Faultlines

That moldy Place

"Harry was hearing a voice in the walls?", Now Dumbledore looked really interested. He and McGonagall were giving each other meaningful looks, "What was it saying?"

"Fun stuff about killing. And I think there was ripping involved.

"We have searched the castle from top to bottom. Where would..."

"Oh no.", Dumbledore interrupted his colleague, "Minerva, go and get the other teachers. We will meet in front of poor Myrtle's bathroom."

"The ghost that has a crush on Harry?", Tony asked before he could stop himself. Everyone turned and looked at him.

"Sorry. We meet at the bathroom."

"Mr. Stark? I must really ask you to stay..."

"Not happening. Not even an option."

"Very well."

They all left McGonagall's office together, with her splitting to find the other teachers and Tony and the three others all but running through the castle. Tony still had no clue what the hell was happening, but it was better than just sitting around. Both Molly and Arthur were clutching their wands with grim expressions. Good to know that they were both people of action. Tony liked them even more now.

They reached the bathroom and stormed inside. Myrtle was exactly how Harry had described her. Poor kid, Tony thought, but Harry would not bloody join her. Oh great, British boarding school was having an impact on him via Harry.

"Myrtle, have Harry and Ron been here? Possible Professor Lockhart, too?"

"Oh yes. They asked me about my death."

"And what did you tell them?! This is really important!", damn, Dumbledore looked actually scary now. Tony was weirdly impressed.

"They said they had figured it out and had no time to lose. So they went all down there."

"Bloody hell!", Arthur swore next to him.

"The entrance is here? Where?"

Myrtle pointed towards one of the sinks and they all hurried towards it.

"There is a snake on this.", Molly was the first to notice.

" It can most likely be opened by speaking parseltongue.", Dumbledore explained.

"Which of course Harry can do.", Tony groaned, "You think there is a snake down there?"

Dumbledore turned towards him and Tony was certain that Dumbledore, for the first time, did not underestimate Tony.

"The students were petrified. I know of no snake that could do that, but...", he began and something clicked with Tony. Reading those books had been the best idea he had ever had. Thank you, Mom.

"A basilisk."

"Indeed."

"Then we really need to get down there."

"Yes.", Dumbledore raised his wand and they all stepped back to the clutter of the teachers all arriving behind them.

"Albus, what...?", but before McGonagall could finish her pretty good question, the wall behind the sink slit back and an enormous red bird flew through. Were those... yes. People hanging off of his tailfeathers.

Tony pounced on Harry the moment he had let go and landed on the floor.

"You stupid little asshole! ", Tony shouted, while simultaneously hugging Harry so close he might be suffocating a bit. Tony didn't care.

The Weasleys seemed to be doing the same with their children and the teachers were overwhelmingly either looking completely shell-shocked or trying to avoid Lockhart.

"Couldn't just let her die.", mumbled Harry into his chest, but he too seemed tired and weary. There was something sticky clinging to Tony's hand.

"Is that BLOOD?!"

"No. Well yes, some of it is."

"How about we move this to the infirmary?", Dumbledore asked softly, but he too looked extremely nosy. Yes. Nosy. There, Tony said it.

"Harry, do I need to send a team of teachers down there to deal with a Basilisk?"

"No, Professor, it's dead."

More excited mumbling from the wall of teachers, less so from Tony and the Weasleys. The fuck had happened down there?!

Tony was all but ready ro carry Harry, who sternly told him that he was totally fine now. NOW. Like he hadn't been before.

In the end they ended up moving back to McGonagall's office. The kids all said they were unharmed and Madame Pomfrey was busy waking up the petrified students (yay for Hermione, Tony thought), so only Lockhart was moved to the hospital wing and the teachers were getting busy organizing a feast. Apparently the students were all up anyway, with three of them missing and their petrified friends ready to be woken up.

Tony decided to listen and not interject at all, as the boys told their story. Probably the hardest thing he had ever done. But he did indeed let them talk, even as Dumbledore jumped up to take a panicked look at Harry's arm, Tony stayed silent. His brother had almost died. Killed by the man that murdered Lily and James. Tony stayed silent all the way. Dumbledore invited him and the Weasleys to spend the night. Molly and Arthur declined, but Tony agreed. He was seated at the teacher's table. He talked a bit with Professor McGonagall, who seemed honestly interested, Professor Flitwick, too. He enthusiastically hugged Hermione, when she arrived in the hall and greeted Hagrid much less warmly. (Who send a bunch of boys after huge spiders?), he smiled and laughed a bit, ate a lot, drank some. And later, when he lay in a huge four-poster bed in a Hogwarts guestroom, Tony thought about how he had almost lost his little brother again. And then he cried himself to sleep.