"Fraudhart them had us both at wand point and began bragging about how he was going to claim he would write a new book about this, claim he was unable to save Ginny from the basilisk, but had rescued the two of us. Then he attempted to cast the only charm upon us he was quite the expert at - the Obliviation charm.
"The trouble for him was, Ron's wand was broken and held together with Spellotape. The Obliviation charm backfired on him, and threw him across the cave. However, the attempt also managed to bring down the roof of the cave on us.
"After Ron and I dived in opposite directions to avoid all the falling rocks we ended up on different sides of the cave-in that now filled the cave at that point.
"Only I could go on, while Ron would work at clearing some of the rocks away enough for me to get out once I got Ginny. Fraudhart was barely lucid and didn't even remember his own name; so, he was no help.
"And that brings us to the next important memory. This one is going to have quite a number of shocks. If you have a poor constitution I suggest you quickly, but quietly, leave right now. Once I start the memory I have no intention of stopping, restarting or pausing it. If you miss anything, too bad. You should have been paying attention in the first place.
"Right. Here we go."
Memory-Harry faded out and the memory opened with twelve-year-old Harry walking up to the massive stone door protecting the Chamber of Secrets. Him opening it, and walking inside. Having a look about as we walked deeper within. Finally seeing and rushing up to the unconscious form of Ginny Weasley lying on the floor at the base of the very large statue of who everyone assumed was Salazaar Slytherin and foolishly dropping his wand on the way. Him trying to wake her. The nearly corporeal form of Tom Riddle walking out of the shadows and picking up his wand.
Then the whole discussion, where 'Tom' reveals himself to be both Tom Marvolo Riddle and Voldemort - which had many in the audience gasping in shock or try to cry out in disbelief. Riddle's true bloodline. More outcries of disbelief.
Real-Harry, once he felt the audience had become noisy enough, glared at the general audience, put his book down and stood.
He roared out, "Who's magic am I getting the Goblet to strip?"
That silenced the audience again.
He glared about for a few moments longer, and retook his seat on the sun lounge, picking up his book as he did so.
Meanwhile, the memory went through Riddle's bragging, how the diary was leeching Ginny's life force, and Harry's defiance.
Finally, Riddle called forth the basilisk.
That had just about everyone in the audience scream out in fearful shock. Real-Harry, again, surged to his feet to glare about, this time with his wand in hand. And, again, he got almost immediate silence.
Memory-Harry's running to avoid the basilisk. The arrival of Fawkes with the Sorting Hat in his claws that he then dropped in to Harry's arms; and who then attacked the eyes of the basilisk. The blinding of the basilisk.
Harry finding the Sword of Gryffindor in the Sorting Hat. Harry fighting the blinded basilisk with the sword. Harry killing the basilisk while also being bitten by it. And the basilisk thrashing its head about in its death throes before finally dying.
The return of Fawkes, a dying Harry being saved by Fawkes's tears and Riddle trying to blast the bird away with Harry's wand. Harry then using the broken fang of the basilisk he pulled out of his arm to repeatedly stab the diary. Near-corporeal Riddle being blasted apart. Ginny waking. And the two of them leaving.
When the memory ended, Memory-Harry returned and quietly said, "I told you it would be shocking."
Giving that a long moment to settle, he continued, "Before I give you the highlights you should know that wasn't the last time that evening my life was in peril."
After he knew there'd be a few more gasps, and were, he continued, "After I helped Ginny out of the Chamber, we returned to the cave-in. Ron had managed to clear away enough rocks for the two of us to scramble through.
"Once on the other side, Ron and his sister had a bit of a heartfelt reunion while I checked out Lockhart. He was still out to it and seemed to only have memories up to when he was a small child. He thought he was still a small child.
"Fawkes returned to us and, using his flame-travel powers, soon saw the four of us back up in the girls' bathroom on the second floor.
"Now, instead of taking us direct to the Infirmary, Fawkes took us back to Minerva McGonagall's office. Inside were McGonagall, Dumbledore and the Weasley parents. "At this point, the adults should have thought to themselves, 'They could be injured. We should see to their health, first.' But, no. No, we started to get questions barked at us about everything; as if their getting information was more important than our health.
"For those who don't yet understand, that's known as 'child neglect' and is a crime. At least, it's a crime in the muggle world.
"By now I'd become pretty inured to just how stupid the magical-raised could be. They just... don't... think.
"More and more questions were being asked - more like, demands for information. Even when they learned I'd been bitten by a basilisk and showed them the healing wound, not one of these so-called responsible adults immediately dragged me off to the Infirmary. No, them getting immediate answers was clearly more important than my health.
"Well, fuck you very much!
I've well learned my lesson from that. Both my Headmaster and Head of House truly don't give a shit about me."
"However, Dumbledore, at his supposed magnanimous best, did decide to give both Ron and me two hundred points, apiece; and special awards for services to the school. Whoop-de-friggin'-do!
"From what I've read up on what past holders of the Order of Merlin achieved to get them, it wasn't hard to figure out slaying a thousand year old basilisk to save a young pre-teen witch's life ranked pretty high up in comparison. But, was one even considered? Fuck no!"
Giving a disappointed sigh and letting that settle for a long moment, he continued, "As I mentioned earlier that wasn't the only threat to my life, that day. Nor was it my health being ignored by the adults who should have known better. No, the next direct threat came that evening in the Deputy Headmistress's office and then immediately outside in the corridor. Watch."
The memory showed Harry and Dumbledore still in McGonagall's office when Lucius Malfoy slammed the door open and strolled in as if he owned the place. Dobby was at his heels. After the exchange of veiled threats masked as pleasantries between Malfoy and Dumbledore, Malfoy stormed out of the room.
Harry grabbed the diary back off Dumbledore, pulled one of his shoes off, ripped his sock off, stuffed it in the diary, and pulled his shoe back on his sockless foot.