The castle was back to its usual hustle and bustle the next day as the students prepared to return to their homes for the early winter holidays, all too keen on putting the events of the school year behind them. It had been a tense few months since the school year had begun and the attacks started.

As expected, Harry was being given a wide berth as he walked through the corridors toward the Great Hall for breakfast. He was the recipient of awkward glances from most of the student body who had by now understood that he was truly innocent of every wrongdoing he had been accused of throughout the year.

There had been no lack of students who had made the journey to the Trophy Room to truly see the awards that had been handed out the previous night by the Headmaster of Hogwarts, with many intrigued to see the silverware up close.

Harry had merely heard about it, and although he didn't pay much mind to what the students were up to, he sincerely hoped they would not trouble him anymore. He'd been under too much scrutiny in these past few months and he found himself craving the anonymity that he had become so used to during his first year. He would take the peace over this unwanted fame in a heartbeat.

His friends joined him near the Grand Staircase, all making their way through the side alcove that led the way to the dungeons and the basement.

"Mornin'," he greeted as they began walking. His friends greeted him back in kind as they followed suit, all ignoring the glances directed toward them, no matter how grating it had slowly become.

"Yeah, you all should feel shameful," Susan could not help but mutter disdainfully as a few students who had told them how they were not seeing the truth because they were Harry's friends when the attacks had happened averted their eyes and hurried their footsteps, undoubtedly not willing to spend more time than necessary in their presence now that their belief had been shattered.

"Ignore them, Sue," Hannah sighed. "You tore into them nicely last night. There's no need to keep thinking about it."

"What's that about?" Harry asked curiously as they entered the Great Hall and grabbed the closest empty seats they could find. He glimpsed a few first-year students who glanced at them nervously and smiled at them thinly. The young students smiled back in kind and resumed their meals.

Hannah sighed as she slid into the seat beside Neville and glanced at her best friend who was pointedly avoiding looking at anyone. She had busied herself in fixing her breakfast.

"Well?" Harry prompted once again, glancing at Susan for a moment before staring at Hannah once again. The blonde clicked her tongue and started explaining.

It had been a similar sight since the previous night when they had returned to their common room after dinner. Although they had been praised for the points she and Neville had earned as well as Susan's award, the redhead had been less than amused.

"She literally shouted at them," Hannah muttered, glancing at the redhead who didn't react in any sort. "They tried to argue their case… how they thought you were really behind it all because the evidence was against you, the aurors were also investigating you, and how Edgecombe kept shouting all the time that it was you… her crying and all didn't help either… Well, Sue didn't like that. She told them to stop with their pathetic excuses and called them sheep who can't think for themselves, and fickle, and fair-weather people who now thought everything was fine that they'd won a few points and a trophy and that they could celebrate as if nothing happened."

"Don't think they liked it too much," Tracey snorted. "Like them in Slytherin didn't when this one over here was done with them," she nudged Daphne with her elbow.

"Something happened in Slytherin too?" Neville asked in surprise.

"Something?" Tracey snorted. "Oh boy, you've no idea!"

"No need," Daphne hissed from Harry's right but the emerald-eyed wizard was all too interested in hearing what had unfolded the previous night in Slytherin. He nodded for Tracey to continue, and the brunette obliged eagerly, much to Daphne's chagrin.

"Well, she was not as reserved as Susan over here," she began. "You all know by now how Daph can have a crass mouth. Sometimes I have a hard time believing she's really this pureblood lady she likes to act as."

Daphne's face turned red slightly as she recalled the words she had used the previous evening in the Slytherin Common Room. Her behavior had been in no way 'ladylike'.

"Well, she did curse like a sailor last night," Tracey grinned. "Called them piss-sucking arseholes and dumb cock-gobblers, to start with."

Susan choked slightly on the sausage she was eating as everyone whirled around and stared at Daphne who looked entirely unbothered as she poured herself a glass of water, uncaring of the numerous eyes on her, particularly belonging to the wizard directly to her left.

"Malfoy, as usual, decided to put his foot in his mouth. I won't bore you with his unintelligence. Well, safe to say, he'd probably have a permanent mark on his arse after that stinging hex Daph hit him with."

This time, Daphne did glance toward them and all she did was shrug unapologetically.

"He deserved more," she said and resumed her breakfast.

"Oh wow, well… Sue didn't need to cast any spell, if that matters," Hannah interjected, whistling softly.

"Yeah, you 'Puffs are a bit tamer compared to the idiots we have in our house," Tracey nodded, chuckling. "Fortunately for Malfoy, Snape came in and told everyone to get back to their dorms. He did take off some points but we're used to it by now. I'm sure the bloke would've been beaten black and blue if Daph was given a few more minutes."

"And he'd have deserved more of it," Daphne muttered as she munched on the crisp bacon.

Harry merely let out a small sigh.

"Well, let's hope we don't have to bother with stuff like that anymore. I'd really like to have a quiet school year where I can just focus on my practices. All the crap this year… Both my dueling and animagus practices have taken a backseat in the past week or so."

"You did get a lot of practice in when you were hiding away from all of us," Neville reminded him, and Harry pursed his lips slightly at the pointed look on his face.

"Yeah," he said with slight exasperation coloring his tone. "Not enough though. I've only got a few months to prepare for the tournament. Next term's gonna be a bit hectic with everything I've got on my plate."

Neville pursed his lips slightly at how quickly and expertly Harry had weaved around the topic but one look from Hannah quelled him down. They'd had this discussion already, and there was no need to dig it up again.

"Moving on, what are the plans for the holidays? Everyone?"

"Nothing much," Tracey shrugged. "Probably visiting my Mum's folks. That'd be the most we'll be doing, I guess."

"Well, Sue and I will spend it together, like always," Hannah said, exchanging a smile with the redhead.

"It'd be the usual for me as well," Neville replied, shrugging.

"Harry?"

"Well, I've got an invitation this year," he said, glancing at Daphne who, feeling his gaze on her, turned toward him. "It should be intriguing, I'm sure."

The girl bit softly on her lower lip, her entire posture tense, and resumed her breakfast. Meanwhile, Susan glanced over at them with a small frown before quickly averting her eyes when Harry turned toward her. He did not miss the look on her face and he buried the sigh that threatened to escape him. That matter was still fresh.

Truth be told, he was still undecided on the matter and had been trying to keep it out of his mind whenever possible, not that it had come up too many times lately, not since things had worsened for him at Hogwarts. However, now that the issues had been resolved and things were to revert to normal once again, he could not help but feel that this matter would be coming up more than he was comfortable with.

Shaking his head, Harry pushed the topic out of his mind once again and resumed his breakfast. The train was due to leave for London in a couple of hours.

-Break-

The scarlet steam engine billowed clouds of smoke as it pulled away from Hogsmeade Station, carrying everyone home for the winter holidays.

A pensive Harry Potter stared outside the window, watching the snowy countryside passing by. His gloved hand rested over the pocket of his jacket where a certain small black book lay, its weight feeling much more than it should. His friends turned to stare at him with mixed expressions when he pulled it out and placed it on the desk by the window, staring at the name inscribed at the bottom.

TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE

The name was innocuously scribbled on the leather surface but it belonged to a person viler than possibly any dark wizard born anywhere in the past hundred years or so, perhaps even longer.

Harry could not deny that he was curious about the boy who went on to become the Dark Lord Voldemort, and there was this urge he felt to know the person more. He wanted to know his secrets, his experiences, how he became what he did, what sort of undesirable people he had courted, and most of all, how he cheated death.

And try as he might, he firmly believed that the diary resting in front of him held all the clues he might need. Alas, the trouble was in extracting the information he wanted out of it, and he had little idea how to go about it.

"What are you thinking?"

The solemn voice of Susan pulled him out of his thoughts. He shifted his gaze from the diary to his friends, all of whom were giving him curious stares.

Sighing, Harry replied, "What more can we get out of this thing?"

"I don't think that's what we should be considering right now," Daphne said softly. At their curious gazes, she elaborated, "We already know that this thing here somehow contains the conscience of Voldemort himself, right? Now, I don't claim to know too much about these things but I can confidently say that it's an obscure and, dare I say, dark piece of magic at work. Borderline necromancy, even. Only a body is missing."

"There's an old saying in Wizarding circles," Neville began quietly. "That we should never trust something that can think for itself if we can't see where its brain is. We've already done more than enough with this thing, Harry. I don't think you, or anyone else for that matter, should write in it anymore."

Hannah absently nodded, having been told the same thing by her folks numerous times over the years.

"You think something like this diary was controlling Edgecombe?" Susan murmured. "I've still not forgotten how it attacked you when you mentioned that ritual back then," she continued, her concerned gaze directed at Harry who gazed back at her evenly. "It tried to force its way into your mind, right? What if something similar happened to Edgecombe? She found something just like this diary and she was not strong enough to fight against the intrusion? Or Merlin forbid, whatever she encountered ensnared her without even needing to trouble her so much. You did tell us how she never liked you much, and she already had a mean streak, not to mention she was upset with many people for one thing or another."

Everyone sat in contemplation as they thought about what Susan had just theorized.

"One thing is for sure. Whatever happened these past months was all Voldemort's work. He was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets back when he was a student, killed a muggleborn, and framed Hagrid for it. Years later, he used Edgecombe by some artifact like this thing over here to do the same, and this time, he was much more active, probably because he was not personally involved. Three students were comatose, and two died in the end. After which, Edgecombe attacked us and had to flee."

"And even then, she tried to kill everyone at Hogwarts with that Basilisk. That was a reckless choice, more like a last resort," Daphne remarked, earning a nod from Harry. "I don't think Voldemort would've truly tried to attack you. That was too reckless, and it's not like him. So far, everything we've heard about him tells us he acts cunningly. This was almost… Gryffindorish, in a way."

"As the heir of Slytherin, I don't think he'd find that very flattering," Tracey chuckled.

"That must be Edgecombe's reaction to everything," Neville mused out loud. "The school was closing yesterday, so she decided to just be done with it."

"Tell me something," Susan said, staring at Harry. "We're talking so much about this Chamber of Secrets. You even linked it all to this incident that happened fifty years ago with Moaning Myrtle, who nobody even wants to think about. And you said you want to find out this chamber and discover its secrets. How can you be so confident that there indeed is a chamber and that's where everything starts?"

"Where else do you think that Basilisk came from, exactly?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow. "The totem of House Slytherin is a Basilisk. It makes perfect sense that Salazar Slytherin would have one, and considering how big of a legend his Chamber of Secrets truly is, that's exactly where he would house it. Everyone knows about his stance against those he considered of lesser birth. Remember what it says in Hogwarts: A History? That one day, Slytherin's true heir will return and open the Chamber of Secrets to unleash the horror within. The horror being the Basilisk, and the goal? To kill the undesirable students in the castle, which happen to be muggleborns according to this pathetic definition."

"And since this was Edgecombe, she took this opportunity to target people she didn't like," Hannah said softly. "Attacking and framing students she hated while acting like she was mourning so much. The bitch!"

Susan ignored her best friend's words and turned to Daphne with pursed lips. "Those theories are all well and good, but do we have any concrete proof?"

There was a moment of terse silence as everyone stared at the two girls before it was broken by the person sitting silently all this while.

"There is," Harry said quietly. Immediately, everyone turned to stare at him and he glanced up, meeting their eyes and nodding. "I've read about it."

"In Hogwarts: A History," Susan muttered.

"In a book written by Salazar Slytherin himself."

A sudden chill enveloped the compartment that was in no way the work of the snowy winter winds outside. His friends stared at him in utter shock as Harry flicked his arm, summoning his wand out of his holster. He levitated his trunk down onto the floor and opened it. They watched, eyes wide, at him pulling out a book that looked as if it had been spelled to remain in place.

Harry stared at the book for a few seconds before he held it out for Susan who gingerly reached out and grasped it gently.

"It won't bite," he said with slight amusement as she slowly opened it. All his friends leaned closer, apprehensive and eager in equal measure to see it.

"What is this script?"

"If I had to guess… Parseltongue," Harry replied. "That says 'Descent To The Depths by Salazar Slytherin'. It's Slytherin's autobiography that also contains a few spells and other magical arts."

"Rituals. You mean rituals."

Harry nodded at Daphne who gave him a pointed stare while all his friends stared at the tome as Susan flicked through the pages. Harry kept his eyes locked with the blonde, easily understanding what she was asking, and he gave her a firm nod. Daphne gave his thigh a soft squeeze and glanced back at the book, watching Susan leafing through it.

"I don't think any of us will have any luck understanding what it says," she said, reaching out for the book. Susan nodded and let her take it. Daphne stared at the scribbles for a few seconds before she handed it over to Harry who placed it on the table. "Well then?"

Sighing, Harry continued, "I found this book at the same time I got the one I've been learning about dueling from. That one's by Antonin Dolohov, if it matters. Now, I know he's a Death Eater and all, but the man was one of the greatest dueling champions of his generation and the book is really something. There's no need to worry about it just because he wrote it."

His friends took a moment to digest the news and they were a bit skeptical, but they decided to trust his judgment.

"There's no way you'd find something like this in Flourish and Blotts or any other store people mostly go to," Susan said shrewdly. "You went to Knockturn, didn't you?"

"There's a pawn shop called Borgin and Burke's. They buy and sell all sorts of artifacts. They also have quite a collection of books. I took what I felt were worth it."

"No wonder you took this one," Daphne remarked. "Still, what came over you to even think of going to a place like that!?"

"Curiosity, mostly," Harry shrugged. His friends merely shook their heads at his nonchalance, knowing there were numerous adult wizards and witches out there who did not feel comfortable venturing down Knockturn Alley, much less visiting a shop down there.

"Getting back to the matter at hand," he continued as he leafed through the pages until he had the relevant one open in front of him. "Through here are Salazar's own thoughts on events that were happening back then, including his true stance on muggleborns and muggles in general."

"True stance?" Tracey asked curiously.

"Salazar was not the blood purist that the purebloods have been describing him or even believe him as," Harry said and started explaining everything the book stated – how Slytherin had predicted the witch hunts and trials, what his thoughts on everything were, what he had proposed, how the other founders disagreed with him, what finally led to his departure from Hogwarts, and how everything he had predicted had come true.

Throughout his narration, his friends listened in a mix of fascination and shock as their entire belief in the personality that was Salazar Slytherin was altered for good.

"His most controversial opinion was to believe muggleborns and muggles were the same in their mentality," Harry informed. "Salazar thought the muggleborns were so deeply entrenched in the muggle worldview that they could never fully accept the wizarding way as their way to live. He believed if push came to shove, the muggleborns would always side with their muggle counterparts instead of their wizarding brethren."

"It might be true for a lot of muggleborns but it is in no way the norm," Daphne remarked. "Many muggleborns return to the muggle world after graduating from Hogwarts, but it is more because of a lack of fair opportunities and less because they can't accept the wizarding way of living."

"Exactly," Harry nodded. "And that is one thought on which I don't agree with Salazar either. The main matter though is covered here," he said, and highlighted one paragraph, tapping his index finger against it. "Here, Salazar explicitly states that before he left Hogwarts, he left something behind. An insurance to ensure Hogwarts remained standing in case it was attacked by muggle invaders. He says that he built a secret chamber and housed his loyal creature in there for when the day came, and that only he or someone who shared his blood could command the creature. Now we know what that creature truly was, and why it was in the Chamber of Secrets."

"To protect the school, not to kill innocent students," Daphne hissed, seething. "Voldemort desecrated the will of the founder and used something that was meant to protect as a weapon to carry out his vile prejudice. He won't get a place even in the deepest pits of hell."

"I'm always amused whenever I hear that even the magicals have the concept of heaven and hell," Harry remarked casually.

"All human cultures do."

Nodding, Harry continued, "Time passed, and the matter was only settled when the witches and wizards went into hiding. The founders realized that Salazar had been right, but it was too late by then. Too many had died, mostly taken by surprise. Those who were burnt at stakes usually took care of matters by casting the flame-freezing charm on themselves and acting as if they were hurting."

"So much has been lost to history," Susan whispered, her gaze firmly on the yellowed and tattered pages, tracing the patterns even though she couldn't read anything. "Everyone thinks Slytherin was the blood supremacist of the highest order, and the Death Eaters even justified their movement as them carrying out the will of the founder, when in reality, he never wanted to spill magical blood."

"It's a tragedy," Harry agreed. "And I have half a mind to reveal it all to the masses. Publish this autobiography or something."

"You can't do it just like that," Daphne frowned. "If there's one thing the masses don't like, it is to have their opinions challenged so extremely and so suddenly. It would be bedlam once they see their worldview change so drastically. The dark families would be out for blood, seeing it as an insult to their dear founder and his teachings, no matter how vile it all is."

"Daphne's right," Susan nodded sadly. "It's like saying Helga or Godric were dark and wanted to kill muggleborns. Only opposite. The reaction will be violent."

Harry could only give a resigned nod. Sighing, he shut the book and put it back in his trunk, locking and levitating it back up to the overhead rack.

"We can think about this bit later then," he intoned. "What we know for sure is that the Chamber exists and Voldemort as the heir opened it to spread terror across the castle. We have to discover where the Chamber is, and how Voldemort managed to possess Edgecombe to open it when, according to Dumbledore, he should be hiding in the forests of Albania."

He had a pointed stare directed at Susan who, finally fully convinced, relented with a firm nod. Any inhibitions she previously had were now gone and she was as much in this as the rest of her friends. She glanced at Daphne and gave her an apologetic look which the blonde accepted with a nod and an understanding squeeze of her hand, the two girls exchanging a friendly smile with each other.

Sitting by the window, Harry glanced at them and leaned back, closing his eyes with a small smile. Those two might disagree and have a verbal exchange sometimes, but both were mature enough to accept their faults, apologize, and forgive. They were truly great friends, and it was apparent to all of them.

-Break-

The train gradually slowed as the wintery countryside of England gave way to the cityscapes of London. Harry glanced at the diary resting on the desk as his friends readied to depart, and a small sigh escaped his lips. He grabbed it and stowed it in the inside pocket of his jacket, zipping it up, and applied a notice-me-not charm for good measure. It would not do if he somehow lost it to someone.

As the train came to a stop, the bustle of students rushing out into the corridor made them pause and with a sigh, they stood at the door to their compartment, waiting for the pathway to clear.

"You'd think they'd wait for a bit and go out like normal… It's not as if the train's going anywhere, but no," Hannah muttered a bit too loudly. Her remark earned her the glare from an older girl who paused for a moment before she registered who they were, and her footsteps quickened as she walked away. Hannah merely scoffed.

"You're gonna write in that, aren't you?" Daphne asked Harry, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "I know you are."

"And you're still asking."

"Look," she sighed. "I know you're capable of handling yourself Harry, but… this is dangerous. We've already done more than we should've. Still, take care when you do it, and no matter what, don't let it get close to your mind."

"I know, Daphne. You don't need to tell me that," he replied, nodding. The pathway cleared shortly and they made their way out of the train, stepping onto the platform, and slowly walking over near the wall where a series of fireplaces were lined for people to travel.

Harry paused when he felt a small tug on his sleeve and he glanced to see Daphne holding out a small piece of parchment for him.

"The floo address, for when you arrive," she said with a bit of quiet in her voice. His lips pursed, Harry pocketed it, nodding.

"I'll come over on the 24th, as your mother said," he promised. "And yeah, I'll be in time for lunch."

Daphne gave him a small nod as they made their way over to the fireplace and joined the small queue of students already present.

"We can come over someday, right, Harry?" Hannah asked him suddenly, making everyone look at her. "To your home. I bet the southern coast will be much warmer at this time."

"You just want an excuse to look over the sea," Susan said, chuckling when her best friend shrugged.

"I've told you lot that you can come over anytime you want," he smiled. Turning to Daphne and Tracey, Harry flicked his wand and conjured twin pieces of parchments, and quickly scribbled the floo address to his manor. "Here. I'll key you two in when I get home. Feel free to stop by whenever you feel like it. My place is always open for you all."

The two girls accepted the parchment offered with twin smiles and nodded at him.

"See you all soon then," Susan and Neville said one after the other as they stepped inside the fireplaces, and one by one, they all vanished in swirls of emerald flames, appearing in their respective homes within seconds.

Harry glanced around as he stepped out of the fireplace and absently brushed off the soot. A flick of his wand took care of the stasis charm he had applied on everything and he breathed in deeply. It was a temporary measure he had been employing to keep everything clean, and he knew it could not continue for long. There were a lot of tasks that needed to be taken care of on a property as massive as his, and it meant he needed help to maintain it. The wizarding world did not have the concept of humans working for upkeep as the muggle world had. Instead, the wizards used elves to take care of their properties and affairs.

House elves were magical creatures that were deeply devoted to serving the families they were bound to, mostly from a young age. They obeyed their masters' commands without question and often went to great lengths to serve them faithfully.

It was this bond of servitude that a house elf's magic was tied to, and they could use their powers most effectively when carrying out their masters' wishes. It was a shame that being freed from this bond of servitude made their inherent magic significantly weaker to the point where they went into depression and an unsettling loss of being. Their connection to their master gave their lives purpose, and this dependence was used by many witches and wizards to abuse their elves, often treating them as lesser beings.

Harry recalled meeting Dobby, the elf who belonged to the Malfoys, and he had to wonder just how much pain the poor creature must have endured just to carry that message over to him, knowing he was acting against his master's wishes. In a way, he had demonstrated more loyalty to him than his bonded family, and now that Harry knew about house elves and how their magic worked, it made him appreciate Dobby even more. He needed a house elf to help him out, and there was no one else he'd rather have.

However, he was faced with the challenge of transferring Dobby's ownership from the Malfoys to himself, and if he knew anything, it was that people did not like to part with their servants, particularly those who took the abuse heaped on them and kept on working as if it was normal. If it was a decent wizard, perhaps Harry would've tried something, hoping that they would free their elf, but knowing the kind of person Lucius Malfoy was, Harry was confident that the man would kill the poor creature instead.

What he needed was a covert way to carry out this operation - one that would not implicate him. House Elves could be freed if their master gave them clothes of any sort, and as Harry stared out of the window at the overcast sky and the raging sea in the distance, his mind began to cook up possibilities. He needed to resort to trickery in a way that would not implicate him.

A small smirk appeared on his face as he thought about the idea that had just come to him. He had done it once, surely he could do it again.

'No time like the present,' he thought and summoned a parchment and dicta quill. It was time to free an abused little elf and claim him for himself.

TBC.

Check out the link on my profile for early access and more of my work. Chapters 27, 28, and 29 are already up.

Thanks for reading.