AN; This has been sitting almost finished in my phone for a while now. Finally gave it the last effort needed to get it done. Not amazing, but good enough to get the ideas out of my head XD
This is a sequel to 'Philosopher's Visit', so while it's not essential, you could read that first for context.
A basilisk! The pertrifications, the weird voice that only he could hear, Myrtle's last sight before her sudden death; it explained everything except what the hell they were going to do about it.
But that's not to say Harry didn't have a plan - he did, and it certainly didn't include that useless ponce of a DADA professor they'd been saddled with for a year. Even if Harry had believed Lockhart's claims that he knew what the beast was (and he didn't believe them in the slightest), he wouldn't have bet on Lockhart in a fight against an earthworm, let alone a deadly mythical monster.
Luckily for Harry, he had an ace up his sleeve; a secret resource he'd revealed to no-one. That was why he was in his dormitory rummaging through his trunk to find a box he'd been sent at the start of the holidays while Ron was off on some random errand that Harry had given him in order to have some privacy.
Fingers touched familiar enameled wood, and Harry brought the box out of the chest. Inside was a mirror and instructions for its use, along with the proviso that it only be used for matters of urgency. Harry had refrained from utilising it until now, having opted for caution on the definition of 'urgent'. That said, if having a millennium old creature of poison and death slithering undetected around a school full of defenceless students didn't count as urgent, he didn't know what did.
Positioning the mirror in front of his face, Harry took a moment to compose himself, and then spoke.
"Nicolas Flamel."
Logically, it couldn't have been more than ten seconds before an older face appeared where Harry's reflection had been before, but nevertheless he felt himself let out a breath as if he'd been underwater for minutes.
"Harry. I see by your face that this is a serious matter."
"Nicolas, we need your help. I need your help. And I need it now."
Flamel's eyebrows raised at the stress in Harry's voice. "Explain."
And Harry did so.
Harry stood under his cloak at the main doors to the school where he'd been instructed to wait. After giving Flamel a concise summary of the situation, he'd been shocked and delighted when Flamel had said that he'd leave immediately. Harry hadn't been sure of what to expect, but to have the old alchemist, his (hopefully) future mentor, come himself was the best possible outcome as far as Harry was concerned. Oh, Ron would be pissed off at having been left out of the adventure, but the main condition of Harry's correspondence with Flamel had been complete secrecy, not least of all for Harry's own protection. Thanks to Harry's blossoming skills at occlumency (necessary for said secrecy) he could perfectly remember the letter explaining the condition despite it having been promptly consigned to the fire.
'Harry, you are very famous - likely the most famous living wizard in all the world. Between the events surrounding the fall of Voldemort and the stories told by parents to children, I doubt there is a wizard or witch of reading age who does not know your name. There are many who delve into the mysteries of magic who would give much for the chance to study you and your scar in the hopes of gleaning some information as to how you survived that horrendous curse.
However, of those same people there are those who would stop at nothing to gain access to the knowledge I have amassed over my centuries of life, and that's even before you take into account the lure of the philosopher's stone. The protections put in place around you are sufficient demotivation for targeting you based on your own accomplishments, but if the knowledge of our connection should spread I fear that the temptation to take you, to attempt to use you against me as leverage, would be enough to put you in severe danger.'
That chilling warning along with the experience of going face to face with Voldemort had opened Harry's eyes to the reality of his position. He had spent his first year marvelling at the wonders of magic, but only passively as if on a tour bus going through a film studio. He'd been content to do just enough, to study just enough to pass, and to focus on playing and enjoying his time, and his reward at the end had been a summer full of nightmares, of blistering faces and blistering pain, of red eyes full of malevolence and hate. Only towards the end of the holidays had he been able to sleep through the night, and that had been in no small part thanks to the organisation of his mind through his study of occlumency.
Harry was pulled from his ruminations by the sight of the normally creaking front doors opening silently and slightly. A figure ghosted through, and Harry took off his cloak upon recognising his pseudo mentor.
"Sorry for being late," Flamel apologised despite having arrived from his home in France far faster than Harry thought possible, "I had to stop to pick up one of these since you'd said all of the school's had been killed."
Flamel raised a hand from which a tiny cage hung. Inside was an equally shrunken cockerel which Harry assumed had been magically silenced.
"Couldn't you have just transfigured one?" Harry asked, curious despite the situation. At Flamel's gesture Harry started moving, leading Flamel to the girl's bathroom where he knew the entrance to the chamber of secrets to be.
"Possibly, possibly," replied Flamel, "but then again, possibly not. The problem with transfiguration, and even conjuration, is that although you are able to create something new from raw materials or magic respectively, an element of the original components always remains. A goblet transfigured from a rat, for example, will always have a memory of the rat within it. That's why a cancelling spell such as finite incantatem will return the goblet to its original form. The same is true for conjuration, except that the conjured item will return to magic.
It's for this reason that we can't simply transfigure or conjure ingredients for potions - the magical memory of the raw ingredients will interfere with the magic of the potion. Of course this is a simplification of the matter for ease of understanding, and one day I will explain in greater depth, but for now the simplification will suffice.
For the matter at hand, while it's clearly documented that the cry of a cockerel will kill the basilisk, the actual mechanics behind this are not known, presumably due to an understandable lack of research. Perhaps a transfigured cockerel would work, but it's possible that the magical memory of the original object might inhibit whatever it is that would otherwise kill the basilisk."
After the alchemist's exposition, silence reigned until the pair reached the bathroom. Harry had spent the time processing what he had been told, and Flamel had given him space for his ruminations whilst also pondering how best to approach the upcoming adventure.
Upon arriving at their destination, Harry gave a sheepish look as he opened the door. Whatever reaction or judgement he had been expecting to see in the older man's face was absent however, and Harry surmised that when one had lived for as many centuries as Flamel it would take more than a girl's bathroom to cause any surprise or discomfort.
That said, as Harry ordered open the newly discovered entryway, he caught out of the corner of his eye a subtle shift in expression on the old man's face; a subtle increase in intensity, in focus. Whether it had been the parseltongue password that had piqued his partner's interest, or whether it was simply in preparation for battle, Harry couldn't tell. Instead, he peered into the deep darkness of the tunnel before them, bracing himself to jump in. A hand on his shoulder gave him pause.
"I realise that time is of the essence, but a few moments to form a plan might save us a lot of trouble later." Harry blushed slightly at these words and muttered a small apology. He'd been so intent on saving his best mate's sister that he'd been barreling in with only minimal caution. Well, he was glad to have an older, wiser mind guiding him now.
"No need to apologise; I quite understand your haste. Nevertheless, we will have a better chance of recovering your friend safely if we know our roles ahead of time."
Flamel sighed. "I would, in all honesty, prefer that your involvement in the matter end here. I normally wouldn't dream of taking a student into such a perilous situation, even one as experienced in them as you. However, given the likelihood of further passwords along with the utility of your ability to converse with what the basilisk we expect to find down there, leaving you behind would be folly. Nevertheless, I want to make one thing clear here." His face turned stern. "We are here primarily to rescue the missing student, but I will not allow it to be at your expense. If an opportunity arises to put an end to the threat to the school, we shall do so only so long as it does not put us in undue danger."
After a moment he gave a wry smile. "I realise the irony in talking about 'undue danger' when we are possibly about to face a basilisk, but the point remains; the primary goal is to get the girl out at minimal danger to ourselves. If necessary we can return later to deal with the snake. At that point we will be in a better position, having already gathered some knowledge of the location from this foray."
The Harry of last year would have railed against these restrictions and against the delay, but a year of diligent study in the mind arts had taught him patience. Instead of protesting, Harry nodded his understanding.
"Right. Get the girl and get out. Got it."
"Good," replied Flamel. "Now, there's no point in overthinking this since we don't know what's in there, but we can at least determine who's to do what. I will lead the way under a disillusionment charm, while you follow up under your cloak. Since my disillusionment charm is very, very good, I must ask that you stay in physical contact at all times - a hand on my shoulder will do. The aim is to move as silently as possible in order to maintain the element of surprise and perhaps give ourselves time to reconnoitre. Obviously, this might be a bit difficult if there are any more doors that need passwords or an alert basilisk, but we will do our best.
Given the bloody messages you've told me about, we might also reasonably assume the presence of one or more wizards or witches. Should it be necessary to interact with others, I will do so under heavy disguise charms. You are not to reveal yourself unless I give you a specific command to so, understand?"
Harry nodded again.
"I will keep our feathered friend with me but hidden. Ideally I would leave him under the cloak in your care, but we can't risk him refusing to crow, and unless you know any compulsion charms..? No, I didn't expect so, a bit above your level. Not to worry, I'm confident enough that I can handle him. In the event that a basilisk does show up, I will move as quickly as I can to kill it with the rooster, but nevertheless you should avert your eyes to be safe. Closed would be best, but downwards would allow for better mobility if you need to keep moving. Use your best judgement.
Other than that, it's just a case of proceeding with caution. In order to minimise the need for verbal communication, I will tap your hand twice to signal when I am about to start walking or that I am about to stop. Squeeze tightly twice if you need to stop, and twice again when you are ready to continue. Any questions?"
After a brief pause, Harry hesitantly stuttered.
"D...do you think she's ok...alive..?"
Flamel's face filled with sympathy.
"I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't look good. That she wasn't left upstairs like the others could mean that she was captured and brought here relatively unharmed. But even if that were the case, I could only suppose that she would be needed for some kind of ritual, and those that involve unwilling participants tend towards the dark. The best hope we have is that whoever is responsible would not be expecting us to find them so soon, if at all, and the fact that the monster has not been publicly identified might make them overconfident. I'm sorry that's not the answer you were hoping for, but it's better you prepare yourself now so you aren't undone by shock later."
Harry closed his eyes for a moment, before a grim expression overtook his features.
"Hope for the best, expect the worst then."
At this, nothing more was to be said, and the pair turned towards the tunnel and stepped in, older followed by younger.
The tunnel had been turned slick by centuries of dirty water from the bathroom above. Under other circumstances, the ride down might have been enjoyable. As it was, it seemed to take too long and make too much noise, but eventually they reached the bottom.
Flamel, Harry saw by spell light, already had his wand out and was casting nonverbally. He drew his own only to hold it limply by his side, not having anything productive to offer. After a moment, Flamel appeared to finish his spell sequence, and only then did he turn to Harry with a light charm active. In a hushed voice he spoke and then pointed.
"I can't detect any large lifeforms nearby, but regardless we will proceed as planned. Please put your cloak on and grab my shoulder, and then I will disillusion myself. We will be heading in that direction as the mud on the ground has been recently disturbed."
Harry did as instructed, and they moved forward at a careful but steady pace. It was not too long before they came to a mighty door embossed with all manner of serpentine decorations.
"Harry, if you please."
Harry focussed on the biggest of the snakes and gave the same instruction as he had above. The doors unlocked with a loud sound of metal moving over metal, but when they swung open they did so with only the slightest noise to reveal a great arched hall made bright by burning torches. As the duo moved further in, two figures came into sight at the centre of the vast space, one upright and one prone on the ground. The former was hard to focus on, blurred, as if a photo exposed to too much light. It was the latter that caught Harry's attention however, the long red hair seeming to be aflame in the torchlight, and he had to restrain himself so as not to run to her to check if she was still alive.
"Reveal yourself!"
The voice was cold, imperious, though evidently still that of a boy not yet matured into a man. The unknown figure was looking in their direction, but from his words it was evident he hadn't seen them under their camouflages.
After a brief moment where both parties remained still, the voice called again.
"Don't be foolish. Do you really think the door to Slytherin's secret hall opens randomly for no reason? Only a parselmouth can enter these chambers, and from what young Ginevra tells me I'd guess that a certain Potter has made it his business to interfere with mine. $Now, show yourself and let me look upon the downfall of the greatest dark wizard of these times!$"
Harry's mind worked furiously. Whoever this was, they knew that someone had found them, and they suspected that it was him, but that didn't mean that they knew he wasn't alone. He'd probably get in trouble for this, but if they wanted to maintain the element of surprise...Harry removed his hand from Flamel's shoulder as he strode forward from under his cloak. Struggling to sound more confident than he felt, he spoke to the shade before him.
"You know who I am; why don't you do the polite thing and tell me who you are."
"Ah, but Harry, from what I've been told we've already met on numerous occasions. Don't tell me you've forgotten me already? What a pity. Well then, let me formally introduce myself. I am Tom Riddle, and I welcome you to the Chamber of Secrets."
It was then that Harry noticed the diary lying open next to Ginny, it's pages fluttering as if caught in a light breeze. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but he thought he could see a faint, thin black connecting the girl to the diary, and another connecting the diary to Tom.
"What have you done to her?" he demanded. "What is that book?"
Tom gave a dismissive glance down at Ginny, and let out a soft snort.
"I barely did anything, it's mostly been her. She wrote in my diary, as you did, but with much less caution. She gave herself to me; a gift, if you will. It would have been rude to refuse. And as she spilled out her hopes and fears, I gave to her...a confidente, encouragement whispered gently in her ear, and the opportunity to be part of something greater than herself. And she took that opportunity."
"She rejected you! She threw your diary in the toilet!" Harry exclaimed.
"And yet here we are all the same. She was smart enough to realise that her best path was with me. The question now is, are you?"
Riddle stepped forward at this point, his voice low but confident.
"As I did to her, I offer you a chance, Harry Potter. Join me, and I will make you powerful. I will teach you magics you could only dream of. And I will give you a family; not of blood, for those of blood care out of obligation, but of choice, acceptance, and understanding, something those muggles you grew up with will never truly be able to give to you."
This shook Harry.
"How do you know about my relatives?"
"Scrappy clothes? Bars on the window? Spending your summer at a friend's house and your holidays at school? Come now Harry, it should be obvious to anyone who cares to look that your 'family' are no real family at all. And yet, despite the clear signs of abuse, no one has done anything have they? No one has cared to look, Harry. Not your friends, not your teachers, and especially not that old fool Dumbledore. No one around you cares. But I do Harry. I care, and I understand.
I can see from your expression that you don't believe me, but you see, I too was abandoned to the muggles. With the death of my witch mother, I was left to rot in an orphanage full of people who treated me with the basest contempt. It wasn't until your own Dumbledore came to invite me to Hogwarts that I learned about the magical world. I imagine my excitement was much like yours. It wasn't long after I arrived at school that Hogwarts became my home. This amazing castle, with its secrets and hidden knowledge, became my haven from the disdain. Oh, it wasn't perfect - there was still prejudice and conflict. But nevertheless, Hogwarts became my home. And then summer came, and much like you I was sent back into a hellhole full of petty, small-minded creatures while the other students went home to loving families. Kicked out from my home, separated from my friends, and denied access to the magic I had come to love. So you see, Harry, I do understand."
"And I think we've heard quite enough from you, Mr. Riddle."
Tom whipped around to face this new voice as Flamel, who had moved beside Ginny, took off the cloak and revealed himself. Harry's head, which had sunk lower and lower under the barrage of bared truths, snapped up as the sound of his companion broke him out of his miserable stupor.
"Or would you prefer your chosen moniker, Voldemort? Yes Harry, this boy, or at least the boy who this shade is a memory of, would eventually go on to become the man who killed your parents. The same man who attempted to kill you last year."
"Who are you? How do you know my identity?" Riddle demanded in a hiss. But Flamel ignored him and continued to speak to Harry.
"He offers you power, but only under his control. He offers you knowledge, but only that which corrupts. And he offers you family, but I doubt he's ever truly cared for anyone other than himself. His words are honey laced with poison. Just remember that actions speak louder than words, and see him for the serpent he is as he tempts you while draining the life out of an innocent girl. Speaking of which…"
Turning to face the impotently furious Riddle, the alchemist silenced the shade with a single word.
"Horcrux. Yes, your reaction tells me everything I need to know." He sighed, sorrowful. "How far you have fallen, to go to such unspeakable depths."
"Fallen? Fallen?!" Riddle was incandescent with rage now, a stark contrast to his early calm. "I rose, you worm. I rose to heights beyond your meagre comprehension. I rediscovered magics long thought forgotten while others cowered in fear at the mere mention of my name. I've heard the stories, I've taken it all from this cretinous girl's feeble mind. I know what I became! And I could have been so much more were it not for this wretched boy!"
Turning to Harry, he started forward. "How did you do it? How did you defeat me? Tell me!" Ghostly hands reached for Harry's neck as he rapidly backed away, terrified by the sudden frenzy of this pre-Voldemort. Then suddenly, the shade disappeared mid-sentence. "Tell me! Te-"
Flamel was standing over the diary, or what was left of it, as fire streamed out of his wand in the shape of dragons, consuming the book and leaving it as ash. As soon as it had been burnt completely, he jerked his wand sharply to the side and the flames immediately extinguished.
"Fiendfyre." He said, by way of an explanation. "Extremely potent and extremely hard to control, so I strongly advise against it where normal flames will suffice. It is also extremely illegal in this country, so I'd appreciate you keeping this to yourself when we inevitably recount this tale to your headmaster. Better not mention the word horcrux either, at least until we know it's safe to speak openly."
All the while he spoke, the older man had been casting spells over the unconscious girl. Harry looked at Ginny. She had already regained some colour and though she was still pale it was the pale of someone exhausted, and not that of death. Even as he watched, her eyes fluttered with movement before falling still again.
"I've put her under a mild sleeping charm. Nothing too strong - it's usually used to settle babies so that they sleep soundly. It's probably better for all that she stays unconscious for now. While she appears to have suffered no lasting damage after a superficial check, I feel it would be better to refrain from disturbing her weakened magic until she's been checked by a professional, so it's straight to the infirmary for us."
He looked around before shrugging and taking off his outer cloak. Transfiguring it into a stretcher, he laid it down beside the girl.
"Some assistance, if you wouldn't mind Harry. I don't want to risk even a levitation charm on her, if it can be spared."
Harry helped put Ginny on the stretcher before moving to grab one of the ends. However, it rose by itself and Harry turned to see a smiling Flamel. "The stretcher, on the other hand; that can handle a spell or two."
Harry grinned back a little uncertainty, shaken by the events that had unfolded seemingly so rapidly.
At this Flamel turned sombre, and he stepped forward to put a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.
"The infirmary for you as well, I think. No, don't argue. You've had quite the experience down here. You did wonderfully (even if you did disobey my directions) but it will have taken its toll on you, and you'll only feel worse once the adrenaline starts wearing off. A potion for rest is in order, though knowing your headmaster you might have to wait until he's gotten your side of the story."
A silence fell as they started back towards the tunnel that had brought them down, each apparently lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Nicolas spoke to get the younger's attention.
"Harry…"
Harry turned, surprised. For the first time since he had met the alchemist, Flamel seemed...unsure, hesitant. It was a striking contrast to the calm, wise, and self-assured presence he was getting used to, but rather than diminishing the older man, it instead made him more human.
"Harry, what Riddle said back there, about your childhood, about your family, I want to assure you that it will remain between us, and to say that if you ever want to talk about it…"
Harry flushed with embarrassment and looked down at the ground.
"S'alright." He murmured. "It's not so bad as it was. We mostly try to ignore each other."
"Well, the offer stands. If you ever need to unburden yourself, I am at your disposal."
Harry wasn't sure what to say or do in response to this kindness, and so silence fell again, though not for long as Flamel spoke up again.
"At least you won't have to put up with them again. Not for the foreseeable future at least."
At this, Harry started.
"What do you mean?"
"In fairness, it's not confirmed yet, but that's only because I haven't had chance to ask you. I've already spoken to your guardians, and they agreed with disturbing enthusiasm, so I would like, Harry, to formally offer you an apprenticeship."
"An apprenticeship? What does that mean?"
"I'm going to assume that you're not asking for the definition of the word, and instead what an apprenticeship entails. Simply put, it's an old form of agreement that, in essence, makes me responsible for your tuition. While somewhat rare in the more modern magical societies nowadays, apprenticeship agreements were much more common in the times before the formalisation of education by the various magical governments of the world, and indeed are still prominent in some of the more traditional magical states.
The actual terms of an apprenticeship agreements can vary greatly, so I'll trouble you only with the one I would like to propose to you. Compared to the average modern agreement, ours would be more on the traditional side. Simply put, were you to agree I would become responsible not only for your education but for your welfare (including board and lodgings) up to your magical age of majority or until one or both parties decide to dissolve the agreement. While this wouldn't affect your arrangements greatly during term time - Hogwarts is the premier education facility in Europe after all, and you need to spend time with your peers for the sake of your social development - you would stay with me and my wife during the holidays during which I intend to consolidate and enhance your magical education."
Harry had stopped walking at this point, stunned into silence. Flamel had stopped too, and though he had regained much of his confidence during this exposition, Harry could see the nerves return at his prolonged lack of answer.
"Of course, this all depends on you, and you needn't answer now. It's a big decision, with you rather stepping into the unknown, so it's perfectly reasonable that you'd need so-"
"You mean it?" Harry interrupted. "You...you really want me to come stay with you? At your home?"
Comprehension dawned, and tension left Flamel's posture as he let out a breath.
"Of course I do Harry! We may not have communicated as much as I would have liked, but centuries of observation have gifted me with a strong understanding of people. You have incredible magical potential and an aptitude for the practical side of wizardry, but while rare that is not unique. What sets you apart from the others like you that I have met is your spirit. What other eleven year olds could face down Voldemort without flinching? Who else, at the meagre age of twelve, would come to face one of the world's deadliest creatures for a girl they barely knew? And don't say that you had me with you. I'm quite certain that, had I not responded, you would have come down here alone simply because you felt it was the right thing to do."
Flamel paused before kneeling down to look Harry in the eye.
"You have not been treated well by your family, I know. This has led you to undervalue yourself. What I want to do is make you see your own worth. Only then will you see how special the things you have already done are. You have a good heart, and the beginnings of a wise mind. I will help you realise the former and develop the latter. And I will teach you how to utilise your magic so that, when you inevitably go out to right the wrongs of the world, you will be able to back up your intentions with power and skill."
At this frank and earnest declaration, Harry had no idea what to say. He felt such a confusion of emotions within himself that he was rendered quite speechless. The best he could do was muster up a watery smile, at which Flamel smiled warmly back. Standing back up, the older man indicated they should continue, and they did so without further conversation.
But now there was a different atmosphere. Though still somewhat exhausted from the confrontation with Riddle, Harry felt a sense of excitement and anticipation he hadn't felt since he first learnt about the magical world and Hogwarts. He understood that this was a unique opportunity for his education that many would kill to get. However, more than that, the chance for a home, a place filled with warmth and compassion (he couldn't bring himself to hope for love, not yet), this was more important to him than all the power and knowledge he might attain.
Harry glanced briefly at Nicolas, and smiled. Here, in the dark, dank secret underbelly of the school, the future had never seemed brighter.