Thanks to Jordi for the help on this chapter, and for giving me the idea that the Chamber of Secrets could have more exits, due to the tunnels that were mentioned but never detailed.
Things had only gone downhill after Hermione pointed out dirt on Ron's nose, making the boat-ride to the castle awkward after Ron joined them in their boats.
Harry grinned as he watched Hermione and Neville get sorted into Gryffindor and was relieved when he was sorted into Gryffindor too.
His father and Sirius would both be delighted at the news, though he wasn't sure how he felt about sharing a room with Ron. After all, Ron had looked annoyed when Hermione had been put in Gryffindor.
James had always told him the importance of being loyal to friends, and Hermione was his friend. Harry didn't like the way Ron was treating her. Hermione may be bossy, but everyone had flaws - and Hermione had been completely in the right to keep the Chocolate Frog Card.
...oOo...
Harry had a few problems with the Potions Master in the first class. He used the mirror to inform his father about Snape's cruelty.
James was furious, muttering things that Harry didn't understand, before turning up at the castle to see the Headmistress. The next class, Harry found that the professor wouldn't address him or even acknowledge him. That was fine by him, he'd rather be ignored than treated horribly.
The only eventful thing that really happened through the year, apart from the troll, was Hagrid's dragon. This led to their detention in the forest where Harry encountered something drinking the Unicorn Blood. He told the Headmistress, and she called the Aurors immediately.
The next day, Harry watched as Head Auror, Alastor Moody stomped into the great hall with James and Frank following. He walked up to the Headmistress, leaned over and spoke to her. As he turned, he did a double take.
Harry thought his gaze was on Snape and wondered what the Potions Professor had done.
Moody pulled out his wand, causing the Headmistress to push her chair back quickly, setting a small barrier around the Head-Table in case any of the Aurors shot any hexes. The Prefects and Head boy and girl jumped to attention, forcing the students out of the hall.
Harry lingered as people pushed past, wanting to make sure his father was safe. Instead he got to see a cruel face on the back of Quirrell's head before black smoke shot through Minerva's barrier, and towards him.
He pulled up a shield around himself, and the smoke hit the shield before shooting out of the hall.
"Dad?"
"Minerva, I'm going to stick around, make sure Harry's alright," James said, taking Harry's arm and leading him to the hospital wing.
...oOo...
"Harry, you're going to Hogwarts in a few days, and… and I know you've some questions about your wand," James began, hazel eyes flickering nervously around the room. "I don't want to tell you this, but Sirius and Remus think you need to know."
"Know what?" Harry asked.
"What really happened when your mother died," James replied. "As your father, I feel the need to protect you from… well, everything, including this, but -"
"Dad, you can tell me. I want to know, I need to know what Ollivander was talking about."
James finally met Harry's gaze.
"During the war, there was a prophecy stating that a child would be born that could defeat Voldemort. I was fighting; your mother was healing the order. The prophecy… your mother and Alice were both pregnant, due around the same time. Me, Sirius, and Remus had another friend in school, Peter. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Peter was all meek and innocent, and we didn't realise that he could betray us.
Remus had been sent to the Werewolves to get them on side, but Peter… he poisoned our minds to convince us Remus was the spy. Sirius and Remus even broke up. We feared for Remus, we really did. But it wasn't him. Peter was made our secret keeper, and he betrayed us."
"I hear Uncle Sirius cursing his name sometimes," Harry muttered.
"The Longbottoms and our family all went into hiding," James continued. "He chose you. Whether he thought you were his match, or whether he just came for you first, we don't know."
"What happened?"
"Dumbledore was due to come over. He had fire-called, stating he would be a few minutes, but your mum wasn't well, begging me to get her medicine. Our floo was only open to Dumbledore, so I headed into the garden. I had a small spot at the end that I could use for apparating, and I went to Sirius. When I arrived, the wards went off, but apparating back wasn't possible. Voldemort had set anti-apparition wards. We apparated to the end of the street."
"And?"
James shook his head in despair. "When we got there, we saw Dumbledore and Voldemort both fall, though Voldemort was… he left no body. Your mother was dead. Voldemort had reached her and taken her life, but Dumbledore arrived just in time to save you."
"But I thought you said the prophecy said I would kill him?"
"There was no body. We tried to kill him once before, but he returned. Dumbledore killed him, but we suspect… that he may come back once more."
"But that means I -"
"No, it means that you need to watch out and call me if there is any threat whatsoever. Let us deal with anything that comes up. You're not facing him."
"Dad -"
"I'm sorry, Harry. If I had waited a few minutes, maybe she'd still be alive," James whispered, his head dropping. Harry reached out and hugged his father.
"It's not your fault, dad."
...oOo...
"You were right."
"I didn't want to be, I hoped it was paranoia," James replied. "Are you okay? The stuff didn't touch you?"
Harry shook his head. "It couldn't get through my shield, but I saw its face. Was that him? What happens now?"
"It was him," James confirmed. "All we can do is wait for his next move. We have no way of tracing smoke, but we will stop him. I don't much believe in prophecies. One of us will kill him, not you."
...oOo...
Minerva sighed loudly as she looked through the job applications. She paused on Gilderoy Lockhart, snorting loudly.
There was no way he was qualified to teach, even if he did boast his achievements. Minerva read the list with a raised eyebrow, before discarding the application in the bin. "If he's achieved all that, I'll eat the sorting hat," she muttered.
Finally, she pushed them all aside, wondering if she could call in someone she knew. She racked her brain before her eyes fell on the Daily Prophet which held a picture of Sirius Black, who was fighting for children with the 'creature' or 'beast' status to be allowed to attend school.
Quick as a flash, she recalled the equality law he had fought hard to pass. Her lips turned up in a rare smile as her thoughts drifted to Remus Lupin.
The new laws would make it possible for her to hire him. She wouldn't let a vampire teach, due to the vulnerability of the students, or a Veela due to their quick tempers, but Remus was safe, mild-mannered, and taking Wolfsbane.
He had also given Harry and Neville excellent tutoring. He was perfect for the job. She picked up her quill and fresh parchment and began to write.
She knew he would take the job, even if it was just to watch over Harry and keep him safe.
Her quill stilled as she realised that he wouldn't come unless Sirius Black came too. She sighed, before finishing the letter. It was just a sacrifice she'd have to make.
Her Potions Professor wasn't going to be happy!
...oOo...
Remus sat at the dining table, Sirius' left hand holding his right. Sirius was sipping his tea in tired silence.
"Mail's here," Sirius muttered, breaking the comfortable silence as he heard the tapping at the window. He reluctantly let go of Remus' hand to get up and open it.
The owl flew past him, and Remus' eyes widened at the sight of the Hogwarts seal. He quickly untied it.
"Why is Hogwarts writing to you? Do you think it's about Harry?" Sirius asked, worried.
"It's the holidays," Remus replied. "Harry's not there, and if there was a problem, they'd let James know." His eyes skimmed the letter and his eyebrows raised. "It's about a job. The Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor position."
"But you'll have to move away from me," Sirius began, looking mortified at the very idea.
"She wants a meeting with the both of us and is aware that I won't stay without you, so we'll be offered a family room."
"I can go too?" Sirius asked, eyes lighting up. "Brilliant. We can keep a watch on Harry - after last year, I want to make sure he's safe. You get to be a Professor. You'll make one sexy Professor."
Remus shook his head. "The job is cursed," he said. "I'll have one year."
"We'll break that curse somehow," Sirius assured him.
...oOo...
"As you can understand, we have some concerns," Sirius said, an hour later. "There's the cursed job and I think we can agree that it'd be great for Remus to take the job for more than a year."
Minerva nodded. "I expect you have some suggestions?"
"We don't know where the curse lies. I'm sure you've checked already. It could be the contract, the rooms, the job title. It could be an item in the room or the Professor's Quarters. So how about changing it all up?"
"In what way?"
Remus smiled. "The job of course. Instead of hiring me as Defence Against the Dark Arts, why not make a new subject called Defence? I'll be the Professor. A different classroom, a different set of rooms. A brand new contract rather than a copy of the usual one you use for the position."
Minerva considered it. "I can't see any problem with that. Hopefully it could end the curse, Remus, if you could return tomorrow, I will have your contract written up, and the changes made."
He stood up as Minerva rose from her chair and reached out to shake her hand. "Also, if you're considering a duelling club, Sirius is eager to offer his help."
"I will keep that in mind," she replied.
Sirius and Remus headed over to the fireplace. "You know, after tomorrow, I can call you Professor Lupin. You know, I have an idea for a fun new game -"
Minerva was glad that they disappeared through the floo before she could found out what the 'fun new game' was.
...oOo...
"The blood-traitor and his pet wolf," came a sneer. Sirius spun around from where he had been standing with Remus, as Remus talked to Hermione Granger. "And the… muggleborn. My my, Black. Associating with half-breeds and mudbloods. Haven't you realised it's below you yet?"
Remus put a hand on Sirius' shoulder to calm him.
Lucius reached into Hermione's cauldron, full of her purchases, and pulled out four books. "My son has mentioned you," he said smoothly,glancing at the books in his hand and sneering. "All of these extra books for a muggleborn. Such potential... a shame it is wasted on such... poor stock." Five books dropped back into the cauldron as Sirius lunged at Lucius.
Remus quickly got Hermione outside before more foul words could spew from Lucius' mouth.
...oOo...
"... we have decided to drop Defence Against the Dark Arts and instead are teaching Defence. Please welcome Professor Lupin. There will also be a duelling club, which Professor Black will be teaching.
"Brilliant," Harry exclaimed, his questions about why his Godfather and Uncle were at the Professor's table finally answered. "Remus is the best Professor ever, and Sirius is the best dueller."
"I've heard that Professor Flitwick is a champion dueller," Hermione replied, clapping loudly.
"Crikey, is that the Uncle you mentioned was a Werewolf? We have a Werewolf teaching us, that's not allowed -"
"It certainly is," Hermione replied, glaring at Ron. "The new laws state that Werewolves are to be treated equally to all Wizards and Witches. She narrowed her eyes. "You would do well to read up on existing laws since your father works at the Ministry."
Harry hid a smile as Ron turned red. He slumped in his seat, picking at his food, whilst shooting Hermione angry looks.
...oOo...
The joy of having Remus as a Professor disappeared after the first attack. Harry was part of the crowd, trying to get a glimpse.
But the Professors had warded the area off, sending the students off to bed.
The same happened again and again, with students being petrified, and Hermione panicking.
"Don't worry," Harry assured her, after words about mudbloods appeared on the wall. "We'll keep you safe. If the three of us stick together, we'll be fine."
Hermione nodded jerkily. Her skin was a lot paler than before, and Harry could see that there was something wrong.
...oOo...
'This is the diary of Hermione Granger.'
'Hello? No, this is the diary of Tom Riddle. Why are you writing in my diary?'
'Tom Riddle? I found this diary, and it was empty. I thought it was safe to write in it. I've never met a book that can write back, how fascinating.'
...
'Tom. I've had an awful day!'
'What happened? Tell me everything.'
'Ron was cruel again today. Draco - he called me a mudblood, but Harry and Neville stood up for me. But even they make me feel sad - not intentionally of course, but they've been friends for so long, sometimes I feel left out, on the outskirts of their friendship. The girls in my dorm don't talk to me, they never have.'
'You have me. I'm your friend, Hermione.'
'Are you?'
'I am. Would you like to meet me?'
'I would… but that's impossible. Isn't it?'
'Not impossible. It's quite possible actually.'
...oOo...
Hermione spent less and less time with Harry and Neville, pulling away, and Neville confided in Harry that he worried that there was more to it than Hermione being scared. She jumped at the smallest sound and was constantly irritable. She missed classes, claiming to be exhausted and sleeping. There was something seriously wrong but wouldn't tell the boys what.
...oOo...
Hermione woke up on the ground and looked around her. It was the same spot as before, next to an oddly shaped tall and thin rock. Her fingers pressed against it briefly, before holding onto it, and pushed herself up.
She looked around, wondering how, for the fourth time, she had ended up in the forest, always waking up next to the rock. With cold fingers, she reached into her pocket and withdrew a bit of parchment.
A quick and modified point-me spell on the parchment, setting the spot she was standing on as the desired location, Hermione used her wand to find her way to the castle. She carefully slipped in.
She hid in the shadows as some late stragglers headed down to breakfast. She couldn't even think of eating at a time like this, she just wanted to sleep. She was so drained and tired that getting to the dorm was a task on its own.
Plus, once she had slept, she really wanted to talk to Tom again.
...oOo...
"There's something really wrong with Hermione," Harry confided in Remus, at the end of a Defence class. "She's acting strange." He explained the state his friend had worked herself into and that she had been missing a lot of classes, not just Defence.
Remus was deep in thought. "I've been researching what it could be attacking everyone," he said. "But I'll keep an eye on Hermione too ,I'll watch over her."
"How?"
Remus glanced towards his desk where an innocent-looking piece of parchment rested. "I have my means to track people, Harry. If she leaves her dorm-room, I'll know."
...oOo...
Remus stared in panic at the map. He had run through the castle, but Hermione had disappeared. He had no means of finding her.
He paced outside the forest for a couple of minutes, wondering whether to blindly run in searching for her, when Sirius rushed over, telling him about a message on the wall in the castle.
Remus worried for Hermione. He had only just worked out what the creature was and if it found Hermione, she would die.
He rushed back into the castle, ignoring the message stating that 'her bones will lay in the Chamber of Secrets', and he tried to figure out what exactly was happening.
It wasn't long before Harry and Neville came to find them, and James turned up at the school, having been contacted by the mirror.
"It's a Basilisk," Remus informed them. "We need roosters, and fast. James, you get on that. We need to find a way… Harry, get to her dorm. See if she has a diary or has written down anything at all. Neville, go with him. If you hear anything, close your eyes. Looking into its eyes will kill you."
When Remus looked at the map next, Harry and Neville had disappeared.
"Crap," Sirius shouted.
"We need to work this out fast. The three of them could be in danger," Remus said.
"We know that the Chamber closed when someone died last time," Sirius said. "We could go over the school records of who died back in those days and the incident?"
Remus shook his head. "Do we have the time?"
"Hey, how old is Flitwick? Or McGonagall? Maybe one of them was here at the time.
"Minerva may have been a student," Remus agreed.
"Flitwick's class is closer though."
...oOo...
Hearing that it had been Moaning Myrtle, the pair wasted no time going to her bathroom and questioning her. The questions had led to the sink where the snake symbol resided.
"Why did none of us think about the creature being a snake?" Sirius muttered. "Come on, he's Slytherin, so of course it was a snake."
"How do we open it?" Remus asked.
"Easy," Sirius replied. "We blow up this whole bathroom until we find a way in."
Remus withdrew his wand. "I'll use the mirror to let James know where we are, and then we'll start."
...oOo...
Harry and Neville searched the room, finding magic radiating off a scrap of parchment. Neville picked it up, and a small arrow appeared.
"What's this?" Neville asked, looking the direction the arrow was pointing.
"Where did you find it?"
"On her night-stand. Does it means anything?"
Harry shrugged. "Maybe this will help us find her. Wouldn't hurt to check, right?"
The two boys rushed through the castle, the cloak covering them from the eyes of concerned Professors, before realising that the arrow was telling them to head outside. They made their way towards the forest.
They moved slowly, wands out, following the parchment and hoping not to get attacked.
A few false alarms, and Neville stopped next to a rock, as each movement he made sent the arrow spinning.
"We're here."
"Is that… is that blood?" Harry asked, touching the stone, his finger coming away with fresh blood.
"Is it Hermione's?" Neville wondered.
Harry shrugged. "How do we get… do you suppose that this was a blood sacrifice?"
Without waiting for an answer, Harry cast a minor slicing charm on his hand, pressing it next to the blood. He watched the stone move, revealing a tunnel and a set of stairs.
"Should we get Sirius and Remus?"
"We don't have time."
...oOo...
The pair stared at the hole that had been revealed after they had destroyed the sink. "So, this is the way into the Chamber?" Sirius asked.
Remus nodded. "James will be here any second. What do we do?"
"We go and protect Harry, and in the mean-time, you tell me everything you know about Basilisks! I'll let Minerva know what's happening too." Sirius sent a Patronus to the Headmistress before lowering himself down, casting a cushioning charm on the way.
Sirius and Remus stuck close to each other as they slowly moved down the tunnel. It wasn't long before footsteps sounded behind them and James came running, a sack across his back. "Got six stunned roosters, but what are they for?"
Remus smiled. "The cry of one of those is fatal to a Basilisk," he said.
"Wait. You mean we won't be fighting it?" Sirius asked, frowning.
Remus shook his head. "In fact, just to be safe, we need something to cover our eyes somehow. Being petrified is better than being dead. James has his glasses."
Remus reached for them, quickly using a spell to duplicate them, but set the outside of the glass as a one-way mirror. He did the same to James' pair.
That way, if one of them looked at the Basilisk, they would be petrified, but the Basilisk would be looking at itself and maybe it would stun the Basilisk too.
Probably a hopeless idea but Remus would try anything.
...oOo...
"Lord Voldemort is my past, my present, and my future," Tom Riddle said to Harry, as Neville gathered the small figure of Hermione Granger in his arms, holding her tightly. The letters changed from one name to another, setting a cold feeling inside Harry.
"She's still alive," Neville said. "There's a faint pulse, but she's ice cold. What should I do?"
"He seems focused on me. Can you stay with her, try and heal her, try and stop Tom Riddle taking all her life away."
As Harry ran from the snake, he was just glad that the command that Tom Riddle gave seemed to be about only attacking him. Maybe Tom just didn't realise who Neville was - and that Neville could be the other one to defeat him. For that reason, he hadn't used Neville's name when talking to him.
Whatever the case, he had to keep the snake distracted whilst he worked out a way to defeat it. He began going through spells in his head.
It wasn't long before Minerva's phoenix turned up, pecking out the eyes of the Basilisk. Neville was casting some sort of spell, trying to help Hermione, and Harry tried to keep the snake distracted. Maybe if he lasted long enough, Neville could get Hermione out and get help?
...oOo...
The three men rushed into the main Chamber with James looking immediately around. The other two saw the snake and quickly averted their eyes. "Its okay, it's eyes… the kids were smart enough to blast its eyes out or something. Whatever the reason, it's blind!"
Remus and Sirius looked up, before removing the pesky glasses and dropping them.
"Roosters at the ready?"
James brought the sack down, grabbing a rooster out, with Sirius grabbing two and passing one to Remus who was watching the Basilisk.
"Finite Incatatum," Sirius said, the others following suit. The spell was cast on the bag, and Remus quickly used a spell to cause them all to crow.
...oOo...
"It's still too late," Tom said. "You see, she has but moments before I'm real and she's dead. You were too late to save her, Harry Potter."
Harry looked around, his gaze falling on the diary. The darkness of it itching at his skin.
"She had more time," Neville said, looking pale himself. "I've… I've…" he gasped for breath as the spell suffocated him for a moment as it took hold.
"It's the diary," Harry shouted. "We need to do something."
James rushed over to the Basilisk, grabbing a fang and breaking it out of the creature's mouth. "Stand back."
With that, he slammed the fang down, piercing the diary.
...oOo...
Hermione's tears streamed down her face as she lay in the hospital bed.
"It was with my things when I returned from the bookshop. I honestly don't remember picking it up. I've never seen a book that can talk, and thought that maybe it was more common than I realised - there is so much about this world I don't know. So I talked to Tom about things on my mind, things I was worrying about. About Ron being horrible and Draco calling me a mudblood and the girls in the dorm always ignoring me. Just that sort of thing, and it didn't occur to me why I was always tired, as though I hadn't slept. I thought I was sleepwalking; I kept waking up in the forest."
"When you were passing out, thinking you were sleeping, he was taking your life-force," James explained softly to the young girl. "That's why you were always tired and missing classes."
"I tried not to miss any," Hermione whispered. "I just didn't know what was happening. He asked if I wanted to meet and I said yes, and it was strange, it was like I fell into the diary but I hadn't, if that makes sense."
"It does," Remus assured her.
"And it wasn't until he was talking about Harry when I woke up in the Chamber, that I realised that there was something wrong," she sobbed, her hands coming up to her face. "I thought I was going to die, and when he told me what his other identity was… I thought he would get Harry too."
"You didn't die. Neville cast a spell to share his life-force with you," Sirius explained, looking at Neville proudly.
"I thought if I did, since the focus was on Harry, I could get Hermione out and then send for help," Neville said. "I wanted to help Harry, I really did, but I couldn't leave Hermione to die. I had to make sure she was safe."
"And you did an excellent job. Now we just need to find out where the diary came from."
"But who would have Voldemort's diary?" Harry asked.
Sirius patted his pocket where the diary now sat. He intended to study it and work out what it was. It felt dark, he could almost taste it, and he knew there had to be something in his family library that explained it.
"A Death Eater," Remus said. He frowned for a moment. "You say that it was mixed in with your purchases - that was the day we all met up to do the school shopping?"
Hermione nodded again. "It was in with my other books."
"The day Lucius Malfoy insulted you," Remus said. "But how… he picked up your books, didn't he?"
"He did," Hermione said. "Do you think he put the book in with my things?"
Sirius nodded his head. "I think that's entirely possible."
"I'm on it," James said. "I'll get Moody, Kingsley, and Frank. I'm sure we can find some sort of evidence."
Sirius passed the diary over, and Hermione shuddered at the sight.
"There was one other thing about the diary," Hermione added, and James stopped by the door.
"I didn't realise it at first, but when I wasn't near it, I was happy. When I was close, it was like it brought out the worst in me - all my fears and self-doubts. Though I knew Harry and Neville were my best friends, but when I was close to the diary for some reason I doubted how much I meant to them."
"It's because it's dark. I'm going to work out what exactly was in that diary," Sirius assured her.
Remus and Sirius left the room after James, happy that Hermione was fine. James was heading to the Aurors, Remus had students to reassure, and Sirius was going to visit with the Grangers to explain what had happened.
Leaving the trio alone.
"You shared your life force with me?" Hermione whispered, her wide eyes on Neville.
He shyly nodded, surprised when Hermione threw her arms around him.
"Still worried about how much we care about you?" Harry teased reaching over to hug her too. Her other arm wrapped around Harry.
"It was the diary. I never truly doubted you," she said. "Thank you both for saving me."
"Any time," Harry assured her. "You and Neville are my best friends. I'd never let you get hurt."
...oOo...
Lucius Malfoy sat in a tall backed chair in his home, feeling a bit like a king on a throne. He sipped his glass of wine as he thought about how much damage had happened at Hogwarts. He smirked to himself.
Draco had just sent word that a girl had been taken down into the Chamber. He knew who the girl was and his smirk intensified.
What he didn't expect was for James Potter to walk into the room, having managed to pass his house-elf, Dobby, somehow, with a warrant for his arrest.
He would be stupid to try and fight four Aurors. He would get out of this, he was certain.
And then he would punish that horrible little house-elf for letting the Aurors into his home and causing him such an inconvenience.
...oOo...
"You," Draco hissed, his finger in Hermione's face. "You're the reason my father is in Azkaban!"
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Funny," she replied. "I thought he was in Azkaban because he gave a child a dark book that tried to suck the life out of her and bring back Voldemort."
Draco flinched at the name.
"Any trouble here, Miss Granger?" Sirius asked, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder, looking down at his cousin. Draco gulped. Though he was a Malfoy, his mother was still extremely proud of her Black roots. If he or his mother got blasted off the family tree and disowned by the head of the house…
"I think it would be a good time for you to apologise for the slur that unfortunately leaves your lips every time you look at Hermione," Sirius said, coldly, his grey eyes hard, as he recalled the girl crying in the hospital wing over it.
Draco hesitated but realised he had no choice. "I'm… sorry," he bit out.
Sirius clapped him painfully on the back, grinning at him. "Now run along, Draco. Go and play with your little friends and leave Hermione alone." The last three words were filled with venom, and Draco did as he was told.
5000 words
Review please