HARRY POTTER AND THE SEERS' TRUTH
By Lady Lestrange
The Chamber, the Wall the Wand and the Window
Chapter 41
10 REVIEWS. Here's the new chapter—I really hate blackmailing you into reviewing, but hey, I'm a Slytherin. It's in my nature, so when there are 10 reviews for this chapter, the next one will magically appear. Love my readers and reviewers. Answers to reviews follow the story.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters and previous situations belong to JK Rowlings. No infringement is meant or implied. No money is made from this Fanfic. THANKS JK.
--LADY LESTRANGE
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(A/N: I've been reading a number of fanfics in installments like this one myself, and find it is sometimes hard to remember exactly what has happened before-In a fic as complex as this one is, I thought having a reminder may be helpful for you. If you want to skip it, just page down FIVE times. --Lady Lestrange)
UP TO THIS POINT: Parvati has been having dreams and visions about the Dark Lord, Harry and a Prophecy Child. So far, they are not sure who the prophecy child is, and it is important for them to find him/her. The Sorting Hat is not sorting, so the students have "little brothers and sisters" to show around. The dream team thinks that The Sorting Hat failing is a plot to hide the Prophecy child from the teachers and anyone who can help insure that he/she stays on the side of light. No one is sure that the brothers and sisters actually belong to the house they are currently in.
The Hogwarts Express has been attacked. Dark Marks have been in the sky. The floo network is compromised. The Minister of Magic has been turned. Snape is now teaching both Defense and Advanced Defense, but it looks like Advanced Defense is just an excuse to let the Slytherins and Ginny and Edward visit the Dark Lord. Mrs. Figg is teaching potions and we know very little about her so far, except that she was against Dumbledore's suggestion to make Poly Juice Potion.
Beatrice is an animagus, a bunny. Edward's granny looks like she could have given the Dursleys a few pointers on cruelty. Slytherin is a house at war according to Snape, divided between Death Eaters and those who want to stay on the side of light. Harry uses his Invisibility Cloak and finds out when it is ripped, the Invisibility spell ceases. There is an unwelcome addition to Myrtle's bathroom, Olive Hornby. Peeves is his usual annoying self, but the Baron seems to have a little less control over him.
Samara, for some reason, lofts some wicked, powerful curses. She doesn't look like she has total control over them, which isn't really surprising since she's learned magic on her own from a book, that Harry is sure is a dark book. She seems to like Draco, but don't assume this is a romance. It is not. Ginny is still hearing voices in her head. Harry's scar is hurting more, and neither he nor Ginny know what this means. Ginny is closer with Harry this year, but again, not romantically. There is Edward, the new Gryffindor, who seems interested in Ginny, but Ginny really hasn't gotten over Tom.
We find out about Neville's powerful auror parents. We learn that Neville has a memory charm that was put on him as a baby. He's a more powerful wizard than anyone ever thought as evidenced by his yew wand and the way he reacts to Snape's ministrations in trying to remove the memory charm. We might wonder why Snape is trying to do this himself, instead of enlisting the help of Madam Pomfrey. Sirius and Lupin are on "fieldtrips" with the sixth and seventh years.
Of course we can also wonder why Snape is so determined to teach his classes advanced spells like the Patronus, or we can just chalk it up to Snape, being mean. The Fifth year class starts apparition classes and we meet Professor Sinistra. We also visit Hufflepuff, where we see The Wall, and Slytherin house, where we discover, to our amazement, a magic room that Draco shares with Samara, but Samara has a very unslytherin use for the room. Ravenclaw to come next weekend.
The chapter, CHAINED AND CHARMED, takes place at the same time as DANCING IS AN OUT OF BODY EXPERIENCE-when Samara was in Slytherin, dancing. It is Saturday afternoon. Harry and the Gryffindors examine Samara's Dark Book, after they come back from lunch. They find an extreme potion, and decide they need to make a trip to the Chamber of Secrets. Ghastly Ghostly Dinner is when Gryffindor's meet with Samara after her little trip to Slytherin. Samara and Beatrice are persuaded by Edward to help him steal his snake back from his brother Ethan. Things get a little out of hand, and Samara learns more about Slytherin than she ever wanted to know.
Now the Gryffindors are mad at her. Samara wants to make up and be friends with them, but is it possible to befriend both Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy? How far will she go to make up, or will she just find some valuable information to store away for future use? (So, don't you want one of those Tee shirts?)
LIONS AND TIGERS: We see a very stressed out Snap both in Harry's memory of what happened with Snap and Neville and in the actual DADA class. We find out Trelawney doesn't want Samara in her class and Samara decides to take Ancient Runes instead. McGonagall assures Samara that Trelawney has done her a favor. McGonagall further talks to Samara about her experiences in Gryffindor, opening the door to give Samara someone to talk to, if she so chooses. We also learned lots more about animagi in McGonagall's class. Snape dismisses the Gryffifndors and keeps the Slytherins after class. We find out it's because Snape wants them to practice their patronus because the Slytherins are so lousy at the spell. Could it be because there are so few happy memories to chose from?
In DRAGON BREATH AND BLUDGER BATS, Ginny and Edward set the Slytherins up with fire mints, and Samara gets extremely angry at them both because they hurt her friends. In an effort to contain her anger, she goes to the Quiddich pitch where she meets Fred and George. After lobbing a few quaffles at them in her anger, they decide to ask her to be a Beater for Gryffindor. She refuses, but later when she talks to Draco, he is not very nice to her, (hey, who said Draco was a nice guy?) so she wonders whether or not she should take the Beater job.
In WISH IT REAL; WISH IT NOT we see into one of Ginny's dreams. If you don't remember this dream, go and re-read chapter 28. In Chapter 29, THE SPELLING BEE, Samara is feeling homesick and friendless until Draco invites Samara back to Slytherin. Also, includes a short intro into what's coming up in potions class.
In Chapter 30, CHILD OF GRYFFINDOR, Neville and Snape break the Imperio part of the Memory Charm. The trio discusses the Founders' spells, which put their gifts in the Sorting Hat; however they do not have the original parseltongue version of Salazar's spell. Ginny also sees Edward painting and the reader sees a bit of Ginny and Tom's relationship. In SLYTHERIN GAMES—Well, if you don't remember it, you better re-read. Voldemort is finally out and angry—burning and pillaging and we see a little-known inside version of Slytherin through Ginny's eyes. In STICKY SITUATIONS, Samara uses her adhere charm on the Weasley twins, Neville sticks Beatrice's wand to his with bubble gum, and Edward is sticking in Gryffindor.
In OW POST the Slytherins get even for the Dragon Breath Mints, among other things—
In the Ravenclaw chapter—I'm still trying to think of a good name for it—Help me please—we meet a number of Ravenclaws and find out a little more about the characters, in Ravenclaw as well as Edward and Samara. So do you think either of them are really Ravenclaws? Hmmmm? In chapter 35 we meet Sirius again who plans to have a talk with Dumbledore about his keeping Harry safe and of course what that nasty Snape is doing to poor Neville. The Quiddich Game and then more of Neville's awesome Auror parents.
The war is heating up and touching the lives of the children. This story is rapidly approaching –nasty things. Not for the faint of heart. Last chapter, we had a relaxing time at Hogsmeade. Samara bounces from friend to friend and Harry has some nasty dreams, and Harry is shocked to find out that Ron and Hermione are a couple. We knew that already though, right?
In THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS the trio did some exploring, but failed to find the basilisk eggs. They found other things though. Obviously, they have to go back, but first Ginny gives them some instructions.
The Chamber, the Wall, the Wand and the Window
Ginny had trouble sleeping that night. Her thoughts kept going back to the Chamber of Secrets. Samara and Beatrice were sound asleep. It wasn't surprising that nether Parvati nor Lavender were in their beds, but Hermione's was also still neatly made. Ginny smiled at the thought of her brother and Hermione as a couple. Ron had liked her forever. She remembered him telling her about Hermione in the summer before she came to Hogwarts. She was amazed that he was friends with the famous Harry Potter, and all he could talk about was this know-it-all girl, that he really thought was a pain—You like her, don't you? She had asked, and after some threats and arm twisting, she finally got the truth. Yeah, but why would she even look at me, Ginny? She's pretty. She's smart and she has Harry Potter as a friend—
At last, Ginny got up and went down to the common room, thinking that even though it was probably nearing midnight, she might take the chance of going to the kitchen for a cup of hot chocolate. When she reached the bottom of the common room stairs she paused. Someone was awake and talking in the room.
"Maybe it was just a nightmare," said Lavender.
"A Seeing," Parvati corrected. "About the Prophecy Child. I need to go to Madam Trelawney."
"No," Lavendar insisted. "That woman is corrupting you. She twists everything you say."
"But I have to document it—" Parvati insisted.
Lavender held up her hand to stop Parvati, and looked at the steps where Ginny stood.
"I'm sorry," Ginny said. "I couldn't sleep."
"I wish Dean was here," Lavender sighed. "He can usually get her to see reason."
"I have to document the dream," said Parvati. "I have to go to Trelawney."
"Why can't we just document it?" asked Ginny. "Do you trust me to write it correctly? No wait. I have Neville's Quick Quote's Quill." She dashed up the stairs to get it. When she returned, neither Parvati nor Lavender had moved. Both were awaiting her return. "Exscribo Verbatum" she commanded the quill, putting it to parchment.
Parvati took a deep breath, and began.
"I don't have my wand. I can't do any magic. I don't think anyone can. Maybe all the magic is destroyed. At first I'm really frightened, but then it seems like it's the most normal thing in the world to be without a wand. But I must be sick. I'm in a hospital wing, I don't know what is wrong with me, but I'm hurting. People are telling me to be calm, but I'm hurting and they are hurting me more. They're sticking—things—like tiny knives—in my arm."
"Needles?" Ginny supplied. "Injections? Are these tiny knives to give you a medicine—a potion?"
"I don't know—" Parvati said thoughtfully, "What do you mean?"
Ginny suddenly had a flash of getting vaccinated in the orphanage, and then the memory was gone. "Parvati," she asked, "are you a muggle in this dream?"
"Oh Gawd—Is that what it's like?" Parvati looked horrified.
"Then all the pain went away and I was sleepy. I think they did give me a sleeping potion."
The porthole opened and Ron and Hermione came in holding hands and laughing. As soon as they realized that Parvati was talking about a prediction, they quieted down and listened.
"I hear a baby crying—far away--" said Parvati.
"I start to cry too."
"They are telling me that my husband will be here soon."
"But he won't. I don't have a husband. I don't want them to know."
"Oh! I'm not married. The embarrassment."
"I loved him."
Samara came down the stairs rubbing her eyes. "What's everyone doing up—No one invited me to the party—"
"Sh-h-h" several people hushed her, but Parvati continued undaunted.
"I want to hold my baby," she said.
"They show him to me."
"He's in a blue blanket."
"They tell me I'm too sleepy to hold him."
"I close my eyes, and when I open them I'm older. A man is standing by my bed."
"What does the man look like?" asked Hermione.
"He is tall. He has dark hair. He's holding a baby. He speaks to me."
"He says: 'Mum—He calls me Mum, are you feeling well? I want to let you hold your grandchild.'"
"He gives me the blanket and I open it to look at the baby."
Parvati sucked in her breath and shuddered. "There are snakes," she whispered. "There are snakes all wrapped around the child."
Parvati opened her eyes and looked at Ginny. "That's all," she said.
"Parvati," asked Hermione, "Can you remember the color of the second blanket. Was it blue too?"
Parvati shook her head. "I don't know."
"And the baby," persisted Hermione. "Did the baby have dark hair too?"
"No," Parvati said. "I couldn't tell. Just little wisps of baby hair."
Parvati closed her eyes trying to remember exactly. "I can't see its eyes either. I think they were closed. The baby was asleep. It was sleeping with those snakes."
"So all we know is that the child is muggle-born," said Lavender. "That's something we didn't get from the previous predictions."
"No," said Hermione, "We know the date."
"Huh," said Ron. "How do we know that?"
The woman was drugged. That means the first child was born in the nineteen forties—no later than nineteen fifty. They stopped using drugs during labor when they realized it affected the baby. That was about that time.
"The muggles didn't know that whatever potion affected the mother, affected the child?" asked Lavender, shocked.
"No," said Hermione. "But it's the grandchild that is significant. Depending upon the age of the father, the grandchild could be at Hogwarts now."
"I don't like those snakes crawling on her." Said Ron.
"Why?" asked Samara. "It obviously means she's a healer—or perhaps in need of healing."
"How on earth did you come up with that idea?" asked Lavender.
"Snakes wrapped around a staff always mean a healer is present. And the staff can represent a person, just like a wand in a dream can represent a person. Of course to the Ancient Druids, staffs and wands were the same thing. Sometimes wizards were even named by their wand power or wood—Holly, Hugh for Yew—Samara hesitated. "Didn't you know that?"
"Yes," said Hermione, "but then this person isn't just—Oh my gosh—"
"She glanced at the portrait hole.
"You can't go to the library at this hour," said Ron.
"I think I know why the Prophecy child is so important," said Hermione. "I was reading this book last week –It documented people in history who have been a conduit for another's power—like a wand."
"Pity we aren't in Ravenclaw," said Samara. "We could just accio the book."
"I guess it will have to wait until morning," Hermione said heading up the stairs to the girl's dorm while talking animatedly with Samara about the Prophecy child's possibilities. Lavender and Parvati followed while Ron looked disappointedly up the stairs after them.
"—no good night kiss?" he muttered.
"Want to go get a cup of hot chocolate?" asked Ginny.
"Sure," he said pulling Harry's Invisibility cloak from his pocket. "And we don't even have to worry about Filch catching us."
==
Harry was still awake when Ron come into the room, dropped his clothes on the floor and flopped onto his bed. Harry had been laying in bed thinking about Parvati's prediction. She had said, "The Dark is upon the Light. The choice is fouled." Did she mean him? Was it because Voldemort had left his dark scar on his head and another on his arm last year? Did she mean the prophecy child? Was there some part of Voldemort or darkness in the prophecy child that presupposed that the child would go dark? Harry rolled over in bed, restlessly.
Kauket was babbling about the baby bunnies on the wall.
"Will you shut up?" Hissed Harry in parseltongue.
"The hisssus," Kauket said. "I want to remember where they are."
"They aren't prey, you stupid snake," hissed Harry. "It's fake. It's a magical painting."
"I need to remember—for when I am hungry."
"When you are hungry, Edward will feed you," hissed Harry.
"You think that ssheis will feed me?"
"Yes. He's not a predator. He will feed you."
"If he does not, kind one, will you feed me?"
"Only if you shut up," hissed Harry.
"I shall be silent," hissed the snake.
Harry rolled back over, and looked at Edward's bed, which was on the other side of the room. For a moment, he thought he saw the liquid light of open eyes. Was Edward awake? If he was, he just heard Harry hissing to his snake. Shit. Harry stared at the bed, but in the dark, he couldn't tell if Edward's eyes were open or not. It could have been something on the wall, looking at him. That wall was just plain creepy. Just then an ear-splitting howl broke the silence of the bedroom.
"Did you hear that?" Ron asked from the other side of the room.
"Yeah," said Harry.
"What was it?"
"Werewolf," said Harry, only half kidding.
"It's not a full moon," said Seamus thoughtfully.
"Seamus, I didn't know you were awake too," said Harry.
"Who can sleep," Seamus muttered.
"I helped draw it, and I can't sleep either," said Dean. "I knew it wasn't a good idea to just animate the whole wall."
"That was stupid," said Ron. "All the mistakes and half creatures came to life."
"Well, I didn't do it," said Dean. "That was Edward's mistake."
"Do you really think it was a mistake?" asked Harry.
After a few moments, Seamus got out of bed.
"Where are you going?" asked Harry.
"Common room," said Seamus, gathering up a blanket and pillow. "I'm going to sleep on the sofa."
Dean stood too.
"Are you going to the common room?" asked Seamus.
"No," said Dean simply.
"Neville's asleep," said Ron in amazement, noticing that Neville hadn't joined the conversation.
"Ward," said Harry. "He put it up last night too, though, and this stupid wall wasn't even done."
Just then a soft snore broke through the babble of the wall. "If Neville has a ward, we shouldn't hear him snoring." Said Ron incredulously.
"That's Edward," said Harry.
"Without a ward?" asked Ron amazedly.
"Apparently he decided we were safe," said Harry.
"I should curse him right now, just for making this wall," said Ron. "So—" Ron yawned. "Can you manage to put up a ward? I don't think I can do it."
Harry pulled his wand from under his pillow, and held it aloft. He looked at the wall for a moment. I'm not sure what we're warding against," said Harry. "And my head hurts. Let's just sleep in the Common room."
"I get the other sofa!" said Ron.
==
Morning came much too early, and the boys muddled through class somehow. It wasn't as if any of them were brilliant, so no one noticed much when they slept entirely through Divination. Luckily, they were only weeding in herbology and charms was a practical lesson, which meant there was so much movement, no one noticed whether they were participating or not. They did have to wake up for Defense class though.
"I still can't believe that Dumbledore trusts that man," complained Ron as the trio exited defense class. "He's positively evil. I think he's trying to kill us. Less for the Dark Lord to do—"
"Ron, keep your voice down," warned Hermione. "He'll hear you. He's already taken enough points off of Gryffindor today." She frowned at Samara.
"Hey! I didn't lose them all. Your boyfriend there, lost his share," she snapped, gesturing to Ron.
Hermione glared at Samara.
"Snape's not all that bad," said Ginny "If you just—"
"Not that bad," chorused the Gryffindors.
"Well, I just mean, I think, he has our well-being in mind."
"He has a damned strange way of showing it," muttered Harry, as he rubbed his aching head.
"At least all we have left is potions," said Samara brightly. "That should be fun."
"Right," said Harry, thinking, double potions with the Slytherins and drinking essence of Ethan. "It should be just peachy."
Mrs. Figg was trying to get the Slytherins to take their seats as the Gryffindors filed into class. They were all gathered around Malfoy's table murmuring to one another.
"Class," said Mrs. Figg sharply. "Seats. Now."
The little cluster of Slytherins broke up, Pansy and Lauren heading to their seats with Samara and Ginny first. Followed by Alvin Nott joining Ron, Gloria joining Hermione and Blaise joining Parvati. The other boys were a little slower to join their partners, but at last, everyone was together.
"Now," said Mrs. Figg. "To be sure there is no cheating, we are going to get our cauldrons and wait until I am at your table before removing a single hair from your partner's head. I want to be sure that the hair is still attached to your partner's head before you put it in your potion. It is too easy for one of you to trade hairs with another. Understood?"
"The class nodded their assent.
"You've done really well so far," she congratulated them. " I've only had to hand out detentions. I really thought at least one of you might be expelled by this time for some trickery. I know the temptation is great—" She smiled at them and let them get their cauldrons before she started walking around the room to supervise the hair pulling. I suppose I should warn you, Polyjuice potion is not the best tasting stuff—I expect at least some of you to get sick." Mrs. Figg picked up an ever-clean trashcan and carried it with her. "Don't worry," she said. "The transformation is almost instantaneous, so even if you throw up most of the potion, it will still work, and you won't have to drink any more. She started with Pansy and Samara who seemed to have no hesitation at all, until they actually swallowed the lumpy mixture. Both looked like they weren't going to keep it down, but both managed to do it.
After swallowing several times, Pansy rubbed her eyes, and rubbed them again. Then she announced rather loudly to the entire class—"Sweet Merlin, Samara, you do see auras! This is better than telepathy."
Samara choked on the rest of her polyjuice potion and spit some of it in the waste can before Mrs. Figg moved on, leaving Samara holding on to Pansy and complaining that she felt like she was blind.
Mrs. Figg moved down the row to Draco and Edward who were joking heartily about the potion's possibilities, both complaining that they had to trade their good looks for a whole hour.
"So what are we going to do with the extra bottle of PJP," asked Edward.
"I thought we were supposed to save them until a moment of great need when the Dark Lord attacks," said Draco, in a low voice that changed mid-sentence to Edward's voice.
"Draco, that innocent look just doesn't work on my face," warned Edward with a chuckle.
"Well, Potter, ready?" asked Ethan as Mrs. Figg got to their table.
Harry nodded. He already knew what the potion tasted like -- He reached up and grasped a single dark hair from Ethan's head, pulled it out and put it in his glass. Ethan did the same and together they drank the potion. Shivering Harry endured the uncomfortable feeling of growing someone else's' skin around you. He took off his glasses and rubbed his hands over his face feeling unconsciously for a scar that was no longer on his forehead. Beside him, Ethan gave a small cry and covering his face, sank into the chair. "Shit," he muttered. "I didn't know polyjuice gave you a headache— I'm gonna be sick." He snatched the ever-clean waste can from Mrs. Fig and vomited most of the potion back up. He was still holding his head, and Mrs. Figg frowned at him. "I've never seen polyjuice give anyone a headache," she began.
"It's mine," said Harry, a smile growing on his face. "And I have a whole hour without that damned headache," he muttered. He suppressed the urge to jump for joy.
As he looked around the room he realized that Ginny had already changed with Lauren Avery. She was examining her freckle free hands with glee. Hermione didn't look as happy with the eleven-year-old body of Gloria Snood, and Ron tapped glasses with Alvin Nott. "Well, cheers," he said and downed the glassful of potion.
Harry noticed several Slytherins stealthily pulling extra vials from their bags to fill with polyjuice potion. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea, and Harry wished he'd have thought of it and brought his extra vials. The question was, what did the Slytherins plan to do with the polyjuice. It wasn't like they all had to hide from the Dark Lord. Most of them did his bidding. Harry sighed, and relaxed in his chair. He was just going to enjoy his headache free hour. Nothing was going to upset him. Mrs. Figg was still moving around the room. Only a few more students had to add their hairs and then everyone would be transformed.
Harry was startled by a sudden movement. It was Gregory Goyle, moving remarkably quickly to pull his wand on Lou. Lou looked at him in surprise. "What? I just wanted to fold up my sleeves before I poured the potion in the glasses," he said softly. "I didn't want to get this rot on my robes. Unless, you want to do it?" Lou handed him the ladle.
"No," said Goyle, shaking his head, and putting his wand away. "You're probably neater than I am."
Lou nodded shortly and poured the glasses of potion as Mrs. Figg stopped at their table. Lou, holding Goyle's hair gingerly between a thumb and forefinger asked the question that was probably on half of the Gryffindor's minds—"Would effect the potion if I dipped this in alcohol before I put it in my glass?"
"Actually, yes," said Mrs. Figg, but you can pour distilled water over it if you like."
Goyle gave Lou a look of pure loathing as he poured water over his single hair and then placed it in his glass. He hesitated, looking at the globules in his glass, with disgust.
"We're waiting," said Mrs. Figg softly, and Lou took a deep breath. He drank the potion and almost immediately was violently sick.
Goyle swallowed his potion without a single blink. Harry remembered Ron telling him that it was a strange sight to see Goyle thinking. Indeed it was.
Vincent Crabbe was in a whispered conversation with Joe. Harry wondered what on earth they had to talk about.
After they had cleaned up their areas and gathered their notes, Mrs. Figg reminded them that the whole school knew that today was 'Slytherin-Gryffindor polyjuice day' and that they weren't allowed back into their common rooms until the hour was up, although they could travel the grounds or go to the library. Once she was sure everything was in order, she dismissed the class.
As they started to leave, Harry was surprised to see, Blaise Zambini, stripping off Parvati's glamour charm, and dropping Parvati's bangles into her bag. She dragged her fingers through Parvati's silky hair, twisted it into a sloppy ponytail and stuck a quill through it.
"What are you doing, Blaise?" asked a girl that Harry momentarily mistook for Ginny. Then he realized that it was Lauren Avery.
"Going to Ravenclaw library," said Blaise.
"But you can't," said Lauren, "We aren't allowed back into our Common Rooms."
"Pardon me?" said Blaise looking down her nose at Lauren in a perfect imitation of Padma. "It may be Gryffindor-Slytherin polyjuice day, but I'm a Ravenclaw." She walked regally out of the classroom before anyone said another word.
Harry glanced over at Ethan who looked as bad as Harry usually felt by the end of the day. "Madam Pomfrey usually has a headache potion for me by the end of the day," he told Ethan. "You could probably spend the rest of the hour in the hospital wing lying down."
"I'll be fine," Ethan murmured. "Where are you going?"
"Out by the lake, I think," said Harry. "We aren't going to have many more sunny days. I thought I'd take advantage of it."
"I'll come too," said Ethan dragging himself to his feet.
"Why?" asked Harry.
"I think the air might help."
"It won't," said Harry with a shrug.
Harry met up with Hermione who seemed to have Gloria Snood velcroed to her leg.
"Why are they so paranoid?" Harry whispered. "They know we can't pull any pranks and blame it on them. The teachers know it's polyjuice day."
Ron was not encumbered by his Slytherin partner. "Where's Alvin?" Harry asked as Ron, looking like Alvin sauntered over to them. "Left with Ginny—I mean Lauren. Gosh this is confusing."
As the threesome headed down to the lake, they realized they would have no chance to talk about anything with the two Slytherins right beside them, they drifted into silence, anxious for the whole polyjuice thing to wear off.
Harry looked across the grass thinking that apparently Samara and Edward had the same problem with Draco and Pansy. He frowned, maybe not. It looked like the two boys were helping Samara, who was in Pansy's guise, to walk. She was hanging on to both of them, while Pansy, looking like Samara was exclaiming over all the colors she saw around the trees, and different people. She was asking Samara what they meant as she walked. Harry could still hear the on-going conversation about auras. Harry glanced in their direction, and frowned as he caught sight of Lauren and Alvin. He looked quickly away. Even though he knew that Lauren and Alvin were a couple, it was just too weird to see what looked like Ron and Ginny with their arms around each other.
Lou, Joe and Neville also headed down to the lake. For some reason, Crabbe and Goyle and the first year Slytherin that was Neville's partner was with them too.
A girl with long blonde hair called after them. "Hey, Neville, wait a minute." Neville in the guise of the first year Slytherin stopped, waiting for the girl to catch up with him, but the rest of the little group continued towards the lake. Harry heard her ask to borrow his Quick Quotes Quill for Advanced defense, and it was only then that Harry remembered that Ginny had traded places with Lauren Avery. She smiled and nodded to Neville, and then she went off with Malfoy—No. That was Edward—thought Harry. He thought Malfoy's face looked very strange with a genuine smile on it.
A moment later, Neville's, little group of Gryffindor's and Slytherins was joined by a few Hufflepuff girls—and Beatrice. Goyle, in Lou's visage was scowling and playing with his wand, but the other boys seemed relaxed. Nonetheless, Hufflepuff girls with Crabbe and Goyle—thought Harry with a shiver. Then he remembered Crabbe with that Hufflepuff girl at Hogsmeade. Was it possible that Crabbe was smart enough to have planned to meet the Hufflepuff girls?
All too soon, Harry felt his headache returning and his eyesight blurring. "I think I need my glasses now," he said to Ethan who was stretched out under a nearby tree. "And I'm going to go to Madam Pomfrey for some headache potion."
"Potter?" said Ethan curiously. "That headache? Is it from—uh"
"Voldemort, yeah," said Harry.
==
At dinner, Ginny sat with Edward who was across from Samara and Beatrice.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning, Samara," said Ginny. "I think I was half asleep."
"Well, it's no wonder," said Samara. "As far as I can tell, you don't sleep much at night."
"Everyone's worried about Voldemort," said Beatrice. "I think we're all a little on edge since Beauxbatons." She looked at Samara. "Did Sally Anne tell you about the threatening owl she got this afternoon?"
"No," said Samara. "I haven't seen her today."
"Well, it didn't come with the regular morning owls, because it came from a suspicious place, and certain owls—like the ones from Albania-- have to come directly to Dumbledore, now." Beatrice glanced around at her audience, and took a sip of pumpkin juice before continuing. "Anyway, Millicent and I were with Professor McGonagall when Dumbledore called her into his office to get Sally Anne. When we came into Dumbledore's office—"
"McGonagall brought you with her?" questioned Edward.
"Well, yes," said Beatrice. "Millicent's a cat. McGonagall couldn't leave me alone with her, and I still can't transform back to human when I'm nervous—"
"What happened to Sally Anne?" asked Samara.
"Well, she was crying, and Dumbledore told McGonagall to take her out. And then the owl—well, it was this big screech owl—and it was—dying—convulsions—"
"Poor owl," said Samara.
"Well, I can't say I was too sad about it, since I was in my rabbit animagus, but Dumbledore was trying to find out where it came from. And then we left."
"So you don't know where it came from or what the message was?" asked Samara.
Beatrice shook her head. "I talked to Sally Anne afterwards. Apparently, the message was just a warning to stay away from Vincent Crabbe. I think she was over-reacting, but of course, she was upset about seeing the owl die like that."
"Why would it die?" wondered Samara.
"Poison," said Edward. "It activates when someone tries to magically trace the message."
"That's what Millicent said," replied Beatrice. "Of course," Beatrice continued in a barely audible whisper, "she also said that it was a Malfoy owl."
"How would she know?" snapped Samara.
No one at the table answered her.
"Draco's owl is an Eagle owl," said Samara. "I saw it. He doesn't have a screech owl."
"Well, if he did," muttered Ginny. "He doesn't have one now, does he?"
Edward snorted, and Samara frowned at Ginny
"Samara," said Beatrice gently. "No one's blaming Draco. It's hard to tell when Millicent is telling the truth. She likes to—stir up trouble."
They ate in silence for a while. "Ready for the test in Advanced Defense on Friday?" Asked Edward.
"I don't know," said Ginny. "I really don't have that many notes. I was trying to study and –I--I, could I look at your notes, Edward? I just feel like I must have missed something."
"Well, I don't take very good notes," said Edward. "I'm more of a 'hands on' kind of man." He shrugged. "But you're welcome to take a look. Why don't you come over to my dorm room after dinner? I want to show everyone my masterpiece anyway."
"What's that?" asked Samara.
"You'll see," said Edward, refusing to be baited into revealing his secret.
"Oh I know," said Ginny excitedly. "You finished your painting didn't you?"
Edward nodded proudly. "Last night," he said. "I showed Professor McGonagall this morning."
==
After supper and Quiddich practice, Harry, Ron, and Hermione cracked open their books in the common room. The room was quiet; most of the Gryffindors choosing to study outside while the weather was good. Only a few sixth years were in the opposite corner, working on a project together. Ginny joined the group a few minutes later.
"So where's Edward and Samara?" Hermione asked Ginny.
"Library," said Ginny. "Samara had to look up something for Ancient Runes, and you know Edward always complains it's too noisy to study in here."
"There's not a sound," said Ron, gesturing to the almost empty common room.
Ginny shrugged.
"So did you two have a fight?" asked Ron, curiously.
"No," said Ginny. "I told you before, Ron. Edward and I are not a couple. We're just friends. He makes me laugh."
"See, Mate," Ron told Harry in a loud whisper. "I told you she was still waiting around for you."
Harry blushed crimson, and buried his face in his charms book.
Ginny, whirled on her brother. "I am not waiting around for anyone, Ron," she spat. "I'm just—fine—" but her eyes took on a strange glazed appearance and she didn't look fine at all. She sank down in her favorite chair by the cold fireplace.
"Ginny?" said Ron, but Hermione hustled him over to his books. "Honestly, Ron," she whispered. "Open your mouth, insert foot. Do you have to be so tactless?"
"But you said—" began Ron, and Hermione hushed him. "Just shut up," she said.
"Shut up," Ginny echoed.
For a few moments silence reigned in the common room as the group worked on their individual projects. At last, Harry broke the silence. "When should we go back to the Chamber?" he asked softly. "We shouldn't wait too long—"
"It has to be on a weekend," said Hermione. "I wouldn't want to be down there after dark."
"It isn't any different after dark," said Ginny cryptically. "It's not like the sun shines in the windows."
"This weekend then," said Harry.
"I'm coming with you," said Ginny.
"Ginny, you don't have to," said Ron. "We can do this."
"No, you can't," said Ginny pacing over to them. "You don't know where the hatching ground is, and you'll never find it without me."
They looked at her in amazement. "That's right isn't it?" she asked. "You looked for it, but you couldn't find it."
"Yes," said Hermione thoughtfully. "We went up in the statue. We thought if we went down next time—"
"No. It wouldn't matter," said Ginny, laughing mirthlessly. "Haven't you figured out yet that the whole place is spelled to listen to the parselmouth's wishes? The whole place is based on Intent. You have to constantly be using magic or speaking parseltongue, or the rooms move so that you can't get out. That means only—only Harry –or me—If I still remember enough parseltongue for it to work—" Her voice ground to a halt and she bit her lip thoughtfully. Her eyes were filled with fear.
"Ginny, I don't think you should go," said Harry softly.
"I have to," spat Ginny. "It won't let you in."
"But I'm a parselmouth," said Harry.
"I know," said Ginny, "But. I told Tom that in the diary, and that's why it won't let you in."
"What?" asked Ron angrily. "Ginny, you're not making any sense—"
"I know," she said miserably, rubbing her head. "I wish I could remember for sure, but all the memories about the Chamber are fuzzy or missing altogether. I think it was the medi-witches at St. Mongo's trying to help me, but now, there are just pieces of memories. I know I spent hours and hours down there in first year, and yet, there's no memory of it. Sometimes I feel like I really am going crazy," she whispered.
"Ginny?" Ron reached out and grasped her hand. She stared unseeingly at their clasped hands and continued to speak, "One of the memories," she said, "is when I made a ward around a sandy place. The ward was specifically to keep Harry Potter out, and even though I don't remember Tom being a part of it, if this ward was around the eggs, I know, Tom would have helped me to set it." She looked up, her brown eyes meeting Harry's green ones. "You won't get through it without me."
"We'll stay together," said Harry, reaching out and taking Ginny's other hand. "I swear to you, you will never have to be alone in that Chamber again."
"I'm scared," Ginny whispered, and Harry's hand tightened around hers but no one said anything. After a moment, Harry disentangled his hand from Ginny's and looked back at his books.
"Well, said Harry. "I think I'm going to do Divination next."
"What was that Trelawney said to Ginny about you finding a window to the past?" asked Ron.
"Who knows. It was Trelawney. You're not starting to believe her predictions are you?" asked Ginny.
"A window to the past," intoned Ron. "Will open to you, Virginia. You are afraid, but your Gryffindor heart will prevail."
Ginny shrugged. "It's nothing. Let's just get on with our homework."
"I'm nothing now, am I?"
"If you're not going to help with the homework, shut up," thought Ginny.
I can't believe Trelawney assigned us an interpretation of Parvati's dream." Said Ron. "We were there when she first told us about it. This should be easy."
"I don't know, Ron." Said Harry. "It didn't make much sense to me. I mean, I can't think of any muggleborn Slytherins—"
"There was a half-blood, though," said Ginny softly. "I suppose there could be another one in the future."
"Voldemort?" said Harry.
"Who says it has to be in the future?" asked Hermione. "Did you know, there's a branch of arthimancy that says, learn the future from looking at the past."
"So it could be a dream of the past?" said Harry thoughtfully.
"Honestly, Hermione," complained Ron, "It's bad enough you're ahead of us in all of the classes that you take with us, but you don't even take divination!"
"We could ask Parvati," said Harry. "After all it is Parvati's dream."
"She doesn't know the meaning," said Ginny.
"Yes, well—" Ron's voice fell into an imitation of Trelawney's mystic whisper: "It is best that Parvati contemplate which is the correct interpretation, for she alone knows the intimate details of the dream."
"Yeah," said Harry. "That's just so Parvati can check our homework, and Trelawney won't have to do anything."
"Well she does work hard at burning all that incense," said Ron.
"Forget the incense," said Ginny. "I just wish we didn't have to keep asking her to put out the fire!"
"What! Ginny?" Ron intoned with mock surprise. "Don't you trust her inner eye? She can see Death Eaters coming before they can floo."
"Ha!" said Ginny.
"Parvati!" Harry called as she and Dean entered the Common room. "We're working on your vision. Want to come and help us?"
"Dream," corrected Parvati. "The part about the boy with the wand was a dream."
"What's the difference?" muttered Ron.
"The dreams are fragmented and mixed up, but so far, they have all been in the past." Said Dean. "The visions are in the future."
"The visions are always clearer," said Parvati. "They are in order even if they are symbolic."
The group looked at Dean and Parvati with new respect. "You've been working on this for quite a while, haven't you," said Harry.
"It's all we talk about," said Dean, holding Parvati close.
"And my sister has helped a lot," added Parvati.
Harry had the feeling that if Dean let go of her, she would fall over from exhaustion. "Well, let's get on with it," said Harry, picking up his quill. "I still have charms to do."
"Me too," said Ron, unrolling his parchment. "And defense, too. What about you Paravati?"
Parvati didn't answer. She sat silently fiddling with the bangles on her arm. "I have to warn the prophecy child," she whispered. "I'm the messenger. If I fail--" She took a deep breath. "I cannot fail."
"I've been doing Parvati's homework," said Dean. "Me and Lavender and Padma. She—she can't concentrate on anything but the seeings." He shrugged. "We didn't finish the defense yet."
Harry surveyed the group for a moment thinking about Neville's father saying the name Patil in his list of the cult members. He considered asking Parvati about it, but just couldn't bring himself to add anything else to her burden. If some Patil in Parvati's ancestry was a seer and that seer acted like Parvati was now—Harry sighed. If it were Slytherins helping that seer with homework instead of Gryffindors, what a difference that would make. Harry pushed up his sleeves. "If we all work together, we should be able to get it done," he said. "But this dream—"
"Come on, Harry," said Ron. "It's just divination. As long as we say everyone is going to die, Trelawney will love it."
"No," shouted Parvati. "Everyone will not die!"
"And Trelawney isn't grading this paper, Ron." Harry looked at Parvati, thinking that she was going to be a lot harder to please than Trelawney.
==
Ginny looked around at the group and thought, doing this homework in a group was never going to work. Even if they came up with a good answer to what the boy with the wand that burnt him meant, it was going to look like they copied off of each other. Ginny noticed that Hermione had retreated to the corner of the room the sixth years had vacated, and was doing her Arithimancy. Ginny decided to follow her example and let the little group hash out Parvati's dream on their own. She had a few ideas, herself, but she wasn't sure she wanted to share them.
She moved to her favorite chair by the cold fireplace. Sinking down into the soft chair, she took out her charms homework. She didn't really want to stay in the Common Room right now. She needed quiet, but if she left, Ron would worry about her solitude. She was reading her assignment, but her mind wasn't on it. She was thinking about the time in Slytherin playing Quit last weekend. Something had happened there.
At odd moments, she could definitely hear Tom speaking to her again—not a memory, like in the diary, but as if he understood what was happening in her life now. If she tried, she could usually shut him out, which made her think that perhaps he was still just her imagination, as she had previously assumed. On the other hand, there were times when she sort of tried to talk to him, and he didn't answer. If he were her imagination, wouldn't she be able to imagine him anytime she wanted to?
She knew something happened to her when she was playing quit. She realized it when she went up to do the ward on Ethan's bed. She set it perfectly in three seconds flat, and Edward had stared at her.
"I'm kind of good at wards," she had said evasively. "I--didn't like my roommate first year."
She knew she had somehow accessed a memory that wasn't her own, because in the morning, when Ethan asked her to show him how she did that particular ward, she couldn't remember how to do it, and both Ethan and Edward thought she was lying, when she showed them the one she usually used. It was good too, but not quite as impenetrable as the one she did on Ethan's bed. The one on Ethan's bed, was Tom's ward, not hers, and that frightened her, because she did the spell without realizing that it was Tom's.
Ginny also thought it was strange that she liked Advanced Defense better than Defense with her regular class. Was that some of Tom's doing? There she went again, talking to herself as if he was real. He was just a memory. He had always been just a memory. She did a warming spell on the chair and tucked her stocking feet under her to keep them warm. Maybe she liked Advanced Defense better because Snape was more relaxed with the Slytherins instead of having half a class of Gryffindors, she thought.
She actually liked pulling the magic from the ground and feeling it flow over her arms now. She could do it now with her shoes on or off, thanks to Samara and Pansy's help. Lauren Avery was good at it too—a lot better than Pansy, in fact, but Ginny couldn't talk to Lauren like she could to Pansy. Lauren reminded her in a strange way of Beatrice, powerful, smart, and yet she chose to stay in the background. Ginny supposed she was a little shy. Anyone in Gryffindor who heard her say that would laugh except for Samara.
Samara seemed to understand. There was more to Samara than many people thought. When Samara had told Ginny that Pansy didn't have a Dark Mark, Ginny was at first surprised, and then angered. She herself was pretty sure who had Dark Marks and who didn't, she wasn't positive of course, but association with the Slytherins did have some benefits.
"How would you know Pansy doesn't have a Dark Mark?" Ginny had asked.
"Gosh, Ginny, I was in her body for an hour with the polyjuice potion. I can't see why every Gryffindor wouldn't look. But so far, I think I'm the only one who did. I was trying to figure out how it shows in their aura—it should show, you know--"
Tom was so busy congratulating Samara in Ginny's head that she didn't even respond. "Shut up, Tom," she said at last. "I knew that Pansy didn't have a Dark Mark. I could tell from her actions."
"How naïve can you be?" Tom asked exasperated, and then he pouted for the rest of the day.
"Fine. It's not that I need you, Tom. I can even do the wandless magic now without you," she thought.
"Just pulling and playing. You haven't done any spells," Tom reminded her. "There is where your skill will be tested."
"I will," she had told him. Ginny itched to do a spell herself—a wandless spell, but she waited because Snape had told her to. He specifically said not to do a spell until he said she was ready. With a grudging sort of respect, she agreed. Perhaps Friday Snape would give her the OK, she thought, as she switched to her Advanced Defense homework. She struggled along herself for a while, trying to get it done. Although she could answer the questions hypothetically, she knew she would have trouble actually doing the magic without a wand.
Ginny sighed. She was getting nothing done well in the noisy atmosphere of the common room. She thought she should go to her room where she could concentrate.
Just then, Edward and Samara came in from the library. They apparently had found Beatrice somewhere along the way.
"We're going up to see my wall," Edward announced. "Anyone else want to come?"
"I've already seen enough to last a lifetime," said Harry.
"And heard enough too," added Ron.
"I'll come with you, Edward, as soon as I finish this divination," said Dean. "I've been thinking about making a few changes."
"I like it just the way it is," said Edward stubbornly.
"I want to see it," said Ginny gathering up her books, "and if it isn't too much trouble, Edward, could you help me with my Advanced Defense?"
"Sure," said Edward, leaving the common room with the girls. "See you later, Dean," he called.
"Damned bloody wall," spat Ron.
"What's wrong with his painting the wall?" asked Hermione.
In a loud and immediate rush, Harry, Ron, and Dean proceeded to tell her.
==
==
THANKS TO MY PRECIOUS REVIEWERS. I APPRECIATE YOUR INPUT. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! --Lady Lestrange
If you haven't reviewed yet, now is the time. Go one, click that little button on the left and tell me what you think. Next chapter, Ginny uses Neville's Quick Quotes Quill in ADADA. REVIEW! 10—maybe 15- Reviews to a new chapter. More dark stuff on the way. Be prepared. –Lady Lestrange
Mella deRanged ;-)
Melbell: Glad you caught up. Love to hear from you.
Kemenran: The usual-Keep reviewing.
Reiven: Your thoughts are right on track as usual. Glad someone makes the connections. Right time frame and all. I like the Chamber too. And you know your comment—"Oh gods, was that the end? No! I need to know more" You might want to control-C it, I have a feeling you are going to be using it a lot. If I don't get Pritch in here, I'll get him in the sequel, promise—just for you. No. I can't marry Draco. Sniff. Well, maybe I can. You know how twisted that Sytherin inbreeding is. No one is reading DRACO MALFOY AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE anymore. Spread the word for me. It's such a fun AND FUNNY fic. Someone should read it.
Ennui2; Go ahead. Gush all over me. I love it. Maybe Ethan would have shared—Nah! Basilisk's body is gone too. All cleaned up. No sign of a battle. Guess I could have made that clearer. Sorry. I've learned to fight off Imperio ages ago. You realize , of course, that I've learned all this from the Dark Lord himself.
Raven 173: Yep. The choice is fouled. And Harry hating mazes—well, yeah, there is that Triwizard thing that didn't exactly end well. Look at all of Parvati's predictions and you will realize it can't be Malfoy—OPPS! Ohmygosh! I didn't put that prediction in yet?—ok THANKS. Gotta go! I've got it now—Author runs around hysterically trying to adjust chapters—No. NO. NO! I don't need St. Mongos!
The Elemental Sorceress. More Animagi. Yes, but maybe not until the sequel. It takes a while to conquer this complex a spell, you know.
Trillium: A median, not a waterfall! Ha Ha! Yes, that was the Slyth common room. I read that poem by Shelley, I think but I don't' remember it. If you have time, email me the reference or poem name if you know it.
Ilwinterfofal Thanks. You are right. That's the room. If you think this is "kinda spooky" hold on to your hat. It's getting spookier.
Silverfox1: I love it. Author jumps up and down excitedly. She thinks it's a great chapter even without the prerequesite Slytherin. Cool.
Melbell: Yes, well, as you can guess, you will get your wish. They have to go back to the Chamber, and Ginny has to go with them.
If you are looking for a cool fic to read, (and you've read all of mine) check out my reviewers. Most of them are in my FAVORITES. Most are very good authors, and that is why their reviews mean so much to me—OH, excuse me, I must have been having a Hufflepuff moment there. HIT THE REVIEW BUTTON ALREADY! IMPERIO! (gosh! That was scary. Back to normal now. Lol)
Coming next: Ginny takes Neville's Quick Quotes Quill to ADADA.