Persecution of Muggleborns

Anyway, so a reviewer told me that Harry's refusal to kill even the vilest of murderers won't win him a war. If I must remember correctly, a cowardly murderer had a life debt owed to Harry, which saved Harry his life. It was Harry's mercy that saved him later on with Pettigrew. One can argue that it was Harry's mercy that allowed Pettigrew to help Voldemort return to life in the Goblet of Fire in the first place. However, even if Harry did kill Pettigrew, I think we can all agree that Voldemort had enough loyal followers that he could return to life without Pettigrew - Barty Crouch for example.

Also, I would just like to point out that everything that Harry does is influenced by his experiences, so if he seemed too mature, my readers have gotten their answer. One of the most noticeable characteristics in Harry in my fic is that he is much wiser than he was in the canon, in addition to his intelligence and talent. This wisdom is what will set the entire course of this fic. As Hermione and Dumbledore had said, it wasn't what one can do that matters in showing who we are, it was what one does. We all know Harry could've cursed Draco to oblivion; however, he didn't. He could've, at this point in time, gone back to kill the Dursleys. But he never even considered it.

So, my fic isn't focused on revenge or anything of the sort. Instead, it's more focused on mercy and patience, understanding and wisdom, sympathy and courage, and most of all, Harry's role as a good protector, an understanding teacher, a clever strategist, and a brave warrior.

Harry was called into Dumbledore's office several days before Halloween and was surprised to see the Headmaster looking…sad. Dumbledore was normally so whimsical. However, now, he was completely serious. "Sir, is there something wrong?" he asked.

Dumbledore heaved a sigh and said softly, "Harry, the Flamels' supply of Elixir has run out, and they are ready to die. They expect that they will be dying sometime tonight. They requested that you and I should be at their bedsides at their deaths. They have taken a great liking for you, Harry, and they wish to give you some final words."

Harry stared in shock. He had known that the Flamels were going to die soon, but it had always been as if his heart was denying the fact…Over the summer, he had grown to love the elderly couple – as much as it was possible for a student to love his mentors. Nicolas and Perenelle taught him so much – not just academics but about life as well. They taught him and advised him, cared for him...

"Harry?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Will you come?"

Harry nodded vigorously. "Of course, Sir."

Dumbledore motioned him towards the fireplace. "I assume you know how to travel by Floo?"

Harry nodded.

"It would be Flamel Cottage," Dumbledore stated simply as he handed Harry a pot full of Floo powder.

Harry stepped into the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and cried, "Flamel Cottage!" He threw the powder onto the hearth. Green fire enveloped him and he disappeared. The next thing he knew, he had appeared in the familiar living room of the Flamels. He stepped out of the fireplace and Dumbledore appeared after him.

"They will be in the bedroom, Harry." Dumbledore led him into the master bedroom.

For Harry, it was quite awkward to come into the bedroom of the Flamels. He felt like he was invading their privacy. He saw Perenelle and Nicolas on separate beds. At first, he thought it was a little strange for them not to be in one bed together, but then he realized the arrangement of the beds was a V-shape. That way, the beds were close enough together at one end so that the couple could hold hands when they die. However, it would also allow room for one visitor at a time to sit between them, allowing them both to talk to the person. It would've been awkward if they were on the same bed because then the visitor would be standing on one side of the bed and either Perenelle or Nicolas would have to talk over the other's shoulder.

Dumbledore turned to Harry. "Do you wish to speak to them first?"

"You can do it first, Sir," Harry said quietly. "I'll just wait outside until you're done." With that, he left the room and closed the door behind him. He sat down on an armchair in the living room and wondered what the Flamels wanted to tell him as their final words to him. Feeling tired, Harry closed his eyes, and he drifted off to an uneasy sleep. It was late at night already – maybe eleven thirty.

"Harry, they would like to see you."

Harry opened his eyes and looked up to see Dumbledore having finished with his last conversation with the Flamels. As he stood up to enter the bedroom, Dumbledore laid a hand on his shoulder. No words were spoken and, eventually, Dumbledore dropped his hand. Harry entered the bedroom and stood between the Flamels' beds. Perenelle and Nicolas both looked at him and then they smiled.

"Don't look so serious, Harry," Nicolas said. "After all, death is just another adventure I look forward to."

"This isn't the last time you'll see us, Harry," Perenelle said gently.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, his voice weak.

"Well, for one thing, we'll never really be gone," she replied. "Our love ones never truly leave us." Even near death, her eyes gleamed. "Just like your parents, Harry - as long as you live, they are living in you. Just as their blood and love run through your veins, our teachings will live through your actions."

Then Nicolas spoke, his voice serious, "Harry, as your mentor, I must warn you. You want to do what's right, and that is very noble of you. However, it is not in human nature to act in value of morality over self-preservation. Not only will you face external opposition to your cause, but you will also be fighting your own nature as well. Sometimes, you will feel like giving up. But…live your life out with no regrets, my boy. It will be hard…but in the end, it will be worth it. I promise you."

"Harry, when you want to promote a cause, never let the vision of your goal cloud out your morality." Perenelle paused. "Sometimes you will want to lash out in anger. However, that will accomplish nothing. Your wand's primary purpose is to protect, to defend, to promote good…not cause harm. Your actions should not be based on anger. It should be based on your clear judgment. Allow your heart to create your goals, but allow your head to make the decisions on how to act."

Harry nodded. He had nearly attacked Draco out of anger, but really…what would that accomplish – other than a full-blown fight and a lot of pain? Afterwards, Draco might have enough sense to not call Hermione a 'Mudblood' to her face, but he would continue to see her as inferior to him. Nothing had changed. There must be another better way…

"Remember, my boy," Nicolas said softly, "When you know the end result, you can find a solution. Many times, there is more than one solution. However, some solutions are better than others."

There was a long silence. Then Perenelle and Nicolas held hands, their hands in the space between their beds. They stayed like that for a long time before Nicolas and Perenelle turned to Harry. "Never lose heart, Harry…in the face of suffering," Perenelle whispered. Her voice was very weak at this point. Nicolas smiled. "Thank you for coming…you were a source of pride and happiness for us in the weeks that you were here…" After looking into Harry's eyes for several seconds, they looked towards the ceiling. After a few long minutes, they both breathed their last and their eyes closed.

Something tore within Harry. Was it his heart? Or was it his entire body? He stood there and stared in shock. They were gone – just like that. He didn't cry. He felt numb, but at the same time, he was hurting. He was only vaguely aware when Dumbledore led him out of the room. He was only vaguely aware that it was about one or two in the morning. It was like a dream to him. Maybe it was. He was feeling really tired. When he was back in his bed, he blinked a few times before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep.

The next day, when Harry woke up, the first thought that came into his head was…the finality of the Flamels' deaths. They weren't coming back. They never will. His heart ached. They really were gone.

…

For the next few days leading up to Halloween, Harry spent most of the time away from rowdy areas, staying quiet for the most part and speaking little. Hermione rarely left his side, and he was grateful for her company, which was never imposing. She didn't talk as much as she usually does; instead, she just worked and sat by him. On Halloween, Hermione convinced Harry to come to the feast after much persuasion since he wasn't in the mood to celebrate anything.

"Harry, isn't this great?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the Halloween decorations.

Harry smiled, although it looked a bit forced. "Yeah, it is." He knew she was trying to get his mind off the Flamels' deaths but it was hard. They taught him so much, and the circumstances of their deaths even made it harder to take his mind off them. Their deaths were completely different from Quirrell's. He shook his head and pushed thoughts of their deaths out of the way before saying, "The decorations are nice, but the food is better. Chocolate?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she seemed happier that he was at least trying to focus on the feast. "Chocolate for dinner, Harry? I think not!" Her comment eased the two into an atmosphere of easy banter.

"But it's Halloween!" Harry protested. "Lemon drops? Chocolate frogs? Licorice wands? Halloween is not a time for healthy eating!" That made both of them laugh. However, Harry filled his plate with potatoes, peas, and chicken and began to eat. "I heard Dumbledore's getting dancing skeletons for entertainment," he said.

"He did! Look!"

Harry looked up from his food towards the front of the Great Hall and let out a laugh when several skeletons began to tap dance. Halloween feasts always put people into good moods. After they finished eating, the students began to rise up one by one and leave the hall in groups. Harry and Hermione followed the Gryffindors into the corridors. There was a crowd gathering at the end of the corridor, and Harry, short for his age, craned his neck to see what the hold-up was. He squeezed between the students toward the front of the crowds and gaped. On the wall were large words – "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE." Harry turned cold. He knew what the Chamber of Secrets was. He also understood what the message meant.

"Enemies of the heir, beware! You'll be next, Mudbloods!"

Harry spun around. Draco Malfoy had pushed his way towards the front of the crowds and was now grinning at the sight of Mrs. Norris hanging stiffly by her tail on the torch bracket. Harry wanted to throttle him, but in the light of the situation, beating up Malfoy would have to be put on the back burner. Harry quickly noted the water on the floor and was about to inspect Mrs. Norris when Filch came shouldering his way through the crowds.

"What's going on here? What's going on?" When his eyes landed on Mrs. Norris, he stepped back in shock, clutching his face. "Mrs…Mrs. Norris…What happened to my cat? What happened to Mrs. Norris?" he shrieked. His eyes fluttered back and forth between all the students. "You all…one of you killed her…" he spluttered.

Harry stepped forward towards Filch's cat. Everybody turned towards him.

Filch's accusing gaze snapped towards him. "You…finally…you're stepping forward to admit your crime?" he spat venomously.

Harry shook his head. "No, Sir, I'm just checking something…" He continued forward towards Mrs. Norris's body. There was something strange about it.

"What are you doing?" Filch snarled, grabbing Harry by the arms and slamming him so hard against the wall that Harry bit back a yelp. "You killed her. Now you want to defile her corpse…"

"I didn't do it. I just want to check if she's really dead," Harry said defensively, although not unkindly. He could almost imagine how Filch must be feeling now, especially since Mrs. Norris seemed to be the closest he had to a friend.

"Of course she's dead! Look at her!"

"Mr. Filch, let Harry go! He might be onto something!" Hermione said loudly. "If she was alive, would you really want to make the mistake to think that she's dead?" she said reasonably, lowering her voice a bit to sound more polite.

Filch glared at Harry before letting go of him, although the expression on his face showed that he wanted otherwise.

Harry reached out to Mrs. Norris and attempted to move one of her paws. The entire corridor was silent as everyone watched him work. No matter how hard he tried, the paw wouldn't move. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Then he leaned forward, looking into her face.

"Well?" Filch growled. "Is she dead?"

Harry took a deep breath. "No, she isn't." There were murmurs in the crowd before Harry explained, "Before I checked her out, I thought her body was a bit strange for a corpse. It was too awkwardly positioned. See? Her paws are sticking out from her body; her body is rigid. And her eyes are also wide-opened in shock. A dead cat would be limper and it'll most likely have its eyes closed. So what must have happened here was that she was walking down the corridor and was petrified while still standing. That's why her paws are sticking out like that."

"You sure know a lot about this and gave it a lot of thought, Potter!" Malfoy commented nastily. "How did we know you didn't do it yourself?"

"I was at the feast," Harry replied coolly.

Filch, who seemed to want to kill Harry a while ago, now seemed to be looking to him desperately as if he was his last hope. "W-well, if she is petrified, you can un-petrify her, can't you?" he spluttered.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not an expert in petrification. I just recognized the signs because they're easy to identify if you know what you're looking for. I think there's a potion that cures petrification, but you'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore or Professor Snape because I don't know how to brew it."

"You are quite right, Harry, about Mrs. Norris being petrified."

Harry turned around. Dumbledore was standing in front of the crowd, who had parted to allow him and several teachers through.

"That potion would be called the Mandrake Restorative Draught," Snape supplied, appearing behind Dumbledore and not looking a bit surprised that Harry knew what petrification is and how to cure it..

Dumbledore nodded. "However, we will need the school's mandrakes to mature first before they can be used to make the potion." His eyes were focused on the message on the wall. "Please, everyone, return to your dormitories."

As they walked back to their dormitories, many people gave Harry strange looks, half-suspicious, half-admiring. Hermione asked him, "How do you know about petrification?"

"I study and know a bit about the Dark Arts," Harry replied. "I just don't practice it," he said hastily when Hermione gave him a look of disapproval. "Hermione, it's not what you can do that matters. It's what you actually do." As they sat down in their common room, he asked her, "You do know what the Chamber of Secrets is, right?"

"I've heard of it, I think, in Hogwarts, A History. They say Slytherin built it in this castle before he left in order to house a monster that will be unleashed by his true heir and rid the school of muggleborns. That was what the message meant by 'Enemies of the heir, beware,' right?"

Harry nodded.

"Harry, you don't think…there really is a Chamber of Secrets, do you?"

Harry closed his eyes and let out a breath. "Petrification is not like a simple body-bind curse. It is very powerful Dark magic. The petrification of Mrs. Norris and the message on the wall couldn't have been just a nasty prank." Seeing the look on her face, Harry nodded in affirmative. "The message could be saying the truth about the Chamber of Secrets. Evil is at work."

…

Several days after the petrification of Mrs. Norris, Colin Creevey was also petrified. Harry had had to regrow bones in his entire arm because of Lockhart's incompetency, learned that Dobby had been trying to save his life by trying to (almost) kill him, and discovered that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before. The school was in an uproar. People were trading amulets and all sorts of supposedly defensive devices. First years moved together in packs, hoping to stay safer in numbers.

Harry, however, was completely oblivious to all the commotion, seemingly having more important things on his mind that buying supposed anti-Dark Arts talismans. Hermione often found him sitting in the library, surrounded by thick tomes that, for once in a long while, were on something completely different from Transfiguration and Potions – instead, it was on magical creatures.

"Harry, don't you think you should concentrate a bit on schoolwork?" Hermione asked one day. "I mean, you haven't started your Transfiguration essay yet, and it's due tomorrow."

Harry looked up from a thick book. "Right now, Hermione, I'm more worried about the muggleborns in this school than my grades," he said simply. He leaned back on his chair and looked out the window, his eyes troubled. Many bad emotions were turbulent within him. He was appalled that the persecution, hatred, and prejudice towards muggleborns ran so deep that someone would actually open the Chamber of Secrets. Such would forever prevent muggleborns from entering the school and nurturing their natural talents to their full potential. It would forever prevent them from discovering the beauties of magic…

"Hermione, I'm afraid," Harry confessed.

"You're a half-blood. You don't have anything to worry about…"

"Not for myself." His eyes bore into hers, conveying his exact meaning.

Hermione lowered her eyes to the table. "Why are you so worried?" she asked quietly. "No one's been killed."

"Not yet." Harry flipped a few more pages in his book, his eyes scanning over the words. Suddenly his eyes widened, and his face twisted in horror. Fear gripped his heart, so much that his tight hold on the tome was making his hands turn white.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"Hermione, do you have a mirror on you?"

"Yeah, it's in my bag," she said, blushing slightly. She knew not many people would think of her as the girly type.

"Promise me you'll keep it on you, and use it to see around corners and stuff. And be careful."

"Okay," she said uncertainly, slightly confused.

"I think I've found out what the monster in the Chamber of Secrets is," Harry said softly, avoiding looking at her. "Slytherin is known for his affiliation with the snake. He was well-known as a Parselmouth and many called him 'serpent-tongue.' His descendents would inherit this trait from him I would think. It would make sense that the monster in the Chamber is a snake then. That would explain why the monster can only be controlled by the heir of Slytherin – a Parselmouth." Even as he said this, Harry wondered about himself – who he truly was. He had never thought much about his ability to speak Parseltongue. Could there be…more than one heir of Slytherin?

"Salazar Slytherin lived centuries ago. Whatever snake he placed in the Chamber must be able to survive that long. Ashwinders and runespoors are out of the question. However, the Basilisk would be a very fitting choice as the King of Serpents. It would explain a lot of things that are happening around Hogwarts, too. Roosters, the crowing of which are fatal to the creature, are being killed around the school. Spiders are running away." Harry gestured to a trail of spiders crawling out the window of the library. "The direct gaze of a Basilisk is instant death. The only reason neither Mrs. Norris nor Colin is dead is because they didn't look at the Basilisk directly. That's why I want you to hold onto the mirror."

"Harry, you should warn the teachers! Such a monster going around the school…people could get killed. They should close the school!"

Harry nodded and immediately stood up and left, his book left open on a page that described the characteristics of a basilisk. When Harry walked towards the teachers' lounge, he heard something that stopped him from bursting inside. "This is outrageous!"

McGonagall was raging if her tone was anything to go by. "We should be closing the school until this monster is found. However, the Board of Governors is being quite thickheaded at the moment. They refused to close the school, saying that since this is a magical school, attacks that can be easily cured with a potion happen frequently. They should be no reason for closing the school, they said! It's as if they're ignoring all the attacks. Two more people have been petrified last night, and they decided to force Albus to resign!"

Harry's eyes widened. Dumbledore resigning? The Board refused to close the school? Are they waiting for someone to get killed?

"Well, I say! Minerva, do you think Lucius is behind all this?" Flitwick's squeaky voice rang throughout the room.

"No doubt he is, Filius. He has the entire board around his finger. But, unfortunately, we have no proof of anything, and we cannot send the students home. Don't misunderstand me – I don't want the school to close any more than any of you, but Hogwarts is no longer safe…"

Harry did not stay to listen to the rest of the words. He ran down the corridors and outside towards the Black Lake. Frustration and anger caused him to punch a nearby tree, ignoring the shocks of pain that ran up his arm. A Basilisk was running around the school…the Board refused to close the school unless someone died first…even if he told them what he knew, he had no solid proof. Lucius would no doubt find a way to keep the school from closing so that the attacks would ensue. This was muggleborn persecution of the largest scale.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't go up to the governors and threaten them or anything. They were too afraid of the Malfoys, who had nearly complete monopoly of the Ministry. How corrupted was it?

Harry walked along the edge of the Forbidden Forest, trying to calm his agitation. The sound of a twig breaking caught his attention and he spun around, whipping out his wand. However, what he saw made him lowered it immediately. It was a unicorn.

It was standing there, calmly flicking its snow white tail back and forth. However, the most peculiar thing about it was that it wasn't galloping away when it saw Harry. Its eyes were steadily focused on him, and it seemed to be content just staying where it was. It took Harry a moment before he realized that perhaps this was the unicorn whose life he and Hermione saved the previous year. That was the only plausible reason because unicorns were very shy and wouldn't approach humans unless for a very good reason.

Suddenly from behind the unicorn came forth two young foals. They were about several months old. They trotted towards him, and the adult unicorn, who no doubt must be their mother, watched them carefully. However, she didn't stop them. One of them nudged him gently, although Harry, who was extremely light for his age, stumbled over slightly. Despite his worry, Harry couldn't help but smile. Young unicorns were much more trusting of human boys, and people in general, than their adult counterparts.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out an apple that he had been saving for a late afternoon snack. With a quick "Diffindo!" Harry split the apple in half and gave each half to a young unicorn. As they chewed on the fruit, Harry reminisced to himself, "Where would you two have been without your mother?" Some strange feeling was rising up within him. However, it was familiar – his urge to protect. He wanted to protect the foals and their mother, who were so trusting of him. "I wonder sometimes," he said thoughtfully, "about my place in this world. Is it my place to aim to protect people's rights…or their lives even though I know that I would most likely fail? Or am I just supposed to go through school like any other wizard?" After all, he could be the heir of Slytherin, or an heir if there was more than one. The thought of killing muggleborns sickened him.

Harry absentmindedly ran his hand through one of the foals' mane. "Nicolas believed in me, and so did Perenelle. Hermione believes in me. Even Dumbledore…But how do they know that I'm qualified? How am I supposed to come up with solutions to things? I mean…I'm just a boy."

I sincerely apologize for taking so long on this chapter. Like I said before, my schedule's really hectic right now. Don't worry, though, I have every mind to finish this story.

However, please continue to review.