AN: And here it is, the end of year two. So someone asked in their review how Euryale's mother, a snake, would know about Greek mythology so here is the reason I've just made up. Since snakes were often worshipped around that time the myths of the Gorgons, who all had snakes for hair, became well known in snake society and culture along with other myths as well. These myths got passed down from generation to generation until it was finally passed down to Euryale's mother who thought it was a neat coincidence that only three of her twelve hatchlings were female. Hence the names based on the Greek myth. Well I hope that explanation works for you. And know I give you, the new chapter. Enjoy!
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It all made sense now. Harry held both the article and the scrap of paper he found in Hermione's petrified hand. He had found the article in her book bag which had been kept in the hospital wing with her. He normally would never have gone through his friends things but he had been curious about what she may have found in the library before she was attacked. He recalled her saying that she wanted to research magical creatures to see if she could figure out what the monster that lurked in the Chamber of Secrets. It seems she found and article from the first time the chamber had been opened. It talked about how Rubeus Hagrid had been the main suspect and how the students mourned the loss of their fellow student who was killed in one of the lavatories. Harry had been so absorbed in the article that he didn't notice Euryale slither down onto the bed to curl up with Hermione.
Euryale missed her just as much as Harry, Ron, and Draco did. She seemed to also feel guilty that she couldn't help Hermione get better.
XxxxFlachbackxxxX
"I'm too young," she whined bitterly. "My venom can't do anything for her."
"It's okay Euryale. Hermione's going to be just fine. We'll just have to wait for the antidote it's not your fault," Harry comforted.
"But I want Booky to be better now," the snake child cried.
"I know you miss her. We all do. But Hermione wouldn't want us to just sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. We just need to be patient."
Euryale looked up at Harry. Determination was apparent in her beady little eyes that were so dark they appeared to be completely black.
"I'm going to grow big one day and I'll heal all my friends when they get hurt," she promised. "I'll be the most powerful Aesculiapian snake in the world. My venom will even be able to bring people back from the dead!"
Harry smiled down at her. She may be only the second snake he had ever talked to but something told him that she was special, albeit very weird.
"That's the spirit! Now how about I get the Great and Powerful Euryale a lizard for dinner?"
"That's Ms. Great and Powerful Euryale to you, and yes that sounds yummy."
XxxxFlashbackEndxxxX
Harry reread the article that Hermione had found to make sure he had gotten all the information he needed.
"Stormy! Booky has something in her hand," Euryale announced.
Harry looked down at Hermione's hand and that's when he found a passage from a book crumpled up in her hand. He read it and felt his heart stop. This was it! This was the creature that was attacking everyone.
"Hey Harry. What are you reading," Ron asked as he walked up to their friend's hospital bed.
"Ron I got it! Well Hermione got it but I just found out what it is," Harry said excitingly.
"What what is?"
"The thing that's been attacking everyone," Harry explained picking up Euryale and wrapping her around his shoulders. Ron followed him as he sped out of the hospital wing looking for a teacher.
"What is it? Come on mate don't leave me wondering."
Harry stopped and showed Ron the passage.
"It's a Basilisk. Looking into their eyes results in immediate death. They live for hundreds of years. Spiders flee before it. That's why I could hear it. It's a snake," Harry explained. He remembered how he had seen a line of spiders fleeing out the window when he had found Justin and Nearly Headless Nick both petrified.
"But Harry, if it can kill people, by looking them in the eye, how come no one's dead?"
Harry noticed his reflection on a window next to them.
"Because no one did look it in the eye," he realized. "Not directly at least. Collins was always taking pictures so I bet he saw it through his camera. Hermione had the mirror, I bet she was using it to check around corners in case it came along. Justin was standing behind Nearly Headless Nick, he must have saw it through him. Nick got full blast of it, but he's a ghost he can't die again."
"And what about Mrs. Norris? I'm pretty sure she didn't have a camera or a mirror," Ron pointed out.
"There was water on the floor that night," Harry recalled. "She only saw the basilisk's reflection."
"How is it getting around? A big snake like that, someone would have seen it," Ron wondered.
"Hermione's answered that for us," Harry said noticing her handwriting on the side of the paper.
"Pipes," Ron read. "It's using the plumbing."
Harry remembered the article he had found earlier. It said that the last time someone opened the Chamber a girl was killed in a bathroom. Harry recalled a certain overly emotional ghost girl who haunted a girl's bathroom that seemed to fit the description of the victim. He was about to tell Ron about it when he was interrupted by an announcement from the headmistress telling all students to return to their houses at once and all teachers to gather in the second floor corridor. Harry and Ron decided to go to the second floor where all the teachers had gathered. They stopped and hid in a corner while they listened to what was going on.
"It is as we feared. A student has been taken by the monster into the chamber itself," McGonagall said mournfully. Everyone was silent for a moment. "Students will have to be sent home. I'm afraid this is the end of Hogwarts."
"Well Gilderoy your moment to shine has come at last," Severus drawled.
"My moment," Lockhart stammered.
"What you were saying just the other day, that you knew all along where the chamber was hidden," Severus reminded. All the teachers gave the bumbling professor knowing looks. They all knew he was just talk.
"Very well Lockhart. We'll leave you to deal with the monster. Your skills after all are legendary," McGonagall said smugly. Lockhart looked nervous for a moment than slipped back into his usual facade.
"Very well. I'll just be in my office getting…getting ready," he said charmingly before practically running down the hallway.
"Now if you'll all excuse me, I'll be doing an actual search," Severus said before walking off in the opposite direction with several other professors.
"Who is it that the beast has taken," Madame Pomfrey asked. McGonagall began to lead her and the rest of the teachers away from the area.
"Ginny Weasley," she answered sadly.
Harry and Ron stared at the message that was once again written in blood.
"Her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever," Ron read. It sounded like he was close to crying. "Ginny."
XxxxHeeheexxxX
Harry was cursing every deity he had ever heard of. This was NOT what he thought would happen when he and Ron went to Lockhart's office to tell him what they knew about the basilisk. It all happened so quick. They caught the man trying to flee the school, Lockhart confessed to being a fraud, Harry suggested they check out the bathroom where Moaning Myrtle lived on their way to talk to a more competent teacher, they forced Lockhart to go with them, in the bathroom Harry found the entrance and opened it by speaking in parseltongue, Lockhart pushed both Harry and Ron down but also fell when they both grabbed onto his arms, Lockhart stole Ron's wand while he was looking at the huge snakeskin, he tried to curse them but the spell his the rocks above them causing the tunnel to collapse leaving Harry and Euryale on one side and Ron on the other with Lockhart who seemed to be suffering from a head injury, and now Harry was walking further into the chamber that was home to a giant killing snake. Yup, he was going to die and it was all Lockhart's fault. At least he knew his death would be avenged. The professors would eventually find Ron and he would tell them what happened and no doubt Severus would slowly torcher the sorry excuse for a teacher to death.
"Stupid Peacock! I wish I was poisonous so I could teach him a lesson," Euryale muttered darkly. Peacock was the name she had chosen for Lockhart. She said it because the man was all show with nothing to back it up. Much like a peacock uses its feathers to intimidate predators even though it's actually harmless. Harry had never got around to asking her how she knew what a peacock was.
Harry walked further into the chamber. If he was going to die anyway, he might as well try his best to save Ginny first. He hoped she was still alive. She had been very sweet the few times he talked to her. He stopped when he came to an open area. There was a walkway with rows of snake statues on both sides of it. At the end of it there was a giant head of a man with a flowing beard carved out of the wall. This all seemed to have been built in an ancient cave under the school. Harry looked up to see dangerously sharp stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Harry noticed something lying at the end of the walkway. He walked forward and slowly began to run as he realized it was Ginny. He got down on his knees beside her and tried to wake her up. She looked so pale and was barely breathing. She was showing no signs of getting up. He needed to get her to Madame Pomfrey.
Euryale gave out a warning hiss that caught Harry's attention. He looked up to see a rather attractive boy who looked like he was several years older than Harry. He had on a slytherin uniform but Harry didn't recognize him. He was sure he had never seen this boy before in his life.
"Who are you," he demanded.
"My name is Tom Riddle, and you must be the famous Harry Potter come to rescue this poor girl. I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Tom answered calmly.
"You're the heir," Harry realized. "What are you? What have you done to Ginny? Why did you attack those people?"
"I'm just a memory preserved in a diary. I've had little Ginny here under my control since the beginning. You see, it was Ginny who opened the chamber of secrets," Tom started to rant.
"No," Harry denied.
"It was Ginny who attacked those people. It was Ginny who wrote the threatening messages on the wall."
"Why would she do that," Harry asked.
"Because I told her to. You will find that I can be very persuasive and of course like I said before she was under my control. As long as she had the diary, I could do my work through her," Tom smirked.
"Well I can tell you now you've already failed. Soon the antidote will be ready and everybody who had been petrified will get better," Harry retorted.
"Killing mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore. My target for many months now has been you," Tom said walking around Harry looking him up and down. Harry felt his chest grow cold. Why him? "How is it that a baby with no extraordinary talents was able to defeat the dark lord?"
"Why do you care? Voldemort was after your time," Harry asked assuming that this 'memory' was from the first time the chamber of secrets was opened. Tom gave a smirk that made Harry's skin crawl.
"Voldemort is my past, present, and future."
Pulling out a wand, Tom wrote his full name in the air. Tom Marvolo Riddle. He waved over the letters and the shifted until they read, 'I am Lord Voldemort'. Harry immediately understood.
"You're the heir of Slytherin. You're Voldemort."
"Surely you didn't think I would keep my filthy muggle father's name. No, I fashioned myself a new name. One that that everyone would fear when I became the greatest wizard in the world," the young Voldemort ranted.
"Yes and we can see where that got you," Harry countered. Pure rage flashed in the older teens eyes.
"Puzzle talks a lot," Euryale commented. Harry stared at Voldemort as he realized that she was right. Voldemort smirked at the realization.
"What a clever snake you have there. You see I'm buying my time until the rituals complete," he explained. Harry was confused again. "You see as poor Ginny grows weaker, I grow stronger. Soon I'll be free to do as I please. Until then…"
The memory waved its wand and hissed something that Harry didn't quite make out. The giant statue of a head's mouth opened and Harry say the thirty foot long monstrosity of a snake slither out of it. Harry began stepping back and looked down so he didn't look into its eyes.
"Let's see how the famous Harry Potter stands against the legacy of Salazar Slytherin," Voldemort shouted. He turned to the basilisk and hissed in parseltongue, "Kill the boy."
Harry ran down the walkway but he could hear the snake quickly catch up to him. He was pushed to the ground by the enormous head. He looked over and saw the shadow of his soon to be killer as it readied to strike. A second much smaller shadow appeared on the top of the basilisks head just as it leaned closer to him.
"No one hurts my Stormy," Euryale hissed. The basilisk screeched and moved away from Harry. Harry watched the shadows on the wall and saw the smaller shadow strike over and over again as the giant beast whipped its head around trying to get her off. He figured that Euryale must have fallen off his shoulders and onto the larger snakes head when it knocked him down. Harry stood up as he heard Voldemort let out an angry cry. Harry watched helplessly as his friend was thrown off and skidded across the watery walkway until she came to a stop.
"You snake may have blinded the basilisk, but it can still hear you," Voldemort jeered.
Harry took a step back making a small splash sound in the water. The basilisk stopped all movement and stared down at him. It looked like Euryale had continuously bitten its eyes until they were unrecognizable. At least that was one less danger. Harry took off to the side and ran into a tunnel with the basilisk not far behind him. After a few twists and turns he found himself trapped. The basilisk was right there slowly moving towards him. He picked up a rock and carefully threw it down the tunnel away from him. It took all his strength not to sigh in relief as the basilisk moved away from him and headed further into the pipes in search of the source of the sound. Harry followed the pipe back into the main chamber. He stopped when he saw Ginny still lying on the floor.
"Having fun Potter? There's nothing you can do. You and the girl will both die down here," Voldemort taunted. Harry looked around and got an idea. He pulled Ginny down the walkway away from the giant head statue ignoring Voldemort's questions of what he was doing. He ran back to the statue as the basilisk reappeared out of the pipes. He began to climb the statue as the monster made its way over to him. Harry scrambled onto the giant head statue as the giant snake moved closer. He tried to be quiet as he climbed but his uniform was wet and kept slapping against the stone as he moved. He looked back at the beast just in time to see it lunge at him. He scrambled out of the way and the basilisk rammed its head into the statue where Harry had been climbing only moments ago. Harry decided not to waste any time climbing to the top and he was surprisingly quick to reach the top despite having to dodge the basilisk's attacks. He stood up on top of the statue and squared off with the snake. He held his wand out and readied himself. The next attack came and Harry used a deflecting charm. He did the same for the second and third one. Harry finally saw his opportunity when the basilisk took a moment to shake its giant head like it was getting frustrated. Harry used a blasting spell on the roof of the cave. The basilisk looked up at the sound of shacking rock. Harry sent two more blasting spells at the ceiling while the beast was distracted. The sound of his casting drew its attention back to him and it made a final lunge for him. Harry tried to deflect the reptile but he was too slow this time and he felt his arm get pierced by one of basilisk's fangs. Harry screamed in pain and looked up desperately at the cave's roof. He felt relief throughout his whole body when he saw the rocks start to break away. Several stalactites broke off and two of them fell all the way to the ground and shattered into pieces. The rest pierced the giant snake's body. The basilisk let out a pained roar as it tore its mouth away from Harry and moved to inspect the damage done to its body. Harry looked up to see a rather large stalactite still attached to its base. With one last desperate spell, Harry knocked it loose and it finally gave way. It pierced through the basilisk's head and the creature fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Harry watched the massive body for a few moments. It didn't move again.
Satisfied, Harry climbed down and walked back over to Ginny's body. He began feeling weak and soon fell to his knees in front of the unconscious girl. Harry barely listened to the sixteen year old dark lord as he said something about basilisk venom. He looked down at his arm to see a fang sticking out of it. He pulled it out and turned his attention back to his best friends little sister.
"You're too late," Voldemort said in a calm yet triumphant voice. "Soon, Ginny Weasley will be dead, and I will cease to be a memory."
Harry looked down at her. He noticed that she was still clutching onto the diary Voldemort spoke of earlier. Harry picked it up and placed it on the ground. He grabbed the previously discarded basilisk fang and gripped it as hard as he could. Voldemort had said that his current self was just a memory preserved in this diary, which meant he was tied to it. Perhaps destroying the diary would destroy him as well? Harry opened the blank book to a random page.
"What are you doing," Voldemort asked sounding a little worried. He saw Harry left up the fang and aim it above the diary. "Stop! No!"
Harry brought the fang down and pierced the book which began to leak ink as if it were bleeding. A shining hole appeared in Voldemort's stomach and he began to cry out in pain and terror. He glared fiercely at Harry and went to attack him but stopped when Harry stabbed the diary again. This time his face began to glow and he let out a wail. Harry had mixed feelings about causing someone so much pain but he needed to save Ginny so he closed the diary and made one last powerful stab which caused Voldemort to let out a terrible screech before being consumed by light and finally bursting. The second Voldemort gone Ginny let out a gasp as she came back to life. The color in her skin reappeared and she was no longer deathly pale. Despite his fading strength, Harry was relieved that she was alright. She looked around before she noticed Harry slumped behind her.
"Harry," she cried. She gave him a guilty look. "It was me. But I swear I didn't know what I was doing. Riddle made me…and…Harry! You're hurt."
Harry tried to cover up his wound. His vision blurred a little. He knew he wasn't going to last long and Ginny had been through enough without having to watch him die.
"Ginny, don't worry about me. Go to the entrance, find Ron and get out of here," he said hoping she wouldn't put up much of a fight. The look on her face told him that she wasn't about to go anytime soon. He let out a sad sigh but didn't say anything. As nice as Ginny was, he didn't want it to be her that was with him when he died. He'd rather have his family there. Papa would be crying his eyes out and holding him. Draco would be crying and calling him an idiot for getting himself in this situation. Severus wouldn't cry though. He was more of the 'cry on the inside' kind of person. He would be comforting Harry, calling him an idiot, and research desperately for a cure at the same time. Harry almost chuckled at the thought.
"Stormy," a little voice called. Harry looked over as Euryale slithered over to him. She seemed perfectly fine despite being thrown.
"You were brilliant Euryale. I just wasn't quick enough," he said sadly as he looked down at the little snake. Euryale slithered closer to him.
"I noticed but don't worry. You'll get better. Don't look so sad," she reassured. Harry was about to explain that he wasn't going to have time to get better when Euryale sunk her tiny fangs into his wrist. Ginny cried out in shock and Harry winced at the feeling. His arm began to tingle and he felt his strength begin to return. He no longer felt as if he was dying.
"But I thought you were too young to heal people," Harry exclaimed. Euryale gave a little nod.
"I can't but mama used to tell me and my siblings that our venom can beat any other snakes'," she explained. Harry grinned and nodded in understanding. He still had the wound on his arm but he'd live.
"It's okay. It's all over now," he told Ginny. He resisted the urge to grin maniacally. He was just overjoyed that he was going to live. "It's just a bad memory."
XxxxHeeheexxxX
Narcissa fumed as she read the Prophet. How could it have failed? The dark lord should have been resurrected but instead the horcrux was destroyed and Potter was being called a hero for killing the basilisk and saving Ginerva Weasley. Narcissa grabbed the nearest object, which was an expensive but tacky looking vase, and threw it against the wall. No one even died! Not one single dirty mudblood! It was that idiotic snakes fault. Her lord's plan was perfect. Potter would pay. He had ruined all that effort Narcissa took to sneak into Diagon Alley and slip the diary into the little Weasley trash's school things.
"Is everything alright love," Vigo asked. Narcissa looked over at the rich and heart-stoppingly attractive wizard. He had been her lover when she was married but their relationship had been purely based on sex. Neither one of them was interested in love. Narcissa had been forced to use a combination of the imperious curse and a love potion so that he would hide her from aurors. His manor wasn't as big as the Malfoy family manor but she was still able to live comfortably.
Narcissa stood up and smoothed out her silver colored, silk nightgown. She gave her man slave a charming smile even though it was pointless. She could have thrown that vase at his head and he would still be head over heels for her. She walked up to him and caressed his cheek.
"Yes honey. I was just angry at something in the Prophet. The ministry's still saying such awful things about me," she complained with a sexy pout. Vigo smiled down at her.
"Don't worry my love. They won't find you here," he purred as he pulled her into his arms. Narcissa loved the feeling of being held in such strong arms. "Those filthy blood traitors will get what's coming to them. Now, how about we go to bed?"
Narcissa smiled at his suggestive tone and followed him up to the master bedroom. Revenge would have to wait for now. She would have to lay low and continue her search for Crouch Jr. She would need him for the next plan but at the moment, it was time to enjoy her toy.
XxxxHeeheexxxX
Even though he was technically still a prisoner, Sirius couldn't remember a time he felt happier. He was being given some tasty meals, and by that he meant plain sandwiches that weren't either several days old or filled with spoiled meat, and his case seemed to be going very well. As the public and the jury got a little more familiar with the details they were starting to realize that he was indeed an innocent man with absolutely no death eater connections unless they were to count Lucius, but he was a spy for the Order so Sirius didn't think he counted. But even so Lucius seemed to be keeping his distance from the court proceedings. According to Sirius' lawyer, paid for by Lucius, the man was still looked at as a true death eater and wasn't well liked in the wizarding community. It didn't really seem fair to Sirius but there was nothing he could do about it so he just settled for silently calling everyone an idiot.
Sirius gave a flirtatious smile the young woman who walked up to his cell door carrying what appeared to be a steak with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. He nearly drooled when he spotted the meal. He hadn't even seen gravy for almost twelve years. If he were in his dog form he would have been wagging his tail. He looked back up at the young woman. She must have been an auror in training. She slipped the tray through the slot in the bars and into Sirius' waiting hands. She looked at him in the eye for the first time since she arrived and Sirius saw her stop dead in her tracks at the sight of his charming leer.
"So, what can I do for the beautiful angel who was kind enough to provide such a delicacy to this unworthy dog," he asked in a low, sexy tone. The young woman blushed and quickly averted her eyes.
"Well, my little puppy, you could start by having a nice conversation with me while you eat."
Sirius glanced up at Lucius who was smirking at the two. The girl excused herself and left quickly leaving the two alone. Sirius looked Lucius up and down. He had a slender body but not so much that it reminded him of a woman. His long hair seemed to glow in natural light. His aristocratic facial features were a startling contrast to his sky blue eyes. Sirius always wondered how someone with such stern facial expressions could have such kind and welcoming eyes. Speaking of eyes, Sirius couldn't help but notice that they looked slightly red as if the man had been crying earlier. His curiosity at the thought of something making the aristocrat break down almost overwhelmed him but he refrained from asking about it.
"It seems I got the wrong angel," he said with a suggestive grin. Lucius chuckled.
"And it seems it's true what they say about guys who are just out of prison," he retorted. Sirius felt his face grow serious. No pun intended.
"I'm not 'out' yet, and I don't want to get my hopes up too much in case it doesn't turn out well," he explained. Lucius' eye twitched slightly like he wanted to do or say something but he refrained. He always seemed to be holding something back which bothered Sirius quite a bit.
"One way or another, you'll get your freedom," he promised. Sirius couldn't help but be a little worried about the 'or another' part. He decided to just give the man a sincere thanks and than sat down with his meal.
"So, can I ask you a question? You wouldn't have to answer it," Sirius asked finally giving in to his curiosity.
"Of course."
"Why have you been crying?"
Lucius visibly stiffened before averting his eyes from Sirius'. Sirius figured the man wouldn't answer so he casually started to cut up his steak. He was surprised when he heard Lucius start to speak.
"Throughout the school year, there have been several attacks at Hogwarts. According to the message the attacker left the Chamber of Secrets was opened again. Several students were petrified," he explained. Sirius felt a stab of fear.
"Harry? Draco?"
"They are both fine. But it seems that Harry had found out the identity of the monster rumored to live down there and ended up finding the camber itself."
"He went there? Knowing there was a monster in there? What was it," Sirius asked. He couldn't help but think of how Harry must have taken after James. He was always getting them and himself into trouble.
"It was a basilisk. According to the report, the youngest daughter of the Weasley family had been taken down there earlier that night. She was on the verge of death when he found her but now they are both safe. Everyone made it out without any major injuries except for Gilderoy Lockhart who had been hired to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. He suffered a head injury and has lost all his memories of what happened and even who he is," Lucius stated as if he was reading the report to Sirius.
"Then why were you crying? It sounds like everything worked out in the end."
"Why," Lucius asked as he started to pace in front of the cell. Sirius stuffed a large bite of the steak into his mouth. He almost moaned at the taste. It had been cooked just right to fit his tastes. "Do you have any idea what a basilisk is?! It's a giant snake that can kill you if you look into its eye. The only reason that none of the other students died is because they only saw reflections. Not to mention how large they are. That thing could have swallowed Harry whole in one gulp! And on top of that the thing was poisonous! And what did he do? He walked right into its lair and decided to have a full out fight to the death with it. I can't even imagine what he was thinking going in that place alone. He got bit Sirius. He almost died from the poison. If Euryale hadn't been there….," Lucius stopped mid rant and Sirius saw tears forming in his eyes. He remembered Lucius telling him that he thought of Harry as his own child but he didn't think he was this serious about it but seeing the look on his face when he spoke of Harry being in danger, it almost reminded Sirius of a mother whose child had almost been taken from her. It was heartbreaking. Sirius made a move to stand up so that he could try to comfort Lucius in some way but the man shook his head and his face changed dramatically from maternal to indifferent.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said in a monotone voice. Sirius was stunned at the change. He contemplated the idea that Lucius had a personality disorder. Lucius motioned towards the tray of food that laid almost forgotten on Sirius' lap. "Eat that before it gets cold. I'll wait until you're finished to discuss details about your case with you."
Sirius did as he was told while silently taking in what Lucius said about Harry and the Chamber of Secrets. He almost cried at the thought of his godson dying before he even had the chance to meet him. Hell, the thought of Harry dying at any time was enough to make Sirius want to throw up his delicious meal. As he inhaled his steak, Sirius thought about several things. Would Harry like him when they finally met or would he treat him like a stranger? What kind of personality disorder did Lucius have? And who the hell was Euryale?
XxxxHeeheexxxX
The moment had finally come. After months of work the jury had finally come to a decision. Even though he was almost positive about what the outcome would be, Lucius was still nervous. Not that he showed it. He glanced at Sirius who looked like he was about to puke. Lucius felt like hugging him but stayed in his spot, at the back of the room where no one noticed him. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Dumbledore place his hand on Sirius' shoulder and whispered something to him. Most likely some cheesy line to calm the soon-to-be-ex prisoner down and make it appear as if he truly cared. The old man had come out of his isolation to be a character witness for Sirius. Since it ended up working in their favor Lucius allowed it but he was not happy about it. He hoped Sirius wouldn't fall for that bastard's act but he could see in his eyes an unwavering trust. Lucius snorted to himself. Sirius had always been extremely loyal to his friends. He didn't seem at all upset that Dumbledore had abandoned him and left him to rot in Azkaban for all those years.
The high judge walked back into the room along with the jurors and they all took their seats. The last few minutes of the trial seemed to be the tensest. Lucius looked over at the reporters who already had their notepads out.
"All rise," the judge ordered. "Sirius Black, due to a lack of any evidence tying you to the betrayal of James and Lily Potter which resulted in their death, we of this court find you, innocent."
There was a burst of murmuring throughout the courtroom as reporters started to feverishly write down notes. Sirius looked like he was going to collapse from the relief. Lucius felt most of his tension melt away when he heard the word 'innocent' but there was still one other charges to go through.
"For the crime of murdering the wizard known as Peter Pettigrew, the court finds you…innocent."
Sirius swayed a little this time but his lawyer steadied him.
"For the crime of using magic in the presence of a muggle, the court finds you…guilty."
Lucius had somewhat expected this. Unlike the other charges, it couldn't be denied that Sirius had indeed attacked Pettigrew in front of muggles. He looked over at Sirius who looked a little terrified at the idea of returning to Azkaban. The judge put down his papers and scrutinized the man.
"The normal punishment for such a crime is three years in the minimal security wing of Azkaban. However, I recognize the great injustice that you have suffered. You were denied a trial and was forced to serve almost twelve years in the high security wing for a crime you clearly had not committed. As an apology I am waving the sentence since you have already served more than enough time," the judge decided.
The court room burst into loud voices of astonishment, congratulation, and in some cases outrage. Some people still refused to see Sirius' innocence but at this point they were few and far between. Lucius allowed himself to smile as he saw Sirius collapse in relief at the judge's decision. Lucius had agreed to meet up with Sirius and his lawyer in a private room after the sentencing. He got up and slipped out of the chaotic courtroom and made his way down the hall.
After thanking the lawyer again and handing the wizard a bonus check, Lucius and Sirius were left alone to wait out the crowd of reporters who were all looking for an interview that Sirius wasn't ready to give.
"So what are you going to do now? I'm afraid you'll still have to wait two weeks for Harry to get back from school so you can see him," Lucius apologized. Sirius just shrugged.
"I've waited this long I don't think a little more would kill me. The only thing I'm worried about is where I'm going to live. I'm thinking I'll just rent a room at the Leaky Cauldron until I find a place," Sirius mumbled thoughtfully. Lucius grimaced at the suggestion. Although he wasn't as stuck up as everyone thought he was, he still couldn't stand the thought of staying even one night in a dirty place like that. He knew what many couples went there to do and how the cleaning staff was often lax with washing sheets.
"You know, I have plenty of rooms at my manor. You could come live with me," he offered. This would be a lot easier than having to explain to the man why he had to take a shower and change into fresh clothes before being allowed to even go near Harry.
"I-I couldn't," Sirius declined looking uncomfortable. "You've already done so much for me, I couldn't take advantage of you like that."
"You should take advantage of the opportunity. You know, Harry already lives at the manor so it would probably be easier to get to know him if you stayed there as well," Lucius pointed out. This seemed to spark Sirius' interest. "It'll also help avoid having awkward arguments with Severus about custody issues like a divorced couple."
Sirius grimaced at the analogy but seemed to really be thinking about it.
"Well, I guess renting a room is a little inconvenient if I'm going to help take care of Harry, and I'm definitely not returning to my family home," he contemplated. "But will you really be okay with having me there? You barely know me."
"I can see that you truly care for Harry and I noticed how concerned you were for Draco when I told you about what Narcissa tried to do to him. I have also heard a lot about you from Severus. I've been told you're a little mature and can be an idiot sometimes," Lucius smirked.
"Hey," Sirius barked indignantly.
"But your hearts always in the right place and that's good enough for me. Anything else, I can just learn later. The most important thing is that I can trust you with my sons," Lucius assured waving away the other man's worries. "So what do you say? You can't deny it's a good deal. You get to stay at a nice place with good meals and you don't even have to pay."
Sirius smiled and held out his hand.
"I accept," he agreed. Lucius grinned back and took his hand and they shook on their decision.
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AN: I have to say, it took me a while to figure out how Harry could kill the basilisk since without Dumbledore there is no phoenix to bring him the sorting hat or blind the thing. I hope you guys like my solution to that little problem. I would also like to point out that I have little to no knowledge of how regular court processes go much less wizarding, ones so I apologize for any mistakes. In the next chapter, Harry and Sirius finally meet! Sirius finds out that not only is Harry a slytherin but he's a parcelmouth as well! Will it be a problem for for the die hard gryffindor?! Find out after I write it!