46 No ones safe (1/2)
”I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony,” Ron said as they fought their way through the teeming corridors at the end of the lesson to drop off their bags before dinner. ”But I never knew he started all this pure-blood stuff. I wouldn't be in his house if you paid me. Honestly, if the Sorting Hat had tried to put me in Slytherin, I'd've got the train straight back home...”
”That's where you are wrong, you would live on the streets all alone because your parents would disown you.”
”...I can't deny it.”
”D'you really think there's a Chamber of Secrets?” Ron asked Hermione.
”I don't know,” she said, frowning. ”Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris, and that makes me think that whatever attacked her might not be — well — human. Plus, like Arth said, they way she was attacked was so weird.”
As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the attack had happened. They stopped and looked. The scene was just as it had been that night, except that there was no stiff cat hanging from the torch bracket, and an empty chair stood against the wall bearing the message ”The Chamber of Secrets has been Opened.”
”That's where Filch has been keeping guard,” Ron muttered.
They looked at each other. The corridor was deserted.
”Can't hurt to have a poke around,” said Harry, dropping his bag and getting to his hands and knees so that he could crawl along, searching for clues.
”Well it can, the thing that attacked the cat could attack us all at this moment. But you know what, let's do this,” said Arth with a sarcastic voice.
Scorch marks!” Harry said. ”Here — and here —”
Come and look at this!” said Hermione. ”This is funny...”
Arth got up and crossed to the window next to the message on the wall. Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane, where around twenty spiders were scuttling, apparently fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope, as though they had all climbed it in their hurry to get outside.
”Have you ever seen spiders act like that?” said Hermione wonderingly.
”No,” said Arth, ”have you, Ron?”
He looked over his shoulder. Ron was standing well back and seemed to be fighting the impulse to run.
”What's the matter?” Asked Arth.
”I — don't — like — spiders,” said Ron tensely.
”I never knew that,” said Hermione, looking at Ron in surprise. ”You've used spiders in Potions loads of times...”
”I don't mind them dead,” said Ron, who was carefully looking anywhere but at the window. ”I just don't like the way they move...”
Hermione giggled.
”It's not funny,” said Ron, fiercely. ”If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my — my
teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick...You wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and...”
He broke off, shuddering. Hermione was obviously still trying not to laugh.
”Dude, sympathies man.” Said Arth with a sympathetic face.
”Hmmm, why is the floor flooded?” Asked Harry.
”I dunno, why don't we follow it?” Said Ron while shrugging his shoulders. ”It comes from here,” said Ron, recovering himself to walk a few paces past Filch's chair and pointing.
”Level with this door.”
He reached for the brass doorknob but suddenly withdrew his hand as though he'd been burned.
”What's the matter?” said Harry.
”Can't go in there,” said Ron gruffly. ”That's a girls' toilet.”
”Oh, Ron, there won't be anyone in there,” said Hermione standing up and coming over.
”That's Moaning Myrtle's place. Come on, let's have a look.”
”Hermione, it's still the girls bathroom.”
Ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign and Arth's complaints, she opened the door.