Chapter 21:
When Skylar woke up the following morning, it was still rather early, or at least early for a Sunday. She got up and began to get dressed before Hermione woke up with a greeting.
The two girls moved down the staircase and into the common room before they took a seat to wait for Ron.
"Morning." he yawned
"Breakfast?" Skylar asked with a chuckle and he nodded before the three moved from the common room and through the porthole. The three of them moved down toward the entrance hall, across it and into the Great Hall for Breakfast. It was rather early, or at least early for a Sunday, and only a few early risers were so far enjoying breakfast.
While indulging in bacon, eggs and baked beans they all agreed to go and visit Harry in the Hospital wing to see how he was doing. When they were finished they marched their way up past the tables and into the Entrance Hall again. They had just climbed the marble staircase when Skylar noticed Professor McGonagall and Flitwick in one of the corridors. She held an arm out to stop Hermione who was beside her and Ron glanced at the two as they stopped. Skylar's eyes were looking at McGonagall confused, the Deputy headmistress looked highly agitated and worried, her stern expression wasn't quite in place as it usually was.
Hermione went to ask what Skylar was doing, but Ron noticed the two teachers and shushed her before she could give them away. They were slightly too far to hear as they were talking in hushed tones, but Skylar didn't need her ears to know what was on their minds.
When Ron and Hermione couldn't hear the two they looked at Skylar as her eyes widened in fear and shock. She retreated around the corner at the end of the corridor and away from the two professors, the two following her with questionable looks on their faces.
"They found Collin last night!" she said "He was attacked!"
"What?" Ron asked, his voice breaking slightly.
"Petrified! Like Mrs Norris!" Skylar clarified as Hermione looked worried and Ron's mouth fell open as he comprehended what she'd said.
"Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore found him last night, they think he was trying to sneak off and see Harry cause he had a pile of grapes beside him." Skylar explained "His camera was melted on the inside, they think he'd been trying to take a photo of what ever attacked him!"
"But…" Hermione began
"Collin's a muggle-born." Ron frowned, he then looked angry. "Bet Malfoy decided to do it after the match yesterday." he snarled
"We don't know that for sure." Hermione whispered
"Well we can find out, can't we?" Ron said and Hermione looked determined.
"The potion, the sooner we get it finished, the sooner we can question Draco." Skylar nodded in agreement.
"Did you find anything else out?" Ron asked Skylar, nodding his head back in the direction of McGonagall and Flitwick.
"Only that they're really worried, they seem to think we're in more danger than just being petrified." She confessed
"Like what?" Hermione asked but Skylar shook her head. She didn't know.
"Did Binns not give you anything when he was telling the story? He would have been thinking about it." Ron said.
Skylar gave Ron a deadpanned look. "Ron, Professor Binns is dead."
"So?"
"So he's an impression left behind by a person Ronald, he doesn't have a mind for me to read." she confessed
"They can still think?" Ron shrugged and Skylar rolled her eyes
"Well if we're going to begin the potion we need somewhere to hide it." Hermione said thinking, ignoring the two. "It needs to stew for a month so we need to be able to leave it for periods of time, and we wont be able to keep an eye on it all the time what with classes…" she sighed "We can't keep it in the dormitories, even if we did hide it it'd give off a smell."
"So it needs to be somewhere where no one will find it, see it, smell it, hear it?" Ron asked
"Somewhere no one would go…" Skylar muttered before she and Ron shared a look.
"Moaning Myrtles bathroom." they chorused and Hermione looked at them before grinning.
"Genius, no one ever goes in there."
"And I doubt Myrtle will turn us in." Skylar shrugged.
"Then we'll need a spare cauldron and the first ingredients." Hermione said
"Potions room?" Skylar asked and the girl nodded.
They turned and headed back the way they'd came toward the Entrance hall. The Great Hall was no fuller than it had been and it was rather quiet as they crossed towards the steps that lead down to the dungeons.
"Hang on." Skylar said as they passed the entrance to the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione looked confused as she glanced in, pausing at the doorway for a moment, before grinning and moving back over to them.
"What was that about?" Ron asked, and eyebrow raised
"I was just checking to see if Snape was in there or not, might be better if he doesn't see us after all." she shrugged. "He's having breakfast." she pointed over her shoulder.
"Brilliant." Hermione grinned before they continued on their way.
The student store cupboard was accessible for all students, though older students used it more often, practicing for their exams. Hermione had the Moste Potente Potionsbook, looking through the ingredients. She read them out and Ron and Skylar looked over the storage room for them before they had everything they could get within the room. They took a spare cauldron, as their's were needed during class and began to move back up toward the second floor. The letters from the message of the Chamber of Secrets was still scarlet and shining as the three moved into the bathroom, closing the door behind them.
"We'd better lock it in a stall to be safe." Hermione thought an she moved into one of them.
The three of them organised everything in the stall before Hermione lit her famous bluebell fire in the toilet bowl. Ron and Skylar watched it for a minute but the fire didn't go out and Hermione put the old cauldron on top of it.
Hermione read through the ingredients and began to add things to the cauldron, muttering to herself as she did.
"Why was Collin sneaking out anyway?" Ron wondered as he and Skylar watched the girl
"Probably because he was obsessed with Harry." Skylar frowned "Probably wanted to cheer him up, though Harry might no—" Skylar broke off as the door to the bathroom opened and Hermione and Ron looked around in alarm as well.
"It's me," it was Harry's voice that sounded.
Hermione gasped before she hurried up from her spot on the floor, knocking something into the toilet with a splash as she hurried past Ron and Skylar to the door. Skylar was knocked into Ron with a slight cry as Hermione hurried through the tight space.
Ron and Skylar shared a confused look before looking at Hermione as she peered through the keyhole.
"Harry!" she said. "You gave us such a fright — come in — how's your arm?" she opened the door for Harry to squeeze into the already cramped space.
"Fine," said Harry.
"We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it."
Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted.
"We already know — we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going —"
"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin."
"There's something else," said Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."
"Dobby?" Skylar asked surprised as Ron and Hermione looked up, amazed.
"He came to tell me that I shouldn't be at school…"
"Which he did back at your place right?" Ron remembered and Harry nodded
"He's the one who blocked the barrier to the train!" Harry admitted to Ron. "He hid and watched for us to stop us getting on."
Ron scoffed. "Well you were right about someone not wanting you here." and Harry nodded
"And he's the one who fixed the bludger onto me during the game, wanted me sent home in pieces." Harry looked irritated.
"Dobby did?" Skylar asked looking confused and Harry nodded.
"That's not all, he didn't want me here because of the Chamber of Secrets being opened, he knew it was going to be opened and he knows who opened it, and not only that, he said it's been opened before. And when Dumbledore and McGonagall brought in Collin, Dumbledore also said that it had been opened again." Harry said
"He wouldn't tell you who opened it?" Ron asked
"No he kept trying to hit himself for letting the fact the Chamber of Secrets had opened before let slip." Harry confessed
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione said.
"Yeah, according to Dobby." Harry nodded
"Wait, wait, wait, are you talking about Dobby the house elf, with really bright green eyes, wears a pillowcase?" Skylar asked an the three looked at her.
"You know him?" Harry asked surprised
"Well of course I do, I've met that elf so many times, whenever I went to Malfoy Manor, he's Lucius Malfoy's personal House elf." Skylar admitted
"Seriously?" the three asked and she nodded
"This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious."
"I'm surprised Dobby's the one who hurt you though, Dobby is really sweet." Skylar admitted before her expression hardened, surprising the three. "Lucius Malfoy beats him though, and he really does not deserve it! I've never met an elf more badly treated then Dobby, and the Malfoys have a few elves."
Harry paused. "Dobby said he got five death threats a day." and Skylar nodded
"The Malfoy's would likely happily use an Unforgivable Curse on Dobby, with no care of the pain they caused him." Skylar admitted. Hermione had gasped as Harry looked confused.
"How awful." Hermione muttered
"It's really terrible." Skylar nodded "And poor Dobby always looks so miserable too."
"No wonder he wants to help Harry then." Ron said
"Apparently when Voldemort disappeared at my house many lesser creatures were better off, what ever that means." Harry said
"And it explains why he knew to try and stop you before you came." Ron said "He must've over heard Lucius Malfoy telling Draco all about it."
"I don't see what that's got to do with Harry though?" Skylar admitted
"Draco hate's Harry." Hermione shrugged
"Still, he's not a muggle-born and that's what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets goes after right?" Skylar asked
"Maybe it doesn't just have to go after muggle-borns?" Ron offered "Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, then we'd know. Also, I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."
"Well so far it seems it's moved when there's been no one to see it. Mrs Norris while everyone was at the feast, Collin while everyone was asleep. Who would have seen it?" Skylar wondered
"The ghosts? Filch?" Ron offered
"Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself — pretend to be a suit of armour or something — I've read about Chameleon Ghouls —"
"You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry.
"So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm…" He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you."