October thirty-first. Halloween.
The moment Rowan Mercer stepped into the Great Hall that morning, the warm scent of roasted pumpkin hit him head-on. Breakfast leaned heavily into the theme. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin pasties, pumpkin stew. Hagrid had clearly supplied half the ingredients.
He had to admit, the house-elves knew what they were doing. For someone who didn't usually care for Western food, Hogwarts still managed to surprise him now and then. It was easy to understand why people who graduated never stopped talking about the meals.
By afternoon, classes ended early, and students streamed toward the Great Hall in excited clusters. Rowan, the quiet standout of Slytherin, was swept along with them.
"Did you hear? Dumbledore invited a skeleton dance troupe this year!"
"The one made entirely of skeletons?"
Laughter and chatter echoed as they entered.
The Great Hall had been transformed. A thousand live bats flitted across the walls and ceiling. Another thousand hovered low over the tables like drifting storm clouds. Massive jack-o'-lanterns floated overhead, each large enough to fit several students inside. Rowan recognized them immediately. Hagrid had enlarged them himself.
Rowan hadn't cared much about the pumpkins. What interested him was the spell used to enlarge them.
The Engorgement Charm could cause objects to expand rapidly. Poor control led to instability. Sometimes explosions. It was dangerous magic when mishandled.
If he'd mastered it earlier, the grenades back at the desert base could've been… much more effective.
Unfortunately, the spell wasn't simple. He hadn't given it enough time. There were too many spells worth learning, and priorities mattered.
The Halloween feast delivered exactly what it promised. Mountains of food. Professors showing off playful magic. The skeleton dancers performing with absurd enthusiasm. None of it was anything he could've experienced in his old world.
Watching it on a screen would never compare to standing there in person.
When the feast ended, students filtered back toward their dormitories. The Slytherins headed down toward the dungeons, Rowan among them.
Then they stopped.
Mrs. Norris hung stiffly from a torch bracket, eyes wide and lifeless. Beneath her, written in dripping red letters across the stone wall:
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.
Across from them stood Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, frozen in place.
Draco Malfoy stepped forward eagerly. "Enemies of the Heir, beware. Next will be you, Mud—"
A hand settled on his shoulder.
"Not now," Rowan said quietly. "Get the headmaster and the professors."
Malfoy hesitated, then swallowed his words and ran.
Dumbledore arrived quickly, along with Snape, McGonagall, Lockhart, and Filch. When Filch saw Mrs. Norris, he howled in grief, immediately accusing Harry.
Dumbledore calmed him, explaining that the spell used was far beyond first-year magic and that Mrs. Norris could still be saved.
Rowan stayed silent. He didn't mention basilisks. He didn't step forward. This wasn't his stage.
After Harry and his friends were escorted away, Rowan returned to the Slytherin common room. Students buzzed with speculation about the Chamber of Secrets. Rowan sat in a corner, reading, ignoring the noise. That alone earned him a few glances of quiet admiration.
The days that followed were tense. Rumors spread. Many students became convinced Harry was the Heir.
One afternoon in the library, Harry, Ron, and Hermione found Rowan.
"You think Malfoy's the Heir," Rowan said after listening. "That he's trying to kill Muggle-born students."
"His whole family's Slytherin," Harry said. "He brags about it all the time. His dad's awful. It fits."
"They could've passed the key down for centuries," Ron added. "Father to son."
"He hates Muggle-borns," Hermione said quietly. "He called me a Mudblood."
Rowan smiled faintly. "Even if you're right, how do you prove it? Accusations won't stick. His father has serious influence."
They leaned closer.
"That's why we need your help," Harry said. "We need hair from Goyle, Crabbe, and Millicent. And the password to the Slytherin common room."
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly are you planning?"
Harry didn't hide it. "Polyjuice Potion. We impersonate them and question Malfoy directly."
Rowan nodded. "Bold plan. You do realize this breaks at least fifty school rules."
Harry and Ron pointed at Hermione at the same time.
Rowan laughed softly. That answered everything.