Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.



The school year continued through the winter and into the spring without much trouble for the Snape Family. Knowledge was worked into the reluctant heads of the students and patients came and went at the hospital. The Chamber of Secrets appeared to have closed and all the adults at Hogwarts breathed a sigh of relief. The Mandrake plants were nearing maturity and the potion to revive the petrified students and Filch's cat would soon be made.

Then it happened again. Two more students were petrified. The Ministry worked quickly, sending Hagrid to Azkaban almost immediately. Since Hagrid had been suspected of opening the Chamber the last time, he was seen as the likely person to have done it this time. The fact that he had been completely exonerated that time carried little weight with the Ministry of Magic.

The Hogwart's School Board of Governors acted right on the Ministry's heels, removing Albus Dumbledore as Headmaster. Emily tried to get some of the other parents to send letters to board members, denouncing both actions, but few parents wanted to get involved at this point. The board members turned a deaf ear to Emily, pointing out that she was hardly an objective person to comment with her ties to the school. Severus realized that Lucius Malfoy was behind the Board's actions and cautioned his wife to be less conspicuous in her efforts. It was still not clear what Malfoy's role would be should the Dark Lord ever return to power.

Finally there came a day when a student was not petrified, but kidnapped entirely. A note left on one of the hallway walls said that Ginny Weasley was in the Chamber of Secrets and would die there. The Teachers gathered in the Staff Room and discussed how to handle the problem. Professor Snape suggested that Professor Lockhart go search for the Chamber and save the girl, as the staff expert on Defense Against the Dark Arts. No one thought the Defense Professor would actually do anything, but it got him out of the room.

Suddenly, the crisis was over. It seemed that Harry Potter, armed with very little of use besides a strong loyalty to Dumbledore, discovered the Chamber of Secrets. While there he killed the monster, which turned out to be a Basilisk. He also fought against a spirit form of Voldemort and rescued Ginny Weasley, who had somehow been possessed by that spirit.

In the process of that rescue, Professor Lockhart had managed to Obliviate himself almost completely. Emily and Poppy were both asked their opinion. Emily spent several minutes trying to convince Gilderoy that she was not his wife and ended by simply shaking her head. The spell could be tricky under the best of circumstances but with a broken wand involved it was anyone's guess. If a cure was to be found, it would be through work with one of the specialists who worked in Memory Charms.

After some attendants from St. Mungo's came to escort the professor to the hospital, Emily went looking for her husband, a stormy glint in her eyes. When she found him, she brought him to a hallway in the dungeon that was familiar to both of them. He recognized the glint and the tilt of her head and followed.

“What did you do?” Emily asked Severus.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, did you send that poor fool down into the Chamber of Secrets the same way Sirius sent you to the Whomping Willow tree?”

“Of course not!”

“They tell me that it was you who suggested he go and now he has to be hospitalized, perhaps for his whole life.”

“It wasn't like that.”

“I've heard that before from other lips.”

Severus's own ire was rising. “How could you think that I— Emily, he had no intention of going into the chamber. We needed him out of the way so that we could discuss the problem. He was packing to disappear when Potter and Weasley found him in his office. His trunks were found packed and his wand was discovered on the grounds outside the window. Those boys forced him down into the tunnels leading to the chamber, not I.” He put his hand to his forehead and muttered, “Yet another example of Potter being lucky and escaping with little injury.”


Emily slumped against the wall, her concern drifting away. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. Forgive me, Severus.”

“I know how it looked.” Severus put his arm around his wife. “Let's go back to my office. You've just gotten home from a double shift, you've been consulting in the Infirmary without any rest. Now I have a potion to watch.”

“How long will it take to prepare the potion?”

“Most of the weekend, I expect. Mandrake preparations need pretty close supervision, but not constant supervision. I could step away as far as our bedroom, if need be.”

“I love to watch your hands when you work,” said Emily softly.

“I believe you've mentioned that,” said Severus. He lowered his voice suggestively, “Perhaps after the potion is simmering, my hands can find something else to work on?”

“I'd love that, too.”

---

Dear Hope,

Thanks for the recommendations on what to study over the summer. I can't believe Hermione Granger was still almost caught up to us, even after spending almost the whole term in the Hospital Wing this year. It seems like all she does is study and when she's done studying for classes she reads other things, too. I wonder how she does that.

I can't wait to get home to Gran's garden. She's going to let me expand a section to include some of the plants we studied this year. There are some plants I saw in the St. Mungo's greenhouses I would like to try, too. Do you think the gardeners there might help me?

You will be coming to visit at St. Mungo's, won't you? Our conversations helped me understand things better over the Christmas Hol's and I know Gran and my parents would love to see you. Anyway, have a good summer whatever you do.

Sincerely,
Lucky

End Notes: Thank you readers and reviewers. Thank you very much to beta reader Trickie Woo, who knows so very well what works and what doesn't.

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