AN: I do not own Harry Potter, that honor goes to J. K. Rowling.
Chapter 14: The Beast Approaches
Moody was not in the storeroom when Harry arrived and knocked on the ex-Auror's door. He debated blasting the door open to make sure Mad-Eye wasn't just asleep but managed to reign in his anger. He lit the fireplace and stood in front of the red dummy. A dull pain throbbed all over his body as sweat made his clothes cling to his skin. Numerous little cuts and gashes decorated his robes as he fell backward into the soft chair by the fire an hour later. The red dummy, harder to handle than before, caught him off-guard multiple times with its efficient and quick movements. While the red dummy cast simple spells, the speed at which they cast them made Harry struggle to maintain a solid defense.
"Work out your anger, Potter?" a gruff voice called from the shadows by the hidden door.
Harry jumped to his feet, wincing as pain lanced up his legs from two spots on his thighs. "Moody," he growled through clenched teeth.
"I'll take that as a no then," the ex-Auror said with a wry grin. He stomped over to the seat beside Harry, the wooden peg sounding loud in the uncomfortable silence. "What is it you wish to ask?"
"You've been working with Kingsley all along!" Harry accused as he fought to keep his anger down. He'd accused Professor Snape of attacking him the year before and had been wrong in his assumption.
"I was working with Dumbledore before that," Mad-Eye growled as he plopped into the cushioned chair.
Harry noticed the dismissive tone and clenched his teeth. "Getting you into the school was a test," he growled.
"I test everyone, Potter. I needed a way into the castle without the Ministry taking note. There are plenty of factions within the Ministry that wouldn't be happy with me here. My protege is working on her assignments while I am covering here."
"You are still an Auror then?" Harry breathed out, trying to reign in his anger. He knew his fingers were gripping his wand tightly by the growing pain in his knuckles.
"I train select trainees but I am not an active Auror anymore," Moody answered with a shrug. "You'd like Nymphadora, or Tonks to everyone but me. She's got your impulsiveness and enough angst to rival half the school. Are you going to curse me, Potter?"
Harry breathed out, shoving his wand into the dueling holster at his hip. He knew he wasn't a match for the veteran in front of him. The way Moody destroyed every spider in his path with casual ease was etched in his mind. "No, I just wanted to know what I was dealing with," he muttered as he snatched up his bag.
"And what do you feel you are… dealing with, Potter?" Moody asked as he rose from his chair, both eyes locked on Harry's.
"A traitor," Harry spat before pushing past Moody and heading for the exit. The ex-Auror said something else but Harry missed it when he slammed the door shut behind him. A low buzzing filled his ears until he exited the storeroom by slamming the door behind him again.
Frustration and anger burned in his stomach as he roamed the halls. Finding a secret passage, he ducked into the dark corridor and pulled out the Marauder's Map. By wand-light, he searched for somewhere to make a new place to hole up until his anger passed. His eyes roamed over the castle's corridors and rooms, noting that many students were up and headed for the Great Hall. Ron, Neville, Dean, Seamus, and Peter Pettigrew were still in the dormitory. The fact there was an unseen ghost in his dormitory always bothered Harry a little.
Continuing to look over the map, he found a group of Slytherins moving along a corridor in the dungeons. They passed by a curved switchback passage at the far end of the Potions Corridor. Intrigued, he flipped over the map and followed the passage deeper into the dungeons. The warren of passages in the dungeons seemed like a good place to have a new hidden base. He wiped the map and put it away before stepping out of the secret passage.
The Great Hall was quiet as the students filed in for breakfast. Many stopped to stare at the Entrance Hall before gentle nudges from their friends pushed them on. Harry found a seat with his back to the wall as he looked over the hall. It seemed a large number of students either hadn't been released from Madam Pomfrey's care or decided to sleep in. Professor McGonagall rose from beside Dumbledore's chair and walked around the High Table to stand in front of the lectern at the center of the raised platform.
"Attention," she called, her voice echoing off the walls. Every student stopped talking and looked toward the pale-faced professor. Once she was sure she had command of everyone's attention she began, "last night was traumatic for many. The Forbidden Forest, home to many magical and non-magical creatures, was set alight at some point during the day. The Acromantula, the massive spiders, that attacked the school seemed to think the culprit behind the fire and destruction of their home was in this school. Yes, some of the older Acromantula can speak English."
A wave of startled and hushed conversations broke out in the hall. "Quiet!" Professor McGonagall ordered as she narrowed her eyes. "This does not excuse their attack on the school. I am merely telling you why they attacked. The Aurors have worked tirelessly with Ministry Officials to capture or kill every Acromantula they can to ensure the safety of the school. A massive colony was found deep in the forest, but I am pleased to inform you that it has been destroyed."
A small cheer went up from a few students, Ron included. "I wish to speak of the heroism and steadfast loyalty you showed for one another. Albus Dumbledore strove to break the invisible walls separating the Houses. Last night, I watched as Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff worked together to bring down an attacker to save a Slytherin. I saw Gryffindors and Slytherins working together for a common goal. Slytherins and Hufflepuffs protecting younger students as they fought to hold their small corner of safety. Every one of you did not falter and did not break under the pressure. I honor all of you for your bravery and courage to fight for what is right without taking into account the crest on a fellow student's robes. You are students of Hogwarts and last night you all personified the spirit of the school and why it was created. For that, I thank you," the professor said as she took a step back and gave a small bow.
The hall was stunned as they watched the stern and proud professor thank them. Tears glistened in Professor McGonagall's eyes as she took her spot before the lectern again. "Now, for more good news. All the petrified people who were attacked earlier in the year are now back to normal. They are with Ministry Officials as they recover from the unpleasant experience. Now, I would normally never do this, but today all classes are canceled."
Her announcement was met with unbridled joy from the seated students. Hats flew into the air as Fred and George jumped onto the table to do a short jig. It took several purple fireworks from the professor's wand to regain order. "That does not give you the liberty to act a fool!" she remonstrated as the corner of her mouth twitched. "Exams will start in three weeks on Monday. Use this time wisely!"
Food appeared on the long tables once Professor McGonagall took her seat. Harry looked up to see Ginny waving at him and beckoning him to sit beside her farther up the table. Ron and Hermione argued about the Ministry's purge of the spiders in the forest. Neville looked pale but chipper as he talked to Dean and Seamus about the short fight in the Entrance Hall. The round-faced boy's eyes lit up as he talked about Moody and Kingsley's entrance into the fight.
"Harry, a word?" an older masculine voice called from behind Harry.
Turning, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart standing to one side near one of the large columns. His purple cloak had small rips in it as he stepped out of the shadows. "Professor?" Harry asked, looking at the disheveled professor's appearance. Everything looked wrong about the normally immaculate wizard. Grass stains near the bottom of his robes stood out against the purple fabric.
"I wish to have a word with you, Potter," Lockhart said again, this time in a harder voice. He beckoned with one hand, an eyebrow arched as if he was surprised Harry hadn't already complied with his orders.
"I don't think," Harry started but was cut off by a stern voice.
"Professor Lockhart, please return to the High Table or leave the hall. Do not pester my students on their day off. You've done enough already," Professor McGonagall ordered as she strode down the long table toward the disheveled professor.
"Right you are," Lockhart muttered, shooting a dark look at the Deputy Headmistress. He gave Harry the same look before leaving the hall with a flourish of his cloak.
"Thanks, professor," Harry breathed as the stern professor drew level with him, her eyes locked on Lockhart's retreating back.
"Think nothing of it. If your mentor, Alastor hadn't arrived things would have been worse. Ms. Bulstrode was able to keep her leg with his assistance. I heard a good bit about your performance last night. Keep up your spell-work, Potter."
Harry's ears rung as he listened to the professor. Moody was his mentor? He wondered if that was the story Kingsley and Mad-Eye came up with to cover the fact that Moody snuck into the school without the Ministry knowing. The bubble of anger in his stomach became hotter as he looked to the High Table. Kingsley stood near the back of the hall, his eyes roaming over all the students. Tearing his eyes away, he looked around at the other students, eventually finding Daphne Greengrass' eyes from across the hall. She gave him a tiny nod before going back to her conversation with Zoe and Zabini.
Hermione wanted to waste no time and go up to the storeroom to continue reading on Vanishing Spells, but Harry politely turned her down, explaining he wanted to work on something for a couple of hours. She didn't look happy as he made his way up the marble stairs toward the third floor. He found an empty classroom and looked over the map once more, memorizing the route he wanted to take to look at possible new hideouts. Three stairs later, he had to consult his map again to make sure he hadn't gone off course. The dungeon level was three stories deep in some areas underneath the towers, causing some confusion for him.
He hid when other students, mainly Slytherins, were nearby. Ten minutes later, he found the switchback corridor he'd seen that morning. It wasn't as hidden as he'd hoped but it might serve his purpose as a passive deterrence against wandering, curious students. The first small room on the right of the corridor looked like a forgotten cauldron closet. He found evidence of a long-abandoned experiment scattered across the floor near the back of the room. The next room on the left held a small army of rusted suits of armor like he knew was all over the school. Closing the door, he tried the next door with little hope.
A large, circular metal grate was in the middle of the room, indented in the floor with an identical grate above it. Moving to the center of the room, Harry used his wand to illuminate the dark grate. He saw a dark room with a raised platform of black and white marble slabs. The hulking humanoid figures of chessmen were left abandoned from the previous year. Harry wondered if Dumbledore used this grate to get to them so fast. He never asked Ron or Hermione how they got out of the dungeons.
After removing the grate on the floor with a little trouble, Harry used a Cushioning Charm to drop to the chessboard below. His mood worsened as he started to explore. Little reminders of his confrontation with Quirrell seemed to jump out at him. The spot where he and his friends stood while the possessed professor disabled Professor McGonagall's test. While the keys were no longer in the huge room, the brackets where Ron grabbed the broom was still there. The room where they fell into the Devil's Snare had a ceiling, blocking the shoot they jumped through from the third-floor room. It made him feel a little sick that they'd fallen so far. Going back the other way, he found the corridor where the trolls were. He was glad no sign of the troll's horrific deaths remained. A nightmare he'd had after Quirrell's death was watching his friends suffer similar fates to the two trolls.
Like the room with the trolls, Snape's test room had been cleared away. Nothing remained of the table with little bottles or the black fire blocking the door. It took all of Harry's courage to open the last door. The chamber was dark, unlike the last time he'd been forced into the room. It was an unremarkable chamber with many white torch holders on the walls. The mirror was not there, nor was the body of Quirrell. Harry cast the more powerful wand-lighting spell to illuminate the entire room. In his mind's eye, he watched his struggle with Quirrell as waves of helplessness echoed through his body from the memory. Hermione's scared but determined face seemed to stare back at him, an invisible ghost of reassurance.
Waving his wand, he lit all the torches in the room at once before dismissing the ball of white light attached to the ceiling. Pulling out the map, he looked for his name in the dungeons but couldn't find it. The map's creators didn't find everything the castle had hidden in and under its walls. He felt a small sensation in his cheeks and knew he was grinning from ear to ear. Standing in the center of the chamber, he took a long, hard look at his new hideout. Illusions of furniture, tables, bookcases, and more appeared in his mind as he decided what would go where.
Five hours later, he used the Seize and Pull Charm to get out of the chessboard room. He knew Hermione would be furious that he'd been gone so long, but he didn't care. Looking at the map, he found Ginny, Neville, and Hermione in the library. Ron was outside on the Quidditch field with Fred, George, Oliver, and Angelina. During his walk to the library, he went over the different spells he wanted to go over or find for his new hideout.
"Harry, where have you been?" Hermione questioned as soon as Harry sat down beside Neville.
"Wandering around and thinking," he replied with a straight face. "Any progress on the Vanishing Spell?"
"I know that face," Ginny piped up, her eyes narrowing. "You've been up to mischief. The twins have the same look." A small grin stretched the corner of her mouth as she crossed her arms. The young witch looked a lot like her mother when she was going to scold one of the boys.
"I plead innocence on all charges," Harry shot back with a laugh. "I'll have you know, I was practicing magic. I think I have the spell down now," he said producing his wand.
"No magic in the library," a stern voice called from somewhere in the maze of bookshelves.
"Oh, right," Harry muttered, putting his wand away. "How does she do that?"
"Madam Pince knows when her books are in danger," Hermione replied with a grin. "We'll go up to the storeroom in a bit anyway. I think I figured out how the spell works too. I was going to show you this morning, but… well…" she said in a quiet voice. "Mad-Eye was looking for you earlier."
Harry gave a non-committal grunt and sat up in his chair. "Neville, do you think you could get some Stinksap over the summer? I know it comes from the Mimbulus mimbletonia, but I don't have a way to take care of any plants at the Burrow."
"Mum might let you have a small garden," Ginny said with a wry grin. "She'll do just about anything for you. I heard dad stepped in it when she discovered you were paying for magic lessons."
Harry couldn't help but laugh aloud. Turning to Hermione and Neville, he explained, "the Ministry decided to give Mr. Weasley a small stipend to help with any expenses I might incur while living there. Mrs. Weasley wouldn't take it so I've been paying Mr. Weasley the money so he could teach me a few things here and there."
"Mum was livid but happy you were taking your magical studies seriously. Something to the effect of, 'maybe his dedication to magic will rub off on the twins, goodness knows they need to study harder'," Ginny quoted with a little laugh. "Oh! Harry, can we work on Potions this year if mum lets us? I know Professor Snape isn't too happy with my work."
"He is hard on all students but shows favoritism to Slytherins because he is required to. I've seen him give worse tongue-lashings to a Slytherin fourth-year than we'd ever get in class," Harry answered with a small shrug. "We'll see what Mrs. Weasley says, but I don't see why not."
"I might be able to get you a little Stinksap, Harry," Neville said into the silence with a frown. "But, why would you need any?"
"A little is for Fred and George, it's hard to get fresh… ish… Stinksap to experiment with at a reasonable price. It isn't popular and works alright when dried, but there are a few things we want to try."
"You boys are making more instruments of terror?" Hermione questioned, her eyes narrowing. "You could be using your time better! Like studying conjuration. I know you said that was one area of Transfiguration you were looking forward to learning."
"Right you are, Hermione. However, to get a complete magical education includes learning how to create wonderful inventions like these!" he shouted and produced a small red packaged cylindrical tube with a golden bow in the middle. "Made almost completely out of magic."
"What does it do?" Ginny asked in a high-pitched voice as she snatched it out of his hand.
"Keep your voice down!" Madam Pince called from another part of the library. "This will be your last warning, Mr. Potter."
"How does she know," Harry groused in a low voice. "The final tests are done and it works like a charm. I can't show you here, but it makes quite the bang. Also, you can't break that one," he said with a grin as he produced a green wrapped tube similar to the red one. "If you snap this, it will cause the red one to go off."
"Oh, my," Hermione muttered as she took the offered tube from Harry's hand. "How did you manage this?" she asked, turning the green firework over in her hand.
"A small secret, but what connects the two fireworks is a Linking Charm. It's one I found in the seventeenth-century book on Charms, near the back. It looks like a precursor or cousin to the Protean Charm. I thought about trying the Protean Charm but it's a little more complicated than I was able to pull off. This one works well enough though," Harry explained as he sat back in his chair. He was pleased to see the excitement and wonder on Ginny and Neville's face. Hermione gave him a complicated look as she handed the green firecracker to Neville.
"Hermione, you take the red one," Harry ordered after getting the two firecrackers back.
"I will not have you pranking me whenever you desire, Mr. Potter!" Hermione hissed through clenched teeth. The entire table erupted into quiet, but violent, laughter as Hermione imitated Professor McGonagall's voice.
"No, seriously, take it. If something were to happen… I would be the first to know. I hope I'll be the first to know. You know how dangerous it is. We'll talk about finding a new school for next semester. I don't think I can stand the stress of knowing who is the culprit but being unable to do anything about it."
The table's mood dropped at Harry's words. Ginny looked pale as she looked from Harry to Hermione. "What… what do you think might happen?" she asked in a low voice.
"Lockhart will be possessed or already is possessed. I don't know what makes me feel that with certainty, but I just know. The Chamber will be opened again before the end of school. Hermione, if… when that happens and I hear the Basilisk. I'll break the green one, setting off your firecracker. It won't be explosive because it makes a loud pop is all. If that happens, go to Professor McGonagall immediately. If you can't find her, then… go to Kingsley and tell him the worst is loose in the castle. Then run… just run. All of you get to safety. Barricade a door, get off the school grounds, and make sure to cover your eyes."
"You really think…" Hermione started but stopped when Harry nodded.
"I learned to trust my gut last year. My guts are churning so bad I can't poop," Harry answered, trying to add a little humor into the conversation. It didn't work.
"Shouldn't we just go now?" Neville asked in a quiet voice. "We can take the exams from home or I could ask Gran to pressure the Ministry for a tutor. Harry, this is serious."
"Yes, we should leave, but how do we explain that my gut is telling me the students are in even more danger now. Do we fake a horrible illness? I can't even promise the adults will believe us when Hermione tells Professor McGonagall about the Basilisk. I know she has to know something is in her school. The Aurors and Moody will have told her, but will she know or trust us enough to act on it. It took five to seven minutes for a student to die last time," Harry said in a low voice. "I'm glad Luna is doing better and is away from here Ginny."
"Me too," the red-haired girl answered in a low voice. "That Diary is evil."
"It is and I wish I knew how I could get it back."
Harry tried to talk about happier things after Hermione put the red firecracker in her schoolbag. He had limited success until he made the suggestion they all work on their wand-work in one of the large study rooms beside the library. Hermione gave him a strange look but he ignored it. Neville and Ginny perked up when they both told Harry what spells they were working on. Harry promised to give both of them pointers to master the spell. He didn't feel like a master of any of the spells he'd learned so far because of the different theories and implementations each spell could be put to.
"The General Counter-Spell is hard to get right, Neville. Even I'm not a master of it yet because of the different types of spells. This is used for blocking or canceling… minimal, or minor magic spells, might be the best way to explain it. Thinks like Jelly-Legs, the Impediment Jinx, and the Bat-Bogey Hex," Harry explained as he flourished his wand. "Cast the Tickling Hex on me."
"Titillando," Neville intoned after thinking for a few seconds.
A purple light hit Harry in the chest as two purple hands manifested themselves out of thin air and started to tickle him. Harry felt little, which is why he asked Neville to cast that particular spell. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Finite." The purple hands vanished with a puff of red smoke as he looked up at Neville. "Confidence is the key to the General Counter-Spell. Confidence that the jinx, hex, or curse will stop. Now, it requires you to know what the hex, jinx, or curse is doing to you or whoever you are… curing for a lack of a better word. It is much easier to self-diagnose the problem than it is to diagnose someone else. If you saw… say," Harry started but broke off, trying to come up with a good analogy for what he was trying to convey. "Say you saw someone's face swelling and you wanted to stop the spell before it set in. What jinx, curse, or hex do you think it might be?"
Neville bit his lip, thinking hard. "The Pimple Jinx because it causes boils to erupt," he said with a frown. "Wait, no, the Stinging Jinx!"
"Correct, the Stinging Jinx. You would imagine their face back to normal and cast Finite Incantatem because of the multilayered effect on its target."
"I agree and disagree with what you said," Hermione interjected as she stepped over to Neville. "Finite would work because it is a single effect, swelling of the targeted area, and not a continuous effect like Jelly-Legs Jinx or the Twitchy-Ears Hex. Both cause multiple effects on the target and unlike the Tickling Hex, which conjures hands to do the work, things like Pepper Breath Hex or the Hair Loss Curse are single effects."
Harry frowned before nodding. "I agree with your assessment and reasoning; however, Pepper breath and the Hair Loss Curse could be a multilayered spell as well. Each inhalation would require the spell to reactivate and so would the hair loss. Once one fell out, the next would be attacked by the spell causing a cascade."
They argued for a few minutes before Neville interrupted them with a cough. "Uh, can we just go back to the simple stuff. I mean, it's cool to hear about… whatever that wizard's name was' theory on whatever you called it," he said before being interrupted by both Harry and Hermione at the same time.
"Theory of Structural Changes to the Wizard's Body During Spell Casting," they chorused. A small laugh from a couple of students in the study room made Harry's cheeks burn. He hadn't realized their argument drew the attention of some of the other students.
"Right, that," Neville said in a flat voice. "Can we just get back to how to block or cancel the hexes and curses?"
"Right," Harry muttered bringing his wand up again. "I'll use the Tickling Charm and you cast the counter. Titillando," he intoned without warning.
Neville, caught by surprise, doubled over with laughter as he tried to wave his wand in front of him. His futile efforts made the other students laugh. Harry narrowed his eyes and canceled the spell with a wave of his wand. "I caught you off guard, sorry Neville. Nod when you are ready."
Neville took a moment to regain composure and set his shoulders. His eyes burned with an inner light as he nodded to Harry. The moment he saw the jet of light fly from Harry's wand he started the movement for the counter-spell. "Finite!" he yelled, once the purple hands materialized. With a puff of red smoke, the hands disappeared.
"Well done!" Hermione, Harry, and Ginny praised as a few of the other students added in their congratulations.
"Thanks, that was brilliant," Neville breathed out, his eyes focused on the wand in his hand. "Can you show me how to block the Full Body-Bind Curse, Leg-Locker Curse, and the Biting Jinx?"
Harry froze for a second before looking hard at his friend's face. "Zoe has been using those on you then?" he questioned, watching the round-faced boy's eyes.
"Uh, what?" Neville asked, looking scared and cornered as he took a step back from Harry.
"I thought as much. Yes, I'll show you how to block them and more. I'll show you how to fight back, Neville," Harry offered as he looked around. "But not here, too many eyes. Sorry, Ginny, I'll make it up to you but this is a little more important."
"Oh, right… uh… I understand, Harry," Ginny answered in a high-pitched, cracking voice. She looked at Hermione who shook her head a little.
Harry saw the exchange but didn't know what to make of it. "Come on, Neville," he called as he started to leave the room.
"Hey! Potter! Can we get special tutoring too?" a voice called from somewhere within the small group of students watching Harry and his friend. Snickers and laughter made Harry think the question was posed to make fun of him or Neville.
"Ignore them," Harry advised Neville as they left the room. "Sometimes if you ignore them, they go away. Other times, you just have to curse them into a puddle for them to understand."
Neville made little sound as he followed Harry up to the storeroom. It took Harry a moment to realize where he was headed and another moment to decide he wanted to go elsewhere. "Just a little farther," he told his friend as they walked past the corridor toward the storerooms.
In an abandoned classroom three corridors away, Harry locked the door behind them with a spell and turned to Neville. "You don't have to tell me when it started but only that you are okay," he said, looking Neville in the eyes.
The round-faced boy flinched before squaring his shoulders. "Just show me how to block her spells… please," he answered in a low voice.
"Right, I'll go through everything I know and even show you the Shield Charm which will block them all. The General Counter-Spell will help if you get hit but the Shield Charm will deflect anything from hitting you. Well, any minor jinx and curse that is."
Harry drilled Neville hard for the next two hours, having to use two of his Wiggenweld Potions to help his injured friend. He wanted to stop multiple times but Neville kept pushing himself and Harry wasn't going to dissuade his friend.
Moody caught up with Harry after dinner with a tall, willowy witch with dark brown hair. She had owls and cats in gold embroidered on her robes. "Potter, meet Lydia Proud, a Yank Magizoologist that graduated from Ilvermorny a few years ago. One of the best in her field," the grizzled veteran called as he stomped over to Harry in the Entrance Hall.
Feeling his eye twitch, Harry looked between Mad-Eye and the Yank witch. "A pleasure," he said, trying to keep his voice even and the anger firmly sealed in his stomach.
"I've heard a great deal about you, Heir Potter," Lydia said in a soft voice as she stuck out a callused hand for Harry to shake.
"All the bad rumors are true, I swear you can't keep good help around here," Harry answered with a strained smile as he shook the strong hand of the adult witch.
"Alastor said you had a sense of humor. Something about jokes and pranks as well," Lydia said with a thin smile. "I and a few friends are staying with the Deputy Headmistress' permission on the grounds for a few days. There was talk of an exchange program between Ilvermorny and Hogwarts."
Harry gave a non-committal hum as he took a step back from the two adults. "It was nice to meet you Lydia, but I must be off," he said before turning and all but sprinting away from the pair. He didn't want to be close to Mad-Eye if possible, even if he had a load of questions about Ilvermorny and what a Magizoologist did.
That night was rough, he couldn't sleep even knowing more trained wizards were somewhere inside the school grounds. Restless, he got up, dressed, and donned his Invisibility Cloak. Taking out his map, he traversed the corridors toward the dungeons and his new hideout. Two familiar names appeared on the map in the trophy room, Argus Filch and Mrs. Norris. The caretaker's cat hadn't been seen since Filch's petrification. Harry wondered if the two had a secret none of the other professors knew.
Long into the night, Harry worked on his new hideout with the help of several books scattered on the hard, cold stones. He spent extra time and effort on heating the comfortably sized room so he wouldn't freeze to death in the colder months. By enchanting the six stone columns to emit heat, he managed to create a comfortable atmosphere. His essential furniture and decorations were made from old parchment that he enlarged, cut to shape, and hardened to stone. It took a few tries to get the bed the way he wanted and the bookshelf to stay upright.
Harry spent the night in his hideout, knowing it would be Saturday and everyone would be slow to rise. He left the dungeons with a spring in his step. The heating spells he cast remained through the night and the Softening Charm on the stone bed helped him to sleep well. By his internal clock, the other students would be heading down to breakfast in the Great Hall. He dodged two groups of Slytherins and found a new secret passage that wasn't marked on the map by watching two fourth-year Hufflepuffs disappear into a wall near the Potions Corridor.
His good mood vanished when he spotted Moody, Kingsley, and Lydia talking to Professor McGonagall near the Entrance Hall as he stepped onto the last step leading into the Entrance Hall from the dungeons. Kingsley used his hands to emphasize a strong point but Harry couldn't make out what the bald Auror was saying. Lydia looked like she'd eaten a lemon by the way her face was scrunched up.
Harry sat with Neville, his back to the wall, during breakfast. He asked his friend how he was feeling and if he worked on the spells he'd taught him. Neville confided the Shield Charm worked some of the time but not all of the time when he tried to cast it. "Just remember to imagine a barrier between you and anything that might harm you," Harry advised as he took a sip from his goblet. "Know that you are protected and your magic will make it happen."
"Easy for you to say," Neville muttered. "Mine doesn't come to me when I just want it to. It seems I take ages to cast the simplest spells."
"I practiced a lot. Last year, I had Malfoy as a strong motivation to learn the Shield Charm. Use Zoe as motivation. Once you cast the spell the first time, and you have, the rest is learning how to make the magic adapt to what you want. It will get easier with time. Mark my words, spend thirty minutes a day on it like I did, and you'll see a lot of improvement in a week." Harry lied a little about the amount of time he spent. It was closer to an hour a day but he didn't want to dissuade his friend from trying.
"I'll try," Neville answered in a low voice. The small quaver in his voice gave away his uncertainty to Harry's prediction.
"Thirty minutes a day isn't bad. Ten in the dormitory before breakfast, ten after class, and ten before bed… see, simple," Harry encouraged as his eyes tracked Kingsley's movement across the Great Hall. He'd sat beside Professor Snape during breakfast. If the Potion Master's face was anything to go by, it wasn't a pleasant conversation.
"Potter, a word," Professor McGonagall called from the Entrance Hall as everyone filed out after breakfast.
"Yes, Professor," Harry said as he made his way through the crowd to the aging professor.
"Your second-year end-of-terms will be administered in three weeks' time. Because you, Miss Granger, and a couple of other students all are on the same program, expect special exams in two weeks' time. Take this time to study and go over anything you might have questions on. Understand, you must pass these exams in order to continue in the program."
Harry felt a weight settle in his stomach as he tried to imagine Hermione's fervor over the next couple of weeks. The added pressure of the Diary, the Basilisk, and Lockhart seemed to make his stomach twist in a hard knot. "Alright, professor," he muttered, holding his stomach.
"No need to look so worried. The exam will be administered by a third party and graded by another examination team. While the questions will be harder, they will still by O.W.L. standard questions. I cannot tell you the bar you must reach to remain in the curriculum," Professor McGonagall said in a stern voice. "Now, off with you. Tell Miss Granger the good news."
Harry nodded and left for the library, knowing Hermione would want to spend the first few hours of her weekend reading. Hermione's reaction was about what he expected. His bushy-haired friend's psyche flipped from excitement and proactive planning to crying and nervousness about how little time they had to review. She asked him to repeat Professor McGonagall's words back to her three times before Harry got fed up.
"Listen, we go back over the list, again, and go from there. It isn't like our new flashcards don't have the vast majority of what we've learned so far," Harry explained, trying not to lose his temper.
"Oh, but Harry," Hermione moaned as she bit the fingernail on her thumb. "There is still so much we haven't covered. Look here, the checklist has so many things we haven't checked off. The eighteenth-century views on all these spells have to be important. We started from so far back, it could be that we don't have current information!"
"Hermione, we've covered a lot of information in one year. They can't expect us to be masters of all seven core subjects. For Merlin's sake, we have five more courses added next year," Harry groused as he sat back in his chair.
"You can't be sure they won't expect us to have mastered all this. It isn't impossible," Hermione shot back with a glare.
"You'd have to be a bloody genius to have all this mastered. We're searching for information in the sixth and seventh-year coursebooks. That's like saying the next five years is useless."
"You aren't seeing what I'm saying," Hermione complained as she pointed to the checklist. "You and I made this list from all the information we'd collected in all the books we referenced. We haven't even completed this checklist. Maybe we've missed something important for these exams."
Harry took a deep breath. He knew he could argue with Hermione for hours and get nowhere. "There is too little time to redo the entire checklist. I think we should review each section for each bullet point. Write out everything we know on it and compare notes. It's the only thing I can think of."
"Give me a minute to think," she said with a look of concentration as she brushed the end of her quill against her cheek. She stared at a blank parchment in front of her for five minutes before starting to write.
Harry waited in silence as Hermione worked. Instead of thinking about the exams, he focused on his worries about the dark events surrounding the school. While he wanted to do well on the exams, it would mean little if he lost any of his friends because of his mistakes. Hermione interrupted his dark thoughts when she pushed a parchment toward him.
"Here, these are some of the main spells and topics I remember reading about in a few books that are covered what to study for the O.W.L. exams. Granted, some of those books were a hundred or more years old, but the Stunning Spell, Levitation Charm, Vanishing Spell, Patronus Charm, and Polyjuice Potion all show up. It took me a bit to remember what I circled a while back. We start with these and branch out. I just need to find that sheet I have stashed away in my trunk later. I bewitched my ink to have different colors so I could show which came up more often."
"Brilliant, if you want to find that, I'll start getting the books for these spells in particular," Harry said, sitting up. "Might as well crack on then."
The weekend flew by for Harry as he reviewed information on the various topics they might be tested on. Hermione looked positively wretched by lunch on Sunday and Harry knew he looked the same. Ron and Neville stared at them like they were dark creatures that escaped the Forbidden Forest. Ginny seemed to take in Hermione's energy and studied harder than ever, trying to catch up to her role model. Harry was glad the red-haired girl left him and Hermione alone for the most part. His head hurt from the constant study, arguments between him and Hermione, and worry over the Basilisk.
Harry's body hurt all over Monday morning when he rose to go to breakfast. After downing another Wiggenweld Potion, he pulled on his robes and trainers. He'd lost count how many he'd drunk over the last two days. The Great Hall boomed with noise, making his throbbing head hurt more, so he excused himself from breakfast early to wait by the Potion Master's classroom in the dungeons. A familiar face greeted him, flanked by two lumbering masses of flesh.
"Potter, you look dreadful. Still dreaming about Azkaban. Father says your imprisonment made you mentally unstable," Draco drawled as he swaggered toward Harry in the corridor.
"Feel as bad as I look, Malfoy," Harry shot back, not having the energy to verbally spar with the ponce.
"Poor Potter," Draco sneered. "Heard you put on a bit of a display during the spider attack. Heard a certain blonde came to your rescue at the very end. A shame you didn't get hit by Lockhart's spell. He's been showing me and the boys some… interesting magic. Care to try your luck?"
Alarm bells went off in Harry's head as he stared into first Draco's eyes and then Crabbe and Goyle's eyes. He was pleased to find all three boys looked lucid. "Don't feel like entertaining you three today. How about tomorrow?"
"Aw, but we want to try these cool new spells. Here, let me give you a taste," Draco spat as he drew his wand.
"Draco, Potter, put those away, now," the sneering voice of Professor Snape ordered from the opening door to the Potion's classroom.
"Saved, Potter," Draco hissed as he complied with the professor's orders.
"You were the one saved, Draco. Look at Potter's wand," the Potion Master said as he appeared in the doorway. "Five points from Gryffindor for not putting away your wand, Potter."
"Right, professor," Harry said as he slid his wand back in its holster. Draco's eyes were wide when he realized Harry's wand had been pointed at his groin.
"Since you are all early, enter and begin preparation for class. We will be going over the Wiggenweld Potion and its adverse effects on the human body from drinking too many in a short amount of time," Professor Snape said in a hard voice. He stared at Harry with narrowed eyes. "To use such a strong and expensive potion," the professor started and trailed off. "Is a gross misuse of money and time."
"Right, professor," Harry replied, wondering how Professor Snape knew he'd been drinking a lot of it. He hoped whatever information they were going to go over in class wouldn't clue Hermione into what he'd been doing. His hopes were dashed midway through the lesson when the professor called Harry to the front to give physical proof and evidence of the adverse effects of the potion.
"You… how could you be so reckless!" Hermione scolded as they left the classroom. "You could die if you kept drinking it."
"Could and would are two different things," Harry replied and wished he hadn't.
"You knew the symptoms! You knew and you still took the potions. I thought I saw you drinking something all weekend. How many vials did you drink?"
"I don't remember," he answered in truth. The murderous look from his friend made him laugh. At the last second, he managed to turn the laugh into a cough.
"See! You'll be spitting up blood soon," Hermione yelled as she put both hands on his shoulders to stop him, looking him up and down.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Harry protested before his friend let him go. Ron and Neville stayed out of the bushy-haired witch's tirade and shot Harry pitying looks.
The rest of the day flew by until the last class of the day with Lockhart. Harry took his seat beside Ron near the back of the class. The flamboyant professor strutted across the small stage near the blackboard as he beamed at all the students. A feeling of discomfort settled in the pit of Harry's stomach as he watched Lockhart.
"Welcome, welcome, take your seats. Today will be a special class. I believe I told you about the monstrous white spiders that hounded me years ago. The other night they attacked the school, presumably looking for me," the professor stated while putting his hand to his chest. "I am deeply sorry so many of you had to experience that. It could have been so much worse if I hadn't blasted all those monsters to scare them away. So, today's lesson will go over the ways to permanently put down those beasts."
With a wave of his wand, a large red curtain in the corner fell to reveal one of the white Acromantula squashed in a small cage. At the sight of the students, the spider squirmed and spit large gobs of mucus from between its pincers. The mucus didn't make it far but it scared many of the students. Ron had a horrified look on his face. Harry noticed his friend had drawn his wand in his fright and was pointing it at the spider.
"Quite all right, students. You can put your wands away," Lockhart called to the class.
Harry realized his wand was in his hand as well. Glancing around, he realized Neville had his wand out too. With a shrug, Harry put his wand away and sat down, wondering where Lockhart was going with the lesson.
"As you know, I saved the school from these beasts and managed to catch a few while the Aurors were dealing with the nest in the Forbidden Forest. I'm pleased to announce the king of these beasts, self-named Aragrog, or something like that, was killed with my expert help," Lockhart boasted as he brushed off the sleeves of his robes. "Now, as I was saying before, I will show you three ways to deal with these beasts in the future. The first is…" he said before being interrupted by the door to the classroom slamming open.
Everyone jumped and turned to see Professor McGonagall glaring at Lockhart. "Professor Lockhart," the aged professor said in a low, dangerous voice. "Am I to understand you've captured five Acromantula from the forest and have tortured four of them to death in front of my students?!"
"What? No, Minerva. I was showing my students how to incapacitate these beasts if they ever met them again." Lockhart gave his best-beaming smile as he spread his arms wide.
"This is unacceptable behavior. Burning, freezing, and reducting trapped beasts is a horrendous way to teach your students. Gilderoy, I'm going to have to ask you to retire for the day. We will have a conversation about what is acceptable to teach and what isn't. Class dismissed," Professor McGonagall ordered. The students who stared back at her, dumbfounded. "You heard me, leave the class, now."
Harry was one of the last students to leave under Professor McGonagall's harsh gaze. Just as the door closed, he slowed down when he heard Professor McGonagall lay into Lockhart. Her tirade made him thankful he wasn't on the receiving end. After listening for a minute, he ran to catch up to his friends who were waiting for him at the end of the corridor.
"What did you hear?" Ron questioned as they rounded the corner. The sound of a slamming door from the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom reverberated around the corridors.
"Professor McGonagall is bloody mad at Lockhart. Not here though, I'll tell you in a bit," Harry breathed out as he pushed Ron in the back, hoping to encourage his friend to move.
"Alright, so what happened?" Ron asked again once they sat down in the library. Hermione and Neville leaned in with curious expressions.
"If I heard it correctly, Professor McGonagall laid into him about the spells used on the Acromantula in front of impressionable students and his disregard for student safety last Thursday night. I'm not sure but she may have said the entire thing was his fault."
"What?" his friends gasped in unison.
"I'm not sure what to make of it either. Either way, we got out of another of his lessons," Harry said with a shrug. "Have you guys got all the homework done?" he asked while looking at Ron and Neville.
Ron grimaced and shook his head. "I don't know about Neville, but I know I've got a thirteen-inch essay for Potions and another one for History of Magic due before Wednesday."
"I've got Potions and Herbology to finish," Neville said with a shrug. "I guess we should do them now since we'd be in class normally."
"A brilliant idea," Hermione said with a beaming smile. "Are the Potions essays on the Fire-Protection Potion?"
Harry stayed in the library to study with Hermione after Ron and Neville left. Ron wanted to get some more Quidditch practice in and Neville wanted to check on some of his favorite plants in the greenhouses. Hermione set a grueling pace as they flew through the material. After dinner, Harry went to his new hideout to practice a little more magic before bed. The last thing he remembered was sitting in one of his new chairs for a minute.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Harry yelled, jumping to his feet. It took him a moment to orient himself and check his internal clock. "I'm so bloody buggered," he muttered as he scooped up his rucksack and bolted for the chessboard room.
"Mr. Potter, how nice of you to join us," Professor McGonagall said in a frosty voice. "Take a seat. We will talk after class ends."
Harry was fifteen minutes late to class, something he wouldn't have thought was possible with how regimented his sleep schedule was. He attributed it to being more tired than he'd realized from his stress and studying. Transfiguration breezed by as the professor had everyone review the Softening Charm and turning a pair of rabbits into slippers.
"Mr. Potter, you have some explaining to do. Not only were you late to class but you were sleeping outside your dormitory. You give an honest answer, as I will know if you are lying," Professor McGonagall ordered once the door closed behind the last student.
"Sorry, professor. I went to one of the abandoned classrooms to practice a couple of spells and sat down. I guess I fell asleep because the next thing I knew it was already time for class to start."
The stern professor hummed as she gave Harry a hard look. "You look tired, Potter. However, I cannot let this slide. Tonight you will serve detention with Professor Snape and twenty points will be deducted from Gryffindor. Safety is paramount."
"Yes professor," Harry answered, fearing more what Hermione would say when she found out. "It won't happen again."
"I will hold you to that. Now, good luck next week but don't kill yourself trying to cram."
Hermione was livid with him when she saw him waiting outside the greenhouses. "You never returned to the tower last night! Do you know how worried we were? What happened?"
"I fell asleep after practicing some spells, sorry."
"Professor McGonagall was livid. Let me guess, detention and points off?" she questioned with a huff and a glare.
"Yeah, I've got detention with Professor Snape and lost twenty points," Harry admitted with a sigh.
"I want to curse you for being an idiot. Don't do it again," Hermione warned in a dark voice. "I'll drag you back to the tower kicking and screaming if you do this again."
Ron and Neville shook their heads at him when he explained what happened. The day flew by as rumors of Lockhart's foul mood ran around the school. At lunch, Fred and George said the flamboyant professor left minutes into the class with a dark look at his students and didn't return until almost time for the bell to ring. He didn't greet anyone or dismiss the class as he went back to his office and slammed the door.
"Well, I'd better head down to the dungeons," Harry said after pushing his book away from him. His head hurt from trying to read the small, faded and loopy handwriting.
"At least it will only be two hours," Hermione said with a shrug. "We'll continue tomorrow."
"Yeah," Harry said with a sigh as he got up. "My head is about to do me in as it is."
"Just don't drink any more of your Wiggenweld Potions," Hermione called as he started to leave.
Harry waved his hand without turning around as he hoisted his rucksack higher on his shoulder. The door to the Potions classroom was open when Harry approached. He knocked on the door as he entered, dropping his rucksack by his usual seat.
"Potter, how surprising it is to see you so early," Professor Snape sneered as he appeared from the ingredient storeroom. "Tonight, I will have you prepare seven cauldrons of Doxycide… at the same time. I don't have time for you to mess up one potion after another, so maybe, you can get two of the seven done right. For every potion you manage to bungle, I'll add more time onto your detention to clean the cauldron with no magic. Begin, the ingredients are sitting on the counter."
It took Harry a few seconds to realize the Potion Master wasn't kidding and another minute to try and figure out how to achieve the miracle the professor wanted. One potion of Doxycide wasn't hard to brew, but making seven potions at the same time was insane. Squaring his shoulders, Harry walked to the ingredient storeroom and started to bring out the bottles of Streeler shells, Dragon liver, Hemlock essence, and the other ingredients necessary to brew the potion.
"Professor, there isn't enough Cowbane essence and Dragon liver to complete all seven potions," Harry said after he'd prepared the ingredients. It had taken him half an hour to prepare and layout the ingredients below each cauldron.
"Adapt and overcome, or fail," Professor Snape answered with a lazy wave of his hand.
Harry grumbled and tried to figure out the best way to overcome the challenge. If there was too little Cowbane essence the potion would fizzle out into a black sludge and if he didn't use enough Dragon liver the potion could bubble over, burning everything with a low-strength acid. His next thought was to use a substitute ingredient but couldn't come up with anything that might work.
Gritting his teeth, Harry surmised the professor wanted him to fail in brewing two of the seven potions. The Potion Master made a satisfied sneer as Harry lit all seven cauldrons. Brewing Doxycide wasn't a long process, but Harry struggled to keep up with the mental checklist in his head as he added ingredient after ingredient into the cauldrons.
Half an hour later, Professor Snape rose from behind his desk and moved to inspect Harry's work. "Let's see what utter garbage you managed to brew. I have never seen such a sloppy technique," the professor sneered as he shook his greasy hair. He looked down the bridge of his nose into the first cauldron and took a sniff. "Pungent and black, good for the first attempt."
Snape walked down the line of cauldrons, pointing out mistakes and anything he deemed a failure. The last two cauldrons he ignored. "Pitiful, Potter. Four, adequate concoctions out of seven. One of which I should declare a failure, but I'm feeling generous."
"What other ingredients could I have used to replace the Cowbane and Dragon liver?" Harry asked, his teeth clenching.
"Nothing," Professor Snape answered with a sneer. "For Doxycide there is no known substitute for the ingredients in the original concoction."
"So I was meant to fail in the last two cauldrons?" Harry questioned, his anger rising higher in his chest.
"Yes, does that anger you, Potter?"
"Yes, it angers me! All year everything has been stacked against me!" Harry bellowed, his anger rushing out like a torrent he couldn't control. "First the attacks, then Azkaban, and now Lockhart may open the Chamber again."
"Poor pathetic Potter. The world hates you so all you do is cry and rage. Stand up like a man, boy," the Potion Master sneered as he looked Harry over.
"Don't you tell me what to do! You have no idea what I've been dealing with this year. The Basilisk is still alive and could attack at any time. It could be let loose by Lockhart before the end of the year! Tom Riddle said it had happened before. Years ago when a girl died. Well, this time a boy died too and I don't want anyone else to die," Harry shouted as the anger poured out of him. His limbs shook as he stared down his Potions professor.
"Tom… Riddle… How do you know that name?" Professor Snape questioned in a low, dangerous voice. "Potter, tell me now!"
"The Diary," Harry breathed out, his anger leaving him. "The Diary was Tom Riddle's from back when the first time the Chamber of Secrets was opened. A girl died and the Ministry covered it up. They expelled Hagrid then and used Hagrid as a scapegoat this time as well," he explained as he ran a hand through his air. Something in the back of his mind was screaming at him, but he couldn't figure it out.
"This… Diary, what has become of it?"
"It's a dark, cursed object. It possessed Ginny Weasley into…" Harry broke off as a cold feeling spread through his body.
"Into what! Say it, Potter" Professor Snape demanded. His eyes burned with a fire Harry had never seen in the dark-eyed adult.
"Rip, tear… feed and kill… kill them all," a soft hissing, haunting voice echoed around the room. A voice only Harry could hear.
"No!" Harry yelled and rummaged around in his pockets.
"Answer me, Potter. What did the Diary make Miss Weasley do?" the professor demanded in a harsh tone.
"The Basilisk, it's loose again," Harry gasped out as he pulled the small green firecracker. He snapped the casing on the firecracker and watched as the green paper burned away to nothing a moment later.
"Basilisk? Loose? Speak sense, Potter. Hey! Get back here!" Professor Snape yelled as Harry bolted for the door.