Chapter 104

After James recovered to some degree, the kids made their way towards the great hall hoping to hear or find something more about this incident, and to their surprise, everyone was talking about what happened to Filch's cat.

Once in the great hall, Tracey and Daphne bid farewell to the boys before going to their house table while Thomas and his roommates went towards theirs. As soon as the boys sit down, Matthew called their names.

"Hey lads, I heard some rumors from the Slytherins. They say that Harry Potter is the one who killed the cat."

All four of the boys' faces palmed themselves as soon as they heard their older friend's words. For whatever reason, whenever something bad happens, Harry will always be there. Still, that didn't mean Harry was cursed or something right?

"No idea if that's true Matthew. But let's be all honest, among all houses, the Slytherin would have been the ones with the best chances to end the poor's cat life, no?"

"I don't know what to say, Thomas. While Harry is your friend, I'm pretty sure Flint will not lie about something like this, not when his father is part of the ministry, and despite our rivalry, we are still schoolmates."

Before Matthew could say anything, his girlfriend, Emily smacked him on the back, glaring daggers at him. "What in the seven hells are you saying? Do you want Tommy to get worried for nothing you idiot?"

Matthew winced and looked at Emily with a sheepish expression. He tried to say something, but he couldn't find the words especially when it comes to Thomas since he knows that Emily was very protective of Thomas, who was their underclassman as well as a friend.

Emily continued to scold her boyfriend, not giving him a chance to speak. "You should know better than to listen to those slimy Slytherins. They're just trying to cause trouble and spread lies. Harry Potter is not a cat killer or a dark wizard. He's a hero and a friend. And don't get me started about our four golden boys." She gestured at Thomas, Adam, James, and Michael.

She then turned to Thomas and said, "I'm sorry, Tommy. I hope you're not upset by what Matthy said. He's not a bad guy, just a bit clueless sometimes, especially when it comes to his rival Flint." Emily apologized before giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Thomas smiled and hugged her back. "It's okay, Em. I'm not mad at Matthew. He was just curious. He didn't accuse Harry of anything." Thomas then paused for a second before turning his head at Matthew, "Don't worry, mate. We're cool. I know you didn't mean no harm."

Hearing that Matthew let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in. Between believing his childhood friend, Flint, and pleasing his girlfriend, Matthew will always choose the latter, no matter what was going to happen.

With that done and already forgotten, Michael got the chance to ask their senior something that he was thinking about as soon as Matthew mention Flint. "Matthew, you said something about the Slytherin spreading those rumors?"

Matthew looked at him with a strange expression not following what Michael wanted to ask him. "Yeah. Why?"

"Did they mention anyone who saw the cat and well, Harry being near it?"

"Now that you mention it… I think Flint said something about Malfoy seeing Harry near the cat and something along the line of death to all muggles or something."

At this point, it didn't come as a surprise to hear that Draco was the one who made those rumors about Harry, Ron, and Hermione since there was no doubt the three of them were together when that happened. However, before Thomas could say anything about Draco, they all heard James's cursing under his breath.

"Bloody hell, Draco is such a gobshite. He's a lying, scheming, slimy git. How could I be so daft to believe him? Harry, Ron, and Hermione would never do such a thing. I'm such a prat for thinking otherwise."

James then looked at his friends and upon seeing their concerned faces, he felt bad for making them worried about him. "I'm sorry, guys. I'm sorry for being an arse. I'm sorry for believing Malfoy's rumors."

Adam, being the closest to him, patted him on the back before remembering something about Draco. "Don't worry mate, no harm was done. Though, I'm curious of where our heroic Slytherin golden boy is right now since I can't see him at the table."

"Now that you mention it, I can't see either of our Gryffindor friends either," Thomas said looking after Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

Just then Luna, who was slowly eating a cupcake decided to speak her mind out. "Maybe they are in the headmaster's office, talking about what happened?" She said with an innocent expression on her face.

"That makes sense. Should we go and check? I mean just in case Malfoy tries to lie and put our friends in trouble."

They all were worried, but the real reason behind Michael's question was that he was just curious about this whole unheard before thing.

Meanwhile, in an office, Draco, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood in front of Snape, McGonagall, Lockhart, and Dumbledore with an angry Argus Filch yelling bloody murder at Harry for killing his poor kitten.

"It was a curse that killed her … probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter curse that would have saved her …"

Lockhart's comments were punctuated by Filch's dry, racking sobs. He was slumped in a chair by the desk, unable to look at Mrs. Norris, instead the man kept his face in his hands. Much as he detested Filch, Harry couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for him, though not nearly as sorry as he felt for himself. If Dumbledore believed Filch, he and his friends would be expelled for sure.

At the same time, the headmaster was muttering some kind of incantation of some long-forgotten civilization or language while he tapped the cat with his wand. Sadly, nothing happened even after the old man tried several different spells.

"I remember something very similar happening in Ouagadougou," said 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 maybe I could use that to help here."

All of the photographs of Lockhart that were on the walls nodded in agreement, the more the man continue to talk.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Dumbledore straightened up and turned to look at Filch.

"She's not dead, Argus."

Lockhart stopped abruptly in the middle of counting the number of murders he had prevented.

"Not dead?" choked Filch, looking through his fingers at his beloved cat. "But why's she all … all stiff and frozen?"

"She has been Petrified," Dumbledore responded looking down at the cat.

"Ah! I thought so!" Lockhart shouted just as the headmaster finished his sentence. "But how, I cannot say for sure, yet ."

"Ask him!" Filch shrieked, turning his blotched and tear-stained face towards Harry and his friends.

"No second year could have done this…" Dumbledore stopped remembering something, before continuing. "As I was saying, no normal second-year could have done it. It would take Dark Magic of the most advanced …"

"He did it, he did it! All of us saw what he wrote on the wall! He found, in my office, he knows I'm a … I'm a …" Filch's face went deep red as he shouted. "He knows I'm a Squib!"

"I never touched Mrs. Norris!" Harry answered back loudly, uncomfortably aware of everyone looking at him, including all the Lockharts on the walls. "And I don't even know what a Squib is."

"Rubbish!" snarled Filch. "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might speak, Headmaster," Snape said from the shadows, and Harry's sense of foreboding increased. He was sure nothing Snape had to say was going to do him any good.

"Potter and his friends may have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time," he said, a slight sneer curling his mouth as though he doubted it. "But we do have a set of suspicious circumstances here. Why was he in the upstairs corridor at all? Why wasn't he at the Halloween feast? At least those questions should be answered before we blame him."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all launched into an explanation about the death day party. "… there were hundreds of ghosts, they'll tell you we were there …"

"But why not join the feast afterward?" Snape asked again, his black eyes glittering in the candlelight. "Why go up to that corridor?"

"Because … because …" Harry said, his heart thumping very fast. Something told him it would sound very far-fetched if he told them he had been led there by a bodiless voice no one but he could hear, "Because we were tired and wanted to go to bed."

"Without any supper?" Snape shoots back with a triumphant smile flickering across his gaunt face. "I didn't think ghosts provided food fit for living people at their parties."

"We weren't hungry," said Ron loudly as his stomach betrayed him, letting out a huge rumble.

"I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," Snape said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready, to be honest."

"Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy from playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong."

"But we all know, who amongst all of the students might know spells or better said unconventional methods to do such a thing. However, I'm more than sure that neither he nor his friends were anywhere near Potter, which only leads to Potter and his two housemates being the only suspects, if we are not counting Malfoy here, who coincidently witness the moment Potter read the message on the wall."

Draco who was smirking at Harry's misfortune a moment ago, looked back in horror at his head of the house, not expecting to become one of the suspects. "P-Professors… I-I…"

But before he could even properly finish his words, Snape cut him off. "Have you seen Potter do it or not? Or do we need to use more drastic methods to look at your memories Malfoy?"

"N-No Professor. I… I did not see Potter doing either of the things. I just saw him reading the message with a horrified look on his face."

Hearing that, Snape turned towards Dumbledore. "I believe that's all we had to hear, Headmaster."

"Very well Severus. All four of you are innocent unless proven guilty by further investigation. Now as for Mrs. Norriss, we will need Mandrake Restorative Draught, luckily for us Professor Sprout just got a fresh batch of them."

As soon as Dumbledore mentioned the Mandrake Restorative Draught, Lockhart jumped up from his seat and said, "Oh, that's no problem at all, Headmaster. I can make hundreds of those potions in my sleep. Why, I once cured an entire village of petrification with a single drop of my own concoction. It was in the jungles of Borneo, where I encountered a fearsome basilisk. Of course, I was not afraid. I faced the beast with nothing but my wand and my wit. And I managed to defeat it with a clever charm and a swift slash. Then I collected its venom and used it to create the most potent antidote ever known to wizardkind. I was hailed as a hero by the grateful villagers, who offered me their finest treasures and delicacies. But I declined, of course. I was only doing my duty as a humble adventurer and healer."

Lockhart went on and on, oblivious to the incredulous and annoyed looks of the others. He gestured wildly with his hands, making exaggerated expressions and noises.

"Excuse me," Snape spoke louder. "But I believe I am the Potions master at this school."

There was a very awkward pause, but not wanting to waste this moment, Dumbledore turned towards the kids and told them that they are free to leave.

"You may go and Harry, if something like this happens again, you come to me directly."

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