Harry woke up finding himself in his own bed in the Gryffindor Second Year Boy’s dormitory. The last thing he clearly remembered was that he was in the “Come and Go” Room with Dobby and they had been discussing various things that Dobby could do for Harry as Harry’s elf. He did not remember many of the details of that talk, but it was clear to Harry that having an Elf as a friend and helper was probably a very good thing. He guessed he must have dosed off and Dobby had brought him back to his dorm. Harry sat up and put on his glasses and looked at his watch. With the sunlight shining through the windows Harry knew that the 11:30 must be in the morning which meant that lunch would be in about a half an hour. Harry was surprised it was so early considering he had been up all night and it must have been at least ten in the morning when he fell asleep and maybe later. He was surprised he felt so well rested.
He arrived in the Great Hall in time for lunch and headed immediately for his friend Ron who was seated with the other boys from his year in Gryffindor.
“Oi,” Seamus Finnegan said, “lookie what the cat’s drug in!”
“It seems sleeping - um - well sleeping Harry’s decided to grace us mere mortals with his divine presence,” Dean added.
“Hey,” Harry protested. “I only got a few hours…”
“Mate, try two days or so,” Ron said.
“Two days?”
“It’s Sunday and you’ve been asleep since Friday afternoon.”
“Bloody hell!” Harry began.
“Madam Pomfrey said something ‘bout magical exhaustion,” Ron added. “I guess there’s something to that 'cause I got about fourteen hours sack time after it all.”
“That’s all?” Harry began.
“It’s Ron, Harry,” Seamus said. “Fourteen hours without stuffing his pie hole? Must be a record!”
“Oi!” Ron protested.
“Face it mate, you do like to eat,” Harry said.
“I’m a growing boy! Course I like to eat!”
“Yeah,” Dean chuckled, “we’ve noticed. We tell people to keep their distance and especially to keep their hands from being anywhere between you and food!”
“Where’s Ginny?” Harry asked trying to change the conversation even though he was pleased that he had no sense that it had happened before. He didn’t need déjà vu to realize that Ron was about to get upset and, considering lunch was not on the table yet, it might get loud.
“St. Mungo’s,” Ron said. “What’s taking so long?”
“What’s St. Mungo’s?” Harry asked.
“Magical hospital,” Ron replied. “She’s there for observation or something.” He then pointed to his head as if to imply someone thought his sister might be crazy. “Mum’s a bit upset by all of this, you know.”
Harry could only nod in reply.
“So you really did go into the Chamber of Secrets?” Seamus asked. “What was it like?”
Harry nodded. “Ron was there.”
“But not really in the Chamber, was I?” Ron said. “Lockhart and his damned backfire spell saw to that, didn’t he?”
“Good one on that Ron,” Dean said. “That ponce plain gave me the willies all year.”
“I merely did what any good Gryffindor would do,” Ron said proudly. “Course it helps that Fred and George now see me as totally cool. Might avoid being their test subject this summer.”
“Your attention please!” a voice said. Harry recognized the voice of Professor McGonagall, his Head of House and Transfiguration teacher. “As a reminder, all Second Years are to meet with their Heads of House this afternoon starting at one o'clock to finalize their electives for next fall. Now, enjoy the meal.”
Harry had forgotten this was coming up what with all the stuff that was going on and with Hermione being petrified and all. He looked over at Ron who seemed totally unconcerned as the food had appeared and Ron was piling all he could onto his plate.
“A Sickle says Granger’ll try and take the lot of them,” Dean said.
“Hardly a fair bet,” Seamus replied. “You know she’ll try that once she gets unpetrified this afternoon. A better bet would be that she doesn’t sign up for the lot.”
“Or that she can’t take the lot for some reason,” Neville added.
“Good point,” Dean nodded.
“We’re only required to take two additional courses,” Ron said. “Hermione’ll want to take all five, but I’m only taking two. No point in choosing to do more homework.”
“So what are you thinking of taking?” Seamus asked.
“That’s easy! Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.”
“Why those two?”
“‘Cause they’re supposed to be easy, that’s why! Mum would want me to take the lot just like Bill and Percy did, but she’s not here so it’s those two. You’re taking them two, aren’t you Harry?”
Harry shrugged. A few days ago it would have seemed like a good idea. But now he was certain that it was not such a great idea. He was certain that if he did as he had thought of doing, that sense of déjà vu would return and he was willing to do just about anything to avoid that again. But he was not about to try and explain this to Ron. Ron probably wouldn’t like it.
An hour later and after a large lunch, the nine Gryffindor Second Years were seated in the Transfiguration classroom waiting for Professor McGonagall their Head of House. Only Hermione was absent as she was still in the Hospital Wing although they had been told she would probably rejoin them by dinner time.
“Miss Brown,” a voice called and the students saw their Head of House at the door which led to her office. Lavender Brown got up and walked towards the door. She was a blonde and also had the largest boobs thus far in their year in Gryffindor, a fact all of the boys had noticed and were noticing as she walked to the office. The rest of her classmates sat at their desks. Most of them were studying because the End of Year Exams were scheduled to start the next day, although Second Years did not have any exams scheduled that day or the next. Still, most of them were trying to revise while they waited to be called. Harry was one exception. He just didn’t feel like studying and besides something told him it was unnecessary for some reason. His best mate Ron Weasley was also not studying, which was hardly a surprise. He had brought a pillow and was taking a kip at his desk.
Lavender’s meeting with Professor McGonagall lasted about ten minutes and when it was finished she left the classroom and Seamus Finnegan was called in for his meeting. Seamus would have been followed by Hermione, but she was still in the Hospital Wing. So, when his meeting was up, Neville Longbottom was called into the office. Neville came out several minutes later with an odd expression on his face as Professor McGonagall called in “Miss Moon.”
Lilith Moon had black hair and that was about all Harry really knew of the girl. In two years he might have said hello to her on occasion, but he never really got to know the young witch. He knew Hermione didn’t like her for some reason and that as far as cliques went, she was not in any. She was friends with Donna Rivers who was also a Gryffindor Second Year, but as far as Harry knew the two of them kept to themselves. Harry knew Lavender Brown and her best friend Parvati Patil far better than he knew those two. The truth was Harry knew a lot of girls far better than those two.
Lilith was followed by Parvati Patil. Hermione said that Lavender was a bit of a gossip hound and Parvati seemed to be her preferred audience. Harry seldom if ever saw that part. When things were at the lowest for him earlier that year after he revealed that he could speak with snakes and most of the school thought he was the Heir of Slytherin who was seeing to all the petrifications that were occurring, Parvati had not totally ignored him. Lavender had not either, although it seemed that was more because Parvati didn’t seem to be buying the school gossip about him than anything else. Parvati also had the distinction of making Seamus Finnegan’s “Top Hottie” list that year which was somewhat remarkable since all the other “Top Hotties” were older and far more developed young women but Parvati was very pretty and exotic. She was Indian after all and her dark complexion coupled with her good looks was already beginning to capture notice from the male student body. Harry thought she was very pretty as well but wondered just how much her “hotness quotient,” as Seamus called it, was due to the fact she had an identical twin sister in Ravenclaw. Still, she seemed nice in Harry’s opinion.
Harry’s name was called next and he wondered as he got up why he had spent most of the time musing about the girls in his year. He knew he was unconsciously comparing them to his best friend Hermione and all were found wanting for one reason or another. Among their failings when compared to his absent best friend, they were too girly, not smart enough, not nice enough or, the proverbial kiss of death, they were enamoured with The Boy Who Lived.
He entered the office trying to shake his mind of such musings wondering why he had them in the first place. He really had not thought of girls in that way before, at least not for that long and he wondered why he was comparing them all to Hermione and finding them all lacking. Objectively speaking, Harry thought Hermione was pretty, but Lavender and Parvati were certainly prettier. But they fell by the wayside when it came to being to girly.
“Have a seat, Mr. Potter,” Professor McGonagall said which finally snapped his thoughts back to the reason he was here and that was not to think about various girls in that way. Harry took his seat.
“My usual address does not truly apply to you, Mr. Potter,” she began which immediate caught Harry’s attention as once again it proved that he was not normal. “As you know,” she continued, “we are here to discuss your elective selections for next year. You have already been told you must select two electives but you can select more. Now under ordinary circumstances, your wishes are subject to three things: first off is my recommendation as to whether I feel you can handle the given course material. However, my feelings in that regard are only important where your parents or guardians have a say in your selections. As your parents have passed on and as your guardians have opted not to receive any reports considering your performance here at this school, I will not be making any such recommendations in your case. Finally, while two electives are covered as part of a Student’s basic tuition, additional electives will require additional tuition. However, this only applies where a family pays its tuition each year. Your tuition was prepaid not long after you were born so the only real restrictions in your choices are what you want.
“That being said, I have a note here from Professor Dumbledore strongly recommending that you consider Divination as one of your electives.”
Harry had that annoying sense of déjà vu again once he heard that and also sensed that it was somehow connected with that course. Ron had been annoying in his insistence that Harry take that class, which was hardly a recommendation at all since the only reason Ron thought it was worth taking was because it was supposed to be an easy mark. Why would Dumbledore want him to take a class that many students thought was a joke - even more of a joke than History of Magic or Defence Against the Dark Arts? He decided then and there not to take that course and that annoying feeling went away.
“Do I have to take that course just ‘cause the Headmaster recommends it?” Harry asked.
“It is a recommendation, Mr. Potter,” McGonagall said.
“Well, from what I’ve heard it’s a rubbish course and I’d rather take something useful.”
Harry could swear he almost saw Professor McGonagall smile, but the moment was too brief to be confirmed as a smile.
“I am certain that Professor Trelawney would beg to differ,” McGonagall began.
“She’s not my Head of House,” Harry replied. “What is your opinion?”
He again thought he small a smirk begin to appear on the otherwise stern professor’s face.
“Far be it for me to suggest that any course offered here is… of little or no utility. That being said, however, Divination is… Well, I will not say it’s ‘rubbish’ as you suggested, Mr. Potter. Seers are real and therefore there is a basis for the magical art of Divination. But more so than any other branch of magic that I am aware of, Divination is of little use to many as they do not have the gift of foresight. Without that gift, the course is of little real utility. I am rather surprised that Professor Dumbledore bothered to make such a recommendation. It is the only time that I am aware of him making an unsolicited electives recommendation and it’s all the more surprising when one considers he never studied that branch of magic as a student.”
“So you would advise me against it?”
“I would advise you that unless you know you have such a gift - and I’ve neither heard nor have observed any evidence of it - your time and effort would be better used in another field of study.”
“Professor Dumbledore didn’t tell you why he recommends I take that course?”
“He did not.”
“Well, if it’s not important enough for him to tell me why I should take it, then it’s not important enough for me to take it, is it? So we can skip Divination. He didn’t make a similar recommendation about Muggle Studies, did he?”
“He did not. But in my opinion that is a more useful course…”
“Except that I live in that world when I’m not here,” Harry said. “The pamphlet says it’s to teach witches and wizards about Muggles and specifically to teach those who know nothing about Muggles. Sounds like a waste to me.”
“You do have to take two electives, Mr. Potter. You seem to have rejected two already.”
Harry shrugged. “The other three seem either interesting, useful or both.”
“They are indeed,” McGonagall nodded. “But I wish to point out that Arithmancy and Ancient Runes are perhaps the two most academically challenging electives we offer. While your marks are not terrible, they do show need for improvement. Your written papers are at best Acceptable as have been your written examinations. You do well on the more hands on practical examinations including in Potions which I know is not one of your favorite classes. But I point this out because most of your work in Arithmancy and Ancient Runes for the next three years would be theoretical. There’s very little practical work in Runes unless you’re taking the NEWT course and even less practical work in Arithmancy until NEWT levels. My only concern is that you might be stretching yourself too much in what are almost purely ‘book work’ classes.”
It did not take a sense of déjà vu for Harry to see that coming. He knew his written marks were not great although he’d like to think that having Hermione look over his work had helped a lot.
“Arithmancy is used frequently in magical detection work and curse breaking right?” he replied. When McGonagall nodded Harry continued. “And Runes are a key component of magical Wards as well as the basis to enchant objects? Those seem like very important things to learn, don’t you think? I know they’re not easy, but they are important. And I must say that maybe my written marks would improve if it didn’t seem like something or someone was trying to kill me or my friends all the time.”
“I would like to think that your first two years here at Hogwarts was an aberration,” McGonagall nodded. “It’s usually not nearly that exciting. I was merely pointing out a pertinent fact for your consideration.”
“I’ll try harder,” Harry said. “But I really want to take those two courses - and Care of Magical Creatures as well. That sounds interesting as well and considering I’ve run into a Troll, a Cerberus, Acromantulas and a Basilisk already, it seems I should know a little about that, don’t you think?”
“I can’t disagree with that statement,” McGonagall said with another odd smirk. “Just so you are aware, however, I’m pretty sure those creatures are not covered before NEWT levels.”
“Still…”
“So you’ve made your selections?”
Harry nodded. “Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures.”
McGonagall nodded. “I am pleased. I won’t say it won’t be a fair amount of work for you, but there was a part of me that was hoping you would make those selections. You should receive a letter in late July confirming your course selections and your book lists.”
“Why late July?”
“Remember what I said earlier, Mr. Potter. Most of your classmate’s selections need to be approved by their parents or guardians and until we have those approvals we cannot send out the class lists.”
“Just so long as Professor Dumbledore doesn’t try and change my picks.”
“What makes you think he would? It would be unprecedented as he does not involve himself in such selections as Headmaster.”
“But he did suggest I take Divination which, I’d guess, is also something he doesn’t usually do and I’m not doing as he suggests, am I? I’m not gonna take a course I don’t want and probably won’t like just ‘cause he asked me to especially when no one can tell me why I should. I’ve asked him questions about why my parents were killed and other things and he just tells me a little while saying I’m too young or it’s not important for me to know more now. Well if he wants me to take Divination, he’ll have to tell me why I should and because he thinks it’s a good idea won’t work!”
“I seriously doubt Professor Dumbledore would do any such thing,” McGonagall protested.
“I’m not saying he would. But he suggested it to you and you say he doesn’t do that so what reason do I have to think he won’t try and change my class selections? I’m not saying I won’t take it at all, but if he wants me to consider it at all I want six feet of parchment from him explaining all the facts I need to understand the why of it and I mean facts I can research independently if I want to, not just what he says on the matter!”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary, Mr. Potter.”
“I’m not so sure, Professor. In my two years here, I’ve nearly been killed at least six times and at least three of those times were not accidents or me being like my father and trying to get into trouble. Add to it one professor who tried to kill me and another who cared more about hair care than his job who then tried to take away my memories and what am I supposed to think? Not once has any of this been explained to me. Add to it a Headmaster who seems to take an abnormal interest in me as a student and… You do know I hate all this Boy-Who-Lived rubbish, don’t you? The one way you can be assured I won’t like you all that much and certainly won’t respect you is if you buy into that stuff at all! I don’t like being treated differently or any of that. I don’t want special treatment ‘cause my parents are dead and certainly not because of the way they died. You want my opinion? I seriously doubt I did anything as a baby and surviving is not doing anything special. So, if Dumbledore thinks I need some kind of special treatment, he can bloody well tell me why and he can shut it if he thinks what happened that night is enough!”
Professor McGonagall was dumbstruck having not expected that at all.
“I’m sorry, Professor,” Harry said. “I guess I’m still a little upset with all that’s happened.”
“It’s quite alright, Mr. Potter. I shall place you down for Ancient Runes, Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures for next year and should the Headmaster insist on any other selection, he will have to explain himself to me as well.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
“What took you so long?” Ron asked as Harry sat down in the Great Hall for dinner that evening.
“What do you mean?”
“You were in with McGonagall forever, or at least that’s what Dean told me.”
“Dean told you?”
“Yeah mate. I was dreaming about a mountain of sweets. But he said you were in there a really long time - a lot longer than anyone else. Seamus’s betting you were trying to take all the electives. Then again, the odds on that are so long he got few takers.”
“I wasn’t trying to take them all,” Harry said. “We were discussing other things, actually.”
“What sort of things?”
Harry just shrugged and fortunately Ron did not press on taking it as a hint that he would not find it interesting at all.
“So you got the classes you wanted?” Ron asked.
“Yeah.”
“Brilliant! We got that Creatures class and Divination and loads of free time next year!”
Harry again shrugged. He had never told Ron he was planning to take Divination nor had he told Ron he was not going to take that course and figured now was not a good time to bring that sort of thing up.
“We’ll see,” Harry said non-committally. “I’m not sure about loads of time - unless I were to quit Quidditch.”
“Why the bloody hell would you want to do that?”
“Well, if I want loads of time to sit around and hang out, I’d probably have to quit seeing as Wood’s rather put out ‘bout McGonagall cancelling our last match and was certain we’d’ve won the Cup if she hadn’t and he’s determined to win it next year. It seems each year we don’t win the Cup, the next year he doubles our practice time. So I might need that free time to do homework and…”
“You sure you’re all right, Mate?” Ron asked with concern. “I mean, for a moment there you sounded a bit like Hermione. I’ve been saying you spent far too much time with her in the Hospital Wing.”
“What’s wrong with Hermione?”
“Nothing,” Ron added defensively. “I just don’t consider the library as a fun time and she does.”
“And it’s been useful. She did come up with who Nicholas Flamel was last year and the idea for Polyjuice this year…”
Ron laughed. “And she became a cat girl!”
“And the Basilisk.”
“I’m not saying she isn’t useful to have around, mate. But you gotta admit the library is boring.”
Harry shrugged. Deep down he didn’t care about Quidditch nearly as much as Ron did and he couldn’t play chess worth a damn either. He played the game because he loved flying and he was good at his position. Ron could quote every rule in the book. The only “rule” Harry could quote was Wood’s Rule - catch the Snitch or die trying. Harry was certain if Ron were in his shoes, Ron would be talking about going pro or something. Harry wasn’t sure if he wanted to do Quidditch all the time at all. He probably had more in common with Hermione than he did with Ron considering she was raised in the Muggle world as he was. But Ron was his first friend and best mate, so Harry didn’t say anything.
Then the sense of déjà vu set in again, although not nearly as powerfully or annoyingly as before. Neville told everyone that Hermione was back and when Harry looked, there she was just entering the Great Hall. He stood and she ran straight at him and gave him a hug that resulted in teasing wolf whistles from around the Hall, although mostly from Gryffindor table. She then did not hug Ron at all, but merely shook his hand and made some offhand comment about how they figured out about the Basilisk and the Chamber of Secrets, at which point the sense of déjà vu seemed to pass.
“Well,” Harry said, “you did tear a page from a library book that had the bit about a basilisk and you did write on it telling us the thing was using the plumbing to get about…”
Harry could not tell if she blushed with embarrassment or was mortified at having defiled a library book. “Course it was a bit before I noticed that crumpled up page in your hand. After that it was easy, although there was no real reason to do anything about it ‘til Ginny disappeared - which was the same day as I recall.”
“Oh?” Hermione asked. “How was it easy when we couldn’t figure it out at all?”
“‘Cause we knew that the Chamber was opened fifty years ago and a Muggle Born died. Draco said so, but he wasn’t the only one. That diary told me that the girl died in a bathroom. At the time it meant nothing.”
“What diary?” Hermione asked.
“Um, that blank one I found?” Harry offered.
“You mean the one that told you Hagrid opened the Chamber?” Hermione offered.
“Yeah.”
“Which we didn’t believe,” Ron added.
“You mean he did?” Hermione asked.
“No. He was framed for it all right.”
“The owner of that diary Tom Riddle framed him for that murder back then.”
“How? Hagrid would never… !”
“But he did have a great ruddy spider hidden in the castle at the time,” Ron said. “We saw it. Bloody thing’s as big as a house and living in the Forbidden Forest with hundreds of its huge bloody kids! Hagrid’s friend was gonna feed us to them ‘cause Hagrid wasn’t around to stop it!”
“Where is Hagrid?”
“Azkaban prison,” Harry said. “As soon as you were petrified, the Minister for Magic shows up to haul him away. Usual suspects, you know.”
“And Malfoy’s git for a father showed up as well to give Dumbledore the sack,” Ron added.
“Dumbledore’s gone?”
“Nah. Once word got out that a Pure-blood was a victim, they reinstated him right quick, though not quick enough to help my sister.”
Hermione nodded. “So how did that diary help?”
“Well, I knew it had something to do with things,” Harry said. “It showed me the night when that girl died and when Riddle framed Hagrid and it told me that she died in a bathroom. Then I thought about moaning Myrtle who doesn’t look like she’s been a ghost for centuries and haunts that Second Floor bathroom - and nowhere else. So it seemed plausible that she was the girl who died the last time the Chamber was opened. Then it was just a matter of asking her and she pointed out where the basilisk was the day she died - by a sink in that bathroom. I figured that it was possible you needed to speak Parseltongue to open the entrance to the Chamber ‘cause we’re were told many times that the Castle had been searched and nothing was found. Then again, it wouldn’t be would it? You’d need a Parselmouth to find it and sure enough, there it was.”
“So you read the part about how to kill it,” Hermione continued, “and got a couple of roosters…”
“Didn’t have time to get any roosters,” Ron said. “And I seem to have missed that bit. What can a rooster do to a bloody huge snake?”
“It’s crow kills a basilisk,” Hermione said primly. “Why didn’t you bring a rooster?”
“I told you, no time!” Ron said. “Ginny had been taken down there and any minute we wasted looking for a ruddy bird and she’d be dead. It was a close run thing as it was!”
“Sorry,” Hermione said. “So what did you bring to kill it.”
“Professor Lockhart,” Harry and Ron said in unison.
Hermione snorted and it was clear she was trying not to laugh at them.
“Well he was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and McGonagall had told him to deal with whatever it was,” Ron said defensively.
“What he do? Smile at it?” Hermione said sarcastically.
“Actually, he was trying to do a runner,” Ron said, “but Harry and I got a drop on him and…”
“Apparently, Second Year’s are out of his league,” Harry added. “We brought him with us.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“You mean aside from the fact he’s a slimier git than Snape and a coward who’d let my sister die?” Ron started.
“There was that,” Harry said. “I also thought he could go in front that way he’d let us know if the basilisk was out and about.”
“And how would he do that?”
“Hadn’t really thought about that. I guess he’d either drop dead or scream like a girl and piss his knickers.”
“You never know,” Ron said. “Maybe his scream would kill it, after all he did crow about how great he was all the time. But we never found out. The git got my wand and tried to obliviate Harry and me, just like he did all the witches and wizards who actually did the stuff in his books.”
“That,” Hermione started with a hiss.
“Now Ron,” Harry interrupted, “I’m sure the real people who did all those things were absolutely clueless about proper grooming, color coordination and how to look good for the camera.”
“So what happened? Obviously he didn’t obliviate you.”
“He used Ron’s wand,” Harry said. “You know it’s been dodgy all year! The spell hit him instead.”
Hermione gasped.
“Unfortunately,” Ron chuckled, “the git still seems to remember about proper grooming and color coordination, but he can’t remember anything else.”
“Like his name,” Harry added. “We’ve heard he’ll be in St. Mungo’s for a long, long time.”
Hermione chuckled briefly. “So you two went on?”
“Uh no,” Ron said. “The roof caved in the same time as his spell misfired and I was stuck on one side and Harry the other. He went on while I tried to dig a whole large enough for them to get out.”
“You went on alone?” Hermione asked in a way that almost sounded like she was scolding Harry.
Harry merely shrugged.
“Just you and a wand? Harry, I know I’ve said you’re a powerful wizard and such, but basilisks are particularly resistant to magic! I couldn’t find anything about spells that might work.”
“Didn’t use my wand to kill it, did I?” Harry replied.
“But you said you didn’t have a rooster!”
“But I did have a sword, the Sword of Gryffindor to be precise.”
“Okay, where did that come from? You didn’t say a thing about having a sword when you went off to play hero again!”
“Cause I didn’t have it when we got down there!”
“So a sword just magically appears out of thin air when you need it and you kill that thing with it? Harry, I did see it briefly and I’m pretty sure it was huge!”
“Yes, it was. Sixty feet at least and it was as thick around as I am tall. And yes, a sword did sort of appear out of thin air. Well, actually Fawkes arrived with the Sorting Hat and I pulled the sword out of the hat.”
“Fawkes?” Hermione asked.
“Dumbledore’s Phoenix. Will you let me tell the story?”
“Sorry.”
“So, I get into the Chamber proper which is really creepy. Think of a cathedral to snakes and Salazar Slytherin, only creepier. And before you ask, no I didn’t have the sword yet and there was no sign of the basilisk. There, at the far end of the Chamber lying before a huge - and rather ugly statue of Slytherin himself was Ginny. She was cold and not breathing so I thought… Then Tom Riddle showed up.”
“You mean the guy from the diary?”
Harry nodded. “He wasn’t quite real yet, but he wasn’t a ghost either. I don’t know anything about the magic he was using, but somehow he was using the diary to control Ginny. Ginny was the one who had opened the Chamber and all of that, although she would have no memory of it. And he was now using the diary to - um - I guess kind of suck out her life force and when it was all gone she’d be dead and he would be alive.”
“That sounds rather far-fetched,” Hermione replied sceptically.
Harry shrugged. “He made a convincing argument and I was really in no position to debate the thing. He then said he now wanted to kill me - like that’s a surprise. I wondered why and he went on about how Dumbledore was scared of him and all of that which I doubted and then… then he told me who he really was. Oh, he was Tom Riddle but he hated that name ‘cause it was his Muggle father’s name and he hates them. He turned his real name - his full real name - into an anagram that most people now know him by. His real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle. The anagram is,” Harry leaned in and whispered: “I am Lord Voldemort.”
Hermione gasped as did Ron. “You mean he's…” Hermione began.
“He became him, yes,” Harry said. “So he then says he’s gonna kill me and that’s when Fawkes showed up with the Sorting Hat which really scared the piss out of him - like not. That’s when he set the Basilisk on me. I didn’t wait around and took off. Fawkes then attacked the basilisk and gouged out its eyes.”
“Convenient,” Hermione noted.
“Very. But it was still dangerous and that was when I pulled the sword from the hat and drove it through the things head when it tried to bite me. Actually, it did bite me.”
Hermione gasped. “But they’re really poisonous!”
Harry nodded. “But Phoenixes have healing tears and Fawkes healed up the injury. Still, Riddle was still there and now had my wand.”
“How’d he get that?”
“I guess I dropped it.”
“Oh Harry,” Hermione said shaking her head.
“Ginny was still out of it,” Harry continued, “so I did the only thing I could think of and stabbed the diary with the basilisk fang I had pulled from my arm.”
“Why?”
Harry shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time. And apparently it was the perfect thing to do ‘cause the diary began spilling this black ooze as I stabbed it and Riddle was kind of ripped to pieces before he kind of blew up and disappeared and when that happened, Ginny woke up. She had no idea where we were or how she got there.”
“So it was that diary?”
“Apparently,” Harry nodded, “and although I can’t prove it, I think Mr. Malfoy slipped it to her that day in Diagon Alley when he and Ron’s Dad got into a fight. Dumbledore suspects him as well and is certain the diary, Tom Riddle and Voldemort are connected.”
“So what was that diary?”
Harry shrugged. “Dumbledore didn’t say.”
“Do you think he knows?”
“I think he suspects, but he wasn’t about to tell me or Ron what it was - or Mr. Malfoy come to think of it.”
Before Hermione could offer another comment, the door opened and Hagrid walked in.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said loud enough for all to hear. “The owl that was sent with my release papers was all lost and confused. Some ruddy bird named Errol.”
Harry and Hermione glared at Ron who looked a little sheepish.
“And I’d like to say this,” he added as he reached where Harry and his friends were seated. “If it weren’t fer you Harry, and Ron and ‘o course, you Hermione, I’d probably still be you know where.”
Harry had that odd sense of déjà vu again even as he said: “It’s not Hogwarts without you, Hagrid.”