Chapter 65: The Sanctum of the Brave
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 65: The Sanctum of the Brave
Harry's heart stopped when he saw the Chief Inquisitor before him.
Professor McGonagall stood in the doorway of the kitchens, her arms crossed, and her cold eyes locked onto him.
"What are you doing here, Mister Potter?" she repeated, her voice sharp.
Harry's mind raced, looking for a good response to that question. He was still holding the apple the house-elf had given him. He looked at it, then back at McGonagall, and forced a sheepish expression onto his face.
"I was hungry, Professor," he said, holding up the apple. "I couldn't wait until dinner, so I thought I'd grab a snack."
McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "And how did you hear about this... method?"
Harry shrugged, trying to look innocent. "I don't remember exactly. It was just something I overheard in the corridors. You know how students talk a lot."
McGonagall studied him for a long moment. Her gaze was piercing, and Harry felt as though she could see right through him. But he forced himself to hold her gaze, his face blank, his heart pounding.
"I see," she said slowly. "And you thought it was acceptable to wander into the kitchens without permission?"
Harry looked down, feigning shame. "I'm sorry, Professor. I know I shouldn't have. It won't happen again."
McGonagall was silent for another moment. Then she sighed, a sound of barely concealed irritation.
"Access to the kitchens is prohibited for students without explicit permission, Mister Potter. For food safety reasons, if nothing else. I suggest you remember that next time, unless you wish to spend several months in detention."
Harry nodded quickly. "Yes, Professor. I understand. I'll remember."
He held out the apple. "Are you hungry too, Professor?. You can have this one. I already ate two."
McGonagall's lips pressed into a thin line. "My business here is not so casual, Mister Potter. I suggest you return to your common room immediately."
"Of course, Professor." Harry stepped past her, his heart pounding. He could feel her eyes on his back as he walked away.
Harry hurried through the corridors and didn't look back.
He had made it out while avoiding getting into trouble. McGonagall had let him go. But he knew she was suspicious.
Harry had the feeling that he was only allowed to leave so easily because McGonagall was busy with something more important.
'She was looking for Dibble,' he thought. 'Dumbledore must have discovered that there was an extra house-elf in the castle. He sent McGonagall to investigate.'
The old house elf had been right in his suspicions. He was only moments away from being confronted by the Chief Inquisitor.
He shuddered at the thought. If Dibble had been caught, if Dumbledore had gotten his hands on him… Harry didn't want to imagine what would have happened.
But thankfully, that didn't happen, and he seemed to have avoided trouble this time.
Harry reached the Ravenclaw common room and collapsed into an armchair by the fire; his heart was still racing.
And the ring Dibble had given him was safely stored in his pocket.
He pulled it out and studied it. The gold band was beautifully engraved, and the sigil...a stag wearing a cloak, gleamed in the firelight. It was the same symbol he had seen on the grimoire.
'My family ring,' he thought. 'The Potter family ring.'
Harry was no expert, but something was telling him that this was far from a normal ring. He could feel something as he held it. It was a similar feeling to when he held his wand...the feeling of magic.
He wondered if this ring held some secret power, but after fidgeting with it for several minutes, he could not figure it out, so he tucked it back into his robes, careful to keep it hidden. He could not risk anyone seeing it.
<><>
Two hours later, he left the common room and walked into the Great Hall for dinner.
Harry sat at the Ravenclaw table, picking up his food while his eyes kept drifting to the Slytherin table, where Draco and Crabbe were sitting, eating and having a conversation.
Just a short distance away, he saw Daphne with her friend, Tracey Davis, having a peaceful dinner.
They looked so close, so at ease with each other. Harry felt a pang of longing.
He wanted nothing more than to rush over to them, to tell them about the ring, the house elf...to share everything he had learned this afternoon.
He wanted to sit with them, to laugh with them, to feel like he was part of something again.
But he knew he couldn't. The Great Hall was too public. There were too many eyes, too many ears. Ghosts drifted through the walls while paintings watched from their frames, their eyes following the movements of the hall.
Students whispered behind their hands, their voices carrying in the vast space.
'If anyone overheard me talking about the ring, or about Dibble, or about the Knights of Walpurgis…' He didn't want to think about what would happen.
Dumbledore had spies everywhere. The portraits reported to him. The ghosts were loyal to him. Even some of the students were informants, eager to earn favour with the Headmaster.
'I need to find a safe place to meet with them,' he thought. 'But Dibble said the Room of Requirement isn't safe. That Dumbledore knows about it. He said no place in this castle is truly safe.'
That was terrible news for him, for he needed a safe place where he could be himself, where he could practice his magic and prepare for the future.
He thought the Room of Requirements was such a place, and it was likely safer than most other places in the castle, but...just in case, Harry would like to have at least one spot the Headmaster was not aware of.
'Dibble was probably right...Dumbledore had been ruling this castle like a king for decades. He must know every inch of it...this is his territory...this...wait...'
Something came to mind while looking for a secret room in Hogwarts.
There was such a room...or at least there used to be one in the original story.
The Chamber of Secrets.
But did it even exist in this world? The history was very different in this twisted world.
The founders were different. Salazar Slytherin was not an evil wizard who wanted to purge Muggle-borns. Instead, he was a healer, a saviour. Why would he need to create a place like the Chamber of Secrets?
'He probably wouldn't,' Harry realised. 'But Godric Gryffindor might...'
If the moral compass of all four founders had been changed, then...the righteous Godric Gryffindor should have been the complete opposite.
He would have been someone closer to the original Salazar Slytherin.
A cunning and cruel individual who was hellbent on the superiority of magical beings over the non-magical.
Just like Dumbledore...just like the current Weasleys.
Someone like him may have wanted to keep a few secrets in his castle.
'But where...' Just then, Hermione nudged him with her elbow. Harry blinked, pulled from his thoughts.
"Your food is getting cold," Hermione spoke to him in her usual flat tone. "Finish eating so we can go back to the common room. We have two hours of Charms study to prepare for next week's test."
Harry groaned internally. Hermione's obsession with studying was relentless. And no matter how twisted this world was, some things were still the same.
But as he looked at her, a thought struck him.
'If anyone knows about the secret rooms in Hogwarts, it would be Hermione. She's read every book in the library. She's practically a walking encyclopedia of magical knowledge.'
"Hermione," he said, trying to keep his voice casual. "Have you ever heard of something called the Chamber of Secrets? A legendary secret room hidden somewhere in the castle?"
Hermione's brow furrowed. "The Chamber of Secrets? I've never heard of anything with that name."
Harry felt a flicker of disappointment. If she didn't know about it, then...
But Hermione continued. "However, there is a legend about a different secret room. It's called the Sanctum of the Brave. Godric Gryffindor himself supposedly created it, and it is mentioned in a few history books. However, it is treated as a mere rumor, as there is no solid evidence of its existence."
Harry's heart quickened. "The Sanctum of the Brave? What else do you know about it?"
Hermione shrugged. "Not that much. But... according to the stories, only the true heir of Gryffindor can find it. And it is also said that a trial awaits the one who finds it, and if one were to pass said trial, they will receive a treasure left behind by the founder for his heir. "
"A treasure left behind by Godric Gryffindor?"
"But...as I said, it's just a legend, a story and nothing more. In a thousand years, no one has found it, much less passed the trial. So it probably doesnt even exist."
She looked at him sharply. "And even if it does exist, it's clearly meant for Gryffindors. You're a Ravenclaw now, Potter. You should focus on your studies instead of chasing fairy tales."
Harry nodded, pretending to agree. But inside, his mind was racing.
'The Sanctum of the Brave. A secret room created by Godric Gryffindor. Only the true heir of Gryffindor can find it.'
He thought about Dumbledore. The old man was supposed to be the greatest Gryffindor of them all. If anyone could find the Sanctum, it would be him.
But if Dumbledore had found it, he would have used it for his own purposes. The fact that the Sanctum was still considered a legend should mean that Dumbledore had not found it.
'Maybe he's not the true heir after all,' Harry thought. 'Maybe the Sanctum is still waiting for someone else.'
He thought about the Sorting Hat. It had wanted to put him in Gryffindor. His parents had been Gryffindors. The entire Potter line, as far back as records went, had been Gryffindor. But Harry had chosen Slytherin, and then Dumbledore had moved him to Ravenclaw.
'What if the Sorting Hat saw something in me? he wondered. What if I have Gryffindor qualities that I don't even know about?' He considered for a moment.
He wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
What kind of values did Godric Gryffindor have?. What kind of wizard was he?.
If he was similar to the current students in the house he had founded, then he was not someone Harry wanted to be associated with.
He looked down at his plate, his mind churning. He still needed to find a safe place to meet with his friends. And if the Room of Requirement wasn't safe, maybe the Sanctum of the Brave was the answer.
But first, he needed to find out more about it, and he should also try to learn more about the founder himself.
<><>
That night, Harry lay in his bed, staring at the canopy above him. The ring was hidden under his mattress, alongside the diary.
He thought about the Sanctum of the Brave. A secret room created by Godric Gryffindor. A trial that would test the true heir. A treasure left behind by the founder.
'What if the treasure is the key to defeating Dumbledore? he wondered. What if it's something that can help me?'
He reached under his mattress and pulled out the ring. He held it in his hand. The stag sigil seemed to glow in the darkness, as if it was watching him.
'I wish I could speak with Dibble some more...there were so many things I wanted to ask him.' He wondered when he would have the chance to meet the house elf again.
That night, Harry dreamed of a golden lion and a hidden door.
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