CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MYRTLE AND"PEE PEE'S"
Harry sat by the Common Room fire along with Hermione and Ron. They were now alone since they went up to Gryffindor Tower early while the other Gryffindors were still having dinner downstairs. The night sky visible through the parted red curtain windows was breathtaking yet a coldness blew from it. It was as if it was foreshadowing something dark and ominous.
"So," said Hermione as she sat on the floor beside the couches near the fireplace. "What now? Snape is dead."
"I don't know," said Harry, who was sitting on the couch. "Snape's really important to the Order. Now, we don't have a spy. We need to do something."
"Yeah, but were at a dead end as well. We don't know how to get a Dementor to cooperate with us. We don't know where Hufflepuff's Cup is. We don't know where the Muggle Minister's Eye is. We're stuck."
"Yeah. Well, we need to work with what we know at the moment," said Harry. "We need to think clearer. First, about the Horcruxes, we know that the Minister's eye is one. Where could Voldemort have hidden it?"
"Nagini's pretty special to Voldemort. So, if the eye is Nagini's replacement, it must be hidden somewhere that can serve tribute to Nagini. We know Voldemort doesn't just do things out of no reason. If that wasn't so, he would have gotten an ordinary teapot and make it into a Horcurx. But no, he uses important things that show his intent and malice. If there is a place he would have hidden the eye, it will be some sort of symbol, a tribute to Nagini."
"Stop blabbering and tell us where this place is!" said Ron finally as he lied down on the couch opposite the one Harry was sitting on.
"I don't know where it is," said Hermione as she glared at Ron. "Maybe we'd make more progress if you would just think and brainstorm with us once in a while."
"That's the problem with you!" retorted Ron. "You're always thinking. Even though something is so simple, you can't resist trying to make things more complicated by thinking. You're mental!"
"Alright guys, stop!" said Harry in a tone louder than usual just before Hermione was about to speak back against Ron. "We can't solve anything like this. We'll just have to think where this place is."
Suddenly, the portrait opened and several Gryffindors entered the Common Room, forcing Ron and Hermione to give up their argument. They just walked towards some of their friends and chatted with them. After all, it was a Friday night, so they could afford to not study at all that evening.
Sunday morning's arrival was signaled by the chirps of birds from outside. Harry woke up and was looking at a bright sunny day. When he checked his watch, he realized it was already eleven in the morning. Surprised at how late he was to wake up, he stood up and saw that the other four-posters were empty. He was alone in the dormitory.
After dressing up and getting prepared, he walked down the stairs and into a bustling Common Room. Everyone was talking excitedly about something and Harry did not know what it was. He saw Neville and Dean talking animatedly while Ginny and boyfriend Donovan were conversing silently about something interesting. Harry walked his way through the crowd in the room and found Hermione and Ron talking together.
"So, guys," said Harry as he approached Hermione and Ron. "What is all this talk going on? What happened?"
"Well, they just found out that Snape is dead. So since we already know this, well, its not news to us," answered Hermione.
"Here," said Ron as he pushed a plate of toast into Harry's hands. "We brought you breakfast. You slept a lot huh…"
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Harry. "Well, let's go."
They went out of the Common Room and outside the castle where the sky was glorious. The weather was cool but not cold, just a mild comfortable warmth. The sky was blue and clear and the lake was as flat and glasslike as ever. They walked towards a big oak tree and sat under it.
"Hey, Ron," said Harry as he sat on the grass. "Ginny and Donovan are together now huh…"
"Yeah," said Ron as he watched some ants trailing one after another. "He seems a nice guy."
"Ok. So, Christmas is coming up. Are you guys staying here?" asked Harry, who was now almost lying down on the grass.
"I don't know yet," said Ron. "Mum hasn't told me or Ginny if we are to go home. But if we are, you guys could stay with us."
Suddenly, they saw from afar a boy with blonde hair. The boy was very familiar, walking by the other side of the field.
"Who's that?" asked Ron. "He looks familiar."
"Slytherin," said Hermione. "His robes are green. But who is… Oh, no."
"Why?" asked Harry as he squinted his eyes to see better. "Who is it?"
"You don't want to know."
"Who is it Hermione!" said Ron demandingly.
"Its Malfoy," answered Hermione. "I guess he's back."
"Oh no…" said Harry. "But at least we know someone who knows more stuff about Voldemort. Malfoy is a Death Eater, right… So I guess we can ask him about some stuff."
"He isn't stupid enough to tell us," said Hermione.
"I know, but we probably can do something so he would be fooled and tell. Maybe, Polyjuice Potion again?"
"Haha, no. I might turn into a rat this time instead of a cat like in second year."
"But think of how much we can get out of Malfoy!"
Hermione looked at the walking Malfoy from afar and stared. "Fine," she said. "And I know just who to turn into."
That day, they walked towards the library where Madam Pince was busy arranging all the books some First Years knocked over. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked through the library and into the Potions section, they found themselves a table and sat on the chairs. Hermione then bustled over at a bookshelf and pulled out a leather bound, tattered, old book. She walked back towards the table and placed it on the surface. She then sat down.
"So," whispered Hermione as she flipped over the leather case. "This is the book I used for making the Polyjuice Potion years ago."
She then reached for her school bag and unzipped it. She looked for a spare bit of parchment and a quill and started to copy the ingredients list and the procedures written on the book. Once done, she returned the book and folded neatly the piece or parchment and then she inserted it into her bag.
"So," whispered Hermione as they walked out of the library with Madam Pince staring at them. "It will, again, take a month to brew. Let's go to the Girl's Lavatory later, to brew it, okay?"
"Yeah…" said Harry and Ron simultaneously. "But is Moaning Myrtle still there?" added Harry, hoping that the ghost would either not be there or have gotten over her crush on him.
"Yes, she is still there. Sorry, Harry," said Hermione. "For now, we need to get some ingredients. I'll go get them. You two just do whatever you want. Later, tonight, we start brewing it, okay?" with that, Hermione walked away to gather the ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion.
Day melted into night, introducing yet again the fall chill as winter draws nearer. The leaves outside were not green but in shades of red, yellow, and orange but were shadowed by the darkness of night. The clocks around the castle struck, as it did every hour, eleven o' clock, prompting Harry, Ron, Hermione to go down towards the abandoned girls' bathroom.
"I got everything we need," said Hermione as she, Harry, and Ron walked out of the portrait hole from the Common Room. "I got some bottles of snail wax, rubber tree sap, spider legs, and all the other stuff."
"Shh!" hissed Ron. "Keep quiet. Filch might see us and you know him, always skulking around asking other peoples' businesses."
"Fine!" hissed back Hermione.
They continued to walk down the Grand Staircase onto the floor where the abandoned lavatory was located. As they turned right towards the hallway, they heard a distinct meow. They turned their heads and saw Mrs. Norris lingering down the path.
"Its Mrs. Norris!" said Hermione. "We better run!"
They started to run, their cloaks fluttering by behind them. They avoided the obvious path to the girls' bathroom and rounded up in one of the secret passages they knew of. A longer path yet a safer one was what they took. They went up the stairs to a floor above the level where the lavatory was and went to the end of the corridor. There, a portrait of a pimpled witch was snoring on a couch with grapes all around her. They looked at the portrait and said "Grape wine" and suddenly, the portrait lifted, revealing a secret passage. They walked through the portrait and were in a staircase lined up with unlit torches and old, webbed book shelves set against lichen and mold infested stone walls. They whipped out their wands and said "Lumos!" to produce some light through the darkness and continued to go down one level of the stairs. There, another portrait was hanging on the wall. They said the password, which was "Vine whistle," and went through the portrait, leading them into the same hallway where Mrs. Norris was but in the opposite end. They ran through the corridor and entered the lavatory at last.
The lavatory was still very much the same as before. There were the faucets that were set by the walls and another group of faucets encircling a pillar. Beyond this was a wide corridor lined with wooden cubicles painted with peeling white paint and a round window on the upper portion of the wall.. Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally settled on a spot on the floor, near the faucet-enclosed pillar, and sat on the floor.
Hermione placed all the materials for making the potion on the floor. She then placed a small cauldron on the center and started top pour in some ingredients. She then started a flame with a flick of her wand and soon, bubbles started to appear on the thick liquid within the cauldron.
"This will be ready in a month, like before," said Hermione as she stirred clockwise. "For the meantime, I'll try to find hairs of Pansy Parkinson."
"Her!" said Ron and Harry in unison. "You're going to turn into Pansy Parkinson?"
"Yes," said Hermione matter-of-factly. "Don't you see, Malfoy tells her everything."
"You've got a point, but still," said Ron. "Pansy…. Ick!"
Harry just smiled. He stood up and started to walk around. He went to the cubicles and stepped into one. He started to unzip his pants and urinated on one of the toilet bowls. He smiled as he did so, thinking that it was his first time to use the girls' bathroom. As he did his thing, a head suddenly popped out of the toilet bowl where Harry was urinating on, making him jump and causing urine to go all over the place. Of course, Harry got wet but the owner of the head—Moaning Myrtle—was unaffected. Myrtle pulled herself out of the toilet bowl and smiled a green smile.
"Ahh, Potty, using the girls' bathroom are we…" said Myrtle.
Harry stepped out of the cubicle and walked towards Hermione and Ron while wiping his urine laden hands on his robes. "Myrtle, you startled me! Look at what you made me do!" said Harry, pointing to his wet pants.
"Hmmm, Harry peed his pants? Last time, when you were in the Prefects' Bathroom, you were worried that I would see your pee pee… Haha, I saw it just there, in the cubicle!" sniggered Myrtle.
Harry just waved his wand upon himself and said "Scourgify," cleaning his robes immediately. Hermione and Ron though, at the sound of the word pee pee, slightly laughed.
"Don't worry, Harry," said Myrtle. "You have a nice pee pee. The boy who lived certainly has excellent equipment beneath those pair of pants."
Hermione was unable to contain herself and suddenly laughed out loud at what Myrtle said.
Harry just ignored her and started to go to the faucets encircling the pillar and washed his hands. As he turned the faucet on, he noticed the snake engraving on the knob. He stared at it, for a revelation just exploded in his mind.
"Guys!" said Harry immediately. "I think I might know where the Ministers' Eye is. Think about it. Where else could Voldemort hide the eye, the replacement of his treasured snake? What place could honor and play as tribute to that snake?"
"What, Harry," asked Hermione, now serious.
"The house of the biggest snake of all. The house of the dead Basilisk. The Chamber of Secrets," answered Harry as he held on to the snake engraving on the faucet knob—the entrance to the chamber.
END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN