Chapter 2

Three heads, not four

Philosopher's Stone

Harry kept spotting Marley more and more often. Once it came to him that the girl was a part of, essentially, all of his classes, not noticing her became an impossibility. Very often the two would exchange the occasional glance, friendly expression, or a short "Hello" and such.

"Who's that?", Ron asked the first time it happened.

"That's Marley. I met her the other day at the Owlery.", was Harry's chipper response. He had expected his friend to react with some opposition. In the end, Ron came off as pretty neutral.

"At least one nice Slytherin. That's something positive, I suppose.", sanctioned the issue as legal in Harry's mind. It's not like there was any point in being jealous or overly negative towards her. He and Marley had only briefly spoken that one time. She wasn't exactly a friend yet. Just… someone he knew in this big, confusing castle.

It wasn't until she heard him, Ron, and Hermione talking in the distance that she felt the urge to start a conversation.

"I'm telling you, it's spooky. She knows more about you than you do.", the Weasley boy complained. The three came around a corner and up the same set of stairs Marley happened to be walking down on.

"Who doesn't?", escaped Harry's mouth, precisely one second before spotting her.

"Doesn't know what?", Marley spoke with a hint of fear. Harry and Ron exchanged brief looks when Hermione spoke up.

"After his little stunt today, Harry was made Gryffindor's new Seeker.", the girl proclaimed, acting as his PR manager.

"That's wonderful! He's probably the youngest Seeker ever!", she sparkled with joy, hugging a Potions book she carried on her person. Marley and the Boy who lived exchanged a quick smile as Ron rolled his eyes next to him.

"I said that already.", he proclaimed with a hint of dislike. "Come on, let's go-"

As he stepped forth, a rumbling alerted the bunch, Harry, Marley, and Hermione holding on to the railing as Ron almost fell over.

"What's happening?!", Harry yelped.

"The staircases change, remember?", Hermione assured them. As the kids finally found their footing, so did the set of stairs come to a halt.

"Let's just go that way", Harry spoke with confidence.

"Before the staircase changes its mind again.", Ron added, supporting the boy's plan. As the two and Hermione hasted upwards, Harry finally stopped to look back.

"Are you coming, Marley?", he asked, the girl flinching ever so slightly, holding onto the railing for dear life.

"Uh... no-no, I'm... fine. I think I'll just... stay here."

"Don't be silly.", Hermione protested, "Your path down to the common room is cut off. Come up here and wait with us until they start moving again."

Her head having previously focused on the abyss below now very suddenly jolted towards Hermione and Harry.

"They'll start moving again?!", Marley squeaked.

"Come on, you can wait up here with us, Marley. It'll be okay", Harry responded, hoping to sound reassuring. To his surprise, he apparently did.

"Alright, I'm... I'm coming up."

A quick gulp later and Marley started carefully climbing the stairs as if each step was coated in ice. As her right foot reached the solid platform, the rumbling returned, almost causing her to drop.

"AH!", the girl whimpered as she luckily fell forward, avoiding any unfortunate staircase accidents.

"Are you alright?", Hermione asked, both she and Harry helping her get back on her feet.

"I'm... fine. Thanks. Sorry for that."

Harry conjured up a warm smile as he handed her the Potions book she dropped just a second ago.

"Don't worry about it.", he calmly proclaimed. Marley could feel the heat rising with embarrassment as she smiled back at him.

"Where did Ron go?", Hermione interjected.

A few steps later and the others rejoined Ron in a dark, creepy hallway. Long, nasty spiderwebs everywhere seem to have frozen the Weasley kid.

"I don't know if I prefer this over the stairs...", Marley complained quietly.

"Does anyone else get the feeling like we're not supposed to be here?", Harry added.

"We're not. This is the third floor. It's forbidden.", Hermione uttered, confirming their suspicions. Marley felt a brief shudder wandering down her spine as she spotted the ghoul-like statues decorating the hallway, moving just an inch closer to Harry in response. As if all of those things weren't terrifying on their own, the quartet finally turned back towards the staircase, their path blocked by one feline guardian.

"That's Mrs. Norris.", Hermione gulped.

"Filch's cat?!", Marley howled.

"Let's go!", exclaimed by Harry is what got the girls plus Ron to finally rush the other way, venturing further down this forbidden path as empty torch pillars by the side seemed to spontaneously flare up as they passed by. Nowhere else to go, Harry was the first to reach an old wooden door, rattling at the handle as he attempted to open it.

"It's locked!", he squeaked in terror, already having broken school laws once today.

"We're doomed...", Ron whined in an unexpectedly high pitch. Meanwhile Marley, fiddling in her pockets, finally took out her short, black wand.

"I think there's a spell for that.", Marley pondered. Before she could be of use though, the other witch cleared her throat.

"Step aside.", Hermione coldly ordered, Harry and Marley following suit. The girl had her wand out as well now, pointing it at the rusty lock with calculated precision.

"Alohomora.", she uttered, almost like a whisper. And with it, the lock, hence the door as well, opened, allowing the kids to step into a dark, tall room as they caught their breaths.

"Alohomora?", Ron inquired with a thick coat of scepticism.

"Standard Book of Spells, chapter-"

"Chapter 7, right?", Marley blurted out, finishing Hermione's sentence.

"Yes.", the Gryffindor girl reacted with excitement, "And I thought I was the only one who actually studies here..."

"Oh, I'm only really into spells and potions. But I remember Alohomora. I feel embarrassed that I couldn't come up with it myself..."

As the two girls chattered, Ron couldn't help himself but to shake his head. Harry shrugged reassuringly, though the Weasley boy seemed to disagree with his friendly attitude, deciding to press his head against the door instead, trying to make out any footsteps or such.

"Do you think Filch is gone by now?", Hermione asked the grumpy boy with her arms crossed.

"I don't know. I can't hear him, so that's... good?", Ron answered and asked at the same time.

"I suppose we have to wait here for a bit.", Marley surmised. "At least it's not as bad as falling off the stairs..."

"You... might want to reconsider there, Marley...", Harry cut in, his voice quivering with unease. At his cryptic statement, Leaghon briefly popped out of Marley's necklace, illuminating the moving pile of flesh ahead, casting a colourful shine that identified the creature as it was showered in light. Slowly but surely, all four kids took a step or two back as the three-headed dog began to growl, fletching its teeth.

"AHHHHH!", they shouted, causing the mutt to bark. As quickly as Marley's pixie was back in her necklace, the kids had already escaped through the door, shoving it against one of the dog heads as it attempted to take a bite out of whoever was unfortunate enough to be in reach. Thankfully no one was, and with combined strength, four eleven-year-olds were somehow able to shut the door again, Hermione putting the lock back on and ending their nightmare.

Back at the staircase, one of them had to take a different turn.

"Where are you going?", Harry asked the hurried Slytherin. She briefly turned around with clear unease written all over her face.

"I have to go back to the common room, otherwise I'll get into trouble. I'm... really sorry I got you into this mess. I didn't mean to..."

Distressed and with way too much adrenaline in her bloodstream, the young witch hurried down the stairs, her fear of heights briefly supressed.

"Marley, wait! It's not your fault!", Harry tossed after her.

"Harry, we have to go too. Come on.", Hermione reminded him. Whether or not Marley even heard him, the boy wasn't sure.

And it's not like she was in the headspace for that. After days of trying to come up with a strategy to finally talk to the boy and try to become friends, well... this now happened. Them seeing her be embarrassing and scared was one thing, but the near-death experience? She wouldn't be able to look a single one of them in the eyes again.

Hurrying down further towards the dungeons, Marley's heartbeat only seemed to increase. She had no one here. No one in Hogwarts was her friend. Harry was the closest thing to one, and now she almost got him killed. How will she-

"Good evening, Miss Verpe.", a brooding voice made her blood freeze. Right at the entrance to their common room, one Potions Professor eyed her in a hauntingly thespian manner.

"Professor Snape, I... I'm so sorry. I know it's late-"

"So you are aware of the passage of time, I presume? Which is how you must have figured that you are past exit times for first year students.", Snape responded in one gross, continuous thread.

"Yes, I...", a hint of tears finally revealed themselves on her face, causing Snape to uncross his arms. "It's just that... the stairs started moving, and... I got lost..."

Marley was on the verge of sobbing, and truly, at her lowest-

"Don't let your emotion take charge when responding.", the man hissed with the potency of a toxic substance. "You show great potential in my class, Miss Verpe. You do so because of your precision and focus on what's important."

Letting her dangle on that for a moment, Snape took a few steps closer, somehow morphed a tiny bit less intimidating in the process.

"I would prefer if you were to apply your abilities in potion making to your general mode of conduct.", Snape continued, Marley listening closely. "Next time when you find yourself lost and late, it would be wise not to panic. Do you agree?"

His hands folded and with a glaring intensity directed towards her, Marley got herself together, underlining this with a deep breath.

"Yes, Professor. I will be more careful next time.", she stated without a voice crack or hint of inner turmoil. Supposedly the man was satisfied, though she could honestly not tell the difference.

"Show up late again and you will receive detention."

Marley clasped onto her Potions book tighter as the professor started waltzing away.

"Good night, Miss Verpe.", he spoke as he departed, the words as sharp as daggers. Marley, alongside... anyone else, had always found Snape rather ominous, and for good reason. She knew for a fact that Harry hated him. But after today, Marley felt a hint of comfort from the sinister man, a sensation she felt gave her the confidence she needed to continue.

Maybe she got Harry and his friends in a pickle, but what of it? The girl is convinced that next time she could speak to him things would get cleared up.

As Marley drifted off under her bedsheets, she dreamt of Harry's impressive broom flying skills.