Chapter 29 - 30

"What going on, what happened?"

Filch was attracted by Malfoy's shout, he pushed his way through the crowd.

"My cat! My cat! What happened to her?" Screamed Filch while almost fainting

"It was you, you killed my cat," said Filch as he walked over and grabbed Evan "I'm going to kill you"

"Let go of me!" said Evan as he knocked Filches hand off of himself, "I didn't touch a single hair on your cat, no one touched her, when we came, she was already like this."

"Liar, you are lying! Someone saw you didn't they" cried Filch

"Filch!"

Dumbledore arrived at the scene, followed by other teachers. In an instant, he made it to Evan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and took the cat off the torch.

"Come with me, Filch." told Dumbledore to Filch, "And you, Mr. Mason, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger," said Dumbledore

Lockhart hurriedly said, "My office is closest to here, you can use it if you wish."

"Thank you, Gilderoy!" nodded Dumbledore.

The Silent crowd parted letting them pass.

They were led into Lockhart's dark office, followed by Professor McGonagall and Snape. Evan saw that Lockhart was quickly cleaning off his photos from a table.

Lockhart then lit a candle on a table and retreated to the back. Dumbledore put the cat on the clean table and began to scrutinize her.

Dumbledore carefully observed the cat while professor McGonagall was so close while observing the cat, she could almost touch it.

Snape stood behind them, half hidden in the shadows while looking gloomy, his face had a very peculiar look, as if he was trying to restrain himself from laughing. Lockhart wandered around them and kept giving advice.

Evan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were nervously exchanging glances, they were sitting on some chairs that weren't illuminated by candlelight. Filch stood behind them while staring at Evan as if he had already identified him as the murderer.

"It must have been a curse that killed it, it is likely that it was a spell that deforms and tortures the subject," said Lockhart, "I've seen this spell used many times, I'm sorry I was not there because I happen to know the spell that could have saved her."

When Filch heard Lockhart words, it made him twitch a little with grief.

Then he suddenly slumped to a chair next to the table while clutching his face with his hand, he didn't dare to look at Mrs. Norris' miserable state.

At that time, Dumbledore whispered a few words and used his wand to lightly knock on Mrs. Norris, but there was no response, Mrs. Norris still lay there stiffly.

"Headmaster, this cat is dead! I remember a similar event in one of my books, where there was a series of attacks," said Lockhart, "At the time, I gave the common people a variety of amulet to solve the problem."

"Professor, she's not dead, she's just petrified."

Evan felt like he had to say something before Lockhart caused Filch to try to kill him.

"Nonsense, you killed her!" roared Filch.

"Mr. Mason is right, she's not dead," whispered Dumbledore to Filch, "She was petrified by a strong curse, first-year students cannot do this."

"He did it, he did it! You saw the words written on the wall with Mrs. Norris, she has repeatedly prevented him from entering the girl's bathroom on the third floor," said Filch, "He must have harboured a grudge."

"I didn't touch your cat!"

"So, what was the famous Mr. Mason doing entering the girl's bathroom? Is there anything that can be posted in your fancy newspaper?"

"I am looking for ghosts of the castle to help provide me news sources for my newspaper, I think it is necessary to talk to Moaning Myrtle, she is very familiar with Hogwarts, and many girls like her," explained Evan, but Filch didn't believe his words.

"I am deeply doubtful about that." said Snape with a hint of ridicule while turning his eyes towards Harry, "The whole thing is filled with holes, why did you go to the floor above and not attend the Halloween party?"

Snape raised a series of question that made Evan feel like he was old.

Luckily, he didn't have to explain since Harry, Ron, and Hermione scrambled to explain they were at the Deathday Party.

"Hundreds of ghosts can prove that we were there."

"But after this why didn't you come to the Party?" asked Snape with his eyes flashing in the candlelight, "Why did you go up the corridor?"

"Since Ron had a little misunderstanding with Moaning Myrtle, we were going to go apologize to her."

"Going to apologize to a ghost instead of having dinner?" said Snape with a proud smile, "I don't think the food at a ghost's party is suitable for the living."

"We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly, but his stomach growled, which cause Snape's smile to become even more prominent.

"In my opinion headmaster, I don't think they were entirely honest. So, we should probably cancel some of their privileges until they are willing to tell us the truth," said Snape, "Personally I think we should suspend Mr. Mason's newspaper and make Mr. Potter leave the Quidditch team until they are honest."

"To be honest, Severus," snapped Professor McGonagall, "I see no reason to make these kids stop their favourite extracurricular activities since the cat wasn't hit in the head with a newspaper or a broom, and there is no evidence that they have done anything wrong."

Dumbledore looked at the four people with an inquisitive glance, his eyes seemed to see through everything.

"As long as they aren't proven guilty, they are innocent, Severus," said Dumbledore firmly.

Snape and Filch seemed irritated.

"My cat is petrified, and I want to see somebody punished!"

"We can cure her, Filch," said Dumbledore patiently, "Mrs. Sprout recently got some Mandrake's, and once they fully grow, we can make a potion to cure Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," interjected Lockhart, "I've made it hundreds of times, I can even make in my sleep."

"Pardon me! I believe I am the school's Potions teacher," said Snape

There was an awkward silence with Lockhart feeling a little uneasy.

"You may go," said Dumbledore to Evan, Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

They speedily left, almost running out. When they left Lockhart's office, they went into an empty classroom and gently closed the door.

In the dark, Hermione squinted at Evan, Harry, and Ron.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Explain, gentlemen!" said Hermione while she gazed at their faces.

"Explain what?" asked Ron while looking a little alarmed.

"Professor Snape is right, you weren't telling the truth." said Hermione, "First you, Ron, you were in the bathroom while Filch's cat was attacked right outside the door."

"Why are you suspicious of me?"

"Don't' be silly Ron." said Hermione, "Dumbledore said it was an advanced curse that we can't cast, I want to ask you, did you notice anything unusual?"

"I just got done speaking with Evan about this, I think I heard hissing, but I'm not positive, Myrtle was just crying too loudly."

"Maybe that is a clue." Hermione turned her head towards Harry and said, "Harry can you tell me what you heard around that time?"

"The voice said it was starving, it wanted to kill, it was just like a ghost the way it went from one floor to another of the castle." whispered Harry, "Then we saw Filch's cat petrified on the wall so it must have been the owner of the voice."

"But who or what was it, I didn't hear anything at the time," said Hermione as she frowned.

"Who knows." hesitated Harry, "Do you think I should tell the professors about the sounds I heard?"

"I don't! It isn't a good sign to hear voices, even in the wizarding world," replied Ron without thinking

"You believe me, don't you?" asked Harry to Ron

"I believe you, but you have to admit it's weird," answered Ron quickly

"I know it's weird." replied Harry, "The whole thing is weird, you hear a hissing sound in the bathroom, and then Filch's cat is attacked, what did the words on the wall mean?"

"Perhaps, we should consider it from another angle, the cat was attacked but who would feel happy about it?" said Ron

"Except for Filch everyone else will feel happy." answered Harry after thinking about it "and what does it have to do with the Chamber of Secrets?"

"I mean who would be ecstatic about it, or who hates the cat the most" added Ron.

"I think I might know some information about the Chamber of Secrets." said Evan after seeing Hermione wasn't involved in Harry and Ron's discussions but kept looking at him, so he had to tell them something.

After hearing his words, Harry and Ron turned around and looked at Evan in amazement.

"Have you read Hogwarts: A History?"

"No," said Harry and Ron as they shook their heads

"Evan, you mean…." Hermione seemed to remember something.

"Yes, it should be the secret room Salazar Slytherin left behind. It is well known that Hogwarts was created by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin they initially collaborated together but as time went on a rift formed between the others and Slytherin."

"Slytherin wanted to be a bit more selective about the student that came to Hogwarts. He was unwilling to accept Muggle-born students. After a few years Slytherin and Gryffindor had a quarrel which caused Slytherin to leave the school, but he left a secret room in the school that the other founders knew nothing about."

"The Chamber of Secrets?!"

"Yes." nodded Evan, "But Slytherin closed the Chamber so that no one could open it until his heir came to school. Only the heir may open the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the horror from within, purify the school, and remove all who don't deserve to learn magic."

The dark classroom suddenly became eerily silent, and the atmosphere was almost unbearably tense.

The three of them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who didn't speak, waited for Evan to go on.

"The story is over," whispered Evan after a while.

"But what is the horror in the Chamber of Secret?" asked Hermione quickly.

"Don't know." said Evan, "Maybe it's some kind of monster that only Slytherin's heir can control."

"Well, it's very consistent with Slytherin's style, I already knew Salazar Slytherin was a crazy old lunatic, but know that I know that he came up with this pure-blood nonsense, I wouldn't go to his house even if he paid me too." said Ron, "To tell the truth, if the sorting hat put me in Slytherin, I would have taken the train home."

"Wait!" Hermione's suddenly said something, "Think about the words on the wall, the chamber was opened by his heir, and Harry just heard a strange voice, and found Filch's Cat petrified on the wall, then ...…."

She did not go on anymore, the other three already knew what she meant.

"It's impossible for Harry to be the heir. If you want me to say it, the successor has to be Malfoy. All of them are pureblood so maybe he is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin" said Ron

"Hermione, Harry has been with us the entire night, he wouldn't have time to do this" said Evan.

"I know that, but it's a little weird that he can hear voices that we cannot." Said, Hermione, as she turned her gaze back toward Evan, "And you haven't explained why have you been trying to break into Myrtle's bathroom lately."

Seeing the way, they were looking at him, he didn't want to make them think he was trying to peep in the girls' bathroom especially the one that Moaning Myrtle was in.

"Well, to be honest, I have some more information on the Chamber of Secrets," said Evan bitterly

"What is it?" asked the three in unison

"You know, to prepare articles for the history section of the newspaper, I look over the events of Hogwarts chronologically." said Evan, "I saw that in a book there was a newspaper clipping that stated around 50 years ago the Chamber of Secrets was opened!"

"What? Who opened it?"

"I don't know it was not written." said Evan as he shook his head, "It stated that a girl named Myrtle Warren died because of an accident but I'm not sure if her death was related to the Chamber of secrets, but the girl is...."

Evan took out a yellowed newspaper from his pocket, showing them a picture of the girl.

"It is ...Moaning Myrtle!!!"

"Yes, that is her." said Evan promptly, "I just wanted to ask her if she might have noticed anything."