AN: Whoops! Sorry about that folks! We're officially getting to enough chapters that I forget what number we're on! Kind of ironic that I felt this chapter was going to go over a lot of what went over last chapter as well! Hopefully you'll still enjoy. See you next week hopefully!
Harry stood next to the Gargoyle that stood at attention outside Headmaster Dumbledore's office. The creature stared idly at him, not making any conversation despite its ability to. This was fine for Harry, as he was currently trying his best to remain calm. The last time he was in Dumbldore's office, he knew why he was there, it was a planned interview to ensure that he wasn't responsible for the attacks on the students. He could prepare for that, he knew what it was about. This meeting however had not provided him with any such opportunity.
Harry was not a fool, he knew he was going to be asked about what happened in the chamber, but not in what context. Was he going to be punished? Had he broken any school rules? Harry didn't think he broke any, barring entering a girl's bathroom, but it had been an emergency, and it was a then unoccupied girl's bathroom, discounting the late Myrtle Warren.
Harry couldn't dwell on these thoughts much longer, as the gargoyle got up from his post and moved his pillar aside, motioning for Harry to make his way up the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office.
As Harry entered, Dumbldore sat at his desk, his wrinkled hands unwrapping a small yellow candy from its packaging, before motioning to a chair across from him. "Ah yes. Welcome young Harry. I believe we have much to discuss." Dumbledore spoke, no emotion readily apparent in his voice.
Harry walked over to the offered chair and sat, hearing a light poof come from the other side of the room, as Fawkes, still a baby bird, transported himself to Harry's lap. "It seems Fawkes has taken quite a liking to you. A shame he had to have a burning so early, he wasn't due for another few years yet." Dumbledore said, eyeing the small bird that sat on Harry's lap. Fawkes gave a small chirrup, before settling into Harry's robes for a nap.
"You wished to speak with me Professor?" Harry asked, trying to get this meeting over with. If he was going to be expelled, he'd rather not draw out the conversation, just try to make peace with it.
"That would be quite an understatement my boy. It seems you're quite knowledgeable about things even I was blind to in my own school. Let us start with this though, what is this?" Dumbledore pulled out the diary that had a large Basilisk tooth hole in the center of it.
"That is, was, the diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle. The man who would go on to become Voldemort." Harry said, trying to keep his composure.
"How is this diary related to the events of the chamber?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Harry. Dumbledore's expression was one Harry could only describe as focused, but could place no emotion behind it.
"The diary somehow possessed Susan, and caused her to open the Chamber of Secrets, releasing the Basilisk. Tom Riddle intended to use Susan as a means to make a new body and try to take over the world again." Harry said, shuddering to think of what might have happened if someone hadn't intervened.
"I see, I take it you don't know anything about how Ms. Bones retrieved said Diary do you?" Dumbledore asked, a hint of resignation in his voice.
"I believe she may have been given it by Lucius Malfoy." Harry said, resolutely. If he was going to get expelled, he could at least try and get the world to see what Lucius Malfoy had done.
"Why do you believe this to be the case young Harry?" Dumbledore asked, there seemed to be a new emotion behind the focused expression, but what it was Harry couldn't tell.
"When Susan, Hermione, Hannah and I went school shopping for the year, Lucius Malfoy showed up and gave Susan a book on advanced transfiguration. Earlier in the summer I had a house elf named Dobby try to prevent me from coming to Hogwarts this year, saying it was going to be dangerous. Doing some research into house elves, they are only owned by wealthy noble wizarding families, like the Blacks. I believe Dobby is Lucius's house elf, and he tried to warn me about Lucius's plan to force the Chamber of Secrets to open." Harry said, although the why of it didn't make much sense to him. Was Lucius so trusting that the Basilisk wouldn't target his son? It had only attacked muggleborn students, with Luna simply being caught out with two others.
"I see. Onwards though. You told me earlier this year you believed a snake monster was attacking the students, and you seemed to be correct. How long had you known that?" Dumbledore asked.
"Only a few days before I told you sir. We couldn't have been certain it was a Basilisk, but all evidence we had pointed towards that being the case. While I can't say I've enjoyed this experience, I do hope that we can shed some additional light on Basilisks that you can avoid being killed by their gaze if you only see a reflection or refraction of it." Harry said. While if you were alone the difference was negligible, if people were truly worried about Basilisks this was at the very least a precaution they could take.
"Yes, I believe there will be many researchers of Basilisks who would be quite happy to learn of your discoveries regarding the creature. You likely have more hands-on experience with Basilisks than anyone else alive." Dubledore gave out a small chuckle, before returning to his questions. "How did you find the Chamber?"
"Hermione and Luna had been researching how a large creature like that could move through Hogwarts undetected, the castle is big, but not THAT big. They found out that it had been using the pipes to move around. From there, we had also learned that the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, Myrtle Warren, Moaning Myrtle, had died. She haunted that one bathroom, and said she died there. From there I just asked her what was happening when she died, and she said she had looked towards the door from one of the stalls. There was a snake emblem on one of the pipes you could see from there, so I spoke to it in parseltongue and it opened." Harry said, this interrogation was taking a lot out of him. Harry didn't like speaking like this, it was unnerving.
"I see, very interesting. What did you find down there?" Dumbledore asked, he likely already knew what Harry found, but wanted to know more.
"Tom Riddle, as some kind of apparition, the diary he was using to drain Susan's magic, and Susan herself. He later called the Basilisk to attack me." Harry said.
"This is twice you've mentioned the name Tom Riddle, how do you know it?" Dumbledore asked. His gaze, while still maintaining the signature twinkle in his aged eyes, was deeply focused.
"A few places, I first heard the name from Susan, who said that was what the person in the diary called himself. Hagrid mentioned that it was Tom Riddle who framed him for Myrtle Warren's murder in the forties, and then the memory in the diary introduced himself as such." Harry said.
"Interesting. One final question, why did you stab this diary with a basilisk fang?" Dumbledore asked, staring at the book in question. Aside from some wear from age, and the large stab wound in the center, it was in remarkably good condition.
"The book was draining Susan and feeding her magic to Riddle. I thought destroying the book would stop it. The basilisk fang was just what I had to hand, since it had been put through my arm just a few seconds before." Harry's memory of those few seconds was still somewhat shaky, likely due to the pain of the venom coursing through his body. Looking back, he's somewhat surprised it worked. The book had apparently survived some time in the Black Lake, which is an impressive feat, given the merfolk, giant squid, and other magical lifeforms that live in the lake. Plus water damage to paper, yet this book looked like it had been in a library for years, worn, but not damaged. Assuming you ignore the hole in the center.
"Quite. Well, I believe that, along with the memories you provided to Professor Flitwick earlier will suffice in regards to our investigation into this matter. Now we must discuss the repercussions of your actions here." Dumbledore said, his posture straightening. In that moment, Harry would have believed Dumbledore was taller than Hagrid, and certainly many times more intimidating.
"Yes sir." Harry said, defeated. He hoped he would at least get to say goodbye to his friends before they expelled him. Not seeing them again would be the worst part, but he would manage. He'd survived 11 years without any friends, what was 11 more?
"You will be receiving an award for special services to the school, as Tom Riddle had those fifty odd years ago, and his will be silently removed. I believe Ms. Granger, Ms. Lovegood, Ms. Bones, Ms. Greengrass, and Ms. Patil should as well, for their contributions to research towards ending the threat." Dumbledore spoke. "Giving house points seems a paltry reward in comparison to what you've done, and would be unfair given that you are spread amongst the houses."
Harry was dumbfounded. He was certain he was going to be expelled.
"My boy, you've saved hundreds of lives, possibly mine own included, did you believe you were going to be expelled?" Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "While I do not wish for you to continue to perform these dangerous feats without the aid of the staff, I cannot deny that you have done great things Mr. Potter. A first year student taking down a fully grown mountain troll is already a major accomplishment, but only a year later, slaying a millenia old basilisk? That is something few adults could ever dream of matching. Let us hope you do not continue to one-up yourself Mr. Potter. There are few places left to go."
"I will attempt not to Headmaster." Harry said, his face red.
"I'm sure you will." Dumbedore said with a chuckle. At that moment, a wisp of smoke came from his fireplace and caught his attention. "Excuse me for a moment." Dumbledore walked over to his fireplace and acted like he was reading some kind of message. "Ah, pardon me Mr. Potter, but I'm afraid I must send you on your way. It appears as though Lucius Malfoy is on his way to my office for a meeting."
"I see. Pardon me Professor, but may I have that diary?" Harry asked, a plan formulating in his mind. If it worked, he could get some proof, although not definitive, that Lucius had given the diary to Susan.
"It's magic is long gone, so I don't see why not. Collecting trophies now are we?" Dumbledore said with a knowing smile.
"You could say so sir." Harry said, picking up the diary and making his way down the stairs, taking a moment to place his sock in it. "Here's hoping."
Walking down the hall, Harry was almost excited to see Lucius Malfoy walking towards him, Dobby, the excitable house elf that had warned Harry of his impending doom before the school year following dutifully behind him.
"Hello Mr. Malfoy, what brings you here?" Harry asked nonchalantly.
"Hello Mr. Potter." Lucius said, doing his best to hide agitation in his voice. Harry noticed it though. "I have a meeting with your headmaster. It seems as though some dangerous happenings have been going on in the school, and I must discuss them with him."
"I see, oh, I have something of yours I need to return, hold on a moment." Harry said as he pretended to fumble through his robes for something.
"What could you possibly.." Lucius started, but his eyes went wide at the diary in Harry's hands, and took in the hole that had been punched through the center of it. "Give me that!" Lucius almost snarled, and Harry handed it over gratefully.
Lucius took a brief moment to examine the hold in the diary from both sides, before handing it off to his house elf. Just as Harry had hoped. Harry mimed opening the book to Dobby, who did so, though with a confused look on his face. That look faded though, as inside Dobby found a sock.
Harry's earlier research had shown that house elves could be freed from their masters by having their masters provide them with clothes. Harry had devised this loophole with assistance from Hermione, who had found the idea of house elf slavery to be barbaric. Susan, Padma, and Daphne had told her that house elves typically do love to help out around the house, finding immense joy in their work, and only disliked working for masters who were mean or abusive. Malfoy seemed to qualify as both.
"Master has given Dobby clothes." Dobby said, almost as if he himself didn't believe it. "Dobby is a free elf."
"I've done no such-" Lucius Malfoy began to say, as he turned around to see the elf standing with the open book, and a sock in his hand. "You.. you freed my servant." Lucius said with venom towards Harry. Lucius had always been very good at concealing his emotions, and it was only through Harry's experience in reading and recognizing anger that he could determine when Lucius was angry in their other meetings. At this moment though, anyone could tell Lucius was furious.
"I cannot do that sir, only their owner can. I did not own this elf, and now I suppose, no one does, except perhaps Dobby himself." Harry said, in as neutral and cordial a tone as he could manage. The small Harry that lived inside his own head was jumping up and down in joy at his successful maneuver over the elder Malfoy, but Harry couldn't show that.
Malfoy's hand twitched toward his wand, and Harry was about to react in kind, when the gargoyle in front of the stairs to the headmaster's office moved, and out stepped Dumbledore himself.
"Ah, Lucius, I was wondering what was keeping you. I had hoped that you hadn't forgotten the password I had given you to my office." Dumbledore said, his words calming the situation, although if he had any idea there was an altercation about to happen, he showed no outward signs of it.
"Oh no, I had just happened to see Mr. Potter here, and was discussing his… impressive performance." Lucius said, regaining his composure.
"Yes, we owe Mr. Potter quite the debt of gratitude. It is through his actions that will allow us to safely continue our normal operations again." Dumbledore said, giving Harry a small smile. "I shudder to think what might have happened if Mr. Potter hadn't stepped in."
"Yes, let us hope that Mr. Potter is always there to save us." Lucius said, the sarcasm evident in his voice. Despite his incredible control, it seemed even he had a limit.
"I will." Harry said flatly, his eyes glaring up a Lucius. Their eyes met for a second, before Lucius turned away.
"I believe you will need to fill me in on some more of the details of this event, so that we can ensure nothing like it ever happens again." Lucius said, walking with Dumbledore up the steps of his office. The gargoyle closed the stone door he guarded, before resuming his position in front of it.
"The Great Harry Potter freed Dobby." Dobby the house elf said. In the heat of the moment, Harry had forgotten the elf was there."
"I don't know if I'm all that great, but yes. I freed you. I didn't think you liked working for Mr. Malfoy all that much since you tried to warn me about what he was doing." Harry said, kneeling down to be eye level with the elf. This act seemed to surprise the elf greatly.
"No sirs, Dobby did not at all. Misters Malfoy were very mean to Dobby. Forcing Dobby to punish himself over and over." Dobby said, his ears drooping with sadness.
"Well, you don't have to be with him anymore. You're a free elf. You can do what you want. There's some elves that work here at Hogwarts, maybe you can join them." Harry suggested. The books hadn't said much about free house elves, as they were a rare bunch. Elves tended to stick with families for their entire lives, and elven families would occasionally even spend generations with the same family. Freeing a house elf was usually seen as a sign of disrespect in the elven community, but exceptions always existed for those in abusive families, Dobby most certainly qualified for that.
"Dobby's be doing that. If the Great Harry Potter sir evers be needing Dobby, just call!" Dobby said, with a soft pop, the small elf disappeared from Harry's view.
Harry shook his head, he should really learn to stop being so surprised by the events that unfold around him, they seemed to become more and more fantastical as time goes on. Harry dismisses that thought though. If he wasn't surprised by them, they wouldn't be anywhere near as fun. Not that he'd call fighting a Basilisk fun, but freeing an abused house-elf? Getting a one up on Lucius Malfoy? That's fun.
Harry began moving down the corridors that would lead him to the Ravenclaw common room. Despite having apparently slept for three days following his adventures in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is still very tired, he would sleep, catch up with his friends, and girlfriends, in the morning and attempt to return to normal for the final few weeks of classes. Or rather, whatever 'normal' was whenever Harry Potter was involved.