Chapter 18: United Front
The only useful information they obtained was that "Malfoy is not the Heir."
For Harry and the others, who had been convinced Malfoy was the Heir of Slytherin, this was far from good news.
If it wasn't Malfoy, then who could it be? They had no leads.
If they were to name someone, Mirabel Beresford might come to mind. But while she did share a "superior race" ideology, hers was the complete opposite of the pure-blood supremacy that defined the Heir's motives.
If Mirabel were the one controlling the monster of Slytherin, then logically, her first targets would have been Gilderoy Lockhart or Draco Malfoy.
"Well, at least it wasn't a complete waste of time."
In the girls' bathroom where Moaning Myrtle resided, they waited for the effects of the Polyjuice Potion to wear off.
It was "Mirabel" — no, it was Hermione disguised as Mirabel — who muttered these words.
They had quite a bit of time left before the effects of the potion wore off, thanks to Hermione's meticulous planning.
If it weren't for her, they probably would have wandered aimlessly around the dungeons looking for the entrance to the Slytherin common room, wasting precious time.
In hindsight, the entire mission could have been accomplished with just Hermione alone.
But that didn't mean Hermione had done everything perfectly.
In fact, she had made two critical mistakes.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the corridor, drawn to them by those mistakes.
The three of them turned toward the direction of the sound and saw someone they recognized — the very person they had run into earlier near the Slytherin common room entrance.
Edith Reinagle.
"Mirabel, can I have a word with you?"
"W-what is it?" Hermione replied, trying to maintain her composure.
This bathroom was a place hardly anyone visited.
The only reason Edith would be here was that she was Mirabel's friend.
This was Hermione's first critical mistake: she had chosen Mirabel Beresford as her disguise.
Mirabel was a girl who naturally stood out. Her overwhelming presence, striking appearance — so beautiful that even Veela (the magical beings known for their beauty) would rage with jealousy — made her impossible to miss.
On top of that, Mirabel had a strong-willed, eccentric personality.
For a mission where the goal was to blend in and investigate unnoticed, Mirabel was the absolute worst choice.
When someone like Mirabel sneaks off to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, it doesn't just "stand out" — it becomes downright suspicious.
"You're acting a little strange today. And I'm curious why you're with those two."
"T-That's… well…"
Hermione was a clever girl, but she wasn't great at handling unexpected situations.
She had enough wit and adaptability to surpass most people, especially someone like Ron.
But she didn't have Harry's knack for making bold, instinctive decisions on the fly.
Because of that, when faced with an unpredictable confrontation like this, Hermione had a tendency to freeze.
Even so, she managed to think of a line that Mirabel might actually say and blurted it out.
"Th-this has nothing to do with you, Edith. I can do as I please, can't I?"
Internally, Hermione fist-pumped in victory.
It was something Mirabel would definitely say, and, most importantly, it deflected further questioning.
If Edith tried to press her, she could just retort, "You're being too nosy!", which would fit Mirabel's selfish personality perfectly.
Yes, Mirabel's self-centered nature was a huge advantage here.
However, Hermione failed to realize that she had just made yet another critical mistake.
The consequences of that mistake came almost immediately as Edith's expression shifted.
"…I knew it."
"K-knew what?!" Hermione stammered, panic creeping into her voice.
"You're not Mirabel."
The sudden accusation made Hermione's heart leap into her throat.
She quickly turned to look at the mirror.
Reflected in it was the image of a stunning girl with flowing golden hair — the same "Mirabel" she had been playing all along.
The transformation hadn't worn off yet.
But this action, checking her reflection at that moment, was a fatal mistake.
By doing so, she had practically admitted that Edith was right.
"W-what are you talking about?! How am I any different from usual…?"
"Drop the act. Honestly, I had a hunch back when we talked in front of the common room."
It was only now that Edith was certain, but her suspicions had been there since their earlier conversation at the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
That suspicion had been triggered by Hermione's second fatal mistake.
Because of that mistake, Edith had followed them all the way to this bathroom.
Staring directly at "Mirabel" — no, Hermione in disguise — Edith spoke quietly but firmly.
"Mirabel never calls me by my first name. She always calls me 'Reinagle' — my second name."
"!!"
Upon hearing this, Hermione immediately realized her blunder.
That's right — now that she thought about it, Mirabel never called people by their first names.
She always addressed them by their family names.
It was a mistake that couldn't be undone.
The only thing Hermione could do now was to make sure their true identities weren't discovered.
Yes, she had been exposed as a "fake Mirabel", but they still didn't know who she really was.
At this point, their best option was to run.
After all, using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate another student was a clear violation of school rules.
If Snape or McGonagall found out, they'd definitely lose over 100 house points — and in the worst-case scenario, they could even face expulsion.
But just when they needed to keep their cool, Ron, oblivious as ever, shouted in frustration.
"What are we gonna do now, Hermione?! This is all your fault for blowing our cover!"
"Y-you idiot…!"
Hearing Ron blurt out her name so carelessly, Hermione panicked, but it was too late.
Edith's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in realization as she glanced at each of them.
"I see… so you're Hermione Granger. Well, now that I think about it, there really aren't many second-years who could pull off a stunt like this. It'd have to be either Mirabel or you."
Her gaze shifted toward the two behind Hermione.
"So that means… one of those two must be Harry Potter, right?"
"Ugh…" Harry groaned in dismay.
It was over.
At this point, running wouldn't change anything.
All they could do now was plead with Edith to keep quiet.
But to do that, it would be wise not to anger her.
Their fate now rested entirely in Edith's hands.
If they wanted to avoid losing points — or worse, expulsion — they'd have to beg for her mercy.
"I-I'm sorry! But please, listen! We didn't do this as a prank or anything like that."
"Then what was it for?"
"We were trying to figure out who the Heir of Slytherin is. We wanted to stop them before anyone else gets hurt."
Hearing Hermione's explanation, Edith furrowed her brow in suspicion.
If they had chosen to act during the Christmas holidays, when fewer students were at the school, it meant they already had a prime suspect in mind.
Otherwise, it would have been a very inefficient time to act.
Most of the Slytherins — including Mirabel — had gone home for the break.
If the Heir of Slytherin really did exist, it would have been more likely that they were one of the students who had gone home.
"We thought… maybe it was Malfoy."
"…Malfoy? No way. Definitely not."
Edith dismissed Hermione's claim with a wave of her hand.
Yes, Malfoy was definitely a pure-blood supremacist, but he wasn't extreme enough to be the Heir of Slytherin.
Or to be more accurate, he didn't have the guts to get his hands dirty.
Simply put, he was all talk and no action.
"That guy doesn't have the nerve to actually kill anyone. Sure, he acts all high and mighty, but deep down, he's just a coward."
"Ugh… but the Malfoy family has always been in Slytherin. He brags about it constantly. Plus, when Mrs. Norris was attacked, he was the first to celebrate it."
"But he wasn't the one, was he?"
"Ugh…"
Hermione fell silent, unable to argue against Edith's logic.
No matter how much she insisted on her theories, the reality was that Malfoy wasn't the Heir.
With a shrug, Edith gave Hermione a look of exasperation.
Desperate, Hermione reached out with pleading eyes.
"O-okay, we were wrong about Malfoy, but we still have to find out who the Heir of Slytherin is. We have to stop them before someone else gets hurt!"
"Please, don't tell the teachers about this!"
"Even if you say that…"
Edith trailed off, looking troubled.
If it were just an ordinary school rule violation, like wandering around at night, Edith wouldn't have cared at all.
But this was different.
Disguising themselves as a Slytherin student and sneaking into the common room was not something she could overlook.
If she let them get away with it, they might do it again.
It could also damage the trust between Slytherin students.
On top of that, for the person being impersonated, it would be nothing but a nuisance.
The best way to ensure it never happened again was to report them to a teacher right away.
"Rules are important, you know… and I'm sure you understand that, don't you?"
With a sigh of exasperation, Edith turned to leave the bathroom.
But before she could take another step, Hermione threw herself at Edith, clinging to her back and stopping her in her tracks.
If Edith walked away now, it was all over. They could very well be expelled.
They had to stop her at all costs.
"W-wait!"
"No. There's no reason for me to."
"I-I'm sorry for impersonating your friend! I'll apologize to her, I promise! So please, wait!"
Edith turned around with a look of mild annoyance, gazing at Hermione.
To be honest, Edith didn't like Hermione very much.
Despite being Muggle-born, Hermione possessed incredible talent and was adored by the teachers.
Even Mirabel, who rarely acknowledged anyone, recognized Hermione as exceptional.
During the Dueling Club match, Mirabel had clearly enjoyed herself when fighting Hermione.
Edith could never make Mirabel feel that way.
That thought stirred a dark, simmering jealousy deep in her heart.
(…I could get her expelled right now.)
Their fate was entirely in Edith's hands.
If she wanted to, she could have them kicked out of Hogwarts.
But… was that really what she wanted?
Did she really want to do that?
Sure, she didn't like Hermione, but wasn't that feeling just jealousy?
If she got Hermione expelled just because of that, would she be happy?
Kicking someone out just because you don't like them… how would that make her any different from Malfoy?
Tricking others, setting them up for failure, and taking pleasure in their misfortune.
That's exactly what Malfoy would do.
And that's exactly the kind of person Mirabel despised the most — a coward.
(I'm not… I'm not a coward!)
Clenching her teeth, Edith turned to face Hermione.
Fine.
This girl was someone even Mirabel acknowledged.
If that's the case, then she would see for herself what made Hermione so strong.
She'd prove to Mirabel that she could stand on the same level.
"Alright… I won't tell the teachers about you all."
"Huh? R-really?!"
"But on one condition... I'm going to help you look for this Heir of Slytherin, too."
"What?"
Hermione's eyes widened in shock.
Her face clearly said, "Why?"
And that reaction was understandable.
Edith was a Slytherin.
Her family, the Reinagle family, had been pure-blood wizards for three generations.
There was no clear reason why she'd want to help in the search for the Heir of Slytherin.
"W-why?"
"…Because it's not unrelated to me."
"Huh?"
"Not every Slytherin is pure-blood, you know. In fact, only about 30% of us are truly pure-bloods. The rest are either half-bloods pretending to be pure-bloods, or Muggle-borns.
"If that monster keeps roaming free, it's possible that even some of us in Slytherin could become victims."
If anything, Slytherins might be more likely to be targeted as 'impurities.'
Hearing Edith's reasoning, Hermione nodded in understanding.
She glanced at Harry, who met her gaze and nodded as well.
They both agreed that it would be better to join forces rather than push Edith away.
"Alright, Reinagle. Let's work together to find the monster hiding in Slytherin."
"No need to change how you call me all of a sudden, Granger. I look forward to working with you."
"Then you can call me Hermione."
With that, Edith and Hermione shook hands, sealing their truce.
A rare alliance between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin.
Harry stepped forward, offering his hand as well.
The three of them — Gryffindor, Slytherin, and The Boy Who Lived — had now formed a new alliance.
"I never realized there were people like you. I always assumed every Slytherin was like Malfoy."
"Well, it's true that a lot of us are pretty extreme. I mean, look at Mirabel."
They clasped hands, dispelling the animosity between them.
Slytherin and Gryffindor were known for their bitter rivalry, but now was not the time to worry about that.
With no way of knowing who the next victim might be, they were, more than anything, fellow students sharing the same school.
Anyone who clung to old grudges or refused to cooperate was either blind to the danger or a pure-blood supremacist.
On this day, the students of Slytherin and Gryffindor, who had been at each other's throats, quietly joined hands.
All for the sake of the school.
To protect the place where they lived and learned.
Time passed. Christmas break ended, and several months went by.
Strangely, ever since Justin had been petrified, there were no new victims.
The sense of fear that had gripped the school began to ease, and life started to feel normal again.
Some students were relieved, while others remained fearful.
And there were still those who continued to doubt Harry.
As for Lockhart, he seemed convinced that the lack of new attacks was thanks to his own "brilliant efforts," despite having no evidence to support it.
Days passed with no new leads, but then, by sheer chance, Harry came into possession of a strange diary.
It was the diary of a boy named Tom Riddle, and oddly enough, Harry discovered that he could write in it and receive replies — as though he were speaking directly to Tom.
But the most shocking revelation was this:
Tom Riddle was the very student who had resolved the monster incident 50 years ago.
He had been the one to identify the person responsible for releasing the monster and had that person expelled from Hogwarts.
Through the diary, Harry witnessed these past events and learned who had released the monster 50 years ago.
And, much to his dismay, that person was someone he knew well.
"It… it was Hagrid."
Harry told his friends — Hermione, Ron, and Edith — about the past events he'd seen through the diary.
He recounted how the 13-year-old Hagrid had been secretly raising a massive, hairy creature in the school.
How Tom Riddle had confronted him about it.
How Hagrid had set the creature loose, and it had escaped.
"Maybe Riddle made a mistake," Hermione said, defending Hagrid.
"Maybe the monster that attacked everyone was something completely different."
Even as she said this, it was clear that Hermione wasn't doubting the fact that Hagrid had kept a monster in the castle.
She knew full well that Hagrid had a soft spot for dangerous creatures.
Just last year, he had secretly raised a baby dragon, which ended with Harry, Hermione, and Ron losing House points to cover for him.
"How many monsters does Hogwarts need before it's satisfied?" Ron muttered sarcastically, shooting down Hermione's defense.
It wasn't that Ron believed Hagrid would ever try to hurt someone.
But he did think that Hagrid's love for monstrous creatures could lead to recklessness.
That's why Hagrid had been expelled back then.
At that moment, Edith spoke up.
"Harry, just to check… this monster you saw — was it hairy? With lots of legs?"
"Y-yeah. It was hairy, huge, and all its creepy little legs were wriggling."
Hearing Harry's description of the creature, Edith lowered her gaze in thought.
There was no doubt it was a monster.
It could definitely be dangerous, maybe even attack people.
But something about it didn't sit right with Edith.
"…That might not be Slytherin's monster."
"…What do you mean, Edith?" Hermione's face grew tense.
It was clear she didn't want to believe that Hagrid was responsible.
Her eyes practically begged for an explanation, and Edith nodded slowly before sharing her reasoning.
"Harry, you can speak Parseltongue, right? That's why people think you're the Heir of Slytherin, isn't it?"
"Yeah… that's right…"
"And Slytherin's symbol is a snake, right? So, being able to speak Parseltongue is seen as proof of being the Heir. So far, so good?"
Harry clearly didn't enjoy this topic. His face twisted into a grimace, but he nodded.
But this was where it got important.
Even if it made Harry uncomfortable, Edith had to make sure he listened.
"And on Halloween, you heard a voice that no one else could hear, right?"
"What's your point?! I didn't do anything!"
"I know. I'm not saying you did. What matters here is that 'only you could hear it.'
The voice said, 'I'll kill them,' right? And right after that, the attack happened.
If that's the case, then it's extremely likely that voice belonged to the 'monster.'"
At this point, the only one who understood where Edith was going was Hermione.
Her eyes widened, and she raised her hand to cover her mouth as she stared at Edith.
Meanwhile, Harry scowled, clearly unhappy about having to think about this.
Ron, on the other hand, had his hand on his wand.
If Edith dared to accuse Harry of being the culprit, Ron looked ready to fire a spell on the spot.
"If the monster's voice could only be heard by Harry, who speaks Parseltongue…
Then there's a high chance the monster is a snake.
Now, let's go back to the earlier topic.
Was the monster Hagrid raised a snake?"**
"N-no… I couldn't see it clearly, but it definitely wasn't a snake. It had legs."
"Exactly. So, if that was the 'monster,' there's no reason Harry would be able to hear its voice when no one else could.
Which means, to put it simply, the creature Hagrid raised and the 'monster' are two completely different things."
Hearing that, Harry finally caught on.
Of course! Why hadn't he realized it earlier?!
The voice only he could hear — because he could speak Parseltongue!
If he'd just thought it through from that perspective, he would have reached the answer much sooner!
But Ron was still on edge. His eyes were narrowed in frustration, and now his breath was heavy with irritation.
He suddenly shot up from his chair, nostrils flaring.
"Oh, so that's it, huh?! You're trying to pin everything on Harry!
Typical Slytherin, huh?!"
"Ron, no! She's not trying to frame Harry! She's just figuring out what the monster is—"
"Hermione! She's fooling you! You're letting a Slytherin manipulate you!"
For Ron, anyone from Slytherin was an enemy by default.
Just as he clashed with Malfoy simply for being in Gryffindor, he carried the same attitude toward anyone in Slytherin.
Without hesitation, Ron pulled out his wand and aimed it directly at Edith.
He probably didn't intend to actually use it, but his wand was dangerous.
It had been broken after being smashed by the Whomping Willow at the start of the school year,
and all he'd done to "fix" it was wrap it up in tape.
It was less of a wand and more of a ticking time bomb.
The sight of that unstable wand pointed at her made Edith flinch, her breath catching in her throat.
Her whole body tensed, ready to react.
But before anything could happen, a pale hand suddenly shot in from the side, seizing Ron's wand in an iron grip.
"Hmph… this wand's worse than a toy, Weasley.
Does your family really give you trash like this to use?"
The pale hand gripped the wand firmly.
When Edith followed the arm up to its owner, she saw a familiar figure — one she hadn't spoken to in a long time.
No, more accurately, she had been the one avoiding them.
Mirabel Beresford.
Her face was as calm and indifferent as ever, giving away nothing about her intentions.
"Don't swing around a piece of junk like this."
With that, she yanked the wand from Ron's hand and crushed it in her palm.
The pieces of what was once a wand scattered to the floor with a pathetic clatter.
It was no longer a wand. Not even close.
"Borrow a proper wand from the school."
Without even glancing at Ron, who stood frozen in place, Mirabel turned on her heel and walked away.
For a brief moment, Edith caught a glimpse of her face.
Her eyes were a sharp golden hue, as clear as ever, yet utterly unreadable.
No one could tell what she was thinking.
But Edith could sense something.
Maybe it was her imagination, but it felt like, just for a moment, there had been a flicker of something like anger in those golden eyes.
After Mirabel left, Edith stayed frozen for several seconds, trying to process what had just happened.
(…Huh? Could it be…? Was she… angry because someone pointed a wand at me?)
Realizing this, she spun around to look down the hallway Mirabel had walked down.
But it was too late.
Mirabel was already gone, and with her went any chance of confirming her true intentions.
Chasing after her would have been easy.
But… what if Mirabel said, "That's not it."
That fear held Edith back.
In the end, she couldn't bring herself to chase after Mirabel.
Instead, she stayed where she was, alone in her thoughts.
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