Previous Chapters:
Chapter 1: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003542001
Chapter 2: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003544638
Chapter 3: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003545843
Chapter 4: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003547854
Chapter 5: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003549721
Chapter 6: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003559703
Chapter 7: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003560187
Chapter 8: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003561978
Chapter 9: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003564964
Chapter 10: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003566164
Chapter 11: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003574522
Chapter 12: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003577675
Chapter 13: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003578521
Chapter 14: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003581341
Chapter 15: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003582771
Chapter 16: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003583118
Chapter 17: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003583520
Chapter 18: https://harrypotter.fandom.com/f/p/4400000000003583670
Tags: @MeowTasticCat @Bellatrisblack @ShadowDragonfireWolffang @HRRYPTTERFN234
(notes in the comments about the future of my series.)
Chapter Nineteen: Dobby’s Reward
For a moment, there was silence as Harry, Theodore, Allison, Tracey, Hermione, and Lockhart stood in the doorway, covered in muck and slime and (in Harry’s case) blood. Then there was a scream.
‘Hermione!’
It was Mrs and Mr Granger, who had been sitting crying in front of the fire. Mrs Granger leapt to her feet, closely followed by Mr Granger, and both of them flung themselves on their daughter.
Harry, however, was looking past them. Professor Dumbledore was standing by the mantelpiece, beaming, next to Professor McGonagall, who was taking great, steadying gasps, clutching her chest. Fawkes went whooshing past Harry’s ear and settled on Dumbledore’s shoulder, just as Harry found himself being swept into Mrs Granger’s tight embrace.
‘You saved my daughter! You saved my precious Hermione! How did you do it?’
‘I think we’d all like to know that,’ said Professor McGonagall weakly.
Mrs Granger let go of Harry, who hesitated for a moment, then walked over to the desk and laid upon it what remained of Riddle’s diary.
Then he started telling them everything. For nearly an hour he spoke into the rapt silence: he told them about hearing the disembodied voice, how Theodore had finally realised that he was hearing a Basilisk in the pipes; how he and his friends had followed the spiders into the Forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of the Basilisk had died; how they had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, and that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom...
‘Very well,’ Professor McGonagall prompted him, as he paused, ‘so you found out where the entrance was–breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, I might add – but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?’
So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes’s timely arrival. But then he faltered. He had so far avoided mentioning Riddle’s diary, or Hermione, or that he used Fiendfyre. Hermione was standing with her head against Mrs Granger’s shoulder, and tears were still coursing silently down her cheeks. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle’s diary didn’t work any more...How could they prove it had been he who’d made her do it all?
Instinctively, Harry looked at Dumbledore, who smiled faintly, the firelight glancing off his half-moon spectacles.
‘What interests me most,’ said Dumbledore gently, ‘is how Lord Voldemort managed to enchant Hermione, when my sources tell me he is currently in hiding in the forests of Albania.’
Relief–warm, sweeping, glorious relief–swept over Harry.
‘W-what’s that?’ said Mr Granger in a stunned voice. ‘Voldemort? He enchanted Hermione? But how could that be possible?’
‘It was this diary,’ said Harry quickly, picking it up and showing it to Dumbledore. ‘Riddle wrote it when he was sixteen.’
Dumbledore took the diary from Harry and peered keenly down his long, crooked nose at its burnt and soggy pages.
‘Brilliant,’ he said softly. ‘Of course, he was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen.’ He turned around to the Grangers, who were looking utterly bewildered and confused.
‘Very few people know that Lord Voldemort was once called Tom Riddle. I taught him myself, fifty years ago, at Hogwarts. He disappeared after leaving the school...travelled far and wide...sank so deeply into the Dark Arts, consorted with the very worst of our kind, underwent so many dangerous, magical transformations, that when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, he was barely recognisable. Hardly anyone connected Lord Voldemort with the clever, handsome boy who was once Head Boy here. I didn't help with the separation between who Tom Riddle was and who he became, I got rid of most things that mentioned him when I became Headmaster.’
‘But Hermione,’ said Mr Granger, ‘how is our Hermione connected in all this?’
‘The diary!’ Hermione sobbed. ‘I was writing in it, he wrote back, and he was taking control of me-'
‘Hermione!’ said Mr Granger, flabbergasted. ‘Haven't we taught you a million times not to talk to strangers, especially strange men. Where did you possibly get it?'
‘I d-don’t know,’ sobbed Hermione. ‘I found it amongst my books in August. I thought I picked it up by accident and since there was no way to return it...’
‘Miss Granger should go up to the hospital wing straight away,’ Dumbledore interrupted in a firm voice. ‘This has been a terrible ordeal for her. There will be no punishment. Older and wiser wizards than she had been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort.’ He strode over to the door and opened it. ‘Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up,’ he added, twinkling kindly down at her. ‘You will find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She’s just giving out Mandrake juice–I dare say the basilisk’s victims will be waking up any moment.’
‘So Terence’s will be alright!’ said Tracey brightly.
‘There has been no lasting harm done,’ said Dumbledore.
Mrs Granger led Hermione out, and Mr Granger followed, still looking deeply shaken.
‘You know, Minerva,’ Professor Dumbledore said thoughtfully to Professor McGonagall, ‘I think all this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go and alert the kitchens?’
‘Right,’ said Professor McGonagall crisply, also moving to the door. ‘I’ll leave you to deal with Potter and his friends, shall I?’
‘Certainly,’ said Dumbledore.
She left, and Harry, Tracey, Allison, and Theodore gazed uncertainly at Dumbledore. What exactly had Professor McGonagall meant, deal with them? Surely–surely–they weren’t about to be punished?
‘I seem to remember telling you and Theodore that I would have to expel you if you broke any more school rules,’ said Dumbledore. Theodore opened his mouth in horror.
‘Which goes to show that the best of us must sometimes eat our words,’ Dumbledore went on, smiling. ‘You will both receive Special Awards for Services to the School and–let me see–yes, I think one hundred points apiece for Slytherin.’
Allison went as brightly pink as Lockhart’s Valentine flowers in joy and shock.
‘But one of us seems to be keeping mightily quiet about his part in this dangerous adventure,’ Dumbledore added. ‘Why so modest, Gilderoy?’
Harry gave a start. He had completely forgotten about Lockhart. He turned and saw that Lockhart was standing in a corner of the room, still wearing his vague smile. When Dumbledore addressed him, Lockhart looked over his shoulder to see who he was talking to.
‘Professor Dumbledore,’ Tracey said quickly, ‘something happened down in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lockhart–’
‘Am I a Professor?’ said Lockhart in mild surprise. ‘Goodness. I expect I was hopeless, was I?’
Tracey looked like she was about to confess what she had done, but Harry knew Dumbledore would have to punish her, so Harry decided to cover for her in return for her saving their lives in the Forest. 'The Chamber was ancient, there was a cave in and Lockhart was hit hard on the head. When he awoke he was like this.'
‘Dear me,’ said Dumbledore, shaking his head, his long silver moustache quivering. ‘Lost your memory have you Gilderoy, how ironic!’
‘Ironic?’ said Lockhart dimly. ‘Can't see how.’
‘Would you mind taking Professor Lockhart up to the hospital wing, too?’ Dumbledore asked Tracey and Allison. ‘There is something me and Theodore must discuss, then I’d like a few more words with Harry...’
Lockhart ambled out. The girls cast a curious look back at Dumbledore as they left. Harry then took a seat right outside the office but found himself leaning in to here their conversation. 'Mr Nott, Harry's adoptive parents have offered to foster you until you come of age, Harry had told them what had happened, and they applied for guardianship almost right away and it was approved yesterday. Would this be acceptable, the Ministry hasn't yet found any other potential homes.'
Theodore's response was hesitant, as though he did not now what to say, 'They want me? There is a family that actually wants me?'
'Yes Theodore, and you would be living in a wizarding home instead of a muggle foster house.'
'Then I say yes. Thank you sir, thank you so much.'
Theodore soon left, a big smile on his face, the happiest Harry had ever seen him. 'Oh Harry, what a great day it is today. He will see you now.' and with that he headed in the direction of the common room.
Harry entered and Dumbledore crossed to one of the chairs by the fire.
‘Sit down, Harry,’ he said, and Harry sat, feeling unaccountably nervous. ‘First of all, Harry, I want to thank you,’ said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling again. ‘You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you.’
He stroked the phoenix, which had fluttered down onto his knee. Harry grinned awkwardly as Dumbledore watched him. ‘And so you met Tom Riddle,’ said Dumbledore thoughtfully. ‘I imagine he was most interested in you...’
Suddenly, something that was nagging at Harry came tumbling out of his mouth. ‘Professor Dumbledore...Riddle said I’m like him. Strange likenesses, he said...’
‘Did he, now?’ said Dumbledore, looking thoughtfully under his thick silver eyebrows at Harry. ‘And what do you think, Harry?’
‘I don’t think I’m like him!’ said Harry, more loudly than he’d intended. ‘But I have been worrying since the Sorting Hat first went on my head, I am Slytherin, I have his wand's twin, I’m...’
But he fell silent, a lurking doubt resurfacing in his mind.
‘Professor,’ he started again after a moment, ‘the Sorting Hat told me I’d – I’d do well in Slytherin. Everyone thought I was Slytherin’s heir for a while...I even thought so for a little while...because I can speak Parseltongue...’
‘You can speak Parseltongue, Harry,’ said Dumbledore calmly, ‘because Lord Voldemort–who is the last remaining descendant of Salazar Slytherin–can speak Parseltongue. Unless I’m much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I’m sure...’
‘Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?’ Harry said, thunderstruck.
‘It certainly seems so.’
‘So I could be evil,’ Harry said, looking desperately into Dumbledore’s face. ‘The Sorting Hat saw Slytherin’s power in me, am I destined to be the next dark wizard–’
‘Being Slytherin does not make you evil, Harry,’ said Dumbledore calmly. ‘Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue...resourcefulness...determination...a certain disregard for rules,’ he added, his moustache quivering again. ‘Yet not one of these make you a bad person. Slytherin has gotten a bad rep over the past few generations, but its students have just as much the possibility of producing a dark wizard as Gryffindor. You Harry are a good person. You know why I think that?'
Harry shrugged.
'Because you are a selfless person who cares about those who don't have many caring for them. When it was obvious your friends home situation was not improving you put your foot down and helped him be free. When you learned Hermione was in danger, despite barely knowing her you didn't think twice about trying to save her. A bad wizard would not do that Harry.'
'Thank you Professor,' Harry said very touched.
For a minute, neither of them spoke. Then Dumbledore pulled open one of the drawers in Professor McGonagall’s desk, and took out a quill and a bottle of ink. ‘What you need, Harry, is some food and sleep. I suggest you go down to the feast, while I write to Azkaban–we need our gamekeeper back. And I must draft an advertisement for the Daily Prophet, too,’ he added thoughtfully. ‘We’ll be needing a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Dear me, we do seem to run through them, don’t we?’
Harry got up and crossed to the door. He had just reached for the handle, however, when the door burst open so violently that it bounced back off the wall.
Lucius Malfoy stood there, fury in his face. And cowering under his arm, heavily wrapped in bandages, was Dobby.
‘Good evening, Lucius,’ said Dumbledore pleasantly.
Mr Malfoy almost knocked Harry over as he swept into the room. Dobby went scurrying in after him, crouching at the hem of his cloak, a look of abject terror on his face.
‘So!’ said Lucius Malfoy, his cold eyes fixed on Dumbledore. ‘You’ve come back. The governors suspended you, but you still saw fit to return to Hogwarts.’
‘Well, you see, Lucius,’ said Dumbledore, smiling serenely, ‘the other eleven governors contacted me today. It was something like being caught in a hailstorm of owls, to tell the truth. They’d heard that a child had been killed and wanted me back here at once. They seemed to think I was the best man for the job after all. Very strange tales they told me, too. Several of them seemed to think that you had threatened to curse their families if they didn’t agree to suspend me in the first place.’
Mr Malfoy went even paler than usual, but his eyes were still slits of fury.
‘So–have you stopped the attacks yet?’ he sneered. ‘Have you caught the culprit?’
‘We have,’ said Dumbledore, with a smile.
‘Well?’ said Mr Malfoy sharply. ‘Who is it?’
‘The same person as last time, Lucius,’ said Dumbledore. ‘But this time, Lord Voldemort was acting through somebody else. By means of this diary.’
He held up the small black book with the large hole through the centre, watching Mr Malfoy closely. Harry, however, was watching Dobby. The elf was doing something very odd. His great eyes fixed meaningfully on Harry, he kept pointing at the diary, then at Mr Malfoy, and then hitting himself hard on the head with his fist.
‘I see...’ said Mr Malfoy slowly to Dumbledore.
‘A clever plan,’ said Dumbledore in a level voice, still staring Mr Malfoy straight in the eye. ‘Because if Harry here–’ Mr Malfoy shot Harry a swift, sharp look, ‘and his friends hadn’t discovered this book, why–Hermione Granger might have taken all the blame. No one would ever have been able to prove she hadn’t acted of her own free will...’
Mr Malfoy said nothing. His face was suddenly mask-like.
‘And imagine,’ Dumbledore went on, ‘what might have happened then...The Grangers are a predominantly muggle family. Imagine the effect on the Muggle Protection Act, if a Muggle-born was discovered attacking and killing students. Very fortunate the diary was discovered, and Riddle’s memories wiped from it. Who knows what the consequences might have been otherwise...’
Mr Malfoy forced himself to speak. ‘Very fortunate,’ he said stiffly.
And still, behind his back, Dobby was pointing, first to the diary, then to Lucius Malfoy, then punching himself in the head.
And Harry suddenly understood. He nodded at Dobby, and Dobby backed into a corner, now twisting his ears in punishment.
‘Don’t you want to know how Hermione got hold of that diary, Mr Malfoy?’ said Harry.
Lucius Malfoy rounded on him.
‘How should I know how the stupid little girl got hold of it?’ he said.
‘Because you gave it to her,’ said Harry. ‘In Flourish and Blotts. You took her copy of The Standard Book of Spells book, and handed her back her book plus the diary, didn’t you?’
He saw Mr Malfoy’s white hands clench and unclench.
‘Prove it,’ he hissed.
‘Oh, no one will be able to do that,’ said Dumbledore, smiling at Harry. ‘Not now Riddle has vanished from the book. On the other hand, I would advise you, Lucius, not to go giving out any more of Lord Voldemort’s old school things. If any more of them find their way into innocent hands, I think Arthur Weasley, for one, will make sure they are traced back to you...’
Lucius Malfoy stood for a moment, and Harry distinctly saw his right hand twitch as though he was longing to reach for his wand. Instead, he turned to his house-elf. ‘We’re going, Dobby!’
He wrenched open the door, and as the elf came hurrying up to him, he kicked him right through it. They could hear Dobby squealing with pain all the way along the corridor. Harry stood for a moment, thinking hard. Then it came to him.
‘Professor Dumbledore,’ he said hurriedly, ‘can I give that diary back to Mr Malfoy, please?’
‘Certainly, Harry,’ said Dumbledore calmly. ‘But hurry. The feast, remember.’
Harry grabbed the diary and dashed out of the office. He could hear Dobby’s squeals of pain receding around the corner. Quickly, wondering if this plan could possibly work, Harry took off one of his shoes, pulled off his slimy, filthy sock, and laid it on the diary. Then he ran down the dark corridor.
He caught up with them at the top of the stairs. ‘Mr Malfoy,’ he gasped, skidding to a halt, ‘I’ve got something for you.’
And he forced the smelly sock and diary into Lucius Malfoy’s hand.
‘What the –?’
Mr Malfoy ripped the sock off the diary, threw it aside, then looked furiously from the ruined book to Harry. ‘You’ll meet the same sticky end as your parents one of these days, Harry Potter,’ he said softly. ‘They were meddlesome fools, too.’
He turned to go. ‘Come, Dobby. I said, Come!’
But Dobby didn’t move. He was holding up Harry’s disgusting, slimy sock, and looking at it as though it were a priceless treasure. ‘Master has given Dobby a sock,’ said the elf in wonderment. ‘Master gave it to Dobby.’
‘What’s that?’ spat Mr Malfoy. ‘What did you say?’
‘Dobby has got a sock,’ said Dobby in disbelief. ‘Master threw it, and Dobby caught it, and Dobby–Dobby is free.’
Lucius Malfoy stood frozen, staring at the elf. Then he lunged at Harry. ‘You’ve lost me my servant, boy!’
But Dobby shouted, ‘You shall not harm Harry Potter!’
There was a loud bang, and Mr Malfoy was thrown backwards. He crashed down the stairs, three at a time, landing in a crumpled heap on the landing below. He got up, his face livid, and pulled out his wand, but Dobby raised a long threatening finger.
‘You shall go now,’ he said fiercely, pointing down at Mr Malfoy. ‘You shall not touch Harry Potter. You shall go now.’
Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around him and hurried out of sight.
‘Harry Potter freed Dobby!’ said the elf shrilly, gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest window reflected in his orb-like eyes. ‘Harry Potter set Dobby free!’
‘Least I could do, Dobby,’ said Harry, grinning. ‘I may not have appreciated it at the time but you risked your own life to try and save mine and you got me curial information that helped me save the whole school. You deserve this.'
Dobby was now the one with a beaming smile. Harry finished with, 'Just promise never to try and save my life again.’
The elf’s ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide, toothy smile.
‘I’ve just got one question, Dobby,’ said Harry, as Dobby pulled on Harry’s sock with shaking hands. ‘You told me all this had nothing to do with He Who Must Not Be Named, remember? Well–’
‘Dobby did not know Tom Riddle and He Who Must Not Be Named were the same,’ said Dobby, his eyes widening. ‘Dobby just knew of the Diary and his master's plan for it.’
‘Right,’ said Harry weakly. ‘Well, I’d better go. There’s a feast, and my friend Terence should be awake by now...’
Dobby threw his arms around Harry’s middle and hugged him. Harry hugged him tightly back.
‘Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!’ he sobbed. ‘Farewell, Harry Potter!’ And with a final loud crack, Dobby disappeared.
~
Harry had been to several Hogwarts feasts, but never one quite like this. Everybody was in their pyjamas, and the celebrations lasted all night.
When Terence entered, he came running over, guilt on his face. 'Harry, I heard what you did, you saved the school and kept my secret. I was wrong to assume the worst of you. I am so sorry.'
Terence was probably expecting a verbal response, but all Harry wanted to do was hug his friend, and that was what he id, he wrapped Terence in the tightest squeeze he could. 'I am just glad you are back and safe.'
The celebrating continued. Justin hurrying over from the Hufflepuff table to wring Harry's hand and apologise endlessly for suspecting him, or Hagrid turning up at half past three, cuffing Harry, Tracey, Allison, and Theodore so hard on the shoulders that they were knocked into their plates of trifle, or him and his friend’s four hundred points securing Slytherin the House Cup for that year, or Professor McGonagall standing up to tell them all that the exams had been cancelled for the younger students as a school treat (‘Oh, no!’ said Hermione), or Dumbledore announcing that, unfortunately, Professor Lockhart would be unable to return next year, owing to the fact that he needed to go away and get his memory back. Quite a few of the teachers joined in the cheering that greeted this news.
‘Shame,’ said Allison sarcastically, helping herself to some lemon gelato. ‘I was finally start to like him.’
~
The rest of the summer term passed in a haze of blazing sunshine. Hogwarts was back to normal, with only a few, small differences: Defence Against the Dark Arts classes were cancelled (‘but we’ve learned more on our own then in class anyway,’ Tracey told a concerned Terence) and Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school governor. Draco was no longer strutting around the school as though he owned the place, he actually was quite quiet for the rest of the term.
Hermione Granger soon had returned to her normal self and the day before school ended Harry tracked her down.
'Hermione, I learned that one of the reasons you turned to the book was because you felt alone. I wanted to change that. If you ever need a friend I am available, but if you ever need someone in your house I have some friends I'd like you to meet.' He brought her to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall where Ginny, Ron, Colin, and Neville were waiting. 'These are some of the nicest people I know, if you are willing to get to know them, they will be happy to get to know you.'
Hermione looked hesitantly towards Ron, Harry knew that he sometimes picked on her and had talked with him before hand, he elbowed him forward. 'I am sorry for how I treated you, you are actually a powerful witch. Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine.' He had held out his hand and she took it.
Harry had a feeling Hermione would not be lonely anymore.
The next day Harry was one the train with Theodore, Allison, and Tracey as it pulled into Kings Cross. Harry pulled out his quill and a bit of parchment and turned to Allison and Tracey.
‘This is called a telephone number,’ he told Allison, scribbling it twice, tearing the parchment in two and handing it to them. ‘Its just in case my mail doesn't get through again. I can’t stand another two months with mostly Dudley to talk to...’
Tracey smiled widely. 'You must visit more this summer Harry, or better yet I will visit you.' They hugged and Tracey departed the train.
Allison, very surprisingly, then gave Harry a hug. 'Be safe this summer Harry, and write more often.'
'I will, don't worry.'
Then it was just him a Theodore. He looked incredibly nervous. 'And you are sure they will like me?'
'Theodore, my parents are some of the greatest wizards I have ever known, and my sister is one of the bravest and kindest. You will be just fine with them.'
'You promise you will come home often.'
'I will come home as often as I can, I promise.'
And together they walked back through the gateway to the Muggle world.