Unfortunately, for Harry, there weren't too many opportunities to get Pansy Parkinson alone. One week after Colin's petrification, Harry was just investigating the younger boy's camera for clues. Sirius had managed to get it open, but the film was utterly destroyed and smoking.

One day, he was tinkering with the camera and trying to pinpoint the issue when he heard someone clear their throat. He looked up to see a bashful Mackenzie in front of him, "Harry? Umm… I was wondering if… you could… umm… Tutor me in Defence Against the Dark Arts? Lockhart's simply telling us to read his books and act out scenes. I feel like I was in English Literature class, studying Shakespeare all over again."

He snorted and got up, "Sure thing, Kenzie. I wasn't making any headway with Colin's camera, anyway. How is he?"

Her face grew sad, "Still the same. I should have gone with him. Maybe I could have helped protect him."

Harry guided her out of the Common Room and walked around the castle. He was fortunate to have a free period, so he was perfectly fine with helping her. Eventually, they found themselves in an empty classroom and he managed to dig up his old books. He then explained, "Okay, so the first spell you learn is the Impediment Jinx. Coincidentally, the incantation is, Impedimenta. The effect that it has, is slowing the target briefly. Now, the wand movement goes like this-"

Like this, he slowly managed to get her to understand the concepts. When they were close to winding up, she suddenly asked, "Harry? Do you have any idea who did the attacks?"

He frowned, "I have a theory, but it seems very unlikely. You remember when Jackson, Grover, Annabeth and I went on the quest for the Lightning Bolt? We happened to stumble upon Medusa's lair at the time. Jackson eventually killed her, but that got me thinking. She said that both of her sisters had passed on, leaving just her. However, I am wondering whether she was lying about it. So my biggest suspect right now, is a Gorgon."

On that grim note, they left the classroom and decided to pay Hagrid a visit. Come to think of it, he never got a chance to thank him for taking care of the Golden Snidget, and he also wanted to introduce it to Mackenzie. However, when they entered the hut, they could immediately tell that it was a bad time. The large man's gloved hands were a bit bloody and cradled a dead rooster.

He looked up at the two of them, "Hello Harry, and you must be Mackenzie. Aren't you two supposed to be in class?"

Harry shrugged, "Both of us had some free lectures and Mackenzie wanted me to help tutor her in DADA. What's the story of the rooster, Hagrid?"

The man frowned, "Second one killed this term. I can't understand it. Me thinks it's either the work of foxes or a blood-sucking Bugbear. I was just about to head to the Headmaster's Office for permission to put a charm around the coop."

Harry replied, "That's possible. By the way, did Uncle Sirius swing by?"

Hagrid beamed, "Aye, he did, and imagine my surprise when I saw a Golden Snidget. Sirius said that you had rescued him from some smugglers."

Harry chuckled, "Yep! And it was a heck of an adventure! Where is he?"

"Usually spends his time in the Owlery with Hedwig. Though I assume he usually takes care to stay out of sight when students come to send letters. Cause I haven't heard a peep in the Hogwarts rumour mill."

Mackenzie shyly said, "It is nice to meet you Mr. Hagrid."

The large man smiled kindly, "Now, now… None of that Mr. business. It's just Hagrid."

After a while, the two cousins waved goodbye and returned to the castle.

As soon as they entered the Common Room, there was a commotion. They looked up to see an excited Seamus rush up to them. He exclaimed, "There you are Harry! Where were you?"

Harry replied, "Mackenzie asked me to clear up a few doubts in DADA, so I was helping her. Before that, I was trying to see if Colin managed to get a photograph of the attacker. Unfortunately, the film looks like its seen better days. Anyway, enough about me, what about you? You seem pretty excited."

He exclaimed, "There's a Duelling Club! The first meeting's tonight! I wouldn't mind duelling lessons, and they might come in handy someday. It's at eight o'clock in the Great Hall!"

Harry asked, "Out of curiosity, will it just be regular duelling with wands? Or will there be something like sword-fighting or wrestling?"

He shrugged, "No clue, mate. But it sounds fun!"

Later on that evening, the whole of Second-Year gathered in the Great Hall. The long tables had disappeared, and right at the head of the room, was a golden stage. Harry spotted a familiar figure prancing around on stage and suppressed a groan. This time, Gilderoy Lockhart was sporting deep plum-coloured robes, and along with him, was Professor Snape. The Potions professor really looked like he would rather be elsewhere than tolerate the peacock.

Harry muttered to himself, "Oh for crying out loud! If this all goes tits up, I swear to Ares that I will start an underground fight club. Where the heck is Flitwick? Isn't he a Duelling Champion?"

On the stage, Lockhart flamboyantly announced, "Gather round! Gather round! Can everyone see me and hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this Duelling Club. The idea is 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! Today, Professor Snape will be assisting me, as he knows a little bit about duelling. Don't worry, you'll still have your Potions Master by the time I'm through with him."

Harry muttered to Ron, "I think everyone should worry about not having a DADA professor, by the end of this."

The two faculty faced each other, and Lockhart gave a deep kowtow and brought his head, almost to the ground. Meanwhile, Snape simply inclined his head, never taking his eye off his opponent. Harry murmured, "Big mistake Lockhart… Never take your eye off your opponent. Even our youngest campers know that."

Then, the two professors raised their wands as if they were swords. Lockhart lectured, "As you can see, we are holding our wands in the acceptable combative position. On the count of three, we will cast our first spells and none of them will be lethal."

They cast their respective spells, and Snape's Expelliarmus blasted Lockhart off his feet. He flew off the stage and crashed against the wall, crumpling to the floor. There was a cry from most of the girls, and Hermione squealed, "Do you think he's all right?"

Harry waved off her concerns, "He's probably fine. Look! He's getting up!"

Sure enough, Lockhart was on his feet and still had a smile plastered on his face. Staggering slightly, he said, "Well, there you have it! That was a Disarming Charm! As you see, I have lost my wand – ah! Thank you Ms Brown – Yes an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape. 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…"

Snape's expression clearly suggested that he was not in agreement. However, Lockhart didn't notice, as he began splitting everyone into pairs. Hermione ended up facing Cassandra Vole, Ron was up against Seamus, Neville was facing Diego Caplan, and Harry found himself facing Padma Patil.

Lockhart ordered them to bow, and everyone did so. Harry bent his head in what he hoped was a respectful bow. However, he never took his eyes off the Indian girl. Before Lockhart could signal for them to start casting, he raised his hand. Snape glanced at him, "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

Harry queried, "Professors, are we allowed to dodge?"

The Potions professor raised an eyebrow and went to consult Lockhart. Finally, he turned back, "A valid point, Mr Potter… After all, nobody will be so dunderheaded to try and let an opponent's spell land on them without avoiding. That being said, we want both sides to be disarmed at least once. Then you may try dodging the attacks."

Then, he barked, "Begin!"

Harry struck first with his Disarming spell and he soon caught Padma's wand. He then handed her wand back and allowed her to chant, "Expelliarmus!" and his wand went flying towards her. Soon, he and Padma were dodging each other's attacks. Elsewhere, there was a commotion where Malfoy was up against Talbott Winger. Malfoy fired a Tickling Charm, and Winger was able to choke out a Dancing Feet Spell, in retaliation. Other shenanigans included a few brawls erupting here and there, and Ron's Spellotape-repaired wand, was acting up.

Then, the two professors began the next phase, where they wanted a mock-duel. Harry really should have seen it coming, but Snape chose Malfoy and Lockhart chose him. As they both walked to their respective ends of the stage, he spotted Snape whisper something in Malfoy's ear. He also tuned out Lockhart's own blustering attempts to explain blocking spells.

The two boys advanced, but both of them adopted very different postures. Malfoy was standing straight, with his wand arm extended. However, Harry crouched low with both arms out and his legs spread apart, as if he was ready to grapple. He brandished his wand with his left hand and waited for the moment to strike.

Malfoy struck first, sending a Knockback Jinx, but Harry used Protego to block it. He then fired back with a Stinging Jinx, forcing Malfoy on the defensive. Back and forth they kept going, when Harry quipped, "Hey Malfoy, I thought you ought to know something about me!"

The blond boy sneered, "What is it Potter? Are you finally admitting that I am your superior?"

Harry gave a cheeky smirk, "Actually, I… Am ambidextrous!"

With that, he swiftly transferred his wand to his right hand and resumed attacking. In the background, he heard Dean, Justin and a few Muggleborns burst into laughter. He also heard Hermione scoff, "Really Harry? You're pulling a Princess Bride?"

Suddenly, Malfoy bellowed, "Serpensortia!"

On cue, the end of his wand exploded and a black mamba snake shot out of it. It fell heavily on the floor and raised itself, ready to strike. Harry gaped at Malfoy, clearly wondering if he was stupid. In his hesitation, Lockhart jumped forward, hoping to be useful, but only to end up pushing it further towards the crowd.

The demigod was about to call off the snake, but thought better of it. Instead, he thought quickly and bellowed, "Anima Adversario!"

His own wand exploded and a long furry animal burst forth, a mongoose. It landed on the ground and looked around bewildered, before finally rounding to face Harry. It chittered at him, "Son of the Hunt! What do you command of me?"

He began chittering and squeaking back at it, "There is a large black mamba which is about to attack my friends. I wish for you to attack the snake and keep it away. I would also prefer if you kill it."

The mongoose shot off like a bullet and tackled the snake, just as it was about to strike at a terrified Justin Finch-Fletchley. The two animals rolled away, with the mamba hissing and snapping away at the mongoose. However, its thick hide was able to protect it. Eventually, it managed to bite the snake on the back of its neck and killed it.

The mongoose cleaned its bloody face and bounded towards Harry. It squeaked, "My task is done, Son of Artemis. The serpent shall not harm anyone else again!."

He stroked it, "Thank you for your services."

With a wave of his wand, he vanished the mongoose. Finally, he eyed the dead snake and got an idea. He cupped his hands over his mouth and gave a loud hoot, "Hedwig! I need your help!"

Less than ten seconds later, there was a sound of flapping, and a large owl-sized white blur burst into Great Hall. Hedwig swooped down and grasped the snake corpse in her talons and flew off. Unbeknownst to everyone, there was another blur right on Hedwig's heels. That blur suddenly split up and Harry felt something burrow itself into his robe's front pocket.

The whole Hall was dead silent for a few minutes. Suddenly, Malfoy adopted one of the most fake looks of terror, and blurted, "Potter's a Parselmouth! Potter's a Parselmouth!"

Hermione was on her feet in an instant, "He was talking to the mongoose and to his owl, you twit! Last I checked, mongooses don't hiss! Also, I am pretty sure that snakes do not hoot!"

They were interrupted by another cry of surprise. This time it was Ron, "Bloody Hell! Is that what I think it is? I thought they were extinct!"

All eyes shifted to Harry, who was currently fussing over the Golden Snidget. The Snidget was nuzzling him happily and chirping away. He was also chirping back at it, when he noticed everyone staring at him. Harry glanced up and asked, "What?".

Ron demanded, "Mate! Where the bloody hell did you manage to find a Golden Snidget! Many of us thought that they were extinct!"

Understanding dawned on his face, "Oh… Yeah… funny story that… I managed to rescue this little fellow from animal smugglers. I stowed away on a truck to Las Vegas and found that some Muggles were illegally smuggling an albino lion, a zebra and a gazelle. At the back of the truck, I found the Snidget in a cage. Of course, I freed the Snidget and hid him in my pocket while I informed the Muggle authorities about the other animals."

Justin hesitantly asked, "Is what Malfoy saying, true? Are you a Parselmouth?"

He shook his head, "Of course not! I didn't even speak to the snake even once! I could only speak with the mongoose, which is a known snake predator, my owl Hedwig, and this little fellow."

Justin calmed, "Ahh okay. You had me worried for a minute."

While all this was going on, Snape and Lockhart dismissed everyone.

As everyone walked back, the Gryffindors closed ranks around Harry, to stop everyone from staring at him. In the middle of the group, Harry scowled, "Typical… people will believe anything these days. Knowing my luck, Malfoy is probably going to twist this whole thing to make it seem like I'm a Parselmouth"

Lavender Brown spoke up from somewhere behind him, "Not on my watch, Harry! Parvati and I will try and counter him. I'm sure we can get Penny to help out. Besides, it's his word against the three of us."

She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Besides, Parvati, Penny and I control the whole gossip channel. You're a nice guy, Harry. We'll always back you up."

His mood shifted slightly and he grinned at her, "Thanks Lavender! I owe you one!"

Inside the Common Room, Harry and Ron stayed up a while longer. Hermione had gone off to bed, as had Neville. Ron patted his friend's back comfortingly, "Could have been a lot worse, mate. You could have told the snake to back off. But then that would have given everyone the wrong idea."

He then looked around to make sure no one was listening. Ron murmured. "I have a feeling though, that Malfoy summoned that snake on purpose. Snape might have suspected something, because he was whispering something in Malfoy's ear."

Harry scowled, "Now he's just being petty. When I spoke to my mum and dad in the Underworld, I found out that Snape used to be my mum's neighbour and best friend. Turns out, he liked her as more than a friend and had a big rivalry with my dad."

Ron shuddered, "I can't imagine that greasy git with your mum."

Harry continued, "Of course, it didn't help that Dad, Uncle Sirius, Uncle Remus and Pettigrew, were major pranksters. Snape was often their target, so it seems that he still has a grudge. From what Mum said, Snape wasn't a helpless victim. He could give as well as he could take it."

The very next day, Harry's Charms lecture was just wrapping up, when Alicia Spinnet poked her head into the class. Flitwick nodded at her and she replied, "Sorry professor, I wanted to borrow Harry for a while. Professor Kettleburn heard a rumour that Harry rescued a Golden Snidget and wanted to ask him for his help in the Care of Magical Creatures class."

Flitwick smiled, "Of course he can be excused, Ms Spinnet. Our lecture was almost finished anyway. Mr. Potter, do you have any lecture that could conflict with the Care of Magical Creatures class?"

Harry took out his schedule and consulted it. He shook his head, "No sir. I believe I have a free period. I can make it for the Care of Magical Creatures class. Thank you, professor."

He soon followed his teammate out of the classroom. As they walked, Alicia asked, "There have been a number of different rumours flying around, Harry. According to the Slytherin camp, they believe that you're a Parselmouth. However, other rumours refute this and say that you can talk to any animal. I wanted to hear it straight from the source. I mean, the Slytherins' accusations have some wild insinuations."

He rolled his eyes, "Let me guess, some people think that I'm the one who attacked Mrs Norris and Colin Creevey?"

She shrugged, "That's what the Snakes are saying, and the other houses are pretty divided. Gryffindor's firmly backing you, though."

Finally, they reached the Care of Magical Creatures classroom, which was an open area, close to Hagrid's hut. As they entered, a tall jovial man with grey hair and two artificial limbs. He briskly walked up to Harry and shook his hand vigorously with his one good arm.

He cheerfully said, "So you're the one who rescued the Snidget? I have to tell you, when I visited Hagrid, I was in for quite a shock when I saw the little fellow happily fluttering around in his hut. As you know, Snidgets were thought to be extinct, so imagine my utter joy at finally seeing one in the flesh."

Harry chuckled, "Believe me, sir… I was just as surprised when I found him and rescued him. Turns out, the smugglers thought that it was a rare golden hummingbird, or something."

Kettleburn then said, "Mr. Potter, I was hoping that you could help out in this lesson about Golden Snidget."

Harry grinned, "I would be delighted to, professor. Let me just fetch him. He usually stays with my owl, Hedwig, so I'll fetch him from the Owlery."

Five minutes later, he was back with the Snidget fluttering around him, nuzzling away. Once he arrived, Kettleburn began his lesson on Golden Snidgets. He delved into the history and what nearly drove the species into extinction. After a while, Harry shuffled away and carried out a private conversation with the Snidget. He suggested a few names and eventually settled on Buzz.

Finally, the lecture was over, so he walked back to the castle with the Fourth-Years. As they turned a corner, the Fourth-Year Care of Magical Creatures students and Harry, spotted a large gaggle of people.

They muscled their way through, and a horrifying sight greeted them. Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

Near him was Nearly Headless Nick, except that he was not pearly white and transparent. Instead, his figure was black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock, mirroring Justin's.

Harry sidled up to Neville, "What in Tartarus happened here?"

He breathed, "Don't know… One of the Ravenclaws found him and Nick like that. Where were you?"

Harry gestured to Alicia and the other Fourth-Years. He said, "I was with them the whole time in Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Kettleburn needed my help because he was teaching them about the Golden Snidget. Before that, I was in Charms with you guys. My alibi is secure"

In the background, Harry heard more sounds, "It's here! It's here! It's here! Run! Run! Run!"

He glanced to the side to see another line of spiders heading somewhere. Finally, Sirius showed up and took him aside, "Hey kiddo, what can you tell me about the attacks?"

Harry shrugged, "I don't know. When Colin was attacked, I was in the Gryffindor Common Room with everyone else. According to Mackenzie, he had just gone to develop his photographs. As for Justin, I was at Care of Magical Creatures. Professor Kettleburn needed my help because he found out about my Snidget. Come to think of it, everyone knows about it."

Sirius guided him away from the scene, "Come on… We'll talk to Dumbledore and present our findings to him."

In the Headmaster's Office, Albus Dumbledore greeted the two. He nodded, "Sirius… Harry… I wish this were under better circumstances. Is there anything you can tell me?"

Harry pinpointed his own whereabouts during the crimes. Then he said, "Also, I did some digging and found something weird. There's a lot of spiders leaving the castle and they were all screaming to run away. I might have a theory. It doesn't make sense, but it's the best I've got. Are you familiar with Greek Mythology?"

They shook their heads and Harry continued, "I think it might be a Gorgon, because they are well-known for their petrifying gaze. Heck, before the Summer Solstice, myself and a few other demigods had an encounter with Medusa. She told us that her sisters died millennia ago, but she may have been lying."

Dumbledore stroked his beard, "I see… I do hope you have a more solid theory, Mr. Potter. We cannot afford to rush in blindly. The consequences could be disastrous. I am already doing everything I can to keep the Board of Governors from interfering and potentially jeopardising the situation. Also, I'd suggest you also look into the odd behaviour of the spiders. It may be nothing or it could mean anything."

Harry nodded and thumped a fist over his chest. He firmly said, "Not to worry, Professor Dumbledore. I will continue my investigate and get to the bottom of it. Sirius, I'll also coordinate with you if I get any information."

Over the next few days, the whispers and finger pointing got even worse. It got to a point where he actively began going out under his Invisibility Cloak. Sometime in late November, he was in the library when he heard an interesting conversation.

He sneaked closer and found a few of his Hufflepuff year-mates arguing. Harry heard Ernie Macmillan say, "It's got to be Potter who's doing the attacking! You all heard that he's a Parselmouth. It's a sure-fire sign that he's a Dark Lord. I also heard from Nott, who heard from Malfoy, that Potter conjured a snake in the duel and attempted to get it to bite Justin. Then, he did some freaky dark magic and got some other animals to attack him. Malfoy tried to warn us about Potter."

Susan shot back, "That makes no sense! He defeated You-Know-Who. So that should clear him!"

Zacharias Smith spoke, "Maybe Potter was afraid of the competition when he killed You-Know-Who. Potter's got to be after all the Muggleborns."

Hannah also snapped, "Macmillan, Smith, you do realise that one of his best friends, is a Muggleborn, right? Also, were you even watching the same duel that I was? Besides, Granger said that Potter was talking to another animal, not a snake. Who are you going to believe? Someone who is actively antagonistic towards Harry Potter, or someone who is his best friend? Also, Penny, didn't you say that he has a cousin who is a Muggleborn?"

Penny Haywood nodded, "Yes. Mackenzie Dursley. And Harry's pretty protective of her. Remember when some Slytherin Seventh-Years attempted to attack her, he hexed them back. Also, if I'm not mistaken, Harry's not a Parselmouth. According to some of my sources, during the duel, Malfoy was the one who summoned the snake. Harry conjured a mongoose and asked it to kill the snake. Then he got his owl to get rid of the snake's corpse. Did you also miss the fact that he rescued, quite possibly one of the last Golden Snidgets in the Wizarding World? That should count for something."

Diego Caplan spoke up, "Another big hole in your theory is Potter's relationship with the victims. Potter and Justin were pretty friendly and bonded over something called Aneemay. No idea what that is. Also, he was pretty alright with that Creevey kid, even if the Firstie can be a little annoying, Finally, there's Mrs. Norris. Now it's no secret that everyone hates Filch and Norris. However, I found something odd. Mrs. Norris usually leaves Potter alone. I think he's just scarily good with animals."

Having heard enough, Harry snuck away and returned to his Common Room.

A week before the Christmas holidays, Harry finally got a chance to interact with Pansy Parkinson. During the Potions lecture, he found himself partnering Daphne Greengrass. Close to the end of class, he quickly scribbled a note on a piece of parchment when Snape's back was turned. He slowly pushed it towards Greengrass, who read it. It said, "Tell Parkinson that I am calling in that favour. She knows what I am talking about. Have her meet in the courtyard during lunch."

An hour later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville were hanging around in the Courtyard when they heard footsteps. They looked up and spotted Pansy Parkinson walking up to them. However, she was not alone, because Daphne, Tracey Davis, Blaise Zabini and Cassandra Vole accompanied her.

Harry stood up and raised his arms, to show that he was unarmed and to reassure the Slytherins. He said, "At ease, we're not here for a fight. We just want to talk."

Daphne drawled, "Forgive us, Potter, but we're Slytherins. We don't trust anyone outside our house."

Pansy spoke up, "It's okay, Daphne. I have no choice. I owe Potter a Life Debt and he was merely calling it in."

That took all of the Slytherins by surprise and Blaise uttered, "Wow… I did not see that coming."

Harry spoke, "Look… I wouldn't do this if I wasn't desperate. As you can tell from the Hogwarts rumour mill, I'm a suspect behind the petrification attacks."

Cassandra snorted, "Yes we heard… Malfoy was busy crowing about it in our Common Room. Most of our housemates are gullible idiots, as well as many other students, but we know better. Potter, we know that you have literally no reason to attack the victims. You and Finch-Fletchley were friends, you also treated the Creevey boy in a friendly manner, even though he can be annoying. Don't bother denying it, you know it's true. Finally, you're the only student who Mrs. Norris leaves alone. At the time, we couldn't understand why. However, the Duelling Club incident gave up a massive clue, you can talk to, or understand any animal."

Tracey piped up next, "We're still trying to figure out how the hell you've managed to inherit it. As far as we know, Zoolingualism is not a Potter family trait."

Harry smirked, "That's for me to know, and you to find out."

She pouted, "Worth a shot."

Then Harry got serious, "My friends think that Malfoy might be behind it. Especially since he's been very vocal about there being Muggleborns in Hogwarts. I personally believe that Malfoy's all talk, but I do think that he is indirectly involved. I was hoping that you could find out some more about this Heir of Slytherin business. I personally just want the attacks to stop and find out the true culprit. At the same time, I can clear by own name."

Pansy nodded immediately, "I'll help you. But I don't know about…"

The other Slytherins conversed with each other before Blaise gave a single nod, "We'll help as well. Pansy's our ally, and her business is our business."

Harry smiled, "Thank you… I know that I'm really asking a lot out of you all, but like I said, I'm desperate. Can you all please try and find out as much as you can about this whole Heir of Slytherin and the Chamber of Secrets?"

Pansy acknowledged, "We will."