December 20, 1996
The halls of Hogwarts were bubbling with excitement as students readied themselves to leave. It was the last day they would spend at school before returning home for the Christmas break. Most students had packed and were enjoying their day; many had filtered down to Hogsmeade to do some Christmas shopping and get a butterbeer. A few students were doing the studious thing, finishing off their holiday homework so that it was done and not something to be concerned with.
Harvey found himself standing in the girl's bathroom on the second floor. Hermione had insisted that was where they were to meet as it was where she had been brewing the potion. When Harvey stepped inside, he found Hermione sitting cross-legged on the floor with her cauldron bubbling away in front of her; she had her nose buried in the potion book she was referring to as she picked up a vial and added a small portion of ingredient. Only after Hermione had put down her book did she look up and smile at him.
"Have you seen Ron?" she asked.
Harvey shook his head. "No."
The last few weeks had been difficult for Harvey; stuck in this awkward space with Ron as they worked together to try and learn what they could about the Chamber of Secrets. Harvey found there were moments when their relationship felt like it always had, easy and effortless, but it would never last. Ron had continued to throw snide comments towards Harvey regarding his recently discovered gift of Parseltongue.
Harvey already felt like a pariah around the other students; all first-year and second-year students were afraid of him and seemed to enjoy whispering behind his back. A few of the third and fourth-year students were the same. The older students didn't seem to care, thankfully, meaning Harvey wasn't completely alone. Harry's friends had made an effort to be kind to him, offering him words of encouragement. Jenna going as far as to hang out with him between classes and in the library. Hermione was doing the same when she wasn't focused on the Polyjuice potion, that is.
Then there was Ginny; she had also refused to talk to him since he admitted to her what he had done. Hermione had assured him that Ginny was okay and that Draco had stopped picking on her for the moment. Harvey still hoped that Ginny would forgive him; after all, she wasn't just Ron's little sister; he considered her his friend.
Hermione said, "He said he would be here, and he's late."
Harvey shrugged. "Haven't seen him since I got up this morning."
Hermione frowned. She had made it know how she felt about their argument; childish and pointless were the words she had used. And while Harvey believed that too, he couldn't just pretend that everything with Ron was okay. "When are you two going to get over this?"
Another shrug of Harvey's shoulders followed before he walked over to the sink and leant against it.
"Haven't you two been friends too long for something so trivial to ruin it?" Hermione stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
A loud sigh caught their ears, and both Hermione and Harvey spun to see Moaning Murtle lying across the top of the wooden toilet stalls.
"Hello, Murtle," said Harvey.
She giggled and fluttered her eyelashes. "Hi, Harvey."
The ghost had been a startling discovery when Harvey had first come into the bathroom. The day following the events at the Duelling club had led to Harvey meeting up with Ron and Hermione in the girl's bathroom after breakfast. He had been the first to arrive and had been ready to wait when Murtle had scared him by wailing loudly and flying out of a stall. Once Harvey had managed to stop his heart from racing, Murtle had giggled before introducing herself and then gushing about Harry. Hearing a ghost gush about his older brother had been very strange, but it had been a little amusing when he had told Harry about the ghosts crush.
"How's Harry?" asked Murtle.
Harvey said, "He's good."
"Tell him I said, 'Hi.'"
Harvey nodded and gave her a tight smile. "Sure."
The door to the bathroom swung open, and Ron entered. He huffed as he closed the door and leant against it.
"You okay?" asked Hermione.
Ron lifted and then dropped his shoulders before pushing off the door. "Percy was following me. Had to lose him."
"Why was he following you?" asked Harvey.
"Because he's caught me more than once hanging around this bathroom." Ron pushed up his sleeves. "He thinks I'm up to something."
"You are," said Hermione.
Rolling his eyes, he ignored Hermione's comment. He said, "How's the potion?"
"It's close. It should be done by the time Christmas break is over," explained Hermione.
A large grin filled Ron's cheeks, and he clapped his hands before rubbing them together. "Fantastic. That means when we get back, we can take our shot at Malfoy."
"Why don't we just ask Carlisle?" Harvey asked.
Ron's raised an eyebrow and gave Harvey a doubtful glance. "Why would he tell us anything?"
"Because he's a nice person."
Ron's grin all but dissipated, and a bitter hiss came out as he said, "He's a Slytherin and a Malfoy. He might flash a stupid smile and make your brother think he's good, but he is just as evil as his father and brother."
Harvey scowled, not liking the way Ron had spoken about Carlisle. Even before Harry wanted anything to do with him, Carlisle had always been sympathetic and polite. He wasn't a mean person. "Carlisle has been nothing but nice to everyone. The only person he's ever gotten angry with is Draco," said Harvey defensively.
Ron nodded. "Good, the ferret deserves it."
"I'm just going to ask Carlisle," said Harvey.
"No!" snapped Ron.
"Unless you can give me a valid reason—other than your own opinion—I'm going to ask him."
"You just want this to fail and keep your secret." Ron took a step towards Harvey, clenching his fists.
Harvey wanted to roll his eyes and throw something at the stupid redhead. "I am not Slytherin's heir!"
With a shrug of his shoulders, Ron turned towards the door. "Sure, whatever."
"Stop being an ass, Ronald," snapped Hermione as Ron walked out. "Harvey, if Carlisle did know something, he probably would have already told Harry."
Harvey frowned; he hadn't considered that. But he still wanted to ask Carlisle. Harry had every intention of keeping out of the whole mystery chamber thing, which meant he might not have asked Carlisle at all. And it wouldn't hurt to ask a question; it could save them from doing something stupid or potentially dangerous.
Hermione gave Harvey a concerned look before moving towards the bathroom door; she said, "I know you want to prove Ron wrong, but maybe, for the sake of peace, you should just try doing it his way." She walked out and let the door swing closed behind her.
It wasn't like Hermione to agree with Ron on anything; Harvey knew that the reason Hermione was so determined to find out anything she could was that she was scared. There hadn't been any new attacks recently, but both Colin and Justin were Muggleborns, and that had the theory that whoever was doing it was after them in particular.
Another sigh from Moaning Murtle made Harvey turn to her. She had hovered down to observe the potion. "Talented girl, this looks pretty good."
"Did you like potions, Murtle?" Harvey asked.
She looked up and nodded. "That I did. Professor Slughorn was a wonderful teacher back in my day. He always complimented me on my potions—wasn't enough to get me into his favourite club, though."
"Favourites club?"
Murtle floated away from the potion and circled around the top of the sink. "Yeah. The Slug Club, he called it; all his favourite students got to attend parties and dinners. I always hoped that if I got better that he would invite me, but it never happened. Probably didn't help that one of his favourites was one of my tormentors—Olive Hornby."
Harvey frowned. "She tormented you?"
Murtle nodded, and a small hiccup followed. "Every day, from the moment I arrived at Hogwarts till the day I died in this bathroom." She produced a loud wail before flying down towards him. "But there were some that were kind." She giggled. "And cute."
Taking a step back, Harvey cleared his throat and moved towards the door. Murtle placed her chin in the palms of her hands and smiled. "Tom was always nice to me. Just like you and Harry."
Harvey frowned and asked, "Who's Tom?"
"Tom, he's…" Murtle's smile broke. Her face twisted into a mixture of pain and fear before she let out a sob. Flying up, she charged towards her toilet stall and disappeared, her wailing echoing behind her. She left Harvey standing by the bathroom door, confused and unsure as to what had just happened.
Knowing that Moaning Murtle probably would be hiding for a short while, Harvey left before she reappeared. The ghost was an odd girl, but then again, she hadn't been very old when she died. Harvey couldn't help but wonder who this Tom person was though, maybe he was Murtle's friend.
Leaving the bathroom, Harvey froze when he came face to face with Professor McGonagall. She gave him a firm frown as she held her hands clasped together. Looking down at him, Harvey knew what she was about to ask.
"Mr Potter, lost?" she asked.
Harvey offered a smile and scratched the back of his head. He needed to make sure that McGonagall didn't go into the bathroom, for if she did, their potion would be discovered. And who knows what Murtle would tell her.
He said, "I was visiting Murtle, Professor."
McGonagall raised an eyebrow, her disbelief obvious. "Is that so?"
"Yeah. I met Murtle the other week when I heard her crying; I realised that she's lonely, so sometimes I come and visit her." Harvey hoped that McGonagall would accept it. It wasn't a complete lie, he had met Murtle when he'd heard her crying, and he technically was visiting her—he just wasn't coming to see her in particular.
A nod of McGonagall's head helped Harvey relax. She said, "As kind as that is, Mr Potter. A boy should not be inside a girl's bathroom."
Harvey nodded quickly. "Of course, Professor. Sorry."
With another firm look, McGonagall walked off. Harvey not daring to leave until she had walked down the corridor and turned the corner. With a big sigh of relief, once McGonagall had disappeared, Harvey quickly left too.
It was ready. After weeks of pouring over his proposal non-stop, driving everyone a little crazy with his obsession, Harry felt ready to hand it over to Snape. He had just finished reading his proposal for the sixth time that day and was proud of the work he had. Harry knew—without a doubt—that Snape would find something to poke at, but the work was strong, points solid. All he needed was a yes, and he could go to the next step of his experimental phase. There had been ideas boiling in his head for weeks, but with no ingredients and everything else going on, Harry hadn't been able to find any time.
Rolling up his work, Harry stored it in his bag, ready to drop it off in Snape's office before he headed off to lunch. He had promised to meet Carlisle in the Great Hall before going with him to Hogsmeade to try and find something for Amelia. It seemed the eldest Malfoy was a little stumped on what to get for his lady friend. Unlike Carlisle, Harry had been preparing for weeks. It was going to be twelve months since Harry met Fleur for the first time, and he planned on making it something to remember and had her present all ready to go.
Standing up from his desk, Harry paused when the door to his room opened, and a red-faced stormed in. Dylan's normally neat blonde hair was a mess and missing the familiar black ribbon that held it back.
"You alright?" asked Harry. He closed his bag and watched Dylan as he crossed the room and dropped onto his bed.
"I'm an idiot," groaned Dylan. He flung his arm over his eyes and sagged into the mattress.
Harry smirked. "I've been telling you that for years." He waited for the familiar challenging glare to be directed at him, but Dylan didn't respond. Moving over to sit on his own bed, Harry nudged Dylan's leg with his foot. "Hey, what's going on?"
Dylan sighed and pushed himself to sit up. He didn't look Harry in the eye; instead, choosing to stare at his bedding. He said, "The guy I've been seeing, we had sex." He plucked at the bed covers.
Harry's eyes widened. "Oh—was it bad?" He knew that Dylan's relationship was evolving, but he hadn't been sharing too many details. Harry had no idea that they were at that point.
Shaking his head, Dylan said, "No! No. It was outstanding." He smacked the bed and stood up. "But I thought that what we shared was a mutual thing, that we were a couple."
Harry nodded. "Right."
A loud sigh followed Dylan as he stomped across to the other side of their room and leant against the wall. "I mean—he's know to be a bit of a player, but after these last few months, I thought that was over. He hadn't been seeing anyone else, and I thought he felt the same way."
"What makes you think he's seeing someone else?" asked Harry.
"I saw him get dragged into a classroom today by someone."
"Did you see them do anything?"
Dylan frowned. "No." He crossed his arms and sarcastically said, "I was too busy having my heart fall apart to stick my head in and enjoy the show."
Harry huffed. Hurt Dylan was snippy Dylan, and he was a pain to talk to. "I meant that you didn't actually see anything happen; they could have just been friends talking."
"I doubt it." Dylan pushed away from the wall and moved across the room to Hedwig. She was sitting on her perch dozing but perked up when Dylan approached. He ran his finger against her chest. "She was his ex." He swallowed and clenched his eyes shut.
Harry said, "I still say that you should ask him."
"I don't know." Dylan turned to look at Harry and crossed his arms again. He looked down at his shoes and fell silent for a moment.
Harry had been excited for Dylan when he had started dating this guy. It had helped the old Dylan come back out of his shell. After many difficult months of dealing with his crumbling family and unstable parents, Dylan had become somewhat of a recluse. Jenna and Harry had struggled to find his smile. But lately, Dylan had been happy, laughing and competing with Harry whenever he could. It had been good. But now Dylan's shoulders were slumped, and his eyes looked hopeless.
Dylan groaned and whined, "Why did I think getting involved with a Zambini was a good idea."
"Zambini?" Harry wasn't sure he had heard that right. he asked, "The guy you've been seeing is Will?"
Dylan's face turned white and full of complete panic. His mouth opened and closed several times as he spun around and showed Harry his back. "Shit! Fuck!" he yelled. "Can you pretend I didn't say that?"
Harry let out a broken scoff and pushed himself to stand. "No. That kind of thing isn't going to just disappear."
"Well, at least swear you won't tell anyone."
"I swear." Harry nodded.
Dylan let out a large sigh and grasped Harry's shoulders. "Thanks."
"So…Will?"
"Yeah."
"Didn't see that coming."
"Neither did I."
"I didn't think you two were that close."
Dylan's pain seemed to fade, and a small smile touched his lips. "Not really; we only ever spent any time together when you were involved, but then he needed help on his Transfiguration, and Jenna was busy and pawned him off to me. A few tutoring sessions later, he had me straddling his lap and his tongue down my throat."
Harry cringed. "Okay, didn't need the details."
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
"I thought it was stupid at first; we were just fooling around. I mean, that is what Will does; he messes around with everyone. But then he asked me out on a date, and that went great. Soon I couldn't stop thinking about him, and he seemed to get the whole broken family thing. We just clicked."
The look on Dylan's face was one he had seen reflected on his own before; the look of a man falling in love. He had seen the glow of excitement and peace when he had come to his own revelation about Fleur. His had been a little more dramatic because of all the other flood of emotions he had faced at the same time, but he remembered how good it had felt.
Harry said, "I think it's great that you two found that kind of connection."
The smile disappeared with a snap, and Dylan's head dropped. "I did too. But apparently, I was wrong."
Harry grabbed Dylan's shoulders and squeezed. "Don't make assumptions. Will is a bit of a loner and a player. But he isn't one to lie and go behind your back."
"I don't know."
Harry clapped Dylan's shoulder. "Just talk to him. Trust me."
Walking down into the dungeons always felt strange. Harvey always noticed that many Slytherin students seemed to linger, all of them staring as students from other houses when they would walk by. The only time Harvey found himself down there was for class or if he was looking for Harry, so walking downstairs with the intention of trying to find Carlisle felt like he was walking to a lion's den—or in this case, as snake's nest.
Passing the Potion's classroom, Harvey approached the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room. Standing outside were a group of girls, all of them he recognised as Slytherins, but he didn't know any of their names. They paused their conversation when they noticed him. The tallest one of the group leant her head to the side and smiled at him. She asked, "You lost?"
Harvey shook his head. He would never admit out loud that he was intimidated by the girls, but being surrounded by Slytherin's with no friends and no Harry made him feel a little outnumbered. "I'm looking for Carlisle," he said.
The girl sighed. "He's inside."
"Would one of you be willing to go and tell him I'm here? Please," asked Harvey.
The red-head in the group sighed and pushed away from the wall. She stepped up close to Harvey and bent forward, placing her hands on her knees and looked him right in the eye. She said, "What will you give me in return?"
Harvey frowned. Ron enjoyed berating Slytherin's, calling them all evil, mean, cruel, manipulative. Harvey had always believed that Ron's midset was a little one-sided, but these girls weren't really helping the bad image.
"Eliza!"
The red-head froze, her head snapping up to look behind Harvey. A flash of panic appeared in her eyes before she straightened up.
A warm hand landed on Harvey's shoulder, causing him to turn to see Amelia standing there. She was glaring at the other Slytherin girls.
"Amelia, hey," said Eliza. She stepped back and flashed an uncomfortable smile.
"Why are you still here?" asked Amelia.
The girls all looked at one another before turning and leaving. They didn't retaliate, but Harvey noticed they all looked scared.
"Sorry about them." Amelia squeezed his shoulder and stepped towards the Slytherin Common Room door.
"Why do they seem so scared of you?" he asked.
A small flush touched her cheeks. "You've heard Harry make references to me being an Ice Queen?"
He nodded. It seemed to be a running joke between them all.
"It wasn't always a joke. I used to be harsh—to everyone. Those girls were my…underlings." Amelia bit down on her bottom lip before crossing her arms over her chest and clearing her through. "You looking for Harry?" she asked, almost seeming desperate to change the subject.
Harvey shook his head. "Carlisle, actually."
Amelia looked surprised. "Oh, really?"
Harvey nodded.
"Right, I'll go get him."
It was a strange conversation, but Harvey didn't question it. Amelia had been kind enough to help him when she could have done exactly what those other girls did. So Harvey waited patiently. He leant against the cold dungeon wall on the other side of the hall until Carlisle appeared. Ten minutes later, the door opened, and Carlisle walked outside; he looked a little dishevelled, which Harvey found interesting. He could never imagine Draco appearing in such a way; then again, Harry had been adamant that the two brothers couldn't be more different.
"Harvey." Carlisle smiled widely. "What are you doing down here?"
Harvey returned the warm greeting. "Hey Carlisle, I was hoping to ask you something."
Carlisle nodded. "Sure. What's going on?" Reaching out, Carlisle directed Harvey down the hall away from the Slytherin Common Room.
Harvey hadn't really planned how to ask Carlisle anything. He'd hoped it would just come to him once they started talking. But as they walked through the Dungeon hallway, Harvey was stumped. He decided as Carlisle looked down at him, to just be direct. There was no point in skating around the question.
He said, "This might sound stupid, but I have to ask."
Carlisle laughed. "You'd be surprised the crap I hear."
Harvey felt a letter better about his question but was still a little nervous. He asked, "Does your family have any blood relation to Salazar Slytherin?"
Carlisle's eyebrows clenched together, and he stopped them mid-step. He asked, "Why?"
Harvey explained, "The story about the Chamber of Secrets is that his heir will return to Hogwarts and open the chamber—"
Carlisle cut him off. "And you and your friends think Draco's his heir?"
Harvey nodded. "It did cross our minds, yeah."
An amused smile took over Carlisle's face. He grasped Harvey shoulder with one hand and continued walking. He said, "Trust me when I say this, if we were—in any way—related to Salazar Slytherin, Draco would talk about nothing else."
Harvey frowned, disappointed in the answer.
Carlisle continued, "I know Draco seems like the sort to set a monster on those he deems—unworthy—but really his just a spoiled little shit. He doesn't really care about any of the crap that he raves on about."
Harvey frowned and asked, "Then why act like he does."
Carlisle ran his tongue across his lower lip and sighed. "Our parents have always had their views, and they have always tried to instil those views in both Draco and me. And when it came to Draco, he took it all in and didn't question it. I, however, do what I do best and ignore whatever they say."
"Right."
"In all truth, Draco is a good kid. He's a brat, spoiled and snobby, but he is just at a point where he is so desperate to be the favourite child that he is doing whatever he thinks will please my father. And it isn't just you, and your friends. He's been trying to mess up my life too."
They reached the end of the hallway and stopped at the stairs that would lead up towards the Great Hall. Carlisle patted Harvey shoulder again and said, "If Draco does give you any trouble, just let me know. I'll straighten him out—again."
Harvey nodded. "Thanks, Carlisle."
"You're welcome."
"What's going on here?"
Looking up, Harvey and Carlisle saw Harry walking down the stairs. He had his bag slung over one shoulder and a roll of parchment in one hand.
Carlisle answered Harry and said, "Just answering Harvey's questions regarding my family history."
Harry frowned down at Harvey. "What questions?"
Harvey smiled innocently. "I was just crossing off Draco as a potential suspect."
"You thought Draco opened the chamber?" asked Harry.
"Potentially. It was more Ron and Hermione, but I understood why they would think such a thing," explained Harvey.
Harry sighed. "Right. And what happened to staying out of it?"
"Ron accused me of opening it because I'm a Parselmouth."
"And so you are proving your innocents by helping him?"
"Basically."
"Right."
"I'm careful, I swear."
Harry rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't have time for this. Stay out of trouble."
Harvey nodded before dashing up the stairs and away from his brother and Carlisle. And with Draco having no connection to Slytherin, it meant he either had another way to access the chamber, or it was someone else. Harvey didn't know what Hermione or Ron would say, but somehow he believed that Ron wouldn't be happy.
Harvey was glad about the break; he could get away for a few weeks and not have to worry about a monster roaming the school and some mystery chamber.
Harry frowned at Carlisle, who seemed very pleased with himself. He had stumbled upon his younger brother and best friend talking, which in itself was a strange sight, but finding out that Harvey was still actively searching for the Chamber annoyed him. After everything that had happened, Harry had hoped that Harvey would have some common sense and do anything but go looking for danger.
Then again, he had also sworn to leave it alone, but he found himself becoming more and more invested in the mystery. Not only to find out if the chamber was actually real but because he wanted to stop anyone else from ending up in the Hospital Wing as a statue. He was also really interested in how the petrification had occurred; was it really a magical beast? Was it a spell? Or perhaps a potion? No one would be able to find out until the whole thing was solved.
Carlisle nudged Harry's shoulder as they walked. He said, "You should be happy; I was steering him away from trouble."
Harry frowned. "Not directly. You told him the truth, not to drop it."
Carlisle smirked and said, "No, that I didn't. But I also could have told him that my father has told Draco and me about the chamber before; in fact, he told us all about the time it was previously opened. But I didn't."
Harry glanced at him, surprised. "He knows about that?"
"Yep."
"How?"
Carlisle shrugged his shoulders. "Because he likes to know things. I don't know the specifics about how he came to know so much, but he knows more than anyone here would."
"Do you'd think he would be up to sharing?"
"With you, probably. What happened to staying out of this whole thing?"
Harry adjusted the strap of his bag. "I can't really do that when I keep getting dragged into it." It seemed that no matter what he wanted or did, he would end up caught in the mystery. It was Dobby at first, attempting to scare Harvey off; then the mystery voice that they were both hearing before victims showed up; and now their ability to speak Parseltongue. It seemed to go on and on; the number of things screaming at Harry that he needed to solve the puzzle was becoming too hard to ignore.
Carlisle added, "And Harvey seems pretty set on find out the truth."
"It's more Weasley than him; you heard what he said, accusing Harvey of opening the chamber."
"Sound likes he's trouble."
"I've been telling everyone that, and yet, no one seems to have listened."
"Well, maybe they will now."
"That isn't really important, right." And it wasn't. Not as much as it was keeping Harvey safe.
They reached Snape's lab causing Carlisle to run the other way, wanting to avoid the Potion's Professor being disturbed by unnecessary student dribble as Snape would say, leaving Harry to enter and pull out his proposal.
Snape was standing at his brewing station, hair tied back, sleeves pushed up. His normal black cloak had been removed, leaving him standing by his station in a pair of black pants and shirt. "What is it, Black?" he grumbled.
Harry frowned. It was rare that his surname came out of the Professor's mouth; normally, it was Harrison—even when he was cracky—but the surname and his attire told Harry one thing—Snape was stressed. "You alright there, sir?"
Snape huffed. "Fine. Shouldn't you be headed back home?"
"Yes, I just wanted to drop this off." He held out his proposal and waited for Snape to take it.
It was snatched from his grasp, the Potion's Master unrolling the parchment before glancing up. He said, "I didn't expect this from you until the end of the year."
Harry nodded. "I know, but I was excited about my idea. I want to get started as soon as possible."
Snape smirked. "You mean, get back to the experimentation you began during your summer?"
Harry opened his mouth to argue but stopped and frowned. He didn't think he had given any indication that he'd been experimenting. Only his father and Fleur had known—but then so did Harvey.
"Your younger brother can't hold his tongue," said Snape.
Harry huffed. "Yeah, so it seems."
"I wasn't surprised; honestly, I would have thought you have a potion by now." Snape placed the proposal on his desk.
"I would have, but there have been a few distractions."
"That's an excuse."
"I know." Harry adjusted his bag again. "But when I get back from the break, I want to knuckle down and get this done."
Snape nodded. "Fine. I will read this and get back to you."
"Thank you, sir." Harry turned to leave.
"Before you leave, Harrison."
Turning back, Harry watched Snape pick up a large pile of parchment and hold it out. He smiled and said, "Don't forget your marking. Have an owl or house-elf drop it off when you're done."
Taking the large stack, Harry frowned. He thought he had completed all of his marking, but he did work under Snape. Harry shouldn't have expected a work-free Christmas break. "Thank you, sir."
"Oh, and one last thing."
Harry paused again. "Yes?"
"Brush up on your Mandrake Restorative Draught; when you get back, Professor Sprout's Mandrakes will be ready. We have some students to restore." Snape stepped back up to his brewing station.
"Of course, sir. Merry Christmas." Harry reached for the door and smiled at Snape's reply.
"You too, Harrison."
