10. Slytherin

On the train to back to Hogwarts, there was a new professor.

Professor Horace Slughorn, who had so much notoriety to have his own compartment on the one lettered C, will be teaching potions from now on and for the future. No mention of the former potion master, Severus Snape. The man's bulky enough to compress one compartment by himself but with magic, he managed to squeeze in six students of second cycle. Although he left the compartment for an instance to look for Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, next lord Potter, godson of the wrongly convicted Sirius Black and being the one who cleared his name and all others feats, including but not only finding back three of the Four Founders' heirloom (Harry would sic anyone with his Obscurus that dared compared him to Dumbledore and his endless titles).

Harry made a point to play hide and seek with the man during the whole trip back to the school and managed to miss any talk with him, which was easier with his Cloak of Invisibility, despite his curiosity about Severus Snape.

Like, he totally got why the man would disappear. He's a former Death Eater who got branded of the Dark Mark and received a summon sometimes during first term meaning the Dark Lord was back. And even Sirius eventually admitted the man was on the light's side, so he better go in hiding now that the Minister and Hogwarts were infiltrated of the new ruler's followers. Didn't mean that Harry wasn't curious about what will become of him, after all he was aiming for the dada post and the place will be vacanted by summer and not jinxed anymore.

Anyway, his game of tag came to an end, when before dinner, professor Slughorn cornered Harry.

"I heard that you contacted the Blacks who were the ones who found back the last Gaunt alive."

"That's what people say?"

"Indeed, but I also got an audience with one Cassiopeia Black who confirmed me having a chat with you, and reaching the new minister lord Marvolo Gaunt. Unfortunately, she couldn't spare me more time as she was busy preparing for her cousin, late lord Arcturus Black's wake."

Right, gramps passed not long after the rituals. Well, he didn't participat the second one that exchanged Bellatrix's and Alice's mind as Cassiopeia, Lucretia and Andromeda called for Callidora Longbottom as it was her greatdaughter-in-law. But considering how the second ritual tired the women out, Harry could safely say that rituals were exhausting magic that drained one's life/magic. Harry wasn't invited to the funeral, neither was Sirius for that matter, but he still mourned the old man in spite of barely knowing him. They could have been family is he wasn't that stubborn.

After that, he heard from Sirius that Cassiopeia and Lucretia were also writing their will. And if Lucretia with the agreement of her husband Ignatus Prewitt will leave everything to Regulus Black, rumored to be Sirius' son, because they bonded with the latter, it was still hazy with Cassiopeia. Apparently, when Sirius got cleared, she was adamant to let Sirius take the Black name, saying that former wrongs could still be fixable before it's too late, and Sirius reckoned it must be because of aunt Araminta Meliflua, the daughter she got out of wedlock and who turned out so bad after rallying the minister to hunt muggles that she died a pitiful death without anyone by her side or Black name. Anyway, Sirius didn't know to who her parts in the Black vault would go, not that he cared, he had enough of what his uncle Alphard left him and he and Remus could still make a living by brewing and selling potions.

"Considering the fact the Blacks were the ones who vote the favour for the new minister should be proof enough they knew him."

"True, true, but this is not my actual subject, Harry, my child."

"Oh?" Harry raised an elegant brow, something he learned from the Black.

"If you have contact with the Blacks, I was wondering if you know this Regulus person."

"Unfortunately, I do not, professor. I don't even know if the rumours are true since I'm not really in contact with Sirius, we have yet a first meeting."

It's not a lie. He was a grim the first time, then it was through the mirror and finally in a clandestin meet-up, both the last times shouldn't be known by anyone. And Sirius was known to be busy by building up his name again, while Harry was busy with school being a first year, you know.

 

Now that Quirrell wasn't possessed by a dark lord on the back of his head, though he still keep his turban for the appearance, he lost his stutter and was being a much more efficient professor.

Harry and Kevin agreed that's too bad he had to resign at the end of the year, especially when he taught them something that changed their world.

Muggleborn are believed to be descendants of squib who build their life in the muggle world.

After this huge and crucial information, Harry went to chase down who Kevin could be related, though secretly hoping he could be a Black. Listen, it's not too far-fetch when you know that the Black had disinherited quite the members for reasons and others. Sirius and Andromeda for being blood-traitors, Alphard for supporting Sirius and maybe Andromeda too, Cedrella who was Ron's grandmother so marrying to a blood-traitor, Iola Hitchens for marrying a muggle and Phineas for supporting muggles and then, Marius Black for being a squib. Honestly, the last three could have produced squibs that eventually produced muggleborn wouldn't be surprising.

For Harry, it was to find who did that produced.

And Cassiopeia happened to be the best to ask about it.

Not that she'll be helpful, but she did drop by one day and asked for Neville. The thing was, Cassiopeia was the same age of Callidora, Neville's great grandmother on his father's side, and the cousins were together during Hogwarts so they were also quite close. Both had wanted that Bellatrix's clarity went to Franck instead as he was the one who got Black blood, they knew that ritual didn't work like that and that having Alice back on feet was better for Neville's education and, franckly (pun may be intended) Neville would be the next lord.

Once Neville's status confirmed, she admit she wasn't there only for that.

You see, the Black were related to the Potter, though another branch than Harry's, but the descendant of Dorea and Charlus Potter still got the two families in his blood. It happened that the couple's kid was a male and Cassiopeia was looking for her grandnibling as she knew for sure that Hudde Potter had a baby in 1980, so in Harry's year.

"Who."

"You're change your tone right this instant."

Harry even went as far as kneel down so could he please know the identity of this other Potter, he be begging.

"I would if only I know too. Hudde passed prematurely the same year before he told any of his parents about his newborn baby, taken by the Death Eater as he didn't want to join them and to protect his muggle wife."

"But doesn't that mean that his baby could be a squib?" Kevin pointed out.

"It could, but I like your theory of muggleborn descending from squib, and I also like to think Hudde just didn't got the chance to tell his wife that he was a wizard before he got himself killed because we can't determinate if the magic genes of an infant are active or not."

"Maybe you could tell us the name of the wife? ...Or, what she looked like?"

"If I know I wouldn't request your help, would I?"

"I wasn't aware you were requesting, it felt more like a demand."

"Well, I'm asking nicely while we're still on it."

"Is it not possible to use your rituals? Those feel like quite handy."

"It doesn't work like whatever you're thinking of. I can't just open up my palm and chant ancient spell so my blood recognize its kin."

The boys exchanged an incredulous look, strongly wondering why not.

"As you so helpfully pointed out, most pureblood are related, so it's possible the ritual could brought us some unwanted candidate."

Before getting a logical answer. Ahh, the house of Black, infamous family in the wizarding world, innit.

"Fine, then, maybe let's list all the muggleborn and muggle-raised from our agemates."

"There's Kevin, of course and shh yes, you're included because why not. Justin Finch-Fletcher of the Hufflepuff who could have been to Eton, a prestigious muggle school so rich-"

"Dorea married Charlus not for his wealth but for love. But fine, Charlus may have been quite well-off since no one in the family said anything while they kept dissing on Henry Potter. Though, I doubt Hudde would have seduced this muggle female with his magic currency."

"Well, conversion's a possibility. Anyway, where were we?"

"We made the tour for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Kevin supplied helpfully. "though, may I add our housemate, Sue Li, she's half-blood but raised a la muggle."

"What's the point if she had both her parents?"

"Well, considering the fact that Seamus Finnigan was also half-blood but that his mother hid her witch nature till Seamus received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, it could be that mrs Finnigan thought of Hudde as muggle and didn't tell him she was a witch. Then, after Hudde passed, she remarried mr. Finnigan."

That...seemed plausible.

"Well, I don't know the name of this Finnigan woman, nor if she attended Hogwarts, but she must have known the Potter name!"

"Well, maybe Hudde Potter didn't give his actual surname."

"Or even given name. Anyway, so Gryffindor since there's no way a Slytherin could have been raised in the muggle world, and they told me themselves as they were all shocked when I revealed them my origin! So Gryffindor, I did Seamus, there's Hermione Granger, Sally-Anne Perks who's also a half-blood raised in the muggle world and Dean Thomas, another muggleborn with Hermione."

"This Granger. It's possible her ancestor could be Hector Dagworth-Granger's descendant through a squib in the bloodline. He's a great potioneer."

"Then, not a possible Potter. Great. Don't get me wrong, she's a great witch and always prepared and so curious to learn more but she's such a nagging hag and so overconfident with zero social skill and that's not what I'm looking for in someone who I could be related."

"So, there're Justin and Dean as muggleborn, Sue and Seamus for half-blood. Four candidates."

"On forty students, it's a progress!"

"And that's why I will need you to question more about your half-blood classmates to cut short and eventually fetch those two boys."

"Not calling them mudblood when you know they could your relatives, hm?"

Cassiopeia didn't deign him an answer, instead waiting for their return. Eventually, Harry and Kevin brought Dean and Justin quickly enough, thankful they're on week-end free of events like a Quidditch match. Though, Harry had to think of training with his team one day, because his talent wasn't enough to play against the Slytherin known to be dirty players for the incoming match.

Harry tuned out for the explanation part and waited for the result by excluding himself from the group not needing to be tested for the blood ritual. Because Kevin could be a potential Black too, which would be even better for their relationship.

In the end though, both Dean and Justin were a potential Black.

"How come? Is there others Black family members born out of wedlock?"

"If you're implying about Araminta, she didn't make the same mistake as her progenitor and died in lone misery, I know I made another ritual."

"Well, OK, then. So, who of Dean or Justin is the boy you're looking for?"

Both boys looked at each other uncertainly before looking back at the poised and condescendant woman.

"It can't be both, forgive me but they certainly don't look twin to me."

"Well, I have an idea who the other might be from if not from Dorea. Marius, my...younger brother who was a squib."

"Wasn't the whole point of this situation based on the theory that muggleborn descended from squib? Why are you so reluctant, now? If I may know, please." He added at the lady's stern look.

"As I said, squib are not very appreciated in the magical world, they're basically muggle. So, when Marius was announced as one, the family quietly blasted him out of the bloodline and put him in an orphanage to never be mentioned ever."

"And when was it?"

"The moment he didn't received his Hogwarts acceptance letter, summer 1928, it was before the Great Depression in the muggle world, so he could have been adopted by anyone."

It became easier to deduce from there. Marius was raised like your typical Black at the time, before being out as Squib, so he had all the privileged education and could easily be adopted by a privileged family for a reason or another. The same family could have produced the Finch-Fletcher and two generation after, Justin was born as wizard.

Thus, Dean would be Dorea's grandson that she never got the chance to meet or know of since she passed in 1977, three years before his birth, and he and Justin were related too, having the same ancestor. Same for Sirius, and that one Regulus Black too. Oh, and Draco. Just like one big family, huh?

"So, my biological father really is a wizard," Dean finally asked Cassiopeia with wonder.

Harry's the one to answer him. "Coming from two big families, may I add. Can you believe? We're somawhat related from sharing the same Potter ancestor!"

Dean tried to smile but it came out like a wince, not that Harry blamed him. He was as awkward the first time he heard from Draco that they could be related by a long shot. Boy, the blond was a prick after learning he was muggle raised and once the first surprise of learning electricity, he started to avoid him.

Or was it actually Harry who was too busy to bring back a dark wizard to notice his agemates?

"But I think my mother said my father was named Hugh."

"I bet muggle couldn't prononce Hudde. But anyway, we have a lot to talk, young man. You're going to learn some etiquette first and I will teach all you have to know about your grandmother."

Guess, Harry had an idea to where Cassiopeia's will will be profitable.

And he's only set straight when, after his match with Slytherin (that he won, thank you), Cassiopeia went to tell him so in the hospital wing. Why was he there? He didn't got injuried during the match now there wasn't a possessed professor to maim him and his Obscurus didn't even show up either, but right after the match him and Kevin went to discover what was the deal of the Whomping Willow after he noticed while flying. Well, it ended as expected, they got beaten purple by the sentients branches using himself as distraction and Kevin managed to find a secret nook that opened to a passage before healing him. But even their episkey cast on each other weren't enough. Madam Pomfrey didn't even ask why they were playing there considering the boys' want to know everything and refused to answer their questions too, since they were in no apparent danger with no Obscurus in sight either.

"I'm actually thinking of separating my will for Sirius, the last Longbottom and my nephew, of course."

"Oh, Sirius because of Araminta?"

"Yes, because of my illegimate daughter. I know that he had Alphard's own will for financial support, but I figured he was best option between him, the tons of Weasley and youngest Crouch. Regulus wouldn't be missing any dime if not receiving anything from me, there's still Cygnus, once he hopefully came to his mind."

"Right, the Crouch had Black blood thanks to Charis Crouch née Black."

"Callidora's youngest sister. Crouch could scrub his genitor's founds for all I care and maybe the Weasley won't have anything, even from Ignatus Prewett, but their two graduated sons could certainly provided the family, I'm sure."

"Still so narrow-minded, I see. Guess I shouldn't have expected much, you didn't proposed anything to Justin after all."

"I remember you saying he came from a loaded family that could have enrolled him to a prestigious muggle school?"

"See, narrow-minded, just because he descended from your squib of brother, your own blood. Not that's my business. Why Neville, he deseved it, but why, though?"

"I'm close with Callidora and I saw how her daughter Augusta treated her daughter-in-law, but the Longbottom's heir especially. While her son Algie didn't have any heir, I figured young and lost Alice needed all the support when needs arise."

"Like right now? She does look pretty lost most of the time."

"She may have regain clarity, she had Bellatrix Lestrange's insanity instead of a clear mind and ten years lost of raising a beloved son."

"Fair. But why are you telling me that?"

"No one would be believe you if you said anything. Yes, you're not the only one who enjoyed seeing people disconcerted. And you don't need to go through the Whomping Willow to get out of school, there's the one I come from."

The Vanishing Cabinet, of course. It's the one she used since she started dropping randomly without any notice of the school's staff. Because, no way she's asking permission to the headmaster of the supposed light side or the Board of Governor filled of supposedly dark side. She's a Black for Merlin's sake. So not even ask for forgiveness than permission, she's rich, she could get out of anything.

"It's not just out of school I want to go, but to Hogsmeade, especially. I'm not sure if I could ever have my future permission signed since the subject of my guardian is really delicate, if I may say."

"Still not adopting you."

Harry half-shrugged, he was barely attempting.

"I would have suggested the Longbottom, but like I said, young Alice must be feel pretty overwhelmed right now and I don't think that having another prophecy boy would help."

Harry needed extra seconds to understand what she's saying. "What prophecy?"

Cassiopeia tutted with a shake of head almost unnoticed. "The year you and Neville are born, a prophecy on the Dark Lord's defeat by the hand of a newborn at the end of summer started to spread. You two were the potential candidate because you were born on the 30 and 31st July 1980, hence why your parents were in hidding."

But got betrayed by that one spy of the dark side. So, him and Neville got that one reason to get close. Unfortunately, he couldn't be closer as in adopted sibling because Alice wasn't fitted to take care of two pre-teen and Augusta Longbottom did have a bad reputation.

"If you want to look for secret passageway, why don't you look for Salazar's Chamber of Secret? You're Parseltongue thanks for being a Horcrux."

"That's a superb idea, you have my thanks. Though, it does not resolve my lack of guardian by the end of the last term and I will still end in the street."

"Not my problem."

Harry really appreciated the Black's honesty and arrogance. But now, he had a new mission. Not exactly roaming the castle, because he still rather spend his time reading the rest of the books in the library or even brewing some advanced potions (because while professor Slughorn was great teacher having years of experience with him, he was also a man that loved the fame and tended to associate himself with future big shot, including Harry) and knowing all the herbology's plants for, but he had to look for the elves work station so to let them do the work. 

He knew from what he eavedropped from Kreacher that the elves knew about some Go and Come room, but since the Chamber of Secret needed a Parselmouth, maybe they could find him a place were a snake is engraved.

"How about we asked the Hufflepuffs?" Kevin suggested him after he shared his theories.

"Why?"

"Well, Helga Hufflepuff was known to be the one who placed the house elves in the kitchen, it's not impossible to think that most pupils in her house would know about this secret, innit? And her heirloom, the magic cup, was like the first dining ustensil of the school, related to foods."

Harry knew why he kept Kevin close to him. Two bright minds worthed one better.

Looking for Justin after knowing he had Blacks blood was easier, though to be fair most exchanges with Hufflepuff were easy deal for Harry, especially when he's advancing in herbology by himself. Justin involved Sally Smith, who was related to Hepzibah Smith a self-claimed descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, that lead them and told them the way to access the kitchen. In the basement corridor, that lead to Hufflepuff's common room, there was a peculiar painting of bowl of fruit and they had to tickle the pear. And the entrance of the kitchen was there.

The four of them spent some times there, being coddled by the elves with foods, before the Hufflepuffs left as it was near curfew. And because Harry had his Cloak of Invibility from the deathly hallows, he and Kevin stayed to ask a favour from the elves. On the trip back to their common room, Harry tried to access the Hufflepuff base by knocking on the barrel as he saw the two did. He missed and was sprayed of vinegar in such a shameful way that even Kevin mocked him.

They got the answer of what they're looking for as soon as next day was coming to an end. How having elf's magic was useful.

But for this part of the mission, Harry suggested they involve the Slytherin as it was related to their house. With the heirloom that Harry brought back, he hoped they will be more welcomed. Not that he will be looking for them in their common room, that he didn't know the access nor the place, but it's always good to have all the luck on his side.

"Wait, let me get this clear. You're asking us, Slytherin, if we want to go look for the Chamber of Secrets?" Pansy asked him for the group.

"Actually, explore it, I know where it is."

"Why are you proposing us? What's in for us?"

"For one, you would elucidate one mystery of your house. And if there's something very dangerous, we'd be able to protect each other if we're a lot. Oh, and it's also something like pride? What do you think professor Slughorn, your new head, would say if he heard of it?"

Daphne Greengrass crossed her arms around her, raising an elegant blond brow. "Fine, we gain a lot, but what is it in for you to invite us?"

"Protection, I might worry that the chamber would not accept me as I'm not a Slytherin. And...I just need to go with Slytherin students."

But mostly girls students considering the place it's built, or the place it was built after. Oh, but also mend his relationship with the purebloods, you know, for the future connections.

"Would there be something to eat there?" Vincent Crabbe asked.

Draco answered before Harry could. "What do you think? It's been closed for millenium, even if there are, it would go stale."

Vincent shared a disappointed look with Gregory Goyle before the two of them rejected the offer. Draco sneered. 

"It would be best for you two. Stay and try to do the homeworks for once. I will come, of course, Potter."

"Oh, back in last name basis?"

"We were never on last name basis, at the very most on full name basis."

Harry squinted his eyes at him, trying to remember all their conversation, before shrugging. If he say so. He looked at the others student. Both Millicent Bullstrode and Tracey Davies rejected too, not that interested, probably because they're half-blood and feared the legend about the horror that would unleash and harm muggleborn and not pureblood. Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini shared a look before nodding slowly.

"Cool, follow me then!"

They left the Great Hall and climbed the stairs, trying to get the right one on these moving ones and had to basically stride in the corridor of the second-floor and straight up stopping before the girls lavatory.

"What is the meaning, Potter?" Draco hissed.

"What? It's not my fault if your founder had wanted the entrance built there."

"You don't understand," Pansy sighed and pinched between her eyes "this is Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, no one goes there because it's haunted by this one ghost."

"She's not a poltergeist, is she now? Then what she's gonna do? Go through us?" Harry scoffed and opened the door to enter.

Kevin followed him when no one did and jumped when a voice raised in the empty room. A ghost of a young girl glide to the two boys but Harry's eyes zeroed on the tap with the snake drawing.

"Oh, it's been awhile I received any guest? Boys even less. May I help you?"

"Yes, we would like to borrow the place for some time if it's alright with you. We'd like to do some experiment," Kevin explained easily.

"Why, asked so nicely. Would you take long? Are you in hurry? Dropped by sometimes, I missed the exchanges, the others ghosts rarely strike conversation and when Peeves does it's only to mock me."

The two friend shared a look before Harry shrugged again. "Sure, see you later, then."

And it was gone as fast as it appeared. Harry turned to the Slytherin waiting by the door and that Myrtle ignored after getting promised with a next time.

"See, it was easy. You just have to ask nicely."

"That means you're going to spend time with her," Blaise pointed out.

"I got a lot of time."

"Alright, you're academically gifted, we got it."

Harry turned to Theodore and raised both his brows at the bitterness. "I'm really not, I'm just too curious to settle for our syllabus and we do have a reachable library with self-taught books."

"So, a prodigy. You're aware that's not that easy to self-learn anything? Especially not transfiguration spells."

"Why? It's still spell. It's in the name."

"Because it requires having the concentration and patience to do the correct wand movement and incantation. Not talking about the will and intent."

Harry did use a lot of will and he always full of intent, so that's explain the effortless it took him to cast a spell, just to remember which one. Which's why he wanted to do wordless magic quickly.

"But there are wordless and wandless magic."

"And that's a subject for another time." Draco interrupted them. "We're here for the Chamber of Secrets, remember? Now, we're just stuck in the ruined girls lavatory."

"Right. Alright, don't be too surprised. Open! Sesame."

The last bit was probably unneed, but it's not like they could understand him. He turned at the same time the gasps raised in chorus just to have the pleasure to see the shock on their face, ignoring how the entrance was displaying behind him. That was the other reason he wanted to go in group, it sure was enjoying to have those gaping faces of his agemates.

"You're a parseltongue?"

"Yup! Just like the Slytherin's heir that opened the Chamber fifty years ago. Who happened to be you-know-who! And we happened to be related from a shared ancestor!"

"I thought the new minister was the last heir of Slytherin?"

"Right. Guess, I'm related to the new miniter too! Alright, let's hop on the flying carpet I prepared because I just knew there wouldn't be any stairs to get down."

They all ignored Theodore's incredule scoff, mimicking Harry casually announcing creating a flying carpet big enough to hold the lot of them to grip on said carpet that made its descent through the dark corridor. After a moment of flying, where they passed a long and large material that looked like clothe but not actually, they eventually reach a big gate with engraved snakes. Once again, Harry commanded the opening, making his classmates on the back shiver slightly. But since it was common, it made the carpet tremble before the artefact flew them further in the Chamber.

"Huh, the décor is tacky. I mean, I'm sure all those snakes are meant to signify us it's Slytherin's secret chamber, but it's giving bad vibe."

"I'm glad it's one of you who said that, I didn't want to look insulting."

"Oh, please, do you think our common room is full of snake statues?"

"Well, I know if I see it."

"Nice try. It's just green, anyway."

"My eyes are green, I'm sure I won't feel disoriented."

"That's not how it works. And look at that, it's flooding!"

Harry allowed the change of subject and even signed them to get down and mind their steps because they came to a dead end with a massive statue. They all looked around and some explored through the alcoves only to come back from different pillars.  

"Alright, we're inside the Chamber and I don't see much horror. Except for the statue."

"Don't say that. In the middle age, Salazar Slytherin was probably a really handsome lad."

"It's hardly a lad with all the wrinkles and the voluminous beard."

"Maybe it requires another password in Parseltongue?" Kevin suggested trying to tune down the debate of the look of the founder.

"To what?" Daphne retorted. "There's not really a snake, excluding those statues that we're not passing without on the carpet."

"I mean, the statue of the founder, then? His beard is actually massive."

"Not more that his mane, if it's the mane. Where are you going Harry Potter?"

Harry paused at Daphne's tensed question, curious about her sudden change of behavior. As if she's regretting being here and wanted to go back.

"I'm checking if the beard would open up a secret passage. I mean, we're here to see what's the secret of the chamber, right?"

"I just have a bad feeling."

"Or are you getting scared?" Blaise mocked, while also kind of set off.

"Don't be so reluctant, we'll going back immediately after."

"Daphne just think it's hidding a potential dangerous creature," piped up a voice.

Everyone made a show to jump at the quiet presence who followed them without saying anything.

"Lily Moon? Since when where you there?"

"Since the start and I know you noticed me, don't be jerks!"

"Chill, we're just surprised you wanted to come since you're half-blood."

"My grandmother was a Gamp, you can't just dismiss me as mere half-blood. And anyway, once Harry Potter unleashed the horror of the Chamber no one would be safe, not even you pureblood, because it's a huge snake. We all saw the shed of snake skin."

"So what? I'm Parseltongue."

"It's different, to be this size, it must be a Basilisk."

"And what's that?"

When no one answered, Harry shrugged and approached the statue and hissed, finally waking his classmates.

"Wait-"

Too late, the beard parted to open a path large enough for a troll, or maybe bigger. Nothing happened for a hot second until they heard slithers and something pointed out from the passage.

"Basilisk, everyone close your eyes!" Blaise shout.

They did, but Harry still tried to peek behind Tom's diary he brought with him. The Basilisk, sensing Tom's magic in the diary, or maybe in Harry's scar stopped shortly in front of him and asked him, in Parseltongue of course, if he was his master. Harry said no, but he'd like to be friend and also wanted to know what is its purpose here.

"OK, from what I gathered from her, yeah it's female, she's been here to protect Hogwarts. And I see you coming, not necessarily from muggleborn, just potential people that could harm the school and its student if the secret of the school was ever out. I don't know, I didn't get that part."

"What can we do so you can look at it without dying?" Theodore whispered as if lowering his voice with help him pass unnoticed.

An exchange of hiss and Harry said. "Well, she said she's willing to cover her own eyes, but we better found a way to talk to her without this because she liked to slither around, especially after a long sleep. Fifty years, I shall add."

"And what do you propose?!" Pansy hissed, but in human language.

"I mean, they must be a spell that help us glide onto something instead of watching something directly, right?"

"We could make her unplottable, but that's exactly the contrary to what we want."

"How? You said you just don't want to die."

"But we want to see her! Can't you follow a little?!"

"Hang on." A hiss or two. "OK, you can open your eyes for now, she's entertaining herself by sliding through the pillars. Oh, also, I asked her if we can take her shed skin, she said yes."

"What do you need that for?" Draco scoffed.

"I read in a potion book, it could used as ingredient."

Theo's turn to scoff. "Of course, you did. So you also know its venom is useful too?"

"Yup, and you can refere to her as, well, her. Do you want to extract some? How about blood? I'm sure she'll accept if I ask nicely."

"How about we found a way to blind her?" Blaise whispered after gathering them. "I mean, we don't need any protection, the castle's unplottable. But the Basilisk? We actually cannot cast spell on them, it just bounce over their tough skin like dragons. And it usually only lived 900 years, but since she's been put to sleep a millennium ago, we can assume it have only some years left."

"Like, not putting her to death, but blinding her after she spent so long sleeping?"

"Then, what do you suggest?! Basilisk aren't meant to be befriended!"

"Because you're not Parseltongue. How about you learn?"

"How is it possible?"

"The same way you learn magic?"

A hiss and they all closed their eyes again.

"And it's too big, how to feed her?"

"She -how about we give her a name?- said she feeded on rats. And that roosters' cries are lethal to their species."

"Yeah, we know, it's in any magical creatures books. And no, we do not name her, we do not need to get closer."

"No fun. I say we call her Corra, it's a celtic snake goddess, from Muggle's beliefs."

When Harry tried to peek, he notices that everyone turned to Lily Moon.

"Not beating the half-blood allegations, are you?"

"Anyway, if you so want to blind her, maybe we try looking in runes if it could gently blind her when we're in the same place? She said we could extract her blood and venom."

"Alright, next time, let's just leave already."

They did, after Harry promising to be back (hopefully with the runes and bottles for the promised ingredients), flying out the Chamber on the carpet with the shed skin that Kevin shrunk for easy carry. Myrtle was waiting for them and expressed her surprise to them getting out from the passage.

"Oh, I just noticed but you're from Ravenclaw! Me too! And we even have the same model of glasses! It's not tacky, innit? I had this mean girl, Olive Hornby, who would always mock me. After my death, I haunted her to neurosis and she seeked the ministry's help to get me off, so I'm at the place of my death now."

"That girl was very mean, to mock people's appearance, she deserved to be punished a little."

"Heard that, Draco? Don't be mean or expected some retaliation."

Draco blushed, making his housemates snicker.

 

Just like that, the group of Slytherin who got some big discovery started to study runes way before their curriculum. Hermione Granger was appaled to see so many students suddenly wanting to get way ahead of their programme and did just the same thing, even going as far as self-studying arithmancy too.

Harry, for his part, got bored immediately after extracting the blond and venom of the Basilisk and asked the other to also found a rune that could help the snake not listen to rooster's cry. Before the others dismiss him, saying removing one sense was enough and they'll be lucky if they didn't die. was feeling in the mood to enrage Granger further and went behind her back to teach the patronus charm to the other Gryffindor. But since he was never that close of other girls, even Patil and Brown despite being pureblood, he only suggested to the boys, which was easy enough for Dean and Neville who just found their family and managed to conjure a misty uncorporal patronus after three try. Seamus Finnigan had some incident in which he managed to conjure explosions for few tries before a fox patronus took form. For Ron, Harry told him to think about the time he won his first wizard chess match, how he came to support the Chudley Cannons and any other pieces of happy memories that could help him conjure his jack russel terrier. All in all, Harry was proud of his teaching. 

That's why, for the rest of the school year, Harry tried to coax his housemates to become animagi after Kevin rejected saying there's a chance to be stuck in mid-transformation and he's not willing to take the risk, preferring to learn about the extension charm and something like mosquito repellant because he will be camping this spring with his parents that insisted having him over every holidays. Harry seduced Terry, Michael, Anthony, Sue, Padma and Mandy (who insisted to be called Amanda despite her name on the list was the former) into thinking it's actually quite easy to be one. There's just need a potion and recite a spell at sunrise and sundown and a room where it could play a storm. For this, he asked the elves where the Room of Requirement was.

By Easter holiday, after having a month of mandrake leaf in their mouth and having the potion ready and waiting in the dark of a secured safe the Room conjured and kept inside, they just had to wait for the start of the fortnight to rush to the room by wishing it opened up to a place that mimicked electrical storm, take out the potion and recite the animagus spell one last time before drinking the potion.

And there was seven new animagi. Harry hopped and flailed his black wings, really proud to be a crow. He then reminded his housemates to register to the ministry or they could end in Azkaban.

After proving that something weren't as difficult as people think they would be, he went to look for other thing to self-learn in the library, having nothing better to do. Alright, maybe he could try the spells Sirius and Remus sent him over once they heard from Cassiopeia his expedition to the Whomping Willow (a task failed successfully) about mapping the castle and knowing where everyone was. But then the library offered him an odd sight.

The gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid was lurking in between shelf.

Ok, to be fair, he wasn't lurking as much as looking for books about dragons. After his encounter with a basilisk, Harry wasn't faded by anything and requested to see the dragon he adopted only to see an unhactched egg.

He went to Ron, who he remembered having a brother studying dragon after graduation, and asked him to contact him pronto. 

After his Quidditch match against Gryffindor (won again, though in their defence, they just lost their best seeker once Charlie Weasley, the same brother Ron seeked help about the newborn dragon, graduated), with the school year coming to an end, he requested an audience with the headmaster, wanting to suggest something now that the dada post was in need to be filled. His stomach churned when he reached the eternally damaged Gargoyle corridor, signed by his outburst in first-term, and dropped all the magical sweets names before getting to the one (Cockroach Clusters).

He first suggested Remus Lupin, because if there's a place that could adapt for a werewolf it's here (as the Whomping Willow was leading to an abode or better Harry could spend the full moon with him now that he was an animagus too), but he got dismissed because he already had a choice. Someone named Severus Prince.

Harry wondered if he's being tricked and that if that's the man he's suspecting it was, the cover wasn't really lowkey.

Then, he proposed to change the history teacher for Remus Lupin, because why not. Hopefully, now students could learn more about Minitry of Magic and St. Mungo and other magical place that Binn's not teaching so to help the muggle raised students. Headmaster promised to think about it.

Finally, Harry advised the change for muggle studies by making squibs participate some lesson, to teach them the way muggle world work with actual people living there, not thing dating from decades ago and that couldn't help genuinely interested students. And here, he learned that Arabella Figg, the neighbour back in Little Whinging, was a squib. Oh, that was a good transition for the headmaster to ask him if everything would be OK for him once summer come.

Harry thought fast but not thorough. "Of course, I will be living with lord Gaunt. We're related after all."

They're not, as the Blacks insisted but only shared an ancestor, and lord Marvolo Gaunt the newly elected minister certainly wasn't aware of the new situation. Neither were Sirius and Remus, according the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black who travelled from his headmaster's portrait to the one at Grim and old place.

Well, since Harry's was hidden from his origin, he could hide some things to them.

Even though the thing was also a secret hidden from him too until recently.

Now, how to convince the new minister, forme dark lord, to adopt him?

Maybe using the Basilisk? Or mentioning the prophecy? If he can't be killed why not be raised?