Authors Note: Any direct quote from Chamber of Secrets is in Italics. No, I'm not JKR; last I checked my initials were HAO...yep still HAO. Copyright infringement is not and never was intended.

Chapter 44

Harry's mouth opened then closed. Could the Basilisk's eyes affect them through the memory? Just as he opened his mouth again to say something, the memory around them grew fuzzy and all the detail in the small things around them disappeared.

Harry looked around and saw himself, a hazy figure, standing in front of them with his eyes closed.

"I closed my eyes," he said dumbly.

"What?" said Hermione mid-panic as she fumbled for her wand with her eyes closed.

"I closed my eyes. So I couldn't see the Basilisk's eyes and now everything is fuzzy. Like, as soon as I closed my eyes all the detail in my mind disappeared. The room is the same, just a little hazy because I remembered it, but the Basilisk is hardly visible because at this point in my memory I didn't know what it looked like. Open your eyes and see," he said. They all opened their eyes and looked around at their hazy surroundings.

"Wicked," mumbled Ron.

"Kill him," said Riddle. They all watched as Harry backed away and hit the wall as the huge form of the Basilisk hit the ground and uncoiled. It was very hazy image, a dark blur against the wall and it only moved when they could hear it shift the stones and water on the ground.

Lily grabbed onto James and Harry's arms as she watched her little son run blindly and trip and then get tossed by the snake's tail into the wall. Harry curled up into a ball and lay there waiting.

Suddenly, the scene before them was not as hazy as Harry had opened his eyes into a squint. The Basilisk grew from a hazy, brownish-grey lump to a huge, bright green serpent. They also saw Fawkes distracting the snake from Harry by gouging its eyes out with his talons.

"NO! LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!"

"That was actually very clever of the Phoenix. Now it can't kill you just by looking at you and you actually could have a chance against it," said Sirius.

"But what happens next? What happens?" asked Lily worriedly.

They all watched as the Sorting Hat hit harry after a sweeping tail flung it his way. He jammed it on his head and then after a moment wrenched it off again and he pulled out a sword.

"Wow, that was very…heroic looking," Ron said with a grin. They could see the confusion in the younger Harry's face as he stared at the sword and then they all heard Riddle scream again to 'sniff-smell him.'

Everyone but Harry all yelped or screamed when the snake lunged at Harry's small body once, then twice. Ginny was hiding her face behind Harry's shoulder peeking her eyes out over to watch. Lily was beyond trying to not watch as the monster attempted to kill her son, she just stood there with her mouth gaping in horror, her finger nails tearing into James arm.

Ron, Hermione and Sirius were all watching with their hands over their mouths or eyes, while Minerva was shaking her head, eyes wide, and mouth slightly open.

Harry watched as his smaller self positioned himself with both hands holding the hilt of the sword as the snake lunged one more time. Harry remembered thrusting the sword up and hitting his mark, yet feeling the pierce of the fang in his arm, the sting and searing pain, the dizziness, and the swirling surroundings.

Lily screamed when she saw Harry slide down the wall and grip the fang and pull it out of his arm. Fawkes swooped down and perched next to Harry.

"Oh Harry," Hermione muttered sadly.

"It actually bit you…I thought, hoped you were joking, but it really happened," said James with wide eyes.

"Twelve years old and killed a bloody Basilisk. That is one Godson I'm not going to be messing with," said Sirius to lighten the mood.

"You're dead, Harry Potter. Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing Potter? He's crying. I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

Lily, Minerva and Hermione were watching with tears in their eyes. James, Ron, and Sirius were shaking their heads, scowling at Riddle. Ginny watched Harry.

Harry was staring at himself, with something that looked akin to pride. Ginny had never really seen Harry act proud of himself. It wasn't really in him to feel pride. He always attributed everything to luck, great friends, and good timing. He never tried to take credit and instead gave credit to others. She was happy that he was finally seeing what they all had seen in him from the start. He was an amazing person, who had done many amazing, seemingly impossible things. Finally, he was proud of himself.

"So ends the famous Harry Potter. Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry….She bought you twelve years of borrowed time…but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must…."

"What a great, bloody bastard!" Ron growled.

"Look! Look at his arm!" cried Lily, tears running down her face.

"Get away, bird! Get away from him—I said, get away—"

"For a genius, that took him quite a while to figure out," said Hermione scathingly. James, Sirius, Ron and Harry all snorted.

"But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter…"

They were all slightly surprised when Fawkes dropped the diary next to Harry. They watched as Harry picked up the fang and stabbed the diary quicker than they imagined he could after being bitten by a Basilisk.

James and Sirius whooped with excitement when they heard Riddle scream and writhe and then he was gone. Everyone turned and looked at the older Harry who was smiling. Ginny stared at the spot where Riddle had vanished from.

"That's it?" she asked sceptically.

"What do you mean 'That's it'? Was that not dramatic enough for you? Your boyfriend got bitten by the King of Serpents, kills said serpent, and destroys the evil wizard all in the span of about three minutes and you ask is that it?" Ron sputters. Hermione chuckled and pulled Ron over and whispered in his ear.

"Harry?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Yeah that was it. He's gone," Harry said calmly as he hugged her close. The memory faded just before the eleven year old Ginny woke up, and then swirled around them as the next memory came into focus.

"Ron! Ginny's okay! I've got her!" shouted the little Harry. Ginny smiled when she heard the strangled cheer from beyond the wall of rock. She walked over and gave Ron a hug despite his blasé attitude earlier.

"I was so worried about you…and Harry of course. But I knew Harry was alive, we didn't know what had happened to you, if you were dead or alive. I think every minute I was shifting those rocks seemed like an eternity. All I could think was, I was your big brother and I couldn't save you. I had to let my best friend save you," Ron muttered. It was obvious the memory was bringing back memories of the painful wait and worry. He hugged her back tightly.

"His memory's gone. The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself."

"I was wondering why we were seeing this. I didn't remember putting it in the bowl," said Harry casually.

"Hello. Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?" asked Lockhart. Sirius let out a sharp bark like laugh and shook his head in amusement as the memory faded and they found themselves back in the drawing room.

"Well, I must say that was…enlightening," said Minerva with a smile. Harry snorted. "Harry, you are an extremely remarkable young man. I don't think even Albus could have accomplished as many things as you have by your age."

Harry blushed at the rare praise from his former Head of House.

"So what happened after that? Did you get punished? Scolded?" asked Lily.

"Well, if I remember correctly, Albus rewarded them both with two hundred points each and Special Awards for Services to the School. By the way, remind me to make a duplicate of the awards to keep at the school. You boys are supposed to get the originals," said Minerva. Ron and Harry shared a glance.

"I had completely forgotten that we got those," Harry grinned sheepishly. Ron and Sirius burst out laughing.

"I'm with you on that mate. So did I. Too much has happened since then," added Ron.

James and Lily shook their heads while Hermione and Ginny giggled.

"So any more questions?" asked Harry.

"I've got one," said Minerva. "When can I expect your résumé on my desk Harry?" she joked with a smile. Harry blushed while Hermione and Ron burst out laughing.

"Er, I think it might be a while Professor. I don't think I could teach my friends so soon. Besides, I'm in Auror training now. Maybe when I'm retired from being an Auror," he answered honestly.

Minerva looked surprised.

"Really, Harry? You would think about teaching?" she asked.

"Well, I did enjoy teaching the DA, but I do want to be an Auror, so I guess I'll think about teaching for now and work towards a different goal."

"Professor, I have a question for you. How is the search for teachers coming? We've only got less than a month before school starts again," Hermione asked.

"Well, I've found a Muggle Studies professor. His name is Frank Bodelson. He was born here in London, but moved to Italy with his family during Grindelwald's reign of terror. Now that Voldemort is gone, he's moving back and has agreed to teach for a few years.

"As for Defence and Transfiguration I'm still looking. If it comes to it, I'll search out a Head student from the last few years and have them teach the younger levels while I continue the NEWT level students. And you can probably guess why the Defence position hasn't been filled yet," she finished with an exacerbated look. A few of them nodded in sympathy and they sat in silence for a moment.

"What did it feel like?" asked Lily cautiously, "The bite."

"Well," Harry started and then paused. "It felt like…fire spreading through my veins. It was almost like I could feel the venom seeping through every inch of my body. It made me dizzy and, where the venom had already spread, numb. The room spun and the colours mixed, it made me really tired. But then Fawkes came and started dripping his tears in the wound. Everything became clear again and the pain left; I wasn't dizzy anymore," Harry finished.

Lily had closed her eyes and listened to him. She stood up and went over to the sofa where Harry was sitting. Ginny jumped up and made a place for her, so she sat down next to Harry and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you," she whispered.

"It's alright mum. You and dad did the right thing. Now we just have to focus on right now, and getting to know each other," he said as he hugged her back. No tears were shed, but everyone was touched by the moment.

A half an hour of talking later, Minerva took her leave. "I really must get going. It's much later than I intended to stay. I have an interview in about seven hours I need to be ready for. Staying at a student's house until one am, what was I thinking?" she said as she put her outer cloak on.

"Come now, Minerva. I'm not a student anymore. You are very welcome to stay here until whatever time you wish," Harry laughed as he walked her down the stairs. Ron and Ginny followed and laughed at Harry's words.

"That is true, Harry, and I'm touched that I'm so welcome in your home," she said.

"Well, Professor, besides Molly, you're the only other woman who's been in my life in a positive way. I can't just forget that now that my real mum is back," he said sincerely. Harry remembered that she had screamed just as loud as Ginny, Molly, and Hermione during the final battle when they thought he was dead.

Minerva was so touched she sniffled and gave Harry a very rare hug before turning and walking out the door briskly wiping at her eyes before Apparating away.

Ron clapped him on the back before saying goodbye and also Disapparating back to the Burrow.

"Harry, that had to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say," Ginny said as she hugged him goodbye also.

"Well, it's true. Professor McGonagall was always there for me when I needed her, unless she had been hurt herself or on the run in our fifth year and I can't blame her for that. Out of all the women in my life up to now, she and your mum are the two that stand out the most. Then, maybe, Madam Pomfrey after them. I just wanted her to know that," he said.

"Well, I'm sure she's never going to forget it now. I also wanted to say thank you for today. I don't think I'll ever really get over what happened to me, but this definitely provided some closure that I hope will stop any nightmares from coming on. Having you there was a big help," she added before she gave him a kiss goodnight. They lingered on the doorstep for several minutes before she had to leave.

Harry walked back upstairs to the drawing room and walked in. Hermione had obviously gone to bed as had Sirius, leaving just his parents sitting on the sofa hugging. They sat up and apart when they saw him enter.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"No, Harry its okay, come in, we were just waiting for you. We wanted to talk to you a little bit, answer any questions you might have. Hermione and Sirius decided to give the three of us some privacy," James said. Harry walked in and sat across from them in a lounge chair he'd picked out after he'd moved back in. It was the one real thing that he had splurged on for himself and it was his favourite chair in the whole house.

"Er, what kind of questions should I ask?" he said nervously. James and Lily smiled.

"Anything, any question you can think of, we'll answer it," said Lily.

"Erm, okay…dad what's your Patronus shape?" Harry asked. It was one question he'd always wondered after doing his own Patronus, but never could remember to ask until it was too late.

"Patronus huh? My Patronus is a Harp Seal. Expecto Patronum," said James as he waved his wand. A blurry, silvery shaped emerged and the shape solidified into that of a young Harp seal. It flipped and flopped around James in a playful way and flopped its way over to Harry's feet and then over to Lily's before James ended the spell.

"Mum?" asked Harry excitedly, though he thought he knew the answer. She waved her wand and a light, springy Doe jumped merrily about the room for a few minutes. It looked exactly like Snape's which made Harry's mood drop for a few minutes.

"How about you, Harry? Do you know that spell too?" asked James. Harry grinned and said the spell. A large Stag burst forth and galloped around the room and stopped in front of James, whose eyes were round and his mouth gaping.

Lily burst out laughing and the stag disappeared. Harry was grinning when James turned to look at him.

"Remus taught me in my third year," he said.

"You were thirteen? How long did it take you to get it to be Corporeal?" said Lily.

"By the end of the school year," Harry shrugged.

"Why did you learn it? Curiosity?" Lily asked. James was still in awe of the silvery stag his son had produced.

"No, that was the year Sirius broke out of prison. They thought he was after me, to kill me, so they placed Dementors around the castle. They also invaded the train on the way to school. We just happened to be in the same compartment as a certain Remus J. Lupin, who we assumed was our new Defence teacher—"

"Remus was a teacher?" James asked breaking out of his stupor.

"Yeah, best I've ever had. And the only one who didn't try to kill, maim, or destroy me on purpose," he added with a grin. James and Lily looked at each other then ignored Harry's comment about the other teachers.

"Wait, on purpose? You mean he did try to kill you at one point?" James asked with a confused look on his face.

"Well, the night I learned about Sirius was a full moon…I shouldn't go into this to deeply. Let's just say, he forgot his potion and we happened to be outside on a full moon. Sirius tackled Remus and distracted him.

"Anyway, the Dementors and I have a long, ugly past, and this spell has come in handy too many times. Meeting with Remus that year and learning this spell was one of the first times I'd ever heard stories of you guys. Well, good stories at least. Remus never told me you, Sirius, and Peter were animagi. Sirius told me the first night we met, and they revealed Peter. They told me your shape and the same night Sirius and I were attacked by a few Dementors and I ended up making the Stag come out." Harry edited the real story heavily, because he wanted to tell them each year in order of what happened. Much easier that way, he figured.

"So, all these years, whenever you met up with a Dementor, you were saved by a stag?" asked James with a smile. Harry nodded with a grin and asked another question.

"Can you guys tell me about my grandparents? I've heard a lot of stories about you guys, but I've never heard about my grandparents."

The three Potters talked well into the morning hours, until Harry nodded off to sleep right there in his chair halfway through a story of his Great Uncle Jim-Jim and his magical Emu farm. James and Lily chuckled quietly, while James reached over, whispered a lightening charm, and picked up Harry's slight form and carried him down the hall to his room.

Lily watched as James tucked their grown son into bed and made sure the alarm was on.

"We did him a disservice tonight. He has to get up in three hours for training," said James with a chuckle.

"He's still young, he can handle it I guess," said Lily sleepily as she leaned on James as they walked down the hall.

In their own room they changed into their nightclothes and lay down in bed falling asleep quickly.

A/n: Wow...I can't apologize enough. My only excuses are the usual, life, school, and family (and starting a business)...mostly school. I'm in 2 english classes, an online Psychology, and an Art class...I haven't even had time for myself lately! Finally I sat down and was like, I have one day where I'm putting off everything (even my sisters choir concert...) and I wrote 2, count em 2! chapters. This is the first one, I'll post the second one in a few days. And after wednesday, is spring break, so I hope to write more then. But I promise, I will not...NOT, leave it on a cliffy again like this. I promise. Thanks to Teufel1987 for betaing so quickly! Please review!

I'm praying for our Chile friends! I have a friend down there and I have no idea if she's okay or not. the seventh strongest earthquake on record sounds very scary!!! Keep them in your thoughts!