Disclaimer: I wish I owned this. I'd totally be rich, and writing this from the deck of my yacht. But I don't have a yacht, because Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling.
Guile
It was absolutely horrible, Tom, she wrote. Some students attacked Harry today. I don't know how bad it was, but I know they did terrible things to him. Ron wound up taking him to the hospital wing.
Tom wrote back. He must have been very upset to have something like that happen to him. Especially with everything else.
You don't know the half of it, Tom, she wrote. They threatened him too. They left a threat in his room that they would hurt Hedwig if he didn't leave the school. He was furious. He came down to the common room and threatened to kill anyone who hurt any of his friends.
He made a death threat?
The way it was written, she could almost hear the shock that would have been in his voice, had he had one. Not in so many words, of course. But it was clear that that was what he meant. I don't blame him, of course. If anyone hurt my brothers, I'd want to hurt them pretty badly back.
What about himself though? Did he tell them what might happen to anyone that attacks him?
No, it was like he didn't even care that he'd been hurt. He as much as said so himself. I always knew he was self...
The life in her eyes faded before a new life came into place. Tom sat up and put the diary away before standing up. Things had taken an interesting turn; he had some work to do.
!
"You wanted to see me Professor?" asked Harry. "Er, or should I call you 'Headmistress'."
"'Professor' is suitable Mr. Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "And I did wish to speak with you. Have a seat."
Harry walked into Professor McGonagall's office and took a seat in one of the chairs across from her desk. The words, 'Mr. Potter', rang through his mind. She had taken to calling him Harry in private this year. Was she angry with him?
"Are you the headmistress though?" he asked.
"I am acting as the headmistress, yes, until Professor Dumbledore returns."
"Then are you still my head of house? And what about my guardianship?"
"I am still your head of house, Harry, and I am still your de facto guardian. Nothing has changed in that regard, and it is not why I have called you here today."
Harry looked down at his hands.
"Is it because of what I said in the common room yesterday?" he asked.
"I should think so, Mr. Potter! Did you think I would have nothing to say when you threatened to kill your housemates?"
"But I wasn't threatening my housemates," said Harry. "Just, you know, anyone who hurt anyone I care about."
Professor McGonagall gave him a stern look. "I can appreciate your loyalty to your friends, Mr. Potter, but can you honestly tell me that this was the best way to go about it?"
"They hung an effigy of Hedwig on my bed," said Harry frustratedly. "They've already shown that they mean business, so it was either leave, or show them that I mean business too. And I'm not leaving."
"Hedwig can be kept safe," said Professor McGonagall. "As can you and your friends. We will be instituting new measures to ensure that no one goes anywhere alone, and Hedwig can stay in any number of places aside from the owlery. Send her to the Burrow, and give their aged owl a vacation. Do anything but give your fellow students another reason to mistrust you."
"Ron and I sent her off this morning," said Harry quietly.
"Then you've some sense between the two of you," said Professor McGonagall. "I do understand your desire to make a response to all of the things that happened to you yesterday, Harry, though I do not approve of the response itself. I too will be sending a message to Gryffindor in the form of a two-hundred point deduction. You are almost certainly right that one of your housemates was involved in the attack. One at least had access to your dormitory. Their actions will not stand."
Harry didn't care at all about the house cup anymore, but rationally, he knew that he couldn't afford any more ill-will. "Is any of that because of me?"
"No, Harry," said Professor McGonagall. "Though I will expect you in my office for the next week, one hour of study time a day after classes. Perhaps it will encourage you to speak with me first, if you're planning to do anything else brash."
"That doesn't really sound like a detention."
"That is because it is a precaution, Harry. As much as I object to what you said last night, I would not have expected rational behavior out of any of my students, should they have gone through what you went through yesterday."
"So, you're not mad?" asked Harry.
"I'm very angry, Harry, but not with you."
"Oh," said Harry, feeling more than a little relieved.
"Mr. Weasley may accompany you to my office, should he desire, so long as he too intends to study."
Harry nodded. "Can I go to breakfast now?"
"You may, Mr. Potter," she said; Harry turned to the door. "Oh, and Harry," he turned back around, "do hold on to this one." She held out another headband to him.
Sheepishly, Harry reached out and took it. "Thanks," he mumbled, and left. Ron was waiting for him outside the door with Neville.
"How'd it go?" asked Ron.
"I'm not in trouble, but I sort of have detention, and you're invited," said Harry.
!
"Now can anybody tell me the best way to avoid being hit by a dark curse?" asked Professor Druthers. "Anyone? How about you, Mr. Potter."
The professor always picked Harry. He supposed that it was because of the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing, but for once he wasn't complaining. He was really learning a lot from the professor.
"Well, the book says to duck behind a metal or stone barrier," said Harry.
"That's exactly what the book says on the matter," said Professor Druthers. "But I imagine you have your own opinion."
"Well," said Harry. "Unless you're living in a stone castle, barriers like that aren't always easy to come by."
"That depends, but an excellent point. What would you do instead?"
"Well, right now, I'd either strike at my attacker before they could get me, or run. When I'm older, I suppose I could cast a shield, or transfigure my own barrier."
"A good thought," said Professor Druthers. "You will certainly be learning different shields later on. And Professor McGonagall will be happy to teach you how to transfigure such barriers in later years. But you've forgotten one important thing."
"Oh," said Harry.
"Can you think of what that might be?" asked Professor Druthers.
Harry shook his head.
"Can anyone tell me?" asked the professor. No one raised their hand. "You can give up," the professor finally said to the quiet class.
"Give up?" asked Harry. He wasn't the only one who seemed puzzled by the professor's statement.
"A great many of you will likely be threatened with a wand in your adult life. I do not say this to frighten you, as it is not overly alarming. It is very likely that most of you will go through your entire lives without having to face down a serious dark wizard. You might however find yourself in an argument that leads to drawn wands, or a mugger in a dark alley. There are certainly occasions where you may have no choice but to defend yourself, and that is one reason why this class is important, but a loss of pride or money is not worth your life or your health.
"I understand that this has not exactly been your experience, Mr. Potter, so you may be excused for not having the correct answer. But you too must understand that not all problems are solved with a duel."
"I'm supposed to just let someone take my stuff?" asked Harry.
"Let me put it in another context then," said Professor Druthers. "If someone put a wand to your friend's head and demanded your money, at how many galleons would you risk letting a permanently damaging spell impact that friend?"
Harry huffed in his seat. The question hardly seemed fair, but he didn't know how to answer, other than that he probably would hand over the money.
"It's not a lesson that young people such as yourselves, or really anyone for that matter, likes to hear, but it is worth learning. Your lives have value, and that value is greater than the contents of your purse. Pride has value as well, but you won't have any if you're dead."
Only fight if you have to. Harry wondered what Gryffindor would have thought of the sentiment.
"Getting back to the chapter, who do we have left in this class who can manage to cast the barrier finding spell? Mr. Potter?"
Harry fingered a folded up piece of paper in his pocket as he stood up, his wand in hand. He knew what spell his professor wanted him to cast, but...
"Ostenderme resistentium," Harry incanted as he tapped the bridge of his own nose.
The world lit up just a little to Harry's eyes, and Harry pointed to the professor's desk, which shone the most. The professor, it seemed, had reinforced the back of it. A moment later, the effect ended.
"A very useful spell, assuming you have time to cast it," said Professor Druthers. "Not the one the book suggests though."
"Well the one in the book was a little useless, wasn't it?" asked Harry.
"You should know by now that you can only get points if you tell me why," said the professor.
"Revaleo Resistente shows everyone the best barriers, so it'll be kind of obvious where you're going."
"Five points to Gryffindor," said Professor Druthers. "An excellent point. Revaleo Resistente is an easier spell to cast however, and we will be beginning with it today. Wands out, everyone."
Harry sat down, his mind again on the note in his pocket. He had found it on his bedside table that morning.
Greetings,
I saw your performance last night, and I must say that I respect people who stand by and protect their friends. I must start out with an apology, for I cannot support you openly. You will one day learn to appreciate the friend that no one knows you have. I had never intended to become involved in the scandal that seems determined to follow you for whatever bizarre reason, but you are in clear need of competent support. That the professors have not put this whole business to rest is a travesty, though I can't say I'm surprised by the ignorance of the student population.
If they had not been moved to violence, I would tell you to ignore the student body as a whole. Before, they were not worth your time, but now they are a threat. Remember that even an ant can be mighty when it is part of a swarm. Keep what friends you have close, if friends they still are, and remain unseen when possible. Never forget that anyone around you could be against you in secret. Even if they smile to your face, they may be getting ready to stab you in the back.
I should not need to tell you that the skills you are learning in Defense Against the Dark Arts are of the utmost import. Unfortunately, you will have to supplement your learning, as they teach second years little of great value (upper years are not so much better off). Defense for the Young Wizard by Kendra Childe is decent supplemental reading found in the school Library. Also, Somnium is not a spell they teach in conjunction with self-defense, but it is easily cast by an inexperienced wizard, and slows an opponent in one hit, and renders them asleep with a second. They typically wake when they fall, but you can easily hit them again when they are on the ground. Even having someone to watch your back can not make up for having the power and security that true knowledge of magic will bring you.
From,
Your Friend in Secret
P.S. Supplement this weeks DADA readings with Ostenderme Resistentium. It's harder, but superior to Revaleo Resistente. I'm sure you'll see why. It's in chapter twelve of your friend's twinbrother'sDADA texts.
Something about the note left Harry uneasy, though he couldn't pinpoint what. The author was awfully disdainful of the student body, but then, so was Harry. At this point though, he wasn't willing to sneer at any help offered to him. Harry already knew the Somnium spell, though he had yet to successfully cast it on himself, but he had never thought to use it in a fight. It sounded like something that could work.
Towards the end of the class, Professor Druthers told them their homework assignment.
"You'll be exercising your imaginations tonight. In addition to notes on chapter seven, I want a foot of parchment putting yourself in the perspective of a dark wizard by the next class. I want you to plot your idea of the perfect crime. Class after next we'll discover if any of you have realistic beliefs about dark wizards, and we'll discuss ways to defend yourselves against the best of your ideas."
Harry perked up. That sounded like a fairly easy assignment, and interesting to boot. He had a pretty good imagination, especially when it came to worst-case scenarios. It sounded like an easy-A. He wished that Hermione was awake; she would know all of the specific potions and spells that would make getting away with murder easy.
Although when Harry thought about it, getting away with murder had one tried and true method: Step one, become a dark lord. Step two, do whatever you want. Step three, beware the power of love. After all, wouldn't Voldemort still be around killing whoever he wanted to if he had never fallen prey to Harry's mum's sacrificial magic? Everyone made out like only Dumbledore had ever so much as slowed him down.
As Professor Druthers escorted the class back to Gryffindor tower, Harry fell back a little and Ron matched his pace.
"Sneak out with me later?" asked Harry, feeling a little awkward.
"Why?" asked Ron.
"I just want to get away for a while. I'd go alone, but..."
"'Kay, said Ron. "Got your cloak handy?"
"You think I could go on my own?" asked Harry.
"Don't be dense, we both still fit under there."
"Oh, right," said Harry, disappointed. He did want to be alone.
"What do you usually do, anyway?"
Harry shrugged. "Just wander, mostly."
"Sounds dull," said Ron.
"You don't have to come," said Harry.
"I told you not to be dense."
Harry rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. They went up to the dorm as soon as they were back to Gryffindor tower. They threw on Harry's invisibility cloak before carefully maneuvering down the stairs together. Down in the common room, they waited until Professor Sprout escorted the first years in from their Herbology lesson, and snuck out after the last student had come in through the portrait hole. Fortunately, they were well practiced at sneaking around, and no one noticed their exit. Still, they waited for Professor Sprout to make her way down the hall before they left in the opposite direction.
"So this is it?" whispered Ron, after a few minutes.
"Pretty much," whispered Harry.
"Huh," was Ron's quiet response.
They walked on in silence. It was a distinctly different experience from Harry's usual wanders, as sharing the cloak meant that they had to walk shoulder to shoulder, in relative concert. Eventually though, his stride found a lulling rhythm, and his feet led him through the castle as they wished. Ron followed dutifully at his side. Eventually, they found themselves at the top of the astronomy tower. Harry stepped out from the cloak and rested his forearms on the crenulations.
In mid May, the weather had been warming up, but up on the astronomy tower Harry felt a cool breeze playing across his skin. The snow had melted long ago, but out in the distance, Harry could see white capped mountain peaks. As per usual he looked down, trying to gage the distance to the ground. Ron sat down next to him, his back to the outer wall, the invisibility cloak pooled in his lap. For a long time, they remained in silence. The sun had traveled it's own length in the sky by the time Harry sat down next to Ron.
"Want a chocolate frog?" asked Ron, pulling a couple from his pockets.
"Yeah," said Harry, blinking in surprise. "where'd you get them?"
"Grabbed them before we put on the invisibility cloak," said Ron.
"I mean, I didn't think you had any left," said Harry.
"I didn't. But I had Hermione's notes from the day she was attacked, and Neville gave me a couple so he could copy them," said Ron mater of factly.
"Oh," said Harry. "That didn't seem at all wrong to you?"
"Why should it?" asked Ron. "She would have let him anyway, and now we have chocolate frogs. Look, I got Celestina Warbeck. I can't believe they gave her a card. None of the Weird Sisters have."
Harry checked his own. "Bertie Bott, you have him?"
"Yeah," said Ron. "And you really should start your own collection."
Harry shrugged. "I have a few," he said.
"Having a few isn't a collection," said Ron. "I mean, I have almost all of them. If I ever get Agrippa, I'll be able to sell them all for a bunch some day."
"Wait, that's the point of collecting, just to sell them?"
"Well yeah," said Ron, "eventually."
"But what about the people who buy them?" asked Harry.
"Nutters, I guess," said Ron.
"Oh, and what about people who plaster their bedrooms orange with Cannons merchandise?"
"That's loyalty," said Ron, without missing a beat. "Now the Wasps fans, they're the nutters. Or should I say 'headers', like our dear friend Bailey calls them?"
"Is that what he called me?" asked Harry.
"Yeah," said Ron with a laugh.
"I don't think I'll ever be using that one," said Harry, "I'll stick with nutter?"
"Oh, and who do you think you'll be calling a nutter?"
"Well, I've already implied that you're one."
"I haven't forgotten that."
"The twins are pretty nutty," said Harry.
"True," Ron agreed.
"And I'm not sure if Percy actually sees the world around him the same way a sane person does."
"You need to be careful there, or I'll think you think that all Weasleys are crazy."
"Nah," said Harry, "I mean Ginny seems sane. Probably. But you know what they say, it's always the quiet ones..."
"Pft," said Ron. "You could be right though, Ginny may well be the only sane person in my family. Not counting myself, of course."
"Jury's still out on you," said Harry.
Harry popped the last piece of his frog into his mouth, and Ron, who still had a half of his, shoved the whole thing into his own. They sat chewing their chocolate quietly for a moment.
"Do you think it's my fault?" asked Harry after he had swallowed. "Would everyone still suspect me if I wasn't so..." Harry searched for a good word. "Moody?"
"I wouldn't say you've been moody," said Ron after he swallowed his chocolate.
Harry gave his friend a blank stare.
"Alright," said Ron, "You've kind of been a grumpy git, but everyone else is being an idiot."
"I've really been a grumpy git?" asked Harry.
"Well," said Ron, awkwardly, "kinda. Yeah. It doesn't help that you do stupid stuff that could get you killed."
"I don't," said Harry.
"Yeah, you kind of do," Ron said, almost apologetically. "And it kind of freaks me and Hermione out."
Harry huffed and turned his head to face forward, towards the door that led stairwell.
"I'm not trying..." he started. "I- Could you just promise, that you'll never be like them?"
"Who?" asked Ron.
"The others," said Harry tightly, "everyone else. One day I'm a celebrity, and the next I'm a psychopath. I couldn't stand it if you or Hermione ever saw me like that. I couldn't..."
"Harry," said Ron uncomfortably, "I keep telling you not to be dense."
Harry sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Why do you believe in me? I don't feel like I'm the guy I was last year. I don't think I'll ever be again. How do you know I haven't changed into someone you don't know?"
Their shoulders touching, Harry could feel Ron shrug next to him. "I know you," he said. "And I know that you're not a psychopath."
Harry turned back to look at him. Ron meanwhile was looking at his feet. Harry turned back to the stairwell door.
"Thanks," he said finally.
"Yeah," said Ron, "and anyway, I promise not to be an idiot about you."
Harry nodded, though Ron couldn't see it. An owl hooted in the distance, breaking the silence.
"You know," said Harry after a while, "Hermione wouldn't have called me a 'grumpy git'."
"Yeah well, if you don't want to be called one, you should have waited until she was awake, and had this conversation with her."
"Fair enough," said Harry.
!
The best way to commit the perfect murder, is to get someone else to do it for you. Someone who doesn't know who you are. You'll need a lot of regular spells, I should think, for basic trouble shooting, but it all comes down to two spells and a potion. Respectively, they are the Imperius curse, the Memory Charm, and Polyjuice Potion.
Harry had gotten some help from his 'Friend in Secret'. The mysterious helper had left Harry another note that alluded to the assignment. He hadn't spelled things out, but Harry had read between the lines. The note had told him to beware of the potential of the effects of the Imperious, the Memory Charm, and Polyjuice potion. Harry had been shocked to realize what powerful combinations that they could create. Really, he had realized, you could get away with anything with liberal application.
The key to the perfect murder is not being the one to commit it. You also can't be related to the person who does. Pick someone at random. Approach them invisibly, or under the Polyjuice Potion. Put them under the Imperious Curse. Make them take the Polyjuice Potion for extra security. The person they turn into should have no relation to you or him. Then send them to commit your crime. The situation will of course determine what steps they have to go through to commit the crime and get away. Make sure your patsy is smart enough to get the job done, but not clever enough to foil you. When they return to you, you memory charm them of the whole thing, and disappear. Then you memory charm yourself, so you can't ever give yourself away if someone tries to get you to talk.
Wait, Harry thought, could you memory charm yourself? He bet that Hermione would know. He was sorry that he'd left the book about it back in the library. With all the rules about going out of the common room, he wouldn't be able to return to the library until tomorrow. He didn't imagine Ron would want to sneak out just to go to the library. At least it wasn't due until Friday. Harry was pretty sure that he was going to ace it. He needed to make it longer though.
Also, if you were really good at magic, there's a spell that can implant fake memories in a person. The name of it's in the restricted section, and I wasn't allowed to see the book it was in. But the book that mentioned it said that it could make people believe things that aren't true. So, you could memory charm your patsy to think he wanted to do it all along. Then you could let him be caught. It would be easier to kill someone if you don't worry about getting caught. Then the patsy could confess to the whole thing, and the case would be closed. You would still have to memory charm yourself, just in case, but now you're even safer. Also, you would have to memory charm the patsy of having been cursed by you before he leaves.
Harry was proud of himself for finding the fake memory charm on his own. It had been mentioned in the same chapter about the memory charm. If Professor Druthers wasn't satisfied with this, Harry would eat his hat.
!
Ron felt like smacking himself on the head repeatedly with his cauldron, or maybe he should be smacking Harry. Of all the times for Harry to do really well in a class, why did he have to do it in a way that made him look like a psychopath. Harry didn't seem to see what was wrong with his essay though.
"Look, I just did what he assigned us. It's not my fault that I was better at it than everyone else."
"You're the only person who assumed that you had to kill a guy," Ron whispered, a little louder than a whisper should be, back to Harry as they made their way back to the common room.
Seamus had plotted how to smuggle contraband into Hogwarts, though the professor had shot down most of his ideas. Lavender had plotted how to rob a jewelry store. Neville had actually plotted a decent con-artist scam. Ron's plot had been to sabotage a quidditch team.
There had been mouths agape when Professor Druthers had read Harry's murder instructions. Parvati, who was sitting to the side of Harry, had inched her seat away from him. Neville had looked positively green. The professor, on the other hand, had quizzed Harry on some aspects of his assignment and given him full marks.
"Yeah, well that's kind of what I have to live with these days," Harry whispered back.
"I get that," said Ron. "I don't get why you have to be so good at plotting it out."
"How can you be safe unless you know what the worst that can happen is?" asked Harry, clearly frustrated with the whole thing.
"Fine, it was all very normal to know how to write that essay. But that doesn't mean you should have written it down and turned it in."
"Yeah, well," said Harry, finally starting to look a bit abashed. "I kind of forgot that the whole class would be hearing about it."
"Well don't bloody forget about things like that." Ron sighed. "And you should watch how you are with the professors too."
Harry looked at him quizzically. "The professors don't suspect me."
"Most of the professors don't suspect you," said Ron. "Snape'll chuck you out with any excuse. Unless they've actually said it, we don't know how any of them think about you." Ron knew that he should bring up Hermione's theory, that Professor Druthers actively suspected Harry, but he knew that Harry looked up to the man in a way. Besides, the man hadn't ever done anything that smacked of suspicion towards Harry, aside from picking Harry in class all the time.
Harry huffed and looked at his feet. Then he nearly tripped, before twisting around to look at the ground he had just passed.
Ron turned to look himself, before stepping back as a quiver of fear ran through his gut. A line of spiders ran along the floor, marching towards an open window. Ron did not like spiders.
As Ron stared, Harry turned back, snagging Ron's arm to draw him back towards the rest of the Gryffindors trekking up to the dorm. Ron's feet started moving before his mind did. When he could put a cogent thought together, he blurted it out.
"No."
"What?" asked Harry.
"No, we are not following the spiders, or whatever it was Hagrid said to do." There were times Ron dreamed of being able to have a conversation where he didn't have to worry about eavesdroppers.
"Hagrid knew something," said Harry. "You know he did. He may as well have said that all we ever wanted to know about the Chamber of Secrets was at the end of a line of spiders."
"Look, I can't handle spiders, okay?"
"What?"
"I really can't. It's all Fred's fault, but I don't do spiders. If Slytherin's monster is a spider, I'm walking away." It may have been accidental magic on Fred's part, but he had laughed too hard for Ron not to blame him.
"Oh," said Harry, looking very troubled. "I guess, I'll have to go without you."
"No you don't," said Ron angrily. "You don't have to do anything."
"Professor Dumbledore's gone, Ron. He was our best hope of figuring everything out. I mean, after Hermione was attacked. You know someone's going to die in this, eventually. I want to stop that. I also don't want to get in trouble for it. So that's it, I don't know what else to do."
"No," said Ron. "This is just another excuse to do something that could get you killed. The Forbidden Forest is forbidden for a reason."
"The Forbidden Forest?" asked Harry. "How do you know they're going to the Forbidden Forest?"
Ron could have kicked himself. "Because I saw them, alright, when we were in Herbology a couple days ago."
"You saw, and you didn't tell me?" asked Harry angrily.
"Of course I didn't tell you, I knew you'd race to see if the Forbidden Forest was enough of a near death experience for your liking."
"For the last time, I'm not trying to get myself killed," Harry fumed.
"Yeah, well you could have fooled me."
They walked on in silence for a few seconds.
"I'll take my broom then, if it'll make you feel better. I'll be able to stay above the spiders, or fly away from anything else."
It took Ron a while to respond, so many conflicting thoughts and feelings racing through him.
"We'll go tonight," he said, "after curfew."
They didn't talk the rest of the way to the tower.
!
When they had set off on their expedition, Harry had been trying not to be angry with Ron for his silence. It didn't help that he was angry a lot of the time anyway. He hadn't known what it was that made him angry this time though. That Ron might have stayed quiet because of the spiders, or because he thought that Harry would do something stupid in the Forbidden Forest.
They hadn't said much to each other outside of plotting the adventure and acting it out. The silence had probably been for the best as they had glided over the forest floor, following the spiders by wand light. There were too many predators in the forest for a person to be distracted by a conversation.
Getting Ron a broom had been easier than they had expected, as no one had bothered to lock the shed that held the school brooms. Harry had only wished that they had taken the time to look for a good one, as the one they had gotten had kept quaking when he turned.
The trail of spiders that they had followed had met up with many others. What had once been a trickle was now a river of spiders of all sizes. Ron had spent the journey shivering on his broomstick, and it wasn't from the cold. It had also been hard to be angry at Ron because he had come, in spite of being clearly terrified. And now, they were probably going to die.
Harry had thought that his conversation with Voldemort the year before had been surreal, but it had nothing on talking to a giant and ancient spider. They had learned a lot, after being abducted to the spider's home by a couple of other giant spiders. Now they were surrounded, and Harry wasn't even sure if what they had learned was of any use. They hadn't thought that Hagrid was the heir of Slytherin in the first place.
Ron had lost his broomstick in their abduction, but Harry had kept a death grip on his own.
"Get on!" Harry shouted as the spiders began to close in. He mounted the broom, letting his feet rise up off the ground as he positioned himself next to Ron. The spiders were mere feet away from them at this point. Whatever grip Ron's terror had over him broke as Ron jerkily climbed onto Harry's broom. Harry soared up, feeling pinchers sink into the hem of his robe before cutting clean through.
The plant matter that covered the spider's hollow was so dense that Harry could see no way through it. There was only the entrance that they had been carried through. Unfortunately, there was an acromantula guarding the spot.
"Shine your light on it!" shouted Harry as he flew right at it. Ron's wand shone brighter than Harry had ever seen it, causing the spider to shift agitatedly, as Harry pulled out his own wand.
"Somnium!" he cried out. Even spiders slept. This one didn't though when Harry's spell hit it, but it did slow down. Harry and Ron were both screaming as they rocketed past the spider and through the entrance tunnel. Ron kept screaming once they were clear, until they finally rose up above the forest canopy.
Ron's hold on Harry was painful, but Harry wasn't going to complain. Ron had done what he needed to when it had mattered. If he needed to squeeze half the air out of Harry now, then Harry didn't have a right to complain.
Crossing the Forbidden Forest was a lot easier when you flew over it. It was only a couple of minutes before they reached the school. Harry flew low over the ground until he reached the castle proper. Once at the castle, he skimmed up the side, doing his best to stay out of sight. Finally, he reached the window to the second year Gryffindor boy's bathroom. At this time of the night, no one should be inside. Harry flew through and landed by one of the sinks.
"You okay?" he asked Ron.
"I'm going to bed," said Ron, his voice high pitched and louder than it should have been.
"Okay," said Harry anxiously. "I'll see you in the morning."
Ron walked out to the dorm without another word.
There was no way Harry was about to get any sleep, so he stashed his broom in a corner before he started taking off his clothes, intending to take a shower. What have we learned? he asked himself. They had learned that Hagrid had not opened the Chamber of Secrets fifty years ago, but they hadn't really suspected him in the first place. Whoever had died back then had been a girl in a bathroom. What was that worth? He had nearly gotten Ron killed. Tempting fate wasn't nearly as fun when you were tempting it with someone else's life. Harry was done being angry with Ron for his silence, he had been trying to protect Harry. But Harry hadn't even really thought about Ron's safety. Ron had time and again proven himself a true friend to Harry, and Harry had once more put Ron's life in danger. A vision of Ron falling from his stone horse the year prior flashed through Harry's head and Harry knew that he would never have been able to forgive himself if Ron had been hurt in the Forbidden Forest. Harry morosely wondered what Ron got out of their friendship.
Harry stepped into the warm spray of the shower, letting it pelt the forest grime on his face. Maybe they ought to have just waited for Hermione to wake up. Madam Pomfrey was expecting it some time before the end of the month. Harry needed for her to wake up, and to have an answer for everything. This couldn't go on. He certainly wasn't going to risk anyone else's life trying to solve the mystery.
!
I hope these past two weeks of peace have helped you recuperate your spirits, as I hope you learned a lesson on how to deal with the threat that other wizards are to you. You were attacked because in their small minded stupidity, they feared you to be the Heir of Slytherin. They feared what the Heir might do to them. But they did not fear you. The Heir of Slytherin was leaving victims all over the castle, but little Harry Potter could be attacked with impunity they thought. So they hurt you; they were prepared to hurt you again, but you took charge. You made them see you as a powerful wizard, you made them fear Harry Potter, and now you are safe. The power they see in you is what has kept you safe and, even had you not sent her off, would have kept your owl safe. All you had to do was show it to them. Of course not all of the threats in your life come from school children. You must not become complacent. True security comes from honing your skill, knowledge, and power over many years. If you have finished Defense for the Young Wizard, and I trust that you are sensible enough to have done so by now, then I suggest you move on to Defense from the Indefensible, by Vladimir Markov. It has some topics that your teachers wouldn't want you being exposed to, they see children as too weak to deal with some of the harsher truths in this world, but I do believe that forewarned is forearmed, and you, I am quite sure, can handle these topics.
From,
Your Friend in Secret
It had been two weeks since Harry had been attacked, and this was the sixth letter he had received from the mysterious sender. He had in fact finished Defense for the Young Wizard a few days ago, and he had found it to have a lot more practical information than what he was learning in class.
He had gotten a dirty look from Madame Pince when he had checked out Defense from the Indefensible as he had left the library that afternoon. He had found himself feeling slightly sick after thumbing through it as he had walked up to Madame Pince's desk though. Most of what they had been learning to defend themselves from in class had been practical attack spells. It was clear from the book though, that the wizarding world had produced a plethora of spells designed solely to be sadistic.
As he walked back to the common room with the rest of the students being escorted, Harry thought more about the most recent letter. Harry had been completely unprepared for that attack, and he had in fact gotten off relatively unscathed. None of his attackers had done anything truly horrible to him. Harry doubted that he would always be so lucky. His anonymous pen pal was right, true security came from being prepared. Harry wondered though if his attackers had truly been cowed, or if another attack from the Heir of Slytherin would result in another attack on him, and what they would do since their original attack had done nothing to get rid of Harry. Harry eyed the students around him, still wondering who among them had been involved in the attack; who had gone into his room, and stood on his bed to hang Hedwig in effigy.
!
"Assignments up to the front. Mr. Weller, if you would bring them to me, please."
Minerva surveyed her sixth-year NEWT class as they shuffled about getting all of the their parchments to Mr. Weller. Weller stacked them all neatly before getting up and walking to her desk.
"Here professor," he said, holding them out, and she accepted them from him. Weller pulled his hand back, but Minerva's was faster. Her strong grip on his wrist startled him, and he looked at her in surprise.
"What an odd scar you have on your hand, Mr. Weller," she said. "Why, it almost looks like tooth marks."
Weller's eyes grew wide with fear.
!
Sometimes, Harry couldn't believe that they still had to do homework with everything else going on. Sure, he'd promised himself to learn as much magic as he could, but it still seemed wrong to be working on an essay on the properties of ashwinder eggs. Of course, his animosity towards Snape could have had something to do with that.
"Harry, I don't get this, is it dandelion seeds or dandelion juice that neutralizes the burning properties of the eggs?" asked Neville.
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but realized he didn't have one. "It's times like this I miss Hermione twice as much," he muttered instead. "Yeah, the book wasn't clear. I just put dandelion down."
"Yeah," said Ron, "but just watch. If we all put down dandelion, I bet you a sickle that you'll be the one he docks points from."
"Not taking that bet," said Harry darkly.
"Harry's not the only one he hates," said Neville, "I really need to figure this out."
"We'll figure it out," said Ron. "Maybe Dean or Seamus will know."
The best part about being a pariah was that you could get the best spots in the common room to do your homework in. They had a spot by one of the larger fireplaces with the good chairs. With Harry not going anywhere alone recently, and people taking his threat seriously, Harry was mostly being left in peace for a change. So he was surprised when a shadow fell over his parchment.
"Ron, Harry, I'm to take you to the infirmary," said Percy.
"What?" asked Harry. "Why? Is Hermione awake?"
"I don't know anything about it," said Percy. "I just got word from Professor McGonagall to take you."
"I'll take your things back to the dorm," said Neville.
"Thanks, Neville," said Ron.
"Thanks," said Harry.
They made their way after Percy.
"You really don't know anything?" asked Ron.
"I don't," said Percy. "I already said I didn't."
"Well, I thought maybe you just didn't want to say anything in front of the rest of the common room."
"I got a letter from Professor McGonagall to collect you and take you there, so that's what I did."
"But there's nothing else it could be, right?" asked Harry. "Why else would they ask for us there, unless Hermione was awake."
"Maybe there's been another attack," said Ron. "Maybe they want you away from the rest of the students so that nothing happens to you again."
"Then why'd they call you too?" asked Harry.
"Well you need someone there to keep you company."
"Well if there's been another attack, I hope it's Snape. He probably would have given me a zero."
"And if it had been Professor Snape, and someone overheard a comment like that?" asked Percy with a touch of exasperation. "Or if someone heard it, and then Professor Snape were next? That's likely why Fletchley was targeted."
"Yeah, I figured that," said Harry.
"Well then you should have learned not to say things like that," said Percy.
"Well it's not like things could get any worse," said Harry.
Percy gave him a sardonic look.
"Fine," Harry conceded.
"I wish Snape were next," Ron muttered to him.
Harry suppressed a grin.
Finally, they made it to the infirmary. Professor McGonagall was waiting for them inside.
"Is it Hermione?" asked Ron at once. "Is she better?"
"Not yet, Mister Weasley," said Professor McGonagall. "Madam Pomfrey does expect her to wake, for a while at least, this evening. She believed that friendly faces would be beneficial for her when she wakes. Unfortunately, Madam Pomfrey will not be available tonight, as she is overseeing the brewing of the restorative drought."
"The mandrakes are ready?" asked Percy in surprise.
"Very nearly so," said Professor McGonagall. "They will be harvested by midnight tonight. Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape are preparing the beginning stages of the potion as we speak."
"It's a good thing we have such a talented potions master on the staff then," said Percy loftily. "Imagine if he weren't here."
Harry and Ron both rolled their eyes.
"Quite," said Professor McGonagall. "You may study in Madam Pomfrey's office if you need to," said Professor McGonagall, "but I need you to stay here Mr. Weasley. We cannot leave the hospital wing unattended. You know how to contact me if anyone comes to the hospital wing seeking help."
"You can count on me, Professor," said Percy, nearly bursting with pride.
"I'm certain that I can," said Professor McGonagall. "Now, that is not the only thing I needed to discuss. Harry," she said turning to him. "I have discovered the identity of one of your attackers."
Harry's eyes widened. "Who?" he asked breathlessly.
"Mr. Rojer Weller," said Professor McGonagall. "He is a sixth year Ravenclaw, and he is the one that you managed to bite. Whoever healed his hand did a poor job of it. That's how I was able to find him."
"What's going to happen?" asked Harry.
"That remains to be seen," said Professor McGonagall. "Suffice it to say, he will not be getting a mere slap on the wrist. And I do intend to discover his co-conspirators. I will let you know when I have more information, but right now, I must be off. Do behave yourselves."
With that, she left the infirmary.
"Right," said Percy. "I see they left a chess set by Hermione's bed, so I suppose you'll have something to do. I think I'll take up Professor McGonagall's offer to let me study in Madam Pomfrey's office. She has all of the good healing texts, and end of the year exams are coming up, after all."
Ron and Harry slouched over to the chess board that sat on the end table next to Hermione's curtained off bed.
"So, Weller, huh?" said Ron. "Is he the one with those big glasses?"
"I don't know," said Harry.
"What do you suppose they'll do to him?" asked Ron, as he pulled back the curtain around Hermione's bed a little.
"I don't know," said Harry.
"Well, I think it's only fair if you got to punch him in the face," said Ron. "You should get some payback."
Harry felt strangely empty inside. He had thought he would feel elated when his attackers were unmasked, but he didn't feel anything at all. There was only the uncertainty of what would happen next.
He and Ron started to play chess; Harry still having little hope of winning. Ron was getting good at sensing when Harry didn't want to talk about something, because he had changed the subject to Quidditch.
"And it was zip to a hundred and thirty, when Blatcher caught the snitch. You should have seen my face, because it came out of nowhere. Everyone was shocked. Blatcher probably most of all, because he'd never caught the snitch during a league game before that. It was the Cannons first win that season."
Harry gave Ron a skeptical look. "How many wins did they have the rest of the season?"
"That's not important, Harry-" Ron was interrupted.
"It's parseltongue!" Hermione interjected weakly.
"Hermione!" cried Harry and Ron together. They both rushed to kneel by her bedside.
"Harry," said Hermione, her voice still weak. "You're a parseltongue. Remember the snake at Dudley's birthday. That's what you're hearing that no one else does. The monster is a Basilisk. It's gaze kills, but maybe no one saw it directly"
Hermione's voice may have been faint, but it certainly seemed as though she had been trying to say all of this for a month, for she was speaking very quickly.
"And pipes, that's how it's been traveling around. Tell Professor Dumbledore. It's going to kill someone eventually."
"Merlin, 'Mione," said Ron, "slow down a minute. You've been asleep for like, a month."
"I can't wait, I'm going to fall asleep again. Have you found anything out?" she asked.
"Two things," said Harry. "Hagrid was wrongfully accused of opening the Chamber fifty years ago, and that the girl who died, died in a bathroom."
Hermione moaned. She may have had trouble staying awake, but her mind was still sharp. "Stupid. The only ghost of a student in the castle, and I never checked. Moaning Myrtle. She haunts the second floor girls lavatory." She groaned again.
"Hermione, what did you mean that I'm a parseltongue?" asked Harry.
But Hermione couldn't answer; she was unconscious once more.
"Darn it," said Harry. He turned to Ron. "What do you think she meant? Parseltongue?"
Ron looked at him nervously. "Harry, you can't tell anyone about that."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry.
"I mean it, you can't tell anyone. There won't be a person left in the castle who wouldn't think you were the Heir of Slytherin."
"What are you talking about?" asked Harry.
"If she's right, and well, she usually is, you can talk to snakes," said Ron, rubbing the back of his neck.
"And that's a bad thing?" asked Harry.
"Yes!" said Ron. "Every parseltongue I can think of was a dark wizard. Slytherin was a parseltongue. So was You-Know-Who! That's all anyone's going to think if they hear about it."
Harry stilled. Voldemort had been a Parseltongue? That couldn't be a coincidence.
"How does someone become a parseltongue?" he asked.
"I don't know," said Ron. "I think you're born with it."
"Okay," said Harry, still troubled. Was it something inherited then? If so, then the question was, had he inherited it from his parents, or from Voldemort. Did magical talents just appear spontaneously?
"Harry, I mean it, don't tell anyone."
"I'll tell Dumbledore," said Harry. "When he gets back. In the meantime, we'll just tell Professor McGonagall that the monster is a Basilisk."
"Right," said Ron. "But blimey."
"Come on," said Harry, "maybe Percy will take us to Professor McGonagall."
But just then, the Professor's voice echoed through the room.
"All students, return to your dormitories. All staff, report to to the teacher's lounge."
"Come on," said Ron, "we can go to the teacher's lounge."
"No," said Percy, stepping out of Madam Pomfrey's office. "You'll need to go to the common room, like she said. Professor McGonagall should be in to check on you soon enough, and you can talk to her then if you really need to. But I hope you're not going to waste her time."
"We're not going to waste her time," said Harry. "Hermione just woke up. We need to tell Professor McGonagall."
"Well, you'll be able to soon. But right now, it's my job to get you to safety. I can't leave the infirmary to escort you, so you'll have to use Madam Pomfrey's floo."
"But-" started Ron.
"No buts," said Percy. "Come on, now. I mean it."
"You're sure she'll come to check on us?" asked Harry.
"I'm a prefect," said Percy, "of course I'm sure. She's our head of house. Now come in here." He stood aside from the door, motioning for them to come into Madam Pomfrey's office.
Grumbling, Harry and Ron went in, and stepped through the fireplace to the Gryffindor common room. They got some surprised looks when they arrived, as students practically never used the school's floo system. Harry hadn't even realized that the school had one until Percy had mentioned it.
"I bet they'll evacuate the school," said Ron. "Imagine, a Basilisk."
"I've never heard of them, what are they like?" asked Harry.
"I've only ever heard stories," said Ron, "I wasn't even sure if they were real. But they get really big. And like Hermione said, their look kills you."
"So, what? Collin only saw it through his camera, or something?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, and you know Justin's always cleaning his glasses. Maybe he saw it's reflection there."
"Yeah, maybe," said Harry.
"I'll bet Lockhart was looking at his teeth in the mirror, or something," said Ron.
"Or he saw it's reflection in the puddle on the floor," said Harry. "And wasn't that right by the second floor girls bathroom? But, hold on. Maybe a few of them got lucky, but all of them?"
"Do you think Hermione's wrong then?" asked Ron.
"No," said Harry. "But it's like we talked about. This whole thing's been dragged out. What if the reason no one's been killed is because the Heir has made sure that no one has been able to see its eyes directly. Maybe some odd charm, or a contraption on the snake's head."
"That would be crazy," said Ron. "But maybe."
They were getting a lot of looks by this time. It couldn't have helped that they had arrived at the common room via floo. But how could anyone think they had done anything, they'd been publicly summoned to Professor McGonagall.
"Hey," said Neville, who had approached them. "Did something happen with Hermione?"
"She woke up," said Ron.
"That's great," said Neville, grinning. "Is it true then, did she figure out anything?"
"Yeah," said Harry. He looked at Neville. "You probably don't want to know."
Neville grimaced. "Right then, I learned a long time ago to trust people when they said that."
Harry too could think of one conversation where he had learned more than he wanted to know.
A hush fell over the common room. Professor McGonagall had walked in.
"Mr. Weasley," she said in a very controlled voice. "Where are you brothers?"
"My brothers?" asked Ron. Harry looked at his friend in concern. "Percy's still in the infirmary, I don't know about Fred or George, they're probably in their dorm. Oh, that's probably where Ginny is as well."
"Have you seen her since you returned to the common room?"
"No," said Ron, worry growing in his voice. "What's going on?" He asked.
Professor McGonagall didn't answer. "Has anyone seen Ginny Weasley? Miss Faucett, please go check your dormitory, and come back promptly."
"What's happening?" asked one of the twins. They had both come down the stairs from their dorm.
Again, Professor McGonagall did not answer them. "Have either of you seen your sister this afternoon?" she asked.
"No," said the other twin, "but she's been with her classmates, hasn't she?"
"She's been gone," said one first year girl. Harry didn't know her name. "She's been gone for a couple of hours now."
"She isn't in our dorm," said the girl that Professor McGonagall had called 'Miss Faucett'.
"Professor!" cried Ron in alarm. "What's going on?"
Professor McGonagall's lips thinned, though for once not from anger. "We've had reason to believe, and it seems to be the case, that your sister has been taken into the Chamber of Secrets." Her voice nearly broke. "I will not mince words; we believe that she is dead."
A/N: Wow, so sorry for the long wait. Thank you, to any loyal readers still out there. I've been super busy with grad school though. I had wanted to get a chapter in during Spring break, but alas, it was not to be. Hopefully, I'll update more frequently now. Certainly, I'll try not to leave you waiting for the next chapter for long. As always, please review, and let me know what you think. Things are about to get interesting.