Eternal Despair (Harry Potter/OC)

𝟙𝟙: Duelling Club

The next day, Enzo could tell that Hermione and Ron were purposely being softer with him. Their gentle tones and cautious glances kind of annoyed him, but he brushed past it, deciding not to make a fuss.

The three of them sat on the cold, damp floor of the haunted bathroom, crammed into one of the stalls with a cauldron bubbling in the center. Hermione was diligently brewing the Polyjuice Potion, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"You sure we can't accidentally slip a Silencio Potion into Malfoy and the others' drinks?" Enzo quipped sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, maybe later," Hermione replied, too tired to muster a proper retort. He found her resigned tone somewhat amusing. Suddenly, they heard knocks on the bathroom door and glanced at each other with wide eyes.

"It's me," Harry called, closing the door behind him. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall as he tried to maneuver around the cramped space, and Hermione's eye appeared at the keyhole.

"Harry!" she exclaimed. "You gave us such a fright. Come in, how's your arm?"

"Fine," Harry said, squeezing into the already crowded stall.

"We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained as Harry struggled to lock the stall door behind him.

"The safest place to hide it, innit?" Enzo added, nodding towards the cauldron.

Harry began to tell them about Colin Creevey, but Hermione cut him off.

"We already know. We heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going—"

"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," Ron snarled, his eyes flashing with anger. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin."

"Poor kid, he was annoying, but he didn't deserve that," Enzo muttered, watching Hermione stir the potion.

"There's something else," Harry said, his voice low as he watched Hermione tear bundles of knotgrass and throw them into the cauldron. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."

Enzo, Ron, and Hermione looked up, amazed. Harry recounted everything Dobby had told him—or rather, hadn’t told him.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Enzo said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"This settles it," Ron declared triumphantly. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here, and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school."

"Maybe it can make itself invisible," Hermione suggested, prodding the leeches at the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself—pretend to be a suit of armor or something. I've read about Chameleon Ghouls."

"You read too much, Hermione," Enzo said, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry thoughtfully. "So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm. Harry, if he doesn’t stop trying to save your life, he’s going to kill you."

By Monday morning, the news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school.

The atmosphere was thick with rumor and suspicion. First-years moved around the castle in tight-knit groups, afraid to venture out alone.

Hidden from the teachers, a booming trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices swept through the school.