Second Year - Part Two
A/N: ENJOY! R&R PLZ
Hermione went back to her spot in the notes, "As I was saying before, I had to spend a few weeks in the hospital wing to change back. Harry and Ron visited me almost every evening to bring my homework. Then one time, on their way back from seeing me, they saw Myrtle had flooded the halls again so they went to investigate. Turned out someone had thrown a book at Myrtle while she was in one of the toilets."
"Who would do that to a book?" Remus asked horrified.
"Trust me Remus, this was no ordinary book. Harry picked it up and saw it was an old diary was owned by a T.M. Riddle. Ron said it was someone who got an award for special services to the school fifty years ago, he saw it during his detention with Filch, but there was nothing in it and thought Harry should just chuck it but he kept it instead. I was released from the hospital wing not much later. I figured that since the diary was fifty years old that what if the award was for catching the heir of Slytherin but nothing I did to it made it reveal any information but Harry still kept it. We checked the award but it didn't have a details except the T.M. stood for Tom Marvolo but there was nothing we could get from that. By the time February rolled around, there were no more attacks and Lockhart thought we all needed a morale booster." There was a collective eye-roll before Hermione continued, "So on Valentine's day, he decorated the great hall with thesee awful pink flowers and had heart-shaped confetti falling from the ceiling."
"My sympathies Mya," Sirius grimaced.
"Oh no it gets better," said Hermione with highly sarcastic enthusiasm, "He also hired dwarves to wear wings and carry bows and arrows to deliver our valentines then encouraged up to ask Flitwick about Entrancing Enchantments or better yet ask Snape how to brew a love potion."
"Don't, just don't!"
"What?" Hermione looked at them.
"Oh nothing Mya," James smiled angelically, "Just thinking abour Remus's run in with a love potion."
Hermione's lips quirked up, "What happened?"
Sirius, probably in revenge for the cloak story, replied gleefully, "It was our sixth year. Slughorn, depending on what we were studying, often made potions in advance or in front of us to demonstrate different methods and ingredients. The lesson that day was on the properties of ashwinder eggs which is a key ingredient in, among other potions, Amortentia."
"It's what gives you that burning complusion that fuels the obsession," Hermione said knowledgeably.
Sirius pointed at her with a tilt of his head, "Correct. Well for this class, Slughorn made three love potions with varying amounts of ashwinder to show how it affected the overall composition. Too little and it was grey and weak, too much and it was red and overpowering, just the right amount was very pale pink and was as normal as a love potion could be. Then it was our turn and that's when poor Remus got up to get his ingredients and ran right into the red potion."
Hermione giggled while Remus hid his face, "Who did he obsess over?"
Sirius but it was Remus who answered, muffled by his hands,"Peter."
James laughed and took up the story, "Pete was so confused. He ran over to help Remus only to have Mooney grab him and declare his undying love and affection for him. Then when Wormtail tried to pull away, he began to cry, begging his darling not to leave him. Now the amount of ashwinder turned out to be a blessing and a curse ("Blessing my arse," muttered Remus) on the one hand the normal cure wouldn't work but on the other ashwinder overpowered all the other ingredients so it would wear off within the day. Until then Peter had to dodge Remus who ran around looking for his 'sweet Wormykins' because he couldn't go on without his 'dear mousey wousey'." At this point everyone, including Remus, was cracking up.
"Well fortunately nothing like that happened," not yet anyway Hermione added mentally, "but Harry did recieve a singing valentine."
"Three guesses who that came from," Sirius grinned.
"Yes - well this is how it went," Hermione sighed. Ginny would probably try and kill her if she knew what her friend planned to tell her future (past?) in-laws.
His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad,
HIs hair is as dark as a blackboard.
I wish he was mine, he's really divine,
The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.
This was met with complete silence. Lily sat there with a small smile filled with feminine understanding whereas the marauders were determinedly not looking at each other. Hermione placed a couple fingers on her temple, "Just get it over with." The three men howled with laughter, James actually slid off his seat.
"My son certainly garnered some interesting fans," James gasped out.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Hermione warned half-seriously, "the point of this is that the dwarf somewhat tackled Harry to sing him his Valentine and this caused his ink bottle to smash all over his stuff. But when Harry inspected the diary it was completely clean, like nothing had happened. So Harry decided to test this out by writing something on it and was shocked when the diary wrote back."
The good humour was draining rapidly from the room. "I don't like this," Lily said cautiously.
"The diary said that preserved within it's pages were the memories of Tom Riddle. Harry asked him if he knew about the chamber and diary said it could show Harry what it knew. It pulled Harry in a showed him Tom meeting with Professor Dippet who tells him that he can't stay at Hogwarts during the summer holidays because of the attacks to which Tom asks what would happen if the Heir was caught -"
"Sounds like he knows something," Sirius commented suspiciously.
"Dippet thought so too but when he questioned Tom, Tom said he didn't know anything. Then Tom ran into Dumbledore and they spoke briefly about a girl dying."
"Didn't Malfoy mention that too?" Remus asked.
"Yes he did," Hermione answered quietly.
Remus realized his mistake, "Sorry Mya."
"It's okay Remus, it's all over now," Hermione smiled slightly. "Anyway Dumbledore told Tom to go back his dorm, he was a Slytherin, but instead it went to some corner of the dungeons and waited there a while. Then there was voice, talking to something. Tom confronted the person, insinuating that he was the heir and whatever he was hiding was the creature. He was blamed and expelled from Hogwarts." Hermione heaved a sigh, "The person was Hagrid."
"WHAT?!" cried everyone. Hermione nodded sadly.
"Hagrid can't be the heir of Slytherin! That's impossible!" James declared.
"Come to think of it, I don't think Hagrid was even in Slytherin," Remus thought out loud.
"That's what we thought when Harry told us," Hermione said. "Obviously we didn't want to accuse Hagrid of anything so we decided that we would only go to him if there was another attack. Then as we were heading back to the common room, Neville came running to us and said something had happened."
"Another attack?" Lily asked.
Hermione shook her head, "No, the boys' dormitory had been ransacked and the diary was stolen."
"Obviously someone didn't want you lot to have it." Sirius remarked.
"Yes well, there was nothing we could do about it. A few days later Harry had another quidditch match. We were at breakfast when I got a brainwave about the chamber. I went off to library and left the boys to head down to the pitch but before they could begin play, McGonagall came out cancelled the match. There had been another attack, this time a double attack."
"Oh no," Lily moaned. James placed an arm around her.
"Good thing you had that brainwave Mya," Sirius said looking shaken. "Tell me you meet with the guys and make a plan to catch this monster."
Hermione shook her head again, "No not this time."
"Why not?" Remus asked.
"Because...because..." Hermione gulped and her eyes misted over. "Because I had been attacked." Before the others could react Lily was at Hermione's side, hugging the girl. Hermione turned into her and let her tears fall. Being petrified had been one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. It was like she was unconcious and conscious at the same time, as if she had been trapped in her own mind. One second she saw the basilisk's filthy yellow eyes and the next everything had gone black but she could still think and remember. Those yellow eyes had haunted her the entire time she was cursed. Even after she was cured, she had nightmares about them and what could've happened. In later years, she was always hesitant turning that corner when she left the library sometimes even closing her eyes until she passed it. The marauders sat around her horrified and speechless at what she had gone through.
"It's okay Mya," Lily rubbed Hermione's back soothingly.
Hermione nodded and pulled away, "Thanks. I'm fine, it's just hard to remember that."
"But how did it happen?" James asked.
"We'll talk about that later," Hermione wiped her face. Lily squeezed her hand and pulled away to go back to her spot. "When the boys found out they decided they had to go to see Hagrid, there was no other choice. They snuck out of the castle under the Invisibilty cloak and went to his hut. Hagrid himself was scared but before he could tell them anything, he got another visitor and they had to hide under the cloak. It was the Minister of Magic at the time Corneilius Fudge and Professor Dumbledore, they came to arrest Hagrid for the attacks."
"NO!" the room roared.
"Unfortunately yes. Fudge said that Hagrid's record counted against him. Dumbledore tried to attest to Hagrid's character but Fudge said that he had to be seen doing something."
"Typical," Lily snorted, "screw actually investigating, let's just fake it."
In hindsight, Fudge's attitude during the war wasn't all that surprising mused Hermione. "Well it only got worse because then Lucius showed up."
"That alone is guaranteed to make things worse," Sirius pointed out to general amusement.
"Sadly it doesn't stop there. Lucius was on the board of school governers and had come looking for Dumbledore. He had petition, signed by all the other governers, for Professor Dumbledore to step down as headmaster."
"Why the hell would they do that? Are they out of their minds?" Remus demanded.
"I bet you anything Lucius forced the governers into it." Sirius half growled, "He's had it out for Dumbledore for ages. To hell with the students and their safety, anything to get rid of Albus."
Hermione continued, "Whatever the reason, Dumbledore had no choice but to go and they took Hagrid with them. But before he left Hagrid gave the boys a cryptic message of sorts. He said that if anyone were looking for some stuff, all they would need to do, is follow the spiders."
"Ah, so that's why you mentioned the spiders walking in single file," Remus concluded.
"Yes, but the problem was that was ages ago. There were hardly any spiders lurking around anymore. Although after my attack things got better for Harry because no one thought he would go after his best friend."
"I wish it didn't have to come to that to convince them of Harry's innocence," said James.
Hermione shrugged, "That's how it worked out. Then in the greenhouses, they spotted a line of spiders leading towards the Forbidden Forest."
"Oh no, not again!" Lily groaned.
"They decided to follow them that night and took off with Fang. They followed the spiders deep into the woods where three huge spiders picked them all up and deposited them in this hollow. There they met Aragog the acromantula, the spider Hagrid had been keeping in cupboard when he was expelled. Hagrid had gotten him from some traveller. Aragog said he was not the creature, it was something that all spiders feared most. They did not speak it. He said he could hear the creature moving around the castle back then and that the girl who died, died in a bathroom, and Aragog had never left the cupboard. The boys tried to leave but Aragog said that while his children did not attack Hagrid under his order, he couldn't deny them the boys so he left them to be eaten."
"What the hell!?" James actually jumped up.
"James hang on we're finished yet. The boys and Fang ran out of there as fast as they could while battling the gigantic spiders. Eventually they ran into the Ford Angela, Ron's dad's car. It had been living in the forest ever since the crash. It took them back to castle grounds and returned to the woods."
"Is it still there?" Sirius asked.
"No one has seen it but presumably yes," Hermione shrugged. "They got back to the dorm alright but then it hit Harry. What if the girl who died in the bathroom never left?"
Everyone gasped in unison, "Moaning Myrtle..."
"Precisely," Hermione nodded once, "but there was a problem. Despite Hagrid's arrest the school kept up heightened security measures to ensure the students' safety. That included being escorted to all classes and no after hours activities so the boys couldn't figure out a way to get to the bathroom. Then while being escorted by Lockhart -"
"Say no more Mya," Remus held a hand with a grin. "I think we got the picture."
Hermione giggled, "Remus!"
"What? Like we don't know that Harry and Ron are going to trick the buffoon somehow."
Hermione laughed harder, "Just let me tell the story will you? Lockhart was going on and on about how it was Hagrid and that all these security measures were completely unnecessary so Harry pretended to agree with him and convinced him to leave them before they got to their next class. They tried to make a beeline for the bathroom but were caught by McGonagall and Harry quickly came up with a cover story. He said they were coming to visit me and comfort me even though I couldn't possibly hear what they were saying. McGonagall actually became touched and allowed them to go saying she would inform Madam Pomfrey."
"A true marauder!" cheered the men while the women rolled their eyes.
"Anyway, this left them no choice but to go see me. They were sitting by my bedside when they noticed I had a piece of paper in my hand. It took them a little while but they got it out and it was page from a book that I had torn out. It described the Basilisk, the king of serpents."
"The creature in the chamber..." whispered Remus terrified.
Lily blanched, "But doesn't it kill with it's stare not petrify?"
"I'm getting to that. The basilisk could live for ages even on a limited diet hence the time span. It's also a snake that is why Harry could hear it. It is the mortal enemy of spiders, that's where Aragog comes in. If you remember something had been Hagrid's roosters, well the cry of the rooster is fatal to it. Finally I had written the word 'pipes' on the page because I had figured out that it was using the plumbing to get around which is why the voice was coming from the walls. As for the petrifying, the problem was that no one actually looked at in the eye so they didn't die. Colin saw it through his camera, Justin through Nick, Nick did see it but couldn't die again, and Mrs. Norris saw the it's reflection in the water on the ground that night. Before they could discuss anything further, McGonagall annouced that all students were to return to their dorms and all teachers to the staff room. Harry and Ron chose to go to the staff room to tell the teachers what they had heard. But when they heard it was about another attack, they hid to find out more. It turned out that someone had been taken into the chamber itself, Ginny Weasley. There was note written under the original 'her skeleton will lie in the chamber forever'." Everyone had their eyes down, trying wrap their heads around it. James for some reason imagined an eleven year-old Lily in that nightmarish scene and pulled his wife close. "Just then Lockhart came in." Remus groaned, lightening the mood. "Apparantly he had been bragging about how he knew where the entrance was and what was down there so the other professors decided to call him out on it and leave it to him to deal with the monster. He claimed he was going to get ready and when he left, McGonagall became to make plans to evacuate the school and left with the other teachers to begin. Harry and Ron dashed to Lockhart's office to tell him what they knew when they discovered he was leaving." Disgust coloured Hermione's tone which was reflecting in the others' expressions. "He tried to say that he had gotten another urgent call and had to go. It eventually came out that he was a liar. He had never done any of the things that he claimed to have done in his books, he was actually taking credit for other people's achievements. He sought them, got their stories, then wiped their memories so they couldn't remember anything."
"That git!" The marauders cried outraged.
"He tried to do the same to the boys but Harry disarmed him immediately. They took him to the bathroom and found Myrtle. Harry asked her how she died. She told them that she had been crying there because some students had been teasing her when she heard a voice. A male voice. She opened her door to tell them to go away when she died. All she remembers are a pair of yellow eyes near one of the sinks. Harry examined the tap and found a snake etched on it. He realised that this is where the entrance to the chamber was. He spoke in parseltongue to open it. It was hole, like the mouth of a chute. They had no choice but to go in." It was like when she told them about Harry going after the stone, they all sat tense and stony faced. No one had it in them to comment right now, "They made Lockhart go first and then followed. It was long slide of sorts in this set of underground tunnels. They looked around and found a giant snake skin that had been shedded. Lockhart pretended to faint so he could Ron's wand and tried to curse them but the wand backfired causing an explosion. No one was hurt but the tunnel had collapse with Ron and Lockhart on one side and Harry on the other."
"Was Ron safe with Lockhart?" James asked in strained voice.
Hermione shocked them all by snickering, "Yes he was. The wand backfiring caused Lockhart's curse to rebound on himself so he had lost his memory. He had no idea who he was let alone the boys."
The mood in the room lifted slightly. "HA! served him right after what he did to all those people," Lily remarked.
"But that also made him useless, not that he wasn't before. So Ron was going to shift the rocks while Harry went to get Ginny. He continued down the passage and came to this vault-like door. He had to use parseltongue again to open it. It was a giant chamber filled with stone serpents and one enormous statue of Slytherin himself."
"Now that is something," Remus noted, "Other than Ravenclaw, there are very very few stone depictions of the founders. Barely anyone, not even some of the ghosts, know what they look like. The chocolate frog cards are based on written accounts."
"What about their portraits?" Hermione asked.
James answered this one, "They're in the headmaster's study but way at the top and they only meet with certain people. Although some people have claimed to have seen them moving through different paintings."
"Yeah like you," Sirius pointed out.
"I'm telling you I swear I saw Gryffindor! It was in seventh year, I saw some big Slytherins really scaring this little first year from our house and stopped them. When it was over, I turned and I saw a flash of a face in the portrait opposite me but the occupant claimed they saw nothing."
"You guys," Lily called in trembling voice, "not that all this isn't interesting but I would really like to hear what happens to Harry." That brought the marauders back down to earth.
Hermione drew in a shuddering breath, "Lily's right. Let's get back to Harry. He went into the chamber and saw Ginny laying at the base of the statue. She was cold and unconcious. He tried to wake her up when he realiesd he wasn't alone and his wand was gone. But Tom Riddle was there."
"How is that possible?" James breathed.
"It was all the diary. Ginny had poured her heart into it and become extremely emotionally attached to it. The memory became strong off Ginny's fears and secrets, so much so that it began to exercise control over her. The diary possessed Ginny, making her open the chamber and writing the message on the wall. She killed the roosters and set the basilisk on the school. Ginny didn't realise it at first but she became suspicious of the diary so she threw it away in the bathroom. But when she saw Harry with it, she was worried the diary would tell him all her secrets so she stole it back. Finally it forced her to write that last message and come down to the chamber. By feeding off of Ginny, the memory became strong enough to leave the diary and the result now stood in front of Harry." The room remained silent, the sheer horror of what they just heard floated in the air.
"That is just..." Lily shook her head, James squeezed her shoulder. Remus and Sirius looked like they were going to be sick.
"It gets worse," there was a unanimous slow look at Hermione, "you see the memory explained to Harry everything that had been happening that year and what Ginny had written to him. The memory wanted to meet Harry so it showed him Hagrid's expulsion to gain his trust when really he - Tom Riddle - was the heir of Slytherin." There was jaw drop but Hermione continued before anyone could speak, "But apparantly his focus had shifted from Salazar's noble task. For the longest time, his target had been Harry. Ginny had told him about Harry's story and he wanted to know how Harry survived while Voldemort, whom he called one of the greatest wizards of all time, was left powerless. Harry asked why he even cared, that Voldemort was after his time, turned out Riddle had one more trick up his sleeve. Using Harry's wand he wrote in the air, TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE and then rearranged the letters to spell I AM LORD VOLDEMORT."
"Riddle is Voldemort?" Remus gasped.
"Yes, Riddle had invented that name at school but only a few people knew it. He said that his father was a muggle who left him and his mother before he was born so he changed it."
"Voldemort is a half-blood?!" asked Sirius in shock.
Hermione nodded, "Harry tried to stand up to him and say that Albus is the greatest wizard of all time. That is when Fawkes the phoenix showed up with the Sorting Hat. Riddle laughed at him and called forth the basilisk from inside the statue and set it on Harry."
"Oh no, no," Lily rocked back and forth.
"Harry immediately closed his eyes and ran but it was hard. Fawkes left him and he heard strange noise and Riddle yelling so he opened them a little. Fawkes had poked out the eyes of the basilisk. Riddle ordered the snake to kill Harry away, that it could still smell and hear him. Harry still had the Sorting Hat so he put it on and screamed in his mind for help and a sword dropped out of it. Harry picked it up and lunged at the snake, spearing it through it's mouth but a fang punctured his arm, he was poisoned." Lily choked a little and dropped her head. "He managed to get back to where the diary, Ginny, and Riddle were before collapsing. Riddle taunted Harry that he was about to die, indeed things had begun to get blurry and dark for him." Hermione held back a sob, knowing how close her friend had come to dying. "Riddle pointed out that even Fawkes was crying. That was when he realised that Fawkes was using his tears to heal him. Riddle became angry and tried kill Harry but Harry used the same fang to stab the diary, destroying Riddle." There was a collective sigh of relief, the danger had passed. "After Riddle was gone, Ginny woke up. She was mainly scared and confused but also terrified that she was going to be blamed and expelled for she had done."
"It wasn't her fault," said Sirius.
"How many people were going to believe that a diary made her do it? Especially when said diary was destroyed beyond repair. Harry got her out back to where Ron was, he had made a gap for them to pass through. When they back to the chute, they all had to hold onto Fawkes's tail and the bird flew them out. They passed Myrtle who was shocked to see them make it out alive. She said Harry would've been welcome to share her toilet."
"Ugh," James made a face, "another admirer but this one could literally haunt my son." Lily giggled and kissed her husband's cheek before cuddling into his side.
Hermione smirked, "Fawkes brought them to McGonagall's office where Arthur, Molly, McGonagall, and Dumbledore were. Harry recounted everything and, after some veiled reassurance from Dumbledore, told them who and how the chamber had been opened. Ginny was not punished and Dumbledore sent her to the hospital wing for some rest."
"I bet she needed a good strong calming draft after something like that," Remus remarked.
"Well Dumbledore recommended hot chocolate but she told me later she did need a few drafts too. Madam Pomfrey also gave her some dreamless sleep potion to help with the nightmares just until she went home for the holidays. Anyway Dumbledore decided that the occasion warranted a good feast so he sent McGonagall to alert the kitchens while he spoke to the boys. He reminded them that he had said at the beginning of the year that if they broke anymore rules, they would be punished."
"Dumbledore wouldn't!" James exclaimed.
"But then he added that it goes to show how some of us have to stick their foot in their mouths." The room laughed, "So he awarded the two hundred points apiece and they recieved awards for special services to the school." The first of many, Hermione mentally snorted. "Dumbledore dispatched Ron to the owlery with a note for Azkaban to get Hagrid back. When they were alone, Albus thanked Harry for his loyalty because only that could have called Fawkes to him. Harry voiced his concern about what happened at his sorting the last year, wondering whether or not he should be in Slytherin. Dumbledore pointed that Harry had asked the Hat not to put him there which made all the difference because it is our actions that dictate our character not our attributes. He said if Harry needed further evidence to look at the sword. It was the sword of Godric Gryffindor himself."
"Wow..." the marauders awed.
"Dumbledore said only a true Gryffindor could have pulled it from the hat. Just then Lucius came in with Dobby."
"Oh brother what now," groaned Sirius.
"He demanded to know why Dumbledore had returned despite being suspended. Dumbledore said that after the other governors heard that Arthur's daughter had been taken they immediately called him back. They claimed that Lucius had threatened their families if they didn't suspend him in the first place."
Sirius rolled his eyes, "I've said it once, I'll say it again - typical."
"Behind his back, Dobby was miming something to Harry. He pointed at the diary, then Lucius, then hit himself until Harry got it. Harry accused Lucius of planting the diary on Ginny that day in Flourish and Blotts, Malfoy just asked if Harry could prove it, but of course he couldn't. Lucius and Dobby left but then Harry got a brilliant idea. He took the diary and ran off to catch them. He tried to give the diary to Lucius who flung it away and Dobby caught it. One problem, for Lucius that is, the diary had a sock inside." The marauders and Lily beamed. "Dobby was now a free elf. Lucius tried to attack Harry but Dobby blasted him clean off his feet."
"GO DOBBY!" cheered everyone.
"So everyone was cured thanks to the mandrake restorative potion, the feast was great, exams had been cancelled as a school treat ("Wish Dumbledore did that for us," muttered James.), Hagrid came back, and Lucius was sacked as school governor. Alls well that ends well really. Harry went back to the Dursleys but gave us his phone number to call just in case Hedwig wouldn't be allowed out." Hermione smiled at them finally there was note from Harry. "And that brings us to end of Second Year, Harry sent this for all of you," she handed it across to Remus this time.
He slit the envelope open and read aloud,
Dear everyone,
I know I haven't written anything for this entire story but it seemed to explain itself. There isn't much I can say that I haven't already in the previous ones. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my early marauding skills. I get better too, I had some really good teachers. Don't worry Mum, I don't cause much mayhem...well I do in a way but I swear I had the best of intentions most of the time. You also heard about my adventure into the chamber itself. My reasons for going are the same as when I went after the Stone. It was the right thing to do. Ginny was in trouble, I don't know what Hermione has told you about her but there is nothing that could possibly make me regret my decision to rescue her. Not then, not now, not ever. You'll be hearing a lot more from me in the next story but I just wanted to say I love you again, and remember in this time there is nothing you could've done for me but now you have that chance to change things. Don't feel bad for what you hear, just think of it as all the stuff you know you are going to save me from.
Love,
Harry