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Chapter 56 - Back Again

Life continued for Blake, and he eventually and unwillingly accepted the loss of Charlotte. He couldn't dwell on it forever, and especially not now, when he had as little power as a bald Squib. So instead, he dedicated himself to training and improving his spell. He worked on it everyday, seeing a little progress every day, until finally, his efforts came into fruition.

ATTEMPT 67: 

INCANTATION: SCRIPTUM EXORDIA

WAND MOVEMENT: SLIGHT UPWARDS FLICK SPECIFICALLY ON SCRIPTUM, THEN DOWNWARDS HALF SWING ON -EX, FOLLOWED BY SWIPE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT (DEPENDING ON THE CUSTOMER'S DOMINANT HAND)

INTENT: THINKING OF PEN WRITING AUTONOMOUSLY, WITH THE CUSTOMER'S VOICE 

OUTCOME: SUCCESS

Blake almost whooped out loud in the Forest in joy. Finally, after almost a year, he'd done it. No longer did he need to spend egregious amounts of time regenerating the same essay and the same person because the tone was off or unsuitable. Now, the spell incorporated the customer's voice, and no two customers were ever the same.

Thank God, I was starting to get worried I'd never make it! Blake thought. He glanced at his watch. If I leave now, I'll be back in time for the Halloween Feast.

Important stuff always happens on Halloween, he thought, shaking his head with a small smile as he remembered Quirrell's troll diversion last year.

At the feast, Blake was in an unusually cheery mood, and for once, rather than questioning it, Zabini, Tracey and even Greengrass seemed to adopt it too. For the first time in a long time, the 4 Slytherins seemed to be somewhat back to normal, exchanging jokes and bantering and smiling, and Blake found himself eternally grateful for this moment. We've all been too morose for too long, he thought. Maybe Charlotte's gone for now, but it doesn't mean we'll never get her back, or that we should spend our time moping around - she wouldn't want that.

Soon, the feast ended, and the four made their way back to the dungeons, but a loud crowd had gathered in the corridor.

"What's the hold up?" Zabini grumbled, as they did their best to make their way to the front.

All four of them froze at the same time.

There, on the wall, hung a stiff Mrs Norris, bloodied and stiff, not moving at all. And on the wall, written in what they could only presume was her blood, said:

THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE

Blake's blood froze. He thought back to back Voldemort had said, back in their first, and what Blake had hoped would be their last, meeting.

"How dare you think that you, the Flaw of Slytherin, stand up to me, it's Heir?"

It can't be. Not now. Not so soon.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next-"

Malfoy's jubilant voice ceased its glee as soon as Blake turned to stare at him. The blonde pureblood boy's smirk was wiped clean off his face, and he looked around, seeing the disgusted looks on the people around him.

But that wasn't Blake's main concern. He looked at the bloodied wall again, before staring at Harry, who for some reason, had been right at the scene. 

Is he thinking the same thing?

Does he think that Voldemort's back - again?

/

In about three days, Blake had gathered enough knowledge, through teachers and books and records, of the Chamber of Secrets. Legend had it that it had been made by Salazar Slytherin himself, in order to purge muggleborns of the school. It had been legend for a long time, until a mysterious, strange death had occurred in the school, to a muggleborn girl, and the school got shut down for a time.

And coincidentally, judging by the time of Voldemort's rise to power, he could've very well been a student. 

However, there was one thing wrong with that theory - a student had already been expelled for the crime of opening it, McGonagall had told him so. Does that mean that it can't be Voldemort? 

No.

Think about it - if someone really had opened the Chamber and been found guilty of murder, there's no way they couldn't be in Azkaban right now.

But how am I going to find the victim and the person that got expelled?

Blake sighed. He doubted asking a teacher for names would do any good, but there was always another option. He strode up to Madame Pince, and whispered as quietly as he could.

"Excuse me, Madame Pince. I'm really sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you had the student records books from the 1930s?"

/

Blake reckoned that 1930 had to be the absolute earliest that the Chamber had been opened. Hagrid had gotten particularly antsy when Blake had brought it up, and McGonagall indirectly confirmed it had been after her time at Hogwarts.

That puts the time at during 1930 to 1950-ish, Blake reasoned. He sighed as he opened the first two books, and began scanning the pages for names.

This is going to take a really, really long time.

/

The next week, Blake was well into his research when none other than (of course) Greengrass sat in the next chair to him. He sighed.

"You can't steal my Quill anymore, Greengrass. It curses anyone other than me that tries to touch it."

"I wasn't going to," she said, aloof. "After all, you're well aware what the implications of the Chamber of Secrets are."

"How d'you know it's not just a prank?"

"Funny you should say that when you're reading through the Hogwarts archives. You think it's the Dark Lord, don't you?"

"Don't you?"

"I was hoping you didn't," Greengrass sighed, not answering the question. "At any rate, I'll be safe."

Blake couldn't pretend that didn't annoy him.

"But I guess it's okay if all the mudbloods die, isn't it?" he said bitterly.

"Shut up, Renshaw. I didn't say that. All I said was that I'll be safe."

Blake didn't respond, and Greengrass rolled her eyes.

"I'll let you in on a hint, since you're being so petty today. The girl who died the last time the Chamber was opened is called Myrtle Warren."

Blake frowned. 

"I've heard her name before."

"Tracey's always complaining about her," Greengrass said dismissively. "She haunts one of the girls' bathrooms?"

"What?"

"But what I think you'll be even more interested to hear is who was the one who got expelled after being accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets," Greengrass said with a small smile.

Blake's heart rate started to increase. 

"Who?"

"Reubus Hagrid."

What the f-

"He didn't," Blake immediately responded. Aside from the fact that Hagrid is the most prime example of a gentle giant ever, he couldn't have. He's nowhere near Slytherin's heir.

Greengrass rolled her eyes again.

"Really? Thanks for letting me know." She never acts this sarcastic with anyone else, Blake complained to himself mentally.

"Shut up, Greengrass. How'd you even know this, anyway?"

"I just do, why would I tell you? Do you want me to take Veritaserum to prove it?"

"Knowing you, you've already taken the antidote. But anyway, that means he was framed, right?"

"Yes."

Blake paused in thought for a moment, remembering what Binns had told them. There's a monster in the Chamber of Secrets.

"It makes sense," Blake said slowly. "Hagrid's an easy target. He's got the same amount of familial backing as a muggleborn, and worse, he's half-giant. There's plenty of people that already were suspicious of him for that alone, and if you add the fact that the man loves beasts and monsters, it's a no brainer."

"Exactly. Hagrid got framed, and likely by the Dark Lord too. We don't know his true identity, but it had to be when he attended Hogwarts."

Blake felt a shudder course through him.

"So - Voldemort-"

"Don't say his name!"

"Voldemort was killing even in Hogwarts, as a child?"

Greengrass paused.

"It seems so."

Greengrass has just

The two of them sat in silence for a while, before Blake broke it.

"Which bathroom is Myrtle in?"

"You plan to sneak into the girls' bathroom, Renshaw? And here I took you for a gentleman."

"Shut up, Greengrass. I'm leaving."

Just as Blake was about to leave, Greengrass grabbed his arm.

"Wait."

"What?" Blake asked, puzzled.

"We're even now," she said.

Even? For what? Oh. Feeling guilty about last year, are we?

Blake smirked.

"That's cute, Greengrass, but you don't owe me anything, and I don't owe you anything either. That was just business."

He turned and left quickly, but not before seeing the rare, dumbfounded look on the girl's face. Blake grinned. I'd pay 20 Galleons to see that expression on her again.

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