The second year_Part I
Harry's eventful summer holidays had come to an end. On the morning of the 1st of September, all family members at Black Manor had breakfast and checked Harry's trunk one more time. At 10:00, Harry hugged Arcturus Black in front of the fireplace and moved to Leaky Cauldron after Sirius and Remus. They used a taxi to reach King's Cross station at 10:30. Remus passed the barrier first, and Harry followed him without hesitation. However, he hit the barrier and stumbled down. Fortunately, Sirius embraced his godson to prevent him from falling. It was lucky that they put Notice-Me-Not charms on themselves as soon as they entered the station.
"Padfoot, I couldn't get through," Harry hissed to his godfather. Sirius checked that the barrier was closed. He tried to open the gate but failed.
"It's weird. This gateway has not closed on the 1st of September," Sirius murmured.
"What's going on? Are you alright, cub?" Remus apparated beside his friend and cub. His face was full of embarrassment and worry.
"I'm alright, Moony. But we should open this gate to board the Hogwarts Express," Harry answered anxiously.
"Remus passed a few seconds ago, and then the barrier was closed when Harry tried. It seems like somebody blocked it not to allow him to get through." Sirius's eyes narrowed and then called Tauky. The house-elf popped in front of his master and bowed. Sirius ordered Tauky to open the gate, and Tauky snapped his fingers immediately. Then, Harry cautiously approached the gateway and found himself inside the Nine and Three-Quarters Platform. His two guardians and Tauky followed him and laughed. Tauky returned to Black Manor after Harry appreciated him, "Thanks Tauky, you are the best."
Harry found an empty carriage and entered it with Sirius and Remus. As soon as Remus put a privacy charm on the door, Harry poured questions to his godfather.
"Kreacher, the house-self of my parents, locked doors to punish me many times when I was young. My lovely mother ordered him to do it to give me a hard time after I was sorted into Gryffindor. So I thought Malfoy's house-elf could seal the barrier as he didn't want your return," Sirius answered with a grimace.
"He doesn't know that we intercepted Riddle's diary, so the Chamber of Secret won't open. I think that house-elf seriously wants your safety, cub," Remus nodded.
"I think I should check the map frequently to know whether Dobby sneaks at Hogwarts," Harry shook his head. He wished Dobby might drop his plan when Sirius saw through his memory and Lucius Malfoy's plot. However, it seemed that Malfoy's house elf would not give up to warn him. He decided to find out the Chamber of Secrets and the monster as soon as possible.
When old and new Marauders went back to the platform, they met Ellie's family. Both families greeted pleasantly and shared the barrier incident. Mr. Klein worried about Dobby's actions because they were based on his blinded devotion to Harry. Ellie promised to look out for the eccentric house-elf in Hogwarts. Later, the family of Neville, Hermione, and Ron joined them. As the Hogwarts Express blew a whistle, all kids got on board after final hugs and kisses. They waved hands as the train moved. Families on the platform disappeared as the train rounded the corner.
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All kids sat down. Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Neville everything about the barrier accident. They couldn't hide their shock as Dobby's action was unprecedented. Harry continued to explain how he could recognise and sneak the dark magic item from Ginny's shopping and how his guardians revealed Malfoy's plot, except Horcrux. Only Harry and Ellie's family knew Voldemort's Horcruxes. When Mrs. Klein heard that Harry's scar contained Voldemort's soul, she raged against Dumbledore's neglect like a firedragon. Sirius and Remus realised how scary this German-American witch could be. Harry told Ron, Hermione, and Neville that the remaining dark magic in his scar was cleansed by the Goblin curse breaker.
"So the Chamber of Secret won't open. The problem is, Dobby doesn't know it. I don't know how to contact him because he's Malfoy's house-elf." The raven-haired boy sighed and shook his head.
"I'm really glad that Ginny won't be entangled in the horrible incident. Thank you, mate." Ron was really thankful. Harry beamed at his mate. He liked Ron's family indeed.
"It's a pity that we can't prove Malfoy's father put Voldemort's diary into Ginny's basket. He should have been in Azkaban instead of Sirius, initially. I don't understand why house-elf's memories can't be accepted as evidence." Ellie frowned upon the irrationality.
"And it's unfair that Hagrid was kicked out for what he didn't commit. Teachers believed Tom Riddle because he was a prefect." Hermione was angry with injustice, and the other kids nodded in agreement.
"Maybe, if we find out the Chamber of Secret and the monster, Hagrid could be cleared." Harry cautiously said what he had been thinking. Thankfully, the other kids, even Neville, agreed with him.
Accordingly, they discussed how to find that chamber throughout the remaining journey. They didn't know that Malfoy's gang failed to enter their carriage as Ellie put a locking charm on the door after buying Cauldron Cake and other snacks from a plump witch with food carts.
After the Hogwarts Express reached the Hodsmead station, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie waved at Hagrid and then followed other students to take a stagecoach. Sirius and Remus said Thestrals are invisible, however, Harry was quite surprised to see the horses with skeletal bodies and wings. Ron and Hermione were also frightened to see them. Ellie murmured, "Thestrals look creepy." Only Neville couldn't see them, so he had no idea why his friends were suddenly in a bad mood.
"Are you alright? What are you looking at now?" The round-faced boy asked cautiously.
"Can't you see those bloody horses?" Ron's voice was full of fear.
"Yes! I remember now! They are Thestrals and only visible to the people who have seen death!" Hermione clapped her hands.
"We saw Quirrell's death last year! That's why Ron, Hermione, and I can see them!" Harry also understood the situation. Ron opened his mouth but closed it immediately and turned to Ellie.
"I saw my little brother's death. So I can see them, too." Ellie said calmly and Neville nodded.
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Harry thought that the beginning of his second year was not optimistic as last year. Fortunately, his gloomy mood vanished when he entered the Great Hall. It was the same as last year, with the high ceiling showing the starry night sky, and thousands of candles floating in the air.
Harry sat down with his friends and chatted with Quidditch teammates and dormmates. As soon as he saw Dean, the Muggle-raised wizard, he introduced the Lily Potter Scholarship and heritage test. Hermione added that she found her magical heritage in Gringotts. Not only Dean but other Muggle-born witches and wizards expressed interest in the heritage tests. Harry excitedly explained his mother's heritage and scholarship for Muggle-borns and Muggle-raised wizards and witches. Soon, Gryffindor students around Harry listened to his story and additional explanation of Hermione and Ellie. However, they stopped when the door burst open and first years entered the Hall with McGonagall. All students turned their attention to the first years and the sorting hat.
Watching the sorting ceremony was quite exciting. After the sorting hat's song was finished, McGonagall started calling students' names one by one. The first year boy with the name of Colin Creevey was sorted into Gryffindor. As soon as he sat down with other Gryffindor students, he frantically and loudly searched Harry. "Where is Harry Potter? I heard that he's also in this house." Percy sternly scolded Creevey boy for his reckless actions. Younger Weasley boys' eyes became as big as the saucers. Then, Fred and George praised their brother dramatically. Fortunately, Harry's seat was far from him. Ellie glared at him with irritation.
And finally, Ginny sat down on the stool, and the sorting hat was on her head. Immediately, the sorting hat cried, "Gryffindor!" She beamed at the Gryffindor table and reached it at once, with loud applause from her brothers and their friends. Ron saw that Ginny and Colin started a conversation delightedly. The red-headed boy warned his best mate that both first years might start a Harry Potter Fan Club. So, Harry shook his head vigorously. Hermione, Neville, and Ellie laughed at his reaction.
Dumbledore stood up and welcomed the new year and notified a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Lockhart. Most girls applauded, while boys didn't like him. Hermione also clapped her hands enthusiastically. However, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ellie were displeased with the new DADA teacher. Before the brightest witch of the second years noticed their foul mood, the feast started. The golden plates were filled with various delicious foods. So, everyone enjoyed great food delightedly.
After students sang the Hogwarts school song, they started to move to their houses. Before Harry left the Great Hall, McGonagall approached and ordered him to go to the headmaster's office now. Harry was surprised to meet Dumbledore on the first night of the new year. However, he determinedly nodded to his friends and followed McGonagall. Unlike last time, the head of his house didn't go with him. She just said "Sherbet Lemon," and let him step onto the spiral staircase and go upward. Harry didn't miss his chance and contacted his two guardians via the two-way mirror. He told them he was on the way to meet Dumbledore alone. Sirius and Remus promised to join them ASAP, and it lightened Harry's heart.
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Harry entered the headmaster's office and looked around to find the phoenix which Arcturus Black mentioned. It was easy to spot a beautiful red bird on a golden perch. When their eyes met, a phoenix started to sing a beautiful song. Harry was charmed by the phoenix's song and forgot where he was. Dumbledore brought him back to reality.
"I think Fawks favours you, Harry. It's not common to see him singing for a student," Dumbledore smiled kindly with twinkled eyes.
Harry saw him and moved to the desk. When he sat down in front of the desk, the old headmaster stared at him.
"It seems like you had a nice summer. You look much better."
"Yes, sir. I had the best summer with my family. Unlike Dursleys, Sirius, Remus, and Grandfather Arc loved me and helped me learn everything I needed to know. I also had counseling to heal the emotional wounds that the Dursleys gave me. It was really hard to accept that it's not my fault, but theirs." Harry's green eyes flashed with anger. He didn't admire the headmaster anymore. This so-called greatest wizard abandoned Sirius despite his loyalty and devotion and neglected him despite of McGonagall's warning. In Harry's opinion, Dumbledore was a Machiavellian who treats people as chess pieces.
Dumbledore lost the twinkle in his eyes and released a sigh. He knew that Harry would be angry with him. He knew that he should regain the boy's trust, or he would not fulfill his destiny. So, he apologised honestly.
"Harry, my boy, I am so sorry that I didn't take your life at Dursleys seriously. I just cared about your safety too much. I was really shocked by your cousin's interview and regretted my decision to sacrifice your happiness for your safety."
"I know why you only thought of my safety. Because I am your weapon to defeat Voldemort according to the prophecy. You thought you could control me easily when my self-esteem was low. That's why you left me in ignorance about my family. And you didn't remove the soul part from my scar because you wanted my death to demolish Voldemort for good."
Harry's harsh words made Dumbledore pale and tremble. It was expected that Harry would learn about his family and how highly regarded the Potters were. So Dumbledore planned to appeal to Harry's good heart. He knew this boy was kind, modest, and loyal to his friends. However, he never imagined that Harry would find out about the existence of Voldemort's soul behind his scar and misunderstand that he wanted the death of the Boy Who Lived. He instinctively felt that he should clear up the boy's misunderstanding immediately.
"No, it's not true. I couldn't remove the soul part because I didn't know how. I've researched how to remove it from your scar. I've never wanted your death," Dumbledore said desperately. Before Harry snapped back, the door burst open, and his two guardians entered the room. He beamed at his godfather and honorary uncle. They embraced him tightly when they reached the desk. Sirius turned to the headmaster and opened his mouth.
"I heard that you've researched about Horcrux. Then, what did you find out? And have you searched other Horcruxes of the Dork Lord?"
"According to the research, something extremely destructive can destroy a Horcrux, such as Basilisk's venom and Fiendfyre. Unfortunately, I haven't found out how to remove the soul fragment from a living body yet. But I knew that Lily's protection prevented its penetration to Harry's magical core."
"You haven't asked real experts on this problem, like soul magic experts, to avoid the leakage of secret, have you?" Sirius asked sarcastically, knowing the answer.
"Well... no, I haven't met the soul magic masters. But..." Dumbledore couldn't finish his words.
"See? Doing your best hasn't been enough, Dumbledore. You just wasted time and waited for Harry to grow up. What an adult you are!" The ex-Azkaban prisoner's eyes glared dangerously. Remus and Harry soothed him immediately. The calm Marauder thought it was time to share the information with the embarrassed headmaster.
"Dumbledore, the soul part within Harry's scar was removed by a Goblin curse breaker," Remus showed him the vial which contained Voldemort's soul part. Harry also brushed his hair back with his hand. Dumbledore barely found a white thin line on the boy's forehead instead of a lightning-shaped scar. He couldn't hide his astonishment and looked at Remus.
"Moreover, the curse breaker kindly shared the information on how to detect other Horcruxes with this one. So, we stole the other Horcrux from Lucius Malfoy and prevented the re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets," Remus said proudly. He felt like he had played a nice prank on the headmaster and the former leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Sirius also laughed loudly at the dumbfounded ex-leader.
"Remus, could you please tell me about the Chamber of Secrets?" Dumbledore tried to calm himself down and asked about the unexpected topic.
"Last August, Malfoy's house-elf suddenly appeared at the Burrow when Harry visited Ron and warned him not to return to Hogwarts. So he captured the house-elf, and Mrs. Weasley called Sirius and me. Sirius read that house-elf's memory and discovered Malfoy's plot to open the Chamber of Secrets and eliminate Muggle-born students. When we went to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys later, Lucius Malfoy approached us in the bookshop and sneaked a suspicious book into the youngest Weasley girl's books. Harry detected the book's dark magic and stole it while eating lunch together. And as mentioned before, we found out that that book was another Horcrux by using this vial, and Lucius planned to let it possess Arthur's daughter to open the Chamber of Secrets again," Remus stirred the vial to emphasize their achievement.
"You saved many students including Miss Weasley. I appreciate you stopping Licius's horrible plan," The headmaster smiled like a generous grandfather. However, young and old Marauders didn't like his compliment.
"The reason we came here tonight is to request your help in finding other Horcruxes. You have known him since he was at Hogwarts," Sirius came to the point.
"Yes, it would be easier to search others if you give us some clues. Could you please help us?" Remus added politely.
"Before answering, I want to know who you shared this confidential information with. You must be cautious...," Dumbledore succeeded in hiding his surprise and expressed his anxiety.
"We don't repeat the same error. All participants made the oath, so it won't be leaked to Voldemort's followers. And to answer your question, the head of the Department of Mystery, the Black family's account manager, and Gringotts head curse breaker joined the 'Horcrux Hunting'," Sirius was annoyed to hear the former headmaster's lecture.
"You can send us an owl whenever you want to share the information about Horcruxes. Don't expect us to share it with you first. We are not the Order members anymore," Remus notified stiffly.
Sirius added fiercely. "And don't call my godson alone if you can't help him practically. All you did to Harry was not helpful, except returning James's invisibility cloak."
A boy and two adults left the headmaster's office with "Good night."
Dumbledore didn't know how Harry called Sirius and Remus, however, he could see that it would not be easy to persuade Harry. One thing was true. He had wasted a long time as he was too busy to do three jobs together. The situation had changed far from his anticipation. The good thing was that Harry could live. Accordingly, he should make a different strategy to finish Voldemort for good and obtain the support of two guardians. He believed he could do it.
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Sirius, Remus, and Harry moved to the Gryffindor Tower. The raven-haired boy told his guardians how many Muggle-born and Muggle-raised students showed interest in the mother's scholarship and heritage test. In addition, he said the new DADA teacher Lockhart didn't seem to be an expert a bit grumpily. Both adults agreed to their cub and promised to send him a good DADA book just in case. And Sirius told his godson to call them immediately whenever Dumbledore summoned him. Harry promised to do so. When two adults and a student stood in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, they hugged each other and said farewell. Then, Harry found out that he didn't know the password. Fortunately, the hole opened and Ellie came out. Her face lit up when she saw Sirius and Remus. After a brief conversation, two old marauders left and Ellie opened the portrait again with a new password, "wattlebird."
In the common room, Ron, Hermione, and Neville waited for Harry. It was quite late and many Gryffindor students went to their beds. Harry and Ellie sat down on the armchair near friends. They asked what he talked about with Dumbledore. As Harry couldn't say the Horcrux, he selected the acceptable topics immediately.
"Dumbledore said sorry to let me suffer by Dursleys. But I can't believe him. He tried to make me return to Dursleys before the interview was published."
"Harry, he must feel sorry. Otherwise, he didn't call and apologize to you." Hermione tried to placate her friend. However, his face remained grimaced and so did Ellie.
"Mate, did you tell him Dobby and the Chamber of Secret? Mum ordered me to inform Dumbledore of it." Ron changed the topic and it did its work. All kids' eyes twinkled like Dumbledore's.
"Yes, I told him everything, from Dobby's appearance to sneaking Voldemort's diary. He looked very surprised at first but seemed relieved later."
"Will he award some points to Gryffindor? Harry prevented a horrible disaster." Neville said with anticipation.
"I don't think so. Unfortunately, Harry's action's done before this year." Ellie shrugged. The others agreed reluctantly.
They left the armchairs in front of the fireplace and went to the boys' and girls' dormitory. Now, the sign on the door said 'SECOND YEARS.' Dean and Seamus already lay down on the bed and murmured something to Harry, Ron, and Neville. Three awaked boys went to their own four-posters bed.
Harry put a privacy charm on the curtains after closing them. He called his guardians through the mirror again and said good night. He unfolded the Marauder's Map, however, didn't activate it because he was too tired. It was really a long day for him. So he decided to skip checking the map and to sleep. He didn't know he would regret this decision two months later.
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The next morning, McGonagall handed out timetables to her Gryffindors. Harry took his and saw that they had Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs first.
Harry, Ron, Herminone, Neville, and Ellie left the castle and moved towards the greenhouse for Herbology class. As they were about to reach the greenhouse, Prof. Sprout arrived with an annoyed face. Accompanying her was Lockhart, who was speaking something continuously until he spotted Harry with a bright smile. Harry remembered what Lockhart had done at Flourish and Blotts and decided to take a leaf out of his guardians' book by shooting a jinx at the new DADA teacher. The blond teacher fell on his face while striding towards the Boy Who Lived. Although Hermione and other students gasped in astonishment, the raven-haired boy ignored the fallen teacher and entered the greenhouse as instructed by Prof. Sprout.
In class, students were busy repotting baby Mandrakes. Hermione explained about Mandrake and earned points for Gryffindor. Harry, Ron, and Hermione worked with a Hufflepuff boy named Justin Finch-Fletchley. After Justin introduced himself that he was supposed to go to Eaton school, Harry gladly told him about the Lily Potter Scholarship Fund and heritage test. Hermione added that she had found her magical ancestor in Gringotts following her friend's advice. The Hufflepuff Muggle-born wizard expressed interest in the heritage test. After class, on the way back to the castle, Harry, Hermione, and Ellie introduced Hufflepuff's students from the Muggle world to the Lily Potter Scholarship Fund and heritage test.
The next class was Transfiguration. Harry remembered what Sirius had taught him during the previous summer and succeeded in turning a beetle into a button. Hermione and Ellie were also successful, but the other students had a difficult time. Ron grumbled that he felt like everything he had learned the previous year had leaked out of his head during the summer holidays. After class, Hermione scolded the red-haired boy for not reviewing. Neville thanked Harry for his help but looked gloomy at his poor work. Ellie cautiously asked the round-faced boy about his wand and got the answer that it was once his father's.
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After lunch, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie went outside into the overcast courtyard. Hermione sat on a stone step and read Lockhart's book, Voyages with Vampires. Neville and Ellie discussed wands. Harry talked about Quidditch with Ron but soon realised that he was being closely watched. The raven-haired boy found out that Creevey boy was approaching him with a Muggle camera in his hands. The small, mousy-haired boy excitedly introduced himself as a Muggle-born student and asked to take Harry's photo and signature.
Before Harry could answer, Malfoy interrupted and mocked him. Then, Colin Creevey, Crabbe, Goyle, and Ron made the situation worse. When Ron pulled out his wand to curse Malfoy, Hermione warned her red-haired friend. At that time, Gilderoy Lockhart strode towards them. The blond-haired teacher saw Harry and ordered Colin to take a photo of him and the Boy Who Lived. Colin's face lit up at Lockart's order. However, Ellie stood in front of Harry and shouted sharply.
"No! You can't take Harry's photo without his agreement! You are violating Harry's portrait rights!" The half-American girl glared fiercely at Colin, and the first-year boy looked scared.
Harry quickly moved beyond Lockhart's reach and added, "I won't take a photo. You should have approval from my godfather, Sirius Black, if you want to take my photo."
"Oh, Harry, I am your Defense Against the Dark Art teacher. You can take a photo with me," Lockart said, wincing hearing the infamous Sirius Black but trying to placate Harry. Ron, Neville, and Ellie looked disgusted while Hermione and Colin were embarrassed at Harry's denial.
"There's no exception, professor. My godfather will sue anybody who takes my photos or demands my signature against my will," Harry snapped determinedly. Lockhart's face was flushed and Colin seemed sad and dissatisfied. Ellie grabbed her friend's arm and said firmly, "Let's go inside." As Harry and Ellie marched to the castle, Ron, Hermione, and Neville followed them.
Unfortunately, the first class in the afternoon was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ellie sat at the very back of the class while Hermione sat at the front with twinkling eyes.
Lockhart entered the classroom with a shining smile and started praising himself. Then he started a quiz, which was full of questions about himself. Harry and Ron shared expressions of disbelief, Seamus and Dean laughed soundlessly, and Ellie shook her head.
Half an hour, Lockhart collected the papers and confirmed the answers. He praised Hermione's perfect answers and gave 10 points to Gryffindor. On the contrary, he told Ellie that she would have detention tonight as she didn't write any answers but large X's on each side of the papers. But the wild girl just said, "Yes, professor," with a scary smile like a predator. The blond-haired teacher was startled at her predatory smile for a second, however, he quickly returned to himself and showed the students a covered cage. Lockhart proudly removed the cover to let the students see the creature; Cornish pixies. Although students couldn't hide their disappointment, their teacher opened the cage.
The class was reduced to a chaotic state. The pixies shot off in every direction and ruined the classroom. Lockhart tried to mend the chaos but terribly failed. One of the pixies seized his wand and threw it out of the window. Then, the embarrassed teacher ordered students to bring the pixies back to the cage and ran away from the classroom. Hermione immobilized pixies with a Freezing Charm, and Harry and Ellie shot stinging jinxes at two fixies that grabbed Neville by the ears and lifted him into the air. The round-faced boy fell to the floor but didn't get injured this time. Ron and other students also shot a Freezing Charm at the pixies like Hermione. About 10 minutes later, all the frozen fixies were packed in the cage.
On the way to the next class, Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ellie continuously complained and criticized Lockhart's lack of capacity, however, Hermione tried to make an excuse for the teacher.
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After supper, Harry, Ron, and Ellie didn't return to the Gryffindor Tower. While Ron went to Prof. Sinistra's office for the Wizard Chess Club, while Ellie moved to Lockhart's office for detention. Harry searched for a hidden classroom where his father and godfather had trained as Animagi. Thanks to Marauder's Map, he easily found the small, unused classroom. Actually, Ellie was supposed to accompany him to Animagus training. Sirius and Harry had offered to teach Ellie how to become an Animagus as a reciprocal arrangement before coming to the Canary Islands last summer, and she had gladly accepted. He practiced transforming his fingers into falcon's talons, following his father's book. About two hours later, he was exhausted and returned to the common room.
Upon entering the common room, Harry saw Ron and Ellie already there, sitting on the couch with Hermione and Neville. He noticed that Hermione eagerly awaited Ellie's story about her detention with Lockhart, and many girls sat near the half-American girl with the same expectation. Ellie knew she should share her experience with Lockhart's fangirls, so she began speaking.
When Ellie entered the DADA teacher's office, the famous author and teacher ordered her to help reply to fan mail. So she quietly wrote the addresses on the envelopes. But as time passed, Lockhart kept asking her questions about Harry. Ellie refused to answer to protect Harry's privacy. Unfortunately, Lockhart tried to persuade her to reveal information about Harry, saying that he should guide Boy Who Lived to become a proper celebrity. After a long argument, she grew impatient and demanded that Lockhart not poke into her best friend's business. She even threatened to inform the Daily Prophets about his disastrous lesson with Cornish Pixies if he continued to bother Harry and her. Lockhart was astonished at her threatening but tried to make it a joke, but Ellie wasn't amused. Finally, they had a Magical Duel and Ellie easily won. Lockhart had to make a magical vow not to bother Harry again, and the detention ended.
After hearing Ellie's story, Hermione's jaw dropped, as did the fangirls around the couch on which they were sitting. On the contrary, Harry, Ron, and Neville laughed pleasantly, while the wild girl just shrugged her shoulders. A few minutes later, Hermione came to herself and criticized Ellie's revolting behavior.
"How dare you threaten Professor Lockhart! He's our teacher! And how could you lie that you won the duel against him?" Hermione said, standing up.
"Because he is a useless fraud who doesn't know what he was teaching. That's why I won the duel against him fair and square," Ellie triumphantly replied and added, "If you don't want to believe in me, then don't. It's not my business."
The brightest witch of her age couldn't respond to the boldest and the most rebellious girl at Hogwarts. So, she left to sit on a couch far away from her friends and read Voyages with Vampires. The other fangirls also moved away from Ellie, who just shook her head. Neville wanted to change the atmosphere, so he asked Ron about his meeting with Prof. Sinistra.
"It was good. Professor Sinistra agreed to be a sponsor of the Wizard Chess Club. So I will put up a notice for registration soon," Ron immediately answered.
Harry suddenly got an idea and said, "That's it! We can make a Dueling Club! Then we can learn how to protect ourselves instead of relying on DADA class." The eyes of Ron, Neville, and Ellie grew bigger.
"It would be good to learn Magical Dueling properly," Ron nodded.
"The problem is finding a teacher. Who can teach us dueling?" asked Ellie.
"I heard Flitwick was a Magical Dueling Champion before he joined Hogwarts," Neville suggested.
"I will ask Sirius and Remus whether we can invite an instructor from outside," Harry said confidently.
That night, Pronslet told Padfoot and Moony about his dreadful DADA lesson, Ellie's refusal to reveal his privacy, her winning the duel against Lockhart, and his idea about a Magical Dueling Club, in his four-poster bed. Both guardians agreed that this year's DADA teacher was not a DADA expert and suggested asking Flitwick to teach students in the Dueling Club. They also thanked Ellie to protect Harry from the annoying celebrity teacher.
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From that day on, Hermione spoke to Ellie with a slight stiffness after hearing detention with Lockhart, but Ellie didn't seem to care. The tension between the two girls made the three boys uncomfortable.
Harry was relieved that Gilderoy Lockhart refrained from calling him out in the corridors or classrooms. He appreciated his best mate's protection. However, Colin Creevey continued to talk to Harry whenever they encountered each other in the corridors or the common room. Ron and Neville agreed that Colin was a stalker, which Ellie explained to them.
On Saturday morning, Harry was shaken awake by Oliver Wood, the Quidditch team Captain. Oliver dragged the other players to the changing room and explained his new tactics for hours. Fred or George grumbled that Oliver was not satisfied with winning the Quidditch Cup last year.
Finally, all the Quidditch team members went to the stadium. Harry saw Ron, Hermione, who were supposed to visit Hagrid with Harry in the morning, and Colin sitting in the stand. Gryffindor players soared into the air and flew around the stadium at full speed. However, their practice was interrupted soon after. First, Oliver didn't like Colin's taking photos of their training. Secondly, Slytherins Quidditch players entered the field. All the Gryffindors returned to the ground.
Flint, Slytherin's Captain, showed Oliver a specially signed note from Snape and said that they got permission to train a new seeker, who turned out to be Draco Malfoy. Slytherins proudly held Lucius Malfoy's presents, Nimbus 2001 broomsticks. Gryffindors were at a loss for words for a moment. At that time Ron and Hermione ran to the players to see what was going on. Malfoy pompously announced that he became the new seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team, showing his latest broomstick to Ron.
Hermione countered "All Gryffindor team players earned their positions on pure talent."
Malfoy glared at Hermione and spat out, "No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."
Immediately, Gryffindor Quidditch players roared in rage, saying "How dare you!". It was Ron who retaliated against Malfoy, saying "Eat slugs!" and shooting a curse with a jet of green light. The pale blond boy was hit the curse in the stomach, thrown off on the floor, and started spewing slugs. Ron and the Gryffindor team burst out laughing while the other Slytherin members gathered around their seeker. Hermione looked embarrassed at the consequence.
A few minutes later, Slytherins decided to bring Malfoy to the Hospital Wing and left the field with a warning, "You will be sorry for this, Weasley." Hermione waited until all the Slytherins had disappeared and asked the meaning of "Mudblood". The laughs vanished from Ron and the Quidditch players instantly. Angelina Jones stepped forward to Hermione and cautiously explained that it was a forbidden term as Pure-bloods used it to insult and degrade Muggle-born witches and wizards. Hermione's eyes suddenly reddened, and Harry made a fist to suppress his anger. Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet tried to soothe Hermione as well as Angelina. A few minutes later, the busy-haired girl wiped her eyes with her sleeves and determinedly said, "I will report Malfoy's verbal violence to McGonagall and get him punished." All the remaining students clapped their hands and applauded her decision. Hermione smiled, grabbed Ron's sleeve, and moved into the castle.
Gryffindor Quidditch team resumed training until lunchtime. Colin didn't stop taking photos during the practice.
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When Harry entered the Great Hall, he could see Ron and Hermione already started lunch, and Malfoy glared poisonously at Gryffindor's table. He knew that Ellie always ate lunch with her mother in the classroom for her extra work every Saturday. Harry sat next to Ron and asked about McGonagall's response to Hermione's report. Hermione brightly said that the head of Lions fumed at Malfoy's words and Snape's sabotage and took five points from Slytherin and Gryffindor for verbal violence and hexing another student. The Gryffindor Quidditch team was glad that Ron didn't get a detention for attacking Malfoy. At that time, Neville came into the Great Hall from the greenhouse and sat next in front of Hermione.
After finishing lunch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went to visit Hagrid. However, they saw Lockhart come out of Hagrid's house. Three kids hid behind a nearby bush. Lockhart mentioned something more to Hagrid and strode away toward the castle. When the kids knocked the door, the kind gamekeeper first grumbled but welcomed them. Hermione was surprised that Hagrid criticized Lockhart, but the two boys gladly agreed with Hagrid's opinion. After Hagrid served his guests tea and rock cakes, he asked them about their first week. Three pre-teens talked him through many things including Lily Potter Scholarship Fund and DADA class with Cornish Pixies. Hagrid expressed his shock that Lily was actually a descendant of the McKinnons and agreed that Lily would be happy to help Muggle-born and Muggle-raised students. And he laughed at Lockhart's poor measuring with pixies. But Hagrid couldn't believe what Malfoy said to Hermione at first. Then, he was glad at Ron's punishment. He praised Ron's quick action and encouraged Hermione by saying, "You are the brightest witch of your age. Don't listen to it." Hermione smiled with watery eyes and nodded.
To change the subject, Hagrid led three kids to the back garden. He happily showed them the giant pumpkins. Harry couldn't help but see Hagrid's pink umbrella, and Ron was impressed at the size of the pumpkins. Hermione found out that Hagrid used an Engorgement Charm. Three Gryffindors remembered that Hagrid couldn't use magic officially because he was expelled from Hogwarts due to Tom Riddle's accusations. They decided to start the investigation of the Chamber of Secrets.
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As soon as they passed through the portrait hall, Harry, Ron, and Hermione saw that Oliver and Ellie blamed Colin for taking photos without permission in the common room. The beaters and chasers awkwardly stood nearby them, and Neville looked at them with embarrassment. Some Gryffindors also saw them. Neville found his friends entered and explained what happened; Oliver grilled Colin about whether he tried to leak his new strategy, and Ellie criticized Colin's violation of photo rights. Colin's face was blushed with embarrassment and his eyes were watery. However, the poor first-year boy failed to persuade Oliver and Ellie. Oliver summoned Colin's camera and pulled out a film from the camera. Then, Ellie tossed the film to the fireplace and let it burn into ashes.
Ginny dashed to Colin with a deathly pale face and supported him on the near couch. Oliver left the place with a satisfied smile. Ellie turned to the portrait hall and ran to Hermione, saying, "Hermione, are you all right? I heard everything from Fred and George." Her voice was laced with concern. A few seconds later, Hermione smiled and said, "I'm fine." Both girls laughed together and became perfectly friendly again.
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Harry's second year was quite different from the first. The biggest change was in Snape's attitude. According to Sirius, the potion master was cornered by the committee of governors who gave him an ultimatum last summer. The governors revealed the final report of the special inspection of Snape. It was full of poor teaching, bullying, and unreasonable punishments of non-Slytherin students, as well as his biased pro-Slytherin judgments. Snape would be kicked out if the governors received another report of his misconduct this year. Sirius also mentioned that how Amelia Bones, the head of DMLE, and Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, fumed at Snape's unprofessional brutality and urged other governors to sack him. Even Dumbledore couldn't help him as his faults were too many and severe. Accordingly, Snape didn't insult non-Slytherin students even if they made mistakes. Moreover, Harry's skill had improved dramatically thanks to his mother's potion notes. His potion was now as good as Hermione's. So the potion master had to give the son of his archenemy full marks begrudgingly.
Another change was the learning defense at the Dueling Club. Almost a quarter of Hogwarts students attended the first meeting, and Flitwick taught the Disarming Charm by using a dummy. The ex-dueling champion made several seventh-year students help younger students, so all students succeeded in performing the Disarming Charm at the end of the meeting. Therefore, the Dueling Club became the most popular club in Hogwarts. What made Harry even happier was that Lockhart was refused to be an assistant of Flitwick. All club members were satisfied with Flitwick's teaching and actual practice. Even Hermione agreed that the club was better than the DADA class.
The most remarkable difference was the training to become an Animagus. Harry never expected to be able to turn into an animal last year. At the end of September, both his arms transformed into falcon wings. Sirius praised his godson's quick progress. Harry couldn't wait to be a fully transformed falcon. On the other hand, Ellie was still in the meditation stage. Fortunately, she wasn't worried about her slow progress, but it was her best friend who was anxious for her.
Ron also changed a lot as he played many wizard chess games with older students from different Houses at the Wizard Chess Club. He read various chess strategy books to become a champion. Fred and George were surprised at Ron's change, while Percy encouraged his younger brother to keep going.
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On a Saturday evening in mid-September, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie gathered in the unused classroom near Gryffindor's common room. They shared the information and discussed the Chamber of Secrets. It opened fifty years ago, and many students were petrified during 1942-43. However, nobody found out about the Slytherin monster nor how it attacked students. The last victim was a Muggle-born girl found dead in the girl's bathroom. Two girls recognized the victim as soon as they read her name, Myrtle Elizabeth Warren. "Mourning Myrtle!" Hermione and Ellie cried in unison. However, three boys looked at the girls in bewilderment.
"Mourning Myrtle is a ghost and she's lived in the girl's bathroom on the first floor. We knew she used to be a student, but we didn't know she was a victim of Slytherin's monster." Hermione looked really surprised.
"No wonder nobody knows. She always mourns her early death loudly and floods the bathroom." Ellie seemed to be tired of that ghost.
So they all agreed to visit Mourning Myrtle and ask her what she remembered when she was dead.
The next morning, five children visited the girl's bathroom on the first floor after finishing breakfast. At first, Myrtle was upset at the boys' entrance to her bathroom. "Get out! It's a girl's bathroom!" But she became friendly when Harry asked about her death, 'We came here to ask you how you died."
"When I cried in this stall, I heard a boy's voice. He said a different language, I remember. So I got out of the stall to shoo that boy away. Then, I was dead." Myrtle seemed really excited, and her voice tone was even higher than her first shout.
"Did you see the boy or the monster?" Harry asked cautiously. However, the little ghost shook her head.
"All I could remember was a pair of great, big, yellow eyes." All kids looked at each other with curiousness.
"Where exactly did you see the big yellow eyes? Can you remember?" Hermione's face was full of nervousness.
"I reckon somewhere there." Myrtle vaguely pointed toward the sink in front of her toilet.
All second-year students examined the sink and discovered that the tap with a tiny snake didn't work. Hermione tried to open it with 'Alohomora' but it didn't work. Harry also tried with other opening spells but failed, too.
"Do you think we can blow away this sink with a bomb?" Ellie asked the most radical question casually.
"No way!" "Of course not!" "How dare you!" Boys and girls, including a ghost, shouted at her with astonishment and horror.
"Come on. It was just a joke," the wild girl shrugged her shoulders. However, other kids looked at her anxiously.
Neville cautiously suggested researching the opening of this suspicious sink. Ron agreed with Neville and promised to ask his brother, Bill, who is the curse-breaker in Gringott Egypt. Harry, Hermione, and Ellie also agreed to research more. So all boys and girls bid goodbye to Myrtle and left the bathroom.
Harry went to the dormitory and called Sirius with a mirror. When Sirius and Remus appeared in the mirror, he told what he found out at the Mourning Myrtle's bathroom. Two Marauders praised that Prongslet and his friends revealed an important secret, the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. However, the raven-haired boy was still gloomy.
"Padfoot, Moony, I thought I shouldn't have removed Voldemort's soul fragment. I could've opened the sink with Parseltongue." Prongslet released a sigh. He found out that he couldn't speak Parseltongue after eliminating external soul parts. His two guardians were pleased with that as well as himself at that time. However, Harry realized now how useful Parseltongue was. Unlike him, the older Marauders didn't agree with their cub.
"Of course, you should have eliminated that bastard's soul part earlier, pup." Sirius couldn't hide his anger but he tried not to shout at his godson.
"Padfoot's right, cub. And don't forget that we could have found out that diary was a Horcrux if you didn't remove it from your scar." Remus tried to soothe the boy.
"We can search a Parselmouth in other countries. There are a few of them in the world. So don't worry, pup."
"Yes, it's only a matter of time, cub. I'm one hundred percent sure that Ellie's relatives can help us to find them in Europe or America."
Harry was relieved at his guardian's plan to find a way to open the sink. Then, the old and young Marauders discussed Slytherin's monster for a while. They thought it must be a basilisk or cockatrice, as most victims were petrified, and Mourning Myrtle died as soon as she saw its eyes. In the end, Harry promised to research those two serpentine monsters with his friends.
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October arrived with damp and chill weather. Many students and teachers got a cold so Madam Pomfrey was busy giving them Pepper-up Potions. This situation gave Ellie the idea to prevent a cold. She asked Hagrid to get her a salamander to try to keep her warm. After Hagrid gave her a fire lizard, she put it in the magical cage and returned to Gryffindor Tower. When Harry saw Ellie's salamander, he wondered whether lizards also used Parseltongue. So two kids rushed to the Mourning Myrtle's bathroom with the salamander. However, their plan to open the sink with the lizard failed as it didn't respond to the snake on the sink at all.
Ron's eldest brother couldn't give them any good solution either. Bill agreed that the ward of the sink might be based on the Parseltongue, and it meant only a Parselmouth could open the entrance. Hermione and Neville couldn't find a way to break the ward.
After the failure of using a salamander, Harry considered using a snake and asked friends for their opinions. However, their responses were negative because taming a snake was not easy. So all the kids decided to search more deeply into Parseltongue. Harry even ordered several books about Parseltongue for research.
Meanwhile, even though the weather became worse and worse, Oliver pushed the Quidditch team to practice harder and harder. Fred and George complained that winning last year didn't have a positive effect on their captain. Actually, Oliver was eager to win the Quidditch Cup two years in a row like the legendary Charlie Weasley. Therefore, Harry got soaked by the rain and covered in mud after Quidditch's training on a rainy evening in late October. On the way to Gryffindor Tower, he encountered Nearly Headless Nick. While the Gryffindor's ghost complained about his refusal to join Headless Hunts to Harry, Filch suddenly appeared and made the boy follow to his office. Thankfully, Nick helped Harry to escape Filch's unfair accusation by persuading Peeves to break an old cabinet over his office. So the raven-haired boy promised to participate in Nick's 500th deathday party on Hallowe'en as a gesture of gratitude. Later, Harry regretted making a promise in haste. However, Hermione and Ellie pointed out that he should keep his promise no matter how ridiculous it seemed.
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The main issue of Hallowe'en morning was Lily Potter. The Daily Prophet published special articles about her with the title "LILY POTTER, THE HIDDEN HEROINE". Hermione loudly read the front page aloud, which explained how brilliant Lily Evans had been, particularly in Charms and Potions, with the comments from her old teachers. After graduating from Hogwarts as a Head Girl, she became an apprentice of Flitwick and studied Ancient Magics. Her most important achievement was saving Harry Potter and defeating You-Know-Who by sacrificing her own life to perform ancient magic. The article also mentioned that her sacrificing magic was confirmed by Dumbledore when her son thwarted You-Know-Who's attempt to regain his body the previous year. So the mystery of the Boy Who Lived was cleared up, as Lily Potter put powerful protection on her son, leading to the defeat of the Dark Lord. Moreover, the article argued that Magical Britain should express its gratitude to Lily Potter, the real saviour and hidden heroine who finished the battle with You-Know-Who. It was also revealed that she was the descendant of the McKinnon family, known as one of the most powerful magical families in Britain. The reporter noticed that she didn't know her heritage until her death, so she had to endure groundless prejudices as a Muggle-born witch. Moreover, the article claimed that the reason for Lily Potter's neglect was based on disdain for Muggle-borns, which led to the myth of the Boy Who Lived. The reporter concluded that the Lily Potter Scholarship Fund was established with the forfeiture of fake Harry Potter adventure books and illegal merchandise to help the witches and wizards from the Muggle world.
The second page was filled with the heritage test, and all Muggle-born witches and wizards found out about their magical ancestors in Gringotts after notification from Lily Potter Fund. The article also criticized the term Muggle-born as improper because they turned out to be the descendants of witches and wizards. It explained that foreign countries such as Germany and Austria called them 'Returners' as they returned to the Magic world once their magical heritage was activated again. In addition, the prophet emphasized how poorly the British Department of Magic supported Muggle-borns to adjust to Magical Britain. Unlike the British Isles, North and South American countries, most European countries, and Australia informed Muggle-borns of heritage tests to search for their magical heritage and gave them the same opportunities as the people from magical families.
The Daily Prophet also included an interview with Harry and Sirius, which emphasized Magical Britain should stop the prejudice and practical disadvantage against Muggle-borns and encourage them to call for equal rights.
Harry was satisfied with Mrs. Klein's special articles about his mum. She wrote exactly what he wanted to say, honouring his mum who should deserve the praises and gratitude instead of him, arguing for Muggle-borns' rights, criticizing the Ministry of Magic, and advertising the scholarship fund. When he looked around the High Table, he could see McGonagall and Flitwick beaming at the Prophet, and most teachers seemed positive at the special articles. On the other hand, Dumbledore didn't look happy, and Snape's stoic face was hard to read. The weirdest response was Lockhart's twisted face. The raven-haired boy's eyes turned to the students, and he could see Ellie's big smile, Hermione's surprised look, Ron and Neville's expression of astonishment, and Muggle-born or Muggle-raised students' praises and applauses for the article. Of course, many Pure-blood students seemed disgusted or disliked. But Harry didn't care about them.
As soon as he finished breakfast, he left the Hall and rushed to the Gryffindor Tower to talk about the special articles with Sirius and Remus enthusiastically in his four-poster bed for a while. The old and young Marauders praised Mrs. Klein's articles and agreed to send her the best Christmas present.
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Harry's high spirits were dampened in the afternoon, and he felt gloomy when he went to Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party in the evening. Ron, Hermione, and Ellie accompanied him, while Neville went to the Hallowe'en Feast as he was too frightened to meet lots of ghosts. When the kids entered Gryffindor's ghost party place, they saw the spookiest and gloomiest party in their lifetimes. The food was rotten, the candlelights were too dark, the music was depressing, and the atmosphere was chilly.
When Nearly Headless Nick welcomed them, Ellie casually asked him who had lived in the era of Hogwarts founders at the party. Surprisingly, they got the answer: the Bloody Baron in Slytherin and the Grey Lady in Ravenclaw. The kids became excited and decided to ask them about the Chamber of Secrets. However, the two ghosts didn't care about the living students even though they tried to make conversation.
Mourning Myrtle approached and advised them not to bother those two ghosts. Harry suddenly had an idea and asked her what had happened when the Chamber of Secrets was opened 50 years ago. Then, Myrtle became excited and recounted various incidents she remembered. What caught Hermione's attention was the death of roosters. According to the girl ghost, the previous groundkeeper had complained that some naughty students killed cocks, not once but several times. The brightest student of her age whispered to the other kids that they should check the information about serpentine beasts. Ron demanded that they leave the place immediately, so they agreed to go to Great Hall and have some normal food.
When the four kids sat down at the Gryffindor table, they were relieved that deserts still remained. While Ron gobbled puddings and pumpkin juices, Harry, Hermione, and Ellie ate food and told Neville how dreadful Nearly Headless Nick's deathday party was. The round-faced boy heaved a sigh of relief and thanked his friends to spare him. Harry inwardly reckoned that the party was not useless, thanks to Mourning Myrtle's additional information.
The feast was completed and students left the Great Hall to return to their own common rooms. However, somebody cried loudly, "Look!" when students reached the first floor. There were red words on the wall, "THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE." Suddenly, the warm and joyful atmosphere vanished, and students lost their words for a while.
Then, Malfoy pushed to the front of the crowds and triumphantly shouted, "Enemies of the heir, beware. You will be the target, Mudbloods!" He grinned as if he had received an early Christmas present.
A few minutes later, teachers and Filch arrived on the scene and saw the words on the wall. Before the staff opened their mouths, Ellie came to the front and shouted at teachers, "Professor, Malfoy just said a forbidden word to humiliate and threaten Muggle-borns! He should get a penalty!" Then, other students, including Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, added "Yes, I heard it, too," to go along with her. While Snape stared at Malfoy and Ellie with an annoyed look, McGonagall said sternly, "Five points will be taken from Slytherin for verbal abuse. I warn you that you will have detention next time, Mr. Malfoy." The pale blond boy's face twisted at the unexpected punishment. On the other hand, most Gryffindor students laughed quietly, as did many in the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
Dumbledore ordered prefects to lead students back to the dormitories immediately. Then, prefects called on the students to move on. Along the way, Ron whispered to Harry "Look at Fred and George." The Weasley twins looked as if they were suppressing a laugh with abnormally glittering eyes. Hermione and Ellie agreed that there was something fishy about them.
Accordingly, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie surrounded the twins and led them to the unused classroom near the Portrait hole. As soon as Ellie locked the door and cast a privacy charm, Ron demanded that his brothers spill the beans. Of course, the Weasley twins pretended to be innocent.
"Come on, I've seen that look since my first memory. Your faces are saying that 'we did something but you will never prove it,'" Ron glared at them with disbelief.
"Yes, we've seen those faces several times last year too. I know you are related to the words on the first floor," Hermione said accusingly.
"Moreover, you two are the only ones who know about the Chamber of Secrets besides us," Ellie's eyes narrowed.
"Why did you write those words? What's your plan by pretending the Chamber of Secrets opened this time?" Harry didn't beat around the bush.
After Fred and George looked at each other and nodded, they opened their mouths with serious looks.
"OK, our clever little brother knows us too well."
"We wrote the words to give the whole school an impression that the Chamber of Secrets had opened again."
"Of course, the teachers won't know it was written by us as we wrote them two days ago and covered the wall with glamour charms."
"We wanted to lead Malfoy to do stupid things as he seemed to get the hint about the chamber from his wonderful father."
"And he proved it by shouting the 'you are the target' thing. He's as stupid as we reckoned."
"It will be something to see when Malfoy gets embarrassed at no terror against Returners, unlike his anticipation."
Two pranksters laughed wickedly and five second-years couldn't help but chuckle too. All Gryffindors returned to the common room and smoothly joined the discussions about the Chamber of Secrets.
As students went to their beds, Harry closed the curtains on his bed and called his two guardians through a two-way mirror after casting a privacy charm. Prongslet informed Padfoot and Moony what the Weasley twins did to make the whole school believe the Chamber of Secrets had opened for revenge on Malfoy. Sirius and Remus burst out laughing at the twins' prank. The old and young Marauders agreed that Malfoy deserved the payback for attempting a horrible disaster by using the youngest Weasly girl. Harry also shared what Mourning Myrtle said and his plan to research Basilisk and Cockatrice again. After finishing the talks with the guardians, Harry unfolded the Marauder's Map and checked on Malfoy. He seemed to be awake and talking about Slytherin's Heir and the chamber with Crabbe and Goyle. The raven-haired boy couldn't help but smirk at the Slytherin fools. The map showed no sign of Dobby, so Harry deactivated it and lay down to sleep. However, he had no idea what he would face soon.
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A/N: I wonder whether readers like Harry lose his Parseltongue ability after eliminating Voldemort's soul part.