The attack on Mrs. Norris was all anyone could talk about. Tori even felt a little bad for Filch. A little.
She was sitting in History of Magic class that they shared with Ravenclaw, bored out of her mind when someone finally asked the question everyone's been wanting to know.
"Professor. What can you tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?"
This caused almost everyone to start paying attention again. Tori picked her head up from her arms while Lee had seemed to wake up from his nap. A Ravenclaw girl named Polly Evans glanced up from her book she had been staring duly into and her seat partner, Richard Willow, stopped staring at the chalkboard.
Professor Binns looked uncomfortable, floating around. "I can tell you what I told the second years; I work with facts, not myths."
Tori raised her hand. "But Professor, myths all have to come from somewhere, right? Where ever that somewhere is, that's a fact."
The ghost Professor sighed. "Alright. I'll tell you what I told the second years... You all know long ago Hogwarts was founded by four people who soon had the houses named after them. Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin. The four worked together in perfect harmony, building this castle away from prying Muggle eyes.
"But... soon after it was built Salazar Slytherin started to have some objections to who could and couldn't be admitted into Hogwarts. He believed magic learning should stay to magic-families and felt muggle-borns were untrustworthy. This caused a huge rift between him and the others, and a rather large argument with Godric Gryffindor, causing Slytherin 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."
There was a deadly silence after he finished speaking. Not the usual bored, tired silence. One that rang through each of the students' ears as each silently begged for their teacher for once to keep talking.
Fred, for his first time ever in the class, raised his hand. "What kind of horror within?" Professor Binns shrugged, "Some say it's a beast. Though it's all nonsense."
Tori raised her hand again. "And the heir of Slytherin, they can control this... beast?"
"Yes..." The class all exchanged nervous looks. "But it's all nonsense!"
"Could a dark wizard open it?" Angelina asked out loud. A Ravenclaw boy nodded, "Does this have something to do with the dark arts?"
Many other students began voicing their concerns and confusion, but Professor Binns had enough.
"Silence! I will not be answering any more questions because I deal with facts! And the chamber, in fact, does not exist! And it's definitely not going to be in your O.W.L.S. next year, so I will not be bringing it up again!"
Moments after he turned back to his chalkboard, the class regained its usual boring silence.
✧ ✦ ✧
Tori sat in one of the red chairs of the common room, facing her friends on the couch. Professor Binns's speech had gotten out to everyone in school, leaving everyone in question.
Most people though the heir was a Slytherin, some thought it was Harry Potter. Some even began to expect each other.
Tori was writing her weekly essay for Binns's class. He said it was preparing them for their O.W.L.S., but Tori wasn't sure how anyone could focus on that now.
The common room was filled with its normal chatter, expect one person seemed louder than the rest. That person surprisingly wasn't Lee Jordan, but Paul Ryans.
Paul Ryans was a sixth year, had a very loud mouth. He was constantly voicing his opinions and ideas to people. Tori mostly just ignored him, but even this time she couldn't help but listen.
"The heir has to be a Slytherin, that's what makes sense!" A girl told him loudly. "But others thinks it's Harry Potter, Alice. And last I checked, he's got a Gryffindor robe on. While it would make sense, since he was there and all. I got a different idea."
"It could be a ghost! Like the Bloody Barron!" Someone else shouted. "Or Peeves!" Another joined in.
Paul nodded. "Excellent theories. I'm thinking it could be someone with a little more background... someone with a motive... someone... who's related into a entire slytherin family?"
Tori glanced up at the feeling of eyes on her. She got up defensively, putting her quill on her chair and facing the crowd. "What's that's supposed to mean?" Paul shrugged, looking her up and down. "It's just a theory, but, let's be honest. It makes the most sense."
"How so? I'm not a Slytherin."
"No, but if I remember correctly, your entire family is. It would make sense for a beast to listen to someone who's a Slytherin by blood. It would also make great revenge on your siblings, for how they treated you?"
Tori bit her lip, narrowing her eyes angrily. "I would never hurt my siblings." Paul looked at her with an amused expression. "Is that what you thought when you punched your brother in the face?"
"That's... that's different."
"Why don't you just save Hogwarts all the hassle and admit it? All the pieces line up."
"Why don't you just piss off, Ryans?" Fred stood up, glaring at the boy. "Tori was with us the entire feast and when we found Mrs. Norris."
"What about before the feast?"
Alicia stood up this time. "She was with me in the library. And if you don't believe that, you can ask Madam Prince, Hazel Doe, and even Peeves."
"Besides, your so quick to put the blame on people." George said. "Yeah," Lee agreed. "How do we know it's not you?"
"Because... I have no connections to any of this."
"Neither does Tori. So piss off." Fred snapped. "Go back to your knitting." He told the rest of the common room, leaving them to wonder even more. Tori smiled weakly at her friends.
"Thank you." She told them, grabbing her books and quill. "I'm going to head off to bed, I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"It's eight thirty," Katie noted, pointing to the clock in the corner. Tori shrugged. "I'm just tired. Night."
She rushed up the dormitory stairs, into her room before slamming the door behind her. Athena hooted at her harshly almost as saying I'm trying to sleep!
"Sorry." Tori whispered, changing into her pajamas before feeding her owl. She laid in her on her back in her bed, staring at the ceiling above. How she wished her last name was different. Life would be so much easier.
"Tori?" Angelina's voice called into the room, she crept through the open door, looking at Tori's bed. "Tori, he's an idiot. They all are."
Tori didn't reply.
"They're just scared. We all are. Fred's worried about you, and frankly so am I. He wanted to come make sure you're alright, but... the stairs."
"I just... want to be alone for a little while."
Angelina sighed. "Alright." She was halfway out the door when Tori perked up. "Angelina, you don't think I could... possibly could be..." She didn't want to finish her sentence.
Angelina stood looking at her for a moment. "I've never been so sure about anything in my life."
we stan good friends