A Dangerous Truth
"Well, at least it wasn't completely pointless," Ron said as the two of them walked into the third-floor bathroom and closed the door behind them. "You got that strange key, and now you know Malfoy didn't become the Heir because of you."
Ron smiled, focusing only on the bright side.
"Besides, I'll be able to write to my dad about the Secret Chamber beneath Malfoy Manor so he can deal with it."
But when he looked at Harry, he seemed distracted, staring intently at the snake-shaped key in his hand.
"Harry?" he asked.
Lost in thought, Harry looked up at the sound of his name, shaking his head to clear his mind.
"Oh, right. You're right. It's good that Malfoy isn't the Heir," Harry replied absentmindedly.
Before Ron could ask what was bothering him about the key, Percy walked in with Tyson right behind him.
Percy still had a rather annoyed look on his face, and the small cut on his cheek was still there.
He had already gotten his own robes back, though he'd have to apologize to Ernie. The Hufflepuff robes he'd borrowed had several cuts in them, although maybe Macmillan wouldn't even notice.
Harry frowned the moment he saw his brother, immediately sensing that something had happened, and walked over to him seriously.
"What happened?" Harry asked right away.
Without hesitation, Percy explained everything from beginning to end.
How the infiltration had gone perfectly until Cedric caught them.
Then the fight between the two of them.
Up until Cedric drew his bow and the battle became far more intense than Percy had expected.
And above all...
The strange mask he had found.
Hearing all of that, Harry fell silent in thought, his brow furrowed.
"A bow? My family knows the Diggorys—they're our neighbors. I've never heard that their son practiced archery," Ron said, confused.
"Oh, that was a lot more than just shooting arrows. If it'd been anyone else, they'd have ended up looking like a porcupine," Percy said immediately.
"Do you remember that guy from Ruopel's shop?" Harry asked at once, cutting him off.
Percy nodded.
"The moment I saw the mask, he was the first thing that came to mind. I think it could be the same person. Besides, Grover said he was one of the hunters at that mansion, working for the Howling Beast," Percy said in a much more serious tone, folding his arms.
"The Howling Beast?" Ron asked, while Tyson tilted his head slightly, looking just as confused.
"A guy who grafted parts of magical creatures and other beasts onto his own body. Grover ran into him while we were in the United States," Percy explained casually.
Hearing that, Ron couldn't help staring at them in disbelief.
"You guys... what exactly did you say you went to America for?" he asked again.
Harry and Percy exchanged a brief glance.
"To visit relatives," Percy answered simply.
But Ron clearly didn't believe him after overhearing them more than once talking about some of the things they'd run into there.
He stared at them for several long seconds.
"Right. You went to visit relatives and somehow ended up running into a lunatic who glued monster parts onto himself."
"Well... yeah," Percy admitted, while Harry couldn't help scratching the back of his head.
Ron frowned.
"...I don't believe you. The other day I heard you talking about Medusa and a Chimera. When are you finally going to tell me what you've been hiding from me?" Ron asked, no longer able to stand all the mystery.
"It's not that simple," Harry said worriedly.
"Why not? It's obvious Hermione knows. Tyson does too. Why can't I know?" the redhead demanded, growing more irritated by the second.
Harry hesitated for a moment as he looked at his friend.
Finally, he spoke.
"Because... the less you know... the safer you'll be."
Ron blinked, still frowning.
"Safer from what?"
Harry exchanged a look with Percy, but Percy simply gestured that it was Harry's problem.
After all, he was the one who had talked to Ron first on the Hogwarts Express.
Harry let out a quiet sigh.
"Ron... there are things ordinary people simply can't see."
Ron started smiling, convinced it was just another one of Harry's jokes.
"Yeah, there are plenty of things like that in the magical world. So?"
But when he saw that none of the three of them were smiling...
His own smile slowly faded.
"Well... yeah. As you know, there are creatures that exist even though most people never get to see them."
"But besides those, there are other kinds of creatures... much more dangerous and much more horrifying. The kind that could drive a Muggle insane just by looking at them..."
"And even though you're not a Muggle... you don't want to start seeing them."
Ron swallowed hard as he listened, staring at Harry's face. There wasn't the slightest hint of amusement there. Neither Harry nor the others looked like they were kidding.
"Why?" he finally asked.
Percy lowered his voice, making it sound almost unsettling.
"Because the day you can see them..."
"...they'll be able to notice you too."
The bathroom fell completely silent.
Ron felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"...That's not funny."
But seeing that neither Tyson, Harry, nor Percy smiled or admitted it was a joke...
It was obvious none of them were lying.
"Th-then... you guys can see them?" Ron asked, looking a little pale as he glanced around, suddenly feeling as though something might be watching him.
Harry and Percy looked at Tyson for a moment. The little Cyclops wore the same calm, innocent smile as always.
"Yeah. Sometimes," they both answered.
"Let's worry about that another time," Percy said suddenly, changing the subject before Ron wet his pants.
"Where's Hermione?" Tyson asked, realizing the young witch didn't seem to be anywhere around, even though they'd spent so long talking.
Harry and the others noticed it too.
All of them looked toward the bathroom stall where they'd last seen her go, the one she still hadn't come out of.
"Hermione? Are you still in there?" Harry asked, knocking gently on the door.
"Yes," Hermione's voice came from inside, though it sounded quieter now, almost tearful. "Go away," she muttered.
"What's wrong? The transformation should've already—" Before Harry could finish, Moaning Myrtle floated straight through the door with an unusually happy smile.
"Haaa! Just wait until you see her. It's awful," she said excitedly.
At that moment, the lock clicked open, and Hermione stepped out, quietly sobbing, her face hidden beneath her robes.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked worriedly as the others gathered around her, equally concerned at the sight of her covering herself completely.
No one could see her face.
The only thing breaking the silence was her quiet sobbing.
Then, slowly, she lowered the robe from her face and revealed what the Polyjuice Potion had done to her.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Hermione's face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow, pointed ears stuck out from the top of her head...
And she had whiskers.
"It was cat hair. Millicent must have a cat, and one of its hairs got mixed in with hers," she meowed between sobs, while Myrtle laughed behind them, looking genuinely delighted.
Tyson tilted his head slightly.
"...Hermione kitty?"
That was enough to make Percy and Ron burst out laughing.
Harry shot them both a hard look while Hermione hurriedly pulled the robe back over her head.
"Stop laughing," Harry said before walking over to Hermione. "Come on. We have to take you to Madam Pomfrey."
"I'm not going out looking like this," Hermione meowed from beneath her robe.