Author's Note: I do not own Harry Potter. Also, I'm looking forward to everyone's opinions on this chapter. This entire chapter is full of traumatic memories and how difficult it is to deal. So major trigger warnings, and I am keeping this chapter brief in comparison to several longer chapters.
Chapter Twelve: Return to The Chamber
Harry and Hermione woke early the next morning, and they were quick to return to their dormitories so they could get dressed and ready themselves to meet Charlie Weasley and his team. After a quick kiss in the common room that was anything but chaste, the couple walked up to their respective dormitories even though they would have preferred to stay close to one another.
Harry ignored everyone as he picked out his clothes for the day and got his morning shower. He wasn't sure how to deal with the emotional ramifications of facing the chamber of secrets again. Less than two full years had passed since he nearly died in the chamber, and he had spent months afterward suffering through wretched nightmares, most of which having nothing to do with the Basilisk and focused more on the horrible things Voldemort had said about his mother.
Hermione wasn't quite as burdened as Harry, but she was definitely nervous. She had never been to the chamber, nor had she seen much of the Basilisk, but she was still haunted by the bright yellow eyes she had viewed in her old mirror, and that monster had taken a month of her life away. She was rather shaky when it came to facing that monster. Then there was the emotional angle. Harry never told her what really happened in the chamber other than the sword of Gryffindor coming out of the sorting hat and his success in slaying the Basilisk and killing Tom Riddle's memory which had apparently lived in the diary. He had dodged questions after that, and gave the most minor of details. Something happened in that chamber that he was reluctant to share with anyone.
Hermione sighed as she finished applying lotion to her skin. She didn't want to push Harry to share every last bit of his pain with her, but she hated not knowing what was plaguing him. Hermione tried to clear her mind as she dressed herself, and her thoughts settled on a different victim of that year. Admittedly, Hermione didn't want to talk to Ginny Weasley. She was still hurt and angry that the younger redhead not only wanted her boyfriend, but felt she was entitled to him. But… if she couldn't help Harry, she could at least make an attempt to help someone who used to be her friend. With a grumble of displeasure, Hermione pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and steeled her nerves so she could face Ginny.
The redheaded girl was actually sitting by herself in the common room, which made the whole interaction a lot easier, at least in theory. "Can we talk for a minute, Ginny?" Hermione asked softly.
Ginny wanted to say no, wanted to scream in Hermione's face that the mousey book worm had ruined her childhood dream of one day marrying Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world… she couldn't. Even though she hated that Hermione was dating Harry, even though she would have preferred to curse the girl and snatch Harry for herself, Ginny couldn't deny that Hermione was right when they talked in the library, at least partially. So, she shrugged her shoulders and gestured for Hermione to sit down next to her. "What can I do for the prestigious Gryffindor Princess? She asked bitterly.
Hermione ignored the snark. She wasn't going to rise to the bait, she was talking to Ginny for a reason. "Your brother Charlie's dragon taming team is rendering the basilisk today," she began and Ginny's eyes widened. "Harry has to go with them because the chamber will only open for parselmouths. I asked to come with and he reluctantly agreed." Ginny nodded slowly and bit her lip. That was the moment when her childhood fantasy had begun to seem like it could become a reality. "I know that entire year was a nightmare for you, and I was wondering if you wanted to come with us. Facing that monster may provide a bit of closure."
To say that Hermione's offer had Ginny in a state of shock would be an extreme understatement. "Can I have Fred and George with me?" She asked softly, suddenly feeling like the scared little girl that woke up to see her hero cradling his bleeding arm and telling her to find her brother and leave.
Hermione nodded with a small, nervous smile. "Absolutely," she answered, and placed a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "I don't hate you, Ginny, and I'm not dating Harry to hurt you," she began and bit her lip before continuing. "He and I have been best friends for years, and we love each other." Ginny blinked several times, trying to keep back tears. Hermione was past hiding, they already flowed down her face. "I miss having you as my friend. We used to be like sisters. Can't we go back to that?" she asked softly.
Ginny wiped at her eyes and sighed. "I miss you too… and…" she took a deep breath. "I felt so betrayed… there's a part of me that's still hurt and angry." Hermione nodded slowly, but Ginny reached up to place her hand over Hermione's. "I've had this crush on Harry for so long, I don;t know how to let go of it yet. But… you were right. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know Harry." She gave Hermione a small, almost sad smile. "No guy should be able to come between friends."
The two girls shared a look before throwing their arms around each other in a hug and sobbing together, letting out all the pain and anger that had been festering between them. Ginny didn't want to be angry anymore, and she didn't want to be obsessed with someone unattainable either. It did still hurt, and she was still a little jealous, but Ginny knew she could live with it. She could let go of her childhood fantasy and go after something more tangible, like one day becoming the captain of the Holyhead Harpies. That she could at least work towards actively. Ginny could always become a better Quidditch player. What she couldn't do was make someone love her when that person was already in love with and happy with someone else.
As for Hermione, she was eager to have her best friend, other than Harry, back in her life. She was willing to forgive the hurtful things Ginny had said and done and nothing would make her happier than to have her best female friend back.
After a few minutes, they let go of each other and Ginny left to find her older brothers. Hermione went upstairs to Harry's dormitory with the intention of checking on him, his absence had her worried. When she made it, she saw that Harry was seated on his bed, staring at a picture in his hands. "Harry," she said softly and sat down next to him. "Are you alright?" She asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't really know," he admitted and sighed. "When I tried to calm Ginny down before we left the chamber, I told her that the whole thing was over, it was just a memory. I think I was trying to convince myself more than her." He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "But memories… they still hurt… and I don't want it to hurt anymore."
Hermione pulled Harry into a comforting embrace. "I promise it won't hurt forever, Harry," she assured him. "And if you ever want to share it with me, you can. You know I'll never judge you."
Harry nodded, but all he said was, "I love you Mione." Hermione told Harry she loved him too. Minutes later, he began to lead her downstairs so they could eat breakfast together before going down to the chamber of secrets. As they left the room, the picture of Lily Potter continued to smile and laugh as baby Harry continued to reach out to her while taking his first steps.
Breakfast was far less somber. Hermione told Harry that she had mended her friendship with Ginny after inviting the red head down to the chamber to get closure. Harry was glad for Hermione and he agreed that it was kind of her to extend an invitation to Ginny so she could get then devoured their breakfast, the couple was ravenous, having skipped dinner the day before. Unfortunately, their success in enjoying a peaceful morning left them unaware of Ronald Weasley's smug expression. They had gotten comfortable with the idea that Ron had devolved into a dim-witted non-threat, but they shouldn't have made that assumption.
Either way, Harry and Hermione enjoyed sharing a meal together and they made their way to Myrtle's bathroom hand in hand. Thankfully, Dobby and Winky had already moved the animagus potion. To make matters even better, the potion had not responded negatively to being moved into the Room of Requirement and was entirely stable.
Yet despite the importance of their animagus project, it wasn't the most important thing on their minds. The anxiety of returning to the Chamber was back full force. Once they made it to the entrance of the Chamber, they were met not only by Charlie and his team, but also by Dobby holding Harry's firebolt, which had been freshly polished. Hermione nearly gulped in worry. "Why do you need your broom?" She asked of Harry.
He smirked at Hermione. "You'll see in a minute," he answered calmly. Then he looked back to see Ginny approaching with Fred and George. The twins also had their brooms. "Everyone ready?" Harry asked. There were nervous nods all around, and Ginny was practically shaking. "Alright, what you're all going to see down there is probably going to be unnerving. I don't want anyone crowding me, wanting to know how I killed the bloody thing, so I'll tell you ahead of time." He took a deep breath. "Dumbledore's Phoenix showed up out of nowhere, blinded the basilisk, and left the sorting hat for me. Gryffindor's sword appeared in it and after quite a bit of maneuvering, I managed to stab the wretched thing in it's head." He paused for a moment, taking in the shocked expressions, and Ginny's tears. She had been unconscious at the time, and he had never brought up the topic again. "I'm not interested in giving any further details or answering any questions." He took a deep breath and turned to face the sink with the decorative snake engraved on the copper tapp. "Open," he hissed. Just the same as it was in his second year at Hogwarts, the sink sank down and the other sinks moved backward until he was standing in front of an enormous hole in the ground that he remembered was actually a very large pipe. "D-Dobby, please hand me my broom." The house elf quickly placed the firebolt in Harry's outstretched hand.
The small crowd heard a giggle coming from one of the stalls. "It sure is a shame you didn't die down there Harry. My offer still stands."
Harry didn't bother turning around to answer the glum ghost girl. "I'll be sure to keep in mind that you're willing to share your toilet with me Myrtle," he answered back and rolled his eyes. "Alright, Hermione I want you to get settled behind me on my broom and hold on to me. Everyone else that doesn't want to get coated in slime and muck should mount your brooms before you follow me in."
At that point, Harry mounted his broom, and Hermione got on behind him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "I'm with you Harry, you're not alone this time," she whispered in his ear. Harry's confidence was adequately renewed and he kicked off, gliding down into the pipe.
About halfway down the tunnel, Harry saw Dobby slide past them with his twiggy arms waving in the air and his bat-wing like ears flapping wildly while he yelled out in excitement. Harry shook his head at the silly display but he couldn't help laughing. He loved that Dobby found joy in everything he could. The elf seemed far happier than the first time Harry met him and Harry was glad to have had a positive impact in Dobby's life.
By the time the rest of Harry's companions arrived, Dobby had vanished all the muck and slime from his clothes and Harry was walking towards the snake skin that the Basilisk had she'd before Harry killed it. Charlie was in awe of the skin. "The Beast was definitely over twenty feet long. I hope you realize what an accomplishment that is," he commented off handedly.
Harry shrugged and tried to block out the memory of running into interconnected pipes to get away from the massive serpent. "I try not to think about it," he responded dismissively, his voice almost monotone. Hermione gripped his hand hard and kissed his cheek. Harry took another deep breath and nodded. "This way," he mentioned and led everyone past the minor remains of the cave in from two years ago.
Even though it didn't take very long at all to reach the entrance to the Chamber, it felt as though years had passed with every step he took forward. Finally, they reached the door to the Chamber, which had apparently sealed itself back up. It was the same as Harry remembered, with snakes reaching out from the hinge of the door to hook over the opening. This time, Harry didn't hesitate, he hisses the same word that had gotten him this far, "open…"
A metal snake slithered out of the door's hinge and each snake on the door moved backward as it was approached by the unlocking serpent. Everyone watched as the circular door swung open with a loud creak and the Chamber was finally revealed. Hermione knew she shouldn't have been surprised to see so many snake statues everywhere, but it creeped her out. What was actually rather interesting was the face of Salazar Slytherin on the back wall. There were a few chunks of his face missing, and the mouth was open.
There were audible gasps all around as Charlie's team took notice of the monster on the edge of the water. It was definitely over twenty feet long, and even dead it was terrifying. Hermione gripped Harry's arm hard as Charlie walked forward to examine the creature and calculate exactly how to go about doing his job.
Harry wasn't bothered by the monster. It was dead and could therefore do him no further harm. What he was lost in were his memories.
Hermione on the other hand couldn't look away from the monster. Its eyes had been clawed out, the eyes that had cost her a month of her a month of her life. It was also clear how Harry had killed the Basilisk, it had been stabbed through the roof of its mouth. And… one of its fangs was missing. She turned to look at Harry, and he was staring at the fang in question, which was surrounded by a dark stain that looked disturbingly similar to blood. "Harry…" she said softly, but he was too far gone in his memories.
'Parseltongue won't save you now Potter! It only obeys me!'
'Voldemort is my Past, Present, and Future.'
'You won't be needing your wand.'
'Remarkable isn't it, how quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body?'
Harry blinked back tears as he remembered. 'How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive.'
'I know why you couldn't kill me,' he remembered and balled up his fists in the present. 'My mother died to save me, My Common, Muggleborn Mother, she stopped you killing me.' He was shaking in the present as violently as he had been when he first credited his mother's sacrifice saving his life.
'I can see now, there is nothing special about you after all.'
'There are strange likenesses between us.'
Still, Harry had not taken his eyes off of the stain that was a mixture of blood from the diary… and from himself… He felt Hermione's hand on his shoulder, the feeling brought him back to the present, yet he still couldn't bring himself to look away. "Harry, was that from the diary?" Hermione asked softly. He nodded slowly. "A-all of it?" Harry reached for his arm, almost feeling the white hot piercing pain all over again. He shook his head.
Hermione wanted so badly to be strong for Harry, she wanted to be an unshakable rock that could take in his pain and pretend to be unaffected. This time however, all she could do was throw her arms around her boyfriend and cry. Harry didn't think any less of his girlfriend and wrapped his own arms around her. Hermione wished she could will herself to stop crying, but she couldn't. While she was lying in the hospital wing petrified, Harry was down here in the chamber, fighting for his life against a monstrous serpent and voldemort.
"Harry, you're an amazing wizard," she whispered as her tears began to slow down. "I'm sorry I wasn't here with you when you faced all of this," she added.
Harry kissed the top of her head. "It's not your fault, and you're here with me now, that's all that matters to me."
Time seemed to pass rather quickly after that. Charlie began directing his team to pull the Basilisk corpse from the water, and Hermione called Winky down into the Chamber. A week ago, Dobby and Winky had explained that they held the capability to travel to and from the Chamber of Secrets, but could not enter freely unless they were summoned into it by someone already within. So the plan that was in place was for Charlie Weasley to be their anchor back and forth until the team was finished rendering the Basilisk. Harry and Hermione didn't want to stay down in the chamber the entire time, and Charlie had no objections.
Deciding that they were ready to leave the job to the team Charlie had brought with him, the couple walked up to Ginny, who was still standing with Fred and George. "Hermione and I are about to leave. Do you want to come with us?" Harry asked softly.
It took Ginny a moment to respond. "I can't remember if I ever thanked you…" She murmured and swiped at her eyes to keep any tears from falling. "Not just for saving me, but also for believing me when I told you Riddle made me open the chamber." She paused for a moment. "You defended me, you made sure the headmaster knew I hadn't meant to open the chamber and release the Basilisk, that I was being used and controlled the whole time…" she wiped her tears away. "Thank you," she whispered and hugged Harry.
Harry didn't recoil or pull away from Ginny as she hugged him. Hermione was almost ashamed at the twinge of jealousy she felt, but she beat it down and reminded herself that Harry was well within his rights to be friends with Ginny, and the redhead promised to no longer present a threat to the relationship Hermione had with Harry. "You don't have to thank me. I'm not the kind of person who leaves someone to die if something can be done about it, and I wasn't going to let you take the blame when you were a victim as well." He let go of her at that point and turned to Charlie. "Hey Charlie!" Harry called. "Would you mind coming over here for a moment?" He asked.
Charlie walked up rather quickly and gave the small group a smile. "Is there anything I can help out with?" He asked and placed his hands in his pockets.
Harry smirked. "I forgot about something I wanted to do with the money I'm making off of the Basilisk." He paused for a moment to smirk. "I want 1000 Galleons to be paid to each temporarily petrified victim of the Basilisk, and to Ginny. Nearly Headless Nick's money is to go to Hogwarts' resources. I'll have a list for you by the end of the day. Would that be alright?" He asked of Charlie.
Completely taken by surprise by Harry's generosity, Charlie took a moment to calm his mind before answering Harry. "I swear, you're the most generous wizard I've ever met. I'll ask Bill to help me out again if I have to and we will get the money handed out properly." He smiled at that point. "By the way, do you still want to keep half the fangs?" Charlie asked.
Harry nodded. "Absolutely, you never know when you may need something like that, and I have a lot of bad luck when it comes to trying to avoid danger." With that, Harry took Winky's and Hermione's hands. Winky took hold of Ginny's hand, and both the twins held on to Ginny's free hand and arm.
Seconds later, the group appeared in Myrtle's bathroom and Winky returned to the chamber. Taking notice of how Ginny was still a bit shaky, Fred and George offered to sit with her for lunch, and they walked off with their sister between them cracking jokes in an effort to make her smile.
Harry and Hermione followed Ginny and the twins out of the bathroom and made their way to the Great Hall so they could eat lunch together. Harry and Hermione hadn't been sitting for more than thirty seconds when they noticed that a bunch of Slytherins were sneering at them while it seemed as though everyone in Gryffindor House was glaring daggers at the snakes. "What's going on?" Hermione asked.
Ron sat down in front of them with a satisfied grin and placed the newspaper in her hands. "This is what's going on," he answered joyously as Lavender walked up behind him with her own smug smirk. "It was delivered this morning, shortly after you left breakfast. Have fun reading." He then stood up, and left the Great Hall with Lavender on his arm. Hermione took a look at the front page and nearly ripped the paper to shreds.
Potter Dosed with Love Potions?
By Rita Skeeter.
After a daring battle with a dangerous dragon, it seems that Harry Potter may have found a steady girlfriend in Hermione Granger, a seemingly plain yet ambitious girl. But is this as innocent as it appears to be? My sources say otherwise.
"She's beyond unattractive, I'm not sure how she could possibly hook Harry Potter without some kind of help. She's really brainy though, so maybe she used a love potion," says Lavender Brown.
Miss Brown's boyfriend Ronald Weasley says that he and Harry had been the best of friends for years before having a rather awful falling out. After Mr. Weasley attempted to apologize for treating his good friend so unfairly, Harry began acting strangely. Poor Harry's first example of odd behavior was a refusal to forgive his best friend, and now it seems his entire life revolves around Miss Granger.
This reporter has to wonder why young Harry has so suddenly changed, and also why his eye fell on Miss Granger, who I myself have met at the Three Broomsticks rather recently. She seems to be an argumentative, rude, and outrageously violent young woman with little to no appeal.
Given how new their relationship is, it also puzzles me that Harry has been overheard telling Miss Granger that, "You know my life doesn't mean much to me, but you're a much different story. I can't imagine being without you again." When was he without her? Why was he without her for that period of time? How did all this intensity come about? And why does our dear fragile hero not value his own life?
Only time and intense investigation will answer these questions, and I promise my dear readers, I will get to the bottom of this straight away!
Harry read over Hermione's shoulder and felt something similar to hatred bubbling up within him. He ripped the paper out of Hermione's hands and crumpled it up into a ball. "They're all liars Mione," he whispered in her ear and tossed the garbage article in the air, setting it alight with his wand and banishing the ashes. "I know you're not pouring potions down my throat."
Hermione sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Of course I'm not, I'd never do something like that to you Harry," she rolled her eyes and sighed again. "But I wonder how she found out about what you said to me after the second task. We were completely alone, weren't we?" She asked and Harry had to resist the urge to smile at the look on her face. She was getting ready to solve a mystery, and Harry was looking forward to seeing her mind at work. "How would she have that one valid detail if she wasn't there to hear it herself? And she couldn't have gotten a quote from anyone else because there was no one near us."
Harry shrugged and began to load up his plate with food. "I'd suggest she has this place bugged, but as you've mentioned a least a dozen times, electricity doesn't work in or near Hogwarts because of all the magic in the air."
Hermione moved slowly and began to place food on her own plate. She wasn't going to give up on this mystery any time soon, but she couldn't exactly solve it on an empty stomach either.
In Albus Dumbledore's office, the aging headmaster was grinning as he read the first of what he knew would be many articles attacking Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. He was pleased to see that Rita Skeeter hadn't held back with her first attack. He could only imagine how the attacks would progress and he couldn't wait to see how well the articles would work to destroy the couple. Afterall, they were little more than teenagers in the midst of a childish relationship. They couldn't possibly fight to stay together once things really got difficult, right?
Author's Note: So, the first tentative steps in restoring a friendship, a difficult trip down memory lane, and the first shots fired by Rita Skeeter. I'm eagerly waiting to hear what everyone thinks of this chapter!