Chapter 29:
Since the writing on the wall appeared Harry, Ron, Neville and Hermione had been trying to figure out a way to learn the truth about the Chamber of Secrets. Finally they had decided to go after their main suspect Malfoy, with the help of polyjuice potion. The trouble was learning to make the potion and getting the book from the restricted section.
The plan was to do it after Lockhart's class which was where they were now. Lockhart had picked Harry (again) to act out the role of the Werewolf he had captured. Harry was made to howl, moan and be defeated by Lock hart. That was until Lockhart narrating his defeat of the werewolf made a mistake. "I then screwed up my remaining strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus Charm. He let out a piteous moan, go on Harry."
Harrry rolled his eyes and moaned ignoring Ron and Neville 's pitying looks and Dean and Seamus's amusement.
"Higher than that," Lockhart commanded. Satisfied he nodded continuing. "Good. Then the fur vanished, the fangs shrank and he turned back into a man."
"What?" Harry asked suddenly forgetting the role he was supposed to be playing. "A werewolf can't be turned back into a man?"
Lockhart looked down at him eyebrows furrowed in slight frustration. "Has all this acting exhausted you Harry? You mustn't have been able to hear correctly. I said—"
"I know what you said," Harry said angrily standing up. "But a werewolf transforms as soon as the full moon rises and turns back when day breaks again. There's nothing you can do to turn him back. There's no cure for lycanthropy."
"You've been misinformed Harry," Lockhart smiled charmingly. "Which is why I'm here to teach you."
"You're teaching us wrong."
"Why don't you go sit down Harry," Lockhart suggested suddenly annoyed and angry.
Harry marched back to his seat. He sat down and put his head and his arms as Ron clapped him on the back. "That was awesome mate. Maybe you managed to deflate his head a little."
"I doubt it," Harry said looking up. "And now I can't help you guys get permission for the restricted section."
"Hermione will be able to do it on her own," Neville told them. "Lockhart will sign anything. And when she asks for it then he'd be happy too. He knows how much she likes him."
All three boys smirked holding in chuckles. That's when the bell rung and Harry looked at his friends. "I'll wait outside. I don't want to anger him more."
Not ten minutes later Ron, Hermione and Neville came out brandishing the permission slip signed by Lockhart with full grins. Harry felt his growing too. Together all four headed to the library and put together their plan for the Polyjuice potion.
Far away in London in a white room Sirius Black gained consciousness. He looked around to see his surroundings and took awhile to recollect being taken out of Azkaban. He could faintly recall some small memories of waking up hazily a few times to be surrounded by scared nurses and hearing all sorts of voices.
As Sirius was pondering the door opened. In walked Albus Dumbledore with twinkling eyes and a grim smile. "Sirius my boy. It is good to see you awake."
"Dumbledore," Sirius croaked. His voice was out of use. "Do they know? They have him? Why am I here?"
"They didn't tell you anything when they took you out?" Dumbledore asked sitting down.
"No. How long ago was that?" asked Sirius.
"Almost a week. As for you being free, your fate is not totally set yet. I have convinced the ministry to give you a trial. A fair one. All due to the new evidence that has been found. Let's hope they are smart and set you free. Until then aurors will be guarding you here until you are ready to go to trial. "
"They found him then," Sirius said. His eyes darkened and looked at Dumbledore. "They found the Rat."
"Yes, Pettigrew is in the aurors custody too. As for how he got there, well it's a very interesting and long story."
"I have time," Sirius said.
Dumbledore sighed leaning back. "Well, it began with a dream…."
He told the story of how Harry and his friends caught the rat and looked at Sirius who was silent. Sirius looked at him, eyes shining with hope for the first time in a long time. "And Harry, he's okay? He's happy? What has he been doing? Besides catching rats and going through his first year at Hogwarts."
"Harry is fine," Dumbledore said. "He's a wonderful boy. He looks just like James but has Lily's eyes. And a lot of her demeanor. He's a marvelous mix of them both. And much like James he's gone and surrounded himself with friends who would do anything for him."
"The ones who helped him catch the rat?" Sirius asked.
"And one more. Mr. Weasley is as loyal as they come. Pettigrew was posing as his rat. He and Harry have been very close since they first came to Hogwarts. Ms. Granger is one of the most brilliant witches of her age. Much like Remus she keeps the other two out of trouble. And most recently joining their little group is Mr. Longbottom."
"Neville?" asked Sirius. "Frank and Alice's son?"
Dumbledore nodded sadly. "There's a lot you have missed Sirius but now isn't the best time to fill you in on it all. You need more rest."
Sirius still filled with questions was left alone in the room with nothing to do but follow Dumbledore's advice and sleep.
As he lost consciousness Harry was gaining it once again far away in the Hogwarts hospital wing. It had been a long night with little sleep between regrowing all the bones in his arm, a visit from Dobby and seeing that Colin and Nearly-Headless-Nick had been petrified. As soon as he got permission from Madam Pomfrey he ran out of the hospital wing to go and find Ron, Hermione and Neville.
Soon enough he was sitting with them in Myrtle's bathroom watching the Polyjuice potion brew. Hermione, Ron and Neville had greeted him happily, especially after realizing it wasn't someone else who could have gotten them in trouble.
Hermione had attacked him with at hug. "Harry! You us such a fright— come in— how's your arm?"
She suddenly let go inspecting his arm. Harry pulled it away assuring her it was fine. He joined them in the bathroom stall to see Neville and Ron grinning at him. Ron started to explain. "We'd've come to meet you but we decided to get started on the polyjuice potion."
"We thought is the safest place to hide it," Neville said. "No one ever comes here."
"It's a good thing you did," Harry nodded. "There's been another petrification."
"We already know," Hermione told him. "We heard Professor McGonagall talking to Professor Flitwick this morning."
Ron snarled talking about how Malfoy had done it to take revenge for the quiddditch game. That was what reminded Harry. "There's something else, Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."
"Who?" Neville asked.
"This batty house elf who came to Harry this summer trying to convince him it wasn't safe to come back to Hogwarts. His owners must be some crazy purebloods because the elf was terrified of them and kept beating himself."
Neville nodded understanding. None of them noticed Hermione's eyebrows furrowing and her frown getting bigger and bigger. Harry continued telling them what Dobby had said and Hermione forgot her concerns for more important things. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?"
"This settles it," Ron crowed. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."
"Maybe it's invisible," suggested Neville.
"Or maybe it can disguise itself," Hermione said. "I've read about Chameleon ghouls."
Ron snorted. "You read too much Hermione."
He finished putting lacewings with the leeches 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."
All of them laughed. Neville stopped suddenly though while the others were still chortling. "He's scared for Harry. Everyone else is really scared now too. We shouldn't be laughing."
Harry shook his head. "If anything we should be. And make everyone else laugh too. I wanted to be like my dad, a maurader. That includes pranking too. And not in the mean way like Fred and George are doing."
"They've been hopping out covered in fur and stuff at Ginny and other first years," Hermione said. "It's horrible."
"We should do something everyone will find funny. Maybe a little annoying but it will make them forget about the chamber for a bit," Harry said.
"Like what?" Neville asked.
Harry thought for a second then looked at Hermione. "Have you ever seen one of those American films about high school. And the lunch hall?"
Hermione looked at him and started laughing. Then her eyes became wide as she looked at Harry a bit surprised. "You were serious?"
He nodded. Behind him Neville and Ron were looking at them confused. Ron coughed. "Um… do you want to explain?"
