Chapter 45 - part 4

Chapter 15: Riddle-iciousSummary:Hazel finally gets her hands on the mysterious diary, and of course, winds up biting off more than she could chew.

Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter TextHazel didn't have any luck with the diary until February, when Hermione finally approached her one day at lunch. "I finally got it off her," she muttered, pressing a hastily wrapped package into her hands. "I stayed up very late last night, and saw her coming in around 1 AM, covered in blood and feathers. Please, Hazel, whatever you're planning, please hurry."

"I will, I promise." She peeled the wrapping back to check, saw the battered old leather cover and put it away in her bag. Later that evening, after classes, she found an empty classroom and locked herself inside it, sitting at a desk and pulling the diary out. It was over fifty years old, sold from a variety store on Vauxhall Road in London. Definitely a Muggle-born then, she decided, no witch or wizard would ever frequent Muggle shops. Opening the cover, she saw a very faded name on the first page: T. M. Riddle. The rest of the pages were empty.

"I'll worry about you later, Riddle," she muttered, putting the diary away again and getting up. This classroom wouldn't stay empty for long, even if it was disused; she knew better than most what enterprising students liked to get up to, after all. Besides, it was nearly dinner time.

Ron, Draco and Hermione were waiting for her, of course. "Show us that diary, will you?" Draco asked, his voice low.

"Not out here!" she insisted, looking around. "After dinner, okay??" She glared at Hermione, who glared back just as hard, and they went to their separate tables to eat. Hazel didn't say a word to anyone, she just ate as fast as she could until she was full, then stood up to find somewhere to show them the book.

She was soon joined by her friends, and they pushed into another empty classroom. "Any of you ever wonder why this castle has so many empty classrooms?" Hazel wondered out loud, closing the door behind them and muttering "Colloportus!" over the knob.

"It's probably built for a lot more students and teachers," Hermione guessed. "Now come on, what have you found out?"

"Well you only gave me it today, haven't you?" Hazel shot back. She sat on a desk and pulled the diary out again. "All I can tell so far is it came from Vauxhall Road in London, it's over fifty years old, and it belonged to a T. M. Riddle."

"Hang on, I know that name," Ron blurted out. "He got an award for special services to the school, exactly fifty years ago in 1943. No idea what for, though…" Everyone gave him a look, and he blushed. "Come off it, I did a detention for Filch last year. Had me scrubbing trophies and stuff all damn night…"

"It can't be a coincidence," Draco insisted, unable to look away from the diary. "That diary is fifty years old. The Chamber was last opened fifty years ago, and whoever opened it was expelled, fifty years ago. So either Riddle was the bloke who did it, or he stopped whoever opened it before!"

"Let me see it!" Hermione pulled her wand and tugged the diary out of Hazel's hands, opening it to a random page and tapping it three times. "Aparecium!" Nothing happened. Undaunted, she pulled out a large red eraser and rubbed hard at January 1, and still nothing happened.

"Are you sure you got the right diary?" Hazel asked sarcastically, taking it back.

"I was sure that would reveal something," Hermione said, her face falling. "Ugh. Ron, did you see anything else about Riddle while you were doing that detention?"

"Uh…" He screwed his face and looked up, trying to remember. "Oh yeah, he also had a Medal for Magical Merit, but it still didn't say why…"

"I'll go look for myself tomorrow," Hermione said firmly. "We should get out of here, don't wanna break curfew…"

They left the classroom and split up, Hazel and Draco heading down to the dungeons. "Draco, can you stop giving me earrings?" she asked when they were inside. "I don't have my ears pierced, and I'm not gonna wear any jewelry you give me."

"Right, sorry." He looked abashed, at least. "I'd already picked those out before you told me… what you told me, sorry again."

"Give them to Pansy instead, she likes that stuff." She sat down to spread her homework out, and worked on it until curfew. Then she went to her dorm and got ready for bed, smiling at the others as she worked through her routine. Their pill bottles went off as usual, and they all swallowed one so they'd stop the noise, and Hazel was the last to lay down. But she had no intention of sleeping just yet, and quietly pulled the curtains shut so she could have some privacy.

"Lumos," she muttered quietly, and her wand lit up faintly, just enough to help her see what she was doing. Ink, quill, diary… all set. She opened to the first page and dipped her quill. I need to speak to Mr Riddle, she wrote, in jagged block letters instead of her usual cursive. The ink shone in the faint light, then bled away into the page.

New letters rose up almost immediately, in the same ink: That is me, and who might you be?  

Her scar tingled, but she ignored it in her excitement. My name is Hazel Jade Potter, she wrote back. 

Again, the ink disappeared, and new words appeared: Hello, Hazel Jade Potter. May I ask how you got this diary?

"Harmless enough so far," she decided quietly, still writing. I had a friend steal it from a very sick person. I'm trying to find out why he was so sick.

Ah, I am very sorry to hear that, Hazel. Unfortunately I have no idea why this person is ill. Has he been to a healer?

Yes, the school healer, Madam Pomfrey. She couldn't figure out what his problem was either.

Intriguing. Hazel, I hope I am not rude, but I was under the impression the last person to write in here was a girl?

Hmm. Already seeing through her, was he. What if it was? What's your name, anyway?

There was a long pause before her words faded away. Tom Riddle. Tom Marvolo Riddle. But I do not like that name. Are you a student at a school named Hogwarts?

Yes, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You were too, you got a couple of awards.

Why yes, I did. Would you like to see how I got one of them?

Not really. What do you know about the Chamber of Secrets?

Ah, the Chamber. Another long pause, as if whoever was behind the words had to gather his thoughts. They said it was a myth, a legend, but it is very real. It was opened, and several students were attacked, and finally one was killed. I caught the boy responsible and he was expelled, but the Headmaster at the time, Armando Dippet, did not want news of the attacks or the Chamber getting out, and forbade me to speak of it. I was given a shiny engraved trophy and warned to keep my mouth shut, but I knew it would happen again. They never got rid of the monster, nor did they imprison the boy who released it.

Something about those words rubbed her the wrong way, and she wasn't sure why. But she decided to keep playing along for now. That's awful! And you were right, it's happening again! There's been three attacks so far and no one knows anything!

Calm down, Hazel, just let me show you what happened, Riddle wrote back. Let me show you, and then you can do something about it, okay?

Okay… but how can you show me anything? You're just a book!

I am not just a book, Hazel. This diary is a collection of all my memories, some of them quite terrible. And if you agree, I can bring you into the memory of this night, the night that I caught him in the act. It will not hurt. Will you let me show you?

Um… okay, if you're sure it won't hurt…

The book's pages flipped on their own, stopping at June 13. A little square of light had appeared, like a miniature TV screen. She knew it was reckless, but what could this book do to her anyway? So she leaned in close, trying to press her eye to the square, and before she knew it she was actually being pulled in!

Color and shadow whirled around, then she landed on solid ground with a light thunk. She found herself in a very familiar office, Dumbledore's office, but without any phoenix or any of the fragile silver instruments she knew from her own time. The man behind the desk was not Dumbledore either, but a very, very old wizard, frail and wizened, peering at a letter lit only by candles. He was entirely bald, and she wondered how bad his eyes were; she'd never seen such an old person.

Nothing happened for a few moments, for all that Hazel tried to get his attention. Then he sighed and put the letter away, struggling to his feet to cross the room and pull the curtains at the window. She saw a ruby-red sky outside; sunset then, and early summer. June, indeed.

There was a knock on the door, polite but firm. "Enter," the old wizard croaked. She winced at the feeble sound, and wondered that anyone could hear from beyond the door.

Somehow they did, though, and the door opened. A boy about sixteen came in, wearing robes that in her time would be considered quite out of date; she noticed a silver prefect badge on the front, and a Slytherin-colored tie and cuffs. He had cold, dark eyes, and jet black hair neatly combed and cut.

"Tom," the old man croaked, leaning back in his chair with a wince.

"You sent for me, Professor Dippet?" Riddle replied, nervous yet courteous at the same time. It looked like an act to Hazel, though she couldn't say why she thought so.

"Sit, sit," Professor Dippet said gently, and Riddle took a seat, twisting his fingers together. "I had just been reading your letter, dear boy… sadly, it is much too late to arrange for you to stay over the summer…"

"What?" Now the anxiety was more real, she saw. "No, I must stay. I cannot go back there, I- I simply cannot!"

"Back where?" Dippet sounded curious and a little confused. "You live in a Muggle orphanage, yes? Is it really so unpleasant?"

"Yes sir." Riddle went slightly red. "They despise me there, and I cannot stand them."

"But surely a Muggle-born could abide the company of Muggles…"

"I am not Muggle-born, sir," Riddle replied, trying not to sound as offended as he felt. "I am half-blood. My mother was a witch."

"I assume she has passed away…" Dippet murmured, oblivious to his student's discomfort.

"When I was born, yes. They told me at the orphanage that she lived barely long enough to name me. Tom Riddle after my father, Marvolo after her father."

The old man sighed sympathetically. "Normally we could have made arrangements, but with all the attacks this year… and the loss of poor Miss Warren…" He shook his head sadly. "It would be foolish, very foolish, to allow a student to stay over the summer. The Ministry has insisted a team of aurors comb the entire castle from dungeon to tower as soon as the last student leaves, or else they will close our doors…"

Riddle's eyes gleamed unpleasantly. "Sir… if the person who started all this was caught, was found…"

"Hm?" Something in his voice caught Dippet's attention at last, and he sat up straight. "Tom, do you know something? About the attacks??"

But the unpleasant gleam was gone, and the boy looked away as he shook his head. "No sir, I only meant to say… I hope they catch them quickly…"

"As do we all." Disappointed, Dippet fell back into the chair, rubbing at his thin chest. "You are dismissed, my boy…" Riddle merely nodded and slouched out the room. Hazel followed in his wake, down the spiral staircase and into the corridor with the gargoyles. Nightfall was coming on fast, and in the torchlight she watched Riddle pacing back and forth, deep in thought about something heavy.

Soon enough he made up his mind, and set off toward the entrance hall, Hazel gliding along noiselessly behind him. The castle seemed deserted, and Hazel might have assumed it was already summer break; they didn't see anyone else until a voice was heard, hailing Riddle from the staircase.

"What are you doing up so late, Tom?" Hazel and Riddle both turned, and there was a much younger Albus Dumbledore, with more auburn than gray in his long hair and beard. Hazel ducked away from that piercing gaze, but Riddle stood his ground.

"I was speaking with the Headmaster, sir," he said politely, but she thought she saw a hard glint in his dark eyes.

"Indeed." Dumbledore was not impressed, and stared the younger man down for a few moments. "Be off to bed with you, Tom, it won't do to wander the castle so late. I'm sure you know why…"

"Yes sir. Good night, sir." Riddle watched as Dumbledore walked off, then he left the hall himself, headed for the dungeons. Instead of taking some shortcut he ducked into the Potions classroom, which was unlit at this hour, and stood at the door in perfect darkness, waiting like a statue.

Nothing happened for at least an hour, and right when Hazel was starting to wish for a way to go back to her bed, something finally happened. Someone was in the hallway outside, creeping along; whoever they were, they cast a very large shadow. Riddle waited until the figure was passed the door, then slid out and followed, quiet as a shadow himself.

Five minutes later, after following the heavy footsteps, a door creaked open, and a familiar hoarse voice could be heard: "C'mon, gotta git yeh outta here… git in th' box now, Aragog…"

Hazel couldn't believe her ears. Hagrid? Riddle wanted her to believe Hagrid was behind the Chamber of Secrets being opened?? She stood back while Riddle confronted Hagrid, calling him 'Rubeus' which she figured was Hagrid's first name. Funny, she thought. Rubeus Hagrid? No way, he'd always been just Hagrid-

Riddle cast some fiery spell; the door behind Hagrid flew open so fast and hard he was knocked across the hall; Hazel screamed inadvertently at the next sight: a vast, low-slung, hairy body, held up by far too many skittering legs, countless gleaming eyes and razor-sharp pincers! Riddle made to cast another spell but was too slow, the enormous spider bowled him over and scuttled away down the hall. Riddle scrambled back upright and aimed his wand again, but Hagrid grabbed him by his robes and tossed him to the floor, shouting the whole time.

After that, everything became a whirl of darkness once more, and she fell back into her bed in the Slytherin dormitory, the diary still open on her stomach. Quickly she peeked through the curtains; the other girls were still asleep…

She turned back to the diary, mind reeling over what she had just seen. Are you telling me HAGRID opened the Chamber of Secrets?? she wrote with a shaky hand. I know him! He's an oaf, sure, but he'd never harm anyone!

Not on purpose, Riddle replied. But if you truly know him, you would know he has a fascination with monstrous creatures, yes? What could be more monstrous than an Acromantula?

Indeed. She needed a little more. Enough games, Riddle. For your information I'm in Slytherin House, and I know Slytherin's monster is a snake, not a spider. Or why else all the huge fuck-off green serpents everywhere? Myrtle Warren died without a trace of what killed her, would an Acromantula kill so cleanly? No, it would've eaten her!

You are well informed, Riddle eventually wrote back. I see it was unwise to try to deceive a fellow Slytherin, please accept my apologies.

You know what I think? She was being reckless now, but couldn't stop herself. I think it was you who opened the Chamber fifty years ago! It was you who had Myrtle Warren killed, who nearly had the school shut down! And it was you again this year, possessing Ginny Weasley and making her do all those horrible things all over again! I'm onto you now, Riddle, your games are over!

She slammed the book shut and threw it against the headboard, panting like she'd just sprinted a whole kilometer; her scar seared and she clapped a hand to her forehead. Whatever Riddle had done to Ginny couldn't happen to her too, she wouldn't let it. She grabbed the diary and stuffed it beneath her pillow, not wanting to let it out of her control even a little bit. Occlumency would be especially important tonight, she realized…

Notes:I'm not sure if my beta readers got to this chapter or not, since I didn't see if any of them left any notes. Regardless, here we are!

Chapter 16: A Lion in the DungeonsSummary:Hazel takes the diary to Snape and learns more than she bargained for. But what about Ginny...?

Notes:All my lovely beta readers helped out on this one. You know who you are~!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextThe next day, she knew she'd have to go to Snape. She did so first thing after getting ready, clutching her bag with the diary shoved into it. "Professor?" she called, knocking on his office door. "Professor, are you in?"

Moments later the door opened, and she saw she'd caught him in the middle of getting ready for the day. "Potter," he grumbled, staring down at her. "What is so important that you'd risk missing breakfast?"

"Sorry sir. It's this, sir." She brought the diary out. "Do you know a Tom Riddle, sir?"

Whatever reaction she might have expected, it was not the sudden flash of fear in Snape's eyes. He was instantly awake and alert, and dragged Hazel inside before shutting the door. "Where did you hear that name, Potter?" he demanded in a low, urgent voice, bent down so they were face to face.

"In- in here, sir!" and she held the diary up. "This is his, he's in there!"

"Impossible…" He took the diary from her grasp. "Tom Riddle cannot be in here…"

"He is, sir," she insisted bluntly. "I spoke to him last night, through the pages. I think he's been using Ginny Weasley all year, to get at the Chamber of Secrets."

He didn't seem to hear; he was going to his desk, drawing his wand and waving it over the diary. Whatever he learned made his sallow skin go even more pale. "Come here, Potter." She approached nervously, and he waved his wand over her as well. Nothing seemed to happen… "How long have you had this diary in your possession?"

"J-Just a day, sir. I had Hermione steal it from Ginny yesterday, see…"

"And how did you know to have her steal this particular book, Potter?"

She hesitated, then swallowed and got a grip on herself. Just get it over with. "I've been to the Chamber of Secrets," she told him firmly, looking him in the eye. "I've met the basilisk, her gaze doesn't affect me because I am an Heir of Slytherin! I spoke to her, tried to find out who had awoken her this year. She spoke of a red-haired girl with a small book, a girl who could not Speak of her own free will."

"And you thought of the Weasley girl… why?" he replied, fighting to keep from showing shock.

"Because… because she had the diary, sir, and everyone's been saying how she's been sick, ever since the attacks started…"

"Hmm." He swept away and paced his office briefly. "You do not, of course, know who Tom Riddle was?"

"N-No sir… he wasn't just a student here?"

"Indeed not." He raised his wand, traced the words TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE in midair, then swiped through them; they rearranged themselves to form the words I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. "Very few people know this, of course…"

"No way…" She wanted to deny it, of course, but how could she? Her scar had been aching the whole time she'd written to Rid- Voldemort; she wondered at how that neat young man could have become the wretched creature living off Quirrell last year.

"Yes way." He paced back to his desk, where the diary still sat. "Now, how to destroy this thing…"

"W- sir, wait!" Hazel shot up and ran over, yanking the diary back. "We can't destroy it yet!"

"And why not, Potter? That is a very dangerous dark artifact, capable of possessing and controlling the minds and bodies of others…"

"Yes, but without it we can't prove Hagrid is innocent!" she insisted, holding it to her chest. "He told me what he did, he showed me!"

Snape was silent for several moments, then he relaxed. "I have an idea. Please place the diary back on my desk." Nervously she slid it to him, and he turned it around. "Which day did this memory come from?"

"June 13," she explained. He nodded and opened it to the month of June, pointing his wand at June 13 and muttering a long, complicated spell. The diary seemed to fight him, tried to close itself on his hands, but he persevered, and eventually a long, silvery strand emerged. "Is that a memory, sir?"

"Indeed, removed from the diary and hopefully free of Voldemort's possessive power." He brought up a small vial and lowered the strand into it. "Dumbledore and I will examine this memory in detail, and if it proves useful, we shall act upon it."

"Yes sir." Another thought struck her. "Sir, when did Moaning Myrtle die? I got her to talk about how she was killed, and it definitely wasn't a spider…"

Snape let out a long sigh. "We will secure her testimony as well, Potter, if necessary. Now, you've missed breakfast and will soon miss class." He corked the vial and waved his wand, and a tray loaded with eggs, bacon, toast and porridge and things appeared. "Eat your fill, and I shall write you a note excusing your absence."

"Thank you sir." She sat down and ate up, marveling at how the tray refilled itself no matter how much she ate. "Can I learn this spell, sir?"

"It is a simple summoning and duplication, Miss Potter, Professor McGonagall will no doubt teach it to you in time," he replied with a small smirk. "Do not linger, I will not tolerate missing class even if you've saved the school yet again."

"Of course, sir." When she'd eaten enough she stood and got her things together, and watched as Snape placed the cursed diary into a sturdy crystal box. "Good luck, sir…"

Hazel felt good about herself as she went on with her day, especially when she caught up with her friends. "There shouldn't be anymore attacks," she told Draco at lunch, while Ron and Hermione listened in. "That Riddle guy was responsible for everything, even the last time; Snape and Dumbledore are working on finding a way to exonerate Hagrid, then we can destroy the thing and be done with it."

"Oh, that's great news," Hermione said anxiously, twisting her fingers. "We should go tell Hagrid, shouldn't we?"

"You and Ron can, Slytherin's practicing tonight," Draco reminded them. Hazel muttered a curse, she'd forgotten about Quidditch practice. And knowing Flint it would run until past curfew, too.

Luna drifted towards her while she was heading to dinner, her expression unusually serious. "Hazel, did something happen to Ginevra?" she asked, and even her voice was off. Direct, in a weird way. "She hasn't been to any classes yet, and when I saw her in the hallway she had her hood up over her head. She didn't even notice me waving."

"Where did it look like she was headed?" Hazel asked, wondering what Riddle was trying to pull now. Or was it Riddle? The diary was sealed away, after all.

"Down to the dungeons. It wasn't time for Potions yet either…"

"I'm not sure, Luna, but I'll keep an eye out for her," Hazel replied, leaning in and squeezing her hand lightly. She didn't want to lie to Luna, after all. Luna smiled back and went on her way, humming slightly, and Hazel kept going too.

Once she sat down her imagination got away from her, however, showing her all the ways things could go wrong. And midway through the meal she decided she couldn't let it lie anymore. 

"Hazel, you look pale, is everything okay?" Draco asked her.

"Draco, tell Flint I can't make it… head hurts… stomach…" She stood up and walked off, putting a stagger in her step. She could feel Snape's eyes on her, but she didn't care; if Ginny was in the dungeons, who knew what was happening?

Once away from the hall she dropped the stagger and took off running, straight for the Slytherin dorms. "Asmodeus!" she panted as she skidded to a stop before the enchanted wall; the door appeared and she pushed her way in, pausing to survey the common room. No one here… they'd all be at dinner, though…

Behind her, the door let someone else through, but before she could turn a strange voice hissed, "Imperio!" Instantly a serene floating sensation enveloped her, every thought and worry wiped away before her uncaring eyes. A small part of her screamed and struggled, but it was dim, distant; the rest of her reveled in the vague sense of contentment and relaxation brought on by the spell.

Go to your dorm, a charismatic male voice whispered, and it was terrifyingly familiar, but the terror floated out of reach as she ambled along, quite insensate. Good girl, just take us to your dorm…

Hazel, STOP! a second voice screamed, and she stopped obediently. Please break free! Don't let him control y-! That voice was also familiar, a girl's voice, and the part of her that screamed and struggled against the serenity grew much louder. "Ginny…?"

"No, shut up! Imperio!" that strange voice snapped. The serenity fell back over her mind, but it was weaker now. The voice was strange, she dimly realized, because it was two people speaking at once. And her scar was hurting again. Your dorms, girl! NOW!

I don't think so, she thought to herself, struggling to regain control of her legs. You can't make me, I won't do it…

Yes you will! Imperio! IMPERIO! and again the cotton-candy happiness tried to assert itself, her legs moving blindly forward. She was at the hallway leading away from the common room…

Hazel! Hazel wake up! that girl's voice cried, and Hazel shook herself. You can't let him control you, Hazel! Keep fighting!

"I can hear you, Ginny," she muttered, gripping her wand and throwing herself backward. She crashed into a smaller form and they both fell to the floor; the person beneath her locked arms and legs around her, but she was bigger and stronger, and trained in Muggle self-defense. She threw the arms off and twisted, pinning the other girl down with an elbow at her neck, other hand gripping the girl's wand hand. "Get out, Voldemort!"

Ginny's eyes were pitch black, and her face contorted in a furious snarl. "She can't hear you, Hazel Potter," that dual-voice hissed, like Ginny and Tom Riddle both speaking at once. "You will take me to my diary, or the girl dies!"

"It's not down here, freak," Hazel growled, pressing down and twisting Ginny's wrist to force the wand away. "You fucked up! How are you even in there when the diary's sealed away?!"

"Little Ginevra belongs to me now," Voldemort replied, and his voice was stronger now that Ginny was under a choke hold; the pain in Hazel's forehead seared, but she grit her teeth and ignored it. "She's been writing in my diary all year… about how her brothers tease her, how everyone else looks down on her for her second-hand robes and books…" There was a red gleam in those black eyes, and Hazel redoubled her hold. "...and about the beautiful, famous Hazel Potter, all alone with the Slytherins, separated from her true friends…"

"Oh yeah? And who are my true friends supposed to be, anyway?" Hazel shot back, wondering what the hell to do. Surely someone would come along soon, like Gemma…

"Why, her brothers, of course!" Voldemort spat, and Ginny's body struggled to throw her off. She shifted her hold to snag and pin her arms, and without the neck pin, both voices were speaking once more. "And the terribly smart Hermione Granger as well! Mudblood filth anyway," and she spat to the side.

Point in her own favor, Hazel thought remotely. If Riddle knew anything about Muggle fighting he would have spat in her eye. "I'm sure it was all quite boring for a grownup like you," she hissed back. No one was coming, she realized; she'd have to take control herself. Grabbing Ginny's arm she twisted it, moving to stand and dragging her up too; Ginny and Voldemort both gasped in pain, helpless against the stronger girl. "We're going to Snape's office!"

But Snape was already in the common room, had seemingly just stepped in. And to her relief, Dumbledore was there too! "Let her go, Potter," Snape said in a low voice, wand out and pointed at Ginny.

"She's possessed, sir," Hazel explained, letting go of Ginny and shoving her so she fell forward. "You-Know-Who's got her, somehow…"

"Yes! She's mine!" Voldemort snarled through Ginny's voice, rising to her knees. "Where is my diary?!"

"Sealed away from your reach, Tom," Dumbledore said calmly, and the wand in his hand was steady as a rock. "Snape and I have been reviewing some of the memories from it, about your mistreatment of poor Hagrid…"

"That filthy half-breed oaf," Voldemort growled. He tried to get up, but Snape flicked his wand, and ropes appeared from nowhere to bind Ginny's body. "You cannot hold me here!"

"Perhaps not." Dumbledore approached, knelt down, put his wand to Ginny's temple; her body struggled against it, but the ropes held firm. "We can hold you in other ways, however… you are weak without your diary, and your diary is not so harmful without your consciousness inside it…"

"How do you propose to keep me apart from it?!" Voldemort raved, but Dumbledore wasn't listening. He had summoned a heavy crystal flask, and was muttering a long string of spells under his breath as Ginny's body thrashed and struggled. Gradually a black mist was drawn from her eyes and ears, coalescing into a malevolent black ball; when the mist stopped flowing from her, Dumbledore forced it into the flask and stoppered it securely.

"Miss Weasley?" Snape asked softly, and when her panic-stricken eyes snapped up to him he nodded and banished the ropes. "Apologies for the discourteous treatment… you were not yourself…"

Ginny didn't seem to care; she ignored him and scrambled to her feet. "Oh Merlin… Hazel? Hazel??" She turned, saw Hazel and burst into tears, lunging forward and throwing her arms around her. "Hazel! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…!"

"Ginny! Take it easy, take it easy," she murmured, patting her on the back. "He's gone, Dumbledore's got him locked away, you're safe…"

"Not forever, I fear," Dumbledore said softly, holding the flask up to the torchlight and turning it this way and that. "He is weak when separated, but already he struggles. However, we will soon have what we need from that diary…"

"How will you destroy it, sir?" Hazel asked, still comforting the distraught Ginny.

"Why, I was hoping you could help us with that," and he smiled down at her. "Severus tells me you've befriended a basilisk, of all creatures?"

Notes:Nearly there, my friends, nearly there! What a ride, huh?

Chapter 17: Lockhart's True ColorsSummary:Hazel never trusted Professor Lockhart, and her mistrust is finally confirmed. In the worst way possible, unfortunately...

Take heed that there is another scene of sexual assault/attempted rape of a minor, toward the end of this chapter. I tried to keep from being too explicit, but even so, don't say you weren't warned.

Notes:Beta read by harby and HourlyLawyer.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextFebruary turned into March, and Hazel was glad she had dealt with Voldemort, for she had plenty to worry about without having that hanging over her head; between classes and homework, Quidditch and study group, eating and Occlumency, she had her hands quite full. She still found time to relax with her friends, somehow, and now Ginny was among them.

Her scar had grown again after the encounter, and now looked like a dueling scar from days of old, jagged and harsh. She thought it gave her a rakish look; certainly it gave that ponce Lockhart pause, when he heard of what happened. He'd never faced down Voldemort, she thought with a smug smirk, while she'd faced him not once, but three times! Naturally she ignored the small voice that insisted the first time was an accident no one could explain even now, the second time was against a ghost in a dying man, and the third against another ghost in a weakened state.

She asked Dumbledore for permission to visit the kitchens, badgered Fred and George into telling her where they were, then went down to visit on a Saturday, with Draco, Ron and Hermione in tow. "Tickle the pear, they said," she murmured, finally spotting the picture among the other food-related portraits.

"Yes, then it'll laugh and turn into a doorknob," Ron finished, though he sounded a bit dubious. Hazel didn't blame him, considering who they'd learned this from. Despite his misgivings he was the one to reach up and tickle the pear, and sure enough it gave a brief but hearty laugh and turned into a doorknob. He looked at the others, shrugged and pushed it open, and they stepped into a large room that mirrored the Great Hall.

Scores of pots and pans of all shapes and sizes lined the walls, and five tables took up most of the central floor space. One for each House and the staff, Hazel realized. At least a hundred little house-elves, all wearing tea towels with the Hogwarts crest, were bustling here and there, cleaning up and getting ready for the next meal, or disappearing with a pop to attend to other areas of the castle.

"I thought you couldn't Apparate inside Hogwarts?" Hermione muttered, as seven elves cheered and came up to them.

"They're house-elves, Hermione, they have their own magic," Draco explained.

"Hazel Potter and friends!" the elf in the lead squeaked. "These elves has been waiting for you to come down, miss!"

"Oh… thanks." She let them lead her to a table, and sat down with a shrug. "Who among you is the bravest house-elf?" All of them clamored to be acknowledged as such, and she had to wave them off with a laugh. "Listen, Professor Dumbledore gave me permission, alright, but I need some of you to visit the Chamber of Secrets with me, and bring lots of meat and food too."

"Moxy is doing this for Hazel Potter, miss!" the spokes-elf squeaked. "But there is great danger in the Chamber of Secrets, miss!"

"No no, there's only a basilisk, she won't come until I call for her," Hazel explained.

Mention of a basilisk put the elves in a tizzy, but when a human asked for help there was no backing down. "Moxy is happy to help!" she declared, though she seemed to hesitate more than she had. "Can Moxy be offering anything for snacking on? Drinking?"

"Lot different from goblins, this lot," Hazel remarked as the elves plied them with food and drink. She picked out milk and bread and beef and made herself a pile of sandwiches. "Say, got any hot sauce?" A little bottle was immediately pressed into her hand, and she tasted it first; it stung her tongue and made her eyes water, but she drenched her sandwiches in it anyway.

"Yeah, and different from our house elves too," Draco said, tucking into a bowl of chicken and garlic soup. "Though Mother and Father aren't very kind to ours…"

Ron, preoccupied with a sandwich that seemed to have everything a sandwich could have, could only shrug.

Hermione, though, looked troubled. "So… is that all they do, is serve witches and wizards?" she asked timidly, cradling a cup of tea tightly in her hands.

"Well, not just any witches and wizards," Draco went on. "They're usually attached to houses, great old ones, and they watch over generations of their families too. They literally can't do anything else, it's what they exist for."

"I wouldn't be surprised if your parents aren't the only ones to mistreat them, Draco…" She sipped her tea and frowned in thought. "Wizards really are quite arrogant, aren't they? House-elves, goblins, Muggles… they look down on anyone who isn't like them…"

Hazel swallowed a large mouthful of milk to clear her throat. "It's no different in the Muggle world, Hermione, you know that," she gasped, fanning the neckline of her shirt to cool off. "Muggles'll look down on anyone with different colored skin, anyone who votes differently, loves differently…"

"What d'you mean, loves differently?" Ron interjected. "Like gay people?" He scoffed. "Pureblood families don't like it much, since you're not carrying on the bloodline, but no one else gives a damn. It's whether you've got magic or not that matters to us."

"House-elves have magic though!" Hermione insisted. "So do half-bloods and Muggle-borns! And, and any other intelligent races too! But you look down on them!"

"Easy, Hermione," and Hazel put a calming hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing we can do about it now, and besides, Hogwarts treats its elves properly. Right, guys?" and the surrounding house-elves curtseyed and bowed in agreement. Hermione didn't seem very reassured, though.

Afterward, Hazel took Moxy to the Chamber of Secrets, where she introduced the elf to Regina and explained that until she went back into hibernation, Moxy would bring whatever kind of food she wanted.

"I like boar, whole and raw and bloody," the huge snake explained. "Also onions. And apples! Bring me lots of onions and apples! Once a week will do."

Hazel laughed as she translated for Moxy's benefit, though she had to repeat herself as the little elf was standing with her eyes and ears covered, clearly terrified of the massive basilisk. Instructions received Moxy snapped her fingers and disappeared with a crack, and Hazel looked back up.

"We captured the ghost of Tom Riddle, who'd been living in the girl who came down here before," she explained. "You're feeling better by now, I hope?"

"I am, yes… Master," the basilisk rumbled. "I have roamed the castle free of that dark influence polluting my mind, and I have seen that you were right. Salazar Slytherin would not approve, but there is no threat from these half-bloods and Muggle-borns. I feel that one day soon, I will return to my great sleep…"

They were interrupted by another crack, and an entire dead boar and a vast crate of onions and apples appeared nearby. Regina crooned and went to eat her fill, and Hazel left her to it.

A few days later, Dumbledore called for everyone to attend the hall at dinner, and stood up afterward. "You've all heard of the events surrounding the Chamber of Secrets, I trust," he began gravely. "The attacks and the petrified students. Well, I have some good news for you all tonight. First, the source of the attacks was identified and firmly stopped some months back!"

He hadn't mentioned her by name, but everyone looked her way regardless."I had help," she muttered sheepishly, but no one could hear her over the cheering and applause. Lockhart was saying something about how he'd taught them everything they knew, but no one could hear him either.

"Secondly, Professor Sprout has finally found a source of fresh, mature Mandrakes, and the Restorative Draught is even now being prepared! With the assistance of Professor Snape, of course." Snape and Sprout both waved, and the applause grew.

After a few moments, Dumbledore raised his hands for silence, and eventually the applause petered out. "And finally, after weeks of intense focus and spell work, we have obtained solid evidence of what happened fifty years ago, the first time the Chamber of Secrets was opened," he went on, voice carrying clearly over the hall. "At the time, suspicion fell upon our very own Hagrid, but in truth he was merely an inconvenient bystander. However, the Ministry has reviewed this new evidence, and agreed that the sentencing of Rubeus Hagrid was hasty and without merit, and his conviction has been overturned by a unanimous vote of the Wizengamot!"

Hagrid looked thunderstruck; apparently he hadn't suspected this at all. "Hagrid, I believe you still have the broken pieces of your wand?" Dumbledore asked kindly. The big gamekeeper flushed and mumbled something under his breath, to which the Headmaster merely smiled and waved his wand again; moments later the pink umbrella flew into the Hall, landing neatly before him on the head table. He cleared his throat and positioned his wand: "Reparo!" There was a faint swooshing noise, and when Dumbledore handed the umbrella back to Hagrid, red and gold sparks flew from the tip. "Welcome back to Hogwarts, my friend."

Tears fell from the stalwart gamekeeper's face, and the applause was enough to shake the rafters of the Great Hall. He waved the umbrella over his head, causing a cascade of red and gold sparks to fly out. "Thank yeh, thank yeh," he said through the tears. "Never woulda thought…"

Dessert seemed to drag on, and everyone enjoyed every bit of it. Hagrid was surrounded by Gryffindor students eager to celebrate his vindication, and over at the Slytherin end, Hazel was content to nod and smirk as her fellow snakes patted her on the back. "Well done indeed, Potter," Gemma said with a wink and a smirk.

The next morning, Gemma Farley intercepted Hazel on the way out. "Oi, Potter, a word." She led them back to the second-year dorm and shut the door. "Remember I said our Head Girl was building a case against Lockhart?"

"Yeah, to get him sacked, right?" Hazel replied.

"Yes. We're getting there, but we can't seem to get any solid first-hand testimony; we think he's using Memory Charms on the girls he's abusing, but Dumbledore won't act unless we can get hard evidence…"

"So you need to catch him in the act, basically," she replied with a frown. "Great…"

"I know, I know." Gemma was obviously frustrated. "We can't just call him out on it in the open, no one would believe us. But I hear you can resist the Imperius Curse, that you've been studying Occlumency?"

"Er." Hazel cringed, and her stomach felt a bit queasy.. "Yes…?"

"Well, hopefully it won't get that far. But if you could get him alone, get him to brag about what he's really on about, that should be enough. I'm not gonna ask you to go full honeypot here, and I don't want you doing it either; we've got older girls who can handle that, okay?"

Older girls? Honeypot? "Men are disgusting!" she declared, shuddering at the thought of it. "But… if you think I can handle it…"

"Do your best, alright? It shouldn't be hard, he's obsessed with you for some reason." The older girl handed over another enchanted knut, gave her a wink and a pat on the back, and walked out of the dorm. After a moment, Hazel went on with her day too, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She told Draco, Ron and Hermione about the so-called plan that morning after breakfast, and to her credit, Hermione didn't overreact. She'd seen enough over the year to kill her high opinion of Lockhart, after all.

"We've got Defense today, let's you and I cause trouble and get detention," Hermione murmured, thinking quickly. "Then we can have Ron and Draco waiting nearby to, well, play hero I guess…"

"And leave you alone with that creep, Hermione?! No way!" Ron looked honestly horrified, and even Draco was clearly uneasy.

"It's a better plan than I had before," Hazel said firmly. "Let's do it then. Ron, you cock it up somehow in his class, I'll start screaming at you, and Hermione, you get up and scream back, okay? They'll fall for it, it's happened before."

They all nodded, and separated to their morning classes. Defense was before lunch, and Lockhart, as usual, gave them vague directions about the Impediment Jinx and then spent the rest of the time going on about how he used it perfectly to blah blah blah…

When a few minutes of class were left, Hazel winked at Ron, and Ron stood up. "Professor, can you show us that bit with the jinx again?"

"Certainly, Weasley, certainly! You just move your wand like so! And- Impedimenta!" He slashed the air in front of him, and one of his portraits fell off the wall.

"Right, okay, I get it!" and Ron turned to Hazel, who was a second too slow to stand up. "Inpedimentia!"

Instead of being slowed down, the front of her robes caught fire! "Fuck!" she shouted, hurrying to throw them off of her. "Goddammit, Ron! The fuck is wrong with you?!"

"Hey! Lay off him, it was an accident!" Hermione cried, shooting to her feet and shoving Hazel back. "You don't get to yell at people!"

"Ladies, ladies, please!" Lockhart shouted, stepping between the two girls as they showed every sign of devolving into a physical shoving match. "Such language, in my classroom! Detention for both of you, promptly after dinner tonight!"

Ron apologized over and over as he stamped the robes out, Draco tried not to laugh and the rest of the class looked scandalized at the scene before them. Hazel and Hermione continued glaring at each other, but once the bell rang and they left, Hazel couldn't help but laugh. "Brilliant, both of you, very well done…"

At lunch that day, Snape had already heard, and he intercepted Hazel and pulled her aside before she could enter the Great Hall. "Detention again, Miss Potter?"

"I know, Professor Snape…" She looked around, no one was listening, but she lowered her voice anyway. "It was all an act, okay? I'm working with Gemma to get Lockhart sacked, and this was the best way to get him alone…"

Snape was silent for so long she was afraid he had finally lost his patience with her, but then he sighed. "I trust you to handle that fool, then," was all he said. "Don't get in over your head…" He swept away and entered the hall, and she followed along.

That evening, right after dinner as ordered, Hazel and her friends approached Lockhart's office. "We'll be just next door, in the classroom," Draco whispered as they ducked inside the empty class. "Good luck…"

"Thanks." Hermione was a little pale, but her hand was steady enough as she knocked timidly at the door. It opened by itself, and the two witches went in.

"Well well, the rascals themselves." Lockhart was his usual self, but that slimy glint was in his eyes again. "You've been playing hard to get all year, Hazel, haven't you?"

Hazel saw a pair of trunks on the floor, and Lockhart's things piled up in them. "Going somewhere, Professor?" she replied slowly, willing herself not to yank out her wand.

"No no, let's cut the shit, ladies." That blinding grin faded away entirely, replaced by an altogether different smile. "I'm about to be sacked, but I'll be damned if I leave without a story for my next book…" He flicked his wand, and a second later there was a faint snap and the door slammed shut with a rather final sort of sound.

"What do you mean, sir?" Hermione asked breathlessly, jumping at the sound of the door. "Next book…?"

"Use a little common sense, Granger!" Lockhart spat, barely glancing her way. "You really think one personcould have done all those things in my books? Who'd want to read about ugly Armenian warlocks without any dress sense, even if they did save a village from werewolves? Or witches with harelips, no matter how many banshees they banish?"

"Farley was right," Hazel said accusingly. "You havebeen using Memory Charms!"

"Of course I have!" he replied impatiently, twirling his wand. "You think it's easy, what I do? Tracking these people down, convincing them to spill all their secrets, wiping their memories so they forget doing it? If there's one thing I pride myself on anymore, it's my Memory Charms! Fame isn't all signed pictures and publicity stunts, you know!"

"I can't believe this!" Hermione was in tears now, real tears, and she drew her wand with shaking hands. "I read your books, believed every word you said, stuck up for you to my friends! And you were a fraud this whole time?!"

"Put that wand away, you little know-it-all bitch," Lockhart snarled. "Maybe I'm a fraud, maybe I'm not! But it takes one to know one in this business!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hazel demanded, still not reaching for her wand.

"Well, what else was I supposed to think, when Dumbledore came around offering me a job teaching? Dropping hints about the Girl Who Lived being a student here, how teaching her would boost my profile?" Hazel's face went numb, and her shock must have registered, because Lockhart laughed at her. "That's right, girl, he's been dangling you in front of me all year! Not that I haven't sampled the others here and there, just to tide myself over…"

"That's disgusting!" Hermione shouted, raising her wand. "Stupe-!"

But there was another snapping noise, and Hermione was thrown back into the wall, knocked senseless. "Petrificus Totalus!" Lockhart snarled, and Hazel found herself frozen stiff, halfway through whipping her wand out. "End of the line, both of you! You're gonna watch me take Granger, Potter, and then it's your turn…"

There was a pounding on the door, she could hear Ron and Draco shouting something, but she couldn't move. She could only lie there helplessly, as Lockhart dragged Hermione away from the wall, rolling her over and pulling at her robes. "So many foolish witches eager to throw themselves at me… you can't blame a man for wanting what he can't have, can you?"

He put his wand aside so he could use both hands, tugging at her clothes to remove them. "Even here, in Hogwarts… so many girls, all they want is some one-on-one time with Professor Lockhart, of course I'd give them what they wanted… but I knew they'd brag about it from one end of the school to the other, couldn't let it get out… had to make them forget…"

His lecherous gaze shifted to Hazel. "I thought after setting that Bludger on you that I'd have a shot, but those meddlesome prefects… no matter. Maybe I'll take you with me tonight, Potter, got to get something after all I've done here…" And he reached down to undo his pants.

That was when a shout from outside was heard, and the door shuddered violently. "They aren't getting in here," Lockhart muttered, fumbling with his belt, "they won't overcome-"

But then a voice she recognized as Snape's called out, "Bombarda Maxima!" and the door rattled violently, but still didn't budge. Something flickered in the far corner, and to Hazel's surprise a tiny, shivering house-elf was revealed.

"Master Gilderoy!" the elf squeaked, focusing on the door, "Selky cannot keep them away! Master must run!"

"No! Not when I'm so close!" Lockhart snarled, finally undoing the belt and pushing his trousers down. "You're a house-elf, damn you, do as I say!"

Five or six voices shouted Snape's spell all at once, and the door was blown off its hinges, catching Lockhart as it flew across the room; the magic holding Hazel broke as Lockhart was knocked out, and she scrambled to her feet. Gemma, Ron, Draco, and Professors Snape and McGonagall rushed in, followed by two older students Hazel assumed were the Head Boy and Girl.

"Caught you with your pants down, you bastard!" Gemma cried triumphantly, wand held on Lockhart. Professor McGonagall waved her wand and woke Hermione up, who broke out sobbing and scrambled to cover herself up again. "Merlin knows what we'll find when we review Potter's and Granger's memories!"

"Oh, he's going away for a long time," the Head Girl muttered grimly, and Hazel was slightly gratified to see that she was a Slytherin.

Behind her, the elf was shivering even harder as she crawled towards her master, but she passed out before she could reach him.

"Come along, all of you," Professor McGonagall said urgently, throwing a cloak around Hermione and herding her and her friends out of the room. "You don't need to see the rest of this…"

"I just want to go to bed!" Hermione sobbed, and Hazel nodded in fervent agreement. "I can't believe I ever- I ever-!"

"Rest assured, that man will never set foot on Hogwarts ground again!" the professor swore. "What Professor Dumbledore was thinking, hiring a man like him! Hanson, take the house-elf to Professor Sprout, she'll know what to do!"

Hazel felt sick to her stomach. She had thought Lockhart would go for her first, then again the plan had been for her to be alone with him too. "I'm sorry, Hermione… I'll make it up to you somehow, I swear…" she murmured, before her and Draco had to go their separate ways. Hermione just sniffled and nodded, but she looked grateful for the words at least.

"Why did Dumbledore hire him, anyway?" Draco muttered when they were back in the dungeon common room. "He was useless from the first day!"

"He came because of me," Hazel said dully. "He said Dumbledore promised he'd get to teach me personally, or something…"

"Merlin's fat ass, what a mess," Draco swore. "At least he's gone now."

Hazel worked herself harder and took a longer shower than usual, mostly so that the other girls would hopefully be asleep when she came out. Her Occlumency state of mind was elusive most of the night too, but it came eventually, and she dropped off into a thankfully dreamless sleep.

Notes:If you're still with me after all that, please know that I do appreciate all of you who read these mad scribbles of mine. Only two more chapters to go!

Chapter 18: Regaining ControlSummary:The end of the year is in sight, and in spite of everything, Hazel and her friends made it through alive. Intact? That remains to be seen...

Notes:Beta read by HourlyLawyer and harby

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextThe Ministry came that weekend to take Lockhart into custody, and it was an event Hazel would never forget. It happened before lunch, Hazel and her friends coming up the stairs to reach the Great Hall, only to stop at the top of the steps when she saw Snape holding Lockhart at wandpoint, thick ropes binding the fellow helplessly. "Professor?" she asked, approaching the scene.

"Potter," he acknowledged, sparing a nod, though he didn't look away from Lockhart. "Do stay back."

Lockhart was bound and gagged, his hair a mess, but he still managed to glare at Hazel and the others, as if it were their fault he was caught up like this. She merely crossed her arms and glared back. "Are they taking him into custody, then?" she asked, and Snape merely nodded. "Good, and with lunch coming on there'll be a lot of witnesses…"

Sure enough, the hall was quick to fill up with students and teachers, until Dumbledore himself made an appearance. He seemed rather put out by something, though. "I want everyone to stand away from the front doors!" he called, voice reaching clearly to the back of the ranks of students. "The Aurors will be here any minute!"

No sooner did he speak than did the doors fly open with a bang, and three figures entered the hall; a tall, dark-skinned man in deep purple robes, and two floating figures in tattered black cloaks. Hazel couldn't see any movement of feet where there should be, which concerned her. And was it her imagination, or were the lights going out? And it was getting cold, damnably cold…

She struggled to put up her Occlumency barriers, even as Dumbledore was speaking. "I did not agree to allow those creatures inside these walls, Auror Shacklebolt," he said severely, looking quite cross indeed. Hazel would be scared, if she weren't feeling so weird; dimly she saw that she wasn't the only one, other students had distressed looks on their faces too…

"I know, Headmaster, but the Minister insisted, and all the governors were in agreement as well," the tall Auror countered, moving forward. The dark creatures glided along in his wake, and the vileness followed them. There was definitely a sense of darkness surrounding the creatures, of all happiness being drained away; she felt her knees starting to give out, and groped for support…

One of them took a long, dry, rasping breath as it passed near, and darkness overtook her… she felt like she was falling… someone screamed, and then she heard a woman's voice, possessed by unimaginable terror: "Not Hazel! Please, not Hazel, I'll do anything!"

And then a high, cold, familiar voice, laughing in response: "Stand aside, stupid girl. I said stand aside! Fine then! AVADA KEDAVRA!" A blinding rush of green light…

And then a silvery light replaced the green flare, and the darkness receded; Hazel found herself on the floor, staring up at Draco's pale, scared face. She craned her head and saw some kind of huge silvery bird hovering above them, and the two black creatures were gliding quickly away from it. "Take your prisoner and go!" Dumbledore thundered, looking angrier than Hazel had ever imagined a person could feel. "Get those filthy things out of my school!"

"Of c-course, Headmaster!" Shacklebolt stammered, bowing low, clearly cowed by the Headmaster's rage. Snape gestured with his wand and propelled Lockhart forward, and the Auror caught him by the scruff of his neck and hauled him outside, where the black things were waiting.

"Dementors at Hogwarts," McGonagall murmured, shaking her head as the bird disappeared with a flick of Dumbledore's wand. "I never thought I'd see the day…" She waved her wand and conjured a stack of chocolate bars, and when one of them flew to Hazel, she saw it had the name Honeydukes on it. "Everyone eat a bar of chocolate, even if you aren't hungry! And report to Madam Pomfrey if you still feel out of sorts, I mean it!"

"That means you, Potter," Snape insisted, helping her to stand.

Hazel grumbled but did as she was told, following Snape away from the hall.

"What were those things, Professor?" she asked in a shaky voice, after swallowing the last of her chocolate bar. Weirdly she was feeling much better, but that didn't mean she could disobey.

"Dementors," he replied tersely. "Creatures of darkness, they feed on happiness and positive emotions, leaving nothing but darkness behind. They guard Azkaban, the wizards' prison." He glanced down at the look on her face. "Only the worst of us go there, Miss Potter, Death Eaters and murderers and people like Lockhart…"

Madam Pomfrey was furious as well, and did a poor job hiding it as she clucked over Hazel. "Honestly, what were they thinking?" the matron muttered at one point. "You've had chocolate, I hope?"

"Yes ma'am," Hazel replied, licking her lips at the reminder.

"Good! As if I haven't got enough to do, cleaning up after that miserable pervert!" She waved her wand and a tray of food appeared before them. "Eat lunch in here, Potter, then you can go."

Hazel ate quietly, noting that other students were being led in as the hour went on. But had anyone else passed out from the Dementors? And whose voices had she heard? She resolved to focus even harder on Occlumency going forward, if only so she could block out those voices, and the sensation of the Dementors…

Nothing more was said about Lockhart's removal in the days to follow, and as fantastic as it was, it still got embellished and added onto, as all stories did in Hogwarts. Like before, Dumbledore stood in for Defense lessons, and they learned more in one day under his instruction than they had all year with Lockhart.

No one seemed sure how to address Hazel or Hermione either, and they were both glad when that resolved itself as ignoring the issue altogether. A couple of soft-spoken solicitors came by to interview them and review their memories of the incident, and that was the extent of their involvement.

Lockhart's words hung in her mind, though. Hazel had always assumed the man had applied for the job and no one else had, but he had made it seem like Dumbledore came to him personally, and used her as a lure to get him to accept. Fortunately, it was easier for her to assume Lockhart had been his usual lying, slimy self again, rather than let herself think the worst of the Headmaster.

"I'm just glad he knocked me out, honestly, I couldn't imagine living with the thought of his slimy hands all over me," Hermione confided to her once they were alone. 

Hazel just nodded, and didn't bring up that she had to live with seeing that. 

She felt vindicated when the next morning's issue of the Daily Prophet ran an article of Lockhart's life imprisonment in Azkaban for fraud, statutory rape, identity theft and misuse of an astonishing number of charms and spells. It further mentioned that his victims were in the process of being identified and located, so that treatment for their lost memories could be given and royalties from Lockhart's stolen valor could be apportioned fairly. 

The second page mentioned Selky, who had been grievously injured while attempting to defend Lockhart, though she was recovering at the Hogwarts infirmary and would be released from Lockhart's service as soon as possible. "I bet he was using Selky for her House-elf magic to make himself look better," Draco mused after reading that.

Most of Hogwarts was silent after this, either wondering why they had admired such a false person, or wondering if they or one of their friends had been among those he had taken advantage of. Dumbledore gave an interview where he claimed no one else had applied for the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that he hadn't had time to properly check Lockhart's background. That evening he apologized to the entire school after dinner, and vowed to take more care with his Defense teachers going forward.

"Was Lockhart lying when he said Dumbledore sought him out, instead of the other way around?" Hazel mused aloud as she and her fellow Slytherins made their way back to their dorms.

"Who knows? More importantly, who cares?" Draco replied, and the others nodded. "You're okay, Hazel, that's the important thing."

The next weekend, Snape approached Hazel as she was coming back from breakfast. "The Headmaster believes we have retrieved all we can from the diary, and has requested your assistance in destroying the object," he said quietly, and she nodded and followed him to Dumbledore's office. "Nerds rope," he said a bit awkwardly, and the gargoyle sprang aside to reveal the revolving stairs.

"Professor Snape, and Hazel as well." Dumbledore was his usual cheerful self, and the crystal box and flask were before him on the desk. "As was no doubt explained to you, we have learned all we can from this diary, and it has so far resisted all our efforts to destroy it."

"Even with Voldemort's essence separated from it, sir?" she asked, nervously eying the flask as she approached Fawkes and reached up to pet him. Was it vibrating slightly, or was that her imagination?

"Even so," Dumbledore said. "However, your friendship with the Serpent of Slytherin may be a boon to us in this regard. Basilisks are remarkably destructive creatures, Hazel, and their venom especially so, even with Fawkes on standby; if you can bring us a sample…"

"If I may, Headmaster." Snape had stepped forward. "Potter may be immune to its gaze-"

"Her gaze, Professor," Hazel insisted, shooting him a Lily-ish look of annoyance. "The basilisk is female, and I named her Regina."

Snape had difficulty processing this fact, and decided to set it aside for the moment. "Potter may be immune to her gaze, but I doubt she would be immune to her venom as well. Is there no other way to convey it up here?"

"Couldn't I bring it down there to her instead?" Hazel asked as the phoenix crooned faintly and nuzzled into her hand.

"There is a risk of Voldemort reasserting control over the serpent, however remote," Dumbledore explained. "It is possible a weapon made of goblin-wrought silver could absorb the venom and thus be able to replicate its effects, however the only such item we possess," and here he nodded at an ornate silver sword inlaid with rubies, "is too valuable to risk on a mere hypothesis. Not to mention it wouldn't accept your hand on its hilt anyway, Hazel."

"And why's that?" she asked, trying to decide if it was worth being insulted over.

"You are not a true Gryffindor," Snape explained. "That sword belonged to Godric Gryffindor over a thousand years ago, and since then, or so rumor goes, it will only respond to the needs of his chosen disciples."

"You have in fact proven yourself a true Slytherin, Hazel, in more ways than one. Taming his serpent was the least of these ways, to be sure," Dumbledore added kindly.

"I'd rather not risk Ron or Hermione either," Hazel replied thoughtfully. "But if they volunteered, how could I stop them?"

"I doubt there's a lion in this castle who wouldn't turn down a chance to show off for the famous Hazel Potter," Snape sneered, one of those sneers that made Hazel very glad she was in his House. "By all means, ask for their assistance, but make it very clear what they're walking into."

So Hazel gave Fawkes one more good rub, then left the Headmaster's office and went in search of her friends. She found them in the usual classroom by the library, in the midst of a study group.

"Hey guys, wanna risk uncertain death to save the school with me?" she asked of the group at large, grinning foolishly.

"What are you on about, Hazel?" Ron asked, looking up (with some relief) from the book he was trying to read. "You already saved the school twice this year, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but we gotta finish the job," and Hazel explained about the sword and the diary and the basilisk, but she was interrupted when-

"I'll do it!" Ginny declared, standing up. There was an unusual look of resolve in her freckled face, and Hazel felt her guts go a bit mushy at the sight. "I owe that bastard for what he did to me all year! Let's go, Hazel!" She marched resolutely from the room, and Hazel followed, shaking her head at the others before they thought to get up too.

They grabbed broomsticks and the sword and went down to Myrtle's bathroom, where Hazel was having second thoughts. "Ginny, listen, you have to keep your eyes closed when I tell you to!" she told her frantically, worried she wasn't listening. "Her gaze won't kill me, but it'll kill you instead and I can't-!"

"Holy shit, shut up already and let us in!" Ginny snapped, clutching the ruby-studded sword of Gryffindor in one hand. "Every second that diary is still here I wanna claw my eyes out!" Hazel sighed and ordered the entrance open, and they mounted their brooms and flew down, firmly ignoring Myrtle as usual. At the door she opened it too, and listened carefully.

"Okay, leave the brooms here, Regina's awake," she said. "Close your eyes and grab the back of my robe, okay? Don't let go until I say so." They proceeded slowly after that, Hazel in front with Ginny right behind her. "Regina? Regina, I brought a friend, can you close your eyes?" she called out in Parseltongue, and she thought she heard Ginny whimpering from behind her.

Great snakey laughter echoed through the vast hall, and the loud rustle of scales approached. "I recognize this friend, Master," the snake asked, and her eyes were indeed shut. "The girl who Spoke without Speaking, from before…"

"Yes, that's Ginny, she was possessed by the ghost of Riddle. Now look, she has a sword, and I need you to spill some of your venom on it. It'll help us destroy Riddle's ghost and free you completely from his influence." Smart as the basilisk was, Hazel reckoned it was safer to keep things simple with her.

"Yes, I approve, even if that blade is an artifact of my first master's enemy, Godric Gryffindor. Have her put it on the floor."

"Oi, Ginny, drop the sword," she muttered behind her. "And then back up! Give her space!"

Ginny put the sword down and they backed away, and Regina hovered above it, mouth wide open and fangs outstretched. There came a sound of hissing and boiling, and below her, Hazel saw the stone floor melt away where the venom splashed, but where it landed on the sword, it didn't splash; it simply disappeared into the metal, which took on a vaguely toxic appearance for a second before resuming its usual shining luster.

"Pick it up again, Ginny, go on. You can look if you want, her eyes are closed." Ginny looked up and gasped at the sight of Regina's bright green scales, pausing for a second before kneeling to get the sword again. "Alright, thanks Regina. We'll leave you alone again…"

They flew back up to the school and dashed through the halls, Ginny in the lead as desperation and fury gave her speed. They dashed up to Dumbledore's office, where the crystal box was already open on the floor. "Do it, Ginny!"

Ginny hesitated, then screamed, lifted the sword over her head and then stabbed downward; there was another scream from the book itself, and ink bubbled over like blood from a wound; the flask burst open, but the smokey black essence was too late, and it swiftly boiled away to nothing. 

"Is it over?" Ginny whispered, letting go of the blade and stumbling away from it, falling against Hazel.

"It is indeed, and two hundred points each to both Gryffindor and Slytherin for your actions today, as well as Special Awards for Services to the School," Dumbledore said solemnly. "Now, Hazel, if you would be so kind as to escort Ginevra to Madam Pomfrey so she could be examined?"

"Yes sir," Hazel muttered, taking Ginny by the shoulder and slouching out of the room.

The rest of their friends were waiting outside. "I'm starting to wonder if being your friend is always gonna be like this," Draco joked as they walked down the hall. "Dealing with basilisks and madmen every year…"

"Hey, I didn't ask you to come along," Hazel replied with a smirk. "Thanks for coming, Ginny. Literally couldn't have done it without you."

"Literally, indeed." She tried to smile, but it seemed strained. Ron and Hermione didn't say anything at all. They dropped Ginny off at the hospital wing, then silently decided to go outside for the rest of the day.

The next day at breakfast, the Heads of House handed forms around for the second-year students to fill out. "These forms are for which new classes you wish to take next year," Snape explained, passing a form to Hazel. "Choose carefully, for you won't be able to change your mind halfway through the year."

Hazel looked down at the form. There were five subjects to choose from: Arithmancy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, and Ancient Runes. How mundane. "Hey Gemma, what do you think?" she asked of the older girl.

"Electives, eh?" Gemma laughed. "Forget Divination, that old bat Trelawney's a fraud. And you grew up with Muggles so you wouldn't need Muggle Studies, it's mostly about how to blend in when mingling with them."

"Hm." She rather thought learning about Muggles from a Wizarding perspective would be interesting. "You have to pick at least two, though, right?"

"Yep. Most go for the minimum to coast through, but a true Slytherin won't let her ambitions be so easily fulfilled, right? Really though, regular assignments don't count as much as tests and exams, so as long as you pass those it'll count toward your final marks. If you were really mental you could just spend all your free time studying!"

"That doesn't sound so bad." After a few more minutes she shrugged and checked all five subjects; she'd have Hermione around, if nothing else. The other second-years made their choices eventually too, except Draco. He was preoccupied with a letter, and he had a stricken look on his face. Blaise and Millicent were nearby trying to reassure him. "Draco?"

"He did it," he muttered, his voice hollow. "Remember all that stuff we overheard about a book, and Dobby's warning? The book was that mad diary of the Dark Lord's… he stuck it in with Ron's sister's things…"

"Right in front of us at the bookstore!" Hazel muttered, recalling the tense encounter with Lord Malfoy and Mr Weasley. "So your father's had a book with some sort of imprint of Voldemort's soul or mind or whatever this whole time?"

"G-Guess so." He held up the letter again. "Mother's forcing him to set Dobby free and confess to the Ministry, no matter the consequences to our family's standing. It's gonna be all over the news… he'll likely be sent to Azkaban…"

"Not forever," and she put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "He'll find someone to bribe to get his sentence reduced, I'm sure. And you're always on about how wealthy your family is, right?"

"Not so much after this shit," he muttered, folding the letter back up and putting it away. "I might have to leave school for the shame…"

"Like hell you will!" Millicent insisted, knocking him over the head. "Who's gonna fly Chaser with Blaise if not you??"

"And where would Hazel be without her devoted minion?" Blaise teased, causing Draco to flush with embarrassment. But he didn't mention dropping out again, so overall it was a success.

Classes the rest of the year were boring in comparison, and the final exams went by quickly. Hazel was sure she aced them all as usual, and everyone in their study group reported an easier time than expected afterward.

Their results came later on, and despite her confidence, Hazel had to admit to a slight feeling of anxiety as she opened the envelope. What if the stress of dealing with Lockhart and the Chamber of Secrets had affected her performance? But her worries were unfounded, and she had seven Outstanding grades to look at. "Oi, Draco, swap," and she pulled his results out of his hands. "Well, no failing grades, at least…"

"Mother's going to be annoyed, if she notices," Draco muttered, gazing despondently down at Hazel's grades. "Hermione's grades are as good as yours, you watch." Sure enough, when the two lions came over, Draco's misery was proven correct. "You too, Ron?"

"Eh, no failing grades," Ron shrugged.

"Just barely, Ron, you can't settle for Acceptable!" Hermione retorted. "Hazel, we get to start electives next year, you picked all of them right? It'll be nice to have a familiar face in class…"

"Yeah, one of our prefects said that as long as we study for the exams and pass them it'll still count," Hazel explained. "So yeah, I marked myself for all five."

"You're both mental," Ron declared, shaking his head sadly. "Gonna burn out before Christmas, mark my words."

Notes:Just one chapter to go, dear readers. As much of a journey as this has been, we're nowhere near the true end, not by a long shot...

Chapter 19: Hopeful PartingSummary:The end of the year at last! Hazel has a lot to look forward to by the time she reaches London, so for her, things are just getting started...

Notes:Beta read by HourlyLawyer and TheLiliumTabby

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter TextTerm didn't end for three days, but Hazel thought she'd get packed ahead of time. While going through her things she found the photo album of her parents, and the picture of their wedding fell out. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I'd forgotten all about you," she murmured, gazing down at the happy couple and their friends. "Right, I meant to ask Snape..."

She finished putting her things away, then left the common room for Snape's office. "Enter," he called when she knocked, and she stepped inside and shut the door behind her again. "What brings you in here, Miss Potter?"

"Well, sir," and she crossed the room to put the picture on his desk. "Hagrid gave me a photo book last year, and this one was stuck behind another picture. That's you there, isn't it?"

Snape was silent for several moments, eyes locked on Lily. Then he sighed. "Yes, it is I." He sounded reluctant to speak of it, but he forced himself anyway. "I almost didn't go, since I had… other responsibilities, and I knew there would be a record of my being there. But Lily convinced me. We had always been friends, you know…"

"Yes, I keep hearing how you and my father hated each other," she remarked.

"Indeed. But he grew up in time, as did I, and we managed to put it behind us. For her sake, mostly..." He raised his hand, pointed at the dark-haired man. "This is your godfather, Sirius Black. 'Lord' in name only, as there isn't much left of his House. Next to him is Remus Lupin and… and Peter Pettigrew." For a fleeting moment an expression of pure hatred flickered in his eyes, but it was only for a moment. "Black and I never saw eye to eye, Lupin left the country soon after this, and Pettigrew… I hope he's dead in his cell…"

"What did he do, sir?" she asked hesitantly, afraid to see that hateful look.

"Now is not the time," he said abruptly, and she knew better than to press her luck. After a moment he went on. "These two behind me are Frank and Alice Longbottom, married a month before Lily and James. They were powerful aurors."

"Were?" Longbottom… now she knew why they were familiar. "Are they Neville's parents, then?"

"Yes. That is not my story to tell, however." He pushed the picture back to her. "Off with you, Potter, it is a lovely day outside."

"Yes sir." She took the picture back, but hesitated before leaving. "Um, sir, about those Dementors… did anyone else pass out, like I did?" 

"...A very few, Miss Potter." She could tell he was choosing his words carefully. "Some people are more strongly affected by Dementors due to the trauma in their pasts, and being forced to relive that trauma when close to a Dementor."

Trauma in her past… "I think… I think I heard my mother, and Voldemort… I think he used a spell…"

"Do you recall the words, Potter?"

"Um… Avada something… Kedabra?"

Snape seemed stricken. "Avada Kedavra. The Killing Curse, one of three Unforgivable curses. Nothing less than instant death is its sole purpose…"

The Killing Curse… "Does it come with a bright flash of green light?" she asked, and he nodded slowly. "Could you, um… could you show it to me?"

"Not now," he replied, giving her a searching look. "But if it would satisfy your curiosity, I may attempt to show it to you next term."

That would have to suffice for the moment, she figured. "If you did show it to me, would you get into trouble?"

"I should think not, if anyone finds out they would merely question my judgment in showing it to you so soon," he replied, his usual manner asserting itself. "It is called Unforgivable because to cast it against another human being is grounds for life imprisonment in Azkaban, with no chance of parole or release. Typically we cover these curses in sixth year…"

"And that's never gone wrong, has it?" she replied, cocking an eyebrow up at him. "School full of angry teenagers, I mean…"

"Very few would risk imprisonment, Miss Potter," he countered drolly. "Also, to cast any one of them successfully takes great power and truly dark emotion to draw on, things that no normal student would have. The presence of magical seals on the majority of students is another safeguard against this, of course."

Hazel snarled inwardly at the reminder, but kept it to herself. "Thank you very much, sir. I should go now…" She bowed and left his office, determined to find Neville; he turned out to be outside the Herbology greenhouses, doodling on a piece of paper. "Neville, got a moment?"

"Eh?" He started and dropped his drawing, but relaxed when he saw it was her. "Oh, hey Hazel. Uh, what's up?"

"I found a picture of both our parents," she said, sitting next to him and showing him the photo. "See? It's at their wedding."

Neville was silent for a long time, staring at his parents. "Yeah, that's… that's them alright. They, uh…" He sniffled wetly and wiped his eyes. "They're in St Mungo's, you see… Janus Thickey Ward…"

Hazel had never heard of those places, but she was horrified all the same. "Oh my god… what happened, Neville?"

"W-Well, about a week after your parents were… you know… four Death Eaters came for my parents, thinking they knew where You-Know-Who had gone… they didn't think he was dead, I guess… used the Cruciatus Curse on them until they both went mad…"

"I'm sorry, the what curse?" Hazel blurted out before she knew what she was saying.

"Cruciatus," Neville repeated, in a very small voice. "It inflicts pain, worse than anything you've ever felt. You can go mad if they don't let up on it… It's one of the Unforgivable Curses, using it on another person can get you sent to Azkaban for life…"

"Neville…" She suddenly had a very good idea what he'd see or hear around a Dementor. Against her better instincts she scooted closer and put an arm around his shoulders. "That's awful, I'm so sorry…"

"D-Don't tell anyone else, p-please," Neville sobbed, fighting tears. "Not even Ron and Hermione. I'll, I'll tell them when I'm ready… only reason I t-t-told you is because you'd get it… you lost yours t-too…"

"Yeah…" Cold fury coursed through her, and she vowed to one day finish the job she started when she was only a baby. "I'll stop them, Neville, I promise. One day I'll be strong enough, and I'll stop Voldemort and all his minions…"

"We'll stop them," he corrected fiercely, wincing just a little bit. "I owe them just as much as you do, Hazel."

"Right." His tears were dry, she noted, and she pulled away from him. "Thank you for telling me this… somehow I thought no one had suffered like I did, but now I see there's people who've suffered worse…" So those were the three Unforgivable Curses— she'd had two of them used on her up till now, and she wasn't especially looking forward to the last…

Later on, she found Luna Lovegood and spent the rest of the day with her, wandering around outside and listening to descriptions of strange and —most likely— false creatures. Not for the first time did she notice that an envelope of peace seemed to follow the strange girl, and she doubted even a Dementor could purge it completely. That evening after dinner, she finished packing her things up neatly, dreading having to go back to Muggle England, to Privet Drive and the brutish Dursleys.

The last day of term was taken up by anticipation for the great feast, and it did not disappoint. Food forever, a pretty speech from Dumbledore applauding Hazel and her friends for saving them all, Slytherin winning the House Cup by a country mile. She could barely sleep that night for the dread curdling in her guts, and all too soon it was morning again, and they were riding the thestral carriages down to Hogsmeade Station, boarding the crimson Hogwarts Express.

She was silent most of the way back, seated next to Luna with their hands clasped together. At least until Ron tried getting her attention. "Oi, Hazel, you awake?" he said loudly, snapping his fingers under her nose. "Were you up all night studying again?"

"Do that again and I'll hex you," she grumbled, pushing his hand away. "What do you want?"

"I was saying that Luna lives near us, and Mum wants you to come and spend a few weeks at our place," he went on, while Luna hummed and seemed to be counting the creases in Hazel's knuckles. "We'll try and set it up with your relatives of course, but we're coming whether they like it or not so be ready, okay?"

"Okay." Reluctantly she pulled her hand back, and reached into her bag for a quill and parchment. "Here, Hermione, this is our telephone number," and she scrawled the number down and handed it to the brunette. "Make sure not to call too early or too late though, or else the Dursleys won't like it, alright?"

"Alright," and she accepted the paper, folded it up and put it away.

"How come I don't get one?" Ron demanded.

"You lot don't even have a phone at home, I'll bet," Hazel laughed. "Not one that's hooked up, anyway."

"If we haven't got one, you can bet he doesn't," Draco drawled, and everyone but Ron laughed.

Hazel was about to go back into her daydream with Luna, when the corner of a familiar book caught her eye, poking up as Hermione looked for room to stash the note. "Where'd you get that book, Hermione?" she asked, nodding at the protruding tome.

"Eh? Oh… Professor McGonagall gave me these." She pulled out newer copies of the Occlumency books Hazel had once studied from. "It'd be risky to load us up with potions and things so she said I should study these, and they'll help with any nightmares or waking terrors."

"It really does, Professor Snape gave me those same books," Hazel explained. "By all rights, I should have been a wreck after what happened with Quirrell, but…" She shook her head and fell silent, and the others had nothing more to say about it either.

All too soon they were pulling into King's Cross, and Hazel put her Muggle things on and got ready to disembark. Trunk and owl cage in hand she stepped down, and to her surprise she saw Narcissa waiting alongside Mr and Mrs Weasley. She hurried forward and pulled Draco into a tight hug, and Hazel looked away, knowing that it was indecent to witness such emotion from those two.

After a moment, she released her son and turned to Hazel, and there was a stricken look on her face. "My husband… has been sentenced to one year in Azkaban, for the part he played in the tragedy at school this year," she said in a low voice, heedless of the throngs passing them by. "It would have been a lifetime sentence, except he offered to make reparations to the Weasley family for what happened to Ginevra…"

"I thought that might happen." Hazel stepped forward and took one of her hands. "You and Draco will be okay, I hope?"

"Yes, we'll be fine… it's been suppressed for now, but something this big cannot be hushed up forever. Draco and I will not be in England this summer." She gave Hazel's hand a squeeze, then let go, and without another word she turned and hurried away, arm over Draco's shoulder, his things floating along in their wake.

Troubled, Hazel turned to the Weasleys, who were making a fuss over Ginny as could be expected. "I'm fine, Mum, really," Ginny insisted fiercely, pointedly not looking in Hazel's direction. "They let me kill that manky old diary myself and everything!"

"You're far too young to be killing things, young lady!" Mrs Weasley sniffled, though it was easy to see she was proud of her daughter. She turned to beam at Hazel and hug her tightly as well. "And you've saved us all once again, I hear…"

"Come off it, Mrs Weasley," she protested weakly, "just did what anyone else would have done…"

"No other student could have managed everything you did," Mr Weasley remarked, clapping her on the shoulder as he smiled through his own tears. "You saved Ginny, we owe you everything… It was a lucky day for us when you and Ron made friends…"

Too abashed to reply, she pulled loose to wait for her turn at the barrier, and then stepped through into the haze of London. She saw the Dursleys, huddled around Vernon's car away from the wizarding families, and reluctantly approached them. "Hi…"

"Don't dawdle," Vernon growled, seizing her trunk and throwing it into the boot of the car. "Get in, come on!" She slid into the backseat and buckled herself in, and Vernon got behind the wheel.

"How was Smeltings, Dudley?" she asked as Vernon started driving off.

"Fine." He was bigger than before, and she could tell he'd kept up his boxing and self-defense. "The older boys are still picking on me, but I can fight back now so it's okay."

"You boys shouldn't be so rambunctious!" Petunia sniffed from the front passenger seat. Hazel sighed and leaned against the window, wondering how soon she could get away from Privet Drive this summer…

Notes:Lilium helped out on more than just this chapter, but I'm an awful person who forgot to mention them earlier. Forgive me, Lilium, and thank you! And all my other helpers too, thank you all!

As for year 3, I'm making decent progress with it, and it's shaping up darker than I anticipated. I'd like to make some more progress on it though, before I start posting it. See you then!

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