The sorting ceremony this year took a bit longer because there were more first-year students than usual. Astoria Greengrass hesitated as the Sorting Hat lingered on her head for several seconds before finally declaring her a Slytherin. Harry, however, lost interest in the rest of the sorting; he didn't know anyone else present. Once it concluded, Dumbledore delivered one of his usual eccentric welcoming speeches, ultimately introducing the new professors for Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Dolores Jane Umbridge.
Umbridge then took the stage to deliver a speech that essentially boiled down to the idea that whatever the Ministry was doing was right, and anyone who disagreed was a dangerous element deserving of Azkaban. Regrettably, few students were able to see through the veil of her flowery language.
Once she finally wrapped up her long speech, Dumbledore offered a few more largely meaningless remarks before the feast commenced. It was during this time that whispers of a impending lawsuit began to circulate among the students. In Gryffindor, even those who were only vaguely aware of the tragedy that had been narrowly avoided that day eagerly signed on to support the suit. From Harry and his friends' observations, the sentiment seemed to echo through the other houses, even Slytherin.
Setting the issue aside for now, young Lord Potter-Slytherin began plotting his evening. It was time to pursue the Ravenclaw diadem, which according to Tom's memories was hidden in the Room of Lost Things. Over the past two years, he had placed wards around his bed to ensure privacy, making it easy to slip out from under the Invisibility Cloak without drawing attention. No one would check whether he was actually in bed, and with some upperclassmen coming and going in the common room during the night, he could easily escape the Gryffindor Tower without alarming the Fat Lady.
Returning in the morning, likely close to lunchtime, would pose no real challenges, especially with the help of the cloak. Harry hoped he could find a suitable location for the ritual without interruptions – that was his primary concern. He could attempt the Chamber of Secrets, especially since he planned to unleash his 'pet project' there, but he wasn't sure whether the main entrance was still blocked. The Room of Lost Things offered another option, but since it was known to more than just Tom Riddle, the chances of being unexpectedly discovered while destroying the horcrux were not negligible.
Deciding not to dwell on that aspect for now, Harry focused on his dinner. He would need all the energy he could muster for the night ahead...
~/ *** \~
Once the feast concluded, the prefects guided their houses back to their common rooms, sharing this year's passwords and dispensing various nuggets of Hogwarts wisdom to the first years. As soon as Harry returned to the common room, he made his way straight to the room he shared with his fellow yearmates. He claimed that the encounter with the Dementor had left him tired, and no one questioned him; many students, particularly the younger ones, also felt emotionally drained after their brush with the Azkaban guardian.
As Harry hoped, the wards around his bed, set up at the close of the previous school year, remained intact, so he didn't need to re-cast them tonight. He opened his trunk and retrieved the Invisibility Cloak, along with a pack of pre-made magic booster potions. With a soft hiss, he awakened the small basilisk sleeping in a 'nest' made from his sweater within the depths of his trunk. The little albino serpent obeyed his command, coiling itself around his arm.
After attaching the potions to his belt, Harry donned the Invisibility Cloak and rearranged his bed to mimic his presence before slipping out of the dormitory.
Exiting Gryffindor Tower was simple. He didn't have to wait long for someone to open the portrait for him. Once outside, he headed straight for the second floor and Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.
Tonight seemed to favor him; the ghost was absent, and a quick inspection confirmed that the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was unblocked. No wards remained, at least none that Voldemort would have recognized. Well, that was fortunate for Harry, who descended into the Chamber, creating stairs for himself with a Parseltongue command.
After a short walk, Harry arrived at the main hall of the Chamber of Secrets. He instructed his small serpent to make itself comfortable in a small chamber located inside 'the head' and began preparing the ritual for destroying the horcrux. Drawing the necessary runic circles was a meticulous process, taking almost two hours to complete.
Once he finished the preparations, it was time to retrieve the diadem. When Harry returned to the girl's toilet, Myrtle remained busy moaning in her cubicle, oblivious to the entrance opening and closing. Drawing upon Tom's memories, Harry made his way to the seventh floor where the Room of Lost Things was located. He narrowly avoided a couple of prefect patrols, thanks to the efficacy of his Invisibility Cloak.
Following the method young Voldemort had used, he paced three times in front of the empty wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet, focusing on his need for a place to hide things. Like for Tom over forty years ago, a door materialized within the wall. Stepping inside, Harry found himself in a vast chamber filled with an assortment of junk, much of it possibly still useful. Though various items had changed since Voldemort's time, including a multitude of empty sherry bottles, the Room of Lost Things remained largely the same. Still, since others had also discovered this room, there was a chance the diadem was no longer there.
Shaking off the worry, Harry closed the door behind him and trekked through the room towards an old servant statue with a bust of an unknown wizard. If he was lucky, the diadem would still be on the statue's head. Fortunately, it was still there; the priceless artifact lay undisturbed amidst the room's countless articles.
Retrieving the diadem proved challenging, as Voldemort had made it resistant to summoning spells, and removing it without assistance was rather difficult. Luckily, Harry soon found an old but functional broomstick nearby, which provided a solution to his dilemma.
With the diadem secured, it was time to return to the Chamber of Secrets and destroy the horcrux. On his way back, he almost collided with Mrs. Norris, but once again, the cloak served its purpose. When he reached the girls' restroom, Myrtle was still absent, allowing him to enter the Chamber undetected. Finally arriving at the main hall where the ritual circle awaited him, he placed the diadem in the center and downed all three vials of magic booster potions.
"Time to do this," he muttered under his breath as he initiated the ritual while his magic was still potent.
~/ *** \~
Even among his peers, Harry wasn't the only one awake at this late hour. Deep within Slytherin's dungeons, Draconica Malfoy was also sleepless, but for entirely different reasons: her mind might have been organized and controlled, but her body was restless, urging her toward a certain dark-haired wizard.
She had finally come to admit to herself that her feelings for Harry extended beyond mere friendship, especially after their encounter on the train that day. Shaking her head to dispel unwanted thoughts and images, she reminded herself that, bound by her contract, she shouldn't be looking at other boys. Her body, however, had its own ideas, and thoughts of Harry kept returning, often accompanied by a frustrating urge she couldn't ignore.
Sighing, Draconica succumbed to her desires, kicking the blanket off herself. Unbuttoning her nightshirt, she let her hands explore her growing figure before her right hand traveled downwards, disappearing into her panties. She moaned softly as her fingers brushed her sensitive areas while the other hand continued to fondle her breast.
Though she wasn't a novice to exploring her own body, this was not her first experience like this. She knew how to bring herself pleasure, and after shifting the fabric out of her way, she began to thrust her middle finger into her slick entrance, her thumb working enticing circles around her clit. Draconica also toyed with her breasts, pinching her nipples while envisioning what it would be like to have Harry there with her.
Pulling her fingers away briefly, she licked them clean of herself before plunging them back into her tightness, arching her back as pleasure coursed through her.
"Mph-a-ah!" Arching further and pinching her nipple hard, she cried out, overwhelmed by her climax while imagining being filled by him. Once the waves of ecstasy subsided, she lay back, withdrawing her slick fingers to savor the aftermath by licking them clean.
For several moments, Draconica basked in the warm glow of her bliss. Eventually, she adjusted her panties and buttoned her nightshirt back up, pulling the blankets over herself as she attempted to drift off to sleep.
Across the castle in Gryffindor Tower, Katie Bell was similarly restless. Her reasons, however, differed.
It all began when Harry joined the Quidditch team nearly two years ago; at that time, she simply saw him as a cute boy to tease. But after the summer, Katie could no longer view him that way. He had transformed into a young man and powerful wizard. What she felt for him wasn't exactly love; they weren't particularly close, but the attraction was undeniable.
Katie wasn't ignorant; she noticed the chemistry brewing between Harry and Draconica. They either failed to recognize it or were in denial. But she resolved to make her own claim before that relationship fully developed. Now she just needed a strategy to get Harry to notice her sincerity without being mistaken for merely teasing him, as she often did with Alicia and Angelina.
~/ *** \~
With a groan, Harry sat up, still in the Chamber of Secrets. The now-horcrux-free Ravenclaw diadem lay nearby. Checking his pocket watch, he noted that it was only ten in the morning, which hopefully meant no one had noticed his absence from Gryffindor Tower that night.
As he picked up the diadem, he pondered what to do with such a dangerous artifact. It should be hidden; something capable of enhancing knowledge forced it to be shielded from improper hands. The allure of that power could incite conflict among wizards. The Chamber of Secrets was a possibility, but being Salazar Slytherin's, it posed risks since any Parseltongue could access it. Gringotts, despite its reputation for safeguarding valuables, was also not a foolproof option; a goblin might covet the diadem, and with the Ravenclaw line extinct, no one could confirm whether it was truly stored in the vault. The Room of Lost Things also didn't seem secure, even if it had remained undisturbed for decades.
Deciding to put off that decision for now—the diadem would be safe in the Chamber for a few days—Harry made his way out, relieved that he could still speak Parseltongue, allowing for a quick return to the castle.
Employing his Invisibility Cloak, he sneaked back into Gryffindor Tower, changed into casual attire, and headed down to the Great Hall for a late breakfast, his stomach growling in protest.
Since it was the weekend, breakfast would last until eleven, so he arrived just before service ended. Many Hogwarts students and several professors were still present; few were early risers. This suited Harry just fine; no one would question his late arrival, even those who typically observed him as one of the first to rise from the Gryffindor dormitory.
"Hey there, Harry," Neville called from his spot at the table. "You look tired. Shouldn't you see Madam Pomfrey?"
Harry shook his head. "Nah, I couldn't fall asleep at first—curse that Dementor—so I ended up reading one of my anatomy books. Apparently, I read a bit too late." He shrugged. "Where's Hermione, by the way?"
"Haven't seen her since yesterday," replied Neville. "She's probably in the library."
Harry nodded; he could easily imagine Hermione surrounded by ancient tomes. "They didn't hand out timetables?" he suddenly asked, recalling that he hadn't received his.
Neville shook his head. "They give them out at breakfast on the first day of classes. Didn't that make it into 'Hogwarts: A History'?"
Harry smacked his forehead. "Darn, I completely forgot! Thanks." He piled more fried bacon onto his plate, and the two friends continued eating and chatting about their new school year. That was until Ron Weasley decided to make his grand entrance into the Great Hall. While most students showed little reaction, some easily impressionable individuals gazed at Ron with the same awe that many once extended to Harry.
"Hey, Neville," Harry said. "Please tell me I wasn't like that two years ago?"
Neville laughed heartily. "Believe me, mate, it was worse." He continued chuckling at Harry's incredulous expression.
"Oh well, I'm hitting the library," Harry declared as he finished his plate. He still needed to find a permanent solution to Voldemort, even with several horcruxes left intact.
"Good luck!" Neville called after him as he grabbed more pancakes topped with strawberry jam.