Chapter Seven: The Second Year.
The colourful trio passed the sobbing, shouting mass of people and entered the vivid-red Express, which engine was exhaling a cloud of steam already.
They once again occupied the first empty compartment they found.
Three friends were having a light conversation, when the compartment door opened, revealing a blonde girl with huge dreamy silver eyes, long hair, which touched her waist, large reddish earrings and a necklace, made of various bottle caps.
The boys were having neutral expressions on their face, when, suddenly Ron exploded in a burst of laugher, pointing at her
"Ahaha! Eeheehee!"
Harry just smiled at her kindly, while Draco was having an internal battle with himself whether to laugh or not – his mouth opened for a second and closed, the more polite side of him winning.
The strange girl greeted them nonchalantly, seeming totally oblivious to their reaction.
"Hello. May I sit with you?" Her voice was gentle and smooth.
Ron stopped laughing, giving Potter a look that dared him to try.
"Of course, sit!" Harry answered, welcoming the girl warmly.
Draco and Ron looked at him as if he was crazy.
"What's your name?"
"Luna Lovegood." she answered and pulled out a magazine, "The Quibbler", and read it, overturned.
Potter had seen a lot of strange things in the wizarding world, so he was completely comfortable with it.
"It's a beautiful name. I'm Harry Potter."
She looked at him, not surprised a bit
"I know. I noticed your scar already."
Although she had some problem with her head, she was very cute with her angelic face and petite frame – Harry could bet all his money that she was going to be a stunning young lady in a few years.
Once the Express arrived to the Hogsmeade Station, the trio went to the horseless carriages, while Luna, after saying parting words, went to Hagrid, who was calling all the first years.
The Great Hall was as majestic as ever. All the students were talking excitedly, awaiting the outcome of the Sorting. The Hat once again prepared a song for everyone to hear.
I see you read
This piece of shit,
Still nothing else to do?
I hope you'd liked then
What I tried to turn HP into.
Oh no, he won't make his hair long
And look like sorta gay.
And this I pledge, oh, faithful mate
HP, in end, will still be straight!
Oh no I don't(!) and won't(!) discriminate the gayful lot
They poked, poke each other's throat
And 'll poke it either way.
So if you're gay, then, friend, still stay
Because on FFN, a period, net there is,
Apparently, a lot of your esteemed rainbowish sort.
Now, back to story, dear friend!
So read, review and GO TO BED!
The Sorting Hat put the firsties to their new 'Families', most notably, Luna in Ravenclaw and Ron's little cute sister to Gryffindor.
Dumbledore gave his welcoming speech and wished everyone good appetite.
"I want to introduce the new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts and very famous wizard indeed to you – Gilderoy Lockhart!"
The old wizard clapped enthusiastically, letting Lockhart speak.
The blond professor stood up and flashed his most charming smile.
"Thank you. Thank you! It's an honour to teach such an important subject to the newest generation of wizards! And I promise you that as long as I'm here, in Hogwarts, nothing bad will happen to you – I give you my word on that!."
The majority of the school's female population (and some guys too) were screaming in delight, some of them even fainted out of excitement.
Harry and Ron simultaneously rolled their eyes in irritation, while Draco snorted, seeing his two friends' antics.
The long-awaited food appeared and everyone dug in – the food obviously didn't stay a chance. Everything edible was mercilessly obliterated by the student body rapidly fast.
At the end of the Feast, Dumbledore gave Potter a look that the boy completely understood.
"Hi, mate! How is your exciting life going?" Harry asked the gargoyle, which, obviously, wasn't as talkative as he was.
After several minutes had passed, the stone statue stepped aside, allowing the boy to enter the headmaster's office.
"Hi, uncle!" he greeted the aged wizard. The boy had very good mood – delicious food that filled his stomach completely ensure it.
"Hello, Harry! How was your Summer Break?" Albus asked.
"Great! The Malfoys are such a bunch of braggarts, by the way. They try to display their wealth in every possible way. Even the toilet caps are made of gold – can you imagine!" the boy spoke enthusiastically.
Dumbledore chuckled at Harry's little tirade.
"You didn't see your family manor before it was obliterated by Voldemort's forces during the War, Harry. It was thrice bigger than the Malfoy's one. But enough of small talk. Do you wish to continue your tutelage?" he asked, his eyes becoming serious in an instant.
"You know the answer, uncle." Harry answered with hard-set look.
"Good. The same time as before then, Harry, every day. This year, I also will show you some of my memories of the time when Voldemort was of your age or a little bit older - you must know your enemies better than your friends, Harry. It is a very simple fact of life, but its simplicity doesn't make it unimportant. Now go, my boy. I'm sure young misters Malfoy and Weasley are waiting for you in your common room. Have a good night."
"Goodnight, uncle." Harry left.
Their new dorms were as good as their old ones were, but a little bit more spacious. After making themselves comfortable, the second year slytherin boys wished each other goodnight and fell asleep.
The next day, which was Wednesday, found the trio having their breakfast – they all were without even a drop of sleep in their eyes. The youngest Weasley gave Harry strange looks here and there, which made Harry look at Ron, worried that his friend would really kill him. The redhead gave him an evil smile.
"Look, Harry, it seems you have a couple of fan girls now!" Draco teased, nodding his head towards Daphne, who sent murderous looks to Ginny
"You have a few fan boys too. Look how this Creevy guy is staring at you." Ron howled with laugher, noticing the gryffindor boy who looked in sheer awe at The-Boy-Who-Lived.
"Go to hell, morons." Harry mumbled, shuffling his oatmeal with the golden spoon.
After stuffing their stomachs, they took their timetables from professor Snape and proceeded to their lessons - double astronomy and double charms.
"I wonder how our professors can teach all seven years if there are so few of them." Harry said.
"You really don't know?" Draco asked with a fake shocked expression.
"No, of course I know, dunderhead, I just wanted to hear your annoying girlish voice once more!" Harry retorted.
"You flatter me with your compliment, Harry."
Malfoy continued
"They have time turners that allow them to be in a few places at once, also they make a wizard's oath to not use it for their personal gains – you know, not to screw up the stream of time and all." the blond boy lectured.
"REALLY?" Harry and Ron asked simultaneously.
"Of course not, you idiots – I'm just joking. Did you really ate such rubbish?" Draco said, looking at his two friends incredulously.
"From the third year and upwards they have electives and go to their usual lessons after the lunch. Also, our year is special, my friends"
"Why?" Harry asked.
"Because you are in this year, stupid. And my father and Longbottom's granny are members of the Board of Governors. And Susan Bones' aunt is the head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I told you, sometimes, I mean, most of the time, it sucks to be from an ordinary family. Such a pity..."
In the evening Harry once again went to his 'extracurricular' studies, or as he called them himself – his 'uncle time'.
Albus already awaited him there with a pensieve on his table.
Harry watched how his much younger mentor told an eleven year old boy named Tom Riddle that he was a wizard, and, after the latter didn't believe, set Tom's cabinet on fire with a swish of his wand and snuffed it out after a second. The boy was amazed by it, finally believing the old man. Tom told the old man that he always knew he was different: he made animals obey him and, if he didn't get things his way, he bullied his peers by making strange things happen to them. The boy cold ruthlessness and violence already showed signs – in eleven years, for Merlin's sake!
"He was such a tosser, even when he was younger than I am now." Harry stated.
Dumbledore chuckled
"Indeed, my boy. While I, myself, don't use such words usually, there is no other way to describe Voldemort better than you did right now. Let me show you some very rare magical practice now, young man."
"Are you going to show me how to do magic wandlessly, uncle?" Potter asked excitedly.
"My boy, there is no such nonsense as 'wandless' magic. Also there are no magic staffs of tremendous power or potions that make you invincible or goblins that become your friends and make you ridiculously powerful with some secret rituals in a matter of weeks." Dumbledore stated matter-of-factly
"But there is one practice that not so many people know about, or, it's better say, know how to use. Also, not all of those, who do know, have enough magical power."
"Tell me already, uncle" Harry demanded with fake annoyance in his voice.
"The Time magic, Harry. How do you think I'm so unnaturally fast sometimes in battle? Natural speed? Yes of course there is some still in this ancient body of mine, but not as much as there used to be. Now I must ask you to give me a wizard's oath again to not teach this practice to anybody, my boy. Only to your own protégé, when you'll have one."
Harry swore an oath – such a serious ritual became a mere routine on their lessons.
"Good. This particular branch of the Time magic won't allow you to travel back or forth in time. Instead, it will make you move and think faster, while all opponents around you will be just too sluggish for you, or stop the flow of time completely. The incantation of the first spell is 'Tempus Tardo' and, maybe, you may guess what is the wand movement already yourself?"
"The clock?" Harry guessed sheepishly.
Albus laughed kindly
"Nonsense, my boy. It's a very old spell – do you think the ancient wizards and witches had clocks? The symbol of infinity or the 'eight' lying on its side, if you prefer. Now watch and learn." Dumbledore cast the spell and his movements became a blur.
'Finite' Harry heard Albus saying behind his back and turned around.
"This spell drains a lot on your magical power, so use it wisely. The second one's incantation is 'Strigo Momentum', with a similar wand movement – you draw the same symbol and cross it sharply with diagonal line from upper right to lower left. This spell is even more draining - if I use it for more than half a minute I become dizzy." Dumbledore said and cast the spell.
'Strigo Momentum'
He disappeared from Harry's sight.
"Did you enjoy the show, my boy." the old wizard asked Harry with twinkle in his eyes, sitting behind his large table. Harry was thunderstruck.
"Now. Do try it yourself, and remember – time is not a toy, play with it very cautiously." Dumbledore warned seriously.
The boy left the headmaster office with a tired but self-satisfied smile that night.
Harry and his friends entered a classroom where their first DADA lesson was going to be.
The whole room was decorated with various paintings and photos of Lockhart. His smile flashed a hundred times in one second as a result, which annoyed all the boys from Slytherin and Hufflepuff second year.
Then the teacher graced them all with his glorious presence and dazzling smile.
"My name, as you all know, of course, is Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary member of Dark Force Defence League and the five times winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award." he smiled again, proving that he indeed had charming smile.
All the girls, but Daphne, exhaled dreamily - she ignored the teacher completely, instead sending looks of longing towards Harry here and there subtly. Harry of course was completely oblivious to it, because she sat two desks behind him.
Zabini and Nott, knowing about a little drama in their own House, were having a friendly chat, trying to predict when she was going to approach Harry and confess.
"A year!" Blaise whispered to his best mate.
"Are you joking? About five and a half years, right before we grad..." Ted stopped speaking abruptly.
"What are you talking about so excitedly, worms? If I hear you again discussing my life I'll castrate both of you and make you choke on your own pathetic peckers" she threatened them.
They both nodded, obviously scared of her. Damn, who wasn't?
"Why did you talk so loudly?" the friends started to argue.
The lesson was boring – Lockhart made them do the quiz, which asked some idiotic questions, e.g. 'What's my favourite colour and in which book I mentioned it?' Harry answered as sarcastically as possible, with slytherin boys following his example.
The time was passing, whilst Harry and his two best mates were becoming stronger and stronger with every passing hour. Potter practised his Time magic spells rigorously and his efforts gave him their first fruits – he could keep up his acceleration spell for about twenty seconds, but he still couldn't stop the time flow for more than a couple of seconds.
They were approached by Hermione in the library on first Saturday of October – the girl boldly occupied a spare stool behind their table, seeming to await an inevitable question from them. Draco gave her a questioning gaze.
"Do you need something, Granger?" he asked.
"Hello to you too, Draco." she greeted him coldly, her frigid stare making the blond shiver a bit.
Then, Harry, being the most observant, noticed that her eyes were, instead of warm brown like chocolate, fiery orange. He gasped.
"Hermione, how frequently have you used the fiendfyre? Are you stupid? If somebody knowledgeable enough will notice the colour of your eyes, you'll be thrown in the Azkaban faster than you say 'Screw you, Potter'" he whispered to her, genuinely worried for the girl that, while sometimes annoyed him a lot, was no stranger to him after the Stone Incident.
She looked at him, surprised that someone was actually worried about her. It warmed her a lot.
"Don't worry, Harry – I've ordered brown coloured contact lenses already. I've sat here with you three to ask a question - is it OK if I join your little study group?"
Harry smiled friendly and started to talk
"Of course it's..."
"Not OK", Ron interrupted him and continued
"Look, mate, she is a frigging pyromaniac, who doesn't see any difference in frying something and someone! I say, let's incarcerate her, put in reinforced box and send her to Saint Mungo!" he exclaimed, pointing at her accusingly.
"And also, let's not forget to put that Lovegood girl inside too – it's hard to tell who, of two of them, is more crazy." Draco added.
Harry looked at his friends incredulously.
"Are you serious?" Hermione said disbelievingly, being on the verge of tears by that moment.
Draco gave high five to Ron and they started to roll, laughing.
"Very funny guys." Potter commented with a stone expression, but a smile cracked his face in a second.
"You are in, Granger. Although I don't like you at all, I understand that you can be a very useful addition to our company. Just remember not to fry us, OK?" Malfoy said.
She gave them all a brilliant smile, nodding enthusiastically.
"OK!"
Draco was right – she was a very good addition to their company, bringing in logical thinking, deep analysis and fire. Harry wondered not just once how she could be such a mixture, but decided finally to leave it be.
When they finally left the library after a long study session, it was late in the evening.
The Halloween feast was as good as it usually was. After it finished, the trio decided to have a little walk in the corridors. They were passing the one on the second floor, when Ron suddenly shouted, pointing to something
"Look! There is something written in blood on the wall!"
Indeed, on the wall between two windows there was writing in sticky and red liquid - 'THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE'.It shimmered in the darkness of the corridor, which was lit by the torches and a little bit of light from the outside.
The boys subtly started snorting, which in a moment turned into a full blown laugher.
"I would really like to see how this 'Heir' is going to kill the muggleborns and half-bloods without the monster." Harry said, drying his eyes with his green plaid wrap.
"I have an idea guys – I must tell something to my uncle, so see you later!" he said and ran to the headmaster's office.
"Hello, my boy! We already had a lesson today, so there is for sure something else that you wish to talk about." Dumbledore asked his protégé.
"Uncle, do you know about the writing on the wall in corridor, second floor?" the old wizard shook his head, gesturing for Harry to continue speaking "It warns the enemies of the 'Heir' that the Slytherin's Chamber has been opened again. I suggest, uncle, that we do something equally elegant and funny..."
He started to explain his plan to Albus, whose eyes began to twinkle madly.
Ginny Weasley was in pain. After she understood that the diary she found abandoned on the ground near the Flourish and Blott's had its own mind and soul she was so excited, having now a faithful ear to listen all the silly nonsense she was telling it. Her crush on Harry Potter, her worries about not being good enough student – the list could go on for hours.
But then, she started to have the memory lapses, being in her common room first, and suddenly finding herself in some empty corridor or classroom. Once she even got herself in the Myrtle's bathroom this way! So she became suspicious, but then the blasted diary, or, Tom, as it called itself, made her feel pain when it asked her for taking control over her body for a few hours and she denied.
She felt as if she was implanted on a huge roasting-jack and cooked... slowly. Finally she let Tom possess her again.
Tom Riddle didn't have a habit to give up, at all. When he had finally taken control over that little moron, he went straight to the secret entrance of the Chamber. He slid down and after a little bit of walking stood in front of his great ancestor's statue.
This was a long-awaited moment of his triumph. He was almost drunk by that beautiful feeling. Oh, victory was so very sweet...
"Speak with me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four!"
The huge mouth opened... and nothing happened. Then he heard a distinct sound of somebody walking, coming from the statue's gob.
He took an offensive stance, ready to obliterate anything that would come from there.
A small ball of light appeared in front of the statue's head and somebody, who was distinctly man, levitated himself to the cold stone floor of the chamber. Riddle scowled, which on Ginny's freckled face didn't look intimidating at all, instead it seemed so... cute.
"You! How did you enter the Chamber? You are not of Slytherin blood!" Tom exclaimed.
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Tom, my boy... (heh.. well your mind is a boy's one so I think it's alright to call you a boy..), you are so predictable"
He pointed his wand very fast on the girl, triggering Expelliarmus-Incarcero contingency, each spell was put there twice, to be sure.
Ginny Riddle/Tom Weasly was bound and harmless, but still was sending murderous glares towards the old man with her scarlet eyes.
"Harry, take the basilisk's fang and destroy the diary." Dumbledore instructed.
His protégé complied, taking off his invisibility cloak on his way.
He stopped in front of the huge head of snake.
"Right or left, uncle?"
"Throw a coin, my boy: left is tails, right is heads."
Harry pulled the galleon from his pocket and threw it.
The piece of gold clacked on the stone floor, and Potter seeing which side it was upwards said
"Tails!"
He separated the left fang from the head of the dead monster with severing charm, took it carefully in his right hand and approached the possessed girl.
"See you later, Tommie." Harry said jovially, winking at the girl (or boy?), and, after picking up the diary from the floor, raised his armed hand.
"NOOOO!" Tom Weasley cried, desperation being crystal clear in his voice.
Potter stabbed the cursed diary a few times. The girl's body convulsed in, obviously, ocean and a little sea of pain.
Whilst all the bedlam was happening in the Chamber of Secrets, one Ginevra Weasley was locked in her own mind. She stood, wearing only her birthday suit, all alone in a place, which was vast, purely white and, evidently, infinite.
She didn't know how long she waited, but, when it seemed to be an eternity, suddenly, a burnt body fell on the floor or earth or... whatever it was. It wasn't burnt too well, apparently, because it started moving its roasted limbs.
The piece of meat exhaled a pathetic moan and Ginny, being such a compassionate cute little girl she was, approached him (Was it him? Yes it was, just look down there!), completely forgetting her state of dress, or the lack of one.
"Hey! Are you alright?"
She abruptly realised how silly her question was – here somebody was laying on the ground, and looking as if he escaped right from Hell - and she was asking if he was Alright! The girl touched his right hand and felt as if her head exploded in a burst of pain. Ginny tried to pull her hand away, but it was completely stuck to the burnt limb.
The pain increased greatly and her eyes started to roll back in agony. In her mind, she was watching Tom's whole life from the first day when he started to sense the world around him to the day when he made his first horcrux, killing somebody in the process. Her consciousness was shut down sharply and fell into oblivion.
Ginny had awoken in the Infirmary and the first thing she had seen was a worried face of her brother, Ron.
His sad expression was almost broke in half by an appearance of a happy grin and he hugged her desperately.
"Ginny! I was so worried! Why did you never tell me about what this blasted diary was doing to you?"
"Voldemort can be very cunning sometimes, Mr Weasley – he tricked many much older and experienced wizards and witches." Dumbledore stated, appearing from the thin air as it seemed.
He gave her a kind grandfatherly smile, which she returned weakly.
"Hello, Ginny, I see you recuperated a bit already." her long-time crush said, appearing out of nowhere as his mentor did before him.
"We, I mean myself and Harry, just wanted to see how you were coping. Now we won't disturb you any more. Mr Weasley, I must ask you to leave too – your sister needs a very good rest." They went wherever they went, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
She suddenly remembered everything. Oh well...
Ginny found her wand on a bedside table and grabbed it. She conjured a feet by feet mirror, which floated in the air above front of her face.
"M-m-erlin" she stuttered.
Freckles disappeared, her irises became ruby red instead of brown, her features became sharper and more pronounced. Her hair, which used to be ginger, turned crimson, almost black, in colour. She dismissed the mirror and lay still on the bed, analysing everything that happened to her recently.
She was feeling intoxicating, burning power inside herself – Ginny understood at that moment just how much Voldemort was more powerful than some ordinary wizard or witch.
At this very same moment, Harry and Albus were having their own discussion in the headmaster's office.
"Uncle, have you seen her eyes!" Harry asked.
He sat on the chair in front of the headmaster's table.
"Yes, I have, my boy. It seems that her soul merged with Voldemort's soul shard, making two consciousnesses become one... no it's not right... Her consciousness is still her own – I checked it with a light Legilimency probe, but she does have knowledge and skill of sixteen year old Tom Riddle. With some of his traits too, I'm sure."
Albus explained to his protégé. Harry snorted.
"So she's what? Ginevramort? Voldegin?" Dumbledore's eyes twinkled a bit.
"No, Harry. She is still Ginny Weasley, although she is very knowledgeable in dark arts now and a lot more powerful magically." The old man stated.
"Great. Still she's another splinter in my bum." Harry complained.
"Not only yours, but mine too, Harry"
"Have you seen it? They've opened a duelling club!" Ron shouted excitedly to his two friends.
"Oh, really? Who's the instructor?" Harry asked, full of suspiciousness.
"Lockhart" Draco told him, looking bored.
"And I truly like circus, especially with the World-Class star! Let's sign in." Ron said with a smile.
The club took residence in the Great Hall on Saturday evening. All its tables and benches were moved aside and a large podium was transfigured at the centre. There, Gilderoy Lockhart and Severus Snape stood, the latter, obviously, annoyed by the presence of the former, if the scowl on potion master's face wasn't out of the pain in his stomach.
When the trio came in, the hall was already crowded with excited students. Lockhart started his welcoming speech, flashing his trademark smile to the students of Hogwarts.
"Welcome to the first meeting of the Duelling Club! You, of course already know who I am and that I will be your instructor here. Our esteemed professor Snape kindly accepted the position of my assistant!"
Snape sent Gilderoy a glare that promised pain, which Lockhart ignored, continuing his talking.
"Now! We are going to make a demonstrative duel for you, but don't you worry, your dear professor will still stay among the living when I obliterate him!"
Severus now was too calm. Harry knew by now that the pompous blond dunderhead would be in a world of pain in mere moment.
"The rules?" Snape snarled.
"No unforgivables and stop by the first blood." the narcissistic blond replied.
Potter hoped that Lockhart wrote his death wish.
"So, on three?"
Snape nodded his head slightly, standing in offensive stance.
"Harry, if you will?", 'instructor' asked.
The boy counted loudly
"One, two... THREE!"
'Expelliarmus!' Snape cast a disarming charm, which Lockhart dodged completely by luck, accidentally stepping aside.
'Stupefy!' the blond answered with a weak looking stunner, which Snape blocked with a precise 'Protego'
By that moment, Snape was furious.
'Sectumsempra!' he snarled, making five slashing movements with his wand.
Five long deep wounds appeared on Lockhart's chest as if he was slashed by an invisible sword. He fell on the ground, losing his wand out of Snape's 'Expelliarmus', a pool of blood filling under him.
Snape approached him slowly.
"Pack your things, clown, the next time I see you I will cut off your empty head and turn it into a potion-brewing cauldron." Lockhart looked at him, obviously scared shitless and nodded fast.
Severus cast 'Vulnera Sanentur' a few times, the spell healed all the wounds on the body of pathetic blond.
"You will have scars to remind you about your arrogance, idiot. Now go away before I finished you off!"
Gilderoy stood up and ran away as fast as his legs could move him.
The student body was awed. Then the slytherins started to cheer for their head of house.
Lockhart packed his things and left the school without even noticing Dumbledore about his leave during the same day.
Snape became an interim DADA teacher until the end of the school year – his old dream coming true. The rest of it was spent by Harry and company without any adventures, the Christmas was all spent as the previous one, and, after finishing his final exams, he became the top student in his year once again, making Severus and Dumbledore proud.
AN(05.10.2011/10.05.2011): Two more and the revision of the Prologue is complete. I will probably post the Chapter 14 on Saturday.