Chapter 40
Meredith awoke on Monday morning to rumors that a boy called Colin Creevey was lying in the hospital wing nearly dead. Everyone was on edge, huddling in groups and jumping at shadows waiting to be attacked at any given moment. Ginny was looking pale as ever. Fred and George were not helping, jumping out at Ginny from behind statues pretending to be the monster.
"If you two don't cut that out I swear I'll write to Mum and tell her Ginny's having nightmares," Percy shouted at them. Meredith likewise had had her fill of Fred and George's antics. Between the twins scaring their sister and the secret trade of so called protective talismans, amulets, and other such rubbish popping up through the school Meredith was ready to curse someone.
"That's the third one this week," she moaned to Patricia after stopping a Ravenclaw first year from buying a shriveled up turnip from a fourth year Slytherin.
"I swear if I catch one more person doing it I'm going to hex someone to kingdom come and I'm not really gonna care who."
"Where exactly is kingdom come," Oliver said lightly as he joined them. "I've always wondered. My mother's threatened to send me there a few times." Patricia giggled.
"Har dee har har," Meredith grumbled. They jumped as they heard several loud bangs and a couple yells of pain coming from the Great Hall.
"What was that?" Meredith groaned.
"Lockhardt's teaching a dueling club," Oliver said.
"A dueling club?" Patricia asked.
"Yep," Oliver said sounding bored. "What with everyone being in such a panic about Slytherin's monster I guess Dumbledore thought it might make everyone calm down a little."
"Sounds like a waste of time if Lockhardt's teaching it," Meredith said thinking of her Transfiguration homework due tomorrow that she hadn't finished.
"It couldn't hurt to check it out," Patricia said inching toward the Great Hall.
"Oh no you don't," Meredith said seizing the back of her robes. "You just want to get a look at Lockhardt and you haven't finished your essay for Professor Sprout."
"From what I've heard it's just basic stuff Trish," Oliver said. Meredith raised an eyebrow. Since when did Oliver call Patricia 'Trish'?
"Oh come on," Patricia said. "Just for a few minutes." Meredith rolled her eyes.
"Fine," she sighed. Patricia grinned and they went into the Great Hall. Students were paired off and attempting to disarm each other.
"See," Oliver said. "We've known how to disarm for four years." Meredith was glancing around of some of the pairs. It seemed that some were not really trying to disarm but torment each other. Malfoy was on the floor laughing while Harry's legs were jerking around in a sort of tap dance. It didn't look as though Lockhardt or Snape were planning on doing anything to control the pandemonium.
"This isn't dueling, it's a circus," Meredith said shaking her head. "Oh good lord." She quickly strode over to Millicent Bulstrode who had Hermione in a headlock. She grabbed the younger girl and pulled her off Hermione.
"Fighting without a wand Bullstrode," Meredith said to the girl who looked like a very small troll. "How Muggle of you." Bullstrode glared at Meredith and hissed an obscenity at her.
"What was that?" Meredith asked sweetly. The girl just glared at her.
"Perhaps we should move on to blocking unfriendly spells," a flustered Lockhardt said. Meredith crossed her arms over her chest as she stood against the wall beside Oliver and Patricia.
"Let's have a volunteer pair shall we?" Lockhardt said. "Longbottom, Finch-Fletchley how about you?"
"Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spell," Snape interjected. "Why not Potter and Malfoy?"
"Excellent idea," Lockhardt said.
"This is not gonna end well," Meredith predicted. Sure enough no sooner had the two boys raised their wands then…
"Serpensortia!" Malfoy yelled. There was a collective gasp as a long black snake shot from Malfoy's wand and landed on the floor. Several people screamed and backed away.
"I'll get rid of it for you Potter," Snape said lazily. Meredith glared at the Potions Master. No doubt he was enjoying the opportunity to humiliate Harry.
"Allow me," Lockhardt said flourishing his wand at the snake. This did nothing more than toss the snake about ten feet in the air and drop it back to the floor, which seemed to serve only to make the snake mad. It hissed and began to slither toward Finch-Fletchley. Suddenly out of nowhere came an unfamiliar hissing sound. All stared in stunned silence as they realized it was coming from Harry. Meredith was dumbstruck as she watched Harry hiss at the snake. The snake backed away from Finch-Fletchley and stared at Harry.
"What are you playing at," Finch-Fletchley snapped. Meredith couldn't believe what she had just seen. Harry Potter could talk to snakes.
"It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard Patricia," Meredith declared. Ever since the incident at the dueling club, everyone was saying that Harry was Slytherin's heir. Meredith knew, she just knew somehow that it wasn't true.
"But Mere," Patricia said. "You saw what happened. He was talking to that snake. In Parseltongue. No decent wizard I've ever hear of could speak Parseltongue."
"Just because he speaks snake talk doesn't make him evil," Meredith said. "Besides the snake backed away from Justin after Harry talked to it. If you ask me Harry was trying to protect him. And furthermore, Potter's in Gryffindor. Do you honestly think the sorting hat would put Slytherin's heir in Gryffindor."
"Okay, okay," Patricia said. "I see your point."
"Thank you," Meredith said.
"But since the heir is obviously still out there…"
"Yeah?"
"Well," Patricia said nervously twirling her hair. "You see I got an OWL from my folks this morning and, um, they've decided to spend Christmas in France this year. A sort of second honeymoon."
"Hmm," Meredith said. "And I'm assuming since you weren't with them on their first honeymoon you won't be with them on their second."
"That would be correct," Patricia said. "And, um, since the heir of Slytherin is still out there, I really would rather not stay at school."
"What are you worried about?" Meredith said. "You're a half blood."
"Oh, please," Patricia said. "I'm practically a Squib and the heir went after Filch first."
"Patricia," Meredith said with a sigh. "Would you like to spend Christmas with my Dad and I?"
"Only if it's no bother," Patricia said with a little grin.
"Oh please," Meredith said. "You practically live at my house during holidays. Dad's thinking of making you pay rent." Patricia's eyes widened. Meredith laughed and Patricia slugged her in the arm.
"Seriously though," Meredith said. "I need to get to the library are you coming."
"Nah," Patricia said. "I'm going to go send mum and dad an owl to let them know I'll be spending the holidays with you, not that they'll care." Meredith shook her head sadly as Patricia headed to the owlery. The Pattersons needed a boot in the arse like nobody's business. She sighed and turned to go into the library. She spread her books out over the table and got to work. She needed to get this done before she went home for the holidays. She was reading a passage on Golblatt's Third Law when a slight disturbance distracted her.
"All I saw was you chasing that snake toward Justin," a boy's voice said.
"I didn't chase it at him!" a voice she recognized as Harry's. "It barely touched him."
"If you're getting any ideas Potter," the boy said. "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations…" Who was this pompous little worm? Meredith wondered. She slammed her book closed and shoved it into her bag. She followed the sound of the argument and found Harry arguing with a group of second year Hufflepuff students. The ringleader was a stout boy with blonde hair. Meredith thought he looked familiar but he couldn't place him.
"It's no secret you hate those muggles you live with," the boy challenged.
"It's impossible to live with the Dursley's and not hate them," Harry snapped. "I'd like to see you try it." Meredith stood back out of sight until Harry had left. She then stepped forward and confronted the boy.
"You," she said. "What's your name?"
"Ernie," the boy said staring at her incredulously. "Ernie Macmillan."
"Detention Macmillan."
"For what!" Macmillan shouted in outrage. Meredith scowled at him.
"For shouting in the library," she said sternly.
"You can't do that," Macmillan said indignantly.
"You'll find I can," Meredith said. "And from now on you just keep your accusations to yourself." With that she turned on her heel and left to follow Harry. She spotted him a short ways down the hall.
"Harry," she called to him. "Harry wait up." He stopped and turned and waited for her to catch up to him.
"Better be careful Meredith," he said bitterly. "I might set a big horrible beast on you."
"I'll take my chances," she said wryly. "Are you all right?"
"I guess you hear Ernie," he said. She nodded.
"If it makes you feel better I gave him detention."
"It won't help," Harry said. "Everybody believes I'm the one who opened the chamber. Everyone thinks I'm Salazar Slytherin's great great great grandson or something."
"I don't," she said. He looked up at her. His green eyes were wide and he looked as though he were trying not to cry.
"You don't?"
"Of course not," Meredith said gently. "Harry I saw what you did to that snake. It didn't go near Finch-Fletchley after you spoke to it. Besides Harry, you're in Gryffindor." Harry seemed to look depressed at this. He was biting his lip as though contemplating something.
"Meredith," he said slowly. "The sorting hat…well…it wanted to put me in Slytherin. It said I'd do well in Slytherin."
"That doesn't mean anything Harry," Meredith was quick to reassure him. "It put you in Gryffindor in the end. That's where you belong."
"I'm not sure," Harry said. He looked so lost and so sad that Meredith just wanted to hug him.
"The worst part is," Harry continued. "Is that there isn't anyone who can tell me the truth. I mean Slytherin lived hundreds of years ago. I know he couldn't be related to my mum, she was a muggleborn. But I don't know anything about my dad's family. I don't even know if he was a pureblood and there's no one who can tell me." Meredith felt her heart go out to him. She knew what it was like to not know her parents. The only reason she knew anything about her mother was from her dad's stories. It suddenly hit her.
"That might not be true Harry," she said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"My dad was in the same year as yours. I'm pretty sure they were friends. He might know about your dad, at "least if he was a pureblood."
"Could you ask him?" Harry asked eagerly.
"Of course I can," Meredith said. "I'll ask him over Christmas."
"Thanks Meredith," Harry said. "Well I better go. I've got to pick up my books for Transfiguration."
"Keep your head up Harry," she said with a smile. She started to head down to the Greenhouses to seek out Professor Sprout when she heard a commotion. She hurried down the hall and found a large crowd in the hallway. She pushed through the crowd and gasped when she saw what everyone was staring at. Justin Finch-Fletchley lay stone still on the floor and Harry stood over him.
"Caught in the act!" Macmillan shouted pointing at Harry.
"Shut it Macmillan," Meredith snapped at the boy.
"That will do," Professor McGonagall said pushing through the crowd. "Everyone get back to your classes. Come with me Potter."
"Professor I didn't do this," Harry said looking helpless. "I swear…"
"This is out of my hands Potter," McGonagall said.
"Professor," Meredith burst forward. She knew Harry was innocent. She couldn't just stay silent.
"It couldn't have been Harry ma'am. I was speaking with him not five minutes ago. He couldn't have attacked Finch-Fletchley there wasn't time. I'll swear to it all the way up to the minister himself."
"Thank you Miss Lupin," McGonagall said. "I'm sure the Head Master will take that into consideration. Potter, come along." Meredith could do nothing but stand there helplessly as Harry was led away.
Sorry so short-the next chapter will be longer I promise