The next morning, they all gathered back into the Great Hall, all excited to finish the second book. Harry grabbed himself a plate full of food and sat in the bowl beside Sirius and the others.

"Tell me that the book ends on a good note." said Remus pleadingly.

"Yeah, it turns out pretty good." said Harry shrugging.

It was decided that Madam Bones would read the final chapter, after a bit of coaxing from Harry, saying that she would find it most interesting.

"Dobby's Reward" said Madam Bones.

"Great, just what we need, another chapter where he breaks your arm with rogue sport equipment." said Dr. Clark rolling his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm safe in this chapter." said Harry.

"That'll be a refreshing change." said Sirius.

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

"Goddamn it, you're still hurt." said Remus quickly.

"I was fine." said Harry. "Just really tired."

Then there was a scream.

"Ginny!"

It was Mrs. Weasley, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire.

Most of the adults in the room looked sympathetic over to the Weasley family.

She leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr. Weasley, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.

A few people in the Great Hall holding handkerchiefs and sniffed.

Harry, however, was looking past them.

"Nice of you to care." whispered Rudolph with a smirk.

"I knew she was fine!" said Harry defensively.

Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece,

"You were there? What the bloody hell stopped you from going down there?" said Bill.

"You forget, the boys didn't tell anyone about where the Chamber of Secrets was. That and he wasn't a Parselmouth." said Lionus.

"Oh, right." said Bill sheepishly. "Sorry."

"You were quite right to shout, Mr. Weasley." said Dumbledore with a sad smile. "I should have stayed."

"But you couldn't." said Madam Bones. "If you had stayed, Lucius would have come to the Ministry and with that lump." she gestured towards the seat the Minister held, "he'd of let Lucius kick you out of the castle permanently."

"Whatever happened to the Minister? Shouldn't he have been back by now?" asked Percy.

"I inquired about that." said Lionus with a smile. "It seems that his turn-key felt that he didn't learn a good enough lesson. He'll be there for a little while longer."

"Good." said McGonagall fiercely.

beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest.

"What did you expect?" said Professor McGonagall. "We had just told them that they're daughter was taken away by a monster, and you three came, covered in filth with Miss Weasley and a blood drenched sword."

"Sorry ma'am." said Ron and Harry sheepishly.

Fawkes went whooshing past Harry's ear and settled on Dumbledore's shoulder,

"He did a fantastic job. As did all of you children." said Dumbledore with kind smile. "Though you shouldn't have had to do it." he finished with a guilt ridden look.

"It wouldn't have mattered, I would have had to of gone anyway, if we told a teacher." said Harry.

"Oh, really?" said Snape with a sneer.

"I don't rightly recollect any of you being Parselmouths." said Harry.

"He's got a point." whispered Charlie. "He shouldn't have gone, but he still has a point."

just as Harry found himself and Ron being swept into Mrs. Weasley's tight embrace.

"Harry jumped about a foot in the air when you did that. He almost raised the sword and hit you." said Ron to his mother.

The Weasley's looked over at Harry.

"I was nervous, and still pretty freaked out." said Harry.

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

"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.

"I had to make some very strong tea, very quickly. I would have lost my Deputy Headmistress for a short while." said Dumbledore with a smile over to McGonagall.

"It was a very horrific day." said McGonagall sternly. "Not just for me, but for the Weasley family as well. I was so relieved that everything came out all right. But I wish I never knew what horrible cost it could have been." she added with a sorrowful glance towards Harry.

Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment,

"I was waiting for someone to yell at me, or demand for me to speak. It never came." said Harry.

"It is best that if a child had suffered from an ordeal, to let them speak, at their own pace." said Dumbledore.

"I noticed that last year." said Harry with a smile. "You didn't push it."

then walked over to the desk and laid upon it the Sorting Hat, the ruby-encrusted sword, and what remained of Riddle's diary.

Then he started telling them everything.

"A very much watered down version of what had transpired." said Dumbledore and McGonagall.

"You already looked done in, I didn't want to add to it, and I didn't want Ron and I expelled any faster than we were already going to be." said Harry.

For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into the rapt silence:

"I'm not much of a speaker, and with no one else talking, it made me awfully nervous." said Harry.

"I think you do just fine." said Cho, remember the D.A meetings.

He told them about hearing the disembodied voice,

"Which we admit, we wouldn't have believed you." said Professor Flitwick regrettably.

how Hermione had finally realized that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes;

"Which was bloody brilliant." said Ron.

how he and Ron had followed the spiders into the forest,

"Which was flipping SUICIDE! I don't want to hear about you guys going in there again." said Bill.

that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the basilisk had died;

"That solved a great mystery, I had always, for the want of a better word, wondered how that happened." said Dumbledore.

how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom…

"You should have told a teacher." said Remus.

"We did, we just...didn't pick the right teacher to tell." said Ron shrugging his shoulders.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found out where the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add —

"Who the bloody hell cares if they broke school rules or not? They saved Ginny and came back alive!" said Bill in shock.

but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"

"Lots of luck, and lots of help." said Harry. Dumbledore smiled over to Harry and Sirius pulled him into an even tighter hug.

So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking,

"Mr. Potter, you could have asked for some water." said McGonagall.

"I didn't want to push whatever luck I had left." said Harry.

told them about Fawkes's timely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary — or Ginny.

"And the part about you almost dying." said Dumbledore his face pale.

She was standing with her head against Mrs. Weasley's shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her?

"I would never have let that happen." said Dumbledore.

Harry thought in panic. Riddle's diary didn't work anymore… How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all?

"Wow, thanks Harry." said Charlie.

Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore,

"Only twelve years old, and he already knows to look immediately to Dumbledore for help." said Kingsley shaking his head.

who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.

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

"You looked into his mind again, didn't you?" said Tonks.

"I did, I had a feeling he was hiding something from me, but I didn't see that Tom had almost killed him." said Dumbledore looking down. "You were right Harry, you do know what cards to lay forward, and what cards to hide up your sleeve."

Relief — warm, sweeping, glorious relief – swept over Harry.

"I was so happy, you had no idea." said Harry.

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

"I wouldn't have believed it either, Molly." said Rudolph.

"It was this diary," said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. "Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen…"

Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.

"Brilliant," he said softly. "Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen."

"I wouldn't have complimented him." growled Remus.

"You got to admit it, Remus, he was a brilliant kid, completely twisted and sadistic, but hewas brilliant." said Moody.

He turned around to the Weasleys, who were looking utterly bewildered.

"Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle.

"Wonder if Malfoy knows?" whispered Ron to Hermione.

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 very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognizable.

"Yeah, remember that he said that he and Harry looked the same?" said George.

"Yeah I do," Fred looked at Harry intently. "I don't know, Harry looks pretty evil and powerful to me. I'd of recognized him."

"Don't make me come over there." said Harry. "I don't have magic right now, but that won't stop me from beating your ass."

"Watch your mouth." said Dr. Clark with a smirk.

"Sorry." said Harry.

Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here."

"Still can't believe he was Head Boy." said Tonks

"Headmaster Dippet chose him, not I." said Dumbledore, his eyes cold.

"But, Ginny," said Mrs. Weasley. "What's our Ginny got to do with — with — him?"

"His d-diary" Ginny sobbed. "I've b-been writing in it, and he's been w-writing back all year —"

"I learned never to do that again." said Ginny.

"Ginny!" said Mr. Weasley, flabbergasted. "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?

"Seriously? You tell your kids that?" said Dr. Clark.

"In my line of work, I warn them about a lot of stuff." said Mr. Weasley.

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," sobbed Ginny. "I found it inside one of the books Mum got me. I th-thought someone had just left it in there and forgotten about it —"

"Did you get the books at Flourish and Blotts or the second hand store, Turner's, dear?" asked Madam Bones.

"Turner's" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, you never know what people could leave in the books. I had a cousin find an old bookmark that once belonged to Newt Scamander, she returned it to him and got a signed copy of his book, and a beautiful phoenix feather quill." said Madam Bones. "It was quite unfortunate that your daughter didn't get the same pleasant surprise."

"Miss Weasley should go up to the hospital wing right away," Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice.

"That's one of the qualities I admire about you, Albus," said Bathilda taking a sip of tea. "If you see a student distraught, you'll insist that they rest."

"After they tell him what had happened." said Sirius, thinking about Harry's exhausted frame from the year before.

"Well of course, how else is he supposed to correct and fix it if he doesn't know what had happened?" said Bathilda.

"I don't know, wait until they wake up after resting first?" said Sirius sarcastically.

"Then it might be too late." said Bathilda shortly.

"This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment.

"If I wasn't freaked out at that time, I would have been really happy about that." said Ginny.

Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort." He strode over to the door and opened it.

"Well, Fudge fits the older part, but not so much the wiser." sniggered Fred.

"Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up," he added, twinkling kindly down at her.

"Works wonders at home too." said Charlie.

"Your father actually got me, how do you youngsters put it? Hooked, on hot chocolate when I feel particularly worn." said Dumbledore with a smile. "I caught him in the kitchens when he was, let's see, a second year, making a large batch of hot chocolate."

"Mom actually went down into the kitchens and made me some hot chocolate for me." said 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."

"How the hell is that timed that good?" said Sirius.

The staff merely shrugged. "Fate?" offered Professor Sprout.

"Fate's got some great timing." said Sirius.

"So Hermione's okay!" said Ron brightly.

Hermione looked at Ron, with look of pleasant surprise on her face.

"Well, you know." said Ron trying to sound cool, however it didn't work too well, especially when Hermione gave him swift kiss on the cheek.

"Dear me, Fred. Look how red Ron is getting." said George.

"Positively shocking." said Fred.

"Absolutely scandalous." said George.

"Get off." said Ron to the twins.

"There has been no lasting harm done, Ginny," said Dumbledore.

"I apologize, Miss Weasley for that statement, I should have phrased it differently." said Dumbledore swiftly.

"What? What do you mean, sir?" asked Ginny.

"After hearing what I just said, I can see how it could be taken as that you were at fault somewhere along the line. I deeply apologize." said Dumbledore.

"Oh, um...it's okay." said Ginny with a small smile.

Mrs. Weasley led Ginny out, and Mr. Weasley followed, still looking deeply shaken.

"He passed out up in the Hospital Wing." said Ginny.

"I was worried sick." said Mr. Weasley stiffly, "It just got to be too much."

"Don't blame you, Mr. Weasley." said Lionus. "If I had children, and this happened. I'd faint...right after I kill and disembowel everyone that was involved in hurting my daughter."

"What about son?" asked Lee.

"Well, I'd let him get in a few shots, then I'd kill them and behead them." said Lionus with a vicious smile.

"Go daddy." said Lee gulped.

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

"They were overjoyed. They love to cook for feasts." said McGonagall with a weak smile.

"Right," said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. "I'll leave you to deal with Potter and Weasley, shall I?"

"Oh, come on! All that death-defying stuff and you're going to give detention and take points away?" said Nightstrike groaning.

"You've gone native." said Tempest with a smirk.

"Well, like me, you've gone for a native." said Nightstrike raising his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" asked Tempest shortly.

"There aren't any Willow trees in the rooms we were assigned." said Nightstrike plucking a thin leaf from her hair.

"I was out for a morning run." snapped Tempest.

"And Firenze happened to go about the same way, attracting the exact same ornament in his tail?" said Nightstrike.

"Permission to kill Lieutenant Nightstrike, sir?" said Tempest hotly, a fierce blush reached her face.

"Permission denied. Behave Nightstrike, or I'll mention the traces of lipstick on your cheek." said Lionus. Nighstrike took on the same shade of red as Tempest as did Emmeline Vance.

"Don't think that I didn't notice that you bothleft the prisoner, unguarded." said Lionus with a smirk. "She's not as dangerous as the others, so that may be why you thought that leaving alone for a while was fine. Don't...do...it...again..."

"Yes, sir." said Tempest and Nighstrike together.

"Go on dates in shifts from now on." said Lionus with a sneer.

"Certainly," said Dumbledore.

She left, and Harry and Ron gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely — surely — they weren't about to be punished?

"If we were expelled you'd have carry me out of Hogwarts, cause I would be passed out on the floor in a dead faint." said Ron.

"I seem to remember telling you both that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules," said Dumbledore.

"Now you're a stickler for rules?" said Bill in shock.

"I was in my younger days, now I can see ways of dancing around the rule book." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"Thank goodness." said Harry quietly.

"Go figure." said Professor Snape rolling his eyes.

Ron opened his mouth in horror.

"Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words," Dumbledore went on, smiling.

"If Dumbledore had been like any of the other Headmasters, you both would have been expelled." said McGonagall sternly.

"I don't think we'd have been around past first year." said Ron.

"I wouldn't be here past Christmas." said Harry quietly.

"You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School

"I took Tom's award for services to the school down and destroyed it." said Dumbledore. "As it was fitting."

"Ours are there now." said Ron proudly.

"I'm going to have to go and look at it tonight." said Sirius with a smile. Harry groaned.

and — let me see — yes, I think two hundred points apiece for Gryffindor."

"I remember Severus coming to me and complaining about the four hundred point leap." said Dumbledore thoughtfully.

"I found it unfair." said Snape shortly.

"Especially after you took about two hundred and fifty points away from the Weasley twins for causing the fifth floor's suits of armor to jitterbug in the corridors, the day prior." said Professor Flitwick with a smile.

"So you only won by...?" said Sirius.

"We won by one hundred and fifty points." said Harry.

"So you two really only got about seventy-five points each for saving the school and defeating a giant basilisk? That's pathetic." said Sirius.

Ron went as brightly pink as Lockhart's valentine flowers

"Arrgh!" Ron cried out, and lunged at Harry, the entire bowl was knocked over backwards. The men found themselves laughing as Harry and Ron tussled around.

"Take it back!" said Ron in a muffled voice as he and Harry rolled about on the floor.

"No." said Harry with a smile. "It was the same color! Leggo my arm!"

"Take it back, quit hitting me!" said Ron.

"You hit me first!" said Harry as he flipped Ron over and held him in a light choke hold.

"Will the both of you knock it off?" said Ginny, her hands on her hips.

"You're both idiots." said Hermione standing beside Ginny.

Ron and Harry looked at each other. "But we'reyour idiots." said the both of them with broad smiles.

The school laughed as Harry and Ron continued to wrestle around frantically, finally Harry apologized after Ron grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back.

and closed his mouth again.

"But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure," Dumbledore added. "Why so modest, Gilderoy?"

"It was most unusual." said Dumbledore.

"I kept staring at him, waiting for him to take all the credit." said McGonagall.

"I saw you had your wand drawn." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"I had just about had it with him." said McGonagall stiffly.

Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart.

"I can't wait till I can forget him again." said Remus.

He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.

"Did he honestly think someone could stand behind him, when he's standing in a corner?" said Sirius with a laugh.

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

"Stole my wand, tried to oblivate us and instead he shot himself and made the ceiling of the tunnel to sort of collapse." said Fred.

"Horrible accident it was." said George.

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

"Before you even went down into the tunnel." said Lupin.

"Before he even started his first day working here." said Sirius.

"He tried to do a Memory Charm and the wand backfired," Ron explained quietly to Dumbledore.

"Oh, I wouldn't have told him that." said Fred.

"But then he would have gotten better and he would have gotten away with everything." said George.

"Oh, nevermind then." said Fred.

"Dear me," said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver mustache quivering. "Impaled upon your own sword, Gilderoy!"

"Harry also devulged what Gilderoy had done to all those champions of the people." said Dumbledore with a fond smile.

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

"Dear lord." groaned Tonks.

"Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the infirmary, too?" Dumbledore said to Ron. "I'd like a few more words with Harry…"

"You trusted Lockhart with Ron?" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Actually, Mom, I kept kicking him all the way there. Kept telling him it was mice biting his ankles." said Ron with a smile. "He said something about how we needed more cats around here."

Lockhart ambled out. Ron cast a curious look back at Dumbledore and Harry as he closed the door.

"Didn't know what he wanted to talk to Harry for." said Ron.

Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.

"Sit down, Harry," he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous.

"That's what supposed to happen when you talk to the Headmaster, however...the same cannot be said for the Weasley twins." said McGonagall, the faintest trace of smile on her lips.

"Yeah, when we've been sent to him lately, we just kick back." said Fred.

"Slouch in the chairs." said George.

"And tell him how our day went." said Fred.

"Then we tell what we did." George.

"Then he gives us detention, but you know what? It's nice to talk to him and ask him for his opinion on stuff." said Fred.

"Our conversations are quite entertaining." said Dumbledore with a wide smile. "Though I have yet to answer their final question that ask every time."

"How to go about getting away with everything." said the twins together.

"First of all, Harry, I want to thank you," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. "You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you."

"I thought you said you sent him." said Remus wonderingly.

"I did, but judging from what Harry had told me, I sent Fawkes, in the completely wrong direction. I thought that the Entrance was towards the eastern dungeons. I didn't know that the chamber was in a bathroom, especially Moaning Myrtle's." said Dumbledore.

"But I thought he flamed in." said Ron.

"He did, but if he is near enough, he doesn't waste his strength flaming about, when he can just fly towards the area." said Dumbledore. "But the dungeons he was heading to were about three-quarters of a mile away. I told him that he had to get to Harry, you, and Ginny as quickly as possible."

"Oh." said Ron.

He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him.

"Why are you grinning?" asked Zacharias.

"Don't answer him." said Sirius with a snarl.

"And so you met Tom Riddle," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "I imagine he was most interested in you…"

"Albus..." hissed McGonagall.

"He was fine, exhausted, and slightly battered, but other than that he was fine. I wanted him to think carefully about what he had seen and heard." said Dumbledore.

Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth.

"Professor Dumbledore… Riddle said I'm like him. Strange likenesses, he said…"

"Did he, now?" said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully at Harry from under his thick silver eyebrows.

Dumbledore absent-mindedly touched his eyebrows slowly.

"And what do you think, Harry?"

"I don't think I'm like him!" said Harry, more loudly than he'd intended.

"Don't blame you, Cub." said Remus ruffling Harry's still snow white hair.

"I mean, I'm — I'm in Gryffindor, I'm…"

"You're better than him." said Bill.

But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.

"Professor," he started again after a moment. "The Sorting Hat told me I'd — I'd have done well in Slytherin.

"You could have been placed in any house and done frightfully well, just like how you are as a Gryffindor." said Professor Flitwick with a broad smile.

Everyone thought I was Slytherin's heir for a while… because I can speak Parseltongue…"

"You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort — who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin — can speak Parseltongue.

"What does Harry's ability have anything to do with Voldemort's?" asked Remus.

Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar.

"...oh..." said Remus. He looked over to Harry swiftly.

"So..." said Sirius.

"We're hoping that some of the powers he lost during his illness, is some of the dark lord's power." said Dr. Nicodemus.

"Why?" said Dr. Clark.

"Because then maybe some of his own abilities will come to view. If not, he'll lose two abilities, instead of one." said Dr. Nicodemus.

"What...?" said Sirius.

"You'll find out, I believe. Much later." said Dr. Nicodemus.

Not something he intended to do, I'm sure…"

"Unless he's dumber than I think." said Lionus.

"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck.

"First time I ever wanted to make myself sick." said Harry, he had brought his legs up into the bowl and wrapped his arms around his legs. "Every time I think of it, I can't eat, or sleep." he laid his head on his knees.

"Are you alright?" said Dumbledore worriedly.

"Yeah, just don't expect me to eat for a while." said Harry's muffled voice.

"It certainly seems so."

"So I should be in Slytherin," Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore's face. "The Sorting Hat could see Slytherin's power in me, and it —"

"It put you in Gryffindor." said McGonagall proudly.

"Put you in Gryffindor," said Dumbledore calmly. "Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students.

"That didn't make me feel any better." said Harry, still talking through his knees.

His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules, "

"Minus the Parseltongue part, those qualities also belonged to...your dad and his family. And that side of your family were loaded with Gryffindors." said Sirius.

he added, his mustache quivering again. "Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think."

"You knew?" asked Seamus.

"I would have gone with anything. I myself am very resourceful." said Dumbledore.

"It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…"

"Exactly, "said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

People sat in their chairs and cushions in silence. Even the adults were bombarded with deep thoughts.

Harry sat motionless in his chair, stunned. "If you want proof, Harry, that you belong in Gryffindor, I suggest you look more closely at this."

Dumbledore reached across to Professor McGonagall's desk, picked up the blood-stained silver sword, and handed it to Harry.

"He reached for it too fast. I had to tell him to be careful." said Dumbledore, he stood up and stood behind Harry. He placed his hands on Harry's shoulders. "Harry, do you want us to take a break?"

"No. I'm going to be fine." said Harry quietly.

Dully, Harry turned it over, the rubies blazing in the firelight. And then he saw the name engraved just below the hilt.

Godric Gryffindor

"Wow!" said a few first and second years.

"Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat, Harry," said Dumbledore simply.

For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall's desk and took out a quill and a bottle of ink.

"Nice of you to help yourself." said Rivers with a smile.

"I asked earlier if I may borrow some parchment and ink, much earlier." said Dumbledore.

"What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep.

"And medical attention from me." said Madam Pomfrey loudly.

"Yeah, I slept in the Hospital Wing that night." said Harry, slowly recovering from his overpowering thoughts. "Didn't wake up till dinner time the next day."

I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban —we need our gamekeeper back.

"I was grateful to that letter." said Hagrid, his face slowly paleing.

And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too," he added thoughtfully. "We'll be needing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher…Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don't we?"

"No thanks to Potter, he killed the first one and drove the other one insane." said Zacharias with a smirk.

"Mr. Smith!" said Professor Sprout angrily. "Do not make me send you to your dorm for the rest of the readings."

Zacharias snarled towards Harry and crossed his arms furiously.

Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.

"Caught me right on my wrist, that was another bruise that Madam Pomfrey had to look at." said Harry.

Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering behind his legs, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.

Malfoy cringed in his seat under the furious gazes from people across the room.

"So, Dobby belongs to your family?" shrieked Lavender.

"Good evening, Lucius," said Dumbledore pleasantly.

"Oh, good then I did sound pleasant, I was afraid I wasn't." said Dumbledore with a smile. "It took all I had to not berate that man."

Mr. Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room.

"He's another person that just signed onto my 'Gonna die' list." spat Sirius.

Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.

"Poor Dobby." said Parvati sadly.

The elf was carrying a stained rag with which he was attempting to finish cleaning Mr. Malfoys shoes. Apparently Mr. Malfoy had set out in a great hurry, for not only were his shoes half-polished, but his usually sleek hair was disheveled.

"Poor guy, my heart bleeds for him." said George with mock sympathy.

"We mean, Malfoy." said Fred.

Ignoring the elf bobbing apologetically around his ankles, he fixed his cold eyes upon Dumbledore.

"So!" he said "You've come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts."

"And thank God he did." said Remus.

"Well, you see, Lucius," said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, "the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth.

"Sort of sounds like what happened at the Dursley's." said Harry absently.

They'd heard that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been killed and wanted me back here at once.

"They were quite relieved when they discovered that Miss Weasley was found to be alive." said Dumbledore.

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."

"Indeed?" said Madam Bones with a raised brow.

"Have we arrested Malfoy yet?" asked Dr. Nicodemus.

"Not yet, I don't think." said Lionus, "I haven't received word of his capture yet."

Mr. Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.

"He won't act on it. He's a coward." said Moody with sneer.

"So — have you stopped the attacks yet?" he sneered. "Have you caught the culprit?"

"We have," said Dumbledore, with a smile.

"Well?" said Mr. Malfoy sharply. "Who is it?"

"Your boss." said Dean.

"The same person as last time, Lucius," said Dumbledore. "But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary."

He held up the small black book with the large hole through the center, watching Mr. Malfoy closely.

"I wanted to see his reaction, and peer into his mind at the same time." said Dumbledore.

Harry, however, was watching Dobby.

"Good thing, too." said Harry.

The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr. Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.

"Guess he's trying to tell Harry that the book belongs to Malfoy." said Kingsley with a deep, calm voice.

"I see…" said Mr. Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.

"As you children say, he has a terrible poker face." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"A clever plan," said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr. Malfoy straight in the eye. "Because if Harry here —"

"Don't drag him into the conversation with a Death Eater." said Sirius in a whimper.

Mr. Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look "and his friend Ron hadn't discovered this book, why — Ginny Weasley might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn't acted of her own free will…"

"Oh, you're rubbing it in his face, love it." said Sirius losing the whimper and taking on his bark-like laugh.

Mr. Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly masklike.

"There's a heads up to what was going to happen." muttered Harry thoughtful.

"And imagine," Dumbledore went on, "what might have happened then… The Weasleys are one of our most prominent pure-blood families.

"Bet Malfoy loved that one." said Charlie with a smile.

"His face did turn a bit red." said Dumbledore thinking back.

Imagine the effect on Arthur Weasley and his Muggle Protection Act, if his own daughter was discovered attacking and — killing Muggle-borns…

"So that was what Malfoy's motive was." said Moody with a smirk.

Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle's memories wiped from it.

"Wiped? I pretty sure, due to all ink, the memories were drowned out." said Sirius.

Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise…"

"Exactly what Malfoy would have wanted." said Moody.

Mr. Malfoy forced himself to speak.

"Very fortunate," he said stiffly.

"Doesn't he sound relieved?" said Fred.

And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.

"Yes, Dobby, we know, you can stop beating yourself now." said Ron.

And Harry suddenly understood.

"Wow, you didn't figure it out right away?" said Seamus.

"I was tired, battered and slimed, I didn't want to focus on anything." said Harry defensively.

He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment.

People grabbed their ears and cringed slightly.

"Don't you want to know how Ginny got hold of that diary, Mr. Malfoy?" said Harry.

Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.

"You love picking fights don't you?" said Sirius with raised brows.

"What could he do?" said Harry shrugging.

"Let's make a list. How about that?" said Remus.

"But Dumbledore was sitting right there." said Harry looking up at Dumbledore with a smile.

"Oh, list gone." said Sirius with a laugh.

"How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?" he said.

"Because you gave it to her," said Harry.

Bill and Charlie had to restrain both of their parents. "Easy Mom, Dad. He'll get what's coming to him." said Charlie while trying to hold onto his mother's arm.

"In Flourish and Blotts. You picked up her old Transfiguration book and slipped the diary inside it, didn't you?"

Bill had to throw his arm around his father's neck working hard to hold his father back.

He saw Mr. Malfoy's white hands clench and unclench.

"Prove it," he hissed.

"Can you arrest him, Madam Bones?" shouted Fred angrily.

"No, I cannot use these books to apprehend him." said Madam Bones regretfully.

"Not stopping us." Lionus snapped his fingers and suddenly a figure dove out from nowhere and landed at Lionus' feet. He dropped down on a knee and kneeled before the Captain.

"You summoned me, sir?" said the man.

The students noticed that this guy had some sort of strange looking cloak wrapped around his shoulders, like leather.

"Have you got Lucius Malfoy?" said Lionus.

"Yes sir, we have him." said the strange cloaked man.

"And you didn't come and tell me?" said Lionus shortly.

"You told us to not interrupt the proceedings, under any circumstance. Do you want him now?" asked the man.

"I'd love it." said Lionus with a vicious smile.

The man looked up and suddenly the cloak stretched out and it showed what it really was.

"Wings? He's got wings?" said Ron in a awed whisper.

"Like a bat." said Hermione in shock.

"If they followed proper protocol, then it will be after lunch when they get back here." said Lionus with a smirk. "I think that I'll speak to Mr. Malfoy Senior somewhere alone. I hope that you, Mr. Weasley will join me."

"With pleasure." said Mr. Weasley with snarl.

"Um?" said Draco quietly.

"Best you not hear what I'm going to tell your father." said Lionus, trying to be kind.

"Oh, no one will be able to do that," said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry.

"I was exceedingly proud of Harry for what he said." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"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…"

"Better believe it." said Mr. Weasley angrily. "Why didn't you tell me he was the one behind it though?"

"What would you have done if I had told you?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"I'd have killed him." said Mr. Weasley hotly.

"Then you would have gone to Azkaban. Best keep you around, Arthur, goodness knows what might happen to your department without you." said Dumbledore kindly.

Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand.

"He never would have cleared his pocket without Dumbledore slamming him into the wall with a curse of his own." said a third year proudly.

Instead, he turned to his house-elf. "We're going, Dobby!"

He wrenched open the door and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it.

The people in the Great Hall groaned sympathetically.

They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor.

"Why didn't you do anything, Headmaster?" asked Hermione tearfully.

"It's his House-elf, I cannot lawfully admonish him or curse him for it." said Dumbledore. "Hopefully, some day, that law will change."

Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him —

"Professor Dumbledore," he said hurriedly. "Can I give that diary back to Mr. Malfoy, please?"

"What are you planning?" asked Tonks.

"Certainly, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly. "But hurry. The feast, remember…"

"You're worried about the feast?" said Madam Bones.

"He didn't need to get any thinner that what he was. Also, I was giving him a subtle hint that I would be close behind him." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"That hint I caught." said Harry.

Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby's squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and stuffed the diary into it.

"Ugh...burn that sock." gagged Dr. Clark.

"How could you get that diary to get stuffed in your sock?" asked Remus.

"It was Uncle Vernon socks." said Harry.

"Oh." said Remus.

"I had to hop on one foot just to take my sock and shoe off." said Harry with a smirk.

"I wish I could have seen that." said Sirius with a smirk.

Then he ran down the dark corridor.

He caught up with them at the top of the stairs.

"Mr. Malfoy," he gasped, skidding to a halt, "I've got something for you —"

And he forced the smelly sock into Lucius Malfoy's hand.

The students laughed loudly.

"His face was priceless." said Harry laughing along with them.

"What the —?"

"It's a sewer drenched sock." said George.

Mr. Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. "You'll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter," he said softly. "They were meddlesome fools, too."

"Can we join in the beat down?" asked Remus with a scowl on his face.

"No, I think that Mr. Weasley will do just fine." said Lionus.

He turned to go.

"Come, Dobby. I said, come."

But Dobby didn't move. He was holding up Harry's disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure.

"Huh?" asked Dr. Clark.

"He didn't..." said Remus with a smile.

"I think he did." said Sirius. "Oh this is priceless."

"Master has given a sock," said the elf in wonderment. "Master gave it to Dobby."

"That's right, take the loophole and run with it." said Moody with a smirk on his face.

"What's that?" spat Mr. Malfoy. "What did you say?"

"Got a sock," said Dobby in disbelief. "Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby — Dobby is free."

Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf then he lunged at Harry.

"OI!" shouted Sirius loudly.

"You've lost me my servant, boy!"

But Dobby shouted, "You shall not harm Harry Potter!" There was a loud bang, and Mr. Malfoy was thrown backward. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below.

Everyone, but the people in Slytherin House cheered and shouted joyously.

"Was that you?" asked Sirius to Dumbledore.

"No, Dobby beat me to the punch." said Dumbledore honestly.

He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long, threatening finger.

"A House-elf's finger is threatening?" scoffed Lee.

"Was to Malfoy." said George.

"You shall go now," he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr. Malfoy. "You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now."

"You tell him Dobby!" cheered a few third years.

The elf's ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.

"I've just got one question, Dobby," said Harry as Dobby pulled on Harry's sock with shaking hands.

"Oh, that's gross. Tell me he washes it soon." said Dr. Clark.

"You told me all this had nothing to do with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, remember? Well —"

"So he lied." said Remus.

"Not quite." said Harry and Dumbledore.

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

"Huh?" said several students.

"Right," said Harry weakly.

"At the time, I didn't to question any further." said Harry.

"Well, I'd better go. There's a feast, and my friend Hermione should be awake by now…"

"Thanks for thinking of me." said Hermione with a faint blush.

Dobby threw his arms around Harry's middle and hugged him.

"Took everything I had not to make him promise never to try and save my life again." said Harry with a smirk.

"Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!" he sobbed. "Farewell, Harry Potter!"

And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.

"Hope he has a nice life." said Neville.

Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pajamas, and the celebration lasted all night.

"Did you stay up all night?" asked Kingsley.

"Madam Pomfrey came down and dragged me off to the Hospital Wing about five o'clock in the morning." said Harry.

Harry didn't know whether the best bit was Hermione running toward him, screaming "You solved it! You solved it!"

"Aww." said a few girls in the Great Hall.

or Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring his hand and apologize endlessly for suspecting him,

"Not even close, I wouldn't have given him the time of day." said Sirius sourly.

or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry and Ron so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle,

"Sorry." said Hagrid sheepishly.

"Trifle is good with or without spoons." said Harry and Ron.

or his and Ron's four hundred points for Gryffindor securing the House Cup for the second year running,

"Go Gryffindors!" said the Gryffindor table joyfully.

or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat

"Oh, well I know what you were talking about. Good thing you got rid of the tests, it wouldn't have been fair." said Sirius.

"What about the fifth and seventh years?" asked Remus.

"They were able to come back during the summer to take their tests, with plenty of studying under their belts." said Dumbledore with a smile.

("Oh, no!" said Hermione),

"Only you." said Ron shaking his head.

or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year,

"You could almost hear the sarcasm." whispered Madam Hooch to Professor Sinstra.

owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.

"Thank goodness he wasn't going to come back." said McGonagall rolling her eyes.

"Shame," said Ron, helping himself to a jam doughnut. "He has starting to grow on me."

"I still miss kicking him about." said Ron.

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine.

"We never left our favorite tree." said Harry fondly.

Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences — Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled ("but we've had plenty of practice at that anyway," Ron told a disgruntled Hermione)

"You didn't learn anything that year anyway." said Remus.

"Except not letting loose a bunch of pixies." said Sirius.

and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor.

"Not many people could really figure out why that was really important." said Ron.

Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place. On the contrary, he looked resentful and sulky.

Draco continued to cringe in his seat, silently begging for the chapter to end.

On the other hand, Ginny Weasley was perfectly happy again.

"That was one of the better things to happen." said Harry with a smile.

They were almost at King's Cross when Harry remembered something.

"Wow, did nothing happen at all for the rest of the year, or the train ride?" said Sirius.

"Nope, and it was really nice." said Harry with a smile.

"Ginny – what did you see Percy doing, that he didn't want you to tell anyone?"

"Girlfriend." said Fred and George.

"Oh, that," said Ginny, giggling. "Well — Percy's got a girlfriend."

"Our Ickle Percy's growing up." said Fred wiping a tear from his eye.

"Hey! No more 'Ickle-anything' remember." said George quickly.

Fred dropped a stack of books on George's head. "What?"

"Was that intentional or accidental?" asked Sirius with a chuckle.

"It had better of been accidental." said George shortly.

"Maybe..." said Fred with a mischievious smile.

"It's that Ravenclaw prefect, Penelope Clearwater," said Ginny.

"That's who he was writing to all last summer.

"So you gave up family time, for a girl?" said Fred.

"Whom you were going to see all year round?" said George.

"What were you doing in your room while waiting for the letters, anyway?" said Fred.

"Yeah...you...uh...um...ah..." said George, his voice faltering.

"You figured it out? Spill." said Fred. George leaned over and whispered in his ear Fred's eyes bugged out slightly.

"Nevermind continue on." said Fred to Madam Bones in a slightly high pitched tone.

"What are you going on about?" said Bill.

"Nothing, but you may want to talk to Percy at some point." said George whispering to Bill.

"I'm an adult!" hissed Percy.

"Sure Perce, whatever you say. I'd still have a talk." said George in a hushed voice back.

He's been meeting her all over the school in secret. I walked in on them kissing in an empty classroom one day.

"I thought you said you weren't going to tell them?" said Percy hotly.

"I would have, if you hadn't of kicked me out of the Great Hall before I was taken." said Ginny.

"I didn't kick you out!" said Percy defensively.

"You kinda did." said Ron. "You took her seat and she was so freaked out that she ran out."

He was so upset when she was — you know — attacked. You won't tease him, will you?" she added anxiously.

"See, I'm not heartless, I asked them not to." said Ginny.

"Why tell them anyway?" said Percy, his face red.

"Harry asked." said Ginny.

"Doesn't mean you tell him." said Percy.

"Harry saved her life." said Charlie.

"He's got dibs on anything he wants from us." said Bill.

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Fred, who was looking like his birthday had come early.

"Did you tease him?" asked Charlie.

"Only when he picked the fight." said Fred.

"Definitely not," said George, sniggering.

"And he picked a lot of fights, not too sure why." said George.

The Hogwarts Express slowed and finally stopped.

Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Ron and Hermione.

"This is called a telephone number," he told Ron,

"Oh, I rue that day." said Harry with a slightly smile.

"Why?" asked Dr. Clark.

"It didnt' go well." said Harry still smiling.

scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two, and handing it to them. "I told your dad how to use a telephone last summer — he'll know. Call me at the Dursleys', okay? I can't stand another two months with only Dudley to talk to…"

"I should have told you quick how to use it." said Hermione to Ron.

"Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward the enchanted barrier. "When they hear what you did this year?"

Hermione turned a faint pink color under all the shocked looks she recieved. "I don't know what I was thinking." said Hermione with a blush.

"Proud?" said Harry. "Are you crazy? All those times I could've died, and I didn't manage it? They'll be furious…"

"And that didn't tell you that something was horribly, horribly wrong." said Sirius.

Hermione shuffled her feet shamefully.

And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.

"Well that's the end of this book." said Madam Bones.

"Thank bloody God. That was horrible." said Sirius giving Harry a one armed hug.

"You'll like the next one." said Harry. "Sort of."

"Oh, yeah! I'm in that one!" said Sirius happily.

"I think I'll start off the next book." said Dumbledore walking out from behind Harry and striding over to the now shrinking pile of books.

He picked up the next book with a strangely worn leather cover.

"You'll like this title, Sirius, 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." said Dumbledore.

"Yay!" said Sirius. "Can't wait till the end."

"Goody." mumbled Snape sourly.