December 23, 1996
Diagon Alley was bustling with activity. Everyone was moving about, all focused on celebrating the Christmas holidays. There was food and presents to buy, and most everyone looked to be enjoying themselves. A few gentlemen were at their wits ends as their partners dragged them to yet another stop before abandoning them at the entrance when something caught their eye.
Harry was feeling glad to have come without his mother or Fleur to finish his Christmas shopping. The last time Fleur and he had gone shopping together, which was back during the summer, Harry had learned the real reason girls took their boyfriends with them. It wasn't for the quality time; it was to have someone carry all their bags while they went into another store. Instead of picking up Fleur and strolling through the busy wizarding street with the girl he loved, Harry had met up with Carlisle, who had seemed incredibly eager to escape his family.
"I didn't bother to stay to find out. But knowing how her 'baby boy' can't do any wrong, I know I'll get all the blame." Carlisle had been ranting about his mother for the past few minutes. It seemed that the two brothers relationship was continuing to fall apart.
"Did you tell her about what Draco did?" asked Harry.
Carlisle snorted. "I could tell her that the little shit murdered somebody, and she would pat him on the head and give him a chocolate frog."
"I somehow find that unbelievable."
"What part? That my brother would murder someone or that my mother wouldn't care?"
"The part where she would have a chocolate frog."
Carlisle let out a chuckle. "Actually, you're right. She wouldn't."
Harry turned them off the main alley to head towards a jewellery store where he ordered Fleur's Christmas present.
"How are things on your end?" asked Carlisle.
Harry sighed. "It's not exactly boring. The parents are freaked about the attacks, but they haven't really brought it up."
Carlisle nodded and said, "Yeah, my father said the school board is concerned. Apparently, they've been questioning Dumbledore's ability to keep the school safe."
"Well, can't say I'm surprised."
"Hey, did your dad say anything about the parseltongue thing?" asked Carlisle.
Harry said, "He wasn't sure if it ran in our family. I'm going to ask my grandparents when I see them after Christmas."
"The fact that both you are Harvey have the gift is just weird unless the Potter bloodline isn't so light as they make it out to be."
Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I just wish people wouldn't treat him like he's a freak."
Carlisle chuckled.
"What?" Harry asked.
"I just find it amusing that last year, you hated your brother and would have enjoyed tormenting him and now, well, your all protective big brother."
Harry frowned at him. "Shut up."
"I'm just teasing."
"Careful, or I'll tell Amelia that you forgot to buy her a present."
Carlisle pouted and nudged Harry's shoulder. "Don't be an ass."
Harry shrugged and smiled.
"Speaking of special ladies, how's Fleur? You two seemed rather snuggly last time I saw you together."
Harry smiled at the memory. Fleur hadn't seen any of his friends since their day together when they first had sex. "She is great. Everything's been going really well."
Carlisle smiled widely. "You guys had sex."
Harry didn't respond; he just shook his head.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I'm not sharing the details of mine and Fleur's sex life."
"Are you kidding? I talk about me and Amelia."
Harry screwed up his face. Carlisle had a tendency to overshare, but not in a gross way. He just liked to brag about his girl.
Harry said, "Yeah, and I somehow think that Amelia would remove sex off the table completely if she knew how often you talked about it. Besides, it wouldn't feel right to share something like that with anyone else."
Carlisle slung his arm over Harry's shoulders. "You are such a softy."
Harry shoved him away, the two laughing.
"But for real, I'm happy for you, mate."
"Thanks."
After collecting Fleur's present, which Harry placed into his pocket for safekeeping, the boys decided to get some food. They chose a café that was just past Gringotts and sat in the back corner.
"Hey, did you ever ask my father about the chamber?" asked Carlisle, taking a sip of some sugary coffee he had ordered.
"I haven't had a chance. Why?" Harry leant back in his chair.
"Draco was chatting about it at breakfast this morning. He kept making comments about how the school was going to be better off with muggle-borns."
Harry clenched his jaw. "I'm sure your father wholeheartedly agreed." While Harry liked the Malfoys and thought they were decent people – they had always been welcoming and kind to him – he still knew about their Pureblood beliefs. For one, it was lucky that Carlisle had fallen for Amelia, a Pureblood with a family that his parents approved of; otherwise, Draco's meddling wouldn't have been the only thing getting between them.
"He didn't say much, really." Carlisle leant forward. "Except he did go to his office afterwards. I could hear him digging around for something."
"And?" Harry didn't understand why it was strange.
"Well, you know my father. He's a control freak; everything has to be in order. Before I left to meet you, I passed his office, and it was a complete mess."
"What does this have to do with the chamber?"
"It's not just the office."
Harry put down his coffee and looked at Carlisle sternly. "What haven't you told me?"
Carlisle sighed. "After the writing on the wall and Filch's cat happened, my father wrote me a letter. He didn't mention the chamber directly, but he asked if I had taken a black journal from his study. He also told me to find out if Draco had either. Draco said he hadn't taken anything, but I somehow think he was lying about that."
"Why would your father care about a journal? Does he document his crimes in it?"
"I don't know. But ever since then, he's been looking for it, and not just in the annoyed I can't find its way, but in the panicked, this is bad kind of way."
"And you think the diary is linked to the chamber?"
"I don't know, but it seems odd."
It was odd. Harry asked, "The journal, did your father say if there was a name on it?"
Carlisle shook. "No. He said it was black, had golden details. Said it was old."
Harry thought about the journal currently in Ginny Weasley's possession, which Harvey had borrowed and to show him. It was also the same book that Draco had dropped in Diagon Alley at the end of summer.
"What is it?" asked Carlisle. He had been watching Harry as his mind seemed to turn.
"You remember back in the summer when we ran into each other when we were getting school supplies?"
He nodded. "Yeah, Draco was being a shit."
"Draco dropped a black journal, old, worn, with golden details."
"So he did take it."
"Possibly."
"Do you have it?"
"No, Ginny Weasley does."
Carlisle frowned, worry crossing his face. "Harry, my father's thing can sometimes not be the safest things for an eleven-year-old to possess. And the way he's been desperate to find this journal…."
Harry nodded. "I'll go to the Weasley's and get the journal from Ginny."
It was hard to say if the journal had anything to do with the chamber. It is possible that the timing of the journal's disappearance and the attacks were coincidental. Harry only hoped that the journal was nothing more than a book with pages to be filled, but then again, the pages had been blank when Harvey had shown him. Ginny was seen often with the journal open, scribbling down her thoughts at Hogwarts, which meant that pages should have been full. There were spells that could be placed on such an object to make sure that no one would be able to read them without a special code word, but that was magic well beyond a first year.
Remus Lupin lived in his parents home. It was the house he had grown up in and one of the few places where he felt comfortable. The place had been modified – by Remus' father – to handle his underlying hair condition. The basement was spelled and secure to ensure that Moony and anyone else who might stumble upon his home was safe during the full moon.
The house was a small cottage that sat on top of a small hill in the English countryside. The closest neighbour was a twenty-minute car ride away, and the closest town was over an hour. Remus was alone but comfortable being surrounded by miles of empty land.
He had been lying stretched out on his couch reading a book when a knock at his door had interrupted his quiet afternoon. It had surprised him when he opened the door to find Sirius standing there, an uncertain frown on his face – clearly something on his mind. Remus had been under the impression that he wouldn't be seeing Sirius until Christmas morning as December's full moon had unfortunately fallen on Christmas Eve.
"Hey, you alright?" asked Remus.
Sirius shook his head and stepped towards him. He rested his head against Remus' shoulder and took hold of the loose shirt Remus was wearing.
"I take that as a no," said Remus. He stepped back and allowed the door to swing closed behind them. "Is Harry okay?"
Sirius groaned and lifted his head. "I have no idea. I thought I was finally beginning to understand him better like I was able to tell how he was really feeling, but apparently not."
"What happened?" he asked.
Sirius said, "James and I went Christmas shopping yesterday."
"Really?" Remus' brow lifted with surprise.
"Why so surprised?"
"Last time I checked, James hated you."
Sirius shrugged. "Lately, he has been acting a little like his old self; I thought that maybe he had finally forgiven me."
"That's possible." Remus wasn't so sure about that; he knew that James and Lily had been making progress regarding how they both handle the situation. It was more likely James was making an effort for her.
Sirius frowned and said, "I hear a but there."
Remus lifted his hands to take Sirius' and led him to the couch. As they sat down, he said, "That would be because you, James and Lily have never actually talked about what happened."
Sirius nodded, slightly rolling his eyes. "I know that. I actually thought it would be a good idea for us all to sit down and talk. Be adults; clear the air once and for all. I knew that it would probably be uncomfortable but for the best for the future."
Remus nodded. "I agree; it is a good idea."
"Exactly."
"What has this got to do with Harry?"
"I mentioned it to him and Fleur yesterday when I got home, and he got angry. He told me that I should just leave it alone. Why make things worse when it was getting better?"
Remus frowned.
"I tried to talk to him about it, and from what I understood, Harry seems to think that the conclusion of us all working it out will be that we all agree Harry is the reason for our turmoil. That if he didn't exist, we would be happy."
Nodding his head in understanding, Remus wondered how much Harry had actually changed since last year. There certainly were differences in his Godson's attitude and behaviour, but somehow Remus felt that there was still a lot he was keeping hidden.
"I don't know how I can convince him that no matter what led to his conception, I don't regret having him."
"I don't think it's something any of us can convince him of. It is going to take him a long time to understand the difference between you regretting your actions and not regretting his birth."
"What do I do, Remus?"
Rubbing a hand along Sirius' arm, he said, "Maybe it's not something you can do. Maybe he should talk to Miss Winters again."
"You think he needs reoccurring sessions with her?"
"I do. Really I think we all could do with a few."
Sirius' face relaxed at Remus' joke, and he smiled. "Yeah, that's probably true."
Twisting in his seat, Sirius turned to lay back against Remus' chest. Remus settled back against the arm of the couch and watched his partner contemplate what to do. He knew that the previous year had spiralled rather quickly on Christmas day. It was possible that they were all feeling a little tense about the upcoming family day. Remus squeezed Sirius' arm reassuringly and decided that it was probably time for him to sit Harry down and have another talk. He'd probably wait until after Christmas this time.
It had been a long time since Harry had been at the Burrow. The Weasley's home – from memory – was always warm and cheerful, and Harry always used to find himself with Mr Weasley, sneaking another cookie before dinner when his mother was looking the other way. Harry had stopped coming to the Weasley when he was about eleven; there were other things that he wanted to do. The idea of being somewhere he wasn't able to be left alone was never appealing. His mother would take Harvey over to visit the Weasley's, and either James – if he wasn't at work – or Remus would spend a few hours keeping an eye on him.
But now Harry needed to visit the Weasley's, and he needed to talk to Ginny. The only issue was how. It would be strange for him to show up since he had no real friendships with the Weasley children. Percy was in the same year as him, but Harry found him obnoxious. While amusing and good quidditch players, the twins weren't really guys he had spent any time with. So he had to resort to using his brother.
Harvey had been surprised when Harry appeared at the Potter's. Without any explanation, he told Harvey to grab his jacket before dragging him through the Floo, making sure to yell a goodbye to their mother, who had tried to question where they were going as they disappeared. They landed at White Oak Manor, where Harry explained that he needed Harvey to act like he needed to talk to Ron so he could have a chance to speak with Ginny. It was the first time Harry pulled the big brother card, and he understood the appeal when Harvey sighed and agreed to help.
That was how they ended up stepping into the Weasley's living room, being greeted by Mrs Weasley. She gave them both a hug and excitedly shooing Harvey upstairs to see Ron. Harry excused himself to use the bathroom and followed Harvey up the stairs. Harvey pointed Harry to Ginny's room before continuing up another set of stairs.
Harry paused at Ginny's door and knocked.
"Come in," said Ginny.
Pushing the door open, Harry found Ginny sitting on her bed. She had a book in her lap and a small frown on her face. The frown turned into a smile when she saw Harry.
"Harry? When did you get here?" she asked.
Harry returned her smile warmly and closed the door behind him. "Just now. I needed to talk to you."
Ginny nodded curiously. "About what?"
"I wanted to talk to you about the journal that Draco Malfoy dropped in Diagon Alley."
"Oh. What about it?"
"I have reason to believe the journal belongs to Draco's father, and he is looking for it." He didn't want to go into details about how it was possible that the journal he had encouraged her to keep was linked to the chamber of secrets, maybe even full of dark magic.
Ginny frowned. "Oh, I see."
"I think we should return it to him," pushed Harry.
"I don't actually have it anymore."
"You don't?"
She shook her head. "It disappeared out of my school bag on the last day of classes."
Harry frowned. He hadn't expected that. "Right."
"Sorry."
Harry smiled at her and shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm sure Mr Malfoy will understand. I'll explain the confusion, don't worry about it."
Ginny looked down, seeming embarrassed. But she nodded and tried to smile back.
"I better go." Harry turned to leave, but Ginny reached out and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong?" he asked, turning back to her.
"That journal…" she stopped and looked down at the floor before she clenched her jaw.
"Ginny?"
"I think I know why Mr Malfoy wanted it back." She wrapped her arms around herself and sat back down on the edge of the bed. "I should have told someone when I first used it, but he told me not to."
Harry sat down beside her. "Who is he?"
"Tom Riddle."
He knew that name. It took Harry a moment, but he remembered that name being inscribed on the back of the journal.
"How do you know Tom?" he asked.
Ginny bit her lip, then said, "He is in the journal."
"In the journal?"
"Yeah. I started writing in the journal, and he wrote back."
It was a confusing thing to process as Harry and Harvey left the Weasley's. Harry had wanted to question Ginny more about the journal and find out what Tom Riddle had told her, but he didn't have the chance.
Just as she was opening up, Ron started yelling. Harry had to excuse himself and found Ron screaming at Harvey as Harvey rushed down the stairs. After sending a harsh glare Ron's way, Harry followed his brother and found Harvey almost in tears. Mrs Weasley quickly stepped in, scolding Ron from the bottom of the stairs – demanding he apologises – before comforting and apologising to Harvey. Harry decided it was best to leave the Burrow, and leave his questions for Ginny until they returned to Hogwarts.
By the time they arrived at the Potter's, Harvey was stiff.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked.
Harvey shrugged. "It doesn't matter."
Harry grabbed Harvey by the shoulder as he turned to walk away. "Hey, this is me. You can tell me."
Harvey swallowed and frowned. "Ron was just being a prat."
"It sounded like a little more than that."
"I don't even know anymore. First, I was a wanker for not wanting to go chasing stupid stories about some hidden room. Then I was the freak who can speak to Snakes. And now, I'm a glory-seeking loser."
Harry frowned. "Did Ron call you that?"
Harvey snorted. "That was the polite version of what he said."
Harry wanted to kill him. Harvey had always been a pain to him, but they were brothers. It was a bond he had never really understood before all of the events of last year, but now Harry felt the need to stand up for him.
"Can we just pretend that the butthead doesn't exist?" asked Harvey. "At least for Christmas?"
Harry smiled. "Sure. But all bets are off when we get back to school."
