"What's wrong, Blakey?" Myrtle pouted. "You seem sad."
Finally, Blake thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He did feel bad for Myrtle's predicament, and the fact that she felt so much sadness or fear or regret about her life and death that she was a ghost, and for the manner of her death, but enough was enough at this point. He understood being sad, but for like over 50 years?
Took you 2 hours to realise I hadn't said over 5 words, Myrtle, he thought, sighing. Oh well.
"Sorry, Myrtle," Blake said apologetically. "It's just… y'know what, it's nothing," he said, sadly.
"No, no, no!" Myrtle wailed loudly. "You have to tell me!"
Blake felt a bit bad, but he continued the act. He sighed heavily again.
"It's just… don't tell anyone I told you, Myrtle, but this week, someone got petrified. A muggleborn student, first year. One of my little brother's friends. They say… well, they say the monster from the Chamber of Secrets did it, and I'm so scared for me and my little brother!"
That's some good acting, if I do say so myself, Blake thought smugly. Then again, I'm not lying, just laying it on extra thick.
Myrtle started crying loudly, sobbing, as Blake expected.
"What's wrong, Myrtle?"
"Oh, Blakey. It's horrible, so horrible!"
"What?"
Myrtle continued to cry, and Blake said urgently, "Please, Myrtle - it seems like you know something about this - please tell me. I couldn't bear it if something happened to my little brother.." he said, sounding as anxious and sad as he could.
Myrtle cried for a few moments longer, before eventually reducing it down to the occasional whimper.
"Blakey… I don't know if you've heard, but, you know there was a muggleborn girl that died the first time the Chamber was opened?"
"Yeah, I heard about that, what about that?"
"That - that girl - is me!" she finished, starting another bawling session, but Blake couldn't help but feel triumph. Finally, we're getting somewhere.
"No way!" Blake said cynically, his eyes almost comically wide with shock. "Myrtle, I'm so sorry."
"It-" Myrtle cried for at least another 30 seconds. "It's okay," she sniffled.
"I know - I know it might be a long shot for me to ask, and you probably don't want to remember or answer, but… never mind," Blake said sadly. "It's fine."
"No, no, no, Blakey! Ask me anything, I promise I'll tell you!"
Blake inhaled deeply. This is it.
"Myrtle, when you… passed away, did you see who or what attacked?"
Myrtle moaned mournfully.
"I'm sorry, Blakey, I didn't."
You have got to be f*cking kidding.
"That's okay, Myrtle," Blake said, re-adopting his sad tone. "But do you remember anything at all? Maybe something suspicious?"
The ghost girl shook her head.
"The only thing I saw was a pair of eyes."
Huh?
Myrtle shuddered.
"A pair of great, big, yellow eyes. I'll never forget it." She burst out crying again, but Blake could barely hide his glee, let alone comfort her.
A pair of eyes were the last thing she saw! That's a massive hint - a power like Medusa's, maybe?
"There was no spell you heard? Or a wand?"
Myrtle shook her head.
"No. But - but there was someone in the bathroom. I don't know who, but I heard something - they were speaking, I think, but it wasn't English, or a spell."
"Maybe it was a spell you'd never heard of?" Blake offered, but Myrtle shook her head.
"It didn't sound anything like English or French or Greek or Latin or anything else the spells are in. It was like… it was like someone was hissing at me." Myrtle looked on the verge of tears. "I thought they were making fun of me again for crying, so I went out to tell them to go away, and I died!"
She started crying again.
Blake quickly dismissed himself after comforting her, making an excuse about homework due, and promptly said his goodbyes.
I'll still visit every once in a while until this whole thing ends, Blake thought. I might need more information later - but for now, this will do just fine.
Voldemort. A pair of great, big, yellow eyes. It couldn't have Voldemort's. His were red. But that's fine. There's clearly a condition that needs to be filled, otherwise petrifications wouldn't even happen, it would be straight deaths. And to be fair, the eyes might not even be the killing factor, it could just be the hissing spell - that's probably what Voldemort did. But she didn't even see him. A remote controlled spell maybe? One that controls the monster to kill people? But then why is Colin Crevey still alive? Why didn't he die?
Blake shook his head.
This will only become clearer with research. For now, I'll just focus on that, and the facts I know:
1) The enemy's capable of killing, but petrification can also occur instead.
2) Myrtle heard someone or something hissing outside her bathroom.
3) She saw a pair of great, big, yellow eyes right before she died.
4) There is a condition, potentially many, that the enemy can't control, because petrifications occur instead of murders.
Blake got into bed, planning on his research for the next day, when suddenly, it hit him - hissing. Voldemort. Slytherin. Yellow eyes.
He scrambled out of bed, rushing as fast as he could without being seen back to Myrtle's bathroom.
"Blakey, you're back!" Myrtle said with a smile.
"Sorry, Myrtle, I just have one more question."
"Go on," Myrtle said, looking puzzled.
"Those eyes you saw - were they like a snake's?"
Myrtle pondered for a moment, before looking shocked.
"Yes! Yes, they were."
/
Blake began his research the next second that he got free time. Snakes. Serpents. Anything I can find, I read. Anything that kills by hissing or eyesight.
In the midst of his research, Blake had to decide whether or not to stay in Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. I'm close to getting it, he thought. But I don't want Connor here for a second longer than he has to be with that thing around.
But if he has to go home, I do too, and what would be the point of that if when we come back, there's still a serpent monster on the loose?
This all comes down to whether or not I can back myself to finding out what the monster is soon.
Do I back myself?
/
"What? That's not fair!" Connor complained loudly. Students in the Great Hall looked over at him weirdly, but the boy didn't seem to care. Blake sighed.
"Connor, I have to stay, and I don't want Mum to be alone for Christmas."
"But why do you have to stay?"
"I can't say."
"We had a deal!"
"This is our deal, Connor," Blake said, slightly more stern, before he sighed again. "Please, just say you'll go home."
Connor stared at him for a moment.
"This is about the Chamber, isn't it? You want to investigate it."
"Yes, I do."
"And you don't want me to help, or even be here because it's dangerous."
"That too."
"But we had a deal."
"And our deal said that you would protect me, Connor - and if I needed it. But right now, you don't know enough magic, and I don't need it," Blake said gently.
Connor looked like he wanted to argue.
"Fine! But I better get at least two presents this year! A magic one, and a normal one!"
Blake laughed.
/
"I need to see Professor Dumbledore now, Professor."
Blake stood in McGonagall's office, refusing to budge. It was the beginning of December now, and the school had been lucky that there were no further petrifications.
"Whatever for, Mr Renshaw?"
Blake looked her dead in the eye, and for a second, he saw McGonagall's eyes preemptively widen in shock, as though she knew what he was about to say.
"I know what the monster of the Chamber of Secrets is, Professor."
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