Alright, this is it - the last chapter for the Chamber of Secrets. I honestly didn't expect this to take so long to write. I'm excited to be moving onto the Prisoner of Azkaban, especially because we get to see Susanna branching out more. I'll still be following canon, but expect deviations to begin appearing - hopefully they work out they way I've planed.

Swordseer: To answer your question from the previous chapter, in the book Harry doesn't pull the sword out of the hat - it falls on his head as he's about to put it on, confused as to what he's supposed to do with the Sorting Hat against the basilisk. Harry pulling the sword out of the hat is movie canon only, and not the version I went with. However, Harry is still the one who received the sword as he was holding the Hat; although it could be argued that it could have come to either one of them. After all, both have struggled with whether or not they belong in Gryffindor, for different reasons.

As always, I only claim my OC. I hope you enjoy!

For a moment there was silence as Harry, Susanna, Ron, Ginny, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and - in Harry's and Susanna's case - blood.

"Ginny!" Ms. Weasley shrieked, her eyes red and swollen. She leapt to her feet, followed closely by Mr. Weasley, and they both flung themselves onto their daughter, quickly joined by Ron.

Harry and Susanna looked past the Weasleys, staring in relief at Professor Dumbledore. He stood by the mantlepiece above the roaring fire, beaming. Professor McGonagall was beside him, clutching her chest as she breathed heavily with relief. Fawkes flew overhead, settling on Dumbledore's shoulder.

Before the cousins could say anything to the Headmaster, Mrs. Weasley was pulling them into a tight embrace.

"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?"

"I think we'd all like to know that." Professor McGonagall commented, voice weak.

Mrs. Weasley released Harry and Susanna, who nodded at her cousin. Harry walked over to the desk, laying the Sorting Hat, ruby-encrusted sword, and the remains of Tom Riddle's diary on top of it. He glanced at Susanna, gesturing for her to stand beside him. Harry led the explanation, speaking for nearly a quarter of an hour as the others sat in rapt silence, Susanna chiming in every now and then, Ron joining them as well. Together, they told the professors and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about the disembodied voice, how Hermione had realized Harry was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he, Ron, and Susanna had followed the spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died; how they discovered that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was in her bathroom -

"Very well." Professor McGonagall interrupted Harry. "So you found out where the entrance was - breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add - but how on earth did you all get out of there alive?"

Susanna cleared her throat, allowing her cousin to rest his voice. "Fawkes." She nodded over to the phoenix. "He came right in the knick of time. Gave Harry and I a chance to defeat the Basilisk by clawing out its eyes. I stabbed the snake through the mouth, and Harry -" Susanna stopped herself, glancing over at the crying Ginny. She and Harry had so far avoided telling the others - including the clueless Ron - about Riddle's diary and Ginny. What if she ended up expelled? It wasn't truly Ginny's fault, she was possessed after all!

"What interests me most," Professor Dumbledore said gently, smiling faintly at the cousins, "is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Ginny, when my sources tell me he is currently hiding in the forests of Albania."

"W-what's that?" Mr. Weasley asked, stunned. "You-Know-Who? En-enchant Ginny? But Ginny's not… Ginny hasn't been… has she?"

Susanna, unsurprised that the Headmaster pieced it all together, nodded at Mr. Weasley while smiling softly at the crying girl.

"It was his diary." Harry quickly informed the Weasley patriarch before handing over the diary to Professor Dumbledore.

The old wizard took it, peering keenly at the burnt and ink-soaked pages. "Brilliant." He murmured. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen."

Susanna scoffed under her breath. "I don't know, I knocked him back with the disarming spell." Harry snorted beside her, but stopped when his eyes flicked to her slightly-bloodstained arm. His cousin shook her head, eyes pleading for him to stay quiet about her brush with death.

"Quite a feat, Ms. Dursley." Professor Dumbledore sent her an appraising smile before focusing on Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, addressing their understandable bewilderment. "Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school, traveled far and wide, sank so deeply into the Dark Arts. Consorted with the worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"But, Ginny, what's our Ginny got to do with-with him?" Mrs. Weasley asked, voice shaking with fear.

"His d-diary!" The girl sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been wr-writing back all year -"

"Ginny!" Her flabbergasted father shouted. "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 its 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 d-didn't know, not until it was to-too late!" Ginny wailed, and Susanna hurried over to her side, pulling her into a hug.

"Shh, it's going to be alright. Mr. Weasley, sir," the older of the two girls stared up at the tall redheaded man, "a lecture isn't what she needs. She was vulnerable, and Voldemort -" she ignored his terrified gasp, "he was powerful, even as a teenager. Ginny was lonely, and scared. She thought she'd made a friend."

"Quite right." Professor Dumbledore interrupted, tone soft but words firm. "Ms. Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away. This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He walked over to the office door and opened it, gesturing to Ginny and her parents. "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up." His eyes twinkled as he smiled warmly at Ginny. "You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice - I daresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment."

"So Hermione's okay!" Ron said brightly, the Headmaster nodding.

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny." He told the first year.

Fresh tears spilled down Ginny's cheeks, Susanna joining her as she hugged the younger redhead even tighter. "I told you," she whispered to Ron's little sister, "it's going to be alright. It's just a memory."

Ginny nodded, stepping away so Mrs. Weasley could lead her out of the office. Mr. Weasley followed, still shaken.

"You know, Minerva," Professor Dumbledore turned to the Deputy Headmistress, "I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?"

"Right." Professor McGonagall responded crisply, moving towards the still open door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter, Dursley, and Weasley, shall I?"

"Certainly." The Headmaster said.

Professor McGonagall disappeared, and the three second years stared at Professor Dumbledore, each of them wondering what their Head of House meant by "deal" with them.

"I seem to remember telling you both," the Headmaster gazed upon Harry and Ron, "that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules." Ron opened his mouth in horror while Susanna paled and Harry clenched his hands into tight fists. "Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words." Professor Dumbledore continued with a proud smile. "You will all receive Special Awards for Services to the School and - let me see - yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

"Remind me to kill basilisks more often." Susanna whispered to Harry, frowning when he fixed her with the deadliest glare she'd ever seen.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure." The Headmaster added, unaware of the short conversation between the cousins. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

Susanna knew she forgot something. She, along with Ron and Harry, turned to see the fraud of an author standing in the corner of the room. He smiled vaguely, then looked over his shoulder to try and see who the old wizard was addressing.

"Professor Dumbledore, there was an accident down in the Chamber of Secrets." Ron quickly explained. "Professor Lockhart -"

"Am I a professor?" Lockhart gasped in surprise. "Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?"

Yes, Susanna thought to herself, before turning to Professor Dumbledore. "He tried to do a Memory Charm with Ron's wand and it backfired."

"Dear me." The Headmaster shook his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy?"

Lockhart blinked dimly. "Sword? Haven't got a sword. That boy has, though." He pointed at Harry. "He'll lend you one."

"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Professor Dumbledore asked Ron, who nodded. "I'd like a few more words with Harry. Susanna, please stay as well." The red-haired girl frowned in confusion, shrugging at her curious best friend as he left the room with their former Defense professor. When the door closed, she turned to face the Headmaster.

"Sit down, Harry, Susanna." Professor Dumbledore insisted, gesturing to the chairs by the fireplace as he took a seat. The cousins sat down, exchanging nervous expressions. "First of all, I want to thank you. You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

"That was all Harry. I was more focused on whether or not I'd be able to use magic against Voldemort." Susanna quickly admitted.

"You were doing more than that." Harry argued.

The Headmaster's eyes twinkled as he observed them. "That very well might be, and yet Fawkes seems most taken with you, too, Susanna." The girl glanced over at the phoenix, who sang a soft tune when their eyes met. She smiled back at the bird. "And so you met Tom Riddle. I imagine he was most interested in you, Harry."

Susanna nodded while her cousin cleared his throat. "Professor Dumbledore," Harry began, "Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likeness, he said -"

"Did he, now?" The Headmaster looked at the boy thoughtfully. "And what do you think, Harry?"

"I don't think I'm like him!" Her cousin practically shouted. Realizing his volume, the boy exhaled. "I mean, I'm - I'm in Gryffindor, I'm…" He fell silent, and Susanna took his hand.

"You aren't like him, Harry. Not where it counts." She was quick to assure her cousin.

Harry swallowed before glancing back up at the Headmaster. "Professor, the Sorting Hat told me I'd - I'd have done well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while -"

"Hey!" Susanna cut him off. "I didn't!"

"Okay, okay, that's not the point. Everyone thought it was me because I can speak Parseltongue -"

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," this time it was Professor Dumbledore who interrupted him, "because Lord Voldemort - who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin - can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure."

Harry looked thunderstruck. "Voldemort but a bit of himself in me?"

"It certainly seems so."

"So I should be in Slytherin." Harry stared desperately at the Headmaster, ignoring his cousin as she tried to comfort him. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it -"

"Put you in Gryffindor." Professor Dumbledore interjected calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own rare gift, Parseltongue. Resourcefulness, determination, a certain disregard for rules." He added, sending a quick wink to Susanna. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that is, Harry. Think."

"It only put me in Gryffindor," Harry sounded defeated, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin."

"Exactly." The Headmaster beamed. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. I remember telling you something quite similar, Susanna." She nodded quietly. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this." Professor Dumbledore reached for the blood-stained sword on Professor McGonagall's desk, handing it over to the Boy Who Lived.

Harry turned it over, angling the weapon so that Susanna could look at it as well.

There, engraved just below the hilt, was a name. Godric Gryffindor.

The cousins gasped and looked up at the Headmaster, who nodded. "Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry."

Susanna cleared her throat. "More like it fell out of the Sorting Hat when Harry tried to put it on his head."

Professor Dumbledore laughed while Harry blushed. "Semantics, I suppose. And yet, I get the feeling Harry wasn't the sword's only wielder." He glanced at her left arm, still speckled with blood.

"I wasn't." Harry confirmed, this time glaring at his cousin. "She stabbed the basilisk through the mouth, and her arm was pierced by one of its fangs in return. She nearly died, Professor Dumbledore."

Susanna's insides twisted. Wanting to drown out her own terror, she smiled. "Does that mean I get more points?"

"Susanna!" Harry shouted, bottle green eyes ablaze with a fury unmatched by even her own father. "You almost died!" The redheaded girl fell silent, choosing to look at the fireplace. "If it wasn't for Fawkes's tears, you wouldn't be here!"

The room fell silent, save for Harry's angry breathing. Finally, Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I believe what you two need is some food and sleep. I suggest you prepare for the feast, while I write to Azkaban - we need our gamekeeper back." Susanna perked up, smiling wetly at the Headmaster. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"

"Maybe the next one will be neither Voldemort's little helper, nor a fraud." Susanna suggested, the Headmaster's mustache quivering with mirth.

"I'll see what I can manage, Ms. Dursley. Now, off you both go."

Harry was the first to stand, barely sparing a look at his cousin as he crossed over to the door. Just as he reached for the handle, the door burst open so violently it rebounded off the wall.

Lucius Malfoy stood on the other side, pale face flushed with fury. Cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was a little creature with large bat-like ears and bulging green eyes.

"Dobby?" Harry whispered. Susanna looked between her cousin and the house-elf. So this was who was responsible for getting Harry into so much trouble.

"Good evening, Lucius." Dumbledore greeted Draco's father pleasantly.

The blonde man nearly knocked Harry into Susanna as he swept into the room, Dobby scurrying after him. The house-elf carried a stained rag, attempting to finish cleaning his master's shoes. Susanna glowered at the sight. If it wasn't for the fact he was a Muggle, she was sure her father would get along swimmingly with Mr. Malfoy.

Still, there was something so satisfying in how harried the awful man looked. His usually sleek hair was a frizzy, disheveled mess.

"So!" Mr. Malfoy sneered at the Headmaster, ignoring Dobby as he polished his shoes. "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."

"Well, you see, Lucius," Professor Dumbledore smiled serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. 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."

Susanna let out a little laugh, covering it with her hand after Harry shook his head at her, clearly still angry.

Mr. Malfoy spared her an ugly sneer, but it was hard to take his fury seriously with how pale his face had become. "So, have you stopped the attacks yet?" He asked Professor Dumbledore.

The old wizard smiled. "We have."

"Well? Who is it?"

"The same person as last time, Lucius." Professor Dumbledore informed the bitter man. "But this time, Lord Voldemort acting through somebody else. By means of this diary." He held up the destroyed little book, his eyes glued to Mr. Malfoy. Susanna watched the two men, until Harry nudged her. She looked in the direction he gestured to, frowning at Dobby.

The house-elf was doing something strange. His eyes were fixed on the cousins, yet he kept pointing between the diary and Mr. Malfoy, hitting himself hard on the head with his fist every few seconds.

"I see." Mr. Malfoy said.

"A clever plan." Professor Dumbledore said in a level voice. "Because if Harry and Susanna here -" Mr. Malfoy turned to glare at the cousins, "as well as their friend Ron hadn't discovered the book, why, Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted on her own free will." Draco's father stayed quiet. "And imagine what might have happened then? The Weasley are one of our most prominent pure-blood families. Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and killing Muggle-borns." Susanna inhaled sharply, looking back down at Dobby, who was still pointing at his master and the diary while hitting himself on the head.

Oh. Oh, of course.

"Harry." Susanna hissed. "It was him."

"What?"

She nodded towards Mr. Malfoy while Professor Dumbledore continued his carefully worded accusations. "Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise."

After a tense moment of silence, Mr. Malfoy forced himself to respond. "Very fortunate."

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got a hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry asked, the blonde man rounding on him and his cousin.

"How should I know how the stupid little girl got a hold of it?" Draco's father spat.

Susanna glared. "You gave it to her. That day at Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary behind it, didn't you?"

Mr. Malfoy's hands clenched and unclenched. "Prove it." He hissed.

Susanna was about to respond when the Headmaster held up his hand, stopping her. He smiled politely at the pale man. "Oh, no one will be able to do that. Not now that Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort's old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you."

Mr. Malfoy's right hand twitched, like he was reaching for his wand. But the attack never came. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're leaving, Dobby!" He stormed past the cousins, wrenching the door open. Susanna and Harry both lunged forward as the man kicked Dobby through it. The house-elf squealed in pain as he was forced down the corridor. Harry and Susanna only stood for a moment before the former turned to the Headmaster.

"Professor Dumbledore, can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"

"Certainly, Harry." The old wizard calmly replied. "But hurry. The feast, remember?" Susanna snorted as Harry grabbed the diary and ran out of the office. The redheaded girl was about to follow when Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Susanna."

She turned to face the Headmaster, pointing her thumb back to the open door. "Sir, I don't want to -"

"You're really quite brave." He told her, smile bright and gentle. Susanna felt her cheeks flush.

"Not really. The sword came to Harry, not me. I just wanted to keep him safe."

"And yet I do not doubt it would have come to you, too. You said last year that the Sorting Hat mentioned you leap without looking. Perhaps now, you will learn when to leap, and when to look."

Susanna nodded, chewing her bottom lip. "Yes, sir."

"That is all. I will see you at the feast."

Dismissed, she wasted no time in sprinting out the door, vaguely remembering the direction her cousin went. Mr. Malfoy's yelling certainly helped. "You've lost me my servant, boy!"

"You shall not harm Harry Potter!" A high-pitched voice threatened. A loud bang echoed from around the corner, making her run even faster, exhaustion forgotten.

To her relief, Harry was perfectly alright. He stood alone at the end of the corridor, Dobby standing beside him, a long finger outstretched. But while her cousin was just fine, Mr. Malfoy was anything but. He had been the source of the bang, having crashed down the stairs and landed at the bottom in a crumpled heap. He got up, face livid and hair every which way, dignity long gone. As he pulled out his wand Susanna grabbed hers, but Dobby had beaten her to the proverbial punch. With a snap of his fingers, Mr. Malfoy's wand went flying out of his hand.

"You shall go now! You shall not harm Harry Potter. You shall go now." Dobby ordered fiercely.

Mr. Malfoy was given no other option but to listen. He stooped to grab his wand as regally as possible, swinging his cloak around him as he hurried out of sight.

"Um, what?" Susanna asked.

Dobby perked up. "Harry Potter freed Dobby!" The elf crowed shrilly, the moonlight reflecting off his orb-like eyes. "Harry Potter set Dobby free!"

"Least I could do, Dobby. Just promise never to try and save my life again." Harry responded, grinning. Dobby offered him a wide, toothy smile. "I've just got one question, Dobby." The elf nodded as he pulled on a black sock. Susanna frowned in confusion, but her cousin continued speaking before she could ask. "You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Remember? Well -"

"It was a clue, sir." Dobby said, eyes wide. "Was giving you a clue. The Dark Lord, before he changed his name, could be freely named, you see?"

"Right." Harry's voice was weak with uncertainty. "Well, I'd - we'd - better go. This is my cousin, Su-"

"Susanna Dursley, I know, sir. Miss Susanna, heard about you a lot, I did." Dobby insisted, smiling up at the redheaded girl. "From young Malfoy, miss."

Susanna blinked. "Oh. Nothing good, I reckon."

"Oh, no, miss. But they are Malfoys. Not nice. Harry Potter, miss, he is! Says good things!"

Susanna smiled. "I would hope so. Take care, Dobby. And there's no need to call me 'miss'."

Dobby's eyes began to shine, and Harry cleared his throat. "Like I was saying, we'd better go. There's a feast, and our friend Hermione should be awake by now." Susanna perked up at the reminder, the news about her best friend momentarily overshadowed by the drama with Mr. Malfoy.

Dobby threw his arms around Harry's stomach, hugging him as he sobbed. "Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew! Farewell, Harry Potter!" There was a loud crack, and Dobby disappeared.

The cousins stared down at the spot the elf had just been standing in. "So, he's the one who got you in trouble with my parents?" The redheaded girl asked.

"Mhm. And made Ron and I miss the train. He also set the Bludger on me."

Susanna blinked. "Huh. Alright. C'mon, we should head to the feast."

"Don't you want to get cleaned up first?"

"Why?" The girl asked.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You've got blood on your arm and ink on your legs."

She waved him off. "I got most of it off in Myrtle's bathroom, I was just in a rush. This isn't any worse than the times we've eaten after Quidditch practice, covered in mud and grass."

"Yes, it is." Harry practically snarled.

Susanna raised her eyebrows. "Alright, what's going on?"

"You died!"

"I didn't, though." The redhead argued. "I was dying, but -"

"The distinction doesn't matter!"

"It kind of does in this instance, Harry." Susanna responded. "I didn't die. Hey, do you reckon this makes me the 'Girl Who Lived'?"

Harry finally reached his limit, anger exploding out of him and reverberating off the corridor walls. "Stop making jokes, they aren't funny!"

"Harry!" Susanna held out her hands to try and calm him, but the tears had already begun to fall from her cousin's eyes.

"You could've died, you could've left me alone -"

"You have Ron and Hermione, you aren't alone -"

"You're my family!" Harry screamed, voice raw with devastation. "You're more than a cousin, you're like a sister to me! I love you, and you nearly died! For me! How do you think that makes me feel?"

A tense silence fell between them, long enough that Susanna found herself shifting nervously, unsure what to say. Finally, the words came. "I don't regret it."

"You wouldn't be alive to regret it." Harry snapped, and she flinched. "I lost my parents. I can't lose you, too."

Susanna tilted her head, watching her cousin cry. It came to no surprise to her that she'd begun to do the same, though her tears were silent. She gently wrapped the boy in a hug. "I… I don't know what to say. Nothing comes to mind. I didn't even… all I saw was you facing the basilisk, alone, and the thought of you dying? It scared me. I got angry that you were doing it on your own, and I knew I would never forgive myself if you died and I did nothing to prevent it." Harry sobbed into her shoulder. "The next thing I knew, I had the sword in my hand and I was killing the beast. The fang… it didn't hurt. Or maybe it did, but my mind numbed the pain for me. The venom could've as well. I don't really remember what happened after you caught me, not until Fawkes healed the wound."

She'd never tell him she was lying, that it did hurt - that it burned. That it felt like her blood was on fire, that it felt like the whole world was fading out of existence. How scared she was of dying, how much she didn't want to leave him, how she hated how she wouldn't have the chance to say goodbye to Ron and Hermione.

She'd never tell him about the thoughts that had been plaguing her since she was saved; would her family even care if she died? Would her brother mourn his twin, or celebrate being an only child? Would her parents regret the way they treated her?

Her words seemed to calm her cousin, however, and he sniffled before stepping back, wiping his tears with his grimy sleeves. "Just, don't do it again."

Susanna offered him a sad smile. "I can't. You're my family, there's nothing I wouldn't do to keep you safe."

Harry shook his head. "You don't owe me your life. Especially if this is your way of proving to yourself that you're a good person. I already know you are. Everyone who matters does, so you should as well!"
"Okay." Her grin grew wider. "I love you, Freak."

"I love you, too, Suze." Harry huffed out a little laugh, staring at his grimy clothes. "I suppose we should change."

Susanna shrugged, smirking. "Why? Let the school see what we did."

"You just want to scare off the Slytherins."

"More like remind them what we're capable of." She threw her arm around her cousin's shoulder. "Also, I've missed Hermione's lectures. We're bound to be subject to a good one."

Their laughter echoed as they took their time walking down the corridor.

The moment Harry and Susanna walked through the Great Hall doors, they were met with the sight of Hermione - glowing with life - bolting to them. The cousins staggered back as she threw her arms around them, squeezing tight. Ron was hovering behind her, cheeks flushed.

"You solved it! You solved it!" She cheered.

Susanna blinked away her tears, laughing. "You helped."

"Suze's right." Harry agreed. "We couldn't have done it without you."

Hermione pulled away, blushing slightly. "It was nothing, really."

"It got you hurt." Susanna argued. "The next time you decide to run off on your own, don't."

Hermione stared at her, lips twisting in worry when she caught Harry's sad gaze on his cousin. "I won't."

"Good." Susanna smiled. "Now, I'm absolutely famished. What have the kitchens prepared for us?"

"They - what are you covered in? Harry, you as well? Look at the state of you two!" Hermione chastised them. "Susanna, your robes are a mess! Why haven't you repaired them? Why are you smiling like that?"

The redheaded girl was beaming brighter than the sun, wide enough that her face hurt - not that she cared. "I just missed you."

"Oh, Anna!" Hermione cried, pulling her into another hug. Susanna was keenly aware all eyes were on them, and she spared a smirk in the direction of the Slytherins before sinking into her best friend's embrace.

After another five minutes, the boys managed to gently bring the girls over to the Gryffindor table, where the rest of their housemates were celebrating. Notably absent were the Weasley twins and Percy.

"They decided to stay with Ginny." Ron explained when Susanna gestured at the empty seats. "McGonagall got word to them after she told the kitchens about the feast."

"You could've stuck with them." She reminded her friend, who shrugged.

"Didn't feel right to miss the feast." His eyes flicked to Hermione, who was piling her plated with mashed potatoes, carrots, and lamb. "Besides, thanks to you and Harry, I'll get to have more meals with Ginny."

"Hey, you helped, too." When Ron shrugged, self-doubt written all over his face, she punched his shoulder.

"Oi!" He scowled as he rubbed the sore spot.

Susanna glared back. "If it weren't for you deciding to take your father's car to school, you'd never have broken your wand. Lockhart would've been able to cast Obliviate, and Ginny would be dead. The basilisk would still be alive, and Voldemort would be back."

"So, my poor decision making saved us? Cool." Ron beamed, then began to eat with gusto. Susanna snorted before serving herself. She paused for a moment to stare at her left forearm, eyes stuck on a stubborn fleck of dried blood.

"You alright, mate?" Dean asked, leaning around Neville to grab some more chips.

"Never better." She smiled at him.

"What -" Before he could get his question out, the sound of loud clinking rose above the countless conversations.

"May we have your attention, please?" Professor McGonagall called, and the Great Hall fell silent.

Professor Dumbledore rose. "As you have all seen by now, the Mandrake juice has been successfully administered to all who had been Petrified. Therefore, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey!" Most of the students - with the exception of a few solemn faced Slytherins - clapped for the witches. Susanna threw an arm around Hermione's shoulders, squeezing her. "Also, in light of the recent events," the Headmaster continued, "as a school treat, all exams have been cancelled!"

This time, only Hermione refrained from cheering. "Oh, no!" She gasped, horrified. Susanna, Harry, and Ron all looked at each other in disbelief before breaking into laughter.

Hermione was just fine.

"Finally, in light of Professor Lockhart's most unfortunate accident while assisting in the rescue of Ms. Weasley, he will not be returning next year. Let us all hope his memory returns." At this, Lockhart's loyal fans grumbled, a few even bursting into tears. Hermione, however, only scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I told her about him being a fraud." Ron whispered to Susanna. "I don't know what made her angrier, that he tried to steal our memories, or that she was wrong about him."

"Probably both. She did tell us last year that being expelled was worse than death."

"Honestly, the two of you." Hermione scoffed, Harry grinning while the two redheads mumbled their apologies.

"That is all I wished to say. Let us return to our most joyous feast!" Professor Dumbledore sat back down, the Great Hall once more filled with excited conversations.

Susanna couldn't remember the last time she was this happy. Hermione was unpetrified, laughing with the other Gryffindor's as she ate her first meal in months. Ginny was alive, joining the feast an hour after Harry and Susanna had come to the Great Hall. She was flanked by her older brothers, all of whom refused to let her out of their sights. They'd all come just in time to hear Professor Dumbledore announce - much to the Slytherin's and Professor Snape's chagrin - that Gryffindor had once more won the House Cup, their win secretly secured by the six hundred points Harry, Ron, and Susanna earned.

The cherry on top was Hagrid's return, the gamekeeper stomping into the Great Hall at half-past-three, Fangs at his side. As soon as they saw him, most of the Great Hall erupted into cheers, led by Professor Dumbledore and Hagrid's four favorite Gryffindors. He nearly suffocated Hermione when he realized the girl was awake, giving Susanna the same treatment as he fussed over both of them. The girls laughed as Hagrid cuffed Harry and Ron hard enough on the shoulders that they were nearly knocked into their plates of trifle. Once the gamekeeper was done greeting the four Gryffindors, he continued on his way to the staff table, where all of the faculty were standing, smiles on their faces - even Professor Snape looked happy to see Hagrid, although his thin lips formed only a slight grin.

The feast itself went well into dawn, handfuls of students leaving every few minutes to return to their dormitories, already dressed for bed. Susanna nearly face planted from exhaustion when she first stood up, Hermione and Ron catching her. Harry was just as tired, the cousins leaning on each other as they slowly made their way to Gryffindor Tower.

Susanna barely remembered the shower she was forced to take once she'd entered the girls' dormitory, or how she managed to get into bed without injuring herself. But with Hades purring as he curled up on her chest, and Hermione quietly snoring in the bed beside hers, the redhead fell asleep with a smile. It was the soundest she'd slept in a long time.

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal - or as normal as it could be, considering it was a magical school. There were some notable differences, of course. For one, Defense Against the Dark Arts classes had all been cancelled. Ron was quick to remind a disappointed Hermione that they'd "all had plenty of practice anyway". Lucius Malfoy had also been sacked as a school governor. Draco no longer strutted around like he owned the school, keeping to the shadows in a quiet moodiness. Ginny was the opposite, vibrant and thriving socially as she began letting her fellow first years in. She would join Hermione and Susanna in the Gryffindor common room at night, happily telling them about her day and eagerly asking the girls for help with her homework.

All too soon, it was time for the journey back on the Hogwarts Express. The cousins, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the Weasley twins all got a compartment to themselves. Hades spent most of the ride on either Susanna's or Hermione's laps, occasionally demanding affection from the others.

When they were only an hour away from King's Cross Station, Susanna stood up, stretching as Hades pounced onto an unsuspecting Fred. "Need to stretch my legs. I'll be back soon." She told the others, who barely acknowledged her as they continued their fifth round of Exploding Snap.

The corridors of the train were relatively empty, most of the students inside the compartments. The red-haired girl made a point of stopping to talk to Dean, Seamus, and Neville when she saw them, as well as the Patil twins and Lavender. The rest of her walk was peaceful, until she came face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see on the trip.

Pansy Parkinson had just left the loo, her pug-face set into a cruel sneer when she realized Susanna was only a few steps away. "Dursley."

"Pansy." Susanna smiled back pleasantly. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"Better. You see, this time I'm not alone." The dark-haired girl smirked as the door behind her opened, Millicent Bulstrode emerging. The large girl knocked on the nearby compartment door. Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore Nott, and Draco Malfoy all stepped out - the latter, however, lingered behind the others, still grieving his father's loss in station. "You feel brave enough to ruin me, now?"

The redhead glanced at both girls, then shrugged. "Sure. I've beaten worse odds."

"No! She's mine!" Pansy shouted, holding out her hand to stop her housemates from drawing their wands, raising her own. "Come on. Have you no other threats to make, you stupid bint?!"

"At least I'm not inbred." Susanna taunted, hands in the pockets of her jumper. Pansy froze, clearly taken aback - as were the others, who frowned at the redhead's response. "It's easy to tell with you. Most cases of incest lead to deformities. It certainly explains your flat face and… everything else." She nodded at Pansy.

After a few moments, the other girl turned bright red. "How dare you, you filthy Mudblood!" She spat. A few compartment doors opened, curious students peering out. Pansy, emboldened by the attention, laughed. "Such a pathetic accusation!"

"I'm not the one with filthy blood." Susanna shrugged. "How does it feel, Parkinson, having a mum and an aunt all in one person? Or is it that your father is also you grandfather? Perhaps it's both? 'Sacred Twenty-Eight'?" She snorted. "Ron told me all about that list. He didn't shy away from the incest. Face it, your family tree is a bloody circle."

"You -"

"Shh." Susanna pressed a finger against her lips, then gestured to the other students. "You really want to do this here? Should I tell them about what happened in the bathroom? Hmm?" She asked, watching Pansy begin to pale, stammering as her fellow Slytherins turned to her. "Ah-ah-ah." The redhead tsked. "I warned you. It isn't my fault you didn't listen."

"What is going on out here?" A woman's voice suddenly filled the corridor. Everyone turned to see the Trolley Witch at the entrance of the car.

"Nothing. We were just saying our goodbyes." Susanna was quick to explain. "Have an amazing summer, Pansy." She cooed, hugging the other girl as she smirked at the Slytherins. Pansy had no choice but to return the gesture.

"Filthy Mudblood." The girl snarled.

"Inbred, pug-faced, prat." Susanna whispered back. As soon as she stepped away, Pansy hurriedly returned to her compartment, brushing at her robes like the redhead had stained them. Susanna laughed, winking over at Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott as she bought some sweets off the Trolley Witch for good measure. The old woman only narrowed her eyes at her before moving onto a nearby student.

"You alright, Susanna?" Justin asked as Susanna walked past his compartment. Ever since he and his friends apologized to Harry for suspecting him, her interactions with the second year Hufflepuffs had been nothing but positive. Even Ernie Macmillan was somehow less irritating.

"Please, that was nothing." She waved off the confrontation. "Enjoy your summer. You definitely deserve it."

"I am eager to visit the beach. Have you and Harry ever been to Kent? Mother and Father promised to take me as much as I want!"

"Not that I can remember." There was no need to tell the excited boy that her and her cousin's summer plans all boiled down to surviving two months with her family without incident. "Well, I better head back. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not usually looking for trouble."

"It just finds you, eh?" Ernie asked, jumping into the conversation.

Susanna laughed. "I guess I got that from Harry. Sorry about the 'inbred' thing, by the way." The Macmillans, after all, were also members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

"It's not like you were wrong about how we've kept our blood pure." Ernie wrinkled his nose in disgust, similarly to what Ron had done when he'd mentioned both sides of his family were also of "true pure-blood".

Susanna smiled. "Still. Well, take care. Bye Hannah, Susan!"

"See you in September, not-Susan!" Hannah waved back, Susan Bones giggling at her joke. Susanna joined them, smiling as she internally recounted all the times they'd managed to confuse their professors.

With one more round of farewells, the Gryffindor made her way back to her own compartment. She reached them just as they were outside of London. "What took you so long?" Harry asked as soon as she stepped back inside, chewing on the last of her sweets.

"Sorry, ran into Pansy. Apparently she didn't learn her lesson. By the way, if it gets back to you, I'm sorry for the 'inbred' comment." Susanna quickly apologized to the Weasleys, who frowned in confusion.

"What?" Ron was the first to ask.

Susanna hummed as she sat down, happily scratching behind Hades's ears. "She called me a Mudblood again, so I called her inbred, given how her family stayed so pure. Then I remembered that you're part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight as well. I just wanted the chance to tell her she had filthy blood, too."

"Well, inbred and proud I say, given that it resulted in us. Imagine if we didn't exist? The world would be a much darker place." Fred crowed, George laughing with him.

"To incest! Glad it's over, happy it happened!" George joked. "But not recently, I think our family is in the clear."

Ginny doubled over while Ron smirked at his brother's antics. "What'd she look like when you said it?" He asked.

Susanna grinned at her best friend "A bit like you during a Potions lesson."

"Oi! Like you aren't just as lost during Astronomy. At least me being confused by Potions makes sense, it's one of the most difficult classes! What's your excuse?"

"I'm not a night owl?" Susanna offered, lying through her teeth.

"Ginny!" Harry was quick to exclaim, desperate to change the topic. The younger redheaded girl flushed, but was able to meet his eyes. "What did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

She began to laugh, glancing over at Susanna. It was only when both of their bouts of giggling subsided that the youngest Weasley answered him. "Oh, that. Well, Percy's got a girlfriend."

Fred dropped the book he'd been reaching for on George's head. "What?"

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater. Right?" Ginny asked Susanna, who nodded. "Well, he's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day."

Susanna gasped. "How scandalous!" She joked before becoming more serious, addressing the others while squeezing Ginny's shoulder. "That's why he was so upset when she was… attacked."

"You won't tease him, will you?" The youngest Weasley pleaded anxiously with her brothers.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Fred replied, smiling like his birthday had come early.

"Definitely not." George snickered.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross Station, they all hurried around the compartment, packing their belongings and double-checking nothing had been left behind. Susanna turned to her cousin when he dug through her bag for a quill and some parchment. "Hey! What are you doing?" She asked as he scribbled something down on the paper and handed it to Ron.

"This is called a telephone number." He explained to the other boy. "Suze and I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer, so he'll know what to do. Call us at the Dursleys' okay?"

"Yeah." Susanna smiled. "I can't stand another two months with only Harry to talk to!" She joked, laughing as her cousin hit her on the shoulder.

"Won't your parents be proud of you?" Hermione asked Susanna as they joined the rest of the students in exiting the train. "When they hear what you did this year? You two are heroes." She peered back at Harry, who laughed in disbelief while his cousin scoffed.

"Please. Proud?" She retorted, pausing to collect her trunk and load it onto an awaiting trolley.

"Right. Are you crazy?" Harry stacked his trunk on top of hers, Hedwig's cage following it. Hades meowed from beside the owl, curled up in his carrier. "All those times we could've died," Susanna winced, avoiding his gaze - only he and Professor Dumbledore knew how close she'd come to death, "and we didn't manage it? They'll be furious."

"Here's hoping they won't put bars on our window again." Susanna said, Harry nodding in agreement.

Ron nodded. "If they do, try to get word to us. I lost the family car, we'll probably need my dad's help this time around."

"Honestly, Ronald!" Hermione scolded the boy. "They should contact the Ministry instead, I'm sure -"

"Oh, like how the Ministry assumed Harry broke the law?" Ron argued.

The cousins paused for a moment as their squabbling friends walked ahead, egged on by the twins while Ginny tried to calm Hermione down. Susanna and Harry chose to stare up at the Hogwarts Express instead, hearts already growing heavy as they mentally prepared themselves for her parents and brother.

"Hey." Susanna was the first to speak, smiling as she nudged. "We've still got each other."

Harry nodded. "Yeah. We'll be home before we know it."

After another moment they began to push the trolley together, following their friends through the gateway to the Muggle world.

I've been waiting for Susanna to call Pansy "inbred" for such a long time. Again, Susanna does feel bad about it because her friends are also a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but I figured Ron would have been honest about how the families used to keep their blood pure. Ultimately, it boils down to Susanna wanting a chance to insult Pansy.

No, Pansy's parents aren't her mom/aunt and dad/grandfather, but Susanna goes big or goes home when belittling her enemies. It's the one prevailing trait she's carried over from her life as a bully. As Brooke Davis said in One Tree Hill,"I used to be a bitch for the sake of being one, but now I'm a bitch for the sake of my friends and family. You do not want to test that!"