Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters, those belong to J.K. Rowling.

Rated M For safety and mature themes - Unsure yet if it will contain 'lemons' since I'd rather not have my story removed. Nor do I know the final pairings let.

"Out loud"

'Thoughts' / internal thinking

Midnight Gold, the Rise of the Forgotten Lord

Chapter 29: Hagrid's tale.

Reposted 3rd April 2013

Revised and Beta by Joe Lawyer

Tension filled the air as his fellow students rushed about their business, desperately trying to forget about the most recent attack. He could literally feel it hanging in the air, like a dark cloud. Whoever the heir was, they had successfully created the climate of fear they desired.

However, life carried on. "Potter!" A familiar voice shouted from behind him; bringing him out of his own internal thoughts.

Turning in the direction of the sound, he saw it was one of his teammates, "Chambers," he answered back in greeting to the fourth-year chaser, who frankly seemed better suited for a beater position rather than a chaser.

"Roger has managed to book the pitch for this evening, practice starts at 7pm and should go on till maybe 9 o'clock, be there," the stocky chaser instructed, before moving away, not waiting for a reply.

He didn't even bother with a reply; it seemed rather pointless since it wasn't a debate nor a true question. But it did upset his current plans for the evening, since he had already planned to train with his cousin then work with Padma on their current homework assignments. 'Oh well.' It wasn't like he could just ditch the training session; Cho would be there as well, clearly trying to steal his spot on the team.

All in all it was rather annoying being forced to go. He then heard the familiar crackle of distant thunder, 'Oh great, rain too, no wonder the pitch was available' he thought as he looked out the nearest window to see that it was already raining, with more dark clouds on the way and random flashes of lightning in the distance. He looked out solemnly over the grounds, as the rain continued to pour down; 'Maybe it will be cancelled,' knowing it was a real possibility.

After all, Ravenclaws were hardly known for being truly reckless, or brave enough to train in the middle of a storm. Thou he was willing to admit in the privacy of his mind that he felt a rush of excitement at the thought of playing in such challenging conditions.

That evening the rest of the team stayed inside, not bothering to tell him the training session had been cancelled. He was out their all alone, facing the storm, he didn't even bother releasing the snitch, he just flew around without any real purpose or urgency, just riding the powerful, cold air currents, scenting the power in the very air he breathed, enjoying the exotic rush of it all, it was truly a primal experience and his very blood and magic sung to him in joy.

However there was another who bore witness to this bit of joy, a pair of small beady eyes watched him from the shadows, tracking him, measuring him, scrutinizing him, desperately hoping for the boy to fall to his gristly death, or to be hit by lightning.

Unfortunately, lady luck refused to play ball.

Midnight Lord

Knocking on the half-giant's door he shortly heard a rather predictable response "Just a minute!" Looking over at his friend as he waited patiently, he saw that Luna was already off in her own little world watching the clouds and not really paying attention to anything. 'Damn that is disarming,' admitting that Luna could properly disarm anyone with her dreamy look.

"Harry! What are you doing down here?" Hagrid exclaimed, clearly surprised to see him, "And who is your friend?" examining Luna, who was holding Harry's left arm.

Smiling at his rather big friend, "I thought I'd come down and see you my friend since we haven't had a chance to really talk since last year. Sirius sends his regards," giving both his greeting and his explanation for being here. "Now let me introduce you to my friend," gesturing to Luna, "This is Luna Lovegood, I thought I'd bring her along; she happens to love creatures, almost as much as you do."

"Oh really!" the half-giant beamed, "It's good to meet you too Luna, come in and sit down," letting them into the hut. The moment they walked through the doorway they were hit with hot smoky air, which was rather pleasant and earthy actually.

"Drink?" the half-giant asked, moving to put a kettle of water to boil over the log fire.

"Sure," before giving a soft shake to his friend, "Luna, do you want a drink?"

"Tea, please. Hagrid you must get alot of Nargles in here, they like the wood," she said dreamily, whilst staring at the wood thatch ceiling of the hut.

Smiling slightly, as the half-giant was thrown for a loop like everyone else was. Seeing Hagrid looking at him for help, he just gave a shrug of the shoulders, which said 'I don't know,' whilst mouthing play along. "Of course," Hagrid hurried agreed, "The little things love the wood, just like forest pixies do," as he moved to sit down. "This is Fang," introducing his dog, "Don't worry he's harmless," clearly trying to move the chat away from the creature he had no idea about.

"Harry, I got me some exciting news, The Headmaster is considering my request to take over the COMC position," causing him to smile at the news, wondering just what Hagrid would introduce them to. "Of course, a couple of the school governors are questioning it, but the headmaster said he was sure he could persuade them to see it his way."

"That's excellent news! Well done!" already guessing which governor was leading that campaign against Hagrid. "What creatures can I expect next year?"

"Oh this and that, it depends how the classes go... However I'm hoping that I can introduce some of the lower years to the Unicorn herd, without scaring the poor things, they don't react well to older students, not innocent or pure enough for them I suppose, especially the Slytherins," the groundskeeper said rather negatively.

Seeing his way in, "If you don't mind me asking, is there any reason for you disliking them? Surely you have a good reason? Oh Hagrid, the kettle," seeing the water starting to boil over.

"Oh, right," as the half giant scrambled to serve the tea, "Would you like Honey tea? Or Lavender? Or maybe something a bit stronger such as Hazelnut?"

"Honey flavour please, Luna will have the same," he requested, since she was busy looking at something else, rather than listening to Hagrid.

"Alright," he said, as he went about serving them up some honey tea, in some truly oversized cups, which seemed to hold about two litres of the mixture. 'Damn, I'm going to need the bathroom after this,' he thought as he sipped the steaming drink, being careful not to burn his lips.

"So Hagrid, what do you have against Slytherins, I would think you of all people wouldn't judge people just on their appearance, or their house," he probed, wondering if the friendly groundskeeper would of been hostile to him if he was wearing green, instead of blue.

"Yea, but I was a Gryffindor in my time here, bad memories you see," the man admitted soberly.

"Do you want to talk about it? Slytherins often make fun of me too," Luna said out of nowhere, focusing on the groundskeeper. "The Lions do as well, they call me Loony Luna," once again throwing off their host.

"You know, not all Slytherins are out to get you," he spoke, "Yes, some are jerks and brats, but that's due to them having been brought up that way by their parents," he added, thinking of a couple of his year mates. "You never know, some could be rather nice people given the chance. As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover," smiling as he said it, knowing that saying was very popular amongst Ravenclaws.

"Yea, your right. Ignore their name calling Luna, they'll grow out of it," Hagrid advised, before downing some of his drink.

"Not everyone is good or evil based on the house they're sorted into, or even born into. Look at Sirius for an example of that; born to the Black family, one of darkest households around, went into Gryffindor, befriended a werewolf, and fought against Lord Voldemort," he explained, seeing the groundskeeper flinch at the name, "Then you have Peter Pettigrew," he said with some venom. "Born to a nice light-sided family, sorted into Gryffindor house, just to end up betraying his friends, my family, to the dark lord," knowing he was making an impression, since Hagrid knew Peter.

"Yea, I never would have guessed that. He was such a nice boy, always following your father and Sirius around; I don't understand what happened..." shaking his head, as if he had personally failed somehow, "But, it's good to know about Sirius, so when will I see him? I missed him last time he was here," referring to Sirius and Harry's announcement.

"My godfather is on holiday with Remus currently, he might pop in after Christmas," not really knowing if his godfather would or not.

"It would be good to catch up with him."

Seeing that first approach was failing him, he decided to change tactics, "Yea, I can't wait for the holidays, Sirius' got something planned. Plus Hogwarts doesn't feel safe with Peter around and the Chamber being opened. But don't worry, I'll get you all a nice gift to help cheer you up," giving a smile which hinted at hidden excitement, that was to be expected from a child thinking of Christmas.

"Yea, that's nasty business that, I remember the last time it was opened," taking Harry's bait.

"Really?" playing naive.

"Yea, I was at school back then, they blamed me for it," the groundkeeper admitted bitterly, "Got me expelled, and snapped my wand, only the headmaster believed I was innocent of the crime. I was set up!"

"That's dreadful," Luna said, clearly listening to the chat.

"Want to tell us about it? Maybe it will help catch whoever is responsible and clear your name. Maybe it's a descendant of whoever set you up, if we catch them and can link it back to their family member, it would clear your name." He suggested as Hagrid considered the idea, "You know Sirius and I have a lot of pull now in the ministry, if we can find some evidence, there's no reason we can't clear your name. Madam Bones seems reasonable, if they're linked, I'm sure she'll look into it."

"Alright, what's the harm anyways." The half-giant said, "Some 50 years ago I attended Hogwarts, the headmaster was the transfiguration Professor back then, and Headmaster Dippet was in charge. He never really liked me from the get go, I was a bit clumsy back then you see," He admitted to them. "For the most part I got along with quite a few students, the muggleborns mainly, and half-bloods too, but Slytherins made my life hell."

"Then the Chamber of Secrets opened in my 4th year and the muggleborns started dropping like flies, then Myrtle was suddenly murdered and they were talking of closing the school," he paused, whilst taking a great gulp of his own drink. "Everyone was afraid when it happened. Tom Riddle burst into my room one night, saying I was the one responsible, on account of me having a 4 star pet. It just was a baby Acromantula!" the groundskeeper exclaimed, as if the man-eating spider was a normal choice of pet.

'Damn, never ask Hagrid to buy a pet,' he noted.

"They searched my room and found notes on the Chamber of Secrets, which were clearly placed there for the teachers or the Aurors to find. Any idiot could see that it wasn't my writing, it was fine and elegant, while mine is basic at best. But it was his word against mine. Unfortunately for me, he had a silver tongue that slimy snake. Who would believe little old me, against the head boy? The headmaster's favourite student?"

"Only Dumbledore argued that Tom should be questioned more. But nothing happened after that, Dippet needed to look like he was doing something and the Ministry wanted to calm the public, so it was all blamed on me. I personally say it was Riddle, he had too many perfect answers to their clever questions; he painted me a misguided oaf, and that my Acromantula was a dangerous dark beast!" his voice shaking the hut. Harry held himself still, whilst his other hand held Luna in place as the giant slowly calmed down.

"Acromantulas kill by laying web traps, and then wrapping their prey in webs, followed by a dose of venom to melt their insides. Myrtle was just found dead, no bite marks, no webs, just dead, like she had just dropped dead instantly. Plus Aragog was only the size of your hand back then, how could he kill a second year? Of course, these questions were all ignored. After all, I was just a half breed to them, a freak of nature who should have never been born in their eyes," shaking his head at the painful memories.

"Aragog?" he asked, after Hagrid had settled down.

"That's what I named him. Now he lives in the forest with his children and grandchildren. Maybe I should introduce you some time," the groundskeeper said, "It's only a small nest."

The words 'only' and 'small' triggered some internal alarm bells; the last thing he would ever do was walk into a nest full of man-eating spiders. However, none of this showed on the outside, "That... would be an interesting experience," and ridiculously terrifying his mind added.

He decided to immediately change the subject lest Hagrid get any further ideas, "That's terrible, just proves that the Ministry was as incapable then as they are now. I'm sure Sirius will help you if he can."

"My father will print your story if you want?" Luna said speaking up, laying her small hand on Hagrid's, trying to comfort the half-giant, which would have been rather funny if they weren't discussing something so serious.

"Well, it's a long time ago, and Dumbledore believes he will find evidence to clear me this time, so leave it to the adults," he said sternly.

"Of course," he quickly agreed, deciding that he was spread too thin at the moment to really help anyways. Maybe when things had settled down and he had fewer problems he could deal with it. Who knew, if he could help Hagrid out, it could lead to COMC being a walk in the park, plus getting into another staff member's good graces.

The next couple of hours were actually rather interesting, however as the morning slipped into the afternoon he knew that it was time to leave and head back to get something to eat. Frankly he remembered the last time he had tried some of Hagrid's cooking and was nowhere near hungry enough to try rock cakes again. Plus he needed the bathroom, badly, and wasn't willing to use Hagrid's.

Slowly making their way back to the school, they ran into Neville and his group of friends making their way down to Hagrid's hut. However Ron was looking a bit green, like he was going to be sick at any moment. They were forced to side step around the boy and the group, since it seemed like they weren't looking where they were going, just for Dean to bump hard into Luna's shoulder knocking the smaller girl to the ground. Dean didn't even stop to check on the girl, just kept walking down like nothing happened, only Hermione looked somewhat concerned, but she stayed quiet.

Offering Luna a hand up, she didn't even bat an eye at what happened. Clearly the girl was used to such treatment and considered it normal, and frankly that was going to change, starting right now.

"Let me show you a shoelace tying jinx, it's simple to learn and if used correctly can have some rather devastating results; I'll teach it to you later," he said, before casting the spell at the group, while mentally focusing on the image of it tying the whole group's shoelaces together, like a long chain.

The spell did what he envisioned and the next thing they saw was the whole group comically falling to the ground in a heap, causing Ron to vomit as they went down, liberally coating the group in his noxious vomit. Looking over at Luna, he could see amusement dancing in her eyes and a small smile on her lips.

Come on let's go, before they realize it was us. They quickly moved away from the little bit of anarchy he had caused with the first year prank jinx. There was also the added motivation that he needed to go to the toilet rather badly; he really should have stopped after that first cup of tea, but he had a bit of a sweet tooth and had gone for the second cup anyways.

"Give me a sec, just need to use the toilets," he said, while stepping into the boy's toilets. He avoided the urinals altogether, as they had been bewitched a couple of days earlier by the twins to talk back with witty remarks. And frankly, when nature called, he did not want the toilet talking back at him.

He felt much better as he stepped out of one of the stalls, now that the growing pressure in his bladder had been relieved.

Walking over to the sinks to wash his hands, he saw Luna in the mirror's reflection, examining a urinal. "So this is what a boys' bathroom looks like." The unusual first-year said, "Ours smells like lavender, but pinecones is rather nice too," she added off-handedly, as he just looked at her.

"Luna, this is the boys' toilet," he stated, stressing the boy's part.

"Oh yes, I know," she stated flatly in reply, as if they were merely discussing the weather, whilst inspecting the stalls, "I always wondered what they would look like; I thought they would be more different. Plus I need to go to the loo as well."

"Luna, the girls' toilet is just around the corner," he answered back, moving over to escort her out of the boys' toilets, before another guy walked in on them.

"Oh yes, I know," nodding her head, causing her hair to dance, "But Hermione's brewing a potion in there and it's meant to be a secret, so I can't go in there otherwise it's not a secret," she answered back, as if this was the most logical answer in the world. She then deftly slipped out of his hold and into one of the stalls, closing the door on him.

He saw that there was no way he was going to win this, "I'll be outside waiting," he stated, before leaving the room.

Leaning on the wall opposite the toilet door, he thought over Luna's comment about Hermione brewing a potion, while hoping that no guys would come his way with a desire to use the toilet.

However luck wasn't on his side, as a Slytherin boy came along, maybe 6th or 7th year by the looks of him, but it was hard to tell. Stepping up quickly to intercept him, he spoke in a conspiratorial manner. "You don't want to go in there mate, the Weasley twins have pranked it again, the toilets and urinals have teeth this time! And they set off stink bombs too! I'm just standing guard until my mate comes back with a professor," he said seriously, hoping the boy would buy it. After all, would you use a toilet if it had teeth? Hell no! "After all, I doubt you want to see if those teeth are just for show," making the Slytherin cringe.

"Merlin! Is no place sacred to them?" the older boy said to no one, before moving away. Looking over his shoulder, "Thanks Potter," the Slytherin said before quickly slipping away, clearly able to hold off nature for just a bit longer with the extra incentive.

He looked back at the door, 'What have I gotten myself in to?' he mused while thinking about Luna's actions.

That Evening

"How was Hagrid?" Tracy asked from her chair.

"Surprisingly knowledgeable," he replied back, as he sat down in the remaining free space. "Hagrid was set up by Tom Riddle, that much is clear, and Headmaster Dippet used him as a scapegoat. There was no proper investigation at all, despite our current headmaster's urgings for one, who believed Riddle was behind it." He explained to the group as he told them of Hagrid's role.

"An Acromantula, really? That was his pet?! Fucking hell, only Hagrid would have a man-eating spider as a pet!" Tracy exclaimed, pretty much echoing all their thoughts on the subject.

"Yes, he named it Aragog," Harry said with good humour, "However from what Hagrid implied, it's still alive and living in the Forbidden Forest with its children. To quote Hagrid's words, 'it's just a small nest.'"

"Small as in human small or half-giant small?" Tonks demanded, clearly knowing of the danger the nest presented from DADA. He only knew of the species because he looked up dangerous magical creatures last year, while researching about Hagrid's pet Cerberus. "Their nests can grow into the thousands as long as there is enough food around to prevent them from turning on one another," she explained to the rest of them.

"If it's been there for over 50 years, there are probably several nests throughout the forest. I would imagine the only reason we haven't encountered them already is due to the castle wards;, if the wards ever collapsed we would have serious problems," he said, not liking the idea of hundreds of man-eating spiders living so close to a school full of children.

"Fuck," Tonks said to no one but herself.

"Moving on," Daphne said, taking charge of the meeting while clearly trying to ignore the idea of hundreds or even thousands of man-eating spiders in the nearby forest. "I had my parents track down anything they could get on Tom Riddle. I found out the following: He got prefect grades throughout Hogwarts, all 'Outstandings' to the point his teachers expected him to immediately get into a high Ministry position upon graduating. However he ended up working in the alley at Borgin and Burkes, a store known for dealing in anitquities and off-the-record dark arts items. This shocked many of his classmates and teachers. Now here's where it gets interesting. Tom then spent the next two years working there before suddenly disappearing. He's wanted for questioning by the ministry over his possible involvement in the death of Hepzibah Smith, a lady he met two days earlier while buying some of her private collection of antiques for the store on the owner's behalf."

"Now pay attention, this is the important part. Originally Mrs. Smith's death was ruled as an accident, after the Aurors questioned her old house elf who confessed to accidently poisoning her by mistake. Naturally the elf was disposed of by the Ministry without a second thought. However, when Mrs. Smith's remaining family later reported that two of her most prized heirlooms were missing and unaccounted for, the Aurors reopened the case. The missing artifacts were Salazar Slytherin's Locket, and Hufflepuff's Cup," Daphne said smugly to the room, well, as smugly as she could without ruining her icy persona.

"Sounds just like what happened to Hagrid; another easily accused non-human set up to take the fall," Tracy said. "What are the odds that this Riddle guy is involved in the Chamber of Secrets, and the thief of a Slytherin artefact? And a Puff one?"

"Exactly, if this Riddle guy was the heir, he may have believed he was entitled to the locket. And if he had already gotten away with murder once, what's to stop him from doing so again?" he asked the room. "Plus a Hufflepuff one as well? That's a cherry on the cake. Each would be worth a fortune if sold to the right person I imagine. This guy had no money. So he could always use the gold."

"Plus, the plan of setting a fall guy up worked before with Hagrid;, the Aurors don't look for you if they believe they've already got their killer, so why not do so again with an elf? Something the ministry considers nothing more than a slave," Tonks stated factually.

"I agree, there is quite a bit of evidence to support this theory, but he's a muggleborn, how can he be the heir of Slytherin?" Blaise said, pointing out a possible hole in their logic.

"He's an orphan, that does not necessarily mean he's a muggleborn," he said firmly, finding it rather easy to connect with this Riddle character. "Trust me, as an orphan I was always interested about my past, always trying to find out more about it, trying to find something to connect with. I didn't find out about my family until I met the goblins."

Looking at the file, "The file states he's a muggleborn; that just means the wizards that found him believed he was a muggleborn. For all we know, his mother or father could have been a magical, but they died in a muggle area. Or one his parents could have been cast out of the main Slytherin family generations ago and he is from this discarded bloodline of squibs; it wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened, the Blacks did it all the time. The muggle authorities wouldn't know where he came from, he would just be another child found on the steps of an orphanage."

Remembering his relatives off handed threats about shipping him off, and watching the movie 'Oliver' at Christmas time before replying. "Frankly they are hard, unforgiving places, even by today's standards, yet even worse back then. It would explain the hatred of muggles and muggleborns if he had a bad childhood at the orphanage, just to discover when he got here that he had Slytherin Blood in his veins later on."

"Then he would reach out for it, trying to claim something of his heritage, something to connect with," Penny added, clearly seeing where he was coming from. "We all desire to understand our existence, our purpose in life, and without a past that's hard to do."

"I would," he added quietly. "If I found out that I was 'Slytherin's heir' and I grew up in an orphanage, where I was beaten and bullied, I could very well see that my forbear was correct, and decide to carry on my ancestor's work. Then if he was sent back to the orphanage every summer, forced to endure bullying, unable to use his magic to protect himself, forced to suffer." He said, as he examined the picture of the guy, as well the stolen heirlooms, "Every year this guy went from being the most gifted student in his year, the envy of his peers, to nothing, each summer, how would that affect him?"

"It's possible," Daphne admitted, seeing his rationale. "He could very well reject everything muggle, just from his hatred of the orphanage."

"Might I remind you that Voldemort is the last known heir of Slytherin... I know a bit of history, Riddle is not typical wizard name, and there are no Lordships with the name of Riddle in Britain... at least to my knowledge," Blaise argued, playing the role of devil's advocate.

"I agree, but he disappeared, he could very well have been killed by Voldemort. After all, I doubt Voldemort would accept a half blood for a brother or a distant cousin..." Daphne stated.

Looking towards the window, seeing the lights of Hogsmeade in the distance confirmed that it was getting late, "How about we take a break and think this over. I'm sure you all agree this Riddle guy is certainly a good suspect for setting Hagrid up and opening the Chamber the first time around. There are just too many similarities between the events," he told the room, yet still needing time to think it over.

"Yea, I think we all need to take a step back and think about it, plus it's getting late," Padma said, seconding his opinion.

"Daphne, you and Tracy were going to talk to Myrtle, have you found anything out?"

"Not yet, she's naturally mistrustful of us," Tracy said answered for the pair.

"It will take more time than we thought." Daphne added, clearly annoyed at her own failure, which made it clear why she got her parents to find out so much about Riddle. Since that had been his job and Rita was currently digging up his dirty secrets.

"Fair enough, no offense to you guys, but Slytherin does have a rather bad reputation."

Midnight Gold

"Hagrid, my old friend," he said warmly, hoping the meeting would go well.

"Headmaster! What brings you down here in the middle of the night?"

"We need to talk my friend," he answered seriously, "May I come inside? The doorstep is hardly suitable for this chat."

"Of course! Make yourself at home," moving out of the doorway and allowing him to enter.

He took one of the oversized seats, "I'll get straight down to business, since it is late. The Minister is pressuring the Aurors to arrest you, due to the commonly held belief that you were the individual responsible for opening the Chamber of Secrets the last time." Putting his hand up, stopping Hagrid's protest of his innocent.

"I know you are innocent," he said, kindly reassuring Hagrid, picking his words carefully before explaining, "But I'm being spread too thin after the events of late year. The school governors are starting to call for my resignation, if I can't get a handle on this situation. How much of it is real concern, or Lord Malfoy's bribes and threats, I do not know," shocking his friend.

"However, I have a solution that benefits us both; it proves that you are innocent and it helps buy me time to act. Next year, I'm planning for Hogwarts' students to take part in an exchange project with Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in France, and possibly Durmstrang." He explained, not wishing to mention the possibility of the Tri-Wizard tournament just yet, "However I need to send a staff member in advance to ensure the grounds are safe for our students. I would like you to go," He knew that Hagrid would take the job of protecting the students most seriously.

"If you are out the country when the next attack happens the Ministry will be forced to acknowledge that you are not the party responsible my friend, and it will be an important first step in clearing your name. I will prove that I was correct about you to the Minister and more importantly to the school's governors. I doubt you wish to go to Azkaban whilst I try to find the true party responsible for these attacks," not mentioning he already knew Lord Malfoy was the one responsible for it.

"Headmaster, you asking me to run?" the groundskeeper asked.

"More like a tactical withdrawal, or repositioning," he answered, seeing his friend's brave Gryffindor nature shining through.

Resorting to his secret weapon, "It's just a temporary measure to buy time," after all, the 'heir' would either have to stop the attacks, and he would be safe and Hagrid would be out of the country and protected by his allies in France, or the attacks would continue and his friend would be proven innocent. "And Olympe Maxime the Headmistress is a rather unique woman," remembering her towering frame.

"She's a half-giant like you Hagrid," watching his friend's eyes light up like candles, very big candles.

"Seriously?"

"Indeed, I think you would make a very good ambassador for Hogwarts in this case."

"What about the grounds?" Hagrid questioned.

He smiled at his friend's sense of duty and responsibility to the school. "The elves can handle it, besides it's only till the end of the school year. Would you at least consider it for me, my old friend?" He asked, wanting to protect his most loyal friend.

Midnight Gold

Excitement filled the Great Hall as it was nearly time for the first Duelling Club meeting. Frankly she didn't care much for it except to scout out her year-mates' strengths. Already she could hear students bragging of their prowess with their wands, most clearly lying. It reminded her greatly of their first year flying lessons and how Draco had bragged of his skills with a broom, only to be immediately corrected by their flying instructor on something as fundamental as how to grip the broom.

That was Draco's biggest weakness, his ego and the seemingly unshakeable belief that he was better than everyone around him. That belief was ridiculous of course, but Daphne wasn't going to point that out to him. She was sure that Harry would come to this meeting, to scout out his year mates like her; it surprised her that he wasn't.

She examined the long duelling platform running down the middle of the Great Hall; this was clearly going to be use for demonstrations on duelling forms. It was odd; she expected the duelling platform to be more...grand.

Though she did like the colour scheme of it, midnight blue, with a Moon phases cycle running down the middle of it. Very tasteful. Just then their DADA professor marched in, dressed in his duelling outfit, his lavish cape flowing behind him looking more like a hindrance than an advantage in a duel. She would have to ask Harry about it, since he duelled and trained with his cousin more hours a week than they had DADA lessons, even more so with Pettigrew after him.

"Gather round people, Gather round!" Lockhart pompously announced to the hall, clearly loving the lime light. She allowed herself to be taken with the crowd, intentionally positioning herself towards the back, but with a clear line of sight. "Can everyone see me? Can you all here me?" Lockhart preened, clearly enjoying himself.

Smiling, he started to pace the platform like the showman he really was. "Due to the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club, to train you up, just in case you ever need to defend yourself!" He ended his speech by throwing his cape into a group of fan girls who started to fight over the garment.

'That explains the cape,' finally understanding why he brought it at all. 'I wonder if Lockhart will get back that cape, or will it disappear to one of the fan girl alters?'

"Now let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," gesturing to the other end of the platform where her ever gloomy Head of House appeared, wand drawn and at the ready, taking everyone by surprise. "But don't worry; you'll have your potions master back, after I'm done with him."

"Money on Snape," she said to the people around her, already knowing the potion master's history as a death eater and a skilled duellist.

Watching the professors go through the ritualistic motions of the duel, the pair paced back to their starting points. "1, 2, 3," the over confident DADA teacher counted, clearly having no idea of Snape's past, otherwise he wouldn't be so relaxed about the whole affair. "Expelliarmus" Snape shouted going instantly on the offensive by sending a powerful disarming charm at the other professor, the spell sent so quickly that their DADA teacher had no time to dodge or shield and got sent rocketing off the stage at the far end, where he was rapidly swarmed by his fans.

She quickly checked the audience for Harry, wondering just where he was to be missing this excellent bit of entertainment.

Elsewhere in the Castle

While the rest of the school was busy taking part in the duelling club, Harry was busy smuggling his guest into his dorm room, "Rita, don't you dare," he threatened, as Rita in her lady bug form crawled further down his top. "Don't make me swat you," getting annoyed at Rita's usual antics.

Climbing the steps to Ravenclaw tower, he was soon standing outside the door. He checked the corridor to make sure that he was truly alone, "Now Rita, I'm going to open the door and I want you to fly inside." Seeing the bug take flight from his robes before hovering waiting, "Pie..." opening the door and stepping in, whilst activating the ward by pressing a connecting control crystal in his pocket and gesturing for the bug to follow.

As Rita flew through the doorway, the door pulsed with a golden glow and a web appeared out of nowhere looking just like a spider web. The magical web started forming rapidly around the bug, anchoring it in the doorway by trapping the animagus in a tight web, before the magical web started wrapping itself around the bug, the holes between the web so small the web looked like it would crush Rita. The web pulsed several times around the bug, before it stopped glowing, leaving just the humming web.

Checking the ward crystal that displayed the remaining power to the ward, he found that it was still going strong and had around 90% of its energy left after the capture. It was rapidly recharging though, drawing on the magical energy in the air and reached its maximum power in less than a minute. Reaching into his pocket he saw the connecting crystal control stone glowing, meaning the ward had been triggered by an animagus.

He smiled at his success, "Rita try to transform back," He instructed, before seeing the web's glow flicker a couple of times, before it stopped. Examining the magical web, he saw the lady bug was unmoving.

Tapping the control stone, to deactivate the ward, Rita managed to morph back to her human form before collapsing unconscious in the doorway.

"Damn," he said, very impressed with the effectiveness of the ward. Looking over the unconscious animagus, 'I got you now Peter' he thought vindictively, already brainstorming where to rig future traps.

Great Hall

"Wow, can you believe it? The Great Boy-Who-Lived, defeater of You-Know-Who, and enemy number one of Slytherin house is a parselmouth?" Tracy said for the second time, as she and Daphne mock duelled.

"Yes, it's most ironic, isn't it," discreetly casting a look over in the direction of the sulking Gryffindor. "An ability, a gift, that most purebloods would kill for, and he's sulking. At least its shut up Weasley and Malfoy," both of whom were clearly shaken by the night's revelations, albeit for different reasons. "I wonder how long till rumours start that he's the heir of Slytherin?" Stating the last part just a bit louder so more of her year mates could hear, "After all, it makes sense that a Parselmouth would be Slytherin's heir," She said, while appearing to think intently over the recent developments, to the point that she wasn't ready for Tracy's stinging hex.

Over the next half an hour they mock duelled, with Snape hovering around the Hall, just watching everyone. Already the students were watching Neville with hawk-like eyes, waiting for him to attack them. "It's funny how a simple statement can become a full blown rumour," she said proudly at her handy work as she left the Great Hall.

"Yea, I doubt he's the Heir," Tracy stated, coming to a similar conclusion herself. "Besides, Neville seems as surprised as the rest of us," noticing something she had missed as she thought over the observation.

"Indeed, only a fool would intentionally show such a talent under the current conditions. The whole school is going to be watching his movements now, the Aurors, the Professors, everyone, he just became the number one suspect."

"Oh well," her friend stated. "But I find it odd that Draco just happens to use a snake summoning charm against Neville, it feels scripted, as if it was planned. Professor Snape only started teaching Draco after the duelling club was announced."

"Possibly, but how did Professor Snape know?" she asked her friend.

"Maybe he didn't? Maybe it was test?" Tracy said, "After all, Neville was found at the scene of the first attack."

"Hey! What you two talking about?" Harry asked, surprising the both of them.

"Well, you would know if you went to the duelling club," she stated, already planning on telling Harry, since he would hear the news soon enough anyways, but she would at least try to get something out of him. "Where were you?"

"Reading some bank statements and reports, Sirius and my manager attend most of the discussions, or Andy does, while Sirius is out of the country, but I like to personally keep up to date on everything. After all, it would make it easier for when I finally take up the responsibility myself," he said seriously, while rubbing his Potter family ring. "On that subject I would like to talk with you Daphne, about a possible business venture, since your family runs one of the biggest clothing brands in Britain."

"Sure," she said carefully, wondering what possible business deal Harry was cooking up, "However, it is my father's discussion first and foremost; I can't talk on his behalf. It will be his discussion in the end, not mine."

"Of course. So what happened?"

"Longbottom is a parselmouth," Tracy stated, which made Harry blink several times.

"Interesting, I wonder if that will turn up in the Prophet tomorrow. So tell me exactly what happened," he said to Tracy as he listened to his friend give a detailed recounting of everything that happened.

The Next Day

Many people would say that it was unnecessary, but frankly yesterday's events had given him a means to strengthen his position within the school, at a rival's expense. After all, Neville was his most dangerous year mate from a popularity standpoint.

Looking over at the Gryffindor table, the lion himself looked rather down, still clearly not over what happened the previous day. Ah, here it comes he thought, as he saw the owls flying into the Great Hall, carrying their load of newspapers. He unfolded his copy of the Prophet, which for the most part he considered absolute trash; but it was still the most widely read newspaper in Britain.

Scanning the front page he saw nothing about Longbottom, 'so not front page news then,' flipping through the pages yet still finding no sign of the news he wanted, which was odd.

"Something wrong?" Padma asked, clearly noticing his above average interest in the Prophet today.

"Nothing major, just thought there might be some news," trying to sound as normal as possible. Whilst eating the rest of his breakfast, he thought over the available facts, clearly Rita hadn't been able to print it, and that meant either of two things, it'll either be in the next edition, or it had been blocked by another party or group who had paid off the Prophet not to print the story. Either way he would have to wait to confirm either theory this evening with Rita. It was either the Headmaster who had blocked the article, or Lady Longbottom herself, or both working together, since they were in a political alliance, but he was sure the information would leak out anyways.

After all, secrets rarely stay secret, especially when a whole school of adolescent children know of it.

Midnight Gold

Looking inward, he put bits and pieces together, trying to solve a puzzle as another piece in his animagus jigsaw puzzle fell neatly into place. Wings both meant the desire for freedom, as well as a desire to reach the top. What else am I? I am not peaceful, but neither am I aggressive, I'm balance. Am I though? He thought, as he tried to objectively analyze the traits that made him whole.

I like puzzles and riddles, does that mean I like a challenge? Does that mean I'm active? He thought of his training each morning. What am I? He demanded of himself, getting annoyed at not being able to get some straight answers for once. Maybe I should just take the damn potion. No, I can do this, I'm stubborn and prideful, but confident, reassured of my worth.

I have anger and hate, but it's controlled; it doesn't control me. I have a temper, but it's controlled, I'm slow to anger, I feel love, joy, am I an emotionally balanced individual?

Feeling pressure on his shoulder, he opened his eyes to see Serenity resting there, holding a leg out with a letter.

"Thanks girl," taking the letter from the owl, "What would I do without you?" Watching as she puffed out her chest pridefully, he smiled, before pruning her feathers. Watching his owl, "Am I an Owl?" he asked aloud, just for Serenity to give him a look that said, 'I don't think so,' as she examined him closely.

"What am I?" he said for the hundredth time this evening.

"I'm not extremely friendly, nor am I a loner, I seek companionship with my equals?" examining his philosophy to making friends, "Value, I first made friends according to mutual gain and benefit," he stated as he helped Serenity remove a damage feather. "What defines me? Knowledgeable, prideful, arrogant, hardworking," he said listing what possibly defined him as a person. "I don't follow, I lead. Do I care what others do? Yes and no," thinking of Rita, and his friends and how he viewed the world.

"I'm manipulative, I lie and mislead, I steal, and I am cunning, I'm a trickster of sorts," feeling a bit lighter at making that insight.

Am I a predator or prey? He thought, changing his angle of thought. "Predator," He answered, already knowing that. Do I work alone? Or as a team, as a pack? Both, he answered. What determines the way I hunt? What determines how I work? How do I operate? Thinking back over his schemes, first stealing the stone, trapping Snape in a contract, taking advantage of Rita's situation, working with Madam Bones to free Sirius, the brooms, then the Chamber and Peter? 'I decide whether I need a team or not... weather the task is too big for me alone to achieve.'

He began thinking over the different styles of hunting in the wild, thinking of a wolf for a moment, before dismissing the idea since he was certain he had wings.

"Do I have wings?" just for Serenity to look at him with a look that said 'No you idiot, of course not...' A wolf can hunt freely, in the wilds, either by itself for smaller game, or with a pack for larger gamer... it stalks, it ambushes, it chases down, uses its own power... "Am I a wolf?" he said aloud, seeing how his traits could be seen that way.

"You don't look like one to me," Penny said cheerfully, as he sent her a look. "The door was unlocked..."

"What animal do you think I am?" He asked, wondering what his friend would say.

Catching her off guard with the unusual question before she put two and two together, she replied playfully, "Ehh... I don't know, a Lion?" Clearly taking the micky out of him.

"Yea yea, laugh it up fuzz ball," Going with a Han Solo quote.

"Don't be a spoil sport, your animagus form will be something deadly in its own right, you killed a troll last year, that's going to leave a mark," pointing out something he had missed whilst thinking over his form. "Probably some type of ambush predator, like a leopard, that would suit you well by the way. They are graceful, powerful, smart," she offered in explanation.

"Maybe," he admitted, seeing some of her points. "Would you like me to be a leopard?"

"As long as you're cute," she said playfully.

End of Chapter