Silence overcame Harry and Arthur, save for the steady drip of ink from the diary.
Gaining his composure, Arthur turned to Harry and checked his arm. A blood-stained hole now gaped in the arm of his clothes, but the wound in his arm was gone, healed by Fawkes's tears. After making sure the boy was all right, Arthur rose and went to the basilisk and pulled the sword out of its mouth. Being able to look at it up close, he recognized the relic, the Sword of Gryffindor. He went back to Harry who had collected his wand and the Sorting Hat.
Their attention was drawn to Ginny as faint moans came from her. She woke up from her death-like state and Harry hurried to her as Arthur chose to walk, not wanting to risk slipping on the puddles of water-mixed-with-blood that littered the ground between them. Her eyes went to the basilisk, then to Arthur, and then to Harry, down his blood-soaked arm, and finally to the diary in his hand. At once, she began to cry, the weight of the year finally collapsing on her.
"Harry- oh, Harry- I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy- it was me, Harry- but I- I s-swear I d-didn't mean to- R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over- and- how did you kill that- that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember was him coming out of the diary-"
"It's all right now." Arthur bent down, putting a hand on her shoulder. "He's gone."
"Mr. Kirkland's right, him and the basilisk are finished. C'mon Ginny, let's get out of here-"
"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as the two helped her to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and- what'll Mum and Dad say?"
"I'm sure they'll be cross, but they'll be even more relieved you're alive and unharmed." Arthur reassured her. He used his wand to produce a handkerchief and handed it to her. She accepted it quietly.
"Mr. Kirkland…" Harry spoke up, "Thanks, for standing up to Riddle I mean."
"I'm just doing my job, Harry."
"How did you recognize him as-" Harry lowered his voice so Ginny couldn't hear, not wanting to upset her further, "Voldemort? He would've been Riddle before you were born."
Arthur thought for a moment, not wanting to give away too much of what he really was. "Let's just say that I have a fondness for history. I remember reading a book about the last wizarding war, and Albus filled in any blanks the book had left out due to everyone being afraid to speak of him for the last twelve years."
Harry seemed to accept this answer as he continued to help Ginny out of the chamber. Fawkes was waiting at the entrance, and the doors closed behind them. They were silent as they walked through the tunnel, save for a few hiccups from Ginny as she tried to calm herself down and the occasional warnings from Arthur to be careful as the path became rougher.
The distant sounds of slowly shifting rocks grew as they approached where the cave in happened, and Harry sped up, shouting for Ron. "Ginny's okay! We've got her!"
Ron gave a strangled cheer, and the group rounded the corner to see Ron's face staring through a sizeable gap he managed to make in the rockfall.
"Ginny!" Ron pulled her through the gap to the other side. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened? Where did that bird come from?" he asked as Fawkes flew through after Ginny. Ron's eyes fell on the sword being held by Arthur, "How come you've got a sword?"
"I'll explain when we get out of here." Harry glanced at Ginny who was crying harder than ever. Arthur came through next.
"But-"
"Later, Ronnald." Arthur said sternly. It would only upset the girl more.
"Where's Lockhart?" Harry asked.
"Back there. He's in a bad way, come and see." They walked to the mouth of the pipe where Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting on a stone, humming to himself.
"His memory's gone, the charm backfired. Hit himself instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, where he is, or who we are. I told him to wait here. He's a danger to himself." Ron explained as Lockhart looked up at them all.
"Hello," he said, pleasantly, "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"
"No." Ron answered.
Arthur groaned, "Well, this will be interesting. More paperwork, probably, but hopefully St. Mungo's will take him on and find a way to reverse this."
"How are we going to get up there?" Harry asked, peering into the pipe. "Mr. Kirkland can't apparate us on Hogwarts grounds."
"No, but I have an idea. Children, I want you to hold onto each other. Ron, grab Harry and Ginny's hands. Harry grab onto Fawkes's tail. I'll hold onto Ginny's and Lockhart's-"
"He means you." Ron said sharply to Lockhart.
"Yes, and Fawkes will fly us out. He should be able to." He tucked the sword into his belt and Harry did the same with the Sorting Hat and diary. They followed Arthur's orders and Fawkes lifted the group up and through the pipe.
When they got into the bathroom, Myrtle seemed disappointed that Harry was still alive. After a comment from Ron about Myrtle having a crush on Harry, Ginny seemed to become more upset. Arthur produced another handkerchief and handed it to her, giving a warning glance at the red-haired boy who reminded him even more of a certain American.
Fawkes seemed to lead the way as they walked through the corridor to McGonagall's office. Arthur turned the handle and stepped in first. The students and Lockhart stumbled in after him, and there was a moment of silence as they stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry's case) blood. Then there was a scream.
"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley leapt to her feet. Her husband followed her as they threw themselves on their daughter.
Dumbledore was beaming by the mantlepiece as Fawkes landed on his shoulder. McGonagall stood next to him looking a mix of bewilderment and relief. Arthur managed to somehow avoid Mrs. Weasley's bone-crushing hug as she swept Harry and Ron into her embrace. She still smiled at Arthur nonetheless.
"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"
"I think we'd all like to know that." McGonagall spoke up.
Harry was let go and he and Arthur approached, placing the sword and the sorting hat on it, as well as the remains of Riddle's diary.
Harry told them about the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes, how he and Ron had found the spiders in the forest, what Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk died, how they guessed the victim was Moaning Myrtle and that the entrance was in her bathroom, how Arthur had found it just before them and met with them in the caverns below the castle.
"Very well, so you found out where the entrance was- breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way might I add- but how on earth did you get out of there alive, Potter?" McGonagall asked. By this point, Harry's voice had been growing hoarse and he faltered, glancing at Ginny and then at Arthur. Instinctively, he glanced at Dumbledore, asking for help.
"What interests me most," the old wizard spoke gently, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania."
"W-what was that?" Mrs. Weasley stuttered, "You-Know-Who En-enchanted Ginny? But Ginny's not… Ginny hasn't been… has she?"
"It was the diary." Harry said quickly, picking it up and showing them, "Riddle wrote in it when he was sixteen." Dumbledore took it and examined it.
"Brilliant. Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school… traveled far and wide… sank so deeply in the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."
"But Ginny. What's our Ginny got to do with- with- him?" Mrs. Weasley asked, shaken.
"His d-diary!" Ginny sobbed, "I've b-been writing in it and he's been w-writing back all year-"
"Ginny!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. Why didn't you show the diary to me or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic-"
"I d-didn't know. I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it-"
Dumbledore stepped in, telling the Weasleys that Ginny should be checked over in the Hospital Wing, ensuring them that Madam Pomfrey was still awake to give out mandrake juice to the petrified victims and that no punishment would be given to Ginny. The young girl and her parents exited, still looking deeply shaken.
"You know, Minerva," Dumbledore said, thoughtfully, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go alert the kitchens?"
"Right. I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"
"Certainly." With that, McGonagall left, leaving the boys to stare at Dumbledore. Arthur stood awkwardly to the side as Lockhart seemed none the wiser of what was happening around him.
"I seem to remember telling you two that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules." The old wizard stated as the two students looked horrified. Dumbledore smiled, "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words. You will all receive Special Awards for Service to the School and- let me see- yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor. But," he turned his attention to Lockhart, "one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure. Why so modest, Gilderoy?"
"Professor Dumbledore, there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart-" Ron began.
"Am I a professor?" Lockhart asked. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"
"He tried to do a memory charm and the wand backfired." Ron whispered.
"Dear me," Dumbledore shook his head, "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"
"Sword?" Lockhart asked. "Haven't got a sword. That man has, though. He'll lend you one." Gilderoy pointed at Arthur who was trying his best to hold in his laughter.
"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart to the infirmary too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "I'd like a few more words with Harry and Arthur…"
Ron led Lockhart out of the office, glancing curious looks at the three left in the room as he closed the door behind him. Dumbledore asked for Harry to sit, and from there, Arthur tuned the two out somewhat.
A wave of exhaustion finally washed over him now that it had been almost an hour since they left the tunnels, the adrenaline was all gone. He no longer felt sick, but he was aching and wished for nothing more than a bed. Arthur was dreading the amount of paperwork he'd surely have to return to once he left Hogwarts for London, even if one of his brothers had been filling in for him. And he certainly wasn't looking forward to having to deal with an upcoming world meeting that was done every summer.
He was brought back to reality when Harry asked, "Professor, the Sorting Hat told me I'd- I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while… because I can speak Parseltongue…"
"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," Dumbledore said calmly, "because Lord Voldemort- who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin- can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do himself, I'm sure…"
"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?"
"It certainly seems so."
"So I should be in Slytherin. The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it-"
"Put you in Gryffindor. Listen to me Harry, you happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue- resourcefulness- determination- a certain disregard for rules. Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."
"It only put me in Gryffindor… because I asked not to go in Slytherin."
"Exactly." Dumbledore beamed, "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Certainly, Arthur here has shown you that, what with him being a former Slytherin who can speak Parseltongue."
Harry turned his attention to the blond who was leaning against the desk, arms crossed.
"He's right. Most people associate Slytherin and the ability to speak to snakes as evil, destined for dark magic. While it's true in some cases, it isn't the same for everyone. I was simply born with this ability despite having no relation to Salazar Slytherin, and I was placed into his house all because I showed qualities he looked for in students. However, those things and the superstitions that follow them do not define who I am or how I'm willing to act. The choices we make shape our lives, and make no mistake, we always have a choice in what we do, even when it seems like we don't."
"Do others know…"
"That I can speak Parseltongue?" Arthur finished. Harry nodded. "A select few, mainly my family and Professor Dumbledore here. But speaking to animals, well… isn't a new thing in my family. I have a brother who can talk to and understand whales, which was a shock when we found out, but odder things have happened." He shrugged but could still see doubt in the twelve-year-old's eyes. "If you want proof that you belong in Gryffindor, Harry, then come over here. Look more closely at the sword you pulled from the hat."
Harry got up and made his way to the desk to examine the blade. He turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. Then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.
Godric Gryffindor.
"Only a true Gyffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry." Dumbledore said simply.
For a minute, none of them spoke as Harry gazed at the name thoughtfully, processing everything the two wizards just told him. Then, Dumbledore pulled out some ink, a white quill, and some parchment.
"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep- And the same could be said for you, Arthur. I suggest you get cleaned up and go down to the feast while I write to Azkaban- we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement to the Daily Prophet, too. We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher… Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"
Dumbledore gazed up at Arthur with a twinkle in his eye as Harry turned toward the door.
"Unless, of course, you would like that position, Mr. Kirkland."
"Actually, sir-" Arthur was cut off when the door burst open so violently that it bounced off the wall, causing a loud THUD. Harry stood there, looking up at a furious Lucius Malfoy. A house elf cowered behind the man. Lucius Malfoy brushed past Harry, entering the room as the elf followed, trying to unsuccessfully clean his shoes with a filthy rag. He stopped by Arthur, glaring at Dumbledore.
"So!" he said, "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."
"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too…. Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."
Malfoy paled at this. "So- have you stopped the attacks yet? Have you caught the culprit?"
"We have."
"Well? Who is it?"
"The same person as last time, Lucius. But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary." He held up the book.
Arthur noticed the little elf was looking at Harry who was also watching him. He pointed to the diary, then to Malfoy, then hit himself on the head with his own fist. He saw Arthur was watching and jumped slightly, stopping and avoiding eye contact.
"I see…" Malfoy said, slowly to Dumbledore.
"A clever plan. Because if Harry here-" Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look- "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why- Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have neem able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…"
Malfoy said nothing. No emotion was shown on his face, though Arthur could see a glint of rage in his eyes.
"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then…. The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and killing muggle-borns…. Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…."
Malfoy seemed to force himself to speak, "Very fortunate."
The elf repeated his earlier gestures to Harry who nodded, taking the hint.
"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry spoke up.
"How should I know how that stupid little girl got hold of it?"
"Because you gave it to her. In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside, didn't you?"
"Prove it." Malfoy hissed.
"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you…."
Arthur grinned, earning a scowl from Malfoy.
"We're going, Dobby!" They went to the door and immediately Malfoy kicked the poor elf through it. They could hear Dobby squealing in pain through the corridor.
"Professor Dumbledore," Harry said, hurriedly, "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"
"Certainly, Harry. But hurry. The feast, remember…"
Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out. As he left, Arthur noticed him pull off his shoe and sock mid run before putting the shoe back on. Arthur smiled.
"Now, I believe we were discussing our newly opened teaching position." Dumbledore said as Arthur turned back to him. The Headmaster flicked his wand to close the door, giving the two privacy.
"Sir, you know I can't-"
"I understand that you're busy, England, but arrangements can be made to alleviate your government workload." His face turned serious, "The last two years have made it all the clearer that there are people out there who wish to bring Voldemort back, and they're focusing their efforts on Mr. Potter and his peers. After what happened with Professor Quirrel last year, I thought bringing someone who is least likely to be associated with him and his conspirators was the best option. But, based on what Minerva has told me and what I've seen, Professor Lockhart was not the best choice I could make. I need wizards and witches here that I can trust to protect the students should something pull me away from the grounds again."
"I know, Albus." Arthur nodded. "And I know we can use my condition to assess whether or not there is a threat, but I do not think I'm suited to teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts."
"Because you yourself dabble in them?" Dumbledore smiled, knowingly. Arthur felt his face heat up in embarrassment.
"Well- yes, that."
"England, what better teacher than someone who knows first-hand how Dark Magic works?"
"Someone who didn't have to worry as much on their true nature being discovered by a group of children. Do you know how many times I've had to lie or stretch the truth in the few weeks I've been here? Riddle also almost figured it out I'm sure."
"I can imagine. How about we use that instead?"
"Excuse me?"
"I mean your true nature. You've been around for centuries, have all the knowledge on what has occurred in both the wizarding and muggle world- we could give you a position where you could put it to good use rather than flourishing spells and counter curses if giving away how much power you really hold is your concern."
"Well…" Arthur thought for a moment. It would probably be best to be closer to Potter if every instance Voldemort's tried to return has revolved around him. Plus, it would be a decent break away from the monotony of his life; he could actually do something rather than bringing his concerns to Cornelius and sitting whatever happens out. "Don't you already have a History of Magic teacher?"
"Professor Binns is remarkable at his job, and he's been teaching here the longest of any professor. However, some students have come to me in recent years asking if I could convince him to teach anything but the few events he puts focus on. He might need a break to refresh and gain a new perspective on his teaching topics."
"It'll take a lot of planning."
"We have the whole summer to do so."
With that, Arthur only said one word, "Okay."
A/N: And with this we end England's involvement in Chamber of Secrets. Next is an interlude chapter and then we start on my favorite book in the series: Prisoner of Azkaban.