The next morning, Harry, nor Dr. Nicodemus had left the bedroom. Lionus led the three men down to the Entrance Hall for an early start to the day. However, his early start was six in the morning.

"What the hell did you get us up for?" asked Sirius walking down to the front doors.

"To keep me company, and to make sure you don't sneak into the room and disturb the Doc." Lionus said with a smile. "Come on, you can keep me company while I work out today, I feel my strength just ebbing away just sitting in there."

Sirius and Remus shook their heads and walked with Dr. Clark and Lionus. "I don't mind going outside. I haven't been outside much since I've been here." said Dr. Clark.

Well the idea of just a few simple push ups and jogging around done by Lionus was anything but simple, and the idea was just mere fantasy.

They stared in complete shock as he ran up the castle and leaped and bounded from tower to torrent and then back down to the ground. Before he touched down, they saw that his nails had extended themselves into what looked like long claws.

And just as soon as one foot touched the grass, he sped off again, but this time, he dove into the lake. Remus looked around for him to start swimming laps or something, but he never came up. Suddenly, after a frantic seven minutes, he came shooting out of the lake like a rocket taking off.

He finally came to a halt and sat on a large boulder beside the lake. He shook the excess water from his hair while the men ran over to him.

"Are you out of your mind?" shouted Sirius.

"How did you do all that?" asked Remus in a shocked whisper. He noticed that the claws were gone.

"Years of training." said Lionus with a smile. He then looked to the left and saw a dead tree, crowding a young sapling. He brought his arm quickly back behind him and walked away, suddenly the tree slid off the now severed trunk and landed heavily on the shore of the lake.

"Who do you think you are? Chuck Norris?" said Dr. Clark staring in amazement.

"No, but I love watching his movies." said Lionus with a smile. "Being a Ranger means you have got to be able to handle any situation at any given time. Which means, you have to be strong," he said flexing his arm, what appeared to be just lean arm under his cloak, was in reality, pure muscle. "Smart, resourceful and not afraid of danger. The real qualifications of a Ranger go on and on. But those are the main ones.".

"And you want Harry to be one of you guys?" said Sirius in an awed whisper.

"That's right, all we would need to do is build up his actual muscle tone and he's all set. He's lieutenant material already." said Lionus with a smile. "He'd make a fine Ranger."

Sirius, Remus and Dr. Clark looked at each other quickly. "You going to make up his mind for him? Or you going to let him choose?" asked Remus.

"He'd have to decide for himself of course. You have to give a reason for wanting to be a Ranger before you even get to try out for them." said Lionus.

"…So you won't try and force Harry to become a Ranger?" asked Dr. Clark.

"Absolutely not, but as a Ranger Captain, I would love to have him on my squad. Hell, I'd follow him into battle if he were put in charge of me. But as an adult who'd love to have a kid of his own, I cannot possibly allow him to get into anymore danger than he already has." said Lionus with a smile.

"Right on." said the men happily.

After Lionus had finished toning his body back in shape, and talking the three of them to join in, they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast.

More like Lionus walked, they staggered and panted from exhaustion.

"Never…never…again…" said Sirius collapsing in the bowl.

"I'm hurting in places I didn't know I had." said Remus leaning against a chair.

"I've worked out before, not enough to kill me in less than two hours though." said Dr. Clark collapsing to the ground.

"What happened to you guys?" said Fred in wonder.

"All I did was run them about the grounds." said Lionus with a smile.

"You guys should be thankful that it isn't Monday, those days are the worst." said Nightstrike with a smile. "You guys had it really easy."

"That..was…easy…?" gasped Sirius gulping down glasses of water right after the other.

"Yeah, and if we were back at headquarters, it would be even tougher." said Nightstrike.. Sirius groaned and fell back into the cushions.

"Good Morning, Dr. Nicodemus. Oh, you too, Mr. Potter." said Tempest from the door, where she stood with Firenze. Everyone turned and quickly looked at the door. Dr. Nicodemus walked into the Great Hall and was followed by Harry, who looked different.

He was taller, yet still skinny. His eyes were still a brilliant shade of emerald green, but…his hair….

"Harry…why is your hair white?" asked Remus staring at the youth.

"Well…Dr. Nicodemus here says that it'll turn back to black sometime. It's just I've been really drained of magic last night." said Harry tugging at the locks of hair. His voice was a little deeper, but Professor Flitwick could tell that his singing voice did not change one bit over night. Of which he was very thankful for.

"Draining your magic makes your hair turn white?" said Sirius examining a gray strand off of Remus's head.

"Look at your own." Remus said shrugging Sirius off.

"That hurts." said Sirius pouting. Harry laughed loudly and walked over to Ron and Hermione.

"It's great seeing you look so much better." said Hermione hugging him tightly.

"This is odd." said Ron, looking eye to eye with Harry.

"Awesome! No more short jokes." said Harry beaming. "I was about to kick you if I heard another one."

"So no more illnesses, no more sleeping, no more injuries?" said Sirius hopefully.

"I can't fix the one thing that is afflicting him, but with Dumbledore's help we discussed it with him." said Dr. Nicodemus.

"When did you talk to him?" asked Remus.

"When I took you guys outside, it was a conversation best left to the two of them." said Lionus.

"But he was with him too!" said Sirius pointing to the Doctor.

"I went in later." said Dr. Nicodemus.

Sirius and Remus looked between each other and rubbed the back of their heads, "Now we really don't have any grounds to treat you like a kid, you're almost as big as us." said Sirius

Harry smiled at his two friends, "I don't mind if you guys treat me like a kid. For…the…readings…" said Harry to the two men. They high fived each other.

"Mad as a March Hare, the both of them." said Harry shaking his head.

The Doctor cleared his throat loudly. "Unfortunately, the ailment that afflicted him took away one magical ability that he had."

"What do you mean?" asked Sirius.

"Everyone is born with different abilities, every witch or wizard, doesn't matter if you are a Muggleborn or not. It takes a lot of tragedy and hardships to discover your powers. Everyone here has a different ability that sets them apart from the rest. Harry might be the only one to know about his at such a young age. The abuse helped bring that about." he added bitterly.

"What ability did Harry lose?" asked Sirius.

"We are not sure; he has all the abilities he knew he was gifted with. It might have been one that he was not aware of yet." said Doctor Clark.

"How many does each person have?" asked Colin excitedly.

"Seven. Everyone has seven." said Harry. "I know of…" he looked up, counting something invisible flying around him. "at least five that I have."

Ginny walked into the Great Hall, stifling a yawn and as she walked, she nearly walked into Harry.

"Sorry…" she said sleepily. She looked up slowly and her eyes widened when she saw him. Without warning, she leapt into his arms and kissed him fiercely on the lips. Mrs. Weasley blinked at her youngest daughter moved to say something, but withdrew.

When they pulled apart, she tapped his nose. "You'd better be feeling better."

"Right now, I could carry this entire castle into London." said Harry with a mischievous grin. Percy walked up and began to drag her back towards where her family was sitting. Harry waved playfully over to her and sat in between the men in the bowl.

It was decided that George was going to read the next chapter. So when everyone settled down and waited for him to clear his throat dramatically and start reading

The Polyjuice Potion.

"Awesome!" said Fred excitedly.

They stepped off the stone staircase at the top of and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door.

"Oh that's right, you were heading to my office." said Dumbledore happily.

"Oh, I forgot, think you can keep something safe for me?" said Harry reaching behind himself.

"What is that?" asked Dumbledore with a bright smile and twinkle in his eye.

Harry held out the stuffed dragon.

"Think you can keep this safe? Till I have kids?" said Harry with a smile.

Dumbledore stared at the dragon, and smiled. "Of course I will." he said, with tears pricking his eyes.

It opened silently and they entered. Professor McGonagall told Harry to wait, and left him there, alone.

"Did you at least reassure him that you thought he was innocent?" asked Mrs. Weasley shortly.

"She did, as I walked in. She told me that she knew that I didn't do it, and told me not to worry, the whole not worrying part didn't work out too well." said Harry with a smile.

Harry looked around. One thing was certain: of all the teachers' offices Harry had visited so far this year, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting.

"Yeah, we loved to just go in there and spend the weekends just talking and asking him all about the stuff he had." said Sirius thinking back fondly.

"I think 'interrogating' would be a better choice of words." said Dumbledore chuckling warmly.

If he hasn't been scared out of his wits that he was about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around it.

"I'm sorry, Harry." said McGonagall worriedly.

"No real harm done." said Harry smiling warmly.

"Least his smile hasn't changed." said Hermione in a whisper.

"Yeah, his smile was always more pleasing to look at then Lockhart's." said Ginny with glee.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle-legged tabled, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke.

"Yeah, he'd never tell us what those things would do." said Remus. "Only would say how he got them."

The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames.

"They're very good actors, every one of them." said Dumbledore with a smile.

There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk,

"That desk that had served countless Headmasters and Headmistresses before me." said Dumbledore.

and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat - the Sorting Hat.

"And here I thought they just chuck it into an old broom cupboard when they don't need it." said Fred quietly laughing.

Harry hesitated. He cast a wary eye around the sleeping witches and wizards on the walls. Surely it couldn't hurt if he took the Hat down and tried it on again?

"There is no rule against it, but even if the hat says a different house, you would still stay with the house you were sorted into." said McGonagall.

Just to see ... just to make sure it had put him in the right House—

"It did, trust us." said the entire Gryffindor house.

He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the Hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he'd put it on.

"Godric must have had a large head." said Zacharias.

"Larger than a twelve year old's at least." said Fred in retort.

Harry stared at the black inside of the Hat, waiting. Then a small voice said in his ear, "Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?"

"That's creepy how it knows your name." said Dr. Clark.

"Once it touches your head, it can recognize your core instantly, even your kid's core." said Harry flipping through his little book. "Families have similar cores."

Umbridge stared hungrily at the book, if only she could get her hands on it.

"Er, yes," Harry muttered.

"So what's it like to have a bee in your bonnet?" asked Sirius ruffling the teen's hair.

"Reminds me of you, a pain in my…" said Harry teasingly.

"Harry." warned Mrs. Weasley gently.

"Sure, we get yelled at, and she only tells you off quietly." said George pouting slightly.

"Mom always liked me best." said Harry with a playful smile.

The Weasely children all laughed when Mrs. Weasley got flustered, trying to say that she loved all her children equally.

"Er - sorry to bother you - I wanted to ask -"

"You've been wondering whether I put you in the right house," said the Hat smartly.

"Yeah, a talking hat would be pretty smart." said George with a smirk.

"Yes... you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before -"

Harry's heart leapt

"Why would your heart leap?" asked Colin.

"I focused more on the 'GRYFFINDOR' part." said Harry shrugging.

"-- you would have done well in Slytherin."

Harry's stomach plummeted.

"Harry, you really need to stop having your hopes crushed like that." said Hermione with a laugh.

"My hopes are sort of fragile." said Harry shrugging. Hermione stopped laughing immediately.

"With height and white hair, comes absolutely no wisdom." groaned Harry clapping a hand to his eyes.

He grabbed the point of the Hat and pulled it off. It hung limply in his hand, grubby and faded. Harry pushed it back onto the shelf, feeling sick.

"Remember when James got sick in Dumbledore's office?" asked Sirius, trying to boost the morale.

"Yeah." said Remus catching on quickly. "Right on Dumbledore's shoes. They both were facing each other, then Dumbledore was watching James's lunch try and decorate the nice new shoes he had gotten."

"You didn't even blink!" said Sirius laughing, Dumbledore smiling. "You just handed him a potion told him it was alright and cleaned your shoes!"

"Nasty bout of flu was going around the school; I learned many years ago, that being ill is not something one can control. Though some try." said Dumbledore, sneaking a twinkle over to the twins.

"Think he knows about the Snackboxes?" said Fred quietly.

"I think we can bet on that." said George.

"You're wrong," he said aloud to the still and silent Hat. It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it. Then a strange, gagging noise behind him made him wheel around.

"Was it your turn to be sick?" asked Sirius.

"No, with Madam Pomfrey around, she never allows me to be sick." said Dumbledore cheerfully.

"Of course not. Being as old as yourself, a cold could do you irreparable harm." said Madam Pomfrey hotly.

"Thank goodness she won't be around when I'm elderly." said Sirius in a whisper, but Madam Pomfrey heard it.

"You will be lucky to see Middle-Aged if I could have my way. After all the dangerous pranks you pulled on the other students when you were younger." said Madam Pomfrey, still angry.

He wasn't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird,

"What the…?" asked a first year Slytherin. "What's a bird like that doing in the Headmaster's office?"

which resembled a half-plucked turkey.

"Note to self: Make a large batch of Pepper cookies for Fawkes, to apologize." said Harry with a smile.

"Pepper cookies?" said Sirius.

"Hot chili peppers, habanero peppers, jalapeño peppers, hot sauce, all in a in a biscuit." said Harry. "Fawkes absolutely loves them."

"Since Harry has started making them, his feathers have certain gleam to them. Not to mention he's put on about five pounds." said Dumbledore with a bright smile.

Harry stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise.

"That poor bird." said Dr. Clark sadly. "Couldn't you take the poor thing to a Vet, Albus?" asked Dr. Clark.

"You'll find out in a small while why it is not necessary to take him to Vet." said Sirius.

Harry thought it looked very ill.

"He was ill. The poor thing had pneumonia." said Dumbledore shaking his head sympathetically.

Its eyes were dull and, even as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail.

"That sounds so sad." said Lavender.

Harry was just thinking that all he needed was for Dumbledore's pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it,

"Don't jinx yourself, Harry." said Fred with a loud laugh.

when the bird burst into flames.

"B-b-but I was….I was kidding." said Fred in shock.

"What the hell…?" said Dr. Clark stunned.

Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk.

"So that was the noise I heard." said Dumbledore with a smile over to Harry.

"And you came running right?" asked Sirius.

"Alas, I was thinking too excessively to investigate. I only heard the noise and continued to ponder what was attacking my students." said Dumbledore, regret etched in his face. "It did not sound like a scream to me, or a shout."

"I was fine." said Harry smiling reassuringly.

He looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere, but couldn't see one.

"Poor you." said Dr. Clark looking over to Harry.

"Man, Harry wants to save everyone, doesn't he?" said George with a smile.

"That sometimes is the curse of being abused at such a young age. You are taught that there is no worth for your life, but other's life, must be treasured." said Doctor Nicodemus. "The abused will go to any lengths to spare others the pain they themselves have been subjected to."

George's smile disappeared immediately and everyone turned to look at Harry intently.

Harry looked at everyone staring at him. "Could you lot blink? You're creeping me out." he said with a smile.

"No more saving people." said Fred.

"You start saving yourself." said George.

"I don't think I can." said Harry honestly. "It's not like changing the curtains from season to season. If what he says is right, it may take years to get me to stop. And I don't think I would want to stop." he finished faintly, looking down and rubbing his elbow.

Sirius, Remus, and Dr. Clark looked at each other, then smiled and group hugged Harry.

"We'll help you with that." said Sirius giving Harry a tight squeeze.

The bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor.

The students stared at Harry, he had to be the unluckiest kid in the school.

The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.

"I had just been to see Nicholas and -Fletchley." said Dumbledore seriously. "But seeing the look on Harry's face was just too amusing." his frown turned to a smile. "I almost began to laugh."

"Professor," Harry gasped, "your bird - I couldn't do anything - he just caught fire -"

To Harry's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled.

"I never thought I would see someone smile when they learn their pet just died." said Harry.

"About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days, I've been telling him to get a move on."

"Wait, what?" asked Dr. Clark cofused.

He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry's face. "Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry.

"Speak of the devil." said Dumbledore laughing warmly. Suddenly the red and golden bird flew down to the students and fluttered to land on a golden perch conjured by Dumbledore. Dr. Clark stared in wonder at the bird.

"He's stunning." said Dr. Clark in an awed whisper.

"He sure is. But he's not beautiful like you." said Harry quickly when he saw Hedwig flying down to the Great Hall. She inflated her feathered chest proudly.

Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes.

"That is why it one reason to not have to take Phoenixes to the doctor in case of emergencies. Regular checkups are something completely different though." said Dumbledore, stroking Fawkes' feathers.

Watch him..."

Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, new-born bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one.

"Sorry." said Harry quickly, Fawkes turned, flapped over and landed on Harry's knee and nuzzled against Harry's chest. Hedwig screeched loudly.

"Hedwig, he was forgiving me. It's okay, you're the only bird for me." said Harry scratching behind her head.

Hedwig hooted indignantly, but buried her head into his palm. Fawkes continued to nuzzle into his chest and then dug his beak into the folds of Harry's cloak. He came out with a fire red cookie in his beak.

"He seems to have found one of his Pepper cookies." said Dumbledore with a laugh.

"It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk.

"Phoenixes hardly ever let others watch it. They are a very proud species of bird." said Dumbledore. "Fawkes has only allowed myself, Harry and Lily to watch him pass on. Lily dearly loved Fawkes." he wiped a tear from his eye.

"He's really very handsome most of the time: wonderful red and gold plumage.

"That description does not do you justice." said Dr. Clark, slowly reaching his hand out to Fawkes. Fawkes looked at the hand and laid his head down upon. it. "He feels so warm." said Dr. Clark in fascination.

"He was the perfect playmate for little Harry." said Dumbledore fondly.

Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads,

"I remember one time, Fawkes carried you all around the school on his talons. I thought your mother would have been frightened out of her wits or at least murder me in a furious rage, but she trusted him enough with you." said Dumbledore beaming. "How you loved going on rides with him."

"I'd love to remember that." said Harry dreamily.

their tears have healing powers

"Wow, really?" asked Colin eagerly.

"Oh, my god." said Dr. Clark, touching his patched eye. Fawkes was now sitting on his shoulder. Dr. Clark removed his eye patch and slowly opened his eye, there were pearly drops of what appeared to be water on his cheek, and the slit in his eye…was gone.

"I can see out this eye again." said Dr. Clark with amazement. "Thanks." he looked up to Fawkes appreciatively. He let out a beautiful tune that made Harry's heart soar and he flew back to his perch.

"That…was beautiful." said Dr. Clark happily. Other people in the Hall nodded, but Umbridge was the only one that was emitting a muffled scream.

and they make highly faithful pets."

Hedwig turned and stared fixedly at Harry. "You're twice as loyal as he is." said Harry quickly.

Hedwig seemed satisfied with that statement.

In the shock of Fawkes catching fire, Harry had forgotten what he was there for, but it all came back to him as Dumbledore settled himself in the high-backed chair behind the desk and fixed Harry with his penetrating, light-blue stare.

"So you didn't even need to ask him what had happened?" said Remus.

"I prefer when they tell me. I don't start using Legilimency unless they cannot find the courage to tell me what is wrong." said Dumbledore kindly.

Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in,

"You forget to knock, Hagrid?" asked Sirius playfully.

"I just…was worried he was gonna expel Harry." said Hagrid sheepishly.

"Of course he wouldn't expel his favorite student." said Fudge rolling his eyes.

"You like steak?" asked Nightstrike innocently.

"What?" asked Fudge quickly. "Well…yes."

"If you would like to chew that at any time in the future, I suggest you shut your mouth, before I knock all your teeth out." said Nightstrike threateningly.

a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand.

"I would have fell down laughing." said Remus.

"I think I would have pissed my pants from laughing so hard." said Sirius with a bright smile.

"It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir -"

"Woah, Nellie." said Fred.

"Easy Hagrid, if Harry was going to be expelled, he would have been chucked out of the school before you even got there." said George.

Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere.

Hagrid looked sheepishly down at the floor.

"...It can't've bin him, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to..."

"Not like that nitwit of a Minister would recognize the truth." said Sirius scowling at the cringing man.

"Hagrid, I -"

" -Yeh've got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never -"

"He knows Hagrid!" said Sirius shaking his head and smiling.

"Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people."

"What was your proof?" asked Fudge, trying hard to build his courage back up.

"Just shut up." said Tempest gritting her teeth.

"Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster." And he stomped out looking embarrassed.

"I love you Hagrid." said Harry with a broad smile.

"You don't think it was me, Professor?" Harry repeated hopefully, as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you even give a damn about when people get all flustered around you." said Remus with a smirk.

"Sometimes I wonder why you don't just burst out laughing." said Sirius grinning.

"I laugh later." said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eyes.

"No, Harry, I don't," said Dumbledore, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you."

"Bout what?" asked Sirius.

Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together.

"Not a good sign." said Sirius, once again, the voice of experience.

"I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all."

"Tell him everything." said almost every adult in the Great Hall.

"I do, sort of." said Harry.

Harry didn't know what to say.

"Yeah, you really told him." said Zacharias rolling his eyes.

"Wait for it." said Harry with a smirk.

He thought of Malfoy shouting, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!" and of the Polyjuice Potion, simmering away in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Then he thought of the disembodied voice he had heard twice and remembered what Ron had said: "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." He thought, too, about what everyone was saying about him, and his growing dread that he was somehow connected with Salazar Slytherin...

"No," said Harry, "there isn't anything, Professor."

Harry smiled as people turned and stared at him.

"You did tell him everything." said Sirius. "Through Legilimency!"

"I didn't say a word." said Harry.

"Harry! It was supposed to be a secret!" said Hermione worriedly.

"It's a good thing that he allowed Dumbledore to know that. Without it, I wouldn't have had the necessary potions to fix whatever would have happened." said Madam Pomfrey.

"It was very fortunate that Harry took me into his confidence." said Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"You make it sound like something really bad happened." said Sirius worriedly.

Harry gave him a 'you'll find out look'.

"Whoopie." said Sirius.

"So if you knew, you could have stopped it!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"I thought it best to have them stretch their wings, besides, stopping the brewing process of a Polyjuice Potion, could have some very disastrous effects. Am I correct." said Dumbledore looking over to Snape.

"Indeed, the fumes, even if you make the potion disappear, over the next few days can cause everyone within a five mile radius seriously ill." said Snape.

The double attack on Justin and Nearly-Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic.

"And is that when the assault happened?" asked Remus angrily.

"Yep, right before the holidays." said Harry plainly. "Wait…what?"

"It showed you getting the snot beaten out of you by the Hufflepuffs." said Ron.

"Geez louise." said Harry rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Harry, we want to know about this kind of stuff." said Dr. Clark.

"I realize that. But really…this happened so many years ago, and I paid them back in full for it." said Harry.

"How?" said Dr. Clark.

"Once everyone was revitalized and the threat gone, I asked them each to another abandoned room and whupped each of their asses." said Harry. "One at a time. With the seventh years though, Ron helped me out on."

"Helped me alleviate some stress." shrugged Ron.

"How could two twelve year olds go against a seventh year?" asked Sirius.

Harry and Ron grinned wickedly. "We'll never tell." said Ron and Harry.

Curiously, it was Nearly-Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most. What could possibly do that to a ghost, people asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead?

"Good question." said Remus, still thinking hard.

"He's a lot calmer now." whispered Harry.

"Having the light smack into his chest did wonders for his disposition." said Sirius whispering back.

There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas.

"And to get away from Harry, so as to not incur his demonic wrath." said Fred dramatically.

The students laughed, knowing full well that the threat was gone, and that Harry wasn't the heir.

"At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron told Harry and Hermione. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be."

"Hey, he forgot us." said Fred pouting.

"Yeah, we can make the holidays all the more wonderful for him." said George.

"Having all the cushions fly over and start bashing us in the head and sides isn't what I call festive." said Hermione.

"Haven't you ever heard of a pillow fight? They're great fun!" said Fred innocently.

"Only if you can fight back." said Ron. "And you already took control of all the cushions."

Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Malfoy did, had signed up to stay over the holidays too.

"I doubt they can even think for themselves." said Ron in a whisper. Draco suppressed a laugh; he doubted Crabbe and Goyle could think too.

But Harry was glad that most people were leaving.

"Oh really?" asked Rivers looking slightly confused.

He was tired of people skirting around him in the corridors, as though he was about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the muttering, pointing and hissing as he passed.

"Oh, yes, I would be happy with less students too." said Rivers quickly.

"What were they hissing?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Some were just trying to sound like snakes, and others were telling him to go home and never come back." said Ron.

"I got something, something macaroni when they hissed like that." said Harry shrugging. "Parseltongue doesn't translate well when you don't know what you're doing."

"Really? What am I saying now?" asked Fred, he hissed softly.

Harry blinked. "Tell him to take bicarbonate and stay off his feet." said Harry.

"What? What did I say?" asked Fred.

"You told me that your uncle has gas." said Harry. Several people snorted and others just busted out in laughter.

"How about now?" asked Fred and he hissed again.

"I'm not too sure how to respond to that one." said Harry.

"What did he say that time?" asked Sirius trying not to laugh.

"His uncle with the gas is now pregnant." said Harry. The kids fell out of their seats and clutched their stomachs, trying to stop from laughing so hard. The adults could hardly contain themselves.

Fred and George, however, found all this very funny.

"It isn't!" said Mrs. Weasley angrily switching from a jovial mood to an agitated one.

"I appreciated that they did." said Harry, but sending a quick look over to Ginny and giving her a smile, who smiled back.

They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through..."

"It was so awesome. One of our funnier moments." said Fred polishing his nails on his cloak.

Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior.

"It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly.

"Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry."

"Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling.

"Not one of your better lines though." said Sirius shaking his head.

Ginny didn't find it amusing either.

"Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next,

"Remember when he said 'you' once?" asked Fred to Lee.

"Yeah, I choked loudly and fell down 'dead'." said Lee with a laugh.

or George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met.

"Smile for me quick." said Sirius.

"What?" said Harry looking at him.

"Do it." said Sirius with a smirk.

Harry smiled then stopped.

"Come on. Wider than that. That's it, little wider…nope no fangs." said Sirius with a teasing grin.

"Jackass." said Harry bopping Sirius with a cushion.

Harry didn't mind; it made him feel better that Fred and George, at least, thought the idea of his being Slytherin's heir was quite ludicrous.

"Sorry boys." said Mrs. Weasley.

"It's okay, Mum, we wouldn't do it if you approved, really." said Fred with an evil grin.

But their antics seemed to be aggravating Draco Malfoy, who looked increasingly sour each time he saw them at it.

"Why did it upset you?" asked Snape.

"He was getting all the attention." said Draco quietly.

"He got all the attention before all this stuff happened. What would have made it any different." asked Bill.

"He made a pretty good catch in the last game of the term, against Ravenclaw, caught it right in front of their Beater taking aim on a Bludger." said Harry.

"It's because he's bursting to say it's really him," said Ron knowingly.

"He didn't go to the game, it wasn't his day off." said Hermione.

"Day off?" asked Charlie.

"Someone has to stir the potion on the weekends. We can't have Hermione doing it all." said Harry.

"You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work."

"Close, but this isn't horseshoes." said Rivers with a smile.

"Huh?" asked Draco and Blaise.

"Muggle game." said Rivers.

"Not for long," said Hermione in a satisfied tone. "The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of him any day now."

At last the term ended, and a silence deep as the snow on the grounds descended on the castle.

"You really need to write poetry or something mate." said George looking up from the book.

"He does a wonderful job writing songs." said Dumbledore smiling over at Harry.

Harry found it peaceful, rather than gloomy,

"Explains why you kept sitting on the window sills and looking outside." said Ron.

and enjoyed the fact that he, Hermione and the Weasleys had the run of Gryffindor Tower, which meant they could play Exploding Snap loudly without bothering anyone,

"It's embarrassing when Hermione beats you every single time." said Harry shaking his head.

"Everyone one is good at somethings." said Hermione wickedly.

"It was her idea to play for stuff." said Ron. "I still owe her three quills and a pot of blue ink." said Ron.

"You're lucky, I'm out two books. I need to give up games that don't involve flying." said Harry.

"Don't do that Harry, who else are we going to take for all the candy he's got." said Neville with a smirk.

"Or writing material." said Hermione with a giggle.

and practice dueling in private.

"Man all those wasted nights, WE were the ones showing them how to block them and everything. Could've had Harry teaching us." said George pouting.

Fred, George and Ginny had chosen to stay at school rather than visit Bill in Egypt with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"You guys would rather be in danger at school then visit me? That makes me feel REAL popular." said Bill crossing his arms.

Percy, who disapproved of what he termed their childish behavior,

"So a twelve year old kid, and a pair of fourteen year olds have to act like adults? That's wishful thinking." said Sirius.

"Seeing as how Sirius still doesn't act like an adult." said Remus with a smirk.

didn't spend much time in the Gryffindor common room. He had already told them pompously that hewas only staying over Christmas because it was his duty as a Prefect to support the teachers during this troubled time.

"We didn't need the support Mr. Weasley," said McGonagall sternly.

Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory,

"Two less snorers in the dorms." said Harry with a smirk. Seamus, Dean and Neville looked between themselves and wondered who the snorers were.

were woken very early be Hermione, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for them both.

"Christmas presents could have waited a half hour more." said Ron.

"Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window.

"Hermione - you're not supposed to be in here," said Ron, shielding his eyes against the light.

"Well aren't you two just full of the Christmas spirit." said Tonks.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the Potion. It's ready."

Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake.

"Are you sure?"

"Hey, it's a dangerous potion, I didn't want to be stuck with half of Goyle's face." said Harry defensively.

"Positive," said Hermione, shifting Scabbers the rat so she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster.

"Not many girls will touch a rat on purpose." said Dr. Clark looking at her highly impressed.

"If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight."

"Well that's a pathetic Christmas present. Looking like those gits." said Lee.

At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak.

"Hello," said Harry happily, as she landed on his bed, "are you speaking to me again?"

"Wow, it took her a long time to forgive you." said a seventh year Ravenclaw.

"I didn't blame her though." said Harry.

She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way,

Hedwig repeated the show of affection.

"That is too cute!" squealed Lavender and Parvati.

Hedwig clicked her beak irritably at Fawkes and then continued nibbling Harry's ear.

Sirius mouthed to Remus, 'Someone's a little jealous'.

which was a far better present than the one which she had brought him,

"Well that's a kind thing to say." said Dr. Clark caressing Hedwig's feathers.

which turned out to be from the Dursleys.

"Nope, wasn't kindness, it was a fact." said Fred.

They had sent Harry a toothpick

Growls scattered the Hall and glares were fired at the book from almost every angle.

"Would rather have the toothpick then have Goyle's face." said Harry.

"You are definitely getting something better than that for Christmas." said Remus angrily.

"I'd sort of hope so." said Harry with a small smile.

and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer holidays, too.

"Did you at least ask?" said Remus.

"I knew the answer was going to be 'no'." said Harry. "There was no point in asking."

"Though I should've known, you could've told me." said Dumbledore sadly. "I never would have sent you back."

"But I couldn't stay here; you and the rest of the staff have lives of your own to live. Where would I go? No, I could endure a few months with the Dursleys." said Harry.

"No more enduring for you now." said Sirius bringing Harry into a tight, one-armed hug.

The rest of Harry's Christmas presents were far more satisfactory.

"Getting absolutely nothing would be a step up." said Remus angrily.

Hagrid had sent him a large tin of treacle fudge, which Harry decided to soften by the fire before eating;

"It made it taste even better." said Harry fondly. "I ate that right away after it softened."

"Harry, eating sweets for breakfast is not good for you." said Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley.

"Didn't care." said Harry with a cheeky grin. "It was treacle."

Ron had given him a book called Flying with the Cannons, a book of interesting facts about his favorite Quidditch team;

"Why give him a book on your favorite team?" asked Dr. Clark.

Ron shrugged.

"It was fine. I like that book." said Harry.

and Hermione had bought him a luxury eagle-feather quill.

"I haven't seen you use it lately." said Hermione thoughtfully.

"It broke." said Harry. "Someone accidentally sat on it."

Goyle and Crabbe laughed dully.

Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted jumper from Mrs. Weasley, and a large plum cake.

"It was really good, took me a long time to eat it all." said Harry gratefully.

He read her card with a fresh surge of guilt,

"What were you feeling guilty about, dear?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

thinking about Mr. Weasley's car, (which hadn't been seen since its crash with the Whomping Willow),

"Oh…sorry dear…" said Mrs. Weasley sheepishly.

and the bout of rule-breaking he and Ron were planning next.

"Well that probably ruined Christmas for you." said Tonks sadly.

No one, not even someone dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts.

"That's true, those are always excellent." said Remus happily. "And at least your Christmas wasn't completely ruined."

The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe criss-crossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling.

The first years and Dr. Clark looked excitedly around the Great Hall, trying to picture the festive sights and wishing that Christmas was going to come tomorrow.

Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols,

"Those were fun actually." said Harry.

"Did you do any solos?" asked Sirius quickly.

"No and I'm not singing." said Harry sternly.

"Come on! You haven't sang in so long!" whined Hermione. "Just one little carol?"

"It's not Christmas yet." said Harry. "Kinda stupid to sing Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow, when the leaves haven't even completely fallen out of the trees yet."

Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed.

"The staff's eggnog was made with wine." said Harry.

"How do you know?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Where else was I going to bake Dumbledore's Raspberry Chocolate Chip cookies?" said Harry plainly. "And I took a glass off a tray. Spat it out right away. I like eggnog, but you don't add anything else to it."

Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred and George had bewitched his Prefect badge so that it now read "Pinhead", kept asking them all what they were sniggering at.

"Oh, I found out later." said Percy scowling at his younger brothers.

Harry didn't even care that Draco Malfoy was making loud, snide remarks about his new jumper from the Slytherin table.

"Never did care what he said about my sweaters." said Harry shrugging.

With a bit of luck, Malfoy would be getting his come-uppance in a few hours' time.

"Didn't happen." said Draco.

"Oh, yes it did." said Harry and Ron.

Harry and Ron had barely finished their third helpings of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the Hall to finalize their plans for the evening.

"They had three of everything!" said Hermione in response to the glares sent by both Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley. .

"But we were going for five of everything!" whined Ron and Harry.

"We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she was sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent.

"Sorry about that." said Hermione.

"And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe and Goyle's; they're Malfoy's best friends,

"'Best friends' is not what I would call them." said Harry quietly. Draco heard and looked down shamefully.

he'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him."

"I don't see how this plan goes horribly wrong." said Kingsley thoughtfully. He remembered back when Harry had said Hermione's plans all went to hell.

"You have to wait for it." said Hermione quietly.

"I've got it all worked out," she went on smoothly, ignoring Harry and Ron's stupefied faces. held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught.

"I'd still eat them." said Ron and Remus.

"That's sad." said Sirius shaking his head. "To be that desperate for chocolate."

All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them.

"That won't be too hard. They'd eat anything and they always want to have their hands on food." said Fred.

You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet."

"Beats the idea of just wrenching them out in the hallway." said Moody.

"We thought of that idea. Till it dawned on Harry and me that they would turn around and proceed to kill us both." said Ron.

Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other.

"Hermione, I don't think -"

"That could go seriously wrong -"

"I wished I had listened to you." said Hermione.

"WE wish we had listened to us too." said Harry and Ron.

But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had.

"We knew that she wasn't going to let it go." said Ron.

"The potion will be useless without Crabbe and Goyle's hair," she said sternly. "You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?"

"She kept pulling that card." said Harry rolling his eyes.

"Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. "But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?"

"I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly,

"How the hell did you manage that?" said Sirius. "The Slytherins aren't exactly 'buddy buddy' with you."

pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. "Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Duelling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me!

"That, right there, is a bad idea." said Sirius quickly.

"Why didn't you stop her?" asked Remus looking at Harry.

"It was the same shade as Millicent's hair. It looked like hers."

"By the way you just phrased that, it wasn't." said Dr. Clark.

And she's gone home for Christmas - so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back."

Millicent snorted loudly. "They won't buy that."

"She didn't even have to try it out." said Harry.

When Hermione bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Ron turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression.

"Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?"

"And yet, we blindly followed like sheep." said Ron.

But to Harry and Ron's utter amazement, stage one of the operation went just as smoothly as Hermione had said.

"We were pretty relived. If it hadn't of gone well, we would have been in for a serious pounding." said Harry.

"I thought you took care of the Hufflepuffs on your own." said Zacharias with a sneer.

"Well…you were one of them, go have a rough and tumble with Goyle and Crabbe. See how you fair." said Harry. "Take a seventh year with you, while you're at it."

Zacharias looked quickly over to the two Slytherins who were only passively responding to their names, turned to Harry and quickly shook his head.

"Thought not." said Harry.

They lurked in the deserted Entrance Hall after Christmas tea, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle, who had remained alone at the Slytherin table, shoveling down fourth helpings of trifle.

"Hell, they were alone in the entire Great Hall." said Ron.

Harry had perched the chocolate cakes on the end of the banisters.

"They aren't that stupid." said Malfoy. He knew they didn't succeed in their endeavor s, Crabbe and Goyle didn't act out of character at all that year.

When they spotted Crabbe and Goyle coming out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron hid quickly behind a suit of armor next to the front door.

"We were hoping nobody bigger and tougher than them came by to eat those cakes." said Ron.

"How thick can you get?" Ron whispered ecstatically, as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them.

Sirius laughed quietly, "They are that stupid."

Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths.

"That is too funny." said Fred rolling on the floor laughing.

For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backwards onto the floor.

The entire school erupted with laughter.

"Took us ten minutes to stop laughing!" said Harry gasping for air.

By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closet across the Hall.

"We used the Levitation spell to start with, but the problem with that was we just couldn't stop them from hitting their heads on the doorway." said Harry looking innocent.

"Tragic really, we had to drag them into the cupboard, problem was, when he we did that, we had to lay all the stuff on top of them. It was the only way to fit them in there." said Ron just as innocently.

Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle's forehead and Ron pulled out several of Crabbe's hairs.

"Ron had to put his foot on Crabbe's stomach and pull." said Harry.

They also stole their shoes, because their own shoes were far too small for Crabbe and Goyle-sized feet.

"Good thinking." said Kingsley.

"We came up with that idea together." said Harry.

Then, still stunned at what they had just done, they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"You still run way too damn fast." said Ron.

They could hardly see for the thick black smoke issuing from the cubicle in which Hermione was stirring the cauldron.

"Ummm…..the potion is supposed to smoke like that, right Professor?" asked Hermione quietly.

Snape looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Yes, it's supposed to be like that. I suppose you did a good job brewing it."

Pulling their robes up over their faces, Harry and Ron knocked softly on the door.

"Hermione?"

They heard the scrape of the lock and Hermione emerged, shiny-faced and looking anxious. Behind her they heard the gloop gloop of the bubbling, glutinous Potion.

"It sort of looked like a gray lumpy treacle." said Ron.

"That right there almost put me off treacle." said Harry. "I almost ran got sick."

Three glass tumblers stood ready on the toilet seat.

"Did you get them?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"No, we failed miserably." said Fred.

"It's all up to you Hermione." said George.

Harry showed her Goyle's hair.

"Good. I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Hermione said, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle."

"How the hell do you know where the laundry is?" asked Dean.

"I like to do my own." said Hermione.

The three of them stared into the cauldron. Close up, the Potion looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly.

"I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione nervously, re-reading the splotched page ofMoste Potente Potions.

"Madam Pince won't like that one bit." said a sixth year Ravenclaw.

"It looks like the book says it should ... once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves."

"Now what?" Ron whispered.

"Why were you whispering?" asked Seamus.

"Cause Hermione was whispering." said Ron.

"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs."

Hermione ladled large dollops of the Potion into each of the glasses.

"I'd of gotten sick right then and there." said Remus holding his stomach.

Then, her hand trembling, she shook Milicent Bulstrode's hair out of its bottle into the first glass.

The Potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it had turned a sick sort of yellow.

"Out of all the colors to represent your character, yellow is not what I would have guessed for Millicent." said Professor Snape thoughtfully.

"Urgh - essence of Milicent Bulstrode," said Ron, eying it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting."

"Add yours, then," said Hermione.

Harry dropped Goyle's hair into the middle glass and Ron put Crabbe's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed: Goyle's turned the khaki colour of a booger,

Snape looked at the larger of the two Slytherin thugs. Sounds about right, he thought to himself.

Crabbe's a dark, murky brown.

Him too, Snape smirked to himself.

"Hang on," said Harry, as Ron and Hermione reached for their glasses. "We'd better not drink them all in here: once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. And Millicent Bulstrode is no pixie."

Millicent glared at the scarred youth, while other people laughed.

"Good thinking." thought Firenze calmly.

"Good thinking," said Ron, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate cubicles."

Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion,

"I'd drop it, nasty stuff." said Kingsley shaking his head.

"I'm glad I don't need it." said Tonks.

Harry slipped into the middle cubicle.

"Ready?" he called.

"Ready," came Ron and Hermione's voices.

"One - two - three -"

Pinching his nose, Harry drank the Potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage.

"I didn't make anything out of cabbage for the longest time." said Harry.

Immediately, his insides started writhing as though he'd just swallowed live snakes –

Harry absently placed a hand on his stomach and held it there.

doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick -then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his fingers and toes.

"Well this will discourage students to try and make this potion, if anything." said Professor McGonagall.

Next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax,

People began to cringe horribly in their seats.

and before his eyes, his hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened and the knuckles were bulging like bolts –

Sirius rubbed the top of his hands without thinking.

His shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down towards his eyebrows; his robes ripped as his chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops - his feet were agony in shoes four sizes too small.

"Who was the one screaming?" asked Hermione trying not to have a squeak in her voice.

"It was me." said Ron blushing. "Hey, it hurt."

"I think I screamed too." said Harry.

As suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. Harry lay face down on the stone cold floor,

"Did you pass out, Harry?" asked Dumbledore worriedly.

"I think I did." said Harry thoughtfully. "But only for a moment."

"I can think of several better places to pass out then a bathroom floor." said Charlie.

listening to Myrtle gurgling morosely in the end toilet. With difficulty, he kicked off his shoes and stood up.

"I almost had to cut the shoes off my feet." said Harry.

So this was what it felt like, being Goyle.

"Hated it, I felt…grounded." said Harry.

"What do you mean 'grounded'?" asked Remus.

"I couldn't leap up like I'm used to doing." said Harry.

His large hands trembling, he pulled off his old robes, which were hanging a foot above his ankles, pulled on the spare ones and laced up Goyle's boat-like shoes.

"If I had seen that, I would have known you weren't Goyle." said Draco quietly. "He doesn't know how to tie his shoes."

He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes and met only the short growth of wiry bristles,

"Shampoo and Conditioner works wonders by the way." said Harry over to Goyle.

low on his forehead. Then he realized that his glasses were clouding his eyes, because Goyle obviously didn't need them. He took them off and called, "Are you two OK?" Goyle's low rasp of a voice issued from his mouth.

"That…was frightening." said Harry.

"You're telling me, I thought they woke up. But then again, he wouldn't have asked how we were." said Ron.

"Yeah," came the deep grunt of Crabbe from his right.

Harry unlocked his door and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Goyle stared back at him out of dull, deep-set eyes. Harry scratched his ear. So did Goyle.

Harry gave a full body shiver, "I'm not the best thing to look at by far, but looking like Goyle was horrible." said Harry.

"You've got to be kidding!" said Ginny staring at Harry in shock. "You're handsome!"

"She's right, you're a little cutie!" said the three Chasers.

"You could light something on fire with how hot his face is getting right now." said Sirius gleefully. His godson was trying to hide his burning face in the man's robes.

Ron's door opened. They stared at each other. Except that he looked pale and shocked, Ron was indistinguishable from Crabbe, from the pudding-basin haircut to the long, gorilla arms.

"Well, you aren't kind for their descriptions." said Dr. Clark.

"Never am with bullies." said Harry plainly.

"This is unbelievable," said Ron, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose. "Unbelievable."

"We'd better get going," said Harry, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle' thick wrist.

"Wow, did the Dursley's actually give you a watch?" asked Sirius shocked.

"It was one of Uncle Vernon's Rolexes, He got porridge all over it and tossed it. I dug it out of the garbage and fixed it up." said Harry shrugging.

"Where is that watch now?" asked Dr. Clark.

"Watches and lakes does NOT mix." said Harry. "I had to pitch it."

"We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is, I only hope we can find someone to follow..."

"You didn't even bother to try and find the Common Room beforehand?" said Bill.

"We tried, it didn't go too well." said Harry.

"We got detention for lurking." said Ron. "Courtesy of Filch."

Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goylethinking."

"It was startling." said Ron.

He banged on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go -"

A high-pitched voice answered him. "I - I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me."

"All that work and you're not going?" asked Tonks.

"Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you -"

Millicent's scowl grew and grew.

"No - really - I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up, you're wasting time- - "

Harry looked at Ron, bewildered.

"That looks more like Goyle," said Ron. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question."

"No time for jokes, get moving." said Moody.

"Hermione, are you OK?" said Harry through the door.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine, just get going." said Fred.

"Fine - I'm fine - go on -"

Harry looked at his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed.

"MOVE IT!" shouted the people in the Great Hall

"We'll meet you back here, all right?" he said.

Harry and Ron opened the door of the bathroom carefully, checked that the coast was clear and set off.

"Don't swing your arms like that," Harry muttered to Ron.

"Eh?"

"Crabbe holds them sort of stiff..."

"How's this?"

"Yeah, that's better."

"You stalking Crabbe and Goyle now?" asked Sirius with a smirk.

"I watched them to make sure we acted the right way." said Harry.

"Good thinking." said Lionus with a smile.

They went down the marble staircase. All they needed now was a Slytherin whom they could follow to the Slytherin common room, but there was nobody around.

"Just your luck." said Seamus.

"Any ideas?" muttered Harry.

"The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," said Ron, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. The words had barely left his mouth when a girl with long curly hair emerged from the entrance.

"Excuse me," said Ron, hurrying up to her, "We've forgotten the way to our common room."

"I beg your pardon?" said the girl stiffly. "Our common room? I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Well, I was." said one of the seventh year Ravenclaw girls, who realized it was Harry and Ron she was talking to all those years ago.

"I didn't say you were in Slytherin, I was just hoping you knew where it was." said Ron

She walked away, looking suspiciously back at them.

The girl scowled, she didn't realize that they were imposters, just overly stupid.

Harry and Ron hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, their footsteps echoing particularly loudly as Crabbe and Goyle's feet hit the floor, feeling this wasn't going to be as easy as they had hoped.

"Not when you don't know where to go." said Blaise.

The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour,

"Twenty minutes gone." said Fred. "Or is it only fifteen."

"Twenty minutes were gone." said Harry.

just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead.

"Ha!" said Ron excitedly. "There's one of them now!"

The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy.

"What the hell were you doing down there? That's not a Gryffindor Prefect route." said Charlie.

"How would you know?" said Percy smugly.

"I dated a Gryffindor Prefect, I knew all of her routes, and her male counterpart. Had to make sure he didn't see me drag her off to an empty classroom." said Charlie.

"I think we'd better LOCK all the empty classrooms." said McGonagall.

"What are you doing down here?" said Ron in surprise.

Percy looked affronted.

"Honest question, did I get an honest answer? NO!" said Ron rolling his eyes.

"That," he said stiffly, "is none of your business. Its Crabbe, isn't it?"

"Wh- oh, yeah," said Ron.

"Nearly blew it there." said Moody.

"Well, get off to your dormitories," said Percy sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days."

"You are," Ron pointed out.

"I," said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a Prefect. Nothing's about to attack me."

"That badge isn't an impenetrable shield, Mr. Weasley. You were in just as much danger as everyone else." said McGonagall sternly

A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling towards them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him.

Draco clapped a hand to his eyes, he let them in.

"There you are," he drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time?

"He wasn't too far off." said Sirius with a laugh.

I've been looking for you, I want to show you something really funny."

"Whatever he thinks is funny, you can bet that it isn't." said Lee.

Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy.

"And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered.

Percy looked outraged.

"You want to show a bit more respect to a school Prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!"

"He doesn't have to show you respect, you can't take points away from him." said Hermione.

Malfoy sneered and motioned Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time.

"Your kindness just about ruined everything. You need to learn to act tough." said Moody.

"One word…Pansy…"said Harry with a smirk.

"He's got you there Alastor." said Kingsley.

He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, "That Peter Weasley -"

"Percy." said the Weasley family together.

"Percy," Ron corrected him automatically.

"Not the time to do it, but, good for you Ron, stand up for your brother." said Mr. Weasley proudly.

"Whatever," said Malfoy. "I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed."

"No, I was not." said Percy defiantly.

"He went to meet his girlfriend." said Fred with a smirk.

Percy surprisingly turned and glared at Ginny.

"I didn't say a word to him." said Ginny defensively.

He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks.

"So close." said a first year Gryffindor.

Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall.

"What's the new password again?" he said to Harry.

"Er -" said Harry.

"Oh yeah - pure-blood!" said Malfoy,

"Who came up with that password?" asked McGonagall.

"The Prefects chose the password not me." said Snape quickly.

not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open.

Malfoy marched through it and Harry and Ron followed him.

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains.

"Sounds gloomy." said Ernie.

A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in carved chairs.

"We have more elegantly carved furniture in our house than any other house has to offer." said Snape.

"Wait here," said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it - my father's just sent it to me -"

Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to look at home.

"They didn't too bad a job." said a sixth year Slytherin, he could vaguely remember that Christmas and he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper cutting.

He thrust it under Ron's nose. "That'll give you a laugh" he said.

Harry saw Ron's eyes widen in shock. He read the cutting quickly, gave a very forced laugh and handed it to Harry.

"Why, what was wrong with it?" asked Sirius.

It had been clipped out of the Daily Prophet, and it said:

INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car.

"Oh…" said Sirius sheepishly.

"It was the smallest amount I could fine you, Arthur." said Madam Bones apologetically.

"HAH! FAVORTISM!" shouted Fudge.

"But she still fined him! Whereas you take money under the table and look the other way." said Harry irritably. "A politician such as yourself should maintain dignity, honor and integrity. Each of those things you lack."

"Amen." said Madam Bones.

Mr Lucius Malfoy,a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called for Mr. Weasley's resignation.

"That didn't get too far." said Kingsley.

"Thanks for defending me by the way, Dumbledore." said Mr. Weasley gratefully.

"Think nothing of it. It was our tree that tried to destroy the car you worked so hard on." said Dumbledore smiling.

"I don't know how you managed to get the authorization to put the money directly into our family vault for the fine. I was afraid the goblins were going to come and seize our family treasures." said Mrs. Weasley.

"Alas, I couldn't donate the money, I was not a blood relative." said Dumbledore shaking his head.

Harry and Ron looked at each other quickly. "After we read that, Harry gave me the fifty galleons to have it deposited in the vault." said Ron.

"Oh, Harry dear." said Mrs. Weasley, "You didn't need to."

"I wanted to. Besides, you just said that the goblins could have taken your stuff, I would say that it was a necessity." said Harry with a smirk.

"Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately."

"That didn't get too far either." said Tonks.

"Mr Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told our reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them.

"And I would have too." said Mrs. Weasley angrily.

"Well?" said Malfoy impatiently, as Harry handed the cutting back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?"

"Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly.

"Not too far off on how Goyle normally laughs." said Draco.

"Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Malfoy scornfully.

"I'm not too sure I wouldn't mind it half the time." said Mr. Weasley.

"I'd love to go to school here. You and I can switch anytime." said Dr. Clark.

"You'd never know the Weasley's were pure-bloods, the way they behave."

Ron's - or rather, Crabbe's - face was contorted with fury.

"What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy.

"Stomach ache," Ron grunted.

"That's a good lie to use, with all the crap he eats." said Fred.

"Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," said Malfoy, snickering.

"Sorry!" said Draco swiftly.

"You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up.

"Of course." said Dumbledore.

"Why would you?" asked Dr. Clark. "Shouldn't parents know what is going on?"

"There are wizards and witches that try and make a good thing out of a monster. They come in throngs and jostle the students about. Some may even try and kidnap some of our students that come from wealthier families." said Dumbledore. "Or for more devious reasons."

He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place.

"He would." said Remus bitterly.

He loves Muggle-borns. A decent Headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in."

Colin and Dennis glared fiercely.

"I wouldn't do that; that snake bites back." said Harry with a smirk.

"Why are you defending him!" said Hermione.

"I'm not, just warning Colin and Dennis not to bite off more than they can chew. Take it from someone who does every year." said Harry.

Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin:

"Sorry." he said to Colin quietly.

"Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?"

"And to think, you saved this for Crabbe and Goyle. I'm hurt." said Harry with a laugh.

Draco, he was looking intently down at the floor, smiled in spite of himself.

He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron.

"What's the matter with you two?"

"We were sort of growling." said Harry.

Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake.

"They are." said Draco and Blaise.

"Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend,"

George growled when he said the word aloud.

"Sorry." said Draco still cringing.

"You'd better be." said Snape with a look of disgust.

said Malfoy slowly. "He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped-up Granger Mudblood.

"Sorry Hermione." said Draco.

"Well, he said your first name, so he really means it." said Harry.

And people think he's Slytherin's heir!"

"Is he going to tell you who it is?" asked Dennis.

Harry and Ron waited with bated breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him. But then -

"I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy prudently. "I could help them."

"Dang nabbit." said Dennis pouting.

Ron's jaw dropped so that Crabbe's face looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn't notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all ..."

"It's a good question. If anyone should know who the heir of Slytherin is, it would be a Malfoy." said Moody.

"You know I haven't Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about what happened the last time the Chamber was opened, either.

"Wow, is Lucius trying to protect his son?" asked Kingsley.

"Or is he trying keep his son from screwing things up?" said Moody.

Of course, it was about fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it.

"Could still be both." said the two Aurors.

But I know one thing: last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died.

Several younger students gasped and a few of the adults gulped loudly.

So I bet it's only a matter of time before one of them's killed this time...I hope it's Granger," he said with relish.

"SORRY!" yelled Draco.

Hermione turned her nose up. Harry looked over to Draco and shook his head. "It's going to be a while to get forgiven for that one. Though I'm sure that everyone here is appreciative that your attitude has changed." said Harry, though his tone was quite cold.

Ron was clenching Crabbe's gigantic fist. Feeling that it would be a bit of a give-away if Ron punched Malfoy,

"You would have stopped him right?" asked Tonks. She noticed the glares that she received. "For the good of the mission!"

"I sent him a facial warning, but after that, no, I wouldn't have stopped him." said Harry sitting back in the chair.

Harry shot him a warning look and said, "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?"

"No, they didn't get the person. Not then anyway." said Harry angrily.

"Oh, yeah... whoever it was expelled," said Malfoy. "They're probably still in Azkaban."

"The person that was framed was expelled, yes, but he didn't go to Azakaban." said Hermione angrily.

"Azkaban?" asked Dr. Clark in a whisper that no one heard.

"Azkaban?" said Harry, puzzled.

"Azkaban - the wizard prison, Goyle," said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief. "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backwards."

"Oh, I gotcha." said Dr. Clark with a satisfied smile.

He shifted restlessly in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the heir of Slytherin get on with it.

"Yup, he only wanted to keep his son from screwing it all up." said Moody.

He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth,

"Oh, just wait till I get my hands on that slimy bastard!"

"Molly!" said Mr. Weasley in shock.

but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment.

"First time in his life that twit's gotta work." said Fred with a snarl.

You know the Ministry of Magic raided our Manor last week?"

"Good for the Ministry of Magic!" said Lee. "You can't say that much for them lately though."

"We wanted to do it months ago, when he still had the more dangerous lying about, But someone," said Mr. Weasley looking up to the Minister. "wanted us to wait, to give Lucius more time to get rid of the stuff. Give him a thirty-fourth chance."

"Tell me, you can't justify doing that." said Lionus looking disgusted.

"He is a major financial backer to St. Mungos." said Fudge defiantly, trying his best to now ignore what the book says.

"You're an idiot. Consider yourself formally under arrest, I'll get Whizzerd to go through your bank accounts and we will see if you have been taking from the people instead of giving." said Lionus angrily.

Fudge stared pale faced and obviously frightened.

Suddenly, two cloaked figures flittered down and landed on either side of the now ex-Minister of Magic.

"Say hello to your new guards. Lieutenant Wildfire" the one on the left removed their hood and revealed a beautiful woman, with half her head shaved, but the other half had flowing red hair.

"and Lieutenant Viper." the other person took of their hood and revealed a gaunt, pale faced man, he smiled maliciously down to the Minister to reveal…

"A vampire?" asked Fred in wonder.

"Very true." said Viper.

"He won't bite anyone, don't worry about that." said Lionus.

"Of course not." said Viper sticking his nose in the air. "Cheeldren's blood ees deesgusting. I preefur adults. Purfectly aged."

Harry tried to force Goyle's face into a look of concern.

"Wasn't easy." said Harry.

"Yeah ..." said Malfoy. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor—

Draco paled, his father had accused him of divulging that information, and he had even punished him severely for it. But Draco kept telling him that he didn't, but now it turns out he did. Oh well, he didn't rightly care anymore.

"Ho!" said Ron.

Malfoy looked at him. So did Harry. Ron blushed. Even his hair was turning red. His nose was also slowly lengthening - their hour was up.

"Time to go, get out of there!" said Sirius.

Ron was turning back into himself, and from the look of horror he was suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too.

They both jumped to their feet.

"Medicine for my stomach," Ron grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room,

"Yeah, that wasn't suspicious at all." said Neville with a laugh.

hurled themselves at the stone wall and dashed up the passage, hoping against hope that Malfoy hadn't noticed anything.

"I actually didn't, I just ignored you." said Draco

"Didn't you notice anything when you had to retell them about the newspaper clipping?" asked Hannah.

"No, I have to retell them stuff all the time." said Draco shrugging.

Harry could feel his feet slipping around in Goyle's huge shoes and had to hoist up his robes as he shrank;

Harry laughed along with the rest of the school. "This is embarrassing." said Harry covering his eyes.

they crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, which was full of a muffled pounding coming from the closet they locked Crabbe and Goyle.

The people in Great Hall laughed again.

Leaving their shoes outside the closet door,

"Well that was kind, but who came to unlock the door?" said Lionus.

"We didn't lock it, all they would have had to do is try the knob." said Harry and Ron with a smirk.

The laughter grew louder and louder. "THAT IS PRICELESS!" screamed Lee holding his sides.

they sprinted in their socks up the marble staircase toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

"Harry actually slipped once." said Ron. "Nearly banged his face on the floor."

"Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time," Ron panted, closing the bathroom door behind them.

"That's right, look on the bright side." said Charlie.

"I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoy's drawing room."

"And we did too, we decided to go a different route, we went straight to Madam Bones." said Mr. Weasley.

Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror. He was back to normal.

"Explains why you kissed the broken mirror." said Ron with a smirk.

"Not before you kissed your own arms." said Harry with a similar smirk.

He put his glasses on as Ron hammered on the door of Hermione's stall.

"Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you -"

"Go away!" Hermione squeaked.

"Well that's nice." said Sirius.

"What happened?" said Remus "The hour is up. She should have turned back by now."

Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are -"

"Ron thinks like you, too bad he don't keep the group out of trouble too." said Sirius.

"Nah, I help it along." said Ron proudly.

But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the cubicle door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy.

"Something didn't go quite well." said Tonks. "It's the only reason why she would be happy."

"Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful!"

"Oh dear." said Mrs. Weasley worriedly.

They heard the lock slide and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robed pulled up over her head.

"What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?"

"If only it was that." said Hermione, Ron and Harry.

Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink.

"Another bad sign." said Sirius.

"Sorry Hermione, I just, didn't expect it." said Ron.

Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had gone yellow and there were long pointed ears poking through her hair.

"The hair was…a cat's…" said Snape his hand over his mouth. "That is not good. Polyjuice is not for animal transformations. I hope you went and saw Madam Pomfrey, you didn't come to me, but you had better have gone to her."

"I don't think they would want to go to you; that would be like giving a murderer the bullets to kill you with." said Dr. Clark.

"It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat!

"No I don't." said Millicent, "but Pansy's cat, Twinklefluff, loves to lay all over my robes." said Millicent thoughtfully.

And the P-Potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!"

"That's what Professor Snape just said." said a first year Hufflepuff.

"You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily.

"She's evil." said Remus angrily.

"It's OK, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions ..."

"I didn't' need to, I gathered all the information I needed from Dumbledore." said Madam Pomfrey.

It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw.

"Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!"

"That took some shielding to hide, but thankfully we didn't have anyone else walking the corridors that day." said Harry.

"At least you got better Hermione, umm…you didn't…" said Sirius.

"No, no hairballs." said Hermione with a grin.

"Thank goodness, nasty things." said Sirius.

"He stepped on one once, it was hilarious." said Remus. "He wasn't even wearing shoes."

"Took me three days to get the gunk out from between my toes." said Sirius.