Dumbledore sat in his office, deep in thought as he examined the diary that Fawkes had retrieved from the Chamber of Secrets. It was evident that the diary was imbued with dark magic, but the precise nature of that magic remained unclear. Notably, the diary contained a spirit that could possess its host and stated it was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, akin to Tom Marvolo Riddle—who later became known as Lord Voldemort.
To the ancient headmaster, it seemed that Tom had somehow fractured his soul and embedded a portion within the diary. This revelation would explain Voldemort's lingering presence in the previous year, manifested as a parasitic wraith. Albus Dumbledore was all too familiar with the dark ritual that enabled one to fragment their soul and attach it to a physical object. He suspected that the diary functioned as a dark artifact: a horcrux.
His musings were interrupted by the gargoyle announcing a visitor who was neither a student nor a staff member. Dumbledore instructed the guardian to admit the guest, placed the diary into one of his many desk drawers, and cleared away various magical trinkets that had cluttered his workspace during his examination. Just as he finished preparing for the visitor, the office door swung open, revealing an aristocratic blonde man in his late thirties or early forties, leaning on an elegant cane.
"Good evening, Lord Malfoy. How may I assist you?" Dumbledore greeted, his tone friendly. The visitor did not reciprocate the greeting and instead seated himself across from the headmaster.
"Unfortunately, Dumbledore, I don't share your upbeat demeanor. The news of an illustrious institution like Hogwarts, with its centuries of history, facing closure is always disheartening. We must prioritize the safety of our children; they are our future." Albus recognized that Lucius was referring only to pureblood children. "As the Board of Governors has informed you, Hogwarts will be shut down due to the attacks on students within its walls."
"Oh, I fear my owls must not have reached you yet," Dumbledore responded with a smile. "Earlier today, at precisely four o'clock, the so-called 'heir of Slytherin' was defeated, along with the monster of the Chamber. The castle is once again safe for the children; therefore, I see no reason for Hogwarts to close."
"...I see," Lucius Malfoy said after a pause. "If it's not a secret, may I inquire who was responsible for the attacks?"
"The same individual as before, Lucius," Dumbledore explained. "But this time, Voldemort was operating through another, utilizing a dark object that had somehow evaded the castle's wards." Lucius fell silent.
"Very well. I shall take my leave then. The Board of Governors would surely wish to hear this fortuitous news as soon as possible." Without waiting for Dumbledore to respond, Lucius Malfoy exited the office.
~/ *** \~
A certain blonde Slytherin witch quietly entered the infirmary to visit her 'associate.' She had intended to come earlier but wanted to avoid the Weasley family, who were there to see their daughter. Ginny had been sent to St. Mungo's, as the aftereffects of possession and life-draining rituals were beyond Madam Pomfrey's capabilities.
Draconica paused beside Harry Potter's bed, observing his sleeping form. He bore a vertical scar on the right side of his face—thankfully healed by phoenix tears before he arrived at the hospital wing—and an eye patch over his lost right eye. Something compelled her to lean closer to him.
"It was foolish of you to confront the basilisk alone," she whispered. "What possessed you to take such a risk? You act so much like an idiotic Gryffindor sometimes..." She hesitated. "But I suppose that's part of your charm, isn't it, Harry?" Gently, she pressed her forehead against his while cradling his cheek in her hand. After a moment, she straightened and masked her emotions once more, beginning to walk away when she paused a few steps later. "Get well soon, Potter," she murmured, casting one last glance back at him. As she walked away, she pondered the unexpected surge of intimacy she had just experienced.
Unbeknownst to her, Harry was not as unconscious as she believed and had heard everything she said.
~/ *** \~
Harry awoke more than a day later, finding himself in the hospital wing. The sweets on the table beside his bed were not surprising; he had friends who would wish him well. After donning his glasses, the heir of the Potter line took in his surroundings, quickly noticing the absence of screens in the infirmary. It seemed that the mandrake restorative draught had already been brewed and administered to the petrified students, including one Astronomy professor.
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey entered the ward, alerted by some indication that Harry had awoken.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," she greeted him. According to the clock on the wall, it was nearly seven in the morning. Harry stared at her for a few seconds before inquiring,
"How long was I out?"
"You arrived here around four fifteen in the afternoon the day before yesterday," she informed him. "Now that you're awake, I need to complete a health evaluation, young man." With a resigned sigh, Harry allowed her to proceed, hoping she would finish quickly so he could leave. Aside from his missing eye, he felt fine.
"So..." he began cautiously when Madam Pomfrey halted her wand work—he recognized some of the diagnostic charms but was unfamiliar with most. "Am I free to go?"
"Not so fast," Madam Pomfrey replied, attempting to admonish him. "While you may think you're perfectly fine, your magic is still low and your body requires rest. Phoenix tears, wonderful as they are, induce significant strain on the system by forcing it to heal itself." She paused. "You're aware of your new scar and your lost eye..." Harry nodded. "Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about either; no one can. I also noticed that the malevolent magic surrounding your old scar is gone for good..."
'So, she knows about the dark magic around my scar, but she didn't realize it was a horcrux,' Harry mused. 'But why didn't she do anything about it before? It's not my first time in the Hospital wing.' He then recalled the memories that Dumbledore had sealed at the end of the previous year—knowledge he was yet to sift through. 'I'm quite certain the headmaster has a hand in that.' Nevertheless, Harry decided that listening to Madam Pomfrey's report on his health was more urgent than speculating about Dumbledore's intentions.
"...It seems I'll need to keep you here for another night or two to ensure you're truly alright." Apparently, he had missed part of her dialogue while lost in thought. Sighing, he resigned himself to her judgment.
"Fine." He knew better than to argue with Madam Pomfrey about his discharge. "But can you tell me what happened to Ms. Weasley? I haven't seen her in the ward."
"Well," she said, lowering her gaze slightly, "she had the majority of her life force drained by whatever ritual the 'heir' performed. She's been sent to St. Mungo's for treatment. They expect her to recover eventually, but it's unlikely she'll attend Hogwarts next year." Harry hung his head, feeling a wave of sympathy for Ginny; she had done nothing to deserve such a fate.
~/ *** \~
Once Harry was discharged from the hospital wing, he made a beeline for Myrtle's bathroom and the Chamber of Secrets, which was still easily accessible as days earlier. Remarkably, the gates that Tom Riddle had once placed to block the pipe were gone. Though the corridor remained obstructed by the collapse caused by Ron's wand explosion, armed with Voldemort's magical knowledge, Harry swiftly cleared the way and reinforced the ceiling to prevent future collapses.
Using the Point Me charm, he quickly located the pipe where the basilisk's carcass lay. Surprisingly well-preserved despite the passage of time, Harry decided to attempt a potentially reckless feat: he would take one of the serpent's eyes as his own. An eye for an eye.
With a flick of his wand, he transfigured a stone from the floor into a glass jar, infusing it with an unbreakable charm and filling it with saline. Carefully, he extracted the basilisk's right eye from its socket and shrank it to the size of a human eye—a challenging feat due to the magical resistance the basilisk possessed.
"Stabilis corporis!" he called, casting a spell that would 'overwrite' the eye's innate magical properties, preventing it from reverting with a simple Finite Incantatem. After placing the eye into the jar, he sealed it and applied a stasis charm. Finally, he shrank the jar and tucked it into his robes.
Just as he was about to exit the Chamber, curiosity took hold of him. Right before him lay a basilisk, an incredibly rare breed of magical serpent. He couldn't resist the urge to study it! Knowing that the female basilisk would likely have eggs, he determined that retrieving them for study would be both fascinating and beneficial. After preparing another unbreakable jar filled with saline, Harry commenced the delicate procedure to extract the basilisk's ova, taking care to maintain the carcass in the best condition for when he could sell it at Gringotts.
An hour later, Harry emerged from the Chamber of Secrets and continued towards the Gryffindor common room. He had homework to tackle, and wishes would not write themselves. Thankfully, he now possessed Tom's memories to fill in any gaps in his knowledge.
~/ *** \~
With the students revived and the 'heir' eliminated, Hogwarts returned to its usual routine. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the only exception, as Lockhart was unfit to teach, leading Albus Dumbledore to step in. At least Dumbledore provided meaningful lessons, a stark contrast to his two predecessors.
As a reward for the students attacked by the 'heir', the Board of Governors offered free passes for all end-of-year exams, based on either the average of their previous marks or a default mark of 'Acceptable.' This excluded OWLs and NEWTs; thus, fifth and seventh years had to catch up on their studies as quickly as possible. While Harry received a free pass for his DADA exam, he was not too perturbed by it.
~/ *** \~
On a Friday evening, three weeks before the end of the school year, Harry decided to explore a particularly intriguing room that Tom had mentioned. This room, supposedly able to hide anything, was located on the seventh floor opposite the tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy's failed ballet lesson with trolls. Since he had never heard of this room during his time at Hogwarts, Harry decided it was best to ask one of the castle's knowledgeable house-elves for guidance.
Upon summoning one, he learned that the 'secret' room—the Come and Go Room, as the elves called it—could do far more than simply conceal items. As Trinky the elf explained, the room could transform into whatever one required. Grateful for the insight, Harry dismissed the elf and began to experiment.
After several attempts, he successfully configured the room to suit his needs for the ritual to replace his lost eye with the one he had taken from the basilisk. Sealing the door from the inside to avoid interruptions, Harry retrieved the glass jar with the eye from his pocket and returned it to its original size, lifting the stasis charm. Carefully, he positioned the eye on a silver pedestal at the center of one of the two ritual circles, then took his place in the opposite circle. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he let his magic flow into the circles.
"Vicarius meus: oculus!" A bright white light enveloped both him and the eye, followed by a surge of pain, leaving him in darkness.
When he awoke hours later, it was early Saturday morning according to the tempus charm; his right eye felt sore... but it was there! The ritual had worked! Not wasting another moment, Harry dashed to the nearest reflective surface. In the mirror, he saw himself: his left eye remained bright green and human, while his right eye was now yellowish and slitted, resembling a snake's eye. Staring into it felt unsettling; it retained some residual magical properties, though they were likely weaker. It could potentially petrify someone who gazed directly into it and lacked protection... However, he decided he would keep the eye patch, not wanting to attract more attention than he already had.
To his surprise, no one noticed his absence from the dorm that night. After all, all second-years were busy choosing electives for their third year. Shrugging off the matter, Harry joined his classmates.
The elective courses available included Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, and Muggle Studies. As they could not drop any of their current courses, it seemed unwise to select more than two or three electives. Yet Hermione, ever eager for knowledge, signed up for all five.
Harry, recalling his ambition to pursue a career in healing—though he was still uncertain about the specifics—opted for the courses he believed would be most beneficial: Ancient Runes, for their relevance in many rituals including healing; Arithmancy, for spell crafting and modification; and Care of Magical Creatures, to better understand the origins of beast-related potion ingredients.
~/ *** \~
The remainder of the school year progressed without any major incidents. Harry garnered some curious glances for the first few days post-release from the Hospital Wing due to his eye patch, but no student dared mock him, as the defeat of the Chamber's monster was widely known.
Examinations were a breeze for Harry, thanks to the knowledge gleaned from Tom Riddle's memories, although it didn't enable him to surpass Hermione's scores. Neville, Draconica, and Daphne—who, along with Tracey, now formed part of the gold-and-silver clique—also performed admirably. The DADA exam posed some challenges due to Lockhart's ineffectiveness as a teacher, yet all members of Dumbledore's Army achieved O's and E's.
As in the previous year, the Great Hall was adorned in red and gold, celebrating Gryffindor's victory in the house cup, managing to outpace Slytherin by nearly thirty points. The house elves had once again outdone themselves, preparing a superb feast for all.
The train ride back to London passed without incident for Harry, Neville, and Hermione, with the latter two engrossed in a discussion about advanced Herbology texts while Harry plotted his visit to Gringotts.