Thanks to Kirk Stanley for beta reading this chapter.
Chapter 4: Recognition
Arch Mage and Grand Sorcerer Tal Rasha was not a man whose actions are driven by impetus and impulse and guided by instinct and gut feelings like so many of the contemporaries of his days. Being the last member of the ancient Obsidian Order, the plus two-century-old, (though possessing the physical features of a 35 year old) mage prided himself with his unshakable calmness and controlled demeanor. Nevertheless, he was human or at least mostly if not partly - high doses of foreign magic and long periods of abstinence in terms of fellow human contact has the effect of reducing one's humanness – and as such there have been occasions and moments where spontaneous emotions permeated. This was one of them. The wizard felt a strange combination of amazement, surprise, as well as that feeling of being at an epoch point in history.
The greatest sorcerer, wizard, *practitioner of magic* - as he had called himself - of a millennia if not of all times, Salazar Slytherin had been reborn.
That very thought is quite overwhelming for anyone who remotely understands who Salazar was and what he represented. Sadly, few do. History has made it so that even its most illustrious modern observes have come to see the Lord of Magic as no more than a powerful wizard, who turned to *dark magic*. God, he hated those two words ... *dark magic*. The Grand Sorcerer had the fortune of learning long ago that there is no *light* and *dark* magic.
Voldemort had that much correct... I'll give him that much. Tal Rasha thought darkly as he glided through the eerie halls of Serpentus Castle. Indeed, there was no light or darkness in magic itself. Voldemort was, however, dead wrong that *power* was all that existed in magic. But...it was a common misconception... one that such great ones like Mr. Tom Riddle made. He, himself, would have and almost did make the same mistake.
Tal Rasha smiled briefly as he reflected fondly upon that crucial point in his life when the two paths were laid before him. It was because of the knowledge gained by his ancestor's association with Salazar Slytherin himself, passed down through the years, that guided him to make ... not necessarily the *right* choice...but most certainly the *truer* choice.
"Aurelius! Contact the people on this list." Tal Rasha barked out the order to another wizard. Now, if Lord Slytherin had truly returned, which Rasha was more than certain of, the Arch Mage wanted to be fully prepared with the presence of at least a fledgling army when they meet.
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"GEORGE AND FRED WEASLEY! I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" A fiery flame of red hair attacked bounded down the stairs and attacked Harry's senses as the rapidly descending girl collided with the unsuspecting Harry, who had stood innocently by the stairs.
"Argh... Ginny?" The boy called out in a daze, seeing flying birds as the flushed girl pulled herself off of him, while Ron rushed to pull his friend off the floor.
"What happened?" Asked Hermione as she came over. Just then, the Weasley twins came strutting into the room with wide grins on their faces.
"Hey, Ginny did you like our gift or were you too busy snogging Harry?" Fred asked with a mischievous look before taking off with George. Partially because she had been rudely awakened by one of their firebombs, but more so because of her most recent embarrassment with Harry Potter, Ginny uttered one anguish cry as she shot after the twins, swearing to haunt them to their graves.
"That was interesting." Commented Dean Thomas. After that little excitement, the Gryffindor common returned to normal as the early risers began chatting with friends.
"Hey, did you hear about what happened last night?" Asked Lavender Brown to a circle of 5th years. Most gave her questionable or confused looks.
"Well, I heard they found that missing 5th year student and brought her back here. My sister saw her there at the Infirmary with Prof. Dumbledore and McGonagall." Explained the girl.
"Oh, you mean that foreign exchange student, Julie Promman." Commented Parvati Patil with some sadness. Apparently, the girl had made quite an impression of being a nice and kind person and was well liked by the Gryffindors as well as most of the school.
"What happened to her?" Asked Seamus.
"Well, I heard she's was in a pretty bad condition, got hit by a couple of dark curses, including the Cruciatus Curse." Added another girl. Needless to say, there were the classic *gasps* of shocks and feelings of sympathy, which could be said to be over exaggerated at best primarily because none of can really comprehend the implication of being subjugated to curses like the Cruciatus.
Harry turned away from the conversation and was about to walk to breakfast when the door into the common room suddenly sprung open. Escorted by a select few Gryffindor 4th years, Julie Promman walked into the common room hesitantly.
The nervous girl looked carefully around the room with what looked like a frightened look. Harry however sensed that something was wrong. Undetectable to the human or even super human eye, there was a thin mist around the girl's magical signature. It could be nothing, or it could be an advanced shielding charm, which served to shade, disguise and protect her inner image, her true self, and her powers much like the Sodalitis Patronam shield he had erected around himself. He narrowed his eyes as he discreetly attempted to divert a thin flow of magic to dissipate the mist. It proved to be an erroneous decision as the mist solidified instead into an almost impregnable barricade. It occurred to the young (or old depending on one's viewpoints) wizard that this girl has in fact something to hide and now she would most certainly know someone is watching her. Harry let louse a string of unuttered vulgar words, though they resonated clearly throughout his mind, as he felt the girl's searching eyes sweep the room in search of the perpetrator. Instinctively, Harry brought up dozens of shields and camouflages, not only on himself, but also on several of his dorm mates and the common room itself. Shocked by the sudden increase in hidden magic, Julie stumbled back and fell on the common room floor. Dazed, the black haired girl allowed herself to be hosted up by her fellow Gryffindors, who thought she was going through some post incident psychological shock.
"Come on; let's go get some breakfast before class." Urged Ron finally as he stood up to go to breakfast. Hermione and Harry followed.
"Poor, girl. Must be suffering horribly..." Stated one of Julie's Gryffindor friends, who
helped drag the girl upstairs to her room. Harry wore a blank look as he walked away and the common room door closed behind him.
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"CONSTANT VIGILENCE!" The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Alastor Moody seemed satisfied as half the class fell off their seats at his outburst. The shocked –quite literally – Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors looked noticeably paler as Moody continued his lesson.
"The Cremarus Curse is a rather modern development. Considered very powerful, very dark and very complex. This two-century-old curse has recently become more and more popular among the dark wizards and wizards. Now! Does anyone know anything about this curse?" As usual, only a select few hands went up, the most prominent one belonging to that of Hermione Granger.
"Ms. Granger."
"The Cremarus Curse was invented or rather modified from a collection of earlier fire spells by the Dark Mage Tal Rasha in the late 18th century. Unlike any of the other fire curses, the Cremarus Curse burns completely and utterly, leaving behind only ashes in its wakes." Hermione's answer sent chills down the backs of the students.
"10 points to Gryffindor for a correct answer, Ms. Granger." Acknowledged Professor Moody.
"Not only does the Cremarus Curse burn you completely, it also does so slowly and very painfully. The components of the curse target areas of neuro impulse, inflicting the maximum dosage of pain before killing the victim. When carefully controlled, the curse can last for over an hour on a human before actually killing him or her." Alastor carefully surveyed the horrified expressions of his students.
"So how come not all dark wizards use it?" Asked a frightened Hufflepuff.
"Because an enormous amount of magical energy as well as a powerful mind is required to cast the Cremarus, so most dark wizards avoid using the exhausting curse, preferring the Cruciatus Curse for pain or the Killing Curse for instant death, instead. This as you can is very fortunate for the Wizarding World in general." The students calmed down a bit, sighing in relief knowing that this curse would not be all that prevalent.
"But..." The class took a sharp breath. "Because of the double impact of pain and death, it has become a popular method for elite dark wizards to prove their abilities and power by using this curse, specifically on their worst enemies." Professor Moody eerily turned to look at Harry as he explained all this. The class turned to Harry, giving him a variety of strange looks.
"Are there any means of defense, or ways to reverse the effects of the curse, professor?"
"Yes, actually there are several *possible* ways, Mr. Thomas, which is why many dark wizards prefer the sure kill that the Unforgivable gives...well almost sure kill." Again, the professor rolled his magical eye to look at Harry. The Gryffindor 5th year fidgeted slightly, beginning to feel the effects of his classmates' stares.
"Anyway, the first and most common means of defense is simply a strong magical shield such as the Protectatus Shield. This is a very powerful and quite advanced shielding charm, which is used very often by the Aurors as the primary line of defense against a variety of curses. When backed by a sufficient amount of magic, this shield would be able to block the Cremarus Curse. Does anyone know of any other ways to block such a curse?" Asked Moody as he scanned the room with his magical eye. A few hands went up.
"If it's a fire based spell, then couldn't you just conjure some water?" Asked a Hufflepuff student in the back.
"Unfortunately no. The curse involves usage of the so called *Immortal Flame*." Answered Moody. The perplexed looks throughout the class prompted Alastor to explain.
"The immortal flame is first documented by the muggles as something called the *Greek Fire*. A wizard gave this substance to the people of an ancient muggle empire called the Byzantines. They had used it in naval warfare to win victories over its enemies and the effects of the Greek Fire were documented in muggle history. The muggles, however, never learned the formula for their secret weapon as for only magical people could create it. Now does anyone know of the specific components of the immortal flame?" Asked Alastor Moody. As usual, that one definitive hand went up.
"Ms. Granger?"
"The immortal fire was created from studies of dragon flame, which was known to be unquenchable by normal water. By replicating this natural process within a dragon, wizarding scholars were able to create a fire that could not be put out by conventional means." The Gryffindor girl answered the question flawlessly and without hesitation.
"Oh, bloody hell, the great Hermione Granger has done it again." Muttered Ronald Weasley lowly, coupled with a sigh of resignation, conceding to the fact that Hermione will always be... well Hermione. His friend glared back at him with a scowl.
"Mr. Weasley, you may just find in the future that Ms. Granger's knowledge can become a great asset. Excellent work, Ms. Granger. Take ten for Gryffindor." Stated Alastor as he walked up to the two *arguing* friends. (The arguing referring to the impending comments that would be thrown back and forth at the end of class.)
He may actually be right about that. Thought Harry to himself. He had always taken his friend's vast array of knowledge for granted. To be sure, her familiarity with the different subjects can be downright shocking at times. This makes her a very valuable ally... or a dangerous opponent. Harry's thoughts darkened as he realized all this historical information could very well create a biased and untrue image of him in her mind when he reveals himself.
"I would like an 8 inch parchment on the other means of defense against the Cremarus Curse and the family of related curses. You can also write on the history of the curse from creation to present day usage for extra credit...class dismissed." The Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs quickly emptied the room, some moaning about the workload.
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Having had caught the snitch in every single Quidditch match with the exception of one in the 2nd year due to an unpleasant encounter with some dementors, Harry had acquired naturally the image of being unstoppable and unbeatable. As a result, the latest news about how a certain Virginia Weasley had beaten the famed Gryffindor seeker became hot stuff very fast. The fact that it was a friendly Seeker match and that Harry had almost died trying to save Ginny was ultimately irrelevant. Using the fact that the girl is also Gryffindor, a Weasley and just happened to be joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team, the crafting Slytherins soon ran rampant rumors of how a certain Weasley is to be replacing the aging and now incompetent Harry Potter as seeker.
All hell then broke loose during lunch. Harsh words and arguments sparked several clashes escalating to Anti- Potter and pro – Potter conflicts in the Great Hall, right in front of the teachers. It finally took a semi-teary oration from Ginny, who stated the facts to clear up the mess, before the professors managed to regain order.
It would appear as everything returned to normal, but in truth, it was far from that. In the past, such wild rumors by Slytherins were completely ignored by the other houses. This time, surprisingly many Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs joined ranks against their "golden hero". Perhaps it was due to Harry's supposed connection with the death of Hufflepuff hero, Cedric Diggory and his former crush on Cho Chang, Cedric's girlfriend; or perhaps it was due to the inflammatory articles by the Daily Prophet regarding Harry's questionable character and mental stability; or both. Whatever the reason, Harry Potter's faltering *popularity* seemed quite ominous for him. No, it was not that Harry desired fame (heck, he even went out of his way to downplay his powers and role in history as Salazar Slytherin). No indeed, Harry was not as concerned about the fact that his fellow students - as well as wizarding world - is interested in using *him* as a scapegoat as he was of how it is interested in finding scapegoats in general *RATHER* than banding together to fight Voldemort.
"Just ignore them, Harry." Stated Hermione simply as the trio walked out of the Great Hall. Harry sighed in frustration. Interestingly, the worst part of all this was that everyone kept on misinterpreting his reactions and feelings.
"That is none of your business, Malfoy." Came a stern voice from down the corridor. Harry turned to see a young girl exchanging harsh words with the slytherin crowd led by Draco Malfoy. Despite being surrounded by the towering figures of Malfoy's bodyguards, the girl looked supremely confident, which seemed to irritate the arrogant Slytherin student to no end.
Harry looked closer and realized that the girl was none other than Julie Promman...well at least the girl that *looked* like Julie. But, from what he heard others say about her (all good things), the 4th year Gryffindor would never purposely antagonize another student like that, unless of course there was something else.
"Yeah, shove off, Malfoy." Came the spiteful remark from another girl. The incensed slytherin whirled around to face the angry and determined form of Ginny Weasley.
"Hey, listen you gryffindork, I ought to..."
"You ought to what, Malfoy! Tell your mommy or is it papa for you!" Taunted Ron as he joined his sister.
"Back off Weasel..." The blond boy sneered. Battle line was soon drawn as the two opposing sides were soon drawn into an all out glaring contest, intermixed with the occasional rude comment or two.
Finally, realizing that he wasn't going to get to the Gryffindors through Julie, the young Malfoy decided to change strategy.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Potty. Forgetting how to fly, are we. I mean now, you can't even fly away from the Dark Lord when he comes for you." Harry's friends intensified their glares on the sneering form of Draco Malfoy and the pose of snickering Slytherins.
"Why you, lousy piece of filth..." Hermione quickly restrained Ron before he can bash the slimy Slytherin into then ground. This hallway encounter quickly attracted the attention of a crowd.
"Hey, shut it Weasel. Maybe I'll even pay you a knut if you'll gravel before me."
"Maybe you would like to..." The red-faced red head known as Ronald Weasley was interrupted mid-speech by a cold drawl.
"20 points from Gryffindor for causing a scene in the hall." Potions master, Severus Snape stated calmly in the mist of furious Gryffindors. Despite their honorable traditions, it is doubtful if they wouldn't kill the prejudicial slytherin head of house right there and then if they were given the chance.
"But, but, but..." Not even the usually clear-headed Hermione Granger could string a sentence together in their defense.
"10 more for questioning a professor." The intelligent witch quickly shut up but was unable to cover the horrible redness in her cheeks. A variety of expressions crossed the shocked faces of the Gryffindors, ranging from simple amazement to pure, unadulterated rage. More than a few had gripped their wands so tightly that their face turned white. The Slytherins only laughed, sneered and taunted, adding to the Gryffindors' agitation. Finally a few members of the other two sympathetic houses managed to pull the Gryffindors away, reassuring them that their respective heads of house will deal with the incident. Harry and the 4th year Gryffindor girl, Julie Promman, however, remained silent and stationary.
The two shot calculated looks at each other, each not sure what to make of the other. Harry was finally pulled out of his thoughts as his friends called out to him to leave the Slytherin prats. As much as he hated it, Harry had to admit quite sadly too, that his Gryffindor *friends* were very correct, that indeed they –the Slytherins - were *prats*, and the most egotistical, arrogant, and blind prats he had EVER come into contact with. Much to the surprise of the observers, Harry walked up to his potions professor.
"What goes around comes around, professor. Do remember that..."
Without waiting for a response, Harry walked away, not giving Professor Snape the chance to take off more points. The Slytherins watched their Gryffindor rival leave with a dazed expression and ...fear, but what was there to fear?
That was the question Julie or rather Anastasia asked. It was hardly a threat or an ultimatum, carrying no superficial indications of harmful actions against anyone, yet there was something excessively dark and ominous about his words. The way Harry had said them was most definitely not pleasant. Even so, it should not have caused such agitation. but it did, why? Anastasia racked her brain as she watched the retreating figure of the Boy Who Lived, hero of the Light, savoir of the Wizarding World...
The First Vampire smiled slightly as her thoughts wandered slightly. While living in a secluded region, the vampire was hardly a hermit. She had regularly ventured out into the world and was well aware of Voldemort, his reign and his fall at the hands of Harry Potter.
'Those who expected too much from others are bounded to be disappointed.' Salazar Slytherin had once told her. She knew sooner or later the Wizarding world will be disappointed in their golden hero... just like always. No one's perfect and perfection is what the simpletons of society wanted, expected and saw. The only reason, Godric Gryffindor was placed on a high pedestal and stayed there was because the public never saw the real Godric Gryffindor, the mortal human, who made mistakes and was as susceptible to the uncontrollable forces of nature as the next person. The greatest irony was that her deceased master Salazar Slytherin had been the one who allowed that to happen, allowed Godric to be a *legend* while he himself was compared by others to the lowest of the lows. It disgusted her...
"Miss. Promman, do you need an escort to class?" Questioned Snape coldly. His expressions clearly stated that a yes answer would undoubtedly result in deduction of house points and/or detention.
"No, sir." Answered Anastasia coldly. The slytherins turned to look at the young black haired girl. This was the second time a supposedly goody two shoe Gryffindor sent chills down their backs. The girl proceeded to walk away, stopped midway, turned around and walked back to the Slytherins.
"They say that the eyes of Slytherin are always watching... and judging..." The vampire mage looked away at first but turned to Draco Malfoy at the end of her statement. Again, without waiting for a reply, Julie Promman walked away with her friends, getting a few strange looks from them along the way. Lunch ended a few minutes ago, so the crowd of people quickly dispersed; everyone scrambling to get to their next class.
"What was that all about?" Asked Hermione with a slight frown, still a tad upset over having lost points for their house. Harry shrugged nonchalantly and the issue was dropped. The boy walked silently with his friends as the two conversed with each other. Harry didn't mind. In fact, he dropped slightly behind the two to think.
It was definitely an interesting turn of events. While none of his friends had heard Julie's statement because they were too far away, Harry had most certainly had. That simple reference clearly and definitively revealed the girl's identity to Harry, AKA Salazar Slytherin.
Anastasia The name ringed familiarly in his mind. Of course... if anyone knew him, it would have to be Anastasia von Hollenstein, one of his most brilliant, most successful and most powerful pupils and later a very close friend – yes, contrary to popular belief, most labeled dark wizards did have friends.
In any case, the aristocratic girl was a rare find. She had been raised in luxury and refinement before losing it all, so it had shocked Salazar initially when she did not live in the past so to speak or implore for sympathy like so many other spoiled youngsters.
As his pupil, she was, quite frankly, an absolute genius and natural especially in the branches of magic that are known now days as the dark arts. But unlike so many others Anastasia never abused her tremendous powers. What is more, the powerful witch and later mage and readily joined him upon completing her training which delighted her lord (yes, delighted, though he didn't sure it outright).
She was bright and confident, but not overly snobbish; powerful, energetic, and assertive but not war hungry or malicious; crafted, cunning, and loyal but not overly so to the point of crazed vengefulness or fanatical obsession. In short, Anastasia represented in person the very epitome of both what Salazar wanted to cultivate and what he hoped for:
Thus, it was a grievous blow when Anastasia had been turned by a vampire.
Despite all his powers, abilities and understanding of magic at the fundamental level... Salazar could do nothing to reverse the effect for his most loyal follower and friend. Harry thought sadly for a second. It was one of the times when he had realized the limitations to his powers.
A smile tucked at the edged of his mouth as he thought more about it. Of course, the most powerful wizard, second perhaps only to Godric - and that's only in straight out combat and duels -, was astounded once again by Anastasia's resilience and strength. Needless to say, she lost neither her humanity nor humility despite the change in *species*. The vampire mage quickly proved herself capable of continued service and won almost universal respect from friends and foe alike. Therefore, Harry was not totally caught off by the fact that Anastasia was presently the reigning First Vampire, as informed by the Orb of Knowledge.
I suppose it ended being a good thing. Thought Harry as he contemplated on how he was going to reveal himself to his old student and friend.
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Just so that there's no mistake about it. This is NOT a HARRY/ANASTASIA story.