Hogwarts Mareschal

By: Lore or mess.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, I just write fanfictions.

Chapter 13 – Curiosity Killed the Snake.

Draco stared in disgust at the whimpering, dirty house elf cowering in front of him. Dobby stared back for a split second then quickly averted his eyes downwards. He gulped loudly, not knowing what his young master intended to do with him. After his conversation with Blaise on Saturday, Draco had written to his father and asked for Dobby to be sent to Hogwarts on an 'errand'. He had explained what he could about exposing the sole, degrading mudblood of Slytherin and Lucius had been very accommodating in his efforts to help. The Malfoy patriarch had not been the tiniest bit pleased when he learnt that a muggle-born had been sorted into the snake house but, as it was decided by the sorting hat, there was little he could do about it. Then again, it would be a different case altogether if the girl wanted to be resorted on her own accord; they just had to provide a little 'push'.

Draco glared at the house elf as he gave his orders. The small creature shivered and nodded violently at every word.

"Now GO!"

Dobby tried to control his shaking as he entered the girls' dorms and approached the house elf guarding the door to Helesande's room. Then he stood there a moment, trying to look convincing as he told the house elf – Tripsy – what his young master ordered him to say earlier. Draco and Blaise stealthily hid behind a door and watched the scene unfold.

"Master Snape has ordered Dobby to come. Dobby is to trade places with you for this day."

Tripsy looked at him quizzically for a moment before her ears drooped in obvious distress. "Master Snape is wanting to trade Tripsy with another house elf. Master Snape is angry with Tripsy! Tripsy is bad house elf!"

For a moment, she looked about to cry but she blinked her large yellow eyes twice then frowned at Dobby who gulped again.

"Yous is Hogwarts house elf? Tripsy no remember seeing yous before."

"Dobby is new house elf. Dobby works in kitchens. Master Snape is not angry with yous. Master Snape knows Tripsy miss cleaning castle so asks Dobby to trade places so Tripsy can go clean castle again. Here is proof."

Dobby handed Tripsy a small piece of parchment with Professor Snape's signature on it. The Hogwarts house elf did a simple check and verified it as genuine. Then she threw her head back and wailed.

"Master Snape is so good to Tripsy! Tripsy is must thank Master Snape!"

"Master Snape is busy. Master Snape says to just go clean castle."

The female house elf wailed again, saying that the potions master was far too kind to her and that she never knew he was such a nice person. Blaise and Draco had to bite their tongue not to laugh at the scene. With a pop, Tripsy disappeared, leaving Dobby to stand there with a fearful look on his face. Draco gave Blaise a triumphant smirk and walked towards Helesande's door. Normally, boys were not allowed into the girl's dormitories, but this was Slytherin house and things were always different for Slytherins. As long as no one is knocked up, they can pretty much go and come from either dorm wherever they liked.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Open the Door!"

Dobby gave a whimper and did as told. The door swung open slightly and Draco immediately went inside. Blaise shook his head at the whole situation. He admitted that it was a good plan to use Dobby and get Professor Snape's authentic signature from Draco's father as the necessary proof to quell the Hogwarts house elf's suspicions, but he didn't really think that they would pull it off. So smoothly even. One score for Draco then.

DH DH DH DH DH DH DH

True to her thoughts, the school had varying reactions to her return. The first person she met after leaving the Hospital Wing on Monday morning was a Hufflepuff third year, who had scampered off as soon as he saw her halfway down the corridor. The second person she met was one of the Slytherin first years. If Djemn hadn't been already used to it, she would have been highly disturbed by the admiration oozing out of the first year's eyes. As she was, it wasn't much of a surprise to her. She met a few more people after that and just couldn't help but feel entertained by their assorted reactions.

Reaching her room, Djemn steeled herself for whatever she might see inside. She knew, from the headmaster, that her head of house had broken into her room to search for clues of her whereabouts when she had been missing. If only she believed that. Favourite professor he may be, but Djemn was no fool to believe that the cynical potions master would not take the first chance that passed to discover more about her. She knew that whatever safeguards he had concerning his house were shaken by her presence and if she wasn't careful, he might just do something about it. The first step, breaking into her territory, had already been taken. Now, she'll have to wait and watch for his next move.

Djemn gave a pre-written note from her head of house to the house elf guarding the door and the creature promptly disappeared with a pop after giving a small curtsy. Taking a breath, Djemn pushed open the door and entered. She stood there, in the doorway, a moment. Everything was… as it was. The bed, the desk, the left side of her room. There was no sign that anyone had entered at all. But she'll see about that. Closing the door, she first went to her trunk. Using her wand, she performed a series of complex checks and detection spells. Ten minutes later, all results came back to state that her trunk hadn't been touched. Opening it, she manually checked every compartment. Nothing. It was perfectly the way she had left it. Satisfied that at least the better part of her secrets was safe, Djemn went to inspect her potions cabinet. She did a random count and casual identification of the more important ingredients and was pleased to find that none were missing. At least the potion-happy professor hadn't 'borrowed' some things. All her equipment was still where she had left them and the bathroom was also free of any sign of tinkering. Lastly, she turned towards the bookshelf.

Djemn was certain she would find what she was looking for there. Any stranger in her room would no doubt at least glance at the titles on the shelf. And any person who had half the strength to break into her room would unmistakably be looking for something not-so-innocent to connect to her. Here, Djemn had used a small trick to mislead that stranger. She knew that suspicion was a human trait possessed by all and that it can drive many people to do treacherous things. Without an outlet for that suspicion, the stranger just might think of something to jeopardize her. So, why not provide the outlet and use it to her advantage? By carelessly leaving Secrets of the Dead in plain view, it would steer away whatever other thoughts the intruder might have about her. The little piece of information in the book was more than enough to achieve the desired results. Now, to see if dear Professor Snape had fallen for her psychological trap.

Djemn went to the bookshelf and eased out Secrets of the Dead. True to her thoughts, the book had indeed been moved. The proof was the small slip of brown paper resting on the shelf board. She took the slip between her fingers and inspected it. There was a silvery smear on it. When she had first placed the trap, she used a piece of paper similar to the colour of the shelf wood and slipped it deep between Secrets of the Dead and the book on its left. The idea was that when the book was moved, the paper would fall and rest on the board where the bottom of the book would be. When the tome was replaced, the bottom of the book, which had been lightly coated with silver ink, would smear the paper, thus showing that the book had been moved. It was simple and purely muggle. In her room where light was mainly reserved for her bed and potions workplace, it was easy to miss the small piece of paper camouflaged into the shelf wood.

Djemn stood, silently contemplating. Would Professor Snape tell the headmaster about all he saw in her room? It was possible and Djemn was once again glad that she played out the slap scene in the office. She could use that. Headmaster Dumbledore was more than likely to think that she was turning to the 'dark' because of her abuse. Things would be fine as long as he continued to believe that. The problem now was Professor Snape. She knew that he would not rest his suspicions so easily. He would do anything to shatter her secrets and discover the truths behind her. The man had broken in once, he would do it again. She would need more than just simple spells to prevent it from happening a second time.

Djemn cast one last overall scan on her bed, wardrobe and desk. Clear. Once certain that there was no foreign magic in her room, she took a book out from her trunk and sat down to start searching. It wasn't a defensive spell she was looking for, rather the opposite. If she can't stop the intruder from entering, who's to say that she can't do the contrary and keep him in instead? Twenty minutes passed before she found a suitable spell. So suitable, in fact, that it would actually seem humorous if anyone fell for it. Readying herself, Djemn re-cast all her previous spells and charms to her room. Then, referring to the book once more, she started tracing complex patterns in the air, pushing her magic out from the end of her wand. There was a light pinkish glow where her magic dissipated into the air.

As she concentrated, Djemn couldn't help but feel slightly amiss. She was used to silence but it was quite different without Uraeus there with her. Her father had flat out stated that she was in no condition to care for her pet and had taken the small reptile back to the manor. It was for the best. The once shiny smooth green snake had lost most of its luster in its scales and was mildly malnourished. The facilities at Egypt would help him regain his health faster than any amount of magic at Hogwarts. Plus, it was risky to let Uraeus stay after being seen by both the headmaster and her head of house. It didn't mean that she had to be happy about the parting though.

One last slash of her wand and Djemn felt the spell take effect. Her magic, as though packed into a tight ball, exploded outwards in all directions. It disappeared into the walls, the bed-sheets, the books on the bookshelf. Immediately, the room responded to her touch. The rough stone walls became smooth under her fingers and the air was saturated with magic. Djemn closed her eyes in trance-like appreciation. It was calming. It was her. With morbid happiness, her eyes opened slowly and a slightly wicked smile grew on her face. Anyone who broke into her room now would wish they hadn't, for they'd find themselves in a rather…. sticky…. situation.

DH DH DH DH DH DH DH

"Jormungand?"

The basilisk cocked its head to the side, considering, soft hisses coming from its throat. Djemn watched the giant snake with patience and an odd sort of peace. After securing her room and checking off all the details in her plans, she had gone to attend her first class on Monday: Potions with Gryffindors. The lesson had done much to lighten her mood. Lions and snakes alike had unsure expressions on their faces at seeing her there, save for the trio. Oddly enough, Malfoy had been strangely subdued, as if he couldn't care less about her presence. And that was saying a lot since she knew that the blonde could hardly stand to be ten feet near her without sneering or muttering an insult or two. She knew that she should probably look into this sudden change of attitude. Oh, well. It was a nice adjustment and she hadn't said anything about it lest he changed his mind. Sadly, the rest of the day hadn't turn out quite as well.

After the lesson, Professor Snape had had her stay behind to tell her that, even with her amnesia and supposed uninvolvement in her disappearance, she had still caused a large stir in Hogwarts' relative peace, and thus warranted some sort of punishment. He had given her a week's detention with him in the dungeons, effective immediately. Djemn had figured he would do as much. It was silly thinking if she thought the potions master would let her off the hook. But as she had predicted something of the sort, she wasn't much perturbed by it.

The rest of the week had passed in a bore. Classes were the same, though the teachers gave more attention to the students' attendance. Half the students were glad and fine with Djemn's return while the other half avoided her like the plague. By the end of the week, majority of the Hogwarts' population was steering clear of her. Evidently, whatever the other half was thinking had been spread to the rest of the students. Not that she cared. But that just made life at Hogwarts even more boring. Outside of her room, she could do nothing akin to suspicious and thus, had to put up the good little girl front. It was dreadfully exasperating. There was one thing though, that amused her. Ginny Weasley had taken to stalking her! It wasn't frequent, as Djemn had only noticed the girl twice. And she never did anything besides watch Djemn from afar, but it was enough to set a few wheels turning in her head.

Saturday came and Djemn finally risked going back to the Chamber. In the morning, she had gone about normally: eating breakfast with her housemates, going to the library to do some homework, and loitering around the grounds, making sure she was seen by students of every house. After lunch, she casually entered the bathroom on the second floor. Once she was sure the wailing ghost – whose name was Myrtle, or so she had learnt – was wholly occupied with her own miseries, she hissed at the sink for the entrance – true to her deductions, the entrance did appear by parseltongue – and stealthily used a levitating spell to help her passage through the tunnel. It took a while but she finally reached the Chamber after a rather long (fall and) walk through the underground channels.

The basilisk had been delighted to see her. Even more so after she enlarged the piece of goat in her pocket. The half-carcass had been one of her larger potion ingredients but she hadn't need for it so instead, offered it as the treat she owed the giant reptile. It was gone faster than she could blink. After that, the basilisk had been so satisfied, it had let Djemn rest on its tail while they conversed. It was lucky too since Djemn doubted she would like it very much if she had to choose between the wet frigid floor and cold stone to sit on. Very soon, the two were trying to sort out a name for the snake as Djemn was still with the opinion that 'Great One' was too troublesome a designation.

"Jormungand? What doessss it mean?"

"It is the name of a serpent in Norse mythology, also known as the Serpent of the World. He was the son of a god. It is said that Jormungand's venom was so lethal that it could kill even gods and that his body was so large, he could encircle the world and grasp his own tail."

The basilisk gave a low hiss, seemingly pleased with what he heard. Djemn watched with slight enjoyment. It was nice to hear the familiar hisses replacing the silly talk of human children.

"Jormungand… acceptable. And that sssshould be my name?"

"As long as Great One wills it to be."

Jormungand gave another pleased hiss and nodded, then more talk ensued between them. Djemn made the basilisk give her its word that it did not and will not tell anyone, primarily the Heir, about her and her forays into the Chamber. She was intent on keeping herself out of the direct line of fire until nigh time. However, she also knew that some sort of confrontation was unavoidable as the Heir no doubt knew all about her disappearance and miraculous return. Ginny Weasley following her around had been a dead giveaway. Fortunately, luck was on her side and according to Jormungand, the Heir had yet to return to the Chamber since the afternoon when she first met the basilisk.

"Jormungand, this one wishes to visit the Great Founder's chamber once more."

"Ssshall I guide that one again?"

"You need not trouble yourself, Jormungand. This one remembers the way."

Jormungand gave a nod, looking somewhat disappointed. Perhaps because Djemn was about to leave? It wouldn't surprise her. The lone snake had been here for so long, any sort of companion would be highly appreciated. Jormungand slithered to one corner of the Chamber once Djemn moved off its tail and coiled around itself, seeming about to sleep. Seeing this, Djemn felt a smile tug at her lips. The large reptile looked simply adorable to her. With a silent sigh, she realized that she missed Uraeus more than she thought. Just as Djemn was about to enter the tunnel that led to Salazar's hidden chamber, a sudden thought struck her and she turned back to the basilisk.

"Jormungand?"

"Yesss, Sssan?" came the sleepy reply.

"Do you have a gender?"

"I am from the massculine sssside of my sspeciesssss."

Satisfied, Djemn gave a nod and entered the tunnel. Ten minutes later found her standing in front of the camouflaged door a second time. This time though, she simple pushed open the door without reserve. The candles on the chandelier lit with flames again and she deduced that there must be a preset spell to light the room whenever someone entered. She took one glance around, noting that everything was the same, and scanned the entire room with a thorough detection spell. There was magic centred at the desk, the shelf behind it, the two doors, and the floating scroll, the last one being the strongest of the few, but none of it was harmful.

Djemn cautiously stepped into the room and closer to the scroll. She stared at it for a few moments, unsure. In the end, deciding that she wouldn't get anywhere if she continued to be the paranoid prick, she gingerly reached for the floating roll of parchment. As soon as her fingers touched it, the scroll glowed brightly and rolled open to reveal two feet of light yellow paper. It was completely bare. Djemn narrowed her eyes at it until words began forming in dark green ink on the once clean parchment.

In this room, lies all my accomplished and unaccomplished works.

They are known by none and are found nowhere else.

Djemn read each word as they formed in precise, spidery writing. As soon as she finished, the words disappeared to be replaced by others in the same hand.

They are my life's achievements, the very core of my powers and knowledge.

In the noble name of Slytherin,

Use them well.

…

My Heir.

Djemn's face scrunched up slightly. His Heir? A bubble of inconsiderate laughter threatened to erupt from her, but she only snickered once. This proved her theory that Salazar had been (over)confident that his heir would be the only one able to enter this room. Seemed as though Fate had pulled one over the dead founder. Too bad. His loss was her gain. She was nowhere nice enough or stupid enough to tell the real heir about this hidden chamber if the scroll's words were to be trusted. What kind of idiot would give away centuries of knowledge?

The words on the scroll faded away but it stayed hovering in mid-air. Djemn waited to see if anything else would appear. After a full minute of no change, she stepped around the floating immobile parchment towards the door on the left of the desk. She carefully grasped the serpent-shaped brass turn-knob in her left hand and, with her wand at the ready, opened the door. At first, she could see nothing but endless darkness as light from the study didn't seem to reach past the door-frame. It was as if this room was in another dimension by itself; the darkness did not extend to the study nor did the light extend to this room. Then, there was a rushing sound as candles flamed to life at every corner of the dark room. Now bathed in vivid red and orange flickers, Djemn could make out a closed chamber made entirely of stone. It was perfectly square with no windows or doors save for one thick wooden door on the left wall, merely two paces away from the one she was holding open. There were only four candles on tall holders to provide light, stationed at the four corners of the room and a small narrow table with cabinet space was pushed against the wall adjacent to the entrance. But it was really the floor that told Djemn the real purpose of the chamber. A large pentagram in the centre of a circle, seemingly drawn in blood, now dried and dark brown, stained the smooth stone floor in perfect symmetry. Ancient writings and runes ran along the lines of the pentagram. A Ritual Chamber.

Djemn felt a shiver of excitement run down her spine. This was her first time seeing one. It made up for the disappointment in the lack of a torture chamber. She let her mind run wild for a moment, thinking of all the rituals Salazar might've have performed here. They must have been pretty illegal (and gruesome) if he had to do it secretly in his own private chamber. She'll just have to search and see if he had left a journal of some sort.

Djemn scanned the room and the results came back to show that not even a speck of magic was present. Less wary, she moved to the only other door in the chamber and pushed it open. Unlike the others, this door was heavy and swung open slowly. Torches lit to shower the room in steady but dim light, though it was still brighter than the previous chamber.

Djemn stood stock-still at the doorway and stared at the contents of the room in front of her. She saw cages of all types, shapes and sizes, shackles chained to walls, interrogation chairs that looked suspiciously similar to a garrotte but without the spike, thick ropes protruding from the walls and ceiling, a horizontal board that she could identify as 'the Rack', and poles that looked to be for tying people up. Her first thought, once she snapped out of her shock, was 'Torture Chamber' but something wasn't right. Sure, it certainly looked like one but when she thought more about it, these devices were more confinement-based than actual torture. If Salazar had wanted a real torture chamber, where was the Iron Maiden? The Wheel? The Brodequin? Instead, even the interrogation chairs had no spikes. They would look moderately comfortable even, if not for the metal collars. No, this was a dungeon. A place where Salazar kept his…… prisoners? Victims? Experiments? It would definitely explain why it was located right next to a ritual chamber. Careful to watch where she was stepping, Djemn slowly entered the room after the customary detection spell.

There was an odd sort of musky smell in the dungeon. But, as Djemn glanced down at the randomly scattered bones of small animals on the floor, she was grateful that at least it didn't reek of rot. She inspected the instruments and found no traces of blood or organic tissue. So, either Salazar was a very clean person or his unfortunate victims were fortunate enough to not be left bleeding or hurt. Then again, thought Djemn as she stopped in front of an ancient human skull, maybe not.

Djemn ventured deeper into the dungeon. It was not all that big and she reached the other end rather quickly. Here, she frowned slightly. The last two torches weren't lit and the opposing wall was blanketed in darkness. She squinted slightly and could see the outline of… something. One of the torches flickered and she saw a glimmer of something reflective on the wall. Just as she was about to use a spell to light the malfunctioning torches, said torches suddenly flamed to life.

Djemn stood frozen in place, throat tight, eyes wide, wand gripped tightly in hand, as a pair of terribly bloodshot crimson eyes stared back at her.

Author's Notes: Yes. Evil. I know. Anyways, I think that this chapter is not as good as I want it to be. I got stuck while writing Draco after wanting to for so long. I feel like I went too slow in the beginning and then too fast in the second half. Tell me what you think. Just give it to me if you think it's bad. Please, please review as it really keeps me going. Any suggestions, opinions and constructive criticisms are welcome. A BIG thank you to emaji. You gave me the boost I needed. Don't worry, I definitely won't make Djemn weak or dependent. Ever. Thanks also to dear sis for her lovely idea on Djemn's room. For anyone who doesn't know what a garrotte, the Rack, Iron Maiden, the Wheel, or the Brodequin are, they are torture devices. Google will provide you with the information as it is simply too long for me to explain here. Wow, 2.30 am. Have a nice da— er, night, everyone.