Amelia Bones, head of the Avalon Police Force and member of the Elite Four, arrived a few days later with several Officer Jennys to find the Beast.
The whole school, students and faculty alike, was on lockdown until further notice, unable to go outside for class, Gauntlet matches, or even trips to Le Fay's Landing.
A strict curfew kept the students in their dorms, and after a month, they were going a touch stir-crazy from boredom.
Looking out the window, Harry sighed at the sight of spring breaking through winter's snow, playing with Nasrin's fingers as the girl lay sprawled across his bed, counting marks in the ceiling.
Eevee and Scooby pawed at the glass, quietly asking for permission to go outside, and Harry shook his head sadly.
Togetic, Robin and Emolga were most depressed by the inability to stretch their wings, which dampened Squeaker's mood, and even Star batted at her own water-balloons half-heartedly.
The only one that seemed to be enjoying this was Ludwig, who was happily dusting every hard-to-reach corner with Snow trotting along after him, at least content that no danger was likely.
"This keeps up, and I'm going to begin acting like your Magikarp." Seamus complained.
"I'll be right with you, mate." Ron agreed, tossing Star's trick-ball to Cubchoo so the Chill Pokemon could bat at it weakly.
Squishie grumbled, face buried in Nasrin's neck, and a faint smile tugged at her mouth.
The teleporter activated, and Professor McGonagall appeared, mouth twisting at the sight of a girl in the Second Year Boy's dorm but wisely saying nothing.
"We will be having a movie down in the main room in ten minutes."
Silence was her answer, as it had been for nearly a month, and Nasrin sighed.
While she understood that the Partnership Professor had taken points to avoid Snape doing worse, and that she had little control over whatever Lucius Malfoy decided to do, it had still been a betrayal in the eyes of most Gryffindors.
After all, she had let a Slytherin degrade a notable Gryffindor family and almost railroad Hermione.
"Come on." She voiced, sitting up.
"Let's go." Harry added, slipping on his jacket.
The other boys looked over at them before nodding, making their way towards the teleporter.
"Thank you, Mister Potter. Miss Universe."
"You're welcome, professor." The half-Gem replied.
"We weren't happy with what you did, but we understand how horrible the situation you found yourself in was." Harry agreed.
"We only hope you'll do the same for us."
"If you're anything like James or Sirius, I can be sure I'll be in your position soon enough." The professor teased, stress easing from her features.
Smiling, Harry and Nasrin stepped onto the teleporter together, Pokemon gathered in their arms and perched on shoulders-
But instead of the common room, they appeared in an unfamiliar, dark, stone room.
Hundreds of green lights flicked on in the deep shadows, surrounding them, and Nasrin pulled Harry behind her as their Pokemon created a circle, growling and cawing and bristling.
"I don't know who or what you are, but if you don't show yourself, we'll use force." Harry warned, attack commands on the tip of his tongue.
The lights seemed to grow larger, at first, until Nasrin realized they were getting closer, revealing black, flat bodies and blinking eyes.
"Unown."
The Psychic-type Pokemon swirled about, forming a short message.
WE MEAN YOU NO HARM.
"You have a funny way of showing it." Harry muttered, motioning for their Pokemon to stand down.
"What do you want?" Nasrin asked, fingers tapping on her Gem.
WE SERVE THE HEIR.
"The Heir of Slytherin." She deduced, frowning.
"The one that's attacking Hogwarts." Harry spat out.
NO.
"No, you don't serve him?" The half-Gem wondered.
THE HEIR DOES NOT ATTACK HOGWARTS THE HEIR PROTECTS HOGWARTS.
"You call what's happening right now protection?" Harry shouted, the Unown quivering in the face of his rage. "You call petrifying innocent students protection?"
"I'd rather be vulnerable." Nasrin agreed firmly.
YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
"I'll never understand your twisted logic." The Potter snapped. "Anyone, human or Pokemon, that think what's happening is good is a fool and my enemy."
WE AGREE.
"Then why are you helping the Heir?" She demanded, Star barking in agreement.
THE HEIR IS NOT THE ONE DOING THIS.
The pair read this message twice, baffled, and Snow sat hard on her rump, head tilting as Ludwig muttered in confusion.
"Of course he is!" Harry sputtered.
"The Heir commands the Beast of Slytherin, and the Beast is petrifying students. How can it not be him?" Nasrin reasoned, brow furrowing as Eevee and Scooby shared a look, shrugging.
THE BEAST HAS BEEN STOLEN.
"Stolen?" Harry echoed, Togetic, Squeakers and Robin chattering in surprise. "That's possible?"
"Who stole it?" The pinkette asked when no answer came.
THE ENEMY OF THE HEIR.
Harry grit his teeth at the vague answers, and Nasrin reached out to take his hand.
"What's the name of this enemy?" She asked carefully.
WE DO NOT KNOW THE ENEMY HIDES FROM US.
"Of course you don't." The Potter grumbled. "That'd be too bloody easy."
"If you're not helping whoever's controlling the beast, why that threat?" The half-Gem pressed, confused.
WE DID NOT THREATEN YOU.
THE CHAMBER HAS BEEN OPENED AND WE WERE FREE TO PURSUE THE ENEMY.
WE SERVE THE HEIR AND THE ENEMY OF THE HEIR SHOULD BEWARE.
Both nodded, finding the original message made more sense in this context, and Harry posed another question.
"Who's the Heir?"
THE LAST GUARDIAN OF HOGWARTS.
"Salazar Slytherin's Heir is a guardian of Hogwarts?" Harry repeated, disbelieving.
"Why would the man that wanted to destroy Hogwarts-"
LIES LIES LIES.
Nasrin squeaked when the Unown rushed forward, cutting off her words, and Robin spread her wings threateningly as Ludwig and Eevee prepared to fire off Shadow Balls.
"Calm down." Harry soothed, heart still beating a touch fast. "What's a lie?"
SALAZAR THE FIRST NEVER FEUDED WITH FOUNDERS.
SALAZAR THE SECOND THE EVIL ONE.
THE FATHER FOUGHT WITH FRIENDS AGAINST THE SON TO SAVE HOGWARTS.
"And them having the same name caused the sins of the son to be mistaken for sins of the father." Nasrin realized.
"People only heard the name Salazar and made the wrong assumption…"
SALAZAR GOOD MAN TREAT THE UNOWN WELL AND CARED FOR HIS STUDENTS.
WE MISS HIM.
"We're sorry." Harry said gently, Nasrin bobbing her head in guilty agreement.
"Okay, so Salazar the First was a good guy, and his Heir is the Last Guardian of Hogwarts?"
YES.
"Then who's the Heir?" Nasrin voiced, eyes flickering as Squishie grumbled away.
"Do they know what's happening? Are they coming to help?"
THE HEIR DOES NOT KNOW HE IS THE HEIR.
"Bloody hell, that makes things worse." Harry muttered.
"At least we've rulled out half the world's population." Nasrin noted dryly.
"How are we supposed to tell him all this and get him to believe us?"
WE HAVE TOLD THE HEIR.
"But you just said the Heir didn't know!" They nearly shouted back.
WE HAVE TOLD THE HEIR AND NOW THE HEIR KNOWS.
"Now you're back to not making any sense!" Harry complained.
"Not making sense doesn't help!" Nasrin agreed, rubbing at her temple.
Star stepped forward, rising on her tail, and began to bark at the Unown, waving a flipper.
"Star, what…?"
The trainers fell silent as the Unown swirled, creating a new message, the Slytherin Family Tree taking shape before their eyes.
As it reached the end…
MARVALO.
MAUREEN.
LILY.
Nasrin gasped, and Harry stumbled back as if struck.
HARRY.
THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN.
GUARDIAN OF HOGWARTS.
"You…You've made some mistake!" The Potter claimed. "I can't be the Heir! I can't! I'm a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake!"
SLOWKING SUGGESTED SLYTHERIN.
"Okay, true, but it suggested all the Houses for me!" Harry retorted with a scowl.
"He can't be Heir to all of them." Nasrin agreed, shoulders bumping gently.
NO HEIRS OF RAVENCLAW AND HUFFLEPUFF.
THE HEIR OF GRYFFINDOR PROTECTED AND HIDDEN.
YOU ARE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN.
ALL HOUSES OPEN TO YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE THE GUARDIAN.
The boy closed his eyes, fingers curled into messy black hair, and Nasrin reached out, foreheads touching.
After a few moments, Harry let out a shaky breath.
"I don't know what to do…How the hell am I supposed to defeat this Beast if I don't even know what to do?"
The Unown swirled again.
NOT DEFEAT RECLAIM.
THE BEAST IS YOURS.
FIND THE HAGRID.
FIND ARAGOG.
"Hagrid?" Nasrin parroted. "Why Hagrid?"
"Who's Aragog?"
THE LAST POKEMON TO FIGHT THE BEAST AND LIVE.
With that, the Symbol Pokemon glowed, and they cried out as a harsh buzzing sound filled the air, capturing them in a whirlpool of light that pulled them down down down-
"HARRY!"
"NAZZ!"
Jolting back to reality with a gasp, Nasrin blinked up at their friends, Pokemon groaning at the rough ride.
Professor McGonagall, forgetting all sense of decorum, pulled the disoriented pair of Second Years into a tight hug as tears wet everyone's cheeks.
"What happened?" Nasrin slurred, blinking slowly at the realization that she was on the floor of the Gryffindor common room.
Luna sat and pulled the Pokemon into a massive hug, and Harry looked around at the shocked, relieved faces of their Housemates.
"What's wrong?"
"Harry, Nazz, what happened?" Hermione choked out. "What did it do to you?"
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked, reaching blindly for Nasrin's hand until their fingers touched.
"We thought the teleporter had spliced you or something!" Ron sniffled. "You never came down, and we were all panicking, then the damn thing exploded and you came flying out."
"That explains why I feel like I was hit by a bus…" The half-Gem muttered, stretching up to press a healing kiss to Harry's cheek.
She might have to ache for a while, but he didn't.
"There will be time for that later." Professor McGonagall decided, pulling back but not letting go. "For now, I want all of you to give Mister Potter and Miss Universe some breathing room. Mister Wood, please contact Nurse Poppy and Professor Dumbledore, and have them come here at once."
Once the other students were out of earshot, the Head of Gryffindor continued in a pained whisper.
"Don't ever scare an old woman like that again. I already lost your mother, your fathers, and godfather…I couldn't live if we lost both of you, too."
Both nodded, wondering if it had all been some weird dream-
But there were the Unown, hanging in the air overhead with a new message before disappearing again.
NO DREAM FIND HAGRID FIND ARAGOG.
Nasrin dropped her forehead onto his shoulder, and Harry once again found the perfect words.
"Bloody hell."