18 Chapter 17

It had been two months since classes had started when Harry noticed that he had gained two Gryffindor admirers, Colin Creevey and Ginny Weasley. What to do about it, the Slytherin didn't know. No matter how hard Harry tried to avoid seeing Colin Creevey, Potter couldn't: the pushy Gryffindor freshman seemed to have learnt Harry's class schedule by heart. Colin was over the moon and asked, "How are you, Harry?" ten times a day. However, that was still the most innocuous part.

This Gryffindor liked to carry around a magical camera and was constantly taking pictures of Potter. Eventually, the Slytherin's patience wore thin, and one day during another break between classes, Harry caught this persistent paparazzi and decided to have a serious talk with him. Pushing the Gryffindor into one of the abandoned classrooms, Harry began the conversation.

- Look Colin, what do you want from me?

- Well, you're the boy who survived. And I'm very interested in meeting such a famous wizard," the freshman said with a fanatical gleam in his eyes. Having said that, Harry made a facepalm. Taking another look at Creevey, Potter thought briefly. Such bigotry was uncharacteristic of an eleven-year-old boy, what the hell was wrong here?

- Ratione cuius evidential,» Potter said, pointing his wand at the freshman, and a lilac beam erupted from it, striking Creevey in the head. The Gryffindor was not seriously injured, only unconscious. When he woke up, Creevey looked around and saw that he was in an abandoned classroom with Harry Potter. And then it dawned on the freshman that he had been acting like a bigot.

- I'm sorry, Harry, I don't know what came over me. I've never acted like this before," Colin tried to justify himself.

After talking to Creevey some more, Harry went about his business, thinking hard about who could have had a psychic effect on the muggle-born Gryffindor first year. The thought that it could have been Dumbledore was immediately dismissed by the Slytherin. The headmaster wasn't idiotic enough to behave so rudely. However, there was still some doubt in Potter's mind that Dumbledore was involved. If Creevey could still be dealt with, then Ginny Weasley was a nightmare. That little girl followed Harry everywhere he went. Wherever Potter went, the redhead was there for him. Even going to the toilet or bathroom, the Slytherin would run into Seven.

"What a bitch that redhead is," Harry frowned mentally. At the question, "What do you want?" Weasley would blush and run away. It got to the point where Potter decided to seek help from his Slytherin mates, with whom the boy had a friendly relationship. Of all the sophomores, Daphne Greengrass, a pretty blonde with blue eyes, decided to help Harry get rid of the attention of the pesky redhead.

It was now the norm for Hogwarts students to see Harry Potter walking with Daphne after class. Seeing the pair, the redhead abruptly tempered her fervour. Talking to Hermione and Neville during their regular friendly get-togethers, Harry learned that the redhead had changed a lot lately. Weasley had stopped socialising with her friends and was constantly writing something in her black notebook. This news made Harry think about it, but soon Potter decided to ignore the redhead. The main thing was that Seven was off his back.

Classes went on as usual, but after the pixie incident, Harry stopped going to DADA lessons when the Curls were teaching them. Instead, Potter mostly sat in the Slytherin lounge and read the books on combat magic, spells and transfiguration that he had brought with him from Potter Manor. When Lockhart found out that Potter was not attending classes, he rushed to the headmistress to influence the sophomore.

However, the smarmy charlatan did not succeed, moreover, he almost incurred the wrath of the black-haired sorceress. Sitting in his office, the conniving charlatan recalled the unfortunate conversation in the Headmaster's office and thought about how to make Harry Potter respect himself.

 Flashback

Entering the Headmaster's office, Harry sat down in a chair and tried to look politely at the beautiful wizardess. Standing against the wall was Lockhart, whose appearance gave Potter a deep disgust. Harry noticed that Morgana was looking at the blonde-haired cretin with disgust.

- Harry, it has come to my attention that you are not attending the DADA class. Professor Lockhart is very insistent that you attend his classes," Morgana said, getting up from her chair and adjusting her dress. She said the last words with great contempt as she looked at the silent Lockhart.

- 'I'm not going to attend the classes of that petty, boastful, narcissistic cretin who can't even handle a pixie. I'd better get on with my self-training, Headmaster," Harry left the office as he didn't want to be in the same room with the inept teacher any longer. As soon as Potter left, the narcissistic peacock, in the world known as Gilderoy Lockhart, moved away from the wall, sat down in the chair opposite the black-haired wizard and, trying to keep a deceitful smile on his face, after a short silence decided to speak.

- Headmistress, you see, Harry doesn't want to go to my important classes, and DADA is necessary for all wizards," Lockhart said, keeping his gaze on the black-haired witch's ample cleavage. Noticing where Lockhart was looking, Morgana used a levitation spell to move the chair with the man a few metres away.

- Yes, DADA is an extremely important branch of magical knowledge, but when it's taught by the likes of you, Mr Lockhart..." Morgana looked at the man with disdain and continued: "You can't even handle a pixie. And that's saying a lot. Unfortunately, because of the contract my predecessor made with you, I can't kick you out of here. I wish I could. You disgrace the title of wizard and look me in the eye, not where you're looking now.

The black-haired beauty said the last words almost with a hiss. Lockhart, as usual, could not take his eyes off Morgana's breasts. Which, of course, couldn't help but please the Hogwarts headmistress. Without letting the man say a word, the brunette lifted him into the air with a special spell. The anger on Morgana's face was obvious.

- 'Listen to me carefully, if I find out that you dared to approach Harry and, Merlin forbid, tried to harm him, your miserable life will be full of misery. Get out," Morgana threw Lockhart out of the office.

 End of flashback

Returning from the library, a couple of hours before bedtime, Harry heard a strange hissing voice. The voice took his breath away, his blood ran cold in his veins, and the voice oozed icy venom.

- Come... come to me. let me grab you... tear you... kill you...

However, that voice soon disappeared, leaving Harry puzzled. More puzzlement was added the next evening when Harry and Hermione were walking back from the library together and talking passionately, not noticing that they were on the third floor.

Suddenly Hermione shrieked: something glittered ahead. They hurried over there, looking around. On the wall between the two windows in huge letters were inscribed words, glittering in the torchlight:

"SECRET CHAMBER REOPENED TREMBLING, ENEMIES OF THE HEIR!".

As they came closer, Harry and Hermione noticed an object hanging beneath the ominous words, which from afar seemed like a gloomy shadow, and were stunned - it was Mrs Norris, the school caretaker's cat, which both Slytherin and Gryffindor instantly recognised. The frozen cat was suspended by its tail from the lantern bracket. Its bulging eyes were wide open. Hearing the other students approaching, Harry and Hermione quickly hid in a small alcove and waited for the crowd to gather so they could stealthily hide. The students looked at the hanging cat with terror in their eyes. The silence lasted until one of the students shouted out.

- Trembling, enemies of the heir! First the cat, and then those in whose veins the impure blood flows!

It was Draco Malfoy. He squeezed through the crowd, his always cold eyes alive and a blush playing on his pale face. Glancing at the frozen cat, he grinned crookedly.

- What's going on here? А? - Argus Filch squeezed through the crowd when he heard Malfoy, but at the sight of Mrs Norris, he backed away and clutched his head in horror.

- What's wrong with my cat? What?" - he shouted, his eyes bulging.

- 'Calm down, Argus. Accompanied by several professors, Morgana appeared and carefully removed Mrs Norris from the torch bracket. Taking the cat, the headmistress and professors headed for the DADA room but first dispersed the students to the faculty lounges. Saying goodbye to Hermione, Harry headed longingly towards the Slytherin dungeons.

However, as soon as the boy fell asleep in his room, all anxious thoughts about these incomprehensible events quickly vanished from Potter's mind.

Saturday afternoon was the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Although Harry didn't like Quidditch, the boy had travelled to the stadium to support his faculty team. The game was going on with a steady advantage for the snake faculty team until one of the bludgers tried to attack Harry sitting in the stands. Noticing the ball rushing towards him, Potter quickly destroyed it with a Reducto spell, but after a while, a second ball still hit the boy and broke his arm. Going to the hospital wing, he stayed there until the next morning, as Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, had insisted on it. As it turned out later, some pranksters had set up bludgers to try and attack the Slytherins sitting in the stands.

Harry reflected on this and concluded that it was the Gryffindors who had done it. The day went on as usual. Late in the afternoon, the boy turned several times in his bunk, trying to sleep, but then the infirmary was entered again.

Morgana stumbled into the room, followed by Professor McGonagall. They carried something that looked like a statue and placed it on a vacant bed.

- Go fetch Madam Pomfrey," the headmistress asked in a whisper. Professor McGonagall walked past Harry and out of the room. Harry lay still, pretending to be asleep. Excited voices were heard and Madam Pomfrey entered the room with Professor McGonagall, hastily pulling a jumper over her nightgown. Upon seeing the statue, Madam Pomfrey gasped.

- What's wrong? - She asked in a whisper to the headmistress and leaned over the motionless figure.

- 'A new attack,' the black-haired wizard explained. - Minerva and I found him on the stairs."

Goosebumps ran down Harry's spine and he raised himself quietly to look at the statue's face, illuminated by the moonlight. It was Colin Creevey. Colin's eyes were round with terror, and he was holding a camera in his hands.

- A numbing spell? - Madam Pomfrey asked.

- 'Yes,' replied Professor McGonagall. - 'To think of it... If the Headmistress hadn't come downstairs for hot chocolate, who knows what would have happened then...''

All three of them looked at Colin. Morgana leaned over, clutching the camera tighter, and snatched it out of Colin's hands.

- Maybe he had time to film his attacker? - Professor McGonagall suggested. The brunette opened the lid of the camera: smoke billowed from it, and Harry could smell burning plastic even three beds away. Madam Pomfrey took a step back and whispered confusedly:

- "It's melted...

- What does that mean? - Professor McGonagall asked.

- 'That the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open,' replied the headmistress.

Madam Pomfrey pressed her palm to her mouth in fear. Professor McGonagall looked questioningly at Morgana.

- 'Madam Headmistress, but who...?

- 'The question is not who,' Morgana replied, not taking her eyes off Colin, 'the question is how.....

The lights were off, but Harry could see Professor McGonagall's face with an expression of extreme bewilderment.

"This is very strange. We have to get to the bottom of this. This isn't a school of magic, it's a detective story." - Harry thought to himself before falling asleep.