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Ch.9: The Library
"What's going on here? What's going on?" a creaky voice inquired. Filch was pushing his way through the mass of students. At the sight of Mrs. Norris, he clutched his face, distraught. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he screeched, eyes wrangling about, insanely eyeing every student inimically.
His bursting eyes fell on Harry. "It was you!" he accused, raising a shaking finger at Harry. "You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll – "
"Argus!" Dumbledore's firm voice called from behind the crowd. The students made way for Dumbledore and the other teachers trailing behind him. Swiftly, he swept past the trio and took the limp cat off the torch bracket.
"Come with me, Argus. You too Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger," he calmly said.
Professor Lockhart keenly stepped in, his typical toothy smile plastered on his face. "You can use my office, Headmaster. It's nearest. Just up the stairs."
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore said.
The crowd parted to let them pass. With a whirl of his robes, the old, yet powerful man led the trio and Filch towards Lockhart's office. Immediately after their departure, hushed whispers buzzed through the room like the strident hissings of beetles. Gohan instead maintained his composure. He was sure Dumbledore would be reasonable.
A prefect escorted the Slytherins toward the common room. Discussion had erupted immediately after. It was not one of concern – in contrast to the other houses – but dark joyousness for many Slytherins—some, however, not choosing to join in, but rather remain silent and keep their thoughts to themselves. Venomous laughs at the eventual misfortunes for muggle-borns made Gohan sick. A flicker of disgust crawled up his throat, sickly brackish in taste. Despite the distasteful discussion, Gohan himself remained calm, not speaking up, just like some others in his house.
Andres, in contrast, had more than once butted in, his temper flaring. He excoriated many Slytherins for their sickening behavior. He even asked the prefect to put a stop to the distasteful comments being made, but the prefect simply sneered at him, obviously sharing similar repugnant sentiments. Andres was about to curse him with his wand until Gohan restrained Andres. Reluctantly, the fiery boy lowered his wand, pocketing it back into his robes. Andres sent Gohan an envenomed glare, but the Saiyan told him to remain calm. Tomorrow he would explain why. Andres curtly nodded, still exasperated by the lack of sedition from his friend. He had expected more from Gohan.
As they descended down to the dungeon, Kennedy pompously approached Gohan with his usual preachy gait. Gohan acknowledged him with a bored look. "What do you want, Kennedy?" Gohan asked dryly. Kennedy smirked at him. He looks even more like my ass when he smiles like that. Wait. Forgive me ass, I didn't mean to insult you.
"Mr. Kennedy, to you."
Gohan scowled. "Cut to the damn chase, asshole. We're almost at the common room and once we're there, I'm heading straight for my dormitory."
A few curious heads flicked their attention towards the altercation. "Terseness. A peasant's way of life. Ah, very well. I wanted to ask you what you were doing with Looney Lovegood at our table."
"Shut up, dipshit! Don't call Luna 'Looney!'" Andres hotly directed toward Kennedy.
"Ah, ah, ah this conversation is between me and Gohan, Spanish boy." Andres glared at the Prince, then switched his gaze toward the incensed Gohan.
"Gohan, you can't let him talk about Luna like that." If Gohan had heard his words, Andres couldn't tell. All he knew was that Gohan was really pissed off. And boy, you didn't want a pissed off Gohan, that's for sure.
"Don't you ever call Luna that name again." Kennedy couldn't help but feel terrified, Gohan's tone chilling and dark.
How does Gohan do that?
Kennedy timidly spoke up, a meek stutter in his words. "I can do what I – "
"No you fucking can't, President Piss-stain. Let me make this clear enough so that pea-sized brain of yours can understand me. Don't you ever call Luna that name again. Hell, I don't even want you within fifty meters of her. Don't mess with Luna, or you're going to have to answer to me. And believe me, you really don't want that." Many first years looked at him worried, heeding his words. Most of the older Slytherins, however, held a pompous sneer. He noticed out of the corner of his eye Videl, Sharpener, and Erasa looking on, with discombobulated expressions.
"All of you hear me? None of you mess with Luna."
A cackle came from behind the Saiyan. The Slytherins walking through the labyrinth of corridors all abruptly stopped. Draco Malfoy strode through the crowd, with his generic sneer on his pale face. "Son, what audacity to believe anyone will listen to you just because of your big bad scary voice." Nervous chuckles were timorously choked out by the first years, but the upper years cackled menacingly. "Maybe these itty bitty first years but not us, the older Slytherins. Why should we fear a mudblood like you?" Another cacophony of cackles.
Gohan regarded him apathetically, toying with ideas that would display his strength enough to scare the Slytherins silent and ensure they didn't call Luna that name ever agian, yet controlled enough to prevent trouble. Only a paucity of ideas trickled through his head surprisingly. After mulling over the possibilities for a split second, his decision was made.
"Serpensortia," he hissed. Subsequently, he wordlessly summoned three dancing blue orbs of flaring, incandescent flame, the trio purposefully crawling closer to Malfoy's pale face, now moist with sweat. As the orbs drew nearer, his sweat began to evaporate. Malfoy's face transmogrified.
A large serpent appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, its scaly skin clammy, and its eyes like daggers gouging out one's heart. It was not a serpent that just anyone could make. No, it was a large serpent, sliding on the floor toward Gohan. Gohan hissed at the serpent. "Show him what it means to know fear."
The serpent appeared to bow its head. It then slithered toward the shocked Malfoy. All the Slytherins' eyes were wide with disbelief, including Andres as he studied his friend with fear. "Wait!" Malfoy cried out. He brought up an accusing finger at Gohan. "You're a parselmouth!"
The orbs of fire disseminated. Gohan lifted an eyebrow, clearly confused at the comment. As much as he studied, he didn't know everything about the wizarding world yet. "What's a parselmouth?" He expected another uproar of laughs, but none came. The only sound was the slithering of the serpent returning to its conjurer, seemingly comprehensive of the current situation.
"A person who can speak to snakes, Gohan," Andres said.
Another Slytherin, who appeared to be about a fifth year, joined in, his voice flat with disbelief. "Speaking parseltongue is a rare ability throughout the wizarding world. Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth, hence the serpent on our crest. It is said that the heir of Slytherin is also a parselmouth."
Gohan's eyes flickered with understanding. He fixed his gaze on the band of Slytherins. "I know what you guys are thinking so let me let me say this. I'm not the heir of Slytherin."
The prefect spoke up. "We can't be sure. Whichever is the truth, we all now know it is best to stay out of your way for the time being, unless you bid us to help you accomplish your mission or if the truth comes out that you're not the heir. Admittedly, it's strange that a mudblood would be the heir of Slytherin, but it's almost just as strange that a mudblood is a parselmouth."
Gohan grimaced at the prefect's words. The rumors would be raging the next day and most of the dunderheads would believe them. He would be ostracized. Gohan didn't care much, but presumptuous fright towards him was useless unless he happened to feel sadistic for a day. Whatever, screw all of them. "Believe what you choose to believe. But I will reaffirm again, I am not the heir of Slytherin."
The prefect studied Gohan for a moment. Once his gaze dropped, he motioned the crowd of Slytherins to continue toward the common room.
Andres walked closer to Gohan. "You were telling the truth, right? You aren't the heir of Slytherin?" asked, slightly anxious.
Gohan took a sharp breath. "Don't you believe me?"
Andres grinned a little. "Yeah, I was just making sure you weren't pulling a huge one on all those Slytherins. I mean, why would you want word to come out to the teachers that you're the heir of Slytherin? That would ruin all those incredible pranks you could craft."
Gohan chuckled. "All you think about are pranks. If I were the heir of Slytherin, I think I would be a little too grouchy to worry about pranks."
"Well if I were the heir of Slytherin, I would tell my badass snakes to make Kennedy's American dick piss his posh pants."
A chuckle became a laugh.
The following days consisted of rumors spreading throughout the entire school, from table to table, house to house, everyone crossing borders looking to receive the alarming news. What more proof was needed to confirm that Gohan was the one who conducted the attack on Mrs. Norris? After all, he spoke parseltongue secretly to the Slytherins and made a huge serpent pop out of nowhere, and according to the rumors, it was about as long as half of a house table. How could it all be a coincidence? But what about the golden trio? Nah, it couldn't have been them, it was just a case of the saying "wrong place wrong time".
As Gohan had predicted, many students chose to believe the rumors. Now many believers avoided him like the plague. Andres and Luna were the only ones in the entire school who treated him normally. Harry and Hermione both were increasingly wary of him.
"Andres, I was going to tell you that we have to be on semi-affable terms with the Slytherins," Gohan said and then tossed an entire apple into his mouth.
Andres turned around from his plate of bacon and pancakes. "That's why you restrained me? You were thinking long term not short term."
"Yeah."
"There's no need to worry, at least not for now. They're with us, but I'll keep my trap shut as much as I can."
"We don't need our entire house against us, do we?"
Andres didn't say anything else, concentrated solely on ravenously eating his food. Gohan sighed then joined him.
"Hermione, I know Gohan can speak parseltongue, I've heard the rumors. But it doesn't mean he's the heir of Slytherin," Harry said. He still didn't believe Gohan was the heir of Slytherin, despite the new knowledge of parseltongues Hermione provided him. Throughout the lecture, he felt a need to tell Hermione that he too was a parslemouth, but he was held back by fear, a fear of being ostracized. They had been avoiding discussing the rumors, but finally they succumbed to the gnawing necessity.
Ron grunted angrily, while chewing bacon. "You're talking about that git again?" he asked incomprehensibly, his food-filled mouth destroying any possible civility.
Hermione glared at him contemptuously. "First of all, don't speak with your mouth full, Ronald!"
Ron glared back at her. "Hey, don't call me that!"
She ignored him. "And second, when will you get it through your unforgiving thick-hided soul that Gohan is sincerely sorry?"
Harry helplessly stared at his friends, who once again were bickering over Gohan. "Why do you always defend Son? Does wittle Hermione fancy the Slytherin git?"
Hermione's eyes burned with an increasing heat. "Oh! You're unbearable!" She turned toward Harry. "We'll discuss this later, when he isn't here. As for now, I'm going to have to leave. I have some reading to do."
Ron snorted when she left. "See, she didn't even bother to deny it." Harry looked at his friend, disappointed. "What?"
"Ron, why don't you just forgive Gohan and get over it? He's really a great person when you get to know him."
Ron sent him a feral growl. "You too? Bloody hell, what's gotten into you two? You guys are blind to all the damn evidence that shows Son is a git! First, he's put in the evilest house in the entire world, then he breaks my sister's heart while trying to extract revenge on the savior of the world's daughter. And to top it all off, he's the heir of Slytherin! What more do you need?"
Harry sighed, frustrated, and then massaged his temples. "He made a mistake, Ron. We all make mistakes and I know that he's sincerely sorry. And do you honestly believe those heir of Slytherin rumors?"
Ron's face scrunched up in further disgust. "Of course," he spat out. "What more evidence do you need?"
Harry sank his hands into the table, stood up, and then hunched over to glare at Ron. "It was a coincidence, ok? Just a coincidence!"
"But he's a parselmouth!"
Harry sat back down. "So what... I can talk to snakes too."
Ron's eyes expanded. Harry's words smacked him like a club. "No, you can't talk to snakes... You're the boy-who-lived, the Prince of Light. All parselmouths are dark wizards."
Harry snorted, fed up with Ron's small-mindedness. "Hermione was right all along. You are a small-minded, hypocritical, bigot! You call out the purebloods that treat muggleborns as inferiors, but you are just as bigoted as they are!" Harry showed Ron his back. "I'm leaving, Ron. It's best we don't speak to each other until you realize what's wrong with you."
Ron snarled as Harry began to leave. "Fine! But it's not me who has a problem; it's you two!" he yelled at the retreating figure, heads turning toward him at the sound of his harsh voice. Ron felt angry and betrayed, but eventually Harry's words would begin to sink in. His anger would be replaced with uncertainty and a need to figure out whether he was the one with the problem.
Gohan and Andres were walking through the hallways toward their next class, Charms.
"You're like a prodigy, right?" Andres asked.
"Yeah, why do you ask if you already know that?"
Andres grinned at him. "Well, I want you teach me as much you can. I mean, I really am aspiring to become the greatest Curse Breaker in the world, and so far Hogwarts has been easy peasy. I really want to advance more quickly, and you're the perfect teacher."
Gohan studied his friend, hesitant. But he quickly realized it would be selfish not to teach his best friend as much as he possibly could. Plus, they would be strongest duo in school, revered by all who they came across. That could be fun.
Gohan returned the grin. "Sure, Andres. I can see where you're coming from. Not only that, but imagine both us being the strongest students in school. The power we'd command."
Andres's eyes sparkled with giddiness, glowing like stars. "Oh, imagine how many times we could make Kennedy wet his pants!"
"Hmm, I say at least fifty times a year – a low estimate however."
"High estimate?"
"One hundred."
An evil look crossed Andres's face. "Marvelous."
Gohan cautiously glanced at his friend, slightly perturbed by the Andres's dark expression. "Yeah... marvelous."
Andres broke out of his trance. "So how do you learn all those spells? I know you bought a lot of books but they surely weren't advanced enough to make you so incredibly powerful."
"What do you think I do?"
Andres wore a sly appearance. "I say you sneak into the library's restricted section a lot and power read your way through the books you get, then practice early in the morning or late at night what you've learned. I've seen how fast you read, and I know sneaky you can be."
"Makes sense to me," Gohan said, a wily smile on his face.
"That's what I always thought!" Andres said triumphantly. "How about you include me in your escapades?"
Once again, Gohan was hesitant. He always used his incredible Saiyan speed to sneak into the restricted section. He couldn't do that around Andres. Of course, the disillusionment charm would suffice. "That's fine, after all, we are partners in crime," Gohan craftily said, feigning a thief by conjuring a mask on his face.
"So we need super cool secret names!" Andres excitedly exclaimed.
Gohan groaned, disgusted. "No we don't."
"I'll be the Dark Avenger!"
"We don't need secret names," Gohan reaffirmed.
Andres continued, seemingly oblivious of Gohan. "And you can be Hot Cheeks."
"Hot Cheeks?" Gohan asked, dumbfounded. "Why do I have to be Hot Cheeks?"
Andres smirked at Gohan. "Haven't you heard all the girls walking by us say that you've got a sweet ass?" He laughed aloud.
Gohan grumbled, disgruntled. "My secret name is not going to be Hot Cheeks."
"You're stuck with it... Hot Cheeks."
"Asshole."
Charms with the Ravenclaws had just ended. Gohan and Andres had spent most of the time making funny faces at the professor when he wasn't looking, to the great amusement of the entire class. As a result, Luna had gone through a fervid state of uncontrollable giggles, making Professor Flitwick think that she had come down with a case of Giggling Blumonia, sending the class into another uproar. Now Gohan and Andres were pacing towards Herbology.
"So how's my good ol' chap, Gohan?" a familiar voice asked.
Gohan slightly turned his head, and saw Fred and George walking toward him. "Pretty good, considering the stupid rumors."
Out of the corner of his eye, Gohan saw Andres slyly smile. He was up to something again... "Of course. The juiciest news of the week." A twin said.
"We of course don't believe it."
"Why would our little old Gohan be the heir of Slytherin?"
Gohan gave the twins a glare. "Hey! I could be the heir of Slytherin if I wanted to!"
The twins looked at each other, both amused. "Do you think he's got what it takes to be the heir of Slytherin, George?"
"Good question, Fred."
"So what's your answer Fred?"
"Nah, not a chance George."
Gohan raised an eyebrow at the twins. "Wait, what? You guys mixed each other's names." He knew he should've memorized their ki signatures the first time he met them.
At the Saiyan's confusion, the twins both grinned. "Oh we did?"
"Why, how careless of us, wouldn't you say so Fred?"
"Sure George, very careless indeed."
"Hey George, do you remember what class we have next?"
"No Fred, I can't recall."
Gohan scowled. "You're doing it again." I'll get their identities sorted out eventually.
"Sorry," they voiced in unison, clearly not at all regretful. "So who's your friend?" a twin asked.
"Andres Pires, a Slytherin like me, but not like the rest of the arrogant slimeballs in our house."
Andres gave them a pompous smirk. "The son of the greatest Curse Breakers in the world, the one, the only, the legendary Pires family."
Gohan whispered into the twins' ears. "Scratch the arrogant part." The twins snickered.
"I've heard that you two are the biggest pranksters in the school," Andres coyly said.
The comment clearly caught the twins' interest, as they stared expectantly at the Spanish boy. Gohan mentally groaned, knowing where the topic was headed. "Yes we are."
"And I would like to know if you have heard of my and Gohan's cunning exploits in the world of pranks."
The twins broadly grinned, now aware where the conversation was going. "Oh, we have. Quite capable you two chaps."
Andres pompously puffed out his chest. "More than capable. In fact, I would say we are the greatest pranksters in school."
"No, we're not," Gohan said.
"Don't listen to him. He's too modest." Gohan glowered at Andres.
"We would have to agree with Gohan, wouldn't you say so George?"
George puckered his lips, feigning a thinking position. "Duh."
Andres rubbed his chin, mocking George's mock. "So it seems, we can't resolve this issue. Two against two it is. Thus, we must find a way to reach a conclusion and figure out who truly is the best. A prank competition would surely resolve it. Wouldn't you say so Gohan?"
Gohan shrugged. "Sure, whatever you say," he gruffly said.
The twins were beaming now, their eyes shining like sparkling stars. "Brilliant idea, Andres. So, what are the rules?" asked George.
"Well, first of all I have to tell you that I plan on making this competition official on September 8th of next year because of some... difficulties me and Gohan are encountering at the present moment."
Gohan sighed at that. He didn't expect to be in any mood to go through a prank competition this year.
The twins pouted mournfully. "Too bad..."
"Yeah, you got our hopes up and now we have to wait almost an entire year to start the competition."
"Patience is virtue lads, patience is virtue," Andres sagaciously added.
The twins grinned at them. "We'll be looking forward to it, but we've got to go right now."
"Yeah, or McGonagall will start breathing fire. See you guys later and it's been nice meeting you Andres."
"The pleasure is mine." With the goodbyes out of the way, the twins left.
Gohan flicked a hard gaze at Andres. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know what!"
"Dude, you'll be thanking me next year for my brilliant idea. You'll have a great time. I wouldn't have come up with it otherwise."
Gohan slightly smiled, his anger dissipating. Andres was a good friend.
"Oh, this is maddening," Hermione whispered, her voice haggard.
"Hermione, it's lunch. Don't you think it'd be better if we were outside instead of stuck in the library?" Harry asked. Hermione gave Harry a biting look. "It's fine then."
She sent him a fake smile. "Good. I know what you mean, Harry, but we have to find a book on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."
"You mean what the writing on the wall said was open?"
"Yes! But all the books that delve into the legend have been taken."
"Have you looked in the restricted section?" Hermione gave him a look of trepidation, mulling over whether or not to break the rules again, like the previous year.
She took a deep breath. "No, I haven't." Her eyes glanced down at her shoes, her toes wriggling like sea serpents in water. Harry waited for the answer that he knew would come.
"Tonight?"
"Tonight."
"Gohan, you know how we're going to the library tonight and stuff..." Andres trailed off, while flicking an apple in the air, narrowly missing a branch protruding from the large oak tree.
"Yeah, and?" Gohan asked, taking several bites out of his various fruits.
"Didn't you tell me the night the writings on the wall appeared that we were going to figure out what happened?"
Gohan paled and then slapped his forehead. "Of course! How could I forget! I know where you're going, so yeah we'll have to look for a book in the restricted section about the Chamber of Secrets."
The Spanish boy took a crackling bite out of his apple, proceeded to chew his bite of apple for a few seconds, and then gulped all the flesh and juice down rhythmically. "Do you really think all this isn't a bluff? I might not be muggle-born, but I'm also not like those snobby pure-bloods who all think muggle-borns are filth that should be exterminated."
"Yes, my instincts were screaming a warning at me."
Andres took a sharp breath. "You're a muggle-born too, so I'm kind of worried about you. Malfoy's been babbling that muggle-borns are the enemies of the heir."
Gohan gave him a mockingly touched look. "Oh Andres, how sweet. It warms my heart like toast in a toaster that you truly care about me."
Andres scrunched up his features, the sappiness turning his disgust signals on overdrive. "Cut it out, Gohan. It's killing me! I can't take it when someone else imitates my attempts at melodramatic mockery." He rubbed his temples in pain.
Gohan chuckled. "Sorry, I didn't know you were allergic to love."
"You don't know the half of it." Gohan chuckled again. He couldn't imagine what kind of girl Andres would fall in love with. "But seriously, if this 'Chamber of Secrets' has been opened, whatever attacked Mrs. Norris is going to attack muggle-borns."
"You know that I can protect myself, Andres. I'd fucking fry that thing before it could touch me."
"Wow, Gohan dropped the f-bomb."
Gohan shrugged impassively. "Guess you're rubbing off on me."
"Well, I'll take your word for it, as I always do (unless it's a blaringly obviously lie or just plain stupid)." Gohan glared at him. "But all the other muggle-borns, they're in deep shit. We have to find out what this Chamber of Secrets is tonight."
"It's nice to not be giving out the orders for a change."
Andres huffed. "I am very capable of taking command when I want to. I just have better things to do than being the leader all the time."
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Oh sure." A thought then struck the Saiyan. "What about Luna? Do you want to get her involved in our plans?"
A teasing smile lined Andres's face. "Has Gohan taken up a new love interest?"
"She's not a love interest! She's just a friend!"
Andres snickered. "Sure, Gohan. Whatever you say. I take your word for it (unless it's a blaringly obvious lie or just plain stupid)." The Spanish boy felt a familiar glare. "But no, we shouldn't. Yeah she's a friend, but we shouldn't put her in risky situations."
Gohan looked somewhat ashamed. "Of course. I don't want anything bad to happen to her. Why'd I even think of that?"
"Because you wanted be close to her beautiful self."
"Shut up, asshole."
Videl Satan was mindlessly poking her food, while Erasa and Sharpener were bickering as they usually did for some foolish reason, their gibbering so unclear, they sounded like squeaking mice. She didn't feel hungry; she felt more like thinking than eating. As the turmoil following the Mrs. Norris incident steadily died down, her mind began to think more clearly.
She never was one to take rumors seriously; she had always felt that they were nothing more than unsubstantiated gossip. Nevertheless, the seriousness of situation taken alongside with the evidence she herself had witnessed with her own eyes made her mind race, contemplating whether or not Gohan Son could have done such a thing. As much as she hated the guy, she wasn't entirely sure he would petrify Mrs. Norris and write the things that were on the wall. In fact, she hoped that he wasn't capable (perhaps foolishly on her part) of that. She didn't want anything more to provide support for her cynicism. An eleven year old threatening the lives of an entire population of muggle-borns, a status he himself held—what was more disturbing that that?
Despite her hopes, cynicism gnawed at her mind relentlessly. Action had to be taken. Her father's heroism was just as prevalent in her character. Her brain stretched itself, looking inside itself for possible roads to action. Common sense told her that before acting, one needed knowledge. Acquiring knowledge would thus be the first step.
Hmm, maybe the library has something about the Chamber of Secrets. I'll go check the library. Erasa and Sharpener? They're out of my plans; they'll just get in my way.
"I'm going to the library," Videl said, making the pointless quarrel halt.
Erasa turned her head toward Videl. "Why?"
Why do you question me now of all times? "I want to look something up before our Transfiguration test next period."
Sharpener closed his eyes and sneered wryly, scoffing at her. "All of the sudden you actually care so much about a test to go to the library and look something up? That doesn't sound like the Videl I know."
Her gaze made Sharpener uncomfortable. "Maybe I had a change of heart, ok?" she said with a caustic tone.
Both Sharpener and Erasa grimly looked at each other, both understanding that they couldn't do anything. "Sure, Videl!" Erasa cheered, her voice just adding to a pretense of support.
"Good. See you guys later."
Dumbledore tapped his foot restlessly, waiting for Snape, as he out of habit stroked Fawkes, his phoenix, while he stared at the office door. His eyes were wizen and befuddled as he thought of the mysterious student, Gohan Son.
The rumors of Gohan being the heir were alarming to him. The strength the boy commanded was unseen in any other student. As a first year, the boy already was as strong as Tom Riddle was in his third year.
"Rumors are exactly what they are, just rumors. They are not facts, Headmaster."
"Ah Minerva, if only I could be as skeptical as you are. However, I am not, and I will have to take the utmost caution with this boy, for he is capable of great things, but if darkness takes him, we will face an even greater monster than Voldemort himself."
Dumbledore was deep in thought. Incredibly powerful, a Slytherin, and now possibly a parselmouth, who coincidentally conjured a snake immediately after the Mrs. Norris incident. Was his conjuring of the snake just some sick joke?
A strange boy. A boy even I cannot understand. And his friends, the son of the legendary Pires family, and the daughter of Xenophilius, both of them quite extraordinary themselves.
Knocks on the door snapped Dumbledore out of his thoughts. "Come in, Severus."
Snape opened the door and walked in, looking indifferent but dutiful. "What do you want, Headmaster?"
"Advice," Dumbledore said. "Advice on what to do with a student of yours."
Snape raised an eyebrow, mildly curious. "A student of mine? Who is it?" he asked, flatly.
Dumbledore took a breath then released it slowly, clearly enervated. "Gohan Son. The rumors circulating around Hogwarts concerning him have been... disturbing."
Snape shook his head. "Headmaster, they are merely unsubstantiated rumors. Yes, Mr. Son is powerful for his age, but I don't believe he's a parselmouth. He's from Japan. Almost every parselmouth is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, and I find it hard to believe Gohan could be a descendant. Parseltongue itself is an extremely rare ability, anyway."
Dumbledore's eyes were like those of a wraith. "Do you not notice the respect the Slytherins are showing Mr. Son? It is a type of respect that is given when a person witnesses another's laudable actions, not just hear rumors. Before the rumors, he was treated like an outsider. Can you explain that Severus? Has Mr. Son done anything to warrant such a dramatic change in the other Slytherins' treatment of him?"
The powerful old wizard saw Snape's stolid eyes waver, a flash of uncertainty. "I cannot explain this change," Snape muttered. "But that does not prove anything."
"But it makes the rumors more plausible, wouldn't you say? Mr. Son being a parselmouth, after all, is the only explanation for the Slytherins' respect that I know of."
"Just because it is the only explanation as of now, does not mean it is the correct one."
Dumbledore slightly smiled. "I know that Severus. But we must prepare for the worst. I am not going to make the same mistake I made with Voldemort. Even if I wasn't the Headmaster at that time, I could have stopped him. If anything, it would be a greater mistake not to be cautious with Mr. Son since he already is as powerful as Voldemort was in his third year."
Snape looked at the old wizard, flabbergasted. "That can't be! How can you even tell how powerful Son truly is?"
"I have my ways, Severus. No need to know how, but just trust me," Dumbledore said, an unusual edge to his tone. "With the power Mr. Son commands, and a dark swaying, he could become the greatest threat the wizarding world and muggle world has ever seen."
Dumbledore's startling words brought on a lurid silence.
Snape's hands were clenched at his side nervously. He hated this feeling; he hated feeling weak even for a second. "I understand, Headmaster. What do you want me to do?"
Dumbledore turned his back, and stared out the window at the glorious lake. "Keep him in your sight. Remain vigilant and maintain prudence. This is very important, Severus. I'm counting on you. Do you accept?"
Snape knew Dumbledore was correct to be observant of Gohan Son.
"Severus?"
"Yes, Headmaster. I accept."
Creeping through the shadows was Hercule's daughter, her sneaking around as skillful as a thief's. Other students had checked out all the books concerning the Chamber of Secrets, so she was left with having to find a book in the Restricted Section.
Filch passed by, an oil lantern spreading light upon his path, while his haggard eyes crawled through every crack and crevice in sight. Videl embraced the shadows, wearing them like a cloak, while she expertly continued to run noiselessly through the hall, managing to evade Filch once he had turned his lantern opposite of her location.
The moon was now the only source of light. She skipped through the moonlight wading through the intricate windows, and then pushed her lithe body into the cold stonewalls. After one more quick yet assiduous glance, she took off running, each step merely a whisper, to the east hall.
With a deft right turn, her boots slid on the floor. A single sound of a foreign step on the floor caught her attention. She suddenly became as aware as a snake, her eyes weaving around the dark hallway, as fluidly as a mountain stream. Once satisfied with her analysis, she slipped into the library, her heart beating thrillingly at her successful escapade.
"You still haven't found it, Hermione?" Harry whispered.
She gave him a berating look. "What about you? You're standing there like a fool."
Harry shrugged. "Someone has to keep this cloak on us in case someone happens to stumble inside here."
Hermione gave him one more scowl, then turned to look for the book.
They had already been there for about half an hour. Harry sighed for the third time in a minute and stolidly gazed at a tall bookcase, each row lined with books concerning countless potions.
"Harry!" Hermione's soft, anxious whisper startled him. "Someone's coming! I see a head of black hair close to the door!"
Harry fixed his eyes on the doorway, and indeed saw someone. It couldn't have been a professor, because the person was obviously too short to be an adult, unless it happened to be Flitwick, but he had a tuft of grey hair. "Put that book back, Hermione. Let's go to that corner," he said, while pointing at the corner where the end of the bookcase met the wall.
"Really smooth, Andres. She almost figured out we were following her."
Andres grinned sheepishly at Gohan. "Sorry. I was thinking about that awesome kiss Cho gave me."
Gohan scowled. "Now's not the time for fantasizing. We've got to get that book but Videl is going to make this a lot harder than it should've been." Andres nodded.
Gohan's expertly placed disillusionment charm hid them from any prying eyes as long as they kept close to the walls and shadows, the two basically having become human chameleons. Gohan had to admit that Videl had displayed a lot of skill. As much as he didn't want to acknowledge it, he saw a great deal of potential in her. She wasn't just a spoiled brat.
When Gohan got a hold of Andres, Gohan sharply pushed him forward. Andres sent back an invisible scowl. They quietly walked toward the door.
Gohan sensed two energy sources not belonging to Videl and soon realized to whom they belonged. Harry and Hermione were hiding in a corner, somehow invisible. Great, now things are even more complicated. "Andres, I think Videl isn't the only one in there."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just a gut feeling. It's almost never wrong. Someone else is looking for the book too."
"Then what do we do?"
"Wait."
Harry pushed himself deeper into the cold layers of stone, as if he planned to be engraved in it in order to preserve himself. What do we do now? He thought. Probing his brain for a solution made him come up with one idea. Wait. He heard Hermione's unnaturally quiet breathing. Her arm touching his was unusually tense, as tight as a harp's string. He poked Hermione gently to grab her attention. Once he had her attention, he put a single finger on his lips, motioning for silence. She gave him a nod.
They looked on at the daughter of the Earth's savior, as she examined book after book. Several books later, her face was evidently flustered – visible despite the darkness – from her fruitless attempts. Suddenly, she seemed excited. Her hands ran through the pages of the book she just pulled out, hoping to find what she sought. Then, she stopped at a page, mid-way through the book, and lined her fingers over words. "The Chamber of Secrets," she whispered quietly, yet audibly enough for Harry and Hermione to hear. "Twenty pages dedicated to it."
Those few words changed everything. Harry now had to rethink his plan. She had the book, and if there were any more books about the Chamber of Secrets, they surely couldn't be as informative as the book Videl Satan held.
There was only one option. His eyes turned to Hermione's, looking at her for confirmation. She understood, and nodded. Harry dropped the cloak, thrusting it into his pocket immediately after. "Videl, we need that book," Harry firmly said.
Videl jumped and then slowly turned her head toward them. When she realized they were students, she gave them an annoyed look and put the book on the shelf. "Why should I do that?" she asked heatedly. "I need this book too!"
Hermione spoke up. "We know why you want it. It's so you can help stop this 'heir,' right?" Videl snappily nodded. "That's great, but look, we're second years and Harry and I have been in dangerous situations before. We can handle this situation better than you can."
Videl's blue eyes grew stormy. "Do you know who you're talking to, girl? I'm Hercule's daughter! What makes you think you guys can handle this better than I can?"
Harry shook his head. "You can't because you're not as experienced in magic. Maybe you're physically more adept, but that's not enough. These matters require magical ability, not physical ability."
Videl would not give in. "And I'm magically incompetent?"
"No it's just that..." Something tore through the wind. A blur grabbed the book, and took off, all in one heartbeat – two heartbeats for the agitated Videl.
"That thing took the book!" Hermione said, upset.
"What!" Videl nearly shrieked. "I have to get that thing!" She ran out of the library, her stride composed of quick silent steps, expertly weaving her way around the furniture and out the door.
Harry and Hermione stood planted on the ground. They stared at each other, perplexed.
"Who could've done that?" Hermione whispered.
"I don't know, but we're not following it. It'd be hopeless."
With a final confused look at each other, they flung the cloak back on themselves, and headed back to the Gryffindor Tower, each of them exhausted.
