WHAT YOU DO TO ME | Draco Malfoy

Year Two - Part Five

Classes were weird the following day. All anyone could talk about was that strange message written on the wall. Everyone had guesses about who did it, and none of them were consistent.

"Today, we will be turning animals into water goblets." She tapped the bird in front of her three times with the tip of her wand and recited the spell. It transfigured into a beautiful silver goblet. I wasn't sure when I would ever need to do this, but it still looked cool. "Now who wants to go first?" Professor McGonagall asked as she looked around the room. "Mr Weasley?"

Ron nodded nervously and cleared his throat. I was sitting next to him and quite honestly I wished I was across the room sitting next to Malfoy. I didn't want to be anywhere near Ron's broken wand.

Ron tapped his rat, Scabbers, three times just like Professor McGonagall had. "Vera Verto." He spoke clearly and actually performed the spell perfectly to the best of my knowledge, yet the spell still did not go as planned. Instead of turning into a silver goblet.

"You must replace that wand, Mr Weasley." Professor McGonagall said disapprovingly. Ron looked at her sheepishly and nodded his head while looking solemnly at his broken wand.

"I've been telling him that for ages now, Professor." I spoke up and she smiled softly at me before continuing on with her lesson.

Hermione's hand shot up into the air from where she sat. She had not yet begun practicing the new spell, which was very out of character for the overachiever that Hermione was.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione said. A hush fell over the room as everyone paid close attention waiting to see what McGonagall would be willing to reveal to us. Even Malfoy looked interested in what she would have to say.

"My subject is Transfiguration, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall chose her words very carefully. She knew we were hanging on to every one of them hoping she would give us even a morsel of information.

"Yes, Professor. But there seems to be very little written about the Chamber of Secrets. For those of us with a personal interest in the subject, that is... disturbing."Hermione looked at me when she said it. I knew it was because I was one of the only other muggle borns in the room.

Professor McGonagall considered Hermione's words for a few minutes before she began talking again, "Very well... You all know of course that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Three of the founders co-existed quite harmoniously. One did not."

"I'll give you three guesses who that would be." Ron whispered to me and I stifled a giggle. Malfoy glared at me and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. In other words, pure-bloods. Unable to sway the others, he decided to leave the school. According to legend, Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Shortly before departing, he sealed it until that time when his own true heir returned to the school. The heir alone would be able to open the Chamber of Secrets and unleash the horror within, and by so doing, purge the school of all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic." McGonagall explained.

"Muggle-borns." Hermione stated the obvious for everyone in the room.

"Yes." McGonagall agreed, "Naturally, the school has been searched many times for such a chamber. It has never been found."