Chapter 25

Three weeks had passed and the attacks had minimized. Students were still cautioned by teachers not to be out after curfew since the monster could be lurking anywhere. Hermione had spent most of her time at the library doing a private homework. Harry still tried to recall the dream, but he remembered insignificant parts and that was it.

He cursed the girl who had caused her to lose Dobby's information and he took the glove from his trunk and looked at it. He was now eager to find out who this girl was.

"Dobby I could use some help," Harry groaned in his pillow. He felt a tickle on his legs and grabbed his wand and there was Dobby at the foot of his bed, looking at him with watery eyes. "The great Harry Potter called unworthy Dobby and Dobby is here."

"Don't say that Dobby, here take a seat by me," Harry said gesturing to a spot on his bed.

"No! Dobby cannot sit down. Dobby is a house elf and Master Potter is too kind."

"All right Dobby what is it? You look sore all over and why are you bleeding?"

"My masters, Master Potter. They beat me but I'm a house elf and that is what we do. We listen to our masters."

"Dobby I'm your mate not your bloody master. I'm pretty hard to approach you know, but I like your eccentric behaviour. You remind me of those mad scientists I see on the television."

"Harry Potter is too kind. He really is, but Dobby cannot accept."

"Dobby, people are dying and I want to know who opened the Chamber of Secrets." Dobby gave a yelp and jumped on Harry's trunk, fear in his eyes.

"Mr. Potter has found out but Dobby begs Mr. Potter not to go there."

"Dobby I don't know where it is. I heard Malfoy talking about it that's all." Harry wished he never said that because the elf started hitting his head on Harry's trunk.

"Bad Malfoy! Bad Malfoy... did what Master Lucius asked! Bad Malfoy!" Dobby realised what he said and started banging his head harder on the trunk and slapping and pinching himself.

"Bad Dobby bad Dobby... Harry Potter should forget what Dobby said. Mater is calling me now"

"Dobby wait-"

'POP!' Dobby was gone. Dobby's information was little but Harry knew all the attacks were connected to Malfoy somehow. He had to see him somehow and find out. He now understood why Dobby was always sad – he belonged to the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy was going to pay for harming Dobby.

After lunch at the Great Hall, Harry called his friends (including Hermione) and told them of his plan.

"That's insane Harry", Neville said. "How do we get in?"

"I'll think of something." Ron merely grunted in the corner and Hermione kept on scribbling notes on a parchment. Clearly they were both annoyed with Harry but they couldn't talk. Harry left them later and tried hard to think of ways to get access to the Slytherin common room. Polyjuice was an option but then it took too long to brew and be ready but he had an invisibility cloak and it hit him.

"That's it!" Harry exclaimed leaping from his bed. He had the perfect plan and what Blacktooth told him at Gringotts started repeating itself over and over in his mind. Tonight, he was going to infiltrate the Slytherin common room. Harry opened his trunk and folded the cloak on his bed, waiting for the right time to strike. Malfoy would be probably boasting and it would enable him to listen to Malfoy's talk and if he was lucky, find who the mystery girl was. Harry looked back in his trunk and took the glove. This time, he saw something he hadn't seen the first time.

He saw a crest. A family crest - and the crest depicted a hawk holding a sword in one talon and a wand in another. "Soon and very soon," he said looking at the glove. He threw it back in his trunk and put on the Cloak of Invisibility and walked out of the Common Room. He tiptoed down the corridors and hiding in the shadows when he heard Filch. Thankfully Peeves wasn't a problem.

Harry walked on towards the dungeons and finally found the way to the Slytherin common room. He stood in front of a wizard who was asleep in a portrait and Harry knew he had to say the password and unless Blacktooth was lying, he could enter like a teacher. Harry took of his cloak and tapped the portrait. The wizard jumped awake suddenly and when he saw Harry, he swung back allowing him to enter mumbling apologies and Harry caught words like "My lord".

"VIP treatment already," he whispered and entered the room. The Slytherin common room was large and had cold stone walls. The place was chilly and the fire burning in the fireplace didn't make the place warm. A few carpets were on the cold stone floors and Harry noticed that the students were divided into groups. Harry saw Draco and his friends sitting at a corner of the Common Room, talking. He tiptoed over to them, avoiding other student's parchments and inkwells and he was just in time to hear Draco talk.

"The Muggles are all dying and finally Hogwarts would be filled with people worthy enough to possess magic. When this is done, I'll study hard and do my best to get a wife. My father has a lot of money and I'm sure that won't be a problem." Draco drawled.

Harry saw Pansy moving closer to Draco when he mentioned wife and Draco was obviously bored with her because he rolled his eyes and pushed her away. "I'll get myself someone like Greengrass here. A beautiful witch and good enough to carry my seed." Pansy frowned in annoyance and Harry turned to look at where everyone was looking. Daphne, Tracey and Blaise were all alone at a corner talking and it was obvious they were sick of Malfoy's continuous boasting.

'That's strange', Harry thought. The older Slytherins seemed to listen to what Malfoy said and not even a single one of them could defy him. It was like he was the Prince of Slytherin.

"I'm obviously the Prince of Slytherin", Draco drawled walking over to Daphne. "And in time a king. Maybe Greengrass would be happy to be my queen." Daphne stood up, fire in her eyes. She was really angry and Harry could feel the power radiating off her. "I'm no queen Draco," she hissed. "If all of you Slytherins are going to sit down and let ferret face control you it's your own shit. Older ones just taking commands from this toe rag and he's always beaten by the one you call the Gryffindor Golden Boy." People started murmuring and throwing questioning looks at Draco.

"What? I'm I made of gold?" Harry muttered.

"You said you beat Harry Potter the other day Draco," a boy called out. Harry was right next to Daphne and he snorted when he heard it. Daphne looked to her left and narrowed her eyes. She thought she heard someone snort right beside her. Harry chided himself for almost causing someone to notice his presence.

Draco countered and said, "my father is a governor and I don't want to be seen fighting. Potter can't cast a spell. He's always using brute strength and that won't help him in a real combat."

"Yeah right," Daphne replied. "What about Longbottom then. He also can't cast spells but yesterday, he threw a punch that left you winded and then your slave Pansy came to help you." People started giggling and Tracey squeaked with delight. Harry guessed she possibly admired Neville's act of valour and he made a note to tell him.

"Potter just flicked his hands and dodged all those Reducto curses you threw as if he was playing. Then he caught your Stunner and sent it back to you. Let me say something Draco, if I would be anyone's queen then it would be someone like Potter. Not a coward like you."

"Good point," Harry said a little louder and he suddenly realised what he had done and moved away to the fireplace. Daphne threw her hand out trying to feel whoever was there but no one was there. She looked around the Common Room, and Harry realised she was suspecting someone was beside her.

"Potter," she thought and looked back at Malfoy, fury written all over her face.

'She's stunning' Harry thought to himself. 'Her blonde hair cascades like a waterfall when she shakes her head in defiance and her blue eyes burns with dangerous fire and her face. Merlin, her face. So expressionless,no emotions, nothing. Hey man get a grip. I don't like her.'

He battled with some thoughts that had started forming in his mind about Daphne but he shut them out when he raised his Occlumency shields. Harry looked at her as she stomped off to her dorm and Harry immediately came to his senses and turned around when he saw Draco leaving. He had lost his argument and now the Slytherins seemed to be discussing who was best to lead them. As if they were discussing politics.

Harry shook his head and followed Draco silently. His work wasn't done yet. Harry and Draco got in together and when Draco was changing, Harry looked away and hoped it was a girl he was watching. Draco sat down on his bed and took a journal. 'He has a diary' Harry observed.

He peeked at what Draco was writing and he was just making an entry on what had happened and finally swearing to take revenge on him - Harry. Draco climbed on his bed and switched of the lamp. His other dorm mates were not yet in and after some minutes, Harry heard him snoring.

He wasted no time and took the journal till he found what he was looking for. "Well, well," Harry whispered. "You are a bad son of bitch Malfoy." Dobby had been right all the while.

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