Title: Harry Potter and The Power of Thirteen
Chapter 2: Return to the Chamber
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any characters or places from the series they all belong to J. K Rowling. Any similarities with other fanfiction is not intentional, there's just too many pieces of work for any idea not to exist out there somewhere.
AN: thank you all for following/favourite/reviewing this story
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Title: 30 Minutes That Changed Everything - Author: Radaslab - Link: s/5178251/1/
Coming to was like dragging one's self from a tar pit; it didn't help that he had basilisk venom pulsing through his veins. Pulling the fang from his arm, he began the short trip across the chamber. After what felt like a thirty minute struggle, in what really was two minutes, he finally made it to the prone form of his ex-best friend's sister, not that anyone other than him knew that yet, he'd have to play that one carefully to avoid suspicion.
"Ah, looks like you're alive still. Not that you have much time left. The venom won't take much longer to kill you." Tom Riddle drawled.
Grabbing the diary, Harry stabbed the fang into the diary multiple times, each eliciting another scream of agony from the spectral version of Riddle. Moments later, the form exploded in a shower of colourful ribbons of magic that had been pulled together into his almost corporal form. In a flash of fire, Fawkes returned to Harry just in time witness Harry's weakened body pitch forward. With a powerful swoop of his wings, he genially grasped Harry's shoulder preventing him smashing his face into the tiled floor, quickly crying into the wound to counteract the venom.
Not three feet in front of Harry, Ginny had come to, and was surprised to see Harry in front of her. Fighting back the tears from watching her hero die, only for Fawkes to come to the rescue at the last second. Jumping up, she leapt up and rushed over to him to give Harry a hug, only for him to hold her off at arm's length. He loves her right, that's why he came to rescue her right…
"Listen Ginny…" Harry began only to be cut off as she jumped at him, leaving him no other choice but to catch her. After finally prying her off his side, he grabbed the diary and Gryffindor's sword. Leading Ginny back through the chamber, they soon reached the segment of collapsed tunnel. Ron had barely moved enough of the rubble to squeeze his head through. Unsheathing the sword, he told Ron to step back. Waving the sword in a circular motion before a sharp jab forward, the rubble parted, leaving a clear path to the other side.
Ron and Ginny were both staring at him mouths agape. Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "What? It wasn't me that did that, it was Godric's sword. I just knew what I had to do for the sword to work it's magic."
After they finally regained their bearings, Harry directed them all to either grab hold of him or Fawkes. Unfortunately, Ginny took this chance to hold onto him tight, earning a joyous trill from the phoenix that oddly reminded him of laughing. Flying up the pipe was a lot less exciting than sliding down it, at least the trip was faster. Reaching the top, he was surprised by the sudden buzzing at the back of his brain, and that a very angry looking Professor McGonagall was sitting there in a conjured armchair, tapping her foot. Upon seeing them with Lockhart, her temper subsided a little.
"Enjoying breaking more rules are we boys," the Professor stated glad that at least she hadn't expelled them on the spot. They patiently waited until the sink had slid closed before beginning the journey to the hospital wing in relative silence. About half way there, the Professor finally noticed Harry was carrying a sword. Deciding she would rather know first-hand why and how he had acquired it than wait for the headmaster to tell her, she asked the obvious question. "Where did you get that sword, Mr Potter?"
He was about to tell her to wait till the headmaster got to the hospital wing, so he only had to tell the tale once. When he realised that she was the acting headmistress due to Malfoy's interference. For once, that pompous French bigot had done something helpful. Hearing his chuckle, everyone stared at him again. "What? I was going to suggest waiting for the headmaster, when I realised currently you are the headmistress."
Three of them stared at him even more hearing that. For Minerva, it was due to him knowing something that only the teachers knew. Most didn't even bother acknowledging the fact Lucius had forced him out, as they believed it temporary. For the other two, it was more in realising Dumbledore wasn't headmaster at the moment. The fifth member of the group was staring around in a dazed like trance taking in every detail he possibly could. Luckily for the group, Lockhart had lost his memories or else he would be writing this all down to make into his own achievement.
"And to answer your question Professor the sword came out of the sorting hat." After a brief pause in which he noticed her disbelieving look, he sighed, "Really, it came out of the hat and wacked me on the head for my troubles too. Fawkes brought it down to the chamber. Professor, how did you know where we were?"
"That would be because Myrtle came and got me after you jumped down there. I tried to follow; however, there was a ward preventing my access. So I waited for you to return. She was such a lovely girl while she was a student, though she was bullied a little too much for my liking." Having realised she wasn't going to say anymore and they were outside the doors to the infirmary, they parted ways momentarily. Harry, Ginny, and Lockhart stayed behind by the beds while Ron waited by the door for Professor McGonagall to come out of Poppy's office.
Once they came out of the office, she ran a quick scan on Ron before telling Minerva he could go. As Ron and the Professor left, Harry heard him callout saying he'd see him in the morning. Sighing, he lay down on his usual bed waiting for the overbearing matron to get to him. He was woken from his nap fifteen minutes later by the matron who had a look of concern plastered on her face.
"What happened to the idiot Lockhart over there?" was all she asked. "Him. Oh, he tried to Obliviate Ron and myself with Ron's broken wand… it backfired." He stated like it was all the explanation needed, in this case that was true. Heading to her office to firecall St Mungo's, professor Lockhart was headed to the permanent spell damage ward, as soon as arrangements could be made.
Coming back out of her office, she decided to check over the girl first, and maybe a calming draught would be in order for her to get some sleep. After checking the girl over, she noted mental trauma, and a lot of missing memories. She sighed. The poor girl was never going to be who she used to be; she just hoped that, if Albus returned, he didn't neglect his duties again. Hopefully, Minerva will have talked to Molly and Arthur before his return to ensure the girl got the treatment needed. Giving her the calming draught and a small measure of dreamless sleep, she moved over to Harry, at this rate she might as well get a plaque and sign made up for this bed for him, he was in it enough.
Waking him, she began the standard scans, noting that there was some form of toxin flowing through his veins; she tried to get a more in-depth reading only to be confused as all the signs were coming up negative. Just on the off chance the first result was an error on her part she ran the scan again only to become more confused; yet again, it was showing positive for a toxin. Deciding to just skip to asking him to save the trouble of figuring out what was blocking that scan.
"Mr Potter, could you please tell me what creature you encountered and was bit by, so I can counter this toxin and continue with my exam." Noting his startled look change to a confused one. She was about to tell him that if he didn't know she could find out another way that she was sure she miss heard what he mumbled.
"Sorry what was that, Mr Potter?"
"It was a basilisk." Seeing her look of shock followed by horror he tried to placate her, "Fawkes cried into the wound healing it. I'm fine really."
Deciding to come back to that one later, she finished checking him over for any other injuries. After having a pleasant conversation with the boy while finishing checking him over, she vanished the dirt off his robes and repaired the sleeve with the hole from the fang. Noting the size of the hole she would hate to know how big the snake actually was. Finally finishing up with the small stuff, she rechecked for toxins. Seeing all the tests coming up clear, she gave him his dose of dreamless sleep.
As she was returning to her office, she let out a huge yawn, glad she didn't have to stay to monitor any of the patients closely. She filed the last of the parchment work into the patient files before heading to bed herself.
The next morning, after releasing her two overnight patients and sending Lockhart off to St Mungo's, she entered the Great Hall where, to her disappointment, Albus was back. Acting like the professional she was, she asked to meet him in his office after breakfast, before sitting down to have her own.
At the end of breakfast, Dumbledore announced that the mandrakes would be ready to cure everyone that had been petrified that evening in time for the leaving feast the following day. Heading to his office to wait, Poppy was surprised when she got there to discover he was already there. Seeing her confused look, he put on his best grandfatherly look and asked her to have a seat.
"I take it this is about the two students you had in your care last night."
"It is Headmaster. Here are the files." Handing over two files she continued, "I believe young Miss Weasley will need to see a mind healer to sort through this traumatic event. In Mr Potter's case, he's fine apart from increased blood toxicity and the extreme malnutrition form before starting Hogwarts, my previous recommendations still stand in regard to that. Do you have any questions, headmaster?"
"Is the toxicity level dangerous to his continued development?"
"I don't believe so; it has been properly countered by your own phoenix's tears I believe. Anything else Albus?"
"That's fine, thank you Popy, what about Professor Lockhart?"
"He's a lost cause I'm afraid. He obliviated his own memory of everything, and the wand was damaged to start off which caused further complications. I've sent him onto St Mungo's."
He nodded his head taking that as her dismissal. Leaving the office, she saw an anxious Harry waiting at the bottom of the stairs with Professor McGonagall, smiling briefly, she asked Minerva to drop by her office later for a chat about old times. McGonagall agreed and set a time half an hour after curfew.
After telling Dumbledore of what happened in the chamber (leaving out coming back from the future and never looking him in the eye) just as he was about to leave, Lucius Malfoy barged into the office like he owned the place. Seeing the elf, he knew was Dobby, he decided to stick around in the office to see what happened. After a brief confrontation between the headmaster and Lucius, Lucius left kicking his elf in-front of him. Seeing the opportunity to help the poor creature, he quickly asked Dumbledore if he could have the diary. Seeing what the boy was going to do, he gave him the book.
Out in the hallway, Harry gave the book back to Mr Malfoy who, with utter disgust, tossed it at his elf to carry. "Master gave Dobby clothes!" the elf cried with joy. Going into a rage, he pulled his wand on the young boy. Seeing his bad master threaten the great Harry Potter, Dobby banished him down the hall stating he would not harm Harry Potter. Slipping the diary back into his school robes, Harry headed up to his dorm where he placed it in the bottom of his trunk.
Dinner that evening was interrupted by the victims of the basilisk entering the hall, after a bone crushing hug from Hermione and some friendly conversation, they all headed back up to the Gryffindor tower after the announcement that exams were cancelled. An hour before curfew the buzzing at the back of Harry's head was starting to cause him quite the head ache, deciding it would be easier to get a decent night's sleep if he saw the matron before bed; he made the journey down to the infirmary. After a brief discussion on the problem, she gave him a double dose of the headache calming draught. Before instructing him to see her should the problem persist.
The next morning the buzzing was back full force, he was sad it was the end of the year, but glad due to all the tasks he had to accomplish in this short summer. Walking hand in hand with Hermione down to the carriages after breakfast, he missed the jealous looks from both Ron and Ginny. He got into a carriage with the others, enjoying their company. On the way to the station, Harry noticed the buzzing decrease in volume the further away from the castle the carriage got.
Finding an empty compartment on the train, the trio sat down and started some light ribbing with Hermione about not having to do any exams. She huffed before heading to the loo to get changed. Once she came back, Harry left the two of them so he could go find a pair of twins to have a chat with. Finding them in a compartment with the three Gryffindor chasers and Lee Jordan, he asked if he could talk to them alone for a moment.
"Hey guys, could I ask a favour?"
"Sure"
"Anything for little"
"Harrykinns"
"Guys, this is serious. I've heard a rumour you want to open your own joke shop once you finish school." he was cut off by them shoving him into an empty compartment opposite there original one watching with a bemused smile as one of the twins cast a privacy spell.
"What do you..."
"Know about that?" they demanded.
"Only that it was going on in the rumour mill, guess by your reactions its true." Seeing there sheepish looks and with a silent nod from Fred or was it George, "I was wondering if I could be your financial backer? One's got to start looking after their future early on right. Besides it isn't like I'm going to spend all the gold I've got."
"We would be honoured..."
"To accept financial..."
"Support from you..."
"Oh, Great snake Slayer..."
"Trouncer of trolls… "
"Damsel rescuer"
"You'd have to keep it a secret..."
"From our darling mother..."
"The diabolical GinGin"
"Are you sure, oh brother of mine…"
"Most definitely. We'd be blackmailed before the week was out…"
"Too true Greed, too true."
"We can't forget our dear brothers now."
"Most definitely not, there's"
"Prat Percy"
"And of cause little Ronnykinns..." they finished together
"That's fine, though I must ask... have you procured a certain piece of parchment which you use to navigate the castle?"
Seeing the twins share a look, before carefully taking out a piece of parchment, which Harry recognised as blank parchment. "Now boys, I know that's not the piece we're looking for."
Watching as they stared at him in shock before bringing out the real map. Deciding to get revenge on them for trying to trick him, Harry placed his wand on the parchment, and started, "Oh great Marauders…" watching the twin's eyes getting wider he continued, "The son of prongs greets thee, and solemnly swears the next generation is up to no good" Seeing their gobsmacked faces he pointed at the parchment. On it was written "Welcome, son of prongs, the Marauders henceforth dub thee 'Prongslet' until a new name can be issued."
"We are not worthy."
"We are not worthy."
"We are not worthy."
Hearing them chant that, he couldn't help but laugh. Five minutes later after they stopped, they told Harry to call them by their monikers of 'Gred and Forge', they parted ways with Harry heading back to his compartment and them across the hall.
As soon as he stepped into his compartment, he was assaulted with questions on what he had been doing. Leaving it at meeting with the twins, they settled down to play games, and talk for the rest of the journey.
The train ride was over all too soon for Harry. He really wasn't looking forward to seeing his relatives. Thankfully, they didn't make too much noise about having to wait, and soon his trunk was in the boot… this was going to be an interesting summer…