"It's been two days," Blaise groans, slumping into the library chair. "Don't people know there are things to talk about other than some half-dead cat?"
"Oh, have people been talking about that? I hadn't noticed," Harry says glumly as he tries to ignore a group of older Hufflepuffs glaring at him.
"It's a mystery," Daphne says, shrugging. "People love a good mystery."
"I don't think people think it's a mystery," Ron says. "I think people think Harry pulled a dick-move on Halloween."
"And then they spend every waking hour being unable to talk about anything but that? Harry is interesting, but he isn't that interesting." Blaise says.
"People are st-stupid," Neville says, rolling his eyes.
"Maybe if Malfoy were to be taken out of the picture, everything would go back to normal," Theo says idly.
Ever since that quidditch thing, Theo's been 'subtly' trying to convince Harry that Malfoy is at fault for everything and it would really be a very good thing to just kill him off- and he's redoubled his efforts after Halloween. It's not working.
"Theo," Harry sighs. "Not helping."
Theo shrugs, unbothered.
"Where's Hermione?" Blaise asks, looking around.
"Still combing the Library for a book on whatever the Chamber is, I'll expect." Daphne says.
Sure enough, Hermione comes stalking over to the table in a huff. "I knew I shouldn't have left my copy at home. The Library copies are booked out for weeks. This is bollocks. Why can't I ever remember the things that really count?"
"Copy of what?" Harry asks.
"Hogwarts a History," Hermione, Neville, Ron, Daphne, and Blaise all say at the exact same time. Hermione says it matter-of-factly, and the others say it in disbelief.
"H-haven't you ever met Hermione?" Neville asks.
"Honestly mate, you need to pay more attention to things," Ron says. "I'm starting to think you have a problem."
"Remember how Harry only learned that Ron is good at chess, like, halfway through first year?" Daphne says, a glint of amusement in her eye. Ron grins.
"Quick!" Blaise says. "Everyone reintroduce themselves to Harry! We have to make sure he knows our names!"
Ron, Hermione and Neville burst into laughter.
"Oh my god," Harry says, feeling his face redden. "Shut up."
"Shut up Blaise," Blaise says mock seriously. "My name is Blaise."
"Back me up here, Theo," Harry says desperately.
"Let me kill Malfoy," Theo suggests.
"For the last time, no!"
"You're on your own," Theo shrugs.
Later, Harry is trying very hard to stay awake in History of Magic, which is as dull as ever. Professor Binns is droning on about something about sorcerers and Harry idly wonders how hard it would be to get a Muggle priest on scene to do an exorcism. Would that even work?
"Hey Merlin," Harry hisses, about to ask her her thoughts on the subject when suddenly-
"Excuse me, Professor Binns?"
Harry whirls around to look over at Hermione. She's staring at the ghost, a determined glint in her eye. That's the look of a Hermione who won't be taking a dismissal for an answer.
"Yes, Miss…"
"Granger. I was just wondering what you know about the Chamber of Secrets?"
Professor Binns sniffs. "Nothing more than a myth. Now, back to the subject matter…"
Hermione waves her hand in the air, and Professor Binns raises an incredulous ghostly eyebrow. "Yes, Miss Grant?"
"It's Granger. Aren't all legends based on fact?"
Professor Binns squints. Harry can almost see the wheels turning in his head- or, see through the wheels turning in his head?
"That may be true… very well," he decides.
Harry thinks it may have something to do with the fact that the students, for the first time ever, are hanging onto his every word.
"Let's see… the Chamber of Secrets…"
Professor Binns proceeds to launch into an impromptu lecture: the original founders of Hogwarts had disagreed over the issue of muggleborns. Slytherin, apparently in an attempt to 'cleanse' the school, installed a fail-safe: a monster only the heir of Slytherin could control to wipe out those of 'impure blood'.
With every word that falls out of the ghost's mouth, Harry sinks lower and lower into his chair. With any luck, no one will remember that he's technically the heir of Slytherin-
"So Harry definitely did it then," Seamus interrupts.
"I did not!" Harry says, hurt. "Come on, Seamus!"
"I-I've said it b-before: Harry was w-with me the whole day!" Neville says exasperatedly.
"It was probably just a targeted prank!" Hermione says, glaring daggers at the boy.
"Merlin! Sorry! But you can't say it's not a little suspicious." Seamus says.
"That's why it's a targeted prank," Hermione says flatly.
Seamus flushes bright red.
"Settle down, students!" Binns says. "This is why I don't go off on tangents, everyone always loses their heads. Now, back to the actual lesson…"
The class groans as one and sinks back into the typical history class induced stupor.
Hermione and Neville both shoot worried glances at Harry, who's hiding his head in his arms in dismay.
Maybe if Malfoy could have kept his big mouth shut, this wouldn't be such a big deal. But he didn't, and now the fact that Harry is the heir of Slytherin is common knowledge. Harry doubts that pointing out the fact that it's by conquest will do anything to stop the inevitable tidal wave of gossip and glares that's heading his way.
By the very next day, the whispers and dirty looks sent Harry's way have more than doubled. People are literally avoiding him and his friends in the halls.
Colin Creevey had asked him point-blank if he was the Heir, to which he'd said that he was but had nothing to do with the Chamber. Harry isn't sure if Colin believed him, but either way it didn't seem to affect the hero worship at all- which Harry thinks is unfair.
"Sorry, Harry," Hermione says again, looking like she's on the verge of tears. "I didn't know- I wouldn't have asked if I'd known-"
"It's fine, Hermionie. You just wanted answers," Harry says tiredly. "It's just more of the same stuff I've been dealing with since day one of Hogwarts, anyways."
Hermione still looks dismayed, but Harry has nothing he can say to reassure her. He's already spending most of his energy trying to keep Merlin from biting everyone.
"I think the whole Chamber thing is a load of bull," Ron decides at lunch. "The idea that Salazar Slytherin threw a monster into some secret chamber to cleanse the school of muggleborns? That sounds like something a storybook villain would do. Real life doesn't work like that."
"Even if there was a monster," Daphne adds, "it's dead now, or moved."
"And there's no way a whole secret Chamber has gone undiscovered for a thousand years. Your brothers alone would have totally found it by now," Blaise says, nodding towards Ron.
"Great! Tell everyone else that," Harry says.
At least the Slytherin house all seem to be on Harry's side. Either they believe him, or they think he's doing the work of Salazar Slytherin himself. Unfortunately, Harry is a Gryffindor. He doesn't need Slytherin to be on his side; he wants his own house to back him up.
Well, that's not quite true. The whispers and stares get to him a bit but like last year's point debacle, the people Harry cares about mostly seem to be on his side.
Percy seems a little more distant than usual, and Ginny seems to run and hide from Harry at every turn, but Harry thinks that might just be them being them.
What he does care about is that Neville and Hermione are in danger of becoming social pariahs right alongside him. He's touched that they defend him so staunchly, but he still worries.
Harry is taking an afternoon walk in the forest (because even the terrifying nature of the forest is preferable to the atmosphere in Hogwarts right now) when he comes across the herd of thestrals.
Rather, they come across him- soon he's swarmed once again by the curious deer-like things. He laughs as he pats their faces and wings and sides and they get their fill of him. It's too bad Merlin is off doing whatever it is she does around the school, she loved the thestrals- she's really missing out.
"Hello again- ah! Hey! Don't put your mouth in mine!" Harry splutters, disgusted.
The offending thestral makes a chattering sound and tosses its head back. Harry gets the feeling it's laughing at him.
"She's laughing at you," a dreamy voice says.
"What- who's there?" Harry says, shooting to his feet.
He sees a little girl with leaves in her hair and carrot-shaped earrings. She's wearing a huge multi-colored scarf that's been wrapped around her neck so many times it's nearly covering her face. She has a basket of apples, and is barefoot.
"Oh! Luna, hello," Harry says, relieved.
"Hello Harry Potter." Luna doesn't seem to have anything else to say, as she just stands and stares.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," Harry says after a moment, gesturing to the apples.
"Oh. It's alright. I don't think they care for apples."
"They like rabbits," Harry says. "Dead ones, I mean. I think they're, er, carnivorous?"
Luna nods sagely. "They are. I was testing a hypothesis."
Harry smiles. "Science experiment, huh?"
"Oh yes. Mummy was a scientist, and my other Mum says I'm just like her. Mummy died," Luna says matter-of-factly. "That's why I can see the thestrals."
"Oh," Harry says, unsure of what to say. "Do you… do you need to know someone who died to be able to see the thestrals?"
"No," Luna says. Harry is beyond confused, until she continues, "you need to see someone die to see thestrals. That's part of the reason people don't like them. They're afraid of the things that remind them of death."
Quirrell's terrified face flashes through Harry's mind, and he grimaces. Then he shakes his head, and says, "what's your science experiment?"
Luna shuffles from side to side. "The unicorns enjoy fruit. I wanted to see what thestrals think about them. They don't seem to care either way," Luna says thoughtfully, looking down at the apples.
"Unicorns?" Harry says nervously, magic irrationally flaring a little bit. "You've- you've seen the unicorns?"
"They're very easy to find," Luna says seriously. "You just need to follow the dabberblimps. That'll take you right to the herd. Or, sometimes to the forest boy."
Harry has decided that maintaining a conversation with Luna Lovegood means just going with a lot of what she has to say. Try as he might, though, Harry's not going to be able to let that slide.
"Forest boy," Harry says, disbelief creeping into his tone despite himself.
Luna laughs a little tinkling laugh. Harry is distinctly reminded of a windchime. "Don't play silly," Luna admonishes.
Harry is well and truly lost now.
"He's your brother!"
"Brother- oh! You mean Neville? We aren't really brothers." Unfortunately. "Just godbrothers."
"Yes! That's his name, I'd forgotten," Luna says. "And I don't care about any of that. I'm just saying what I see."
"O…kay…" Harry says. "Still dealing with your nargles?" Harry asks, gesturing to her bare feet. Luna kicks at some leaves instead of answering.
"I'll, uh, leave you to it," Harry says. "Be careful out here."
Luna nods, not looking up from the ground.
Harry would be worried about leaving the slight girl in the Forbidden Forest alone, but something tells him she's far more comfortable here than she is in the halls of Hogwarts.