Harry Potter 02 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

going to be as easy as they had hoped.
    The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.
    ‘Ha!’ said Ron excitedly. ‘There’s one of them now!’
    The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn’t a Slytherin, it was Percy.
    ‘What’re you doing down here?’ said Ron in surprise.
    Percy looked affronted.
    ‘That,’ he said stiffly, ‘is none of your business. It’s Crabbe, isn’t it?’
    ‘Wh– oh, yeah,’ said Ron.
    ‘Well, get off to your dormitories,’ said Percy sternly. ‘It’s not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days.’
    ‘ You are,’ Ron pointed out.
    ‘I,’ said Percy, drawing himself up, ‘am a Prefect. Nothing’s about to attack me .’
    A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling towards them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.
    ‘There you are,’ he drawled, looking at them. ‘Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I’ve been looking for you, I want to show you something really funny.’
    Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy.
    ‘And what’re you doing down here, Weasley?’ he sneered.
    Percy looked outraged.
    ‘You want to show a bit more respect to a school Prefect!’ he said. ‘I don’t like your attitude!’
    Malfoy sneered and motioned Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, ‘That Peter Weasley –’
    ‘Percy,’ Ron corrected him automatically.
    ‘Whatever,’ said Malfoy. ‘I’ve noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he’s up to. He thinks he’s going to catch Slytherin’s heir single-handed.’
    He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks.
    Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.
    ‘What’s the new password again?’ he said to Harry.
    ‘Er –’ said Harry.
    ‘Oh yeah – pure-blood !’ said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. Malfoy marched through it and Harry and Ron followed him.
    The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs.
    ‘Wait here,’ said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. ‘I’ll go and get it – my father’s just sent it to me –’
    Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to look at home.
    Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper cutting. He thrust it under Ron’s nose.
    ‘That’ll give you a laugh,’ he said.
    Harry saw Ron’s eyes widen in shock. He read the cutting quickly, gave a very forced laugh and handed it to Harry.
    It had been clipped out of the Daily Prophet , and it said:
     
    ENQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
     
    Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.
    Mr Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr Weasley’s resignation.
    ‘Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute,’ Mr Malfoy told our reporter. ‘He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately.’
    Mr Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she’d set the family ghoul on them.
     
    ‘Well?’ said Malfoy impatiently, as Harry handed the cutting back to him. ‘Don’t you think it’s funny?’
    ‘Ha, ha,’ said Harry bleakly.
    ‘Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them,’ said Malfoy scornfully. ‘You’d never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave.’
    Ron’s – or rather, Crabbe’s – face was contorted with fury.
    ‘What’s up with you, Crabbe?’ snapped Malfoy.
    ‘Stomach ache,’