Chapter Twelve
Of Slytherin, Secrets, and Animagi
"I'm bored." Ron said, studying the ceiling above him. A couple days after the ball Harmony was resting her head on Ron's shoulder, while Sirius sat across from them, and they tossed around ideas on entertainment.
"I don't know, Padfoot, I don't think we'd get away with turning Drep into a hedgehog, his animagus is a fox." Harmony replied to Sirius's suggestion. Ron suddenly sat straighter in indignation.
"What?" He asked. "DREP is an animagus?" Harmony looked up at him.
"Of course! I really should go get my potion, but I just don't have time, usually." Harmony sighed.
"Potion?" Sirius and Ron cried at the same time.
"Yeah," She replied, slightly shocked at their reactions. "You just go down and take this potion thingy--"
"That's IT?!" Sirius demanded.
"Yeah....?" Harmony replied. "Is there a problem with that?"
"After all the work James and I went through..." Sirius said, plainly ignoring Harmony.
"Hey," Ron said. "If you're not an animagus, lets go and become animagi." Ron said, getting up. Harmony nodded.
"I'll be a snake." Harmony said without a doubt. Then something hit her and her face brightened with understanding.
"We can find out what your animal is!" She squealed to Ron. "You'll turn into whatever it is!"
"Cool." Ron replied. And so, with Sirius still grumbling, they headed out to become animagi.
"Hello, your majesty." A thin man said, bowing as the golden haired girl and her companions entered the musty room. She turned to him and explained her mission. He led her to a door that was gray with a round glass window toward the top.
"Drink this and go through that door." The man instructed. His name was Richard, and apparently he held a high place in the court. Harmony gulped the bubbling liquid and entered the room. Ron and Sirius watched anxiously through the little window. Ron gasped.
It was no longer his girlfriend standing in the center of the room, but a jungle green snake with silver/black eyes. She sparkled like diamonds in the water.
She turned back into herself with a *pop* and Ron let out a sigh of relief. She came out laughing.
"That was interesting." She said. "I was thinking, if you" (she pointed at Sirius) "Are Padfoot, then who am I?" Sirius thought for a moment, but Ron spoke immediatly.
"Gem." He said without hesitation. Sirius nodded in agreement, and they handed a glass of the stuff to Ron.
Harmony peered through the window, looking to see what Ron would become. He melted away and became--
Harmony shut her eyes hard and opened them again. Of all the things, she never would've suspected...but he was.
A badger with ebony eyes peered back her.
Suddenly Harmony remembered something.
"Loyalty is the trait of the badger..." She said aloud, her eyes wide in surprise. Sirius looked at her.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sirius asked. Harmony gulped.
"But it can't be--" Harmony pleaded with no one in particular. Sirius gave her a Look, and Harmony sighed.
"All right, I'll tell him. When we get home." Harmony replied, defeated. Ron walked out.
"So, who am I?" Ron asked. Harmony avoided his eyes.
"Uhhh...." She replied, trying desperatly to think of a name.
"Puffy!" Sirius declared.
"NO!!" Ron protested, but Harmony giggled and the name stuck. They called him 'Puffy' all the way home, until Ron just gave up trying to argue with the ridiculus nick name.
When they entered the castle Ron could sense something going on with Harmony and Sirius. She was silently pleading with him about something. Ron didn't bring this up until they were seated comfortably in the library.
"All right, you two." Ron said, giving them death stares. Harmony avoided looking at Ron and Sirius rolled his eyes.
"This is between you and him." He said to Harmony. "I am leaving."
"Sirius!" Harmony begged as he exited the library. Ron looked hard at his girlfriend.
"What is it?" He inquired. Harmony sighed.
"Ron, what's you're name? You're FULL name?" Harmony asked. Ron looked at her strangly.
"Ronald Micheal Weasley." Ron replied. Then he seemed to remember something. "What's yours? I don't believe I ever got past 'Harmony'."
"My name," Harmony said in defeat, "Is Harmony Zalaras Slytherin."
Hermione wasn't paying Professor Jenkins (the Defense Against the Dark arts teacher) any attention. She was staring across the room at Harry, who was very pointedly looking at the professor. She wanted to talk to him, to apologize, but she didn't see that happening any time soon. For some reason, Harry seemed a lot more pissed off than need be.
"Miss Granger?" A voice cut through her daze. She looked up at Jenkins. She was pretty, with short, chocolate colored hair and eyes to match. She was middle aged professor who was fun if you didn't give her grief.
"Yes?" Hermione asked.
"Name the differences between a wood nymph and a wood sprite." She said.
"There are none." Hermione answered promptly. "'Sprite' is a slang term for a nymph."
"That's correct." The professor replied. "Five points to Gryffindor." Harry shot the professor a Look, then started staring at the ceiling. Hermione sighed.
At lunch Harry sat with Dean, Seamus, and Neville, all of whom immediatly began talking at once. Hermione sighed again and sat alone. After poking at the lunch she didn't want for a few moments, she left and headed for the library.
Harry watched her go, and sighed. He didn't want to be fighting with Hermione. Maybe he should go talk to her? Harry thought of where she could be heading to. Well, that was easy, the library.
Suddenly Harry wolfed down the lunch and went after Hermione, as if he were on orders. He found her in the library.
"Hi," He murmered. Hermione looked up, and then instinctively in the other direction.
"Hello," She replied.
"Can we end this?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed and stood up.
"Of course, Harry, but you really need to let this go! If you keep beating yourself up I'm not going to be able to help. What if--" Hermione was cut off by Harry's kiss. She melted into him with relief.
"Let's leave the 'what ifs' for later," Harry said, smiling at her. Hermione smiled back.
Ginny looked at him. He was a lot cuter than she had ever given him credit for. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! Her mind screeched. Do you remember who this IS?
But she ignored it, and continued to look at him wistfully from the other side of the hall. What caught her attention about him was beyond her. They didn't have any classes together, and she hardly knew him. But Ginny did know one thing.
She had a major crush on Draco Malfoy.
Crystal Jenkin's was a sensible professor and, in the eyes of many, a good role model for the students of Hogwarts. However, the only man she had on her mind was not. Crystal wished most desperately that there was some was they could be together, but it was practically impossible.
She picked up the mirror he had given her as a gift the last time she had seen him. It was, of course, an enchanted mirror, that allowed her to see him whenever she wanted. There was he was, his handsome dark hair and laughing eyes. He was looking serious at the moment, and was sitting in the library with the blonde girl, and a red haired boy she had never seen before.
Crystal gasped and dropped the mirror. She knew that boy, his picture had been in the Prophet dozens of times.
But why was Sirius with Ron Weasley?
"What?" Ron whispered. Slytherin? Had he heard right? "As in Salazar Slytherin?" Harmony looked as if she might cry.
"Yes," She said, blinking back tears. "As in Salazar."
"But...but...that doesn't make any sense!" Ron argued, frustrated. "Slytherin was human and you're a wood nymph."
"Sprite." Harmony corrected automatically. Ron gave her a funny look.
"They're the same thing." Ron said.
"No they're not. Just, let me tell the story, all right?" Harmony said. Ron nodded.
"As you know, after the Four Founders of Hogwarts started the school, Slytherin sunk into the Dark Arts. He disappeared never to be seen again in the forest, causing the other three to forbid it from student access. Thus; the Forbidden Forest.
"What is not known is that while in the forest Slytherin found a colony of wood nymphs. He fell in love with one by the name of Marigold. They were married, and Slytherin wanted to repent for what he had done to Godric and the others.
"Meanwhile he and Marigold had several children. They found other human/nymph children, now known as sprites. They gathered them together and Slytherin founded the kingdom of Marigold and ruled as King.
"The worst thing Slytherin did was, of course, create an heir to destroy the world. Through a few useful spies he discovered the other three founders to be creating heirs of their own, who would unite and defeat the Great Evil, as they called it. However, Slytherin had added a hair from each of the founders into the potion of his heir, and so three could not defeat the Evil without a touch of himself.
"Slytherin tried desperatly to explain this, because love had turned him around and he felt a guilt so horrible he once attempted suicide and Marigold had to stop him. But when he arrived at the school they were prepared for war, so he retreated. Helga Hufflepuff was the only one who listened, and sneaked Slytherin's heir into the spell, which required amulets and weapons and all kinds of things.
"So, in a last ditch effort for Godric and Rowena's forgiveness, he created a second heir who would fight the Great Evil, Voldemort, alongside the other three. His only problem was he didn't think they would unite. So he added a man who was connected to all four. That man is Sirius, and I am Slytherin's second heir."
By the time Harmony had finished her speil she was crying. Ron jumped up and held her close.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered, rocking back and forth as she sobbed. "I'm not angry with you, you can't help what you are." He looked into her blue eyes, but she looked away.
"There's more" She replied. Ron watched as she pulled out her wand and summoned something. An ancient peice of parchment flew into her hands. It was the poem Slytherin had written. Ron read it.
"Yeah?" He asked, handing it back.
"I know there are clues in it, but I don't what they are. It's supposed to help me find the other four. There's only one other thing I'm sure of."
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"You're the Heir of Helga Hufflepuff." She whispered.
Ron sat, stunned, trying to compute this new piece of information. Ron, an heir? Ron, who's only accomplishment was being Harry Potter's best friend? Ron, who had never stood out in his entire life?
"Ron?" Harmony said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hmmm?"
"Remember how I said Slytherin fled to the Forest?"
"Uh uh," Ron replied.
"Well, uh, that's also where he met Marigold, and...everything else." She said. Ron didn't seem to understand what she meant, and Harmony realized that after all that she had just dumped on him she would have to spell it out.
"We're in the Forbidden Forest, Ron." She said. Ron's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?!"
"Yes, if I hadn't found you and you had continued travelling North, you would've been on Hogwart's front lawn the next morning." She looked up at him and bit her lip. "You have a choice, you can stay here and help me prepare for the final battle, or return to Hogwarts. It's completely up to you."
Of Slytherin, Secrets, and Animagi
"I'm bored." Ron said, studying the ceiling above him. A couple days after the ball Harmony was resting her head on Ron's shoulder, while Sirius sat across from them, and they tossed around ideas on entertainment.
"I don't know, Padfoot, I don't think we'd get away with turning Drep into a hedgehog, his animagus is a fox." Harmony replied to Sirius's suggestion. Ron suddenly sat straighter in indignation.
"What?" He asked. "DREP is an animagus?" Harmony looked up at him.
"Of course! I really should go get my potion, but I just don't have time, usually." Harmony sighed.
"Potion?" Sirius and Ron cried at the same time.
"Yeah," She replied, slightly shocked at their reactions. "You just go down and take this potion thingy--"
"That's IT?!" Sirius demanded.
"Yeah....?" Harmony replied. "Is there a problem with that?"
"After all the work James and I went through..." Sirius said, plainly ignoring Harmony.
"Hey," Ron said. "If you're not an animagus, lets go and become animagi." Ron said, getting up. Harmony nodded.
"I'll be a snake." Harmony said without a doubt. Then something hit her and her face brightened with understanding.
"We can find out what your animal is!" She squealed to Ron. "You'll turn into whatever it is!"
"Cool." Ron replied. And so, with Sirius still grumbling, they headed out to become animagi.
"Hello, your majesty." A thin man said, bowing as the golden haired girl and her companions entered the musty room. She turned to him and explained her mission. He led her to a door that was gray with a round glass window toward the top.
"Drink this and go through that door." The man instructed. His name was Richard, and apparently he held a high place in the court. Harmony gulped the bubbling liquid and entered the room. Ron and Sirius watched anxiously through the little window. Ron gasped.
It was no longer his girlfriend standing in the center of the room, but a jungle green snake with silver/black eyes. She sparkled like diamonds in the water.
She turned back into herself with a *pop* and Ron let out a sigh of relief. She came out laughing.
"That was interesting." She said. "I was thinking, if you" (she pointed at Sirius) "Are Padfoot, then who am I?" Sirius thought for a moment, but Ron spoke immediatly.
"Gem." He said without hesitation. Sirius nodded in agreement, and they handed a glass of the stuff to Ron.
Harmony peered through the window, looking to see what Ron would become. He melted away and became--
Harmony shut her eyes hard and opened them again. Of all the things, she never would've suspected...but he was.
A badger with ebony eyes peered back her.
Suddenly Harmony remembered something.
"Loyalty is the trait of the badger..." She said aloud, her eyes wide in surprise. Sirius looked at her.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Sirius asked. Harmony gulped.
"But it can't be--" Harmony pleaded with no one in particular. Sirius gave her a Look, and Harmony sighed.
"All right, I'll tell him. When we get home." Harmony replied, defeated. Ron walked out.
"So, who am I?" Ron asked. Harmony avoided his eyes.
"Uhhh...." She replied, trying desperatly to think of a name.
"Puffy!" Sirius declared.
"NO!!" Ron protested, but Harmony giggled and the name stuck. They called him 'Puffy' all the way home, until Ron just gave up trying to argue with the ridiculus nick name.
When they entered the castle Ron could sense something going on with Harmony and Sirius. She was silently pleading with him about something. Ron didn't bring this up until they were seated comfortably in the library.
"All right, you two." Ron said, giving them death stares. Harmony avoided looking at Ron and Sirius rolled his eyes.
"This is between you and him." He said to Harmony. "I am leaving."
"Sirius!" Harmony begged as he exited the library. Ron looked hard at his girlfriend.
"What is it?" He inquired. Harmony sighed.
"Ron, what's you're name? You're FULL name?" Harmony asked. Ron looked at her strangly.
"Ronald Micheal Weasley." Ron replied. Then he seemed to remember something. "What's yours? I don't believe I ever got past 'Harmony'."
"My name," Harmony said in defeat, "Is Harmony Zalaras Slytherin."
Hermione wasn't paying Professor Jenkins (the Defense Against the Dark arts teacher) any attention. She was staring across the room at Harry, who was very pointedly looking at the professor. She wanted to talk to him, to apologize, but she didn't see that happening any time soon. For some reason, Harry seemed a lot more pissed off than need be.
"Miss Granger?" A voice cut through her daze. She looked up at Jenkins. She was pretty, with short, chocolate colored hair and eyes to match. She was middle aged professor who was fun if you didn't give her grief.
"Yes?" Hermione asked.
"Name the differences between a wood nymph and a wood sprite." She said.
"There are none." Hermione answered promptly. "'Sprite' is a slang term for a nymph."
"That's correct." The professor replied. "Five points to Gryffindor." Harry shot the professor a Look, then started staring at the ceiling. Hermione sighed.
At lunch Harry sat with Dean, Seamus, and Neville, all of whom immediatly began talking at once. Hermione sighed again and sat alone. After poking at the lunch she didn't want for a few moments, she left and headed for the library.
Harry watched her go, and sighed. He didn't want to be fighting with Hermione. Maybe he should go talk to her? Harry thought of where she could be heading to. Well, that was easy, the library.
Suddenly Harry wolfed down the lunch and went after Hermione, as if he were on orders. He found her in the library.
"Hi," He murmered. Hermione looked up, and then instinctively in the other direction.
"Hello," She replied.
"Can we end this?" Harry asked. Hermione sighed and stood up.
"Of course, Harry, but you really need to let this go! If you keep beating yourself up I'm not going to be able to help. What if--" Hermione was cut off by Harry's kiss. She melted into him with relief.
"Let's leave the 'what ifs' for later," Harry said, smiling at her. Hermione smiled back.
Ginny looked at him. He was a lot cuter than she had ever given him credit for. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! Her mind screeched. Do you remember who this IS?
But she ignored it, and continued to look at him wistfully from the other side of the hall. What caught her attention about him was beyond her. They didn't have any classes together, and she hardly knew him. But Ginny did know one thing.
She had a major crush on Draco Malfoy.
Crystal Jenkin's was a sensible professor and, in the eyes of many, a good role model for the students of Hogwarts. However, the only man she had on her mind was not. Crystal wished most desperately that there was some was they could be together, but it was practically impossible.
She picked up the mirror he had given her as a gift the last time she had seen him. It was, of course, an enchanted mirror, that allowed her to see him whenever she wanted. There was he was, his handsome dark hair and laughing eyes. He was looking serious at the moment, and was sitting in the library with the blonde girl, and a red haired boy she had never seen before.
Crystal gasped and dropped the mirror. She knew that boy, his picture had been in the Prophet dozens of times.
But why was Sirius with Ron Weasley?
"What?" Ron whispered. Slytherin? Had he heard right? "As in Salazar Slytherin?" Harmony looked as if she might cry.
"Yes," She said, blinking back tears. "As in Salazar."
"But...but...that doesn't make any sense!" Ron argued, frustrated. "Slytherin was human and you're a wood nymph."
"Sprite." Harmony corrected automatically. Ron gave her a funny look.
"They're the same thing." Ron said.
"No they're not. Just, let me tell the story, all right?" Harmony said. Ron nodded.
"As you know, after the Four Founders of Hogwarts started the school, Slytherin sunk into the Dark Arts. He disappeared never to be seen again in the forest, causing the other three to forbid it from student access. Thus; the Forbidden Forest.
"What is not known is that while in the forest Slytherin found a colony of wood nymphs. He fell in love with one by the name of Marigold. They were married, and Slytherin wanted to repent for what he had done to Godric and the others.
"Meanwhile he and Marigold had several children. They found other human/nymph children, now known as sprites. They gathered them together and Slytherin founded the kingdom of Marigold and ruled as King.
"The worst thing Slytherin did was, of course, create an heir to destroy the world. Through a few useful spies he discovered the other three founders to be creating heirs of their own, who would unite and defeat the Great Evil, as they called it. However, Slytherin had added a hair from each of the founders into the potion of his heir, and so three could not defeat the Evil without a touch of himself.
"Slytherin tried desperatly to explain this, because love had turned him around and he felt a guilt so horrible he once attempted suicide and Marigold had to stop him. But when he arrived at the school they were prepared for war, so he retreated. Helga Hufflepuff was the only one who listened, and sneaked Slytherin's heir into the spell, which required amulets and weapons and all kinds of things.
"So, in a last ditch effort for Godric and Rowena's forgiveness, he created a second heir who would fight the Great Evil, Voldemort, alongside the other three. His only problem was he didn't think they would unite. So he added a man who was connected to all four. That man is Sirius, and I am Slytherin's second heir."
By the time Harmony had finished her speil she was crying. Ron jumped up and held her close.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He whispered, rocking back and forth as she sobbed. "I'm not angry with you, you can't help what you are." He looked into her blue eyes, but she looked away.
"There's more" She replied. Ron watched as she pulled out her wand and summoned something. An ancient peice of parchment flew into her hands. It was the poem Slytherin had written. Ron read it.
"Yeah?" He asked, handing it back.
"I know there are clues in it, but I don't what they are. It's supposed to help me find the other four. There's only one other thing I'm sure of."
"What's that?" Ron asked.
"You're the Heir of Helga Hufflepuff." She whispered.
Ron sat, stunned, trying to compute this new piece of information. Ron, an heir? Ron, who's only accomplishment was being Harry Potter's best friend? Ron, who had never stood out in his entire life?
"Ron?" Harmony said, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hmmm?"
"Remember how I said Slytherin fled to the Forest?"
"Uh uh," Ron replied.
"Well, uh, that's also where he met Marigold, and...everything else." She said. Ron didn't seem to understand what she meant, and Harmony realized that after all that she had just dumped on him she would have to spell it out.
"We're in the Forbidden Forest, Ron." She said. Ron's eyes widened in surprise.
"What?!"
"Yes, if I hadn't found you and you had continued travelling North, you would've been on Hogwart's front lawn the next morning." She looked up at him and bit her lip. "You have a choice, you can stay here and help me prepare for the final battle, or return to Hogwarts. It's completely up to you."