I will check over and edit the chapter again tomorrow; but for now I will set it free. ow...my head is throbbing, and I just wrote like 4k words...ouch, and I am shocked, my hand just kept on typing. If you see any error's please let me know, that way I have less checking...though it would still end with me rereading again and again.
As always, read, review, fav, and follow!
Chapter 3
There were only few true distinctions in this antechamber. The statue, the snake, and the room being shaped like the maw of a serpent. Other than that, right behind the statue, not hidden; but out of view, was a door, old, wooden; but had to be magically preserved from age.
Making their way over, Harry motioned Su to stop. He was unsure what lay behind the door; but was curious as to its contents. Quietly—not from fear; but caution—he opened the door, which made not a sound.
Oddly enough, it was more mind boggling than he expected; yet mundane as one could hope. Beyond the antechamber, lay a corridor, a dusty hall that held rooms. All visible due to the torches being set alight upon the opening of the door.
As Harry motioned her on, he took the first step into the corridor, before he began coughing in a fit. Dust billowing in his face, when Su stepped forward, shirt covering hers, tapping his head with her wand, creating a bubblehead charm.
Harry nodded his gratitude to her, as he took in a breath of fresh air, and she began to cast the spell on herself. This was a spell he knew of; but never thought to learn...which was foolish, with all of the adventures he'd had, this spell may one day come in handy, as it was able to null the affects of poison and other such airborne pollutants, as long as cast before being breathed in.
At the first part of the hall, there were four doors. Each side by side or directly across from each-other. Opening the first door had revealed a room, which they had entered.
"It is dirty, but..." Su said, as she revealed the coloring of the wall. "It has a Ravenclaw bronze trim, with a blue wall, and look over there." she said, pointing to a bed, four poster and canopied. "The bed is also trimmed bronze on the posts, with blue sheets as well as the canopy."
Harry was sure they were both thinking the same thing...could it be that the secret of the chamber was that Rowena and Salazaar were having a tryst? ...but no, that didn't seem right either, there were four doors grouped together.
Making his way back out of the room. Leaving Su behind, to examine the stuff, he opened another door.
And as he thought, this time it was Gryffindor scarlet and gold trim. Though, like the other room, it was kind of hard to tell, without scrutinizing. With so much dust caked all over the place.
At the moment, he thought it pointless to check the other rooms, he thought he knew what they were, and after checking just one of the rooms, they could just come back later and dig through the others.
Making his way back into Rowena's bedroom, he noticed Su standing there, observing a mini statue of an eagle, made of bronze. Putting it back down, she looked up with awe and amazement, and Harry couldn't help but smile.
"It is definitely antiquated," she replied, staring at it, astounded. "Did you know, that since the death of the founders, they were supposed to have taken and sold all of their possessions. It was supposed to have earned that eras ministry a great sum of money."
"Sadly, most of that has been resold, and only the richest of the noble houses can afford them."
"It is sad to say, but this thing is probably worth more than everything my family owns...put together, including their business's," as she said this, she put the eagle down, carefully, as if it were to break from the slightest of touches.
It was then that they decided to search through the room. Though nothing much was found. Drawers having been filled with moldy old clothes that seemed to have not decayed. A journal of sorts, they decided to check it out later; though from a glance, it seemed to be nothing extraordinary. Just some day to day events; but it would be neat to read of the Founder's own words. Since so much of them had been lost to time.
The desk contained parchment and quills, a few doodles; but nothing much.
It wasn't until Su opened one of the closet door's, that they discovered anything. What they had found was a large ascending set of steps, circling widdershins, lit by her wand.
POV: Su Li
Slowly, Su walked through the from of the door, shocked by the sudden emergence of light, as the braziers on the stone wall lit up, emanating a flickering glow.
She probably shouldn't have been shocked; not since this wasn't the first time it happened down here; but seriously. How...for the sake of magic, had they been able to keep this place functioning, so long after death?
Shaking the thoughts from her head, Su began to ascend the steps, Harry just behind.
The steps were long, not too high, or far apart—like some of the steps in school—but long and winding. In truth, it took all of forty-five minutes to ascend in total.
If things kept going like this, she wondered if she would be able to make it back to her home room on time?
Though, she need not really worry about that for another. She looked at her watch—one of the few technologies that the Wizarding World adopted—and realized, she had been with Harry already for...quite a few hours, she had about six before she had to be safe, back up in her old tower.
At the top, she contemplated. What in the world is this staircase doing here? If they only ascend to the top, with nothing left but a landing?
It wasn't until Harry knelt down, in front of a carving on the wall—a snake, she noticed—and spoke Parseltongue, that she noticed that it was a secret passage. One meant for parselmouths.
Vaguely, did she notice that it was some place familiar, that they entered. With the cobalt walls, and the bronze trim. Walking further out, Harry just behind. She was about to turn the corner, when she quickly turned around, tripping Harry, straddling his lap, and bringing her face in close, wrapping her arms around him.
"Ssh!" she said, letting her breaths come out in rasps—which wasn't hard, those steps were long and arduous—before letting out a contented sigh, her forehead touching his, as they both blushed something furious.
"Tch!" she heard from behind, as her breath still came out ragged. "Somebody got here first—come on Darcy."
"I'm coming," she giggled, as her footsteps seemed to turn around, walking off.
"Damn..." Su laughed. "I don't think they had enough visibility to discern who I was; but I am blaming you, if rumors spread."
"Shit...if they had noticed..." she paled at the thought; but things could have taken a turn for the worse.
"Oh...shit..." she turned to face Harry, forgetting until a moment ago, that she was still on his lap...when...little Harry(?) seemed to have arisen from his slumber.
"We won't speak of this," said a furiously blushing Su. "We will forget this ever happened."
Harry nodded his agreement, not having the courage to look up at her. He needn't have worried, if he thought that she found this strange...she shivered, remembering that talk that she wished she had never heard from her father; but she could understand his reasoning now. This was her own fault, as this was the only idea she could come up with at the time.
POV: Harry
He was embarrassed. Harry couldn't bear to face her right now. How could that have happened; why has his body been acting like this, for the past year. True, he understood the concept, he understood the meaning of puberty...Madame Pomphrey was kind enough to explain that to him; not that he didn't already know about it, but she had a somewhat twisted pleasure, he could see it in her eyes, as she tormented him with facts.
Was it some sort of trait, needed to become a healer or doctor? To be a sadist? He was quite sure that it had to be written in with the job description.
Anyway, as the two descended the stairs—the doors closed right after they walked through, both on their ways in and out—when she had finally explained her reaction. She found that they were in her common room, and she did not want to be found with a Gryffindor, in there. She would be as much an outcast as him.
So, when she saw the two of them, walking over, holding hands and staring into each-others eyes—not paying attention to her—she freaked.
This was something he could understand, he was sure he had never even heard mention of another student entering Gryffindor Common Room.
Apparently, the area was some sort of make out spot, and she recognized it. So the first thing that came to mind, was to act as if that was what they were doing. With the added benefit of covering his colors. Since he was wearing a black robe, with scarlet and gold trim.
Descending the steps took vastly less of an amount of time and energy. And when they made it to the bottom, instead of doing more searching, they checked all of the other Founder's rooms, learning that each had a set of steps, leading them to each house common room—or so they had guessed.
Further down the hall, they found a wooden set of double-doors,, oak, shiny and looking new, with a mahogany finish. It was strange, because it did not fit with the rest of the interior, down here in the Chamber of Secrets. Where everything was covered in dust and grime.
Caution was how they had planned to move about, since they had no idea what was down here; but that went right out of the window, now that they had seen this door.
Making his way forward, Harry gripped the handle, opening it, and what he found lying behind, amazed him more than anything. It was a simple, modestly sized library—one couldn't expect a large one, from the times this chamber was built. Since books back then were written by quill.
But what had truly astounded him, was the fact that the room was grime free. True, there were dirt stains here and there, a few books seemed to be spread-eagle on the floor, and on the table, there was dumped coffee mug—newer, probably from Tom's time in the chamber—liquid that once spilled out, staining the varnish, of the mahogany tabletop.
It was kind of like the two had left the trash dump and headed straight into a beautiful meadow. The figurative stink of the chamber behind—they still had the bubblehead charm activated—and the beautiful view of a forest of books ahead.
"Astounding," he heard come from Su Li, who stood behind him. "If I had to guess, this room has had a preservation spell activated within it—yes, look here," she said, pointing to a runic carving on the wall. "This is a rune of preservation. They are simple enough to make; but at the same time, require immense amounts of magic to keep constantly activated. If I had my guess, the ley lines around this school, along with the constant fluctuations of magic, from us students and teachers, are what keep it activated."
"Yes Hermione."
"Ouch," he laughed, as she stomped on his foot—the tension from not long ago, somehow forgotten.
"Please, a lady does not wish to be compared to others," she said, with a flippant toss of her hair and a snide saunter as she walked away; before she began to laugh.
"That was how Narcissa Malfoy normally acts," she said, still laughing. "Honestly, it was the perfect name that her parents could pick for her, Narcissa, is quite the narcissist."
"Yeah," Harry replied, stunned. That act was actually pretty good, had him fooled for a minute. "I actually met her at the World Cup, this past summer. Her expression reminded me of someone who had dung caked under their nose."
"Oh," Su slyly responded, "Would that be someone you know that had that happen to them; or is it actually from personal experience?"
"Well, you know, I do often have to take Potions Class, so a lot of shit does come my way," Harry shrugged, grinning at her.
"So I have heard."
It was amazing, this was the first time in what felt like ages, that he got to joke around like this. He and Ron often would banter like this; but there was always the looming fact that he had to watch what he said around him. If the topic of money or somebody came around, wanting Harry's attention, Ron would walk away, gloomy and act as if it were he, Harry, who had done something wrong.
Making their way over to the shelves, he was indeed right, as he opened one of the books. They seemed to be so old, that they were hand written; though, many of the covers seemed to be embroidered. All in all, he would guess that there was around a thousand books in here. Which must have taken quite some time to collect; without their being a printing press, back then.
As he began searching through the library, to sate his newly found to learn...to survive this thrice damned tournament, he felt that maybe some of these could sate his inner-Hermione, when he saw a flash of light, and heard a little giggle...that for some reason, just did not seem right, coming from Su.
In her hands, she held not one; but two copies of the same book: Potion Brewing: From Basics to Advanced. It was a rather thick tome, and she looked up, a smile wide on her pretty face, "They are old enough, that they don't have a copyright protection spell."
'Ah, right,' Harry thought to himself. 'I forgot about the fact that they put a spell of protection around these books, making them so you can't duplicate them. Then a wide smile passed over his face too. Now I know where I can get Hermione her presents from.'
'I know that bringing her down here, even if she were too complain, she would stay, hibernating in this room alone; but I'm sorry Hermione...I need to find a place to take refuge from you also.'
Which was true, he loved the girl like she was his own blood, a sister; but lately...she had been pestering him to make friends with Ron again. He knew it was because she did not want to break up their own little Trio; but asking him to concede, because Ron wouldn't apologize...it was a little too much...
Sitting down, adjacent to Su, who was still giddy, as she read the copied book, Harry began reading one he pulled out.
Runic magic has many great uses, this fact is often overlooked by people, who believe that since this stuff can be done by a wand...why bother? The truth being, why not?
Yes, you can do everything with a wand, that you can do with runes; but runes can do so much more than simple, traditional, roman magic. First off, the Druids were an often nomadic people, so they loved to have their places of power protected. This, in turn, caused them to begin inscribing their written language with power, protecting places from invaders—which was the death of them, more oft; than not.
After they began to use the runes for protection, they learned that they could use the runes for a specific purpose, and began using them for stuff such as, making fire, outfitting a glove with protection or an attack, and spelling armor, to enhance its purposes.
Even later down the line, they began using them for more mundane stuff, cooking, cleaning, repairing. And all you would have to do, was imbue the rune with enough magic to keep it active, which could also be done with the latent magic, left in the air, due to peoples lack of control over the magic they use.
Harry was enamored, Hermione had told him all ot this stuff...true; but in the way she had said it, it was a far more text book explanation. Stuffy and dry. Setting the book down, Harry let out a low whistle, causing his compatriot to look up from her own book, that she had ever so giddily duplicated.
"Huh...?" asked the glassy eyed girl, who was just beginning to focus.
"Nothing, I am just regretting my foolish choice over classes."
Su stared at him with an uncomprehending look.
Heaving out a sigh, Harry said: "I let Ron coax me into taking Divination Class." Su grimaced, she had obviously heard of how the Divination's Professor had taken to predicting his imminent demise.
"A load of crock...that's what that subject is," she replied, shaking her head.
"No; she is a fraud, but it is more like...she doesn't even know when she is making a true prediction. When she does, she gets all glassy eyed and speaks from a trance."
Su gave him a look that told him that she wasn't buying into what he had just said.
"No, seriously! At the end of last year, during my examination, she went all strange...er, ah, stranger than usual."
This got a laugh out of Su. Seriously, Harry thought, she has quite the cute laugh. He couldn't help but be drawn in, with the infectious way she bellowed out the hillarity.
"She actually made a prediction of what would happen that night...with, um...Voldemort's follower."
He saw her thinking back, over the events of last year, before she came to a conclusion... "Sirius Black," she said.
"No, not really," he said; before he could stop himself.
"What do you mean?" her eyes were sharp, and he knew that this was something else she would not let go of.
"Lets just say that last year, at the end of the year, I met a rat named Peter Pettigrew," her expression grew sharp.
"Don't give me that look. I got the same damned one, after Professor Snape, had told the Minister for Magic that I was confunded—which I was not—and before you come to any conclusions, imagine this scenario. My father's pride had led him to trust his friends; except for the wolfy, who they thought may have turned."
Harry chuckled at Su's blank expression. "Professor Lupin, my father and Sirius Black believed he may have turned, due to the lack of etiquette afforded to those of a lycanthropic nature."
Su nodded her understanding.
"Now, they knew they had a mole back then. Too many plans were getting out, so not trusting the Professor, he and Sirius had come up with a plan."
"Here is where everything gets complicated. Imagine if you will, everybody knew that my father would go to Sirius Black as a secret keeper; so the two of them decide to trust their other friend, the cowering simpering yet loyal, Peter Pettigrew and switched places...secretly."
"Now, after hearing this, what conclusion can you come up with, putting it together with the bits of story you know?'
Harry did not care if she knew this much, she would come to her own conclusion, and he could see her mind working a mile a minute to get to its destination, and he wondered if her journey would take her to the right place and this much, he had already told the Minister, at the end of last year. It couldn't implicate any of them any further.
Then he saw it, the realization of what these further implications meant. In truth, it was rather easy for one to come to the truth, with just that small bit of extra information.
"But he—" she began to say.
"The street was full of Muggle witnesses, people who knew nothing of magic."
"But, all they could find of him—"
"Was a finger, right?"
Su nodded.
"The man I had met last year...was missing a finger."
Su began to shudder at the implications.
"But how!?" she yelled out. "They would have known, had he disapparated, people would have mentioned the noise!"
"But there was one other thing about this man that I met last year. He had been living for the past decade as an unregistered rat...in more ways than one."
Su mulled over his words.
"To be blunt...he was an unregistered rat animagi, and after he caused an explosion, he quickly cut off a finger, before he turned into one."
Su began to look utterly horrified at the prospect of what he was saying.
"But then...why haven't you said anything?" she asked, looking at him with doubt, confusion...and maybe a little contempt.
"Why haven't I...? I think you mean, why did Minister Fudge believe the words of a petty man, who was well-known for his hatred Sirius Black and my father. Both Hermione and myself gave him the information...and rather than checking into it, he called for the dementors to suck out his soul."
"Wait...does that mean that you were—"
"I was in the infirmary when he escaped," Harry said, not a flicker of his internal thoughts, showing on his face, "speaking with Professor Dumbledore and Hermione...or more like...arguing the man's innocence."
"Not that you would ever be able to figure that out, with the way he acted," Harry mumbled under his breath, just barely loud enough to be heard.
POV: Su Li
Su was confused. On one hand, her parents had often told her of the corruption and neglect that goes on in the British Ministry; but on the other hand, he was telling her a truth—or so he believed—about a man, that was akin to the boogeyman for wizarding children.
If you don't go to sleep, Sirius Black will get you: Never turn your back on a Black, and: If you trust a Black, you will be as dead as a Potter. These are some of the sayings that had passed through the Wizarding World, the past thirteen years.
True, her parents never used those saying; but they—like everybody else—were shocked into the truth that Sirius Black betrayed the Potters'.
In fact, as she recalled hearing a few times, that it was the biggest shock to happen, during the war. Probably even more shocking than the defeat of the Darkest Wizard of their age, at the hands of a young infant.
Sirius Black, as she was starting to recall, was supposed to be like a brother to James Potter. She had heard that in school, they were often inseparable, and that when Lily married James, that she may have just married them both. Two bodies, one soul, that was another remark that she had heard from some people.
"How can you be so sure that it is the truth?"
"First off," Harry answered, "I am still alive. I went down there that night with every intention to kill that man."
"And you are sure that you are not being controlled by the imperius curse? You realize that that could go unnoticed? It is more like a subtle influence."
Harry stared at her blankly; before he began to laugh.
"What?" she asked, trying to figure out this confusing reaction.
"No, sorry," he laughed. "But the imperius curse is not that subtle. At least for me, anyways. I always hear it like a loud shout, on one side, you have the cajoling influence, telling you how good an idea something is; yet on the other side, there is a voice telling me how stupid an idea it is."
"The first time I was placed under it, I ended up arguing with Moody's influence and smashed my knees into the ground. And then after that, he went and made me continue until I was able to shrug it off without a hitch."
"I can honestly boast that I would be able to shrug that spell off and have never felt such an influence before—I would remember it."
Right, she thought, I had actually heard about that. I just forgot.
"I don't know...this just seems rather..."
"Confusing?" he asked. "If you think it is confusing for you; imagine how it is for me. It was my parents who were killed. It was me, who stopped them from killing Pettigrew. I should have just—" he stopped himself from speaking; but she could guess what he was going to say next.
Merlin's beard, was that anger, revulsion, hatred, sorrow, and she couldn't tell whatever else emotion, had settled into his eyes. If what he had said was true, and there were no influences that had made him come to this conclusion, she could—well, not comprehend, but understand his feelings.
"Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that I believe you—honestly, I don't know you well enough for that—but if Sirius Black is innocent, why not take it to the Wizengamot?"
"The same Wizengamot who had done nothing when he was imprisoned for twelve years without a trial?"
She hadn't thought about that; but he was right. If they had done nothing back then, then it would take something drastic, to make it happen now.
This was confusing, his arguments were actually compelling; but at the same time, this was something she did not want to believe. Because, if this was true, then an innocent man had been rotting with those dementors for twelve years before his escape. This was something she could not except...but at the same time, something she was raised to not turn a blind eye to.
"Okay, say that I believe you. What do you get out of me knowing?"
"Satisfaction?" Harry inquired.
"What?"
"Sorry, I just felt like telling somebody the truth, it had been welling up in me for the past five months. My own godfather unjustly being accused. So when you had assumed I meant him—"
"You had been compelled to argue the point."
"Yeah," he laughed, reaching for the back of his head. "Kind of foolish, if you ask me."
"Foolish yes; but understandable," she sighed. She had been around this boy for only a few hours, she barely even knew him, and here he was, toppling everything she ever knew. Now she was seriously contemplating becoming a cynic, and questioning everything she ever heard.
POV: Harry
Why, why why, did I tell her? It was a bit of a redundant question, that he kept asking himself. Though, he knew the reason why, he just didn't want her slandering his godfather. Intentionally or not.
Thankfully, she did not dismiss his claim. She may have questioned his free will; but that was to be expected. Nobody just believes, that would either make them a liar; or too gullible for his tastes.
Getting up from his chair, he decided it was time to do some more exploring. And judging by the way Su was hopping up too, he thought that she agreed. Placing his book back—Su putting her copy in her bag—they made their way back out of the room.
The next room was different, it looked like a large gymnasium, covered in grime. Far too much grime. One side flat, as if it were a basketball court; but what caught Harry's attention was the other side.
Unlike when you enter the room, this side had steps and platforms. None of the platforms were connected; but just far enough away, that he thought he might be able to jump from one to another.
"Oh Merlin and Morgana, thank you for letting me see this!" Su gasped. Obviously she knew what it was; because he didn't.
"What is it?"
"You don't know?" she asked, almost seeming horrified.
"Um...no..." he said, giving her an unwavering stare.
"Sorry," she blushed. "I forgot that you grew up in the Muggle World."
"What it is, is a Dueling Arena—my best guess is that they used it for sparring. You see, on the flat side, you have your traditional dueling; but over here," she said, pointing towards the platforms, "you can use for strategical dueling."
"As you can guess, it is not that often used nowadays—Wizards are too lazy for this style—but in days past, we would put our best and brightest duelers, in this sort of field, to see who was truly the best."
"In my own opinion, I think it was Daniel Artson, he was undisputed champion for at least three seasons—the longest record ever. But there is also the theory that Jacob Swan was far his superior. He fought only one season; but was banned, for some reason."
"Some people say that it was because he stacked the odds; but others believe that he was too good, and the tournament officials son, was the up and coming star—the same official who banned him."
Harry nodded, this was rather interesting, he had never heard about the professional duels, for some reason.
"The best duelist we had in the past couple of decades," she said rather hesitantly, yet she was thoughtful too, "Was Sirius Black, he and your father sent a short time in the pro leagues."
This, Harry perked up to.
"Your father was good, real good; but he was four for twelve against Black. Though, I do not know how good they were at fighting against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's forces. Must have been pretty good, if they were able to survive so long."
Harry smiled to himself, he didn't think she noticed; but with the way she just said that, she must truly be having doubts. But then, with the way this ministry was run...Well, it was no secret, the bribes that had been taken and the cash that has exchanged hands.
He wished he could have seen it though. His father facing off, one on one, with his godfather. It must have been epic for the both of them.
Walking through the centuries worth of grime, Harry made his way up to one of the platforms. Sure enough, it was just wide enough a gap to jump across; but at the same time, just far enough, that if you did not give it your all, you would plummet four feet to the ground.
That may not seem much; but to anybody like Harry, who had racked up numerous injuries over the years...they knew what type of damage could be wrought from such a fall.
All over this side of the room—and it was quite the large room, mind you—the platforms had been littered, not only to jump across; but you could also hide and make your way behind a person, take cover, just plain using the terrain to their advantage.
After some time, the duo retreated from the sanctity of the room, making their way down the hall.
POV: Su Li
After making their way from the dueling arena, the two had discovered one last room, before what they could see was the final one. This room was nothing much; maybe it had been a kitchen? It was hard to tell through the dust and decay; but one thing looked like the cauldrons that had been used for cooking in the past.
One little touch of her foot, had told her that she might never find out, as the decaying cauldron crumbled. Making the task even more impossible. Obviously they had put no preservation runes on any of the items in here. Which made sense, since there was always going to be a need to replace outdated cookware.
Leaving the room, they had headed for the final door...and to Su's astonishment...it was a potions lab. This was something Su would not let be left alone—and she felt a shudder from the boy standing next to her, as he looked into her fanatical eyes.
Well, in her defense, it was not like she was fanatical about the subject, in general; but all over the place were notes and preserved equipment—of course she would get fanatical about this. Her mother, a decently famous Potions Mistress would have felt as if she were in heaven.
Picking up a piece of parchment, that did not look that significantly old, she began to read:
T.M. Riddle
Add eye of newt to the draught of death: Thirty minutes of constant clockwise stirring; widdershins every seventh stroke.
After the eye of newt is incorporated, then add the bleeding liver of man. This must be a fresh one, so the person should not have died before removal. I have found this really neat trick that I could use, it is a variation of the entrails spilling spell, made to work on targeted organs.
Su was shaking as she read. She was utterly horrified and who was this T.M. Riddle? Was he some sort of madman? As these thoughts crossed her mind, she had begun to lose her breakfast, due to what was had read.
Noticing, from the corner of her eye, Harry set down a beaker, and came over, a look of concern etched upon his brow.
Picking up the parchment, she saw him begin to read, as a look of sadness and apprehension came over his face. He knew, she suspected, who this T.M. Riddle was, it was clearly written on his face. A look of hatred and revulsion; and judging by how his eyes kept glancing at the top corner of that paper. She suspected that his attitude was more due to the name; than the contents.
Oh well, she thought, if I stick close...maybe I can find out? He probably is; or has something to do with the incident in our second year...since some of this stuff seems rather fresh. Catching her breath, Su stood up, feeling disgusted with the horrible taste of bile in her mouth. So, turning her wand upon herself, she used a quick tooth cleaning spell, mixed with an aquamenti to wash out the taste. Before feeling a bit more refreshed.
Sometimes, she hated being like this. Patient and waiting to get answers; but then, sometimes that was the only way to get a true answer. In truth, she didn't mind hanging around him...down here—not that she was afraid to be with him in public; but she saw what they did to the Granger girl, just for being close to him. Far too much scrutiny for her.
Finally, they started to look around again—Harry checking the parchments for anything he thought wouldn't stain her soul...thankfully. And there were a good few brews too. She would have to try them out, as they seemed to have a different procedures she and her parents had learned. But if the notes were of any indication, these procedures had fixed everything down to potency problems.
Well, from the notes, she could tell that they were not up to Snape's level...but if this person had kept up their brewing, they might eventually catch up. But some of these seemed rather old; so they may have already passed or passed away.
Take, for instance, the polyjuice that is done textbook can last for up to an hour. A person would literally have to drink it, on the hour, every hour, if tey wished the effects to continue.
With this directional guide, it says that the effects last for five hours. Better, far better; but Snape, by the time he finished school and got his Master's License for Potion's, he created one that lasted for a full day.
Seriously, she did not like the man one bit; but she did have a healthy dose of respect for him. Though, if she were to be blunt, as she looked at the boy rummaging through shelves and drawers, pulling out utensils and beakers; though no...useful ingredients—she respected his mother far more. A Muggle-Born, coming to this school, knowing nothing; then being a Potion's Mistress, right out of school, being beaten only by Severus Snape, by only a small margin.
It was funny, and she wondered just where did she learn such skills, to be able to keep up with the son of Eileen Prince...though she guessed that would be Snape after she married. That lady was supposed to be one of the best brewers to ever live. Though not much had been heard from her after leaving the school. So, either she cared little for prestige; or she quit making potions; but with Snape the way he was...
throughout the room, there were many labs set up, with all of the proper equipment (her parents never cared for the frivolity of the useless enhancements that practically do nothing) had they not been using a bubblehead charm, then they might have gotten a big whiff of the stink that must have permeated the room. Thankfully, the spare clothes she brought with her were in a bag that was sealed from outside influences, such as odors and the damp.
To the side stood a few doors, one that she had decided to open. Beyond it was probably where they had stored the ingredients, as there were a bunch of shelves that had once held something; but now had all turned to dust, filth, and whatever else was caked onto the shelves. Though, for some odd reason, the room was large...too large for stocking in a secret chamber?
Exiting the stock area, they came to a silent agreement, one that they seemed to have agreed upon while entering. Save the best for last.
Adjacent to the entrance was a cave-like tunnel leading to somewhere...where they knew not; but it certainly looked promising.
HPatWTS
Walking through, they had been in the tunnel for about ten minutes, darkness filling the void that a simple lumos couldn't touch. Well...that was how it was supposed to be; but right now they couldn't believe their eyes.
What should have been nothing but the void of light; was quite bright, and windy too? Green all around,with a humid eighty degrees, seemingly keeping the foliage alive.
This was obviously not outside; but one would never be able to tell. That was, unless they had been in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, where the ceiling was enchanted to show the outside. This room seemed to do this on a much grander scale, as they had yet to see the end of the room. All they could see was the cave-like walls, the enchanted ceiling, trees, and shrubbery. Along with all sorts of plants, small animals, and insects.
As Wizards of Hogwarts, they obviously did not need to worry about stuff like Lyme Disease; Madame Pomphrey would never let them go a year without immunization. And immunization in the Wizarding World was not like that of its Muggle counterpart, they truly worked one-hundred percent of the time.
Marching forward they made their way through the shrubbery, using reducto's to cut a path. Honestly, she had never had to do such things before; but she was having quite a bit of fun by doing this. It was kind of like spelunking; though, now that she thought about it, it actually was.
Green, red, yellow blue, there were so many colors that she had seen since the start . That was when a thought came to her. Cultivation. This was a cultivation room, that was why there had been so much room in the storage facilities, they had cultivated their own stuff.
The immense size of this room told her that they had to have spent many a years creating it. Something they could not have done alone. Her thoughts were honestly on the Dwarves for helping. That was her only conclusion.
The Goblins could have been hired; but they were the type to hire out to other races and none of the other builder races were native of this land. While Dwarves were practically everywhere; though they tended to keep to themselves if not hired out for anything.
Twenty-five; maybe even forty-five minutes into their exploration, they came across what seemed like a hot spring. It was probably not a real one, since it did not have the smell of one—they had removed the bubblehead charms out here—and the room smelt quite refreshing. Like summer; though neither of them liked the humidity that much.
Clean, refreshing water; not good for drinking; except maybe for a hot tea, was what they had found. And thinking of all the grime a sweat on her, she was eyeing it with hunger; though, she stopped herself from hopping in, at a glance towards Harry.
Though, had she been any worse than she already was, she might not have cared and stripped herself then and there. Thankfully she was not to that type of desperation yet, and a fresh memory from earlier made her blush, helping her keep her restraints, no matter how grimy she was.
Further on, they had found no end to the room. They had to have been going for what was at least two hours; before they decided to turn around. For most of the trip, Harry had been quiet. Taking in deep and rugged breaths. He was obviously not used to such vigorous activities—she would have to talk to him about that. If he wanted to survive this tournament, then he should be able to do at least this much physical work.
But then, as she thought back to when she had seen him with his shirt off, she had thought he was on the scrawny side. A six pack had confirmed that he had at least done some exercise; but that was probably from his training for quidditch; which would be far too little for what he needed.
Thinking back, she had thought about all of the times her uncle had made her teach the younger students martial arts. He was big into them; and though Su was not the greatest of them; she had found herself a rather apt teacher. One could not teach the young and not learn patience. Which was probably the reason she was able to take in what Harry had told her this day, with a skeptical; yet not dismissive ear.
By the time they had gotten back, Harry was drenched in sweat, his too big for him clothes—he removed the robe which was over top of this outfit—clinging to his skin, while her skin tight; yet athletic outfit had done the same for her. Though she was too tired to feel embarrassed about how much of it turned out to be see through with that much of an amount of sweat sticking to her.
Thankfully though, her clothes were not white, so it was not too bad.
POV: Harry Potter
He was exhausted. Harry could honestly say that he had never been this tired in his life. Not even after his first quidditch practice with Oliver Wood. And that man was a fanatic. Going out had been the chore; but coming back had been so much easier. It was the lack of obstacles and clear destination, that had made it easier.
Now, they found themselves lying next to each-other on the floor of the library—too afraid to get the decent looking and comfortable seats dirty and grimy from what was caked all over them, and stink of whatever they stunk of.
Laying there, Harry began to laugh.
"What is it?" Su asked, laughing herself.
"I don't know; but this place is amazing. I can't believe I haven't come down here before this?" he replied in a surprised voice.
"Think of it this way. You had come down here at the point that you most needed a refuge and you gained a new friend. Me! I think that makes it all worth it."
"So you are willing to be friends with me?" Harry asked, surprised. Honestly, he had been worried about that after spilling out so much incoherent truth.
"Sure," she replied with a devilish smile. "You are interesting, and finding out the truths of what you have and haven't told me seem far more interesting than more than half of my friends."
"So I am entertainment?" Harry chuckled. That did not really bother him, honesty made better grounds for a friendship. Though he felt bad for her, if she ever did find the truths she sought answers to. When Pandora opened that box, it may have contained hope; but it also had far more despair.
This was a box that he hoped she never truly opened; but at the same time, it was her decision.
Laying there, in the comfortable chill of the library, he was unable to remove the smile that had formed on his face at her words. Friendship was something that was rare for him. And even rarer yet, were people who looked at him with anything but the scorn they reserved for liars.
HPatWTS
some time had passed before Harry was able to get. In truth, it was already way past the time for them to get to their common rooms for homework and bed. Lately he had been getting his work done in a timely fashion, as he hung out with Hermione in the library. So he need not worry about that, and apparently Su wa rather diligent with hers also. So she was good. That was a Ravenclaw for you, only the cool kids got their work done first.
Chuckling, Harry tried to get up. Su actually revived herself more than half an hour ago and was refreshed after filling up a canteen with some water—one did not roam a school this large, without one. You learn that lesson in your first year. You may be able to create water with a simple spell; but that did not mean it would go straight into your mouth; it normally soaked you clean through; without getting more than a drop into your mouth.
And here Harry lay—star of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team—stuck on the floor with little energy. Su had a good chuckle at that. Actually, she kept making remarks about how his lack of stamina would kill him...and to be frank, right now he believed it. He had read over the previous school tasks and they had mentioned some physical aspects to the tests; not much, but they were there.
Harry groaned as he sat up, reaching for a text that lay not far from him, with idle curiosity.
Horcrux: A Speculative Guide to the Unknown. There was no name on it, so Harry knew not who the author was, and in fact, it was actually hand written in an almost archaic hand; but decipherable script, for one who had come across it many times in the libraries, when he was younger.
Horcrux's are of the unknown. A spell that many have fiddled with and created throughout the centuries; but none of their writings have been foud. This could be attributed to the Department of Mysteries, where we believe that many of these people learned it.
Many believe that the Department of Mysteries have been working only the good, for all of these years...these people are fools. The Department of Mysteries works on the unknown, both good facets and bad.
I myself, believe that I am of their kind; though they have never sought me out. Maybe they think me evil? If they do...I do not blame them. But in truth, I feel much the same way as them.
My interests had begun with simple work on the soul. I have always been curious of such things: What makes it tick? Why is it not tangible? Can one be brought out of the body?
This, after many years has brought me to the horcrux. True, I know many people find them evil...but they are just too interesting to ignore. Yes, I have killed many in my pursuits and have yet to figure out why I have not split my soul yet. Do I need a specific anchor? Can it work on humans? Do they need to be alive?
Ugh...this bothers me so... But I have yet to give up and believe I have found a way. I think one needs the truest of intents to kill, in order to split their soul. No actual spell needed. This would explain my lack of success though; because regardless of how many times I do it, I have yet to completely pull off a remorseless killing. I kill in the sake of research; not because of any lack of morality; but I guess at the same time, that makes it worse.
Harry's hand began to tremble, as he pulled out his wand and made a copyof the book. Harry then touched his forehead with the most fearful apprehension he had ever felt. Was this why? Is that how the connection was enabled? Fear wrought his soul, as the implications became manifest, and it had not escaped Su's notice.
"Harry...are you okay?" she asked cautiously, as if she feared she may break him. If that was the case, she need not bother about worrying; because if his suspicion came true...he may already be broken.
Tom Marvolo Riddle was a man of many unique talents, parselmouth being just one. But from what Harry had read up on the ability, it came from a family where their ancestor had bonded with a Basilisk Queen. Something rarely known; but Salazaar had admitted to such. Probably because he knew that the only one around here had already bonded him as a familiar.
The one that lay dead out in the antechamber.
"No Su..." he tried smiling; but it didn't seem to work. He could only think: A Potter had Gryffindor blood, true; but it never mixed with the Slytherin line. So how can I speak the language of the snake? "I'm fine..." he said as he made a copy of the journal, putting one in his bag; and the other his pocket.
"I...I think I have to talk to the professor about something..." he said, averting his eyes. "Would you like me to take you out; or you could stay in here if you like, I think that I am going to stay down here for the night...best to avoid Hermione if I want to sleep," he rambled. "But I do need to see the Headmaster first."
"Something is definitely wrong here Harry. I am not stupid enough to believe your false bravado...does it have something to do with that book?"
"Yes..." Harry answered after a few minutes of contemplation.
"What is it?" she asked, not out of curiosity; but genuine concern. He would not tell her what he suspected; but he could give her a truthful answer.
"It has something to do with what happened down here, two years ago. And to placate you even further...what you had read earlier was...genteel, compared to this," as he said this, he remembered the memory of Tom two years ago, and thought that he could understand what he truly was now. He was not a memory; but a piece of a soul; but that also made him worry about him. Would he become like Voldemort...Tom had sad that the two were similar, could that be what he meant?
"I'll stay..." she replied. "As much as I do not feel it is ideal for us to stay the night together...for obvious reasons...I feel as if you should not be left alone tonight." and Harry was truly thankful for her concern. He needed to speak with the Headmaster; but after that, would he be able to sleep. Right now, he was truly scared.
"Thank you..." he said so quietly, that he was only sure that she heard, because of the nod she gave to him, with the serious expression on her face. Harry then began his trek up to the Headmaster's Office.
The way he decided to go was through Gryffindor's room. He was sure that it also led up to Gryffindor Tower—he saw the stairs earlier. Making his way through, Harry headed up them. The walk took even longer than before, and it was way passed midnight. Right now his watch had said that it was three am, so almost everybody should be asleep.
Making it up the steps after an hour and a half...these steps were obviously far more numerous than what was made for Ravenclaw Tower—which should have been obvious to anybody who knew where to find them both—Gryffindor Tower was further up than any other house in the building...by far.
Exiting...Harry had encountered a situation that he could never expect.
"Where have you been...Harold James Potter?" a vexed Hermione asked.
Wait...seriously, was his name even Harold? He thought back on all of the documents of his that he had eve seen and... "My name is not even Harold, it is Harry...just Harry."
"Of course your name is Harry! What do you take me for, an idiot!?" she snapped. Of course Hermione would know something about him that even he had to think about.
"Wait...Harry...are you alright?" she asked after she looked into his eyes. "You look a little...and you stink! Where tha hell have you been? And how did you get passed the Marauder's Map?" she asked, holding it in her hand. She must have been worried, so she had to have snuck up into— "Wait...you didn't have Ron get you that?"
"Of course not, you idiot" Hermione harrumphed. "I went and got it myself. Even had to tell that Seamus off...oh god I did not need to see what he was doing. Does he never close that curtain when he..." Hermione shivered. "and a simple silencio..." her voice went quiet and trailed off.
Harry also had to shiver at the implications...unfortunately, he also had to walk into that a few times and Seamus just smiled, as if he were caught taking somebody's candy. Well, at least it was not because he was into any of them in the dorm; he was just one of them people who did not care.
"Harry, the map...you were not on it at all...and then, you just appeared over there," she said, pointing at a small enclosure in the common room, distracting her thoughts. One that not even enough people noticed to hide and make out in. was there some sort of spell on it. Harry knew that certain notice-me-not spells were only good on certain types of people; while others weren't affected at all.
Quietly, Harry sat down and said, " The Chamber of Secrets."
"The Chamber of what!?" she quietly yelled. Thankfully they knew nobody was in hearing distance, since she had the map out and their dots were the only ones in the area.
"Harry, that could have been dangerous...going down there alone. You haven't been there in ages, and what if one of the professors had found out? I mean, look at you, something did happen, right?"
In truth, Harry had to say something...this was Hermione; though he really didn't want to. So, he pulled out the copy of the book he found in the library down there and handed it to her.
"I need to see the Headmaster, it should be fine if I get caught. This is something he needs to know and I don't have the password anyway. But even so...he was the one to encourage me into finding other ways in, and there was one in each common room, if I didn't miss my guess...so that should be fine also."
"Though, I still am a little concerned, he told me that just after the thought crossed my mind."
"Legilimency," Hermione replied. "The art of understanding ones thoughts. I should have figured he could do that...but it is just so obscure. People often learn occlumency to counter it; but there are so few ways to learn such a thing, and that is why it is not illegal. Well, that and for the reason that it is impossible to even know unless they are really unskilled with it, and then they just get a hefty fine or five years in Azkaban; if unable to pay."
"You mean he can read my mind?" Harry asked, horrified.
"No Harry," he began to relax until her next words came out. "Harry, the mind is not a book, people cannot just read it. No, there are subtle differences, for instance, rather than reading, it is more like they discern your thoughts. They can see what is in there, and have to piece it together like a puzzle—and I don't mean those twenty piece jigsaw puzzles either. Like one of those thousand piece puzzles that you have to hope you haven't lost a piece by the end."
"Fuck..." Harry replied.
"Language Harry," she replied with no real emotion.
"Alright, I am going to get going; but before that. That book, I found it down there and it will tell you everything I am fearing right now and why I have to go. Though return it to me when your done, I haven't finished yet."
She nodded, looking at the book as he left.
POV: Hermione Granger
"Fuck..." that was the only thing she could say, after reading the journal.
She had always known that Harry had a bad life; but how could things get any more fucked up than this? It was a testament to how messed up her mind was that her only response was to swear. Now she couldn't even bring herself to have him make up with Ron...for a few days at least.
Why did things always happen to Harry? Her thoughts were not akin to the way Ron thought this, she was truly worried for him, and with this tournament running...how was he going to cope?