The words in bold are direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I do not own Harry Potter. J.K Rowling does.
A Possible Bond
Charlie sat crossed-legged on the dusty marble floor in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Ron and Harry sat on either side of her and Hermione stood in a bathroom cubicle with the door open. The bushy-haired girl wanted the first brew to go perfectly and Ron and Harry were not offended when they were asked to play the role of assistants, handing her ingredients when necessary. Charlie could not help, as her arm had just healed and was a bit stiff.
"Colin Creevey is a Muggle-born," Harry mused. "Wow. I guess the Chamber really is open." He shuddered slightly.
"Dobby has to belong to the Malfoys," Ron said confidently. "I bet you any money Mr. Malfoy opened the Chamber when he was in school and has ordered his little Snake to do the same."
"Dobby belonging to the Malfoys is a possibility," Charlie agreed. "But there still is a great chance that the Heir is any other Slytherin that's been through this school. The Malfoys are connected to a whole slew of Slytherins. Dobby could still be getting his information from listening in to private conversations."
"But what I don't get is how the Chamber can be opened twice if there is only one Heir," Harry said in confusion.
"This time the person that opened the Chamber is likely the offspring or relative to the Heir," Hermione theorized. "But we won't find out until the potion is finished."
"I really hope Dobby doesn't try to save my life again," Charlie sighed. "He means well, but I don't think I can take any more of his help."
Harry grinned. "You were fantastic, by the way. The Bludger struck your arm and knocked off your broom, but you still managed to snag the Snitch before you hit the pitch."
"Add it on to the golden reel." Charlie laughed. "Soon I'll have a collection of best Quidditch moments."
...
When the Polyjuice potion was in its final stages, December approached and they were hit with a ton of snow. They wasted no time in engaging in a snowball fight with the Weasley twins for a while before heading back inside the warm castle.
"Can't we have our library session another day?" Ron whined as he slumped into a squashy library chair. He stared out the window at the glittering snow and the happy children running about.
"Now Ron, when you finish all your homework before the holidays, you can have all the fun you want while everyone else is stuck doing their homework," Hermione promised. "It's a great feeling to have no homework over the Christmas holidays."
Ron, who had been trapped in the library the last three days of the last Christmas break in a rush doing his homework, nodded in resignation. Hermione and Charlie worked on their Herbology essays while Ron and Harry did their Potions work. Hermione was determined to help them achieve an E.
Hermione was always the first one to finish her work despite the lengthy papers she wrote. Her completed homework was tucked into her bag and she started to read a book titled Magical Bonds.
"Have you found anything?" Charlie asked, scribbling out her conclusion to her essay.
"Well, I've skipped the sections on Marital Bonds and Paternal Bonds, as they certainly won't be the types we're looking for." She paused and peered at the two of them. "Unless there is something you're not telling me?"
Harry turned brick red and stuttered. Charlie scowled and glared at her. Ron howled with laughter and buried his head in his arms. "We're twelve," Charlie said flatly.
"Oh, I was just joking." Hermione giggled and returned to her reading. Ron calmed down and was staring at the two of them with a cheeky grin.
"I could see it."
"Ron!" Harry and Charlie wailed.
"Er...actually, that'd be kind of weird," Hermione spoke up. "The only bond in here that describes the feelings you two have been having is the Sibling Bond."
Harry arched an eyebrow. "Hermione, do we look like we're related?"
Hermione lowered her book and eyed them both. Charlie was pale with bright green eyes and a skinny figure. She was also shorter than she should be for her age. Harry, on the other hand, had dark brown eyes, slightly darker skin, freckles, was stockier and much taller. The only common feature was their raven hair; Charlie's was long and tangled while Harry's was short and neatly kept.
"Well, you both have the same colour hair."
"Not exactly your best argument," Charlie remarked.
"Read this!" Hermione placed the book in front of Charlie, Harry and Ron. The three learned forward and read the passage she indicated.
The Sibling Bond is a magical bond between two siblings who are very close to each other and have an extremely trusting relationship. A Sibling Bond is not something that is conjured but happens naturally. The Sibling Bond can be formed when something tragic happens to both siblings or if they are apart from each other for a long period of time and each misses the other terribly. A Sibling Bond is created out of mutual trust, respect and love. It may take many years for a Sibling Bond to form, and in most cases many siblings go through life without a Sibling Bond. Twins are especially likely to form a Bond as they are together since birth and spend the majority of their time in each other's company. Some signs of a Sibling Bond are as follows:
-Feeling each other's pain
-Knowing when the other is in danger
-Communicating with their minds: also known as telepathy
-Suddenly knowing where your sibling is at any time without explanation
To form a Sibling Bond is a wonderful thing and should be explored. For information on how to help further develop a Sibling Bond, please turn to page 243.
"This doesn't make sense," Ron stated as he fell back against his chair. "Harry and Charlie look nothing alike."
"They could be fraternal!" Hermione argued, snapping the book closed.
"Uncle Remus never told me I had a sister," Harry said. "My parents look nothing like Charlie and she doesn't look like them. I'm certain I would know if I had a twin sister."
"Unless you weren't told for a reason!" Hermione said.
"Why wouldn't they tell us?" Harry asked.
"Perhaps your parents knew Voldemort was going to attack and tried to keep the both of you safe. But something went wrong, Harry was taken away and Charlie became the Girl-Who-Lived. How did your uncle know your father?"
"They were best friends," Harry said with a confused frown. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Then your uncle must have known that it wouldn't be safe if Voldemort knew you were related to Charlie! I don't mean to be insensitive, but Charlie's parents died when Voldemort attacked."
The unspoken question hung in the air; what happened to your parents, Harry?
Harry finally answered hesitantly, "They were killed in the First Wizarding War. They went on a mission and didn't make it back."
Hermione shot them all triumphant glances. She was answered with blank looks.
"Hermione, your theory is far-fetched," Charlie pointed out. "Why would Harry be sent away and not me? How come our bond is in place now?"
"Well, you haven't grown up with each other and since you weren't aware you had a sibling, it came into action the day you became best friends! The both of you must have known subconsciously how much you loved each other and it formed!"
"I don't believe it." Ron shook his head. "Dumbledore or Harry's uncle would have told them."
"Not if it was for Harry's protection!" Hermione insisted. "And Dumbledore holds back information if he thinks it's appropriate. Look, if you don't believe me, I'll whip up a potion that'll tell us whether or not the two of you are related."
"On top of the Polyjuice potion?" Harry asked in disbelief.
"Oh, the Polyjuice potion will be done by Christmas break. The Relations potion doesn't take nearly as long. There's only one problem."
"And that would be?" Ron pressed.
"The Relations potion calls for Leprechaun's Tears as the base and none of us have it. Professor Snape on the other hand does."
"So you want us to waltz up and ask him for it?" Harry asked incredulously.
Hermione flushed. "Er, no. I know this isn't a very Ravenclaw thing to do but...we'd have to steal it."
A beat of silence, then Ron spoke. "You've lost it."
...
Hermione was completely serious. So in Potions the following day (Ron wished them good luck and promised to attend their funeral) Charlie stood stiff in nervousness with Harry shaking beside her.
"She's mental!" Harry whispered.
Charlie sighed. "I hope she won't be too disappointed when she finds out she's wrong."
The dungeon door slammed shut and Snape swept inside in his usual bat-like manner. Charlie was nervous, as the Potions professor had actually started to treat her decently (the snarky comments weren't as malicious) and Charlie knew it would go back to being like her first year if he even suspected it was her.
The lesson began and Charlie could feel her heart thudding. When Snape started to berate Susan Bones, Charlie whispered, "Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who has to throw it in the cauldron."
"You're on." Harry and Charlie participated in a quick round and Charlie groaned when she lost.
"Why are you so good at that game?"
Hermione cleared her throat loudly and gave her a pointed look. She had stayed quiet while the two of them conversed but now was the perfect opportunity. Snape had his back to them. Charlie nervously pulled out a wizard-version of a firecracker and gave it a poke with her wand. It started to fizz and Charlie hastily chucked it in the air. It landed right into Pansy's cauldron.
BOOM!
The potion splattered over both Draco and Pansy, who shared a table every day. The others managed to duck just in time to avoid the splashing potion. The two started shrieking and screaming and Snape rushed over to the both of them. Hermione slipped into Snape's office and by the time she returned Draco was threatening to sic his father on them all.
Hermione pocketed a glass vial of Leprechaun's Tears and arranged her expression into one of surprise, like everyone else.
The bell had gone by the time the Snakes had been treated. Snape glared at them all, trying to find the brat with the guilty look or smug smile. He didn't find one.
His first thought was Potter, but he quickly reminded himself that Potter was not James, and therefore was Sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason. Lupin, on the other hand, may not have been Sorted into Gryffindor, but he still had that Marauder blood in him.
"Whoever did this," he growled to himself, "will be very, very, very sorry."
...
"A Duelling Club?" Charlie repeated what Ron told her. "Well...I suppose it couldn't hurt."
The ginger had run up to them as she, Hermione and Harry were leaving Potions. Hermione told him their plan was a success, and he told them what he had found on the board outside the Great Hall.
"It would be beneficial," Hermione agreed. So, at eight o'clock that evening, they went back to the Great Hall where they found most of the school waiting eagerly.
"You gotta be kidding me," Charlie said flatly as she spotted Lockhart beaming down at them from the gold stage that replaced the long tables. "Is it too late to turn back?"
It was, because the man had spotted her and was waving wildly.
"I think he's one of your biggest fans," Ron snickered.
"Hello all!" Lockhart boomed. "I've started this duelling club so you all can learn to protect yourselves just like I can! If you would like further tips, you can see me at the end of this session and I'll write you down for an order of my published Defense collection."
Snape, who had been standing off to the side, let out a snort.
"Ah yes! My assistant Professor Snape here will be partaking in a demonstration. But don't fret; you'll still have your professor when I'm through," he said with a wink.
"He isn't aware he's about to be shown up, is he?" Ron asked.
"You don't know that!" Hermione snapped. "I'm sure he's a very accomplished dueller."
"I wish Professor Flitwick was the one duelling him," Charlie muttered.
Harry chuckled. "Please. I bet Lockhart knew he didn't stand a chance against Flitwick."
The demonstration started and in an instant Lockhart was disarmed and vulnerable. The man quickly made up an excuse and Hermione was falling for it.
"Everyone has a bad day!" she protested.
Then Lockhart ordered them to pair up. Charlie went with Hermione and Ron went with Harry. The two girls got the hang of the Disarming Spell while Harry was on the ground, clutching a bleeding nose and glaring warily at Ron and his broken wand.
Everyone else, however, got a little carried away and hexes were soon flying all over the place. Snape called for order and everyone immediately went silent. Lockhart flushed and rubbed his forehead. "Well then...I suppose I ought to teach you all how to block dangerous spells. Er...Potter and Parkinson! Why don't you come up here to volunteer?"
It wasn't volunteering if you were being asked to do it, but Charlie nodded reluctantly while Pansy smirked at her. The two got onto the gold stage. Lockhart tried to explain how to cast a Shield Charm, but he could barely do it himself.
"Go!" he shouted.
Pansy didn't waste a second. "Serpensortia!"
Charlie stared wide-eyed at the long black snake that shot out of her wand. "What kind of spell is that?" she complained and backed up slowly as the snake hissed and slithered forward.
"I'll get rid of it for you Potter," Snape drawled and raised his wand. Lockhart, desperate to prove himself after his duelling failure, beat him to it.
Only he succeeded in making the snake angry.
Peeved off, it started to launch towards the nearest student, Justin Finch-Fletchley.
"Knock it off!" Charlie cried, waving her arms in the air. The snake froze and slowly turned toward her.
"Leave the kid alone, alright?"
The snake hissed and started for Justin again. "SIT DOWN!" Charlie yelled.
The snake slumped to the floor, a bit chastened. Charlie smiled in satisfaction. The snake suddenly disappeared before her eyes and confused, she looked up.
Everyone was staring at her in shock and horror. Justin looked angry and Snape looked stunned. Someone grabbed her arm and she was yanked off the stage. Ron and Harry were pulling her along with Hermione trailing behind. They shot glares to anyone that dared step forward. They didn't stop until they were alone in the corridor.
"What was that?" Harry exclaimed.
"I was just telling the snake to get lost!" Charlie said. "Why was everyone staring at me? And why did Justin look so mad?"
"Charlie, you were hissing. You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us you could talk to snakes?"
"I only did it once before. I set a snake free on a trip to the zoo. I never knew I was speaking snake language." Charlie was stunned. "I'm guessing it's not a common gift?"
"Nope," Harry said with a sigh. "In fact, Salazar Slytherin was famous for his ability to talk to snakes."
"This is great!" Charlie moaned. "And what about Justin?"
"He probably thought you were urging the snake to attack him. It's what it sounded like. No one knew you were telling it to leave him alone," Hermione explained.
"This year keeps getting better and better," Charlie sighed.
...
The next day hadn't gone any better. Justin refused to speak to her and everyone else skirted past her in the corridors, eyeing her with fear. In the library she overheard a group of Hufflepuffs whispering that she had to be the Heir. Exasperated, she stormed out and ran into Hagrid. "Hello Hagrid."
"Charlie! How've yeh bin?" Hagrid asked. His bushy beard was full of snow. Charlie eyed the two dead roosters he clutched in his large hands.
"Er, alright. What's with the dead roosters?"
"Summat's bin gettin' ter them. I'm off ter see Dumbledore for permission to put a protection Charm 'round the hen coop."
Charlie waved him goodbye and started off once more. She encountered Harry halfway down the corridor and he looked dazed and confused. His hair was mussed and he was pale. For the first time Charlie noted how tired he looked. "Are you okay?"
Harry jumped, startled. "Uh, yeah!" The two fell into step beside each other. "But I'm the one who should be asking you that. Are you okay?" Harry asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Don't listen to anyone. Even if you are the Heir, you're obviously not doing this on purpose. But we really don't think you are," Harry said.
"For all we know, I could be," Charlie sighed. "I just ran into Hagrid. Apparently something's been killing his roosters."
She missed the spasm of fear that crossed Harry's face. The boy ran a hand down his robes, as if ensuring he didn't have any feathers on him. But as quickly as it came it went. "That is strange."
"Yes it is. Well, I'm off to Charms. I'll see you later."
She did not hear Harry mutter to himself, "First the blood, the blackouts, and the feathers! What is going on?"
Charlie shuffled up a set of stairs. "Geez!"
A long line of black spiders were scurrying away hurriedly. Concern and panic bubbling in her chest, she removed her wand and inched forwards carefully. Her eyes fell on two figures. Taking a deep breath, she slipped her wand in her pocket and stared at them in despair.
Justin was flat on the ground, rigid and staring up in shock. The other one was Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. His pearly white form was a murky black, and he too was staring in shock.
Scratching her chin, Charlie cast a glance around the empty corridor, unsure of what to do and not wanting to leave the pair alone. Then she heard familiar singing and hollered, "Peeves!"
The poltergeist appeared instantly. "What's Potter calling old Peeves for?" he asked. His beady black eyes fell upon the two figures and he went still.
Charlie gestured towards them. "I stumbled across them like this. Can you whizz down and grab a teacher for me?"
Peeves opened his mouth to respond but before he could someone came rushing down the passage. The poor first-year girl took one look and let out a shrill scream. Her scream caused frantic teachers to rush towards their location with wands drawn. Curious students followed and soon Charlie was once more caught in an awkward position.
"This isn't what it looks like!" Charlie said quickly.
"I knew it!" Ernie Macmillan cried out. "You got Justin!"
"That's quite enough!" McGonagall cried. Two teachers grabbed hold of Justin while Ernie was in charge of fanning the Gryffindor ghost down with Justin.
Charlie was filled with dread when McGonagall motioned for her to follow. Shuffling after the Deputy Headmistress, she let out a weary sigh.
She knew exactly where she was going.
Dumbledore's office.
