Chapter 12: Aftermath
AN: I think it's finally time for Harry to get some social interaction and if not a friend, then at least a sidekick. Who would you guys prefer to see?
Terry from Ravenclaw
Susan from Hufflepuff
Daphne from Slytherin
Blaise from Slytherin
These will not be romantic pairings. Relationship will be purely platonic and for Harry to learn from the for example Wizengamot culture from Daphne.
Chapter 12
"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"
The mouth of Salazar Slytherin's statue opened, and something was moving inside it, hissing as it drew closer to the Chamber. Harry and Dumbledore took cover behind one of the pillars as a heavy body connected with the Chamber's floor.
"Kill them all!"
Riddle hissed, firing his first spell at a retreating Dumbledore, who flicked it aside.
"Wait!"
Harry shouted from behind the pillar without looking.
"Two ssspeakers… but only one may command me"!
The serpent hissed, obviously confused with the situation.
"I do not recognize you, young ssspeaker, but you do not carry my Master's magic! My gaze might not be able to kill you, but my venom will!"
The snake hissed enraged.
Well, it was worth a try…
"The snake won't listen to me, Professor!" Harry yelled just as the serpent drew closer and closer to their hideout.
"However, apparently I am indeed immune to its gaze, the snake just told me!"
"Then you will have to distract the snake as long as possible while I try to subdue Tom!" Dumbledore spoke calmly even while spells from Weasley's wand were impacting his shield over and over again.
Distract it, Harry thought… Okay, I can do that. He run away from his current position behind the cover and hissed:
"Come here, tiny garden snake… It's time to play!
The snake hissed angrily at him and that's when Harry got his first good look at it. It must have been about 50 feet long and at least three feet wide. It was covered in a dark grey-greenish scale that stood in contrast to its bright yellow eyes.
Harry held its gaze, glad that he was actually immune to the deathly stare, and continued running away from it. He just needed to buy the Headmaster some time and distract the beast. He turned around and after taking a strong offensive stance and channeling his magic.
Harry levitated some stone piles and rocks that fell from the roof of the Chamber and sent them flying towards the head of the Basilisk.
He managed to connect two of his projectiles with the serpents' sensitive nostrils and the snake hissed in pain as it haltered its attack. Thick dark blood leaked from the snake's nostrils. Basilisk skin might be almost impenetrable, but the outer organs, like its mouth, nostrils and eyes were huge weak points, and Harry could take advantage of that.
Since the serpent was momentarily distracted, Harry quickly put some distance between himself and the Basilisk. He could hear the spell work of his Headmaster and Tom Riddle at the opposite side of the Chamber and risked a quick look over his shoulder.
Harry watched just in time to see a bright red curse from Dumbledore flying right through Riddle without leaving any visible damage.
He heard Riddle's high cold laugh.
"You cannot defeat me Dumbledore! None of your pathetic spells will do any harm to me. This is magic you have always been too scared to face and learn!" He snarled while sending a bright green curse back at the professor.
Dumbledore conjured a stone slab in front of him and the physical object stopped what no shield could hope for. Riddle's Unforgivable blasted the stone slab into hundreds of tiny pieces. The knockback pushed Dumbledore over.
"This is the end of the great Albus Dumbledore, defeated by the memory of his 16-year-old student"
Harry watched in shock as Riddle laughed and sent another killing curse at his Headmaster. Dumbledore barely managed to dodge it and desperately shouted:
"Fawkes! We need your help!"
The golden-red Phoenix appeared in a flash of fire and started piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet and made its way back to Dumbledore to assist the Headmaster in his fight.
Harry could hear the basilisk closing in behind him. He was only about 10 meters away from Dumbledore and Riddle dueling. It had just passed the lifeless body of the Weasley girl. Harry was literally running out of ideas now. The Basilisk's tail narrowly missed him as Harry dodged it by throwing himself on the floor.
Harry seized the ragged thing Fawkes had dropped in front of him. It was the old sorting hat… What the hell am I supposed to do with that?
As the hat suddenly grew heavier he noticed a gleaming silver sword had appeared inside, its handle glittering with rubies the shape of small eggs.
"Finally, kill the boy!"
Riddle screamed enraged, still unable to defeat the old Headmaster.
Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody nostrils, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous. It lunged blindly as Harry dodged, and hit the Chamber wall.
It lunged again, and its forked-tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands. The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true. Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth.
But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor.
"NO!"
Riddle screamed, incensed at the fall of his monster and Dumbledore had to conjure his strongest shield at the powerful magical burst directed at him.
"Harry! Stay awake! Do not close your eyes!" Dumbledore shouted while shielding against Riddle's continuous attacks.
Harry slid down against the pillar he was leaning onto. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy.
The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color. A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him.
"Fawkes," said Harry thickly: "I need you, buddy. I need your tears. Please."
Phoenix's tears were the only thing that could save him at this point.
Fawkes' head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers right into his wound.
I hope it wasn't too late, Harry thought. He had no idea how soon the snake's venom would be too far spread out in his blood. However, instead of everything going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears were shining all around the wound, except that there was no wound.
He looked up and saw Dumbledore still dueling with Riddle.
Then his eye was caught by the small black Diary he had dropped next to the Weasley girl. Whatever Tom truly was, a memory or perhaps something more… It was somehow connected to this Diary.
With a determined look on his young face, Harry grabbed the Diary, sat it on the floor in front of him and shot his most powerful Incendio at it.
The flames couldn't even touch the pages… Neither could his Reducto or any other spell in his repertoire. Desperate to support Dumbledore who seemed to be tiring quickly, since he could not physically damage his opponent, Harry grabbed the deadliest weapon the Chamber had provided for him.
He took the fang of the Basilisk that had almost pierced his arm only a minute ago and stabbed the Diary with as much force as he could foster.
There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the Diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then, suddenly, he was gone.
Dumbledore looked in shock at where his opponent stood mere seconds ago.
Weasley's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip of ink still oozing from the Diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it.
Dumbledore took a look at Harry holding the book in one hand and the fang in another. His expression was one of complete shock. He summoned Weasley's wand and slowly made his way over to him.
With shaking hands, he took the book from Harry and carefully opened the pages.
"Professor, what kind of magic was that?" Harry asked, perplexed.
"I am not 100% certain, Harry. But Tom was correct in his assessment of me. This is magic I would never dare to perform."
Then came a faint moan from Weasley as she was stirring and sat up. Her clouded eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over to Dumbledore, then to Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, and finally to the book in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face.
"Professor… Oh, Professor… I tried to tell you, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy. It was me, P-Professor but I— I s-swear I d-didn't mean to. R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I remember is him coming out of the Diary —"
"Do not worry, Ms. Weasley. Many wiser and older witches and wizards have been fooled by Tom Riddle. Let us all get back up to my office. I need to explain my absence to the governors and I am sure your parents will be glad that you are well."
"Harry, if you could take the Diary and that marvelous sword, please. I will support young Ginevra."
Harry nodded and grabbed both items, following Dumbledore out of the Chamber. He turned around for one last look at the giant serpent. It was a shame he had to end its life. However, maybe it was still useful. The Chamber itself might be a great place to practice dangerous spells without anyone finding him.
Maybe there was even more to it than just the antechamber and this even larger room. Certainly, Salazar Slytherin built it for more than just to house his pet snake. He would return soon and inspect every corner of it.
As he followed Dumbledore and Weasley, who was still sobbing, he thought about the actions of the girl. Could he blame her for the events that took place?
Sure, he himself instantly felt that something was wrong with the book, but he was very sensitive to magical items after having been brought up in the muggle world.
His senses were also fine-tuned by the teachings of Nick and Penny. Could he blame an 11-year-old girl, who had grown up with magic around her entire life, for not identifying an item that was full of dark magic? Where did she even get it from?
"Ms. Weasley, where did you find this Diary?" Harry asked the still sobbing girl.
"It was with all my other school books in my cauldron after mum and dad took me shopping in Diagon Alley. I thought they had bought it as a present." The girl cried.
Harry remembered the girl standing in the bookstore when he himself finished his Shopping. But he also remembered what else happened in that very shop.
"Malfoy" He spat with as much hate as he could.
"What did you say, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, confused.
"Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley had a confrontation, or should I say fistfight, before the beginning of the school year in Flourish and Blott's. As they were separated Malfoy threw a couple of books back into Weasley's cauldron. I bet this Diary was mixed under those books and no one noticed it after the excitement of the fight."
"A very interesting theory, Harry. Indeed, Hagrid told me about the confrontation, but I am afraid we won't be able to prove it was truly Lucius Malfoy that gave young Ginevra the Diary."
"I will not let him get away with this. He will pay for what he has done."
"I would advise caution when dealing with the Malfoys, Harry. They are an old family with excellent connections in the ministry."
Harry snorted: "I don't care… He will pay for this. I'm not scared of his former master and I'm certainly not scared of some blonde ponce."
They arrived at the entrance to Myrtle's bathroom and together made their way to the Headmaster's office.
Inside were already a bunch of people. Harry recognized the other professors and the minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. There was also Lucius Malfoy, who stood with a group of well-dressed individuals that must be the school's governors.
Two women were flanking the Minister himself. One looked like a toad in bright pink robes. The other reminded him of McGonagall with a stern look, as she regarded Harry through her monocle. Last but not least Mrs. and Mr. Weasley were leaning against the wall in the corner of the room, the former sobbing uncontrollably.
"Mom!" the Weasley girl shouted as she ran to her parents to the other side of the room.
The parents greeted the daughter they thought dead and turned their attention to Dumbledore and Harry.
"Where have you been, Headmaster?" Lucius spat. "You were supposed to meet the entire board about one hour ago and now you show up filthy and dirty?"
"Now, now Lucius. I am sure we will all figure out what happened together." The Minister intervened.
Dumbledore sat in his chair visibly exhausted:
"You of course all deserve an explanation for where I have been and how we, that is young Harry and I, managed to retrieve Ms. Weasley…
Harry, if you would do me the honor of starting this fabulous adventure by telling the people present about your discoveries, I would be very thankful for that."
The toad woman snorted: "You want us to believe that this little boy here played a part in this?"
Harry shot a murderous glare at the woman but ignored her evil grin as he started his tale.
He told everyone about the first attack and how he was able to hear the voice. How he put together the clues as to what happened the last time the Chamber was opened and finally figured out that the entrance must be in the bathroom of the Moaning Myrtle.
"Brilliant deduction, young man! You would make a fine Auror one day!"
Harry thanked the woman with the monocle that introduced herself as Madam Bones, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Fudge interrupted him:
"What are you talking about Amelia? Arrest Mr. Potter for performing dark magic! We cannot have a Parselmouth running around freely! Surely you all remember the last one!"
The toad woman nodded approvingly while pretty much every other person in the room looked as if the minister had lost his mind.
Harry's eyes flashed a bright green and it got noticeably colder in the room:
"You want to arrest me for an ability I was born with that just saved the life of another student and stopped the school from closing down. Are you that fucking incompetent, Minister?"
"How dare you!" The toad woman spat. "Dumbledore, I demand that you expel this brat for insulting our esteemed Minister!"
"I will do no such thing," Dumbledore replied calmly, but the grandfatherly demeanor was all but gone: "If you could all control your temper now, we might be able to continue our story. Perhaps it is best if I take over at this point, Harry."
Harry nodded in agreement and Dumbledore continued their adventure, telling everyone how together they found the entrance to the Chamber in the bathroom and made their way downstairs.
He explained how Lord Voldemort himself possessed young Ms. Weasley via a dark artifact and how he had battled his former student while Harry distracted the basilisk.
The audience visibly flinched at the mention of the Dark Lord's name and stared disbelievingly at Harry when being told that a young child faced such a monster.
Dumbledore explained how Harry could survive the stare since he was a Parselmouth before he showed everyone the famous Sword of Godric Gryffindor, which as he explained, Harry used to kill the giant serpent.
He finished his tale by telling the audience about destroying the dark magical artifact and before he brought young Ms. Weasley back up into the school.
"You want us to believe that You-Know-Who possessed this small girl and made her open the Chamber of Secrets on his behalf, Dumbledore? The Dark Lord is dead and has been dead for almost 12 years thanks to you star pupil here." Fudge spat.
"If he was truly dead, then why wasn't his body found? Where is his wand?" Harry asked curiously.
"That is not information you should be concerned with!" Fudge replied nervously. "I don't for a second believe the fancy fairy tale of giant serpents and Dark Lords possessing students. The boy should get checked in St. Mungo for some lasting spell dam…" The minister started choking and stopped mid-sentence.
The room grew cold once again as Harry's eyes now shone an emerald bright green. Magic was swirling around him and his aura was almost visible.
"Harry, please calm yourself!" Dumbledore pledged. "Minister and governors, I think it's best if you leave now. You do not want to anger young Harry any further!"
Fudge choked before retreating from the Headmaster's office: "This isn't over Dumbledore; the boy will stop telling his lies and pay for attacking me!"
Harry was left in the office with teachers and the Weasleys.
"Mr. Potter, I think it is best if the three of us, including Ms. Weasley, take a trip to the hospital wing. I am not looking forward to Madam Pomfrey's lecture on risking my students, but I am sure she will be very interested in finding out what happened to you."
Harry nodded and left the office with Dumbledore and the Weasleys. They all arrived at the Hospital Wing and Madam Pomfrey was fuming as she saw the state Harry was in. He couldn't blame her to be honest. In his damaged robes, with blood and dirt smeared all over him he did make quite the impressive figure even for a twelve-year-old.
She pushed Harry into a bed and began running her diagnostic charms on him:
"Whatever happened tonight has left a mark on you, Mr. Potter. Your blood absorbed the venom, which was neutralized thanks to the phoenix tears. Having the most toxic venom flowing through your veins basically renders you immune to all sorts of other venoms in the magical world, as none of them compare to a Basilisk."
"Awesome! That's quite a nice upgrade, don't you think?"
The Healer frowned: "This is not something to joke about, Mr. Potter. I can't even fathom what other changes this might provoke. However, it might be interesting to see how your affinity to snakes is influenced by this change. Especially since you are a Parseltongue already."
That got Harry thinking. Could his Parselmagic improve from nearly being killed by the King of the Serpents? He desperately needed a mentor in this field. It was a shame that Nick and Penny had very little knowledge about Parselmagic. Dumbledore might know a thing or two, but Harry would rather keep as many of his abilities hidden from the old man as possible.
Dumbledore was currently with the Weasleys at their daughter's bed and gave some more detail on what might have happened with the girl over the school year. Mrs. Weasley was sobbing:
"I just can't believe it… Our poor Ginny! Possessed by You-Know-Who you say, Albus. How is that even possible?"
Dumbledore explained how the Diary slowly took control over her since she had started writing in it at the beginning of the school year. The girl's father frowned and narrowed his eyes in anger:
"Ginny, haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain? Why didn't you show the Diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!'
"Please do not let out your anger at young Ginevra here. As I explained to the children down in the Chamber, many smarter and older witches and wizards have been tricked by Voldemort." Dumbledore intervened.
All three Weasleys twitched at the name of the Dark Lord and Harry chuckled.
This pulled the Weasley's attention to him and he noticed the matriarch approaching him with a motherly gleam on her face…
Oh no… This was not good, Harry thought as Mrs. Weasley opened her arms to pull Harry into a bone-crushing hug. She had almost reached Harry when the boy flickered his wand into his palm and pointed it at Mrs. Weasley.
"Ma'am, I prefer not to be hugged by strangers, thank you!"
Mrs. Weasley was perplexed. Never had a child spoken to her like that before: "Young man, now listen to me…" She began but was interrupted by her husband, who put his hand on her shoulder and quickly shook his head.
"What do you mean Arthur?" Mrs. Weasley tried.
Mr. Weasley ignored his wife and held out his hand for Harry to shake:
"Mr. Potter, I apologize for my wife's enthusiasm, she simply wanted to show her gratitude for saving our daughter. The Weasleys are indebted to you. If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know."
Harry thanked the man and shook his hand firmly: "Thank you, Mr. Weasley. I will take some time to think about it and approach you or your sons soon with my decision!"
The man nodded and turned back to his daughter with his still frustrated wife.
This was perfect, Harry thought. He didn't care about the Weasley's parents being indebted to him. They had nothing of value for him. Their sons, especially two of their sons, however, were a different story.
Just when he thought about how to approach them the most effectively, the doors to the Hospital wing opened and the other Weasley children were let in by McGonagall. Time to get the ball rolling, Harry thought.
We watched as their parents and Dumbledore retold the entire story, shooting Harry disbelieving looks in-between. Soon Ron and Percy Weasley came over and thanked Harry for saving their sister.
Afterward, the twins came:
"Harry, Mate…
We really want to thank you…
For what you did for little Ginnykins."
"Yeah mate, our family owes you and
if there is anything
and we mean anything
that we can do for you…
Just let us know!"
They finished together.
Watching the twins talk has always been amusing to Harry. Time to find out how far they were willing to go to pay their debt:
"I appreciate it guys, but there is only one thing the Weasley family currently possesses that I am interested in."
The twins' eyebrows almost vanished under their hairline as they looked at each other:
"Name it and it shall be yours. Nothing we own comes even close to having our sister back!"
"If you are so sure about that. I want the map." Harry said calmly.
The twins stared at Harry in utter disbelief: "H- how do you know about the map?"
"How I know about it is not important… Give me the map and detailed instructions on all its features and consider your family's debt paid in full."
The twins closed the curtains around Harry's bed and reluctantly pulled the map from their bag. This was not something they had expected to separate from. To the right people, this map was invaluable. It was the main reason so many of their pranks had been successful in the first place.
"We stand by our word and hand you the famous 'Marauder's Map," said George, as he unfolded the map on Harry's lap, touched the tip of his wand to it, and said:
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
"Pay close attention, Harry, that's the activation phrase. It is necessary for the Map to reveal its features."
Harry stared at the piece of parchment as dark ink formed a sentence.
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs proudly present the Marauders Map."
The map itself was amazing. When completely unfolded, it showed a detailed map of Hogwarts, including the grounds and every single corridor and floor.
Hundreds of tiny names appeared next to small footprints everywhere on the Map. Right now, almost all students were still gathered in the Great Hall. But he saw the Minister and the governors in McGonagall's office, Filch on his way to the Great Hall and Dumbledore, himself, the Weasleys, and Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing.
This was truly amazing. The fact that the Map recognized the governors was proof that even foreign people entering Hogwarts were recognized by the parchment. It was self-updating and must be connected to the wards of the Castle itself. Whoever created it was truly a genius. He couldn't even imagine the hours of charms, runes, and arithmancy work that were needed to finish it.
His thoughts were interrupted by the twins: "The Map shows many of the hidden passageways and secret rooms in the Castle, as you can see there are several passages to Hogsmeade as well. For some reason, the Chamber you just saved Ginny from is not shown on the Map.
Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs probably never found it. As soon as you're done and want to close the map, just say 'Mischief managed'."
The Map turned blank as soon as Fred said the words and pointed his wand at the map.
"Thank you, guys, I really appreciate it. I promise to be worthy of the Marauder's and your legacy!" He grinned.
The twins seemed sad to separate from the brilliant piece of magic, but a promise was a promise and they returned to their family explaining that the debt had been paid. Harry was left thinking about the new addition to his personal items. His cloak and the Map combined would make him almost invincible with the Castle.
He already had several ideas on how to update the Map, but first, he would need to try to replicate its features. He did not want to damage the original work by messing with the tightly intertwined charms and runes in it.
He had one more thing to do for today:
Dobby the elf had been the first person to give him a hint about the Chamber and tried to warn him about the events. He knew that his family treated him badly. A family he had now identified as the Malfoys.
Who else if not Lucius Malfoy would have mentioned the Diary and what it does, for Dobby to pick up his plans and warn Harry about them?
He would try to free Dobby from the service of the Malfoys. Who knew, maybe the Elf even wanted to bond with him afterward? A house-elf was always useful to have.
With the governors, the minister, and Madam Bones still in McGonagall's office, he made his way towards them, thinking about how to deal with the problem in the best way possible.
He knocked on the transfiguration professor's door and was granted entrance.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?"
Harry surveyed the room. The governors, Lucius Malfoy, the Minister, and his toad were sitting in a corner talking quietly. McGonagall seemed to have been in a conversation with Madam Bones. Perfect!
"Professor, I was hoping to talk to Madam Bones for a minute."
Madam Bones seemed curious at the boy's request and McGonagall stood to give them some privacy.
"Thank you for listening to me, Madam Bones."
The woman just nodded and Harry continued.
"You mentioned that I might make a fine Auror one day. I was wondering if one could intern in the department to get a feeling for the job before actually applying. Of course, I am way too young right now… but I was thinking maybe after receiving my owls."
"You are correct Mr. Potter. We do offer internship positions; however, they are not easy to come by. We only take the best and there are many applicants each year. Do apply yourself in school and you should see no problem whatsoever!"
"I am glad to hear that. Grades should not be the issue; I was just concerned that certain people might not want me interning in the ministry in the future…"
He nodded to Lucius Malfoy who caught his eye and frowned at the stern look Madam Bones sent his way over Harry's shoulder."
"Worry not Mr. Potter. My niece told me about your performance in the dueling club. If you ever choose to intern in my department, I will let no outside forces influence our fair selection process."
Harry thanked the women and turned around to Malfoy, who was watching him nervously. This was perfect and exactly the suspicion Harry wanted to raise in the blonde git. He had no wish to intern under Madam Bones anytime in his future. All he needed was to be seen talking to the woman to make Lucius Malfoy nervous about what might follow. He walked over to him.
"Mr. Malfoy, if I could have a word with you?"
The man nodded and went off into another corner of the office with him.
"Mr. Malfoy, I want you to free Dobby the elf and transfer 10.000 Galleons into the Potter vaults before the day ends."
Malfoy sneered: "And pray tell Mr. Potter, why should I do that?"
"Because I just had a very interesting conversation with Madam Bones about the dark artifact that actually possessed Ginny Weasley and I know exactly where it came from… You gave it to her in Diagon Alley."
"You have no way to prove any of this." Hissed Malfoy
"I just told Madam Bones that I would be willing to provide my memory of the event for pensive viewing and perform a magical vow that my statements are true in that regard.
Even if I don't fully convince the Head of the DMLE, it will be enough to place you under house arrest while giving your Manor a complete search. Imagine the Aurors' surprise at what they might find in a secret Chamber under the drawing room floor…" Harry trailed off.
Malfoy visibly paled at the realization that Harry knew of that secret. He had no idea how the boy figured it out. But he had no other options. If he were to run now, it would look suspicious, and the boy would put the DMLE on him. He needed to buy himself some time to satisfy the boy's demands and remove any illegal objects from his secret Chamber.
"The rumors about you might just be true, Harry Potter," Malfoy whispered:
"According to my son, in Slytherin they call you the 'Feathered Snake', you are certainly more of a Slytherin than any previous Potters I had the misfortune of meeting" Malfoy sneered.
"You have 30 seconds to call your elf and sign a parchment stating the transfer of the galleons. I would advise you to keep your mouth shut and do as I tell you, Malfoy."
Malfoy took off one of his expensive leather gloves:
"Dobby!"
With a loud POP the elf appeared:
"Master has called Dobby, Sir?"
Lucius threw the glove at him:
"You are free Dobby, don't let me see you at Malfoy Manor ever again!"
Lucius took out a piece of parchment, scribbled a couple of sentences down, and signed it with a special quill from within his robes.
"The requested elf and sum in Galleons, Mr. Potter. Enjoy both while you still can. You are as arrogant as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them either!"
With that Lucius turned on his heel and walked out of the office. Dobby looked up at Harry with large tennis ball-sized eyes.
"Harry Potter, Sir, has freed Dobby? He asked disbelievingly.
"I have, Dobby. You're free now. You can do whatever you want. You don't have to work anymore."
Dobby frowned at his statement: "But Dobby needs work, Harry Potter, Sir! All house-elves do! Otherwise, our magic becomes weak and we die, Sir!
Harry smirked: "Well, in that case, I can offer you a solution. You could bond with me, stay here at Hogwarts and help me with any work I might have!"
The elf almost broke out in tears and threw himself around Harry's leg:
"Dobby would love to work for the great Harry Potter, Sir!"
"Then I hereby accept Dobby as my elf!"
Dobby cried tears of happiness until McGonagall threw them both out of her office for the amount of disruption they had caused.
Chapter 13: Exploring the Chamber
The recognizable parts belong to JKR
Chapter 13
January 31st, 1983
Almost three weeks had passed since Harry's adventure in the Chamber. So far, he had found no opportunity to go back there and fully explore the place. Tonight, that would hopefully change.
It had been a very interesting couple of weeks however. After Harry had dealt with Malfoy and Dobby and changed into some clean robes, Dumbledore had picked him up from McGonagall's office and together they made their way down into the Great Hall.
They had entered, just as the students were having dinner:
Flashback
Dumbledore pushed open the heavy doors to the Great Hall and strode in, followed by the Professors and lastly, Harry. The Great Hall instantly went silent. While Harry went to the Ravenclaw table under the fearful stares of his peers, Dumbledore strode to the front of the Great Hall and applied a Soronus on himself.
"You are probably all wondering what has been going on over the last couple of hours. Many of you have heard the rumor of young Ms. Weasley being taken down into the Chamber. Rest assured, Ms. Weasley is in good health and currently resting with her family."
The Gryffindors cheered, while the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws politely clapped. Barely any Slytherins showed a reaction to Dumbledore's declaration.
"The culprit and person responsible for opening the Chamber and attacking the residents of our beloved Castle has been found and dealt with!"
At this, almost every eye in the Great Hall turned to Harry and the boy inwardly grinned at what was about to follow.
"Your fellow students have been attacked by a Basilisk throughout the last couple of months. Luckily, none of them stared directly into its glare, which ensured their survival. Mr. Potter found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets with the help of his unique talent. He and I descended into the Chamber's depths just hours ago and managed to defeat the Basilisk and the sentient dark magical artifact that released it on the school."
"Make no mistake! It is thanks to Mr. Potter that the school does not have to close its doors but remains open as the threat has been eliminated. Even though house points seem trivial when lives are at risk, I award Mr. Potter 100 points for Ravenclaw and an award for Special Services to the School. This time it is truly earned!" He added with a chuckle and a wink at Harry.
The students in the Great Hall were confused. They were certain that Potter was the culprit responsible for the attacks and now Dumbledore has told them it had been some dark magical artifact that became sentient?
Things felt just like last year when Quirrell vanished and Potter received enormous amounts of House Points with barely any explanation from their Headmaster.
Some reluctantly agreed that the Headmaster's story made sense. If one did not directly look at the Basilisk like Finch-Fletcher did, getting petrified instead made some sense.
Potter was also a Parselmouth. Who else could find the entrance to Slytherin's Chamber and subdue a Basilisk, if not the most powerful Sorcerer of the century backed up by a Parselmouth?
Still, there was some resentment towards Potter. Too many things were left unexplained. The majority of Slytherins were unhappy since the attacks on Muggleborns had been stopped. The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were confused since they thought Harry had attacked their own and were now being told that Potter wasn't behind it at all and actually supported their Headmaster in eliminating the threat.
The Ravenclaws were in a similar position. Of course, they appreciated the increase in House Points. Something that would make sure that they won the house cup. At the same time, many openly shunned Harry after him revealing himself a Parselmouth. They were scared of Potter's retribution against their house.
Flashback End
The weeks had passed almost like any other at Hogwarts. People treated him a tad more respectfully and some of the victims even thanked him and apologized for suspecting him. Harry didn't care for their empty words. Actions would show which students actually meant what they said, and which ones would take the next best opportunity to shun him once more.
He would be a Slytherin and plan for all eventualities. Talking of being a Slytherin, it was time to get ready. He pulled on his cloak and gathered the map he had grown very fond of over the past couple of weeks.
The map was a treasure in itself. Harry experimented with it and confirmed his suspicion that the map had to be connected to the ward-stones of the Castle itself.
Only having read his introduction to runes and arithmancy so far, the magic was quite complex for him, but he figured some of the charms out piece for piece.
It was only his second year after all and he would have five more to perfect the map and maybe add a couple of his own features when he learned the necessary information. Tonight however, a different project awaited him.
Harry made his way to the second-floor bathroom under his cloak, checking the map for Filch and any Prefects on their patrols. He opened the entrance to the Chamber and was about to ask for stairs when he thought differently.
Let's follow the trail of the snake and go down the pipe, Harry thought. Maybe I learn more about the Chamber that way? He cast a Scourgify down the long pipe and managed to clean at least a little of the filth.
Collecting his inner Gryffindor, he jumped in and slid for almost half a minute before coming to a halt.
He stood in a similar room to the antechamber he had been in three weeks ago, however, this one was more of a corridor. He followed the dimly lit path and almost experienced a heart attack at the sight of the giant Basilisk skin, which the beast must have shed years ago. Fighting another King of Serpents was certainly not something he intended on doing tonight.
Arriving at a dead end, he spotted a similar lock as the one he had opened in the antechamber.
"Open"
He hissed and watched the familiar sight of the snakes chasing around Slytherin's crest. Stepping inside he found himself in the main Chamber, only from a different angle. The dead Basilisk still lay there. However, the damage to the Chamber from Dumbledore's duel could barely be seen.
There must be some kind of area charm or ward in place that restored the Chamber when damaged heavily.
Harry began his work by casting a couple of basic diagnostic charms around the huge Chamber. Suddenly he had an idea.
"Dobby!"
"Master Harry Potter has called Dobby, Sir!"
Dobby's eyes went wide at the sight of the dead Basilisk:
"Master has slain the beast and saved the school! Master is an even greater Wizard than Dobby thought. How can Dobby help Master?"
Dobby has been very helpful over the last couple of days. With Dumbledore's permission, he joined the Hogwarts elves in the kitchen but supported Harry whenever possible. Be it taking back a book to the library or getting a snack from the kitchens.
"Dobby, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Harry, please!" Harry sighed.
"Anyways, I called you here to help me find any hidden rooms in the Chamber. I want you to go along the walls and use your magic to detect anything suspicious. I will be doing the same but with Parselmagic!"
The elf nodded overeagerly and vanished to the opposite side of the Chamber with a POP. Harry started walking along the walls of the Chamber with his hand stretched out along the cold stones, trying to feel something behind them. After over an hour, he had checked the entire four walls and every pillar in the Chamber but to no avail.
Dobby did not manage to find anything either and even asked Harry for permission to punish himself for failing his Master.
"That won't be necessary!" Harry chuckled, as he took a look at the only place in the Chamber they hadn't checked yet. Salazar Slytherin's statue stood as proud as ever.
He walked over to it and looked at the mouth which sat about two meters above the ground. He knew that something was behind it, even if it was only another room for the large serpent.
He had vowed to explore every corner of the Chamber, and this was one of them, so he continued.
"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"
As expected, the mouth of the stature opened, but luckily no angry hisses came from inside and nothing was stirring towards him. How would he get up to the entrance though?
"Stairs"
He tried once more and surprisingly a small staircase appeared underneath the entrance to the large pipe.
"Thank you, Dobby! I will call you when I need you!" Harry dismissed the elf and made his way up the stairs.
The entrance and pipe behind were about one and a half meters in diameter, so Harry had to slightly duck as to not hit his head. However, after a couple of steps, it became a corridor similar to any other in Hogwarts, if a bit smaller. Harry followed it for a few minutes.
He arrived at a fork. To left was a locked door, whereas to the right the corridor continued just as the nasty smell increased.
That was probably where the basilisk slept, Harry wondered as he made his way to the door. He could feel the strong wards on the door trying their best to repel him. However, it was almost like they could only persuade a small part of him not to enter the following Chamber. The larger part of his consciousness remained clear and hissed the familiar phrase to open the door.
A large circular room appeared behind the door. It was a mix between a study and personal charters, similar to Dumbledore's or McGonagall's office. The room was well lit, and a fire crackled in the fireplace opposite to him. He was about to enter when a voice shook him out of his amazement:
"How dare you come back to this place and taint it with your very presence! I have told you that an abomination like you is no longer welcome here! Leave this place and never return!"
Harry was confused, as to who was talking to him. Finally, he spotted a large portrait of a tall thin man wearing expensive green robes, hanging on the wall close to the study. The man had shoulder-length elegant dark hair and bright green eyes. He seemed about 40 years old, painted sitting on his chair in this very study. Was this truly who he thought it might be?
"Are you deaf, boy?! I told you to leave this place half a century ago and I tell you again now. Don't make me adjust the wards to kill my last descendant!"
Harry just stood there amused. The man thought he was someone else. Someone half a century ago. Certainly, Tom Riddle. It filled Harry with anger knowing that Riddle had discovered this place as well.
"I am not Tom Riddle and I only wish to see the wonders of the Chamber myself, Sir!" Harry replied politely. Surely this portrait was the key to the Chamber. He would need Slytherin to cooperate with him.
"Mhmm… you do look like him, but you are younger than him! Are you his son? I was certain that with the steps he took he could no longer father any children!"
"No, I am not his son. As to my knowledge we are not related, Sir"
"Then how did you find your way into this Chamber? Did he grant you entrance? I was hoping that my familiar would stop him from returning!" Salazar angrily hissed.
"I gained entrance because I speak it!" Harry hissed and watched as Salazar's eyebrows rose in appreciation.
"Well, if your family has British roots then you must be related to me! Only children of my blood could speak my tongue! But I am glad that you are not related to that deranged boy… do you know what happened to him?"
"Other than becoming the worst dark wizard Britain has ever seen and killing my parents when I was a year old… No, not much!"
"It is, as I had feared then… He was a brilliant boy when he came here the first time. But he had a darkness within him. Something similar yet different to what you carry with you, young man!
I am sorry to hear that he killed your parents. Why don't you bring me up to speed on what has happened in the wizarding world? It has been a couple of years since I received any news! What is your name?"
Harry chuckled and began the tale of his life. How his parents, the Potters, were murdered and he grew up with his magic-hating relatives. Salazar cursed at the mention of his abuse at his relative hands but nodded proudly when Harry told him of the confrontation with his cousin that ended up with him finding out about his talents!
He was impressed when Harry told him about his continuous training in his younger years and his ambition to become the most powerful wizard, avenge his family, and rebuild the Potter name.
Harry told the portrait about the adventures with the troll and Quirrell in his first year and how he encountered Riddle or Voldemort a second time but beat him.
"And you say the possessed teacher couldn't touch you? That is certainly interesting. I think your mother unwillingly performed a ritual when she sacrificed herself that night. A blood magic ritual as old as magic itself:
The life and love of a mother for her child. Few things on earth are as powerful as that protection. It is certainly not something Tom ever spent his time studying."
Harry explained that Voldemort sought him out due to a prophecy in the first place and how Dumbledore knew its contents. He also told Salazar how Dumbledore consistently withheld information from him.
Then Harry told the founder about his search for the Hallows.
"I thought you were smarter than that, Harry. I too searched for the Hallows in my youth. The Peverell family is one even older than the founders. But it is a legend. They don't exist!"
Harry smirked as he took out his cloak and showed it to Salazar. The portrait stared perplexed as Harry explained its history and his connection to the third brother. Harry also told the man of the letter he found at the wandmaker and the existence of the Elder Wand.
"I searched for them for so many years… My wife. Sh- she had been taken from me and burned at the stake by muggles… I tried everything in my power to bring her back and I thought that the stone was my last chance to do so, but I never found it."
Harry felt sorry for the man: "Is that where the hate for Muggles comes from? Is that why you hate Muggle-borns as well?"
Salazar hissed angrily in Parseltongue before he calmed himself enough to speak English:
"I never hated muggle-borns… Muggles, sure, for killing my wife and taking the love of my life, but I count all magical blood sacred. That is why I placed my familiar, Shiva, down here. She is supposed to protect the school in case the muggles ever found it. How is she by the way?"
Harry gulped: "Errrr, dead!"
Salazar cursed: "And why is that?"
"Because I killed her, with the Sword of your friend Godric!"
Salazar let loose some very nasty words in Parseltongue before addressing Harry:
"Well... start from the beginning, boy, and tell me why you killed my familiar!"
So, Harry told him the story of his second year, about Voldemort possessing a student via a dark artifact and Harry and the current Headmaster coming down in the Chamber to rescue the student and eliminate the culprit.
"Well, I am glad you survived that encounter… Shiva was very old and had become consumed by hatred while being alone for almost a millennium.
That is why Tom had such an easy time taking control over her and attacking a student. When he proudly told me about his achievement, I banished him forever from this Chamber and changed the wards to repel him. Shiva had to be put down. I just wish you didn't do it with that bit of goblin steel from the moronic and brave prankster, Godric."
Harry was amazed by Salazar's tale.
"So, what exactly is this place?"
"These are my personal Chambers. This is where I slept, researched, and pretty much lived the last decade of my life. Take the ladder upstairs and you will see an even bigger library than the small collection of books down here."
"What kind of magic did you specialize in? What did you research?"
"I had a Mastery in runes and arithmancy before looking into ritual, blood, and soul magic. You will find my personal collection and notes in the shelves down here.
Unfortunately, my legacy has been tainted by Tom Riddle. He perverted my findings. I recognize the book, his Diary, that you talked about. It is possibly the foulest piece of magic imaginable."
"Did you ever practice dark magic?"
Salazar laughed: "My naïve child, there is no dark or light magic. Only power and the intent that it is wielded with."
Harry thought about that definition and it kind of made sense to him: "I want to learn about it. All of it. I want to become the most powerful wizard the magical world has ever seen."
Salazar looked at Harry with a frown on his face:
"My last heir said something very similar. He too was driven by his desire to be the best. But everything I told him, he used against those he should have protected instead. How can I be sure that you don't follow the same path? I see your potential, Harry. You could right Tom's wrongs and resurrect the House of Slytherin, or you could become something even worse than him…"
"I am not like Tom, sir. He wants power to oppress the magical world. I only want it to be independent of it. I want to avenge my parents and put a stop to him and all that follow him… nothing more and nothing less, but I need to be the best in order to beat him!"
Salazar looked at the boy with a sad smile: "You are a remarkable young man, Harry. You have faced more hardship than you should have for your age, however, you won't get any pity from me. Instead, I will teach you! You will be my true Heir and succeed where I failed!"
Euphoria surged through Harry. This was all he wanted. From Salazar, he could learn powerful long-lost magic in fields that were partly forbidden in Britain. There was so much to do… Where should he start?
"I want to become stronger and faster, I read that there are rituals for it. Did Riddle ever perform any of those?"
Salazar laughed: "Tom performed pretty much any ritual on himself he could find. Most were useful; however, a couple that are very obscure involve magic that should not be messed with.
We can create a plan together for the most important rituals you will undertake. You do have an advantage. You said that you are only in your second year and have not had your 13th birthday yet?"
Harry nodded.
"Perfect. Then we can perform a purification ritual on your 13th Birthday to rid you of any last traces of the malnutrition and abuse you received under your relatives.
That potion you took before you started Hogwarts might have helped a bit already, however, some of the deeper issues and scars will still be left within you. The ritual will change your body into the peak physical condition for a 13-year-old and will even accelerate puberty a bit."
Harry was fascinated. He had not heard of that kind of ritual before, but Salazar continued explaining that it was very popular among boys during his time. According to Salazar the time for a ritual was of utmost importance.
Days like one's birthday, a summer of the winter solstice, and especially Samhain all boosted the effect of any ritual that is performed on such a day.
For Harry, they agreed on seven rituals. Seven is one of the most powerful magical numbers.
"I want to fix my eyesight as well!" Harry interrupted Salazar's planning.
"My glasses are a disadvantage in any fight or duel and the better my eyesight the better my chances to survive."
Salazar agreed with the child's reasoning, he thought for a couple of seconds before breaking out in laughter:
"I know exactly what we are going to do to fix that issue. As you know, to fix your own eyesight you have to sacrifice something of equal or better worth. Tonight, you will sacrifice the two most powerful eyeballs on the planet for perfect eyesight. This will be your first ritual, and thankfully it won't disrupt the planning for the ones that follow.
Usually, a ritual like that would have to be repeated about once a year. However, thanks to the ingredients we will use, this will be a change for the rest of your life and even your children's, children."
Harry was momentarily confused. The prospect of even permanently fixing his eyesight was very attractive. Even his children would benefit from it. But what did Salazar mean by 'the most powerful eyes on the planet?'
Suddenly the image of bright yellow eyes came up in his mind:
"The Basilisk! You want to sacrifice the Basilisk's eyes to improve my sight!"
"Very good, Harry. Of course, the sale of those eyes could bring you a fortune itself. But you still have other ingredients that will bring you the necessary gold you might need one day. Besides, what use is a bag full of galleons if you can't defend yourself because the enemy took your glasses from you?"
Harry nodded in agreement. He had more than enough galleons for his school years and he would worry about the rest after his graduation. Right now, his focus was on beating Voldemort:
"Tell me what to do!"
"Take the silver knife from my potions kid and carefully cut out the eyes of the Basilisks. Before you start cutting you will prepare a simple potion that you will drop the eyes in to store until you can begin the ritual. It is a simple anti-disintegrate potion that will only take a couple of minutes."
Harry followed Salazar's advice and went over to the brewing stands to start the potion. The potion was not difficult at all and the ingredients very basic. After only ten minutes he has finished already.
"Alright, now comes the more difficult part… you will take the knife and cut out each eye. Make sure to be careful not to damage the eyes themselves. Don't worry about cutting away some of the surrounding tissue. The eyes are among the most valuable organs of a Basilisk!"
Harry took the small cauldron with the potion still bubbling inside, grabbed the silver knife, and made his way to the main Chamber.
He arrived at the large dead serpent and transfigured a boulder into a small platform to stand on. Carefully he removed the first bright yellow. He was very generous in the amount of tissue he cut out. Better be safe than sorry.
This was his first ritual and he wanted everything to go according to plan.
The second eye was a bit easier, having a better understanding of the anatomy surrounding the snake's eyes.
He carefully cleaned the eyes of any unnecessary remaining tissue and dropped them slowly into the potion. Finished with his task he made his way back to Salazar's Quarters.
"I've got them! It all went well!"
"Perfect, now take the old tome to the far left of my personal collection and find the eyesight restoration ritual. I will explain the necessary runes to you. Clear some space in the middle of my quarters and let's get started."
Harry did as he was told. He took out the old tome and cut his wrist with the silver knife. Carefully he painted the seven-pointed star on the floor of the Chamber with his own blood.
He healed his cuts and started carving the runes into the cold stone. Salazar's instructions were extremely precise. Anytime Salazar was unhappy with a specific rune, he would tell Harry to redo it. After almost half an hour Harry was finally done.
"Perfect! Now for the last part, place the two Basilisk eyes at opposite ends to your drawings and start the ritual by powering each corner of the seven-pointed star with a drop of your blood. I should mention that you should take off all your robes and anything you wear on yourself before you start the ritual!"
Harry felt slightly embarrassed but was not ashamed of his body anymore after following his workout routine for so many months already. He followed Salazar's instruction and stood waiting in the middle of his drawing after powering the last corner of the star with a drop of blood.
Suddenly the temperature in the Chamber increased by what felt like tenfold. Magic was swirling around him and lay thick in the air. Then without any warning, his eyeballs started bursting in pain. It felt as if a thousand needles were penetrating each eyeball from all-round. Harry tried to stop himself from screaming but failed after only a couple of seconds.
The pain in his eyes became almost unbearable until it finally stopped. He was panting on the cold stone tiles, still naked. His eyes were still closed, he was too afraid to open them yet. He felt for the eyes of the Basilisk around him and noticed they were gone. It must have worked then.
"Harry, are you okay? I should have mentioned that while the ritual is more powerful when sacrificing a basilisk eye and making the changes permanent, it will also be considerably more painful. You did well though. Open your eyes and test them!"
Harry tentatively opened his eyes a bit. The blurriness was all but gone. He could see the fire and the individual flames dancing in the fireplace. He could read the names of the old tomes that were stored on the shelf at the other side of the room. He turned towards the portrait and Salazar let out a whistle.
"I did not consider that…"
Confused Harry turned to the small mirror next to Salazar's bed. His eyes were the same beautiful emerald green, but definitely a tad brighter than before. The lack of his chunky glasses seemingly gave him a more confident, wiser, more mature face.
"I feel weak… I am exhausted."
"You lost a lot of blood. You should start brewing some blood replenishment potions for future rituals. They are always useful to have ready in any case. For now, you should probably rest!"
Harry agreed.
"There is so much to learn here. With classes and homework, I will never have enough time to make any decent progress."
Salazar smirked: "Open the top drawer behind my desk!"
Harry did as he was told and found a small hourglass covered in runes. The sand inside was bright golden.
"This is perhaps the most valuable item in this Chamber, Harry, and I trust you with it. This is a time-turner. It will allow you to go back in time up to 8 hours, by simply turning the small wheel at its side.
You have to be very careful. You cannot see your future self anytime you use it, or it might lead to terrible consequences. If you decide to start using it, you will also track your own activities on that map of yours. I am interested to see what names will even show up.
You will also track the exact time you go back and the total length of your stays. We need to track your exact magical age throughout your journeys in time, to estimate your birthdays as well as possible, for the rituals.
For example, by using this time turner for 8 hours each day for 3 weeks, you would already make yourself one weak older! Do you understand?"
Harry nodded his understanding. That made sense to him. If he were at two places at the same time at some and his memories and experiences merge afterward, then the same would hold true for the time he spent, meaning he would age faster than usual.
The time turner would be excellent to use during class. Harry could follow his normal routine with classes, studying, and homework and go back in time in the afternoon to spend an additional 8 hours in the Chamber, learning from Salazar.
Right now, however, he would go to bed. He was exhausted and needed some time to think about a suitable excuse for why he was not wearing glasses anymore.
Maybe he could convince the other students that he ordered some contact lenses and had them delivered via magical means?
Such a story would surely satisfy the students, but would Dumbledore and the professors believe him? He also needed to find a way on how to deal with Lockhart. After Harry skipped his classes, Lockhart had gone to McGonagall who assign detention to Harry that he was now sitting with Lockhart, answering his fan mail.
He did not learn anything in class, but Lockhart would not even let Harry read any of his other books or study for different classes. Instead, they literally reenacted some of the adventures from his books while Lockhart prepared pop-quizzes about himself twice a week.
He needed to get rid of him and expose him as the fraud he was. Maybe he could persuade Lockhart to bring back the Dueling Club, now that the school was safe again.
Challenging Lockhart to a duel in front of the entire school might be a foolproof way to expose him as the fraud he was. Harry would have to think about it… For now, he desperately needed some sleep, and as he arrived at his dormitory he fell to the bed and was asleep almost instantly.