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nearest, Headmaster - just upstairs - please feel free--" Professor Lockhart seemed to view the situation as an opportunity to boost his own status within the school. But nonetheless, Dumbledore agreed to go there.

Dumbledore headed off without haste and Saffron understood that she was to follow him. She and her friends were being joined by Lockhart, Mr. Filch, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. She felt relieved that McGonagall was there, as she certainly would hear them out.

Saffron figured that Harry had exaggerated just how self-obsessive Lockhart's office was, but if anything, it felt like he had played it down. Every corner of the room seemed to be full of a picture of himself, it was pathetic. He had to move at least a dozen pictures from his desk, without magic for some reason, before Dumbledore could place Mrs. Norris on the desk.

He examined the cat thoroughly, poking bits of her as though trying to feel what spell or enchantment was used to put the cat in such a state. Professor McGonagall did likewise, while Professor Snape had his usual ugly smirk on his face that was unreadable. For all Saffron knew, he could be devastated or delighted, it couldn't be defined. Lockhart, on the other hand, shouted out suggestions every few seconds, which weren't being entertained by the other members of staff.

Meanwhile, Filch was leaning back in a chair, sobbing hysterically, his face in his hands, unable to look at Mrs. Norris. Saffron truly felt bad for him. The cat meant a lot to him and she understood how hard it was to feel like someone you love or loved was gone for good. She just hoped that his devastation wouldn't result in her and her friends being sold out or blamed.

Saffron just stood there, her hand gripped in Hermione's. Their heads were right beside each other, so close that Saffron could hear the uneven breaths leaving the other girls mouth. She clearly shared the same worry and was planning how to justify why they were there in her head as the adults worked.

"She's not dead, Argus," Dumbledore turned to Filch, talking over Lockhart who was listing how many times he had stopped murders like this supposed one from occurring. His eyes widened when he copped onto the fact that the cat wasn't dead.

"Not dead?" gasped Filch in disbelief, still crying. "But why's she all - all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore "But how, I cannot say..."

"Ask him!" yelled Filch, pointing a quivering hand at Harry. "He and his little friends have done this!"

"No second year could have done this," stated Dumbledore simply . "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced--"

"He did it, he did it!" Filch insisted "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found - in my office - he knows I'm a - I'm a - he knows I'm a Squib!"

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry told them earnestly. "And I don't even know what a Squib is,"

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape, his voice came completely out of left field as he had remained totally silent to this point, to the extent that Saffron flinched when she heard the coldness of his voice.

"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, making Saffron bite her lip so as to not gasp. Was he actually making a case for them? "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"

At that, Saffron, Hermione, Harry and Ron all talked over each other explaining that they were at the deathday party and that hundreds of ghosts could account for that.

"But why not join the feast afterwards?" questioned Snape, back to his usual ways of trying to poke holes in their story."Why go up to that corridor?"

"Because - because -" Harry spluttered, he spoke aimlessly making Saffron wish she had answered. "because we were tired and wanted to go to bed,"

"Without any supper?" Snape was unconvinced "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," Ron's stomach grumbled. Saffron rolled her eyes. They weren't going to believe them at this point.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," Snape smiled. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest."

"Really, Severus," sighed Professor McGonagall "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," Dumbledore with a note of finality.

"My cat has been Petrified!" persisted Filch, outraged at the lack of consequences "I want to see some punishment!"

"We will be able to cure her, Argus," Dumbledore told him "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."

"I'll make it," Lockhart informed him matter-of-factly. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep--"

"Excuse me," remarked Snape sharply. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause. In that pause, Saffron found a sly grin creep upon her face, that Hermione nudged her for.

"You may go," Dumbledore said to the Gryffindors.

Saffron didn't need to be told twice. She walked as quickly as she could towards the door and once the door was closed they practically sprinted up a flight of stairs, before finding the classroom Amanda used for Charms club three times a week and closed the door behind them tightly.

"D'you think I should have told them about that voice I heard?" Harry asked them worriedly.

"No," Ron shook his head. "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."

"You do believe me, don't you?"

"Course I do," Ron assured him. "But - you must admit it's weird..."

"I know it's weird," agreed Harry. "The whole thing's weird. What was that writing on the wall about? The Chamber Has Been Opened ... What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, it rings a sort of bell," replied Ron. "I think someone told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once... might've been Bill..."

"And what on earth's a Squib?" asked Harry.

Ron chuckled slightly making Saffron furrow a brow at him.

"It's not funny, Ron,"

"I know, I know, but because it's Filch it sort of is," he then addressed Harry's question. "A Squib is someone who was born into a wizarding family but hasn't got any magic powers. Kind of the opposite of Muggle-born wizards, but Squibs are quite unusual. If Filch's trying to learn magic from a Kwikspell course, I reckon he must be a Squib. It would explain a lot. Like why he hates students so much. He's bitter."

Saffron jolted when they heard the chime of a clock.

"Midnight," said Harry. "We'd better get to bed before Snape comes along and tries to frame us for something else."

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"That was crazy, completely crazy,"

Saffron sat with Hermione in her bed, at what must have been quarter past twelve in the morning. Neither girl was able to sleep as both were too consumed at what had just happened. Both of them had vowed to have a normal as year as could be in Hogwarts this year, but that didn't seem to be realistic with the revelation that a so-called Chamber of Secrets had been opened.

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Saffron said for what must have been the tenth time. "What could that even mean?"

"I wish I knew," Hermione pulled her bedsheets up closer to her knees. She had a glum look on her face that Saffron could just about make out due to the tips of light being illuminated into the bed via their wands. "Saffron, you . . . you don't think Harry has anything to do with this, do you?"

"No," Saffron said without a second of hesitation. "I don't, why? Do you?"

"I don't know," said Hermione slowly. "It's a bit strange though, don't you think? That there's a voice that only Harry can hear and it leads him to where Mrs. Norris was petrified. I know we were with him, so he couldn't have actually done that to her. But what if he's possessed?"

"Possessed?" repeated Saffron in utter disbelief. "By who?"

"By You Know Who," Hermione mumbled almost inaudibly. "Think about it, we were gone when Harry went into that last chamber last year. He told us what happened, but who's to say that he doesn't remember it correctly or that something happened that he didn't tell us about," She noticed Saffron's uncertainty and commented on it. "I know it's a reach, but you can't say that it's not possible,"

"No, you're right," nodded Saffron with a sigh. "It's possible, maybe he's just as confused as us. Or maybe whoever did it is making him hear that voice," She paused. "I'm starting to think that Harry should have told Professor Dumbledore about the voice, maybe he would have a better idea about it than we do,"

"That's true," agreed Hermione. "But I think before we tell him, we need to see how Harry is tomorrow or maybe even see if he hears the voice again. This isn't the first time he heard it, so maybe he'll hear it at night time again," She took a breath then continued. "I think we better get to sleep, I want to get to the library early tomorrow,"

Saffron yawned. "Why? What's this homework that I've probably forgotten about?"

"Not homework," said Hermione, which reminded Saffron of last year when they spent sizeable chunks of their day trying to find out who Nicholas Flamel was. "Just research, we need to find out what the Chamber of Secrets are and who the enemies to the heir of it are,"

Saffron groaned, garnering a laugh from Hermione. "So much for an easy year,"