Chapter Twenty-Four, Writing on the Wall

Sirius couldn't believe it. His life was finally getting back on track and soon he'll be able to have Izzy with him. He had been cleared by the Healers morning of September 1st and since then he's spent his time re-setting up Potter Manor with Izzy's permission, as no one had lived there in years which didn't take long as the House-Elves had kept everything in exemplary condition, it had just been updating Izzy's nursery to a bedroom fit for a pre-teen. Along with that he had been updating himself on all his Lordship duties for House Black and proxy duties for House Potter, taking the exams to become co-Professor for D.A.D.A and writing to Izzy.

And he'd finally done it. He'd passed the exams needed to become a Professor and just in time too as the Full Moon was fast approaching. Changing into his suit he'd brought for the position, Sirius took the Floo Network to McGonagall's office where he handed her the letter and certificate before they headed down to the Great Hall together. He was eager to see his pup again, he'd missed her. But upon arriving in the Great Hall Izzy was nowhere to be found.

***

As D.A.D.A class finished, the last class of the day. Izzy was held back for her detention (Ron had his with Mr Filch the following night), which would take place before dinner. Thankfully, it was the last one as Professor Lupin was looking rather ill which concerned Izzy.
"Professor Lupin, are you all right?" Izzy asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, thank you Izzy. Nothing an early night and a potion won't fix." Professor Lupin assured, but Izzy just looked at him suspiciously before deciding to drop it. But she would keep an eye out, as he's been off a lot due to the Full Moon which meant Snape had to cover until Sirius passed the exams, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was something else that would help.

"Now, as you're ahead of your classmates. I want you to write me an essay on all the ways to defeat a Boggart; which we will be covering next year." Remus said, handing Izzy some parchment. Nodding Izzy dipped her quill into the ink and got to work.

***

As she was nearly finished with her essay Izzy started to hear a sinister voice.
"Come. Come... to me. To me."
"What is that?" Izzy asked, looking around scared.
"What's what, Izzy?" Remus asked.
"That voice." Izzy stated.
"What voice?" Remus asked, confused and concerned.
"Didn't you hear it?" Izzy asked, confused.
"Are you all right, Izzy?" Remus asked, now thoroughly concerned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I think I'm tired."
Izzy muttered, giving up on trying to explain.
"Why don't you go have some dinner, take your potions and go to bed? We can continue tomorrow." Remus suggested with a concerned frown, dismissing Izzy for the night.
"Goodnight Remus." Izzy said softly, lost in thought.

***

As Izzy was making her way to the Great Hall for the last part of dinner she suddenly heard the voice again, but it was heading up to the first floor.
"Blood. I smell blood. Let me rip you. Let me kill you!"
Izzy became terrified that someone was going to get hurt, and did something stupid; she followed the voice. She followed the voice all the way up to the first floor as the voice got louder and louder.
"Kill! Kill! KILL!"
"Izzy!" said Hermione, relief coating her tone, but made Izzy jump and flinch away quickly. "I'm sorry." Hermione apologised.

Izzy looked startled, her hair a very light grey, as she spotted Hermione, Ron and Neville standing before her.
"We've been looking all over for you." Ron stated in concern.
"Everyone was worried when Prof —" Neville started but was cut off by Izzy becoming panicked as the voice faded away.
"Did you hear that voice?" Izzy panicked.
"Voice? What voice?" Hermione asked, concerned.
"I heard it first in the D.A.D.A classroom, then again as I was heading to the Gre —" she trailed off, her eyes widening as she heard it again.
"It's time."

"It's moving. I think it's going to kill." Izzy panicked, taking off up the corridor.
"No, Izzy, wait!" Ron and Neville shouted.
"Izzy, wait! Not so fast!" Hermione shouted, as the three couldn't keep up with their shorter friend.
Arriving on the first floor corridor, Izzy's feet squelched on the flagstones confusing her for a moment until she noticed that the corridor was flooded. Following the direction of the water with her eyes she realised it was coming out from beneath Myrtle's bathroom.

As she slowly walked down the corridor trying to find the voice; Ron, Hermione and Neville finally caught up with her, when they noticed the spiders were actually fleeing the castle.
"Strange. I've never seen spiders act like that, have you?" Izzy asked.
"I don't like spiders." Ron muttered, moving away a little.
"No I haven't." Hermione and Neville replied confused.
"What's that?" Ron asked, staring at a reflection in a puddle and pulling his friends' attention away from the spiders.

Looking up, the quartet gasped when they saw what was written on the wall.
"'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.'" Neville read.
"It's written in blood." Hermione gasped fearfully, a grimace upon her face.
"Oh, no!" Izzy gasped sadly, spotting something else. A seemingly dead Mrs Norris hanging from the torch bracket by her very stiff tail. "It's Mrs Norris." She continued sadly.
"We need to get out of here." Neville said, walking forwards to grasp Izzy who was standing frozen staring at the poor cat. But it was too late.

Already, they could hear the fast approaching feet of the other students until they were surrounded. It seems the Slytherins and Hufflepuffs had come to check out what was going on too.
"Izzy, are you all right?" Fred asked, concerned, as Oliver pushed Colin's camera down as he went to take a picture. Izzy nodded but you could see she was nervous and frightened as her hair had changed to a light grey.
"'Enemies of the Heir, beware.'" Draco read. "You'll be next, Mudbloods." Draco scoffed towards Hermione. Who glared at him while holding on to Neville and Ron's arms as a warning.

'It can't get any worse, can it?' Ron thought, sharing a look with his friends but it seemed he'd jinxed himself as Filch's nasally voice ran out clear as a bell from behind the group of students. Luna standing with Fred, George, Lee and the Gryffindor Quidditch team all grew exceedingly worried for their friends.
"What's going on here? Go on. Make way, make way." Mr Filch said, pushing through everyone before finally parting Fred and George. "Potter? What are you —-?" Mr Filch asked Izzy suspiciously, until he spotted Mrs Norris. "Mrs Norris?" He gasped. "You've murdered my cat." Mr Filch snarled, ignoring Izzy's protests.

"No. No." Izzy protested, flinching badly when Mr Filch grabbed the front of her robes and shouted in her face.
"I'll kill you. I'll kill you!" Mr Filch roared.
"Oi! Let go of Izzy!" Fred yelled, drawing his wand, along with George, Lee, Neville and Ron. Whether Mr Filch didn't care about the wands pointing at him or was just too blinded by his rage to notice was unclear, but it was clear that all the shouting had gathered the attention of all of the teachers.
"Argus!" Professor McGonagall's stern voice rang out, parting the students like the Red Sea. "Let go of Miss Potter at once!" She said sternly, but then she noticed the writing on the wall and paled dramatically. "Everyone will proceed to their House Dormitories immediately. Everyone except... you four." She continued, pointing to Izzy, Ron, Hermione and Neville.

"Off you go Mr Weasley. Miss Potter will be fine." Professor Tonks said, when Fred refused to leave.
"She's not dead, Argus. But she had been Petrified, but how she has been petrified, I cannot say." Professor McGonagall said, as she assessed Mrs Norris.
"Ask her!" Mr Filch snarled, pointing to Izzy who was now wrapped in Sirius's arms. "Look at what she's written on the wall."
"That's not true, Professor, I swear. I never touched Mrs Norris." Izzy pleaded for them to believe her.

"Rubbish!" Mr Filch snapped.
"If I might, Headmistress?" Professor Snape spoke up, causing Sirius to glare at him in warning. "Perhaps Potter and her friends were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Snape mused, causing Izzy, Ron, Hermione and Neville to look at each other in shock. "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner." He added sternly.
"That's my fault." Remus addressed. "I kept her after class for her detention, as I've been feeling unwell and didn't keep track of the time."

"That's why Ron, Neville and I went looking for her, Professor. We'd just found her when she said..." Hermione trailed off.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape asked.
"When I said I wasn't hungry. We were going to the Common Room when we found Mrs Norris." Izzy insisted quickly.
"And what about your potions?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It's hard to get Izzy to eat around Halloween." Ron interjected.
"My cat has been petrified, I want to see some punishment!" Mr Filch shouted.

"We will be able to cure her once Professor Sprout's Mandrakes are fully grown." Professor McGonagall assured, as Professor Sprout stepped forward and whispered assurances to Mr Filch. "You can go back to the Common Room, although, I do recommend a word of caution." Professor McGonagall said dismissing the quartet.
"I'll see you in the morning, Izzy. Go and get a good sleep." Sirius said, kissing her forehead.
"Night Sirius." Izzy said absently, her thoughts plagued with what had happened.

***

As they got to the moving staircases, Hermione turned and stopped her friends, now able to talk freely as there were no Professors around.
"It's a bit strange, isn't it?" Hermione asked.
"What's strange?" Izzy asked vacantly.
"You hear this voice, a voice only you can hear... and Mrs Norris turns up petrified. It's just strange." Hermione explained.
"Do you think I should have told them?" Izzy asked worriedly.
"No, Izzy, even in the Wizarding World hearing voices will be looked at as a bad sign." Neville explained gently, but unintentionally leaving Izzy feeling worse than ever.