CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: Moaning Myrtle.

"He's already here?" Jenny asked loudly the next morning when I told her and Martin about what had happened the night before. We were sitting at the breakfast table and I glared at her. Luckily none of the other Gryffindoors had looked up.

"Quiet idiot!" I hissed. "Henry's already picked up on our interest in Merlin!"

"Where is Henry anyway?" Jenny asked, ignoring my comment and looking around. "It's not exactly like him to miss breakfast. Especially not when we're having the buffet!"

In a louder voice so our classmates could hear I told them about detention the night before and Henry's injury after the Terrios stabbed him. I also told them about Madame Pomfrey's comments and then her promise not to mention it to anyone so that Snape wouldn't pick on us anymore than he already did.

"Snape's terrible!" Alana said shaking her head. "Poor Henry, he must have been terrified!"

"Yeah, that's awful. Snape is one of the meanest people I've ever known!" Francine said, overhearing.

"Someone should teach him a lesson!" Greg growled.

Francine raised an eyebrow. "As long as that someone isn't you." She said. "Greg if you don't get good marks this year you can basically kiss your chances of being able to do your OWLS next year! And then you won't be able to do you NEWTS. And you're going to set a bad example to Georgia when she comes next year!" Georgia was Greg's younger sister, and was due to arrive at Hogwarts the next year.

"Right, right..I'm not going to do anything for gods sake!" Greg mumbled. Then he brightened up. "Sam I hope you and your family come to Christmas lunch at the Burrows with our family next year like usual. We've got some grand plans."

Francine sighed. "I give up." She said.

*****

After breakfast as we were on our way to Transfiguration Jenny grabbed both Martin and I by the arms and pulled us back. She led us into a girl's bathroom.

"JENNY!" Martin said making a face. "We can't stay in here! It's a girls' bathroom."

"I know what it is." Jenny said witheringly. "However for some reason the toilets never work in here so nobody uses it."

"Jenny, we better get to class. The headmistress won't like it if we miss class." I said.

"We'll tell her we went to visit Henry. She'll be mad about what happened anyway so she isn't going to get too mad at us." Jenny said dismissively. "Now tell me what else Nearly-headless Nick said about Merlin?"

"Nothing." I said. "All he said was that he was in a rush and Merlin was here. I get the impression he didn't realise what he said, especially considering Merlin's such a big deal to the ghost's council and all."

"Great," Jenny moaned. "Merlin's here and we still haven't even worked out why he's such a big secret and why the ghost's council are making such a big deal out of it!"

Suddenly there was a splash from one of the toilets and Jenny grabbed my arm in fright. "What was that?" She whispered.

"Nothing, so can we get to class now?" I asked impatiently. "We can discuss Merlin later on when we're not meant to be in class!"

"Who's the nerd now?" Martin teased me and I frowned.

"I'm not a nerd, I just don't like the idea of angering McGonagall that's all!" I argued. "Dad was telling me once that-"

And I was interrupted by the arrival of a ghost. She came out of the toilet looking at us unhappily through her thick glasses. She looked like she was only about our age when she died, and she seemed quite ugly. "What are you doing in here? Nobody comes in here!"

"We thought it would give us some privacy." Jenny said, recovering her composure.

The ghost made a face. "Nobody ever comes in here to see me. They just make fun of me-moaning Myrtle they call me. There was only one person who was ever nice to me. And he hasn't been back here since he came to the reunion ten years ago. Harry was never rude to me, even though his two stupid friends were. The smart mouthed girl with big teeth and bushy hair, and the stupid red head in the hand me down robes!" She said vehemently.

"Did you say Harry?" Jenny asked, a strange look on her face.

"Yes I said Harry." Moaning Myrtle said. "Harry Potter was a wonderful boy and his-"

"-Your Dad came in here?" Martin asked me looking puzzled.

"I guess." I replied, equally confused. I turned to the ghost. "Why did my Dad and his friends come in here?"

"To make a polyjuice potion. It was in their second year when the Chamber of Secrets was opened again!" Moaning Myrtle explained. "So your Harry's son?"

"Uh yeah.." I replied a little uncomfortable with the appraising look she was giving me.

"What is Harry doing now? And his two stupid friends-Hermoine and Ron?" Moaning Myrtle asked me.

I saw Jenny bristle at that comment and hurried to answer. "Dad works for the ministry-he's now the head of the Misuse of Magic department. Uncle Ron is the head of the Muggle department, and Aunt Hermoine is currently the assistant to the Minister of Magic." I said. I'd always felt sorry for Aunt Hermoine-Percy was a pain in the butt, much like his son Paul, and completely different from the rest of the Weasley brothers, and sister. I'd met Bill and Charlie on a few occasions, but generally they lived in different countries and weren't home much. Ginny, the youngest Weasley, and her husband Justin lived in Wales where Justin worked as the Welsh correspondent for the Daily Prophet.

"Why were you talking about Merlin for? Don't you know he's here and if he heard you talking about him.." Moaning Myrtle shivered dramatically.

We all exchanged looks. "You know who Merlin is?" Jenny asked.

"Of course, doesn't everyone?" Moaning Myrtle replied haughtily.

"Quick Myrtle, you've got to tell us all you know!" Jenny demanded.

Myrtle frowned, and picked at a spot on her chin. "Do I?" She asked with a sly smile. "I don't think I HAVE to do anything!"

"Please Myrtle." I said smiling at her. "We really want to know what the deal is with Merlin, especially after the trial."

Moaning Myrtle looked thoughtful. "I saw the trial. They didn't invite me of course because they claim I'm not old enough to join the ghost's council. I know the real reason of course: they don't like me either. People didn't like me when I was alive, and they don't like me dead either. You should hear about my death-it was TERRIBLE! I was in-"

"Myrtle." I pleaded. "Please tell us!"

"Fine," Myrtle said with a sigh. "When Merlin was over in America he was studying dark arts over there and he got involved with them. When he came back here he didn't want anyone to know him-maybe he didn't want them to find out he was bad?-but even so everyone knows that he is! Merlin is a dark wizard, and I don't know why he's here but it can't be for a good reason! Merlin put a terrible curse on anyone who would ever write about him or teach about him though, so that's why you've never really found any information on him."

"If Merlin is so bad why were the ghost's council so excited about it?" I asked confused. "I mean some of them-like the bloody baron for example might be happy-but I can't see Nearly-headless Nick being a dark wizard!"

Moaning Myrtle's eyes teared up. "So you think I am lying then?" She asked, her voice cracking. "Typical!"

"We didn't say you were lying!" Jenny assured her. "We just think it's strange. But don't worry-we'll get to the bottom of it."

"How?" Martin asked, and Jenny sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know yet. Anyway, we better get to the hospital wing to visit Henry like we said we would!" She said.