Harry, Professor Lupin, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall and Albus Dumbledore were in the Chamber of Secrets. Except for Dumbledore, everyone was gaping at the sight of giant snake. When Dumbledore called them to the first-floor girls lavatory, more commonly known as Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, they certainly didn't expect this.
"Albus..is that?.." Asked McGonagall.
"Yes it's basilisk."
"And we are in.."
"The Chamber of Secrets, yes." Said Dumbledore smiling. "Lemon drop?"
Professor McGonagall muttered something that sounded like "old geezer" and "barmy", but Dumbledore didn't mind.
"What's the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry directed his question to Professor Lupin, because McGonagall was still muttering something, Hagrid was torn between sorrow and relief that this beatiful but dangerous creature was dead and Dumbledore was examining the Slytherin statue.
"Well," started Lupin, "I thought it was just a legend.." He said before he started explaning. "According to the legend, a few years after Hogwarts was founded, there was a disagreement between Slytherin and three other founders – Gryffindor, Huflepuff and Ravenclaw. It was about muggleborn students. Slytherin believed that magical learning should be kept within all-magic families. He disliked taking students of Muggle parentage, believing them to be untrustworthy. After a while, there was a serious argument on the subject between Slytherin and Gryffindor, and Slytherin left the school."
Harry was interested. Remus was talking in his lecture tone, which he liked a lot. He was the best teacher he had so far.
"Slytherin, according to the legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were unworthy to study magic." Remus finished as Dumbledore returned.
"Well, the legend is surprisingly accurate." Said Dumbledore. "While that part about the heir isn't, obviously, but the part about the horror..." He suddenly looked deep in thought. "I can't think of other reason for basilisk being here than to kill..." Dumbledore was thinking about events in 'old' timeline. Why didn't he close the school? Why didn't he investigate further? He basically didn't do anything to stop it. He was really ashamed of himself. It was a pure luck nobody died.
They spent down there another hour. Hagrid was tasked with rendering the beast. He was beaming with pride that Dumbledore entrusted him with this, because the carcass was worth a fortune. It was definitely better job for Hagrid than introducing Harry to the wizarding world. After they emerged back, Dumbledore warded the bathroom, so nobody but him and Hagrid could step through the door. He then left the sink opened. Dumbledore also warned them not to speak about it. Who knows how could Voldemort react.
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MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE
Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw...
A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."
The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend.
Dumbledore was looking at the image in the newspaper. It was time for Sirius's escape. Dumbledore called his phoenix and vanished from his office. He appeared near the Priver Drive, number four. He drew his wand and started waving it in a complicated pattern, while he was walking around the house. After a few minutes he erected a temporary ward covering large area around the house. If some wizard cross the ward, he will be notified immediately.
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Dumbledore left the Minister's office in very bad mood. Cornelius refused to listen about the danger of placing the Dementors near the school. Again. This time he refused it before he could even tell him the reasons. Apparently Lucius Malfoy started influencing Fudge sooner. Dumbledore of course didn't have a leverage on him anymore, the diary was destroyed.
It would also be harder to get a trial for Sirius, but Dumbledore didn't really plan a trial for Sirius, at least not now, when he needed Pettigrew to find and ressurect Voldemort, and without Pettigrew, it would be really hard to arrange one. He wasn't happy that Sirius will be once again locked in that horrible place, but this time he will have better time there.
Dumbledore emerged from the floo in his office and sighed. Dementors at Hogwarts again. He was about to call Remus and tell him to teach young Harry the Patronus charm, when a small, silver instrument in his pocket started to vibrate. Someone has crossed the ward. He quickly called Fawkes and flashed in front of the Hogwarts gate. He didn't want to risk flashing right to the Priver Drive, because Sirius could panic and dissapear.
He disillusioned himself and silently apparated. He apparated in front of the door at number four, Privet Drive. Sirius was nowhere to see. Dumbledore quickly cast another charms around himself. Sirius could be in his animagus form and therefore could smell, see and hear better than average human. After a few minutes of walking around the street, he noticed very big gleaming eyes in the bush. He stopped and waited as the dog came out of the bush and was getting closer to him. When he was sure he can't miss, he fired stunning spell at him.
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Sirius was about to change to his human form when a red beam of light hit him and everything went black. When he opened his eyes, he was not at the Privet Drive anymore. It was over, he knew it. They caught him and he will be going back to Azkaban, probably without his soul. He failed again. He was bounded by ropes sitting in a chair and across to him was sitting...
"Professor Dumbledore!" He shouted desperately. "You've got to listen to me, please...You don't understand...You will regret it if you don't...please..listen to me, I am innocent.." Sirius was panicking.
Dumbledore didn't like the state Sirius was in, but he couldn't just say "yeah, I believe you" and let him be. He stood up and pulled a small vial of veritaserum from his pocket. With Severus gone for summer, he 'borrowed' it from his storage. He knew that Sirius's story was quite long and he didn't have patience at all in the last few months. With information about future, all he could do was to wait for some things to happen and do nothing before. It was driving him mad.
"Very well." He said. "If you agree to use veritaserum, I will hear you out."
Sirius couldn't believe his luck. With veritaserum there will be no doubts about his innocence. He nearly grinned and quickly agreed.
Dumbledore put the required three drops on his tonque and after a while his eyes became unfocused.
"What's your name?"
"Sirius Orion Black."
"Are you a Death Eater?"
"No."
"Did you betray James and Lily Potter?"
"No."
"Did you kill Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles?"
"No."
"Why did you escape from Azkaban?"
"To kill Peter Pettigrew and protect my godson."
"Where is Peter Pettigrew?"
"In Egypt with the Weasleys. He is a rat animagus."
Dumbledore was satisfied and gave him the antidote. "I am truly sorry Sirius, I should have arranged the trial long time ago." He said grimly, but Sirius wasn't really listening.
"We have to kill the rat!" He growled.
"Sirius!" Dumbledore said sharply. "You once tried to kill him and look how you ended! I will take care of Peter, when the Weasleys come back and you will do nothing! If the ministry catch you, you will be given a dementor kiss on the spot. Fudge is taking bribes from Lucius Malfoy and you can't really expect a trial. And then there is your godson, or did you forget about him already?" Dumbledore knew it was unfair, but he needed Sirius at Grimmauld Place and not running around the country chasing the rat. Sirius stopped growling.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Harry. He is here at Hogwarts." Mentioning Harry was good idea, because Sirius calmed down and forgot about Pettigrew.
"Can I see him? How old is he? Does he like quidditch?...Why is he here anyway?" He asked finally.
"Calm down my boy. You can see him but not now. You are dirty, skinny, haunted man. You should take care of yourself first.
Now, you may not know, but you are the Lord Black, you were never formally disinherited. You inherited a house in London if I am not mistaken."
"Grimmauld Place?" Growled Sirius again. "I don't want to see that place again."
"I understand you have some bad memories from your childhood, but you need a place to stay. And Harry will need a home. I took him from the Dursleys after I found out about how they treated him..."
"He was with Petunia?! What were you thinking when you placed him there?!"
Dumbledore sighed. This will be a long night.
After an hour of shouting and growling, Sirius finally calmed down with help from lemon drops. He agreed to go to Grimmauld Place and make it suitable for Harry. Dumbledore provided him with a portkey and told him to expect a visit in a few days. He also warned him not to throw out valuable things like jewellery and other potentially valuable things and heirlooms.
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Dumbledore was looking at the Slytherin locket inside the glass case. He was at the Grimmauld Place, in the drawing room. A house-elf, Kreacher, placed it here after he couldn't destroy it. Dumbledore took the horcrux and immediately felt sinister feeling from the locket.
He came back to the kitchen, where Sirius was sitting behing the table, waiting for him. He asked him about the locket. Sirius didn't know anything about it.
"Could you call your house-elf?" Dumbledore asked him. "He could know something." Sirius doubted that his disgusting elf knew something but called him nevertheless.
Kreacher appeared and immediately scowled at them. "You called Kreacher?" The elf asked and continued in whisper. "Useless spawn and mudblood lover..."
"Shut up!" Shouted Sirius at him.
Dumbledore pulled out the locket and Kreacher abruptly stopped his insulting speech. "Do you know something about it Kreacher?" Kreacher paled and seemed to fight an internal battle.
"Master Regulus's locket." He croaked. "Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed his orders!" He screeched the last words.
"Tell me everything." Half commanded Dumbledore. He wanted Sirius to hear it from the elf, that Regulus turned against the Dark Lord. Kreacher started to talk.
"When Master Regulus was sixteen years old, Master joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve... And one day, a year after he joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said...he said...The old elf looked scared, as if he was experiencing it again. ...he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."
"Voldemort needed an elf?" Asked Sirius surprised.
"And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher." Continued the elf. "It was an honor, said Master Regulus, an honor for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do...and then to come home." Kreacher was now sobbing. Kreacher continued with his tale, but only with Sirius listening.
Dumbledore stopped listening the Kreacher's tale and shuddered. He could see the cavern with black lake without Kreacher's description...the boat and a basin full of green potion...and water full of Inferi.. He saw Ariana and how he killer her, how his brother blamed him...he heard his parents blaming him for what he had done...They said they will never forgive him...
Meanwhile Kreacher was at the end of his tale. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," moaned the elf. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work...So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open..."
"Dumbledore! Are you allright?" Asked Sirius with a concerned look on his face. Dumbledore looked bad. He was shuddering and he was pale like ghost. Of course, Sirius wasn't in very good shape too. His brother turned against Voldemort. He wasn't just a coward.
Dumbledore forced himself from his thoughts.
"I am fine, don't worry. We should destroy it now." He was sure he could destroy the locket without opening it. Opening the locket was probably the same as writing in the diary – it could possess the unlucky person who did it. He definitely didn't want to open it.
"What is it?" Asked Sirius. He took the locket and felt the same sinister feeling from the locket as Albus. It was some dark magic, he knew it.
"It's one of the darkest arts in existence." Dumbledore said simply. He will tell Sirius about horcruxes, because he needed help with a horcrux behind Harry's scar. But not brought the Sword of Gryffindor with him and placed locket on the table. He stood up and gave the Sword to Sirius.
Sirius took it carefully. He looked at Kreacher who was looking at him hpefully. Sirius now knew that Kreacher suffered because of this locket. Kreacher didn't like him since he was sorted to Gryffindor, but when he came here few days ago, Kreacher seemed to hate him more than before. It was because he failed to fulfil his master's wish. His magic was punishing him for his failure and drived him crazy.
He lifted the Sword of Gryffindor and stabbed the locket.
Three down, four to go. Dumbledore hoped that Sirius as Lord Black can access Bellatrix's vault. He looked at Sirius, who was panting heavily.
"All right?" He asked him and Sirius nodded. He then left the kitchen and returned with a bottle of firewiskey. Dumbledore chuckled and took the glass Sirius offered him.
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Harry was in the Defence classroom with Professor Lupin.
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore asked me to teach you a patronus charm. With the recent escape of Sirius Black..." Painful emotion flashed through his face for a while. "Minister Fudge decided to place Dementors here, and Dumbledore wants you to be prepared."
"What's a Dementor?" Harry asked.
"It's a Dark creature.." Said Lupin with a slight shudder. "Dementors are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them. Get too near a Dementor, and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you..."
Now Harry shuddered too.
"They are the guards of Azkaban, wizarding prison. They can consume a person's soul leaving their victims in a permanent vegetative state. It's like a muggle death sentence." Lupin finished.
"Well," started Harry. "That sounds horrible." He said.
"It is." Whispered Lupin.
"Azkaban must be terrible," Harry muttered. Lupin nodded grimly.
"The fortress is set on a tiny island, way out to sea, but they don't need walls and water to keep the prisoners in, not when they're all trapped inside their own heads, incapable of a single cheery thought. Most of them go mad within weeks. But enough of this." He said suddenly. The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level."
"How does it work?" asked Harry. He was fairly sure he could do it.
"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor."
"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously.
"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."
"And how do you conjure it?"
"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."
Well, Harry didn't really have a problem with happy memory. There was a certain bushy-haired witch...
"The incantation is.." Lupin cleared his throat. "Expecto patronum!"
"Expecto patronum," Harry repeated under his breath and thought about the kiss with Hermione. Silvery mist erupted from the tip of his wand. He grinned, satisfied.
"Very good Harry, very good indeed!" Said Lupin with a smile. "Of course, we can't practice it with a real dementor, or even a boggart...hmm"
"What is a boggart?" Asked Harry curiously.
"Well that's another creature..It takes on the form of the viewer's worst fear. But we don't know if your worst fear is Dementor. You will be learning about boggart this year Harry. Although I don't know if I should let you face it in the class." He said thoughtfuly.
"Why not?" Asked Harry.
"Well, I don't know your biggest fear, but imagine the reaction of your classmates, when they see Voldemort." Harry actually looked thoughful and Lupin immediately thought of James. He would consider it a good prank. He changed to topic back at the Patronus charm.
"So basically, you should practice this spell until you can produce a corporeal patronus. But don't be disappointed if you can't do it Harry." He said. "Many of grown wizards and witches can't produce one, so it's no shame."
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Harry stared at the black door with a silver knocker. There was no keyhole or letterbox. Dumbledore apparated them here. He said that his godfather wanted to see him. Harry was intrigued. He had a godfather? And where was he for thirteen years?
Dumbledore pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. Harry heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open. Harry stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall. He could smell damp, dust, and a sweetish, rotting smell; the place had the feeling of a derelict building. He heard a soft hissing noise and then old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered into life all along the walls, casting a flickering insubstantial light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway, where a cobwebby chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls.
Dumbledore led Harry to the kitchen, where a man was sitting with his legs on the table, reading newspaper. He seemed familiar. Harry recognized him from his photo album. He was at his parent's wedding, but he didn't know his name. There was something about his eyes...he gasped when he realized where he had seen that haunted eyes. It was Sirius Black.
"H-harry?"