Lies and Truths

A Lovely Ride into Summer

If only for second...he swore he could see Lyra's own blue eyes on the-boy-who-lived.

"T-Tom...stop. It's not worth it. She's only a first year. And your real self is still out there, alive! I saw him last year! He tried taking the Philosophers Stone! Just stop this madness, there's no need to take her life when you still exist!" Harry coughed up blood. Fawkes pecked where his wound was. He was greatly upset by Harry's words, by him technically dying right there. Tom, in that moment...disappeared.

Why? He didn't do it because of Harry entirely. He knew he would've lived as the Phoenix had began crying on the wound, its tears being one of the most strongest healers. No it's what he saw in the boy in that split second... he saw Lyra. His love, his obsession since that one partner assignment. She was everything to him.

Then it was his points he had said. He saw Voldemort. He was alive! He was right, the main soul would take care of everything! They would make this world perfect! No muggles! Without muggles, muggleborns would have to integrate more with their culture rather than have wizards go with theirs. The only nonmagical ones that should ever exist are Squibs!

And with that the Basilisk stared at the boy. His paralysis eyes were covered by one of his lids, as to look the boy in the eyes. Why did this great beast feel shame? Was it because he was a Parceltongue? Yes, but it was more than that! The great snake hissed an apology, calling Harry 'speaker'. Harry nodded to the beast, then asked it one question.

〜Are you Ssstarving?〜
〜Yessss〜
〜How long hassss it been ssssince you've eaten anything?〜
〜When my firsssst Masssster, Salazar left.〜
〜Why haven't you eaten ssssince? Can you not leave the chamber to outssssside the casssstle?〜
〜Not sssssince hisssss youngessst cleaned the tunnel. Ssshe left a few yearssss before he did, sssstarted making hersssself her own hatchlingsss. Afterwardssss it locked up because of my masssster believed mugglessss could sssneak in. I thought it wasss sssstupid ssssince no one elssse can open the door but a parcel mouth and I would have treated it asssss he treated cookiesss, a quick sssnack.〜
〜Isss the tunnel alsssso on a parcelmouth lock?〜
〜Yesss and it needssss a certain sssspell. A parecelmouth sssspell.〜
〜May you ssshow me, Axel?〜
〜Yesssss.〜

The grand and terrifying creature used his tail to point to a giant door. Harry looked at the design in ah. The snake designs were magnificent and beautiful. Carved into the door was lined that somehow came natural to Harry.

〜Pravesh〜

The door opened and a chilly air blew through. Rats and spiders scattered away, sensing the Basilisk. The spiders hated the creature. Rats just knew better.

〜Thank you.〜
〜Just don't eat on castle grounds. Try the forbidden forest. Less risk of students getting hurt.〜

Like that the huge creature went through the gateway. Yep, he was hungry. He heard the groaning coming from Ginny. He quickly ran to her side.

"Ginny can you hear me?"

The voice let her fully awaken to the cold and damp room. She blinked and then a gasp as she sat up. She looked around her and then said "Harry?" She was relieved to not be alone in the room. "Yes, I'm here. I'm glad you've awakened." She nodded and looked him right in the eye and said "I'm so sorry, Harry. It's my fault the chamber opened! I kept talking to that journal...I found it in my cauldron so I thought I'd gotten it by mistake but I didn't tell anyone. I wrote in it and to my surprise it wrote back. It was like I had my own pen pal! I kept writing back and before I knew it I couldn't stop. It made me feel like I wasn't alone. With all my brothers; Will, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, and Ron I don't get attention other than clothes since I can't do the hand-me-downs thing. But in the end I still get very little. Mum always gives her attention to my brothers, dad is always away in his work until dinner, and my brothers either ignore or mess with me. When I had someone to talk to about how alone I felt I thought it was a dream come true! I even met you the day I found it so I thought it was an omen of a better year. I was wrong, I realized, after a couple weeks. I couldn't ignore that I didn't feel good as I had before or the fact I was growing paler everyday. Then Hallowe'en!"

She looked pain stricken.

"I don't remember much other than I blacked out and what happens? I wake up to blood and chicken feathers on me! I didn't tell anyone what happened. Soon I realized the journal did this so I threw it out in the girl's bathroom."

Harry was then reminded of poor Myrtle.

"I figured something like this may have happened but you don't remember...oh and as for the bathroom incident, you accidentally hit Moaning Myrtle on the head. It hurt her feelings, you know."

Harry knew that wasn't the most sensitive things to say, and probably shouldn't have, but Myrtle deserved an apology damn it!

"I did? I didn't notice her there, nor did I know it would hurt her." Harry looked at Ginny and rubbed her shoulder in comfort. "It May go right through them but to Myrtle I think it's more of a psychological pain. There are stories about Myrtle you know. Lyra, one of the portraits, knew her. She was bullied. She's probably been through several cases of pranks and verbal abuse from peers before being killed by the Basilisk. Even then people celebrated her death like their house won the house cup! I think she at least deserves an apology."

Ginny nodded. "I can agree to that. Didn't she go here around...you know who's time?" Harry nodded. "He was in his Fifth year supposedly." She looked down. "Then bullying Ravenclaw must've been a thing back then. One of my grandfather's brothers was sorted into Ravenclaw and brutally bullied by the majority of the school. He committed suicide on the astronomy tower."

What did those years have against Ravenclaw?

"But...Harry...when I found you had it I thought I was helping you. I thought maybe you would've ended up the same way so I took it back. But now that I look back I think I was being selfish. I didn't really want to save you..but to have someone to talk to again. Then we got to this mess...but you saved me. Thank you Harry."

Ginny hugged Harry. He helped her up and they nodded to the other. "Now, I better apologize to a ghost."

As time passed Fawkes stayed with Harry until Dumbledore was reinstated. Hagrid has returned from Azkaban and he spent time with him, Ginny occasionally following. When Hermione awoke from her petrification she had not only went through class memories but was welcomed back with a cupcake from Hagrid and Harry. Harry insisted he help saying she was his friend but in reality it was more so the fact that his food can turn into burnt biscuits, rocks when it was really bad.

That year yet again did Slytherin win. Plus they gained an extra twenty points last minute from Harry, who earned it by taking care of Fawkes while Dumbledore was gone.

-

"Harry, Hermione, I'll miss you two for another three months! Oh I will be so bored. Hermione, Harry do you remember what I told you about a Lion?"

"Be wary of an old lion's roar."

Lyra laughed and smiled at them. "Yes. Oh and there's one more thing! Hermione, Harry I've noticed a few things about you two. I can't be certain but I've noticed changes about you two. Did either of you feel jolts if pain? At all?" They looked at each other. "Well...I remember when I was visiting Hermione her body while still petrified looked like it was spazzing out. Why?" Lyra nodded. Hermione gulped. What was she going on about. "Next year when you get your things, please ask the Goblins about Inheritance Tests. Say a half witch said she noticed a few things while in charge of you two. They'll understand."

The two nodded and with their trunks said their farewell. As their figures left the portrait looked down. She opened a locket. Two pictures laid inside. One was of her Pa, her Father, and herself. Then the other? Tom and herself again, third year. It was taken the while they were shopping.

"Oh Tom, I fear what my father is up to. I fear what truth they will see...but most of all I'm frightened by the possible reaction to all the exposed lies they've known their whole lives, my dear serpent."