Elementals of Magic: Prophecy of Lies

When Harry entered the room, two of the other champions looked at him, then resumed what they had been doing. Violet winked at him from her picture. He remembered this room from Fourth Year, where he had been allowed to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament with Krum, Fleur, and Cedric.

Susan was pacing back and forth across the room, lost in thought, every now and then looking at one of the other champions. Terry was staring into space, a misty look in his eyes. He stood against the wall by the door, lost in his head. Harry wondered if he had blinked even once ever since he had entered the room. Malfoy was leaning against the fireplace. The fire leapt up every now and then, burning merrily. The trademark smirk was in place, and he stared at Harry. Harry, unnerved, let his gaze roam elsewhere.

After severmal moments of waiting, Dumbledore entered the room, followed by McGonagall, Kyon, Flitwick, and Sprout, the Heads of Houses. Dumbledore beamed at them.

"Congratulations for being chosen, Mr. Potter, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Boot, and Miss Bones. I must tell you that you cannot quit this competition. All of you will be exempt from end of year exams. The first contest will be on October 25. You may not ask for help from anyone. Everything must be done alone. Good luck to each of you, and I suggest returning to your Houses. No doubt a party is underway in each House."

"Professor Dumbledore, sir, may I ask who will be judging us?" Terry asked.

"Yes, of course. Myself, and these four professors will be judging you. Anything else?" Taking the silence as a negative, Dumbledore strode out of the room.

Harry could see Violet running through the portraits, no doubt going to see the Fat Lady. He exited the room along with the other champions and professors, and walked upstairs, through tapestries, up staircases, finally reaching Gryffindor Tower.

Violet was talking to the Fat Lady, no doubt about what had transpired in the room. She looked at Harry out of the picture.

"Who's been chosen as a champion for the second time?"

Harry ignored her and told the Fat Lady the password. The portriat swung open and many pairs of hands pulled Harry into the common room. A party was indeed underway, and there was food everywhere. Ever since Fred and George left Hogwarts, Ron had taken their place, helping them advertise their products and stealing food from the kitchens.

Ron had been standing next to the door, and he grinned at Harry.

"I'm rich from betting on you!" he told Harry excitedly. Harry managed to smile, though that was the last thing he wanted to do. This brought back too many painful memories of Fourth Year. He tried to break through the crowd in the direction of the dorms, but the Gryffindors wouldn't let him have his peace. They kept trying to talk to him, or push food into his hands.

Finally, after half an hour of this, Harry had made his way to the edge of the crowd. The Creevy brothers had taken him the longest to escape, but he was finally free to go upstairs and rest. Harry made his way up the stairs warily and after what seemed like ages, entered the Seventh Years' dorm. He entered and went straight to bed.

When Draco entered the Slytherin common room, there was indeed a party underway, which didn't happen too often, since the Slytherins were usually suspicious of each other and tended not to interact with each other. There had been several parties during the years Draco had been there, though. Once in Second Year, on Halloween, when the Chamber of Secrets was reopened and whatever inside set loose. And of course, Fourth Year, the day of the Third Task, when Cedric Diggory was killed and the Dark Lord was resurrected with Harry Potter's help. The House had agreed that it was a shame that Potter wasn't killed. The Slytherins were certain that they would win the Founders' Pride, especially with Draco as their champion, which was why they had held a party. Pansy had been waiting by the door, and she grabbed him as soon as he came in.

"What do you want?" he hissed.

Pansy frowned.

"I'm just trying to congratulate you. You don't have to think that I'm trying to seduce you with every gesture."

"Not now, understand? And get them out of the way." He hissed, then started towards the dorms. No way dared to stop him, since Draco was respected and feared by almost all the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle dared not bother him while he was in a bad mood. Even Pansy took care to steer herself out of his way at times like these. The blonde boy made his way into the dorm without any problems, then settled himself on his bed.

Draco opened his trunk and took out the book Narcissa gave him. There was now blue ink in the book.

Watch him closely, but don't slip. Tell me about anything unusual.

Draco picked up his quill, dipped it in his silver ink, and started writing.

The champions for the Founders' Pride have just been chosen. Potter was chosen for Gryffindor. I was chosen for Slytherin. The first contest is on October twenty-fifth.

Seconds later, blue ink sprawled across his book. It seemed that Narcissa had been looking at the book at the same time.

You know what to do. Good luck.

Draco closed the book furiously and threw it in his trunk, then shut his trunk with a loud bang. Sometimes, his mother was so cold, so distant. As if she was a stranger. Why?

Remus Lupin was standing in Dumbledore's office, along with Flora Sprout.

"Don't you think it's too dangerous to hold this? Especially with Voldemort's rerise to power?" Remus asked.

"The Founders' Pride has never been canceled. It's a school tradition, and I see no reason to stop it. Harry will be safe here."

"Are you sure Severus is dead?"

"Yes, Remus." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "You know how the Dark Lord acts towards traitors."

"But what about the Elemental Metal? Who will replace Severus?" Remus's voice shook.

"I'm sure Victoria would have contacted us if she needed help. You know what she is like. She'll contact us when she's ready, possibly through Narcissa or even Draco. I'm sorry about Severus, Remus, I truly am."

Tension between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors steadily rose over the next week. Doubles classes with the Slytherins were torture for the Gryffindors. Gryffindors and Slytherins couldn't pass by each other in the halls without some sort of fight starting, magical or physical. Harry was always surrounded by a group of Gryffindors so that he wouldn't be knocked out of action. The same thing was happening to Malfoy. Harry shuddered to think what would happen if a Slytherin caught him alone. Especially if it was Malfoy. But he might be able to hurt Malfoy, and then both of them would be stuck in the Infirmary. Harry couldn't bear to think what would happen if he and Malfoy were both out of action, and only Terry and Susan would be competing in the first contest.

Professor McGonagall was quite irritated by all this, and she could hardly travel anywhere without having to take points off of Slytherin and Gryffindor. The fighting was steadily becoming worse and worse. The Hospital Wing was filling up with the two rivaling houses, and some old unused classrooms had been needed for all the extra patients.

The Slytherins were plotting every night in their dungeon common room for a way to strike down the Gryffindors, or at least, humiliate them. The Gryffindors were doing the exact same thing in their common room. Ron kept persuading Fred and George to come up with a new joke item that they could try on the Slytherins.

In the third week of September, when Draco entered the dungeon common room after sneaking around Hogwarts in his Merging Cloak, Blaise Zabini beckoned the blonde towards a large group that had gathered in the middle of the room.

"We've found it!" he hissed.

"What?" Draco asked, confused.

"What?! Pansy, tell him."

"Draco, we've found the perfect spell!" Pansy held out a book to him, and the grey eyes quickly scanned the page. He nodded.

"Now we'll just have to wait until all the Gryffindors are out of the Hospital Wing," Blaise announced, a sinister grin on his face.

Ever since Blaise found the spell, the attacks on the Gryffindors had stopped, and even if a Gryffindor tried to pick a fight, the Slytherin in question used whatever means necessary to avoid it, as long as the Gryffindor wasn't harmed seriously enough to go to the Hospital Wing.

The Slytherins sent a different person up to the Hospital Wing every day to check to see if any more Gryffindors were still stuck in there under the pretense of visiting friends. Every day, the report was more and more Gryffindors walking out of the Hospital Wing. But before all the Gryffindors had left, the Slytherins had all returned to full health, so now, Slytherins had to injure themselves as to have an excuse to visit the Hospital Wing.

Thus, it was a relief to the Slytherins, when a week later, all the Gryffindors had left the Hospital Wing. It was time to cast the spell on the Gryffindors. And Draco Malfoy would be the perfect person for the job.

On Sunday, Draco sat at the Slytherin table, impatiently waiting for dinner to end. The joke was to be pulled today, and Draco would rather be finished with it already. Sure, it was funny, but if he was caught, there was going to be serious consequences.

The food on the golden plates disappeared, and the students drifted out of the Great Hall. Draco spotted the Golden Trio leaving the Gryffindor Table, and he quickly stood up, eyes not leaving the Gryffindors. The blonde followed them at a distance, walking up staircases, going through tapestries, until finally, he arrived in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a pink gown. The portrait opened; he spotted Potter, Weasley, and Granger walking into the opening that had been concealed by the painting and the portrait slamming shut. Well, at least he knew where the Gryffindor dorms were now.

Draco walked back down to the Slytherin common room. He told the dungeon wall the password and walked inside, almost bumping into Blaise.

"So have you done it yet?"

"Of course not, you fool."

"Then why are you still here?"

"You don't think I'm going to walk into the Gryffindor common room without some kind of cover, do you?"

Blaise let Draco pass. The blonde walked into the Seventh Years' dorms and went straight to his trunk, taking out the Merging Cloak at the very bottom. Moments later, he had exited the Slytherin common room without anyone noticing.

The Slytherin made his way back up to the painting of the fat lady. He waited by the picture, hoping that a Gryffindor would arrive soon and give the password.

A few moments later, Longbottom arrived. Draco cursed his luck. Of all people, it had to be the nitwit Longbottom, who couldn't remember anything, even if his life depended on it.

Draco watched as Longbottom walked up to the portrait and stopped next to him. However, for once, the Gryffindor remembered the password. He gave the password ("pride") to the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open, and Longbottom climbed into the Gryffindor common room.

While Neville was climbing into the common room, Draco slipped past him and into the Gryffindor common room. He slipped behind one of the armchairs behind the fireplace.

Draco stayed behind the chair the whole time he was waiting for the Gryffindors to go to bed. Everytime he thought everyone was in bed, someone came into the common room. The Slytherin took no notice of his surroundings, which was so very different from the Slytherin common room.

Finally, at midnight, Potter, Granger, and Weasel left the common room. Draco had been there for more than four hours. The blonde left his hiding place and stood in the center of the common room. Not a sound drifted down from the dormitories. Draco breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally cast his spell. And the spell Blaise found, when said with the proper words, could spread through air and will only stop if it hits a solid surface and can't slip around it or has been spreading for three hours.

The Slytherin walked to the door and opened it. He slipped through and closed the door until there was only a tiny crack left, taking care not to wake the sleeping Fat Lady. Draco slipped his wand through the crack and said the spell.

A stream of silver light shot from his wand. The light hit the wall and split into two beams of silver light. Draco quickly closed the door to prevent the spell from exiting Gryffindor Tower. The Slytherin drew his Cloak tighter around himself and left for the dungeons.

The next morning, as Harry woke, he felt as if something wasn't right. The Gryffindor drew his curtains back, and put on his glasses, to see Ron doing the same thing. He was just about to greet Ron when he realized that something definitely wasn't right.

Harry looked closely at Ron. The sight that met him was horrifying. Ron had grown green scales overnight, and instead of hair on top of his head, there were slithering snakes, swinging their heads here and there. As Ron turned towards Harry with a grin on his face, the grin faded, and he stared at Harry in a most unflattering way.

"Blimey! I bet the slimy Slytherins did this to us!" Ron said, or at least he tried to. Instead, it came out as,

"Blimey! I bet the cool Slytherins didn't do this to us stupid Gryffindors!"

Harry looked at Ron disbelievingly.

"What is it with you, Ron? How come you're complimenting the slimy gits?"

Only the question came out as,

"What is it with you, Weasel? How come you're complimenting the unbelievably great Slytherins?"

Harry looked at Ron horrified, and they realized that they couldn't say anything bad about the Slytherins or say anything good about the Gryffindors.

As the other boys woke up, chaos ensued. The other Gryffindor boys stood and pointed at each other, panic written on their faces.

Harry and Ron escaped to the common room, only to find pandemonium. There were girls screaming, boys fighting, and in the midst of all this, Hermione was trying to calm everyone. When she saw Harry and Ron come in, she handed a slip of paper to them.

Harry, Ron, I've realized that the speech alteration doesn't work on writing. I have another note already written for Professor McGonagall, and since I can't leave, I need you two to take it to her for me. Bring your invisibility cloak.

Hermione

"Got it, Herm."

Harry and Ron hurried back to their dorm. Harry opened his trunk and grabbed his Invisibility Cloak.

"I don't think it could cover the two of us, with those on our heads."

Ron nodded. In less than a minute, Harry was on his way to McGonagall, missing Draco Malfoy by mere milimeters.

Early in the morning, Draco had taken his Merging Cloak and gone up to Gryffindor Tower. As he stood in front of the portrait, wondering how to wake up the Fat Lady, the portrait opened from the inside. Draco climbed in and looked at the sight about him.

Chaos had ensued. Granger was trying to calm the hysterical girls down and pull apart the fighting boys. Prefects were helping her, but their efforts had almost no effect on the others. Draco smiled, satisfied. The Gryffindors deserved this. He exited the common room and went back to his own common room, where he told his Housemates the gleeful news.

Harry stopped in front of McGonagall's office. The Gryffindor knocked on the door.

"Come in," came Professor McGonagall's stern voice.

Harry took off his Invisibility Cloak, disguised it with a spell, and entered the office.

"Potter, you should be in the Hospital Wing instead of here!"

"Professor, the whole House is like this. Hermione wrote a note." Harry handed the note to McGonagall.

The Head of Gryffindor House read it quickly and then left wordlessly, with Harry following close behind her.

Chaos greeted McGonagall and Harry as they entered the common room.

"Now what is the matter here? Granger, I thought things would have been under control by now."

The noise died down, and everyone stared at their Head of House.

Neville hesitantly raised his hand; it strayed too close to the snakes and one of them bit his palm. His plam turned a nasty shade of purple just as McGonagall noticed him.

"Longbottom, what have you done now?"

"Professor, I-I was just raising my hand, and it strayed too close to the snakes on my head."

"Longbottom, off to the Hospital Wing with you. Help him, Miss Weasley. Classes are canceled for as long as you remain like this. I will be speaking to the Headmaster about this. Granger, come to my office."

Hermione followed Professor McGonagall out the common room. Neville's arm had started turning a neon green. Ginny, who had been going out with Neville since Fifth Year (she never got over Harry completely), helped him out of the common room, being careful to avoid the snakes on his head.

"What is it, Professor?"

Professor McGonagall scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Hermione.

"This is permission for you to look in the Restricted Sections of the Library. I want that curse removed as soon as possible."

"Albus, I have never seen anything like this ever since my first Founders' Pride! Never have such pranks been played! What are you going to do about the Slytherins?"

"Minerva, I understand your concern, but it is not in my power to do anything to the Slytherins. You don't have any evidence against them."

"No evidence?! It's obvious they did it! Only Slytherins would do something like this! After all, the children have snakes on their heads! And they've grown green scales!" Professor McGonagall's lips were so thin that they were about to disappear, her face had turned red, and fists clenched by her side.

"But we don't know which Slytherins did it, Minerva. You don't expect me to punish the whole House, do you?" Albus Dumbledore asked reasonably.

"It's definitely Draco Malfoy and his gang! You know what his father's like, Albus. I wouldn't put anything past them."

"But there's still no solid evidence, Minerva."

"But Albus..."

Albus Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. It would take a long time to convince Minerva to see things his way. Minerva was actually very sensible, but when she became angry, it took some time for her to cool down. It was going to be a very long day.

Hermione searched through the library. How was she supposed to find the countercurse if she didn't even know what the curse was in the first place? So far, she had found nothing in the books that resembled anything like the spell the Gryffindors had been hit with.

There was, of course, Professor McGongall's permission slip, and there was a good chance the Slytherins had used Dark Magic. Worth a try anyway, seeing that nothing in the White Magic books was helping the situation.

Two very long and embarassing days later, during which the rest of the school had learned of the Gryffindors' plight, Hermione came bouncing up to Harry and Ron after dinner with a book.

"I've found the curse that they hit us with! But the only way to counter it is to make a potion with many ingredients that's probably in Snuffles's stores."

"Let's go right now. I'm tired of looking like a Slytherin," Ron replied.

The three walked out of the common room, which no one except Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Harry had done ever since the curse to save themselves the embarassment. Meals had been brought up to the common room for the past two days. As they walked, people stopped in the corridors and halls and stared at them, openly pointing , nudging, and whispering.

"Let's hurry," muttered Harry.

They managed to reach the dungeons without trouble. The three quickly entered the Potions classroom and knocked on Kyon's office door.

Kyon opened the door and poked his head out.

"Harry, Ron, Hermione, come in!"

The three quickly entered, and Kyon locked the door behind them.

"What do you need?"

"Sirius, we need some potion ingredients to get rid of this curse," Hermione replied.

"Which ones?"

"Some powdered horn of bicorn, gillyweed, scarabs, caterpillars, eye of newt, Lionheart Grass picked at midnight, Serpentine Vine picked at noon, and a dragon scale from a Welsh Green."

"I can help you with most of these, but Lionheart Grass, Serpentine Vine, and the dragon scale you'll have to manage for yourself."

"Hey, we can get Charlie to send us a dragon scale!" Ron exclaimed.

"Sirius, do you know what Lionheart Grass and Serpetine Vine are?" Harry asked his Godfather.

"Serpentine Vine stands for the curse, and Lionheart Grass stands for the remedy. Serpentine Vine helps bring out the properties of Lionheart Grass which in turn brings out the properties of the other ingredients. Serpentine Vine usually grows in tropical areas, and Lionheart Grass grows in deserts."

"That's a great potion you found, 'Mione," Ron said sarcastically. "Maybe we'll be able to miss school to pick those two plants."

"I'll talk to Professor Dumbledore about it. Meanwhile, you three stay out of trouble, you hear? Especially you, Harry."

"Dumbledore, we need those two plants! You can't expect the Gryffindors to miss any more classes! I need time off."

"Let's not get hasty. Talk to Remus about it, I believe he has an useful contact that can help you."

Remus Lupin heard a knock on his door.

"Come in."

Kyon entered.

"Hello, Padfoot. What do you need?"

"You know what's happened to the Gryffindors?"

Remus nodded.

"I've been talking to Dumbledore about two crucial ingredients to the counterpotion. He told me to ask you, saying that you have an useful contact."

"Perhaps I do. And even if the contact can't supply us, I believe it can still be solved. The cure should be here by the day after tomorrow or maybe even tomorrow."

"Who is your contact, Moony?"

Remus sighed.

"I can't tell you, old friend."

"Why not?"

"Sirius, don't tell me you've forgotten what you did to Severus in our school years," Remus said warily.

"He deserved it, trying to take you from me," Sirius growled.

"Was I ever yours? Please, just stop. Severus is dead now. You ought to be happy."

"Is your contact a Death Eater now, Remus?"

"Padfoot, stop! Just tell me what you need and get out!"

Sirius stopped. Remus never yelled or raised his voice unless he was terribly upset or angry.

"I need Serpentine Vine picked at noon and Lionheart Grass picked at midnight." Sirius walked to the door, then turned back and hesitantly said, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Moony."

With that, Kyon left Remus alone. Remus shook his head.

This will be harder than I thought. If Lucius finds out, I'll be in more trouble than Narcissa. But if Victoria finds out, we're both good as dead.

Narcissa was about to crawl into bed when she heard a tapping on the window. She walked across to the window and opened it. In flew a barn owl, a piece of parchment tied on its leg. Narcissa took the parchment off of the owl's leg, then petted it. The parchment read:

Narcissa,

I need your help. Come to Hogwarts as soon as you can.

Remus

Remus Lupin didn't contact her everyday. In fact, she hadn't seen him since he graduated from Hogwarts with Lucius, Severus, and all the other Seventh Years. So what is it now? It better not have anything to do with using her powers. Lucius had been gone since Draco went to Hogwarts, and Narcissa knew what he was doing. Victoria hadn't contacted her for a little more than seventeen years, not since when she came to Malfoy Manor to drop something off. But Narcissa knew that she was still out there, and if her cousin found out, it was not going to be pretty, especially since they had been sworn to secrecy. However, Remus's message intrigued her, and a few seconds later, only the house elves remained in Malfoy Manor.

Remus heard a knock on his door for the second time that evening. It was only 10:00 P.M.

Narcissa got here pretty quick.

He opened the door to see Narcissa standing outside.

"Come in."

"What do you need help with?"

"I need two potion ingredients. And I can't get them without your help and Flora's."

After noon the next day, Serpentine Vine and Lionheart Grass had been picked and given to Kyon.

That morning, Hedwig had come back with the dragon scale. All the potions ingredients had been acquired. Now, it was all up to Kyon.

Sirius had been a good Potions student while he had been at Hogwarts. In fact, he and Severus both made a perfect score on their Potions N.E.W.T. The only reason he had a lower grade than Severus in Potions was because the Potions professor favored Slytherin. Seeing that he had a free afternoon, Sirius started working on the counterpotion.

Victoria watched everything happening. It was pretty clever of her to cast an Espionage Charm. Something not even Dumbledore could detect. As if his magic could surpass hers. He was powerful, yes, but not as powerful as her, and definitely not as powerful as Voldemort. Her dear Tom.

She had watched since First Year. Ever since that fool Sirius Black interfered, things had not been going smoothly. Her son and the lucky boy had not been getting along.

If the prophecy isn't fulfilled soon, I'll have to brew a love potion for the two of them.

If only that Black hadn't interfered. At least one part of the prophecy would be fulfilled. She would be stuck here watching anyways, but at least Victoria wouldn't be as irritated and frustrated as she was now.

Oh yes, she remembered the prophecy very well. And her son was part of it. She didn't even want him at first. She only got pregnant for the sake of the prophecy.

They had better fulfill the prophecy by their own will or else, I will force them to, Victoria thought darkly.

Kyon had come up to the Gryffindor common room with the counterpotion the night after Hermione found it with McGonagall. He cured the stronger ones first, then got them to carry the rest of the counterpotion back to the common room.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger. Fifteen points to Gryffindor. I knew I wasn't wrong about you being Head Girl."

After everyone had been cured and the two professors left the common room, Hermione held up the same book she found the counterpotion in.

"What do you say we get some revenge?"

"How?" Ron asked.

"You'll see."