Chapter Twenty Eight: Back in the Chamber:
Harry was nervous even with the preparations underway, Voldemort was massing a large army of Dementors, Inferi, Werewolves and other dark creatures. It was clear he would be at the gates of Hogwarts that day or the next and the village of Hogsmeade was quickly put under a protection charm, for good measure many of the villagers came to the castle for safety. Harry was trying to force himself to eat breakfast but he was not having much luck and finally he threw down his spoon and moved to get up and leave.
"You need to eat, all of you or I will give you a nutrition potion." Severus said behind Harry.
"Not hungry." Harry replied.
"I will not have you faint on the battlefield Potter." Severus said.
"You just want to keep me alive long enough defeat Voldemort." Harry snapped, he was not in a good mood.
"I want you to survive Voldemort and you will not if you do not eat!" Severus snapped.
Harry forced himself to finish off his oatmeal and toast and Severus prowled the great hall making sure all the students were eating. He was like a general before a great battle, and the older students may not have liked how he was bullying them but they knew he did it because he did care. Finally breakfast was done and Harry wanted only to leave the great hall and, to do what? Just wait for the attack? Sure the older students would fight, but there were so many others prepared to fight too. Many of the villagers were going to stand and fight when it came to that. Severus caught up with him and Harry wondered what he wanted. He was nervous and scared and unfortunately when Harry got this way he could get a bit snappish.
"I need your help Potter." Severus said.
"Yes sir." Harry said.
"I need to get into the Chamber of Secrets."
"Sir?" Harry said confused. "What can we use there to help us?"
"Professor Severus as a theory Harry." Dumbledore said walking up. "About the chamber, he believes it was made to protect Hogwarts from outside attack."
"The dark lord got it wrong, if not for him the Basilisk could have been used for our side, however I think Salazar put in the chamber things to help defend Hogwarts." Severus added.
"The entrance is in the second floor bathroom." Harry said.
"Not the original one." Severus said. "You speak more Parseltongue than I do. Do not look so shocked Harry, the head of Slytherin has to know some Parseltongue, it is required as the passwords to Slytherin are in that tongue."
"I will help you then." Harry said.
"Good, well then I will get the students ready, Severus if this theory holds true then Tom is in for quite a surprise."
Harry followed Severus to the dungeons, straight to a wall. Severus muttered open in Parseltongue and a hidden door opened showing a set of stairs that went down deep into the earth. Harry lit his wand and followed Severus down to a large room. It was the size of one of the smaller classrooms and had carved snakes along the top of the wall and several murals of wizards and witches in everyday life lower on the wall. Severus lit the torches in the walls and he looked around as if looking for a doorway. He turned to Harry who was looking nervous as he was sure of what he was going to be asked to do.
"Horace showed me this room when I took over from him, he said that he could not read the writing on the walls but was sure it was Parseltongue, shows that it is not a pure animalistic language after all. When the chamber was opened in your second year I was sure this was the room used. When you came back from the second floor girl's bathroom I was perplexed. I do not think the door you went through was the front of the chamber Harry, I believe it is here." Severus said.
"So what can I do here?" Harry asked.
"I believe that when Voldemort attacked you that he left a part of him in you."
"So I am a Horcrux." Harry said looking pale.
"No, don't be silly boy, your soul was pure and whole, however you ended up with traits of Salazar himself, traits he would be proud of if he were here." At the look from Harry he added. "No you are Gryffindor Harry, I am sure Salazar himself would see that, however you can speak Parseltongue and if I am not mistaken you can read it as well."
"So I read what is written on the walls then?" Harry said looking at the top of the walls.
"Yes, I believe in you Harry, no matter what happens." Severus said. "I want you to know that."
"Thank you sir, and that is twice you called me Harry." Harry said grinning.
"It is your name, I cannot call you boy or hey you." Severus said coming very close to a joke at a time like this.
Harry grinned and held up his wand to look at the wording closely. It was like his second year, he could read the writing and he started to do so out loud. At once the room trembled but he kept reading on until he came to the end and the room shuttered to a stop. He waited and the wall opened up and a large doorway was revealed. With wands raised teacher and pupil entered the chamber from the true entrance. Severus was awed by the size of the chamber, the statue of Salazar stood high over them and the Basilisk lay dead at its feet.
"I think that is a bit longer than sixty feet Harry." Severus said looking a bit pale, "you killed that by yourself?"
"With a bit of help sir." Harry replied.
"Well it took you long enough to get here." Came a voice and both turned fast wands raised to stare at the man before them. "Put those away, you will hurt someone!"
"S-Salazar?" Severus said.
"That is Professor Slytherin Professor Severus." Slytherin said smiling.
Harry stared at him sure his jaw was on the floor. Salazar Slytherin was not a tall man, in fact he was barely taller than Harry. He was clad in green and silver robes and he had goblin made armor on. His dark beard was trimmed neatly and he wore a green cap on his balding head. His eyes were gray and his nose was long and straight. He stood straight, a staff in hand and he was looking at Harry keenly making Harry feel self-conscious. Yet when he smiled his smile was warm though his eyes were sad and weary from long suffering.
"You, you died." Harry said.
"Well spotted young lion, well spotted." Slytherin said. "I have been waiting here for so long, for this day."
"Sir what does that mean?" Harry asked.
"Well long ago four friends wanted to create a school for magical students. All went well, the castle you are in was built by skilled hands, crafted to last for ages. Students started to come and for a time, fifty years things went very well." Here Slytherin looked weary and very old. "We made an oath to keep strong and never to divide, I broke that oath and I have had to watch what my pride and anger got me."
"You cannot fully blame yourself sir." Severus said.
"Oh yes I can, I caused a deep rift, Godric wept when I left, I know he did. I never did come back in my life. However the God above was not happy with the oath I broke and so I was imprisoned here to wait long, long centuries for this day." Slytherin looked at the two wizards before him. "You young lion speak Parseltongue and have freed me by your actions."
"How so sir?" Harry ask confused.
"When I broke my oath I did repent on my death bed, the other founders did plead for me but still I had to pay for my betrayal. So it was agreed if a young lion who spoke Parseltongue was found and that young lion helped save the school from a great evil I would be free."
"So I am that lion?" Harry said his head reeling taking this all in.
"Yes you are, come I must show you something that will help defeat Voldemort."
"But he is your blood, how can you wish him dead?" Harry asked.
"He is not of my blood, he is evil and wicked, the young snakes in my care are my blood, not that wicked creature." Slytherin replied. "Blood lines do not make a family, love and caring do."
They followed the ghostly form of Salazar through the chamber to doorway that lead to yet another room. Here Harry gasped, there were weapons here, shields, swords, bows and arrows along with armor clearly for the centaurs. Harry walked up a shield, he recognized the form from his histories classes in his muggle school. They were long rectangular and slightly curved exactly like a Roman shield. Harry saw the school crest on them and he picked one up feeling how light the goblin made steel was and he felt the magic run through it. The edge turned crimson and gold and he turned to Salazar.
"The bows, arrows, swords and armor are for the centaurs, the shields are for the students and staff, I do not like children having to fight but fight you must." Salazar said. "If you do not defeat Voldemort soon you will not live to fulfill your true destinies, as protectors from evil of the world, it is what a witch or wizard is for, it's why we have this power. I know this now and wish I had realized that so long ago."
"Thank you sir for all you are doing for us." Harry said. "I will defeat Voldemort, I promise you that sir."
"Good, go now, you have very little time before he is here." Salazar said. "Take it all and Godspeed."
When Harry and Severus came from the chamber and the school was gathered they told them all they had learned. When the weapons and shields were brought up the students at first were not sure but then it sunk in, magic alone was not going to defeat Voldemort. Sirius convinced the centaurs to come to the castle and they were given the armor and weapons they would use. There was one more surprise as well, dwarves came, clad head to toe in armor and from Romania Charlie came with his fellow dragon keepers riding their dragons clad in armor. War was coming to Hogwarts and Hogwarts was ready.
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Yes it is clear that Salazar left the school and did some wicked things. I like to think he spent a long time repenting of that and waiting for the day he would be freed from the purgatory he got himself into. Locked up in the chamber unable to do anything but wait and when Harry came along he would be freed in the end. He finally got wise after a thousand years of stasis and realizes that bloodlines do not a family make, love does.
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