Summer was coming to the castle grounds, clearing up the sky and making all the flowers bloom. But without Hagrid tending to them, it just didn't seem right.
Although the inside of the castle wasn't much better either, with everyone either now scared or depressed.
Jack tried to get everyone happy again, but none of his plans worked.
First he tried to make it snow in the Great Hall and set off a snowball fight, but the weather outside was messing with his powers which were dimmed down already while he was disguised as a human. (Also the teachers reminded everyone they had lessons to go to).
Next he tried pranking Lockhart again, which a lot of people – mainly Gryffindor's, appreciated what with him going around all proud and being a much bigger idiot than before. Saying things like "I knew it was Hagrid all along, it was only a matter of time before he was caught."
But the only thing he could think of, was ripping all of the man's clothes to pieces and placing a 'non-repairable charm' on them, and he DID NOT want to see this idiot in nothing but his underwear.
The third thing he tried was set up a prank-trap down one of the main corridors. He was about to start too but he heard a cat meowing and saw it was Mrs Norris. Plus he didn't really have much left in his Pranking Kit seeing he and the Twins used them to target everyone on April Fool's Day, like they did last year.
At the moment Jack was in the Room of Requirement looking for his notes on what he thinks Slytherin's Monster might be.
So far he found an old wardrobe, a bunch of out-of-date broomsticks, some Dueling Dummies, and a load of old timey books.
He was just passing a fake head with a fancy looking tiara on it, when he heard hissing.
Confused he looked around and saw it thinking it looked familiar.
Slowly Jack moved closer and reached out for it, he was about to pick it up, when Baby Tooth called out to him saying she thinks she found the bag.
"Huh, oh, good for you Baby," Jack said putting a large box face down over the tiara, not liking the power it was giving off, and went over to the mini fairy.
o0o
"Ok let's see," Jack said as the two of them left the room and looked at his notes. "All the old theories are still here, but where's the one I had the other day?"
"Something wrong Jakie old boy?" Peeve's voice asked from over his shoulder.
"I'm missing my notes on Basilisk's" Jack said not at all shaken by the mini Poltergeist popping up out of nowhere and landing on his shoulder. "I think that's what's been going round attacking everyone."
"Well I mays know a little bit about what happened to them," Peeves said grinning.
"Oh yeah?" Jack said raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah I saw a little red haired girl with your stuff going in there," Peeves said pointing to the wall that was the 'doorway' to the Room of Requirement. "And then come back out with it."
"A little red haired girl?" Jack asked thinking "What house was she in?"
"No idea."
"Well there can't be that many, 'little red haired girls' in this school can there?" Jack asked his mind already picking out 2 be he really hopped it was wrong.
"By the way Jackie, ain't you supposed to be a sheep right now and stick with your class?" Peeves asked.
"I'm supposed to, but you know how I am with rules," Jack said grinning "Besides, it's History of Magic at the moment. As long as I'm back before the end of it and before Transfiguration begins, I'll be fine."
For the last few days, everyone kept their eyes out for spiders meeting up at meals to say what they found.
So far, mainly because there didn't seem to be any spiders left inside the castle and they couldn't go off on their own not much.
o0o
During a Potions lesson, about 2 weeks after Hagrid and Dumbledore left, Jack and the Trio finally learnt why Draco had been strutting around the school looking as if he'd just been made Head Boy.
They were sitting at the desk behind him where they heard him talking to Crabbe and Goyle.
"I always knew Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," he said not bothering to keep his voice down. "I told you the thinks Dumbledore is the worst Headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe now we'll get a decent one who won't allow Half-Bloods or Mudbloods in. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in."
Jack was glaring at the back of the blonde boy's head wishing he could set all that greasy hair on fire.
At that point Snape came by not bothering to tell Draco off for his disrespectful words.
"Sir," Malfoy said loudly "Sir, why don't you apply for the Headmaster's job?"
"Now, now Malfoy" said Snape, a small smile on his face non-the-less "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I dare say he'll be back with us soon enough."
"Well seeing as he always fails to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, I doubt he'll be able to get to be Headmaster…" Jack whispered to those around him who cough-laughed in agreement as Malfoy continued praising the Potion Master and Seamus patented to be sick in his own cauldron.
After a few more words from Malfoy, mainly saying that the Mudbloods should pack up their things and him betting the next victim would be found dead, both Jack and Ron had had enough and would have leapt over their desks, grabbed the boy, and punched him repeatedly in the face, if they weren't being held back by Harry, Dean, Neville, and Hermione.
Luckily they didn't need to do it for long as soon the bell rang and in the scramble to get bags and books their attempted assault went unnoticed by Snape.
"Let me at him," Ron said going as red as his hair Harry and Dean still holding onto him "I don't care how bad my wand is, I don't need it I'll kill him with my bare hands."
While Ron was saying this Jack called out to Malfoy if he would like to make a bet on what he just said.
"Excuse me?" Malfoy asked confused.
"You just said you bet 5 galleons the next Muggleborn dies," Jack said clearly "Well I say that they won't die, AND I double it!"
Everyone was now either staring or mumbling to each other on whether this could be a confession on if Jack was the one attacking the other students, all forgetting that he himself had just been attacked barley 2 weeks ago.
Harry, Ron and Hermione on the other hand, who knew very well how good Jack's luck was when he set up bets like this, all just rolled their eyes and continued collecting their things.
Smiling a bit more evily than he already was Malfoy agreed to this little bet.
"Hurry up!" Snape called over the heads of the students, either not caring or not having heard what was just said across the room, glaring mainly at the Gryffindor's as he said the next part, "I have to take you all to Herbology."
And with that they all went in a 2 by 2 line through the castle and out into the grounds.
Once they were out of the castle, Snape left them to continue the rest of the journey themselves. As they did Harry, Ron and Hermione were all giving looks to Jack about what he just did.
"What?" he asked "He set it up, and besides wouldn't it be great and shut him up for a bit when I win?"
"Wait, 'When' you win?" Ron said confused "Don't you mean 'If'?"
"Nope, 'When', because I know what the monster is, and I know how it kills/petrifys it's victims, so all I need to do is tell everyone else how to avoid it and there wouldn't be any more deaths. Plus hopefully there won't be any more attacks anyway, and seeing as that part wasn't mentioned if by the end of the year no one else is attacked I win by the fact that everyone has stayed alive. Win-Win!"
At last they reached the greenhouses. Professor Sprout was having them prune the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs today.
Jack and Harry were taking their clippings over to the compost heap when they met Ernie Macmillan. Ernie took a deep breath and said "I just want to say, I'm sorry for ever suspecting you Harry. I know you would never harm Hermione Granger or Jack Frost, and I apologize for everything I said. But I realize now, that you would have never starting attacking people in the first place."
"Took you long enough," Jack said in a 'That was obvious from the start' voice as he dumped is clipping onto the pile and headed back to where he was working, not even waiting for Harry.
After a few minutes, Harry, Ernie, and Hannah came back to all work on the same Shrivelfig as Ron and Hermione - Jack was with Neville, Dean, and Seamus a few pots down but you could still hear them talking (mostly Ernie) trying to get them to maybe think Draco Malfoy was the Heir instead.
Rolling his eyes, Jack carried on with his work only looking up when he head Ron cry out – "Ouch!"
Harry was pointing this head over to the window, where Ron was now looking too. About a dozen large spiders were all scurrying across the earth.
Keeping his eyes on them as Harry, Ron, and Hermione started talking in whispers Jack saw they seemed to be heading off towards the Forbidden Forest.
"That's not good" Jack said finally turning back to his plant when Neville asked what was wrong.
"I think sooner or later the Golden Trio are going to go on an expedition, alone, into the Forest. And they might meet a hoard of eight legged freaks in there."
Hearing the name of the old horror movie Seamus looked out the window where the spiders were going "Well then you need to stop them don't you Jack" he said.
Jack stared at Seamus, blinking in surprise.
"Have you met them Seamus?" he asked gesturing to them with his hand "There is no way they are going to not go in there, except if they're tied down to their beds and/or are in the Hospital Wing all having broken legs."
Those around him who could hear snorted and snickered at this agreeing with him.
"Besides," Jack continued lowering his voice a little "If we want to get Hagrid back then apparently we need to go to meet them."
"Well what good would that do?" Dean asked confused.
"No idea, but Hagrid left a hint to follow them to get information about this Chamber of Secrets stuff." Jack said sighing as he tried to think of a nice way to not get the Trio to go in there.
"But wouldn't Gaia be in there too?" Neville asked in a whisper remembering her from last year "Couldn't she help protect them?"
"She only protects the forest," Jack said "She can control it to possibly try and keep them away from the spiders, but I don't think that would help. The only one all spiders talk to is Black Widow, and she's not really a 'Come to to ask for help at the last second' person. And seeing how determined they look," here he looked to the others "I say they're going to go in there either tonight or tomorrow."
o0o
At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Jack at the back staying close but out of earshot as Harry told Jack about the spiders.
"We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry said "We can take Fang, He's used to going into forest with Hagrid."
"Fang's a wimp remember" Jack said in a slightly uncaring way.
"Um… Isn't there supposed to be werewolves in the Forest?" Ron asked worried.
"Werewolves only come out on the full moon Ronald?" Jack said rolling his eyes as they took their usual seats at the back of Lockhart's classroom.
"Besides there are good things in there, too" Harry said "The centaurs and the unicorns."
"Like we'll be seeing any of them where those spiders are heading." Jack said getting out some earplugs, paper and his pencil to start doodling like he normally does.
He was about to put the earplugs in when Lockhart came in looking more of a prideful idiotic git than he normally was.
Thinking the reason for this should heard, Jack turned his attention to him.
"Come now," Lockhart cried seeing all the frowns he was having "Why all these long faces?"
"Oh, I don't know," Jack said standing up so he was seen "Maybe because out good friend Hagrid was wrongly imprisoned and taken to Azkaban?"
"But Mr Frost," Lock hart said speaking slowly as though speaking to a 5 year old "Don't you realize? The danger has passed."
"Says who?!" Jack, and Dean say together, Jack gripping his wand a bit tighter.
"My dear young man, I highly doubt the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid unless he was 100% sure that he was guilty."
"Oh yes he would!" Jack said getting mad now – he hated it when people were punished for doing nothing wrong "Because that Fudge is as bright as an oil lamp from the 1700's!"
The whole room was silent, blinking in surprise at what Jack just said.
"I flatter myself in that I know a touch more about Hagrid's arrest then you do Mr Frost." Lockhart said smiling that dumb smile of his.
Ron and Jack were both about to confront him on this, when Harry elbowed Jack and kicked Ron hissing "We weren't there remember?"
After a few more 'I always knew it was Hagrid' hints and blowing his head up more than it already was, Jack rolled his eyes and plugged his ears really wishing he had his full powers so he could freeze this idiot where he stands with forever-ice (ice that never EVER melts and cannot be smashed) instead of just normal ice.
He was part way through drawing some new patterns for snowflakes when Harry gently nudged his arm and passed him a piece of paper.
'Let's do it tonight.'
Rolling his eyes, Jack answered.
'No, you Ron and Hermione stay in the castle, I will go alone, I believe I will have a better chance 'surviving' whatever might be in the forest.
I promise I will tell you lot everything when I come out.'
It was only by the fact that Ron didn't really want to go in there in the first place, and harry knowing how good Jack was at getting out of tricky situations that the boys (after some silent debating) nodded, agreeing to this.
With this, Jack started to plan how he might get out of this one.
'Well first' he thought 'I will possibly need a way to escape. So take my broom.'
'Next, take my wand in case I need it.'
'Third take some kind of offering to get the Spiders to go after that and not me. Oh and I'll need some sort of gift for Gaia too.'
As he took these notes and was thinking what might be a good offering, he looked at Baby Tooth.
'She's definitely staying behind.'
By the end of the lesson, Jack had a full plan on what he was going to do.
Now he only hopped it would work.