Telling Tales
Blackness. That was what she experienced at first. One second she was seeing the reflection of those terrifying, bloodthirsty yellow eyes with just enough time for her to feel a frisson of fear before she was slipping into cold, bottomless blackness. It was as though someone had taken her mind and suspended it in the most remote and starless crevice of the universe. Occasionally a thought would skitter across the darkness like a rock skipping on a pond sending ripples of temporary consciousness rebounding through the space. Usually it was a fear for Hermione, or a hope that the boys would figure everything out in time, every so often it was an image or a sound - clearly her eyes and ears still worked although she was petrified. More often than not when this happened she saw Madam Pomfrey's face bending over her or picked up a snippet of a teacher's conversation, enough to realise that she had obviously been in the Hospital Wing for some time. Once she even thought she saw, as though from a very great distance, Ginny standing over her, but the image was gone before she could tell if she was crying or not - she suspected she had been.
After an interval so long that even the occasional thought she had was only for a fear that she would be swallowed up by the blackness never to resurface she heard Ron's voice. Except it didn't really sound like his voice; it was as though she was hearing it through a solid wooden door - it was far away and muffled almost beyond recognition. She managed, with great effort to discern what he was saying however.
"- she did see her attacker though? Because if he sneaked up on them…" His voice seemed to drift out of range for a moment before she managed to pick up the thread again. This time it was Harry speaking. "- many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known -" But she didn't hear anymore as the sudden surge of excitement snapped the tenuous link of her concentration. It was enough though. They would work it out now surely. She had faith in them.
After that everything seemed to happen at once. Her surroundings which had for so long been a cold and forbidding darkness suddenly found themselves disturbed by a single pinprick of light and warmth. It was tiny, but it was enough. Forcing her consciousness towards it was like swimming through particularly thick treacle, but Alice made herself do it. Inch by illusionary inch she fought her way towards the slowly growing star. The closer she got the easier it became until in a final rush of light sound and colour she found herself jolting back into her body.
She gagged. The first thing she was aware of was a supremely unpleasant taste in her mouth.
"That's it, that's it, take your time. Don't move too quickly now." Professor Kreevain's voice sounded very close. Slowly, so as not to overwhelm herself with the unfamiliar light, she cracked her eyes open. Her eyelids felt like sandpaper and she winced as her teacher and the hospital wing came into blurry view.
"Here, look straight up," it was Madame Pomfrey's voice now, "this will sort your eyes out in no time." Suddenly two cooling drops landed on her battered eyeballs and after blinking a few times she found that she could see perfectly and without pain. Besides the matron and the History of Magic teacher, Professor McGonagall was standing by her bed holding a beaker of gently steaming liquid and wearing the biggest smile Alice had ever seen on her usually stern professor. She couldn't help but reciprocate.
"Glad to have you back with us Miss Evans." Was that a slight catch in her voice she detected?
Trying to push herself up on her elbows to have a better view, Alice winced as her muscles protested strenuously. Seeing her expression Madame Pomfrey spoke in her usual business like tone. "You'll be a little stiff to start with, it's only to be expected, but that should wear off in a minute or two once the potion's taken full effect."
"There you go," much to her embarrassment her two teachers took her under each arm and pulled her gently upright. Her increased vantage point however meant that she could see everyone else in the room. In the bed opposite Colin Creevey sat animatedly explaining something to Professor Sprout, gesticulating so wildly that he seemed in danger of knocking himself off of his bed. Next to him Justin was, rather more sedately, speaking to Professor Flitwick who was also holding a beaker of potion having evidently just administered it. Professor Binns was nowhere to be seen, which only left Hermione's still prone figure in the bed next to her.
It was a shock to see the state she was in; her wide, brown eyes were glassy and devoid of any signs of life. Her face, fixed in an expression halfway between terror and realisation, had drained of all colour; all in all she looked like a waxwork model not the warm and tempestuous living, breathing best friend she knew so well.
"We're just about to administer the remedy to her." Professor Kreevain could see she was evidently distressed. "Don't worry about her. She'll be right as rain in a minute."
Carefully, using a handkerchief to avoid spilling any potion across Hermione's unresponsive face, Madame Pomfrey tipped it into her mouth. Alice watched with bated breath and unconsciously crossed her fingers as she waited for a reaction. After several tense and drawn out seconds Hermione finally exhaled the tiniest breath followed moments later by a flutter of her eyelashes as she gradually regained consciousness.
"Hermione!" Alice made to start from her bed, but Professor Kreevain put out a restraining hand.
"Give her a minute."
So slowly that Alice wondered if she had suffered permanent damage the brunette blinked twice and stared at the ceiling. Eventually she seemed to become aware of her surrounds because her gaze flicked from one face to the next, smiling in relief when she saw her best friend, before finally settling on Professor McGonagall.
"Were we right?" Her voice was rusty with disuse.
Her head of house smiled back at her. "It is good to see you've returned to yourself so quickly Miss Granger. You've been right about a great many things, and I daresay you will be right about a good deal more before you leave this school." Seeing that Hermione was dissatisfied with her answer she laughed. A sound most unlike her. "Yes. You were right, and just as well too. You both did a great service to the school."
"Are Harry and Ron alright? What's happened?" Having satisfied herself that Hermione was fine Alice was desperate to know about her other friends and what she had missed. "How long have we been petrified?"
"So many questions!" Professor Kreevain chimed with a musical laugh as she waved off Alice's reflexive apology. "Never apologise for being inquisitive Alice. You've been unconscious almost a month."
"And the boys?" Hermione pushed herself upright with a groan.
"Are both fine. They've been keeping themselves busy," she smiled knowingly.
"With more than a healthy disregard for rules I might add." The severity of McGonagall's statement was softened by the twinkle in her eyes. Alice had never seen her look so lively.
"Your friends journeyed into the Chamber of Secrets last night to rescue Miss Weasley," she told the stunned girls. "It would seem that she, bewitched by an aspect of You-Know-Who was behind the attacks and had been taken captive. The monster is now destroyed. But perhaps," Professor Kreevain raised a delicate hand to forestall the tumult of questions that were about to fall from their lips, "we should allow them to explain to you themselves. If Madame Pomfrey feels you can be let go that is?" She looked enquiringly at the matron.
Squinting critically at the two girls' eager faces the matron gave a curt nod. "I don't see why not provided you all," she raised her voice and turned to include the boys on the other side of the room, "come back to be checked over in the morning."
"The morning?" Alice looked for the first time at the darkened windows. "What time is it?"
"About one in the morning I should think. You'll find everyone downstairs having a feast though. There is plenty to celebrate tonight; I'd hurry if you want any food left for you." This was unlikely to be a problem, what with the magically replenishing plates at Hogwarts, but neither girl needed any further encouragement. With the full use of their limbs restored to them they both bounded out of bed and sprinted off in the direction of the Great Hall.
As they ran they laughed and screeched and speculated loudly about what might have happened whilst they had been unconscious. Alice revelled in her ability to simply be able to do these things; never had she felt so happy to be alive. Everything was going to be alright the Basilisk was dead, everyone had been un-petrified and there was a Hogwarts feast to look forward to!
They were skipping noisily down a flight of stairs chattering at the top of their lungs when abruptly they stumbled to a halt. At the bottom of the stairs an older man and woman with flaming red hair and dark circles of worry under their eyes stood looking up at them. Between them was a very dishevelled looking Ginny. From her swollen eyes and red face she had clearly been crying and the moment she spotted the girls she burst into tears again.
Feeling a swell of pity for the poor first year, Alice put aside her reservations and hopped down the last few steps to wordlessly give her a hug. All of the girl's peculiar behaviour over the last year suddenly made sense. Well most of it anyway. How she had tried to speak to them before Christmas in the Library, how she had fiercely maintained Harry's innocence and why she had been looking progressively more unwell as the year continued. After a moment she felt the younger girl tentatively return her embrace.
"I'm so - so sorry," she hiccupped pulling away a moment later.
"Don't be silly," Hermione joined them at the foot of the stairs. "It wasn't your fault at all."
Ginny smiled weakly and gave another watery sniff. "Mum, D-Dad, this is Hermione and Alice. These are my parents," she waved her hand at the individuals hovering over her like anxious mother hens.
"Alice and Hermione?" Mrs Weasley smiled kindly at them. "The boys have spoken about you a lot. Pleased to meet you at last." They all shook hands before lapsing into an awkward silence eventually broken by Mr Weasley.
"I hear you were both brought up as Muggles?"
"Yes, that's quite enough Arthur," Mrs Weasley broke in brusquely. "I'm sure the girls want to get on to the feast and we really should get Ginny up to see Poppy Pomfrey."
"Ah," Ron's father shifted uncomfortably, "yes dear, you're quite right." With final nods all round they ushered their exhausted daughter up the stairs whilst Hermione and Alice rushed off in the other direction again. Within minutes they had reached the door to the Great Hall, which was bursting with life and noise, and paused to locate their friends.
Peering around Alice spotted Neville, Ron and Harry sitting at the Gryffindor table and chatting animatedly about something just as the latter happened to glance up and spot her. An enormous grin spread across his face as he stood up to wave excitedly at them. "Hermione! Alice! Over here!"
Both girls flew the length of the Hall and for the next few minutes all they did was hug each other and exclaim that they were all in one piece whilst the boys tried to pour out a rather garbled version of events all at once. Harry seemed to have split his lip and had several scratches on his hands and cheeks whilst both Ron and Neville were sporting purpling bruises on their heads. None of them seemed to mind however. Eventually they had calmed down enough to resume their seats and at Hermione's instruction began a coherent story of everything the girls had missed.
"You should have seen everyone after you were attacked. It was even worse than after Justin," Harry began.
"The whole school went into lock down and we were only allowed out of the common room for classes and meals," Ron pitched in looking aggrieved. "Malfoy and Lockhart were the worst. You would have thought they both had birthdays or something. What I would have given to be able to punch the smug smile off that blonde git's face!"
"Which one?" Alice grinned as everyone laughed.
"They even cancelled all the Quidditch!" She winced in sympathy at Harry's remark, but Hermione, ever understanding, simply rolled her eyes and smirked. They continued to listen enthralled and outraged in equal measure as he related how they had woken the morning after the girls' attack to find that Hagrid had been arrested and Dumbledore suspended.
"At least everyone realised it couldn't have been you that was attacking everyone," Ron reasoned. "Not, "he hurried to add, "that that was a good thing… I don't mean that… what I was trying to say… Oh Merlin, you know what I mean!" Much to the girls' amusement he flushed his customary scarlet and concentrated on his food leaving Harry and Neville to continue the story.
"They wouldn't let us visit you though; said the monster might come back to try and attack you."
"Neville was really brilliant about that though. Truly inspired," Harry clapped his friend on the back as Ron nodded enthusiastically, his mouth full of pumpkin tart.
"Well," Neville ducked his head in embarrassment, "I didn't do anything really."
"Yes you did, you were brilliant."
"What?" Hermione asked curiously. "What did you do?"
"Well Ron and I went to ask McGonagall after class if we could visit you. But she said it wasn't allowed. Then Neville here," he beamed at him, "came up and said that he had been really upset about it and was worried sick -"
"Which was all true," Neville added in his own defence.
"At one point I thought he was going to burst into tears! I think McGonagall did when we left at any rate, but anyway she caved in and said we could. The minute we left the classroom Neville's eyes were dry again. It was fantastic!"
"It was nothing," Neville muttered sheepishly as Alice and Hermione exclaimed over his actions. "I suppose when people know that you're always scared of things they find it easier to believe when you get upset that's all."
"Neville Longbottom, you are really crafty!" Alice laughed impressed as he grinned back at her looking modestly pleased with himself.
"Anyway we got to visit you, but Madame Pomfrey said there wasn't any point because you couldn't hear us and -"
"Yes I could," Hermione interrupted as Alice nodded in agreement.
"What?"
"I could hear, not all the time, but snippets here and there; mostly Madame Pomfrey talking to the other teachers."
"I heard you when you found the page we had torn," Alice added. "But most of the time it was like being unconscious."
"Oh," Harry thought this over for a moment before seeming to remember he had been telling a story. "Well anyway we came to visit you and I felt the piece of paper in Hermione's hand." At this Alice glanced across at Ron and Neville and she knew they were both thinking the same thing as her: to have felt the piece of paper Harry would have had to have been holding Hermione's hand. Ron nodded subtly to indicate that he had been and she tried, with limited success to suppress a grin.
"Anyway, we got the piece of paper out and figured out the clues you left - which were amazing by the way - and we rushed off to tell McGonagall."
"The only problem was," Ron had finished eating for the meantime and picked up the story again, "when we found her Ginny had just been taken into the Chamber. The teachers didn't know we were there and we heard them talking about it. Lockhart was supposed to try and rescue her but he didn't -"
"Coward," Alice remarked bitterly.
Harry nodded. "But we managed to work out where the entrance to the Chamber was so we took him there."
"Where was it?" Hermione's face was a picture of eager curiosity.
"Guess."
"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?" The two girls laughed as Harry looked crestfallen.
"Mate," Ron punched him playfully on the arm, "they're not the brightest witches in the school for nothing you know."
"Yes well anyway…" he continued to explain how he had worked out how to open the Chamber and they had all slithered through the ancient plumbing system to the cavernous bowels of the school. As he related how Lockhart had turned on them and the tunnel had collapsed trapping Ron, Neville and Lockhart on the opposite side from Harry they gasped. He continued to relate how the events had played out with obviously increasing delight at the girls' increasingly stunned looking faces. So wrapped up in his story were they that Hermione actually squeaked in shock when he related who exactly Riddle had turned out to be.
"It was You-Know-Who?"
"Voldemort," Alice and Harry corrected automatically. Alice too was stunned however; the idea that Riddle and Voldemort were one and the same had never occurred to her - then again why would it?
"Anyway," Harry looked at them once he had finally finished his story, "now it's your turn what happened to you two?"
"Well…" Hermione launched into the tale as the boys listened with rapt attention. As they were doing so Alice suddenly realised that she was famished - unsurprising since she hadn't eaten for a month - so she began to tuck into some of the mounds of food covering the tables. It was wonderful to be in a normal feeling Hogwarts again, without that constant feeling of unease that had plagued the castle since Halloween. Around her people were laughing and joking and generally behaving like the children most of them were. She could see several faces at the Slytherin table that didn't look too happy at the turn of events, but seeing their sour faces only made her smile all the more.
"Anyway," her friend was saying, "Alice checked the corridor and then that was it. The last thing I remember was this horrid yellow eye and then toppling forwards."
"Well it all worked out alright in the end," Neville asserted. "I still don't get how you worked it out though; I would never have gotten that."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for you two we would never have been able to find Ginny and the Chamber."
"Don't be silly," to Alice's amusement Hermione blushed at Harry's compliment even though it had been directed at the two of them. "You lot were the real heroes, we just did the ground work."
"Well not really, if -"
"We get it, we get it! You're all wonderful! Spare us, please." A pair of highly recognisable voices chorused from behind Alice. Smiling broadly she turned in their direction.
"Good to have you back with us Evans," Fred tugged one of her plaits affectionately as his brother ruffled her hair.
"Yeah where would we have been without our resident midget to keep us in line?"
"Nice to see you too."
Looking past her George grinned. "Sorry Hermione, it's good to see you as well," he added belatedly.
"Don't worry about it," she gave a half exasperated smile.
"And what about you three?!" They bowed in the boys' direction.
"Hogging the limelight again -"
"We might start to get jealous."
"Ah but they've learned from the best though George," Fred winked as the five of them laughed.
"True."
"We've just been up seeing Ginny and Mum and Dad. Madame Pomfrey says she's going to be fine, but she's making her stay in bed for the next two days."
"Which, as you can imagine," George grinned, "she took really well."
"Well at least that shows she must be feeling a bit better then," Hermione reasoned.
"Yeah, though what she th - Oh hang about," George glanced up at the far end of the room, "looks like we're about to get a speech."
As the rest of the school also noticed that Dumbledore was standing patiently at the staff table waiting for quiet, the room gradually began to fall silent. Once he had everyone's attention he smiled benevolently at them all.
"It would seem," he began, opening his arms theatrically as he did so, "that we have something to celebrate tonight!" His remark was greeted with a storm of cheers and clapping. "I understand that you will all want to get on with eating all this wonderful food and enjoying yourselves, but before that I would like to say a few more words. Firstly let me say how delightful it is to see that all our petrified victims have been safely returned to us, for which we have Madame Pomfrey and Professor Snape to thank," the room erupted again as all of the victims were congratulated on their recovery. "Secondly for their brave deeds this night I have awarded two-hundred points each to Misters Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Neville Longbottom," for each successive name he was forced to raise his voice further and further to ensure that he was heard over the din emanating from the Gryffindor table. Every single student was on their feet roaring and cheering and stamping their feet.
"And lastly," the Headmaster raised his hands to request some calm, "on a more business-like note I am afraid to say that Professor Lockhart will not be staying with us for the duration of the term and I doubt very much if he will be returning for the coming school year. Sadly he needs to go away and have his memory restored to him."
If Alice thought the grin on her face couldn't get any broader then she had been mistaken. Laughing so much that her face and sides were beginning to ache the friends all caught each other under the arms and did a celebratory dance in the middle of the Hall. Could life get any better?
A/N: As always hope you enjoyed and please R&R!
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