November 5, 1996

Walking out of the Great Hall, his notebook open and his nose buried in it, Harry paused when he heard his name. Carlisle had followed him out of the Great Hall and looked less than enthusiastic.

Harry waited for his friend and snapped his notebook shut. "Don't you have class?"

Carlisle huffed. "Yeah, potions. Not really in the mood."

"I dare you to skip Snape's class, see what happens." Harry stuffed his notebook into his bag.

"I'm not that stupid." Carlisle adjusted his bag strap. "I will run late, though. Amelia said you were looking for me."

Harry nodded. He had wanted to discuss Draco before approaching the second year. After Harvey told him the other day that the youngest Malfoy had a fondness for bullying the youngest Weasley, he had taken more notice of the young redhead. Her eyes were often puffy, and she seemed to avoid other students as often as she could.

"It's about your brother," said Harry.

Carlisle's face contorted. "What has the brat done now?"

"Apparently, he has a fondness for making Weasley's cry."

Carlisle's looked confused. "How did he make Ronald cry?"

Harry sighed. "No, there's another one."

"Another one?"

"Another one. Ginny. She is the youngest and in first year."

Carlisle adjusted his bag strap again. "What did he do to her?"

"According to Harvey, he bullies her; she ran away from him crying the other day. Harvey said she cried herself to sleep in his lap."

Carlisle turned towards the dungeons, Harry followed. "I cannot wait to get home and watch our mother rip him a new one. This shit is getting away with too much crap."

"Your brother has been more of a pain than usual this year," said Harry.

They walked down the stairs into the dungeon and turned towards the Potions classroom.

Carlisle sighed. "Tell me about it. Since the end of last year, his attitude has become more frustrating than ever. He walks around like our father has shoved his cane up his ass."

"Well, your father does have somewhat ridiculous expectations."

"And?" Carlisle asked, "Do you see me giving two shits about what our father says?"

"No, but you know Draco, he wants nothing more than to be the perfect son."

"He already is. At least, that's what I get reminded of by both our parents."

"You just enjoy rebelling too much."

"I don't rebel; I make up my own mind," Carlisle smirked and stopped by the classrooms door.

Amelia was already standing there with Jenna; both held their potion essays and compared notes.

"Is that what you call it?" Harry asked.

Carlisle nodded. "Either way, I'll talk to him about the Weasley girl."

"Would you like a hand? Maybe the both of us can scare him straight," Harry offered.

"Now, that would be fun." Carlisle laughed.

Amelia frowned. "What are you two up to?"

Carlisle slung his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Just dealing with my brother."

"I thought we agreed to space between you two?" she asked.

"That was before Harry informed me that he's been bullying the youngest Weasley."

Jenna looked up. "Ginny?"

Harry nodded. "Harvey told me."

"Perhaps some adult intervention would help?" Amelia suggested.

Carlisle scoffed. "You've met my brother, right? The smaller version of my father, has this constipated look on his face?"

Harry and Jenna chuckled as Jenna gave Carlisle a look of annoyance.

"To change the subject," said Jenna, "did your godfather send you that book with the story about the Chamber of Secrets?"

Harry nodded.

After his father and Remus had explained the full story to him and Harvey, he'd made sure to have it sent from home. Harry had reread the story a few times, taking in as much as he could. It concerned Harry enough that such a chamber actually existed in the school. While his curiosity was piqued regarding what the chamber could contain, it was also horrifying that a creature that had once been contained in the chamber was now loose around the school. And if the creature only went after Muggleborns, then any of them could be next.

"There isn't much more than what Remus already told me," said Harry.

"How could no one find such a place if it was real?" asked Carlisle. "The school has been around for so long, and there have been so many witches and wizards that have come here. Someone would have found it if it was here."

Harry smirked. "The castle is magic, and Slytherin wasn't exactly your typical wizard."

"Carlisle does have a point," said Jenna. "Hogwarts has been here for a millennium; Slytherin's heir would have had to show up at some point."

"Are you saying you think the Chamber could have been opened before?" asked Amelia.

Jenna nodded. "Probably."

"How would we find something like that out?" asked Carlisle.

Harry frowned.

His friends were doing exactly what he had been telling Harvey to not do. Staying out of the whole situation meant not looking into anything. Harry knew he should lead by example, tell his friends to drop it. But he found his own curiosity hitting an all-new high.

"Maybe ask Snape," said Carlisle.

Harry looked to see his friends all looking at me. "Why would he tell me?"

"Because you are the only one he likes," said Amelia.

Carlisle pouted. "Hey!"

"He only likes you because he's your godfather," said Jenna.

"Even if Snape did know, I don't think he would share that with me," said Harry.

"What wouldn't I share with you, Mr Black?"

The four sixth years turned to see the Potion's Professor standing in the open doorway of his classroom. His arms crossed over his chest, his eyebrow raised.

Harry could have avoided the question, made up something. But even though he didn't think that Snape would be the sharing type, he decided to just ask.

He said, "If you knew whether or not the Chamber of Secrets had ever been opened?"

Snape's face didn't change. He seemed to consider the question for a moment, then said, "Have you come to the conclusion that the Chamber is real then?"

Harry shrugged. "Not completely, but there is always some form of truth in a myth. Otherwise, the story would have come from nothing."

"Very true." Snape stepped back from the door to allow his students to enter. "And to answer your question, I wouldn't know."

The way he spoke made Harry pause. He always trusted Snape because he was honest; he never outright lied to someone's face. He may admit details or simply not say anything, but it was honest if he gave an answer. Mostly Snape's honesty was infuriating because it was normally insulting or rude, but this was just off.

"Who would?" he asked.

The smirk that grace Snape's lips surprised everyone but Harry. Snape didn't answer; he turned and walked into his classroom, leaving Harry to ponder.


Sirius sat on the couch in the Potter's living room. A cup of tea in his hand, he looked across at Lily, who had her head tilted back, eyes closed, and her hand rested on her baby bump. Every time Sirius saw her, the pregnancy glow seemed to shine brighter; but today, there was a distressed look in its place.

It had been only an hour ago that he had been sitting in his own home, sorting through some of the family finances, when an owl arrived from Lily. It seemed there were parental duties and concerns to discuss. There had been no elaboration as to what in particular Lily was referring to, but Sirius figured that it had to do with the boys and the ongoing events at Hogwarts.

Taking a sip of his tea, Sirius enjoyed the warm ginger on his tongue before breaking the silence between them. He said, "How are you feeling today?"

Lily sighed and opened her eyes. "I'm feeling great. Once the morning sickness stopped, the only real side effect is that my clothes don't fit." She rubbed her stomach.

"And the nursery?"

Lily's eyes brightened. "It's almost done; James has been using all his spare time to set it all up."

"That's great." Sirius took another sip of his tea. "Have you heard from the boys?"

The distress returned to Lily's face. "Not as often as I had hoped. I received a letter recently from Harvey yesterday and wasn't sure what to do with it."

Sirius frowned. "What did he say?"

"It was about the current petrifications and his relationship with Ron."

Sirius sighed. He had been relieved when Dumbledore finally decided to explain the situation to the student's parents. It had been three days before that he had received his own letter from Dumbledore explaining the mess. Dumbledore's words had been evasive and reassuring that the students were safe, but Sirius wasn't certain. He had trust in his own son, in Harry, being able to stay out of trouble. But that didn't mean the other students—especially the younger students—were safe.

"It took Dumbledore too long to write those letters," said Sirius.

Lily nodded. "When Remus told me about what Harry had written to you both, I was horrified. Those poor children." Picking up her teacup from the coffee table, she took a small sip. "How can someone be doing such a thing right under Dumbledore's nose?"

Sirius put down his tea and leant back against the couch. He frowned and said, "Remus firmly believes that someone has opened the Chamber of Secrets."

"The Chamber of Secrets?" Lily paused as she went to take another sip.

"You haven't heard the story?"

She shook her head. "No."

"It's supposedly talked about a secret chamber being hidden in Hogwarts by Salazar Slytherin."

Her eyes widened. "That wouldn't be so surprising."

"It goes on to say that he hid a beast in the chamber that could be controlled by his heir to rid the school of wanted—or unworthy—students."

"Who would be considered unworthy to go to Hogwarts?"

"Muggleborns, if you believe the story."

"The two boys that were attacked were they Muggleborns?"

"I'm not certain. I wouldn't put too much stock in that story; no one's ever found anything." Sirius brushed off Lily's concern. The whole myth behind the chamber sounded like a scary bedtime story to scare first years; he could imagine that it was probably something invented by a student a long time ago, and the legend grew.

"You are very quick to dismiss it," said Lily.

Sirius smiled. "Because I can believe that there would have been students at one point wanting to scare someone. And if the story is true, then I'm sure that an heir of Slytherin would have already been to Hogwarts before now."

The look on Lily's face told Sirius that she wasn't so sure.

"Look, whether it's true or not, Harry is keeping a close eye on Harvey and making sure to keep us update."

Lily frowned. "Keeping you updated; I haven't heard from him in weeks."

"Really?"

She nodded. "The last letter I got was in response to my letter about Ron."

"How strange."

"I've wanted to write to him, but I'm worried that maybe he hasn't been coping with my pregnancy as well as he said he was."

"That's a strong possibility."

Lily sighed heavily and fiddled with her fingernails. "I thought that we were in a good place, that we were being honest and open with each other."

"He hasn't said anything to me."

"Would he?" she asked.

Sirius frowned. "Probably not—why don't you write to Fleur? I'm sure she could give you some help."

Lily rubbed the back of her neck. "How pathetic am I? A mother who has to ask her son's girlfriend for help on understanding him."

Sirius offered her a warm smile. "I wouldn't say pathetic. You just need to keep putting in the effort, and one day, you two will get there."

"Thank you, Sirius."

Sirius reached over to take her hand. He gave it a squeeze and said, "You are welcome."

Lily returned his smile before picking up her tea.


From across the courtyard, Harvey could see Ginny smiling as she sat with Hermione. It was one of the few genuine smiles he had seen on the youngest Weasley's face in a long time. After the heartbreaking moment of having her fall apart in his lap, Harvey had been determined to help make Ginny's life at Hogwarts better. He had enlisted Hermione and Lavender Brown; both were aware of the current situation and were willing to keep Draco away from Ginny at all costs.

But there was something that had been nagging at him. Ginny's diary had been returned to her without her ever knowing that Harvey had borrowed it. He had placed it back into her school bag—which had been sitting on the floor beside the couch in the common room—and left it for her to find upon awakening. Harvey had hoped they could go on, and he wouldn't have to tell her that he had tried to pry into her personal thoughts and feelings; his subconscious has other thoughts.

Guilt was sitting heavy in his chest, and no matter how he tried to justify his actions, he still felt the need to apologise to her. Harvey had been on his way to admit the truth when he had seen her smile. How was he supposed to take that away just to make himself feel better? But he also knew that holding onto the truth would probably upset her in the long run.

Harvey made his way across the courtyard to where Ginny and Hermione were sitting. It also seemed they were joined by two others girls, one from Ravenclaw and another from Hufflepuff.

"Harvey," cheered Ginny. "Meet my friends."

Harvey couldn't help but feel glad.

"This is Luna and Ebony." Ginny directed to the girls.

Luna was the Ravenclaw student; she had a dreamy look in her eyes and long blonde hair. Ebony was in Hufflepuff; she had a small smile on her face, but her brown eyes seemed tense as she looked at Harvey up and down.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," said Harvey.

"Aren't you Harvey Potter?" asked Ebony.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Oh, wow." Ebony brushed her hair behind her ear, and a small pink tint coated her cheeks.

Ginny cleared her throat and stood up. "Was there something you needed, Harvey?"

Harvey looked back to the youngest Weasley. "There was actually. Can I talk to you in private?"

Ginny nodded and turned to her friends. "I'll be right back."

Harvey and Ginny walked out of the courtyard toward one of the paths that lead towards Hagrid's hut. Harvey wasn't sure how to start the conversation, but he felt Ginny's curious gaze glancing at him as they walked.

"Everything okay, Harvey?" Ginny asked.

Stopping on the path, he frowned and turned to her. "I messed up."

Ginny reached over and touched his arm. "That's okay; everyone makes mistakes."

"Yeah, but you won't like it."

She frowned. "Me? Why me?"

Harvey scratched the back of his head. His mind was just yelling at him to just say it and get it over with.

"Harvey—"

"I stole your diary and tried to read it."

"You what?" Her eyes welled with tears, and she took a step back. "Why?"

"It was after the incident with Draco; you cried yourself to sleep in my lap, and you wouldn't tell me what happened. I just wanted to know so that I could help you. But it wasn't like I could read it anyway; the book was blank," explained Harvey.

Ginny shook her head as tears spilt down her cheeks. "How could you?"

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

"Sorry? You took my diary." She took off towards the castle, her sobs reaching Harvey's ears as he watched her run.

Everything side Harvey made him want to run after Ginny and comfort her, but that wouldn't be right. He knew it had been the right thing to do, to admit to Ginny that he had taken her diary. Even though she intentions hadn't been cruel, he had still invaded her personal thoughts. Harvey knew that she would need to give her time, so he let her be.

When he walked back into the courtyard and saw Hermione sitting there, he took a moment to explain to her what had happened before making his way back to the Gryffindor common room. At least Ginny would have Hermione's shoulder to cry on.


The statue in front of him stood silent. Harry was trying to find…something. He didn't know what it was that kept him from going to speak with Dumbledore, but it had kept him standing at the entrance to his office for the past fifteen minutes.

Snape had provided Harry with the password, encouraging him to speak with the Headmaster, but Harry wasn't so sure. When his friends had discussed the Chamber of Secrets, he hadn't really intended to find out more, but as the day had gone on and Snape's answer regarding the chamber had his mind ticking away. He knew that Harvey would no doubt be dragged into the situation—not only by his friends—but his determination to keep them safe. It was apparent that whoever or whatever was attacking the students was targeting Muggleborns, and that made Hermione a target. It would be easier for Harry to protect his younger brother if he could work out what they were up against. The more information he had, the safer everyone would be.

Letting out a sigh, Harry stepped towards the statue. "Sherbert Lemon."

The few times that Harry had been into the Headmaster's office over the years, he had never found it empty. The large circular room was void of the Headmaster, but his phoenix was napping on his perch.

Huffing from where he stood, Harry wasn't ready to waste his day waiting for the man to appear, so he turned to leave. But as he turned, he watched Dumbledore step into his office with McGonagall. Both Professors paused at the sight of him and offered him warms smiles.

McGonagall said, "Mr Black, what a surprise to see you here."

Harry said, "I had a question for the Headmaster, Professor."

Dumbledore asked, "Is it an important question? I just need to write a brief letter to the Ministry if you could wait a moment."

He wanted to say no. Waiting wasn't exactly something he liked to do, but Harry weighed the options in his mind. He needed to know if the Chamber had been opened before, and if so, when and by who.

"I can wait," he said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Make yourself comfortable." He walked over to his desk and took a seat.

McGonagall followed the Headmaster over to his desk and let out a sad sigh. "Albus, should we not be doing more?"

Harry frowned, turning to listen, and unashamed when Dumbledore glanced up at him to see him doing so.

"There is nothing more we can do," he said, "the school has been searched many times and not such chamber has ever been found."

"But we can't do nothing."

"We will keep the children safe, I assure you." Dumbledore put his quill back into the inkpot and folded his letter. With a tap, the letter disappeared, and he stood up from his desk.

"I hope you are right, Albus." McGonagall gave the Headmaster a firm stare before turning to leave.

Harry waited until the door of Dumbledore's office closed with a click before he said, "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before, hasn't it?"

Dumbledore paused. "What leads you to believe that?"

Harry sighed. "If we are to believe this legend, that Slytherin hid this chambers in the school—a chamber only his heir could open—then it would be plausible that more than one of Slytherin's heirs has been to Hogwarts since his departure."

"That is a logical thought."

"So has it?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"Why would you need to hide it?"

Dumbledore clasped his hands together and asked, "Mr Black, these matters are for teachers to handle. And while you are a very advanced student, possibly one of the brightest of your generation, you shouldn't be getting involved."

Harry frowned. This was the last thing he wanted, but he had this nagging feeling that things weren't going to go as smoothly as he'd hoped. "I don't want to get involved, but it seems that due to your questionable judgement regarding life and death for the students at this school, I need to so that I can keep my brother safe."

"Harvey is perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

"Is he now?"

"Yes."

"So facing down Quirrell—who was possessed by Voldemort—is your definition of safe. A jinxed bludger attacking him during a quidditch match is safe. An unknown monster roaming around the school and petrifying students is safe?"

Dumbledore's face darkened.

"Has the Chamber been opened before? Yes or no."

The silence was thick between them. Harry wasn't backing down. If this mad wouldn't do the right thing, Harry would.

"It has." Dumbledore swallowed and turned towards one of the large windows. "I was only a Professor when it happened."

Harry frowned; he hadn't really expected an answer. If anything, he thought that Dumbledore would deny all knowledge of it. But it had been opened before; there had been petrifications.

"Did they find the culprit last time?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "They found someone to blame it on, yes."

"Sounds like you don't believe that person was guilty."

"That is because they were not; I did what I could for the blamed party, but I didn't have as much influence as I do now."

"What actually happened last time?" Harry crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I have already told you too much, Mr Black. As I said, let the teachers handle this. If your brother decides to meddle, then tell one of us, and we will make sure that he comes to no harm."

The scoff that came out of Harry made Dumbledore's eyebrows rise. The Headmaster wasn't going to give him anything further. Instead of arguing further, Harry turned towards the door.

"Mr Black?"

Pausing at the door, Harry didn't turn, but he waited.

Dumbledore said, "I refuse to let the past repeat itself."

Harry wasn't sure what he meant, but he didn't respond; he just walked out.