Chapter 108 : Echoes of the Chamber

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"Calm down, Harry!" Severus exclaimed as the boy entered the office in a half invisible blear. "What happened?"

"Colin Creevy. He's been petrified! Dad, I was just there! It was the voice. I followed it there." Harry was breathing heavily, pacing up and down the room. How could this have happened?

"A student petrified?" Severus asked numbly. "And you followed a voice? What voice?" The flames in the fireplace turned green and Severus placed the invisibility cloak swiftly on Harry before hastily replacing his disillusionment charms and approaching; the face of Minerva McGonagall appeared on the burning embers.

"Severus!" She called; there was anxiousness in her tone, panic even.

"Minerva? What seems to be the problem?"

"A student was found by Albus on the Grand Staircase. A first year student petrified! It's awful, Severus!" Harry had never heard the usually collected Deputy Headmistress sound like that.

"Calm down, Minerva." Severus spoke evenly. "Is the student at the infirmary?"

"Yes, Albus carried him there." She breathed in deeply. "Can you come over? We need your confirmation that it's the same thing that happened to Filch's cat."

"I'm on my way. Should I alert the students?"

"Albus said we shouldn't; they will find out tomorrow, we shouldn't spread panic in the middle of the night." The potions master nodded.

"I will be there in a few minutes." McGonagall's face disappeared from the fireplace and Severus turned back to Harry who took off the cloak.

"Sev, I…"

"I'll be back in an hour tops. You should stay here and try to relax; then I want you to tell me everything." He waved his wand producing a cup of hot chocolate as Harry sat in an armchair. The minutes ticked by slowly as Harry thought. The voice had to be real; how else could it lead him to the place of the attack? But why was he the only one to hear it? He looked at the empty painting on the wall deep in thought. What was happening in Hogwarts this time?

In the meantime, Severus had reached the infirmary. The student was indeed a first year Gryffindor called Colin Creevy and a great fan of Adrian Potter. He had apparently sneaked out of the Gryffindor Common Room to snap a picture of his hero. Hoping he had caught a glimpse of the attacker, Albus had opened the lid of his camera; a thick grey smoke and the smell of burned plastic was all his action revealed. Dumbledore seemed to know who the Heir was, Severus thought as he returned to his office, having verified Creevy had fallen victim of the same fate that had befallen Mrs. Norris. Albus knew but still seemed perplexed as to how it was possible. And a perplexed Albus was never good news.

Then there was Harry, the potions master thought quickening his step. The boy had avoided speaking to him for a few weeks; that in itself was highly unusual. The fact that he seemed preoccupied was unnerving. The way he looked earlier that night was right down disturbing; he had been pale and going on and on about a voice that had led him to the scene of the crime. He opened the door to his office, a pair of emerald eyes boring into his immediately.

"Is Colin really…"

"Yes, he has been petrified." Severus confirmed; Harry sunk back into the armchair.

"Oh." He mumbled softly.

"You wanted to tell me something before Minerva called." The potions master reminded him, sitting right across him. Harry lifted his eyes contemplative, as if he was trying to fond the right words. That too, was never good news.

"Last spring, Ron Weasley told me that I was loosing my mind from all the studying I was doing." Harry began, remembering a conversation from last May.

"Why is this relevant?"

"I think he was right."

"On you studying too much?" Severus offered, trying to lift his mood.

"Not that. The losing my mind part." Harry corrected him.

"And what made you think you're losing your mind?"

"I…" Harry looked at the floor crestfallen. "I may be hearing voices that nobody else hears." He finally admitted.

"Voices?"

"Well, one voice really. Quite the bloodthirsty one; it keeps repeating that it wants to kill someone…" Harry looked back at Severus's eyes with fear.

"To kill you said?" Severus asked. Harry hearing voices was not a good thing indeed. Mostly because it was Harry who was hearing them and that probably indicated a magical threat rather than insanity. And with the resent attacks…

"Yep." Harry agreed trying and failing to sound lighthearted. "I hear a murderous voice coming from the walls. Not a very good sign for my sanity, I fear."

"For argument's sake," Severus began as he rose from his chair to sit at the corner of his desk, closer to Harry. "Let's say you're not -and I truly believe you're not- crazy." Harry nodded, quite liking the idea. "And if you're not crazy, there has to be another explanation for the voice."

"Like what?" Harry asked, sitting straighter in his chair.

"You said you're the only one who can hear it?"

"Yes." Harry confirmed. "I was waiting for Adrian to get through with his detention with Lockhart first time I heard it." Harry explained rubbing his eyes. "I thought that Adrian might need to see a friendly face after so many hours locked in the same room as Lockhart, answering his mail, but the detention went on forever and I was half asleep on the floor. When I heard the voice, I passed it off as a ghost playing tricks, quite possibly Peeves."

"Reasonable enough." Severus agreed.

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