Chapter 11

Under Investigation

I lay awake that night, my mind buzzing. What had happened at the Duelling Club had spooked me, more so than it must have spooked Harry and the others. Having discovered by unintentionally revealing to the majority of the students that he was a Parselmouth, Harry had now placed himself as a clear candidate for the Heir of Slytherin. The only thing in my mind that made that seem very unlikely was his family history; I knew from Lupin and the photo I showed Harry last year of James with his Quidditch team that James was a Gryffindor, while his mother Lily had also been seen to be wearing the Gryffindor colours in the picture of her in Harry's photo album. Because of this, Harry, Ron and Hermione were even more desperate to finish the Polyjuice Potion to prove it was Malfoy. I, however, had a concern that the Heir might be a little more closer to home: me.

Even though I knew I hadn't done it, I couldn't help but worry that I was the one responsible for the attacks on Mrs Norris and Colin, that somehow I had done it without knowing I had. I had all the right traits. I could understand Parseltongue, the language of snakes that Salazar Slytherin could speak, although I had no idea whether or not I could actually speak it having never tried; I had connections to both victims, having a great dislike for Mrs Norris and I certainly found Colin irritating with his camera; and my family, generations of Blacks having been members of Slytherins up until me and my father. It all seemed to fit.

I rolled over in my bed. Both Harry and I could be the Heir of Slytherin. The question was: was it really one of us or was it just an unfortunate coincidence that both of us had attributes that pointed the finger our way? And if it was the latter, who really was behind these attacks?

Overnight a snowstorm had hit the castle covering it in a thick blanket of white, so much so that our final Herbology lesson of the term was cancelled as the door leading out to them had been blocked by several feet of snow. The Mandrakes we'd been tending to over the course of the term were now out of their toddler stage but due to the chill, Professor Sprout had informed us that she needed to fit scarves and socks on the plants in order to protect them against the cold weather, a difficult task she would entrust to no one else.

'After two attacks,' explained Professor Sprout, whose face was only just visible between a thick woollen scarf and her frizzy hair, 'it is now vital these Mandrakes we've been growing reach maturity so we can revive Mr Creevey and Mr Filch's cat. I cannot let them wither from the harsh weather and so I cannot risk unskilled hands breaking off their roots while trying to get a pair of gloves on a screaming child.'

Taking advantage of our free period, I returned to the Library to find that Transfiguration journal again to re-read what it said about Feramorphs while Harry, Ron and Hermione returned to the Tower to play Wizard's Chess. I found the book and went straight to the page that had the paragraph that referred to Feramorphs on it. My eyes scanned the text. It stated that when in animal form, a Feramorph had full understanding of the language of the animal it had transformed into, as well as the ability to converse as that animal; however, once the Feramorph had returned to its human form, it no longer could speak in animal tongues or communicate, instead only being able to feel empathy towards their emotions. This was why those who were Animagi could not speak animal tongues either.

'So I couldn't be the Heir,' I said to myself quietly. 'I can understand Parseltongue but I can't speak it.' I thought for a moment. It still didn't explain though why I understood Harry when he spoke Parseltongue considering I hadn't been in animal form at the time. Maybe it had something to do with the fact Harry had been speaking it and not a snake.

'All I saw,' said a loud voice suddenly around the next bookcase, 'was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake towards Justin.'

I frowned; that had been Ernie's voice and by the sounds of it he was talking to Harry. Curious, I walked to the end of the aisle and looked round the bookcase. A group of Hufflepuffs in our year including Ernie, Hannah and Susan were all gathered round a table at the back of the Library. Ernie had a scowl on his round face as he stared at Harry, the others all watching him with a certain amount of suspicion on their faces.

'I didn't chase it at him!' Harry snapped. He was losing his temper. 'It didn't even touch him!'

'It was a very near miss,' said Ernie. 'And in case you're getting ideas,' he then added, 'I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so –'

'I don't care what sort of blood you've got!' said Harry angrily. 'Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?'

'I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with,' countered Ernie.

'It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them,' said Harry. 'I'd like to see you try it.'

Thinking it would be best to end this argument before Madam Pince noticed, I stepped into view to separate them.

'Harry, I think it's time we leave,' I said. I grabbed Harry's arm and began to pull him towards the doors. 'Madam Pince is starting to get fidgety.'

I led Harry away from the table of Hufflepuffs and pulled him out of the Library. When the doors had closed behind us, Harry shrugged his arm free from my grip and strode off. I sighed then followed after him, shoving the book into my bag. He was muttering angrily to himself when I caught up to him. He had fallen over having run into Hagrid who was wrapped up in a snow-covered balaclava. In his hand hung what looked like a dead rooster.

'All righ', Harry?' said Hagrid, moving the balaclava to one side so he could speak. 'Hullo, Jenna. Why aren't yeh in class?'

'Cancelled,' said Harry, getting back to his feet. 'What're you doing in here?'

Hagrid held up the rooster.

'Second one killed this term,' grunted Hagrid. 'It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin' Bugbear, an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm round the hen-coop.'

'A Bugbear?' I questioned. I looked at the rooster. By the looks of it, its neck had been snapped. 'I thought Bugbears were hobgoblins that liked causing fear like Boggarts do. Why would they strangle a rooster?'

'No idea,' muttered Hagrid, 'probably fer a prank or somethin'. They don' need any encouragement ter cause trouble. Yeh sure yeh're all righ'?' Hagrid then asked, noticing Harry's frown. 'Yeh look all hot an' bothered.'

'It's nothing,' said Harry quickly. 'I'd better get going, Hagrid, it's Transfiguration next and I've got to pick up my books.'

Hagrid nodded and carried on his way. Before Harry could walk off though, I stopped him.

'So what was all that about in the Library?' I asked.

'Ernie Macmillan thought I was looking for Justin so I could go and Petrify him,' said Harry tersely. 'All I did was point out that the snake backed off after I told it to. Then he accused me of chasing the snake towards Justin and started going on about how he was a pure-blood if I was getting any ideas of attacking him.'

'Well, snapping at him probably didn't help,' I said. Harry gave me a sharp look. Whenever in the past Harry felt like I was judging him, he would always put on this scowl to make me back down. It had never worked. 'Oh, don't even try that with me, Harry,' I said impatiently, 'you know that has no effect on me.' Knowing I was right, Harry rolled his eyes instead. 'Look, getting angry with everyone's not going to help your case about not being the Heir,' I continued. 'It just proves that anyone who crosses you could be your next target.'

'I'm not the Heir!' snapped Harry. He came to a stop and faced me. 'I didn't attack Mrs Norris or Colin!'

'I know you're not,' I said calmly. 'Trust me, I know you're not the Heir.'

Harry stared at me.

'How? How can you be so sure?'

'Because I know what you said to that snake that tried to attack Justin,' I said quietly. The irritated look on Harry's face immediately changed to one of confusion. I looked away. 'Because I heard that voice too.'

'So I'm not crazy,' said Harry slowly.

'Only if we both are,' I shrugged. We started walking again down the corridor.

'How long have you been able to hear it?' Harry asked. 'Why didn't you say anything about hearing what I said to the snake?'

'Because I didn't know what to say, nor did I know why I could understand you,' I shrugged. 'I'm not a Parselmouth, or at least I'm not to my knowledge but you know as well as I do that I don't know much about my family history. All I know is that when you were speaking it, it sounded scarily like the voice in the wall. It freaked me out. You weren't doing that when we were at primary school.'

Harry ran his hand through his hair and ruffled it.

'Tell me about it,' he sighed. 'Kind of wish I hadn't saved Justin.'

'You did the right thing, Harry,' I told him. 'It's just a pity that in doing the right thing it looked like you were doing a bad thing.'

'Yeah …' Harry muttered. 'I need to go back to the Tower to get my bag. I'll see you at Transfiguration.'

Harry walked off up the corridor. I sighed and shook my head. Of all the talents Harry could have, it had to be one that was associated with Dark wizards. Just because one Dark wizard could do it didn't mean all who were Parselmouths were bad. A part of me felt that I should have told him about my family being in Slytherin and the possibility it could be me, but having confirmed that I couldn't speak Parseltongue had made me think it was unlikely that I was the Heir.

Once Harry had disappeared round the corner I turned on my heel and headed in the opposite direction towards the Transfiguration Courtyard for our next lesson. I walked down the corridor towards the door that led outside and pushed it open.

Die … I want blood … they all must die … kill … kill … time to kill …

I jumped. It was the voice again. That either meant someone was going to be attacked or someone had just been attacked. A shiver went down my back. A look of horror then crossed my eyes. Harry was on his own! If he tried to follow the voice again and was caught – especially if there has been another attack – he could get in serious trouble. Quickly I doubled back on myself to go and find him. It soon became clear though where he might be.

'ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!'

Peeves's shouts echoed through the corridor. I ran towards them, up the nearest staircase and down the next corridor. He went zooming past me, bouncing off the walls as he shouted. Several bangs sounded as doors were flung open in the next corridor. I pushed my way through the crowds that were now gathered so I could see what had happened. My eyes widened at the sight in front of me. I gasped.

Floating frozen in mid-air was Nearly-Headless Nick. He was no longer pearly-white but a translucent grey and there was smoke coming off him as if he'd been burnt. He didn't move and his head was lolled to one side, hanging on by the small amount of skin that still attached it to his neck, and there was a look of shock upon his face. Lying on the floor rigid and cold beneath Nick was Justin. His eyes stared blankly ahead of him and his arms were held up in position as if he'd tried to protect himself. That wasn't the worst of it though; to my dismay my eyes met Harry's, who was currently standing right between the two frozen figures.

'Caught in the act!' shouted Ernie's voice. He and the other Hufflepuffs were gathered in the crowd having left the Library for their next class.

'That will do, Macmillan!' snapped Professor McGonagall.

She pushed her way through the crowd, shooing people back into their classrooms. Peeves, who had floated back towards the chaos, was still gleefully shouting about the attack. Professor Vector and Professor Burbage were examining both Justin and Nick.

'Oh Potter, you rotter, oh what have you done?
You're killing off students, you think it's good fun –'

'That's enough, Peeves!' barked Professor McGonagall. Peeves zoomed off with his tongue stuck out blowing a raspberry.

I watched silently as Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra carefully Levitated Justin's frozen form and led it away I assume to the Hospital Wing. Professor Vector and Professor Burbage meanwhile were attempting to get the last of their students back into their classrooms. Unsure what to do with a Petrified ghost, Professor McGonagall resorted to conjuring a large fan and giving it to Ernie. With a tap of her wand it switched on and she instructed Ernie to blow Nick up to the Hospital Wing as well. With the crowds dispersed and Nick and Justin moved, out of the corner of my eye I noticed something crawling across the floor. I looked down to see a line of spiders scurrying towards and up the wall, just like last time, and out of the glassless window on to the snow covered sill. Strange.

Professor McGonagall spotted me standing in the corner.

'Miss Black, what are you still waiting here for?' said Professor McGonagall sharply to me. I jumped, the spiders forgotten. 'I know for a fact that I have you for Transfiguration next so why you are still standing here instead of going back to class, I'd be interested to know.'

I looked at Harry; he was looking silently back at me, a look that said "I didn't do it" in his eyes. I hesitated.

'Professor, Harry didn't do it,' I braved saying. 'I was with him only a few minutes ago.'

'Be that as it may, Miss Black,' said Professor McGonagall, 'Potter was found alone with the victims. There is nothing more to be done. Now, I suggest you get to class otherwise Gryffindor will lose a point for you being late.'

I took the threat of losing House Points as a sign that the conversation was over. I looked back at Harry one last time then turned away to go back to the Transfiguration Courtyard. As I walked away, I slowed just enough so I could hear what was going to happen to Harry.

'This way, Potter.'

'Professor, I swear I didn't –'

'This is out of my hands, Potter.'

Their footsteps disappeared. Quickly I ran back to the Transfiguration Courtyard to Professor McGonagall's classroom. The rest of the Gryffindors, including Ron and Hermione, as well as the Ravenclaws whom we shared the class with were all waiting outside for Professor McGonagall to arrive. When they saw me, Ron and Hermione instantly knew something had happened when they saw Harry wasn't with me.

'Jenna, what's going on?' asked Ron. 'Where's Harry? I thought he went to the Library?'

'He did,' I said in a quick hushed voice. 'I saw him in there and had to step in before an argument between him and Ernie Macmillan and the other Hufflepuffs started. We separated though after we left the Library as he needed to get his books for class. Next moment –'

I fell silent when I saw Professor McGonagall appear in the Courtyard, striding up the corridor with a dark look on her face. I didn't need to finish my sentence; Ron and Hermione knew from Professor McGonagall's expression that another attack had happened and that Harry had been found at the scene of it. Without a word she swept into the classroom and the class filed inside. I took a seat with Hermione, Ron just on the next desk. While Professor McGonagall briefly had her back turned to make the chalk write something on the board, Ron leaned over to us.

'Who got attacked?' he whispered.

'Justin and Nearly Headless Nick.'

Hermione gasped, just covering her mouth in time to block the sound. Ron's mouth fell open.

'Oh, this isn't good,' breathed Hermione. 'This isn't good at all. Oh, we've got to get that potion finished. We've just go to.'

Harry didn't turn up to Transfiguration and when the three of us tried to ask Professor McGonagall what had happened to him, she refused to answer us and sent us away. We only found him when we went into the Great Hall for lunch and saw he was sitting on his own halfway down the table. The three of us joined him, immediately asking him what had happened when Professor McGonagall had led him away from where Justin and Nearly Headless Nick had been attacked. He had been taken to Professor Dumbledore's office. Ron, Hermione and I shared a worried look. Harry, however, reassured us that Professor Dumbledore believed his innocence and was sent away without any reprimand. When we asked him why he didn't come to class after Professor Dumbledore had dismissed him, Harry hesitated.

'I went to the Hospital Wing,' he explained. 'I wanted to know if Justin and Nick were all right.'

'And were they?' asked Hermione worriedly.

'Justin's been Petrified, just like Colin and Mrs Norris,' said Harry. 'As for Nick, Madam Pomfrey said whatever had attacked them, it looked like he'd got the full blast of whatever it was.'

'But he's a ghost,' said Ron. 'Ghosts can't die again, can they?'

'I hope not,' I said. 'If whatever it is can kill a ghost, imagine what it can do to a person.'

That night at dinner, Professor McGonagall went round all the House tables a second time for any last minute sign ups for the Hogwarts Express back to London for the holidays. With the news of the attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick having now spread around the school since this morning, there was a sense of urgency among the students as they fought to get their names on the list. A panic had spread as the news that one of the school ghosts had been attacked and, like us, people questioned what could possibly have the power to harm someone who was already dead? Harry, Ron, Hermione and I, however, did not add our names to the list.

'At this rate, we'll be the only ones left,' said Ron quietly. 'Us, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be.'

'We're lucky Crabbe and Goyle are staying,' said Hermione, 'otherwise you two wouldn't have anyone to change into so we can interrogate him.'

'What about us?' I asked Hermione. 'Who are we going to change into? No one else in our year in Slytherin are staying for Christmas.'

'I have a feeling once she learns Malfoy's staying, Pansy Parkinson will too,' said Hermione, a frown on her face. 'You've seen what she's like around him. You'll be able to change into her,' I cringed at that, 'while I need to wait and see if Millicent is staying or not.'

We finished dinner and gathered our things to leave. We walked up the aisle past where Ginny, Fred, George and Percy were all eating dinner together. Fred and George must have noticed us walk past them as moments later we heard, 'Make way for the Heir of Slytherin!' and 'Seriously evil wizard coming through!' being shouted behind us. They had been doing that a lot recently whenever they had seen Harry around the castle or in the Tower going up to his dormitory, much to Percy's chagrin and Ginny's dismay.

'Will you both stop that!' snapped Percy's voice after them.

'But Harry needs to head to the Chamber to get his vocabulary book,' said Fred. 'Needs to brush up on his Parseltongue.'

'Least they find it funny,' muttered Harry.

'My Uncle always said laughter was the best cure for a bad situation,' I said. Harry and Ron looked at me strangely. 'Well, not all situations but this one it certainly works for.'

'Not everyone's laughing though,' said Ron. He nodded his head towards the Slytherin table. I looked over my shoulder to see Malfoy's scowling face aimed in our direction having heard Fred and George's shouts.

'I don't think I've ever seen him look so angry,' said Hermione quietly.

'It's because he's bursting to say it's really him,' said Ron. 'You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work.'

'I wouldn't call it "credit", Ron,' I muttered, frowning.

'Not for long,' said Hermione. 'The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of him any day now.'

Finally the school term finished and not before time too. It was such a relief to finally have some peace and quiet without having people stare at us whenever we went somewhere with Harry. The Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and I had the entire Gryffindor Tower to ourselves as everyone else had decided to go home for the holidays, whether or not they had originally planned to. The only reason Fred, George and Ginny were still here was because Mr and Mrs Weasley had apparently gone to Egypt to visited their older brother Bill who was working out there, while Percy had pompously declared he was staying to help the teachers during this troubled time as a Prefect should. Ron made a sceptical noise when Percy told us that.

The peaceful holidays didn't last long for me. While Owl Post always arrived at breakfast during term time, any mail the students received during the holidays was delivered as and when it arrived. I had been having lunch with Harry, Ron and Hermione down in the Great Hall when I heard a familiar hooting somewhere above us. I looked up to see Gizmo flying towards me with a letter clasped in his beak. I held up my arm for him to land. Gizmo fluttered down on to it and gave a sad hoot. I frowned, concerned by his attitude. I took the letter from him. Free from his delivery Gizmo hopped on to the table and began grabbing at my sausages. I cut off a chunk and gave it to him before opening my letter. My eyes scanned the familiar writing, a worried look crossing my eyes when I read what it said.

Dear Jenna,
I hope this letter reaches you in time. I know you planned to spend the holidays at school with
Harry and the others, however, it is vital that you come home as soon as possible. Please send
Gizmo back with your reply as soon as you get this letter and be ready for me to pick you up on
20 December after breakfast from Hogsmeade village. I have written to Professor Dumbledore
requesting that someone take you down to the village for me to collect you.

I'm afraid the reason for this is not good. The Beast Division of the Department for the Regulation
and Control of Magical Creatures got wind of the fact you are staying with me when I went for my
annual appointment at the Werewolf Registry and I have been placed under investigation as they
believe I'm a danger to you because of my condition. They have informed me that they'll be visiting
Moonlake on 23 December for an inspection. I need you home because they wish to speak to you
directly about living with me.

I'm sorry this letter doesn't have any good news but I promise you, I will not let them take you
from me.

I'll see you on Sunday.
Remus

'Everything all right, Jenna?' asked Harry. He must have seen my reaction to Lupin's letter.

'I – I have to go home,' I said. Harry, Ron and Hermione gaped at me.

'But the Potion's almost ready,' said Hermione.

'You can't back out now,' said Ron.

'I have no choice,' I snapped. 'Sorry, it's just,' I then said, thinking quickly to come up with an excuse, 'because I'm adopted through a Muggle orphanage, my Uncle's under investigation from the Ministry. They think I'm a Muggle-born and want to see if it's suitable for me to live with a wizard and not with a Muggle family with other Muggle-borns like they think I am. I need to go home tomorrow because they want to talk to me.'

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other.

'When's the investigation?' Hermione asked.

'Next week,' I said. 'But my Uncle wants me home so we can prepare for it.'

'That's understandable,' said Harry.

'Seems a bit odd though,' said Ron next. I glanced nervously at him. 'Surely the Ministry would know what blood status you are so why they would need to investigate your uncle when you're a half-blood doesn't make sense.'

I shrugged, 'I don't know. I was abandoned when I was a baby. Maybe that has something to do with the Ministry not knowing what blood status I am.'

I hoped that would put an end the conversation. I wasn't about to tell the three of them the real reason Lupin was under investigation, nor tell them that I actually lived with a werewolf. Considering the prejudice they got, I didn't want to see someone like Ron's reaction to it.

I said goodbye to Harry, Ron and Hermione the following morning when Professor McGonagall approached the Gryffindor table to take me down to Hogsmeade to meet Lupin. I followed silently behind her through the snow down to the village, my head full of thoughts about what the investigation involved and what in turn it could mean for me. I didn't want to be taken away from Lupin. I had lived with him for over a year now and nothing bad had happened because of him being a werewolf. Well, apart from when I first found out about it and almost got attacked by him. Other than that, it had never been a problem, mainly because I was always with him as an animal myself. As I thought through all this I slowly began to see exactly why Lupin was being investigated.

Lupin was waiting for me outside a pub called The Three Broomsticks. He exchanged a few words with Professor McGonagall, who wished us all the best before walking off to return to the school, before he turned to me. His face looked tired and he hadn't shaved for a few days by the looks of it, a thick beard on his face and his normally neat moustache now blended into it.

'Lupin, what's going on?' I asked. 'Why are they investigating us?'

'They aren't investigating you,' said Lupin heavily, 'they're investigating me.'

'But why?' I repeated. 'How do they even know about me?'

'I'll explain at home, Jenna,' said Lupin. 'Now hold tight. Apparating in the snow is a little trickier than in dry weather.'

I took Lupin's hand and gripped it tightly. I felt the familiar pull as he twisted on the spot and we Disapparated out of the Village.

Dinner was a sombre affair that night. After we left Hogsmeade Lupin took me straight to my Granddad's house so that he could speak to him. Granddad, while he was happy to see us, appeared to already be aware of the investigation as he ushered us quickly into his house and through to the kitchen to talk. I sat in silence as I watched the two older wizards discuss the impending meeting. While Lupin was unsettled by the situation, Granddad appeared remarkably calm considering his only granddaughter was at risk of being taken away.

'Remus, calm yourself,' said Granddad, handing him a cup of tea. 'You should have no reason to be so concerned. You've been a brilliant parent to Jenna this last year and have done a remarkable job providing her with a suitable home considering your circumstances. I see no reason why the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would have any reason to take her away.'

'Because of what I am,' said Lupin darkly. 'I am a constant danger to her. Even if we convince them that she's safe now, they'll claim it'll only be a matter of time before she gets attacked and bitten.'

'And we already know what will happen if she does,' said Granddad calmly. 'We know this from when you bit Tala. Like her, Jenna will be immune to the werewolf saliva.'

'Of which there lies another problem,' countered Lupin. 'I cannot reveal what Jenna is otherwise they'll want to conduct all kinds of tests and experiments on her. As much as she is protected from becoming a werewolf herself, she is not safe from the same prejudice for what she is, a half-breed in the eyes of the Ministry, nor is she safe from those who'll want to experiment on her as if she was some lab rat.'

I frowned as I listened to Lupin argue with his father. I know I was only twelve years old but I didn't appreciate being spoken about as if I wasn't there nor did I like what I was hearing, especially when Lupin referred to me being called a lab rat.

'Remus, there will be no reason to bring up Jenna's ability at all,' said Granddad firmly. 'When you look at the facts in front of you, the Ministry will not be able to accuse you of neglecting her or putting her in any danger.'

'The facts are that my condition mean that in the eyes of the Ministry, I am viewed with contempt and disdain and am not a suitable carer for a young witch like her. Wizards like me are considered violent and unstable and therefore don't deserve to be treated as equals. Because of this I have no job and no source of income to be able to provide for her.'

'For Merlin's sake, Remus, are you hearing what you're saying?' Granddad snapped. He was looking at his son with a look of sheer exasperation as if the topic of Lupin being a werewolf had been a tense subject for many conversations. 'You have been supported throughout your life by your mother and I and by your friends, giving you the best chance in life that we could provide for you,' said Granddad. 'You've seen the poverty some werewolves are forced to live in. The state of the place you were living in when I finally tracked you down after You-Know-Who's defeat was appalling. It's because of that help from your friends and family that you can now provide Jenna with the same opportunity to get the best chance in her life after what happened to her. You have provided her with a roof over her head in your childhood home – something I was more than happy to give to you when you found her if it meant both you and her had a roof over your heads as opposed to that rundown cottage I found you in – you have financial support for Jenna from Tala's estate and her father –'

'That was through Tala's forethought,' snapped Lupin. 'Jenna's father wouldn't have been responsible enough to set up a vault for her in Gringotts after she was born if it wasn't for Tala insisting it was done.'

'– and you are ensuring she is getting an education and abiding by the wizarding laws that keep us from the knowledge of the Muggles,' Granddad finished. At that moment, he looked at me. 'Remus, look at her. Does Jenna look unhappy to you?'

Lupin looked at me. His eyes appraised me before he finally relented, sighing in defeat. He pushed back his hair then ran his hand over his face.

'I just can't lose her again,' said Lupin tiredly. 'I fought for too long to find her. I promised Tala I would protect her from danger. But how can I protect her when I'm the danger?'

'Because I'm not scared of you.'

Lupin and Granddad both looked at me. While Lupin seemed surprised that I had spoken having remained silent throughout their argument, my Granddad was smiling.

'There you are,' he said, a hint pride in his voice. 'If you need anymore proof that Jenna belongs with you, just ask her yourself.'

'Granddad's right, Lupin,' I said quietly. 'When I was at the orphanage, I had nothing. The other kids bullied me, I was in trouble every other week, and I was lonely. You've given me more than I could ever imagine. So what if you don't have a job or much gold? I have more than enough for the both of us.' Lupin tried to object but I wouldn't let him. I carried on. 'It's my gold. I can do what I like with it. I don't care that you're a werewolf. It's one night a month you become that, and like Granddad said, I'm protected because of what I am. The rest of the time, you're still my Uncle and that won't change. People shouldn't be judged because of something that can't be helped.'

Lupin looked at his father.

'It's like talking to Tala, isn't it?' he said quietly.

'She is very like her mother,' agreed Granddad.

It took a lot but after the reassurance from both Granddad and me, Lupin was finally put at ease about the investigation. Although I was worried about what the investigators would ask me, I couldn't let Lupin worry that I'd be taken away all because he was a werewolf, not when I didn't fear what he was. It saddened me that he didn't seem to have any confidence in his abilities as a parent when he had given me more than I'd ever wanted. I had a home, food to eat, a bed to sleep in, everything I needed. And most importantly, he gave me a family. If he hadn't of found me, I would still be on my own in the orphanage. If after all that Lupin couldn't see how good a parent he was, I don't know what more he could do.

It was very late by the time Lupin and Granddad finished talking. We had moved to the living room after finishing dinner where Lupin and Granddad started to formulate a plan on how to approach the investigation. I sat quietly and listened to what they said, nodding whenever something specifically referring to me was said, until tiredness overtook me and I curled up on the sofa with my head rested on the arm. I dozed there as I waited for them to finish and for Lupin to take me home. After what must have been another hour's discussion, I felt a hand on my shoulder and it was given a gentle shake. I opened my eyes to see Lupin kneeling in front of me.

'Come on, sleepyhead,' he said softly. 'Time we went home.'

'OK,' I said sleepily. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. 'Where's Granddad?'

'He's in the kitchen,' said Lupin. 'Be quick if you want to say goodbye.'

I nodded, got up off the sofa and walked into the kitchen. I wanted to say goodbye but there was something else on my mind that I wanted to ask Granddad. When I had realised we were visiting him, I saw an opportunity to maybe find out some more information about my father from him if I got the chance to speak to him alone. Lupin had said he had known my father at school so logically that must mean that my Granddad must have met him at some point. I hoped maybe he would finally tell me something more about him. Granddad was busily putting the dinner things away with his back to me when I entered.

'Granddad?' I started, getting his attention. 'Can I ask you something?'

'Of course,' replied Granddad. He flicked his wand. The cupboard closed and the drawers slammed shut. 'Is it about the investigation?'

'No.' I shook my head. 'I just … I wanted to ask you about my Dad. If you can tell me anything about him.'

A frown appeared on Granddad's face.

'It's not really my place to tell you about your father,' said Granddad slowly. 'It depends on what you want to know about him.'

'I just wanted to know if you knew him,' I explained. 'Lupin never talks about him and any time he's mentioned, Lupin always changes the subject.'

Granddad thought through my request then said, 'Your father was a good man and a close friend of Remus's when they were at school together. Things happened, however, during the First Wizarding War and since then Remus has been unable to forgive his former friend for what he's done.'

'What did he do?' I asked. Granddad shook his head.

'I'm afraid I cannot answer that,' he said. 'Remus requested that I don't talk about your father to you if you asked and I respect his decision. I don't believe admitting I knew him contradicts my promise.'

Though disappointed I nodded. I had one last question though.

'Can you tell me his name?'

'Again, I'm afraid I cannot say.'

It appeared Lupin had covered all bases in stopping me finding out who my father was. Seeing as I wasn't going to get my answers from Granddad, I thanked him for what he had told me then said goodbye. He gave me a hug, wished me a Happy Christmas, then watched as Lupin and I Disapparated out of the hall back to Moonlake.

The following few days before the investigation were tense. After speaking to his father, Lupin was now acting extremely calm about the whole situation. I had a feeling this was more for my benefit rather than him actually being calm when I could be taken from him in a matter of days. In the time we had Lupin and I cleaned the entire cottage and hid all my training equipment in the old barn that stood behind the house. Lupin assured me they were unlikely to want to examine the barn as it had been derelict since he left home all those years ago. With the house clean and in order, it was now just a matter of waiting for the day of the appointment to arrive.

At three o'clock on Wednesday the sound of three wizards Apparating into the garden alerted me to the arrival of the Ministry of Magic employees who were conducting the investigation. I left my room and waited at the top of the stairs where I could just see the front door. Lupin had answered it and was welcoming them into the house. I watched as they exchanged a few words before Lupin showed them into the living room. He then came back into the hallway and made to come upstairs when he noticed I was already waiting there. He nodded, indicating I needed to come down to speak to the investigators. I did as I was told and came downstairs. Giving me a gentle squeeze on my shoulder, Lupin ushered me into the living room where the three wizards were waiting for us. Each was wearing a set of burgundy robes with a silver badge pinned to their chests bearing the crest of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. The words "Beast Division" were engraved beneath it.

'Amos, this is Jenna,' said Lupin, introducing me to who I assumed was in charge of the investigation. A man with a roundish ruddy face and scrubby brown beard stepped forwards from his colleagues. 'Jenna, this is Amos Diggory. He works for the Beast Division at the Department.'

'It's nice to meet you, Sir,' I said politely.

'It's a pleasure to meet you too, Jenna,' said Mr Diggory. 'I'd like to introduce you to some colleagues of mine. This is Felix Scamander and Edmund Fawley who work with me at the Ministry.' Mr Diggory then turned to Lupin. 'I'm sorry to have to do this, Remus, but it's for her safety. You understand.'

'Yes, of course,' replied Lupin curtly. 'Please bear in mind though what I have already told you.'

'We know you have her best interests at heart,' said Mr Fawley, rather dismissively. 'However, it is up to us to decide whether or not it is suitable for her to be in your care.'

'Jenna needs me, I'm all she's got,' retorted Lupin, a slight edge in his tone I hadn't heard before. 'She won't stand a chance if you take her away from me.'

'Mr Lupin, raising your voice is not going to help your case,' warned Mr Fawley. Lupin frowned but fell silent nonetheless.

'Very well,' said Mr Diggory. 'Remus, if you'd kindly leave the room, my colleagues and I wish to speak to Jenna alone.'

I watched as Lupin left the room. Once the door had closed behind him, Mr Diggory gestured for me to take a seat while he conjured three chairs for him and his colleagues to sit on opposite me. The youngest of them, Mr Scamander, pulled from his pocket a notepad and quill that floated beside him and began taking notes for the investigation. I felt a sense of unease as the three wizards stared at me, worried about what they might ask me.

'For the record,' began Mr Scamander, 'can you please state your name?'

'Jennifer May Black,' I replied, doing as he instructed.

'And can you tell us how old you are?'

'I'm twelve years old.'

'And blood status?'

'I'm a half-blood.'

The moment I said I was a half-blood, Mr Fawley's eyebrow arched in curiosity. I wasn't entirely sure what my blood status had to do with anything but it seemed to have piqued his interest.

'From our understanding,' said Mr Fawley slowly, looking at some parchment notes he had in front of him, 'you were adopted by Mr Lupin from a Muggle orphanage. Is that correct?' His tone was sharp, almost accusative.

'Yes, I was,' I replied.

'May I ask then,' he continued, 'why a half-blood witch should be found in such a place?'

'I was accidentally abandoned when I was a baby,' I responded. 'My Mum died shortly after I was born and I don't know who my father is, only that he is from the Black family which makes me a half-blood. I was found by a Muggle couple and taken to the orphanage. I didn't know I was a witch until I was eleven and I received a visit from Professor Dumbledore about Hogwarts. Lupin was with them the day he came to see me.'

'Lupin?' repeated Mr Diggory. 'You don't call him Remus?'

I hesitated.

'No,' I said slowly. 'I never have.'

'May I ask why that is?' persisted Mr Diggory.

'I … well, it never felt right to do so,' I said. 'When I was at the orphanage, I was very badly behaved and so no one had ever wanted to adopt me. When he adopted me, I wanted to prove I could behave because I knew he'd seen my file with all my records in it so I always called him by his surname to be polite. It just sort of stuck over time. He doesn't mind.'

'So, it wasn't because you were scared of him when you found out he was a werewolf that you felt it necessary to call him by his surname rather than his given name?' asked Mr Scamander.

'No, not at all,' I replied.

The quill scratched away as it noted down all that was being said. Once it had caught up, Mr Fawley continued with the questioning.

'Can you tell me about the day you found out about Mr Lupin's condition?'

'I had noticed Lupin getting ill a few weeks after he adopted me. On the night of the full moon, I had seen him standing in the garden as if he was waiting for something. I went downstairs to see if he was all right but when I tried to go outside, I found the front door was locked.'

I was aware that what I was telling the wizards wasn't entirely accurate, and that I hadn't been locked inside the house that night. But at Lupin's instruction, I couldn't reveal what I was and so I had to alter the events so as not to expose myself as well. I couldn't tell them I had confronted Lupin moments before he transformed and so had put my own life at risk.

'Mr Lupin had locked you inside?' asked Mr Diggory. 'I presume this was for your safety?'

'Yes,' I said, nodding. 'When I found the door locked, I came in here to see what was happening. The full moon came out and I saw him transform.'

'How did that make you feel?' asked Mr Scamander.

'At first, I felt scared,' I explained. 'I was still getting used to all the different things about the wizarding world having grown up with Muggles and so I didn't know that things like werewolves really existed. It scared me seeing Lupin transform like that. But after the initial shock, I realised it wasn't because of what he was. It was because I'd seen him in pain. I was scared of something happening to him.'

'Interesting,' mused Mr Diggory. He peered at me through his rounded glasses. 'You were eleven when this happened, weren't you?' I nodded. I watched as Mr Diggory then turned to his colleagues and muttered, 'Quite a curious reaction for such a young girl. Not to be scared of something that could potentially kill her.'

Mr Fawley, however, didn't seem as convinced.

'Miss Black, do you know what a werewolf is?' he asked. I nodded. 'So you are aware that a werewolf has next to no knowledge of him or herself when transformed and is dangerous to any human – relative or otherwise – if in their presence.'

'Yes, Sir,' I replied.

'And are you aware that these wolfish tendencies eventually bleed into the afflicted's day to day life after years of transforming into the uncontrollable beast?' questioned Mr Fawley. I hesitated. He must have seen this as he persisted almost ruthlessly. 'Miss Black, please answer the question. Are you aware that a werewolf's manner and aggression can eventually affect the human side of those who've been bitten?'

'No, I didn't know that,' I said reluctantly. 'But Lupin's never shouted at me, not even when I found out about his condition. He was more shocked at the fact I thought he was going to give me up.'

'A sensible choice had he made it,' said Mr Fawley.

'Edmund,' interrupted Mr Scamander, 'you're not talking to a werewolf here. She's twelve years old. She's only in her second year of Hogwarts. She won't have even studied werewolves properly yet. You don't need to treat her like a criminal.'

'While I respect you and your father's authority on magical creatures, Felix,' retorted Mr Fawley, 'it is I who has had the most direct experience in dealing with werewolves and need I remind you exactly how many have come through our doors when asked to register their condition and have reacted with violence.'

'That may be so, but please, show a little compassion to her,' said Mr Scamander. 'Mr Lupin is her closest blood relative and so would have been the first option for her legal guardian regardless of his condition if she had been at St Jerome's Home for Orphaned Magical Children.'

'Miss Black has several other relatives whom could have taken her as their charge,' said Mr Fawley dismissively. 'The Black family has many relatives that are respectable families. There's a Mr and Mrs Tonks for a start who would have been much more suitable or even the Malfoys would have provided her with a home if obliged to do so. Now, if you are done with challenging my authority, Felix, may I proceed?'

Clearly perturbed by his response, Mr Scamander fell silent and gestured for him to continue.

'Miss Black,' resumed Mr Fawley, his tone clipped, 'it is recorded that Mr Lupin received his bite when he was four years old and so has been suffering for lycanthropy for all of his adult life. Has Mr Lupin ever put your life in direct contact with something that could harm you or been careless in his dealing with his monthly transformations?'

'I've had to go to Azkaban a couple of times in the past because Lupin visits someone there,' I said, 'but Lupin's never –'

'A simple "yes" or "no" will do, Miss Black.'

'Well no but –'

'Has Mr Lupin ever displayed any signs of irrational anger, uncharacteristic behaviour or violence towards you for no reason?'

'Lupin's never done anything like that –' I said immediately, horrified by the accusation.

'Yes or no, Miss Black?' snapped Mr Fawley. I jumped slightly at his tone.

'No,' I then said. 'No, he hasn't.'

'I think,' said Mr Diggory quickly before Mr Fawley could ask me anything else, 'we have all the information we need.' He turned to me. 'Thank you for answering our questions, Jenna,' said Mr Diggory gently. 'We just need to have another word with your uncle and a look round the house and then we'll be off.'

I nodded. Mr Scamander took the quill and notepad and put it back inside the pocket of his robes. Next he, Mr Diggory and Mr Fawley stood and left the room. I waited a minute or so before following. They had left the door slightly ajar allowing for me to hear them speak to Lupin who had been waiting in his office while they had questioned me. I listened as they asked him a few questions about his lifestyle, work and about our home before being led upstairs I assume to see my bedroom. A few minutes later they came back downstairs. While Mr Diggory seemed satisfied by what he had seen, Mr Fawley looked distinctly angry about something.

'It appears you have provided Jenna with a loving home,' Mr Diggory was saying. 'You say she sees her grandfather regularly?'

'Every holiday when he's available,' replied Lupin. 'He's retired and likes to travel around in his free time.'

'Yes, Lyall always did like visiting other countries to see the wildlife,' said Mr Diggory. 'He was very respected at the Ministry for his knowledge on creatures. It was a shame when he left the department last year. He was a great mentor to me. On that note, I believe we've taken up enough of your time. We'll let you know the results of the investigation after the Christmas period.'

'I'm still not convinced, Amos,' interrupted Mr Fawley. 'The girl clearly has no idea how much danger she's in being under Mr Lupin's care nor is there adequate protection set up for the transformations. I saw no evidence of any cages or enclosures that would restrain the werewolf and keep it from attacking her.'

'Edmund, the investigation is over,' said Mr Diggory curtly. 'We shall discuss it in our review where you'll be free to voice your opinions without the risk of offending anyone. We'll see ourselves out, Remus. Have a good Christmas.'

Lupin opened the door for them. The three wizards stepped outside and with a sharp crack they were gone. It was over for now.

'How was it?' asked Lupin once they had gone. 'They didn't impose on you, did they?'

'It was horrible,' I said quietly. 'Mr Fawley seemed very against the idea of me staying here. He said even the Malfoys would be a better choice to look after me than you. I see what you mean when you said werewolves get a lot of prejudice against them.'

'It's not uncommon, Jenna,' sighed Lupin. We went into the kitchen where Lupin fixed me a drink to help calm me down. He must have seen how shaken I was by the questioning. 'Unfortunately werewolves don't have a good reputation in the wizarding world. People think we're mindless violent creatures that deserve nothing more than to either be locked up or slaughtered.' I gasped. That was horrible! 'But for every wizard, like myself, who chooses to live with the condition and the prejudice it brings, there are those who choose to react to it. A man named Fenrir Greyback shamelessly promotes the fact he's a werewolf. He's been one for so long his wolfish side began to merge with his human side, making him look more wolf-like even when it wasn't the full moon. Most attacks these days can somehow be linked back to him.'

'Is … is he the man who bit you?' I asked nervously. Lupin visibly flinched.

'Yes,' he admitted. 'He bit me when I was a boy. Your grandfather, who once shared the same views as other wizards on werewolves, angered Greyback and so in retaliation for his prejudice he bit me so he would always have to live with a son who embodied all that he loathed. He never forgave himself for what happened to me. Greyback's actions almost ruined my life as a boy but thanks to Professor Dumbledore and my friends and family, I was spared the dismal life that a lot of werewolves are forced to suffer.'

Lupin drained the last of his tea from his mug then got up to put it in the sink. He stopped though when he felt my arms wrap around his waist from behind. Lupin turned to see me hugging him, my face buried into his robes. They smelt of wood, like the forest near to our home. Lupin smiled, his hand stroking my hair.

'I don't want to be taken away,' I mumbled into his robes. 'I don't want to lose you.'

'You won't be. I promise.'

Despite it being Christmas Eve the next day, Lupin took me back to Hogwarts the day after the investigation on my request. I knew the others must have finished the Polyjuice Potion by now and so if I had any chance of helping them find out if Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin I had to get back to school as soon as possible. I could tell Lupin was disappointed I didn't want to spend Christmas with him after being brought home but he respected my choice. Seeing his reaction, I compromised by spending the day with him at Moonlake before he Apparated me back to Hogwarts late Thursday evening. Having eaten at home, I wasn't worried that I had probably missed dinner.

When I reached the Great Hall I saw that Harry, Ron and Hermione weren't there. The Hall was beginning to empty as the students returned to their common rooms with their stomachs full of food. It looked like they had already had their dinner and gone. On the far side of the room I saw Malfoy standing up at the Slytherin table glaring down at Crabbe and Goyle, both of whom were still stuffing their faces with what remained of pudding. Seeing Malfoy turn to leave, I quickly shouldered my bag and headed up the Marble Staircase. Instead of going to the Gryffindor Tower though, I went to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. If my assumptions were correct, if Harry, Ron and Hermione were likely to be anywhere, they'd be in the bathroom waiting for Hermione to tell them the potion was ready for them to use. While I had no one to transform into though, it didn't mean I couldn't wait in the bathroom until they returned from interrogating Malfoy.

I checked that no one was around before knocking on the door to Myrtle's bathroom. A few moments later a shiny-faced Hermione unlocked it, surprised to see me standing there. I walked inside, Hermione locking the door behind me. A thick black smoke was coming from the cauldron sat in the middle of the floor making it look like the potion was burning but was merely an indication that it was ready. When I asked where Harry and Ron were, Hermione explained they were waiting for Crabbe and Goyle with some cakes filled with a Sleeping Draught so that they could knock them out. They needed some of their hairs to be able to transform into them while the real Crabbe and Goyle were to be fast asleep in a broom cupboard none the wiser. Beside the cauldron sat three sets of Slytherin robes Hermione had snuck from the laundry. Not knowing if I'd be back in time, she hadn't gotten me any or got me some of Pansy's hair so I could change into her. Having seen what the finished Polyjuice Potion looked like, I was pretty relieved that I wouldn't have to drink any of it.

The boys arrived shortly after I did. When he saw me, Harry asked me how the investigation had gone but I brushed it off by saying that I'd tell them later about it as we had to act quickly now the Polyjuice Potion was ready. With the hairs from Crabbe and Goyle in their hands, Hermione poured out three ladlefuls of potion into three separate glasses. The potion seemed almost tarlike in thickness and was an awful dark brown colour. It slid in large blobs into the glass. I wrinkled my nose at the sight.

'Now what?' whispered Ron.

'We've separated it into three glasses so we add the hairs.'

Hermione handed Harry and Ron a glass each. They put the hairs they had into their glasses while Hermione tipped the ones she had out of their test tube into her own. The potion hissed and bubbled as the hairs seemed to melt into it. Each changed in colour: Hermione's turned a sickly yellow, Harry's changing to a dark green and Ron's a murky brown.

'Hang on,' said Harry. 'We'd better not all drink them out here: once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit our robes so we'll have to change before we drink it. We better go into the cubicles.'

'Good thinking,' said Ron. He picked up a set of the Slytherin robes and went over to a cubicle. 'We'll take separate cubicles. Crabbe and Goyle won't fit in one together and Millicent Bulstrode's no pixie.'

I took a seat on top of one of the sinks as the other three went into the cubicles. There was a few minutes rustling as they each changed out of their clothes into the Slytherin robes.

'Ready?' called Harry.

'Ready,' came Ron and Hermione's response.

I waited in silence as Harry, Ron and Hermione drank the potion. I heard them gag as they did so but no other sounds came from them as I assumed they transformed. I began to wonder if the potion had even worked. Moments later, however, a voice came the middle cubicle Harry had been in, only it wasn't Harry's voice that spoke.

'Are you two OK?' said the unfamiliar tone I guessed to belong to Gregory Goyle having never actually heard him speak before.

'Yeah,' came a second grunt from the cubicle to the left, this time in Vincent Crabbe's low tones.

The middle cubicle door opened. From inside stepped Harry now fully transformed into Goyle and wearing his Slytherin robes and shoes. I was amazed by how accurate the potion was. Looking at him I wouldn't have even known it wasn't the real Goyle. Harry slowly lumbered over to where I sat on the sinks to look in the mirror, clearly thrown by Goyle's massive frame compared to his own smaller one. Next out came Ron now disguised as Crabbe. I almost laughed when I saw Ron already had the same dumbfounded look on his face that Crabbe always seemed to have in class. He joined Harry by the mirror. Both of them were staring in awe at their appearances.

'This is unbelievable,' said Ron. He prodded Crabbe's squished nose. 'Unbelievable.'

'It is very convincing,' I said. 'I wouldn't be able to know it wasn't the real them if I ran into you. Unless you said something intelligent.'

'We'd better get going,' said Harry, loosening his watch so it didn't cut into his thickened wrist. 'We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is, I only hope we can find someone to follow …'

'You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking,' said Ron, staring at Harry. He then banged on Hermione's cubicle door. 'C'mon, we need to go …'

'I – I don't think I'm going to come after all,' replied a high-pitched voice. I was taken aback slightly how high Millicent Bulstrode's voice was considering her size. 'You go on without me.'

'Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you,' said Ron impatiently.

'No – really – I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up, you're wasting time.'

Harry, Ron and I shared a confused look.

'That's more like Goyle,' said Ron. 'That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question.'

'Hermione, are you OK?' Harry asked her through the door.

'Fine – I'm fine … Go on –'

'We'll meet you back here, all right?' Harry then turned to me and added, 'Make sure she's all right?'

'Of course,' I replied. 'Now get a move on. We've only got one shot at this so you better hurry.'

Harry and Ron nodded and left the bathroom. It was like watching baby animals learning to walk the way they stumbled in Crabbe and Goyle's bodies. Once they were gone, I slid off the sink and approached Hermione's cubicle door. It seemed odd how reluctant she seemed to come out of it after transforming into Millicent. I knocked on the door. Perhaps now the boys were gone she might tell me what had happened.

'Hermione, are you all right?' I said through it. 'Has something happened?'

Hermione didn't respond. From the end cubicle Moaning Myrtle poked her head through the door then floated over to me. She flew up high enough to see into Hermione's cubicle. She let out a nasty cackle at whatever she had seen. I frowned at her reaction and took out my wand. I tapped the lock and said the spell to unlock it. I pushed open the door revealing Hermione behind it. What I saw made my eyes widen and I gasped in shock. Emerging from beneath her bushy hair was a pair of very obvious ears; as she turned round to face me, I saw she was completely covered in thick brown fur while her brown eyes had been changed into bright yellow orbs; a tail was swaying behind her coming out from underneath the robes she was wearing.

'Do you remember reading that the Polyjuice Potion was only for human transformations?' Hermione asked me. I nodded. Above us, Myrtle snickered. Hermione let out a sob and slammed the door shut again. I glared up at Myrtle but she merely continued to laugh.

Hermione remained locked in the toilet cubicle for the next hour. Seeing I wasn't going to get her to come out anytime soon, I sat down to wait for the boys to return, hoping that the effects of the potion might wear off Hermione after an hour like they would do on Harry and Ron. I could hear Hermione quietly sobbing as I waited. Somehow I didn't have high hopes that it would.

'Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time,' I looked up when I heard Ron's voice – his own voice – speaking as the door to Myrtle's bathroom opened. 'I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys' drawing room.'

They were checking their appearances in the mirror now they'd changed back. Harry put back on his glasses. I got up and walked over to them.

'You still don't know who the Heir is?' I asked.

'No,' replied Harry, 'All he said was that the Chamber had been opened fifty years ago and that a Muggle-born died. He doesn't know who it is.'

'So we're no closer to knowing who it is than we were before the holiday,' I said dismally. Over by the cubicles Ron was hammering on Hermione's door.

'Hermione, come out,' he shouted, 'we've got loads to tell you –'

'Go away!' squeaked Hermione's voice. Harry and Ron looked at me confused.

'What's the matter?' Ron then asked. 'You must be back to normal by now, we are.'

'Ron,' I said slowly, 'I'd be careful what you say.'

Ron's look of confusion deepened. From the next cubicle Moaning Myrtle glided through the door still with the smirk from earlier on her face.

'Ooooooh, wait till you see,' she cackled. 'It's awful.'

Myrtle floated back from the door. Harry and I walked over to it and stood next to Ron as the door's lock clicked open. Finally Hermione came out but she had her robes up over her head to hide her face.

'What's up?' said Ron uncertainly. 'Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?'

'Not exactly,' I said.

Hermione pulled back the robes. Ron and Harry both stepped back in shock when she revealed her feline face and yellow eyes, her ears flattened back against her hair like a cat's would do when they were scared. Her tail was still poking out from under her robes.

'It was a c-cat hair!' she wailed suddenly. 'M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!'

'Uh oh,' said Ron.

'You'll be teased something dreadful,' laughed Myrtle gleefully.

'Oh, go float down a drain,' I snapped at her. Myrtle sneered at me then swooped off to her toilet.

'It's OK, Hermione,' said Harry next. 'We'll take you up to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions.'

'Maybe leave the animal transformations to the professionals next time,' I said lightly.

I coaxed Hermione out of the cubicle and put my jacket over her head to hide her ears then made sure her tail was tucked in under her robes. While I took the lead, Harry and Ron covered the back and the three of us snuck Hermione through the castle to the Hospital Wing. As we left the toilet Myrtle did have a final parting shot.

'Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!'

I suddenly had a clear understanding of why Myrtle had been bullied while she was at school. She was pretty spiteful herself if she put her mind to it.

Hermione remained in the Hospital Wing for the rest of the holidays and for the beginning few weeks of the following term. Madam Pomfrey's face had been quite a picture when we presented the feline Hermione to her but soon enough had her shut off from the rest of the Hospital Wing in a bed at the far end of the room with curtains set up around it. When term restarted and the students returned, her disappearance soon spread around the Gryffindors thanks to Parvati and Lavender and soon enough most of the school was aware that another Muggle-born had been hospitalised but didn't know why. Whenever we visited her there was always one or two students trying to catch a glimpse of her through the Hospital Wing door but Madam Pomfrey's curtains did their job in preventing anyone from seeing her furry face, sparing Hermione anymore embarrassment.

Despite her half feline form, Hermione was relatively cheerful once she was hidden away in the Hospital Wing. She was disappointed when Harry and Ron told us what they'd found out from Malfoy and that we still didn't know who the Heir was but other than that, she was still herself. She even insisted that we brought her each day's homework so that she could work on it while she waited for the fur and ears to recede and her eyes to return to their natural brown.

'If I'd sprouted whiskers, I'd take a break from work,' said Ron on Friday evening. He tipped out Hermione's books on to her bed including today's list of homework I'd written down for her.

'Don't be silly, Ron, I've got to keep up,' said Hermione dismissively. She was very cheerful having finally shed the last of her fur. Her eyes still had visible slits for pupils though. 'I don't suppose you've got any new leads?' she then added in a whisper.

'Nothing,' said Harry.

'We've gone through as many history books we could think of detailing events from fifty years ago involving the school but nothing about the Chamber is listed,' I explained.

'I was so sure it was Malfoy,' fumed Ron. 'He said himself he would help them.'

'Well he isn't,' I said shortly. 'Malfoy probably would be too scared to even face whatever Slytherin's monster is, judging by how cowardly he was last year during our detention in the Forest.'

'What's that?' Harry then said. I looked where he was pointing. Something gold was sticking out from under Hermione's pillow.

'Just a Get Well card,' said Hermione quickly. She made to push it further under the pillow but Ron had already snatched it from her reach.

'"To Miss Granger",' he read aloud, '"wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award.'

'Really needs to boast about his achievements, doesn't he?' I muttered to Harry. He nodded in agreement. Ron gave Hermione a disgusted look.

'You sleep with this under your pillow?'

Hermione was spared admitting to this when Madam Pomfrey appeared right at that moment to give Hermione her evening medicine. She shooed us away telling us Hermione needed her rest and so we had no choice but to leave and return to the Gryffindor Tower.

'Is Lockhart the smarmiest bloke you've ever met, or what?' Ron said to us as we left the Hospital Wing. 'I mean, seriously. He brags about all his accomplishments whenever he has the slightest opportunity to do so.'

We walked through the corridors that lead us back to the Changing Staircases. About halfway there Ron suddenly moaned that he'd forgotten to ask Hermione about Hair-Raising Potions when I pointed out that might not have been the wisest thing to ask her considering what she just had to endure.

'Bloody mess!' suddenly shouted a voice somewhere above us. Harry, Ron and I stopped to listen. 'Water everywhere!'

'That's Filch,' said Harry.

'Wonder what he's shouting about?' I wondered. 'Something about water again.'

'You don't think someone else's been attacked?' Ron suddenly asked. We shared a concerned look. Neither Harry nor I had heard the voice in the walls. It couldn't have been another attack, could it?

'… even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to see Dumbledore …'

Filch's shouts faded away as did his footsteps. A door slammed indicating he had left wherever he'd been. Quickly Harry, Ron and I found the nearest staircase and ran up it. We then doubled back to where we'd heard Filch's voice coming from to find ourselves once again in the corridor where Mrs Norris had been attacked and outside Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Filch must have been guarding his usual post. It didn't take us long to find out what he'd been shouting about. Just like on Hallowe'en the entire floor was covered in a flood of water that was still streaming from underneath Moaning Myrtle's bathroom door. You could just hear the taps running through her wails echoing off the bathroom walls.

'Now what's up with her?' moaned Ron.

'Let's go and see,' said Harry.

Harry and Ron pulled up their trouser legs and trudged carefully through the deep puddles of water. At least wearing a skirt meant I didn't have to worry about it getting wet. I still had to go on my tiptoes to stop my socks getting soaked though. Ignoring the 'Out of Order' sign like we always did, Harry pushed open the door. The taps on every sink apart from one in the middle of the column was running, water overflowing the sinks and pouring straight on to the stone floor. All the candles had been extinguished and so the room was darker than usual. Cautiously Harry, Ron and I approached Myrtle's cubicle. From the sounds of it, Myrtle was deep inside the U-bend, judging by the gurgling of her cries.

'What's up, Myrtle?' asked Harry.

'Who's that?' gurgled Myrtle's voice. 'Come to throw something else at me?'

'Why would I throw something at you?' asked Harry.

'Don't ask me,' snapped Myrtle. She shot out of the toilet, spraying more water over the already drenched floor. 'Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me …'

'But it can't hurt you if someone throws something at you,' reasoned Harry. 'I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?'

Harry instantly seemed to know he'd said the wrong thing. I braced myself for the inevitable outburst Myrtle was about to have. She certainly didn't fail to live up to her name.

'Oh, sure!' Myrtle shrieked, swooping right up in front of us so she was eye-to-eye with Harry. 'Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if it goes through her stomach!' The three of us jumped as Myrtle punched Harry, her hand passing straight through his abdomen. 'Fifty points if it goes through her head!' And she punched his head as well. 'Well, ha ha ha!' she laughed sarcastically. 'What a lovely game, I don't think!'

'Who threw it at you, anyway?' said Harry, looking slightly flushed having just been punched twice by a ghost.

'I don't know …' said Myrtle, a lot calmer this time. 'I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death,' Myrtle let out a sigh – was this a constant topic of thought for her or something? – 'and it fell right through the top of my head. It's over there, it got washed out.'

Myrtle pointed over to the sinks then floated off back to the large circular windowsill above us to continue crying. Beneath the one facing the cubicles was a thin black book. Its cover was made of what looked like leather but it had become shabby over the years. It was soaked like everything else, lying in the water. Harry walked over to the sinks and bent to pick it up when Ron suddenly flung his arm out to stop him.

'What?' said Harry confused.

'Are you mad?' said Ron. 'It could be dangerous.'

'Dangerous?' laughed Harry. 'Come off it, how could it be dangerous?'

'You'd be surprised,' said Ron, deadly serious. 'Some of the books the Ministry's confiscated – Dad's told me – there was one that burned your eyes out. And everyone who reads Sonnets of a Sorcerer spoke in limericks for the rest of their lives. And some old witch in Bath had a book that you could never stop reading! You just had to wander around with your nose in it, trying to do everything one-handed. And –'

'All right, I've got the point,' said Harry.

I looked down at the book.

'It doesn't look dangerous,' I said. 'Just looks like an old notebook or something.'

'Well, we won't find out unless we look at it,' said Harry.

Harry picked up the book. I peered over his shoulder at it. It was very thin book, clearly not a storybook or anything like that. There was some vague gold lettering on the cover that had become worn over time. Harry flicked open the cover to the first page. In the top left-hand corner was name written in smudged black ink.

'It looks like a diary,' said Harry.

'"T. M. Riddle",' I read. 'Who d'you suppose that is?'

'Hang on,' said Ron. 'I know that name … T. M. Riddle got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago.'

'How on earth d'you know that?' asked Harry.

'Because Filch made me polish his shield about fifty times in detention,' grumbled Ron. 'That was the one I burped slugs all over. If you'd wiped the slime off a name for an hour, you'd remember it, too.'

'Did it say what he got the award for?' I asked Ron. He shook his head.

Harry peeled apart the wet pages. There was nothing written in the diary. It was blank.

'He never wrote in it,' said Harry, disappointed.

'I wonder why someone wanted to flush it away?' mused Ron.

'He must've been Muggle-born,' Harry then said, pointing to the back cover where the name of newsagents in Vauxhall Road, London, had been inscribed, 'to have bought a diary from Vauxhall Road …'

'Well, it's not much use to you,' said Ron. He then dropped his voice. 'Fifty points if you can get it through Myrtle's nose.'

I frowned. As there was nothing more to find here, the three of us left the bathroom. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Harry slip the diary into his pocket. Though curious as to what he planned to do with it, I didn't say anything.

AN: a new chapter in Chamber of Secrets now that focuses in on all the investigations, this time now including the investigation Jenna and Lupin have to endure because of her being in the care of a werewolf. hopefully I have characterised Lupin's feelings about it well and shown just how bad the prejudice against werewolves it can be. It also meant, having done a bit more research, I was able to introduce Amos Diggory (Cedric's father) and took the opportunity to also introduce Felix, the son of Newt Scamander and father of Luna's future husband, Rolf. I thought he'd be a nice addition to the story as maybe another contact for Jenna to possibly to use in the future or just as another level to the story itself.