Chapter 39 - 40

Nobody cared about the duelling club anymore. Evan, Ron, and Hermione pulled Harry out of the Great Hall they were followed by Colin and Ginny.

People were moving out of the way quickly like they were afraid Harry was going to kill them.

Harry looked slightly puzzled; he didn't know what was going on. No explained anything to him as they dragged him to the empty Gryffindor common room.

Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a parseltongue, why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" asked Harry

"parseltongue! It means you can talk to snakes."

"I know I can, this is the second time I've done it," said Harry. "I did one time in a zoo when I accidentally let a big snake out and my cousin Dudley….. it's a long story but I bet a lot of people can do it."

"They can't," said Ron while frowning, "It's not common, Harry."

"Yes, it is bad!" said Ginny who was sitting by Evan.

"What's so bad about it?" asked Harry, ���What's wrong with everybody? Look, if I didn't tell the snake not to attack Justin then..."

"So that's what you said to him."

"Ron, what do you mean, you were there, you to Evan, Hermione, Colin, and Ginny, you were all there, you heard me."

"I only heard a hissing sound." stammered Colin, "I don't know what you said."

"That's parseltongue, Colin! It's the language of snakes," explained Ron.

"You said I used the language of snakes?" said Harry with his eyes wide open.

"Yes, none of us understood you. You could have said anything. No wonder Justin was so terrified and listening to your voice it was like you were encouraging the snake."

"Yes!!" nodded Colin and Ginny

Harry stared at them and said, "But I didn't know I could speak another language,"

Ron shook his head.

Colin and Ginny's face had a look of horror on it and Hermione sat aside and took out a book from the pile, reading it quickly while Evan sank down in thought, Harry wondered what he was thinking. The atmosphere grew heavier and heavier.

"Well, would you like to tell me that it is wrong to stop a serpent from killing Justin?" shouted Harry suddenly, "Justin didn't join the ghosts so what does it matter how I did it."

"Great!" Hermione finally spoke, she turned the book to a certain page and showed Harry, "Look here it says that Slytherin could talk to snakes too, he was the first ever proven to speak parseltongue, so the symbol of Slytherin house is a snake."

Harry opened his mouth in surprise while looking at the book in front of him.

"Exactly, Harry so now the whole school will think you are the heir especially since the chamber has been opened."

"But I'm not, I didn't open the chamber," said Harry in a panicky tone.

"I believe you, Harry!" said Ginny with shallow voice.

"We all believe you but it will be hard to prove it to others." said Hermione calmly, "Slytherin lived over a thousand years ago for all we know you could be the heir."

"That's absurd, so that's why everyone else was avoiding me," said Harry.

Harry stood up and looked at Evan who hadn't spoken yet and said: "Evan, you don't think I'm the heir to Slytherin or that I opened the Chamber of Secrets right?"

"Of course not, I don't feel very surprised that you are a parseltongue."

"Take it easy Harry!" said Evan "Although being a parseltongue is very rare, it is not unique, there are many wizards who can do it in additions to Slytherins heirs. I can name a few if you wish."

Evan's words made Harry feel relieved but he didn't say that the wizards who were parseltongue were all evil without exception.

"This doesn't really matter but what I want to know is what spell Ron used," said Evan as his gaze turned towards Ron who stood beside him.

"What, What!"

Ron's face turned red, "It was just a disarming spell maybe my wand made it change."

"Come on, Ron!" said Evan impatiently, "That's just what I said to Snape so he wouldn't ask more questions. If a broken wand could make a disarming spell mutate into such a dark magic spell then dark wizards would be walking around with broken wands."

"What did you say?" exclaimed Hermione, "Dark magic?"

"Yes, the spell was definitely dark magic. That why Snape asked Ron if he had been in the restricted book area."

"But I haven't…" said Ron, alarmed.

"Who knows!" said Evan as he stared at Ron, "Maybe it's not you."

"I haven't" repeated Ron. Ron then jumped up in fury and confusion, "Evan what do you mean? Do you think I'm someone else and used Polyjuice Potion to become Ron?"

Ron gave a harsh laugh, Colin and Ginny were a little scared, and Harry and Hermione looked puzzled, they weren't sure what Evan really meant.

"I believe he is really Ron," hesitated Hermione, "Evan you probably been too pressured by current events."

"That's right, this joke isn't funny." said Harry as he shook his head, "Today must be April fool's day because I saved Justin and now, I'm considered the heir to Slytherin and now Ron is suddenly a dark wizard."

"However, it is a simple task for dark wizards to control a person's mind."

"What the hell do you mean?!" exclaimed Ron loudly.

"Where were you on Halloween and when the first attack happened," asked Evan coldly.

"I was apologizing to weeping Myrtle in the damn bathroom!"

"That's one!" said Evan, "Where were you when the second attack happened?"

"In the hospital wing with Percy because of your spell my brother's arm bones were gone."

"No, you weren't there!"

Evan shook his head and said, "Soon after we left the hospital wing you left too and no one knew where you went."

"What's the relationship between them and me being gone!" said Ron while looking a little hysterical, "If students are attacked and if no one is with you when it happens then every student is suspicious because they might be the Slytherin heir."

"Only you can't use a broken wand to leave a corpse." said Evan as he narrowed his eyes, "Isn't that so?"

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After Ron heard what Evan said he jumped up and stared at him.

"You say I purposely cast a curse that I have never heard of," shouted Ron

"That's funny, you've just used a powerful corrosion curse on me and you're telling me you've never heard of it." said Evan as he flicked out his wand and pointed it at Ron, "Unfortunately I've seen this spell in a book about dark magic before and the description is exactly the same as the one you used."

"Evan, calm down!" said the others quickly as the stood to their feet.

"Ha-ha, that's hilarious." said Ron as he drew his wand, "I finally understand, it must have been that book that gave you the illusion that I was attacking you with dark magic."

"I'm calm and I know what I'm doing."

Evan calmly said, "Give it up, Ron, if I go find Dumbledore..."

"Nooo!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, no matter what I'm not going with you. I'm going to bed."

Everybody saw Ron lower his wand and head to his room.

He had just taken two steps when he suddenly stopped in place, his wand lightly quivered. The common room suddenly turned gloomy.

"Ron, are you all right?" asked Harry, worriedly

There wasn't an answer, there was just an eerie silence.

"I don't think Evan meant anything, he just..."

Before Evan words were finished Ron turned and pointed his wand at Evan, it produced an eerie green light. But before the spell was fully cast Evan subconsciously fired a spell, interrupting it.

Ron slowly fell down making everyone else dumbfounded.

After a few seconds Ginny's scream echoed in the common room, she quickly ran towards Ron.

"Evan what did you do?" said Harry while panicking, "You attacked Ron."

"He attacked me first, you should have seen the green light that his wand was producing."

"What was it?" asked Hermione eagerly.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was the killing curse, he was trying to kill me," said Evan as he recalled the green light which made him think of the Avada Kedavra curse.

"An unforgivable curse, that's impossible!"

Hermione gasped while the others were confused.

"Hermione, what do you mean by an unforgivable curse?"

"I have read in books that there are three unforgivable curses, The Killing Curse, The Cruciatus Curse, and The Imperious Curse." explained Hermione, "They are extremely evil, dark magic, once used, you will get a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

"Azkaban?!" said Colin with a trembling voice, "Evan said Ron was about to attack him with the Killing Curse."

"I don't think it was Ron, something must have been controlling him!"

Since being attacked by Ron in the Great Hall with the corrosive spell, Evan knew that this wasn't a spell that a second year could master especially one with a broken wand.

Was it a coincidence?

But even if there was a mutation, there should be a limit.

Think of Ron spells in the past, except for catching a few things on fire, or making him vomit slugs for a week, he can't do much.

When duelling with me, he suddenly produced a powerful dark magic, it's too suspicious. But if Tom Riddle was controlling him, everything can be perfectly explained.

As a student, Voldemort must have read countless dark magic books.

This also explains why Ginny didn't know anything about the diary.

Evan sighed, if all goes well the Chamber of Secrets will be settled soon.

There won't be any more attacks, and Riddle won't control Ron in front of Dumbledore. When he wakes up, he will know where the diary is hidden. The Mandrakes will mature soon, Snape will use them to brew an antidote.

"But I don't understand who would control Ron?" said Harry cautiously, "And what is his relationship with the chamber?"

"That doesn't matter, the question is what do we do now?"

Hermione was looking at the door with anxiety. Evan was holding his wand, Ron was laying on the floor like a corpse, and Ginny was crying beside Ron. If someone else saw this how would they explain it to them?

"Let us go to Professor McGonagall or Dumbledore, they will know what to do."

In the hospital, Dumbledore stood in front of Ron's bed with an unusually serious face.

Beside him was Professor McGonagall and Snape, who was bending over examining Ron carefully.

"Albus, Weasley, this is...…." said Professor McGonagall, Worried.

"A powerful curse is cast on his soul, poor child, he must have not known what he was doing," said Dumbledore as he gazed at the still resting Ron.

"Obviously, this is why Weasley with that empty head of his can suddenly cast such a powerful corrosive curse." said Snape as he looked up in disgust, "But luckily he hasn't been cursed long enough to become an idiot who knows nothing."

Snape took out a bottle of potion from his bosom and poured it down Ron's throat.

At the same time, Ron awoke, he stared at them with a confused expression.

"Where am I?"

Then he noticed the Professors standing beside him and with a surprised tone said, "How are you, Professors...."

"Thank goodness you awoke, Weasley!" said Professor McGonagall, "You were under the Imperious Curse!"

"Imperious Curse?"

"Yes, it is a very wicked dark magic, the people who are put under this curse loss their free will, it allows one to control the minds of others."

"But I don't remember anything, what did I do?" asked Ron as he shook his head.

"You used a corrosive curse on Mason, and afterward you tried to kill him with the Killing Curse." Snape said with a slight sneer, "But you obviously didn't succeed, with your poor magic strength, even if it hit him, I suspect it will only give him a slight nosebleed."

"But I...…"

"Mr. Weasley, it isn't your fault, even some powerful wizards are susceptible to the Imperious Curse."

Dumbledore said with a dignified expression while looking at Ron and gently said, "But I must ask you, do you have anything you wish to tell me?"

"No, no!" said Ron while looking pale, he didn't know what to say, and hesitated for a long time before he softly answered, "I don't remember anything, Professor!"