Hello, my faithful readers (because anyone who is still reading is DEFINITELY a faithful reader). I've got another chapter here and I am once again resolving to write more regularly (we'll see how that goes). If you're still reading, then I hope you enjoy. I don't own Harry Potter, etc. but the other stuff is mine :)

Elaine's POV

Our flying lesson ended and we put our brooms in the pile and headed towards the castle. I was feeling particularly thankful to be back on the ground.

Madam Hooch had been instructing us to fly higher and higher over the course of the year, but I hadn't gone over ten feet in the air until today. I had reached about fifteen feet before my hands started to shake and I swayed precariously on my broom. Jackson had flown next to me to steady me.

"I'm fine!" I said.

He had just shrugged and headed back to where Nandra and Rad were playing catch with some of the Hufflepuffs.

I was startled our of my thoughts when someone crashed into me and a scrap of parchment was shoved into my hand.

"Watch it," I said, pushing the person away. I put my hands, and the parchment, into my pocket.

"You're the one that ran into me," sneered Draco Malfoy.

"Why are you even out here? Don't you have better things to do than watch first years fly?" I said.

"Well, your flying's definitely nothing special."

"Is he bothering you, Elaine?" called Rad, as the rest of the Ravenclaws caught up with me.

"Leave her alone," Emery said.

"That's right, you've got your little first year friends to watch our for you. Run away with them," Draco said.

"I don't need them. I could hex you easily if I felt like it. But you're not even worth target practice," I said.

"You're just scared," he said.

But I was already walking away. I heard the rest of the Ravenclaws trying to catch up with me.

"Elaine, why didn't you just hex him? I've been dying to see you in action ever since I missed that sixth year ages ago!" Rad called.

I ignored him, but they finally caught up to me just outside the common room. I answered the riddle to get in. It was about some obscure potions ingredient.

"Seriously, Elaine, why didn't you just hex the guy?" Rad said.

I made up an excuse. "What if he'd run off and told a teacher? Then where would I be? He's not some macho sixth year."

Rad smirked at my comment and I fled to my dormitory before the girls caught up with us. I wanted to read the note I still had hidden in my pocket.

I sat on my bed and Selenia jumped up next to me. I pulled out the note and unfolded it.

Meet me in the library Wednesday after dinner.

Why did Draco want to meet with me? Maybe he'd figured out who the heir of Slytherin was! But I couldn't wait that long to find out. Besides, I had my potions lesson that night. I'd have to tell him, but how?

At precisely that moment, Selenia rubbed her face against my arm.

"Hey girl. Could you take something to Draco for me?" I asked.

She purred.

I grabbed my schoolbag, but Luna and Ainslee wandered in right then.

"I've got to go to the library," I said, grabbing the potions book I had finished a few days ago. "Come on Selenia."

I quickly left the common room, ran down a few corridors, and then slid to the floor to write my response.

Can't Wednesday. What about Monday night in the deserted classroom by the hospital wing?

After blowing the ink dry, I rolled up the scrap and tied it around Selenia's neck with a string. "There you go, girl. Find him for me," I whispered and she slunk off.

What was I thinking? A cat couldn't deliver a note, even one as smart as Selenia. She had to be part Kneazle or something. But it would be so easy for the wrong person to find the note.

Despite my apprehensions, Selenia showed up a few days later with a new note tied around her neck. It said I'll be there.

On Monday night I found myself hurrying towards the hospital wing when most students would be heading to their commons rooms. I slipped into the empty room and curled up against the wall behind the door so whoever came in wouldn't see me. It was just a precaution.

I waited for perhaps fifteen minutes, rereading about the Chamber of Secrets in Hogwarts, A History.

Then the door cracked open slowly. The hinges should have creaked like they had when I came in, but I'd charmed them to be silent.

He snuck in, glancing around the room as he shut the door behind him.

"Hello Draco," I said.

He jumped. "Bloody—" he whispered. "You scared me!"

"Well, maybe you should've checked the room more carefully before you assumed you were alone," I said. "Now why did you want to talk to me? Did you figure our who it is?" I stood.

"What? No, I just got a letter back from my father—"

"Draco Malfoy!" I hissed. "You didn't really want to meet me because you got a letter from your father!"

"Yes, he wrote me back about the Chamber of Secrets. He wouldn't tell me much, but he did tell me one thing," he whispered.

"Just one?"

He glared at me. "Last time the Chamber was opened a girl died."

I paused. "A Mudblood girl?"

He smirked. "Of course."

"Have you heard the rumors," I asked, "that Harry Potter is Slytherin's Heir?"

"He isn't." He scowled. "Potter wouldn't attack the Mudbloods. He's friends with that Granger girl.

I nodded. "You're right. Did your father tell you anything else about that girl?"

"Nothing," he said.

"Maybe you can ask him about it while you're home for Christmas," I said.

"I'm not going home for Christmas. The Ministry has been poking their noses in my father's business lately, so my parents decided I'd best stay here. Aren't you staying, too? Goyle signed up to stay," Draco said.

"He did?" I rolled my eyes. "Well, I'm not staying. I want to go home and look through our library to see if I can find any more information on the Chamber of Secrets. Madam Pince will never let me into the restricted section, but I'm sure our library at home will have something at least. I can look for information on the Mudblood girl," I said.

"Alright," said Draco. "We'd better get back to our common rooms. It's late."

"You go first. I'm less likely to get caught," I said.

He glared at me again, but moved to the door and snuck out.

I waited a few minutes, then followed, removing my charm on the hinges once the door had closed behind me.

Wednesday night I packed my bag with my potions book and supplies.

"You'll tell us all about your lesson when you get back, won't you?" Nandra asked. She was hovering in the dormitory.

I picked up my bag, anxious to leave. "It's my lesson. If Professor Snape wanted you to know what happened he'd be giving you extra lessons," I said.

She stomped out of the dormitory, probably to go pout at the other Ravenclaws.

I tried not to rush on my way to the dungeons, but my heart was pounding and I knew I was walking too quickly.

The stairs to the dungeons were deserted and I reached the potions classroom without seeing even a single Slytherin. I stopped outside the door to make sure I was composed.

My breathing was quiet and even, my robes were straight, and I smoothed my hair to make sure there were no stray pieces. Then I opened the door and walked in.

Professor Snape looked up from a stack of papers at his desk. "Miss Goyle, you may sit." He gestured to one of the front tables.

I did as he said and while he returned his attention to the papers, I opened my bag and set my potions book on the desk. While Professor Snape finished grading the essay he was reading, I glanced at the full cauldron to my right. It looked like a Hiccupping Solution, the same potion Professor Snape had forced me to follow the instructions on in class.

"I'd like you to brew a Hiccupping Solution, Miss Goyle, if you haven't already discovered that for yourself. The one you brewed in class was very good, but I believe you can do better. The color should match the one in the cauldron there, which I made for Madam Pomfrey. You may begin."

Professor Snape returned to his grading and I began to work. I made a few changes, such as stewing my lovage leaves chopped instead of whole to release the juices better.

After an hour and a half Professor Snape spoke. "You are finished, Miss Goyle."

I completed my last full stir and set my stirring stick down. "Yes, sir."

My potion looked identical to his.

He came to my cauldron and stood over me, keeping very still. Then he looked at his own potion.

"Do you have a vial, Miss Goyle?"

"Yes, Professor," I said, and found one in my bag.

"Please fill it," he said.

While I did so, he returned to his desk and pulled a vial out of one of the drawers. He went back to his cauldron and filled it.

"Your vial, please."

I handed the vial of my potion to him and he compared the two.

"Well done, Miss Goyle. Most of my third year students could not produce this potion with precisely the same color as my own. Even if it is only first year level work. If your spell work is as exceptional as your potion making, you could be the top student in the school in a matter of months."

I tried to keep the proud smile from spreading across my face. "Well, sir, potions is my best subject, but I have nothing to be ashamed of in any of my classes," I said.

He nodded. "Our lesson is finished. You may go."

I began to pack up my things, but speaking of spell work reminded me.

"Sir, do you know anything about the dueling club? All the first years are talking about it.

Professor Snape looked up at me from where he was seated at his desk. "Ah, Professor Lockhart's dueling club. Were you thinking of attending?"

"Professor Lockhart?" I lifted my head. "That will be a complete waste of time then. I won't bother going."

"Nor would I, Miss Goyle, if the Headmaster had not insisted that I attend," he said, looking back to his essays.

I smirked. "Perhaps, sir, he wanted a professor there to make sure no students are injured."

That earned me a ghost of a smile, but he only said," Perhaps."

After a moment, he continued, "It is getting late, Miss Goyle, and you must be back to your common room.

"Yes, sir," I said and I picked up my bag and walked out of the classroom.

The dueling club was set for the week before the end of the term. I had decided that telling the other first years about Lockhart would only encourage them to stay in the common room, so I kept the knowledge to myself.

Much to my liking, the event lured most of the students to the Great Hall. There were one or two older students still working on last minute assignments, but I had already finished my homework so I was free to read a new potions book my mother had sent me. Selenia and I were curled up in my favorite armchair.

Too soon, all the students came pouring back into the common room. Some were whispering excitedly and others looked pale and quiet. Nandra, of course, bounced in and practically fell into my lap. Selenia fled to the girls' dormitory.

"Elaine, you'll never believe what happened. I can hardly believe it myself. I've never heard of anyone in years, but my mum used to tell me stories just to scare me—"

"Harry Potter is a parsaltongue!" Rad said.

Nandra glared at him.

"A parsaltongue? How do you know?" I asked, pushing Nandra off.

They quickly told me what happened at the dueling club.

"Harry Potter is a parsaltongue?" I repeated. He wasn't even in Slytherin.

"Yeah," Ainslee said.

"People are saying he's the Heir of Slytherin," Emery whispered.

We all sat for a minute, then Jackson said, "Well, if he's the Heir of Slytherin, then why didn't the Sorting Hat put him in Slytherin?"

I nodded. "Jackson's right. It doesn't make sense." I wasn't about to share with them the real reasons that he couldn't be Slytherin's Heir.

I pushed past Nandra and headed towards my dormitory.

"Where are you going?" Emery asked.

"The library. Selenia needs to go for a walk."

In my dormitory I grabbed my bag. "Come on, Selenia. We're going out."

She meowed and followed me into the common room. We hung to the edges of the room to avoid the crowd that had gathered.

"Why does she need to go to the library?" I heard Nandra say as I left.

I turned a couple corners on my way to the stairs, but stopped short as I heard voices around the next corner.

"I don't know what Dumbledore was thinking, letting Lockhart run that dueling club. Students could've gotten killed! If it was that important to him then he should have let you teach them, Filius."

"Minerva, I'm sure the Headmaster was just trying to give him a chance to prove himself. Heaven knows he needs to." There was a pause. "That business about Potter, though. What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know. I'm headed to speak to the Headmaster about it right now. That poor boy doesn't need any more complications in his life and now half the school thinks he's behind these attacks. I'd better go."

I started to back up, realizing that one of them was probably going to walk around my corner. Selenia had conveniently disappeared while I was listening, but just as I turned around my name was called.

"Miss Goyle?"

I turned back around.

"What are you doing out at this hour? It's almost time for you to be in your common room," Professor Flitwick said.

"I know, Professor. I was just going to the library for a minute."

He put his hand on my shoulder and turned me back towards the common room.

"Well, it's probably better to be back earlier in light of our recent events. And, Miss Goyle, eavesdroppers are frowned upon, so it would probably be a good idea to keep the conversation you heard to yourself."

I nodded.

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