Harry Potter

It was early evening when two Slytherin second years emerged from one of the unused classrooms in the astrology tower and began walking toward the dungeons in search of Draco Malfoy. Potential passersby would probably recognize the two boys as Crabbe and Goyle, Malfoy's loyal lackeys, but they would be quite mistaken.

In reality, these boys were Harry and Ron, who had changed their appearance using polyjuice potions to interrogate Malfoy about being the heir. The real Crabbe and Goyle were currently safely hidden in one of Hogwarts' many stash rooms, asleep and blissfully unaware of the unfolding plot.

"You know..." began Crabbe-Ron, most likely trying to fill the tense silence that surrounded them. It was a fairly good idea, given that they were both quite nervous about approaching Malfoy in their disguises. "Hermione's been pretty intense lately. Do you think she'll be okay?"

"It's probably nothing serious. She's just stressed because of the monster terrorizing the school" replied Goyle-Harry, quite grateful to have something to talk about. Who knew their stealth mission would be so stressful "I'm sure she'll be fine after we catch the real culprit behind the attacks."

"To be honest, I really hope it's Malfoy. I know we have to stop the heir and all that, but the very thought of fighting that Ravenclaw madman makes me shudder." declared Ron, actually fidgeting slightly. A disgusted grimace formed on Ron's face, or rather Crabbe's, "There are some things you just shouldn't do with fish..."

"Well, you may be right, but..." began Harry, but then he noticed a familiar girl at some distance from them. The brown-haired girl looked like she was waiting for something, leaning against a nearby wall with impatience clearly written on her face. She was a slytherin student, one of those they unfortunately knew "Wait Ron, it's Parkinson! What do we do?! Should we find another way?"

Unfortunately Parkinson saw them before they were able to do anything, a slight surprise forming on her face. She started walking towards them at leisure pace, freaking the boys out. Still, they had no choice but to talk with her, so they decided to just make some stupid faces and brace themselves for the encounter.

"Vincent? Gregory? What are you doing here?" Parkinson asked, apparently not expecting to see them "Weren't you supposed to be at the Great Hall?"

For a second Harry was quite confused, not recognizing the names, but eventually he realized that they were in fact the names of Crabbe and Goyle. Which... he guessed, made sense. They wouldn't just be Crabbe and Goyle, after all. Then he remembered that he was supposed to answer the actual question, so he looked at Parkinson, gaze as blank as possible.

"Y-yes, but we need to talk to Malf... Draco" - declared Harry, doing his best to say the words slowly, trying to speak in the same way the real Goyle did. "Do you know where he is?"

"Draco? He's in the bathroom. He's been there for a long time." Parkinson replied, sounding a bit impatient. She then looked at the boys, apparently having an idea "Say, can you go check on him? I'd go there myself, but it's inappropriate for a lady to go into a boy's bathroom."

Harry and Ron looked at each other before shrugging their shoulders and going into the bathroom. They had to talk to Malfoy soon anyway, and they couldn't really waste time, given the limited time the Polyjuice potion would last, so Parkinson's suggestion was quite beneficial for them.

They however weren't prepared for what was waiting for them in the bathroom. As they entered it, they instantly noticed several horrifying details, chilling them to their very bone.

Malfoy, the target of their mission, stood in front of the bathroom mirror, leaning over the sink with his eyes raised to the mirror's level, giving the impression that he was looking at Harry and Ron. He did not move at the sight of them, however, standing as still as a statue, growing horror forever written on his motionless face. Water from the sink ran down through his fingers, uncaring of Malfoy's condition.

Unable to comprehend the sight before them, the terrified boys raised their eyes, noticing the huge red writing on the wall above the mirror. The blood used to create it was still fresh, slowly dripping from the wall to the floor, forming a small puddle of blood around Malfoy, making the scene even more horrifying. Only two words were written, but they were enough to send a shiver through Harry's spine.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

"Ron, we have to leave," Harry whispered in panic, doing his best to keep his body from trembling. The Polyjuice potion was about to wear off. If that happened and Harry was found in a room with a petrified Malfoy... He didn't even want to think about it. Ron nodded, though he did so almost mechanically, still stunned by the scene.

As they left the bathroom, terrified and covered in cold sweat, they were stopped by the sight of Pansy Pattison looking at them in irritation.

"Hey, why isn't Draco with you? You had one job. Did you get lost there or something?" She asked, annoyance visible on her face. She was about to continue, but then she stopped, frowning "Why are you so pale? And why are you shaking so much?"

"Y-you see…" Harry's mind began to work at full speed, desperately trying to come up with some plausible excuse, knowing that they couldn't afford to waste time by talking with Parkinson. He was however unable to come up with anything, his mind completely blank. He looked to Ron for help, but his friend just stood there, quietly shaking.

Parkinson was already about to say something , clearly suspicious of their behaviour, when they all heard a scream coming from the end of the hallway. Everyone looked there only to see Millicent Bulstrode, another Slytherin second-year, running out from around the corner.

"Pansy! Pansy!" she yelled, her attention completely focused on Parkinson. The girl ran toward them at a fast pace, apparently determined to reach them as quickly as possible. When she finally made it to them, covered in sweat and panting, she took a few deep breaths and shouted, desperation evident in her voice, "Where is Draco?! Does he know?!"

"Does he know about what?" asked Parkinson, confused by Bulstrode's panicked state. Forgetting Harry and Ron, she focused on the girl, giving the boys the opportunity to quietly withdraw. Bulstrode's next words, however, stopped them in their tracks.

"It's Victor and Gregory! They've been petrified! Blaise found them in one of the stash rooms!" Bulstrode shouted, still oblivious of Harry's and Ron's presence.

It was bad. It was very, very bad.

"What are you talking about? Petrified? They are right…here…" Parkinson started, only to trail off upon Harry and Ron were already moving away from her at slow pace, clearly attempting to escape without her noticing.

Parkinson looked at Harry. Harry looked at Parkinson. Then Harry's left eye changed colour.

The screaming started.