Ch16

After making a quick stop at the Room of Requirements to pick up Ravenclaw's Diadem, Harry stuck out to the Shrieking Shack to meet Sirius.

"Womtail's back?" Sirius cut right to the chase.

Harry nodded. "I think so. At any rate, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened and Mrs. Norris was petrified."

"Mrs. Norris?" Sirius looked confused. "Is that Filch's new cat?" At Harry's nod, Sirius grinned. "Excellent. I guess he's not all bad, after all. I mean, I will still attack him on sight, but at least I have this to mitigate the betrayal."

"You do realize that Pettigrew's being possessed by Voldemort, right?" Harry asked. "So really he petrified Mrs. Norris."

Sirius looked speculative. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but maybe Voldemort isn't-"

"Oh don't even go there," Harry interrupted. "And besides, I unpetrified her almost immediately."

Sirius looked thunderstruck and not a little horrified. "Why would you do something so heinous?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Look, Sirius, I get that you don't like Filch or any of his cats-"

"That the understatement of the year," Sirius muttered. "They are pure evil!"

"But look at it from my perspective. I purchased quite a bit of Mandrake Potions during the summer and if I didn't prove that they worked on the cat, no one else would have trusted me to use it on them given they thought I was the Heir of Slytherin at the time," Harry pointed out.

"I guess I see your point," Sirius said reluctantly. "But Merlin, Harry, only Lily was that prepared that she stocked up on cures for potential disasters."

Harry snorted. "To be fair, she did spend prolonged periods of time with you and your friends."

"Details, details…" Sirius said dismissively. His eyes widened. "Wait…they thought you were the Heir of Slytherin?" Harry nodded. "As in they don't anymore?" Another nod. "Details! Details!"

"I merely convinced them that I would have found some way to market my powers of petrifaction if I actually had any and apparently I've been spending so much time with Lockhart that they believe me," Harry explained, shrugging. "And let me tell you, I am really loving this whole 'not being suspected of attacking the Muggleborns despite my mother and best friend's status as Muggleborn.'"

"That's just…there are no words for that," Sirius said, shaking his head in awe.

"I know, I'm amazing," Harry said smugly. "But on to business: I retrieved the Diadem Horcrux from the Room of Requirements; can I assume you've mastered Fiendfyre?"

Sirius winced. "For the most part."

"Sirius!"

"What? Don't get me wrong, I can definitely destroy the Horcruxes with it and more or less aim it, it just takes me a little while to put it out."

"Dear God," Harry said, slightly annoyed. "You've had three months!"

"That's a lot of progress; I don't think you quite appreciate just how difficult Fiendfyre is to master," Sirius defended.

Remembering the first time he's seen it in action in a move that all at once destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, cost Crabbe his life, and made Draco forever indebted to him, Harry shook his head. "No, you're right. I'm sorry; it's just…uncontrollable fire on Hogwarts grounds? This sounds like a very bad idea."

Sirius shrugged. "Meh, it probably is, but at least there is very little risk of lycanthropy, unlike some of our other exploits."

"There is that," Harry agreed. "So is that all you've been doing all this time? Learning Fiendfyre?"

"Not quite. I also anonymously sold Kreacher – don't even ask – to the Greengrass's, found what I believe to be the Locket Horcrux, and have been sending Remus letters twice a week. He hasn't actually answered any of them, but at least he hasn't turned them over to the Aurors," Sirius told Harry.

"Well, that's something, I guess. And let me see that Locket." When Sirius handed it to him, Harry carefully inspected it. "Yes, this is definitely it. You should have at least told Kreacher you were going to destroy this before you sold him. He's not that bad, really."

Sirius snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"You never will now; you up and sold him!" Harry exclaimed.

"He had his chance. I put up with him for a whole week before I resorted to drastic measures," Sirius shot back.

"How generous," Harry said wryly.

"Why would he care about the Locket anyway?" Sirius asked disinterestedly. "Or is he just obsessed with any Dark Pureblood relic?"

"Because your brother gave his life to steal it from Voldemort and entrusted Kreacher with its destruction right before he died?" Harry suggested.

Sirius just stared at him, gaping.

"Did I forget to mention that this summer?" Harry asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes, I believe you did," Sirius said once he found his voice. "My little brother, working to bring down Voldemort and discovering about the Horcruxes. He probably thought Voldemort only had one, but still…I never would have thought…"

After giving Sirius a moment to collect himself, Harry placed the Diadem and the Locket on the floor of the Shrieking Shack. "Well, shall we?"

Once the Cup joined its fellow dark objects on the ground, Sirius cast Fiendfyre and burned down the entire building and surrounding area. It wasn't very practical, perhaps, but it was certainly cathartic.

----

"Harry!" Ron pulled Harry into an unused classroom.

"Why are you kidnapping me?" Harry asked, eyeing Hermione and Neville (who were already in the room) suspiciously.

"We are not kidnapping you," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"So you'll let me leave this room right now?" Harry asked, heading for the door.

"Sorry, mate, but you have to hear us out first," Ron told him, blocking the exit.

"I repeat: Why are you kidnapping me?" Harry asked again.

"Because you have a tendency to be overly dramatic and get everyone involved with things and we need to keep this quiet," Hermione explained.

"Plus you're not going to like what they came up with," Neville added.

"What they came up with?" Harry repeated. "You mean you don't agree."

"Nope," Neville said cheerfully. "Because unlike them, I actually have some modicum of faith in you."

"Modicum?" Ron looked confused.

"Some small measure," Hermione supplied automatically. "And we have plenty of faith in Harry!"

Harry and Neville both looked at her skeptically.

She flushed. "What? Just because I'm not willing to accept everything that comes out of your mouth doesn't mean I don't have faith in you! For God's sake, last week you told Percy Ron wanted a sex change!"

"I don't see your point," Harry told her bluntly.

"Oh never mind," Hermione said, irritated. "Now, while I'm not saying that I doubt your, uh, Scar's expert knowledge of the attacks, I am suggesting that perhaps the, what was it? Supposedly dead illegal rat animagus-"

"The supposedly dead illegal parent-betraying rat animagus," Harry corrected.

"Right, him," Hermione agreed absently. "He probably has some help in the castle. While Professor Dumbledore doesn't always have the most inspired hiring practices, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is usually the only one that ever gives anyone any trouble and Lockhart doesn't really seem the type to pull something like this."

"Which is why we think it's Malfoy," Ron continued.

Harry looked at their serious faces for a moment before promptly bursting out laughing.

"Oh, so that's how it is?" Hermione asked angrily. "You can entertain notions of Great Pumpkins and Garden Gnome Conspiracies but not take attacks on the school seriously?"

With great effort, Harry managed to quell his laughter. "Sorry, Hermione, I am taking you seriously, but, really? Draco? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"We know he thinks Muggleborns are scum and said 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!' when he saw the writing on the wall on Halloween," Ron said as if it were obvious. Had Harry really been that quick to jump to conclusions back then? That was quite a depressing thought. "What more do you need?"

"Proof?" Harry suggested.

Beside him, Neville groaned. "Oh, you really should not have said that…"

Harry was puzzled. "Why not?"

"They have a plan to make Polyjuice Potion so we can sneak into the Slytherin Common Room, pose as Crabbe and Goyle, and ask him directly if he's responsible. Blatantly ignoring the fact that no one in their right mind would confide in those two, they also want to steal some of the ingredients to make the Potion from Snape's private supply by blowing up a cauldron – potentially hurting and/or killing anyone in the immediate area depending on what we're making and if they swallow any of the Potion – as a diversion," Neville said shaking his head. "I told them that not even you would go for that."

"Of course not," Harry said, shocked. "That kind of safety risk is just unacceptable. What's the good of finding out that Draco's involved and stopping a few couple-hour petrifactions if we get half of the first-year Gryffindors and Slytherins killed?"

"Then find a different way for us to get the ingredients," Hermione said determinedly. "Because one way or another, we're doing this. If there is any chance at all that Malfoy is involved, we have to find out. I know he's your friend and all, but look at this objectively-"

"I am," Harry retorted. "You two are the ones blinded by your hatred of him. I'll order your damn Potion, but I'm telling you, it's not him."

"How do you know?" Ron demanded. "Just because he's nice to you doesn't mean that-"

"I KNOW," Harry interrupted again. "But how could he possibly be the Heir of Slytherin? His mother is a Black and there are a lot of people with Black blood running around even if Sirius is the only living wizard to have that name."

"Maybe your godfather is the Heir of Slytherin!" Ron had a new theory.

"Why would my fugitive godfather break into Hogwarts just to set a snake on people? There are much more efficient ways to kill people."

"You said the culprit was being possessed by an evil diary," Neville, who was quickly becoming the voice of reason, reminded him.

Harry glared witheringly at him. "Thanks so much for that."

"I try."

"My Godfather would never write in a diary. He thinks having a diary automatically reduces your badass status by twenty percent," Harry explained.

"How would you know that?" Hermione asked.

Harry smirked and opened his mouth.

"And if you say your scar told you, then so help me," she threatened.

Harry shrugged. "Then I've got nothing. Another point in Draco's favor: Professor Snape is not a Parselmouth."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"Because Parseltongue is a hereditary trait. If Professor Snape can't speak it and thus can't possibly be the Heir, then how could Draco?" Harry asked innocently.

"There's always the possibility that Malfoy is, in fact, a Malfoy," Ron spoke up.

Harry stared at him uncomprehendingly.

"Fine, don't help us," Hermione sniffed. "Ron and I can do it by ourselves since we're clearly the only ones taking the safety of this school seriously. Will you at least buy us the Potion?"

"Sure," Harry agreed. "Just make sure that the hair actually comes from the person you want to transform into and not their cat."

"What-?" Hermione began.

"Don't worry about it. Now, as you two are clearly nuts, Neville and I are off to find Luna."

----

"Mr. Potter," McGonagall called as Harry was heading into the castle after a Quidditch practice. She looked unusually grim.

"Yes?" Harry asked politely, wondering what he could have possibly done to upset her that she knew about. He drew a blank.

"Another student has been found petrified, so if you could take some Mandrake Potion up to the Hospital Wing, that would be much appreciated," McGonagall told him.

"Sure, I can go now," Harry agreed as he followed her up to the Hospital Wing. "Who is it, anyway?"

"You probably don't know him, but it is a Hufflepuff named Zacharias Smith," the Transfiguration Professor informed him.

Harry through back his head and groaned. "Can't we just leave him like?"

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall sounded appalled. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your callous remarks."

"Yes!" Harry cheered.

"Mr. Potter?"

----

"Harry!" Draco shouted the minute he saw him.

"Whoops," Harry said, cursing himself for letting himself get caught. He'd been so diligent avoiding Draco recently and now it appeared that his luck was coming to an end.

"Now that I've finally managed to corner you after two months, would you care to explain this?" Draco demanded, chucking a rather thick book at his head.

After it hit him, Harry picked it up and glanced down at it. "It would appear to be Professor Lockhart's autobiography Magical Me. Why? Did you forget how to read or go blind or something?"

"No, I did not," Draco growled. "Have you seen the section on my parentage?"

"No, I haven't," Harry answered truthfully. After all, he hadn't bothered to read Lockhart's books as he was always forced to pay attention in class when Lockhart made him help reenact different scenes. Unlike last time, though, he didn't mind: his already top-notch acting skills were rapidly improving under all the different parts he had to play. "Not everyone is obsessed with your parentage, Draco."

"He devoted an entire chapter to how the 'touching story' of my mother's love affair with Professor Snape changed his life!" Draco yelled.

"Your mother had a love affair with Professor Snape?" Harry repeated wide-eyed.

"No, she didn't," Draco scowled.

"But you just said-" Harry began.

"Lockhart heard that ridiculous rumor you made up, believed it, published it, and now all of his mindless fangirls will believe it and this will never end," Draco complained. "I hope you're happy."

"I'm always happy," Harry said blithely. "And I don't see how you can possibly blame me. I mean, sure, I started the rumor, but I only mentioned it the one time, Fred and George did all the rest!"

"AND that time at the bookstore over the summer when you wanted to avoid getting your picture taken," Draco pointed out. "And those are only the times I know about."

"Okay," Harry conceded. "Only the two, then. But, really, it's not my fault-"

"You said it right in front of him!" Draco pointed out.

"You know," Harry said, crossing his arms. "This is why I've been avoiding you."

"Just stop spreading the rumors, okay?" Draco entreated. "Sooner or later, someone will mention it to my father."

"He hasn't heard already?" Harry asked, surprised. "But it's been months. AND he was in the bookstore the second time I said it."

"No one really wants to upset my father by implying my mother was cheating on him with a close friend of his," Draco explained. "A lot of people are scared of him and his money. I'm not really sure why he didn't catch that incident in the bookstore, but he was kind of preoccupied that day. I'm really not sure why."

"I'll make an honest effort," Harry promised.

Draco sighed. "I guess that's the most I can hope for…"