(Before this blows everyone's mind at the end here this is a quick heads up. Towards the end I reveal a bit into Jade's backstory having Draco dig up some old information. This information is fairly accurate as I just spent an hour reading wiki facts about ____ <-- can't say for spoiler reasons. I'm sure you'll understand once you reach the end but this is your warning right now.)
Neville, Ron, Harry, Draco, and Jade stand before Dumbledore in his office.
"professor we can explain." Harry begins.
"You found the chamber of Secrets." He speaks. "You've done what many people before you deemed an impossible task Mr. Potter." He looks at the rest of the students still all dirty and covered in blood. "You've all done this school a great service and tonight the five of you will be honored." He raises his hands and smiles. "I expect that the children who had been petrified will soon be alright." He glances at the sword on his desk. "curious... which one of you was able to pull the sword from the hat?" he questions.
Neville steps forward a tiny bit. "I-I did sir."
"I probably could have if we hadn't been caught in Lockhart's rock slide." Ron frowns.
"yes but luckily we were able to dig out enough that the bird could get through." Jade smiles. "so we did at least get to help a little."
Dumbledore nods and smiles a bit. "did you see the name on the sword dear boy?"
Neville shakes his head no.
Dumbledore picks the sword up and hands it back to him.
"Godric Gryffindor?" Neville says surprised then he looks up at Dumbledore. "the founder?"
Dumbledore nods. "only a true Gryffindor one of courage and honor can pull that sword out of that old hat."
Neville smiles and looks at Ron.
Draco frowns. "then does that mean... I couldn't..."
Dumbledore looks at Draco a bit surprised. "Slytherin's relic was indeed not something very useful for fighting. A locket wouldn't do you much good against a Basilisk."
Draco frowns. "then had he not been with us... we surely might have failed."
"not necessarily." Dumbledore smiles. "the houses are just guidelines. You may find you possess the qualities of multiple houses, but you can only have one Mr. Malfoy."
Harry looks at the sword. "then I might have been able to pull it from the hat sir?"
"as long as you hold courage anything is possible." Dumbledore nods.
"what is the meaning of this!?" Lucius Malfoy growls as he enters the room.
"dad!?" Draco frowns.
"Draco... Harry..." he shakes his head and faces Dumbledore. "why have you summoned me to the school? I'm very busy you know."
"children." Dumbledore nods to the door. "go along now."
They all leave quickly.
Draco stops in the hall holding the destroyed diary he hadn't put it down since his pierced it through over and over with the basilisk fang. He looks back at the door. "why is my dad here?"
"probably because he heard the chamber monster was destroyed." Ron shrugs.
"maybe he's just curious and checking on the school?" Neville suggests.
"or he's up to something." Harry frowns.
Draco hands the book to Neville while he searches his pockets for something he seems to have misplaced. "that's ridiculous Harry. My dad can't be up to anything. Where did that letter go? Oh I hope I didn't drop it in the chamber... that's so embarrassing."
Ron and Neville are talking when Ron mentions one of Neville's socks is badly torn.
"oh dang it." Neville sits on the ground and takes his sock off. "grand mum will have my head... these were expensive." He looks at the torn sock in dismay. "maybe Hermione can fix them?" he suggests.
"really?" Draco scowls. "just get new socks."
"well unlike some families we can't really afford to buy new every single time." Neville frowns. "I'll ask Hermione after she gets better." He stands up and picks up the diary off the ground. He slides the sock into the book to keep it safe until he needs it later.
As the students are standing and talking Mr. Malfoy comes out of the head master's office looking extremely ticked off.
Harry frowns as he watches Mr. Malfoy and Dobby walking in the hall. He then glances at the diary. "Neville I wondered if... I might have that."
Neville nods and hands the book to Harry.
Harry takes it to Mr. Malfoy. "it's a bit damaged but you did have it first."
Mr. Malfoy raises an eyebrow and hands the book to Dobby. "Indeed... I suppose I should be grateful. Come along Dobby."
Dobby begins to follow but trips and drops the book. When he picks it back up he notices the sock and squeals with joy. "a sock!?"
"what?"
"Master has given Dobby a sock. Dobby is free." Dobby shrieks.
Mr. Malfoy glares around at the students until he notices Neville missing a sock. "you! you did this on purpose!" he pulls his wand towards Neville. "avad..."
"dad!" Draco hurries over to push him out of the school. "not at school... please..."
Mr. Malfoy looks at Draco and then scowls at Neville. "Whatever... I have more at home." He growls. he then turns in a huff and takes his leave.
Draco takes a step back eyes wide as he watches his dad leave. 'had he really been about to use the killing curse in the middle of the school!?'
"Draco." Harry's voice drags him back to reality. "it's late let's go grab a bite and get some sleep."
Draco nods and follows Harry down that hall. "right."
(Yes I am aware these events were supposed to happen closer to the end of the school year but I just feel like... if I monster was attacking a school they wouldn't wait the entire school year to decide it wasn't safe. I imagine these events took place in a few short months... it isn't even Christmas yet. Because I can't imagine students that went home for the holidays would want to come back to a place where they get killed or petrified!? I sure as hell wouldn't want to return there!?)
They arrive in the great hall in time for dinner and Dumbledore has somehow beaten them there. He announces that the cure for the petrified students is nearly complete and that the chamber has been safely sealed away once more. With the school once again safe they can continue the school year as planned.
The very next day at breakfast the petrified students are cured and they come back down from the hospital wing and go back to their friends.
Faith walks in through the large double door and walks over to Harry and Draco.
"faith." Draco smiles a little.
"don't speak to me." Faith retorts.
Draco frowns.
Faith looks at Harry. "I heard you found the chamber. Good for you." she then looks at Draco and scoffs then she walks to the far end of the table to sit with other people.
"ouch..." Draco mumbles.
"well what did you expect." Harry replies.
"is it too much to ask that she forgive me?" Draco huffs.
"probably." Jade frowns. "girls are pretty fickle."
"but why?" Draco pouts. "I just wanted her to like me again."
"Just give her some time Malfoy." Harry replies. "Perhaps after some time too cool down she might forgive you."
Draco huffs at the table and then glances down the rows of Slytherin's towards Faith. "who are those girls she's sitting with?" he questions.
Jade smiles. "oh well that one there is Pansy Parkinson." She replies. "and next to her are her three friends Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis, and Daphne Greengrass."
"Pansy hu?" Draco muses. "what class grade is she?"
"second year." Jade nods. "same as the others."
Draco frowns. "interesting I don't re-call seeing her around."
"to be fair Draco our first year was very busy and this year hasn't been much different." Harry sighs. "but at least we'll get some down time now. Maybe will end up having a great rest of the year." He glances up and sees Hermione sitting next to Ron at the Gryffindor table. "hold on Malfoy." He stands up and walks his way over to the Gryffindor table.
Ron looks back over his shoulder. "what do you want?"
"I just would have liked to thank Hermione." Harry says.
Hermione turns around a bit with her eyebrow raised. "me? how come?"
"we wouldn't have figured out where the beast was hiding if it hadn't been for your clue." Harry smiles a little.
Hermione nods. "well... then thank you for finding my clue. I was almost sure that nobody else would understand it." she puzzles for a moment. "how did you manage to find the chamber?"
"Well after we got your clue about the pipes some information led me to ask the ghost in the girl's bathroom how she died." Harry replies.
"Myrtle?" Hermione questions. "why didn't I think of that." She slaps her forehead.
"its fine. You wouldn't have been able to open it anyways." Harry replies.
"and why not?" Hermione frowns.
"because you can't talk to snakes." Harry replies.
Hermione and Ron exchange a look and then turn back to Harry. "you do know that is a very rare gift don't you? nobody can talk to snakes." Hermione says. "except Salazar Slytherin."
Harry looks at his hands. "really... I didn't realize the gift was so rare."
"well it is." Hermione nods. "not just anyone can speak to snakes."
Harry glances over at Slytherin table. 'I wonder why Draco didn't mention it before.' He waves a little to Draco. "I'm go to go back now."
"alright later Harry." Hermione and Ron both say at the same time then turn back to their meals.
The rest of the school year drags on. Slytherin wins the house cup leading by nearly 300 points. The night before the train is set to leave everyone is busy packing their belonging. Harry finds Jade in the common room sitting by the fire place. "are you done packing already?" Harry questions.
"no." Jade frowns. "I'm not going home." She looks over her shoulder. "I haven't a home to go back to."
Harry frowns. "oh..." it must be worse for her to not have a place to go then it would be for harry to spend his days living with his aunt and uncle. He sets his suitcase down and looks back at the steps. "so you just going to stay here?"
"I don't want to go back to the orphanage." Jade tears up.
"then don't." Draco huffs dragging his suitcase down the steps.
"I haven't anywhere else to go." Jade replies.
"yeah I know." Draco groans and drags his suitcase over to the sofa. "look don't take this the wrong way but... I made a deal with my dad."
"a deal?" Harry questions.
"yes." Draco nods. "when I first told him that I had a friend who lived in an orphanage he said people are not little lost kittens Draco. You can't just adopt little people. I told him it wasn't a matter of adopting anybody and I was just interested in helping a friend. He told me if I got straight A's that he would consider lending out one of the empty rooms." Draco smiles and hands a report card to Jade. "I got all A plus marks. He said you could stay with us for the summer." He looks at Harry. "with Harry of course."
Harry smirks. "you've been planning this for a while hu?"
Draco nods.
Jade hugs Draco and smiles. "but why Draco?"
"it's nothing really." Draco shrugs. "We have several guest rooms that just collect dust. Go get your things."
Jade stands up straight. "are you sure? I won't be a bother?"
Draco nods. "it's fine. Crabbe and Goyal spend most of their time over anyway and they don't even live there."
"thank you." Jade hugs Draco again and then runs upstairs.
Harry smirks. "did your father really say it was alright?"
"yes." Draco nods. "something about her is interesting. In fact, doesn't she look a bit like Tom?" he glances at Harry.
"I-I suppose... but she can't be related to Tom... that was fifty years ago." Harry replies.
"true." Draco puzzles. "maybe Tom had a sibling?"
"that make since... I don't really know a lot about Tom." Harry frowns. "we'll have to research him this summer and find out."
"I've got a good idea where to start." Draco holds up a piece of paper. "I went to see the head master and I asked him if he could tell me anything about Tom Riddle. He gave me the name of this old orphanage where Tom used to live. He told me it probably wouldn't help much since the place is no longer inhabited and no records were recovered. Anybody who lived or worked there is long gone. But he did give me another piece of useful information about a pure-blood family that is thought to have been erased." He hands the paper to Harry. "Ever heard of the Gaunt family?"
"no?" Harry looks at the paper.
"well supposedly they were pure-bloods like myself." Draco muses looking at the paper. "apparently the Riddle family was none magical but the Gaunt's on the other hand. Well Riddle was the father's side of the family and Gaunt was the mother's side."
"so you think because she looks an awful lot like tom that she might be a gaunt?" Harry questions.
"I've already done some digging." Draco smirks. "alright that's a lie I had granger look it up for me. She discovered that there was an older living relative of the Gaunt family who was imprisoned in Azkaban for killing the Riddle family. That man was Tom's uncle or rather was tom's mother's brother. So it is possible there might be a sister or brother somewhere maybe one that Tom didn't know about."
"why is this so important Malfoy?" Harry questions.
"I don't care about Tom." Draco frowns. "Jade might be a pure-blood. Isn't that exciting?"
Harry shrugs. "well how would we even know."
"duh... I have family history books..." Draco rolls his eyes. "come on you can't honestly tell me this isn't a little exciting."
"wouldn't that just make her related to Tom?" Harry questions.
Draco stares at the wall stunned. "I suppose... that would make her like... his cousin or something..." he smirks. "that explains the temper." He looks at Harry. "we'll dig more this summer."
"alright Draco whatever you say." Harry rolls his eyes and chuckles.
(It was tom riddle. this book is now over so i'm going to explain things i didn't get a chance to explain before. like harry's weird drowning dream. it actually wasn't Harry's dream but he didn't know that. it was actually a recurring nightmare that Jade has that Harry keeps getting dragged into because of her weird magic. I'm not sure how i'm going to have them figure out her heritage yet but everything i had Draco speculate will eventually turn out to be true. Jade is a pure-blood Gaunt from a sister of Tom's mother who had a child that went on unknown to the Gaunt house and then had a relationship with one of the Lastrange descendants that hadn't got arrested yet. The reason Jade is afraid of water is because of the recurring nightmare in which she drowns, she has this nightmare because as a small child she nearly died when the orphanage flooded. she doesn't remember this but it haunts her. yey now i can re-start book three!)