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The Legacy of Regulus Black, the Story Continues | ||||||
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Category: Pre-OotP, Post-OotP, Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Sirius Black Genres: Action/Adventure, Humor, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 64 Summary: What happened to Harry and Ginny after their mysterious Portkey journey and how did the legacy of Regulus Black change their lives, up to the defeat of Tom Riddle? Becomes more and more AU during the story. Sequel to The Legacy of Regulus Black Hitcount: Story Total: 32758; Chapter Total: 2754 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Friday, October 13th, 1995 Harry was seething with anger as he stormed out of the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. It was bad enough that they learned practically nothing in that class but they’d spent hours after hours reading about the theory of defensive curses. In recent weeks, Umbridge had expatiated again and again that lies would poison the life in the wizarding world. Attention seeking liars would try to spread their lies to terrorise the wizarding society. The worst of it was that she'd looked Harry in the eyes the whole time. Harry was relieved when the last class of the day finally was over. As promised, he had remained calm and ignored Umbridge deliberate provocations. When the lesson was over, however, he couldn't stand it anymore. He got up and stormed out of the classroom. He ran up the stairs into an abandoned classroom on the fourth floor. He opened a window to let the cold October air into the room, took some deep breaths and tried to calm down. His patience was at the end. They had to fight against the lies about Voldemort's return. But how? Dumbledore was of no help. He'd shunned Harry for weeks and let Umbridge do whatever she wanted at Hogwarts. Sirius couldn't help him either. After all, he was still a wanted man, hunted by the Ministry. Harry let his eyes wander about the Hogwarts grounds, wondering if he would ever find a normal life, a life without lies and dark wizards. When the cold air made him shiver, he closed the window and slowly made his way up to the Gryffindor Tower. The thought of Ginny waiting there for him made him smile. The first smile since he'd seen her at breakfast. When he entered the common room, he looked around to find Ginny. She sat on her usual place at the window and waved at him. As he sat down at her table, she smiled at him. "Where have you been? I was worried when Ron and Hermione came back without you. They said you ran off and they didn't know where you are and refused to say more." Harry leaned forward, resting his head into his hands. He knew he'd better tell her the truth right away. She would understand him. Softly, he started after a while, "Umbridge almost won today." He ran his hands through his hair and continued, "Throughout the whole lesson, she repeated again and again that someone is spreading lies about Voldemort's return, looking right at me all the time. I was lucky the lesson was over when I lost it, otherwise, I would have ... I don't know what I would have done. I just can't stand it anymore. I just know, I can't go on like that." "Harry, I ... eh, we need to talk?" Ginny said carefully. "About what?" Harry mumbled into his hands. "I spoke to Luna recently," Ginny answered slowly. "What does Luna have to do with it?" Harry slowly leaned back, giving Ginny a dumbfounded look. "I asked Luna if she would conduct an interview with you, an interview where you can tell her what exactly happened. Luna had asked her dad and he agreed to publish the interview in The Quibbler." "Ginny, how could you ...?" Harry started visibly annoyed but was interrupted by Ginny's determined voice. "Harry, of course, we won't do anything you don't agree. Luna said, yes, she'd do the interview with you. But if you don't want to, we forget about it. It's as simple as it this." As Harry slowly shook his head, running his hands through his hair, Ginny added earnestly, "Please, think about it, and let me know if you agree. If you don't, we'll forget it and I won’t bring it up again." Harry thoughtfully looked at Ginny, trying to understand what she was aiming for. He took a deep breath. "I'll think about it." There were so many thoughts buzzing around in his head. How should he know if such an interview would be the right thing to do? Noticing Ginny's worried look, he gave her a crooked smile and said softly, "Thank you." Ginny looked at him in surprise. "For what?" "Thank you for worrying about me." Sunday, October 15th, 1995 Sunday morning met Harry in a good mood, sitting next to Ginny and his friends at the breakfast table in the Great Hall. The good mood had its reasons. All Saturday afternoon, he had explored the castle together with Ginny. It was amazing how many places they knew, the other hadn't ever seen before. In order to memorize these places, they'd taken extended snogging sessions. Harry grinned at this memory. More than once he'd claimed that he'd never seen the place before. Why should he miss the opportunity to get better memories of this place with Ginny's help? However, he had no guilty conscience about it. In fact, he’d suspected that Ginny had exactly had the same idea. Harry was torn out of his musings by the arrival of the Daily Prophet. Since Hermione sat opposite of him, he immediately got a glimpse of the headline. Potter...attention seeking liar...return of Who-must-not-be-named. "Harry, what's up?" Ginny asked worriedly when Harry stiffened. "The Daily Prophet," Harry muttered. "It's almost the same words Umbridge used." "Oh, Harry," Ginny responded worriedly, put her hand on his knee and squeezed it. "Do you want to go flying after breakfast. The fresh air will be good for you. You know that, right now, we can't do anything about it." "No, Ginny, you were right before," replied Harry. "We can do something about it. We need to do something about it. I'll do the interview with Luna. The Daily Prophet is telling lies, but we must tell the truth. There is no other way. We can only hope someone believes me. Maybe after reading the interview, more people will see the truth. We need to fight back." Ginny beamed happily at him. "I'll go and ask Luna to meet us. I’ll be back in a minute." They met with Luna in the afternoon in the abandoned classroom where Harry had stormed to after Umbridge's class. Ron had apologized because he wanted to meet Seamus for a game of chess. Hermione, however, had insisted in attending the interview, and since both Harry and Ginny had no objections, the three of them headed off to their meeting with Luna right after lunch. They’d left the door ajar to allow Luna to find the right room. Harry and Hermione were about to set up a table and a few chairs when Ginny, standing guard at the door, called, "Luna's coming." Luna stepped through the door. Smiling dreamily, she looked around. "Oh, you made yourself quite comfortable here." Harry rolled his eyes. "It can't be more comfortable than in the Ravenclaw Common Room." "Oh, the furnishings certainly not, but without a doubt the company. I'm glad to see you again, Harry Potter." She beamed at him. "Before I forget it, Ginevra." Luna turned to Ginny. "Thank you for keeping your promise." Ginny blushed slightly. "What promise?" Harry asked, interested. "Oh, nothing ..." Ginny interjected. "Oh, yes, Ginevra," Luna interrupted her. "I'm sure it’s been hard for you to give away your beloved Harry Potter doll." Ginny blushed, completely embarrassed. "Of course, I'll give it back to you, in case you and Harry..." Slightly blushing as well now, Harry interjected, "Don't worry Luna, as far as it concerns me, the doll belongs to you now." A sudden thought crossed his mind. Giving Luna a questioning look, he asked, "What does someone your age need a doll for?" Dreamily, Luna looked Harry into the eye. "You don't want to know, Harry Potter." Harry looked at Luna, amused. "Enough of that," Ginny interrupted the embarrassing discussion. "We're not here for a silly doll." Harry loved the sight of the embarrassed Ginny so much. He was just about to tease her a bit more when she gave him a stern look. "Potter, forget it!" "Okay," Harry grinned. "Let's talk about it in the evening." Luna turned back to the door again, muttering something incomprehensible while waving her wand. Obviously satisfied with the result, she turned back to her friends and explained, "We don't want to be disturbed, are we?" "Yeah, let's finally talk about important things," Ginny agreed. Without further ado, the four took their seats at the table and listened to Harry's story about the events on the day of the third task at the Triwizard tournament. Throughout the whole interview, Luna steadily stared at Harry, taking notes on her notebook without even looking. When Harry finished his tale, he looked at Luna, waiting for her to ask questions. "Do you need anything else from me?" He finally asked when he couldn’t stand the silence any longer. "Voldemort has your blood in his veins?" Luna asked. "Um, well ..." Harry looked up to Ginny for help. But Ginny slowly turned her gaze to Luna, obviously thinking about something. "Well," Harry went on, suddenly having the strange feeling that the answer to that question was important. "That's right" Harry nodded. "Yes, he has my blood in his veins." "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Hermione interjected. Suddenly the Knut dropped. Voldemort's blood was his blood. He looked at Ginny, who was just gasping for air, looking at him with wide eyes. She'd also understood the implications of Luna's question. They had to tell Sirius. "Well, time will tell," Harry answered Hermione's question, trying to suppress his excitement. Turning back to Luna, he continued, "Either way, I'd prefer if you don't mention my blood in the article. When I think about it, you’d best not mention blood at all." "As you wish," Luna said unperturbed. "But I want to mention the names of the Death Eaters you recognized in the graveyard. Is it okay for you?" "Good point," Harry answered. "I take it Malfoy won't like to read his name in The Quibbler, let alone in connection with Voldemort. This alone is a good reason to say yes." "Who did you recognize anyway, Harry?" Ginny asked. "You only told me about Malfoy so far." "As I said," Harry began, "I didn't see all the faces because they were all wearing silver masks. Voldemort had addressed a few of his cullies by name, and I also recognized Malfoy's voice. You’ll never forget his slimy voice if you heard it once. Then there were the fathers of Crabbe and Goyle. Then there was Walden McNair. Voldemort made fun of him because he's executing magic creatures now. Then there was a man called Avery. As far as I know, he is the son of a former schoolmate of Voldemort. Yeah, and of course Peter Pettigrew, and Voldemort himself. There were more Death Eaters there, but I don't know who they were." "I'm not sure if it’s a good idea to mention all the names in the interview," Hermione interjected. "Especially Malfoy can give you a hard time if he wants to. Fudge is in his pocket, and Fudge's right-hand, Umbridge, is right here at the school. Does it help us, or does it harm us if we publish the names?" "I like the idea to cause a bit trouble among our enemies," Ginny countered, her eyes wandering over those present. "In the end, it doesn't matter if we publish the names or not, they won't leave Harry alone." "Yes." Harry nodded in agreement. "You’re right. We should publish the names. Even if no one believes me, they will watch them more closely, and there will always be a glimmer of doubt left. They are not going to like it." "Thank you, Harry. With this question out of the way, I think we are through," Luna said, her dreamy smile gracing her face again. "I'll send the interview to my father right away. He wants to publish it in the next edition of The Quibbler. " "When is the next edition due?" Hermione asked. "Next Sunday," Luna replied. "My dad promised to send me a preprint for you on Saturday." With that Luna got up, waved goodbye to her friends, cancelled her protection charms for the classroom door and disappeared. Later that evening, after dinner, Harry met with Ginny to head up to the Astronomy Tower. They wanted to talk to Sirius undisturbed and the tower had been their best guess for a deserted place on a chilly October night. They had donned their Weasley jumpers under their robes, so they wouldn't catch a cold. When they reached the entrance to the tower, Harry opened the door to the stairwell and let Ginny enter. He locked the door then caught up with her. Ginny walked ahead on the narrow steps of the spiral staircase. When she reached the top, she opened the heavy metal door by pushing her shoulder against it. Slowly, she stepped out onto the platform and looked around. "The coast is clear," she called, walking over to the parapet to let her eyes wander about the Hogwarts grounds. Harry stepped behind Ginny, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and took a deep breath of the flowery scent of Ginny's hair. "It looks beautiful," Ginny murmured softly. "It does," Harry agreed. For a long time, they stood silently together, admiring the view of the castle's nocturnal surroundings. A light breeze blew in their faces and made them forget the unpleasant things for a few minutes. Down in the dim schoolyard, some Hufflepuffs were playing tag. A little farther away, at the edge of the forest, Hagrid's hut was visible as a dark spot. The hut was unlit because Hagrid was on a mission Dumbledore alone knew where. "I think we should call Sirius," Harry whispered much later into Ginny's ear. "Yeah," Ginny admitted. "Time to return to reality." Harry pulled his mirror out of his pocket and led Ginny to a bench slightly out of the way with a good view at the entry door to the platform. They snuggled together to stay warm. When they had made themselves comfortable, Harry reached for his wand and tapped the mirror. "Sirius Black," he said quietly but clearly. They waited a few minutes until the mirror hummed softly and Sirius' face appeared on it. "Who have we got here?" He beamed at them. "Ah, our lovebirds are having a cosy evening under the stars. I suppose you're up on the Astronomy Tower." "Oh, are you jealous?" Harry answered with a grin. "Oh, believe me, Harry. I have enough stars here on this lonely island," Sirius replied. "But I'm definitely envious of your company." "Thanks, Sirius, but I need to stay here and keep an eye on your favourite godson, so he won't do anything stupid," Ginny joked. "I don't envy you, herding Pixie's is easier," Sirius snorted. "Hey, you two! I'll come back later if you want to talk alone." Harry huffed. "No, stay here," Sirius exclaimed in horror. "You'll get lost in the castle." "Enough!" Harry exclaimed. "There’re important things to discuss." "I was so glad to see you again, and you're spoiling the fun," Sirius pouted. "Okay, okay, I understand, back to serious business. I also have some important news, but you may start first." "We had an idea how to get Voldemort's blood," Harry began. "Oh, great." His godfather looked at him attentively. "I told you about the resurrection ritual on the graveyard, and that Pettigrew used my blood to resurrect Voldemort." When Sirius nodded, Harry continued, "This means that my blood is running through his veins now, and we think we can, therefore, use my blood for the merging ritual." Sirius looked thoughtfully. "This sounds plausible. That is unless we need his blood from the time when he created the Horcruxes, but I doubt it. It would mean that we couldn't perform the ritual anymore because this blood most likely isn't available anymore." Harry's heart almost dropped into his shoes at Sirius' comment. He hadn't considered this possibility. "Er, right..." "I think it won't be a problem," Sirius tried to reassure him. "Your idea is great. If we’ll do it this way, we need to get some of your blood to this damn island. I suppose it has to wait until Christmas. We won't see each other sooner." "Yes, probably," Harry agreed. "If I were you, I'd buy the next issue of the Quibbler, Sirius," Ginny interjected. "Your godson gave them an interview." "Ginny ..." Harry looked at her indignantly. Ginny squeezed his knee to placate him. "I think Sirius should read the article." "If he wants to," Harry replied. "I'm very curious about Umbridge’s reaction." "Umbridge? Fudge's Watchdog at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked. "The very same," Harry confirmed, and told Sirius about his experiences with the vicious woman. "This doesn't sound good," Sirius said thoughtfully when Harry finished his tale. "It's definitely not funny," Harry confirmed. "Yeah, please keep me informed about her," Sirius requested. "Will do. Any news from Dumbledore?" Harry asked. "He hasn't talked to me all term." "Ah yes. Dumbledore," Sirius replied. "That's the point I wanted to talk to you about. When I went through the books on the Horcruxes with Bill this week, he told me that the Order is guarding something in the Ministry. Dumbledore apparently suspects that Voldemort is interested in something and wants to steal it." "There are even shift schedules for all Order members assigned to stand guard, but nobody knows what they are really guarding. Dumbledore didn't tell anyone." Sirius explained. "That's all that Bill was able to tell me, and he only knew it because he's one of the guards." "Personally, Dumbledore didn't say anything to me," Sirius went on. "Well, for obvious reasons, I can't turn up at the Ministry to watch over whatever it is. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore doesn't want me to know that something is being guarded. However, since Dumbledore keeps it so secret, I suspect it has something to do with you, Harry. That's why I wanted you to know about it. Of course, I'll try to find out more about it." Ginny had been following the conversation silently all the time. She looked up at Harry. "This doesn't sound good." "No, it doesn't," Harry agreed. "Seems, more trouble is searching for me." "We'll keep watching things and continue researching the Horcruxes. Don't worry about it for the time being." Sirius tried to soothe the two of them. "I'll try," Harry agreed with a doubtful look. Glancing over at Ginny, he said, "In the meantime, we'll go down into the Chamber to fetch the Basilisk fangs. We'll need them to destroy the Horcruxes when we have them all together." "I'll definitely go with you," Ginny said, looking him in the eye. "Are you sure?" Harry asked reluctantly. "Yeah," Ginny answered without hesitation. Harry was relieved when Ginny nodded. Several times, they had talked briefly about going down into the Chamber. He was glad she didn't cave in now that the plan was becoming more concrete. "Okay, then I'll leave you two lovebirds alone," Sirius interrupted. "But leave your clothes on. It's cold up there on the tower at night." "Please, spare us the details why you know that," Harry responded quickly. "Okay, okay, I see. It's time for your old godfather to say goodbye. Good night, you two." "Good night," the two said, giggling as Sirius's face disappeared and the mirror went out again. "Let's stay a bit longer." Ginny looked at Harry. "Yeah, it's so peaceful up here," Harry answered, pulling Ginny closer. Watching the twinkling stars in the cloudless sky and listening to Ginny's steady breathing, Harry felt happy and content. Sitting in a sheltered corner, he enjoyed the light, pleasant breeze stroking his face. He resolved to come up here with Ginny more often. Startled, Harry blinked hard and opened his eyes. He was shivering from the cold air. Apparently, he'd fallen asleep. He looked over to Ginny, who was snuggled up to him with a satisfied smile on her face, sleeping. Chilly as he was, he’d have loved to watch her a bit longer. Smiling, Harry nudged Ginny on the shoulder. "Wake up, Ginny. We have to go back." Confused, Ginny sat up, rubbing her eyes in amazement. She grinned sheepishly at Harry. "I guess I fell asleep in your arms." "I won't take it personally," Harry stroked her cheek. "But we'd better get back." Friday, October 20th, 1995 After a long day, Harry was looking forward to the weekend and the upcoming dinner. The double classes Potions with Snape in the morning had lasted forever but, luckily, Snape had been in a good mood today and had refrained from provoking Harry with insulting remarks. Umbridge's classes in the afternoon had been quite the opposite. Harry once again had to struggle to keep his anger under control while Umbridge was constantly bugging him with her lies and her useless lectures on the theory of defensive magic. In the hope of provoking Harry, she had repeatedly given him an expectant grin, but to her disappointment, he had managed to stay calm. Now he was glad it was finally the weekend. He headed down the stairs from his dorm to the common room and was pleased to see Ginny at her usual table at the window overlooking the Black Lake. "Hi, Gin. What's the matter? You're in a bad mood?" Harry asked as he sat down at Ginny's table, noticing her sullen expression. She smiled at him. "It's already getting better." "What happened? Snape? Malfoy?" Harry asked worriedly. "Nope, none of those." Ginny shook her head, and added on Harry's questioning look, "Ron happened." "You and Ron; you two argue quite a lot." Harry took her hand in his, brushing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Not as often as it seems," Ginny averred. "Only when he's trying to tell me what to do and what not to do. Don't get me wrong, Harry. I love Ron, I really do. After all, he's my brother. But there're times I feel the urgent need to strangle him. But that's normal. After all, he is my brother." "That's strange." Harry pondered Ginny's remark. "I often feel the same about Hermione. Don't get me wrong, I really like her, but sometimes I could strangle her as well. She can be a real pain in the neck when it comes to homework, or when she's scolding me because I violated another rule only she knows it even exists. Does it mean that Hermione is a kind of a sister to me?" Ginny chuckled. "Exactly. That's the way older siblings are, you love them to bits, but you'd love to strangle them whenever they're getting on your nerves." "Are you coming down for dinner with me?" Harry asked, hoping to improve her mood. "I don't know." Ginny folded her arms. "I'm just not in the mood to endure a crowd." "Okay, then let's just head to the kitchen," Harry suggested. Ginny's eyes lit up. "That's one of your better suggestions." She grinned happily. "Oh, I always make good suggestions, you just don't appreciate them," Harry complained. "Forget it, Potter, the best suggestions are always mine." "Hey..." Harry tried to protest, but Ginny cut him short, "Just tell me, who always suggests looking for an empty broom cupboard? If it were up to you, we would always be cuddling in front of the fire." "What's wrong with cuddling in front of the fire?" Harry raised his eyebrows. "Nothing. But cuddling in a broom cupboard is much more exciting, isn't it? You always seem to enjoy it more when Ron isn't watching you." Ginny grinned at him. "Okay, then I suggest we're looking for an empty broom cupboard after dinner." Harry waggled his eyebrows, blushing. "Oh, Potter, two brill suggestions within 5 minutes." Ginny giggled. "It seems hope isn't lost yet." Getting up, she grabbed Harry's hand. "Let's go. I'm starving." Hand in hand they made their way down to the kitchens, occasionally bumping their shoulders and grinning at each other. They slipped through the kitchen door and looked about. Dinner in the Great Hall was just beginning, and the house-elves were obviously busy. They sat down at a small table in a far corner of the kitchen when they heard a scream. "Oh, Harry Potter, Sir. I is happy to see you here." Dobby bowed excitedly. "How can I help the great Harry Potter and his Miss Wheezy?" "Hello, Dobby, I'm also happy to see you," Harry answered a bit embarrassed. "Can you please bring us something to eat. We are hungry, but we don’t want to eat with all the noise in the Great Hall tonight." "I is happy to bring the great Harry Potter and his girl something to eat," Dobby cried out. "Do you want something of everything, or something special?" Harry gave Ginny a questioning look. "What do you want?" "Hmm," Ginny pondered for a moment. "Shepherd's pie and a chocolate pudding for dessert would be nice, plus a glass of iced pumpkin juice." "Shepherd's pie and chocolate pudding for Miss Wheezy," Dobby confirmed euphorically. "And for Harry Potter, Sir?" "Shepherd's pie sounds good," Harry replied. "and for dessert, I’d like chocolate profiteroles. And, of course, a glass of iced pumpkin juice." "Dobby is hurry. Dobby will be serving dinner for Harry Potter, Sir and his Miss Wheezy soon." ... And with a quiet pop, the house-elf disappeared. Harry took Ginny's hand and gave her a thoughtful gaze. "Ginny, have you ever heard of some mysterious room here at Hogwarts?" Ginny looked at him, questioningly. "What sort of room?" "A room that pops up when it's needed," Harry explained. "Do not laugh now, but Dumbledore once said that there are secrets at Hogwarts, not even he as the Headmaster knows about. Once, when he wandered the castle in the night and was in the need of a loo, he found a strange room filled with chamber pots of every imaginable size and shape, at a place where never has been a room before, not even a door." "Hmm, that's odd," Ginny replied thoughtfully, smiling at Dobby, who was just serving their dinner. "I remember Fred and George boasting about their pranks. Once, when they needed to hide from Filch a door opened out of nowhere. They hid from Filch in the room. Filch didn't find them. They said they thought Filch couldn't even see the door of the room." Listening with interest, Dobby placed the Shepherd's pie laden plates, the desserts, and the pumpkin juice on the table. "Miss Wheezy Wheezies found the Come and Go Room then," he explained with an air of importance. "What's the Come and Go Room?" Harry asked astonished. "House-elves call it ‘Come and Go Room’, wizards call it 'place where everything is hidden' or ‘Room of Requirement’, but not many wizards know about the Come and Go Room," Dobby explained. "The Come and Go Room is on the seventh floor, opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. House-elves can go directly into the room. Wizards must walk past the area of the door three times, thinking of what they need, to make the Come and Go Room appear." Ginny looked at Harry with a mischievous smile. "What are you thinking about?" Harry asked her, puzzled. "Sounds even more useful than a broom cupboard," she chuckled. Monday, October 23rd, 1995 "Are you ready?" Harry asked, giving Ginny a scrutinizing look. "Yeah," Ginny replied, adjusting the last pieces of her clothing. They had extensively taken advantage of the Room of Requirements for the first time, and they were excited. Unobserved by the prying eyes of nosy brothers or fellow students, the snogging had become a bit out of control. They still had all their clothes on, however, not in the condition they wanted to show up in public. After all the buttons were closed and the shirts were neatly smoothed, Harry checked the Marauder's map to see if the coast was clear. He was just about to announce that they could head back to the Gryffindor Tower when he noticed Luna sitting in Umbridge's office. He glanced at his watch. It was already half past nine. Bewildered, he showed Ginny the map. "Look, what's Luna doing so late in Umbridge's office?" "I don't know either," she replied. "We don't have Umbridge's classes together with the Ravenclaws, so I didn't see her after lunch." "We need to check on her," Harry insisted. "Let's head down to Umbridge's office and wait there for her. I have a very bad feeling. Yesterday the edition of the Quibbler with the interview came out, and today Luna is sitting in the office of that evil woman. That can’t be a coincidence." Luckily, they had brought Harry's Invisibility Cloak with them, just in case they missed curfew and had to hide on their way back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry threw the cloak over them both, opened the door so they could step into the floor together. Arm in arm and in lockstep, they silently marched down to Umbridge’s office, worried about what had happened to Luna. When they reached the office, they hid in an alcove not far from the door. This way, they had a good view of the office door and were out of the way of random passersby. As they waited there, invisibly and intimately entwined, Harry suddenly became aware of Ginny's closeness. He looked at her but could not see much in the dim light under the cloak. Slowly he leaned forward and gently kissed her. Just as he wanted to deepen the kiss, the door of Umbridge's office opened and Luna stepped out. There was nothing left of Luna's otherwise so dreamy look. It had given way to a hard expression that didn't bode well. The tears rolling down her cheek were the complete contrast to her hard expression. When Luna started to make her way down the hall toward the Ravenclaw Tower, Harry grabbed Ginny's hand, gently pulling her with him to follow Luna. When they had turned around the next corner, Harry called, "Luna, wait." Startled, the girl turned around, searching for the origin of the voice. "It's us. Harry and Ginny," Ginny explained as Harry removed the cloak to reveal them. "What are you doing here?" Luna asked, obviously surprised. "We could ask the same to you. We happened to pass by here," Harry said. Grimacing, he pointed to her right hand. "What happened to your hand?" Luna looked at them both, obviously considering her answer. "What happened, Luna?" Ginny asked forcefully. Apparently coming to a decision, Luna began reluctantly, "I got a week’s worth of detention from Umbridge." "Why?" Ginny asked with interest. "For spreading lies." Luna looked Harry in the eyes. "And before you feel guilty, Harry Potter, I think we've done the right thing. There is no need to blame yourself. " Harry glared at Luna. "She punished you for the interview?" "It doesn't matter," Luna explained calmly. "But what about your hand?" Harry insisted. "Oh, Luna," Ginny screamed. She stepped toward Luna and carefully raised her hand to examine it. “I must not tell lies.” She read the blood-encrusted line. "Umbridge made you write with a Blood Quill?" she asked, horrified. When Luna didn't answer, she stated, "That's a crime!" "It doesn't matter," Luna insisted. "Tomorrow it will be gone." She looked at her friends. "Good night, Harry Potter. Good night, Ginevra." She turned and continued walking her way down the hall. Harry gave Ginny a troubled look. "I think I’ll have a long chat with Sirius. We must help her." In a very depressed mood, the two of them made their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Wednesday, October 25th, 1995 Dinner that Wednesday evening had been a boisterous affair and the highlight of an eventful day that had begun as usual. It had taken a while for the first students to notice that the staff table had been almost deserted through most of breakfast. When Dumbledore had finally arrived, the first early risers had already left the Great Hall. Instead of taking his seat at the staff table, Dumbledore had stepped forward and made the announcement that Professor Umbridge had been suspended, and that her classes had been cancelled for the next days. During dinner, the students of all houses were still noisily discussing the earlier development, hoping for more news. When Dumbledore finally made his appearance, his announcement that Umbridge would not return to Hogwarts hit the students like a bludger. The news that the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes would be cancelled until a new professor had been found was enthusiastically celebrated by the majority of the students. Harry had been worried about Luna all day when he hadn't seen her at the Ravenclaw table during breakfast. He'd suspected that Sirius had kept his promise and had told Moody and Tonks that Umbridge was torturing students. To Harry's relief, Luna had reappeared at lunchtime. When Harry had entered the Great Hall, she was surrounded by her fellow Ravenclaws, bombarding her with questions. It was a very unusual sight since Luna usually sat alone at the table. Unfortunately, it left Harry with no chance to talk to Luna alone. Fortunately, Ginny's first lesson in the afternoon was History of Magic, a class the Gryffindors shared with Ravenclaw, and Ginny had plenty of time to squeeze news out of Luna. When she got back to the common room, Ginny sat down with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and told them what happened to Luna the evening before. To Luna's surprise, two Aurors had stormed into the office during her detention with Umbridge. They'd interrogated the professor for using a Blood Quill. In the end, the Aurors had arrested Umbridge for possessing and using Dark Objects on a student. They had asked Luna to stand for testimony the next morning. That's why she'd missed breakfast. It was late in the evening when the common room finally emptied, and Harry and Ginny could talk to Ron and Hermione in private. "I'm going down to the Chamber of Secrets with Ginny on Halloween night." Harry looked nervously at his friends. He wasn’t sure how they would react. "We need the Basilisk fangs to destroy the Horcruxes, and we think it's important for Ginny to go down into the chamber. It’s important for us to do it together." Hermione sat bent over a book at a table in the common room while Ron sat on the chair next to her, leafing through a Quidditch magazine. Abruptly she looked up and gave Harry an aghast look. "Harry, are you insane? How do you come up with such a stupid idea?" "The idea is not stupid, Hermione. Just think about it. Actually, we both wanted to ask you two if you wanted to come with us. But if you think the idea is too harebrained, you're welcome to go to bed when we both go down into the chamber," Harry said in a firm voice. "That's out of the question," Ron interjected. "I'm in. The last time we were there, the tunnel collapsed and you had to go on your own. This time I want to see the chamber." "Ron, you're insane to help those two with this nonsense," Hermione protested. "It's not nonsense," Ginny replied patiently. “We talked about it with Sirius and Bill. Bill is not happy with our decision, but he supports us. Who else should do it, Hermione? Neither Sirius nor Bill can suddenly wander about the castle. We've been down there before, and this time it should even be safe." "Fine," Hermione grumbled. "I can't let you go down there alone. Someone has to watch over you." She shook her head thoughtfully. "But we shouldn't go on Halloween night." "Why not?" Harry asked in amazement. "With all the excitement on Halloween's Eve, nobody will miss us." "And that's the point. I think someone will notice if all four of us aren't at the Feast. It's too dangerous to sneak about the castle at night, remember. We only have one Invisibility Cloak for the four of us." "I think Hermione has a point there," Ginny said thoughtfully. "We should go on the Saturday before Halloween, right after breakfast. Or, if we have Quidditch practice, right after lunch. Nobody will miss us during the daytime and we can freely walk about the castle without attracting attention." "’Kay," Harry said reluctantly. "It’s Saturday, then. The earlier, the better." Saturday, October 28th, 1995 On Saturday afternoon, Harry was having lunch with his friends in the Great Hall. Freshly showered and a bit exhausted after the Quidditch training in the morning, he grabbed the last roast beef sandwich from the platter before it disappeared to be replaced with a fully laden new platter. "Ah, ham sandwiches," Ron moaned happily, filling his plate. Harry smiled at Ginny, who was apparently starving after Katie's extra demanding Chaser formations workout. They had just returned from the Owlery because Ginny wanted to borrow Hedwig to send her mother a greeting card for her 45th birthday coming Monday. Of course, they had used the few moments alone for other things as well and had just come back in time for lunch. Hermione interrupted Harry's musings. "We'll meet at one o'clock in the common room," she announced. "Harry, you need to bring your Invisible Cloak with you and go ahead with Ron. You two need to wait under the cloak in front of the girl's loo on the second floor. It would be too conspicuous if someone would see the two of you heading into a girls' loo. You’ll follow me when I go into the loo with Ginny. But you need to wait until I've checked that Myrtle is not there." When Harry nodded in agreement, she went on, "You remember how to get into the chamber from there?" Harry nodded, grabbing a ham sandwich. "You gathered all the things we want to take with us?" Hermione rolled her eyes, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. "What do you think I did this morning when the three of you have had your fun?" "Oi, Mione," complained Ron, swallowing the last bite. "Quidditch isn't just fun, it's a serious matter!" "Sorry for the stupid question," Harry interjected to prevent a quarrel between Ron and Hermione. He got up and said, "I'll go fetch the cloak and my broom." "What do you need the broom for?" Hermione asked in surprise. "Somehow, we need to get out again," Harry explained with a sweeping wave of his hand. "I doubt that Fawkes will show up again to help us out this time." Turning to the exit, he nodded his head towards Ron. "Don’t forget to bring your broom, too." "Wait, I’ll come with you," Ginny called out, washing down the last remnants of her sandwich with a glass of pumpkin juice. Hand in hand, the two left the Great Hall and made their way up to the Gryffindor Common Room. On the stairs, Harry stopped for a moment and looked at Ginny. "You’re nervous, aren't you?" "Mmm." Ginny nodded visibly uneasy. "But it's something I have to do. I think the nerves are more from anticipation than fear of going back there." "Are you sure?" Harry asked in surprise. Ginny nodded. "Without Tom, the place can’t be half as scary as it was the last time." Half an hour later, Harry and Ron were waiting outside the door to the girls' loo on the second floor. The Invisibility Cloak was barely large enough to hide them both when they stood with their legs bent. It took a few minutes until the sound of footsteps announced the arrival of the girls. They stopped for a moment when they reached the door, listening. There were no suspicious noises in the hallway, and Hermione cautiously turned the doorknob, opened the door a crack and glanced inside. When nothing happened, she slipped through the door. Moments later, she poked her head through the crack of the door, whispering, "The coast is clear; come in." Harry nudged Ron lightly and nodded toward the door. The two crept over and slipped through the half-opened door. Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak over their heads as soon as he heard the noise of the closing door. Harry strode over to the sinks to find the one with the engraved snake. "Here it is," he muttered. Turning to his friend, he asked, "Are you ready?" When they all nodded without hesitation, Harry turned back to the sink. Taking a few deep breathes, he concentrated for a moment, before hissing in Parseltongue, "Open." With a loud creaking noise, the opening of the drain widened and made room for the upper end of a slide whose other end was hidden somewhere in the dark behind the next bend. "Ron, you're going down last." As Ron nodded, Harry added, "Don't forget your broom." He slipped onto the slide and slid down into the darkness. After a short time, he lost track of the number of turns he'd already slipped down. As the slope decreased and the speed slowed, he drew his wand, muttering, "Lumos." Before looking about, Harry quickly stepped aside to get out of the way of Ginny or Hermione, whoever would arrive next. Only moments later, Ginny appeared in the light of his wand. Reaching the upper end of the slide, she stood up and stepped aside. Looking about, she said, "I can't remember what it looked like down here." "I remember vaguely only," Harry admitted. Nodding his head to Hermione, who was just coming down the chute, he continued, "I remember all the dust and the many small bones on the floor." When Ron finally jumped off the slide, Harry turned to the tunnel passage ahead. "I think we need to head in this direction. You better switch your lights on." After he heard his friends muttering their "Lumos," Harry set off. Silently, they walked down the tunnel for a few minutes until they stood in front of a large pile of rocks that had obviously fallen from the ceiling and blocked the way. "Yeah, it's the right way." Harry stopped, pointing to the rocks. "That was Lockhart's doing," he explained to the girls. "We were lucky that Ron's wand was broken, otherwise the git would have erased our memories. Ron cleared the passageway while I was looking for Ginny." The girls looked around with wide eyes; not scared, but visibly impressed. "Are you okay, Ginny?" Harry asked worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a crooked smile. "Let’s go on. " One by one, Harry ahead, they crawled through the narrow passageway Ron had cleared years ago. After the next turn of the tunnel, they passed a giant snakeskin, and for the first time noticed the stench of decay. A few dozen steps later, they were standing in front of a large stone gate, engraved with the images of serpents. The gate was open, and the four of them slowly walked into the long, dimly lit Chamber of Secrets. Cautiously looking around, they walked up towards the statue of Salazar Slytherin, standing at the opposite wall of the chamber. "Ugh, it reeks terribly down here." Ron choked. "Yeah," Harry agreed. "Be careful. Over there are the remains of the Basilisk. Right in front of the statue." Slowly they approached the dead beast. There was not much left except the enormous skin and the horrible odour. To Harry's relief, he saw something white on the floor, reflecting in the light of his wand. The fang of the Basilisk. He pointed to the spot. "Here's the first fang. Do you have the prepared bags with you, Hermione?" "Of course, what a question," replied his bushy-haired friend, already searching her pocket. "But be careful," Harry said worriedly. "That's the fang you were bitten with, Harry, isn't it?" Ginny asked, visibly shaken. "Yes, it is," Harry affirmed. "Oh, Harry," Ginny exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him fiercely. Harry returned her hug. When he let go and saw her eyes wet with unshed tears, he murmured, "Everything's fine, Gin. We're here and Tom's gone." After a moment, he went on, "At least this version of him." "I'm just wondering if I've ever thanked you, Harry." Ginny smiled sheepishly. "That's not important," replied Harry. Giving her a cocky grin, he added, "but if you insist, you can show me your gratitude tonight." "You can bet your life on that." Ginny grinned in response. "Oi, you two," groaned Ron. "We're doing all the work here." Bashfully, they turned back to their friends, who were just levitating the fang of the Basilisk into Hermione's bag. "Okay," Harry said, walking to the head of the Basilisk. "It looks like another fang already dropped out of the jaw." Silently, Harry watched Hermione levitate the other fang into the bag, while Ron held it open. When they were done, he squeezed Ginny's hand. "Let's head back again; I need fresh air." "Fancy going flying with me later?" Ginny asked, her eyes gleaming in the light of his wand. "I like the idea," Harry replied. "Could have been mine." "Dream on, Potter," Ginny said mischievously, squeezing his hand. |
| Reviews 64 |
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