Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to them.


"Where are you taking me?" Daphne pouted as Harry dragged her down the hall by her arm. The Sunday breakfast meal had just finished when Harry had grabbed her hand and pulled her up from her seat at the Slytherin table.

"Remember how awesome I was when I used parseltongue to animate those sausages that attacked Draco?" Harry asked excitedly.

"How can I forget, he still pouts over it," Daphne smiled, losing herself for a moment in the joyful memory of Malfoy's humiliation. She quickly schooled her features. "What about it?"

"This will be more impressive, trust me."

In truth, she did trust Harry. Not to keep secrets, definitely not, but she did trust him enough to not hurt her.

"This is the girl's bathroom," Daphne said blandly when they reached their destination.

"In my defense, this used to be the boys bathroom up until the sixteenth century. Why do you think I brought you? Can you make sure no one is in there?"

Deciding that her trust would extend exactly two more minutes, Daphne entered and did a quick sweep. It was empty. One minute and fifteen seconds left.

After getting her call of 'all clear', Harry went straight to the sink and began searching for something. At forty-five seconds of trust left, he spoke parseltongue and the sink began to transform.

It turned into a slide.

"Beyond this is Salazar Slytherin's hidden Chamber of Secrets," Harry announced with all the flourish an eleven year old boy could muster. His flourish wasn't impressive, but the implications of his words blew her mind. While her brain computed and calculated, her mouth continued working.

"Is this the only entrance? A slide?"

"Well, I can make it into stairs easily enough so we can get out, but it is a long way and it'll be a lot more fun to slide down."

Daphne debated getting Professor Snape, or any teacher really, but discarded it quickly. There was too much to gain by following Harry down. If they were caught, she could feign ignorance since it technically wasn't against the rules to go into the Chamber of Secrets, and she knew Harry would take all the blame.

"Fine, lead the way," Daphne sighed, though on the inside she was giddy. Appearances had to be maintained, after all.

"Wah-hoo!" Harry whooped as he dived in, disappearing from view.

Alone, she indulged in a genuine smile before hopping after Harry. She would deny for years that she squealed with glee on the way down.

"Hurry up," Harry urged right as Daphne reached the end. She took a moment to straighten her clothes, wishing she knew the spell her mother used to clean the ash off of their clothes when they floo travelled. At least Harry cleared most of the gunk from the slide when he went first, and the repair charms on her robes should take care of anything else sticking to her.

"This is the Chamber of Secrets?" Daphne asked, looking around. It didn't seem too impressive, more like a dungeon antechamber.

"Not yet, the really impressive part is further on, I think" Harry assured. "This is still just the entrance way."

The pair picked their way past columns and through hallways until they reached a massive door sealed with a snake themed lock.

"This seems more appropriate," Daphne murmured. "Does this take Parseltongue to open as well?"

"I think so," Harry frowned. "I can't remember if this is the main entrance or the trapped door for unsuspecting intruders."

"Excuse me?" Daphne demanded.

"Kidding, kidding," Harry reassured. "Mostly."

"Not helping your case," Daphne muttered.

Harry hissed in parseltongue, setting the lock into motion. Luckily for them both, it was simply the main entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and not something more sinister.

It was magnificent. There was no other way for Daphne to describe it. The snake theme was obvious and expected, but it was the subtle touches that truly gave the Chamber of Secrets its grandeur. A ramp led them down to the floor of the chamber. The magically lit torches provided the appropriate ambiance. The architectural symmetry combined with decorative motif directed the eye to the large statue of Salazar Slytherin embedded in the wall.

Daphne paused her approach to the giant statue, the walkway flanked by snakes emerging from the water, and turned around. The obvious path was rarely the correct one. Slytherin wouldn't be obvious unless it was a trap for the unsuspecting, as Harry had mentioned.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, noticing she wasn't by his side anymore.

"Trust me," she answered, beckoning him to follow her back towards the entrance to the Chamber. He followed her without hesitation. Instead of going up the ramp to the exit, Daphne started examining the alcoves in the shadows next to the ramp. "Here, I found something."

Harry moved next to her, looking where she was pointing. It was a small snake engraved on a rocky protrusion.

"I never would have found this," Harry whispered to Daphne before hissing in parseltongue.

Nothing happened.

"Is there an issue?" Daphne smirked.

"Saying 'Open' didn't open it," Harry shrugged.

"Try 'Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness'," Daphne offered.

Harry paused a moment before hissing. The snake wiggled and grew, eventually widening its mouth into a spiral staircase headed downwards.

"How did you know?" Harry asked, wide-eyed in amazement.

"Slytherin house motto," Daphne preened. "Legend has it Salazar himself established it. I guess legend was right."

"Yeah, yeah," Harry laughed. "Shall we?"

"After you," Daphne motioned, and Harry led them down the staircase.

Two rotations later they entered a large one studio apartment, complete with a king sized bed, kitchenette, and a massive bookcase filled with obviously ancient tomes. Harry guessed the door off to one side would lead to a bathroom.

"This is incredible," Daphne whispered, walking around and touching the various furniture pieces. "This must be his personal quarters. Do you know what some of the Slytherins would give you to be here?"

"Probably a lot," Harry nodded. "Look, I think we need to talk about everything."

Daphne took a ladylike seat in the chair at the desk with as much dignity as she could muster. She couldn't help but objectively come up with a negative assessment of her tactical situation. If Harry so wished, her body would never be found. He could abandon her here easily, and there was little chance she could stop him. While she was no slouch in dueling thanks to her tutoring and training, both magical and physical, Harry had the slight advantage in both forms of combat, plus the advantage of terrain and his parseltongue command of the door out. The only reason she didn't preemptively strike is she knew Harry to be honorable. She was betting her life and her freedom on it.

"Go ahead," Daphne ordered. As it was common over the years, she took control of their conversations. Harry, for all his power, wealth, confidence, and knowledge, had a passive streak that she could exploit occasionally.

"We've been friends for years, ever since Sirius negotiated with your dad for those parseltongue books. I know your dad was hoping to get a marriage contract between us, and I know this whole thing, all these contracts popping up, I don't know..." Harry ran his hand through his messy hair while he tried to organize his thoughts. "I don't want you to think that you aren't my friend. I mean, you weren't my friend because of the books or a future contract or anything. I actually like spending time with you. That's why I asked you down here, I wanted to experience this place for the first time with you."

"You wanted me to be your first," Daphne probed cautiously, prompting Harry to clarify since he wasn't a Slytherin and she knew what he meant to say wasn't always what he implied with his words, nor was it always what he actually said. It could be just a male thing and not a non-Slytherin thing, but it was definitely a Harry thing, especially when he was nervous like he was now.

"No, not exactly. Tonks said I had to be careful with what I said and meant, so let me try again," Harry sighed. "You are my friend, and I would not dismiss a marriage contract with you in the future, if that is something that comes up later and you want. But I know that getting a bunch of wives and concubines makes things so much more complicated for me, and if Tonks is right then I'm going to mess up a bunch with pretty much everyone. I'm stuck with the others because of contracts, so I'd be able to work through my mistakes with them because we have to, but I don't want to lose you because I am, and I'm quoting Snape here, 'a dunderhead'."

"So you want me to disregard your wives and concubines and slaves, with which you must have children, and continue on as if they didn't exist?" Daphne asked politely, not revealing anything she was feeling, not that she revealed her feelings on a normal day.

"Something like that, yeah," Harry agreed.

"Impossible," Daphne replied, before continuing her explanation when she saw Harry's countenance fall. "Those contracts are now part and parcel of who you are, and cannot be ignored. To do so would be folly. You are the head of seven houses, which will require several more wives than you currently have. All of that must be taken into account when talking about our own relationship and its future. I will, however, remain your friend, regardless."

"I guess that's fair," Harry sullenly shrugged. "Not what I was hoping for, but as long as you are my friend I think I can deal with it. As long as you tell me when I mess something up between us, and we are honest with each other, I think we'll be OK."

"Honesty is something Slytherins can rarely afford," Daphne cautioned. "There are plots within plots within plots that we have to navigate, at least if I want to come out on top. There are times that I cannot be honest with you, at least in public."

"How about we are completely honest with each other when we are here in the Chamber of Secrets? No politics, no secrets, no plots, no lies or half-truths or deflections or misdirection. Out in the school, you can weave your web or do your Slytherin games or whatever, doing and saying whatever you need to do, but when we are here we are completely open and honest with each other."

"Let me think about it," Daphne said after a moment. "But I am not opposed to the proposal. How about a trial run on the honesty. You have wives or concubines for four of your seven houses. Have you thought about when you'd start fulfilling the heir portion of the contracts?"

"No!" Harry stammered, blushing profusely. "Well, kinda, yeah, but no plans or dates or anything like that. Nothing really beyond random thoughts."

"Go on," Daphne encouraged, smiling mischievously.

"Pretty sure I won't be pushing for kids before graduation. My graduation, that is. Cho is older and so she'll graduate sooner. Su Li almost threw herself at me when we had the breakfast, saying something about joining sooner, but I've been avoiding her until I can look at the original draconic text of the contract. I've dealt with Sirius teasing me for months about heirs, but I doubt there will be any children for many more years."

"Do you wish for me to talk with Su?" Daphne offered. Harry knew it wasn't a plot or trap or scheme to gain a favor because her left eyebrow wasn't slightly raised when she asked. "To find out her position?"

"Not right now, but thank you. I think the contract should be here in the next week, and I'll have a better idea of what I want to do then. Since we're being honest with each other here, conditionally at least, what do you think about my whole situation?"

"You situation is like, hmmm, how should I put it. As if there was a philosopher's stone buried beneath a nindu-infested Egyptian tomb. The potential is unprecedented, both the benefits and the dangers. If you can successfully navigate through the pitfalls, Merlin himself would be jealous of what you could accomplish. You will have end up having close ties to at least eleven houses, some of which are the most powerful or influential in society now. Make a mess of things and you'll be a cautionary footnote in Professor Binns lectures. Succeed and they will build a statue of you and your harem in the entrance to Diagon Alley."

"Why does everyone say it'll be a harem?" Harry groaned. "But that didn't answer my question. What do you personally think about it?"

Daphne hesitated.

She had a decision to make. She could be completely honest with Harry, partially honest, or she could lie. She knew she could lie to Harry without him noticing, not without her wanting him to know she was lying to him. Each choice held dangers and benefits. What did she want out of their relationship? That was what she had to decide before answering.

"I'm scared," Daphne admitted softly. "To any other potential husband, I would be a prize. My family's wealth, political connections, economic presence, history, heritage and lineage, all a worthwhile dowry for my hand in marriage."

"I don't care about any of that."

"I know, and that is why I am scared," Daphne explained. "Even if you take away everything but the fettered contracts, my objective value to you is still paltry now. I've grown up knowing that my marriage would likely have political influence involved, and I was confident that I would be in control of the marriage because of what I could bring to bear. I would have my pick of suitors, and thus I would be able to veto any undesirables from my father's list. My future was in my own hands. Tracey, for all her bluster, does not have that luxury. Her family is not as well connected as mine, so she has less control over her future, it depends on who and how many suitors she has in later years. If she has few, she may have to settle for someone she can tolerate instead of picking someone she likes."

"We're only eleven," Harry grunted.

"And I've been training to be nobility since before I met you," Daphne countered. "Arranged marriages, while not preferable to love, have always been an option for me if the circumstances were right. I am afraid that I will have nothing to offer you anymore. Next question. How did you learn about the Chamber of Secrets? It's been lost for centuries."

He had a decision to make. He could be completely honest with Daphne, partially honest, or he could lie. He was never a good liar, she could always spot when he was holding back, but he had picked up on her tells too. He usually didn't call her out when she lied to him, so she might not know he knew. Each choice held dangers and benefits. What did he want out of their relationship? That was what he had to decide before answering.

"Ever since I was a kid, a bit before I met you, I've had tutors teaching me while I slept. Kinda like having dreams every night about going to school and learning things, except I don't think they were dreams. I think they were ghosts or spirits. One of the people who teaches me is Salazar Slytherin. He told me about the Chamber, and how to get inside. He didn't tell me about this room, though."

"That was not what I was expecting," Daphne stared, wide eyed. "Who else is teaching you?"

"Not your turn," Harry grinned, wagging his finger back and forth. "What is Snape's problem with me?"

"Hard to tell, really," Daphne shrugged. "His words and behavior towards you certainly extend past the usual house rivalry. He hasn't made any declarations of hostility about you, like he has Weasley and Longbottom, so his grudge has to be personal, perhaps involving your parents. I suspect you should ask your godfather about it and see if he has any insight. Now, who else is tutoring you?"

"I got a dragon, a basilisk, Salazar, Merlin," Harry listed off before hesitating. "I have two more, but I just want you to know that they provide information, not any other influence on me."

"Ominous, go on."

"I think one might be the personification of Death. I'm not sure, but that is who she says she is. The last one is the memory of Tom Riddle, who is known as Lord Voldemort."

Daphne was silent for a long time, time Harry passed shuffling from one foot to the other. He knew Daphne just needed time to process and evaluate his bombshell, that she would answer in her own time. It didn't stop him from wondering if he'd made the biggest mistake telling her.

"I am not sure what to do with that," Daphne confessed after a few more minutes of silence. "I doubt we have the time to wait for me to properly analyze it. How about we head back to the school now?"

"Alright," Harry gulped nervously.

"Would you bring me back here next weekend?" Daphne petitioned. "I would love to explore some more, and we can talk as well."

"Sure," Harry smiled, knowing that while things were weird right now, they would be OK between them. "No problem."

After a last look around Salazar Slytherin's personal chambers, Harry and Daphne returned to the main floor of the Chamber of Secrets. As they exited the hidden staircase, they heard a hiss and the sound of stone creaking. A quick glance towards the noise showed something had blocked the ramp and the only exit.

A fifty foot long basilisk coiled, hissing and ready to strike.

Both Daphne and Harry began to swear.