Whispers Beneath the Stone
The owl arrived at precisely midnight. And instantly proceeded to start tapping on the window. Trying to wake the residents of the house to no avail.
Harry Potter, now aged twenty-eight and having pulled away from his magical life as much as possible without completely removing it from his life or his wife's due to the children. He was now living in a quiet corner of Devon with Ginny and their two children. He had been dreaming of flying - the kind that makes you feel weightless and like your life is infinite, swooping between the trees and driving over cliffs. Gliding over the water without ever touching it. He awoke with a start as the tapping at the window grew lounder and even more urgent than before.
He blinked quickly trying to wake up properly and get the sleep from his eyes before sitting up and going over to the window to unlatch the glass. The owl was that of Hogwarts Official Post, it tilted it's head, eyes glowing a gorgeous amber in the dark. Attached to it's leg was a single envelope, thick parchment inside, all sealed in wax but not with the Hogwarts crest but a serpent crest he didn't recognise.
Harry frowned because this was unusual. with it not being the Hogwarts seal means it must be something older.
He broke the seal open and opened the letter unsure what to expect from what was inside.
***
MR. H. Potter,
You are hereby summoned to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with great urgence. An artifact has been uncovered in what remains of the Chamber of Secrets. Your presence is required for reasons that can not and will not be safely stated in writing. You must not bring anyone. But you must come at once.
—Headmistress M. McGonagall
Harry’s blood ran cold as this is not what he was expecting at all.
He hadn't stepped foot in the Chamber of Secrets since he was twelve and he had no desire to do so again. He hadn't even spoken about it in years, he didn't feel able too - not even to Ginny, not really, and she had been in there too. Something about it still felt cursed like it was trying to take more people he loved away from him. But there was more. There was always more. The letter it's self smelled faintly of the old stones in the Chamber and of basilisk blood and that scared him. It smelled of something ancient and that probably wasn't a good thing at all.
"Harry?" Ginny's voice was sleepy but still full of concern for her husband. "Is everything okay or has something bad happened? Do you need help?"
He looked over at her, her face half-lit by the moonlight, and looking so stunning he just stood there for a minute. He considered lying to her but something in the way the owl was still hovering in the window told him this wasn't something he could run from, he knew he had to go and find out what was going on but he also knew he couldn't tell anyone.
“No, it's not but I can't explain why, I just need you to trust me,” he said softly, trying not to make her panic as that wasn't going to be good for anyone. “I need to go to Hogwarts immediately. I don't like it but I have no choice and this is the right thing to do. I will try to be back as soon as possible but I have no idea what is ahead.”
"That's ok, just be careful, we'll be here when you are back." Ginny responded, she looked upset but there wasn't much Harry could do about it. He had to go.
