He found out from the Gryffindors where Colin was found, and stood in the same spot as if he had a camera in his hands. From there he then headed down to where he first saw Finch-Fletchley and had Neville stand where he knew Sir Nicholas to 'roughly' be. If he hadn't fallen over.
And, considering exactly how Justin was lying when Harry found him, Harry was able to get a pretty accurate idea of where he was standing, and in which direction he was facing. "Alright," he said to Neville. "Sir Nicholas would normally float with his feet about two feet off the floor..."
Harry darted into the nearest classroom and came out with a normal class stool. He placed it where he believed Sir Nicholas would have been floating and told Neville to kneel on it, if he could. Gingerly, Neville complied. But, he still appeared to be uncomfortable.
"Alright," said Harry. "And Finch-Fletchley would have stood right here with his head just so; looking..." And found himself staring at Neville's chest. "Damn!" he exclaimed.
"What?" asked Neville, a little wobbly on the stool. "Hop down, Neville. And come standing where I am." Neville moved to where Harry stood and facing the same way. And Harry went to the stool and kneeled on it.
"Alright, Nev," he said. "What are you looking straight at?"
"Your chest," frowned the boy.
"Okay, now what would you see if I was a silvery, somewhat translucent, ghost of Sir Nicholas's stature?"
Neville frowned and stepped a full pace to the left. "I'd be looking right through him and see straight down the corridor."
"Precisely," said Harry, a little excited. He hopped off the stool and pushed it a little out of the way before moving back to stand where the stool was placed. "Sir Nicholas was standing here. And Finch-Fletchley was standing..." Neville took the pace back and said, "Here."
"... yes," said Harry. "The two meet coming from opposite directions. Sir Nicholas is a friendly sort, so he stops to have a chat; even if the student is from another House. And Finch-Fletchley is a 'Puff so..." and he shrugged. "So, they're having a chat. Finch-Fletchley sees movement, through Sir Nicholas, down the corridor, he gets petrified and topples over.
"Sir Nicholas, who looks you in the eye when he talks to you, sees the look of surprised shock pass over Finch-Fletchley's face right before he's petrified and topples. Knowing it has to be something behind him, and maybe even thinking whatever it was wouldn't harm him because he's already dead, and he could discover the identity of the culprit for the staff, Sir Nicholas spins around to take a look for himself. And, whatever it is, petrifies him too."
"Wow!" said Neville. "You think?"
"Yeah, Nev," replied Harry. "I think."
After Harry returned the stool to the classroom, he and Neville started to make their way back to the Great Hall.
On the way, Harry continued with his thinking. "As Sir Nicholas got the full brunt, rather than a reflection or refraction it effected him more. He turned up black and smoky. According to Madam Pomfrey, black smoke is also what came out of young Mister Creevey's camera when Dumbledore opened it. She said the insides of the camera had been burnt.
"So, Mrs Norris saw - whatever it was - in the reflection of the water in the corridor. Colin saw it through the lens of his camera. Justin saw it through Sir Nicholas. And our girls saw it in the refection of the mirror.
"Now, Nev," said Harry, turned them both until they were facing each other. "Where were the girls before they ended up in that corridor with the compact mirror. What where they doing?"
Neville frowned in thought and said, "They said they were going to the library. Hermione said she had an idea what it might be..."
"Not 'who'?" asked Harry interrupting.
"Ummm..." frowned Neville before he looked back at Harry. "No. She definitely said 'it'. Because Hannah said, when they left, 'Don't they mean "who"?' and I remember that."
"Alright," said Harry, starting them walking again. "What happened then? Do you know?" "Hermione said she had an idea what it might be, and she needed help looking through books of magical creatures," said Neville.
"The fact she had that mirror in hand means she, or they, figured it out and were on their way back to you three" said Harry. "Damn! I wish she'd had her bookbag with her. She's always writing things down."
"Well, she's holding a piece of parchment in her hand now, Harry," said Neville.
"What?" asked Harry, stopping them both again. "I thought she was holding a mirror."
"Her other hand, Harry," he replied.
"The one she's got clenched against her middle?" asked Harry.
"Yeah," replied Neville. "You can just see the parchment sticking out the top of her fist, I guess." "We need that piece of parchment," declared Harry. "Straight after dinner you and I are going to the infirmary to get it."
The four immediately headed to the infirmary after dinner, and entered quietly. Madam Pomfrey wasn't on the main floor, so they suspected she was in her office or private quarters.
They quickly made their way to each side of Hermione's bed and Neville pointed to Hermione's left fist. "There. Do you see it?" he whispered.
"You're the strongest of us, Neville," whispered Harry. "You pull her fingers open and I'll ease it out; alright?"
Neville nodded and reached out with both hands to grip Hermione by the wrist and jamb his own fingers under her fingertips.
It was no easy task. Hermione's hand was clamped so tightly around the paper that Neville had to strain hard to get her fingers even a little open. Harry was gently pulling on the tip of the parchment, where it peeked out, and was sure he was going to tear it. While Neville continued to struggle, and the girls kept watch, Harry tugged and twisted. At last, after several tense minutes, the parchment came free.
It was a page torn from a very old library book. Harry smoothed it out eagerly, and Neville and the girls leaned close to read it, too.
Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken's egg, hatched beneath a toad. Its methods of killing are most wondrous, for aside from its deadly and venomous fangs, the Basilisk has a murderous stare, and all who are fixed with the beam of its eye shall suffer instant death. Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it.
And beneath this, a single word had been written, in a hand they all recognised as Hermione's. Pipes.
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