Short chapter for today

Next chapter is the end of the year ceremony by the way, so we're soon approaching third year - and i have something huge planned (that will differ from cannon).

Chapter 26: So what, now?

The gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's office only swore twice when it saw the battered form of both Neville and Ginny before letting them in. Soaked in mud and blood, they probably were a sight to beheld.

"Ah, my boy. I was waiting for you." Came the gentle voice of the Headmaster. Neville frowned, how was it possible? The Headmaster seemed to read right through his head.

"Ms Pomfresh just received three wounded students."

Neville ahed.

"If you would not mind waiting for a bit as I talk with young Miss Weasley and her parents." Said the old man, as he showed to Neville the back of Ron's parents and Ginny's ushering form.

Neville complied, and counted approximatively 30 minutes before he could go in.

"Thank you!" whispered a tear-streak Mrs Weasley to Neville, "you saved my daughter!"

Neville blushed from the unwanted attention.

"It was nothing." He mumbled.

"No! I don't know how my family can ever thank you for what you've done …"

The mother apologized once more before leaving with her husband and daughter to see the school nurse.

Tentatively, Neville came into Dumbledore's office, wary of all the magical objects. He had heard many times how the study of the Headmaster looked like by Ron and Bael, but not in a million years he had thought it was possible for him to get there without the help of a prank gone wrong.

Albus Dumbledore was seated behind his desk, watching Neville approach. Cowed by the stare, Neville only put the sword and the book on the desk and waited for the Headmaster to speak up.

"What you did tonight was very brave." Bagan the Headmaster. "I only got the echoes from Fawkes, but would you mind telling me what happened?"

So Neville told the Headmaster everything he knew. How he had heard a voice in the walls, how Bael had realized what had happened quickly but had been obliviated and imperiused by a controlled Ginny. How Hermione had then realized what had happened and had led Ron and Neville to the Chamber of Secrets. And the Lockhart event.

The Headmaster listened to Neville intently, not bothering to ask for more details.

"The sword of Godric Gryffindor only appears to the bravest." Said Dumbledore, his eyes sparkling.

Neville nodded.

"Ginny … she said she got the journal by her parents when they got to Diagon Alley …"

"Oh, I doubt Arthur or Molly Weasley did such a thing."

Neville frowned.

"Lucius Malfoy was there too, that day. I remember, there almost was a fight between him and Mr Weasley."

Dumbledore hummed.

"That certainly could be one of Lucius Malfoy's plan to destitute me."

Neville frowned. The Headmaster only smiled.

"Ah, you missed the part where he, as part of the board of governors, tried to expel me."

"So that means we have proof to take him down?" Neville wondered, looking at the journal.

But Dumbledore negated.

"Lucius Malfoy covered his tracks. And I doubt he would push for an investigation either."

"Why?"

"Fear of retribution, I imagine. His sister in law, Mr Black's mother, is quite fierce. And considering Lucius Malfoy can be held accountable for his nephew's degrading health state, I believe he is right now busy trying to escape her clutches."

"Health state?" wondered Neville, "I thought phoenix's tears could heal anything!"

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Oh, they do. It does not mean people know that your friend has been administered phoenix's tears. Yet."

Neville blinked.

"And Ron, Ginny and Tonks? How are they?"

The Headmaster got up and waved his door open.

"Good. I heard from our dear nurse they are in a good shape after all this ordeal. Come, it is your turn to go to the infirmary ward."

Neville cringed. He hated these moments.

"And your parents will have to know about what happened."

And now, he was doomed.

Bael woke up with a ray of sunlight warming his face. Oddly happy, he opened his eyes on a blurry face. Out of habit, he tried to morph his eyesight, but a slap on the wrist and a mere seconds later, his glasses were forced on his face. With a groan, Bael readjusted them.

"What the ?"

Healer Schiller was bent over his bed.

"well well well, if it is not our sleeping beauty."

"Sleeping beauty?" asked good-naturedly Bael, not minding where he was. He was obviously in good care. Questions would come later.

"It's a muggle count."

Bael shrugged.

"So, what do you want first? The good news, the somewhat good news or the very bad news?"

Bael's eyebrows went to his hairline.

"Uh … good new's first, worst one, last."

Schiller nodded.

"Alright. So, you're healed!" joyously said the doctor, sipping on a cup of tea. "Want a cup of tea?"

Bael dead-panned.

"No."

"Anarchist."

Bael ticked. The Healer always had a weird personality.

"You said I had an incurable disease. That I would die by my 20th birthday." he mumbled, slightly loud enough for the Healer to hear him.

Immediately, the Healer's mood soured down.

"Yes. I did. What I did not expect was for you to engage a basilisk in battle, almost die over it and have a phoenix heal you. You owe the bird your life."

Bael frowned.

"How …?"

The Healer scratched his head.

"You were admitted to Saint-mangoose three month ago in a deplorable state. Loss of considerable quantity of blood, poisoned then healed by a mysterious benefactor – it took my best Healers several weeks to realize a phoenix had swooped in – and very serious memory trouble. So very good news is that you are completely healed and will live a full life. Next news, is that we patched up you head. Turns out it was only blocks and not holes in your mind. And the bad news, is, your dark mark. One of the basilisk spikes speared the dark mark and literally dispelled the curse. Now, only a nice scar is left on that arm of yours. It could reappear overtime, though. Naturally, your parents aren't aware of these events."

Bael was openly gaping, the events of the Chamber of Secrets coming back to memory.

"… my wand?"

The Healer rolled his eyes and pointed to the bedtable where the dark wand laid. Bael heaved a sigh. Appeased, he looked at his left arm, where the tattoo had indeed disappeared. To tell the truth, he was more than happy. Only good news so far. A wide smile was spreading over his face.

"Oh, and now that you're awake, we'll have to run a battery of test. After that, you are admitted back to Hogwarts, where I am happy to tell you, the final exams should soon begin."

Bael whined and begged healer Schiller not to let him come back to the Castle. In vain.

A few hours later – Bael realized it was midday – he was thrust back to the Castle's entrance by a serious looking Healer. Without any ceremonies, the gates opened and let him pass with no trouble. Garbed in only civilian clothes (and a bandaged arm "to regulate the magic flow" had said Schiller), he looked far from your usual Hogwarts student.

"Freedom, at last." Whispered Bael happily.

Hogwarts park was sunny and many students were out. It was with no surprise Bael spotted his friends laughing near a tree. He ran to them excited to hear about the whole adventure.

"Hello." Poked Bael in Hermione's back.

The witch started before laughing and hugging him merrily when she recognized him. Ron ad Neville did the same.

"Good to see you took a shower." Laughed Ron with a high-five at least.

Bael hummed.

"So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing in particular." Began Neville, "You already guessed the whole story. I told you."

"Yeah. I was talking about your greasy walls." Completed Ron.

Bael perked up.

"So you realized it too?" he asked. The blank look he was faced with told him another story. Bael rolled his eyes, "the greasy walls are in the Chamber of Secrets too. And I told you Ron, I made the whole tour of the Castle trying to follow the outline of these walls. The Chamber is just a small part of what is hidden. Thus the basilisk trying to guard the Chamber. It must have held something else. I say we missed something! so, what else was there? Did you look behind the statue?"

Hermione frowned.

"I researched the basilisk. Like all great snakes, they kill their victim before swallowing them whole. They tend to strangle their victims when then can." Said Hermione. "So, I guess there must be some skeletons there."

Bael frowned.

"Yes. They try not to draw blood." he didn't comment the skeletons part, "And I think that's exactly what Salazar Slytherin wanted. No muggleborn blood in the Chamber. I am telling you, there is something to unlock with your blood."

"That's … completely crazy." Said Neville, "And I really don't want to go back down." he added when saw Bael's face. Hadn't he had enough with hospitals?

His three friends looked too nicely at him.

They all ended up down the chamber once again, with brooms in case of emergency.

Ron and Bael were animatedly talking to each other while Hermione was inspecting the dead basilisk.

"Is it truly dead?" she asked warily - she had never been down, Neville realized.

Just as warily, Neville nodded.

"Come on Hermione." Hurried Bael next to Salazar statue, "There must be something behind that thing."

"I don't think it's a good idea to temper with wards." Muttered Neville. He went unheard by his three friends.

Hermione used her wand to cut her finger a small bit and let a few drop of blood on the wall. As Bael had predicted, a passage opened. It was only a small room, full of glistening coins.

"A vault." Dead-panned Neville.

"It's not galleons." Remarked Ron, taking a hand full of the coins.

As Neville approached, he realized it too. The coins were heavier than real galleons, just as golden as the original ones and there were a lot of engravings on it.

"What are they?" pondered the boy. His ginger haired friend shrugged. He had no idea either.

"We'd better ask Hermione." He said.

Both boys turned back to call Hermione but the two other Gryffindors had disappeared from the room altogether.

"Ok." Began to panic Neville, "It's not even funny. Hermione! Bael!"

"Over there!" called the far away voice of their friends.

Neville and Ron rushed to Salazar statue where a hidden stairway had appeared after Hermione had dropped her blood on it. Both boys gulping and using their wand to lit the passage, they descended. A mere minutes later, the stairs had stopped and left them on a long tunnel. The end was lit by a powerful light.

Running to the end of the passage, both friend hurried up.

At the end of the tunnel, a huge room opened, a room so big, Neville wasn't sure he could see the far end of the wall. No, actually, he could not.

Awed, Neville still took the time to see Bael and Hermione in front of them, bent over the walls.

"What's that?" asked Ron in awe of what was in front of them.

Because in the middle of the room, a floating light was protected by what looked like to be hundreds of magical shields. It produced that blinding light. The walls, Neville noticed, were painted in many colors.

"It's a war story." Whispered both Hermione and Bael pointing to human like forms with spears fighting shapeless forms.

Neville looked back at the walls. He should not have.

"Who are you?" shouted Ron, the only one not to have his eyes riveted on the floating light.

The three other Gryffindors drew their wand immediately. They were cut short by the appearance Ron had seen.

"wait! It's the Castle's form!" shouted Bael, "he does not want to hurt us."

"I'm not so sure about that." Muttered Neville, glaring at the Castle's glowing orbs.

He was right. The Castle lifted its hand and the four Gryffindors were back in the Chamber of Secrets, all alone.

"What was that?" wondered Ron.

Hermione answered him.

"That was the Castle telling us to mind our own business. So, does anyone had the notes for the Transfiguration exam?" she innocently asked.

The three boys groaned.

Seven days later, the Ron and Neville were gathered in front of the post in their common room.

"So, did you pass?" asked Ron to Neville.

Neville smiled.

"Merlin, yeah. You?"

Ron devious smile answered Neville.

"What about the other two?"

"They finished first ex-aequo."

Neville hummed. Less trouble that way. As he descended the stairs with his trunk for the Hogwarts Express with Ron, they met Bael. He was singing again.

"Happy much?" said Ron.

Bael acknowledged them.

"Yeah. I'm cured guys."

Neville blinked. He had heard the story from the headmaster.

"Cured? I thought you were taking your daily potions?"

Bael waved Ron.

"It's over now! I'm completely fine now! I'll live a long life!"

Ron congratulated Bael with a pat.

"Cool. Help me now?"

Bael laughed and took out his wand.

"Use your head, idiot."

Ron grumbled but he let it pass easily.

"So, how did your parents react to this news?"

Bael froze to Neville's question.

"About that … I still haven't talked to them. And Hermione's letter made it look to them as if I had surrendered a fight. That's just … a big no-no."

"You're in denial." Laughed Ron, hunched over the stair-way.

Bael's glare did not stop him. And Ron's laugh continued all the way to the Hogwarts Express.

The four Gryffindors then gathered in a compartment for the rest of the train ride.

It had been a very quiet ride for once. Ron was sleeping against the window while Neville was reviewing his option for the next year with Bael and Hermione.

"So I took Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Duel."

Neville saw Bael pull a face. He interrogated him and the boy answered with a passionate speech.

"Divination and Care are useless anyway."

Hermione put in her piece of mind.

"Why do you say that? Your very own park is littered with all sorts of magical creatures. You told us yourself. Why won't you think it's useful?"

Bael swayed.

"Because I already know how to care for them. What lessons did you ask for?"

The witch blushed.

"I took them all. I asked McGonagall and she said I could."

Neville froze. His friend was crazy.

"Even Muggle Studies?" asked Neville.

"Yes! It's the most interesting! I want to know how wizards look at the muggles."

Bael looked severely sick at the thought of muggle studies. His face was quite comical.

"I took runes, duel and arithmancy." Said the boy when he was asked which options he had chosen. "I'm practically sure I won't see Draco there. So it goes my way."

"Lazy ass." Muttered Hermione.

Bael stuck his tongue childishly.

The rest of the ride went along the same lines. Neville was the first to leave the train and join his parents. He had barely any time to wave his friends good-bye that he was already gone, apparated away by his loving mother. Just before, he had seen Hermione and Ron join their own parents and Bael look somewhat lost in the huge mass of people on the dock. The poor boy was trudging his trunk behind him and was animatedly talking with a house elf.

"Neville. Welcome back home." Whispered Alice Longbottom, ruffling her son's hair.

Neville smiled.

Ok, so I don't really like how that chapter ended. I might even update the next one in a few hours to make it up to you ...

Anyway, reviews, fav and follow ^^