average human’s Reviews > Sectumsempra > Status Update

Harry grinned sharply at Lockhart and pulled on his core.

Give me his wand. Make him go with us. Make him listen to me.

Harry easily caught the wand as it flew towards him and smiled at the glazed look in the man’s eyes.

“Good news Draco,” Harry said. “Lockhart just volunteered to be basilisk bait instead of you, right Lockhart?”

“Yes,” the man murmured.

“Harry, you didn’t-“

“MAVIS!” Harry shouted, ignoring whatever Ron was about to complain about.

“Master is calling for Mavis?” his elf squealed happily. “How can Mavis be helping Master?”

“I need you to tell Snoop that I’m going to the Chamber but not to be worried because I’ve got a Professor,” Harry jerked his thumb over at Lockhart. “Can you tell him I kept my promise? And tell Susan where I went too?”

Mavis gave him a nervous look and pulled on on his ears.

“Mister Snoop and Miss Susan is going to be very mad at Mavis if Master Potter gets hurt,” he said. “Very mad at Mavis.”

Harry glanced at the time again and groaned. He didn’t have time for this.

“Mavis listen carefully, if Snoop or Susan try to hurt you then you are ordered to defend yourself and tell them I’m going to kill them, okay? I won’t let anyone hurt you, I swear.”

Mavis gave him a twitchy little bow and disappeared.

“You’re bloody mad,” Draco muttered as they led Lockhart towards Myrtles bathroom. “You use an Unforgiveable on a teacher no problem, but Merlin forbid anyone’s mean to Mavis.”

“You’re being awfully rude to the guy with the giant sword,” Harry said airily. “Maybe you should have been in Gryffindor with ‘daring nerve’ like that.”

Draco quit complaining after that.

They got to the bathroom without running in to anyone else luckily. Harry sent Lockhart in first and was impressed to see he was shaking. Maybe his spell wasn’t as powerful as he thought. Or Lockhart was able to shake it off easier than most people, like Snape.

Moaning Myrtle was sitting on the tank of the end toilet.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said when she saw Harry. “What do you want this time?”

“Sorry Myrtle, no time to chat,” he said pleasantly, going straight to the sinks to continue his search for the entrance. “We’re going to kill the basilisk that killed you. And the Heir too if they’re there.”

“You’re avenging my death?” Myrtle asked. “That’s the nicest thing anyones ever done for me.”

Harry rolled his eyes at her dreamy tone of voice.

“Where exactly did you see the eyes?” said Harry.
“Somewhere there,” said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.

Harry, Draco, and Ron hurried over to it. Lockhart was standing well back, a look of utter terror on his face. Harry thought about Lockhart walking closer and was pleased to see him obey. He shrugged off the odd facial expressions, if Lockhart was at least partially aware of what was going on then so the better. Harry hoped he was aware enough to be terrified.

It looked like an ordinary sink. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Harry saw it: Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake.

“That tap’s never worked,” said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.

“Harry,” said Ron. “Say something. Something in Parseltongue.”

Harry grinned a little, he’d gotten good at using Parsletongue to curse on command.

“Fuckin open,” he hissed.

Draco gasped as at once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

“We did it!” Harry cheered. “Let’s go!”

“Er- can Lockhart go first?” Draco said hesitantly. “I mean- the snake could be waiting at the bottom.”

“Good thinking. Lockhart you’re up,” Harry said happily. “Time to prove yourself, yeah?”

He flicked Lockharts wand in the man’s direction and immediately he began walking towards the pipe opening and sat down. Ron gave him a hard push, and he slid out of sight. Harry followed quickly. He lowered himself slowly into the pipe, then let go.

It was like rushing down an endless, slimy, dark slide. He could see more pipes branching off in all directions, but none as large as theirs, which twisted and turned, sloping steeply downward, and he knew that he was falling deeper below the school than even the dungeons. Behind him he could hear Ron, thudding slightly at the curves.

And then, just as he had begun to worry about what would happen when he hit the ground, the pipe leveled out, and he shot out of the end with a wet thud, landing on the damp floor of a dark stone tunnel large enough to stand in. Lockhart was getting to his feet a little ways away, covered in slime and white as a ghost. Harry stood aside as Ron and then Draco came whizzing out of the pipe, too.

“We must be miles under the school,” said Draco, his voice echoing in the black tunnel. “Ugh, my robes are covered in slime.”

“Under the lake, probably,” said Ron, squinting around at the dark, slimy walls. “And everything’s covered in slime you prat.”

All three of them turned to stare into down the dark corridor in front of them.

“Lights on and eyes squinted,” Harry said cheerily. “Basilisk Bait in the front.”

“You don’t have to sound so upbeat,” Draco muttered. “There is a murderous basilisk down here.”

“Yeah, this is a rescue mission mate,” Ron added shortly.

Harry just shrugged and swung the sword in one hand and clenched Lockhart’s wand in the other. He wasn’t sure how what Draco or Ron said somehow meant he wasn’t supposed to be having fun.

“Harry — there’s something up there —” said Ron hoarsely, grabbing Draco’s shoulder.

They froze, watching. Harry could just see the outline of something huge and curved, lying right across the tunnel. It wasn’t moving.

“Maybe it’s asleep,” he sighed, glancing back at the other three. Lockhart’s hands were pressed over his eyes. Harry turned back to look at the thing, his heart beating so fast it almost hurt.

This is brilliant.

He’s never felt so alive. Fighting a basilisk trumps three headed dogs and flying any day.

Very slowly, his eyes as narrow as he could make them and still see, Harry edged forward, Lockhart’s lit wand held high.

The light slid over a gigantic snake skin, of a vivid, poisonous green, lying curled and empty across the tunnel floor. The creature that had shed it must have been twenty feet long at least.

“Merlin,” said Draco weakly.

There was a sudden movement behind them. Gilderoy Lockhart’s knees had given way.

“Stand up,” Harry ordered with a sharp tug on his magic.

His hold on the man had broken. Lockhart suddenly lunged forward and knocked Harry down to the stone floor where he cracked his head, and wrestled the sword from his hand.

He pointed it right at Harry’s neck with a manic look in his eyes.

“This is the end of your story Mister Potter,” he said nastily. “Tragic really-“ He turned his head suddenly as Ron and Draco pointed their wand at his back. “Ah, ah,” he tutted. “One move and Harry here loses his head, literally.”

Harry subtly shook his head at his friends, the blade of his sword was pressing in to his throat.

“It’ll be a tragedy that Potter here got mixed up with the likes of Mister Malfoy,” Lockhart said. “Seems as if dark magic runs in families and Malfoy lured Potter and Weasley-“

Harry ignored Lockhart and very, very, slowly moved his right hand to his pocket. He gripped his knife and waited for the right moment. Lockhart was still rambling about how apparently Draco was the Heir of Slytherin and killed Harry and Ginny and something about Ron losing his mind after Lockhart had to kill Draco.

Idiot.

Harry caught Ron’s eyes and jerked his head, hoping it would get Ron to do anything that would take Lockharts attention off him.

Ron nodded and jabbed his wand in to Lockhart’s back sharply, causing him to turn his head and then Harry struck.

He stuck his knife in the ankle nearest him as hard as he could and caught his sword as Lockhart dropped it and bent over in surprise and pain.

“You were going to kill me with my own sword?” Harry hissed, aiming the sword in the man’s direction. “Blame it all on Draco? Huh?”

Lockhart was now the one on the ground, one ankle bleeding freely as Harry’s knife was lodged deeply in it.

“Wait- wait-“ he begged. “We can work together Harry! Think of the fame! The riches!”

Harry poked the tip of the sword in Lockhart’s neck hard enough to sink it a little and draw a steady trickle of blood.

“But sir, you’re about to be so famous,” Harry said softly. “I’ll be sure to tell everyone how bravely you fought before you were unfortunately bitten and bled to death in the Chamber of Secrets, your body never to be recovered. Maybe I’ll even write a book about it,” he added thoughtfully.

“You won’t kill me,” Lockhart whispered, his blue eyes frantically looking behind Harry to Draco and Ron, both of who had their wands trained on him. “You’re not a killer.”

“You’re wrong.”

Harry shoved the sword through Lockhart’s neck with as much force as he could. It went through much easier than he thought it would, it must be really sharp. He watched impassively as Lockhart took his last breath, his neck bubbling blood freely around the sword.

“Fucking hell,” Ron gasped. “Harry- mate- you, you killed him.”

“Good,” Draco snarled. “He was going to kill Harry and me both before wiping your mind and leaving your sister for dead.”

“It was him or us,” Harry said simply. He pulled the sword free and spat once on Lockhart’s unmoving body. He turned around and saw that both his friends were horribly pale; though Draco looked angry and Ron rather shaken.

“Unbreakable vows on your magic and life now or you stay here with him,” he said. “Lockhart was bitten by the snake and we couldn’t save him, what a brave man.”

Draco immediately raised his wand and looked Harry straight in the eyes as he repeated the vow. After a few moments hesitation, Ron did the same.

“It- it was him or us, right?” Ron asked.

“He literally was about to cut my throat open,” Harry said drily. “We weren’t all going to leave here alive apparently.”

Ron nodded and looked marginally less shaken after that.

“Theo owes me 10 sickles,” he said apropos of nothing. “Bet him you’d get rid of Lockhart by the end of the year, didn’t I?”

Harry grinned at him, “That’s the spirit.”

“What do we do with his body?” Draco said. “If anyone comes down here it’s, uh, well it’s pretty obvious that,” he gestured towards Lockhart’s neck, “wasn’t from a snake bite.”

“We bury him,” Harry said simply, bending down to pull his pocket knife free of Lockhart’s ankle.

Ron nudged one of the huge boulders with his trainer. “How?” he asked.

“Magic.” Harry rolled his eyes. “Back up.”

Harry eyed the stone walls, still feeling his anger coursing through him, as he thought of what he wanted.

Just fucking bury him.

The walls exploded with the force of a small bomb. Harry flung his arms over his head and ran, slipping over the coils of snake skin, out of the way of great chunks of tunnel ceiling that were thundering to the floor and burying Lockhart’s body. Next moment, he was standing alone, gazing at a solid wall of broken rock.

“Ron! Draco!” he shouted. “Are you okay? Answer me!”

“We’re fine!” Draco coughed. “Not hurt!”

“What now?” Ron’s voice said, sounding desperate. “We can’t get through — it’ll take ages...”

Harry looked up at the tunnel ceiling. Huge cracks had appeared in it. He had never tried to break apart anything as large as these rocks by magic, and now didn’t seem a good moment to try, especially not since his magic had caused the collapse to start with— what if the whole tunnel caved in and they were all buried alive?

“You guys stay here, shift some rocks while I’m gone. I’m gonna go kill the basilisk.”

“Harry- wait- I can try and squeeze through!” Ron called desperately. “I need to save Ginny!”

“I won’t forget to save her,” Harry said, rolling his eyes even though he knew Ron couldn’t see him.

“Mate, listen, I, er, well I know sometimes family stuff is weird to you, yeah?” Ron called. “But Ginny is my sister. And she’s more important than killing the basilisk or the Heir, okay? So- so if she’s in there and you have to decide between killing the basilisk and the Heir or saving her life, would you please save her?”

Harry crinkled his brows in thought.

“D’you think I wouldn’t? Ginny’s a twit, but you’re a part of my gang and she’s your sister, course I’ll save her if I can.”

Ron sighed in what was obviously relief, which hurt Harry’s feelings a little. Did Ron think Harry was going to use the sword on a little girl? It’s not like she had tried to kill him, unlike Lockhart.

“Plus you’ll both owe me another no questions asked favor when I do,” he added, walking backwards towards the next entrance. “And Snape says that ‘friends care about each other’s feelings’ so I gotta tell you that you hurt my feelings by acting like I wasn’t going to save your sister if she’s not already dead and so you should find a way to make it up to me.” Even halfway across the chamber, with that rock wall between them, Harry could hear Ron gulping nervously.

“See ya in a bit, I’m gonna go kill a basilisk and the Heir of Slytherin!”

“Don’t die you moron!” Draco yelled.

“Save Ginny!” Ron added.

“I’ll do my best,” Harry called back. “Make a hole so we can get back out, yeah?”

And he set off alone past the giant snake skin.

Soon the distant noise of Ron and Draco straining to shift the rocks was gone. The tunnel turned and turned again. Every nerve in Harry’s body was tingling with excitement. He wanted the tunnel to end, wanted to face the basilisk that attacked his friend face-to-face. And finally, at last, as he crept around yet another bend, he saw a solid wall ahead on which two entwined serpents were carved, their eyes set with great, glinting emeralds.

Harry approached, his throat very dry. He could guess what he had to do. He cleared his throat, and the emerald eyes seemed to flicker.

“Open up,” Harry hissed.

The serpents parted as the wall cracked open, the halves slid smoothly out of sight, and Harry, shaking from head to foot, walked inside.



Harry was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place.

His heart beating very fast, like it did before a good duel, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was the Heir?

He held the sword and Lockhart’s wand tightly in either of his hands and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once he thought he saw one stir.

Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall.

Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard’s sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.

“Ginny,” Harry muttered, inching toward her and dropping to his knees. “Don’t be dead- Ron will be so pissed-” He flung Lockhart’s wand aside, grabbed Ginny’s shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn’t Petrified. But then she must be —

“Wake up,” Harry muttered, shaking her. Ginny’s head lolled hopelessly from side to side.

“She won’t wake,” said a soft voice.

Harry jumped and spun around on his knees, pointing the sword toward the voice.

A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window.

“Who are you?” Harry demanded.

The black-haired boy smiled softly as he looked Harry over.

“I already know who you are,” he said. “Little Ginny here told me all about the ‘famous and horrible’ Harry Potter.” He glanced at Harry’s face and curled his upper lip at the sight of his scars. “How’d you get so many scars?” he asked conversationally.

“Answer my question and I might answer yours,” Harry said.

“I am a memory, preserved in that diary, for over fifty years,” the boy said, pointing at the little black book by Ginny’s body.

Tom Riddle.

Harry smiled sharply at him when he turned back, he saw the teenage Voldemort was now twirling Lockhart’s wand idly, the same way Harry liked to when he was proving how little he cared about someone.

“Tim Riddle, pleasure to meet you in person. Can’t tell you how much I’ve looked forward to this.”

The edges of Riddle’s mouth curled downward.

“Tom Riddle,” he said. “Though the world knows me better as Lord Voldemort.”

Harry smirked and propped the sword up on his own shoulder.

“No one calls you that,” he taunted. “They call you ‘He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named’, which isn’t nearly as cool as ‘The Boy-Who-Lived’. You have no name and I’m a national hero.”

“How did a mere baby defeat the greatest Wizard to ever live?” Riddle asked with a hungry look in his ghost-like eyes.

“I didn’t,” Harry said with a casual shrug. “I defeated you, you’re hardly the greatest wizard to ever live.”

“Oh don’t tell me,” Riddle chuckled. “You mean the great defender of the ‘light’ Albus Dumbledore? He has been driven from the castle at the mere memory of me, channeled through a weak girl.”

“Course I don’t mean Dumbledore,” Harry scoffed. “I meant me.” Harry flicked his wrist and grinned as the diary and the wand both flew to him.

“Who are you?” Riddle asked quietly, his voice steady but his eyes looked surprised at being disarmed silently while Harry held no wand.

“I told you I was going to kill you,” Harry said, stepping closer to Riddle with the sword and wand both pointed at his chest. “Wrote it in your pathetic little diary, didn’t I? I killed adult you when I was just a baby, and then killed you again last year when you were hanging out on the back of a blokes head.”

Harry paused and gave Riddle a curious look.

“We could work together you know, if you wanted to be partners. Kill Dumbledore, reshape the Wixen world. You’d have to give up on the blood purity nonsense and we’ll still need to kill adult you, but if you want to leave here alive it’s your only choice.”

Riddle looked appraisingly at Harry. Harry felt a slight tremor of unease at the way Riddle tilted his head to the side, it looked uncannily like how Harry himself studied people sometimes.

“You’d sacrifice her life to become partners with me?”

Harry turned slightly to glance at Ginny at Riddles gesture.

“What do you mean, sacrifice her life? She’s dead isn’t she?”

“She’s still alive,” said Riddle. “But only just.”

“Explain,” Harry said. “Explain or I’ll kill you now.”

Riddle laughed softly, “You cannot kill me, I’m a mere memory being fed by her soul. You see, little Ginny has been pouring her soul in to this diary. It’s been very boring, listening to the complaints of a little girl who stupidly followed her idol to a house she wasn’t suited for. But there isn’t much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last... And soon, little Ginny Weasley, the Heir of Slytherin, will be no more and Lord Voldemort will rise again.”

“That’s a real riddle to me,” Harry said calmly. “Because I don’t think Ginny’s related to Slytherin at all, is she?”

Riddle grimaced at Harry’s casual use of his surname.

“Haven’t you guessed yet, Harry Potter?” said Riddle softly. “Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib’s cat.”

“No,” Harry whispered. He knew Ginny hated him, but she’d called him a monster when she was the one who attacked Hermione and got him suspended?

“Yes,” said Riddle calmly. “Of course, she didn’t know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries . . . far more interesting, they became... Dear Tom,” he recited, watching Harry’s angry face, “I think I’m losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don’t know how they got there. Dear Tom, I can’t remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I’ve got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Ron keeps telling me I’m pale and I’m not myself. I think he suspects me... There was another attack today and I don’t know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I’m going mad... I think I’m the one attacking everyone, Tom!”

Harry’s fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms.

“I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But I hoped you would come, and if not, then I’d find you myself so we could talk.”

“You talk too much,” Harry said carelessly. “But riddle me this, Tim, where’s the basilisk? I came to kill it and I’d hate to disappoint my friends.”

“It won’t come until it is called,” said Riddle with a snarl. “You think the name of my filthy muggle father is funny, do you? I didn’t like it much myself either. I took a new name as soon as I could.”

“Voldemort isn’t much better, Timmy,” Harry laughed.

Riddle suddenly smiled, his previous irritation gone.

“But what about Marvolo Slytherin and Harry Potter, partners in reshaping the magical world? I think we could work together Harry. I am separate from Voldemort, killing him won’t kill me. We could kill Dumbledore first, then my main part, and you and I could become the most feared wizards to ever live.”

“As partners?” Harry checked.

“Partners,” Riddle confirmed.

Harry hesitated and looked behind him at Ginny’s body.

‘You’re a monster. I hate you.’

‘Ginny is my sister. And she’s more important than killing the basilisk or the Heir, okay?’

“For you to live, she has to die?” Harry asked.

“She’s nearly there already,” Riddle said. “She’s treated you horribly, will her death even bother you?”

“No,” Harry sighed. “But her brother’s a part of my gang, he’s my friend. And I promised to save her.”

He regretfully pointed the sword at Riddle again, “Sorry Timmy, but I can’t let her die.”

Riddle smiled serenely again, “We are alike, Harry Potter. There are strange likenesses between us, even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. Both feared by our Slytherin housemates who feel our power. We even look something alike... But after all our similarities, you’re weak. You allow ‘friendships’ to cloud your ambition.”

“You talk too much,” Harry said, sending a stunning spell a Riddle and seeing it pass through his incorporeal body.

“Now, Harry, I told you I can’t be killed,” Riddle smiled. “I’m going to teach you a little lesson in not attacking your betters. Let’s match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the power of ‘friendship’.”

Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed — Harry understood what he was saying...

“Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four.”

Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Slytherin’s gigantic stone face was moving. Fascinated, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole.

And something was stirring inside the statue’s mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.

Harry clenched his eyes shut and felt his way to the wall as he realized the basilisk was coming.

The basilisk hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder — he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin’s mouth. Then he heard Riddle’s hissing voice:

“Kill him.”

In his fantasies about killing the giant snake that attacked Hermione he had forgotten a key factor...

He was going to have to fight it blind.

95%

“What is Mavis to be doing now?”

Severus cleared his throat and gestured towards his office door.

“Stay with me, I want to know immediately when Potter calls for you.”

The elf obediently stayed by Severus’ side as he made his way back to Minerva’s office. As soon as they entered he saw that in his absence apparently a great many things had happened.

“Severus,” Narcissa Malfoy sobbed, immediately throwing herself in his arms. “Where is my son? Where is my Dragon?”

Severus gently patted Narcissa’s back and looked over her shoulder to Lucius’ pale face as he answered.

“I do not know,” he said softly. “But I have high hopes that he will return soon.”

“Perhaps you should start from the beginning Severus,” Albus said, now seated in the Headmaster’s seat with Minerva off to the side comforting a sobbing Molly and Arthur Weasley.

Severus was uncomfortably aware that there was no adult here to sob for Potter.

Come back, brat.

Severus passed Narcissa to Lucius and started from the beginning. He was telling them of Potter’s promise to find a Professor if he decided to try and find the basilisk alone, when Mavis disappeared suddenly with a soft crack.

“Where did the elf go?” Lucius demanded, no doubt remembering who the owner of the elf is.

“To perform a miracle, I hope,” Severus muttered.

Severus finished informing the others of the rest of the information he had, and listened as Minerva outlined the complete search of the castle.

“We couldn’t find them anywhere,” she said thickly. “Gilderoy, Harry, Ronald, Draco, and Ginevra- we cannot find them anywhere.”

“What do we do now?” Arthur asked quietly, his red rimmed eyes making him appear much older than he had the last time Severus saw him.

“We wait,” Albus said gravely.

And so they sat in silence, only broken occasionally by Narcissa’s sniffles or Molly’s sobs. Severus held on to the hope that Mavis would have only disappeared at Potter’s command which had to mean the child was alive.

He kept a close eye on the time, he still had an hour and half before he had to return to the potion when Albus’ floo suddenly flared to life.

“Ah, Albus, you received our letter then?” Minister Fudge said, stepping in to the office and wiping floo residue off his pinstriped robes.

“I did not,” Albus said with a smile. “I was contacted by Molly and Arthur once they were informed that two of their children are now missing.”

Fudge looked uncomfortable as he shifted around.

“Yes, well, it seems as if in light of the recent disappearances that the Board is willing to reinstate you,” he said with a cagey look towards Lucius.

Lucius looked towards Severus and frowned. His face had a very ‘what can you do?’ look to it.

Albus is here and Potter is once again missing, Severus thought irritably. Convenient.

“Perhaps some tea? Or biscuits?” Minerva suggested quietly, only to be ignored by the other seven adults.

Severus stared at the clock.

Come back. Come back. Come back.

CRACK!

“GINNY!” Molly shrieked, looking up at the noisy appearance of Mavis and Ginevra. She flung herself at the teary girl and they held on to each other, sobbing and wailing.

“Where is-“

Lucius’ question went unanswered as Mavis disappeared again.

“Ginny- where are the boys?” Minerva asked softly.

“I- I d-don’t know, I’m s-sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry” the girl cried, clearly too distraught to answer.

“Calm yourself Minerva,” Albus said calmly. “Allow them a moment.”

Fudge and Lucius both looked as if they were prepared to drag the girl to interrogation, though Narcissa held her breath, staring hard at the spot Mavis had disappeared at.

CRACK!

Mavis barely released Draco and Ronald before disappearing again.

“Dragon!” Narcissa cried, latching on to her son and holding him tightly.

“Where’s Harry?” Ronald asked, attempting to look around the office despite being suffocated by his father.

“We were hoping you would know,” Fudge said. “Where-“

CRACK!

Mavis appeared again, holding the arm of Potter who was drenched in blood and holding... a fucking sword.

“Move, now,” Severus ordered Minerva, who was attempting to grab the child.

“What were you thinking you unforgivable moron?” Severus hissed as he spelled the blood off Potter, attempting to find the source of the blood.

“Killed it,” Potter whispered, sounding dazed. “Dead. Tell Mione.”

Severus looked up to Potter’s eyes to determine his brain function and instead saw his green eyes flutter as he promptly fainted.

“Mavis, my potions kit, quickly,” Severus barked, unaware of the now ten sets of eyes locked on him and Potter.

“Severus-“

“Shut up,” Severus snarled at Albus, kneeling down beside Potter. “Shut up or leave,” he said, caring not at all that it was Albus’ office he was currently in.

He spelled Potter’s robes off him and blanched at what he saw. There was a puncture wound the size of Potter’s fist in his upper arm.

“Vulnera Sanentur,” Severus murmured, tracing his wand over the wound. The blood flow slowed so Severus cleared the blood off the boys arm and intoned it again. “Vulnera Sanentur”. The skin was knitting itself together as Mavis appeared, thrusting the potion kit in Severus’ lap.

Now that the wound had closed, leaving a horrible scar, Severus grabbed a blood replenished from the bag and spelled it directly in to Potter’s stomach.

He sighed and sat back on his heels. Potter’s chest was rising evenly, his cheeks were regaining color. He would live.

“What happened?” he demanded, speaking directly to Draco.

“We weren’t there,” Draco said. “The tunnel collapsed, we got separated and Harry went alone. Ron and I tried to shift the rocks but we barely made a dent when Mavis came and grabbed us.”

“Is he okay?” Ronald asked quietly. “He’s- he’s gonna be fine, right?”

Severus checked Potter’s vitals and nodded shortly.

“He will be fine.”

He looked up at the boys, both who appeared shaken but uninjured.

“What happened before the tunnel collapsed and separated you?”

“Where is Gilderoy?” Minerva asked.

Ronald looked at Draco and Severus saw the slightest twitch of his lips. Whatever the boy was about to say- it was undoubtedly a lie.

“He went with Harry to find the basilisk,” Draco answered quickly in his stead. “I don’t know where he is now.”

“What were you thinking Dragon?” Narcissa said. “Why would you risk your life like-“

“We were saving Ginny!” Ronald interrupted, defending his friend. “We had to save my sister and Harry was the only one who could get in the Chamber.”

“Perhaps we should wake Mister Potter and allow him to explain, as this seems to be centered around him,” Albus suggested.

Severus grimaced but agreed. Potter was stable and was likely only still out due to the adrenaline shock.

“Renneverate,” Severus said, pointing his wand at Potters chest.

Potter’s eyes fluttered behind his glasses before he gasped and sat upright.

“We did it,” he said fiercely. “Where’s-“ He looked around and saw the number of people staring at him.

“Oh,” he said softly, struggling to rise to his feet. “Hello.”

Severus snorted and conjured a chair.

“Sit,” he said shortly. “And speak.”

“Harry, lad, what in Merlin’s name happened here?” Fudge asked, coming to Potter’s side the moment he sat.

Potter gave him a shy (fake) smile.

“Here’s what happened...”

The entire room, save a sniffling Ginevra, listened silently as Potter spun his tale. Severus nearly gripped Potter’s arm multiple times when the child described his fight with the basilisk.

“And I would have died, but Mavis showed up when I called him, gave me the potion,” Potter paused and looked up at Severus. “Good thinking on the anti-venom,” he said seriously. “I’d be dead without it, right? I owe you.”

“One of us must use our brain,” Severus said stiffly, glancing at the time and seeing he had twenty minutes before he had to go complete the final step of the potion brewing in his lab. “You owe me nothing.”

“We’ll see,” Potter muttered, brushing off both Severus’ insult and his insistence that Potter owed him nothing for supplying the potion. “So anyway, when I knew it was close to me I just started slashing where I hoped it’s eyes were and it bit me but I got it’s eyes. So I opened mine and bam,” he clapped his hands together. “Drove the sword right through its mouth.”

“What happened to the book that was possessing Miss Weasley?” Albus asked, an intense look in his eyes.

Potter grimaced at the Headmaster as he dug through his trouser pocket and pulled out a destroyed black diary.

“Shoved the fang in it, didn’t I?” Potter said. “That ghost thing was laughing at me, saying me and Ginny were both going to be dead soon, he didn’t know I took that potion. And he said he was ‘preserved in the book’ so I figured, hey maybe if I break the book then he won’t be preserved anymore, right? And it worked.”

“May I see that?” Albus reached out for the book which Potter tossed to him.

Severus, who had looked up from Potter to watch the book go across the room, caught the slightest twitch in Lucius’ hand that was holding his cane. He looked at his friend and saw a flash of recognition in his eyes.

No. He wouldn’t have.

Potter followed Severus’ line of sight and narrowed his own eyes at Lucius before finishing his tale.

“I told Mavis to take Ginny to Snape,” he said. “And then I told him to grab Ron and Draco and take them to Snape too.” Potter grinned, clearly pleased with himself. “And then I called for him again and poof, here I am.”

“What about Lockhart?” Fudge asked.

“It was awful,” Potter sighed, instantly appearing morose. “Lockhart tried to help me, it was really brave of him, but the basilisk bit him and we didn’t have the potions yet-“ Potter looked down at the ground and whispered hoarsely, “and he died. I couldn’t save him.”

Molly whimpered, clutching her children tighter to her chest, but Severus eyed Potter closely. The child had hated Lockhart. Said before he wished he was dead. And Lockhart was a coward- he certainly wouldn’t have risked his life for Potter’s.

Whatever had truly happened, Potter was lying now.

“I will return momentarily,” Severus said. He looked up at Lucius, who nodded jerkily. “Potter stay here with Lucius and Narcissa. I will be but a moment.”

Severus used Albus’ floo, not caring to politely ask permission before using it, and floo’d directly to his lab.

He added the mandrakes and thought of Potter’s story. Gilderoy volunteering to assist the boys, the tunnel collapsing, Potter facing the ghost of the Dark Lord that had possessed Ginevra Weasley, and the child killing a basilisk with a sword from an undetermined origin.

It was madness. Utter madness. And for the most part- Severus believed it. Potter was a magnet for insanity and chaos.

He checked the potion and was pleased to see that it merely needed to simmer under stasis for two hours and the children in the Hospital Wing would be revived.

And Severus, thankfully, would not die at the hands of his own impulsive vow.

He returned to Albus’ office and saw that it was now marginally less clustered with the absence of Minerva, Fudge, and the Weasley’s.

“Guess what sir?” Potter said immediately with a broad smile. “Slytherin will win the House Cup for sure. Ron, Draco, and I each got 100 points to Slytherin, McGonagall awarded them herself.”

“Wonderful,” Severus said drily. “And what of Ginevra Weasley?” he asked with a pointed look at Albus.

Albus gave him a soft smile, his blue eyes twinkling once again.

“This has been a terrible ordeal for her. Miss Weasley and her parents are discussing her continued enrollment here, the poor girl has been traumatized. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort.”

“She’s in the Hospital Wing now with her parents and Ron,” Potter said, rolling his eyes where Albus could not see him. “And Minister Fudge is releasing Hagrid. And McGonagall is calling for a feast. AND,” Potter grinned at Draco, who returned the smile with his grey eyes sparkling nearly as much as Albus’, “We get awards. Minister Fudge ordered it himself.”

“Which has apparently led you to believe that you are not grounded for the rest of your life,” Severus said stiffly. “And perhaps in the afterlife as well- I believe your mother would take over at that point.”

Potter scoffed, “Dumbledore said my parents would be proud of me.”

“Did he?” Severus gave Albus a cool look.

Fostering a hero complex with praises on behalf of his deceased parents.

“Regardless, I believe you and Draco require a thorough examination before attending any feasts in your honor,” he said, rolling his eyes at Potter.

“Yes sir,” Potter said, jumping to his feet and grabbing the sword beside him. “Let’s go.”

Severus was surprised at Potters willingness to be examined until the five of them exited the Headmasters office, with Albus’ praises being entirely ignored, and Potter immediately looked up at him.

“I’m fine and I’m not getting an exam,” he said shortly.

“You were bitten by a basilisk and nearly died,” Severus said harshly. “You are not fine.”

Potter shrugged, “And then you fixed me. So I’m fine.”

Severus groaned while Narcissa laughed lightly.

“Teenage boys are a delight,” she whispered.

“Merlin save me,” Severus murmured.

“If Harry got bit by a basilisk and isn’t getting an exam then I’m not either,” Draco said as they approached the Hospital Wing.

“Yes you are,” Narcissa said fiercely. “You will get an exam and we will discuss why you do not follow your friends to go fight a murderous basilisk.”

Draco pouted but nodded obediently.

“Yes mother,” he muttered, shooting an angry look towards Potter.

“Hey I tried to tell you to stay,” Potter said lightly. “But nooo, you wanted to go.”

Draco’s glare increased as Narcissa’s hand on his shoulder tightened.

“Someone had to make sure you didn’t burn down the school,” he hissed.

“D’you think I could have?” Potter asked him seriously. “I was thinking in the Chamber, ‘I wish I knew how to make those cursed flames because there’s no way a basilisk would survive them’.”

“Neither would you,” Severus pointed out. “And if you ever attempt to summon ‘cursed flames’ then I will-“ Severus struggled to think of an appropriate consequence. “I will have you in detention for the remainder of your education,” he finished quite tamely once he realized Potter was impervious to most threats.

Potter gave him a crooked grin and shrugged.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Lucius chuckled lightly, clearly amused by Potter’s antics.

“Oh, Mister Malfoy, can I talk to you for a minute?” Potter asked outside the Hospital Wing. He gave a pointed glance at Narcissa and Draco before adding, “Privately?”

“Certainly,” Lucius said. “Draco, Cissa, I will meet you inside?”

Draco, quite out of character for the Malfoy Heir, betrayed his own shock as he hugged his father tightly.

“Good luck with that one,” Narcissa whispered as she gave Severus a hug of his own. “That child has more power than common sense.”

Severus snorted again, that was a mild way to describe Potter.

Potter waited silently as Narcissa and Draco entered the Hospital Wing before flicking his hand and placing a golden dome around the three of them.

“You did this,” Potter said quietly, turning directly to Lucius. “You planted that book in Weasley’s cauldron, didn’t you?”

Lucius held his empty hand up in a gesture of surrender.

“Of course not,” he said. “I would-“

“Don’t lie,” Potter hissed, his green eyes flashing darkly. “I saw your face. That was your book, wasn’t it?”

Lucius swallowed hard and immediately changed tactics.

“I was merely trying to purge myself of ties to the Dark Lord,” he protested. “I told you I wanted to be on your side.”

“This is your fault!” Potter yelled, apparently the dome was sound proof. “Your fault I was expelled! Your fault Mione is in the hospital! Your fault.”

“I didn’t know what would happen,” Lucius said. “I swear it, I didn’t know.”

Potter stalked right up to Lucius’ face and snatched his wand from his unresisting hand and held it tightly in the hand that was not currently clutching a bloody sword.

“I could kill you,” he said quietly. “I should.”

“I can help you,” Lucius said. “You have the power and I have the connections. I can help you to be great, I know the right people. Potter- allow me to be your ally. You don’t want to kill me. You aren’t a killer.”

Severus closed his eyes at that. Potter had already killed someone who wronged him, at just possibly ten years old, he doubted the child would hesitate to do it again.

“You’re wrong,” Potter whispered. “I killed Lockhart. He’s dead.”

Oh shit.

Severus opened his eyes and watched as Potter taunted Lucius. Lucius shot him a frantic look that Severus sadly shook his head at. The man had dug his own grave here, Severus would try and prevent Potter from killing him, though judging from the look on Potter’s face he didn’t think that was the goal.

He hoped.

“P-Potter, think about it,” Lucius sputtered. “Draco- my son- he needs me.”

Potter smiled at that- a cold and hardened smile that made Severus shiver.

“Draco is the only reason I don’t kill you now,” Potter said. “But that means you owe me- the rest of your life. You want to be my ally?” He laughed in Lucius’ face. “I won’t do you any favors. You can be on my side or you can die here-“ Potter pointed Lucius’ own wand in his chest. “Decide, now.”

“Yes,” Lucius said immediately. “I’ll help you. I’ll be on your side. You won’t owe me any favors.”

“Swear it,” Potter said. “Swear that you won’t betray me the next time Voldemort tries to come back. Swear that you’ll never do something like this again. NOW!” he yelled when Lucius hesitated.

Severus watched in muted shock as Lucius swore an oath of loyalty to Potter.

In all of the madness of the day, watching his closest friend become his wards first follower was perhaps the maddest.

Potter dispelled the dome the moment Lucius finished. He thrust his wand back at him and curled his lip, “Get away from me,” he snarled.

Lucius immediately moved inside the Hospital Wing with his wife and child.

“Pot- Harry-“ Severus said softly. “Are you-“ he faltered as he tried to determine the child’s current mental state. “How are you?”

Potter shook his head and looked up from the Hospital Wing door.

“Bit tired,” he said lightly. “When will Mione be awake?”

Severus checked the time, “90 minutes,” he said. “Just enough time for you to come allow me to examine you and tell me the rest of your much edited story.”

Potter gave him a bright smile, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

“You know me better than anyone,” he said.

Severus sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

“It may be a sign of my impending descent in to madness,” he said.

Potter merely laughed as he followed alongside him to the dungeons, shouldering the sword against himself.

“I would like you to begin with where you managed to obtain a sword of that value,” Severus said the moment he closed and warded his office door behind them.

“Mister Malfoy gave it to me,” Potter said, sitting down in his accustomed seat in front of Severus’ desk. “But hold on- MAVIS!” he yelled.

“Master Potter!” the elf cried, appearing immediately. “Master Potter is okay!”

“Mavis, you’re brilliant,” Potter praised the teary elf as Severus sat. “I would have died without you. I owe you, whatever you want, just name it, okay?”

Mavis’ hands pulled at his robe nervously.

“Anything Mavis is wanting?” he asked.

“Say it first before I agree,” Potter clarified.

Mavis sighed and glanced around warily before leaning towards Potter.

“Mavis is wanting to stay with Master Potter when he leaves,” he whispered. “Mavis is not wanting to stay here while Master is gone.” Mavis glanced at Severus before tacking on, “And Mavis is wanting Master Potter to not be killing Mister Snoop as he was scared for Master.”

Potter immediately turned an accusatory look towards Severus.

“Did you hurt Mavis?” he scowled.

“I shook him,” Severus admitted. “Though it is your fault as you allowed your elf to inform me that you had taken off to kill a basilisk.”

Potter glared at him for a moment before turning a much softer face towards the elf.

“Mavis, I have gold,” Potter said softly. “Loads of it. I could buy you anything you wanted. You saved my life. Don’t you want something different? Something just for you?”

Mavis shook his head, “Mavis saved Masters life and now Mavis is wanting to stay with Master. Mavis is not liking being here while Master is gone.”

Potter looked up at Severus, who grimaced and lifted one shoulder in acquiescence.

“Er, so if I let you stay with me at our house this summer then we’re even? I won’t owe you anything?”

Mavis nodded eagerly at Potter. “That is Mavis’ wish.”

Potter laughed, “Wish granted then.”

Mavis squealed and hugged Potter’s leg tightly before abruptly jumping away from him.

“Apologies Master Potter, Mavis is being too excited. Mavis must return now and make sure all Masters favorite foods are being made for the feast!”

Mavis gave them each a bow and then disappeared back to the kitchens.

“What the fuck?” Potter laughed. “Mavis is insane.”

Severus sighed at Potter’s incessant crude language.

“Speaking of insanity,” he said tightly. “I believe you were about to enthrall me with the truth before we go revive Miss Granger.”

“Oh yeah,” Potter said. “Okay so Malfoy sent me the sword, right? And it’s mine now...”

Severus cast a diagnostic charm on Potter as he spoke and listened to what he believed was a more truthful version of events.

“You cast an Unforgiveable on Gilderoy?” he interrupted at one point. “What on Earth were you thinking?”

He was unsurprised at the truth behind Gilderoy’s ‘adventures’. The man was an idiot when he was a student and Severus knew he had not gotten better with age.

Potter shrugged, entirely unrepentant. “I was thinking you said I needed a Professor and I didn’t really wanna use Draco as bait and Lockhart was a creep. So,” he spread his hands, “I made him come.”

Severus grimaced, “Continue.”

Potter told him of finding the chamber opening and sliding down the chute. Severus was slightly jealous that three second year boys were able to see the legendary chamber built by their houses founder.

“And then Lockhart said ‘We can work together! Think of the fame! The riches!’” Potter snorted. “As if I need more fame or money, ya know? And he said ‘you won’t kill me’, so I did. Sliced the sword right through his neck,” he said patting the sword gently. “And then Ron was kinda freaking out.”

Severus himself was ‘kinda freaking out’, he could only imagine how Ronald had felt in that moment.

“And then?” he asked.

“I made Draco and Ron make Unbreakable Vows,” Potter said easily. “Told them what to say so if they try and change the story later they’ll die, won’t they?”

“And that wouldn’t bother you?” he asked, shaken at the easy way Potter described this all.

Potter looked up quizzically at him.

“Would it bother me if one of my friends tried to get me arrested for killing a guy who was going to kill Draco? Yeaaah,” he drawled slowly. “Would it bother me if they died before they were able to get me in a lot of trouble? Probably not. Meant they weren’t really my friend after all, were they?”

Times like this Severus deeply regretted teaching Potter Occlumency. He would give quite a bit to be able to see inside the child’s mind and understand his thought processes.

“Tried to kill Draco and you,” he corrected him lightly.

Potter looked askance at him, “What’s that matter?”

“It matters a great deal,” Severus sighed. “Harry he was going to kill you. He had the sword on your throat.”

Potter shrugged and glanced away from Severus for a moment while he seemed to sort his thoughts.

“I thought I would feel bad,” he said quietly. “Like- well, ya know,” he muttered, his cheeks now red with needless shame. “But it was different, right? Before it was just a lousy Muggle who hurt me, I was stronger and more special and I didn’t have to hurt him. But... but Lockhart was going to kill Draco, he said it himself. So I protected him, and I don’t feel bad.” He looked up at Severus and chewed his lower lip before whispering, “Does that make me a monster?”

Potter values Draco’s life above his own. If Lockhart had merely been a threat to him, he wouldn’t blink. But since the man posed a threat to his friend, he had to die.

“You are not a monster,” Severus assured him. “You saved Draco and Ginevra both by your actions. Gilderoy would have killed them.” He leaned forward to try and drill his next point in to the child’s stubborn head. “But you also saved yourself. If someone is threatening your life, it does not make you a monster to defend yourself. Your life matters just as much as Draco’s.”

Potter just frowned and chewed his lip.

Severus sighed, “We will rehash why your life is incredibly valuable and important another time, shall we? Why don’t you continue.”

“Okay,” Potter said slowly. “Then I was trying to bury Lockhart, in case anyone wanted to go down to the Chamber later, and I accidentally collapsed the whole part tunnel. I didn’t wanna try and move the rocks with magic in case I collapsed more and buried us all down there-“

“Perhaps if you bothered to learn proper spells, incantations, and wand movements then you would be able to use your magic in a more precise and controlled matter,” he suggested.

Potter waved his hand, showing his disdain at the very idea.

“No. Anyway- so I told them I’d go alone and then Ron was freaking out again. Said I didn’t understand families and that I should save Ginny even if it meant I couldn’t kill the basilisk.” Potter looked up at him, his face appearing scandalized. “Can you believe that sir? So I told him, ‘you hurt my feelings’-“

Severus interrupted again, “You told your friend that he hurt your feelings?”

That would be an undeniable step forward if Potter had not killed a man ten minutes before saying it, Severus thought.

“Yep,” Potter said. “Told him he hurt my feelings and so he needed to make it up to me.”

That sounds more like Potter.

“Please continue,” he sighed, summoning a pain relieving potion.

Potter smirked knowingly at him as he continued. He told him of entering the chamber and coming face to face with the spirit of a sixteen year old Tom Riddle. He described taunting him with the mispronunciation of his name, something he apparently utilized on Miss Chang of Ravenclaw with excellent results. He also described his amusement when Riddle asked if Albus was the greatest wizard Potter knew.

“I laughed, didn’t I? Told him I meant me of course.”

Severus imagined that James Potter somewhere was smiling at the arrogance he passed along to his son. Potter was powerful, more than any other Severus had ever encountered, but Potter had no control.

“I told Timmy we should be partners, you know? Work together. But he said for him to live, Ginny had to die.” Potter sighed mournfully, “And I promised Ron I’d save her.”

“You made the right choice,” Severus assured him. “Ginevra was an innocent child while Riddle likely would have killed you the instant he could.”

“Yeah, maybe...” Potter blinked in the distance a few times before looking back up at Severus. “And the rest is what you already heard. I killed the snake, stabbed the diary, and Ginny woke up. Oh! Wait!” Potter reached in his pocket and pulled out a single white fang that was the length and width of Severus’ forearm.

“I got this too!” he said, waving the fang in the air. “It’s wicked right? Can you believe it was in my arm?”

“Yes,” Severus said, his throat feeling unnaturally tight at the sight of the fang. “You will have a terrible scar from it unfortunately.”

Potter looked down at his arm and shrugged, “Be a cooler story than the others, right? Which sounds better- I got bit by a basilisk that I killed or my Uncle slammed my face in a mirror until it shattered and cut my face open?” he asked, gesturing lightly towards the scar that decorates the right side of his face.

Severus had to quickly clear his mind of that image before he decided to go use Potter’s sword on Vernon Dursley.

“What happened when you woke Ginevra?” he asked instead, hoping to distract himself from his now murderous thoughts.

“I was going to kill Ginny, I wanted to,” Potter confessed quietly. “It was her fault Mione was attacked, wasn’t it? She stole that book, broke my stuff, and said I was the monster when really it was her all along.”

“Why didn’t you?” Severus asked.

Potter sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

“Ron said I didn’t understand ‘family stuff’, and I-I don’t. I dont have a family, do I? I don’t know why he’d wanna save Ginny or why her Mum wasn’t furious it was her fault the chamber opened in the first place. But...” Potter turned his face towards him with an almost desperate expression. “I didn’t want to be the monster she accused me of being.”

Severus smiled softly down at him, despite feeling quite torn inside that Potter sounded so forlorn as he said ‘I don’t have a family’.

“You did very well,” he praised him. “Ginevra is an imbecile, and she wronged you quite terribly, but she was also a vulnerable girl being possessed by the spirit of the Dark Lord. It was good you spared her life.”

Potter nodded and gave him a weak half-smile, “Plus now she owes me. Told her that the second she woke up, didn’t I? I said, ‘you might hate me but I saved your life, twice, so you owe me.’ I didn’t tell her that I was going to kill her, just that I’d saved her twice. And she was crying and saying ‘thank you, thank you.’ I think most of the Weasley’s owe me favors now.”

“That was quite Slytherin of you,” Severus said, his lips twitching in amusement. “Though I believe Ronalds brother, Charles Weasley, is a dragon tamer in Romania, so he may be more difficult to earn a favor from.”

Potter gave him a crooked smile, “Dragons, huh? Brill.”

“If I discover you have attempted to bring a dragon to our home I will feed you to it, brat.”

Potter shrugged and glanced again at the clock.

“Twenty minutes,” he said, practically vibrating with excitement now. “Do you think Mione will forgive me sir? I killed the basilisk, so she won’t be mad, right?”

Pitiful.

“Harry, Miss Granger would have forgiven you even without you risking your life to kill the basilisk,” he said softly. “You did not need to put your life on the line in order to earn her forgiveness.”

“You’re wrong,” Potter said. “I didn’t want to kill it before and it attacked Mione. I couldn’t just say ‘I’m sorry’ because words don’t mean anything, do they? People lie all the time. But now she’ll see that I’m sorry, right?”

Severus tried to choose his words carefully. Potter was not wrong, but he was not right either.

“You could have apologized, then in the future listened more carefully to her, which would prove your apology through actions. This-“ he gestured towards the sword by Potter and the fang now placed on his desk, “was entirely unnecessary.”

Potter grimaced and turned his attention to the clock, as if willing it to move more quickly.

“Why did you spare Lucius?” Severus asked. “I am glad that you did, of course, but I had worried that you were going to attempt to kill him.”

Potter snorted, still watching the clock.

“I wouldn’t have ‘attempted’ anything,” he muttered. “But I think it’s better if you give people a second chance.”

Severus found himself once again surprised and pleased with Potter and was about to tell him so when the brat added-

“Especially if they owe you now.”

Severus had once wondered if Potter was too broken to ever process things in an emotionally healthy way and now he feared that he was correct. Sparing someone’s life in order to tie them to you? It was cold, cunning, and a much loved move by Albus and the Dark Lord both.

Though, Albus would never have cut a man’s throat open to save his friends life and the Dark Lord would never have risked his life in vengeance for a friend.

Perhaps Potter is twisted nearly to the breaking point, without actually being broken.

Severus considered him in silence for a few minutes before he asked the last question that was on his mind.

“Why did you require Unbreakable Vows from Draco, Ronald, and Lucius but have yet to request one from me?”

Potter looked surprised at his question. He glanced away from the clock towards Severus and his brows were furrowed down.

“I don’t need you to make a vow,” he said simply. “I trust you.”

99%

Dumbledore also called Ginny Weasley up to the Head Table and said that the Sorting Hat had made a mistake and at her parents request he was allowing her an opportunity for a resort. Harry had cheered the loudest of all when she was sorted in Gryffindor. Just because he saved her life didn’t mean he forgot about the horrible stuff she said to him.

‘You’re a monster.’

“Thank Merlin,” Ron said quietly to their group. “She told Mum how Slytherin was ‘terrifying’ and if she couldn’t change houses then she wanted to study magic at home instead.”

“Slytherin is not terrifying,” Harry scoffed.

The other Slytherin boys glanced at each other before looking wide eyed back at Harry.

“You’re the terrifying part of Slytherin,” Theo said. “How many housemates have you attacked so far?”

“And you told them all you were the Heir of Slytherin, didn’t you?” Blaise said with a smirk.

Harry shrugged, “Yeah well Ginny was leading the bloody basilisk around practically on a leash all year. She doesn’t really have room to say that Slytherin is scary, now does she?”

None of the boys had argued the point once they saw the stubborn look on Harry’s face.

The boys’ combined six hundred points secured the House Cup for Slytherin, again, and Harry laughed outright when Snape winked at him while he shook Dumbledore’s hand in acceptance. After that, Professor McGonagall stood up to tell them all that the exams had been canceled as a school treat.

“Oh no,” Hermione groaned. “But I studied for ages!”

“You’ve been petrified,” Blaise said. “You can’t possibly be ready for exams.”

“We’ve been studying all year, haven’t we?” Hermione sniffed, glancing at Theo who nodded eagerly in agreement.

“Theo’s in loveeee,” Susan whispered in Harry’s ear.

“Gross,” he whispered back, sticking his tongue out and shuddering dramatically.

“Aha! You were wrong Luna!” Neville cried. “You said we’d all pass exams but there aren’t any!”

“No she wasn’t,” Harry said shortly, crossing his arms. “She said none of us would fail the exams, didn’t she? And none of us did, did we?”

Neville looked chagrined at Harry’s chastisement and apologized to Luna. Luna smiled radiantly up at Harry.

“Thank you Harry,” she said softly. “You have made this a wonderful year. I didn’t think I would like Hogwarts much when I got here, but I’ve been very happy since we met. You are a good friend.”

Harry felt his face heat up once again at Luna’s blunt frankness with her thoughts and ‘feelings’.

“Welcome,” he murmured, averting his eyes to Ron who was heckling Theo for the money he owes him.

“But Harry didn’t get rid of Lockhart, the basilisk did!” Theo protested.

Ron rolled his eyes and dropped it, proving his commitment to the vow he made.

“Here Ron,” Harry whispered, digging in his robe for his coin pouch. “Since you can’t tell Theo why he’s wrong, I’ll pay his debt.”

“Cheers mate,” Ron said with a wink.

When Harry went to bed, at sunrise, he laid there and thought about the night they’d just had. He thought he might let another basilisk bite him if it meant he could have more nights just like it with his friends.

***

The rest of the final term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal with only a few, small differences. Defense Against the Dark Arts classes were canceled, which bothered Hermione and Theo a lot and the rest of them not a bit. Ginny Weasley no longer glared at Harry at meals, now she sat at the Gryffindor table beside her twin brothers and stared at him with weirdly soft eyes.

“She’s sweet on you again,” Ron laughed. “Guess you saving her life made you a great hero to her after all.”

“Should have left her down there,” Harry grumbled.



Harry and his friends tried to set up times during the summer when they could all meet up. Blaise wanted everyone to come to Italy, Draco and Ron both wanted them to come to their houses to play Quidditch, Hermione offered to take everyone to the beach with her family, and Luna said something about hunting for rare fairies that only come out at 2:47 in the morning.

“This is why we needed the charmed diaries,” Susan complained. “It’ll be a mess trying to figure this out through owls!”

“Why don’t we just pick a day and everyone meets at my house?” Harry offered. “We could meet up on Neville’s birthday?”

Neville turned red and stammered out excuses why they shouldn’t do that but Harry waved them off.

“We’ll make plans for what to do in August when everyone comes over on July 30th then,” Harry said decisively.



Too soon it was time for the journey home. Snape had stopped Harry at dinner the night before the train left and told him that he didn’t need to ride the train.

“We can floo directly from my office to Spinners End,” he explained.

Harry frowned and shifted nervously.

“Can- can you maybe meet me at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow night instead?” he asked. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so nervous, but thought it was probably because it was the first time he’d asked Snape for a favor that would be outside of Hogwarts. “I need to ride the train and I have something important to do in Diagon Alley afterwards.”

Harry peeked up when Snape hesitated long enough that he was sure he was going to tell him no.

“Will you allow either Lucius or Amelia Bones to see you through the floo at the platform?” Snape asked.

Harry nodded quickly, he was sure Mister Malfoy would be more than happy to.

“Yes sir,” he agreed.

“The train should arrive at the platform at four o’clock, are you amenable to me meeting you at the Leakey Cauldron at six thirty? We can get dinner there before returning home.”

Harry smiled, “Sounds brill sir, thank you!”

Snape gave him an approving nod before leaving, muttering something about how he isn’t a “helicopter guardian” under his breath.

“What’re you doing after the train ride?” Hermione asked him.

Harry shrugged, “Little of this, little of that,” he said evasively. He didn’t want to say anything about his plans just in case they didn’t work out how he hoped they would.



The nine of them got a compartment to themselves and spent the last few hours together just goofing around. Ron, who had apparently won quite a bit of money this year, bought everyone treats off the trolley. Hermione got a pack of Muggle cards and dealt out poker chips to everyone.

“You can be on my team,” Harry told Luna who still hadn’t grasped the concept of Texas hold ‘em.

They played cards, ate candy, and laughed as some of the kids passing their compartment still looked fearfully at Harry.

“The rumor in Slytherin is that you’re the Heir but the basilisk went rogue, attacked Hermione, and you killed it in a fit of rage,” Blaise told him.

“And everyone else thinks about the same,” Neville tacked on. “Except Fred and George keep telling everyone you’re ‘too nice of a bloke’ to be the Heir of Slytherin.”

Harry laughed it all off. Nobody had bothered him since he returned from being expelled, if they were all too afraid of him to shove him in to walls or call him a freak in the corridors then all the better for him.

They were nearly at Kings Cross when Harry suddenly remembered the sole reason he needed to ride the train instead of flooing directly to Diagon Alley.

“Nobody move!” he ordered the rest of the kids. “I’ll be right back!”

He ran down the train hall, glancing in compartment windows until he found the person he was looking for.

“Daphne!” he said, smiling at the quiet Slytherin witch. “Will you do me a favor?”

He ignored the giggles of the other girls in Daphne’s compartment, including Parkinson who hadn’t said so much as two words to Harry since Halloween night.

“Of course,” Daphne said softly, standing up to follow him.

Once they got back to Harry’s compartment he handed her his camera.

“Will you take our picture? We need a new one,” he asked politely.

“Sure.” Daphne held the camera up and waited for them all to scrunch together on one bench. Harry laughed as Draco wound up laying across Neville and Ron’s laps. Hermione squeezed in between Theo and Blaise, and Harry sat between Susan and Luna, and even took a deep breath before putting one arm around each girls shoulder.

All nine of them smiled at one another before turning towards the camera.

“Smile,” Daphne said before clicking the button and temporarily blinding them all with the flash.



At six thirty that night Harry sat at the bar in the Leakey Cauldron, tapping his parchment excitedly as he waited for Snape to show up.

He had gotten his photos developed, made prints and copies, bought the notebooks Snape said he’d help him charm this summer, and his meeting at Gringotts had gone great.

He watched the floo impatiently, Snape was two minutes late.

At exactly six thirty four Snape stepped gracefully through the floo and immediately looked around for Harry.

“Apologies,” he said, sitting next to Harry. “I was-“

“Here,” Harry interrupted him, too excited and nervous to wait. “This is for you sir.” He handed Snape the parchment and waited impatiently as Snape raised a brow at him before unrolling the scroll.

“Ownership of Salazar Slytherin’s Basilisk bequeathed pre-mortum from Harry James Potter to Severus Tobias Snape,” he read slowly. “Estimated value... Holy God Potter,” he breathed. “Absolutely not.”

“Griphook checked all the laws, rules, and everything sir,” Harry said quickly. “Magical Creatures can’t belong to the school, and whoever takes control of the creature, in this case whoever puts a giant sword through its head, owns it. So it’s mine.” Harry nudged the parchment, “And now it’s yours.”

Snape looked at Harry and his usually blank face looked surprised for once.

“Harry, liquidate the money tied up in the basilisk parts and put it in your vault,” he said. “I do not need the money, I assure you.”

“It’s not about money,” Harry said with a scoff. “It’s because you saved my life, isn’t it? And you can use the parts for loads of rare potions and research, that’s what Theo said.”

Snape’s eyes took on a momentary manic gleam that Harry has associated with Hermione when she’s about to check out thirty books from the library. Then he shook his head, slid the paper towards Harry, and gave him an exasperated sort of look.

“I do not require compensation for providing you with a potion and escape plan. If you would like to ‘make it up to me’ then you could simply never put either of us in that position again.”

Harry slid the parchment back to him and smiled at him.

“Better keep this in that case sir. We never know what’ll happen next year.”