Chapter 10
"Here, Hermy, the copy of my notes for today and the homework that was assigned." said Angela, handing over a pile of parchment to the girl who was stuck in the Hospital wing.
"How come you forgave her and Harry but you still didn't forgive me?" whined Ron.
"While all of you didn't trust me, you are the one who insulted both me and my family Ron." she replied with a shrug.
"I already apologized for it!"
"As if it was that easy! Here, throw that on the ground." She handed him a small phial made of glass.
Ron looked at her as if she had two heads but obeyed, breaking the phial in the process.
"Now apologize."
"I'm sorry?" he half asked, confusion on his face.
"Did it repair the phial?"
"No…" understanding downed on the red-haired boy as Angela cast a Reparo on the poor mistreated phial, putting it back in her bag.
Ron started pestering Hermione about the get well card she got from Lockhart when Harry whisper-asked to Angela. "When will you forgive him?"
The girl chuckled and winked "Already did, he just doesn't know it yet. Let's call it payback."
The trio left the hospital wing, intending to go to the room of requirement to do their potion homework. Severus had been in a mood that day and had assigned quite a lot to do and Merlin knew how much the boys needed her help to do it. They were climbing the stairs when they heard Filch's voice from the next floor.
"Even more work for me!" he bellowed "I will have to spend the evening cleaning, as if I didn't have enough to do already! Enough is enough, I'm going to Dumbledore!"
They climbed the last stair and saw a huge puddle of water where Mrs Norris had been attacked. Now that Filch wasn't screeching anymore they could hear Myrtle moaning more than usual. Recognition flashed in Angela's eyes and she ran to the unused toilets, leaving two confused boys behind her.
"Ah-ah finally got you!" she exclaimed, her hair bright pink in excitement and a dirty wet black book in her hand.
"What is that? What are you so happy about, Eli?" asked Harry who had finally rejoined her along with Ron.
"That dear Ry' is the Heir."
"You are telling me the Heir is a dirty old book?"
She nodded energetically. "It's cursed with very dark magic and was possessing a student until now! It means it's finally time to go basilisk hunting! Morte go fetch cousin Severus and bring him to Dumbledore's office!" The bird cawed before flying in the direction of the dungeons.
"Myrtle, can you tell us who threw that book at you?" asked Harry.
"I didn't see them. Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me." replied the ghost.
"But, it can't hurt if someone throws something at you. I mean, it would just go right through you." said Ron.
Angela sighed. "Ron, you utter moron, she may be dead but she has feelings you know."
As if to prove her point, Myrtle swooped toward Ron, screeching. "Sure! Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you get it through her stomach!" She mock punched him through the stomach. "Fifty points if it goes through her head!" Another mock punch through his head.
"Sorry, sorry!" Ron tried to placate her.
"Eli, can I see the book?"
"What? No Harry, it could be dangerous, she told you it was cursed and could possess someone! What if it possesses you?" Ron protested but Harry already had the book in his hands.
"T.M. Riddle. It's old."
"Around fifty years old if it's Riddle's. I know him, he was awarded for service to the school, I had to polish his trophy for an hour in detention." complained the redhead.
"It's only dangerous if you write in it." explained Angela, getting the book back. "Now let's go see Dumbledore before cousin Severus arrives at his office."
"Why?"
"It's time to close the Chamber of Secrets for good. Ron you don't have to come but Ry' we'll need your parselmouth ability."
Harry nodded and both boys followed her to the Headmaster's office. She started reciting all the sweets she knew in front of the gargoyle when Severus showed up and gave the right one.
"What is the meaning of this Angela?"
"I finally caught the Heir, cousin Severus!" she replied with a smile before climbing the stairs and knocking on the door.
"Enter! Ah Angela, mister Potter, Weasley and Severus, to what do I owe this visit?"
"Headmaster, how would you feel about going basilisk hunting?" she asked with a disarming smile.
"Are you saying that you caught the Heir, Angela?"
She nodded before putting the book on his desk. Recognition flashed in the Headmaster's eyes when he saw the name on the book. She took a quill from her bag and wrote in the diary.
Hi Tom, I'm Deneb. I apologize but your plan to revive yourself is over, I'm going to close the Chamber for good.
The other four watched as the ink sank in the page before a reply appeared.
Hi Deneb. How did you know of my plan or my implication with the Chamber?
"See! This is Voldemort's old diary, I didn't give him my real name so that he can't feed on my soul and try to possess me. Until now he was in the hands of an innocent student and is responsible for all the petrification."
"Voldemort's? But isn't it Riddle's?" asked Harry, confusion on his face.
"Voldemort's old name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, it's an anagram for I am Lord Voldemort." the slytherin replied to which Albus nodded.
"I knew it had to do with Voldemort but I wasn't sure how. This explains a lot."
"Half of Voldemort's soul is stuck in this diary and wishes to revive itself by using the life of the person who wrote in it. Now that we have it we can use the basilisk to destroy the diary after we kill him."
"For that we need to enter the Chamber of Secrets. How do you intend to get the entrance location out of the diary?" asked Severus.
Angela laughed. "I already know where the entrance is. We only need Harry's parselmouth to open it. I'd recommend taking Fawkes with us just in case."
"Then, let's take care of this matter." said Dumbledore, clasping his hand and standing up. Fawkes immediately took place on his shoulder like Morte on Angela's.
Angela led them to the second floor's bathroom, making Severus sneer.
"Angela, is that your idea of a joke?"
"I wish, cousin Severus, but this is very serious. Ry', I need you to tell the sink to open, picture a snake in your mind."
Dumbledore vanished the water that was still on the ground as Harry approached the sink.
"Open!"
"That was in english, focus on the image of a snake, you can look at the crest on my robes if you need."
Harry nodded and turned toward her, looking at the slytherin crest on her robes before hissing "Open."
They all took a step back while Angela ordered Morte to stay here and wait for them to return.
"The entrance to the Chamber! Ta-dah!" she said, gesturing to the now gaping hole in front of them. "There is more parseltongue needed ahead so you'll still need Harry and me to tell him what the password is.
"I will go first, Severus second. Follow us but stay behind us and if you hear any sound close your eyes. Mr Weasley, stay behind and if we are not back in an hour go explain to Minerva what happened." ordered the old wizard.
They all nodded silently. Albus entered the hole, followed by Severus and then Harry and Angela together, holding hands.
"Ew, it's dirty." complained Harry as he walked on rat bones.
"What did you expect? We are in the pipes where a gigantic murderous snake resides." deadpanned the girl.
The adults shushed them so they went quiet and followed them silently through the pipes until they reached the shed skin of the basilisk, Severus pausing to collect it.
"The next door's password will be open." Angela whispered to Harry who nodded.
They arrived in front of a door covered with seven iron snakes.
"Open." he hissed.
He took a step back as the door opened and Albus went first, entering a gigantic room with towering pillars and at the far end the statue of Salazar Slytherin.
"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets! Don't worry about the basilisk, she won't come until Harry calls for her. To do that you must say "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four" a bit egotistic I know."
"Harry, my boy, say the password and then close your eyes, I will handle the basilisk. Severus, be prepared in case something goes wrong."
"Yes Headmaster."
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." hissed Harry, holding Angela's hand before both of them closed their eyes.
The statue's mouth opened and the gigantic snake came out. Before she could attack them, Albus had conjured a rooster who crowed, killing the basilisk instantly.
"You can open your eyes."
"Is that it? Like that? No fighting, just a chicken and it's over?" asked Angela, looking disappointed.
"Roosters are the basilisk's weakness, I thought it more prudent to use it rather than fight the beast."
Angela followed Severus who looked like Christmas had come early as he approached the dead basilisk. She carefully took one of the fangs before handing it to Harry with the diary.
"Use it to pierce the diary."
Harry looked confused but obeyed and ink bled from the pierced book as if it was blood. Albus bent to retrieve the destroyed horcrux.
"I will be keeping that." said the headmaster pocketing the diary. "Let's make sure that there is nothing left that might be dangerous in the Chamber and then we can go back to young mister Weasley."
"I will be staying a bit longer to harvest the basilisk." declared Severus, already working on it.
They explored every nook and cranny of the Chamber in vain for there was nothing else. Angela was looking very disappointed at the anticlimactic fight and exploration. She didn't know what she had been expecting but it wasn't just that. Everything went too easy, too fast. In a way she was glad that no one had been injured however she couldn't help but to wish for a more flamboyant fight. The conjured rooster had been banished as soon as his job was done.
Albus led them back to the entrance. At that point Angela suggested Harry to ask for stairs to climb back up, which he did successfully.
"You're back! How did it go?" questioned Ron immediately.
"It went smoothly, professor Dumbledore conjured a rooster and it killed the snake! Cousin Severus is still harvesting it but it might take him quite some time, the best is huge! It was at least 50 feet long!" answered Angela with a smile as Ron paled when imagining that big of a snake.
That evening before dinner, Dumbledore stood up and asked for silence.
"Everyone, before we eat I have two special awards to give to two students. Harry Potter and Angela Schiffer faced great danger today and thanks to their combined effort we were able to locate the Chamber of Secrets, slay the beast that lies within and close the Chamber for good. It is the reason why they will both receive a Special Award for Services to the School. 20 points will go to mister Ronald Weasley for his help as well. Now all that is left is for the mandrakes to mature so that we can revive your classmates. I'm proud to say that there is no need to fear the monster anymore!"
The students were silent at first, not quite believing the headmaster before erupting in cheers. However they didn't believe Angela and Harry to be innocents or heroes, they thought that the two had gone to Dumbledore before getting caught in a ploy to escape punishment.
oOoOo
"Eli, who had the diary? Who opened the Chamber this time around? And was it Voldemort who opened it the first time? I thought the culprit had been caught 50 years ago." asked Harry.
Angela sighed and closed her book. They were all in the room of requirement as usual.
"Fifty years ago a culprit was caught but it wasn't the right person. Young Moldyshort opened the Chamber and accidentally killed Myrtle Warren but when he realized that the school was about to get closed he backtracked. He found the perfect scapegoat in the form of Hagrid who was raising an acromantula in the castle. Hagrid was caught and expelled, his wand was broken and he was sent to Azkaban for a time."
"Azkaban?"
"The wizarding prison, a dreary place guarded by Dementors. Dementors are dark creatures that feed on positive emotions. Everyone thought Hagrid to be the one responsible for Myrtle's death and Moldyshort received his award for saving the school." she chuckled darkly. "Using Myrtle's death as a catalyst he transferred half of his soul into his diary. The diary was in Lucius Malfoy's possession for safe keeping but Lucius, scared by the ministry raid, decided to get rid of the diary. He planted it in Ginny's cauldron during the altercation there was in Flourish and Blotts this summer."
"Are you saying that that bastard gave a cursed object to my sister!?"
"Yes Ron. Desperate for a friend, Ginny started writing in the diary and talking with young Moldyshort unknowingly. Tom tried to use her to revive himself by having her pour more and more of her soul to the diary. When he grew strong enough he possessed her and made her open the Chamber against her will, leaving her with memory loss. Ginny grew suspicious and decided to get rid of the diary by throwing it in the toilet and that's when we found it."
"You knew my sister had a cursed book all along."
"I did." she nodded before Ron punched her.
"Ron!" "Eli!" exclaimed Hermione and Harry.
"You left my sister with a cursed book for months when you could have gone to anyone! Who knows what could have happened to her or what will be the consequences of being in possession of such an artifact for so long!"
Angela was massaging her sore cheek and took a wiggenweld potion from her bag and drank it. She had taken to carrying first aid potions on her at all times. "I knew she would be fine. I couldn't risk Tom getting suspicious of me. I couldn't exactly go to one of the professors and tell them what I knew, who would have believed me and what could have they done uh?"
Angela paused and started playing with the hem of her robes. "You know, I don't like it. I hate knowing what's going to happen or what is happening. This time I could prevent Hermy and Penelope Clearwater from being petrified but most of the time I'm powerless. Just like last year, one misstep and someone could die and it would be my fault. I just try my best with what knowledge I have to save as many people as I can but each action, each decision I take have consequences. See it as playing chess, except that this time the pawns are very real and could die for real."
"I won't apologize for hitting you but I understand. Will my sister be fine?" he asked.
"She will be as fine as can be, she'd probably benefit from a mind healer for trauma but otherwise there won't be anything from the diary affecting her."