I own nothing. J.K.R Owns everything :(
Chapter 23: Second Year (Part 16)
8th, August, 1998...
"Right this will be everything that happens from now until we go home." Harry explained.
For a moment there was silence as Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then 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.
"They're going to hug the poor girl to death." Sirius laughed.
Ginny nodded, "They did but I kept pushing them away. I didn't want to be around people." she explained.
Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore
"YES!" Remus and James cheered.
"HE'S BACK!" Sirius yelled.
"None of this would have happened if he never got suspended. Stupid Malfoy." Lily said.
"Couldn't agree more." Cissy and Draco said.
was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest.
"You must have been really scared to learn that two of your students went into the Chamber with an idiot." Sirius said.
"They almost gave me a heart attack." Minerva agreed.
"Again." Ron added cheekily.
Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder, just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.
"And now they are going to be hugged to death." Sirius said.
"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"
"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.
Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.
Then he started telling them everything. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom...
"Did you notice that he didn't say anything about the polyjuice potion?" Sirius said.
"Of course I didn't. I'm not stupid enough to get us in even more trouble then what we were already in." Harry chuckled.
"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was - breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way,"
"Merlin, pup is great. He can break all these rules and never get in trouble." Sirius grinned.
"I might add - but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"
So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary - or Ginny. She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle's diary didn't work anymore... How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all?
"Dumbledore will understand. He won't expel her." James said.
"And I wouldn't either, not after what you had been through." Minerva added.
Ginny smiled faintly.
Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.
"What interests me most," said Dumbledore gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania."
Relief - warm, sweeping, glorious relief - swept over Harry. "W-what's that?" said Mr. Weasley in a stunned voice. "You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not... Ginny hasn't been... has she?"
"It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen..."
Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.
"Bet he knew what it was." Hermione muttered.
"We all know what it is." Sirius said, slightly confused.
"There is more to it then it just being a possessed diary." Harry said darkly.
Everyone looked at him confused, except Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna.
"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."
"He wasn't even human anymore." Harry said.
"Really?" James asked.
"What do you mean he wasn't human anymore?" Remus asked.
"You'll learn in the later years." Hermione replied.
"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 one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it -"
"I doubt that." Fred said.
"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 Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly.
"Aww, so sweet." Sirius teased.
Lily smacked Sirius on the back of the head as Ron rolled his eyes.
"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.
Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.
"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"
"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"
"Certainly," said Dumbledore.
She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely - surely - they weren't about to be punished?
"Nah, Dumbledore is just going to eat his words." James grinned.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"When Harry and Ron drove the car to school, Albus said that if they broke any more rules he would expel them. He's going to eat those words." James said cheerfully.
"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore.
Ron opened his mouth in horror.
"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling.
Everyone laughed. "Prongs thinks just like Albus!" Sirius exclaimed looking horrified.
"You will both 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 and closed his mouth again.
"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"
Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart.
"Don't worry I had too." Ron chuckled.
He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.
"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said quickly, "there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart -"
"Am I a professor?" said Lockhart in mild surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"
Sirius laughed. "This Lockhart is great."
"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.
"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"
"Why would Albus hire him if he knew the truth?" Lily asked.
"He didn't have much choice." Minerva sighed, "Lockhart was the only one who applied."
"Sword?" said Lockhart dimly. "Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."
They all laughed again.
"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron.
"I'd like a few more words with Harry..."
Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door.
Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.
"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.
"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."
He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him.
"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you..."
Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth.
"Professor Dumbledore... Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said..."
"Did he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows. "And what do you think, Harry?"
"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended. "I mean, I'm - I'm in Gryffindor, I'm..."
But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.
"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd - I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while... because I can speak Parseltongue..."
"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort - who is the last remaining ancestor 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…"
Everyone stared shocked at the memory,
"What else did you get from Voldemort?" James asked his son.
"You will find out later. Probably 4th or 5th year." Harry replied, "There's a few thing's I'm not sure if they were his powers or mine."
"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 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 hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue - resourcefulness - determination - a certain disregard for rules,"
"James, Sirius and Remus have three of those things too." Lily said.
he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."
"Because Harry wanted to be in the best house ever!" James said.
"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." Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."
Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry. Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.
Godric Gryffindor
"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.
James smiled brightly. "And Harry certainly showed bravery down in the Chamber."
For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.
"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban - we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher... Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"
"Yes. We do." Minerva sighed.
Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.
Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.
"So he was your's all along?" Dudley asked Draco and Cissy.
"Yes but it was only ever Lucius that was horrible to him." Cissy explained.
"Yeah, I had ordered him to act scared when he was with either me or Mother." Draco added, "He really was terrified of my Father though." he frowned.
"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly.
Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.
The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoy's shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled. Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.
"So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."
"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasleys daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too… Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."
Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.
"So - have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"
"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.
"Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"
"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."
He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely.
"Why?" James asked.
"Because that idiot is the one who gave Ginny the diary." Harry growled.
"How do you know that?" Lily asked.
"He grabbed Ginny's book in the book store. He gave it to her after he gave her the book back." Ron snarled.
Arthur's eyes flashed angrily. "How dare he give that book to my little girl! I'm glad he's in Azkaban."
Harry, however, was watching Dobby.
The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.
"He's trying to tell me that Malfoy gave it to Ginny." Harry said.
"I see..." said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.
"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here -" Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why - Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will..."
Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike.
"That's how you know he's hiding something. He uses that mask." Cissy frowned.
"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then... The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and - killing Muggle-borns... Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise..."
"Malfoy did all this because of a Muggle Protection Act?" Sirius said outraged.
Arthur still looked furious that Malfoy hurt his daughter.
Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak.
"Very fortunate," he said stiffly.
And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.
And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment.
"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" said Harry.
Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.
"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said.
"Because you gave it to her," said Harry. "In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"
He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.
"Prove it," he hissed.
"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you..."
"Are there any more You-know-whats from Voldemort's school things?" Regulus asked.
Hermione smiled. "No, no more school things."
"He did make more while at school though." Harry told him.
Most looked curious, but didn't question further knowing they wouldn't get answered.
Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!"
He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor.
"That poor house-elf. Harry save him." Lily said.
"I do." Harry rolled his eyes.
Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him -
"Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"
"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember..." Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it. Then he ran down the dark corridor.
James grinned. "He's going to set Dobby free."
Hermione, Lily and Dora beamed.
He caught up with them at the top of the stairs.
"Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you -"
And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand.
"What the -?"
Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter," he said softly. "They were meddlesome fools, too."
Remus and Sirius gave the memory dark looks. "Shut up." Sirius hissed.
"How dare he threaten my son?" Lily screeched.
He turned to go.
"Come, Dobby. I said, come."
But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.
"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."
"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"
"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby - Dobby is free."
Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry.
"You've lost me my servant, boy!"
But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!"
There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below.
Everyone laughed. "He finally got what he deserves. Now that just leaves his son getting what he deserves." Sirius said.
"Oh I got what I deserved eventually." Draco muttered.
He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger.
"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now."
Sirius laughed more. "Dobby is great!"
Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.
"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"
"Least I could do, Dobby," said Harry, grinning. "Just promise never to try and save my life again."
Harry winced. He wasn't sure if Dobby had taken him seriously or not.
The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.
"I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry's sock with shaking hands. "You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well -"
"It was a clue, sir," said Dobby, his eyes widening, as though this was obvious. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?"
"That doesn't help if Harry doesn't know much about Voldemort." Remus said.
"Right," said Harry weakly. "Well, I'd better go. There's a feast, and my friend Hermione should be awake by now..."
Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him.
"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!"
And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.
Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night.
"I wish we could have had a feast like that!" Sirius said envious.
"It would be so fun!" James agreed.
"I was thinking about something similar but instead of a feast maybe a party." Minerva mused. "A pajama party or costume party. Just a little something to celebrate the fall of Voldemort."
"That actually sounds like a good idea. No one here really felt like celebrating." Molly nodded.
"Why?" Fred asked.
"What do you think?" George frowned.
"Because of the people who died? Me, Remus and Dora?" Fred guessed.
"Yes you three were the closest to us that died that night but there was almost 50 others that died too. And then there was the problem with..." Hermione was cut off.
"We can explain that later." Harry said sharply. "It's a long story and it will be shown anyway even if I don't want to show it." he muttered.
Harry didn't know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!" or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or his and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat
"Wish we could have got that!" Sirius said.
"And it seems that Minnie finally agrees with us about not having exams." James said.
"Actually that was Albus's idea. I just agreed to it." Minerva admitted.
("Oh, no!" said Hermione),
"You've been petrified. You had no time to study. How could you be upset?" Sirius asked.
Hermione just shrugged.
or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.
"The best news better had been me coming back." Hermione said angrily, but it was ruined by her smiling.
"All those great things that happened at the end of the year," Sirius said, "Sounds great."
"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He was starting to grow on me."
The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences - Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor.
"Yes!" The Marauders and twins cheered.
Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky. On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.
"That's no surprise now that she's not being possessed." Fred said.
"Clearly." Ginny smiled, "It was mainly relief about not being expelled as well as getting rid of that stupid book."
Too soon, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts Express. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves. They 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.
"It is a very useful spell." Harry said.
"You didn't let it become your signature move though did you?" Remus asked.
"I know I said I wouldn't but... Yes I did." he replied smirking. When he saw a few confused looks he added, "We had a dissagreement about that last year. I won't tell you all the details but basically Remus didn't think it was wise to allow that to become my signature move because I used it so often the Death Eater's started recognising it even if I was in disguise." he explained.
They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something.
"Ginny - what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"
"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well - Percy's got a girlfriend."
"Ginny! You weren't supposed to tell them!" Percy whined.
"Sorry Percy, but they would have found out eventually." she laughed.
Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head.
"Sorry George." Fred winced.
"I was just as shocked as you." George shrugged.
"What?"
"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny.
"That's obvious." James said.
"How?" Sirius asked.
"Ron and Harry ran into her when they went into the dungeons as Crabbe and Goyle. Then after her, they met Percy. It's obvious now that I think about it." James explained.
"That's who he was writing to all last summer. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day. He was so upset when she was - you know - attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.
"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.
"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.
"You shouldn't have said that. You would have known they would tease him." James said.
"That's what I was counting on." Ginny said cheerfully.
Percy glared at her while the others laughed.
"Were you aware our little sister has a very annoying sense of humor?" he asked Bill and Charlie.
"Of course." Bill smirked.
"You would've noticed if you didn't spend so much time locked in your room." Charlie added.
Percy sighed but didn't comment.
The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.
Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.
"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer - he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to..."
"That's not a good idea, Harry. Pure-bloods are complete idiots when it comes to using Muggle things." Lily said.
Dudley laughed. "No kidding. Dad was furious to find someone yelling down the phone at him."
"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"
"He didn't tell you how bad it was?" Sirius asked.
"He didn't want us to worry, but he did tell us eventually." Hermione replied glaring at Harry.
"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…"
"I wouldn't." Petunia huffed, "I know I didn't show it but I did care. I would have been very upset if something had happened to you."
Harry smiled at her, "I didn't know that did I?" she shook her head sadly.
And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.
"Right that was second year." Harry announced.
"Wow." Dora said.
"Yes, I think that sums it up." James nodded.
"Is next year better?" Fleur asked.
"Um... It depends on how you look at it I suppose." Harry replied.
"What does that mean?" Lily asked.
"Well... a mass murderer breaks out of prison." Hermione shrugged.
"Meaning me by any chance?" Sirius asked smirking.
"Yep." Ron nodded.
"And we meet Remus for the first time." Harry grinned. "He's the new DADA teacher."
"Well done Remus!" Lily congratulated. "You always wanted to be a teacher." Remus nodded.
"And you will find out the rest as we go. For now I think it's bedtime." Harry said looking at his watch. "It's 11.30 so it's pretty late."
"What time are we continuing at tomorrow?" Draco asked. "Because we need to return to the manor tonight." he nodded at his mother and Astoria.
"We're going back to Shell Cottage." Bill added as Fleur nodded. "We have a few things to sort out."
"Um about noon I think." Harry replied. "Maybe just after lunch so between 11 and 11.30." they all nodded and either went home for the night (Minerva, Kingsley, Cissy, Draco, Astoria, Bill and Fleur) or up to bed.