CHAPTER 31
The Staff Room, Ten Seconds Later…
"We're bloody doomed." The portentous weight of Amy's whispered words settled over all of them, and Harry once more found himself thankful for his Occlumency skills. He allowed himself to further sink into a meditative state, to cruelly squash down the acrid burst of panic that churned in his gut in response to Amy's statement. Now was not the time.
"We're not down yet." Everyone turned to Harry's direction, who'd settled down on the floor and removed one of the talking parchments Hermione had given him.
"What are you doing?"
"Sending a message to my godfather. Probably should have done this sooner but I imagine now is a better time than ever. We need auror intervention, especially now that Dumbledore's been petrified. I imagine a school without a headmaster is a bit of a moot point." Luna snorted in amusement, though she didn't disagree.
"That's…that's not going to work Potter." Harry's head snapped up at Bonnevie's statement, leaving a horrified Sirius on read.
"Why not?!"
"Because in accordance with the Hogwarts Charter, aurors are considered an attacking military force due to the enchantments and wards put in place by the Founders to stave off invader armies during the Norman Conquest. The wards become virtually impenetrable once the Headmaster is incapacitated. The only person who could've suppressed them to allow the aurors in is Professor McGonagall as his Deputy, but that would only be after a 72 hr period. Though I imagine it's a moot point now." She grimaced in the direction of the felled tabby cat. Harry could only blink in response, simultaneously frustrated and amazingly reminded of Hermione when she quoted Hogwarts, A History verbatim.
"Welp, there goes that plan," said Amy sardonically. "Is there any other alternative at this point? Because I imagine if no one else can get it, then we can't get out."
"Not quite." Harry allowed a bit of hope to blossom in his heart. "Potter, your godfather is a member of the Governor's Board, correct?" Harry nodded. House Black practically held a hereditary seat at this point. "Good. Members of the board are technically considered part of the school's administration due to the role - albeit limited - that they help play in keeping the school funded. Have him get as many of the other board members that he can. Each of them can bring in an auror as a 'personal guest', make sure they use the Floo here since the one in the Headmaster's office will be inaccessible. The wards will recognize that title and give it precedence over their auror one. Better if they're out of uniform as well." The witch blushed at the amazed expression leveled in her direction, cheeks further reddening at Harry's proclamation of "Brilliant Bonnevie!"
Harry quickly relayed the message to Sirius, who let him know that he'd get it done.
"Right, so here's the plan." The room's occupants gathered close to him in a semi-circle formation. "Tamsin, as the Head Girl, you're probably the closest thing we have to a de facto school leader at this point. Have one of the house elves move Professor Dumbledore to the Hospital Wing and let Madam Pomfrey know the situation at hand." Tamsin, while still in a state of shocked, didn't look quite as dazed as she previously had when she'd first arrived at the room. "Actually…is it possible to summon a house elf to supervise each of the other Houses? None of them have any more prefects or Head Boys or Girls to spare."
"Actually…I believe so. Nitwit! Oddment! Blubber! Tweak!" Four simultaneous pops announced the arrival of the head house elves, with Harry realizing (with a touch of embarrassment) that the Headmaster's strange pronouncement before the start of every Sorting Feast was a code for the elves, signaling them to summon the food to the Great Hall. He watched Nitwit and Oddment (the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff elves) gaze around them in shock, eyes widening comically at the scene before them. Blubber covered his or her mouth in shock, while Tweak's lips thinned significantly.
Wasting no time, Tamsin lowered herself until she was eye-level with the elves and explained (in a gentle yet firm tone) the current situation. She instructed Oddment to go to Dumbledore and take him to the Hospital Wing, asking him to come back for the remaining victims in the staff room. She instructed Nitwit and Blubber to inform the Upper Years in their respective Houses of the situation, and to make sure that they all remained in their Common Rooms. Tweak was to provide Miranda any assistance that she required for Slytherin.
As the elves popped away to perform their tasks, Harry continued his delegation. He, Luna, and Miranda would return to the Slytherin Common Room and regroup. He'd tried to convince Amy to go to the Lions' Den so she could be safe, but he'd soon discovered the petite witch was significantly more stubborn (and scarier) than she'd ever let on. Despite his irritation at her bullheadedness, Harry found himself oddly endeared to the girl. 'After all, we are technically cousins.'
The Lair, 6:19PM
The sound of forks clinging was all that could be heard as the room's occupants enjoyed a small meal. Upon realizing that they would definitely be missing dinner in light of recent events, Tamsin had requested the Head elves to provide a buffet meal for each of the houses.
Oddly enough, Bonnevie considered it to be quite the stroke of luck; she'd finally been let in on what constituted the true seat of power within Slytherin House. And naturally, Harry Potter (a Parselmouth no less!) had succeeded in claiming it for himself. Even more impressive was that Potter had succeeded in cultivating Draco - his once enemy - into a worthwhile ally. 'Cassius really hasn't a clue what he's dealing with.' She snorted on reflex, before blushing at Potter and Lovegood's curious glances. If she'd noticed the unnervingly intense way Lovegood would occasionally stare above her head, she made sure not to comment.
Once their repass was complete Tweak popped in and cleared their plates, leaving behind a large bowl of whipped cherry cream dessert that Luna eagerly dug into as the other two discussed a useful tactical plan.
"I forgot to ask Bonnevie-"
"Miranda," she interrupted softly. "You…you can call me Miranda."
Harry stared unblinkingly for a few moments. "As long as you call me Harry." She gave a soft nod. "Right. So, we'll know soon enough once Sirius succeeds in getting the aurors over, but we still don't know who the Heir of Slytherin is or what exactly is the Chamber of Secrets, much less where it can be found. That we have no feasible way of reviving the petrified victims goes without saying. Especially since the most competent potioneer we know is still hospitalized." In spite of occluding, his frustration still bled through his voice.
"Well," said Luna as she eagerly lapped up a spoonful of cream. "Based on our last bit of theorizing about the Heir of Slytherin, we do know that he or she is a past Emeritus, though we weren't certain if it was Prince or Consilierii. He or she is also a Parselmouth, which I imagine makes commanding a basilisk considerably easier. Not sure what either has to do with the Chamber of Secrets though…or what that even is…" She trailed off in confusion, before shaking off her suddenly fuzzy thoughts. "Anywho, we also know that there's some element of possession at play, more than likely due to the Dark Lord's involvement-" Miranda violently choked at that statement.
"You're bloody joking! How is that even possible?!" That led to Harry giving a quick recap of everything that happened with Dark-Quirrell in Year 1, making sure that a pale-faced Miranda swore a Secrecy Oath to not reveal any of what he'd divulged to her. Granted while the Lair's protections would provide the necessary security protections, it never hurt to err on the side of excess caution. Especially with Miranda's connection to the Selwyns.
"So you reckon whatever's going on with the Heir of the Slytherin has to do with the Dark Lord?"
"Indeed. I think the most feasible option is that the Dark Lord is actively possessing someone competent enough to pull off all of these dangerous schemes. The Chamber of Secrets might be some ridiculous reference to the Dark Lord's Lair, probably some mad scientist lab of some sort." He rolled his eyes as Bonnevie's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "Though I'm not really sure what a basilisk has to do with any of it. We know it can Petrify with its gaze, but then again, that really doesn't have any link to the Heir or the Chamber. Though it's probably a point of convenience, what with he or she being a Parselmouth and all that."
"Hang on a moment…you said that possession might be involved?"
"Yes…why do you ask Miranda?"
"Well…what are the hallmarks of possession?"
"Um…I can really go off on what I know from dealing with Dark Quirrell. He seemed pretty normal for the most part (Harry didn't mention his legilimency's subtle prodding about the man being off)...until he kidnapped my friends to lure me to my death. Then, he decidedly wasn't normal." An image of the deceased professor transforming into a ghastly rat-man hybrid flashed in his head, causing him to internally shudder.
"And possession…makes you act differently than what you normally would, correct? And I imagine that if the Dark Lord is the one doing the possessing, it would be a lot more…subtle than anyone else given the past situation with Quirrell. Correct?" Harry nodded, wondering what point Miranda was attempting to make. She made to speak once more before Harry's eyes suddenly widened as he jerked out of his seat and all but raced to view the Emeritus plaques. The two witches exchanged concerned glances.
The young Claimant just stared at the names listed in gold lettering, the kaleidoscope sensation of his mind spinning as several little clues he'd mentally tallied away began self-connecting.
The introduction of an overly foppish and more than likely fraudulent celebrity book writer, who, without any applicable credentials, had somehow gotten himself appointed as Hogwarts' DADA Professor.
The same ponce, who would go from moments of dramatic and rather idiotic theatrics to displaying exceptional magical talent and competency. Memories of Lockhart and his mother's spellbinding duel flashed in his mind's eye.
Harry's eyes roved the Princeps Emeritus list until they landed on Regulus Black, 1976 - 1979. Sirius' baby brother who was believed to be dead, perished as a Death Eater. And while his mother hadn't explicitly mentioned it, it wasn't too far-fetched to believe that Black may have learned Parseltongue, much like she had.
Unbidden, the memory of Lockhart's pensieve popped into his mind, and Harry's eyes widened. He knew the pensieve looked so familiar, but at the time, he had been unable to make the connection.
But now he knew.
Because sitting in the Lord's Study in Chênenoir was an identical (if not larger) pensieve, down to the exact engravings of the constellations that served as the hallmarks of House Black.
With a whir-click, Harry's mind finally made all of the necessary connections. "I know exactly what's going on." The graveness of his tone caused Miranda and Luna to freeze in apprehension. "I know exactly who's been causing all of this madness. The petrifications, the explosions, the sheer unyielding chaos that has brought his castle to its knees." He turned from the plaque to address the witches. "And he's the exact same person who has been using us, exploiting our talents and abilities in his little research groups to further his nefarious agenda as a bloody covert Death Eater."
"Merlin's beard!" Miranda's eyes widened as the realization hit her like a freight train, before blanching at all the terrible implications that it posed.
With deliberate slowness Luna finished the last bite of her dessert, before slowly setting down her spoon as her eyes blazed in righteous anger. "Sonovabitch."
DADA Classroom, 7:07PM
With Silenced footsteps, Harry and Luna carefully made their way through the DADA office, wands at the ready to strike. They'd made quick work of the locks on the classroom's entrance, which was a matter of concern in and of itself. Miranda had stayed behind in the Slytherin Common Room in her capacity as Prefect, to keep the serpents as calm and collected as possible.
For once Harry really wished he had access to the Potter Invisibility Cloak. This was a much more worthwhile cause than running around pranking. They'd succeeded in Silencing all of the portraits loitered around the classroom, conjuring dark screens over them to provide extra security. They required the element of surprise for this to be successful.
"Where do you propose he'll be?" Luna's expression was more severe than he'd ever seen, eyes narrowed tightly.
"I imagine in his private quarters, if he's still here. He'll obviously have the strategic advantage there so we'll need to be very careful. Honestly I am not sure what I hope for more." Luna knew exactly what she was hoping for. She was itching to blast the little Death Muncher into chunks. He'd been lying and manipulating them for months, concocting deadly schemes that'd left almost all of her friends and all of their allies petrified. If she was being quite honest, the blonde felt rather foolish for not being able to see through his facade much earlier on. 'No use dwelling in the past'.
They continued on quietly, slowly creeping past his desk and ascending the steps to his private rooms. Luna whisperingly asked if they should raid through his desk for potential intel but Harry waved it off, not wanting to draw more attention to themselves than was necessary.
Slowly they made it to the entrance, wands held tightly aloft as they entered the room proper, locking the door behind them with a joined Collorportus. With Luna guarding his six, Harry cast a series of Hominem Revelio spells that yielded nothing. In fact, to Harry's growing suspicion he noticed that the room was quite empty. The only items of import were a half-open armoire on the left-side wall, and a massive gaudily embellished trunk which sat next to the window. The open window.
"You reckon he's already made it out?" Luna cast furtive glances around the room, on high alert.
"I don't believe so. His trunk is still here, and I can't imagine him leaving without that hideous thing sitting by the window." He gestured with his wand towards the trunk. Thinking quickly Harry locked the open window with a Colloportus Trimendium. If the madman was still bandying about, he didn't want to give him a chance to make an easy escape.
"What should we do?"
"If nothing else, we wait for him to show up."
"Oh must you, Mr. Potter?" said a voice from the armoire. It was a half-shadowed Lockhart, who was pointing his wand at the two of them. "Surely you two have already wasted plenty of time on me for the day." Without breaking eye contact he slowly emerged from the wardrobe. "I'm almost inclined to award you House points for actually knowing the Charms to bypass my locking spells. But then again, I did make them relatively easy to break. Fitting, since I have been expecting you."
Lockhart sauntered around the side of the room to come stand by his trunk, with Harry and Luna edging themselves to stand close to the office door. There was no way they were letting the man out of their sights.
"Expecting us?" Harry snorted with as much disdain as he could muster, sinking deep into an occludic state. He needed to project as much cool and calm confidence as possible.
"Yes, expecting you." He sauntered over to his trunk, his countenance casual. Too casual. "Though I was expecting either Mr. Zabini or Mr. Nott to accompany you once you…confronted me so to speak. Ms. Lovegood here is an unexpected surprise." Luna just hissed, actually baring her teeth in a sign of aggression. Lockhart's eyebrows shot up, before smiling in genuine amusement.
"Well thanks to you Mr. Heir of Slytherin Death Eater, they're laying petrified in the Staff Room!" Lockhart's eyes widened, both at his statement and the snarling tone it was delivered.
"ME?!" He sounded genuinely incredulous, bringing Harry and Luna up short. "You think I am the Heir of Slytherin?! What in Merlin's saggy y-fronts lead you to that conclusion?!" Luna's eyes narrowed, stirring at the ice blue tornado funnel structure of his nargles. She'd been expecting them to wiggle rather aggressively, indicative of him lying. To her mounting surprise, they remained the same, swirling upwards then downwards in their usual sedate manner.
"I don't know Regulus Black, perhaps you can tell us why." Lockhart's brows shot up in surprise. "You're the first 'presumed dead' man I know to rise from the ashes. Actually…no. You're the second 'presumed dead' man I've known. The first was the Dark Lord himself, though after having his host body burned to ash I doubt he's been doing much talking since then. Funny how those things work." Lockhart looked thunderstruck for a few moments, causing Harry to internally crow in satisfaction. Feeling more confident, the young Potter decided to press his advantage.
"So tell me, how did you survive your own death? Because the way I figure you never actually died at all; given your status as Prince Emeritus, the Dark Lord himself groomed you for this exact mission. Set yourself up with the perfect cover as a globetrotting, bon-vivant book writer supposedly well-schooled in Dark Arts Defense. You come to Hogwarts, put together little research teams as a means to evaluate our talents and do some recruiting for You-Know-Who's ranks. The war did quite the number on his ranks didn't they, and like any general he requires replenishing. Since you're a Parselmouth and rather skilled in Dark Magic, it was all too easy to conjure up a basilisk and use it to unleash terror on Hogwarts, adopting the sobriquet of 'Heir of Slytherin' to really drive the point home. You succeeded in taking out all of the competent adults who would've posed a real challenge to your mission, and now, Hogwarts is a sitting duck just ripe for destruction. Or a takeover."
Lockhart just blinked in amazement for a few seconds, before throwing his head back in uproarious laughter. He hemmed and hawed for a few seconds (to Harry's mounting irritation and Luna's disbelief), before getting a hold of himself as he wiped away at his tears. To both Slytherins' shock, he looked rather impressed.
"Very impressive Mr. Potter. Truly inspiring. Since I am technically still a Professor, take…50 Points for a truly Slytherin showing." The mirth in his eyes melted away to steel. "However, I'm afraid you've only got half of the plot correct. You cannot get the full whole without the proper halves, ha-Ha!" And with that, the man struck.
"EVERTE STATUM!" Harry was prepared to parry with an Averto, but to his shock the spell was not directed at him. With a sharp diagonal slash the older wizard released the spell at a surprised Luna, who was pushed back into the open armoire. It locked shut with a series of clicks that sounded quite ominous.
With a vicious scowl Harry cast Waddiwassi, Lacero, and Flipendo in rapid succession. Lockhart parried the slime bullets back to him before dodging the Cutting Spell and parrying back the Knockback Jinx, clipping Harry at his knees and forcing him to stumble.
"INCARCEROUS! STUPEFY!"
THUMP.
BANG!
As Harry used his Dilated perception to dodge out of the way of Lockhart's spells, he heard the man's locked door explode open as Sirius and Rodney Montague burst through. His godfather (looking pointedly furious) didn't hesitate, immediately engaging the other wizard in a heated exchange of lethal spellfire. Rodney attempted to assist Harry, but he shook him off and all but yelled at him to "Help Luna!", gesticulating wildly to the locked wardrobe. Montague freed the witchling within seconds, grabbing her hand and all but dragging her out of the room as she screamed Harry's name. Ignoring her cries Harry looked to the heated duel to see how he could help his godfather defeat their enemy.
That was a mistake.
As soon as Harry got his footing and made to attack, Lockhart struck once more. Rolling out of the way of Sirius' acid curse he cast "DEPULSO!" in Potter's direction. The spell hit the wizard dead center, banishing him straight into the back wall.
"HARRY!" Using Sirius' distraction to his advantage, Lockhart cried out "VENTUS!", emphasizing the second syllable over the first. A powerful blast of tornado-force air slammed into Lord Black and propelled him straight out of the room, crashing full-force into Rodney and Luna. The resulting impact caused all three to tumble painfully down the stairs, landing in a groaning heap at the bottom of the steps.
From where Harry sat, it looked as though Lockhart's eyes were lit up with delirious madness.
"FIENDFYRE!" he cried out in exultation before slashing his wand down almost to the floor.
Just like when he'd witnessed Pandora's ritual, Harry had a brief impression of a portal opening up to ... somewhere else. A Place of Fyre-and-Chaos-and-Hunger. Then, hellfire poured out of that opening, one that looked like lava only no longer bound by gravity coupled with incoherent screams that filled Harry with dread. Screams of fury and terror and jubilation over the opportunity to feed and burn. Lockhart gestured sharply in the direction of the imploded door, forming a solid wall of flame that separated he and Harry from the aurors.
"HARRY!" Sirius screamed from the opposite side of the malignant flames. He'd finally shaken off the impact of his fall and had raced up the stairs, only to be met with Fiendfyre. Swallowing down his horror he and Rodney worked to bring down the terrifying wall of laughing daemonic flames.
For his part, Harry ignored everything except Professor Lockhart and pointed his wand in the other man's direction. "LACERO." Harry practically whispered the curse hoping that Lockhart wouldn't hear and realize what spell he was using, and he aimed close to the ground, hoping it was too low for Lockhart to parry with his own Averto. His gambit succeeded as the Cutting Curse shot towards the man and sliced the back of his hamstring before he could dodge. Lockhart screamed and dropped to one knee. But before Harry could press his advantage, Lockhart lashed out with his wand again, summoning a flock of rather furious-looking blackbirds who swarmed the young wizard, attempting to pluck his eyeballs and skin raw. Suitably distracting Potter, Lockhart worked to quickly heal his injury.
"EVANESCO. EXPELLIARMUS. INCARCEROUS." Harry was disarmed and bound on the floor with Lockhart holding the boy's wand. He examined it briefly and then tossed it behind him to land in a corner. Harry struggled like an enraged cat, before freezing at the man's rather pleased expression.
"An excellent showing, very well done Mr. Potter. Since I have already awarded you 50 Points for your previous showing, kindly take my compliments as suitable recompense. You performed admirably and have clearly learned a great deal this year. There is no shame in losing to a much more experienced opponent, particularly when you had a rather limited opportunity to plan ahead. And especially when your opponent is also your combat magic instructor.
"What are you doing?!" exclaimed Harry angrily as he continued struggling in his bonds.
"Covering my tracks, then escaping, Mr. Potter. The Fiendfyre will take quite a while to penetrate, precisely the reason why I chose it. It is very unlikely that your godfather will get through that door before I exit the stage with my usual dramatic flair."
"Covering your tracks?!" asked Harry incredulously. "You don't think I'm going to expose you Regulus, as the Death Eater scum that you are?! You don't think you'll be a wanted fugitive after this entire debacle is over?! Merlin's beard, you've really lost the bloody plot!" The older wizard just smiled.
Lockhart just chortled uproariously, the sound annoying shrill. "Perhaps I have…or perhaps, you never had the right plot to begin with!" Then, in a blur of motion, Lockhart whipped his wand towards Harry as his expression grew quite serious. "MNEMOCRYPSIS ALPHA!"
Feeling fuzzy Harry shook his head as if to clear it, wondering what the hell was going on with the deranged man, his annoying affected laugh continuing until it crescendoed into a maniacal cackle. "AH-HA, HA-HA-HA, BWA-HA-HA!" The man's behavior was decidedly bizarre, so out of step with his carefully constructed image that Harry wondered briefly if one or both of them had gotten a concussion during their earlier duel.
"Oh I've had a spectacular time trying to kill you and your precious little friends for the past year Potter!" Harry's head whipped around back towards the DADA instructor at that overly snide comment. "What?!"
"Yes, you fool! It was I, I! ! I was the one who petrified everyone! And it was I, who used the Imperius Curse on George Weasley, tricking him into giving me his wand so I could, Polyjuiced as him, cast the explosive runes that destroyed Greenhouse 3! I did it all! BWA-HA-HA!"
Harry could only stare goggle-eyed and open-mouthed at the DADA instructor, who was once again laughing maniacally.
"WHAT?!" he finally shouted in complete consternation. "But ... why? Why in Merlin's name would you have done all that!?"
"Forget it, Potter," Lockhart spat. "Your pitiful mind cannot comprehend the intricacies of my diabolical genius!"
With that, he turned around to face the large trunk which Harry had first noticed upon entering the room, shrinking the object before levitating it into his cloak pocket. A heavily gilded brocade cloak that Harry realized he hadn't noticed the man wearing before. As he did, Harry noticed that the man had somehow found the time to heal the cut on his leg and repair the corresponding cut to his trousers. He turned to face Harry once more with a far more relaxed expression.
"Until next time, Slytherin Potter.'' Harry's brows rose at how…reasonable the man sounded when he'd just been guffawing like a ridiculous movie villain. "I am of the belief that our paths will cross again, and I can say that I am genuinely looking forward to that occasion."
And with that, he whirled around and pointed his wand at the window he'd somehow come to stand by. "BOMBARDA!" There was a tremendous CRASH as the previously-locked windows exploded outwards. Then, Lockhart snatched up a broom that was laying on the corner next to Harry's wand (and which Harry had also not noticed before now) and strode over to the now open windows.
"You may have defeated me this time, Potter! But I shall return AND WREAK MY VENGEANCE!" He shook his fist menacingly towards the astonished boy before quickly mounting his broom as he continued to cackle uproariously. At that exact moment, The wall of Fiendfyre disappeared as Sirius and Rodney burst through with Luna hot on their tails. Sirius' wand was a blur. "MACTASSES! STUPEFY!" followed by a nonverbal Lacero and Expelliarmus. Lockhart blocked the first two and parried the latter, forcing the two aurors to duck. With a peal of boyish laughter Lockhart screamed "GERONIMOOOO!" and took off out the open window.
Recovered Sirius ran over to the window but then cursed loudly as Lockhart was already too far away to target with a spell. He turned back towards Harry, dispelled the boy's magical bonds, and then swept him up into a bone-crushing embrace.
"Harry! Are you okay?! Did that bastard do anything to you?!"
Harry clutched tightly at his godfather, relieved to be in his embrace.
"No, just disarmed me and tied me up. Ranted like bloody Darth Sidious before hopping on his broom and racing off." He shook his head once more to clear it, making Sirius think he'd incurred a concussion as he openly fussed over the boy. "He actually confessed to being the one who'd done all the petrifications!" Sirius' eyes widened in shock. "Just as he confessed to Imperiusing George Weasley to steal his wand so he could use it to make the explosive runes that blew up the Greenhouse." Rodney openly gawked as Luna's eyes goggled. "Honestly I wasn't expecting that bit, but I reckon he's now some sort of a fugitive." Sirius' expression darkened.
"He bloody well is. Rodney and I will need to head back to the Auror Department once we get you and Luna here to the Hospital wing to be looked over. We'll need to debrief with Mad-Eye and Director Bones, but we need to get this situation solved as quickly as possible. Director Bones will galvanize forces to pursue Lockhart, but our main priority will be getting all the petrification victims unpetrified. Lord Kolumbiko let me know that the mandrake crop will be due for harvest in three days, and all will be granted to Hogwarts. Snape will be back from St. Mungo's by then, and he can get the brewing process started at the Prince Institute. Until Dumbledore is revived, I'm afraid Hogwarts will continue to be on lockdown. C'mon, let's get out of here."
As they exited the office all Luna could do was stare at the back of Harry's head, internally musing over two distinct things. The first being why he hadn't told his godfather the truth about Lockhart's real identity. The second (and more concerning to the blonde) being why a swarm of ultra-fuzzy gray wrackspurts persistently buzzed around his nargles. And even more concerning was why his Blibbering Humdinger didn't manifest and crush them out of existence.
9:19PM
"Ron…I don't think it's a good idea for us to be out like this, even with the Cloak."
Jim Potter grimaced as he and his best friend crept around the dark and admittedly creepy halls. The two had succeeded in sneaking out of the Common Room in the ensuing spectacle. Amy Wilkes' announcement - accompanied by Kingsley Shacklebolt (and Lucius Malfoy of all people!) - regarding the Staff Room petrifications had been met with chaos, and it'd taken the intervention of a house elf to ensure that a veritable mob didn't form and storm the halls as retribution for their fallen Housemates and Head of House.
Hidden underneath his cloak at the top of the stairs, Jim had quietly made his way back to his room, content to crawl under his sheets and wait for the entire nightmare to be over. Too many of the Lions still believed him to be the Heir of Slytherin, and he did not want to incur their attention or wrath until it was absolutely necessary. It was only thanks to Ron's use of some really obscure privacy wards (that he claimed to have learned from the Twins) that he'd been unbothered. The young Weasley had even snuck him some dinner, for which Jim was extraordinarily grateful. Ever since his reveal as a Parselmouth his best friend's support had been resolute, refusing to be parted from his side for "something awful that the Dark Lord did to you!" He'd shielded Jima and never strayed from his side, a constant and protective force.
"I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't important mate." Ron's calm confidence did little to soothe Jim's nerves. "I noticed something bloody strange earlier in the day, and I don't think it was just Myrtle. That lavatory's always been right creepy, but this was…really strange. Like, beyond weepy ghost-girl strange." He shivered dramatically as Jim snickered at his antics. A few moments passed by in relative silence before Jim asked: "You…you reckon everyone who's been petrified will be alright?" He could've cringed at the doubt he heard in his tone.
Ron shrugged, though his expression looked convincingly concerned. "Not really sure. I thought everything would be alright by now. But then the Twins ended up expelled, then literally half the school and all the staff ended up petrified. I…I honestly don't know mate." Jim had no response for that, and together, the two friends continued their trek to the abandoned second floor girls' lavatory.
Soon the two friends arrived at their destination and shed the Cloak. The bathroom was even more creepy at night, compounded by Myrtle's weeping and the random flushing of toilets. Jim felt his shoulders tense in spite of himself.
"Well Ron, we're here. What is it that you wanted to show me?" No response. Jim frowned, asking the question again. No response. Turning to face his friend, Jim felt himself freeze. Gone was the amiable expression Ron often held for him; in its place was a hardened scowl and a vicious sneer. Topped off with black, almost fathomless eyes that burned with an intense rat-like gleam.
Before Jim could attempt to speak, to even unholster his wand to defend himself, a trio of hissed spells washed over him.
As he toppled to the floor - unarmed and slipping into the blackness of unconsciousness - the only coherent thought running through Jim's head was that Ron Weasley - best friend to the Boy-Who-Lived and sixth-generation Gryffindor Lion - was a bloody Parselmouth!
AN 1: I've admittedly always been a bit confused by the Hogwarts Board of Governors (in cannon & PoS) and the extent of the role they can play within Hogwarts' affairs since it is an independently established organization independent of the Ministry. I figured in exigent circumstances (like the Headmaster being Petrified), they would be able to count as a secondary form of school administration and move within the wards with enough autonomy not to trigger the castle's defense mechanisms.
AN 2: Lockhart screaming the 11th Doctor's catchphrase/battle cry was just too good to not include!