Chapter 10: Explanation
Dawn led the way along the corridor. They strode after her, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor Dumbledore's office. She gave the password and up the spiral staircase they went. She knocked on the door and heard a come in.
As they entered there was a scream.
"Ginny!"
It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.
Dumbledore stood by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. Fawkes flew into the room and settled on his perch.
Dawn felt herself along with Harry being swept into Mrs. Weasley's arms. "You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"
"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.
"It is simple," Dawn said. "Over ten years ago. I was created to house something called the Key. It opened the doorway between dimensions. With time I learned magic and became a Wiccan witch and learned control of the Key. In the process things happened, I became a Potential, in line to be the next called should either my sister or sister-in-law die. I also became a Seer. I was given memories of someone from another dimension, another reality. In his dimension, my life, Buffy's life, our friends lives were one of a television show. For those of you who don't know what a television is. Think of it like a way of telling a story with moving pictures. I used those memories to make our lives better."
Dawn took a pause and smiled. "Then Albus learned that my wife Willow was still alive. He approached me and Willow to help protect Willow's nephew, Harry." Everyone who hadn't known looked to Harry, who nodded. "And then I realized I had more memories, this time of a set of movies, think of them like a play, but shown again on a television or in a movie theater. But this time was slightly different I also had memories of a set of books. These books and movies detailed Harry's life. From his first use of accidental magic through his final fight with Voldemort." She noticed several people flinched. "Sorry."
"Go on, Dawn," Dumbledore said.
Dawn nodded. "Like the first time around, the memories are fleeting. I know that eventually they will unlock completely. But I do remember things from time to time and what I don't remember I see in a vision. I saw several things throughout the last several months. And acting on those allowed me to save not only Harry from Voldemort … Sorry again … but also Ginny."
"But how did you save them?" McGonagall asked.
"While in the Chamber I remembered how the basilisk was blinded. I opened a portal," Dawn said opening a portal for demonstration purposes. "Much like this one." She closed it again. "I requested Fawkes from Albus. He graciously lent his phoenix who blinded the basilisk. Then Buffy, who is a Slayer, killed it. Then I had another memory surface." She held up the diary. "And stabbing this with a basilisk tooth. I was able to prevent Voldemort from returning. In essence saving Ginny."
"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to gain entrance to the Chamber."
"He enchanted Ginny," Dawn said. "It was the diary. He somehow managed to store in its pages his sixteen year old self."
Dumbledore took the diary and peered keenly at its burnt and soggy pages. "Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered."Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school … traveled far and wide … sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."
"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with—with—him?"
"His d-diary!" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year—"
"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic—"
"I d-didn't know," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside the cauldron Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it—"
"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. "This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice—I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."
"So Aunt Willow's okay!" said Harry brightly.
"There has been no lasting harm done," said Dumbledore.
Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.
"You know, Minerva," Dumbledore said thoughtfully to McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"
"Right," said McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. She left.
Dawn, Buffy, Hermione, Harry and Ron gazed at Dumbledore.
"I think," Buffy said. "That based on what you told me at Christmas that these three should be rewarded."
"I am in agreement," Dawn said.
Dumbledore smiled. "I too am in agreement. You all will receive Special Awards for Services to the School and—let me see—yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."
Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers.
"Now Hermione why don't you escort Ron to the infirmary. I think he would like to spend time with his sister. I want to talk to Buffy, Harry and Dawn."
Hermione led Ron out the door and closed it behind her.
"So you all met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you, Harry…"
"In all of us," Dawn said. "Yes, Harry in particular. But also in me, Willow and even Buffy."
"As he would be," Dumbledore said. "As he would be. In fact it would not surprise me that he would be interested in how you both speak Parseltongue. We'll start with you, Harry. You can speak Parseltongue, because Lord Voldemort—who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin—can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"
"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck.
"It certainly seems so."
"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat said I should be in Slytherin. I bet it could see Slytherin's power in me, and it—"
"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his handpicked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue—resourcefulness—determination—a certain disregard for rules," he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."
"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…"
"Exactly," said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
"And what about Aunt Dawn?" Harry asked.
"The Key is the answer," Dumbledore said.
"Creatures of serpent construct can see the Key in its true form," Dawn said.
"More than that I believe," Dumbledore said. "We may never know how the Key itself was created. Or even why. But whatever was used to create the Key gave it the ability to be able to be seen and talk with those that can see it."
"So when I was just the Key, before I was created to house it," Dawn said. "I was …"
"Sentient, I believe so," Dumbledore said. "Now what you all need, is some food and sleep. I suggest you all go down to the feast, I will send Willow the moment she is awake to you all." Harry followed by Buffy walked toward the door. "Oh and before you leave, Harry. Have you made your decision on what we discussed last summer?"
Harry smiled and looked toward Dawn. "I'm going with Aunt Dawn and Aunt Willow," he said as he and Buffy walked out of the office.
Dumbledore smiled. Everything had worked out just as he had hoped. He knew with two supporting and nurturing aunts, one of them a seer unlike any he had ever seen before—even Trelawney. He was sure things would definitely be changing with Harry for the better.
He then looked to Dawn as if remembering she was still there. "What is it, Dawn?"
"There is this house elf," Dawn said. "He was the one that kept Harry and Ron from getting on the train. Then he was the one who was responsible for the Bludger. Both times were in effort to keep Harry safe. I'd like to reward him."
Dumbledore smiled and nodded as he slid the diary across his desk to her. "I believe you might want to return this to its rightful owner."
"Lucius Malfoy," Dawn said.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Dawn smiled as she watched Willow walk toward her down the length of the Great Hall. She looked to Buffy who nodded and motioned for Dawn to go. Dawn opened a portal and stepped through it to Willow's side and then she pulled Willow into a passionate kiss. In the background they heard the students, mostly the higher years, excitement as they watched the two of them.
The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences—everyone now wanted to be in Dawn and Willow's Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. Buffy had returned home in preparation for Dawn, Willow and Harry's homecoming.
Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Dawn, Willow, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. Dawn and Willow watched as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of Fred and George's Filibuster fireworks, and practiced disarming each other by magic. Harry was getting very good at it.
The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.
Dawn pulled out a quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione. "This is called a telephone number," she told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to both of them.
"I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer—he'll know," Harry explained. "Call me at Aunt Dawn and Aunt Willow's, okay?"
Hermione looked at Dawn and Willow and smiled. She knew that Harry's newfound aunts were proud of all he had accomplished that year. Including the fact that he wanted to move in with them.
Dawn smiled as she opened a portal and ushered Harry through it.