Disclaimer: All characters, events, and references drawn from HP belong to J.K. Rowling, respectively, everything else is my own invention.
The Potter Timeline
Year 2 Episode 11 – The Mystery Deepens
Classes resumed as usual that Monday and everything seemed normal for Hogwarts' students...except for the presence of the promised Aurors by Dumbledore. The contingent he spoke of numbered seven - three witches and four wizards. As Harry, Hermione, and their fellow pupils went back to routine, they came across these formidable Aurors walking the corridors, standing outside classrooms, and even posting guard inside the Great Hall on occasion. Their watchful eyes and firm demeanor gave some a sense of dread. And it seemed as though the Aurors were simply waiting for something as opposed to investigating the death of Filch.
Some of them were friendly and chatted with students here and there. Others were gruff and on edge, ready to fight some unknown threat at a moment's notice. But overall, most seemed fine with the presence of these magical law enforcement officers, and many felt safer. If another incident reared its head, Hogwarts would have an extra hand to hopefully prevent it.
In Herbology, the second-years were having a time understanding Professor Sprout as she tried lecturing on the care and dangers of Purple Pernicious Rat Traps, carnivorous plants some wizarding families kept in their basements to handle rodent problems. But during the woman's talk, the Mandrakes behind her, now in their adolescent stage, would squeak or squeal despite Sprout having gagged their mouths. Their muffled noise wasn't deadly enough to knock someone out or kill them, but it irritated the students and caused Sprout consternation. Having her fill of the noisy plants, who seemed to be deliberately taunting her, the professor finally pulled her wand and hit them with a stunning spell. Once the plants fell silent, the woman cleared her throat and continued.
Another noise greeted the second-years when they entered their Transfiguration class. Harry, Hermione, and the others were surprised at the sound of chickens clucking in one corner of the room. As everyone took their seat, they stared at a large iron cage on the floor filled with roosters and hens wandering about and eating meal out of small metal troughs. Professor McGonagall was busy with paperwork and did so with a frown. Occasionally, a chicken would cluck louder than normal, and the woman would glare at the animal as though ready to hit it with a blasting spell. But once everyone was settled, she put her papers down and rose from her desk.
"Good morning, class," she said, "today we'll be transfiguring these odious beasts into water pitchers as well as working on the charm to untransfigure them. Our resident gamekeeper, Hagrid, is to thank for this. He informed me that something has been getting into the hen house and the birds have been dropping left and right. I agreed to..."
COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!
Everyone jumped as one of the roosters suddenly bellowed out. McGonagall's face turned severe as she glared at the offending bird who interrupted her. Snickers erupted around the class. She continued.
"...I agreed to take some of the flock in for him under the condition we make them useful for learning purposes. As such, you..."
COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!
The entire class burst out laughing. The professor shifted her fierce gaze from the rooster to them. The laughter died instantly. The woman resumed.
"...As such, you will work in pairs with one bird each. One is to transfigure the bird, the other untransfigure it and then switch roles. Is that understood?"
Every student nodded.
"Very well. Please place your belongings at the back of the room."
They did so and McGonagall, with a swish of her wand, caused all the student desks and chairs to move to either side of the classroom. She then reviewed the mental imagery exercise allowing a person's wand to create the object into which the birds were to be transfigured. After, she went back over specific wand movements and the proper incantations. McGonagall then had the students pair off and the exercise began.
After finding a partner, one of each pair went to the cage to retrieve a chicken. Harry and Hermione partnered, and Harry found himself last in line to retrieve a bird for their practice. By the time he got to the cage, the only bird left was the rooster who had so rudely interrupted McGonagall. The twelve-year-old gently grabbed the animal around its midsection, leaning his head away for fear the thing might peck him. Instead, he was surprised to find it relax in his grasp as though it was a domesticated pet. He grinned and headed back to Hermione.
"Converto Pitcher!" she said, imagining a certain water pitcher and swishing her wand with the correct movement while pointing it at the rooster.
The bird instantly morphed into a blue ceramic vessel with a handle, its form wobbling slightly before coming to rest. She beamed at Harry.
"Reparifarge!" he uttered with the reverse motion and the pitcher shuttered.
POP!
The rooster reappeared like a small explosion, the bird squawking in fright, feathers flying everywhere. Harry winced and Hermione's eyes grew large. The rest of the class gawked at them before returning to their exercise. Though a bit dazed, the bird settled back to normal. But Hermione was put out.
"Harry!" she complained, "remember to emphasize the 'far' sound when you utter the spell! You nearly killed the poor thing!"
"Sorry," he uttered with a sour look, "I forgot about that part. Let's try it again so I can get it right."
This they did and Harry was able to untransfigure the bird without a hitch the second time. They then reversed roles and Harry successfully transfigured the bird into a plastic garden pitcher like the one Aunt Petunia used to water her flowers.
During Professor Binns' History of Magic, the old ghost was in the middle of a dry lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289 when Mandy Brockelhurst raised her hand. At first, the translucent professor either didn't notice her or simply ignored her as he seemed mesmerized by his own voice. Mandy loudly cleared her throat and the ghost gazed at her in surprise.
"Yes? Miss..." he asked with raised eyebrows.
"Brockelhurst," the girl replied.
"Very well. You have a question?" the professor inquired, put out at the Ravenclaw's interruption.
"Yes, sir. Can you tell us about the Chamber of Secrets?" she asked, and the entire class immediately stopped whatever they were doing.
Dean looked up from a parchment on which he had been doodling, Seamus shot up from his nap, and the Slytherins in the back ceased their whispering. Harry and Hermione glanced at one another. As Dumbledore had already explained to them what he knew of the Chamber, they hadn't bothered to ask their history professor. But now, they were curious what Binns might reveal about it. Everyone was alert with their eyes riveted on the old spook. But the spook merely frowned.
"Miss Brocklehunt, I teach real history in this class, not myths and legends!" he let out with disdain.
He then placed his hands behind his back and started to float to one one side of his desk in thought.
"Now then, where was I? Oh yes! The Warlock Convention eventually got under way when..."
Mandy shot her hand high into the air again, undaunted by the professor's deflection of the subject. The ghost breathed out in frustration and turned to face the pupil.
"Yes, Miss Buncklehurt?" he asked with exasperation.
"Sir, excuse me, but if the headmaster and Ministry officials brought Aurors into the school after someone left a message concerning the Chamber, there must be something to the legend. If it's just a myth, why all the precaution?"
The rest of the students nodded in agreement, eager to get some answers. Binns stared hard at Mandy, seeing he'd been cornered.
"Very well. But first of all understand, Miss Bracklehut, Professor Dumbledore and Minister Fudge brought in the Aurors to investigate the death of Mr. Filch, not the supposed 'Chamber of Secrets'! But since you are all so keen on knowing about this bit of fanciful nonsense, I'll explain it once and then we shall return to verified historical facts. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded. The ghost floated to the opposite side of his desk.
"Now then, as the legend goes..."
The professor went on to explain much of what Dumbledore already told Harry and Hermione concerning Salazar Slytherin, the secret chamber, the alleged monster within, as well as Slytherin's heir being the only one capable of opening the supposed hidden place inside the castle. The one part he elaborated on that Dumbledore didn't, concerned the heir.
"...so, as you can see, since Salazar Slytherin lived at least a thousand years ago, the number of his possible descendants and their whereabouts are beyond calculating. In fact, to make this tall tale even more ridiculous, his co-founding of Hogwarts and building a supposed secret chamber inside happened so long ago, any one of you could be his descendant. You might all be able open it, for Merlin's sake!"
It was the first time since the second-years began History of Magic that Binns held rapt attention from every pupil in the class. But due to the subject matter, this didn't impress the spook at all. A half dozen hands rose to question the professor further. And if a ghost's face could somehow turn red, that moment proved it as his translucent cheeks grew dark along with his brow.
"No!" he muttered angrily, slamming his fist on his desk but his hand passing through it instead.
"Enough questions and enough dabbling in silly children's tales! I've answered your query and we have serious history to discuss. The Chamber of Secrets does not exist! Now, back to the Convention of 1289..."
The hands dropped as everyone groaned and fell back into their usual torpor. When the class mercifully ended, the second-years marched off to exchange books and then head to the Great Hall for lunch.
"Well, we at least got something on the Chamber from Binns," Hermione said as everyone walked toward Tower Hall, "good work, Mandy!"
The Ravenclaw smiled.
"Yeah, the question now is which one of us opened it?" Dean said sarcastically.
Everyone laughed.
"I'm placing my bets on Malfoy," Ronald Weasley threw in, "you heard what he said about 'mudbloods' the night Filch was killed. If anyone has Slytherin's blood in him, he certainly does."
"Yeah, but Ron, he was in the Great Hall with the rest of us when that happened," Harry countered, "and remember, it hasn't been officially determined that Filch was in fact killed."
"Right," the redhead responded with a frown as he nodded.
"But...his comments do suggest he might know who the heir is," Hermione said while looking at both of them, "hopefully Professor Dumbledore gets some answers out of him..."
Just at that moment, the second-year Slytherins rudely plowed through the group of Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors. Draco bumped Hermione on the shoulder, causing her to drop several books. Harry lit up with anger in an instant, sorely tempted to pull his wand and reduce Malfoy to the size of a Cornish Pixie. But remembering Dumbledore's words, he refrained. The other students, however, weren't so hesitant. In a fraction of a second, Dean, Seamus, Neville, Ron, Sean, Mandy, and Justin Finch-Fletchley all pulled their wands on the six Slytherins. The snakes responded in kind - Blaise, Pansy, Millicent, Crabbe, and Goyle drew theirs along with Draco. The blond focused on Hermione, however.
"I heard what you said, you filthy mudblood!" he uttered in a nasty tone, "you'd shut your know-it-all mouth if you knew what's good for you!"
Harry's blood now absolutely boiled, and he could refrain no longer. He pulled his wand and pointed it right at Draco's head, stepping toward the jerk and causing him to blink. Nevertheless, Harry fought the urge to do something rash that could land him in deep trouble and really hurt someone. But a very put out Hermione moved next to him and added her own wand to the standoff. Now it was nine against six.
"Looks like your odds aren't any better than last year, Draco!" Seamus sneered.
"Shut it, Finnigan! My father will have you expelled faster than you can say 'leprechaun' if you so much as touch me!"
"Eat slugs, Malfoy!" Ron Weasley uttered in disgust. And before anyone could stop him, the redhead fired one off.
"SLUGULUS ERUCTO!"
But Draco ducked just as the spell left Ron's wand. Missing the snake by a mere inch, it hit Crabbe square in the face as he was standing right behind him. Everyone froze and gazed at the short, fat boy in wonder. Crabbe's eyes grew large, and his face went pale, looking sick to his stomach ready to vomit. And vomit he did - several slimy, brown slugs spewed from the kid's mouth onto the floor.
Now everyone in the group looked ready to vomit. They backed away from Vincent and covered their mouths. But this lasted only a moment as Crabbe's House mates fiercely reengaged with their wands. Both sides reentered the standoff and were on the verge of hurling actual spells at one another.
"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" a gruff, young woman's voice shot at them.
The students jumped with fright then turned to see who addressed them. Two Ministry Aurors, a man and a woman, approached the group of second-years. The man was tall and very muscular as his maroon robes seemed a bit tight-fitting. His wavy, light-brown hair and chiseled face coupled with piercing blue eyes gave him a handsome, impressive appearance. But there was no mistaking the fierce aura he exuded. Harry could tell he was someone not to be trifled with.
The young woman Auror, who had yelled at the group, was surprising. She stood at least a foot shorter than the man, was thin and had a very pretty, heart-shaped face with deep brown eyes. But most shocking was the bright violet hair she wore in a bowl shape to just below her ears. The young woman's gaze was equally fierce as the man's, however, as she scanned the students with an eye to mete out punishment of some kind.
Nearly all the second-years gulped at the sight of the Aurors, and everyone quickly lowered their wands or stashed them in their pockets. But surprisingly, the young woman relaxed and leaned toward the man.
"How did I do, there, Jimmy?" she asked.
The man frowned and leaned toward her.
"That was a bit much, Tonks. They're kids, not hardened criminals."
"Bugger!" she replied with a frown as though she'd answered a test question wrong. But then she threw a suspicious gaze at Malfoy and his gang.
"Well, they're not hardened criminals yet," she added cheekily.
The male Auror chuckled and stepped closer to the pupils.
"So, you lot, what's this all about?" he asked firmly while crossing his arms to show he meant business.
The second-years gawked at one another, curious who should speak - but no one had the courage. Finally, after an awkward silence, Harry stepped up.
"We had a...disagreement, sir. That's all," he spoke.
The two Aurors stared at him wide-eyed, exchanged glances of surprise, then gazed back. They clearly noticed Harry's scar and recognized him as the famous Boy-Who-Lived. The man continued.
"Well, I hope none of you are in the habit of drawing wands over a mere disagreement. Dueling's a dangerous business. And while we..."
Crabbe suddenly bowled over and spit several more disgusting slugs onto the floor. Everybody's face soured. The young woman with violet hair chuckled.
"Looks like this one needs a visit to the hospital wing," she uttered with amusement.
Draco glared at the woman before grabbing Vincent's sleeve and turning to his fellow Slytherins.
"Come on," he muttered angrily, "let's take Crabbe to Madam Pomfrey."
As they started to leave, Malfoy glared at the others.
"This isn't over by a long shot! You all have yours coming! Especially you, mudblood!" he shot out, daring to defy the Aurors themselves. The six snakes threw daggers at the others with their eyes, Millicent in particular threatening Hermione with a raised fist. They then exited the corridor. The man addressed the remaining pupils.
"As I was saying, while we can appreciate standing up for your House mates, fighting each other isn't the wisest route to take. Someone could get seriously injured...or killed. You're all students still learning the ropes, so leave the dueling and fighting as an absolute last resort. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," the Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Gryffindors answered humbly.
The man smiled.
"Very well. Off with you now," he finished.
The second-years turned to exit the hall toward their respective dorms.
"Harry Potter," the man said before Harry and Hermione could join the others.
They turned to face the Aurors.
"Mind if we have a word with you?" the man asked.
The boy gulped then nodded affirmative.
"Merlin! He looks just the way I imagined him!" the young woman named Tonks stated with amazement as she looked Harry up and down. The boy's cheeks flushed.
"Just like his father, in fact," the man said with a smile and Harry's eyes lit up.
"You knew my father?" he asked intently.
"I did," the Auror replied, "I was a third-year student at the time your father and your mother, Lily, were seventh-years."
Harry and Hermione exchanged grins. He went on.
"And your father and I share the same name...'James'," he said while holding his hand out toward the boy, "James Purvis, at your service."
Harry shook it and Tonks laughed.
"I can never get over that line!" she uttered.
The man smirked and stood back.
"And this is my protégé, Nymphadora Tonks..."
The violet-haired witch spun on her heels and glared at her superior who chuckled.
"Sorry...Dora Tonks, or just Tonks, if you please. She hates it when someone uses her full first name."
"Yes, I do," she muttered through gritted teeth with a half-grin at Harry and Hermione. The second-years chuckled. James went on.
"She's a second-year Auror in training, and a bright one so far, even if she is a bit rough around the edges."
Dora gave James a light slap on his shoulder for his cheek. Harry could see that despite the mentor/protégé relationship, these two got along like friends.
"Nice to meet you both," Harry said with a grin, "this is my friend, Hermione Granger."
"Wotcher, Hermione!" Tonks said pleasantly.
The girl smiled in return.
"And I'm the Head Auror in charge of this investigation," James informed them, "and that's what we wanted to speak with you about. Professor Dumbledore said the two of you were familiar with some of the happenings here concerning Argus Filch's death, his cat, and the message about the Chamber of Secrets. He mentioned that you in particular, Harry, have had some...well, let's say...supernatural experiences that might be related to the case."
"Yes, sir," Harry answered.
"Well, then, we wanted to introduce ourselves and ask that if either of you sees, hears, or learns anything pertaining to this strange event, feel free to come to us or any of the other Aurors. We appreciate all the help we can get, because so far, we're all a bit puzzled at what exactly happened."
"Yes, sir, we will," Harry said.
"So, you believe the Chamber of Secrets is real?" Hermione asked the pair.
James and Tonks exchanged amused glances.
"Well, that's still up for debate," Tonks replied.
"Minister Fudge is convinced it's all just a nasty prank gone wrong and the flaming message about the Chamber was some Halloween joke to scare the students," James added, "but we're here because the headmaster wants to verify no foul play was actually involved."
"And it's been fun investigating a supposed crime while wandering the halls of our old stomping grounds," Tonks threw in.
"Speaking of which, we need to get back to our rounds," James said with a look at his partner, "got a few floors in the dungeons to check out before the shift is up. So, we'll let the two of you get back to your classes."
The second-years nodded.
"Right, then. Nice meeting the both of you," the head Auror finished.
"You too, sir," the second-years replied.
"See ya, Harry, Hermione!" Tonks uttered pleasantly as the Aurors turned and headed for the stairwell to the lower levels.
Harry and Hermione looked at one another.
"Well, that was interesting," the girl said with a puzzled look.
"Yeah. So, the Aurors so far haven't found any clues to what happened," Harry said, "perhaps we need to pay Myrtle a visit again, see if she's willing to talk now."
"Agreed. But later. Right now, I'm starving," Hermione stated with a frown.
Harry chuckled.
"Okay. Let's get some lunch."
~HP~
Inside the Great Hall, conversation among the Houses ran high as word had spread about Binns' account of the Chamber of Secrets. At the Gryffindor table, Dean, Neville, and Seamus talked about Binns' remarks and also asked Harry and Hermione what the Aurors wanted. The two recounted their conversation with the officers but that it unfortunately didn't reveal anything new.
As the five ate lunch and chatted about these and other, more trivial matters, Luna Lovegood appeared wearing bright orange earrings that looked like miniature tangerines in addition to her rampant lion sunglasses. She plopped down next to Neville, their arms touching. The yellow-haired first-year acted nonchalant as though everything was perfectly normal while Neville's cheeks burned. The other four snickered. Luna then reached into the pocket of her Gryffindor robes and handed something to him. When Neville gazed at the object in his open palm - a purple, mottled orb the size of a giant gum ball - he gawked at the girl.
"You mean...they're actually real?" he asked.
The girl looked at him with a lazy smile.
"Of course, silly! I don't make everything up!" she uttered, "I was mistaken about when their mother hides them, though. That's why they weren't in the forest last month. I found that one just yesterday."
Neville gazed at his friends slack jawed.
"What is it, Neville?" Dean asked as the four leaned in to look at the curious object in his palm.
"A...Wurp egg!" he said incredulously.
The five Gryffindors stared at Luna in surprise. But the loopy girl paid no attention to them, grabbing a knife and fork to dig into her meal which suddenly appeared on the plate before her - a quiche Lorraine with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry on top. The Gryffindors chuckled then resumed their own meals.
Harry had just taken another spoonful of his beef and vegetable soup when he glanced up at the High Table and received a jolt.
There, sitting in between Professors Sprout and Flitwick, was the young man from Slytherin!
He glared at Harry unflinchingly with his dark, piercing eyes and grim expression, his palms resting on the table. Sprout and Flitwick, conversing with one another on either side of the student simply talked across him as though he wasn't even there! Out of instinct, Harry turned to Hermione to mention this. But as she was engrossed in conversation with Dean and Seamus about the Chamber of Secrets, he didn't bother. Harry glanced back at the High Table out of curiosity and saw...no one sitting in between Sprout and Flitwick! Looking down at his soup in confusion, Harry wondered again if he was just seeing things.
"SMILE!"
BANG!
Harry jumped with fright and then blinked as his eyes went temporarily blind from a flash of light. After they returned to normal, he saw Colin Creevy standing on the opposite side of the table holding his camera and gazing at Harry with a huge grin.
"Hiya Harry!"
Harry was perturbed.
"Colin!" he complained, "next time warn someone before you take a picture of them!"
But the boy's grin didn't disappear, and he seemed unfazed by Harry's scolding.
"Okay, Harry. By the way, I'm really looking forward to the first real Quidditch match this Saturday. I hope you and the team thrash those Slytherins something awful! I'll be taking loads of pictures and will give you a few if you'd like."
"Okay, Colin. Thanks," the twelve-year-old replied in the hopes the boy would move on so he could finish his lunch. And his wish was granted. Colin glanced at the end of the Gryffindor table and saw several of his fellow first-years heading off.
"Hey, guys! Wait for me!" the small blond yelled.
"See ya later, Harry! " the kid uttered while hurrying off to join his dorm mates.
Harry felt relief and returned to his soup. But before taking another swallow, he glanced one more time at the High Table.
No Slytherin. How odd.
Later that afternoon, Hermione and Harry were sitting at the study table in the Gryffindor common room going over a potions assignment when Dean, Neville, and Seamus burst into the room from their dorm.
"Harry! You better come look at this!" Dean said with a face full of fright. Neville and Seamus' faces were pale as well.
Harry and Hermione gazed at the boys in wonder.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
The three looked at each other wide-eyed then back at Harry.
"We don't know! Just...come and see for yourself!" Seamus said.
Harry and Hermione then joined the three as they headed up to the boys' dorm.
When they stepped into the room, Harry froze, his eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped at the bizarre sight before him...