And now that the Basilisk and the diary were dealt with, the aftermath.
GINNY X
A sharp but melodious sound came to her ears. Ginny opened her eyes. Her head was turned on her left. The first thing she noticed was an enormous bird with a crimson and golden tail, along with black eyes. It was beautiful. Was she dead? Was she in the afterlife?
As she wondered, she saw a hand and an arm, lying on the floor. There was a strange sharp and white object in the hand. Something like a giant pointed tooth, whose extremity was black. And there was ink on the ground under the hand. And a little black book right next to the hand.
Ginny's heart pumped faster. She sat up, afraid. Tom's diary. She had to get away from it. But then she noticed two huge holes on the diary. And more important, she realized to who belonged the arm and the hand she noticed before. It belonged to someone who was lying face to the floor. The tangled jet-black hair, and the glasses that were visible under his face left no doubt as to who he was. Ginny's eyes caught a huge hole through his arm, from which blood was flowing out and made a pool of blood next to it.
A small sound escaped Ginny's throat. It wasn't a scream. She didn't think she could make one. Instead, it was a weak sound that came out, very acute, but so frail that she herself barely heard it. She put her hand on her mouth in horror. The crimson and golden bird was standing over the arm, and big tears came out from its eyes.
"Harry?" she squealed. She crawled to him but didn't dare to touch him. He wasn't moving. "Harry?"
No, not him. Not him. Anyone but not him.
"Ginny?"
She knew the voice who just called her. She turned to look at her brother. Ron was standing up. Behind him, there was something that looked like the dead body of a gigantic snake.
"Ginny, you're woken up!"
The expression of joy on her brother's face quickly left. Perhaps he saw her crying, or perhaps he saw his best friend lying face down next to her, dead. Ginny felt heavy tears coming down from her eyes. Everything was her fault. She should have told them this morning. She should have told them long before. She should have gone to a teacher, to her parents, to her brothers, to tell them what happened. Now, because of her...
"Hey, Harry!" Ron rushed to her side. He fell to his knees and seized his best friend by the shoulder and the back. "Hey, wake up! Wake up!"
There was no reaction. The bird kept crying.
"WAKE UP!"
A groan. Ginny had dropped down her head, looking at the stone floor covered in ink and blood. She straightened it the moment she heard the groan. And she saw it. His right arm was moving. Ginny realized that the hole in his arm, which was there only a few seconds ago, had disappeared. The skin now looked perfectly intact where the deep wound happened to be a moment before. There was a transparent and heavy liquid on it.
Ron froze for a moment. He heard the groan as well. "Hey, Harry. You're alive?"
Another groan followed. The right arm kept moving, and the left one started fidgeting as well. Harry's head turned to his right. "What... What happened? I..." he whispered.
"I was kind of hoping you would tell me," Ron said. Her brother looked around to the huge snake. "Is that the Basilisk? It's dead?"
"Yes, it's dead." Harry pushed himself from the ground, holding on his knees and hands. "I should be dead too. What...?"
"Well, I'm glad you're not dead," Ron said, obviously relieved, but also not seeming aware of the danger Harry was in. Harry, on his side, didn't seem like he listened. He was looking at the crimson and golden bird, then to the place where his arm was injured a moment ago.
"Phoenix's tears," he said.
"What?"
"I... I think I read about it some time ago. Or maybe it's Hermione who told me. I think that phoenix's tears can heal almost everything."
So this bird was a phoenix. Ginny couldn't tell how glad she was right now. Harry wouldn't die. Ron, on the other hand, looked more confused than relieved.
"What is a phoenix doing here?" her brother asked, looking at the bird with big eyes.
"I don't know. Riddle seemed to think that Dumbledore sent it."
"Riddle? Tom Riddle?" Ron seemed to notice the diary. "What is the diary doing here?"
Ginny looked down. She was still crying. She couldn't bear to look at her brother, nor to Harry.
"Let's first get out of here," Harry said, standing back on his feet. Ron stood up as well. "I'll explain everything to you once we're out of this place."
Ron seemed like he wanted to know everything right now, but he said nothing. He helped Ginny get back on her feet. "Hey, you're okay, Ginny," he told her. "It's over now."
He didn't understand. It was truly over. She would be expelled from Hogwarts, perhaps even worse. She knew that she was doing all those horrible things, and she did nothing to stop them.
"I tried to tell you at breakfast, but..." she began, but she was interrupted by Ron.
"Harry, what are you doing with a sword?" Harry had indeed seized on the ground two wands, along with a silvery sword with big rubies on the handle.
"Later, Ron. I'll explain everything when we get out," Harry said, while giving back her brother his wand.
"But..."
"Later. Let's just say that it's thanks to this sword that the Basilisk is dead."
For the first time since she woke up, Ginny guessed that the Basilisk was the huge serpent lying in the large pool of water nearby, covered in blood, motionless, dead.
"Cool," Ron just said, smiling. Ginny didn't find anything to be happy about this situation.
They proceeded towards two rows of pillars which displayed serpents. Ginny had guessed that they were in the Chamber of Secrets, but knowing this made it look even more frightening and did nothing to reassure her. She was advancing like an automaton, Ron's hand on her back, patting her from time to time as she continued to cry. On their way, Harry went behind a pillar to take something else. He now had a gleaming sword, Tom's diary, and the Sorting Hat. Ginny would have asked herself what it was doing here had she not been thinking about what would happen to her next. Was what she did enough to send her to prison, in Azkaban? Their father had come back from this place once. He was trembling from his whole body. She didn't want to go there. And what about Ron, and all her brothers? Would they have problems too? And their parents? Would they be in trouble?
"What...?" Ron began.
"Later, Ron," Harry said once more. Ron didn't push further. He probably wanted to know what the Sorting Hat was doing here.
The phoenix led the way. They went through the rows of pillars to end in a dark tunnel that was also gleaming in a strange faint green glow. Ginny heard something over her shoulder. A wall closed behind them, the room with the gigantic serpent disappearing behind.
"Ron, can you give us some light?"
"Why don't you... Oh, okay. Right away. Lumos!"
Ron raised his wand, having probably realized that Harry's hands being full with the sword, the diary and the Sorting Hat, he had no way of raising his own wand and producing light. Ron's wand projected a white light that illuminated the tunnel ahead of them, but also projected scary shadows all around. After a moment, Harry produced light with his own wand as well. He had put the Hat and the diary in his pocket, only keeping the sword in his left hand, which left his right hand free.
They progressed slowly, the phoenix still flying ahead of them, crossing the path of a serpent skin, surely from the very serpent they left behind. It was so long, maybe fifteen, even twenty or twenty-five meters. Ginny shuddered. Was it the beast? Was it the beast she released on Mrs Norris, Colin, Hermione and all the others while she was under Tom's influence?
They finally arrived at the end of the tunnel. Well, she wasn't sure if it was really the end of it. There was something climbing up, something that looked like another tunnel, but it seemed quite abrupt, smooth, and without stairs or anything that might help them to climb it.
"Any idea about how we're going to get back up this?" Harry asked.
Her brother shook his head. As for Ginny, she couldn't see any way either, especially not with her mind filled with worry about what was waiting for her up this tunnel.
The phoenix came to fly in front of them, his back turned on them. But he was in stationary flight, and waved his long golden tail feathers.
"He looks like he wants us to grab hold," Ron said, perplexed. "But we're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there. Even if he tries to make a trip with each one of us."
"Wait. I think I remember now," Harry said. "A phoenix can carry very heavy loads."
"You think he can pull all the three of us together?"
"We don't really have another choice, Ron. So, well, since you're the most..." Harry hesitated. Ginny almost found it funny. He was about to say that Ron was bigger and heavier than any of them, which was true. "Since you're the taller and strongest of us all, take his tail. I'm going to take your other hand. Ginny, you..." Harry seemed to be thinking about it. "Well, grab my legs. I think I'll grab Ron's too."
Neither of them seemed quite enthusiastic. Ginny herself wasn't sure at all that a bird, as strong as it may be, could really carry them. Ron tentatively gripped the phoenix's tail within his two hands. The moment he took it, his body was lifted from the ground. Her brother smiled widely.
"Cool!" he said. "It's like I'm weighing nothing."
Harry seized his legs, and just like for her brother, his body was lifted from the floor. "Come on, Ginny. Grab my leg," Harry told her.
Hesitantly, she seized his right one. Ginny immediately felt an extraordinary lightness spreading through her whole body. The next second, they were flying upwards. She made a small scream the moment they rose up, but all fear left her pretty soon. Ginny found that she had no trouble maintaining her grip on Harry's leg. The air was whipping at her face. It was like flying on a broomstick. Involuntarily, a smile crept on her face. She had not felt that good while flying since... since the day she and Harry made the journey to Hogwarts on his Nimbus.
This trip had been long, but pleasant. Despite the long time it took, despite how tired she was at their arrival, the sunburns, the back pain, the stiffness in her muscles, she had enjoyed it. She almost got the impression that she could behave normally around Harry after spending hours behind him on the same broom. But it didn't change anything in the end. And now, as she was grabbing his legs, she didn't feel like she could ever look again in his eyes. He almost died trying to save her. She put everyone into danger.
Before she could realize it, there was a white light ahead of them. They reached the end of the tunnel much faster than she expected to. The moment they left it, Ginny felt whatever lightness she had before leave her, and fell heavily on the marble floor. From the groans of pain ahead, Harry and Ron must have fallen face first just like she did. She raised her head, just in time to see a face she knew all too well, with hair the same color as hers, rush into her.
"Ginny! My dear, you're alive!"
Her mother hugged so hard, it pained her. In the meantime, she heard other voices, and saw through her mother's thick hair that her father was there as well, helping Ron back on his feet, while Mrs Lily was hugging Harry just like Ginny's mother did for her.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt? Your father and I were so worried..."
Ginny didn't reply. She just cried. She was just happy to see her parents again, to be safe, even if she dreaded the explanations she would have to provide later.
"Ah, Fawkes." She heard one of the voices she dreaded to face. Professor Dumbledore was standing not far away. The crimson bird had landed on his arm. "I was wondering where you were. Now I understand."
Ginny also noticed Professor McGonagall next to him, who was looking at the scene with bewildered eyes. She was the first to talk when the joy of their parents at seeing them again calmed down.
"Well, children, I'm glad to see that you're all alive. But you've got some explanations to give. And first, let's close this."
Right when she said the words, the tunnel from which they came from was hidden by a sink. Ginny realized now that they were in toilets. These were the unused toilets where she threw Tom's diary months ago.
"Good thing," the Transfiguration teacher said. "Now, you've got to explain us a few things. But first, how did you manage to escape the Basilisk? Is it still in there?"
"The Basilisk is dead, professor. It's gone."
The professor looked even more surprised, but Dumbledore raised his hand at this moment. "First, I think it would be better to bring you all to the hospital wing. Let Madam Pomfrey take a look at you and make sure you're not injured."
Ginny somewhat felt relieved that the time when she would tell everything that happened was delayed, but it didn't diminish her dread at this moment. A few minutes later, she, Ron and Harry were both sitting on a bed in the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey looking at them.
"Well, Mr Weasley, you were stupefied, but you have no symptoms," the Healer told them. "As for you, Mr Potter, you have several cuts, scratches, bruises, and I can tell from the ripped clothes on your right arm that you sustained a major injury there, but that it was somehow healed by ways I cannot identify."
"I'm afraid the culprit is right here," Dumbledore said here, pointing the phoenix on his shoulder.
Madam Pomfrey looked relieved. "For one time that this bird accepts to heal one of our students. It never wants to let me collect some of its tears."
"A phoenix must decide himself who he wants to heal, Poppy. He doesn't give its tears so that they can be used on anybody."
"I know. I know," Madam Pomfrey said, exasperated. "As for you, Miss Weasley, you're suffering from dehydration. And there's only one remedy for that." She abruptly put a bottle of water on the table next to Ginny's bed. "Drink it. I'll bring you another one once you've finished it."
Ginny realized that indeed her tongue was parched. She took the bottle and started to drink.
"Poppy, please go to the kitchen and tell them to prepare large, steaming mugs of hot chocolate for everyone. I always find that cheers me up," Dumbledore said.
Ginny wasn't sure if she heard well. Did Hogwarts' Headmaster just order the Healer of the school to order hot chocolates? Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to take it very well, but she left nonetheless, obeying the order. However, the moment she was gone, the Headmaster turned to Ginny.
"Now, I realize you probably all went through terrible ordeals during these last few hours and the last thing you want is to relive them, but we need to know how the three of you ended up in the Chamber of Secrets, and how you managed to get out of there alive. Let's begin with you first, Miss Weasley. How were you kidnapped?"
Ginny wanted nothing more but to cower in her corner for no one to ever see her again. Everyone in the infirmary, her mother who sat right next to her, her father standing on the other side, Ron sitting on his own bed, Harry on his own with Mrs Lily by his side, and Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall only a few feet away, was looking at her.
"Come on, Ginny, tell us," her mother told her reassuringly, stroking her hair. Would she still be so kind with her when she learned what Ginny did? Squeezing the bottle of water with her two hands, Ginny whispered.
"I don't know." Well, she did. Or so she thought. But the truth was... "I don't remember. I left the Charms class. Professor Flitwick thought I wasn't feeling well. He brought me to the infirmary and left me in front of the door. I went to open it, and then... I just found myself in a dark cavern."
McGonagall seemed puzzled, but Dumbledore had a very quiet look. "Okay, Ginny," he said. "But you really have no idea how you ended up in the Chamber of Secrets or why?"
She kept crying. How could she tell them?
"It's not her fault, Professor." Ginny never felt so relieved to hear Harry's voice. Everyone now looked at him, which meant they would not look at Ginny for now. "It's this diary. It belonged to the person who opened the chamber of Secrets fifty years ago."
Ginny saw Harry show the diary to everyone else. She was afraid of the time she would have to explain how she committed all these horrible things under the diary's influence. Mrs Lily seized the diary and opened it.
"Tom Marvolo Riddle," she said aloud. "Who is this?"
"Lily, give me this book." It was Dumbledore who spoke. He now had a grave look on his face. He took the diary and examined it under all angles. "Brilliant. So that's how he did it."
"Dumbledore, who is this Tom Riddle?" Mrs Lily asked.
"A former student of Hogwarts. One of the most brilliant this school ever had. The Chamber of Secrets was opened during his fifth year here. I suspected that it was him back then, but I had no proof. He was already a Prefect of Slytherin. He went on to become Head Boy later, received several awards for outstanding academic achievements. When he left Hogwarts, he was offered several positions at the Ministry of Magic, but he refused all of them. He disappeared a few years later, travelled far and wide across many countries. He only resurfaced many years later, under a different appearance and with a different name, after sinking deeply in the Dark Arts. He went to assemble a group of followers around him who shared his ideals of wizards' supremacy, and he began to commit mass murders of Muggles and Muggle-born people, and then of people who opposed him."
Time stood still in the infirmary, as if frozen for quite some period. Ginny was afraid to say something. But slowly, and before Mrs Lily said the words, she realized to her greatest horror from who the diary she wrote in for months could come.
"Are you saying... that this Tom Marvolo Riddle... is Voldemort?"
A wave of winces and grimaces went through the infirmary. Only Harry and Dumbledore didn't react. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Voldemort opened the Chamber of Secrets while he was at Hogwarts. And somehow he found a way to reopen it this year."
Mrs Lily was agape. She looked at Harry. "Harry, how did you get this diary?"
"It's not him."
The words had come out from Ginny's mouth. She hadn't thought about it. But then she burst into tears, and she told them everything. Once she started, she couldn't stop. She told everyone how she found the diary in one of her school books, how she began to write in it and the diary wrote back to her, how she began to lose her memory in the times when attacks happened, how she tried to get rid of the diary, how she ransacked Harry's dormitory to get it back when she discovered he had it, how she ended up in the Chamber of Secrets. She didn't stop crying even for a second while she spoke.
"Ginny!" Her father was angry at her. Ginny couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes, and into her mother's, or anyone's eyes for that matter. She was looking at the floor. "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 his brain. Why didn't you show the diary to me, or your mother? A suspicious object like that, it was clearly full of Dark Magic!"
"I didn't know," Ginny swore. "I... I found it inside one of the books Mom got me. I... I thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it."
No one said a word for quite some time. It was Mrs Lily who broke the silence. "Harry, you had this diary for quite some time. Why didn't you tell me about it? Or to Professor Dumbledore, or McGonagall?"
"When I had it, it seemed inoffensive. I mean, I never experienced memory loss or strange events like Ginny did," he replied. "The only thing the diary did was to show me how Hagrid was accused of opening the Chamber and how he got expelled."
"Wait. That's how you learned that Hagrid got expelled?"
"Yes. The diary showed me how Voldemort arrested him. But I couldn't imagine Hagrid really doing this. That's also why I never talked about the diary. I didn't want Hagrid to have more trouble."
"He's telling the truth," Ron said.
"Well, I have no doubt that you would like to protect Hagrid, Harry," Dumbledore said. "But since Miss Weasley told us how she ended up being controlled by Voldemort, can you both explain how you found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, and how you managed to get out?"
It was Harry who told most of the story. Ginny learned how he and Ron deduced where the Chamber of Secrets was and what it contained, how they entered it, how Ron was stupefied by Tom Riddle, how Harry managed to kill the Basilisk and to destroy Tom's diary. He also said how he only survived because of the phoenix. He even admitted that he and Ron learned that she disappeared by spying on the professors in the staff room. In the meantime, Ginny kept crying against her mother's shoulder.
"Well, let me tell you that your behavior was very careless," McGonagall declared. "Going into the Chamber of Secrets alone, knowing a giant serpent can kill you only by looking into your eyes? You're very lucky to be alive, all of you."
"Well, we did a better job than Lockhart would ever have done," Ron retorted. "By the way, where is he? He was supposed to go down in the Chamber as well, and we never saw him down there."
"I'm afraid that Professor Lockhart... is gone," Dumbledore said. "He seems to have left the castle right after the news of Miss Weasley's disappearance was announced. I'm afraid we must assume that he ran away."
"Gilderoy Lockhart? He ran away?" her mother said, unbelieving.
Somehow, despite all the tears she continued to shed, Ginny found that her mother was the only one surprised about this.
"I'm afraid I'll have to draft yet another advertisement for the Daily Prophet. We're going to need a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, again," Dumbledore said.
"Good riddance," Harry and Ron said together. Strangely enough, no one seemed to contest their comment, not even McGonagall.
"Well, there is still one good thing to get from all this story," Dumbledore resumed. "We can get Hagrid back, now that we know for a certainty that he is innocent."
This seemed to relieve everyone. However, Ginny's mother stood up, leaving Ginny alone on the bed.
"Professor Dumbledore. You're... You're not going to punish Ginny, aren't you? She didn't know what she was doing."
In some way, Ginny felt reassured that her mother wanted to protect her, but she was afraid of the next words the Headmaster would say.
"Molly, older and wiser wizards than your daughter have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort. She already went through a terrible ordeal. There will be no punishment."
Ginny looked up so abruptly that it almost hurt her neck. "I'm... You're not going to expel me?" she asked, uncertain.
"Of course not. Anyway, the Mandrake juice is almost ready. Professor Snape is finishing it as we speak. I would say that within the next few hours, all the Basilisk's victims will wake up. No lasting harm has been done," the Headmaster said on a kind tone.
Ginny burst into tears again, but this time out of joy, and out of relief. Her mother came to hug her once more.
"You know, Minerva," Dumbledore continued, "I think..."
The door of the infirmary violently burst open at this moment. In the doorframe, a man with long blond hair stood. Ginny recognized him from when she crossed his path last summer, at Flourish and Blotts. There was a small creature next to him, hiding behind his dark cape. The creature had big green eyes and ears in the shape of bats, and it wore a dirty white cloth. Everyone seemed surprised or taken aback to see Lucius Malfoy, and no one seemed pleased to see him, Ginny being the last. No one but Dumbledore who spoke pleasantly.
"Good evening, Lucius."
"So." Mr Malfoy looked at Dumbledore, without paying any attention to anyone else in the infirmary. "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts," he coldly accused. Dumbledore was still smiling. In the meantime, the creature that followed Mr Malfoy kept pointing at him and to Dumbledore successively, before hitting itself hard on the head.
"Come on, Lucius. You're not going to blame Dumbledore for coming back when we needed him the most," the Professor McGonagall said.
"It's alright, Minerva. I can explain," Dumbledore said while raising a hand. "Well, you see, Lucius, the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They'd heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed. I'm glad to announce you that they were wrong."
The Headmaster pointed her. For the first time, Lucius Malfoy seemed to notice her presence. He looked very surprised.
"They seemed to think I was the best man for the job, after all," Dumbledore resumed. Mr Malfoy kept staring at her, but also at her parents. "Very strange tales they told me, too. Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn't agree to suspend me in the first place."
Mr Malfoy turned to Dumbledore, obviously furious. "So, have you stopped the attacks yet?" he asked. "Have you caught the culprit?" Ginny had the distinct impression that he shot a very quick glance at her when he said culprit.
"We have," Dumbledore said.
"Well, who is it?"
Once again, Ginny was afraid. Would Dumbledore tell him that she did all this?
"The same person as last time, Lucius," Dumbledore declared. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."
The little creature next to Mr Malfoy kept acting very oddly, still pointing Mr Malfoy, then Dumbledore before hitting himself. Ginny guessed it was a house-elf, then. And then she realized something as he pointed Dumbledore again. His finger was following the trajectory of Tom's diary.
"It was you."
Mrs Lily's voice resonated through the infirmary. She was looking at Mr Malfoy. Ginny never saw her so furious before. Ginny wasn't even sure if she saw her being furious at all once.
"Would you care to explain yourself a little better, Mrs Evans?" Lucius asked.
Mrs Lily retorted in a way Ginny wasn't expecting. "Perhaps we should begin by something you may not be aware of, Lucius. For example, did you know that your house-elf tried to kill my son? Was it on your orders? Because I seem to remember that elves only obey their master's orders."
Mr Malfoy really seemed taken aback by this.
"What are you talking about, Mom?" Harry asked. He looked as clueless as the others.
"Your first Quidditch game this year. The one against Slytherin, when you played against Lucius' son. And that Lucius Malfoy attended. Did you bring you house-elf with you on that day?" Lily asked Mr Malfoy. "Because he came to see me afterwards, and he confessed that he was the one who tampered with that Bludger and made it chase after Harry."
Everyone looked at Mrs Lily, then to Mr Malfoy and his house-elf. Mr Malfoy, after looking shocked, seemed to find the situation quite amusing.
"So, it's about this? A malfunctioning Bludger? And you say that this creature did this?" He looked at his house-elf with disgust and disregard. "I'm afraid you are becoming paranoid, Evans."
"Really? Why don't you ask your elf in this case? I'm sure he wouldn't dare to lie to his master," Mrs Lily stated.
"Very well. Dobby, did I order you to tamper a Bludger to hurt this boy?" Mr Malfoy asked, pointing Harry with his cane.
"No, master. The master would never order such a thing from Dobby," the house-elf answered in a high-pitched voice.
"You see," Mr Malfoy said, a large smile on his face. "I'm afraid you're imagining things, Evans. Perhaps you haven't recovered from your husband's death yet."
Ginny looked at Mrs Lily, who was staring straight at Lucius Malfoy. "Dobby, did you tamper with that Bludger?" she asked. "If you lie, you will be lying to all of us, including your master."
The small elf seemed like he wanted to coil in a corner. Ginny didn't understand. What had the rogue Bludger anything to do with the Chamber of Secrets? Ginny remembered that game very well, but she couldn't see any link.
And then the small elf dropped on his knees and began to cry. "Dobby is really sorry. Dobby never wanted to kill Harry Potter. Dobby only wanted to hurt him enough so that he would be forced to go home."
"What?" Ginny realized she said the word with Harry and Ron at the same time.
"And why did you do that?" Mrs Lily further asked.
"Dobby didn't want Harry Potter to be at Hogwarts this year. Not with everything that was about..." the elf began.
"Shut up, you stupid elf!" Mr Malfoy interrupted.
The elf who was called Dobby stopped talking right away.
"No, Dobby. Continue," Mrs Lily said. Ginny never saw her so threatening before. "Why didn't you want Harry to stay at Hogwarts this year?"
"I said that it was enough," Mr Malfoy stated. The elf cowered. "You are not going to interrogate my servant," he said between his teeth.
"Actually, Lucius, we all want to know." It was Professor McGonagall who stepped in. "Your house-elf just admitted that he tried to severely injure one of our students. This happened on the school's grounds. This is a matter that concern Professor Dumbledore and I now since Mr Potter is a student from my house. So your elf would be better to explain why he tried to harm an innocent kid."
Mr Malfoy sustained the gaze of the Head of Gryffindor House. He stared again at his elf but said nothing.
"We're going, Dobby," he flatly said. He made to the door of the infirmary, and was stopped by words from Mrs Lily long before he reached it. His elf had not moved.
"I wouldn't do this if I were you, Lucius."
"And why is that?"
"Because if you leave, I will report what Dobby just confessed that he tried to harm Harry. I already made a complaint to the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures months ago. They were able to establish that Dobby was your house-elf. And now that we have his confession, in front of several witnesses, that he actually tried to harm my son, and that he confessed you never gave him authorization to use his powers, Dobby will stand trial for what he did. Your name is going to be associated with this. And once the people of the Ministry will have gotten all the information they can from Dobby, your name is going to be sullied and associated with an attempt of murder against Harry Potter, and the opening of the Chamber of Secrets."
Lucius Malfoy looked at her with evil eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about. I ignore why Dobby tampered with that Bludger, but I had no knowledge of it. And I certainly don't know how the Chamber of Secrets was opened this year. I'm sure whoever opened it would be better placed to explain it than I could."
"No, he wouldn't." It was Harry who now spoke. "Because it is you who gave Voldemort's diary to Ginny. You took one of her books while we were at Flourish and Blotts, and you gave it back after you slipped the diary inside."
Everyone was now looking at Lucius Malfoy. Ginny was staring at him as well. Yes, she remembered. He had seized her old Transfiguration book back then, and kept it for quite some time.
"YOU SCUM!"
Before Ginny or anyone else realized it, her father had run onto Lucius Malfoy and punched him in the face. Ginny stared in shock as her father and Mr Malfoy were engaged in a fist fight.
"Arthur, Lucius, stop it right away!" It was Professor Dumbledore, and he sounded very angry. He raised his wand and got the two men separated. Ginny's father nonetheless got back on his feet and tried to rush against Mr Malfoy again.
"Dad!" she screamed.
"Arthur!" her mother joined her. Lucius Malfoy had produced a wand from his cane and was targeting Ginny's father.
"Expelliarmus!"
Mr Malfoy's wand flew in the air, a result from Mrs Lily's spell, while Ginny's father fell back on the floor as if he hit an invisible wall.
"ENOUGH, YOU TWO!" Professor McGonagall thundered. "YOU ARE IN A SCHOOL, AND IN FRONT OF CHILDREN! HAVE YOU NO SHAME?" She had taken out her wand as well, although she only pointed it on Mr Malfoy. In fact, it seemed that every wand in the room was now pointed on him.
"You have absolutely no proof!" Mr Malfoy hissed. "And whatever Dobby says, no one will ever believe the word of a house-elf," he spat.
"Oh, indeed. No one will ever be able to prove you had a hand in all this, Lucius," Professor Dumbledore said, clam bur firm. "Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book."
"Dumbledore..." Ginny's father began, outraged.
"But I encourage you to think very carefully, Lucius. What Mrs Evans says is true. Dobby confessed to his crimes that he tried to seriously harm, if not kill Harry," Dumbledore said, pointing at the elf who stayed away from the events. Ginny almost felt sorry for the creature. It just seemed so miserable. "He's going to stand trial, and it will be indicated who his master is. And if Dobby reveals your involvement in the opening of the Chamber, even if most people don't believe him, they will believe that he tried to harm Harry, and some people will believe him too for the Chamber of Secrets, and even some who don't believe him will talk about it. Your name will indeed be dragged through the mud, Lucius. It was very hard for you to restore your family name after the war. Think about what will be necessary for you to recover from such a humiliation? Imagine the implications for your wife? Or for your son, Draco, who goes to this school? How do you think his comrades are going to behave with him when they learn that his father had the Chamber of Secrets opened? Our caretaker's cat was Petrified. How do you think he's going to treat Draco when he learns his cat was harmed by your fault?"
Dumbledore almost sounded as if he cared for the Malfoy family. Lucius Malfoy was blank like his hair.
"But we could still find a way to avoid all this drama," Dumbledore said. "Lily, would you be ready to abandon your complaint against Dobby? After all, this elf only looks like he wanted to help your son, but he didn't know how to do it because of his master. It cannot be easy to be the personal house-elf of Lucius Malfoy."
Mrs Lily was pointing her wand at Lucius Malfoy as well. She looked at the elf. "Well, Harry is the one who was injured in all this," she said. "My dear, what do you want?"
Harry looked surprised. He looked at the elf, who seemed to be pleading, then to Mr Malfoy.
"Set him free." The words that left Harry's mouth seemed to shock Lucius Malfoy.
"What?" he hissed.
"Set him free. Release him. You just have to give him some clothes. That's how house-elves are freed, aren't they?"
Dobby's ears had straightened up.
"A marvelous idea, Harry," Dumbledore beamed. "A perfect solution to many problems."
"I'm not giving away my servant," Mr Malfoy hissed.
"I think this is only fair, Lucius, and benefitting to everyone. Dobby gets his freedom and is spared the duty of tending to your family forever, and you dissociate yourself from an elf who may soon be facing criminal charges. Though..." He turned to Mrs Lily. "If Malfoy's name is not associated with Dobby, I don't see the point in wanting to have him accused, Lily. Anyway, I think this elf has already suffered a lot through his life, judging from the many injuries he has."
Lily Evans was looking at her son in confusion, but then she looked at the elf, for which her gaze somehow softened, then back at Mr. Malfoy, for which it turned hard again. "Well, I guess depriving him of his servant is already some kind of punishment."
"It's not hard, Lucius," Dumbledore said. "You just have to give him some clothes."
"Give him this." It was Harry, and he sent something towards Mr Malfoy, who received it on the precious robes he wore. With a look of disgust, he threw away the slimy black thing Harry just sent him, then threw it away... right on Dobby. The elf held the black thing that Ginny now recognized as a sock as if it was some kind of treasure.
"The master gave Dobby a sock. The master gave it to Dobby. Dobby is free!"
It was strange to see this elf looking so happy for receiving a dirty sock. Mr Malfoy looked furious.
"Very well. Have it your way," he spat. "I have no need of a servant who disobeys me, anyway." He looked disgustingly at Dobby. Then he straightened himself. "If that is all, I'll take my leave."
"This is not all, Lucius," Dumbledore intervened. "You're going to leave the Board of Governors. Resign from your position. I give this to you as an advice, before the other governors sack you. And you will not be allowed on the school grounds any longer. I ban you from Hogwarts for the rest of your life. And I would advise you to not give out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way in innocent hands, I think Arthur will make sure they are traced back to you."
The Headmaster looked at Ginny's father, who looked ready to kill Mr Malfoy. But the latter instead chose to walk away, recovered his wand on the floor, opened the door and slammed it behind him very loudly, still with several wands pointed at him. Her father was about to go after him, but Dumbledore stopped him.
"That's enough, Arthur. Let him go," he said.
"Let him go?" Ginny's father roared. She never saw him so angry. It was her mother who was angry most of the time. "After what he did? Ginny almost got killed! And what about Ron? And Harry? And the other students..."
"I understand, Arthur, but no good will come out of it if you try to beat down Lucius Malfoy. At least, now we can be sure that he will not try anything against any other student."
"You must be kidding?" Her father still seemed as furious as before. "This is Lucius Malfoy. You really think that he's going to stop? This is not by banning him from Hogwarts and by forcing him to resign from the Board of Governors that you will stop him. He didn't even say that he would leave the Board."
"He will, Arthur. And if he doesn't, the other Governors will make sure he does. Look, Lucius Malfoy has a lot of influence. He now knows what he risks if he tries anything against your family again. This is the best outcome we could hope for. I suggest you spend some time with your daughter now. She's alive, and I think she needs her parents more than anything else."
That seemed to calm down her father. The Headmaster then asked Professor McGonagall to prepare a feast for the students. Madam Pomfrey came back with the hot chocolates, but also with Professor Snape and Professor Sprout, who apparently finished the Mandrake juice and were ready to administer it. Hermione, Colin and the others would wake up very soon. This brought more joy to Ginny than she ever thought possible. Dumbledore then kindly asked Dobby, the house-elf, if he wanted to join the other elves of Hogwarts in the kitchens, saying they could use some help to prepare the feast. The small creature rejoiced at the offer, and ran off right away. Dumbledore then left Ginny with the rest of her family, while he asked Mrs Lily and Harry to accompany him. Ginny looked at Harry leaving. For once, she really was sad, without ambiguity, to see him leave.
Ginny, Ronald and their parents all drank their hot chocolate in silence. Her dad tried to speak about Lucius Malfoy and how he was going to raid his house, but their mother silenced him. Ginny wanted to ask Ron about what happened in the Chamber of Secrets while she was unconscious, some details still remaining unclear for her, but their mother stopped them again. Soon after, the actual rest of Ginny's family arrived. Fred and George, and also Percy, rushed in the infirmary, and each of them hugged her so tight that she thought they might break her ribs. They also hugged Ron. Even Percy, always so formal, seemed to have lost any restraint. Ginny thought he hugged her tighter than anyone else.
Maybe an hour later, after changing into fresh and clean clothes, Ginny and her family went to the Great Hall, where most of the students were already eating, all of them wearing pyjamas. Her parents sat with her and her brothers all the same, occupying a non negligible part of the Gryffindor table.
"We should have left sooner. I'm starving!" Ron said, eating chicken thighs with his bare hands as usual.
"Take your fork and knife, Ronald," their mother said.
"Oh, leave him be for once, Molly. After what they've gone through, we can well let them eat with their hands, for once," her father said. As if to emphasize his point, he seized his own chicken thigh and bit hungrily into it. Ginny almost laughed at the scandalized stare her mother sent him, but after everyone began eating a chicken thigh with their hands, she gave up, though she ate everything she touched with utensils.
Harry and his mother joined them soon after.
"What did Dumbledore want of you?" Ron asked him.
"Nothing important," Harry just waved aside, taking his own generous portions of food. His mother sat next to Ginny's parents, and the three of them were soon engaged in their own conversation. Then Ginny did something she never did before.
"Harry." She talked to him directly. "Can you... Can you just tell me what happened in the Chamber while I was unconscious? I... I wasn't really listening, not all the time, when you spoke about it in the infirmary," she offered as a weak explanation.
Harry seemed... uneasy. She found it odd. "Okay, what is it you want to know?"
"Well, first, how did you find Tom's diary?"
She had a lot of questions, but she was relieved when Harry confirmed that Tom revealed nothing of what Ginny had written into the diary. Tonight, she found it quite easy to speak with Harry. He even asked her if she was interested in trying for the Gryffindor Quidditch team next year. The team was complete, but they would probably still need reservists. Ginny was excited at the prospect. The only thing that hadn't changed was that she could still feel herself blushing several times.
The return of the Petrified students brought great joy in the Great Hall. Colin Creevey was the first to come back. He received a standing ovation from the whole Great Hall and couldn't find anything better to do than to take pictures of it. Nearly Headless Nick was next, a few minutes later, and was welcomed back warmly by the other ghosts. Then it was the Beater from Ravenclaw, who joined his teammates under their cheers. Ginny joined the applauses each time a formerly Petrified student walked into the Great Hall, along with her entire family and Harry. A part of her still felt guilty about everything that happened. She could have prevented that only by telling a professor or her parents, or even Ron and Harry. But she was happy to see everyone alive and well. The best thing happened when Hermione walked into the Great Hall. She ran to Harry and hugged him very tight. She seemed about to do the same for Ron, but they finally only shook hands. Finally, Justin Finch-Fletchley was the last to come, and he first went to shake hands with Harry, apologizing for suspecting him of anything. Then he joined the table of Hufflepuff. Among those who welcomed Justin, a girl with red hair hugged him. Ginny recognized her as the girl who told her that she saw Ginny near Justin when he was Petrified. It had been another opportunity to tell the truth that she missed.
Professor Dumbledore later told them that Gryffindor had earned four hundred points for Harry's and Ron's heroic actions in the Chamber of Secrets. The only house to not cheer at this news was Slytherin. Everyone also cheered at the news that exams were cancelled and that Professor Lockhart resigned from his position as professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts, except for Hermione.
"Shame. He was starting to grow on me," Ron whispered after the cheering, which many other professors joined, was over.
"Who is going to teach us next year?" Hermione asked, all disappointed.
"Dumbledore will find another teacher, Hermione. Don't worry. He always finds one," Mrs Lily said.
"Anyway, it will be hard to find one that is worse," Ron said, earning himself a hateful glare from Hermione.
"I'm not sure, Ron," Harry said. "Quirrell wasn't that better with Voldemort glued behind his head."
"Even Quirrell was better than this idiot," Ginny's brother argued.
"Ron, it's horrible what you say," Hermione told him.
"More horrible than abandoning Ginny? He was supposed to save her, and he just ran away."
Hermione was taken aback. "He cannot... There must be a mistake."
"There is no mistake, Hermione. Ask McGonagall. They told him to find Ginny, and he didn't."
"He must... He must have thought that the Chamber was outside Hogwarts, and he left for this reason..."
"Come on, Hermione. You're just defending him because you fancy him."
"That's not true!"
Ginny then watched a hilarious debate or discussion, whatever it should be called, between Ron and Hermione, who went from discussing potential feelings Hermione had for Lockhart to whether he was a good professor. She ended up making eye contact with Harry, and both burst into uncontrollable laughter, along with most of her brothers.
Hagrid arrived later in the night, when dawn was almost on the horizon. He stopped at the doors when he opened them wide.
For a moment, the whole Great Hall was completely silent as everyone looked at him. Looking uncertain, the gamekeeper said words that no one expected from him.
"Sorry I'm late."
Professor Dumbledore then began to applaud, followed by Professor McGonagall and the other professors. Harry, Ron and Hermione joined at the same time, followed by Ginny and her family, and soon all the Great Hall was applauding Hagrid's return. Even most Slytherins joined the ovation. Hagrid, tears streaming from his eyes, tried to walk through the main alley at the center of the Great Hall, but students had gotten on their feet and were standing to welcome him back. Many wanted to shake his hands. Others climbed on the benches, even the tables. Colin Creevey was taking pictures.
This was by far the best moment of the evening. Ginny would never forget it.
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Next chapter: Lily