Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters and ideas are the whole intellectual property of Ms. J.K. Rowling and are hers alone to sell. I do not receive, nor would I accept any compensation for any of the owned intellectual property of Ms. Rowling (nor that which she has licensed to WB etc.). What follows is just a wacky little ditty I wanted to get out of my brain. It only got there because I so love that which Ms. Rowling created. No copyright infringement is intended.

Telling Tales:

'So let me get this straight,' Hermione frowned across the small table she, Ron and Harry were occupying in one corner of the Gryffindor common room. 'What you're saying is that you've known about this Chamber all along and didn't tell us?'

Harry had spent the last several minutes filling the two of them in about what he'd heard the night before and admitting that, though neither he, nor any of the professors knew where it was, they did know that the Chamber of Secrets really did exist.

'Hermione…' He sighed, but wasn't able to finish before she started speaking again.

'Don't you trust us? Is that it? Did you think we'd go spread it all around the school?' she whispered harshly, her eyes squinting in anger.

'Listen,' he said, his own anger starting to rise as he glared back at her. 'Have your parents ever expressly forbidden you from doing something?' He leaned in, staring directly into her eyes, making sure she completely understood. 'And I'll bet that the first thing you did was run out and do it anyway? Yeah – me neither,' he said to her horrified look. 'For crying out loud, Hermione, have you even met my Dad? I'm taking a huge risk telling you guys even this much – I snuck out of the Hospital Wing so he couldn't order me specifically not to tell you what I heard last night. He's in a foul enough mood because of what happened with Lockhart and all – this is going to really get him pissed when he finds out.'

'Harry – mate…' Ron said placatingly, looking between his friends. 'It's alright. We understand, don't we Hermione?'

She nodded quickly, and looked guiltily across at Harry. 'You're right, Harry – I'm sorry. Of course you can't tell us everything… Especially if your Dad told you you couldn't. Only…' She looked a little nervous about asking the next question now, but managed to blurt it out. 'I mean, why now? Why are you telling us this now, if he told you not to say anything before?'

Harry glanced briefly around to be sure that no one else was listening before he answered. 'It's just… Well, this is more serious now, isn't it? It was bad enough when it was just Mrs. Norris – but now Colin… and I just…' He bit his lip, still feeling quite uncomfortable with the whole situation. He remembered his Dad saying that even though a person had to be stupid to follow Voldemort, he honestly thought that Lockhart was too stupid. But he was determined not to make the same mistakes as last year… 'Dad thinks Lockhart wouldn't be involved with anything to do with Voldemort… sorry,' he added quickly when Ron gasped at hearing Voldemort's name. 'But I don't know – I mean, he's new this year…'

'No way, mate,' Ron said quickly, seemingly glad of a shift in the conversation. 'I can't believe it, but I agree with Snape on this – Lockhart's too… Well, lets just say I don't see him working for anyone but himself – besides, I think he's a poof.'

'He… How can you…' Hermione stuttered, scandalized. 'Well, I never!'

'Anyway,' Ron went on, ignoring Hermione. 'It's got to be Malfoy – no, hear me out.' He said to Harry's disbelieving frown. 'My dad reckons his dad was right in with You-Know-Who's inner circle before you… uh, you know… and what if… what if…' Ron thought for a moment. 'You said it had been opened once before? Yeah, so old Malfoy Senior opened the Chamber when he was here, and now Junior is carrying on the tradition! And,' Ron said triumphantly. 'He did not seem surprised on Hallowe'en – if anything he seemed pleased.'

Harry thought on this for a minute. He'd been somewhat distracted that night – what with Filch practically throttling him, and having to talk to his Dad and Uncle Albus. But now he thought about it, Draco had seemed to be more excited by what had happened than surprised. Did this mean he'd been involved though?

His Dad had known Lucius Malfoy since they'd been kids. They had never exactly been friends – Lucius was several years older than Severus, but their families had long standing connections, and so they'd grown up knowing each other through family gatherings and such.

Harry had met Lucius Malfoy a few times when he would be with his Dad and they'd run into him in Diagon Alley, but he'd only ever really spent time with him once.

They'd gone to the Malfoy Manor – it was not long after Severus had adopted Harry. He'd been left with Draco and Draco's nanny while their fathers went into another room to talk. Harry remembered that Draco had seemed really bossy, ordering the nanny about and only letting Harry touch his toys if he played his games, his way. He hadn't been there very long when his father came storming back into the room looking very angry. Harry'd known that he was angry with Mr. Malfoy, and not him, but still he'd been scared and had clung rather tightly to his father's neck, trying not to cry when he'd picked him up. But hearing what Mr. Malfoy shouted as they prepared to leave, Harry had started crying, and wouldn't let go of his father until he'd fallen asleep, back at home. Harry shuddered even now, remembering what he'd said: 'Send him back to the Mudblood's relatives – or better yet, let one of us get rid of the whelp for you, since you seem to have forgotten which side you're on!'

Harry'd awoken the next morning, still in his father's arms…

'Master Harry Sir?' All three of them jumped when a House-Elf appeared suddenly beside them, startling Harry out of his thoughts.

'Good heavens Boo!' Harry exclaimed, clutching his chest. 'You about gave me heart failure!'

The little creature looked horrorstruck up at Harry. 'I is sorry Master Harry Sir!' she wailed. 'I is not wanting to harm Master Harry!' The Elf was trembling from head to foot, pawing nervously at Harry's robes, tears splashing down her face.

'Oh, Boo!' Harry quickly reassured, taking the creatures hands gently into his own. 'I didn't mean literally! I'm fine, really

see?' He smiled brightly, looking her straight in the eyes.

'Is… Is you sure I isn't hurting you Master Harry Sir?'

'I swear, Boo, I'm fine. Now what did you need?'

'Oh!' Harry tried to sooth her again when she started crying all over again. 'Master Harry, Sir…' she sobbed. 'Master Snape is wanting you to come to your room Sir. I's sorry Sir… Master Harry's father is being very angry…' This last bit was whispered, long thin fingers once again nervously smoothing Harry's robe.

'It's alright, Boo.' Harry gave her his most reassuring smile. 'I'll be right along, or did he want you to bring me yourself?'

'No, Sir. He is just saying you should come to your room.'

'Alright, Boo. Don't you worry. Go on…'  With a final low bow, and a pop, the creature was gone.

'She's a little protective of me…' Harry grimaced at the stunned looks on his friends faces. 'They all are really… but I'd better go.'

'Wait!' Hermione said quickly when Harry stood up to go. 'What was that?!'

'That was Boo. She's one of the Hogwarts House-Elves… Er… Ron? Could you explain about House-Elves?' He asked, seeing her still puzzled look. 'The longer I take to get there, the louder the yelling is going to be so…'

**********************

'Hello Harry,' Albus greeted him when he entered the teachers common room a few minutes later.

'Hi…' he answered nervously when the half a dozen teachers in the room also looked up (including Lockhart, who quickly looked away again). 'Um…' He wasn't sure what to say, not knowing what his father had told the headmaster or other teachers – were they cross with him as well? 'Um… Boo said Dad wanted me to come up…'

'Indeed.' If Harry weren't so worried about how angry his father was with him right now, he might've laughed at how Professor Lockhart jumped, emitting a poorly disguised squeak when he'd heard Severus speak from the other side of the common room. Instead, Harry quietly excused himself, and walked, his head lowered past his father and into their apartments.

Harry stood nervously in front of the fireplace, making a serious examination of the carpet when Severus joined him in their living room. 'What have you to say for yourself?' he demanded in a low voice.

'She would've fussed over me, and I was fine… so, I just left.'

'Was that all there was to it?' Severus demanded. 'Or was it more to do with wanting to tell your friends what had happened, and knowing that if you waited to see me first, I would have instructed you not to?'

His head still bent to stare at the carpet, Harry felt his face flush – How did his father do that? How did he always seem to know what he was up to?!

'I am not speaking to the top of your head,' Severus snapped when Harry didn't answer. Obediently, Harry looked up, though he didn't quite manage to meet his father's eyes. 'Did you, or did you not deliberately leave the hospital wing without telling anyone?'

'Yes,' Harry whispered, resisting the urge to look back down to the floor.

'And did you, or did you not do that so you could talk to your friends before you could be told again not to?'

'Yes…' This time, Harry couldn't stop himself, and suddenly found his shoes very interesting.

Harry stood still and let his father's lecture wash over him. He made a conscious effort not to succumb to the desire to roll his eyes – That would definitely not go over well at all…

Yes, he knew the difference between keeping Hogwarts secrets from the students and keeping secrets from his father… Yes, he knew he wasn't supposed to blab about what he'd overheard the night before because the faculty was so used to him being around that they'd said things they wouldn't have said in front of other students…

'But Dad, I only told Ron and Hermione…'

No, no he didn't enjoy being constantly in trouble… No, he didn't want his father to wallop him… No, he didn't want to be locked in his room until he graduated…

By the time he finally got back to the Gryffindor common room, he was both tired and annoyed. After his father's 'discussion', Harry knew that he would get very serious with him if he were caught continuing to pass information on to his friends – or if he were found still snooping into the mystery of the Chamber and what had petrified Mrs. Norris and Colin. But at the same time, he was sick of always being told what he could say – and to whom he could say it!

A small part of him knew that his father was right, and it was too dangerous for students to know many of the secrets of Hogwarts, or worse, for students to actually be going after those secrets.

An even smaller part of him knew he was being unreasonable and even foolish… But the moment he saw Ron and Hermione still waiting for him he shoved those small voices aside and quickly rejoined them. Dad's always telling me what to do – he never lets me do what I want! I'm sick of it! he thought before speaking out loud: 'Here's what we're going to do…'

*************************

They had stayed up half the night discussing ways to discover who had opened the Chamber and who had petrified Colin and Mrs. Norris. Harry had refused from the beginning to speculate as to exactly where the Chamber was. He was willing to go against his father by trying to figure out who was responsible for opening the Chamber, but he refused to go so far as to try to find the thing.

He had also refuted Ron's argument that Lucius Malfoy had opened the Chamber when he'd been at Hogwarts and then passed on how to his son: 'He's not old enough Ron,' he said, shaking his head. 'The Chamber was last opened like fifty years ago or so and he's only a few years older than my dad…'

'Well, his grandfather then,' Ron argued. 'I still say it was Malfoy.'

In the end, though he had absolutely refused to take Ron and Hermione with him, Harry had agreed to make use of one or two of those secret passageways he knew of to spy on Malfoy in the Slytherin Common Room. 'I'm sure it isn't him,' he insisted. 'But maybe he does know something about it…'  Harry swallowed hard, thinking about what he was planning to do. He'd been angry when his father had been yelling at him, and he'd still been angry when he'd arrived back in the common room and had rashly decided to blatantly disobey his father and keep investigating the Chamber of Secrets with his friends. But now that he'd had some time to calm down, he was getting more and more sure that he was making a big mistake. If he were caught…

As if sensing his second thoughts, Ron suddenly spoke up again. 'We could…' He glanced nervously at Hermione before turning back to Harry. 'There's this potion Hermione was mentioning while you were gone… uh, Poly- something. We could go with you disguised…'

'Polyjuice?!' Harry demanded in a harsh whisper, looking around nervously to make sure they weren't heard. 'Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea how difficult – no forget how hard it is to make. If there's the slightest mistake… It's a restricted potion for a reason! You can get stuck as the person you're impersonating; you can get stuck halfway through the transformation… No.' He shook his head firmly. 'Absolutely no way. Even if you could get all the ingredients, which you can't, some are restricted. I absolutely refuse. Even I'm not crazy enough to get involved in something so… so…' He took a deep breath, and met each of their stunned gazes. 'I will not be involved in illegal potions brewing. I won't!'

'Alright, Harry,' Hermione soothed. 'Alright. Just forget about it ok? I'm sorry I brought it up. I just remembered your Dad mentioning a potion that let the drinker switch places with someone. I was curious about it, but I didn't know it could be dangerous. I promise you, we won't ask you to be involved in brewing anything illegal, right Ron?'

'Yeah, right.' Ron looked at Harry with a frown. 'You alright mate? I didn't mean to freak you out…'

'Yeah,' Harry answered hesitantly at first then, taking a deep breath he went on a little calmer. 'Yeah, sorry. Just, no crazy potions alright? Just trust me. I can spy on Malfoy, and I'll tell you everything I find out.'

'Alright Harry,' Hermione said quickly. 'Don't worry. Let's forget about all of this for now – there's nothing more we can do about it tonight.' She crossed her arms, looking suddenly quite serious. 'Now, about these House Elves. They're whose property? What kind of rights do they have?...'

Ron rolled his eyes, throwing his arms up in frustration as Hermione demanded to know everything there was to know about House Elves.

Harry groaned slightly, recognising the indignation that would likely lead Hermione on a mission to liberate the House Elves she obviously thought were downtrodden. He wasn't sure if he should be glad that she'd have something to distract her from thinking about making insanely dangerous potions, or worried that she'd end up stirring up the Hogwarts Elves against her if she threatened to try to take them away from their work.

Either way, there were two things he knew for certain. First, that continuing to scheme with his friends to find out what was going on with the Chamber of Secrets, could only lead to him getting into big trouble; and second, that he was going to do it anyway…

TBC…