AN: This is literally my first fanfiction. Don't expect high quality content because I certainly don't. In the future I will probably read this and think it is a piece of garbage. But right now, I am proud of it. Therefore, advice is not only allowed but encouraged. I shall also warn you, I am going to change most canon events, so don't expect the timeline to be precise.
On a happier note, please join the Haphne server! Link: discord dot gg/pKSdvJQvhU
We do several weekly activities such as a discussion club, Care of Magical Creatures lessons and our own movie/anime club!
8th of May 1993, Gryffindor common room
Harry and Ron were having a conversation about the electives they were going to take next year. Hermione had left a few minutes ago for the library, after having a sudden bout of inspiration.
Right now, Harry didn't know what to do. He had five different options, and he could at most choose three. At the very least he had to choose two. Considering that, he knew something at least: He wouldn't take the Muggle Studies class. He sincerely doubted anyone could tell him anything about the muggle world that he didn't already know.
That's what he told Ron, and he agreed with him. Ron decided that he wouldn't take it either, since he had witnessed his father's craziness in front of anything muggle. Ron declared that Harry and Hermione would be the ones to teach him whatever he needed to know.
Harry was okay with it, because he doubted you could have a better teacher than two people who had lived as muggles for a decade.
Still, Harry had a lot of doubts over what to study. He was tempted to ask Percy (the most studious Weasley) but decided against it. He would probably drone about which successful wizards had studied what, and Harry would end up more confused than he already was.
Harry was about to come down to speak to Professor McGonagall, when he saw some fifth year students with pamphlets on their hands. He approached the students, and he heard them speaking about their careers. Realising they were in a similar conundrum, he asked:
"Sorry, but could you tell me where to get a copy of those?" Pointing at the pamphlets.
A blond boy was the first to respond:
"Yeah, if you look at that table over there (he pointed at the back of the common room) you will be able to gather one of each."
Harry thanked the student ( he didn't even know his name) and looked at said table.
He gathered one of each and went back to the common room. He looked at Ron's bed, only to realise it was empty at the moment. 'Must be taking a shower.' Harry thought.
Taking advantage of the empty dorm, Harry started reading every pamphlet. After several minutes, he had finally come to a decision. He would take Care of Magical Creatures, Divination and Ancient Runes.
He had decided against Arithmancy after seeing the little demand there was for it. It was mostly used for spell creation and enchanting. It was also a required subject if you wanted to be an unspeakable, but Harry didn't see himself investigating the enigmas of magic.
As for Runes, Harry knew they had several uses. They could be used for arrays, enabling a more precise control over certain spells. He was glad to finally find out how brooms stayed in the air. They were also useful for warding and translating old languages. It was required for becoming a curse-breaker, an idea that seduced Harry quite a bit. From what he had gathered, it appeared to be a sort of magical Indiana Jones. THAT WAS COOL. Plus, he had experience with adventure, and it would be nice to earn money for it.
As for Care and divination, Harry had deemed it more of a necessity. After his encounters with the troll, Fluffy and the monster this year, Harry didn't want to find himself in front of any other unknown creatures. And if divination allowed him to see some of the future, maybe it would be possible for him to avoid trouble…
At all this, it had been a while since Ron came back from the shower, and his friend had been reading Quidditch through the ages for a long time. Harry was interrupted from his thinking by his red-haired best friend:
"Harry, do you know where Hermione is?"
Harry looked at him and tried to remember… Hermione had supposedly gone to the library, but she hadn't come back yet.
"Let's go to the common room, maybe she is waiting for us there."
They both climbed down the stairs and started looking around the common room. Unfortunately, she was not there. To make sure, Harry asked Katie:
"Katie, have you seen Hermione this afternoon?"
She looked at him weirdly, but she answered:
"Yes, I saw her exiting the common room about an hour ago… I thought she was going to meet you somewhere, is everything all right?"
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Something was off.
A few minutes later…
Harry and Ron were running to the library. They weren't very confident about Hermione's whereabouts at the moment. They hadn't found anyone along the way, and that didn't ease their feelings to say the least.
They were a corridor away from the library, when Professor McGonagall called them.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, I need you to come with me please."
Fearing the worst, Ron asked:
"Professor… It is not Hermione, is it?"
They looked at her, and for the first time ever, McGonagall looked between frightened and depressed.
"Unfortunately, yes. She is now in the Hospital Wing. Headmaster Dumbledore is there as well. He will be the one doing the explaining, since I do not yet know what exactly happened."
Their mood floored suddenly. They could only hope she would be able to come back.
They entered the Hospital wing to one of the most daunting images they had ever seen.
All the petrified individuals were occupying a bed. They were completely still, as a statue, and yet they were not.
They were directed at the back, to one of the two covered beds. Pulling off the curtain, they were met with the headmaster, his usual twinkle completely lost.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley… I have some unsettling news. Half an hour ago, Ms. Granger was found petrified on the sixth floor, along with another student. Fortunately, the attack was not lethal, and both of them can be revived through the mandrake drought. Do you know what she was doing there by herself?"
Ron was the one to answer. "We had been talking about the attacks in the common room sir. We were commenting the petrifications when she suddenly left for the library. We didn't suspect anything until now because she always gets excited with her books. If only we had left before…"
Professor Dumbledore was listening attentively, and he replied:
"If you had left before, maybe you could have saved her yes. But maybe you would find yourselves here, occupying two extra beds. You shouldn't worry about it, since there is nothing you can do now." He showed them a mirror, and then he asked:
"She was found holding this in her hand. Do you know any reason why she would do that?"
Harry and Ron looked at the mirror, but they didn't recognise it. They told that to Dumbledore, who told them:
"If you don't recognise it, maybe it was not hers. She was found next to Ms. Clearwater, the 6th year Ravenclaw prefect. It is a possibility that it belonged to her. Right now, Professor McGonagall will leave and tell this to the rest of Gryffindor. I recommend you be careful."
An hour later…
Harry and Ron were sneaking out of the castle with the invisibility cloak. They were trying to reach Hagrid, and hopefully discard him as a suspect for the Heir of Slytherin case.
It was a clear night with a full moon. Harry and Ron had just reached the door of Hagrid's hut, so Harry knocked. Seconds later, their friend opened and pointed his ballista at them:
"Oh, it's only you two!"
"What's that for?" Harry asked, pointing at the weapon.
"Nothing… I was just about to make tea. Come in, and sit down…"
Hagrid didn't seem to be in his usual mood. In fact, he seemed agitated, as if there was someone out there trying to get him.
Just as he was about to put the water to boil, someone knocked on the door again. Hagrid asked Ron and Harry to hide under the cloak, and he went to open the front door.
"Good evening Hagrid." This was Dumbledore's voice, and he also seemed less cheerful than usual. He entered the hut, followed by a much smaller man, with a green bowler hat.
"That is Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic!" Ron whispered.
Fudge sat down and said: "Bad times Rubeus! I have had to come here to put a stop to it! Four attacks to children of muggle families… The ministry has to intervene!"
"I would never…" Hagrid stuttered. "Please Professor Dumbledor, you know I would never do it!" Hagrid cried.
"I want to make clear, Cornelius; that I trust Hagrid with my life." Dumbledore said, looking at the Minister in the eyes.
"That may be true, but Hagrid has a history… The Ministry has to be seen doing something, the Board of Governors has been in contact…" Fudge continued.
"That may be true, but taking Hagrid away won't solve anything, I assure you!" Dumbledore tried.
"I am very sorry Hagrid but we have to take you away, I think you understand… If it turns out to be someone else, we will free you." Fudge assured.
Hagrid became very pale. "You are not going to take me there, are you… I can't be going to Azkaban; I haven't done anything!" Hagrid pleaded.
Before Fudge could argue the point, the hut opened once again, and a blonde man entered the hut:
"Ah, you are already here… Excellent!" Lucius Malfoy said.
"Even the Headmaster is here, how convenient! I was just going to fetch you after the capture of the criminal…" He said angrily.
" I have a parchment here, signed by all the members of the Board of Governors, that tell you to retire. How many attacks have there been?! At this pace there will be no muggleborns left at the school!"
Fudge seemed worried, yet he said nothing. Apparently, Dumbledore's expulsion had not been in his plans, after all.
"What, Dumbledore as well?" Hagrid questioned. "Don't you see it?! If he leaves everything will get worse! There will be continuous attacks, every day! Even another murder!"
Dumbledore interrupted him: "Thank you Hagrid, but that's enough. If the Board wants me to leave, I will. But I will never truly abandon this school, as long as there's someone loyal to me. And Hogwarts will always provide help to people in need." He directed a wink at a seemingly empty part of the hut, exactly where Ron and Harry where standing, invisible.
He then left, without saying another word. Hagrid calmed down, and left with the Minister, not before saying his final words:
"If someone truly wants to get to the depth of this mystery, they only have to follow the spiders!"
24th of May 1993, Hogwarts grounds
Harry and Ron were busy following the spiders, much to Ron's dismay. They had been walking through the Forbidden Forest for several minutes, when they finally found a large clearing.
They didn't have time to dwell on it though, since they were picked up by giant spiders. Unfortunately, they weren't the biggest in their pack. That title fell to a huge spider named Aragog, who seemed keen to feed Harry and Ron to his sons and daughters.
Fortunately, bringing out the topic of Hagrid calmed them down significantly. Apparently, Aragog had been Hagrid's pet when he was a student, and was supposed to be 'the Slytherin monster.'
Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last for long. After the information exchange involving Hagrid, Aragog decided that they would make tasty food for his spawn.
What soon followed was a wild chase across the forest, with Harry continuously throwing spells behind him, while Ron and him ran for their lives. Fortunately for them, they were able to survive. How they achieved that, would remain a mystery for the rest of their lives.
Harry and Ron entered the castle, only to be intercepted by Professor McGonagall:
"Potter and Weasley, where are you going?"
Harry didn't know how to react, but luckily Ron had his back:
"We were going to see Hermione Professor! With all the homework, we barely had enough time to see her, and it is not curfew yet…"
Luckily, Professor McGonagall didn't protest much, and they were allowed to visit as long as they agreed to let her accompany them. She would then take them back to Gryffindor.
The boys entered the hospital wing, and spent a few minutes talking to Hermione. Eventually, Ron figured out a piece of parchment in Hermione's hand. They both read its content, and they came to a terrifying conclusion:
The monster was a basilisk.
After that surprise, they decided it was time to go to bed, and they would deal with that matter tomorrow morning. They had been on too many adventures for today.
Harry and Ron came back to their dorm to find it in complete chaos. Harry's trunk was open, but none of its content was inside it anymore. It had been dispersed all across the room, and an ink pot had been broken as well.
Harry stored everything back in his trunk, making inventory to check everything was there. He then came to a sudden realisation: The diary was not there anymore.
29th of May 1993, Hogwarts 2nd floor corridor
Ginny Weasley had been kidnapped by the heir of Slytherin. Harry and Ron had overheard McGonagall and Flitwick debating about what to do. Harry didn't want to linger on it, poor Ginny could be dying right now… And Hogwarts was everything for him, and he didn't wish for the school closing.
Right now, Harry and Ron were dragging Lockhart with them towards Myrtle's bathroom. They had been able to intercept him before he left Hogwarts, and they confronted him about his adventures. Turns out, he had been lying all this time, stealing other's merits, and taking credit for it.
Harry entered the bathroom, and straight to the point, he called:
"Good evening Myrtle, can you help us with something?"
The ghost appeared from one of the stalls, glared at Harry and asked:
"What do you want? Do you want to throw things at me again?"
"No, we would like to know how you died." Harry answered.
Her expression changed suddenly. It was as if she had never heard a more appealing question.
"It was horrible! It happened right here, in this very stall. I had hidden myself because Olive Hornby was mocking me for my glasses. The door was closed, and I was crying, when suddenly someone came in. That person said something, in a strange language. I opened the door to tell that person to go away when… I died."
Harry was intrigued, and he asked Myrtle how it happened.
"I have no idea. I only remember big amber eyes, my body stood still, and I started floating away…"
"Where did you see the eyes?" Harry questioned.
"Over there" she said, pointing to one of the mirrors.
Harry inspected that area, and found a snake engraved in a sink. And then Ron had a suggestion:
"Harry, try saying something in Parseltongue."
So Harry did. He imagined that the snake was alive, and said:
$ Open $
Instantly, the hole bathroom shook, and a dark tunnel began to appear in the ground, big enough that multiple people could fit through it. Harry and Ron agreed that they had to go down the slide in order to save Ginny.
A few minutes later…
Harry encountered himself alone in his path to the Chamber. His only way back was currently unavailable, due to the big explosion caused by Ron's defective wand. He could only go forward and pray that Ginny was still alive.
Harry walked for a while, until he encountered a giant door made of stone. There were several statues of snakes in it, and Harry believed he knew what was necessary to open it. He imagined the snakes moving and said:
$ Open $
The door opened loudly. It was very old, ancient even, and Harry was confident that the metallic hinges were oxidated.
He entered the chamber, carefully. He looked to the ground, ready to run if he encountered something that could resemble a basilisk. After a lengthy inspection of the chambers ground, he didn't find any giant snakes. However, he did find someone on the floor. Harry rose his head slowly, and he walked towards the body, until he recognised her:
"Ginny! Please stay alive! Please!" He left his wand on the ground, and touched Ginny's face. She was very pale, and she was barely breathing…
"She is not going to wake up." Harry turned around to the face of Tom Riddle.
"Tom? What are you doing here? Why won't she wake up?"
"She is still alive, but not for long." Tom answered.
"Are you a ghost?" Harry asked.
"I am a memory, stuck in a diary for decades."
Harry looked for his wand, but it was no longer there. Harry started looking frantically and found that Tom Riddle was waving it.
"Not bad, not bad at all… Fortunately, you won't be needing it for much longer." Tom said creepily.
"What?" Harry replied. He was quite scared at the tone Tom had used.
Harry was overloaded with thoughts. But he knew that getting away from here with Ginny was his biggest priority.
"Why is Ginny like this? Can you return my wand so I can leave?"
Tom smirked. "I can't do that, Harry. As for Ginny, she trusted someone she shouldn't. She started telling me everything, her deepest secrets, her dreams and ambitions. She kept on going about the Great saviour Harry Potter, and how he didn't acknowledge her at all…"
During his speech, Tom kept looking at Harry in the eyes. Harry couldn't describe his look.
"It was almost unbearable. She kept babbling about everything… But I became her confident. I was always able to captivate people, and little Ginny was no exception. Slow and steady, I kept gaining power, and poor Ginny became weaker and weaker…"
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Ginny opened the Chamber of Secrets!" Tom yelled.
"I have been waiting for a long time for this, Harry Potter. At first, when Ginny told me about your story, I could not believe it. A baby surviving a killing curse? That was impossible! Yet you are standing in front of me… Tell me Harry Potter: How did you survive?"
"Why should I tell you? Why should it matter to you how Voldemort died?"
"Voldemort is my past, my present and my future…" And by using Harry's wand, three words appeared mid-air:
Tom Marvolo Riddle
With a twist of his wand, the letters rearranged, and they now said:
I am Lord Voldemort
Harry stood there, almost petrified. Tom was actually Voldemort? HOW? What did he do to endure such a hideous transformation? What he knew is that he shouldn't show any more weakness, and prepare himself for the upcoming battle.
"So, Voldemort's actual name is Tom?" Harry mocked. "I must say it does not suit you, I took you for a Tim… So, from now on I will call you Tim!"
Tim's face twisted in anger.
"I will forgive this insolence since you are going to die now. I won't even need to try, I will let my monster take care of you!"
He turned to face Slytherin's statue, and he hissed:
$ Speak to me Slytherin, the greatest of the Hogwarts' Four! $
The statues mouth opened. The battle was about to begin!
A few hours later… Dumbledore's office
Harry had just finished telling his confrontation with Tim. From the diary to Fawkes appearance, as well as his spectre. Dumbledore listened attentively, and only interrupted to ask some questions, and clarify some details. Eventually though, Dumbledore got all the information, and he allowed Harry to leave.
Harry rose from his seat and began to leave. Just as he was about to open the door, it opened by itself and slammed against the wall. Harry saw Lucius Malfoy glaring at them furiously, with a familiar figure behind him. 'Dobby! So that's why he knew about the danger!' Harry guessed.
"Good evening, Lucius" Dumbledore said.
That didn't calm Malfoy at all, and he began ranting:
"So, the great Albus Dumbledore has returned! Despite being kicked out, he decided to come back!"
Dumbledore seemed unaffected by his behaviour. Still, he answered Malfoy:
"It's quite interesting you see… As soon as they realized that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been kidnapped, they asked me to return almost instantly. Apparently, they thought I was the best man for the job. Some of them told me that you had intimidated them with cursing their families if they didn't agree with you…"
Lucius Malfoy paled even more (suppose that it is possible). However, he was still furious.
"So, you have solved the case? You found the attacker in the end?"
"Yes." Dumbledore answered CALMLY. "And it turns out to be the same person as the last time. This time though, Voldemort used a diary to execute his plot."
Dumbledore pointed at the diary, that was still on the desk, the hole clearly visible. Harry was looking at Dobby though. He was pointing at Malfoy and the diary, and then he hit his head against the wall repeatedly. Harry understood what he was telling him but waited to see the development of the conversation.
"It's quite curious isn't it, Lucius?" Dumbledore asked. "If the diary hadn't come up, everyone would have thought that poor Ginny Weasley was the attacker all along. The reputation of her family would plummet instantly. To think that one of the most vocal muggle-friendly families was attacking muggles… It could have been devastating."
At this point, Harry decided to intervene. "Do you know why she had that diary in the first place Mr. Malfoy?"
Lucius Malfoy sneered at him but said nothing. Harry took it as permission to continue. "Because I know how it ended here. You were the one that gave it to her."
Malfoy's eyes widened, and he muttered:
"Even if it were true, you can't prove anything…"
Seeing Dumbledore's expression, Harry understood why Voldemort may have feared him. His eyes were full of barely contained rage, ready to explode at Malfoy:
"Maybe not. But I am going to make it very clear: If I know of any other of Voldemort's possessions that end up in the hands of a student, I am pretty confident that Arthur Weasley (at the very least) will make sure to send it back to you…"
Lucius Malfoy was terrified right now. He knew when a battle was lost, and he left before he could lose even more.
At that, Harry turned to Dumbledore:
"Can I return the diary to Mr. Malfoy?"
Dumbledore looked at him and answered:
"Sure, just make sure to be on time for the feast." He added with a wink.
Harry did a technical stop and he rushed to catch up with Mr. Malfoy and Dobby.
"Mr. Malfoy, I have something for you!" He then threw the diary at him.
Disgusted, Malfoy gave it to Dobby, and exclaimed:
"One of these days, you will end up just like your parents! Come on Dobby we are leaving!"
Dobby didn't budge. He was staring with wonderment at the sock that fell out from the diary:
"Master gave Dobby a sock! Dobby is free!" Just after saying that, he hexed Malfoy, who flew back against a wall.
"You will be leavings now! You will get aways from the Great Harry Potter sir! Leave and never come backs here!"
With that, Lucius Malfoy sprinted out of the corridor. Now, Harry only had one question.
"Dobby, considering you are a free elf now… Would you like to work for me?"
30th of May 1993 early morning, Hogwarts Great Hall
Harry had one of the strangest feasts of his life. Everyone was on their nightgowns, and the celebrations lasted all night long. The previously petrified students joined them, in the middle of one of the most memorable applauses the Great Hall had ever seen.
Justin eventually came to apologise to Harry, and Harry gained a new friend that night, the first one from Hufflepuff house. Soon after that, an announcement was made about Lockhart's 'retirement'. Cheers could be heard all along the Hall, and Harry swore he could see Professor McGonagall raising her cup to him. Dumbledore also added that there would be no end of term exams except for OWL and NEWT students.
This time the reaction was truly deafening. It seemed as if England had won the Quidditch cup, and students could be seen hugging each other and crying of happiness.
Hermione seemed devastated at both news, while Harry and Ron looked at each other. They would need to have a conversation with Hermione about 'Professor Lockhart' soon.
Then there was Hagrid. He returned at 3 am with the best dramatic entrance Harry had seen at that point of his life.
Soon after that, Gryffindor was awarded a hundred points for Ron and Harry's intervention against the Heir. That secured them the House Cup for the second year in a row, and the lion table roared. Dumbledore also gave them the Award for Special Services of the school.
19th of June 1993, Hogwarts express
The rest of the school year went down under an unforgiving sun. DADA classes had been cancelled completely, and Lucius Malfoy had been kicked out of the school. He had also been lifetime banned from forming part of the school Governors.
Draco no longer walked around as if he owned everything. On the contrary, he seemed more pensative and irritated.
Ginny Weasley felt a huge wave of relief. She could be a normal girl again, and Harry saw her hanging around her siblings almost every day. He also saw her chatting with Astoria on more than one occasion, but he didn't want to meddle.
Unfortunately, she was not the only Greengrass he had seen recently. His potions Professor had an interested look on her face, as if she were trying to figure him out. In addition, Daphne glared at him on more than one occasion, and Harry feared that confrontation. Dealing with a basilisk was all right but dealing with an angry witch was something he was not prepared for at all.
Harry also received the permission slip for Hogsmeade for the upcoming third year. He would have to figure out a way to have Uncle Vernon sign it for him. But that was a problem for future Harry. Right now, he only wanted to focus on summer, and the hopes of a peaceful third year.
So, second year is finally over! What adventures wait for young Harry? What is Daphne plotting? We will see in future chapters!
I will do a temporary pause in my writing schedule due to upcoming exams, but they will be over in less than a month, so don't worry about this getting abandoned!
By the way, I have read many fanfictions where Hagrid has this kind of accent… Don't expect me to try and replicate it successfully, I already struggle with the elves!