OOO

"Is the potion ready?" Lucius stood at the entrance of the dungeon. "I have your payment as requested."

"I've brewed it." Snape looked up from the parchments he was grading and took a corked flask out of the cabinet behind him. "There's not much but it should be adequate to revive your son, perhaps even one or two more if used sparingly." He smiled sardonically. "But I take it that you are in no mood to be sharing it with the unfortunate souls upstairs?"

"My son comes first," Lucius told him icily, exchanging the flask for a handful of sickles which he tossed onto Snape's desk. "The others are the school's affair."

"Speaking of school affairs – what of Dumbledore?" Snape sat down again and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Lucius with a level gaze and his voice betrayed no emotion save mild interest. "I heard that you went on quite the rant this morning, vowing to have him removed."

"I have the order right here." Lucius slipped the flask into a pouch at his hip then retrieved a rolled up parchment, complete with an official seal. "He has been unable to put a stop to the Chamber opening – as a result, I saw fit to discharge him of his duties, even if only for the moment, as did the other governors."

"Really? The Chamber opening upset you that much?"

"It did when my son got hurt!" Lucius growled, clenching his walking stick.

"I wondered… things have gone a bit out of your control, haven't they?" Snape's voice barely verged on amusement. "You know, they've started pointing the finger at the Potter boy as well."

"I know. Which brings me to another point of business." He stepped closer to the desk. "I hear you've been harassing Harry Potter."

Any trace of amusement disappeared and a hint of a frown twisted his features. "How I treat my students, any of my students, is none of your business Lucius." He sneered. "I wouldn't think you, of all people, would be standing up for an arrogant Gryffindor glory seeker. However much he whines, I merely point out his inadequacies and put him in his place."

"Harry Potter is none of what you suggest," Lucius replied in an equally icy tone. "I believe, Severus, that you are confusing him with his father James. Harry, however, is a close friend of my son's and a frequent guest in my household. I care not for how you treat most of your students; but as one loyal to my child, he's of concern to me and I will not brook you treating him as though he were his parent."

"I wonder what certain people would think of this interest."

"I wonder that you think certain people will ever find out or know." Lucius looked down on him imperiously, but somewhat rattled. "Besides, surely you know the saying to keep friends close and enemies closer? Alienating one so potentially strong does nobody any good no matter what the course of events might hold."

Severus paused, as if he were unsure of what to make of Lucius. He looked at him at great length without changing his expression. "You do not tell me how to teach."

"This isn't teaching, what you're doing," Lucius snapped. "It's keeping a petty rivalry alive well beyond the point when it should have been dead and buried and it serves no useful purpose. More than that, it could be detrimental." He leaned over, bringing his face close to Snape's. "Grow up, Severus. And stop mistreating the boy."

He stalked out of the office to deliver the document removing Dumbledore and Snape watching him leave with dark, unblinking eyes.

"You've changed, Lucius," he murmured before going back to grading.

OOO

Your blood is quite strong you know. Given the proper opportunities, your father would have been quite skilled with raptors. And your grandfather… he would have tended towards equines. You have strains of them in you, to be sure, but it is canines where you excel. And as for your mother's side…

"I don't understand," Draco whispered. "Who are you, anyway?"

When the time is right. But now it is time for you to wake up.

Draco's eyelids fluttered open to the sight of his mother leaning over him. Relief burst like sunlight across her face and before he could even sit up she had lifted him off of the bed and embraced him.

"Draco!" He could feel her tears dampening his hair. "Draco, Draco, you're alright," She repeated over and over, as if she needed to hear it again to make herself truly believe it. "Are there any effects? Are you tired? You'll want food." She turned to the house elf who was waiting dutifully by the bedside. "Dobby, go and fetch him something from the kitchens, whatever he likes. Make it if you must but be quick." Then she turned back to her son and hugged him tightly once more. "Thank heavens you're alright!"

Once she loosened her hold, Dragon nudged his way in, happily licking Draco's face until both he and Narcissa gave way to allow Draco to eat the food Dobby had made for him. She wondered what it was he was eating – it looked like a sandwich except the bread was far too flat and folded in a crescent brimming with cheese – but she didn't ask or object. Even if it was probably Muggle.

"Was it a difficult ordeal?" She asked him in a soft, sympathetic voice.

He shrugged and took another bite, picking up a piece of ground beef that fell out with his finger. "It was a bit like sleeping, really… I had some weird dreams, though." Then he looked up. "Mum! What about Cedric? He was next to me, was he alright?"

"I believe he was Petrified too, love."

"Did he wake up also?"

"Dear…"

"What's wrong?" Draco set aside his empty plate which Dobby immediately took. "We need to know – can we send an owl to his home right away? Or I could go over! I'm feeling well – really I am!"

"Cedric is at the school," Narcissa told him guardedly.

"Well then we'll send an owl there… has it been very long? We haven't missed much, have we?"

"Draco, I don't believe Cedric is awake."

"What?" He paled. "Why not? Did something go wrong, can't he take the potion – didn't it work on him?"

"No, no," she said, taking his hand to still the panic. "The ingredients aren't ready for his potion yet."

"But I…"

"Your father procured mandrakes for you. The rest of the children at the school are waiting for the ones in Professor Sprout's greenhouse to mature."

"Oh." He frowned. "How long will it be until they're better? Soon, right?"

Narcissa bit her lip. "I believe it will be quite a while. The mandrakes take some time to mature and you haven't been out very long." She went over to the window and threw wide the curtains. "As you can see, it's winter," she said, looking down at the swirling white.

For a minute, the swirls seemed to take shape…

"Well why doesn't Hogwarts get mandrakes like Dad did? Ones that are already mature so they don't have to wait around!"

"That's something you would have to discuss with those in charge at Hogwarts," she said, turning away from the window and back to him. "In fact, your father was up at the school this very afternoon to... well, to discuss some of the administrative inadequacies at the school."

"What does that mean?" He looked at her nervously.

"Draco," she said, sitting down on the bed, "I know this will be hard to you for hear. And I don't want to burden you too much since you only just recovered from what had to be a dreadful ordeal. But you weren't the only one Draco. There were several after you."

He swallowed. "Who else?" He whispered.

"The Weasley and the Lovegood girls," she told him. "And then this morning the Macmillan boy and some other mud… some other Hufflepuff he was with." She petted his hair fondly. "To think they were blaming your friend Harry too, at least until your father stepped in."

"Blaming Harry?"

"I'm afraid so." She looked at him. "Did you know Harry was a Parselmouth?"

Draco blushed. "Maybe."

"Well, the school found out when he spoke to a snake that Pansy Parkinson conjured at a dueling club. I'm afraid that everybody is panicking and casting about looking for a person to blame. Meanwhile those in charge do nothing to find out that's truly at fault," she muttered darkly.

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore is trying…"

"Dumbledore is gone," she interrupted, standing and reaching to fluff his pillows but failing to see the look he cast at his dog as she did. "Your father went to the Board of Governors and saw to that. He has done nothing so far to find the true perpetrator and failed to stem the tide of malicious gossip spread about the innocent." She sighed. "I have to wonder if your father wasn't right when he wanted to send you to Durmstrang. At least there you wouldn't be accosted by beasts."

He shrugged. "There are good things about Hogwarts. My friends are there." He frowned. "I wish I could remember what had attacked me though."

"You don't recall?"

He shook his head. "I remember these bulbous yellow eyes but… I don't know. Everything went dark pretty quickly and I feel like I've been out for a while. Like I've been walking around in the dark or something." He shook his head in frustration. "I should try harder though. Maybe if they knew what was in the Chamber, though could find it or fight it more easily."

"Maybe." She leaned over and kissed Draco's head. "But do not feel that you are responsible for solving what ought to be the school's problem. I'm sure you need some rest so sleep as long as you like. And do not worry about school – the winter break is about to start." She beamed at him. "And not to get your hopes up too much but you father invited Harry back over – so hopefully you will have some company as well."

"Harry's coming back?!" He practically shouted. "Can I go meet him when the Hogwarts Express gets in? How long is it until winter break?" He gasped. "And I'll need to buy him a present, Christmas is right around the corner and I haven't gotten him anything…"

"Get some sleep first," Narcissa laughed, heading for the door. "And we'll see about all of the rest."

OOO

"You're packing?" Theo sat on his bed and looked at Harry haphazardly stuffing robes and socks into his trunk. "I thought you had intended to stay here over break, like you did last year."

"Mr. Malfoy said it might be a good idea to keep Draco company," Harry said as he rolled up some loose parchment. "And I'd like to see him too. Besides, I'm not too keen on staying here with a monster on the loose and Dumbledore gone from the school. Maybe if I'm over at the Malfoys' I can persuade Mr. Malfoy to have Dumbledore reinstated. I mean, I can see his point about him not doing much and all but I think this place will be more dangerous without him around." He looked up from his packing at Theo. "I'm sure it's not too late for you to come with me either. I mean, people were pretty eager to get home after the last attack but I'm sure there are seats left. And the Malfoys would probably be really happy to see you there as well. I think they're really worried about Draco and want him to have company to cheer him up."

"Thanks but… well, no offense, but I would rather not. Besides," he said with a shrug, "I really need to study a bit." He stood up. "I'm going to go to the library to read up on a couple of charms. I'll let you pack."

"Alright." Harry continued to fold his Muggle clothing. The trunk was mostly full when he decided to take a break. Stretching out onto his four-poster, he glanced out the window. Two days later and the snow was still coming down in droves. Every time he was around the others, Hannah kept staring up at the sky like it was about ot fall down on them and even he had to admit it did little to lighten the oppressive mood.

Sighing, he swung off the bed, kneeling down to be sure that he hadn't left anything that had slipped beneath the bed. While he was on the floor, however, he noticed an edge of a book sticking out from beneath Theo's bed skirt.

Did you ever see Draco with a black book, probably blank – like a diary?

He opened it up and flipped through it. It was blank; so although there was nothing to specifically indicate that it was dark, the fact that it was empty meant that it did match the description that Mr. Malfoy had given him. And then, when he flipped to the last page, a folded up piece of parchment slid out. Harry froze when he saw it, looked around half expecting to see Theo, but finally picked it up. Unfolding it, he saw that it too was blank – but it wasn't unfamiliar.

Closing his eyes, he touched the paper with his wand.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered.

He only opened his eyes a crack, but it was enough to see the ink spiraling across the paper, forming the hallways and rooms of Hogwarts.

The Marauders Map.

"Theo…" He breathed.

Quickly, before anybody came back, he stuffed the map and the blank diary into his trunk. He wasn't sure what the diary was, precisely, but he knew that it couldn't be good. He was slightly worried for Theo – but getting the diary away from him had to do more good than harm if it was dangerous, Harry reasoned. They were going home the next morning which meant he would see Mr. Malfoy before nightfall.

He was the one who mentioned it so surely he would know what to do.

OOO

The twins walked into the dormitory, hoping to find Lee. Instead they saw Theo, tearing the sheets off his bed and overturning the mattress. His clothing and books were strewn everywhere and he looked haggard.

"Lose something?" George said as they both looked on, wide-eyed.

Theo looked up and flushed.

"I… I just… I can't find a library book, that's all, if you'll excuse me…"

He pushed past them and ran down the stairs and out of the Common Room. The Weasleys watched him leave, somewhat confused, before Fred shrugged.

"He always was a bit touchy about those books," he said nonchalantly. "I'm sure he'll be back to normal by dinner."

Once they were at dinner, however, Theo never appeared. Given Dumbledore's absence the meal was already gloomy and the subtraction of one more only added to the general air of tension. The twins glanced at each other nervously; no other Gryffindors were there except Lee and Percy, but neither seemed to notice Nott's absence. Only Millicent whispered a question about his whereabouts and was answered with a shrug. When they left the Great Hall after dinner, however, it was abundantly clear where he'd gone.

Large red letters were smeared across the floor.

HIS BODY WILL LIE IN THE CHAMBER FOREVER.

"Oh my goodness," McGonagall gasped.

Before any of the teachers could do anything, the Weasleys ran down the hallway, George pulling Fred who picked up the hint and quickly trailed on his twin's heels.

"They'll probably make us go home," George panted as they rounded a corner.

"I know! So what are we doing? Trying to find Theo?"

"No idea where to start," said George, bounding up a flight of stairs.

"What then?" Fred followed him, hands running along the banister.

"Owlery," George replied by way of explanation.

"Owls? For what?"

"They'll travel faster than however we will, probably," George said, taking the steps two by two. "And we need to act as quickly as possible."

"Harry?" Fred asked.

"Him and Draco. Harry said he was being given the potion… they have a knack for this type of thing. And hopefully Draco can shed some light on whatever that monster is." They reached the top of the steps and George began rummaging through his pockets until he found a scrap of paper. "Got a quill?"

"Here." Fred pulled a mussed looking one out of his trouser pocket. "This should do."

George scribbled on the paper and hurriedly tied it to an owl before they boy began descending the stairs as quickly as possible. They ran to the Common Room where McGonagall found them waiting, telling them exactly what they expected to hear. She herded them and the remaining students into the Great Hall once their trunks were ready, telling them that coaches would be there shortly to take them home.

"I think Theo… Something happened with Theo. And a book," Millicent whispered to them when they sat down next to her to wait. "I can't remember exactly, but I remember something about him…"

"There's no way we can slip out to do anything now," George whispered. "But we sent a letter to Harry and Draco. Maybe something…"

"And if that fails we still have Lockhart," Fred said with sarcasm.

"Fantastic," Millicent whispered, looking at the whispering teachers with a sinking feeling.

OOO

"Acromantulas?" Draco repeated slowly. "If it was Acromantulas… I'm such an idiot!" He punched his pillow.

"What? What is it? Do you know what it is?" Harry scratched behind Dragon's ears and shifted on the mattress. "We tried getting them to tell us…"

"Think about it!" Draco looked at him. "What kind of monster would Slytherin have? It's right on their crest! A snake, a huge snake…" He snapped his fingers. "That's why you were hearing voices! You're a Parseltongue. You weren't going crazy, you were hearing the monster. Which means," he said, his voice dropping, "It's got to be a basilisk."

"I've got more bad news," Harry whispered, opening up the trunk that was left at the foot of his bed. "Your dad was asking about this and I found the map inside of it," he said pulling out the diary as Draco got up to answer a tapping at the window. "They were under Theo's bed. Draco, I think he might be involved with the Chamber. I don't want to get him in trouble but I'm worried that it might be dangerous. We should probably talk to your dad about it tomorrow."

"Too late," Draco whispered, thrusting the paper the owl had dropped off towards Harry.

"Oh no…"

"We need to get to Hogwarts, now," Draco said, pulling on robes.

"Right now? In the middle of the night?" Harry looked at him, incredulous. "Shouldn't we talk to your dad first?"

"He might hesitate," Draco said. "Especially if this is something he knew about."

"Well how are we going to get there?" Harry replaced his pajama bottoms with a worn pair of jeans. "We can't very well go on the Hogwarts Express."

"The fireplaces in the Common Rooms are Floo Ports. We'll need to stop by the Weasley's first though."

"What? Why?" Harry buttoned his shirt. "I don't think they're even there right now, I think they're in Egypt…"

"Chickens. Roosters, actually." Draco brushed his hair back and lit his fireplace. "Best way to kill a basilisk. We'll need to borrow one." The fire flared up and he turned away from it. "Dobby!"

"Yes Master?"

"Dobby, keep my mother and father from finding out as long as possible, alright?" He instructed as he gathered up his invisibility cloak. "Don't get into trouble. Just… stall them, alright? And you'd better bring that," he said, looking at Harry and pointing at the diary. "It might be useful. Even necessary."

Harry nodded and went over to the fireplace, along with Dragon.

"Let's go then."

OOO

A/N: So the finale of the first half begins. School starts soon, but the battle will hopefully be over before them. And as always, feedback is much appreciated and very motivational.