Chapter 12

The Press Conference

The Ministry of Magic's auditorium was located within the heart of the ministry. It was a vast space shaped like a bowl. Numerous seats lined the inside, ascending upwards like a series of stairs. Balconies where the press and nobility were given an unobstructed view of the proceedings hung from the walls like dozens of protruding ledges.

Amelia stood before the crowd, atop a stage and looking at everyone. There must have been a ten-thousand people gathered to witness this emergency press conference, which she'd only been able to call with the combined help of Celestina and the Dowager Longbottom. Both of the people who had helped her were also on the podium, sitting down on a pair of chairs with several of their allies, though it looked like the Dowager was doing all in her power to stay as far from Celestina as possible. Minister Fudge, who sat between the two, was nervously gripping his bowler cap.

"I would like to thank all of you for coming today," Madam Bones started. "This emergency press conference was called for only one reason, to inform you all about new circumstances that have been uncovered regarding Sirius Black."

Hushed murmuring swept through the crowd. She couldn't see their faces. They were too far away, causing their appearance to blur into a uniform of general shapes. However, she could imagine the expressions they wore, unbridled curiosity, fear. Sirius Black had been big news since his escape from Azkaban. Everyone had been on the lookout for him, and now, here she was with important information pertaining to magical Britain's most wanted criminal.

"Several weeks ago, Sirius Black somehow managed to infiltrate Hogwarts. What you don't know is that Sirius Black did so to find Peter Pettigrew, a man who we all thought had been killed by Sirius Black himself. From the recent information we've uncovered, it's clear that Peter Pettigrew has been deceiving all of us right from the start. That night twelve years ago, he did not die at the hands of Sirius Black, but cut off his own finger and blew up several muggles before escaping into the sewer. Since then, he's been hiding out as a pet rat in a magical home."

The crowd broke out into shouts. Everyone began talking all at once, their voices rising higher and higher until not even a Sonorus Charm would be able to effectively speak above them. Madam Bones was forced to stand still and wait until the crowd subsided enough for her to begin shouting them down.

"However, thanks to the fast work of our aurors and Professor Lupin, the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, we were able to apprehend Peter Pettigrew!"

At those words, several aurors walked onto the stage, their cloaks swirling about them. One of them was Nymphadora Tonks, who took the front. Taking up the rear was Kinglsey Shacklebolt, and Mad Eye Moody, who was not auror but had agreed to come on anyway, led the in-chains Peter Pettigrew.

Pettigrew had never looked so pathetic. Eyes quivering, lips trembling, and snot dribbling from his nose, the man who'd once been a friend to the Potters looked every bit the sniveling rat. A chain was attached to his neck, enchanted to keep him from turning into his rat form. More chains kept his hands bound. They were attached to another chain that Tonks used to pull the reluctant man along.

"This is the real criminal," Amelia announced to everyone. "Twelve years ago, Peter Pettigrew gave away the Potter's location to Lord Voldemort!" The crowd shrieked at the dark lord's name, but Amelia ignored it. "He betrayed his best friend! When Sirius Black went to confront him, Pettigrew accused Black of betraying the Potters, cut off his own finger, and fled into the sewers. Thanks to him, an innocent man was put in Azkaban prison! We of the Ministry of Magic will not let this injustice stand! As of now, Peter Pettigrew is being placed on trial for the betrayal and murder of the Potters!"

A roar of applause went up, thunderous and overwhelming as it echoed across the stadium they were using for the press conference.

"Furthermore," Amelia continued, "I would like to extend both the Ministry's heartfelt apology toward Sirius Black for the grave offense we've committed against him. That is why, on the twenty-fourth of November, we would like to request that Sirius Black come to another press conference, where we shall hold a public apology toward a man who was wrongfully accused of heinous crimes he didn't commit. I would like to thank everyone who attended this function. That is all."

Amelia turned around and headed to the back of the stage. Celestina and the Dowager Longbottom both stood up. Minister Fudge, after a moment of indecision, also stood and followed her out.

"Amelia… are you sure this is a good idea?" Minister Fudge asked.

"It's the only thing we can do right now," Amelia answered. "Sirius Black never received a trial, so we cannot hold him accountable anymore, even if he was responsible for the Potter's death. What's more, he was wrongfully accused and the real criminal has been caught. In order to mitigate the backlash that the Ministry is sure to receive, we need to make sure Sirius Black is on our side."

"It's a common rule in politics that one must appeal to the emotions of the masses if they want to have the backing of the people," Celestina said.

"I fail to see how making a spectacle will do us any good," the Dowager Longbottom retorted.

"That's because you're an old hag who's used to doing things the old-fashion way," Celestine responded with a brilliant smile.

"Better to be an old hag than a vile murderer, Black Widow."

"Oh, my." Celestina raised a hand to her lips, covering what was no doubt a dangerous smile. "I'll have you know that all my husbands have died from natural causes."

"I'm sure," the Dowager Longbottom snorted.

"Could you two please stop arguing," Amelia grunted. "Right now, we must focus on helping Sirius Black and containing any backlash that we might receive because of the previous minister's blunder."

"True enough," the Dowager said.

"I can agree to that," Celestina added.

"Thank you."

"What should I do?" Minister Fudge asked.

"Don't get in our way," Celestina suggested with a charming curve of her lips.

"Pretend you're doing something when you're really not," the Dowager Longbottom added.

Minister Fudge twitched.

XoX

Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Classes had slowed to a crawl, but Harry didn't mind. He already had a lot on his plate, not just with reintegrating himself into society, but also with all of the tasks he'd set before himself.

First and foremost among the many things he needed to do was get rid of the basilisk. He couldn't create his ideal workspace if a massive, 20 meter long carcass was lying around. Sadly, he'd not had a chance to meet with Headmaster Dumbledore since Madam Bones had called for him, and it wasn't like he could just barge into the headmaster's office uninvited.

To that end, Harry had asked if Professor McGonagall could inform the headmaster that he would like to speak with him. She'd done as asked. However, thanks to the recent press conference, the headmaster had been busy. It was to be expected. News of Sirius Black's innocent and Pettigrew's betrayal had sent ripples through the wizarding world. By now, there wasn't a single person who didn't know about what had happened.

Harry was grateful to Madam Bones's press conference. While rumors floated around and spread like wildfire, none of them were about him anymore. All anyone talked about was Sirius Black. He felt like he was getting a much needed break from the rumor mill.

It was Saturday morning, and being a weekend, it meant he and the others didn't have classes. They'd also finished all of their homework. This meant they could enjoy the day. Of course, Harry's idea of enjoying the day was being active, and so while some of his friends sat on the sidelines and watched, he along with Neville, Tracey, Daphne, Susan, and Blaize, played a game of magic tag.

Harry wore a fierce grin as he wove between a storm of spellfire. Green jets of energy shot at him, but he juked left and right, avoiding the attacks while knocking a few back with deft flicks of his wand. Neville and Susan, who were firing at him, frowned and redoubled their attacks. None of them hit.

A little ways over, Daphne and Tracey were fighting against Blaize, who proved himself to be an admirable duelist. The tall, dark-skinned student took a minimalist approach to dueling. He relied mostly on his shield, and only moved when necessary. Sadly for him, he couldn't return fire because Tracey and Daphne were keeping the pressure on him. It was a good thing they were only using a simple color changing spell. Had they been using stronger magic, Daphne would have already broken through that shield.

"Ugh, I can't hit him!" Neville complained as he sent two more spells in rapid succession.

"He's like a gazelle," Susan agreed. Her wand was a network of constantly shifting patterns. The tip blazed green as she sought a hole in his defense. However, the best defense was always to not be where someone was attacking, thus there were no holes present.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Harry said as he dodged seven more spells. They were trying to hem him in now. Neville and Susan were on either side of him, shooting spells along his back and front flanks. He could see the pattern. They were creating a net with which they hoped to trap him.

It's not going to work that way.

Narrowing his eyes, Harry reinforced his body with magic and moved faster. Spells flew toward him and were swatted from the air like flies. He then retaliated with his own spellfire, a barrage of color changing spells that hurtled toward Neville and Susan so quickly they barely had enough time to put up a shield.

Frowning, Harry ceased his attacks. He waited and watched as his spells splashed harmlessly against the shield. Then, once Neville and Susan felt safe enough to put the shield down, he launched two more spells that struck them in the chest and stomach respectively, dying their clothing bright pink.

Neville looked down at his now pink chest and grimaced. "Looks like I lost again. I really thought we had you this time."

"I have a lot of experience when it comes to dodging multiple opponents," Harry admitted. "However, you two did quite well against me. I hadn't expected to face such strong opposition. If it weren't for the short pause when you dropped your shield, I wouldn't have been able to get a single shot in."

He wiped the sweat from his forehead as Susan cast a freshening charm on herself. Deciding that her idea was a great one, Harry did the same, glancing at the battle between Daphne and Tracey against Blaize. It looked like that battle was winding to a close. Tracey was out, her shirt colored green, but Daphne was still fighting the strong fight.

Now that Tracey was no longer fighting with her, Daphne seemed to have decided to go full thrust. Light blasted from the tip of her wand in successive blasts. It was almost like a constant stream. What's more, the way she moved reminded Harry of a dancer, all grace and elegance. She wove around Blaize's attempts at returning fire. Unlike her opponent, who relied on shields, the blonde girl seemed to prefer movement like Harry. The battle ended when she timed an attack to hit Blaize mere seconds after he was forced to dodge her previous attack. The spell hit his hair, making it turn pink.

Tracey crowed. "That's a good look for you, Blaize!"

Blaize clicked his tongue. "Coming from a woman whose entire body looks like that of a jester, your words lack the impact they should have."

Tracey's cheeks swelled like a pair of balloons, expressing her clear dissatisfaction at being verbally bested. Meanwhile, Blaize cast a freshening charm on himself, removed the green from his hair, and sighed.

"I can't believe you beat me so easily," he said.

Daphne could only shrug. "I know more about dueling than you. Besides, once Tracey went down, I was able to fight without needing to make sure our spells were in sync."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'in sync?'" Tracey's face scrunched up. "Does that mean you were holding back on my account."

"Yes."

"That is so not cool!"

"Life's not cool."

"Big sis," Astoria grinned as she bounded up to Daphne. "That was amazing! You're such an incredible duelist!"

Daphne smiled and tenderly ruffled her sister's hair. "Thank you. I'm glad you think so, though Harry is a much better duelist than me."

Astoria crossed her arms and huffed. "Hmph! Who cares about him?"

Harry sent Daphne a sidelong glance, to which she shrugged and smiled, causing him to sigh.

With the game at an end, the group decided to head back inside. Since it was November, the air was becoming quite chilly. Their breath was even beginning to mist as they breathed, and none of them wanted to stay out there any longer than necessary, even with warming charms.

As they were entering through a massive set of doors, which lead into a courtyard, Professor Lupin passed by the entrance. There was a heavy presence to his step. Harry thought he seemed more haggard than normal. His face was gaunt and appeared exhausted, though he smiled upon seeing Harry.

"Mr. Potter, Headmaster Dumbledore has requested to speak with you."

Harry perked up. "I see." He looked at his friends.

"Go on, Harry," Susan said. "We'll meet you in the All House Common Room."

"Thanks."

After everyone said their goodbyes–all except for Daphne who'd decided to come with him–Harry followed Professor Lupin to Headmaster Dumbledore's office. After the usual matter of the headmaster telling them to enter before Professor Lupin could even knock, the group went inside. The headmaster was sitting behind his desk when they entered.

"I have to get back to my duties," Professor Lupin said. "Take care, you two."

"You as well, professor," Harry said.

"Mr. Potter… and Ms. Greengrass. I did not expect to see you here."

"I wanted to be with Harry," Daphne said by way of explanation.

"Indeed." Headmaster Dumbledore gained an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Well, I shall not stop you from being with him. You may stay, if that is your wish." Daphne nodded in gratitude, but she didn't say anything, prompting the headmaster to continue. "Now, then, Professor McGonagall has informed me that you wished to speak with me. I apologize for not getting with you sooner, but matters outside of Hogwarts have kept me busy."

It must have been the matter involving Sirius Black, Harry determined. Even with the press conference, there was still a lot that needed to be done. Undoubtedly, Headmaster Dumbledore was helping to manage the situation with his powers as the Supreme Mugwump of the Wizengamot.

"It is fine. I know you're busy." Coughing into his hand, Harry got started. "I… was hoping you'd be willing to let the goblins temporarily into Hogwarts."

Whatever the headmaster must have been expecting, that did not appear to be it. There was a single moment where Headmaster Dumbledore's eyes nearly popped. Even his half-moon spectacles almost fell off, as if it was experience the shock of its owner.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"I have a basilisk carcass that I would like to break down into saleable parts," Harry continued. "My hope was to sell it as ingredients for potions and quality clothier material. The goblins have already found several people willing to buy off the parts, but they cannot harvest them without your permission."

Headmaster Dumbledore remained silent for a time. Harry could almost see the cogs turning inside of his head. The man, renowned for his vast knowledge and wisdom, was following his string of words and coming to the most likely conclusion.

"You are referring to the basilisk located within the Chamber of Secrets, aren't you?"

It didn't surprise Harry that Headmaster Dumbledore had come to such a conclusion. He would've arrived at the same one, had their positions been reversed.

"Yes."

The headmaster nodded. "Before I give you my answer, will you take me down to the Chamber of Secrets?"

Harry had known this was coming, and he'd already come up with his answer. "Yes."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Dumbledore slapped his knees and stood up. There was a smile on his face. He looked almost like a child–a really old child–who was visiting the candy store for the first time. "Let us be off. I've always wanted to see the Chamber of Secrets for myself."

Since there were two others with him, Harry didn't use the passage in the second floor girl's bathroom, and instead chose the one nearest to the headmaster's office. It was located behind a large tapestry with the Ravenclaw crest. Behind the tapestry was a tunnel, lit not by lanterns, but glowing crystals.

"These are alchemically created crystals," Headmaster Dumbledore mused as they walked down a flight of stairs.

"You're correct," Harry said. "I made these crystals when I first began exploring and rebuilding the Chamber of Secrets."

"Fascinating," Headmaster Dumbledore murmured. "If I'm not mistaken, to make crystals capable of emitting light like this, you must first create a crystallized container using the Three Essential Principles."

"That's right." Harry said, helping Daphne step down a loose stone step. "After that, I added a minor rune to them, which allow the crystals to draw in magic from their surroundings, or rather, from the emissions that are constantly being released by the students."

"An ingenious method," Headmaster Dumbledore praised.

Daphne, still holding his hand, sent him a sidelong glance. "Just how far ahead of everyone else are you?"

"That would depend on the subject," Harry admitted.

She sighed. "I should have expected as much. You never do things half-assed, do you?"

He smiled. "You know me too well."

The stairs ended, the narrow passage expanding into a cavernous room. A door stood before them. Copper glimmered dully in the light from dozens of crystals. Stained in rust, much of the original color had faded. Harry could just barely make out the snake motifs along the door.

"Open," Harry hissed in parseltongue. Creaking echoed around the chamber, a slow groan like the turning of rusted wheels. Slowly, the doors split apart, opening wide to reveal a tunnel.

"I see," Headmaster Dumbledore said, more to himself than to Harry, it seemed. "So the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets can only be opened by Parseltongue. That explains why no one aside from Voldemort had been able to open it."

"The Dark Lord has opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Daphne asked before Harry could.

"Indeed, Ms. Greengrass. Voldemort was once a student attending Hogwarts. Of course, he did not go by that title back then. Voldemort is but a mere pseudonym. His original name is Tom Riddle."

Harry clenched his fists. He remembered that name. It was the name of the person who'd killed Hermione, the one who had tried to kill him with the basilisk. The diary in his possession had once housed the soul known as Tom Riddle. He'd not realized that Tom and Voldemort were one and the same.

How foolish I was not to see it…

Now that he knew this, his direction was clear. Voldemort had always been his enemy, but now he was the person that Harry would strike down without mercy.

Come hell or high water, Voldemort would die by his hands.

XoX

Headmaster Dumbledore had signed a contract giving the goblins permission to enter Hogwarts. He'd also told Harry that since the Chamber of Secrets could only be opened by him, that he would let Harry use it as he saw fit. Harry thought the headmaster was being awfully accommodating, but he didn't question the man's decision. How could he when it ended with him getting what he wanted?

Harry had sent a letter to the goblins along with the contract. It was a magically binding contract that would become effective once Ragnok signed it in blood. He didn't know how long it would take for the goblins to get a team together, but given the nature of the issue, he believed it wouldn't be long before they arrived.

It was November 18th. The 24th, the day where he and Sirius would show up together for the press conference, was only six days away, but Harry felt like that was far too little time. There was so much that he still needed to do. He needed to be back in perfect shape, he needed to continue working on regaining his standing among the school, he needed to finish at least one of his projects, and he needed to get that blasted basilisk carcass broken down and sold. He felt more than a little overwhelmed.

His first period of the day was Potions. As per the usual, after Professor Snape had swept into the room and properly insulted the Gryffindors, he wrote the instructions on the board and told them to get to work.

That morning they were working on the Girding Potion, which was a concoction that temporarily gave its consumer extra endurance for about a month, give or take a few days depending on the potion's quality. Given the nature of the potion, the maximum dosage one could take was two vials. It wasn't something to be used lightly.

Harry was working alongside Daphne and Neville. Tracey and Blaize sat in front of them next to Seamus Finnigan. It was a bit odd seeing the boy there, but Professor Snape had separated him and Dean to keep the two from blowing up the potions lab.

The Girding Potion was fairly easy to make; the first step was adding one set of fairy wings, and then heating the potion until it turned turquoise. After that, they added one measure of doxy eggs and heated it until it turned pink, and then they added toasted dragonfly thoraxes until the potion turned silver before heating it until it became red. The last four steps were to add three measures of doxy eggs, more dragonfly thoraxes, heat until it turned blue, add three flying seahorses, and then heat until it turned green. Despite being a long process, Harry, who was a fine chef, if he did say so himself, could easily replicate the instructions.

That said, Harry had a much more efficient way of making the Girding Potion.

"Don't heat the potion after adding in the fairy wings," Harry said to Daphne.

She nodded, and Harry took out two measures of droxy eggs, crushed them, and added them into the potion before stirring clockwise and then counterclockwise three times. The potion turned red.

"Okay. Now add some dragonfly thoraxes. I'll tell you when to stop."

Doing as he instructed, Daphne asked, "how does skipping the first few steps help hasten the potion making process?"

"The first heating process doesn't actually do anything," Harry said. "The turning of green is simply a sign to indicate that the fairy wings have properly blended into the potion, but it's not a necessary step. Also, the doxy eggs aren't there to do anything other than help the dragonfly thoraxes and fairy wings properly mix. If we stir the potion, we can mix the two without needing that extra step, and then if we add twice the amount of doxy eggs in the next step, we can hasten the process. Not only will we cut our potion making time in half, but the effects of the potion will last two weeks longer."

"Is that because of how the doxy eggs are involatile?"

"Partly, but it's also because of how they interact with the other two ingredients," Harry said.

"I see."

Girding Potion took an hour to brew if one followed the instructions. Harry's method cut down the time by half, and long before the class was over, he and Daphne were bottling up their potion and delivering it to Professor Snape.

The potions professor looked them over with his usual scowl. He didn't look at all pleased, but because Daphne was in Slytherin, he couldn't act overtly mean to Harry without proving his biased. Even if he did, he knew that Harry would call him out for it.

"Done with your potion already?" Professor Snape sneered. "I see you've used another cheat to get your work done faster. I expected as much from you, Potter, though I am disappointed to see Ms. Greengrass following your example."

Harry's smile was so wide he could feel his eyes closing. "I prefer to call it working efficiently myself, and I'd ask that you not bring Daphne into this. Otherwise, I might have to contact her father and inform him about the illegitimate accusations you're throwing at her."

It was a bluff, of course. If he contacted Daphne's father, the one who'd get in trouble wouldn't be Professor Snape. He wasn't going to let the onary potions professor know that, however.

A red vein throbbed on Professor Snape's forehead. Taking a deep breath, the man visibly forced himself to remain in control. "Turn in your potions and move along. You're holding up the class."

"Done and done."

Harry and Daphne handed over their potions. Harry's had an unbreakable charm on the bottle so the professor couldn't sabotage it. They walked back over to their seat and sat down. Since they were finished, there wasn't much they could do. All of their homework was already done. He sighed.

This is one of those times where I really wish I could work on my projects…

"Are you feeling all right?" Daphne asked, leaning over and whispering into his ear.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"I didn't want to say anything," she began, "but you've been looking kind of distracted lately. I thought you might be having trouble with something."

Harry smiled. "It's nothing serious. I just feel a little overwhelmed."

"With the Sirius issue?"

"With a whole bunch issues."

It all came back to how much work he needed to do. While he did have an entire year to get everything done, Harry wanted to finish most of his tasks now. That way he could get started on new projects.

Daphne nodded. "I imagine it's rough adding so many tasks to your plate. But you know, if Susan were here, she'd tell you that you should shelf some of your projects and relax a little more."

"She would say that, wouldn't she?"

Susan had become quite the mother hen. Every day she made sure he was eating right. When he wasn't eat what she deemed to be enough, she'd give him more food. In class, she asked him if there was anything she could to do help and did her best to make sure he never needed for anything. During study sessions, she stuck close, asking him questions on their homework or asking whether he needed help with his projects.

Harry had politely declined her help on his projects, not because he didn't want it, but because his projects were generally things only he could do. What's more, most of them could be dangerous. This was especially true if someone who didn't know what he was doing tried to help. Alchemy was not something that most people at Hogwarts studied.

"She would," Daphne agreed. "And I tend to agree with her." She placed a hand on his thigh. "You should relax a little more. If you keep going like this, you're going to burn yourself out."

Sighing, Harry said, "Maybe you're right. I just… don't like the idea of stopping any of my projects. It feels unproductive."

Daphne's answering grin made him feel embarrassed. "Ambition is good, but it's not good to over extend yourself. As a Slytherin, it may be wrong of me to say this, but you could stand to be a little less ambitious."

He sighed again. Even so, he still agreed to shelf at least one or two of his projects for now.

There was just no winning against women.

XoX

Two days after Harry sent the goblins a missive informing them of the headmaster's permission, Hogwarts received several guests. They arrived during lunch. A somewhat flustered Professor McGonagall and an amused Professor Lupin had come to retrieve him. Harry had asked his friends if they wanted to come with, but only Daphne, Neville, and Susan agreed.

Thus the four of them went to the headmaster's office, where several goblins, an unfamiliar human, and Director Ragnok himself waited.

"I had not expected to see you, Director," Harry said in surprise.

"I normally do not come to such expeditions, but I wished to see the basilisk for myself," Director Ragnok shamelessly admitted. "A basilisk is difficult for even a dozen armed goblins to slay. For one so young to slay a creature like that by himself is a remarkable feat."

In other words, Director Ragnok wanted to verify his claims. Of course, the director likely did not suspect a lie. Indeed, lying to someone like him was foolish. However, to lay sight on such an accomplishment with his own eyes was too good an opportunity to pass up, especially for the battle loving goblins, who, thanks to the treaty, could no longer make war.

"Allow me to introduce the team charged with extracting parts from the basilisk," the director continued with a sweeping gestures. "These three are Hardback, Shieldbreaker, and Shankhook. The human is Bill Weasley, one of our curse breakers."

The three goblins looked quite different from each other–at least to Harry. While their skin was mostly the same color, they had distinct differences in facial appearance. One bore a scar across his eye, the other had some of his ear missing, and the last appeared younger, with a face that had less wrinkles.

"You're the Weasley twins brother, I'm guessing," Harry said.

"That's right." Bill grinned. "What gave it away. It's the hair, isn't it?"

It was true that Bill looked eerily similar to his brothers. His hair was flame-colored and his face had the same white pallor as his brothers. Yet his general disposition, the way he carried himself, was vastly different. If the Weasley twins looked like pranksters, then this man looked like an adventurer. Decked in leather chaps, adorned with a leather trench coat, and wearing a dragon claw earring, he was the definition of what most kids Harry's age would have called cool.

"The hair was part of it," Harry allowed.

"I think the fact that Director Ragnok called you 'Weasley' was a bigger indicator, though," Daphne said dryly.

Bill scratched the back of his head. "I guess so. Your girlfriend has a sharp mouth on her."

Harry decided not to correct the man's mistake. Instead, he turned to Director Ragnok. He raised an eyebrow, which the director correctly interpreted as a question.

"Bill Weasley is here to inspect the infrastructure. The basilisk parts will be large, especially if it's as big as you say. Moving it all will be difficult, and the Chamber of Secrets is thousands of years old. We'd rather not deal with it collapsing on us."

Curse breakers went into ancient ruins all the time as part of their job. Dealing with traps, unstable constructions, and various magical issues, they were well-suited to studying the infrastructure of the Chamber of Secrets.

"I understand." Harry nodded and turned to Professors Lupin and McGonagall. "Would you two like to see the basilisk as well?"

"I believe I shall remain here," Professor McGonagall stated. "I'd rather not see the results of your mischief."

"I'm going," Professor Lupin said, smiling. "I wasn't there to see your accomplishment, but I'd like to at least catch a glimpse of the basilisk before it's excavated for parts."

"I can't believe I'm going down to see that thing again," Neville muttered to himself.

Daphne smirked. "You're the one who decided to follow Harry."

"Thanks for reminding me." Neville grimaced. "What was I thinking?"

They took the same route that Harry had when showing Headmaster Dumbledore the Chamber of Secrets. Bill and those unaware that he was a parselmouth received a shock when he spoke the password for the door. When they arrived, Harry took a moment to look upon the others; he amused himself with the shocked faces of his companions. Professor Lupin looked like he might die from a heart attack, and even Director Ragnok's jaw had practically fallen to the floor as he gazed upon the basilisk corpse.

"What a magnificent beast," the director murmured. "It truly is around twenty meters in length. And you brought this thing down alone?"

"Yes," Harry answered.

The gleam in Director Ragnok's eyes lasted but a second. Even so, it was long enough for Harry to notice it.

"Men! I want you to begin working immediately! Let us emerge from this endeavor with profit!"

As the goblins and Bill Weasley went to work, Professor Lupin stood next to Harry, Daphne, and Neville, his widened eyes locked on the massive carcass.

"I cannot believe you killed something like this on your own," he admitted.

"It was a near thing," Harry agreed. "I nearly died several times."

He did not mention the mysterious appearance of the strange Phoenix with white and blue feathers. That was a mystery he could not solve, and it would do no good to let others know about it until he had solved it. Still, that bird had been strange, familiar almost. Harry felt like he should know it…

Yet the only phoenix I know is Fawkes.

"I'm still shocked every time I see it," Neville admitted.

"It is an amazing sight," Daphne agreed, her hand reaching for Harry's almost sub-consciously. The feeling of her fingers curling around his hand was comfortably familiar.

One of the goblins came up to Ragnok and barked something in Gobbledygook. Harry frowned. He could make out some of the words, but he was still not fluent in Gobbledygook, though he could use logic to piece together the parts he didn't understand. It sounded like the goblin, who he recognized as Shieldbreaker by the missing ear, was giving Director Ragnok an estimation of how much time it would take. The director nodded several times. Then he barked out some orders. Shieldbreaker nodded and went back toward the basilisk.

"It looks like rendering this down into saleable parts will take several weeks," Director Ragnok said. "You can expect us to be done sometime in December. The skinning process will take the longest, but there are also a lot of ingredients to be gathered." He looked back at the giant corpse. "I'm not surprised. This is… bigger than I had expected."

"Your people can stay within Hogwarts until their task is done," Headmaster Dumbledore said. "I understand how long a process like this is. Let us know if your people need anything."

"The goblins will be fine staying down here," Director Ragnok said. "Bill Weasley's task shouldn't take more than a day. That said, my men will need provisions. I assume your house elves know what goblins like to eat?"

"Indeed they do," the headmaster said. "I shall inform them to prepare your meals. Just let me know what times they would like them, and we can bring them down here."

"Then it sounds like we have an agreement," Director Ragnok said with a vicious-looking grin.

Neville shuddered. "I've never seen a goblin smile before."

"It is kind of creepy," Harry said. "But you'll get used to it eventually."

"I'm not sure I want to get used to it."

"That makes two of us," Daphne muttered, scooting a little closer to Harry as though doing so would keep her from seeing the director's smile.

XoX

November 23rd was the day before Harry and Sirius were to show up at the Ministry of Magic for a press conference. Since Harry needed to meet up with Sirius, Headmaster Dumbledore had allowed him to leave school early. He'd been escorted out of Hogwarts by Professor Lupin, and together they had apparated all the way to London, where they would meet Sirius at his home.

As they walked down the streets of London, Harry glanced at Professor Lupin. Once more, the professor seemed to have aged several years. His haggard appearance was rougher than before, he walked with a noticeable stoop, and his eyes had large bags under them.

"Are feeling well, Professor?"

"Huh? Oh, yes." Professor Lupin cast him an unconvincing smile. "I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from staying up late grading papers."

"Is that so?" Harry acted nonchalant as he said, "then you're not feeling under the weather because of your lycanthropy?"

Professor Lupin stumbled. He would've fallen on his face, but he caught himself at the last second. Turning to face Harry, he stared at him with a gaping look.

"Y-you knew?"

"Of course I knew," Harry said. "I've known about your lycanthropy for a long time now."

He didn't tell Professor Lupin that he'd known since he was several months old. That would have sounded weird, and the professor didn't need to know that much anyway. What was more important was letting the professor know that he knew.

"Does it bother you?" Professor Lupin asked hesitantly.

"What? That you're a werewolf?" Harry scoffed. "No. Why should it?"

"Werewolves are dangerous."

"So is a man with a gun."

"That's… a fair point, but it's not really the same."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "You can kill people in your werewolf form? Well, a man with a submachine gun can kill people, too. Actually, someone with a submachine gun can kill more people than you can as a werewolf."

"That may be true, but those people aren't cursed like I am." Professor Lupin frowned as he looked at his hands. "Even if someone survived after I attacked them, they'd never be the same. Lycanthropy is a curse that's spread through our very blood. Even being attacked by our claws is enough to leave you cursed."

"I'm not sure how that matters," Harry said.

"It matters because once someone is infected, they can never go back to being human. They're stuck forever as one of us, one of those who've been damned. It's not something that I would wish on anyone."

Thanks to his lack of success in getting Professor Lupin out of his funk, Harry needed a moment to arrange what he wanted to say. This man might have been even worse than him in the self-pity department.

"Well, you might care about something as dumb as a curse," Harry said. "But I don't think it really matters. It's not like getting a little furry once in a full moon changes who you are as a person."

Finally, Professor Lupin smiled. "You know, your mum told me the same thing."

"Is that so? My mom was a smart woman, then," Harry said.

"Indeed she was. Smartest woman I've ever met."

Grimmauld place was there destination. Professor Lupin had already been given the secret by Harry. They walked up to the somewhat imposing building, which looked as creepy as ever, and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a voice called out.

"It's Harry and Moony," Professor Lupin said.

"Sorry," the voice called again, "but I don't know hairy mooners."

Professor Lupin's lips twitched. "Come off it, you old dog. Let us in."

The door opened to reveal a grinning Sirius. "Welcome. Welcome, you two, to my humble abode. Step this way, and do be mindful of the carpet. It was freshly cleaned this morning."

Harry and Professor Lupin entered the hallway, and as he did, Harry's feet partially sank into the floor. He looked down. The carpet appeared new. Clean and soft, its color was no longer faded with age. Harry wondered if this was the result of magic, or if it had been replaced.

The portrait of Walburga still hung from the wall. It wasn't covered. The painting watched as the two walked in, frowning almost imperceptibly.

"Follow me into the kitchen," Sirius said, gesturing for them as he wandered down the hall.

Much like the hallway, the kitchen appeared as if brand new. The floor sparkled, new appliances sat on the shelves, and the counters and cabinets were different than before, newer. They sat around the table in the center of the room, which Harry also didn't remember. Sparkling and glossy, it looked as though Sirius had replaced the old table as well. Food appeared before them, sandwiches filled with various deli meats. Kreacher's work, no doubt.

"It looks like you've been doing well for yourself," Harry said. "I see you've redecorated."

Sirius's grin could have split his face in half. "I've not only redecorated. I've completely remodeled the entire house. Expansion charms, more rooms, new appliances and furniture, the works. I figured if I'm going to live here, I might as well make it a comfortable place to live."

"Indeed."

"So…" Sirius leaned forward and gave Professor Lupin a grin. "How's life as a professor?"

Professor Lupin smiled as he sipped some tea. "It's pleasant. Most of the students are good kids, and I find that I enjoy teaching."

"You always were an excellent student," Sirius admitted with a rueful grin. "You were also pretty patient with James and my antics."

"I had to be. You two were always getting us into trouble."

"As if you didn't cause your own mischief."

Watching the two trade barbs back and forth, Harry wondered if that was how they acted when they were younger. Perhaps it was his own thoughts that lead him to believing so. However, as he looked at the pair as they traded good-natured barbs, he could've sworn the two de-aged a bit. Maybe being reunited like this made them feel younger. He'd read that people often appear that way when they're reminiscing about old times.

Since the two were busy catching up, Harry focused on the plan tomorrow. He and Sirius would head off to the Ministry early in the morning. Madam Bones would be waiting for them. She and a group of aurors would then escort them to the press conference, Harry would then inform everyone about the "truth" behind his disappearance, and then Minister Fudge would announce how the Ministry would give Sirius reparations for wrongly accusing him of a crime he didn't commit.

"By the way, Harry," Sirius interrupted his thoughts.

"What is it?"

"I heard that you and Ms. Greengrass have become awfully close." Sirius sniffed and wiped a fake tear from his eyes. "Ah, my godson is becoming a player in the field just like me."

Harry twitched.

Sirius was so getting itching powder in his bed tonight.

XoX

Early the next morning, Harry and Sirius left Grimmauld Place and traveled to the Ministry of Magic. Because the floo network was not connected to his residence, they had to travel via cab. They could have apparated there. However, apparition within the atrium was illegal.

To that end, Harry and Sirius took the train at King's Cross. Then they traveled all the way to Parliament Street, just before the entrance into Westminster Underground Station. There was a telephone booth by the entrance. Harry and Sirius entered the booth, and then Sirius typed in the numbers 62442. The telephone booth shuddered, and then it descended.

And the mundane folks don't even notice. This thing must be covered in enchantments.

The lift/booth continued to descend, and as it did, the front shifted into a glass panel that revealed the Atrium in it's entirety. Having already seen the Atrium, Harry didn't pay much attention to the architecture. He studied the faces below. Madam Bones stood in the nearly empty interior, a squadron of aurors standing at the ready behind her. There were 13 including Madam Bones herself.

A magically strong number. Madam Bones has a sense of humor.

Flanking Madam Bones was Nymphadora Tonks, Kinglsey Shacklebolt, and Alastor Mad-eye Moody. It was quite the welcome.

The lift reached the bottom and the doors opened with a chime. Harry stepped out, followed by a jauntily grinning Sirius Black.

"Good morning, Amelia!" Sirius greeted the woman exuberantly. "You are looking positively stunning today. Is that a new haircut? No. Wait. Don't tell me. Your monocle has been freshly polished."

While Nymphadora Tonks snorted, Madam Bones cast him a dry look, even as she pocketed her monocle. "Try to act with a bit more decorum, Black. I know that is difficult for a rapscallion such as yourself, but this is a serious moment."

"Aye! Sirius it is indeed."

Harry gave Madam Bones a frustrated look. "Please don't mention serious anywhere around Sirius."

"I apologize." Madam Bones was chagrined. "It seems I let the seriousness of the moment get to me."

"Well, I think we could all stand to be a little more Sirius," Sirius said.

Harry and Madam Bones both sighed. Behind her, Kingsley nudged Tonks, who was stifling her giggles by shoving a fist into her mouth.

"Just follow me," Madam Bones muttered.

As one, the group marched off, with Madam Bones in the lead and Harry and Sirius following her. Their auror escort moved in a guard formation, with two on either side and two in the back. The rest were spread out at exactly two meters from them.

Press conferences took place in another atrium located on the first floor. To reach it, Madam Bones lead them through several long corridors. It almost felt like they were leaving the Ministry entirely. However, they eventually reached a small door, which Madam Bones lead them through.

Harry looked around, blinking several times until his eyes adjusted to the low lighting. His feet tapped against the wooden floor. There were no furnishings in this room, save the large curtain several meters away. Light spilled in through the curtain.

His ears perked as the sound of talking reached them. The ground vibrated beneath his feet from hundreds, maybe even thousands, of footsteps. It sounded like there were already a lot of people already filling up the stands.

"Where's the Minister?" asked Harry.

"He should be here any moment now," Madam Bones assured. "You were a little early." She swished her wand and created a patronus. "Go inform Minister Fudge that Harry Potter and Sirius Black are in the press conference auditorium."

The whispey patronus, which had taken on the form of a tiger, nodded and leapt away. Harry watched as it disappeared. He was frowning.

Patronus charms can also be used to deliver messages, it seems. I really must learn how to create one.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Sirius.

Madam Bones raised an eyebrow. "Now? The stands are still filling with people and the Minister has yet to arrive. All we can do is wait."

"How boring," Sirius mumbled. He glanced around at the aurors. Harry almost groaned when the man's eyes landed on Tonks. The disturbing gleam that appeared did not bode well.

I can already tell… this is going to be troublesome.

"Cousin!" Sirius suddenly shouted, making everyone jump, and none more so than Tonks.

"Wait a second. Are you just now noticing that I'm here?" asked Tonks after she had calmed down. Her hair was turning pink.

"I was kinda busy enjoying my newfound freedom," Sirius explained. "But wow! Look at you. You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. Why, I remember when you were this little brat who used to sit on my knee and asked me to call you Nymphie."

Harry covered his laugh with a cough as Tonks's face went beet red. It was even more impressive because, thanks to her metamorph powers, the color was deeper than what could have been accomplished with a simple blush. The laughter of her coworkers probably didn't help.

"Don't call me that!" Tonks ground out.

From the grin on Sirius's face, it was clear to all that he had no intention of stopping. "Why not? I think Nymphie is a cute name. Nymphie, Nymphonia, Nymphette… Nym–"

"That's enough out of you!" Tonks made the mistake of lunging at Sirius, who, thanks to Harry's potions, was a lot stronger than he looked. She only realized her mistake when Sirius had already wrapped her up in his arms. "Wait. What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"Give me a hug!"

"I don't want a hug! I want you to let go!"

"That's no way to talk to your uncle. Aren't I your favorite uncle?"

"You're my only uncle! Now get the frack off of me!"

"Would you two calm down!" Madam Bones snapped. "Tonks! Get back in position! Black! Stop harassing my auror!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sirius said, snapping a sloppy salute.

Quiet settled on the group again, but not for long. Voices from beyond the door they had entered from made Harry's ears prickle. He recognized the voice of Minister Fudge, though the man was too far away for him to ear. As he channeled energy into his ear, the volume became louder and more distinct.

"I apologize, but this was Amelia's idea. And it's already started. I cannot go back on this."

"I would urge you to reconsider, Minister. Black is a criminal," said a voice that Harry had only heard a few times before. It was Lucius Malfoy.

"We have information that proves otherwise," Minister Fudge said. "What's more, if we were to charge Black, then I'd have to charge everyone who got out of having a trial because they claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. And if I didn't do that, then Amelia would."

The door opened and in stepped two people. One was a portly man, short and stout, wearing a lime green bowler cap. The other stood tall, his proud stance masking his arrogance, which he wore like a veil. Lucius Malfoy. The blond-haired, blue-eyed father of Draco, and a man who stood as one of Harry's biggest obstacles.

Lucius paused when his eyes landed on Harry. He seemed surprised, and Harry realized that Madam Bones must have kept quiet about him being there. To his reluctant admiration, Lucius recovered quickly.

"Harry Potter," he greeted with false courtesy. "I had not expected to see you here."

"I'm rather surprised myself," Harry said, returning the condescending courtesy with a smile that hid his malice. "However, since my godfather is the one being acquitted, I thought it would be for the best that I attend."

"Indeed."

Harry didn't need to be a genius to know what was going on through Lucius's mind. The man was undoubtedly determining what his best course of action was; should he stay and continue trying to convince Minister Fudge not to let Sirius go free, or should he concede this victory to Harry? No doubt he was reciting the pros and cons of both. That was what Harry would have been doing.

"Minister, I believe I shall take my leave," Lucius said finally. "Potter. It was nice seeing you. Black… I hope you enjoy your freedom."

"Oh, don't worry, Lucy, I plan to." Sirius wore an insufferable grin that made Lucius twitch. Harry was impressed that the man's smile hadn't broken.

Lucius left without another word. Minister Fudge, who'd been nervously wringing his hands together, suddenly brightened once the oppressive atmosphere between Harry and Lucius had vanished.

"Harry, my boy! It's good to see you. Amelia didn't tell me you were gonna be here, but I guess I should have expected as much. Excited to see your godfather finally becoming a free man, eh?"

"Just so, Minister Fudge," Harry said, shaking the man's hand.

"And… Sirius Black. It's, uh, good to see you."

It was funny to see the nervous sweat trickling down Minister Fudge's temple as he shook Sirius's hand. He was clearly still afraid of the man. Harry guessed it was hard to be friendly to someone who was accused of murder, however wrongful it may have been.

If Sirius recognize this, he didn't show it. He grinned as he pumped the minister's hand with vigor. "Good to see you as well, Minister. Been awhile since our last meeting, eh?"

"I-indeed. Indeed. Oh! Would you look at the time. I think it's about time for me to go on stage and begin the press conference. If you'll excuse me."

Harry held his tongue as Minister Fudge used the press conference as an excuse to get away from Sirius. It was a lie, and from the grin his godfather wore, Sirius was aware of that.

Madam Bones stepped in. "I do believe we have about five more minutes before the press conference begins. Saying that, Minister Fudge, I would like to go over some of the finer details with you."

"Of course. Of course."

Leaning over to Harry, Sirius whispered. "I think he's afraid of me."

"Minister Fudge fears a lot of things," Harry whispered back. "You're just particularly high on that list."

"Good to know."

Fifteen minutes passed with relatively little conversation. Harry studied the aurors. Many of them were shuffling their feet, and a few would look at either him or Sirius, and then look away. It was almost like they were nervous.

Well, one of us is famous and the other is infamous. I guess that would make anyone not used to being around celebrities nervous.

If there was a downside to being considered a wizarding celebrity, it was that few people could be themselves around him. It made holding a normal conversation with anyone difficult.

A plain man in a dark robe and with a basketball-shaped head rushed in from the stage. He went up to Madam Bones and Minster Fudge. Harry felt his lips twitching into a frown as he listened to the conversation.

"We're all ready for the press conference," he said.

"Good. Good." Was Minister Fudge's jovial explanation. "Well, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

"You two wait here until we call for you," Madam Bones said to him and Sirius.

She and Minister Fudge walked onto the stage, and Harry decided that whatever they had to say didn't matter to him until they called. Even though he could hear the minister begin speaking, he did his best to tune the voice out.

"Are you nervous?" he asked Sirius.

The man scoffed. "Me? Nervous? Of course not. Why would I be?"

"Your legs are shaking." Harry pointed to Sirius's legs, which were indeed shaking. In fact, it was the kind of shaking often found in people who were stuck in freezing cold weather.

"So I've never been in front of a crowd like this before. Sue me," Sirius grumbled.

Harry grinned. "To think the infamous Sirius Black, mass prankster of Hogwarts, is afraid of standing in front of a crowd. You're not even going to speak, you know. I am."

"Bite me."

"I think the only person here who would bite another human being is you."

Sirius mumbled something about "smart alecky godsons," but before Harry could respond with something equally witty, he heard his and Sirius's name being called up.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Sirius took a deep breath. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then let's go."

As Harry walked onto the stage with Sirius, he felt a smile cross his face. He could feel it in his bones. This was going to be one of those moments where he'd get to shine. This speech would be his first big public speaking platform that would push his name to even greater heights.

Watch me, mum, dad. I'm going to make you proud.

Harry seems to be getting back to his old tricks, though I think he's beginning to become a little more well rounded. I'm glad that I no longer have to write emo Harry. To be honest, that was probably the hardest form of writing I've done.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm working on chapter 13 now. With luck, I'll it out in a week or two.