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Harry scratched the back of his neck, gathering his thoughts. His insight had been more intuitive than reasoned, and he wasn't certain how to put it into words.

"That Tom freak was like a ghost—except ghosts can't suck life out of people, right? They're intangible, but they can't touch you either. You... can't have it both ways." He glanced at Dumbledore, almost expecting to be corrected. "That's why I figured he had to be using something as a medium. Ginny was holding this book, so I tried to burn it, and then Riddle told me it was his diary that he'd enchanted himself, and... you've seen the rest."

"You are a credit to your house." Dumbledore's gaze flicked to the sword in Harry's hands. "And a true Gryffindor, to boot."

"Sir?"

The corners of the headmaster's eyes crinkled. "Only descendants of Godric Gryffindor—in blood as well as spirit—are able to wield his sword."

He extended his hand and Harry passed the weapon back. Dumbledore scrutinized the blood smeared on the hilt, then Harry's likewise stained palm.

"Were you hurt, my boy?"

"Only a scratch." Harry flexed his left palm, grimacing at the stickiness, and pointed his wand to clean it off. "Tergeo. Yep, not bleeding anymore."

"Let us move on, then." Dumbledore tucked the sword under his belt and pushed off the carcass with a groan. He hobbled towards Ginny's unmoving body, Harry catching up easily and falling in stride.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"I am fine, Harry, although I must admit that was too much excitement for a man of my years."

As if to put him at ease, Dumbledore straightened his back and picked up the pace until they reached the comatose girl. He took the Sorting Hat—for that's what it was, now that Harry took a closer look—off his head and gently laid it on Ginny's.

A mouth-like rip opened above the hat's brim and it said, "The girl's mind is intact, Albus. She is merely unconscious."

The headmaster sighed in relief and bent down to gather her small body in his arms. He then turned to whistle at Fawkes, who was standing atop the basilisk's corpse and pecking at it with unmistakable pride. The phoenix swooped down and hovered in the air in front of them, beating his wings lightly.

"Please take hold of my robes as well as Fawkes' tail, Harry," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eyes.

Shrugging, he did as asked. When he touched the warm feathers, a strange lightness spread through him, and he felt like he'd float up at any moment. Then Fawkes pulled them forward, and Harry whooped in excitement as they flew through the Chamber, reaching the entrance in seconds and shooting up the pipe.

They landed in Myrtle's loo, and he felt a pang of disappointment as gravity took hold again. Fawkes trilled and circled them once, then vanished in a burst of flames.

"Ever the show-off," Dumbledore said fondly. He moved towards the door and Harry hastened to open it.

Stepping out into the corridor, Harry collided with somebody wearing glittering golden robes. He blinked and looked up to see Gilderoy Lockhart flash his award-winning smile at him.

"Albus, Harry! How good to see you two alive and well. I was about to go down there and look for you myself."

Tony stepped out from behind the opened door. "He wouldn't let me go get McGonagall—said it was too dangerous. Glad you're okay, mate." He punched Harry on the shoulder lightly.

"But of course!" Lockhart exclaimed. "As the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, I'm best equipped to deal with such threats. There's no safer place in this castle than at my side."

Dumbledore nodded graciously. "Your presence is reassuring, Gilderoy. Please escort us to the hospital wing as Miss Weasley is in need of medical attention."

Still appearing somewhat weary, the headmaster set off at an easy pace. Lockhart drew next to him as they walked and glanced at Ginny's ashen face.

"Young Ginevra is going to be all right, isn't she?" he asked in an uncharacteristically somber manner.

"She is," Dumbledore said. "Harry's sterling judgement and the ability to think on his feet saved her life."

"Thank god for that," Lockhart said, his smile returning. He wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders. "Well then, young hero, tell me about your latest adventure!"

Wincing at the overpowering smell of perfume, Harry launched into a recounting of the events down in the Chamber. The professor and Tony proved an attentive audience, making awed noises and gasping at the right times, and he soon found he was enjoying himself.

After he described the way he'd stabbed the diary in a dramatic (and slightly embellished) manner, Lockhart finally stepped aside, allowing him to breathe easier.

"Marvelous, just marvelous," he said. "Fighting with a sword... not very wizardly, but certainly heroic. Baiting—no, battling the basilisk. I like the sound of that..."

Lockhart's voice dropped to a murmur as he fell behind. Harry exchanged glances with Tony and shrugged.

They entered the hallway which led to the hospital wing when fabric rustled behind them and Lockhart spoke again. "Oblivi—urk!"

Harry whirled around; the Defense professor was clutching his forearm which had a small knife sticking out of it. His wand clattered to the floor, and a pale Tony bent down to pick it up. Left weaponless, Lockhart retreated until his back pressed against the wall, eyes darting between the three wizards surrounding him.

"My word! Was it truly necessary to stab him, Mr. Goldstein?" Dumbledore asked.

"He tried to curse you, headmaster!" Tony said incredulously.

"Be that as it may, I cannot allow this to go unpunished. That will be one point from Ravenclaw and a detention in the kitchens. I hear the house-elves need someone to sample their new hot chocolate recipe."

Tony grinned. "Yes, sir."

"Harry, if you would do the honors?" Dumbledore asked calmly. "My hands are full at the moment."

"My pleasure," he growled, raising his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Lockhart's body went rigid, only his eyes moving to glare at them. Harry turned his back to the man and ran up to Dumbledore, who had immediately resumed walking.

Tony glanced over his shoulder. "Will he be okay?

"The Body-Bind Curse has a little-known effect of stemming blood flow," Dumbledore said. "Professor Lockhart can stay there and reflect on his actions until Miss Weasley's and Harry's injuries are taken care of."

The headmaster's tone was light, but his posture was rigid and his face hard. Even knowing the anger wasn't directed at him, Harry unconsciously put some distance between them, falling in step with his friend.

"Where did you get the knife?" he asked quietly.

"I always carry it in my shoe. You never know when you're going to need a Potions knife."

Harry stopped walking. "Mate, that's just weird."

Tony glanced at Dumbledore before whispering, "Not as weird as this place. Tell me you wouldn't have liked to have one when Quirrel kidnapped you last year."

He nodded slowly. "Good point."

The next week passed in a blur. A pair of surly Hitwizards took Lockhart away, the petrified students were restored, and Harry was bestowed a Special Award for Services to the School. Saturday found him in Dumbledore's office, where the headmaster shared some speculation in regards to the diary and its nature but admitted to not having encountered magic of this sort before.

"Let us turn to brighter matters," Dumbledore said. "In the rush of the past few days, I have completely forgotten our trophy from the Chamber."

Fawkes lifted his head from under his wing and trilled sleepily.

"Trophy, sir?" Harry asked.

"The basilisk, naturally. I would like to donate its skeleton to the Museum of Magical Creatures—a specimen this size will be the centerpiece of the exhibition for years to come. Its flesh is too poisonous to be of any use, but the skin could be auctioned off to collectors. Our school's coffers could use the coin—perhaps Professor Sprout will get those additional greenhouses she has been petitioning for." Dumbledore smiled at him. "As you have contributed to the basilisk's demise, I wanted to get your approval, Harry. I know a noble young man like yourself does not care about rewards—"

"I'm not that noble." Harry furrowed his brows in thought. "Could I get a bit of its skin, maybe?"

The headmaster lifted his eyebrows. "May I ask what you plan on doing with it?"

"I want a souvenir," he said with a grin, "so I'm getting the basilisk made into a couch."

Dumbledore laughed heartily, clutching his belly. "That can be arranged. Come to think of it, I could use some new shoes myself."

"I also need somewhere to put it..." Harry trailed off as he came up with an idea. "Like a clubroom, perhaps."

Dumbledore nodded. "There are plenty of unused rooms in the castle. I am sure your Head of House would be happy to assist you on this matter."

Tony, Padma, and Su followed Harry outside the common room and to a narrow iron-banded door. He turned the handle and pushed.

The door led to a circular room with high windows coated in grime and cobwebs. Dusty wooden crates were scattered haphazardly on the floor.

"Ta-da!" Harry turned towards his friends with a grin, then sneezed and rubbed his nose.

"What am I looking at?" Padma asked, her arms crossed.

"Our new clubroom—Flitwick said we could use it to study and stuff." He glanced at Padma's unimpressed expression. "Er... if you want to, of course."

Padma stepped inside, waving the dust away from her face as she appraised the place with a critical eye. "I suppose I could use a little peace and quiet sometimes. At least until I learn to silence those giggly third-years."

Harry released a breath. "Great! Shall we get to cleaning?"

"Don't be daft, that's house-elf work." She cleared her throat and rattled off, "Tipsy, Winky, Floppy, Meeny, Petey, Ginny, Boopy, Pokey, Mopsy, Hokey, Gobry—"

An elf in a toga appeared before her with a soft pop. "Young miss calls Gobry?"

"We need this place cleaned up," Padma said without batting an eye. "Bring us a table and four comfortable chairs afterwards."

"It will be done in a trice, mistress," Gobry squeaked, bowing deeply.

He popped away, only to come back with reinforcements. The number of elves seemed to grow in geometric progression, creating a veritable vortex of dirt as they scrubbed every surface.

Padma stepped out of the room and shut the door. "There," she said smugly. "We should let them work."

Harry nodded, impressed. "I guess there are perks to thinking like a pureblood."

"Maybe we could convince them to deliver food and drinks," Tony said as they headed back to the common room. "No one would know."

"Brilliant," Harry said. "We should also ward the door so that only we can get in."

"And we need a name—something cool, like Arcane Tower or Forbidden Archive..."

Padma snorted. "Boys."

"The Roost," Su said. Everybody looked at her, and she ducked her head.

"Oh, because we're eagles." Tony nodded. "That was totally going to be my third choice."

"I like it," Harry said, giving Su a smile. She glanced at him before averting her gaze.

Padma rolled her eyes and shoved the common room door open. Harry trailed her absentmindedly until she stopped in front of the entrance to the girls' dorms and quirked an eyebrow.

"Was there something else?"

"Ah, right—I was thinking of inviting Hermione Granger to study with us," he said. "You know, to help her catch up."

A wily look passed over Padma's face. "Granger, you say. I've heard about her from my sister—she called her a stick-in-the-mud. Parvati would be so annoyed if I befriended her."

Su sidled up next to Padma. "Hermione is the top of our year," she said with a note of admiration.

Taking that as approval, Harry glanced at Tony for his input.

"We're talking about the girl who conked me out and had me impersonated using an illegal potion." Tony put his hand on his chin in consideration. "Yeah, I'd rather have someone like that on our side."

Harry ducked into the hospital wing where the recently unpetrified students were recuperating. Locating his target, he ambled towards her.

"Hey, Hermione." He sat down on the chair next to her bed without waiting for an invitation.

"Potter." Her eyes narrowed. "You aren't going to ask me to brew you Polyjuice again, are you?"

"No, I can take a hint." He grinned. "On a completely unrelated note, can I have one of your hairs?"

She gaped at him, then went for her wand, face reddening. "If you ever try something like that—"

Harry raised his hands. "Kidding, just kidding. I've actually come to invite you to our study group."

She blinked. "You are in a study group?"

He nodded, eyeing the pile of parchment on her bedside table. "You've been out for a while. I'm sure you can catch up on your own, but it's easier if you have help, right?"

"I do have help." Hermione put her wand down, still watching him apprehensively. "Neville gave me his notes. They're... adequate."

"Su takes the neatest notes for all classes, even History of Magic. It's up to you, though. I heard everyone who was petrified is exempt from the end-of-year exams, so it's not like you have anything to worry about." He also heard that Hermione took schoolwork very seriously, but she didn't need to know that. He stood and pretended to leave.

"Potter—wait." He turned around, trying not to look too smug. "Aren't you all Ravenclaws? I can't exactly waltz into your common room."

"We have our own place, a turret off the Ravenclaw tower. Come by after lessons tomorrow and I'll show you."

"Maybe I will," Hermione said carefully.

Harry whistled an approximation of the 'joined your party' jingle from Final Fantasy.

She frowned. "What are you doing?"

He coughed to cover his embarrassment. "N-nothing. See you tomorrow, then."

Harry swept his arm in a grand gesture. "What do you think?"

"A bit out of the way for me, but it's nice," Hermione said, looking around their spotless clubroom with a guarded expression.

"Great, everyone's here," Harry said, looking over her shoulder.

Padma, Su, and Tony filtered into the room, and he introduced them to a fidgeting Hermione. The three girls soon started talking about academic topics, while Tony made a beeline for their new couch.

"Look at that! When did it get here?" The boy brushed the rich green leather with his fingertips.

"The house-elves brought it in not ten minutes ago." Harry frowned as he recalled the way those jumpy critters kept apologizing for being seen. "Makes me sad, every time I see one of those creatures."

Hermione's head whipped towards him. "I thought I was the only one who felt this way," she exclaimed, abandoning her discussion with Padma. "I can't believe they exploit intelligent beings here at Hogwarts!"

Harry blinked. "What? No, it makes me sad because it reminds me that true elves don't actually exist."

Hermione furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"Elves—tall, beautiful creatures with pointy ears? Imagine my disappointment when I found out what passes for one in this world."

"You mean like in the Lord of the Rings?" Hermione sniffed. "Don't be silly, that's just fiction."

"So was magic two years ago," Harry muttered, slumping onto his couch.

Oblivious to the damage she'd caused to his fragile heart, Hermione peered at the piece of furniture. "That looks swanky."

Harry patted the leather, admiring the way it gleamed in the sunlight. "It better. Had it crafted from basilisk skin by order."

Hermione gasped. "The one Dumbledore defeated?"

"Dumbledore and yours truly, thank you very much." The entranced look on Hermione's face lifted his mood. "Want to hear about it?"

Hermione nodded, dragging her chair closer.

"Very well," Harry said, making himself more comfortable. "It all starts with me and Dumbledore at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, having discovered it after a grueling trial which tested our wits and endurance."

Tony groaned. "Here we go again."

"Shush," Hermione said, her eyes sparkling. "Go on, please!"

Padma sighed loudly, but Harry just grinned. "The door was made unbreakable by ancient magic. Only those who solved its clever riddle and spoke the language of the snakes could pass through..."

Harry wandered the Hogwarts Express, having lost Tony in the crowd outside. He kept peeking into the compartments until he spied Hermione, accompanied by that bloke who always tagged along her in classes.

He knocked and slid the door open. "Hey, can I sit with you guys?"

Hermione hurriedly put the book she'd been reading away. "I—well, yes. Come in, Harry."

He sat in front of the boy, who gave him a cagey glance before looking away.

"Harry Potter," he said, extending his hand.

The boy clasped it with a clammy palm and quickly let go. "Nevile Longbottom," he murmured, then looked at Hermione as if pleading for help.

"Harry's, um... a study partner," she said. "He's helping me catch up after what happened."

Neville nodded, pressing his lips together.

The train whistled and began moving, and Harry slouched in his seat with a sigh. An awkward silence filled the compartment, with the trio studiously avoiding one another's eyes. Beginning to regret joining the pair of Gryffindors, he looked around for something to talk about.

Neville's robes rustled and Harry's gaze was drawn to a fat toad struggling to escape the boy's pocket. He leaned forward.

"Wow, can I hold it?"

Neville's frown intensified, but he handed the pet over. "Okay... just be careful."

Harry put the corpulent amphibian on his palm and lifted it up to get a closer look. He poked it in the side, feeling its rough, dry skin.

"That's a rare one," he said reverently.

"Trevor belongs to a common species," Neville said, watching him like a hawk. "But, if you mean as a pet, not m-many people bring toads to Hogwarts, I g-guess."

Harry twitched as Neville's stutter made him remember Quirrel, and ended up prodding Trevor a little harder than intended. The amphibian puffed up, opened its mouth, and screeched.

Harry was stunned for a moment, then began laughing uncontrollably while Neville scrambled to retrieve his pet. Hermione decided that the best way to help was to yell and gesticulate, and the compartment descended into chaos.

"Sorry," Harry said, choking back laughter. He glanced at Trevor, now cradled protectively between Neville's palms, and chortled again. "I—I didn't mean to."

"I'm leaving," a red-faced Neville said. "You can s-stay with him if y-you want."

The boy slipped the toad into his pocket and did just that, slamming the compartment doors so hard the glass rattled in its frame. Hermione glared at Harry, then hurried after her housemate.

He stared at the door, then shrugged and sprawled out on the comfy bench.