The Mysterious Heir

Chapter 9, Book 2, "Duelling and Parseltongue"

Harry wakes up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff. He sits up quickly and looks over at Colin's bed, but it has been blocked from view by the high curtains Harry changed behind yesterday. Seeing that he is awake, Madam Pomfrey comes bustling over with a breakfast tray and then begins bending and stretching his arm and fingers.

"All in order," she says as he clumsily feeds himself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave."

Harry dresses as quickly as he can and hurries off to Gryffindor Tower, desperate to tell Ron and Hermione about Colin, Dobby, and Polaris, but they aren't there. Harry leaves to look for them, wondering where they went and feeling slightly hurt that they aren't interested in whether he has his bones back or not.

As Harry passes the library, Percy Weasley strolls out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they'd met.

"Oh, hello, Harry," he says. "Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup - you earned fifty points!"

"You haven't seen Ron or Hermione, have you?" says Harry.

"No, I haven't," says Percy, his smile fading. "I hope Ron's not in another girls' toilet...."

Harry forces a laugh, watches Percy walk out of sight, and then heads straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He can't see why Ron and Hermione would be in there again, but after making sure that neither Filch nor any prefects are around, he opens the door and hears their voices coming from a locked stall.

"It's me," he says, closing the door behind him. There is a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall and he sees Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole.

"Harry!" she says. "You gave us such a fright - come in - how's your arm?"

"Fine," says Harry, squeezing into the stall. An old cauldron is perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim tells Harry they lit a fire beneath it.

Harry starts to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupts.

"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 or Polaris, the better," snarls Ron. "D'you know what I think? They were in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, they took it out on Colin."

"That's the thing," says Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. "Polaris and Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night."

Ron and Hermione look up, amazed. Harry tells them everything Dobby had told him - or hadn't told him and how Dumbledore somehow checked Polaris's mind and cleared him of any suspicion. They listen with their mouths open.

"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione says.

"This settles it," says Ron in a triumphant voice. "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. At least Polaris isn't guilty."