November went by fast. I held another two Outtakes. Between them and my private potions lessons twice a week I was almost as busy as Harry who had his Quidditch training. So far only one student (Finch-Fletchly) had left the group. The managing positions changed frequently. Zabini, Nott and Malfoy each took their turns. Hermione was replaced by Terry Boot once as well. After the lesson I had all my students awed when all I did was clap my hands and as if on cue the tables vanished to make space for a dueling platform. They though it was wandless magic when really I was just commanding the room. I did know some tricks but I wasn't that powerful.
Mainly we practiced to use the spells we had learned in classes do defend ourselves like I did in my duel with Harry. I made sure the room always provided some random items that could be used to do so. Sometimes an eager Ravenclaw or a an ambitious Slytherin would discover a minor hex or jinx. At the beginning of each meeting we had one duel between two students that I chose on the meeting before. Such a new spell could then be used as a surprise weapon and was afterwards taught to the rest of the group. That way I learned the leg logger as well as the full body bind, the bat bogey hex, the silencio (it made first years with no knowledge of silent spells efficiently helpless), a tripping charm and even a stinging hex. At the beginning of December we had even begun to practice the basic Protego.
Meanwhile I had continued to level my power over my fellow Slytherins and even begun to stretch my influence towards other houses.
My strongest subject was definitely charms. One day I had asked if I could practice that one spell we had as a homework that would change the attributes of human hair on Hermione. Since her bushy hair was (aside from her large front teeth) what made her so unattractive she had no problem agreeing. When I was done with her she looked fabulous. Silky long hair of the color of mahogany fell over her shoulders, providing a slightly red glimmer when hit by the sunlight just right. Seeing herself in the mirror Hermione burst out into tears.
The spell only held for a week so she begged me to teach it to her since our schoolwork only required to be able to change the color.
A week later Hermione, who had taken a liking to the shy an quiet Lisa Turpin (who was so insignificant she wasn't even mentioned in any of the books ever again after her sorting) brought her to me for the same treatment. Suddenly being beautiful Lisa found herself in the center of attention. At first she had to rely heavily on Hermione and me but eventually she became more confident. That was how I gained my second devoted follower outside of Slytherin house.
Malfoy was now working hard to get back into my favor to the point where he was actually useful.
Slowly I had now begun to give out quests more freely. Some where completely random and served no purpose at all except for confusing everybody who might want to check exactly what I was doing. Others where small preparations for future events or making sure the time line stayed in check. Since Harry and Ron had not seen Snape mouthing counter-curses at the Quidditch game the chance for Hagrid to tell them about Flamel had passed. I arranged a situation where they could overhear Malfoy complaining that his father suspected that something big was going on in Hogwarts but he didn't tell him what. The only thing he could find out was that it had to do with someone named Nicholas Flamel.
Sometimes I just ordered people to find out everything they could about others, even those from my own circle. And then there were those of a completely different kind. Sometimes when I didn't know what to reward people with I gave them a free wish, encouraging that they could wish for anything they wanted. Hermione usually simply wished for me to let her into the Room of Hidden Things. Malfoy wished for me to visit him over Christmas. Other students wished for a special artifact or book or even for something embarrassing happening to a teacher. Tracy Davis actually shyly wished for a date with Theodore (who I just so happened to know had absolutely no interest in her).
So I made sure their wishes were granted. I gave small groups of students missions to prank a certain teacher. Since they were planning it together with their desire to impress me but no real motive the chance of discovery was a lot smaller. I let Malfoy purchase the artifacts I needed for me. Once when Theodore was messing up an important potions essay I ordered him to spent an entire weekend with Tracy pretending to like her as a punishment. That way when people though about my mission pattern they soon gave up on it. The missions seemed to be completely random. Yet it lead to people slowly beginning to be dependent on me.
Still there were moments when I was sure they though me crazy. One day in mid December for example I called all my Slytherins together.
It was very early in the morning on a Sunday so everyone was still a little bit sleepy.
"Today", I announced with a serious tone, "is a very important day. It is a great day everyone of you will forever remember. Today you get to see something so special you will tell your grandchildren of it. Today we had the first snow of the year. Follow me and see!"
Now very excited the firsties followed me as I lead them out into the courtyard.
"Stay here", I ordered them and so they all stood or sat down on the benches on the right side to the portal.
And we waited. And waited.
"Exactly what are we waiting for?", Daphne asked eventually.
"Patience, little serpent. You will not be able to get anywhere in life if you can't sit still on a spot for five hours."
Malfoy gaped a bit at the five hours part but nobody dared to complain. Instead, they used the time to practice their warming charms. Eventually Hermione joined us, wondering what we were waiting for.
And then there they came.
Fred and George Weasley came running out of the portal, laughing and throwing snowballs at each other.
"Soon", I whispered. That got the attention of the rest of the group. But nothing out of the ordinary happened.
Just then Professor Quirrell left the castle to cross the courtyard. The Weasley twins grinned at each other, pointed at him and whispered something.
"Look closely", I told my minions and they all watched as the Weasleys drew their wands and began to enchant the small mountain of snowballs they had made. The snowballs rose into the air and like little cannonballs they flew in Quirrells direction. With a heavy WRATCH the first one bounced of the back of his turban.
I couldn't hold it any longer. I started laughing so hard I had to hold my rips. My minions stared at me confused as I rolled on the ground laughing while more and more snowballs hit Quirrells turban. They didn't know that I constantly had the picture in my mind of the twins throwing snowballs at Moldyshorts – because nothing else was it that they were doing. This did so made my week.
Finally the Weasleys run off laughing and I picked myself up from the ground.
"That picture", I said, wiping away a tear, "I want you to remember that picture. I want you to remember it forever. It is more important then you think it is."
"A-Alright..."
"And now", I said breathing heavily, "excuse me, guys. I have to congratulate a pair of geniuses."
To say the twins were surprised when I approached them was a grave understatement. They were pretty suspicious at first too. But my praise was honest when I told them I had never enjoyed a prank so much in my entire life. I even invited them to the next Outtakes dueling session.
"You guys are pretty good at pranking, aren't you? Have you ever though about opening a shop for that?"
Their faces lit up at that.
"My, dear brother, what is he-"
"-saying there? That's a fabulous idea!"
"Yeah, if it weren't for mum. She would never allow that."
"Who the hell cares?", I said angrily. "She can't do anything against it when you're of age. Tell you what, I'll give you a special quest. You have time to fulfill it until the end of the year. If you don't, that's your loss but if you succeed I'll fund your pranks for as long as I'm in Hogwarts."
"What kind of quest?", a twin asked suspiciously.
"Oh, it's easy. All you have to do is rip away Quirrells turban and expose the back of his head for the whole school to see. Like so many other students I want to know if it's really filled with garlic to ward off vampires."
The twins grinned as if Christmas had come in early.
"That is-"
"-a piece of a cake! Consider it-"
"-done, my friend."
I snickered evilly. "Let's see how good you really are."
Christmas was approaching fast. I had promised to visit Malfoy over the holidays but the rest of my circle was unwilling to share me. Finally I had just ordered the blonde to invite them over to him for a few days after the actual feast.
The train ride was uneventful. On the station we were greeted by Narcissa Malfoy and I had to smirk at her sight. It was just like Malfoy (Sr) to not to show up here, thus showing his power. Clearly Draco was disappointed, he had expected his father to come.
Narcissa took us with her via apparation. We arrived in a richly decorated entrance hall that was clearly made to impress people. It didn't quite work on me, though. Draco didn't seem to mind, he had probably expected me to be cool about it. He gave me a tour through the house, including all the secret spots and passages he knew. I made sure I remembered them all.
Around dinner time the family head finally returned home. Draco greeted him happily but in front of me still made sure he kept his noble air.
"So this is our house guest for the next week", Lucius said, coming closer slowly. "Charles Potter, one of the boys-who-lived."
"If you do not mind, Sir", I said a little coldly, "I do not like that nick name."
"You don't, do you?"
"No. I do not like being referred to as a boy. In fact, my mental age probably exceeds yours."
Now every trace of fake politeness was gone from the Death Eaters gaze.
"Is that so. Now what would have forced you to grow up this fast?"
I gave him an evil little smirk. "Now that would be telling."
"Enough", Narcissa said resolutely. "Dinner is being served and I don't want it to be wasted. Please follow me to the dining room."
"Of course, Ma'am", I said pleasantly.
Dinner was spent chatting about unimportant subjects that were less likely to drop a brick. The Malfoys seemed to try to make a good first impression. However they were clearly watching every move I made.
The next day was spent flying around the backyard, exploring the Malfoys private library and playing wizards chess. Lucius tried to approach me a few times to interrogate me in the most backhanded way of a Slytherin. Did I enjoy Hogwarts? How did the other students accept me? Was there any truth to the rumors about me being able to perform wandless magic? Was there any hostility between my brother and me?
It was a tough challenge of patience. I always answered as vague as possible, sometimes even giving conflicting answers as to confuse him and telling him basically nothing at all. It was clearly frustrating him.
The second day Severus Snape, Dracos godfather, visited and from there on we received daily lectures in potions in the evening. Since it was only the two of us we learned a lot faster.
I knew that continuing to avoid Malfoy could make an enemy out of them. So instead I chose to talk with the less dangerous Mrs Malfoy and Snape. Not about great things of course and nothing of me being Slytherin either. Half of the first years now believed that there was some truth to that story but they were not sure enough to tell their parents. However when the Malfoys 'pet snake' which was a two meters long highly poisonous magically serpent, 'accidentally' fled her cage I was pretty sure Draco had told them about me commanding the wooden snakes. I made sure to pet the snake and praise the Malfoys for choosing such a beautiful snake but I didn't talk to her. For one I was sure they wouldn't have done something like that if the snake was really deadly. And secondly before coming here I had brought a couple of bezoars and always carried one with me now.
Christmas arrived soon. Unsurprisingly I received lots of books from the Slytherins, the most interesting being from Nott (it was a book on parslemagic, Merlin knew where he got it from). Greengrass sent me an amulet that was meant to protect one from fire. Dead useful that damn thing. The Malfoys obviously wanted to show off their wealth and got me an own broom. Of course it had to be another Nimbus two thousand. The Slytherin Potter couldn't possibly be behind the Gryffindor one in any field. I took it with thanks. At least now I wouldn't have to 'borrow' a broom to get into the Chamber. From Harry I got something surprisingly practical – a leather wand holster. That was all. No invisibility cloak.
Now that wouldn't do.
"Would it be alright to borrow your owl?", I asked Draco neutrally at Christmas morning.
"Sure."
As soon as I was alone I wrote a short letter.
Harry,
thanks for your present and merry Christmas.
Are you enjoying holidays in Hogwarts? Things here are alright. I got a couple of really interesting things from my friends. Isn't it a weird feeling to get presents to Christmas? What did you get? It would be interesting to know since I'm not sure if what I gave my friends is appropriate. After all it's not like we know how to make gifts.
Give my worst greetings to the ginger,
Charles.
Dracos eagle owl was sent off with the letter and we went to enjoy breakfast.
Since Lucius had noticed that I answered to his wife more then him he grudgingly left me alone with her a few times. At one of these chances I approached her to ask about a subject that had bothered me for some time when I saw her on the balcony.
"I'm sorry Ma'am", I said, "I cannot but notice that you were born as a Black, is that right?"
"It is indeed", she replied politely. "I'm surprised that you know of it."
"Well, not only was my grandmother a Black but also it seems my godfather is one as well."
"You godfather?", she asked scowling. "But there aren't any male Blacks left except for... oh!"
"Yes, oh", I meant dryly. "Sirius Black was not able to take care of me. I bet he would have still been better then those disgusting muggles. May I ask how your relationship is to him?"
Narcissa shifted uncomfortably. "Sirius is my cousin. We haven't seen each other in a very long time of course. Even before he went to prison. May I ask how you know about him?"
"I searched for a way to get rid of the muggles. It seemed there are some kind of blood wards around the house. Certain people wouldn't let me be adopted because of that so I figured if I found someone else with legal claim over me... But it seems I'm just not that lucky. However I'm curious about Black. What kind of person is he for my parents to have so much trust in him?"
"A trust that clearly wasn't well placed...", she said carefully.
"Obviously. You don't have to be so wary, I know all about the traitor."
She blinked surprised. "Well... No one would have thought that he would be able to do such a thing. He had distanced himself very early from our family and chose to converse with the Potters instead. Your father and him were friends from the very first Hogwarts year onwards."
"I know that. What I'd like to hear is your own opinion of him as a person."
"He was always... a very hot-tempered person. Childish at times and incredibly stubborn. He was opposing everything traditional, even going so far as to refuse to ever marry so his family wouldn't get an heir after his brother, may he rest in peace, passed away. He could not hold a serious conversation without insulting someone if his life depended on it. He chose to befriend half-breeds and muggleborns and blood traitors, all those persons our family looked down on just to spite us. He was an ungrateful, annoying brat that never learned about limits."
She had talked herself in a rage and her fingers grabbed the balustrade so firmly that they appeared white. Bitter and coldly she was starring outside.
"You miss him, don't you?", I whispered after some time.
She took a deep breath. "He was also always there for me when I was sad or in trouble. Almost like a brother. I have two other sisters... He despised Bella and Andromeda was too old for him to connect to, not to mention she moved out very early. But when we were children I was often together with him. Life for a woman is not easy in a traditional family. Today I wouldn't want it to be anything else but the road is sometimes very tough. He always... He always wanted to convince me to run away and start my own life. I didn't want that. I love my family, the Blacks as well as the one I have founded but at that time it was... nice to know there was an alternative. It made my decision to stay with my family more precious."
I had to chuckle at that. A flicker of hurt could be seen in her eyes so I hurried to explain:
"It just reminded me... The muggles have a curious religion. They believe an almighty god is responsible for all the good and he is opposed to the devil responsible for all evil in the world. But since god is almighty that automatically means that he has the power to control the devil too. He could get rid of him at any time. So why doesn't he do it?"
She scowled harder. "Why is that?"
"It's because the human has his free will. If heaven was all there was in the afterlife then which meaning would life have? The human needs the existence of the devil so that he can decide to be good. If that alternative wouldn't exist we'd all be nothing but empty dolls." I shrugged. "Of course, those muggles also think that witches in general are worshippers of the devil so, who cares."
She smiled slightly. "Are you comparing Sirius Black to the devil?"
"I'm just saying that it is important there are different opinions and life styles in the world. Some may be wrong or better then others but it is important that we have the chance to decide which one is the right for us for ourselves. Otherwise we could never be truly happy. It is this belief that is the reason behind the four houses of Hogwarts."
"You are a very curious boy. I am... sorry for your burden."
I chuckled. "Most people begrudge me for it."
"I do not think it is something to desire."
"Well than it's good that I don't plan to carry my burden."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me right. I plan to shift it all upon my brother. He's the perfect little Gryffindor. Let him do the dangerous, life-threatening stuff. I have more important things to do."
Having relied my message I turned around and left her alone. The Malfoys were of the most use for me as a messenger to Voldemort. I had to make him believe that I was no danger to him. I knew what he had in store for Harry. For myself I did not know how to predict any dangers.
After Christmas I finally had my appointment in Gringotts. I took the Malfoys on on their offer to accompany me but if they had thought I had interesting information for them they were disappointed. As soon as it was my turn I left them in the entrance hall while I followed a goblin into a small office.
"It states here", the goblin named Rimpeck said, skimming through a file, "that you came for an inheritance test."
"That's right. I want to be able to track my family tree as far as possible."
"We have a special method for that. It is usually performed in order to make a tapestry of some sorts. Do you have the material ready?"
"I don't."
"Than you may purchase one from the bank."
"How much would it cost me?", I asked warily.
"380 galleons. Not negotiable."
"Does that already include the spell itself?"
"It does."
"Then I'll take it but only if you give me a list of all material possessions left to me and everything else concerning my inheritance as fast as possible free of charge."
The goblin looked a bit sour but complied nonetheless.
The process was rather cliché. My blood was required to be put in a bowl together with a blood replenishing potion. A big tapestry around twelve feet long was then soaked in it and enchanted by the goblins while I was being sent to a waiting room.
The result was a great family tree with Harry and me on top. A thin line went to the name of Lily Potter, nee Evans but nothing beyond her. So much for a long line of squibs.
The Potter line however went back centuries. I skipped all the Prewetts and Blacks and Bones and who else and went straight to the bottom. And yes, there they were, Ignotius Peverell (12 July, 1214—18 May, 1291 )and his brothers. And two hundred years earlier there was Salazar Slytherin. Jackpot.
Now I could prove to everyone who asked that I was related by blood to Slytherin, thus explaining my parsletongue. Alright the relation was so distant that the Blacks and Malfoys and hell, probably even the Weasleys could claim it too, not to mention that I was related to Gryffindor too if you really wanted to trace it back. But that didn't matter. I was a boy who lived, no one would question it when a heavily diluted bloodline ability suddenly popped up again with me. As long as it had been there once in my family you could safely explain it that way.
I paid for the tapestry and received a report on all Potter-possessions in Gringotts. The trust vault Harry had visited earlier only held 15.000 galleons, the maximum it could for the 3% interest rate. Everything above that amount went into the family vault. The 15.000 were supposed to cover our needs until we reached maturity. Afterward we'd get our 50/50 share. There were no grand manors hidden or such things and the objects in the vault were limited to a few books and some jewelery, nothing too valuable. Since we couldn't touch the house until we reached 17 it had been declared a memorial, making it impossible to sell the estate. That was unfortunate, I was sure there were some freaks that would offer their soul up for it. We could name a far higher price if people were actually allowed to build on it. Still there was around a billion galleons left in the family vault, enough to live a few years and fund whatever kind of further magical education I wanted to have, if any at all.
"There's one more thing", I addressed the goblin when I was finished. "I'd like to know where I could find out if there are any house elves for sale."
"Of course. Copies of such announces are in the ministry but for a fee of 20 sickles I could give you a copy today."
"Thank you, I'd like that."
The copy I got showed not only the family that owned an elf they wanted to sell but also its age and what it was best suited or trained for. House elves were very fast learners and had no trouble learning by themselves as long as they had enough time and opportunities. That's why I chose a relatively young elf. He was owned by the Masons, I name that didn't ring a bell with me.
Satisfied with the information gathered I shrunk the tapestry and made my way back to the Malfoys. As soon as I got there I wrote a letter to the Masons requesting information about their elf. Apparently he was very young, only 24 years old (which was really young for an elf since they could reach the 200) and only knew some basic cooking and of course cleaning. But that was fine with me.
I didn't want to tell the Malfoys any of this. But I had promised to meet my other minions anyway and while Nott and Zabini had planned to come for a visit Daphne could not. Apparently it was improper for her to visit the Malfoys when an arranged marriage would be formed between her sister and Draco. That's why I used her as my excuse to get a day off at Diagon Alley during which I scheduled the meeting with the Masons.
The elf was still unnamed and hadn't taken its vow since it had been tutored by his parents up until now. Therefore it had no connections to the Mason family who had a few financial problems and couldn't afford to keep all three elves any longer. That and his young age made for a good price.
Since it was funny and I figured it would piss off my pet snake I named the elf Notch. I sent him off to go to the Hogwarts kitchen to learn everything house elves needed to know until I called him. However he was to tell nobody about me, not even that I owned him only that his master was a Hogwarts student so they'd let him in.
A few days later Nott and Zabini visited for a new years party. Around the Malfoys it was a little bit stiffly but we had fun nonetheless. I also received a letter form Harry.
Hi Charles,
Merry Christmas to you too and a Happy New Year!
Yes I did receive a curious gift. It was a magical cloak. I don't want to write about it here but if you're interested I could show you later. The card didn't name who sent it only that it belonged to Dad. I think it is great to have something from him. Did you receive something similar? My other presents were sweets and a sweater from Mrs Weasley and stuff.
I hope you have fun with your friends. Although I still can't believe you really went with Malfoy of all people. Why are you even bothering with that git? You could have celebrated with us!
See you soon,
Harry.
Well, crap. I really did not need the invisibility cloak before seventh year although it would be an useful tool. I didn't care about it belonging to James Potter but the cloak was a Deathly Hallow. To a great part I believed it was the fact that Harry was the Master of Death when he faced Voldemort that saved his life and ensured his victory. That would not be the case this time around. In fact, I'd like that title for myself if possible. Not to defeat Voldemort but to ensure that I would life to see a wonderful alternate ending to this crappy story. It would make things so much more interesting.
I couldn't blame Dumbledore for giving the cloak to Harry instead of me. Sure, from an outside point of view he might be playing favorites, causing unnecessary hatred and jealously between us. But I for one welcomed it as a chance. Not only was it one more thing to accuse him of and a reason for the world why I disliked my brother. It was also perfect since I already had a plan how to get that cloak. Once I did nobody would know that I had it. Where was the point in being invisible if people knew of that ability? When they were ignorant I could get away with so much more.
The rest of the holidays I mused over that subject and faster then I though it was time to go back to school.
