"Chloe? May I have a word?"

After Potions one rainy February afternoon, as Chloe was gathering up her books, Professor Snape called to her from his desk. She lagged behind, nervous. Was this about her poor performance today? There was a lot on her mind. Or maybe he wanted to tell her about a good grade she had received. Yes, that must have been it. Buoyed by this line of thought, Chloe walked up to his desk in fairly good spirits.

"Yes, Professor?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "My dear, I'm worried about you. This-this whole Chamber of Secrets thing..." He sighed. "Just...I want you to be careful, alright? Don't go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Stay safe, all that."

She straightened. "Absolutely, Professor."

He winked at her. "Now be off with you. You don't want to be late to Transfiguration, do you?"

Actually, she did. Transfiguration was her worst class, and she always managed to mix up a spell. But she gamely gathered up her spell books and made them float by her side, and stomped down the halls in her aging boots. Her birthday was coming up in March, so she expected that she would receive new ones for a gift.

In Transfiguration, she was busy trying to turn a twig into a knitting needle and failing when suddenly Professor Dumbledore came bursting into the room. His face was ashen, and he was panting. He whispered something into Professor McGonagall's ear, and she turned deadly white. She took a deep, rattling breath before announcing, "Students, your class is ending early this evening. Please find your Head of House or one of your prefects and return to your house at once."

"What about dinner?" one student whined.

"Food will be brought up to you from the kitchens shortly."

On her way out of the classroom, she saw Draco making his way through the throng of anxious students. She pushed her way towards him, meeting him by the bust of Henry the Hapless. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"We can go back to our common room and wait like good little Hufflepuffs, or we can take advantage of the mayhem like real Slytherins and have a little fun. What do you say?"

On the one hand she had promised Professor Snape not two hours ago that she would be careful and not nose about. On the other hand, it was about time she proved herself to her fellow Slytherins.

"I'm in," she decided. "Now tell me what to do."