Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction based on the Harry Potter universe. All recognizable characters, plots and settings are the exclusive property of J.K Rowling. I make no claim to ownership nor do I make any profit.
Thank you to my beta Umar for his rad work on this story.
Self Promotion: I have a discord server where you can chat and read all of my chapters early. If you would like to join, simply copy the link on my profile and for . I had to write it in that format for the site to allow it on my profile.
Recommendations:
Harry Potter and The Prince of Slytherin by The Sinister Man.
Harry Potter and The Boy-Who-Lived by The Santi.
Growing Up Black by ElvindorkNigellus.
The Hero and The Veela by JackPotter.
Stepping Back, and Honour Thy Blood by TheBlack'sResurgence.
The Mind Arts by Wu Gang.
A Cadmean Victory by DarknessEnthroned.
Magicks of The Arcane by Eilyfe.
"Speech."
'Internal Dialogue.
Parseltongue.
Memories/In Story Text.
Harry Potter and The Dark Lord's Equal
By ACI100.
Year 2: The Looming of Shadows.
Chapter 8: Halloween.
October 18th 1992.
October 18th 1992.
An Abandoned Classroom
8:37 PM.
"We could stick them to the table, arse up. That would be one way to end this bloody prank war!"
"We agreed to no pranks on each other, remember?"
"Shit!"
Two near identical laughs rang out through the abandoned classroom as the last speaker recomposed himself. "I really want to get somebody bad, you know? Dangling from a bloody ceiling did not do my temper any favours."
A glint came into the eye of the last speakers' twin. "Why, brother dear, we can get people very badly, just not those four people."
A pause before the other voice piped up again. "I'm listening?"
"Well, you know that spell McGonagall just taught us, right?"
"Which one? The switching spell?"
"Precisely!"
"Yeah, I remember."
"Well, it'll take some tweaking but if we can't get those four little delinquents, why not settle for a bunch of other people who have given us hell since we joined this marvellous institution?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I'm always thinking what you're thinking!"
"Like… a fourth of the student population?"
"Wearing green and silver robes?"
The Weasley twins paused, smiling mischievous smiles that bordered on downright evil. "I like the way you think, Feorge!"
"Ah geez, Gred, you're making me blush."
"At least it'd match the hair."
"Too true." A pause. "We're gonna get 'em with this one!"
"Too right. I'd love to see the little rascals top this one!"
Meanwhile In The Room of Requirement.
"Bloody hell!" Ron breathed out in utter awe as he and Dean followed their other two friends into a room the likes of which they had never seen before. Currently, it rested in the form of a rather titanic sitting room with diagrams and other planning mechanisms spread across the tables and walls. "What is this place?"
"This, my friends," said the raven haired boy with an exaggerated, sweeping gesture around them, "is what I like to call The Room of Requirement!"
"Wait," Dean put in sharply, putting two and two together in regards to the name, "Harry, are you telling us that this room meets the users requirement?"
"Got it in one!" Harry said in an over the top sort of voice, the mischievous smirk only spreading across his face. "Anything you want, this lovely little room will provide." He shrugged. "Well, I say little, but I guess it's actually as big or small as you need it to be."
"This is brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, allowing his eyes to roam hungrily around the room.
"You have no idea." Neville said proudly. It had been his idea to let the other two members of their quartet in on the marvellous Room of Requirement. Truthfully, he had wanted to tell them since about the moment Harry had revealed it to him almost a year earlier. He hadn't dared do so though, since he knew Harry had rather pronounced trust issues that sometimes even extended onto his closest friends. Not that Neville was in any real place to judge.
Every time he thought about those trust issues, his mind liked to make sure he remembered exactly how untrusting and petty he had been towards Harry after the midnight duel in their first year. With that in mind, he could hardly blame his brother in all but blood for his attitude and as a result, he had refrained from revealing what he considered to be the most splendid place he had ever stepped foot in. In saying so, he had not missed the opportunity to convince Harry it was high time to show them the room when the two of them realized they would need a hidden place to plan their prank for the feast.
None of them knew how they did it, but the Weasley twins knew Hogwarts better than anybody, and Harry had insisted that some abandoned classroom wouldn't be good enough. As he spouted off the possibility of the Weasley twins eavesdropping on their planning sessions, Neville reflected that maybe, just maybe, his friend was taking perhaps a little bit too much after old Mad-Eye, but he had humoured him. That paranoia, after all, had been the catalyst in Neville convincing Harry to let their friends in on the secret.
"I mean, come on, Harry, it's perfect! There's no way the twins can eavesdrop because we can just ask the room not to let them!" Those were the exact words Neville had used after spending a considerable amount of time convincing Harry that Ron and Dean were more than trustworthy. He thought Harry likely knew that fact, but he figured his upbringing got in the way of him trusting people sometimes.
"Can it do anything… like, literally anything?" Dean asked, snapping Neville's mind back to the forefront as he exchanged a look with Harry.
"I know it can't do food." Neville answered. "I've tried having it make food and it can't."
"Weird that." Ron noted.
"Not really." Harry put in. "It's one of Gamp's laws for Transfiguration. You can't just create food. You can increase the quantity, but you can't make it." He shrugged. "I'm not sure if it could create living things either. That's normally a bit of a grey area."
Ron shrugged. "If those are the only limits, this place is the most brilliant place I've ever seen!"
Dean nodded seriously. "It's pretty wicked!" He admitted, smiling devilishly ear to ear. There was a moment's pause before Harry took control of the conversation.
"Right, as brilliant as this room is, me and Nev didn't show it to you just to have you lot gush about it; there will be plenty of time for that in the future." He took the time to allow a hard, determined look to slide into place and his three friends suddenly noticed how the ever present glow behind his eyes seemed to intensify by at least a margin. "Right now, we need to figure out how we're going to outprank the two best pranksters in the school, who also just happen to be two years older than us."
"I still think there's something to be said for the red paint." Dean put in. "I dunno how we'd make it work and it would never come in on time by order, but it's a thought."
"As for how we'll make it work," Harry said, "I have an idea, but I'll need to experiment a bit." He smirked. "As for ordering some," he closed his eyes, seeming to concentrate for a second before, with an odd shimmer, a heaping bucket of Gryffindor red paint appeared at his feet. "Your wish is my command!"
"Brilliant!" Chorused the other three as one, all of them dawning similarly mischievous grins in perfect unison.
October 19th 1992.
The Dungeons.
10:30 AM.
Harry and his friends fumed as they left their first period Potions class with the Slytherins. Snape had been awful even by his own lofty standards and Gryffindor was now down thirty points.
"That git's a menace." Ron said darkly. "Why Dumbledore lets him teach, I have no clue."
"Him and his second chances." Sighed Neville dramatically, drawing air quotes around the words "second chances".
"If only we could get back at him without getting thrown out of here." Harry commented. "Hell, even if I thought I could get away with it, I'd stage some sort of massive cauldron explosion. Get him out of here for a few months, at least."
"Yeah, but he'd figure it was you even if it wasn't." Ron put in reasonably. "He takes points off of you for sneezing."
"You're not wrong." Harry said, sighing theatrically as he looked to his friends.
That's when three of the group of four realized that their fourth member, Dean, was not following them anymore. He had stopped in mid stride as a positively devilish smile made itself present on his face.
"Speaking of Potions accidents," Harry said carefully, "did he botch his like… really bad? Are the fumes going to make him go mental or something?"
"Dean," Neville asked cautiously, "are you alright?"
"Alright," Dean breathed in barely more than a whisper before his voice took on a more normal volume, "Neville, my good chap, I am so much better than alright!"
The other three exchanged looks. They were all feeling rather downtrodden after that class and none of them could imagine why their fourth member seemed so up beat.
"Er… care to explain why?" Ron asked hesitantly.
Dean's smile, if possible, grew even wider. "Ron, that's the best idea you've had in ages." He said, taking a few steps forward to join the group as he draped an arm over Ron's shoulders as the four of them set off once more. "I thought of a way we could use the red paint! Merlin over here just needs to figure out how we'd do it." And just like that, he had the other three's undivided attention.
October 21st 1992.
The Room of Requirement.
8:13 PM.
Harry's knockback jinx sent the dummy crashing so hard into the wall that it burst into straw and could not even repair itself. Harry would have gaped at the effects of the spell, or perhaps even whooped in triumph that finally, he had managed the task he'd been pursuing for so long. Seeing as Harry's mind was completely clear and under control, however, he did none of those things.
At long last, Harry had done it. He could keep a completely clear and controlled mind while multi-tasking and after months of practice, that ability even extended to spell casting. Supplementary Occlumency was now a go, and his next step was to master casting incantations without uttering a word.
October 23rd 1992.
The Headmaster's Office.
7:59 PM.
Harry took his seat across from Dumbledore for yet another lesson in Active Occlumency. As a whole, he thought the practice had been going rather well so far. He had established rudimentary Occlumency barriers and had nearly mastered the first method of quickly and efficiently repelling a Legilimency probe. He knew that way wasn't necessarily the best method, but he still took a fair bit of pleasure in his proficiency. Tonight, Harry had a few things he wanted to ask the ancient headmaster.
"Before we begin," Dumbledore started, "I know I ask this each and every week, so I do apologize if such questions are becoming monotonous to answer, but how have your extra curricular studies advanced in the field of Passive Occlumency?"
"They've gone really well, sir." Harry answered honestly, a smile more proud than the Headmaster had ever seen spreading across his face as he spoke. "I can multi-task perfectly now; even while casting. I've spent the last couple of days practicing Supplementary Occlumency and I'm pretty sure I've got it down!"
Dumbledore positively beamed at his protege as the twinkle in his eyes went up to eleven. "This is excellent progress, Harry! Beyond excellent, as a matter of fact. I am very proud of your progression, my boy. You are well on your way to gaining a mastery of The Mind Arts at a very young age." He nodded in satisfaction. "This is very good indeed, for we are nearing the end of this step of Active Occlumency and will be moving forward quite soon. Perhaps even with the turning of the month."
Harry's smile, if possible, grew even wider with that surprising proclamation. "Sir," Harry asked Dumbledore, earning a raised eyebrow from the man, "I wanted to ask you if Occlumency could help with something else? I haven't seen it written anywhere yet, but it's something I thought of while trying to solve another problem of mine."
Dumbledore's lips twitched. "Harry, by now I would hope it evident that you can ask me just about anything. As it is, I am rather intrigued by what I am sure will be a very insightful theory."
"Well… I've been trying to learn silent casting, you see?" If Dumbledore was surprised he did not show it. "Do you know if Occlumency could help me master it? I've been having some troubles trying to get it to work and I'm on… uh… a deadline, you could say?"
Dumbledore's eyebrow crooked, though only marginally. "I am not surprised you are having difficulties with silent casting." The Headmaster answered after a moment's pause. "There is a distinct reason the ability is not covered until the sixth year."
Harry frowned. "Is it going to have negative effects if I try to learn it too young?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "No, no, rest easy, my dear boy, it is nothing so sinister. A fair few of Hogwarts' more gifted students throughout the years have managed the ability prior to their sixth year. Why, if I am not mistaken, your mother was capable of it by the time she started her fifth year and your father and his… friend were not far behind her." Harry noticed the way Dumbledore paused and he thought that the man must be referring to Sirius Black. Harry debated bringing him up, but he didn't trust Dumbledore to that degree, at least not yet.
"Why isn't it taught until sixth year, sir? Can somebody as young as me not do it for some reason?"
"Your estimations are trending in the right direction, but you have not quite put the full puzzle together as of yet. Allow me to elucidate. Do you know what makes a wizard powerful, Harry? Do you know what distinguishes one wizard from another? What allows one sorcerer to be magically superior to his or her companions?"
Harry thought about it. "Well, dedication would certainly help somebody stand out. That's what's helped me most, I think. I don't know how magical power works though, if it's even a thing at all."
"Oh, it is most certainly a thing, as you call it." The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched at Harry's chosen categorization. "Let us first answer my second question. What distinguishes one witch or wizard from another? Well, that is a rather philosophical question that could be answered in many ways and I imagine some would bring up other points but in my rather well educated opinion, when looking at the question through the narrow lens of magic, there are four fundamental pillars that must be examined.
"The first of these pillars is understanding. This is where your point of dedication would factor in on a microcosmic level. To gain a true understanding of magic, one must be dedicated, as you so accurately alluded to. An understanding of magic is essential to standing above your peers. You must understand magic's capabilities, its shortcomings and its intricacies. Those of us who understand magic on a level far deeper than most, if you will forgive my rather crude categorization, ordinary witches and wizards, have a profound advantage over such witches and wizards."
Harry nodded; that made perfect sense to him and in hindsight, he probably should have thought of that.
"The second," Dumbledore continued, "is in many ways an extension of the first because without its former, it cannot exist." Dumbledore peered at Harry over his steepled fingers. "Tell me, Harry, what is the number one rule of magic?"
Now it was Harry's mouth's turn to twitch. He found it rather amusing how Daphne had asked the same question as Dumbledore not that long ago. "Magic is about intent," he answered, "wand movements and incantations are secondary."
"Precisely correct and very well said." Dumbledore commended. "The second pillar is intent but more precisely, the mastery of said intent. One who has mastered their intent and can will it into reality is naturally going to find magic comes far easier to them. There are other, deeper concepts that allow this feat easier for some than others, but we do not need to dive so deep at this time. Suffice to say that a witch or wizard who understands the importance of intent and can wield it with the ease of a swordsmen swinging his most prized possession will find they stand above most of the rest on this alone.
"The third sphere, again, works off of the second. It is all fine and dandy to master one's intent and understand what such a mastery means. In the end, however, this matters very little for most. Most men and women simply accept that magic is predefined in its applications and limitations. Most sorcerers do not dare to push the boundaries of magic. The third sphere, Harry, is creativity. Those who have mastered the first two pillars, understanding and intent, will have little issue wielding most magics but if they are simply wielding the same spells as the rest of us, what difference does it make? The fundamentals are essential, of course, but the true titans of magic simply wave their wand and will their creativity to take shape in front of their eyes." Dumbledore paused to smile at his student. "Do you follow so far, Harry? I do apologize for extrapolating your question so far."
"I do sir, and please don't apologize. I love magic and its theory and I actually find this conversation fascinating."
"Do you? Well then, that is a relief in and of itself. You cannot spend as much time with me as you do without falling victim to my ramblings on the wonders of magic. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the fourth pillar. Any guesses?"
There was one major component, or, a component that seemed major to Harry that Dumbledore had yet to mention beyond in passing. "Power, sir?"
"And there it is." Dumbledore told him. "This is how I will tie it altogether. In truth, Harry, power is something that I personally think is far less important than the other three. You can overcharge a spell, such things are very possible but in saying so, a given spell does have predetermined limits. Where power truly comes into play is two fold. In one case, it will play a role in one's magical stamina. If, for example, one was to be caught in a prolonged duel with somebody equal to them in the first three pillars, the more powerful sorcerer would prevail on attrition alone, even if they did not overcharge their spells. The other area power is important in, is when one is trying to perform magic on a grand scale. Large scale conjurations and animations would be an example of this, but occasions like these are few and far between, and few will ever even attempt it in their lives.
"Now, my second question, what makes a witch or wizard powerful? Well, how much, Harry, do you know of muggle biology?"
Harry blinked; whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. "Uh… a bit, sir, but honestly not a whole lot. Nothing beyond the basics were really covered before I came to Hogwarts and it honestly wasn't a huge interest of mine."
"Do not worry yourself, dear boy, it is not a complex subject I must explain. You are of course familiar with the concept of DNA?"
Harry nodded. "Yes sir."
"Well, in many ways, DNA is what determines magical power, but it is more complex than that. I believe the term I am looking for here is a genome." When he saw that Harry's face was blank, Dumbledore continued. "You see, Harry, a genome is a component of one's blood that holds details about one's DNA and genetic makeup. That is, for muggles." His eyes twinkled. "Well the same is true for a witch and wizard, the genomes also carry information about our magic."
"Wait," Harry cut in, "doesn't that mean the pureblood bigots sort of have a point?"
"Ah, I thought that point may come up. Magical power is not determined by blood, Harry, it is simply where the information is stored. Genetics do play a part for certain. If one had very powerful parents, they themselves will likely have a very high potential for power. In addition, if a family were to… hmm, shall we say — dilute their line, that would have a profoundly negative effect on their offspring's magical potential. It is similar to muggle athletics, I believe. Just because somebody has two parents who competed at a world renowned level does not mean that they will reach that same level, though it does often grant an advantage. In the same vein, many top muggle athletes were born to parents who were profoundly unathletic." He shrugged. "Do you see the point I am trying to make?"
"I think so." Harry answered honestly. It wasn't random, there were certainly genetic factors that went into it, but it was not the only factor.
"I cannot provide you a detailed breakdown on exactly what determines how powerful every living witch or wizard is because such information simply does not exist. It is still theory in large part, but those are the basics, along with one more fundamental. Magic is everywhere, it is all around us and it surrounds us as we speak. This coding in our blood and in our bodies does not mean we have more magic. We do not have any magic. Magic is a force all around us and what this genetic coding details is how much magic we can intake and then output, and how efficiently it can be done. Do you follow?"
"I think so, sir. So like… muggles would be like rubber to electricity and we would be metal?"
"A very astute and apt analogy, Harry. Yes, think of us as conductors, some of us are predisposed to being better conductors than others. Muggles lack the coding to take in any magic at all, so as you said, they are akin to rubber. In saying so, that does not make somebody powerful, it simply provides them with a high power ceiling. One could be genetically predisposed as the most powerful sorcerer in the world but never ascend to anything above average in terms of magical power.
"And this is where my long winded explanation ties back into your question about wordless magic. Magic is a muscle, Harry. No matter one's potential, they can only reach it by casting magic. Have you noticed that spells you use frequently are much less difficult now than when you first learned them? By example, when you are first taught Lumos, you are taught that the wand movement is a quick circle and then to point your wand up vertically, correct?" Harry nodded. "Well, cast Lumos for me, Harry, but do so simply holding your wand in a set position. Point it at the floor, even. On top of that, do not visualize, simply cast."
Harry hesitated but removed his wand as instructed and pointed it at the floor. "Lumos." He muttered, and the tip lit without issue. Startled, Harry looked to Dumbledore, who was smiling broadly.
"You see? The nature of the spell does not matter in most cases. If you cast magic enough, that magic will become second nature to you. It is the same with magical power. The more you cast magic, the more you will elevate yourself towards that ceiling. Now, to tie this into your question about wordless magic, casting a spell without words does indeed require far greater concentration than incantation based magic and that is one of the reasons it is not introduced until N.E.W.T classes. In addition to that, however, removing incantations also requires more magical power, in a sense. By sixth year, it is thought that most, if not all of our students should have hit or should be nearing their magical ceiling, hence why we teach the most taxing magic at that point."
Harry nodded, it made sense. "So, I can do it, but it will just be harder?"
"Precisely. Though between the two of us, I imagine your magic is rather more developed than most everyone else your age."
"Why is that, sir?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "You have used magic more advanced than your peers for quite some time now." His face darkened. "And I imagine you had… more accidental magic as a child that was more focused and less… accidental."
Harry nodded; the man was right on both counts and it made sense. "So, Occlumency?" He prompted.
"Oh yes, that was the original question, wasn't it? Occlumency is not only capable of helping with the process, but it is more than likely going to expedite the process greatly." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Use your Occlumency to guide your thoughts in the direction of your intent and focus on it as much as you can." His face gained a mischievous expression. "And you may wish to find the strand of Passive Occlumency that I refer to as Thought Streams and perhaps work on it. It is a rather delicate branch so please advance slowly and read my notes carefully."
Harry nodded. "Of course, sir. Thank you."
"It is my pleasure to expedite the process of learning, Harry. If I may be so bold, why is it you are so insistent on learning wordless magic?"
"Uh… you can keep a secret, sir?"
"Why of course, Harry."
"I'm working with Alastor Moody-"
"Ah, yes, I thought that may have been it. Say no more, I understand completely." His eyes were twinkling like mad as he smiled benignly at Harry.
"You… knew?"
"Why of course not, I merely suspected, though you did just confirm said suspicion."
Harry sighed. "I guess I did, didn't I?"
"Augusta has trained you well thus far, but there is very much you do not know about politics and evasion. If I may be so bold, it is no insult to her character, if anything it is the opposite, but Augusta was never one for subtlety. It is a valuable trait in politics, and I do hope you will take the time to learn it from others."
"I'll… do my best, sir."
"Splendid! Now, was there anything else you would like to ask me before we truly begin our lesson? I must confess, I find these conversations most exhilarating."
Harry smiled, he couldn't help it. "I'm glad to be of service, professor." He answered cheekily before taking on a more business like demeanour. "Sir, I read about the switching spell in a transfiguration text and I had some questions about it."
October 31st 1992.
The Great Hall.
6:03 PM.
Harry, Ron, Dean and Neville entered The Great Hall and immediately cast their gaze around, taking note of the impressive assortment of decorations both magical and mundane that were on display. "They really do outdo themselves, don't they?" Ron asked fondly, and Harry nodded.
"Let's hope we get to enjoy it this year." He responded. "No trolls running around that we need to beat this year, I hope."
"Yeah," Neville put in darkly, "I can't afford to lose this wand."
"You know," Ron mused, "that was probably the stupidest yet coolest thing I've ever done in my life." Harry and Neville locked eyes and Harry knew that both of them were thinking about Harry rushing off after Quirrell and The Philosopher's Stone.
"So glad I could make your Halloween entertaining." Neville said dryly, causing Ron to laugh as they took their seats at the table — the exact seats they had coordinated in advance, as a matter of fact. Harry reached under the table with his foot and felt around. A second later, his foot hit an invisible something and he smirked, knowing that their plan would go off without a hitch.
"Personally," he muttered, "I think this might be the dumbest thing we've ever done, but that's just me."
"It's gonna be brilliant though!" Ron whispered back excitedly.
"Unless we get caught." Dean deadpanned. "Then, being thrown out of Hogwarts will probably be the least of our worries."
"Let's not talk about that." Harry said quickly. "We'll be fine. We just have to hope we can outdo the terrors." Speaking of said terrors, both of them chose that moment to stride confidently into the hall and take seats directly beside Harry's quartet.
"Happy Halloween, gentlemen." George said with an air of exasperated excitement.
"You as well." Harry responded, allowing the most confident variant of a smirk he could think up to cross his face. "Nervous?"
The twins smirked right back at him. "Oh, Harrikins, how delightfully naive of you to think you have a chance." Fred said with a grin that was all teeth.
Harry shrugged. "Naivety is to assume you're going to win something. I don't assume anything; I'm sure of it."
George threw back his head and laughed, clasping Harry on the shoulder from beside him, not noticing the momentary tense he drew from the younger lion. "I like this one, Gred."
"Yeah, it's got fangs." Fred responded, amused.
"Oh, Fredikins," Harry bit back in a sing-song voice, "you have no idea."
The twins looked scandalized. "How did you know which of us was which?" George asked with legitimate incredulity.
Harry smirked. "I didn't, but you just confirmed it and now I know exactly how to tell in the future." Fred had a small, faint scar at the corner of his mouth and that was what Harry would be using to tell the twins apart.
'Thanks for that trick, Headmaster.'
The twins exchanged looks as Harry's friends laughed openly. "A worthy challenger." George conceded.
"Not worthy enough," George assured, "but worthy."
All conversation ceased a moment later when food of all sorts appeared on the table and the students and staff began to chow down in unison. Harry enjoyed the experience. It was nice to just be a normal kid and sit there with his friends enjoying the normal activities put on by the school. As soon as Dumbledore swept to his feet to make some announcements about the Quidditch schedule as well as a speech on the historical significance of Halloween and Samhain alike, Harry knew it was showtime. There was a moment where he, Ron, Dean and Neville locked eyes with the twins and in that instant, a silent competition raged to see who would make the opening move.
This lasted a full minute before, with an exaggerated sigh, the twins discreetly withdrew their wands. "Fine." Said Fred.
"Have it your way." Whispered George, and then, as one they incanted in a whisper. Harry realized instantly that whatever they had done, it was triggered by a password of sorts, not an incantation.
"Ballesnakey."
'What?' Harry had enough time to think before the hall erupted in a chorus of surprised, terrified and furious screams. Within a second, Dumbledore had broken off his speech to peer over towards the source of the commotion and for the first time in living memory, Harry found the Headmaster to be thoroughly dumbstruck. Within five seconds, everybody in the hall was on their feet to investigate for themselves and within ten, they were all howling in unrestrained laughter.
Over at the Slytherin table, the formerly dignified house of cunning and ambition, including several heirs and heiresses to powerful political families had gone through a sudden wardrobe malfunction. Instead of their typical black robes emblazoned with Salazar's chosen symbol, they all wore what Harry vaguely recognized as lurid pink leotards. Harry couldn't help it, within seconds, he was doubled over laughing with the rest of the hall, though there was a few seconds where he could do nothing but stand and gape. Ron was actually rolling on the floor, and Dean looked like he was only seconds away from a similar fiasco.
The chaos raged on for nearly three minutes before Dumbledore silenced the hall with a firework from his wand. To Harry's amusement, his eyes were twinkling and instead of getting furious or indignant, the man simply told the hall to take their seats once more. This drew another round of laughter as the Slytherins loudly protested, many of them hurling blatant obscenities at the Headmaster, who seemed not to notice. In an effort to appease his charges, Snape swept to his feet and began his path towards his house table, likely to try and reverse whatever magic the twins had managed. With a smirk, Ron turned to the twins, not even batting an eye at their victorious demeanour. "Playtime's over, kiddies." He told them, imitating the name the twins had given to Harry's group
"Indeed," Harry continued, trying to emulate the calm, level voice Dumbledore always used when delivering that word before he allowed a cruel smile to cross his face, "it's showtime!" As subtly as he could manage, Harry drew his wand, focused on his desired target and gave it a flick in the general direction of Hogwarts' resident Potions Master.
"Regimo."
The switching spell took effect at once and immediately, the hall was in fits of laughter once more as the red paint that was hidden in the bucket under the Gryffindor table and Harry's invisibility cloak promptly switched itself out for the oil in Snape's hair. Within a second, he had red paint pouring out of his hair and down his robes and he actually stumbled and nearly fell. Better still, it was not simply red paint, but red paint in the exact shade of the primary house colour for Gryffindor.
In the next few minutes, Harry was not entirely certain about what he enjoyed more. On one hand, the frenzy of hysteria that tore through The Great Hall was positively marvellous but on another, the horrified, dumbstruck look on the twins' faces may have taken the cake. Finally, Dumbledore took control once more and told the hall in a positively genial manner that it was probably best they concluded the feast a bit early. After all, it was best the Slytherins returned to their dormitories where they could change into proper robes, since nothing Snape had tried after cleaning himself off had any effect on their current attire.
As they were leaving the hall, much of Slytherin electing to follow the rest of the school up the stairs as well in order to get to a restroom to change, seeing as it was closer than their common room, Harry froze with utter terror as he heard something he had hoped to never hear again.
"So close… so tantalizingly close. Let me rip you, let me tear you, let me kill you."
Harry paled immediately and instantly, he summoned his wand into his hand. "Harry?" Neville asked. "What-"
"Shut up!" Harry hissed at Neville as he could hear the voice again, further away now.
"So close… so close — I smell blood, I smell blood!"
Upon later reflection, Harry had no idea what he was thinking when he threw on his reacquired invisibility cloak and took the stairs at a flat sprint. Ducking through a passageway in order to beat the rest of the student body to whatever was going on upstairs. The only thing he could think was that just like last year, a student was in mortal danger and just like last year, Harry's overwhelming sense of morality refused to allow the student in question to die.
Harry didn't even need hindsight to realize how foolish of an idea that was. No, Harry realized the moment he skidded into the second floor corridor and froze, a look of horror on his face as the sounds of the approaching mass of students grew louder by the second. In his hazy mind, Harry did not even worry about the implications of being caught at the scene of the crime nor did he consider how foolish that fear would have been, seeing as he was currently invisible. At that moment, Harry was far too focused on the crime itself.
Dangling from a torch bracket, still, cold and unmoving was Mrs. Norris and on the wall behind her, vivid words were written in what, to Harry, looked unmistakeably like blood.
The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened.
Enemies of The Heir Beware.
Author's Endnote:
I'm pretty happy with the way this one turned out. I think it was a good mix of info, light hearted fun and serious plot points.
I honestly didn't expect to dive into magical theory this early on in the story, but that scene with Dumbledore practically wrote itself. With that in mind, I have never read a magical theory system quite like the one I am using, but I have definitely taken conscious inspiration from several other works.
The most notable of which are:
A Cadmean Victory by DarknessEnthroned.
Harry Potter and The International Triwizard Tournament by Salient.
The Legacy by StorytellerSpW.
The Mind Arts by Wu Gang.
Magicks of The Arcane by Eilyfe.
And Harry Potter and The Prince of Slytherin by The Sinister Man.
In addition, I would like to give PoS another shoutout because the system of mind magic I am using in this and my other story, Harry Potter and The Ashes of Chaos is very similar to the one used in that story. I have messaged the author and acquired permission to use much of his system for mind magic because frankly, if there is an idea for The Mind Arts, it has been written. In light of that, if I am going to inevitably copy somebody even accidentally, I may as well use the system I think is the best and make my own additions.
Also, the magical theory I discussed in this story will likely carry over across all of my works, as I just think it works the best and I have thought about it in detail. Also, I have always thought magical cores were stupid, so I needed a better explanation. A shoutout to Discord user Yoshi89 for helping me with the system and explanations.
Additionally, I know I butchered human biology in this chapter. That was completely intentional both to make it easier to understand and because frankly, for all of his many talents, Dumbledore is not a biologist (nor am I).
And finally, I am very happy you all seem to enjoy Dumbledore, because there will be a lot of him in the next few chapters.
With all of that out of the way, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I am eager to hear your thoughts.
Please read and review.
PS: The next chapter will be posted next Sunday, May 3th at Approximately 3:00 PM EST.