Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? This is it! The final chapter of 'Chamber Under the Girl's Bathroom'. As always, it was such a fun journey to go on with you guys and I'm looking forward to continuing it in the next installment of the series which I'm hoping to get out at the start of the new year. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter and happy holidays to you all!
Like always, I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities.
Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.
Epilogue: The Mystery comes to an End
XXXXXX
Everyone was currently resting in the infirmary as Madame Pomfrey put her foot down and threatened to hex anyone who dared to march them straight to the Headmaster's office right after being checked over by her.
"They need to rest for at least an hour," she sternly stated, "They'll be no use to anyone looking as though they'll keel over at any moment now."
So all the students and Kendra had been chilling in the infirmary, waiting for an hour to go by before they could go to the Headmaster's office, explain everything, and then finally rest from their 'exciting adventure.' The petrified students were in a cordoned off area of the infirmary and the potion that would de-petrify them would only be finished brewing in the morning.
"Come on, Harry. Can you just tell us what happened?" Ron asked, already bored of waiting not even a few minutes into the hour and thus deciding that bothering his best mate for answers would be a suitable pastime.
Harry sighed tiredly. "No, Ron. I don't want to explain everything twice."
Ron did not pout but it was a close thing. "Oh fine, you boor."
Harry smirked amusedly at him. "Are you pouting?"
"No, I'm not," Ron scowled. He then turned his attention to Seth. "So Seth-"
"Don't even finish that sentence, Ron," Seth said, already knowing what the other was about to ask, "I'd rather not repeat myself either." His hands gripped at his knees tightly. "Especially not about something like this."
Kendra pulled him into a side hug that he gratefully leaned into and Ron looked slightly abashed. "Right, sorry."
Seth sighed and shook his head. "It's okay. How about we talk about the chamber instead? I saw that there was a hall that had absolutely nothing to do with the legend at all."
"Oh right! That hall," Ron exclaimed in sudden remembrance, "It was really weird, wasn't it? I don't remember any of the stories talking about a classroom in the Chamber of Secrets."
"That's because they don't," Draco said, "But I agree. It was…strange."
"Why don't we examine the books we managed to retrieve?" Luna suggested, looking at Kendra, "You should still have them right?"
Kendra nodded, pulling her bag around. "Yup," she said as she started pulling books out, "I gotta admit, I'm pretty curious too considering everything you've told me about the Chamber of Secrets."
"Maybe these books will have the answers," Harry said.
Once the books were out, everyone began to carefully sift through them. So far, all the texts seemed to be on spells, potions, and magical theory that was several centuries old and just as outdated. Soon enough, they came across a book that wasn't like the others.
Harry carefully opened it and squinted at the faded text inside the cover. "It looks like…a diary."
Immediately, everyone was on guard and looked at the diary warily as Harry hurriedly placed it back down.
Kendra carefully scooped it up and waved off their protests. "It's okay. I've got a natural resistance to curses and dark magic."
Draco narrowed his eyes in suspicion even as they gleamed with curiosity. "Really? I never knew that was possible."
"You're twelve," Kendra deadpanned, "You haven't seen enough of the world to get to have an opinion about what is or isn't possible yet. And for the record, there is very little that's actually impossible."
She turned her attention to the diary and carefully examined it. Everyone braced themselves for something, anything, to happen, but nothing did.
"Don't worry," Kendra assured them, "It's not charmed or cursed in any way except for preservation against time and wear and tear."
Seth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I can't sense anything dark about it either."
The other students relaxed and eagerly gestured for Kendra to open the diary. They crowded around her to read what was written within only to realize they couldn't and it wasn't just because some of the writing was too faded to be seen.
"What language is this?" Harry asked as he made a face at it, "It looks like English but weirder."
"It looks like ye olde English," Ron guessed, "The kind that's centuries old."
"Anyone know any translation charms?" Seth asked.
Luna and Draco happened to know different variations of one and both cast them in order to change the still visible parts of the text into something that resembled modern day English that they could actually read. As they carefully read through the diary, it became clear that it either belonged to a staff member or student from the era of Hogwarts' Founders.
The first visible entry spoke about Lord Slytherin's return to Hogwarts due to an agreement he made with the other Founders to build a chamber that gave him the space to teach magic to established wizarding families with bloodlines tracing back for generations. The author wrote of how the Founders wished to give every student an equal opportunity to study. However, Lord Slytherin believed that the incoming flood of new blood would only muddy and destroy tradition. Thus he sought to find a way to keep tradition alive while searching for ways that would allow it to evolve into the future.
The next entry spoke of Lord Slytherin's death and the unsavory rumors that were being spread because of it. Many believed Slytherin chose his students based on how pure their blood was and the purer the blood, the greater the magic. Many more spoke of how Slytherin wanted to rid the world of witches and wizards born from muggles. None of those rumors were true at all as the author knew Slytherin to be a man who had good intentions but not so good ideas on how to execute them properly without creating any misunderstandings. The author also wrote of how they found the other Founder's response to the rumors sorely lacking. Of the three, only Lady Hufflepuff seemed to actively fight against the rumors but no one believed her as they thought she was only being kind in not wanting to speak ill of the dead. Lady Ravenclaw could care less about anything that didn't involve the pursuit of knowledge and Lord Gryffindor's horrendous public speaking skills only made the situation worse. The author then went on to criticize all four Founders for dividing what should've been a united community with something as silly as character traits as everyone knew each trait held both its positives and negatives.
Another entry spoke of how students in the Ravenclaw and Slytherin houses were beginning to use the chamber for unsavory and immoral research. The author wrote that one Slytherin student had even brought in a basilisk egg with the intent to see if it could be domesticated. The author couldn't believe the student's stupidity and only hoped that nothing terrible would happen.
The final visible entry spoke of how the remaining Founders were sealing the chamber after the author had exposed the dangerous research being conducted by the students and their plans to use them on their fellow classmates. The author decided that they would leave their diary here in the hopes that the chamber would one day be reopened as the sanctuary for learning it was originally meant to be.
The hospital wing was filled with silence after everyone finished reading.
"What…what does this mean?" Harry quietly asked, breaking the silence.
"I think it means you were right and Tom Riddle was wrong, Harry," Kendra said, "It seemed Slytherin only wanted to keep the old traditions alive and find ways to help it stay relevant for the future while possibly giving students a safe space to learn and experiment whatever they wanted to."
Seth nodded. "Yeah. It sounds like Slytherin was worried all the muggleborns would end up destroying tradition or making it irrelevant or even bring muggles with pitchforks to Hogwarts' doors. The chamber was his solution to all that, even if it wasn't really a good one considering a bunch of students took advantage of his death to start using it for illegal experimentation."
"Which is most likely what led the chamber to become the rumor, legend, and hearsay it is today," Luna concluded.
Kendra sighed and shared a long-suffering look with Seth. "Why am I not surprised that this is the reason why all this bullshit started?"
Seth smiled wryly. "You know what they say. Every conflict in the world has one of, if not all three, as a main cause - misunderstandings, miscommunication, or misinformation."
"But if that's true, then how did Tom Riddle end up using the basilisk to try and kill muggleborns?" Harry asked.
"I think I have the answer," Draco responded.
Everyone looked to him as he was perusing through another journal.
"This is an experiment log for the basilisk. The author claims to be a protégé of Slytherin's and was planning to domesticate the basilisk to accomplish Salazar Slytherin's goal of keeping tradition alive by-" he grimaced, looking as if he'd swallowed something disgusting.
"By what? What is it?" Ron insistently asked.
"By killing all muggleborns who dare to threaten the olde traditions," Draco reluctantly answered.
"Ah," Luna couldn't help but say, "And therein lies the misunderstandings, miscommunication, and misinformation."
"What is going on here? You are supposed to be resting, not studying!"
Everyone sheepishly looked up to see Madame Pomfrey glaring at them in disapproval with McGonagall standing beside her and examining the materials that were spread around them with a thoughtful frown.
"It seems you will need to wait another hour before escorting them, Minerva," Madam Pomfrey said with a frown.
McGonagall sighed. "As much as I would like to, I'm afraid this cannot wait any longer, Poppy. Albus wishes to speak with them now so that they may rest easily after for the rest of the night."
Madam Pomfrey's scowl deepened. "Fine! But you better bring them all back here the moment they are done."
"Of course," McGonagall nodded sharply. She turned to the students, looking so done with her life right now. "Come along now, and bring those texts as well as I will have words with you about how and where you got them along with a lecture about the meaning of rest."
"Yes Professor McGonagall," the students all sheepishly answered in unison much to Kendra's amusement.
XXXXXX
Everyone was gathered in the Headmaster's office and were currently explaining everything to him - what happened in the chamber, how they even got involved in the investigation to begin with, the diary that started it all, and more. By the end of it all, McGonagall's expression was stormy though there was a hint of pride in her eyes while Dumbledore's was carefully neutral to the point where nobody could tell what he was thinking.
"I see," Dumbledore said, expression still neutral, "Well you've certainly gone through quite the adventure. Rest assured that there will not be any punishment, especially for you Mister Sorenson, as it is clear to me your actions were not your own."
Everyone visibly relaxed at that, even patting Seth on the back as if they knew it would all work out even though they were actually worried about the possible consequences that would greet their actions.
"However, I would like to see this diary. May I?"
Harry pulled the diary out of his pocket and handed it over to Dumbledore who carefully examined it. He eyed the two holes punched through its burnt and damp pages with interest.
"Tom Riddle said he made this diary when he was sixteen," Harry helpfully added.
Dumbledore sighed as if this was something he should've expected. "Of course he did. He was the most brilliant student Hogwarts had ever seen in decades. I should know, I taught him myself fifty years ago as the Transfiguration Professor. He disappeared after graduating and traveled far and wide, sinking so deeply into the dark arts that when he finally resurfaced, he was completely unrecognizable. Hardly anyone could've connected Lord Voldemort to the clever handsome boy who was once Hogwarts' most brilliant."
Kendra muttered darkly under her breath. Something about cute boys and psychosis that had Seth snickering which made everyone look at him in question.
"Sorry, it's just, we've had our own experience with clever handsome boys turning out to be evil psychos, haven't we, sis?" He sent a shit eating grin Kendra's way.
Kendra rolled her eyes and refused to dignify him with a response.
Dumbledore smiled in amusement. "Is that so? Well I suppose it's all well and good Lord Voldemort never became enough of a threat that his reach could be felt across the pond. Then you would have had two clever handsome boys with nefarious purposes to deal with."
Seth cackled and even Kendra gave a little chuckle while the others looked lost at the joke that was going straight over their heads.
"Now I'm sure you have many questions," Dumbledore said, addressing everyone in the room, "Feel free to ask them and I will do my best to answer."
For a moment, everyone looked to each other uncertainly. It was clear no one wanted to be the first to speak even if there were questions they were dying to ask.
"Professor," Harry finally spoke, albeit hesitantly as if he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer to his question, "Is it true that Voldemort, Tom Riddle, was actually a halfblood?"
Ron and Draco looked at him incredulously while Luna and Seth looked thoughtful.
"Have you gone mad?" Ron asked his best mate in concern, "There's no way You Know Who wasn't a pureblood."
"Weasley's right. The Dark Lord couldn't have been anything but a pureblood. It's unfathomable to think otherwise!" Draco exclaimed, looking to Dumbledore for confirmation. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't be getting it.
"Alas, I am sorry to say that the answer to Mister Potter's question is yes," Dumbledore solemnly stated, "Tom Riddle, Lord Voldemort, was a halfblood. His father was a muggle."
Draco looked stricken by the admission, as if his entire worldview was falling apart before him which, to be fair, it was. "But- Then why? Why champion the cause of pureblood supremacy with such fervor when you aren't even a pureblood yourself?"
"Even after all this time, I have yet to find a concrete answer," Dumbledore honestly answered. "Tom Riddle was a troubled boy. One who held a terrible grudge towards his muggle father for abandoning his witch mother. That grudge became the belief that his father was too much of a muggle to truly understand the greatness of magic. A belief that has since twisted into the terrible agenda it is today." He sighed tiredly, looking every bit his old age. "There is many a time when I can't help but wonder if I should have tried harder to help him."
Everyone was at a loss in the face of Dumbledore's downtrodden musing. Everyone except Seth and Kendra.
"Don't beat yourself up over it, professor," Seth said, "There's nothing more you or anyone else could've done. You can't help someone who doesn't want it."
Kendra nodded. "It seems clear to me that Tom Riddle made his choice and there's no use in driving yourself insane with what if's and what could've been's."
Dumbledore eyed them with a hint of surprise in his expression. He smiled gratefully at them. "I suppose you're right." Then he spotted Harry with his hands fidgeting restlessly. "Is there something else bothering you, Mister Potter?"
Harry startled at the sudden call out, blushing at the attention as he nodded hesitantly. "It's not really much of a bother really but I am curious about something. Tom, I mean, Voldemort, asked how I was able to defeat him, back when I was a baby, and I suppose I'm really curious about that too."
"I think everyone in the wizarding world is, Harry," Ron remarked, "You were a baby and You Know Who was a powerful dark wizard."
"I heard from my father that it was a highly debated topic back when the news was spread about the Dark Lord's defeat. There were many interesting theories but no real way to prove any of them," Luna added.
Dumbledore hummed. "Then perhaps I could shed some light on the subject. As I'm sure all of you are aware, magic is an unpredictable and strange force that we still do not know everything about to this day. However, we do know that all it takes is the right emotion, right intent, and right situation, for a miracle to come about." He focused his attention on Harry who straightened under his gaze. "In regards to the case of what occurred twelve years ago, a mother's unfathomable love for her child and her desire to defend him even when she could have walked away unscathed, it brought forth a powerful magic that is still protecting you to this day."
Harry, Ron, and Draco were skeptical of his explanation.
"Love? Really?" Draco asked.
"It's magic though so maybe?" Harry said, unsure and looking as if he didn't believe it himself.
"Magic is strange but it isn't that strange, right?" Ron tentatively asked.
Luna hummed thoughtfully. "Who could say for sure? Magic is unpredictable after all."
"Well I buy it," Seth said as if it was an absolute truth, "Love's a really powerful emotion and can do all sorts of crazy magic."
"True love's kiss isn't just a fairy tale," Kendra agreed, "We've seen it work a few times before."
The boys looked even more skeptical at that, still not really buying that 'love' of all things could be powerful enough to stop something like the killing curse.
Dumbledore cleared his throat to get their attention again. "Are there any more questions you would like to ask?"
"I have one, professor," Luna said, "We found these texts within the Chamber of Secrets and we were curious about your thoughts on its contents."
"Oh?" Dumbledore raised an intrigued eyebrow.
Luna took that as her cue to continue and explained everything about what they read in the journals they found, even taking them out to show to Dumbledore who examined the contents carefully.
"I see," he said once he finished, "So this was the true purpose of the Chamber of Secrets." He sighed tiredly. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."
"Why is that, professor?" Luna asked.
"Time is a powerful thing, and a dangerous one to," Dumbledore explained, "Even just a little bit of it is enough to change the image of a cunning and stubborn man with good intentions for those under his tutelage into that of a madman who spouted declarations of pureblood supremacy and muggleborn purging."
He shook his head and clasped his hands on the desk. "Now then, I believe we've spoken for long enough and on some rather heavy subjects as well. You all should return to the hospital wing and get some rest. If there is anything you wish to continue to discuss with me later on, my door is always open."
Draco and Ron took the offered chance to leave, wanting nothing more than to fall into bed and never leave. Luna followed after them at a more sedate pace, her mind no doubt turning over everything she learned that evening. Seth and Kendra turned to go as well but Seth noticed that Harry was lingering behind.
He raised a questioning eyebrow at Harry who only shook his head and smiled reassuringly as he waved for Seth to go ahead. Seth nodded and reluctantly left, trusting Harry to tell him about it later if he really wanted to.
As the group stepped out from Dumbledore's office, they ran into Lucius Malfoy who looked rather incensed. The man's expression turned thunderous once he saw Draco amongst them.
"Draco," Lucius tersely greeted.
Draco tensed, his shoulders almost raising up to meet his ears before he firmly set them back into a perfect posture. "Father."
Lucius looked as if he wanted to say something particularly scathing but decided that now was not the time for it, especially with their 'audience.' "We will speak about this when you are home for the summer." Then he strode past them without another word and entered Dumbledore's office with the door slamming shut behind him.
Draco slumped, the fight completely drained out of him as they began walking down the stairs.
"You okay there?" Seth asked in concern.
Draco sighed glumly. "Not really, no."
"Is it about You Know Who's parentage?" Luna asked, knowing she hit the nail right on the head.
Draco barked out a sharp, sarcastic laugh. "Of course it is. My father, and many other pureblood families, they've been preaching about pureblood supremacy and the muggleborn epidemic for as long as I can remember. And now it comes to light that the very ideas they covet and preach were actually due to vicious hearsay against Slytherin and the ravings of a halfblood lunatic with a grudge against his muggle father."
"In other words, everything you've grown up knowing stemmed from mean girl jealousy and daddy issues," Seth attempted to summarize in a joking manner to ease the tension.
Kendra snorted in amusement and Harry laughed while Ron, Luna, and Draco looked at them in confusion.
"Don't worry. It's a muggle thing," Harry said.
Ron, Luna, and Draco nodded in hesitant understanding.
"Anyways," Seth slapped Draco on the back good naturedly, "Don't worry about it. You heard your dad. You'll get your chance to yell at him during the summer."
Draco smiled wryly. "Of course. And at the very least, I know my mother will be on my side."
Seth beamed. "See? That's half the war won already!"
XXXXXX
Come morning, a grand feast was held of epic proportions that none of the students had ever seen before but greatly enjoyed for it was held in celebration of the slaying of the Chamber of Secret's monster and the de-petrification of all its victims.
Everyone was still in their pajamas and the celebration lasted all the way until noon. There were many highlights to remember about the feast.
The de-petrified students had entered the hall to thunderous applause and cheers. Hermione ignored it all in favor of rushing over to where Harry, Ron, and Seth sat to tackle them into a messy pile. She also waved away any of Seth's attempts to apologize, citing that his actions were not his own and it was all the diary's fault anyway so she didn't hold it against him.
Justin had come over with Ernie in tow to apologize for ever suspecting Harry of being the heir and for spreading such rumors throughout the school. Harry had graciously accepted their apologies but not before Seth gave them a well deserved lecture about not letting fear cloud their judgment and dictate their actions, especially when it came to running their mouths with only conjecture as evidence.
Hagrid turned up at half past ten, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulder for a job well done that they were knocked face first into their still loaded plates.
Draco swung by the Gryffindor table to quietly inform them that his father had been suspended from his position as the school governor with a possible removal still pending. Then he requested of Harry, Hermione, and Ron that they make their temporary and reluctant alliance official. Seth couldn't help but laugh when he saw the serious expressions the four of them sported as they all shook hands in agreement.
Dumbledore awarded one hundred points and a special services award each to Harry, Ron, Draco, and Luna for their daring rescue in the Chamber of Secrets.
And as the feast came to an end, McGonagall informed everyone that Professor Lockhart would be unable to return the next year as he needed to go away and get his memories back. The professors all joined in on the students' cheering that greeted this news.
"Shame," Ron said as he helped himself to one last jam donut, "He was actually starting to grow on me."
XXXXXX
The rest of the term passed by without incident. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few noticeable differences.
Defense against the Dark Arts classes were canceled for obvious reasons.
"Wouldn't matter anyways," Ron grumbled, "We got loads of practice."
End of the year exams were also canceled as a school treat much to Hermione's dismay.
"But I read through all the required readings and my own supplemental materials twice already just to prepare for it!" She moaned miserably.
Seth patted her awkwardly on the back in comfort. "It's okay, Hermione. There's always next year."
That was the wrong thing to say as it only lit a fire within her. "You're right!" She immediately grabbed Harry and Ron by their collars.
"Whoa!" Harry cried out in surprise as he was suddenly dragged away.
"Oi! Where are you taking us?" Ron cried out as he tried to fight against her surprisingly strong hold.
Hermione scoffed. "To the library, obviously. Come along, Seth."
Seth chuckled sheepishly as Harry and Ron glared at him. "Whoops."
And Lucius Malfoy was officially sacked as the school governor. Draco looked understandably torn when asked about the subject so Seth left him alone to give him space to figure everything out.
Before long, it was time for the journey back home on the Hogwarts Express.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seth, Fred, George, and Ginny got a compartment to themselves with Luna stopping by halfway through the journey to say her farewells. They all made the most of the trip by playing many rounds of exploding snap, setting off the last of the fireworks Fred and George bought over the summer, and practicing dueling. Harry was surprisingly very adept at the expelliarmus spell.
Soon enough, the train pulled into the station and everyone was getting off and saying their farewells as they slowly made their way to the barrier. Harry was handing over some pieces of parchment that held a phone number on it to Ron, Hermione, and Seth.
"Just in case a house elf steals my mail again," he said with a grin. Seth barked out a laugh and Hermione giggled. "This is called a telephone number," he explained to Ron who looked confused at the string of numbers, "I told your dad how to use a telephone over the summer. He'll know how to call."
Seth nudged Hermione to get her attention. "Let me know when you and your parents have time to come to the states. I was serious about the invitation to visit."
"I'll be sure to owl you as soon as I know!" Hermione said with a grin and sparkling eyes.
They soon arrived at the barrier but didn't cross over yet as Fred and George looked around the crowd for someone.
"Oi! Where's Percy?" Fred asked in annoyance.
"That boor better not have crossed over already," George irritably muttered.
Ginny giggled and everyone looked at her in question. She grinned slyly. "Percy's with his girlfriend."
Ron gaped in shock. Fred accidentally dropped his bag on George's foot but George was also too shocked to notice.
"What?!" Fred cried out.
"Who?!" George shouted in disbelief.
"When?!" Ron exclaimed.
"How?!" All three Weasleys shouted in unison.
"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," Ginny responded with a cheeky grin, "He was writing to her all last summer. I think they got together before the end of term last year. He's been meeting her all over the school in secret."
"I knew all those patrols during break weren't just for the school's 'protection'," Fred said, feeling vindicated.
"How'd you find out?" George asked with eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"I came across them kissing in a corridor one day," Ginny said with a shrug, "He was so upset when she was attacked you know." She gave them a look. "You won't tease him will you?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Fred promised unconvincingly.
"At least, not without you involved," George tacked on.
Ginny nodded with a smug grin. "Good."
Seth and Harry laughed as Ginny and the twins began plotting the most efficient way to drive their brother insane with their teasing. Ron carefully inched away from them to hide behind Hermione who was scolding the plotting trio for wasting time teasing their brother when they could be studying for the next year instead.
And with that, everyone walked through the barrier together and back into the muggle world.
And scene! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and the ending of it wasn't too abrupt. As you can tell, there were quite a few changes that may or may not be set up for later installments. I don't think the chamber's gonna make its reappearance again until near the end but the lore behind it that I created was something I deemed important because again, you can't just create a giant chamber under the school and not expect even the Founders not to know about it. Especially when the castle probably wasn't as expansive as it is now way back when.
The conversation with Dumbledore is also different considering the new players involved in the chamber rescue. I wanted to give the characters an age appropriate insight into Voldemort/Tom Riddle's fall from grace and rise to evil so they have some food for thought going forward. This is also a continuation of the development of Draco's character beyond school bully/victim of circumstance who never got a chance at redemption in the books/movies and the destruction of the narrative that Slytherin house is the evil villain house. Things are definitely going to be different moving forward now that Draco and the others know about Voldemort's true lineage.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and Chamber Under the Girl's Bathroom as a whole. I've got big plans for Prisoner of Azkaban, mainly that the relationships amongst certain characters are going to shake out differently than they did in canon. Hopefully I'll have the first chapter out by the start of the new year but no guarantees. Until then!