~Harry's POV~
It's the weekend so the rest of the Quidditch team and me are making our way towards the Quidditch field.
"I spent the summer devising a whole new Quidditch program," Oliver says. "We're going to train earlier, harder and longer. What...? I don't believe it."
We come out into the courtyard just as the Slytherin team approach.
"Where do you think you're going Flint?" Oliver asks.
"Quidditch practise."
"I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today."
"Easy, Wood, I got a note."
He holds out a scroll which Oliver takes and reads.
"I Professor Severus Snape do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practise today owing to the need to train their new chaser."
He moves the scroll down and looks up.
"You got a new chaser? Who?"
Flint moves to one side to reveal Malfoy.
"Malfoy?" I ask.
"That's right, and that's not all that's new this year."
We notice their nifty broomsticks.
"Those are Nimbus 2001s," Ryan says.
He and the others had come over to see what was happening.
"How did you get those?" Bam asks.
"A gift from Draco's father," Flint says.
"See Weasley," Emberlee says. "Unlike your father, Draco's can afford the best."
"At least nobody on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," Hermione says. "They got in on pure talent."
Draco turns and faces Hermione.
"Nobody asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."
Everyone gasps and Bella pushes Malfoy so Emberlee pushes Bella.
Bella then stands and punches Emberlee, hard, making her nose bleed but Flint holds Emberlee back so she doesn't retaliate.
"You'll regret that," Emberlee warns before the Slytherin team walk away.
"What did he call you?" I ask Hermione, who looks really upset by what Draco said.
"Mudblood," Oliver says.
"What does that mean?" Hollie asks.
"It means dirty blood," Hermione says, clearly upset. "Mudblood is a really foul name for someone who is Muggle born... someone with non-magic parents... someone like me. It's not a term someone may hear in civilised conversation."
"You see, the thing is Harry," Oliver says. "There are some wizards, like the Malfoy family, who think they are better than everyone else because they're what people call pureblood."
"That's horrible," Hollie says.
"That's disgusting," Ron says.
"And it's rubbish," Edward says, suddenly appearing. "Dirty blood... there is no such thing as purebloods these days."
"Besides, Hermione," Bella says. "I hate to admit it but you are the best witch in the school."
Hermione manages a smile so Angelina puts her arms round her.
"Don't you let them bother you so much, sweetheart."
Later, I am serving detention with Lockhart, helping him sign his fan mail.
"Harry, Harry, Harry, can you possibly imagine a better way to serve detention than by helping me to answer my fan mail?"
"Not really!"
"Fame is a fickle friend, Harry. Celebrity is as celebrity does, remember that."
I begin to hear whispering and look up.
"Come... come to me..." the eerie voice says and I hear something moving.
"What?" I whisper and Lockhart looks up.
"Sorry?" he asks.
"That voice..."
"Voice?"
I look around before returning my gaze to him.
"Didn't you hear it?"
"What are you talking about Harry? I think you're getting a bit... drowsy."
He turns and looks at the clock.
"And great Scott, no wonder, we've been here nearly four hours. Spooky how the time flies when one's having fun."
He looks around nervously so I look up.
"Spooky!" I repeat.
"You can go now, Harry."
I leave the room and begin to make my way back to the dorms when I hear it again.
"Blood... I smell blood."
I look around.
"Let me rip you... let me kill."
I place my hand on the wall and follow it along as the sound of movement continues on the other side.
Suddenly I run into Bella, Bam, Hermione and Ron.
"Did you hear it?" I ask.
"Yes," Bella says.
"It's the other side of this wall. I think it's going to kill."
"Kill," Ron asks.
"Come on," Bella says and we follow the sound until we reach another corridor where there's a puddle of water.
I cannot hear the sound or voice anymore so I look at Bella who shakes her head.
I begin to follow the water until I notice tiny spiders crawling along the floor, up the wall and out a hole in the window.
"Strange," Bella says. "I've never seen spiders act like that."
"I don't like spiders," Ron says, nervously.
"What's that?" Bella asks and notice she's looking down.
In the water, it looks like there's writing on the wall so we look up to see what's causing the reflection.
There, on the wall, in red, is written 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened enemies of the Heir... beware.'
"It's written in blood," Hermione says.
I stare at the writing for a few seconds before I notice something.
"Oh, no," I say as I move closer to it. "It's Filch's cat... it's Mrs Norris."
The cat is suspended upside down in mid air.
I hear footsteps and turn to see many students approaching.
They all begin to whisper and gasp.
"Enemies of the Heir Beware?" Draco asks before he turns to Hermione. "You'll be next Mudbloods."
"That's enough, Malfoy," Jess warns.
"What's going on here?" Filch asks as he makes his way through the crowd. "Mr Potter, what are you..."
He spots his cat.
"Mrs Norris? You've murdered my cat."
"No, no!"
"We found her like that, sir!" Bella says.
"I'll kill ya," Filch says before he grabs my collar. "I'll kill ya."
"Argus," Dumbledore says as he approaches with McGonagall, Snape, Lockhart and Sprout.
They stop and look at the wall.
"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately," Dumbledore orders.
We all turn to leave.
"Everyone accept..."
We stop.
"You four," he continues, pointing to me, Bella, Ron and Hermione.
We stop and wait while the others go back to the dorms.
Lockhart moves closer to the cat.
"She's not dead, Argus. She has been petrified," Dumbledore says.
"Ah thought so," Lockhart says. "So unlucky I wasn't there. I know exactly the counter curse that could have spared her."
"Yeah right," Bella whispers.
"But how she's been petrified, I cannot say," Dumbledore says.
"Ask him," Filch says. "It's him who's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall."
"It's not true sir, I swear," I say, looking at Dumbledore. "I never touched Mrs Norris."
"Rubbish!" Filch objects.
"If I might, headmaster," Snape requests. "Perhaps these children were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. However..."
He moves towards us.
"The circumstances are suspicious. I for one don't recall seeing Mr Potter at dinner."
"I'm afraid that's my doing Severus," Lockhart says. "You see, Harry was helping me with my fan mail."
"That's why Ron and I went looking for him Professor," Hermione says. "We found Bella first and she said she heard something and we found Harry as we were following Bella. He said..."
She stops and looks at me.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape asks.
"I said I wasn't hungry," I say.
Snape looks at Bella.
"And what did you hear?"
"Um," she says. "I thought I heard something but I was wrong."
"We were heading back to the common room when we found Mrs Norris," I say.
Snape looks at us with scepticism before turning to the other teachers.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus" Dumbledore says.
"My cat has been petrified," Filch says, sadness in his voice. "I wanna see some punishment."
"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Dumbledore says. "As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrake. When they have matured, a potion will be made which will revive Mrs Norris. And in the mean time, I strongly recommend caution... to all."
~Bella's POV~
"It's a bit strange, isn't it?" Hermione asks as we walk up the stairs to our dorm.
"Strange?" Harry asks.
"You two hear this voice, a voice only you can hear and then Mrs Norris turns up petrified. It's just strange."
"Do you think we should have told them? Dumbledore and the others I mean?" I ask.
"Are you mad?" Ron asks.
"No, even in the wizarding world, hearing voices isn't a good sign," Hermione says. "Even if you did both hear it."
She turns and goes on ahead.
"She's right, you know," one of the pictures says.
We continue after her.
The next day, our third lesson is with Professor McGonagall and there are animals in cages and each of us have a small animal on the desk in front of us.
"Could I have your attention please?"
McGonagall stands.
"Great! Now today, we will be transforming animals into water goblets. Like so... 1, 2, 3, vera verto," she says as she taps the bird on the perch at the front and it turns into a glass water goblet.
We all gasp.
"Now it's your turn," she says as she walks towards us. "Now, who would like to go first? Oh, Mr Weasley."
She stops in front of him.
"1,2,3, vera verto."
Ron waves his wand 3 times.
"Vera verto," he says before Scabbers turns into a furry goblet with a tail.
We all laugh.
"That wand needs replacing Mr Weasley."
Hermione raises her hand.
"Yes Miss Granger?"
"Professor, I was wondering if you can tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?"
She looks around the room at all the anticipated faces before she sighs.
"Very well," she says before she starts walking round the desks.
"Well you all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over 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 co-existed quite harmoniously. One did not."
"Three guesses who," Ryan says.
"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed all magical learning should be kept within all magical families. In other words pure bloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school."
She stops for a moment.
"Now according to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden Chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. 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."
"Muggle borns," Hermione says.
McGonagall nods at Hermione before turning and making her way back to the front of the classroom.
"Naturally the school has been searched many times. No such Chamber has been found."
"Professor," I say. "What exactly does legend tell us lies within the Chamber?"
"The Chamber is said to be home to something which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control. It is said to be the home of a monster."
Silence befalls the room.
~Hollie's POV~
"Do you think it's true?" Bam asks as we walk through the school. "Do you think there really is a Chamber of Secrets?"
"Of course not," Edward says appearing behind us.
"Actually there is," Bella says. "Can't you tell, McGonagall's worried. All the teachers are."
"But if there really is a Chamber of Secrets," Harry begins. "And it really has been opened, then that means..."
"The Heir of Slytherin has returned to Hogwarts," Hermione says.
"Question is, who is it?" Ryan asks.
"Let's think," Ben says. "Who do we know who thinks all Muggle borns are scum?"
"If you're talking about us," Emberlee says as she stops us. "Wouldn't that be interesting?"
She, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle walk away without another word.
"Listen you lot," Edward says, stopping us in our tracks. "You need to stop this nonsense. There is no Chamber, there is no monster and that legend is not true."
We all look at Edward before Bella nods.