Kitty: (crying)

Yugi: Kitty? Neko-chan, what's wrong?

Kitty: (sniff) This chapter...was the hardest...for me to write... (cries)

Lina: (sighs) Plot bunny.

Yugi: Finally we can find out what Kitty's been dreading to post...

Atem: R&R!


Chapter Eight:

An Unexpected Twist of Fate

"What's going on over here?"

Filch pushed his way in front of the crowd, no doubt alerted by Malfoy's shout. His eyes went over Diana and Harry grumpily, before widening at the sight of his cat hanging by her tail and stiff as a board.

"Mrs. Norris…?" he whispered weakly.

He rounded on the two Gryffindors. "You brats murdered my cat!"

"No!" Harry said in horror.

"We'd never!" snapped Diana.

It was then that Dumbledore arrived, along with Professors Sprout, McGonagall, Snape and Lockhart.

The Headmaster's pale blue eyes surveyed the scene, and then he spoke quite calmly, although you could hear a tone of urgency in his voice.

"Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately…except Miss Randall and Mr. Potter," he added.

Everyone started to leave; however, Yugi came over to Dumbledore…or rather, the Pharaoh came over.

"Professor, I may not know the exact situation we are dealing with," Atem said seriously, "But I can tell with extreme certainty that neither of my friends are at fault for what happened."

Dumbledore nodded. "I trust your word, Pharaoh, but I still would like to have them present."

Atem nodded, shot a quick smile at the two Gryffindors, and then headed up the steps to the Gryffindor common room with Hermione and Ron.

Dumbledore first examined Mrs. Norris, which did take a while. Lockhart kept talking about how he could've saved her, while Filch was moping.

Diana looked at Harry.

"You honestly don't know what happened?" she whispered.

"No," Harry replied, "I heard this voice…it sounded like it was going to kill someone…I followed it and I found this."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "You heard a voice?"

Harry nodded. "Couldn't you hear something down the hall?"

Diana shook her head. "The only thing I could've possibly heard were the hisses of the old school plumbing."

Harry stared at Diana quietly for a moment. Diana gripped her friend's hand.

"I think you should keep this voice to yourself," she advised, "Don't want them to think you're mental as well as at fault…"

"Mrs. Norris is not dead, Argus," Dumbledore suddenly spoke, "She has been Petrified."

"Ah! I thought so!" Lockhart said.

Diana turned back to Dumbledore. "Petrified, Professor? But how?"

"That, I'm afraid, I do not know," the Headmaster replied.

"Ask those two," snapped Filch, "You saw what they wrote on the wall."

"I already told you: Harry and I did not write that message!" Diana snapped back, "I was at dinner, and Harry was in detention with Professor Lockhart! We came around the hallway at around the same time, that's all!"

There was a slight silence. Then McGonagall spoke.

"Randall, are you sure you don't know anything about what happened?"

"Yes," Diana said firmly, "And neither does Harry. I asked him and he said so."

Dumbledore looked at Diana carefully, and she felt like she was being X-rayed. She tried not to look uneasy.

"Very well," said Dumbledore, "You two should go back up to your dormitories."

And with that, Harry and Diana left the scene.

The next morning in the Great Hall, a chilly and dreary Saturday, the friends ate breakfast quickly so they could meet each other in the library.

"'Enemies of the Heir, beware,'" Ryou whispered to himself.

"Ryou, stop saying that, you're scaring me," snapped Yugi.

"I'm just thinking," said Ryou defensively.

"About what?" asked Diana.

"About Malfoy," Ryou admitted, "How does he know about all this?"

"Obvious, isn't it?" Ron said, "He's the Heir of Slytherin! That's how."

"That's a bit of a farfetched theory, Ron," noted Hermione, "We don't know much about it ourselves; we need to find out more about it if we plan to investigate."

Marik, who had not spoken at all for minutes, finally said, "I know about it."

"You do?" asked Seto and Harry together.

"Yeah…I heard some Slytherins discussing it," Marik explained, "It has to do with one of the four Founders: Salazar Slytherin. The other Founders, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw, liked the idea of the school to be open for any witch or wizard. Slytherin, however, wanted those of only pure wizard blood to come to Hogwarts…they quarreled about it, and finally Slytherin left Hogwarts. Now this is where legend takes over. According to lore, Slytherin built a secret dominion in the castle known as the Chamber of Secrets…and when he left, he sealed it…until his true Heir could come and release the horror within the Chamber. The Heir alone could control Slytherin's monster, and use it to purge all those who, in Slytherin's view, were unworthy to study magic."

"Muggle-borns," whispered Diana.

Ryou was shivering. Ron looked triumphant.

"That settles it!" the redhead boy said, "Malfoy's family are filled with the exact kind of nutters, right? Well then, he has every reason to open the Chamber."

"I don't know…" Hermione muttered.

"Look at his family, Mione," Harry pointed out, "The whole lot of them could've been in Slytherin for centuries…"

"Passing the key down, from father to son," agreed Diana.

"Alright," Hermione stated, "But if we want to get proof, we'll need to investigate him without him knowing it's us."

"But that's impossible," Ron laughed.

"No, actually it's quite possible," said Marik quietly, "You forget; I'm a Slytherin, and Potions is my specialty, not just where Snape favors me."

The others looked at him keenly.

"We'll need a signed note to get the list of ingredients for it as it's sure to be in the Restricted Section," Marik continued, "But the Polyjuice Potion could turn some of our number into Slytherins. He probably blabs it to everyone that it's him when I'm not around or paying attention."

"Great idea," said Diana, "But there are three things that shall need to occur; one, anyone with a Yami I think should be left out of this…who knows what might go wrong…two, you should be around the halls to help us in, Marik…don't want to get lost and never be able to interrogate him…and three, we'll need to figure out who's going to be who."

"Crabbe and Goyle are always around Malfoy," Harry suggested, "Ron and I could be them."

"Millicent Bulstrode is a Slytherin girl who seems to be everywhere, and not just by her size," Marik noted, "Mione or Dare could be her."

"You be her, Mione," Diana smirked mischievously, "I have someone else in mind…"

"Who?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

Diana's smirk broadened. "Pansy Parkinson."

The plans for the Polyjuice Potion were under way…however, the Gryffindor VS Slytherin Quidditch match was a bit too distracting for the friends not to notice it.

Someone had enchanted a Bludger to follow Harry around the Quidditch field; although it broke Harry's arm in the midst of the game, Harry was still able to catch the Snitch and win the game for Gryffindor.

Thatwas fine. It was what Lockhart did afterwards.

"Well, that sometimes can happen…uh…but the bones aren't broken anymore!"

"YOU COMPLETE BAKAYROU!" roared Seto, "THERE ARE NO BONES TO BE BROKEN!"

Lockhart had not mended Harry's bones. He'd removed them.

Madame Pomfrey was spitting with rage, and Harry was in for a tough and lonely night of regrowing all of the bones in his right arm.

Harry awoke in the middle of the night to the pains in his right arm…or was it? Now he realized someone was sponging his forehead in the dark.

"AHHH!"

He jumped up off the bed, before seeing who had been there.

"Dobby?"

"Dobby warned and warned Harry Potter," the house-elf said tearfully, "Why oh why did Harry Potter not go home after he and his friend missed the train?"

Harry's eyes narrowed in realization and fury. "It was you. You stopped the barrier from letting Ron and me through! You almost got us expelled!"

"At least you'd be away from here, sir," squeaked Dobby, "Dobby had to iron his hands afterwards, but Dobby doesn't care! Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would make Harry Potter see-"

"Your Bludger? You made that Bludger chase after me?" Harry growled, his temper flaring, "You better scram before my bones grow back, Dobby, or I might strangle you!"

Dobby smiled weakly. "Dobby is used to death threats, sir…Dobby gets them three to four times a day at home…but Dobby deserves to die, and Harry Potter does not! Someone has already died in these furious happenings, and now that history is repeating itself-"

"Repeating itself?" Harry repeated excitedly, "You mean these things have happened before?"

Dobby clapped a hand to his mouth. "Dobby shouldn't have said that!"

It was then that footsteps were heard in the hall.

"Dobby must leave!"

And with a loud CRACK, Dobby was gone.

Harry turned over and pretended to be asleep as the footsteps entered the Hospital Wing.

"Headmaster, Minerva, what has happened?" the voice of Madame Pomfrey said.

"There has been another attack," replied McGonagall.

There was the sound of someone being placed on a bed, and Madame Pomfrey gasped.

"Oh, no," she said in a hushed voice, "Not him…"

"It is indeed an unexpected twist of fate," Dumbledore whispered solemnly.

"What should I tell the staff, Albus?" asked McGonagall.

"The truth," Dumbledore replied, "Hogwarts is no longer safe. The Chamber of Secrets is open again."

Harry finally got curious enough to turn over when he heard the professors and Madame Pomfrey leave.

But after he did, he wished that he hadn't.

Yugi was lying on a hospital bed two down and one across, completely motionless and the Millennium Puzzle lying on his bedside table.

Everyone: (silent)

(crickets chirp)

Yugi: (stares at Kitty) THAT was the dreaded idea?

Kitty: (bawls) WAAAHHH! YUGI!

Yugi: (puts his arms around Kitty)

Atem: Kitty, why?

Kitty: IT WAS THE PLOT BUNNY'S FAULT!

Lina: (crying) Reviews?

Kara: Rainbow Guardian Angel is first...and how do I know she's not going to like this chapter either?

Kitty: (sniff) The good news is... (sniff) Atem is not gone! He IS going to have that larger role.

Atem: (smiles) That's good... (frowns) But what about my Hikari?

Kitty: (goes back to crying)

Hermione: (nibbling on her cookie) I sure hope Malfoy suffers.

Ron: (eats his in one swallow) Me too!

Lina: Next is Engie!

Kitty: ENGIE! (glomps her friend) Hey girl! Phantom of the Opera rocks.

Yugi: Even though I'm in a triangle with my Yami and my best friend, I do like the fic.

Kitty: (grins) But you would look really sexy in a black dress, Yugi.

Yugi: KITTY!

Kitty: (laughs) Spin the Bottle Truth or Dare... The best game ever created...

Yugi: (blushing furiously)

Diana: And now...Rayne Saijeuz.

Kitty: Ohhh... I wanna know what you're gonna do! (pouts)

Yugi: (grins evilly) And Fowls are better than Kaibas.

Seto: THEY ARE NOT!

Kara: Now we have ZeldaAlly.

Kitty: (smirks evilly) How about this: each chapter I'll have another char shoot him, to stop him from coming back twice? And since I wish the plot bunny was dead right now for this chapter, my bishie Yugi can go first.

Yugi: (grabs the BB gun) MWAHAHAHA (shoots the be-jesus out of Jake)

Diana: Last, but certainly not least is ANAYAS-CREATOR.

Kitty: I'm going there with my Chorus in June. (grins) We're gonna sing and see a Broadway show there! (does a little jig)

Lina: And we can't wait to read more of your fic!

Kitty: I saw the Oscars! (growls) And I think Finding Neverland and The Phantom of the Opera should've gotten more awards!

Yugi: Yeah...the Aviator got everything.

Kitty: I don't think they deserved all of that...is it just me, or does Johnny Depp never seem to get the awards he deserves, even though everyone will say he was completely and utterly awesome?

Lina: (shrugs) Sad but true.

Yugi: At least A Series of Unfortunate Events got an award for Make-up.

Kitty: And the Incredibles won Best Animation. I'm surprised: I didn't think that film got a lot of nominations...and I thought everyone would be boring and go for Shrek 2.

Lina: But the Best Song thing was pathetic.

Kitty: I dunno...I didn't like that Spanish song; my fav was "Learn to be Lonely."

Yugi: What about "Believe" by Josh Groban?

Kitty: I liked it, but it was too short and didn't quite deserve an Oscar. Question: why on earth did they choose Beyonce to do most of these songs?

Yugi: Great question. Why choose a pop star to do two ballads and a choral piece with a all-boy choir?

Diana: The world may never know. (sighs) R and R!