Chapter 26

Killing me softly

Chamber of Secrets

"No, I think Hermione and I will be headed to the library after.", Marley had answered that morning, managing a weak smile as she looked up from her porridge, "But I'll see you later after the match."

That was that then. Both girls had switched sides, not convinced that Hagrid could be the culprit behind everything, accidental or not, which shook up Harry's own believes that morning.

"You know, you could be helping us, Ron.", Hermione passive aggressively suggested.

"And waste another few hours of my lifetime in the library? No thank you.", he shot back with venom, the girl pouting as she stormed off. Marley, herself still a little uneasy, got up as well as she followed her friend.

"See you later!"

"Bye, Marley!", Harry managed to spit up with a full mouth, almost making a mess in the process, though narrowly avoiding it.

And that was about it. Harry assumed for certain that they would lose today's game, his head was somewhere else entirely for the remainder of the day, the match taking place in the afternoon. Ron was mostly by his side, offering some help as they fixed up the crime scene surrounding his bed. Whilst occupied with the quiet process, which did involve some basic repair hexes, Harry's doubts continued to buzz around his brain like a swarm of flies. It's not like with their current task they could be of much use when it came to Chamber business, and so it was finally time to break the ice and catch up on other things. What's the worst that could happen?

"Ron?", he began, unsure of himself, "Can I ask you a question?"

Fearing something boring incoming, the Weasley boy braced himself.

"Sure.", he absentmindedly responded while filing through Harry's socks, attempting to pick put pairs.

"Do you think... well... Marley's told you she likes boys and girls, right?"

In response, Ron side-eyed him with genuine distain for what was about to happen.

"Uh-huh?"

"Well... I was just wondering... do you think... do you think she already know if she likes someone?"

This turned out to be Sir Ronald's breaking point, the boy letting out an annoyed grunt as he dropped the act.

"Mate, if you like her, just tell her."

This got the other lad to shut up for a moment, Ron focusing on his mundane work again before getting a response.

"Oh, no-no-no-no! I-I didn't mean it like that!

This got the Weasley to drop his stern demeanour and stare back with a bit of shame.

"Oh. Sorry there. I thought you-"

"I don't like Marley that way!", Harry defended himself way too hard. Truthfully, he hadn't thought about that option beyond a silly rumour that he and her were an evil couple behind all these attacks.

"Okay! Take it easy!", his friend now got defensive, "I honestly thought you're both into each other. Sorry, wasn't trying to insult you."

Hopefully that's the end of that conversation, Ron thought to himself as he huffed out the awkward energy.

"Wait... so you think Marley... fancies me?"

What followed was the phrase "bitch please" communicated via the sassiest of Weasley expressions.

"Harry. She's mad about you. It's the same thing that Ginny does where she talks about you all the time, except Marley and you are actually friends, and you hang out together all the time. I've got no experience with girls, thank Merlin, but I have multiple older brothers and when they had girlfriends all of them acted like that. It's super obvious and it's honestly getting annoying to watch."

While his friend briefly opened a drawer to stack pairs of socks in bundles, Harry sat down and hunched over, his world somewhat shattering in front of his eyes as he let the revelation sink in. It would explain a lot of things, he of course did notice Marley turning red a lot, always assuming she was just very shy in certain situations. Okay. Wow. So, the girl was into her. His stomach tickled and his face felt numb as he allowed the thought to flourish. Again, he himself hadn't even considered the option of whether or not he could like her back.

Or if... he wanted to. They were still very young, after all. Not like being boyfriend and girlfriend was all that exciting when you're 12 1/2. Or was it?

"Do you think I should talk to her?", Harry asked innocently.

"YES!", Ron exploded, getting up, "Bloody hell – please just tell her you're not interested and that you just want to be friends! Please Harry, please! Do it for me, I can't take it anymore..."

In a bit of a dramatic crescendo the Weasley let himself fall down on his own bed with a groan, Harry nodding as his mind began plotting.

Alright, he'd have a very important conversation with Marley later. He'd tell her that he wanted to remain friends, which was entirely the truth, he would never ever want to risk not having her around. He just didn't fancy her, that's all.

Or... suppose it'd be more accurate to say that he didn't know if he fancied her. Or was that the same thing? Well, no... he clearly didn't fancy Hermione, he knew that much. So what else was he going to tell her?

Oh – the peck! Darn it, he thought, that probably gave her the wrong impression! Alright, he'd have to say sorry for that. Sorry, I kissed you, Marley. I wasn't... well, I didn't... um...

Why did I kiss her? Probably a place to start. He was mainly worried to death for an hour while the girl was stuck in a magic diary. He couldn't get Hermione or Ron (though let's face it, only Hermione would've been helpful) since he didn't want to abandon Marley, in case she needed help coming back, and he couldn't possibly get a teacher since they wanted to keep the DADA room a secret. So, he had just waited, nervously. And when she had finally come back, that overwhelming relief was not able to be restrained. Surely, had it been Ron or Hermione, he'd have acted the same. But... he wouldn't have kissed them, would he?

Did I... did I want to kiss Marley?

"Potter!", the soothing, Irish voice of Oliver Wood pulled him back to the moment, Gryffindor team going through their game plan one last time in a tiny tent with a blackboard.

"Sorry.", Harry shamefully blurted out, his head as red as a tomato, readjusting his glasses while the captain went on.

"Like I said, we play our game, we play smart. If we do that, Hufflepuff won't stand a chance.", he announced very convincingly. The team got up right after, Harry taking deep breaths as he tried putting all of that nonsense in a mental drawer for now and focus on the upcoming game instead.

"We're stronger, better, and faster.", Wood continued as the crimson squad rolled up towards the field.

"And not to mention they think Harry'll turn them into stone if they fly anywhere near him.", either Fred or George joked, which one the boy couldn't differentiate right now. Oliver simply shrugged the mean comment off.

"Well, that too."

A strange anxiety grew in Harry's stomach as they spotted a certain teacher at the pitch entrance, the stern old lady looking anything but amused.

"Professor McGonagall.", Gryffindor's captain greeted her.

"This match has been cancelled.", she proclaimed in a flat tone.

"They can't cancel Quidditch.", Oliver tried to protest-

"Silence, Wood. You and your teammates will go to Gryffindor Tower immediately."

There was no spite or scolding in her voice, instead a harsh note that clearly tried to overshadow serious distress. The captain silently complied and while the whole team left, Harry stood there with nervous anticipation as the old lady approached him next.

"You and I will go and find Mr. Weasley. There's something you both need to see."

It was dreadful, about the worst experience of Harry's life, and he's had lots of terrible examples. None of it was as bad being led in silence by McGonagall, eventually arriving in the Hospital Wing, which possessed as strangely soft brightness so late in the afternoon.

"I must warn you. This could be a wee bit of a shock.", she mournfully prepared them. Though honestly, nothing could ever prepare them for what they were about to see.

It had finally happened. And it wasn't just Hermione.

"Oh no...", Ron trembled at the sight.

Miss Granger looked as though she was standing when it happened, her right hand held up and her mouth gaping open.

Marley was kneeling, placed on the side, with her fingers spread and her face expressing pure horror. While she allowed the boys to take it in, McGonagall respectfully gestured to the nightstand in between both girls.

"They were found near the library, along with these."

She proceeded to point at a hand mirror, Marley's glasses, broken, and the locket containing Leaghon, the pixie itself resting quietly on the girl's cheek, wings moving as slowly as they possibly could.

"Does this mean anything to you?"

Ron stepped forward to answer, as Harry's pale expression petrified the boy almost as much as whom they were visiting right now.

"No.", Mr. Weasley spoke with a hollow voice, "But I'll better take this."

He proceeded to gently pick up Marley's locket, hanging it around his own neck as he knew from the girl that, if it were to be left alone for too long, Leaghon would eventually grow distrustful of humans over time. That much he remembered.

"Is there anything else I can do for you...", their professor began, though she went silent as they heard a noise coming from Harry.

Tears had erupted from his eyes a while ago, by this point however, he was full on sobbing, removing his glasses as he hid his face and his pain behind the Quidditch uniform's sleeve.

"Oh... Potter...", the older woman rushed over as she patted his back. Ron felt grief as well, of course, to him the girls were just as much his best friends as Harry was. But for some odd reason he felt like he couldn't show it, felt like he had to be the brave one while the Boy who lived crumbled.

As Harry continued on like that Leaghon found the strength to fly back into his locket hanging around the Weasley's chest, and brave Sir Ronald took a deep breath as he braced himself.

No one had ever seen McGonagall with her stern exterior broken. All of Gryffindor house had been summoned in the common room, the elder reading off a list of new rules and guidelines after this latest... attack. The other houses were most likely informed at the same time by their respective teachers, Ron wondering for a moment if Snape would falter as well, with his favourite Potions student being one of the newest victims. By the end of her dour speech the regal teacher powered down for a moment before speaking more eye-to-eye.

"I should tell you this – if the culprit behind these attacks is not found, Hogwarts will most likely be closed."

This dour mood persisted to until the Weasley and Harry were back up in their dormitory, Neville, Dean, and Seamus still back down in the common room, allowing them some space as Ron rummaged his friend's belongings while the Boy who cried sat quietly on his bed, legs crossed and still in his Quidditch uniform.

"We've got to go to Hagrid, Harry.", Ron worried aloud as he kept digging through drawer after drawer, "I know it's unlikely that it was him, but on the off chance that he did set the creature free, it means he knows where the Chamber is. Plus, he's an expert of magical beasts."

Harry didn't protest any of this behaviour, he did, in fact, not say much at all. His eyes were still swollen and red with the image of two of his best friends lying there, petrified, when he should've protected them, remaining permanently chiselled into his vision.

Oh, who was he lying to – spotting Hermione was terrible, and surely made his skin crawl, but seeing Marley like that? That broke him.

"Come on, Harry!", Ron tried to keep him afloat, "We need your invisibility cloak? Where did you put it?"

"It's no use.", the other Gryffindor finally answered, a flat, cold tone missing any life it had before, "You heard McGonagall. We're not allowed to leave. And they're closing the school soon anyways."

It really dawned on him here what this would entail. No more magic. A life with the Dursleys. Not being able to see his friends.

No Marley.

"It's all my fault", he trembled as some leftover tears began surging down his cheeks, "We should've protected them. We should've been more careful – I should've been-!"

"Will you stop that?!", Ronald Weasley barked at him, eyes of his own that shone with fear, but refused to crumble when hope was still not quite lost yet, "I know you must feel bad, I do to. But if we give up now, if don't try to find out who's behind this all..."

He also pondered on it for a moment. The girls were his friends too, and while Harry and Marley was it's own special thing – he still owed it to them.

"We have to try it for them! If they wake up with the Mandrake Potion and discover that we gave up, they'll never talk to us again!"

This at least got Harry to stop crying, Ron piling on top of his speech as Leaghon heroically swirled around his head a bit.

"You're Harry bloody Potter – the Boy who lived! You fought Lord Voldemort twice and you won! So go put on some proper clothes, tell me where your dad's cloak is, and let's GO!"

As both the boys snuck down a set of moving stairs Harry made a mental note to always be grateful to Ron for his bravery that day, and though it was unclear where it came from, it sure as hell made Sir Ronald look like a gosh darn badass.

"The castle seems so empty.", that same badass naively whispered next to Harry under the cloak. Harry shushed him right away as they made their way to the tall bridge leading to the outer perimeter, the sun almost fully set at this point, with the sounds of insects buzzing in the green.

"We don't need to worry.", the Weasley nonchalantly responded in a quiet tone, "Noone's here anyway with the curfew. I doubt we'll run into anyone."

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

With a comedic fabric noise the invisible cloak slipped right above them, hovering in the air as a certain smug bastard held up his wand to keep it up there.

"I always wondered how you did all that sneaking without getting caught.", Malfoy mused with a smirk, not at all suspecting Harry to rush the boy and grab his green sweater with a harsh glare behind those glasses.

"Let it go. I don't have time for this!", he growled with his own wand raised.

"Who goes there!?", a fowl voice croaked in the distance. The three boys shared quick looks of despair, forming a temporary truce as Draco let the cloak hover back down, covering them all in time before Filch could arrive and catch them. The old git mumbled something in his anger before disappearing into some smaller corridor, allowing the "trio", all seated, to continue negotiations, with everyone having their wands out.

"I'm not here to pester you, Potter.", Malfoy began with a scowl.

"You want to tell on us again and lose another round of house points?", Ron suggested provocatively.

"No!", the Slytherin retorted, all conversation for now basically whisper. He finally lowered his wand, it was black just like Marley's, though much chubbier and longer, "I'm here to help.", he admitted in a defeated tone. Harry dramatically scoffed at the mere suggestion.

"And we're supposed to believe you?", he said, anger and grief still clouding his mind.

"I don't want Hogwarts to be closed! It's-", he stumbled over his own words and feelings, "It's my home too. Plus..."

The blonde boy paused yet again, and Harry already suspected what was coming next.

"Marley offered to be friends once, I haven't been much of a friend to her at all though. I... I want to change that."

Malfoy's eyes, surprisingly vulnerable and soft, checked both of their reactions as Harry and Ron shared a fateful look, coming to a decision.

"You can help us.", became the verdict spoken by the Boy who lived, the temporary trio getting back up as they kept walking towards the bridge.

"But you can't be nasty around us.", Ron demanded, Draco rolling his eyes in overt disgust.

"And you can't tell anyone about the cloak.", became the other thing, added by Harry.

"I can keep a secret.", the Slytherin defended himself, still standing in between the Gryffindors, "I haven't told anyone about your Polyjuice excursion, have I?"

His companions nodded approvingly at first, then switched over to shock.

"How'd you know it was Polyjuice?", Ron whinged.

"Surprisingly, Granger was much nicer to me than you two."

"Who's there?!"

A visit to Hagrid became Draco's first trial by fire, the imposing half-giant kicking open his door as he aimed a loaded crossbow at his front entrance.

"Hello? Hello!", he called out into the almost-dark, finally lowering his weapon as the boys took off their invisibility tool.

"What's that for?", Harry asked, sounding concerned, pointing at the, again, loaded crossbow that was aimed at his heart a few seconds ago.

"Oh, that's nothing. I was expecting...", his voice quieted down as he squinted his eyes at the odd-one-out, "Blimey – what's Malfoy doing here?"

Being obviously intimidated by his words, Harry found himself once again forced to step in.

"He's here as a... friend."

They accepted that all for now and found the adult giant rolling with current circumstances.

"Come on in, I just made a pot of tea."

Of course, finally standing inside, things didn't seem cozy or relaxed – quite the opposite. Malfoy got the chills from all the strange little critters and cages, plus Fang the dog, eyeing him with dull eyes. Their host was also visibly shaking as he poured the first cup, filling it to the brim as it began to overflow like an amateur fountain.

"Hagrid, are you okay?", Harry asked, having regained his kind, strong, normal self.

"I'm alright. I'm fine.", was the man's answer, spoken absentmindedly as he set the pot down again.

"Did you... did you hear about...", the Boy who hesitated began, lacking the strength to finish his sentence.

"Hermione and Marley? All right, I did.", Hagrid scoffed, his voice appropriately shocked at the news.

"Look...", Harry sighed as he skipped to the chase, "...we need to ask you about the Chamber of Secrets. Do you know who's opened it?"

Hagrid turned to him with a look on his face that, by itself, was already a desperate scream.

"What you have to understand about that, is-"

A knock on the door disrupted all of that, Fang barking loudly as Ron and Draco moved over to the corner of the room with the heater.

"Quick! Under the cloak, all three of you!", Hagrid demanded as they followed suit, "Not a word!"

"Oh, Professor Dumbledore, sir.", the half-giant finally spoke at a normal volume as he opened the door, greeted by the kind, old headmaster and another, slightly younger man, wearing mutton chops and a strangely washy expression meant to infer a serious tone.

"Good evening, Hagrid. I wonder if we could..."

"Of course. Come in, come in."

As the two gentlemen entered both Ron's and Draco's eyes widened, and their jaws loosened slightly.

"That's Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.", the Weasley explained in his softest, quietest whisper so far, "He's my dad's boss."

"And my dad's.", Draco added, similarly faint, but not as starstruck.

"What brings you here tonight?", Hagrid asked uneasy, already guessing where this might be headed.

"Bad business, very bad business.", Fudge explained as he shook his hand in an exaggerated gesture, "Had to come. Three attacks on Muggle-borns and one on a girl from an influential wizarding family – things have gone far enough. The Ministry has to act."

"But I never...", the beefcake began to stutter, "...you know I'd never, sir!"

"I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full support.", Dumbledore declared kindly, though in vain.

"I understand, Albus. But Hagrid's record is against him. I have got to take him in."

"Take me? Take me where?! Not Azkaban!"

"I'm afraid we have no choice, Hagrid.", Fudge finished off the exchange with a dour sigh, though Harry thought that the Minister did not look personally affected by this. Whatever Azkaban was, it must have been one hell of a place, based on how much shakier the half-giant had become.

Then, another knock, apparently there was a secret party at Hagrid's tonight.

"Already here, Fudge? Good."

A voice that pierced like daggers and rushed through one's bloodstream like mercury, it gave all three of them, to quote McGonagall, "a wee bit of a shock", most of all Malfoy, the young Slytherin practically cowering as his mouth trembled and his eyes became misty. Harry had never been one to feel sympathy for someone as nasty and elitist as Draco, but tonight he saw him in quite a different light, reminded yet again that he too was just a boy.

"What are you doing here?", Hagrid protested, openly hostile and dearly missing his crossbow, "Get out of my house!"

"Believe me...", Lucius Malfoy oozed as he entered, "...I take little pleasure in being inside of your..."

The repugnant blonde almost accidently bumped into our temporary trio, Harry grabbing Draco's arm as they all took a step back, a gesture of kindness that also helped calm the Slytherin down a bit. Truly, anyone frightened by the sight of their father must not have it easy, and, crucially, that parallel between Malfoy and Marley is what finally got Harry to trust their strange, new ally.

"You call this a house?", the caned diva added before turning to face Dumbledore, "No, I simply called up the school, and was informed the headmaster would be here."

"And what is it exactly, that you want from me?", Dumbledore inquired, sounding almost confrontational.

"The other governors and I have come to a decision – it is time for you to step aside.", he held up a roll of parchment to make a point of showing he meant business, "This is an order of suspension, you'll find all twelve required signatures on it. We feel that, with all these attacks, that you have rather lost your... touch.", he scoffed briefly before he continued, "And... with all these attacks on Muggle-borns, I'm afraid there'll be none left soon."

The man tactically turned away to hide his distain, though it was at full display for the Gryffindor boys and the Malfoy heir.

"I can only imagine what an awful loss that would be to the school.", clearly sarcasm, clearly didn't mind showcasing his bigotry for the world to see. Lucius Malfoy celebrated that moment, but it was also precisely when he lost Draco Malfoy.

"You can't take Professor Dumbledore away!", Hagrid protested bravely, having once been a Gryffindor himself, "Without him, those Muggle-borns won't stand a chance! There'll be killings next, mark my words!"

"Calm yourself, Hagrid.", Dumbledore cut in before Mr. Malfoy could add any more rotten spice, "If the governors desire my removal, I shall comply. However...", he turned to Lucius before continuing, "...you will find that help will always be given at Hogwarts, to those who ask for it."

The elder proceeded to stare directly at Harry, meeting his eyes on accident(?) before walking off towards the door. Lucius Malfoy repeated this motion but found himself frustrated as he spotted nothing.

"Admirable sentiments. Shall we?", he hissed one last time as he departed next, "Fudge?"

"Come on, Hagrid.", the Minister demanded with a weak voice, "Well?"

Before his arrest could be finalized, the hulking giant cleared his throat as he unnaturally added a few more things, in case any kids under an invisibility cloak were with them in the room.

"If um, if anybody was looking for some stuff, all they'd have to do is follow down the spiders.", normal thing to say, of course, "Yep, that'll lead 'em right. All I have to say."

On their way out, Fang barked a final time, making Fudge flinch as he tried appeasing the mutt with a weak smile.

"Good boy..."