Chapter Text
Professor Dumbledore sits behind his desk as Adrian, Ron, and Harry explain the entire story to him: The voices, Aragog, Lockhart, and Tom Riddle. The only time Shiloh spoke was to tell Professor Dumbledore what happened to his shoulder. Adrian says, "... And now here we are. I guess you'll want this sword back. Be careful, though, it is a good vessel for basilisk venom." He sets it on Dumbledore's desk, and the four boys stand in silence for a moment. Professor Dumbledore then says, "I must make you boys aware that you've broken at least a dozen school rules, and there is sufficient evidence to expel each of you..." They all hand their heads and say, "Yes sir." Dumbledore then says, "I suppose there's nothing to be done except... Give each of you a special award for services to the school."
Each of the boys look at him in shock as he smiles at them. He picks up a stack of papers and he says, "Mr. Weasley, would you mind taking these papers to the owlery? I think we'd all like our gamekeeper returned to us safely." Ron smiles and says, "Right away, sir!" Ron runs out of the office, leaving behind Adrian, Harry, and Shiloh. Harry then says, "Professor, I was wondering something: How is it that I can speak parseltongue?" Professor Dumbledore then says, "Most people who speak parseltongue are direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin. You, however, are not one of those people. You can speak parseltongue because Voldemort can speak parseltongue." Shiloh and Adrian look at one another in shock, and Harry says, "But how, sir?" Dumbledore then says, "I believe that the night you first encountered Voldemort, he unintentionally transferred some of his powers to you."
Harry says, "So the reason I speak parseltongue is because he can?" Dumbledore says, "I believe so." Harry then says, "If I have some of him inside of me, then why aren't I in Slytherin? It is a bad thing that I speak parseltongue?" Dumbledore says, "Slytherins are not bad wizards. I know you know that, but I want to reiterate that you wouldn't have been a bad wizard if you were in Slytherin. You aren't in Slytherin because Voldemort's part of you is not what makes you who you are. You are not a bad wizard for speaking parseltongue, even if it was something that was given to you by a dark wizard. The fact that it was given to you and not inherited genetically, you might have a harder time learning it, but it does not make you a bad wizard. It doesn't make any of you bad wizards. Who you are is determined by your actions. If you need proof that you don't belong in Slytherin, take a look at this sword."
He hands Harry the sword from the sorting hat, and he looks and an engraving on the blade. He says, "Godric Gryffindor..." Dumbledore says, "It would take a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the sorting hat. You must have shown me true loyalty down there. Only that would have called Fawkes to you." Harry smiles, and he says, "Thank you, sir." Shiloh's shoulder twinges, and he grabs it. He sits in a chair next to Dumbledore's desk, and he looks at you. Dumbledore then asks, "What ended up happening to the basilisk that lived in the chamber?" Adrian looks a bit guilty, and he says, "I'm not exactly sure..." Dumbledore smiles and says, "Who might that be?" Adrian looks around his neck, and he says, "This is Jade. She's a recent companion of mine, and she can be pried from my cold, dead fingers. Do we understand one another?"
Dumbledore looks at him and Adrian says, "Let's just leave sleeping dogs where they lie..." Just then, the door to Dumbledore's office swings open and Draco's father walks in with a house elf closely trailing behind him. Shiloh nervously covers his shoulder more and turns in his chair to avoid eye contact as much as physically possible with Mr. Malfoy. Adrian says, "Lucius Malfoy... You've got a lot of f*cking nerve showing up here! I've just about had it with your f*cking entitlement! First the bookstore, now this? You know, you can wait outside in the hallway like every other adult in this..." Adrian looks down and gets a closer look at Mr. Malfoy's house elf. Shiloh and Harry also look at him, and Harry says, "Dobby?" Mr. Malfoy says, "I'll deal with you later..." while staring at Dobby, who looks terrified.
Adrian starts laughing, and Mr. Malfoy says, "Pray tell, what's so funny?" Adrian gets irritated and he says, "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking back to our conversation in Flourish and Blotts, and how you said that I needed to learn how to show "respect to my betters"... That's awfully big talk for someone who isn't worth the dirt under my boot. Alright, I'll play along: What are you doing here?" Mr. Malfoy smirks at Adrian and he says, "I wanted to see for myself that Dumbledore had in fact returned." Adrian says, "Yeah, you saw. Goodbye now." Mr. Malfoy then asks, "who was the culprit behind these attacks?" Adrian says, "I'm sorry, I'm having trouble telling if you are playing dumb or being dumb. Do you expect us to believe that you don't know?" Dumbledore then says, "Mr. Brown, please... You can tell him if you'd like."
Adrian says, "Oh sure, we'll explain!" Adrian and Harry go through the whole story from start to finish, while Shiloh stays silent, unable to look at Mr. Malfoy. He is holding onto his shoulder tightly, and he starts sweating and shaking. At one point during the story, Shiloh moves his hand and it is covered in blood. Mr. Malfoy looks down as Shiloh does this, and he sees the blood covering his hand. Shiloh looks up at Mr. Malfoy, and he almost shows concern for Shiloh. Adrian is about to talk about how Jade bit Shiloh, and Shiloh shakes his head at Adrian. Adrian sees Shiloh shaking and he takes the hint, saying that Voldemort used Harry's wand to wound Shiloh. Once Adrian is done, Mr. Malfoy says, "Let us hope that Mr. Potter will always be here to save the day." Harry looks up into his eyes, and he says, "Don't worry... I will be."
Adrian says, "So will we. I know I'm more than happy to punch Voldemort in his f*cking nose again." Shiloh closes his eyes, and he starts to take slow, deep breaths to manage his pain. Mr. Malfoy looks at him before he starts to leave, and Adrian says, "Oh do you have to leave? What a shame... Bye!" Mr. Malfoy hits Dobby with his cane as they leave, and Adrian says, "f*cking bastard..." Harry then looks at Tom's diary, and he says, "Professor, could I have that?" Dumbledore nods, and Harry takes it, walking up to Shiloh, saying, "I'll be right back." Shiloh nods, and Harry kisses his forehead before running out of the office, leaving Adrian and Shiloh with Dumbledore. Adrian turns to the Headmaster, and he says, "First of all, sir, I want to thank you for letting me attend Hogwarts. Harry is now aware of my identity, but in talking about that, I've learned that his home life is rough to put it mildly... His aunt and uncle kept him in a cupboard under the stairs for eleven years, and they barely feed him enough to keep him alive. He lost weight in the time between leaving for summer and when I saw him again in Diagon Alley. Did you know this?"
Dumbledore says, "Yes... I knew." Shiloh grits his teeth, and Adrian says, "With all due respect, sir, and I genuinely mean that: How could you let them do that to him? How could you send him to a house like that?" Dumbledore says, "It is honestly the safest place for him, Adrian." Adrian says, "Honestly, sir, and I mean this with respect, I have to disagree with you. Living in an abusive household is not the safest place for him. You've seen what living in an abusive house has done to our students..." Shiloh turns red, and he says, "Adrian is right, sir... Not being able to talk to anyone, not knowing when you are going to be allowed out of your room to use the bathroom, being stuck in a house full of people who hate you and don't mind showing it... It's a horrible existence. They were starving him and feeding him through a cat door in his room. They put bars on his window, leaving him to be a literal prisoner in the place he is supposed to call his home... How is that the safest place for him?"
Dumbledore says, "Voldemort. He doesn't know where the Dursley's live, and there are special wardings on his home to keep him safe during the summer. I knew that there was potential for Voldemort to return, and I didn't want to risk his safety by sending him away from those protections." Adrian and Shiloh look at one another and nod. Adrian says, "Could you please at least do more wellness checks on him? Keep him safe?" Dumbledore says, "I will check on him more, I promise." Adrian and Shiloh both say, "Thank you, sir." Adrian then says, "Do you want to catch up with Harry?" Dumbledore says, "Actually, Mr. Brown, I need to speak with Mr. Wolrich privately, but he will be right out." Adrian nods and he ruffles your hair as he leaves. Shiloh turns to Professor Dumbledore and asks, "What did you want to talk with me about, sir?"
Dumbledore says, "First and foremost: Are you okay? Being bitten by a basilisk is not something I want to take lightly." Shiloh looks up at him, and he smiles, saying, "You think I don't know what happened to your shoulder? Or who Adrian's new friend is?" Shiloh nods, and he says, "I'm alive, and I'm surprised at that fact. I'm honestly in a lot of pain, and the adrenaline hid the fact that there is something wrong with my ankle. I plan on going to Madam Pomfrey after this. I know that she didn't mean to bite me, and I want to make sure that she is not punished for doing so. I just did what I could to protect Harry from Voldemort." Dumbledore says, "I see... Thank you for doing what you could to protect him, Mr. Brown, and Miss Weasley. That was a noble sacrifice, and I know they appreciate you, but I want you to know that I do too." Shiloh says, "Thank you, sir. Ginny actually doesn't know, I didn't want to worry her."
He nods, and he says, "The real reason that I wanted to talk to you is to tell you that the investigation against your stepfather has been concluded." Shiloh looks up at him and he says, "Sir?" Dumbledore says, "The British Ministry of Magic has little power in matters relating to American wizards, but thankfully, when they saw the amount of healing spells and potions used on you following Kevin's attack, they took this case very seriously. However, there were some hurdles... Severus, Hagrid, Molly, and Arthur all went to the American Ministry of Magic to make your case so you wouldn't have to return to your mother's house. The council decided to give your mother an ultimatum: She could divorce your stepfather so she can keep custody of you, or she can give up custody."
With both relief and anger in his voice, he says, "She decided to give up custody of you. I pleaded with the council to try him for his crimes, but they would only try him if you testified against him in court, and I didn't want you in the same room with him again. I was worried that would cause you additional pain and trauma, and I couldn't put you in that position. After your mother signed away custody, the case was dismissed. Your mother said that it was the "easiest way to put an end to everything, and this way, everyone was happy"." Shiloh's face remained stoic through the whole conversation, and he says, "Where do I go from here, sir?" Dumbledore says, "Temporary custody has been granted to the Weasley's until a permanent housing situation can be determined." Shiloh says, "Won't I be too much of a financial liability for them, sir?" Dumbledore says, "You are a thirteen-year-old boy. You don't need to worry about that, Shiloh. Everyone is in agreement, and everything will be fine."
Shiloh nods, and he says, "Thank you for fighting for me, sir. I really appreciate it. I'm going to go to the infirmary, but I will talk with you soon." Shiloh stands up and he starts to limp away when Dumbledore says, "Shiloh?" Shiloh turns, and he says, "Yes sir?" Dumbledore says, "Come here." Shiloh limps over to him, and Dumbledore stands up and hugs him, which catches him by surprise. Dumbledore then grabs Shiloh's face and he says, "None of this was your fault. You did nothing wrong, and if you need me, let me know, okay?" Shiloh nods, trying his best not to start crying, because if he starts, he won't stop. Shiloh says, "Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind. I'm guessing that you'll have to Molly and Arthur that I got bitten then. Could you make sure that they know that I'm alright, and that I'm glad that Ginny and Ron are okay?"
He nods, and he says, "Off you go. I know Harry is worried about you." Shiloh nods, and he limps out of Dumbledore's office. He makes his way slowly down the hall, and he sees Harry, Adrian, and Dobby, but Mr. Malfoy is nowhere to be seen. The three of them run up to Shiloh, and Shiloh asks, "Hey, y'all, what's going on? Dobby, why aren't you with Mr. Malfoy?" Dobby excitedly says, "Mr. Potter tricked Mr. Malfoy into giving Dobby a sock! Dobby is free!" Shiloh looked up at Harry, and he says, "You freed Dobby?" Harry smiles and nods, and Adrian says, "Not without consequence... Lucius tried to use an unforgivable on Harry..." Shiloh freaks out, and says, "Oh my god, are you okay?!" Harry nods, saying, "I'm fine. Adrian took his wand away." Shiloh asks, "Are you okay, Adrian?" Adrian laughs and he says, "Oh, I'm fine, hon. I threatened to feed him to Jade and he backed off real quick."
Shiloh looks at him, and he says, "You threatened to feed him to Jade? You're mental, you know that? That would be cruel! You just got her and you are already trying to poison her?!" The three boys laugh, and Adrian says, "I'm going to take Dobby to our dorm to get him fit for some proper clothes." Shiloh nods, and he says, "I need to see Madam Pomfrey. My shoulder and my ankle are really hurting." Harry says, "Your ankle?" Shiloh nods and he says, "When the tunnel collapsed, a heavy rock landed on my ankle, but I didn't feel it really until Jade knocked me into the cold water. Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, I think there is more wrong with it than just being sore. Adrian, could you tell Draco I'm okay?" Adrian nods, and Harry picks Shiloh up in his arms. Shiloh says, "You don't have to carry me, Harry." Harry says, "You just jumped in front of a basilisk to save me, baby. The very least I can do is carry you to the infirmary." Shiloh smiles and says, "Thank you, my love. We'll see you two soon!" They wave goodbye to Adrian and Dobby, and Harry carries Shiloh to the infirmary."
