IN WHICH 4 turns into 3

"Again? You mean the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione asks.

"Of course. Don't you see? Lucius Malfoy must have opened it when he was at school here. And now he's taught Draco how to do it." Ron says.

"Maybe. We'll have to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to know for sure." Hermione says. "Thank goodness Aubery was an Animagus. Otherwise, we couldn't have done this."

"All I ask is that I don't need to drink it," Aubery says.

"Enlighten me. Why are we brewing this potion in broad daylight, in the middle of a girl's lavatory? Don't you think we'll get caught?" Ron asks.

"Heh... No. No one ever comes in here." Hermione smirks.

"Why?" Ron asks. 

"Moaning Myrtle," Hermione says.

"Who?" Ron asks.

"Moaning Myrtle," Hermione repeats.

"Who's Moaning Myrtle?" Ron asks.

"I'm Moaning Myrtle! I wouldn't expect you to know me! Who would ever talk about ugly, miserable, moping Moaning Myrtle? Huh...aaaah!" A ghost flies out of a toilet stall, and then flies away, crying.

"She's a little sensitive," Hermione adds.

"You think?" Harry questions.

A plethora of second years was gathered around the Great Hall, but instead, there was a large platform in the middle of it.

"Gather 'round, gather 'round! Can everybody see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little Dueling Club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves, as I myself have done on countless occasions- for full details, see my published works." Lockhart smiles.

"No thanks," Aubery mutters.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape. He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration. Now, I don't want any of you, youngsters, to worry- you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear." Lockhart and Snape meet at the middle, bow, and walk away, raising their wands up. "One, two, three."

"Expelliarmus!" Snape yells.

"Whoah!" Lockhart flies across the room. 

"Do you think he's all right?" Hermione gasps.

"Who cares?" Ron asks.

"I hope he loses his memory," Aubery says.

"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind me saying, it was pretty obvious- ah- what you were about to do. And if I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy." Lockhart brushes off the dust on his robes.

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor," Snape says.

"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape! Ah... Let's have a volunteer pair! Um, Potter, Weasley, how about you?" Lockhart asks.

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy, perhaps?" Snape drawls.

"Good luck, Potter," says Lockhart.

"Thank you, sir." Harry nods.

"Wands at the ready," Lockhart commands.

"Scared, Potter?" Draco asks.

"You wish." Harry retorts.

"On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent- only to disarm. We don't want any accidents here. One, two-" Lockhart starts.

"Everte statium!" Draco yells, and Harry is thrown across the platform.

"Oh!" Hermione gasps.

"He said only to disarm!" Aubery snaps.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" Crabbe laughs.

"Rictusempra!" Harry yells.

"I said disarm only!" Lockhart yells.

"Serpensortia!" A snake flies out of Draco's wand, slithering toward Harry.

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Snape says.

"Allow me, Professor Snape. Alarte ascendare!" Lockhart commands, but it only angers the snake.

"Sya- hassa- she. Sya- hasi- heth. Sya- hasi- heth." Harry hisses.

"Vipera evenesca," Snape says, and the snake disappears.

"What are you playing at?" Justin Finch-Flecthly snaps.

Dueling Club was let out, and the Golden Squad ran past the others to the Common Room. Not that anyone was itching to get close to Harry anyways.

"You're a Parselmouth? Why didn't you tell us?" Ron asks. 

"I'm a what?" Harry questions.

"You can talk to snakes?" Aubery asks.

"I know. I mean, I accidentally set a python on my cousin, our cousin, Dudley at the zoo once. Uh, once! But, so what? I bet loads of people here can do it. Just like how Aubery can turn into a fox." Harry says.

"No, they can't. It's not a very common gift, Harry." Hermione says.

"And it's really hard to be an Animagus. There's only 9 registered, including me, mum, and Professor McGonagall. I know 3 other animagi who weren't registered, but that's all." Aubery says.

"This is bad." Hermione shook her head.

"What's bad? If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin-" Harry starts.

"Oh, that's what you said to it!" Ron gasps. 

"You were there! You heard me!" Harry snaps.

"I heard you speaking Parseltongue. Snake language?" Ron says.

"I spoke a different language? But- I didn't realize I- how can I speak a language without knowing I can?" Harry asks. 

"I don't know, Harry, but it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something," Hermione says, and Harry rolls his eyes. "Harry, listen to me. There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes, too."

"Exactly! Now the whole school's gonna think you're his great-great-great-grandson or something." Ron says.

"But I'm not... I can't be." Harry says.

"He lived a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be," Hermione says.

All houses were still a bit wary of Harry, and as Christmas rolled around, most kids clambered to go home. Fred and George didn't help matters, as they kept on egging Harry to hiss at other kids who annoyed them. Aubery, Ron, and Hermione instantly became unpopular, most kids darting out of their way in the halls. Eliza was a one out of a handful who wasn't scared of them, but even she stopped hanging around the Squad as much.

"Aubery!" Aubery turned her head to see a certain sandy-haired kid running toward her. She breathed in the still familiar scent of lemongrass and cedarwood, from the first time they met. It was reassuring to Aubery. Like nothing changed.

"Oh, hey Seamus." Aubery smiles.

"Happy Christmas Aubs." Seamus says.

"Happy Christmas Sea," Aubery replies. (A/N: It's the first half of his name, so like, Seamus, but Sea. Like, this: Shay, cause Seamus is pronounced: Shay-mus. I think.)

"Stay safe, alright?" Seamus asks.

"Yeah. You too." Aubery replies. 

They stood their for a good while, before Seamus awkwardly left. Aubery could swear he heard him say I love you, but maybe it was just her imagination. She left for the Great Hall, and stopped by Harry, Hermione, and Ron's table and sat down. 

"Everything's set. We just need a bit of who you're changing into." Hermione says.

"Crabbe and Goyle." Harry replies. 

"We also need to make sure that the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating Malfoy." Hermione adds.

"How?" Ron questions. 

"I've got it all worked out. I filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught." Hermione held up a bag of little chocolate cakes. "Simple, but powerful. Now, once they're asleep hide them in the broomstick cupboard and pull out a few of their hairs, and put on their uniforms."

"Whose hair are you ripping out then?" Ron asks. 

"I've already got mine. Millicent Bulstrode- Slytherin- I got this off her robes. I'm going to go check on the Polyjuice Potion. Make sure that Crabbe and Goyle find these." Hermione drops off the pastries.

Hermione and Aubery walk to the girl's bathroom, as Aubery twirls her wand boredly. Harry and Ron rush in, holding Slytherin robes, and strands of hair, as Hermione carefully ladles Polyjuice Potion into the bottles.

"We'll have exactly one hour before we change back into ourselves... Add the hair." Hermione says.

They add the hairs, and Aubery covers her nose in disgust at the smell.

"Ugh- essence of Crabbe." Ron groans.

"Cheers!" Hermione says, and they drink it. Aubery slowly watches, in horror and awe, as they slowly turn into Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Ron groans.

"Me too." Hermione runs to the bathroom.

"Ughh!" Harry looks green. 

"Uh... Harry?" Ron, no Ron/Crabbe asks.

"Ron!" Harry/Goyle gasps.

"Bloody hell!" Ron/Crabbe gaps.

"We still sound like ourselves. You need to sound more like Crabbe." Harry/Goyle says.

"Uh... Bloody hell." Ron/Crabbe's voice turns more into Crabbe's voice.

"Excellent." Harry/Goyle's voice turns into more Goyleish. "How do we look Aubs?"

"Positively revolting." Aubery smiles.

"But where's Hermione?" Ron/Crabbe asks.

"I- I don't think I'm going. You go on without me!" Hermione says.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry/Goyle asks.

"Just go. You're wasting time!" Hermione beckons.

"Come on." Harry/Goyle and Ron/Crabbe run out of the room.

"'Mione, you can tell me now. What's wrong?" Aubery asks.

"Nothing. Just, get rid of the potion!" Hermione sniffles.

"Alright then. Evanesco!" Aubery chants, and the caludron and potion disappears in front of her eyes. She did the same to the dropped potion bottles, and carefully made sure no one could trace their steps. 

Ron and Harry rush in. "That was close!" 

"Hermione, come out. We've got loads to tell you!" Harry says.

"Go away!" Hermione sobs.

"Ahh! Wait till you see. It's awful! He- ha, ha, he- hee!" Myrtle snickers.

"Hermione? A-are you OK?" Aubery asks.

"Aaah!" Myrtle laughs as they open the bathroom stall.

"Do you remember me telling you that the Polyjuice Potion was only for human transformations? It was cat's hair I plucked off Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Look at my face." Hermione sighs, turning around.

"Oh god." Aubery gasps.

"Hee, ha, ha!" Myrtle shrieks.

"Look at your tail!" Ron says.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Myrtle laughs.

A few days later, Ron, Harry, and Aubery walk up the moving staircase.

"Have you spoken to Hermione?" Ron asks.

"She should be out of hospital in a few days, when she stops coughing up fur balls." Aubery says. "I have to go, see you later."

"See you." Harry says.

The next day, Harry, Ron, Aubery, and Hermione walk down to Hagrid's hut together.

"It was Hagrid. Hagrid opened the Chanter of Secrets fifty years ago." Harry says.

"It can't be Hagrid. It just can't be." Aubery shook her head.

"We don't even know this Tom Riddle. He sounds like a dirty, rotten snitch to me." Ron says.

"The monster had killed somebody, Ron. What would any of us have done?" Harry asks.

"Look. Hagrid's our friend. Why don't we just go and ask him about it?" Hermione recommends.

"That'll be a cheerful visit! Hello, Hagrid! Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?" Ron sarcastically says.

"Mad and hairy? You wouldn't be talking about me now, would ya?" Hagrid asks.

"No!" The 4 yelps.

"W-what's that you've got, Hagrid?" Harry asks,

"Oh, It's a- Flesh-Eatin' Slug Repellent. For the Mandrakes, ya know. Now, accordin' to Professor Sprout, they've still got a bit o' growing up to do. But, once their acne's cleared up, we'll be able to chop 'em up and stew 'em, and then we'll get those people down at the hospital un-Petrified. In the meantime, though, you four had best be lookin' after yourselves. All right? Hmm. Hello, Neville!" Hagrid explains as Neville Longbottom ran down the hill.

"Harry- I don't know who did it, but you'd better come! Come on!" Neville beckons.

The four go to the Gryffindor boy's dormitory, where Harry, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus resided.

"It had to be a Gryffindor. Nobody else knows our password- unless it wasn't a student." Hermione says.

"Whoever it was, they must have been looking for something," Ron says.

"Or someone." Aubery shivers.

"They found it. Tom Riddle's diary is gone." Harry says.

"Is that a problem?" Neville asks.

"No, no it isn't. I'll clean up." Aubery shakes her head.

The next day, in the Quidditch team tent, Oliver is getting ready for the match against Hufflepuff.

"Alright, listen up. We play our game, Hufflepuff doesn't stand a chance. We're stronger, quicker, and smarter." Oliver says.

"And not to mention, they're dead scared that Harry'll Petrify them if they fly anywhere near him." Fred snorts.

"Well, that too. Aubery, if you need to, do the Broom Switcharoo, but not too early in the game, we need all of our Chasers. Professor McGonagall." Oliver says.

"This match has been canceled." Professor McGonagall says.

"We can't cancel Quidditch." Wood protests, among confused whispers.

"Silence, Wood. You and your teammates will go to Gryffindor Tower, now. Potter, Lupin, you and I will find Mr. Weasley. There's something the both of you have to see." Professor McGonagall says.

They found Ron, and they followed McGonagall to the Hospital Wing, the dread growing more in Aubery's stomach.

"I warn you, this could be a wee bit of a shock," McGonagall says, and Madam Pomfrey leaves to find Hermione, Petrified.

"Hermione!" Ron and Aubery gasp.

"She was found near the Library, along with this." McGonagall holds up a mirror. "Does it mean anything to either of you?"

"No." Harry shakes his head.

They make their way in the common room, where immediately, an announcement was made.

"Could I have your attention, please? Because of recent events, these new rules will be put into effect immediately. 'All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock every evening. All students will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions.' I should tell you this: unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught, it is likely the school will be closed." McGonagall says.

"We've got to talk to Hagrid, Ron, Aubs. I can't believe it's him, but if he did set the monster loose last time, he'll know how to get inside the Chamber of Secrets, and that's a start." Harry says.

"But you heard McGonagall! We're not allowed to leave the tower except for class." Ron reasons.

"I think it's time to get your Dad's old cloak out again." Aubery smiles.

AY 100+ READS!!! THANKS!