The Gryffindor common room was quiet that evening—almost too quiet. The hearth crackled, casting flickering shadows along the walls as most students had already turned in. Hermione sat curled in her chair, nose in a book, as usual. I stood behind the couch, watching the flames, wondering how to start.
"Hermione," I said.
She looked up. "Hmm?"
"I'm going down. Into the Chamber."
There was a beat. Then she blinked. "The what?"
"The Chamber of Secrets," I clarified, turning toward her. "There's something dangerous hidden deep beneath the castle—something I intend to face."
Hermione's brow furrowed. "Sky, that's just a myth. A thousand-year-old monster sleeping under a school full of children? No confirmed deaths? That sounds like something out of a badly edited conspiracy scroll."
I met her eyes, calm. "Her name was Myrtle Warren."
She paused. "Who?"
"Myrtle Warren," I repeated. "Though you probably know her by the name Moaning Myrtle."
Hermione's face went pale. "You're saying—she died in the school?"
I nodded. "Haven't you ever wondered why there would be a ghost of a dead student roaming around? There are no other student ghosts in Hogwarts. None. Why do you think Peeves takes such joy in tormenting her, but never lays a finger on the other ghosts in Hogwarts?"
Her expression faltered, eyes widening with slow horror. She'd never considered that.
"There was a girl," I said, voice low. "She died in the castle. In a bathroom."
Hermione looked at me like I'd started speaking in riddles. "Wait—you're serious?"
"Dead serious. No pun intended."
She frowned. "How? When?"
"Decades ago. During the last time the Chamber was opened."
"But—but why would no one talk about it? Surely there would be records—"
"There were. Quiet ones. Covered up. They blamed Hagrid—framed him on the testimony of a single student. A prefect."
Hermione blinked. "Who?"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle."
Her face went bone white. "Wait… that name—that's the signature that was on the diary. The one Lucius Malfoy gave you. I remember seeing it."
I nodded my head at this.
"The Ministry didn't want scandal. Hogwarts swept it away like dust under a rug and Dumbledore pleaded with the Ministry to allow Hagrid to stay at Hogwarts as its gamekeeper. They couldn't stop his expulsion or the snapping of his wand.
Hermione's face twisted in disbelief and sorrow. "Hagrid was expelled?" she whispered. "That's awful... he's one of the kindest people I've ever met. Who would frame someone as kind as Hagrid? I mean sure, his taste in magical beasts and his definition of harmless may be a bit skewed but what evidence did the ministry justify Hagrids Expulsion?"
I gave Hermione a solemn look.
"One word, Prejudice. It also didn't help that the attacks stopped right after."
Hermione frowned. "But... wouldn't that make Hagrid seem more like the culprit then? I mean, the attacks stopped after they took him."
I shook my head. "That's what they used to justify it. But Myrtle Warren was found dead with no visible wounds—nothing. Not a scratch. The creature they claimed Hagrid was hiding was an Acromantula. You've read Fantastic Beasts, right? Acromantulas don't kill cleanly. They maul. Tear. Leave bodies like burst sacks."
Hermione looked horrified.
"Exactly. And Hagrid's so-called monster was barely the size of a Quaffle at the time. Harmless. They didn't even hold a real investigation. No questioning of staff. No evidence gathering. They just expelled him, snapped his wand, and tossed him into Azkaban. Because it was easier. Because it meant the Ministry didn't have to admit that something ancient and deadly was still hiding beneath a school full of children.""
I nodded. "They needed someone to blame. And he was the easiest target.""
She crossed her arms. "How do you know all this?"
I stared into the fire. "I can't exactly tell you that yet. I promise I will—but not now. Too many things are going at once and I'm starting to lose my edge because of it."
Hermione studied me carefully, but after a long pause, she sighed and nodded. "All right. I don't like being kept in the dark, but I trust you to tell me when it matters. Just... don't keep it from me forever."
"I won't," I said quietly. "You have my word."