Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

"Headmistress?" McGonagall looked up from amid the staggering piles of parchment on her desk and shot a rather deadly look toward Madam Pince. "We've got a bit of an issue. Someone has taken two books from the library." The Headmistress tilted her head. "They left a large bag of money in exchange but… I don't remember authorizing a sale."

"What was taken," both ladies looked up to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

The librarian thought for a moment before saying, "Hogwarts: A History and a book on basic wards."

The portrait man leaned back into his chair and grinned widely; "That, my dear lady, is Harry." McGonagall nodded dismissively and returned to her paperwork. That boy had somehow gone through the school without being seen by anyone, truly lucky, or truly amazing?
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"I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to order. Tonks, the floor is yours." Alastor Moody sat back down and watched as his underling stood and began her report with one eye, his other eye examining contents of the large dirty sack Mundungus Fletcher had at his feet.

Today Tonks had long black hair and really pale skin with a heavy eye shadow, which gave her the appearance of a vampire. "As you know, during an interesting confrontation between Harry and Ron and Hermione on his birthday, Harry left. I followed him for a few more hours under your cloak Mad-Eye, and he caught me as we got to a pet store."

"Caught you, how," McGonagall asked curiously. "Did he see your footprints or what?"

"I mean I tripped, and he caught me," the witch replied, blushing. "It was the darn sidewalk's fault!"

"What was Potter doing at a pet store?"

"He went in after telling me to be more careful next time I stalk something, and when he came back out he turned and said to the owner, 'I'll pick them up in three days,' then left. As I was instructed I went back in three days and just before I could ask the shopkeeper about it, Harry walked in, followed him to the back, and came back out with a couple of cages, making strange noises. I couldn't figure it out because I was trying to stay hidden, and then he Disapparated."
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The area around him was empty save for the body of the basilisk that lay in a pile amongst its many shed skins. Harry Potter looked around the Chamber of Secrets smiling at the irony of him having become its only secret now. "Good," he said to himself, having piled the snake and skins up together finally, as up above his head his seventh year was beginning.

"EVANESCO," he cried, slinging his wand forward. This spell had to be repeated many, many times until finally, the pile was gone. Looking at the layers of dirt and blood and mud that had developed here, in the chamber that was built into the plumbing of Hogwarts, Harry knew it'd take a lot more than the Scourgify spell to clean this place up. Softly, he sank down onto the floor, and opened one of the many books he had brought with him from his store, and that he had bought from Florish and Blotts, and he had bought quiet a lot. Moaning Myrtle was promising to bring him news of the outside world every day and to keep his presence secret in exchange for his company, which he was afraid to admit, he would probably soon be happy to give.

He banished several large cardboard boxes and his trunk over the wet pathway in the chamber and onto the platform in front of the mouth of the statue of Slytherin. He looked back to the only to containers left and gave a grin. "You must hate it in there." Harry flexed his wand silently and the cages opened. My nonverbal magic is getting better. Two long large cobras emerged from either cage, if they had limbs they would probably have been stretching them right about then. The cages weren't really that big.

Harry flexed his wand arm and cleared a small area he could sit down in, then turned to look at the cobras. "Rudra, Maleck, this is our home, for now. Here are the rules, you can come and go as you want, but never attack anything larger than a mouse, unless it attacks you first. Understand?" The animals gave an affirmative hiss, bid him goodbye and then slithered off into the darkness on their first hunt.

Feeling a little better after finally letting his pets out of their cages, Harry retrieved the book he had been reading. He made his way through the filth to the platform where he sat, leaning against the large bag full of more books, a cauldron and several potion ingredients, these books in his bag even included Snape's book, which he had hid in the Room of Requirement. Over half an hour later he shoved aside his book and moved to statue of Salazar Slytherin. He had yet to examine what was in the mouth but did not doubt there was something in there.

Now was not the time though, as Harry truly needed to begin his search.

"Silla," he said softly, pointing his wand at a large hunk of stone that had fallen near the mouth's opening. He watched in satisfaction –and to be honest, surprise- as the stone changed into a large, dark green armchair. Silently he flexed his wand and the chair flew backward, skimming over the top of the thin layer of water and landed directly in the opening of the mouth.

After transfiguring two more stones into matching ever-burning candles and another two into torches which stood straight from the ground he smiled. Finally he flexed his wand at his two candles and uttered, "Flota!" The candles took to the air beside the chair and hovered well above the top of the back.

Harry sat down and began to read in the chair, and though he had long periods where the darkness of the mouth he looked at was all he could focus on, he began to read, and read, and read, until he was completely and utterly bored with it. Finally, after what seemed like forever, he came upon a spell he wanted to try. "Ahh here we go," he said to himself softly, as he came across a spell that would be perfect for cleaning up parts of the chamber.

Standing with a sigh Harry Potter examined the Chamber of Secrets, which, he believed was only a prequel to whatever lay within chamber that the mouth of Salazar Slytherin acted as a door to. His gaze settled on the incantation needed to conjure several scrubbing brushes. He raised his wand. " Restriegue," he commanded, and watched as several ghostly white brushes appeared and began scrubbing at the layers of dirt and grime on the ground around him. After a while they disappeared, still leaving a respectable bit of filth in his new home.

He'd have to work on the spell properly later, for now; he wanted to focus on cleaning the statue of Salazar Slytherin. After repeating the spell several times, and after another hour or two, Harry collapsed back into his chair with a sigh. He should have thought to study how to conjure a bed or something before he wore himself out to this degree. Yet, it was much too late now, and he was too tired. With a sigh he pulled out an old Transfiguration book. He could at least create a pillow and blanket. Several minutes later, Harry Potter was fast asleep.

The armchair was a very, very comfortable bed, that is, until he was awoken.

"This is simply terrible," a voice said, right beside his right ear. Harry sat up immediately, rubbing his eyes. Quickly he turned and saw Moaning Myrtle floating over him. The light from her spectral form lit the area around him only slightly, because the torches were burning full force. "Harry, I love it." Harry allowed a bit of dark, bitter laughter to find him.

"I'll take that as a backward compliment, Myrtle, welcome to the Chamber of Secrets. It needs some renovating though," he said, modestly, looking around the large, echoing chamber. He'd need to conjure a bed, and learn some new cleaning spells, of course. "Come Myrtle, let's talk," Harry really needed to know some things, and he would now. "Who're the Head Boy and Girl," he asked finally.

"Hermione Granger and Justin Finch-Fletchley. I hear Blaise Zabini was a close pick though, from the other ghosts. One of the 6th year Gryffindor prefects got withdrawn from the school, its all a lot smaller now, the replacement is Ginny Weasley though." Harry sat up, quickly having lain down upon the cool floor to examine the high ceiling of the room.

"Ginny Weasley? Tell me about her, anything interesting," the girl's face appeared elated.

"I knew it! You still like her!" Seeing his obvious lack of embarrassment, she continued. "She was really sad when she went down to the sorting ceremony after the prefect's got done with getting this speech, it might be nice for you to send her a letter. She's definitely thinner and peaky, and her brother, that detestable ape he is, is looking put out too. Of course, he walked in today with extra long arms, so he looked even more like an ape, must have been jinxed." Harry nodded with a slight laugh.

"No news of Voldemort?" When the ghost shook her head he sighed and allowed himself to lie back. "Thank you Myrtle," he said softly.

"I need to get back to my toilet… in case someone comes," she said, sounding quiet clearly as if she was keeping something from him. "Goodbye, Harry," and without another word, she shot upward, and through the ceiling. Harry sighed as the ghost left, knowing he was alone save for the two snakes off wandering the chamber.

Maybe it would be an idea to write Ginny, hmm? He couldn't deny really wanting to talk to her. Silently he summoned forth a quill and piece of parchment and began his letter; he'd include the usual stuff, and then move on… she'd probably kill him if he didn't give at least, some information. As he finished he put down the quill and began reading.

Dearest Ginny,

My sources tell me you are rather downtrodden lately, even going so far as to describe you as, 'thinner' and 'peaky.' Well let me tell you now, that won't do! You sure as heck better be eating right, and better start cheering up, or I'll know about it. I won't tell you how, nor where I am, just know that I am keeping an eye on you, and pass this on to Hermione and Ron as well. Also, please ask Ron not to be such a knuckle dragger. Just a joke, a joke. I'm well in hiding and training, studying spells that are just outside of Hogwarts curriculum, and some that are in.

Tell Hermione that thanks to her my Transfiguration has increased tenfold, and congrats on making Head Girl. I apologize if Kreacher wakes you; goodness knows he'll probably try. If you wish to return a message, make it the shape of a paper airplane and leave it at the Quidditch Pitch tomorrow morning before classes. Tell Ron to keep the Marauder's Map safe in the bottom of his trunk, it's the only thing I have left of my family.

Goodnight, Ginny.

-Sincerely

Harry J. Potter, The Boy Who Loved

P.S. Throw Hedwig some Owl Treats now and then for me, would you?

With a slight smirk at his own play on words, he took a deep breath. "KREACHER!" He commanded. A resounding crack filled the room. Kreacher didn't at all look happy to see his master. "Kreacher thought master was gone, how pleasant to see master again. The filthy little half-blood he is…" Of course the last sentence was muttered but still said entirely too loudly.

"I order you to stop insulting me," he said just as irritated.

"As master wishes," the elf said after a long minute during which he looked torn between ripping his ears off of his head and screeching.

"Now, Kreacher, you will take this letter to the sixth year Gryffindor Girl's dorm, and lay it on Ginny Weasley's nightstand. You will not read it. You will not wake her or anyone up. You will not tell anyone at all where I am. No one. Do you understand me Kreacher?" The house-elf nodded yanking on one of its large ears. There was a large cut on his little nasty face, and it was bleeding rather harshly.

"Also, tomorrow morning you will go out to Quidditch Pitch and look for a piece of paper in the shape of a paper airplane. You will bring it to me. Now, you will tell master how you were injured."

The house-elf stopped his self injury, and took the letter from his master. "Kreacher was assaulted by that Dobby! Nasty reject, commoner!" Harry raised his wand to the elf's face and sighed.

"You will not fight with Dobby anymore, do you understand?" Now without understanding why, he waved his wand. "Episkey." The large cut and several smaller ones healed on the house-elf's face. Harry sighed; the creature was still his charge, and thus his responsibility.

"Master already ordered Kreacher not to fight with the commoner, Kreacher didn't fight back."

"When asked who healed you, you will say some passing student did it. I don't want you to mention my current existence within the castle. Now, Kreacher, act out your orders," he said, and watched as for a moment the house-elf's expression changed to confusion, and then the creature disappeared in a slightly quieter fashion.

I was actually being nice to Kreacher? Why exactly would I want to do that?

And up in the Gryffindor Common room, a very disgruntled Ron Weasley was being pulled into a seat by the fire. "What is it Hermione," he asked, thickly.

"Ginny woke up during the night to use the restroom and she said she found something. Woke me up and told me to come get you." Moments later, the girl in question came down the steps in her nightgown looking somewhat happier than usual, though pale.

"What is it, Gin," Ron asked, eyeing the parchment in her hand.

"I think Harry was here, and I think he's going to be here again tomorrow morning, here, read this," she said, a little color returning to her cheeks. She was indeed skinnier than last time she had been at the school, feeling infinitely lonelier. Ginny fell into a seat by the fire that was usually Harry's. "I have an odd feeling he won't show up to get the letter until we're gone, so I don't think there's a reason to sit around and wait."

"But we can always try," Ron said softly to his sister, and pulled her into a soft embrace. The girl's tears were rolling very silently down her cheeks. "He broke up with you, didn't he?" The redhead nodded into her brother's chest and she increased her hold on him.