Sorry for the late update! This chapter just got me stuck on how to write it... Anyway, I hope the next one will come to me quicker...

I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 16

"The Chamber has been reopened?" Slytherin demanded in alarm, eyes wide.

Harry nodded, "Voldemort reopened it with the diary through Theodore Nott."

"With the diary," Ravenclaw mused, frowning in concern. "A diary with such power…" She exchanged alarmed looks with Slytherin.

The four children stared at them expectantly.

"We have a guess on to why the diary has such power," Ravenclaw admitted. "But I am not certain."

Godric broke in, "It's obviously very dark magic, but there's only one thing that I could think of that can control someone."

"But where is the Chamber? That's what's most important right now. We need to stop Nott before someone gets killed," Draco said, prioritizing.

Slytherin rolled his eyes fondly at his impatience, but answered his question, "Some room that is connected to pipes. I would think the entrance is located in one of the bathrooms here."

"A bathroom?!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief. "I thought there'd be some cool secret passage or something…" He trailed off when Slytherin mock glared at him.

Hermione thought furiously, frowning as the gears in her mind turned. "Pipes?" she wondered aloud, pacing back and forth. "A bathroom… Fifty years ago, it was opened… A girl was killed…" Her eyes lit up, "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom!"

"What?" Ron said, dumbfounded.

Ravenclaw smiled, "I've always wondered why you weren't in my House."

"That's cause she's brawny!" Godric boasted proudly. "She's smart and brawny!" Hermione blushed happily, smiling at the Founders.

"Let's just hope your brawn doesn't get her killed," Ravenclaw shot back, smiling fondly despite the harsh words.

"So when are we going to stop Nott?" Harry said, feeling a rush of adrenaline and excitement. "The sooner the better."

Slytherin's expression saddened, as if he knew something they didn't, "Be merciful to him. He's only a child, raised to believe in Voldemort's ideals and trained to later on join the ranks of pureblood supremacy."

Harry stared at his mentor, and then nodded simply, "We won't harm him unnecessarily."

"But if we don't want to hurt him unnecessarily, we will not be able to shift the blame from Harry with reasonable evidence," Hermione pointed out.

Ravenclaw nodded, "That's true. If we don't want to hurt him, we cannot tell everyone that he is the one that did it. So then, if we say that Harry killed the basilisk or closed the chamber somehow, people will ask how we were able to find out about it."

"So what do we do?" Ron demanded, frowning. "We can't just let them accuse Harry of something he didn't do!"

"I know this doesn't sound good, but I think we should just wait," Hermione said tentatively.

Harry tilted his head, "What do you mean by wait?"

Godric answered this time, frowning, "What she means is that we should wait for Theo to make the first move that would thus open an opportunity for Harry to clear his name."

Ron looked reluctant, "How do we know Theo is going to give us such an opportunity?"

Helga and Godric exchanged looks, "If that diary is what I think it is, then he will definitely give us an opportunity."

"What are you guys talking about?" Draco demanded, looking from one mentor to the other. "What is the diary?"

Slytherin looked around, and then frowned, "Where is Albus? Why is he not here?"

"He said he was busy, and would come up here later to get caught up on everything," Harry supplied helpfully.

Slytherin sighed, "Can one of you go get him? This is important."

Hermione nodded, "Of course."

After sending notice to the Headmaster, they awaited his arrival. Not too soon after, the door opened, and in stepped Dumbledore. His face was grave, "Yes?"

Godric glanced at Slytherin, and said, "We believe that the diary Theodore Nott possesses is a Horcrux."

Dumbledore's eyes went wide, and he staggered back, "Horcrux?"

The four children blinked, "Um, are we supposed to know what that is?"

"No you are not," Helga said immediately. "If you did, we would be worried."

Hermione pouted, "What is it then?"

Dumbledore's face was drawn, "This is very dark magic, Miss Granger."

"They deserve to know, Albus," Godric said, "Even if it is one of the blackest magic on Earth."

Slytherin sighed, "Godric is right, unfortunately." Said man glared, but Slytherin ignored him, "They need to know if they want to defeat Voldemort." Dumbledore pursed his lips but relented. Slytherin turned to look at the children, "A Horcrux is an object that contains a piece of a person's soul."

"What? How is that possible?" Draco demanded, frowning in confusion. "If one's soul was in a container-"

"No," Slytherin said. "Not impossible, and not your entire soul. A Horcrux contains a part of your soul. And you split your soul by murder. Well, and a ritual, but that's besides the point."

Draco gasped, "But that's really dark magic!"

"Wow, the lengths Voldemort would go to ensure his immortality is astounding," Hermione said, eyes wide. "It's sad that he's convoluted magic into such an ugly thing."

"We're going to be facing another sliver of Voldemort?" Ron groaned, falling back to sit down on the carpet.

"Seems like it," Harry said, sighing. "So the plan is to wait? If he does give us an opportunity, what will be our plan?"

Dumbledore was still pondering over the Horcrux matter, "You can tell me of your plan later. There is an urgent matter I need to tend to." And with that, he briskly walked out of the room.

"What's up with him?" Harry said, slightly irked.

Slytherin sighed, "Nevermind Albus. He probably thought of something he needed to do. So, about the plan-"

"We should probably go get Fred and George," Ron broke in. Hermione gently smacked his arm, berating him for interrupting their mentor. "Ah, sorry, Professor Slytherin."

The man pursed his lips but nodded at Ron, "You are right, your brothers should hear this too."

After Fred and George arrive, looking a cross of excited and anxious. "So, what's up?" Harry looked at them, and told them everything.

"Holy shit," Fred breathed, after hearing about the Horcruxes and the fact that they would once again be facing a piece of Voldemort. George nodded in acquiescence. "If we were just dealing with some bratty second year, it'd be fine, but Voldemort? Shit."

Harry snorted, "Yeah, that's an adequate way of putting things."

"We need a plan," Hermione said, steering them back on track. She looked at them sternly, "This is no joke. It's not like the simple jobs we took in Earthland."

"We know, Hermione," Ron said. "We've faced him already."

"That's why we need to be more cautious. The last time was too risky. You and Harry could've died, and we wouldn't have been able to do anything. This time, we need to stick together," Hermione determined. "We can't be complacent." After making sure everyone in the room understood her point, she moved on, "Okay, so firstly, how are we going to deal with the Horcrux?"

"The only way to destroy a Horcrux is Fiendfyre, basilisk venom and a Killing Curse aimed at it by its owner," Slytherin supplied.

"That's… convenient," Hermione said slowly, startled. "Well, that makes things a lot easier! We destroy the Horcrux with some basilisk venom, subdue Nott, tell the public that it was caused by a dark artifact and that Harry saved Nott."

"Yeah, we just have to be able to subdue Nott," Draco drawled, lounging on the armchairs the room supplied. "Which is not as easy as we thought it would be."

Fred stretched out his legs, "We'll get it done."

"Yeah, and Professor Dumbledore and Snape can always help too," Hermione added. She blinked at the red haired second year, "Ron, are you okay?" Said boy was frowning, as if in deep thought.

He looked up, startled out of his stupor, "Huh? Oh, yeah…" He bit his lip, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you guys."

Harry leaned forward, concerned, "Are you okay?"

Ron swallowed, and blurted out, "Using my wand's become harder and harder."

"Wait, what?" Fred demanded, eyes wide. He turned to stare at the Four Founders and Harry, "Did you know about this?"

"I had predicted this would happen," Harry said slowly. "Since you guys have just started using wands and Earthland magic, your magic cores are still developing. So as you use one magic more over the other, or if one of the magics is stronger and more advanced than the other, that weaker magic will fade away. Especially since Holder and Castor types are so different."

Fred and George frowned, "We've been using wands for three years."

"But Take Over and Crash especially are very advanced Earthland magics that dominate most other magics," Ravenclaw explained. "And don't forget, your magic is part of you. You are still young, and your core has not yet stabilized. It will recognize the magic that you prefer."

"But then wouldn't everyone know Harry's teaching us different magic?" Ron spluttered, eyes wide with panic.

Harry frowned, and looked to Slytherin, who also frowned. "Good question. Don't forget to tell Albus, and we'll figure something out."

The others sweatdropped, "Shouldn't you have thought of this before?!"

"We have," Godric said lamely, scratching the back of his head. "We just haven't found a solution yet."

Seeing their frightened and panicked faces, Harry stepped in, "It'll be fine. We only have six or so months left before we can go to Earthland. It took a year for your wand magic to start declining. It can hold up for six months."

"Harry, I've been meaning to ask you what you're planning to do with Sirius Black," Draco asked, turning to face their unofficial leader.

Harry leaned back, frowning slightly, "He's my godfather. I want to get to know him of course, so we'll go visit him some time. Maybe this weekend?" He bit the inside of his cheek, gnawing as he mulled over something, "Do you think twelve years without using a wand would unmold his magic enough to learn Earthland magic?"

"There is no definite evidence," Ravenclaw warned, "but it's likely. You could give it a try."

"So you're planning on bringing him with us to Earthland?" Hermione asked for confirmation.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, if he's willing to, which I hope he is." His expression turned sad, "It'd be nice to have a dad."

"What room is Sirius Black in?" Harry asked, looking up at the female receptionist at St. Mungo's.

The lady looked at him, a warm smile on her lips, "Sirius Black? Let me see, dear." She muttered an incantation as peered into a book. "Room 314, in the rehabilitation wing."

"Thank you!" the boy chirped, smiling.

The lady nodded, "You're welcome, sweetie."

Harry walked away from the desk, entering the lift and pressing his wand to the label that read 'Rehabilitation'. He looked at Draco, Ron and Hermione, grinning nervously, "I feel so anxious for some reason."

"Well, this is the first time you're meeting him," Hermione said reasonably. "But he'll probably accept what we're going to tell him."

"I really hope so," Harry said softly.

They walked down the tiled hallway, towards room 314. Before he opened the door, Harry glanced at his friends again, inhaling. Hermione smiled at him encouragingly, and he nodded, turning the doorknob and entering the room. "Mr. Black?" he called out, heart pounding.

A thin and lanky man who was sitting on the hospital bed looked up. He had curly dark brown hair that framed his aristocratic face, and a pair of brown eyes that shined with surprising warmth. "Harry?" the man asked, so quiet it was almost a whisper. His voice was awed, as if disbelieving that his godson would finally be in front of him. He got up from the bed, and reached his godson in two steps, wrapping his arms around the child of his best friend. "Harry," he repeated, "it's really you."

Harry threw his arms about Sirius, in awe and wonder. I have a godfather. "Mr. Black-"

"Merlin, don't call me that. Just call me Sirius. Mr. Black makes me feel older than I already am," the man said happily, pulling away to properly look at his godson's face. "You look so much like James, but the eyes… They're identical to Lily's!"

"Sorry we couldn't come visit you before," Harry said apologetically. "They said you needed time to recuperate. How are you?"

Sirius's smile was blinding, as bright as the sun in his joy, "I'm feeling so much better. And it's fine. I thought I'd never see you again when I was in Azkaban, so this is already a blessing." He blinked, "Wait, we?"

"Yeah, my friends," Harry said, moving aside to introduce his friends. "This is Hermione Granger, our resident genius. Ron Weasley, strategist and comic relief. Draco Malfoy, resident snob-"

"Oi!" Draco protested, sulking playfully.

Harry grinned at him, "It's true though."

"Aren't you Lucius Malfoy's kid?" Sirius asked, expression suddenly guarded.

He had expected this to happen. Harry reached out, placing a hand on his godfather's arm, "Yeah, he is, but he's not his father. He might be a snob, but he's still one of my best friends."

Sirius scrutinized Draco closely for a moment, before nodding, "He doesn't have that mean look in his eye."

Draco blinked, "Thanks?"

"Nice to meet all of you," Sirius said, smiling. He grinned at Ron's hair, "Ah, I remember Arthur. He's a good man."

Ron flushed slightly, bowing his head, "Thank you!"

"Anyway, I heard that you were the one who discovered Pettigrew?" Sirius asked, turning to Harry. "How did you do it?"

Harry glanced at Hermione, and said, "That's what we're here to talk to you about."

"Memory Make: Ring of the Silent Wind!" Hermione lifted two fingers to her temple, drawing out her magic. A twisting and twirling pattern swirled around her as her magic constructed a shield around them that prevented sound from exiting the ring.

Sirius jumped, eyes wide with confusion, "What-?!"

"Please sit down for this, Sirius," Harry said, pointing to the bed. The man glanced at him, slightly alarmed, but still sat down. "You see, Sirius, for the first eleven years of my life, I lived in another world."

"The Muggle world?"

Smiling, Harry shook his head, "No. An entirely new world unknown to this one. It's name is Earthland, and there I saw a world where mages and nonmagicals lived together in harmony. There was a king who was nonmagical, and a magic council that regulated all the mages in Fiore, a country in Earthland, but still answered to the king. All the mages either joined the magic council or a guild, which is a group where mages get together to find jobs.

"In Fiore, there are dark guilds, and official guilds. Dark guilds are guilds that do not answer to the magic council, and are made up of mages who usually learn some sort of dark magic," Harry continued. "I was found by a dark guild." Sirius opened his mouth, but Harry interrupted him before he could begin, "Here me out, Sirius. Yes, I did learn dark magic, but that doesn't mean I want to rule the world or destroy it or something.

"Hermione, Ron and Draco also use Earthland magic, and I want to teach you an Earthland magic as well," Harry said seriously. "We're going to Earthland this summer, and we're going to be staying there for all of third year. I want you to come with us."

Sirius stared, dumbfounded. Suddenly, he started laughing, "This is a prank, right? You're going to tell me this is some sort of prank right?"

"This is no joke. There's a lot more the Earthland than I've told you, but I'll tell you sometime later. Right now, I need you to tell us if you're willing to come to Earthland with us and learn its magic," Harry said, looking up at his godfather.

The man gazed at the four children, and said, "Show me your magic."

Harry held his right fist over his left palm, "Ice Make Sword!" A sword of ice materialized in his hand, and he held it out to Sirius. "This is my magic." He paused, "Well, with some other stuff, but my main magic is centered around ice."

"You did it without a wand," Sirius said in awe. He turned to Hermione, "You did something too without a wand. What was it?"

"I made a sound barrier so no one else can hear what we're saying," Hermione explained. "My magic is Memory Make, which is a magic that manipulates my memories. I can replicate most spells that I see as long as they don't require power that is beyond me."

"What about you two boys?" Sirius asked, looking at them.

Ron held out his hands like Harry did, "Metal Make Gun!" After a gun appeared, he showed it off, grinning, "It even fires bullets!"

"Requip: Reaper Armor!" Draco was enveloped in a bright white glow for only a millisecond, before the glow faded and he was dressed in dark black robes, holding a Death Scythe. "I have Requip, which is a magic that allows me to switch into different armors."

Sirius stared, and then grinned, "Of course I'll go with you guys. Why not? It's not like I have anything left here."

"Great, now you just have to come with us to Hogwarts and get Professor Ravenclaw to transfer the info on the magic you want to you," Harry said cheerfully, grinning. The sense of relief was so palpable that Ron had smirked at him.

"Ravenclaw? What?!" Sirius asked, eyes wide at the new revelation.

Harry blinked, "Oh yeah. The Founders of Hogwarts are from Earthland too!"