Chapter 6: A Test For The Brave Hearts Part One
Dumbledore
"I have bring Master Ron Weasley back to Aberforth, as you have instructed Master Dumbledore." Dobby said to the portrait back in the Headmaster office. Snape had gone out for dinner, like the rest of the staff and he thought it was just the right time to speak with Master Dumbledore alone.
"Good Dobby, that's very good. Do you have contact with the house elf's of the Malfoy Manor?" Dumbledore asked looking at the frail looking small elf just below his portrait. The elf had helped Harry many times in the past and he felt that saving the little elf's life was more than worthy, so he try his best to change his destiny as well. It will be a shame if such brave elf dies after saving so many others. A shame indeed.
"No Master Dumbledore. I will check on the status of young Master Draco soon, but Sir… its seems that one of the students is missing. Master Aberforth said that Luna Lovegood is missing." Dobby said shyly.
"Oh… I was fearing it was going to happen. Her fate seems to be now at the hands of Harry's group Dobby. I'm sure they will find her and keep her safe." Dumbledore said, hoping the girl's destiny haven't change for the worst. No one's fate was set in stone, so the changes he tries to make could be for the best or the worst, but he hoped that this time around more people survive the war than of that he came to know.
"I can look into that too, Sir if you want. I would like to help Harry Potter as much as I can." Dobby said happily and fervently nodding.
"If that's what you want, then go ahead. We all make our choices, dear Dobby and you are free to do as you desire as well."
"Yes, yes… Dobby will help Harry Potter Sir! I want to help Master Draco too, he had help my friends in the Malfoy manor Sir. I'm very happy with Master Draco now and Dobby likes him now, Sir. He is a good Master, now. A very good one."
"So it seem Dobby, so it seems. Just be careful when dealing with Bellatrix, if the time comes. She will not hesitate to kill you, Harry, Draco or anyone else when enraged or betrayed. Make sure she doesn't harm those you have come to love and you as well. Be very careful Dobby, make sure you all survive, I beg you."
"Don't worry Sir, I will make sure. I will not let her harm any of us. Yes Sir, I will make sure, now I must go." Dobby said and a second later he was gone.
"I wish you the best of luck Dobby to you and to all." Dumbledore said with some sadness. He was powerless now and the only thing he could do at that point was wishing for a better future.
Snape
He had left the great hall early as he knew that Ron Weasley was probably in Hogwarts grounds now, probably with the rest of the Dumbledore's Army. Oh, he knew about them and where to find them if he need to, but he chose to ignore the group as long as they didn't do anything foolish that could put them in danger. He wasn't particularly found of many students, but if war was to strike Hogwarts, then the students needed to find a way to defend themselves as much as they could and right now, that group was exactly what was needed.
He walked the corridors in silence in search of Slythering students out of place, he knew that Weasley will be looking for the Chamber of Secrets located inside the abandon bathroom and he needed to make sure that Ron Weasley gets into it without been discovered. He had tried to look for the tiara himself, but just like many others before him, he had failed. The task given to the boy was great, so the last thing he needed was to be discover before it could even begin.
He was rather tired of it all, tired of been a spy for the very men that had killed the only woman he had come to love with all his might and almost succeeded in killing her only son in the process. He was tired of carry the many burdens he had, been hated by those he had tried to help on the side lines for years and tired of been marked by those that knew nothing of him or his real intentions. After killing Dumbledore and knowing Harry Potter's fate, he was simply tired of it all. If the boy was going to be kill at the end, then he felt that all the effort and sacrifices he had put into saving Lilly's boy was all in vain.
Still, he hoped as Dumbledore had said, that the boy will survive somehow and that Voldemort will be defeated for good. That was the only thing that keeps him moving forwards now and until it was his time die, he will keep working on the sidelines to make sure it will happen. With that in mind he sent away all students he saw on his way, giving Ron Weasley and his friends a clear way to the bath. After that, he had another task with the sword of Griffindor, then the rest it was all to them.
Ron
It took a while for Ron to answer and explain the many questions and doubts the members of the DA have. He honesty wanted to get to the Chamber of Secrets as soon as possible, but the DA members deserved the explanations so they could fully comprehend what was at stake. Harry was the one with the leader abilities, but while speaking to the crowd, he found himself doing it better than he thought possible and they had come to make some plans for the most pressing problems at hands.
First, Neville, Ginny and himself will try to get access to the Chamber and retrieve the fangs from the basilisk. A group of Revenclaws will try to look for more information on the tiara and if possible find picture so that they all could see exactly what they were looking for and finally, some others students will try to pass the new information to the members of the order inside the castle, like Professor McGonagall for example for the preparation of Hogwarts to the upcoming war. With a fair amount of time to prepare for the war, fewer students and Professors will lose their lives. Aberforth had already agreed to let students escape school grounds through the tunnel that leads to his shop.
The teachers will have to come up with a plan to secure the castle before the coming of Voldemort and the only thing that was uncertain for them was who will keep teaching them defense against the dark arts in Harry's place. Some had suggested him, but he knew that wasn't his place. Someone else will have to fill that place later, for now his task was clear.
Neville and Ginny where a little ahead of him, making sure there was no one on the way to Moaning Myrtle bath and so far it has been strangely easy to get there with no one in sight. Ron was actually wondering if it was a kind of trap. Neville was probably thinking the same too, as he was showing anxiety right and left.
Ginny by the other hand was anxious for another reason. It was her the one who open the Chamber the last time and she didn't have good memories of it or to put it more accurate, she didn't have any memory of what she did when controlled by Tom Riddle at all. Still, she had insisted on going with them as she will never let anything happen to him or any other member of her family.
They keep going in silence, making sure no one was close by while they walked toward the abandon girl's bathroom and they almost get there with no one in sight until they heard voices coming from the hall that leads to the bath, Neville saw the pair that have given the DA so many troubles and they hide behind one of the big statues in the poor illuminated hall and waited.
"Okay, so those are the Carrows you mention, Neville?" Ron asked in a very low tone while he took a good look at the two clearly evil pair a little farther away from their hiding place.
"Yep, the two of them in the flesh. A nasty pair if you ask me. I honestly don't know how they end up as teachers here. The only thing they teach is dark arts and punishment. The Ministry sure had fallen low."
"So, what do you think about Snape? You saw it too on Dumbledore's memory, right? He acted like a double spy to save Harry from been killed too by You-Know-Who, because he was in love of Harry's mother." Ron said not really sure of what to think about that particular part of the memories. He simply couldn't picture Snape as a good guy.
"Well, I can't deny what I saw, but it's hard to trust Snape out of the blue. He did kill Dumbledore, even if Dumbledore himself had asked him to do so."
"I don't fully trust him just yet, as he keeps far too many secrets to himself, but if he had indeed tried to save Harry as apparently he has, then I may give him the benefit of the doubt if he proves he still wants to keep Harry alive." Ginny added in a whisper, while watching the brothers talk. Just why the hell those two where there of all places?
"Well, I guess you are right about that one. I wonder what Harry will think if he hears that Snape was in love with his mother and that he save him a few years back from that fall. The two of them don't have the best relationship, so it should be surprising at the very least, right?" Neville also whispering, completely siting on the floor.
"Oh, I wish I could be with him now. I'm so worry about him and had been since the three of you left in the wedding. I try to convince him to let me go too, but he refuse it." She was a strong woman too and although not as knowledgeable as Hermione, she could still be of help.
"Of course he refuse, Ginny. We have a very dangerous task ahead of us and no real plans to do so. It was hard… very hard. Specially when it was your time to carry the Horcrux. The thing just keep putting doubts in front of you." Ron said without thinking and just when his sister give him a hard look, he really realizes what he just admitted.
"Doubts, Ron? What kind of doubts are you talking about? Did you guys have a fight or something?" Ginny asked a little louder, although not enough to be heard by the pair.
"Well… we kind of have one. Sorry Ginny, I was going to tell you about it later but some things come up when Dobby bring me back here and…"
"Shhhhh, someone else is coming." Neville warned them before they begin a fight and both Ron and Ginny stare at each other for a second before turning to look at the newcomer and surprisingly, it was no other than Snape himself. The three of them froze on the spot and try to hear what he said to the Carrows, but from where they hide it was impossible to hear their conversation. Still, the brother and sister where not pleased with whatever Snape said to them and left in a hurry, leaving Snape on his own.
Snape stood there, on the same spot of the dark corridor for a minute while they watched in silence almost forgetting to breathe, until Snape turned to head their way and just when they thought that he too will pass them as the others two did, Snape stooped right in front of their statue and looked their way.
"You need to look for the tiara as soon as possible Weasley, there is another Horcrux even harder to get rid off than the one here or at Gringotts. The Lord's snake, it's always with him and once he notices you have discovered his deepest secret, he will protect it himself. Take that in mind always. Beware of your way down, you may find that there could be more than just bones now." And with that he was off, leaving the three of them speechless.
"He knew..." Neville mutter seconds after Snape left and Ron nodded coming out of their hiding place.
"Yeah, he did and I guess he is in our side now, otherwise he will have at least take me to You-Know-Who a second ago. Let's just hurry up guys, just like he said we need to find the tiara as soon as possible." They rushed the rest of the way and enter the gloomy bathroom, where Myrtle was still crying her heart out.
"Will she ever stop crying?" Ron asked in annoyance mostly to himself, but unfortunately the ghost girl hear him just fine despise her loud crying.
"It's easy for you to say that when you are still alive! Try dying and we will see if you can stop crying yourself! Aaahhhh." She screeched throwing herself inside the toilet, splashing them with some water in the process.
"You just have to make her mad, idiot!" Ginny slapped the back of his head and Ron turned to retort, but saw that Ginny wasn't in humor. There was a conversation unfinished between them, so he let it go and stood right in front of the sink where the snake could be seen and thought in the hisses that Harry had made when he talked in parseltongue.
He hissed one thing after another for a few minutes before the sink moved on his own to reveal the hole in the middle of it. Neville had been surprise as he had never been there before, but he manage to contain his excitement to go down and see the Chamber below.
"Okay, let's go find the fangs and then we focus on finding the tiara. We still have a long way in front of us before this is all over. Down we go, guys, no turning back." Ron said before jumping inside the tunnel as he had done the last time he was there. After him, Neville and Ginny follow him down, equally screaming with the not so gentle ride to the bottom.
Ginny fall in top of Neville, who cushion her fast slide at the end, while Ron got some minor wounds from the bones of the skeletons at the bottom. Last time he had worn the robes of Griffindor uniform, but at that moment he just have normal ones that easily ripped.
"Sorry Neville." Ginny apologize, fastly removing herself from over him while Ron use Lumus to illuminate the Chamber.
"Don't worry about it. Hey Ron, do you think there is something else down here like Snape suggested?" Neville ask, taking out his own wand. He wasn't the best one at fighting but he could hold his own. He has taken the DA lesson seriously and they have give him the courage needed to keep practicing just for occasions like that one.
"I guess we will find out soon enough. Let's go." Ron said leading the way toward the main gate of the Chamber where the thick metal door with the snakes awaits their entry. Ron hissed again in front of the door and the snakes moved one by one until it fully open.
The three of them ready themselves for a fight, just in case Snape had been right about something else waiting inside, more than bones. They walked in silence inside the dark tunnel looking right and left for possible dangers but as they advance, they find none.
"Odd, right?" Neville asked, but Ron ignore him. The previous block on the path was clear out and soon they could see the wide hall with big snakes statues on the sides and just in font of Salazar Slyhering stone face where the bones of the huge basilisk.
"Take as many fangs as you can and let's get out." Ron instructed and they get to work, but Ginny felt colder soon after and somehow it didn't feel like the winter cold. She looked right and left, fearing there were no longer alone inside the chamber, but saw nothing out of place at first. Unconsciously she hugged herself and she looked up just by chance and that was when she saw them. High above them in the chamber, Dementors were gathering. Ginny remembers that there was a wide hole nearby and from then she guesses the Dementors got access to the chamber with the many tunnels it holds.
"Ron! Look up!" Ginny warn him and both Neville and Ron looked up and gasped at the sight of who knows how many Dementors, just floating above them.
"Okay, it's time to go." Ron said taking Ginny's hand on his and making a dash toward the entrance with Neville following them close behind, but before they cold reach the end of the hall, a few Dementors descended blocking their way out.
"Damn it! Expecto Patronum!" Ron yelled and did his best to think in something cheerful. He thought in the good old days in Hogwarts when he, Harry and Hermione had laughed at silly things, he thought of his family and of better times. A bright Terrier dog materialize in front of them and the closer Dementors backed away, but they were still many coming from above and Ginny's too used her horse patronus to help Ron's dog to protect them.
They advanced little by little as they patronus clear a way for them, but there were Dementors on their backs as well and both Ron and Ginny felt their patronus diminish in brightness and Ron begins to remember his previous fight with Harry and his doubts about the one who truly holds Hermione heart. While he carries the locket, he was almost convinced that she was in love with Harry and that thought alone was enough to shake his resolve.
"Ron, behind you!" Ginny yelled as a Dementor had come closer to him stealing part of his happiness from him and she tries to hold her own patronus to help him and Neveille, but they were many Dementors circling around them and her happiness was begins to fade too. 'NO!' Ginny screamed internally and thought of Harry and the way he makes her feel, the way he kisses her and the way he loves her. She keeps thinking in those good moments they shared to keep his patronus as stable as possible, but at the end it may still not be good enough as they were outnumbered.
"Bloody hell, this can't end here!" Ron yelled desperately trying to focus back on happier times, but with a few Dementors trying to steal say happiness it was proving to be more and more difficult. The cold was already penetrating deep inside of him, but he keeps pushing himself to keep his dog bright, even if not as bright at the beginning.
Neville by the other hand was gathering and much cheerfulness in his life as he could. He had failed at the Patronus Charm many times, but in times of need there was no room for failure. He was a proud member of the Griffindor House and just like others in his house, he carries the courage to keep going and believing in what must be done. He let go of all fears as both Ginny and Ron protect him and themselves and with the strongest resolve he had ever had in his entire life, he firmly holds his wand and yell…
"Expecto Patronum!" And a very bright lion materialize in front of him, immediately circling around them sending Dementors away. With the combination of all three patronus and the extra brightness from Neville's big lion, they manage to reach the entrance and close the door behind them leaving the Dementors once again traped inside.
"That was close…" Ron whisper breathing heavily and both Neville and Ginny nodded in agreement.
"Congratulations Neville, you had created the most beautiful and brightest lion I ever seen." Ginny said to him with a big proud smile that Neville returned in full. Oh, yes he had finally proved himself that with enough will, everything was possible.
Harry
Ever since Ron left, everything has become chaotic, of that Harry was more than sure. First was the heated discussion with his best friend, which now felt like it has happened months ago instead of just hours. Then Draco Malfoy had shown up, bringing with him even more chaos that somehow Hermione and him had embraced giving the pressing circumstances. They had gone to the Malloy's manor to rescue Luna and although they have succeeded in such dangerous task, he was now wondering at what cost.
Luna and Olivander had both decided to have some deserved rest after their respective painful experience with the Dark Lord himself for Olivander and Bellatrix for Luna and none of them had minded the understandable decision, even when many questions circles inside their heads, especially those regarding what Voldemort wanted with the wand maker. He already had a guess, but he needed confirmation from Olivander as soon as the man was ready to answer a few questions.
As soon as they came back to the tent, Malfoy had send for another house elf, possibly from his house to have a look at the old man, which didn't look in good health and was running a fever. After the elf give Olivander and Luna a tonic, Malfoy and the house elf have gone outside probably to discuss what had happened at the manor after they left. Malfoy was perhaps asking his servant about his mother and whatever or not she was in trouble and that's when he notices that messing with fate had consequences.
First, if Malfoy was declared a traitor, his family will suffer the consequences and he was aware that the pale blond guy was trying his best to avoid such fate and second, there was Hermione's apparent confusion. Having Malfoy as an ally instead of an enemy was having some effect in the girl. Something similar happen when Krum had shown up on her life in the brief time they spend together. At first, the men annoyed her to no end, but after he kisses her, their relationship had changed.
Hermione had hated Malfoy for a while now, yet the new reality was probably reversing that fact. In just a few hours Malfoy had challenge her, defy her and save her once, proving that he had indeed had not care for blood status when he touches her in search for injuries and she haven't mind his touch. After they had come back, she had stare at him lost in thoughts and once he got out, she follows him out. Now, alone with two sleeping 'patients' as company he wonders just how much their fate had already changed. He wonders about Ron's fate too and that of him and Ginny.
He was sure that Malfoy's fate had already changed, possible for the better and perhaps, just perhaps his destiny was now intertwined with Hermione's. She may deny she had taken an 'interest' in him in the last few hours and she may not romantically like him just yet, but he feared that eventually she may fall for Malfoy the same way she falls for Krum, which also make him wonder what will happen with Ron. The redheaded guy was still his best friend and will probably remain been exactly that for the rest of his life, so if it was up to him, he would prefer for Hermione to stay with Ron.
However, Ron had already broke Hermione's heart once, when he goes out with Lavender for months and publicly kiss her right and left in the Hogwarts halls and he had seen how much that hurt Hermine. She was also his female best friend and if she ends up choosing someone else whatever Malfoy or some other guy, he was going to support her decision. Then he thought of Ginny and how their relationship will end. Will they stay together? Will she fall for someone else? He couldn't answer any of those question as he didn't even know if they will survive the coming war, but what he did know was that he missed her terribly.
Unconsciously he reached for the Marauder's Map under his pillow and open it to look for her name. Curiously enough it took him a few minutes to see her name right beside Ron's and Neville's ones, moving together toward... Wait. Why where they doing in that part of the castle? And to his horror, soon after Snape name come closer and closer to them, until the name just stopped by theirs. He had come to know Snape story and his parents past with him, but to be honest he hadn't come to terms with that part of his new reality and he feared it had all been a bad dream. If Snape wasn't on their side as Dumbledore had claim, then Ginny and the others where in deep problems. Yet, Snape keep walking after a few seconds to his immense relief and the three headed right for Moaning Myrtle bath. Moaning Myrtle bath!
He almost jumped out of his bunker bed when their names disappear from the map. There was only one explanation for that and it was an obvious one. Somehow they had went down to the Chamber of Secrets and although nothing was supposed to be there anymore, there was always the possibility that something else was lurking on the tunnels waiting patiently for victims. He rushed outside to look for Hermione and Malfoy and was going to call them out, when a bright light at his right caught his attention. He knew that light well enough to know it was a patronus. A doe if he wasn't seen it wrong and when the doe moved inside the near forest, he found himself following it.
AN: Hope you like it. I kind of wanted to give Neville the credit he deserved as I believe the guy truly have a lions heart at the end of the book when he bravely killed the snake and keep his faith alive even when everyone else thought that Harry was gone and I can't imagine a better patronus for him that a lion.
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