Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended.
Chapter 12
Alt-ernate Identities
"Thank God your alright sir." Harry roared as he stumbled further into the room. Dumbledore put his hands up in a calming fashion and Harry settled down.
"Please close the door Harry." Harry turned to close the door and when he turned back, he saw the headmaster looking at him as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"What is it?" Harry asked. "What is going on?"
"Well Harry," The professor started, "It might be easier for me to explain if I show you rather than tell you." Harry watched as the headmaster pulled out his wand and began to change things in his appearance. First he shortened his hair to about his shoulders and wound it up into a ponytail. Next he eliminated the long beard that flowed from his face until he was completely clean-shaven. Then he took off Dumbledore's large multi-colored robe and removed the half moon glasses from his face.
"Professor Altesterio!" Harry screamed as he starred across the table in shock.
"Actually, you were right the first time Harry." The professor stated as a faint smile broke across "I am Dumbledore, just not Albus." Harry was confused for a moment as the proceeding events spun through his head, however he quickly started to connect the dots and realized what was going on.
"Aberforth?" Harry responded. He had seen a picture of Aberforth once before, but it had been a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix and so it was taken several years prior. He actually looked younger now than he had in the picture.
"Indeed Harry." He said with a grin of satisfaction. "You're very astute. I dare say that Albus was right about you."
"Right about what" Harry inquired.
"Never mind. We have a lot to discuss." Aberforth stated. "Now then, I'll tell you what's going on. I have been working undercover for Dumbledore for a number of years. Up until this year, I was the bartender at the Hog's Head where I was able to keep track of many of the goings on in the wizarding world. You'd be surprised what you hear when no one knows your listening."
"So that was you behind the bar when I came in last year for the DA meeting." Harry broke in.
"Yes. I kept Albus well informed and occasionally he would even fill in for me behind the bar when he was not looking to be found." Aberforth said as he looked down at Harry and winked. "Our physical similarities have actually been quite an advantage over the years. We can literally switch places with a few flicks of our wand. And that Harry is why I wanted to talk to you know. I see from your reaction to me, that I should be able to fool the rest of the school into thinking that I am Albus. We are in far too much danger without my brother's presence around and something must be done."
"But if you become Dumbledore," Harry started as he began to contemplate all the problems this would cause, "How are we going to explain your absence?"
Aberforth cringed. "Well there are certainly problems. That is why I brought you here. My dear brother had informed me that if anything were to happen to him, you were the only person that I was to completely trust. That being said, not only must we find an explanation for my absence, we must also find a place for Albus to recover where no one will see his body. No one else must know that Albus is still incapacitated. No One!"
Harry nodded. He understood the complexity and severity of this situation and began to calculate ways to pull it off. "Well, with the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, I think that we could probably explain your absence without many people talking about it too much. But the real problem will be explaining it to the Order."
"Actually Harry," Aberforth responded. "I think that part may be easier than you think. Once I assume the identity of Dumbledore, I can simply explain to the Order that I sent Aberforth on a top secret, very important journey. No one will even think to question me. The real question is, how can we get Albus to a secure location where we can keep a close watch on him, but no one else will be able to find him."
Harry and Aberforth separately went into deep thought for what seemed like an eternity. Neither one of them said a word as they tried desperately to find a way to pull off this monumental deception. Then, all of a sudden, an idea came to Harry as if it was shot directly into his head.
"Professor." Harry said as he stared into his eyes. "I have an idea that seems crazy even to me, but it just might be what we are looking for.
"Sometimes the craziest ideas are the one's that make the most sense." Aberforth was looking intriguingly at Harry waiting for him to continue.
"What if we brought Dumbledore to the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry stated. "The basilisk is dead so I don't think there would be any danger and I don't think that many people even know exactly where the entrance is besides Ron, Ginny and I. And even if someone knew, I think that I'm the only person who would be able to open it unless there is another Parslemouth around here that I don't know about."
"Actually Harry," Aberforth said, "I think that's a brilliant idea. There would be no danger of anyone coming across him, and you could no doubt check in on him when you needed to."
"And we can use my invisibility cloak to get him to the bathroom without anyone seeing." Harry added.
Aberforth nodded in agreement and then started to lay out the complete plan. "Ok, meet me in Dumbledore's office at midnight tonight. It's important that you're not seen"
Harry chuckled thinking about how his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map have benefited him over the years. "Don't worry that won't be a problem."
"Good. Then we'll put Albus under the invisibility cloak, levitate his body, and bring him to the Chamber. Then I will return to Dumbledore's office and transform into him and you will return to your bed. And in the morning, Albus Dumbledore will be back."
"Alright then." Harry replied. "I'll see you tonight." Harry began to leave the office when it occurred to him that there were a few more pressing issues that had to be addressed. "Professor, I almost forgot. I don't know if you heard but my wand was snapped in two and I can't very well go on without a wand and I don't think that it would be wise for me to walk into Ollivander's and buy a new one."
Aberforth shook his head and reached into his pocket. "Yes, Severus did mention to me that there was a situation. Of course in due time you will have to be fit with your own wand, but until then I think this will work." He pulled a wand out of his pocket and handed it over to Harry. "I'd wager that Albus won't miss it terribly right now." Harry held the wand in his hand and could almost feel the power radiating out of it. He had the wand of the most powerful wizard alive. Thankfully, the wand looked very similar to Harry's. No one would probably be able to tell that it wasn't Harry's wand (except for the fact that it was a little longer).
"Thank you professor." Harry said as he began to leave.
"I'm sure Albus would want you to have it." He replied. "Use it well."
Harry nodded. "I will." And with that he left the office and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. The sun was shining brightly outside and came through the windows in sharp rays. There were many students walking though the halls, no doubt going to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry eventually made it to the Gryffindor common room and noticed that it was nearly deserted except for Ron who was sitting in the corner scribbling something on a piece of parchment.
Harry approached Ron and must have startled him because he flinched a little when he spoke. "Hey, what are you doin?"
"Oh Harry." Ron responded. "I was just waiting for you and drawing up some new Quidditch plays in the meantime. Everyone else has already gone down to breakfast. Where were you this morning anyway?"
"I had to go meet with Professor Altesterio about the DA group remember." Harry lied. He didn't want to mislead his friends and it wasn't that he didn't trust them but it was better if they didn't know everything for their own protection.
Ron's forehead crumpled up and then straightened back up quickly. "Oh yea, I forgot you were going to meet with him. Did you ask him about your ..." Ron quickly lowered his voice to a whisper even though there was no one else in the common room and started making gestures with his hands to indicate a wand.
Harry shook his head. "Yea he had an uh, extra wand that he kept for emergencies that he said I could use for the time being."
Ron Shrugged, "Oh, that was lucky. We should get down to breakfast."
Harry agreed and they set off for the Great Hall. Harry was actually feeling a lot more content about the current situation at Hogwarts than he had in a while. With Aberforth set to impersonate Dumbledore, the school would be a lot less vulnerable and Harry could concentrate on other things like the DA group and Occlumency. With all these things going on including Quidditch and his schoolwork, there was certainly a lot to be done, but his first five years at Hogwarts had not been any different.
When they reached the Gryffindor table at the Great Hall, they took seats across from Hermione and Ginny who were looking intently at a copy of the Daily Prophet. They were so entranced by the article that they failed to even notice that Ron and Harry sat down.
"Well what's got you two so interested." Ron said, trying to grab their attention.
"Oh Ron, Harry, good thing you're here." Hermione said as she handed the paper to Ron. "Look at this."
Ron situated the paper between the two of them and they began to read.
Umbridge Trial to Start Monday: Fudge Implicated?
Dolores Jan Umbridge, former high inquisitor of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and Special Assistant to the
Minister of Magic Cornelius
Fudge will go on trial Monday for charges stemming from her sending
Dementors to antagonize
The Boy Who Lived. While Umbridge has admitted that she did send the Dementors to find
Potter, preliminary testimony reports that she did so on orders from the Minister of Magic himself,
Cornelius Fudge. Fudge was not available for comment. This along with the recent information that
Fudge held out knowledge of the return of You Know Who from the public have caused an uproar
throughout the wizard community. Many people are calling for a formal investigation of the Minister.
Of Course, the true nature of the accusations that Umbridge will make will not be known until the
trial commences on Monday.
Ron had a devilish smile as he looked up from the article. "Serves them both right if you ask me. I hope they both get tossed in Azkaban." Harry agreed with Ron. After all that those two had put him through the previous year, they deserved no less.
"Well, hopefully the full truth will finally come out." Hermione added. Harry nodded in agreement and began to dig in to breakfast. He hadn't realized it with all that had occurred over the past twenty-four hours, but he had failed to eat and was quite hungry.
"Have you been taking eating lessons from Ron?" Ginny snickered as Harry continued to mow through his breakfast. He stopped eating long enough to give her a brief sarcastic smile and continued with his meal. When everyone was finished and the tables were clear, Harry decided that a little fresh air might do him some good.
"Does anyone want to go outside?" Harry asked. "Maybe take a walk by the lake."
"Actually Harry, I was going to go to the library." Hermione said as she gave Ron a quick glance. "I know it's early in the term but I still want to make sure I don't get behind on my homework."
"When have you ever gotten behind in your homework?" Harry asked in response. "Well how about you Ron?"
"Sorry Harry, I was going to go to the library too." Ron said. Harry gave him a curious look but before he could inquire further into Ron's sudden need to study on a Saturday Ginny spoke up.
"I'm up for a walk by the lake." Ginny exclaimed.
Harry smiled, "Great, let's go." They said goodbye to Ron and Hermione who promised to meet up with them later in the common room, and made their way to the outside grounds. It was nice, Harry reasoned, to clear his head and get out into the bright sunshine. Especially considering the undertaking that he had ahead of him that night. They walked down to the lake without saying anything (although they did exchange quite a few glances), and sat down under a nearby tree.
Harry was starring out over the lake, remembering the second task of the Triwizard Tournament when Ginny broke the silence.
"Are you scared Harry." She said with her big brown eyes showing her own fear. "I mean with Dumbledore in a coma, do you think something's going to happen?" The truth was that he was scared. Although knowing that he had Aberforth on his side certainly eased his tension a little. But he didn't want to make Ginny feel more scared than he knew she already was. He had to stay strong for the sake of his friends.
"No, Ginny I'm not." He replied with as confident of a face as he could. "Dumbledore is going to be fine and we are doing everything that we can to be prepared. We are going to have intense DA meetings and learn all we can, and now we have Fred and George in the Order. You know them. They will find out who the traitor in the Order is in no time. There is nothing to worry about." Her eyes brightened up at his statement and he was glad that his confidence was able to make her feel better.
"Thanks Harry." She said as she lunged forward and gave him a hug. "You always know how to make me feel better." Harry felt a jolt go through his stomach as he accepted Ginny into his arms. Before he even knew what he was doing, he broke apart from her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. The look on her face as he sat back down could only be described as shock. Harry had never acted on an impulse like that with a girl before and it was clear that neither of them knew what to do.
"Maybe we should uh go back to the common room." Harry said finally breaking the silence that seemed to have lasted for an eternity.
"Ok." She said in return, flashing Harry a big smile. He was happy to see that she was obviously not mad about what he had done and so he got up and reached out his hand to help her up. They walked back to the castle and up to the common room making small talk about Quidditch and occasionally flashing each other smiles. Ginny also asked Harry whether he thought Ron and Hermione were really in the library studying. Harry hadn't really given it any thought and told Ginny that he was sure that they were.
The rest of the day was pretty typical. Ron and Hermione eventually joined Harry and Ginny in the common room and Harry and Ron played a few games of chess while Hermione and Ginny were reading issues of Witch Weekly and occasionally whispering things to each other. After dinner, Harry separated from the group, telling them that he had some things to work on, and went to the library to find a book that would help with the DA group. He found a book called Duelings Greatest Spells and Defenses and sat down to read it for a while. He stayed there until about 11:30 and then headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Thankfully, when he got there, it was empty. He went to the sixth year boy's dorm and tiptoed over to his trunk to get the map and his invisibility cloak. Thankfully, Ron's snoring drowned out any noise that he made so he was able to slip out without any of the other sixth year boys noticing. He did a quick check of the map and saw that there was little movement except for Filch who was lurking somewhere near the dungeon, so he threw on the cloak and headed off towards Dumbledore's office.
"Ton-tongue toffee." Harry told the stone gargoyles when he arrived at the office hoping that the password had not changed. Thankfully it had not and Harry stepped on to the spiral staircase, which deliberately ascended up to Dumbledore's office. When he reached the office, he quickly went to the room where Dumbledore was being kept and saw Aberforth sitting next to the bed.
"Oh Harry, you're here." He said as he got up to greet him. "I expect you weren't seen?"
"No, don't worry." He replied.
Aberforth nodded, "Good. Then lets get going."
"We'd better take Fawkes with us." Harry said as he approached Dumbledore's beautiful phoenix that was sitting on his perch. "We'll need a way back out of the Chamber.
"Good idea." Aberforth said as he motioned to Fawkes who flew over and settled on his shoulder.
Aberforth then levitated Dumbledore's body and Harry put the cloak over him. Harry led the way out of the office, while Aberforth guided Dumbledore's body with one of his hands. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map and quickly assessed the situation. It looks as though Filch is still in the dungeons. We should be able to make it to the second floor bathroom without being seen.
"That map is extraordinary Harry." Aberforth said as he starred at the map and gave Harry a smile. "No wonder you can get around here without getting caught." Harry gave him a wink and they continued on until they got to the out of order second floor bathroom.
"Here we are." Harry explained as they walked inside and made it towards the sink.
"Whose there." A loud voice shouted from one of the stalls. Aberforth was taken by surprise and had drawn his wand and pointed in the direction of the stall.
"Don't worry." Harry said as he motioned for Aberforth to lower his wand. "It's just Myrtle." Aberforth understood quickly when Myrtle flew through the air and came to a halt just over them.
"Oh, Hello Harry." Said Myrtle with a big smile. "It's nice of you to come and see me. It's been a while."
"Actually, Myrtle I need to go down to the Chamber again." Harry responded flashing her a smile back. "I need you to promise me that you won't ever tell anyone that you've seen me in here."
"Don't worry Harry I won't." Myrtle replied as the tone of her voice began to rise. "Besides no one ever talks to me anyway." With that she flew back to her stall and landed with a loud thud that sent water spraying in all directions.
Harry flashed Aberforth a knowing glance and said, "She's a little sensitive."
"Alright, back to business." Aberforth responded as he pulled the cloak of Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked so frail that it made Harry very uncomfortable. It was hard to see the person you admired most looking so weak. "I'll place a cushioning charm around Albus and you open the chamber.
Harry approached the sink in question on concentrated very hard on the snake engraving. It was hard for him to speak Parsletoungue when he wasn't actually talking to a snake. He closed his eyes and projected an image of the snake that he had spoke to years ago at the Zoo. When he could clearly see the snake in his mind he said, "Open up". The words came out in Parsletoungue and the sink began to slide down revealing the once familiar pipe that led to the chamber of Secrets.
"I'll go first." Harry said as he stared at Aberforth with a concerned look. "Then you send Dumbledore down after me." Aberforth shook his head in agknowledgement and Harry approached the murky looking pipe. Without another thought he hurtled himself on to the muddy slide-like pipe and rode it down into the chamber. Eventually, the pipe spit him out into the same concrete room that he had encountered with Ron and Lockhart in his second year. The walls were full of mold and mud and the Chamber itself reeked of evil. Harry looked around and began to remember the encounter that he had here and the next second, pain ripped through his scar and Harry collapsed.
Author's Note: I hope you all liked Chapter 12. I wonder how many people suspected that professor Altesterio was Aberforth? I thought it might give it away when I made his first name Abe. Anyways please continue to review I appreciate them.
Chapter 12
Alt-ernate Identities
"Thank God your alright sir." Harry roared as he stumbled further into the room. Dumbledore put his hands up in a calming fashion and Harry settled down.
"Please close the door Harry." Harry turned to close the door and when he turned back, he saw the headmaster looking at him as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"What is it?" Harry asked. "What is going on?"
"Well Harry," The professor started, "It might be easier for me to explain if I show you rather than tell you." Harry watched as the headmaster pulled out his wand and began to change things in his appearance. First he shortened his hair to about his shoulders and wound it up into a ponytail. Next he eliminated the long beard that flowed from his face until he was completely clean-shaven. Then he took off Dumbledore's large multi-colored robe and removed the half moon glasses from his face.
"Professor Altesterio!" Harry screamed as he starred across the table in shock.
"Actually, you were right the first time Harry." The professor stated as a faint smile broke across "I am Dumbledore, just not Albus." Harry was confused for a moment as the proceeding events spun through his head, however he quickly started to connect the dots and realized what was going on.
"Aberforth?" Harry responded. He had seen a picture of Aberforth once before, but it had been a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix and so it was taken several years prior. He actually looked younger now than he had in the picture.
"Indeed Harry." He said with a grin of satisfaction. "You're very astute. I dare say that Albus was right about you."
"Right about what" Harry inquired.
"Never mind. We have a lot to discuss." Aberforth stated. "Now then, I'll tell you what's going on. I have been working undercover for Dumbledore for a number of years. Up until this year, I was the bartender at the Hog's Head where I was able to keep track of many of the goings on in the wizarding world. You'd be surprised what you hear when no one knows your listening."
"So that was you behind the bar when I came in last year for the DA meeting." Harry broke in.
"Yes. I kept Albus well informed and occasionally he would even fill in for me behind the bar when he was not looking to be found." Aberforth said as he looked down at Harry and winked. "Our physical similarities have actually been quite an advantage over the years. We can literally switch places with a few flicks of our wand. And that Harry is why I wanted to talk to you know. I see from your reaction to me, that I should be able to fool the rest of the school into thinking that I am Albus. We are in far too much danger without my brother's presence around and something must be done."
"But if you become Dumbledore," Harry started as he began to contemplate all the problems this would cause, "How are we going to explain your absence?"
Aberforth cringed. "Well there are certainly problems. That is why I brought you here. My dear brother had informed me that if anything were to happen to him, you were the only person that I was to completely trust. That being said, not only must we find an explanation for my absence, we must also find a place for Albus to recover where no one will see his body. No one else must know that Albus is still incapacitated. No One!"
Harry nodded. He understood the complexity and severity of this situation and began to calculate ways to pull it off. "Well, with the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, I think that we could probably explain your absence without many people talking about it too much. But the real problem will be explaining it to the Order."
"Actually Harry," Aberforth responded. "I think that part may be easier than you think. Once I assume the identity of Dumbledore, I can simply explain to the Order that I sent Aberforth on a top secret, very important journey. No one will even think to question me. The real question is, how can we get Albus to a secure location where we can keep a close watch on him, but no one else will be able to find him."
Harry and Aberforth separately went into deep thought for what seemed like an eternity. Neither one of them said a word as they tried desperately to find a way to pull off this monumental deception. Then, all of a sudden, an idea came to Harry as if it was shot directly into his head.
"Professor." Harry said as he stared into his eyes. "I have an idea that seems crazy even to me, but it just might be what we are looking for.
"Sometimes the craziest ideas are the one's that make the most sense." Aberforth was looking intriguingly at Harry waiting for him to continue.
"What if we brought Dumbledore to the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry stated. "The basilisk is dead so I don't think there would be any danger and I don't think that many people even know exactly where the entrance is besides Ron, Ginny and I. And even if someone knew, I think that I'm the only person who would be able to open it unless there is another Parslemouth around here that I don't know about."
"Actually Harry," Aberforth said, "I think that's a brilliant idea. There would be no danger of anyone coming across him, and you could no doubt check in on him when you needed to."
"And we can use my invisibility cloak to get him to the bathroom without anyone seeing." Harry added.
Aberforth nodded in agreement and then started to lay out the complete plan. "Ok, meet me in Dumbledore's office at midnight tonight. It's important that you're not seen"
Harry chuckled thinking about how his invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map have benefited him over the years. "Don't worry that won't be a problem."
"Good. Then we'll put Albus under the invisibility cloak, levitate his body, and bring him to the Chamber. Then I will return to Dumbledore's office and transform into him and you will return to your bed. And in the morning, Albus Dumbledore will be back."
"Alright then." Harry replied. "I'll see you tonight." Harry began to leave the office when it occurred to him that there were a few more pressing issues that had to be addressed. "Professor, I almost forgot. I don't know if you heard but my wand was snapped in two and I can't very well go on without a wand and I don't think that it would be wise for me to walk into Ollivander's and buy a new one."
Aberforth shook his head and reached into his pocket. "Yes, Severus did mention to me that there was a situation. Of course in due time you will have to be fit with your own wand, but until then I think this will work." He pulled a wand out of his pocket and handed it over to Harry. "I'd wager that Albus won't miss it terribly right now." Harry held the wand in his hand and could almost feel the power radiating out of it. He had the wand of the most powerful wizard alive. Thankfully, the wand looked very similar to Harry's. No one would probably be able to tell that it wasn't Harry's wand (except for the fact that it was a little longer).
"Thank you professor." Harry said as he began to leave.
"I'm sure Albus would want you to have it." He replied. "Use it well."
Harry nodded. "I will." And with that he left the office and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. The sun was shining brightly outside and came through the windows in sharp rays. There were many students walking though the halls, no doubt going to the Great Hall for breakfast. Harry eventually made it to the Gryffindor common room and noticed that it was nearly deserted except for Ron who was sitting in the corner scribbling something on a piece of parchment.
Harry approached Ron and must have startled him because he flinched a little when he spoke. "Hey, what are you doin?"
"Oh Harry." Ron responded. "I was just waiting for you and drawing up some new Quidditch plays in the meantime. Everyone else has already gone down to breakfast. Where were you this morning anyway?"
"I had to go meet with Professor Altesterio about the DA group remember." Harry lied. He didn't want to mislead his friends and it wasn't that he didn't trust them but it was better if they didn't know everything for their own protection.
Ron's forehead crumpled up and then straightened back up quickly. "Oh yea, I forgot you were going to meet with him. Did you ask him about your ..." Ron quickly lowered his voice to a whisper even though there was no one else in the common room and started making gestures with his hands to indicate a wand.
Harry shook his head. "Yea he had an uh, extra wand that he kept for emergencies that he said I could use for the time being."
Ron Shrugged, "Oh, that was lucky. We should get down to breakfast."
Harry agreed and they set off for the Great Hall. Harry was actually feeling a lot more content about the current situation at Hogwarts than he had in a while. With Aberforth set to impersonate Dumbledore, the school would be a lot less vulnerable and Harry could concentrate on other things like the DA group and Occlumency. With all these things going on including Quidditch and his schoolwork, there was certainly a lot to be done, but his first five years at Hogwarts had not been any different.
When they reached the Gryffindor table at the Great Hall, they took seats across from Hermione and Ginny who were looking intently at a copy of the Daily Prophet. They were so entranced by the article that they failed to even notice that Ron and Harry sat down.
"Well what's got you two so interested." Ron said, trying to grab their attention.
"Oh Ron, Harry, good thing you're here." Hermione said as she handed the paper to Ron. "Look at this."
Ron situated the paper between the two of them and they began to read.
Umbridge Trial to Start Monday: Fudge Implicated?
Dolores Jan Umbridge, former high inquisitor of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry,
Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and Special Assistant to the
Minister of Magic Cornelius
Fudge will go on trial Monday for charges stemming from her sending
Dementors to antagonize
The Boy Who Lived. While Umbridge has admitted that she did send the Dementors to find
Potter, preliminary testimony reports that she did so on orders from the Minister of Magic himself,
Cornelius Fudge. Fudge was not available for comment. This along with the recent information that
Fudge held out knowledge of the return of You Know Who from the public have caused an uproar
throughout the wizard community. Many people are calling for a formal investigation of the Minister.
Of Course, the true nature of the accusations that Umbridge will make will not be known until the
trial commences on Monday.
Ron had a devilish smile as he looked up from the article. "Serves them both right if you ask me. I hope they both get tossed in Azkaban." Harry agreed with Ron. After all that those two had put him through the previous year, they deserved no less.
"Well, hopefully the full truth will finally come out." Hermione added. Harry nodded in agreement and began to dig in to breakfast. He hadn't realized it with all that had occurred over the past twenty-four hours, but he had failed to eat and was quite hungry.
"Have you been taking eating lessons from Ron?" Ginny snickered as Harry continued to mow through his breakfast. He stopped eating long enough to give her a brief sarcastic smile and continued with his meal. When everyone was finished and the tables were clear, Harry decided that a little fresh air might do him some good.
"Does anyone want to go outside?" Harry asked. "Maybe take a walk by the lake."
"Actually Harry, I was going to go to the library." Hermione said as she gave Ron a quick glance. "I know it's early in the term but I still want to make sure I don't get behind on my homework."
"When have you ever gotten behind in your homework?" Harry asked in response. "Well how about you Ron?"
"Sorry Harry, I was going to go to the library too." Ron said. Harry gave him a curious look but before he could inquire further into Ron's sudden need to study on a Saturday Ginny spoke up.
"I'm up for a walk by the lake." Ginny exclaimed.
Harry smiled, "Great, let's go." They said goodbye to Ron and Hermione who promised to meet up with them later in the common room, and made their way to the outside grounds. It was nice, Harry reasoned, to clear his head and get out into the bright sunshine. Especially considering the undertaking that he had ahead of him that night. They walked down to the lake without saying anything (although they did exchange quite a few glances), and sat down under a nearby tree.
Harry was starring out over the lake, remembering the second task of the Triwizard Tournament when Ginny broke the silence.
"Are you scared Harry." She said with her big brown eyes showing her own fear. "I mean with Dumbledore in a coma, do you think something's going to happen?" The truth was that he was scared. Although knowing that he had Aberforth on his side certainly eased his tension a little. But he didn't want to make Ginny feel more scared than he knew she already was. He had to stay strong for the sake of his friends.
"No, Ginny I'm not." He replied with as confident of a face as he could. "Dumbledore is going to be fine and we are doing everything that we can to be prepared. We are going to have intense DA meetings and learn all we can, and now we have Fred and George in the Order. You know them. They will find out who the traitor in the Order is in no time. There is nothing to worry about." Her eyes brightened up at his statement and he was glad that his confidence was able to make her feel better.
"Thanks Harry." She said as she lunged forward and gave him a hug. "You always know how to make me feel better." Harry felt a jolt go through his stomach as he accepted Ginny into his arms. Before he even knew what he was doing, he broke apart from her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. The look on her face as he sat back down could only be described as shock. Harry had never acted on an impulse like that with a girl before and it was clear that neither of them knew what to do.
"Maybe we should uh go back to the common room." Harry said finally breaking the silence that seemed to have lasted for an eternity.
"Ok." She said in return, flashing Harry a big smile. He was happy to see that she was obviously not mad about what he had done and so he got up and reached out his hand to help her up. They walked back to the castle and up to the common room making small talk about Quidditch and occasionally flashing each other smiles. Ginny also asked Harry whether he thought Ron and Hermione were really in the library studying. Harry hadn't really given it any thought and told Ginny that he was sure that they were.
The rest of the day was pretty typical. Ron and Hermione eventually joined Harry and Ginny in the common room and Harry and Ron played a few games of chess while Hermione and Ginny were reading issues of Witch Weekly and occasionally whispering things to each other. After dinner, Harry separated from the group, telling them that he had some things to work on, and went to the library to find a book that would help with the DA group. He found a book called Duelings Greatest Spells and Defenses and sat down to read it for a while. He stayed there until about 11:30 and then headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Thankfully, when he got there, it was empty. He went to the sixth year boy's dorm and tiptoed over to his trunk to get the map and his invisibility cloak. Thankfully, Ron's snoring drowned out any noise that he made so he was able to slip out without any of the other sixth year boys noticing. He did a quick check of the map and saw that there was little movement except for Filch who was lurking somewhere near the dungeon, so he threw on the cloak and headed off towards Dumbledore's office.
"Ton-tongue toffee." Harry told the stone gargoyles when he arrived at the office hoping that the password had not changed. Thankfully it had not and Harry stepped on to the spiral staircase, which deliberately ascended up to Dumbledore's office. When he reached the office, he quickly went to the room where Dumbledore was being kept and saw Aberforth sitting next to the bed.
"Oh Harry, you're here." He said as he got up to greet him. "I expect you weren't seen?"
"No, don't worry." He replied.
Aberforth nodded, "Good. Then lets get going."
"We'd better take Fawkes with us." Harry said as he approached Dumbledore's beautiful phoenix that was sitting on his perch. "We'll need a way back out of the Chamber.
"Good idea." Aberforth said as he motioned to Fawkes who flew over and settled on his shoulder.
Aberforth then levitated Dumbledore's body and Harry put the cloak over him. Harry led the way out of the office, while Aberforth guided Dumbledore's body with one of his hands. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map and quickly assessed the situation. It looks as though Filch is still in the dungeons. We should be able to make it to the second floor bathroom without being seen.
"That map is extraordinary Harry." Aberforth said as he starred at the map and gave Harry a smile. "No wonder you can get around here without getting caught." Harry gave him a wink and they continued on until they got to the out of order second floor bathroom.
"Here we are." Harry explained as they walked inside and made it towards the sink.
"Whose there." A loud voice shouted from one of the stalls. Aberforth was taken by surprise and had drawn his wand and pointed in the direction of the stall.
"Don't worry." Harry said as he motioned for Aberforth to lower his wand. "It's just Myrtle." Aberforth understood quickly when Myrtle flew through the air and came to a halt just over them.
"Oh, Hello Harry." Said Myrtle with a big smile. "It's nice of you to come and see me. It's been a while."
"Actually, Myrtle I need to go down to the Chamber again." Harry responded flashing her a smile back. "I need you to promise me that you won't ever tell anyone that you've seen me in here."
"Don't worry Harry I won't." Myrtle replied as the tone of her voice began to rise. "Besides no one ever talks to me anyway." With that she flew back to her stall and landed with a loud thud that sent water spraying in all directions.
Harry flashed Aberforth a knowing glance and said, "She's a little sensitive."
"Alright, back to business." Aberforth responded as he pulled the cloak of Dumbledore. Dumbledore looked so frail that it made Harry very uncomfortable. It was hard to see the person you admired most looking so weak. "I'll place a cushioning charm around Albus and you open the chamber.
Harry approached the sink in question on concentrated very hard on the snake engraving. It was hard for him to speak Parsletoungue when he wasn't actually talking to a snake. He closed his eyes and projected an image of the snake that he had spoke to years ago at the Zoo. When he could clearly see the snake in his mind he said, "Open up". The words came out in Parsletoungue and the sink began to slide down revealing the once familiar pipe that led to the chamber of Secrets.
"I'll go first." Harry said as he stared at Aberforth with a concerned look. "Then you send Dumbledore down after me." Aberforth shook his head in agknowledgement and Harry approached the murky looking pipe. Without another thought he hurtled himself on to the muddy slide-like pipe and rode it down into the chamber. Eventually, the pipe spit him out into the same concrete room that he had encountered with Ron and Lockhart in his second year. The walls were full of mold and mud and the Chamber itself reeked of evil. Harry looked around and began to remember the encounter that he had here and the next second, pain ripped through his scar and Harry collapsed.
Author's Note: I hope you all liked Chapter 12. I wonder how many people suspected that professor Altesterio was Aberforth? I thought it might give it away when I made his first name Abe. Anyways please continue to review I appreciate them.