Here we go, the latest chapter of Perfection. I will start by saying that I spent a lot of the day editing this myself, but my Word program seems to have turned its spellcheck off so if anything is spelt wrong, sorry, blame the PC. I think I've done a fair job with this chapter though.
The podium rose from the ground, lifting me up. Looking down I could see a small cylindrical hole in the floor where I once stood. I could feel a cool breeze brush against my face as the lift moved upwards, slowly making its way higher and higher towards the ceiling. Just as I thought I was going to hit it, the roof opened slightly, and the platform rose straight through. Never stopping, never slowing.
I could see the light shining down from the world above, the soft candlelight of the Great Hall glowing like stars from where I stood, except the stars were slowly getting closer, and the sky was expanding. The walls were a pale green, with moss growing in its cracks. Touching one of the stones on my way up, I could feel the damp seeping into my fingers. Nobody had used this lift in a long time. There was a high chance that not even Riddle knew about this.
Riddle... just thinking about him made my skin crawl. He was a parasite on the world, using lies and deceit to coerce followers into doing his bidding. He was a cold hearted killer... that was all. I couldn't bring myself to fear him any more... he was just a powerful wizard with a god complex. Nothing more. Seeing him in the Chamber had been a wakeup call of sorts, the memories I relived solidifying it. No longer could I just sit around and be average, for as much as I hated to admit it, that was what I was. That thought would not have even bothered me before but now it did. I had to become more. I now knew that it was me he was after, not them. It was insulting to them not to be the best that I could be. So far I had been holding back, fearful that Ron would leave me if he realised that I was much smarter than him. Right now that felt like a stupid reason. If he was a real friend he would accept it. If not... I'll cross that bridge when it comes.
I had been given the most amazing gift... a gift that I could never in a million years try to explain. I had what I now recognised as an eidetic memory... total recall. I could soak up information like a sponge and comprehend it far faster than the average person. My eyesight was not only fixed but completely improved. I realised this when I could count the bricks in the Great Hall's ceiling... no normal human being could do that. No other human being could even see the bricks, as the fake sky covered the ceiling like a blanket. Somehow I could see through the illusion. My body was faster, and stronger, the muscles dense and hard, and my reactions were so fast that if it wasn't for my improved eyesight, any movement I made would be a blur. I noticed this when I overbalanced slightly and had to use my arm to stop myself from falling. It was out like a flash, dropping the sword before using the wall to push me back again.
I caught the sword before it even touched the ground.
So stuck was I in my own thoughts that I nearly didn't notice the exit looming, nor the curious heads of people peering down. I should have guessed; a random hole appearing in the middle of the Great Hall. Of course people would be curious. I know I would. As I got closer and closer to the crowd, I noticed people gasp in realisation and move back.
Smirking to myself, I let the sword hang limply by my side and held my head high. I wasn't an arrogant person by any means but if I was making an entrance in the middle of the Great Hall. Being inconspicuous went out the window a long time ago.
I may as well try to enjoy it.
I'm becoming my father I thought to myself. It was strange that just by remembering my parents again I had been influenced by them.
Finally the time had come. The podium rose through the gap in the floor and clicked into place, stopping immediately.
It was then I noticed something was wrong.
I had hoped for a relatively low key return back to civilisation but it seemed that fate wasn't that kind. Looking around I saw many faces looking at me. The Great Hall was full of students, the tables filled with food. When I journeyed down to the Chamber, it wasn't anywhere near dinner time. In fact, dinner had already been served for the day. That was worrying in itself, as it meant I had been incapacitated longer than I initially thought. The second thing that indicated something was wrong was the looks people were giving me. These were not the normal looks of disbelief you would expect from seeing someone rise up through the floor, nor the looks I expected to get for my radically changed appearance. No... I expected those kinds of looks.
No, the looks I was getting were far more alarming. People looked at me white faced, as if they had just seen a body rise from the grave. I could hear the soft clang of people dropping their cutlery in disbelief, frozen almost statue like as they gawked at me.
My eyes surveyed the room further, looking for people I might know. Automatically my eyes rested on the Gryffindor table, at the area where the Weasleys normally sat. It wasn't hard to find as their red hair served as a visual marker for their location. I could see Ron and the Twins just staring at me, looking like they were going to be sick. By now a few seconds had passed, and the silence was slowly starting to disappear. I could hear whispers coming from different corners of the room, low tones that I wouldn't normally be able to hear but I now could just about make out.
"He's supposed to be dead!" I heard someone say.
"Is that a sword... oh my god it's covered in blood"
"Why is he carrying a tatty old book?"
"Look at his arms!"
Whispers gradually turned into murmurs that turned into mutterings. Noise was slowly beginning to permeate the room again, life returning. All through this I stood still, trying to piece together the bits and pieces I was hearing from different corners of the room.
The first thing I determined is that I was definitely down in the Chamber longer than I thought. I had been declared dead. Dead. That was not something that Dumbledore would have accepted so easily. He would have waited for me, expecting me to return. No I had definitely been out of action longer than I thought.
The second thing I could determine was that perhaps I should have found a different way back. What part of me thought it would be a good idea to just suddenly pop up in the Great Hall? I know I wanted to make an entrance but I was expecting just a few people to be here, not the entire school. Looking at the Staff Table I could see the teachers looking just as shocked as the students. Dumbledore looked like his normal benevolent self, yet even now I could see a faint trickle of emotion flash through his eyes. I couldn't tell you what it was I could just see something... hope maybe? I wasn't sure, and to be fair, my concentration only lingered on him for a moment before I my eyes swept the rest of the Great Hall
Pretty soon though my eyes fell back onto the Gryffindor table, where my best friend sat... wait a minute? He was petrified last time I saw him! I should have noticed that as soon as I saw him! Especially with my mind as sharp as it was! Cold as stone he was... he shouldn't be here... what the hell was going on? Across from him I saw Hermione, her eyes shining with barely contained joy. She had been petrified as well... just how long had I been down there? Days? Weeks? This certainly wasn't normal. Almost everyone I glanced at shared the same expression. They were white with shock. Those who I was closest to like Hermione were crying slightly and I could see many of the Slytherins with looks of anger on their face, which made my lips curl up slightly. I hate to disappoint.
It took a few seconds for my reappearance to really sink in. Then the shouting started.
"Harry! Where have you been!?" I heard an upset Hermione ask from her table. From the way she phrased that question she must have been revived for a while, since otherwise she wouldn't have too much time to miss my presence. Then again this was Hermione. She stood up and started running at me like some kind of crazed lion before enveloping me in a large hug. I had to stoop slightly to catch her as she jumped into me, since my new height difference had me tower above her. I also had to drop my sword and kick it away slightly; it was still imbued with venom and even just an accidental scratch would kill her. I'll be honest, it felt relieving holding her in my arms as she cried into my shoulder. It was nice to be reminded that someone still cared after months of ostracization. Without Hermione and Ron around to protect me, it had been open season in the weeks without them. I had literally had nobody to turn to... the teachers barely helped. How could they? They had no proof that I didn't do anything and even if they had, the fickle nature of the student population would mean it mattered little. Having the warm body of Hermione holding me right now was the first form of physical contact with anyone I had had for weeks... well weeks since before I entered the Chamber. Who knows how long it had really been
"Dumbledore told us you had died..." I heard her muffled voice say into my shoulder. She moved her body back now to stare at me through tear filled eyes. I could see the pain in her deep brown orbs and it physically hurt to look into them. They were full of so much hurt.
"Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated" I said with a wan smile, trying to defuse the tension. To this she gave a shaky laugh and smiled back. Ron started to make his way over too, and I noticed a few of the teachers vacate their seats to walk towards me.
Ah shit, I thought. The last thing I wanted to do right now was talk to the teachers. All I would get is questions I wouldn't be able to answer, and others I would refuse to answer. The less known about what happened down in that Chamber the better. It seemed that it didn't matter to them that I had only just managed to leave the Chamber; they were still intent on cutting short my reunion.
"How long?" I asked, knowing that Hermione would grasp my meaning.
"3 weeks" she said simply.
"3 WEEKS?!" I exclaimed. That can't be right could it? I couldn't have been down there for that long... 3 weeks... that's impossible I thought to myself, though looking at the students' faces when I entered the room, I knew it to be true. It had to be... people were looking at me like a ghost, though their vacant expressions could also be attributed to the fact I had literally risen from the floor.
"What? You didn't know? What have you been doing? Why do you look so... different" she rattled off, her questions coming in quick succession just as they always did when she was excited.
"I'm pretty sure I was unconscious for most of it... as for my appearance, that is a long story" I said noncommittally. I really had no rational way to explain that.
"What-" she started but was cut off.
"Harry it's so good to see you. As touching as this reunion is, do you mind if we take this up to my office? We have much to discuss." Dumbledore's genial voice came from behind Hermione. I did the best I could to keep my face neutral. After what I had learned from my memories, he wasn't my favorite person in the world at the moment. Still, I had to play nice, and I quickly mouthed 'I'll explain later' to Hermione before I followed the Headmaster out of the Great Hall. I was halfway out when I stopped.
"Wait" I said to the headmaster before turning to face Ron, who was now only a few feet away from me. I couldn't just leave and not acknowledge him. It felt wrong. Looking at him now I didn't really know what to say though so I just kept it simple.
"It's good to see you." I said warmly
"You too mate... wow you look different" His warm smile disappeared, turning into a more serious look. "And thank you for... well you know. She would be dead if it wasn't for you. I'll never forget it."
"Don't mention it Ron, you're like family to me... and by extension so is she. I would never let anything hurt any of you" I said, pushing feeling into every word. I didn't want him to feel like he owed me anything. I'm sure someone else would have tried had they known what I did and could speak parselmouth.
"As for... well... this, I'll catch up with you later. It appears the Headmaster wants to talk to me. Though why he can't wait until I've at least had some sleep I don't know." I added, throwing a quick glare at the Headmaster before schooling my face into a rather blank tone. He seemed to wince slightly but I didn't care, my point was made.
"It would be best if we dealt with this while events are still fresh in your memory" he placated. Memory... that was a joke. If only he knew.
"It appears that I'm needed. See you later." I said to Ron and he nodded.
I followed the headmaster as he walked ahead of me out of the Hall, trying to ignore all the eyes staring at my back. I couldn't really blame them but the irritation was still there. The attention was like a curse I couldn't escape it seemed.
Even the paintings started heated whispers as I walked past, gossiping portraits running from frame to frame spreading news of my return. It was as if they had nothing better to do. The ghosts stayed out of my way but I could catch a few of them watching from the shadows at random intervals. They didn't approach, realising it wasn't the time for greetings. It was obvious the Headmaster wanted to talk to me, and I was determined to get this over and done with as fast as possible. I still couldn't make my mind up on what to think about him. My memories seemed to be incomplete, painting a picture from a certain angle that was sure to leave out particular details. I wasn't going to judge right off the bat but I was going to be wary, that much was sure. Okay, that was a lie. I was rather judgmental of him, but so far I didn't know exactly how much he had screwed up, just small parts of it. Like why I wasn't currently living with my godfather. If it was for the reasons I thought it was, I would never forgive him. I thought it was strange that before my memory reel I hadn't even heard of his name. Was he dead or something? I filed away his name for future questioning... not today though.
Today it would raise questions. Questions like 'How do you know that name?'. I resolved I would do some digging on my own first.
Nor was I going to judge any of the other professors that were quietly following behind, stealing glances at me every now and again. Most of them took on various expressions of curiosity and relief, though Snape's trademark sneer remained. He almost seemed offended that I was alive, that my mere presence was inconvenient. It didn't bother me, since this was normal, and just served to show that no matter what the situation, there were some things that just never changed. It was strangely comforting.
Several times someone made to speak, only to stop themselves. They obviously wanted to bombard me with questions and realised that they would all have their answers soon, and that journeying to the Headmasters office would be pointless if they started to question me now.
So they waited.
With my new improved eyesight, the entire castle looked different. I could see details that I had always missed, little cracks in the walls and differences in the colouring of the castle's large panes of glass. It was strange to think I had missed so much just by having bad eyesight. The castle seemed so much brighter, dark shadows looking almost faded. I was so caught up looking around as I walked that I nearly bumped into Dumbledore as he stopped in front of the Gargoyle.
"Chocolate Lime." he said, and the Gargoyle moved aside, revealing the spiral staircase that led to his office. He still hadn't spoken. The Headmaster kept giving me wary glances but that was it. He was curious, that much was sure and I knew that I had to be careful. Revealing too much could be disastrous.
Once I ascended the stairwell I found myself standing in the familiar surroundings of his office. Just like last time, many magical instruments adorned the tables, some spinning and whirring, others smoking away doing things that I could not even begin to understand. It was like the room itself had a life of its own, a pulse. Without the presence of magic, this room would feel empty and hollow, like its very life was sucked away. Even if you left the moving portraits behind it just wouldn't feel right, like there was something missing.
Sitting in his perch I saw Fawkes, his obsidian eyes regarding me closely. He gave a soft crooning sound, and I felt compelled to approach him, reaching out to gently stroke his feathers. He seemed to luxuriate in the attention, and made no move to back away. His feathers felt warm but not uncomfortably so, and smooth to the touch.
"Thank you" I whispered, so low that nobody else could hear me. By now everybody had filtered into the room, and the door had closed. The phoenix merely bowed slightly and crooned against my touch. Time to face the music. I turned away from the beautiful bird and faced the professors that were now scattered throughout the room.
"It seems Fawkes has taken a liking to you Harry." said Dumbledore with amusement. The bird chirped in response but Dumbledore just chuckled.
"You could say that, sir." I replied.
"You've given us quite a scare the past few weeks. I'd say if it wasn't for young Miss Weasley's appearance in my office that night, I wouldn't have a clue where to find you. May I ask why you decided to go off on your own, rather than find a teacher. Surely you must have realised how reckless that was." Dumbledore said, stroking his beard slightly as if he was lost in thought. He was obviously trying to sound scolding, though it came out more condescending than he perhaps intended.
"I would apologise, but Ginny would have died had I not intervened." I said in an even tone. I was certainly not going to say sorry for saving someone's life.
It appeared Snape didn't take well to my tone however and started to speak something that was obviously an insult, though another professor beat him to it
"That does not explain why you decided to go by yourself!" McGonagall's sharp voice rang out. She scowled at me, her eyes burning with a fire that I had seen very few times. She was angry.
"There was no time." I said, shifting uncomfortably on my feet. There was something about being under those eyes that made me shrink in to myself, regardless of whether I had done something wrong or not.
"I found the Chamber." I spoke quietly. You could have heard a pin drop in that office from how little sound was made. Their faces had gone from angry to shocked...well most of their faces, as Snape's was still as sullen as ever, though there was a visible stiffening of posture. There were many things with these new eyes that I noticed that were not visible before.
"So it exists then" Dumbledore spoke softly.
"Surely you don't believe the brat? The Chamber has not been discovered for hundreds of years and you think this... boy found the place? Preposterous! He's a liar, just like his fath-"
"Predictable insults aside, yes the Chamber exists. It's not too difficult to find if you know where to look." I said more confidently, dismissing Snape's usual taunts. I wasn't going to let him build up a head of steam.
"Why you-!"
"Severus! May we please stay on the matter at hand." said Dumbledore with authority. His tone brooked no room for argument and Snape quickly clammed up, though he didn't stop glaring.
"Go on." Gestured Dumbledore. "You said that it was easy to find?"
"Oh yes sir. You see the signs were there. From the spiders escaping the walls to the location of the victims. Did anyone even once wonder why all the victims were on the second floor? Or why there were trails upon trails of arachnids fleeing the castle? I'm ashamed to admit I didn't make the connection at first, but I kept digging. I thought about how the victims were found. That was my first real clue to work with. They were always looking through another medium. Hermione was found with a mirror for instance, and Colin Creevey was found looking through his camera... Filch's cat was looking upon the waters reflection. It was the little things that added up in the end."
"I have to admit that is rather intuitive of you Harry. That doesn't explain how you found the Chamber however." Dumbledore said, obviously trying to hurry along the conversation
"I'm getting there, don't worry. Everything is relevant" I replied with a wave of my hand. "You see, I had been hearing strange disembodied voices all term. At first I didn't think much of it and passed it off as just being tired, but after a while it became more frequent. I found it odd that nobody was hearing what I was hearing. Looking back on it now it was quite obvious what I was hearing."
Dumbledore looked at me thoughtfully, flashing a soft smile as he replied.
"Hindsight is something that we are not gifted, and rightfully so. The most important life lessons are often made from mistakes" he said.
"Well this mistake could have cost lives. Luckily no-one had died yet and when I finally discovered the creature was a Basilisk I had something to work with. I still didn't know where the Chamber was though so I started to plot where the attacks took place, hoping to find a pattern. They were all around the second floor but other than that they appeared to be rather random. I wandered the second floor, hoping to find some kind of clue when another obvious fact hit me... I'm sure you're all perfectly aware of the second floor bathroom and who haunts it?" I enquired, so as to make sure everyone was on the same page as I spoke. I received nods all around. Flitwick had his hand on his chin, obviously very curious as to where I was going with this.
"I began thinking... what if she never left? This is probably before most of your time so you probably wouldn't know this but Myrtle McTravis was a student here in the 50s, a student, may I add, that was found dead in the very bathroom which she currently haunts. Normally I would pass this off as a coincidence but one fact which I'm sure most of you DO know is that it was that year in which the Chamber was last opened. Am I right so far, professor?".
The Headmaster gave me a wary look, like he was afraid of what I was going to say next. I suppose he was. He knew that this entire debacle was at least partially his fault. How could it not be? Me, a 12 year old student only in my second year had managed to solve a thousand year old mystery using nothing but careful deduction and use of logic.
"You are correct, yes." he affirmed, before gesturing for me to continue.
"So I went and confronted her, though very carefully as I know she can be a little sensitive at times. It turns out that the last thing she saw before she died was, yes you guessed it, a pair of yellow eyes. That to me, pretty much confirmed the creature was a Basilisk. I thanked her for her time and then started searching the room... It was pretty obvious the entrance was in there somewhere and it didn't take me long to find out its location. I noticed a serpent engraving on one of the taps, and commanded the sink to open... and it did."
"I'm sorry... command it to open?" said Flitwick skeptically.
"I'm sure you didn't just tell it to open... otherwise anybody could have opened it." said Sprout in a slightly confused voice.
"I'm sorry, I should have made myself clearer. I commanded it in Parseltongue." I reiterated. The professors in response just gaped at me with an opened jaw.
"Think about it, Slytherin only wanted the heir of his line to be able to access the Chamber, you think he would have put up a standard password that anybody could use? No he would lock it down with Parseltongue, one of the rarest magics in existence. He wouldn't leave anything to chance." I finished, and I fidgeted uncomfortably. It seemed that even after my ordeal, no matter how much had now changed, I still didn't like being the centre of attention.
"Quite remarkable... and you discovered this by yourself?" the Headmaster asked.
"Yes... I guess so, though all I really did was follow clues." I said casually.
"And still, you found it, where no-one else has." He pressed.
"I was lucky... but perhaps you are right." I conceded.
The old wizard smiled slightly. I found it strange that the other teachers had mostly remained silent, but perhaps they were just allowing the Headmaster to take the lead. He obviously held much respect among the staff, even from Snape, who hadn't stopped glaring since he came into the office.
"So I went in..."
"Without help." McGonagall said with disapproval.
"Without help." I repeated.
"Without once telling someone where you were." she continued.
"Precisely... why would I? It's not like the faculty has been very helpful before. And do really think I'm so naive to believe that you would have let me go had I told you? No you wouldn't would you? And that wasn't the only door that had to be opened with Parseltongue, so your adventure down into the Chamber would have ended with you trapped down there, with no way out knowing that a Basilisk could have preyed on you at any second. I think it's very a good thing I didn't tell anyone." I pronounced, irritated by my head of house's response. I was not going to be pulled into this argument.
Nearly every time that she could have helped, both this year and last, she had failed. Last year I had come to her with information on the Philosopher's Stone, and she had just dismissed my warning, thinking that it was perfectly safe.
It wasn't.
This year she could have put a stop to the rumours of me being the heir mere days after they started, but no, she let the rumours fester, almost giving credibility to it. By the time that people realised that they had made a mistake the damage had been done and I had been ostracised. For the last few months I had had no friends and it was her fault. No one else's. Well that wasn't entirely true but she did make it very hard for me to keep a kind of hold on my friendships. I was truly alone.
I was not going to be scolded for not seeking out someone that had done nothing to help me before.
"You should have told someone... but perhaps it was for the best" Dumbledore's pensive voice spoke out, obviously trying to stop an inevitable argument before it started.
"From what I heard from young Miss Weasley, you had quite the ordeal."
"And what did she tell you?" I said with a sharp edge to my voice. If there was one thing I didn't like it was people being used.
"Only that you saved her from Tom and that you were dying... she was rather hysterical."
"Yet you still decided to ask her questions? I would like to think that you would at least have some tact. She had been through a horrific ordeal." I said irritably
"I had to ask Harry. With you missing and her obvious sign of distress, we were very worried." He responded
"I know... I just think it's unfair." I conceded. I really couldn't argue his point, even if it didn't quite sit well with me.
"I agree... but we had to know" He replied. For a few seconds silence followed.
"I know, that's what makes it worse." I said dejectedly
"So what happened?" he asked, gesturing me to continue with my story.
"Riddle happened." I spat venomously. Just the thought of that name made me angry. The man had no shame, taking control of an 11 year old girl to do his bidding. It was sickening, yet at the same time, I had to admire his persistence. He just didn't know when to quit.
I noticed the room visibly flinch as I spat the name, not because of the connotations of it, but more through the sheer malice with which I spoke the words. I don't think any of the teachers had really seen me this angry before... with this much hate in my voice. Anger wasn't something I let run free often. The Dursleys had taught me to repress it or get burned even worse
"By the time I had got into the main Chamber the disgusting leech was already possessing Ginny, wearing her body like a glove puppet. Hearing his words come out of her mouth... there isn't really any way I could describe that other than horrifying. I don't know whether she was aware when he was speaking but it was like she wasn't in there at all, just a body being controlled by a mad man." I said bitterly, looking at each of the professors in turn. They looked just as horrified as I was at the turn of events.
"We talked for a while. Exchanging barbs while getting small pieces of information from each other. To be honest I was stalling. I knew something was wrong the moment I saw Ginny possessed. Tom seemed... familiar to me. At least now I know why." I said and they all nodded gravely. It seemed most of the teachers in this room must have taught Riddle at some stage, at least the older ones. Snape just looked pale. He was still trying to sneer but it almost seemed halfhearted.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle... an anagram. So simple... anyway he told me who he was, then described in great detail what he had done to Ginny, using her own insecurities against her. I must remember to talk to her later actually... I can't let those feelings fester. They will eat her alive." I said sadly and Dumbledore nodded with an approving smile.
"I think she would appreciate it. She's been having a... tough time over the last few weeks. Your sacrifice hit her hard" Dumbledore said gravely. Yes... I really must speak to her I thought.
"So after I realised who he was I knew I had to somehow get out of there... I am not ready to fight Voldemort... not even close. I may have vastly improved my work ethic recently but I'm still a second year. Facing him would be insanity... why would I do that?" I asked rhetorically.
"But I couldn't run could I? If I ran what had I done? I had entered a Chamber, found Ginny and what? Left again? She would still have been possessed and the monster would still be alive. It would be a failure... I would feel like I had failed myself. So I stayed... I had to stay."
"Foolish-" I heard Snape start but I wasn't about to let him speak.
"We are not all cowards like you Snivellus" I said darkly and watched with a smirk as his face paled even further. There was no way I should know that insult... not in a million years. He was about to draw his wand in anger when Dumbledore's voice broke out.
"Enough! Harry, please don't speak that way to a professor and-" Dumbledore emphasised before a full-fledged grin could form on the potions professor's face "Severus, you know you are not allowed to draw your wand on a student. Don't make me remind you again." He said menacingly, making Snape flinch. "Please keep your self-control Severus" he said in warning. His voice brooked no argument and Snape quickly lowered his hand from his wand.
"Carry on" the headmaster gestured, acting as if nothing had happened.
"As I said, I faced him... there was really nothing else I could do. To be honest, even if I did run, I'm pretty sure he would have stopped me anyway. After a short while, Fawkes came, dropping the sorting hat onto the floor, then flew away again. I didn't know what to make of it. Even Tom mocked me for it and for a split second I couldn't help but agree... then he summoned it." I said, taking a deep breath.
"The serpent was huge... I can't even describe how big it was. Its scales shimmered like emeralds and its teeth... if it wasn't for the fact that Fawkes came back and blinded the thing I don't think I would have stood a chance. I still ran though. I couldn't face the thing head on, even with a wand. I didn't even know any spells that could get through its hide... so I ran... and ran fast. I dove straight into the plumbing, as there were many pipes intersecting with the Chamber... it was rather like a maze and a few times I was afraid that I might have gotten lost. Luckily I didn't but the fear was there." I gulped, wincing at the memory... everything was so much worse now, as I could remember every feeling... every smell, every breath... my eidetic memory was working overdrive and it was starting to make me feel sick. I shook myself out of my memory and carried on with the story. It would do no good to break down now. I could sort myself out later.
"In the end I managed to make my way back into the main room. Riddle seemed rather surprised that I was still alive, though very confident that it was only a matter of time. To be honest it was... I was so out of breath I was starting to slow, and when the Snake caught up, I was sure I was done for. It was then I saw it... out of the corner of my eye." I said, remembering the sword appearing out of the hat. I held the bloodied sword up in front of me as I recounted the moment.
"It flashed a bright gold as it suddenly appeared out of the folds of the hat. At first I didn't know what it was... but when I saw it, I felt hope and immediately dove for it. Finally I had something of use. The odds were against me but I had a chance... that's all I really wanted. The Basilisk dove at me multiple times, snapping its jaws into the floor. It was so fast it was unbelievable... I had no idea something that big could move so quickly. In the end it was only luck that defeated it... well luck and stupidity." I snorted. Looking back it really was a stupid move. I could... should have been killed. It was a miracle I was alive... quite literally. I still didn't know what really happened.
"The Basilisk snapped down to bite me and instinctively I raised my arm and drove the sword up. I don't know what possessed me to do it. I stabbed it through the roof of the mouth, but not before one of the fangs got jammed into my arm." I said, and those listening to the story gasped in shock. It was a well-known fact that basilisk venom was fatal, no exceptions.
"You should be dead." McGonagall said in a shocked whisper.
"I should be... but I'm not... I'm not sure why I'm alive... I think it was Fawkes that saved me... though I was in so much pain I'm not sure." I looked over at the majestic bird and it nodded slowly, affirming that what I had said was true. I was almost completely sure that he had saved me, but my pain at the time had made it almost impossible to be completely certain. Now I was.
"So there I was, the Basilisk dead, and me slowly dying... I thought I had lost at the time but then I saw the diary on the floor and... I don't know... I guess I could say I just reacted. I figured that since the diary was what was controlling Ginny to begin with, that if I destroyed the diary, Tom's hold on her would stop... looking back I guess I also ran the risk of killing her in the process. I was lucky that didn't happen... thank Merlin." I said, relieved that my gamble had paid off...I don't know what I would have told Ron had my attempt failed.
"So Riddle left Ginny's body with a scream, coming out of her mouth like smoke... my vision was starting to blur by then so I'm not really sure what happened. All I knew was that Riddle was gone... I was awake just long enough to see Ginny hit the floor and regain her senses... I told her to leave... and then I passed out." I finished, being careful to edit the details carefully. I wasn't entirely sure what had happened myself, but I wasn't going to give them any more indications that something strange had happened.
"Come now Harry, we can all see with our eyes that something else must have happened. You look years older than what you are." said the Headmaster, his eyes twinkling in apparent amusement, which annoyed me to no end. Even if I did know the exact circumstances of my current condition, I wasn't going to tell the Headmaster about it. From my memories I saw that he always had some kind of agenda, no matter how well-meaning his actions were. Sometimes it was best if you just did things yourself and only called for his help when you actually needed it, and at this moment, I really didn't.
"I woke up like this Headmaster. I am just as clueless on the whole thing as you are" I said to him. It was only a slightly lie. I had a vague idea of what happened but I wasn't going to tell him my suspicions. If I was right then it would sound rather alarming, even if it was actually rather harmless.
"Are you sure there is nothing that could have happened to elicit the change? You could have lost years of your life. Wouldn't you rather be young again? I'm sure we could find a way to reverse the change if you desired" he said conversationally, though I could see by the tone of his voice he wanted me to say yes. I didn't know why though. I had felt better than I had in years.
"Why would I want that? I can see without glasses! That's enough of a reason alone to leave things well enough alone." I scoffed.
"Really?" he asked, surprised. "Fascinating. Are you sure though? We don't know what caused this. What if it endangers your health?" He asked, absent mindedly stroking his beard
"It won't. I'm almost 100% sure that this happy result has a lot to do with the Phoenix that is sitting so comfortably on its perch beside you. Remember I was poisoned by the most potent known venom found in the world yet I have no wounds. Something must have healed me, and the only thing with healing powers that strong is phoenix tears. There just so happens to be a phoenix in this office." I said with a smile, winking cheekily at the proud bird who inclined his head in return before letting out a cry from its perch. I could feel the waves of calm pouring off the creature as the beautiful sound came forth.
"I still think you should see Madam Pomfrey, just to be sure." He pressed.
"I'm fine sir I promise" I said quickly "just tired. I'm still 12 even if my body says differently. I don't think there is danger in staying this way." I said, trying to reassure everyone that I was fine. To be fair I did look terrible. My robes were completely covered in blood, what was left of them anyway, and my eyes had bags underneath them since I hadn't slept properly. The recollections of my past didn't really count as sleep, as I was in a semi-awake state while I viewed them.
"Well if you're sure." he said uncertainly
"What, you're just going to let him go like that?" said Snape in a disbelieving voice. He'd obviously found his courage again.
"I think I've answered everything you wanted to know haven't I?"
"He's hiding something I know he is. Listen to his syntax. It's completely different from the Potter we have heard in class. It's like it's not even him." Snape said suspiciously. Damn him and his observational skills. I suppose it was to be expected. Dumbledore had probably noticed the same thing mind you, he just wasn't so blatant about it.
"And you don't hide anything professor? I can assure you that I'm no imposter. Fawkes recognised me as soon as I walked in the room and he would be able to see through deception in a heartbeat." I said sarcastically in his direction.
"Whatever do you mean?" Snape asked with contempt.
"Does that arm of yours itch when you go to sleep? I'm sure everyone at this school is aware you're a marked Death Eater." I said with sarcasm, causing his face to go white, and the professors around him to look away uncomfortably.
"We all have secrets professor, what makes you think you have a right to mine?" I asked coldly.
"Enough. Harry, how do you know that term?" Dumbledore said. Of course... nobody had ever told me what Voldemort called his followers, had they.
"Death Eaters? Anyone can open a history book professor. The name is written down a number of times" I said. It wasn't a lie obviously, just not how I learned it.
"I never took you as someone who is interested in history." McGonagall said in a surprised voice. She had probably seen my appalling marks in the subject.
"I'm not really, but when half the history books you read mention you, you start to read them just to see what other people have written about you." I replied. Not exactly true, most of my knowledge came from small pockets of conversation between my parents. Sometimes, when they couldn't find a sitter before they went into hiding, I even overheard some meetings of the Order Of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's secret group, but they didn't need to know that.
"I wouldn't put too much stock in what those books write about you. Most of them were written before you were even a toddler." Dumbledore said reassuringly. The way he said it, there were obviously some fairly ludicrous stories going around about me.
Maybe I should start to read up on myself.
"Oh I know... some of the theories describing how I 'defeated Lord Voldemort'" I mocked, before growing angry at the teachers flinching. "For god's sake it's a name and a fake one at that, you have no reason to be scared of it."
"I'm sorry but in the war, to say his name-" McGonagall started before I cut her off. I wasn't about to listen to another history lesson.
"Was an open act of defiance and could lead to you and your whole family being killed." I finished for her. "But this isn't the war is it? He's gone. It's like a muggle fearing Hitler's name because of the atrocities he caused but he's dead, he can't hurt anyone." I said.
"Harry Voldemort isn't-" Dumbledore started
"-dead no, but for now he's as good as and to flinch at a mere name is ridiculous". I interrupted again. We really weren't getting anywhere with this it seemed.
"Harry, while I agree with your sentiment, it isn't quite as easy as that, please be respectful to your teachers." He said sadly. I felt ashamed at that. I knew I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me there.
"Sorry sir." I said, to which he nodded appreciatively.
"We are getting off topic I believe." Professor Dumbledore said. I could tell that now that the subject was breached, he wouldn't just let it lie. It wasn't in his curious nature to do so. I took a few seconds to ponder what would be best to tell him. My eidetic memory was certainly out. If there was something in my childhood memories that wasn't meant to be common knowledge there was too much of a risk of having my memory tampered with. I didn't know much about memory charms but I wasn't going to risk this newfound ability being tampered with no matter what the reason was. I had less than two years of memories of my family. I wasn't going to give that up.
Of course this was probably just paranoia since he might not even do that but that wasn't the only reason I was keeping this to myself. The advantages of this hidden ability were too great to become known by others. I could imagine the intellect that I would gain now that I couldn't forget details... I felt like Hermione in a book store.
So what to tell him I wondered. In the end I decided to go with the revelation I had when I had been forced to function without my two best friends for most of the year. It wasn't the whole truth and couldn't explain my drastic character change since leaving the Chamber but it would serve its purpose.
"I wasn't aware there was one. I believe we were done until Snape decided to act all suspicious on me. Professor I sound different because I am, simple as. If I acted with any degree of intelligence in the classroom, don't you think that I would draw a little unwanted attention? Oh I have no problems being complimented on things but you forget my friends don't you? Hermione defines herself by the fact she is the top of almost every class. That is what gives her confidence. I couldn't take that away from her could I? She would grow to resent me if I beat her in even one of her classes. Ron on the other hand is the opposite and would be vastly intimidated if I were to outsmart him. He is also lazy and would probably persuade me, to my great shame, to slow down in my studies and play chess or something like that." I said, explaining my reasoning as convincingly as I could. None of what I said was the real reason, though what I said still rang true.
"I realise now however that there is really no point though, since someone has decided it's in their best interests to kill me. I don't know how I am going to deal with my friends next year but I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now that is really not something I want to think about." I finished, bowing my head slightly. I was not looking forward to those conversations when they came. It would either make or break the friendship that I had formed over the last 2 years. Losing them was really the only thing I truly feared. The Weasleys were like family to me and Hermione was like the nagging sister I never had. I just hoped that whatever issues they would have in the beginning would go away in time.
The professors looked at me with rather shocked faces. Even I could tell they were very surprised by my admission.
"You've been holding back?" Asked McGonagall in a whispered tone.
"Not so much the last weeks as you can tell but in general, yes" I said. That was slightly true actually, since even though I was never gifted at transfiguration before, I was still operating at a lower level than I could have. Knowing the real reason why there was a madman after my head made me think that perhaps there was no more point in playing games. Even if I hadn't had to think of a reason for my personality shift, I don't think I could have gotten away with my mediocre performance for much longer. This was no longer about pride and more about survival.
"All for you friends? Why would you do that to yourself? I'm sure they would have accepted you for who you were."
"You have to see it from my side professor." I said, taking a deep breath. Talking about them was never easy for me "I had grown up in a home that barely resembles family, where any potential friend would be scared away by my cousin. I couldn't afford to lose them... I still can't..." I said, tapering off at the end. It was an admission of weakness I never wanted to make but it was true.
"Harry... I really don't know what to say. Albus, I told you not to leave him with those awful muggles. Look what has become of the boy!"
"Minerva... I am aware of your concerns but it was for Harry's own safety" Said Dumbledore frustratedly. He obviously did not want to talk about that.
"And who protects me from them, sir?" I asked with a bitter edge to my voice. I did not really want to talk about it either but the flippant way he regarded my admission bothered me.
"Sorry?" McGonagall said, blinking her eyes in surprise.
"Who protects me from them? You do realise that I have suffered 3 broken wrists, 2 concussions and chronic malnourishment don't you?" I asked, quirking my eyebrow at Professor Dumbledore. His face paled considerably.
"What! Albus! Why have I not heard about this? I told you they were the worst sort of muggles"
"Surely he is exaggerating" He said disbelievingly.
"How can I exaggerate broken bones? Look at my medical records I'm sure you can find them" I said venomously. How dare he... I have never once lied to him... at least not on something that big. The sheer audacity of him to accuse me of lying about physical abuse made my blood boil.
"How could you have missed this? I thought he was being watched." Said Professor McGonagall
"He is Minerva, I have been reassured by Arabella Figg-" he said before I interrupted in anger.
"Mrs. Figg? The batty old woman with the cats? She's one of ours? All the years I have been in Privet Drive and she's hardly been kind to me. She can't see what goes on in the house anyway she only sees what goes on outside. And outside, the Dursleys put on a front of kindness to show 'how normal they are.'" I interrupted, my voice dripping with sarcasm, livid that all this time I was being watched by someone from the wizarding world and she did nothing, nothing to help. She never once gave any indication that she was the least bit magical, not that I would have noticed back then but looking back now, she was always so...normal. Boring as well actually. I always hated going to her house when I needed babysitting. My anger at the Headmaster was steadily rising.
"I have been assured by Arabella that he was doing fine. I wasn't aware of any mistreatment" he replied.
"James and Lily would be disgusted by this" I heard the previously quiet Professor Sprout say. "Their own son being treated so badly by Lily's sister... Albus you must do something about this" she said insistently, to which I smiled warmly. She was always the most warm out of all the teachers. Naturally she would be the first one to ask if anything could be done.
"If only it were that simple. Harry is protected there, by powerful magic. You see when Lily gave her life to save Harry, her sacrifice invoked ancient magic, As long as Harry stays at a blood relative of his mother's, he cannot be harmed. It would be too dangerous to move him" he reasoned.
"You can't seriously be considering leaving him with them again... not after learning this" McGonagall said "I told you they were the worst sort of muggle years ago and now I have my proof. You have to move him somewhere else"
"I'm sorry it's for the best." He replied, as if that answered everything.
"The best? Were you not listening to me before. After what happened the beginning of this summer there is no way in hell I am going back there. I'll find my own arrangements." I said with exasperation. Surely he can't be serious. Being protected from Voldemort would matter little if I wasn't protected from forces within the home itself. I wasn't even fed properly.
"I'm afraid I must insist you stay there Harry. I will speak with your family however. If what you say is true, then I will take steps to ensure your safety. I am deeply disappointed in Petunia. I had truly hoped she had gotten over her resentment." He said sadly.
"Are you kidding? She hates me. I think we are past the point where words are going to make a difference." I said with disbelief. How could he think that by simply threatening them it would do any good. The hatred would still be there... maybe even worse than before.
"I will sort this don't worry Harry." he said, seemingly ignoring my protests. I forced myself to calm down, realising that he wasn't going to budge about this. To him, keeping me safe from Death Eaters was more important than keeping me safe from them. I doubt that it had even crossed his mind that the inside was just as dangerous as the outside of the house. In truth I didn't expect much when I broached the subject, I just wanted to prove a point, it just annoyed me how little he was taking my feelings on the matter into account. There must be other safe places in the U.K. that were not the Dursleys, right? Anywhere under the Fidelius would serve that purpose.
"I doubt it..." I muttered under my breath. A few seconds of awkward silence ensued, in which nobody seemed willing to say anything. I was about to break the tension when I heard something near the door. Normal human ears would not have been able to pick up on the sound but I could hear breathing, as if someone was pressing their ear to the side of the door trying to eavesdrop.
"Who's there?" I asked turning to the door.
The teachers gave me strange looks, not realising that anything was amiss. I could hear the breathing sound start to quicken, as whomever it was panicked slightly. I relaxed a little, knowing that if the person on the other side of the door was truly a danger, they would not show such signs of distress.
"Harry what are you-" I heard McGonagall ask.
"I know you're there... I can... sense you" I said carefully. I could hardly say that I could hear her. I was already under a microscope as it was. Even the admission I made was somewhat ambiguous and people would no doubt try and read between the lines.
A few seconds passed but eventually the door opened slowly, revealing someone I had not expected to see. Ginny's slowly edged her way into the room, looking forlornly at the ground. It was like looking at the shell of a person.
"Ah Miss Weasley, to what do we owe this pleasure, hmmm?" asked the Headmaster jovially. I could tell he was trying to break through the tension, get through to her somehow but it wasn't helping. She still looked at the ground. I could see her shaking slightly.
Taking the initiative I walked up to her and cupped her cheek with my hand. She seemed shocked by my touch but still didn't move, her eyes still boring into the ground.
"Look at me..." I said softly, in a reassuring, yet commanding voice. Slowly her face started to rise and she looked at me with watery eyes. I could see her bottom lip trembling as she fought to fight off tears. She was failing dramatically. Tears poured from the corner of her eyes, rivulets cascading down like rain.
"I'm... so... sorry... I..." she babbled, before throwing herself at me, burying herself in my chest. By now she was beyond words and was just sobbing loudly into my chest, her body shaking violently. I didn't know what to do. It wasn't like I was totally comfortable with these intimate types of situations. Beyond my immediate family, Hermione was the first person that had ever hugged me and that was in a sign of friendship, not a sign of distress. I raised my eyebrow to Dumbledore in a 'help me' gesture but he just looked on, amused at the situation. I think he was just glad of the distraction, considering the way the conversation had turned. I turned my attention to the other professors, bar Snape, and noticed they all held the same expressions on their faces.
It seemed like I was getting no help here. Bloody hell.
Tentatively, I started to stroke her hair in what I hoped was a reassuring manner. I could smell the faint smell of flowers coming off it, and I hummed a melody as I stood there giving as much comfort as I could. I could tell she wasn't ready to speak yet; her cries still wracking her frame. By the time she was ready to disengage her vice grip, her eyes were red and bloodshot, and my robes soaked.
"I'm-" she started shakily. I didn't want her to continue. She held none of the blame. None at all.
"Don't... please. It wasn't your fault" I said softly, using the corner of my sleeves to dry her still wet eyes.
"It was... if I just fought harder... you could have died."
"You were being possessed by the most powerful dark wizard of the 20th century, and managed to last nearly an entire school year without killing anyone. I think you fought as hard as you could... and I'm not dead... obviously, so give yourself a break, please." I tried to reassure her. If I didn't say something now, I knew the guilt could eat her up alive.
"I'm still sorry. I feel awful" she said sadly.
"I know but please try and forgive yourself... actually don't because there is nothing to forgive. You were tricked, plain and simple."
"My father always said don't trust anything that you can't see where it keeps its brain." she said with a weak laugh. It was nice to see her smile again, if only weakly. She looked so small... not because I was bigger but because she was so broken. I vowed silently to myself to do whatever I could to help her through this difficult time. Making my mind up, I turned towards Dumbledore and said in a clear voice.
"May I take Ginny back to her common room? We were finishing up here anyway and I don't want her to walk the halls alone."
"I'm sure one of the teach-" he started
"I don't think that's a great idea." I interrupted before continuing in a strong voice. "I'm sure she would rather I take her back than a professor, sir" I pressed, knowing why they were reluctant to let me go. They wanted more information. How could they not? The manner of my reappearance... the changes in my body. The fact that I seemed smarter. There were so many questions that could be asked.
However even they couldn't refute that the last thing Ginny needed now was an awkward conversation with a member of the staff on her way back to her common room. I would bet anything that she was being treated like glass at the moment, and I would also bet anything that she hated it.
The professors were about to reply when I heard the loud thumping of footsteps coming up the stairs. This sound seemed to grab everyone's attention, as they all looked the same way I did, as the door suddenly swung open to reveal the last person I wanted to see.
Lockhart.
I knew we were missing someone. Unfortunately, while I couldn't forget anything I wasn't actively looking for him when I entered the office, so I must have missed his absence.
"Hello! So sorry I'm late. I was just signing autographs in my study and lost track of time." he said happily, flashing his signature smile before giving a curious glance in my direction.
"Professor Lockhart." Professor Dumbledore said with a nod, though he lacked the usual warmth in his tone, which made me smile. Lockhart must have started to wear on him too.
"I'm done telling my story Professor. I'm afraid if you want to hear it, you'll have to ask one of your colleagues. Right now however I'm going to bed. It seems that even being in a coma for three weeks doesn't stop me from being tired." I said, trying to keep a pleasant tone, though I couldn't stop a slight edge to my voice from creeping in. I really disliked this man.
"Ah yes... of course. I shall keep you com-" he said happily but I was having none of it.
"That will not be necessary." I said coldly "Besides, shouldn't you stay to hear what happened? I certainly won't be repeating it and I'm sure the staff would be happy to fill you in." I said, before taking Ginny by her arm and leading her towards the door. I was certainly not going to suffer that man's presence any longer than I had to.
"Can I go now" I asked, already knowing their reply.
"You may Harry. We can talk on this another time" He said, inclining his head. I wasn't dumb enough to miss the unsaid message. This isn't over. To me it was though.
"Professors... I'll see you in class" I said, meeting everyone in the eye except Lockhart, before almost pulling Ginny out the room. As soon as we were outside the door, I relaxed my grip on her arm and let it fall by her side. For a few minutes we walked in comfortable silence, not deigning to say much of anything. We didn't need to. We were just glad that the other was alive.
Occasionally I passed someone in the corridors, indicating that lunch was over, and that classes had begun. It made me wonder briefly why the teachers even let me walk her back to the common room when it was obvious that she should be in class, but then I realised. Of course my friends would be waiting for me there. It went without saying that they would not be able to concentrate on their classes, even Hermione, now that they knew that I wasn't dead. I knew I had a lot of explaining to do, most of it being an abridged version of what I had said upstairs. It felt odd that I had to keep things from my friends but it was for the best. We had just gotten to the moving staircase when Ginny broke the silence.
"Thank you" she said quietly "For saving me... I saw what you did. Going up against that... thing." she said, visibly shuddering.
"You have no idea what it was like... I was trapped in my own head. I could see and hear everything going on around me but I just... I couldn't control myself. The diary... it twisted things." She said, keeping her voice low. I waited for her to continue, as she summoned up the courage to carry on.
"The first time I wrote in the Diary... I was so happy when it wrote back. It was like I had a friend, you know? Someone I could talk to. I could tell him my darkest secrets and he would reassure me... tell me it was all okay. I would even talk about the crush I had for you... oh, I'm over it now... it was that crush that nearly killed you, you see. He used my childish feeling of adoration and twisted it, making me feel alone and unwanted... I can't believe I was so stupid."
"It's okay."
"It's not though, is it? Thanks to my stupidity, you nearly got yourself killed for me."
"I'm not dead."
"That's not the point." She said, as we rounded another corner. The stairs in front of us started to move, so we had to stand still until they came back around again.
"You could have died, it doesn't matter that you didn't, what matters is I put you in danger, and I will never forgive myself for that."
"I forgave you the moment you were free of his influence... you need to as well. It will eat you alive otherwise." I said to her to softly.
"I know..." she said with a frustrated sigh.
"Look I won't pretend that it won't be hard, because it will, but you have to find a way to go on. This wasn't your fault. This was Riddle's plain and simple and nothing you say will change that."
"You know what the worst part is? That nobody seemed to notice that anything was wrong. Even I didn't feel like myself and I know I looked like hell. How could nobody not notice... even my own family."
"Sometimes Ron can be very dense. He was also petrified so..." I said, trailing off at the end.
"Don't remind me. I don't know what I would do if I killed my brother. He annoys me but I would never wish him dead. I love him." She said with a shudder.
"Yeah well he's alive so forget about it." I said dismissively.
"How is Ron anyway... I've... well I've not been around the last few weeks." I said nervously.
"He's... he's worried. I think it meant more to him than you realise when you showed up out of the blue today. Nice entrance by the way. I wish I could have seen it." She said with a hint of a smile.
"You weren't in the Great Hall?" I asked.
"No... I was catching up on some homework. Those blackouts were... disruptive" she said, looking down at her feet with a hint of shame.
"I'm sure you'll catch up. It's only 1st year work and you're a smart girl." I said with what I hoped was a reassuring smile.
"How do you know that? You don't even know me."
"Nobody that can live with 6 older brothers and not go mad can be called thick. That's also how I know you'll get through this. You're strong Ginny. Sometimes I wish I were that strong too." I said.
"You? You killed a 1000 year old Basilisk. I'm nowhere near as strong as you." She said in a disbelieving tone.
"And I was terrified doing it. I don't think that makes me strong... you have inner strength. You didn't let him break you... not completely. I think that was the reason nobody died... you fought him every step of the way." I affirmed, looking dead into her eyes.
"You think?" She said in a hopeful voice.
"I know" I said determinedly.
The stairwell then swung back and we made our way up the stairs. The Portraits seemed to have gotten over my sudden reappearance and were now either talking among themselves or sleeping silently in their frames, leaving the atmosphere a lot more comfortable than it was when I was on the way to the office.
"Things have been kind of frustrating lately. Ever since I... well you know, everyone's been treating me like I'm going to break. It's so infuriating! My mom has been insufferable. The worst part about it is that I can't even shout at her for it since I know why she's being like that. Ron... he's just been avoiding me. Oh I know he's not doing it because he thinks I'm to blame... he's told me time after time that it wasn't my fault... just like you have, even if I don't totally believe it... I think he feels guilty and... is it bad that I feel he should? He didn't notice a damned thing wrong with me!" Ginny said, flaring up in anger, taking me slightly by surprise. This was not something I was used to from her. She always looked so timid before. I guess I didn't know her well enough to really judge her.
"It's not bad at all. He's your brother... to be honest I'm annoyed that he didn't see anything was amiss. You are his little sister. He should be looking out for you." I said. We were now only a short way from the common room.
"You don't think I'm being too hard on him?" she asked, a little hope edging its way into her voice.
"Maybe a little, but I don't think you should just let him off the hook." I said trying to get rid of her self-doubt.
"Forgive him in your own time. I won't try and persuade you otherwise... this is your problem not mine. I'll support you whatever you do." I said reassuringly. At that moment we both stopped walking, standing just outside the portrait leading into the common room. The fat lady smiled brightly at the two of us but otherwise said nothing, seeing that we were not ready to come in yet.
"What about Hermione? How has she been?" I asked, uncertainly trailing off. I was a tad nervous at the answer to this question. I knew what she could be like, and she couldn't have taken my disappearance well once she had awoken from her coma to realise that I was missing.
"Not... great. The moment she realised you were still missing she... well I don't know. She almost seemed to withdraw into herself, constantly reading. I know she does that normally but this was something different. She never spoke to anyone in the house... not even Ron. Often he tried to engage her in polite conversation but without you... well they didn't really have any common ground. It was awkward really." She said, shifting uncomfortably.
"I suspected as much... hopefully now that I'm back things will get better."
"I hope so... I think she just needs more friends. She relied on you a lot more than she realised... now she seems lost." She said sadly. I was afraid of this. She needed more friends than just me. Everyone needs more than one friend. It wasn't healthy to be that dependent on one person.
For a few seconds we just stared at the Portrait.
"You ready?" she asked in a concerned voice.
"Let's get this over with..."
"You're not looking forward to this are you?" said Ginny with a slightly amused voice.
"Are you kidding? I can't wait to see Ron and Hermione again. I just know they are going to ask questions until I get a headache" I said with a huff at which she laughed. It was so strange to hear her actually laugh... her real laugh. Not like the Chamber when she was possessed. This was pure... untainted. Maybe if she could laugh some more, she may be able to heal her wounds and be whole once more.
"The password?" I asked with a grin.
"Oh sorry." she said before turning to the portrait "Chimera" she intoned.
"So nice to see you again Harry. Welcome back" said the portrait warmly.
"Thank you" I said sincerely, giving her a small smile before walking through with Ginny close behind.
"Time to enter the Lion's Den..." I said to myself.
This was going to be a long night.
This is the first time I've written for Ginny so you'll have to judge whether I got her right or not. I thought about having Harry talk to his housemates in the same chapter but I decided to leave that until the next one. This story should move quite quickly now that I've got the end of 2nd year out of the way essentially and can get to the meat of the story. 3rd year is going to be a LOT different from canon.
As always read and review questions are always welcome :)