Heir and a Spare

"Stupid, Finch-Fletchley." Pacing back and forth, stomping a path before the fireplace, Harry was seething and muttering. "What kind of name is that anyway? Why can't he just be Finch or Fletchley?"

"Potter?" Blaise tried to gain Harry's attention. Unfortunately, Harry continued to mutter and pace so Blaise was forced to try again, much to his annoyance. "Potter!"

Harry stopped mid-pace, mid-mutter, still very annoyed. "What!?" Grimacing at the raised eyebrow directed at him, Harry composed himself reining in his anger, "Sorry."

"You never told us you were a parselmouth." Jason dropped into the nearest armchair.

"I'm a what?" Harry peered at his friend with a confused look.

"Parselmouth, as in you speak with snakes." Jason raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, right. I didn't realize that had a name. I've only spoken to one snake before. It was a boa constrictor at the London zoo." Harry waved a hand of indifference, "Long story, not important. Why did that barmy 'Finchley' look at me so weird?"

Blaise snorted, "Because you had been sputtering and hissing at a snake that was intent on biting his head off."

"Well, if it hadn't been for me the snake would have bloody well bit him." Harry harrumphed and flopped on the sofa.

"You do realize that everyone in the school will be even more convinced you're the Slytherin heir?" Blaise smirked down at his friends. "Or they'll be too busy gossiping about how you made Finchley soil his trousers."

"He did?" Harry laughed when they nodded. "Disgusting." Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "Sadly, that doesn't make this whole thing any better. I can't be the only parselmouth in school."

"It is quite uncommon actually and usually associated with dark wizards, including our very own Salazar Slytherin." Blaise corrected him and took a seat on the other end of the couch. With an arm draped over the back of the couch, legs crossed casually, Blaise possessed more poise than any normal twelve year old should.

Harry opened an eye and looked sideways at Blaise, "I was sputtering and hissing? Really?"

"I'm sure it didn't sound like that to you, but to us non-parselmouth speaking people - as in normal," Blaise grinned when Harry growled, "people - it sounds much like hissing and sputtering."

"Weird." Harry stared at the ceiling in the common room. "How do I know a whole other language?"

"You're an enigma." Blaise chuckled as Harry rolled his eyes.

The common room began filling with the other students that had returned from the Great Hall and Harry closed his eyes knowing questions would be coming soon.

"Nice work, Potter." Draco managed not to disappoint Harry, being the first to comment. Draco leaned against the arm of Jason's chair with his back to the boy, ankles crossed, he peered curiously at Harry.

"I do what I can to entertain the rabble, Malfoy." Harry sluggishly lifted his head and watched Draco wearily.

"A parselmouth. Potter, you are full of surprises." Draco chuckled darkly and shook his head. Harry didn't bother looking around; he could feel all the eyes on him, watching and listening to their conversation. "I'm sure by tomorrow morning I will no longer be considered the Slytherin heir."

Alia plonked down on the sofa beside Harry, curling her legs under her. Harry grinned at her before continuing his conversation with Draco, "Hmm, that won't do. We must keep the peons guessing. I'm sure you'll do something to gain their ire and win back a few votes, Malfoy. Care to learn a few phrases?"

"Ooh, can you really teach us?" Alia's eyes widened excitedly and Harry chuckled before tickling her.

"No idea. I didn't even realize I was…" Harry looked at Blaise, "how did you put it: 'sputtering and hissing'."

Alia slapped his hands away to keep him from tickling her again and harrumphed at Harry. "Well don't offer to teach someone if you can't. You're so mean."

"Okay, so I'm mean. I'm still not the heir." Harry poked Alia and she rolled her eyes. "Besides, if I'm one of the few that understand parselmouth, I'm sure Malfoy could fake it and no one would be the wiser. What do you say, Malfoy? Should we toy with the rest of the school?"

By the next morning the thought of apologizing to Justin had crossed Harry's mind… briefly. Perhaps not too briefly since the thought of apologizing managed to linger until lunch when Harry went to see if he could find the boy. Unfortunately that random moment of kindness died while Harry and Blaise overheard a few Hufflepuffs in the library gossiping.

Ernie was giving rather interesting facts and supporting circumstantial evidence to back up his accusations, almost convincing Harry he could very well be the heir. Blaise and Harry glanced at each other with a noncommittal shrug on a few points that couldn't really be argued; only it didn't stop there.

"Filch got on Potter for something, then his cat is petrified. Creevey wants a picture that Potter refuses and then he is petrified." A spread of enthusiastic murmurs caused Harry's hands to clench into fists. While safely out of sight of the gossiping students, Harry leaned his head against the bookshelf with a huff. In his mind, Harry pictured them gathered around a table plotting how to dispose of him. "Susan said that Michael said that Justin said he told Harry that he's a Muggle-Born and you saw what he tried to do in front of everybody!"

That was the last straw; Harry stood rigid, hands clenching, nostrils flaring. He could feel his anger winning out and as a Slytherin that was something he couldn't allow. Blaise gripped his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze and kept his voice low, "Breathe, Potter. Think before speaking."

Harry nodded in understanding. Only before he could move, someone else spoke on his behalf. "You're a gormless prat, Ernie Macmillan!" Blaise and Harry exchanged an amused look as Hermione continued. "You spout off rumors and misinformed facts. Harry was nowhere near Mrs. Norris when she was petrified."

He was torn for a moment; should he come out from behind the bookshelf or should he let Hermione have the moment and slip away? "Pfft, you're his girlfriend, of course you'll say that." Ernie had weakly retaliated.

"I'm not… ugh! I say he wasn't there because I know where he was. We were at a Death Day party for Sir Nicholas in the dungeon. Harry and Jason were walking me back to my common room when we happened across Mrs. Norris." With one hand on her hip, Hermione jabbed her finger in Ernie's direction. Slowly Harry slipped around the corner from behind the bookshelves in order to watch his friend stand up for him. "Harry was stuck in the infirmary when Creevey was petrified and Creevey is a creepy little-"

"Thank you, Granger." Harry set his hand on Hermione's shoulder, gently easing her away from Ernie and the gathered Hufflepuffs around the table. Blaise stood back near the bookshelf; leaning against it with his arms crossed and quietly watched the scene play out before him. As soon as Harry felt Hermione relax next to him, he continued. "You don't have to defend me against these cretins. If they are too thick to realize their own mistake, you won't be able to convince them they're wrong."

Ernie sneered at Harry, or tried to, but looked pained in the process. "What mistake?"

Harry grinned at Hermione, "He proves my point. He's hopeless."

A hissing sound came from somewhere behind Harry off towards his left. He looked over his shoulder in surprise meeting the amused grey gaze of Draco. Harry grinned at the boy about the same time the whole table of Hufflepuff students jumped and scrambled from their seats. "Right, as Malfoy so kindly reminded me, we have a Transfiguration class to get to."

Christmas holiday break was there again. Harry immediately signed up to stay on at Hogwarts, something he intended to do every year until graduation. Less time spent at the Dursley home, the better.

That year Hermione and Blaise were staying behind, while Jason was heading home with Alia. Surprisingly, Draco was staying at Hogwarts, too. Naturally that meant both Gregory and Vincent stayed as well.

After dinner on the first night of the holiday break, Hermione was bouncing as she pulled Harry up the staircase, "It's done!"

"What's done?" Harry couldn't help but grin. Hermione's excitement was contagious. Hermione stopped suddenly, biting her lip. She looked up and down the hall before yanking him into the girl's bathroom. That wasn't just any bathroom; it was Moaning Mrytle's bathroom, which answered Harry's question of what was done without Hermione having to say a word. "Ah."

Opening the bathroom stall, Hermione knelt before the cauldron. With a cup in one hand, a ladle in the other, she scooped a dollop of gray goop into the cup while Harry recoiled. "You're really going to drink that?"

"Yes!" She handed the cup to Harry. "Hold this please."

It took everything he could muster of self-control not to vomit from the stench. "That's disgusting."

"It's not, it's brilliant!" Hermione beamed at him. "I'm going to be Millicent Bulstrode. Remember that dueling fiasco where she was trying to strangle me?"

"Erm, yes." Harry bit back the guilt for the random hex he had deflected towards Millicent which had started that particular confrontation.

Hermione pulled out a small vial with short black hairs. "I managed to get these hairs!"

"Hmm... I hate to tell you this, but that isn't her hair." Harry peered at the short hairs in the vial. "Bulstrode has long brown hair but she does have a cat with short black hair."

Her eyes widened before she whined. "No, no, no!"

"Problem?" Harry tried to give the cup back to Hermione, but she didn't take it.

"Yes, the book specifically says this spell is not for animals. If they go through the trouble of saying that, then I can only imagine the repercussions won't be pleasant." Pouting Hermione showed Harry a robe and tie she 'acquired' from the laundry. "Look I even have a Slytherin tie."

"You really want to do this?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to regret this somehow."

"Hmm?"

Harry pulled a few hairs from his scalp with a small grimace and dropped them into the polyjuice potion. "Drink up, Hermione."

"Really?" Hermione's eyes danced with excitement and she grabbed the cup before Harry had a chance to change his mind. Hermione took two sips and gagged on the taste.

Taking the cup from her hand before it could fall and shatter, Harry watched as Hermione slapped her hands to her mouth. "That bad?"

She couldn't speak; she simply nodded and whimpered. Harry smirked but tried not to laugh at the faces Hermione pulled. Once the panic set into her eyes, Harry started to worry. Hermione clutched his arm, "Harry…"

"Do I need to take you to the infirmary?"

"No, it just… ugh… it hurts." Hermione's hair shortened drastically and darkened to near black. "Oh, ow!"

Hermione kicked off her shoes as her feet lengthen and her skirt was now too short as she grew taller. Harry's eyes widened when the telltale scar appeared on her… on his… on Hermione's forehead. Hermione was quickly undoing her skirt and ducking into a stall. Harry moved after her, "What are you doing?"

"My skirt is too tight!"

"Hermione?" Harry hissed at the door. "Don't do anything to my body!"

"I wouldn't!" That exclamation was followed by an awkward silence, soon followed by a giggle.

"What are you doing in there?" Harry tried to open the door, but Hermione had managed to lock it keeping him out.

"Nothing!" More awkward silence and Harry sighed heavily.

"I told you I'd regret this." Harry set the cup on the sink before turning and leaning against the cold porcelain. "Come on then, let's see you."

"I need your trousers and glasses. I can't see a thing!"

"My trousers? What's wrong with the ones you nicked?"

"They're not trousers now are they? I need yours or I will go out there in a girl's skirt and make sure Blaise sees me."

"Why did I help you?"

"I don't know; now give me your trousers and glasses, please." Hermione's, or rather Harry's, hand could be seen flailing over the top of the stall door. "Oh, shoes, too."

Grumbling, Harry kicked off his shoes and unfastened his belt when a new giggling voice was added to Hermione's. With a put upon groan, Harry acknowledged the newcomer. "Hello, Myrtle." Hesitating only for a moment he finally pulled off his trousers, much to the delight of Myrtle, who clapped happily.

"Nice to see you, Harry," Myrtle swooned and Harry rolled his eyes.

He put his trousers in Hermione's waiting hand and she quickly snatched them to replace her skirt. "Oh, they're nice and warm."

"Granger."

"Okay." Hermione stepped out of the stall and waved excitedly. "How do I look?"

"Frightening."

"What?" Hermione rushed to the mirror to peer at her reflection, "You are so blind. Glasses, please."

With a resigned sigh, Harry held his robe closer around him to hide his bare legs and handed his doppelganger the pair of glasses. "This is so weird."

"No, what's weird is suddenly having something sensitive between your legs that you've never had before and said appendage-"

"Stop! For the love of all that's magic, don't finish whatever it is you were about to say!" Harry was groaning as if in physical pain.

"Two Harrys." Myrtle giggled. "More fun for me."

"I'm glad you're enjoying this, Myrtle." Hermione beamed at the ghost and turned quickly to Harry. "Harry, do you still have the cup with the polyjuice potion in it?"

"It's on that sink. Why?" Harry wrinkled his nose as she took another sip.

"I wasted too much time in here. It only lasts an hour." Hermione slipped on Harry's shoes before practically skipping to the door.

"I don't skip!" Harry growled.

"Oh, right." Hermione cleared her throat and smoothed down her shirt. "Okay, see you in an hour!"

"Hermione!" Only Hermione didn't stop, leaving Harry alone with Myrtle. "This is so awkward."

"If it makes you feel better," Myrtle floated closer and giggled, "you're welcome to take off your robe, too."

Edited 10/12/2016