And here's the thirty second chapter of "A Year Too Soon"! Enjoy!
* Review Response:
DarkRavie, Yaw6113, Clavyus, The Shadows Mistress, Innortal, Ranmaleopard, nkh1, geekymom, Mateos, mwinter1, deadpool76, , Kragh50, lou2003us, hellfire45, Guest, Yoto (guest), Azazel of the Darkness, thank you for your reviews, folks!
setokayba2n, the situation will be resolved during the coming summer.
TheGreatBubbaJ, Jostanos, nope, not happening. I have some very different plans for both the diary and Pettigrew.
Kuman, Harry doesn't know about the connection and no one who knows thought about asking the ghost. I might bring this up when it's the time to explore the Chamber.
mizzrazz72, jamnaz79, he will soon enough.
magitech, that's actually a very good question, and one that I'm afraid I have no answer. As for investigating Hogwarts... I think I will have it postponed until summer - and given the event that is going to happen in a couple of chapters, there will be a good in-universe reason for the said investigation beyond even the diary-horcrux being smuggled into the castle.
et-reader97, I'm sorry to disappoint, but the basilisk's fate has already been decided.
angel060689, they are to an extent, but having grown up supporting each other rather than fighting each other - 'present' House Carrow isn't the nicest place for a child to grow up in, despite their grandmother's efforts - they agree to share Harry. They most certainly will NOT be okay with anyone else joining.
* AN: As always, great thanks to my friend Skelekitty for his help in polishing this chapter.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.
"speaking"
"parseltongue"
'thinking'
written text
spells
A Year Too Soon
Chapter XXXII: The Diary
His holiday turned out to be as bleak an experience as Harry feared it would be. Indeed, he was forced to stay in the castle against his will and there were barely any friendly faces for him to socialize with. Sure, he was exchanging letters with Daphne, Blaise and, of course, Flora and Hestia almost daily, but it just wasn't the same as talking to them face to face.
At least the Christmas celebrations were there to brighten his day. The elves had once again prepared a delightful feast, but the atmosphere was rather awkward: there were only so many people in the castle, so everyone was sharing the table. That didn't stop the Professors from speaking and laughing almost exclusively among themselves, making the students feel left out.
The morning after was absolutely fantastic though. And why wouldn't it be? - It was time for opening presents! And Harry had received quite a few gifts this year, though most were rather simple: sweets of one kind or another, a fancy quill or even just a greeting card. Harry loved them all and hoped that his friends like the gifts he had sent them as well.
The days that followed, however, were incredibly dull. With his friends away and his homework done, there just wasn't much for him to entertain himself with. Sure, there were many rare tomes about Magic in the library, but for whatever reason he didn't feel like reading anything. Could he have fallen victim to winter blues?
Eventually, though, the winter holiday came to an end, and on the night before the school resumed the students returned to the castle - a moment most awaited by Harry as he couldn't wait to be reunited with his friends.
"Welcome back." The green-eyed teen greeted as Flora and Hestia walked into the common room. "I missed you." He then added while pulling the twins into a hug.
"We missed you too, Harry." Flora said softly before giving him a gentle kiss on his cheek. Hestia followed suit a moment later.
And once again, all was right in Harry's world.
~/ *** \~
Harry was on his way back to the Slytherin common room from the library, where he had worked on his Charms essay. Even though it was late afternoon and the classes were over for the day, there were still a lot of students in the corridors, thus he didn't even notice it when a certain firstie down the corridor slipped into Moaning Myrtle's toilet. But as he himself was walking past the place, his ears picked up a barely-audible sound of a body hitting the floor. A few moments later it was followed by a rather louder sound of stone moving against stone.
The 'Heir of Slytherin' tried to access the Chamber of Secrets and was captured by the trap - Harry had no other explanation to what he had just heard. And while he was quite sure that the Headmaster had some sort of an alarm triggered by this event, he still believed that he should notify the man. Almost as if predicting this, a house elf popped next to him.
"What can Tippy do for young master?" The creature asked.
"Please tell the Headmaster that the trap has been sprung. He will know what it means. And if you can then bring him here, all the better." Harry said. The house elf nodded and disappeared with another pop. A minute later Tippy returned with Dumbledore in tow.
"Thank you for notifying me, Mr. Potter." The man said. "I must have forgotten to add the sound Charm to my monitoring device and was too engrossed in my parchmentwork to immediately notice its activation without that." There was a brief pause, before he continued: "I shall go and see who our 'Heir' is. Mr. Potter, I would suggest returning to your common room."
"No." Harry said firmly. "I'm going in with you, Sir." Noticing the rapidly-changing expression on the Headmaster's face, he quickly explained his reasoning: "I've heard the passageway to the Chamber opening. We should try to close it, and as a Parselmouth, I'm the one most likely to succeed in this task. Also, I don't think it really puts me in danger either: the 'Heir' has been stunned and I will hear the basilisk coming because its hisses will sound like words to me. If it really comes, I might even be able to reason with the beast and make it leave without hurting us." After mulling over his words for a few seconds, Dumbledore gave in.
"Very well. But if I tell you to leave, you will do so immediately." Harry nodded.
"Yes, Sir." Giving him a nod of his own, the aged warlock pushed the door open and carefully stepped into the lavatory. Harry followed him a moment later, and immediately noticed that the sinks were moved out of their usual place to reveal a large hole in the fool and that there was a small red-haired girl lying unconscious on the floor.
"Ms. Weasley?" Dumbledore whispered with genuine surprise. And the young Potter could understand why: not only the girl was a firstie with barely any knowledge of Magic, but she also came from a family that strongly opposed pure-blood views. Furthermore, while Weasleys were probably related to House Slytherin somewhere, the family had produced no known Parselmouths to date. The Potters had no Speakers before him either, and he got the ability from Voldemort's horcrux…
Could Ms. Weasley's situation be similar? - Harry wondered. Then, his eyes picked an old and used leather-bound diary the girl was holding in her hand. It was certainly an odd item for her to take to the Chambers and the green-eyed wizard couldn't help but wonder what was so special about it. And as he got closer to it, he couldn't help but notice an unfortunately-familiar aura of evil oozing from it.
"The diary." He told Dumbledore. "I think it is controlling Ms. Weasley somehow." It didn't look like the older wizard believed him, but he still cast a diagnostics Charm on the diary. Almost immediately his face became marred with concern. He cast a few more, and with each result he got, the frown on his face grew deeper and deeper.
"I believe, you might be right, Mr. Potter." He said after a few moments of uneasy silence. He then conjured a pair of silk gloves and a silk pouch. Putting the gloves on, the Hogwarts' Headmaster took the cursed diary from Ms. Weasley and placed it into the pouch. "This should keep it from affecting anyone, at least for a short while." The man said. "Now." He continued after a few moments. "I believe you wanted to try to close the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Mr. Potter. The floor is yours."
"Is the trap no longer active? I'd rather not be stunned." Harry asked.
"The ward was set to release a single area-of-effect stunner upon being triggered. It should not be active anymore, you have nothing to worry about." Nodding, Harry walked up to the tunnel's mouth and paused, trying to come up with a plausible pass-phrase to close it. After not coming up with anything for a little while, he decided to just make a wild guess.
"Close." He hissed in Parseltongue. Much to his surprise, this worked and the sinks slid back to their proper places, neatly sealing the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. "That simple?" Harry wondered out aloud. Then again, the pass-phrase to close the passageway should reasonably be short and simple. The one to open it, on the other hand…
"Well…" Dumbledore said. "I guess this means I won't have to put a ward to keep the curious students from trying to enter the Chamber..." There was a brief pause, before he continued. "I have a few questions that I would like you to answer for me, Mr. Potter. Please wait for me in my office - the password is 'Sherbet Lemon' - while I bring Ms. Weasley to the Hospital wing." Harry nodded.
"Alright, Sir."
For someone well over a century old, Dumbledore was surprisingly spy, Harry had to admit. Or there was some secret passage that allowed the man to move quickly from one part of the castle to another… Either way, the Headmaster arrived at his office only a couple of minutes after Harry himself did, despite having to make a detour to Madam Pomfrey's domain.
"You said you wanted to ask me some questions, Sir?" The young Potter asked once Dumbledore took a seat behind his table.
"Yes." The man replied as he took the diary out of the pouch. "I was able to confirm that Ms. Weasley was indeed… shall we say, possessed by this diary. I would like to know how you recognized that without using even a single Charm." The Hogwarts' Headmaster said, looking straight at Harry with the usual twinkling completely absent from his eyes.
"I…" The green-eyed wizard began. "I've come across something much similar to this diary not long ago. I don't think I'll be able to forget what it felt like." He admitted. Dumbledore didn't look very pleased to hear that.
"When did it happen and what that object was?" The old warlock asked, almost demanded. Deciding that concealing it would not be a wise move, Harry told him the truth.
"It happened this summer, and the object in question was a horcrux." Whatever Dumbledore had been expecting to hear, it certainly wasn't this. Still, it took the man only a few moments to recover from this surprise and continue with the 'interrogation'.
"Where did you learn this word?" Dumbledore asked, his voice dangerous and carrying a promise of pain if he didn't like the answer. It took Harry nearly all of his strength to actually speak while under the effects of the Headmaster's powerful aura.
"The Curse-Breaker… told me when he… examined my scar… The horcrux was there… Removed and destroyed it last summer." This seemed to pacify the man somewhat, enough to let Harry not struggle under the weight of his glare at least. Meanwhile Dumbledore matched what his student just told him against the story that Madam Bones gave him when she suddenly produced a proof that Voldemort had used horcruxes to cheat Death. It was now clear to him where Amelia got her info.
"You were the one who told Madam Bones about Voldemort's horcruxes, anonymously." He stated. The young Potter could only nod in response. There was a rather long pause, before the Headmaster spoke again: "I guess, I should thank you for that. This information was quite helpful in determining how to combat, if not prevent, Voldemort's return." He made another pause, before continuing: "Still, I'm very disappointed that you acted rashly and didn't consult anyone before subjecting yourself to an extremely dangerous ritual with unknown consequences..." This triggered Harry.
"Excuse me." The younger wizard said forcefully. "I've had a piece of Voldemort stuck in my head. Not only it was keeping him in this world, but there also was a danger of it corrupting me or outright turning me into Dark Lord's new body. And you're saying I should've wasted time talking? I was presented with an opportunity to free myself from that abomination, and I took it!" His outburst caught Dumbledore by surprise, but the man quickly recovered.
"Be as it may,.." The old warlock said. "You haven't thought about conferring with an experienced and trustworthy adult and rashly underwent an unknown and dangerous ritual. It is yet another proof that you lack maturity to be trusted to look after yourself and I was right in my decision to keep you at Hogwarts for your own safety. If it wasn't for the good you did by destroying the horcrux, I'd have taken away your privilege to visit Hogsmeade until graduation. You clearly are a danger to yourself without supervision." Harry leveled a glare at the man, but it seemed to have no effect. Tense silence fell over the room. After a few long seconds Dumbledore broke it: "At least tell me that your Curse-Breaker will keep the existence of Voldemort's horcruxes a secret."
"They can be trusted not to spread this knowledge." Harry replied a bit evasively.
"And who are they?" The Headmaster pressed.
"The Goblins." The man's relief upon hearing this was plain as day: whatever else might be said about the goblins, they were good at was keeping their customers' secrets…
"And have you told anyone other than Madam Bones about the horcruxes?" Dumbledore continued with his questioning. Not getting an immediate answer from, he demanded. "Who else did you tell?"
"Salazar Slytherin's portrait." Harry told him. "He was the one whose advice led to the horcrux's discovery." The old warlock breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful that the boy's hasty actions haven't resulted in any Death Eaters learning that the Dark Lord was still around.
"Good." He said. "Make sure this knowledge remains a secret."
"Of course." Harry promised.
"In that case, if there is nothing else, you're free to go, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore said, while reaching for a stone bowl filled with strange, ghostly-while 'liquid'. He then pressed his wand to his temple and pulled a whitish strand of ...something out of his head.
"What are you doing, Sir?" Harry asked, stopping just a couple of steps away from the door.
"There are some things that I need not to forget. Placing those memories into a pensieve lets me review then later." The Hogwarts' Headmaster explained.
"So you can store memories somewhere other than in your head?" The young Potter said, hoping that this would be his chance to show the man what Lockhart's DADA lessons really were. "Can someone else view your memories in a pensieve?" Dumbledore nodded.
"I take it, you have a memory you would like to share?"
"Yes." Harry confirmed. There was a short pause, during which he retook 'his' seat across the table from the Headmaster. "How do I pull out a memory from my head? And will it make me forget it?"
"No, you will not forget that memory completely, though it might become a little bit fuzzier." The aged warlock replied. "As for how you can extract a memory… Well… There is no incantation or actual spell involved. You just press the tip of your wand to you temple and concentrate on the memory you want to draw out. Simply will that memory to stick to your wand and as you pull it away, the memory should follow it." It took Harry a few attempts, but eventually he managed to successfully pull out the memory he wanted to show to the Headmaster. "Please put it here." Dumbledore said while offering him a glass vial he had just conjured.
"Alright." Harry said. Thankfully, releasing the memory into the vial turned out to be much simpler than extracting it from his head.
"So, what is this memory?" The Headmaster asked while putting the now-sealed vial into a pocket of his long and colorful robes.
"This is our typical DADA lesson." Harry replied.
"Very well. I'll review it." Dumbledore said. "But if this turns out to be a waste of my time, I will take a hundred points from Slytherin as well as revoke your Hogsmeade privileges for the rest of your time at Hogwarts." The young wizard simply nodded in acknowledgment.
~/ *** \~
It wasn't until the next afternoon that Dumbledore got a chance to speak with his co-conspirators. Both Madam Bones and Unspeakable Croaker expressed great relief upon hearing that another of the Dark Lord's horcruxes had been neutralized. They now were yet another step closer to ensuring that the monster would never terrorize the world ever again. Alas, it didn't mean there were no disagreements among them.
"What do you mean you aren't going to destroy it yet?" Amelia asked threateningly as she glared at the Hogwarts' Headmaster from across the table. "That thing is an abomination that has no right to exist. And we shan't let it."
"It will be destroyed in due course, but right now is not that time. Destroying this horcrux without studying it would be rather foolish." Dumbledore said, while Croaker nodded in agreement. "This is the second of the Dark Lord's horcruxes that have been found. It is likely that more are still hidden. And it would be much easier to locate those if we actually know what we're looking for and have a working means of detecting them. I would also like to add a ward that will ensure no horcrux will find its way onto Hogwarts' grounds in the future." As much as Amelia didn't like the delay in the horcrux's destruction, she had to agree that the man had a very good point: if they could create a Charm to locate other horcruxes, their mission to end the Dark Lord once and for all would become so much easier…
"And why was it able to get into the school in the first place? Surely a piece of Magic as Dark as a horcrux would be easily picked by the castle's wards?" Madam Bones demanded.
"As impressive as Hogwarts' wards are, they hardly can detect something they aren't attuned to look for. With horcruxes being as rare and obscure piece of Magic as they are, I can hardly fault the Founders or the previous Headmasters for not erecting a ward against those. And without a host to possess, this one has gone into hibernation and become rather difficult to detect or analyze with most of the Charms I know of." Dumbledore replied.
"I see…" Amelia said with a heavy sigh. "Then do what you can to ensure that no other horcrux will ever threaten Hogwarts of her students, Albus." The Headmaster simply nodded in response.
"And you want to study the horcrux yourself?" Croaker asked, looking to confirm his guess on how Dumbledore planned to proceed.
"If possible." The man answered simply.
"That's too bad." The Unspeakable said. "Like you said, horcruxes are a rare and barely-explored piece of Magic. My people would like to have a chance to study it… Plus, the Department of Mysteries will have no problem containing any possible fallout if things don't go as planned. Can you say the same about Hogwarts?"
"Yes, Professor." Amelia added. "I'd rather you keep this abomination as far away from students as possible. Please, consider studying the horcrux someplace more suited for it than your office here. I'm sure the Department of Mysteries will be able to arrange a place for you to conduct your research."
"That can be done." Croaker confirmed. "And do at least share your findings with me if you're not going to let my people help you." Dumbledore let out a small sigh.
"Very well." He conceded. "Please arrange that room for me, Saul. I will send you a list of the instruments I believe I will need later tonight. And I will, of course, share my findings with you personally. No offense, but there aren't any other people in your Department that I know well enough to trust with such sensitive knowledge." The Unspeakable nodded in response. There was a short pause, before the Hogwarts' Headmaster continued: "If there is nothing else, I believe we all have business to attend to." It appeared that no one had anything to add.
"I will be on my way then." Croaker said. "Do send me a list of the stuff you need, Albus." And without waiting for a response, the man stepped into the fireplace and flooed away.
"I guess I should be going too." Amelia said then. "Please don't tarry with your research, Dumbledore. The sooner we destroy the horcruxes, the sooner we will be free of fear of the Dark Lord's return." The old warlock nodded.
"Of course." He said. "I'll do what I can, but as I've said, horcruxes are a very obscure piece of Magic. Unraveling their secrets may take time, even if the only thing we're interested in is finding a quick and reliable way of detecting them." Madam Bones nodded.
"Then I wish you luck, Professor." She said as she walked up to the fireplace and picked a pinch of floo powder from the jar. Throwing it into the fire, she announced her destination: "Ministry for Magic, the Director of DMLE's office."
Once Amelia was gone, Dumbledore returned Riddle's diary to the secure drawer of his table and turned his attention to his pensieve. Yesterday night he had watched the memory Harry gave him, and what he saw there left him quite concerned. It looked like Gilderoy managed fool him. The aged warlock didn't want to believe that one of his Professor could be self-centered to the point of sabotaging children's education to fuel his ego, but the memory he saw was telling another story. And there were no signs of the memory being fake or tampered with.
Still, Dumbledore wanted to be completely sure that he knew what actually was going on before he acted. And after thinking about it for a bit, the Headmaster decided that the best way to go would be to ask other students, from different years and Houses, to give him their memories of Lockhart's lessons. Yes, that sounded like a good idea.
But before he could bring it to life, he needed to write down the list of materials and instruments he wanted Croaker to provide him with while he studied the diary-horcrux. So, setting the pensieve aside, the Hogwarts' Headmaster picked a roll of parchment, a self-inking quill and began writing…
That's all, folks!
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