Harriet Potter Year 2: The Dreams of Yesterday
"The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
~Albert Einstein
Harriet Potter- Somewhere, Sometime
The first thing that Harriet noticed when the odd burning stopped was that she laying on a cool, hard, floor. Now, Harriet didn't have very much experience with being dead, but she was fairly certain that it didn't involve cool, hard, floors.
She let herself just lay there for a little bit. In all honesty, she was tired and wanted to rest- just for a minute- before she tried to sit up and figure out where she was. Finally, though, the cold got the best of her and she had no choice but to sit up.
That's when she noticed she had no clothes on.
For a moment, she panicked, but then movement out the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked and there, next to her, was a pile of clean clothes, which she was positive had never been there before. Harriet hastily put them on, stood up, and looked around.
Her first impression that this place - wherever it was- looked vaguely liked King's Cross. She walked slowly forward, her footsteps echoing loudly. At first, she was convinced that she was entirely alone. Then, after she had been walking for several minutes with no end in sight, she noticed a small, dark, lump on the floor ahead of her.
Harriet ran to it. Even with no wand, she assumed that she was already dead, so whatever the thing was, it's not as though it could kill her. She figured she was relatively safe. She slowed, though, as she neared it, disgusted.
Whatever it was, it was naked and curled up on the floor. A grotesque thing squalled on the floor, like the world's most pitiful baby and, as ugly and horrible as it was, Harriet had the strong urge to help it.
"There's nothing you can do," a voice behind her said gently. Harriet whipped her head around. A man was approaching slowly, looking at the thing on the floor.
Harriet stuttered, "I'm sorry?"
"You can't help it," the man explained, pointing at the thing on the floor. "He's made his bed. Now he's got to lie in it."
"Forever?" Harriet asked, eyes wide. The man nodded and Harriet frowned. "So I'm dead, then?"
The man chuckled. "If you like."
The man at this point was close enough for Harriet to see his features. Thin and aristocratic, he was undeniably handsome in his white robes and he reminded Harriet of somebody, but she couldn't quite place him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Harriet demanded.
"Well, it is up to you," the man explained, "whether or not you want to be dead. You'll get to decide."
"So this isn't heaven?" Harriet asked, watching the thing on the floor. It continued to writhe and mewl pathetically. This couldn't be heaven, she decided. There was no way it could be heaven, right? And she didn't think she was bad enough to end up in hell, so-
The man looked shocked, "I hope not!"
The man pulled her gently away from whatever it was on the floor. They walked as the spoke. Harriet looked around. "So where are we, then?"
"Where do you think we are, Harriet?" the man asked. Harriet almost tripped when she heard him say her name. She hadn't realized that he had known it. "This is, after all, your party, as they say."
"It looks like King's Cross," Harriet began slowly, "Only cleaner. And it doesn't smell like pee."
The man laughed at that. "King's Cross! That's rather appropriate, I suppose, since this is the place where you choose where to go. It's the in-between."
"The in-between of- of life and death?" Harriet tried to clarify. "Where I decide whether or not I want to live or die?"
"Essentially, yes," the man agreed.
Harriet frowned. "Do people usually get to choose?"
"No," the man admitted, guiding her over to a bench, where they sat down. Harriet was able to get a closer look at his face, sure that she knew him from somewhere. "You're one of the rare exceptions."
"I'm sorry," Harriet said finally, shaking her head and trying to clear it. "But who exactly are you, sir?"
The man didn't look all that surprised at the question. He must've been expecting her to ask it for a while now. "Why, I'm Regulus Black."
Harriet had thought that nothing else today would surprise her, but evidently she was was wrong. Of course, it all made sense (well, a little bit more sense than it did before, anyway). Regulus looked remarkably like his brother, Sirius, which was why Harriet had been so sure she had seen him before...
"You died years ago, though," Harriet said. Regulus nodded in agreement, but didn't say anything else about how he died, so Harriet asked, "What are you doing here, then? I mean- you can't be deciding just now whether or not you want to live or die- can you?"
"No," Regulus said. "I wasn't afforded that choice. But somebody needed to explain this all to you, didn't they?
"You haven't actually done much explaining," Harriet pointed out awkwardly, not wanting to upset him. The only experience she had with dead people were the ghosts in the castle, and they were usually very touchy. "I mean, I was hit with the Killing Curse. Shouldn't I have died right then?"
"Well, yes, but- Harriet, how much do you know about Horcruxes?" He looked at Harriet's expression and nodded. "So you've heard of them?"
"I had dreams," Harriet said slowly, "About Riddle- I mean, Voldemort- from when he was at school. You split your soul, don't you? And then you put the piece somewhere safe and it will keep you from dying."
"Exactly," Regulus said. "Voldemort is one of the few wizards known to have created a horcrux and succeeded. He is certainly the only known wizard to have managed to create more than one."
"He made seven," Harriet guessed. "Didn't he?"
"Voldemort did originally want to create seven," Regulus began slowly. "Seven is a powerful number in magic. He assumed that if he could make all seven, he would be unstoppable. So, he began early, while he was still at Hogwarts."
"He killed Myrtle," Harriet said horrified.
"Shortly after," Regulus said nodding, "He killed his own grandfather."
"I thought he killed Marvolo Gaunt?" Harriet said confused. "I mean- I dreamt about it."
"Oh, no, he didn't kill Gaunt," Regulus denied. "He just stole the ring. Gaunt was very reluctant to give it up, of course. From what I recall, Riddle had to almost torture him into insanity- not that he was entirely sane to begin with. By the time Riddle left him, it was more than easy enough for him to pin the Riddle family's murders on him."
"Voldemort- Riddle- whoever he was- killed the entire family?" Harriet asked, horrified.
"He did," Regulus confirmed. "He used their murders to create a horcrux in the ring. Already, he had done what no other wizard had ever dared before to do. After leaving Hogwarts, he managed to get a hold of Salazar Slytherin's locket. He murdered a muggle tramp for that horcrux. I won't go into too much detail, but he later proceeded in creating two more horcruxes using Helga Hufflepuff's cup and Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. He now had created five horcruxes."
"What happened then?" Harriet asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.
"That's about the time that Voldemort learned about the prophecy," Regulus told her reluctantly.
"Riddle mentioned a prophecy," Harriet said. "What did he mean?"
For the first time since the conversation began, Regulus smiled a bit. "Do you ever wonder why Professor Dumbledore- the smart man that he is- hired Professor Trelawney?"
"The Divination professor?" Harriet questioned, wrinkling her nose. "My mum and dad told me about her. They say she's a bit nuts. And I've seen her around the school... she's a bit, ah, strange."
"When Dumbledore went to interview her all those years ago, he went through the interview and, by the end of it, was convinced she was a fraud."
"So what happened?"
"At the end, Trelawney gave her probably only real prediction. It went: The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... to be marked by the Dark Lord as his equal, but possessing the power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..."
"What does it mean?" Harriet breathed.
"A child born at the end of July to parents who have defied him three times will be the one to destroy Voldemort. At least, that's the way Voldemort himself chose to interpret it."
It took Harriet a moment to put the pieces together.
"So- I'm supposed to kill Voldemort?" Harriet breathed.
"Actually, the prophecy could have been speaking of one of two children," Regulus said softly. "You or a boy named Neville Longbottom."
"Neville?" Harriet gasped. "But- Oh, his parents..."
"They defied Voldemort," Regulus agreed. "And they paid the price for it, I'm afraid. I knew them at Hogwarts. Few could deny that they were lovely people. But Voldemort was quick to figure out who it was the prophecy was referring to. He narrowed it down to the two of you in relatively no time at all."
Harriet asked, "But Voldemort didn't know about the prophecy. He couldn't have. Dumbledore would never have told him."
"The interview was given in a public place- at the Hog's Head. I'm sure you know of it, Harriet."
"I've heard of it."
"One of Voldemort's Death Eaters was there that night. He overheard part of the prophecy, but in his excitement, he managed to get himself kicked out of the pub before he could hear the rest of it. He told the Dark Lord what he knew."
"It was Snape," Harriet said, more to herself than to anybody else. "That's what- that's what Riddle meant."
Regulus's silence was all the confirmation Harriet needed. She stood up and took a few steps forward, then she stopped and turned around.
"HE WOULDN'T!" She yelled at Regulus. "HE'S FAMILY!"
"Harriet-" Regulus began, but then he stopped, not really sure what to tell her.
"But he would, wouldn't he?" Harriet asked nobody in particular. "Dumbledore said that he and my father never got along well in school..."
"No, Harriet," Regulus interrupted. "Snape was a Death Eater. That much is true. He told Voldemort about the prophecy, yes. He never knew it was your family, though, that Voldemort would target. He tried to get Voldemort to leave you alone and when that failed, he went to Dumbledore to spy for the light. He swore to protect you! "
"BECAUSE HE WAS FRIENDS WITH MY MOTHER!" Harriet screeched. "HE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE REST OF US! WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HIM?"
"The truth is never one-sided, Harriet," Regulus pointed out, speaking loudly over her. "If Snape had never asked Voldemort to spare your mother, you wouldn't be alive."
"I don't understand-"
"Snape's request convinced Voldemort to kill you and you alone," Regulus began. "When Voldemort arrived at your house that night, he gave your grandmother the chance to step aside and live, if she would let him kill you. I can assure you that the Dark Lord is not usually so lenient."
Harriet remembered hearing her grandparents' screams in the Dementor attacks. "Oh."
"Exactly," Regulus agreed. He said, "Your grandmother's choice, a choice that she never would have been given if not for Snape's request, to sacrifice her own life is what saved yours that horrible night."
"So when Voldemort came to the house that night, he came to kill me," Harriet said softly. Regulus nodded quietly.
"The thing is," Regulus said gently, "It could've been either one of you that night. But Voldemort chose to go after you first- strange he chose not the pureblood, but the half-blood, like him. Without knowing, Voldemort set the prophecy in motion. He could've let you and Neville grow up before he tried to kill either one of you, had he known the entire thing, but he didn't. And he marked you as his equal Harriet."
Harriet touched her scar.
"And now it's up to me to kill-" Harriet began, but Regulus stopped her.
"No, Harriet! Don't you see? You don't have to do anything! But Voldemort killed your grandparents. He is a horrible man, full of hatred. So unlike you. What would you do if you saw him again? What have you done already?"
"I'd fight him," Harriet said.
Regulus then said, "And what if you decided not to? Decided to go spend the rest of your life in hiding? What do you think he would do?"
"He'd try to find me," Harriet said softly. "He'd try to kill me."
"Exactly," Regulus said firmly.
"But- but he has to be wrong," Harriet said firmly. "I don't have some secret power! I mean, I'm not even the best in our year! That's Hermione!"
"I can't believe I'm about to say this," Regulus muttered to himself. "If my brother were here, he'd tease me mercilessly for how corny I'm about to sound."
Then he raised his voice. "Love, Harriet. That's the secret power. Voldemort never understood it. It took ages for me to understand. But you understand it. Maybe better than anyone. Your friends- your family. Do you know what your parents and my brother and Lupin and, yes, even Snape have been working on these past few months?
Harriet shook her head.
"They've been looking for horcruxes! To help you and to protect you because they love you. That has always been Voldemort's problem. He believes that love makes you weak, but the truly wise know that love makes you strong. You've known that all along, Harriet."
She felt proud in that moment, but not of herself. Of her family. "So- so they found them, then? My family found the horcruxes."
"They found the ring and the cup and the locket and the diadem," Regulus confirmed. "All they need now is a way to destroy them. Horcruxes are self-repairing and thus extremely hard to destroy."
"But they still found them! And the diary is in the Chamber!" Harriet said excitedly. "That's it! It's over!"
"No, Harriet, it isn't." Regulus said. "There's still one more Horcrux that your parents don't know about."
Harriet frowned. "But- there were only five, weren't there?"
"I was trying to tell you," Regulus explained. "Voldemort went to your house that night intending to kill you and use your murder to create a sixth horcrux. However, he did't count on your grandmother's sacrifice. That ancient magic protected you and destroyed him. His soul was so incredibly fragile that night-
"-no-" Harriet denied, seeing where he was going.
"-that a piece snapped off. It attached itself to you-"
"No!" Harriet argued. "SHUT UP!"
Harriet knew she was doing a lot of yelling, but considering the circumstances, she had a feeling she had a right to. Regulus seemed to understand, anyway. He waited a few minutes for her to calm down a bit and sit down. He rubbed her back soothingly, a lot like his brother did for her, too.
"Did you never wonder why you dreamt about him?"
"That was because of the horcrux?" Harriet whispered. Regulus nodded.
"Considering everything Riddle knows about the future, I wouldn't be surprised if Riddle had some dreams about you, too," Regulus noted. "And I have no doubt that Pettigrew and Malfoy also kept him filled in on everything that went on since his death."
Harriet still didn't want to accept it. "I do not have a part of him in me! I DON'T!"
"No, Harriet! You don't!" He laughed all of a sudden, looking genuinely happy for the first time since Harriet had seen him. His eyes crinkled at the corner, Harri thought, just like Sirius's did when he was really happy.
"But you just said I did!" Harriet said petulantly.
"You did," Regulus told her, "But you don't anymore! You came down into the Chamber, you did so knowing that you may very well die, but wanting very much to save your friend. That sacrifice meant that when Riddle killed you- or rather, tried to kill you- he destroyed the horcrux inside of you."
Harriet thought back to the odd thing she had seen on the floor of the station. It had looked so miserable and pitiful and-
"That was Voldemort's soul?" Harriet said.
"Yes," Regulus confirmed. "It was. And it will remain here for eternity, punishment for everything he did. Unless-"
"Unless?" Harriet asked.
"Unless he shows remorse," Regulus admitted. "It's the only way to undo horcruxes, so to speak, but it is incredibly painful and none have ever survived the process."
Harriet wasn't really sure how she felt about that. He had done so many horrible things- but eternity?- he had killed her grandparents... She just didn't really know. And maybe she would never know. Harriet knew that it was possible to hate somebody and still feel sorry for them. She hated Dudley, but couldn't help but admit that she felt sorry he had two parents who were so completely horrible.
"What happens now?" Harriet said finally.
"As I said before, that's entirely up to you. You can either go back to living or you could, well, die."
"You mean I have to decide right now?" Harriet frowned, none too happy. "But I still have questions!"
"I don't think I'm the right person to answer those questions, love," Regulus chided gently, and Harriet knew that he meant her family: her mum and dad and Sirius and Remus and her Uncle Sev and, yes, even Hermione and Ron and the rest of the Weasleys and Isaura and- oh, so many people.
She had spent ten years thinking she had no family at all (at least none worth having), but, as it turned out, she had more family than she knew what to do with!
"I guess not," Harriet admitted. "So, how exactly do I get back?"
Regulus looked at her sharply. "I do have to warn you: if you do go back, life for you won't be easy. Riddle isn't gone yet, and besides life can be painful, even without evil wizards and battles. Normal things, everyday things. Sometimes they can hurt the worst."
"I know," Harriet said softly, thinking of her fight with Hermione. "But I have to go back. Don't I? I mean, you say it's my decision, but it's really not, isn't it? Riddle- Voldemort- whoever he is- is still alive. I can't just leave it at that."
"No, I don't suppose you can," Regulus mused. "You really are your parents' daughter."
Harriet beamed at this, but then she realized something. This whole thing was starting to sound too much like a good-bye. "Is this- I mean, will I ever see you again?"
"Doubtful," Regulus admitted, as Harriet's heart plummeted to her stomach. "I'm dead, Harriet. I have been for many years."
Harriet liked Regulus. A lot, actually. She didn't want to say goodbye to him. It wasn't fair that she had so many relatives she would never get to know.
"No, don't look like that," he soothed, "It was a good death. A great deal better than a man like me deserves. And now my brother knows the truth and this whole matter will be over. I can finally be at peace."
"Oh," Harriet said. Acting on impulse, she reached forward and hugged Regulus tightly around the waist. He knelt down to her level and hugged her closer. When she pulled back, Harriet had a feeling she was sniffling a little, but he didn't say anything, since his smile was a bit watery, too.
"It was wonderful to finally meet you, Harriet," Regulus said softly. Harriet nodded, not trusting herself to speak. "Could you- could you pass on a message to my brother for me?"
Harriet again nodded.
Regulus said, "Tell him that- well, tell him that I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. What's really important in life, I mean. And tell him I love him. Even after he ran away, I never really stopped. He was my older brother, after all. Could you tell him that for me, please?"
"Yea," Harriet said, "Of course."
"I guess this is goodbye, then," Regulus said, letting go of her and standing up.
Harriet asked, "How do I get back, though?"
As she spoke, she felt the odd sensation of zooming through a tunnel. The lights and colors began to run together and the sounds grew slow and thick like molasses. Harriet tried to focus on Regulus, but it got harder and harder.
"Wait!" she called out, but her voice was lost to the wind. "Did this really happen? Or is it all in my head?"
"Of course it's all in your head," Regulus responded, but Harriet could barely hear him. "But who says that means it can't be real?"
Harriet Potter and Ron Weasley, Chamber of Secrets - February 17, 1993
When Harriet came to, she found that she was back in the Chamber of Secrets. She knew because she could hear Riddle droning on and on about something. Honestly, did that man never shut up?
It took Harriet a moment to remember what had happened- she had been hit with the Killing Curse and then received a pep-talk from her godfather's dead brother. It took her another moment to realize that, for some reason, she wasn't breathing. She chose that moment to take a deep breath and open her eyes.
Harriet was flat on her back on the floor. She was no longer bound and could see the tattered remains of the rope that had bound her on the floor. Her wand was next to her, so she grabbed it and scrambled to her feet, ignoring the dull ache in her chest.
Riddle was no longer where she had left him, standing over Neville and the diary. He was turned around, facing the large statue of Salazar Slytherin. Neville looked paler (if that was possible) and didn't seem to be breathing anymore. Ron was still bound, but his face was wet, as though he had been crying. It was Pettigrew who saw her first.
He whimpered and brought up a finger to point at her. "M-master!"
Riddle turned around. He was unable to hide his shock at seeing her alive and, for the first time, Harriet saw a flicker of fear enter his face. Then it was gone. He angrily took a step towards her, and then stopped, thinking better of it.
He hissed, "Why do you live, girl?"
Harriet answered truthfully, "Because I have something worth living for."
Riddle scoffed and jerked his head at Pettigrew. "Kill her." Then he turned around back to Slytherin, clearly thinking that Harriet was no match for Pettigrew.
Harriet knew that he was right. Pettigrew may have been a coward and a murderer, but he was an experienced coward and murderer.
Pettigrew didn't hesitate to raise his wand. Harriet didn't hesitate in yelling, "Expelliarmus!", but he easily deflected it. Pettigrew tried to hit her with a Killing Curse, but Harriet threw herself out of the way in the knick of time.
Harriet didn't know what to do- she didn't know any other spells- what could she use-? That's when Harriet remembered something that she had seen in the Half-Blood Prince's- Uncle Sev's?- notes.
Sectumsempra- Use on your enemies.
Harriet didn't think as she raised her wand again and yelled "Sectumsempra!"
Pettigrew clearly hadn't thought she would try something else, so he wasn't prepared. The spell hit him full on and he was sent crashing to the floor. He didn't get back up. Harriet wasn't sure what the spell was designed to do, but when she stood up and walked closer to Pettigrew, she found out.
There were large slashes all over his body, bleeding heavily. Pettigrew wasn't able to speak, so he simply gurgled when he saw her. Harriet thought she was going to be sick as she knelt down next to him and began to press down on the wounds, just like her mother had once told her, to try and stop the bleeding.
It didn't work.
There were too many wounds and they were bleeding too fast and Harriet didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry," she gasped, trying, trying, trying, to stop the bleeding. Pettigrew didn't seem to hear her. "I didn't mean to- I would never- I'm sorry!"
Pettigrew opened his mouth and tried to say something, but sputtered and coughed, blood pooling in his throat. Harriet swore, though, that she heard him say, "Me, too."
Then he died.
Harriet didn't really know how to process what had just happened. Before she could even try to understand, she heard Riddle say, "Pathetic! Both of you!"
She stood up and glared at him, "He just died because of you!"
"He was worthless. The only good he ever did was going around Hogwarts and doing my dirty work, like stealing the diary from the werewolf's office" Riddle seethed. Harriet had thought that he had been angry before, but now he was downright furious. His face was contorted in a hideous expression. "And why are you blaming me? You killed him."
Harriet flinched, making Riddle laugh. "That man tried to kill you, but you feel sorry for him? You really are weak, Harriet Potter."
"No," Harriet protested. "You're the weak one! Because you'll never know love, or friendship." Harriet remembered what Regulus had told her. "Or remorse. And that's why I feel sorry for you. You have a chance, though, Tom. Just try for some remorse!"
As Harriet spoke, she felt stronger, as though bolstered up by her own words, but when she finished speaking, she realized that it was something else...something more. There was a beautiful sound in the air and it was so amazing that Harriet suddenly felt like crying. Riddle felt it, too, although he seemed a lot less moved. His eyes focused on something behind Harriet's shoulder and widened in surprise. Harriet turned just in time to see a gorgeous streak of red and gold fly into the Chamber. It took Harriet a second to place it as Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix! Not to mention that he was carrying what looked like the Sorting Hat.
It was only a natural reaction that let Harriet catch it when Fawkes dropped it. She flipped the hat over in her hands a few times. It didn't do anything. As Fawkes settled down on Harriet's shoulder, Riddle realized that Harriet was holding and starting to laugh.
"So," he said, "This is what Dumbledore sends his great defender? A songbird...and an old hat?"
Harriet didn't really know what to tell him. She herself couldn't help but feel incredibly betrayed. Is this all she was worth to Dumbledore?
"Let's just see how 'sorry' you feel for me, Harriet," Riddle spat, "When you are introduced to the true power of the Heir of Slytherin!" He turned back to the statue and spoke, in Parseltongue, "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"
There was nothing Harriet could do but watch, horrified, as the statue of Slytherin's face began to move, its mouth opening wider and wider, eventually forming a huge black hole. And then- oh, something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was moving-
Harriet got a brief glimpse of the shadow of what could only be the basilisk, accompanied by the familiar sound of scales on tile that she had become so used to with Isaura, before she turned around and ran down the end of the massive room, trying to reach the door. Fawkes leapt from her shoulder and she wanted to shout at him for leaving her, but it was pointless.
What could a bird do against the king of serpents?"
"There's no point in talking to it, Potter. The basilisk only obeys me." Harriet heard Riddle say.
Then, to the basilisk, "Kill her."
"Ron," she yelled, suddenly remembering that Ron had been in a full body-bind for the entire thing, "Close your eyes!"
Harriet's warning was too distracting for her. She tripped over one of the stones on the floor and fell, sliding several feet on the slippery floor before coming to a halt, her glasses flying off her face. Behind her, she could hear the massive body of the basilisk moving forward, hear it hissing as it searched for her.
Harriet groped for her glasses and slipped them on, but by then, she knew it was too late. Her wand was several yards away, so she wouldn't be able to reach it even if she had any idea what spell to use on the snake. She could hear the basilisk directly behind her, so she screwed her eyes shut and put her hands over her head to protect herself, as though that would help.
Waiting for fangs to sink into her body, Harriet was surprised by a mad hissing, then something thrashing wildly off the pillars.
There was nothing else for it- she would have to look.
She opened her eyes slightly, barely squinting, and watched, amazed, as the scene played out in front of her by the shadow of the basilisk and Fawkes! Fawkes was distracting the snake! And doing quite a job of it, too! The phoenix was diving in and out, his claws scratching at the snake's eyes.
The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly avoiding Harriet. Harriet pulled herself out of the way, but the basilisk turned before she could shut her eyes. Thankfully, Harriet had been right. Fawkes had scratched the snake's eyes out: blood was streaming to the floor and the snake was hissing in agony.
Harriet couldn't help but flinch in sympathy for it.
That feeling of course, only lasted a moment, because then Riddle was shouting, "NO! LEAVE THE BIRD! KILL POTTER! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HER!"
It was around that time that Harriet decided now would be a good time to run, so she scrambled to her feet and ran for the one of the exits, finding herself in one of the pipes. Not really sure which way to go, she chose a random opening and followed it-
-only to find herself at a dead end.
Harriet tugged futilely at the bars, partially wishing that she had her wand to blast them open, but also knowing that she would never leave Ron and Neville down here alone.
She heard some hissing coming from behind her.
"Potter," the Basilisk seemed to be saying, "Must find Potter."
Harriet held her breath as she turned around, praying that the basilisk wouldn't choose this pipe to come down. The snake could still smell her, but they were completely surrounded by dirty, stinky water. Surely that made some sort of difference?
Apparently, she was wrong, since the basilisk slowly pushed its massive body into the tunnel, hissing softly. Harriet held her breath and reached down into the water by her feet. As quietly as she could, she pulled out a small stone, before freezing, the basilisk only a few inches away from her.
This was it, she thought to herself, gently tossing the stone outside the tunnel. It made a slight splash in the water, but the sound echoed ridiculously in the pipes. The basilisk almost seemed to perk its ears up, listening, before coming to a decision and sweeping out of the smaller pipe and towards the sound.
Harriet watched it hopefully as it glided past, before running back down the way she came, back into the chamber. Ron was still died up and Neville looked as pale as ever.
That's when Harriet saw her wand lying on the ground. Really considering what the use of the wand holster Remus gave her for Christmas was when she dropped her wand so many times, Harriet lunged for it. At the same moment, the basilisk seemed to have found out it had been tricked.
It wasn't happy.
It emerged from another one of the tunnels in the chamber, sweeping forward with a startling speed. It's tail clipped her shoulder, sending her flying to the other side of the room away from her wand- but towards the Sorting Hat.
Dumbledore must've sent it to her for some reason, Harriet thought desperately, grabbing the hat and running to hide behind one of the pillars.
Help me — help me — Harriet thought, eyes screwed tight under the hat. Please help me.
There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly.
Something hard hit Harriet on the top of the head, almost knocking her out. Head pounding (Regulus hadn't been joking when he said that coming back would be painful), she yanked the hat off the top of her head and felt something long and hard beneath it. Looking, she saw a gleaming silver sword inside the hat. It's handle glittering with large rubies. She unsheathed it from the hat. Even knowing as little as she did about swords, she couldn't help but be impressed.
Eyeing the basilisk, she couldn't help but breathe (more to herself than anybody else, since nobody was around to hear), "This could work."
Riddle kept shouting orders to the basilisk, which was swaying slightly, still confused since it had lost its sense of sight. It turned around, smashing into pillars as it did so, but Harriet was already running, even though she wasn't sure where or why or how she was going to pull this whole thing off.
The head of Salazar Slytherin looked oddly inviting (partially because the basilisk was currently facing away from it), so Harriet headed towards it. It took her a moment to get some purchase on the slippery stone, and she made quite a bit of noise as she climbed up, catching the attention of the large reptile. It lunged towards her as she climbed, so Harriet clumsily swung her sword and tried not to lose her footing. The basilisk missed her and hit the wall of the Chamber, giving Harriet enough time to finally reach the top of Slytherin's head.
The basilisk lunged and Harriet swung at it again, having no clue what she was doing. It's tongue whipped against her ribcage, but Harriet managed to whack the snake on the nose. It hissed furiously and whipped its head around, hitting Harriet's sword arm and knocking the blade from her grip. The sword fell several feet away and began to slip off of the statue. As the basilisk leant back to strike again, Harriet dove for the sword just as it tipped over the edge of Slytherin's head.
Clutching the sword tightly once again, Harriet dove forward as the basilisk lunged for a third time. Her aim was true and, throwing her weight behind the sword, she drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth-
But Harriet knew immediately that something was very wrong. Blood had begun to gush down her arm, warm and wet, and there was a point near her elbow that felt as though it were on fire. She pulled the sword out of the snake's mouth and managed to slide down the statue, miraculously staying upright. She could hear the snake screaming loudly, its agonizing screeches making her heart wring momentarily as her mind blearily flickered to Isaura.
Harriet and the basilisk both landed on the floor. The basilisk twitched and died, but Harriet stayed alive. Barely. She yanked the poisonous fang from her arm and gasp as more blood and pain poured forth. She dragged herself over to where Neville was and shook him, hard. He didn't wake up or even move.
Harriet didn't want to look at Riddle. She couldn't look at him. She couldn't bare to look at Ron, either, who was now going to be forced to watch his best friend die. Again. All because she had lost. There was no horcrux to save her now. All there was was the pain in her arm as it spread throughout her body- even the Chamber was slowly fading as her vision began to dim.
"I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Potter," Riddle said awfully. He sounded as though he couldn't believe his luck. "I'm going to watch the light leave your eyes as the basilisk venom kills you."
Riddle walked towards her chuckling. "So ends the great Harriet Potter. What a shame. And to think- your friend here will have witnessed it all. Longbottom is as good as dead- he was weak, but Weasley! He'll be able to tell every one about how Harriet Potter begged for death and I, being a merciful lord, gave it to her."
What she wanted more than anything else in the world was to tell Riddle that the last thing she would ever do would be to beg for death, especially not from him, but her tongue didn't seem to be working right.
Riddle said, "Yes, I think I might let your little side-kick live. Isn't that kind of me?"
Harriet heard everything Riddle said as though he were speaking through molasses. And it took her a few moments to understand what he was saying. She did understand his last comment, though. And it made her angry.
Isn't that kind of me?
Isn't that kind of me?
Isn't that kind of me?
It was the second time she had heard him use this words. This was the man who tortured and killed thousands of innocent people. He had killed her grandparents and her parents' friends and Regulus and Quirrell (poor, useless, Quirrell) and now Neville and Ron and-
The basilisk fang was right next to her. Harriet grabbed it and then pulled the diary, still lying innocently on the floor (oh, if only she had known...) closer to her. She raised the basilisk fang up.
Riddle eye's widened. "What're you doing?"
She brought it down, hard, stabbing the diary just as Riddle realized her plan. He screamed and burst into a bright ball of light. He was still there, though, still fighting. Harriet raised the basilisk fang again and stabbed the diary again on another page.
Another burst of light.
Harriet shut the diary and, with every ounce of strength she had left, she brought the basilisk fang down into the cover of the diary one last time. Riddle screamed loudly as the light almost seemed to tear him apart.
And, just like that, it was over.
The Chamber was silent.
The, two things happened at once, although Harriet could barely process anything at this point. The venom from the basilisk fang was still spreading like a wildfire through her. In that moment, Ron was released from his bindings and Neville took a gasp of air.
Ron, as pleased as he was to see that Neville was alright, barely spared him a second glance. He went straight for Harriet, feeling as though he were about to throw up. He had seen it all- everything- Harriet dying, killing Pettigrew, the basilisk, the diary- he could barely breathe right now.
Now, with Harriet lying on the floor, looking far too dazed to be normal, her arm drenched in blood. He reached her and pulled both the diary and the fang out of her hands and shook her gently.
"Harriet? Harriet, are you alright?"
Harriet didn't say anything. It didn't look as though she could focus on him. Behind him, Ron heard a soft voice ask, "Ron? Harriet? What's going on?"
It was Neville. He was slowly making his way over to them. Ron heard him gasp as he saw Harriet. Neville, as pale as before and so confused it was almost sad, crouched next to him and asked, shakily, "What happened to her?"
Neville's voice seemed to shake Harriet out of her stupor. "Neville- Ron? Ron. You need to get out of here. Get the hat and the- and the- bird- Fawkes. Get the hat and Fawkes and just get out. Find Dumbledore."
"You're hurt," Neville protested.
Ron almost laughed when Harriet said, "I'll be fine."
"Harriet-" Ron began, only to be interrupted by a loud hoot by Fawkes as the phoenix settled down next to Harriet. Harriet managed a small smile.
"You were brilliant Fawkes," she told him truthfully. "I just wasn't quick enough."
The bird laid its beautiful head where the serpent's fang had pierced her and tears fell from its eyes. His scarlet feathers were very soft...
"Why is the bird crying?" Neville asked fearfully. Harriet wanted to explain to him what had happened, but she couldn't find the words, even though it wasn't fair that Neville knew nothing of what was going on.
He deserved to know that Harriet was dying, but that was okay, because at least now the pain was going away- dying wasn't so bad. Actually, it didn't really feel like dying. The last time she had died, it had been rather instantaneous, to be fair, but it certainly didn't feel like this. Because the Chamber wasn't going dark. It was getting light again. And everything was beginning to sound normal. Not to mention that Harriet didn't feel nearly as sleepy anymore.
Harriet blinked into focus and saw Ron and Neville watching her concernedly.
How long had they been there? She thought dazedly before looking down at Fawkes, who was standing next to her patiently.
"Oh," she said softly, finding it much easier to use her tongue, now. "Phoenix tears have healing powers."
Not really sure what else to say, she said to Fawkes, "Thanks."
Harriet swallowed and turned back to Ron and Neville. Ron, looking incredibly hopeful, asked, "Harri?"
"It's alright, Ron," Harriet assured him. "It's all over."
Ron let out a deep breath, looking as though he was about ready to cry. Neville looked ready to cry for an entirely different reason, though. He had finally seen the basilisk. He looked between it and Harriet wildly.
Harriet was feeling a bit giddy as Ron helped her up, so she smiled at Neville and said, "Impressive, right?"
"Ah-" Neville said.
Fawkes settled on Harriet's shoulder as Harriet picked up the hat and the sword and tucked the diary into her pocket. As an afterthought, she also picked up the basilisk fang, making sure to be extra careful not to hurt herself with it.
She wrinkled her nose at the beetle currently resting on the brim of the hat and shooed it away. She looked over at the basilisk, not really sure what to make of it. Harriet couldn't help but feel bad for it once again- it was only doing what it was told.
Ron, who, out of the three of them, was probably the least injured, didn't seem to be feeling too sentimental at the moment. He said, "Right, then. Let's get out of here before something else goes wrong."
A Very Concerned Group of Adults, Dumbledore's Office, Hogwarts- February 18, 1993
The group currently assembled at the office was exhausted. This partially because it was technically in the middle of the night. It was also because, now, three students and a teacher were missing from the school. To the parents of two of these students, the fact that their children were missing at all wasn't too big a surprise, since they had a tendency to stir up trouble wherever they went.
"This is all my fault," Remus berated himself, sitting in one of the chairs in Dumbledore's office, head in his hands, "I left them alone in the Hospital Wing."
"Stop talking like that," Lily admonished, eyes red from crying earlier. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. If anybody else had just been told that a student had been taken into the Chamber, they would've done the same thing."
It was Professor McGonagall who had first discovered that Harriet and Ron, along with Professor Lockhart, were missing. After alerting the staff, she had immediately called Dumbledore, not caring what Malfoy or the Ministry would say, and he had rushed over. It didn't matter that he had technically stepped down.
Hogwarts and her students were still his first priority.
After that it had been a matter of contacting the family of the students. Professors Lupin and Snape were already at the school, as well, so all that had remained was to contact Harriet's remaining family and the Weasleys, along with Neville's grandmother. Augusta had already been informed that Neville had been taken in the Chamber of Secrets, but Dumbledore had called her back in to Hogwarts.
The ten of them had convened in Dumbledore's office where they had tried to figure out what to do next. Sirius had been ready to go down into the Chamber himself, but Dumbledore, as much as he wanted his students back safely, could not yet justify the danger, especially since a member of one of their faculty had already disappeared after supposedly going after the monster. And there was still the glaring fact that none of them knew where the Chamber even was.
Arthur was currently trying to calm down his wife after Snape's rather straightforward comment that there was a good possibility that Harriet and Ron had been taken into the Chamber, when McGonagall let out a scream.
Every one turned to the doorway where the professor was currently looking and immediately understood why she had reacted the way she had. Standing at the entrance to the office were Ron, Neville, and Harriet, covered in a mixture of what looked to be slime, muck, and (in Harriet's case) blood.
Fawkes, who had until this moment been sitting happily on Harriet's shoulder, didn't seem pleased with McGonagall's scream and cooed angrily in reply before flying to his normal perch in Dumbledore's office, seemingly unaffected by all that had happened. He watched curiously as the strange humans embraced their young, worrying over them, even though they were clearly alright.
"You saved him! You saved him!" Augusta was muttering, clutching Neville closely and peppering his face with kisses (a rare display of affection) as Neville tried to squirm away. "Oh, how did you do it?"
"I believe we'd all like the answer to that," Snape said from his position in the opposite corner of the room.
Harriet stepped away from her parents and placed the items in her hand on the table: the hat, the sword, the diary, and the basilisk fang. Ignoring the gasps of some of the occupants in the room, she sat down and very carefully began to explain.
She started with finding the note Hermione had left, then, apologetically, listening in on the staff meeting. Harriet explained that she and Ron had gone to find Lockhart to tell him that they thought they knew where the entrance to the Chamber was, but had found him packing his things.
It was Ron who, rather delightedly, explained that they had forced Lockhart to go see Moaning Myrtle with them and, more importantly, that his memory charm had backfired and left him a sniveling mess.
Nobody seemed too sorry about that.
Then, Harriet explained about heading inside the Chamber finding Neville. It was here that Neville explained how he had managed to end up in the Chamber in the first place.
"It was late," he said hesitantly, "After dinner. I- I know I was supposed to go back to my dorm right away, but I heard Professor Sprout had gotten this rare type of flower that- well, never mind. Anyway, I wanted to see it and I thought there wouldn't be any harm in going to her office really quickly, but on my way there, something just- something hit me over the head. Then, I woke up in the Chamber with Harriet and Ron."
It was at this point Harriet began to explain again, this time starting off with Tom Riddle. She had to admit that she had been having dreams about him (finally, Remus understood what she had meant when she mentioned it to him) and that she was very much surprised to see him, well, alive. Harriet told them that Pettigrew had been down there- that had surprised them- and that Riddle was Voldemort.
The strongest reaction Harriet received, of course, was when she explained that Riddle had, essentially, killed her. Her parents fussed, as parents tended to do, but she hastily went on to explain about waking up in "King's Cross" and Regulus's explanation about the horcruxes and Voldemort's soul and the prophecy.
For the first time since beginning her narrative, Harriet looked up from where floor to face Sirius.
"Regulus wanted me to tell you that he's sorry- for everything- and that he still loved you, even after you ran away."
Sirius didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything, really, but he smiled in gratitude.
After that, Harriet finished with surprising speed, mentioning that she had used Sectumsempra on Pettigrew without knowing what it would do (Snape paled a bit when he realized that Harriet had managed to get ahold of his old book) and that it was thanks to Fawkes that Harriet had managed to kill the basilisk and survive its venom.
There was a strange sort of silence when Harriet finished her story. It wasn't a normal sort of silence or an uncomfortable sort of silence. It was the sort of silence where nobody really knew what to do next.
Dumbledore finally said to Ron and Harriet, "At the start of the year, you two were warned that if you caused anymore trouble, you would be expelled from Hogwarts. Well, I now have proof that some of us must sometimes eat our words."
Ron and Harriet grinned at each other as Dumbledore went on.
"You will each receive special awards for service to the school and Gryffindor will be awarded 200 points- each. Do not look too pleased," Dumbledore cautioned. "I have no doubt your parents will be giving you suitable punishments."
Molly could only nod weakly, still in shock.
"Somebody should go check on Professor Lockhart," Dumbledore pointed out mildly, but when nobody looked to keen on it, he didn't bring it up again. He told Augusta next "Why don't you take Neville down to see Madam Pomfrey. After that, some hot chocolate would no doubt do wonders for him."
Neville was shuffled out of the office. Then, Dumbledore turned to the Weasleys, "Somebody needs to inform the Ministry of all that has happened and, of course, get our gamekeeper back. As a Ministry worker, Arthur, perhaps you would do the honor?"
Mr. Weasley took the hint and lead his family out the office, leaving only Harriet and her family. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he said, "No doubt you have some questions, Harriet?"
Harriet did. She had a lot of questions. But she started with the most pressing one. "Is he really gone now?"
Dumbledore didn't hesitate when he said, "Well, there's still the matter of the other horcruxes, but I am sure Severus and your mother will have no trouble finding a suitable way of destroying them, thanks to your generous donation."
He gestured to the basilisk fang and Harriet smiled.
"I was also wondering," she said slowly, "About the horcruxes. Voldemort was a Parselmouth. So am I. Is that because of his horcrux inside of me?"
"Most likely," Dumbledore conceded.
"Then how was I able to understand him talking to the basilisk after that horcrux was gone?" Harriet wanted to know. For this, Dumbledore had no answer. Neither did anybody else.
Remus said, "Magic is a complex thing, Harriet. There are still mysteries that we have yet to solve. This will no doubt be one of them."
Harriet wasn't too satisfied with this answer, but was relieved that she would still be able to talk to Isaura. "When I first came to Hogwarts," she began, "The hat- well, the Sorting Hat wanted to put me in Slytherin."
Her family looked surprised, but not disapproving, much to Harriet's relief.
"Does that mean it could sense Voldemort in me?" Harriet asked. "And Slytherin's power and-?"
"Yet, it still put you in Gryffindor," Dumbledore said gently. "Harriet, you do happen to have many of the qualities that Slytherin valued in his students: his own rare gift, Parseltongue, along with resourcefulness, cunning, and a certain disregard for breaking the rules, which you no doubt inherited from your father."
Her father laughed, but made no attempt to dispute it. He couldn't really. Dumbledore had more than enough evidence of the trouble he had caused.
Dumbledore said, "The Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor, though. Do you know why?"
"I asked it to," Harriet said immediately.
Dumbledore exclaimed, "Exactly! Do you see, Harriet? It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
Harriet sat, stunned, and it was no doubt clear by the look on her face that she didn't really believe him. Dumbledore then said, "If you want any more proof that you belong in Gryfindor, Harriet, I suggest you take a look at the sword.
She was hesitant and, at this, Dumbledore truly smiled. He gestured to the sword. "Pick it up, Harriet. What do you see?"
Harriet picked up the sword carefully and looked at it in the light. She saw something that she had missed earlier in the Chamber: an engraving. "This was Gryffindor's sword!"
"Precisely," Dumbledore said proudly. "And only a true Gryfindor could've pulled that sword from that hat." Dumbledore paused and then said gently, "On that subject, Harriet, I must thank you. For Fawkes to have brought you the Sorting Hat, you must've been incredibly loyal to me down in that Chamber. I do not know what you said or did, but I am grateful."
Harriet blushed and looked down at her shoes bashfully. When she looked back up, she met Snape's eyes. A part of her wanted to blurt out Why did you do it? and How could you? and the like, but she held back. Now wasn't the time, she felt. This conversation should be between her and him, not with her parents and Dumbledore listening. She'd ask him another time.
Dumbledore told her, "You must be very tired." Harriet snorted at the understatement. Every inch of her hurt. "I have no doubt that Madam Pomfrey has prepared a bed for you, Harriet." Harriet looked worried, but Dumbledore said gently, "Everything else will be taken care of by us. It has been a trying night for you. Please, try-"
The door to Dumbledore's office banged open and Lucius Malfoy of all people walked in. Harriet's attention wasn't caught by him, though. It was more focused on the house-elf behind him.
Dobby!
No wonder Dobby had known all of those things when he tried to warn her! He had been living right under Malfoy's nose! He had told her that whatever it was didn't have anything to do with You-Know-Who and Dobby had been right. It had to do with Tom Riddle. Harriet felt a surge of admiration for Dobby. Brave, brave, Dobby.
Oh... Malfoy was talking:
"-outrageous!"
"I fail to see what is outrageous about it," Dumbledore said serenely. "The monster is dead, the students are safe, and the real perpetrator has been found."
"Who was it then?" Malfoy demanded.
"The same as it was last time," Dumbledore said easily, "Lord Voldemort. Only this time, he was acting through somebody: Peter Pettigrew."
Malfoy paled. "Pettigrew has been caught?"
"No," Sirius said shortly, "He's dead. Lucky for you, isn't it?"
"Well, of course," Malfoy said smoothly, not rising to Sirius's bait. "It's a stroke of good fortune for us all. The students are safe. And, of course, Dumbledore has been reinstated."
"It was, of course, an extremely clever plan on Pettigrew's part," James said, looking Malfoy directly in the eye. "As one of his closest friends while at Hogwarts, I never would have believed him capable of coming up with something like that."
"No doubt the Dark Lord assisted him," Malfoy said stiffly.
"Yes, very true," Remus said, "It's very fortunate that Harriet and Ron managed to figure it all out, though. If they hadn't poor Neville would've been blamed for the entire thing- especially since his family, one of the most prominent pureblood families at the Ministry- have been so vocal about their support for Arthur Weasley's Muggle Protection Act, not to mention the raids the Ministry are currently conducting. Why, the entire thing might be put to a halt."
Lily nodded somberly and added, "And Minister Fudge, of course, would've been praised for his foresight, in bringing the Dementors here earlier this year, and Dumbledore might've been forced to retire indefinitely, since he sent them away. Yes, we are very lucky that the entire thing was discovered."
Malfoy smiled slightly, but it was clearly strained.
Behind Malfoy, Harriet watched as Dobby pointed at Lucius, then at the diary, and then hit himself in the head. It took Harriet a moment to realize what Dobby was trying to tell her. She had already known, of course, that it was because of Lucius that the diary had managed to find it's way into Ron's cauldron, but it was only now that she realized that she had forgotten to mention that part to her family.
"Aren't you curious, Mr. Malfoy," Harriet said slowly, looking him in the eye, "About how the diary managed to get inside Hogwarts in the first place?"
"How should I know?" Malfoy scoffed, not taking her seriously.
"Because you put it in Ron's cauldron while we were at Flourish and Blotts," Harriet said firmly. "You know Pettigrew was Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, so you replaced one of Ron's books with the diary,and once Ron got to Hogwarts, Pettigrew stole it."
Malfoy sneered and took a step towards her. Harriet held her ground, staring back up at him. She took down a basilisk today. Malfoy didn't scare her.
"Prove it," he hissed, before turning around and leaving, calling out, "Come on, Dobby!"
Harriet could only watch helplessly as Dobby followed Malfoy, tripping in his haste. At one point, Harriet heard Dobby squeal with pain. Suddenly, she had an idea. She turned to Dumbledore to ask him, but it seemed her question had already crossed his mind.
"Go ahead," he said.
Harriet beamed and grabbed the diary, ignoring the looks of her parents, and raced down the hall towards Malfoy and Dobby. She paused and hastily removed one of her socks- giving a fleeting thought to Hermione, who had given her these wonderfully, fluffy socks (embroidered with moving Snitches!) this past Christmas- and jammed it between the pages of the book. She slipped her shoe back on and raced around the corner, calling out, "Mr. Malfoy!"
Malfoy turned, annoyed. "What?"
Harriet held the diary out to him, "You forgot this."
Malfoy took it, sneered, and threw it aside. Dobby caught it and looked it at confusedly. Harriet mouthed, "Open it," as Malfoy ranted.
"You'll meet the same sticky end as your grandparents, Harriet Potter," Malfoy sneered. He turned around and called, "Come on, Dobby."
Dobby, though, didn't come. He had done what Harriet had said and opened the book. He was clutching the sock (currently covered in an amazing amount of slime from the Chamber) to his chest, eyes wide and watery.
Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."
What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy, turning around. "What did you say?"
"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free."
It took Malfoy a moment, but he realized what Harriet had done, and lunged for her. "You've lost me my servant, girl!"
Dobby was ready for him, though.
"You shall not harm Harriet Potter!"
Dobby held up his hand and there was a loud bang. Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below.
He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby still had his hand up. Malfoy hesitated.
"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harriet Potter. You shall go now."
Lucius Malfoy looked between Harriet and Dobby and then glanced over their shoulders. Harriet turned around in time to see her parents, Sirius, and Remus coming down the hall afterwards. Lucius had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.
"What was that about?" Sirius asked, approaching them. Harriet just laughed, and looked at Dobby, who now wore his lone sock proudly on his foot.
"Do me a favor, Dobby," Harriet said with a smile. Dobby's ears wiggled joyfully. Harriet said, "Never save my life again."
Harriet Potter, Hogwarts- June 2, 1993
The rest of the year had flown by. By breakfast that day, Hagrid was back and the petrified students were all awake. Harriet and Hermione had ran to each other in the Great Hall when they saw each other, hastily apologizing as they hugged, but it was unnecessary. By the time they sat down for breakfast, it was as though they had never fought.
Harriet and Ron filled Hermione in (she was quite pleased to learn that her sock had freed Dobby from his servitude) and then, well, gone to class. Harriet couldn't help but be amazed at how normal everything was after that.
Neville was doing better. He had begun working even more closely with Professor Sprout, especially now that his grandmother had grown more supportive of his botany.
Professor Snape hadn't changed a bit. He was as churlish and snarling as always, but, to Harriet, anyway, he seemed to favor the Slytherins a bit less, and even smirked at Harriet in public from time to time. Harriet understood- he couldn't go from being Snape to Snape in a day. She still hadn't asked him about his time as a Death Eater, but she had the entire summer coming up.
Right now, Harriet was headed over to Remus's office. Exams were over and everybody was getting ready to go home the next day, but Harriet wanted to see Remus, first. Isaura was wrapped comfortably around her wrist, hissing softly.
Harriet knocked on Remus's door and peeked her head inside. "Hello?"
Remus smiled at her as he waved his wand to pack up. His books and clothes folded themselves neatly into their suitcases. "Harriet! Please, do come in!"
"Your packing is much neater than Lockhart's," Harriet noted, letting Isaura slither off her wrist to explore the room.
Harriet thought back to all those months ago when Lockhart had been hastily trying to run away. Somebody had finally gone ahead and found him in Myrtle's bathroom. He was convinced that he and Myrtle were soon going to get married, much to Harriet's amusement. Sadly, when they finally dragged him (kicking and screaming) to St. Mungo's, the healers there managed to convince him that no, he and Myrtle were not engaged or dating. Lockhart's chances of making a full recovery, though, were slim.
"Thank-you," Remus smiled, "Although I'm not sure if that's much of a compliment. Are you ready to go home?"
"Very!" Harriet laughed.
Remus nodded sympathetically, "The others pestering you too much about that article?"
Harriet nodded, thinking back to the breakfast following the whole event, only a few hours after Harriet killed the basilisk. She had almost chocked on a sausage when Hedwig brought The Daily Prophet in to the Great Hall, Harriet's face taking up most of the front page, followed by a ridiculous headline and the story of how Harriet defeated the basilisk and survived the Killing Curse again and all of it.
Written by Rita Skeeter.
Nobody was sure how Skeeter managed to get her information and, even months later, she refused to reveal her source.
Harriet made a face and asked Remus, "Think we'll ever know how she did it?"
"Probably not," Remus admitted. "There is some good that came of it, though."
"Fair enough," Harriet conceded. The public, reading the article, had been outraged that a student (especially the Girl Who Lived) had been put in such danger. The blame immediately fell to Fudge, who had already been facing scrutiny for his decision to put the Dementors at Hogwarts, along with allegations of taking bribes, and the Ministry had immediately moved for a vote of no confidence.
Kingsley Shacklebolt was, much to Harriet's delight, the favorite for the new Minister.
"I can actually spend summer at home," Harriet said delightedly.
Remus smiled and placed some papers inside his suitcase, pausing for a moment. He held onto a particularly thick piece of parchment that Harriet recognized immediately. He smiled conspiratorially and Harriet found herself realizing why he was a Marauder.
"Since this is the last day of school," he began formally, "I am officially no longer your teacher. As such, I feel no remorse about giving you this."
He handed the Marauder's Map back to her and she took it gratefully. She said, "Want to take a look at it one more time? For old time's sake?"
Remus helped her spread it out onto the table and was the one to activate it. A majority of the students and professors were in their dorms and offices respectively, getting ready for the train tomorrow. Remus gave a nostalgic sigh and was about to close the Map up when Harriet noticed something.
She held out her hand to stop him and then pointed at a spot on the Map in Remus's office. "What's that?"
Next to the spots labeled Remus Lupin and Harriet Potter was another spot labeled Rita Skeeter. Harriet and Remus whirled around rapidly, looking all over the office, but aside from Isaura, there was nobody there.
It was Harriet who saw the beetle on the windowsill. It was also Harriet who remembered seeing the beetle all over Hogwarts and in the Chamber. It was Harriet who put everything together and tugged at Remus's sleeve. She pointed over to it.
When he realized what she was implying, he muttered, "No- It can't be-"
He looked down at the map and then back up at the beetle. He held his fingers to his lips and motioned for Harriet to be quiet. He walked behind his desk and pulled out a small jar, casting a quick spell on it with his wand (later, he would tell Harriet that he had made the jar unbreakable). He took the lid and the jar and walked slowly towards the spot where Skeeter was resting, ready to capture her.
Before he could though, she flew away-
"No!"
"Blast it!"
-and right into Isaura's open mouth. Harriet and Remus could only watch as Isaura gnawed and then swallowed the beetle, satisfied. They both ran back over to the Map and saw, much to their astonishment, that Rita Skeeter was gone.
"Well, then," Remus muttered.
"Huh," was all Harriet could manage.
Then, because they couldn't help themselves, and really, the entire thing was too ridiculous, they burst out laughing. When they calmed themselves from their near hysterical giggles, they leaned against the desk.
Remus looked at Harriet speculatively. Seeing her curious expression, he explained, "I think that this is a rather suitable ending for our story. Don't you agree?"
She did.
And so it was.
The End.
AN: So, there it is. The end of Harriet Potter, posted in the honor Harry Potter's birthday and J.K. Rowling's. This chapter as been over 18 months in the making and I am incredibly grateful to all the readers who helped me get this far by encouraging me and showing me how much they liked my story. I'm going to feel very strange now that this is all over...
To be fair, it's not all over. I plan on posting a series of one-shots in Harriet Potter universe, just of what happens next. Some people, for instance, will argue that I didn't have Harriet talk to Snape, but that'll probably be the the first one that I write- just don't expect it anytime soon (the next few months will be very busy for me). :)
Again, thank you so much for everything. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this story as much as I have writing it.
Love,
tinyrose65