Chapter Four

Ember sighed softly, trying to keep from gaining Lockhart's unwanted attention. Yes, she adored him but not when he would go on about another witch in her presence. That wasn't what she wanted nor did she want to sign off on his fan mail as part of her week detention. But she had been ecstatic that he asked to oversee her detention. She, Ember Potter, would be the most envied of all girls with Lockhart's attention upon herself.

But she did feel a little bad for Hermione and Ron. The trio had been with Hagrid until Ron's spell finally ended while Ember and Hagrid spoke of a powerful Muggleborn witch, Lily Evans-Potter, in hopes of comforting Hermione's fears. Ember promised to have Hermione over so she could meet another who had the same fears and doubts as well as suffered what Purebloods done to her.

The good thing was that Ember and Ron took all the blame and made sure Hermione got off light as she had tried to stop them from doing something stupid. Unlike Ember and Ron, she only got two days detention for actually getting in the car instead of following her own advice and remaining behind on the platform.

For now though, Ember would suffer the fan mail if it meant more time to adore her idol and for him to notice her. A part of her was impressed and excited that she got the better deal as Ron was forced to serve detention with Snape, cleaning cauldrons and utensils. But another part was jealous of the amount of fan mail her idol acquired while even a smaller part wondered when they would finish so she could finally eat. Dinner time has to be shortly. "Professor?"

Lockhart looked up with a bright smile, "Ah, finished, Miss Potter? No worries. Here we are." He handed his stunned student another stack of letters and photos.

Ember barely held back a whimper as she lifted her aching and tired hand to address adoring fans with their own personally signed photos. Her stomach quietly rumbled as she fought back the hunger when something cold slid through her. Glancing to one side to see if Lockhart noticed her flinch, she carefully pressed a hand to her scar as it slightly burned. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Knock! Knock! Both occupants jumped, startled at the loud sound as the door crept open to reveal her brother, "Mister Potter, what may I ask are you doing here?"

"Harry!" Ember jumped to her feet in hopes that he was here to set her free.

"It is dinner time, Professor. I did not see my sister in the Hall nor with her friends I passed on the way here."

Lockhart exclaimed in surprise as he glanced at one of his many clocks, gifts from adoring women, "Oh my! In our delightful fun I have forgotten to release for dinner." He turned to his companion, "Go, Miss Potter, these can wait until tomorrow for food cannot."

Ember eagerly hurried out the door, following the turned back of her brother, "Harry, wait!" She tried to stop him when she noticed he was going the wrong way to the Great Hall, why is he going that way? Didn't he come get me for dinner?

"Ember!" She was distracted by his sudden turn around a corner by her friends. "There you are! Where were you?"

"Potter," they still couldn't get Ron to drop his disgust of all Slytherins, "said he was going to bring you down but we had yet to find you. I told Hermione he was lying and I was right, that's why we came for you ourselves."

Ron looked so proud that she hated to burst his bubble, "We were heading there but Harry disappeared around that," she pointed in the opposite direction, "corner when you called out to me."

"Probably leading you off into more trouble."

"Ron! Harry would never do that to me! I trust him despite what you think of him!" Fuming but not wanting to argue further, Ember rushed off to find out what had fascinated her brother, especially as she got closer to the corner her scar tingled even more. Something definitely is wrong. Nothing was supposed to happen this year.

But when the trio peeked around the corner Ember knew she had hoped in vain as a reddish brown message had been scrawled across the wall with a pool of water lapping at their feet when Ron yelped and tried to scramble backwards, slipping in the water and dragging all three into it, "Spiders!"

Looking up from their tangled position they watched as rows of small black spiders scurried out a conveniently open window. "Oh!" Hermione's squeal forced them to look away in the direction she was staring. There tied to an outcrop was a frozen Mrs. Norris.

That was as far as they gotten as footsteps suddenly began hurrying in their direction. Dinner seemed to be over and the students were on their way to their rooms as they struggled to stand. They were just getting to their feet when everyone froze at the sight, whispers slowly coming to front as a lone male forced himself to front, "What…" he paused to find the three troublemakers, at least until flickering firelight made him glance to the side to find his precious companion, "No! No, no, no, no! Not Mrs. Norris!" He scrambled to her side, delicately petting her only to find her frozen stiff. Angered, he turned on the only three he truly believed to be the culprits, "You! You did this, didn't you! You'll pay for this, you ungrateful brats!"

"Argus!" Everyone jumped to find several Professors lingering behind the Headmaster. "Enough." Blue eyes glanced over to find the reason of all the commotion, The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware.

One student snickered as he smugly crowed, "Enemies of the Heir beware, that'll be you next, Mudbloods!"

"Malfoy." The quiet demanding tone of one Severus Snape forced Draco quiet.

Dumbledore immediately took charge, "Prefects, take your House to your Common Rooms, except you four," he pointed to the Gryffindor trio and Harry Potter, who happened to be standing with his Head of House. He waited for the whispers and footsteps to fade away before questioning the remaining group, "May I ask why you four were not at dinner?"

Hermione was quick to answer, "We noticed Ember hadn't returned from detention in time for dinner to the Common Room. Ron and I headed to the Hall to see if she had already gone ahead when we ran into her brother. He was looking for her too. He said he'd bring her down but never did so we went searching for her at the Defense classroom when…" she trailed off quietly, glancing over at Ember, not quite sure what could be said now but continued reluctantly, "when she said her brother walked off on her around a corner opposite of the Great Hall. She went after him to see what was wrong and we followed when this is what we found but, ummm, Harry," she seemed hesitant to say his name, as if not sure what to call him, "wasn't anywhere to be seen. I was going to ask where he went when Ron saw the spiders and tried to get away and we all fell in the water."

Dumbledore nodded, believing his students, especially as they stood in soaked robes being accused of something they didn't do. But he was also just as curious why Harry had come here suddenly and then vanished from the scene, "And you, Mister Potter?"

"I led my sister to the Great Hall. I was distracted; it was why you saw me speaking to my Head of House."

Everyone stared at Harry, not one thing he said explained his part in Hermione's story, "Yes, yes, I know, my boy. But I am curious as to why you were here. Did you see anyone else around? What distracted you into going in the wrong direction?"

Harry blinked, quietly murmuring, "nothing."

Filch could no longer remain silent as they interrogated students, "What about my cat?"

Dumbledore studied the frozen feline before speaking, "She's not dead, Argus, merely petrified. I do believe Madame Sprout has several newly potted mandrakes. We will be able to reverse this shortly once they are fully matured."

"Oh yes, the Restorative Draught." Lockhart had suddenly popped up from nowhere, "sorry about that. I was delayed a little after Miss Potter's detention, cleaning up. The potion you speak up can be whipped up quickly. I'm sure I have a bottle of it somewhere in my trunks. You never know when it's needed. I could probably whip it up in my sleep." He smiled brightly, boasting of skills he hoped would impress everyone.

Well, it seemed to work on some of the group, although it looked more like Snape wished to retort when his own snake titled his head to one side and innocently asked, "Are you not a Defense Master?"

Lockhart and the others seemed shocked at the question, though Snape smirked darkly, knowing where Harry was heading with such a question. The blonde wizard fought to regain his composure, "Yes, yes, of course I am, my boy. You've obviously read my books finally!"

Harry blinked slowly, lightly frowning, "No." Lockhart's joy was shattered with a simple word. "I have not read such things. My question bars no need for books as how a Defense Master is such a proficient Master in Potions? It is quite rare for a Master to have need in two subjects. Masters rely on one field but they never brag. For when one brags, one does not have the ability or capacity to do another's field."

The Gryffindor trio could not believe that Harry actually had the gall to not only accuse Lockhart of being a fraud but he dared to do that in front of the Headmaster. Snape, on the other hand, enjoyed seeing his fellow Professor being put in his place by a barely teenaged child, "As I am the only Potions Master in this school, I do believe I am the only one qualified to create the desired potions."

"Uh…oh…yes, yes," Lockhart could only stutter and hesitate in his answer after the dressing down from a twelve year old boy.

"Very well. We shall talk of this later. The students are dismissed." Dumbledore watched with intrigue as the four were escorted to their Houses, wondering of the puzzle that had yet to fall in place called Harry Potter.

***Gryffindor Common Room***

"He's lying."

"What?"

Ron hissed angrily, "Potter was lying. Everyone, even the Headmaster, knew it!"

"My brother wouldn't do that!"

Hermione bit her lip as for the first time she joined the argument and actually defended Ron from Ember's wrath and loyalty to her brother, "Ron's right, Ember. He walked off on you for no reason and when you followed he disappeared. He never explained why he was distracted. He lied to the Headmaster saying nothing distracted him. He never bothered explaining how he knew of what was in that hallway or answer any question asked of him."

Ember's eyes flared with anger as both her best friends turned on her, "Maybe it was nothing! He could have heard something but wasn't sure."

"But, Ember…"

"No!" She cut Hermione off, "he is my brother and has never lied to me. I keep telling you both I don't care what House he is in. He is always my brother and I will be loyal to him. I won't turn on my brother just because you," she pointed to Ron, "can't get along with him or you," she turned on Hermione, "think he is lying when it's clear he isn't!" She turned away and rushed up the stairs to the girl's dorm, tears silently falling. She hoped by morning things would be better.