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 260: Gift
That same day, during dinner time in the hall.
"So? What did you think?" Dumbledore leaned over and asked the other professor in a soft tone.
"About…" McGonagall glanced over at the other side of the professors' table and saw that James was having a conversation with the groundskeeper, Hagrid.
After making sure that he was not paying attention to them, she returned her attention to the Headmaster. "You mean about Potter?"
"Who else? You have accompanied him to every class today. I want to hear what you think about his teaching methods." This was an actual concern for the Headmaster, because as much as he knew how overly qualified James was for the position in question, this did not mean that he would be good at imparting his knowledge onto others.
McGonagall took a moment to think.
Dumbledore frowned. "Is he not good?"
McGonagall placed down her fork and sighed. "Albus… he is incredible."
"Oh? That good?" Dumbledore felt somewhat relieved to hear this, and a small smile appeared on his face.
However, McGonagall still looked as serious as usual. "He is too good for someone who just graduated. You should hear him speak… his lessons are truly inspiring, like they are coming from someone with countless decades on their back. The simple ways in which he breaks down the problems and his understanding of the inner workings of magic, it's just… something else."
"Excellent then," Dumbledore said with joy.
"Excellent? But Albus… don't you find it strange?" McGonagall responded.
"I find many strange things regularly, Minerva. That doesn't mean they are all cause for concern," Albus said. "And when it comes to James Potter, you have nothing to worry about. He is more extraordinary than you imagine."
McGonagall threw him a suspicious look. "This past year, you have been more secretive than usual. Was Mister Potter also involved in… whatever that was?"
Dumbledore shrugged. "It is not up to me to say."
"Albus…" McGonagall didn't sound too convinced.
"Do you not trust me, Minerva?"
"That is an unfair question… You know I do."
Dumbledore gave her a gentle smile. "Then trust me when I say that you have no reason to be wary of James Potter. We are actually very fortunate to have him teaching at Hogwarts."
"Alright, alright…" McGonagall made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "I have never heard you speak so highly of anyone before. Much less a former student."
"That is not true. I recall speaking very highly of you in the past," Dumbledore pointed out.
"Ah…" McGonagall had nothing to say after that. It had been thanks to the Headmaster's praises that she got to where she was right now.
Her eyes went back to James Potter, and she wondered about what kind of person he would be in the future.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
A few days later, Bella was walking through the halls of the castle at a brisk pace.
She gave the note in her hand one more glance before storing it inside her robes.
"Mmmm…" The girl looked around to make sure no one was nearby before she activated the secret door and ventured into the long tunnel that led her into Hogwarts' bowels.
While she thought through the familiar dark corridor, she was wondering about the note that James had given her and why he would ask her to come here of all places.
After opening another stone door, Bella was now inside the Chamber of Secrets.
It had been several months since her last visit here, and she was not expecting to return.
This was where James had built his secret laboratory during the last year, but looking at it now, the place was very different.
"What is this…" She couldn't find any of the damage that it had previously suffered during James's experiments.
The main chamber was now completely pristine, to the point of looking brand new.
All the snake statues around the chamber had been restored, and the pit had been refilled with water.
Bella found the figure of James standing at the end of the chamber, gazing over what used to be a giant stone face that depicted the founder of her house, Salazar Slytherin.
Now it was a different face… a female one.
"Who is that?" she wondered out loud as she got closer to the end of the platform.
James turned around. "Do you not know?... Perhaps I didn't capture it properly." He sounded disappointed. "Transfigurational carving is not really my thing."
Bella looked at the stone face again. Now that she was closer, a lot more details became visible, and she realized who this was. "That's… me?"
"That's right!" James exclaimed.
"But why?" Bella didn't understand.
"It is meant to symbolize the current owner of the chamber," James explained.
"You are giving me the Chamber of Secrets?" Bella sounded very confused.
"Feel free to change the name. And I know what you are thinking, but this time I got permission from the Headmaster," said James. "No one else was going to use it anyway, and I am the one who found it and reformed it after all."
As a professor, he didn't need any secret laboratory any longer.
Now he could have his own private workshop where no one could bother him. The school would also facilitate the acquisition of any materials he could need for his projects.
"So you did all of this… for me?" Bella was shocked.
"Well… I suppose I did. You know, I was thinking the other day and I realized that I didn't get you anything for your birthday." James pointed at the chamber. "So… there you go."
"My birthday is in six months…" Bella pointed out.
"Right, so don't expect much from me in six months. This is it. You can use this place as your private lab or study room for the next three years. Whatever you need it for."
A warm smile appeared on her face. "You know, I'm not used to people doing things like this for me… I don't know what to say."
"You can say thank."
She did not say thanks, but instead, she ran up to him and began kissing him.