"Ah. Well if it makes you feel better, I cursed out Memorymort while I was annoyed with him."
"And you called him a pathetic leech. Don't forget that. That was funny," Daphne chimed in.
"Man I miss all the fun," Neville complained.
"You can kill the next iteration of Voldemort, okay, Nev?"
"Okay. Now you can't complain when I get him before you do, Harry."
Tracey looked between the three of them, shaking her head. "You people are all insane."
The group stopped at the bottom of the section of tunnel leading back up to Hogwarts proper. Shiva was about to try transfiguring little steps when Daphne snorted. Everyone looked over at her and she shrugged. "Do you really think Salazar Slytherin would simply jump into a dank hole? Especially with no easy way back out?"
Harry laughed and got her meaning while Neville, Tracey and Shiva just squinted at Daphne with furrowed brows. Harry turned to the tunnel and breathed out, {Stairs.} Nothing happened. {Steps.} A dull thump resounded as a staircase extended out from the floor of the tunnel spiraling away into the darkness. Harry raised his eyebrows at Daphne.
"Much better. That is far more appropriate," the girl responded with an entertaining regal huff.
Shiva shook her head in exasperation. "Haha very funny. Up we go people. Harry, you and me first so you can open the door up top too." Lockhart floated along ahead of them as the small group of battered students and teachers limped their way up the stairs. When they reached the top Lockhart made a quiet mewl of protest as he bumped into the sealed doorway out before Shiva moved him back. "Whoops," she deadpanned. Harry couldn't blame her for being rough on the man. Besides…better for her to take her ire out on Flophart than on him.
~Open.~ The sink and trapdoor slid open at Harry's command.
Walking back up into Myrtle's bathroom Harry and Shiva were immediately swamped by Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick and Pomfrey. Snape hung back until Daphne, Neville and Tracey climbed out then he swooped down on his own students.
"My boy, what happened to you?" Dumbledore asked immediately with his mouth set in a frown. Harry glared at the man but didn't reply. Dumbledore cast a swift glance at the others and stared at the Sorting Hat still perched on Daphne's head. "Flopsy?"
"Give them room, Albus," McGonagall said pushing her superior back slightly and waving Pomfrey forward.
"Babbling, injuries?" the Healer asked cutting straight to the point.
"Potter and Greengrass have multiple cuts and abrasions as well as exhaustion likely both magical and physical," Shiva reported in a tired but calm voice. "Davis has been spiritually drained but the process was halted partway through. She's coherent and without obvious physical injuries but also exhausted. Longbottom has minor abrasions. Lockhart had a major groin injury as well as abrasions on his left arm. He is experiencing extreme trauma from a backfired memory charm. I have no idea if he can even speak anymore." Pomfrey began uttering several charms under her breath with wand directed at Tracey.
"What did you do to my students, woman?" Snape said checking over Daphne and Tracey. His last word was uttered almost like a curse as it was directed at Shiva. Nearly everyone in the small bathroom bristled at that. Daphne, Neville, and Harry all stood up straighter and glared at the man.
"She helped us to rescue my best friend, Sir," Daphne said, her mouth set in a thin line. "She saved the three of us from being hit by an obliviate powerful enough to render Lockhart functionally deceased. She did not hesitate a moment to proceed into a long lost section of the castle expecting to confront a thousand year old basilisk simply because a student was in danger. Please do not deride her character in front of me, Professor. Professor Babbling deserves a great amount of respect."
Harry's eyes widened as he witnessed something he never expected to see: Snape glanced between Daphne and Shiva and his scowl noticeably lessened before nodding at the older woman in a show of respect.
"Perhaps we should take this discussion to the infirmary?" Flitwick said stepping forward from where he had been examining Lockhart.
"Yes, I think that might be best," Dumbledore said softly as he gazed sorrowfully at the assembled students. As he turned back from Harry he froze midstep, cocked his head and then his jaw dropped open. "Fawkes?"
After everyone had been arrayed onto their separate cots the story of how they came to be down in the Chamber was delivered to those assembled. Fawkes remained on Harry's shoulder the entire time occasionally letting out a trill and headbutting Harry's neck. Hedwig appeared in the window to the infirmary a few minutes in and stared at the baby phoenix before giving a hoot of approval and turning her head, to all appearances looking like she was settling in to hear the story as well as the humans. Harry could only chuckle at his familiar.
"And so we ended up stabbing the diary with the sword," he finished with a shrug.
"I find this all very hard to believe, Potter," Snape said with narrowed eyes. "Surely you exaggerate. There is certainly no way a mere child such as yourself could destroy a creature such as a basilisk."
Before Harry, Shiva, Neville or Tracey could say anything a low growl floated through the room. Daphne stood from her bed and walked over to stand in front of Snape with her fists clenched. "You pathetic, spiteful, hate-filled cretin. Harry Potter and I just faced down a creature a thousand years old and 60 feet long. A creature that was intelligent enough to taunt us when Harry tried to reason with it. A creature whose fangs were longer than my forearm. A creature whose gaze we only survived because Harry was smart enough to come up with an effective counter. A creature that could've swallowed us whole. We nearly died at least six times in under two minutes by my count. We faced down an apparition of Voldemort himself. Do. Not. Insult. Us. Professor Snape. Do not insult the struggle we just walked away from. Do not insult that danger we were in or the risks we took to help my friend. Make no mistake, Professor. Harry performed something that nearly every adult witch or wizard I know would run from screaming with soiled pants. Do not deride him in my presence sir!"
Daphne finished her speech with her features twisted somewhere between resignation and fury but she got in one further jibe. "It is common knowledge that you praise Slytherins and disparage Gryffindors, as it is common knowledge that you bear some sort of grudge against Harry Potter. Do not let your hatred blind you to facts, Professor." Snape looked completely dumbstruck. His hand was clenched hard enough to turn the knuckles white, eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open.
"Daph…" Tracey said quietly. Daphne sighed and turned to pad back to her bed, giving Tracey's hand a short squeeze on the way.
"Be that as it may," Dumbledore said filling the sudden silence, "I am still uncertain how Fawkes was able to come and assist you, Harry."
Harry shrugged. "Search me. The Feedback Blastor didn't do squat, I asked for help and then, boom," he waved his arms wide, "he showed up in a burst of flame with the Sorting Hat. Thanks again, buddy." Fawkes headbutted him again and gave a short trill of approval. Hedwig bobbed her head and hooted in reply.
"Most curious…"
"Headmaster," Shiva asked sitting on the edge of her own bed, "do you have any idea what that diary thing that Riddle created was? I know Voldemort is stupid powerful but I've never even heard of binding a spirit memory to an object before. At least not one that could both think for itself and attempt a full possession."
"I…am unsure," Dumbledore replied slowly. Both Harry and Shiva narrowed their eyes at the old man. Harry couldn't help but think back to Dumbledore's responses to his questions from last year with Quirrell. The Headmaster knew far more than he was letting on. "Voldemort was certainly familiar with arcane branches of magic. I will have to do research on this subject to ascertain the extent of what was done." Dumbledore turned and met Harry's gaze with his twinkling eyes. A moment later the man held a hand to his forehead with a groan and slumped down in his chair.
Pomfrey rushed to the Headmaster while Snape turned on Harry. "What did you do, boy?" As Harry glared at Snape intending to tell him off the potions master also yelled out in pain and fell backwards. His hands clutched his head and he twisted towards Harry though he kept his eyes clenched shut. "Potter!" the man roared.
"I didn't do anything!" Harry yelled back.
Most of the residents of the infirmary just stared between the three completely lost. Only McGonagall and Shiva seemed to figure out what had just happened. The Deputy Headmistress scowled and stalked towards Dumbledore while Shiva wore a furious expression and put herself in-between Harry and Snape. As Pomfrey moved from Dumbledore to Snape, McGonagall hauled the older man to his feet. "What has the boy done to warrant that attempted intrusion, Albus? Save the life of a classmate? Slay a danger to the entire student body? Gain the favor of a Founder? Question one too many things? Never attempt to read a student or any minor without cause in front of me again, Albus, or I will see you run out of here before you can say 'lemon drop'! I would expect such foolhardy behavior from Severus but not from you! And you, Severus!" McGonagall turned to the potions master who simply glared back at her. "You are a fool. If Albus Dumbledore was summarily rebuffed what makes you think you could get through. Go do something productive and make a healing draught! Get out!"
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