Rating:
PG-13
House:
Schnoogle
Ships:
Harry Potter/Luna Lovegood
Characters:
Harry Potter Hermione Granger Luna Lovegood
Genres:
Action Drama
Era:
The Harry Potter at Hogwarts Years
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix Half-Blood Prince
Stats:
Published: 08/10/2005
Updated: 01/24/2006
Words: 106,949
Chapters: 33
Hits: 137,035

Companions of the White Warlock

DrT

Story Summary:
Year seven of the HBP-compliant story (on Dark Arts) 'Smoke'. Harry, Hermione, and Ron go after the remaining Horcruxes, aided by Luna, Ginny, Neville, Remus, Tonks, and Professor Russell.

Chapter 10

Chapter Summary:
Year 7 of the HBP-compliant story (on Dark Arts) 'Smoke'. Harry, Hermione, and Ron go after the remaining Horcruxes, aided by Luna, Ginny, Neville, Remus, Tonks, and Professor Russell.
Posted:
11/03/2005
Hits:
3,854
Author's Note:
Searching the Chamber of Secrets, and beyond.



Smoke Year VII - Companions of the White Warlock
Chapter X
Saturday, August 2, 1997

"It's not like Moody to be late," Charlie complained. The others, Russell, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Lupin, Tonks, Hagrid, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Slughorn, were waiting outside Myrtle's toilets.

"I hear him coming," Remus said, and a few seconds later, they all heard the peg leg coming down the corridor.

When he turned the corner, Moody called out, "Potter! I need a word before we get started."

Harry came forward. "What's happened?"

"There was an attack on your aunt's just before dawn this morning," Moody growled softly. "Bellatrix Lestrange and three other Death Eaters attacked just after midnight."

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Your uncle had some good Muggle alarms, which the Death Eaters tripped. He shot and killed Lestrange and one Gregor Bach, known to be a minor member of a neo-Grindelwald coven. Another Death Eater then killed your uncle. At that point, the guards on duty finally attacked them from the rear. Your cousin tackled Vincent Crabbe and beat him pretty badly."

"Oh . . . bother," Harry spat.

"Your aunt and cousin want nothing to do with you, they said. They're moving as soon as they can sell the house, and if there is no contact with you, then the Death Eaters probably can't track them down in the Muggle world." Moody was uncertain how Harry would react to all this news.

Harry gave a deep sigh. "Fine. Let's just get this search over with, and can will worry about the attack later." He spun around and led the group into the toilets, not caring that half the group had overheard. Hermione and Ginny both made moves to comfort him, but Luna stood between them and Harry and shook her head.

"Come to attack a friend of mine?" Myrtle shrieked at Harry as soon as he entered. "Oh, that's right, you already tried to kill him!"

"Myrtle, how would you like to be trapped in a u-bend for a few decades?" Hermione snarled, still smarting from Luna's interference.

Myrtle gave the group a sniff and retreated into her toilet. Harry went over to the sink that marked the entrance. "Open," he commanded. The sink retreated, revealing the long stone slid.

"I don't know if I can go down that," Moody admitted. "I certainly couldn't get back up."

"Try the command 'stairs,' and see if that does anything," Russell suggested.

Harry shrugged and did so. A set of winding stairs appeared. "I guess it makes sense that there would be an easier way up," Harry said.

"How far down is it?" Luna asked.

"It felt like at least a hundred feet," Harry said. Ron nodded his agreement.

"Then it might be faster if we slid," Luna said. "If someone could conjure and charm us some toboggans, it should be safe enough. If we charm them, they could go down the spiral."

"Excellent idea, Miss Lovegood," Flitwick said. He and McGonagall conjured the toboggans and charmed them to slide slowly, together, and under the simple control of their riders. Hagrid went first, Remus last, with Charlie and Russell helping Moody and Slughorn aboard theirs.

The ride took just five minutes. It took another half an hour to clear up the subsidence that had partially collapsed the tunnel, and another fifteen minutes to make certain that the tunnel was fully supported.

Harry approached the sealed door, and then stopped. "The basilisk's body was huge. It's been decaying for four years. Would it be stripped down to bone by now?"

The others looked at each other and shrugged. "There's no way of knowing," McGonagall finally said. "If vermin and bacteria could feed on it, it might be gone. If the body poisoned them, it could be . . . very nasty in there."

"Bubblehead charms for everyone then, I should think," Slughorn suggested.

They were very glad they had done so. The huge snake was fully rotting, but only partially eaten away. The stench would have been unbearable.

The group worked under Slughorn's direction for nearly an hour, preserving what little they could for potions ingredients. It took another hour to freshen the Chamber enough to make it bearable and to scourgify themselves for the same reasons. By then, it was into the afternoon, and the group took a welcome break. After that, Slughorn, Hagrid, and Charlie took their leave, taking the potion ingredients and the basilisk skeleton with them.

Afterwards, the remaining group took nearly hours to completely map and search the Chamber. George joined in around 3:30, while Fred would come along after 5:00.

The group found five hidden exits. One led into the Hogwarts drainage system, and had obviously been the basilisk's preferred way in and out of the Chamber. Two led to small rooms, completely empty except for shelves. It was clear that if there had been anything in them fifty years before, Riddle had cleaned them out.

The fourth also led to a small room, and this one was full of scrolls and manuscripts. It took a concerted effort on the parts of most of the group then present to clear the room of hexes and traps. Hermione, Luna, and Flitwick took the papers back to the bathroom just as Fred was coming to join in.

The final exit was the one they had been afraid they would find. One leading further under the lake, towards the far side the unbroken forest.

Shortly after 6:00, the group cleaned up, ate, and took stock. "The question is," McGonagall said, "do we collapse the tunnel under the lake now or follow it first?"

"I'm not certain we dare collapse it, at least right away," Russell pointed out.

"Why is that?"

"We are certainly at least partially under lake level," Russell said simply. "The collapsing tunnel might let in lake water, and this entrance might not seal off the water. I grant you, flooding the Chamber might not, in itself, be a bad idea. However, that could undermine the foundations of the castle in time."

"I suppose that is true," McGonagall said wistfully. "I just hate leaving it like this."

"True."

"Fred, George, Ron, Remus, Tonks, and I should go on through," Harry said. "The Headmistress and Moody can go up-top. Prof, which do you want to do?"

Russell sighed. "I want to go up-top, but I'll come along with you."

"Remember," Remus said, "the tunnel could still be impassible at some point. We might have to double back." With that, the group nodded and separated.



It took an hour to work their way down further under the lake, and then walk the turn that took them deep under the Forbidden Forest, all guided by their wandlight. The tunnel seemed dry and sturdy, but Remus and Russell pointed out numerous places where the tunnel was reenforced by magical wards.

"What's on the other side of the Forest?" Harry asked as they started to climb the slow assent, "and is that where we are now?"

"I doubt it," Russell said. "You've seen the low mountains to the north and south of the area, of course. The Forest circles both ridges and extends westward into a long narrow vale with a slightly higher and unbroken ridge setting the western border. That's all Forest. On the other side of that ridge is mostly non-magical forest, then an ancient Royal preserve, and a few miles beyond that are a few poor farms -- mostly Muggle but there are a few mixed and magical crofters as well -- then another ridge, and then the coast-line. My guess is that we're either under or just past the far side of North Hog, as the ridge to the north of Hogwarts is known."

"The ridge to the south, nearer Hogsmeade, is of course South Hog," Remus put in.

"So, is that centaur or spider territory?" Ron asked.

"It's nearer the spider territory," Remus admitted.

"Joy," Ron groused.

The climb became even steeper. After a further six minutes of the climb, Russell muttered, "I think we must be inside the bloody mountain."

Harry took a look at the perspiring Prof. "Since we're at least past the waterline in any event, let's take a break."

Russell conjured himself a soft chair and sat down heavily before anyone else could even comment. "I just hope there is an open exit," he said tiredly. "I don't want to make the walk back if I can help it."

"We could apparate," Ron said with a shrug.

"You don't just try and apparate from deep underground," George reminded Ron. "It can be dangerous."

"And remember, there could be all sorts of warding and other protective magic here," Remus said before Russell, who was massaging his lower calves, could. Harry rolled his eyes, but decided not to remind them of his more powerful version of apparation.

"Right," Ron agreed with a sigh. A long moment passed.

"I was hoping for a bit more excitement," Fred said.

"If you really want to match your wits against both Salazar Slytherin AND Voldemort, you can take the lead," Remus said drily. "Just remember, if you do, we'll give you a proper burial." Russell and Remus had taken the lead from the beginning, and had cleared a few minor hexes along the way. Both knew there was a good chance that there could be some significant traps at some point, most likely at the exit.

George looked around. "Since we have to be well above the water level by now, we could collapse the tunnel at any point, once we know there's an exit."

"Maybe," Russell said. "There seems to be a stream of connected magic all along the tunnel."

"It started at Slytherin's statue," Harry said softly. Everyone looked at him. "It's very . . . not exactly strong, but concentrated and . . . robust."

No one said anything for a moment, then Russell said, "Do you think it would prevent the tunnel being collapsed?" He and Remus knew of the magical connections through incantation and testing, but Harry's ability was something new.

"I don't know," Harry admitted. "I've started to sense magic like this, but I have no idea what any of it means."

"Do you think some information might be in that one room with the manuscripts?" Tonks asked.

"There's no way to tell," Remus said with a shrug. "I just wish I knew if Riddle missed it or left it."

"I would think he must have missed it," Harry mused. "It would have to have been pretty irrelevant for him not to have either taken or destroyed all of it."

"You probably have a better idea of how he thinks than anyone else on our side," Remus said. "From what little I know, I would agree."

Russell stood and stretched. "I do as well. Shall we move on?"

The group moved on up the incline.



Twenty minutes later, the group halted abruptly. "What's wrong?" Ron asked.

"There was a red gleam ahead," Remus, who was at that point in the lead, said. "Or rather, two red pin-points."

"Form a line and hold your wands above your heads," Harry directed. As the group did so, the two pin points were seen more clearly.

"Reflections," George said.

"Most likely," Russell agreed.

"Stay here," Harry commanded, and he walked forward. When he got near the darkness, he added, "Come forward, at my pace." As Harry slowly moved forward, the group followed.

Thirty feet further, Harry raised his hand and the group stopped, although they could no see what he saw. They did hear Harry hiss what sounded like a question.

"Might have known," Fred said.

"Considering who almost certainly built this, yes," Remus agreed.

There was a very soft hiss out of the darkness, and soon there was a full conversation, although they mostly heard Harry's side of things. Finally, Harry turned around. "We've basically reached the end of the tunnel," he said. "Slytherin did build this and left a guardian. According to it, no one has come through this way in centuries, although it has rather lost track of time."

"So no Riddle?" Tonks asked.

"Apparently not," Harry answered. "I am certain it would tell the complete truth to an heir of Slytherin. I am not as certain it would to a White Warlock, even one who is a Parseltongue, but I believe it probably is." Harry smiled as he heard something. "It says it does not lie, although it may not tell me everything it knows without a specific question. It did say that there is a way out from the other side of the entrance it is guarding, but does not think it likely that its counterpart on the other side will let us back into the tunnel."

"So, do we risk it, go back, or split up?" Tonks asked.

"We shouldn't split up," Russell stated.

"Probably not," Harry agreed.

"Forward or back, then?" Ron asked.

"Forward, I would think, my lord?" Russell suggested.

"Stop that, Prof," Harry said with a grimace.

"Harry, you are the commander. Ask for our opinions if you desire or need them, or make your decision."

Harry gestured behind him. "Have a look, and tell me what you and Remus think."

Russell and Remus walked forward, and a wall of stone blocks blocked the tunnel. On the large central block was a carving of a snake, which had two small rubies for eyes. As the pair approached, the stone snake suddenly writhed and hissed at them.

Harry hissed back and then told the two wizards, "Go ahead, just don't direct any magic at the central block."

"But. . . ." Remus started to protest.

"Don't worry about it," Harry said with assurance.

"If you're that certain, why don't we just go on through?" George asked.

"Go on, then," Remus said with a sigh.

Harry smiled, and then hissed at the snake. The wall turned on a central pivot, and the group moved through, Harry hissing his thanks as he went through last.

They found themselves in a long oval cavern, about thirty yards across at the widest point and over a hundred yards long. They were at one of the short ends.

The floor was mostly flat, although, as they searched the cavern, they found a small pile of debris just off-center. This directed their eyes up.

The cavern arched high over head. There was a small opening some two hundred yards above their heads, where they could see the gathering dusk. Other than that, there was apparently nothing in the cavern, other than another carved snake on the cavern-side of the door, this one with emerald eyes.

The group explored the cavern while Harry talked with the snake. After a few minutes, Harry called the group together. "Anything?"

They all muttered their negatives, except for Remus and Russell, who had traced the lines of power to a point along one of the long sides of the cavern. The group walked over as Harry said, "The guardian on this side had a bit better sense of time, no doubt because it wasn't shut up in the dark for almost a thousand years. It also claims that Riddle has never been through the door, and I tend to believe them."

"That might be so," Remus agreed. "After all, it appears as if he did miss that one manuscript room."

"Likely, but not proven," Russell said.

"True," Remus readily agreed.

"Open," Harry commanded the wall in Parseltongue. It did nothing. "Open in the name of Salazar Slytherin," Harry tried next, and this time the wall slid back. Magical torches instantly lit the inner chamber. Harry slipped in, bringing Remus and Russell with him.

It was, in many ways, a tiny version of the Chamber of Secrets -- an empty room with crude but elaborate patterns carved into the living rock, with a statue of the rather monkey-faced Slytherin at the far end.

"Do you think he really looked like that, or was he a poor artist?" Harry asked.

"It's rather stylized, but probably not a totally unrecognizable likeness," Remus said, from the side of the small chamber he was examining.

"But you are right, in that Slytherin carved these magically himself," Russell added from the other side of the room. "In doing so, he put a bit of himself into the statues. That is what links the statues, and powers the magic keeping the tunnel open and the Chamber and the cavern intact."

"You mean like a Horcrux?" Harry demanded.

"The concepts are not totally dissimilar," Russell agreed. "However, Slytherin put a bit of his life-force into the making, not a bit of his soul."

"I have something," Remus said. He had been examining a ribbon carved into the rock all around the chamber, and had found one small part of it was actually a snake. It did not, however, react to either magic or Parseltongue.

After ten minutes of testing, Harry said, "What the heck," and touched the snake.

It clicked, and the rock underneath it slid open to reveal a cache of more manuscripts, which Remus bagged. An additional hour of thorough searching revealed nothing else, either in the chamber or in the cavern.

Tired and hungry, Harry apparated the entire group back to Hogwarts.

"What a nice Parselmouth," the red-eyed guardian said after the group had left.

"True," the green-eyed one agreed. "I don't just say that because his eyes matched mine."

"It's a shame he did not ask the right questions," red-eye mused.

"Well, the Heir to our Maker did not come through the door," green-eye pointed out. "He stayed on your side when he was at school, and the three times he was inside the cavern, he came in through the top, not through the door."

"I know that as well as you," red-eye snapped. "It's a real shame they did not examine the door more closely."

"Well, I suppose it might not be common to make a hiding place inside a door," green-eye pointed out.

"True," red-eye agreed. "I wonder if what he hid there was important? Important to the people who were here today, I mean."

"That would be difficult to say," green-eye had to say. "I wish we could have told him about it."

"We are not allowed to . . . are we?"

"It's been so long, I cannot remember, either," green-eye agreed. "I do much prefer this one to the one who claimed to be the Maker's Heir."

After several minutes, red-eye asked, "We never did ask for proof that that one was the Maker's Heir, did we?"

"You know, since he never went through the door, we never did," green-eye agreed.

"Do you think it likely you'll see any snakes who could pass on a message?"

"Probably not until they come to wait out the winter," green-eye said.

"Well," red-eye said, "I'm sure things can wait until spring." The pair of magical guardians went back to sleep.