Crazy Ideas - Part 1
"So, who do you think this supposed Heir could be? Using magic at that level isn't something just anyone could do. You heard what Dumbledore said," Hermione said seriously.
"It's pretty obvious," Ron said with a look of disdain. "Who else but Draco Malfoy? You heard him. He was practically thrilled, saying Mudbloods were next. Even if he was trying to provoke Harry, he sounded awfully confident," he added, unable to hide his contempt for Malfoy.
"Draco Malfoy..." Hermione repeated thoughtfully.
Hearing that, Harry couldn't help pulling a face.
"Actually..." he began, looking slightly guilty. "Last year, Percy and I played a prank on Malfoy to get him to stop being so annoying. We left him a letter with missions to become the so-called Heir of Slytherin. We had him doing all sorts of ridiculous things, like sweeping the entire dungeon and trying to befriend one of the kitchen house-elves," Harry said, unable to suppress a bit of amusement as he remembered it.
"What?" Ron said in surprise, hearing this for the first time and realizing he'd missed something that funny. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he added, looking genuinely baffled.
"Well, it was funny at first, but then we got bored and just left him wandering around the castle."
"Wandering around the castle...? What if he actually found the Chamber of Secrets by accident, and now he's calling himself the Heir because of it?" Hermione blurted out, her eyes widening as though she'd suddenly reached an unexpected conclusion.
"You're crazy. If the Chamber of Secrets were that easy to find, one of the previous Headmasters would've found it already. And you think Malfoy could manage it just because of his delusions of grandeur?" Ron said, though it was obvious his hatred for Draco was doing most of the talking.
Then he frowned.
"...Although... what if he really is the Heir? You've seen his father, and you know how proud Malfoy is of his family. Maybe one of his ancestors really was the Heir... and he simply inherited whatever opens the Chamber," he added thoughtfully.
"Well... I suppose that's possible," Hermione admitted cautiously.
Harry didn't look very happy.
If that were true, then he and Percy might actually be responsible for awakening the Heir through one of their pranks.
"Then we'll have to find out if that's really the case... and stop him," Harry said, ready to deal with the problem they might have caused, if necessary with his own hands.
"Can't you use that special magic of yours to get inside his head and make him tell you?" Ron asked, looking at his friend.
"No. I can create illusions, not control people's minds," Harry replied, shaking his head.
"Besides, that would fall under the category of Unforgivable Curses," Hermione added immediately. "But... I think I have an idea for questioning him directly," she continued, a spark of excitement appearing in her eyes, something Harry vaguely noticed as he looked at her. "We'd have to break at least fifty school rules, and it'd be dangerous—very dangerous. Professor Snape mentioned Polyjuice Potion during Potions, and with it we could disguise ourselves as Slytherin students and ask him directly," she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.
Ron and Harry looked at each other for a moment.
Then Ron frowned in confusion.
"But... why use a dangerous potion when Harry literally just said he can make illusions?"
Hermione's expression froze for a second before falling.
"Oh... right... I forgot. Then that would be easier..."
"No, I think Polyjuice Potion is the better option," Harry said, holding back a small smile after realizing Hermione genuinely wanted to try brewing it. "My magic uses too much energy, especially if it's for all three of us. Besides, they're just illusions. If someone touched us, they'd notice the difference. And they can't copy smells either," Harry explained, giving the young witch an opportunity.
Hermione immediately brightened again, and Harry couldn't help smiling.
Ron merely looked at the two of them before shrugging, accepting the explanation.
"So... who would we disguise ourselves as with Polyjuice Potion?" he asked.
"Who else? They have to be close to Draco Malfoy," Harry said, looking slightly disgusted.
"You mean...?" Ron pulled the same face.
"Crabbe and Goyle," Hermione answered immediately with an amused smile.
"Oh... now I get what you meant about not being able to copy smells. Yeah... they'd definitely figure us out," Ron joked.
"The problem is getting the recipe. It's only kept in the Restricted Section of the library, and we can only get in there with permission from a professor," Hermione explained.
That made Harry look at her with amusement.
…
A little while later, Harry decided to contact his mother using the two-way mirror.
"Hello, sweetheart. How was your day at school? And your brother?" Sally asked with a warm smile as one of her sons' face appeared in the mirror.
"Oh, pretty good. And Percy is probably somewhere near the Black Lake. You know how much he likes water," Harry said with a smile as he looked at his mother. "I'm not interrupting you, am I?" he asked right after.
"Oh, of course not, sweetheart. I was just about to try out that spell your Aunt Mor taught me," Sally replied with the same gentle smile.
But the moment Harry heard that, his face froze for a second, and he even sat up straighter.
"O-on... who are you going to test it?" Harry asked, even stammering a little.
"Oh, I have two gentlemen who kindly volunteered," Sally said as she tilted the mirror in her hand, revealing two people sitting in the corner wearing expressions that looked like they were waiting for their death sentence.
Sirius and Mark, who, for the first time, didn't seem to be arguing simply because the other was in the same room.
Both of them looked toward the two-way mirror as though silently begging for help, especially Sirius, placing all his hopes in his godson.
Harry couldn't help keeping a completely neutral face, his mouth firmly shut as he looked at the two of them. As if he honestly didn't know what to say.
At the same time, though, he knew they'd brought this on themselves.
They'd probably finally been caught going through his mother's bag.
Aunt Mor had used that spell on Percy for far less than this, and Percy had been traumatized ever since. Nowadays, just hearing the threat was enough to make him panic.
Even Harry had no desire to experience that himself.
Ron and Hermione had no idea what they were talking about and simply exchanged confused looks.
"Well, Mom... I actually need one of them, so maybe you could spare him from becoming a guinea pig... literally?" Harry said gently.
Sirius's expression immediately lit up, almost overflowing with hope, and he even shot Mark a smug look.
Mark merely grimaced for a moment.
"Which one?" Sally asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at her son.
"Mark. We need Mark. It's about a potion assignment—we need his help," Harry said immediately, gesturing toward Hermione behind him.
When Sally saw the young witch—who was well known for being diligent, serious, and unlike her sons, actually respecting school rules—she visibly relaxed.
The proud look on Sirius's face instantly shattered, while Mark's grimace shifted into one of curiosity over why Harry would need him. At the same time, he returned Sirius's mocking look.
"If it's about potions, then Mark is definitely the right person to help you," Sally said, acknowledging the expertise Mark possessed in potion-making throughout the Veil... and perhaps even across the entire continent.
Without any hesitation, Sally handed her two-way mirror over to Mark.
Mark immediately gave Harry a thumbs-up in gratitude for saving his life.
At the same time, Sirius looked desperately at his godson, his expression making it painfully clear that he needed saving too.
Harry looked him straight in the eyes for a few seconds...
Then turned back to Mark.
"Well, Mr. Mark, it'd probably be more comfortable to let Mom continue with her... research. We can ask you somewhere a little quieter," Harry said, completely ignoring his godfather.
Sirius opened his mouth as though he still wanted to object, but after seeing Sally's smile, he wisely closed it again.
"Of course, Harry. It'll be my pleasure to share my knowledge," Mark said, even raising his voice a little as he shot Sirius one last disdainful look before walking away.
Meanwhile, Sirius wore the expression of a man who had just been utterly betrayed by his own godson and simply seemed to resign himself to accepting his punishment.