I own nothing.
A/N: There's another visit to Australia in the beginning but I want to state that I am not Australian nor have I been there (though, I'd love to one day). So please excuse me if I'm lacking in the dialect and culture. Some things I'm forced to make up for the story but everything else comes from what I find on Google. If there are any Australians out there reading this, let me know if something is wrong and I'll fix it.
Happy Thanksgiving to all those that celebrate it! Please enjoy this chapter as you digest copious amounts of turkey.
Chapter XXIV
November 1993
Sirius was not what you'd call a warm weather person. In his opinion, the only appropriate time for a person to sweat this much was during training, dueling, and sex; the latter being his preferred activity (especially given some of the locals he'd seen thus far). And yet, here the scruffy Auror stood, in the arid desert of the Australian Outback running down information on the unusual occurrences that had befallen the region since the mysterious death of a local park ranger this past August.
Tales of unexplained phenomena had been springing up all throughout the southern part of the Northern Territory. Stories of objects floating in the air, strange lightning strikes when there wasn't a cloud in the sky, flash hail storms despite being too far north, and a sharp spike in snake attacks in the area surrounding Uluru. And while, as a famous magical site, Uluru had the reputation for unexplained magic, it had never reached this level of exposure.
For the native Muggles, these events were met with fear; an omen for a rising evil. The Australian Ministry of Magic, though, saw this as a rogue wizard and a threat to the Statue of Secrecy. Warrants had been issued and every local Auror was on high alert.
But that was not why Sirius was here.
Buzz! Buzz!
Sirius felt the steady vibration of the communication mirror in his back pocket. He reached behind him and pulled the mirror, looked around to be make he wouldn't be overheard, and whispered his name.
"Are you there yet?" Lily asked impatiently the moment her face appeared.
"Well, Lily, as I am not here on any official capacity, I've had to get creative with my travel arrangements."
He was not going to risk being caught and questioned by the Australian Aurors, who were monitoring all forms of magical transportation in the area. If he were to be caught, he'd have a tough time explaining why a British Auror was sticking his nose into Australian affairs. It wasn't like there was animosity between the two Ministries, quite the contrary, but this was considered an internal matter and national pride wouldn't look too kindly to Sirius's presences.
"Meaning?"
"I'm walking." He would have used his Animagus form but the Northern Territory was pretty free about hunting feral animals and Sirius didn't want to accidentally get shot. Luckily, the Muggle roads took him right where he wanted to go so there was no need for magic to help him navigate.
"Oh Merlin!" Lily cried with a roll of the eyes. "You can use Muggle transportation, you know!"
"Hey, I looked it up." Sirius fired back indignantly. "Muggles kill themselves all the time in those contraptions."
"You have a motorcycle, Sirius!" Lily looked like she wanted to reach through the mirror and strangle him.
"Yeah, but it can fly." It was simple logic according to Sirius.
Lily's patience had run out. "Just get there already. I've should have had you go there months ago."
Sirius decided to poke the dragon one more time. "Well whose fault is that?"
"Yours!" yelled Lily, her face nearly matching her hair.
"That's right, so be grateful I'm such a nice guy and agreed to this in the first place." Sirius dropped the mirror to close the connection, pleased that he managed to have the last word and knowing that James was going to have to deal with the aftermath.
Sirius looked around him again and saw nothing but sand and tumbleweeds.
'Merlin! Why would anyone want to live here?' Sirius couldn't help but wonder. 'It's not natural for it to be this hot in November.' But in Australia, the seasons were reversed compared to Europe, so while his home was preparing for winter, Australia was in its last month of spring. And yet, it was already unseasonably hot, like it was magic. It was so hot, it was even negating his Cooling Charms. Was the person(s) responsible for all these unexplained magically events affecting the weather as well?
Sirius walked for another hour before he could finally see Uluru rising in the distance. "Oh, thank Merlin."
It still took another half hour to reach the famous sandstone formation. Given many of the recent events, the tourism numbers were much lower than usual so there weren't many people around.
Sirius walked around the site until he came to a small memorial with the picture of a middle-aged man. It was surrounded by local flowers, candles, and a few handwritten personal messages. Sirius crouched down before it. He didn't have the specifics, but it was probable that this man was the first of a chain of unexplained events from the past couple of months. The park ranger, Mick White, was mysterious found dead but with no signs of trauma or medical causes. The Muggle authorities were baffled, but to a wizard, all the signs pointed to the use of the Killing Curse.
Uluru, one of the six Pillars for the Magical World, was the closest thing to a religious relic in the South Pacific. Despite no actual religion for wizarding kind, the Pillars were still regarded as sacred ground. So the fact that a magical murder had taken place here reached a new level of depravity.
"G'day, mate." A dark-skinned man in the typical ranger uniform approached.
"Afternoon." Sirius was hoping to run into a ranger. Perhaps a Muggle perspective could shed some light on what happened.
The ranger reached behind him and pulled a water bottle from his back pocket. "You look like you could use a drink."
"Yes, thank you." Sirius took the bottle and took a few healthy gulps before handing it back.
"What brings you here, mate? Most have stayed away after old Mick passed." The man nodded towards the memorial.
"I've always wanted to visit and I don't get to the Down Under too often." Sirius couldn't resist using the country's nickname with a subtle impression of their native accent...and immediately felt embarrassed.
The ranger's nose twitched slightly. He was probably accustomed to people trying (and failing) to imitate his native dialect. When he spoke, though, he showed no sign of annoyance.
"It's a beautiful thing to behold, ain't it. Old Mick used to spend hours out here by himself. Liked to say, 'We're just spectators to the world God created. It's important to stop and appreciate the wonders he left for us.'" The two of them stopped to do just that.
"Sounds like a good man." It was good time to start directing the conversation to the events of that night.
The ranger hung his head. "Yip, we all miss him."
"Do you know more about what happen?" Sirius was carefully not to push too hard and keep his tone as mild curiosity.
"Not really," the ranger said with a shake of the head. "Just what the Feds said. Said he just collapsed and that was it. Pretty sideways, if you ask me."
"No witnesses." Sirius knew there weren't as the incident had happened after the park was closed but it never hurt to ask.
"Not many out this far, especially at that time of night. Though, people talk about seeing a giant stream of light shooting into the sky that night." The ranger's eyes turned to the area where the light was reported. "Didn't see it myself but I don't doubt the stories."
"Why not?" It was odd for a Muggle not to seek a rational explanation for magical event they'd accidentally witnessed.
The ranger shrugged. "Things happen here at night sometimes. We'd get flowers growing out of nothing overnight, tiny little balls of light floating in the sky over it, things like that. Really helps bring in the crowds."
"You sound skeptical, though." It sounded like this ranger had seen a fair number of the kind of magical events that made Uluru one of the Pillars of the Magical World. And yet, like most Muggles, failed to realize the larger truth.
"I know who done it, is all." The ranger played it off well that he was the kind of man that knew more than most.
"Who?" As far as the magical community was concerned, there were no suspects.
The man shuffled in closer, he looked as if he had told this story more than a few times.
"For the last thirteen years, there's been tales of a hooded figure that wanders through the desert. No one has ever been able to get a good look at him, though. Anytime someone gets close, he'd just disappeared." The man clapped his hands for affect.
"With a loud crack, right?" Sirius figured people were just witnessing the resulting sound of Apparition. The ranger, though, was quick to shake his head.
"Never heard of something like that. Then again, most people who've said they'd seen him have a few screws loose, if you catch my meaning."
If that were the case, then how was he so sure. Was there something else to this hermit?
"But you believe this is the guy."
The ranger nodded. "No better explanation in my book."
Sirius hoped for more but it was enough for him to want find this hermit and question him. "Where do people usually see him?"
The ranger suddenly narrowed his eyes. It seemed he had realized that Sirius had had more questions than the average tourist.
"Why would you want to know that? You a Fed?"
Sirius was quick to answer. "Private investigator."
The ranger's face lit up with acknowledgement. "Ah! For one of those conspiracy nuts, huh? Having you do their dirty work?"
"You have no idea." Sirius smirked as he thought. 'That's Lily, alright. A complete nut job.'
The two shared a chuckle. The ranger had probably met his fair share of conspiracy chasers and their many theories for the unexplained phenomenon of Uluru.
"I'll tell you what I tell them. Most say that they see him around Mount Unapproachable."
"Mount Unapproachable?" Sirius marveled at the unusual ways Muggles named things.
The ranger nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I know, silly name, but it's pretty remote and there's not much water around it so people don't hang around."
That decided it for Sirius. He extended his arm to shake the ranger's hand. "Mount Unapproachable it is. Thank you…" Sirius realized he never got the ranger's name.
"Walker. Johnnie Walker. My mum was addicted to the stuff." Walker replied with a smile.
Sirius was familiar with the brand of Scotch, though it didn't hold a candle to Firewhiskey. "There are worse things."
"Hell, you don't need to tell me that."
The two said their good-byes after Johnnie described the best route to approach Mount Unapproachable.
Before Sirius left, he walked around Uluru and documented the ancient writings, particularly at the spot Johnnie had told him the light had been seen emanating from. He didn't need Lily yelling at him for forgetting why he was there in the first place. And while he didn't know the first thing about Lily's research, it was unmistakable that the choreography had changed. Perhaps, he should have Lily sit down and explain it to him one day.
What he needed to do now was find this hermit in the desert. If there was the slightest chance he had seen something from that night, then it was worth investigating. It also seemed obvious that the hermit was a wizard, and Sirius wondered how nothing from the Australian Ministry made mention of it.
'Perhaps they've already caught him and he wasn't their guy. Perhaps he saw what happened that night. Perhaps..." There were too many reasons for Sirius not to see for himself.
There were no roads to Mount Unapproachable and Sirius had no desire to walk; at least, with just two legs. He decided to risk it and transform into his Animagus form. At least as a dog, the trip wouldn't take nearly as long.
Mount Unapproachable was nestled within the salt flats of Lake Neale, though, calling it a lake was a bit of a stretch. Only in times of heavy rainfall was the lake any less dry than the surrounding desert. There was quite a bit of desert foliage and small trees, known as wattles, that provided some shade and concealment for Sirius as he made his approach. If this hermit did exist, then he shouldn't be able to see Sirius coming, at least, not without magic.
It took Sirius close to two hours before the small mountain came into his view. It stood only about five hundred meters above the ground and was hardly imposing. It truly was isolated, though, which made sense for someone who wished to be left alone.
Once Sirius was close enough, he found a small, discreet place to transform back to his human form and quickly cast a Disillusion Spell. From the looks of it, the mountain looked as deserted as everything else.
'This wizard is very good at concealments.' Sirius thought as his ward scans came up with nothing, but he couldn't shake the sense that someone was here.
He had to take a closer look.
Sirius moved from cover to cover, inching closer and closer, to the mountain's base. His instincts were telling him to go the western face. He cast a Detection Charm but it came up with nothing again.
Sirius eventually came to a small indention in the side of the mountain. Something about it seemed familiar to Sirius, like he was in the presence of someone he had once known.
He forewent his wand and placed his bare hand in the air, seeking to find what magic couldn't tell him was there. He stood right up against the mountainside and meant to place his hand against the rock surface. However, where there should have been rock, Sirius's hand phased right through it until his entire arm had disappeared into the rock wall.
Snap!
Sirius's ears perked up immediately at the sound of a broken twig. It had come from behind him. Quickly reaching for his wand, he turned around ready to defend himself.
But it was too late...
It happened on a Tuesday.
For Harry, it started like any other Tuesday. He and Danny had met in the Entrance Hall for their usual morning run. It was one of the few opportunities each day for Harry and Danny to spend together.
They would run their usual route around the lake and the edge of the Forbidden Forest before they settled on a mound of a rocks on the lake shore to admire the sunrise. It was a truly beautiful sight to watch the rays of the sun peak out over the mountain scape and bath the castle with its light. For Harry and Danny, there was no better way to start the day.
The two brothers would usually sit quietly, as they cooled down from the run and just enjoy the view. Lately, though, given the unfortunate incident after the Quidditch game, things had become tense between the brothers.
"Are they still upset?" Harry broke the silence.
"What do you think?" Danny answered a bit mulishly.
Danny was constantly forced to hide who he was, much to the ire of his peers who wanted a hero. It had been such an incredible feeling to have everyone cheering for him and to finally feel a level of acceptance; only to have it ruined by the reminder that he wasn't, in fact, like everyone else.
Harry understood all of this and hoped that Danny was still able to enjoy some semblance of normalcy that resulted from a decisive victory. "I would think that winning the match would overshadow any...unpleasantness."
"We still celebrated but about half of the time they were all cursing your name and asking the twins and me how we could stand being around you."
"What did Fred and George say to that?" Harry couldn't suppress a smirk, he could only imagine how the twins would react.
Danny chuckled, despite himself. "That you had Greengrass poison their family and they had to act like they were your friend so that they could get the antidote."
Harry let out a bark of a laugh. "How well did that play out?"
"Ron started screaming and ran out of the room to write their mum. And Ginny," Danny paused as he tried to remember. "I don't remember what she was doing but she's always off writing in that diary of hers."
"Still leaving you little love notes." Harry teased as he leaned over and softly bumped him with his shoulder.
"It was one time!" Danny flung his arms up in frustration.
Danny had already vowed revenge against the twins for telling Harry about the small heart-shaped notes he had found in his school bag a few weeks ago. The immediate theory on who'd done it had been the twin's little sister, Ginny, who had already been caught doodling Danny's and her name in tiny little hearts.
"And I don't even know if it was her!"
"Who do you wish they were from?" Harry asked teasingly.
Danny immediately tensed up. "I don't know..."
"There's no one you wish was sending you love notes?" Harry pushed further in the same tone. This presented a perfect opportunity to take advantage of what he overheard about his brother's best friend.
"No..." Danny didn't sound at all convincing.
"That's not what I heard." Harry was finding it very difficult not to smile. Justice was finally being served after a summer of teasing about his relationship with Daphne.
"Who! I-I-" Danny reacted quickly but then tried to play it off as nothing. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"It's alright, Danny. It's okay to admit you like her."
Danny visibly relaxed as he sheepishly asked. "Do you think she knows?"
"Absolutely." Even a blind person could see what was happening between the two friends.
"Did she say something to you?" Danny asked with a small sliver of hope.
Harry smiled internally. Now was the time to strike.
"I don't really talk to Millie," he replied as nonchalantly as possible.
Danny's eyes bulged out. "Millie!?"
"Millicent Bulstrode," Harry clarified. Millicent Bulstrode was a Slytherin girl in Danny's year that had the unfortunate distinction of resembling a mountain troll.
"Don't tell me you don't know the name of the girl you fancy," Harry playfully chastised.
"Millicent Bulstrode!" Danny looked absolutely repulsed. "I...What!?...Does she?...No! She's not—" Danny stopped himself as if afraid to say the name they both already knew.
Harry raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer. It was hard enough to keep a straight face, but with all of Danny's flustering, it was a losing battle.
"That's not funny, Harry." Danny playfully shoved Harry off his seat, to the point of Harry needing to stop himself from falling off.
"Hey!" Harry slide off the rock and grabbed their training bag. "You're free to fancy whoever you like. I don't judge."
"Git," Danny said as he hopped off the rock to join Harry on the ground.
Harry wrapped his arm around Danny's neck and gave him one of his traditional nuggies. Danny escaped and light-heartedly pushed Harry away, a small grin on his face. Harry noticed Danny's alert eyes focusing and realized that he meant to make this a game of chase. With a quick bluff to right, which fooled Danny, Harry sprinted for the castle.
"You're not getting away this time," cried Danny as he tried to catch up to his brother.
"I didn't know you felt that strong about The Troll, I'll go tell her," Harry yelled over his shoulder. He picked up his speed to put even more distance between them.
"I'm going to rip your head off."
"Got to catch me first." Harry was already at the entryway to the castle. He was a good ten meters into the Entrance Hall before Danny followed him inside.
"I'm getting faster, you know."
"Not fast enough." Harry turned around and back pedaled. Even with Danny at full speed, there was still enough space between them. The move, though, caused Harry to be unable to see where he was going. At his time in the morning, the Entrance Hall was usually empty, but on this particular Tuesday, it wasn't.
Harry's feet suddenly found something other than stone underneath them. Harry didn't have a chance to brace himself as he fell backwards and landed hard on ground. Underneath his legs was a body; the body of Colin Creevey.
By this point, Danny had caught up and came to an abrupt halt at the sight. "Harry…"
Harry scrambled to his feet and took a few cautious steps away from Colin's still form. He was in a state of shock. Creevey's body was more than lifeless, it was like it was made of stone. His arms were up near his face with one eye closed while the other was squinting. Harry gently pushed Creevey's arm to test for a response but all it did was cause his body to sway a little back and forth. Not even his clothes had moved.
"What happened to him?" asked Danny as he took a step closer.
Harry immediately put a hand up to hold him back. "Danny, go. Go right now. Get to the Room and you don't come out until I come get you."
"Harry—"
"Now, Danny!" It must have been the shock of the situation that kept Danny from following Harry's order. Harry took the necessary steps, feet as heavy as lead, to put his hands on Danny's shoulder. "You can't be seen here."
"Neither should you." Danny looked back at his brother but his gaze quickly turned back to Creevey's body.
"I can't leave him like this. I can—" Harry stopped himself. He didn't know the first thing about what to do. All he knew was that Danny needed to be as far away from this as possible. Harry's eyes fell back to the still body beneath him.
'They'll think I did this. I can't hide from that. But Danny can.'
Looking at Danny, he saw that his brother was having similar thoughts.
"Harry—"
"Just go. Tell Dad what's happening."
"No, I'll stand beside you. I'll tell them it wasn't you."
Harry started to hear the faint sound of footsteps coming from further down the hallway. The first students to breakfast were coming. Harry reached into their training bag and pulled out the invisibility cloak. Together they were too tall now for it to hide both of them, but at least Danny could escape.
"Take it and go."
They stared at each other for a moment, voices of the approaching crowd growing louder, before Danny reluctantly took the cloak and wrapped himself in it.
"Get to the Room. If I see Hermione and the twins, I send them to you."
"You're innocent, Harry."
"You knowing that is all that matters. Now go."
Danny reluctantly disappeared underneath the cloak and Harry could hear his footsteps take him away from what was about to happen.
As students began to approach, many gave Harry a queer look as to why he stood at attention in front of the Great Hall. It was once they noticed the body at his feet that their expressions turned to one of horror. Screams rang throughout Entrance Hall as people called for the teachers to come quickly.
All the while, Harry maintained his ground and impassively stood guard over Creevey's body. He already knew what everyone was probably thinking and ignored their judgmental and frightened gazes. By now, the Entrance Hall was filled and a circle of students had surrounded Harry and Creevey.
"Move aside! I'm Head Boy! Move aside now! Let me through!" Percy Weasley shouted, as he pushed his way to where Harry stood. Once he was clear, his eyes quickly found Harry and Creevey's body. There was a brief moment of confusion on his face as he took in the scene. Eventually his eyes rose up to meet Harry's and his expression to turned authoritative.
"Potter, what have you done?"
Harry chose to ignore him. He didn't have much respect for Percy Weasley, he was far too enamored with authority and position.
"As Head Boy, you will answer me, prefect." Percy nearly growled.
Harry finally turned his gaze to Weasley. "I will wait to report directly to the Headmaster. I'm sure this is something he'll wish to see."
Percy was flabbergasted. His mouth hung open at Harry's display of disrespect for the position that he had worked so very hard to achieve. Wordlessly, he pushed his way back into crowd, no doubt, to find the Headmaster and report him. Meanwhile, hearing Harry speak had opened the floodgates of jeers and insults from those present.
"This time you got caught, Potter!"
"You evil bastard."
"It was only pictures, you psycho."
Harry, though, maintained his ground and stoic expression. He'd only move to defend himself or when the Headmaster arrived. He was not going to leave Creevey's body unprotected. It didn't matter if his actions made him look even more guilty.
The only eyes he saw not damning him belonged to his friends. Fred, George, and Hermione all knew of Harry's and Danny's morning runs, and he could see them worrying about Danny's absence. A subtle nod from Harry seemed to calm them somewhat down, and he hoped it also reassured them that Danny had not been implicated. Harry watched Hermione whisper something to Fred and George before she and Fred started to leave. Harry hoped that she had deduced that Danny would be in the Room of Requirements and the two of them were going to check on him. George remained behind to see what happens and support Harry, if it came to that.
Daphne, meanwhile, was clearly upset and had a tinge of fear, as she watched and listened to the growing crowd. He had to give her a subtle shake of his head to stop her from coming to him. One, because he didn't want her to become involved when she didn't have to be, and two, because someone might mistake her approach as the first move that signaled everyone to start throwing curses at him. She remained where she stood and her expression turned more calculating, probably trying to figure out how he could get out of this situation without ending up in a cell in Azkaban.
It didn't take long before Dumbledore's voice could be heard asking people to move out of the way. Much like Percy, Dumbledore's first reaction to the scene was that of confusion. It changed quickly, though, as he turned to address the crowd of scared students.
"All students will return to their dormitory immediately! Classes are canceled!" Dumbledore turned to Percy. "Organize the prefects. I want the fifth and sixth years to escort their housemates back to their common rooms and the seventh years to be paired with a teacher to sweep the castle for the culprit."
"The culprit? He's right here, Headmaster." Percy pointed at Harry.
"Harry Potter was not responsible of this, Mister Weasley. I do not want anyone saying that he was. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Headmaster." Though Percy did not look convinced.
"I would also like you to have Miss Clearwater bring Professor Lockhart here immediately."
"Yes, Headmaster."
"Off you go."
"You all heard the Headmaster! Back to your houses!" Most were reluctant to leave, wanting to see Harry's arrest and punishment. Even some of the prefects were slow to follow their orders. Daphne, especially, looked like she was going to have to be dragged away. She relented when the look on Harry's face pleaded for her to go.
Once it was just Harry and Dumbledore, the Headmaster spoke. "We will wait for Professor Lockhart to discuss this further."
"Are you sure about him?"
"He's an expert in this field, Harry. I trust his judgment."
"I didn't do this." Harry couldn't stop a small amount of desperation leak out in his voice.
"I know." Dumbledore reassured him.
They stood in silence for the next few minutes until Lockhart arrived. His eyes immediately found Creevey's body.
"What happened?" Lockhart crouched down next to Creevey's head and slowly started waving his wand over the body.
"I found him like this as I was coming in from a run around the grounds," reported Harry.
"Every morning." Lockhart commented, he obviously remembered their previous conversation.
"When I noticed that he was unresponsive, I decided that I'd better stand guard to prevent anything else from happening."
"Just you this morning?" Lockhart questioned.
"Yes." Harry quickly answered but a look from Dumbledore revealed that the Headmaster knew that that wasn't the case.
Luckily, Lockhart was too occupied finishing his examination on Creevey to notice. The Defense professor rested his hands on his knees. Before he spoke he took a deep breath.
"What have you found, Gilderoy?" asked Dumbledore.
Lockhart rose from his crouched position and gave a weary look between Dumbledore and Harry. Harry understood that he was likely the only suspect for this attack but Dumbledore was quick to motion for him to speak.
"Petrification, though, I can't imagine how that would be possible."
"What do you mean?"
There were a few spells that could produce petrification, the most common being the first year Petrificus Totalus. This, though, was petrification on a completely different level. A simple Finite wouldn't even get a hair to move.
"Well, there are three ways a person can be petrified; a spell, potion, or by certain creatures. The spell for this type of petrification is over twenty syllables long and I doubt anyone in this castle, besides you, Headmaster, has the strength to cast it. A Petrification potion would leave discoloration around the point of ingestion and be detectable by any diagnostic, but mine revealed nothing. That only leaves a creature, but that would be impossible."
"Why?" Harry asked.
"The wards." Dumbledore answered. "They would have alerted me the second a dangerous creature enters the grounds." Dumbledore then turned back to Lockhart. "What kind of creature?"
Lockhart rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "There aren't many capable of petrification such as this. Gorgons for one, but they're only native to the Mediterranean. It's far too cold for them up here. A cockatrice's gaze can petrify, if their victim doesn't directly look at them, otherwise it's fatal. And there are some species of manticores that have barbs that cause petrification instead of paralysis." Lockhart tapped his chin. "Oh! And a basilisk. Same thing as the cockatrice. Only indirect eye contact would cause something like this." Lockhart looked up and down Creevey's body again. "Which is what happened here."
Harry noticed Dumbledore perked up at the mention of a basilisk but the headmaster did not address it.
"How do you know?" Dumbledore asked.
"Because of what's missing," Lockhart replied smugly.
Harry and Dumbledore looked across Creevey's body before it dawned on them.
"Where's his camera?" Harry couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it sooner. He thought Colin had his hands up to his face to shield himself. When Harry looked at him now, it was obvious that he had been holding his camera when he was petrified.
"He must have been taking a picture when he saw the creature," observed Dumbledore.
"It also tells us that our beast has a master." Lockhart smiled as if pleased with himself. Harry found that a little odd and inappropriate for the moment. Meanwhile, the wheels were turning in Dumbledore's mind.
"We will need Professor Sprout's Mandrakes for the De-Petrification potion."
"You'll need some of Creevey's blood placed in their pots. Mandrakes will only work if they're absorb the blood of the person they're meant to heal."
That presented somewhat of a problem since all blood flow stops once a person has become petrified. Madam Pomfrey would need to contact St. Mungo's for the proper equipment which would undoubtedly lead to the public finding out about the attack.
Harry could tell that Dumbledore would prefer to keep this as contained as possible. Not just because it would tarnish the school's reputation as a safe place for magical education but it represented the exact kind of situation the Board of Governors needed to replace him.
"Well luckily, they haven't reached puberty yet so there's still time. I'll also have Pomona put some in stasis to stop their growth."
"You think they'll be more attacks?" Lockhart asked, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore answered gravely.
"You not talking about...It can't be happening again?" Lockhart almost sounded excited at whatever prospect he expected.
"The evidence would suggest so, especially, with Mr. Creevey being a Muggleborn."
"What's happening again?" Clearly, Harry was the only one not in the know.
"The Chamber of Secrets! Fifty years ago, three students petrified and one dead! Nearly closed the school before the attacks stopped all of sudden." Lockhart was practically giddy. "Oh Headmaster, when you assured me that a year off the hunt to teach would be a good PR move and push up my book sales, I'll admit, I wasn't entirely convinced. But this, my Merlin, I'll be immortal. I can see it now!" Lockhart spread his arms in the air imagining a news banner. "Gilderoy Lockhart and the Chamber of Secrets."
'What is the Chamber of Secrets?' Harry thought but didn't voice it aloud. He was far too distracted from hearing Lockhart's true reason for being at Hogwarts. How could a man be thinking about a new book deal at a time like this?
"Yes, well," Dumbledore appeared displeased that that information had been revealed to a student. "Let's focus on the situation at hand."
"Yes, yes, of course." Lockhart grew serious again and turned back to Colin. His brow suddenly perked up at something he saw. "I will begin my search immediately for the Heir." Lockhart reached into Colin's robes and was able to tear out a white envelope.
Harry couldn't see inside it but he had sinking feeling as to what it contained.
"Tell me, Mr. Potter. Why is it that you are so against Mr. Creevey taking pictures of you and your brother?"
Lockhart pulled a single photo and held it up for Harry to see. It was a candid shot of the pregame ceremony from Danny's first Quidditch match. Danny looked focused and excited to begin the match. Thankfully, that's all the picture revealed.
Harry just stared at it, not sure what to think. He had been certain he had destroyed that film. It slowly came to him that he never checked if Creevey had changed rolls during the game.
With Harry deep in thought and not speaking, Dumbledore answered Lockhart's question. "It was established before Daniel Potter's first year that all forms of press would be prohibited on school grounds."
"And I can understand the reasoning," said Lockhart but he didn't stop pressing Harry. "But how do you consider a Third Year Gryffindor student a member of the press?"
"My family values our privacy. I was concerned that he would try to sell them." A weak excuse, but the only one he had.
"Concern enough to stop him permanently?" There was a glint in his eye. As if nothing would make this story better than for Harry and, more importantly, the Potter name to be involved.
"Mr. Potter was not involved in this. He is not the Heir," Dumbledore protested firmly.
"The evidence will tell." Lockhart said with a smile. He looked at Harry with galleons in his eyes. "So if you would excuse me, there's an evil monster to find and neutralize."
Once alone, Harry turned to Dumbledore to see him levitating Creevey's body to transport him to the infirmary.
"What happens now?"
"We allow Professor Lockhart to conduct his investigation." Was the public answer. "But I strongly advise caution. The last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, this castle saw its darkest days."
"What is the Chamber of Secrets, Headmaster? Who is 'the Heir?'"
Dumbledore stood as his podium in the Great Hall. The room was filled with the entire student body and staff. Even members of the Board of Governors, highlighted by Lord Lucius Malfoy, were in attendance and a small squad of Aurors were stationed outside the Great Hall.
Harry sat next to Daphne at the Slytherin table. They both appeared impassive as they waited for Dumbledore to speak but underneath the table, their hands were tightly clutched together. The rest of their house had decided to give the couple a wide berth. With Harry as the only suspect for the attack, no one wanted to attract his ire.
Harry scanned the room to find Danny at the Gryffindor table with Hermione and the twins. This had been first time they had been in the same room since everything had happened three days ago. The school had been in complete lock-down and all students were confined to their dorms until the new security measures could be put into place. They still had their mirrors, though, and Harry and Danny had spent much of their time speaking to each other and their father.
Harry's attention turned back to Dumbledore as he prepared to speak.
"Much of what we know or, better yet, what we wish to remember of the creation of our beloved Hogwarts is the partnership of the four greatest wizards and witches of the age. These four sought to nurture and educate young magic users in order to create a better society for us all, unified and protected." Dumbledore paused and dropped his head for a moment. "But alas, a rift had formed over what direction the school and its students should take. Three of the four founders believed that all who could wield magic were entitled to their tutelage, one did not."
Almost in unison, the room turned to look at Harry and the rest of the Slytherin table.
"Salazar Slytherin was of the belief that only those from all-magical families should be accepted at Hogwarts. In response to the other founders' disagreement, Salazar Slytherin created, in secret, a chamber in which he chose to delve further into the Dark Arts. A chamber that became known as the Chamber of Secrets. Once it became apparent that the other founders would never be persuaded to his point of view, Slytherin left, but not before he left a monster in the chamber. A monster that only Slytherin and his heirs would be able to control and would grant them the power to remove those who, in Slytherin's opinion, were unfit to study magic."
"Decades passed and the chamber was never found or heard from and it soon passed into legend. Then, in the early 1700s, Corvinus Gaunt, the last remaining heir of Slytherin, came to Hogwarts. During his time as a student, Gaunt had found the chamber and released the monster upon the school. Three were killed before Gaunt was discovered and apprehended. Unfortunately, authorities were unable to discover the location or the nature of the monster." Dumbledore paused again. He appeared extremely disappointed and sorrowful at what he needed to say next.
"Due to the political climate of the time and the desire to preserve the old bloodlines, Gaunt was only sentenced to twenty years imprisonment at Azkaban. Once he was released, he was able to continue his line and pass on the knowledge of the Chamber of Secrets to his heirs. It wasn't until the third time the Gaunt's heirs opened the chamber that the entire Gaunt line was forever expelled from Hogwarts."
"Eventually, the Gaunt family died off in the early 1900s and the chamber was believed lost forever. Unfortunately, in 1943, a new unknown heir emerged and the chamber was opened yet again. Unlike previous attacks, though, not all resulted in death. Some had only been petrified, much like Mr. Creevey three days ago."
The history lesson now over, Dumbledore's tone turned more serious.
"Which is how we know that the Chamber of Secrets has been open again. All students will be confined to their dormitories except for meals and classes and will be escorted by our Head Boy and Girl and prefects. Use of the school's library will require a pass from your Head of House. All extra-curricular activities, including Quidditch, are suspended until further notice. The Ministry of Magic, Board of Governors, and the Hogwarts staff are investigating this attack. For more details on this investigation and the new security procedures, I turn the floor to Lord Lucius Malfoy of the Board of Governors."
Lord Malfoy rose from his chair and joined Dumbledore at the podium.
"Thank you, Headmaster." Malfoy turned to his side to address the crowd and Dumbledore at the same time. "I know I speak for all of us when I say, that we are confident in your ability to bring this unfortunate situation to a satisfying conclusion."
Harry's teeth clenched. What he heard Malfoy say was more like, 'You will be held responsible if anything goes wrong.'
"As the Headmaster eloquently put it, in tremendous detail, the Chamber of Secrets is the domain of the Heir of Salazar Slytherin. An ancient and noble family that has proven twice this century to not be as lost as we all believed. The last instance the Chamber was opened, we believed that we had found the Heir," Malfoy's eyes flickered towards Hagrid. "But it quickly became clear that he was no Slytherin, be it by blood or association."
Harry could start to feel his anger bubbling up inside him. It didn't take long after the attack before stories started circulating about the last time the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. Unbelievably, Rubeus Hagrid had been charged, expelled, his wand snapped, and sentenced to Azkaban for the attack on four Muggleborn students, resulting in the death of one. Hagrid had been harboring a dark creature in his school trunk and when the Head Boy had discovered this, the authorities were quick to condemn the gentle half-giant. It was Dumbledore, only the Transfiguration Professor at the time, who discovered that Hagrid's creature had been an acromantula, a creature incapable of petrification, and Hagrid had been exonerated. The attacks had ended after that, though, and Hagrid was never able to escape the shadow of his conviction.
"But this time, we will not fail. A squadron of Aurors will be stationed and take over the nightly patrols. They will stand guard outside the dormitories and monitor your movements. Any student found without the proper pass will be detained and questioned." Malfoy then extended an arm to Professor Lockhart. "The formidable dark creature hunter, Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart, has been commissioned to find this monster and put an end to its reign of terror." Malfoy paused for a round of applause from the students. Lockhart graciously rose from his chair and seemed to bask in the attention. "Mr. Lockhart will also be the head of the investigation to discover the identity of the Heir of Slytherin, for which he already has a suspect."
Once again, Harry felt the eyes of the room upon him.
"I've been assured that it will only be a matter of time before this regrettable state of affairs is resolved. In the meantime, your safety is our primary concern. If, however, you still do not feel safe at Hogwarts, you will be given the option to leave Hogwarts at the upcoming break. Students may either transfer to another institution or elect to retake their current year if Hogwarts is deemed safe once more. Thank you."
A gentle applause followed Lord Malfoy back to his seat as Dumbledore returned to the podium to commence the feast. Harry kept his eyes on Malfoy who eventually stared right back at him. A smile crept on the corner of Lord Malfoy's mouth as he held up his glass. Harry forced himself to look away. He just missed witnessing Lord Malfoy wince and tightly grip his left forearm.
Instead, Harry had already turned to Daphne. He knew she was just as worried as he was but she didn't show it. Her grip on his hand, though, told him all he needed to know.
"What are we going to do, Harry?" Danny asked through the mirror, once they were sent back to their dormitories. Hermione and the twins were there as well and could be seen over Danny's shoulders.
"Nothing," replied Harry.
"But—" Danny tried to continue.
"We have to let the Dumbledore and…Lockhart handle this. They're the experts, not us." Harry hesitated to put much trust in Lockhart, given what he's witnessed about the Defense Professor motivations. Hopefully they could count on his vanity to see the job done.
"But Harry," George interjected. "Someone is trying to frame you."
"We don't know that," Harry pointed out, trying to appear more at ease then he felt.
"Harry's right." Hermione agreed. "One doesn't make a pattern. We have to wait for…" Hermione paused as she realized what she was saying. "We have to wait for more attacks to know if someone is trying to frame him." She didn't sound nearly as confident anymore.
"What about the offer to go home?" George wondered aloud.
"I've spoken with my father; I will be staying at Hogwarts." 'For now,' Harry added in his mind.
"I'm staying, too." Danny added. It had been a long heated conversation between Harry, Danny, and their father. James and Harry agreed that, despite his innocence, Harry was the only suspect and it would not look good for him to disappear now.
Where things got heated was when Danny flat out refused to go home without Harry. Harry would have enacted his Heir Apparent powers to force his brother to obey but Danny had a convincing argument for why he needed to stay, stating that it would look just as bad if the Chosen One ran away and hid in a moment of crisis.
"So are we," said Fred, speaking for him and the rest of the Weasleys. Their family were much too close to Dumbledore to abandon him now.
"I'm staying, also," said Hermione.
"You understand the risk." Harry asked. As a Muggleborn, no one was in more danger than her.
"I do, but if Danny's staying then I'm staying too." She stated firmly. A small tinge of pink appeared on Danny's face as Hermione pressed closer.
"Well, if she's attacked then that should help clear your name." A new voice joined the discussion.
Harry looked up at his door to see Daphne standing there with her arms crossed. Harry waved his wand so that she could enter. Daphne walked over and sat beside Harry on his bed. She looked down at the faces of Fred, George, Danny, and an uncomfortable Hermione.
"That's not exactly an ideal situation." George remarked dryly.
"I'm not saying I want that to happen. I'm just saying." Daphne defended herself.
"I bet you're all packed, Greengrass." Fred asked.
"Actually, I'm staying."
Harry couldn't hide his surprise. Daphne only stared at back at him in a way that said she wanted to talk to him alone. Harry turned back to the Gryffindors.
"Stay safe, you guys. Stick together as much as possible."
"Goodnight, Harry," said Danny.
Their faces disappeared and the mirror returned to be just a mirror. Harry dropped it to his side and turned back to Daphne.
"I'm not getting involved." He had promised her and he was going to keep it.
"You shouldn't," she replied definitely before unexpectedly changing gears. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"What if..." Daphne had to stop herself for a moment. She couldn't believe what she was about to say. "What if Fred and George are right?" Daphne shuddered slightly.
Harry had to admit that the thought had crossed his mind. "I'll admit that it's a coincidence and it's suspicious for this to happen the same year that Malfoy joins the Board of Governors and is trying to find a reason to give Dumbledore the sack." Harry took a deep breath as more theories arrived. "And making me look like a unstable psychopath trying to kill Muggleborns could clear the way for him and others to get to Danny."
"He could have you declared unfit as an Heir Apparent under the Legacy Preservation Act." A law stating that if a Head of House or a future heir was deemed incompetent or a danger to their family line, then the Ministry had the power to remove said person from their position.
"But again, that's if Fred and George are right." Daphne wanted to make that absolutely clear.
Harry put on a reassuring smile, playing along with Daphne's opinion that the twins were never right. "So we should have nothing to worry about."
They fell into a comfortable silence. Neither wanted the other to know just how much they were worried, and yet, Daphne ended up staying late into the night. The two lied in each other arms and just talked, taking comfort by being in each other's presence. All the while, pushing aside their feelings of uneasiness at what was to come.