A/N: Not mine, the Harry Potter Universe as always belongs to J.K. Rowling and all the other affiliates.

Chapter Seven – Getting Caught

Harry stormed out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He was the first to flee having no inhibitions about leaving his friends behind to take care of the mess after the class he had just had. He was irritated as all hell. He had managed to avoid Lockhart for the first week and a half with the exception of Defense class. So he was most utterly mortified and enraged when Lockhart had tried to pin him as an attention grabbing celebrity in front of the whole class, again.

The first time had been when Harry had torn up his preposterous test on the first day of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry had stood up and called him a fraud to his face, with a scandalized rebuke from Hermione and a cheer from Ron, but the idiot just brushed it aside and unleashed the hellish neon blue pixies onto the unsuspecting class. Harry had made sure he and the other Gryffindors had gotten out without having to clean up that one. But this time, Harry just needed time alone and away from everyone else. Besides, if he hadn't stormed out of class he wouldn't be held responsible for his actions against the bigheaded idiot.

As he knew his friends would be tied up for some time, Harry took the opportunity to visit a new friend finally. He'd wanted to do this much sooner, but there had always been someone around, even with his friends randomly disappearing, which was starting to irk him to no end, especially when Hermione was apparently let in on the secret.

Harry walked the deserted corridors to the second floor and slipped unnoticed into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He looked around and was relieved that there wasn't anyone there, not even Myrtle. Harry figured the ghost was probably off haunting another part of the castle.

He quickly walked up to the sink that led into the Chamber and after casting a silencing charm over the bathroom, hissed in Parseltongue for the Chamber to open. The sink sunk into the floor and Harry smiled when he saw the stairs cleverly hidden in plain sight. The stairs were charmed to look like the rest of the pipe, so it wasn't any surprise that he had never seen them before. But now he knew what he was looking for.

Harry walked down the steep stairs and into the tunnel system that ran under the school. As soon as he got to the bottom, the torches lining the walls sprung to life. He looked down the large tunnel and saw that a long snakeskin took up a big portion of the tunnel. He made his way passed it and then to the true entrance to the Chamber. He hissed for it to open and it did.

Harry moved through the entrance and into the Chamber. "Mort?" he called in Parseltongue. There was a slithering sound and then Mortedolv appeared from one of the connecting tunnels.

"Harry, it is good to see you again," Mort said as he came up to Harry.

Harry smiled. "It's good to see you as well. I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I have a feeling that it will become difficult for me to visit. My friends are around me most of the time and they don't know about the Chamber or my heritage."

"Perhaps one day you will be able to share this secret with your friends," Mort said as he muzzled Harry's left hand. He pulled back almost immediately. "Such darkness," he hissed and the hiss sent a shiver down Harry's spine.

Harry looked to his feet. "I must reveal something to you…"

"I know. You are from the future. But you did not have this darkness the last time we met. What has happened?"

Harry looked up at the serpent. "You know?" Harry asked; the snake stared back at him, awaiting an answer. "My past, my future, has come to haunt me. The Dark Lord, Tom Riddle, had captured me before I returned to the past. He tortured me for many days and branded me. I am once again marked by him and Death. Marks I will carry for the rest of my life I fear. That's where the darkness comes from," Harry said solemnly, bitterly.

"Your magic has been unblocked as well, Young Heir," Mort commented.

"Yes it has. I will need the full use of my magic in the coming years. Had I known it would bring the Dark Mark and the Death Mark to me, I would have made do with my limited magic."

"I am sorry that you have been branded with such darkness, it must be a heavy burden for you to carry," Mort said with his words laced with pity. A pity Harry did not want, but accepted in the face of the gigantic snake.

"But a burden I will continue to carry until I can find a way of ridding myself of it, which you may be able to help me with." Harry reached into his bag and pulled out Tom Riddle's Diary and Rowena Ravenclaw's Bracelet. He carried them with him wherever he went so they wouldn't have a chance of falling into the wrong hands. "With your venom I can destroy the Horcruxes residing in these and be that much closer to ridding the world of the Dark Lord and the Dark Mark on my arm. Will you help me?"

Mort stared at Harry for a long moment before he nodded. "I will, Young Heir."

--

Harry lost track of time in the Chamber with Mort and the Founder's Library. He was too engrossed in a charms book written by Salazar. Harry had no idea the man was so good at Charms. He would have thought Potions and the Dark Arts would have been his expertise, but actually, it was Charms and Runes. It was Helga who excelled in Potions and Godric who fancied everything Dark Arts. Rowena loved Herbology and was past mastery level with Transfiguration, a huge feat for the age she was when the founders started Hogwarts. She in fact had three Animagus forms. Something Harry didn't think was possible. At least according to McGonagall it wasn't. Harry would love to see her face were she to find out otherwise.

Harry's eyes lit up at the next charm he read about. He stopped reading and looked over at Mortedolv. "Mort?" he asked absently while he was thinking.

"Yes, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, "Never-mind." What was he thinking? Mort would probably eat him for suggesting it.

"What is it, Harry?" Mort asked, lifting his head from his curled up position.

"It's nothing," Harry said, going back to his book, but then he looked up again. He couldn't help it, it was too tempting. "Actually," Harry said hesitantly, Mortedolv was still looking at him. "I just came across this charm in one of Salazar's books. It's a shrinking charm… designed for use on animals…" Harry could swear he saw the serpent narrow his eyes at him and he looked away quickly. "Never-mind, forget I mentioned it."

"Would I be allowed out of the chamber?" Mort asked after a moment.

Harry's eyes shot back up to the snake's eyes. "Well yes, I suppose."

"All right, but if you mess this charm up, I am going to eat you." Harry nodded and half laughed, not knowing if the serpent was being serious or not, Mortedolv tended to have a dry sense of humor.

Harry picked up his wand, and then looking over the directions three more times, he aimed it at the serpent. He cleared his throat. Please, please, please, let this work, Harry thought furiously before he performed the charm, which really wasn't that complicated. Harry watched with fascination as Mort shrunk down to the size of a baby boa constrictor. After the spell was complete, Harry walked over to the much smaller basilisk. He wasn't moving and he had his eyes closed.

Harry crouched down and poked the snake cautiously. "You dead, Mort?"

"Poke me again and I will bite you," Mort hissed looking up at Harry irritably. Harry jumped in surprise, pulling back his hand. "You have no idea how strange this feels. I feel like I am a hatchling again."

"Actually I kind of do, maybe not to such an extreme, but I was seventeen when I died. It was rather disturbing waking up in the body of an eleven-year-old."

"I am used to you looking up to me, not the other way around," Mort mumbled as Harry picked him up. Harry chuckled, glancing at his watch as he did.

"Hmm," Harry hummed, his laugh falling silent as he took in the hands of the clock pointed at one and twelve and then his eyes widened. "Bullocks!" Harry cursed. It was one o-clock in the morning, and he didn't have his invisibility cloak with him!

"What is wrong?" Mortedolv asked as he circled around Harry's neck, being mindful of the curse scar there.

"It's one o-clock in the morning, and way passed curfew. People are going to be looking for me. I'll have to get up to the seventh floor without being spotted." Harry was silent for a moment, thinking. "Or have a good enough excuse for being out of bounds," he added. Mort didn't comment. Harry gathered up his bag and the book on Wizarding language translators by Ravenclaw that he wanted to use to look for a charm that would allow him to read Verdammt und die Dunkelheit. After all, the whole book was in German and Harry didn't speak a word of the language.

Harry stored the book in his bag and then started to head, with Mort out of Salazar's Chambers. He was just about to leave the sitting area at the entrance when he side glanced at a mirror that hung at an odd angle on a rather blank wall, and then did a double take of the mirror. Harry wouldn't have taken any notice of it normally, except that there wasn't anything on the wall nearby and it was showing Dumbledore's office or more specifically a meeting taking-place in Dumbledore's office.

"Mort, what is that?" Harry asked walking up to the obscure mirror.

Mortedolv looked at the mirror. "I believe that is Salazar's spy mirror, Harry. I am fairly certain that you can see most anywhere in the castle with that. He used to say an incantation and tap it with his wand and he would be able to hear as well. But I do not remember the incantation." Mort explained.

Harry looked up and down the mirror and pulled out his wand. "Ausculto," he whispered and suddenly Harry could hear the people sitting in Dumbledore's office.

"That would be the incantation," Mort hissed dryly. Harry shrugged, after reading many of Salazar's texts he discovered the man was never one for obscurities, so the listening incantation seemed to be the most obvious. He was right.

"Now that pleasantries have been dispersed and term business has been concluded. There is something I must reveal to you all for the safety of both the school and a particular student," Dumbledore said somberly, suddenly looking much older. The other Professor's and staff perked up significantly, as they waited for the headmaster to continue. "I am worried about Mr. Potter."

"When are you not?" Snape said snidely and Harry smirked.

Dumbledore glared at him before continuing, but didn't censure his attitude. "I hadn't wanted to alert any of you, but this summer young Harry visited Hogwarts. Not only did he break through the wards on the gates as if there were no wards at all, but he also, and I cannot fathom how he knew how, Apparated here." There were shocked expressions on all but Snape's face. Who did not look at Dumbledore as the rest of the staff did.

"Are you certain he Apparated, Albus, it could have been a Portkey," McGonagall suggested.

"Quiet certain, Minerva. I was able to trace his Apparation signature back to Privet Drive and he received a warning from the Ministry, both for the use of underage magic and for illegal Apparation." McGonagall looked pensive at that.

"That must not have been pleasant for young Potter," Flitwick commented. "There are reasons for laws against underage Apparation."

"Indeed, Filius, but the Apparation is not what has me worried. It is why he came to Hogwarts in the first place. When he arrived this summer, he disappeared into a girl's bathroom on the second floor for several hours. This obviously is worrisome to me in itself, but after he left he went to the Hospital Wing and stole several vials of Dreamless Sleep Potion and a bottle of Strengthening Potion of maximum strength." Dumbledore was quiet for a few moments as the staff members around him took in this information; all but Snape had a confused look on their faces. "I don't believe I have to tell you how dangerous mixing those potions could be."

"It creates a fast acting poison of which there is no cure," Snape said quietly, looking to be in deep thought for a moment. "It is why they are not easily bought by the public, also the Maximum Strengthening Potion is very difficult to make. However, I do not believe that was Mr. Potter's intent, Albus." The rest of the staff looked at Snape and then back to Dumbledore, realization just dawning on them.

"Are you quite certain of that? The boy has been cutting himself, Severus." Dumbledore said morosely, and the others gasped.

"Yes I am certain," Snape said firmly. Dumbledore looked at him as if he didn't believe the man. Snape rolled his eyes. "I ran into Mr. Potter in Diagon Alley and he told me about his trip to Hogwarts this summer."

"He told you this? And you said nothing to me about it," Dumbledore said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I had no authority to punish him outside of school, as Mr. Potter so promptly reminded me, and I saw the warning he had gotten from the ministry sufficient enough to convince him not to do it again. He has been having trouble sleeping since the incident at the end of the last school year, I'm sure you can understand why, Headmaster," Snape lied very convincingly; he even looked Dumbledore in the eyes as he did. Harry was impressed; he could never look the headmaster in the eyes and lie to him. But then again it wasn't entirely a lie.

"He told you about Quirrell then?" Dumbledore said quietly and Snape's eyes narrowed marginally, Harry hadn't told him about Quirrell.

"Yes," Snape nodded, recovering quickly, though Harry could see profound curiosity in Snape's eyes and was sure the man would ask him as soon as he got his hands on him.

"And the Strengthening Potion?" asked Dumbledore, conveniently dropping the subject of the late Professor Quirrell.

"A mistake I would assume," Snape said dismissively.

Dumbledore nodded slowly, though he seemed to be in deep thought. Harry hoped the man was considering Snape's words, he didn't like the idea of the headmaster or the staff thinking he was going to off himself at any moment. That isn't to say that he hadn't ever thought about it, but really he had quite a bit to live for now, unlike before where he had lost everyone he'd ever loved.

The old wizard took in a deep breath. "Mr. Potter is missing."

A collective gasp followed and Harry let out a small laughed before falling silent. He would have found that rather more amusing if it didn't mean that he was in serious danger of getting caught. This was not good; it was still only the second week of school.

"According to the portraits of that area, the same girl's bathroom that he disappeared into this summer was the last place Mr. Potter was seen this afternoon. I have already had Miss Clearwater go in there and he was not there." Dumbledore explained.

"Second floor girl's bathroom," commented McGonagall. "Is that not the bathroom in which Myrtle resides?"

"Yes, and I observed Harry speaking with her this summer. But the question is where he goes once he is in the bathroom. It is as if he simply vanishes," Dumbledore said, and Harry smirked because the man looked quite baffled.

"Are you certain, Headmaster?" Snape suddenly questioned. "It is unlikely Mr. Potter can merely vanish from a bathroom."

"I would agree with you, Severus; however the portraits say that they have not seen him leave the bathroom and I have had Mister Filch sitting outside since I was alerted by the portrait that he had gone in."

"Damn," Harry hissed. If Filch was still sitting outside of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, which he must be as he wasn't at the staff meeting, then how was he supposed to get up to Gryffindor Tower without being seen? "Mort, do you know of another way out of the Chamber?"

The snake blinked a few times in thought before he answered. "There was once a way into the forest, but it has been blocked for several hundred years now," Mort hissed unhelpfully. "However – yes – there is a way into the Slytherin dormitories which should still be open. Of course, I could be wrong; it has been since Salazar's day that it has been used."

"I suppose it's my best chance if I don't want them finding out about the Chamber," Harry mumbled and then said, "Show me."

Harry followed Mort out of Salazar's Chamber and into the Chamber of Secrets. Mortedolv led him down one of the larger tunnels that branched off the Chamber. It wasn't long until they came to a dead end. Mort looked up at Harry. "I believe you can open the wall by touching it there," Mort pointed his tail to a palm shaped indent in the otherwise plain wall.

Harry put his palm on the indent, a grinding noise was heard, and then the sound of rushing water. Harry watched the door open only to have water rush out over his feet and quickly up to his knees and then run into the Chamber. Mort quickly moved his way up to Harry's waist and Harry pushed the wall back into place before the Chamber was flooded even more. "I believe that way is flooded," Harry commented needlessly, as he pointed his wand at himself and muttered a drying charm.

"I am sorry, Harry, I know of no other way out," Mort said sympathetically.

"I suppose that I am caught then," Harry said resignedly, tiredly, and walked back to Salazar's Chamber. He arrived just in time to here Hagrid speaking rather hesitantly, obviously the conversation hadn't veered away from him yet.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sir, I wasn't goin' to say nothin' 'cause it's 'Arry an' all, but I think I saw him runnin' out of Knockturn Alley this summer, bein' chased by a shop owner, who was callin' him a thief. Now I don't know fer sure if it were him, but the lad runnin' away ran into Gringotts and not too long after 'Arry came out claimin' he'd Floo'd out 'o Gamble an' Japes an' had missed pronounced his destination," Hagrid said gruffly with the staff's attention on him. "I was goin' to question him on it, but he was so darn happy about findin' those pictures o' his parents, I just couldn't."

"I've Floo'd hundreds of times, Albus, and it doesn't seem likely that he'd end up in Gamble and Japes," commented Sprout.

"What do you suppose the boy was doing in Knockturn Alley, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

Dumbledore looked lost on what Hagrid had revealed. "I don't know, Minerva, but Pomona is correct it isn't likely that he'd end up at Gamble and Japes, but he could easily end up at Borgin and Burkes in the heart of Knockturn Alley… You didn't see the boy's face, Hagrid?"

"No, Sir, it could 'ave been anyone, but he 'ad his same height an' it looked like he was wearin' a Hogwarts cloak without the insignia, 'Arry's Hogwarts cloak to be specific."

"But if it were a simple mistake, why would he lie about it?" Flitwick questioned. "And why would he have stolen something in Knockturn Alley?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I believe those are all questions that Mr. Potter is going to have to answer when he is found."

"Shit," Harry breathed.

His situation had just gone from bad to worse. At least being in Knockturn he could deny, but not being at Hogwarts. This was why he didn't like lying, lies always managed to spiral out of control. He watched the meeting, taking place in Dumbledore's office, for some time more, as more and more questions were raised about him, before he decided finally to take his chances with getting caught. They were all still in the meeting, hopefully he could slip past Filch and duck the portraits.

Harry with Mort wrapped around his neck made his way out of the Chambers. He had just come out of the Chamber of Secrets when Myrtle poked her head out of her stall. "Hello, Harry," she said dreamily.

"Hello, Myrtle," Harry answered morosely as the sink silently slid back into place, hiding the entrance.

"Professor Dumbledore has the entire staff, including the ghosts and the portraits looking for you, Harry," Myrtle said with a bit of a sigh.

"I know, Myrtle. I spent too much time down there. I guess I'll go face them then. Filch is waiting outside in the corridor," Harry said tiredly before he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. Myrtle followed him out. Harry turned back to her with a small sardonic smile on his face at the predicament he was in. "Myrtle, can I ask you what death is like?" Harry asked half jokingly, for surely his life was now over. Harry cringed slightly when it came out sounding rather more serious then he meant.

"Boring, Harry, very boring," answered Myrtle and then floated back into the bathroom.

Harry looked left and right down the hallway; Filch was nowhere in sight. And neither were there any portraits, then what portrait was Dumbledore communicating with? Harry shrugged, he was really too tired to care and he was developing a headache.

One way led him back to Gryffindor Tower and the other would lead him further into the castle – Harry smirked to himself, why hadn't he thought of that before? – and to a passageway that led up to the fourth floor, near the Hogwarts Library. Harry, as silently as possible, walked away from the bathroom and towards said passageway. He was more than relieved when he reached the portrait that was the marker for the hidden passage; the portrait was of a sleepy village. Filch must have been waiting in the corridor in the direction of the tower as Harry hadn't come across him. There was still hope that he wouldn't get caught.

Harry raced up the narrow, dusty passageway, glad that he had managed to avoid Filch. He still didn't know what he would say if he got caught. How would he explain to Dumbledore that he had been in the Chamber of Secrets and had made friends with Salazar's Basilisk whose name was Mortedolv and was currently wrapped around his neck? Ha, yeah that would be one hell of a conversation. Though, the look on his headmaster's face would be priceless.

A few minutes later and Harry had just passed the portrait entrance into Gryffindor after giving the password. He stopped in his tracks and then immediately tried to go back when Professor McGonagall turned and spotted him.

Mort quickly moved so that he was hidden in Harry's robes and Harry had to hide a flinch when his friend almost slid over the scar on his neck. "Professor, I can explain," Harry lied quickly, breathless, from his run from the fourth floor. "I fell asleep in the Library."

McGonagall crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, showing that she obviously did not believe him. "The library was searched, Mr. Potter. Would you care to try again?"

Harry sighed heavily, bullocks all to hell! It was his only way out. He'd have to deal with their disappointment as their thoughts would inevitably turn to his apparent suicidal tendencies; he just hoped that they didn't want to see his wrists. "I was talking to the ghost, Myrtle," Harry said quietly. McGonagall frowned. "Honest, Professor, you can ask her if you like."

"Be that as it may, Potter, the Headmaster has requested your presence."

Harry nodded; he really wanted to ask if it could wait till morning but instead mumbled under his breath. "I assume that means now." Harry followed McGonagall out of the Gryffindor common room, suppressing a yawn.

By the time they had reached the stone gargoyle, Harry was dragging his feet from the growing exhaustion that had been plaguing him since his last Dreamless Sleep Potion. As much as he had tried to limit the amount of times he took the potion, he was quickly becoming immune to it. He had used it as much as he could without doing himself severe physical harm while staying the last few weeks with the Weasleys. He had managed to wake Ron up once with his nightmares and that was enough incentive to take the potion more then he normally should. He didn't want to worry his friends about the nightmares that he couldn't even explain to them.

Harry hadn't slept well the last couple of weeks as he had run his supply dry and his nightmares continued undaunted. Most of them being about the death of Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, some were even about his torture, but not as many as about his friend's deaths. Most nights he only got a couple of hours sleep and the only reason no one had noticed Harry's fatigue was because he was using the Strengthening Potion in small doses to keep himself going, but he'd run out of that three mornings ago.

Harry knew it wasn't healthy, but now that he was at school, he was putting up Silencing Charms until he could use the Dreamless Sleep Potion again, that way his dorm mates wouldn't hear his screams. Harry wasn't embarrassed about his nightmares, he had fair cause for them, but he didn't want to have to explain them to anyone. It was best that they didn't know at all.

So focused on putting one foot in front of the other to keep himself walking, he didn't notice that they had reached Dumbledore's office until he was standing in it. Harry seemed to snap out of his drowsy state almost immediately as he noticed that the room was still full with professors, he didn't think that he'd have an audience to this.

"Mr. Potter, where have you been?" Dumbledore questioned right off, not so much as offering Harry a seat or a lemon drop.

"Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, on the second floor, Sir," Harry answered honestly and politely.

"Why were you there?" the headmaster asked, his eyes not leaving Harry.

"At first I went there to talk to her. I met her last year at the end of term and she's a good listener," Harry didn't look at Dumbledore as he said this quietly, but at his shoes. "I'm sorry. I fell asleep. No one uses that bathroom and the only one ever there is Myrtle. I just wanted someplace to sit and think alone," Harry explained, purposely looking very sorry, hoping that the headmaster would not question him further.

Dumbledore was silent for a long moment, a moment where Harry almost believed that his hopes were going to be fulfilled, which was why he was slightly caught off guard when the headmaster finally spoke again. "Mr. Potter, why were you at Hogwarts this summer?" Harry's eyes shot up to the headmaster's. Oh, why did he have to ask that? What the hell was he going to say? The truth? That would go over well.

Harry was just about to play ignorant, but never got the chance as Snape hissed in pain and clasped his left forearm. Everyone had turned to him wide eyed and worried, so no one was watching to see Harry clasp his own left forearm with his right hand. Though their heads did turn back to Harry, when he let out a strangled scream and clutched his head in agony. He collapsed, unconscious before he hit the floor.

--

A/N: A little cliffy.