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A/N: Yes, I'm back. Had to take a bit of a hiatus there for personal stuff but I'm back now writing. So please enjoy and review!

Chapter XXVII

February 1994

The Next Morning

The castle awoke to find that the day's classes had been cancelled and all students were to remain in their houses. It didn't take anyone very long for anyone to realize why. Everyone checked and then double checked their dormitories, looking for the missing student. A furious mix of relief, fear, and anger swept through two-thirds of the student body while those in Ravenclaw came together to grieve the loss of one of their own. The only consolation being that it wasn't in memoriam.

In Slytherin, there was an unsettling calm. It was still believed that an Heir of Slytherin was behind these attacks, and so, none of them had anything to fear. When it was discovered that it had been Cho Chang, however, a few nervous glances were shared. Muggleborns were apparently not the only ones being targeted and a few Slytherins had something to worry about.

There was one Slytherin, though, that truly knew what was happening and he sat on his bed staring intently at a small mirror in his lap.

"…Lockhart thinks it's could be Lord Malfoy." Harry had just finished explaining to his father what was discussed with Dumbledore and Lockhart.

James was quiet for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily begin to chew anxiously at her fingernails. His Auror mind was running through every scenario he could think of, and he was sure that Lily was doing the same.

"Is there anyone else you'd suspect?" James asked his son.

Harry looked as if he did but shook it away. "No one who's at Hogwarts."

James didn't like this. "This doesn't make any sense." He rubbed the back of his head. "It's too big of a move and the blow back if he's found out…" James shook his head. "Lucius would never risk it."

"Lockhart was pretty sure."

"And what do you think?"

"I think Lord Malfoy and Fudge don't like what we've done to keep Danny away from them."

"I don't think that's enough for either of them, especially for Fudge, to try something like this. That's a lot of effort and risk just to get to us."

"What should I do?" Harry waited for orders, which quickly arrived.

"You should come home, both of you, as soon as possible." Lily suddenly said.

James was about to speak, but Harry beat him to it.

"Mom, what if this is about me? What if I'm the only one that can help? And Dad, you told me that we can't hide anymore. That we're not going to be able to avoid our place in this world any longer. I can help Lockhart," Harry pleaded his case.

"I know this!" Lily asserted. "But we must stay open to the fact that this may have nothing to do with either you or Danny. Unlikely as it may appear to you, the world doesn't revolve around us. And the more you get yourself involved, the more likely you will be risking your life, Danny's life, and probably the life of one of your friends. Do you understand that, Harry?"

Harry was silent, but nodded at Lily's words. Meanwhile, more thoughts passed through Lily's mind. The mother side of her knew her sons were children and shouldn't be facing problems adult experts were failing to solve. But another part of her couldn't help but see Harry's side. If it was about framing him, all the perpetrator had to do was stop the moment Harry left Hogwarts; making her son appear even more guilty. Not to mention that the Potters couldn't hide from the world forever.

As she internally fought her maternal instincts and a desire to remain practically, what resulted was an uneasy compromise.

"I want you to listen to me, Harry. You are right, you can't just come home without risking another heap of problems," Lily said with her eyes glued to the mirror, "but I want you to promise me that you won't put yourself in danger."

"I was planning on it," Harry assured her.

"And do keep us up to date here, son, if only to ease our worries," James added.

"Yes, sir."

Lily bit her lip, but then couldn't keep silent. "I still want Danny to come home. Lockhart doesn't need him."

"Lily," James started.

"Don't 'Lily' me. Harry's the Heir Apparent, he can just order Danny home," Lily pointed out.

"I promised Danny I'd never do that." It was a power that Harry had never truly wanted, and he had no desire to use it against his brother.

"Lily, don't be like this." James pleaded again.

"Be like what? A mother. Or lest we forget that nothing about Danny's destiny has him slaying basilisks! He should come home where it's safe."

"I understand and I feel the same way, but we'd have better luck catching a unicorn than getting Danny to leave without Harry. Would you just leave, if your sister was in the same position?"

Lily had no answer, at least not one that supported her argument. She and her sister may be estranged, but the bond between siblings was not one to be ignored. She also didn't appreciate James using that against her. She was going to have some choice words for him.

James, sensing that Lily had conceded, turned his attention to his son. "Now, we are trusting you Harry. Trusting that you will understand when it is time to get out." James' stern gaze made it clear, that it was more than just words of encouragement and that Harry needed to keep the bigger picture in mind.

"Yes, Father." Harry nodded.

"I guess I just won't get anywhere this time," Lily complained sourly.

Neither James or Harry responded. Instead, James made sure to end the conversation.

"Go on, Harry. I will call you again tomorrow."

"Okay, Dad." And with that, Harry's face disappeared, leaving James with his upset wife. James took a breath and prepared for the upcoming discussion. He was sure Lily understood, but knowing this had to be done wouldn't help her feeling like she failed to keep her children safe. He knew this, because that's exactly how he felt since the moment he found out he wouldn't walk again.

Back at Hogwarts, Harry had put the mirror to his side. In a few moments, he'd be using it again to speak with Danny and, hopefully, Fred, George, and Hermione. He wanted to fill them in and see if they had out-of-the-box ideas on how to help Lockhart. But first, there was one person that Harry had to speak with.

A soft knock on the door drew Harry's attention.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened and in walked Daphne. Harry could see the worry in her eyes of the day's events. Daphne came to rest beside Harry on his bed. Their hands instinctively found one another and Harry gave them a comforting squeeze.

"You've heard about what's happened?" she asked.

"I was the first, actually."

At her inquisitive glance, Harry was forced to come to the hard truth. "I was the last to see her before…"

Daphne sucked a deep breath. "Does Professor Lockhart suspect you?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "In fact, he doesn't believe I've had anything to do with the attacks."

"Well that's good, right? I mean, obviously, you've had nothing to do with them." She appeared completely relieved, Harry hated what he was about to do. "This is really good news, Harry. Now we just have to get—"

"Daphne."

"What?"

"There's more." He watched as her face fell. "Lockhart thinks that this isn't about Muggleborns or Heirs of Slytherin, but about me. That Fred and George were right and this is about framing me."

"Why…Who?"

"Lockhart suspects Lord Malfoy."

Daphne started breathing very quickly and shift uncomfortably. He could tell he didn't need to explain why Malfoy would do something like this, given her own experience with the man.

"But it might not be. My father thinks that Malfoy wouldn't risk his entire legacy like this."

"He'd lose everything," she concurred with Lord Potter's assessment.

Harry couldn't avoid it anymore. "Which is why I've agreed to help Lockhart figure out who is."

Daphne would not meet his eyes and Harry couldn't tell what she was thinking. "I know I promised you I wouldn't get involved with anything dangerous anymore." He squeezed her hand a little tighter. "I don't want this to end, but if I can help, then I have to try."

A long pause followed without a sound from either of them. Harry prayed internally that she could accept his decision. When she finally looked up into his eyes, he held his breath.

"If we're going to be helping, then there some things we need to talk about first."

"We?" he asked, clearly surprised by her response.

"Yes, 'we.'" She sounded irritated by the implication. "I'm not about let my boyfriend get himself killed, so, yes, I'll help."

Harry couldn't mask his confusion.

"What?" she asked, having noticed his befuddled state.

"Nothing…it's just…I didn't think you'd be so understanding."

"I understand perfectly." With Harry still unable to fully comprehend, Daphne continued. "Professor Lockhart will want your help in creating a proper suspect profile, whether it be Draco or someone else, am I right?"

"Yeah." Though he wouldn't truly know until they had their first meeting, but that was all that Harry intended to provide.

"It's not like he's going to ask you fight the basilisk single-handedly, right?"

"Probably not." Lockhart didn't seem like the type to share the spotlight (not that Harry wanted any part of it).

"And you're not going to ask to?" It was a question, but sounded more like an order.

"Definitely not," he answered emphatically.

Daphne leaned in for a quick kiss. "Then we're good."

"No offense, mate, but your life sucks."

"Thanks, George," Harry responded drily.

"I'm here for ya, buddy."

"Harry…?" asked Danny. By his tone, Harry knew what he was asking.

"I spoke with them, we're both staying." Harry thought to add 'for now,' but that was better suited for when he and Danny could talk alone.

Danny nodded and didn't say anything else about it.

"What do we do?" Hermione asked.

"Lockhart thinks it's Malfoy, that means it would have to be Draco who's opening the Chamber. We need to figure out if he is."

"Simple enough." Fred commented, though, he looked like he had no idea how they were going to manage that.

"It's not," started Daphne. "Draco is the only son to an Ancient and Most Noble House. We would need irrefutable evidence, like the equivalent of a signed written confession, in blood no less."

"If that's what we need, how do we get it?" asked Danny.

Silence followed.

"Well don't start speaking all at once." Daphne said.

Hermione noticeably appeared unsure of herself, but was the first to speak. "I may have an idea, but it might not be strictly…legal."

"What, Granger?" asked Harry.

"There's a book in the Restricted Section named Moste Potente Potions."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Daphne react strongly to that title.

"In it, there's a potion that can let you take on the physical form of another."

"You better not be talking about the Polyjuice Potion, little girl," Daphne warned with a clear tone of condescension.

"Yes I am," Hermione fired back defiantly. "One of you can get the hairs of someone like Crabbe or Goyle, anyone close to Draco. We could then ask him all the questions we'd need."

"Sounds good to us." Fred said for him and George.

"That's because you're both idiots." Daphne said scathingly to the twins before turning her attention back to Hermione. "And you," Harry placed a hand on her leg, warning her that they needed to stay constructive. Luckily, Daphne got the message and took a deep breath. "The Polyjuice Potion, Granger, is one of the most controlled potions in our world. The two main ingredients, shredded boomslang skin and powdered bicorn horn; buying one of them gets you a warning letter from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, buying both of them gets you a seat in their interrogation chambers."

"Isn't your family potion masters? Don't you have ways to get those ingredients without drawing the Ministry's attention?" Hermione asked.

"Are you implying that my family frequents the black market? That's the only other place someone can get those ingredients!" Daphne's eyes were blazing now. "Because if you are, Granger, I don't care if there's a lockdown, I'll come over there and—"

Harry was quick to interrupt before things could get even further out of hand. "—Okay, that's enough, Daphne, you've made your point."

Daphne, apparently, hadn't yet. "Getting caught using Polyjuice Potion gets you a year in Azkaban. So excuse me for making sure there's not another — and this time legitimate — reason for people wanting to send you to prison."

In the following silence, it became clear that the Polyjuice idea was not the best course of action.

"What else we got?" Danny wondered aloud.

Hermione meekly looked around. She did not look very confident about her next idea. "There's a different potion we could use on Draco. One that would make him tell the truth."

"Sweet Bloody Merlin!" cursed Daphne.

After a second irate lecture about how the illegal use of Veritaserum would also land a person in Azkaban, the six of them were left with very few ideas. They adjourned with watching the Maruader's Map as their only plan. It did not inspire much confidence. Harry hoped that Lockhart had some better ideas.

The next few days after the discovery of Cho Chang's body in prefect bathroom were a whirlwind for the residents at Hogwarts. Dumbledore's prediction that the Board of Governors would remove him proved true. At the evening feast, the Friday after the attack, Dumbledore announced his departure and that Professor McGonagall would step in as interim Headmistress until a new Headmaster could be chosen. The news was met with immediate cries of fear, as many believed that his presence was the only thing remotely protecting them. Dumbledore was quick to soothe their worries and give his full confidence to Professor McGonagall, Professor Lockhart, and the stationed Aurors's ability to keep them safe.

It was a pity that few had the same faith.

The day after Dumbledore left, a quarter of the remaining students (mostly younger-years) departed. Hogwarts, now, could barely be considered a school. Most that remained were upper-year students that had decided that their O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S were too important to miss. That didn't stop some classes, however, to now be in the single digits. After all, the Heir of Slytherin was only supposed to target Muggleborns.

Within Hogwarts, surrounded by adolescent innocence, the purity of one's blood was never a hot topic issue. Only a few (Slytherins) judged by such an uncontrollable trait. Cho Chang changed all that, however.

After centuries of welcoming Muggleborns to their world, most families were hard pressed not to find at least one first-generation witch or wizard in their family. For the students that remained, this meant one thing; everyone was a target. As each day passed and tensions rose, a clear schism etched its way through the student body. Muggleborns or anyone with at least one Muggleborn parent were treated as if touched by a plague.

Many with such lineage had left Hogwarts, but there still remained a fair number. They were the ones that put their faith in Professor Lockhart's abilities, or, literally, had no place else to go.

Harry had yet to meet with Lockhart about how he would assist in discovering the person attempting to frame him as the basilisk's master. Harry, however, didn't see this a bad sign. Following Dumbledore's departure, Lockhart was swamped with damage control as he attempted to assure the public that he would succeed. Harry noted, however, that Lockhart hadn't given any inclination that they were no longer dealing with an Heir of Slytherin.

Currently, Harry was in Defense Against the Dark Arts. For the majority of the year, they had been practicing basic dueling skills, keeping their spells to minor offensive ones; such as the Disarming and Stunning Spells. Harry would hardly call it challenging work, but he got the sense that Lockhart had more important matters to take care of then maintaining an interesting and engaging syllabus.

"Detention, Potter." Lockhart called in the middle of class. "For cheating."

Everyone stopped their duels to look at Harry. He was standing over his sparring partner, having won his duel (fairly). Lockhart walked over and, with a wave of his wand, revived Cedric Diggory.

"Don't worry, Mr. Diggory. I saw what Mr. Potter did."

Diggory rubbed the back of his head, he had fallen backwards and didn't land very well. "Yeah, he won."

"Yes, he won by cheating. Don't worry, I'll take care of him in detention."

"But—"

"Let's have you paired with someone else, hmm?" Diggory appeared like he wanted to argue that Harry hadn't cheated but Lockhart had already recommenced the duels. Harry, now partner-less, was left to stand by the side of the room. He caught Daphne give him a sympathetic look before turning her attention back to her own duel.

Lockhart eventually made his way over to Harry. He spoke in quiet whispers.

"It's the best way for us to meet without drawing attention. Let's try to have you do something detention worthy now and then, shall we?"

Under different circumstances, Harry would be beyond annoyed, but, truthfully, it was probably the only way they could meet without suspicion. The nasty looks he was getting now, however, made him wish for an alternative method. It wasn't like he needed additional reasons for people to hate him.

When the bell rang and the students started to file out the classroom, Harry was stopped by Diggory.

"You didn't cheat," he simply stated.

"That's because you weren't paying attention; Lockhart was." He might as well play his part; however, admitting to cheating in a duel was truly painful.

Harry started walking away.

"I know you didn't attack her."

Harry stopped and turned only slightly.

"It took a while to convince her that you hadn't attack Creevey, either, but I don't think you're a bad guy."

Harry didn't speak, he only lifted his eyes to meet Diggory's and give him a small nod. Harry started walking again. Down the hall, he saw Daphne waiting for him. He wrapped an arm around her waist, she did the same, as they walked to their next class.

The halls were quiet when Harry made his way to Lockhart's classroom. Only the Aurors were allowed to walk freely and the few students with somewhere to go, did so with rapid feet and heads down. When Harry reached the Defense classroom, he knocked firmly and opened the door without waiting for a response. He didn't see Lockhart right away so he made his way to the front of the room and stood by Lockhart's desk. He saw candlelight flicker underneath Lockhart's office door but before Harry could call out, the door swung open and out stepped Lockhart. He was wearing a form fitting track suit and his brow was glistening with sweat. He had obviously been working out.

"Ah! I thought I heard you out here. Have a seat, Mr. Potter." As Harry did so, Lockhart continued. "Or may I call you Harry? It'll make things simpler, no doubt."

"Yes, Professor."

"Good, good. Now, let's discuss how you're going to help me—"

"Excuse me, Professor, there's something I need first."

"And what is that?" He appeared only slightly put-out at being interrupted.

"I've agreed to assist you in secret while the world not only believes I'm the one responsible but that my family is helping to cover it all up. Before we go any further, I will need you to come forward and denounce the rumors that my father has had any influence or involvement in any part of your investigation."

"And what about you?"

"If it's still helpful in drawing this person out, then I'll live with it. But my family does not deserve this kind of attention."

"No, I suppose not." Lockhart rubbed his chin in thought before nodding his head. "I'll write Rita in the morning, she'll have a field day with it, I'm sure."

Harry didn't give a damn what Skeeter did with it, just as long as her retraction was convincing.

"And now to the matter at hand," Lockhart said with a loud clap of his hands. "We have a person, most likely a student, with the intentions of having you seen as the Heir of Slytherin. We do not know who and we do not know why. Lord Malfoy might be our best lead, but it'll be difficult to prove that. Which is why our focus must remain here, on Hogwarts. And what we have are two victims and you as the only person connecting them."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Besides the fact they're both magical and have the same initials, yes."

Harry did find the initials to be peculiar but nothing more than an odd coincidence.

"Professor, if we are talking about the Malfoys—?"

"I have already looked into Draco Malfoy, either he is an extraordinary actor or he is not a Parselmouth." If it was not Draco, then there was still the possibility that they had a puppet they were manipulating in carrying out these attacks.

"What is our next step, then?"

Lockhart smiled broadly, almost as if he thought it was cute that Harry actually thought he could help. It was then that Harry was reminded of the hungry look Lockhart had in Dumbledore's office.

"What I need is a way to force them out and into the open. I need your help to find a way to do just that."

Harry could hear the words that weren't being said. They were words that Harry had had in the back of his mind ever since the moment Lockhart begged him to stay.

I want to use you as bait.

Harry would not comply. Putting himself in that kind of danger was exactly the kind of thing he swore his family and friends that he would not do. His gut knew that this was what Lockhart wanted him for, but, in this precise moment, Harry understood something else; Lockhart was not going to ask him outright. It appeared as if Lockhart wanted Harry to volunteer to be bait. The why took Harry a moment to figure out and turned out to be fairly simple. Harry was the Heir Apparent of an Ancient and Most Noble House and the older brother to the most famous boy in their world. If something were to go wrong and Harry ended up petrified or, worse, dead, then Lockhart needed to be able to claim that he hadn't forced Harry into anything.

What Harry needed now was a way to steer the conversation away from this idea.

"What about the basilisk, Professor? Even if we manage to expose them, how will you kill it?"

A small smirk played across Lockhart's face. "Follow me," he said with a gesture towards his office. Harry had to admit his curiosity was piqued. The basilisk was among the deadliest creature in the world. Everything about it was designed to kill. What did Lockhart have planned?

Once Harry stepped into Lockhart's office, he noticed that it had been enlarged considerably and Harry quickly understood why. An enormous replica of a basilisk loomed over them and swayed as if about to strike. Floating above it was a small orb that was emitting an incredible amount of concentrated light. Harry turned around to follow the light's path and noticed that the opposing wall cast a clearly defined shadow of the fake-basilisk.

As the idea began to become clear in Harry's mind, Lockhart started to speak.

"The challenge for killing any basilisk are the eyes. Just the slightest glimpse and I'm done for. Therefore, it is imperative that I choose the battlefield. I will need a place where I can use shadows to track its head. I'll then wait until the basilisk is close enough that it will not be able to avoid my attack; two Conjunctivitis Curses right in the eyes. Observe."

Lockhart gestured for Harry to step aside and then took a position with his back to the basilisk. He then waved his wand to bring his model to life. The charmed basilisk replica immediately located Lockhart as its prey and began to slither into attack behavior. The orb of light must have been charmed to remain behind the basilisk's head and with enough distance to give Lockhart an adequate representation of its movements on the wall in front of him. Harry could see the look of deep concentration on Lockhart's face with every change in the basilisk's shadow. His only movements were to keep himself as aligned as possible with the basilisk's head.

Once the snake was close enough, it coiled itself into an attack position and that was when Lockhart made his move. In a blink of eye, two wands snapped into Lockhart's hands and two jets of purple exploded over the professor's shoulders and hit the basilisk square in both eyes. Immediately, the eyeballs began to swell, appearing as if they would pop out of their sockets until, finally, they ruptured in a mass of oily yellow puss.

Lockhart, with a triumphed smirk, waved his wand and the basilisk froze in place. He then turned to a gobsmacked Harry.

Harry could not believe that Lockhart had made that shot; an impossible shot. Not only was the accuracy impossible, but the sheer magical power of each spell. Wizards using two wands was nothing new but it was common knowledge that to do so weakened a wizard's spells. Having to divert magic through two different foci required an incredible amount of concentration and power. For Lockhart to cast two Conjunctivitis Curses (a curse only meant to cause swelling of the eyes) powerful enough to explode them was a truly magical feat.

Lockhart, while certainly appearing impressed with himself, didn't pause his demonstration.

"With the eyes gone, it will only be a matter of destroying the brain and that is where Vera comes in." Lockhart pointed behind Harry to a worktable where a long item wrapped in cloth rested. "If you'd please, Harry."

Harry walked over to the table and got a good look at the aforementioned Vera. Just by the shape, Harry could already guess at what it was. He carefully pulled back the cloth to reveal a leather sheath. Harry grasped the gold plated hilt and pulled out a long metal sword. As Harry walked it over, Lockhart began to explain.

"I had it made right after my first best seller. Just something about the job screamed for a proper sword." Lockhart spoke as child would about their favorite toy. "Nearly cleaned me out but you just can't beat goblin-made steel." Harry had reached his professor and handed Vera over. "It can actually absorb the properties of any substance that can make it stronger." Lockhart rubbed his hand along the length of the blade. "It can cut through nearly anything, and yet," he flipped it in the air and caught it with a finger just above the blade side of the hilt, "It's as light as a feather. Notice the balance. Have you ever seen a more perfect blade?"

"It's beautiful, Professor, but how is this going to kill a basilisk?"

Lockhart lowered the blade and took a position beneath the frozen basilisk. "A basilisk's hide is impervious to all forms of magic. And it cannot be penetrated, not even with Vera." Twirling the sword in his hand, Lockhart raised it in alignment with the basilisk's open mouth. "When the basilisk is blind, I expect it to attack wildly and without precision. It will be relying solely on its hearing but I will have already charmed my shoes and robes to emit no sound." As he spoke, Lockhart pointed to a small blade-size slit that lied in the top of the basilisk's mouth. Harry could barely make it out. It looked as if he was the slightest centimeter off, the sword would miss completely and harmless lodge itself in the wooden mouth. "I will then position myself, like so, and wait until I can pierce it through the mouth, which is just soft tissue and therefore vulnerable, and into its brain." With one swift and accurate stroke, the sword went straight through the small hole and its tip appeared out of the top of the basilisk's head.

"Wouldn't that put you near its teeth?" If there was one thing more dangerous than a basilisk's eyes, it's their poisonous fangs; powerful enough to kill within seconds.

"I'm very agile when I need to be, never fear," he said with a wink as he removed the sword and summoned the sheath to store sword away.

"Professor, what about finding the Chamber? Wouldn't it be easier to kill the basilisk if we knew where it slept?"

"Yes, it would. Unfortunately, I've had no luck in my search of the castle. There is very little left of Slytherin's works and there is no mention or clue as to where he hid the entrance. My leading theory is that it was somewhere that only the Heir could find. Now, however, it would seem that one need only be a Parselmouth."

"Would your friend help us?"

"Not likely. Few Parselmouths are willing to expose themselves and my friend is extremely shy. Not even a share in the book sales could get them to come here, can you believe that?" Lockhart exclaimed, as if money and fame were all that mattered in this world.

"What about speaking to the last person to see the basilisk?"

"Oh bother! That little ghost is impossible! I don't know if you're aware but I can be quite charming when I need to be, but not even I could get Moaning Myrtle to speak in coherent AND sequential sentences."

"Still, I think we should start again there."

A soft chuckle began and steadily grew louder. "Oh Harry, hahaha, I don't believe that would be necessary."

"Please, Professor, this is why I'm here, aren't I? Maybe there's something I can see that you missed."

"Very well." Lockhart chuckled mirthfully, he didn't appear confident at all that Harry could contribute anything new. At least, for now though, Lockhart was willing to play along and Harry would take advantage while it lasted.

Harry left Lockhart's office just before curfew. They agreed that they would go to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom over the weekend. As for the reason why they would be together, Harry had suggested that Lockhart simply say that Harry was too disobedient during his detention and, therefore, needed more detentions.

His walk back to the Slytherin Common Room was plagued with thoughts of what he needed to do. He wouldn't allow himself to be used as bait, and yet, Lockhart's plan hinged on that fact. Harry hoped and prayed that something will come up when they visit Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

Walking into the common room, Harry noticed that many had already went on to bed. With all the new security and curfew, there wasn't as much to socialize about and many chose to divert their time to personal activities, study, or sleep. The one person who hadn't left the common room, however, was Daphne, who quickly rose to her feet and met Harry at the entrance.

"So? What happened?"

Harry didn't respond, he only nodded towards the staircase. Daphne understood the message and, together, they walked to Harry's room. Once safely behind his room's privacy wards, Harry explained what happened during his detention minus one key fact; his role in Lockhart's plan.

"See! I told you Professor Lockhart would have this under control. And you were always saying that he wasn't serious enough."

"At teaching, yes." There was no question that Lockhart was lacking in that department where any mention of his past exploits would lead them on an unending tangent. "But even I can admit that he is a powerful wizard."

Daphne looked visibly more relaxed as she lounged on Harry's bed. "I have a good feeling about this. I mean, I was worried at first about what Lockhart would ask you to do but I think everything is going to be okay."

It took everything for Harry not to look at her, even with her sprawled out on his bed. He knew his eyes would betray him and he didn't want to ruin the image she had of someone she clearly saw as a hero.

"Harry?" She must have realized that Harry wasn't speaking much. An edge of worry was clear in her voice. "Is everything ok?"

Harry closed his eyes and willed himself to put on a content face. He turned around to look at her and forced himself to smile. "Yeah, everything's fine."

On the weekends, students were given a little bit more leeway to move about the castle during the day. Certain courtyards, still under heavy Auror guard, were designated as safe zones to allow students to spread their wings and not feel so cooped up. Even despite the cold weather, students flocked to these courtyards just to have a taste of normalcy. On a different day, Harry would have joined them, but, today, he had other business.

Moaning Myrtle's bathroom was supposed to be the first floor lavatory for girls, but it was now the final haunting place for the traumatized little ghost of Myrtle Warren. No girl ever attempted to use those stalls as any who dared try was constantly harassed with curses and incessant crying. It was so unused that the Aurors didn't even bother to station someone to guard it (mostly because no one wanted the job).

As Harry and Lockhart walked together to the bathroom, one Auror stopped them to ask where they were going. When Lockhart explained that he was going to have Harry clean Moaning Myrtle's bathroom as his next detention, it was telling on how sympathetic the Auror was to what Harry for his supposed punishment. Once they reached the bathroom, Harry could already hear the sniffing coming from the third stall.

"Quietly, Harry, if we spook her, then we get nothing from her," whispered Lockhart. He had placed a hand on Harry's shoulder to hold him back, as if Harry was going to run in and start yelling out questions.

Harry, of course, knew better. He had spent weeks having to clean this bathroom during his first year. He had learned very quickly that silence was the key to keeping Myrtle calm. Looking inside, the entire floor was covered in water. The cause, Harry observed, were a number of sinks that were overflowing their basins and spilling onto the floor. It was not a good sign.

"Ok, she's having a bad day, it looks like. Best we try another day," said Lockhart, his voice only slightly higher than it had been before, but just high enough for it to echo slightly off the stone walls.

The sniffling had stopped and an angry little girl's voice called out to them. "Who's there!?"

"Damn!" Lockhart cursed under his breath.

Harry freed himself from Lockhart's grip and stepped forward.

"Hello, Myrtle, I'm Harr—"

"GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screeched.

"We should leave, Harry, try another day." Lockhart clearly didn't want to be here and Harry had the sudden suspicion that he announced their presence on purpose.

Harry, though, wasn't leaving without trying. "Myrtle, I just want to talk."

"GET OUT NOW!" she cried out angrily. Her voice then turned sorrowful, her words broken up between loud weeping sobs. "Why…he just leave…alone? Why…keep coming…here? Why can't I…dead in peace?"

Harry and Lockhart shared a surprised look. Had she said others were coming into the bathroom. "Who's coming in here, Myrtle?" Harry asked gently.

A small head appeared through the wooden stall door. "I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE."

It was the first time that Harry had ever gotten a clear look at Moaning Myrtle. She had the pudgy face of a fourteen-year-old girl, full of pimples, with thick glasses and long dark hair down up in pigtails.

"I need to know who else is coming in here, Myrtle." An idea suddenly came to Harry. "If you tell me who, I can get them to stop, I promise."

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! NOW GET OUT! DON'T YOU KNOW THIS IS A GIRL'S BATHROOM! NO BOYS!" Her head then disappeared back into the stall and the sound of a toilet flushing filled the air.

"I don't think we going to get anything else for now."

Harry agreed and together they walked out of the bathroom. Once in the hall, Harry and Lockhart conferred with each other.

"Did you hear her? Someone's been going in there."

"I do say, it is peculiar. I've known girls that were practically bursting and still find another lavatory."

"We should set up a stake out, see who it is." Just as Harry finished speaking, footsteps were heard coming from down the hall.

Lockhart acted quickly, he grabbed Harry and moved them to the far wall, just enough so they could see and not be seen.

"Stand still." Lockhart ordered as he pulled his wand and tapped Harry on his head. A strange numbing feeling washed over Harry's body. He looked down at his hands to see they had blended in with the wall behind him. Harry looked towards Lockhart but could barely make him out.

The footsteps grew louder, Harry and Lockhart didn't move a muscle or make a sound. Harry could barely contain himself. They could very well solve this mystery right here and now. Harry, moving very slowly, pulled his wand from his robes. By the sound of the footsteps, the person was just around the corner, they should be within their eyesight in seconds.

But then, all of a sudden, the footsteps stopped. The hallway went completely silent. Harry strained his ears to hear the slightest bit of sound. Quite suddenly, the footsteps began to move loudly and quickly in the other direction.

"Stay here." Lockhart ordered. Harry watched his professor's camouflaged body move swiftly in pursuit. Moments later, he heard the Stunning Charm cast and a body hit the ground.

Harry moved from his spot and when he caught up with Lockhart, he found him no longer enchanted and standing over a body.

"Keep still." Lockhart tapped Harry's head again to remove his disillusionment. "I do believe we have gotten a bit carried away."

Harry got his first good look at the person Lockhart had stunned, it most definitely wasn't who they were looking for. Or someone remotely related to them.

"That's Fred and George's little sister, Ginny."

"Yes, I think it's safe to say she's not our Parselmouth. Here, help me get her things." The bag she had been carrying had spilled out over the hallway. Harry bent over to collect the few books and parchment while Lockhart turned her body over and revived her.

When Ginny's eyes opened, they grew wide at seeing her in the arms of the dashing Defense Professor. "Hello Ms. Weasley, so sorry about this but I have to ask, where were you going?"

"Ummm…the bathroom."

Harry looked up at Ginny's words. He had just picked up the girl's diary. It was already open and Harry could read some of her scribbles. For reasons Harry didn't immediately understand, he pocketed the diary. Ginny didn't notice, she was too engrossed with Lockhart's questioning.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?"

"Yes."

"Have you used it before?"

"Sometimes…when I really had to go," she said with impossibly red cheeks. She was obviously embarrassed beyond belief.

"And why did you suddenly run away before doing so?" Harry had never heard the man sound so kindly and understanding.

"I forgot the Aurors said that that bathroom was off limits and I didn't want to get into trouble, so I was going to go to the one upstairs. They don't give us a lot of time to return so I had to run."

Lockhart seemed satisfied enough. "Thank you, my dear." He raised his wand and placed it against her forehead. "Oblivate." Her eyes shut again as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Professor?" It startled Harry to witness Lockhart take Weasley's memories. He knew from his own personal experience the danger in using such a spell.

"Unfortunate, I know, but necessary. Don't worry, I'm well versed with the spell. I only took out our little encounter here."

"What do we do now?"

"Well…I think we have Moaning Myrtle's unwanted guest right here." Lockhart rose to his feet with Ginny in his arms. "I'll take her to the hospital wing, she should walk up by the time I get there. You should head back to your dormitory. We've done enough for today."

"I still think we should put a watch on the bathroom. She might not be the one Myrtle was talking about."

"We'll discuss it during your next detention. Off with you." Lockhart started walking in the direction of the hospital wing. "And be a good lad and take her bag to one of her brothers." Harry then heard Lockhart, sounding an awful lot like Professor McGonagall, mumble. "Merlin knows she has plenty of them, can't be too hard to find one."