Chapter 16 - A Dinner with Dumbledore
"Harry…Harry…please slow down! I hoped I'd catch you after you finished breakfast! I need to talk to you!" Harry had, in the short time since the dueling club incident, taken to coming down to the Great Hall near the end of a scheduled meal time to miss most of the crowd and then leaving as soon as he could force a few bites down. He was already tired of the not-quite whispered murmurs, finger-pointing, and "looks" he was getting as he ate, even from his housemates. He almost kept up his pace towards the exit, but something in Hermione's voice made him pause. He turned around and looked at her, but when he saw who she was with, he thought about turning on his heel and finding another way to his first class. Then, he saw that Hermione had a friendly smile on her face, and right now he realized that was just what he needed.
"Oh, hi, Hermione, hello…Ginny," he said, shyly. He had really only met the Weasley girl once before. He had, of course, immediately figured out who Ginny had to be when he saw her near the first of the term, her red hair being an unmistakable sign. The first time she had been introduced to him formally (by Ron, wasn't it? - strange, that was one of the few times this year he said anything to me that wasn't rude…) her face had turned about the color of her hair, and she had not been able to do more than stammer a greeting before she had run off. This time, though, she seemed quite a bit more nervous and …frightened than anything to meet him.
Hermione had also noticed her nervousness, and as they drew closer, Harry heard her say, "Ginny, calm down! Remember, I'm your friend, and I wouldn't introduce you to someone who will hurt you! Haven't I helped you with your homework most nights this term? Trust me, Harry's not at all like what you may have heard. Besides, I remember back at the beginning of the school year you were VERY interested in meeting him, right?" Ginny smiled weakly, first at Hermione, and then at Harry, but he could tell she was still not convinced.
Harry's voice had a cold edge as he looked at the frightened first-year. "So, are you afraid I'll turn you into a toad, or conjure up a whole knot of snakes to attack you? Don't worry; you're a pure-blood, aren't you? If I remember the stories right, I'm only supposed to attack half-bloods and Mudbloods. Besides, tomorrow's the end of term, so just keep away from me until then and you'll be safe!", and he once again turned to leave. <Just what I need, another person that is scared to be around me, just like that Finch-Fletchly bloke in Hufflepuff. Why did Hermione have to embarrass me like this?>
Before he could get too far, though, he felt a gentle pull on his robes. "Harry, please wait…I'm sorry about Ginny. I thought…well, that she'd handle it better after I talked to her this morning. Guess I was wrong. Why don't we go outside for a minute? We've got too many people watching right now." Hermione, now standing between Harry and Ginny, gently grabbed both of their arms and pulled them towards the front door. "After that blizzard the other day it's still a bit cold out there this morning, but that means that we shouldn't have too many onlookers."
They walked in silence to the front doors, and Harry thought that Hermione's weather report was a bit understated as a bitter wind swirled around them, coming right off the heavy snowfall. They quickly ducked in to a sheltered spot near the front doors. Hermione pulled a jam jar out of her robes and muttered a spell, resulting in a warm, bright blue fire. "There, that's better," she said, warming her hands and motioning to the others to do the same. "Now, let's get down to business. Ginny Weasley, this is Harry Potter. He's a second year student in Slytherin house. Go ahead, shake his hand - he won't bite!"
"…much!" Harry said with a wicked smirk on his face as he reached out his hand. He had heard that as the punch line to a joke someone had told in the Common room, and he couldn't resist.
"Honestly, Harry…you're not helping matters!" Hermione tutted at him, but grinned as she saw Ginny giggle and shake his hand. "That's better. Harry Potter, this is Ginny Weasley. I'm sure she would want to hex me if I told you her full first name, but Ginny is what she goes by. She's a first year student in Gryffindor house. She is the younger sister of Ron, Fred, George, and Percy Weasley, whom you have already met, but I dare say she is nicer than the rest of the lot - at least she eats with her mouth closed, cares about her class work, and doesn't come across as a pompous… git most of the time."
Both Ginny and Harry laughed at Hermione's quick descriptive summary of the Weasley boys. "Well, that's good to know, Hermione. If I ever eat lunch around her, at least I won't have to keep my eyes away from her face. Honestly, Ginny, didn't your mother ever try to teach him some manners? If my aunt had seen me eating that way, I'd have been thrown in my cupboard…"
"Harry, what is it? For a second there, it looked like you went blank." Hermione had a puzzled look on her face.
He was even more confused. "What are you talking about, Granger? I just asked Ginny if her mother had tried to teach Ron some manners, and the next thing I knew, you said I blanked out."
Ginny spoke up, still sounding nervous. "No, Harry, you did ask me about Ron's table manners, but then you said something else…about a cupboard. That's when your face went blank! What's going on, Hermione?"
"Harry, do you know anything about this? Have you talked to Miss Puckle or the headmaster? Let me help you!" Hermione said, pleadingly. She had noticed his face start to harden as he seemed to withdraw a little.
He seemed a little frustrated as he answered. "Help me? Why do you think I need help from you right now? I'm fine, really! Yes, Dumbledore knows. I mentioned it to him before the beginning of term after I missed the Hogwarts Express. He must not have been too worried about it, although the last time I talked to him he did remind me to let him know if anything strange happened to me…but, it wasn't all THAT strange, come to think about it. If you two hadn't seen it, I probably wouldn't know that anything happened, now would I? Give it a rest, okay?"
Harry noticed that Hermione had been looking intently at him when he said that the Headmaster knew. She didn't sound too convinced when she asked, "Now, why do I get the feeling you're not telling me the whole story? Have you told him about every time you've had something like this happen?"
Ginny interrupted with a chuckle. "Yeah, Harry, I've seen that look from Gred and Forge…sorry, Fred and George, whenever Mum or Dad catches wind of one of their little escapades and asks them about it. Come on, 'fess up! But, can we PLEASE continue this conversation inside? I can't feel my ears anymore, and if it hadn't been for this fire, I'm sure we'd all be icicles by now."
"I agree with Ginny!" Harry said, as he realized his backside was pretty numb from the wind. "But, you're going to have to show me how to make that fire one of these days - that might be a handy spell to know! My hands are still warm, at least!"
"Potter, Weasley, don't try to change the subject! Oh, all right, let's go in. Hopefully most everyone's done with breakfast now. I'm getting a bit chilled, myself." Hermione waved her intricately decorated wand over the jar, extinguishing the flames, and put the jar and her wand back in her robes.
As they walked in the front door, Ginny's curiosity was too much for her. "Hermione, I never noticed your wand that closely before. It's so…pretty, with all those flowers and things carved on it! And, it looks a lot like Miss Puckle's wand, now that I think about it! I remember seeing it at that first charms lesson I went to with her. Your wand could be the twin of hers!"
"That's strange…I never really paid that much attention, I guess. I didn't think it was polite to stare at someone's wand unless they invited you to look at it." Hermione said. "I'm sure that Miss Puckle must have gotten her wand somewhere else, going to school in Canada and all that, but she did tell me once that she spent her early years in England. Hmm, maybe the next time I talk to her, I'll ask her. Mine is a vine wood wand with a dragon-heartstring core. Some say that the vine wood is supposed to have something to do with strengthening mental powers, but others say it is related to…other things," and Hermione started to blush a little as she said this.
Harry jumped in before he noticed her slight embarrassment. "Well, it seems to have worked, at least with the 'mental powers' thing, wouldn't you say! I don't know how anyone can keep all those facts straight in their head like you do! I mean, you even remember what Binns says, and that's not a mean feat! Although I think you're a bit keen on the whole Werewolf Code of Conduct thing!"
"Thanks, Harry…I didn't know you noticed." She started to say something else, but seemed to think better of it and said, instead, "Now, what were we talking about before the two of you froze up on me. Oh, yes! Funny, that is actually related to what I wanted to talk to you about. Last night Miss Puckle asked me to invite you to visit with her, Professor McGonagall, the headmaster, and me this evening during dinner. They'll have some food brought in for us -she said something about you getting a full meal for a change without all the distractions. I just happened to run into Ginny before I came down, and I had wanted the two of you to meet anyway, so this seemed like a good way to take care of both at once."
"But, why are you invited, Hermione?" Ginny asked. "Can I come? Oooh…it sounds mysterious…maybe they're going to talk about…well, you know, the dueling club!" Ginny realized that she had probably said something sensitive, and started to blush quite red.
"QUIET, Ginny!" Hermione snapped, much more forcefully than she intended to. "I don't know why I was invited, or what this is about. All I know is that I'm meeting Professor McGonagall at her office with Harry at the start of dinner today, and no one else is invited."
"Don't I have something to say about this?" Harry said, obviously annoyed. "I haven't even decided if I'm going to go or not, and it appears you've already made my mind up for me."
"Yes…well, sorry about that, Harry. I just assumed…" Hermione said, slightly worried at Harry's tone. "Besides, you even said that the Headmaster wanted you to let him know if something strange happened, and you could at least do that when you are there. And, Ginny, sorry to bite your head off just now. I wondered about those questions myself, and it makes me a bit nervous. I didn't mean to be so brisk with you."
"To tell you the truth, Hermione, I WAS beginning to wonder which of the two of you was scarier just now! I mean, Harry's been very polite to me, and you about jump down my throat for asking a simple question. Are you SURE you weren't put into the wrong house?" she giggled. "And, no, I don't mean Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff!"
Harry had a fleeting thought of Hermione, wearing Slytherin colors, sitting near him in the common room, but shook his head slightly. <No, that would never happen…She's not the Slytherin type!>, he thought sadly. <But then, I didn't think I was, up until this whole 'talking to snakes' thing came out.>
"How about it, Harry? I mean, at the very least you get to enjoy a full meal without people talking about you behind your back," Hermione pointed out.
"That would be a change, now that I think about it. Sure, I guess I'll go. When and where do you want to meet me so you can escort me to Professor McGonagall's office?"
****
"Welcome, Mr. Potter! I'm glad you could join us for dinner this evening! Thank you, Miss Granger, for convincing him to come." Headmaster Dumbledore had escorted the two students into a private dining room, set with five place settings. Minerva and Harmony followed right behind, and Miss Puckle was the first to comment, "Headmaster, sir, I don't think I've ever seen this part of your office in all of the times we have met here. I could have sworn this was a bookshelf the last time I was here, because I sat here reading a fascinating old book titled 'New Charms for the 15th Century Wizard'."
"Hmm…I do believe you are correct, my dear. But, today, we needed a dining room, and, well, here we are! This castle always surprises me with its resourcefulness, and this office especially seems attuned to the needs of the current headmaster. But, as for now, please tell the place settings what you would like for dinner. Let's eat first, and discuss business later."
For the first time in a long time, Harry really enjoyed his meal. He ate his favorite dishes and desserts until he was full, and he also had some interesting conversation with his dinner companions. He found that all three adults at the table were genuinely nice people, and the Headmaster even told a few jokes that were pretty good (although Professor McGonagall ended up having to remind him of the time and he finally stopped.) Harry also had a chance to get to know Hermione a little more as a person, not just a student in a competing house, and he found that she was very pleasant to be around when she wasn't in her "homework" mode. She really seemed interested in him, not just as "The Boy Who Lived", or more recently, as the "Parselmouth from Slytherin". He had not had that kind of honest attention paid to him by adults or children…well, ever in his life, he realized.
As the five of them were finishing their pieces of pumpkin pie, Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Ahem…well, although I'm sure the evening would be a success if we just went back to our respective quarters right now with full stomachs and happy minds, I would like to take some time to discuss some important items with you, Harry. After what happened at the Dueling Club meeting, I'm sure both of you have some questions, as do I, and the three older of us in this party would like to make a proposal to you. But first, your questions, then. Yes, Hermione, did you want to ask something?"
"Actually, no, sir. But, I think Mr. Potter needs to tell you something before we get started, and I hope it is more than one thing," she said, while glancing with determination at Harry.
"Harry, I assume Miss Granger is correct," Dumbledore chuckled, "or is that a sure bet?"
He returned her glance for a second, then chuckled in response. "Well, actually yes it is, sir. The last time we met, you asked me to report if anything strange happened to me. This morning, when Hermione was letting me know about this meeting…well, I blacked out again. Ginny said I mentioned something about my old cupboard first, but as you can see, I can talk about it now without any problem. I think I must have just gotten distracted for a moment."
Hermione was obviously expecting him to continue, but when he didn't, she went ahead. "Harry, you didn't tell him the whole story, probably because you don't remember part of it. What you said was, 'If my aunt had seen me eating that way, I'd have been thrown in my cupboard…' before you blacked out."
Dumbledore raised his hand to interrupt. "Miss Granger, I hate to disappoint you, but I am already aware of this reaction. He had a similar thing happen to him at the beginning of term, and Miss Puckle and I are confident that we know what is causing that problem. Unfortunately, now is not the time to let you know about our theories, but rest assured that this shouldn't have any negative effects on Mr. Potter's health."
Hermione wouldn't be dismissed so easily, though. "Go on, Harry - tell him the rest of it. What else has been happening besides the blackouts? I'm curious myself as to what you are keeping secret!"
All three adults immediately looked at Harry with renewed concern. "What is it, Harry?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Oh, I'm sure it's just my mind playing tricks on me or something, but…" and Harry proceeded to tell about his memory flashes. He found that the more he told them, the more flashes he remembered, but he also could tell that there were certain memories that he couldn't recall at all. It was as if he remembered having a memory, but the memory itself was gone. He even told them about his more "bizarre" memories, where he felt that he was in an older body, sometimes with Ron Weasley, sometimes with Hermione, but most of the time with both of them. When he described his dream of being "tackle-hugged" by someone in a familiar-feeling bedroom that he just couldn't place, he was so intent on describing his feelings that he failed to notice Miss Puckle's embarrassed reaction.
Albus noticed, though, and thought it would be safer to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Tell me more about these Quidditch memories, Mr. Potter. You said you just 'felt' you should start looking for the Snitch when Madam Hooch blew her whistle? How much time have you spent practicing Seeker skills?"
"Not all that much, to be honest, sir. Marcus just had Draco and me go through some speed and agility drills with that basic training snitch, you know, the one that flies a pre-set course at a steady speed just to make sure a Seeker can actually catch one? After Malfoy was picked as the first-team Seeker, I've spent all of my practice time working on scoring plays with the rest of the team."
"Do you enjoy being a Chaser, Harry? Do you ever find yourself bored or distracted when you're practicing?"
"Oh, no, sir…well, yes, occasionally…" he answered with a guilty grin. Generally, it's when I see the Snitch from across the field and Draco…well; he seems to have trouble seeing it sometimes. I know Marcus gets really frustrated with him, but, apparently he made a promise, and he kept up his end of the deal." Albus smiled, as he had heard rumors about "the deal," but kept quiet until Harry was finished describing his experiences with the Nimbus 2001 and how familiar it felt to him the first time he ever rode it.
Finally, when Harry had told them all he could remember, Dumbledore was silent for a few moments. "Hmm, well, that WAS interesting, Harry. I would like to discuss these new developments with my staff, and see if we can come to a conclusion. But, before you get your hopes up, I have a feeling that we may not be able to share this information with you, either. I fear that the time is not yet right for that."
Harry was now looking at Hermione with an unhappy look on his face. "You mean, you convinced me to tell everyone all that…stuff, and now no one can tell me what is happening? WHY? I mean, it's the memories in my head, you know! Oh, I should never have let you talk me into coming here, Granger! Now it's just going to make things worse!"
Hermione, on the other hand, had passed Harry's stare on to Miss Puckle. "You told me that if I brought Harry here, you'd be able to help him! And now, you CAN'T? Well, actually, it seems that you WON'T, even if you can. Miss Puckle, I can't believe you tricked me into bringing him here!" There was fire in her eyes and her voice as she spoke.
"Hermione, please calm down!" Harmony said, quietly. "Let me ask you one thing before you get any more upset with me. Do you trust me?"
Hermione stared at her favorite teacher for a moment, and visibly relaxed. "Of course I do, Miss Puckle. From the moment I first met you last year, I've always trusted you for some reason."
"Then I must ask you to trust me on this one, and trust Professor McGonagall and the headmaster also. We have very good reasons for keeping certain things from the two of you, and I promise it will all be made clear to you in due time. But for now, please believe that we will tell you what we can, as soon as we can. I know that you are not satisfied with that answer, I know I would have been furious if I were you, but please be patient."
Harry didn't seem like he wanted to end the discussion, but he saw right away that Hermione had made her decision to drop it. <Guess I'd better go along for now, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!> "Is there anything else, sir?" His voice was much more formal now as he addressed his headmaster.
"Actually, Harry, there is," Dumbledore replied. "I mentioned before that we had a proposal for you, but before that, I would like to answer your questions about your experience at the Dueling Club, if you are still interested. And, no, before you ask, I do reserve the right to not answer certain questions that may arise, but, on this subject, I'm rather confident that we shouldn't have a problem. So, go ahead, what would you like to know? I'm sure you got the basic concepts from Miss Granger."
"Yes, sir, she explained what a Parselmouth is, and she said that the ability to speak to snakes is what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. I suppose the sorting hat was right after all, eh, putting me in Slytherin last year! But, why can I speak Parseltongue, and what does all this have to do with 'The Heir of Slytherin'?" Some of the 'whispers' of my classmates haven't been all that quiet, you know!"
"Well, Mr. Potter, there are two questions I can answer at one time. You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort - who is the Heir of Salazar Slytherin - can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"
"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck. He did notice, however, that McGonagall and Hermione winced at each mention of the Dark Lord's name, but Miss Puckle and Dumbledore did not.
"It certainly seems so. And, apparently, someone wanted you to 'reveal' that talent you were given at a time when everyone at school would know about it. Without going into a lot of Wizarding world political maneuvering, did you ever wonder why young Mr. Malfoy used that particular spell during your duel?"
"Well, he was talking to Professor Snape beforehand, so I assumed that he must have suggested it, which really surprised me when I noticed. I mean, he's my head of house, too! I didn't think it was fair that he was helping Draco out and not me!" Harry remembered the quick flash of anger he had felt when he saw Snape whispering in Draco's ear, and Malfoy smirking afterwards.
"Harry, I assure you, your head of house was doing no such thing. I asked him afterwards what had happened when I heard the reports of your unique skill surfacing, and he told me that he was warning Mr. Malfoy to not use certain spells of a, shall we say, darker nature on you or else he would be spending the rest of term in detention. Since the Serpensortia is one of the more mild forms of a 'dark curse', he reduced it to only three hours of cauldron scrubbing." Dumbledore said with a grin. "And, before you ask, Hermione and Harry, I do trust Severus Snape, for very good reasons that are personal in nature, so I am sure that he was telling me the truth."
"Does this have anything to do with the legend of the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione blurted out. Only the Headmaster and Miss Puckle did not seem shocked at this question.
"How did you know about that, Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall asked directly. "Or, have you been reading Hogwarts - A History again? Sorry, that was a foolish question!" she said, as she saw Hermione's face.
Dumbledore seemed pleased, however. "Very good deduction, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor!" Hermione, while happy at the points for her house, was more interested in the answer.
"As I explained to Harry earlier this year, there is an official answer concerning the Chamber of Secrets, and a truer answer. I say truer, because I myself have never verified the existence of such a chamber. However, I'll tell you what I shared with Mr. Potter, along with a few more facts that may be of interest to both of you."
********
After the explanation, Hermione was still somewhat confused. "But, that doesn't explain what Harry speaking Parseltongue has to do with the Chamber, and a poor girl dying outside a toilet stall fifty years ago. Although, that does explain Moaning Myrtle, I suppose. I always wondered why a ghost would haunt a lavatory, of all places!"
"As usual, Miss Granger, you have gone to the heart of the matter, and that leads us to the proposal we discussed earlier. According to my information, only a person who speaks Parseltongue can open the chamber and control the basilisk reputed to be there. As Headmaster of this school, I would prefer that we NOT have any basilisks, sleeping or awake, anywhere around here. So, I propose that the five of us here go on a "Basilisk hunt", or, to be more precise, a "Chamber of Secrets Entrance" hunt, starting next term. I would like to see if there is any truth to these legends once and for all, and possibly correct a wrong that happened to a loyal friend of mine at the same time. How about it, Harry? Would you like to put your new-found talent to good use, and maybe even spare a few lives while you are at it?"
Harry thought for a moment. "What's in it for me, sir? Sorry to sound so …Slytherin-like, but it sounds either a bit foolish or quite dangerous, and I'd like to know I had some reason for participating besides 'the greater good of Hogwarts.'" This time, only Dumbledore did not seem surprised at Harry's words. Hermione and Miss Puckle's jaws were both open wide, and Minerva was quite taken aback.
"Of course, you're right, Harry. Knowing the influences you have been exposed to in Slytherin house, I completely understand your point. Now, at the risk of offending others in this room, I happen to agree with what you have said to some extent." Now, Minerva's jaw also dropped. "Sometimes, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, especially, seem to volunteer for risky tasks or obey orders loyally without thinking, and this can be short-sighted. I would rather have people working with me who are behind me even though they are fully aware of the risks and possible rewards involved, not because they don't know. It makes for a stronger force when things don't go according to plan. Nobody ends up complaining that 'they didn't know' at critical times. Of course, that doesn't mean that you can share everything with everyone all the time, based on your assessment of their ability to accept all of the facts."
"But, as to what is 'in it for you', Harry. Well, how about a bit of payback on the head of a certain wizard family? From what you have told me, they haven't been too friendly to you since you rejected their invitation earlier this year. If we are successful, I am certain that this expedition will interfere with certain plans he has to remove me from my position here."
"So, if we find this chamber during the year, it's likely that Malfoy suffers?" Harry said with a wink and a chuckle.
Dumbledore's mustache twitched noticeably. "Humiliations galore!"
"That is a noble cause…I'm on the job!" Harry said, finishing the scene from one of the few Muggle movies he had been able to watch while he was growing up.
Both Hermione and Miss Puckle, who recognized the reference, also were snickering into their hands, but Professor McGonagall just shook her head with amusement as she thought, <Try as I might, and as much as I enjoy working with them, I doubt I'll ever really understand those who are Muggle-born or raised.>
"Headmaster, how will we go about this 'search', then? Do you have any idea where to start looking for the entrance?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I have some ideas, but I feel it is best if we all act as if we are investigating this from the beginning. Since the three of us on staff at Hogwarts will be involved with our regular teaching and other assignments, I think it would be best to have Harry work with you to research the legends and tales to see if you can identify possible locations. I estimate that this will take much of next term as you will have to work it in with your normal course work, and two of our top students studying in the library shouldn't draw too much attention. Besides, it may help alleviate some of the inter-house rivalry problems we have at Hogwarts. If you make any important discoveries, please let one of us know immediately. Of course, I must insist that you refrain from attempting to enter the chamber without at least one of us present, if it comes to that."
(A/N - Hope you caught the reference to one of my personal favorite movies, which, fortunately, would fit in the right timeline for Harry and Hermione to see.)