After dinner that day, I dragged Harry away to an empty corridor like he'd dragged me a month ago.
"What is it?" He asked, puzzled.
"I heard voices, hissing voices."
Harry's eyes widened and he looked around to make sure no one was listening. "You heard it too?! When?! Where?!" he asked urgently.
I nodded. "It's been a few days. But I thought it was nothing serious at that time."
"Do you. . . remember what exactly you heard?"
I nodded. "Yes, actually. I've been trying out this handy magic called Occlumency. It helps me remember stuff. So I memorized what I heard as best as I could."
Harry blinked, "That sounds useful. Anyways repeat whatever you remember. I'll see if I can translate it."
"Alright here goes..."
I said the first line out aloud to Harry.
Harry frowned. "Say it in slowly. I going to need to repeat exactly what you're saying to translate it."
After a few tries, Harry got it right as he said it in real Parseltongue.
$"Ssseytha-hathehhh-haaaah-tsseyaa-seethaaa-sse-hasseey-aayaa-seyythaa"$
Harry had weird expression as he translated it."...Err... it translates to: 'Open. My secret Toilet'.
Uh...are you sure you got it right?"
I shrugged. "Of course I didn't. How do you expect me to remember all of it when even you had to have me repeat it three times before you got it?"
I had changed a few letters on purpose, just to make it more natural that I can actually remember it. You can say it was a test run.
I think the correct translation is— 'Open. My Chamber Secrets.' not 'My secret toilet.'
But wait! If the words Toilet and Chamber sound quite similar in Parseltongue, then hey! Now I know why Slytherin made his Secret Chamber in a toilet! Maybe the man had a sense of humor and made the chamber in the toilet cause the chamber and toilet sounds similar in Parseltongue. . . .Or maybe the fanfictions are right and he's just a pervert.
Anyways, enough playing around. Now I'm coming to the main part. "Alright the next is— ..."
I repeated what I'd heard Riddle say. I can't repeat what the snake said, since it was even more indistinguishable. It was just pain Hissing.
This was the one I actually wanted to know, so I repeated it accurately.
Harry's eyebrows jumped in surprise, "It says 'Are you still unable to kill them outside?'."
"..."
"...Are you sure that's it?" I asked while many thoughts raced in my mind.
'If Tom asked this from the basilisk, then my earlier guess was correct! The Basilisk at least isn't gonna just up and kill a bunch of students at any time. This gives me some time to think about what to do.'
Harry got serious. "Where were you when you heard all this?" He asked.
"...."
'Did he already figure something out?' I wondered.
I don't want him to. I just wanted to make sure that the Basilisk actually wasn't going to kill anyone. Because if it was actually a threat, I'll just give up on the Chamber and Basilisk and just destroy the Diary. If Harry somehow figured out the location of the Chamber, he might just decide to solo it, or worse, take Lockhart with him.
So, I shook my head regretfully. "I've no idea where I was at that time. Actually it was night time after curfew and when I got lost on the sixth floor and I'd stumbled across a secret passage that I didn't know about. So, I entered it and when I emerged, I was somewhere on the ground floor. I heard the voice somewhere in the middle, I guess." I said, basically telling him to go search all six floors if he wants to find the place.
I left out the seventh floor cause there's already the room of requirements there. And I really hope that it remains as much exclusive to me as it can.
Man, someday, I'm gonna cast a Fidelius on that I place. I just laugh every time I think what would happen if suddenly Voldemort can't remember the hiding place of his Diadem Horcrux. He'd like— Ah...Another day has passed as I remain immortal. I made a really wise decision when decided to make those Horcruxes for back. Lord Voldemort doesn't need a crown to be wise... But... wait a minute! Where did I put that crown again? I think I put it somewhere around Hogwarts...
It would be a nice prank indeed. Though I'm not doing it because, one I haven't tried Fidelius, two, Dora would know I can do Fidelius since I can't let her forget it since the rooms has her precious memories. So, it is like, telling her I'm better than even some of the most powerful wizards of this age since I can cast it, three, I don't know how Voldemort would react to it. If that bastard moves the other Horcruxes, I'd be shooting myself in the foot.
Upon hearing my response, Harry's shoulders slumped. "Well, can you let the know if you hear it again? I really need to find out what that voice is."
I nodded. "Yeah sure. But you also keep in mind, this whatever is this voice is, it's clearly dangerous, since it's always talking about killing and stuff. So, be careful and don't go anywhere alone and don't let Neville and Hermione go anywhere alone as well, Ok?"
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." Harry agreed.
"Anyways, you got a with match against Slytherin the next weekend, right? How's practice?" I asked remembering that this is when Dobby tried to 'save' Harry.
Harry rolled his eyes as he ran his hand through his hair. "Oh don't even talk it. Woods has gone nuts after seeing those 2001s on the Slytherins. He's doubled down on torturing or training us for the next match. 'Whatever happens, we're not going to lose to Slytherins!' he says..." Harry talked animatedly about Quidditch non stop, and I realized once again that he really likes it, not just winning, but everything about the game. I wondered what would happen in a Ravenclaw vs Griffindor match now that Harry won't be hospitalized for it.
***
After saying goodbye to Harry, I remembered that I had another one of my detentions with Professor Flitwick. Well, it's like me going to his office to hangout once in a week when both of us are free, have butterbeer and cookies, and then learn some dueling. But before I go there, I need to pick up Nyixe, who's hanging out in the Ravenclaw common room with her friends.
Inside the common room, I found Nyxie surrounded by a group of older Ravenclaw girls.
"Hey Nyxie!" I called out, and Nyxie who was sitting in the sixth year prefect girl's lap flew up straight into my embrace.
"Hey Chris, leave her for a while longer!" said one of the girls, and all the other girls voiced their agreement.
"You are welcome to stay as well." said the sixth year prefect.
I smiled, "Sorry Penny, I can't stay. I have a detention with Professor Flitwick. You know, for punching someone's teeth off..."
The girls laughed. And I nodded inwardly at their reaction. At the start of the year, I'd have gotten a few curses for that line. But, thank Chris! They're finally seeing the light. Not everyone is a blind fangirl like Hermione and those bitch Griffindors. Most of the Ravenclaws now know that Lockhart is an absolute fraud due to many factors.
First is me socking him right in face. Before this, there had been a preconceived notion that Lockhart was something of a Superhuman, with a strong physique, and a man who shrugs off injuries like they're nothing. So, when everyone saw his pathetic images just after getting a punch for a twelve y/o child, that image had been completely shattered.
The next thing was of course, his nonsense bragging. Just take yesterday for example, claiming that Filch was already dead, then launching into a bragging stream of lie after lie. The things he says are so obvious lies with so many holes in logic that a Ravenclaw just can't be fooled.
The last but the most important factor is his crappy teaching, where he'd just read out absurd stuff from his book, then replay then recreate the scene by having someone play the werewolf, the vampire or the ghoul, even forcing the person to make funny noises then he'd subdue them in the most idiotic, senseless, and dumb ways.
In Griffindor second year class, he had Harry do all this embarrassing stuff in the class and Harry, like the good, obedient and gullible boy he was, did it all! It in actuality, it was just Lockhart taking satisfaction in making the Boy-who-lived act like his b*tch.
So, I'm proud to say that Harry isn't even attending Lockhart's classes this year! When he heard that I wasn't attending, he also straight up refused to go, making Hermione once again launch into her annoying tirade. But my friend chose bro before hoe and didn't listen to Hermione.
So, overall, I'm not at all hated at my house for my extreme behavior against Lockhart as shown by the girls taking my comment about punching Lockhart positively.
The sixth year prefect, Penny, or Penelope Clearwater gave a reluctant look at Nyxie when I rejected their invitation to stay, "Alright then, and thanks once again for punch him. He's totally ruining the D.A.D.A OWL and NEWTS grades of the fifth and seventh years. I'm already tired teaching the fifth years what years what Lockhart isn't teaching them, which is basically everything." She said slumping her shoulders.
Hmm...this is actually a problem. To get an apprenticeship, job at big shops, and for ministry Jobs, good OWLs and NEWTS grades are important. Afterall, not everyone's a young master like me to not need employment or to get a job through Nepotism. And not everyone is smart like me to be able to get good marks without guidence. But I guess neither Dumbledore nor Lockhart seem to care about this issue. What does the future of a few students have to do with these two?
So, I answered Penelope who had reminded me of this issue. "Well, I'll ask Flitwick what he has to say about it. And don't worry too much. Lockhart wouldn't be able to teach more that one year anyway due to the DADA curse." with this I bade them all farewell and exited the common room.
...
I was in chilling in Flitwick's office, reading a book that I'd picked up from my home's library. Until a few months ago, I'd always been reading books that I'd borrowed to stolen from somewhere like Potter Library, Hogwarts Library, or the Room of Requirements. So it always feels a bit unreal that the books I'm reading these days actually belongs to me. Like, I could actually scribble notes and stuff in it without problem and in future, I'd own that whole Library which has books from both the Laurant and Martin family.
"Chis" while I was busy reading, Professor Flitwick who was doing some paperwork on his desk called out to me. Now that he knows me well, I just asked him to call me Chris.
"Yes Professor?" I asked looking up from my book. We talk frequently whenever I come. It's mostly about Charms and dueling, and sometimes some random topic. He's come to realize that I'm mentally quite mature (sometimes).
Flitwick looked at me with intrigue. "I always wonder, why are you still attending my detentions, when you know that if you tried being a little more persuasive you could actually just be free from it?" he asked as he stroked his chin.
I shrugged my shoulders. "You are right, professor, I could actually not have suffered any punishment, and I most certainly believe — and I think you'd agree — that I certainly don't deserve any punishment for my actions. But I still regularly attend the detentions, because. . . I don't want anyone to think that they can get away with doing things like that. I think all rules are there for a reason, and I don't want to appear special...or above the rules. Because that would also encourage people like Draco Malfoy to do whatever he wants with the preconception that they'd be able to get away with it." I said and Flitwick nodded excitedly, like he'd gotten the answer he expected.
I continued, "Thus, when I got the detention, I make sure that everyone knows about it, so that they know they can't get away with things like this. I think all the other teachers at Hogwarts deserve sincere respect from the students, um... maybe except professor Snape, but my point is, they're are all qualified and some, are even overqualified for their jobs. Students shouldn't take my behavior against Lockhart as a reference when interacting with other teacher." I finished. See? That's how you become the favorite student of the teacher. A little more and he might even support me over Dumbledore if one day the need arises.
"Very good, Chris! Excellent!" Flitwick began clapping his hands. "You truly are an exemplary student! I wonder where you learned all this from."
And there's always my Trump card to explain my brilliance and over-excellence in situations like this.
I smiled a bit sadly, "Well, I wasn't living a totally orphaned life before this, there was this Grandma who had taken me in when I about 5 or 6. She was actually a witch! She is the one who taught me everything. She passed away a few years ago." I said, bringing my most useful card yet again. Truly, the grandma has been the most helpful to me in this world.
Flitwick then gave his consolations for my loss, which I have to gotten used to getting. I think I'm actually starting to feel sorry for my loss.
Anyways, I suddenly remembered what I'd promised Penelope Clearwater. "Professor, are you aware of the fact that the things Lockhart is teaching the students is mostly false and totally useless?"
Flitwick nodded with a helpless expression on his face, like he'd already gotten what I was getting at. "I am aware, Chris. And many students are daily raising this issue to me. But I really am unable to do anything about it. When Professor Dumbledore decided to take Gilderoy for the job all four heads of houses had raised their doubts and towards Gilderoy's capabilities but Professor Dumbledore was adamant about his decision. 'there is plenty to be learned even from a bad teacher: what not to do, how not to be' he answered us. And as you can see, I personally can't teach anyone the subject." He said, indicating all the paperwork and other work he had to do as a professor and a head of house.
"And, you should also understand that professor Dumbledore also didn't have many options. By now, everyone in Britain knows that the position of DADA professor is cursed, so very few people would actually agree to take the post."
I nodded. That's true as well. But there's something that can be done about this. And it would also come in handy if another incompetent DADA ever arrives.
"Professor, actually there iS something that you can do about that'll not waste too much of your time, and it can help solve this problem." I said as an idea began forming in mind. The dueling club is going to Very eventful this time.
***
A.N.: Scroll a little. Down below, besides the chapter comments icon, you'd find a vote icon hit that button and then hit "Use all"
Thanks for your POWERSTONES and Support!
extra chapters on: Pátreon.com/Snollygoster
.