Hello again! I'm back with another chapter... yeah I wasn't too sure what I was doing and I'm visiting family so I'm still a bit slow. Sorry about that. Anyway, I really appreciate all of the support I've been getting from all of you, it makes me feel very proud of myself, even if I still have a very long way to go. I'd like to take a moment to thank all of my guest reviewers. You guys are awesome and I'm sad I can't start conversations with some of you (the things people say in reviews, it's so intriguing! AGH! XD). I just want you guys to know that yes I read your reviews and I seriously consider everything you say in the case of praise or criticism. I know sometimes it feels like authors ignore your criticism, but I try not to (especially with the case of the area where I'm pretty close to canon... I get it. I've tried to change it a little more or skip over the parts you know since then).
I adore all of you. You all mean a lot to me, and I'm not just saying that. I'm honored that you read what I write and are willing to keep reading.
Thank you. Now then, on to the chapter that contains material that I do not own.
Chapter 36: Mirror
Draco's POV
The next night at dinner saw the pair heading to the scene of the crime, Blaise with a notebook and quill in hand, ready to take notes on potential clues. Draco had worried over how they would get past Filch, as the man had taken to stalking the scene of the crime as if hoping that his cat's attacker would return.
"Trust me, Draco. I got it taken care of." Blaise assured him, entirely confident about that. Draco wondered what poor sap Blaise had 'convinced' to get rid of Filch for him, but soon decided it was unimportant.
Draco said, "Alright, whatever you say. What do you remember about last night, aside from the writing?"
Blaise tapped the quill to his cheek in thought, "Well, the cat wasn't killed. Only petrified, but that's still pretty complicated magic. I learned from a few older students that the Chamber supposedly has some sort of monster inside it, one that only the Heir of Slytherin could control. I looked through what family trees I could find, but didn't find anyone tracing back to Slytherin."
"We'll try my Manor, over Christmas… if we need to. I know we have some pretty old Pureblood genealogies stuffed away somewhere." Draco suggested.
Blaise nodded, before he was off again, "The words were written in red, maybe blood or attempting to make the appearance of blood at least. Filch hasn't managed to get it off, so some sort of magical protection at the very least on them. Someone wants the message to stay- they don't want to be forgotten. Also they have a flair for the dramatic- they need something big to make everyone fixated on them and their doings, to boost their self-importance."
"Wasn't it flooded, too?" Draco asked, trying to recall other details. The other boy nodded assent, writing it down in his notebook. At this, they arrived to the crime scene. It was left mostly the same, beside being roped off to discourage students. It was a discouragement promptly ignored by the pair of Slytherins as they edged closer, studying their surroundings.
The Malfoy heir looked down, studying the ground with furrowed brows, "There's scorch marks scattered around."
Blaise came to look at them, staring at them for a moment before writing that down as a clue. Draco kept looking, both of them quickly noting the nearby bathroom.
"That may be where all of the water came from." said Draco thoughtfully as the quill scratched. It was a girl's bathroom, so they didn't enter. Blaise would probably get a girl to look into it later, knowing him, and that was fine with Draco.
"Huh. That's odd. Draco, over here." came Blaise's voice as Draco looked around the bathroom door. He was standing at the window next to the message on the wall. As Draco approached, Blaise motioned to the top pane, where a large group of spiders fought their way through a small crack in the wall. Their movements appeared frantic, as if something was chasing them and they were desperate to get away.
"That is very odd." Draco commented, leaning closer. "I've never seen spiders act anything like this. What could have caused this?"
He looked to Blaise, who shrugged before making a note on the spiders and their odd behavior. So far the clues weren't making a clear picture, but perhaps with some research and thought it would become more apparent as to the method and the culprit.
Once Blaise was done taking notes, they headed down to dinner, Blaise whispering, "Do you think that we should watch that area, just in case?"
Draco paused a moment, before answering, "It wouldn't hurt, but I don't know if we need to. There's no reason to assume the location has anything to do with… well, anything. How would we watch the area anyway?"
Blaise considered it, but didn't answer.
"There are spells for that sort of thing, however, they'll all be pretty advanced, I think. I'll look into it for you." Draco told him when the silence had stretched on long enough.
His companion slowly shook his head, "I'd appreciate it, but I think… there's no need to use magic to watch it. I'll just need… hm… the castle's pretty big, so… hm."
It was clear that Blaise was ignoring him now, so Draco cleared his throat, giving his friend an expectant look. Blaise still ignored him, preoccupied in his thoughts.
Draco rolled his eyes, shaking his head in fond exasperation as he waited. "What is it you're thinking of doing here, Blaise?"
"I'll need mirrors. Lots and lots of mirrors." Blaise looking completely serious as he said it, a firmness taking over his features. His head tilted to the side as he considered a thought, "Perhaps I should ask mother… Hopefully she will have the number I need…"
"... This plan of yours doesn't involve Professor Lockhart, does it?"
Haven's POV
"This is what that House Elf was warning me about!" Haven said under her breath to the library table as they gathered there to do schoolwork the next day. "The bad things at Hogwarts- it's starting. I think it's going to get worse- from that note on the wall, this is only the beginning. This Chamber of Secrets… we'll have to look into it, for certain."
Hermione perked up at that, "I looked through the library for some books that might mention the subject this morning. I haven't found any mention yet. I suspect that we'll find more information in Hogwarts: A History. I wish I'd packed it with me!"
"I didn't think to bring it either." Haven replied glumly. She'd left it in her Gringotts vault with a lot of her other books (the ones she didn't send to Sam, at least).
Zacharias said, "I thought that the House Elf was warning you to stay out of it, Alexandrite."
Haven gave him a very flat look, "Did you think for one second I would actually listen?"
The Hufflepuff only sighed and resumed writing his Potions essay. Haven then turned her attention to the newcomer, Luna Lovegood. She didn't know much about the first year yet, but Michelangelo liked her and Haven appreciated the fact that the girl didn't seem fazed by her fame. So far she'd kept mostly to herself, occasionally making funny comments in their conversations. The Ravenclaw appeared to have a way of thinking that was different. Not bad- only different.
"Alex." Fred Weasley said in a near-whine, "Why are you being boring and studying? Why don't you help us plan this next prank to get everyone's mind of this Chamber business?"
Haven rolled her eyes, but set aside her books, "Fine, if you insist, I can finish this tomorrow. What are you thinking?"
The twins exchanged a wicked glance that had the rest of the table going pale or groaning aloud at the horrors to come, minus Luna.
"Since it's getting colder, we thought we might turn a corridor or two into a tropical paradise for a few days." George said as he broke eye contact with his twin. Haven became thoughtful at the idea, considering what would be needed for such a feat.
Fred leaned over Haven to pick up her books and shove them into her bag in a clear, if silent, statement that she wouldn't be allowed to work on anything but this as he informed her, "We thought that we would allow you to do most of the planning for this one, as a test of sorts. You come up with the elements you think are necessary and some of how to do it, and we'll help along the way as needed."
"We have faith in your abilities, Apprentice," George said with a seriousness that he obviously fought to keep in his expression.
Hermione sniffed disdainfully at them, "We have several more important things to focus on, and you are going to distract her with this? It's irresponsible."
"Have you met them?" Zacharias questioned flatly.
"Alex could use a break, Hermione. In fact, we all could." at this, Michelangelo turned to the twins and Haven with a smile, "Do you think we could help?"
Haven shrugged as the twins grinned and Fred said, "We're always willing to teach today's youth."
Neville, who'd stayed silent as he concentrated on a Herbology essay, finally interjected a comment of his own, "Corrupt, you mean."
He returned to his essay as if he hadn't said anything. Haven smothered a giggle as the rest of the table exchanged raised eyebrows at the comment. Normally Neville's jokes and comments were said with a hint of anxiousness or uncertainty, as if afraid that his words would sound stupid once he said them.
"He's not wrong." Michelangelo told a pair of twins who looked torn between acting indignant or just laughing.
Neville tapped his quill against the desk, not looking up, "So we're planning a prank, then? Let's start with what elements we want or need. We can come up with how to do them after we figure out what we're trying to do."
Haven appeared thoughtful, "Well, we'll need the decoration to make it look tropical. The trees, bright light, and the animals. Maybe some sand and a small pond or something- we could have a bridge going over it."
"This is a waste of time." Hermione said, "What about our schoolwork? The Chamber of Secrets?"
Zacharias shook his head, "It's an exercise in futility to try and stop them now. Might as well stick around and make sure they don't do anything too ridiculous if they insist on wasting their time."
Hermione huffed, but didn't say anything more.
"Well, we'll need some form of heat, right?" Michelangelo suggested. "Like… aren't there heating charms?"
George considered this, "Well, there's also the humidity. Heating charms normally don't add in that."
"We might need to have it rain at some point, too." Neville added. Everyone was becoming involved now. Haven was writing down the suggestions everyone had made so that they could research how each could be done.
Hermione sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "If you're doing this for the enjoyment of the students, add a study area with drinks provided, like the ones you might find if you visited the tropics as a tourist. Under some form of roof if you're going to have it suddenly start to rain everywhere."
That set everyone off to exchanging amused looks again, to Hermione's annoyance. So much for this being a waste of time that she disapproved of. The brunette stood up while rolling her eyes at them, before she disappeared into the charms section of the library, likely looking for books to help bring the prank to life, knowing her.
Haven smiled as they watched her walk away, "I should help her. I'll check the Potions section."
Everyone else returned to their work while they waited, except Fred and George, who whispered quietly to one another. No one knew exactly what about, but no one was willing to ask about it, either. Despite the others having mostly warmed up to them, they made intimidating figures. Not only were they older than all of them, but they had a penchant for creating chaos wherever they went and many of them had been on the receiving end in some form or fashion one to many times to feel entirely safe.
Quickly enough Haven and Hermione returned, both with a large stack of books that made the ones who didn't have such an appreciation for reading nearly groan out loud. There was reading to do and none would come out unscathed.
Next week, everything was prepared and the group was ready to show off their work. It had taken a lot of time out of studying, much to Hermione's annoyance, but in the end most agreed that it was for the better. The entire school would talk about nothing else but the Chamber of Secrets and what all of it could mean. Many students, especially of the younger years, were quite upset over the event and fretted over the future. Was the petrified cat only a warning, signaling worse to come? It was agreed that any distraction to help matters would only benefit the school atmosphere, so it was a hopeful and satisfied group of students who snuck out late the night before to set up, using a mix of Haven's Invisibility Cloak and the twin's adult radar to ensure none of them were caught.
That morning was the reveal, and it was quite the spectacular one.
The entrance to the paradise they'd crafted began with a line of trees, a break in the middle that formed a neat path. Noises of tropical life greeted those who approached- the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves chief among them. A wooden sign proclaimed it to be 'Paradise at Hogwarts'. The walls on the sides of the corridor were covered in green vines, the ceiling dotted with lights and clouds that floated about.
Once one began along the path between the trees, a pleasant warmth began to make it's presence known, the appearance of sunlight streaming between the trees. Brightly colored birds studied those that entered, some brave enough to land upon the shoulders of the students but most content in observation alone. Further in, palm trees and sand outlined a small pond, fish swimming within and a few chairs spread around it with umbrellas to provide shade from the bright lights lining the ceiling in the facsimile of the sun. A bridge crossed the pond in the middle for those whose destination lie beyond. The forest began again.
Further beyond was a small shelter containing a few tables and lawn chairs. On the tables were jugs of brightly colored juices, cup sporting straws and umbrellas circling around. The jugs refilled themselves when emptied, allowing for several students to partake from them. After continued more forest, then an exit similar to the entrance.
The students adored the change for the most part, barring the few who happened to be about when a sudden downpour began. Their school supplies had been protected, but the same could not be said of their now-drenched clothing.
Everyone knew it was Fred and George, but were surprised when they informed the masses that they had conspirators for this endeavor, and that they could not have done it alone. Once word reached the ears of the faculty, they promptly went mad, wondering who could have been roped into it and if they would help in further pranks. Everyone knew that the twins spent a good amount of time with Alexandrite Potter, but she was such a good student for everyone barring Snape that they immediately dismissed her, for she obviously took her studies more seriously than that.
None of the teachers could take down the forest, or if they could did not see a need to. In a few days it disappeared, and it was back to business as usual. Talk had begun to branch out from the topic of the Chamber of Secrets, though it was still quite the hot topic. Even so, moods were much higher.
Overall, the group considered it a job well done.
I haven't done a prank in awhile, so here you go! XD I also had fun with Detectives Malfoy and Zabini... I can't resist writing them, especially because they are very important to the plot for this school year. I've been trying to do stuff with Michelangelo and Luna, but I guess that'll wait until these precious babies are done being important XD.