Important Note

If you're someone who prefers to read in chunks, you might want to wait before reading this. A climax takes place from 82-85, with the immediate aftermath running from 86-89, and the mid-range aftermath from 90-93. Choose your reading style as you see fit.

Saturday April 17th, 1993

The Easter holiday -if it could be called a holiday- was a dull and depressing affair for Harry. Its routine was simple. Wake up, eat, study, eat, pretend your heart is in the mood to socialize, eat, visit the hospital wing, sleep; repeat. The socializing allowed for some deviations, between friends trying to cheer him up or Fred and George attempting new ways to apologize or offer help; but, if Harry was to be honest with himself, all of those interactions rolled into a grey haze to the point where it hardly seemed to matter.

The haze continued into today as Harry sat at a table in the library. Hannah, Susan, and Ernie were with him, all doing their own readings and assignments in a blessed silence. No one spoke. Only pages and quills were there to fill the soundless void. The haze a living substance.

A shuffle of voices and moving chairs flitted around him. Despite that, Harry kept to his book. No one called his name, so it must not be time for lunch yet. That said, there was a small intrusion as an arm leaned into his periphery. He glanced up in reflex, noting the arm was attached to Soros, oddly. He made a sound to acknowledge the older boy's presence, then went back to reading.

"Melissa did the same thing, you know."

Hearing her name hooked something inside of Harry. He twisted his head to face the other boy fully. "Did what?"

"Keeping to herself, with a nose in a book while shutting the rest of us out. It's what she did after she learned your muggle relatives were beating you."

The Dursley reminder soured in his mind. As did the rest. "I suppose I have to feel guilty about that, too?"

"Too?" Soros furrowed his brow.

"Don't pretend you don't know what you're talking about." He scoffed. "She got attacked for knowing me. Same as she did in February and last year. You know this is my fault!"

"Potter-!" Soros' face pinched, then he looked away, trying to smooth his expression before turning back to him. "I'm not- I am not saying you should feel guilty. I wasn't even blaming you- I don't blame you for what happened. This thing, whatever it is, is an accident."

"You don't know that-"

"I do." His retort came stern. "Madam Pomfrey says that no one attacked her. It was only the forgetfulness potion; and I have known Melissa and George and Fred for four years. Lived with them, talked with them, fought with them. This is an accident. I don't know why it happened, but it is an accident. When all of this is over, when she gets better -and she will get better- this will be water under the bridge. Believe me. There is nothing to mourn here but lost time."

Something roiled inside of Harry. An emotion he couldn't acknowledge or understand. "...How can you be so sure?"

Soros offered a soft, sad smile. "Because I have faith in my friend."

His eyes watered. Harry tried to blink them away, wiping a few strays that fell down his cheek. It took longer than he liked to compose himself. Eventually he managed. "That's all we can do now. Isn't it? Just hope and have faith for this to end?"

"Just about, I'm afraid. …Unless you happen to know another prisoner we can release to go find her a cure."

The odd joke broke Harry out of his melancholy, mainly out of utter ridiculousness. "Does- does that work for people?"

"It worked for her. Well- for you, technically." He answered with a casual shrug.

The answer somehow tumbled its way into clarity, eliciting half a laugh out of Harry. "Right. Well, can't say anyone comes to mind right now."

"That's too bad. …I think I'll go visit her now before lunch begins. Would you like to join me?"

Harry nodded at the invitation. "Sure. I'd like that."

Both boys got out of their seats and walked out into the corridor. Working into a teasing expression, Soros turned over to Harry. "Did Melissa ever tell you about the time we convinced Peeves to throw fanged frisbees through Gryffindor's common room?"

Soros got a fair few laughs out of Harry by the time they reached the hospital wing. Stories of pranks -both giving and receiving- entertaining the boys all through the walk over. They greeted Madam Pomfrey on their way in; though the woman barely acknowledged them in turn as she busied herself writing notes at her desk. They didn't mind, of course, focusing instead on getting to Melly's bed. They drew the curtains open to get their seats, only to stop short as they found the bed empty.

"What-?"

"Is she-?"

They looked at each other in surprise. A blink later they hurried over to Madam Pomfrey's desk. "Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey," Soros started quickly, "when did Melissa get discharged?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" The healer narrowed her eyes at Soros. She practically thrust herself away from the desk and over to the bed. Pulling the curtains away fully, seeing that it was indeed empty, she whirled on them with an indignant expression. "Where did you see her?"

"We haven't." He answered.

"We came to visit her." Harry added. His voice quickened in excitement. "She woke up today?"

She scowled at the two boys. "No, she most certainly has not! Though she must have- and to run off without alerting me! Of all the irresponsible-!"

"We'll go look for her!" Harry chirped, practically bounding out the door as he said so. Out in the hallway, he glanced over to make sure that Soros followed after him. "She wasn't in the library, obviously; but she's out now right?"

The way Soros was scratching the back of his head, he seemed concerned in a way that clashed with Harry's excitement. "But leaving like that, she must be disoriented. Probably doesn't even realize how long she's been asleep for."

"Oh. I suppose."

Soros hummed for a beat. "I'll go check the dorms. See if she's just resting."

Harry nodded at the idea. "I'll go check the music club and where she practices. Just in case."

"Good idea. If not, lunch is being served now. So we'll see her there."

"True. I'll be there in a bit." Harry promised, giving Soros a reassuring smile in the process.

The older boy gave a tentative smile back. "I'll see you then."

The music room was a dud. Same for the room of requirement as the door wasn't visible for him. A shame. Harry was hoping he'd catch her early to welcome her back. Though resigned a bit, he hurried over to the great hall to sit with her for lunch. He walked into the room, beelining it for the Slytherin table. Seeing Soros still standing, however, caused him to sputter to a stop next to him. Soros looked slowly over each table with a frown. Harry followed the gaze, checking over the tables as well.

"She's not here yet?"

"No. And Ignatov says she wasn't in their room."

"-Who isn't in whose room?" A female voice asked. The boys turned around, catching the curious looks of Flinton and an older boy with a familial resemblance.

"Melissa." Soros supplied. "She's awake. Though she left the infirmary before Madam Pomfrey knew and we're trying to find her."

"Really!" Flinton gaped with excitement. "That's great! Oh, she must be over in the music room. Let's go get her-"

"I already looked. She isn't there."

"...Oh. And you said she wasn't in our room-?" Seeing Soros give a shallow nod, Filnton tilted her head in puzzlement. "Alright. That's weird. It kind of limits our options…"

"If you don't mind," The other boy entered slowly into the conversation, "When exactly did she wake up?"

"We don't know. I visited her yesterday morning and she was still asleep."

"Same thing just before curfew." Harry added.

The other boy had an odd look on his face. One that Flinton and the others caught clearly. "Why? What is it, Jake?"

Jake grimaced. His head wobbled a bit in indecision. "It's probably nothing-" The grimace deepened briefly when Flinton crossed her arms and scowled at him. Then it switched as he rolled his eyes and answered. "It's not a big deal. Just- Sam and Duncan weren't in bed this morning. Actually, there's a few people I haven't seen around yet today. Which is weird since you'd think with hols almost over, everyone would be scrambling to get homework done-"

"Wait." Soros interrupted. "Do you mean Sam Runcorn and Duncan MacNair?"

"Yeah."

"And they've been gone all morning with other people your year, or older?"

"A couple." Jake answered. "But it's not a big-"

"She isn't awake!" Flinton's eyes widened in understanding. "Fuck!"

"Ames!" Jake gasped, beginning to lecture her on crude language.

None of them listened, though, as all three of them reached the same conclusion. Flinton spoke over Jake as she directed the other two. "They'll be in the dungeons. Potter, get Adrian and anyone else already here. We're outnumbered as it is. Jake, I need you to come with us. Dom, let's go!" Flinton bolted out the door with Soros only a moment behind.

The orders caught Jake off guard, taking him a while to get moving as he called out. "What? Wait- Amy! Come back!" He jogged after the two, leaving Harry to his devices as he dashed over to the Slytherin table.

It took little convincing to rally help from the fourth years. In moments the older students were up and racing out to the corridor. In seeing the commotion, Tracey Davies and her friend Daphne inquired over Harry's state, who explained the situation briefly before following after the others. He ran down the steps, turning down the last flight, only to crash head-on into Professor Lockhart. The man yelped, then grunted as they landed on the floor.

"Mister Potter! What in Heaven has you running about crashing into people? Tsk. Look, you've nearly frayed my robe. Of course, I always keep a second pair for just the occasion-"

"Sorry! But I have to go-!" Harry exclaimed, shuffling to his feet in order to run again.

Unfortunately for him, Lockhart put a firm hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Now hold on, good lad. What's got you in such a hurry?"

He huffed at the man's actions. Then again, a teacher in the know might help (even if it is Lockhart), so he gave a brief summary of the situation.

Lockhart, to his chagrin, gave a condescending smile. "Now, now, Mister Potter, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."

"But she was unconscious-"

"And several students were able to sneak in and take her from Poppy, unawares?"

"Well… maybe just one. Or she woke up and left herself, and then got caught in the dungeons."

"That doesn't sound much like part of a nefarious plan if it's by accident, does it." The comment incited a glare out of Harry. More so as he prattled on. "At any rate, if she's so worried about being attacked, why bother coming down to the dungeons at all? Surely the girl has some hideaway from when the attention becomes overbearing. I understand the feeling, though rarely do I get truly overwhelmed by my adoring fans-"

Harry cut the man off. "I've already checked those places, and she wasn't there!" He stepped away from the professor, his shoulder shuddering from the man's hold. "So I'm going to the dungeons. Even if I have to search every room to find her."

"Well, have it your way. Sounds like an awful lot of work, if you ask me." Lockhart dismissed. "These dungeons are like a maze. I've told Dumbledore that he ought to make signs or a map for each floor. Alas, it seems my wisdom goes beyond your average educator..."

A map? "THAT'S IT!" Lockhart jumped at Harry's exclamation, and both were equally shocked as Harry shouted "Thank you" before running back up the stairs. In short minutes Harry had the Marauder's Map open and ready. He read and ran simultaneously, searching the multitude of dungeons for familiar names. It was easy enough to spot the searching fourth years running about the corridors. The rest though, were practically blank. Nothing showing a group of students, and no Melly. "Damn it! She's not there!"

"You mean Bennett?" Harry whipped his head around, finding both Fred and George frowning at him. "One of the little snakes says she's missing. She's not on the map?"

"Not in the dungeons, at any rate." Harry glanced back over to the more usual places. "How am I supposed to find her in all of this mess?"

"...If it helps, she usually isn't on the map."

Harry paused. "What do you mean?"

One of the boys shrugged. "Well, you and Bennett tend to pop off, sometimes. Last year it happened a lot near one corridor on the seventh floor."

"Never did find out how you managed that." The other added.

Seventh floor would be the ROR. But then… "The map doesn't show every room?"

"It must just show whatever your dad and his mates found while at school." Weasley answered.

The idea put Harry's thoughts in a whirl. "...She's not there though. So maybe… another place no one else knows about." Thoughts in motion, he thrust the map into the boys' hands. "Keep looking and tell the others she isn't down here. Look for the sixth years, too. I have somewhere to check."

"MELLY? CAIREEN? ARE YOU HERE?"

His voice echoed through the dank chamber. His inner voice echoed a prayer of please be in here as he ran through the main causeway. He shouted more, causing a stir from within the nest.

"Harry?" Caireen hissed softly. "You smell troubled."

"Melly's missing. Did she come in here?"

"No." she answered. "It has been days since she last came to the chamber."

A pause came to his panic. "Days?"

It took a moment for her to answer. Her tongue flicked briefly out of the shadows. "Less than a moon. I am not certain how long. Sleep makes it hard to be sure of the time."

"But she went down here? By herself?" Harry hissed almost to himself. That doesn't sound like her. Unless there's been another horcrux, but that's not likely. Especially during March.

"She comes, from time to time. Never to me, though. Lissa explores the other rooms."

"Huh." Harry has gone to a couple of the rooms around the chamber. With how old everything is there isn't much to see. Remnants of a bedroom, a potions lab, a library, a duelling arena, and such. Remnants being a keyword. That said, it might be a clue. "I'll take a look around, but I have to be quick. She might be in danger."

"Danger?!"

"I think some other hatchlings are hunting her for having non-magical parents. I was hoping I was wrong and that she'd be here, but that doesn't seem likely."

There came a rattling hiss from the nest. "I will help you, search the waters for her scent. Go! Search the rooms and I will leave when you are hidden from my eyes."

Harry gladly obliged and went through the rooms. The bedroom showed nothing, but the others showed signs of use. New scorch marks and cuts were in the arena, and the lab sported a clean cauldron and work space. In the library Harry found parchment and books askew on the desk. They were all in Greek and Latin, which didn't surprise Harry as all of the books he perused in the past were in ancient languages. Although Harry was surprised to find scribbles of parchment around the desk. A long sheet held arithmancy calculations that made his head spin, and edges of other pages were lined with more calculations, particularly over sketches of ritual circles. Harry frowned over the images. The main features of a six-pointed star and various circles didn't resemble anything from Slytherin's journal. Whatever this is, Harry has no clue what it's for.

I'm getting distracted, he realized. He left the library in search of other rooms. Yet in little time he heard Caireen calling out to him.

"I've found her scent."

"Really?!"

"She's not far from the chamber." Caireen answered. "Though I am concerned. I smelled blood in the air, and others with her."

Harry shuddered; and- in his surprise- almost turned to face Caireen. "Where is she?!"

"Near the lake. Where water enters the caves."

The caves? …The caves aren't on the map! That's why-

-she smells blood!

"I'll save her! Thank you, Caireen!"

"Of course, Harry. Be safe. Bare your magic fang to keep them away."

With a response and a farewell Harry raced out of the Chamber. No more running wild. He knows where she is now. He just has to make it in time!

Harry flew out of the pipe, nearly crashing for the second time today into the Weasley Twins. "There's a passage there? We saw your name go down-"

"No time to explain! They have her in the caves under the school! She's bleeding! Are you coming or not?!"

Unfortunately for Harry, his earlier announcement about the dungeons led to the Slytherins having departed already to search the grounds. At least he had the Weasleys on hand, so the trio entered the caves and split up to cover more ground. Harry himself went over to the docks, knowing that Caireen scented them near the water. It didn't take long to confirm her findings, as soon a high-pitch scream pierced the air.

"Melly!"

Harry raced forward double-time to reach the water. The screaming grew louder, with shrill laughter echoing down the cavern walls. Wand at the ready, Harry turned around the corner and launched a spell at the first standing body he saw. To his horror, he caught too late that his spell had fired at Melly. Fortunately Melly whipped a shield spell in time to block the attack. Unfortunately, her reflexes fired off a spell at Harry. It collided into him and sent him flying into a stalagmite. The crash disoriented him. Worse, it knocked off his glasses. He groped at the floor, trying to find them; yet also kept an ear out as more spells fired. He grabbed the glasses, but it came too late as another spell hit him. He felt a binding burn as ropes looped around him and tightened against the stalagmite. He grunted in pain. Glasses in one hand and wand in the other; but unable to move his arms to fix either disadvantage.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to join the party!" A shrill, gleeful voice leered over him. He squinted up at the girl, unable to make out her face. He tried looking over to Melly, but found the masses of her and one of the other slytherins on the floor.

"Oof! Seems you've lost your eyes, kid. Well that's no fun. An audience has to see a show to enjoy it, right? Here. Let's fix that for you. Expelliarmus!"

His glasses and wand were both wrenched from his hands. Though the taunting witch seemed to toy with them before shoving the glasses onto his face. He adjusted his focus through the room. Trying to comprehend the sudden shift in sight. "Melly?!"

"Not anymore." Melly purred, that strange shrill still present in her voice. She leaned in close to him, eyes glinting and face wide with a wild Cheshire grin. Her free hand outstretched to him, as if open for a handshake. "The name's Bill Cipher. Nice to meet ya!"

George held an arm out to halt Fred. "Do you hear screaming?"

"Yeah. I think it's coming from there." He pointed down a long hall.

"Damn! Let's get moving!"

Harry stared at his friend, uncomprehending. "...What?"

"Heh. Not the fastest car on the track, are ya?" Melly leaned back into an upright position, hands thrust into her pockets, his wand included. "That's alright. Your puny human mind wouldn't understand, anyways. Even if Quaver ever told you anything important, it wouldn't do you much good, would it?."

"Wait- who-" Harry cut himself off, mind running a mile a minute. "What are you? What have you done with Melly?"

"Me? Do anything?" She closed her eyes, head shaking. "Oh, no, no, no. You misunderstand. I didn't do anything. All I did was give her a place to sleep. Your friends, on the other hand, not to mention those little bloodstains" She waved over to the bodies behind her, "were the ones causing the real damage. I'm just here to even the score. Put them to good use, too, while I'm at it."

The remark had Harry look in the direction of the older slytherins. They were twitching on the floor, with the exception of one sitting against the rocky wall and holding onto his bleeding arm. But it wasn't just them, Harry realized, there were silver candles on the ground. The flickering lights illuminated red lines drawn on the floor, as well as a bundle of plants and gleaming black stones along the drawn lines. A ritual circle! Harry realized at once.

"What are you doing?! Let them go! Leave Melly alone!"

The thing seemed eerily amused by his outrage. "So demanding, Lightning Bolt. Well don't you worry your messy little head, kid. I'm already planning on doing just that. Well, one out of two, anyways." It hopped closer, landing in a crouch nose-to-nose with Harry. The smile stretched wider. "Since you asked, what I'm doing is exactly that! Leaving her alone."

"...How?" A feeling of regret came with the question.

"By leaving, dummy." It answered. "Of course, I can't stop inhabiting one body without having another on standby." It stood up, turning halfway towards the circle. Dark shadows flicked across its grin. "Lucky for me, I've got some volunteers."

A/C: So, how many of you saw that coming?