I don't have much to say about this. It's 25% canon, 75% filler. Just make sure to read the author's notes at the end.
Enjoy!
Chapter 15
Hints
"Well done, Rin," Dumbledore complimented as he escorted Rin back to Gryffindor Tower. "I believe we are onto something with this approach."
Rin coughed up a black puff of smoke. He was covered from head to toe in soot. "I feel like there should be more to this than all that love and friendship crap. It can't be this easy," he remarked.
Dumbledore chuckled. "It probably is more complicated than it seems. Just keep practicing patience. We will continue your training at a later date."
Kuro trotted behind the two wizards, flicking his ears in all directions, listening for anything that might ambush them. He would have followed Rin to the Quidditch match earlier today but the volume of the crowds was overwhelming, even for a cat sidthe.
A rather unpleasant scent made its way to the cat's nostrils. He recognized that scent. It was the same one from Halloween. It was the foulest stench that ever graced his nostrils. It smelled like the latrines from back in the days before indoor plumbing. There was also another scent mixed in but he couldn't put his paw on it. Whatever it was made his fur stand on end.
"HIIISSSSSSS!"
Both Rin and Dumbledore turned towards the hissing cat. His back was arched and his fur was on end. He then dashed off, following the stench.
"Kuro?!" Rin called chasing after the cat. Dumbledore followed after them. They kept chasing after the cat until they stopped at one of the moving staircases. A first-year student was lying on the steps. Rin immediately knew it was Colin Creevey since he was holding a camera in front of his face. A bunch of grapes laid next to him.
"Holy crap!" Rin yelped. "Shutterbug?!"
Dumbledore kneeled over Colin's body and inspected him. "Petrified, just like Mrs. Norris. It appears that our attacker has struck again," he concluded.
"W-Well, what should we do, Professor?" Rin asked shakily.
"I want you to run ahead to the Hospital Wing and inform Madam Pomfrey of what's happened," Dumbledore instructed.
"What about you, sir? I know you're tough, but what if the guy is still on the loose?" Rin asked worriedly.
"I appreciate your concern, Rin, but I am more than capable of handling myself," the headmaster assured him.
Rin nodded and ran ahead, Kuro at his heels. His mind was reeling. He knew that Shutterbug was a pain in the neck, but he didn't think the pest deserved this. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't notice who was in front of him.
"Oh!"
"Oof!" Rin grunted as he fell on his butt after bumping into someone.
"Mr. Okumura!" Professor McGonagall cried. "What on Earth are you doing out and about after curfew?"
"W-W-Wait!" Rin cried, standing up and putting his hands in front of him. "Before you give me detention and take points from Gryffindor, hear me out!"
McGonagall's nostrils flared. "I don't have time for any of your excuses, Okumura. Perhaps a week of detention -"
"There's been another attack!"
McGonagall stopped and gave Rin an incredulous look. "'Another attack'?" she repeated.
"Just like with Mrs. Norris!" Rin confirmed. "It's Shutter - I mean, Colin Creevey this time. Professor Dumbledore's with him."
"Show me."
The boy and his cat lead the teacher back to Professor Dumbledore who was patiently waiting for Rin to return. McGonagall's eyes widened at the sight of Colin's Petrified body.
"What's happened here, Albus?" McGonagall asked.
"There has been another attack, Minerva," Dumbledore explained. "I will need your assistance in getting Mr. Creevey to the Hospital Wing."
"I'll help," Rin volunteered.
"No, Rin," Dumbledore stopped him. "I need you to run ahead to the Hospital Wing and alert Madam Pomfrey, like I told you before. Do not worry about Mr. Creevey. Professor McGonagall and I will manage to get him there."
Not wanting to argue with his headmaster (seriously, there was something about him that made Rin not want to argue with him), Rin nodded and ran ahead, Kuro once again at his heels. Rin's mind was reeling again. If the Heir of Slytherin had indeed struck again and Petrified Shutterbug, then that meant the pest was Muggleborn.
'Made it!'
Rin burst the doors open (although, he could have sworn he heard the familiar sound of a crack! as he did so). Harry was sitting up in bed with his fist held out in front of him, like he was just holding something. Kuro hopped up onto the bed next to his.
"What's going on?" he asked. "What are you doing out after hours?"
"Tell you later," Rin hissed. "Lay down and pretend to be asleep. You'll find out soon."
Both boys heard Madam Pomfrey enter the room. Harry flopped back into bed. He pulled the covers back over him and rolled over.
"Mr. Okumura!" Madam Pomfrey hissed as she entered the room. "What on earth are you doing here? And after hours? There better be a good explanation for this!"
The doors opened again and Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall entered the Hospital Wing carrying Colin Creevey.
Madam Pomfrey gasped and hurried towards them. "What's happened?" she whispered to Dumbledore as he and McGonagall lowered Colin onto a bed.
"Another attack," Dumbledore answered. "Mr. Okumura and I found him on the stairs. I sent him ahead to inform you."
"There was a bunch of grapes next to him," said McGonagall. "We think he was trying to sneak up here to see Potter."
Rin facepalmed. 'So that's what the grapes were for! Hero worship just like on TV!'
"Petrified?" whispered Madam Pomfrey.
"Yes," McGonagall confirmed. "I shudder to think… if Albus hadn't been escorting Mr. Okumura back to Gryffindor Tower… who knows what could have happened."
Rin made a note to have Dolly make some mochi for Professor Dumbledore for Christmas as a thank you gesture. His blue eyes landed on the camera in Colin's hands.
"Hey, do you think he might have taken a picture of the guy who did this to him?" he asked his teachers. The three adults looked at Rin before looking down at the first year.
Dumbledore managed to pry the camera from Colin's grip. He turned it over and opened the back. A jet of steam hissed out of the camera. The putrid smell of melted plastic assaulted Rin's nostrils.
"Melted," Madam Pomfrey breathed. "All melted…"
"Dammit," Rin growled.
"Language, Okumura," McGonagall warned. "What does this mean, Albus?" she asked urgently.
"It means," said Dumbledore, "that the Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."
This got Harry and Rin's attention. 'Again?!'
Madam Pomfrey clapped her hands over her mouth. McGonagall stared at Dumbledore worriedly.
"But, Albus, surely… who?"
"The question is not who," said Dumbledore as he stared at Colin. "But how?"
The two second year students were just as puzzled as McGonagall.
~0~0~0~
Rin carried a sleeping Kuro back to Gryffindor Tower with Professor McGonagall escorting him. Both were silent after witnessing what just happened to Colin.
"Professor Dumbledore explained to me your efforts to get your 'problem' under control," she started. Rin looked up at his teacher in alarm. "Rest assured, Okumura, no one else knows of your plight, except myself and Professor Dumbledore. I am proud of you for addressing this problem immediately. The sooner it's handled, the better."
Rin looked down. "I just didn't want to burn Hogwarts to the ground," he muttered. "Professor, what's gonna happen to Colin?"
McGonagall sighed heavily. "Creevey will remain in the Hospital Wing until the Mandrakes are ready for the Restorative Draught," she answered.
"Any idea when they'll be ready?"
"You will have to ask Professor Sprout."
Rin nodded as he approached the Fat Lady's portrait. "Wattlebird. Good night, Professor."
"Good night, Mr. Okumura."
Rin disappeared into the portrait hole. The common room was empty. Embers in the fireplace still gave off the smallest of light. On a table, he saw that someone left out a wizard's chess set, a forgotten pair of glasses, and a copy of Year with the Yeti on a table near the window. Rin smiled a little as he went upstairs to bed.
~0~0~0~
As soon as Harry was given the green light to leave the Hospital Wing the following morning, the first thing he did was head straight to Gryffindor Tower to tell Ron and Hermione about Colin and Dobby (maybe even Yukio if he bumped into him along the way). He was about to climb the stairs when he saw Professor Shura doing something to the stairs a few flights down. Curious, he went to see what she was doing.
"Professor Shura?"
Shura looked up from what she was doing. She was holding a scrap of paper with some blood on it. "Watch your step, Potter. You might step on him," she warned.
Harry looked down at the steps but saw nothing. "Step on what?" he inquired.
She lifted an eyebrow. "No temptaint?" she asked.
Harry shook his head no.
Shura sighed. "Then stay right where you are," she ordered. "I'm busy."
"With what?"
"I heard about what happened to Creevey this morning," Shura explained. "This is where he was found, according to the boss. He wants me to see if maybe my naga could give us a clue to who or what did this. I told him that whatever Petrified Creevey did the same thing to Mrs. Norris."
"Dumbledore doesn't agree?" asked Harry.
Shura paused a moment to think before answering. "I think he just wants to make absolutely sure before calling in the Knights of the True Cross. Cross his T's and dot his I's, y'know? Remember, even badass wizards like Dumbledore aren't the best at every branch of magic."
"You mean like demons and stuff like that?" asked Harry.
Shura nodded. "People tend to forget that fighting demons is still new to the wizarding world. The boss is just as new to this as all the other teachers at Hogwarts. I don't blame him for being super careful." She stared at the step in front of Harry. "Relax, Naga. The kid's cool, he won't hurt ya."
"Wh-Wha…?" Harry stuttered. "Who are you talking to?"
"Naga, my familiar," she said dismissively. She looked down at where Harry assumed her naga was and frowned. "Not again. It's the same here as the first attack."
Harry tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean, Professor?"
Shura put her hands on her hips. "What is it this time?" she asked no one in particular. She continued to stare at the step. She sighed resignedly and ripped her paper in two. A puff of smoke erupted from the step.
"Where did that smoke come from?" he asked.
"That smoke meant that he went back to Gehenna," Shura explained. "The same thing happened at Mrs. Norris's attack spot. I'd send Naga to scope out the place, then he'd curl up and refuse to do anything."
"Does he… say anything?" Harry hesitantly asked.
"Only that he refuses to help. Says he doesn't want to defy 'him' whoever 'him' is," Shura answered with an eyeroll.
~0~0~0~
"Did you hear what happened last night?" Terry Boot asked Yukio as the two of them walked downstairs to breakfast. "There was another attack!"
Yukio looked at his friend in shock. "Again? What happened?" he asked.
"How can you not know? It was on the message board in the common room," he said exasperatedly.
"A certain someone wanted to get to the Great Hall before all of the blueberry pancakes are gone," Yukio replied.
Terry briefly turned red before continuing. "A Gryffindor first year was found Petrified on the stairs last night."
Yukio suddenly panicked, thinking that Ginny was the victim. "Who was it?"
Terry scratched his head for a moment. "Can't remember his name. He was the one with the camera," he recalled.
Yukio silently released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Colin Creevey. My brother calls him Shutterbug."
"Poor kid," said Terry.
Yukio sweatdropped. "You realize he's only about a year younger than us, right?" he said. He suddenly saw Harry approach them. "'Morning, Harry," he greeted.
"Hey Yukio," Harry greeted back. "Could I talk to you for a moment? It won't take long."
Yukio looked at Terry who nodded.
"I'll see you down there, Yukio," said Terry.
"Save me some pancakes," said Yukio. As soon as Terry left, Yukio turned his attention to Harry. "What's going on?"
"Did you hear about what happened last night?" Harry started.
"Yeah. Terry and I were just talking about it. How's the rest of Gryffindor handling it?"
"Can't really say," said Harry. "I'm actually looking for your brother. Have you seen him?"
Yukio shook his head. "No, I haven't. Why?"
Harry looked around to make sure no one was listening. "Rin was with Professor Dumbledore last night. They were the ones who found Colin," Harry explained in a soft voice.
Yukio's jaw dropped. "What?! What was Rin doing with Professor Dumbledore? What did he do this time? Is he in trouble?"
"That's why I'm looking for him," Harry answered. "Also, we both found out something important about the Chamber of Secrets."
"What? What is it?"
Harry looked around again before answering. He then recapped exactly what Dobby told him and what he overheard from the teachers last night.
"You mean this isn't the first time this has happened?" Yukio asked for clarity.
"That's what Dobby told me. Dumbledore just confirmed what he said," said Harry.
Yukio gripped his chin in thought. "This only confirms that Colin is Muggleborn. Should we be worried about Hermione? She's Muggleborn too which makes her a target," he said.
"We could, but you know Hermione. She won't let this go until she finds answers," said Harry.
Yukio chuckled. "Come Hell or high water."
Now before anyone wonders why Harry can't hear Shura's naga, let me explain. Harry doesn't have a temptaint yet, so he can't see or hear other demons yet. This includes snake demons. The characters in the Blue Exorcist anime/manga could see and hear demons when they got temptaints. I think this should apply to Harry's 'ability' too.
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