Chapter 7

First Year

Days passed. News spread around the school like wildfire that I was a newly instated chaser on the Slytherin team. I was also the second first year to be put on a house Quidditch team. I suppose Harry Potter was starting a trend. I was in the library, for a first, actually doing homework because Draco threatened that if I got detention on a practice or game day he would get me sent home. How long was he going to hold this over my head before I cracked?

"Carlie!" someone shouted. I turned around and saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione entering the library. Madame Pince glared and warned Ron to be quiet. They walked over to me. "I heard you made the Quidditch team!" Ron said fascinated. "Good job. Harry made it the first year too. You'll be playing against him soon!" I smiled over at Harry. "So why are you doing in the library?" he asked looking around like this place was a prison.

"Thanks," I answered kindly. "I love playing Quidditch but I'm not too happy about the people I have to play with." They loved that comment. 

And homework, can't afford to be kept after class with practice and all." I sighed annoyed while looking down at my very messy homework. It was taking me forever, I couldn't focus. Draco bossing me around had my mind wandering. "What about you guys?"

"Looking for information on the Chamber of Secrets," Ron said casually. Hermione's face flushed in horror.

"Ronald!" Hermione said in an angry whisper. "You can't be shouting that out."         

"What?" Ron asked confused. "Maybe she could help, she is a Slytherin after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked with an amused laugh. "And I doubt it, because I haven't heard anything else about it." The last time I saw that name was when I heard the terrifying mysterious voice that lead me to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Never mind them," Harry said looking at Ron and Hermione who were bickering. Even more surprisingly, they took seats at the same table as me. Hermione came back after ten minutes while piles of books. Ron groaned. She was rapidly looking through books and shoving them at Harry and Ron. I was attempting to finish my homework, but couldn't help but wonder what they were up too. Hermione kept going back for more and more books. I think she covered every book in the library but didn't seem very satisfied.

"Find anything?" I asked them after a while, looking up from this boring homework. I wasn't even sure what they were looking for. It must be a rare topic if Hermione hasn't been happy with any of the books she's chosen so far.

"Nothing!" Hermione said angrily closing her book. "Absolutely nothing!" She crossed her arms and leaned back upset.

"We'll find something Hermione," Harry assured her. "There's got to be something on the subject." I did enough of my homework for it to be accepted. My teacher would probably accuse me of cheating if it was perfect anyways.

"I better get going," I said standing up from the table. "I can try looking too if you want? Maybe there will be something in my common room. You know, since I'm a Slytherin and all." I smirked at Ron.

"That would be great," Hermione said.

"I'll let you know if I find anything." I smiled and walked away back to the dungeons.

I almost had a good day. I managed to transfigure my feather into a piece of string which was a big accomplishment for me, considering that the entire class managed to do that last week. For Charms we continued working on Expelliarmus. I fell asleep during History of Magic again, but thankfully I didn't get caught, and in Defense against the Dark Arts, Lockhart only mentioned himself eight times. So basically, it was a pretty great day.

All was good until Potions class as usual. We were assigned partners. Unfortunately we had an odd number in the class. Guess who had to work alone, the absolute worst student in the class, me. If only I got to work with Dasha, or even Eowyn, I would have been perfectly fine. The potion was supposed to appear as if it was water and mine looked like clam chowder, plus it was bubbling. While he was walking around, he glanced into my potion and sneered up at me. "Explain yourself."

"Um..." I said while thinking.

"Um, is correct," Snape said speaking louder so that now the whole class was listening. "This potion should be perfect, considering all the essays I've assigned the past week. Oh right, you didn't do them." His voice was getting angrier by the minute. "Do you think you're too good to do your homework Ms. Nyx?"

"No, it's just that..." I've been too busy doing Draco's homework! I wanted to scream right now.

"Do you believe that you don't need to be here? Quidditch will not get you far, seeing as that is your only skill, along with receiving detentions of course." I held in my anger. I badly wanted to argue back, but Snape was in a worse mood than usual and I didn't really want to test that. "T for a grade," he replied walking away, great. Now I was probably, no definitely, failing potions. So much for my good day.

It got slightly better within a few minutes though, my potion exploded all over the classroom covering everyone from head to toe, especially Snape. I quickly escaped the classroom as the bell rang but still heard Snape scream, "Detention for the rest of the week Nyx!" 

It was almost ten o'clock, I was sitting up in my dorm doing absolutely nothing when I realized that I left my textbook down in the common room. Dasha was going to help me try to learn the next few potions so that I could hopefully get my grade up. I got up and started to walk down the stairs when I heard a few words that caught my attention. "...Chamber of Secrets," a deep voice said. It wasn't a voice I recognized. It must have been a boy in his fifth or sixth year.

"And what exactly is the Chamber of Secrets?" a girls voice asked, once again I didn't recognize the voice. There must have been a few people down there. I recognized Draco and Flint's voices easily. 

"Alright, alright," the boy started and then it got quiet. "The Chamber of Secrets is said to be somewhere within the castle. I'm not sure exactly where though. It was created by Salazar Slytherin himself when he was arguing with the other founders about only accepting pureblooded students. The others didn't agree, but obviously Slytherin was right. And the Chamber is said to be the home of a monster. I don't know what monster, but it only goes after mudbloods. So we have nothing to worry about. Only the heir of Slytherin can open up the chamber." A monster in the castle? I decided to get my book tomorrow and begin studying then. I quietly went back up the common room, terrified of the news I just heard. I had so much to tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

The next morning I rushed down to breakfast, I was so ready to tell Harry, Ron, and Hermione about the Chamber of Secrets! I pushed my way through people down the hallways as they glared and yelled out things that weren't too nice. I finally spotted the three of them walking down to breakfast. Thankfully the hallway was a bit quiet. "Hey!" I yelled to them. I caught Hermione attention and she stopped with Ron and Harry quickly doing the same. I rushed over to join them. "I overheard some information on the Chamber of Secrets," I said in a lower tone.

I told them everything the boy said, they kept asking me who I thought it was but I honestly didn't have a clue. I didn't recognize the voice. "If the chamber has been open again, then that means the heir is at the school. It's definitely a Slytherin," Hermione said and then looked at me sympathetically. "Sorry." I just shrugged agreeing with her. It was pretty normal for students to be in the same houses as their relatives. It was make sense for an heir of a founder to be in that very house. "We need a plan. We need to get into the Slytherin common room."

"Well that's easy, Carlie will just let us in? Right?" Ron said looking at me like it was the only answer.

"No Ron!" Hermione said before I could answer. "We need to get in there disguised, so we are able to ask the other Slytherins questions. No offense Carlie, but you and the people we need to talk to don't seem to get along too well."

"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied.

After pulling out a text book and flipping through a few pages, Hermione said, "I've got it! We can use Polyjuice potion, that way we can go in disguise. We will need your help though Carlie if you don't mind, we need you to get us some Slytherin robes."

"Sure, that'll be no problem," I said. I could just take some out of the laundry room or even off the coat rack. "Wait, who are you going to go as?"

"Harry and Ron can go as Crabbe and Goyle, so that they are able to talk to Malfoy, because he probably knows the most of it."

"I bet it's Malfoy," Ron said. "You heard him? You'll be next mudbloods," Ron quoted. Malfoy did say that, but from spending so much time with him he was all talk. I doubt he would be able to truly kill anyone.

"I know he's vile, but I'm sure that Malfoy isn't the Slytherin heir," Hermione said. She probably saw him the same way I did, all talk.

"His family has been in Slytherin for year, for all we know he could be," Harry said convincingly. I didn't agree with that though, I'm sure if Draco was the Slytherin heir, we would all know that by now because he'd be flaunting it in everyone's face. But I didn't say that out loud. Really though, if Malfoy was a decedent of Slytherin, he would make sure everyone in the house would be bowing down to him.

"How long is it going to take to make this potion?" I asked Hermione.

"A month," she said a little disappointed.

"A month?" We all said disbelieving, that was so long. Did they have the time?

"I know," Hermione said. "But it's the only plan we've got."