Chapter 18 - Reconciliations
(A/N -This is the last chapter of the Year 2 events in this time loop; coincidentally, Chapter 18 was the end of COS in canon - no, I didn't plan it that way! Of course, the reference for COS is the same as at the end of Chapter 17.)
He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long black shadows through the odd, greenish glow that filled the place.
He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, remembering Miss Puckle's warning to shut his eyes at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir.
Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And, lying between the feet, Harry saw a tightly sealed roll of parchment. When he picked it up, he saw that it was covered with drawings of basilisks and other serpents, but he did not see any way to open it.
"Hmm, it's worked twice already today, let's give it a go one more time," he thought to himself. "Open," said Harry, the proper hiss coming to his lips quickly. Immediately, the parchment unsealed itself with a flash and unrolled in his hand. There was a date at the top indicating a year some fifty years previous. He began to read:
Greetings,
If you are reading this message, welcome to the Chamber of Secrets, fellow Parselmouth, whoever you are! I, Tom Marvolo Riddle, the Heir of Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four, have spent years searching for this legendary, glorious place hidden within Hogwarts, and I finally succeeded in opening the Chamber. Now that I have been prevented from finishing Salazar Slytherin's noble work by the meddling of a Mudblood loving Transfiguration Professor, I have provided a means for someone else to follow in my footsteps. I assume you have been led here by the diary -
<Diary? What diary?> Harry thought. <Wonder what that's about?>
- which I created to record, among other things, the details of my research and the discovery of this chamber. Of course, in case that method was unsuccessful, I have also left instructions with a few intimate associates. They will pass the diary and the instructions down within their circle of like-minded friends and family until the time is right for the Chamber to be opened and the Final Solution to the Mudblood infestation at Hogwarts to be released. By opening this parchment using Parseltongue, you have begun the process of awakening Salazar's pride and joy, his own pet Basilisk. Only a true Parselmouth will be able to enter the chamber and control the beast to have it do your bidding.
I am Lord Voldemort
As Harry read the signature, he noticed that the order of the letters was changing as he watched from "I am Lord Voldemort" to "Tom Marvolo Riddle", and back again. <So, Lord Voldemort was originally called Tom Riddle? This is really strange! Bet he wouldn't be too happy if he knew that I was the one who found this note, seeing as the last time we met he didn't come out of it too well.> He rolled up the parchment and put it in his robes. <I bet Hermione would like to see that!> But then, a sound brought him back to remember his current situation. As he looked up to Slytherin's statue, <- So that's what he looked like -what an ugly bloke…looks just like a monkey…> he saw the mouth was opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole, and something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.
<Uh…oh…better get out of here…FAST!> and he headed back towards the entrance. Apparently he hadn't been seen, as he saw the basilisk entering one of the many pipes leading from the chamber towards the school. <Great…now I've done it! I've released the basilisk into the school! I'd better go see if I can track it down somehow. If only Dumbledore were here! He'd know what to do!> HERMIONE, MISS PUCKLE, IT'S COMING…
********
Hermione stared through the recently opened portal at Harry's retreating figure. "I hope he knows what he's doing, Harmony!" she said to her friend as she guarded Lockhart. "Maybe I should go in after him."
Before Miss Puckle could say anything, though, they heard a very faint voice echoing softly down the passageway they had recently traveled down. "Hello…hello? Anyone here? Hermione? Harry? Miss Puckle?...Professor Lockhart, even? …Anybody here? Hello?"
"Miss Puckle? That sounds like…Ginny! How did SHE get down here?" Hermione said.
"I don't know, but you better go find her before she gets lost. Hurry, Hermione! I'll be fine with this…prat." Harmony jabbed him with her wand as she said this.
Hermione paused for a second until she saw the look of determination on Miss Puckle's face, and she quickly retraced their steps back towards the basilisk skin.
As soon as she was out of sight, Gilderoy, with a knowing wink, turned to Miss Puckle. "So, my dear Harmony…you just couldn't wait to get me alone, could you! How convenient that Miss Weasley showed up when she did, eh? Although, I'm sure you were just about ready to send Miss Granger off to help Mr. Potter, anyway. Either way, we're finally alone, here in the dark, just the two of us…I commend you on your restraint since the beginning of the term, knowing as you did that the headmaster had …restored…my abilities?"
As the shock left Harmony's face and she realized he was serious, the fire in her eyes started building. Unfortunately for Gilderoy, he assumed that it was the fire of passion that she was expressing, so he continued with his pursuit. "I see it in your eyes, my dear…you can't deny it…you've been wanting to get me alone ever since you knew about my restoration, haven't you?" And with that, he made the last mistake he would ever remember making around Miss Puckle - he reached his hand towards a certain part of her anatomy that she wasn't at all willing to have him investigate. "Why…you…IDIOT!" she screamed. "Well, Albus warned you! And with that, she raised her wand high over her head, yelled, "Obliviate!" and there was a bright flash as Gilderoy's memories were no more.
*****
Hermione, meanwhile, had come upon Ginny tearfully stumbling down the passageway in the dark. "Ginny, WHAT are you doing here? You shouldn't be down here, you know! Why did you come down here?" And, why didn't you light your wand?" she said harshly.
"I…I…I'm sss-sorry, Hermione!" Ginny sobbed. "I …I saw all of you…heading towards the first floor, and I wondered what you were doing…so I followed you. I…saw you go down that pipe, and you didn't come back, and I was worried, so I followed you down here…and there were…bones, and skulls, and that huge…snakeskin! Why'd it have to be snakes? I hate snakes, Hermione! I was afraid…if I lit my wand, the snake would be able to see me."
"Hush, Ginny…its okay now, I'm here! Don't worry; we'll get out of here!" Hermione gave Ginny a quick hug and said, soothingly, "Miss Puckle and Harry are up ahead, and together we'll find a way back out of here."
But then, they heard a slithering sound coming from a nearby passage. "Quick, Ginny", Hermione whispered as she pointed to a nearby column, "behind here! Don't worry about that puddle - it's not deep. Now MOVE! We have to hide! And Ginny, whatever you do, don't look into its eyes!"
"Eyes…Hermione, what are you talking about? What's down here?" Ginny whimpered.
"Never mind that…I'm sure you don't want to know. Just keep your eyes closed as much as you can! Just a minute, let me get out my pocket mirror. Then, I can see if it's coming."
*******
"HERMIONE, MISS PUCKLE, IT'S COMING…" Harmony heard Harry's voice as he ran towards the entrance.
"Get up, you pathetic piece of …OOOOH!" Miss Puckle was still fuming as she poked Gilderoy in the side with her wand.
As Harry came through the door, he distinctly heard a dull thud, followed by a loud yelp from Lockhart. "MISS PUCKLE! Did you …just kick Professor Lockhart in the shins?"
"Erm…well, no…it wasn't his shins I kicked…" she said impishly, as Lockhart was doubled over in pain, dry heaving and trying unsuccessfully to catch his breath. Harry realized what he had just heard, and winced. "Here, grab his arm…I assume from what you were just saying, that we need to leave here in a hurry? Sorry, Harry, but I'm not all that keen on letting that…OOOH…touch me!" she screamed in frustration.
Harry was struggling to try to drag Gilderoy along the passageway back to the entrance. Harmony finally calmed down enough to come up with a solution. She put Gilderoy in a full body bind and levitated him in front of them. "At least I don't have to touch him this way. Oh, so sorry…did that hurt, Professor Lockhart?" she said, her voice sickeningly sweet. "It's just too bad it's so dark down here…I can't seem to see all those rocks and things in the way."
"Miss Puckle…what happened?" Harry was very puzzled by her behavior. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn she was taking as much pleasure in transporting Professor Lockhart as roughly as Professor Snape had done with Lucius Malfoy. "Why are you doing all this to Professor Lockhart?"
"Oh, never mind that, Harry. Let's just say that Gilderoy's recently decided to resign his position at Hogwarts as a result of premature…memory loss, and I'm just helping him return to clean out his quarters and his office. I'm sure you will greatly prefer Albus's replacement for next year…whoever it is!" she added quickly.
By this time, they were nearly back to the entrance. Miss Puckle explained the situation to Harry. "Right after you entered the Chamber, we thought we heard Ginny Weasly's voice. Somehow she must have followed us down here. I sent Hermione to collect her so she wouldn't get lost, and I hoped they would wait here until we got back. Now, what happened to you? I assume, from what you were yelling as you came out, that you found the basilisk?"
"Yes, but what's worse, is it is awake and probably heading for the castle as we stand here. And, I released it! It's all my fault, Miss Puckle! I've got to stop it! I can't let it kill anyone this time! It has been trained to go after…well, Mudbloods…sorry, Miss Puckle, no offense!" he said, guiltily.
"None taken, Harry. I know that you're not caught up in all that pureblood garbage", she smiled reassuringly. "Now, where did those girls get off to?"
"Miss Puckle, over there, by that column…what're those…robes…doing there? Wait, there's someone in them…red hair? …Ginny…? HERMIONE? …NO!" he yelled as he got close enough to see the two girls, lying stiffly next to each other in a shallow puddle of water.
"Calm down, Mr. Potter! Don't worry, I've been through something like this before, so I recognize the symptoms. Look, Hermione's still holding a mirror, and Ginny must have seen the reflection in the water when she was hiding behind Hermione. It's okay, Harry! Trust me! They're still alive, just petrified, and we'll be able to revive them as soon as we get them back to the castle."
There was an unexplained anger in Harry's eyes, but also a flutter of fear remaining in his heart from when he had first seen Hermione, and Ginny, too, lying there just now. Only Harmony's assurances had calmed him down enough to speak coherently. "But, we have to stop the basilisk first!" Harry said, with steel in his voice.
"Yes, Harry, but that is a task for you to handle, I'm afraid. I have injured students here that I am responsible for as a teacher. And, call it a hunch, but I just have a feeling that you are best equipped to handle this situation. Just think about it, Harry, and I'm sure what you need will come to you. Now, let's get the girls out of the water and over by the pipe we came in from, and I'll take care of this group."
Harry knew there was only one thing left for him to do after they had moved the frozen students next to Gilderoy, who was completely oblivious to his surroundings. "Wait here, then. I'll go look for the beast…if I'm not back in an hour…"
There was a very pregnant pause.
Harmony kept her voice very steady. "Don't worry, Harry, we'll be fine, and I have confidence you will be, too. Loyalty and bravery such as yours will always be rewarded."
"See you in a bit," said Harry, trying to absorb some of Miss Puckle's confidence into his soul. "I last saw the beast back in the Chamber, no better place to start looking for it, I suppose. I'll just have to follow his tracks from there."
*****
As he passed back through the Chamber door, trying to keep his eyes as tightly closed as he could while he moved quite a bit more cautiously towards Slytherin's statue, he was still unsure what he would do if he actually found the creature. <Now, what was Gilderoy saying, something about a mirror and a blindfold? Guess I should have borrowed Hermione's… although it didn't seem to help her too much!>
And then, before he knew it, he heard something huge moving towards him through the Chamber. He could hear the basilisk's heavy body slithering across the dusty floor. Eyes tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way. He tripped and fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood - the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming -
There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars - He couldn't help it - he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on.
<Fawkes? What is Dumbledore's phoenix doing down here?> Watch out, Fawkes!" Harry yelled. But Fawkes was too fast for the large creature, and soon Harry saw that Fawkes had successfully punctured both of its yellow eyes, now streaming dark blood. But, the basilisk was still a threat as its head weaved drunkenly, trying to find Harry by smell.
"Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone - anyone -"
The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face. When he saw what it was, he was very confused. "The…Sorting Hat? How did that get down here? I wish it was big enough to crawl in…" but he rammed it on his head, more out of frustration than anything, and threw himself flat on the floor to dodge the basilisk's tail.
Help me - help me - Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. Please help me -
There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly.
Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat…
****
As soon as they were dropped off by Fawkes in Myrtle's bathroom, Miss Puckle had immediately levitated the two frozen girls and Lockhart to the Hospital Wing as Harry headed for Dumbledore's office. They had been able to rig harnesses so Harry was able to carry Hermione and Miss Puckle, Ginny; with Gilderoy grabbing on to Harry's leg. Since Harmony refused to let Lockhart anywhere near her, she had taken hold of Fawkes' feathers with one hand while holding Ginny in the other, and Harry had grabbed, somewhat embarrassed, onto the hem of her robes with his free hand as they ascended. "Don't worry, Harry. I trust you to not take a peek at my knickers while you're down there, but that git won't bother you any. I'd probably want to accidentally kick him loose."
****
"So, Harry, it appears that we have a problem to resolve, and I would like you to have a say in it. Apparently the Sorting Hat may have made a mistake in your house assignment, based on what you have just told me happened to you in the Chamber." Dumbledore's kindly voice sounded in the office. "Fortunately, I had to return to Hogwarts early because I had accidentally left some important documents behind, so I was here when you came by."
"Why do you say that, sir? What does killing a basilisk have to do with my house assignment?" Harry was puzzled.
Dumbledore reached across to his desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword (which he had placed on top of an old diary of Tom Riddle's that he had shown to Harry when it had been mentioned during his story), and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.
Godric Gryffindor.
"I have it on the highest authority that only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply. "Therefore, I leave it up to you. Do you want to stay in your present house assignment, or would you like to give it a try in Gryffindor? Under the circumstances, we'd make the necessary arrangements to house you in the tower."
Harry seemed stunned. "Me…a Gryffindor, sir? I don't know…that would be different! That would mean I'd be…with Hermione and…the Weasley's, wouldn't it? And, I dare say, I'd probably have a pretty good shot at making their Quidditch team as a Seeker, if their last match is any indication. 300 to 10, wasn't it? But, come to think of it, I suppose I can just sit tight where I am after Draco's last foul-up - not seeing the snitch until the Ravenclaw Seeker grabbed it from right under his foot…"
After a pause, he continued. "Actually, sir, I still think I'd like to stick with Slytherin House. I mean, Professor Snape's not a bad head of house, unless you get on his bad side, I mean! And, if I leave, what will happen to the Slytherins who are trying to get out from under Draco's thumb? They'll not have an easy go of it, that's for sure. I think I can help them better if I stay where I am."
Dumbledore's mustache crinkled merrily. "Harry, I'm proud of you. Again you are proving what I have always taught - that it is our choices that show us what we truly are, far more than our abilities. You have chosen the harder road, but you have done it for only the best of reasons - for the welfare of others. I commend you for your choice! But, for now, I need to send this interesting document that you recovered from the Chamber to Cornelius Fudge, who is the Minister of Magic if you were not aware. This proves that our gamekeeper Hagrid is completely innocent of the charges that got him expelled so long ago, as I knew all along. It also appears that I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll need a new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher…Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we? By the way, Harry, before you go, I wish to thank you for all you have done for Hogwarts today, and for my friend Hagrid, too. I'm sure that the kindness you have done today will help you somehow in the future."
Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.
Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.
"Why, good evening, Lucius, what a surprise! But, once again, I must ask why the unexpected visit? I thought we discussed the appropriate protocol during your last visit, didn't we?" Dumbledore said pleasantly.
"As a member of the Board of Governors, I have a right to be involved when there is an attack on students, do I not, Headmaster?" Lucius said in his most silky voice.
"Well, that is true, Lucius, although last time, if I remember correctly, you were the one who was doing the attacking, now weren't you?" Dumbledore chuckled, but his smile did not extend to his eyes.
Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury. "So - have you stopped this latest round of attacks yet?", he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"
"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.
"Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"
"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort had attempted to act through someone else by means of this diary, which, as you can see, I have rendered harmless. Having failed in that attempt, there were other plans made to achieve the same results, but fortunately, Mr. Potter was not recruited to this cause."
He held up the small black book with a large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby …
*****
Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night. Harry didn't know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You did it! You killed the basilisk and you rescued us!", or the two quite unexpected things that happened next.
First, he was surprised to see Ron Weasley come up to him, looking quite embarrassed. Eventually, he cleared his throat nervously and said in a quiet voice, "Thanks, Potter, for …well, for rescuing my sister. She's the only girl in the Weasley family for quite some time, and I'm sure Mum would blame me somehow if she had gotten hurt or something." Harry shook the offered hand firmly and said, "Anytime, Ron. Sorry that she got mixed up in all this, but I'm glad she's fine." Ginny had come over, too, and added her thanks, giving Harry a very quick hug before she ran off, blushing quite red.
The second incident was completely unexpected, however. Rubeus Hagrid, the one person who Harry owed his whole existence at Hogwarts to, came over to thank him also. Harry had spent very little time with Hagrid since he had been at school, because he didn't have much interest in Hagrid's particular assignments around the castle.
"Thanks, Harry, for finally findin' that parchment an' provin' that i' twern't me that done it, all them years ago! Jus' wait 'til I tell Aragog what you done! I'm sure he'll be glad tha' you killed th' basilisk, too!" he said, as he slapped Harry so hard on the shoulders that he was knocked into his plate of trifle.
Soon afterwards, Dumbledore made the announcement that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back, not to mention the healing of parts that apparently had been damaged quite severely recently. As she winked at Harry, Miss Puckle seemed to lead the cheering that greeted this news.
****
Too soon, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station and the students started to disembark. Hermione walked with him towards the barrier. "Are you sure you'll be okay, Harry?"
"Hey, I survived last summer break, barely. I mean, another two months with Dudley can't be much worse than being in the same room with Draco for an entire school year. You know, maybe I should reconsider Dumbledore's offer…"
"What about your aunt and uncle? Won't they be proud to hear what you did this year?"
"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? Being bitten by a seriously dangerous beast that kills people on sight, and I didn't even manage to snuff it? They'll be furious…"
And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.
*****End of YEAR TWO****
(A/N -Thanks to a suggestion by one of my faithful reviewers, Zerberus, I added Tom's full name to the letter he left in the chamber - I thought it sounded better that way. You may also notice that Ginny has two lines which are quotes from an old favorite movie of mine. The quote has been fixed from the original post to to more closely match the original reference - it shouldn't be too hard to figure out the movie.)