Chloe Cullen 2: A Twilight and Harry Potter Crossover

Chapter 7: Secrets Are Revealed

Harry still isn't back the next morning, so Ron, Hermione and I go to breakfast just the three of us. When we get there, I'm eating toast and eggs when Professor McGonagall enters, looking very tense. This strikes me as a little odd, so I decide to listen in when she talks to Professor Flitwick. "There was another attack last night" I can hear her say. Professor Flitwick drops his fork. "Who?" he asks in his squeaky voice, which is much easier to hear. "A student. Colin Creevey" she says. Myself - along with a few other students who have heard - get wide eyed. I turn to Ron and Hermione and judging by their faces, I don't have to recap. "We need to finish that potion. Now." I say. We abandon our breakfast and head to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

We're almost halfway through with the potion. I'm thinking about how to get the remaining ingredients when we hear the door open. I freeze "Who the bloody hell would come in here?" Ron mutters. I shush him. "It's me," we hear Harry say. Hermione peeps through the keyhole. "Harry!" she says. 'You gave us such a fright - come in - how's your arm?" "Fine," Harry says as he squeezes into the stall. "We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explains. "We've decided this is the safest place to hid it." Harry starts to tell us about Colin, but we interrupt.

"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 snarls. "D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin." "There's something else," says Harry as I help Hermione tear bundles of knotgrass. "Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night." We listen to his story. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione says. "I knew it was opened before, but I couldn't find much on it, so I didn't mention it" I say. "This settles it," says Ron. "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," I suggest while I prod the top of the leeches. "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, Chloe," Ron says, pouring dead lacewings in the potion. "So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm..." Ron shakes his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you."

Much to my parents dismay, I stay at Hogwarts over Christmas - with the promise that I go home for Easter. We still need to get bicorn horn and boomslang skin from Snape's private stores. "What we need," I say as Thursday class draws nearer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape's office and take what we need. I think Hermione and I should do the actual stealing. You two will be expelled if you get into any more trouble, and we've got clean records. So all you need to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for about five minutes" I say. I try to say it in a tone that will give Harry and Ron encouragement, but I don't think it works.

On Thursday, Hermione and I carefully wait for a time to give Harry the signal. I do most of this work because my Swelling Solution is just right. When Snape turns in Neville's direction and the coast for Goyle's potion is clear, I catch Harry's eye and nod. I see Harry duck behind his cauldron, pull a Filibuster Firework I got from Fred and he prods it. He straightens up, and launches it. It lands in Goyle's cauldron. I duck as the potion explodes. I see hands and noses swell as Snape tries to restore calm. Hermione and I quickly sneak into his private stores. "You get the boomslang skin, I'll get the bicorn horn" I whisper at her. "Lumos" I mutter. I run my wand along the shelves until I come across one that says "bicorn horn". "Nox" I mutter, and the light goes out. I grab a bicorn horn and help Hermione get the boomslang skin. We leave the personal stores just as people are lining up for a deflating draught. We make our way to our desks like nothing happened.