Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K Rowling owns it, and I own characters not in the book.
The next morning Ron, Hermione, and Harry did not get to meet up with Raychel. During Raychel's potions class, she and George discussed the events from the previous night. Raychel however left out the part where Harry heard voices. That isn't the sort of thing you disclose to people without permission from the person themselves.
George told Raychel that Ginny was very shaken up about Mrs. Norris' petrifaction. Apparently she was a cat lover. Raychel made a mental note to give her a hug when she next saw her.
George, Fred, and Lee walked out with Raychel to lunch. Raychel wasn't hungry and said she was going to the library. They told her to wait while they grabbed a piece of food to eat while walking to the library. On the way to the library, Raychel told the others what she had told George.
Herbology for the Gryffindors that morning was the usual with the Hufflepuffs. They were still working with the Mandrakes. People threw Harry, Hermione, and Ron furtive glances often, and if eye contact was made, the Hufflepuff would quickly avert their gaze back upon their plant.
The bell for the end of class was long awaited by the trio. They could take time washing the earth off of them because break was next. While crossing the courtyard they passed Draco Malfoy making his way along with his goons to his regular spot in the courtyard.
"Attack any kittens lately Potter?" Draco taunted.
Harry knew it would be something pointless to respond or deny so instead he insulted Malfoy.
"Malfoy, you are a brainless git." There was nothing more that could come to Harry's mind and he was weary from Herbology and he really wanted to wash up. He would insult Malfoy on a day that his heart was in it.
Raychel talked to her friends in the library, but the feeling of concern for Harry was always somewhere on her mind.
"Just our luck though," Fred said with a mischievous grin.
All though the twins usually read one another's mind, George looked puzzled and curious along with Lee and Raychel.
"Seriously, I'm not even being sarcastic. With Mrs. Norris out of action, we have one less thing to worry about when we prowl around at night." Said Fred, still grinning.
It looked as if light had dawned upon George's face, and he began to grin like his brother, and then exclaimed in a low whisper so as to not attract any unwanted attention from Madam Pince, "Let's explore tonight!" He looked at Raychel, Lee, and Fred in turn with excitement.
It was all agreed upon that some nighttime wandering was in store. Raychel reminded them of one thing. "We have to make sure of one thing though. We cannot be caught by Filch. With Mrs. Norris gone, he's going to be in some foul mood. If we're caught by him, he'll try to get us all expelled."
They all nodded in agreement but then Lee said with confidence, "We have the Marauder's Map, I doubt we need to worry." They all wore similar mischievous grins, and began to walk out of the library.
It was agreed that they were probably going to venture somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, but not too far. Apparently, the twins voyaged somewhere in too deep some time previously and had a run in with angry Bowtruckles.
They would meet at about 9 o' clock outside the Slytherin common room because she did not have a map to prevent herself from being seen. Her only problem would be Draco.
She ate and conversed with fellow Slytherins, and then got up to leave for the library. She walked to the table that her and her three friends from Gryffindor usually shared. That is where they began to deeply discuss last night's events. Why was Harry hearing a voice from an unknown source? Why was Mrs. Norris Petrified? Before eight o' clock, the trio said good night to Raychel.
They made their way up to their tower and the Ron spoke up, "Do you think anything else is going to happen? To anyone else?"
His other two friends shrugged their shoulders. He then continued. "Who do you think the 'Heir of Slytherin' is?"
"I have a few ideas…" said Harry.
Hermione said the password and the portrait of the Fat Lady swung forward. There was a crowd gathered near the entrance, where the bulletin board is.
"They've started a Dueling Club!" cried Seamus.
Whispers went through the crowd. "Who do you think is going to teach us how to duel? Flitwick? McGonagall?" pondered Dean Thomas aloud.
"I hope it's Lockhart!" cried Parvati Patil from right of Hermione. To Ron and Harry's dismay, Hermione shook her head and wholeheartedly agreed.
Ron looked at Harry and pretended to be sick, looking very much like he did the day he vomited slugs.
The three friends that just entered positioned themselves in chairs adjacent to each other. The best and most comfortable ones near the hearth were taken, so they obliged to ones farther away. After an hour of writing essays and random chatter, a different trio of friends made their way down from the boy's dormitory. Fred led the way, George following and Lee taking the caboose. Fred had a piece of parchment in his hand, Harry noticed, but thought nothing of it. He returned to his essay as the twins and Lee made their way out of the common room.
A little way down from the portrait of the Fat Lady, Fred took out his wand, and said, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" The blueprints of the school appeared upon the parchment. Making their way according to the map, they went to the Slytherin common room.
"Draco. I've told you about ten times already. Harry did not attack the bloody cat. I was there. I—"
"About that," Draco cut in. "You were supposed to be at the feast with us."
"I was invited by Sir Nicholas because apparently more than a few centuries of death is something you celebrate. I figured I would just show up or something. I've told you that about a hundred times already. Can't you just be happy with that!?"
Draco laughed at her exasperation and indignation and gave his signature smirk. "No."
Raychel realized the lack of seriousness in his tone and could not help but smile along with him. It's so funny talking to the person that hates my best friends and vice versa. Even weirder seeing a different side of who they hate. Raychel thought.
"What time is it?" Draco asked interrupting her thoughts.
"It's almost 9." Draco gave an exaggerated yawn and announced out loud that he was going to bed.
"Goodnight Draco," Pansy Parkinson crooned her eyes on Draco. He just shook his head.
Raychel had on a smirk similar to the one Draco wore moments before. "Need your beauty sleep?"
Draco shot back a sarcastic smile and then said, "Well, you acknowledge my beauty so I have nothing to say back but good night." Raychel just shook her head and began to pack up her stuff. She walked quickly to her dorm and put her stuff away and grabbed her cloak. She kept it folded over her arm so as to not have it conspicuous. While making her way to the door, she nodded to some Slytherin's that she knew from different years. At the most opportune moment, she slipped outside of her common room, and walked quickly down the corridor. When she was about to turn, George jumped in front of her and attempted to frighten her. The attempt was golden and she jumped at least a foot an a half of the ground.
George just laughed, the others joining in. Raychel just rolled her eyes at the trite prank. George then said, "I knew you were coming," and then pulled her into a friendly hug, as if making amends for startling her so. They all hurriedly looked at the Marauder's Map and began their voyage towards the doors and out to the Forbidden Forest.
In the Gryffindor tower, the three friends talked for a little more then made their way to bed.
In the Slytherin Dungeon, Draco Malfoy lay in his four poster bed with his emerald colored curtains shut about him. He had his eyes wide open, just staring at the awning of the same rich green color. He wanted to know who attacked the cat. Potter can in no way be the heir of Slytherin. The heir would have to be a Slytherin…Raychel! She was with him and is a Slytherin…Only she said her parents were not Slytherins as well. It is possible though… Thoughts of similar roots carried him into sleep. Meanwhile, Raychel, Lee and the twins decided to not go into the forest, especially after what had happened to Harry there last year. Instead, they took a path out of a statue of a one-eyed witch into what Raychel found was the cellar of Honeyduke's in a nearby wizarding village, Hogsmeade.
When they hit a wooden trapdoor above them, George told Raychel while Fred and Lee hoisted it upwards, "We found this in our first year."
"What're we going to do? It's past ten, everything will be closed. So we'd be breaking out of a closed store." Raychel offered.
The thud of the trapdoor was the result of Fred and Lee letting it drop.
"She's right," Lee told to Fred.
"Well, Forbidden Forest is too dangerous, and if we wanted to go to the Three Broomsticks, we should have gone earlier..." He sighed.
"What if we just sit by the lake or something and kill time? Otherwise the only sensible thing to do is go back to dorms." Raychel then added slyly, "We could also set up prank outside of the Great Hall for the first person to enter it or something."
The boys smiled but then Fred said, "But the Great Hall is always swarming with ghosts or teachers or Filch."
"A diversion maybe…" George said.
"Fireworks in a corridor?" Lee offered his roguish grin still in place.
"We have some in our trunks." Said the twins in unison.
"But we have to split up," Raychel piped up. "If we all are at the area of diversion, one or all of us is bound to get caught. Give me the fireworks." Raychel said simply.
The three boys looked at her in both an incredulous and admiring way.
"You're going to grow up to be a great person," Said Fred patting her on the back.
"So young and pulling pranks already," George put in as well.
"You're one of us now," said Lee laughing.
"Just a Slytherin though," Raychel smiled as they walked back from the trap door back to the witch.
"Lumos" said Lee and he held his wand aloft so the map could be seen. The floor was clear and they exited out.
After getting to the Gryffindor tower, Raychel stood at the bottom of the stairs and kept a watch out with Lee as the twins hurried up to their dorm and back.
They handed a handful of fireworks to Raychel. "I'll set of one outside of the library, then one outside of the Trophy Room. Then I'll get to my common room and go to sleep so I can watch what happens to the first person to enter the Great Hall."
"Take the map," said George looking a little bit concerned. "You'll need it more than we will."
Raychel promptly refused, "You guys are going to be in the Great Hall, someone could go there or return at any time."
"No" all three boys said and gave her a playful shove in the direction of the library. "Good luck" George bade her.
"You all as well."
Raychel made her way to the library. She had to dodge a few ghosts, and on one floor, she had to dodge an agitated and irate looking Filch. She finally made it to the library and set off half of the fireworks she had. She ran as soon as she set them and hid behind a tapestry as she looked at her map. Filch made his way to his scene. Raychel had to admire the loudness of the fireworks and how they pierced the silence. She looked at the Great Hall. George, Lee, and Fred were waiting in a corner, behind something no doubt. The Grey Lady's dot on the map was moving. There were only two other ghosts in the Great Hall. No living people which could most definitely work to their advantage. When Raychel saw that Filch was nearly on that floor, she ran to the Trophy room. She set off the last of the rockets. Then she made her way as quick as she could back to the common room not really having to dodge any other person, living or dead. She made it back to her four poster bed and quietly and quickly changed into her pajama pants and shirt. She closed her curtains and lit her wand under her covers watching the twins and Lee, the Library, and the Trophy room. The other ghosts drifted out of the Great Hall, and Filch was assisted by Lockhart as well as Snape. The Trophy Room was surrounded by dots labeled Peeves, McGonagall, Sinistra, and the Bloody Baron, who was no doubt there to keep Peeves in check. She checked the Great Hall again, and saw that they were making their way back to their common room. When they made it back to their dorm, she let her eyes roam over the other page. Harry and Ron were in their dormitory as well, and Hermione and Ginny in the girl's tower.
She looked at the Slytherin dungeon and saw that the dot Draco Malfoy was in his room.
She whispered, "Mischief managed" and the parchment was nothing more than parchment to the eye, and she placed that and her wand on the nightstand. Then she fell into sleep.
Hope you liked it. Please review! No one ever does, but I'm continuing with this story until I finish it. So if you read it please take a few moments to review…