Chapter 8: Lockhart is Unhelpful
Halloween approaches. I'm not sure why, but I've never been fond of the holiday. I think it's the masks. People hiding their faces – hiding who they are – it makes me nervous. Siri jumped out at me wearing a vampire mask, and I punched him in the face reflexively. I didn't even feel guilty this time – and the rest of the group found it hilarious. Perhaps Halloween isn't so bad after all.
October arrived, spreading a damp chill over the grounds and into the castle. During that time, Leo exchanged many letters with both Remus and Sirius, either asking for advice, keeping them filled in on what was happening in his life or complaining about how the Quidditch pitch was about to become the world's largest swimming pool. Raindrops the size of bullets had been thundering on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flower beds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds. Oliver Wood's enthusiasm for regular training sessions, however, was not dampened, as he often pulled the team out to train during the early hours of the morning. This didn't bother Leo in the slightest, given that he still wasn't sleeping well.
He continued to find himself in McGonagall's office during the wee hours of the morning and had even been allowed to help her grade some first year assignments (the names were magically hidden, of course). She still hadn't asked Leo why he continued to roam the castle every night, but he just assumed that she knew because Dumbledore had told her what happened under the trap door. Her knowing didn't worry Leo. Harry knowing did.
Leo had recalled his slip-up in Lockhart's office and often noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione looking at him oddly ever since. He had been wary at first that they would bring it up and try to force him to talk about it, but thankfully they just resorted to continuously staring when they thought he wasn't looking.
In an effort to escape the stares, Leo had been spending increasing amounts of time with the Weasley twins or Draco – sometimes both. The group had discovered that – after years of being an insufferable prat – Draco was actually quite the cunning prankster and a brilliant potioneer. He had been recruited onto their team – which Leo lovingly called the Marauders Part Two, for lack of a better option – and invited onto their secret project involving the color-changing potion Leo and the twins had been working on.
That was what Leo found himself doing one Saturday afternoon a few days before Halloween after Quidditch practice. He, the twins, and Draco were crammed into a small passage behind a mirror – which was covered up for Leo's sake - on the fourth floor. The passage had caved in following a rather nasty explosion from one of their potion attempts, but still left the four of them room to sit, brew their potion, and debate how they could best modify it.
"- I'm just saying, certain words or phrases should trigger it," Leo was arguing hotly. "He makes a comment about his teeth and boom – they turn pink. Says something about his hair and it turns green -"
"And I'm telling you that's next to impossible," Draco shouted back, throwing his hands in the air. "You can't activate and deactivate potions with just a word or set of words -"
Fred and George stared on in amusement as the two bickered, content to stay out of the argument and just observe. The last time they had intervened, the group had devolved into fisticuffs and the twins had come off the worst for it. They had sported bloody noses and split lips by the end of it, and had decided to stay out of all future arguments. At least until now.
"What if we combined the potion with a spell?" Fred suggested.
The two blondes stopped arguing for a moment to stare at him before looking thoughtful. After a moment, Draco said that it could work, but that it would most likely have to be a very complex transfiguration spell combined with a timing charm and a phrasing spell that would activate the transfiguration properties of the potion. In short: they had their work cut out for them.
Leo headed back to the tower after that, grinning when Fred and George ran on ahead to collect their new 'pet'. When he arrived, it was to find Harry, Ron, and Hermione talking in a circle. When Leo joined them, Harry filled him in about Nearly Headless Nick inviting them to his deathday party that Halloween. Leo adamantly refused to go, stating that the only way he'd be caught at one of those parties was if he actually was dead.
He then turned to look at Fred and George Weasley, who were trying to find out what would happen if you fed a Filibuster firework to a salamander. Fred had "rescued" the brilliant orange, fire-dwelling lizard from a Care of Magical Creatures class and it was now smoldering gently on a table surrounded by a knot of curious people.
The salamander suddenly whizzed into the air, emitting loud sparks and bangs as it whirled wildly round the room. The sight of Percy bellowing himself hoarse at Fred and George, the spectacular display of tangerine stars showering from the salamander's mouth, and its escape into the fire, with accompanying explosions, sent Leo to the floor, doubling over with fits of uncontrollable laughter.
By the time Halloween arrived, Leo was glad he had refused the party invitation. The Great Hall had been decorated with the usual live bats, Hagrid's vast pumpkins had been carved into lanterns large enough for three men to sit in – Leo was still trying to work out a way to trap Lockhart and Zabini in one - and there were rumors that Dumbledore had booked a troupe of dancing skeletons for the entertainment.
At seven o'clock, Leo waved farewell to the trio as they made their way past the Great Hall and towards the dungeon. Leo then strutted in, taking his seat at the Gryffindor table across from Fred and George and next to Lee Jordan. Halfway into the feast, the earlier rumors proved to be true as a bunch of skeletons in top hats carrying canes made their way to the front of the room.
They did a variety of dances including river-dancing, the mambo, and salsa dancing. Leo shouted that they should do the conga and they obliged, much to his delight. He immediately jumped from his seat and ran over to participate, earning laughs from much of the school. Fred, George, and Lee joined him not long after, and more people joined in on top of it. Leo's favorite moment was when Dumbledore tried and failed to get the sour-faced Snape to join in, but was successful when it came to inviting McGonagall.
Half the school had joined in by the time the Feast ended and everyone departed the Great Hall, Leo, the twins, and Draco laughing at the front. Once they reached the second floor, however, the chatter, the bustle, and the noise died suddenly as the four spotted the hanging cat and a message on the wall that read:
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE
Silence fell among the mass of students pressing forward to see the grisly sight. Then someone shouted through the quiet.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"
"You first, princess!" Leo snapped back at Zabini, fully prepared to draw his wand at that moment.
"What's going on here? What's going on?"
Attracted no doubt by Zabini's shout, Argus Filch came shouldering his way through the crowd. Then he saw Mrs. Norris and fell back, clutching his face in horror.
"My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked.
And his popping eyes fell on Harry.
"You!" he screeched in a tone that prompted Leo to run forward and stand protectively in front of his cousin. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll—"
"Argus!"
Dumbledore had arrived on the scene, followed by a number of other teachers. In seconds, he had swept past Leo, Harry, Ron, and Hermione and detached Mrs. Norris from the torch bracket.
"Come with me, Argus," he said to Filch. "You, too, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger." He stopped to stare at Leo over his half-moon spectacles. "I suppose you'll come regardless of what I say won't you, Mr. Black?"
Leo gave a firm nod as Lockhart stepped forward eagerly.
"My office is nearest, Headmaster — just upstairs — please feel free—"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," said Dumbledore.
The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Lockhart, looking excited and important, hurried after Dumbledore; so did McGonagall and Snape.
As they entered Lockhart's darkened office there was a flurry of movement across the walls; Leo saw several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back. Dumbledore lay Mrs. Norris on the polished surface and began to examine her. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged tense looks and sank into chairs outside the pool of candlelight, watching. Leo leaned back against the wall, his eyes dark and thoughtful.
The tip of Dumbledore's long, crooked nose was barely an inch from Mrs. Norris's fur. He was looking at her closely through his half-moon spectacles, his long fingers gently prodding and poking. McGonagall was bent almost as close, her eyes narrowed. Snape loomed behind them, half in shadow, wearing a most peculiar expression: It was as though he was trying hard not to smile. And Lockhart was hovering around all of them, making suggestions.
"It was definitely a curse that killed her — probably the Transmogrifian Torture — I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very countercurse that would have saved her..."
At the mention of torture, Leo finally snapped.
"Unless you actually have something useful to add – a suggestion of what actually happened or a solution – would you mind shutting it and leaving it to the professionals like Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore? You're being more unhelpful than usual –and that's saying something."
"Detention, Black," McGonagall stated in a sharp tone.
Leo shrugged, pleased that Lockhart had stopped talking at least.
Dumbledore was now muttering strange words under his breath and tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand but nothing happened. She continued to look as though she had been recently stuffed. After a moment, Dumbledore straightened up.
"She's not dead, Argus," he said softly.
"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at Mrs. Norris. "But why's she all — all stiff and frozen?"
"She has been Petrified," said Dumbledore ("Ah! I thought so!" said Lockhart, almost causing Leo to throw something at him.). "But how, I cannot say..."
"Ask him!" shrieked Filch, turning his blotched and tearstained face to Harry.
"No second year could have done this," said Dumbledore firmly. "it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced —"
"He did it, he did it!" Filch spat, his pouchy face purpling. "You saw what he wrote on the wall! He found — in my office — he knows I'm a — I'm a —" Filch's face worked horribly. "He knows I'm a Squib!" he finished.
"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry said loudly, gaining everyone's attention. "And I didn't even know you were a Squib!"
"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"
"If I might speak, Headmaster," said Snape from the shadows and Leo had an intense feeling of foreboding.
"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast?"
"They got invited to a Deathday party," Leo informed him quickly. "Ask Sir Nicholas if you don't believe me."
"But why not join the feast afterward?" said Snape, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"
"Because — because —" Harry said, obviously struggling to come up with a lie. "Because we were tired and wanted to go to bed."
"Without any supper?" said Snape, a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."
"I was supposed to bring them food," Leo told him before putting on an ashamed face and looking at the trio. "Sorry, I got caught up in a conga line and forgot all about it."
Snape's dark eyes narrowed.
"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter and Black are not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if they were deprived of certain privileges until they are ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel they should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until they are ready to be honest."
Fat chance of that. Leo snorted internally.
"Really, Severus," said McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boys playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick." Leo had to suppress a snort of laughter at this mental image. "There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."
Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly.
Snape looked furious. So did Filch.
"My cat has been Petrified!" he shrieked, his eyes popping. "I want to see some punishment!"
"We will be able to cure her, Argus," said Dumbledore patiently. "Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs. Norris."
"I'll make it," Lockhart butted in. "I must have done it a hundred times. I could whip up a Mandrake Restorative Draught in my sleep —"
"I think – if we want the draught to actually work - we should let Professor Snape do it," Leo remarked dryly.
There was a very awkward pause. On one hand, Leo had been rude to a teacher. On the other... well, he wasn't exactly wrong.
"You may go," Dumbledore said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Mr. Black, I believe Professor McGonagall would like to discuss your detention with you."
McGonagall nodded briskly before sweeping Leo out of the room after his friends ran out. She led him silently down the stairs to her office where she sat behind her desk, Leo sitting opposite her with a blank expression on his face.
"Your detention will take place tomorrow at the usual time tomorrow morning."
"The usual time being...?"
"Whenever you usually get here," McGonagall gave a small smile as Leo looked taken aback. "Despite the attitude you had, your statement to Gilderoy was not completely out of line. He was – as you put it – being unhelpful."
Leo looked at her skeptically.
"This isn't about the torture thing, is it?"
Now McGonagall looked taken aback, and Leo realized Dumbledore hadn't told her.
"Whatever do you mean, Black?" she finally asked after she regained her composure.
Leo shuffled uneasily in his seat, swallowing thickly. This was his chance – his chance to finally talk about what had happened under the trap door. But he wasn't ready. He didn't think he'd ever be ready. Then make yourself ready. A voice in his head said. Are you a lion or a mouse? Summon up your Gryffindor courage and talk!
"I -" Leo swallowed again. "Dumbledore told you that Quirrell took me hostage before he went down the trap door, right?" McGonagall nodded. "Once I got through the trap door... I made a break for it. I got through Sprout and Flitwick's rooms and made it to the chessboard. I was halfway across the board when Quirrell caught up with me and he – and he -" Leo choked back a sob, not wanting to look like a baby. "He cast the Cruciatus Curse on me."
McGonagall sat up abruptly, a small gasp that Leo ignored escaping her mouth.
"He tied me up and completed the chessboard before untying me and pushing me forward. We made it past the troll and into Snape's room. He wanted me to use my Elementalist abilities to get through the fire covering the doors. I made a smart comment and he – he did it again." Leo didn't bother holding back the tears this time as he vividly watched the moment replay before his eyes.
"I made it through the door without him, but there was no way out. I tried to break the mirror so he wouldn't be able to get the Stone, but I couldn't, not without my wand. I waited behind the door and ambushed him. We struggled, and I managed to grab my wand from inside his robes. Before I could fire off a spell, he...he used it again. Then he knocked me out with some sort of spell.
"When I came to, Harry was there, and Quirrell was trying to get him to the mirror so he could get the Stone... I broke it before he got the chance. I disarmed Quirrell, then Voldemort appeared." McGonagall subtly flinched at the name. "We talked for a bit before Harry and I took off. He tackled us to the ground but... he couldn't touch Harry. He burned when he touched him. Harry grabbed him, trying to hold him off but... whatever he was doing was killing him. I pushed him away, pointed my wand at Quirrell and..."
"You don't have it in you, boy!" Quirrell snarled.
"That's where you're wrong," Leo corrected him, tightening his grip on his wand. "Incendio Tria."
"...I killed him," Leo put his hands in face, momentarily surprised when they got wet. "I-I was eleven years old and I-I k-killed someone. I-I tell myself that I-I had to – that I had no choice, that I had to protect H-Harry b-but b-but..."
Leo couldn't talk anymore as arms wrapped around him, enveloping in a tight hug. He just cried harder.
A/N: Hey, I just wanted to give a shout-out to those of you who have been leaving reviews. I really appreciate it and it brings me a lot of joy knowing you lot are into the story I've created and that it inspires me to write more and to write better. I know I don't usually respond to reviews, but I want you all to know that I do read them and they do motivate me to continue writing Leo's story.