Independence leads to Destiny, a harry potter fanfic

General Disclaimer: All Rights are reserved by JK Rowling, related publishing houses, and movie studios. I'm just borrowing the characters for my own fun and will be keeping with the rules that Ms. Rowling set out, and they are:

that fan fiction endeavors remained non-commercial,

that the stories continue to exist online (and not in print)

that the stories are not obscene

Summary: Lucius Malfoy's attempt to defame Dumbledore during Harry's second year by slipping the diary of one Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort into the Weasley girl's school supplies at Flourish and Blotts during that fateful summer day had far more reaching consequences than a few petrified students. Little did he know that he would trigger events that would lead to the Boy-Who-Live's independence from Dumbledore's plans for his future. Instead, Harry Potter discovers that he's not so alone or as helpless as Dumbledore wants him to be.

Independence leads to Destiny.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Chapter: Heir of Slytherin (canon)

(The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true. Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth.

But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang) had sunk itself deep into his arm. It broke off from the massive snake's jaw as the behemoth monster jerked away from the boy and thrashed about widely in its death throws before slumping to the ground dead.

Harry reached for the tooth, wrenching it from his arm, his knees giving way as his body is overcome by tremendous pain. The poisonous venom rapidly spreading throughout his small body. Somehow, knowing that he was minutes away from death. The giant tooth dropped to the ground next to him as

his body was wracked by tremors. He began to lose focus as his vision and blurred.

The fluttering of wings flapping in the quiet chamber caught his attention. Before, his blurry vision a patch of scarlet appeared. The sound of flapping wings gave way to the soft clatter of talons on stone was heard as the bird sat down beside him, letting out a mournful, musical cry.

"Fawkes," Harry rasped harshly, "Thank you, Fawkes, you were amazing…" his body shuddered with pain. The poison ravishing his body breaking his muscles, bone, tendon, and organ down to their cellular level. The only thing keeping him alive was his magic, but that would give out soon.

Fawkes laid his head on the Harry's arm just above the wound left by the serpent's fang. The fang had left a perfectly round penetrating would and inch in diameter, that had pierced clean through his arm.

The echo of footsteps drew his attention away from the bird. A menacingly shadow towered above him. "You'll soon be dead, Harry Potter!" the shadow crowed. "Even Dumbledore or his pet bird wouldn't be able to save you."

Harry already knew this but couldn't bring himself to care. The thought of soon joining his parents leaving him with a sense of peace. He blinked, startled by the feeling of soothing wetness falling on his painful wound distracting him. A looked to his friend, Fawkes, to find the phoenix's head slide in and out of focus. The appearance of pearly tears trickling down glossy feathers before dropping onto burning wound leaving the inflamed wound soothed.

"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter," the teenage Riddle voiced haughtily, but Harry didn't acknowledge his adversary.

Harry was wrapped up in the soothing feeling chased the poison through his veins rebuilding the decaying body systems at the cellular level. His strength and energy slowly returning. Suddenly, blinding pain centered around Harry's famous scar. The scar burst open, a black ooze was forcefully expelled, the chamber was filled with an agonizing scream as the black ooze writhed and twisted on the ground before turning into a dark vapor shaped figure. The figure hovered over the ground briefly before dissipating into nothingness.

"No!" Riddle shook his head backing away. The color draining from the teens face as he watched the dark cloud vanish. "I only made one…my older self wouldn't have been crazy enough to make more…would he…"

Harry listened to the teens mutter with confusion until Fawkes hopped onto Harry's shoulder. The bird's head brushed against Harry's forehead and released more pearly tears. Harry felt the wetness and then the tissue knit itself together closing the openly bleeding wound.

The bird's movements garnered the attention of Riddle. Riddle angered upon noticing the what the bird had healed his nemesis. "Phoenix tears…how could I forget about their healing power…" Riddle withdrew his wand and pointed at Harry.

"It doesn't matter, I'll just dispatch of you myself, Harr Potter," Riddle sneered, a curse on his tongue.

A flash scarlet feathers and the flapping of wings, Fawkes soared overhead as the phoenix dropped something into Harry's lap – the diary. Quick as lightening, Harry hit upon the idea with superspeed. He grabbed the basilisk tooth before Riddle could see what he was up to and plunged the basilisk tooth into the diary.

A long painful wail immitted from Riddle at the site of the tooth into his diary. Ink spurted out from the leatherbound book. Torrents of ink splattered across the ground, pooling in a similar fashion to the black ooze from earlier. Meanwhile, Riddle was writhing in pain, he screamed and flailed as he crumbled into dust that blew away on an invisible wind.

Relief flooded Harry at the demise of his enemy. Harry dropped wearily to the ground. His heading spinning, he closed his eyes as unconsciousness took over him.

====================================Scene Changes===================================

Harry's Mind/Dreamscape

Harry surveyed his surroundings; overhead storm clouds began to break up and receded into the distant. The sun shown bright on the snow-covered peaks of the mountains that rose like towers of a fortress they protected the valley. Before our young hero was a vast clearest, cleanest lake that Harry had ever seen, why he could see clear down to the pebbles at the bottom as he stood along the shore. Around him the mountain valley was covered in lush green grass.

The complete silence of his surroundings was the only indication that something wasn't right. 'Shouldn't there be type of animal life?' Harry thought. 'Where are the birds? Or fish?' He bent down and scooped his hands through the blue water. A feeling of contempt washed through him and his palm buzzed with the feeling of his magic just under his fingertips.

Suddenly, the cry of a raptor over head caught his attention as he looked up to see an eagle fly over him. It was almost as if his very thoughts had willed the creature into being. A glance at the lake revealed it teaming with signs of aquatic life. In the distant fields, Harry spotted a herd of red deer grazing lazily. On the sides of the craggy mountain slopes there were herds of goats with large, curved horns. All around him the mountain valley seems too came to life.

Harry puzzled by the strange place. 'How did I get here?' he mused, 'Last I remember I was in the chamber of secrets.' The battle with the ancient snake and the words of the young Lord Voldemort fresh in his mind.

The amused chuckle startled the boy hero out of his wonder thoughts. He pivoted quickly to find two people that he had always wished to see again. For standing in front of him was a tall man with messy, ink colored hair, glass covering his dark blue eyes that twinkled with mischief, a roguish smile on his handsome, chiseled face. The man wore a button up dress shirt, untucked and a pair of dark jeans with hiking boots.

Beside than was a woman with emerald-colored eyes and long reddish locks of hair that framed her heart shaped face. A loving smile adorned her full lips. She wore a sweater just a few shades darker than her hair and a pair of blue jeans and thigh high boots. Both people looked as young as they did in the picture that Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year.

"Mum? Dad?" he asked reverently before his legs acted and he raced into his mother's arms.

'Am I dead?' his own thoughts should have scared him, but an odd peace filled him instead as he felt his mother's embrace.

The couple laughed as if hearing his thoughts. "No, son, your very much still alive," his father answered, the man's own arms wrapping around his family.

Harry pulled away, his face upturned, tears in his eyes and a sad smile on his lips, "than I'm only dreaming and you're not really here."

Lily Potter knelt to be at eye level with her son. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and brushed his tears away. "Don't be sad, my love, please, we may have missed your first years, but we are always watching over you." She spoke gently. "You're not dreaming us up, we are not figments of your imagination. We've been given a reprieve so that we speak with you and spend some time with you. There are things that you need to know, love."

Harry shook his head, "reprieve? To see me? But how?"

James knelt at Lily side. He took a deep breath, "There are powerful forces at work in the universes, Harry. Some are more powerful than others within the hierarchy the universes, but there are those who wish to see you succeed and fulfilled your destiny."

"I don't understand, dad" Harry eyes shined with confusion. "Who are these others? And what destiny?"

Harry shook his head, "reprieve? To see me? But how?"

"I don't understand, dad" Harry eyes shined with confusion. "Who are these others? And what destiny?"

"Listen closely, son," James looks his son in the eyes. "…and we will try to explain, but somethings you will have to find out on your own. The others we speak of will reveal themselves to you in their own time, but know this you are never alone, Harry."

James hugged his panicking son, "Let's sit down, Harry." The family sat on the ground near the water's edge.

James sat on one side of Harry while Lily sat on the boy's other side. Lily wrapped her son in her arms as he leaned on her shoulder as James spoke, "First, the easy question to answer is that we are currently inhabit is a place deep inside your mind and anything that you allow can happen here. That's why when you noticed the missing animals they appeared because you willed them to appear. This place is protected by you and by your magic."

Harry sat quietly wanting to ask questions but letting his father talk instead, knowing that in time his questions would be answered. Until then he enjoyed the feeling of being wrapped in his mother's arms.

================================Scene Change===============================

Hogwarts Infirmary

The smell harsh smell of antiseptic cleaners and fresh clean sheets was the first thing that Harry noticed as he slowly awakened. The soft mattress of the cot inviting him back to sleep, but sleep would not come to him. His mind busy trying to remember the wisdom that his parents had imparted on him.

Flashback to Harry's Dreamscape….

Over the time the family spent in Harry's mind, time had stood still for them. James had explained how the vast lake was the remanent of Tom Riddle's magic that Harry had absorbed and merged with Harry's own magic during the years that Harry had held a piece of the dark lord's soul attached to his scar. A shiver ran down the boy's body even now at the thought of that inky black goo that had poured from his scar in the chamber.

Lily had explained that Riddle, they refused to call him Voldemort, had tried to create a soul container called a horcrux when he tried to kill him that night. However, when Harry's magic proved to powerful for even the infamous killing curse. Harry's magic had caused the killing curse to rebound destroying Riddle's body and causing the splintered piece of soul to splint form the main body of soul that remined as a wraith. The splintered soul piece attached to the protective rune that Lily had cut into her son's forehead to use rune magic to protect her son.

The family had hiked the edge of the lake until they came to a water fall that led through a mountain pass. They climbed down the rocky mountain side to a raging river, following the river until it led to a final water fall that spilled into the ocean.

"The mountains seem to have acted as a prison keeping Riddle's magic and his soul from merging with your own soul and magic until a time when you could rid yourself of the tainted soul." Lily seemed to ponder, "So in a way the rune I placed on you for protection did work in isolating the soul fragment from the rest of your mind."

Now, Harry stood knee deep ocean waters of his mind. 'So, this is really my magical power.' He thought with awe of the feeling of contentment and power that he felt when the water gave him.

His eyes turned from the quickly calming ocean towards the wind-swept beach watching his parents. Behind, dark, ominous storm clouds broke-apart letting light shine on the trio.

"Yes, Harry," his mother laughed at seeing her son revel in delight.

Noticing his parents, sudden sad looks, Harry waded through the waves until he reached the shore. "What's wrong, mom, dad?"

The two parents knelt to his level, giving him a hug. "Are time with you is almost up for now Harry." Lily stroked his cheek lovingly.

"Harry, son, remember what we've told you," James said urgently, "But most of all remember we love you."

"I will dad," the family hugged one more time before everything faded.

End Flashback...

Hogwarts Infirmary…

A soft trill from his bed side caught Harry's attention. He opened his eyes and smiled at finding the brilliantly colored phoenix perched on the back the chair next to his bed. Sitting up, Harry looked around the hospital ward to find the petrified bodies of his schoolmates. He spotted the school's vigilant matron working in her office through the open door.

He removed the covers from him with the goal of finding his clothes and sneaking out. Looking on the floor by his bed he found a pair of slippers, slipping his feet into the soft pair of footwear. Harry stood from the bed and preceded to make his way to the door.

"And where do you think your going, Mr. Potter," the stern voice of the school's mediwitch caused Harry to freeze.

Turning around, he met the disapproving Madam Pomphrey. "I, uh, I was going to my dorms, Madam Pomphrey, ma'am." A short musical trill sound drawing Harry's attention to the phoenix still sitting on its impromptu perch.

"I think not, Mr. Potter, Dumbledore's phoenix brought you into my domain three days ago unconscious and near death. Young, Ginevra Weasley was beside herself with worry." The phoenix let out another amused trill that gave Harry the opinion that the bird was having a laugh at his expense.

However, the mention of Ginny reminded him about the reason he had faced the basilisk in the first place. "Ginny! Is she alright?" The matron smiled at the boy's compassion for his schoolmate.

"Miss Weasley is healing at St. Mungo's." the matron informed him. At his puzzled look she added, "Arthur believed it was best if Miss Weasley had the help of a mind healer to cope with the trauma of her near death."

"I'm glad that she will get help, ma'am." And Harry was glad that his first opinion of Arthur being henpecked by his wife was wrong.

"Madam, what about Hermione and the other students who were petrified?" The matron smiled again happy to be able to give the boy some good news for once about his friend.

"I happy to report that Professor Sprout's mandrake roots have fully matured, and that Professor Snape is brewing the anti-petrification potion as we speak. Hermione and the others should be up and walking around by tomorrow evening, Mr. Potter".

Harry let out a sigh of relief, "that's great to hear, ma'am, May I go now,?" Harry asked trying to weasel his way of trouble and out of the stern witch's care.

"We will see, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomphrey sighed, "Let me run some scans to see if your alright and if they show nothing wrong then I'll let you leave my care."

A sigh escaped Harry as he made his way back to the infirmary bed. Harry watched the matron as she began to run her wand around him and muttered spells to check his physical wellbeing.

"Hmm, nothing seems to be wrong with you physically that I can find." The Matron muttered. "I, would, even go so far as to say that you're in much better health than before your wayward trip to rescue Miss. Weasley." The school's mediwitch was surprised to find the immense boost to the boy's magical power levels from when he was in her care last.

'I must speak with Minerva. She will want to know about my findings. It's almost as if Mr. Potter had a block on his magic that somehow finally outgrew. But why now? Any childhood blocks placed by Lily or James to limit accidental magic should have been broken when Mr. Potter reached his first magical maturity when on his eleventh birthday.' Madam Pomphrey thought with puzzled curiosity.

'Everything else seems to be alright, there doesn't seem to be any long-term adverse reactions to the basilisk venom or the phoenix tears lingering in Mr. Potter's bloodstream.' Pomphrey waived her wand over the now healed scar on Harry's bicep. 'Thank, the goddesses that Fawkes was close by.' The Matron gave Harry a worrying glance that was unseen by the boy.

'Why can't you stay out of trouble?' she mused with fond caring. Shaking her head as bittersweet memories of a young Lily Evans as she asked curious questions about healing magic while helping the matron stockpile potions.

"Everything appears to be fine now, Mr. Potter, you've had bit of a growing spell while you were unconscious due to magical fatigue." Pomphrey noted, "5 inches, it seems." Harry would now be one of the taller boys in his school year at 5'5".

The mediwitch waived her wand summoning three potions from her stores. "I want you to take these nutritional potions before I let you leave." Pomphrey watch Harry quickly swallows down the potions.

"Is that all, Madam," Harry asked eagerly standing from the bed.

"Yes, but here," Pomphrey says waiving her wand to transfigure his pajamas into school robes.

"There that's better." She noted, "Now run along and try to stay out of trouble, Mr. Potter." The stern matron advised while knowing it was probably impossible given that the Potter men had a habit of finding the worst sort of trouble. She had seen for herself with all the times James Potter had ended up in her care along with his motley crew. And she remembered when she was a schoolgirl at Hogwarts that Harry's grandfather would often be found in the care of her predecessor.

Her musings were interrupted by Harry's rushed, "Thank you, Madam Pomphrey, I'll try," as he dashed out of the hospital ward.

"He'll try," she sighs. An amused trill met her ears as the intelligent phoenix sensed her weary amusement before flashing away in a display of fire.

=============================Scene Change==================================

Harry rushed through the empty halls of the castle, the students still in the last days of their classes. His destination was Gryffindor tower.

"Fortuna iuvat," he breathed heavily as he stopped in front of the portrait of the fat lady.

"Enter," the fat lady replied in her deep voice as the portrait door swung open.

Harry rushed up the stairs to his dorm, opened his trunk and dug around for ink and parchment.

Pulling the items out of the messy trunk he closed the lid and sat the items on the trunk lid. A breeze and rustle of feathers alerted him to the intruder. He looked up to smile with delight to find his snowy owl, Hedwig, perch on the footboard of his canopy bed.

"Hi, beautiful girl," he cooed, reaching up to brush her feathers. Hedwig fluffed her feathers and nipped at his finger with affection.

"I know you were worried girl," Harry sighed, he opened his trunk to rummage for a box of owl treats.

Finding what he was looking for he retrieved three bacon flavored treats. The lid closed again, Harry stood and fed his grateful owl one of her treats. In his other hand were the parchment and ink. Harry went to one of the five wooden desks.

Hedwig followed, perching on the back of the chair that Harry now occupied. "I need you to do me a favor girl." He fed her another treat.

Hedwig gobbled the treat up as her human stroked her head. Her amber eyes studying him intensely as if to say what's my mission.

Harry smiled in delight at his loyal companion. "I need you to deliver this letter as soon as possible, Hedwig, it's very important."

Hedwig fluffed her feathers and gave a hoot of understanding. Another stroke of her feathers and Harry turned to the desk to begin to write the short but important messages. "If this works out it will change both of our lives Hedwig."

To the Director of Magical Law Enforcement:

I am writing to enquire about an incident that happened here at Hogwarts three days prior. I know that Minister Fudge is aware of attacks that have been happening at Hogwarts that have left several students petrified. Hagrid, the school's groundskeeper was arrested and sent to Azkaban for the appearance that the minister was seen to be doing something about the attacks. I know for a fact that Rubeus Hagrid is innocent of all crimes against him today and those that saw him expelled from Hogwarts in the 1940's.

Headmaster Dumbledore has been removed from his post by members of the school board for the sake of appearances and political reasons. I, too, know that while he did try to appear to as if he had everything under control at the school, he still was unable to stop any of the attacks or catch the persons responsible. Frankly, he left the school and its students and staff vulnerable to danger. I know the headmaster is a good man and has been a hero to the Wizarding world for several years, but I feel as if he should have done more to ensure everyone's safety.

The events of three days ago, in which, a first-year student, Ginevra Weasley, was almost killed, her life, drained from her a diary belonging to a student named Tom Marvolo Riddle, a student who graduated in 1945 and the real person responsible for possessing Ginny Weasley, draining her life force, and forcing her to open the chamber of secrets, once again. As he did in 1943, which saw a student killed, the same student who is a ghost that haunts the girl's second floor bathroom and is known as Moaning Myrtle.

My friend, Ron Weasley, and I, upon learning of Ginny's disappearance into the chamber tried to get Professor Lockhart to rescue the girl but were forced to defend ourselves when the professor attempt to obliviate us. Luckily, the spell backfired. I was forced to continue without Ron or Professor Lockhart. In the chamber I found myself facing an apparition of a young Tom Riddle that was draining Ginny's life to give himself life through the diary.

It is at this time that Riddle informed me of some startling news. It seems that if all the letters in Tom Marvolo Riddle is rearranged, they spell "I am Lord Voldemort." Riddle, then released Slytherin's monster, a thousand-year-old basilisk. With the help of Fawkes, Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, and the appearance of Gryffindor's sword, I managed to kill the beast. I, then, destroyed the diary using tooth from the basilisk and stabbed the diary reversing whatever hold that Riddle had over Ginny's life force.

Ginny can attest to the events, or at least part of the events, to what I have written in this letter. She is currently at St. Mungo's being cared for by her parents and a mind healer. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Harry James Potter

Harry finished signing his name to the letter before sealing it in an envelope and addressing to the director of the magical law enforcement department. Next, he was attaching the letters to his owl's legs and watched her take off, flying out of the open window. 'Now to get proper shower and fresh clothes.' Harry though as he retrieved his bathing supplies and clean set of clothes from his trunk.

Author's Note:

I have trouble writing the first few chapters, so please, be understanding. I have written several drafts for this chapter. I, know, at times I left things vague, but I have a bad habit of giving away the plot in the early chapter. So, I am trying to remedy this by being more aloof with my writing.

This is a way work in progress that has been inspired by several fanfiction stories I am currently reading or have read in the past.

Be warned the next chapter will feature a time jump. I will also not waste time showing canon events, only briefly referencing them (I.e. Harry's talk with Dumbledore in his office, Malfoy and Dobby's appearance, freeing Dobby, Malfoy's attack, etc.). I had thought of having Malfoy's attack witnessed by Amelia Bones and two Auror's but decided against that for the sake of the plot.