A Little Help from a Snake // Tomarry

10: The Legendary Chamber*

Revised: January 15, 2022

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Much to the relief of Filch — and disappointment of everyone else — Mrs. Norris had only been petrified, not killed. But now other questions were being asked: What had attacked her? How did she survive? And more pressingly, what was the Chamber of Secrets?

Hermione, unsurprisingly, went to the library to research this mysterious chamber. She even managed to make Professor Binns' class more interesting, even if just for a moment, by asking about it. Apparently, there were rumors of a monster that lived in the chamber, a monster that only the heir could control. Given the heir was a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, a Parselmouth, many began to avoid Harry.

"They actually think it was me?" Harry snorted. "Even though I was at the Halloween Feast?"

"It's because you're Harry Potter," Draco pointed out. "You were meant to be in Gryffindor, remember?" Sarcasm dripped heavily from his voice.

"And by not," Pansy added, "well, clearly you're a dark wizard."

"The most evil wizard since You-Know-Who," Blaise added with a fake shudder.

"Run for your lives, everyone!" Tracey called in a bored tone.

Harry rolled his eyes. "They can believe what they wish. I'm used to rumors."

He stormed on ahead, and his friends let him, sensing he wanted to be alone for a while. Hardly anyone was in the corridor, but the few that were there fell silent and picked up the pace when they saw him. None of them looked his way.

Harry just ignored them. He had hoped that they'd be less suspicious since they found out about his ability to speak Parseltongue the previous year, but evidently that wasn't the case.

A flash of flaming red caught his attention and he stopped when he saw Ginny Weasley heading his way with her head lowered. Her bag swung from her shoulder, but she didn't stop to make sure nothing was out of place.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked.

She jumped as though she had put her finger in an electrical socket. "Oh, Harry! I — yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She certainly didn't look fine.

"Of course! I'm just... worried. With the Chamber of Secrets and all." Ginny clamped her jaw shut as if she had said too much. "Excuse me."

She hurried past quickly, and as she did the bag brushed against Harry's arm. Something made him freeze in place. What was that? He turned just as Ginny rounded the corner and disappeared.

He touched his arm lightly. That had felt almost... familiar, in a way. Comforting, even. Whatever it had been, there was more to it. He just didn't know what.

Ginny peeked inside a classroom, relieved to find it empty, and stepped inside. Then she sat down, took out a quill and the diary, and began writing.

"Tom, are you there?"

Tom answered immediately. "Yes, of course. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." Ginny forced herself to loosen her grip on the quill lest it snapped. "But ever since the Halloween feast, I've been feeling bad. I can't remember where I was and the next thing I knew Mrs. Norris is petrified."

"Slow down, Ginny. It'll be all right. You don't know for certain whether there's a link or not."

He had a point, but it was still frightening to think of.