Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Harry Potter belong to their respective authors/owners.

A/N: Due dates for my assignments approach and bam! I get ideas for the story... Lucky you.

Just A Riddle Away

-Chapter 12-

..:XIII:..

The beautifully engraved door opened with flourish, which was a contrast to the man's almost meek demeanor afterward; no doubt thinking that he should have knocked first.

"Master, my Lord, there is another Speaker at Hogwarts. I scampered around and I heard! The students whispered and I heard!"

"Wormtail..." intoned a powerful voice, "tell me, who?"

"The boy! It was the boy! Harry Potter."

"Leave me and return to Hogwarts, oh and Crucio."

"Right away, my Lord!" He quickly exited the fine room, quickly away from the overwhelming presence.

"Continue your report, Severus."

"My Lord, I looked into the boy's mind and saw no knowledge of the language. It was if he, himself, wasn't aware that he was a Parselmouth. A later conversation between his friends proved that. He thought that 'loads of people here can do it', but since he wasn't aware that the language would sound inhuman, I doubt that he knows any Speakers. However, I will continue searching." The black-haired man bowed.

"And you, Lucius?"

"The Ministry records show no suspicious foreigners. Off record, there was still nothing of interest either. Researching the school population, the only likely candidates are Souta and Kagome Higurashi and now maybe Harry Potter. Remus Lupin came in the picture afterward and considering that he was a Marauder, he is another possibility."

Severus Snape refrained from frowning, "If I may speak, my Lord?" He continued at the Dark Lord's nod, "Lupin is a werewolf and the night that the Chamber opened would've been too close to a full moon for him to be the culprit. He's also too much of a goody-Gryffindor, even at his age. Potter is ignorant. Kagome Higurashi is my Potions Apprentice and she would've had to give full attention to the potion she was brewing on that night. There was very little time in between finishing the potion and arriving at the scene."

Lucius spoke up, "Excuse the interruption, my Lord, but Severus...didn't you say that her brother was a Slytherin? And she's probably more than adequately intelligent for you to consider accepting her as an Apprentice. Not to mention that she's foreign and what is known of her history is unusually clean."

"You suspect her?" Severus asked blankly.

"She is the more likely candidate than her brother," the Malfoy head paused, "though…she could be directing him..."

Voldemort glanced between the two Inner members, "This Higurashi apprentice seems intriguing... Severus, arrange for her to meet me. But the issue hasn't been confirmed, both of you will keep a look out. That includes the younger brother too. Opening the Chamber is no small event and I want that person identified and brought to me."

"Yes, my Lord."

…x…x…

Souta had wanted to tell his sister about the Dueling Club, but it was getting late and she was going to be busy for the whole night, which was why she didn't attend the session. Sometimes Souta thought his sister was a bit too giving; she already had her own tasks but had also volunteered to brew something to ward off potential chicken-eating predators. Hagrid wasn't happy when he found his roosters missing, a few at a time until none remained and he didn't want to chance his other chickens.

The First Year had wanted to ask a few questions too, so he jotted them down to in case he forgot later.

Strange reaction from Lupin, think he was paying me more attention than HP. Ideas?

HP – think no one understood what he did, but I heard what he said to that snake.

HP isn't Heir, but any possible connections?

…does Luna know about Tom?

Think there should be a new, improved DADA professor. Ideas?

He closed the book; the spelled cover clicked and locked the list of questions away like it did with his unfinished letter to home.

…o…o…

Kagome quickly showered and swiftly went to bed, too tired to even cast a drying spell on her wet hair. But she did remember to drink a Dreamless potion; to hasten the coming of sleep, there was much to do. Mikos weren't meant to sleep artificially; it dampened their ability to detect, but Kagome hadn't finished her training and didn't realise. She also didn't know about the faint tingle from the ex-Shikon, the reaction dulled due its indecisiveness about the circumstance of its wearer, but still a warning.

…

Kagome woke up later than usual, but then again, she only had a few hours worth of sleep. Souta would be starting his second class now; Herbology. She had requested the morning off to sleep in, so she was a little confused on her sudden waking. Maybe she forgot something? Deciding to make sure, the miko got ready for the day while mentally going through her to-do list. She had just finished dressing when she heard a knock on the door.

The Potions Apprentice opened to find the assistant DADA professor standing outside. His smile was half-hearted, as if to reassure her for some reason.

"Good morning, Professor Lupin," she greeted him politely.

He nodded, "Yes, morning. Do you have a moment?"

"Sure, please come in." The professor slipped in quietly, his head slightly bowed and his hands in his pockets.

…

Professor Lupin remained standing in the middle of the room, briefly glanced around and then turned back to face her.

As Kagome shut the door, he immediately began, "I just have some questions to ask, if I may?"

Sensing his uneasiness, she smiled encouragingly but her stomach tightened, "Yes?"

"I'll be frank," he breathed out before continuing, "Is your brother a werewolf?"

Kagome blinked in surprise, but calmly answered, "No."

"Does he know anyone who is?"

"No."

"Does he have any fondness for wolves or the such?"

"Maybe," she shrugged, "he has nothing against them 'or the such'."

The man nodded to himself, "What about reptiles?"

This time Kagome narrowed her eyes slightly, "Are you suspecting my brother for anything?"

"Please answer the question," he pressed on earnestly.

"Again, maybe."

"Has he changed much since he's been to Hogwarts?"

Kagome crossed her arms, "Nothing unusual and not unexpected."

"Alright…"

She interrupted him, "Only fair to have my turn now," at the man's reluctant nod, she continued, "Is this related to the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Among other things," he conceded.

"What are your reasons for suspecting my brother? And what right?" She ground out. The unspoken 'I thought I could trust you' hung in the air.

…

"Your brother might not have been willing or knowingly…"

"The point, please," Kagome's sisterly protectiveness had noticeably kicked in; threateningly enough that Lupin had reflexively pulled out his wand from his pant pocket, "I am his sister and still an apprentice here at Hogwarts. I would like to know."

He pocketed the wand and a rush of tiredness seemed to wash over as he slumped onto the couch. The elder Higurashi sibling chose to remain standing.

"There have been strange activities this year. Let's start with the roosters; something killed them. I came earlier, before officially working as the assistant DADA professor, to investigate a few things and had a look at the site. You know what I am;" he glanced at her seriously, "meaning that I have a few advantages that quickly told me that the rooster killings were done by wolves," he paused and held her gaze again, "Something about your brother felt like a wolf, no, more powerful but extremely similar."

Whatever Lupin was expecting, it wasn't Kagome's fond smile, "That…it's probably the gift to Souta from a dear group of my friends."

"Ah, well… It still might be enough to influence wolves."

"Possibly," she agreed easily.

"And you don't think it's strange…?" He asked slowly.

"Well, no. Wolves eat meat, the roosters were meat. The wolves could've been attracted to Souta, as you said, so maybe they approached nearer and had dinner along the way," she shrugged, "If Souta does have influence over them, then I'll see if we can discourage any further killings."

…

"Hmm, right," his features settled into a more relaxed state, so Kagome sat down opposite him while he rearranged his thoughts. Almost instantly after, his expression reversed and so did the intensity of Kagome's emotions. "That doesn't rule out that he didn't direct the wolves though, you only provided an alternative."

"Innocent until proven," she retorted.

"Sorry, I just…the topic of wolves always make me cautious. Next, I'd like to know more about your family history."

"I suppose this part is related to the Chamber?" Kagome sighed at Lupin's unreadable expression, "Listen, Souta did not open it. Nor is he the Slytherin Heir," she paused, "Or are you suspecting me?"

"No," he shook his head, "There's something about you…your presence; something that tells me you wouldn't purposely hurt others. I trust my instincts."

The miko frowned, "Then with Souta…"

"Perhaps it's not Souta directly, but something that concerns him," the professor sighed wearily, "Just thought I'd try to clear things up with you…though I'm not sure how much it helped."

"Well, Souta's innocent," Kagome urged on stubbornly, "As much as I am, or more."

She firmly held his gaze until he relented, "I will keep that in mind, Miss Higurashi."

…o…o…

By lunch time Kagome had finished a relatively simple potion. The ease of the procedure and usual calm she received from brewing soothed her previous temper, though it was short-lived when she encountered a blatant display of bullying in the corridors.

The Potions Apprentice had just turned from an intersection when she spotted the disturbance. House colours didn't matter to her; she only saw that a young boy was being intimidated by the surrounding, much taller students. Though she couldn't understand their words from her distance and their attempts to lower their voice, she heard the tone and she saw the threatening gestures. Combined with the earlier jab at Souta, Kagome Higurashi wasn't happy.

However, before she reached the scene near enough to speak, someone else beat her to it. As the newcomer neared and made his presence known, the crowd quickly dispersed, hurrying away like their life depended on it. What she didn't expect was for the victim to be, perhaps even more, frightened of a boy similar in age. The shorter boy bolted the moment his rescuer had held out a hand.

Kagome recognized the other student at a closer inspection; Second Year, Harry Potter. After seeing his downward expression, she decided to reassure him, "Thank you for that, Mr. Potter. I'm sure that if he hadn't left quite so quickly, he would've thanked you also."

"Maybe," he answered in a small voice.

She frowned at his sound of defeat, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

He snorted, "If you can get rid of my ability to speak to snakes and erase everyone's memory of it." The Second Year must have finally realised who he was speaking to by the end because he quickly clamped up.

"When did this happen? Never mind, there's nothing wrong with a unique ability." The Gryffindor wasn't convinced and would've physically left the conversation if it wasn't for her status as Apprentice no doubt. Fortunately for him, his two friends came shortly after, so she let them go off for lunch.

...x...x...

(Meanwhile)

After the boys settled in their dormitory for the night and Souta was ready, Tom switched and cast the usual privacy spells. Then he retrieved his diary and placed it nearby with quill and ink. Souta returned to his body and followed Tom's unspoken request.

Tom?

This won't take long. Let us review today's Dueling Club session. A light embraced Souta, so he blinked and when he opened his eyes, he was sitting in a re-run of the duel. Souta glanced around to see another him sitting next to Colin and Luna, while the current him sat next to an older teenager. It was presumably Tom, who had black hair, neatly brushed and parted so that it didn't stray in his dark eyes. Souta wasn't sure exactly what colour they were and even though he trusted Tom, he still felt something repelling him from observing the older Slytherin too closer. He was handsome in the brief moment the boy studied the other, but it was the air of power and confidence that labeled the strange body as Tom's.

The thoughts were interrupted. "Now, pay close attention," Tom's voice was soft but commanding. Souta turned back to focus on the duel. The troublesome Lockhart enlarged the snake, it headed towards a Second Year, Harry Potter reacted and…hissed.

Souta blinked and carefully rewound the incident in his mind, "Is it just me, or did he…?"

"Yes," Tom nodded and then placed a hand on Souta's shoulder. His free hand waved in the air to rewind the memory. Tom glanced down and held the younger boy's gaze, "Now, listen again."

Souta did. The same event played out exactly the same way, until the part where the Gryffindor opened his mouth and this time spoke, "Leave him!"

The surroundings froze. Souta looked up at Tom, his friend, his mentor. He returned the attention, "That was Parselmouth. Would you like to learn?"

..:XIII:..

A/N: I don't know, so I'd like your opinion: How is this story going?

It seems like there's less people active lately (writing, reading) and/or that maybe the story, itself, isn't doing all that well? If so and if you wouldn't mind, please tell me!

Suggestions are always welcome and are extremely helpful, directly or indirectly.

To everyone reading, thank you for continuing to read. I do hope you're still enjoying it.

.

Airily

Edited: 04/07/09

Many thanks to my beta for this project, aislin94!