꧁☬⋆ᴺᴼ ᴼᴺᴱ'ˢ ᴾᴼᵛ⋆☬꧂

"Who?" said Harry as they backtracked quickly.

"Myrtle, I heard she haunts one of the lavatories in the girl's restroom on the first floor," said Henry.

"She haunts a toilet?"

"Yes. It's been out-of-order all year because she keeps having tantrums and flooding the place. I never went in there anyway if I could avoid it; it's awful trying to have a pee with her wailing at you--"

"Look, food!" Said Ron.

"Bloody hell Weasley." Kayden facepalm and sighed.

On the other side of the dungeon was a long table, also covered in black velvet. They approached it eagerly but next moment had stopped in their tracks, horrified. The smell was quite disgusting. Large, rotten fish was laid on handsome silver platters; cakes, burned charcoal-black, were heaped on salvers; there was a tremendous maggoty haggis, a slab of cheese covered in furry green mould and, in pride of place, an enormous grey cake in the shape of a tombstone, with tar-like icing forming the words,

SIR NICHOLAS DE MIMSY-ORPINGTON

DIED 31ST OCTOBER, 1492

"They should have placed your name too Knig-"

"You want me dead, Weasley?" Kayden scowled as she raised her eyebrow.

Ron shook his head fast as a no, Harry watched, amazed, as a portly ghost approached the table, crouched low, and walked through it, his mouth held wide so that it passed through one of the stinking salmon.

"Can you taste it if you walk through it?" Harry asked him.

"Almost," said the ghost sadly, and he drifted away.

"I expect they've let it rot to give it a stronger flavour," said Hermione knowledgeably, pinching her nose and leaning closer to look at the putrid haggis.

"Can we move? I feel sick," said Y/N.

They had barely turned around, however, when a little man swooped suddenly from under the table and came to a halt in midair before them.

"Hello, Peeves," said the eight students cautiously.

Unlike the ghosts around them, Peeves the Poltergeist was the very reverse of pale and transparent. He was wearing a bright orange party hat, a revolving bow tie, and a broad grin on his wide, wicked face.

The only people who can handle him is Y/N and the Slytherin ghost, The Bloody Baron.

"Nibbles?" he said sweetly, offering them a bowl of peanuts covered in fungus.

"No, thanks," said Benjamin.

"Heard you talking about poor Myrtle," said Peeves, his eyes dancing. " Rude you was about poor Myrtle." He took a deep breath and bellowed, "OY! MYRTLE!"

"Oh, no, Peeves, don't tell her what I said, she'll be distraught," Hermione whispered frantically. "I didn't mean it; I don't mind her - er, hello, Myrtle."

The squat ghost of a girl had glided over. She had the glummest face Harry had ever seen, half-hidden behind lank hair and thick, pearly spectacles.

"What?" she said sulkily.

"How are you, Myrtle?" said Hermione in a falsely bright voice. "It's nice to see you out of the toilet."

Myrtle sniffed. "Miss Granger was just talking about you -" said Peeves slyly in Myrtle's ear. "Just saying--"

"Just saying - saying - how nice you look tonight," said Hermione, glaring at Peeves.

"Peeves, shut your mouth." Y/N scowled as her eye flicker to red and her (E/C) fast at the poltergeist.

"My apologise..." Peeves spoke as he looked away trying not to make eye contact with the Slytherin girl.

Myrtle eyed Hermione suspiciously. "You're making fun of me," she said, silver tears welling rapidly in her small, see-through eyes.

"No - honestly - didn't I just say how nice Myrtle's looking?" Said Hermione, nudging Harry and Ron while Y/N nudge Henry and Easton nudging Ben painfully in the ribs.

"Oh, yeah--"

"She did--"

"Sure--"

"That's true--"

"You're nice looking--"

"The prettiest--"

"Pardon me, what? I wasn't paying attention." Kayden took the flask out from her mouth as she was drinking just a moment ago.

Y/N and Hermione nudge both of her sides at the same time "Ah yes! Of course." Kayden Knight faked a smile.

"Don't lie to me," Myrtle gasped, tears now flooding down her face, while Peeves chuckled happily over her shoulder. "D'you think I don't know what people call me behind my back? Fat Myrtle! Ugly Myrtle! Miserable, moaning, moping Myrtle!"

"You've forgotten pimply," Peeves hissed in her ear.

Moaning Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with mouldy peanuts, yelling, " Pimply! Pimply! "

"Peeves... I'll drag you to hell with me if you don't stop." Y/N growled Peeves who stopped his tracks and stopped bothering the female ghost.

Nearly Headless Nick now drifted toward them through the crowd. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Oh, yes," they lied.

"Not a bad turnout," said Nearly Headless Nick proudly. "The Wailing Widow came all the way up from Kent... It's nearly time for my speech, and I'd better go and warn the orchestra..."

"Oh and Knight." Nick turned towards the other Slytherin girl.

"Happy birthday."

"thank you."

After some minutes they left, they backed toward the door, nodding and beaming at anyone who looked at them, and a minute later were hurrying back up the passageway full of black candles.

"Pudding might not be finished yet," said Ron hopefully, leading the way toward the steps to the entrance hall.

And then they heard it.

"... rip... tear... kill..."

Y/N and Harry stumbled to a halt, clutching at the stone wall, listening with all their might, looking around, squinting up and down the dimly lit passageway.

"Harry? Y/N, what're you -?"

"It's that voice again - shut up a minute--"

"Kayden, the voice--"

"I know."

"... soo hungry... for so long..."

"Wait, you can hear it?" Y/N asked Harry. Harry nodded "You heard it too?"

"Yeah, along with her." Y/N pointed at Kayden, "its bloody annoying, I swear. I want to sleep peacefully, but then that voice keeps bothering us. If I found the owner of the voice, I'll end their life." Kayden grumbles.

"... kill... time to kill..."

The voice was growing fainter. Harry and Y/N was sure it was moving away - moving upward. A mixture of fear and excitement gripped them as they stared at the dark ceiling; how could it be moving upward? Was it a phantom, to whom stone ceilings didn't matter?

"This way," Y/N shouted, and she began to run, up the stairs, into the entrance hall. It was no good hoping to hear anything here, the babble of talk from the Halloween feast was echoing out of the Great Hall. Y/N sprinted up the marble staircase to the first floor, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Henry, Ben and Easton clattering behind her.

"Y/N, what're we--"

"SHH!"

Y/N strained his ears. Distantly, from the floor above, and growing fainter still, she and Harry heard the voice: "... I smell blood... I SMELL BLOOD!"

"It's going to kill someone!" Harry shouted," I'll kill the owner of being a voice, too if I found them because I want a damn, peaceful sleep." Kayden complains.

And ignoring Y/N's and the others bewildered faces, Y/N and Harry ran up the next flight of steps three at a time, trying to listen over his pounding footsteps - Harry and Y/N hurtled around the whole of the second floor, Ron, Hermione and the other Slytherin boys panting behind them, not stopping until they turned a corner into the last, deserted passage.

"Can we go now? I'm getting hungry too." Ben said, Easton, smacked Ben's back head "You ate a while ago."

"Y/N, Harry, what was that all about?" said Ron, wiping sweat off his face. "I couldn't hear anything..."

But Hermione gave a sudden gasp, pointing down the corridor. "Look! "

Something was shining on the wall ahead. They approached slowly, squinting through the darkness. Foot-high words had been daubed on the wall between two windows, shimmering in the light cast by the flaming torches.

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN

OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

"What's that thing - hanging underneath?" said Ron, a slight quiver in his voice.

As they edged nearer, Harry almost slipped - there was a large puddle of water on the floor; Ron and Hermione grabbed him, and they inched toward the message, eyes fixed on a dark shadow beneath it. All three of them realized what it was at once, and leapt backward with a splash.

Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's cat, was hanging by her tail from the torch bracket. She was stiff as a board, her eyes wide and staring.

"Oh my goodness..." Y/N gasp as she covered her mouth.

Then Ron said, "Let's get out of here." "Shouldn't we try and help -" Harry began awkwardly.

"Trust me," said Ron. "We don't want to be found here."

But it was too late. A rumble, as though of distant thunder, told them that the feast had just ended. From either end of the corridor where they stood came the sound of hundreds of feet climbing the stairs, and the loud, happy talk of well-fed people; next moment, students were crashing into the passage from both ends.

The chatter, the bustle, the noise died suddenly as the people in front spotted the hanging cat. Y/N, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Kayden, Henry, Ben and Easton stood alone, in the middle of the corridor, as silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then someone shouted through the quiet.

"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

It was Draco Malfoy. He had pushed to the front of the crowd, his cold eyes alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

"Malfoy, it's better for you to shut your damn bloody mouth." Y/N snapped at him, which certainly worked.

"What's going on here? What's going on?" Attracted no doubt by Malfoy's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.

"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. And his popping eyes fell on Harry.

"You!"he screeched. " You ! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll--"

"Mister! It's not him!" Y/N went in front of Harry and spread her arms, protecting him.

"Look what you did, Potter! You're making our Y/N lie just for you! I'll kill you!--"

"Argus!"

Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.

"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Miss Dumbledore, Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Granger, Miss Knight, Mr Grey, Mr Hamilton and Mr Parker."

"I should have left since a while ago and followed my hunger." Ben messed his hair in frustration.

Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.

"My office is nearest, Headmaster - just upstairs - please feel free--"

The students who got caught in act even tho they didn't do it glared at Lockhart except for Hermione Granger.

'Bastard is still here.' Y/N thought as she glared at him.

"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did Professors McGonagall and Snape.

As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Harry saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her.

The eight students exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching.

The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: and Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.

"It was a curse that killed her - probably the Transmogrifian Torture - I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her..."

"I don't think you'll able to save Mrs Norris; you don't even know a single spell, bastard." Y/N snarled.