December 10th - Rain

The rain had been relentless since December began at Hogwarts. The atmosphere grew tense after Colin Creevey, the boy who constantly followed Harry with his camera, was found petrified. A chilling message written in blood on the wall declared, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware!"

Though Joey thought the writing looked like it had been scrawled by a mollusk, the words "Chamber of Secrets" and "heir" sent shivers through the student body. Fear and suspicion began to spread like wildfire.

"I don't get it. What even "is" the Chamber of Secrets?" Joey muttered, crouching in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom with Fred, practicing a fiery spell she'd learned from a mysterious diary.

The spell was proving difficult, and her wand only produced a tiny flicker of flame. Myrtle, the ghost who haunted the bathroom, hovered nearby, chattering nonstop.

Fred wasn't thrilled about their "date" location, but it was the only place they could practice a spell that might set things on fire without getting caught. He suspected the spell might be a hoax, something Lockhart or the diary had made up.

"There's always someone weird coming in here," Myrtle said, circling above them. "Like you two, sneaking in to whisper spells. Or that time last winter when a snake slithered in. I tried to chase it away, but then I forgot."

Myrtle paused, clearly hoping someone would ask why she forgot. But Joey was too busy wrestling with her wand, and Fred was more concerned about whether any girls would walk in.

"Can't you ask me why?" Myrtle screeched, her voice piercing enough to make Joey's brain rattle.

"Fine, fine, why why why?" Joey asked, covering her ears.

Myrtle turned a pleased pink. "Oh, because not long after the snake came in, a handsome Slytherin boy showed up. He was very polite and asked if I could walk from this bathroom to the Black Lake. I showed him, and he was so impressed!"

"What happened to the snake? Did you just leave it?" Joey asked, intrigued.

"I don't know. I never saw it again after I came back from the lake," Myrtle said dreamily. "Who cares about a snake? That boy said I was wonderful. If only I were still alive, maybe I could fall in love like you two!"

Joey and Fred exchanged uneasy glances as Myrtle stared at them wistfully. Her longing expression made their hair stand on end.

Just then, Peeves floated in, cackling. "Look at you, Myrtle! Dreaming of love? You're about as romantic as a soggy biscuit!"

Myrtle shrieked and splashed toilet water at Peeves before plunging into a toilet and disappearing. The water, however, passed through Peeves and drenched Joey and Fred.

Joey stared at her soaked sweater in horror. "This is disgusting! I need a better place to practice this stupid spell!"

Fred, equally drenched, took off his sweater and handed it to Joey. Her white shirt was nearly see-through, and he couldn't help but notice the pink bra underneath. His ears turned red as he tried to focus on anything else.

Joey, oblivious, pulled on Fred's sweater, feeling warmer already. "Where else can we go?"

Peeves, still floating nearby, grinned. "Try the room on the eighth floor! Across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. Walk past the wall three times, and a mysterious room will appear. I've seen students do it!"

Joey's eyes lit up. "Really? Let's try it tomorrow!"

Fred, always up for a mystery, agreed. "Sounds like a plan."

---

Back in the Gryffindor common room, the atmosphere was tense. Harry sat alone by the fireplace, looking miserable, while Ron and Hermione hovered nearby. A group of second-years whispered and pointed at Harry.

"What's going on?" Fred asked George, who was busy playing a card game with Lee.

"Harry spoke Parseltongue during the duel today," George explained. "Now everyone thinks he's the heir of Slytherin."

Joey, ever the optimist, marched over to Harry. "Harry, you can talk to snakes? That's amazing! The Slytherins must be furious!"

Fred joined in, clapping Harry on the back. "Yeah, heir of Slytherin? That's pretty cool!"

Harry managed a small smile, his mood lifting slightly. Joey's enthusiasm was infectious.

"Don't listen to the rumors, Harry," Ron said, glaring at the whispering students. "They're just jealous."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "They'll get over it."

Joey, satisfied with her pep talk, returned to Fred's side. She couldn't help but feel a strange sense of protectiveness toward Harry. It was almost... maternal. The thought made her shudder.

---

Later, in her dormitory, Joey dug out the mysterious notebook she'd forgotten about. She'd promised Fred they'd investigate it in the Room of Requirement tomorrow. Brushing off a layer of dust, she opened it and wrote:

"Long time no see! Do you miss me?"

The notebook replied instantly: "It's been a while. What have you been up to?"

Joey grinned and wrote: "I've been trying the Fiery Spell you mentioned, but it's not working."

The notebook responded: "The tone needs to be sharper, not soft. Add a bit of anger, and it'll work. I'll teach you more spells once you master this one."

Joey was impressed. "This thing's a good teacher!" she thought.

She continued: "Everyone's panicking about the Chamber of Secrets. It's hard to find a safe place to practice."

The notebook's reply was sharp: "The Chamber of Secrets cannot be opened!"

Joey laughed. "This thing's full of hot air," she thought. She wrote: "Yeah, it's probably just a prank. Everyone thinks Harry's the heir."

The notebook paused before replying: "The Chamber is real, but no one can open it now."

Joey rolled her eyes. "Sure, sure. You know more than the professors, huh?"

The notebook seemed to grow agitated, its words flickering rapidly. Joey ignored it, distracted when Angelina returned to the dorm.

"New scarf?" Joey asked, eyeing the red scarf Angelina was wearing.

"A Hufflepuff boy gave it to me," Angelina said, loosening her braid. A magical comb floated up and began brushing her hair.

Joey smirked. "Someone's got an admirer. Not a Ravenclaw?"

Angelina shrugged. "He asked me to Hogsmeade this weekend. I told him if it's still raining, I'm not going."

Joey chuckled, already plotting to share the news with a certain Ravenclaw. She completely forgot about the notebook, which was now furiously scribbling:

"Why aren't you answering? Don't you want to know what happened fifty years ago? Hello! Are you still there? HELLO!"