Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the associated characters.

Summary: See previous chapters

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Harry still had a few years to go before mixed-gender sleepovers became weird and awkward, so when a demented House-Elf popped in and started babbling nonsense, it was promptly hit with a skillet, two rolling pins and four assorted spells (the Ministry didn't bother keeping watch on a house where an adult wizard resided, and after the fiasco with Bellatrix, they chose to just keep away from anything to do with the Irons family), finally being tackled by Dennis. Alerted by the commotion, Henry and Natasja came running in, and the House Elf popped away

Colin was thrilled that he would be learning magic along with the others (and Natasja wished Hogwarts joy of the excitable but fiercely loyal child), though Dennis was more than a little dismayed that he wouldn't be going for another two years. He cheered up at the description of Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream shop and the promise of a visit when they went to get school supplies, and promises that all of them would write every week. No matter how much the School Owls glared at them for such frequent trips.

Lockhart's race to grab Harry during his book-signing session was blocked by Natasja, wearing her most protective glare. Fame or not, there was something highly distrustful about a grown man who tried to grab young boys, no matter what excuse they gave. Lockhart froze long enough for Henry to fight his way over and aim a wand at Lockhart. "Let's go. I got the books second-hand, since they're too much a waste of paper to bother buying them new, and we can come back for the rest after he's gone."

Lockhart looked insulted at the implication that he was less than God's Gift to Wizard-kind. "Are you saying you think my books are bad?"

Henry gave him a flat look. "I hope I'm not being obscure."

Lockhart huffed as Natasja stifled a giggle. "Now really, I know jealousy isn't fun, especially when you were already overshadowed by me in school, but that's no reason to be rude!"

Henry actually rolled his eyes, so uncommon a gesture that his wife wasn't the only one in the party feeling amused. "I wasn't jealous when I had to suffer through sharing a Dorm with you for seven years, and unless your body is being possessed by someone far more competent than you were back then, I have no reason to be jealous now. Stop harassing my son and leave us alone. Now."

When the caretaker's cat was petrified and a cryptic message painted on the walls, there were mixed reaction. Some, who had some idea of what the Chamber of Secrets was and the kind of Petrification the teachers were talking about wasn't just a body bind, were worried, while others, who had no idea what the fuss was about and assumed it would all blow over, shrugged it off as a Halloween prank.

Harry and his friends added a small post-script to their weekly letters, which were mostly taken up with detailed descriptions about the Death Day Party they had attended earlier that same night.

It was probably unkind, but Natasja couldn't help laughing at the idea of the victim of a botched beheading sulking about not being allowed to join the 'Headless Hunt'. As if not being properly beheaded wouldn't have been bad enough.

Madam Pomfrey had given Harry a sleeping potion to spare him the pain of Skelegrow and Floo-called his parents. She didn't want a repeat of last year, when the Irons' had heard of Harry's injuries through his friends, rather than the school, and had taken the issue to St Mungo's and the Ministry. Not everyone at the Ministry liked Dumbledore, and the only thing that saved Madam Pomfrey from a fine and an inquiry for breaking her Healer's Oath as a School Mediwitch was that Harry had been injured in a mass collision when several Ravenclaws tried to block his dive for the snitch, crashing through a chaser formation. As a result, Madam Pomfrey was still tending to the injured, and hadn't had time to call them yet.

Again, Natasja could be found sitting at Harry's bedside, while her husband was having a few pointed words with Dumbledore and Lockhart. For some reason, he had thought it a bad idea for Natasja to get involved in that.

It probably had something to do with the fact that she had been muttering about seeing how Lockhart did with missing all of the bones in his arm, if he thought it was 'nothing to worry about'. As a Muggle, Natasja wouldn't have been able to use magic to remove them, and Henry didn't want to take the chance that she would actually do it.

The Irons' parents had barely returned home before they turned around and rushed back, accompanied by the Creeveys, who had received news that Colin was in the Hospital Wing, victim of an unknown attack. Mrs Creevey gave a mildly hysterical laugh at the fact that Colin had been attempting to take a picture of his attacker, before rounding on Dumbledore and demanding to know what kind of school he thought he was running.

Realizing that he might just have another Natasja Irons on his hands, and one who didn't have a wizard husband to explain things gently (not that Henry ever tried to excuse things, but Dumbledore never managed to remain un-arrested long enough to figure that out), Dumbledore actually cringed.

In other circumstances, Harry being revealed as a Parcelmouth could have been a very bad thing. Since everyone knew that his mother was a Muggle, and his father a Muggle-Born, however, people laughed off the idea that he might be the Heir of Slytherin, and Justin managed to wait for Harry to explain what he had said to the snake before he panicked.

Henry called up his old friend again, to take another look at Harry's Genealogy and see if there was any actual connection, just in case.

Harry and Slytherin shared a common ancestor in the father of three wizards known as the Perevell Brothers, but that had been well over a millennium ago, and while the Potters were the direct line from the youngest son, Harry was one among several hundred descendants, Magical and Muggle, which meant that no one could really complain or throw accusations without doing a detailed check of their own family tree, first.

Henry's friend had sent flowers and a nice card, thanking them for the increase in business.

Prior experiences with Valentine's Day had run something along the lines of a collective sleepover under a babysitter, while each set of parents went to a fancy restaurant, a play, a night out, or something similar, and the exchange of friendship Valentine's Day cards.

Walking into the Great Hall to see it practically dyed pink, with hearts and confetti everywhere, had never been among those experiences. The receptionist at the Grangers' dental practice had tried putting up banners once, along with a box of sugar-free, heart-shaped lollipops when she first started working there. She had received a particularly disdainful comment of 'tacky' from her employers and a request to remove it. Now.

Finding out that Hermione had been Petrified had scared the Grangers, and brought them racing to Hogwarts. Having heard how much success Natasja had with her rolling pin, Michelle Granger took it further, and brought along several of her oral surgery tools. A detailed explanation of exactly what they did (when the School Governors tried to protest at Muggles being allowed in Hogwarts, even if it was their only child who had been Petrified), made several Purebloods turn pale and become very polite all of a sudden, while Muggle-Borns and a few Half-Bloods tried to hide their giggles.

The only thing that stopped them from withdrawing the children all together were the facts that while the cure would not be available for a few months, it was being made, and that Dumbledore was removed as Headmaster.

Before she had been Petrified, Hermione had been working on what could have Petrified Colin. She had been Petrified on her way to the library to check to be certain. She had thought it was a basilisk, and that it had been using the pipes to get around the school.

Harry had written home, explaining Hermione's theory, the accompanying evidence (the gaze of a basilisk was fatal, but Hermione had been found with a mirror, and Colin had seen it through his camera), and exactly what a basilisk was. After Natasja managed to calm down from the discovery that a giant snake that literally killed on sight was slithering around a school of children, she went to spread the news among the other parents and draw up a removal letter. Henry had got in touch with some Aurors, muttering darkly about a thirteen-year-old being smarter than an entire school of teachers, and called up some old acquaintances who might be interested in tutoring.

Locating a map of the pipe layout, finding the entrances, and stuffing about a dozen roosters in each took a day or so, and there were one or two complaints about not being able to hear yourself think over the cacophony of crowing (greeted with incredulous stares, because what was a few days noise compared to getting rid of the monster that had been terrorizing the school?), but it paid off.

A week after Henry had contacted the Aurors, there had been a final attack, resulting in two Petrified Aurors (who had been equipped with special goggles and a rooster in a cage) and one dead, sixty-foot-long basilisk.

Upon seeing it, the Irons', Grangers', Creeveys' and Thomas' turned right around, handed the letters to Professor McGonagall, who was filling in for Dumbledore, then marched to the Hospital Wing and informed Madam Pomfrey that she could deliver the Mandrake Potion to the Creeveys and the Grangers when it was ready, because none of their children would not be at Hogwarts when the sun set.

Mrs Longbottom did not find out until a few days later, but when she did, everyone was a bit surprised. Everyone knew that Madam Augusta Longbottom was a Traditionalist, and had been dead-set on her grandson following in his parent's footsteps at Hogwarts.

The Irons' ran into the formidable Matriarch after receiving a letter from Dumbledore, who had been reinstated as Headmaster, requesting a meeting. They had no intention of allowing Harry to remain in Hogwarts, of course, but looked forward to the chance to give Dumbledore a piece of their mind. They arrived, only to discover that Madam Longbottom had beaten them to it.

She was gripping her wand, which sparked dangerously as she shouted at Dumbledore, informing him in no uncertain terms that while he might have only been a teacher the last time the Chamber was opened (and everyone knew that Dippet was a senile old fruitcake), he should have investigated the matter as soon as he became Headmaster, or at least re-opened the case after the first attack. She didn't care how long Hogwarts had stood as one of the best Magic Schools in Europe, Neville wasn't staying another night.

It was probably the only time Dumbledore had, or would ever, look happy to see Natasja and Henry.

"But you see, Harry must remain at Hogwarts. It truly is the best place for him, especially now."

Most of the time, Henry let his wife do the talking, preferring to act while the culprit was busy trying to defend themselves from Natasja's cutting tongue, but this time, he spoke first, in very wintery tones. "And just what do you mean by that, Headmaster? Last year there were rumours of Possession, and you were keeping a Cerberus in the school. This year it was a basilisk, and it was pure luck that no-one died. Why would you ever think that we would allow our children to stay here? What possible reason can you give that Hogwarts is a good place for Harry?"

Dumbledore started to give an enigmatic, grandfatherly sigh, but quickly changed his mind when he caught Natasja's murderous expression. He pulled out a small, black diary. "A First-Year student was writing in this, and tells me that a Mr Tom Riddle would write back to her."

Henry's flat look told him to get on with it, or they were leaving. "Tom Riddle is the birth-name of Lord Voldemort. I have long believed that Lord Voldemort was only hiding, not dead. It is inevitable that he will return, and Harry is the one who must defeat him."

Henry actually snarled under his breath. "And it took you eleven years to even start doing something about this 'inevitable return'? I will not allow you to throw my son to the sharks, instead of leaving it to people who are older, more experienced, and actually paid to deal with things like this!"

Natasja's eyes were like steel – as in, the sharpened steel edge of a blade. "If Voldemort returns, we'll go from there. In the meantime, I'd like to keep my son alive, which he probably won't be if he stays at this school. Our decision to withdraw Harry remains, and if you try to change it, we will have you charged with harassment. I don't know about the Wizarding world, but the Muggle one takes a very dim view of old men who take an unhealthy interest in young boys entirely unconnected to him."

Dumbledore didn't respond to that. "Since you seem to be dictating terms, what do you plan to have done with the girl who was writing in the diary, and who Tom used as a vessel?"

Henry and Natasja exchanged glances. It had been foolish, and the girl should have known better than to keep it a secret, but she had most likely been through enough and didn't deserve to have her life ruined for a mistake.

Natasja knew from experience that parents could get unreasonable when their children were hurt. She tended to stop people before they could hurt Harry, but when she was three, an older child had pushed her out of the way to get to a play slide. They had accidentally knocked her off the play structure, fracturing her neck, and while Natasja didn't remember all of the details, she remembered how furious her father had been, actually reducing the child's mother to tears as they waited for the ambulance.

Finally, Natasja sighed. "A formal apology to those who were attacked by the basilisk, and a public apology to the school in general. Let her say that she is sorry for not coming forward, but believed it to have been no more than a simple diary. That can be the end of it."

Henry nodded in agreement and took his wife's hand. "Come on, Nat. We have an appointment to interview tutors for the kids."

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A/N: Some people might think that I'm being a bit tough on Lockhart. All Natasja knows is that her husband thinks the man is about as competent as Jar Jar Binks. The bones in Harry's arm were removed, and while that was a fairly easy fix, if Lockhart had missed his aim or done the spell incorrectly, he could have vanished Harry's spine or ribcage, which would have had much more serious consequences.

To date, The Paths Diverge has an Average of 17 reviews per chapter, making it the third most-reviewed story overall. I don't have the space to list all of my wonderful reviewers here (or the tine; it's nearly midnight over here) but thanks to you all!

Nat