Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and Harry Potter aren't mine. Also, I have 2 people quote a movie I don't own- chocolate chip cookies to anyone who recognizes it! (Hot chocolate too if you didn't need Google. I didn't- I double checked via Google but I had gotten it perfectly, yay!)
Hopefully you guys' Friday the 13th went okay.
Hey, it's the halfway point!
Edited by Mellie Erdmann.
Chapter Nine: The Writing on the Wall
Attracted by the Slytherin's shouting, Argus Filch shouldered his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror. He shrieked, "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?"
His eyes fell on the group of eight. He screeched, "You! You all! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"
"Argus!" Dumbledore quieted the caretaker, sweeping through the crowd with other teachers behind him. Passing the group, he detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket. He told Filch, "Come with me, Argus."
Turning to Perseus, Hannah, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Luna, Daphne, and Draco, Dumbledore stated, "You all as well."
Eagerly Lockhart stepped forward, saying, "My office is nearest, Headmaster- just upstairs- please feel free-"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," nodded Dumbledore. Lockhart, McGonagall, and Snape followed Dumbledore as well to the Defense professor's office. The crowd parted to let them through to go up to the office. Percy was annoyed to see the walls covered with photographs of Professor Lockhart, some of them dodging out of sight due to the rollers in their hair. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk before standing back. Dumbledore laid Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. The eight huddled near the wall, too nervous to speak.
Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur, looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles while his fingers prodded and poked. Professor McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed nearby, looking like he was trying to hide his bafflement at their fellowship.
Lockhart was pacing nearby, making suggestions. "It was definitely a curse that killed her- probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter-curse that would have saved her…"
His comments were punctuated by Filch's tearless, racking sobs. The caretaker was slumped in a chair, his face in his hands, unable to look at his cat. Percy had to admit he would feel utterly horrid had it been Catalina. Ron looked as if he felt the same about Scabbers, and Neville about Trevor.
Dumbledore had moved on to muttering strange spells under his breath while tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand, but none of them were working.
"I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadogou," Lockhart rambled cockily, "a series of attacks, the full story's in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…"
All of Lockhart's photographs on the walls were nodding their agreement. Draco nudged Percy and nodded at one who had forgotten to remove his hair net.
Dumbledore straightened up, telling Filch softly, "She's not dead, Argus."
Lockhart stopped speaking at this. Looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris, Filch choked, "Not dead? But why's she all- all stiff and frozen?"
"She has been petrified."
"Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart at Dumbledore's statement. Snape rolled his eyes at this, making Percy smile at the Potions master, who just gazed inscrutably back at him. Snape was very good at being inscrutable.
Dumbledore continued, "But how, I cannot say…"
Filch spat, "Ask them! They were there!"
"I heard something and went up there; the others followed me. We found Mrs. Norris like that- we didn't do this to your cat!" Percy defended himself.
Firmly Dumbledore agreed, "No second year could have done this. It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced kind."
Purpling, Filch demanded, "Then who did?"
Snape spoke up. "If I might speak, Headmaster. Potter, Malfoy, and their friends may have been simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But why were they in the upstairs corridor at all? Why weren't they at the Halloween feast?"
Everyone burst into chatter, explaining about the deathday party. Weakly Neville finished with, "There were loads of ghosts there who saw us, Professor."
"But why not join the feast afterward? Why go up to that corridor?" Snape pressed. Percy bit his lower lip- Lockhart, Hannah, Daphne, and Luna all didn't know about him speaking Parseltongue and he would rather keep it that way. He might tell the latter three eventually, but he didn't trust Lockhart as far as he could throw him.
"Because- because- I heard something, I know I did," Percy said, looking over at Dumbledore. "I just don't know what it was…"
Thankfully none of the others said they hadn't heard anything.
The elderly man gave him a searching look before commenting, "Innocent until proven guilty. There is little to no evidence that these students have done anything wrong."
Filch looked furious. "My cat has been Petrified! I want to see some punishment!"
Patiently Dumbledore told him, "We will be able to cure her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."
"I'll make it," interrupted Lockhart. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep-"
"Excuse me," went Snape frigidly. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."
Draco gave his House Head a smile, which he acknowledged with a small nod during the following awkward pause.
Dumbledore gave the students permission to leave, and they all left Lockhart's office. The eight split up to go to their respective dormitories, Percy telling Hannah to go on and that he needed to tie his shoe. Instead he headed back to the DADA classroom, which McGonagall was just departing.
"Potter?" she blinked.
"Professor… you have seen the scroll Dumbledore did that thingy on me last summer, right?"
"'That thingy'?"
"Uh, yeah. The enchantment to see what respective powers me and Harry have," he whispered.
Professor McGonagall nodded.
"Right. Well, it looked like none of the others heard it… so that means it's probably aquatic or semiaquatic, an equine, or a type of serpent, right?"
"I would not go about making theories just yet, Jackson," she told him. "Now get some sleep. This night has been late enough."
HPJHPJHPJ
The next day, despite being a Sunday, Percy got up early and went to the library to look up potential culprits. Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Draco found him surrounded by books.
"What are you doing, Perseus?" asked Draco.
"Trying to figure out what I heard last night; since you guys couldn't hear it, it must be one of the creatures I can understand," Percy reasoned. "But that doesn't narrow it down a lot…"
"This whole thing is weird," Ron frowned. "But that chamber bit… that sort of rings a bell. I think somebody told me a story about a secret chamber at Hogwarts once… might've been Bill…"
"The Chamber of Secrets," went Draco. "I don't think I've heard of it. Hermione? You're the resident bookworm."
"Afraid not," Hermione confessed. "But perhaps it's discussed in a book I haven't gotten to yet…"
"You mean you haven't read the entire library yet? What a shock," Ron teased her.
Just then Luna skipped up to them. "A-ha! The wrackspurts told me you were in the library! Quite a few of them are lurking around us now, causing our confusion about last night's events."
"Right…" went Draco disbelievingly. Percy mentally noted to look up wrackspurts.
"None of this makes sense," complained Neville. "Perseus heard something that the rest of us couldn't, that something froze Mrs. Norris and did that writing!"
"Or whoever is controlling the something did the writing," suggested Ron.
Intently staring at Percy, Luna commented, "Most of you looks like a Harry, but something in your eyes does mark you as a Perseus. Neville is right. May I call you that too?"
Draco smacked Neville upside the head.
"Ow! It slipped!"
"Idiot."
Neville flushed and hung his head. Ron looked like he didn't know which of them to glare at; when Hermione chose to glare at Neville, he glared at him too. Percy gave him a fond but exasperated look.
Daphne and Hannah chose then to come into the library, walking over to them. Bemusedly Daphne inquired, "Why are you all staring at Neville?"
"He called Harry Perseus, which I have to admit fits him better," Luna promptly explained before anyone could stop her.
Draco smacked Neville upside the head again. "You, you, you… ugh!"
Neville looked appropriately ashamed of himself. Daphne and Hannah looked at one another, at a loss. Luna began to hum "Dancing Queen" as she sat down, clearly waiting for an explanation as well. The others all looked at Percy.
"Oh, no. Oh, no. I have explained my situation enough. Besides, it's Neville's fault so he should explain."
"I'll do it," Hermione sighed, glaring at the bright red Neville. "Daphne, Hannah, Luna: it's like this… okay, I can't do it. It's just so absurd."
"I'm not doing it," said Ron.
"Not me," went Neville.
"Nor I," Draco shook his head.
Luna just kept humming the ABBA song.
Hands on her hips, Daphne demanded, "Would someone explain something?"
"Please?" added Hannah hesitantly.
"Fine," grumbled Perseus. "This is my situation, after all. Okay, basically someone somewhere decided it would be a brilliant idea to switch Harry Potter and mine bodies. I'm actually Perseus Jackson. Apparently I had powers but didn't know about them until Dumbledore did his spell-thingy that proved that me and Harry had switched souls. So now, to keep everyone from freaking out and from becoming an "easy" target for the Death Eaters, I have to maintain the cover of being Harry Potter. Luckily, You Know Who seemed to buy it last term."
Percy thought it over. "Yeah, it's pretty absurd but it's what I got."
Daphne blinked. "That's so crazy it has to be true."
Hannah nodded her agreement. Luna continued to hum "Dancing Queen", but her attention was on an earnest Perseus.
Draco said, "Okay now you three have to be part of our study group. We meet in the Potions classroom after dinner pretty much every day. And if it's not too stormy out, we go do homework while watching Quidditch practice. Also, do not tell ANYONE about this. Clear?"
The three girls nodded. Draco looked over at Hermione.
"See? We got more girls into the group and I didn't even have to turn Ronald into Ronalda."
"OY!"
HPJHPJHPJ
For the next few days the writing and the petrified Mrs. Norris were the primary topic of discussion. Filch kept pacing the spot where she had been attacked, as if convinced the attacker would return. He also scrubbed at the writing on the wall with Mrs. Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover to no effect, the words gleaming brightly against the stone. When not at the scene of the attack, the red-eyed caretaker was skulking through the corridors. He lunged out at unsuspecting students and tried to put them in detention for things like 'breathing loudly' and 'looking happy'.
The Weasley boys were all worried about their sister, who was very disturbed about Mrs. Norris's fate. When Perseus asked Percival about the matter, he said he suspected it was because she loved cats.
Perseus helped Hermione with her near-constant research on the chamber and what Percy could have heard. Mostly he fetched her books and put them back, since even with the charm on his glasses he wasn't huge on reading.
He and Justin worked together in Potions that Wednesday, the other boy seeming a bit antsy. Thinking back, Percy realized Justin had been sort of avoiding him since Halloween. Finally, when they had to stay behind to scrape tubeworms off their work table, Percy finally asked, "Is everything all right, Justin?"
"It's… it's just that I heard some of the Slytherins saying that you might be the Heir, since you did find the writing and maybe only a more powerful Dark Lord could stop You Know Who."
Percy half-wanted to say, "Well, I'm not really Harry Potter so there goes that theory!" Instead he said, "Justin, I'm a freaking Hufflepuff. Who ever heard of a Hufflepuff turning into a Dark Lord? Gryffindor can get extremist, Slytherin caves in to their ambition, and Ravenclaw decides they know best for everyone. But how can loyal, hardworking Hufflepuff turn into a Dark Lord? Besides, a super awesome light wizard could stop the Dark Lord, like the Harry Potter."
"The Harry Potter?"
"Hey, there is a certain public perception of the baby who stopped You Know Who."
Justin joked, "You remind me of the babe."
"What babe?"
"The babe with the power."
"What power?"
"The power of voodoo."
"Who do?"
"You do!"
"Do what?"
"Remind me of the babe!"
The two boys high-fived, the problem more solved by quoting a movie than by talking. After lunch, Percy and Draco went up to the library. Ron was in the back of the library, measuring his History of Magic homework. Professor Binns had asked for a three foot long composition on "The Medieval Assembly of European Wizards". Furiously the redhead told them, "I don't believe it, I'm still eight inches short. And Hermione's done four feet seven inches and her writing's tiny."
"Mm," went Draco, plopping down next to Ron. Looking around as he sat down across from them, Percy asked, "Where is she?"
Pointing, Ron replied, "Somewhere over there. Looking for another book. I think she's trying to read the whole library before Christmas."
"It's always nice to have a goal," Draco nodded in apparent seriousness.
Emerging from the bookshelves, an irritable Hermione sat down at the table next to Percy. She told the boys, "All the copies of Hogwarts, A History have been taken out. And there's a two-week waiting list. I wish I hadn't left my copy at home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books."
"Why do you want it?" asked Percy.
"The same reason everyone else wants it. To read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."
"What's that exactly?" asked Draco.
Biting her lip, Hermione confessed, "That's just it. I can't remember. And I can't find the story anywhere else."
"I bet Percival has a copy; Ron or I could ask him for you," Percy commented.
"That'd be lovely, Perseus."
"Hermione, let me read your composition," Ron pleased, checking his watch. Severely Hermione responded, "No, I won't. You've had ten days to finish it-"
"I only need another two inches, come on-"
The bell rang. Ron and Hermione went off to History of Magic, the dullest subject at Hogwarts thanks to the droning ghostly professor, bickering. Percy and Draco had to go to Charms themselves.
Percy caught up with Percival just after dinner.
"Hello, Harry. I was about to go- go see a fellow prefect about a prefect matter," Percival amended as the twins went by, discussing dungbombs. Percy said, "Uh-huh. Listen, do you have your copy of Hogwarts, A History here?"
"Of course I do. Why?"
"Hermione wants a copy to read up on the Chamber of Secrets," Percy explained. Percival grinned. "I already did so- it doesn't say a lot, but she can have it. I'll give it to her tomorrow."
At the study group, Percy told Hermione that and she was pleased. Ron and Neville recounted how she had pestered Professor Binns into discussing the Chamber of Secrets, which apparently was a place Salazar Slytherin had made before leaving Hogwarts forever containing a fearsome monster to purge all unworthy students from Hogwarts- which apparently were those with Muggle blood.
Draco looked uncomfortable at this until Daphne pointed out, "Stories get twisted over time, and this was back when Muggles commonly murdered witches and wizards when they found them. At the time, Slytherins' concerns were kind of reasonable. What's unreasonable is maintaining that view through time and all the changes that have happened since then."
"So… could there really be a Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked, looking over at Hermione. The Ravenclaw shrugged. "I don't know. Dumbledore couldn't cure Mrs. Norris and Perseus, who can communicate with certain beasts, was the only one to hear anything odd. That makes me think whatever attacked her might not be- well- human."
After their homework was done they returned to the scene of the attack, curious if they had missed anything. The corridor was deserted, though Luna as the first year was put on guard. A chair had been placed under the message, and Mrs. Norris was gone. Other than that, it looked much as it had.
"It can't hurt," commented Hannah, inching forward. On the floor were a few scorch looks.
"Come and look at this! This is funny…" said Hermione. They all went over to the window, where Hermione was pointing at the topmost pane. Around it twenty spiders were scuttling, fighting to get through a small crack. A long, silvery thread was dangling like a rope as if they had all climbed it in their rush to get outside of Hogwarts.
Wonderingly Hermione asked, "Have you ever seen spiders act like that?"
Five of them shook their heads. Draco looked over his shoulder to see Ron having retreated to where Luna was. Raising his eyebrows the blond boy inquired, "Afraid of spiders?"
"I don't like them," he replied tensely. Looking at Ron in surprise, Hermione said, "I never knew that. You've used spiders in Potions loads of times…"
Looking at anywhere but the window Ron told her, "I don't mind them dead. I just don't like the way they move…"
Daphne snorted at this.
Fiercely Ron said, "It's not funny. If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my- my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick… you wouldn't like them either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had too many legs and…"
He broke off, shuddering. Hermione looked like she was trying not to laugh while the two Slytherins were clearly amused. Wanting to change the subject Percy asked, "Where's all that water on the floor? Where did it come from, anyway?"
"It was about here," Neville said, pointing at the entrance to a girls' toilet. Hannah commented, "That's Moaning Myrtle's place."
"No one ever goes in there," Daphne said. "Let's go have a look then."
Ignoring the large 'Out of Order' sign, Daphne opened the door and went in, the other girls right behind her. The boys went in, Percy realizing it was the same bathroom from which he and the Weasley boys had gotten Ginny's toilet seat from last year. He and Ron exchanged a grin at the memory.
It looked worse than Percy remembered: the row of sinks was cracked, under an equally cracked large mirror; the floor was damp; and the wooden doors to the stalls were flaked and scratched. Going to the other end of the row of toilets that the one Percival had blown up, Hermione asked, "Hello, Myrtle, how are you?"
Approaching, the others saw Myrtle floating about the toilet's tank, picking at a pimple on her chin. Eying the boys she stated, "This is a girls' bathroom. They're not girls."
"No," Hermione agreed. Hannah added brightly, "We're looking for clues."
Wailing about how no one ever came to visit her, Myrtle rose up and dived headfirst into the toilet, splashing water everywhere as she vanished from sight. Based off the muffled sobs, Percy would guess she was in the U-bend somewhere.
"Would any of you smack me if I said she was the most annoying girl I ever met?" Draco asked. Daphne sighed, "Since it's true… no."
"Good. She's the most annoying girl I have ever met."
Leaving the bathroom, they went their separate ways to their own common rooms. Percy had to wonder though, who else thought Harry Potter might be the Heir of Slytherin and a dark wizard… and whether or not they might have a point about the latter.
