Agents of Discord

by KittyrinnAiko

Chapter 91: And which chamber might we be talking about?

“Aerie,” Hermione called later that evening as they passed the second-floor girls' toilets. “Come have a look at this.”

“What are we looking at?” Aurora asked.

“The spiders,” Hermione explained.

“Spiders?” Ron asked the tone of dread in his voice.

“Ron, are you alright?” Aerie asked. Ron had taken a step back. “Oh right, you don’t especially like spiders do you.”

“Did my brothers tell you?”

“The place is full of spiders, it’s kind of evident.”

“Oh… right.”

“When I was three, Charles, my eldest brother, turned my teddy bear into a spider. Fred and George have tormented me ever since.”

“There’s a bunch up here trying to squeeze out a tiny crack,” Hermione offered. She’d looked back at Ron but chose not to say anything. Nor was she so insensitive as to laugh at a friend’s discomfort.

Aerie went over to the window, got out her wand, and poked at a spider that was just hanging from its web. It immediately dropped, causing Ron to jump back.

“Aerie?” Hermione prompted as Aerie poked another spider. It too dropped.

“The monster kills visually.”

“I’ve blocked all known forms of Basilisk,” Aurora offered. “With any luck, it’ll be trapped.”

“Let us hope so. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Come on Ron,” Hermione prompted as they started walking. “You use spiders in potions?”

“It’s different then. They aren’t moving.”

“And a mass of spiders all wriggling together is enough to creep anyone out,” Aerie added.

“You too?” Aurora asked.

“Well, have you ever seen spiders do that?”

“No, can’t say as I have.”

“Aerie, remember all the water on the floor,” Hermione asked thinking to change the subject.

“That was Myrtle. Peeves got her upset,” Aurora informed her.

“Right, she floods the toilets.”

They ignored the out-of-order sign on the door to the toilets as they went by, but it was difficult to ignore the stream of spiders exiting the place. Poor Ron had to be lifted and hoisted over it.

“I was going to use that toilet to do my potion, I’m not so sure now.”

“It’d be the most dangerous place in the school,” Aerie said. “What about the room of Requirement?”

“Room of requirement?” Ron and Hermione asked.

“Have they cleaned it out by now?” Aurora asked.

“Doubt it.
“Hermione, there’s a secret chamber on the seventh floor across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.” Aerie just couldn't resist emphasizing the words secret chamber. “To get in you just have to want it bad. It’s supposed to transform itself into whatever it is you need of it.”

“And you never said anything to me?”

“Or me,” Ron pointed out.

“Wasn’t any reason to.”

“That and we kind of trashed it,” Aurora added.

“That chamber probably belonged to Ravenclaw.”

“Say, do you think there’s a Gryffindor secret chamber?” Ron asked.

“Maybe. No telling. It’s like Professor Burbage said, the place is probably full of secret chambers,” Hermione stated. “Be fun if we could find it though.” Hermione’s mind now distracted from the chamber of secrets to other chambers completely missed the smile on Aerie’s face. Hermione would find the room of Requirement and with luck would be safe from encountering Slytherin’s monster.

“Why are the four of you down here?” Percy asked at the end of the hallway.

“We’re passing through on our way back to the dorm,” Ron stated sounding annoyed. “What are you doing down here?”

“Hoping to spot the perpetrator, no doubt,” Aerie suggested.

“Well, yes, I was thinking that if maybe I could spot the person doing it we’d be that much closer to stopping them.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Aerie offered kindly enough. “Just one thing, if something big comes out of the girls’ toilets, turn around and run.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Have fun,” Ron offered. “Especially if it’s brown.” Aerie, Ron, Hermione, and Aurora couldn't help but laugh as they continued down the hall.

Percy was torn. He knew full well he hadn’t caught them doing anything and for all he knew Aerie had Dumbledore’s full permission to do whatever she needed to find that damn book. Regardless of the danger. Brown indeed, he thought to himself, but couldn't help but smile at the notion of people being attacked by a giant turd.

“Definitely a Slytherin,” Percy remarked with a smirk on his face.

Ron and Hermione chose seats as far as possible from Percy in the common room later that evening. Aerie and Aurora chose to join the other second-year students so they could go over their assignments together.

“So, um, why are Hermione and Ron off in a corner by themselves?” Lavender asked in a low tone not quite a whisper.

“I’ll have to admit that’s got me a bit confused myself,” Aurora responded. “I thought she was interested in Neville.”

“All she does is boss me about how I’m dressed in the morning,” Neville muttered just as an owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of Aurora.

“Let’s face it Neville, the person you marry is just going to have to dress you every morning so you don’t forget the important things,” Aerie teased.

“Who’s sending you a letter?” Lavender asked.

“Seems to be addressed to both Aerie and myself.” She was about to pick it up when Percy snatched it up. “Hey!”

“Percy, just because you are a prefect doesn’t mean you get to look at people’s mail,” Aerie scolded.

“This is a letter to a parent. Automated for efficiency. Why are you getting a letter to a parent when it should be going to a parent?”

“A letter to… Louise! Get over here!” Aurora’s voice had risen to a level that no one in the common room could miss. Nor could they mistake that tone.

“What?” Percy said softly as Louise slowly got up from where she and the first-year girls were seated.

“Louise?” Isolde asked as Louise walked over to where Aurora was with her head hung low.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t 'sorry' me, what did you do?” Aurora asked sternly. "Or is this about the potions incident?"

“Edmund Fernsby, he was spreading nasty rumors about Aerie.”

“And all this time I thought it was Karen,” Aerie muttered.

“Who?” Patil asked.

“One of the new first-year boys. Our first-year boys,” Seamus offered. “He’s sporting a shiner on his right eye. Probably had it coming.”

“Percy, it’s complicated, but Aurora and I are her guardians. It’s an Akkadian thing.”

“What? But I thought Aurora and Louise were supposed to be half-sisters?”

“We are. Same dad, different moms. No idea what became of dad,” Aurora supplied. “Louise was adopted and we don’t know where they are. Took off on an adventure and have yet to check in with anyone.”

“They do it all the time,” Aerie added. “It’s nothing new, it’s just that this time they are a little overdue.”

“Way overdue,” Aurora added.

“Oh.” Percy was now wishing he’d stayed out of it.

“And Mr Fernsby is probably lucky Bloom didn’t hit him,” Aerie pointed out.

“All I did was slap him,” Louise protested meekly.

“And gave him a black eye,” Aurora reminded her. “You are stronger than you realize.”

“Why Bloom?” Seamus asked.

“That little filly is fully capable of busting rocks,” Aerie informed him in a rather matter-of-fact tone. And she was to blame given that she’d instructed Apple Bloom on the basics of Earth bending. Just in case.

“Just don’t hit anyone. And that goes for all four of you,” Aurora scolded Louise.

“Percy, tell you what,” Aerie began slowly. “Why don’t you give that to Professor McGonagall, given you’ve chosen to insert yourself, and have those sorts of things sent to either my guardians or Aurora’s mom? On the assumptions they'll be any more.”

“Here,” Percy said as he gave Aurora the letter. “I’ll trust you to take care of it.” And then he turned and walked away.

“This is to inform you that blah blah blah…” Aurora said after opening the letter. “Louise, no matter what anyone says, do not raise to their bait. Do not lower yourself to their level, and do not touch anyone in anger unless you plan to destroy them and accept the consequences. Oh, and there's a PS... do try to keep Kaida out of the potions lab. Eh, only ten point deduction? Must have been in a good mood.”

“Are we sure Fernsby is not the one who graffiti-ed the wall? Well…” Louise ventured cautiously only to get a dirty look from Aurora.

“Hello? Kaida? Keep her out of the potions lab. As for Mr Fernsby, he'd have to be a complete moron to do it and then call attention to himself,” Aerie cautioned once again wishing that she hadn’t let slip about the book. Her words were punctuated by the slamming of a book coming from Hermione’s direction with more than a few turning to look. Ron followed by closing his book but did so with a little less force. Only then did they realize that nearly everyone in the common room was watching them. Ron turned red as a beat, got up, and went upstairs. Hermione realized the optics of the situation a moment later and made a hasty retreat to the girls’ dorm.

“Do we dare ask?” Lavender mused.

“No,” Fred replied.

“We will ask for you,” George offered followed by the two following after Ron.

“Think I’ll head upstairs,” Aerie offered as she got up.

“Hermione, are you alright?” Aerie called moments after knocking on the door to the room Hermione was in.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Aerie.”

“I know it’s you, who attacked Mrs Norris?”

“If I knew that we likely wouldn't be having this conversation.”

“Enemies of the heir, Slytherin’s heir no doubt, and you heard what Nott said. That I’d be next.”

“Nott is an idiot. And given that Mrs Norris isn’t exactly a mud-blood, I’d say whoever attacked her Doesn’t care who is or isn’t. They just want to scare people.”

“We sure it’s not Nott?”

“His belongings have been searched,” Aerie offered and entered the room. “Twice now.”

“If this was happening last year I’d have sworn it was Draco Malfoy.”

“Well, he’s out,” Aerie offered as she sat on the edge of the bed opposite Hermione. At least she thought Draco was out. Mr Malfoy had given Isolde extra attention. Had he recognized her? And for that matter had the Horcrux figured out how to mask itself from her? And if it could mask itself from her it could mask itself from Nova Silverwood as well.

“If only I’d just grabbed it when I had the chance,” Aerie lamented bitterly.

“The recipe for the polyjuice potion would be in the restricted section,” Hermione said softly.

“Just get Lockhart to sign a book request.”

“You aren’t going to try to talk me out of it?”

“Just don’t ask Aurora or myself to take that stuff. No telling how it’d affect someone with Akkadian heritage.” That and she’d a mind to possibly try recruiting Mrs Norris. She didn’t have to tell her what it was. She just had to impress upon her that it had to be destroyed.

“Aerie, don’t worry about it.”

“No?”

“I tell you what. Let’s just say that for the sake of argument, I do decide to do it, it might be best I do all the prep work on my own. Just in case I get caught. And then if I need anyone I’m sure Ron and Neville will help.”

“OK. Plausible deniability. Aurora and I can say we didn’t know anything. I’d feel mighty guilty though.”

“Can’t be helped.”

“Speaking of which I think Fred and George may be under the impression that you and Ron just had a lovers spat.”

“What?”

“Well, you know those two.”

“It’s not like that?!”

“Can’t be helped,” Aerie offered as she stood up. She’d a mischievous smile on her face. “Don’t worry, they are bound to get bored and find some other amusement… in about a week or so.”

“Get out!”

“On my way. Just don’t say anything along the lines of not having broken up.”

“Argh!”

To Hermione’s relief, the Weasley twins kept their teasing to Ron. As for Aerie, she had to put up with Lockhart volunteering her to join in on his impromptu theater where he’d act out the tales from his books.

“Then I screwed up the last of my strength and performed the immensely complex Homorphus charm – he let out a piteous moan – come on Aerie, give us a good moan.

The entire class busted up laughing at the, eh em, anything but piteous moan she let out. Fortunately, the bell rang and Aerie rushed to grab her things and get out of there.

“What sort of…” Lockhart said softly and then remembered himself. “Homework – compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf attacks.”

“Professor, can I get you to sign this?” Hermione asked. To his mind, she was just suddenly there, but who was he to disappoint a fan, and glibly scrawled his autograph.

“Aerie, want to sneak over to Equestria tonight, the one where we are adults,” Aurora whispered in her ear as they headed down the hall.

“Quidditch game tomorrow. And I can just imagine Dumbledore’s panic if I were to suddenly vanish from the wards.”

“Right. We wouldn't want to upset Professor Dumbledork,” Aurora muttered. “You know, there are times when I hate having to be a kid all over again.”

“What’s with her?” Lavender asked.

“Well, you see, I’d been thinking about summer ice cream cones…”

“Oh, is that what that moan was? I see.”

“And she wanted some.”

“I’m sure she did.”

“Got my signature and I’m off to the library,” Hermione announced and hurried down the hall.

“His signature?” Ron asked.

“For a project she’s working on. Perhaps she mentioned something to you?”

“Something about wanting a book that was in the restricted section. Hang on, and he just up and signed it? The man is a right brainless git he is.”

“Just keep that in mind if you ever need something signed by a teacher.”

“Ah, I’ll just have to do that. The downside is I’ll need to get on his good side and given I seldom need anything signed, I’m not so sure it’s worth it. Maybe, but nah, he’s not likely to last more than the year.”

“What makes you say that?” Aurora asked.

“There's supposed to be some kind of curse on the position,” Seamus explained.

“Ah, right, the curse,” Aerie said softly. “Hopefully Lockhart will go back to stealing other people’s stories and leave the school, otherwise we might be stuck with him.”

“You think he steals them?” Ron asked.

“You heard him bragging about being a seeker. I’ve looked at all the names of past teams, they must have forgotten to add his name. That, and why do you think he wants us to write poems about him? I’m totally going to write something he can’t possibly publish in Witch Weekly.”

“Aerie, no,” Aurora scolded.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Lavender said in support. “But how to do it so he doesn’t catch on?”

“By making it all flowery and full of symbolism.”

“Are we seriously going there?” Aurora protested only to be answered in the affirmative by everyone still in earshot.

Comments

[harts fire]

well this is a vary interesting chapter, so many ideas, so many questions.
i love it.

[KittyrinnAiko]

11864005
I hate to admit it, but at this point I had no idea where I wanted to go with the story. I still hadn't decided who was going to end up with the book.

[harts fire]

11865748
this is a small problem as it is going to really change how it all plays out.

[KittyrinnAiko]

11865818
I actually ended up getting an idea when I ran across an article on transparent aluminum. Like in Start Trek. It's a real thing now.

[harts fire]

11867208
i saw that on YouTube a bit ago.
and that is not the first thing from Star Trek to come true.