XV. Covert
Not openly acknowledged or displayed.
Jayla finishes the letter to her family, knowing they will hate it. Still, she already told Professor McGonagall as Ron is staying because his parents are going to Egypt to visit his older brother Bill and Hermione agreed to stay too.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Harry feels burdened with dark thoughts throughout the day; even Snape can't bother him as he hissed at him during potions class, but Jayla is there for him, though she seems as deep in thought as he is, and he knows it because she's spending Christmas at Hogwarts away from her family for the first time. "Something on your mind, Harry?" Jayla asks, stopping him from bumping into the wall on their way to the Study Area.
"Just, I feel bad about you spending Christmas here when you could spend it with your family," Harry mutters, and she frowns.
"Look, Harry. I don't mind." She assures him, rubbing his arm.
"Are you sure?" He asks her.
"I promise. Though I wish you'd spend it with us anyway. Still, we need to find out what Draco knows. And the Polyjuice Potion will be ready a few days into the holiday, and I can't let you do it alone." She argues, rubbing his arm. "I want to spend it with you guys. I hear Christmas at Hogwarts is Magical." She giggles. "Come on, let's get that charms homework done before anything else happens."
"Yeah." Harry mumbles, walking off and leaving her behind, frowning.
"Harry…"
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Harry sits with his friends, still frowning as the students catch up on their homework or read books to pass the time while Professor McGonagall keeps a close eye on them. Harry looks up at Ron, who smiles at him, and then seconds later, Hermione glances up, doing the same - something about it seems forced about it all. Jayla keeps her head down as she scribbles in her notebook, and he looks around, seeing the students avoiding his stare and spots Ginny Weasley looking tired and pale, writing furiously in a small black book in the corner alone. Unable to bear it anymore, Harry closes his books, slamming them close and looks at his friends. "I'll see you back in the Common Room," Harry grumbles, gathering his books and getting up from the table, walking off, seeing the other students staring at him, meeting his gaze and then turning away.
"Where's Harry gone?" Jayla asks, looking up from her notebook.
"He left," Ron tells her.
"What? When?" She questions, frowning.
"Just now." Hermione tells her.
"How didn't I notice?" The young Heiress wonders.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Harry walks out into the corridor and pauses, hearing something coming from inside one of the classrooms and peeks inside to see a group of Hufflepuffs. "So, anyway, I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory." Ernie informs his friends. "I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best he keep a low profile for a while."
"But why would he want to attack Justin?" Hannah asks, seeming not to believe the rumour about Harry.
"Justin let it slip to Potter that he was Muggle-born." He argues, seeming to believe the rumour.
"And you definitely think Potter's the Heir of Slytherin?" She asks him, frowning.
"Hannah, he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark Wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes?" The blond Hufflepuff reminds her. "They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue." He whispers darkly. "Remember what was written on the wall: Enemies of the Heir Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first-year Creevey's been annoying Potter. Then Creevey's attacked."
"He always seems so nice, though. And, after all, he is the one who made You-Know-Who disappear." The blond girl argues, and Harry nods in agreement.
"That's probably why You-Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him." Ernie reasons, having no proof or common sense, and Harry can't hear anymore, growing angry at everyone talking about it like that and slips away quietly.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
On his way back to the Gryffindor Tower, Harry hears it again and walks into another corridor. The voice of the beast. "Blood…" He leans his ear to the wall. "I wand blood…" He moves along the wall, keeping his ear close, picking up speed. "They all must die…"
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Jayla jerks her head up, hears the all-too-familiar voice again, and jumps to her feet. "Where are you going?" Hermione asks her.
"Harry's about to get into trouble again." Jayla replies vaguely, gathering her books and running out of the Study Area.
"They all must die… Kill…" The voice hisses as she runs faster, following it through the corridors.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Harry storms along the corridor, following the hissing voice in the wall. "Kill... Kill…! Time to kill…." He runs straight into Hagrid, who stands covered in snow, a dead rooster dangling from his hand.
"All righ', Harry?" Hagrid asks, seeing the fearful look on the boy's face.
"Hagrid… what're you doing here?" Harry asks him, frowning.
"Second one killed this term," He explains, holding the poor dead bird. "Reckon it's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin' Bugbear. Need Dumbledore's permission ter put a charm 'round the hen coop. Yeh sure yeh're all righ', Harry? Yeh look all hot an' bothered."
"It's nothing. I'd better get going. I've got a lot of studying…." The ravenette says, lying, and Jayla comes running around the corridor.
"Oh, hello, Jayla," The Groundskeeper greets her.
"Hi, Hagrid," Jayla smiles, glad Harry isn't alone.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
"You shouldn't be walking around on your own." Jayla scolds Harry as they slowly walk back to the Common Room, weary of what they heard.
"I know. I'm sorry about earlier." Harry replies, walking into another corridor to find a flickering torch ahead, and they turn the corner to see something shocking. They find Justin lying rigid on the floor, a look of shock on his face as though he saw something terrifying and floating above him is Nearly Headless Nick, body teeming with black smoke, seeming unconscious. Harry kneels next to Justin's body, and Jayla hears whispering.
"Quickly! Escape!" Jayla finds a trail of spiders scuttling away from Justin's body and out the loose windowpane as it rattles in the wind.
"Jayla…" Harry says, looking at her and seeing Professor McGonagall standing over her shoulder, watching them. "Professor, I swear we didn't -."
"This is out of my hands, Potter, Darkmore. Mr Filch, will you take care of this, please?" McGonagall requests, looking at the two Gryffindors.
"But, Professor…" Jayla protests, eyes shifting to Filch lurking in the shadows beyond the Deputy Headmistress.
"Caught in the act. I'll have you out this time, Potter. Mark my words…." Filch hisses quietly, stepping forward. McGonagall leads Harry and Jayla away, looking back at the caretaker as he stares at Justin and Nick, then turns to them. "Dark Magic. That's what you've got, Potter. Even the air you breathe comes out poison. Making the girl just as bad. You're evil. Evil as they come…."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
McGonagall marches Harry and Jayla through the castle into the Gargoyle Corridor, stopping before a stone gryphon and the Professor places the students under the gargoyle's wings. "Sherbet lemon." McGonagall says, waving her hands and the gargoyle springs to life, moving around in a swirl as it moves upward into a staircase. "Professor Dumbledore will be waiting for you both."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Jayla steps out first, looking around the large, circular room, admiring the strange silver instruments whirling quietly, and Harry joins her in Dumbledore's office and sees the Sorting Hat sitting on a nearby shelf. "Who are these portraits of?" Harry mutters, looking at Jayla.
"I think they're of the old Headmasters." Jayla replies, looking at the snoozing portraits of the past Headteachers.
"There's so many." He mutters.
"The school is over a thousand years old, Harry." She reminds him, smiling softly at the nervous boy, who looks around the room, sees the name plaques on the portraits and spots one of them awake, reading a book. Harry approaches the Sorting Hat, glancing around, and sees Jayla talking to Professor Dippet's portrait and placing the hat atop his head.
"Bee in your bonnet, Potter?" The Sorting Hat questions.
"I - I - I was - I was just wondering if you put me in the right House?" Harry asks him, keeping quiet so Jayla won't hear him.
"Yes… you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said last year… you would have done well in Slytherin." The hat replies, and he strips it off, tossing it back onto the shelf.
"You're wrong!" He snaps, looking at the Sorting Hat as it sits silently.
"Harry, look!" Jayla exclaims, making him wheel around to look at her, seeing her admiring an old, decrepit bird sitting on a golden perch, wobbling, then it bursts into flames as Professor Dumbledore enters.
"Professor, your bird…." Harry stutters, horror-struck, seeing the Headmaster strolling toward them. "We couldn't do anything… He just caught fire."
"About time too," Dumbledore says, surprising the boy. "He's been looking dreadful for days. Pity you had to see him on a Burning Day. He's really very handsome most of the time." He sees the ravenette looking at the ashes, confused. "Fawkes is a Phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes." The Headmaster gestures to the ashes, and a baby Fawkes pokes out his wrinkled head, blinking through the dust.
"Aw!" Jayla smiles, admiring the gorgeous bird. "Hello."
"Hello." Fawkes coos back.
"Fascinating creatures, Phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets." Dumbledore informs them, and suddenly, Hagrid bursts through the door, still clutching the dead rooster, coming to defend his favourite students.
"It wasn't Harry or Jayla, Professor Dumbledore!" Hagrid shouts in protest.
"Hagrid -." He says, but the Groundskeeper cuts him off.
"I was talkin' ter 'em jus' before that kid was found. It can't've ben 'em!" He exclaims their innocence.
"Hagrid -." Dumbledore tries saying again.
"I'll swear ter it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic -." The Gamekeeper argues, stepping up the steps.
"HAGRID!" He shouts, silencing the half-giant. "I do not thing that Harry or Jayla has attacked anyone."
"Oh. Right." Hagrid blushes. "I'll wait outside then." He shyly walks out of the office, and the students look at the Headmaster hopeful.
"You don't think it was us, Professor?" Jayla asks him.
"No, Jayla. But I must ask you… is there anything either of you would like to tell me? Anything at all?" Dumbledore asks them, looking between Harry and Jayla.
"No, Professor. Nothing," Harry answers finally, and the young Heiress frowns.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Jayla stops Harry once they escape the Headmaster's office. "Why didn't you say anything?" She demands.
"I don't know…" Harry answers, and she sighs.
"Okay. But we have to be careful." Jayla warns him. "Come on, straight to the Common Room. No detours."
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The next day, students drift into the snow with their trunks, heading home for the holidays, and the Golden Quartet appears, spotting Ernie and a few others casting wary glances their way. "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin! Seriously evil Wizard coming through!" Fred jokes, trying to cheer Harry up a little by making light of the dark rumours floating around Hogwarts.
"Oh, c'mon, Harry." Ron grins, amused, but sees the ravenette is anything but. "Fred's just having a laugh."
"He's the only one," Harry grumbles.
"Okay, so half the school thinks you're nipping off to the Chamber of Secrets every night. Who cares?" He replies, shrugging.
"Maybe they're right." The raven-haired boy grumbles, frowning.
"Harry!" Hermione snaps, trying to make him see sense.
"I didn't know I could speak Parseltongue. What else don't I know about myself?" Harry argues, growing frustrated. "Maybe you can do something… even something horrible… and not know you did it."
"You don't believe that Harry. I know you don't." Jayla argues back, taking his hand. "And if it makes you feel better, I just heard Draco is staying over for Christmas, too."
"Why would that make anyone feel better?" Ron questions, looking at the others.
"Because…" She grins.
"...in a few days, the Polyjuice Potions will be ready. In a few days... we may honestly know who is the Heir of Slytherin." Hermione finishes and sees the tiny smile on Harry's face as he looks at his hand in Jayla's.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
It's finally Christmas morning, and it is cold and white with the fresh snow outside. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in the dormitory, are woken very early by Hermione and Jayla, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for the both of them. "Wake up," Hermione yells, pulling the curtains at the window.
"Hermione - Jayla - you're not supposed to be in here -." Ron grumbles, shielding his eyes against the light.
"Merry Christmas to you, too." Jayla jokes, placing the large box of presents for everyone on the floor. "If I get woken up early because I need to add more lacewings to the potion. So do you."
"It's ready." Hermione looks at her friends, seeing Harry sitting up, suddenly wide awake.
"Are you sure?" Harry asks her.
"Positive." Jayla replies, and Hermione shifts Scabbers the nasty rat so she can sit on Ron's four-poster bed. "If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight." Hedwig swoops into the room at that moment, carrying a tiny package in her beak.
"Hello," Harry smiles happily as she lands on his bed. "Are you speaking to me again?"
She nibbles his ear affectionately, which is a far better present than the one she brought him, which turns out to be from the Dursleys. They sent Harry a toothpick and a note asking whether he could stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation.
"That's sweet." Jayla comments, sitting on his bed and begins handing out the presents.
"Whoa, thanks, Jayla!" Ron exclaims after opening his gift and looking at the new chess set. "Can we play later?"
"Sure. I'll be red, of course." Jayla replies and watches him open the rest of his presents from the others. Hermione got him a Magical hourglass that refills, Harry got him a Chudley Cannons poster to go with his room, signed by their players, and her family even got him a camera.
"Your turn, Harry." Hermione says and hands him her present, and he opens it to find a red mug with the Gryffindor logo on the side.
"Thanks, Hermione." Harry smiles and goes to the next one, wrapped in gold wrapping paper. "What's this?" He looks at the box, opening it to find a snow globe of Hogwarts.
"It's Magically charmed to show the seasons." Jayla informs him, and he finds at the bottom bracelets with Gryffindor colours and the insignia from her family. Ron got him a glass jar with an image of Hogwarts painted on the side that can be used as a night light.
"Thanks, guys." He smiles, happy to be with his friends. "Your turn, Hermione." He passes his gift to the bushy-haired brunette.
"A walkman?" Hermione questions and sees tapes.
"There of some songs Jayla said you liked." Harry tells her.
"Madona being the biggest one." Jayla smiles. "Open mine next." She hands her the silver-wrapped gift to see a make-your-own ice cream gift box. "It refills."
"Thank you." Hermione smiles at her friends and opens Ron's next to find a black hardback book on little charms.
"I didn't know if you had it already." Ron smiles, shrugging.
"I love it. Thank you." She smiles and opens the gift from Jayla's family, a box of beauty products.
"My turn!" Jayla grins, picking up the first one, which is a black box with the moon cycle on the lid from Ron. Harry got her the Lord of the Rings trilogy books. "Can you read them to me?"
"Why do you do that?" Ron asks her.
"I just like hearing it because I won't remember it as well as if I were to read it. I'll remember it forever then." She explains.
"I'll read them anytime you want, Jayla." Harry tells her and watches her open another present to find a peach and silver dress with a silver hat.
"Who's that from?" Hermione asks, looking at the expensive-looking outfit.
"My Mum. It probably matches with hers and my sister's. It's not as bad as I was thinking." Jayla comments and opens her sibling's gift, finding a pair of red velvet boots that she puts on immediately. "There comfy." She opens her next present, finding a photo frame with something written on it.
Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget.
"Thank you. I love it." She smiles, looking over the Scrabble tiles that make up some words. Jayla hugs her best friend and opens her last present from her father, which is a potion vial holder.
"What's that?" Harry asks, inspecting the egg-shaped white object, and she opens it from the top, tapping the button to reveal empty vials.
"It's a vial holder. An antique one." The young Heiress explains.
"Who gave you that?" Ron asks, looking at the card. "Oh, your Dad. There's a letter for you and a book."
"Oh. Thanks." Jayla says, taking the letter and reading it, smiling. "Oh, this is just what I wanted." She holds the book out to Harry, who frowns, taking it.
"What is it?" Harry asks, opening it and seeing a list of names.
"All British Witches and Wizard families trees." She answers. "Have a look through it."
"Thank. I'll have to write to your Dad as well." He smiles, flipping through the pages.
"Jay!" Hades runs to her owner, pulling at a gift with her name on it toward the girl. "Open it. Open it, please!"
"What's that?" Hermione asks, looking at the tag. "Oh. It's for you, Hades." She smiles, helping open the gift to see a new toy.
"Oh. That matches the one I got you." Jayla remarks, grabbing the other present for her cat, opening it quickly and showing it to her.
"Thank you!" Hades purrs, playing around.
"I wonder how my family are liking their presents?" She wonders, looking at her friends and smiling.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Meanwhile, the Darkmore family celebrate Christmas without Jayla, opening their presents, enjoying their time and looking forward to seeing her again. "Look! Jayjay got me a cool game board!" Mason cheers, looking at the multiple board game. "Can we play later?"
"Of course," Daniel tells him, watching his son, looking at all the gifts around him. He got a pocket watch from Sophia because he kept stealing Jayla's over the summer. Yazmin got him a money box shaped like a dinosaur, and Daniel got him a vintage signet ring with their family insignia.
"Do you think she liked the dress?" Sophia wonders, admiring her children's pink and rose gold charm bracelet around her wrist.
"I think she loves it." He assures his wife, looking at the black and gold tea set he got her, having found it at the junk shop, but released its actual value.
"I hope so." She smiles and places the leather set she bought him on the pictures writing out DAD the children had gotten him.
"Mummy? Can I go play with my dolls?" Yazmin asks, picking up the two Victorian-dressed china dolls, one green and one red.
"Of course, Angel." Sophia answers. "Do you want to try out the hot coco gift as well?"
"Yes, please!" She beams, handing the unicorn-themed hot chocolate gift box.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Back at Hogwarts, the Christmas Feast is on the way in the Great Hall that glimmers grandly as snowflakes from the ceiling. Harry and Ron sit at the Gryffindor table near the end, away from the others, when Hermione and Jayla join them, piling food onto their plates. "Everything's set. We just need a bit of who you're turning into." Hermione announces, taking a bite of her food.
"Crabbe and Goyle." Harry replies, nodding.
"And we also need to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating Draco." Jayla reminds them.
"How?" Ron asks them, and she holds up two cupcakes as an answer.
"I've got it all worked out." She grins, knowing Crabbe and Goyle's love for cupcakes from all the Ministry parties. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. Simple but powerful. Courtesy of my extra potions lessons." Ron glances back at Draco, spotting him with Crabbe and Goyle pigging out at the Slytherin table.
"You know how greedy Crabbe and Goyle are. They won't leave the Christmas Feast until every last drop of trifle is gone." Hermione remarks, scrunching her nose up at them. "Now, once they're asleep, hide them in a broom cupboard and pull a few of their hairs."
"And whose hair are you ripping out?" Ron demands.
"I've already got him." She replies, removing a small vial with a tiny hair inside. "Millicent Bulstrode. She's in Slytherin. I got this off her robes."
"And I'm good friends with Daphne Greengrass' younger sister Astoria. I plucked one while we were talking." Jayla informs them. "All right then… I'm going to check on the Polyjuice Potion."
"Just make sure Crabbe and Goyle find these." Hermione tells them, pointing at the cupcakes before leaving with Jayla to grab the four Slytherins' clothes from the laundry room.
"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?" Ron wonders, looking at Harry, who shrugs back.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
To Ron and Harry's utter amazement, STAGE ONE of the operation goes just as smoothly as Hermione and Jayla said it would. The boys lurk in the deserted Entrance Hall after the Christmas Feast, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle, who remain alone at the Slytherin table, shovelling down fourth helpings of trifle. Harry perches the chocolate cupcakes on the end of the bannisters. When they spot Crabbe and Goyle coming out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron hide quickly behind a suit of armour next to the front door. "How thick can you get?" Ron whispers ecstatically as Crabbe gleefully points out the cakes to Goyle and grabs them. The pair grinning stupidly at the cupcake, stuffing them whole in giant mouths. For a moment, both chew greedily, looking triumphantly and then, without the slightest change of expression, Crabbe and Goyle keel over backwards onto the floor.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The hardest part of their minor operation is hiding Crabbe and Goyle in the closet across the hall. Once they're stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanks out a couple of bristles that cover Goyle's forehead, and Ron pulls out several of Crabbe's hairs. The boys also steal their shoes because their own are far too small for Crabbe - and Goyle-size feet. Still stunned by what they had just done, they sprinted to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom to join the girls.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Harry and Ron can hardly see through the thick black smoke from the stall where Hermione and Jayla stir the cauldron and pull their robes over their faces before knocking softly on the door. "Hermione? Jayla" They hear the scrape of the lock, and Jayla emerges with Hermione behind them, and they hear something bubbling inside four glass tumbles on the toilet seat.
"Did you get them?" Hermione asks breathlessly, and Harry shows them Goyle's hair.
"Good. And we sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Jayla adds, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle." The four Gryffindors stare into the cauldron, and close up, the Polyjuice Potion looks thick, dark mud bubbling sluggishly.
"I'm sure we've done everything right," Hermione remarks, nervously rereading the splotched page of Moste Potente Potions.
"The book says once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves." She warns them.
"Now what?" Ron whispers, looking at the disgusting potion.
"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs." The bushy-haired brunette ladles large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, trembling, she shook Millicent Bulstrode's hair from its bottle into the first glass, making the potion hiss loudly like a boiling kettle and forth madly. A second later, it has turned a sick sort of yellow.
"Urgh — essence of Millicent Bulstrode," Ron groans, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting."
"Add yours, then," Jayla teases him, and Harry drops Goyle's hair into the middle tumbler while Ron does the same and Jayla places her in. The three glasses hiss and froth: Goyle's turns the khaki colour of booger, Crabbe's a dark, murky brown, and Daphne's a bright yellow.
"Hang on," Harry stops the others before they reach for their glasses. "We'd better not all drink
them in here… Once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. And Millicent Bulstrode's no Pixie."
"Daphne's skinny though." Jayla jokes.
"Good thinking," Ron nods, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate stalls." Harry slips into the middle stall, careful not to spill any of his Polyjuice Potion.
"Ready?" Harry calls.
"Ready," The other reply.
"One - two - three -." Harry pinches his nose, drinking the potion down in two large gulps. It tastes like overcooked cabbage. Immediately, his insides start writhing as though he just swallowed live snakes - doubling up, he wonders whether he is going to be sick - then a burning sensation spreads rapidly from his stomach to the very end of his fingers and toes - next, bringing him gasping to all fours, comes a horrible melting feeling as the skin all over his body bubbles like hot wax - and before his eyes, his hands begin to grow, the fingers thickening, the nails broaden, the knuckles bulging like bolts - his shoulders stretching painfully and prickling on his forehead told him that hair is creeping down toward his eyebrows - his robes rip as his chest expands like a barrel bursting its hoops - his feet are agony in shoes four sizes too small.
As suddenly as it started, everything stopped. Harry lies facedown on the stone-cold floor, listening to Myrtle gurgling morosely in the end toilet. He kicks off his shoes with difficulty and stands up. "So this is what it feels like, being Goyle." Harry ponders, pulling off his old robes with trembling large hands, hanging a foot above his ankles, pulling on the spare ones, and lacing up Goyle's boatlike shoes. He reaches up to brush his hair out his eyes, meeting only the short grown wiry bristles low on his forehead. He then realises that his glasses are clouding his eyes because Goyle obviously doesn't need them - he takes them off.
"Are you three okay?" Harry calls out to the others. Goyle's low, raspy voice issues from his mouth.
"Yeah." Crabbe's deep grunt comes from his right.
"Sweet!." Daphne's soft voice comes from his left. Harry unlocks the door and steps in front of the cracked mirror with Goyle staring back at him out of dull, deep-set eyes. Harry scratches his ear. So does Goyle as Ron's door opens. They stare at each other. Except that, he looks pale and shocked. Ron is indistinguishable from Crabbe's pudding-bowl haircut to the long gorilla arms.
"This is unbelievable," Ron says, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose.
"Unbelievable."
"I look pretty good." Jayla comments, coming out of the stall as Daphne, the platinum blond, pale, green-eyed girl.
"We'd better get going," Harry replies, loosening the watch and cutting into Goyle's thick wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. I only hope we can find someone to follow…."
Ron, who gazes at Harry, says, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking." He bangs on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go -."
"I - I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me," Hermione replies in a high-pitched voice.
"Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly; no one's going to know it's you -." Jayla smacks Ron for his comment.
"No - really - I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up. You're wasting time -." She replies as Harry looks at Ron, bewildered.
"That looks more like Goyle," Jayla jokes. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question."
"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asks her through the door.
"Fine - I'm fine - go on -." Hermione replies, and he looks at his watch, seeing five of their precious sixty minutes gone.
"We'll meet you back here, all right?" He tells her, and they race out of the bathroom, carefully checking if the coast is clear before setting off.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
"Don't swing your arms like that." Harry mutters to Ron as they go down the marble staircase.
"Eh?" Ron questions.
"Crabbe hold them sort of stiff…." Jayla explains.
"How's this?" He asks.
"Yeah, that's better…." Harry replies, needing to find a Slytherin so they can find the Common Room, but there's nobody around now. "Any ideas?"
"The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," Ron comments, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. The words barely leave his mouth when a girl with curly hair emerges from the entrance.
"It's this way." Jayla tells the boys, moving toward the dungeon, ignoring Penny Clearwater, hurrying down the stone steps into the darkness, Crabbe and Goyle's huge geet hitting the floor particularly loudly, feeling this isn't as easy as they had hoped.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The labyrinth of passages is deserted. The group walk deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they have left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they are getting desperate, they hear sudden movement ahead. "Ha!" Ron beams excitedly. "There's one of them now!" The figure emerges from a side room. As they hurry nearer, however, their hearts sink. It isn't a Slytherin; it's Percy.
"What're you doing down here?" Jayla asks in surprise but stops, piecing it together, thinking about Penny.
"That," Percy answers stiffly, "is none of your business. It's Daphne, isn't it?"
"So? Was that Penny Clearwater?" She replies, making the boys glance at each other.
"That is definitely none of your business. You should be getting off to your dormitories," The older Weasley warns her sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days."
"You are," Ron points out.
"I," Percy draws himself up, "am a Prefect. Nothing's about to attack me." A voice suddenly reaches behind Harry, Ron and Jayla. Draco Malfoy strolls toward them, and they are pleased to see him for the first time.
"There you are," Draco drawls, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you; I want to show you something really funny." He glances at Daphne. "What are you doing with them?"
"I was looking for Theo." Jayla answers quickly, surprising Harry and Ron.
"And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" He sneers, glancing witheringly at Percy.
"You wand to show a bit more respect to a school Prefect!" Percy demands, outraged. "I don't like your attitude!" Malfoy sneers and motions for Harry, Ron and Jayla to follow him. And Harry almost says something apologetic to Percy but catches himself just in time. They hurry after Malfoy, who says as they turn into the following passage.
"That Peter Weasley -." Draco growls.
"Percy," Ron corrects him automatically.
"Whatever," He snaps. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's Heir single-handed." He snorts, making the boys exchange an excited look.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Malfoy pauses by a stretch of the bare, damp stone wall. "What's the new password again?" He asks Harry.
"Er -?" Harry stumbles.
"Oh, yeah - Pure-blood!" Draco says, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slides open, and he marches through it, and the boys and Jayla follow him.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
The Slytherin Common Room is a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and a ceiling from which round, greenish lamps hang on chains. A fire crackles under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherines are silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs from the fire. "I'll go and get it; my father's just sent it to me -," Draco says, and a minute later, he comes back, holding what looks like a newspaper clipping. He thrusts it under Ron's nose. "That'll give you a laugh." Harry sees Ron's eyes widen in shock and scans the clipping, giving a forced laugh and handing it to Harry. It was a clipping out of the Daily Prophet, and it says:
INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.
Mr Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr Weasley's resignation. "Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws, and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."
Mr Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them.
"Well?" Draco questions impatiently as Harry hands the clip back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?"
"Ha, ha." Harry says bleakly.
"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them." Jayla jokes, making Draco laugh.
"Agreed. You'd never know the Weasleys were Pure-bloods, the way they behave." Draco sneers. Ron's - or rather, Crabbe's - face is contorted with fury. "What's up with you, Crabbe?"
"Stomachache," Ron grunts, holding in his fury at the cocky Pure-blood ferret.
"Well, go up to the Hospital Wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me." He snickers. "You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," He says thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Fathers always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent Headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevye in." Draco starts taking pictures with an imaginary camera, making a cruel but accurate impression of poor Colin. "Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?" He drops his hands and looks at the boys while Jayla sits away, pretending not to listen. "What's the matter with you two?"
Far too late, Harry and Ron force themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seems satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle are always slow on the uptake. "Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend," Draco says slowly. "He's another one with no proper Wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped-up Granger Mudblood. And people think he's Slytherin's Heir!" Harry and Ron wait with bated breath, thinking Draco is undoubtedly seconds away from telling them it was him - but then. "I wish I knew who it is," He says petulantly. "I could help them." Ron's jaw drops so that Crabbe looks even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy doesn't notice, and Harry thinks fast.
"You must have some idea who's behind it all…." Harry questions.
"You know I haven't Goyle; how many times do I have to tell you?" He snaps at him. "And, Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened wither. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing - last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time - I hope it's Granger."
Ron clenches Crabbe's gigantic fists. Feeling it might be a bit of a giveaway if Ron punches Malgoy, Harry warns him and says, "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?"
"Oh, yeah… whoever it was was expelled." Draco reveals. "They're probably still in Azkaban."
"Azkaban?" Harry puzzles, frowning.
"Azkaban - the Wizard prison, Goyle." Malfoy snaps, looking at him in disbelief. "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backwards." He shifts restlessly in his chair, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week?"
Harry tries to force Goyle's dull face into a look of concern. "Yeah…" Draco mutters. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff that my Uncle Daniel would love to get his hands on. Luckily, we've got our own secret Chamber under the drawing room floor -."
"Ho!" Ron exclaims, making Malfoy look at him. So does Harry and Jayla. Ron blushes, and even his hair turns red. His nose is also slowly lengthening - their hour is up. Ron is turning back into himself, and from the look of horror, he is suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too and also means Jayla is too.
The boys jump and see Jayla racing out of the room. "Medicine for my stomach." Rom grunts, and without further words, they sprint the length of the Slytherin Common Room after Jayla, hurling themselves at the stone wall, and dash up the passage, hoping against hope that Malfoy doesn't notice anything.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
Harry can feel his feet slipping around in Goyle's huge shoes and hoists up his robes as he shrinks; they crash up the steps into the dark Entrance Hall, which is full of a muffling pounding coming from the closet where they'd locked Crabbe and Goyle.
"Come on!" Jayla hisses, and Harry smiles, missing her soft, delicate voice as they leave their shoes outside the closet door and sprint in their socks up the marble staircase toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
⒴⒠⒜⒭ ⑵
"Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time," Ron pants, closing the bathroom door behind them. "I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys' drawing room."
"I'll write my Dad too." Jayla grins, untying the Slytherin tie. Harry checks his face in the cracked mirror, seeing he's back to normal and puts his glasses on as Ron hammers on Hermione's stall door.
"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you -." Ron booms.
"Go away!" Hermione squeaks, and the boys look at Jayla for help.
"What's the matter?" Jayla asks. "You must be back to normal by now; we are. What's wrong?" But she doesn't get an answer, and suddenly Moaning Myrtle glides through the stall door. They'd never seen her look so happy.
"Ooooooh, wait till you see," Myrtle beams. "It's awful -." They hear the lock slide back, and Hermione emerges, sobbing, her robes pulled over her head.
"What's up?" Ron asks uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"
"Don't be ridiculous. My potion was perfect." Jayla argues when Hermione's robes fall, and Ron backs into the sink. Her face is covered in black fur. Her eyes are yellow, and her long, pointed ears poking through her hair.
"It was a c-cat hair!" Hermione howls. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"
"Uh-oh," Ron mutters.
"You'll be teased something dreadful." Myrtle chides happily.
"That isn't helping, Myrtle." Jayla snaps.
"It's okay, Hermione," Harry tells her quickly. "We'll take you up to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…."
"It's going to be fine. I promise, Hermione." She assures her friend, pulling her into a hug.
"You promise?" Hermione mumbles into her robes, but it takes a little longer to persuade Hermione to leave the girls' bathroom.
"Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!" Moaning Myrtle speeds them on their way with a hearty guffaw.
"Always a pleasure, Myrtle." The young Heiress shouts before shutting the door on the ghost.