Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door. Addendum: If you recognize a name of a character from elsewhere it isn't mine.

A/N:"~parseltongue~"

Harry's Hero by Silverfawkes

Chapter 7 WHAT!

Last time

"Is there anything else, Harry, before I go?"

"Do you mind explaining to Professor McGonagall so she can explain to Ron Weasley. I just know he's going to blame me..

"Oh, and tonight someone let a troll into the castle. Dumbledore has something dangerous in the third floor corridor, but he's warned the students not to go near it on pain of death at the opening feast."

"WHAT?"

Harry gave Amelia a gamin grin.

"Harry Potter, are you pulling my leg?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, at least not here and not now."

"What happened with the troll?"

"Well, Hermione Granger, who at present is sacked out in the infirmary, and I didn't attend tonight's feast. While we were talking in the girls' bathroom, we got attacked by a twelve foot troll. I really wish I'd fought things other than wizards the last few years. My usual tactics used against large stupid creatures suck. Anyway Professors Snape and McGonagall came along and killed it. As for the corridor I've been being a good student and doing as I'm told. I'm staying away from it. That's not to say I won't try to put the pieces together if they come my way but I'm not investigating. I have no desire to fall in with a certain someone's plots."

"Fine." Amelia grimaced. She really didn't need this atop the other things she was dealing with.

"I wonder who cursed you?" Harry said in an apparent non sequitur.

"What?"

"There's an ancient Chinese curse that goes may you live in interesting times, I wonder who cursed you with it?"

"Me? What about you?"

"I know who got me! I got it twice over, both of them powerful wizards, Riddle and the Headmaster. Given who cursed me, it's no surprise I'm a trouble magnet." Harry's emerald eyes danced, and his grin widened to that of a cheshire cat.

"Cheeky brat." Amelia looked him over from head to toe. She knew when Sirius found out about tonight he would grill her to make sure Harry was okay. "Well, I see no damage, so I'll be on my way."

"Amelia, thanks. It means a lot that you dropped everything and came." Harry's expression had shifted again to a serious one.

"I.. I can't say it's a pleasure because I wish it weren't necessary, but I know you won't abuse the privilege. Now, I'll head off and find your head of house, shall I?"

"Goodnight." Harry watched her leave and then headed up to his dorm to get ready for bed. He supposed that it was reasonable that he was tired, given the gamut of emotions he'd been through that evening.

Harry's prediction came true. Despite having things explained to him by the deputy headmistress, Ron blamed Harry for costing him his pet. Harry ignored the other boy for several days and prayed he'd be smart enough to realize he was outclassed if it came to a fight , but given the level of intelligence the other boy usually displayed he didn't count on it. Figuring an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, he set a couple of wards on his belongings and put a protective charm on Sheba. Then he went to speak to the twins, he needed to congratulate them on their huge prank anyway.

"Ah, Fred it's ickle Harrykins!"

"And what can we-"

"do for our fellow Prankster today?"
"Well, first I wanted to congratulate you on your prank that made everyone who sat on the benches at breakfast in the Great Hall on the first quack like ducks for two minutes. Tres droll and definitely good fun."

"Like wise for your prank on Mrs. Norris-"

"watching her freak out because every step-"

"made her sound like she was farting,-"

"running through the halls trying to get away."

"But the sounds never stopping-"

"until she refused to move. Filch running-"

" to get help and when he gets back-"

"Nothing is wrong!"

"Hysterical!" they finished together.

"I thought so too. Second , I need information and I figure as his brothers you know him best. What will it take for me to bury the hatchet with Ron about the whole Pettigrew/Scabbers thing. I was thinking a gift certificate to Eeylop's or Magical Menagerie, but I'd also be willing to get one to Quality Quidditch seeing he's so quidditch obsessed."

George snickered, "Throwing galleons at the problem?"

"I've got them, think they'll work?"

Fred sighed, "Probably."

"How much? Do you think?" Harry asked. He didn't like Ron but if he did this he didn't want to be thought of as cheap either.

"Well, if it was me. I'd do a couple sickles, that gets a rat at the Menagerie." George said.

"Do more and, if I know Ronniekins, he'll either think you're trying to bribe him or trying to show off your money." Fred said.

"What would be his reaction if I got him a certificate for an owl at Eeylop's that was a couple sickles shy of what he needed for an owl? Would he have the gumption to save up to get an owl?"

"Maybe . It would be a toss up whether he sees it for what it is,"

"or if his pride takes it wrong."

"In either case, we think, Son of Prongs, your heart is in the right place."

"But it would-"

"likely raise fewer issues-"

"if you went with-"

"something to Quality Quidditch Supplies."

"Now if you'll excuse us we-

"have to get ready-"

"for the quidditch match."

Harry smiled and waved them off. He did feel bad for depriving Ron of his pet. It wasn't the other boy's fault that his inexpensive hand-me-down pet was really a corrupt wizard in disguise. He pulled out his phone and dialed Beth's number. She would be able to go to the alley and get the gift certificate.

The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin quidditch match lasted four hours and it was miserable for the Gryffindors to watch. The students of the first year study group mostly sat together so those that understood the game could explain it to the ones that didn't. Harry and Draco set a friendly wager of a sickle on the match. Halfway through Harry handed a sickle to Draco. It wasn't that the Gryffindor team was actually that bad, but the Slytherin seeker Higgs had turfed the Gryffindor seeker four times and the Slytherins played a very rough game. Harry really wished first years could bring brooms to school. He would have made twice the seeker that Roberts was making.

Harry looked around. He didn't know why, but he felt an itch. The kind of itch he associated with having a wizard who had ill intentions around, but with the crowd around him he had no way of knowing who it was. For all he knew there were several around. He hadn't realized how used he was to always knowing someone had his back until now when he was having to do without. He felt downright nervous in a crowd like this. He had practice ignoring it though; he'd been practicing at every meal in the Great Hall since arriving at Hogwarts.

Finally Higgs caught the snitch. "Next year, Draco, I bet the lions will win because I'll be out there."

Draco chuckled. "You and me, both. I spotted the snitch twice before Higgs."

"Only twice? I spotted it four times."

"Yeah, yeah, sure you did. Thanks for the sickle!"

"Grr, don't rub it in." That comment had all the first years laughing as they left the stands.

Amelia Bones didn't inform Sirius immediately that Pettigrew had been captured. She knew that the rat animagus was a trigger for the other wizard. Instead she informed him when the trial was going to take place. "Peter Pettigrew goes before the Wizengamot tomorrow."

"What? Why didn't you tell me he'd been captured? Where ? When?"

"Halloween, Hogwarts, Harry spotted him on the map. Not that I really know what the map is, anyway he called. I gathered a few aurors together and we went to Hogwarts. When we got there we captured Pettigrew. It was all very simple and straightforward."

"He was at Hogwarts? Is Harry alright?"

"He was fine, despite tangling with a troll earlier that evening."

"A TROLL?"

"Apparently. I'm still investigating, but Dumbledore is proving to be something of an obstacle."

"That stupid old idiot!"

"Harry assured me he's keeping his ears and eyes open, but his nose clean."

"That's good, I suppose."

"I'm meeting with the Hogwarts board of governors next week. I want to put more pressure on the old man. That he's brought something dangerous into the castle may give us just the grounds we need to oust him."

"I hope so."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Count on it." Sirius ended the call.

Sirius looked at his watch. Harry was probably still in class, and away from his phone. He dialed anyway, "Harry, it's Sirius. Call me when you get this." Then he reluctantly picked up the papers that were awaiting his attention. It was two hours later before his phone rang.

"Black."

"What's up?"

" Harry James Potter, explain to me, if you can, how you came to tangle with a troll on Halloween."

"Well someone let one into Hogwarts on Halloween. My money is on Quirrell, that guy is too pathetic otherwise. He has this whole ineffective vibe that has to be a cover-up, or he's too ineffective to live. Otherwise it might be Snape. He has the whole bad guy vibe too, but I kinda doubt it because he was the one to come and kill it."

"Why didn't you?"

"Stupid choice of tactics really. I mean I still can't believe I started with confundus." Harry shuddered. "Anyway, it was no big. I got a couple splinters and a cut, but I was fine. Had to get firm with the school matron, but it was nothing I couldn't handle. Snape made me write an essay evaluating my tactics. He may be a rotten Potions teacher but his comments on my tactics essay were spot-on, not even Charlie would complain. What I don't get is why he is teaching potions; he'd beat Quirrell hands down as defense teacher."

"Firm with the matron?"

"She wanted to give me a pain potion for one, a nutrient potion cause I hadn't had dinner yet, and a sleep potion. I had six splinters and a cut from a porcelain shard. I've had worse from training, I wasn't about to spend the night under her watchful eye. Heck I didn't even really extend myself that much magically. To be honest she kinda strikes me as a Nurse Ratched type."

"I should never have let you read that book."

"Too late now. How goes progress on getting critters for the basilisk?"

"They should get there in two days."

"Fabulous, I'll plan to go down to the chamber then.

"Harry, are you sure you don't want backup for that?"

"I'm sure. Don't worry, Pads. I intend to keep all aspects of this under my control. We all know my luck only kicks in if I'm reacting to someone else's long term plans."

"Yes, and that's what has me worried. You're in that castle with the old spider himself."

"Fair point. But his plans are centered around the thing on the third floor not the Chamber. I promise I'll be careful."

Two days later he loaned Sheba to the twins, and slipped of to the second floor girls bathroom. After using the map to make sure no one was there he moved directly to the sink that house the entrance, and hissed, "~open~", followed by a second hiss of "~stairs~". Once in the tunnel Harry pulled both his wands. He used his non-dominant hand and holly wand to cast lumos. Feeling really grossed out Harry used his juniper wand to clean the slime from the walls and the steps. He hissed, "~close~" behind himself since he had no desire to be followed. It took awhile but he finally reached the bottom of the stairs. He vanished the skeletal remains of rats and what not, cleaning things as he went to the Chamber. Halfway there he found an enormous shed Basilisk skin. He grinned. The value of this shed skin alone would help his plans to improve Hogwarts greatly.

When he got to the chamber door he hissed "~open~". He watched calmly as the the door opened and revealed a chamber that looked rather self-aggrandizing and smirked. Salazar Slytherin definitely had the ego he saw in many of the snakes here at Hogwarts. He had already reviewed the memories of how Tom had opened the statue and bound the basilisk. He intended to free the snake to resume its intended duties. But first he had to see the condition it was in. He put down the box he carried. And removed its lid. He reached in pulled out a bespelled sheep and placed it on the floor where it promptly resumed its normal size and started to wake from its daze. He pulled out several of the shrunken hay bales and as they hit the floor they too resumed their original size and weight. Harry realized the dozen or so hay bales would feed the sheep for quite awhile since they were the large bales like livestock farms used. Once all of them were out he got out the rest of the sheep which calmed the first quite a bit.

And they all started feeding on the hay. Sheep now dealt with Harry turned his attention to the statue of Salazar Slytherin. "~Speak to me Salazar, greatest of the Hogwarts four.~" As he spoke the ridiculous, grandiose password that Tom had created he winced. He really needed to change that one back to the original password of "~Speak to me Slytherin~", but first he needed to deal with the basilisk.

"~Who is there? ~"

Harry saw the tongue of what he knew would be a massive snake flicker from the mouth of the statue."~Great one, I am a speaker and I wish to converse with you. I have brought you a gift of ten sheep. All I ask in return is that you cover your deadly gaze.~"

The large tongue flicked again tasting the air. "~I shall grant your request.~"

Harry nearly cheered. As the great snake exited the statue, Harry couldn't help but wince. It was in incredibly poor shape. The scales were dull and it was very thin. He moved to the side and said, "~Great one, I will stand to the side with my eyes closed. Looking at you I can tell you need a good meal more than we need to talk. Eat first, then we will talk.~" He closed his eyes.

Three startled bleats later, Harry heard the giant snake slither over to where he suspected if he reached out he would be touching the massive snake.

"~You may open your eyes, speaker. I have once again covered my stare. I thank you for the meal it has been centuries since I have eaten so well.~"

"~The pleasure is mine, Great one.~"

"~You are not of my master's blood, yet you are a speaker?~"

"~Yes when I was a baby I was hit by a spell. It went wrong for the caster and it gave me the ability.~"

"~What spell?~"

"~A killing curse. My mother had used ancient magic to protect me and it would have killed the caster but for the fact he had made Horcruxes to stave of his own death.~"

"~A killing curse on a mere babe, he sounds like the misbegotten blight that my master's family devolved to.~"

"~Do you mean the last person to open this chamber?~"

"~Yes.~"

Harry got the impression the giant snake was both angry and ashamed. "~What happened?~"

"~He first came to the chamber when he was on the cusp of adulthood. He discovered my presence and he spoke gently to me, he brought me food. Not the way you have, but it was still more food than I'd had for a long while. He promised that he would repair the doorway that lets me hunt in the Forbidden Forest so I would not longer have to subsist on the vermin I can catch in the pipes and tunnels. He asked that I let him study in Salazar's library and I did.

"~It wasn't until later I realized he lied and that he wanted to use me to further his own agenda. He came and told me the castle was being attacked. Salazar forgive me, but I went up and I accidentally killed a student whom I was supposed to protect.

"~I banished him from these chambers. I have lived here alone and in shame ever since.~"

"~Do you have a name, Great one?~"

"~My first Master called me Shreedevi. It means goddess.~"

"~So Salazar brought you here to protect the school?~"

"~Yes, I once was free to patrol the forest and to protect the school. But the spells that tie my chambers to the school's wards have been damaged by the current headmaster, and the door that allows me out into the forest has been damaged by a rockslide two and a half centuries ago. Without the spells and without the door I have resigned myself to a slow lingering death. Not that I don't deserve such for failing to do my duty, and killing a student.~"

""~I suspect that was more Tom's doing than yours. I am Harry Potter, Earl of Gryffindor, and Great lady, I need your help.~"

"~One of the Lion's children?~"

"~As a matter of fact, yes. I am a fairly powerful wizard and I'll do what I can to make you comfortable before I leave today. As I do I'll explain what you can do to help me. You see the problems with the school are many and you can provide potion ingredients that are very valuable that will allow the currently limited budget to expand..."

A/N2: The book Harry referred to is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.