December had rolled in, and it had been nearly a month since the Dueling Club and the 'incident' thereafter. Neither Harry nor Tonks had brought the kiss up after the fact, but the first week afterwards had been awkward for both of them. Solieyu had been informed of the Raven's Nest getting a final name as well as what had transpired in it. Of course, the pale boy couldn't resist commenting about how he better not find any eggs upon entering it. Harry had to force himself not to fling something at his friend.
Snow had also fallen over the Hogwarts grounds, leaving Harry with the uneasiness that winter usually brought with it. He was trying to get over the lingering effects of living with the Dursleys, but it wasn't easy. Tonks had all but dragged him out for a good, old fashioned snowball fight one day, which had helped. Harry remembered that particular day because little Luna Lovegood had made an absolutely huge snow-something-or-other by herself. When asked, she claimed it was a Shrieking Wigdigger. Whatever in the blazes that was. The girl had also been running about with an amulet that she claimed helped to ward off vampires. Harry tried pointing out that there weren't any vampires at Hogwarts, to which Luna just smiled and pointed to the amulet, saying, "See, it works."
Groaning, Harry closed his eyes and let his head flop against the back of his chair in the common room. It was late, probably around midnight, and he was the only one still awake. Probably had something to do with the rapidly-approaching Quidditch match against Gryffindor. Lynch had been working them absolutely ragged for the past two and a half weeks, despite Fred Weasley still being laid-up in the hospital wing. Gryffindor would need a replacement Beater and, Lynch had figured, whoever it was couldn't possibly be as good as the twins were when they worked in unison.
As it stood, it seemed that they were going to be playing in what could almost be classified as a blizzard, if the Prophet's weather reports could be trusted. There was a massive snowstorm blowing through later in the week. It figured that the Quidditch match was scheduled for the very day the storm was set to arrive. He had already been annoyed that finding the Snitch was tougher than normal with so much snow all over the place. After awhile, a sort of snow blindness set in on him, since he was looking down so much. Lynch had jumped on him for missing three 'easy' grabs in training so far.
But Gryffindor's Seeker was nothing special. At least, not to Harry. Though if George Weasley's gloating was anything to believe, the only female Weasley child seemed to have some sort of natural Seeker ability to her. Harry would believe it when he saw it, though, and paid little mind to the boasts. George was doing much better now, though he still seemed awfully tired. Neville Longbottom had told Harry one day that George had been staying up late into the night, sitting with his petrified brother. Harry hoped that Professor Sprout would hurry with the antidote. It seemed to be taking forever to make.
The school hadn't received any further attacks, which seemed to make everyone relax and forget about the writing on the wall. But Solieyu kept insisting that the foul presense he had detected back on Halloween was still lurking nearby.
Harry, in what little free time he had between Quidditch practice, classes, and homework, had been trying to figure out just what in the world his friend might be. If he was human, the boy was unlike any that Harry had met before. The first thing Harry had touched upon was lycanthropy. The built-in, enhanced senses seemed to fit, anyway. But Harry had been slacking in checking the moon's phases to see if Solieyu vanished on nights of the full moon. He was simply too worn out.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"I HATE this place!" Harry wailed, slumping back into the bed he had been placed into.
"It isn't very fond of you either, dear." Dryly replied Madam Pomfrey as she passed by.
Harry glared after her. "Ya know, nurses are supposed to be kind to their patients! KIND!"
"I don't have the patience for my patients. Especially you." Replied the nurse in a tone equally as dry as before. "Why on Earth did you let that bumbling fool try to heal you, anyway? Should have come to me the moment it happened!"
"Yeah, well, excuse me, but it's a bit hard to climb four flights of ever-changing stairs when your BLOODY LEG'S HAD ITS BONES REMOVED!" Harry yelled, hefting his deboned limb up and letting it slump back to the bed with a squishing sound. "And for the record? I didn't let that 'bumbling fool' try to heal me - he took it upon himself to do it, despite my protests!"
Madam Pomfrey passed back by, giving Harry a raised eyebrow as she did so. "It wouldn't surprise me. Gilderoy Lockhart's famous for not listening to others, yet expecting them to listen to everything he has to say."
"At least we agree on one thing, then." Harry groused, crossing his arms and glaring daggers at the ceiling. "I hope he falls down the stairs or something.
Wish Fred could talk. I'm sure he could help me figure out a way to get even with the golden dandy."
Snorting as she inspected the still-petrified Weasley, Madam Pomfrey said, "Yes, well, he isn't. Nor does it seem he'll be better until Pomona gets her Mandrakes fully grown and harvested. And I'm thankful she's doing it. I've had the 'pleasure' of doing it myself and let me tell you, it's no fun task."
"So I've seen. Though it was funny seeing Malfoy remove his earmuffs to see what the big deal was..." Harry said, remembering one of his favorite Herbology classes to date.
"That boy's in here almost as often as you." Said the nurse in a sour tone. "I swear, this one and his brother do keep me busy..."
"Have more free time now, do you?"
"You'd think so. But the other Weasley twin seems keen on making up for the lack of his brother by doubling his efforts."
Harry snorted. "Seen that, too. George said that Fred would lynch him if he didn't carry on the fine art of pranking. Oh, uh... you might want to prepare something to reduce severe swelling."
Madam Pomfrey's head peeked out from behind the curtain hiding Fred Weasley. "Swelling? ...Do I even want to know what part of the body that boy is going to blow up this time?"
"Probably not. Just expect a lot of embarassment on both ends of the healing" Replied Harry, cryptically.
As Madam Pomfrey let out a frustrated sigh, she left Fred's side and headed back to her office, darkly muttering about enlarged buttocks and other such body parts.
Alone with his thoughts, Harry sunk down in bed, occasionally prodding his boneless leg. The day had started out so well, too! The Quidditch match had been going swimmingly! Then weird things began happening...
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
"Ellie! Tim! Get this damned thing away from me!" Harry yelled over his shoulder as he ducked. Roughly ten minutes into the Quidditch match, one of the bludgers had started seeking out Harry... and only Harry. This was, to say the least, bizarre. Harry had yelled something and cast a glare at George Weasley in passing once, but the redhead shouted back that he didn't have any idea what was wrong, either.
As it was, it took both Ravenclaw Beaters working full time to keep Harry from being bashed in the face with the rogue bludger. Eventually, Steven Lynch called for a time-out and assembled the team on the ground.
"What the hell's going on up there!" Lynch demanded.
"One of the bludgers is out for my blood." Harry scowled. "Someone's hexed it, but George doesn't seem to know anything about it. And I trust him. He wouldn't play dirty."
"Have the Slytherins been around the case at all lately?" Asked Timothy Rachett, one of the Beaters.
"Not that I know of. Their last practice was over a week ago." Lynch replied.
"Looks, guys..." Harry began. "Tim and Ellie can't keep circling me. I can't find the Snitch that way... Just smash the stupid bludgers at the Gryffindors. I'll deal with the rogue one if it decides to come after me again. We'll deal with solving the problem after the game's over."
"Are you sure?" Lynch asked.
"Positive. We can't let one little problem ruin our game plans. I'll just have to keep myself moving."
"It won't be easy keeping an eye out for the bludger and the Snitch, Harry." Said Melissa Tracer, a Chaser.
"I know, I know... But there's nothing to be done for it, is there?" Harry said. "Let's get back in the air."
"We're still gonna try keeping it away from you." Ellie Shott, the other Beater, said.
"Well, beat it on down the pitch, then. Just don't concentrate solely on it. Leaves more than one of us open to the other bludger." Harry said.
"And Weasley won't hesitate in using that opening to their advantage." Lynch added.
"Yeah. George may not cheat, but he'll gladly take an opening." Harry agreed.
"Okay, so do we all know what we're going to be doing? Harry will keep after the Snitch as usual. Ellie, Tim, you two keep an eye on the rogue bludger but don't obsess over it. Liss, Carol and I will keep trying to get past their bloody Keeper. Ray, keep watch over the right goal. They're favoring it for some reason." Said Lynch, eyeing each member of the team as he spoke to them.
And that was that. The time-out ended, the Ravenclaw team ascended again, and the game resumed. Harry took up moving in a zig-zag pattern around the field, his eyes darting back and forth rapidly. The rogue bludger was somewhere downfield and Ellie seemed to be trying to hit one of Gryffindor's Chasers with it. The Gryffindor Seeker was lower than Harry was, but his broom was an old Cleansweep model. If push came to shove, Harry would at least have the speed advantage. He just hoped the Snitch would appear high enough to give him a better edge.
The game continued almost normally after that, though Harry did have to dive out of the way of the rogue bludger a few times. Almost half an hour after the time-out had been taken, the Snitch finally decided to reappear. It was sitting just under Gryffindor's Keeper's legs. Oliver Wood didn't seem to notice, either. Neither did their team's Seeker, for that matter.
Harry flattened himself against his broom and took off at top speed across the field, diving into a level position with the Snitch. The Gryffindor Seeker noticed too late and attempted to catch up, but it was no use. Harry's broom was simply too fast. Wood let out a surprised cry and yelled for the Seeker to hurry up, but by that time, Harry's fingers had curled around the fluttering, golden ball.
Cheers erupted from the Ravenclaw stands. Oliver Wood cursed. Harry turned his broom around and was about to soar out towards the rest of his team when he saw the rogue bludger flying at top speed toward him, Ellie and Tim hot on its tail. Harry's eyes bugged out and he quickly pulled his broom into a climb. But he did so too late. The bludger smashed into his right leg, producing a very audible cracking noise from his knee.
Harry cried out in pain and let go of the Snitch, bringing his leg up and clutching a hand over his broken kneecap. Without proper control, his broom began spiralling slowly down to the ground, where Harry rolled off and onto the soft pitch. His breath coming through clenched teeth, Harry barely heard Lynch's panicked cry for him to move. Harry cracked his eyes open and just managed to force himself to roll left. The rogue bludger slammed into the spot where Harry's head had previously been. But it quickly pulled itself from the ground and was about to make a second attempt at caving Harry's skull in when a flurry of spells collided with it. The bludger was rendered flightless, weightless, and covered in boils for some reason. Harry wasn't in the mood to figure out why the last one had even worked.
"We're sorry!" Tim said as he and Ellie landed nearby. "We only noticed after it had shot off at you, though..."
"We couldn't get to it in time..." Ellie added.
"S'alright." Harry hissed, sitting himself up. "But I think it broke a few things in there... Not gonna be able to get to the hospital wing on my own..."
The rest of the Ravenclaw team had landed, circling Harry. Before anyone could suggest how to move him to the hospital wing, however, an all-too-familiar voice broke through.
"Step aside, step aside... let me see the poor boy!"
"Oh god... Not him... Anyone but him!" Harry groaned.
Gilderoy Lockhart stepped through the Ravenclaw team, smiling as if he had just heard a good joke. "Ahh, Harry... Marvelous catch, terrible ending, eh? Now then, I learned a few good healing spells in my travels - important for staying alive, you know. Let me see now... broken bones, broken bones..."
"No, look... Just help me get to Madam Pomfrey. I'm sure--" Harry began.
"Oh, don't be silly." Lockhart said, waving a dismissive hand. "I can help you out perfectly fine. Ah! I remember now..." And with the wave of his wand, the pain in Harry's knee went away.
But so did the rest of the feeling in it.
Blinking, Harry looked down. His leg looked strangely shapeless. Harry tried to move his injured leg, but all he got in return was a sort of sloshing noise. Harry opened his mouth to ask what had just happened, but his brain realized it before he could get any words out.
"You idiot!" Harry cried. "You didn't heal the bones, you REMOVED them!"
Lockhart blinked as well. He picked up Harry's now-boneless leg, lifted it at an odd angle, and let it flop to the ground. Looking slightly nervous now, the man got to his feet. "Yes, well... no harm done! You'll just need to see Madam Pomfrey now, is all!"
"That's what I wanted to do in the first place!" Harry yelled at Lockhart's rapidly-retreating form.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
And that had been that. Lynch and Solieyu, who had taken the field alongside Tonks and several other worried Ravenclaws, had helped Harry 'walk' up to the hospital wing. It had been slow going, as Harry could only hop his way along, despite most of his weight being on his friends.
Tonks had thought the whole situation was rather amusing, and kept prodding and squeezing Harry's deboned limb for awhile. Harry had crossed his arms and allowed himself to brood. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey had come along shortly and made the girl stop. She also made Harry's friends vacate the hospital wing, siting Harry's need for rest. Harry tried objecting, but was overruled by the stern matron rather easily.
Night had now fallen, and Harry had little to do aside from staring at the walls and wishing Fred could talk. He was mentally begging for something - anything - to happen to alleviate his boredom. Unfortunately, fate had once again decided to teach Harry not to wish for things. Moments later, the doors to the hospital wing opened and a number of professors walked in, along with a small body that seemed strangely stiff.
'Damn!' Harry swore mentally. He had pretended to be asleep the moment the doors open. The staff was a good distance away and seemed concentrated on what appeared to be another victim of whatever had gotten Fred and Mrs. Norris, however. 'I need to stop asking for things to happen...'
"Where was she, Albus?" Asked Flitwick in his squeaky voice.
"Near Ravenclaw Tower, I am afraid..." Said Dumbledore, his voice grim.
"So close!" Flitwick gasped. "Are the students inside the Tower safe?"
"They should be, Filius... But Iam worried now. This is the second attack so far... And I have an awful feeling that more are to come..." Said the headmaster.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Asked McGonagall. "Surely there must be some way to guard against this kind of thing..."
"If only it were that easy, Minerva..." Sighed Dumbledore.
Flitwick let out a great sniffle.
"Now now, Filius, everything will be fine in the end. She, like Fred Weasley and Mrs. Norris, was merely petrified." Said Dumbledore comfortingly. "She will be back to normal just as soon as Pomona has the Mandragora crop ready for harvest."
"But still..." Said Flitwick. "She's so young..."
"It seems to strike without care of age, gender, or species." Said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "In any case, I will go inform Poppy. Minerva, if you would be so kind as to escort Filius back to his quarters?"
"Of course. Come along..." Said Minerva, putting a hand on Flitwick's back - it was odd to see her hunched over - and steering him out of the hospital. Dumbledore watched them go, then turned and strided across the room to knock on the door to the nurse's office. A moment later and Harry overheard a hushed conversation that was just quiet enough to be impossible to make out. He had closed his eyes the moment McGonagall and Flitwick had left.
His thoughts were too busy, anyway. Whoever the second victim was, she was female, a Ravenclaw, and either a first or second year, judging by the staff's discussion. Harry tried to push away thoughts that Tonks was laying motionless down the room from him, but he couldn't help but worry. After awhile, the footsteps of the headmaster could be heard moving back across the room. After a brief pause at the bed of the second victim, he too exited the hospital, leaving the room silent once more.
Harry immediately sat up, squinting in the darkness to try and make out who it was that had been brought in. But she was too far away to ascertain any details. Scowling, Harry slipped out of bed, making sure not to put any weight on his bad leg. Madam Pomfrey had given him some Skele-Grow to take earlier, and his whole leg was hurting something fierce as bone fragments regrew themselves.
A slow hopping journey later and Harry was at the girl's bedside, panting slightly from the exertion. After he had caught his breath, he peered in closer to see who it was. When he found out, he grimaced. It wasn't Tonks, but...
With a sigh, Harry made his way back to his own bed. Once laying down again, he gazed across the room. A Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor. Harry couldn't help but wonder if a Hufflepuff was next.
He wasn't looking forward to seeing the news spread. Hopefully, he could escape the hospital wing early the next day to tell the others before any announcements were made over breakfast. Harry had the distinct feeling that, despite how he felt about the girl, Solieyu would take the news rather badly.
After all, Luna Lovegood did seem to have a thing for him.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Later that night, Harry was awakened by a strange noise. Certainly a noise that wasn't normal in a wizarding school's hospital in the dead of night, anyway. Harry reached for his glasses and, quickly slipping them on, gaped at what he saw.
At the foot of his bed was the hunched, whimpering form of Dobby the house elf.
"YOU!" Harry growled, anger flaring inside of him. "What are YOU doing here!"
Dobby cringed, shrinking back even further. "Dobby was simply checking on Harry Potter..." He said, grabbing at his ears. "Dobby did not think Harry Potter would still be here..."
"My leg's got no bones in it. I can't exactly hobble off." Harry muttered.
"Dobby was so sure his bludger would result in Harry Potter leaving Hogwarts." Said the house elf, staring forlornly at the bedsheets.
"Your bludger! You hexed it to follow me around! Why! Why have you been tormenting me ever since summer! Are you trying to get me killed? Because you're doing a bloody fine job so far!" Harry hissed, trying not to yell outright. He didn't want Madam Pomfrey on his case.
"Not kill... never kill, Harry Potter, sir..." Dobby murmured, shaking his head. "But... bad things is happening at Hogwarts... and Harry Potter must not get involved...!"
"Bad things...?" Harry echoed. His eyes darted left to the curtain hiding Fred Weasley, then across the room at the bed Luna Lovegood was laying motionless in. "...You know what's doing this, don't you? You didn't do this to them, did you!"
"What? No! No, what did this is... is..." Dobby faltered, his mouth opening and closing soundlessly. His head jerked around in several directions and, spotting the bottle of Skele-Grow nearby, grabbing it and began pummelling himself in the head with it.
"What are you doing! Be quiet! Madam Pomfrey's going to hear you!" Harry ground out through clenched teeth. It was very difficult dealing with a house elf, Harry decided.
"Dobby was about to speak bad things about his master... oh, stupid Dobby! Bad Dobby!" Moaned the house elf, winding up for another session of beating his own head in. But Harry shot an arm out and grabbed the Skele-Grow bottle away from him.
"Dobby, calm down! Okay... Okay, so you can't say anything bad about your master... I assume he has something to do with this, then. And I'm guessing I can't ask anything about who he is or you'll start injuring yourself again, right?" Harry asked.
The house elf nodded, rubbing his forehead.
"Okay..." Harry said, sitting back and idly tapping a finger on the bottle slowly. "So... Whoever your master is... he's involved in... whatever the hell's petrifying my friends. You're obviously going behind his back to 'warn' me..." Here, Harry glared at Dobby before continuing, "...and...that still doesn't give me any useful information. Damn."
"Harry Potter must leave Hogwarts..." Dobby said, quietly. "This is only the beginning, sir... much worse things is to be happening... and Harry Potter must not be around..."
"I won't leave my friends and this school to be overrun by... whatever's doing this to them." Harry said.
"...Harry Potter is a brave wizard, yes... But Dobby fears bravery won't help in the end..." Said Dobby.
"And why's that?"
"Dobby cannot say." Said Dobby, ears lowering as he looked up at Harry. "Dobby has already said too much. If Dobby's master ever finds out, Dobby will be tortured... or worse..."
"You say that like it's happened to you before." Harry noted.
"Dobby is punished almost daily..." Said the creature, nodding. "But Dobby has never been this bad before..."
"So why 'warn' me?" Harry asked, shooting another glare Dobby's way. "Why bother? Why me!"
"Because Harry Potter is a great wizard, sir... Greater than even he knows, perhaps... Harry Potter must not be endangered here! Harry Potter must leave!"
Dobby cried.
The light in Madam Pomfrey's office turned on, causing both elf and human to freeze and look towards it. Harry quickly slammed the bottle of Skele-Grow back on the table beside the bed. He turned back to tell Dobby to leave... But the house elf was already gone.
Just as well, because a few seconds later, the door to the nurse's office opened. "What is all the commotion out here about!" She demanded.
"Uh... n-nothing!" Harry said, quickly. "My leg's just... really, really hurting is all... I didn't mean to yell, but..."
Sighing, Madam Pomfrey ducked back into her office for a moment, coming back out with a small vial of liquid, which she handed to Harry. "Here, then. It'll help you sleep. The pain can't be numbed away, since the ingredients for something like that would have an adverse effect on those in the Skele-Grow. But this is perfectly fine for you."
"Thanks." Said Harry, drinking the contents. "Sorry for waking you up."
Madam Pomfrey waved a hand dismissively as she turned and headed back to her office. "I'm a mediwitch, it's my job. Now get some rest, Mr. Potter."
"Yes, ma'am." Harry said, setting the vial down next to the Skele-Grow and removing his glasses. At least he hadn't told a complete lie. His leg was hurting quite a bit. It felt like a lot of very large splinters were moving around under the skin, a distinctly eerie feeling to be sure.
Laying back, Harry stared up at the ceiling and waited for the potion's effects to kick in. As he did, he tried fitting more pieces of the puzzle together. But a sleeping potion does little to clear one's mind and, before Harry could fit a single piece together with the rest of it, he had drifted off.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
A few days later, Harry was sitting up in the Raven's Nest doing his homework. He often went there for some peace and quiet, and today was no exception. The last few days hadn't been easy, for he or anyone else in Ravenclaw. News quickly spread about Luna winding up like Fred. Solieyu had been in to visit the girl every day since. Even more talk spread, as well. Students began spreading more rumors over Harry being the Heir of Slytherin, despite numerous attempts at trying to reason with them.
People were starting to part when he passed by again. Harry absolutely hated that and would have done something in retaliation...but that would have only further convinced several people. So he kept his distance and began isolating himself as often as he could. Which basically meant holing up in the Nest and trying not to think too hard. And, being a Ravenclaw, Harry found that incredibly hard to do.
He knew he wasn't the Heir of Slytherin. Tonks and Solieyu knew he wasn't. George Weasley knew he wasn't. Even Draco Malfoy didn't think Harry was the Heir of Slytherin. But that was for an entirely different reason altogether. Harry knew he shouldn't, but couldn't help wishing that whatever was claiming students would go after the blonde idiot next.
Tonks eventually found him, staring off into space rather than working on his Transfiguration essay. After watching him stare out at the clouds for a few minutes, she finally prodded him sharply in the arm. This worked, as Harry blinked and let out a quiet 'ow' as he rubbed the poked area. "Oh...Hi, Tonks. Been here long?"
"Long enough." Said the girl, raising an eyebrow. "What's with you?"
"Daydreaming." Harry replied, blandly.
"Oh, come off it." Tonks said, leaning back on her arms. "You really shouldn't let those idiots' rumors get to you like that. Hiding yourself away is only making them worse, you know. They say you're plotting who to exact your revenge on next."
Harry snorted. "'Next'? And what, exactly, was my reasoning for petrifying Fred and Luna?"
"Well, popular vote says that Fred hit you with a particularly nasty prank and Luna was just irritating enough for you to want her out of your hair." Tonks said.
"Bet that one isn't sitting well with Leon." Harry commented.
"Yeah, poor guy... I think she really grew on him, you know? She was cute, in a 'drives-you-insane' sort of way. Ever see her following him around like a lost puppy? It was absolutely adorable. Leon tried so hard not to notice, too." Tonks said, grinning.
"Tonks..."
"Yeah?"
"Back when I was regrowing my legbones... guess who paid me another visit?"
Tonks tilted her head. Harry had definitely seemed odd ever since leaving the hospital wing, but he hadn't stated the reason for it.
"I'll give you a hint." Harry continued. "He was indirectly responsible for my showing up at your house a bloody mess over summer."
"That house elf!"
"Exactly."
"How'd he get there? I thought you couldn't apparate onto Hogwarts grounds."
Harry sighed. "House elf magic must be strong enough to break through the wards on the place. I dunno. Anyway, he couldn't say anything directly, but he did give me some food for thought..."
Launching into the story of what he and Dobby had talked about that night, Harry threw his quill down in frustration. "It's just so damned annoying! It's like the whole picture is staring me in the face and I just can't see it! There are so many little pieces scattered around and I hate not being able to make any sense of them all...!"
Slipping an arm around Harry's shoulders, Tonks offered him a squeeze. "Shame we can't go and ask Malfoy if he's got any information on it, huh?"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Oh yeah, you haven't been around much. Sorry. It's just that the little blonde idiot's been sauntering around telling everyone how wrong they've been. He says he knows who the Heir of Slytherin really is."
"Probably just a load of crap." Harry scowled. "Since when has Malfoy known anything?"
"Dunno. But he seems so damned sure of himself this time. He's been rubbing the attacks in the faces of us and the Gryffindors. I wish there was a way we could go and ask him directly. But fat chance he'd tell us, huh?" Tonks said, making a face.
But Harry's eyes were darting about. Tonks knew that look all too well. It meant that something had registered as useful in Harry's mind and he was in the middle of trying to work something out. Sure enough, a grin slowly spread on his face.
"Tonks, you're absolutely brilliant!" He declared.
"...Yes, I believe you've told me that in the past." Nodded Tonks. "But what am I brilliant for now?"
"We're going to get Malfoy to tell us what he knows." Said Harry.
"...And just why would he tell us anything?" Asked Tonks.
"Because he won't know it's us."
"Say what?"
"Are we Metamorphmagi or aren't we?" Said Harry, his mouth halfway between a grin and a devious smirk.
Tonks' eyes suddenly lit up. "Ooh, you want to try a full facial change? Harry, that's tough stuff! I've been practicing a lot longer than you have and..."
"I know, but... it doesn't have to be right away, does it? Christmas is just around the corner. I'm betting on Malfoy staying here like he did last year.
So all we need to do is find out which Slytherins are hanging around, too. then we... I dunno, we distract a couple of them for awhile, take their looks,
and try getting some information out of the Grande Royal Sod."
"...If we don't know who we're gonna be, how do we practice, Harry?" Tonks asked.
"Um... That's a very good question. I think we need to see if George can help us on this. I'm sure he could get a list of who's staying this year..." Harry said.
"How do you figure?"
"He's George." Harry said, blinking. "Him and Fred can seem to get their hands on anything if it's needed badly enough."
"...You have a point. Okay, I'm in. Should we go wrangle Leon away from his bedside vigil and fill him in?"
"Probably. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help provide a distraction." Harry said, gathering his belongings and packing them away. "Let's go. We really don't have any time to waste on this..."
And with that, Tonks and Harry headed through the trapdoor and out of the Raven's Nest.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Ach! No one smite me! I figured having everyone's favorite loonie as the second victim would make the defeat of the basilisk even more satisfying and such. I checked through TPS's Christmas chapter and didn't see any mention of whether or not Malfoy had or hadn't stayed for Christmas then, so... I hope I didn't just plothole myself. I don't think I did. I should also probably apologize for the bland Quidditch match. There's a reason I don't write those things. Ugh.
Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay. Blame my getting all of Azumanga Daioh combined with a Grand Theft Auto - San Andreas speed run appearing within about a week of one another. But the chapter's longer than usual, so I hope that makes up for it. The next chapter's gonna be a spectacular headache, so it might take some time, too. I might have to pad it with a bit of amusing Metamorphmagus Training, but I don't think anyone'd mind. And I figure Harry's good enough at whatever he does that it wouldn't take too long once he really gets the hang of it. So no one shake a finger at me for having him catch up to Tonks. I've got THAT taken care of, too. He isn't going to be nearly as good at Tonks... and that's all I'll say about THAT plot point.
Anyway... Feel free to guess what saved Luna from the basilisk's deadly gaze if you want. I'm keeping record of victims and what kept them safe, so all will be explained eventually.
That's it from me. I'm-a go get through some more of that stuff to watch that I mentioned above. Sooner I do, sooner I get to the giant headache of Chapter 11 - Infiltration.
Post-Edit Notes: Good lord, this chapter's not gonna turn out well here. There was a LOT of question mark-exclamation point usage in the Harry vs Dobby scene... and given how FFN loves editing out one or the other when they're used side by side... Anyway, if something looks off, that's why. I also hope FFN hasn't done anything else to give me a headache. I hate this new login format and all the other changes. Bah!
Post-Edit Edit Notes: Yeah, FFN removed them all again, even though I added them back. God dammit, I hate this site. I'm officially going looking for some other site to upload my fics to, because FFN's trying my patience. All these idiotic, pointless changes and they can't fix THAT? Bullcrap.