HARRY POTTER and the Chamber of Secrets Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

DEATHDAY PARTY

The seasons are changing. Autumn has arrived. Halloween is soon. The weather is cold and rainy. Many of the children are catching the flu. But Oliver Wood, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, continues practices. To make matters worse, Fred Weasley has seen the new Slytherin broomsticks. They are faster than all of the Gryffindor broomsticks!

One day, after a cold and depressing practice, Harry is walking down an empty corridor. He is wet, dirty and tired from practice. He sees a figure looking out the window. It is Nearly Headless Nick. He is talking to himself. Harry hears him say, “I can’t be in the club? Because my head is not completely off? Hmph!” “Hello, Nick,” says Harry.

“Hello, hello,” says Nearly Headless Nick. He is as pale as smoke. And he is transparent. Harry can see right through him! “Is there something wrong, young Potter? You look sad,” he asks. “So do you,” says Harry.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I only wanted to join the Headless Hunt this year. But they did not accept my application. I am not completely headless, you see?” He pulls down his collar. Harry can see the cut on his neck. It goes almost all the way through, but not completely. “Really! There is only a thin piece of skin holding my head on my neck!” Nick complains.

“I’m really sorry to hear that, Nick,” says Harry. “So, what is bothering you, young Potter? Is there anything I can do?” Harry shakes his head, “No,” he says sadly, “Not if you can’t find seven broomsticks that are faster than Slytherin’s broomsticks. We have a match…” Suddenly there is the loud sound of a cat meowing. It is Mrs. Norris. She is standing right between Harry’s feet.

She is very skinny and has yellow eyes. Mrs. Norris is Argus Filch’s cat. Filch is the caretaker of Hogwarts. Filch hates the children at the school. The children do not like him, either. He is always trying to catch the children behaving badly. When he catches them misbehaving, he punishes them. His cat acts as a kind of corridor monitor for Filch.

“You should leave now, Harry!” says Nick. “If Mrs. Norris is here, Filch is close by. And he is in a terrible mood. He has the flu, and he is extra mean today. He has been cleaning the castle all day because of the rain. And look at you! You are wet and covered in mud!” “I think you’re right, Nick,” says Harry. He turns to leave, but he is too late.

“Stop right there, you filthy boy!!” yells Filch. “Look at you! All covered in mud. And you’re dripping water everywhere! All the work I will have to do now to clean up your mess. That’s it! I have had enough today! You deserve a punishment for this. Follow me, Potter!” Harry has no choice. He waves goodbye to Nick and follows Filch. He leaves a trail of wet, muddy footprints behind him.

Filch’s office is a dark room with no windows. It is as ugly as Filch is. There is a rumor that he tortures the children down here in his office. But Harry does not believe it. Filch takes a feather pen from his desk drawer. He begins to write on a piece of paper. He talks to himself as he writes.

“Dirty children… just make a mess of things… hours to clean… Name… Harry Potter. Crime…” Harry cries out, “But it was just some mud and water!” Filch looks at him angrily. “Mud and water to you, boy. I have to clean it up, don’t I? I clean up all your messes.” He continues to write and talk to himself.

“Crime… destruction of castle property… punishment…” Filch is about to write Harry’s punishment when, suddenly, there is a loud BANG! from the floor above. The ceiling in Filch’s office trembles from the impact. “PEEVES!” screams Filch. He drops the pen. “That’s it, Peeves, you foolish phantasm! That's it! I’m coming to get you!”

Filch leaves the room quickly to find and punish Peeves. He does not even look at Harry. Peeves is the school poltergeist. He is a ghost that causes chaos at the school. Harry does not like Peeves, but he appreciates the distraction. Harry must wait for Filch to return. He begins to look around the office. He notices something on the desk. It is a large, purple envelope.

Harry reads what is on the envelope: