Chapter 24 – The Queen

Near Ravenclaw Tower

"Helena," Minerva McGonagall spoke quietly, "would you mind speaking with me for a moment?"

The Ravenclaw ghost looked over her shoulder at the Deputy Headmistress. "What is it you wish to speak to me about? Hogwarts no longer sees you as a part of the problem, so you should not worry about your job."

The Transfiguration teacher shook her head, "I am not concerned for my job at this point; fire me or not, my concern is the students and the students alone. I am concerned about what could happen to them with the chamber opened and I think you might be able to help me figure out what I am missing."

Helena Ravenclaw blinked, "I see. If it is knowledge I have, you are welcome to it. The students are, and always should be more important than anything else here."

Nodding, Minerva continued, "You knew Salazar Slytherin, correct?"

"I did. He was my mother's friend. In my youth, I considered him my uncle. To be honest, I still think of him in this way."

"Do you know where his chamber is?"

The gray lady shook her head, "We all had theories but he never cared to share with anyone. As far as I am aware, he didn't even share that knowledge with either of his children, despite their shared abilities."

"Then do you know what his monster is?"

"He did not consider her a monster."

Minerva blinked, "Her?"

The ghost nodded, "She was meant to be added protection against invading forces. The times were not kind to uncle Salazar. I think he lost more than all of us in the end even though I lost my life before I could have a family of my own. It made him paranoid and that paranoia drove a wedge between him and the others. He feared what the parents of muggleborn students would do to their children; feared that they might find the school and burn it to the ground like the church was calling for. He thought if all else failed, she could rise up and end the conflict before the students were injured or killed."

"What is she?" Minerva all but begged when she stopped talking.

"You have to understand. She was obedient. They had been together longer than Salazar and Godric had been friends. He told us of the oath she swore to him, to defend the students of this school from all who would seek to destroy them and the sanctuary that Hogwarts was meant to be." Here ghostly eyes were pleading. "She is no threat to anyone here unless she is ordered by a speaker and even then, she will not kill because it is against her oath. To go against that oath is to invite madness and death for her."

"Speaker?"

"She will only follow the orders of someone who speaks Parseltongue."

"So, his monster is some kind of snake?" Minerva was terrified that she knew what kind of snake but hoped she was mistaken. "Will you just tell me already?"

Helena sighed, "I was sworn to secrecy. Told to only reveal this knowledge when lives were at stake. I did not know that lives could be lost last time and no one asked so I could not speak. Because you ask and I fear that He may force the issue once more, I will tell you." Though it was unneeded, she took a deep breath, "She is a Basilisk and she is outside her chamber, somewhere within these walls. The fact that she is out means that a speaker has found her chamber and commanded her to do his bidding. There is an enemy of Hogwarts within these walls and he controls Hogwarts' greatest defender."

"A Basilisk? Controlled by someone commanding her to attack students who oppose his unknown goals," she breathed, her mind racing. "Merlin help us all."

As she turned to go back into the school, Helena gasped.

A second later a bell she had never heard before rang loudly. Minerva McGonagall felt fear envelope her listening to the sound.

"A man is dead," Helena all but wept.

The deputy head closed her eyes, "Let us hope this is not the end of Hogwarts."

Dungeons

"Thank you for convincing professor Snape to allow us to meet despite the current restrictions." Harry smiled at the older Slytherin, though it was not the smile he used to have before the twins were petrified.

Imogen had spoken to her head of house about allowing Harry to continue his Parseltongue training. Harry had been reluctant at first to admit to a teacher that he had the gift but Daphne had managed to convince him that their potions professor would not treat him like a leper. Professor Snape had barely raised an eyebrow when Harry told him. The professor had admitted that it would be best for Harry to learn to differentiate Parseltongue and English as soon as possible for his own protection. His only stipulations were that the practice happen in a room not commonly used by most students and that it be near his office in case of incident.

The obvious solution to these rules was to use one of the private labs. There were three labs outside the regular classrooms. It was Imogen who suggested they meet in what she dubbed her lab. Imogen was a brilliant potions student who wanted to become a master of the subject and focus her knowledge and skill into inventing potions, particularly those to heal. It was because of this dream that she had all but claimed one of the labs for her own uses; there were only two other students that used the room and both only used it when they were assisting with Imogen's current projects.

So as not to arouse suspicion, they decided to meet directly after the second year Slytherin/Ravenclaw double potions. Imogen had personal study at that time, which she typically spent in her lab, so she would meet Daphne and Harry in the lab after being escorted there by an Auror. Professor Snape would then pick up the three students fifteen minutes before dinner so that he could escort them to the great hall, after making a pit stop to drop of Shiva of course.

Harry had learned quickly that Shiva was proud and obstinate. The king cobra was and always had been very determined to get her point across, even when she wasn't being understood. Which, is actually how the snake got her name. Imogen had been looking into names of people and deities of Southeast Asia to name the cobra, as that is where they are originally from. While looking through a book on deities, the young snake had slithered onto the page about Shiva and stayed there, not allowing Imogen to turn the page. It did not matter to the serpent that Shiva was a male god and she was clearly female, all that mattered was that she liked the name. Imogen had been unable to get the serpent to respond to any other name so had reluctantly allowed that to be her name, even if some might find it offensive. The only other option was to offend a poisonous snake that might decide to bite because she did not like her name. In their first session, Harry discovered that she had seen many statues of the god before being brought to England and thought that because of her divine bloodline, it was only fitting that she had a name so revered by two legged beings.

"Shiva and I look forward to this time almost as much as you do," she looked at her king cobra, "or at least I think she enjoys this time."

"This is perhaps my favorite time of the week. Brother Harry knows how to treat a serpent of my standing and he actually understands the most noble of languages."

Harry chuckled at the snake's response. "She definitely likes being here."

"I take it that wasn't all she said?" They had met only three times so far, due to the ever-changing security precautions, and it had been clear very quickly that Shiva thought herself above all humans. The cobra thought herself a queen, liked only a handful of people and barely tolerated the rest. Before Harry she had honestly only liked her human, Imogen, and Daphne because Imogen was fond of the younger Slytherin. Harry was now her brother because he could actually speak to her. When she didn't call him brother, she called him hatchling because he was so very young.

"As she has said before, Shiva doesn't really like people. This time allows her to have an actual conversation with a living person." Harry shrugged. The snake had admitted that she was tired of only being able to speak to one other live snake and the portrait of one in the Slytherin common room.

"As amusing as this is," Daphne interrupted before they could continue their pointless conversation, "shouldn't we get started?"

"You are correct," Harry grinned. "I would love to hear more about cobra culture, if you don't mind Shiva. You could tell me about your traditions and then I could translate."

"And what can I do to punish you when you fail to switch to the proper language?" Daphne grinned evilly. After the first lesson, the blond Slytherin had decided that Harry needed incentive to not screw up so she had hit him with tickling hexes last time. During the week leading up to this meeting she had been debating between a stinging hex and hitting him with color blobs.

"I vote for color balls," Imogen said as the voice of reason. "The color comes off easily and is actually less strenuous on you."

"And it doesn't hurt me at all," Harry grumbled.

"There are many types of cobra in the world. None are as noble as the king cobra." Shiva began before the others could continue. She was not happy when attention was not on her. "The deadliest of my brethren is what humans call the Caspian cobra. Though we are from the same jungles the Caspian still bows to the king because the king is the direct descendent of the original cobra. It is my line that carries the blood of old."

Harry opened his mouth to translate but closed his mouth when they heard the sound of an ominous bell toll around them. "What is that?"

Imogen shook her head, her eyes wide. "What ever it is, we should stay here and wait for Professor Snape or one of the Aurors to come get us."

Daphne nodded, "I feel like I should know what that is but I can't seem to focus around this feeling of fear I suddenly have."

Harry placed an arm around her shoulder and would have answered but the door flew open so hard that it bounced of the wall with a resounding thud. The three humans turned as one to find someone unexpected in the doorway, acting unlike his normal self.

"Expelliarmus," Vincent Crabbe hissed, aiming at the biggest target in the room. Imogen had drawn her wand when the door flew open but unfortunately it was no use to her now as it was flying into the second year's hand.

Imogen's eyes widened and her lips fell into a thin line. "What are you doing, Crabbe?" All could hear the tightly bound rage in her voice. "This is my lab. You need permission from our head of house, a seventh-year prefect or myself to enter this room, and in case you were unaware, you are not welcome here."

Vincent Crabbe laughed, his tone dripping with scorn. "And what makes you think you can bar me from entering where I please. I am greater than any living and you are simply a small insignificant girl with delusions of grandeur; as for the others, I am above any student in this school and why would I need permission from a half-blood potions maker when I am pure?" He allowed his gaze to slide to Harry and Daphne, his eyes glinting red.

Harry slid slightly in front of Daphne, blocking her as much as he could. "Did you see his eyes just now?" He asked her as quietly as he could. "They looked red and his voice is wrong. It's almost like there are two people talking at the same time."

The blonde nodded, her hand gripping Harry's robe tightly. "Like when the twins talk at the same time but so much creepier."

"Silence, Potter or I will kill the little blonde bitch who thinks she is better than the rest of us."

"Beware, brother speaker," Shiva slithered up Harry's arm so that her head rested on his shoulder. "He smells wrong. There is very dark magic surrounding him."

Crabbe's red eyes went to the cobra and then back to Harry. "Little Potter is a speaker?" He sounded flabbergasted. "Impossible. His family is nowhere near pure enough to be entrusted with Salazar's prized gift. I am the last and only Heir." With each word his composure slipped that much more. "He must have stolen it. It is the only option. I will just have to kill him, though I already planned to do so. His death will be that much more painful because of this injustice. I wonder if it would be more painful to be bitten, crushed or swallowed by my stupid pet that can't seem to follow orders." As he spoke his eyes looked from side to side as if he was speaking to various people around the room and not himself.

Without any sigh or change in his audience, Vincent Crabbe froze. His eyes were focused on the wall behind Harry's head, though he appeared to be listening for something. "Come," he gestured to the three, "it is time to go."

"And why should we listen to you?" Imogen asked, sounding bored.

The red in his eyes flashed, the color intensifying as he pointed his wand at the large desk across the room. A flash of light left the tip and a moment later the desk exploded into hundreds of pieces. "Because there is nothing stopping me from doing the same to your fragile bodies. If you come with me, one or both of you lovely ladies might not die." He stepped aside so that the doorway was clear. "Make sure to bring the cobra. I do so love bending a snake to my will."

Shiva hissed in displeasure but did not say anything.

Imogen opened her mouth to argue but stopped when Harry shook his head. Antagonizing the irrational and dangerous student would do them no good at this point. He also turned his wrist, pulling up his sleeve slightly to show that he still had his wand.

"Do I need to do something to entice you to move?" he asked with a sickeningly suggestive tone that promised pain.

Harry tilted his head to the elder girl, indicating she should go first and pushed Daphne to follow behind her. He wanted to be ready to defend the two if the angry student made a move in their direction.

"If you are a good boy, Harry, I might just let them serve me personally. They can be my own to use when I take over and let my most trusted pick from the rest of the student body." Harry only glared in response. "Well, that wasn't the response I expected. Vincent things you are brash and like to show off. Perhaps he was mistaken. Not that it matters, you will be dead soon enough and then there will be no one who can stop me." He turned on his heel, pressed his wand to Daphne's back and pushed her forward. "Follow or I paint the dungeon walls with her blood."

Harry and Imogen shared a brief look as the deranged young man forced the younger girl down the hall. There was no other choice but to follow. Harry Potter did not want to lose his friend.

"I smell someone watching, brother."

Harry looked over his shoulder to find Draco, standing frozen in the hall just outside the potions classroom. 'GET HELP,' he mouthed before quickly following the crazed student deeper into the dungeons, hoping that no one would die that day.

…

Severus Snape was ready for the day to be over. It was Friday and the stress of the week on top of chamber security was driving him to distraction. Like every other Friday, he still had a handful of students left in his classroom despite the fact that class had ended more than thirty minutes ago. Some stayed behind to clarify, Hermione Granger was always guilty of this, while others stayed behind because he required it. Students who struggled were forced to stay behind so he could review previous assignments and explain where they went wrong. He hoped sacrificing his time now would save him headaches later.

When the bell of war rang, he froze. He could see the fear creeping into the faces of all the students still in the room but knew that perhaps only one of them truly knew what was going on.

"I believe that is all we needed to review, Mr. Goyle, Ms. Bulstrode." He tried to sound calm so as not to incite panic, "I want the two of you to head directly to the common room." He knew that Auror Dawlish was out in the hall, having already escorted Potter and Greengrass to Aldridge's lab, and would be able to watch the students make their way to the common room. Luckily that bell would lock common rooms so that students could not exit, only enter. The doors would not open for anyone involved in whatever caused the bell to ring. "If you are not there in an hour when I come to check on your house you will be in detention with me, scrubbing cauldrons for the remainder of the school year. Oh, and if you see Mr. Crabbe before I do, inform him he has detention with me for a week skipping this review session again."

"Professor," Draco sprinted into the room, his face deathly white and out of breath. He had only been gone a few minutes. "Crabbe," he gasped. "Daphne, Harry and Aldridge at wand point."

"Slow down, Draco." Severus spoke with a calm he wasn't sure he actually felt. He had been searching for who might be infected with the darkness for weeks but there were a handful of students that just never stopped feeling tainted by dark magic and Crabbe was one of them. "From the beginning and with detail. Where was Auror Dawlish?"

"I was leaving class and Dawlish wasn't there. I looked up and down the hall but all I saw Crabbe standing there pointing a wand at Daphne while glaring at Harry and Aldridge. He told them to follow or he would 'paint the walls with her blood.' Harry looked over his shoulder before following, saw me and I think he was telling me to get help."

Severus flicked his wand, causing a silver doe to appear, "Crabbe is the one. He has Harry. Come to the dungeons immediately." Once he finished speaking, the doe sped out of the room. "Draco, Granger, come with me. The rest of you, stay here and do not leave. Open the door only for Draco, Granger, Professors Lupin or Professor Flitwick."

He pushed the startled pair out of the room, "Which way, Draco?"

The blond pointed toward the unused part of the dungeons. There were few who knew that area of the castle these days. "Follow, quickly." He swept his wand over them, muffling their steps. "Hopefully we can catch them before the disappear into the labyrinth of hallways down here."

"What do you need me to do, Professor?" Hermione asked him, her voice shaking.

"You are both coming with me so that I can send one of you back to collect Lupin and point him to wherever Crabbe is leading us. The other will wait at the entrance and update him when he gets here. Once Lupin is brought up to speed, the two of you will head to the classroom and stay there unless directed differently by one of the senior staff."

The trio ran down the hallway, following the noises in front of them as best they could. With each turn they hoped they would find their targets but it seemed they had lost them entirely. It was luck, more than anything, that had them turning the final corner to what would normally be a dead end only to see Harry and Crabbe standing in a slim door way.

"Vincent Crabbe," Severus boomed, "Stop this instant," he pointed his wand at the student only for the normally simple boy smirked in a way reminiscent of the most recent Dark Lord. He hissed and the wall closed behind him.

Draco ran at the wall and tried to pound his way through while the potions master preformed every unlocking spell he knew to attempt to get through the wall.

Hermione Granger stood, wide eyed and unmoving looking at the wall. "We won't be able to get through." Her voice was barely above a whisper but the two still heard her. "He spoke Parseltongue."

"And how would you know that, Miss Granger," Severus said with more bite in his tone then he meant to use due to his frustration.

"Harry is a Parselmouth. He has been studying it and his book says that spells in Parseltongue are, more often than not, immune to counters in any other language. Even if it wasn't a spell, if that was the password, only someone who speaks Parseltongue or has practiced could say the correct combination of hisses to open the door."

"Harry is a Parselmouth?" Draco said in wonder.

"I knew he was a Parselmouth, but I did not know that Parselmagic was that different," Severus nearly swore. "We should head back to the classroom. Lupin and Filius should be there now; perhaps one of them has some other idea."

"No need to come looking for us," Remus Lupin came around the corner a moment later, Filius directly behind him. "Filius and I were on our way to your classroom when your Patronus found us. After a little talk with a ghost, I collected Filius so I could share my findings with both of you at once. I know what the monster is." He ran a hand over his face, "The Baron was surprisingly informative. He knew Salazar and said that Salazar always talked about his beloved queen of serpents. There is only one creature I know of that is referred to as the king of serpents and that is the basilisk."

Hermione let out a chocked sob, "I really didn't want to be right."

"At a later date, you will have to explain to me how a second-year student guessed in a matter of weeks what historians have been contemplating for centuries. For now, there are other things we need to do."

"Agreed Severus," Filius walked forward, his wand clutched in his hand. "I know you have been unsuccessful in opening the passage but perhaps there is a goblin solution. My ancestors are masters with stone and most wizards discount goblin magic as inferior; perhaps Salazar did not protect his secrets from my people the way he should have." The little half goblin started muttering in the goblin tongue. After a moment he tucked his wand back in its holster and moved so he was standing directly I front of where the passage should be placing his hands flush to the stone. "Remus, I think perhaps now is the time to take Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger back to the potions classroom. Once you finish with that, I think we should find Minerva."

"Shall I have her put the school on complete lockdown?"

"I think that best. All students to their common rooms, save those two. Septima can handle my Ravens."

"Aurora is trusted by my snakes," Severus added. "I am sure either Charity or Bathsheda would be willing to watch the lions while we are occupied."

"Perhaps you should have Minerva keep Albus busy so that he does not stick his crooked nose into this."

The Bloody Baron glided through the wall to Remus's left. "That will not be necessary Filius Flitwick. The castle has been listening and has lock the headmaster in his former office."

"Former office?" Severus quirked a brow.

Helena appeared at the Baron's side. "His delayed reactions to the students effected by this crisis were the last straw. Hogwarts has slowly been removing his access to the castle and only this morning had made it so the only place he had access to was his office."

"The portraits kept him busy while the castle placed him on lock down." The Baron grinned wickedly, "when this situation is dealt with, the castle requests that the true Heir and Heads of House removed the old goat."

"Nothing would please us more than to remove him, but might I ask who the heir is?" Filius asked while looking over his shoulder at the two ghosts.

"That is something we are not aware of." Helena looked to her ghostly companion. "We will know when the time is right, but I can all but guarantee that the heir is in the castle now if Hogwarts is asking for them."

"You also do not need to send the wolf to get the head of Gryffindor. She has been found by Nicholas."

"Hogwarts has been listening and has relayed your suggestions to the appropriate professors through the castle ghosts. Deputy Head McGonagall has also requested that the head of Hufflepuff contact the Aurors; while she takes care of that, Charity Burbage will watch the badgers."

"Sir Nicholas should be here shortly with Minerva McGonagall," the Baron finished. "When she is here, we can send these two students back to their previous classroom with the Gryffindor ghost."

"Very well," Filius turned his attention back to the stones before him. "I suggest you all step back. Goblins are masters of stone but foreign magic can do odd things when provoked. I will bring this wall down and protect my students or die trying."

…

"Keep walking," possessed Crabbe barked. The quartet had been walking up a slight incline for about five minutes. "We are almost to the doorway."

"Who are you anyway?" Daphne wondered. "There is no way you are actually Vince."

"Is it so hard to guess, little girl," he chuckled darkly.

Harry looked over his shoulder at the other boy. Crabbe was slightly shorter than Harry but was quite a bit larger in most every other way. "If I had to guess I would say you were Voldemort, but I could be wrong. And I would also like to know how you managed to possess him."

"I see Potter is both brave and not entirely stupid." His eyes flashed red as he spoke. "I am indeed Lord Voldemort. I left pieces of myself in certain objects. Vincent was gifted my school diary over the summer. Your professors thought they were so clever searching the belongings of all students for dark objects." He laughed loudly. "Fearing they might do something like this, I took control and hid the diary in that stupid Parkinson girl's trunk. They destroyed my diary but there was enough of me left in him to entice him to look for another one of my objects. I hid the diadem when I interviewed for the position of defense professor years ago. All it took was a few pointed suggestions to look for it and then I could return as a better version of myself. This version knows more than my teenaged self." He looked at the young scarred boy, "I will admit, Potter, I am more than a little surprised that you had the stones to say my name out loud; very few wizards live to see another day after doing just that."

"I've said your name before and I will say it again. I find it hard to respect someone so afraid to die they name themselves for it."

"I fear nothing and I can never truly die!"

Imogen sighed, "Your name literally means flight from death and you travel the earth as a shade, which means you preformed some exceptionally dark magic to tie your soul to this plane of existence. If that is not fear of death, then I don't know what is."

"I see all three of you wish for death," he seethed, ignoring their words. "And I didn't tell you to stop walking."

Daphne, who had been in the lead, had stopped due to the solid wall in front of her. "Do you expect me to walk though stone now? You do know I am not a ghost, right?"

"Place your hand on the stone and it will open."

The blond shrugged and did as instructed. Once her hand toughed the wall the stones warmed before disappearing as if they melted into thin air.

"Isn't this Myrtle's toilet?" Daphne wondered.

Imogen looked around, a look of disgust on her face, "It is indeed. I know of no other that is always flooded." She looked down at her feet and sure enough, the bottom of their robes were sitting in water. "How is it we went up three floors and to the other side of the castle, when we did not change direction and did not climb nearly high enough on that incline?"

"I fear the obvious answer is magic," Harry couldn't help but say. "What I want to know is why we are here. Doesn't seem very dignified."

"We are here," Voldemort pushed past them, sounding almost gleeful, "because the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is here." He walked until he was standing in front of the middle sink. "Open."

The sink and floor around in instantly started shifting. Opening and leaving a tunnel that led down to depths unknown.

"Potters first," he pointed his wand at the dark-haired boy before indicating the hole.

"No stairs?"

"Just go Potter, before I kill your little girlfriend."

Harry put his hands up in submission before sliding feet first into the darkness below.

Falling into a pit of bones would be disturbing under any circumstance, but it seemed that much worse when there was someone aiming to kill him following behind him. Harry did not dare make a move until he knew that Imogen and Daphne were safely on the ground with him, and he honestly didn't have a great plan yet.

Daphne shot out of the pipe next, rolling into the bones with a startled cry. Harry was at her side a moment later, helping her to her feet. "Are you alright, Daphne?"

She nodded as she straightened, using his shoulder for support. Her eyes traveled around the cavern looking for any way out other than where their captor wanted them to go. Unfortunately, the only thing her eyes could focus on was what lay on the bones near the wall. "Harry," her voice shook with fear. "Please tell me that is not a shed snake skin."

Harry looked where she indicated and gulped. "I really wish I could, but that is exactly what you think it is."

"That skin has to be fifty feet long! Doesn't that mean the snake that shed it is even bigger?"

He could only nod.

"Queen," Shiva hissed, poking her head out of Harry's robes.

"What?"

"The queen is near!"

"What did she say?"

"She said that the queen is near."

Daphne let out a chocked sob and buried her face in her hands. "Oh, gods. Hermione was right."

"You don't know how much I wish she had been wrong for once," Harry warped his arms around her just as Imogen slid into the tunnel. Somehow the older Slytherin made the tumble look graceful.

Imogen looked at the two second years with worry. "What is it? Did something else happen?"

Harry looked Imogen in the eye, his terror clear to see. "We know what Slytherin's monster is. It's a basilisk."

Imogen froze, her eyes fixed on the snake skin that had given the final clue. She opened her mouth to comment but their enemy rolled into the cavern his wand aimed once more on his three captives. "Did you enjoy your little slid? Guess not," he sighed looking at Daphne trembling in Harry's arms. "I suppose there is no accounting for taste." He flicked the wand in his hand, pointing toward the opposite end of the chamber. "Let's get moving, we are almost at our destination and I can't wait to introduce you to my pet."

Imogen glared at Voldemort before walking to the younger pair and wrapping her arm around Daphne's shoulder. While he had held Daphne, Harry had pulled her wand from her wrist holster and pushed it up his own sleeve. Somehow, Voldemort had missed this but Imogen had not.

The elder girl placed her hand on Harry's arm, near his wrist. She could feel the wand within. Meeting his eyes, she subtly tilted her head toward it and squeezed his arm. "I'll take her," she spoke clearly so the evil possessor would not think they were plotting.

Harry released his hold on Daphne at the same time he pushed the wand tip out of his sleeve. Imogen did not waste a second in pushing the wand into her own sleeve while pulling Daphne closer. Looking over her shoulder, she could see an amused look on Crabbe's face but no outrage. Their sleight of hand had worked. Now they just needed a proper opening.

He led them to an ornate, circular door and once again opened it with a word in Parseltongue. Beyond the door was a long chamber lined with snake statues on either side of the main walkway. At the very end lay a pool with a large carved head on the other side, centered in the wall. As the quartet walked into the room, torches burst into flame, lighting their way.

"Welcome to Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets," Voldemort spread his arms wide. "For at least one of you, this will be the spot of your final breath. This will be the place where I get revenge on you, Harry Potter. It is because of you that I do not reign supreme." He turned to face Harry fully, "you should be honored that I decided to share this with you before I allow my pet to kill you."

"What make you think that she will kill me? I am a speaker, just like you. No snake would ever willingly harm a speaker because of how rare we are."

"There is only one that she will listen to and that is the Heir of Slytherin. Unfortunately for you, the heir is me. I am the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin and I will complete his dream. I will save the magical world from all of those filthy mudbloods. Any halfblood or pureblood who stands in my way will die for their insolence. One day soon, I will rule over all and the world will know the greatness of Lord Voldemort, Heir to the greatest founder of Hogwarts."

"Stupi…"

Voldemort whirled and flicked his wand deflecting the spell Imogen was casting behind him. With another flick he sent her flying toward the end of the room and into the pool that lay before a giant stone face. In the next second, he flicked his wand at Daphne and sent her flying into the closest wall. She hit hard, the breath rushing from her lungs and collapsed to the floor.

Harry dove to the side and rolled when Voldemort turned to him, narrowly avoiding the spell meant for him.

"Now that they are out of the way, I think I will call my dearest to come and play." He turned to the end of the room. "Come to me, familiar of Hogwarts' greatest champion. Enemies are at her gates." He turned back to Harry, "Now, I think I shall have a little fun while we wait for her. Do you think you can survive long enough to meet the pet of Salazar Slytherin?" With a laugh he cast curse after curse.

Normally, Harry would outclass Vincent Crabbe when it came to magical strength, casting ability, speed and spell knowledge. Harry was a Ravenclaw who studied ahead. He was best friends with an Italian Slytherin who liked to practice offensive spell casting. He exercised regularly. The twins liked to teach him creative ways to use every day spells. Normally, there would be no question at Harry winning this fight.

Voldemort possessing Crabbe made all the difference. It was not Vince who was in control of his body, it was Voldemort. Voldemort was older than Harry, though he had no idea exactly how old he was. He had more knowledge of spells Harry had not even dreamed of and was not afraid to cast to kill. Harry was at a serious disadvantage in this fight.

He dodged a violently red curse, unsure what it would have done but entirely sure he would not have liked the effects. If he survived this, and managed to save Vince, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to look at the other boy again without shuddering.

"You can't dodge me forever, Potter," he cackled.

The lone Ravenclaw looked to the pool behind his opponent hoping to see Imogen had survived her flight across the room and into the water. He had to control his face so that he didn't show relief at seeing her slowing crawling out of the water and onto the stone walkway. There was no question in his mind that the only way he could survive this was with her help.

Coming to a stop, Harry pointed his wand at his opponent and screamed, "Expelliarmus." He knew that Voldemort would be able to deflect or dodge the curse. That wasn't why he cast it. No, the reason he cast that spell, with the amount of volume he did, was in hopes that he could distract the psychotic man from the actions of the young woman Vince could not see.

"You are powerful," he smirked. "I will give you that."

While Harry had been casing his curse, Imogen had been casting one of her own. She had also cast a disarming curse and it hit the possessed boy at that moment. The wand flew out of Vincent Crabbe's hand and went spinning through the air.

Voldemort whirled while drawing Imogen's own wand from his robes, but it was too late. Imogen had cast a second curse while he was distracted. The stunning spell hit him square in the chest and sent him to the floor before he could open his mouth to cast a potentially deadly curse at the Slytherin.

"Grab his wand," Imogen pointed to the wand that had gone flying while she made her way over to his prone form. She picked up her own wand and cast another stunner. "Search him while I check on Daphne. Make sure to check his wrists, ankles, waist and all of his pockets. I don't want him to wake while we are occupied and have another wand on his person."

"He summoned the basilisk."

Imogen paused as she knelt next to Daphne, "then we better hope she is in the mood to listen. It is a good thing he is unconscious because one Parselmouth is more than enough in this situation; especially because that one wants you dead and wouldn't hesitate to kill Daphne and I." She focused on the small blonde who moaned while blinking. "Are you alright Daphne?"

"I'm alive and awake but I think I would rather be unconscious as it hurts to breath."

She waved her wand, closing a cut on the younger girl's head that was bleeding terribly. "Sounds like broken or cracked ribs. There isn't much I can do for that without my potions but I can make sure you don't have any open wounds."

"Does it even matter?" She wondered. "A basilisk is going to come out of that statue's mouth in a moment and then we will all be dead."

"Then don't look at it and hope that Harry and Shiva can talk her out of eating us."

Daphne nodded, wincing with the pain that action caused. "Harry, if I get eaten by a giant snake, I will haunt you until the end of time."

Harry looked at her, "If you get eaten, I am fairly sure she is going to eat me too but I would be happy to haunt Hogwarts with you."

Imogen blinked and looked into Daphne's eyes, "Is he always like this?"

"Harry is great at making jokes at the worst possible time."

"I see movement," Harry called when the snakes enormous snout started to poke out of the statue's mouth. He dropping his gaze to the floor at his feet and shuddered.

"Close your eyes, NOW," Imogen ordered while slamming her eyes closed.

He didn't know what to do. Harry's mind was racing, throwing out useless pieces of information that would not aid him in this situation. He wished he could recall the full chapter on meeting potentially hostile snake but the only thing he was sure that it did say was to maintain eye contact. Snakes apparently had the ability to read intent in a human's eyes. While they couldn't see exactly what you wanted, they could see if you were a danger, afraid, interested or friendly. The only problem with that was that looking into a basilisk's eyes directly would be suicide, literally.

While he searched his mind for useful information, he felt Shiva leave the safety of his robe. He turned his head to the side slightly to find her reared up, hood flared. "My queen," the king cobra bowed her head slightly. "We mean you no harm. My human and her companions were brought to your nest against our will." Shiva bumped her nose against Harry's arm. "Address the great serpent," the cobra somehow managed to whisper.

Harry took a deep, shuddering breath before bowing at the waist. "I am honored to be in the presence of one such as yourself, queen of serpents. I apologize for hiding my eyes but it is said all who look into your glorious eyes will fall into the endless sleep of death. I realize that there are some who simply freeze like stone but this too would prevent me from properly addressing you."

Though he did not see it, the enormous snake lowered her head so that it was level with Harry's upper body, "While it is true that my eyes do bring death, it happens only when I wish it." Her voice was commanding and calm in a way that spoke of time. He could feel her age in the way her words reverberated around the room, enveloping him in her power. "The first lesson learned for my species is to control our killing gaze; once learned we can look at anyone without causing harm or can chose to pause their existence and make them like stone instead of bringing forth eternal sleep. I have controlled my eyes for centuries. Raise your head speaker so that we might converse properly."

Harry swallowed the saliva pooling in his throat and clenched his eyes closed for one more second. He wished he could will himself to not be afraid. Lifting his body, he started directly into the largest eye he had ever seen. The giant yellow orb had to be more than twice the size of his head. "I am honored to meet you, great lady. I am Harry Potter. May I ask your name?"

"I am called Hebe," she hissed. "Salazar named me for the witch goddess of eternal youth. I found it fitting for she was a Greek goddess and that is where my brethren hail from." Her forked tongue flicked out, testing the air. "I am overjoyed to meet you at last, Harry Potter."

He opened his mouth to reply but closed it a moment later when the wording of her last statement reached his overwhelmed brain. Blinking, he shook his head, "I don't understand. It sounded like you had been waiting for me."

"Because I have been waiting for you. Centuries ago, my human said that his true heir would come to protect the school and I was to aid them."

"Your human? You mean Salazar Slytherin? As far as I know, I am not related to him in any way."

"Harry," Daphne called as loudly as she dared. "Is everything alright?"

Harry looked over at the two girls, both still had their eyes firmly shut. "Yes, everything is fine. More than fine actually. Sorry for not clarifying. You can open your eyes now. Hebe doesn't kill with her eyes unless she wants to and I don't think she has any intention of harming me or my friends." He turned his eyes back to the great serpent. "I would like you to meet my friends." Harry made his way over to the pair, Daphne still leaning against the wall near one of the snake statues, Shiva at his side. "This is my friend Daphne, Shiva and her human Imogen."

"Well met, Shiva, royalty among the hooded. Your human is wise to befriend a speaker."

"Thank you, my queen. It is the smaller human who brought the speaker to us. For this I will always be grateful."

Harry smiled at the smaller snake's comment. "Daphne did indeed introduce us. She is an educated, accepting human."

"Imogen, Daphne, I would like to introduce you to Hebe, the familiar of Salazar Slytherin."

It was Daphne who found her tongue first. "Well met, lady Hebe. It is an honor to meet someone who has seen so many centuries. If I could speak the true language, I would wish to spend all of my time asking you about the history of Hogwarts and your friendship with one of her founders."

Imogen spoke directly after Daphne, "I too am honored to meet you and am more than pleased that my dear Shiva has had this opportunity to meet her queen. Unfortunately, I feel I must address the dark stain on this meeting. What can we do to free Crabbe from Voldemort's control?"

The great serpent, having understood every word, turned her attention to the unconscious young man across the chamber. "There will be an object on him that holds the spirit of Tom Riddle, or Voldemort as he prefers to be called."

"Do you know what that object is?" Harry wondered. He could address the rest later.

"The first time he came here he wore Rowena's diadem on his head. I could see the darkness emanating from it."

"Will we be alright to touch it?" Harry crouched, shaking his head having forgotten Voldemort mentioning the diadem. He knelt next to Crabbe and started lifting his robes. He already knew it wasn't in the pockets as he had searched there previously to ensure he was no longer armed. Seeing something shiny near his neck, Harry lifted the collar of his shirt. Around the boy's thick neck was the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, he would recognize it anywhere after seeing it on top of the statue in his dorm every day.

"I believe so. The darkness is already tied to that boy there. It would take too much energy for the fragment within to switch vessels now. He has spent too much time overcoming this subject."

"If we take the diadem away, will Crabbe be alright?"

"The boy will be within the thrall of the darkness as long as the diadem still contains the fragment."

Harry bit his lip and wrapped his fingers around the tiara. Touching the metal made his skin crawl. He felt dirty, like ants were crawling over his skin. He pulled it from around Crabbe's neck and quickly backed away from the unconscious boy. "How do we destroy it?"

"I believe I can take care of that," Hebe sounded pleased with herself. "Place it on the floor in front of me and step back." Once that was done, she lowered her head and allowed some of her venom to drop down onto the tainted piece of jewelry. The instant the devastating poison touched the metal, black smoke billowed from the point of contact as an enraged scream echoed around the room.

"What was that?" Imogen jumped to her feet, wand at the ready and watched the black smoke dissipate as it rose to the ceiling.

"That was the last anchor holding the soul of Voldemort to this plane of existence."

Harry blinked, "The last? Do you mean he is gone?"

"Nearly, but not quite yet."

"What did she say Harry?" Daphne asked.

Harry looked back at the two scared girls. "She said it was the last thing keeping Voldemort from dying." Seeing the hope in their faces he shook his head. "He isn't gone just yet but she hasn't said how she knows or why he isn't dead with the destruction of the last anchor."

"Before we continue, I believe you should take care of the other human. I can taste him stirring. Return him to the school and them come back. We will discuss all the questions you have for me then. There is much for you and I to discuss."

"What if I can't get away for some time? There is going to be a lot of questions about what happened and many will want to know what you are and if you are still alive. What do I tell them?"

"You are the heir, though you might not know it yet. In you is the heart and magic to protect this school and its occupants successfully. I trust your judgement because I can sense you do not give your faith in people lightly."

"Harry," Imogen called. "Daphne needs madam Pomfrey and Crabbe looks more than a little dazed himself. We need to get them out of here."

Harry looked first at Daphne, who was now standing but leaning heavily on Imogen, and then at Crabbe. The other boy looked pale and confused. Daphne's pain was more than apparent. "You're right. We do need to get them to the hospital wing and let the professors know that the crisis is over." He turned his gaze back to Hebe, "Is the tunnel to the toilet the only way in and out of here?"

"It is the only I am willing to share with the others present here. All you need to do to get up the slope is to ask for stairs. I never felt the need to tell Tom that as he thought himself too smart to need help from a dumb beast." If a snake could smirk, Hebe would be doing so. "Go, Harry Potter. I will be waiting."

Dungeons

Remus jumped when his colleague, and former professor, swore viciously. Filius was having no luck breaking into the passageway behind the wall in front of them. Minerva had joined them and she had resorted to pacing and muttering imaginative ways to punish Albus for his inaction. The only one that appeared calm was Severus. Of course, if you looked at his hands, which were clenched tightly behind his back, you would not think him calm in the least.

The werewolf had summoned the Marauder's map, hoping in vain that it would suddenly show him the way to Harry.

"That is a clever piece of magic," the Ravenclaw ghost admired the map while leaning over Remus's shoulder. "I had no idea that was what you and your friends were doing when you used to wander around the castle at all hours under that wonderful cloak."

Remus looked back at here, trying to decide if he was shocked or embarrassed. "Thank you," he decided to take the compliment and hope that everyone was too engrossed in their own coping mechanisms to have heard the comment about his rule breaking activities as school.

"What cloaks was this?" Severus wondered. He was not surprised by their late-night jaunts.

"And by all hours does she mean when the four of you should have been in bed?" his former head of house asked with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"James had an invisibility cloak that his father gave him. It has been in the Potter family for longer than the Potter name." He turned to Minerva, "I can't defend my teenaged self to be honest. I tried to temper their activities but talking James and Sirius out of something was nearly impossible; I was so afraid of being abandoned that I often just went along with things." He looked down at the map, "At least when we were searching the castle to map it, we weren't pranking anyone."

Severus, having quietly walked down the hall to stand over his ally, pulled the old parchment from Remus's hands. His eyes widened almost unperceptively at the information revealed by the tattered map. "This is the entire school, and all of its inhabitants."

Remus shook his head, "Not all of it, I didn't know that corridor existed before today and we never found the chamber. I also never could figure out how to get the ghosts to show up on the map; they were the only reason we got caught before Peter lost the map."

"If Pettigrew lost it, how is it you have this?" Severus wondered.

It was Minerva who answered, "The twins found it didn't they?"

Remus looked at the older woman with a slightly guilty look. "That they did. They wrote to me before the end of the last school year asking if the map was safe to give to Harry. It was rather cleaver of them. They didn't have my name and didn't give me Harry's."

"I suppose there is some childish enchantments on this too?" Severus guessed.

Remus chuckled, "You could say that." He took the map back and looked down at it fondly. "Once Harry is safe, I might just let you have a conversation with the fifteen-year-old Marauders, though I warn you, none of them are particularly mature and two in particular are bound to spend a great deal of time mocking your nose and hair." The werewolf allowed his gaze to travel around the map and froze when first one name and then three more appeared on the second floor as if they had Apparated to that spot. "Harry is on the second floor, in the girl's toilet that Moaning Myrtle haunts."

"Could it be mistaken?"

"The map never lies. You can't even hide behind Polyjuice because the map would show the real name, not the name the person is impersonating." Remus turned and started running down the hall, Severus and Filius hot on his heels while Minerva chose to walk quickly instead of running. "I will explain why I know that later," Remus called over his shoulder.

Second Floor

"Do you think we should take the passage back down to the dungeons?" Daphne wondered.

Imogen shook her head. "The hospital wing is closer to where we are now. I will take you three there and then go search for the professors if Madam Pomfrey is unable to contact them."

"I wish I had my map," Harry muttered.

"That would be useful," the blond second year agreed. Harry had taken over supporting her while Imogen kept her wand at the ready in case Crabbe had sudden homicidal intentions or had a complete breakdown.

"What map?" the sixth-year wondered. "Keep up Crabbe or I will stun you and levitate you to the hospital wing."

Harry shrugged, "My father and his friends invented a map of Hogwarts. If I had it, I could tell you where everyone is," he paused, "well, everyone that is not in the chamber that is."

"HARRY!"

The quartet looked down the hall as one to seen three of their professors all but running toward them, Remus in the lead. The defense professor went straight for Harry and only just stopped himself from pulling the boy into his arms. Instead, he placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and looked into his eyes as if to prove to himself that his cub was actually in front of him, seemingly unharmed.

Severus slowed slightly as he approached his students. He quirked a brow at Imogen, who nodded; both knew that he was asking if they were alright and she was confirming that no one was in eminent danger. Somehow, the small charms professor was keeping up with the taller and younger instructors and reached the children a step behind the two. He did not address any of the students directly but did start casting diagnostic charms to ensure all was well.

"Are you alright?" Remus spoke quietly and did not control the emotions pouring out of him.

Harry nodded, "Yes, uncle Remus, I'm alright. Honestly, I don't think there is a scratch on me."

"What happened? Why did Mr. Crabbe hold you all at wand point? Should he be restrained?"

"I think, perhaps, we should have this conversation elsewhere." Deputy Headmistress McGonagall said as she finally reached them. "Considering the fact that Miss Greengrass appears to be relying on Mr. Potter to remain upright and it looks as though Mr. Crabbe is about to collapse, I believe it best that we all head to the hospital wing. Poppy can assess the students and we will be able to speak with the children without having to stand in puddles of toilet water."

"I would agree with that," Amelia Bones agreed stepping around the corner. "If you don't mind, I would like to be present for those conversations. Before we go though, where is headmaster Dumbledore?"

"The castle locked him in his office as punishment for his lack of response," Severus nearly grinned.

"The castle gave professor Dumbledore a timeout?" Daphne clarified in both wonder and confusion.

Amelia blinked before nodding. "Well that certainly simplifies things. He is often more trouble than he is worth. I think that is the best place for him, as long as he doesn't have any pertinent information?"

"I believe he was missing for the entire event that brought you here," Minerva agreed.

Severus nodded, "I believe Filius and myself could answer most of the questions around this event as well; what we can't answer I assume Mr. Potter can."

"Perfect, then let us get these students checked out by the healer."

Filius Flitwick's Quarters

Harry sat on a loveseat by the fire, Remus at his side. His potions and charms professors sat in arm chairs on either side of the sofa. Each of the adults was drinking strong, black tea while Harry was drinking hot chocolate. They had spent more than two hours going over the events of the day, and the events of the year leading up to the kidnapping.

Amelia Bones had eventually agreed to let certain things drop as the most important questions had been answered. Vincent Crabbe had been controlled by a memory of Voldemort but the vessel containing the memory was destroyed. The monster in the chamber of secrets was a basilisk and it was no longer a threat. Professor Snape would have the restorative potion completed in three days' time so all petrified individuals would be back to normal before classes resumed. Madam Pomfrey, Filius Flitwick and Severus Snape confirmed there was no trace of the controlling magic left in Vincent Crabbe but all recommended that he see a mind healer to help him deal with the incident. Daphne Greengrass would be fine after a good night's sleep and two swallows of Skele-Gro. Imogen Aldridge and her snake Shiva had come out of the incident unscathed, if a little wet. Harry Potter was also uninjured.

Remus had been the one to finally step forward and ask that they let Harry rest. It was obvious to all that he either had nothing more to say, or he was unwilling to share what else did happen. Once the head of the DMLE left, Remus and his allies whisked Harry away to the Filius's quarters as they were closest to the hospital wing and Ravenclaw tower.

"What were you avoiding talking about with madam Bones?" Remus asked quietly, pulling the boy into his side.

"I didn't really want to talk about the basilisk too much with her, mostly because I still don't have all the information."

"Tell us what you can Harry and perhaps we can help you work though some of your confusion," his head of house smiled kindly at him.

Harry nodded. "I suppose the first thing I should clarify is that Hebe, that is the basilisk's name, said that the diadem was the last anchor tying Voldemort's soul to his plane."

"So, all that remains is the shade that we face last year," Severus spoke quietly while gripping his left arm. "Did she give any indication as to where the shade is or how we can ensure it dies for good?"

"No, she didn't but she also indicated that she either had that information or she could help with it."

"When you told madam Bones that the basilisk was no threat, what did you mean?" Filius wondered.

"I can't really explain that yet. I do know that she is in control of what her eyes do. Voldemort wanted to kill the students but she chose to petrify them." Seeing the questioning looks on his professor's faces he continued as best he could. "The first thing a basilisk learns is how to control their killing gaze. I get the impression that they aren't allowed out of the nest until they have complete control over whether they kill, petrify or simply look with their eyes. She is centuries old and could control her eyes long before she met Salazar Slytherin."

"Is the entrance to the chamber in Myrtle's bathroom?" Remus asked simply.

"Yes, it is. I am not sure if it the only one but it is the one Voldemort used." Harry looked at his hands, "There is really only one other thing I know right now but I don't have details. She called me the heir, the true heir. She didn't get a chance to say anything else about it because we had to deal with the diadem and then get Daphne and Crabbe to the hospital wing."

"How did you destroy the diadem?" Severus wondered. "The goblins have rituals to purify such objects and they say there are very few other ways to remove the taint."

"Hebe poisoned it."

"Basilisk poison is one of the deadliest substances in the world," Filius nodded. "It is one of two things that can destroy a soul anchor; the other is Fiend Fire. Both destroy the artifact completely, which is why the goblins developed the ritual." Filius looked at his young raven when he yawned. It had been a long day for the boy and he needed some peace. "I think that is enough for tonight."

"Agreed," Remus stood, "Harry, I'll walk you to your dorm. In the morning, I can escort you to the entrance of the chamber if you think you are ready." The men all knew that Harry would find his way there one way or another, no matter what they said.

The young man yawned, "Okay. I am sure Hebe won't mind waiting until morning." He turned his attention to Professor Snape, "You are going to have the potion ready before classes on Monday, right? I miss seeing Luna, Susan, Fred and George. Hogwarts is too quiet without the twins."

"I will alert you when we are about to wake the students."

Harry grinned, "Thanks professor." He waved over his shoulder while Remus guided him out of the room.

Remus returned a short while later. He had hugged Harry tightly at the entrance to Ravenclaw tower and hoped the boy slept without being disturbed by dreams. Something Harry had said worried him greatly and it he was reading Filius and Severus's expressions correctly, they were too. "Do you believe the house ghosts are thinking of the same heir as the basilisk?"

"I had hoped I was not the only one to come to that conclusion," Severus sighed. "I do not want to put more on Harry than necessary when he is still so young."

Filius nodded, "The boy is already too mature for his age most of the time. He handled the situation last year admirably and then triumphs down in the chamber as well. Most children his age are not nearly that well-adjusted and accepting. I will admit that if I were to think about any student here, I would wish were the heir Hogwarts, Harry would be toward the top of that list simply because he doesn't see house colors."

"Very true," Remus nodded. "When I told him what I am, his first question was had I ever hurt anyone. All he cared about was that I was safe and had not caused anyone else harm. Ultimately, he didn't care."

"I can agree as well. Harry Potter is his mother's child but with a calmer temper. I also don't see him holding a grudge the way Lily could. I'm not entirely sure where he got that from because the Petunia I knew as a child was worse than Lily with her little vendettas, so both nature and nurture are out on that trait." Severus ran a hand through his hair, showing his tension. "I just wish he had more time to be a child."

"Do you think the ghosts would know more now?" Remus wondered. "Earlier they only knew he was here but perhaps they have more details now that the basilisk has officially named him."

"A sound deduction, Remus Lupin," Helena Ravenclaw slipped through the door, the Baron at her transparent heels. "The identity of the heir revealed itself just before the boy returned from the chamber. We are not sure if it was the basilisk or Hogwarts herself that told us but the decision is final."

"Knowing his age," the Baron continued, "Hogwarts does not wish to place too much responsibility on his shoulders. As such, we would like to speak to the heads of house and master Lupin to discuss what must happen now that Albus Dumbledore is no longer welcome within these walls."

"The other ghosts are gathering the heads as we speak and informing the other staff to keep an eye on the students while we discuss the future of Hogwarts." Helena motioned toward the door, "Sir Nicholas and Minerva await us in the staff room. The Friar and Mistress Sprout are on their way now."

…

Minerva McGonagall sat in her office staring into space long after she should have retired to her quarters. Her life and path had always seemed so clear to her. From the time she was a child she wanted to teach and she had always loved the diversity of transfiguration. The spells and wand movements did not change but the result could always turn out just little different depending on the image conjured in the head of the caster. For her, this was the ultimate discipline because it required both textbook knowledge and creativity to achieve true greatness.

If there was one person in her life that she had admired it had been Albus Dumbledore. The legend that followed the man made him seem larger than life, untouchable, but when she had him for a professor all those years ago, it was easy to see he was only human. Looking back, she was not sure when the kind man with the best intentions turned into the twisted man who thought he was the only one that could lead them into the light. Was he already sliding down that steep slope after returning from his victory over Grindelwald? Did it start before that? Or was it the fall of the Potters and the subsequent defeat of Lord Voldemort? It pained her that should could not pinpoint the start.

There were signs. She could see them now that she was looking back. When she had been a student, he had always looked just a little bit harder at the Slytherin students even when the lions were at fault. It was worst when she was a teacher. She could admit it now, the Marauders had been out of line and out of control during their later years at Hogwarts. Their treatment of Severus had been abhorrent. Instead of addressing it, Albus had all but laughed it off. Giving a detention or two for causing the Slytherin boy to fall down the stairs and nearly break his neck is like a slap on the wrist; it hurt of a moment but was easily forgotten.

It shouldn't have been the events surrounding Harry Potter that finally made her see how far her hero had fallen. The castle was right about that. The castle was right about a great many things.

It was the headmaster and teachers that could leave the castle and see how the world was progressing while the castle remained. The ghosts could not leave, so the castle relied on them to help the school adjust and change with the times. They hadn't done that.

It took a group of eleven-year-olds to get a boring, bigoted ghost out of his position of history teacher. Minerva was sure that those same students would have moved mountains to get rid of Lockhart had she not done so herself.

The deputy head had spoken to the other heads about the students right after the chamber was announced. She was not the only one dealing with students thinking they needed to hex first and ask questions later. The good thing was, not one house was overrun with that attitude. Most wanted to believe that their peers, no matter what color they wore, were good. Minerva was sure that many thought of Harry and his friends when they made that stand.

Harry Potter had changed Hogwarts when he walked through those doors for the first time and it was clear he didn't even know he was doing it. Knowing what she did, it was obvious why he was the true heir.

The ghosts had not been clear as to why Harry was the heir; something about magic and intent. She guessed it meant that Harry would be the one powerful enough to bring about change but he would also only bring about changes that would benefit the students that needed Hogwarts.

Their meeting had been long but necessary. The ghosts had once again explained that Albus was no longer Headmaster. The rest of the staff had laughed when Severus mentioned Daphne's announcement that the castle had put the man in time out. With no headmaster, there needed to be some changes. Hogwarts, by way of the ghosts, had asked her to act as the interim headmaster until they found someone or the heir was ready to take his place. Minerva had informed them she would be willing, as long as she could continue teaching at least some of her classes. Headmaster had never been her dream. In order for this to happen, as the castle agreed she was an excellent teacher, they decided to appoint Remus as head of Gryffindor. She could not fault their choice.

It was not lost on her that she had been doing the primary duties of the headmaster over the last few years, about five actually, and she had been slacking in her duties as head of house. Really, there weren't enough hours in the day and she really didn't want to request a time turner for herself. That would be embarrassing. Being the official interim headmaster without being the head of Gryffindor, she could do. She could look for an additional transfiguration teacher or train someone, and they could split the classes, giving her more time but still allowing her to teach. On the night of the full moon, Minerva could watch over Gryffindor and no one would be the wiser. It really was a perfect plan.

Severus had been the one to bring up the rumored curse on the defense position. The ghosts admitted that the wards were a bit of a mess. Each headmaster added something of themselves to the school and most thought their ideas of security were the best so they added or changed parts of the wards. The result was that some areas of the school were only partially guarded and others were overly protected. Filius had suggested having the goblins review the wards and he indicated that they could essentially reset the wards or build new ones if that made more sense. If there was a curse tied to the defense position in any way, the goblins would find it. Hiring the goblins really was the best option and Minerva knew just how to pay for it. The former headmasters knew just where Binns' salary had been going for the last few centuries. Hogwarts was actually doing quite well financially now that they had that money at their disposal.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Helena asked, appearing before Minerva's desk.

"I can't seem to turn my mind off. Looking back, I see the signs that this was coming and I'm ashamed that I missed them." She rubbed her tired eyes, "The students deserve better."

The ghost hummed in agreement. "You should know that mother would have liked you." The Scottish woman looked up surprised at the statement. "Not for you lion's heart and honor but for your fierce need to protect the students. Everyone makes mistakes, mine cost me my life. You have a chance to make up for the things you regret. I envy your chance." The ghost looked around the room. "Your office reminds me of my mothers. She would sit, much like you are now, with a low fire worrying that she had made all the wrong decisions concerning the school and the students in her care. It wasn't until I died that she realized that sometimes there is nothing you can do but go on. My mother outlived me and that destroyed her in many ways, but she also used it. I felt abandoned because she spent so much time caring for the children of others so I acted out much like any spoilt child would. Mother didn't have me anymore but she knew what to look for. She saved students who struggle like I did, taught them that everyone has their own kind of greatness, their own strengths." Helena smiled kindly, "Not everyone can be brave and bold like Godric Gryffindor or kind and loving like Helga. There are few who can hold the knowledge of the world in their hands like mother could and fewer still that can plan centuries ahead like Salazar Slytherin. But there are plenty of people who can see their mistakes and decide to not make the same ones again."

When Minerva McGonagall looked up from her hands, clutched tightly in her lap, she was alone in her office and the fire was nearly out. "Thank you, Helena, your mother would be proud of what you have overcome."

As promised, here is the next chapter. Most of this was actually written before the previous two or three chapters, so it is a relief to finally be at this point of the story. Most of the next chapter is also written, if things go as planned, I should post it in about a week, I just have to review and work out one or two little things that have been knocking around in my head.

as always, this is self edited. I do read through several times (often leaving the piece for days without looking at it to try to have a fresh eye for the final read through) but I am not perfect. I can read through a chapter a dozen times and still find errors that are admittedly embarrassing every time. Sorry for any errors you find.

I hope you enjoy,

Wolf