Chapter Text
The rest of the week went by far too soon for anyone's liking so on that last Sunday everyone packed up all their things and apparated back to Hogwarts, harry and Hermione spent some time getting their things settled in their common room while the teachers all attended a meeting about the upcoming semester. now harry and Hermione had planned on simply playing a few rounds of chess but since when do their plans ever work out, Hermione was making a move on the board when harry heard something rather odd "kill hungry for soooo long."
"Hey Hermione, did you hear that"!
"Hear what -Harry are you hearing the voice again." Harry nodded before following it out from the common room and down a corridor before being met with an awful sight of a petrified Justin and nearly headless nick before hearing a voice behind him he looked back to see me filch standing there "oi...I caught ya in the act now potter you aren't getting out this time" he said before going back down the hallway he came from "wait Mr. filch " harry sighed and before long filch had come back but he wasn't alone standing with him was his grandmother and head of house "Professor McGonagall I swear I didn't do it."
"I'm afraid Mr. potter it is out of my control come with me." she said as she led him down a corridor and up a stairwell to the familiar opening of the headmaster's office.
"Sherbet lemon." she said before both of them walked up the stairs to his office which was empty. "Harry dear you wait over there." she said pointing to the couch. "-and albus will be in shortly ok." Harry nodded he had barely been back a day and already he was in trouble he sat for what felt like forever before the door opened and his grandfather walked in. "ah harry I was informed you stumbled upon something earlier care to talk about it. " He asked in a soothing voice.
"Sir I swear I didn't do it I simply happened upon Justin and nearly headless nick."
"Trust me harry I do not believe you had anything to do with this. however I must ask that you watch yourself as you are infamous for finding trouble."
Harry nodded "yes sir ...sir may I go now" albus chuckled before nodding "yes harry but is there anything you wish to tell me before you leave."
"N-no sir " harry said before leaving watching as the boy left and his wife returned to the room sitting next to him "what do you think albus."
"As headmaster I'm inclined to believe him based on what he's told me"
"And as his grandfather "hum I think he's hiding something that might get him into some trouble later, but I am never one to rush to conclusions my dear you know that" he said helping his wife up before both retired for the night. Harry then went back to his common room finding Hermione still up reading "harry what happened everyone came back and we're talking about Justin and how you did it I mean I know you didn't but what happened."
"I followed the voice and then when it stopped, I turned the corner and there was Justin and sir nick petrified so I went closer but then filch came by and ended up getting Gram involved who then took me to see the headmaster, but he said he knew it wasn't my fault and let me go"
"Did you tell any of them about the voices?"
"Are you mad of course not, though I'm starting to think papa al might already know or at least knows something."
"Well while you were preoccupied, I decided to take a stroll of my own and ended up by moaning myrtle's bathroom it was flooded and she was distraught it turns out someone else was in there and they apparently threw a book at her."
"A book what book"
Hermione smiled before reaching and grabbing a black leather bound book that sat on the desk she had been sitting at earlier "it's seems to be a diary of some sort there's even a name on the back look" harry took the book turning it over seeing the name 'Tom Marvolo Riddle inscribed in the back cover "cool thanks Hermione I can't wait to tell Ron about this tonight" and that was exactly what the two talked to their friend about after finding out about each other's holidays of course they spoke of the diary and wondered if it had anything to do with the chamber. Hermione had already scoured through tons and tons of books but couldn't find anything on the chamber and anything she did find seemed to be very vague. After dinner Ron and Hermione had headed back to the common room while harry decided that he was going to go to the library and that he would see them before curfew. In the library harry had been searching the diary for any kind of clues to the chamber but it was blank which wasn't too odd it was what happened next that he thought was strange he had dripped some of his ink on one of the pages and it disappeared, so he did it again and it disappeared but soon it started writing back.
'Could you please stop that' it wrote.
'Stop what?' harry asked.
'Dropping ink on my pages...who are you anyways?'
'I'm harry potter …. I was wondering do you know anything about the chamber of secrets.'
It took a few seconds before Harry got a response though it was simply a vague 'yes.'
'Could you tell me about it' harry asked quickly.
' No ...but I could show you' before harry knew what was happening he was encased in light almost blinded he closed his eyes and when he opened them again he was in a hallway of Hogwarts though he didn't know where so he started walking until he saw a young man standing at a flight of stairs looking up towards a room at the top "h-hello" harry asked the man ignored him harry thought maybe he hadn't heard him "excuse me are you Tom Riddle" still the man said nothing perhaps he truly couldn't be heard here he then looked up where the young man was looking to see some men carrying away ...a body on a stretcher covered over with a white sheet.
Harry looked as the men passed, he had never seen a dead body before well even now he wasn't really seeing it, but he felt a chill as they walked past, he was then surprised by a familiar voice calling out "Riddle" he turned around to see .no it couldn't be.
"Professor Dumbledore " Tom said before walking up the stairs towards the man harry following thinking it a bit strange to be seeing his grandfather look so well...young.
"It is not wise to be walking around the castle at this late hour tom."
"Y-yes professor I suppose. I had to see for myself if the rumors were true."
"I'm afraid they are tom they are."
"About the school as well I don't have a home to go to, they wouldn't really close Hogwarts would they professor."
"I understand tom but I'm afraid that headmaster dippet may have no choice."
"So, if it all stopped the person responsible was caught-" tom let his statement stall there as his professor looked at him inquisitively "is there something you wish to tell me?"
"No sir ...nothing"
Dumbledore gave him one last look "alright then off you go."
Tom nodded "goodnight, sir" he said before walking the remaining stairs passing his professor and heading down another corridor harry stood there a minute a bit stunned at what had just transpired before running to catch up with Tom. Harry then followed him down multiple corridors until he stopped at a door tom opened it to reveal someone before tom spoke up "evening Hagrid...I'm going to have to turn you in I don't think you meant it to kill anyone."
"You can't, you don't understand."
"The dead girl's parents will be here tomorrow the least Hogwarts could do is make sure the thing that killed their daughter is slaughtered" tom said his wand still raised at Hagrid.
"It wasn't him Aragog never killed nobody never."
"Monsters don't make good pets Hagrid...now stand aside."
"No"
"Stand aside Hagrid"!
"NO!" tom then raised his wand flicking it back before shouting out " system apparat!"
Harry watched as the chest blew open and what looked to be a giant spider quickly crawled out tom then cast another spell towards the creature as Hagrid called after the thing which he called aragog trying to go after it before being stopped by tom "I can't let you go Hagrid. They'll have your wand for this , it's to be expected" harry watched as Hagrid's shoulders dropped but then harry saw the light again and felt something pulling him back he called out to Hagrid wanting desperately to help his friend but it was no use before he knew it he was back in the library the diary still opened on the table he quickly closed the diary and walked back to his common room cursing himself as he was already fifteen minutes late tucking the diary into his robes he began to run before he bumped into something or rather someone he gulped looking up to see a very unimpressed Severus Snape standing over him he quickly stood up as his father addressed him "harry do you know what time it is"
"Umm yes sir that's why I was running."
"Ah so where were you young man."
"I was in the library and ...I, I got caught up in my reading that I completely lost track of time."
"Be that as it may you could have taken whatever you were reading back to your common room to read instead of worrying your grandmother half to death, she called me frantic when she found out you were not in your bed or with me."
"Did anyone ask my friends where I was."
Just as Severus was about to answer two voices came from down the hall "Harry" Hermione said happily as Ron patted him on the back neither noticing the angry potions master "I guess this is why they didn't ask."
"indeed " the other two Gryffindor's looked up to see Professor Snape standing there "you see not only were we having to look for you Mr. Snape, but also for your friends Ms. lupin and Mr. Weasley. "All three looked down "I will see the three of you tomorrow morning in class and harry you and Hermione will stay after to discuss a couple things. Come along" he said as he led them back to their common room once they got there, he looked at all of them " Do not let this happen again children next time I will not be so lenient am I understood"!
Ron nodded while the other two responded "yes sir" he gave a minute smile before saying the password and letting them enter when they did professor McGonagall was sitting there waiting for them she quickly looked them over asking if they were ok before embracing her two grandkids then pushing them back asking what Hermione and Ron were thinking going out before curfew and lecturing them all about being where they are meant to be before sending them off to bed. The next morning over breakfast Harry told his friends what had happened and what he saw.
"Bloody hell mate you should turn that in."
"Ron's right Harry where is it anyways."
Harry leaned in " I put it in my trunk."
Just then their friend Neville came bounding in stopping where they were sitting looking frantic "Harry I don't know who did it, but you need to see" the trio then ran from the hall not noticing the eyes following them. When they got back to their dorms it was completely trashed Harry looked through his trunk before standing up and looking at his friends "it's gone" just then they heard a gasp at the door they looked to see their head of house standing their "anyone care to enlighten me as to how this happened" she said gesturing to the mess. "We didn't do this professor" McGonagall sighed before raising her wand and righting the room "I believe you I'll finish setting this room to right you all head to class." they all nodded heading to class although harry and Hermione were not as thrilled to be heading to class as Professor Snape was sure to still be a bit cross with them and had already asked, they stay after his class. And sure, enough as they were packing up their things he spoke up "Mr. potter and Ms. Granger if I could see you both after class." both sat back down as everyone else left some (mainly their housemates) gave them sympathetic looks before leaving, once everyone was gone Snape turned to them before beckoning them to follow him. they followed him into a small room in the back of his class which worked like an office when they got there both of their fathers were standing there Remus looking very displeased "Harry, Hermione how are you" Remus asked.
"Were fine sir" Hermione said not looking directly at him.
"Well Severus told me that you were both out way after curfew is this true?"
"Yes sir, but-"
"But what Hermione, did you not think that the teachers were busy enough looking for Harry or that they wouldn't find him without you, you're smarter than that Hermione."
By now Hermione was trying hard not to cry she had let him down "Sorry, Ron and I were just worried when we heard that they had checked the library and that he wasn't there."
"I understand but that does not mean that you take it upon yourself to fix it."
"I'm sorry" she said freely crying now not being able to hold back her tears.
"It's alright but both of you will be punished."
"H-how" Harry asked as he looked over at his father.
"You will both have a nine o'clock bedtime for the next week your grandmother has already agreed to see to it you both get to bed on time."
"That's not fair no one else has punishments like that they just lose points or get detentions" Harry said a bit put out that they were being treated like children "most student's parents do not work at the school and I would advise you Mr. Snape to watch your tone when you speak" Harry huffed crossing his arms he still didn't like the fact they were being treated like children.
"Sorry" he said frowning his father sighed "is there anything else children both looked at each other before shaking their heads 'No'.
"Alright then you may go now" lupin said sending them away.