Secrets and Second Chances: Chapter Seven
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Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
nbsp; “What’s going on here? What’s going on?” Argus Filch shouldered his way through the crowd. He jerked back at the sight of Harry, and the others. “You. What have you done? Do you have any idea how long it’s going to take me to -”
nbsp; “Argus,” Dumbledore’s voice cut the man off. The professors had arrived on the scene. In seconds, the old wizard had swept past Harry and flicked out a spell that unhooked the gutted pig from the wall bracket.
nbsp; “Prefects, see your Houses to their dormitories. Mr. Potter, you and the others will come with me.”
nbsp; “But…”
nbsp; “My office is nearest,” Lockhart jumped in. “It’s just upstairs, please feel free.”
nbsp; “Thank you, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore nodded. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Harry glared at a smug-looking Pansy Parkinson, whose grin slipped as she stepped back. Harry and the others were followed by Professors McGonagall and Snape.
nbsp; As they entered Lockhart’s office, there was a flurry of movement across the walls, causing Harry to flinch. Damn war ticks, he shook his head. He caught sight of several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back.
nbsp; Dumbledore’s wand guided the gutted sow onto the pristine wood. The three professors crowded close to the ruined body as Harry sank down onto one of the desk seats.
nbsp; The professors were bent close to the body - all but Lockhart. The Defense professor chose to stay back and offer suggestions from the edge of the candlelight. “It was definitely a curse that killed it - probably the Transmogrifian Torture - I’ve seen it used so many times…”
nbsp; “Do tell,” said Snape, not looking up.
nbsp; “Looks like something serrated did the cutting. I’m not sure if it was a blessing that it was stunned before it was slashed open. If the sow was still alive, we’d not be able to tell what kind of weapon was used.” McGonagall’s tone was flat, devoid of inflection. Harry flinched to hear it - it reminded him of the war, both wars, when the woman would help Poppy and the others and -
nbsp; Stop thinking about it, Harry registered that he had started to tremble, but could not seem to stop it.
nbsp; “…I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadougou,” rambled Lockhart. “A series of attacks, the full story’s in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…”
nbsp; “Lockhart,” Snape snapped. “Shut up.”
nbsp; The real Lockhart, along with all the rest in his paintings, gaped at the man. Lockhart snapped his mouth shut with a click, eyes narrowing at Snape in a brief, fierce glare. Harry blinked. That’s odd.
nbsp; “Harry?” Hermione crouched down in front of him. “Are you all right?”
nbsp; “Fine, fine,” Harry managed.
nbsp; “Fine, is he?” Filch said from the door. “Fine for causing a mess and a scare and -”
nbsp; “No second year could have done this, Argus,” Dumbledore stepped away from the body.
nbsp; “He’s covered all over with blood and we all found him in front of the thing!”
nbsp; “If it was a curse that did this, it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced kind,” Dumbledore stared at Filch from over his glasses. “However, I am of the mind that this…butchering was done by hand. As you can see, Mr. Potter would never be able to lift this body, let alone immobilize it long enough to kill it.”
nbsp; “But - but -”
nbsp; “It was killed in the hall,” Harry said, his mind feeling a little like cotton had been wrapped around it.
nbsp; “Harry?”
nbsp; “The blood was warm when I fell,” he blinked, shuddering at the memory. “Blood’s not warm for long, after a thing dies.”
nbsp; Hermione was pushed aside as Snape took her place. “Mr. Potter,” he snapped his fingers in front of Harry’s nose. Harry couldn’t even flinch.
nbsp; What is wrong with me? I’ve seen so much worse, this shouldn’t even phase me - why -
nbsp; “Potter,” Snape shook him.
nbsp; “Severus,” McGonagall’s voice was sharp.
nbsp; “What were you doing in the hall, Potter?”
nbsp; “Sir, we…”
nbsp; “Be silent, Draco.”
nbsp; “But…”
nbsp; “Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party,” Harry intoned. Snap out of it, you fool! He frowned and tried to pull away from Snape’s hold.
nbsp; “A deathday party?” Dumbledore said.
nbsp; “Why did you not return to the feast, after?” Snape demanded.
nbsp; “There was a noise,” Hermione jumped in. “Harry said he could hear it and I thought I did too after he said -”
nbsp; “A noise?”
nbsp; “Hissing. Like a great snake, that’s what Harry said,” Neville offered.
nbsp; “Potter?” Snape gave him another small shake.
nbsp; “Stop it,” Harry shook his head. He felt like he was moving through molasses. “I don’t like being shaken.”
nbsp; He saw Snape frown and then his gaze swept over Harry’s robes. “You are covered in blood, Potter.”
nbsp; “I know,” Harry blinked, eyelids feeling like they’d been dabbed with glue. “But it washes out.”
nbsp; “Sir,” Hermione turned to Dumbledore. “Something’s not right with Harry.”
nbsp; Snape took up Harry’s hands and turned them over. “Blast,” he heard the man mutter. “He has cuts on his palms.”
nbsp; “Then he did do it!” Filch crowed.
nbsp; “No, you imbecile,” Snape growled. “It means the blood of the animal has mingled with Potter’s. If there was a potion or a spell on the blood…”
nbsp; “Merlin,” McGonagall gasped.
nbsp; “Out of my way.” Before Harry could react, Snape had picked him up and was headed out the door.
nbsp; What the hell?
nbsp; “Language, Potter.”
nbsp; “I said that out loud?”
nbsp; “Yes.”
nbsp; “Bugger.”
nbsp; “I would normally take points, Potter, but school rules disallow any punishment for things said under the influence of foreign potions or spells.”
nbsp; “Good for me, then.”
nbsp; “Be silent, you idiot child.”
nbsp; Harry could feel the strange pull on his body, now. Is it a drug? Merlin, last time…he cut the thought off, unsure whether he was talking out loud or not. He fisted a hand in Snape’s robes as the world started to spin. What is going on?
nbsp; Harry had his eyes screwed shut and was close to hyperventilating by the time Snape got them to the Infirmary. There were panicked voices in the background - he thought he heard Neville and Draco shouting. Harry wouldn’t let go of his hold on Snape’s robes - there was something important about it. Something - he couldn’t remember, but Snape was there and Snape - there was - but he never - Snape hated Harry and -
nbsp; Everything went dark.
~*~
nbsp; Waking up took a lot of effort. Harry shuddered, feeling as though he’d been put through a blender.
nbsp; “Harry?”
nbsp; He cracked an eye to see Theo hovering at the bedside. Beyond the boy, Harry saw Hermione slumped in a chair. Several beds around him were occupied, all filled with students.
nbsp; “What,” he croaked and had to stop.
nbsp; Pomfrey was there before Theo could respond. The nurse cast spell after spell on him, each time easing the tension on her face bit by bit.
nbsp; “Much better,” she finally announced. “Severus’ potion did the trick. Take this and this,” she shoved two vials at him. “Right now. I have to tell Severus.” Then she was off.
nbsp; Harry boggled at her for a moment, but then Theo was trying to pour the potions down his throat. Harry waved him off and tossed them back, making a face at the taste.
nbsp; “Harry?” Hermione had woken when Pomfrey had arrived.
nbsp; Harry reached for the water. “Yeah.”
nbsp; “Oh, thank Merlin.”
nbsp; “What happened?”
nbsp; “There was poison in the blood,” Hermione said. Harry could see the dark shadows under her eyes. “If you got any on you, it affected you.”
nbsp; “Affected?”
nbsp; “People started to go mental,” Theo said. “Some of the students walked through the blood by accident. There was a huge row in Gryffindor and some Slytherins got cursed.”
nbsp; “What?”
nbsp; “It was awful,” Hermione leaned forward. “Even Professor Snape was affected, but he just got weird and found an antidote. He called it a piss-poor botched poison and a load of other nasty words I don’t think he meant to say.”
nbsp; Harry blinked. “Did I…say anything?”
nbsp; Hermione glanced at Theo, who looked away. “Not…not really.”
nbsp; “Hermione.”
nbsp; “Well, you were drugged, Harry.”
nbsp; “Hermione.”
nbsp; She ducked her head. “Snape said - well, he said a lot of things, but he said that because you cut your hands when you fell, the botched poison did a better job on you.”
nbsp; “A better…job?”
nbsp; “You threw up a lot,” Theo shrugged. “And screamed. Something about not again, not again and…” he bit his lip.
nbsp; Blast it all, Harry closed his eyes for a long moment. “What else did I say?” He opened his eyes.
nbsp; “Just that - you had to find it, you had to stop it,” Theo’s gaze was glued to the covers on Harry’s bed. “You kept saying that it wasn’t safe and that we all had to be careful and not look. That’s all.”
nbsp; “You were drugged,” Hermione said, reaching out to take his hand. “A lot of people were raving. It’s okay.”
nbsp; Harry had to look away. He caught sight of Snape in the doorway, staring at him. Something twisted in Harry’s gut as he snapped his gaze from the advancing man. At least I didn’t blab everything, he let out a shaky breath. Merlin knows what would have happened, then.
nbsp; But… “A botched poison?” He looked up to Hermione as the Potions Master arrived at Harry’s bedside.
nbsp; “Yes,” Snape said before the girl could answer. “Whomever slaughtered the sow also poisoned the blood. A shock and awe effect, as it were. Are you sure you saw no one at the scene when you arrived, Potter?”
nbsp; Harry bit his lip, torn. There is no way Ginny could have done this. “I’m sorry, no. I was - it was just there when I turned the corner and I was expecting a snake or something, not a person or - or - that.”
nbsp; Snape’s frown was harsh. “You are completely certain?”
nbsp; “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir.”
nbsp; Snape waved the apology off with short, angry movements. “You said you were expecting a snake?”
nbsp; Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione. “Yes, sir.”
nbsp; “You both heard this hissing?”
nbsp; Harry hesitated. “Yes, sir.”
nbsp; “Potter.”
nbsp; “It was definitely hissing, Professor,” Hermione lied to the man’s face. Harry stared at the girl.
nbsp; Snape glared at them. “A snake,” he repeated.
nbsp; All Harry could do was shrug and nod. Maybe this will get the professors to actually look for the problem instead of making me handle it, the thought didn’t reassure him.
nbsp; Madam Pomfrey let Harry escape by lunch. Snape kept dropping by to stare at him and ask questions Harry couldn’t - or wouldn’t - answer.
nbsp; Harry didn’t really want to leave after he found out that both Draco and Neville were also in the ward. Both of them had had a stronger reaction to the blood because they had helped Harry to his feet and into the classroom, but Snape’s antidote had done fast, efficient work on all the other students who had been infected.
nbsp; “It’s all right, Harry,” Draco told him. “We’ll be out faster than you.”
nbsp; It wasn’t quite how it all turned out, since Harry learned that Snape had force-fed him the first batch of the antidote. All of it.
nbsp; “And it’s a good thing he did,” Hermione told him as she helped Harry to the dorms. “Anything else and Pomfrey said you would have gone into a coma.”
nbsp; Harry made a face and let it pass.
nbsp; Snape’s further doses of the antidote did the trick. Neville was helped into the dorm by Hermione after supper.
nbsp; For the following days, all the school could talk about was the Incident. Filch had been bedridden with the students, so the message had stayed on the wall.
nbsp; Hermione was also in a flurry of study. Harry recognized her ‘research mode’ only from being her friend for decades. It used to drive Ron mad, Harry remembered with a dying smile. In fact, it was one of the things they fought about most.
nbsp; Ron, Harry had realized years later, was just as bad as his mother when it came to tradition and family. Ron had believed that Hermione would quit her job with the Ministry when their first child was born. Hermione had taken time off, yes, but was back to work just as soon as she could stand it. She was a terrific mother, Harry had told Ron again and again. She was Hermione. Of course she was amazing. She could do anything.
nbsp; Ron had not agreed.
nbsp; Who even knows if those two will get together this time around, Harry swallowed a disappointed sigh. Then a chill spread down his spine. Merlin. If they don’t get together, then what will happen to Hugo and Rose and…He bit his lip and drew in a sharp breath. Remember what Ollivander said, Harry. All souls will live again. They’ll live again, and maybe…maybe Ron and Hermione will get together, and still be their parents. Even if they don’t, there’s no point in despairing, not yet.
nbsp; Classes went on as they always did. Most of the students were out of the Infirmary by the end of the weekend. Snape was also getting on Harry’s case in Potions, often keeping him behind to scrub desks or sort ingredients for whatever infraction the man had spotted that day.
nbsp; The other students were also reacting to Harry. Again. He scowled, which ended up making some first year Hufflepuffs run in the opposite direction. Just bloody great, he sighed. More rumors will spread now, for sure.
nbsp; Hermione, Neville, Draco and Theo were the few who treated him the same. Pansy Parkinson, from what Harry had gathered from his friends, had become the queen bee of the second year girls. Draco wouldn’t say much about her, Theo disliked her and Hermione had been oddly quiet on the topic. Pansy always was a bully, Harry reflected. Maybe she was miserable to Hermione when Neville and I weren’t there. Ambush and humiliation used to be Pansy’s modus operandi. I’m sure it hasn’t changed this time around.
nbsp; Still, Harry had expected Hermione to be the one to bring up the subject of the Chamber of Secrets in Binns’ class - but he turned out to be wrong. Theo beat her to the punch.
nbsp; “The Chamber of Secrets?” Binns blinked a few time times, surprised out of his lecture by Theo’s sudden question. “My subject is the History of Magic, Mr. Nott. I deal with facts, not myths and legends.” It was the most animated Harry had ever heard the ghost.
nbsp; “But sir,” Theo forged on. “Don’t legends always have a basis in fact?”
nbsp; “Well,” Binns frowned. “Yes, one could argue that. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale…”
nbsp; “Please, sir?” Hermione chimed in. Binns looked startled at the sudden show of interest from the class.
nbsp; “Well,” the ghost stammered. “Very well. Let’s see. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.”
nbsp; He paused, took in the rapt expressions of the class and continued.
nbsp; “For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magical families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor and Slytherin left the school.”
nbsp; “Reliable historical sources tell us this much,” Binns said after a pause. “But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.”
nbsp; Binns cleared his throat and continued. “Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true Heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic.”
nbsp; Looking back, Harry rested his chin on his palm, Slytherin’s paranoia did have grounds. Muggle-born students had parents who were non-magical, and in those times it was dangerous to be a wizard. He would ultimately be proved wrong, of course, but Slytherins always have had a good sense of self-preservation.
nbsp; Hermione’s hand shot into the air. “Sir, what exactly do you mean by the ‘horror within’ the Chamber?”
nbsp; “That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control,” answered Binns in his dry, reedy voice. “But I tell you, the thing does not exist. The castle has been searched many times to no avail. There is no Chamber and no monster.”
nbsp; “But sir,” said Seamus Finnigan, “if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin’s true Heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?”
nbsp; “Nonsense,” said Binns. “If a long succession of Hogwarts’ Headmasters and Headmistresses haven’t found the thing…”
nbsp; “But, Professor,” piped up Parvati Patil. “You’d probably have to use Dark Magic to open it.”
nbsp; “Just because a wizard doesn’t use Dark Magic doesn’t mean he can’t, Miss Patil,” snapped Binns. “I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore -”
nbsp; “But maybe you’ve got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn’t -,” began Dean Thomas.
nbsp; “That will do,” Binns said sharply. “It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you all such a foolish story. We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, reliable fact.”
nbsp; Binns returned to his notes with a scowl. The problem about history, Harry thought as he slid down in his seat, is that it is mostly written by the victors. What is the verifiable truth from only one, single perspective?
nbsp; Harry was unable to concentrate on anything for the rest of class.
~*~
nbsp; “I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony,” Harry heard Ron say as History of Magic let out. Harry grabbed Draco’s arm before the other boy could go after Ron.
nbsp; “Let it go,” he advised.
nbsp; “Easy for you to say, he’s not insulting the founder of your House,” Draco pulled his arm out of Harry’s grip and stalked away, Theo running to catch up with him.
nbsp; “Well,” Hermione said.
nbsp; “Yeah,” Harry sighed. They were up against the wall with Neville, watching as the crush of students rushed by. “Let’s go drop off our stuff.”
nbsp; As they were shunted along in the throng, Colin Creevey went past. “Hiya, Harry!”
nbsp; “Hello, Colin,” Harry called.
nbsp; “Harry- Harry - there’s somebody in my class saying you’re the Heir -,” but Colin was so small he couldn’t fight against the tide of people bearing him towards the Great Hall. They heard him squeak, “See you, Harry!” And he was gone.
nbsp; “People think you’re the Heir?” Neville choked.
nbsp; “Ridiculous!” Hermione exclaimed.
nbsp; Harry just shrugged.
nbsp; “Do you really think there’s a Chamber of Secrets?” Neville asked as they dropped off their bags.
nbsp; “I don’t know,” Hermione said, frowning. “Dumbledore surely would have found it by now. But…he couldn’t cure the curse on the - the blood, so who ever could do that has to be powerful.”
nbsp; As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the pig had been butchered. The words were still splashed across the wall, the blood turned rusty brown and flaking off onto the stone floor.
nbsp; “Well,” Hermione’s voice was faint. “It can’t hurt to have a look around, would it?”
nbsp; “Hermione, no, it’s cornered off,” Harry caught the back of her robe. “What if the curse has left a residue? I don’t want you to get ill.”
nbsp; “But…”
nbsp; “Why is the floor wet?” Neville made a face. “It’s coming from that door.” He pointed.
nbsp; “Door? What door - oh. That’s the girl’s toilet, the one Moaning Myrtle haunts.” Hermione made a face. “No one ever uses it.” She tilted her head to one side. “Come on. Let’s ask Myrtle if she saw anything.”
nbsp; “Stop right where you are!” Percy Weasley’s voice rang out before they could take a step. Harry jumped and turned.
nbsp; “What are you lot doing here? Can’t you see the place has been roped off? It’s contaminated, come along, the last thing Gryffindor needs is you all caught near here again…”
nbsp; Hermione subsided under Percy’s chiding. Harry followed along silently, glancing back a few times at the toilet. Slytherin had one twisted sense of humor, he shook his head and trotted to catch up with the others.
~*~
nbsp; “Who could it be, though?” Hermione asked out of the blue at their nightly study session in the library.
nbsp; “What are you on about?” Theo lowered his book. Draco still wasn’t speaking to Harry, even though Harry had apologized and told the other boy he hadn’t meant to insult Slytherin House.
nbsp; “The Heir,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “There’s a rumor that Harry’s the Heir.”
nbsp; Draco snorted.
nbsp; “But we all know it’s nonsense.”
nbsp; “Professor Snape said that the pig had been stunned before it was butchered,” Theo said, eyes narrowing. “Who in the school would be able to do that?”
nbsp; “Or would want to?” Hermione drummed her fingers on her textbook. “They would really have to hate Muggle-borns and everything to kill a living thing like that, wouldn’t they?”
nbsp; “No,” Harry kept his gaze on the parchment of his essay. “Some people just hate. They hate everything and everyone, and even themselves. Some people just want others to suffer like they suffer. There is rarely any logic to hate.”
nbsp; “Harry,” Hermione said, voice soft.
nbsp; “You’re not going to blame everyone in Slytherin?” Draco spoke to him for the first time that night.
nbsp; “No,” Harry rolled his eyes. “I think the pigeon-hole definitions of the Houses are silly. We all have traits that fit into each House. And each House has their strengths and weaknesses. Just because the Heir is supposed to be of the line of Slytherin doesn’t mean he or she isn’t a Hufflepuff.”
nbsp; Theo snickered. Draco had set his pen aside. “There are a lot of people who don’t like Muggle-borns,” Draco frowned and glanced at Hermione. “In just about every House, not just Slytherin.”
nbsp; “True,” Harry agreed. “Just like there are people in every House that have no problem with them.”
nbsp; “True,” Draco said.
nbsp; “There are any number of possibilities,” Harry frowned down at his essay. “Attempting to solve the rumor as to whether or not it’s true is impossible without more facts and information.”
nbsp; “Information,” Hermione echoed. “Do you think the Restricted Section would have more information on curses and poisons that use blood?”
nbsp; “The Restricted Section? You need a pass for that area,” Theo said.
nbsp; “Yes, yes, I know,” Hermione flapped a hand at him. “But do you think there are books about it?”
nbsp; Harry saw the Slytherins exchange a look. “Probably,” said Draco.
nbsp; “Hmm,” Hermione narrowed her eyes.
nbsp; “We’ll never get Professor Snape’s approval,” Theo said. “Even Draco couldn’t get it. The professor would want to keep the book when we’re not using it. Then he’ll make us write an essay on whatever excuse we could think up to get our hands on the book in the first place. If he didn’t see through the ruse immediately.”
nbsp; “You’re right,” Hermione murmured, not catching Theo’s double-take. “We’d need to find another way around Snape…” She tapped her fingers a few times and shook her head. “I’ll think about it.”
nbsp; Harry saw Theo blink. “Like a professor will fall for a Gryffindor scam.”
nbsp; “Watch me.”
nbsp; “Oh, I will.”
nbsp; Harry laughed silently and shook his head. He still couldn’t decide if having Theodore Nott and Hermione Granger be friends was a good idea or not.
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
nbsp; “What’s going on here? What’s going on?” Argus Filch shouldered his way through the crowd. He jerked back at the sight of Harry, and the others. “You. What have you done? Do you have any idea how long it’s going to take me to -”
nbsp; “Argus,” Dumbledore’s voice cut the man off. The professors had arrived on the scene. In seconds, the old wizard had swept past Harry and flicked out a spell that unhooked the gutted pig from the wall bracket.
nbsp; “Prefects, see your Houses to their dormitories. Mr. Potter, you and the others will come with me.”
nbsp; “But…”
nbsp; “My office is nearest,” Lockhart jumped in. “It’s just upstairs, please feel free.”
nbsp; “Thank you, Gilderoy,” Dumbledore nodded. The silent crowd parted to let them pass. Harry glared at a smug-looking Pansy Parkinson, whose grin slipped as she stepped back. Harry and the others were followed by Professors McGonagall and Snape.
nbsp; As they entered Lockhart’s office, there was a flurry of movement across the walls, causing Harry to flinch. Damn war ticks, he shook his head. He caught sight of several of the Lockharts in the pictures dodging out of sight, their hair in rollers. The real Lockhart lit the candles on his desk and stood back.
nbsp; Dumbledore’s wand guided the gutted sow onto the pristine wood. The three professors crowded close to the ruined body as Harry sank down onto one of the desk seats.
nbsp; The professors were bent close to the body - all but Lockhart. The Defense professor chose to stay back and offer suggestions from the edge of the candlelight. “It was definitely a curse that killed it - probably the Transmogrifian Torture - I’ve seen it used so many times…”
nbsp; “Do tell,” said Snape, not looking up.
nbsp; “Looks like something serrated did the cutting. I’m not sure if it was a blessing that it was stunned before it was slashed open. If the sow was still alive, we’d not be able to tell what kind of weapon was used.” McGonagall’s tone was flat, devoid of inflection. Harry flinched to hear it - it reminded him of the war, both wars, when the woman would help Poppy and the others and -
nbsp; Stop thinking about it, Harry registered that he had started to tremble, but could not seem to stop it.
nbsp; “…I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadougou,” rambled Lockhart. “A series of attacks, the full story’s in my autobiography, I was able to provide the townsfolk with various amulets, which cleared the matter up at once…”
nbsp; “Lockhart,” Snape snapped. “Shut up.”
nbsp; The real Lockhart, along with all the rest in his paintings, gaped at the man. Lockhart snapped his mouth shut with a click, eyes narrowing at Snape in a brief, fierce glare. Harry blinked. That’s odd.
nbsp; “Harry?” Hermione crouched down in front of him. “Are you all right?”
nbsp; “Fine, fine,” Harry managed.
nbsp; “Fine, is he?” Filch said from the door. “Fine for causing a mess and a scare and -”
nbsp; “No second year could have done this, Argus,” Dumbledore stepped away from the body.
nbsp; “He’s covered all over with blood and we all found him in front of the thing!”
nbsp; “If it was a curse that did this, it would take Dark Magic of the most advanced kind,” Dumbledore stared at Filch from over his glasses. “However, I am of the mind that this…butchering was done by hand. As you can see, Mr. Potter would never be able to lift this body, let alone immobilize it long enough to kill it.”
nbsp; “But - but -”
nbsp; “It was killed in the hall,” Harry said, his mind feeling a little like cotton had been wrapped around it.
nbsp; “Harry?”
nbsp; “The blood was warm when I fell,” he blinked, shuddering at the memory. “Blood’s not warm for long, after a thing dies.”
nbsp; Hermione was pushed aside as Snape took her place. “Mr. Potter,” he snapped his fingers in front of Harry’s nose. Harry couldn’t even flinch.
nbsp; What is wrong with me? I’ve seen so much worse, this shouldn’t even phase me - why -
nbsp; “Potter,” Snape shook him.
nbsp; “Severus,” McGonagall’s voice was sharp.
nbsp; “What were you doing in the hall, Potter?”
nbsp; “Sir, we…”
nbsp; “Be silent, Draco.”
nbsp; “But…”
nbsp; “Nearly Headless Nick’s Deathday Party,” Harry intoned. Snap out of it, you fool! He frowned and tried to pull away from Snape’s hold.
nbsp; “A deathday party?” Dumbledore said.
nbsp; “Why did you not return to the feast, after?” Snape demanded.
nbsp; “There was a noise,” Hermione jumped in. “Harry said he could hear it and I thought I did too after he said -”
nbsp; “A noise?”
nbsp; “Hissing. Like a great snake, that’s what Harry said,” Neville offered.
nbsp; “Potter?” Snape gave him another small shake.
nbsp; “Stop it,” Harry shook his head. He felt like he was moving through molasses. “I don’t like being shaken.”
nbsp; He saw Snape frown and then his gaze swept over Harry’s robes. “You are covered in blood, Potter.”
nbsp; “I know,” Harry blinked, eyelids feeling like they’d been dabbed with glue. “But it washes out.”
nbsp; “Sir,” Hermione turned to Dumbledore. “Something’s not right with Harry.”
nbsp; Snape took up Harry’s hands and turned them over. “Blast,” he heard the man mutter. “He has cuts on his palms.”
nbsp; “Then he did do it!” Filch crowed.
nbsp; “No, you imbecile,” Snape growled. “It means the blood of the animal has mingled with Potter’s. If there was a potion or a spell on the blood…”
nbsp; “Merlin,” McGonagall gasped.
nbsp; “Out of my way.” Before Harry could react, Snape had picked him up and was headed out the door.
nbsp; What the hell?
nbsp; “Language, Potter.”
nbsp; “I said that out loud?”
nbsp; “Yes.”
nbsp; “Bugger.”
nbsp; “I would normally take points, Potter, but school rules disallow any punishment for things said under the influence of foreign potions or spells.”
nbsp; “Good for me, then.”
nbsp; “Be silent, you idiot child.”
nbsp; Harry could feel the strange pull on his body, now. Is it a drug? Merlin, last time…he cut the thought off, unsure whether he was talking out loud or not. He fisted a hand in Snape’s robes as the world started to spin. What is going on?
nbsp; Harry had his eyes screwed shut and was close to hyperventilating by the time Snape got them to the Infirmary. There were panicked voices in the background - he thought he heard Neville and Draco shouting. Harry wouldn’t let go of his hold on Snape’s robes - there was something important about it. Something - he couldn’t remember, but Snape was there and Snape - there was - but he never - Snape hated Harry and -
nbsp; Everything went dark.
~*~
nbsp; Waking up took a lot of effort. Harry shuddered, feeling as though he’d been put through a blender.
nbsp; “Harry?”
nbsp; He cracked an eye to see Theo hovering at the bedside. Beyond the boy, Harry saw Hermione slumped in a chair. Several beds around him were occupied, all filled with students.
nbsp; “What,” he croaked and had to stop.
nbsp; Pomfrey was there before Theo could respond. The nurse cast spell after spell on him, each time easing the tension on her face bit by bit.
nbsp; “Much better,” she finally announced. “Severus’ potion did the trick. Take this and this,” she shoved two vials at him. “Right now. I have to tell Severus.” Then she was off.
nbsp; Harry boggled at her for a moment, but then Theo was trying to pour the potions down his throat. Harry waved him off and tossed them back, making a face at the taste.
nbsp; “Harry?” Hermione had woken when Pomfrey had arrived.
nbsp; Harry reached for the water. “Yeah.”
nbsp; “Oh, thank Merlin.”
nbsp; “What happened?”
nbsp; “There was poison in the blood,” Hermione said. Harry could see the dark shadows under her eyes. “If you got any on you, it affected you.”
nbsp; “Affected?”
nbsp; “People started to go mental,” Theo said. “Some of the students walked through the blood by accident. There was a huge row in Gryffindor and some Slytherins got cursed.”
nbsp; “What?”
nbsp; “It was awful,” Hermione leaned forward. “Even Professor Snape was affected, but he just got weird and found an antidote. He called it a piss-poor botched poison and a load of other nasty words I don’t think he meant to say.”
nbsp; Harry blinked. “Did I…say anything?”
nbsp; Hermione glanced at Theo, who looked away. “Not…not really.”
nbsp; “Hermione.”
nbsp; “Well, you were drugged, Harry.”
nbsp; “Hermione.”
nbsp; She ducked her head. “Snape said - well, he said a lot of things, but he said that because you cut your hands when you fell, the botched poison did a better job on you.”
nbsp; “A better…job?”
nbsp; “You threw up a lot,” Theo shrugged. “And screamed. Something about not again, not again and…” he bit his lip.
nbsp; Blast it all, Harry closed his eyes for a long moment. “What else did I say?” He opened his eyes.
nbsp; “Just that - you had to find it, you had to stop it,” Theo’s gaze was glued to the covers on Harry’s bed. “You kept saying that it wasn’t safe and that we all had to be careful and not look. That’s all.”
nbsp; “You were drugged,” Hermione said, reaching out to take his hand. “A lot of people were raving. It’s okay.”
nbsp; Harry had to look away. He caught sight of Snape in the doorway, staring at him. Something twisted in Harry’s gut as he snapped his gaze from the advancing man. At least I didn’t blab everything, he let out a shaky breath. Merlin knows what would have happened, then.
nbsp; But… “A botched poison?” He looked up to Hermione as the Potions Master arrived at Harry’s bedside.
nbsp; “Yes,” Snape said before the girl could answer. “Whomever slaughtered the sow also poisoned the blood. A shock and awe effect, as it were. Are you sure you saw no one at the scene when you arrived, Potter?”
nbsp; Harry bit his lip, torn. There is no way Ginny could have done this. “I’m sorry, no. I was - it was just there when I turned the corner and I was expecting a snake or something, not a person or - or - that.”
nbsp; Snape’s frown was harsh. “You are completely certain?”
nbsp; “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir.”
nbsp; Snape waved the apology off with short, angry movements. “You said you were expecting a snake?”
nbsp; Harry exchanged a glance with Hermione. “Yes, sir.”
nbsp; “You both heard this hissing?”
nbsp; Harry hesitated. “Yes, sir.”
nbsp; “Potter.”
nbsp; “It was definitely hissing, Professor,” Hermione lied to the man’s face. Harry stared at the girl.
nbsp; Snape glared at them. “A snake,” he repeated.
nbsp; All Harry could do was shrug and nod. Maybe this will get the professors to actually look for the problem instead of making me handle it, the thought didn’t reassure him.
nbsp; Madam Pomfrey let Harry escape by lunch. Snape kept dropping by to stare at him and ask questions Harry couldn’t - or wouldn’t - answer.
nbsp; Harry didn’t really want to leave after he found out that both Draco and Neville were also in the ward. Both of them had had a stronger reaction to the blood because they had helped Harry to his feet and into the classroom, but Snape’s antidote had done fast, efficient work on all the other students who had been infected.
nbsp; “It’s all right, Harry,” Draco told him. “We’ll be out faster than you.”
nbsp; It wasn’t quite how it all turned out, since Harry learned that Snape had force-fed him the first batch of the antidote. All of it.
nbsp; “And it’s a good thing he did,” Hermione told him as she helped Harry to the dorms. “Anything else and Pomfrey said you would have gone into a coma.”
nbsp; Harry made a face and let it pass.
nbsp; Snape’s further doses of the antidote did the trick. Neville was helped into the dorm by Hermione after supper.
nbsp; For the following days, all the school could talk about was the Incident. Filch had been bedridden with the students, so the message had stayed on the wall.
nbsp; Hermione was also in a flurry of study. Harry recognized her ‘research mode’ only from being her friend for decades. It used to drive Ron mad, Harry remembered with a dying smile. In fact, it was one of the things they fought about most.
nbsp; Ron, Harry had realized years later, was just as bad as his mother when it came to tradition and family. Ron had believed that Hermione would quit her job with the Ministry when their first child was born. Hermione had taken time off, yes, but was back to work just as soon as she could stand it. She was a terrific mother, Harry had told Ron again and again. She was Hermione. Of course she was amazing. She could do anything.
nbsp; Ron had not agreed.
nbsp; Who even knows if those two will get together this time around, Harry swallowed a disappointed sigh. Then a chill spread down his spine. Merlin. If they don’t get together, then what will happen to Hugo and Rose and…He bit his lip and drew in a sharp breath. Remember what Ollivander said, Harry. All souls will live again. They’ll live again, and maybe…maybe Ron and Hermione will get together, and still be their parents. Even if they don’t, there’s no point in despairing, not yet.
nbsp; Classes went on as they always did. Most of the students were out of the Infirmary by the end of the weekend. Snape was also getting on Harry’s case in Potions, often keeping him behind to scrub desks or sort ingredients for whatever infraction the man had spotted that day.
nbsp; The other students were also reacting to Harry. Again. He scowled, which ended up making some first year Hufflepuffs run in the opposite direction. Just bloody great, he sighed. More rumors will spread now, for sure.
nbsp; Hermione, Neville, Draco and Theo were the few who treated him the same. Pansy Parkinson, from what Harry had gathered from his friends, had become the queen bee of the second year girls. Draco wouldn’t say much about her, Theo disliked her and Hermione had been oddly quiet on the topic. Pansy always was a bully, Harry reflected. Maybe she was miserable to Hermione when Neville and I weren’t there. Ambush and humiliation used to be Pansy’s modus operandi. I’m sure it hasn’t changed this time around.
nbsp; Still, Harry had expected Hermione to be the one to bring up the subject of the Chamber of Secrets in Binns’ class - but he turned out to be wrong. Theo beat her to the punch.
nbsp; “The Chamber of Secrets?” Binns blinked a few time times, surprised out of his lecture by Theo’s sudden question. “My subject is the History of Magic, Mr. Nott. I deal with facts, not myths and legends.” It was the most animated Harry had ever heard the ghost.
nbsp; “But sir,” Theo forged on. “Don’t legends always have a basis in fact?”
nbsp; “Well,” Binns frowned. “Yes, one could argue that. However, the legend of which you speak is such a very sensational, even ludicrous tale…”
nbsp; “Please, sir?” Hermione chimed in. Binns looked startled at the sudden show of interest from the class.
nbsp; “Well,” the ghost stammered. “Very well. Let’s see. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago - the precise date is uncertain - by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age. The four school Houses are named after them: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They built this castle together, far from prying Muggle eyes, for it was an age when magic was feared by common people, and witches and wizards suffered much persecution.”
nbsp; He paused, took in the rapt expressions of the class and continued.
nbsp; “For a few years, the founders worked in harmony together, seeking out youngsters who showed signs of magic and bringing them to the castle to be educated. But then disagreements sprang up between them. A rift began to grow between Slytherin and the others. Slytherin wished to be more selective about the students admitted to Hogwarts. He believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magical families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor and Slytherin left the school.”
nbsp; “Reliable historical sources tell us this much,” Binns said after a pause. “But these honest facts have been obscured by the fanciful legend of the Chamber of Secrets. The story goes that Slytherin had built a hidden chamber in the castle, of which the other founders knew nothing.”
nbsp; Binns cleared his throat and continued. “Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true Heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic.”
nbsp; Looking back, Harry rested his chin on his palm, Slytherin’s paranoia did have grounds. Muggle-born students had parents who were non-magical, and in those times it was dangerous to be a wizard. He would ultimately be proved wrong, of course, but Slytherins always have had a good sense of self-preservation.
nbsp; Hermione’s hand shot into the air. “Sir, what exactly do you mean by the ‘horror within’ the Chamber?”
nbsp; “That is believed to be some sort of monster, which the Heir of Slytherin alone can control,” answered Binns in his dry, reedy voice. “But I tell you, the thing does not exist. The castle has been searched many times to no avail. There is no Chamber and no monster.”
nbsp; “But sir,” said Seamus Finnigan, “if the Chamber can only be opened by Slytherin’s true Heir, no one else would be able to find it, would they?”
nbsp; “Nonsense,” said Binns. “If a long succession of Hogwarts’ Headmasters and Headmistresses haven’t found the thing…”
nbsp; “But, Professor,” piped up Parvati Patil. “You’d probably have to use Dark Magic to open it.”
nbsp; “Just because a wizard doesn’t use Dark Magic doesn’t mean he can’t, Miss Patil,” snapped Binns. “I repeat, if the likes of Dumbledore -”
nbsp; “But maybe you’ve got to be related to Slytherin, so Dumbledore couldn’t -,” began Dean Thomas.
nbsp; “That will do,” Binns said sharply. “It is a myth! It does not exist! There is not a shred of evidence that Slytherin ever built so much as a secret broom cupboard! I regret telling you all such a foolish story. We will return, if you please, to history, to solid, believable, reliable fact.”
nbsp; Binns returned to his notes with a scowl. The problem about history, Harry thought as he slid down in his seat, is that it is mostly written by the victors. What is the verifiable truth from only one, single perspective?
nbsp; Harry was unable to concentrate on anything for the rest of class.
~*~
nbsp; “I always knew Salazar Slytherin was a twisted old loony,” Harry heard Ron say as History of Magic let out. Harry grabbed Draco’s arm before the other boy could go after Ron.
nbsp; “Let it go,” he advised.
nbsp; “Easy for you to say, he’s not insulting the founder of your House,” Draco pulled his arm out of Harry’s grip and stalked away, Theo running to catch up with him.
nbsp; “Well,” Hermione said.
nbsp; “Yeah,” Harry sighed. They were up against the wall with Neville, watching as the crush of students rushed by. “Let’s go drop off our stuff.”
nbsp; As they were shunted along in the throng, Colin Creevey went past. “Hiya, Harry!”
nbsp; “Hello, Colin,” Harry called.
nbsp; “Harry- Harry - there’s somebody in my class saying you’re the Heir -,” but Colin was so small he couldn’t fight against the tide of people bearing him towards the Great Hall. They heard him squeak, “See you, Harry!” And he was gone.
nbsp; “People think you’re the Heir?” Neville choked.
nbsp; “Ridiculous!” Hermione exclaimed.
nbsp; Harry just shrugged.
nbsp; “Do you really think there’s a Chamber of Secrets?” Neville asked as they dropped off their bags.
nbsp; “I don’t know,” Hermione said, frowning. “Dumbledore surely would have found it by now. But…he couldn’t cure the curse on the - the blood, so who ever could do that has to be powerful.”
nbsp; As she spoke, they turned a corner and found themselves at the end of the very corridor where the pig had been butchered. The words were still splashed across the wall, the blood turned rusty brown and flaking off onto the stone floor.
nbsp; “Well,” Hermione’s voice was faint. “It can’t hurt to have a look around, would it?”
nbsp; “Hermione, no, it’s cornered off,” Harry caught the back of her robe. “What if the curse has left a residue? I don’t want you to get ill.”
nbsp; “But…”
nbsp; “Why is the floor wet?” Neville made a face. “It’s coming from that door.” He pointed.
nbsp; “Door? What door - oh. That’s the girl’s toilet, the one Moaning Myrtle haunts.” Hermione made a face. “No one ever uses it.” She tilted her head to one side. “Come on. Let’s ask Myrtle if she saw anything.”
nbsp; “Stop right where you are!” Percy Weasley’s voice rang out before they could take a step. Harry jumped and turned.
nbsp; “What are you lot doing here? Can’t you see the place has been roped off? It’s contaminated, come along, the last thing Gryffindor needs is you all caught near here again…”
nbsp; Hermione subsided under Percy’s chiding. Harry followed along silently, glancing back a few times at the toilet. Slytherin had one twisted sense of humor, he shook his head and trotted to catch up with the others.
~*~
nbsp; “Who could it be, though?” Hermione asked out of the blue at their nightly study session in the library.
nbsp; “What are you on about?” Theo lowered his book. Draco still wasn’t speaking to Harry, even though Harry had apologized and told the other boy he hadn’t meant to insult Slytherin House.
nbsp; “The Heir,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “There’s a rumor that Harry’s the Heir.”
nbsp; Draco snorted.
nbsp; “But we all know it’s nonsense.”
nbsp; “Professor Snape said that the pig had been stunned before it was butchered,” Theo said, eyes narrowing. “Who in the school would be able to do that?”
nbsp; “Or would want to?” Hermione drummed her fingers on her textbook. “They would really have to hate Muggle-borns and everything to kill a living thing like that, wouldn’t they?”
nbsp; “No,” Harry kept his gaze on the parchment of his essay. “Some people just hate. They hate everything and everyone, and even themselves. Some people just want others to suffer like they suffer. There is rarely any logic to hate.”
nbsp; “Harry,” Hermione said, voice soft.
nbsp; “You’re not going to blame everyone in Slytherin?” Draco spoke to him for the first time that night.
nbsp; “No,” Harry rolled his eyes. “I think the pigeon-hole definitions of the Houses are silly. We all have traits that fit into each House. And each House has their strengths and weaknesses. Just because the Heir is supposed to be of the line of Slytherin doesn’t mean he or she isn’t a Hufflepuff.”
nbsp; Theo snickered. Draco had set his pen aside. “There are a lot of people who don’t like Muggle-borns,” Draco frowned and glanced at Hermione. “In just about every House, not just Slytherin.”
nbsp; “True,” Harry agreed. “Just like there are people in every House that have no problem with them.”
nbsp; “True,” Draco said.
nbsp; “There are any number of possibilities,” Harry frowned down at his essay. “Attempting to solve the rumor as to whether or not it’s true is impossible without more facts and information.”
nbsp; “Information,” Hermione echoed. “Do you think the Restricted Section would have more information on curses and poisons that use blood?”
nbsp; “The Restricted Section? You need a pass for that area,” Theo said.
nbsp; “Yes, yes, I know,” Hermione flapped a hand at him. “But do you think there are books about it?”
nbsp; Harry saw the Slytherins exchange a look. “Probably,” said Draco.
nbsp; “Hmm,” Hermione narrowed her eyes.
nbsp; “We’ll never get Professor Snape’s approval,” Theo said. “Even Draco couldn’t get it. The professor would want to keep the book when we’re not using it. Then he’ll make us write an essay on whatever excuse we could think up to get our hands on the book in the first place. If he didn’t see through the ruse immediately.”
nbsp; “You’re right,” Hermione murmured, not catching Theo’s double-take. “We’d need to find another way around Snape…” She tapped her fingers a few times and shook her head. “I’ll think about it.”
nbsp; Harry saw Theo blink. “Like a professor will fall for a Gryffindor scam.”
nbsp; “Watch me.”
nbsp; “Oh, I will.”
nbsp; Harry laughed silently and shook his head. He still couldn’t decide if having Theodore Nott and Hermione Granger be friends was a good idea or not.