When Briar's eyes opened, she didn't know what to expect. Was Tom here? Was Ginny alive? Was the basilisk here? Would it kill them? Was she already dead?
But when she felt the familiar cold surface of the chamber stone beneath her head she knew she was alive. So she shakily pushed herself up into a sitting position, and saw Ginny next to her doing the same thing
What shocked them both was the large, very dead basilisk corpse behind them, and the very injured Harry Potter next to them. Discarded behind him lay a fang, a sword, and Tom's diary, which now had a large hole in the middle and sink seeped out of it
"Harry" Ginny whispered in shock "Oh, Harry — I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front ofPercy — it was me, Harry — but I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me," Her eyes settled on the wound on his arm "Harry, you're hurt"
"Don't worry," he said "You need to get yourselves out. Follow the Chamber, and you'll find Ron." There was a loud caw from above them, and both Ginny and Briar were surprised when Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix, flew down to rest beside Harry "You were brilliant, Fawkes. I just wasn't quick enough" Fawkes cast his eyes down to Harry's wound and let a tear drip onto it and the three kids watched in amazement as the wound began to close itself up and heal, until it was completely gone "Of course. Phoenix tears have healing powers. Thanks"
"What happened?" Briar asked "Thelast thing is us blacking out"
"It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing them the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. C'mon, let's get out of here —"
"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I'velooked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have toleave and — what'll Mum and Dad say?"
"It'll be okay, Ginny," Briar assured her "Come on, let's go"
Harry walked with them out of the Chamber. After a few minutes' progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rockreached their ears. "Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!" They heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eagerface staring through the sizeable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall.
"Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You'realive! I don't believe it! What happened? How — what — where did that bird comefrom?" Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny and Briar.
"He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through too
"How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, looking at the glittering weapon in Harry'shand.
"I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, whowas crying harder than ever. "Where's Lockhart?"
"Back there," said Ron, jerking his head up the tunnel towardthe pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see." Led by Fawkes, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe, where Gilderoy Lockhart was, humming to himself. "His memory's gone. The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us.Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and waithere. He's a danger to himself."
"Hello," Lockhart grinned "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"
"No," said Ron
"Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" Briar asked, pointing to the long slide going up to the bathroom but both boys shook their heads
Fawkes swooped past them and was nowfluttering in front of them. He was waving his longgolden tail feathers.
"He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." Ron said in confusion "But you're too heavy for a bird to pull up there —"
"Fawkes, isn't an ordinary bird." said Harry "We've gotto hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart —"
"He means you," Ron said to Lockhart.
"You hold Ginny's other hand. And Briar hold Ron's other hand, and one of mine" He finished. Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, they all grabbed hold of who they needed to, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tailfeathers.
It felt as though a lightness spread over all of them as Fawkes suddenly lifted into the air, and all of them were lifted with him. He flew them up the slide and then Harry led the group to Professor McGonagall's office. When the door to it opened, Ron and Ginny were immediately pulled into a tight hug by Mr and Mrs Weasley
Fawkes swooped past the children and onto Professor Dumbledore's shoulder, who was standing in the middle of the office with a smile
And Professor McGonagall immediately offered each child a blanket, allowing them to sit around her fire place and warm up
"You saved her! You saved her! How did you do it?" Mrs Weasley asked
"I think we'd all like to know that," said Professor McGonagall weakly.
So Harry and Ron launched into an explanation of Harry hearing the disembodied voice, how Hermione had finally realised that he was hearing a basilisk in the pipes; how he and Ron had followedthe spiders into the forest, that Aragog had told them where the last victim of thebasilisk had died; how he had guessed that Moaning Myrtle had been the victim, andthat the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets might be in her bathroom
"Very well," Professor McGonagall prompted him as he paused, "so you found outwhere the entrance was — breaking a hundred school rules into pieces along the way, Imight add — but how on earth did you all get out of there alive, Potter?"
So Harry, his voice now growing hoarse from all this talking, told them about Fawkes'stimely arrival and about the Sorting Hat giving him the sword. But then he faltered. Hehad so far avoided mentioning Riddle's diary — or Ginny. What if they expelled her? Harry thought in panic. Riddle's diary didn't workanymore... How could they prove it had been he who'd made her do it all?
Dumbledore was about to open his mouth, but there was a loud disruption from the fire place as a man suddenly appeared in it. He wore a scraggly, dusty cloak and he had messy, sandy-brown hair.
"Minerva," he gasped in relief when he saw his old transfiguration teacher "I got your letter, where is she, what happened-" He stopped short when his eyes landed on a familiar young girl sitting by the fire. Her hazel eyes bore into his and she tilted her head in confusion. Minerva, Dumbledore, and Mr and Mrs Weasley shared a nervous look as they realised what was happening in front of them
"Ms Weasley should go to the hospital wing right away. Youwill find that Madam Pomfrey is still awake. She's just giving out Mandrake juice — Idaresay the basilisk's victims will be waking up any moment." Professor Dumbledore suggested to diffuse the tension "As for Mr Weasley and Mr Potter, I would like to speak to you both in my office, and Minerva I think this merits a good feast. Might I ask you to go alert the kitchen?"
"Of course," She nodded and they all hurried out of the office, leaving Briar alone with the new man
"Who are you?" She asked him
"I-" He didn't know what to say. He had no idea how to tell her. He hadn't even expected to see her at this moment. "I'm an old friend of Minerva's. What's your name?"
"Briar" She replied and his heart jumped. This really was her "What's yours?"
"R-Remus," He stuttered out
"Why are you here?" She asked
"Minerva informed me there was an incident...some students had been taken by the Chamber of secrets" He explained
"We were," Briar nodded "Me and Ginny. Tom Riddle...or Lord Voldemort...he tricked her and controlled her. Then he brought her down there and I went with her."
"Wow" He sighed and sat himself down in the armchair opposite hers "Are you okay?"
"Harry saved us," She said "So thanks to him yes we are"
Remus laughed. Him and James had never gotten into situations like that, but the pattern of one of them getting into trouble (usually always James) and the other having to fish them out (usually always Remus) seemed to be repeating itself the other way around, and it made him smile to imagine what James would be saying at a time like this. Probably something along the lines of how Harry's brave character must have come from James of course
"Are you okay, sir?" She asked him, noticing the spaced out look in his eyes
"Yes," he coughed and they lapsed into a silence.
Remus was finally working up the courage to tell her who he really was to her, but Briar managed to speak first "You're my dad...aren't you?" She asked nervously and his eyes snapped up to meet hers. His hazel eyes meeting hers and he saw himself in them.
"H-how did you know?" He stuttered
"We have the same eyes and hair," She pointed out
"We do," He nodded and they fell into another silence. This one uncomfortable. Briar didn't know what else to say to him and Remus didn't know what to expect. Part of him expected her to scream or cry in anger at him for leaving her, but the other part of him hoped she would run into his arms and forgive him for it all
"Why did you leave me?" She whispered
"Around the time your mother got pregnant...there was a war in the wizarding world. It wasn't safe for us. But Dumbledore needed me for a mission and I couldn't involve her, so I sent her away to live safely. She wrote to me the day after you were born and I abandoned my job to come see you. But when I did that, it turned out I led our enemies right to her. She died in front of me and I took you and ran. And when the war ended I tried to raise you on my own but I couldn't. I didn't have the money or the ability to raise you properly or safely. So instead I gave you to Juliette and James, in the hope of keeping you safe from this world. And Daniel and Annalise moved with you to protect you if you were found" He explained
"Why didn't you come back for me?" She asked, teary-eyed
"I wanted to" He sighed "When your adopted father died I wanted to. But I knew I would have to tell you everything and you didn't need that burden at such a young age"
"You're my dad," She whispered "You left me for 10 years"
"I had to," He sighed "When I was young I was bitten and turned into a werewolf. I couldn't raise you properly when I turn into a hideous, terrifying beast once a month-"
"You didn't even try find out" She said
"I know" He said "I know and I'm sorry. My biggest regret in life is letting you go. But the more time went on, the more worried I became that you would hate me if you met me"
"I don't hate you," said Briar "I don't. I'm just...confused I guess"
"I am too," He nodded "I don't expect you to forgive me or anything but I hope some day you can."
"Maybe we can start with you coming over for dinner this summer," Briar suggested
"Of course," He smiled