Disclaimer: looks around at lawyers swarming, takes out giant gun Hey! Guess What? Shoots at nearby building with gun, spelling out with bullet holes I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER.

"Speech" "Other Language" 'Thoughts' Parseltongue

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Chapter 12 – The Snake's Lair

Darkness….

Blissful, Eternal Darkness…

It was a strange feeling….he could feel magic humming in his ears, he could feel lights of all colours swirling surround him…

'Is this death?'

He opened his eyes and looked around him….he was at some abandoned beach. Pine trees lined coast, a blinding sun stood in the horizon and the sea was washing against the sand… a blood-red sea.

'Am I dreaming?'

He tried speaking, but found himself unable to…the entire scene felt lifeless…almost dead.

He looked down at his body, and was surprised to find none there. He looked around once more, and tried using his magic, only to find that his magic was not part of him, but was surrounding him, in every speck of dust, in every drop of water, in every part of the pitch-black sun that stood opposite its burning white twin in the sky.

Harry took in the unreality of the scene around him, scoffing at the idea of a black sun.

'I must be in my mind…looks like I sunk into my magic after that basilisk…interesting place my subconscious has made…' he thought.

He walked, or rather glided up to the water, and moved so as to touch the water, if he had a hand…still; he felt the red liquid, positively vibrating with energy. He willed part of it to rise, and it did, collecting in a ball, floating in front of him. He let it drop.

He moved over to the palm tree forest, entering it. The scenery shifted by magic, and he found himself in the middle of a dense jungle.

'Well…seems I won't be waking up anytime soon…better explore a bit around here.'

He walked in the jungle until he lost track of time…hours could have passed, or it could have been days, or even months.

Still, he felt a dark shadow lurking between the trees. He could see it, with the corner of his eye, moving like a predator, watching him, stalking him.

He finally came to a clearing, in which he found a strange altar. He passed the monoliths that stood around it, carved with incomprehensible runic patterns, and moved into the centre of the strange shape on the floor.

His world exploded with light, and he felt as if he was floating, floating in space, floating in time. Images of lives, of Servants, Kings and Warriors, of bloodshed and love, passed through his eyes with blinding speed. Then, everything went still, and he heard voices speak in his ear.

"Hail Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Slayer of the Serpent, Champion, Chosen One"

"Hail Harry Potter, Lord of Potter, Lord of Black, Traveller of Worlds, Commander, Adversary."

"Hail Harry Potter, Defeater of the Dark Lord, Master of Shadows, Outlaw, Hunter, Paladin."

And then, a darker voice, almost in a whisper:

"Hail Harry Potter, Legion Master, General, King, Emperor Eternal."

The scene around him changed, the forest changing into a cave so vast, its edges could not be seen. Fiery chasms and lava pits were strewn across it, and Harry could see souls being tortured by what looked like Demons.

He felt sick as he heard the screams emanating from around him. He felt a presence around him, and turned around, only to be faced with a source of blinding light.

"Your sons shall be kings Harry Potter…but you must be wary of the other, for he can be your downfall…and the downfall of everything you ever fought for." Said a voice from the light and everything around him turned into a dark pit of nothingness.

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Harry woke up panting, before recognizing the Hogwarts infirmary. He saw a figure leaning over him, and reached for his glasses. He put them on his face, and the face of Madam Pomfrey appeared over him.

"Mr Potter, how do you feel?" she asked.

"Fine." lied Harry, his voice coming out raspy from disuse. In truth, he felt as through he had gone through an exhausting ritual, and his muscles were aching. But he still felt good enough to get out of the infirmary.

"May I speak to him now Poppy?" came a voice behind the matron.

"Yes Albus, but you had better not disturb him, or any of my patients." Said the woman, before moving away swiftly.

Dumbledore came near Harry, and sat down in a chair next to him, an unreadable expression on his face. He seemed reluctant to start conversation, so Harry spoke first.

"How long was I out headmaster?"

"You have been petrified for about 5 months Harry. It is the night of May 29th."

"Petrified?"

"Yes…you were one of many attacks, though you were the last to be petrified…all other victims of Slytherin's Monster were found dead, horribly mangled and with basilisk venom in their blood."

"Dead?"

"Mr Huts from Hufflepuff, Miss Jones and Mr Baker from Ravenclaw. This morning, tow girls, Miss Miles from Ravenclaw and Miss Hadi from Gryffindor went missing, a message claiming that they would be held in the Chamber was left behind."

'Seems that the Basilisk didn't take a vacation while I was out…though it looks like its eyes are gone…I wonder why Dumbledore still has the job?' He thought. Then, he realised the implications what the headmaster had just mentioned.

"Did you say that two girls were taken, today?"

"Yes Mr Potter. The message left said that their bones would forever remain in the Chamber."

"Where are my friends?"

"All students have been ordered to the dormitories…though I have not seen your friends since the morning feast."

"Thank you Headmaster, but I am afraid I will have to go now. I have some urgent business to attend to." said Harry, sweeping off the bed.

"Please return to your bed Mr Potter." said Dumbledore, rising to block Harry. "The Hallways are forbidden for students in light of the attack."

"Please stand aside Headmaster." said Harry evenly.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Mr Potter."

"There are lives at stake; stand aside."

"Return to your bed Mr Potter, you are weak, and in no condition to be running around with a basilisk on the prowl."

"I'm sorry Albus, but there is no other way." said Harry, before launching an orb of silver fire at the old man.

Dumbledore immediately conjured a shield, easily blocking the projectile, but the interaction bought Harry enough time to slip by and leave the infirmary, its doors banging loudly behind him.

Harry flew down the stairs, moving with great speed through deserted hallways. Finally, he came to a halt outside the abandoned bathroom on the second floor. He opened the door carefully, and looked around in the bathroom, still dressed in the infirmary's robes.

"Myrtle?" he called.

There was no response for a short time, but soon a ghost came through one of the stands.

"You are a boy. What are you doing in a girl's bathroom?" she asked. "Even if it seems to have turned into a highway recently." she added, as if speaking to herself.

"Has anyone passed by recently?"

"Oh yes…first there was that girl, who carried another girl, unconscious behind her. Then there was that group of loud Gryffindors that have been around here so often lately…none of them ever stop to say hello…nobody cares about Myrtle…" said the ghost of the girl, starting to sob again.

Harry ignored her remarks about how cruel everyone was to her, and approached one of the sinks nearby.

Open he hissed in parseltongue. The sink moved aside, revealing an opening to a tube that disappeared deep into the bowels of the school.

Harry cast a few spells on himself to transfigure his infirmary clothes into something more…appropriate and to make them impervious to all the grime lining the walls of the tube. Then, he jumped into it, sliding deep under the ground.

The ride was not very long, and Harry finally landed on the ground, rat bones crunching under his feet.

"Inlumino" he muttered, and a white orb appeared over his head, casting its soft light along the cavern walls.

He walked at a brisk pace along the corridor, angrily batting away the spider-webs that were in his way. He finally came to a large door, decorated with twin serpents.

Harry spoke Open to the door, and with a grinding sound, it moved, revealing Salazar Slytherin's chamber of Secrets.

He moved in, and his attention was immediately captured by a high pitched scream. He turned towards it, and his heart clenched painfully.

The Basilisk stood there, in all its glory, its eyes burned out, poised to strike at the small frame of the redheaded girl that was sending dozens of spells its way, only to have them bounce harmlessly of its enchanted skin.

Harry could see Neville lying nearby, his robes torn and blood flowing freely from his numerous wounds. From the corner of his eye, he could see more figures to his right, but had no time to look. The Basilisk had opened its mouth, ready to kill Ginny.

"Contun-funda!" he bellowed, and a large, conjured rock launched itself at the Basilisk, crushing into its head.

Now, the Basilisk was a creature that could withstand most spells, but no living thing on this world could possibly ignore a ton of hard rock impacting it on its head.

It was knocked back, hitting the wall with a loud bang, and started writhing on the floor, hissing obscenities. Harry moved towards Ginny, kneeling over the girl.

"Are you alright?"

"Harry? I'm okay…what are you…" but she was interrupted by a voice behind her.

"Well, if it isn't the ringleader...Harry Potter."

Harry turned around, only to come face to face with Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"How nice of you to join our little party. It seems your friends have been having a lot of fun already."

"Voldemort." said Harry coldly.

"Ah so you know? I would have expected you to Harry Potter. A most fascinating person you are…such power and knowledge…there are many similarities amongst us you know Potter…we are both Orphans…both raised by Muggles, both parselmouths, both dark wizards, both of us have formed our own little groups…"

"What a pity that this world only has enough space for one of us then." Sneered Harry.

"As you wish Potter. Your friends could not stop my resurrection…now, it is time for all of you to die." Kill Him!

The basilisk rose behind Harry, and moved swiftly towards him. It launched it's jaws at him, but Harry had already moved out of the way.

"Ginny, go help the others…get them out of here if you can, I'll take care of this."

"But…"

"DO IT Ginny!" said Harry in a voice that brooked no disagreement.

The girl nodded, and moved quickly to check on the other Shade members. Harry turned towards the basilisk.

"Fulmen!" he cried, and a large lighting bolt hit the Basilisk, making it seethe. Still, the spell, while hurting it, did not appear to be enough to stop it.

"Sectumsebra! Condolescus! Deflagro! Caedro! Concetius!" screamed Harry in quick succession, letting the beast within him attack the snake with all its might, but all the cutting and burning curses in the world wouldn't be enough to destroy the Basilisk's enchanted skin.

'It's not supposed to be this strong…even it was hatched by Salazar Slytherin…I'd bet both he and Tom have enhanced it somehow …a phoenix would be real useful right now.'

Harry jumped once more, barely dodging another strike from the now livid snake, while Riddle was just laughing in the background.

'I killed it last time…maybe…' "Calo Foramen Sorting Hat!" he shouted. A black circle appeared next to him, and the Sorting Hat came through, following the call of Harry's modified summoning charm.

"A hat?" asked Riddle in a mocking tone. "How will that help you?"

Harry just ignored him, and put the hat on his head.

'I need the sword of Godric Gryffindor…please…'

'I am not sure if I should give it to you Mr Potter…it is not meant to be wielded by the impure…'

'I have wielded it before! And it was created to destroy Slytherin's Basilisk!'

The hat gave no response. Instead, something heavy hit Harry's head. Grinning, he picked up Godric's sword.

"Oh Basilisk…" he called mockingly, while at the same time concentrating as much of his magic as he could into his arms, strengthening his muscles until he had inhuman strength.

He launched the sword across the room, the torch-light reflecting off the swirling blade, and it impaled itself into the Serpent's skull, the enchanted sword easily ripping through all the protections that lay on the flesh of Slytherin's Pet.

"Looks like your little snake is dead." said Harry to Riddle.

"Not a problem…Avada Kedavra!" cried the teen, green light emanating from the wand he held. Harry jumped aside easily.

"I don't think so… extermino!" cried Harry, pointing at the diary that was nearby. It glowed white for a second, and then exploded into a burst of flame and ash.

To his surprise however, Riddle just stood there, unaffected, a maniac gleam on his eyes.

"I'm afraid you are too late…you see, Miss Miles and Miss Hadi have already given their lives to return me to power…and you Harry Potter, have the honour of becoming my first victim."

Harry immediately felt weary. This was not going to be easy…Quirrell last year, while augmented in terms of power by Voldemort's spirit, was just another dark wizard…now, he would have to fight Lord Voldemort's 16 year old self…and Harry was not in the best of condition to be fighting the teenage imprints of dark lords.

Riddle waved his wand, sending seven black arrows towards him, which Harry knew from experience were heavily poisoned. He summoned the corpse of the Basilisk, and the arrows embedded themselves in its skin, the enchantments on it dead along with the snake.

Dodging a fireball aimed for his head, Harry send a long, bony spear towards Riddle, who made it split in two and miss him. In response, Riddle sent a spiked ball towards Harry.

The clash between the two continued for a long time, darkness against darkness, power against power. The two seemed evenly matched, until, finally, a white bolt of pure energy struck Riddle straight in the heart, destroying the soul that once resided in the Hoxcrux.

Harry collapsed on to the floor, wincing as his charred leg made contact with the ground.

"Are you okay Harry?" came a voice behind him. Turning his head, he saw Ron looking at him, his face pale.

"Well enough…how is everyone?"

"Neville's been bitten by the Basilisk…we gave him some anti-venom…Hermione has broken her leg and arm. The two other girls are dead, me and Ginny are mostly okay."

"Good…now come on, we need to get them all out of here."

"Mobilicorpus, Mobilicorpus." Muttered Ron, raising the two dead bodies in the air, while behind him Ginny did the same to Neville's unconscious body. Ron moved over, and gave his shoulder to Hermione, helping her walk.

Harry picked up the ruined diary and led the way, limping from his injuries. He glanced sadly at the dead bodies following him.

'I go to sleep for a few months and everyone starts to die…' he thought, before opening the door that led out of the chamber.

They moved back through the corridor until they came to the base of the tube. Ron looked at it quizzically.

"How do we get up?" he asked.

Up? Rise? Stairs? Lift? tried Harry, but to no avail. Finally, he pointed his wand up the hole and shouted: "Expello Linum!". A thick rope appeared from his wand, falling to the ground. "Wingardium Leviosa!" the rope rose into the air, until it disappeared.

"A levitation charm? Do you think that it will hold?" asked Hermione, doubtful.

"My levitation charm would hold under anything Hermione. Though we will have to tie you to the end of the rope, as you can't climb with your injuries."

Hermione muttered something about not liking being towed up that grimy thing, but said that she would bear it.

They went up the rope, Ginny tying the end onto Hermione before she left. The floating bodies trailed up the pipe behind them.

They finally reached the top, and Harry took the edge of the rope, until then suspended in mid-air by magic, and pulled it up, his magic helping him drag Hermione on the top.

"Let's go to the hospital wing." Muttered Harry, now feeling very tired and wary of the questions that he knew would soon bombard them.

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It was not a cheerful group that burst into the Hogwarts infirmary. Having two corpses trailing behind you was not the best way to announce your arrival.

Madam Pomfrey went white when she saw them.

"Are they…?" she began, afraid of the answer

"Dead. Yes, but Neville's still alive…he'll need care though. He's been bitten, though we've given him anti-venom." answered Harry swiftly.

The matron had by now paled so much that it was hard to tell where her skin ended and the hospital gown began.

"Put him on a bed. Now!" she called, before leaving to get some potions.

Ginny lowered Neville's body on one of the beds, while Harry and Ron helped Hermione into one of the others.

When she returned, she went over Neville and started pouring things down his throat. Once she was satisfied with her progress, she turned towards the others.

"You get on a bed now. Especially you Mr Potter. Leaving the infirmary without permission…now look what you've done to your leg!"

'Good thing Dumbledore isn't here…I'll get some sleep before I have to answer his questions.'

Madam Pomfrey took extra time fussing over each of them and repairing Hermione's broken limbs, almost as if she wanted to prolong having to look at the dead girls as long as possible.

Harry would have liked to see how the Matron would deal with the situation, but the last thing he could remember before everything went blank was Madam Pomfrey giving him a batch of dreamless sleep potion.

-000-

For the past few months, not that Harry knew of it, the atmosphere in Hogwarts was one of fear. With all the people dead, many students had left the school, and for those that remained, every new death struck closer to their hearts.

The news of the double deaths initially caused even greater panic, but as soon as Ginny and Ron woke, they made sure to pass on the message: The monster of Slytherin was dead, and the heir was defeated.

And they owed it all to Harry Potter.

When the boy woke up, the blinding spring sun was shining from the windows. He groaned as he tried to cover his eyes.

"Harry!" came a voice from beside him, and he was soon engulfed in a sea of red hair.

"Mphh…Ginny." mumbled Harry, happily hugging the girl.

She looked up into his eyes, and Harry could see the concern etched on her face.

"You never really get a break do you?"

"Mmmm…you were the ones that went down there in the first place."

"We weren't stuck in a hospital wing for five months!" she exclaimed.

"And I still had to save you all." said Harry.

"And you don't know how grateful I am for that…for you being okay…for all of this being over." she said, sinking her head into his chest again.

"It isn't over Ginny." said Harry, staring of solemnly into space. "In fact, it has barely begun."

"It's V..Voldemort isn't it?" she asked, "He was behind this…and the stone last year…" she trailed off.

"And he is still out there…not quite alive, but too tainted by dark magic to be dead."

"And he'll be back." Said the Girl, fear and courage mixed in her voice.

"Yes we will…we can delay it, but he will be back eventually."

"But you'll be there to stop him…and we'll be with you." she said, stubbornly.

Harry turned his gaze back on her, and suddenly realised the magnitude of what he was dragging her into. "Ginny…you don't have to fight this war you know…"

"If you fight, I fight." she cut in. "I am your friend, and I am a shade. I chose to fight Harry…and I chose to fight for you, no matter who your enemy is."

Harry tightened his hold on the girl, until a voice came from the side:

"Harry, I think you should let go of my sister now, before I reach the limits of what I can take as a brother."

The two broke apart, with a slight blush in their cheeks, and turned around to see Ron and Hermione grinning behind them.

"Nice to see you awake mate."

"Hey Ron." said Harry. "I think I've had more than my share of sleep. How's your arm and leg Hermione?"

"Pomfrey fixed it easily." said the girl "It was mainly the blood-loss and exhaustion that I had to recover from."

"How's Neville?"

"Still Asleep I'm afraid." said Ginny. "The potion you made saved his life, but it used up all his magic in the process…he is suffering from magical exhaustion, I asked Madam Pomfrey, she said it will take at least a week before he wakes up."

"Better than dead though." added Ron.

"So…what has been going on while I was off dreaming?" asked Harry.

Hermione looked at Ron worriedly, but he did not seem inclined to speak. Ginny however did not hesitate to answer Harry's question.

"It was bad Harry…it was bad…it was almost like being at war in a way…muggleborns being attacked left and right, not knowing who the next one might be…some people thought you were the heir, but then you were attacked…" at this point Ginny broke away.

"We found you Harry…lying there, everything burnt to ashes, it was almost like walking into a bomb site." said Hermione.

"When you were attacked" continued Ginny "everything fell apart. You were sort of a constant…but when people saw how much of a fight you put up, and you were still petrified…I think that is when the real fear begun."

"And then came the deaths…" said Ron. "The board of Governors forced Dumbledore to leave his post at one point. But doing so only resulted in greater chaos…. "

"The students had become almost uncontrollable, the muggleborns not daring to leave their dorms. Eventually, as the situation looked bleak, the board begged Dumbledore to return." came from Ginny.

"We researched the legend, until we finally found that Moaning Myrtle was the last victim, and we found that the entrance to the chamber was in that bathroom." said Ron. "Neville wanted to go in at that point, but we convinced him that it was not a good idea."

"But when the two girls were taken, we had to intervene…we were sure they would be used for some dark ritual." said Ginny.

"They were…that diary thing was a Horcrux."

"And it killed the girls…to resurrect You-Know-Who?" asked Ron, with a shudder.

"Yes…we stopped it this time, but there will be more attempts."

The group fell oddly silent after this ominous prediction.

"Well, at least there are good news" said Ginny after a while, changing the subject. "Your Godfather is free."

Harry's head snapped up so fast he could have sworn he heard a crack.

"What?"

"The ministry held the trial, while you were out, on March 17th. He was declared innocent due to insufficient evidence…especially since Dumbledore withdrew his statements that condemned him as the secret keeper last time." continued Ginny.

"Finally they've done something right…you certainly seem to have been keeping an eye on things."

"I try Harry, I try. I knew you would want to know all about it anyway." she smiled at him.

"Lockhart's gone too." said Ron, looking happy. "Fled the school after the second death."

Hermione frowned. "Ron, I'm sure he had important things to…"

"Hermione, the only thing Lockhart is talented in is Memory Charms. He has stolen these stories from other people, trust me on this, I know."

"But…" said the bushy haired girl.

Ginny cut in at that point.

"Harry knows what he is talking about Hermione!" she snapped angrily

"For Merlin's sake Hermione, don't believe everything that he has said…look at what he has done! Nothing! He couldn't even handle some pixies!" said Harry.

Any further disagreements from the girl where stopped at that point, for Madam Pomfrey, having noticed the noise level, came over to her most common patient.

"So you're awake Mr Potter. Good." She waved a wand over him, muttering some incantations. "Well, everything seems to be in order. You may leave whenever you wish, but I do not want to see you in here again for a long, long time, understood?" she said, fixing a glare upon him. "The way you are going, I think I should make a permanent bed for you."

She turned to leave, but, remembering something at the last moment, she talked again: "The Headmaster told me to let you know that he wishes to see you Mr Potter. I will inform him to come over here." And with those words, she left.

"Don't worry Harry." said Ginny, seeing his face. "You may have broken over a dozen rules, including attacking the Headmaster, but you saved everyone! He's already given you 200 points and a special services award; I don't think he is going to punish you after that."

"200 points…we're probably doing well in the house-cup then…wait, what about Quidditch?" asked Harry.

"Well, Wood couldn't find a seeker, so we lost a game, but it doesn't matter, because the cup was cancelled due to the attacks." said Hermione. "You should have seen his face though, it was as if the world had ended."

"Hermione, no Quidditch IS as close to the world ending as you can get!" exclaimed Ron.

The two started going into a friendly argument about the value of Quidditch, and Harry found himself oddly relaxed by it, for he knew that this was a part of normal life, the calm after the storm.

Or before it. For he knew that he had a long way to go before it was over.

Ginny, following his trail of thoughts, squeezed his hand encouragingly, and Harry smiled at her.

-000-

"Mr Potter." came the Headmaster's voice, later that evening.

Harry turned around, facing the old wizard. "I'm sorry for my conduct sir…but at that moment…"

"You were worried for your friends. It is understandable. I have no hard feelings Mr Potter, though I would trust that such an event is not repeated." Said the headmaster, fixing Harry with a stare.

"Certainly Headmaster. I was not in the best emotional state at the moment."

"Do tell me, how did you manage to remain alive, despite the lethal power of the basilisk's stare?"

"Well…I thought that it might be a basilisk after the students, based on the effects, so when I heard a voice hissing about killing people, I conjured a mirror and set the place on fire, thinking that perhaps I cold kill it…unfortunately, it didn't work."

"There was no mirror when we found you…"

"Maybe it melted…or the conjuration just wore off, I did do it rather Hastily after all."

The Headmaster seemed to accept this explanation, for he asked no further questions.

"Well Mr Potter. I would like to thank you on behalf of the school for what you have done. Gryffindor has received 200 points for your bravery, and a further 200 for the bravery of your friends. You have also received a special services award for the school."

"Sir…in the Chamber, I put on the hat, and it…"

"You pulled out the sword of Godric Gryffindor for the Sorting Hat. Your friends have already told me about it…and Fawkes has done me the favour of retrieving it and the Sorting Hat from the chamber."

"Do you know how I managed to do that sir?" asked Harry.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that sword out of the hat Harry." Said Dumbledore with pride.

"Sir? Will there be a feast? Because I haven't really eaten in a long time…"

"Certainly Mr Potter…I shouldn't be keeping you hungry! In fact, I think that lunch should be served right now. Have a nice day Mr Potter." said the old man, with a twinkle in his eyes.

As Harry went towards the feast however, he could not shake the impression that something was odd about the way Dumbledore looked at him. It was almost as if the old man knew something and was trying to figure out a complicated puzzle.

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Harry entered the great hall, only to be greeted by a standing ovation from the students, many of whom came directly up to him and apologized for believing that he could be the heir. Even some Slytherins clapped, though Mafloy was looking sulky, and fixing glares at the Shades.

"We went a little overboard on having fun with him in your absence." Whispered Ginny in Harry's ear when she followed his gaze to the blonde Slytherin. "He didn't seem to like the attention that he gets when he is stuck in mid-air wearing underwear with hearts on it."

The feast soon turned into an impromptu celebration; classes had been cancelled for the day anyway. It was the best that the teachers could do to take the minds of the students off the high death toll of the school year.

For Harry, the epitome of the celebration was when the doors of the great hall opened to admit a free Sirius Black. The man looked worn from his long imprisonment, and nervous about approaching Harry, but was soon engulfed in a hug by the boy.

"You were let out!" cried Harry happily.

"Yes…even though Crouch was less than happy about it…" said Sirius

"I know. My friends saved me some Daily Prophets."

News in the wizarding world was divided between the attacks in Hogwarts, over which several scathing commentaries had been written, and the great political battle between Crouch and Fudge. On the one hand, Fudge claimed that Crouch's strategies were flawed, pointing at the case of Sirius Black, and on the other, Crouch claimed that it was needed, pointing out the attacks that were going on in Hogwarts and claiming that Sirius was an isolated incident. Albus Dumbledore, which could have swung the conflict either way, chose to stay out of it.

'And a good thing to.' Thought Harry, as he thought over this. 'Let them fight amongst themselves…it will make one person point out the stupid mistakes the other makes, so it will stop some of the incompetence of the ministry.'

The last days of the term passed in a hurry for the Shades. Neville was let out of the hospital wing, and the group was soon complete once more.

Hagrid, who had been arrested and taken to Azkaban under Crouch's orders, returned to the school, giving Fudge even more ammunition to launch against the Head of Law Enforcement.

Sirius had asked, in a trembling voice, whether Harry would like to stay with him, and after Harry's enthusiastic acceptance, he smiled, something which he had rarely done since Azkaban. He left the school, saying that he had many things to take care of, amongst them papers claiming Harry as his charge, and promising to wait for Harry at King's Cross.

The bodies of the dead girls were quickly taken out of the castle, in an attempt to preserve what was left of the innocence of the students. Most teachers tried to keep up a mask of happiness, but beneath it there was immense sadness, part of which had infected the students.

Now, Harry was arguing with his friends in the common room about the classes that they should take next year.

"I'm telling you mate, Divination is going to be easy, why bother with others that give hard homework? You know everything anyway!"

"Ron!" said Hermione "Harry should take more classes; you never know when he might need the knowledge!"

And it was true. Harry did need the knowledge. As adept as he was in battle magicks and rituals, he only had a rudimentary knowledge of arithmancy and ancient runes.

"What will you be taking Hermione?" asked Neville.

"Well…I don't know really…I mean, I would like to take everything if possible."

"You can't do that! Your brain would explode or something!" exclaimed Ron.

Hermione looked rather affronted by that, but her demeanour showed to Harry she was hiding something. A little legilimency showed him that the girl had talked to McGonagall, and the latter had promised that she would see what she could do so that Hermione could take more classes. Harry decided to drop the subject for now.

"I don't think that Hermione's brain could ever explode, but I think that I need some sleep." started Ginny yawning. "Goodnight everyone…goodnight Harry." she said, before going up the stairs to the girls dormitories.

"She's right." said Harry "It is getting late anyway, I think I'll sleep too." He got up to go to his bed, and Neville followed him. Behind them, Ron and Hermione had settled into another argument.

"They're almost like an old married couple" said Neville, chuckling as they went up the stairs.

"That they are Neville…that they are." said Harry, opening their dormitory door.

As he settled on his bed, he thought: 'And I wouldn't have it any other way.'

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Whew…glad that is over…it is very, very late over here…and I just want to sleep.

This probably marks the end of sticking to the basic plot of the books…there will be some similarities…Remus will make an appearance soon….as will Wormtail…and there will be a Triwizard tournament eventually, but it will be very different…

Sou Mynona, the bed that Harry slept in was the one in his first year dorm…the one he last slept in when he was 11 years old. (For he moved to a new dorm in each year) Now that he is 21, 10 years have passed since then.