Chapter 1
The Traveler recognized exactly where he had arrived. Before him stood the open portal to the Chamber of Secrets and he heard the conversation between the local version of himself and the shade of Tom Riddle.
"He's not as gone as you might think!"
The Traveler anticipated the next sound, a sound that had always meant hope to him: The song of the phoenix named Fawkes.
However, the anticipated song never materialized. Instead he heard the shade of Riddle laugh. "Well, here we are. And no sign of the great 'Lord of Light'." The Traveler could hear the sneer in the voice. "However, if you wish to stay alive a bit longer …" the voice was now wheedling … "then answer me." The voice took on a serious note. "To business, Harry, Twice - in your past, in my future - we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk, the longer you stay alive."
The Traveler knew something was wrong. And so he immediately transformed into his animagus form. Concentrating, he flamed away,…
and found himself in the Headmaster's office. Immediately spying the sorting hat, Harry flew over and grabbed it in his talons and flamed …
until he appeared between the two figures. Riddle's shade was nonplussed at the sight of the newly arrived bird.
The local Harry was in shock as well, but the traveler saw the hope in his face.
Harry Traveler immediately began singing, whilst flapping over and dropping the sorting hat on Harry's head.
Riddle turned quickly and called out the password to open the statute and the local Harry immediately looked horrified and then screwed his eyes shut.
"Kill him!" Riddle cried.
As had occurred when he fought his own version, the snake slithered forward and Harry attempted to slide out of the way. The basilisk darted forward, just missing.
The Traveler let out a loud cry and attacked the eyes of the beast – better to take that weapon out of Riddle's arsenal.
The remainder of the confrontation between the two pretty much occurred as it did in most dimensions, the Traveler supposed: Harry ineptly fought the basilisk, the snake was killed as it bit the boy, the boy was healed with phoenix tears, and the diary was destroyed.
The next bit that was different, however, became rather obvious when the group left the inner chamber: There was no Ron waiting for the group. Listening in to Harry and Ginny speaking, it seemed that Ron, unlike in other dimensions, had bought into the whole "Heir of Slytherin" story and Harry was had been utterly unsupported since Hermione had been petrified.
As a result, Harry had done what he himself had not: Started practicing spells. When Ginny had been taken, Harry had gone to Lockhart, but Lockhart had tried to obliviate him. A desperate and overpowered Protego had done what it usually took a broken wand to do: It caused Lockhart's spell to backfire and the ponce had been left in his office.
Harry Traveler himself had always had the most amazing luck when he was desperate and there was no other way.
The two finally arrived at the long tube.
The younger Harry looked at it and said, "I don't know how we're going to get up there."
Ginny, whose tears had mostly dried, said, "I don't know either. Should we try climbing?"
The phoenix moved from Harry's shoulder and hovered in front of them. Harry got a clue. "Oh, yeah! Phoenixes can lift many times their weight." He looked over and said, "Grab on to me."
Blushing, the young girl did as asked and wrapped her arms around Harry. The boy, who had one hand on the sword he had gotten from the hat and who was wearing the hat as well, reached out and grabbed the tail feather presented.
Instead of flying the children, the Traveler decided to do it differently: He immediately flamed into the Hospital wing.
Madam Pomfrey, who was doing her rounds worriedly, looked up to see them flame in. She gasped. Ginny and Harry let go and the matron asked, "What's this?"
Before either child could speak, however, the phoenix quickly landed on Harry Potter's shoulder and immediately flamed out.
Ginny was just as shocked as Madam Pomfrey. "We just were in the Chamber of Secrets and that phoenix brought us here. I don't know where they went."
Poppy knew that the staff had been trying to figure out how to retrieve the girl and so answered, "Get into that bed while I floo the Headmaster."
The girl did as ordered and the staff were alerted to the arrival of the girl. Poppy then immediately began to perform diagnostic spells on the girl.
In short order, Molly Weasley, followed by Arthur and, within a few moments, Albus Dumbledore, rushed into the infirmary. "Ginny!" she screamed as she rushed over.
It took a long moment to separate mother and daughter. The Headmaster, who had been listening in to the semi-coherent explanation, asked, "And where is Mr. Potter?"
Ginny, who was sitting on the bed, said, "Er, I don't know, Professor. The phoenix who helped Harry fight the basilisk and brought us here took him away."
The Headmaster's eyes widened. That was very strange. He knew that Fawkes had just brought him back to Hogwarts and was now in the Head's office. "Excuse me. I need to go and see if I can get Fawkes to help find him." He looked over to Minerva, who had come in during the conversation. "Perhaps you might want to alert your sons that Ginny is safe and in the infirmary."
The Deputy, looking relieved (if you knew what to look for) nodded curtly and left.
Meanwhile, Harry Potter was looking at the location where he had just arrived.
He found several goblins looking up startled at the sight of a phoenix flaming into the closed bank. The guards present immediately lowered their spears toward the boy. One of them called out, "Halt! Why are you here?"
Harry, confused, replied, "I don't know." He looked around and it was obvious to the goblins that he wasn't lying. "I was just at Hogwarts. This phoenix took us to the hospital wing and then brought me here once Ginny let go."
The guard asked suspiciously, "Why are you carrying a sword?" He then saw the details. "And where did you get it?"
Harry replied timidly, "Well, it came from the sorting hat. And I used it to kill the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. I don't know why I was brought here though."
The guard, trying to hide his surprise, said, "Wait here!" This was far above his pay grade. He left his fellow guards to watch and immediately went to find the Bank Manager.
Harry stood there nervously as the guards stood at a distance holding their spears. The phoenix that had brought him started singing a song which calmed him down. He smiled a little and thanked the bird. The bird trilled a response.
Soon, a much more richly dressed goblin walked out onto the floor and stopped a few feet away. "Greetings. I am Ragnok. I run this branch of Gringotts."
Harry nodded and replied, "Er. Hello. I'm Harry Potter. The phoenix brought me here for some reason." The bird trilled in agreement.
"My guard said something about a basilisk …?" the goblin asked.
Harry nodded. "All this year there's been people getting petrified. I finally figured out that my friend Hermione had figured out it was a basilisk before she got petrified too. She had a page in her hand that she had been clutching. I tried to get that ponce Lockhart to help because he was the Defense Professor. Instead, he tried to obliviate me and I somehow caused his spell to backfire." As he spoke he got less nervous and more animated. "I figured out that everything seemed centered on Myrtle's bathroom. She told me about how she was killed there and the eyes. Because Ginny was taken, I figured I didn't have time to get a Professor's help and because I'm a parselmouth I could get into the chamber to rescue her. I found the sink which had a snake on it and told it to open. There was this long tube and …."
The goblins listened patiently as the young boy told them the story. When he recounted the sorting hat and how the sword came from it they knew then why he had the sword.
When he was done explaining, the goblin said, "Do you know where that sword came from? Who had it before you?"
Harry shrugged and looked down at it. "No. It's nice, though."
The manager nodded. "It's a goblin-forged sword. It was made for Gryffindor, but our people expect such items to be returned after the death of the one who rented them."
The Sorting Hat immediately interrupted. "I was there. That sword was commissioned for Gryffindor and his heirs! The original contract included the ownership in perpetuity and Godric paid a princely sum for that. When Ragnuk tried to send agents to steal it back, Godric subdued them and sent his attackers back with a warning that he would unsheathe the sword against all who would attack him and his house! The Sword can always be summoned by a true Gryffindor who needs it in defense of Hogwarts. You have no claim!"
Harry noticed that the goblins looked sullen at that. Harry just wanted to get out of this alive. He really didn't care about an ownership dispute that was a thousand years old.
Raknok said, "Very well." And though he looked like he was constipated when he said it he continued, "We recognize the preeminent claim of Gryffindor." Once more business-like he continued, "What are your plans for your basilisk?" With a bit of avarice he added, "Such a beast is quite valuable."
Harry shrugged. "Don't know. Doesn't it belong to Hogwarts? It was Slytherin's monster."
The hat interrupted again. "The Forest Laws apply to this. You killed it. You own it. But perhaps these might want to purchase the carcass from you."
Harry thought about it and said, "I guess that's fine. How much is …"
Before he could finish, they were interrupted by a second phoenix flaming in. Harry recognized it and called happily, "Fawkes!"
The new arrival trilled and all saw the letter carried by the bird. As Harry reached out, the phoenix that had brought him cried out in disagreement – or so those listening interpreted.
Ragnok looked suspiciously and said, "I would like to check that piece of parchment for spells."
Harry nodded. "Fawkes? Can you let him check?" The original phoenix trilled in agreement. Fawkes flapped over and allowed the goblin to do whatever he needed.
"It has a portkey enchantment," Ragnok said.
"What's a portkey?" Harry asked. Once it was explained, he said thoughtfully, "I guess the Headmaster wanted me to come back."
"We have business to finish!" The bank manager was a bit annoyed and it showed.
"Well, I'm a student at Hogwarts and no one knows where I am. I don't have anything against talking but I didn't ask to come here. I was brought. So maybe we have to take this up later."
The unnamed phoenix trilled loudly and Harry could tell there was a disagreement. After the unnamed phoenix trilled at Fawkes, who seemed to nod, the phoenix flashed out.
"Where did he go?" Harry asked in confusion. The goblins were just as confused.
Within a few short moments, however, the phoenix had flamed back. It, however, had an additional person with it: Amelia Bones, newly named Director of Magical Law Enforcement.
She immediately looked around and called out, "Can anyone tell me why I was just brought to Gringotts?"
It took a few minutes but everyone was soon on the same page. Finally Amelia said, "Well, maybe we can all use the portkey and then we can get this sorted out."
Ragnok looked to his guard and then looked back. "Perhaps if one of my guard came with you and then set a locator beacon, I and another guard can follow so that we can complete our business once matters have been resolved." The unnamed phoenix trilled for a long passage and Ragnok said, "Or the phoenix can bring us." The phoenix trilled in agreement.
Amelia looked to Harry, who was pretty overwhelmed. "Well, Mr. Potter? What do you think?"
Harry shrugged. "That's fine with me. I seem to be just along for the ride."
The goblins barked a laugh at that even as Amelia took on a look of mild consternation. "Yes, well, I would like to get this resolved."
Shortly thereafter, Amelia, Harry and the extra guard all reached for the paper simultaneously.
Albus Dumbledore was waiting patiently for his wayward student to arrive via Portkey into his office. Fawkes should have been back faster, he mused.
Suddenly, the portkey arrived but instead of Harry alone, there seemed to be additional passengers. One he recognized immediately: Amelia Bones. There was also a Gringotts guard. Before he could say anything, Fawkes also returned with the other reported phoenix as well. That phoenix seemed to have two more goblins, one who he recognized as Ragnok.
He sighed. This was going to be a long night.
Amelia Bones looked at the Headmaster. "What is this that I am hearing about a basilisk terrorizing Hogwarts?"
Albus said, "I'm sorry, Amelia. But for the past weeks I have not been at Hogwarts as I was forced out on the same night that Hagrid was taken to Azkaban by Cornelius. I was ordered back by the Board when Miss Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets."
Harry added, "Yeah. The Minister took Hagrid because 'he had to be seen as doing something'." Harry's disgust was obvious.
Albus asked Harry, "Can you explain exactly what transpired earlier?"
The long and sordid details took quite a few minutes more. The Headmaster was astonished. He was looking curiously at the book that had started it all when the next interruption occurred.
Lucius Malfoy came striding into the room, obviously having hastily dressed. Harry almost snickered at the less than perfect image. He was being followed by Dobby.
"What is the meaning of this? You were suspended by the Board! What are you doing here?" At that moment, however, Lucius noted who else was in the room.
The Headmaster calmly replied, "I was contacted by the other members of the board. When the daughter of one of our more well-liked Pureblood families was taken into Chamber, I was asked to come back and sort it out. It seems that even them thinking that they were under threat from being cursed if I returned didn't prevent them from requiring my services."
Amelia squinted her eyes at the blonde ponce even as Ragnok and the other goblins looked at the man with some malicious interest.
"I see." He tried to backpedal. "And did you find out who was causing the problem?"
"Oh, yes. It was the same person as was guilty fifty years ago. Lord Voldemort. Yet this time it was accomplished by use of this book causing someone to be possessed." He held up the diary. "Might you have any idea as to how this came to be?"
Looking superior Lucius replied, "I am certain that I have no idea how such a thing took place."
All of those except Lucius noted the small house elf motioning toward the book and the man. Harry realized what the elf was saying. "I don't know. It seems that it was placed in Ginny Weasley's cauldron during that scuffle in Diagon Alley which you started. It's kind of weird that such a proper Pureblood such as yourself would get into such a scuffle. I think you used that to slip her the diary."
Lucius pugnatiously replied, "Try to claim that with no proof and I will see you before the Wizengamot!"
The Headmaster said, "I am certain that there isn't enough proof. However, I would be quite a bit more likely to pursue this if any more of Voldemort's old things suddenly appeared in circulation again. It might show a pattern occurring."
Lucius was soon sent off in a tiff. And, as other versions of himself had done quite often, Harry used the diary and a dirty sock to trick Malfoy into freeing his elf. With the Director of Magical Law Enforcement looking on, he didn't attempt to curse the boy – but he only barely withhold himself.
Harry and Amelia returned to the Headmaster's office.
"Amelia. Perhaps I can now get my gamekeeper back now that he has been exonerated of any wrongdoing?" Albus asked the DMLE Director.
She nodded. "Write the order out and I will countersign it."
The Headmaster did so and Amelia was about to go to the floo but was interrupted when the nameless phoenix sang out, interrupting her. The phoenix flew over and snatched the order and flamed out.
Hagrid was sitting in a cell in Azkaban, trying to maintain his composure when a phoenix appeared in his cell. Hagrid looked at the bird in astonishment. "Wha's this?"
The bird sang a soothing song. A guard, hearing the disturbance, rushed down the passageway. "What's going on?"
"Er. This phoenix 'as brough somethin' to me."
The guard said pugnaciously, "Let me see that!" He grabbed the parchment and read it. "This is an order of release from Dumbledore and signed by Bones." His pugnaciousness had changed to astonishment. "I guess you're getting out."
Hagrid yelled in relief. "Tha's great!"
The phoenix trilled happily and landed on the Hagrid's shoulder. The guard was astonished to watch the two flame away.
Amelia asked the Headmaster, "What's with the new phoenix?"
The Headmaster replied honestly, "I don't know. He appeared to Harry in the Chamber."
Ragnok, who was still watching everything, said, "It's a very strange phoenix. Normally, such creatures would be stopped by the anti-transport wards in Gringotts – even your portkey required my magical approval to be used. However, it is a phoenix and so I am not as concerned as I could be."
Amelia said, "We also have such wards at Azkaban." Just then, the bird reappeared with Hagrid. "And I guess they were just as effective."
Hagrid, looking kind of haggard but also relieved, said, "Headmaster! Thanks fer getting' m' out o' there."
The Headmaster nodded. "You've been cleared of any wrongdoing. We will discuss it later. Why don't you clean up. There will be a feast to celebrate the end of the crisis, even though it's rather late" He looked at Harry. "Perhaps you should clean up as well. You can inform your housemates about the feast."
Ragnok said, "We still have business to finish."
Albus nodded. "Perhaps you can join the feast and speak whilst everyone is eating or perhaps you can come back in the morning. Harry is, after all, just a twelve year old student and it is getting rather late."
Ragnok looked at the boy, who nodded in agreement with the Headmaster's statement. "I will return tomorrow with assessors and those who can render the beast once an agreement is reached. How large was it?"
Harry considered that. "About 50 feet? Maybe a bit longer? And it's a bit taller than me."
Ragnok nodded in a small amount of surprise. "A very respectable kill. I look forward to seeing it." He turned to the Headmaster. "We need a portkey back to Gringotts. I can create one or you can."
The Headmaster nodded. "You create it and I will magically allow it through the wards."
Ragnok nodded and took a length of rope from a guard. Harry went off to clean up even as Ragnok began enchanting it.