December 17, 1992.
At eight o'clock that evening, the Harry and Rose being along with Ron and Hermione went back to the great hall, having read a parchment on the notice board earlier regarding a dueling club. The Harry and Rose being were excited for this, since they'd never actually dueled before, though had begun reading about ways of blocking spells. The shield charm was quite advanced, though that wouldn't stop the Harry and Rose being from giving it a try, though it would be their first time trying such a charm.
The great hall's configuration had changed quite a bit, though it seemed like a reasonable thing to do. A golden stage was along one wall and the long dining tables were gone. The stage was lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. Most of the school was gathered underneath the black ceiling, carrying their wands and looking excited.
"You gunna get out your wand, mate?" Ron asked the Harry and Rose being.
"Sure, when we start." The Harry and Rose being responded.
"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" Hermione enquired as they joined the crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young, maybe it'll be him."
"I'd like that." The Harry and Rose being said, then caught sight of Professor Lockhart and sighed. "Great."
The Professor was followed by Professor Snape and the Harry and Rose being watched, though privately thought this entire thing was going to go down hill fast. Professor Lockhart's knowledge of spells seemed next to none. Professor Snape, on the other hand, they'd never actually seen duel before. They didn't think he was anything like Professor Lockhart, though, and found them self hoping Professor Snape would wipe the floor with him.
Professor Lockhart waved a hand for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!
"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions, for full details, see my published works.
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape." Professor Lockhart flashed his familiar wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry, you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"
"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in the Harry half's ear.
"Oh, please, Lockhart's going down." The Harry half whispered back.
Professor Snape's upper lip was curling and he had a very unpleasant sneer on his face. It was the type of look that, had the Harry and Rose being received, they wouldn't be smiling at, and would probably be thinking of leaving.
The two Professors turned to face one another. Professor Snape jerked his head in an irritable manner and Professor Lockhart bowed, twirling his hands to put on a show. They then straightened up and rose their wands like swords in front of them.
"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." Professor Lockhart told the silently waiting crowd.
"Professor Snape looks angry enough to." The Harry and Rose being muttered.
"One... Two... Three..." Professor Lockhart began.
Both of them swung their wands above their heads and aimed them at the other. Professor Snape shouted, "Expelliarmus!" The Harry and Rose being watched the dazzling flash of red light as the disarming charm hit him, sending him flying off the stage and slamming into a wall, where he sprawled to the floor. Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins were cheering. Hermione was dancing on her tiptoes.
"Do you think he's all right?" She squealed frantically through her fingers.
"Who cares." Ron responded.
The Harry and Rose being watched Professor Lockhart getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. He started walking unsteadily back to the platform and said, "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm, as you see, I've lost my wand, ah, thank you, Miss Brown, yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy, however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."
Professor Snape was looking murderous. Professor Lockhart seemed to have noticed, though, as he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me..."
The two Professors walked about and began putting everyone into pairs. Professor Lockhart put Neville Longbottom with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Professor Snape reached the four.
"Time to split up the dream team, I think." Professor Snape sneered. Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Mr. Potter..."
The Harry and Rose being stepped toward one another and Professor Snape smirked maliciously.
"I don't think so." Professor Snape stated coldly. "Mrs. Potter, with Miss Greengrass. Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Mr. Potter. And you, Miss Granger, you can partner Miss Bulstrode."
Malfoy strutted over with two girls behind him. One was smaller than the other with blond hair, her blue eyes flicking to the Rose half, who moved off to join her. The Harry half stepped over to join Malfoy, glancing at the girl Hermione was paired with. She was large and square, with a heavy jaw that jutted aggressively.
Professor Lockhart was back on the platform and called, ""Face your partners! And bow!"
The Harry half and Malfoy inclined their heads slightly, not taking their wands off one another. The Rose half and Daphne Greengrass bowed more elegantly, straightening to gaze at each other.
"Wands at the ready!" Professor Lockhart shouted, the Harry and Rose being flicking their wrists to get their wands from their holsters. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents, only to disarm them, we don't want any accidents. One, two..."
Malfoy cast his spell at the Harry half who said with a calm concentration, "Protego."
"Three!" Professor Lockhart finished his count at the same moment.
The spell Malfoy had cast hit the Harry half, who felt a sharp tap on his head, the shield having blunted the effect of the spell a little. At the same moment, the Harry and Rose being and Greengrass shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
The Harry and Rose being focused on disarming their opponents and red light flew from their wands. Greengrass was hit and her wand flew high, flipping as it headed toward the Rose half. The same happened to Malfoy, who jumped up angrily to grab it as the Rose half watched Greengrass leap for hers. Both grabbed them and Malfoy shouted, "Tarantallegra!" Greengrass shouted, "Glacius!"
The Harry half's legs started to jerk around uncontrollably and the Rose half slipped on the ice Greengrass had conjured on the floor. As the Rose half tumbled and fell, she aimed her wand at the icy floor as Professor Lockhart shouted, "I said disarm only!"
The Harry half aimed his wand at himself and the Harry and Rose being called, "Finite Incantatem!"
The ice vanished and the Harry half's legs stopped moving. The Harry and Rose being spun to face their opponents and shouted a spell neither had tried yet, "Stupefy!"
Red lights flew from their wands, the Harry half's stunner hitting Malfoy, the Rose half's hitting Greengrass. Both stumbled and looked a little woozy, blinking and struggling to focus. The Harry and Rose being watched their respective opponents, but before they could continue, Lockhart shouted, "Stop! Stop!"
They looked around after Professor Snape shouted, "Finite Incantatem!"
An odd haze of green smoke hung over the seen. Neville and Justin were panting on the floor. Ron was apologizing to and holding Seamus up, his face ashen. Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving, Bulstrode holding Hermione in a headlock. The Rose half leapt over and wrenched Bulstrode off Hermione, who had been whimpering in pain.
"Dear, dear..." Professor Lockhart was looking a little flustered as he looked at the aftermath of the duels, walking throughout the students. "Up you go, Macmillan... Careful there, Miss Fawcett... Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second, Boot..."
He trailed off a moment, then stated, "I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells." He glanced at Professor Snape, who's black eyes were glinting. "Let's have a volunteer pair, Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you..."
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart." Professor Snape interrupted, gliding over like a large, malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Nevillele's round, pink face went even pinker at Professor Snape's pronouncement. The Harry and Rose being felt a wave of irritation. "How about Malfoy and Potter?"
Professor Snape added the last part with a twisted smile. The Harry and Rose being felt resignation, but also a determination to concentrate on the shield spell harder this time.
"Excellent idea!" Professor Lockhart gestured the Harry half and Malfoy to the middle of the hall, the crowd backing away to give them more room. The Rose half stayed at a reasonable distance, holstering her wand by pushing it back into her holster gently, which pulled it in.
"Now, Harry, when Draco points his wand at you, you do this."
He rose his wand, attempted what looked like a complicated wiggling action, then dropped it. Professor Snape smirked and the Harry and Rose being stifled a chuckle. Professor Lockhart quickly picked up his wand and said, "Whoops, my wand is a little overexcited."
Professor Snape moved closer to Malfoy and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked and the Harry half looked over at Professor Lockhart.
"I know the shield charm, Professor, I just need to practice." He said.
"Excellent, no better time to practice than now, eh?" Professor Lockhart responded with an enthusiastic smile and cuffed the Harry half merrily on the shoulder. "Three, two, one, go!"
The Harry half and Malfoy rose their wands. The Harry half shouted, "Protego!" At the same moment, Malfoy shouted, "Serpensortia!"
A long, black snake shot out of the end of Malfoy's wand and fell to the floor heavily between them. It rose itself, ready to strike. People were screaming and backing swiftly away. The Rose half held her ground, closer than many of the other students and the Harry and Rose being stood, motionless.
"Don't move, Potter." Professor Snape said lazily, enjoying the Harry half's predicament. "I'll get rid of it..."
"Allow me!" Professor Lockhart shouted, brandishing his wand at the snake.
There was a loud band and the snake flew ten feet into the air, falling back to the floor with a loud smack, enraged. Hissing furiously, it moved toward Justin Finch-Fletchley, raising itself again, fangs exposed. Acting quickly, the Harry and Rose being started striding quickly over, shouting with a bit of a hiss in their voices, "Leave him alone!"
The snake sank to the floor in coils, eyes on the Rose half who stopped moving, the Harry and Rose being realizing it wouldn't attack anyone now. It seemed to be listening to them, and no longer seemed enraged. The Rose half looked over at Justin with a grin, then the Harry and Rose being's grin dropped when they realized Justin wasn't looking relieved or even grateful. Instead, he was looking angry and scared.
"What do you think you're playing at?" He shouted. Before the Harry and Rose being could say anything, Justin turned and stormed out of the great hall.
Professor Snape stepped forward and waved his wand, the snake vanishing in a puff of smoke. He was staring at the Harry and Rose being with a shrewd, calculating look that they didn't like. They could hear the crowd muttering in an ominous way, then felt tugging at the backs of their robes.
"Come on. Move, come on." Ron's voice said urgently into the Harry half's ear.
"Let's go, Rose." Hermione's voice was just as urgent in the Rose half's ear.
The Harry and Rose being hurried from the hall at Ron and Hermione's guidance. As they moved, people drew away from them as if they were frightened of catching something. The Harry and Rose being received no explanations as they were led to the Gryffindor common room, walking in silence and thinking about the hissing they'd heard as they'd spoken. If it wasn't for that, they wouldn't have realized they were speaking any differently. Given that they'd heard that slight hissing in their voices, and the snake had listened to them, the Harry and Rose being thought it reasonable that once again, they'd spoken with a snake, though this time, it was the Harry and Rose being and not just the Harry half.
As they thought about the hissing they'd heard in their voices, they realized it sounded familiar. They'd heard something similar before. As they approached Gryffindor tower, they tried to remember where they'd heard it from. They couldn't quite remember, but they knew they'd heard something unusual. After a moment's thought, they tried to remember anything unusual that had happened to them recently. There was Professor Lockhart removing the Harry half's bones in an arm, and that very same night, Colin had been petrified. That led them to the memory of the Rose half being ripped away from the Harry half, something that had frightened them at the time, though didn't anymore. Before that had happened, they'd heard the cold voice stating it was time to kill. That was it, the Harry and Rose being realized. That voice had the same type of hissing they'd had, though not precisely the same. It was close enough, though, and they felt certain it was that of a snake.
At that moment, the Harry and Rose being clambered into the Gryffindor common room with Ron and Hermione, who pushed each half into arm chairs next to each other. Ron then said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?"
"What?" The Harry and Rose being asked, confused.
"A Parselmouth!" Ron exclaimed. "You can talk to snakes!"
"I know." The Harry and Rose being replied casually. "That's the second time I've done it. The first time, I accidentally vanished the glass on a boa constrictor's display in a zoo. That was after it used gestures to tell me it was bred in captivity, and really wanted to visit Brazil. That was last year before I knew I was a wizard and witch."
"A boa constrictor told you it wanted to visit Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly.
"Yeah." The Harry and Rose being responded. "What's the big deal, anyway? Why was everyone staring at me like I had some type of disease?"
"What you have... It's not a very common gift, Harry and Rose being... This is bad." Ron stated.
"I doubt that. It would be a lot worse if I hadn't told the snake to leave Justin alone." The Harry and Rose being responded. "Let me guess, this is one of those cases where people have some story about something, associate it with evil, and move on without even searching for an explanation?" The Harry and Rose being's voice rose as they felt anger pouring through them.
"Such is the wizarding world." Hermione said in a hushed voice. "Harry and Rose being, talking to snakes is what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent."
"And given what we know, he wasn't exactly a nice wizard." The Harry and Rose being responded in a shocked voice. "Now they probably think I'm related to him or something."
"Yeah, I bet they will." Ron replied.
"You don't think I'm evil now, do you?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"We have more sense than the rest of them, Harry and Rose being." Hermione responded with a smile. "But for all you know, you could be related to Salazar Slytherin. But being able to talk to snakes doesn't make you evil, it just makes you a little different, that's all."
"I was thinking about what I'd gone through before being petrified as the two of you were taking me to the common room." The Harry and Rose being said after a moment. "Hearing my voice, it sounded like it had a bit of a hiss to it even though, mostly, it sounded the same as always. If the Rose half didn't have such sensitive ears, I probably wouldn't have been able to pick it up. That hiss is very close to the hiss I heard along with the voice the Rose half heard before she was petrified."
"You think Slytherin's monster is a snake of some kind?" Ron asked.
"Yeah, but I don't know what kind." The Harry and Rose being responded. "Let's tally the events, though."
"Wait, let me get something to write this down." Hermione said, hurrying up the girls staircase. She returned a minute later with some parchment, a quill, and ink. "Okay, ready."
"First, the voice had a hissing to it, circumstantial perhaps, but enough to make me think it's a snake. Second, it petrified the Rose half when she saw the reflection of its yellow eyes in the puddle of water." The Harry and Rose being paused.
"Keep going, anything else?" Hermione asked.
"Scorch marks were found at the crime seen, possibly unrelated but who knows. Spiders were fleeing the area as if frightened, and we know that's where it was. Oh, yeah, Colin saw it through his camera and was petrified, and whatever happened burnt the inside, maybe only the film, though." The Harry and Rose being continued.
"Anything else?" Hermione asked.
"I don't think so." The Harry and Rose being responded. "That's all I can think of."
"I think we should all take a copy of this." Hermione said, writing her list on three other pieces of parchment. "Let's look for any snakes with these characteristics."
"What if it's not a snake, what if it's something else?" Ron asked as Hermione finished writing on one parchment and handed it to him.
"Then we'll have eliminated something from what the monster could be." Hermione responded smartly.
"Okay, then, let's do it." The Harry and Rose being said.
As the Harry and Rose being readied them self for bed that night, they decided to speak with Justin the next day in Herbology. Even if he wouldn't believe them, they wanted to give it a try. Slipping into the warm bed, the Harry and Rose being gazed up at the ceiling, then through a gap in the curtains. It was dark out, and from the look of things, cold. In response to that, the Harry and Rose being snuggled close, glad for the Rose half's higher than normal body temperature.
When they woke the next morning, they saw a blizzard so thick they couldn't see much beyond the window. The Rose half moved to the window and pulled the curtain aside as the Harry half gathered up some clothes. After a moment of struggling to see what was outside, the Rose half turned around after closing the curtain, the Harry and Rose being showering and dressing for the day.
As it turned out, the blizzard was so bad that the last Herbology lesson of term was canceled. Professor Sprout wanted to place socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she didn't want the students participating in. It was important they stay alive and grow quickly to reverse the petrification of Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey. The Harry and Rose being were disappointed about that, but decided to try and find him later on that afternoon.
They left Ron and Hermione playing chess in the common room and moved through the dark corridors in the castle. Thick snow swirled at every window and the Harry and Rose being wrapped an arm around each other as they walked, passing class rooms where lessons were taking place. Professor McGonagall seemed to be shouting at someone who had apparently turned his friend into a badger, and judging from the tone, had done so intentionally. As the Harry and Rose being walked past, they decided to check the library, wondering if Justin was using his free time to catch up on some work.
A group of Hufflepuffs who would have been in Herbology were sitting in the back of the library, and from the look of things, they were having a rather intense discussion. The Harry and Rose being walked between long lines of book shelves, scanning them and wondering what they were talking about. As they drew closer, the Rose half started to pick out what they were saying, the Harry half hearing it a few moments later.
"So anyway, I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?" A stout boy said.
"You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?" A girl with blonde pigtails asked anxiously.
"Hannah, he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard." The stout boy said in a solemn tone. "Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."
The Hufflepuffs murmured heavily and Ernie continued after a moment. "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know-Creevey's been attacked. And don't forget his soul mate, Rose. She used to be a Black, the daughter of Sirius Black, in fact. We all know how that turned out."
"They always seemed so nice, though." Hannah began uncertainly. "And, well, Harry's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. And Rose, she's hardly ever apart from him, I heard they were raised together. So, they can't be all bad, can they?"
Ernie lowered his voice and the Harry and Rose being carefully moved forward to listen.
"No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." He dropped his voice until it was slightly louder than a whisper, then added, "That's probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?"
The Harry and Rose being felt furious at the insinuations and roomers about them, roomers that were so obviously untrue that they couldn't believe these people actually believed what was being said. Perhaps some didn't, though they didn't quite know for sure. They looked at each other and made them self appear calm, then strode forward and cleared their throats. The Hufflepuffs looked as if the very sight of them was the trigger that petrified them, color draining out of Ernie's face.
"Hello." The Harry and Rose being began, keeping their voices calm. "I'm trying to find Justin Finch-Fletchley."
The Hufflepuffs stared at Ernie, who asked in a quivering voice, "What do you want with him?"
"I wanted to tell him what happened with the snake at the dueling club." The Harry and Rose being responded.
Ernie bit his lips, which were white. He then took a deep breath and said, "We were all there. We saw what happened."
"You will agree, then, that the snake lowered itself to the floor and looked at me when I spoke to it." The Harry and Rose being responded.
"All I saw was both of you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin." Ernie said stubbornly, trembling as he spoke.
"Really?" The Harry and Rose being asked coolly. "Then why do you look as if you're not quite sure, as if you're afraid of telling something you know to be a lie? And if I apparently chased it at him, why did it stop and face me after I spoke to it? You were there, after all, you saw what happened."
The Harry and Rose being were clutching hands so hard they felt pain, but didn't care. They trembled with fury, feeling the hot anger that normally existed on the full moon. Ernie looked terrified, but didn't back down.
"I told you what we saw." He said, trying to sound brave. "And in case you're getting any ideas for your next attack, I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so..."
"I don't care what sort of blood you have." The Harry and Rose being replied coolly, their heart pounding so hard they heard the thud of their pulse in their ears. "Hermione Granger is my friend, you should know that by now. And she's a Muggle-born. Why would I want to attack them?"
"I heard you hate those Muggles you live with." Ernie answered swiftly.
"You are avoiding the question." The Harry and Rose being stated icily. "I'm through with this rubbish."
Turning, they walked quietly, but quickly from the library, hardly caring where they were going as they moved up the corridor. The Harry and Rose being viciously thought of shouting at the Hufflepuffs, but knew that would only serve to believe what they were spouting even more. They were probably still making roomer in the library, they thought furiously just before they slammed into something very large and solid.
"Oh, Hagrid!" The Harry and Rose being exclaimed as the Rose half stood, at the same moment holding a hand out to pull the Harry half up. "I'm sorry about that."
Hagrid's face was covered by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava but he took up most of the corridor.
"Tha's all right, Harry and Rose." Hagrid responded as he pulled up his balaclava to speak. They noticed a dead rooster hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands. He continued, "Why aren' yeh in class?"
"It's canceled because of the snow storm." The Harry and Rose being responded. "What are you doing here?"
Hagrid held the limp rooster up and explained, "Second one killed this term. It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin' Bugbear, an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop."
"Oh." The Harry and Rose being responded. "Does this happen often?"
"No, jus' recently started happenin' this much, tha's why I'm goin' ter see Dumbledore." Hagrid peered more closely at the Harry and Rose being. "Yeh all right? Yeh look all hot an' bothered."
The Harry and Rose being sighed.
"Just roomers, really." They responded. "I'd better get going, Transfiguration's coming up and I need to get my books."
"See yeh later, then." Hagrid replied and the Harry and Rose being headed off, mind whirling with anger and what Ernie had been saying to his friends.
The Harry and Rose being shortly came to a dark corridor, the torches extinguished from a strong, icy draft blowing through a loose windowpane. Half way down the passage, the Harry half tripped and the Rose half caught him, pulling him back.
As the Harry and Rose being stared down at what the Harry half had tripped over, they felt as if their stomach dropped out of their bodies. Horrified, they stared at Justin Finch-Fletchley, body rigid with a look of shock on his face, glassy eyes staring at the ceiling. Slowly staring around, the Harry and Rose being spotted Nearly Headless Nick next to him, his body no longer white, but black and smoky. He floated six inches off the floor, immobile and horizontal. His head was half off and his facial expression was identical to Justin's.
The Harry and Rose being's heart was pounding even more wildly than it had before. They felt a horrified sort of terror, clutching hands tightly and staring wildly along the corridor in both directions, eyes sweeping the floor, walls and ceiling. A line of spiders was scuttling wildly away from the bodies, just as they'd moved through the window in the second floor corridor. Muffled voices of teachers came from the class rooms and the Harry and Rose being stood frozen, frantically thinking. They could leave without anyone having known they were there, but they needed to get help. If only they knew where Professor Dumbledore was, but they didn't. They struggled to breathe slower and calm their panic, jumping high into the air as a door near them opened with a bang to reveal Peeves, who shot past the Harry and Rose being, almost knocking the Harry half's glasses off as he cackled.
"Why, it's potty wee Potter! What's Potter up to? Why's Potter lurking..."
Peeves stopped partly through a somersault in midair, spotting Justin and Nick. Flipping so he was right side up, he filled his lungs with air. Before the Harry and Rose being could stop him, he shouted, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!"
Doors crashed open on either side of the corridor and students came flooding out. The scene was so chaotic for a few minutes that people kept standing in Nick and almost stepping on Justin's prone body. The Harry and Rose being were pinned against a wall as the teachers tried to restore order and quiet. Professor McGonagall came running with her class following, one of whom had black-and-white-striped hair. She used her wand to set off a loud bang, silencing them, then ordered everyone back into their classes. As the corridor cleared somewhat, Ernie arrived, panting.
"Caught in the act!" Ernie shouted dramatically, finger pointing at the Harry and Rose being, his face white.
The Harry and Rose being glared in sudden hot rage, but before they could speak, Professor McGonagall stated sharply, "That will do, Macmillan!"
Peeves, who loved to see chaos, was grinning wickedly as he surveyed the scene. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nick, he broke into song.
"Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off students, you think it's good fun..."
"That's enough Peeves!" Professor McGonagall barked. Peeves flew off backward, his tongue out at the Harry half.
Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra carried Justin's body out of sight, presumably to the hospital wing. No one seemed to know what to do with Nearly Headless Nick. After some moments of thought, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan, telling Ernie to waft him up the stares. Ernie did so, moving him like a silent black hovercraft. The Harry and Rose being were left alone with Professor McGonagall, heart still pounding as they continued clutching hands.
"This way, Potter's." She stated.
"Professor, I swear I didn't..." The Harry and Rose being began.
"This is out of my hands, Potter's." Professor McGonagall responded curtly.
In silence, they followed her around a corner where she stopped in front of a large, extremely ugly stone gargoyle.
"Lemon drop!" She called, which was apparently the password as the gargoyle sprang to life and moved aside, the wall behind it splitting in two.
Though the Harry and Rose being felt dread at what was coming, they also felt amazed. Still clutching hands, they followed Professor McGonagall on to a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward like an escalator. The wall thudded closed behind them and they were taken upward in a spiral. Slightly dizzy, they reached the top where a gleaming oak door lay ahead with a brass knocker shaped like a griffin. This must be where Professor Dumbledore's office was, the Harry and Rose being thought.
Professor McGonagall wrapped on the door, which opened silently. She beckoned the Harry and Rose being inside and they stepped past her, swallowing hard.
"Wait here." She stated, then left, closing the office door behind her.
The Harry and Rose being gazed around the office, still feeling terrified that, for sure, they were going to be expelled. Everyone thought they were the ones causing the attacks, and now, it seemed the teachers thought the same. Despite this, they found Professor Dumbledore's office the most interesting one they'd visited. The room was large and circular with funny, unfamiliar sounds within. A number of small instruments sat on spindle-legged tables, emitting puffs of smoke and whirring. Covering the walls were portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were sleeping in their frames. An enormous, claw-footed desk sat in the room as well, and behind it on a shelf sat the Sorting Hat.
Hesitantly, the Harry and Rose being glanced at the sleeping portraits around them and wondered if they should try on the Sorting Hat, just to make sure they'd been put in the right house. With all the talk of Slytherin's heir and the possibility of either half of them being a descendent of him, the certainty they'd once had at being put in Gryffindor had been cast into some doubt. The Harry half moved around the desk and took the Sorting Hat from its shelf, putting it on his head where it slipped, once again, down over his eyes. The Harry half stared at the blackness within the hat as the Rose half watched, then a small voice said into their mind, "Bee in your bonnet, Harry and Rose Potter?"
"Yes." The Harry and Rose being thought. "Sorry to bother you but I wanted to ask..."
"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House." The hat responded smartly. "Remember, you chose Gryffindor, that was, after all, what you had your mind set on. I still believe that you would have done well in Slytherin."
"Maybe so." The Harry and Rose being responded. "But I'm a Gryffindor."
Their thought was resolute. The Harry half pulled the hat from his head and placed it back on its shelf, sighing. They shouldn't have asked, the Harry and Rose being decided. They already knew where they belonged. The hat hadn't confirmed it, but being able to talk with snakes didn't necessarily make them Slytherin, or even Slytherin's heir.
The Harry and Rose being turned suddenly as they heard a strange, gagging sound behind them. The Harry half moved to stand next to the Rose half as they stared at a very ugly looking bird who resembled a half-plucked turkey, and looked half dead. It stood on a golden perch behind the door, and from the look of things, was going to die any moment. The bird looked back, eyes dull, a couple more feathers falling from its tail. The Rose half stepped closer and asked quietly, "Is there anything I can get you?"
The Harry and Rose being didn't want Professor Dumbledore's bird to die in the office while they were there, it would no doubt be another thing they'd be blamed for that wasn't their fault. Quite suddenly, the bird burst into flames and the Harry and Rose being jumped, startled. They knew no charms to produce water and stared frantically around for any, but found none. The Harry and Rose being backed into the desk as the bird became a raging fireball. It gave a loud shriek, leaving behind a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. As the office door opened and a very somber looking Professor Dumbledore entered, the Harry and Rose being turned to stair at him with partly shock and mostly panic.
"Professor, I'm sorry, your bird I couldn't do anything! He... Caught fire!" The Harry and Rose being said quickly.
He smiled and the Harry and Rose being felt even more shock and astonishment, then a cold pit of fear. They knew they weren't thinking quite clearly, but perhaps Professor Dumbledore was a bird killer. No, that couldn't be it, could it?
"About time, too. He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on." Professor Dumbledore said.
"You wanted it to die?" The Harry and Rose being asked, horrified. "Why would you do that?"
"Oh, no, you misunderstand." Professor Dumbledore responded. "Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry and Rose. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him..."
The Harry and Rose being looked down at the ashes on the floor, and within them, a tiny, wrinkled bird was poking its head out. It looked as ugly as the old one.
"It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day." Professor Dumbledore said as he sat behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets."
As Professor Dumbledore settled himself in his chair behind his desk and fixed the Harry and Rose being with his penetrating gaze, everything rushed back to them. It had left their mind for a moment with the shock of the phoenix catching fire, but now that it had worn off, they remembered what had happened. Before Professor Dumbledore could say anything, however, the office door burst open with a bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, balaclava on his head, the dead rooster swinging from his hand.
"It wasn' Harry an' Rose, Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid said urgently. "I was talkin' ter them seconds before that kid was found, they never had time, sir..."
Professor Dumbledore tried to speak, but Hagrid went on, waving the rooster wildly around in agitation and sending feathers everywhere.
"It can't've bin them, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have ter..."
"Hagrid, I..." Professor Dumbledore tried to say.
"Yeh've got the wrong people, sir, I know they never..."
"Hagrid, I do not think Harry and Rose attacked those people." Professor Dumbledore stated loudly.
"Oh." Hagrid responded, rooster limply at his side as he looked embarrassed. "Right. I'll wait outside, then, Headmaster."
He then left the room, closing the office door behind him.
"You don't think it was me?" The Harry and Rose being asked hopefully as Professor Dumbledore brushed feathers from his desk.
"No, Harry and Rose, I don't." Professor Dumbledore responded, his face once again somber. "But I still want to talk to you."
The Harry and Rose being waited, feeling nervous as Professor Dumbledore considered them, the tips of his long fingers together.
"I must ask you, Harry and Rose, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me, anything at all." Professor Dumbledore said gently.
The Harry and Rose being thought carefully about what they were going to say. After a long moment, they decided that it was time to get answers from Professor Dumbledore, and perhaps give some in return.
"Yes, Professor, there is." They began, pulling the list Hermione had made from the Rose half's pocket. "Do you have a quill and some ink I can borrow?"
Professor Dumbledore opened a drawer in his desk and handed them a quill and ink. The Rose half took them and added the recent deaths of the chickens to the list, along with their ability to speak with snakes. Slowly, the Rose half slid the parchment across the desk and Professor Dumbledore gazed pensively down at it.
"If my guess is correct on this matter, and admittedly, it may not be..." Professor Dumbledore paused and looked up at them, his face grave. "The creature that has been attacking the students may be a Basilisk."
"A what?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"A Basilisk." Professor Dumbledore repeated. "If my information is correct, it can cause death from its gaze. Spiders are known to flee from it, as the Basilisk is their mortal enemy. Admittedly, I don't recall all the specifics of information about it, but that, I believe, is the most relevant."
"What about the roosters deaths, is that related?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"It may be." Professor Dumbledore looked on thoughtfully for a moment. "Yes, I believe that it may be. A roosters crow is, I believe, deadly to the Basilisk. One question remains, however. Such a large snake would be quite visible. How, then, is it moving through the school without notice?"
"I'm not sure." The Harry and Rose being responded, thinking hard. "When I heard the hissing voice of the snake, I didn't see anything until... Until the Rose half was torn from me and petrified. No one else heard the voice, so it would have to seem natural to others, since all they'd hear is a hissing sound since they can't speak to snakes as I can."
The Harry and Rose being tried to consider what would hiss, sound natural, and not be suspicious to others. They couldn't think of anything, though thought it might be a good riddle for Hermione to solve.
"Perhaps," Professor Dumbledore stated thoughtfully. "It is moving through the plumbing."
"Pipes?" The Harry and Rose being asked curiously. "Well, it would sound natural to others, they can hiss sometimes. But could they really hold a snake like that, if you say it's quite large?"
"I believe so." Professor Dumbledore responded. "And, if I'm correct, you have assisted me in solving a nearly fifty year old mystery."
"What d'you mean, Professor?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"Do you know of a ghost known as Moaning Myrtle, Harry and Rose?" Professor Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, we've met her." The Harry and Rose being responded, thinking briefly of the Polyjuice Potion brewing in her bathroom.
"Her name is Myrtle Elizabeth Warren, and she was killed in the year 1943. She was a Muggle-born witch, lending further credence to my theory that the attack on you, Rose, was a mistake." Professor Dumbledore responded. "More than that, however, given this information, I believe the original perpetrator of these attacks is not Hagrid, as many may believe. I believe that it is, in fact, Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known as Lord Voldemort."
"I see." The Harry and Rose being replied. "Somehow, he's once again here, but with a different purpose. Nevertheless, he'll be after me again, I doubt he'll stop at two attempts to kill me."
"To state he is here is based only upon what I told you, that it is my belief Tom Marvolo Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets nearly fifty years ago. We cannot know for certain that he is here again." Professor Dumbledore stated.
"And about him not giving up in his attempts to kill me?" The Harry and Rose being asked. "I presume I'm correct about that."
Professor Dumbledore sighed and looked down at the desk, frowning heavily.
"It would not surprise me to learn such a thing is accurate." Professor Dumbledore responded.
"Since I've helped you answer some questions, I'd like to ask you to answer one of mine." The Harry and Rose being said.
Professor Dumbledore looked up at them.
"I shall do so, unless, of course, I have good reason to withhold the information. I will, however, be truthful with you." Professor Dumbledore stated.
"I want to know why Voldemort tried to kill me when I was a young baby, and why he tried again last school year. If he's going to continue trying, I need to be prepared, I need to know why." The Harry and Rose being said.
Professor Dumbledore sighed very deeply and looked down again.
"Please, Professor, don't evade. Don't hide the truth. Don't say I'm not old enough, or that I don't need such a burden put on me this young. I want to know. I deserve to know. And I think I have the right to know." The Harry and Rose being responded, heart pounding with nervousness at confronting the most powerful wizard they knew.
"You are, indeed, correct on all counts." Professor Dumbledore said. "However..."
The Harry and Rose being felt a wave of terrified fear at what they were about to do, but also felt a bit of anger at Professor Dumbledore's seeming unwillingness to provide them with the information they wanted.
"Professor, please give me a good reason. A really, really good reason, such as the world will end if I tell you. Or perhaps, it will kill you to know. Will it kill me to know, Professor?" The Harry and Rose being asked.
"No, it will not kill you to know." Professor Dumbledore responded gravely. "And the world will not end should you obtain such knowledge, but I warn you, the knowledge you seek will change your life forever, and not, perhaps, for the better."
"Tell me." The Harry and Rose being stated, blue and green eyes blazing with determination, faces set. "I ask you, Professor, to tell me. If all the knowledge will do is change my life, maybe give me some grief, I can handle that. Don't try and protect me from it. I want to face it head on, deal with whatever it is now."
For a long moment, there was silence in the office accept for the whirring of professor Dumbledore's instruments. It felt like minutes that Professor Dumbledore observed them with a deep, penetrating gaze. Finally, he stated, "Then you shall know."