Y/N POV

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

Harry and I were released from the hospital wing the next day. We had to tell them what Dobby had tried to tell us.

"Of course." Ron said "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."

"Maybe." Lana said. "We'll have to wait for the Polyjuice Potion to know for sure."

"Enlighten me. Why are we brewing this potion in broad daylight, in the middle of a girl's bathroom? Don't you think we would be caught?" Ron said

"You know, Ron's right." I said. "Wouldn't we be caught by anyone?"

"Heh..." Hermione looked to Lana as she looked back at the three of us. "No one ever comes in here."

"Why?" The three of us asked.

"Moaning Myrtle." The girls said in unison.

"Who's Moaning Myrtle?" I asked.

"I'm Moaning Myrtle!" A shrill voice said as a non-corporeal being came into view. She looked like a female version of Harry, strangely enough. "I don't expect you to know me! Who would talk about ugly, miserable, moping Moaning Myrtle!" She then hovered behind the sinks.

"She's a little sensitive." Hermione said.

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The following night, we all went to this dueling club that Seamus mentioned. Lana and I know a good amount of spells of defense purposes, but we wanted to know how to use more spells if there was a threat.

"Who do you think is going to teach us?" Hermione asked.

"Hopefully Professor Flitwick." I said. "He was a Dueling Champion in his hayday."

"And a good one at that!" Lana said. "He told us about some duels he had."

"Hopefully it is Flitwick." Harry said as Ron agreed. "I don't know who else would be better for it."

"Yeah, as long as it isn't-" Ron said before he was interrupted.

"Gather 'round, Gather 'round!" The voice of a brainless git said. "Can everyone see me? Call you all hear me? Excellent."

"Unfortunately, yes, we can." I muttered as Hermione giggled a little.

"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."

Well, at least this won't be worse.

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape!"

I just had to say it. Snape didn't look very happy to be there under Lockhart's rules. He kept a straight face while Lockhart was being quite stupid.

"He had 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."

Before Lockhart could begin his duel with Professor Snape, I raised my hand to get Lockhart's attention.

"Yes, Mr. Lovegood?" He asked.

"I think Professor Snape could beat you while he could be brewing a potion." I said bluntly as many girls (excluding Hermione and Lana) glared at me . "How about you try on someone else? Surely I won't be a match against the Great Gilderoy Lockhart, if he so claims to beat a Werewolf, a Ghoul and a Vampire." I added with much needed sarcasm.

"Lovegood is correct." Snape said as he stared at me with gratitude in his eyes. "Maybe he might surprise you, Gilderoy. I have seen him perform many feats like his father, so I know he won't fail to impress."

Wait, did Snape just compliment me?

Lockhart muttered under his breath. "Fine then." he said. "Mr. Lovegood, come on up." he brandished his wand from his ridiculous outfit as I climbed into the platform. I looked back to see Hermione beaming with two thumbs up, Lana smiling at me and Ron and Harry grinning.

"Now, one, tw-" Before Lockhart finished, I yelled, "Stupefy!" As I shouted, a jet of red light streamed from my wand and Lockhart ducked. "You didn't let me finish!"

"Who the hell is going to say, 'One, two, three' when they're trying to kill you?" I asked. "Rictusempra!"

Lockhart fell to his feet, while some students laughed. Before he could say anything else, I muttered, "Locomotor Mortis." causing Lockhart's legs to stick together, making him unable to stand and walk normally. He did manage to grab his wand next to him, to which I called out, "Expelliarmus." sending his wand flinging across the room to Snape, who was clearly impressed.

"Do. You. Yield?" I said.

"I... Yield."

Snape then walked to Lockhart and performed the counter-curse. Before he did, he looked to me and made a little smirk. As Lockhart stood up, he said. "Well, I clearly wasn't ready for Mr. Lovegood..."

"You didn't even do anything against a Stunning, Tickling, and Disarming Spell." I said. "Or the Leg-Locker Curse when you had your wand in your hand for at least 3 minutes."

"But it showed all of us that we need to be on our feet." Lockhart ignored me. "Just as I planned. If I had wanted to stop you, it would have been only too easy."

God, I just wanted to punch him right now. H's clearly lying, how can these people be so dense? Why did Dumbledore even hire him if he's that egotistical?

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells," Snape said. "such as some of the ones Mr. Lovegood used rather effectively on you."

Lockhart smiled. 'An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape. Let's have a volunteer pair." He then looked across the room until his eyes laid down on us. "Potter, Weasley, how about you?"

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

Lockhart nodded, obviously looking at the rivalry between them. "Good luck, Potter."

"Thank you, sir." Harry said politely.

Harry and Malfoy got into the platform and raised their wands in front of their faces while Lockhart proclaimed, "Wand at the ready."

"Scared, Potter?" Malfoy spat out.

"You wish." Harry retorted.

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

"Everte statum!" Malfoy cast as Harry flew back. Harry got back on his feet and shouted, "Rictusempra!"

"I said disarm only!"

"Serpentsortia!" Malfoy cast again as a snake shot out of the tip. The snake slithered around the platform, hissing at everyone that looked at it.

"Don't worry, Potter." Snape said as he got in the way. "I'll get rid of it for you."

"Allow me, Professor Snape." Lockhart said as Snape stopped in his tracks "Alarte ascendare!" Instead of making it go away, the snake shot up into the air, fell back and hissed at Harry before it focused its attention on Justin Finch-Fletchey.

"Leave him alone." Harry said to the snake, which seemed to scare everyone as he spoke. Hermione gasped while Ron's mouth went open. Lana and I were confused as to why. The snake still hissed at Justin, who looked like he might have soiled himself, before I went up and said, "You heard Harry, leave Justin alone."

"Don't harm him." Lana added as she looked at Justin with a hopeful look.

"Vipera Evanesca." Snape said, incinerating the snake alive.

"What are you three playing at!?" Justin said in fear.

Hermione then looked at me with a scared look in her eyes and dragged me out while Ron did the same for Lana and Harry.

Harry POV

"You three are Parselmouths?" Ron asked us. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"We're what?" I asked as Lana and Y/N looked in fear.

"You can talk to snakes." Hermione said.

"I know. I mean, I accidentally set a python on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once." I said as I remember how Dudley got stuck in its enclosure. That day was amazing. "Uh, once! But, so what? I bet loads of people here can do it."

"No, they can't, Harry." Y/N said. "It's not common at all. It's very bad."

"What's bad? If we hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin..."

"That's what you said to it!" Ron said.

"You were there! You heard us!"

"I heard you all speaking Parseltongue. Snake Language?"

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

"I don't know, Harry." Hermione said as she took Y/N's hand in comfort. "But it sounded like you were all egging the snake on, or something. You all, 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!" Ron added. "Now the whole school's gonna think you're all his great-great-great grandchildren, or something."

"But we're not... We can't be." Lana and I said at the same time. Y/N stayed silent for a while before he broke it.

"He lived a thousand years ago; for all we know, we could be." Y/N said.

"Hopefully, we aren't related to him, but we are kind of related to you, Harry." Lana added to my surprise. "Your mum was our godmother."

I was really surprised at this revelation. "Well, it's better to have you both as family rather than the Snake head." I said.

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Well, things got worse. Somehow, Justin was petrified a couple days later, along with Nearly Headless Nick and I was caught as the person who did it, even if I didn't do anything. I did have to go to Dumbledore's office, where we talked about the possibility of me being placed in Slytherin and witnessing Fawkes', Dumbledore's pet phoenix, burning day. Hagrid did come in to prove my innocence, but Dumbledore already believed him and I. But now it was Christmas time, and it was time to use the Potion that Lana, Hermione and Y/N were working on in their spare time. Hopefully, we will get answers from Malfoy soon.

Lana POV

"Everything has been set." Hermione said to us. "We just need a bit of who you're changing into."

"Crabbe and Goyle." Harry said as Ron groaned in disgust.

"Pansy Parkinson." I said. She did go home for the holidays but I could say that she changed her mind.

"Blaise Zabani." Y/N said. Zabani also went home, so Y/N could have used the same excuse.

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

"How?" Ron asked.

"We've got that all worked out, Ron." Y/N said as he presented two cakes. "'Mione and I filled these with a simple but powerful Sleeping Draught that should keep them very asleep."

"Once they're asleep, hide them in the broomstick cupboard and pull a few of their hairs, and put on their hairs, and put on their uniforms." Hermione said.

"Whose hair are you ripping out then?" Ron asked her.

"I've already got mine." Hermione said as she pulled a few strands of blondish hair. "Millicent Bulstrode -- Slytherin -- I got these off her robes. Y/N, Lana and I are going to check the Polyjuice Potion. Make sure Crabbe and Goyle find these cakes."

A few moments passed as we checked the potion consistently while Ron and Harry went on their little mission. They returned a few moments later with strands of the two thuggish Slytherins. They must have been really dumb to let that happen. Nightfall came around and it was time to add the hairs to the potion.

Hermione took the five shot glasses and poured the slimy green liquid through it. "We'll have exactly one hour before we change back into ourselves." She said to us. "Add the hairs."

"Ugh... essence of Crabbe." Ron groaned as he dipped the strand into the glasses, which turned a different color. All of our glasses had done the same as we stared into it.

"Cheers!" Hermione said.

"Bottoms up." Y/N and I said as we all took a shot of our potion. We all moaned in disgust as we drank our shot. (A/N: Just imagine Lana and Y/N took the potion like how Fred and George will in Goblet of Fire.)

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" Ron rushed out of the way, dropping his glass and running to the stall.

"Me too." Hermione also rushed into another stall.

"Ughh!" Harry, Y/N and I said as we began to change shape. Harry now looked like Goyle. Taller, a bit wider and completely identical to Gregory Goyle, only with glasses. Y/N looked exactly like Zabani, only a little taller than Goyle/Harry and possessed slanting eyes.

I looked at myself in the mirror to find Pansy Parkinson staring back at me, mimicking my actions back at me in the mirror. It was odd seeing someone else staring back at me.

"Uh... guys?" Ron called out as he left the stall, looking like Vincent Crabbe.

"Ron!" We all said.

"Uh...Bloody hell."

"Excellent." Harry said.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked.

"I-I don't think I'm going." Her voice weary said. "You go on without me!"

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked.

"Just go. You're wasting time!"

"Lana, you, Harry and Ron go to Malfoy." Y/N said. "I'll stay here with Hermione."

"Y/N, please, go and interrogate Malfoy!" Hermione begged.

"Nope, staying here with you." my brother said. "I'm making sure you're okay. I'm staying, end of discussion. You guys go."

"Okay, then." I said. "You two stay safe." I then hugged him before we went.

"Hey, that's what I was gonna say to you!" he said gleefully.

I let go of him and left the bathroom with Harry and Ron. Time to get some information out of that blonde bastard.

Y/N POV

"Hey, 'Mione?" I asked her as I stood outside the stall she was in. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course!" She said quickly. "Everything is absolutely fine, Y/N."

"Hermione, please don't lie." I said. "Just tell me the truth, please?"

A moment of silence lingered for a while before she broke it. "Okay, just... don't laugh at me, please."

"Why would I laugh, 'Mione?" I asked. "I would only do that if there's something funny. You sound very serious, no laughing matter."

"That might change when you see me..."

The lock on her stall door opened with a clunk and left it open, allowing me to enter to see Hermione. She had her head down in her knees and she didn't look up. But something was different.

"Hermione?" I asked.

She looked up to reveal herself, but she looked nothing like Millicent Bullstrode. Her skin had turned from her porcelain white to furry black and her eyes had not only changed color, but also had changed its shape to a cat's. She also had cat ears on the top of her head.

"Do you remember when we were brewing the potion one time and I mentioned it only worked on human transformations?" She said. "It was cat hair I plucked off Millicent Bulstrode's robes. Look at my face, I'm hideous."

"Aww, 'Mione." I said as I sat down in front of her. "You are not hideous. In fact, I think you look quite adorable." I said as I rubbed her cheek, which caused her to purr.

"You... really think so?" She asked quietly. "I look exactly like her cat..."

"Of course!" I said. "You're just like how you would be normally. Intelligent, kind, compassionate, cute. You're still Hermione Granger, one of the most amazing people I know."

I couldn't tell if she was blushing, but she literally jumped on me and hugged me tightly as I hugged her back. "Thank you, Y/N." She said.

"No problem, 'Mione." I rubbed her back while we were still hugging. "I told you, I'm here for you."

Hermione then let go but she still had a worried look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"It's just that... you know what happened with Justin and Colin." She said worriedly. "They got petrified, what if that happens to me?"

Oh, goodness. I didn't think of what would happen if Hermione became petrified. But I didn't want her to, I don't know what I would do. I care about her a lot. I fancy her for god's sake!

"Hermione, nothing's going to happen to you." I said as I took her hands. "I promise you, I'm gonna do everything I can to protect you. Even with my life if it comes to it."

Hermione then slowly smiled, placed her hands on my neck and softly kissed my cheek. "That's very noble of you, Y/N. But I don't want you to get hurt because of me. I care about you a lot, I don't want to see you hurt."

She then looked up and down at me. "Weren't you looking like Zabani a few moments ago?"

"Yes, what do you mean? I still look like him, don't I?"

"No, actually. You look like, well, Y/N Lovegood. Back to yourself."

"Wait, really? Has it been an hour already?" I asked as I looked at my watch. Only 30 minutes have passed since we drank that disgusting potion. "It's only been 30 minutes, how do I look like myself again?"

"I don't know." Hermione said. "I also don't know how we're going to fix this either." She then pointed to herself.

"I bet Madam Pomfrey would have something for you, don't worry." I said.

We spent the next 30 minutes talking with each other while Hermione let me rub her cat ears. We just talked about our classes, family life over the summer and other things. She told me she still kept the necklace I gave her for her birthday, which made me smile a bit. We continued to talk until we heard the doors open and we saw Harry, Ron and Lana, all back to normal and in Slytherin robes.

"Hey, so you lot get anything off Malfoy?" I asked them.

"Unfortunately, no." Lana said. "He's not the heir. But he did mention something his father was saying about us and about how the Chamber was opened 50 years ago about a Muggle-born and how they died after."

"Yeah, he was being a prick most of the time." Harry said. "He even wanted a Muggle-born to die and he was hoping it was Hermione. The nerve of him, I just wanted to deck him."

Hermione hugged me tightly from my side in fear as I looked back at her and kissed her forehead.

"Well, that then brings us back to square one." I said to them. "But we have to go to Madam Pomfrey now. Don't ask why."

I took off the Slytherin robe I wore if I was going to impersonate Zabani and helped Hermione out of her robe and gave her my overcoat, which luckily hid the cat features on her head and we all walked to Madam Pomfrey's. Luckily, she didn't ask why Hermione was looking like a cat. All these years at Hogwarts, she must have so many things like this. Soon enough, Hermione was back to her normal self, albeit with a car tail and coughing hairballs up in a trashcan. Ron and Harry had gone back to the Gryffindor Common Room after a long day and Lana went back to the Ravenclaw Tower where she and Luna were staying in the break.

I was still in the hospital wing with Hermione, making sure she was okay. I was about to leave before she pulled on my arm.

"Hey, Y/N?" She asked as she blushed. "Could you... maybe stay here? With me? I don't think I would like to be here alone."

I softly smiled at her. "Sure, 'Mione. I'll stay with you." She beamed as she moved a little in her bed to make space for me and turned a little so her tail wasn't in the way. I climbed into the bed and laid down next to her as she snuggled up next me. "Good night, Y/N."

"Good night, 'Mione." Soon enough she was asleep, tucking herself into my body as she buried her head under my chin while I wrapped my arms and hugged her. But something still stayed in my mind. Something that Dobby said and these recent events.

"Dobby's masters kept saying Y/N and his sister are very powerful witches and wizards, because of --"

"But he did mention something his father said about us..."

"What are you three playing at?!?"

"Kill, Kill, TIME TO KILL!"

What did it all mean? How did I know Parseltongue? What did Dobby mean? I need to know more. And not die trying would be nice.

(A/N: So, this chapter will be the last one I update regularly to the schedule I had before school starts. I will update, just not as often. But since there won't be that many updates, I will try to make the chapters longer. Anyways, I hope all of you are safe, doing well and staying inside. I hope you all have a great day/night! )