The splashing beneath his feet made Harry slow down a little. Looking down, he saw that the floor was covered in standing water. It almost reached above the soles of his shoes, and the entire corridor was flooded, all the way to the corner at the far end.
There was a torch there to provide light. It was not yet bedtime, and the torch was still burning brightly. Its light reflected off the water, making that patch particularly bright.
No, it seemed that it was not just the torch's reflection...
Harry and his two friends noticed something amiss. Something else seemed to be reflected in the water on the floor.
The three hurried over, and then all of them drew in a sharp breath.
On the wall opposite the torch, between two windows and a little over a foot above the floor, some scarlet words had been daubed. They could not tell whether the words themselves glowed or whether the torchlight shone on them and then reflected off the water.
The words looked as though they had been written in blood. The handwriting was not pretty, but the message was startling.
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened,
Enemies of the heir, beware.
"Who wrote this? And what does it mean?" Hermione looked at the words, her expression very grave.
The blood-colored lettering made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
"Perhaps you should look at that..." Ron said.
Harry and Hermione looked in the direction Ron was pointing and saw a cat hanging beneath the torch bracket. It was Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris.
Once they saw everything clearly, Harry and Hermione both involuntarily took a step back. They looked at Ron and, sure enough, his expression was just as grim.
The three looked at one another, standing rooted to the spot for