I own nothing but the plot, and not even all of that

It was eleven o'clock in the morning on a clear day in the first week of January. The Hogwarts Express pulled out of King's Cross station exactly on time. The Weasley family, as was their habit, had rushed through the barrier with only seconds to spare. They were still finding places to sit as the train sounded its whistle and began its long journey to Hogsmeade. Percy immediately went to the front car to join his fellow prefects. The twins found their friend, Lee Jordan, and started to enthusiastically compare their Christmas gifts. Ron and Ginny found that the only compartment to have any seats left had two occupants in it already. They entered, and saw Luna Lovegood sitting with another Ravenclaw.

"Hello, Ginny," Luna greeted as they entered the carriage, "Hello Ronald. How was your Christmas?"

"Fine," Ginny said. She sat down across from Luna. Ron sat down next to her.

"Hi Luna," he said. He turned to Lisa and introduced himself. "I'm Ron Weasley." Lisa shook his hand.

"I know," Lisa said with a giggle. "We're in Transfiguration and Charms together. I'm Lisa Turpin, Luna's friend."

"I've missed you, Luna," Ginny said, quietly.

"I've missed you, too," Luna said, smiling at Ginny. They had once been the best of friends but had begun to drift apart when Luna's mother died. Ginny's mother initially took pity on Luna and had the girl over to the Burrow as often as she could. Luna's father, Xenophilius, was not the ideal candidate for being a single father, however. Devastated by the loss of his wife, he dove into his work as the sole creator of the newspaper The Quibbler. He began taking his daughter with him on long expeditions to find creatures that were not proven to actually exist, and the long absences took its toll on the girl's friendship. They still talked, but they weren't as close as they used to be. Being in different houses at Hogwarts had further impaired chances for the girls to socialize.

"Well," Lisa said, "there's nothing that says Gryffindors and Ravenclaw can't be friends."

Ron looked slightly confused, as if that thought hadn't occurred to him before. He was doing much better in school than he had ever expected to, but he was still not one to initiate an in-depth discussion of anything that didn't involve chess or quidditch. Nonetheless, he found himself fascinated by the reality that once students were sorted into their houses, they tended to keep to that group even after graduating.

"I wonder why the houses never really mix," he wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Lisa said. Ron noticed that her nose scrunched up when she was thinking and was surprised to discover that he liked it. "I think," she said, "that it has a lot to do with how our classes are arranged. Ravenclaw only has Transfiguration and Charms with Gryffindor. We have Potions, History of Magic, and Astronomy with Hufflepuff, and Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology with Slytherin. It stays that way with our core classes through fifth year, though we add more classes next year as electives."

"Well," Ron said, "I can't say I want more classes with the Slytherins, but I wouldn't mind more with the Ravenclaws."

"You can't have one without the other," Lisa said, smiling.

"I suppose it might be worth it," Ron said. "Each class is taught twice for each year. All the kids in each year for two houses in a class. It wouldn't be hard to just cut each year group in half, mix and match them, and then each class would have all four houses in it."

"That's not a bad idea," Lisa said. "With each house in each class, we'd get to know the people in other houses a lot better. Also, smaller groups from each house would probably limit the chances for bullying."

"They'd never do it, though," Ron said with a sigh.

"Why not?" Lisa asked.

"We're just second years," Ron answered. "They're not just going to change how they teach the classes because some second years asked them."

"They changed some things based on what a first year said last year," Lisa countered. "Wasn't it Hermione Granger who convinced them to let us all use pens and have notes automatically taken each class?"

"That's right," Ron said, regaining his enthusiasm. "She did. I think it worked because she was super prepared and convinced McGonagall to present it to the other teachers first. Maybe we should get her to do it again."

"I think," Lisa suggested, "that we should try it on our own, first. We could make the preparations and present it to Professors Flitwick and McGonagall together."

"Ok," Ron agreed. He liked the idea of being part of something big like changing how classes were taught at Hogwarts. He liked Hermione a lot, and was incredibly grateful for how she had helped him last year. He thought that doing something just as big without her help, though, would be a good thing for him.

He and Lisa spent most of the journey planning how the classes could be mixed up and writing down the possible benefits. They talked of other things as well, and he was stunned to find that she not only played chess, but that she was a lifelong Chudley Cannons fan.

Luna and Ginny mostly stayed quiet during the trip back, listening to Ron and Lisa talking about chess, quidditch, and interhouse dynamics. Luna tried to engage Ginny in conversation several times, but Ginny would only answer questions with as few words as possible. She spent most of the journey either writing in her diary or reading from it. Luna grew concerned, thinking for a while that Ginny was arguing with the book. Ginny would write something, then read it, then shake her head as if saying no. Finally, she would scribble some more, and the cycle would repeat. Eventually, Ginny noticed that Luna was watching. She then closed the book, stuffed it in her bag, and stared out the window. She refused to talk about the diary, and stayed silent for the rest of the trip.

Boomer was not a fan of the vet. The collar with his new registration tag jingled, and that would drive him mad if he had to stay with this family for too long. It was still a better environment than Azkaban, though, so he tolerated it. The rabies shot had been painful, but Boomer couldn't think of any way out of it without blowing his cover. He had thus far been unsuccessful in getting any news of what was happening in the wizarding world. He couldn't risk looking like anything but a beloved pet until he had more information.

When the vet started talking about having him neutered, though, he very nearly bolted out the door regardless of the dangers. Fortunately, Jenny was one of those humans who absolutely refused to do that to her dogs. She and Roger had already had words on that subject, so Boomer wasn't too worried about it, but the vet talking about it still made him nervous. The anti-flea and tick medicine wasnt enjoyable, either. It felt oily, cold, and smelled sharply medicinal, but if it kept the little pests off him, he'd tolerate it. He knew he was going to have to spend a lot more time as a dog, and it would be a much more pleasant experience without fleas.

The vet seemed concerned about his diet and said he was underweight, but that was to be expected in a stray off the street. Boomer got the impression that this vet did not approve of rescuing homeless dogs and not having them neutered, because he kept bringing it up. Jenny was adamant, however, and Boomer didn't end up having to bite the man and make a run for it. That was a win/win in his book.

Albus Dumbledore was sitting at the conference table of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. It was an office that was separate from the Ministry of Magic, but usually held their meetings in one of the Ministry conference rooms.

"Headmaster," Lucius Malfoy asked Dumbledore, "dare I hope that you are here to report the discovery of the Chamber of Secrets and the creature within?" Lucius enjoyed being the head of the school governors, and delighted in taking Dumbledore to task.

"As I'm sure you are aware," Albus answered, "I am not. Our search found nothing. It appears that the creature has become dormant once again."

"Are you really sure there is a creature?" asked Aubrey Barlow. Aubrey was one of the more moderate members of the board, and usually tried to bridge the divides between the other factions.

"Yes," Albus responded. "The events that have transpired are far beyond the capabilities of any student and are no mere prank or joke."

"No," Aubrey corrected, "I was simply curious if this is some manifestation of the... alien nature of your guest." That was one of the more popular theories the board had been entertaining. Lucius Malfoy in particular was quite enthusiastic about insinuating this was some strange behavior caused by a less than human Jedi.

"No," Albus insisted. "Harry Potter would have informed us if that were the case, and he has been quite clear that they were attacked."

"Of course," Lucius said, "we must all take the word of Harry Potter."

"Is that a question?" Albus asked, turning Malfoy's words back on himself.

"What reassurances do we have that this creature is not simply waiting for the children to return?" Lucius asked. He honestly didn't know why the diary was taking so long to act. He had expected several deaths at this point in the game. So far, though, the only casualty was that meddlesome Jedi teacher, and that wasn't enough to oust Dumbledore.

"I can give you none, Mr. Malfoy," the headmaster answered. "We will, of course, be keeping the corridor in question off limits and under surveillance at all times. The guards that the Jedi have sent to assist Mr. Potter have volunteered to assist in that endeavor, and we have taken them up on it."

"And if this 'wait and see' plan should fail?" Malfoy asked. "If these 'Jedi' guards be insufficient to the task? If there is another attack?"

"Then we will respond to it as best as we can," Dumbledore answered.

"Allow me to be as plain and clear as possible, Dumbledore," Malfoy said, dropping the smooth, sneering delivery he usually affected. "You are incredibly fortunate that the only victim this time around is an outsider who should never had been allowed access to the school at all. I am not pleased with your investigation thus far. If an actual student is attacked, I will do all I can to have you removed."

Professor McGonagall stood in front of the enormous doors at the castle's entrance, waiting for the carriages to bring the students from Hogsmeade station. She had watched the train pull in from the windows in her quarters. As the Head of Gryffindor, she enjoyed a suite at the very top of Gryffindor tower. She descended using the private staircase that her rooms featured so she could greet the students as they returned. As she waited, she reflected on how eventful Christmas break had been for the staff of Hogwarts. Bill Weasley had stayed as long as he could, but eventually he had to portkey back to Egypt. He was extremely upset that they hadn't found anything, and make Headmaster Dumbledore promise to keep him informed as to their progress. Minerva had been amused at the eldest Weasley's attempts to establish a rapport with the woman trooper who went by the name 'Ice,' but secretly thought his attempts were foolhardy.

The staff had disassembled every portion of the second-floor corridor that they could, but had still not found the Chamber of Secrets, not any sign of the creature it supposedly held. She was truly hopeful that the creature, whatever it turned out to be, had gone back to sleep wherever the chamber was. As the first carriages entered the courtyard with the returning students, she had a feeling that it wouldn't be over this easily.

Albus Dumbledore toyed with his pork chop. His normally healthy appetite was not feeling up to the task this evening. Glancing up from his plate, he looked out at the rows of children sitting at the long tables of the Great Hall. He had just welcomed them back to Hogwarts from their Christmas break, but he wasn't as joyful for their presence as he usually was. It disturbed him that the staff was not able to find even a clue to the location of the Chamber of Secrets. He consoled himself with the knowledge that many of the prior headmasters of the school had attempted to find it and had no more success than he had, but he hated for his students to be in danger. His gaze came to the Gryffindor table, where Harry Potter was sitting with Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom. He had reflected on the strange fact that both boys who were the possible subjects of the prophecy should grow up so far from each other but still end up as good friends. He noted that the second youngest Weasley was not sitting where he usually was, but had moved closer to the staff table. The boy was not eating as he usually did at feasts, but was deep in conversation with young Miss Turpin, the Ravenclaw who was sitting behind him. He was surprised at the development, but pleased. He hoped what looked like a blooming friendship would take root, and even help to start bridging the divisions between the houses.

"Is everything alright, Albus?" Minerva asked him.

"Yes, my dear," Albus answered. "I'm just concerned for the students. I had hoped that we would have closed this issue of the Chamber of Secrets before they returned. Now I must worry about Sirius Black, as well."

"What do you think Black's plans are?" Minerva asked.

"I cannot guess," Albus answered. "It depends very much on whether he is truly innocent or not. Alas, we will only truly know that if he is captured unharmed."

"Do you really think he is headed here?" Minerva asked.

"I do," Albus said. "I don't think he'll be taking a direct route, though. Eleven years in Azkaban is enough to ensure that some recovery time would be required for him before he'd have the strength to enter through the wards of Hogwarts."

"Would it be possible for him make it through the wards?" Minerva asked, sounding both proud of a former student and horrified at the thought that he might have learned something from her that he'd used to kill people.

"My dear," Albus chuckled, "you remember what those four were like. I have no doubt he knows many ways in and out of this castle." His face darkened as his gaze once again fell on the children under his care. "For his sake, I truly hope his is innocent."

A/N - Another short chapter. Not a lot going on, but it sort of sets things up a bit for things that I've got planned for later. I have a lot written for the end of this year, just need to get through these pesky middle months. I'll probably do a consolidation of the shorter chapters when this story is done.