After Quidditch practice, occasionally helping Pansy with her studies, and letting her pet Val from my sleeve, it was time for Transfiguration. In class, Pansy and I spent most of the lesson attempting to transform our birds into chalices. Draco and I had moderate success, but Pansy accomplished it on her first attempt.
"Oh, indeed a perfect spell. Five points to Slytherin," Professor McGonagall announced, clearly more focused on the spell itself than awarding points to a house she wasn't particularly fond of.
"How did you do that so easily?" Draco asked, frustrated as his owl either refused to change at all or morphed slightly before snapping back to its original form.
Pansy smirked and shrugged. "I just had a feeling for it. And with Lucas' helpful comments, this is almost too easy." She giggled before casting the counterspell to return her bird to normal.
I wasn't doing much better than Draco. Apparently, my advice helped Pansy, but applying it to my own work was proving more difficult. I sighed as the lesson continued, only succeeding in the transformation once—just like Draco.
Class was soon interrupted when Hermione raised her hand with a question far off-topic.
"I'd like to hear more about the Chamber of Secrets."
The entire class went silent, eyes turning toward Professor McGonagall. Everyone wanted to hear more about the mysterious events unfolding within the castle. Even as a Slytherin, I knew little about the Chamber—my parents were far more concerned with potions and proper etiquette than ancient school legends.
Most of what she said was history I already knew. But when she spoke of Salazar Slytherin, I sat up, suddenly more attentive.
"According to legend, Slytherin built a hidden chamber in this castle, known as the Chamber of Secrets. Before he left, he sealed it away, intending that only his true heir would be able to open it one day."
McGonagall's words made my stomach twist. I covered my mouth, trying to suppress the nausea rising within me.
I was technically an Heir of Slytherin. Being a Parselmouth proved it. It was a rare ability, even among Slytherins.
It couldn't have been me… It…
I clutched my chest, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs as I tried to reject the thought. I had a tendency to sleepwalk when I needed to release pent-up energy. Not every night—just once or twice. I could only recall waking up in different rooms or even outside on a couple of occasions.
I gulped, a creeping suspicion growing inside me. Could I have been the one to petrify Filch's cat?
"Professor, what exactly does legend say lies in the Chamber?" Hermione asked.
I forced my attention back to McGonagall.
"The Chamber is said to be home to something that only the Heir of Slytherin can control," she answered. "It is said to house a monster…"
Her voice wavered slightly with fear.
It matched my own.
I had always been more attuned to beasts than most. No, why now? If it was me, why didn't I do this last year? It couldn't be me… It couldn't be me…
I kept repeating the thought over and over in my head, unaware that Harry, Ron, and Hermione's gazes had all settled on me.
After class, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked together, speaking in hushed voices to avoid being overheard.
"If the Chamber is real, then we already know who's behind this," Ron muttered, his eyes drifting to the brown-haired Slytherin walking ahead with his two friends.
"It has to be either Draco or Lucas," Harry agreed with a frown. "But I think Draco is the more likely culprit."
"Draco, I can understand," Hermione said, "but you saw Lucas with that unicorn. I really don't think he'd petrify Filch's cat just to send a message."
Ron shook his head. "You saw his eyes in class yesterday—he snapped. He might've been different before, but something weird is happening this year."
"Even if it is one of them, how would we prove it? It's not like they'd just confess," Harry sighed, scratching his head.
"Or perhaps… they won't have to."
Hermione's voice trailed off into thought, both boys staring at her as she pieced together an idea—a potion she had read about before.
In my room, I was brewing more Vitamix, my mind drifting as I waited for the next step.
If it wasn't me, then who?
I knew of no one else at Hogwarts who was a Parselmouth. Surely the school was keeping a close eye on me.
McGonagall's gaze had lingered on me during class. She suspected me—I could feel it. She knew of my affinity for creatures.
A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. Already guessing who it was, I flicked my wand to open it.
Pansy stepped inside and shut the door behind her, still carrying the books we used to study together in private.
"Hang on, I'll be done in a few minutes," I said, adding the final ingredient to my mixture.
She sat on my bed, flipping through a book before finally speaking.
"What do you think about the Chamber of Secrets?"
I bit my lip, uncertain about everything happening this year. It's only the first week.
"Maybe it exists," I admitted. "But I wonder how long it'll take before parents start pulling their kids out of Hogwarts."
"Purebloods should be safe," Pansy replied. "We won't have anything to worry about."
I sighed, sealing a few vials of Vitamix. Would I even want to stay in a school that scared everyone else away?
When I turned back, I saw Pansy studying the Summoning Charm. I had looked at it before and decided to try it myself.
"Accio, Vitamix," I murmured, flicking my wand. Instantly, the vial flew to my hand at lightning speed.
Pansy frowned. "Why are you brewing that again? Doesn't it give you side effects?"
I shrugged, tucking the vial into my robe as I moved my cauldron aside to clear space for studying.
"Maybe I look strange under its effects, but you never know when it might come in handy." My mind was already considering other, similar potions I could attempt to brew later.
Pansy didn't push further. Instead, we shifted our focus to studying, reviewing spells under the quiet, watchful gaze of Abarrane from the window.
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Hey guys your author here, can y'all please drop some comments and reviews it's so dry here and it's making me question if I should keep writing or not.