Chapter 15
Luna's Gift
True to their word, the twins and Marauders held off with their pranks for two months, but those two months were anything but quiet. When Rita's article hit, it caused an explosion. The wizarding world was now calling for Albus Dumbledore's head. Everything that happened to Harry over the summer was brought back into the light, and the fact that parts of Tom's Diary were making their way into The Daily Prophet didn't help Albus a bit.
When people read the entry about a young fifteen year old Tom Riddle crying out for help because of what Dumbledore was doing to him, and that no one believed him, people were angry. They read all about the Chamber of Secrets, Myrtle, and even the part about Dumbledore telling Tom to create the name 'Voldemort'. They read about Tom crying because he had to kill his family, a family who accepted and loved him. They read about his spiral down into the Dark Arts in the hopes that they could help protect him, and they also read about a sixteen year old Tom Riddle who had to use the killing of Myrtle to turn the diary into a horcrux. To say that people were outraged was an understatement. Albus Dumbledore was ruined. He was stripped of all his titles and awards, and a warrant for his arrest was issued. The only problem was, no one could find him.
Death didn't even know where he was, and he had asked Fate and Destiny many times to allow him that knowledge, but they stood firm and told him that things still needed to play out. It wasn't missed though, that Dumbledore had been an unregistered animagus, a large black vulture to be exact. This information was reported to The Daily Prophet so that people could be on the lookout. Tonks had a good laugh over that, and joked that Albus must have thought it could pass for a phoenix. Fawkes hadn't taken too kindly to that.
After the hoopla of the wizarding world calling for Dumbledore's head somewhat died down, people's attention turned to the fact that 'Voldemort' was at Hogwarts. However, given all the evidence against Dumbledore, and the fact that Godric was now Headmaster, and that Salazar and Merlin were there to keep an eye on him, people were willing to forgive…for now. Tom's name couldn't really be cleared until Dumbledore was caught and brought to trial, so in a sense, 'Voldemort' was on a probation of sorts. The students got used to him being there, and he was even willing to help them better understand classwork or homework if no one else was around to help. Harry suspected Death was somehow responsible for the lack of panic.
Godric, Salazar, and Merlin though, were something else. They had caused a hoopla of a different sort. People were coming from all over the wizarding world, and not just Britain, to get a look at Merlin and the Founders. Godric finally pleaded to the masses and begged them to give them space. After all, they had a school to run.
For the last two weeks though, everything had been calm. Well, about as calm as can be expected with a former supposed Dark Lord, the greatest wizard who ever lived, and two of Hogwarts Founders running around. Godric had settled down somewhat and even managed to reign in that temper of his, though Umbridge never failed to make it appear.
Speaking of the pink cladded toad, people that didn't want to be in her classes were dropping out like flies. Fred and George kept those that wanted to get out of her class fully supplied with Skiving Snackboxes, all paid for by Sirius and Harry. Godric, Merlin, and Salazar had come up with a slightly modified version of their original plan. All the students dropping out of Umbridge's classes were to go to Salazar and Merlin. 1st-4th went to Salazar in one classroom, and 5th-7th went to Merlin in another. Umbridge herself didn't know what to think about this. She demanded to know why they were stealing her students, but they kept telling her that they weren't. She also tried her hardest to figure out how the students were deathly sick one minute and perfectly fine the next. It was Neville who revived the term 'Umbridge-itis' from his memories of the last 5th year. She tried to put them all in detention, citing Educational Decree Number Twenty-Five, but students refused to show up to their detentions too, and those that did, promptly got sick.
Umbridge tried to write letters to the parents, but she suddenly couldn't find the student rosters for her classes. She tried to get the students themselves to give her their names, but that didn't work either because people kept giving her fake ones. The muggle borns and muggle raised gave her names of famous muggle people though. Needless to say, Hogwarts had a lot of rock stars milling about.
The only 'friends' that Umbridge seemed to have totaled up to be about 7 students and Filch. Two of those were Ron and Hermione. The other five were terrified 1st years who were too scared to fight back. People understandably left the 1st years alone, but Ron and Hermione were nearly scorned throughout the entire school. Hermione and Ron were her spies and informants, but with so many against them, they never really had any information to give her. Ginny had shed Ron and Hermione and was trying to stick close to Harry, but Harry wasn't letting her get to close.
Because of the change in plans, the Student Order was never formed, seeing as they all had Salazar and Merlin as backup Defense teachers. Neville had been slightly disappointed, but he understood that it wasn't needed anymore. Besides, he was one of the 'Core Six', and that meant more to Neville than any D.A./Student Order ever could.
Harry, Neville, Fred, George, Luna, and Tom were hardly ever apart, except for classes and after curfew when Luna had to go back to Ravenclaw tower. Godric and Salazar had done them a favor though by allowing student interaction between common rooms, so it wasn't uncommon to see a bunch of Gryffindors in the Slytherin common room, or Ravenclaws in the Hufflepuff common room, or any variation thereof. Godric and Salazar had even tweaked the dress code. They were now allowed to wear muggle clothes at meals, where before, they had to wear uniforms. All of this was done to annoy Umbridge even more, and Ron hated the presence of 'slimy snakes' in the Gryffindor common room.
What Umbridge really didn't know however, was that there was a giant tsunami headed her way. Given her hatred of all things muggle and muggle born, and the fact that Halloween was just two days away, Harry was itching to do something major. Harry and the others were leading a top-secret super 'commando' team comprised of nothing but muggle borns, muggle raised, and students with at least one muggle parent. Luna was in on it too, but she wanted to protect her 'identity' and decided not to take part. They had taken all of these students aside to see if they would be willing to take part in a Halloween prank of 'epic proportions' on Umbridge, and luckily they all were. With Dumbledore out of the way, nothing was going to be able to stop them. Halloween was on a Saturday and it was a full moon. Oh yes, nothing was going to stop them.
It all started out innocently enough. It was a crisp cool October morning and students were heading to the great hall for a typical Saturday morning breakfast. Umbridge was trying her best to reprimand students for various things as she headed to the great hall, but like always, they ignored her. When she got there, she stopped just inside the doors and looked around. The middle of the floor was completely cleared, except for some strange ramp like things and a few pieces of long wooden boards that were about a foot high and stuck to the floor. All the house tables had been shoved to the sides. The Slytherin and Gryffindor tables were along the walls with the windows. The Ravenclaw table was up near the head table, and the Hufflepuff table had been placed along the back wall.
"What is the meaning of this!?" She demanded, as she stood in the middle of the room glaring at the head table.
Salazar looked at Godric and could see that he was clenching and unclenching his fists already, so he stood up. "Some of our male students that are muggle born, muggle raised, those with at least one muggle parent, and a few pure bloods asked if they could put on a show today. They want to showcase some of the muggle activities that they do during the summer holiday. Godric and I gave them permission."
"This is a school for magical learning…"
"Yeah, because you do an excellent job at teaching us how to use magic!" A 3rd year Gryffindor yelled.
"Now see here! I will not…"
"Please sit down Madam Umbridge, or else you're liable to get…what was the term they used?" Godric asked, looking at Salazar.
"I believe it was 'run over'." He answered.
"Run over? What does that mean?" She asked, as she continued to stand in the middle of the floor.
Suddenly the great hall's doors flew open and ten students came rolling in. Most were on skates, but the others were on skateboards, and they were all dressed in muggle clothes. They all decided to wear shorts and a T-shirt, because they figured this would annoy Umbridge even more.
Harry was grinning from ear to ear as he lead the group in. He had been practicing for weeks in the Room of Requirement so he had gotten a lot better at skating, but he was still nowhere near as good as Tom. Tom came rolling in fast, and started doing tricks and twirls, while Justin Finch-Fletchley suddenly rolled up and across the top of a ramp that was close to the Slytherin table. Umbridge was still standing in the middle of the mini skate park, and was shrieking at the top of her lungs for it to stop.
They just ignored her.
Harry, Neville, Fred, and George could do little more than roll around the great hall, but the others were zipping around and jumping over things. The skateboarders were getting lots of attention though as they flipped, twisted, and turned upside down. Harry was pretty sure Madam Pomfrey almost died of fright a few times.
Umbridge was still standing in the middle of the room yelling at them, but the skaters soon surrounded her.
"Mr. Idol, let me go this instant!" She shrieked.
Colin Creevey grinned at her. "Madam it's for your own safety. You have to get out of the way or you'll be run over."
"I will not…Mr. McCartney you will not be allowed to take pictures…get off me…stop! All of you have detention! This is…stop!" She shrieked, as they herded her toward the head table and forced her to sit down.
They continued to skate for about fifteen more minutes. All the while Umbridge was glaring at them, but the other students were cheering them on. Dean and Seamus were also in on this. Dean was on a skateboard and Seamus was on skates. Colin was on a skateboard, and he and Justin were easily the best. Dennis, Colin's brother, was on skates and taking pictures. Finally their little show was over, and the skaters met in the middle and bowed low to the cheering crowd.
"We would like to thank you for allowing us to showcase one of the activities that we do during the summer." Harry said. "Let me introduce our skaters, Billy Idol (Colin), Paul McCartney (Dennis), Elton John (Justin), Phil Collins (Dean), Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Tom Ringo, Seamus Finnigan, and of course, myself, Harry Potter." He said, and each one took a bow as he called their 'names'. "Special thanks goes out to Sirius Black, who helped purchase some of our equipment from the muggle world. Voldyshorts for helping us set it up, and of course, our Headmaster and Founder Godric for allowing this in the first place. If you have any questions about what you have seen, feel free to ask us."
"I don't think that will be a problem Mr. Potter." Umbridge said loudly as she stood up and glared at them. "No self-respecting witch or wizard…"
"I think it was brilliant!" Draco stood up and shouted. "Personally, I didn't know muggles could come up with something so clever. Do you place sticking charms on those board things to help you stay on them?"
Tom grinned at him, but it was Justin who spoke. "No, but you can, though I wouldn't advise it. Muggles of course can't do magic, so they don't use anything to help stay on them. Learning how to stay on a skateboard is part of the fun."
"Interesting." Draco commented. "May I?"
"Sure." Justin said. "I'll help you. It's kind of like riding a broom, only you're on the ground and on wheels. Just lean your body left or right to go in the direction you want to go."
The next few minutes saw Draco Malfoy, pure-blood bigot extraordinaire, being helped by Justin Finch-Fletchley, a muggle born, to ride on a muggle contraption called a skateboard, and it looked like Draco was actually having fun. Harry couldn't believe it. Tom didn't even have to give Draco any silent threats or warning glares. Draco truly looked interested, and it was clear to everyone that he was genuinely excited. He fell a couple of times and landed on his backside, but he picked himself up and tried again. Umbridge however, was not happy.
"Mr. Malfoy, what would your father say if he found out…?"
"My father," he said sharply, cutting her off, "is currently drafting a bill to help abolish some of the laws restricting what muggle borns are able to do in our world. He has spent the last few months traveling to different countries and visiting their wizarding populations, and do you know what he found out? He found that the wizarding populations there are flourishing. Some have even integrated the use of muggle…what's the word…tech…tech…"
"Technology?" Justin offered.
"Yes, thank you." He said, nodding at Justin. "…technology. I am unfamiliar with a lot of the terms he used, but the point is, my father looked at their wizarding culture and compared it to our own. He realized that we are dying. Yes, the British wizarding world is dying. Take Sirius Black for example, he is the last male Heir of a Most Noble and Ancient House. What will happen if Sirius dies without leaving an Heir? The Black name dies out. Same with the Malfoy and even Potter lines. Do you know why this is Madam Umbridge? It's because of blood. The lack of fresh blood in our lines have caused most of the lines to become corrupted. Pure-Bloods marrying their cousins have caused us all to become inbred to the point that most are crazy and psychotic at best, to infertile at the worst. My father has had his eyes opened to a very unpleasant and shocking truth. We need the fresh blood of the muggle borns to keep us alive. To keep our lines and names alive. Furthermore," he continued, taking a deep breath. "Everyone knows that muggle borns come from squibs, it's just that it is conveniently forgotten about, and the squib gets cast out of the family and shunted into the muggle world in shame. Who's to say that my friend Elton here," He said smirking at Justin, "doesn't have a squib for a great, great, grandfather or something? If that is the case, then what if said great, great, grandfather was a Black, or Malfoy, or even a Potter? That would mean that my new 'muggle-born' friend is actually a half blood."
"How dare you spread such lies!?" She cried.
"Lies?" Draco asked scowling at her. "Gringotts has a way of finding out your lineage. This is something that is kept a secret because the pure bloods don't want it to get out. They don't want the muggle borns running to Gringotts to find out what family they come from. Who knows how many Malfoys, Blacks, and Potters are actually floating around out there. Think of how much our family trees will grow if they did. We need fresh blood Madam Umbridge, or we all die out. Bringing in muggle things such as these," he said, motioning to the skates and skateboards, "is just a perk. My father would be proud to know that I took a step toward a better future today. Who knows, maybe I can talk him into buying me a skateboard. Maybe Elton here, would like to come to Malfoy Manor to help me learn how to get better at it. Because honestly, he's brilliant. We need the muggle borns to help us grow, not only in our blood lines, but also our way of life. The British wizarding world as fallen behind and become stagnate, and it's because of our laws, practices, and narrow minds."
"No we have not! It will never happen!" She shouted. "Never!"
"Try and stop it Madam Umbridge." Draco said coldly, as he glared at her. "I dare you. My family has learned that magical blood is magical blood. It's time we put aside this pure-blood, half-blood, and muggle born nonsense. We are all witches and wizards."
The great hall burst into applause and cheers as Draco finished his little speech. The Professors beamed at him, and Harry shook Draco's hand as Tom grabbed him in a bear hug. The other skaters patted his back and shook his hand too.
"We will see about that!" She yelled. "You must be under the imperius curse Mr. Malfoy. I will be speaking to your father about…"
"And you must be as barmy as Dumbledore." Harry said loudly. "Tell us, are you secretly hiding him? What about Minister Fudge?"
"How dare you!" She screeched. "How dare you accuse the Minister and I of harboring a fugitive!"
"Well it sounds to me like you have the same feelings as Voldyshorts used too, and we all know who it was that made him that way. You're just as narrow minded as Dumbledore it seems like. Changes are coming to the wizarding world. It's best you get on board, least you die or fade away."
"It that a threat Mr. Potter?" She asked, getting up from her seat and walking toward him. "Are you threating me? A Professor of this school, and an important member of the Ministry. You best watch yourself Mr. Potter."
"Are you threating me Madam Umbridge?" Harry asked loudly. "A student at this school and the Heir of not one, but two houses. I am a Potter and a Gryffindor. My ancestor sits up there." He said pointing to Godric. "Who are you compared to us? What is your puny influence compared to ours? You're so stuck on blood, but where is your proof? Malfoy is verified. I am verified. Even Voldyshorts is verified. Where is your verification? I've never heard of Umbridge. Is that a muggle family? Where does your family name come from? Where is your tie to an Ancient and Most Noble House? Where do your roots come from I wonder?" He asked with a grin.
"Enough of this." She said in a loud, deadly whisper. "We will see who is still standing at the end of all this Mr. Potter."
"As the muggles say…bring it on." He said with an even bigger grin.
She pulled herself up her full height, which wasn't very much to begin with, and glared at him. She started to say something else, but Harry cut across her.
"If anyone is interested, we have another show for you tonight. It's not skates and skateboards, but it will be…interesting. Hope to see you all at dinner. Have a good day everyone!" He said cheerfully, and they all left the great hall leaving a cheering student population, a fuming Umbridge, and a grinning Godric behind them.
Just before lunch that day, the Core Six were finally able to meet up in the Room of Requirement. They had been making final plans for that night, and talking to Sirius about last minute things, but then talk turned, once again, to the morning's events.
"Do you think Hermione and Ron are going to rat out Justin and the others and tell Umbridge their real names?" Luna asked.
"Probably." Neville answered.
"It's not like she can really do anything to them though." Fred said, as he grinned and scribbled something onto a piece of parchment. "It was a good idea though Harry, to have everyone in the school give her fake names."
"Yeah I just don't want a repeat of what happened last time with Marietta Edgecombe." Harry said with a sigh. "With the whole school in on this, it's a less likely chance that someone's mother or father's Ministry job will be in jeopardy. She threatened them last time."
"Well we know she's already tried to go after Dad." George said with a grin. "But that backfired because of Madam Bones."
"True." Neville answered. "She also went after my Mum and Dad and tried to get them kicked out of the Aurors, but that also backfired because of Madam Bones."
"Well I think it's good we have contacts on the outside. With us leading a student rebellion and dealing with Umbridge, and them working on finding Dumbledore and dealing with Fudge, it takes a load off us." Harry said. "The only thing that worries me is, will I have to have a showdown of sorts, and face off against Dumbledore? Technically the prophecy has been fulfilled, right?"
"I don't know Harry." Tom said. "You know what Death said about it being a form of entertainment for Destiny. Because of you, Dumbledore's public image has been thoroughly trashed. These are your plans and schemes that are bearing fruit, and allowing us to gain the upper hand. If you hadn't died and been brought back, where would we all be? Personally, I'd say it was fulfilled, but Death did say it isn't over until Dumbledore is either dead or locked in Azkaban. I say we continue on like we have been, and come what may."
Harry smiled at his brother and nodded. "I think you are right. I think the prophecy has technically been fulfilled, but now we are in the clean-up stage. We need to get Dumbledore, Umbridge, and maybe Fudge all wrapped up and sent to Azkaban. I can't do this by myself. It didn't work last time, and it certainly won't work this time. We have enough players on the chess board, and thankfully, we have people who are better at chess than I am to direct the more political side of things, but here at school, this is my domain. I have all of you, Godric, Salazar, and Merlin. Above all, we have Death directing traffic, so to speak, and Fate and Destiny are in charge. I can't ask for better help. Umbridge is our problem though, and I think if we keep rattling her cage, she will eventually slip up."
"Umbridge craves power and authority Harry." Neville said. "The best idea you have come up with is getting the students to ignore her completely. Though admittedly, Godric backing the idea had a lot to do with it." He laughed.
"I agree." Tom said with a grin.
"So do we Harry." George said, and Fred nodded agreement.
"Oh no!" Luna said suddenly, sitting bolt upright in her chair. Her eyes darted back and forth as if she were looking at something far away.
The boys looked at her in alarm, but Tom spoke first. "Luna? Are you…"
She held up a finger to silence him, and cast the voice amplifying normal serene and dreamy voice was panicked and hurried as she leapt to feet. Her eyes were racing back and forth as if she was looking for something. "Salazar, Albus Dumbledore has just set loose a small, but still very deadly basilisk on the 2nd floor. You will find it exiting an unused classroom. I need you and Tom Riddle there immediately."
Then suddenly, she started to push Harry and Tom towards the doors. Luna's breathing was becoming very heavy, but still her eyes were darting back and forth.
"Harry Potter and Tom Ringo, you are needed on the 4th floor. Albus Dumbledore has just set loose another basilisk. Nagini, you are closest, and they may need your help. NO!" She screamed frantically. "Fawkes! Great Hall! Basilisk!"
Even as she was saying this, Harry and Tom were running down the corridors. Neville and the twins were staying with Luna to make sure she was going to be alright. Harry knew this was not normal, but he didn't have time to think about how Luna was doing it.
"All students in the great hall need to exit immediately. Get into the entrance hall and bar the doors. All other students and Professors are to remain where you are, you are not in danger if you listen to me. Albus Dumbledore is in his animagus form. I need all owls to attack! Hedwig, you're in charge! He's flying around the south side of the castle, towards the mountains. Hurry, or I will lose sight of him!"
By this time Harry and Tom were flying unsupported and disillusioned to get to the 4th floor quickly. When they landed in the deserted corridor, they saw to their horror Nagini and the, much smaller than her, basilisk involved in a heated battle. The two snakes were coiled around each other, but it was easy to tell them apart due to their size difference. The two greenish colored snakes twisted and writhed around each other and the floor as they hissed angrily.
"My dear, what do you need us…?"
"Stay back!" Nagini ordered. "I have already blinded one eye, but haven't got the other." She hissed, as she struck again, and her deadly fangs sunk into her foe's skin.
The basilisk hissed in anger and pain. "Silly little pet. You are no match for me!" It said lunging at her, but Nagini was quicker.
She took advantage of her foe's unguarded neck and lack of fighting experience, and sank her fangs into the basilisk's skin. Then, using her own size to her advantage, she sharply pulled upwards and a sickening slurp like noise could be heard as the basilisk's head was pulled away from its body. She flung its detached head down the corridor away from Harry and Tom, and unwound herself from the still twitching body of her defeated foe.
"Do not go near it." She said. "Its gaze is still deadly."
Moving swiftly down the corridor Nagini quickly and carefully sank her fangs into its last remaining eye. Then she raised her head up and seemed to glare at the severed head.
"Call me a silly little pet did you?" She hissed angrily. "I showed you, you pompous arrogant meat sack!"
Tom looked at her proudly, but Harry looked at her with worry etched on his face. "Are you hurt Nagini?"
"No Harry. I am a cousin to the basilisk. We share similar qualities in our venom, so we are immune to each other's poison. Its gaze does not affect me either because of the family ties. I am, of course, less of a danger than they are." She said, making her way back through the blood soaked corridor.
"You have earned yourself several pastries for dinner Nagini." Harry said with relief. "Thank you."
"I look forward to it Harry, but I need a bath first."
Tom looked at his blood soaked friend laughed. "Indeed you do my dear."
He took out his wand, and gently began to wash her off using the water charm, but then Luna's voice broke into their moment of clam.
"The danger has passed, and no one has been injured. All of the basilisks are dead, but Albus Dumbledore has managed to escape. Students are asked to avoid the 4th floor corridor until it can be cleaned. The basilisk on the 2nd floor has been vanished, and Fawkes was able to flash out of the great hall and kill his prey outside. We must all remain alert so that this does not happen again. Thank you to Salazar, Tom Riddle, Fawkes, and a very determined Nagini for killing these threats."
Tom and Harry looked at each other, while Nagini wrapped herself around Tom's torso, and they all made their way quickly towards the Room of Requirement.
When they made it back, they saw Neville and George leaning over Luna, who was laying in one of the hammocks, and a very nervous Fred running over to them.
"We don't know what happened to her. She just passed out after she spoke last. We tried to bring her around with the reviving charm, but it's not working."
The three of them rushed over to Luna, and Tom immediately began to wave his wand over her.
"Where are the Professors?" Harry asked.
"I'm guessing they are dealing with panicked students." George said.
"I think so too. No doubt Madam Pomfrey and Snape are running around handing out calming droughts." Neville said.
"Truth be told, I could probably use one myself." Fred said closing his eyes, and leaning against the wall.
"Dobby!" Harry called out.
"Yes Mr. Harry Pot…Miss Luna!" He cried, rushing over to her.
"Dobby can you use elf magic to find out what is wrong with her?" Harry asked.
Dobby seemed to study her for a moment, but he shook his head sadly. "No Mr. Harry Potter sir, Dobby doesn't know."
"Dobby, you can help me to help Luna. Please go to Potter Manor, look in my room, and grab all my muggle books on human anatomy. They will be on the blue bookcase." Tom said.
"Tell a Potter elf to grab Sirius and bring him here." Harry added.
Dobby nodded and quickly popped away. Harry looked around, desperate to find something that could help him figure out what happened, but Salazar came in.
"Are all of you alright?" He asked, but then he caught sight of Luna. "What happened to her?"
"We don't know. She just passed out. We tired everything to bring her around, but it's useless." Harry said, as Sirius popped in with a Potter elf.
"Missy, please stick around for a moment, we may need you." Harry said, as Dobby reappeared with his arms loaded down with very thick books.
Harry began telling Sirius and Salazar all that took place. Salazar left to go get Madam Pomfrey, and a very angry Sirius left with Missy to get Madam Bones. Neville, Fred, and George looked as helpless as Harry, Dobby planted himself next to Luna and was holding her hand, and Tom was pouring over his books.
Salazar came back with not only Madam Pomfrey, but Professor McGonagall as well. Madam Pomfrey immediately made her way towards Luna and began her own examinations.
"Godric, Severus, Merlin, Filius, and Pomona are helping to calm students and get rid of the mess on the 4th floor." McGonagall said. "Has anyone managed to figure out what happened? How did Albus get in? What was he trying to do, kill us all? Why would he do that?"
"We don't know Minerva." Salazar said patting her shoulder. Then he glanced at Madam Pomfrey hesitantly. "Mr. Riddle simply vanished the basilisk on the 2nd floor, and said he had to go somewhere. I haven't seen him since."
Madam Pomfrey looked up from her exams. "You don't think that he had something to do with it, do you?"
"No." Tom said firmly, but then he jumped up. "I've got it! Or at least I think I do."
"You know what's wrong with her?" McGonagall asked hopefully.
"She might be in a common muggle coma. I need to perform a bit of dark magic on her first to be sure, but it's not really dark magic." He said quickly, as he caught sight of Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall's horrified expressions. "It's considered 'dark magic' and Healers today don't even know about it because in 1782 the practice was outlawed. They did that because of the unsightly and gruesome display that happens to the patient." He said rolling his eyes. "I can assure you though, the effects are reversible and it causes no pain. The spell was invented centuries before it was outlawed, but was outlawed because a Healer used this spell to try and save the life of a Ministry mucky muck's wife. Said mucky muck saw him preform the spell and was revolted at the sight. His wife died shortly after and the mucky muck accused the Healer of using dark magic, and had the practice banned. It has since been forgotten."
"Unsightly and gruesome?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "I'm afraid I can't allow…"
"Poppy, if he says it causes no pain, then I say we let him try. Unless you have found the answer?"
She looked at McGonagall and shook her head sadly. "No Minerva, I've tried everything. She's not suffering from anything I can see. Her vitals are fine, but she just won't wake. There is something that is keeping her asleep, but I don't know what it is. Does anyone know what happened to her? Did she hit her head? Did she drink a potion?"
Everyone glanced around at everyone else, not really wanting to say anything, but McGonagall sighed.
"We might as well tell her. I trust Poppy. She has been my best friend since we started Hogwarts. She won't say anything."
"And seeing as Death isn't here to give us any answers, we might as well." Salazar said with a sigh.
"Death!?" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed.
"Yes, Death." McGonagall said. "Poppy, Tom Ringo is the real Tom Riddle. He is Voldemort. The Voldemort you see walking around is actually Death in disguise."
"There is a lot to tell you Madam Pomfrey, and we know you have a lot of questions." Harry said. "We will explain all of it, but please, let us find out what's wrong with Luna first. She is Hogwarts, but something happened today, something not normal. She went into some kind of trance, but not like a seer trance. She was fully aware of what was going on around her, but she clearly was watching what was happening at the same time. Death is the only one who can give us real answers, but seeing as he's not here, we need to figure it out on our own."
"Where did he say he was going?" McGonagall asked, looking at Salazar.
"To demand answers from Fate and Destiny. He's bloody pissed Minerva. He feels he could have prevented this if they would allow him to know where Albus is at all times." He said, as Sirius and Madam Bones popped into the room.
"What happened?" She demanded. She too looked highly angry. "Sirius told me what you all told him. Do we know anything more?"
"Not yet Amelia, but right now we are trying to find out what happened to Miss Lovegood." McGonagall said. "Tom wants to cast a spell that was outlawed by the Ministry a long time ago. They classified it as dark magic, but from what he says, it's a Healer's spell that was taken the wrong way. He can better explain it."
"What does it do?" Madam Bones asked, raising her eyebrow questioningly.
"It causes the skin to vanish from the patient. It exposes their internal organs, blood, tissues, muscles, bones, everything. It's not pleasant, and is very gruesome to see. However, it causes no pain to the patient, and of course, it can be reversed."
"Kind of like an ultra-sound, or an X-ray, or an MRI?" Harry asked. Then he looked around at everyone's confused face. "My aunt loves to watch medical dramas on the telly." He said, not that it helped with any of the confusion.
"Something like that Harry." Tom said with a laugh. "I agree with Madam Pomfrey, there is something that is causing her to remain asleep. I think it's a muggle coma." He said, but then caught sight of Madam Pomfrey's quizzical look. "A coma is kind of like drinking too much Draught of Living Death."
"But she didn't drink anything." Neville said.
"We will know more here in a minute." Tom said. "With your permission Madam Bones."
She nodded her head. "If you think it can help her Mr. Riddle."
They all watched with morbid fascination as Luna's clothes and skin simultaneously vanished. They could see her heart, lungs, brain, and everything else. Several people tuned slightly green, and everyone else stood there with wide eyes. However, Madam Pomfrey looked on in wonder.
"This spell would help so much." She said. "How do you know healing magic?"
"I've always wanted to be a Healer. After my first year of Hogwarts, that's all I wanted to be. Albus may have taken that dream away from me, but he never killed my love for it. I studied healing magic on my own, and found lots of things that are no longer used. Even some that were classified as 'dark magic'." Tom said, without taking his eyes off Luna. "Her lungs look good, her heart looks good. Everything seems to be fine, though that was concluded through our diagnostic spells."
"Yes, yes." She said breathlessly. "But this spell could help us be more precise with fractures and broken bones, because we could actually see where the breaks are, instead of guessing the general location. We could see internal injuries and find the problem and fix it quickly, verses force feeding a bunch of potions to a patient and hoping one might do the trick." She said excitedly. "Amelia, I may need your help in unbanning this spell. This would take healing magic to a whole new level."
"I will see what I can do Poppy." Madam Bones said, with a hint of awe in her voice. "What else have you found out through your studies Mr. Riddle?"
"Muggles have come a long way in their medical field." Tom said, looking up at her. "They were once way behind us, but now we are way behind them. They have the ability to bring each other back to life, if one of them hasn't been dead for a certain amount of time. We could do the same, however, the Cruciatus needs to be preformed in order to do that."
"What?!" Everyone cried.
"Muggles use those shock paddle things to send shocks of electricity into the heart, which shocks them back to life in most cases. How does the Cruciatus do the same thing?" Harry asked.
Tom sighed and looked at Harry. "The Cruciatus causes pain because it basically sends bolts of electricity through the body. Ask any muggle who has ever been electrocuted what it feels like, and they will say it feels like 'white hot knives piercing every inch of their skin'. Compare that to a wizard who has been tortured and they will say the same thing. All the torture curse is, is electricity harnessed as magic. If a Quidditch player gets hit hard in the chest by a bludger and they fall to the ground and die, they are immediately pronounced dead, and nothing more is done. However, the Cruciatus can be used to bring them back to life. Muggles would say it was blunt force trauma, and use the shock paddles and CPR to bring someone back to life."
"So the Cruciatus is used in place of the shock paddles?" Harry asked.
"Yes." Tom said with a nod.
"I understand. This goes back to What Mr. Potter said this past summer." Professor McGonagall said. "Magic is Magic. It's the intent of the caster that determines if it is 'light' or 'dark'."
Tom smiled and nodded. "Exactly."
"And this method of using the Cruciatus has been verified?" Madam Pomfrey asked in amazement, and Tom nodded. "How? Who?"
"Verified by me and Lucius Malfoy." Tom said with a sigh. "During the first war, Albus commanded me to attack a small muggle village in the country. There was a family who had small children, and Bellatrix went after them, but Lucius tried to stop her. They started to argue over it, and the muggle was able to grab a gun. He shot Lucius in the chest, and he died. I was able to retract the bullet, stop the bleeding, and revive him with the Cruciatus. I had done a lot of studying, and decided it was a good time to try my theory. I didn't have anything to lose, and Lucius was already dead, so I figured I'd see what happened. The Malfoys have been grateful ever since." Tom said.
Harry spent a few minutes trying to explain to the witches and wizards what a gun and a bullet was, but he was interrupted by the doors opening with a loud bang.
"Does anybody have any bloody idea what is going on inside this castle!?" A very irate Godric yelled, as he stormed in.
Snape and Merlin were right behind him, but they all stopped dead in their tracks at the sight before them.
"What in Merlin's name is that? I have never in all my life…what…" Snape sputtered.
"It's Luna." Salazar said calmly, and took them aside to explain what was going on.
Tom began studying Luna more closely and after casting several spells near her brain, he finally nodded. "I do believe my original assumption is correct. Madam Pomfrey, please look here." He said. "You are familiar with the spells I was using, but since her organs are exposed, you can see plainly the left side of her brain is darker."
"Yes, I can."
"This muggle book here tells you what is happening." He said handing her a medical book.
Harry tried to read over her shoulder to better understand what was going on, but the medical terms were lost on him. He didn't know what was going on, but he just hoped that they could fix her. Tom looked calm, but edgy, and that wasn't helping Harry's nerves any. The adults had congregated on the other side of the room, but Neville, Fred, George, Madam Pomfrey, and Dobby were still with Harry sitting beside Luna's bed.
"Can you fix her?" Harry asked, as Tom canceled the spell. He watched as Luna returned to normal.
"There is no muggle or magical cure to bring someone out of a coma." He said, shaking his head. "We just have to wait until she wakes up. Whenever that will be, is anyone's guess."
"I have to go contact her father." McGonagall said, and started for the door.
"And we should move her to the hospital wing." Madam Pomfrey added.
"That won't be necessary." Death said, finally deciding to show up.
Angry shouting suddenly erupted throughout the room, and Tom tried to tackle him to the ground, but Death wouldn't allow it.
"I know you all are angry, but now that Luna's condition has been realized and agreed upon, I have been allowed to return." He said with a dejected sigh. "Luna is receiving a gift from Fate. She is in a coma, but she will awake tomorrow morning. She will be fine."
"Is she in pain? Will this hurt her? What gift?" Harry asked, glaring him.
"She is not in pain, no it won't hurt her, and the gift is form of foresight." He said. "I will explain, but all of you please sit down and stop glaring at me. I'm just as angry as you are."
"You should be groveling at our feet." Nagini said angrily, coiling around Tom's torso as he sat down. "Not the other way around. You should have warned us. Now Luna is suffering."
Death glanced at her. "Luna isn't suffering Nagini. I promise. Please trust me when I say, I'm just as angry as you all are. Lily and James are none too happy either." He said in English.
"Let's hear what he has to say Nagini." Harry said, patting her head.
"Maybe we can get some answers." Tom added, glaring at Death, who was pacing back and forth across the room.
"So Lily and James know what's happened?" Sirius asked.
"Yes they do, and Lily says it's best to hold off tonight's activities. She said with Albus attacking the school with basilisks, it doesn't need a fake werewolf attack too. For what it's worth, James agrees."
"We better listen to Mum." Harry said with a smile. "I don't want to get into trouble."
Sirius chuckled and nodded. "I agree, and I'll let Remus know. He's not feeling well at the moment, so that's why he's not here. We can wait until the next full moon to scare the wits out of Umbridge."
"Looks like you'll have to wait a month to announce that you have a pet werewolf." Neville laughed.
"And I was looking forward to it too." Harry grinned.
"Luna." Tom said, with a hint of anger in his voice. "Can we please talk about Luna?"
"I'm sorry Tom." Harry said, squeezing his brother's shoulder.
Tom sighed and rubbed is face with his hands. "It's ok Harry. I'm just..."
"Worried." Harry answered, and Tom nodded. "I know."
"Well there's no need to be." Death said with a smile. "Please trust me. The gift is a form of foresight. She's not a seer, but she will have the ability to see danger and other things as they happen. She is now Hogwarts in every sense of the matter. She will know if a student is hurt, if someone is doing something wrong, if there is attack, etc., etc., etc.," He said, waving his hands about. "Fate will be her guide in this, and she will shield Luna. So if this happens in the middle of class, she can announce what is happening, and no one will notice her."
"Will she pass out each time?" Harry asked.
"No, she will not."
"So why Luna and not you?" Neville asked.
"Because I have my role as 'Voldemort' to fulfill." He answered with a sigh. "Apparently, unbeknown to us, a certain little intelligent know-it-all that doesn't miss a tick is starting to catch on that all of this is a ruse. Fate and Destiny need me to stick with being 'Voldemort' and Luna will take over knowing what is going on inside the castle. Apparently I'm doing too much, and giving myself away as the fake Voldemort."
"Hermione." Harry with a scowl, and Death nodded. "But how?"
"She doesn't suspect Luna, nor does she know that I am Death, but she is starting to suspect that things aren't what they seem. Hermione is determined to figure out what is going on, and she won't stop until she has her answers. You all need to be extra careful." He warned. "Because it's not just 'Hogwarts', it's everything she's looking into. Umbridge is apparently now paying both her and Ron to be spies. Ron isn't much to worry about because he's an idiot, but as you all know, Hermione isn't."
"So with Fate giving Luna this gift, it's only going to help, right?" Harry asked.
Death nodded. "Yes. I have spoken to Luna, and she's quite happy actually."
"Spoken?" Tom asked.
Death nodded again. "Yes, while I was up there." He said, pointing toward the ceiling.
"She always says that she loves being Hogwarts." Tom with a smile.
"Indeed." Death said.
"So why couldn't you come back until Luna's condition was sorted out?" Harry asked.
"Well because Fate and Destiny wanted Tom's spell to come to light. With both Madam Pomfrey and Amelia present, now it can. It ties in to what Draco said this morning. The British Wizarding World is dying, and if something isn't done soon, in a few generations it won't be recognizable."
"So Draco wasn't just talking out his arse?" Harry asked.
"No. He was sincere. The Malfoys, as you all know, are the biggest bunch of pure blood bigots this side of the beyond. Lucius really has had a shocking realization, and has started to sing a different tune." He said with a grin. "As for Tom's spell, that was used by Destiny to open your eyes, and she succeeded. There are some spells that really need to be relooked at. Now, I'm not saying unban the Unforgivables, but they need to be looked at in a different light."
"But spells are one thing, people's opinions are another." Amelia said.
"True, but the answer lies with the muggle borns. Tom himself said that muggles are way ahead of the wizarding world in their knowledge of medicine, and it's true, but the pure bloods are so caught up with blood purity that they can't see the forest because of the trees. It's not just in medicine though, it's everything! The muggle borns are scum, and they can't contribute anything. Muggles are inferior. We are the best. Blah, blah, blah." He said, waving his arms around again. "The pure bloods are killing themselves, along with everyone else, and they are too stuck up to admit it. The British Wizarding World needs the fresh minds and the fresh thinking of the muggle borns. Harry, a half blood raised by muggles, said something that made you all stop and think. Magic is Magic, and it's the intent of the caster that determines its whether it light or dark, but no one else saw it that way until he pointed it out. With the fresh minds of the muggle borns and even the muggle raised, imagine what the British Wizarding World can accomplish."
Everyone sat back and became lost in thought. Harry was proud that he was able to contribute something that might help the world he has come to love to be even better. He just hoped he could continue helping.
"It makes sense really." Merlin said. "In my younger days, we didn't have the statue of secrecy, and it made living side by side with the muggles very interesting. We learned from them, they learned from us, and for the most part people were happy. Then came my later years where people started to become afraid. Morgana didn't help matters. Muggles started seeing that magic can harm, rather than help or heal, and they started to revolt against us. By the time Hogwarts and the Founders came into being, we were in a full-fledged war with the muggles, and they were winning. I understand that during the year 1735 muggles passed a law, The Witchcraft Act to be precise, that protected witches and wizards, and shortly after that, the statue of secrecy was passed by us. Because of both laws, our existence faded from their minds. I'm not saying that we should announce ourselves to the world, but I can see how much it has changed, and not for the better. We didn't have squibs in my day, but by the time Hogwarts and the Founders came there was quite a few, and the result was muggle borns. I think its Magic's way of protecting itself. It's trying to tell us we need a change."
"It's logical." Salazar said. "And I agree."
"As do I." Madam Bones said. "Can Lucius be trusted? Should I approach him and offer my help?" She asked, looking at Tom.
He nodded. "He knows about Death being the fake Voldemort, and he knows that I am the real Tom Riddle. He knew about Dumbledore of course, but he doesn't know about the coming back to life thing, Luna being Hogwarts, or the Fidelius location."
"He doesn't know Hogwarts is a ruse?" She asked, looking at him in surprise.
"No. He, along with the Slytherins, believe its Death. He doesn't know you know either. He thinks you're getting all your information about the Death Eaters from Severus, so tell him I sent you."
"Ok, so what about Dumbledore. Why attack the school?"
"Good question Amelia." Godric said. "And how did he get the basilisks in the castle?"
"As you all saw, the basilisks were babies. They had just hatched a few weeks ago. He carried them in a sack, and dropped them in through open windows. He thinks he can try and discredit 'Voldemort' and regain his status back. He's gone slightly around the bend. He will more than likely try more things, but with Luna's gift, we will be able to thwart his attempts. He doesn't care who he has to hurt in order to accomplish his goals." He answered. Then he sighed. "And no, they still won't allow me to know where he is. Apparently there is an attempt by people like Umbridge to help him gain his power back, now that they know he is the real Dark Lord. They are building a case against Voldemort. Fate and Destiny want Dumbledore to dig his own grave even further."
"Does Umbridge know where he is?" Harry asked.
"No she doesn't, but she's working for him. However, you can't prove it yet."
"And Fudge?" Madam Bones asked.
"He's an idiot. He doesn't know which way is up, but he can still cause problems because he's Minister, and because he's listening to Umbridge."
"How did Dumbledore escape from the owls?" Harry asked.
Death sighed. "He was already way ahead of them, and he was able to escape into the trees in the mountains. Hedwig feels rotten about it, so you should go talk to her Harry. She feels like she let you down."
Since they had missed lunch, Missy and a few other Potter elves brought them some sandwiches from Potter Manor. They sat around eating, talking, and throwing out ideas about anything and everything they could think of. The twins told them that tomorrow they were planning on sending a bunch of howlers to Umbridge at lunch, and told everyone they better bring earmuffs. Harry told them he should have expected something like this, after all, every Halloween something bad always happened. It was late afternoon when Harry excused himself though. He had to go tell his top-secret super 'commando' team that plans were off for the evening, and told them that next full moon would be even better.
He also made it to the owlery, but Hedwig would barely talk to him. She was angry that Albus got away, but eventually Harry coxed her down from her perch. He told all the owls that they had done the best they could, and he was neither disappointed nor mad at them. They had done a good job. Hedwig cheered up when he promised her that they could go flying together later that night.
Godric gave the boys permission to stay with Luna in the Room of Requirement that night, so after his flight with Hedwig, Harry settled down in one of the hammocks. Merlin joined them, because after all, this was his room. He liked it though, and said that it was different. The boys talked to him almost all night, and they finally fell asleep shortly before sunrise.