Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets By J. K. Rowling chapter one the Worst Birthday

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN 
 
 
The Chamber of Secrets 
“All those times we were in that bathroom, and she was just three toilets away,” said Ron bitterly 
at breakfast next day, “and we could’ve asked her, and now…” 
It had been hard enough trying to look for spiders. Escaping their teachers long enough to sneak 
into a girls’ bathroom, the girls’ bathroom, moreover, right next to the scene of the first attack, 
was going to be almost impossible. 
But something happened in their first lesson, Transfiguration, that drove the Chamber of Secrets 
out of their minds for the first time in weeks. Ten minutes into the class, Professor McGonagall 
told them that their exams would start on the first of June, one week from today. 
“Exams?” howled Seamus Finnigan. “We’re still getting exams?” 
There was a loud bang behind Harry as Neville Longbottom’s wand slipped, vanishing one of the 
legs on his desk. Professor McGonagall restored it with a wave of her own wand, and turned, 
frowning, to Seamus. 
“The whole point of keeping the school open at this time is for you to receive your education,” 
she said sternly. “The exams will therefore take place as usual, and I trust you are all studying 
hard.” 
Studying hard! It had never occurred to Harry that there would be exams with the castle in this 
state. There was a great deal of mutinous muttering around the room, which made Professor 
McGonagall scowl even more darkly. 
“Professor Dumbledore’s instructions were to keep the school running as normally as possible, 
she said. “And that, I need hardly point out, means finding out how much you have learned this 
year.” 
Harry looked down at the pair of white rabbits he was supposed to be turning into slippers. What 
had he learned so far this year? He couldn’t seem to think of anything that would be useful in an 
exam. 
Ron looked as though he’d just been told he had to go and live in the Forbidden Forest. 
“Can you imagine me taking exams with this?” he asked Harry, holding up his wand, which had 
just started whistling loudly. 
Three days before their first exam, Professor McGonagall made another announcement at 
breakfast. 

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“I have good news,” she said, and the Great Hall, instead of falling silent, erupted. 
“Dumbledore’s coming back!” several people yelled joyfully. 
“You’ve caught the Heir of Slytherin!” squealed a girl at the Ravenclaw table. 
“Quidditch matches are back on!” roared Wood excitedly. 
When the hubbub had subsided, Professor McGonagall said, “Professor Sprout has informed me 
that the Mandrakes are ready for cutting at last. Tonight, we will be able to revive those people 
who have been Petrified. I need hardly remind you all that one of them may well be able to tell 
us who, or what, attacked them. I am hopeful that this dreadful year will end with our catching 
the culprit.” 
There was an explosion of cheering. Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and wasn’t at all 
surprised to see that Draco Malfoy hadn’t joined in. Ron, however, was looking happier than 
he’d looked in days. 
“It won’t matter that we never asked Myrtle, then!” he said to Harry. “Hermione’ll probably 
have all the answers when they wake her up! Mind you, she’ll go crazy when she finds out we’ve 
got exams in three days’ time. She hasn’t studied. It might be kinder to leave her where she is till 
they’re over.” 
Just then, Ginny Weasley came over and sat down next to Ron. She looked tense and nervous, 
and Harry noticed that her hands were twisting in her lap. 
“What’s up?” said Ron, helping himself to more porridge. 
Ginny didn’t say anything, but glanced up and down the Gryffindor table with a scared look on 
her face that reminded Harry of someone, though he couldn’t think who. 
“Spit it out,” said Ron, watching her. 
Harry suddenly realized who Ginny looked like. She was rocking backward and forward slightly 
in her chair, exactly like Dobby did when he was teetering on the edge of revealing forbidden 
information. 
“I’ve got to tell you something,” Ginny mumbled, carefully not looking at Harry. 
“What is it?” said Harry. 
Ginny looked as though she couldn’t find the right words.