Chapter 162: Chapter 162: "Halloween 1992"
As Halloween dawned at Hogwarts, the castle was abuzz with excitement. The Great Hall had been transformed into a spectacular display of autumnal splendor. Live bats fluttered overhead, their wings casting eerie shadows across the enchanted ceiling. Hagrid's enormous pumpkins, carved into lanterns large enough to house three men comfortably, glowed with an otherworldly light. Whispers of Dumbledore booking a troupe of dancing skeletons for entertainment circulated among the students, adding to the festive atmosphere.
Harry, however, was not in a festive mood. His detection wards near the Chamber of Secrets' entrance had yet to be triggered, but he knew with certainty that today, the Chamber would be opened. Even if Ginny Weasley wasn't the one to do it this time, Harry was sure that Halloween in the wizarding world was cursed to bring chaos.
As he walked through the corridors, dodging excited first-years and dodging Peeves' attempts to drop water balloons on unsuspecting students, Harry's mind wandered to the many questions he had about the Chamber itself. How could such a massive basilisk move through the castle undetected? The pipe system explanation from the books seemed implausible. Were the pipes truly that large? Did they have multiple entrances and exits to facilitate the creature's secret movement?
Harry imagined the castle's intricate network of pipes, wondering if Salazar Slytherin had been involved in designing the castle, purposely including this network for his "pet." And if, as Gryffindor's letter suggested, the snake was meant to protect the school, why the need for such an elaborate hidden system? These questions and more swirled in Harry's mind, and he was determined to uncover the answers this year.
As evening approached, Harry prepared for his usual routine of skipping the feast in favor of a quiet meal in the kitchens. However, as he attempted to leave the Ravenclaw common room, he found his path blocked by a group of familiar faces.
"Surprise!" chorused his friends, grinning widely.
Harry blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the feast?"
Arabella stepped forward, her expression a mix of concern and determination. "After what happened last year with the troll, we decided to spend the night with you. This way, we won't have to worry about your well-being when something inevitably goes wrong. Three out of the four years, something has gone awry on Halloween, so we're accompanying you this time."
Roger nodded enthusiastically, his stomach growling audibly. "Plus, we're curious about where you disappear to when you skip the amazing feast. It must be somewhere good if you're willing to miss out on all that food!"
Harry was taken aback by their thoughtfulness. He quickly weighed his options. On one hand, this would provide him with a solid alibi during the Chamber's opening, protecting him from suspicion of being the Heir of Slytherin. On the other, it would prevent him from staking out the Chamber's entrance to find the opener as he had planned.
After a moment's consideration, he decided that the company of his friends outweighed the potential drawbacks. He could always use the Marauder's Map later to track down the diary holder.
"Alright," Harry conceded with a smile. "Follow me. I'll show you an amazing place in the castle with unlimited food."
Roger's eyes lit up. "Unlimited food? I can't wait!"
Harry led the group through the castle's winding corridors, eventually bringing them to an area near the Hufflepuff common room. As they passed by, Cedric looked around curiously. "Why did you bring us to the Hufflepuff area, Harry? I don't know of any secret place here."
"Be patient and follow me," Harry replied with a knowing smirk. He enjoyed the puzzled looks on his friends' faces as he led them down a corridor adorned with numerous paintings.
He stopped in front of a large still life depicting a bowl of fruit. "Here's the secret entrance," Harry explained, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Just tickle the pear in this painting."
The group watched in amazement as Harry reached out and gently tickled the painted pear. To their astonishment, the pear began to giggle, its painted surface rippling with mirth before transforming into a large green door handle.
"No way," breathed Elvinia, her usual composure slipping in the face of such unexpected magic.
With a flourish, Harry pulled the handle, swinging the door open wide. "Welcome," he announced proudly, "to the Hogwarts kitchens."
As Harry's friends stepped through the doorway, their jaws dropped in collective awe. The Hogwarts kitchens were a sight to behold – a vast, high-ceilinged room, as large as the Great Hall above it. Gleaming brass pots and pans lined the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace dominated one end of the room. Four long tables, positioned exactly like their counterparts in the Great Hall, stood ready to receive the evening's feast.
But what truly caught their attention were the hundreds of house-elves bustling about the kitchen. The tiny creatures, each wearing a tea towel stamped with the Hogwarts crest, were hard at work preparing the Halloween feast. Some were chopping vegetables with lightning speed, while others stirred enormous cauldrons of soup or basted golden-brown turkeys.
"Blimey," whispered Roger, his eyes as wide as saucers. "I've never seen anything like this!"
Elvinia, always the most composed of the group, couldn't hide her amazement. "This is incredible, Harry. How did you ever find this place?"
Before Harry could answer, a familiar voice piped up. "Harry Potter, sir!" squeaked Pinky, bounding over to greet them. "Pinky is so happy to see Harry Potter! Are these your friends sir?"
Harry smiled warmly at the excitable elf. "Yes, they are, Pinky. They'll be joining me for this year's feast here. Is that okay?"
Pinky's eyes grew even wider if that was possible. "We is honored, sir! To think wizards are fine eating in our company!"
Harry knelt down to be at eye level with Pinky. "Thank you, Pinky. I always love the company here."
The other elves, noticing the newcomers, swarmed around the group. They offered platters piled high with cakes, pies, and savory treats, their large eyes shining with eagerness to please.
Cedric, recovering from his initial shock, accepted a plate of treacle tart with a polite "Thank you." He turned to Harry, his expression a mix of awe and amusement. "So this is where you've been sneaking off to on Halloween? I have to say, I'm impressed."
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the company of the excited little elves, and Harry was happy to see this. The Hogwarts elves had been very close to him since he started visiting them every now and then, asking for more food to meet his large appetite. Harry was pleased to see that his friends didn't dislike these small, bubbly beings.
As they settled around one of the tables, sampling the delicious offerings and chatting with the elves, Harry and his friends enjoyed the night. This wasn't how Harry had planned to spend the evening, but surrounded by friends and the cheerful bustle of the kitchens, he found himself genuinely enjoying Halloween for the first time in years.
However, Harry's full attention was not on the food and the company. Under the table, he secretly had the Marauder's Map opened. Nothing odd could be seen on it. The only people out of the Great Hall were Harry's group and the Golden Trio.
The golden trio of Charles, Ron, and Hermione, it looked like, were in the dungeons. Harry knew why they were there. Today was the Gryffindor ghost's 500th death day anniversary, and the group had been invited. How did Harry know this? Of course, his little spy Neville gave him regular updates on what the group was up to. Neville didn't do this out of bad intentions. He trusted Harry very much and knew the golden trio was bound to fall into dangerous situations. He hoped Harry would save them when they did.
Harry knew the golden trio would be having a bad time at the party, and he chuckled to himself, imagining the scenes he had read in the books. He then turned his attention back to the Marauder's Map, focusing on the area around Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
As the night wore on, Harry found himself relaxing, genuinely enjoying the company of his friends and the enthusiastic house-elves. Roger was in the middle of telling a hilarious story about a prank gone wrong when Harry felt a sudden, chilling sensation.
The wards he had placed around the Chamber's entrance had been triggered.
Chapter 163: Chapter 163 "The Writing on the Wall"
The wards Harry had carefully placed near the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets had been triggered. Eager to identify the intruder, he discreetly glanced at the Marauder's Map concealed beneath the table on his lap.
To Harry's shock and dismay, the magical parchment showed no one in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Harry's mind raced, grappling with the implications of this unexpected development. Two possibilities presented themselves: either the intruder had opened and entered the Chamber of Secrets with impossible speed, or more worryingly, the Horcrux was somehow concealing its holder from the map's magic.
Harry leaned towards the latter explanation. The process of opening the Chamber's entrance and descending into its depths would surely take more time than had elapsed since his wards were triggered.
This was not good news. If the Marauder's Map couldn't detect the Horcrux's holder, his most reliable tool for tracking the diary holder's movements was now rendered useless.
Pushing down his rising frustration, Harry scanned the rest of the map, checking for any students who might be in danger. To his immense relief, everyone seemed to be in safe locations. The majority of the student body was still gathered in the Great Hall, enjoying the Halloween feast. Even the "Golden Trio" – Charles, Ron, and Hermione – were safely occupied with the ghosts at Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party.
As Harry's friends finished their meals in the kitchen, chattering excitedly about the everyday events of the school, he found his thoughts drifting to Mrs. Norris, the cat. In the books, Filch's cat had been the first victim of the Basilisk's attack. While Harry had never been fond of the suspicious feline, who had rebuffed his attempts at friendship and tattled to Filch, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at his lack of concern for her impending petrification.
A few minutes later, the group said their goodbyes to the house-elves and left the kitchens, planning to wait near the Great Hall for the rest of the students to finish the feast.
As they walked, Harry's enhanced senses picked up a chilling sound that could make anyone's blood run cold:
'... soo hungry ... for so long ...'
The hiss of the Basilisk echoed in Harry's ears, growing louder with each passing moment. Every instinct screamed at him to investigate, to follow the sound, and confront the danger head-on. But surrounded by his friends, he could think of no plausible excuse to suddenly dash off on his own without arousing suspicion. The internal struggle tore at him as they continued their leisurely pace through the castle.
As Harry and his group approached the Great Hall's doors, Harry still wrestling with his dilemma, a commotion sounded nearby. The Golden Trio burst into view, with Charles in the lead, his face a mask of concentration. It was immediately clear to Harry that his brother could hear the Basilisk's voice as well, confirming a suspicion he'd long held: Charles was also a Parselmouth.
This revelation carried significant implications. Since Charles hadn't received a piece of Voldemort's soul on that fateful night, it meant the ability to speak to snakes was inherent in their blood. And given that the Potters had no known history of Parseltongue, the talent must have come from Lily. The pieces of a long-standing puzzle began to fall into place in Harry's mind. Lily Potter, it seemed, was not the Muggle-born witch everyone believed her to be, but likely descended from a magical lineage with the rare gift of Parseltongue, maybe even Slytherin.
Before Harry could dwell further on this revelation, Charles sprinted up the stairs, with Ron and Hermione hot on his heels. Their sudden urgency was palpable, leaving Harry's friends confused and concerned.
Cedric turned to Harry, his brow furrowed in confusion. "They looked like they were in a hurry. Did something happen?"
Arabella's dark eyes clouded with worry. "I knew it. At Halloween, there is always trouble at Hogwarts. We should follow them – they might not be able to handle whatever danger they're rushing towards."
The group quickly agreed, and they set off in pursuit of the younger students. As they climbed the stairs, Harry heard the Basilisk's voice again, this time with a terrifying hunger:
'... I smell blood ... I SMELL BLOOD!'
Harry's heart raced, knowing the diary's possessor had set the Basilisk loose. He discreetly checked the Marauder's Map once more, relieved to see no names in the vicinity of the impending attack. At least no one was in any immediate danger today.
As they reached the second-floor corridor, they lost sight of Charles, Ron, and Hermione. The group paused, uncertain of which way to go.
"Which way now?" Roger asked, looking around uncertainly, his voice tinged with worry.
Harry, relying on his heightened senses, picked up the faint sounds of the trio's voices. "I hear something. This way," he said with quiet authority, leading the group forward. As they moved, Harry could also hear sounds from downstairs. It seemed the feast was over, and everyone was making their way to their house dormitories.
Suddenly, a loud scream of surprise pierced the air. Harry recognized it as Hermione's voice, filled with shock and fear. It seemed she had discovered the warning from the Heir of Slytherin. The scream was so loud that Harry knew it would soon attract the attention of professors and other students making their way up from the Great Hall.
Harry and his group rushed towards the source of the scream. As they rounded the corner into the second-floor corridor, they were met with a chilling scene that seemed straight out of a horror movie. The Golden Trio - Charles, Ron, and Hermione - stood frozen, their faces pale with shock as they stared at something on the wall.
Harry's group approached cautiously, their footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. As they drew closer, the full extent of the grisly tableau became apparent.
There, hanging from a torch bracket by her tail, was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. Her body was stiff and unnatural, her eyes wide and glassy. It was clear that she wasn't dead, but rather in a state of petrification.
But it was what loomed behind the cat that truly sent shivers down their spines. On the wall, written in what appeared to be blood, were foot-high words that glimmered in the torchlight:
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.
The floor beneath the sinister message was wet, reflecting the flickering torches and giving the whole scene an otherworldly glow.
"We didn't do this," Ron blurted out, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and indignation. "It was like this when we got here. We just found it, I swear!"
Arabella stepped forward, her face ashen as she took in the horrifying scene. "We believe you," she said softly, trying to reassure the younger students. "You didn't have the time to do this. But... what does this mean? The Chamber of Secrets?"
Before anyone could respond, the sound of many footsteps filled the air, growing louder by the second. More people had reached this place, drawn by Hermione's earlier scream.
The chatter, bustle, and noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat and the blood-red message on the wall. Charles, Ron, and Hermione stood alone in the middle of the corridor, while Harry's group remained to the side.
Silence fell among the mass of students as they pressed forward, jostling for a better view of the grisly sight.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the quiet, dripping with malice and barely concealed glee. "Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"
It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed his way to the front of the crowd, his cold grey eyes alive with a cruel light. His usually pale face was flushed with excitement as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat and the terrified faces around him.
Harry felt a surge of confusion and suspicion. How had Draco known something had happened here? He should have been walking towards the dungeons after the feast. This was the wrong direction entirely. Had Hermione's scream really been that loud, or did he know something? Maybe he got a warning from his father.
Before Harry could ponder this further, a familiar raspy voice cut through the tense atmosphere. "What's going on here? What's going on?" Argus Filch's angry tones rang out as he shouldered his way through the crowd, no doubt attracted by Malfoy's shout and the general commotion.
As soon as Filch's eyes fell on Mrs. Norris, he stumbled back, clutching his face in horror. The sight of his beloved cat, petrified and hanging from the wall, was too much for the caretaker to bear.
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked, his voice filled with anguish and rage.
His bulging eyes darted around wildly before settling on Charles. "You!" he screeched, pointing a gnarled finger accusingly. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll –"
"Argus!" Dumbledore's calm yet authoritative voice cut through Filch's hysterics like a knife. The Headmaster had arrived on the scene, followed by several other teachers, their faces grave as they took in the scene before them. In seconds, Dumbledore had swept past Charles, Ron, and Hermione and gently detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket, cradling the stiff form of the cat in his arms.
"Come with me, Argus," Dumbledore said to Filch, his voice gentle but firm. "You too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger."
Harry was surprised that he and his friends weren't called to join them, but a part of him was relieved. He didn't relish the thought of a long, stressful interrogation eating into his already limited time.
Lockhart, ever the opportunist, stepped forward eagerly, his teeth flashing in what he probably thought was a reassuring smile. "My office is nearest, Headmaster – just upstairs – please feel free –"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore replied, a hint of weariness in his voice.
The silent crowd parted to let them pass, students pressing against the walls to make way for the somber procession. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore, followed closely by Professors McGonagall and Snape. Lily Potter also came rushing in, her face etched with concern as she moved to follow Charles, no doubt eager to comfort her son in the face of this frightening development.
As the group disappeared up the stairs, the remaining students began to whisper feverishly among themselves. Theories and accusations flew back and forth, each more outlandish than the last.
Harry's friends exchanged worried glances, the weight of what they'd witnessed settling heavily upon them. They hadn't been called to follow, but the gravity of the situation was not lost on any of them.
"I think... I think we should call it a night," Cedric said quietly, his usual cheerful demeanor subdued by the evening's events. "We can talk about this tomorrow when we've had some time to process it."
The others nodded in agreement, too shocked and confused to argue. As they made their way back to their respective common rooms, everyone was silent, still processing the disturbing scene they had just witnessed.
Harry knew this was just the beginning, but seeing that Mrs. Norris was only petrified gave him hope. If things continued to follow the books, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone dying. This realization was enough to calm his nerves.
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