Year 2 – The Chamber of Secrets

Chapter 15 – Answers to the Riddle

Chapter Summary: With the Heir of Slytherin gone at last, Harry can turn his thoughts to the future, and seek answers to his lingering questions.

Author: Khodexus

Rated T: For occasional graphic concepts and atmosphere. No cussing, no adult situations, no violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights for the worlds or characters in Harry Potter. Those rights are owned by Scholastic Publishing Inc. and J.K. Rowling. I do own the rights to my original characters depicted here, in as far as they differ from the worlds created by J.K. Rowling.

For a stunned moment, all Harry could think, was that he'd been too late. Ginny Weasley was dead. But then he realized she was still breathing, and the color was actually returning to her skin. He shook himself and heard Snape trying to get his attention.

"Potter! Potter?!"

"Uh, what?" With an effort of will, Harry refocused on his surroundings.

"Send it back, Potter! And be quick about it!" Snape urged, still keeping the basilisk at bay with the roaring flames.

Harry turned, but did not meet the basilisk's gaze. He focused on the floor where it had retreated from the fiend fire, and repeated in a stern tone, "In the name of Salazar Slytherin, return to your slumber!"

There was a long tense moment when Harry was afraid it would refuse, but then finally it reared up and disappeared head first back in the statue's mouth, and then down into the darkness.

Harry was grateful when the stone mouth began to close. He wasn't certain he felt up to trying to figure out another password, and he doubted this one would have been as simple as 'Close'.

There was a moan from Ginny, but a quickly muttered spell from Snape quieted her. When Harry looked up at the Potions Master the fiend fire and the disillusionment charm had both been dismissed, "The less she remembers about this night, the better." Snape said. "She mustn't know I was here, and if possible, it would be best to keep the details of your involvement from her as well."

"But why? What does it matter?"

"Keep your secrets, Potter. The Dark Lord must never suspect you oppose him."

"He already knows I hate him. I've defeated him three times now."

"No." Snape insisted. "Your mother stood against him. You were interrupted before you could give him the philosopher stone. And – if you are careful – he may never learn precisely what transpired here."

Harry thought about it, as Snape continued, "Did the Dark Lord not ask you to join him when you met him in front of the mirror? Did not Riddle do the same today?"

Harry nodded, "You're right. But what about Draco and Pansy, what do I tell them?"

"Nothing."

"I see. So I have to start lying to them?"

"Haven't you already begun to deceive your little friends? If not, then it's high time you started. For their sakes if not for yours."

Harry nodded again. "I think I understand. But… what is all of this for? Why should I deceive Voldemort?"

Snape regarded him in silence for a moment, then sighed, "To survive, Potter." He said simply.

"What if I want to do more than just survive?!" Harry asked, angry tears burning behind his eyelids.

"You will have your chance. But to do so, you must first survive."

Something in Snape's tone brought Harry up short, cooled his anger, and made him think. "This is about that prophecy isn't it?"

It was Snape's turn to look startled. "And, how do you know about that, Mister Potter?"

"Mister Malfoy told me." Harry admitted sheepishly, suddenly wishing he hadn't brought up something Lucius had told him in confidence.

Snape nodded, "There are not many who are aware there was a prophecy. The Dark Lord trusted that secret only to a few, and even fewer still know anything of what the prophecy contained."

Something clicked in Harry's head. "You know it?"

"Even the Dark Lord himself does not know the whole prophecy. I heard only a portion of it." Snape admitted.

"Can you tell me the prophecy, even a part of it?"

Snape shook his head, "Half a prophecy is worse than none at all. The Dark Lord came to destroy you after hearing part of it, and the result was disastrous. However, I think it is safe to tell you that your destiny and his are inextricably intertwined."

"Oh." Harry didn't know what to make of that, but he didn't doubt Snape, "So what do we do now?"

"I will convey Miss Weasley to the hospital wing. You should return to the Slytherin dorms with Draco and Miss Parkinson, if they have not gone already." Snape levitated Ginny's unconscious form from Harry's arms.

Harry nodded, and they both started towards the entrance to the chamber. "Professor Snape?" Harry paused, as Snape turned back to meet Harry's gaze.

"Yes, Mister Potter?"

"Thank you, for coming down here with me, and helping me fight Tom. I think I probably would have died without your help, along with whoever I'd brought with me."

There was an odd light in Snape's eye, but then he nodded, "You are most welcome, Harry."

Harry didn't meet Draco or Pansy on his way back to the Slytherin dorms, he didn't see them in the common room, and Draco wasn't in his bed either. He considered briefly looking for them, but couldn't muster the energy. He fell into bed exhausted, and drifted immediately off to sleep with a measure of contentment at having resolved the danger to the school at last.

He woke in the morning refreshed, if a little worn from his experiences, to discover the school was buzzing with new rumors. The thing that was truly startling to Harry was that some of the whispering had nothing to do with the events in the Chamber of Secrets. Apparently, his wasn't the only adventure to occur during the night.

At some point, the Minister of Magic had been to the school, and arrested Hagrid on suspicion of opening the Chamber of Secrets. Harry thought it was ludicrous to think Hagrid could have had anything to do with it, and he said as much to his fellow Slytherins. What's more, at breakfast Dumbledore announced that the error concerning Hagrid's arrest had already been corrected, and the threat of the Chamber of Secrets had been dealt with.

Harry listened to the Headmaster explain how the chamber had been located, and the spirit of the Heir of Slytherin that had been possessing students – including Harry Potter, and Ginnevra Weasley – had been destroyed, never to return. It almost sounded like he was claiming credit for the deed, and Harry felt a momentary twinge of anger, but remembered Snape's words, that it was better to conceal his part in it.

Dumbledore went on to say that their exams – which would have started in a little over a week – were being suspended, as a special treat to the school (except for O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s), and that Professor Sprout's mandrake juice would be ready by the following Sunday. In short order, the entire ordeal would be behind them, and it was time for some celebration. As such, he ordered a special morning feast, which appeared on their tables right as he finished speaking.

Harry ate without his usual gusto, deep in thought about all that had happened. Finally, he told Draco that he was going to visit Pansy in the hospital wing, and Draco decided to come along.

Pansy and Ginny Weasley were both in the hospital wing recovering from the night's events, with Ginny's four brothers crowded around her cot. Past them, in the far corner of the room, Harry could see the cots where the petrified students still rested behind curtains concealing them from view. Harry gave Ginny a smile when he entered to visit his friend, and Ginny immediately blushed and looked away. Her brothers gave Harry mixed looks. Ron and Percy glared at Harry with distaste, while Fred and George frowned, likely upset for being left out of things once more. Harry would just have to explain to them later that he'd really had no choice this time.

"There you are, Harry." Pansy beamed at him. "Maybe you can tell me what happened. All anyone else will say is that Draco found me passed out in Myrtle's bathroom, and then I woke up here."

"It must have happened when you helped me figure out how to open the chamber of secrets." Harry told her, giving her a version of the truth. "How much do you remember about that?"

"I don't really remember any of it." She admitted. "Weren't we going to locate Snape? I guess we couldn't find him?"

"No, you found him." Draco corrected before Harry could respond. "But Harry went into the chamber alone, apparently, and when we couldn't figure out how to follow, the twins got Dumbledore, while I brought you here. The Headmaster sent me back to the dorms after he rescued Harry and that Weasley girl from the chamber."

Harry was grateful that Draco could explain some of it, but felt he should fill in a few of the gaps. "The chamber was well protected." He cut in, "There were spells and things to prevent anyone else from entering the chamber of secrets, and Snape reminded me that Voldemort had asked me to come alone anyways."

Pansy gasped, "You-Know-Who was the heir?!"

Harry winced, he hadn't meant to tell them that part. "Sort of." Harry thought quickly, "It wasn't really Voldemort, it was something he'd left behind that was possessing students. It possessed Ginny, and it tried to possess me. But… I really can't talk about what happened in the chamber itself."

Draco was happy to continue when Harry stopped, "You said last night that you fended off both the basilisk and the Dark Lord, with a little help. It's a good thing Dumbledore was able to come after you."

Harry gaped at Draco. "Uh… when did I say that?"

"When I got back to the dorms, we talked about it for an hour, though you avoided a lot of the details. Not that I blame you. You just can't catch a break, can you Harry?" Draco sympathized, "That's two years in a row now you've met with some remnant of the Dark Lord who tried to kill you, or recruit you."

"I don't honestly remember having this conversation…" Harry muttered.

"Maybe it's a lingering effect from the wards that knocked me out." Pansy suggested, "Obviously they didn't hit you as hard, probably because you're the one who opened the chamber, but I can't remember anything that happened either."

"Yeah… maybe that's it." Harry agreed without much conviction.

"We did talk for over an hour…" Draco informed Harry, but then shrugged, that particular detail was not that important to anyone, though Harry did have to wonder. Was it possible Snape had used a memory charm on him too? And if so, why would he only wipe his memories of talking with Draco and not the rest of what he did remember? No, he thought it more likely his memory loss was from simple exhaustion.

"Actually, I just remembered something else I've been meaning to talk to you about;" Harry added, wanting to steer the conversation elsewhere. His two best friends regarded him curiously as he continued. "I've been thinking that's its past time I stopped moping around, and started acting like the future Lord Potter."

Harry waited for them to respond, but they didn't seem to know what to say. There was a sort of silent exchange between the two of them, before Pansy turned back to Harry, her brow furrowed, "What do you mean, Harry? I think you're brilliant just as you are."

"Thank you." Harry blushed at the compliment, "But, I'm the heir to one of the noble wizarding houses. Someday I'm going to have to take up those responsibilities, so I need to know what they are. So far, I've just been sort of going along with things. I need to take active control of my life. But… I'm not entirely sure where to start. Plus…" Harry glanced around, leaned slightly closer, and lowered his voice, "Snape's been telling me that I need to present myself in such a way that Voldemort will think of me as a potential ally if I want to continue to survive our encounters. I figured acting more like the future heir to my family's house would be a good start for that. I hoped you two would help me. You've both been raised as pure bloods, perhaps you can teach me what I need to know?"

"Of course we'll help." Draco beamed at him. "Won't we Pansy?"

"Yeah, whatever you need, Harry." She smiled back, but seemed slightly less enthusiastic than Draco.

The next time, Harry vowed silently, he would be ready. He would put on a mask so perfect, even Voldemort wouldn't be able to see through it.

He chatted with his friends until Madam Pomfrey and her assistants came around to usher the visitors from the hospital wing. Harry hung back, as usual, and paused by Ginny Weasley's bed. "Hello. We've met a couple times, but we've never been formally introduced." Harry said, offering another friendly smile. "I'm Harry Potter, and your brothers said your name was… Ginny, right?"

She nodded, blushing furiously under Harry's gaze, but didn't speak as Harry went on. "They tell me you were possessed. I was too, so… if you need someone to talk to, I know what it was like."

"I saw your face." Ginny blurted out rather suddenly.

"Huh?" Harry blinked at her.

"I saw you, in the chamber. And… I remember you… uh…" She blushed even deeper, her whole face and neck turning scarlet. "You hugged me. It was like you were going to…

"But none of that was real, was it?"

Harry sat down on the side of the bed, and glanced at where Madam Pomfrey was only just starting back his way. "What happened in the Chambers of Secrets, needs to stay a secret." Harry whispered, "That knowledge is dangerous. So try not to even think about it – can you do that for me?"

Ginny's eyes lit with understanding, and she nodded, slightly less embarrassed than before. "I promise." She breathed.

Harry wanted to say more, but Pomfrey had returned, "You too, Mister Potter. I know you feel you have to apologize to every student who gets put in here, but that's really not necessary."

"I'm sorry, Madam Pomfrey."

"You don't have to apologize to me either." Pomfrey insisted.

Harry stood, and shrugged, "I just thought, since Ginny and I were both possessed, that I should offer to talk to her about it."

"That's a very nice thought." Pomfrey smiled at him, "But right now she needs to rest. So out you go." Harry allowed himself to be shooed from the hospital wing, right into the smirking forms of three of his four best friends.

Draco, Fred, and George eyed him in silence for a moment before the twins burst out laughing. "Who'd have thought, all this time we've been teasing you about Bell, when it was our very own Ginny you had your eye on."

"Guess she really made an impression on you in the book store." Draco added before Harry could retort.

"It's not like that. I just… feel like I know what she's going through." Harry growled, and pushed past his laughing friends.

"Hey, don't sweat it." One of the twins told him, catching up quickly, and draping an arm over his shoulders. "Ginny's had a crush on you since she was a little kid." "She'll be thrilled you're actually starting to notice her."

"Notice her? I've run into her several times now, and this is the first time she's said two words to me."

"Well, you did just save her life." "Just be careful about Ron, he might not take as kindly to the idea of you dating our sister as we do."

"I'm not dating anyone! Let alone Ginny." Harry threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Hey! That's our sister." The twins retorted as one. "You sure she knows you're not dating her?" "Better stop leading her on, then." "Or you'll wish the Heir of Slytherin had got you."

"I'm not lead…" Harry bit back his retort and turned away with a sigh. Anything he could say would just encourage the twins' teasing, he realized. But since he had no intention of trying anything romantic with Ginny, or any other girl for that matter, it wasn't anything he felt he really needed to worry about. He had much bigger concerns on his mind.

"Now start talking." The other twin said in a serious tone. "What happened, and how is it you came to exclude us… again?!"

Harry wasn't sure how much to tell them, or how much Draco might have already told them, but he figured he'd keep it simple, for now, until he had a chance to speak with Snape again. "It's kind of fuzzy." He hedged. "We went up to Myrtle's bathroom, and tried to figure out how to open the chamber of secrets. Pansy was knocked out as soon as we puzzled it out." That much was at least mostly true.

"Should have checked for wards." One of the twins frowned.

"I wouldn't have known how to do that." Harry shrugged.

"Snape should have." They observed. "What happened after that?"

"Well, we didn't want to wait. Plus the heir said to come alone. If I hadn't gone down ahead of you, I might not have gotten there in time to save Ginny. I think Voldemort was growing stronger by drawing energy from her."

It was apparently the right thing to say, because they both visibly slumped, then nodded. "So it was He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." They said as one, "You're right, of course." "Yeah, it's better that you went down by yourself." "It's just too bad we couldn't have gone down to help you too. Ginny is our sister, afterall."

"One other thing." Harry told them, "I don't want to take credit for what happened. I don't think it'd be a good thing to spread the details of the encounter. I'm fine with letting people believe that Dumbledore confronted and defeated the Heir of Slytherin."

"We kind of assumed that he got there before you had a chance to do much." One of the twins replied, "You don't mean to say you were already fighting the heir and the basilisk by the time he showed up, do you?"

Harry really wasn't sure how to reply to that, so once again he hedged his response, telling a portion of the truth. "I stalled for time, tried to keep him talking. But I couldn't have done it on my own either. It's actually due to a bit of luck that things turned out the way they did. I just would rather not take any credit for this. I'd rather, when Voldemort finally does come back that he not know I had anything to do with it."

"Well, if that's the way you want to handle it." They agreed, and Harry gave them a grateful smile.

By then, breakfast was long over, so Harry said goodbye to the twins and he and Draco started towards the dungeons. Halfway there Harry spotted Snape up ahead of them, entering an unfamiliar door. He looked upset, not seriously angry, but something was obviously bothering their head of house.

Curious, Harry approached, and caught a glimpse of the room beyond, before the door closed. It was the staff room where he'd been taken after he'd been possessed. "Do you think something's wrong?" Harry asked idly.

But his question was answered by the voices on the other side of the door before Draco could offer a guess, "Honestly, Dumbledore." Harry heard McGonagall's voice. She sounded rather cross. "Surely an exemption for those who were petrified or stayed home for the second term would have been sufficient?"

"You should have consulted us, before making the announcement." Snape clearly agreed with McGonagall.

"It is done, Minerva." It was Dumbledore talking this time, and Harry could barely hear him, as he was speaking in a calmer tone than the other two. "It is my privilege as headmaster, to sometimes make decisions regarding the school on my own. I allowed for those taking their owls, and their newts. Those are the most important exams afterall. But I thought it appropriate considering the trying year we've all had."

"It's trying nearly every year!" McGonagall pointed out.

"Amen to that." Harry thought he recognized both Flitwick's and Sprout's voices.

"Particularly since Potter was admitted." Snape's tone was slightly amused. Harry might have been offended, if he hadn't had the same thought himself earlier in the year.

"They're complaining about Dumbledore canceling the exams." Draco observed. "Come on, we don't want to get caught eavesdropping here." He added after a moment.

Normally Harry would have stayed to listen, but he realized this particular conversation wasn't going to help them unravel any sort of interesting mystery, and it probably was not worth the risk. So he shrugged, and the two of them walked off, leaving the door to the staff room behind.

Apparently, saving the school didn't mean Harry got out of his occlumency lessons that evening. Though in truth, for once, he was rather looking forwards to them. He'd seen its usefulness first hand when he had successfully lied to Tom more than once. And he could only assume the real Voldemort would be better and more experienced with legilimency than his sixteen year old memory had been. Plus, there were still a number of things he needed to talk to Snape about.

After knocking, and entering the room, Harry sat down, and was about to speak, but Snape beat him to it. "You've seen at least in part how the Headmaster has chosen to deal with the situation." The Potions Master said softly. "However, you should know it was my suggestion that he keep knowledge of your involvement in the matter minimal. He wanted to give you a special award for services to the school, along with two hundred points for Slytherin."

"Oh." Harry looked down. But as much as he might like receiving recognition, and 200 points, he supposed he understood why Snape had done what he'd done.

"So instead, I will be granting you a hundred points, for the completion of your special project. Additionally, the Head Governor, Lucius Malfoy has an award he wishes to bestow upon you, not for services to the school, precisely, but for… personal reasons."

"Oh!" Harry gasped, looking up at Snape, and offering a surprised smile. "That's… that's wonderful."

Snape merely shrugged. "Such accolades are of little consequence in the grand scheme of things, and I'm sure they'll only serve to expand the 'legend' of Harry Potter. I trust you will not let any newfound fame go to your head? Or, one might start comparing you to a certain former Professor."

Harry made a face, "I'm nothing like Lockhart."

"I'm glad to hear it." Snape's lips quirked in the suggestion of a smirk. "Now then, I believe you came here for a lesson on occlumency."

Harry got to his feet, and readied his wand, but asked one more question before they could get started, "Sir, what am I supposed to tell my friends when they start asking for more details about what happened?"

"The best deceptions are the simplest and most plausible ones. You should always remember that. Elaborate too greatly and you will find your lies unraveling as you strain to keep the details straight."

Harry nodded, "I've already told them a little about what happened, and told them I don't want to claim credit for it."

"Wise. If they press for more, claim the memory has blurred in your mind, or a similar evasion."

Harry nodded again, and raised his wand, "Okay, I'll do that."

"Now let us begin."

The school was alight with rumors and excitement all through the next week. They still had classes, and Dumbledore taught all three of their Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons, but it seemed everyone was willing to take the word of the Headmaster that the threat really was over, even though the only real evidence of the matter had been consumed in fiend fire deep below the castle.

During Harry's occlumency lesson on Thursday, Snape mentioned that he'd be awarding Harry his extra points that weekend. Which prompted Harry to ask, "What was it we were going to say the points are for, precisely?"

Snape sighed. "It is extra credit for the completion of your special project."

"Didn't you say not to tell people I'm learning occlumency?"

"I'm referring to the advanced potion you successfully brewed." Snape explained.

Harry gaped for a moment then closed his mouth with a snap. "Oh. Guess you know about that?"

"Obviously."

"I suppose… I'd just hoped…"

Snape chuckled, "Try not to underestimate your opponents."

"You're not my opponent, you're my teacher…" Harry countered.

"Have I not been invading your mind several times a week for the past few months? Do I not assign you more homework than I do your fellow students?"

"Well yeah, but that's because you want to help me. You saved my life."

"Irrelevant. Make no mistake, Mister Potter. I am not your friend. You may think of me as your ally, but never come to rely on me. Trust in yourself, and those around you whom you can control. I am not one of those."

"I'll try." Harry wasn't sure what else to say.

The rest of the lesson passed uneventfully after that. As before, Harry was able to block Snape's attacks about half the time. Though he wasn't nearly as worn out from the effort as he would have been three months prior.

On Saturday, Lucius Malfoy once more visited the school. He presented Dumbledore with a token of esteem from the twelve governors, in honor of his handling of the Chamber of Secrets. He remained cool throughout the ceremony, but Harry could see the veiled look of distaste on his face.

Afterwards, Harry received a summons to the Headmaster's office. Snape escorted him up the stairs and through the heavy door, where they found Dumbledore waiting for him alongside Lucius, who both gave him a warm smile the moment he entered. "There you are, Harry." Lucius greeted him kindly, "It's so good to see you well and whole, especially after facing 'him' yet again."

"How'd you know it was Voldemort?" Harry asked, surprised.

Lucius sighed, and glanced down at the form of Dobby hiding behind the hem of his robes. "I just found out, that this one has been keeping an eye on you. I got the whole story from him, though a few of the details were supplied by Severus. I also helped gather key information to identify how and why he'd returned to open the chamber once again. Has Snape told you I wish to recognize your part in these events, even though we cannot award you publicly?"

"He has." Harry nodded. Dumbledore looked on with a bemused expression, his chin resting on his steepled fingers over his desk.

"I wish to make you an honorary member of House Malfoy." Lucius continued in a formal tone. "With Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore as witness, you may now claim all the benefits entitled to you as a member of my family, including, but not limited to, the services of the Malfoy's house elf, Dobby." Dobby's lamp-like eyes were as big as Harry had ever seen them, and he was so obviously excited that he couldn't hold still, but danced and squirmed in place.

"What exactly does that mean?" Harry wondered aloud.

"It means, Master Harry." Dobby exclaimed, "That Master Harry really is Dobby's Master Harry now! It means Dobby can come and take care of Harry Potter wherever he is staying. It means Dobby will not get in trouble for trying to help Harry Potter any more!"

"Really?" Harry beamed at Mr. Malfoy.

"Yes well, he's been fair useless to us this year. I figured if we allow him to attend to you legally, he'll be more able to focus on his chores at Malfoy Manor." Lucius shrugged, but he was obviously pleased with how Harry was accepting the news.

"Thanks, Mister Malfoy!" Harry said with a wide grin.

"You can call me Lucius, Harry." He insisted. "We're family now, afterall."

"Thanks… Lucius." Harry said, testing the sound of the name. It was easier to say than he'd thought it would be.

Just then there came a sharp rap on the door. With a gesture, Dumbledore caused the door to open, admitting Alastor Moody into the room. "There you are." The auror growled; his electric blue eye fixed on Harry while the rest of his attention was on Lucius Malfoy. "What brings you to Hogwarts, Malfoy?"

"I just finished presenting Harry with a gift." Lucius replied in a flat tone. Moody's glare was openly hostile, and Lucius took the hint, "I will take my leave for now, Headmaster." He informed them then bowed and exited the room. Dobby stayed behind, still watching Harry with something akin to awe.

"Well, Albus, I'm all packed. Looks like you didn't need me afterall." Moody said grumpily once Lucius had departed.

"I wish you had consented to teach for a term;" Dumbledore lamented, "it has been increasingly difficult to find individuals who even desire the position. I'm afraid there's been a growing rumor that the post is cursed."

"It may well be. You should have that checked." Moody grumbled, "I'm not cut out to be a teacher, Albus. I only wish I could have been more help catching the Heir of Slytherin."

"I suppose it had been my hope that you would be able to instill a sense of caution in young Harry here. It is something he is sorely lacking, at present."

"I've noticed." Moody gave Harry a bemused look, a modicum of good humor surfacing on his face. "Well, I'm off." He gave a nod to Dumbledore, shared a glance with Snape, then turned and headed out the door.

With exams canceled, the last three weeks of class were relatively relaxing. Draco received several presents on his birthday the next Saturday, including one from Harry, and they sat down to watch the final quidditch match of the year that same day. Gryffindor lost, which meant Slytherin had won the quidditch cup. And with the extra points Harry had been awarded, they took the House cup as well.

Even Seamus and his cronies were less antagonistic towards Harry. The Irish boy scowled at him a few times, but both Dean and Ron were polite, if not precisely pleasant.

On the last day of term, at breakfast, a large silver owl swooped down on Harry, and dropped a thick black envelope in Harry's astonished hands. There was a red wax seal, and gold lettering that read, "To be opened in private by Harry Potter. Official Ministry of Magic business within."

"You can't open that here." Draco admonished when Harry started to break the seal.

"Oh, why not?" Harry asked, removing his fingers.

"It's a Ministry seal." Draco explained, "You can't open it unless you meet the requirements specified on the envelope."

"Okay." Harry examined the envelope from all angles then put it in a pocket for later.

After breakfast, he lingered behind in their dorm room as the rest of his school mates were heading to the train, and quickly opened the envelope. There was a moderately sized stack of papers contained inside starting with a letter, written in a very neat and precise scrawl. "Order to appear…" Harry read the heading aloud, a knot forming at once in his throat. He quickly scanned down the document, and while he didn't understand most of it, he recognized Gilderoy Lockhart's name, a court date, and an admonishment that discussing any details of the proceedings with unauthorized persons could be a criminal offense.

The moment he took his hands off the stack of papers, they leapt back into the envelope, which promptly sealed itself once more. He wouldn't even be able to leave the papers out where someone else might read them, it would seem.

Harry sighed. Just when he was starting to actually look forward to his summer, something like this had to happen.

On the train Harry sat with his friends, Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Greg and Vince, as well as Pansy's friend Daphne Greengrass. He already wished it was the start of the next school year.

They chatted about unimportant things, like quidditch, until Draco reminded Harry, "So, you need to make sure you get permission to come up to the Manor so we can throw you a birthday party."

"I'd almost forgotten about that." Harry admitted. "Of course, we'll have to invite Blaise, Greg, and Vince, and Pansy and Daphne too, and of course the Carrows and the Weasley twins." His friends each flashed him a smile as he named them off. "Who else do we need to invite?"

But before anyone could offer suggestions, the door to their compartment opened, and there stood Annalise Priest, and her dorm mate, Manami Ichijoh. "I've been looking for you Harry." Annalise began immediately, "I wanted to apologize, for trying to stop you from leaving the dorms when you were sneaking out that night the Heir of Slytherin was stopped, but I also wanted to know why you let Dumbledore take credit for saving that Weasel girl when I would have expected you to…"

"Weasley." Harry corrected automatically, interrupting the talkative girl.

"…just… what?" Annalise blinked several times.

"Weasley. Her name is Ginny Weasley."

"I knew that, but why couldn't you…?"

"We had to stop the Heir of Slytherin." Harry said with a sudden flash of inspiration. He should have realized Annalise wouldn't have been fooled by Dumbledore's story, as she'd guessed at least in part what they'd been up to before they'd even left the Slytherin wing. He looked to his two best friends, and saw the curious looks on the other Slytherins' faces. This was the first some of them had heard of this too. "They would have closed the school if we hadn't. But honestly, what would people say if they knew some of Slytherin's most prominent students had helped stop Slytherin's own heir, and saved the life of a Gryffindor girl in the process? I'm trying to pay better attention to my reputation, and the reputation of our house."

Annalise opened her mouth, but took a moment to reply. His answer had obviously surprised her. After a long moment she nodded, and offered him a pretty smile. "Okay, I'm sorry, I thought you were seeking attention, I thought that's why you got Lockhart sacked, but I was confused why you wouldn't claim credit if you wanted fame, but what you say makes sense, and I'm sorry, I guess I was wrong about you…" She trailed off, and blushed, a little embarrassed, and turned to leave.

"Anna, wait a moment." Harry added, causing her to pause in the doorway. "The Malfoy's are throwing me a birthday party on the thirty-first of July. I'm inviting all my friends, and their friends. You and Manami would be welcome to come too, if you wanted?"

Her face lit up with an even broader smile, "Yeah, I'd like that!" She exclaimed, and then hurried off. Manami gave a little bow then followed her dorm mate.

"That was nice of you." Pansy observed once the door closed again.

"It's going to be a big event, so we might as well have lots of people, right Draco?"

Draco grinned, and nodded, "You bet. The best birthday party anyone's ever seen!"

Maybe the summer wouldn't be so bad afterall, Harry thought.

Author's Comments: And here's the end of Harry Potter and the Dragon's Heir, Year 2 – The Chamber of Secrets.

This story obviously took a bit longer to write/tell than the first year, and I hope I didn't drag things on too much. I had a lot of fun with this, and I've still got so much further to go, and I just hope we're all still here at the end of this grand adventure.

If anyone has any overarching comments on this year, or the story as a whole, I'd love to hear them. And, as always, comments and critiques on this chapter specifically are also welcome.

Once again the copyrights for the Harry Potter worlds belong to J.K. Rowling. All original characters depicted here and this story are copyrighted to me.

Part three is up, look for: Harry Potter and the Dragon's Heir, Year 3 – The Prisoner of Azkaban now.

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