Chapter Twenty-five
Questions Anybody
Ministry of Magic
Special Testing Section 015
Viewing Room to Testing Room 1920
August 19th
The man very few people have ever seen at a loss for words, a man very few people have ever display any emotion besides pleasant, a man called Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. The very few people who have been witness to such unprecedented evens are either over a hundred years old themselves, or people who have died. At this moment in time there are now two new people to witness this historic event as Albus Dumbledore stands before the magical view screen with his mouth hanging slightly open, and for the first time in nearly a century, is stunned silent. To be honest, in his defense he isn't the only person in this state of stunned silence. The two unknowing witnesses to this event, his friends are unfortunately unable to understand the scarcity, the historic opportunity, as they too are stunned themselves, if it is possible, they are more stunned then Albus. What they have just been witness to, nay forget witnessed, for what they have just heard is something they could have never been prepared for. Even given their previous encounters with this young man, they still weren't even closed to being prepared for what had just taken place not ten feet from them.
Finally breaking an unknowing gawking contest with the view screen, something that doesn't much care either way about such obtuse contests, Albus slowly blinks his eyes for the first in a time period that feels like forever. He slowly exhales a breath he hadn't been aware of holding, before being able to breathe normally once again. Suddenly realizing that even if he has his eyes and breathing back under control, it seems as though his mouth is still on it's own for it is still agape, slowly he closes it trying not to allow his teeth to hit each other in the hopes of no one else hearing this. In the next breath of time he finds himself to be completely amused with his reactions to what he has just witnessed. Granted he is still shocked, highly shocked he is willing to admit, by what he has just been asked, but he hasn't reacted anything near this since he was about forty years old. In his hundred and fifty plus years he has seen and heard almost everything, so much so that he, himself, and the magical world has figured him as, well, unshakable. Yet today a sixteen year old child has just rocked his very foundation… and without even trying to. A sixteen year old who he knows has just helped to save the life of a little boy, yet he still doesn't seem to believe in what it is he is cable of doing, what he is able to do. "Most definitely a mystery," Albus whispers to himself with a gentle chuckle as he is finally able to force himself to look away from the view screen.
Looking away from the view screen herself, Minerva McGonagall turns to her boss, but most importantly her friend. Stating she looks at him is the nicest way to put it, for she all but out right glares at the man as if wondering if she should finally make the call and alert the healers at St. Mungo's that Albus Dumbledore has finally gone completely around the bend. "Is that all you have to say Albus," Minerva questions in her sternest voice, the same voice that has caused many a student to confess to sins they have not committed. Though in truth she knows that there really isn't much that can be said, what they have just witnesses she knows in her heard and in her nightmares she will never be able to forget in this life and maybe even the next one. Minerva also knows she won't be able to forgive herself for placing young Evan Knight into this position and silently vows to do everything she can to try and protect him from having to do anything like this in the future. A hollow promise, she knows, but she can do her best to prevent such a thing from occurring on her watch.
Lily Potter, who is still look intently at the view screen as if watching it long enough will bring the teen back from where ever it is that he has disappeared to this time. She sighs sadly at the pain they have just witnessed him going through and how he has helped a young child to survive from a dead accident. Shaking her head she too looks away from the memories now firmly imprinted in her mind, she knows she won't be able to sleep peacefully tonight. "I have seen people have visions before," Lily says softly catching the attention of those with her in the viewing room. "I have never in my life seen anything remotely like that," she tells them as she catches the Headmaster's eye. "They see what people are going through, they don't feel it… especially that keenly. They see their surroundings, they do not interact with it," she continues to point out trying to wrap her mind around what she has just seen but knowing that with this one viewing it is impossible to do anything. "Some how or another," Lily continues distantly as she continues to catalogs what happened. "Evan Knight was there," she states pointing to the screen before them but meaning somewhere else completely. "He touched something and I am more than willing to bet he touched someone," she says grimly as that moment in time ran through her mind. "I even believe he was able to feel what that boy felt," she continues. "I bet if you were able to ask Andrew about his grandson, the gash, wound, or whatever would be on his right side…exactly where Evan was rubbing his forehead," Lily concludes to their horror.
"Lily, are you saying what I think you are saying," Minerva asks in an almost nonexistent voice, a gentle breeze would have been louder than her voice.
"I'm saying that somehow or another Evan was with Paul…he touched him while still sitting in that room," Lily says her voice shaking her hand waving in the direction of the testing room. "How, I am sure you are wondering, did I come up with this seemingly impossible conclusion," she continues knowing what Minerva's next question will be. "Did you perhaps notice his right hand, if you hadn't noticed it had blood on it… blood I honestly don't believe, I don't think it was his," she whispers softly.
"So… what you are saying is somehow or another Evan Knight, a boy sixteen years old was able to transport himself from here to where Andrew's grandson is," Minerva asks almost disbelievingly. "That's impossible; the wards protecting this place do not permit such a thing. The Ministry has wards similar to Hogwarts, granted not as strong but strong enough to make that impossible," she points out.
"I wouldn't necessarily say somewhere else, maybe more like sometime else. Mr. Knight said Paul had just struck his head. He said this as if the event was happening at the exact moment he said it," Albus verbalizes softly as his own mind tries to connect the dots, as his mind tries to piece all the strange pieces of this puzzle together but finding in the end that the puzzle is much larger than he had first believed. "If that is so… where exactly did the blood come from," he questions his shocked Deputy Headmistress.
Unable to think about things that should technically be impossible, there is no known way to be in two places at once, yet at two different times and better still be able to physically touch things in both places, it is enough to cause a headache. Lily decides to think on it when the shock has passed. "The question now becomes, what does all this mean?"
"It means Evan Knight was once again correct…he has given us more questions and no answers," Albus informs them, the amusement clear in the twinkling in his eyes.
"That is true," Lily allows as she thinks about the last part of the test, to just before he left the room. "What exactly did he mean by that it was you that brought him here," Lily questions after a moment of thinking about the possible implications of the teens words.
Releasing a sigh, "That I do not know," Albus admits just as, if not more confused then the ladies with him.
Knight/Potter Manor
Outside of Hogsmeade
August 19th
On a hilltop a ways away from the nearest town, rests a place few know about and fewer still can see. A place that is at once a home and at the same time not a home; in another time and place, another universe to be exact, it is a home if only because of who is within the walls. In this place, this universe it is only inhabited by a single person, a person who doesn't feel welcome anywhere in this world, save two places, this house and Hogwarts. He feels welcome in these two places, but he doesn't feel as if they are home. He knows to feel at home his family would have to be with him, the saying 'home is where the heart is' is more true than even he could say. For within these walls a lonely person, known to his family as Harry Potter and to this world as Evan Knight, is currently rather preoccupied with getting things ready for the coming night.
"Okay," Evan says to himself more for the illusionary company than the actual need to talk aloud. "What all do I need for this work as I want it to," he continues as he places down some special black clothing, clothing Hermione always referred to as his 'sneak' clothes. They are inlayed with dragon skin to help with keeping the lesser curses and jinxes from having any true effect on him. He only uses the clothes when he is doing night missions, or when he doesn't want to be seen clearly. Turning around Harry retraces his steps as he continues to prepare for a mission that will start in about seven hours from now, depending on the moon.
He walks across the hall to what Ron lovingly called 'the armory' in the old world as Harry tries to think of it, but he feels that in this world it is grossly unprepared for any type of action let alone for what he plans to do tonight. Though to be honest, the room isn't completely bare, he has been able to get things for it now and again, plus he still has some things from his world. As he steps into the room Harry pauses just inside the doorway, a memory from not too long ago flashes into his mind. Though it wasn't long ago, for him it feels almost an eternity since then, at least two lifetimes have passed since then. Harry, now Evan, closes his eyes as he tries to allow the memory and the feelings of that day wash over him.
~Begin Flashback~
"Now Harry," Mrs. Weasley says softly as she stands in the doorway to 'the armory' watching as him and Ron prepare for the next hunt in this long and seemingly never-ending war. "Do remember to take care, it pains me to see you hurt," she continues to tell only him seeing as she has already had this talk with Ron a few seconds before. The proof of this is in the smug, knowing, 'I already had' this look on Ron's face as he all but grins at Harry.
"I will Mrs. Weasley, I promise to bring everyone home safe," Harry promises, renewing his promise to her to keep her family safe. Harry stands up and sees a sadness in Mrs. Weasley's eyes as she looks at him and he can't understand why, as he thinks about this he continues to button up the last button on his 'sneak' shirt. Even though this has become a tradition, something she always does before any of them are 'allowed' to go on a mission, even though it is a reaffirming of his promise, it has always made him feel cared for in a way he never has before. Though recently every time he promises to bring everyone home safe she seems to be getting sadder, as if the longer this war continues the more afraid she is that he won't keep his promise. "I promise," he tries to reassure her; he would rather die then lose his family.
~End Flashback~
Blinking his eyes Evan continues into the room knowing in his heart he will never be able to feel that feeling again for as long as he lives, and with this revelation he heart breaks anew. Shaking his head Evan forces himself to return to the task at hand, and grabs a black 'bug-out™' bag and one of the packages of ropes he has just purchased in muggle London. As he tosses the bag over his shoulder he mentally reviews what it is he will need for the complicated and emotional task ahead of him. "I need the sword," he mumbles as he remembers a particularly bad time in his life. Turning to the glass case on the east wall he makes his way over and removes the sword from its place of honor and places it into its scabbard.
With the bag over one shoulder, the rope in one hand and the sword in his other hand he crosses the hall to where the clothes are set out for the night. Setting down his new supplies he runs through his preliminary plan, "Rope, check. Wand and holster…" pausing as he says this Evan moves over to the closet and grabs his specialized wand holster he received from the Weasley's and Hermione last Christmas and returns to his growing supplies, "Check. Mirror," he recites as he touches it in affirmation of it being there, "Check, Sword, check; backpack, check; bag, special ordered and received this morning, check," he says as he looks at each thing in turn. "Special anti-magic case for the book…" he says drifting off as he looks at the book, his mind in his past as he tries to put together all that happened that horrid night. "Artoo," he says turning to the phoenix who is on his stand near the window, "You will help if I need it, won't you," he questions already knowing the answer, but having, needing to ask anyway. Artoo trills, almost indignantly at this question. "I know my friend but you know I had to ask," Evan reassures his friend, "Thank you all the same."
And so went Evan Knight's afternoon and part of the evening, his planning and preparing used to help take his mind off the exams of the morning and early afternoon. Some of the exams he really has to shake his head at, 'they call that O.W.L. level,' as they seemed to be exceedingly simple. What he really was trying to forget was the final exam and what happened during it and after it as he lost control of himself and gave out more information than he ever wanted them to know.
Godric's Hollow
Home of James and Lily Potter
August 19th
Stepping into the main foyer of the entrance way, Lily Potter places her keys and wand away as she closes the door with a tired sigh. Tired from the long day she has just gone through; weary from the things she has been witness to; Lily admits to herself that when she woke this morning she had no indication of what the day would hold, but realizes now, she should have. In her defense, it is easy to forget the peculiarity or strangeness of Mr. Knight, past history should have warned her, did warn her. Apparently she hasn't learned from past mistakes and luckily she didn't add to that mistake today. Shrugging off her cloak she places it into the coat closet as her mind replays the final exam Evan took. The names he had said, the reason he said them as he tried almost unsuccessfully to control his breathing; continue to run through her mind. The list of names he breathed was so familiar and dear to her on so many different levels and at the same time some where completely foreign to her. Lily knows they were the names of those he calls family or friends, but what she can't seem to understand is why some of the people he has just met are part of that list. People he shouldn't know and yet it seems as though he cares enough about them to include them on a ritual, personal process.
The test continues to run through her mind over and over and she can't help but believe what they witnessed was real and that she was right about him being there, with Paul, but she doesn't know how it would be possible. Lily knows, confirmed by Albus and Minerva, that he never left the room; he just sat there unmoving as if he were a statue. Irregardless, she was able to tell something was wrong the second he closed his eyes, she knew something wasn't normal. Exhaling an explosive breath, Lily knows she may never figure it out and in her heart she knows Evan doesn't want them to. After witnessing that, she can understand why he doesn't want to have contact with anyone and just now realizes what he did, not only for Molly Weasley that day in Diagon Alley, but what he did for Severus. She realizes she truly has no idea of what he has suffered, and some of it was because of her. This thought causes a shooting pain in her heart, "What have we done," she mumbles as she recalls when they first met young Mr. Knight.
Shaking her head as she tries unsuccessfully to empty her mind of all thoughts and memories of her long and tiring day, Lilly turns to head into the main part of the house to check on her wayward children. Stepping into the front room she stops dead in her tracks as what she sees before her finally registers in her overloaded mind. Like a flip of a switch she can feel her temper rising to new unheard of levels, a level she had always hoped to never reach. A hope now well and truly destroyed. "HARRY JAMES POTTER, GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT," she all but howls at the roof, the anger clearly evident in her voice and in the way she is standing, her legs spread slightly and her arms akimbo. As the echo starts to fade she glances over what, this morning, was a recognizable room. It was clean and orderly, just the way she likes it. Now, however, she can tell Harry has been up to trying to put together one of his new stunts and has blasted paint everywhere, not one surface is clean.
Somehow or another Harry was able to make his footsteps sound both reluctant and yet defiant at the same time. Lily listened as he made his way to her, to where she can only describe as being ground zero in a nuclear blast. With each passing second Harry makes her wait longer than he should, her temper continues to learn how to reach new levels. He should know better than to dilly dally. Finally the dark head of her eldest son appears from the hallway, his green eyes doing their best to look innocent, and failing miserably. "Yes, mum," he questions, acting as though there is nothing wrong with the room, as though the room she is standing in is in perfect order, the way she left it this morning.
"What in Merlin's name did you do to this room," Lily grounds out, trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"What do you mean mum," Harry asks with wide eyes.
Raising her hand to indicate the area in question, the bomb site, the place once called the front room, "You know very well what I mean young man," Lily growls at him.
"I didn't do anything mum, honest," Harry tries to con his way out this.
"I wasn't born yesterday, I know very well it was you," she roars as she glares at him.
Realizing he has lost this battle, Harry decides to change tactics, "But mum," he whines.
"No 'but mum' me Harry James Potter. Clean this room up this instant," Lily shouts at him. "You have one hour and you are not going to the Weasley's this weekend."
"You can't do that," Harry cries out in anger.
"I just did and you are grounded," Lily whispers in a deadly cold voice, thus ending the argument once and for all. Everyone knows when she talks like that there is no getting around it, you are had. "Now clean this room," she orders as she all but stomps out of the room, needing to put distance between herself and her eldest child before she does something she will regret later. Without really knowing where she is heading, Lily walks up the stairs and finds herself heading for where she knows her other two kids will be. Once again she finds herself wondering what has happened with her eldest, she wonders where they went so wrong with him. They love him as they do their other two, they try to everything equally, but somewhere along the way Harry just more or less turned against them. He turned against all of them; even Sirius doesn't have much say with him anymore. When Harry first learned of Remus was a werewolf that was the end of any all respect Harry once held for the werewolf. Lily still has nightmares about that day and because of the memories of it she dreads the day the other two will learn this truth.
Lily hopes against hope that Harry won't tell Destiny and Jacen horrible stories about werewolves and scare them from the man the currently love so. She doesn't know if any of them could handle that happening, it was bad the first time when they were half way prepared, but now it would devastate them. She knows the three brothers couldn't handle it and she fears she won't be able to either. The night Harry learned the truth, Lily reflects, she is glad they placed the silencing charm on the room; Harry had shouted horrible, hateful things that still ring in her ears.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Lily can't help but smile as she hears giggling coming from a room near the end of the hallway, the game room. Making her way to the partly opened doorway, Lily leans against the door jam and with a moment of peace she watches as her two youngest play a muggle game, a game called 'Sorry' to be exact. Her smile widens happily as she watches Destiny reach out and push the bubble in the center of the board only to instantly start giggling at the sound it makes and the bouncing of the die within. Jacen smiles kindly at his sister as he shakes his head amusedly at her, "You know sis, it is my turn," he points out to her as he tries not to laugh himself.
"Oops," Destiny says as she quickly removes her hand from the bubble, barely avoiding pushing it again as a deep blush starts showing on her cheeks, "Sorry Jacen."
Jacen reaches out and pushes the bubble, "Not to worry there," he says as he calculates where his piece is to go and instantly sighs at having to return to the beginning…again. "I should have taken what you had," he says causing Destiny to giggle even more.
"Are you two having fun," Lily questions, her smile still in place and her heart lighter than a moment before.
"Yup," Destiny says as she reaches out and pushes the bubble again. Looking at Jacen she questions, "Only once right," and he nods in response to her whispered question. "Loads," she continues telling their mother as she moves her piece the final distance to the finish, thus winning the game.
"The fact you have been cheating helps with why you are having loads of fun," Jacen points out as he tries unsuccessfully not to smile at his little sister.
"I do not cheat," Destiny cries out indignantly, or at least tries to before she bursts into giggles once again.
"Sure! Then why is it exactly that you keep winning," Jacen asks as he starts laughing, having lost the battle to keep his face straight.
Destiny looks down at the board again, "Beginners luck," she says as though that explains everything. "It is just beginners luck," she repeats as she reaches out and pushes the bubble again, unable to refrain from doing it any longer.
"Yeah, yeah," Jacen laughs out, he really enjoys his time with his sister and knows it will be what he misses the most when he goes to Hogwarts this fall.
"Well, how do you explain it then," Destiny questions Jacen as he teasingly swats her hand away form the bubble as he starts to put the game away.
"I have already told you, you're cheating," Jacen repeats as he ignores his sisters' look.
Destiny helps put the pieces into the box, something the two of them have always done together. "Oh really," she says when Jacen puts the lid on the box, she crosses her arms as she glares at her brother as he stands up from his place on the floor. "You think that is so," she snorts unable to keep it going any longer and looks over at her mother, "Hi mum," she finally greets her.
"Hi," Lily returns with a smile as she steps further into the room and sits down in the chair that she had placed just inside of the door for days like this one. "How long have you two been playing in here," she questions knowing she already knows the answer to her own question, and he is downstairs right now trying to find a way out of having to clean his mess.
"Awhile," Jacen says as he reaches up and places the game in its place on the bookcase, "Just since we heard Harry cackling," he answers her.
"We know that laugh," Destiny agrees with a nod of her head, "And we decided that it was best to just stay out of they way, less chance of getting hurt in here," she says as she stands up and with a smile she launches herself at her mother to give her, her hello hug.
Throwing her arms around her daughter, Lily laughs knowing these two children are better than any doctor. They can change her mood and her day with just a look and she loves them all the more for it. "Wise kids," she laughs out glad to be home.
"Perhaps," Jacen agrees, "But I bet he's right pissed now," he points out.
"That is one way of putting it," Lily agrees with her son. "However, he is more upset about the fact he can't go to the Weasley's more than anything else," she says with a disappointed shake of her head as her mind returns to her troublesome child downstairs.
"Mum," Destiny and Jacen cry out. "Are you trying to torture us too," Jacen asks with mock horror on his face.
Though he is trying to make light of it, Lily knows not all of it is teasing. The weekend, which just moments ago she had been looking forward to, now is more than likely going to be miserable because Harry will cause a lot of grief for him losing out on going to the Weasleys. "I just, I honestly don't know what to do anymore," Lily whispers to her son as she continues to hug Destiny.
Destiny lifts her head and looks up at her mother, "You could always trade him for Ghost," she offers honestly.
"We couldn't do that," Lily softly points out, not really knowing how to comment on that.
Jacen shrugs at this, "Well you could always adopt him," he teases.
"I think we already have," Lily answers honestly. "My question now however, is why did Harry figure he could possibly get away with what he did downstairs," she asks herself more than her two kids.
"When does he ever think things through mum," Jacen questions rhetorically.
Time: 23:30
Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Entrance to school grounds
One of the main failings of invisibility cloaks is its inability to generate a cohesive, impenetrable shield around its wearer. An experienced Auror, with a well trained eye, could easily spot the 'void' the cloak generates, and then there are the people who can see directly through them, like the Headmaster and Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody's magical eye. Yet at the same time it is still a good form of transportation if one didn't want to be seen, for the normal, untrained, witch or wizard would not be able to detect it's presence in their surroundings. It is for this reason and many other's that Evan Knight is currently making his way towards Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry covered by an invisibility cloak and underneath that a disillusionment charm to hide himself and going even further than this, he is dressed in his black uniform thus making seeing him that much harder. Evan knows that if he happened upon the Headmaster, his complete disguise may not be enough to hide him; he knows the Albus Dumbledore of his world would have seen right through it, seeing as he was the one to teach him about it. However, he isn't sure about this world's Albus Dumbledore and what abilities he does and does not have that are different from his world.
Evan pauses in his steps as he comes to the gates that are flanked by two weary sentries of the school mascot. "I wish to have free passage to the grounds and the school within," he requests softly, formally, knowing from listening to Hermione all these years that the sentries must give you passage, at least during summer, or you will find yourself in unthinkable pain.
"Who asks this of us," the sentries demand as one, their voice perfectly matched and timed.
"I, Lord Harry James Potter, of the House of Potter, the House of Black, the house of Lupin, and the House of Dumbledore," he identifies himself as if he were in his home world.
It took but a moment, "You may enter with all the freedom you have been granted in your mirror world Master Potter Black Lupin Dumbledore," the sentries say granting him entrance and privileges even Evan, Harry, doesn't know or understand. As they finish saying this, the big Iron Gate suddenly unlocks and swings slightly open to allow him passage to the grounds within and the school beyond.
Evan can feel a slight shift in the wards of the school, he knows it means something and that he will have to think on it later, but also knowing he can't linger here any longer than necessary. "Thank you," he replies as he quickly slips through the gates, listening as they clank closed behind him. As he hurries up the path he swears he can hear the sentries say 'Welcome home Master' but just shakes his head knowing that is impossible.
Rushing his way along the path, Evan is unable to stop memories from his time here with his friends. His eyes drift over to the little cottage Hagrid lived, or does he still live in it in this world, and their many, many trips to see him. Of him and Hermione walking around the lake in Fourth year and after, how he misses their walks. Wounds he has tried hard not to think about come rushing at him with every step he takes, this place is loaded with special meaning to him and his family and pains him deeply to think he will never see them again.
Shaking these despairing thoughts from his head, Evan reaches the steps to the castle, the steps the faculty had been standing on when he had first seen his parents, alive, in this unfriendly world. Making his way slowly up the steps he composes in his mind what it is he wishes, what he is going to ask the school for help with. "I need your help Lily," he says as he places his hand on the bricks to the right of the door unseen under the disillusionment charm. In response he can feel her willingness to help him, just as she always has and he knows in his heart, always will. Just like Hermione. "I need to get to where I am going and do what I need to do without anyone happening upon me," he says aloud more for himself than Lily. She can read his whole plan as he transmits his thoughts to her through his hand, but he also knows Lily likes to be talked to.
Without a word or emotion, the door to the school opens giving Evan his answer, "Thank you Lily," he states as he slips into the place he has called home for so long. He also knows that all the ghosts will be unaware of him during this special trip. So with this in mind, Evan Knight makes his way up to Moaning Myrtles girls' bathroom. Each of the moving staircases held perfectly still and was in the correct position, thus allowing him easy, uninhibited passage to his final goal.
Upon his arrival at the restroom, Evan pauses just slightly as his mind returns to his second year and all the time that was spent within this very room working on an illegal potion that no second year should have been able to do. None of the teachers had ever counted on Hermione walking through those doors and blowing everything they thought they knew about ability out of the water. And she did that, but he knows that very few people will ever know about it. "Their loss," he whispers to himself as he pushes the door open and enters the same room where not too long about Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Sirius and his dad had talked with Moaning Myrtle about someone entering into the Chamber of Secrets and learned about mirrors. Not that Evan knows about this or anything. Closing his eyes, Evan tries to mentally prepare himself for the task he has set for himself. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, he opens his eyes and removes his cloak and quickly folds in and places it into a protected pocket on his uniform pants. Pulling out his 'new' wand, "Finite," he says taping himself on the head.
A moment later, Evan Knight stands in a midnight uniform looking around a restroom he is both comfortably with and at the same time uncomfortable being in. Shrugging off his backpack, he sets to work his plan. Minutes pass by as things are set into motion, things that no one in this world would have dreamed possible without the person who first entered into this room some three years ago. A rope massed on the floor beside his feet with one end in his hand and the other tied to a support structure on the far side of the restroom; his backpack back on and him standing there looking for all the world alone. Evan reaches his right hand over his shoulder, making sure he can feel the handle of his sword. Once satisfied with this, he turns his attention to the sinks, finding the right one and hisses open in a language he still doesn't like knowing.
As the sinks spread apart and the special one, the one with the snake, drops down Evan can't help but think the first time it happened was more dramatic than it is now. With a shrug he reaches into another pocket in his vest and pulls out a chemical light stick and bends it in half, breaking the tube inside, shaking it the room starts to glow an eerie green. "You gotta love modern technology," he says as he looks at the glow stick, glad once again to use muggle things to make life easier and once again thankful to Hermione for allowing him to indulge in muggle technology. With the light stick in one hand and the enlarged rope in the other, Harry James Potter jumps down into the tunnel he and Ron had gone down in their second year only this time it is not to rescue his sister but to collect her and bring her home…finally.
****
Time: 0:00
Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmasters Office
To put it nicely, Albus Dumbledore was confused, to put it honestly he was just plain lost. First the testing had gone astray and then everything that occurred afterwards. His mind is still running over the questions Evan Knight posed of him, words he still can't understand. He never knew of Evan Knight before he arrived here, so how could he have possibly brought him here from wherever it was he came from. Then the thing with Andrew's grandson, he had just received notice that everything Evan said was true and thanks to him Paul was going to be fine. Albus didn't know what to think about that and what Lily had said occurred; only more experiments would be able to prove or disprove what she had said. He knows, however, that future tests are not going to happen, because whether he knows it or not, Evan Knight has two fiercely protective women who would eat him alive just for thinking of testing him.
All of that would be more than enough reasons to be confused and frustrated for any person, but rarely has the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the reportedly most powerful wizard in the world, been as confounded as he is at this very moment. For it seems for whatever reasons he cannot fathom he is unable to even leave his office. The door to the stairway simply will not move and for the past ten minutes he has been trying every spell known and some that have been lost to time and still the door will not budge. It seems as if he isn't meant to go to the kitchens for a late night snack, something he normally does. "Alright," he mutters to himself deciding that it must be in his head, "I think I'll just go kip off for a bit," he says turning around and heading to his quarters. There is no way the school would really lock him in his office, so he knows he much more tired than he had first thought if he can't casts spells he has been casting for years correctly.
****
Time: 0:05
Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
The Chamber of Secrets
A green light could be seen before the sounds of fabric against cement reached the bottom of the pipes; suddenly a figure could be seen coming down the pipe only to land on its feet with a loud crunching of bones. "Ah rats," Evan muttered to himself privately joking as he looks down at the various pest bones. Raising his glow stick he looks at a place he hasn't seen since second year. Unlike the last time he seen it, this place looks untouched to the backfire from the spell from Lockhart. Before him there is no rubble blocking the way, there is however, a large snake skin. Very similar to the one he had first looked upon on that night so long ago. "Nothing for it but to do it," he whispers to himself as he reaches down and grasps his wand and brings it to the front, armed and ready as he can ever be when entering this place. "Debacchor Serpens Vestigium," Evan whispers hoping the spell works but knowing it might not. It was something he had found just before his life fell apart, or at least just before his family started dieing. Even though no one thought he did, Harry did in fact study all sorts of things during his time in the Tri-Wizard tournament and this spell was one of the things he picked up but never got the chance to try. One of the things he really liked about this spell, was that it would tell you, relatively, if the trail was new or old. Its half life is three weeks, so the brighter it is the newer the trail and the lighter it is the older.
The spell took a moment to go into effect, and from the looks of things the snake has been fairly dormant in this part of the pipes. Evan takes this as a good sign, a sign that none of the teachers had been in unnecessary danger from something they didn't even know about, but then again it doesn't explain how he heard the Basilisk in the Defense classroom all those years ago. Releasing the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, Evan finally looks up at the room around him, knowing that for the moment he isn't in imminent danger. Raising his glow stick he finally moves from where he landed not even two minutes ago. Loud crunching and cracking sounds can be heard as he starts to walk across the bones on the floor.
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Time: 0:15
Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
Quarters of the Deputy Headmistress/Gryffindor Head of House
Minerva McGonagall blinks in confusion as she looks at the fire; it was the strangest thing, what just happened. She had been talking with an old friend of hers, who lives in a different time zone, when the connection had suddenly been terminated mid-sentence. In all her life something like this has only happened when the floo system had been shut down during the first rise of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named when it was feared he would enter Hogwarts. Given that not only hours before she had been talking with Albus, she knows this isn't the case. So the question remains, what in Merlin's name is going on here.
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Time: 0:30
Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
The Chamber of Secrets
Evan pauses slightly in his step as the entrance finally comes into view, "It didn't seem that far before," he whispers as he looks down at his watch seeing thirty minutes have passed since he entered the grounds. He knows, realistically, that the last time he was here his emotions were on overload so everything is all skewed in his mind. With a sick feeling of dèjá vu Evan hisses Open as he once did on that night so long ago, only this time he isn't here to save his best friend's sister but to retrieve her remains. It is with this thought in mind that he watches as the snakes move to allow him passage into the abominable world within. Closing his eyes, Evan tries to gather himself for what he is about to see, what he is about to do. Opening his eyes, he steps forward to face yet another part of his history…