I opened the diary again first thing in the morning and started to speak to my friend Tom. I think it's pretty wicked how my diary responds back to me.
Hello Tom.
Hello Abigail. Anything you want to share today?
It's only the morning so nothing has happened. Although my brother is going with his friends to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party.
Who are your brother's friends?
Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.
Harry Potter, you say?
Yes.
Tell me more about him.
Well we met at a train station...
~~~
"Ab we're going to the Halloween feast. Are you coming?" Scarlett asked, sitting next to me on the couch in the common room.
Clutching the diary in my hands I answered, "I'll meet you guys there."
Scarlett and Gia left the common room and I opened the diary again.
Hello Tom.
Abigail. I need your help with something.
Anything.
~~~
"Where am I?" I thought out loud. I was on the floor in some sort of bathroom. I looked around and found myself leaning against the basins in the bathroom. It seemed empty.
I looked down to my hands and saw them covered with blood.
"Merlin, what did I do? What did I do?" I whispered as I frantically washed my hands in the basin.
After a while the blood came off and I tried to retrace my steps, to figure out how I got here. It's all a blank...
I made my way towards the Great Hall since I thought that everyone would be at the Halloween Feast.
I sat down next to Ginny and opposite Scarlett and Gia.
"Where have you been?" Ginny whispered.
"I think I must've fallen asleep," I smiled and started to fill my plate.
Scarlett and Gia exchanged a concerned look. I rolled my eyes, "Guys I'm fine."
"Okay," Gia put her hands up, "We believe you."
"We're just starting to get concerned. You keep suddenly disappearing," Scarlett admitted.
"Where's Harry, Ron and Hermione?" I brushed them off, sipping on some pumpkin juice.
"Still at the Deathday party," Scarlett said. I nodded and continued to eat.
"Did anything interesting happen when I was gone?" I asked. They all shook their heads. Then where was the blood from...
The Halloween feast soon ended and everyone exited the Great Hall. Harry, Ron and Hermione did not come to the feast at all. I hope that they enjoyed the Deathday party. Although I must admit, the thought of it does sound really strange. Why celebrate the day you died?
We exited the Great Hall to find ourselves walking on the damp floor. There was a layer of water but I didn't understand why. Students everywhere started gasping. I pushed through the crowd to see what was going on.
I saw Harry, Ron and Hermione standing staring at the wall. Curious, I turned my head and almost fell back when I saw what was written on the wall.
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
HAS BEEN OPENED
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR... BEWARE
The most shocking part of it all was that it was written in blood. My eyes shot down to my hand and I started picturing the blood on my hand from earlier. Could I be responsible for this? I shuddered at the thought. My eyes drifted to the side of the writing where I saw Mr Filch's cat, Mrs Norris hanging. Merlin, did I kill Mrs Norris??
Everyone was whispering about the scene in front of us.
Malfoy suddenly spoke up, "Enemies of the heir beware? You're next Mudbloods!"
I did not have the words to retort, I just continued to think about the possibility that I could've done this. I now desperately tried to recall what happened earlier when I blacked out but still nothing.
"Where's going on here?" Filch demanded, pushing through the crowd. "Make way! Make way!"
He looked absolutely furious at Harry but his expression quickly changed when he saw Mrs Norris.
"Mrs Norris?" He asked quietly. "You murdered my cat."
"No no," Harry shook his head. "I didn't."
"I'll kill ya," Filch spoke softly. "I'll kill ya."
Filch's hands left Harry's tie when a voice yelled, "Argus!"
The crowd split as Professor Dumbledore made his way forward. Dumbledore gasped, "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately. Everyone except you three."
He pointed at Harry, Ron and Hermione. I reluctantly left my friends and followed the crowd back to the common room.
As I walked away I could hear Dumbledore reassure Filch that Mrs Norris wasn't dead and just something called petrified.
I sighed, very relieved, in case I was responsible for this. At least she's not dead.
Back at the common room, I sat anxiously on the couch and bounced my leg up and down, waiting for my friends to return.
When the portrait hole opened, I jumped to my feet and asked them what happened.
"Was it you Harry?" I asked hugging Hermione.
"No it wasn't I swear," Harry said seriously and I nodded.
"I think I'm going to head for bed. Long day," I announced and Hermione followed me up the stairs.
After getting ready to go to sleep, I sat on my bed and opened the diary.
The strangest thing happened today Tom.
Tell me Abigail. I'm here to listen.
Well firstly I think I blacked out. I have no recollection of what happened to me before the Halloween feast. I woke up in some sort of bathroom with blood on my hands which I don't know where it came from. Then after the feast, they found Hogwart's caretaker Mr Filch's cat petrified. There was writing in blood on the wall.
Very strange indeed.
Could I have done this?
You're an innocent girl Abigail. Do not think otherwise. Everything will work out in the end.
You always know what to say. Goodnight Tom.
I didn't wait for the reply. I closed the diary and started thinking again. 'Everything will work out in the end?' What does that even mean?
~~~
We sat in Professor Binns' class, learning about the Medieval Assembly of European Wizards.
I was bored out of my mind as Binns droned on and on. His voice made my want to go to sleep.
Just as I was about to rest my eyes, Hermione raised her hand.
"Professor I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked and Binns complied.
"As you know, Hogwarts was founded by the 4 greatest witches and wizards of the age. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff and Salazar Slytherin," Professor Binns said. "3 of the founders co-existed peacefully but 1 did not. Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed magical learning should be kept within all Magic families. In order words, pure bloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school."
"Reliable historical sources tell us this much. 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," Professor Binns finished.
The entire class was silent and I started thinking again. Could I have been the heir of Slytherin? Have I been opening the chamber?
"But do not worry about this," Binns reassured us. "The school has been searched many times and the chamber has not been found. Which proves that the chamber does not exist."
For some reason, his words did not calm my thoughts.