Dear staff and faculty at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Those of you who were employed this last year as the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the second time will remember the amount of pressure you were all under to find out who had opened the chamber, as your jobs and the lives of your students depended on it. I’m certain you all looked into great detail at who could be the heir of Slytherin, but you came up empty-handed. It wasn’t until Harry and his friends stumbled their way into the heart of another dangerous adventure that the mystery was finally solved, and the school saved. Putting myself into your shoes, I imagine I’d be beating myself up about this incident even to this day. Asking myself, “Why didn’t I see that?” Certainly the mystery wasn’t that difficult to solve, right? A group of twelve year-olds figured it out! Well, this is why I am writing this letter, to reassure you. I have analyzed the events which took place regarding the Chamber of Secrets, and the truth is that the “Heir of Slytherin” was really not that obvious. As I’m sure you recall, Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets after Lucius Malfoy slipped Tom Riddle’s diary in with her books. Now, whether this act was geniously formulated or just a way to spite the Weasleys, whom Lucius is known to hate, aside, it was his selection of Ginny as the victim who would open the chamber that made stopping the opening of the chamber such a difficult task. This is because, though strong in her own right, Ginny tends to be rather quiet and reserved. As the youngest Weasley she is definitely overlooked, and she shares none of the characteristics with the stereotypical image of the heir of Slytherin. The most obvious reason she’d fly under the radar of those looking out for suspicious activity is her house. This year I’ve done a decent bit of studying on the houses at Hogwarts, and the effects they have on students. One such effect is that they can put students into boxes. Even if the sorting hat tries to sort each student perfectly, not every person is going to fit exactly into one of only four categories. It is exactly these boxes, however, that allowed Ginny Wealsey to go undetected. As the person who opened the Chamber of Secrets had to be the heir of Slytherin, everyone believed, and justly so, that the perpetrator would be in Slytherin. Every single one of the major suspects for who opened the Chamber of Secrets was in Slytherin, with the exception of Harry, who was only accused because he spoke parseltongue in front of the whole school, a trait associated only with Slytherins. Specifically you-know-who, the prior Heir of Slytherin. The logic makes perfect sense, No one thought that the Heir would be controlling someone else through a book, and so Ginny was never scrutinized. Another reason Ginny was so undetectable was due to her family and their associations. The Weasleys have a strong reputation in the wizarding world, but one of their strongest associations comes from their father Arthur Weasley, and his job as the Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. They are a family that is known to be fascinated with Muggles, and supporting of wizards that aren’t purebloods. This is part of why you shouldn’t blame yourselves for not making Ginny a candidate for heir of Slytherin: their values seem to be in direct opposition. The Chamber of Secrets’ entire purpose was to rid Hogwarts of non-pureblood wizards, so it only made sense that the person to open it would hate non-purebloods. It is understandable that most of your suspects were wizards like Malfoy, who made sense to be the heir, because his family line is well known for being against having Half-bloods and Muggle-borns at Hogwarts. Furthermore, the role which Ginny tends to fulfill in life lends well to her being overlooked, especially when it comes to something so sinister. Though I’m sure you don’t want to hear this either, as it is partially your job to make every student feel included, Ginny tends to fade into the background, both at home and at school. As the youngest child of 7 loud, rambunctious Weasley children, it is no wonder she isn’t as noticed. She is by far the quietest and most reserved of the bunch, playing into a soft-spoken archetype that is often overlooked. By nature she is an introvert, and comes across as rather dainty or gentle. People of this nature tend to be overlooked, as their personalities aren’t quite as large and in your face as those of louder extroverts. This, then, could be why you, as well as the rest of the population of Hogwarts, failed to catch her in the act. At the very least you can rest easy knowing that, though your impressions of her failed you in catching her, they served you right in reprimanding her in the way that you really didn’t. Had it been Harry or Draco found in that chamber, I have no doubt in my mind that far more serious consequences would have taken effect. This is because they are seen as having a great deal of agency and strength, and thus are seen as more responsible for their actions. Though Ginny is certainly strong, that fact is completely overlooked, as her quiet nature paints her as a damsel in distress type of character, the type which are typically pardoned, and seen as victims. In this instance, your pardoning was at least correct, as she was victimized, enchanted by cursed diary. I hope that this letter at least partially puts your nerves at ease. Know that, considering all the different factors which put you off the scent of Ginny Weasley, it is not your fault. It certainly was a scary time, but thanks to Harry Potter, Hagrid, and a little bit of luck, no one was seriously injured. I have seen your work as you have taught many, many students, and have no doubt that you will not fail to continue to keep the students safe. At the very least, you can rest easy knowing that the worst is behind you, right?
I believe in you,
Lucas Shearson
