The second year_Part III
January went out without any accidents at Hogwarts. The letters on the first floor were completely erased, and the Chamber of Secrets was forgotten. Only Lockhart claimed that the heir of Slytherin had wisely decided to give up reopening the Chamber because he could catch the culprit as soon as it was opened. Most students didn't care what the blond teacher said as they realised how awful he actually was. Still, a handful of students believed what he said. Unfortunately, Hermione was one of Lockhart's followers. It made Ellie offer Harry, Ron, and Neville to bring in the blond fraud when they hunt a basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, so Hermione could observe his reality. Harry and Ron objected to Ellie's idea at first, however, they eventually accepted it, using him as a human shield.
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On the morning of Valentine's Day, Harry was surprised to see what Lockhart had done in the Great Hall. The walls were covered with pink flowers, and hearts were falling from the ceiling. Lockhart boasted of receiving 46 valentines and introduced ugly dwarfs as cupids. Moreover, he offered students to ask Snape for love potions. Harry, Neville, and Ellie agreed that Snape would give poison to any student who recklessly ask him love potion. Ron asked Hermione whether she had also given Lockhart a card but she pretended not to hear it with red ears.
In the afternoon, Harry encountered a grim-looking dwarf with a harp in the corridor when he was moving to Charms classroom with friends. He wanted to escape, but the dwarf tackled him down and started singing a weird song. "His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad…" Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie tried hard to stifle their laughter. Harry turned scarlet, and he really wanted to be evaporated now!
Unfortunately, Malfoy's gang and a line of first-year Gryffindors, including Ginny Weasley, were in front of him at that time. As soon as the awful song was finished, Harry got up and tried to move. But Malfoy shouted at Ginny "It's a shame that Potter didn't like your valentine." Ron wanted to hex the blond boy, but Neville and Hermione dragged him away. Ellie shot a Stinging Jinx to Malfoy wandlessly while turning to her friends, so nobody saw it. Then Malfoy shrieked and fell down, but Crabbe and Goyle just stared at him curiously. Gryffindors, including Ron, sneered at the blond Slytherin and moved away.
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The following week, the second-year Gryffindors had interviews with McGonagall to discuss what they would choose as electives. The head of the lion's house got advice from the head of Ravenclaw when they talked about Lily Potter's Scholarship Fund. So McGonagall explained other subjects in detail and gave advice rather than giving them pamphlets as she had in the past.
Harry discussed the usage of each subject with McGonagall and asked her about his parents' choices. After the interview, he talked with Sirius, Remus, and Percy, the most studious student. Ron wanted easy subjects, however, McGonagall pointed out that he should choose Muggle Study as he was interested in professional chess players in the Muggle world. Neville asked all uncles and aunts for advice after the interview. He also got recommendations from his grandmother and Sirius. Hermione wanted to choose all subjects, even though McGonagall said Muggle Studies were useless for her. Ellie asked not only McGonagall but also Flitwick about the teachers of elective subjects. She found out that Prof. Trelawney, the Divination teacher, didn't have a good reputation., But other teachers were quite good, except for Prof. Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Second-years often discussed the electives in the common room but delayed the decision until the Easter holidays.
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February ended with the Quidditch match between Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. Although Gryffindor won the match against Hufflepuff in just five minutes last year, Oliver pushed his teammates hard this time. Actually, they had heard that the Hufflepuffs practiced really hard to pay back last year's fastest defeat.
The weather was fine, unlike the match against Slytherin. Sirius and Remus also sat with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ellie, and Hagrid. The scarlets and the canary yellows flew to the sky, and the match began. This time, two Bludgers didn't chase the seeker of Gryffindor. So everyone in the sky and stands could play and enjoy the match without any additional accidents. It took almost an hour when Harry caught the Snitch after a fifty-foot dive and then rolled down a few times on the ground. The crowds in the stand roared at his fearless dive. When Remus and Hagrid prevented Sirius from dashing down, Harry got up and raised his arm energetically to show the Snitch. Gryffindor won the match! Lions in the stand, including Hagrid, Sirius, and Remus, jumped up and down with glee.
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On the second Saturday of March, Mrs. Klein handed Ellie a magical recorder with several words in Parseltongue. The Black family's agents had finally contacted Parselmouthes in Mycenae and Peru. The recorded words were 'open', 'reveal yourself', 'Slytherin', 'stop', 'follow my order', 'protect', and 'finish'. Mrs. Klein warned her excited daughter that the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets might not obey them as they were not Slytherin's heir. And she gave her daughter five woodblocks and explained the way to transform back into cocks.
Ellie ran to the Gryffindor tower and ordered her friends to move immediately to the unused classroom near the portrait hole. After casting the locking charm and privacy charm, the wild girl showed her friends the recorder and woodblocks and shared what her mom had said. All of them were excited. Ron wanted to go down the Chamber of Secrets in a rush, but the other kids calmed the red-haired boy down.
Ellie emphasised the importance of planning and practice as her American Auror uncle said, "We can't start monster-hunting without a plan! And we should learn how to reverse roosters from blocks first!" Harry, Hermione, and Neville agreed with her opinion.
So all the kids tried to transform woodblocks into roosters and return them to blocks for thirty minutes. Then they reviewed their plan for basilisk hunting until supper time. When five second-year Gryffindors left the classroom, they decided to investigate the way to the Chamber and practice various charms every night.
After supper, five kids sneaked into Mourning Myrtle's bathroom. Thankfully, Myrtle was not there. Ellie set the recorder in front of the sink and pressed the button once. When the kids heard a hissing sound, the sink began to move and sank down. Then all of them could see a huge pipe that was wide enough for a man to slide into. At first, everyone was dumbfounded at the exposed big pipe. But they began to inspect the inside of the pipe. When Hermione threw a small stone into the pipe, a very faint sound came from the bottom quite a long time later.
"It must be very deep," Hermione murmured. Other kids nodded their heads.
"Yeah, maybe under the bottom of the lake," Ellie added.
"I think we need broomsticks to reach the ground and to return to this bathroom after hunting," Ron said with concern. Neville turned pale but he didn't say anything and nodded.
"I think my Nimbus can take three of us at least," Harry said after considering his broomsticks.
"We can sneak a school broomstick." Ellie's eyes twinkled, and Ron added immediately, "I think we can borrow one from Fred or George. They will gladly help with the basilisk hunting." Harry, Hermione, and Neville agreed to Ron's idea for safety.
So they decided to check the bottom of the pipe now. Ron and Ellie stayed in the bathroom and the others left for Gryffindor tower. About fifteen minutes later, Harry returned with a Nimbus 2000. Three kids got on the broomstick and kicked the floor of the bathroom hard. Then they dived into the pipe. It felt like a long time to reach the end. It was dark and cold. "Lumos!" The boys and girl looked around where they were with light from the tip of wands, however, they couldn't get a clue. It looked like a stone tunnel with no light and was full of dampness. They slowly walked to find the Chamber of Secrets. It was a gloomy place. They saw many bones that seemed like rats on the floor. Even a gigantic green snakeskin was in the corner of the cave. "It could be more than 20 feet," Harry said after measuring the length with his eyes. Ron shuddered and Ellie whispered, "The basilisk in the Chamber must be much bigger and longer."
They resumed exploration. When they started to wonder if this tunnel was endless, they saw a large well with two snake sculptures. Ellie turned to Harry and Ron with a straight face and showed them the magical recorder. The two boys nodded cautiously, and the girl pushed the recorder's button once to sound 'open' in snakes' language. The serpents in the wall started moving, and a large door was flung open. Harry checked his locket and confirmed it remained still, which meant there was no dark magic inside. He showed the motionless locket to his friends and whispered "I think it's safe, at least for now." After sharing nods, they entered inside.
The Chamber was very huge with high ceilings. There were many stone pillars with carved serpents supporting the ceiling and dark green lights. At the end of the Chamber, there was a big statue that reached the ceiling. "I think it's Slytherin," Ron murmured. "I can't say it looks good," Ellie wrinkled her face. Harry scratched his head while looking at the statue but didn't say anything.
Three kids returned to investigate the Chamber, but they couldn't find anything that looked special or suspicious except Slytherin's statue. So they gathered in front of the statue for further observation. However, they couldn't touch it because they were not ready to fight Basilisk now. They agreed that it was time to finish their investigation and return to Gryffindor's common room. When Ellie saw the wristwatch and checked the time, she was startled, "Oh, no, it's near curfew!"
So they left the Chamber in a hurry, ran to the end of the pipe, took the Nimbus 2000, flew upward through the pipe, and reached the bathroom. As soon as all kids got out of the pipe, the hidden sink slid back into place.
"What did you do?" Myrtle returned at that time and her eyes that fixed on the three kids became as big as saucers.
"We just investigated the end of this pipe," Ellie answered lightly.
"Sorry, Myrtle. We will tell the whole story later."
"Yes, we should go back to the common room now." Harry and Ron kindly added.
Three second-year Gryffindors barely beat the curfew. Hermione and Neville led them to the armchair in the corner. Ellie filled two friends in on what they found out under the lake: a dark stone tunnel, a twenty-foot slough, a chamber with many pillars, and an enormous statue. Both kids covered their mouths with their hands to prevent screaming. Particularly, Neville shook his body slightly. Harry glared at the shaken friend with concern.
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The five kids practiced every skill they should master for basilisk hunting next week. Ron was the best strategist among them so he orchestrate the hunting strategies based on the documents from the Black family's library. Kids were divided into two groups, players of offense and defense. While offending players, Harry and Ellie, would attack and distract Slytherin's monster, defending players, Ron, Hermione, and Neville, would transform woodblocks back into roosters and make them crow.
To prepare for real hunting, Ellie conjured a snake and enlarged it five times to simulate a basilisk. At first, Ron, Hermione, and Neville trembled with fear, but they managed to shout "Finite!" while pointing their wands at the woodblocks. The blocks transformed into cocks and crowed loudly. In addition, they also learned a sound-amplifying charm in case they couldn't approach the beast closely.
Harry decided to distract the giant serpent by throwing flares while flying near the ceiling. Sirius and Remus heard his plan and sent him lots of preparations: boxes of flares and a pair of enchanted goggles that could block the wearer's sight at will. He would throw light bombs at the continuously moving serpent on the broomstick.
Meanwhile, Ellie would use her Christmas presents, a bow and arrows which were the products of the Dietrich family's magic. Her uncle explained that those special arrows would hit the target no matter how poorly shoot, as long as she whisper the target's name while shooting. The wild and vicious girl repeatedly shot arrows at various targets, hoping to pierce the basilisk's eyes to protect everyone from its murderous stare.
Unfortunately, the unused classroom was not as big as the Chamber so they couldn't rehearse hunting. They also couldn't be sure of the entrance of Basilisk or the spell. They guessed 'open', 'reveal yourself', or 'Slytherin' would call the beast.
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It was the late afternoon of Saturday. After her extra class, Ellie informed her friends that her mother had given her two magical cell phones, recently invented by an American tech wizardry company, for emergency calls. The others agreed that it would be helpful if someone remained in the castle and ask teachers for help in case of an unexpected accident in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry offered Neville the opportunity to stay at Gryffindor Tower, and the round-faced boy accepted it gladly. Ellie gave Neville the phone and lectured him on how to use it for hours.
Ron asked the others whether they needed permission from teachers to hunt Slytherin's monster. It was Ellie's plot to lead Hermione to recommend Lockhart. Harry, Ellie, and Neville responded negatively, but Hermione suggested Lockhart, as anticipated. Ron objected to her suggestion because he worried Lockhart might want to join the hunt. Hermione beamed at Ron and excitedly offered to go with the self-claimed expert, as Neville wouldn't join. Though the others glared at her with distrust and dissatisfaction, they agreed with her in the end.
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After supper, Hermione went to the DADA teacher's office, and the other kids went to Myrtle's bathroom with their tools. This time, Myrtle was waiting for Basilisk hunters and greeted them by saying, "Hello, you've finally come to hunt Slytherin's monster."
Ellie and Neville started making phone calls. She put her cell phone into her knapsack to keep calling until the end of the hunting. Neville promised Harry, Ron, and Ellie that he would listen to the whole process and go to McGonagall's office when he hears Ellie ask for his help. About 10 minutes later, Hermione indeed brought Lockhart with a broomstick to the bathroom, contrary to their expectations. The so-called famous adventure author seemed excited and nervous together but said confidently that he would protect the students from Slytherin's monster. Neville left the bathroom saying, "See you later," and Ellie opened the sink again. Then Harry and Ron unshrank their broomsticks. When everyone had climbed on their broomsticks, Harry and Ellie dived into the pipe first, followed by Ron and Hermione, and then Lockhart reluctantly the followed students. Myrtle merrily wished them luck.
The four Gryffindor students and the DADA teacher reached the floor of the tunnel and walked to the Chamber of Secrets. After they entered the legendary chamber, Hermione and Lockhart couldn't help but look around and heaved a sigh. Like last week, there was no sign of a basilisk in the Chamber. Given the size of the monster, Ron, Hermione, and Lockhart sat behind the pillars in the middle of the chamber. Ellie stood beside Slytherin's feet, pulling her bow and arrows out of her knapsack. Ron and Hermione also put wooden blocks on the floor in front of them and pointed their wands at the blocks, ready to shout spells at any moment. Harry rode his Nimbus 2000 again, after wearing goggles, and flew to the ceiling near the head of the statue. He held flares in his right hand while grabbing his broomstick in his left hand. Lockhart started to move backward slowly and quietly. But Ellie suddenly cried, "Ready!" so he also hid behind the column which was near the entrance.
After Ellie pushed the recorder buttons three times, the face of Slytherin's statue started moving, and Harry saw Slytherin's mouth opening wider and wider. Then, a gigantic basilisk slithered out of the mouth. He blocked the goggles' sight and warned his friends, "Shut your eyes! It's coming out from the mouth!"
All except Harry closed their eyes immediately. As soon as the basilisk hit the stone floor of the Chamber, Harry scattered flares where the sound came from. Several light bombs hit the head and body of the beast, exploding loudly and radiating a flash of light. A few seconds later, Ellie opened her eyes very narrowly and shot two arrows at one time, whispering "Basilisk eyes".
After a sound of moan, Harry recovered his sight and saw two arrows puncture both yellow eyes of the monster, and a shower of dark blood spattered the floor. "Ellie, it worked!"
When the boy on the broomstick reported his friend's success, the basilisk twisted his head and body in agony. Harry barely dodged its swirling head, and Ellie ran to the nearest pillar, avoiding its whipping tail. Both offending players continued distracting the blind basilisk: Harry threw flares into the basilisk's mouth, and Ellie shot arrows at its head. Several pillars near the statue broke down due to the serpent's thrashing.
Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione canceled their transformation and cast a sound-amplifying charm. However, five roosters didn't crow at all. Ron panicked and hissed at Hermione, "Why do the bloody chickens remain silent?"
The clever girl took a look around desperately and then her eyes lit up. "I see! This room is much darker than the classroom!"
Ron suddenly understood what she said. "Yes! We need light!"
They raised their wands into the air and cried in unison, "Lumos solem!"
Dazzling sunlight shone on the heads of two kids and thunderous crowing filled in the Chamber soon after.
Harry yelled at Ron and Hermione, "Keep going! It's suffering now!"
The basilisk vigorously twisted its body with anguish after hearing the cocks' crowing. Ron and Hermione repeated saying "Nox!" and "Lumos solem!" several times. The five roosters also repeated crowing.
Finally, the enormous king of serpents fell down. However, it hit the pillars near Ron and Hermione. Ellie, who kept moving back to avoid the fallen columns, dashed to them and shouted, "Protego maxima!"
A large shield covered the three kids a few inches above their heads, and the wreck of the pillars came down on the shield for several minutes. Harry cried his friends' names and returned to the floor. When the dust settled, Ron, Hermione, and Ellie emerged from the debris. Though the half-American girl walked unsteadily, all of them were injured. The raven-haired boy rushed to his friends and hugged them.
"Are you alright?"
"Of course, I'm just a bit exhausted," Ellie's voice was slightly shaky but as light as usual.
"Thank you, Ellie." "Thanks." Ron and Hermione also embraced their wild friend at the same time.
After a few seconds, the four kids burst into laughter. When they finally stopped laughing, Lockhart returned to them and asked about the basilisk's status with a stutter. They turned to him with shock as all of them, even Hermione, had completely forgotten that he was in the chamber, too.
"You can bravely confirm whether that monster's dead or not," Ron said cynically.
"Yes, you can finish it if it's not dead yet," Hermione added, delightedly.
"Don't worry. You are safe as Ellie's arrows penetrated its eyes," Harry also said almost with a sneer.
The blond teacher hesitated for a few seconds. However, he approached the fallen serpent and poked it with his wand several times. He chuckled and shouted at the students.
"It's really dead! Slytherin's monster's gone for good!"
Ellie stepped to the Basilisk to retrieve her arrows. Harry helped her, although her legs were no longer shaky. Ron and Hermione also followed them with worried looks on their faces.
But Lockhart suddenly pointed his wand at the kids and said triumphantly, "Well done, all of you. It's time to end the adventure."
All the kids glared at the teacher with suspicious looks. But Ellie shrugged her shoulders and told him, "Yeah, the hunt's over. We'll go back to the common room after I retrieve my arrows."
"Before you return to your dormitory, you should remove the memory of everything that happened here," Lockhart's lips twisted.
"What are you talking about, Professor?" Hermione looked at her admiring teacher with embarrassment.
"How I found out about the Chamber of Secrets and defeated Slytherin's monster will be the subject of my next book. I'm sure it will bring me eternal glory and wealth," the self-claimed expert on dark creatures answered as if he were in heaven.
"What do you mean? It's us who did everything from scratch," Lockhart's most devoted follower was now thoroughly confused.
"My dear girl, the book won't sell if it says that four twelve-year kids actually did it," Lockhart spoke to Hermione sweetly.
"That's why you wrote in the books that it's you who defeated dark creatures instead of real heroes," Harry grumbled.
"But you are wrong this time. I reckon people will show much more enthusiasm when the book tells the story of how the Boy Who Lived and his friends killed a thousand-year-old Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets," Ron snapped sarcastically. Ellie nodded with a smirk.
The five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award immediately looked sour. Before he opened his mouth again, Hermione asked him directly.
"Professor, is it correct what Harry said? Didn't you actually do anything that you wrote about in your book?" Her voice couldn't hide her disappointment and sense of betrayal. But Lockhart didn't seem to be affected by the distress of his biggest fan.
"The books wouldn't have sold half as many copies if they had an ugly-looking American Warlock or a witch with a harelip on the cover."
"But that's cheating! You've taken credit for what the others have done!" Hermione's eyes were full of tears.
The two boys shook their heads and raised their wand arms at the liar. In the end, they achieved their goal of letting their stubborn friend know the truth about her admirer. Ellie tried to comfort the frustrated friend by embracing her and patting her back lightly.
Lockhart was embarrassed and looked at the boys in turn, "What, what are you going to do, boys? Are, are you attacking a teacher?"
"Why would we do that if you're not trying to erase our memories?" Ron spoke irritably. Hermione heard him and turned to the boys with astonishment.
"Don't bother trying to erase our memories. Even if you succeed, my godfather and Ellie's mum know what you did with us tonight. You will be investigated by Aurors tomorrow, and your crimes will be revealed soon," Harry also threatened the faker without hesitation.
"You know what? One of Gryffindor's students is eavesdropping on everything that's happening here right now. He can testify against you if you try to remove our memories."
Ellie's confidential speaking hit the fraud hard. Hermione also looked at her friend with a puzzled expression. Both boys remembered what the remaining friend had said before Hermione and Lockhart arrived. "Neville!"
Ellie pulled a magical cell phone out of her knapsack and called out to the boy cheerfully, "Hey, Neville! Did you hear everything clearly?"
The DADA teacher looked sick to his stomach and his eyes fixed on the least favourite girl, who was holding a strange thing in his opinion. The other girl also looked at her friend in bewilderment.
"Definitely! It's really disgusting to hear that Lockhart was planning to erase your memories!" Neville's voice from the cell phone was so loud and clear that everyone in the Chamber could hear it.
"Thanks. And don't forget to run to Professor McGonagall when I ask you," Ellie chuckled.
"OK, don't worry," Neville answered brightly.
"See? it's useless to erase our memories. Neville knows what we did and what you said," Ron delivered the final blow to the fraud.
Lockhart was as pale as a sheet and seemed to have lost his wits. Ellie rolled her eyes and took a step forward, which made the blond teacher startled and yelled at her, "Obliviate!"
Almost at the same time, a shield appeared in front of Ellie as Harry and Ron immediately cried, "Protego!"
The light from Lockhart's wand tip hit the shield and returned to the caster. He fell full length on the floor. Hermione covered her mouth with both hands. Harry, Ron, and Ellie glared at the offender with cold eyes and pointed their wands at him until he stood up slowly a few minutes later.
However, his eyes had changed. He looked around and found the students a few feet away with dull eyes.
"Hello, there! This place is strange. Do you live here?"
All the students were dumbfounded at the changed man. Three kids lowered their wand arms and looked at each other to discuss what they should do to him.
"It seems like he lost his memory as the Memory Charm rebounded on him," Ellie said.
"I think so," Ron added.
"Do you think he will lose his memories forever?" Harry asked Hermione.
"I, I don't know. I think we can bring him to Madame Pomfrey to let her treat him." Hermione finally answered.
"It's a good idea. Let's get out of here after I get my arrows back."
Ellie shook her head, moved to the basilisk, and pulled out arrows from the corpse. After putting her cell phone, bow, and arrows into the knapsack, she nodded to her friends and walked to the gate.
Harry and Ron collected their broomsticks and said to the amnesic, "Professor, come with us. We are leaving now."
Hermione hesitated for a second but turned her back and followed her friends. Finally, the blond man also left the Chamber after looking around one more time.
All of them walked silently until they reached the end of the pipe. When the students climbed on broomsticks, Lockhart asked with half-interest and half-distrust, "Are you going to fly by riding broomsticks?"
The kids realised that this man had forgotten how to ride broomsticks and that his one broomstick had been left in the Chamber. Ron drew a long sigh and offered the teacher to ride with him, "You will get on this broomstick with me and fly to the top."
Hermione moved to Harry's Nimbus, and Lockhart reluctantly stood behind Ron. Harry, Hermione, and Ellie flew first, and Ron and Lockhart followed them. The ascent was much slower this time. But Lockhart laughed and said, "Amazing! This is just like magic!"
When everyone reached the floor of the bathroom, Neville welcomed them. The round-faced boy embraced his friends regardless of the dust on their clothes, "I'm really happy that you returned. Are you all right?"
The kids who finished the adventure beamed at him. "Of course!"
On the other hand, Mourning Myrtle goggled at them and asked excitedly, "Did you kill the monster who killed me?"
"Yes, we made it," Harry answered while taking off the goggles and putting them into the half-empty bag. The ghost shrieked with joy and dived at the toilet.
Hermione cast cleaning charms on herself and the others to get rid of dust.
They decided to go to their Head of House's office to report what they did and what happened to the DADA teacher. Anyway, they had enough time before curfew.
McGonagall was really curious when her lions and colleague entered together. However, she couldn't hide her shock and distrust while listening to what these students did. In the end, she was furious at Lockhart after hearing his attempt to remove the memories of students, "How dare you try to harm the students!"
Unfortunately, he just stared at the furious witch blankly. Hermione immediately explained, "Professor McGonagall, he lost his memories as his Memory Charm rebounded to him after hitting on the shield Harry and Ron conjured."
McGonagall finally calmed herself down and turned to Harry and Ron. "You each win Gryffindor ten points for protecting your friend. There will be no point loss as you got permission from the other teacher." She stared fiercely at the amnesic for a second. Then she continued, "I will report this evening's event to the Headmaster and discuss the way to find a temporary DADA teacher." She then called a house-elf and ordered him to take the man suffering from memory loss up to the infirmary. A puzzled-looking wizard and a house elf left the office together.
Finally, the stern-faced Head of Gryffindor House ordered the five students to return to Gryffindor Tower and have a good rest. All Gryffindors answered, "Yes, Professor McGonagall," in unison. They were really tired after their adrenaline was drained at that time. All they wanted was to have showers and to go sleep until the next morning. In Harry's case, he knew he had to fill Sirius and Remus in on how nicely they cleared their mission of hunting Slytherin's beast before sleeping.
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The next day of Basilisk hunting was Sunday. So Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie decided to have a good rest. They all woke up late and enjoyed a heavy breakfast. However, they were summoned by Dumbledore as soon as they finished their meal. McGonagall also went to the headmaster's office with her lions.
Dumbledore welcomed the five second-year Gryffindors and the Deputy. The old professor praised the kid's brave actions of killing Slytherin's monster to protect the school and to clear Hagrid's name. He promised that the kind gamekeeper's name would be cleared in the summer. All of the students' faces lit up at the headmaster's promise. However, their smiles disappeared as soon as they heard an unexpected question from him.
"But, I really want to know why you brought Gilderoy on the hunting. Could you kindly satisfy this old man's curiosity?" Dumbledore's eyes glittered more than usual. The five kids looked at each other, and Ellie nodded with a determined look.
"Because, sir, we wanted to get rid of the fraud and to have a proper DADA teacher." Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed embarrassed at her bold answer.
"Yes, Harry, Ron, and I bought second-hand books, the first edition, and found out that Lockhart sometimes appeared in two places at the same time. It was impossible, so Harry and I asked my mom and Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin to investigate in detail. They accepted it and shared the results after the investigation. Lockhart appeared at the place after the incidents were solved, but the witches or wizards who lived there without communication didn't have the memories of the creatures."
"And we know it's not the direct evidence. So we planned to involve him and let him confess what he really did. And the result was his memory loss." Ellie finished the explanation. The headmaster and deputy headmistress nodded without words. All of the students, except Hermione, smiled proudly.
"Very well. He impaled upon his own sword. Thank you for letting this old man have the answer. Now, return to the Gryffindor Tower and have a relaxing day."
The five kids left the headmaster's office with lightened hearts. On their way to Gryffindor Tower, Neville noticed that Hermione looked gloomy. He cautiously asked whether she was okay. The busy-haired girl answered she was alright, but she still didn't look good. All of them entered the common room and settled down on the armchairs in the corner. A few seconds later, Hermione opened her mouth.
"Did you plot me to bring Professor Lockhart?" She watched her friends nervously.
The other kids nodded. Before she ask another question, Ron spoke first.
"Hermione, you were too stubborn to accept that he's a fraud. So we agree that you should witness his true nature with your eyes."
"I am sorry if you felt betrayed. But we couldn't think the other way to persuade you." Ellie added.
Harry and Neville also apologised. However, Hermione opened and closed her mouth a few times and shed tears in the end. Ellie embraced the distressed friend's shoulders and led her to the girl's dormitory. After the two girls left the common room, the three boys drew long sighs.
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When Dumbledore announced Lockhart's absence the next day due to hospitalization in St. Mungo, most students and all staff welcomed the news. Only Lockhart's fangirls expressed their worry. On the other hand, Hermione still seemed depressed. She even stayed quiet in class instead of drawing attention to herself. Harry, Ron, Neville, and Ellie tried to encourage her, but she kept saying she was fine. Fortunately, the Easter holidays came soon.
As the Easter holidays started, Harry returned to Black Manor. Ellie also went back to Birmingham to share detailed information about basilisk hunting with her family and relatives. She advised Hermione to go home and to have counseling. The daughter of the psychologist worried about her friend's pride being damaged due to Lockhart. However, the bookworm girl said that she would prepare for the end-of-year exams at school. At least she didn't seem to be depressed anymore, so Harry and Ellie left Hogwarts with lightened hearts. Ron and Neville promised to check on her while studying together.
The Blacks and the Kleins celebrated successful basilisk hunting on the first evening of the holidays. Tauky served a big dinner full of British, German, and American foods. They discussed the next issue, Horcruxes, in the sitting room after finishing the feast. Harry and Ellie informed the adults that they couldn't find Slytherin's locket in the Chamber of Secrets. Actually, it was completely empty except for the corpse of the basilisk. Sirius and Remus said they would meet other hunting members soon.
Mr. Klein offered to research the places that were special to Tom Riddle. The psychologist gave advice about the so-called Dark Lord based on his mental analysis. First, he tended to overestimate himself due to his power and brilliance, despite growing up in an orphanage. Second, he felt shame for having a No Maj father, so he succeeded in disguising himself as a pure-blooded dark lord. Last, he was obsessed with rare and highly valuable items for Horcruxes to prove his status as a conqueror of the world. Accordingly, he should have collected other precious items, such as other Hogwarts founder's possessions. For instance, Tom Riddle didn't satisfied with Slytherin's locket but also got Hufflepuff's Cup together from Hepzibah Smith because he thought he was the true owner of Hogwarts. And the diary was the proof of proclaiming himself as Slytherin's heir.
Harry and Ellie deduced that Ravenclaw's lost diadem might be another Horcrux, and the adults agreed to it. Sirius and Remus once heard about the Grey Lady, who had been Ravenclaw's ghost and knew where the diadem was, but she never answered any student. Arcturus Black also mentioned that Gryffindor's only remaining item was his sword, but nobody had seen it for centuries. The rumour said that only true Gryffindor students could summon it. So the old Black patriarch didn't think that Tom Riddle might get Gryffindor's sword.
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Harry and Remus succeeded in persuading Sirius to remove all dark magic items in his old home during the Easter break. While they collected items with dark magic, Kreacher desperately seized a gold locket and tried to escape from the house. Of course, Sirius didn't allow it. But the old and stubborn house elf didn't explain the reason for his sudden action. So, Sirius had to read Kreacher's memories and found out what his brother, Regulus, did actually. Regulus betrayed Voldemort and sacrificed himself to remove the Horcrux! Sirius was in panic due to the shock and frustration.
Remus and Harry couldn't understand the situation as Padfoot didn't say anything about Kreacher's memory. However, they knew they should make Sirius pull himself together. Therefore, Remus led a panicked friend to the kitchen and put glasses and fire whiskey on the table. He didn't forget to get Harry a bottle of butterbeer. After finishing three shots of fire whiskey, Moony cautiously asked Padfoot what he saw from Kreacher's memory. Finally, the Heir of the Black family got over the shock, so he called the house-elf and ordered him to explain the locket and Regulus. The old house elf appeared in the kitchen and told everything, from Regulus's joining the Dark lord's side to the events in the cave, going again to the cave with him, returning with the locket after observing his death, and the failure of destroying the locket. Remus and Harry were overwhelmed by shock and compassion for Sirius and Kreacher.
Fortunately, Remus reminded Sirius to destroy the locket as his brother wished. Then, the Heir of the Black family came to his senses and immediately burned Slytherin's locket with Fiedfyre in the fireplace. A few minutes later, Sirius, Remus, Harry, and Kreacher saw black smoke with a shriek while the locket started to melt.
Kreacher cried again but made a low bow to Sirius. "Thank you so much. Master Sirius finally got Master Regulus's last wish."
Then the only remaining Black male kneeled down and hugged the once-most-hated house-elf with gratitude, "Thank you for your devotion to Reggie. He must be happy now."
Harry clapped his hands with a wide smile and watery eyes, and Remus followed his cub. It was a wonderful reconciliation to observe.
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Harry and Ellie returned to Hogwarts after the end of the Easter holidays. Dumbledore introduced the temporary DADA teacher, Samuel Jenkinson, on the morning of the new term. He was an early-retired Auror due to severe injury in his mid-50s, with sharp grey eyes. They heard at Dueling Club that Amelia Bones, the director of DLME, recommended him to McGonagall after she read Susan's letter about Lockhart's hospitalization. The temporary DADA teacher knew what he should teach so DADA class became popular soon. Hermione was also satisfied with this temporary teacher and recovered herself. So she urged her friends to start studying like last year.
Meanwhile, second-year students submitted elective subjects after the Easter holidays. Harry chose Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, and Care of Magical Creatures. Ron did Muggle Study and Care of Magical Creatures. Neville's choice was Ancient Runes, Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures. Ellie was the only one who didn't pick Care of Magical Creatures in Gryffindor, and her choice was Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Hermione decided to take all subjects, though Ellie criticised her unhealthy curiosity. Only Ron was pleased that Hermione chose Muggle Study, too.
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The remaining year was similar to the previous one. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie prepared for the end-of-year exams.
Gryffindor Quidditch's team won the last match against Ravenclaws and won the Quidditch Cup two years in a row. This time, Sirius and Remus were in the stands with Hagrid and McGonagall and shared the bliss of winning the Cup together.
Of course, there were differences, too. Harry didn't have stinging pain in the forehead as there was no more soul part in the scar. So he could sleep well and focus on his studies without distraction. In addition, he learned about many dark creatures from Jenkinson.
And there was no hidden item like Philosopher's Stone this year. No one mentioned the Chamber of Secrets or Slytherin's monster after Lockhart's departure. Only Hagrid knew that his little Gryffindor friends killed the basilisk, and Dumbledore's promise to clear his name in the summer.
Thanks to Dueling Club, many students improved their ability to protect themselves. Among the second years, Harry was the best student. Surprisingly, Neville's skill had also improved significantly by the end of the year, impressing many students, including Flitwick.
Ron had also defeated many older students at the end-of-year Wizard Chess Tournament and came in second place. McGonagall and Sinistra praised his achievement, and his siblings and friends celebrated his runner-up position.
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The second-year's end-of-year exams were finally over. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville visited Hagrid's hut for tea. (Ellie went to the library to prepare for non-magical subjects.) They discussed how Dumbledore would clear Hagrid's name. At first, they thought of an article in the Daily Prophet. Secretly, Harry reckoned that Mrs. Klein would be delighted to write the article. However, Hagrid didn't want to let Magical Britain know about his expulsion again.
Neville guessed that Dumbledore or McGonagall could contact Amelia Bones and revise the related records from 50 years ago. All of them agreed that Neville's guess was rational.
Hermione also suggested that Hagrid buy a wand officially instead of using a pink umbrella. The gamekeeper's face turned red, but he thanked her for the suggestion.
After supper, Harry was summoned to Dumbledore's office. He saw his two guardians in the headmaster's office with serious faces. Dumbledore also seemed serious, without the usual twinkles in his eyes. Remus began to explain the reason for this sudden meeting.
"Harry, we have bad news. Amelia Bones informed us that Crouch's son is alive and escaped from the Aurors with his house elf yesterday. We think he's looking for Tom Riddle now."
The raven-haired boy was astonished at the last sentence. He remembered that Crouch Jr. was one of the most loyal Death Eaters who attacked Neville's parents after Hallowe'en '81.
"How? You told me he was dead a long time ago."
Remus explained what had happened. Crouch had recently died. The Azkaban guards had decided to bury him next to his son, so they cast an identification charm on Jr.'s tomb. However, the skull in Crouch Jr.'s grave turned out to be that of Crouch's wife. Madame Bones allowed the Aurors to check Mrs. Crouch's tomb, and they found it was empty. Then, the Aurors broke into Crouch's house. But all they found was evidence that people had been living in the house up until recently. The DLME believed that the house-elf ran away with Crouch Jr. when the Aurors entered Crouch's house.
Sirius gritted his teeth and added, "The Aurors found Crouch's diary in the Master's bedroom. It said Crouch had switched his dying wife and son with Polyjuice when they visited Azkaban. The wife died with the son's appearance a short time after the switch, so we all believed that Crouch Jr. was dead. Then, bloody Crouch had put Imperius Curse on the son after his recovery and let the house-elf supervise him."
"But the Imperius Curse on the son was lifted after Crouch dragged to the Azkaban directly from the Ministry Court. And now, the house elf obeys Crouch Jr's orders," Harry added.
"Yes." "That's right." Two guardians agreed with their cub, and Dumbledore nodded his head.
"Sirius, Remus, did you hear what DMLE's opinion is about Crouch Jr.'s whereabouts now?" Dumbledore asked.
"They don't have any good ideas now. Some guessed he might want revenge on Harry or Neville. Also, it's possible that he could be searching for his master." Sirius grumbled.
"The Aurors also found newspaper scraps about Quirrel, Harry, Sirius, and Lily's articles. That's why some DMLE staff reckoned Crouch Jr. wanted revenge on you, Harry. But Sirius and I think his priority is finding his master, as the study desk was full of Riddle's records in UK and Europe," Remus said. Harry and the headmaster nodded their heads.
"Then we should find the remaining Horcruxes ASAP," the dark-haired boy mentioned after thinking about Ravenclaw's diadem.
Dumbledore's eyes glittered with anticipation again and he asked about the Horcruxes that Sirius and Remus had found out. However, the two old Marauders seemed irritated. The heir of the Black family calmed himself down and gave his ex-leader an ultimatum.
"Don't you dare ask about Horcruxes if you are still worried about confidentiality first. Tom Riddle's return becomes only a matter of time as Crouch Jr. is looking for him with the aid of a house elf. If you don't want to share with us what you know about Tommy's horrible items now, do whatever you want with your Death Eater pet."
"Or Moody and the Order of the Phoenix. But Sirius and I won't join it. We came here to ask you to strengthen the wards of the school to prevent the sneaking of Crouch Jr. or his house elf. Good night, Dumbledore."
Sirius and Remus called Harry and turned to the door. Dumbledore went pale, stood up immediately, and asked them not to leave. But old and young Marauders didn't respond at all. The old wizard knew immediately that it was his last chance. So he cried, "I guess Gaunt's ring became the Horcrux."
All of them turned around and walked in front of the desk. Dumbledore explained that it was the Gaunt family's heirloom and the last Gaunt member lost it when Voldemort's father and grandparents were murdered. Moreover, 16-year-old Tom Riddle visited the remaining Gaunt, his uncle, that day.
Remus filled Dumbledore in on the Horcruxes they had found: the diary, Hufflepuff's Cup, and Slytherin's Locket. And he shared their guess that Ravenclaw's lost diadem might become another Horcrux. The old wizard, who was considered to be the most brilliant magical folk, was completely dumbfounded. A boy and two men chuckled at the headmaster's stunned face. "How...?" Sirius ignored Dumbledore's question and bid goodbye.
"Thank you for the information. We will make a plan to retrieve the ring after a discussion with other hunting members soon. Good night, Dumbledore."
Remus and Harry also bid goodbye and three Marauders left the headmaster's office. Two guardians accompanied their cub in front of the portrait hole in Gryffindor Tower. Both men embraced the boy and promised to protect him no matter what happened. They hardly separated, and the boy disappeared into the hole.
Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie waved their hands in the corner of the common room. Harry sat down on the armchair and shared Crouch Jr.'s news. The most shocked person was Neville, whose parents were tortured by Crouch Jr. The other boys and girls recognised his trembling body and tried to calm him down. After repeating deep breaths, the round-faced boy finally stopped trembling. Harry promised to share the new information about Crouch Jr. with Neville as soon as he got it.
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The time to come back home had arrived. Hermione came top of the year again as well as Ellie, who maintained her top position in Charms. This year, Harry became top in Transfiguration and DADA. Neville's grade was higher than last year, while Ron's was similar to the last one. All of them were satisfied with their records.
Gryffindor also won House Cup for two years straight, thanks to the winning Quidditch matches. Ravenclaw followed closely. Slytherin was in third place, as there were no biased points from Snape this year. All houses, except for Slytherin, were satisfied with the rational point system. Accordingly, the Great Hall was decorated with red and gold again.
The end-of-year feast was great like last year. All students enjoyed good food and chatter. The only bad news was that Jenkinson would not be returning to Hogwarts next year. Most students half- expected and half-worried about the next DADA teacher.
Ron said loudly, "I think anybody who is not possessed or pretends to be an expert will be acceptable."
Hermione seemed awkward at Ron's mention. Harry, Neville, and Ellie pretended not to notice Hermione's reaction.
The next morning, all students took Hogwarts Express to return home. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Ellie shared a compartment and exchange their summer holiday plans, and played various games. Many friends from Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, such as Justin Finch-Flechley, Erni McMillan, Susan Bones, and Terry Boot, visited their compartment and exchanged "Have a nice summer holiday."
As the Hogwarts Express reached London and students got off the platform. Harry could see Sirius and Remus waving their hands with wide smiles. He ran to them and exchanged hugs. They bid goodbyes to Ron's, Hermione's, Neville's, and Ellie's families. Harry knew this summer would be as good as the last one, in spite of Crouch Junior.
"Tauky is waiting for you, pup." "You can anticipate what he made for this evening."
The godfather and an honorary uncle were also happy to have a summer with their cub.
They left King's Cross Station in anticipation of a nice summer.