Warning: What you are about to read was not written by JK Rowling, who is after all the rightful owner of the Harry Potter franchise. She isn't making a single penny off this. But then again, neither am I.

=parseltongue=

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Chapter 4. It's Magic, Harry

He was standing on the bow of the ship, leaning on the railing, his head turned to feel the spray on his face. It was dawn; his favorite time of the day. As he stood there, enjoying the moment, he thought he heard a voice calling to him. Turning, he checked the deck, but it was still empty. Looking back to the expansive ocean, he went back to his contemplation when he heard it again, only it was closer and clearer this time. It was a woman's voice, calling for help.

Looking below, he spotted a small row boat, its single occupant waving to get his attention. He quickly tied a rope to the sturdy rail, and lowered it over the side of the ship. He climbed effortlessly to the rowboat; the distraught young woman practically throwing herself into his arms in gratitude.

She eventually came back to herself and stepped away from him, and he got his first good look at her. She was only slightly shorter than him, but her shapely body seemed even smaller in his shadow. What was left of her dress barely covered her, the skirt ripped off above her knees, and the bodice was practically shredded. If it weren't for her long red hair he knew he'd have a perfect view of her ample bosom.

She practically dropped to her knees as she thanked him for saving her life. He was about to reach down to draw her into his strong arms when another voice cut in, "he can't save anyone but himself."

He spun around to see Draco Malfoy standing behind him, but in the very next second Malfoy's dead body fell into the waiting arms of another wizard that had been killed in his prime. The other boy, dressed in Hufflepuff robes, chided the dead boy for trusting Harry with his life, before turning back to Harry and asking why his uncanny ability to save himself didn't extend to saving others.

Harry tried to tell him that he was wrong, that he had saved plenty of lives, but the mist rose up and engulfed the boy, leaving Harry alone in the graveyard with his dead year-mate. Scared, Harry began searching for the Portkey that would take him back to Hogwarts. He was being careful to step around Malfoy's body, when he slipped on the dropped wand and fell backward into a large cauldron, his body slamming into the cold, hard metal. Starting to panic, he looked up to see the grim face of Peter Pettigrew as he stretched his hand over the cauldron, a knife raised in his other.

Harry woke abruptly. In his panic he instinctively reached for his wand, but overstretched and ended up rolling off the bed. He landed in a puddle of blankets, but his wand was held steady in his hand. Fortunately, all drowsiness had fled when he'd hit the floor, and he was able to realize that neither Voldemort nor Cedric Diggory was coming for him. He did, however, light up the room to dispel the shadows. A quick glance at this clock showed it was only 4:30 in the morning, but Harry had no intention of going back to sleep.

It had been a long time since he'd dreamed of Cedric, and that he now appeared with Malfoy, accusing Harry of failing them both, was hard to swallow. That part was true; Harry knew. He hadn't reacted fast enough – he should have recognized Wormtail despite the concealing cloak he'd worn, should have recalled the grotesque, child-like body Voldemort had been using and therefore recognized the 'baby' in Wormtail's arms for what it was – but he hadn't; and then he'd been crippled by pain, and it was too late. The game was over.

And this year, it had been his job to get Malfoy to safety. And he would have, but the prat wouldn't shut up. Harry had tried to shush him, but the arrogant twit just kept talking. In hind sight, he should have just cursed the idiot silent. But he'd honestly thought that Malfoy would need his voice in case they ran into trouble.

Harry knew he hadn't killed either boy; that their blood was not on his hands. But dream-Cedric had a point – he saved himself often enough, why didn't his 'sheer dumb luck' save the others? It was like he had two minds, one side arguing all the times others had died while the opposite side pointed out the ones he had saved: Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets, Sirius from the Dementors ('but you really saved yourself, he was just along for the ride', the other side had interrupted), Ron and Fleur's little sister from the lake. It was frustrating, arguing with himself, especially over such a depressing topic.

Eventually, he forced himself to climb back into the bed. In hopes of distracting himself, he picked up his discarded book, opened it to a random page, and began reading. He had trouble concentrating on the dashing sea captain and the lovely damsel he had rescued, but every time his mind strayed, he would refocus on the book with a vengeance.

Harry didn't remember falling back to sleep, but the sudden sounding of his alarm told him that he had. The awkward angle he found himself in – on his side, bent at the waist with his back parallel to the headboard – left him with a dull aching back. As he sat up he caught sight of Hedwig, who was perched on his trunk and was watching him with what Harry thought was concern in her eyes. He blinked once, realizing that she was quite clear to him, and he dumbly reached up to confirm that his glasses were already on. He had fallen asleep with them there, and had luckily not bent or broken them.

He took a long, hot shower to work out the kinks in his back and the shadows from his mind. Once he felt sufficiently refreshed, he dressed and went to the sitting room. Breakfast was already on the table, and Albus' cleared spot meant that the man had already eaten and left. No doubt busy with the leaving professors, Harry thought. He wanted to occupy his mind so he couldn't dwell on last night's dream, so when he was done eating he got right to work on one of his Arithmancy papers.

Albus entering the rooms for lunch caught him by surprise, more because he had almost fallen asleep than because he was concentrating. Pretending not to notice, Albus used a spell to make Harry's work sink into the table and called an elf to bring their meal. As they ate, he casually asked the boy if he had slept well, and while he was concerned when Harry confessed to having a nightmare, he was also pleased at getting an honest answer right away.

While Harry described the dream about dead classmates and a certain graveyard, Albus was relieved that it appeared to be a normal - meaning non-Voldemort induced - dream. In the end, he suggested that Harry begin writing down any troubling dreams. "It's a good way to move the dream out of the subconscious and into the conscious, so it hopefully will no longer plague your sleep." Harry agreed that sounded like a good idea, and promised to give it a try.

After they had finished their lunch and the elves had cleared the table, Albus returned Harry's work with another flick of his wand. Before taking his leave he reached into his pocket and retrieved a scroll, which he handed to a puzzled Harry. Harry unrolled the scroll to find the essay he had written on Legilimency. He had been 'assigned' the essay after he confessed to having used Legilimency on Draco Malfoy to discover his secret plan. Harry had known what he had done was technically wrong – he had promised his guardian that he wouldn't explore Legilimency – but at the time had argued that the intelligence gathered (both the invasion and Harry's capture had been unknown until that time) had been worth breaking his promise.

The Order of the Phoenix had been grateful for the intelligence, but Harry's guardian was not as accepting. He had assigned the essay as part punishment, part learning experience. Hermione had been assigned a similar essay for having Obliviated Malfoy regarding said use of Legilimency. (It had been a good day for Gryffindor in the one-upmanship contest between the houses.) Harry had put a great deal of effort into the essay, and in his research he had learned the dangers to performing the spell to both the 'do-er' and the 'do-ee', and losing a few memories was the least of it.

At the bottom of the page, Harry read Albus' short and concise comments; that the essay was well researched and nicely written. He had gone so far as to suggest that it would be an excellent piece to make mandatory reading for any student of the art. But that comment was not what had Harry's attention. He was instead drawn to the bright blue "O" written below Albus' remarks, with "plus 50 points" beside it. Before he had a chance to ask, Albus explained that he had shared the remarkable paper with the Charms Professor, who had spent some of his precious packing-up time to read the paper. In the end he had been so impressed with the work that he had insisted that the paper's author receive school credit without even knowing who had done the work.

Albus excused himself shortly thereafter to return to his own work, and Harry tried to do the same. It was no use, however, and he eventually gave up in lieu of writing to Hermione about his extra credit. While writing the letter, he had tactfully avoided any mention of Terry Boot, although he had vaguely asked if she was staying in touch with anyone else this summer. He smiled to himself, thinking that Ginny would be proud of him for respecting Hermione's feelings. After he'd finished the letter to Hermione, and another shorter one to Ron, he sent them off with Hedwig, who had conveniently appeared just moments before she was needed. Harry couldn't decide if she was highly-intuitive or just anxious for some flight time, but regardless, he was grateful for her appearance.

He spent the rest of the afternoon taking a short nap on the sofa, and had a late but relaxing supper with Albus. They ended the night by playing some wizard's chess, which Albus was very good at. Since he explained every move he made as they went along, Harry hadn't minded losing.

The next day went much the same, but without the early morning nightmare, and his evening was once again filled with letters and speaking with Ginny via the mirrors. Friday morning found Harry finishing yet another of the Arithmancy assignments, and he was finding himself bored. It was all well and good to be studious, and all work and no play might make Hermione happy, but it made Harry a very restless boy. He was looking at his map, debating if he should return to Gryffindor Tower or risk a trip to the library when Dobby popped into the room. With his usual exuberance, Dobby greeted 'The Great Harry Potter' before handing him the note. Harry absently thanked him as he opened the note, wondering what it could be. The mystery was easily solved, it was a request to put on his school robes and come to Albus' office. 'why didn't he just come and get me, he's right through that door?' Harry almost asked the elf if he knew what was going on, but Dobby was already busy cleaning the books on the shelves, one by one.

With a shrug, he sauntered to his room, reemerging in the requested robe. He walked the short distance to the simple door that separated the private rooms from the Headmaster's office and pulled the door open. As he entered the office and closed the door, he noticed that he had Albus' attention. With a smirk, he made a show of walking over to the big desk. Moving to stand behind Albus, who was now watching him with open interest, he thrust his hand forward – which made his sleeve pull back – then bent his elbow so he could see his watch. With his other hand he pulled his wand and said "Alohomora". The door swung open, and Harry called out, "Dobby, could you grab one of my school robes and come here please?" When Dobby ran into the room with the robe Harry triumphantly announced "forty-two seconds".

Dobby ignored the announcement, instead thrusting the robe repeatedly at Harry. An amused Albus nodded to the elf before turning to Harry and saying, "Point proven, but now what are you going to do about your little friend?"

Now feeling guilty for using the elf, Harry switched from the perfectly fine robe he was wearing into the identical robe Dobby had brought, and thanked him for his speedy response. Dobby beamed as he left to return to his beloved cleaning. Once he had left the room, Harry turned to see Albus still watching him. Enjoying the good mood of the room, he gave his guardian his best cheeky grin before plopping into a chair and in his deepest voice intoned, "You summoned?"

"Yes, Harry," he relied in a much deeper voice, "Professor Snape will be arriving soon for his promised trip into the Chamber of Secrets to retrieve his basilisk parts. He, of course, believes that I summoned you here this morning specifically for this purpose. He should arrive momentarily."

"Oh, right, I had forgotten that we left everything down there," Harry responded.

"I can assure you that he did not. I understand he found several other items of interest, having so much time on his hands."

Harry laughed, "It was for his own good, Seba. And he really doesn't have any room to complain. As I recall, he was perfectly willing to jump out the window instead."

Looking serious Albus replied, "I confess that it was really for my benefit that we saved dear Severus. I have enough trouble finding a Defense teacher every year. I didn't want to have to find a Potions professor as well."

Harry's jaw dropped, and Albus instantly broke into a full-out laugh at the boy's expense. Belated realizing that he had been had, Harry faked a pout and jumped from his chair. He wandered around the office looking at some of Albus' stranger objects. Hearing fluttering behind him, he turned to see Fawkes fly into the room and land on his perch. Just behind the majestic bird came a familiar snowy owl. Hedwig landed beside Fawkes; the two birds rather squished together in order to both fit.

Harry moved over and greeted the two, being sure he petted Hedwig first lest his proud pet become annoyed with him. The last time he had annoyed her, his letter to Fred and George had taken two days to reach them. Glancing up, Albus made a comment that the two birds looked cozy together. Watching as the birds seemed to cuddle together, Harry questioned how 'cozy' they could get, being different species.

Albus wasn't sure how seriously the question was meant, but he decided to use this as a teaching opportunity. "Magic has its way, Harry; and I caution you to never forget that. One need only think of the seemingly impossibility of a human-sized male and a full-blooded giantess successfully procreating to know this. Or had you never questioned Hagrid's existence?"

Harry visibly blanched, images of a man crawling through a dark, wet tunnel flashing through his mind. He brought a hand up to his mouth and swallowed thickly as he mumbled, "thanks for that visual."

"My pleasure, my boy," Albus cheerfully replied. "But I do hope you have grasped my true meaning."

Harry was saved from what promised to be a very embarrassing conversation by a knocking on the door. He moved back to his seat as his Potions Professor entered the room.

"Good morning Headmaster," the man said before turning his gaze in Harry's direction. Harry braced himself for whatever snide comment Snape was about to make. The man stayed silent for a moment before finally tipped his head oh-so-slightly in Harry's direction and acknowledged him with, "Student."

Caught off guard, Harry could do nothing other than tip his own head in return.

Albus watched the two with amusement before remembering his manners and inviting Snape to sit, saying he needed just a few moments to finish up. The three sat in an almost comfortable silence until Albus had finished his report. Tossing aside his quill and standing, he gestured for the other two to follow as he led the way to the seldom-used second floor girls' restroom. They entered to find Myrtle hovering by the mirrors. Spotting Harry, the ghostly girl smiled and started to say something, but when she caught sight of Snape she abruptly turned and dove into her toilet, sending water splashing in the process.

Snape snorted in disgust while Harry chuckled at the ghost's reaction. Albus pretended not to notice either reaction, instead politely inviting Harry to open the Chamber. With a short hiss the doorway to Slytherin's hidden lair opened. The three made the trip down in silence, and in no time they were in front of the inner doorway. Harry hissed again, and then moved aside as the wall split in two, allowing the others through first. Stepping into the main chamber, he was surprised by how much larger it seemed without a giant dead snake dominating the room.

Ahead of him, Snape had gone straight to the line of boxes stacked near one of the columns. Harry shifted his focus from the boxes to the spot that used to hold the carcass as if trying to picture how such a huge snake had fit into such a small number of boxes. He couldn't help but grin as he remembered his teacher's reaction to seeing the dead snake. He spotted Snape regarding him suspiciously and quickly averted his eyes, for he didn't want Snape to see his memory of his last trip into the chamber. Snape was, after all, still under the impression that it had been Draco Malfoy that had locked him in the chamber, and Harry was determined that it remain that way. He was sure that Snape's revenge would be unpleasant should he learn the truth.

Seeing that Albus had moved to the far end of the row of boxes, he moved closer and found the man to be sifting through a box of items, strange knick knacks and books mostly. Snape cleared his throat, earning the attention of the others, and pointed off to the left-hand side of the giant statue. "If you would care to follow me, Headmaster, I will show you my discovery." Harry ignored the fact that he hadn't been invited and followed them into the shadows. As he moved closer, Harry realized that what had appeared to just be an empty corner was actually a small, shadowed alcove. Perfectly camouflaged within was a door that was stained such a dark brown that even up close it was hard to see. There was no handle on it and Harry couldn't see any hinges or decorations of any kind – nothing that might reflect light and thus give the door's existence away.

"Huh," Harry commented, mostly to himself, "wonder what this place is?"

"One of Slytherin's secrets, Potter," Snape quipped. "Surely you knew there was more to these chambers than the basilisk, or did you think Chamber of Secretsss was a misnomer?"

Rolling his eyes, Harry followed the others into the secret room and looked around. It appeared to be an office, the furniture sparse but comfortable, if they could be judged by appearance. There was a desk off to one side, complete with a wing-backed leather chair. Across from the desk was a work table, similar in height to the tables in the Potions classroom, with four low-backed stools surrounding it. Situated toward the back of the room was a faded sofa. Two of the walls were dominated by shelves, but much of the space on them was empty. Whether someone had scavenged or they had never been full, no one could say. Remembering the things in Snape's boxes, he settled on the former. The third wall had no furniture in front of it. At either end of the wall stood an elegantly designed white marble fireplace, each tall enough for Hagrid to stand upright inside. Taking up the space in between them was a massive wooden frame, which appeared to be completely empty.

Snape saw were Harry was looking, and with a sigh he explained, "No Potter, I do not know what belongs in the frame. Perhaps it's another of the secrets." Pleased with himself, Snape turned away to continue looking over the remaining books.

"Be nice, Severus," Albus chided. "It is commonly held, Harry, that this chamber was built by Slytherin after he made the decision to leave the school. I, however, have a slightly different theory. I believe that Slytherin never left Hogwarts quite as thoroughly as everyone assumed. Indeed, I myself was not quite as gone as was believed your Second Year. But that is only a theory, mind you. I could be totally off my rocker."

Harry had to stifle the snicker that followed that statement. "But what does that have to do with this room?" 'best behave with Snape watching' "Sir?"

"Ah, well, looking around, the room has the feel of a depository. The shelves obviously were meant to hold something. I believe – and again, this is only a guess – but I believe that he made use of the chamber, and this room in particular, after his exile. And as his time drew near, he left in this room items he felt were of significant value or use to his future heirs. For surely, he intended that one day an heir would return to this school."

Mumbling his agreement, Harry moved closer to the empty frame, wondering what it had once contained. The deep reddish-brown wood and delicate, life-like carvings of snakes and wands gave the frame an oddly depressing look, even though Harry was certain it was supposed to appear grand. As he stared at the carved wood, he felt drawn to it, as if he'd found something he'd been desperately looking for. Without thought, he reached out and touched the nearest carving. The wooden snake he touched began to undulate, and reached its body forward to touch the tail of the next snake in sequence, until one after another, every snake on the frame was slowing moving within its proscribed space.

Harry shifted his eyes to the space inside the frame, and found in no longer empty. However, it held not a picture, but steams of writing with lines causing the many sections to flow together. Stepping back for a better view, his eyes were drawn to the top where large silver and green letters proclaimed

The True House of Slytherin
"Mächtigste der Unverschmutzten"
Mightiest of the Pure

Two names appeared beneath the banner: Argento ~ and Eugenia Slytherin

A line below those forked to three names: Salazar ~, Crodus ~, and Minuette ~

Fascinated, Harry stepped closer and began following the lines beneath Salazar's name, eventually finding Ricard Slytherin. Ricard appeared to have assumed his mother's maiden name of Gaunt, because from that point on, that was the last name displayed. Further down, Ricard's descendant Merope had married Tom Riddle, and given birth to one son, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Harry was surprised that Voldemort hadn't wiped his Muggle name from the wall, but that thought was abruptly cut off as he saw what was below that name.

With trembling fingers, he reached out and traced the letters of a name that couldn't possibly be there. Harry James Potter ~. His gasp had drawn Albus' attention, and the older man was quick to spot what had caused Harry's distress. Without speaking, he pulled Harry's hand away from the wall, giving it an affectionate squeeze before letting go.

Forgetting the other person in the room, Harry cried out, "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL? How could my name possibly be there? There is no way, no way, I am related to that sadistic bastard!"

Before Albus could reply, a cold voice sneered, "Don't be an imbecile Potter. Did you not notice that there is no corresponding line connecting your name to his." Two heads whipped around to face the professor, who looked like he hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Ah, and by imbecile, I am merely referring to the fact that as a schoolboy you still have much to learn."

"Riiight," Harry replied before turning his attention back to Albus.

Albus, meanwhile, had taken a closer look at the wall. "Actually, Severus, there is a line connecting the names. It appears to be thinner than the rest and even broken in spots, as if this connection is not as clear as the others." He paused for a second, knowing what Harry needed now was reassurance. "Rest assured, Harry, your parents are indeed James and Lily Potter. However, I am sorry to have to remind you; you do share Tom Riddle's blood – or more accurately, he shares yours. Quite possibly, this has confused your identities. After all, is it not true that Muggles can identify a person by their blood?"

Without really getting a response from Harry, Albus continued. "But something else is going on here," he said, tracing his finger over several of the names on the tree. "You will notice the small squiggle behind your name, which upon closer inspection is actually a tiny snake. The same mark is behind Tom's name, and Merope's, and Marvolo's, and so forth. It appears to denote those who possess the 'family gift', shall we say?" He turned his attention back to Harry. "You received what is considered an inherited trait from Tom, therefore you must be his natural heir. Yet, you were not sired by him. It is quite the conundrum. I think either of these elements - the shared blood or the Parselmouth - by itself would most likely not be enough, but when put together ... the connection is made, and you appear on the family tree."

"But how did it even get there?" he demanded to know. "Who placed me there in the first place?"

"Magic, Harry," Albus replied. "It is the magic of the family tree that has decreed you one of its own."

Harry scoffed, "I'm beginning to think that magic is your answer for anything you can't explain."

Albus chuckled, "And yet, it is indeed the answer. You don't think house elves sneak down here and paint on each name, do you?"

Harry ignored the sarcastic comment, although it did help to know that Albus didn't seem the least bit concerned by the discovery. In the corner of his eye he saw that Snape was struggling with himself to not reprimand Harry for his total lack of respect. Trying to make light of the discovery, and maybe see how far he could push Snape, he deadpanned, "So I'm an honorary Slytherin. Oh joy." With a deep sigh, he continued, "Should I look into changing my last name, do you think? Harry Slytherin … sounds OK, I guess. At least it's better than Harry Hufflepuff."

Albus' quiet laughter was interrupted by Snape's coughing fit. Both the others turned in his direction to find him clutching the back of the wing-backed chair. Seeing them looking his way, he explained, "stale air." He made a show of clearing his throat before continuing, "As touching as this has been, perhaps we could carry on? I myself have no intention of spending another night in this wretched place."

They each investigated the room in silence, Harry choosing to sit at the desk and nose through the drawers. He was disappointed when his search came up empty, so he moved to the nearest bookshelf. There wasn't much left on the shelf, a few trinkets that looked to be broken and maybe a few dozen books. He was about to move away when the cover of one book caught his attention. Or more correctly, the glistening eye of the snake caught his attention.

Carefully lifting the leather-bound book from the shelf, he realized that the cover of the book was adorned with two intertwined serpents. They were reminiscent of the guardians of the interior doorway of the Chamber, right down to the tiny emeralds for eyes. He tried to lift the cover, but it wouldn't budge. Gripping the cover and the back with his hands, he tried to pull them apart, but the result was the same. It reminded him of a trick greeting card Dudley had once received, where the front and back had been glued together so it could not open. 'But why would someone Slytherin keep a trick book lying around? unless…'

Setting the book on the desk, he commanded =open your cover=, and as he had expected, the two snakes separated. When each had aligned itself with an edge of the book, the front cover popped open. Harry bent forward for a better look at the book, and softly read aloud the handwritten note inside: 'Journal of Magic'.

A shadow fell over the book, and Harry turned to find Snape looking over his shoulder at his find. "I should have known," he said in a snide voice, though Harry thought he came across as jealous.

Albus, however, clapped his hands and exclaimed "bravo". With Harry's consent, he picked the book up from the table, but the moment it was fully supported by his hands, it snapped shut with a loud hiss, scraping skin off both his thumbs in the process. On the cover the snakes had moved back to their original positions, and Harry swore he heard a menacing hiss. Startled, Albus dropped the book back onto the desk as he examined his abused fingers. A quick spell had his thumbs looking as wrinkled and undamaged as ever. Turning his attention to Harry, he motioned toward the book and said, "Open it again, if you would, please."

Harry took the book, holding it by the binding in his left hand, and at his hissed command, it once again sprang open. He glanced briefly at Albus, and with his unspoken encouragement, he began thumbing through the yellowed pages. He stopped about a third of the way into the book, and began reading out loud, stumbling as he did so since not all the words were in English.

"Of the drei mach—machtigsten cursung?" He looked questioningly to Albus, who nodded encouragingly. Taking a breath, he continued, "Ich infinden die Cruciatus most to me—mein nicht leiden konnen. Endlos pinnes may bringen obedience, but es auch breeds ver-verachtung for es caster." Thus finished, he looked at Albus, "well, that made a whole lot of no sense at all."

In the background, Snape made a loud 'tsk' noise, but it was drowned out by Albus' chuckling. "Combined languages can be tricky. It would appear that Slytherin spoke German as his first language, or at least a comfortable second. The rest is in English, although some of the words are of an older variety than others. English was, after all, an evolving language during his time. German – what a delightful discovery, wouldn't you say, Severus."

"Oh, yes, quite," the Professor replied, appearing not the least bit impressed.

"But what did all that mean, er, Sir?" Harry wanted to know. "Something about the Cruciatus curse?"

"If you would be so kind," Albus replied, motioning to the book, "I shall see if I can ascertain its meaning." Harry spun it around so Albus could see, and pointed to the passage he had read.

After reading it once to himself, the older man looked back up. "I believe it translates as thus: 'Of the three most powerful curses, I find the Cruciatus most to my disliking. Endless pain may bring obedience, but it also breeds contempt for its caster'."

"You're telling me that Salazar Slytherin didn't like the Cruciatus curse," Harry asked, his disbelief evident in his voice.

"No, Harry, Salazar Slytherin told you he didn't like the Cruciatus curse. It is his journal after all. A most extraordinary find," he said, clasping his hands again.

Harry closed the book, the look on his face showing his confusion. "It doesn't make sense, though. I mean, why would Voldemort have left the private journal of Salazar Slytherin here? Wouldn't he have taken it – and anything else of worth?"

"Again, Potter," Snape cut in, "you jump to conclusions. What makes you think the Dark Lord did not take everything he deemed of value?"

"What Professor Snape is saying," Albus interrupted, stepping between the two as if he were a referee, "is that Voldemort probably discounted the value of the journal. He certainly would not have agreed with a book that speaks out against the Unforgivables. But more likely, I think," Albus reasoned aloud, "he simply ran out of time. Consider this: he arrived at this castle knowing nothing of his family. First, he had to determine that he was in fact Slytherin's heir. Then, he had to learn of the existence of the chamber, which is not standard classroom discussion, your experience aside. And then, he had to find the Chamber. And remember, Harry, there was no overly friendly ghost eager to help point the way. No; I suspect Tom actually spent very little time here. Do not forget, once Myrtle's life was taken, the proverbial heat was turned up. He was forced to frame Hagrid, and thus abandon this place. It certainly wouldn't do for the basilisk to get free – or for him to get caught acting suspiciously – after Hagrid had been expelled."

Deciding it didn't really matter, Harry began to set the book down. But Albus encouraged him to take the book and read it, going so far as to hint that it was as much his as Riddle's, at least as far as the family tree was concerned. As Harry agreed, he noticed the contemplative look on Snape's face, and he couldn't help but wonder if he and Albus had been too comfortable together today.

He brushed his concerns aside as Albus announced it was time to leave. Between the three of them, they managed to levitate the boxes back to Myrtle's restroom. Snape was ordering two house elves to deliver the boxes as Albus led Harry away to supposedly return him to his home. Once back in their rooms, Harry excused himself so he could go soak in the bathtub. Trips to the Chamber always left him feeling dirty.

** end chapter **

Notes: Wow, who would have guessed that Harry really was the heir of Slytherin, and without Lily having to have an affair with Riddle, too. I don't actually think it means anything; there's no Slytherin vault at Gringotts (remember - by Marvolo's time the family is dirt poor) and definitely no 'ownership' in Hogwarts. Slytherin co-founded, not co-owned.

Can't really say why I picked German for Slytherin to speak, but it just seemed to fit. For your ease of understanding and my sanity, we shall pretend that modern German was being spoken in Slytherin's time. Also, please forgive any mistakes – we'll chalk them up to Slytherin, not me. It's his book, right? In reality, it's the fault of the online translator I used, which I didn't completely trust, but it was all I had. **Special thanks to ObiBettina7 for help with translating.