I am not the heir of Slytherin, I am Slytherin.

Chapter 36

The friends enjoyed breakfast, and when a Potter elf alerted them that people were looking for them at Hogwarts, they returned. Dean and Seamus spotted them when they entered the common room and hurried over.

"Where were you?" Dean asked, glancing them over for any visible injuries.

"Just exploring the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny bluffed, looking nonchalant. The two didn't buy it, but fortunately, didn't press.

Harry had made a new routine of checking the map twice everyday for any suspicious activity or reborn people. So he pulled it out once the group was settled in the couches by the fire and recited the words, placing his wand on the parchment.

Black ink grew from the tip of his wand, spreading like cobwebs and forming words and images alike. Harry's sharp eyes looked over each level, starting with the dungeons. Nothing overly wrong, other than Malfoy pacing all by himself half a dozen corridors away from the Slytherin common room.

On the level with the Hufflepuff common room, Harry spotted Cedric Diggory, Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones sneaking to the kitchens.

Myrtle was sneaking up on a couple of first years near her toilets.

Fred and George were descending through the one-eyed witch onto Hogsmeade.

Peeves was messing around the fifth level.

Albus Dumbledore was frantically pacing the corridor outside his office.

The only unknown name Harry saw was in the Gryffindor common room itself. Someone named Rita Skeeter.

Harry looked around, but couldn't find anyone two couches away from where he sat. The Map never lied. He grabbed his Holly wand and slowly moved towards where this Skeeter was supposed to be. What he found there... was a beetle.

Harry let out a frustrated sigh, getting odd looks from his friends. There were only so many animagi he could take. If his memory served him right, this was the third one this year, not counting Sirius. He so near crushed the offending insect, but regained control last moment.

He calmly plucked her off the couch and, with his friends on his tail, entered Godric's office before depositing her on the floor and waving his wand over her.

A moment later, the beetle was replaced by a dishevelled blonde witch who was gaping at them.

"W-what place is this?" She managed, looking fearful and awed. Hermione had her wand pointed between the other witch's eyes.

"I think you should be the one answering our questions, not the other way around. Who are you and what are you doing in the Gryffindor common room?" Harry hissed coldly.

"Mister Potter! I am Rita Skeeter. I work for the Daily Prophet. I was just wanting to ask you, are you really a werewolf or are those rumours fak-" she was cut short when an annoyed Harry stunned her.

"What do we do with her?" Neville asked, plopping onto a couch with a butterbeer in his hand.

"Honestly, we could turn her over to the ministry, kill her or obliviate her," Ginny said with faux calm.

"All three of them sound tempting, honestly," Hermione said with a frown. She hated that her friend was being spied on and bothered just because he defended one of their professors from another.

"We'll trap her for now until we are sure what to do with her," Harry said. He bound her in ropes and hit her with a stronger stunner that won't allow her to wake for at least another week unless someone reversed the spell.

After a round of butterbeer, the group exited the office to go to the Hogwarts library and complete their assignments.

Halfway through the History of Magic essay, Ernie, Justin and Sally-Anne from Hufflepuff came up and sat with them. The group of nine worked together silently, occasionally seeking each other's help.

Dinner was an uneventful affair, other than when Peeves had invaded the Great Hall and dropped eggs on a few Ravenclaws. 

When the group finally returned to the common room, there was a loud tapping from the windows. A second year student opened the window and the owl flew to Neville and stretched its leg towards the boy.

Neville petted his grandmother's owl and took the letter and feeding it the treats Harry gave him. The owl flew back out after a few more seconds.

Neville opened the letter. His eyes widened as he read the letter. He looked up at his friends with a huge smile and unshed tears in his eyes. 

~Look who's alive. Yeah, that's me. Sorry for the short chapter and  for not updating in forever. 

Thank you guys for still sticking around and motivating (Read: Guilt tripping) me to update with your votes and comments.

Signing off~