Chapter 74: A Startling Revelation
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 74: A Startling Revelation
Harry stepped onto the circular platform, his eyes fixed on the gleaming object before him.
The shield was magnificent. Its surface was polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the light from the torches and creating gold- and silver colored waves.
The image of the lion that was carved into its face seemed alive, its mane flowing, its eyes fierce and proud. The metal hummed with a faint, ancient power, as if it had been waiting for centuries for someone worthy to claim it.
Harry felt the magical energy emanating from it, warm and inviting. He had never heard of the Gryffindor Shield...only the sword, the one the original Harry had used to kill the basilisk. That weapon was made of goblin steel, which only became stronger the more it was used.
It made sense to have a shield that would go with the sword. Godric Gryffindor liked to fight with close-range weapons. A sword and shield would have been his natural choice.
Harry didn't know what sort of magic this shield possessed, but he was sure it would become useful to him. He could feel it.
He reached for it, his fingers almost touching the metal.
He never even noticed when Ginny raised her wand and pointed it at his back.
"Incarcerous."
Harry gasped as white ropes shot from Ginny's wand, wrapping around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. He stumbled, trying to free himself, but the ropes were too tight.
"Expelliarmus."
His wand flew from his hand, clattering somewhere in the darkness of the chamber.
Harry lost his balance and fell hard onto the stone floor, his shoulder striking the ground with a sickening crack.
"Ginny?!" he cried, his voice a mixture of shock and disbelief. "What are you-"
Ginny was not looking at him. Her expression was cold as ice, her eyes fixed on the massive face carving of Godric Gryffindor that hung on the wall at the end of the chamber.
"This is far enough, right?" Ginny asked, her voice flat and emotionless. She was speaking to someone else.
The carving shifted. A section of the stone slid aside, revealing a set of stairs descending from behind the wall. And from the opening, a figure emerged.
"Yes," said a voice that made Harry's blood run cold. "I believe Mister Potter has made his intentions very clear."
"No..." Harry's worst fears were coming true.
Albus Dumbledore descended the stairs...his white robes were almost gleaming as he moved. His expression was difficult to read...not quite angry, not quite disappointed. It was something else. Something that looked almost like satisfaction.
"Oh, yes, Mister Potter." Dumbledore's voice was calm, almost conversational. "I already told you before. Nothing happens in this castle without me knowing. I have eyes everywhere." He glanced at Ginny. "And you should have been more careful about who you trusted."
Harry turned his head to look at Ginny. Her expression was cold, devoid of any emotion. The kind, friendly face he had gotten to know over the past month was nowhere to be seen.
"Why?" Harry's voice cracked. "Why did you betray me?"
"Betray you?" Ginny finally looked at him, her eyes flat and empty, as if he was speaking nonsense.
"Poor boy," Dumbledore chuckled. Harry could hear his footsteps getting closer. He tried to wrestle against his restraints, but he could not break free. "She didn't betray you; she couldn't...because Miss Weasley was never on your side to begin with. She had always been my creature."
Harry's mind reeled. "It was all an act? Everything you told me?. How could you..."
"You thought you had found a Weasley who was on your side, right?" Dumbledore asked. "I can't blame you too much." He walked past Harry and went to Ginny's side, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Ginny here is a true psychopath. She is by far the worst of all the Weasleys. Did you know that her brothers are all afraid of her? They do everything she tells them."
Harry blinked, trying to process the information. Is that why neither Ron nor the twins had bothered him for the entire year? Did she tell them to stay clear of him?
"A psychopath?" Harry repeated, his voice hollow.
Dumbledore smiled. "Indeed. Ginny here was born without the ability to feel emotions in the normal way people do. But she is really good at faking them, isn't she?. Very convincing."
Harry was shocked. He looked at Ginny, searching for any sign of the girl he thought he had known. There was nothing. Just cold, empty eyes.
"Do you have my crystals?" Ginny demanded, her attitude completely different from before.
"Do you have any more information for me?" Dumbledore asked.
"Why? You were watching the whole thing."
Dumbledore's grin became more pronounced. "You are absolutely right, my dear. I just like hearing you talk, that's all." He reached into his robes and pulled out a small bag, handing it to the girl. "Here you go. Dont use them all at once. They are very dangerous things..."
Harry didn't know what those crystals were, but he assumed it was her payment for the time she spent deceiving him all this time and guiding him to this chamber.
Ginny took the bag and walked past Harry without even looking at him once, ascending the stairs and disappearing through the opening.
"Not even a goodbye...she is always so cold." Dumbledore watched her go, then turned his attention back to Harry. " BY the way, that's the main entrance of the chamber, not the girls' bathroom you used. The secret entrance was behind a fake wall next to my office."
Harry's mind raced. "You knew about the chamber..."
Dumbledore nodded. "I discovered it when I was around your age. I was so happy back then... so proud of myself for having become the true Heir of Salazar Slytherin."
Harry froze. "That's..." He stopped, his brain struggling to process the words. "This is Gryffindor's secret chamber. The shield..."
"Oh, I put that there." Dumbledore used his foot to flip Harry onto his back.
Harry grunted in pain as his hands hit the ground and became twisted under his weight. But Dumbledore's words were too shocking to ignore, so he pushed past the pain and listened.
"This chamber was originally very different." The Headmaster was looking directly into his eyes. "Tell me, Harry... how did you know there was a secret chamber here?. Despite all the legends, no one had any idea where the entrance to the chamber was located. Not even after a thousand years. But you...you already knew where it was, right?"
Harry immediately looked away, his heart pounding.
"And... how do you know that eye contact makes it easier for me to enter your mind? That's very curious, you see, because that is not knowledge commonly available in this world. I was so surprised the first time I noticed you doing it, but pretended not to notice."
Harry kept quiet, but his mind was racing. 'What is going on? What does he know?'
"I have to say that your acting skills are almost as good as those of Miss Weasley," Dumbledore continued. "If it wasn't for her help and my mastery in mind magic, I could have almost believed that you still didn't have your memories. Your mind is most curious. You are the first person to recover your memories after I wiped them out. The first one. Do you have any idea how rare that is? Even a master Occlumens would not be able to do that."
"I... don't know what you-"
"Please, save it. Dont insult my intelligence, at least." Dumbledore's voice was firm. "I know more about you than you think. I even know that Harry Potter is not your original name, is it? Who were you before?. What were you called?"
Harry closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. "Get out of my head!"
Dumbledore chuckled. "We have a lot more in common than you think, my boy. You may not have realised it yet, but your mind is divided into two parts. Two distinct compartments, like a computer with two memory drives. You can wipe one out, but the other will still retain its information intact. And the two sides can communicate with each other, so there is always a memory backup ready to go. Do you know what I mean? Did you have computers in your previous life?"
Harry was too terrified to speak.
Dumbledore continued. "I suppose it doesn't matter. We can drop the act now. There is only one reason you are still alive, Harry, and that is because I want something from you."
"What do you want from me?" Harry's voice was hoarse. "Why did you go through the trouble of doing all of this? Why use Ginny? Why make me think that..."
"I can assure you that I had my reasons for this whole act...There were a few things I wanted to know. I had to make sure before we had this conversation. I had originally planned to extend this for a few more months, but...you found access to the chamber much faster than I anticipated."
Harry glanced at the shield. "I guess you put that there too. As a prop to deceive me."
"The shield? Oh no, that is a real artifact left behind by the founder." Dumbledore picked it up, examining it with something like affection. "Yes, it was left by the good old Godric, along with his sword. I have them both in my collection now. Very powerful artifacts, especially when they are together. Unfortunately, they don't fit my style."
With a flick of his wrist, the shield disappeared.
"But let's not digress any more. Let's move on to the crux of the matter, Harry." Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry. "Enough with the games. I want the secrets locked inside that Grimoire of yours, and you are going to give them to me, one way or another."
Harry stared up at him, his heart pounding, his mind racing. He had been betrayed. He had been manipulated. And now he was trapped.
"No," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I won't give you anything."
Dumbledore smiled coldly. "I was afraid you might say that."
He raised his wand...
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