The Deathday Party and First Attack

Harry, Ron, and Hermione attend Nearly Headless Nick's five-hundredth deathday party in the dungeons, a gloomy event filled with ghosts and rotting food. They leave early, and as they walk through the corridors, Harry hears a disembodied, murderous voice that no one else can hear. Following the voice, they discover a message written on the wall: 'The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware.' Hanging beneath the message is Mrs. Norris, Argus Filch's cat, Petrified and stiff as a board. The trio is found at the scene, and Draco Malfoy accuses Harry of being the Heir of Slytherin. The attack marks the beginning of a series of mysterious incidents that will terrorize the school.