Chapter Eighteen – The Polyjuice Potion
The double attack on Justin Finch-Fletchly and Nearly Headless Nick had turned what had hitherto nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it had been Nearly Headless Nick's fate that had seemed to worry people the most. "What could possibly do that to a ghost?" people asked each other; "What terrible power could possibly harm someone who was already dead?"
Student were even more terrified of Harry than they had ever been. The second he entered a room that was not a classroom, students rushed to leave all while trying to avoid eye contact with him, terrified to be the next victim. It didn't help that Ron was now suspended, either. New rumors about why and how quickly sprang up. "Had Ron gotten too close to the truth?" "Had Harry manipulated the situation to get Ron suspended and out of the way?" And once everyone had found out that Harry would be staying at the school over there upcoming Winter break, there had almost been a stampede of students as they tried to hurry up and book seats on the Hogwarts Express to go home. And though it hadn't taken long for the expert to clear Harry of placing a curse on Hermione, saying that it was clear as day that Hermione wasn't cursed, it still did little to fix Harry's reputation.
Hermione, once again, found herself in the library pouring over every book she could find on the founders and the time they built the castle to find any clue as to where the Chamber of Secrets could possibly be. She wanted to clear her friend's name as fast as she could. It hurt her to see him suffering in silence. And though he hid the hurt well, every time a student fled from him, she was able to see how much it hurt him.
"I still can't believe that Ron actually got suspended." Haiden muttered, shocking Hermione who had been so focused on her self-imposed task to have noticed that he had sat down next to her.
"Well," Hermione huffed marking down a possible clue, "I did warn him that the way he was going about things would get him into trouble one day."
"And I guess that yesterday was that day." Haiden sighed out before he began to shift through the pile of tome she had strewn about the table she had claimed. "What are you researching?" Worry flashed through his eyes. "Did we have homework in History class today?" That caused Hermione to chuckle. She turned and looked at him, intending to inform him that no, they didn't have homework for History. However, the lost look in his eyes stopped her and she shifted in her seat to be able to actually look at him. He was finally looking his age instead of forcing himself to look older than he was and in his ocean blue eyes there was the hint of the fear of a lost child looking for someone to lead him by the hand to where he was supposed to be. And everything about Ron and Haiden's relationship finally made sense, why Haiden allowed Ron to say and do whatever he wanted: Ron had somehow weaseled him way into Haiden's mind as a firm and sturdy foundation that he could rely on. Ron has found Haiden when he was at his most vulnerable and had used that time to cement himself into Haiden's life, now whether that was intentional or not, Hermione didn't know.
Hermione thought back to the very first time she had met Haiden and Ron. She had been traveling up and down the train helping Neville try and find his toad, Trevor. She remembered that she had just come across Harry and, what would soon become, his Weasley Twins before throwing open the door to the compartment that Ron and Haiden were in. And even though she had mainly focused on searching the compartment with her eyes, she did remember that there had been feeling of awkward first meeting of two people that would soon become good friends. However, Hermione remembered that in their brief interaction with each other, Haiden seemed to be relying on Ron and his knowledge of the world that Ron had grown up in, a world that Haiden had just been thrown into with little to no warning.
Hermione quickly marked her place in the tome with her notes before shifting again to give Haiden her full attention. And Haiden, having noticed that, sat up straighter as a spark of hope flashed through his eyes. He was hoping that Hermione would tell him what to do with his time away from Ron. Hermione cleared her throat, she didn't know if she would be able to help Harry clear his name of opening the Chamber of Secrets and attacking students, however, she could help him fix his relationship with Haiden. From what she had been able to gather from bits a pieces, Haiden and Harry had once been very close before something happened to break them apart. And it probably didn't help when Haiden told Harry that he had wished Harry had died the night their parents died; she wasn't touching that with a ten foot pole.
"We're friends, right Haiden?" Hermione asked placing her hand on top of his, and Haiden quickly nodded, reminding Hermione of a golden retriever.
"Of course, Hermione, why would you think we weren't friends?" Haiden asked.
"That's good. I was afraid that with me siding and supporting Harry on this 'Harry versus Ron' incident that you were mad at me, like Ron is. And I thought that because you and I aren't as close as you and Ron are, that you wouldn't want to be friends any more." Hermione told him truthfully. That was a worry that had begun to stew in the back of her mind ever since she had started standing her ground against Ron and defending Harry. However, she had kept what Harry had told her about them being her true friends and decided to trust in her friendship with Haiden. It had terrified her, the last time she had trusted in a friend, it hadn't ended well. For years before coming to Hogwarts she had been teased and bullied for not only being smarter than her classmates, but for also having a black mother. The people she thought had been her friends ended up turning on her and she quickly found herself alone for years, never being able to fit in or even make friends. And then she had gotten her letter and she hoped she could find people like her and make friends that would always be there for her. Hermione was brought out of her thoughts when Haiden took her by the hand.
"Hermione, listen to me, Ron and I may be best friends, but nothing will ever make me stop being your friend. And no matter how much we fight or argue or if we have different views on things, I want you to know that you can always rely on me being right behind you whenever you need me." Haiden told her and Hermione couldn't stop a tear from falling and Haiden gently wiped it away causing her to blush. She liked this side of Haiden, if this was the Haiden she got whenever he was away from Ron's influence then she would have to find away to get Haiden away from Ron more often.
"Speaking of our views being different, just between you and me, you don't really think that Harry could or would actually harm someone on purpose, do you?" Hermione asked.
"Well, Ron says–" Haiden started only to be stopped when Hermione placed her hand over his mouth, shocking him.
"I don't mean to sound rude, but I don't care what Ron has to say, I've heard enough about his thoughts on the situation when he was here. I want to know what you think about everything." Hermione told him firmly before she removed her hand and allowed Haiden to think. She had a sneaking suspicion that this would be the first time that Haiden had a chance to think for himself since meeting Ron. Hermione watched as Haiden looked away, his eyes foggy as he got lost in his thoughts.
"Well," Haiden started slowly, his thoughts slowly coming together, "Harry has changed since we got here. He's speaking a lot more than he used to, did you know that he used to never speak where anyone besides me could hear him."
"No I didn't know that." Hermione said shocked, it was a little hard to believe that the Harry she knew was basically a mute once. Sure he could be quiet and a bit reserved and shy, but once you got him talking on a subject he was curious about then it was hard to get him to stop.
"Yeah," Haiden said with a sad smile, "he used to always rely on me and look towards me for comfort and help. And I used to be the only one that would be there to protect him. We were each others rocks. We were there for each other. We were the only person the other trusted to not hurt us." Haiden's eyes began to tear up as he gave a wet laugh.
"You know how our relatives treat us, right?" Hermione nodded her head as he balled up her hands, she hated feeling like there was nothing she could do to protect Haiden and Harry from the abuse from their relatives. "Well, there was this one time, just before Harry stopped talking to anyone that wasn't me, Harry and our cousin, Dudley, were fighting over this stuffed rabbit that had been given to us by a neighbor when they moved. Harry had called Dudley a 'big, fat, mean, idiotic pig of a bully' and had ripped the stuffed animal from Dudley, causing him to trip and fall onto the coffee table, breaking the table and accidently hurting Dudley. Well, our aunt and uncle didn't appreciate their 'darling Duddy-kins' being harmed, and I'm positive that our uncle would have killed Harry that night had the cupboard not unlocked itself allowing me to escape and throw myself on top of Harry, taking most of the beating that night." Hermione gasped and covered her mouth as Haiden's tears began to fall. "Harry stayed up all night sneaking in and out of our cupboard to steal ice to place on my wound, trying to heal me as much as he could."
"Oh, Haiden." Hermione whispered, her own tears falling from her eyes.
"I don't think Harry remembers, but that night was the first time I had ever seen him use his magic. He was almost angelic looking. His magic had surrounded him in a soft, white light causing his hair to float, as if he has been submerged in water. He had been crying and whispering apologies for causing me to get hurt. And even though I was falling in and out of consciousness, I still remember the feeling of warmth and love as his magic washed over me, taking away my pain and healing me. He stopped talking in front of anyone that wasn't me, he also made sure to try very hard to not earn us a beating like that ever again. But that didn't mean he had control over his magic. And it was that night that I vowed to never have Harry cry like that ever again, I vowed that I would always protect him." Haiden covered his face with his hands. "But I broke that vow."
"Why?" Hermione asked and Haiden shrugged his shoulders before letting out a shuttering breath.
"I grew jealous and scared of him." He whispered causing Hermione to raise a shocked eyebrow at him. "When Harry accidently let the Boa Constrictor loose in the zoo, the magic around him was dark and dangerous and full of anger. It scared me. And then when we got our letters, I didn't want to believe that Harry could possibly be a wizard with the power to more things like letting a dangerous creature loose in a crowded area or worse. But then Hagrid confirmed my fears when he informed us that we were both wizards. At first, for a split second, I thought that since I was also a wizard then I could stay with him and keep him from loosing control and go down the wrong path, only I realized that Harry was magically stronger than I was."
"Why do you think that?" Hermione asked and Haiden gave her a strained smile.
"Isn't it obvious? Harry's magic was the one lashing out an reacting, Harry was the one doing accidental magic, Harry was the causing everything to happen, not me." Haiden whispered to her.
"But you unlocked the cupboard so that you could save Harry, your magic did that, didn't it?" Hermione asked and Haiden shook his head.
"No, at least I don't think so. I've over heard Harry explaining that he felt a strange sensation, like a tickle or a stuck sneeze whenever he accidently used his magic. I didn't feel anything like that when the cupboard unlocked. I don't remember much about what happened around the cupboard unlocking, I remember being curled up on my cot listening to Harry screaming and begging our uncle to stop, it grew unusually quiet for a second and I feared Harry had been killed and then the cupboard unlocked and the door opened a little and Harry started screaming again. I think I may have heard someone walking up to the cupboard, but I was too focused on Harry's screams, and when I ran from the cupboard to save Harry, I don't remember seeing anyone else there." Haiden explained and Hermione nodded in understanding.
"And the fact that you never accidently used your magic and Harry did caused you to feel jealous." Hermione whispered.
"Thinking back on it now, I know it was childish of me, who would be jealous of not accidently using you magic to get in trouble with our relatives? It doesn't make sense." Haiden whispered.
"I don't think that's what you were jealous about." Hermione told him softly.
"You may be right." Haiden sighed. "It also didn't help that Hagrid kept telling me that I was famous and everyone expected great things from me because of something I did when I was a one year old baby! Everything became so confusing as everything I had ever known had shattered right before my eyes and I was scared and didn't know if I could trust Harry or not. And then Ron was there telling me how a good wizard or witch was supposed to act and Harry had just accepted Malfoy's hand in friendship after Ron had just finished telling me how dangerous Malfoy's family was... and it all just accumulated and when Harry didn't seem to be struggling I just... I began to resent and blame him. I some how got it in my mind that everything was Harry's fault and if he was with me then everything would go back to being normal, but Ron kept saying that Harry was evil and to not trust him... and well I'm sure you can see where this is going. And I know I'm wrong to blame Harry, it's not his fault that it took me a while to get used to being a wizard now. It's not his fault that he had been able to adjust to everything. It's not his fault that he's finally found other people to trust, that's a good thing actually, it means that he can finally come out of the shell that he's created around him." Haiden bent his head in shame.
"It's just that it's so hard to stop blaming him for everything now that I've started. I-I want to stop being so mad at him, I want us to go back to being close with each other again. I want Harry to start trusting me again. I don't want him to hate me. I don't want him to shut me out and stop talking to me." Hermione threw her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.
"Admitting that you are wrong and asking for help is the first step to mending your relationship." Hermione told him softly as Haiden hugged her back. "I don't know how easy it's going to be, but you're not alone. I'll be here to help and support you, and I'm sure that Harry's friends will help as well."
"I'm not so sure that Malfoy would agree with you on that one." Haiden muttered sourly and Hermione pulled away from the hug to think about that.
"I don't know." Hermione said slowly. "I have a feeling that, as long as it doesn't hurt Harry and actually makes him happy, than Malfoy won't try to stop Harry from reconnecting with you. And besides, Malfoy's not Harry's only friend. There's the Weasley Twins, Neville, Luna, and Myari, I'm sure anyone of them would be happy to help you two mend your relationship."
"Isn't Myari and Slytherin." Haiden asked earning a hard, disapproving look from Hermione.
"Yes, and we're Gryffindors same as Neville and the Weasley Twins, and Harry and Luna are Ravenclaws, what about their houses? I hope you're not trying to suggest that since Myari is a Slytherin that she's somehow not good enough to help you. Because if that's what you're suggesting then I would be very disappointed in you. It's not the house that makes the person, but how they act. I've spent some time why Myari and she is a lovely young lady, very loyal and protective of her friends." Hermione went to continue her rant when Haiden cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth, causing her to blush when their eyes locked as her heart began to race.
"You're right. I'm sorry. That was idiotic and biased of me. I promise to try and keep an open mind from now on." Haiden swore and Hermione, after calming herself down, searched his eyes for any hint that he was just trying to placate her, like she had noticed Ron starting to do. After finding no hint of deception, she found herself getting lost in Haiden's eyes noting that his eyes weren't just solid blue but had a hint of green in them. After catching herself staring, Hermione quickly removed Haiden's hand from her mouth and looked at the pile of tomes on the desk with an embarrassed cough.
"Right, well, going back to Malfoy real quick," She muttered as she began to fidget with a piece of parchment, "what are you going to do about our plan? If you remember, we had planned for both you and Ron to take the place of Crabbe and Goyle while I took the form of Millicent Bulstrode... I got this from her robes in potions today..." Hermione pulled out a small vial that held a few strands of hair in it. "But you can't be Goyle without a Crabbe, and I would prefer not to turn into Crabbe if I can help it. Plus, it would be easier if a boy played the part of another boy. So, I suggest we find another boy that we can trust to fill in for Ron as Crabbe."
"Neville?" Haiden suggested. "I know that he really doesn't believe that Harry would be attacking other students. I heard him saying that if Harry did stumble upon the chamber he wouldn't be using what's ever in there to attack anyone, he'd be studying it." That caused Hermione to laugh, she had a feeling that Neville was right about that one had the Chamber and the Basilisk not terrified Harry. "Not only that, but he's been trying to stand up for himself against Malfoy, this might help him with that. We might be able to convince him to help us, especially if we tell him it's to help clear Harry's name."
"That's brilliant!" Hermione, happy to have a possible back up for Ron, grabbed Haiden's face and kissed him only to realize what she had done quickly pulled way from the kiss while dropping her hands from Haiden's face. She saw that Haiden, though quite shocked, was blushing and she could feel that she was also blushing. It was awkward between the two of them for a long moment, as neither of them knew what to say or do next, before Haiden cleared his throat.
"I know I'm not as smart as Harry is–" Haiden started.
"You don't have to be as smart as Harry, all you have to be is you! I like you just like this!" Hermione cried causing Haiden's blush to darken. The moment her brain registered what she had just said, her face exploded and she squeaked in embarrassment before she curled up in her seat and hid her face in her hands. "A-a-and besides Harry isn't the youngest Seeker in History, is he?" Hermione asked, her voice muffled.
"No, but he does seem to be better at everything than me." Haiden muttered darkly causing Hermione to peek at him to see that he was glaring at his balled up hands in his lap. Quickly she uncurled herself and gently placed a hand on his causing him to look at her.
"You can't honestly believe that Harry is better at everything than you." Hermione said Haiden shrugged.
"He's better in every class than me, he's always at the top of the classes. He knows every answer to every question off the top of his head. He gets almost every spell he tries right on the first go..." Haiden muttered as he turned to look away from her, but Hermione gently took him by the face and gently forced him to look at her.
"Hey, look at me." She told him softly. "I can tell you that all that doesn't come to him as naturally as you might think. I've seen him in here pouring over tomes and practicing spells when he thinks no one is watching him. I think..." Hermione started only to have her words caught in her throat for a moment, "I think he's trying to prove to not only you, but everyone else that you weren't the only Potter to survive that night. That he also survived the night that You-Know-Who killed you're parents. That he was also in danger of dying that night just as you were." Hermione told him and watched as Haiden's eyes widened as he realized that she was right. "Not only that, but, last year, when you fought You-Know-Who in Professor Quirrell's body, Harry was there. The professors found him right next to you, his hand was clutching your shirt. They–," Hermione had to take a deep, shuttering breath, "–they said that he had passed out due to blood loss and had they not gotten there when they did, then he might not have survived." Haiden's eyes widened at that.
"How did you find out about this?" Haiden asked and Hermione shook her head.
"I over heard Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape one night when I used you invisibility cloak to check on you. I-I-I had had a nightmare and needed to make sure you were okay, they were by Harry's bed. They were talking about how, after reviewing both of your memories, that had Harry not shown up when he did, then... then Professor Quirrell would have... he would have... you had been knocked out... and the professor... he... but he didn't... because Harry showed up... and..." Hermione couldn't finish, she always hated thinking back on that night. All of the 'what if's and 'could have's always filled her and she couldn't believe how stupid they had been and why hadn't they just trusted Harry when he had told them that Professor Snape wasn't the one after the stone? Why hadn't Dumbledore been there that night? Why did it have to be them that had to protect the stone when there had been a castle full of adults that were stronger than them? Do to their recklessness and arrogance they had almost lost Haiden and Harry that night. Hermione knew she was shaking now, but she couldn't calm herself down enough to stop and was thankful when Haiden pulled her into a tight, calming hug. She clung to him, accepting his comfort. She knew that night would always haunt her, and not from almost loosing Haiden and Harry, but because of what she had seen.
"I never once question why Harry had been in the Hospital Wing with me..." Haiden whispered into her hair, "...I just assumed it was because he hadn't been sleeping again."
"I ran into Harry that night." Hermione whispered into Haiden's chest. "On the way back to Ron... Harry was there."
"Why didn't you ever tell us that?" Haiden asked and Hermione shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to will the image of that night away.
"Because that wasn't Harry." She told him in a terrified whisper. "I had hoped it had just all be in my head but then when you told me about Harry being possessed last year, I knew it wasn't. I had just run into the room where Ron was, intending to get him and drag him back to the opening before finding a why through the Devil's Snare, and he was there." She began to shiver even though she wasn't cold, but the memory of the look in Harry's eyes still chilled her to the bone. "His left eye was pitch black and... and..." She stumbled on how to explain what she had seen, "oozing the blackness onto the left side of his face. And-and I think it was pulsing, like it was alive. And-and-and he was hovering off of the floor! And he had a glow around him; the right side of him had a warm, light, white light, while the left side had a dark, cold, black glow. I screamed, he growled, and then he waved his hand and me and Ron were on the floor of the Hospital Wing."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Haiden asked again.
"I was scared. He terrified me, it was like looking into the eyes of a predator." Hermione told him, causing Haiden to tighten his hold on Hermione. Hermione closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the warmth and comfort Haiden was giving her. It had been a couple of years since anyone outside of her parents had hugged her and made her as safe as Haiden was making her. She pulled away from Haiden just far enough to kiss him again. The kiss wasn't long, just a quick peck on the lips that caused them both blush and smile at each other. Something behind Haiden caught Hermione who glanced behind him to see Ginny standing, wide eyed, in between two bookshelves.
– Keep Me In your Memories –
At last the term ended, and a silence deep as snow on the grounds descended on the castle. Harry found it peaceful, rather than gloomy, and enjoyed the fact that only him and Luna now shared the Ravenclaw Tower. The morning the other students left for the break, Luna had brought an armful of clothes into his dorm room and informed him that she was moving in for the holidays. And Harry was thankful for the company, because ever since Ron had gotten suspended, Terry Boot had taken to sleeping in the First year dorms.
Christmas morning dawned cold and white. Harry and Luna, who were laying in his bed with Luna curled around Harry, were woken up very early by Myari and Draco who came bursting into the room. They were both fully dressed and loaded with presents for the both Harry and Luna.
"I am going to turn around and give you to the count of five, Luna. And when I turn back around I had better not find you in the same bed as Kitten." Draco growled out threateningly as he turned around so that he was now facing away from Harry and Luna. As Draco began to count, Luna slowly uncurled around Harry and scooted to the edge of the bed with an amused smile on her face. "...Five." Draco finished counting and turned back around.
"Merry Christmas to you, too, Draco." Luna said and her only response from Draco was him throwing a present at her face, which she easily caught. Heimdallur flew in to the room via the open door and dropped a present onto the already decent sized present pile next to Harry's before landing on the bed next to the still sleeping Loki as Harry yawned and sat up. Harry chuckled at his familiars when Heimdallur began to peck at Loki who mewed angrily and swatted at him. Harry opened the present Heimdallur had just dropped off, it was from the Dursley who had sent him a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation as well. Harry rolled his eyes and tossed the toothpick and note to the side.
The rest of Harry's Christmas presents were far more satisfying. Severus had given him a book on the History of Parselmouths and a book of Magical Familiars and How to Care for Them. Remus, Severus's lover who Harry was supposed to have met this Christmas had everything gone to plan, had sent him a lovely letter not only apologizing for not being able to be there but also telling him how happy and excited he was to be able to meet him along with a book on Best Way to Survive an Encounter With a Werewolf. Harry smiled sadly at the book while vowing to find a way to show Remus how to live peacefully with his wolf side. Hermione had bought him a luxury eagle-feather quill and color changing ink. Mrs Weasley had sent him a large plum cake and a letter sincerely apologizing for Ronald and his actions against him. Myari had given him a never ending drawing book, drawing pencils, and professional grade paints and paint brushes. Luna got him a book on The Art of Meditation and Connecting With Your Inner Beast, he glanced at her earning him a knowing smile. Narcissa sent him a very expensive winter cloak made of high quality wool, a letter telling him to stay warm and apologizing multiple times for not being able to be with him and Draco for the Winter break and telling him to be good, and expensive German chocolates. Lucius had sent multiple books on the best way to not only talk his way out of trouble but how to turn people arguments against them, Harry had a sinking feeling that he would be needing this knowledge very soon.
However, the best gift (in his opinion) that he had received came from Draco. Draco had gotten Harry a new charm for his necklace. It was two sleeping wolves wrapped around a young, sleeping pup. It wolves were also charmed to breath and shift closer to each other every now and then. Draco had explained that he had the charm commissioned in hopes that when Severus won custody over him, that it would represent the small family that Harry, Severus, and Remus would make. Harry, tears in his eyes, threw his arms around Draco telling him how much he loved it and promising to cherish the charm forever.
After all the presents were opened, the group of four made their way to the Great Hall that looked magnificent and the picture of Christmas with the usual twelve fully decorated frost covered Christmas trees, thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, twinkling fairy lights that turned out to be live fairies flying around, and enchanted snow falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols, Hagrid booming louder and louder with every goblet of eggnog he consumed. And Harry had to stop Draco more than once from making rude and snide remarks about Haiden's new sweater from Mrs Weasley. And Haiden seemed to be making a sincere attempt at making awkward small talk with him which Harry found both strange and endearing. All in all, Christmas this year seemed to start out pretty well for him.
However, that all changed that evening when Harry and Draco stumbled upon Haiden and Neville talking to Percy in the corridor near the Slytherin Dorm. But something seemed off with Haiden and Neville. It took Harry a second to realize that there seemed to be a thin film covering Haiden and Neville's bodies. Harry had just opened his mouth to call out to them, he wanted to ask them about the film and if they were all right, however, Draco had beaten him to it.
"Crabbe, Goyle, where have you two been?" Draco called out shocking Harry enough that he whipped his head around to look at him. Why had Draco called Haiden and Neville by Crabbe and Goyle's names? "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall this whole time?" Harry looked back at Haiden and Neville and watched as they scrambled to come up with excuses. As he watched them, it didn't take long for Harry to realize what was happening and he know knew which potion Hermione had used him to get. Haiden and Neville had used the Polyjuice Potion to take on the appearance of Crabbe and Goyle in order to try and trick him into admitting to his knowledge of the Chamber of Secret. Harry bowed his head to hide his face as his eyes began to tear up, he had truly thought Haiden was beginning to change, he had thought Neville was his friend. "Why are you wearing glasses?" Draco asked and Haiden quickly took his glasses off.
"Uh, reading?" Haiden said uncertainly.
"Reading? I didn't know you could read." Draco joked, looking impressed before glancing at Harry who quickly forced on a smile. He didn't want to worry Draco, nor did he want to alert Haiden and Neville that he could apparently see through their Polyjuice Potion. Draco took Harry by the hand before looking dismissingly at Percy. "And what are you doing down here, Weasley?"
"Mind your attitude, Malfoy." Percy growled out.
"Draco, he's a prefect, he's got every right to be here." Harry reminded Draco who sniffed and rolled his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassment at forgetting that Percy Weasley was a Prefect.
"Let's go." Draco said before leading Harry, by the hand, down the corridor and passed Percy. Harry glanced back, noticing Haiden and Neville were following them. Neville caught him staring and gave him a small smile, Harry gave him a guarded blank look as his mind raced as he tried to find a way out of this situation without alerting everyone to the ruse going on. If they had wanted to know his involvement with the Chamber, all they had to do was ask and he would have gladly informed them the truth: He wasn't involved.
It didn't take the group of four very long to get to the Snake Pit where they found Myari laying on the fuzzy rug in front of the fire on her stomach, reading one of the many new books she had gotten for Christmas that morning. Draco lead them to the leather couch, playfully kicking Myari who kicked him back. Draco draped himself across the couch and blinked up at Harry in confusion when he didn't automatically sit down next to him.
"I-I just remembered that I've been needing to speak with Professor Snape today." Harry said causing Draco and Myari to look at him with a raised eyebrow at the fact that he had called Severus 'Professor Snape' instead of by his name.
"Everything alright?" Myari asked and Harry nodded.
"Yeah. Its just..." Harry's mind raced for a valid excuse, "I wanted to thank him for his gifts and to spend some time with him."
"I'll join you." Draco said and started to get up, panicking, Harry quickly pushed him back onto the couch shocking the boy.
"No!" Harry cried and, in a panic, pushed Draco back onto the couch, shocking him. "I mean, you should hang out with Crabbe and Goyle, you haven't been able to do so in while, right. And anyway, Goyle's brain should rest, I'm sure its not used to being used so much." Harry joked causing Draco and Myari to chuckle awkwardly, it was clear that they were still worried about him. "I'll, uh, I'll see you two later." With that said, Harry turned and rushed out of the Snake Pit catching Draco and Myari demanding to know what 'Crabbe' and 'Goyle' had done to Harry this time. Once out of the Snake Pit, Harry took off running as the tears he had been holding back finally broke free.
– Keep Me In You Memories –
Hermione's whole body hurt. She had been wrong! She had mess up! She had made a huge and dangerous mistake! The fear and pain of what she had just accidently done to herself made her cry. She didn't know how long she has staid kneeling down in the bathroom stall crying as Moaning Myrtle giggled at her suffering. However, when she heard Haiden and Neville return, their voices their own instead of Crabbe and Goyle's, she knew she had been crying for just over an hour.
"Hermione, are you in there? Come out, we've got loads to tell you!" Haiden called out to her and Hermione's heart jumped into her throat as a different kind of fear filled her. Haiden had to leave! He couldn't see her like this! She didn't want him to see her like this! This was the one mistake she didn't want him to know about!
"Go away!" Hermione yelled, cutting off Neville tell her about how apparently Crabbe and Goyle weren't allowed to be alone with Harry because they made Harry scared and uncomfortable.
"Is something wrong, Hermione?" Neville asked. "Did the potion not work for you? The hour's up, you should be safe to come out now." Myrtle glided through the stall door, giggling madly.
"Oooooh, just wait 'til you see. It's awful!" The ghost giggled out and Hermione silently cursed her dead soul. Why did she have to say that? Why couldn't the ghost just leave her to her suffering? Knowing that Haiden wouldn't leave now that he knew something wrong had happened with Hermione and her potion, Hermione turned around and unlocking the stall door. She pulled her robe up and over her head in a futile attempt to hide what had happened to her before slowly emerging from the dark stall, her tears streaming down her face.
"What is it? What's wrong? Are you all right?" Haiden asked rushing over to her. When he tried to remove her robe from her head, Hermione shrank back while shaking her head only to allow him to gently pull her robe of her head causing both boys to gasp in shock. Hermione's face and body were now covered in black fur, her eyes had turned a yellowish green, and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair.
"I-it was ca-cat hair!" Hermione cried covering her clawed hands over her face. "Mi-Millicent Bulstrode mu-must have a cat! And the potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"
"We need to get you to the Hospital Wing!" Neville told her and Hermione shook her head. She wasn't going to leave this bathroom! At least here only three people could see her like this. Only three people would know of her mistake.
"You'll be teased something dreadful." Myrtle cried happily causing Hermione to let out a sob as memories of every time she had been bullied at her old school, would her nightmare start all over again here? She heard Haiden hiss at Moaning Myrtle to 'Go away and leave her alone!' before he pulled Hermione's hands away from her face and gently tilted her head up so she could look at him.
"It's going to be okay, Hermione. The school is practically empty of students, so no one is going to see you on the way to the Hospital Wing, and if someone does see you, I'll be there to make sure they don't say or do anything to you. I'm going to make sure nothing happens to you, trust me." Haiden promised her before pecking her on the lips causing her to blush, this had been their third kiss. "Plus, everyone know that Madam Pomfrey doesn't ask questions."
"I didn't know you two were dating." Neville squeaked out, obviously embarrassed at having seen such an intimate moment between them and Hermione's blush darked as Haiden's face reddened.
"We, uh, we just started dating." Haiden announced causing Hermione squeaked and hid her face in her clawed hands once more. They hadn't talked about what had happened between in the library so Hermione hadn't known where they stood. However, hearing that Haiden wanted to date her made her so happy and embarrassed, she had never had a boyfriend before. Haiden coughed awkwardly before slipping off his robe and gently placed it over her head, making sure she was covered before he took one of her hands off her face to begin leading her out of the bathroom.
"Just wait 'til everyone finds out that you've got a tail!" Myrtle called after them before the bathroom door could fully shut. At the mention of her new appendage, it began swaying, conveying showing how uncomfortable she was.
"Don't look at it." She hissed at Neville when she caught him staring at it.
"Sorry." He whispered, snapping his head forward.
It didn't take them very long for them to get to the Hospital Wing, but to Hermione it felt like it took years. Haiden would stop them so that he could peek around every corner to make sure no one was in the corridor that could possibly spot Hermione. And at one point the three of them had to quickly scramble into an empty classroom when Peeves had come bouncing through a portrait, annoying the occupant. But when the did finally get the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey took one look at her fur covered body and swept her away all while shooing Haiden and Neville away. Hermione had been conflicted at that, she still didn't want Haiden to see her like she was but she also didn't want to loose the safety he made her feel.
Madam Pomfrey sat her on a bed and quickly drew the curtains around it before disappearing, leaving Hermione alone with nothing but her thoughts to keep her occupied in the quiet room. Her mind began to toss her every worse case scenario that it could come up with, nearly throwing her into a panic attack. By the time that Madam Pomfrey had returned with Dumbledore, Hermione's nerves were so frayed that she was too scared to even scream when they suddenly appeared before her.
"Practicing your potions, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked. And even though his eyes were kind and understanding, Hermione was too nervous and scared to even open her mouth to answer, terrified that she my either start crying, puke, scream, or all three at the same time if she opened her mouth. She flinched when he gently took a hold of her face (her mind quickly noting how cold his hand was, it was nothing compared to Haiden's warm hands) and began to gently tilt her head this way and that. "Polyjuice Potion, it would seem." He turned to Madam Pomfrey. "It would be best get Severus up here, he should be able to easily create the counter potion." Madam Pomfrey didn't say anything as she turned swiftly and left Hermione's sights. At the thought of Professor Snape finding out that she had stolen his potion ingredients to craft the Polyjuice Potion her heart began to race, realizing that no one was here to protect her from the consequences of her actions.
"Harry gave you the directions for the potions from the Restricted Section, didn't he Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked and Hermione's stomach dropped, she didn't want to get Harry in trouble but she didn't think she could lie to Dumbledore. "You don't have to say anything, Harry has already admitted to allowing you to copy the potion down from a book in the Restricted Section." He told her just as Madam Pomfrey returned with Professor Snape. The second Professor Snape caught sight of her, he rushed passed Madam Pomfrey and over to Hermione where he began to examine her as Dumbledore left.
"I must commend you for being able to create the Polyjuice Potion correctly at your age," Professor Snape drawled as he lifted up one of her clawed hands (his hands were warm, her mind noted), "though I must say it was quite idiotic to try using animal hair instead of human with the potion." Even though the man was reprimanded her, his calm, soothing voice calmed her fears.
"I didn't know that it was cat hair." Hermione muttered causing the man to 'tsk' lightly at her, and though he looked annoyed Hermione could see a kind understanding deep in his eyes.
"An easy mistake for beginners to make. Give it some time and you'll be able to tell human hair from animal fur with just a look." Professor Snape told her as he finally finished his examination of her and turned to look at Madam Pomfrey. "I shall be able to brew the counter potion, however, it will be a couple of days before I can start. I seem to have made a slight miscalculation when giving Miss Ganger some ingredients for her practice potion." He informed the woman who nodded in understanding as Hermione had to fight to keep herself from looking shocked at the fact that he was covering the fact that she had stolen from him. It was then that Dumbledore came back with an annoyed looking Harry following him. The second Harry's eyes caught sight of Hermione, he stopped walking and glared at Dumbledore as he crossed his arms.
"You're not going to try to blame this on me." Harry growled out, shocking Hermione. How could Harry even think that Dumbledore would try to blame Harry for this.
"Harry, if you hadn't allowed Miss Granger to copy the potion from the Restricted Section, then she would not have been allowed to do this to herself." Dumbledore informed Harry calmly, but Harry stood his ground.
"No! This had nothing to do with Harry! He didn't know what potion I was going to make! If he had, then I'm positive he wouldn't have let me copy the potion!" Hermione cried, she didn't want to see her friend getting accused of something he didn't do.
"As you can clearly see, Headmaster, this was all an accident. Miss Granger made an easy mistake that is commonly made by beginners. This was no one's fault." Professor Snape hissed out as Madam Pomfrey made her way over to Hermione and gently shifted her so that she was stretched out on the bed instead of sitting on the edge.
"Just rest, Miss Granger, we'll get everything sorted out." Madam Pomfrey told her softly, tickling her new cat ear causing it to twitch.
"So, I guess if you're going to blame me for this," Harry motioned at her, "then I presume you blame Ollivander's for multiple counts of murder and torture." He continued obviously confusing Dumbledore.
"Why would Mr. Ollivander be blamed for murder and torture? What does Ollivander have to do with this situation?" Dumbledore asked.
"Apparently everything!" Harry snapped. "If I am to be blamed for Hermione accidently using cat hair in her Polyjuice Potion, then Ollivander is to be blamed for Voldemort kill and torturing countless people, not to mention every death that was ever caused by the wands sold by his shop over the years since it opened."
"Harry, Ollivander obviously doesn't know what the person is planning to do with their wand after they leave the store. He has no more control over them then he does with which wand chooses their wizard." Dumbledore told Harry calmly.
"And yet, by your logic, it doesn't matter." Harry pointed out causing Dumbledore to blink in shock. "As I have stated many time, I had no idea what potion Hermione had copied, nor did I know what she had planned to do with said potion. And yet, here I am, being accused of being the cause of Hermione's predicament, and I am to presume that you've already decided on a punishment for me. Expulsion I presume, just like you tried to earlier this month after Ron had attacked me." Hermione watched as Dumbledore's jaw tightened.
"Are you suggesting that Miss Granger be the one to get punished for this? I believe that the young woman has been punished enough, do you not think so as well?" Dumbledore asked, and Hermione realized that he didn't deny that he was planning to try to expel Harry for this. Hermione felt her new tail, that was hanging off the bed, began to sway in worry for her friend, hitting the metal legs of the bed with a soft 'thump'.
"When did I ever say or even hint at that Hermione needed to be punished, I agree that she's been punished more than enough. I am not the one itching to punish innocent people." Harry hissed at Dumbledore.
"This was clearly and accident." Madam Pomfrey said as she walked through the curtains, a cup in one hand and a slip of parchment in the other. She handed the cup to Hermione, silently urging her to drink it and warm spread through Hermione the second she did. "I see no need for anyone to be punished for an accident. Mr. Potter I suggest you head back to your dorm, it is past your curfew." She told Harry as she handed him the slip. He took it and, without another word or even a glance back at her, sped walked as fast as he could away from them and out of the Hospital Wing. And Hermione didn't blame him one bit. If could have left as well, she would have been right there along side him.
Professor Snape stepped up to Dumbledore and began to angrily whisper to him. Hermione's new cat ears twitched slightly as they picked up everything that was being said between the two. "I know what you're doing." Snape hissed.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Severus." Dumbledore calmly whispered back.
"You're angry that I dared to fight you for custody over Harry, and you're terrified that I'm clearly going to win. You're pissed that Lucius caught you red handed in your attempt to expel Harry in an attempt to keep him away from me. And now you're trying to force me to choose between Remus and Harry by forcing Remus to stay with the wolves longer than he needs to. This is going to be your one and only warning from me: If you mess with Remus, you mess with Moony. You and I both know that Moony isn't as kind as either me or Remus are. If he feels that his bond with either me or his pack is threatened, he's not going to hold his punches. And, for your information, Harry is included in his pack." Snape growled at him as Hermione looked down at her clawed hands and began to flex them in an attempt to look as if she couldn't hear them.
"I would think twice about how you speak to me, Severus. I protected you from being thrown into Azkaban for being a Death Eater. I covered for you by telling the Minister that you were a spy for our side. If you're not careful, it might come to life that you were the reason Voldemort went after the Potters." Dumbledor warned causing Snape to ball his fists up.
"I did everything I could to save them!" Snape hissed before storming away, Hermione flinched when the door slammed against the wall before shutting with a loud 'bang' that seemed to echo through out the Hospital Wing.
"Miss Granger." Was all that Dumbledore said a goodbye moments later. Hermione awkwardly watched him leave as she forced herself to look calm. However, the second she heard the door to the Hospital Wing open and close she allowed herself curl in on herself as the world she had known came crumbling all around her. Everything she had ever believed was a lie! Every book she had ever read never once mentioned how vindictive he could be. If she hadn't just witness everything she did, Hermione would have never in her wildest dreams thought that Dumbledore would not only blackmail one of his professors nor try to expel a student for no valid reason. And, though she had heard from Harry multiple times about how kind Professor Snape, to actually witness it was still a shock. Just as Hermione began to hyperventilate, Madam Pomfrey rushed in with a calming potion.