Chapter 6: The Chamber of Secrets
While Harry was busy talking with Wulfric and the portraits of the former Headmasters, Ginny was busy getting to know the little girl that had just become the center of her world. Amelia was so much like she had been at the small girl's age. Amelia was confident while in her element but shy once she was pushed beyond her comfort zone. Ginny knew this not only because she could see it in the small girl's actions but it was the way Ginny herself had been as a small child.
After they had left the Headmaster's office, Harry's office now, it had seemed so strange to be back at Hogwarts again. For Ginny it had been over one hundred years since she had set foot in the school. After her children had finished school, there had just not seemed to be a good enough reason to return. Not even the one hundredth anniversary of Tom's defeat had been enough to get her back here. There were just too many bad memories that had haunted her more and more as time passed, not to mention the monument. The monument with Fred's name on it had always been a source of pain for Ginny.
As they walked Amelia babbled on about anything and everything that passed through her mind. She asked questions that Ginny did her best to answer just as she always had with her own children. That was another source of pain for Ginny. Glancing at her reflection in one of the many large windows, Ginny realized that she was just as she had been the day she married Harry. Physically she was maybe twenty years old again, but mentally she was still one hundred and seventy four years old. The fact that she could carry Amelia in her arms for so long was proof that Wulfric's spell had worked as it was intended to, but it seemed so strange to not feel the aches of all her years as she walked.
"Ginny," asked the small girl suddenly. "Are you and Harry going to be my mum and da now?"
"Wh-what," stammered Ginny, shocked by the young girls question.
"Uncle Wulfric thinks I don't know much," continued the young girl. "I listen when he talks to the people in the pictures. I know Uncle Peter is dead and that he's going to die, too. When he's gone I'll be all alone so I figure he asked you to come here to take care of me."
There was such a sense of loss in the small girl's voice as she spoke. Ginny held her even tighter in her arms before she sat Amelia down on a stone bench, taking a seat beside her.
"Well that's part of the reason he brought us here," Ginny said gently. "He's worried about you and what will happen to you when he's not around. I think he also wants us to help fix something that has gone wrong. That way you can have an even better life. Wulfric is special though, he'll be back. He may look different when he comes back, but it will be him."
"Can my real mum and da come back?"
The longing in Amelia's voice was enough to break Ginny's heart. How many times had she thought that same thing after her parents had died? Even though she was an adult when her mother and father died, Ginny had still cried herself to sleep for weeks after they were gone. Harry had spent many nights just holding her tightly and telling her that she would see them again, but she had wondered if that were true. Of course now she knew Harry had been right all along, but it had been a difficult time for her after it first happened.
"Nothing like death to shake your faith in even the things you know to be true," Ginny thought as she smiled at Amelia.
"I'm afraid they can't, dear," Ginny said brushing tears from Amelia's cheeks. "I'm sure they are watching over you though and they still love you just as much as they ever did."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better."
Holding Amelia tightly to her, Ginny wondered if it would be possible to explain to a child the things that she had seen after her own death. She doubted the child would understand it when Ginny herself barely understood it. Some mysteries should just stay unsolved. Ginny made a conscious decision to keep the young girls mind off these worries for now. As they once again made their way down to the kitchen she wondered if Harry would have any better luck explaining something like this to the small girl.
"What say after we have breakfast, we go outside and enjoy the morning a bit," Ginny asked.
"Sounds good to me," Amelia said with a smile as she took Ginny's hand.
Harry at that moment was wondering why he was being dragged into Moaning Myrtle's old bathroom. The last thing he wanted was to see Myrtle after all this time. Then again, since he had arrived Harry had not seen any ghosts, or even Peeves the poltergeist. That was odd because Peeves never passed up the chance to prank someone, especially Harry. The Castle seemed even emptier without the silvery shades floating around.
"Where are all the ghosts," he finally asked.
Long gone.
"Gone," scoffed Harry. "That's not possible. How can they be gone?"
I'll explain once we get to the Chamber.
Suddenly Harry realized what chamber Wulfric had been talking about. Why else would they be on their way to Myrtle's bathroom? It was obvious when Harry thought about it but he had been trying to avoid thinking about that place for so long that it had not even occurred to him. Once they arrived and stepped inside the old run down bathroom, he had no choice but to admit to himself that he was afraid of that dark and dank place. Thankfully there was one thing that would prevent him from having to see that place again.
"Wulfric," Harry said looking at the tap with the snake's image on it, "I can't open the chamber anymore. I lost the ability to speak Parseltongue a long time ago."
You don't need to, Harry. You are the Headmaster of Hogwarts now, and as such you can tell the portal to open and it will obey. You'll see, we made a lot of changes.
Harry wondered what Wulfric could mean by that. "Open."
Just as it had once before, the sink in front of him slowly vanished from sight to reveal the entrance to the Chamber of secrets. The large pipe seemed cleaner than it had the last time he had seen it but other than that it was the same as before. Even the smell of it reminded him of that night all those years ago, that heavy smell of mold and decay.
"Should have had the house elves clean it up a bit if you were going to redecorate," he laughed half-heartedly as he slid into the mouth of the pipe.
Sliding down the long pipe Harry was reminded of the night he had rescued Ginny from Tom. Harry had been terrified that night that he would arrive too late to save Ginny. Harry wondered if some part of his heart even then had known that she would eventually become the woman he loved more than his own life. When he reached the bottom of the pipe and slid out onto the bone-covered floor he half expected to see Ron come sliding out of the pipe right behind him but Wulfric appeared there a moment later.
Well that was rather fun. We decided to leave the outer chambers as we had found them in case anyone ever found their way down here that we didn't want to.
Wulfric led Harry further down the long tunnel. The long dead skeletons of rats and other creatures still littered the floor, crunching beneath their steps. How strange it seemed to be walking this path once more after so many years of trying to forget about it. At first, before Tom died, he had held onto the memories as a shield of sorts. As long as he remembered what Tom had tried to do to Ginny, Harry could use the anger as a weapon against the madman. However, after Tom's death Harry had done his best to never think of it again. The only time he and Ginny had ever talked about it was on the rare occasions when she would wake up from a nightmare about her time in the Chamber.
"Dead end," Harry said as he reached the place where the ceiling had caved in.
Tell it to open.
"Open," he commanded the mass of rubble.
To his surprise the rocks began to fold in on themselves much like the entrance to Diagon Alley did when you tapped the right brick. At first the opening was rough and looked ready to collapse at any moment. Then as it grew larger Harry realized that the opening was turning into a grand arch, finely crafted and beautifully detailed with the crest of Hogwarts worked into the key stone. The tunnel continued beyond the arch but now it was neat and clean with torches burning brightly ever few feet.
"You weren't kidding when you said you had made some changes."
You haven't seen anything yet.
That was an understatement. Already Harry could see that Slytherin's great serpentine doorway was gone now, in its place stood a massive stone wall with the Hogwarts crest carved into it. Harry did not need to be told what was expected of him as he spoke the command for the wall to open. Slowly the wall rose up into the ceiling. The chamber beyond was nothing like Harry remembered from his last visit.
When the Ministry knew that it was soon to be attack, they originally planned on transporting everything to the maximum security vaults at Gringotts. Fortunately they were prevented from doing so when the bank suddenly closed its doors and refused entrance to anyone. It was too late for Gringotts though. As soon as the Ministry fell, they were next. The BSA claimed the reason was to prevent the funding of future magical terrorism, but we all knew it was the Muggle banking community that put the BSA up to it; they couldn't stand the goblins having control over all that gold. So, they brought everything here.
The Chamber had changed a great deal. The statue of Salazar Slytherin was gone, as was much of the former Chamber. The Entire room looked as if it had been enlarged to expand even farther beneath the leak then it had previously. In fact, if Harry had to guess, he suspected it now stretched far beyond the shores of the lake outside.
"How," he asked, shocked at the sight before him.
Sean did it. He tore through Slytherin's protective wards and charms as if they were tissue paper. He transfigured the statue into a gigantic fireplace and they directly connected that fireplace to the Ministry and began moving everything through the Floo system. It took three days and they were still working on it as the BSA forces gathered outside the Ministry for their attack. The last item had just come through when the Anti-Magic Field Generators went online. Sean destroyed the fireplace on this end and began modifying the Chamber so it could be of some use. Over time, he expanded it as the situation required.
Harry had been listening to Wulfric, but the incredible sights around him distracted him. Where before he had walked into the Chamber on the same level as the statue's feet, now he stood on a platform that overlooked the rest of the Chamber in a manner that reminded Harry of pictures he had seen of the Coliseum in Rome. Great terraces stretched around the room and then wide staircases would lead down to the next, slightly smaller, terrace. Great glass globes hung from the ceiling overhead casting magical sunlight down on the entire room so that it felt more like standing outside then in a cavern under a lake. That was not what had Harry's attention though. At the very bottom and center of the Chamber stood a sight that Harry had not seen in many years, the Arch.
"How the hell did you get that here," Harry said turning and walking down a stairway that led down to the next level. "The first thing I did as Minister of Magic was order that damned thing sealed away."
You know they followed that order, Harry. However, we couldn't let the BSA get their hands on it, so it was brought here.
Harry kept walking, barely hearing what Wulfric had to say as he descended the massive stairways. At one point, he passed what looked like the entire contents of Ollivander's wand shop. Then there was an entire terrace filled with shelf after shelf of books and artifacts, a sight that would have made Hermione drool with a desire to read and examine them all. There was so much more but Harry could not pay attention to it now. He only wanted to reach that accursed Arch to see for himself that it was still sealed.
"The wards I had put around the Arch should have prevented anyone from ever getting near it again," Harry said finally reaching the last lowest level. "Are you telling me that the BSA could have gotten to it even though those wards?"
I really don't know, Harry. Whatever wards you had put around the Arch wereremoved long before the BSA came to power, probably as soon as the Minister after you discovered it. The Arch has always been too tempting for the Ministry to forget about it for very long
Looking up at the Arch with its tattered veil still gently blowing in a breeze that no one could ever feel until they passed through it, Harry realized that he should have known it would not be left alone after he was gone. "They all passed through it. The ghosts of the castle all passed through the Veil, didn't they?"
Yes they did. Sean convinced them all that it was time for them to go. Myrtle was the first to leave; I think she was hoping to see you again. Nick was the last, the old softy felt it was his duty to stay and protect the school. He stayed for many years after Sean died. Eventually I convinced him to leave as well. I missed him when he was gone, but there was nothing else Nick could do and I was afraid I would fail.
"So much has changed," Harry said, wiping a hand across his face in an attempt to clear away the weariness that suddenly filled his mind and body. "I need rest, Wulfric. Is there someplace I can clean up and get some sleep?"
The Headmaster's quarters are…
"Yours and Amelia's for as long as you need them," Harry said firmly. "Are there still guest quarters?"
Of course, Harry. Follow me.
With a final look over his shoulder at the Arch, Harry followed Wulfric. He glanced down at the gold ring on his right hand. Glancing at Wulfric to see that the old gorilla was not paying attention, he spun the ring three times around his finger. At first, he was unsure if it had worked but then he heard the sigh of a breeze and looking over his shoulder again, Harry watched the Veil blown straight out as if in a strong gust.
"I see you figured it out, Harry," said a young woman's voice so that only Harry could hear.
"You doubted him, love," asked a young man.
"Enough," Harry whispered. "You're not back five seconds and you're already bickering?"
The two shadowy figures laughed as they fell in step beside Harry. Some pains never really went away, like the pain of losing your best friends and not being able to speak to them anymore. Harry had debated using the ring many times but never had. Now he had an excuse, maybe it was a bit selfish but he could justify calling for them.
"The Arch really does lead to the other world," Harry asked in a hoarse whisper.
"It does, Harry," Hermione said with a warm smile.
"We all pass beyond the Veil eventually, mate," Ron agreed as they walked.
That knowledge made Harry feel better. With a smile to his oldest friends in the world, he let them return to their rest and watched as the veil once again blew taunt in an invisible gust. It might have been selfish, but Harry was glad that he had been able to see them again, even for only a few minutes. Once again, Harry realized just how important Ron and Hermione had been to him when they had been alive, and how important they still were even though they were long gone now.
You must miss them a great deal. I know I felt like a part of me was missing once you and Ginny were gone.
Harry laughed as he sealed the doorways behind him. "Leave it to you to figure out what I was doing."
I thought about it many times when I was alone. I even made up my mind that when all of this was finished, I would walk through the veil in the hopes of ending my own personal curse. I think I would like to just rest someday.
"I never would have understood that before," Harry said as they climbed into the pipe leading up to the second floor bathroom and levitating back up it. "I guess I had to be in your position before I could appreciate the ability to die."
Wulfric nodded as he led Harry out of the bathroom after sealing the entrance to the Chamber again. The two walked in silence as they left the bathroom and made their way towards the guest suites. Harry wanted to talk about everything but he just felt that his mind needed rest before he tried to figure it all out. There was just too much to absorb and he had reached his limit.
"Wulfric," he finally said as they approached the guest quarters. "Are you still in touch with the Weasleys and Longbottoms?"
Of course, Harry.
Harry opened the door to what he remembered as the largest of the guest suites and invited Wulfric inside. "I want you to get messages to them telling them that I would like to meet with them if possible."
I'll contact them tonight. Anything else, Harry?
Harry shook his head wearily as he sat down in one of the large chairs that were sitting in front of the room's immense fireplace. He felt that his eyes were weighted down with lead as he tried to keep them open.
"No, that will do for now," Harry said trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. "I missed you, Wulfric."
I missed you, too, Harry. Get some rest and I'll let Ginny know where you are at.
"Thanks," said the exhausted young man as he stood and made his way to the bed. As soon as Wulfric was gone, Harry stripped out of his clothes as he crawled onto the large bed and finally collapsed. Harry was asleep before his head ever got near the pillow.
Ginny on the other hand was at that very moment more awake then she had been in years. After having a wonderful breakfast in the kitchen, she and Amelia had made their way out onto the grounds where they had spent most of the morning playing tag and talking about "girl stuff." Amelia was as smart as she was curious and Ginny wondered just how much of what was going on the little girl really understood.
Amelia gave hints as the talked that she was well aware that things were not at as peaceful as Wulfric wanted her to believe. As they ran closer and closer to the main gates of the school, Ginny could only hope that Amelia had been able to keep some of her innocence. When they reached the gates and looked out at the land beyond Hogwarts, even that small hope was gone.
"God," Ginny breathed. "What happened?"
"What do you mean," Amelia said looking past Ginny. "It's always been like that."
Ginny felt tears pouring down her eyes as she looked out at what had once been a beautiful countryside. Now it was a charred and desolate wasteland as far as her eyes could see. Gone were any traces of the path that had led to Hogsmeade or the station where the Express had dropped students off. Nothing remained but destruction and chaos.