31 31 Potter

"Professor Snape, professor Sprout has the mandrakes ready!" A Slytherin prefect informed the potion master, who quickly brewed the Mandrake Restorative Draught. As one of the best potion makers in all of Britain it was an easy task for him.

And so one week before the end of the year's feast, one student after the other was cured from the Basilisk's petrification, all except one, who under the direct orders of Dumbledore was left untreated. Strangely he seemed to have disappeared along with his extra room and no one found it odd.

----

At the last day of the year a *pop* sounded at the entrance of the school, just outside the anti-apparition wards and inside walked a male adult wizard in his usual combat attire. At the huge double doors an elderly witch in her emerald-green robes was waiting.

"Head Auror Potter, it is a pleasure seeing you again. It has been a while." McGonagall said with a smile, glad to see one of her favourite students again.

"It is indeed good seeing you, professor McGonagall." James replied with a smile of his own.

"Oh please, I am no longer your professor I haven't taught you for so long."

"Still, you will always be my professor." the Scottish witch chuckled at James' usual banter. "Anyway, I believe Dumbledore is waiting for me."

"Yes he is, but would you like to visit your son before that, I believe the headmaster wouldn't mind waiting a little longer." McGonagall suggested.

"As much as I would love to do that right now, I fear that this time business comes first. A Basilisk is no trifling matter after all." James said as his smile morphed into a more stern look. That wasn't the real reason why, the real reason was that he might not be able to keep calm and do his work properly.

"Very well, but I can assure you that Harry is on track to full recovery." she remarked as they began walking towards the headmaster's office. "How is work in the ministry?"

After a bit of small talk they eventually reached the headmaster office, where McGonagall excused herself.

James walked inside and saw Dumbledore working on some papers at his desk, "Please come in James."

With his Occlumency shields strengthened he calmly walked over and sat down on the opposite chair. Dumbledore looked up from the stack of parchment and with a flick of his wrist sent them away.

"What can I do for you, James?" He said, as if it was any other usual conversation on a normal day.

"I believe Madam Bones has already informed you why I am visiting." James replied a little annoyed at Dumbledore's nonchalant attitude, but he didn't let it show.

"Yes, of course, she did sent a letter. Unfortunately I have to disagree, I see no reason why Hogwarts would need additional security." Dumbledore calmly explained while stroking his long white beard.

"With all due respect that is no longer up to debate. With a Basilisk having roamed the halls, the ministry believes the school needs it." James said, his voice getting a little louder.

Dumbledore with his usual gentle facial expression didn't rebuke anything, instead he offered some sweets after a short pause. "Lemon Grapes? They are new and I have to say the are growing on me. They have the form and consistency of grapes, but the flavour of lemons. Truly a marvel of ingenuity."

Of course this angered James. They were talking about a beast that could kill with a simple look and Dumbledore made light of the matter. Even worse his own son could have died.

But he shouldn't let his feelings cloud his reasoning. "*Sigh*, do you have any idea how furious the minister is? Or how many letters of complaint my department got? Madam Bones would have stormed the school if she was allowed to."

"I am aware that my judgment was questionable from an outsider's perspective, but no student was permamently harmed. Everything was under control. I believe we can leave it at that, can't we? As for your second point on the agenda, let me bring you to it." Dumbledore held out his arm for James to take.

The Auror judgingly looked at him for a few moments before grabbing it. James was not a fan of Dumbledore knowing to the letter why he was here, when it was not explicitly written in the letter.

Nonetheless he had a job to do, so the moment their hands made contact, Fawkes dashed from the corner of the room and burst into flames, engulfing both of them.

When James opened his eyes again he stood inside a room he had never seen, which could only mean that this was the chamber of secrets. The most secretive and legendary room inside all of Hogwarts, his Marauder's Map wasn't even able to pick it up. It was made by Salazar Slytherin, so what did he expect.

"This dear James, if you haven't noticed yet, which I believe you have, is the chamber of secrets. And if you look all the way over to the front you will see what remains of the Basilisk."

The Auror was still taking in his surroundings and looking at the intricate carvings on the wall and the entrance of the pipes, when the headmaster pointed into the distance. There lay a monstrous skeleton of a snake. Not a single piece of flesh was left, like someone had scavenged it for valuables.

James was lost for words as he examined the creature, 'To think my son slayed this monster.'

It took a while for a different thought to find its way inside his head, to which he quickly found the answer, 'Who took the body apart?'

The only possibility was the person accompanying him down here, which would mean that Dumbledore had broken wizarding law, because according to it the spoils of the fight were rightfully Harry's. His son would have full ownership over the Basilisk's body, but he doubted Harry could have done such a fast and clean job with the body, which again means that Dumbledore was the most likely candidate to have done it. A wizard of his wisdom and status surely must know how and what to do with this creature, the only question left was, why didn't he take the bones. Surely they would be just as valuable as the rest. So James, who was still crouching before the skeleton, opened his mouth, "You did it, didn't you?"

Silence hung in the room for a few seconds before the headmaster said, "Yes, I did. I took it in exchange for saving your son's life."

Both were aware that that was nonsense, Dumbledore had a duty to protect his students and as the headmaster he way most likely aware where every single student inside the castle was moving. I mean if James and his friends were able to built their map by using Hogwarts' wards, then he couldn't imagine Dumbledore being unaware.

He would have loved nothing more than to invoke his son's right as victor and reclaim his bounty, but he was painfully aware of what the man next to him was capable of. They weren't on the best of terms ever since the last battle of the first wizarding war. The Potters were practically abandoned by the light forces, they had to face the dark lord all alone on that fateful night. It was an eye opener. Just look at the Longbottoms.

If he now were to openly accuse Dumbledore of breaking wizarding law, he would paint a big fat target on his family. He most likely would loose his job, so would his wife, his children wouldn't have a bright future and hit peace after hit peace would get published in the papers.

James could do nothing but grit his teeth and let Dumbledore get away with it, at least for now, maybe he will get an opportunity in the future. Having seen enough of the skeleton he focused on the otherwise rather bleak room, "Anything else in here I should know about?"

"No. Salazar Slytherin's only intention seemed to be to kill muggle-born students." the headmaster lied as he thought about the book Harry had returned to Lucius Malfoy.

James' intuition told him there was more to it, but he won't get it out of Dumbledore's mouth. He will have to ask his son later. "Alright, then I need to see the entrance to the chamber."

They flashed with Fawkes there, which James thoroughly investigated. Of course there was no evidence of any magic remaining that could give a clue to how much Dumbledore knew or anything that would tell him how it was hidden.

At this point James had already given up on finding anything substantial, he would write his suspicions in his report, but he was sure that it will mysteriously disappear, never to be found. At least he will tell Madam Bones personally what he had found that's the least he could do for the sake of the truth.

"That's all, if you don't mind could you apparate me into the hospital wing." James asked a little defeated.

With a burst of flames they reappeared right next to the only occupied bed in the main room. Harry was already discharged by Madam Pomfrey, but was told to wait a little longer, so imagine his surprise when out of nowhere his father of all people emerged in front of him. He happily yelled, "Dad", as he saw him.

James' mood instantly changed and he reciprocated the jovial feelings with a tender hug, making sure not to apply too much pressure onto his son's left side.

Dumbledore looked at their reunion with a smile of his own, albeit a little too long. Almost a weirdly amount of time, but no one of the two noticed as they were preoccupied. And without another word he disapparated back into his office.

Eventually the hug came to an end and James warmly looked at his son, "How are you doing?"

Harry looked a little ashamed to his left, at his still missing arm. He was a little shy showing his current condition to his father, he had always looked up to him in the form of a role model. Just like him he wanted to be an Auror later after graduating. But nothing a little humour couldn't fix "Could be better, might need a hand here and there."

"Ahahaha"

Both laughed at the awful dad joke, before Harry told him what Madam Pomfrey had explained to him. "After another week they should be able to reattach my arm and leg. They are currently stowed in that brown case down there. The matron recommended we do it at St Mungo's. Other than that I am doing splendid"

"That's good to hear. Let's go home, your mother would kill me if I kept you here any longer." James said as he got out his wand and with a flick levitated Harry's luggage. The elves had brought everything down here so he wouldn't have to go back into his dorm room. "I still remember the first time I got my arm cut off..."

As he reminisced in his memories he didn't fail to mentally take note of the fact that a Confundus Charm had been cast inside the hospital ward. He would make sure to tell Madam Bones that but would leave it out of his written report. However, he could not wrap his mind around why it was done.