Harry Potter's Pen Pal

Chapter Fourteen

Hey, Tom. A lot happened yesterday after my accidental nap.

What happened?

Well, first, we did the re-sorting, and the twins essentially got disowned on the spot.

Are your brothers all right?

Oh, they're fine. Percy, Ronald, and Ginevra aren't.

After the re-sorting, we went to Nearly-Headless (well, now Headless) Nick's deathday party ⎯ he's the Gryffindor ghost. Apparently Nick invited Ronald and Granger, too. I may or may not have set Peeves on them....

I don't blame you. How was the party?

Other than Peeves' intervention and Sir Delaney-Podmore's joking personality, utterly boring.

It was after the party that was interesting... and worrying...

What happened?

Have you heard of the Chamber of Secrets?

Yes, I have! And nobody is supposed to be able to open the Chamber except you and I!

What do you mean?

You have to be able to speak a certain language to get into the Chamber, and even then, only the Lord and Heir can control the monster inside.

Oh. Well then, Dumbledore is messing with me again, because someone other than you, I, or Voldemort opened the Chamber.

What happened? Explain everything!

Are you worried about me, sweetheart?

...stop making me blush.

No. I like making you blush.

Well anyway, this morning, Peeves told me that whoever opened the Chamber Petrified Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's annoying, evil cat, and hung her from a torch. Above that, written in huge, bloodied letters, was: The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.

You have got to be kidding me.

What?

That was exactly what Voldemort did in his sixth year, except he had the monster Petrify a student ⎯ the most popular Muggleborn in the school. Dumbledore's trying to frame him.

Well, I'd better go tell the monster that it's not allowed to attack anyone.

Absolutely not! He will hurt you!

He?

Yes, his name is Tenebris, and he's ancient.

All right, I'll wait. Oh, I forgot the best part!

What?

Filch ⎯ the caretaker ⎯ blamed Ronald Weasley for his cat's Petrification! Apparently, he'd given Weasley detention earlier, and he found out that Filch is a Squib!

...

Tom, are you okay?

...

Tom?

Yes, sorry, I was laughing so hard I couldn't write.

Yes, I laughed when I heard that, too.

Tom...

Yes?

I want to come in and kiss you.

...Curse you... you can come in....

------------time skip brought to you by a blushing Tom Riddle------------

"Miss ⎯ er-?"

"Granger, sir," said Granger haughtily. "I was wondering if you could tell us anything about the Chamber of Secrets."

Harry rolled his eyes as everyone became more alert. He knew Granger would do something like this.

"My subject is History of Magic," Binns began, but stopped when Harry raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

He ignored the shocked stares⎯ Binns never got anyone's name right, and he certainly never spoke their name with reverence. "I don't know what the title of your subject has to do with anything. According to Hogwarts, a History, the Chamber has been opened three times in the past, and the first time, it was by its creator, Salazar Slytherin. So it is a real place, and is part of history."

Binns blinked as most of the Gryffindors gave him suspicious looks and the Slytherins looked awed. "Yes, I suppose...."

"So," Harry said lazily, "will you answer Granger's question?"

"How do you know that?" Granger hissed at him.

"I read," Harry returned coldly. "Surely you've heard of reading, Granger, given the fact that your face is in a book nearly every minute of every day." The Slytherins snickered, and the Gryffindors looked angry.

Binns cleared his throat. "Very well.... The Chamber of Secrets....

"You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago ⎯ the precise date is uncertain ⎯ by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.

"For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families." He paused. "Most people believed it was because he found students of Muggle parentage untrustworthy, but it was because most Muggleborn students were in danger of their parents. He wished to make them choose between the Muggle world and the Wizarding world, because one could not choose both.

"After a while, there was a serious argument between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school.

"Reliable history tells us this much," Binns continued. "But the Chamber of Secrets was just a legend, until a few days ago. 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 of magic.

"Of course," Binns added, "it was more likely that he created the Chamber to protect the school. He would never willingly harm a magical child, regardless of their parentage."

"Sir," Granger said, raising her hand again, "what exactly do you mean by the 'horror within' the Chamber?"

Binns smiled thinly. "That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control."

"What kind of monster?" Ronald demanded.

"Think about it," Harry scoffed. "What kind of 'monster' would Salazar Slytherin use?"

The Gryffindors looked almost constipated trying to think of the answer ⎯ except for Granger, who looked angry, Seamus, who was frowning, and Dean, who looked interested.

"A snake!" Harry exclaimed exasperatedly. "It's obvious!" The other Slytherins snickered quietly.

"May I return to my lesson now, Mr. Potter?" Binns asked in a faintly nervous tone.

Harry waved a hand dismissively and leaned back in his seat.