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The Founding – Chapter 1: Return to the Chamber

Harry was nervous as he sat waiting for Dumbledore to return to his office. He had been asked to go to his office after the welcoming feast, but Dumbledore had had to talk to one of the professors before meeting him. Harry was worried that he was in trouble over what had happened with Aunt Marge, or it had something to do with the dementors or, knowing his luck, had something to do with Sirius Black. Harry's eyes widened with the realization that he was already troubled by so much and classes hadn't even start yet.

A soft trill caught Harry's attention as Fawkes flew over to land on the back of the chair Harry was sitting in. He relaxed in his seat as he let the phoenix's sing take away his worries, even if it was only for a moment. That is probably why he was so startled when he heard Dumbledore clearing his throat from his seat at his desk. Harry hadn't noticed as the headmaster had entered his office or taken his seat right in front of him. Fawkes flew back to his perch in a huff.

"Headmaster, I'm not in trouble, am I?" Harry began to ask.

"No Harry," Dumbledore said with a twinkle appearing in his eye. "I actually called you here to ask a favor."

"A favor?" asked Harry confused. He wondered what he could do for the headmaster.

"Yes. You see, I wish to explore the Chamber of Secrets. Make sure Tom didn't leave anything down there for one, but also it's the first opportunity we've had at Hogwarts for centuries to learn more about the founders. We don't know what else Slytherin might have left down there."

"Oh," Harry said simply. He had never really though about what else might be down there. Of course, having the little sister of your best friend be in mortal danger while being in mortal danger yourself with a huge basilisk after you just might drive any other concerns or considerations from your mind.

"Of course I'll open it," Harry offered.

"Great!" Dumbledore said cheerfully, the twinkle more pronounced in his eyes than Harry had ever seen before. "Is it alright if we do it now? Or do you wish to settle in for the night?"

"Now is fine, Sir," Harry said softly while standing up. Truthfully he didn't want to go to bed while he was still bothered by what had happened earlier with the dementors.

"Some of the other professors will be joining us," explained Dumbledore as he wrote out some letter before enchanting them to fly. "I already asked them if they would be willing to help if you agreed. They'll meet us in the bathroom as soon as they receive their notices."

Harry simply nodded unable to think of anything to say and led the way to Moaning Myrtle's haunting place. When they arrived it was to discover the resident ghost having a fit in front of Severus Snape, who seemed very annoyed. Harry watched in awe as Snape reached new heights in volume and anger before Myrtle lost control and attempted to slap Snape. Harry's eyes widened as her hand went through Snape's head. Myrtle escaped into her toilet as Snape turned blue and reached for his wand. Harry wondered for a moment what exactly Snape thought he could do to a ghost.

"Severus," Dumbledore said sternly.

Snape spun around, startled, "Headmaster. Potter."

Harry watched as Snape took on the appearance of civility, with a slight sneer. Harry bit his lip as he tried to hold back a decidedly non-masculine giggle. It just wasn't intimidating in any way with Snape so blue. Harry spared a moment to ponder if it was because ghosts are just really cold or if it's because of the amount of time Myrtle spends in her toilet. Harry almost jumped as he realized Snape was glaring at him.

Anything else that might have been said wasn't as other professors arrived, one by one. Soon the bathroom contained not only Harry, Snape and the headmaster, but also professors McGonagall, Lupin, Flitwick, Sprout and lastly, Madame Pomfrey. Seeing his shocked gaze she gave a slight chuckle, "I don't limit myself to treating students, Harry. I can also treat professors. And when they're insisting on going into unknown places that are most likely very dangerous I insist on being nearby."

"Oh," Harry said softly, surprised.

"Is everyone ready?" Dumbledore asked.

A bunch of affirmatives followed.

"Harry, if you would," Dumbledore said looking at Harry.

Harry nodded, turned to the opening and hissed, "Open."

Soon the professors began carefully entering the Chamber of Secrets. As Harry prepared to join them, Madame Pomfrey grabbed his arm. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. Without letting him respond she continues, "You're staying here, where it's safe."

Snape, the last of the professors to go, sneered, "Did you think that you were needed beyond your ability to open this passageway? You're such a foolish boy." Snape seemed almost proud of his last dig before going through the opening.

Harry, who was feeling somewhat annoyed, frustrated, or something similar, turned to the school healer and asked, "How are we supposed to know what's going on?"

"That's what we have this for," she said revealing a mirror in her hand. "We'll be using this and its counterpart, which is with Professor Lupin, to communicate. See? It's already active. SONOROUS," she said with a wave of her wand at the mirror.

Harry blinked as he could suddenly hear the professors as they explored the chamber. Harry sat down on the floor, soon joined by Madame Pomfrey. They sat comfortably leaning against the clean bathroom walls as they listened to what was going on in the chamber. She explained various spells the explorers were using. Harry paid rapt attention. He never knew when he might need to know something so he mentally filed away the spells he didn't know, such as how to lift, vanish and shrink objects.

"That's the rockslide that Lockhart caused," Harry explained to the nurse.

The two sat in silence while the professors' footsteps echoed out from the mirror as they explored the chamber beyond where Ron had reached.

"Potter killed that!?" came the shocked voice of Severus Snape.

The professors' voices overlapped as they each spoke their amazement at the sight of the huge, dead, basilisk that Harry had almost died killing. Harry blushed, almost embarrassed, at the attention he was receiving, if only vocally.

Madame Pomfrey reached out and drew Harry into a sideways hug. She'd had some idea what had happed down there, since she'd finished patching Harry. Hearing exactly what had caused it made all the already overprotective instincts she had for Harry go into overdrive. Harry relaxed into the nurse's embrace. To be held in the arms of someone who was concerned about him was something he had always dreamt of in his pre-Hogwarts days. Harry relaxed as he allowed the voices of those below them to flow over him.

Harry jerked awake as he heard Professor Lupin's voice shouting out to the others, "You won't believe this."

Harry blinked his eyes to realize that he was sleeping on a cot in Myrtle's bathroom that Madame Pomfrey must have summoned. As he sat up he realized that the night must have passed them by as the light from the early dawn was starting to flood the room.

"Oh my," McGonagall said after apparently joining Lupin. "It's a bedroom. This must have been Slytherin's private rooms."

"It's getting late, or rather early," Dumbledore said, speaking for the first time as far as Harry could remember since going into the chamber. "We'll have to come back after the students go back to bed. They'll be getting up anytime now."

"Alright," came the voices of the others, each sounding either tired or regretful.

"Wait," Lupin called out before even a dozen footsteps could be heard through the mirror. "I see something."

"Is that a portrait?" asked Flitwick.

"It looks like it's a painting of Hogwarts," Lupin said as he apparently took the painting down for a closer look.

"What's that?" came McGonagall's voice.

"It looks like a couple of plaques, I can't tell what the one on the side says," Lupin murmured after a moment. "Oh my! The center one… it… it says 'The Founders'."

End Chapter 1

REVIEWS INSPIRE ME

This story is one of many that's been driving me nuts, trying to get out. I'm actually writing this whole story by hand and then typing it so it's taking awhile. This chapter actually took over a month to write and type, but hopefully that'll make this a better written story than my recently finished fic, Dinner with Voldemort. This chapter was a lot of setup… Hopefully you all liked it anyway. Next chapter: The Founders.