Chapter 14

That very early morning, Daniel Potter was aggravated, though part of him was relieved that Gryffindor had won yesterday's match. However, the victory didn't amend the fact that he'd landed himself in the infirmary without a bone in his arm and was in the process of growing a new one. It was a painful procedure. He had lost his bones all because of that fraud. Harry was right, the man was a fake. Lockhart had been doing nothing but converting his life at Hogwarts into a miserable one. And now, after he had caught the Snitch, Lockhart had cast a spell onto his arm that wholly evaporated the bones inside it.

Oh, he had almost forgotten that blasted elf, Dobby. That elf was the real reason he was in here in the first place.

Dobby told him everything - more like unconsciously divulging the secrets - the elf was the one who had sealed the barrier and tampered with the Bludger. Apparently Dobby did it all to save him. Daniel was even more frustrated after hearing all of that from the elf. If it weren't for his arm, he would strangle Dobby to death! How could anyone save a person by hurting them? The elf did let slip out that the Chamber of Secrets exist. In the middle of their banter, the elf was suddenly frozen and hovered in the air. Daniel was shocked at this abruptness whilst Dobby squeaked fearfully. He thrashed aggressively in mid-air, desperate to break free from whatever was retaining him. It gave the impression that Dobby was trapped in an invisible sphere.

"Now, now," someone grunted. "No need to struggle. You're actually making this harder for me."

Daniel's heart leapt at the familiar tone, but a tiny part of him squirmed in anxious. He hadn't talked with his brother for two whole months and Daniel dearly hoped he wouldn't get scolded. The only time his brother wished to talk to him was when Daniel was to be reprimanded. But he had been drastically improving his studies, which earned Hermione's approval and admiration. Nevertheless, his other best friend complained at his unexpected transformation in taking his schoolwork more seriously. Ron thought Daniel's study habits last year were bad enough, but this year was a hundred times worse. Something had encouraged Daniel and Ron never fathomed what stimulated his best mate into such a state.

Dobby squeaked more, decanting more magic to disentangle himself from the 'cage'. Harry briskly sauntered over to his brother's bed, his face contorted in pure concentration, both of his hands aiming at Dobby, trembling slightly.

"I told you to quit struggling, elf…or would you prefer of I ensnared you in a more painful method?" he rumbled, getting more and more vexed by the minute. Harry had to admit the little elf put up quite the fight and he had to pour more magic into the containment. "That's. It."

"W-wait, don't hurt him!" Daniel exclaimed.

"Cornior!" A flash of purple light struck the elf. Dobby straightened firmly in a rigid pose. His eyes widened in horrorstruck as he commanded his body that wouldn't budge an inch. He wriggled more and more, still the results were the same. "Don't worry, elf. I just put you in a binding spell. Think of it like your body has been tied by a rope. You're stuck like that unless I release you from the spell." Seeing his brother's confused looks, Harry explained some more, "It's a spell from our mansion library. It's much like the Body-Bind Curse, Petrificus Totalus, just in a different form. This spell enables the victim to talk and move their head."

"Anyway…" Harry smirked, conjuring a seat wandlessly. "I heard everything."

If possible, Dobby's eyes popped more. "No, no, no, no one must know! Dobby shouldn't have told anyone! Dobby should have checked to see if anyone was around! Bad Dobby! Bad!" The elf wailed as tears trickled down his ugly face, the picture of pathetic helplessness.

"Silence, elf," Harry with inhumanly cold voice echoed, causing shivers to run down Daniel's spine. Dobby spontaneously locked his mouth into a stiff seal, his tears ceasing, obeying Harry without hesitation. It was as if Harry was Dobby's own master. "So brat, I guess you've been telling me the truth."

Daniel shook his head at the current circumstances and scowled irritably in his brother's direction. "Of course I did. Why would I lie?"

"So the chamber has been opened before, has it?" Dobby squeaked more quietly, distraughtly holding back the tears that burned his eyes. "This chamber is just getting more enigmatic." Harry sighed, leaning deeper into the comfortable chair he conjured. "Tell me, when did he start bothering you, brat?"

"Um…last summer…"

"Oh?" Harry raised his eyebrow in mild surprise. A faint smile coiled his lips as he relocated his interest to the elf. "So, you're the elf that I've occasionally been sensing in one of my meditations. I was most curious of the peculiar magical core that appeared in the mansion during the summer…"

Daniel didn't bother to inquire further as he spoke, "He's been warning me about the danger in Hogwarts, and as it turns out it was the Chamber of Secrets. He really wanted me to go back home and away from Hogwarts, saying it was too dangerous to be here. If many lives are at stake, there is no way I could just ship off like a coward."

"Foolish," Harry said without looking at his brother. "But well-spoken."

Daniel blinked his eyes staggeringly. That was the first compliment his brother had ever directed to him!

"So… if this elf is the one who notified you, then somehow his master is related to all of this." Dobby couldn't hold back his tears this time.

"You're right!" Daniel cried out. "But the real question, who is his master?"

"How should I know, brat?"

"Of course you wouldn't know, nobody would, save for Dobby revealing his master and vice versa," Daniel mumbled quietly.

"What was that, brat?" Harry's face was more or less frightening.

"I said, of course you wouldn't know, nobody-" At the casual remark, a knuckle whacked his head, not too strongly. "Ouch!"

"You're supposed to say 'nothing' in a fearful tone, brat, not repeating your words." Harry's eyes twitched in irritation. "Next time, pay more attention to your surroundings."

Sulking, Daniel rubbed his head furiously. "So what should we do with him? Should we interrogate him, Harry?"

"Harry!" This jolted the two brothers. "Harry Potter?"

Dobby fixed his eyes on Harry in wonder. He was awed after fully sweeping his eyes all over Harry's form. Harry felt a creepy chill swell inside him. "Goblins have talked about you, sir. They have said many things! Many, many things about you, Harry Potter, sir. They spoke highly of you. Yes, so highly! They said you are a direct descendant of your great ancestor, the first of your blood! They said you are the heir," Dobby jabbered breathlessly, his long bat ears flapping excitedly.

"W-what heir?"

"Elf, that's enough," Harry hissed viciously. "Never, ever, speak of me again, you understand? You'll be the death of me!"

Dobby quivered uneasily. "Dobby is sorry, great Harry Potter, sir. Dobby does not wish to harm you. No, Dobby does not. Dobby is just excited to meet you, Harry Potter, sir! Dobby swears on our kind that Dobby will not tell anyone, including his master."

Gruffly, Harry whirled his head to his brother. "And you. Forget what he just said. First of all, I don't know what the elf meant by heir. Second, I don't even know who our great ancestor is, the first of our kin. Third, this is something that doesn't concern you at all, and you shouldn't be forcing your way into this. Just focus on your own destiny, facing Voldemort. Since the spell that I cast last year is still in effect, I'm certain no one will get any information on me from you. And don't ever question me concerning it ever again, or try to uncover any information from anyone. Do you understand?"

Daniel shakily nodded. Whatever it was that riled his brother, it was best that he didn't get truly involved.

Harry growled, grumpily crossing his arms over his chest. It was true he didn't have any clue what the elf had just spoken of. An heir? What heir?

And who was their ancestor? The elf had just disclosed that he was the direct descendant. Why hadn't he been informed by the old man? Surely he should have been informed of an issue such as this, especially one in which he was so greatly connected. Harry shook his head, emptying his mind. No, the old man must have his own reasons and Harry trusted his decisions. Splintering his thoughts into pieces, he glanced over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes. He stood up anxiously and banished the chair.

He snapped his fingers and Dobby was released from the spell. "Listen elf, you do not need to save my brother anymore. As long as I'm here, he'll be fine. So for now, be gone. Your presence here only endangers our lives." Dobby nodded his head frantically and there was a loud crack as he vanished.

"Brat, pretend to sleep. Someone is coming," was Harry's only brisk command. "Effingo abl invisibilium."

With that strange incantation, Daniel was momentarily flabbergasted as his brother appeared to no longer be in the room. "Do you want me to knock you out with my fist?" The angry hiss penetrated the silent atmosphere.

Daniel slumped to his bed. The sound of footsteps drew nearer and Dumbledore swept into view. He was carrying one end of what looked like a statue. McGonagall soon followed, carrying its feet. For many minutes, both brothers surveyed the scene with rapt attention as the professors discussed Colin Creevey's petrifaction. The curtain of the boy's bed now secured from prying eyes and the brothers had no prospect of finding out more.

"Harry..." Daniel whispered warily.

"You can talk normally, brat. I cast a silencing charm around us," was the response from his invisible brother. "Do you...know him?"

"Yeah, he's annoying but he's a good kid." Daniel smiled sadly. "He really didn't deserve that."

"This chamber is going to get out of hand soon enough..." Harry muttered. "The true question of what the professors are looking for is not who or how... it's what..."

Daniel sucked in his breath. "You don't mean..."

"Something inside the chamber is what petrified a cat and now a boy. That horror isn't just some normal monster we see or hear in every day of our life... We're up against something we have not heard of in many years, likely something that existed in the age of the founders..." Daniel gulped at this. "And I'm going to find out what it is..."

"Mr. Potter!" Madam Pomfrey shrill voice resonated in the infirmary. "You have been awake this whole time?"

Daniel paled. Bead of sweats formed on his forehead, streaming down his cheeks as the now furious matron was joined by his equally enraged head of house. For the longest minute of his life, he had to endure two witches berating him. It concluded in McGonagall punishing him with five days of detention for poking his nose in an important conversation that was intended to be kept private. Pomfrey also criticized that he shouldn't whisper to himself because it would make him look like a crazy person. This just made him more suspicious than ever. Didn't Harry encircle his bed with silencing charm?

Sighing miserably, he plopped his head onto the pillow, his gaze trailing up to the ceiling. He started to notice traces of floating words up above. Narrowing his eyes, he strived to get a better view. The ghostly writing formed into sentences as if it were a message for him. It stated: Actually, brat, I forgot to put a silencing charm around us. It must have slipped my mind…or maybe the real reason is just that I can't pass up an opportunity to get you in trouble. Even I take pleasure in a good prank. I am a Potter after all. We are natural in something like this. Well, enjoy your break with McGonagall, I'm sure it's going to be wonderful. Farewell for now.

Daniel didn't resist groaning out loud wherein it led to another long minute of lectures. He swore he heard his brother cackle evilly from outside of the infirmary. Daniel withdrew his earlier words. He was hundred times more frustrated with his brother than Dobby and Lockhart. Harry is more resolved on bending his life into a living hell. His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that Harry was a true spawn of the devil.

17 December 1992.

Dinner that night was already over. The customary long dining tables that students used were now gone and had been replaced with a magnificent golden stage along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. Excitement seemed to be evident on each of the students' faces and they all clutched their wands in anticipation.

"Can't we just leave?" Harry groused. "I'm full..." The girls rolled their eyes at his predictable behavior. "Why do we have to attend this Dueling Club? It's not like we're obligated to join, right? Besides, we don't need this. Our occasional combat training in the Forbidden Forest was far better than this is going to be. Plus, if a colossal monster decides to fight us, it will smash us to bits, not using spells or any dark arts. This is stupid. I'm leaving without you girls."

"Harry..." Callista pleaded. "We've gone through this already. Perhaps we'll learn something from this newly formed club, you never know."

Harry scoffed. "Please, what's there to learn with Lockhart in charge of it? But fine, I'll stay…"

"You don't know that, Harry." Regine was uncertain. "I was hoping for Professor Flitwick. He was a dueling champion in his young age. Or Professor McGonagall, she's one of those who fought in the first war against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Or even better, Professor Dumbledore. We might get more than just a glimpse of how a powerful wizard duels."

"I wonder how he won so many duels with his small size..." Sheila pondered. "Professor Flitwick, I mean."

"Jonnet, when it comes to battle, size doesn't matter. You of all people should know that," Daphne snorted. A sly smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "Or have you forgotten all the steps we learned from each other in how to win a duel? If so, then I don't blame you at all. Do you want me to write those down for you so you won't forget?"

Sheila's face flushed in fury and she glowered furiously the gorgeous blond girl.

"Oh, that's it..." Sheila growled. "You and me, snake! On the stage, right now! I'll kick your arse!"

Daphne's smirk extended and the looks she threw at Sheila was challenging enough. "Bring it on, Jonnet, and it is I who will kick your arse. Trust me, it's a certainty."

"Is that a threat? Careful now, we don't want accidents to befall on our sweet princess." Sheila bowed disparagingly.

"Don't call me Princess," Daphne snarled, hardening her gaze. "And I am not sweet!"

Everyone knew just how much Daphne abhorred her title as the Ice Princess of Slytherin. She just didn't like the implications of the word 'princess.' To her, that moniker proved that she couldn't be independent, can be delicate and fragile, constantly having to be reliant on someone else, even though her personality and actions screamed otherwise. The contradiction irritated her.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve, Daph?"

"Not even close, Jonnet."

Two furious glares collided fiercely, both girls not deferring their stance. "Okay, that's enough. Time out, both of you." Regine stepped in the middle of them, worried that the situation would escalate into a huge fight. "No fighting, remember?" The two girls childishly harrumphed, but bobbed their heads in assent. "Good, now shake hands." As both didn't desire to sadden Regine, they shook their hands reluctantly. It still elicited a smile from the redhead. "And what do you say?" They each murmured their apology softly to each other.

"They have an interesting friendship, don't they?" Callista smiled widely.

"What kind of best mates are they?" Harry marveled, half lidded eyes lazily glued to them.

"I'd say it's quite the love-hate friendship."

Gilderoy Lockhart strutted onto the stage with an air of mighty confidence, accompanied by Snape. The girls' faces visibly fell at this.

"What did I tell you? Lockhart just won't pass up the thought of obtaining more fame." Harry grimaced. They were at the very front of the crowds and the position Lockhart intended to go was right near them.

"Okay, okay, you were right all along…" Callista grumbled. Then her eyes twinkled impishly and a sinister grin materialized across her lips. "Girls, how about we have some fun? It's been a long time since we played our little game."

They all reciprocated Callista's grin and their eyes glinted maniacally. Harry swallowed unconsciously, glad their attention was not on him. They were eyeing Lockhart as if they were predators that had located their prey. If they were looking at Harry like that, his legs would have moved as fast as they could, just so he could get as far away from them as possible.

"Who wants to go first, then?" Regine offered, wand twirling idly in her hand. The other girls had casually brought out their own wands.

"I'll go!" Sheila volunteered enthusiastically.

"All right, Jonnet, show us what you got."

"Remember, the rule is that you have to stay hidden and no one must know you're the culprit." Callista harked back to memories of previous games. "If you've been discovered, you'll be specifically disqualified and lose. Whoever gets the most reaction from the crowds - without being found out - wins."

Sheila glanced to her left, then her right. Seeing that no one was concentrated on her, she furtively pointed her wand to the floor of the stage where Lockhart was about to step. She muttered an incantation under her breath. As one of Lockhart's legs contacted the floor, he slipped forward and fell flat on the ground, face first. His wide shiny smile turned to a yelp of surprise just before the impact. Lockhart instantly recovered from the embarrassment as well as the pain, and pretended as if nothing had happened. He grinned, displaying his shiny white teeth. But thanks to Sheila's trick, a few of his teeth had gone missing. The hall was completely silent before everyone exploded into full blown laughter.

The girls guffawed at this while Harry was frozen solid. Was this their game? Humiliate Lockhart?

"All right, you're next Regine!" Sheila chose, grinning.

Without wasting time, Lockhart unhooked the strings that tied his cloak around his neck. His few fans gathered and shoved each other in an attempt to catch his expensive plum red cloak when would be thrown into the audience. Regine whisked her wand through the air, and without Lockhart being aware, the strings lengthened, reaching for Lockhart's throat before reattaching back together around his neck. She purposely fortified the strings as well. When Lockhart threw his cloak to his fans, he yelped in a girlish tone when the strings strangled him. Regine muttered another spell.

All of the sudden, Lockhart was yanked off of the platform by his cloak, which was still in the air, and his body keeled backwards. Quite a few students parted for his inevitable crash. They then hovered over his fallen form and blatantly laughed in his face. No one could resist joining in. Hastily rising up to his two feet, Lockhart climbed up onto the platform once more. After trying in vain to untie the strings, he simply decided to wear the cloak, not willing to endure a repeat of previous events. At the same time, he cleared his throat professionally, which drew more hilarity from the crowds.

"How was that?" Regine winked playfully at her laughing friends. "Daphne, your turn."

Daphne waited patiently for Lockhart to finish straightening his cloak. Once it was perfect, Lockhart had it billow out behind him dramatically. Seeing this, Daphne pointed her wand straight at the plum fabric and murmured a spell. Instead of the cloak reverting back its position of hanging loosely behind Lockhart, it shrouded him completely. His face and body were fully enveloped by the cloak. Lockhart's muffled shriek could be heard as he dashed around the platform in panic. Daphne sent a tripping hex and Lockhart collapsed to the ground yet again. The next thing everyone knew was that his cloak had touched a candle, igniting a fire on his head. Lockhart screamed more and rolled over the floor of the platform to extinguish the fire.

The people who finished laughing at the previous incident erupted in mirth at the hilarious sight. After the fire had been extinguished, the man sat upright, still blinded by his cloak. Tendrils of smoke curled out from the hair atop his head. Struggling to escape his cloak, he finally succeeded, breathing heavily. People stopped laughing and blinked at the man in shock. Lockhart's hair was smoldering, slicked up from the fire, and he had nearly lost both of his eyebrows. There were black spots on his cheeks and forehead. The laughter swelled louder than ever before at the sight that greeted the audience.

"I can't believe he's still going. He doesn't know when to give up, does he? That guy is persistent." Harry was incredulous. Wiping his face with the sleeves of his clothes, Lockhart stood up and positioned himself, still holding an air of confidence. "At least do something with his now embarrassing looks. There are number of spells that will help him."

"Forget him, Potter." Daphne crossed her arms over her chest. She then looked over to her brilliant friend. "It's your turn now, Callista."

Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called out shakily, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!"

After that, he continued to babble away. Callista secretly waved her wand three times, inserting a few complex spells on Lockhart. An eerie silence conquered the hall as the crowd began to take notice of Lockhart's vocal incoherency. They could not understand a word he said. Somehow, his voice had been converted to the sound of a donkey and he just went on with his speech, oblivious to the fact that he was spouting brays and hee-haws instead of intelligible phrases. He continued on, gesturing his arm to Professor Snape and then back at himself.

Lockhart suddenly burst into jovial laughter, and though the crowd anticipated a donkey's laugh, this time, the snort of a pig emerged. The deep grunt sounded absolutely ridiculous coming out of Lockhart's perfect mouth and this time, the crowd didn't attempt to contain any of their laughter. Some of the students even fell to their knees, clasping their stomachs as they howled loudly in mirth. Snape was obviously struggling to not participate in the laughter, desperately reinforcing his Occulumency and looking around for any means of distraction. Lockhart looked very puzzled at their reactions. Was it something he said?

Callista grinned. "The first spell was for switching his voice to the sound of a donkey, the second one was for changing his laughter into the sound of a pig, and the last allowed him to remain oblivious to the alterations. It's a complex charm. I still can't get it right on the voice, though and the effect only lasts for five minutes and is not permanent."

"Oh sweet Merlin, that's brilliant!" Sheila choked out from amidst her uncontrollable laughter. "This is the best club I have ever attended!"

"I - I agree!" Regine spluttered through her laughter. "Maybe we- we should sign up as members!"

Daphne was laughing freely now, tears in her eyes from her friend's last comment and from the ill-fated chaos that had befallen Lockhart. She was balancing herself against Harry. He was laughing while at the same time carefully holding Daphne so she would not collapse in a heap of uncontrollable laughter. For once, he pitied Lockhart. This just proved how dangerous the girls were and that they should never, ever be messed with.

"I guess the winner is clear then." Callista beamed with twinkles of mischief dancing in her eyes.

True to Callista earlier words, Lockhart's voice soon returned to normal, much to the disappointment of the student crowd, namely the Weasley twins. After a few minutes, all occupants in the hall had recovered from their laughter, though there were still chuckles and sniggers ringing out once in a while. Lockhart was still perplexed as to why they acted in such manner, but chose not to comment and went back to his speech. Now all focus was on the stage as both professors readied themselves to duel each other. Of course, the duel concluded in a one-sided victory as Lockhart was blasted off his feet by Snape.

"How pathetic can this guy get?"

"No skill," Sheila said, not amused by the performance at all.

"No talent," Regine added blankly.

"No honor," Callista grumbled, her lips puckered in dissatisfaction.

"And no conscience," Daphne announced in an annoyed tone.

"Very pathetic," the four girls chorused, nodding their heads at the same time.

"You know, sometimes, you girls give me the creeps…"

Lockhart quickly yet unsteadily got to his feet. He tottered his way to the platform on shaky legs. Not wishing to mortify himself any further, he created up an excuse that they wouldn't learn anything without practice, and he promptly paired them all up. Harry and the girls remained impassive, unmoving from their spot, opting to just observe. When Lockhart endeavored to pair them, he retreated hastily from the girls' murderous glares. Harry only tittered nervously and cautioned Lockhart that they weren't in the best mood. The reason was more than enough for him.

Instead of paying attention to the crowds, Harry looked up at the stage. His brother had purposely been picked by Snape to duel with Malfoy. Harry smirked conceitedly. Snape and Malfoy were in for a surprise. Before the summer's end, Harry accidentally discovered one of his brother's deepest secrets. Daniel had been practicing dueling by himself in the basement of the Potter Mansion. The basement was the only place in the Potter's house that was warded, so there could be no detection of underage magic.

Harry had been shocked - and a little amazed - by this revelation upon his trip down to the basement. Nobody else knew this was happening, not his parents, Daniel's two best friends, no one except for Harry and Daniel. Harry assumed that whatever he had said to his brother after the Philosopher's Stone situation had deeply affected Daniel. Up on the stage, Harry tilted his head slightly when his gaze bumped into Daniel's. His little brother had just glanced over to where Harry was and just the tiniest positive reaction from his brother was more than enough for Daniel to smolder in resolve.

Both arch enemies bowed to each other, just a little. They raised their wands like swords. Malfoy, who hated the thought of losing, hurled a spell towards Daniel before the count reached three. Daniel was caught off guard, but smoothly spun his body around out of instinct, missing the spell by inches. Eyes huge, Lockhart became the recipient of the bolt of magic, and he stumbled backwards. Livid that Malfoy was not adhering to the rules, Daniel swung his wand, snarling the name of the spell. It hit Malfoy square in the face and the boy fell to the ground.

Snape's jaw hardened, his hand twitching slightly to point his wand at the boy. Malfoy rose to his feet, though his forehead was swollen red from the spell. He was furious. Aiming his wand at Daniel, he exclaimed a hex. Daniel, not moving from his spot, cast a weak protection spell that was just able to block the attack. Harry watched his brother struggle to hold the spell. Daniel countered Malfoy's attacks with a Disarming charm, copying what Snape had just done. The light collided into Malfoy and he was thrown off his feet, though not as strongly as Lockhart was. The Disarming charm was not perfectly executed but the power of the spell was still admirable. Malfoy's movements now seemed to require a great effort.

Snape couldn't stand by and watch any longer and he flicked his wand at Daniel. A boulder was conjured and sent hurtling in Daniel's direction but a sudden new spell blew the stone into pieces. With his wand carelessly dangling in his right hand, Harry emerged coolly from the crowd and stood behind his brother. He had just intervened, stopping the stone from crashing onto his brother, and this gained the attention of the crowds. "Not bad, brat… Not bad at all..." Daniel stared hopefully at his brother. "For a loser, of course." Daniel pursed his lips. He should have known better.

"Now, now, Professor Snape. This duel has nothing to do with you, so let them go ahead. You're not Malfoy's second, are you?" Harry asserted with fake cheerfulness. "If you want to blame someone for Malfoy losing the duel, then blame him and yourself for underestimating your opponent." Snape glared at Harry with abnormal hatred in his eyes. Malfoy rose from the floor, his pale face flushed in rage, body trembling. The younger Potter had just bested him. "Shall we continue?"

"Very well…" With a smirk, Snape edged closer to Malfoy, leaning down and whispering something. A superior smirk grew on the blond boy's face.

Daniel glanced uncertainly at his brother. "Why are you looking at me, brat? It's your duel, not mine."

"But won't you give me some advice?" Daniel squeaked anxiously.

"Trust in yourself, don't cling to anyone else. Believing yourself is where your true strength lies. By doing that, you have the power to change fate itself." Harry shrugged offhandedly, folding his arms together, wand still in his right hand. "Well...that's what some creepy old man I know told me. Now, prepare yourself."

And Daniel straightened his stance once more.

As Snape finished the count, Malfoy rapidly raised his wand and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"

&What isss thisss place? Where am I?& The snake was clearly angry. Stiffening, Daniel's attention was suddenly fixated on the snake that had been conjured and he had wholly forgotten the duel. Harry narrowed his eyes at the caster of the spell, then at the snake, and then at his brother. It wasn't that his brother looked afraid of the snake, it was as if he…

"Do not fear, my boy! I'll get rid of it!" Before Harry could stop Lockhart, the man pointed his wand at the snake. With a bang, the snake just flew up in the air and then plummeted down to the floor. This just infuriated the snake even more and it slithered over to one of the boys in the crowd, Justin Finch-Fletchley. Fangs exposed as the serpent poised to strike.

&Ssstop this! Leave him alone!& Harry's eyes grew large as he realized the sound came not from his own mouth, but from his brother's.

The snake did stop but did not stand down. It was looking more enraged than ever. &How dare you give me an order! Whether or not you are the speaker of my language, no one but my king ssshall ever truly command me! All of you two-legsss shall be ssslaughtered once my king hasss been releasssed from itsss imprisssonment!& The snake glided its way to Daniel, preferring to lunge at him instead.

Daniel was paralyzed with fear, his muscles wouldn't budge. The only thing he could do was shut his eyes tightly as the snake leaped forward to strike at him. He tensed, but didn't feel fangs sink into any part of his body. Daniel opened his eyes and was shocked to see his brother gripping the snake's head with one hand. The snake was thrashing violently in his grasp. Harry was staring at the snake intently with a look of curiosity and mild surprise on his face. It was like Harry knew that no snake should ever have reacted like that to Daniel's words.

Harry finally lifted his head and gazed at his younger brother with an unreadable expression. "We need to talk." Harry wheeled his eyes to Draco. "Here, take your snake, Malfoy." Harry tossed the serpent back at him with full force. Without so much as batting an eye, Harry pushed his brother off the platform and out of the hall. A scream echoed from behind as the furious snake landed on Malfoy, however, Harry didn't care. Pulling his brother by one arm, Harry rounded another corner and shoved him against the nearest wall. Harry's emerald eyes flared to gold as he constructed a web of silencing charms around them both.

"I didn't know you were a Parseltongue, brat..." Harry said, a hint of surprise in his tone. "Since when?"

Daniel confessed candidly. "Since I was eight… That was the first time I spoke to snakes. After I realized I was a Parseltongue, I never tried to speak to snakes again. I just...ignored them after that. No one knew all this time, not even Mom and Dad."

"Why?"

"W-what do you mean, why?" Daniel shrunk, quivering a bit at the intense look he was getting from his brother.

"It's your power, isn't it?" Harry was now furious. "Why do you hate it so much?"

Daniel's own anger began to grow. "Have you gone barmy, Harry? Parseltongue is the sign of a dark wizard, the symbol of a true Slytherin. Snake language is what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. Don't tell me you don't know that?"

"Of course I do!" Harry bellowed. "What I meant is, what do you have against Parseltongue?"

"I - I'm scared... Can't you see how this will affect everybody, Harry? This is bad..."

"To hell with everybody!" Daniel jumped at that. "What they think is not what matters. I'm not frustrated about you being a Parselmouth. I'm frustrated that you spoke ill of Parseltongue, talking about it as if it's a bad thing."

"It is bad," Daniel argued bravely.

Harry snapped at this but restrained himself from shouting. "Tell me one reason why it is a bad thing."

Daniel opened his mouth but shut it when he couldn't formulate a valid argument.

"Talking to snakes is a sign of dark magic? Come on, get real..." Harry scoffed. "That depends entirely on the witch or wizard who happens to use it. As far as I'm concerned, Parseltongue is just another one of the many languages we have in our world. It's simply the language of the snakes, and only a few humans are selected to partake in it. There are negative assumptions because it isn't an ordinary thing people hear everyday. So naturally, they make a big deal about it when they do come across it. Just think of how it would be if all of us had that gift. Would they still treat it differently? Seriously, people these days have no brains at all. They're single-minded. It just proves how prejudiced this world is."

Daniel propped his back against the wall and silently slid down. "You're right... I guess there is nothing bad about it. It's a gift for me to communicate with snakes and that's it. But this is bad, Harry. Everyone will think of me as some sort of Salazar Slytherin great-great-great-great grandson or something..."

"Then tell them all this, if you're the heir of Slytherin, shouldn't that include me as well? I am the elder Potter." Daniel looked at him in surprise. "Let's see if they can answer that question. Listen brat, forget what people think of you, they're not important. They don't dictate your life…you do. At one time, they all admire you, and then the next thing you know, they'll have stabbed you in the back because of some ridiculous rumors. Does that make them worth your time? So don't even try explaining it to other people. Just stay low and don't do anything reckless."

"Hey Harry, about the snake?" Daniel's facial expression was a mix of worry and solemnity. "I know I haven't talked to any serpents for a long time, but they aren't supposed to act like that...I-"

"It's probably the Chamber of Secrets," Harry brusquely reasoned. "Strange things occur after the chamber has been opened, right?"

He swiveled his eyes on where the four girls had been containing the other two from rushing to Daniel in the midst of their conversation. Harry nodded his head. They parted and let Hermione and the Weasley boy through. Harry waved his wand, destroying the silencing charms, and then came face to face with his brother's friends.

"Listen you two, if you ever think for one second that he's the heir of Slytherin, I'll knock you both out. Do you understand? I'm mainly talking to you, Weasley." Harry glared at the boy. "I know how prejudiced and single-minded you are in regards to certain things. And Hermione, don't disappoint me. You're one of the few at this school who have brilliant minds, and I'm beginning to like you a lot, so try to be there for my brother."

He left the two second years shaken, for they had never seen Daniel's brother like that. The four girls soon exited, but as they followed Harry, they refrained from bombarding him with questions. They understood that in times like this, Harry appreciated the tranquility of silence. He was in deep thought, anger still blazing through him. But his mind wasn't on his brother. It was something else. And this was something that infuriated him.

The snake.

A Parseltongue should be able to command a snake no matter how much the serpent dislikes the speaker or the command. The words of the speaker were usually like a Confundus Charm for the snakes, but today..."King of Serpents..." Harry whispered in a very low tone to himself, recalling last year's strange encounter with the snakes from the Pet Emporium at Diagon Alley. Now, the bigger mystery to Harry was not the Chamber of Secrets, it was the King of Serpents. He was aggravated that he had forgotten such crucial piece of information.

25 December 1992.

Christmas morning dawned, breezy and white. Harry was the only one left in the dormitory, still snoring peacefully in his comfy four-poster bed. His three roommates had all returned home to celebrate Christmas with their families. Usually, he would sleep in the common room, on one of the long sofas near the fireplace, but a handful of Ravenclaws had also decided to stay this year. Despite his change in sleeping location, he was woken up that morning by the girls, who burst into the fifth year boy's dormitory, all fully dressed. Four sets of hands pulled back the curtain around his bed.

"Harry," Callista said, poking his cheek. "Wake up."

"Five more minutes..." Harry groaned drowsily, pulling the thick and warm blanket over his head.

"Harry Potter, now!"

Jolted awake by the four voices, Harry jerked to sit upright. "I'm up, I'm up! Sheesh..." He shielded his eyes from the incoming light. Throwing the blanket off of his body, he wrenched his legs out of his four-poster bed. Wobbling a bit on his feet, Harry reached for his towel. As it always was in the morning, Harry's hair was wild and untamable. "You girls aren't supposed to be here," he yawned lazily. Still met with silence, Harry grew annoyed. He looked at the girls through droopy lids and arched an eyebrow at the sight of them. The four faces were drowned in red. Their eyes didn't meet his, their gaze trained down on his body. "What are you all looking at?"

"Harry!" Sheila squeaked in high pitched voice, still eyeballing his torso. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt? You should really cover your body…"

"There's nothing wrong with it," Harry groused, looking down his toned body and his nearly formed six-pack muscles. He guessed that a combination of working with the old man for years and training vigorously for Quidditch had transformed his body into a resemblance of a Muggle model's.

"Put - put something on, Potter!" Daphne stuttered, eyes still on his sculptured figure.

"Or at least cover yourself with something," Callista protested meekly, not making a great effort to extract her eyes from the sight before her.

"I was really exhausted last night and didn't bother to put on a shirt or anything." Harry exasperatedly enveloped his body with the thick towel in his hand. "What are you all doing here?"

The girls were blushing heavily and avoiding eye contact with Harry, embarrassed at having been ogling his figure without shame. They secretly couldn't refute how gorgeous their male friend was, in both face and body. Mustering every ounce of her reason, Regine cleared her throat. "W-we-we just wanted to say Happy Christmas, H-Harry, and w-w-we bought you o-our presents. W-we'll um, j-just wait for you downstairs," she said in a shaky voice.

"Okay, I'll go have a hot..." Harry blinked his eyes in confusion as the girls scurried quickly out of the room. "...shower first..."

Night had fallen as Harry and the girls ambled in the direction of the Great Hall.

Harry was wearing an expensive emerald long sleeve v-neck sweater that matched his eyes. It was a gift he received from Lady Greengrass. He refrained himself from asking Daphne how much the sweater had cost and just put it on out of gratefulness. The girls were chatting and giggling, but he hadn't been taking part in their conversation as his thoughts had drifted along in an entirely different route. Thinking of the girls now, Harry grumbled. After he was obstinate to stay at Hogwarts during Christmas, they decided to do the same, selecting to accompany him instead of celebrating the holiday with their families.

He was guilty, to say the least, but the feeling ebbed away from him when the girls explained their reasons and reassured Harry that it wasn't all because of him.

They all agreed that they had never seen or experienced how Hogwarts celebrated Christmas, and they each had other complications that remaining at the castle made the better option. Callista's reason was that her parents wished to spend Christmas outside of the country, favoring the snowy climate in Germany. Since she was not fond of going to unfamiliar places, she decided to remain at Hogwarts. Regine held the same reason as Callista, albeit her family was going to visit some distant relatives that she had never heard of. She wasn't comfortable at handling new faces, so she settled with Hogwarts instead. Daphne and Sheila coincidentally had the same reason. Their families were invited to some boring Christmas ball. Since neither desired going, they opted to follow in their friends' footsteps.

These rational reasons were laid out carefully so that their friend wouldn't feel guilty. What the girls didn't tell Harry was they all simply wanted the opportunity to spend more time with him. Their walk ended just before they entered the grand doors that led to the Great Hall. They were confronted by the Weasleys, Granger, and Harry's younger brother. Harry glanced at the girls over his shoulder and motioned for them to go up ahead. Interpreting this, they continued their chitchat and entered the Great Hall, overlooking the people grouped in the doorway. Harry transferred his gaze back to Daniel and raised an eyebrow as rest of his brother's companions went in as well.

Out of curiosity, Harry angled his head to the side. "What... are you wearing?"

Daniel blushed, embarrassed after comparing his own sweater to his brother's. "A sweater." He admitted to himself that he felt a twinge of jealousy as he looked at Harry's luxurious sweater. It must have been a gift from someone.

"Nice swe-... wait, you call that a sweater?" Daniel growled lowly, flustered.

"Easy brat, I'm just messing with you." Harry's amused smirk increased at his brother disgruntled expression. "So why didn't you go home?"

"Why didn't you?"

"I'm the one who's asking the question here, brat. Not the other way around." Daniel gulped his swollen throat at Harry's look. "You're up to something, aren't you?" Daniel didn't bottle up the shudder as Harry's gaze pierced through him. "Didn't I tell you to stay low and keep your head down? Many people are holding you responsible for the third attack. You just had to go and try to quench your curiosity..." But Harry's tone wasn't one for rebuking as he sighed tiredly. "Well, I can't blame you for wanting to solve the mystery of the chamber. It's just how Potters do things. Just...don't do anything reckless, and if you're thinking that Malfoy is the mastermind behind all this, I advise you to reconsider that idea. It's ludicrous, if you ask me."

With that, Harry glided his way over to sit with the girls and enjoy the rest of the day with them. He paused in his steps and once more looked over at his brother with a genuinely baffled look. "Is that really a sweater, brat?"

The Great Hall looked magnificent that night. Not only was the place covered with dozens of twinkling Christmas trees, thick golden streamers, and mistletoe interlacing the ceiling, but there were also glorious flakes of enchanted snow falling down. Instead of the natural cold and icy texture, however, it was warm and dry. The girls were in awe of the sights around them, since it was their first time at Hogwarts during the Christmas holiday.

Rather than acting her age, Sheila was more like a giddy little kid experiencing their first Christmas, squealing and pointing her finger at the magnificent sights all around. Daphne took a more reserved approach, but as she calculated the entirety of it, a ghost of a largely impressed smile played on her lips and her expression gave it all away. Callista was trying to figure out how the countless charms worked, questioning Professor Flitwick as he passed their table. Regine was smiling, attempting to catch one of the snowflakes but giggling when they disintegrated in her hand. All in all, to Harry, it was a great Christmas with the girls around.

After the incredible dinner in the Great Hall, Harry escorted the girls back to their common room. It was a custom for him ever since their first year. He was adamant to protect the girls from any potential assailants, and now the Chamber of Secrets had been opened, it only provided more reason for him to stick by their side at all times. Now, he and Daphne sauntered in the direction of the Slytherin common room. They had just dropped Sheila, Regine, and Callista off at their respective dormitories, and now Daphne was the only one left. Although Callista and Harry were in the same house, she claimed that she was tired and wished to get some sleep. In accordance, Harry insisted on sending her to bed first before accompanying Daphne back to her common room.

As they neared the Slytherin entrance, they heard a sudden creak. They stumbled upon a figure, emerging from a side room. It was Percy.

"What are you doing here, Weasel?" Harry asked inquisitively. He didn't bother to correct himself this time.

Percy looked furious and offended. "That-" he said stiffly, "-is none of your concern, Potter." He examined him suspiciously. "And what are you doing here?"

Harry inhaled a deep breath and replicated Percy's posture perfectly. "That-" he said just as stiffly, "-is none of your concern, Weasel."

"Weasley! My name is Percy Weasley!" Percy bellowed, flustered. "Not Weasel! And stop copying me!"

"I didn't think you cared, Weasel...um, sorry, Weasley."

Percy craved to wipe that smirk off his face and throttle him right here and now. He would do so if it weren't for the girl standing behind him.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated angrily, outraged.

"None of your concern, Weasel," Daphne spat.

From the time Harry acquired the habit of addressing Percy as Weasel, the girls had adopted this nickname and it felt quite natural for them. It propelled Percy to the verge of insanity whenever he was called that name, especially when Callista accidentally blurted 'Weasel' and she wasn't aware of that tiny little mistake. Percy glowered at the gorgeous blond girl but was blocked with Harry's own glare. At least the guy had the decency to shrivel under such look.

"Well, if you'll excuse us, Weasel, we'll just be on our way." Daphne interlaced her fingers with Harry's and tugged him tenderly with her. Both students hurried away from the furious boy. Harry gave Daphne an amused look while wondering what was going on back there.

"Weasel is attempting to catch the 'heir' of Slytherin single-handedly." Daphne hardly suppressed her grin. "Every Slytherin has noticed he's been sneaking around a lot lately. Sorry to disappoint him, but I don't think any of us are Slytherin's heir. I swear most Gryffindors don't have a scrap of intelligence in their brains. The rivalry between the two houses is what blinded them all."

"If he wants to be discreet, why doesn't he encircle himself with a Disillusionment Charm?"

"Like I said, most Gryffindors don't have brains to begin with."

Harry chuckled at her response and Daphne grinned a little. She sneaked a look at their joined hands and smiled contently with cheeks tinged. They ended their walk by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"Wait, let me guess," Harry obstructed Daphne from stating the password, "Pureblood." The concealed stone door in the wall slid open. Harry's forehead creased at this and he whirled his head to Daphne in mild incredulity. "That was last year's password. You didn't change it?"

"No," Daphne grunted, displeased. "Unfortunately, some of the Slytherins share the Gryffindors' unfortunate lack of brains."

"-the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago-" was the snippet of the conversation they heard when they both entered the common room. They soon discovered three second years lounging near the door and several Slytherins silhouetted in high backed chairs around the fireplace.

"Potter!" Malfoy roared, standing up from his seat.

"You still haven't learnt anything from your past experiences, Malfoy?" Harry playfully queried. "If you wish, I could give you another painful one. Your father won't be able to touch me because of my fame and I have friends in higher place than he is." A smirked coiled Harry's lips as the boy cowered back in his seat, partly from Harry's confident threat and partly due to the glare from the Greengrass heiress. "Don't you worry…since it's Christmas today, I won't do any horrible and despicable things to you. In fact, I'll ignore your disrespectful attitude just this once and just be on my merry way sending Daphne to her room."

Furrowing his eyebrows together, Harry's suspicious eyes perched on Crabbe and Goyle. They wriggled nervously in their seats. Both Harry and Daphne brushed past them all, heading deeper into the Slytherin common room that led to the dormitory. They came to two separate hallways and Daphne pulled Harry to the right one. She stopped first and whipped out her wand, swirling it four times on Harry while he countered her action with a bewildered look. She explained that the charms on him thwarted the alarms from triggering. They were about to go to the girls' dormitory, after all.

When Harry questioned how she knew which charms to cast, Daphne merely smirked and said, "Callista." At that, Harry didn't inquire any further. Strolling through the suffocating hallways and turning the corridors twice, they arrived in a particular hallway that had four doors leading to four separate rooms.

"I can't believe the Slytherin's upper year gains the privilege of having their own rooms," Harry moaned, dissatisfied. "If I had known, I would have coerced the sorting hat to put me in Slytherin. I would be having my own room from my fifth year to my seventh!" Daphne quirked one eyebrow, smiling at how he reacted. "Anyway-" Harry began with solemnity in his tone. "-Did you hear what Malfoy just said?" Daphne nodded. "Could you get the information of the event fifty years ago from Lord Greengrass?"

"I could," Daphne sighed, "but it won't be easy and it will probably take a long time before he consents. Father would not like me involving myself in something that could get me into perilous situations. I'll try, though."

"Thank you," Harry said. "I'll just be on my way then. Goodnight, Daphne."

Harry was just about to walk away when Daphne's grip tightened on his fingers. Before he knew it, Harry was spun around and was embraced warmly by his Slytherin friend. Harry blushed at the intimate gesture from his friend. "Um...Daph..."

"Happy Christmas, Harry…" Daphne whispered, burying her face in his chest for a while. She sighed blissfully at how warm his body was. With great reluctance, she liberated him and pecked his cheek, her lips loitering for a moment on his skin. "And goodnight..." As the door sealed, Harry shook his head, clearing his tangle of thoughts and the blush on his face. He received the same treatment with the other three girls earlier before which led to the other girls looked agitated at the affection. With a shrug, he scurried his legs out of the snake's pit with the intent of going back to his dormitory to get some nice, comfortable sleep.