched down and held the chocolate out to him.
'I know you don't see eye to eye with us all the time, but I am genuinely sorry this has happened to you, Argus. I know if it was my owl-' his voice caught, but Filch simply took the chocolate and nodded.
Y/N straightened up and nodded to Dumbledore who smiled at him, before turning and making his way out of the classroom with the others.
'What on earth did you do that for?' asked Ron as they sped up to the floor above and entered into an empty classroom, closing the door behind them.
'The man's just lost the closest thing to a family he has, Ron,' said Y/N angrily. 'It's called empathy, you should give it a try some time.'
'D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?' asked Harry, interrupting Ron and Y/N's budding argument.
'No,' said Ron without even pausing. 'Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign.'
'You do believe me, don't you?' asked Harry.
'Hard not to mate,' said Y/N. 'You lead us straight to where she was. Doubt that happened accidentally.'
'You have to admit, it's weird...' said Ron.
'I know it's weird,' said Harry. 'This whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? 'The Chamber has been opened'. What's that supposed to mean?'
'It's vaguely familiar,' said Ron. 'I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once. Might have been Bill.'
'Also, what's a squib?' asked Harry.
'Someone who's born into a wizarding family but doesn't have any magical powers, pretty much the opposite of a Muggleborn. Why?' said Ron.
'Because Filch is one,' said Harry. 'I found some sort of Kwikspell course thing in his office the day I agreed to go to Nick's deathday party. I forgot to tell you.'
'Would make sense as to why he hates the students so much. He's bitter,' Ron responded, and a clock chimed nearby.
'Midnight,' said Harry. 'We'd better go before Snape catches us and tries to blame us for something else.'
They headed back up to the common room. Harry and Ron went straight up to bed, but Y/N sank into an armchair by the fire, his mind racing. Hermione stifled a yawn and sat down on the arm of his chair.
'Go to bed 'Mione,' said Y/N looking up at her, but she shook her head.
'Not until you do.'
'I'm fine, honestly.'
'And I don't care. If you're staying up, then so am I. Budge up a little.'
Y/N shimmed across and Hermione squeezed onto the armchair alongside him, placing her head on his shoulder.
'What do you reckon?' he asked her, and she sighed.
'I don't know. To be honest, I don't want to reckon anything. I just want a normal year after last. Why is it always Halloween?'
'I don't think Hogwarts knows what a normal year is. At least not when you hang around with Harry Potter,' said Y/N. 'Maybe we should go buddy up with Neville. Worst he had to deal with last year was Malfoy's leg locker curse.'
'I did hit him with the body bind at one point too,' said Hermione.
'You did?' and she nodded.
'When we were coming to get you and the stone from Quirrell, he tried to stop us. Told us we couldn't lose more points. I got a bit annoyed with him trying to stop us to be honest so...'
'You got annoyed?'
'Nothing short of that potion and fire puzzle was stopping me from getting to you, and even then it was a battle. Neville certainly wasn't going to get in the way, not least of all because I knew that if he'd have known Quirrell had you, he'd have been down there with us.'
'I doubt that,' said Y/N. 'Neville wouldn't put himself in that kind of danger.'
'For you he would. I don't think you know quite how much standing up for him has meant to Neville.'
'Anyone would do it in my shoes wouldn't they?'
'No one else stood up to offer Filch anything or defend him.'
Y/N opened his mouth to respond but realised he didn't have any response to give. She was right, no one else had offered to help Filch. No one bar Dumbledore had even really spoken to the man. He'd just been left to cry in the corner.
'You're a very compassionate person, Y/N. It's one of your best traits.' He turned to look at her and saw Hermione was very pink in the face and wouldn't meet his gaze. 'It's one of the things I really like about you.'
Y/n was grateful for the low light of the common room because he was fairly sure his face currently rivalled the Weasley's hair. He wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder and pulled her against him.
'That means a lot coming from you, 'Mione. More than I could ever tell you.'
She wrapped her arms back around him and squeezed.
'Come on,' he said, pulling her up. 'Head up to bed, I will too. Thank you for the lovely dance, I look forward to the next one.'
'I'm not counting that as the date by the way. You still owe me a proper one.' Y/N froze, and he turned to look at her. She was pink in the face but smirking as she walked off through the door to the girls dormitory.
Y/N went up to bed and lay there for a while, thinking back to his trip to the Hospital Wing at the end of the last year.
'Take me on a date one day to make up for it.'
'Guess she did mean it,' he muttered to himself as he rolled over, trying to get comfortable. His mind wandered through different ideas, broomstick flight around the grounds, maybe a trip to the forest? Possibly even convince his mum to let him borrow her office. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was that when all was said and done. He really would like to go on a date with her. He just had to pick the right time.
Sadly however, everyone else seemed to be keen to push any thought of that out of Y/N's mind. As the first Quidditch match of the year drew closer, Wood was even dragging Y/N down to the pitch a couple of times a week to practice, stating that he needed to be on top form should they need him.
The mood in the castle too had changed. Most people couldn't help but talk about the attack of Mrs Norris. Filch was never seen far from the place where she'd been petrified. He had been scrubbing the message on the wall with 'Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover', attempting to get it off, but the words remained resolutely there still reflecting the torch light. He marched the corridors, his eyes puffy and red, and he kept lunging out at students trying to give out detentions. Surprisingly however, he never lunged out at the quartet and always gave Y/N a nod as they passed each other.
Ginny Weasley also seemed very disturbed by the events. She had told Hermione and Y/N on many occasions about her love of cats, but this was on a whole other level. It was made even worse when Ron attempted to cheer her up.
'But you haven't really got to know Mrs Norris,' he'd told her. 'Honestly, we're much better off without her.' Ginny's lip trembled. 'Stuff like this doesn't often happen at Hogwarts,' Ron assured her. 'They'll catch the maniac who did it and have him out of here in no time. I just hope he's got time to Petrify Filch before he's expelled. I'm only joking-' Ron added hastily as Ginny blanched.
Hermione too was spending a lot of time cooped up in the library. Y/N made a point of following her every time he saw her leaving and sitting at the table with her, even if not reading anything himself. There were several occasions she tried to reassure him that she was fine, but he stayed with her resolutely, refusing to leave her there alone. She gave him a warm smile every time he did this which only made him be more stubborn the next time she tried.
One Wednesday afternoon, Hermione had made her way to the library and Y/N had followed her again, but a while after they'd been joined by Ron, who needed to work on his History of Magic homework. Harry had been held behind in Potions.
Ron was just measuring his homework, Professor Binns had asked for a three-foot essay on the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards, when Harry slid into the chair next to Ron.
'I don't believe it,' said Ron angrily, letting his parchment spring back into a roll. 'I'm still eight inches short. Hermione and Y/N have both done over four foot and their writing's tiny,' he looked to Y/N. 'Are you sure I can't-?'
'No,' said Y/N immediately, not lifting his head.
'Where is she?' Harry asked as he unrolled his own homework. Ron gestured vaguely at the shelves around them.
'Somewhere that way, looking for another book. Think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas.'
Y/N scoffed and pointed the exact opposite direction to Ron's gesture at the bushy haired girl currently half-way up a step ladder examining book titles.
Harry proceeded to tell him and Ron about Justin Finch-Fletchley, the Hufflepuff boy from Herbology, running away from him in the corridor on the way to them.
'Dunno why you care. I thought he was a bit of an idiot,' said Ron, making his essay writing as large as possible.
'That's only because he commented on your dad's car,' said Y/N as Hermione emerged from between the bookshelves. She looked irritable.
'All the copies of 'Hogwarts, A History' have been taken out,' she said, sitting down next to Y/N. 'And there is a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books.'
'You should have said something,' said Y/N turning to look at her. 'I've got mine in my trunk upstairs.'
She clasped her hand to her head.
'Why didn't I think of that? I was at yours all summer, I literally watched you pack it.'
'You really need to start talking to me when you go on these research stints. I promise you I'm not dead weight.'
'I know you're not,' she said quickly. 'Sorry, I just get carried away.'
Y/N laughed and patted her shoulder. 'I know you do.'
'What do you want it for anyway?' Harry asked.
'The same reason everyone else does. To read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets.'
'It has a story in there about it?'
'A legend,' said Y/N as Hermione bit her lip, thinking, 'something about Salazar Slytherin making a secret room under the castle. I don't remember the full thing.'
'Hermione, let me read your composition. Y/N won't,' said Ron as he checked his watch.
'Neither will I,' said Hermione severely. 'You've had ten days to finish it.'
'I only need two more inches- 'Ron began, but he was cut off by the bell signalling the start of afternoon lessons.
Ron stomped off in a huff and Harry followed him. Y/N stowed his books away whilst Hermione waited for him.
'I don't think you're dead weight' she said quietly as they walked towards the History of Magic classroom.
'I know you don't, 'Mione,' said Y/N quickly. 'I was only joking, don't worry. Just I've been with you the better part of the last week while you've been researching and you didn't say a word to me about it. Just said I could go if I wanted. If I'm sitting there, it means I'm happy to help. I enjoy reading as much as you do, y'know.'
Hermione nodded and whispered something.
'What was that?' he asked.
'We're a team. I need to remember that,' she said slightly louder, going slightly pink as she said it.
They took their seats in Professor Binns' class as he floated through the blackboard and took his seat, beginning to lecture them all on the International Warlock Convention of 1289. They were going for about half an hour, Y/N and Hermione steadily scribbling down notes, when Hermione raised her hand.
Professor Binns raised his head with a look of genuine amazement.
'Miss... er...?'
'Granger, Professor. I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets.' The entire class started and turned now to stare at Professor Binns who blinked, looking shocked.
'My subject is History of Magic,' he wheezed. 'I deal with facts, Miss Granger, not myths and legends,' he cleared his throat and attempted to continue, but Hermione's hand shot into the air again.
'Miss Grant?' he wheezed at her. Y/N snickered.
'Please sir, don't legends always have a basis in fact?'
Professor Binns still looked taken aback, as though no one had ever interrupted him before.
'Well,' he said slowly, peering around at all of them 'yes, one could argue that I suppose. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale,' but his eyes were once again wandering around the class who now all were staring at him. It seemed like he'd never had the full focus of a class before now and he didn't seem sure on how to handle it.
'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 paused, gazed dazedly around the room, and continued.
'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, he seemed desperate to have them all zone back off to sleep.
'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.'
There was silence as he finished telling the story, but it wasn't the usual, sleepy silence that filled History of Magic classes. There was unease in the air as everyone continued to watch him, hoping for more. Professor Binns looked faintly annoyed.
'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.
Y/N felt his stomach lurch. An ancient beast of Salazar Slytherins that hated Muggleborns. He turned to look at Hermione.
'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 Finnigan, 'if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin's true heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?'
'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 Thomas, but Professor Binns was clearly done
'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 before too long the entire class has zoned out again. But this time Y/N was zoned out too. His gaze staring straight ahead. Placing a secret chamber within the school did sound like something a Slytherin would do. So did setting a giant great monster on Muggleborns. But who was the supposed heir? It must be someone currently attending the school. Probably one of the older years who knew what they were doing.
The face of the sneering pale blonde boy floated into his vision, but he pushed it away. Malfoy wasn't talented enough to be Slytherin's heir, and even if he was he wouldn't be able to control a great beast. He was twelve.
'Always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony,' said Ron as they left Professor Binns' classroom and began making their way towards Gryffindor common room. 'Figures he'd be into all this pure-blood stuff. Wouldn't be in his house if you paid me.' Hermione nodded along with him but both Y/N and Harry were staring off into space.
'You okay?' Hermione asked Y/N leaning into his field of view.
'Yeah, just- '
'Hiya Harry!' came a voice from somewhere in the crowd, interrupting Y/N.
'Hullo, Colin,' Harry responded.
'Harry, Harry, a boy in my class has been saying you're- 'but Colin couldn't fight his way through the crowd and eventually was simply being dragged away in the tide of students. There was a quiet 'See you, Harry!' and he vanished.
'What's a boy in his class saying about you?' Hermione wondered aloud.
'That I'm Slytherin's heir I expect,' said Harry.
'People here'll believe anything,' said Ron. The crowd around them thinned and they began climbing the staircase up to the next floor. 'D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?' Ron asked Hermione and Y/N.
'I don't know,' said Hermione. 'Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be natural.'
'I think we need to be very careful,' said Y/N. 'Chamber or not, something petrified that cat, and whatever it was is very powerful. Whether it is the legend or is simply someone playing into it, something is causing damage and it's targeting Muggleborns. You said Filch was a Squib, didn't you Harry?' Y/N asked, and Harry nodded.
'Would make sense, 'all those unfit to study magic', Filch is the closest thing to a Muggle you can get inside this castle. Wouldn't be surprised if it was targeted.'
They turned the corner into the next corridor and found themselves at the end of the corridor where Mrs Norris had been attacked. The writing was still there glittering on the wall, there was a chair on the floor below it.
'That's where Filch has been guarding,' said Ron quietly. The corridor was completely deserted.
'Can't hurt to have a poke around,' said Harry, dropping to his knees and investigating the floor. Ron joined him, Hermione moved over to the window whilst Y/N went to the wall with the writing.
'Scorch marks!' called Harry. 'Here, and here!'
Y/N placed his finger against the writing on the wall, they were almost the same width. He traced it with his finger and realised that it was all written at a similar height.
'Come and look at this!' said Hermione. 'This is funny...' Y/N stayed in place for a few more moments before turning to look. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane of one of the windows as around twenty spiders scuttled over each other trying to get through a small crack. A silvery thread almost like a ladder stretched below all of them.
'Have you ever seen spiders act like that?' asked Hermione.
'Not that many of them,' said Y/N.
'Me neither,' said Harry. 'What about you Ron. Ron?'
But Ron was stood a decent distance back looking terrified.
'Spiders?' Y/N asked, and Ron nodded.
'I never knew that,' said Hermione. 'You've used spiders in Potions loads of times.'
'They're alright when they're dead,' said Ron. 'I just don't like the way they scuttle. When I was three, Fred turned my- my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick... You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and-'
But he cut himself off and shuddered. Y/N moved back off towards the wall to keep investigating the writing as Harry spoke behind him.
'Remember all that water on the floor? Where did that come from? Someone's mopped it up?'
'It was about here,' said Ron as he walked towards one of the doors in the corridor. 'Level with here,' he reached for the doorknob, but hesitated.
'What's the matter?' said Harry.
'Can't go in there,' said Ron. 'It's a girls' toilet.'
'There won't be anyone in there,' said Hermione as she wandered over. 'That's Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Let's go have a look.' The three of them stepped inside, but Y/N remained outside, his eyes closed. Something was off about this writing, he could tell. The spell that was on it was strong. Not overwhelmingly so, but strong enough to preserve the writing despite the cleaning attempts. But the enchantment was weak, almost as if the person casting it hadn't done it properly.
He traced the full section of writing again with his finger as he thought.
'Whoever did this wrote it as best they could on foot. No step ladder, no brush, they used their finger to trace the writing. If they were an older year the writing would be higher up. They also would have pulled off the spell, it's not that difficult.'
He focused on the enchantment again and felt something new. Several threads, several separate enchantments.
'It took several casts,' he muttered. 'They didn't know the spell. They were trying to perfect it as they cast it.'
'A younger year then. Maybe a first year? Would make sense as to why it's only just started happening. Possibly a second or third who just learnt some new magic and feels brave enough.'
The face of Draco Malfoy swam into his mind's eye again, but he shook it off. Couldn't be Malfoy, he told himself, has to be someone stronger. Older. Didn't it?
Hermione poked her head out the bathroom.
'You okay Y/N?' he nodded without opening his eyes and he felt her place a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at her. 'Talk to me.'
Y/N bit his lip.
'It doesn't add up. There's something- '
'RON!'
Percy Weasley was marching up the corridor towards them as Ron and Harry slipped out of the bathroom door. His Prefect badge gleaming on his chest and an expression of shock on his face.
'That's a girls' bathroom! What were you-?'
'Just having a look' shrugged Ron 'Clues, you know'
Percy swelled dangerously. He looked remarkably like his mother
'Get away from there,' he said, striding forward and flapping his arms. 'Don't you care what this looks like? Coming back here while everyone's at Dinner- '
'Why shouldn't we be here?' snapped Ron. 'We never laid a finger on that cat.'
'That's what I told Ginny,' said Percy, 'But she still seems to think you're going to be expelled. Never seen her so upset. Crying her eyes out.'
'You don't care about Ginny,' said Ron angrily. 'You're just worried I'll mess up your chances of being Head Boy- '
'Five points from Gryffindor!' Percy called pointing at his Prefect badge. 'And I hope it teaches you a lesson. No more detective work or I'll write to mum.'
He turned and strode away.
The quartet returned to the common room that evening and deliberately sat as far away from Percy as possible. Ron was still in a very bad mood and kept messing up his Charms homework. Y/N got sick of his grumbling and, remembering what Percy had said earlier, made his way over to Ginny who was sitting quietly in a corner of the common room.
'Hey Ginny,' he said, taking the seat across from her.
'Oh, hey Y/N' she said as she looked up. She sounded tired and her face was pale, her eyes red and swollen. 'What's up?'
'You looked like you could do with some company and your brother is driving me insane,' said Y/N as he opened a small cupboard next to their table and pulled out one of the chess sets. 'Want a game?'
Ginny hesitated for a moment before nodding and putting her book away. They played for an hour or so, Ginny was normally very good, but she seemed oddly distracted today. Still by the end of it, she was smiling a little. They got up and Ginny stepped forward, then hesitated.
'You okay?' Y/N asked her. She nodded slowly and then hugged him.
'Thanks Y/N.'
'Of course Ginny, anytime you need anything you let me know, yeah?'
'Call me Gin, all my friends do.'
'I'll catch you later then Gin?' She nodded and moved off up to the girls' dormitory. Y/N re-joined the trio and Hermione scooted along so that he could join her on her armchair.
'How was she?' she asked quietly as Y/N sat down.
'Alright,' he muttered back. 'She's definitely upset, didn't play as well as usual, but she seemed to relax from the games. Hoping I at least helped a bit.'
Hermione smiled, a smile so genuine and bright that Y/N felt his cheeks flushing.
'What?' he asked.
'Off you go caring about everyone else again.'
Y/N grumbled as Ron snapped his book shut, clearly giving up. Hermione did the same.
'Who can it be, though?' Hermione said in a quiet voice, 'Who'd want to frighten all the Squibs and muggleborns out of Hogwarts?'
'Let's think,' said Ron in mock puzzlement. 'Who do we know who thinks muggleborns are scum?'
He looked at Hermione and Y/N. Who both looked back, unconvinced.
'Not a chance its Malfoy-' began Y/N.
'You heard him, 'You'll be next, mudbloods!'' Y/N shuddered, he hated that word. 'Come on, you've only got to look at his foul rat face to know it's him.'
'Malfoy, the Heir of Slytherin?' said Hermione sceptically.
'Look at his family,' said Harry, closing his books too. 'The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin, he's always boasting about it. They could easily be Slytherin's descendants. His father's definitely evil enough.'
'They could've had the key to the Chamber of Secrets for centuries!' said Ron. 'Handing it down, father to son...'
'Well,' said Hermione cautiously, 'I suppose it's possible...' she looked to Y/N who shook his head.
'I just don't see it,' he said. 'Yes, his family is a long running line of Slytherins, but so are countless others. It could just as well be Crabbe and Goyle. Any Slytherin could do it. And it would make sense for it to be an older year if they're controlling some sort of monster.'
'If only we could prove it,' said Harry darkly.
'There might be a way,' said Hermione slowly, dropping her voice still further with a quick glance across the room at Percy. 'Of course, it would be difficult. And dangerous, very dangerous. We'd be breaking about fifty school rules, I expect- '
'You're not thinking-?' began Y/N but Hermione nodding cut him off.
'If, in a month or so, you two feel like explaining, you will let us know, won't you?' said Ron irritably.
'All right,' said Hermione coldly. 'What we'd need to do is to get inside the Slytherin common room and ask Malfoy a few questions without him realizing it's us.'
'But that's impossible,' Harry said as Ron laughed.
'No, it's not,' said Y/N.
'All we'd need would be some Polyjuice Potion,' finished Hermione.
'What's that?' said Ron and Harry together.
'Do you two even attend the same school as us?' asked Y/N hotly.
'Snape mentioned it in class a few weeks ago- 'continued Hermione.
'D'you think we've got nothing better to do in Potions than listen to Snape?' muttered Ron.
'What exactly is more important to do in Potions than Potions Ronald?' snapped Y/N. He was on a very short fuse with Ron recently. His attitude towards his own sister was annoying him.
'It transforms you into somebody else. Think about it! We could change into some of the Slytherins. No one would know it was us. Malfoy would probably tell us anything. He's probably boasting about it in the Slytherin common room right now, if only we could hear him.'
'This Polyjuice stuff sounds a bit dodgy to me,' said Ron, frowning. 'What if we were stuck looking like three of the Slytherins forever?'
'Least we wouldn't have to deal with you,' muttered Y/N and Hermione elbowed him.
'It wears off after a while,' she said impatiently, 'but getting a hold of the recipe will be very difficult. Snape said it was in a book called Moste Potente Potions, and it's definitely in the Restricted Section of the library.'
They needed written permission to get into there, which meant a teacher had to agree that they were allowed to take out the book.
'Hard to see why we'd want the book really,' said Ron, 'if we weren't going to try and make one of the potions.'
'I think,' said Hermione, 'that if we made it sounds as though we were just interested in the theory, we might stand a chance.'
Y/N leant back in the chair and closed his eyes. He was thinking hard. They needed a teacher who wouldn't ask questions about why they wanted the book. One that would simply let them just take it. The easiest answer was Lockhart, but he didn't know how much of a sway they held over him. None of them had ever shown any particular interest in his classes.
His mind wandered onto Minerva, but he knew she'd never agree. She'd try to stop them; tell him it was too dangerous. She was probably right, but he didn't want to be told that right now. As much as he didn't believe it was Malfoy, or at least, didn't want to believe it was Malfoy, this was their best chance at finding out who it really was.
He felt something squeeze his hand and his eyes opened. Harry and Ron had gone and Hermione was looking at him. She smiled once she saw his eyes open.
'Thought you might have fallen asleep. You were like that for a while,' Y/N shook his head.
'Thinking about who to ask. Obvious answer is Lockhart, doubt he'd even read what book we wanted if we sugar coated it enough.'
'But...' prompted Hermione.
'But mum will be furious to hear that we're doing something like this again without her knowing. I just don't think she'll say yes. I feel like she'll just refuse to let us in.'
'What were you doing when we were in the bathroom?' Hermione asked. 'Missed you in there, just didn't want to interrupt you. You looked like you were in the groove.'
'You were only gone for five minutes can't have missed me that much,' smirked Y/N.
'I can and I did. Now are you going to tell me, or do I have to storm off?'
'The writing was enchanted to preserve it. I knew it must have been when Filch couldn't clean it off, but it's because there isn't only one enchantment. There's multiple. Whoever was casting the spell didn't know how. They had to do it several times. It was also all at the same sort of height and about the width of a finger.'
'So someone wrote it on the wall with their hand? And then enchanted it afterwards but messed up the spell?'
'Messed it up a few times, and it was all our height. So it's someone who's about as tall as us. But I feel like it would have to be someone older to control the monster.'
'Maybe it's two people?' suggested Hermione. 'One controlling the beast, one writing the messages just to throw people off.'
'Possibly,' said Y/N. 'Either way, I don't like it. This year is already going downhill and we're only two months in. At least last year the threat wasn't attacking students, it was just chasing a stone.'
'We'll solve it, Y/N,' said Hermione.
'I just hope we do it before it gets you,' said Y/N as he pulled her into a hug.