I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. I am glad to see that people enjoyed the previous chapter. People have also given me their views and ideas about the idea of either Harry or James becoming a Werewolf or Vampire and I understand those views. Whether this side plot will happen, is still in the air.
Anyway, this chapter took a little longer to write. I had to do a lot of clean up, as I have another House Evaluator coming later in the day, so this chapter took a little bit of a back seat, though I made sure to write a little bit every night. I think though, it payed off, as we have, what I think, is the longest chapter in the story so far. A chapter which is full of nothing but story. Yes, no filler. None. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you at the end.
Chapter 19
Investigation and Harrys missing arm
There was shock across all the students in the corridor. All of them looked at the writing and the still form of Mrs Norris, before they looked at the Trio and Astoria in fear. Harry grew slightly nervous as the stares continued.
"'Enemies of the Heir beware'" Malfoy smirked, as he looked at Mrs Norris, before he looked towards Hermione Granger and a few others "You'll be next Mudbloods!"
Hermione looked confused, whilst James rolled his eyes. Could Malfoy make himself seem anymore suspicious. It was then when he heard a voice which made him wince, as he feared what was going to happen.
"What are you all standing around for, go on out the way, out the way!" The rough voice of Filch spoke, as he made his way through the crowd, where he saw the Trio standing in the center "Ah, Potter, what are you and your…"
His voice trailed when he saw Mrs Norris hanging from the light fixture.
"Mrs Norris" He said in a pained voice, before he snarled at Harry "You…murdered my cat!"
"No…No I didn't…" Harry replied
"I'll kill you" Filch said, as he approached Harry
"Filch, it wasn't him" James said, getting in the way
Filch just pushed him out of the way, where he then grabbed Harry by the lapels of his robes.
"I'll kill you!" He yelled
"Argus!" Dumbledore called out, as he and McGonagall appeared "Argus, I…"
He stopped, when he saw the sight before him, where James noticed his eyes widened slightly, in fear, before they relaxed.
"Everyone, return to your dormitories immediatley" He said, before he turned to the Trio and Astoria "Except you lot…I'll need you to stay behind"
The students slowly began to make their way back to their dorms, where Harry looked at all the professors that stayed behind. He felt the air was thick with tension and he felt his heart beating faster, wondering what was about to happen. He watched as Dumbledore approached Mrs Norris, checking her over.
"She is not dead Argus" He said, which caused "Though she has been petrified"
"Ah, I thought so!" Lockhart said "So unlucky I wasn't there, I know exactly the counter curse that would have saved her!"
Everyone present looked at Lockhart with a mix of doubt and raised eyebrows, which caused Lockhart to look at them awkwardly. James, in particular looked at Lockhart, like he was chatting shit, which he obviously was.
"Though, how she has been petrified I cannot say" Dumbledore continued, his voice slightly shaky
"Ask him!" Filch exclaimed, pointing to Harry "He's the one who done it, you saw what he has written on the wall"
"I didn't do it Professor, I swear" Harry spoke quickly, where James placed a hand on his shoulder, to calm him "I never touched Mrs Norris…None of us did!"
"Rubbish!" Filch snarled
"If I may" Snape spoke up "I believe they had nothing to do with it, they were unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time…however, I would like to ask them their reasons for leaving dinner early"
"We were in the library Professor" Harry replied "We were studying, until it was nearly curfew…we were heading back to the Common Room when we came across Mrs Norris"
"Innocent until proven guilty" Dumbledore spoke up "Without proof of them harming Mrs Norris, we cannot take action on them, or anyone until we know who the culprit is"
"My cat has been petrified!" Filch exclaimed "I WANT TO SEE SOME PUNISHMENT!"
"Believe me Argus we will be able to cure her" Dumbledore replied calmly, as he gestured to Professor Sprout "As I understand it, Professor Sprout has a very healthy growth of Mandrakes, a cure will be made to revive Mrs Norris, in the meantime, I strongly recommend caution to all, I ask that Heads of House inform the same to the students in their dorms to be careful, until we can find out what we are dealing with…off you go"
…
The next morning, everything was tense. Throughout the Great Hall, students looked at Harry, James, Daphne and Astoria, in fear. Though they had been told everything by the professors, there was still some doubt, especially as there were found at the scene. Uncomfortable and scared of the looks that were being sent her way, Astoria chose to keep close the Trio, at least, until everything died down. Harry, himself, was quite uneasy with the staring. It was like his sorting, with everyone staring at him, when he was sorted into Slytherin. James and Daphne ignored the stares. While it did bother them, they knew it will stop soon. People were scared and people think irrationally when it comes to fear. However, one student, Ron Weasley glared, and sneered at James and Harry, as if he wasn't surprised that they petrified Mrs Norris, even though they didn't. It was that moment, when they were approached by the Twins, Susan, Neville, Luna and Tracey.
"Hello guys" James said "I see you haven't been scared off"
"Please" Susan scoffed "Like we believe that you opened whatever the 'Chamber of Secrets' is"
"Yeah mate" Fred spoke up "We have none you long enough to know…"
"You aren't that kind of person" George continued
"The same for the rest of you, of course" Fred added
The small group smiled at the twins, though Astoria was slightly disorientated at their twins speak, before Neville spoke up.
"What do you think petrified Mrs Norris?" He asked
"I don't know, but it seemed to scare Dumbledore" James replied, as he turned to Susan "That reminds me, I think you should send a letter to your Aunt, tell her what's happened…you can use Loki if you wish"
"I was going to do that after lessons today" Susan nodded "no doubt she'll do something about it"
"So you really don't know what might've caused it?" Tracey asked
"It had to have been a creature of some kind" Daphne replied "There is no spell known to have those kind of effects on a person"
"Indeed" James nodded "I was planning to start researching with books in the library, as well as books my family owns"
"Would you like some help?" Luna asked "My family often investigate and research all kinds of Magical Creatures, I'm sure we have some books you can use"
"That would be appreciated Luna, thanks" James smiled
It was then, when Harry noticed someone enter the Great Hall. The red hair told him it was Ginny, however, she didn't look so good. She was incredibly pale, with dark rings around her eyes and she looked exhausted.
"Hey guys" He said to the Twins "Is your sister okay?"
"Ginny?" They asked in unison, as they looked in her direction "Why do you ask?"
"She doesn't look so good" Harry replied "You might want to check on her, make sure she is okay"
"We'll do that" Fred nodded
"Thanks for the heads up" George added, as they walked off
"Do you think their sister is okay?" Astoria asked
"I'm sure she is fine" Daphne nodded "Probably just scared like everyone else"
"Can't blame her either" Tracey spoke up "I just hope her brothers look out for her"
"That is a brothers job" James nodded
…
Over the next couple of weeks, things did not improve. Malfoy was walking around exclaiming proudly, how Muggleborns and Halfbloods were going to be removed from the school, making the younger years walk around in large groups, not wanting to go about alone. It saddened Pansy's heart seeing the fear she saw on the faces of First Years. Malfoys words didn't help with things either. Seeing as he never said anything in the presence of a professor, he never got in trouble for it. She was startled though, as she was pulled into an empty classroom. She was about to pull out her wand and start hexing, when she saw who it was, holding their hands up in a peaceful manner.
"I swear to Merlin Badger" she said "You do something like that again, I will actually hex you!"
"I do apologise Parkinson" James said, as he put his hands in his pockets "I did not mean to scare you, but I do need your assistance"
"Oh" Pansy perked up "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I need you to spy on Malfoy" James replied
"Really?" Pansy asked, surprised "May I know why?"
"I want you to find out what he knows about the Chamber of Secrets" James answered
"You think he has anything to do with it?"
"Honestly…No" James sighed "But you know who his father was, and still is"
"I think everyone does" Pansy sighed in return "I guess there is no one else?"
"No" James shook his head "Besides, you are perfect for the job…after all, he barely notices you presence half the time, you said so yourself"
"I guess you're right" Pansy nodded "Okay, I'll do it…maybe then you can help me with the betrothal between me and him?"
"I'm sure I'll find a way" James smiled
"I know you will" Pansy smiled back, as she made her way out of the room "if I find out anything, I'll let you know"
…
It was later on in the day, when the Trio found themselves sat in their next Transfiguration Class, where they were given the task to turn their animals into water goblets. There was laughter all across the classroom, when Ron tried the spell and his goblet turned all furry with a tail, thankfully Neville avoided something similar thanks to studying with the Trio. When the laughter died down, James and Daphne shared a look of unspoken agreement, where James raised his hand up.
"Yes, Mr Badger?" McGonagall spoke
"Professor, forgive me" James said "I was hoping you could tell us about, the Chamber of Secrets"
The whole classroom immediatley went silent. Even though James had Pansy spying on Malfoy to see if she can find out anything, they still needed to find information about the Chamber itself. James and Daphne had done some investigation, with the help of Luna, in the library to see if they can find any information as to what the creature may be that petrified Mrs Norris. So far, their results came back void and, with how large the library was, they still had a lot of investigation to do. They hoped that any information they could find from a Professor or someone else, could help narrow it down.
"Very well" McGonagall replied in a shaky breath, after a moment of silence "You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded, well over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards, of the age…Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw….and Salazar Slytherin…now three of the founders coexisted quite harmoniously…one did not"
"Three guesses who" Dean Thomas said softly
"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students accepted into Hogwarts" McGonagall nodded to Dean "He believed, magical learning should be kept within all magical families…in other words, Purebloods…unable to sway the others opinions, he decided to leave the school…though, according to legend, Salazar Slytherin had built a hidden chamber somewhere in this castle, known today, as the Chamber of Secrets, though shortly before departing, he sealed it…until a long time later, when his own true heir returned to this school…only the heir alone, would be able to open the Chamber and release the horror hidden within, and purge the school of all those who, in Slytherins view, were unworthy to study magic"
"Those would be Muggleborns, right?" Daphne asked, which McGonagall nodded
"Of course, the school has been searched many times" She continued "and every single time, the chamber was never found"
James found that hard to believe. True, there were possibly many secrets hidden within the castle walls, but someone had to have come across it at some point. Unless, there were some spells, or wards stopping people from finding it.
"Professor" He spoke up "Does the legend say anything about what lies within the chamber?"
Professor McGonagall looked hesitant to speak, but did so, after taking a moment to collect herself.
"The chamber, is said to be home to something that only the heir of Slytherin, can control" She replied "It is said to be the home, of a monster…though what that monster is, no one can say"
…
The information that they were given wasn't as much as James were hoping. Though they knew what the Chamber was and that their theory on a creature being the culprit to what happened to Mrs Norris, there wasn't much to go on for what the creature was. Though they knew it was only something the Heir of Slytherin could control, there were many creatures that could only be controlled by certain individuals, so it didn't really help. As they were walking down the corridors, they were stopped by a certain red head.
"I don't even know why you bother pretending"
The group turned to see Ron Weasley approaching them, a sneer on his face. Seeing that James had a tired look on his face, Harry spoke up.
"What are you talking about Ron?" He asked
"You know" Ron snarled "Everyone saw what you did, there is no point in pretending"
"We didn't do anything Ron" Harry sighed
"Yeah, you keep saying that Potter!" Ron replied "It's only a matter of time, I don't know how, but I will prove to everyone that it was you!"
Ron walked away, shoving Harrys shoulder as he did so, which made Harry glare at Ron's back, as he disappeared round the corner.
"Git" Daphne said as he was no longer in view "How his brothers can stand him I'll never know"
"Should we be worried about him doing something?" Harry asked
"No" James replied "He is an idiot…he doesn't have the intelligence to pass a class, let alone come up with a plan…plus, he will probably forget about it, when he sees his next plate of food"
Harry couldn't help but laugh. He may not know Ron personally. But what he has seen and heard of the boy, that seemed accurate.
…
It was the week after and Harry was zooming around the pitch, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Golden Snitch. Not much had happened, since they learnt more about the Chamber of Secrets. Amelia had sent a reply. Apparently the Aurors were stretched thin right now and they couldn't spare any to investigate, though she did say if it happens again she, and the Minister, will call back anyone they can and take action. Until then, they remained cautious. Harry stopped in the middle of the pitch, where he took a moment to look around. He hadn't been able to see a single hint of the Snitch, so decided to spend a moment or two to look around, whilst staying in one spot. After a second, he noticed a Bludger heading towards him and he immediatley flew out of the way. However, the Bludger immediatley turned round and headed back towards him, so Harry flew off, where he then realised it was following him.
…
Back up in the stands, everyone began noticing what was happening. Malfoy, in particular, looked pleased with what was happening, as he believed it was Harry's fault for him not landing a place on the team. Hagrid, who was standing with James, Daphne and Astoria, wanting to keep close to them, as he felt an urge to keep them safe, considering the latest news, was looking through a pair of binoculars looking at what was going on for himself.
"Blimey!" He exclaimed "Harry is being chased by a rogue Bludger! That has been tampered with!"
"Do you think you can help him?" Astoria asked James
"No, not without hurting Harry" James replied "Especially at the speed their flying….I am feeling a massive sense of Déjà vu"
…
Back on the pitch, Harry tried his best to out fly the Bludger chasing him. He was more then confused, as to why the Bludger was chasing him. For whatever the reason, it was determined, as it flew straight throw parts of the stands and even the pitch, breaking through wood and dirt. Eventually he was able to shake it off, as he sharply flew up, narrowly avoiding the stands, where the Bludger flew straight through it, leaving a big hole in the stands. After taking a moment, to confirm that the Bludger was not going to burst back out, he turned back to the pitch, where he saw Gryffindors Seeker chasing after the Snitch, having used Harry being chased as a chance to grab it.
Immediatley, Harry shot after them, his faster broom helping him catch up easier. The Gryffindor Seeker noticed Harry's arrival, but kept his attention on the Snitch, as it flew ahead of them. It was then, ahead of them, the Bludger burst through the stands, heading towards them. The two of them quickly flew in separate directions, to avoid it. Unfortunately for the Gryffindor Seeker, they turned too quickly causing them to lose control and crash onto the ground. Harry was able to keep himself steady and got back on course. He held his hand out, hoping to catch the Snitch. However, the Bludger crept up on him and slammed into his outstretched arm, causing Harry to yell out slightly, as he felt the bones in his arm break. Having no other choice, he reached out with his other arm, keeping his broken arm close so his chest, in order to catch the Snitch. He was so close now, his fingers were practically brushing against the golden metal. However, the pain in his arm was proving too much so, with on last effort, he lunged forward to grab the Snitch, just as he fell off his broom, falling a few feet to the ground. He slowly rolled onto his back, where the Snitch seemed to glow in his hand.
"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch!" Lee Jordans voice rang "Slytherin wins!"
Despite the pain, Harry smiled at the Snitch in his hands, until he saw the Bludger coming at him again. He moved to avoid it, as it continued to slam on the ground, in hopes of hitting him. Thankfully James and Daphne appeared, with Daphne firing a finite incantatem at the Bludger, whereas James fired a spell Harry was familiar with, both the spells combined, causing the Bludger to blow up into little pieces. Harry slowly sat up, as several students and professors ran to him, with James and Daphne kneeling beside him and Hagrid standing by.
"Are you okay Harry?" Daphne asked
"No" Harry said weakly "My…my arm is broken"
"Don't worry Harry" Lockhart said, as he got on the ground beside him "I'll fix that arm of yours right away!"
"No!" Harry replied quickly "Not you…"
"Poor boy doesn't know what he is saying" Lockhart sighed, as he took Harry's broken arm in his own, despite peoples protests, where he pointed his wand at his forearm "Brackium Emendo!"
A white glow grew on his wand, with a small humming sound, until it shot onto Harry's arm, where Lockhart then held up Harry's arm with a smile on his face…which then disappeared when Harry's arm went limp, making horrible sloshing noises, causing everyone around to make sounds of disgust and squirm, Even James gagged slightly.
"Ahh" Lockhart said "Now that can sometimes happen, but Harry no longer seems to be in any pain and the bones don't seem to be broken"
"Broken!" Hagrid exclaimed "There is no bones left!"
"Not to worry" Lockhart smiled "I can fix it!"
"No offence professor" James spoke up "But I think you've done enough…Daphne help me take him to Madam Pomfrey"
…
"I cannot believe that man!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, as she stood by Harrys bed, after hearing what happened "Should have brought him straight to me…healing bones is one thing, but GROWING THEM BACK!"
"You can do it though right?" Daphne asked
"Of course I will" Pomfrey scoffed "Though, I must warn Mr Potter, it will be painful…now, wait there, I will get what you need…though I must ask you stay overnight, until you fully recover"
Madam Pomfrey left no time for a response, as she disappeared into her potions cabinet, to find what she needs, where James let out a frustrated sigh.
"Just when I though Lockhart could not be anymore useless" He said "Are you feeling okay Harry?"
"I'm better now" Harry nodded "You don't have to stay around for my account, you can go, I'll see you tomorrow"
"You better" Daphne replied "Otherwise we are coming after you"
"I'll be there" Harry said, before he turned to James "And don't murder Lockhart"
"No promises" James grinned
…
That night, Harry woke up to the sound of the same voice he heard when they found Mrs Norris. The voice was faint and he couldn't tell what it was saying. It was then, he noticed something standing on his bed. He looked to see it was…
"Dobby!" He exclaimed "What…what are you doing here?"
"Harry Potter didn't listen to Dobby!" Dobby cried "Dobby tried to warn Mr Potter to not return to Hogwarts but Harry Potter didn't listen!"
"Dobby, tell me what you know" Harry replied "Right now!"
"Hasn't Harry Potter seen the writing on the wall and what happened to that poor cat?" Dobby asked "This is what Dobby tried to warn Harry Potter about…Dobby couldn't stop Harry Potter from getting on the train and Dobby hoped that Dobby's Bludger will be enough to make Harry Potter see!"
"Your Bludger?" Harry asked "You made that Bludger come after me?"
"Yes sir" Dobby replied, his big ears drooping "Dobby is sorry sir"
Harry looked at his arm for a second, before he looked back at Dobby, anger in his eyes.
"You are lucky I don't have my bones Dobby, otherwise I would have strangled you!" He snapped
"Please forgive Dobby!" Dobby cried "Dobby is used to death threats sir, Dobby usually gets them several times a day at home!"
"Then why do you stick with your masters Dobby?" Harry asked, now more concerned than angry
"It is how we House Elves live sir" Dobby said sadly "Dobby can only be free if Dobby's master gives him clothes!"
"Okay, Dobby" Harry said, after taking a breath "Please, just tell me what you know"
"Dobby knows things Dobby cannot say sir" Dobby replied, shaking his head so quickly, his big ears hit him on his head "But Harry Potter must go home…especially now that history is about to repeat itself!"
"Repeat itself?" Harry repeated, which caused Dobby to gasp "This has happened before"
"Dobby shouldn't have said that!" Dobby cried "Forgive Dobby sir, but Dobby must now go punish himself!"
"Dobby, tell me what you know!" Harry exclaimed, in one last attempt
"Dobby cannot sir!" Dobby replied "Harry Potter must listen to Dobby's warning and leave!"
Harry tried to grab Dobby, but the little House Elf clicked his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of smoke before he could, which caused Harry to curse slightly. Dobby clearly knew something, but for whatever reason, was refusing to talk about it. Whatever it was, apparently it has happened before. He was going to have to tell James and Daphne about this, once he is released from the Medical wing. Things just seem to be getting worse!
…
There we go guys, that was chapter 19. As you can see, a nice long one for you. I know, I spoil you. As you can see, there is quite a bit to go through. As you can tell, the chapter takes place immediatley after the previous one ended. Now fear is in the air. For those of you annoyed that the Ministry did not get involved in the canon story, you are in luck, as they will get involved, but not yet. They will do soon enough though. Queue evil grin. I hope you don't mind the moment in the Great Hall, between what will be a large friend group. Seeing as I keep forgetting to give characters an appearance in the spotlight, I added them all here. Also, expect more of Astoria, as she will spend a lot of time around Daphne...being scared of the threat to the school and all.
Anyway...We have had another appearance of Pansy. I felt this would be an appropriate time to introduce her, though I will make sure she is included more in future chapters. Before anyone asks, no the Trio won't be using Polyjuice Potion, which is why Pansy is spying on Malfoy for them. I thought it would be interesting to do. Plus, we have the whole Trio investigating, with help from others, instead of just Hermione ripping out a page, like she did in canon. I know in the Harry Potter books, it is Professor Binns who tells them about the Chamber of Secrets, but I decided to use the scene from the movie, because I thought it would be odd to drop Professor Binns into the story from nowhere and also because I prefer the movies. Don't get me wrong, I am annoyed the movies cut stuff out, but I struggle with reading sometimes, so I find movies much more enjoyable. Also, Ron seems to think Harry had something to do with Mrs Norris being petrified. This was added to give a bit more of a rivalry between the two characters, as there hasn't been much Ron bashing lately. Also, I wanted to ask who you want Harry to duel in the duelling club: Malfoy or Ron? Let me know.
I also kept the Quidditch match close to canon, just without Malfoy because...well...Harry is the Seeker for Slytherin. It was then, when writing this section where I realised, Harry doesn't have the best luck with Quidditch. Cursed broom first year. Rogue Bludger second year. Dementors third year. Quidditch cancelled fourth year. Quidditch ban fifth year. Poor boy can't catch a break! Anyway...Am I the only one who physically squirms and gags, when Harrys arm makes those horrible sloshing sounds when his bones are vanished...just writing about it makes me squirm, god!
Now, you might be wondering why Colin Creevey wasn't revealed to be petrified at the end of the chapter, like he is in canon. Here is your answer: with what I want to happen in the story, having Colin revealed to be petrified will just ruin what I plan to do. The same will be said for Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. They won't be petrified, due to what I want to do with the story. That may ruin the scare factor of second year, but I think it adds mystery, as you will be wondering what I have planned, which might make you more scared.
Anyway...I just want to take a moment to explain somethings about the characters. A friend asked about character roles in this story, particularly about the trio. In canon, Harry is the leader, with Hermione the brains and Ron who is the humour factor. With this story, Harry is still the leader of the group, he just needs some time to develop a leadership role and personality, Daphne is all about brains over brawn, preferring to use her knowledge before running in without some kind of plan and James is a mix of brains and brawn. Think of Hulk from Endgame [A mix of both], or think of a mix of Dumbledore and Mad-Eye Moody [Dumbledore for Knowledge and Brains, Moody for strength and power]. Do you get where I am coming from?
That's all for now, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I will see you in the next one.
Pairing Poll Results, so far:
James/Pansy: 3 James/Harry: 9 Harry/Susan: 9 James/Daphne: 8 James/Tonks: 3 Harry/Fleur: 5 Harry/Tonks: 4 James/Luna: 8 James/Astoria: 2 Harry/Daphne: 7 Harry/Astoria: 1 Harry/Ginny: 1
There hasn't been any change in the polls between chapters, but that may change. One person left me a review saying they put their vote on a James/Harry pairing just because they seem to mesh well together. Looking back, it makes sense why they think that.
Badger out.
