Hospital Wing, Hogwarts - May 13, 1995

  Visibly trying to restrain herself, McGonagal took several deep breaths while the Auror’s did as she requested. It was clear that things were coming to light now that should have been investigated long ago. There were many things that needed to be done, and a vote of no-confidence from the head of houses would go a long way to dealing with the meddlesome old fool.

  Though this was not the time to deal with him, it was however the time to deal with Harry’s most recent adventure and his future care. He had a long road of recovery ahead, and it was up to her and other friends of Lily’s to help him walk it.

  “My deepest, most sincere apologies, Harry. I know you have been through hell this afternoon. As a responsible educator I should not be adding to your burden, please forgive my outburst. I…find I am unbelievably angry with how you have been treated over the past few years, never mind what we have discovered in your upbringing.”

  Harry nodded along, before freezing in fright. Playing the part of a deer caught in headlamps. For the first time he realised that he was half undressed. His scars on full display. “Have no fear Harry, it isn’t your fault… Ok? We can get to that later. If you would please continue explaining the rest of the afternoon?”

  Nodding with his head down, he asked timidly “Now… where was I? Ahh, I just finished talking to Myrtle…” He curled up into himself, bringing his knees to his chest. Ginny’s gentle gasps of breaths in between bouts of tears were just a quiet sound in the background, filling the gaps in conversation. “This is the part I am most angry about. So, there we were, in a girls toilet looking for the entrance to the chamber. It didn’t take me long to find it, but in all honesty I didn’t want to!”

  “I had a wand to my neck, a useless professor and a boy with a semi broken wand to my back. There was simply no way I could battle Slytherins monster in that situation… Yet for once in his life, Ron found the clue. One of the taps didn’t work and on the side of that tap was a small snake in a figure eight. The symbol for eternity, or Jormungandr depending on your personal mythical leanings.” With a resigned sigh, he paused for more water.

  “This was when the smart ass forced me to speak parseltongue, it took me a few tries but it worked. There was a secret passageway that opened up and showed us a large pipe. Four metres tall in the wall. Scaredy cat that he is, he forced Lockhart down it with threats and when I refused?” He paled visibly. The thought of going down that dark hole again and what awaited at the end…

  “Well he banished a broken bit of masonry into the back of my neck and upper back. Honestly, I’m lucky to have survived that and the landing head first... So we all go down this long ass slide, and when we reach the bottom, Lockhart decides to jump on Ron and steal his broken wand and attempt to Obliviate us.” Everyone stared in shock at what he claimed had happened.

  “Before he goes through with it he confesses to how much of a fraud he is, among other crimes he had committed this year…” Harry turns to stare at Minerva, “Even raping a few younger students, you should really look into that professor McGonagal.”

  More gasps, the revelations just never stopped with this boy. “Fortunately for me, or I guess unfortunately. Ron’s wand misfired, knocking the fool out and causing a cave in. The roofs were pretty low down there so… I never saw them again.”

  A quick glug of his drink, and a gasp of satisfaction before he continues on. “So, anyway I’m on my own, and I have no wand. Yet I’m supposed to battle Slytherins monster?” He laughs, verging on hysteria.

  “What a shitty bit of luck, ey? I’m in a situation I had no business being in, and I don’t even know if I have a wand anymore. Hah.”

  “So, I soldier on looking for another way out, although the only place I found was the Chamber itself. Going in I knew I had no chance, and in my heart I was begging for help to arrive. I was just going in to look for other exits I swear…” Shaking his head, of his fear he firmed his voice and continued.

  “That’s when Fawkes and the Hat showed up.” He laughed.

  “That’s all the help I got. A damn hat and Fawkes, against a seventy foot mythical snake. So, I go in and see Ginny unconscious, and that’s where things got interesting.”

  “Did you know… that Voldemort was a half-blood? Named Tom Marvolo Riddle. You should look into that. If you rearrange the letters it's an anagram, for I Am Lord Voldemort. Anyway you see that diary over there?” Harry points at the remainder of his clothes, the sword of Gryffindor and a little black book.

  “That was what was opening the chamber of secrets. It was a cursed artefact that drains the person's soul, it said. Something about being a memory, but I called him out on his lie. He later confirmed he was a type of magic he called a Horcrux that needed more life force and magic to resurrect and kill Dumbledore or something, honestly the thing sounded deluded.”

  “Take a breather for a sec Harry. Can you give me your memories of these events? We might need it to fight… V-voldemort.” Amelia asked.

  He never got the need to call him by his various epithets, but it made sense with the ‘taboo’ on his name guessed Harry. Shrugging, Harry answered, “Sure, there’s more to say about it but quite honestly I’m exhausted and I guess we still need to go down there to get Fraudhart and Ron out. I flame travelled with Fawkes and Ginny out of there after all.”

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  “Good thinking Harry, there won’t be another way to get to them without being able to speak parseltongue right?” Harry shook his head. “Continue please Harry, the ginger sod can wait a bit yet. He almost got you killed after all.” she smirked, trying to make him laugh a little.

  “That’s true… he used to be my friend. But I don’t think friends are supposed to hold each other at wand point.” He said laughingly, on the edge of tears once more. “My god, this has been one hell of a day.”

  “HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT….” Mrs Molly Weasley tried to berate Harry before Arthur slapped her.

  “This story will be verified, right Ma’am Bones?” At her nod he continued “If what Harry said is true, we owe him two life debts. Do not abuse our benefactor in our presence. The boy has been through enough.”

  “Thank you Mr. Weasley. Thank you for your kindness.” He whispered, bowing his head in shame, his innocent introverted nature coming to the fore.

  “You were a guest in our home, and if Ron did as you say, I can do nothing other than apologise for such dreadful behaviour. He will be punished, and if you wish never to speak to him again I can certainly enforce that. I just hope my other children have shown you what my family is supposed to be about.”

  “I am horrified that my family's honour was destroyed today and quite frankly I’m wondering if I made a mistake with my choice of wife. I’m becoming more and more disillusioned with her behaviour and what she has taught my youngest kids.”

  Taking a steadying breath Arthur was himself on the edge of tears. Even though he was on the edge of breaking down, he managed to get out “Please continue Harry, this can wait.”

  Nodding to him in solidarity, Harry felt terrible. He may have just accidentally destroyed a family, it was heartbreaking because he loved the oldest four siblings, if you ignored Percy anyway. Soldiering on, he said “Right, so evil soul spirit thing monologues for a while, I wear the sorting hat and I scan the room. Eventually he gives up the conversation and starts flinging spells. Dodging all around I hide behind the pillars. Eventually he says something in parseltongue and the Basilisk comes out.” He shivers at the very memory of the creature.

  “Obviously I didn’t look at its eyes, but it was big, heavy and fucking scary. I pissed myself at least once.” He said, without shame. “So the fight was on, Fawkes attacked its eyes, I pulled the brim on the hat down and ran away blind as a bat. While I’m doing this, spells are being flung at me and the Hat decides that I’ve shown enough ‘daring do’ for him to approve of my willingness to defend innocents. A True Gryffindor.”

  Swearing under his breath, “I am never given a choice. I just do what’s necessary to survive.” Inhaling a deep breath he pauses for a while. The others present can see he needs some time to come to terms with things.

  Breathing out harshly, he gathers himself for the last push. “So yeah, after he tells me I’m a true gryffindor, I feel a bonk on my head. The bloody sword was in the Hat, so I take it off while Fawkes is distracting it, and the Shade of Riddle is screaming at it to go for me instead so I panic. Running around like a headless chicken I was.”

  Shuddering he says “So that was when it got me, nicked my leg then tried to eat me whole. When it went for that last one, I just kinda thought ‘Fuck’ it. If I’m going to die, I will take the bastard thing with me. So I stab it through the roof of its mouth, and get bitten on the arm.” He says pointing at the large gash in the various places, proving his story.

  “Then Fawkes, thanks for that by the way bud, cries into my wounds to neutralise the poison. Let me tell ya, it fucking hurt.”

  “LANGUAGE MR.POTTER.” McGonagal snaps on reflex.

  “Sorry professor, but it was the worst I’ve ever felt in my life, anyway it still wasn’t over. The spirit person decides it's time to kill me for good. So it casts stuff at me while I’m sprinting for it with this basilisk fang I pulled out my arm. I notice that there’s a link?”

  Harry nodded, “Yeah, a link like a thin line that was linking the spirit person to the book. Which I later found out was the diary, so I stabbed it with the fang. Ink goes everywhere, and bam. I survive.”

  “After lying on my back for a while trying to catch my breath, Ginny wakes up. We introduce ourselves, she cries a lot on me, she apologises, confesses to thinking she was the Heir. I told her she was possessed, and that we could sort everything out. Fawkes flies over to us, sings to us and makes us hold onto its tail. We grab everything and he Flash-fire travels us to the toilet where I see Prof McGee and Flitwick in the bathroom. Then I woke up here with you all barging in and arguing.”

  Shuddering, “And please don’t make me tell that story again. I just want my friend ‘Mione back. I just want to rest and not hurt anymore. I’m so tired of hurting…” He mumbles.

  Ending the dictaquill, Amelia decides to call it there. “Alright then Harry, three more things ok? Take us down to where the entrance is. Let’s get the bodies, or the unconscious Ron and Fraudhart, out of there. After that, we need to check out the crime scene, so that might take a while. Did you claim the Right of Conquest Harry?”

  “No, what’s that?”

  “You can do it with me tomorrow, I can show you the Hunters ritual to earn the power of your foe. You need the help kid, I’m sorry to say.” Glaring at the rest of the professors, “I will guide you in it myself.”

  “Most rituals are heavily frowned upon, but as a long time familial ally of House Potter, I will stand in for your Hunter Guardian.” Sighing she says, “There’s a lot to the tradition, but I know you deserve it. I will pay to get some professional renderers from Gringotts and get you the best deal possible. Hopefully the money will help you with your financial situation. It’s a unique specimen so you won’t be poor, that’s for sure.”

  Puffing her cheeks out she pats me on the shoulder, “Dam kid, I’m seriously impressed. Killing something that big with nothing but some luck, your wits and a damn sword.”

  Nabbing a glass of water herself, Harry can even see that her hands are shaking in disbelief or shock, he couldn’t tell. “The last thing I would like to ask of you is to give me those memories.” She clicks her fingers twice, “Dawlish, Memory vials please. Two of them.”

  Guiding Harry through the memory retrieval process was a few short minutes. After which he took them down to the bathroom for the aurors to retrieve Ron and Lockhart. He didn’t want the others to enter the Chamber, so he begged off asking to finish everything with the hunter ritual tomorrow. Just asking them to make sure the two idiots were alive.

  After which he returned to the hospital wing under Madam Pomfrey’s orders, even if he was carried. He was a malnourished boy who had just gone into shock. They finally realised how magically exhausted he was and put him into a magically potioned sleep for the night.

  By god did he deserve it.