Bella and the Chamber (Book Two)

Chapter Thirty-Four

The sun had now begun to shine weakly on Hogwarts again. Inside the castle, the mood had grown more hopeful. There had been no more attacks since those on Justin and Nick, and Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. 

"The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for re-potting again," I heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon. "And after that, it won't be long until we're cutting them up and stewing them. You'll have Mrs Norris back in no time"

Maybe the heir of Slytherin had lost his or her nerve. It must be getting riskier and riskier to open the Chamber, with the school so alert and suspicious. Perhaps the monster, whatever it was, was even now settling itself down to hibernate for another fifty years...

Ernie Macmillan from the Hufflepuff House didn't take this cheerful view. He was still convinced that Harry was the guilty one, that he had 'given himself away' at the Duelling Club. Peeves weren't helping matters at all: he kept popping up in the crowded corridors singing 'Oh Potter, you rotter...' now with a dance-routine to match.

Lockhart seemed to think he himself had made the attacks stop. Pfftt yeah right. Me and Harry overheard him telling Professor McGonagall so while the Gryffindors were lining up for Transfiguration. 

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. He looked like a demented frog when he did that. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught them. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on them. You know, what the school need now it a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing..."

He tapped his nose again and strode off. 

"Douchebag" I muttered making Ron laugh and Hermione glare at me. Harry still hasn't looked or spoken to me since he pinned me against the wall. He's a douchebag too.

Lockhart's idea of a morale-booster became clear at breakfast time on February the fourteenth. I hadn't had much sleep because of a late-running Quidditch practice the night before, and I hurried down along with Harry to the Great Hall slightly late. I thought, for a moment, that I'd walked through the wrong doors. The walls were all covered with large, lurid pink flowers. Worse still, heart-shaped confetti was falling from the pale blue ceiling. I went over to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was sitting looked sickened, and Hermione seemed to have come over rather giggly.

"What's going on?" Harry asked them sitting down, I sat next to Hermione and brushed the confetti off my omelette. 

Ron pointed to the teachers' table, apparently too disgusted to speak. Lockhart, wearing lurid pink robes to match the decorations, was waving for silence. The teachers on either side of him were looking stony-faced. From where I sat, I could see a muscle going in McGonagall's cheek. Snape looked as though someone had just fed him a large beaker of Skele-Gro.

"Happy Valentine's day!" Lockhart shouted. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all - and it doesn't end here!"

He clapped his hands and through the doors to the Entrance Hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps. I laughed and spat out my juice onto the table. 

"Where's my camera when you need one?" I whispered in Hermione's ear and she giggled. 

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" Lockhart beamed. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your Valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!"

Flitwick buried his face in his hands. Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison. 

"Please, Hermione, tell me you weren't one of the forty-six," Ron said, as we left the Great Hall for our first lesson. Hermione suddenly became very interested in searching her bag for her timetable and didn't answer. 

"There's your answer," I flip my hair and grab Hermione's arm. "Meet you in class,"

I rushed off pulling Hermione with me. She huffed and yanked her arm back. 

"You know, this whole thing going on between you and Harry is pretty stupid. Why don't you two just make up?"

I glance at her and roll my eyes. "I'll make up with him when he stops messing with the diary!"

"Bella-"

"Hermione, leave it. Come on, we're going to be late"

For the rest of the day, the dwarfs kept barging into our classes to deliver Valentines, to the annoyance of the teachers, and late that afternoon, as the Gryffindors were walking upstairs for Charms, one of them caught up with Harry. I've already had loads today so I tried not to act jealous but I was failing. 

"Oy, you! 'Arry Potter!" shouted a particularly grim-looking dwarf, elbowing people out of the way to get to Harry.

Harry tried to escape through the crowd of Gryffindor's which also included first-years and Ginny, but the dwark reached him before he had even gone two paces. 

"I've got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter in person," he said, twanging his harp in a threatening sort of way. 

"Not here," Harry hissed, trying to escape again.

I laughed. 

"Stay still!" the dwarf grunted, grabbing hold of Harry's bag and pulling him back. 

"Let me go!" Harry snarled tugging.

With a loud ripping noise, his bag split in two. His books, wand, parchment, and quill spilt onto the floor and his ink bottle smashed over the lot. Harry scrambled around, trying to pick it all up before the dwarf started singing, causing something of a hold-up in the corridor.

"What's going on here?" came the cold, drawling voice of Malfoy. Harry started stuffing everything feverishly into his ripped bag, desperate to get away before Malfoy could hear his musical Valentine. 

"What's all this commotion?" another voice said, as Percy arrived. 

Harry tried to make a run for it, but the dwarf seized him around the knees and brought him crashing to the floor. 

"Right," he said, sitting on Harry's ankles, "here is your singing Valentine:

'His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,

His hair is as dark as a blackboard,

I wish he was mine, he's really divine,

The hero who conquered the Dark Lord'

Everyone started laughing including me. Who would write that? I looked around, my eyes scanning for the culprit, and spotted her straight away. She was blushing and hiding her face in her arms. Her flaming red hair was the same colour as her cheeks.

 GINNY FREAKING WEASLEY! I KNEW IT!