Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC Bailey, her puppies, and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
A Dog's Purpose Is Strange Magic 2 Chapter 30
The conquering heroes emerge victorious.
Not wanting to stay one minute in the Chamber of Secrets any more than they have to Bailey, Brokefang, Harry, Ginny, and Fakes make their way out to where Ron remains stuck with Lockhart in the tunnels. By the time they get Ron has created an impressive opening that he managed to dig out by himself. Lockhart was absolutely no help to him. The rebounded spell from Ron's wand had done more than just a number on him. Lockhart has lost his memory completely. He has no idea who he is or where he is at. Everything that Lockhart is has been whipped clean.
Ron is overjoyed to have his little sister back safe and sound in one piece, having feared the worst.
Now all that's needed is to get out of there.
Fawkes is the one who comes up with the solution. There's no need to compel Fawkes to deliver them to freedom. The intelligent phoenix knows exactly what to do. Fawkes is a hell of a lot stronger than he looks. His physical appearance is deceiving.
Fawkes takes the back of Lockhart's coat and robes in his talons. Despite not being aware of what's going on around him Lockhart complies with instructions to hold onto Brokefang and Bailey. The former reluctantly let the buffoon touch him, receiving the same vibes from him that his mate did. Ron grabs hold of Lockhart's leg with one hand and the one latched around Harry's hand with him hanging onto Ginny.
Fawkes then astounds the group by taking flight with them up the tunnels, bypassing any further debris obstructing parts of the tunnels from the rockfall that would've made the ascending climb even more arduous.
The group exits out the way they came in through Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Needless to say, Moaning Myrtle was extremely disappointed to find them emerge alive. Specifically, Harry. Moaning Myrtle's reaction towards this indicates that she has a crush on Harry much to Bailey's disgust. If there was any food in her stomach now, then she would've thrown up. Ron even makes an offhanded joke that Ginny has competition for Ginny's affections. Ginny is not amused. Even with how upset she is Ginny does appear a touch peeved.
Fawkes was leading the way through the maze of corridors knowing exactly where they all needed to go.
Well, not precisely all.
Brokefang will not be accompanying them. No sooner do they step into an area where they can see the night sky than Brokefang skedaddles. He ambles away from the school after delivering a farewell nudge to Bailey's head with his own. Bailey licks his face and Brokefang ambles away. They'll see each other again when whatever else they have to do is finished.
The place Fawkes leads them to is Professor McGonagall's office.
Oh boy. Bailey can already tell because it's Professor McGonagall of all people that they're going to be in for it no matter what.
It's enough where a tidbit frisson course through those who have seen the woman's wrath at its worst and definitely not something to take lightly under any circumstances. After that little scene they pulled with her earlier she's not going to be happy that Harry and Ron played on her emotions like that.
The likelihood they'd be expelled after all the dangerous rule-breaking, they've done is severely high, unavoidable, but that's what they signed up for when getting into this.
But what's done is done. There's no need to forestall judgment. Best to just accept it as it comes.
Harry knocks and pushes the door open.
Fawkes swoops inside the doorframe leaving Harry, Ron, Ginny, Lockhart, and Bailey standing there frazzled, covered in muck, slime, and in Harry's case blood.
There's a pause and an earsplitting scream sends everyone's eardrums ringing.
"Ginny!"
It was Mrs. Weasley, and her husband Mr. Weasley there with her.
Professor Dumbledore returned while they were gone.
While everyone else stares at them in dumbfounded shock he is beaming at their arrival with glittering eyes. McGonagall is taking great, steadying gaps, clutching her chest. Fawkes settles on Dumbledore's shoulder and as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sprint over to Ginny, Bailey moves passed them to go over to Dumbledore. Barking in pleasure to see him Bailey stands on her hind legs and places her front paws on his chest, wagging her tail in excitement, greeting, and welcome. She's careful not to bowl him over.
Scratching Bailey's ear, chuckling, Dumbledore said "It's good to see you, too, Bailey. I trust you've been looking after them all?"
Bailey woofs, eyes half shutting in pleasure from the scratch Dumbledore is giving her.
Bailey's enthusiasm toward Dumbledore appears to break the ice.
Harry extracts himself from Mrs. Weasley's crushing embrace and then walks over to the desk. He laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddles's diary.
Before Harry is presented with a chance to change his mind, he immediately jumps right into the thick of it. For nearly a quarter of an hour, he spoke into the rapt silence. He told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how the dogs had heard it which confirmed he wasn't imagining random voices in his head, how Hermione finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes all along, how he, Ron, and Bailey, had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died. Most of all Moaning Myrtle had been the victim and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. By the time he reaches the Chamber of Secrets Harry's voice is close to going hoarse from the nonstop talking and not having anything to hydrate his mouth for a while. He then mentions Fawkes and Brokefang's timely arrival and the Sorting Hat conjuring the sword he used to defend.
So far Harry has avoided mentioning Riddle's diary, but it's unavoidable. That part is coming up soon and Ginny knows it.
The whole time Harry is talking Bailey has her head in Bailey's lap where the girl is sitting in the chair her mother had previously claimed. Bailey was sitting there calmly as Ginny absentmindedly pet her head, sniffling quietly in dread as she awaited Harry to reach the part in the story on what Riddle made her do all year. Bailey senses this from Ginny's slight shuddering and the increased heart rate. She licks Ginny's hand telling her to relax and that it's going to be alright.
Dumbledore and Harry share a mutual understanding of this without having to even speak about it. In Times like this Bailey carries a strong suspicion that perhaps the old man can read minds in some way.
Smiling faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles, gently, Dumbledore said "What interests me most is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania."
In a stunned voice, cupping her daughter's free hand in both of hers, Mrs. Weasley said "You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not…Ginny hasn't been…has she?"
Quickly picking up the diary and holding it up where everyone else can see it, Harry explained "It was this diary. Riddle owned and wrote in it when he was sixteen."
Taking the diary from Harry, Dumbledore peers keenly down his long and crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.
Softly, Dumbledore said "Brilliant. Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen." He then turns to the bewildered and melancholy Weasleys. "Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school…traveled far and wide…sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, and underwent so many dangerous and hazardous magical transformations that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."
Bailey will not deny that the version of Lord Voldemort inside the Chamber of Secrets was incredibly handsome, so she concludes that he must've really been desperate in his ambitions for power if he truly took it as far as he did.
"But, Ginny," pressed Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with him?"
Unable to contain her distress anymore, lost in turmoil, Ginny sobbed "His diary! I've been writing in it and he's been writing back all year."
Flabbergasted, Mr. Weasley exclaimed "Ginny! Haven't I taught you anything? What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. Why didn't you show the diary to me or your mother? A suspicious object like that was clearly full of Dark Magic."
Truly if Ginny had done that this entire debacle could've been easily avoided. I would've made a hell of a lot of troublesome hassle nonexistent and saved a ton of grief.
Burying her face in her hands, Ginny cried "I didn't know. I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it."
Bailey whimpers, pawing Ginny's knee, and licking her tears away.
Striding over to the door and opening it, firmly, eyes twinkling down at her in reassurance and gentle kindness, Dumbledore said "Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away. This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards and witches than she had been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice. I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."
Brightly, Ron said "So Hermione's, okay?"
"Yes, and, I daresay," said Dumbledore, grinning in Bailey's direction.
Bailey yips, jumping for joy and chasing her tail at the news.
Dreamer is going to be okay!
Bailey's reaction causes the corners of Ginny's lips to upturn in a small smile.
"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.
Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out and Mr. Weasley followed deeply shaken, unsettled, and partially enraged that this happened to their only little girl.
Out of the four Weasleys, only Ron stayed behind.
Thoughtfully stroking his beard, Dumbledore said "You know, Minerva. I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"
A feast? Bailey is all for that. She licks her chops in anticipation of it. Bailey never had a chance to eat any dinner, so she is quite famished.
Moving to the door, crisply, Professor McGonagall said "Right. I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"
Concurring with her, Dumbledore said "Certainly."
Inside Harry and Ron are praying for any potential leeway that might be allotted to them considering their grand achievement. Quite more than amply.
Although none would be suitable from a professional point of view. Most irregular and covered with impropriety.
Bailey's sympathies are with them.
Brow quirked, Dumbledore said "I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules."
Ron opens his mouth in horror and Harry gulps.
"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," said Dumbledore, smiling. "You will both receive Special Awards for Services to Hogwarts and…let me see…yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor. But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure. Why so modest, Gilderoy?"
Ah, yes. Bailey had forgotten Lockhart was still here.
Ron intervenes, telling Dumbledore about what happened with the backfired Memory Charm. Dumbledore's beard twitches and Bailey can tell he's containing amused laughter at Lockhart's predicament. He then instructs Ron to deliver Lockhart to the infirmary and then have an owl bring a letter to Azkaban to release Hagrid posthaste.
Bailey just hopes Ron doesn't use Errol or else the letter exonerating Hagrid will never reach its destination.
Bailey, Dumbledore, and Harry are now left alone. Both take a seat in chairs in front of the fireplace.
Dumbledore then sincerely thanks Harry. The reason for this is that Harry must've shown real loyalty toward Dumbledore or else Fawkes wouldn't have searched him out to provide aid. They get into how Harry is concerned about how Riddle mentioned how alike he and the younger Voldemort are. Dumbledore does concede that there are similarities between the two but stands by his own assessment that Harry is his own person. And when Harry brings about how the Sorting Hat nearly put him in Slytherin that's where Dumbledore drops his biggest point yet. That Harry chose to be placed in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin. This alone makes him very different from Voldemort and any other Slytherin. He is emphatic that it is a person's choices that show what we truly are, far more than the abilities one has. It is how that person uses them. If Harry requires more proof Dumbledore presents the best part. Dumbledore reaches across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picks up the silver sword, and hands it to Harry. There engraved on the blade is a name he'd know anywhere.
Godric Gryffindor
"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore, simply.
They sit there in silence for a bit of a while as Harry registers all Dumbledore has told him in his head.
Taking out a quill and a bottle of ink, Dumbledore advised "What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast while I write an advertisement to the Dailey Prophet. We'll need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher…Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"
Bailey covers an amused snort with her paw.
Don't they know it?
Harry got up with Bailey and crossed to the door. As soon as he reaches for the handle the door bursts open.
Lucius Malfoy stands there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages was Dobby.
What the devil is Lucius Malfoy doing back here and why is Dobby with him?
Authors Note:
For those of you on fanfiction I'm sure you've been facing the many unwanted ads when you're reading a story. Well, yesterday, I finally had enough, and I got an adblocker app. It worked! No more ads on any level! The one I got is Adblock Pro: Safari Ad Blocker. It really works. Just follow the instruction video that it attached to it.
Heads up everyone there's someone on fanfiction you need to seriously watch out for. Early a couple of months ago after I woke up I was checking my email and I saw I had a new guest review on my A Dog's Purpose Is Strange Magic 2 sequel. I took a look at it and got a very big shock. Some random person I've never spoken to before on here or anywhere else in my life was basically threatening me. Intimidating and practically ordering me to write a threatening letter to someone on their behalf, telling to stay off of for life or else they and everyone else close to them would be killed, disgustingly telling them to kill themselves. And at the bottom of the message this crazy person wasn't done. Warning me that if I don't send the letter then they would kill me and for confirmation to email them to make absolutely sure I complied with their demands. Of course I did nothing of the sort. Instead of doing what they wanted I reported them to the website, sent copies of this deplorable guest review message to police officer cousins of mine so they could have it on file, and I went to a nearby police station and reported it.
When I spoke to the police officers and they checked everything on the message they saw, that while the address and names of business were accurate the people and their names were not. They agree it was more than likely a scam because of the email address on the bottom in order to perhaps get access to personal information or potentially hack my computer. Despite that I'm still very happy they took it seriously as I showed and told them everything. All the same I'm still very happy that I brought this to the attention of law enforcement. Even though the entire thing might be fake I'm still very happy to have brought this to the attention of those who can do something about it if it was legit in some way. This may have been a scam, but it's obvious these people are beyond irresponsible if they try to goad people into sending death threats to random strangers just to get access to info.
Be that as it may if this does unfortunately happen to you do not send any messages to the email addresses they put down and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you bring the message to the authorities immediately whether it is legit or not.
Because it's a guest review it might not be visible for a couple of days as it loads if it is sent to you. But when it does you should definitely pressing the report abuse button and send it to the email that leads to the support staff that is available.
Just a heads up to those of you who aren't aware of this yet, Email alerts for this website are now only active if Email opts is enabled in account settings.
I hope you all like this one! I certainly did while writing it for your vast enjoyment! ;D
For those of you just starting out with my stuff there are other works on my profile that may catch your interest. I highly recommend you take a look as soon as the opportunity presents itself to you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Stay safe everyone. Especially with all of these crazy natural disasters occurring a lot lately due to global warming and climate change everywhere for sure. I swear it's like they're getting worse and worse all the time and it's like officials are simply just ignoring it or pretending it doesn't exist entirely just to go on with their daily lives. Especially those in multi-million dollar companies that rely on certain elements of our planet that we rely on to naturally keep us safe instead of adapting and finding new safer ways to keep in business. There are so many options out there where they can adapt, but they just refuse to see it because all they care about is money. Climate change is altering so much faster than anyone can really keep track of.
So, in light of all this, it is important to live life to the fullest as much as anyone can.
I know I am. ;) See you guys next time.