The Duel
I saw, to my surprise, Harry, Ron and Hermione waiting by the door to the common room.
"Dugan?" I waved, and walked over.
"Hey, guys. Where were you two, by the way?" Ron turned red, and Harry looked at his feet. Hermione sighed.
"They drove Mr. Weasley's car here, and almost killed the Whomping Willow." I chuckled, remembering my last incident with the tree, and nodded.
"Where's the car now?" They continued their blushing and staring, while Hermione supplied the answer.
"The Forbidden Forest, but they don't know where." I began to laugh, peals of it echoing around the room, and I didn't calm down for a little, even when someone knocked on the door. I glanced at the hole, saw it was Ginny, and opened the door.
"Hello." She smiled slightly in return, and I noticed a worn, old-looking diary in her arms.
"Nice book." She frowned in question, and I tapped the book with my wand. The resulting shockwave that went up my arm made me grit my teeth, and I put my wand away, suspicions confirmed by the Revealing Spell. I reached for a glass of Pumpkin Juice, and sipped it while I chatted with the four of them, Ginny distinctly staying away from Harry, which I noticed, wondering if she might have a liking of him. When I spotted a chance, I stepped forward towards the door, tripped, and spilled the Pumpkin Juice all over the book, which was laying on a table near Ginny. She shrieked, and tore the book from the table. I flicked my wand, and the juice on the table vanished. I turned to do the same to the diary, but it was strangely bone-dry. I shrugged, and put away my wand as Ginny made a swift exit, soon followed by the other three. Once they were gone, I dashed up to my dorm, pulled on some robes, and flew down the halls until I reached Dumbledore's office. Once I arrived, I realised I didn't know the password. Angrily, I cast a Confundus Charm on the gargoyle, dashed past it, and smashed the door open, revealing Dumbledore speaking to Professor McGonagall. She saw me, and started at my appearance, messy robes put on backwards, with no shoes and a drawn wand.
"How did you get in here, Kehoe?" I panted, bending over to catch my breath, and spoke between gasps.
"I need—to talk—to Dumbledore." She frowned, and made to rebuke me, but Dumbledore spoke up.
"Minerva, if you will give us a moment, please." She huffed, and left the office. I collapsed into a chair. He viewed me carefully.
"Does this have to do with what we talked about last night?" I nodded, and he sank down into the chair behind his desk. Once I had regained my breath, I spoke.
"I found a Horcrux. It might be Voldemort's, it might not be, but it gave me a heck of a shock when I cast a Revealing Spell on it, and it dried out instantly when I poured Pumpkin Juice on it." He sat forward, looking at me with those piercing blue eyes.
"Where? What is it?" I sighed.
"It's a diary that Ginny Weasley has. It's old, maybe fifty years or so. I couldn't get a good look at it, but I'm almost certain." He frowned.
"Fifty years... That would be around the time Tom went here..." I frowned, confused.
"Tom? Tom who?" He looked back up at me, and responded.
"Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort." I flinched involuntarily.
"So we know where two Horcruxes are, then." He nodded.
"I could steal the diary, burn it with Fiend Fyre, if you wanted." He shook his head.
"No, we can't be sure it is a Horcrux. Just wait, for now." I nodded, and spoke, struck by a sudden idea.
"Sir, if you think it best, should I attempt to be in the presence of the other Horcrux as much as possible?" He frowned for a moment, and nodded.
"Yes, I think you should. Between classes, at meals, even Quidditch games, if possible." I nodded, and stood to go. At the door, he stopped me.
"Oh, and if he ever goes on any more, adventures, make sure you are too." I nodded again, and he smiled. I exited the office, and passed a disgruntled McGonagall on my way to the Great Hall. I waved at the three before beckoning them over to Ravenclaw table. I sat next to Luna, made sure there was room, and smiled as they sat.
"Hello, Dugan." I responded the same, and they continued their conversation about the class schedules, which had been passed out moments ago. I looked mine over, and saw that I had quite a few classes with the Gryffindors.
8:00-Charms (with Gryffindor)
9:00-History of Magic (with Gryffindor)
11:00-Transfiguration (with Gryffindor)
12:00-Lunch
1:00-Care of Magical Creatures (with Hufflepuff)
2:00-Potions (with Hufflepuff)
3:00-Herbology (with Slytherin)
4:00-Defense Against the Dark Arts (with Gryffindor)
Immediately I knew that the scheduling was because of Dumbledore, because Padma Patil looked mine over, before frowning.
"I don't have any classes with the Gryffindors. Mine're all with Slytherin and Hufflepuff." I shrugged, and looked at Harry's schedule. His read the same as mine, but with Slytherin instead of Ravenclaw, and no Care of Magical Creatures, either.
"I must be the only Ravenclaw in your classes, then." He nodded, and we dug into breakfast. They resumed talking about Lockhart, the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year, and I sided with Hermione against Ron and Harry.
"He seems pretty nice, and if his stories are true, then he's way better than Quirrel was, anyway." Ron huffed, and we finished breakfast. I asked if I could hang around with them, and I was relieved when they said yes. I patted Luna on the head, and got up from the table with them. We walked through the Hall, and out to the lake. There, we found shade in a tree, and we sat (or, in Ron's case, laid) there while the sun rose.
"His books are incredible, Dugan." I nodded, having already read them on the trip here, and amused myself by making strips of grass fold themselves into intricate shapes.
"Who's this, eh, Potter? Did you get another loser to join your club?" I looked up and saw a kid with slicked back blond hair, accompanied by two hulking boys. I stood, and held out my hand.
"Dugan Kehoe." He looked at me for a moment.
"Dugan Kehoe. I remember that name. You were the one who's parents got offed by Death Eaters, right?" I growled, and drew my wand. I was copied by him and his goons, and I laughed.
"You think you can beat me in a duel?" He grinned, and I walked away from Ron, Hermione, and Harry, who were watching with mild amusement, knowing how powerful a spellcaster I was. I bowed, as did the kid, and he spoke.
"My name is Draco Malfoy. Perhaps you've heard of me?" I came up from the bow, and smiled evilly.
"No, I haven't. Perhaps you've heard of me?" I flicked my wand, and the two other kid's wands flew from their hands, landing in mine. He started, and glanced nervously at me. I placed the two other wands in my pocket, and gestured.
"Go ahead. I'll let you cast the first spell." He took a breath, and rose to his full height.
"Stupefy!" The spell seemed agonisingly slow, and I blocked it easily. He watched in amazement as I did, and when I finished, he gulped. I twirled my wand once more, and he began to cough up little balls of fur.
"The best part of that spell is the fact that it only works when there aren't any teachers around." He looked at me in horror, and I tossed the extra wands back at the other two. They dashed off, and I walked slowly back over to the three under the tree. Ron was grinning, while Hermione was watching with a frown. I sat back down, and began playing with the grass once more before Hermione spoke.
"Dugan, how good of a wizard are you, exactly?" I grinned, before tapping the tree with my wand. It turned into a small rabbit, before I changed it back.
"Pretty good, I should think." She sighed, while Ron smiled wider.
"I also heard that your mother was a Metamorphmagus. Are you the same?" I was struck by my mother's death again, but nodded.
"Can you show me?" I nodded, and held out my arm. Before their eyes, it grew scales, and turned pitch black, shimmering in the sun's light. She gasped, and I smiled. It returned to normal, and I sat back. I glanced around quickly, and spoke quietly.
"I can also do something else, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even close friends or family." The three of them nodded, even Harry watching in curiosity, and I shifted into a dove. Hermione gasped, Ron swore, and Harry gazed at me with amazement. I fluttered my wings, and hopped towards them a little. Hermione picked me up, and gazed at me in wonder. I was about to shift back, when I heard someone yelling.
"Miss Granger, may I please see that dove?!" I turned my head, and saw McGonagall approaching at fast speeds. I screeched, and took flight. McGonagall aimed her wand, and sent a Summoning Charm at me. I dodged it, and flew around her head, dodging her attempts to catch me. Finally, she gave up, and growled.
"Fine, I suppose I'll just go and get Dugan from his dormitory, then." She turned on her heel, and raced torwards the castle. I screeched again, waved a wing toward Ron, Hermione, and Harry, before turning and flying rapidly towards the Ravenclaw tower. I reached my window, and swore inwardly. It was shut. I landed on the ledge, and shifted back, nearly falling off as I struggled to stay on it. I drew my wand, unlocked the window, and climbed in, shutting it behind me. I pulled my robes off, and slipped under the covers just as McGonagall flung the door open. I sat up, feigning tiredness, and spoke.
"Professor McGonagall?" She sighed in anger, and turned, storming out of my dorm. I grinned, and shut the door with a flick of my wand. When I was sure she had gone, I opened the window, and shifted, making sure to crack it a little so I could open it from the outside. I flew back to the tree, and nestled in the branches once I saw that McGonagall was talking to the three.
"Was Dugan with you just a few minutes ago?" I watched them carefully, and was thankful as they said no. She scowled, and walked slowly back to the castle. I landed on Ron's shoulder, and he jumped. I fluttered my wings, and shifted back.
"That was fun." Hermione looked at me.
"That was amazing." I did a little bow, and we sat there until lunch, where I went my separate ways from them, as they said they were going to their common room for the rest of the day. I arrived in my room, and looked over the books in the shelves. A lot of them were new, and I selected one at random before opening it to read.
~
My opinion of Gilderoy Lockhart was drastically changed after the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. As the four of us trudged to the Great Hall, I sighed.
"Well, I think I agree with Ron and Harry." Hermione gasped.
"I don't believe it!" before walking over to the Gryffindor table in a huff. Ron patted my back, and Harry smiled before they followed. I walked over to the Ravenclaw table, and sat next to Luna. I picked up a handful of peanuts (directly after the days classes but before dinner the Great Hall was filled with snack foods in case you were drained completely after your classes, as I had been after trying to catch Cornish Pixies for half an hour.). Luna was scratching her head with the point of a quill, and I frowned as it didn't leave any streaks of ink in her hair before I noticed that she wasn't using it to write.
"Need some help?" She shook her head.
"No, I think I've got it." I nodded, and resumed eating the peanuts in my hand. I sighed, and anticipated the homework load ahead.
-
The year was relatively quiet for the first term, other than Ron jinxing himself instead of Malfoy (which I cured easily when I found out) until Halloween. I had gone to the Deathday Party with the three, and I was with them when we discovered Mrs. Norris. Interestingly enough, I was blamed as the Heir of Slytherin, as I was at this point known schoolwide as a powerful spellworker and a very mysterious person. I shrugged as the three others violently denied this, telling me several times that they knew it wasn't me, before I was summoned to Dumbledore's office. As I sat, he looked at me carefully.
"Did you do it?" I was shocked.
"No, sir. But I know what did." He leaned forward.
"Riddle's diary. It had to be. You said the last time this happened was around the time the diary was at the school, so it has to be." He nodded, and sat back.
"I was having my suspicions as well. I believe you, Dugan. You may go." I nodded before rising, and leaving. I was greeted by a group of people, who all start muttering angrily to me as I walked through them. As I walked towards the common room, Hermione fell into step beside me.
"Hey, we have a duelling class in a few minutes. Just thought I should tell you." I nodded, and changed course, following her to the Great Hall. As we walked there, she told me of their plan to sneak into the Slytherin common room to question Draco. She welcomed me to come along, and I agreed, stating that I could help them with the potion, and not even need to drink any as I was a Metamorphmagus. She nodded, and we walked up to where Ron and Harry were watching Snape and Lockhart duel. As Lockhart was beaten, I giggled, and he must have heard me, for he turned to me.
"Dugan Kehoe! You shall duel me next, so I can show you all the variety of spells to be taught, as you aren't as good of a dueller as I am, I shall go easy on you, for your safety." Ron guffawed, as did a wide assortment of people. I hopped up onto the platform, surprisingly aided by Snape, who whispered into my ear.
"Beat him good." I turned, and frowned at him, but his face was stone. I turned to Lockhart, and we bowed. He spoke.
"First, I shall demonstrate a basic Stunning Spell. You will be Stunned, shall we say, for only a few moments, Dugan." I drew my wand, as did he, and he shouted the word for the Stunning Spell loudly, enunciating every syllable. The spell shot towards me, but I blocked it easily with a simple Shield Charm, sending it into the ceiling. He looked at me, surprised, and spoke.
"Very good, Dugan. It seems you've been practicing your spells. The next spell I shall demonstrate is the Petrificus Totalus curse. When this hits you, you'll be frozen for a few moments." Without warning, he shot the spell at me, saying it quickly as he tried to catch me by surprise. I reacted without speaking, blocking it with a Shield Charm so powerful he staggered back a little. I dissapated the Charm, and he growled a little before smiling once more.
"Excellent work. Now, I shall show you all what a real duel would look like." I raised my hand, and he paused.
"Yes, Dugan?" I spoke.
"So, do you want me to try this time?" He huffed, and nodded.
"Yes." I searched my mind for spells that weren't going to kill him or harm him, and nodded. We bowed, keeping our eyes on each other. I whipped a Body-Bind Curse at him, which he dodged instead of blocking before shooting a hex at me. I blocked it neatly, flipped my hair back, and bared my teeth in a terrifying grin (terrifying because I was using my Metamorphmagus abilities to stretch my features into a gruesome smile) I shifted back, and dodged a Stunning spell, before utilising one of Jack's spells to great effect. It was a special type of Stunning Spell, that passed through weaker Shield Charms. It flew at him, cut through his Shield, and struck him square in the chest. He fell back, laid there for a few moments, before beckoning to Malfoy.
"Now this is just a contest, Dugan!" Malfoy clambered up onto the platform, and they both began duelling me. I sent a Disarming Spell at Malfoy, missed, and barely dodged a Tantellegrus charm from Lockhart. With one swipe, I sent a non-lethal wave of purple light at them, sending them to the floor. Half of the room applauded, and I bowed. I looked back up, and saw that, instead of Malfoy and Lockhart, it was Snape and Lockhart. I gulped a little, and noticed that Dumbledore, along with a few other teachers, was standing in the doorway to the Great Hall, watching. I cracked my knuckles, and bowed to them. They copied me, and Snape sent a jinx shooting at me before I was fully out of the bow. I blocked it, and jumped over a Shocking Spell from Lockhart before knocking him down and focusing on Snape. He began firing hexes and jinxes at lightning speed, but I screeched out Jack's reversal charm, sending them all flying back at him. He turned and ran, the spells chasing him from the Hall, and the room howled with laughter. After a moment of me standing alone, Lockhart still frozen, I was startled to see McGonagall step up onto the platform.
"I'll show you two how to duel." She drew her wand, and I bowed before speaking.
"I guess this is just gang up on Dugan Day, isn't it?" She frowned, straightened her glasses, and began to duel. She was definetely a better dueller than either Snape or Lockhart, and I was hard pressed to defend myself. Evidently I was the better on Defence, as I blocked most of her spells, and dodged the rest. Eventually, she was taken down by another Body-Bind Curse, and I wiped my forehead. When I looked up, it was Dumbledore. I blanched, and my eyes widened. I waved my wand, and McGonagall was unfrozen, followed quickly by Lockhart as they fled the platform. Dumbledore spoke.
"I wish to challenge you, Dugan. To see the extent of your prowess, all spells are allowed." I was stunned. Here he is, challenging me to a duel, nonetheless a duel in which he allowed Dark Magic, when he specifically said not to duel him last year! "Are you sure, Professor?" He watched me curiously.
"Yes. I want to see if you can beat me." I looked at him again.
"And Dark Magic is allowed?" He nodded, and spoke.
"No consequence to you, for I shall consider using it as well." There was a minuscule amount of stress on the word 'consider,' but I nodded, before bowing. He did as well, and, when we came out of the bow, neither of us cast a spell. He spoke to the teachers.
"Please remove the students from the Hall." They did, with a great chorus of grumbling and complaining, and, when we were alone for a moment, he spoke quietly.
"Dugan, I am using this as a way to fight Voldemort. If you beat me, then I shall have Snape leak this to the remaining Death Eaters, then, if it happens, you shall join Lord Voldemort as a spy. This is a great burden, and you do not have to do this if you do not want to." I shook my head.
"I'll do it, sir. So we can fight Voldemort." He nodded gravely, and spoke as the teachers re-entered.
"You may use Dark Magic, but I shall not unless I deem it necessary. This is a lesson, specifically to dear Gilderoy, to not underestimate your opponents." We bowed once more, and drew out wands. I had to win, so the plan would work, but I was certain that Dumbledore would not be about to take a dive for my sake. My suspicions were proven when he began firing spells left and right faster than I could keep track. I blocked them all, the Shield Charm weakening slowly, and waved my wand, turning the fire in the nearby sconces into a large sword, which flew at him before turning into a swarm of locusts, which was promptly crushed into a ball, which turned to water and flooded at him, which was evaporated. He smiled at me, and waved his wand in a large motion around his head. All of a sudden, the platform shook, and I struggled to stay on my feet. I dodged his spells, mostly by falling out of the way, and stabilised the floor with my own spell before concentrating the air into an invisible ball and sending it at him. He ducked out of the way, the ball grazing him on his head knocking the hat off.
"You can do better than that, Dugan! Give the teachers a show." I bared my teeth, and yelped as a wall of flame rushed towards me. Without thinking, I shifted into the dove, flew over the wall, and landed, flinging a Blindness Curse at him. He blocked it, and summoned a steel arrow before sending it flying at me. I waved my wand, dissipating it into a feather, before I slashed my wand, sending an unblockable line of white light at him. He ducked under it, and chuckled.
"Well. You seem to be a very good dueller. I must use a little Dark Magic now, so I may defeat you." I was thunderstruck, and he must have seen it, for he chuckled again.
"Yes, Dugan. When I was a few years older than you, I learned how to duel with Dark Magic." I rolled my shoulders, and nodded. With no warning, he sent an Imperius Curse at me, which I blocked before responding with a pathetic Stunning Spell.
"You're afraid to hurt me?" I nodded, and he nodded in response.
"That makes sense, as the Heir of Slytherin doesn't want to make his abilities known." I frowned, shot another spell at him, and responded.
"I'm not the Heir of Slytherin." He cringed for a second, then Snape interrupted, his oily voice sound out clearly.
"You must be ruining your family's name by Petrifying the poor cat. What would your parents say?" All at once, the anger and sadness at my parent's death welled up in me, just waiting for a catalyst. The catalyst was Dumbledore firing another spell at me. My rage turned towards him, and I winged a Cruciatus Curse at him. He blocked it, and nodded.
"Now, it's an equal fight." I began throwing out all of the curses I could think of, blindness, suffocation, dehydration and starvation (just trust me on those two, they aren't pretty), even the inside out curse, which he deflected with a laugh.
"Dumbledore, I have an idea of the core of your wand, now." He frowned.
"Oh?" I nodded, hesitated. He took his chance, flinging a Cruciatus Curse at me, at the same time I shot a Destruction Charm at him (if it made contact, he would be reduced to a pile of dust) the spells met, and a strip of black light connected the two of our wands, with a hissing and spitting ball of black fire in the middle. My wand began to shake, as did his, and the ball began to move back and forth, heading towards me, then towards him. I gripped my wand tightly with both hands, tried to stop the shaking, and was marginally successful, as the ball stopped moving in my direction. As I fought the bucking wand, the ball slowly began to move in his direction. He growled, face straining, and he tried to force it back towards me, but I was focused with my entire being on the ball, and its progress was unstoppable. After a few minutes, it reached the tip of his wand, and a bright white light expanded out around the wand, and the black line was broken. I was thrown back, and when I sat up, I saw that he had as well. I leapt to my feet, and sent a Body-Bind Curse at him. It struck home, and he was frozen in place. I bent over, panting, and he spoke.
"Very good, Dugan. You have won." I sighed in relief, and waved my wand. The Curse vanished, and Dumbledore rose. He walked towards me, and shook hands. Quietly, so that no one else could hear, he spoke.
"Good. I think that'll work just fine." I smiled, and said,
"I'm sorry if I hurt you." He shook his head.
"No, but I would be interested to hear your theories as to why our wands did that. Meet me in my office after you get away from the crowds." He smiled, and I grinned. He nodded to Professor Sprout and Flitwick, and they opened the doors. As they did, the students poured in, and waited expectantly.
"Dugan has defeated me in a wizard's duel." The room was silent, faces looking at me in awe.
"You now may resume class, Gilderoy." He did, and I quietly moved through the crowd, dodging looks from people. I finally made it to the Headmaster's office, said the password, and entered to find him behind his desk, surveying his wand.
"Hello, Dugan." He gestured to a chair, and I sat, pulling out my wand as well. He looked at mine with interest, and set it down next to his.
"So, I believe that the reaction that the two wands caused when the spells met was owing to the core of your wand. It has to be thestral tail hair. There is no other explanation." He nodded, and spoke after a moment.
"In fact, I think that your wand might be stronger than mine, owing to the battle we just had, which would lead me to the conclusion that your wand might be able to destroy Horcruxes with a Killing Curse, like mine." I sat back.
"That's a relief. Now we have an even greater chance." He nodded, and said,
"Now that the rumour is being spread, I wish for you to stay here over the summer, for your safety. You will not be alone, for Madam Pomfrey, Madam Pince, and myself stay here over the summer as well. It is only for your safety until you are old enough for the plan to progress." I nodded, and he smiled.
"Good. Now, I believe you have homework to attend to, is that correct?" I nodded, and smiled back. I rose to go, increasingly excited about being at Hogwarts.
-
As I was heading to the library to return some books, I was caught by Hermione.
"The potion's ready." I nodded, and followed her to the out of order bathroom. Harry and Ron waited, along with Moaning Myrtle, who watched the scene from a corner of the room.
"Hello, Dugan." I smiled in return, and spoke.
"So, the plan is, since we've got the three people you are going to be turning into locked in a closet and unconscious, I'll just change my face a little bit and wear different robes. Okay?" When they nodded, I continued.
"You've all got the hairs?" They nodded, each holding up a small bottle. I nodded, and entered the stall, emerging with three glasses filled with the bubbling potion. I handed them one each. As they dropped the hairs in, I looked in the mirror, changing my appearance ever so slightly. My hair shortened, turned black, and my eyes turned brown. I also grew a few inches, and was skinnier than normal. They each entered their stalls, and drank up. I heard the shatter of glasses, and, after a moment, Harry emerged, looking like one of Malfoy's thugs, and, after a moment, so did Ron. We waited for Hermione, but, when she didn't emerge, I walked over to her door.
"Hermione?" I knocked, and was startled when a very high-pitched voice spoke.
"Go ahead without me, it's okay." I frowned, and spoke to Ron and Harry.
"Go on. You've only got an hour." They left, and I knocked on the stall door again.
"Hermione, you can open the door. It's okay." She responded shakily.
"N-no. I'm fine." Just then, Myrtle, with a sickening grin, floated through the door.
"She looks positively awful." I sighed, and said,
"Hermione, I'm going to break down the door if you don't let me in." When she didn't respond, I was reaching for my wand, and the door opened slowly, revealing Hermione with black fur covering her face. She looked up at me, revealing bright yellow cat's eyes, reminding me a little of Ernest, which were streaked with tears. When I saw her, she sniffled and pulled her robes over her head. I coaxed her out of the stall, and wrapped her in a hug. She hugged back, and cried into my shoulder. We stood like that for a little, before I pulled back a little.
"It's alright, Hermione. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing." She shuddered, and I said,
"I'll cast a Vanishing Spell. No one will be able to see us. Alright?" She nodded, still sniffling, and I cast the spell on us before leading her down the hallways towards the Hospital Wing, pausing every so often to wait while I recasted the spell. When we arrived, the spell dissipated, and I made sure there wasn't anyone in the hospital wing before I let her in. Other than the Petrified, we were alone as I knocked on the door to Madam Pomfrey's office. She opened the door quickly, saw me, then saw Hermione.
"Oh dear." She led her to a bed, and quickly drew the blinds around it, so I was left alone.
"I'll see you once I find Harry and Ron, okay?" I heard her respond meekly, so I left and headed back to the bathroom. I was just in time to meet Harry and Ron, who were panting heavily as they entered.
"Where's Hermione?" I spoke quietly, explaining the situation as quickly as possible.
"So, is Malfoy the Heir?" Harry shook his head.
"No. We don't think so, at least." I groaned, and shifted back to normal.
-
As the months passed, the Petrified body count was climbing, and I was hit close to home when Hermione was Petrified. Despite this, the other students seemed to have a level of fear-fuelled respect for me, as they would duck out of my way, even though they would still whisper and mutter about me behind my back. I forged onward, ignoring the mutterings, and met up with Harry and Ron towards the end of the school year, as they were going to tell Lockhart about what they had found. As we walked towards his office, they filled me in on the basilisk, and how Ginny had been taken (that part I knew). We arrived to find Lockhart packing feverishly, and, after a brief confrontation, found out that he was leaving, before he could keep talking, I drew my wand,
"You're coming with us. Let's go, guys." We led him to the bathroom, Harry did his Parseltongue thing on the tap, and we were off. Lockhart went first, then Harry, Ron, and finally me. We landed, in a damp and musty cave, which must have been under the lake, and passed a massive snakeskin, which made me shudder down to my core. As we traveled further, Lockhart slowed, stole Ron's wand, and tried to Oblivate Ron's memories, thus sending a wall of rocks between them and us. Moving the rocks with magic would take too long, so we left Ron to it, and headed deeper into the cave. We reached a massive door, which Harry opened, and we descended into the chamber, a huge stone sculpture of an old man with a beard filling the main part of the far wall. When we arrived, I spied Ginny laying on the floor next to the diary. I cursed. I pointed her out to Harry, who ran over, while I walked up to the book. I picked it up, and looked it over. Sure enough, even in these conditions it was dry, not even the slightest bit affected by the puddle it had been sitting in. I threw it back onto the ground, and drew my wand.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I turned, and saw a boy with black hair pointing Harry's wand at me.
"You must be Tom Riddle." He nodded, and smiled.
"Yes, I am. Now, if you'll excuse me..." He turned, and spoke Parseltongue to the statue, who's mouth rumbled open. After a moment, the basilisk emerged, and I back-pedalled while Harry shouted for me to not look it in the eyes. I drew my wand, and sent a wave of Fiend Fyre at the diary. It struck true, and the diary burned up to ash as Tom Riddle screamed. He vanished, and I sighed in relief before something smashed into my back, sending me flying across the room and into the wall. I hit with a sickening crack, and felt my ribs crack as my right arm bent at a strange angle. I thunked to the ground, wand falling next to me, and tried to grab my wand with my hand. Bad mistake. As soon as I did, my arm flared, and I screamed in pain. I heard a few shouts, a bird screeching, and I knew I could help somehow. With my left arm, I grabbed my wand, and aimed unsteadily at the basilisk as Harry was fighting it, along with Dumbledore's Phoenix, Fawkes. I fired a curse at it, and was filled with dread as it bounced off of the scaly skin. The snake turned, eyes pecked out, and lunged, smashing into the wall just above my head. After a moment, it tried to rise, but Harry stabbed a sword through it's head, and it fell. Sadly, it fell straight down onto me, pinning me into place. I swore, and Harry rushed over to me.
"I have to get help, okay? I'll be back, I promise!" He dashed off, and I was left there, laying under the head of the basilisk. The weight was crushing, and I was struggling to breathe from the start, wand right next to my head, even though I couldn't reach it as my arms were pinned under the head. I waited, and waited, and waited, and finally, when my vision was starting to darken, the weight vanished. My vision slowly cleared, and I had the impression of being carried, finally being set down in a soft bed, and falling asleep.
~
I awoke in the Hospital Wing yet again (this was becoming a bad end of year tradition for me) with Dumbledore sitting next to me.
"Are you alright, Dugan?" I nodded, and he sat back, relieved.
"You were unconscious for around two weeks." I nodded, surprised that I had been asleep that long, and spoke.
"I burned the book, Professor." He nodded, and patted my arm.
"And for that I am very thankful, and proud. Not many people could ignore a basilisk over a book." I smiled, and he cleared his throat.
"Well, I should let your friends in now that you're awake, as they have been clamouring to see you for the past few weeks." I nodded, and he stood to go.
"Oh, and, by the way, the plan is progressing as we had hoped." I nodded, and he smiled before opening the doors. He was replaced by a flood of people (to my surprise) who all clustered around my bed. The first people there were the five second years, who pelted me with questions and candy; next up was Luna Lovegood, who stayed next to me in the only chair through the rest of them, because, according to her,
"You might need someone to scare them away." Next were a few Hufflepuff first years, who seemed too nervous to speak when they got up close; and finally, the three, accompanied by Ginny, who was crying furiously.
"Ginny, it's alright." She shook her head, and buried her head into Hermione's shoulder. Ron spoke.
"I asked my mom and she said it would be fine if you stayed at our place during the summer, so if you want to..." I would have loved to, but I had to stay here, for my protection.
"Actually, Dumbledore wants me to stay here over the summer, in case someone tries to get to me." Ron nodded, impressed. Harry leaned in, and shook my hand.
"Thanks for burning the diary, Dugan. I'll see you next year?" I nodded, and he smiled. Finally, Ginny regained herself, and hugged me tightly.
"I'm sorry, Dugan. I'm so sorry!" I patted her back, and she withdrew after a moment. Hermione hugged me as well, and, after another farewell (and a high five from Ron), they left, and they were replaced by McGonagall, and a man I'd seen in the Daily Prophet, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic.
"Hello, Dugan. I'm so sorry for your loss, and I hope you'll allow me to read the last will and testament of your parents." McGonagall frowned, and he unrolled a piece of parchment.
"We, Lenore and Arcus Kehoe, both of sound body and mind, leave our entire estate, possessions, and Gringotts vault to our son, Dugan Kehoe." He rolled it up, and continued.
"Now, since you're only twelve years old, the Ministry will hold your estate until you have graduated from Hogwarts, at which point you may live there and full ownership will pass to you." I nodded, and he relaxed a little. He shook my hand warily, and left in a hurry, leaving me alone with McGonagall.
"Why was he in such a hurry?" She chuckled.
"He was afraid you'd refuse to let the Ministry hold your house until you graduate, because you could beat anyone he sends at you in a duel." She eyed me shrewdly, and spoke.
"You know, we all-the teachers, that is-saw that duel. Barring the part where you defeated Professor Dumbledore, we all saw your Animagus form." I nodded, and she continued, surprising me.
"Now, I won't get you in trouble for breaking the law, or for ignoring my summons, but I will ask for you to provide an example for next year's first year Transfiguration class. If that wouldn't be too much trouble?" She looked at me over her glasses, and I nodded slowly.
"Good. Enjoy your summer, Mr. Kehoe." She left, leaving me alone in the wing save Luna, who had gone unnoticed. She spoke up as I was climbing stiffly out of bed.
"It seems to me that the Minister isn't a very nice man." I chuckled, and agreed with her as I walked her to the front gate where everyone else was. I patted her head, and she hugged me.
"See you next summer, Dugan." I smiled, and she skipped away, leaving me alone in the huge castle, except for Madam Pince, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Dumbledore. Oh, and a couple ghosts, too.