Author's Note: I've edited Chapter 2 which impacts this chapter a bit, so if you haven't seen it please check it out again. (I edited it a second time, but it's just a small paragraph about (Y/n) meeting all of his teachers.)
Chapter 3: Slytherin
The room was large and richly decorated mainly in green and silver but there was gilding on the furniture.
A large wooden desk was at the back of the room framed by two Slytherin banners accompanied by a leather armchair, a second armchair was four bookcases all filled with books and old grimoire, but also cabinets and other storages furniture, opposite the door through which he entered was another door but no windows.
There was even a magical portrait on the wall behind the desk, the man in the portrait greeted him and introduced himself as Salazar Slytherin, (Y/n) thought to himself that it was probably Salazar in his youth because he had nothing to do with the representations of him that he knew, the Salazar in front of him was elegant with black hair, silver- eyes and dressed in a green costume, he could even be called handsome nothing comparable with the bald Salazar with long dirty nails, waxy skin and a long beard.
After introducing himself (Y / n) asked where he was, the portrait of Salazar replied that it was in the private office he used in his lifetime.
(Y/n) couldn't believe it, he was in Salazar Slytherin's private office, of course the Sorting Hat had told him to find this room but get used to his new life at Hogwarts and spend his free time with Astoria, Daphne and Tracey, (Y/n) had forgotten.
Salazar explained to him that if he was here it was because he was one of his descendants, indeed any Parseltongue could open the wall of the Slytherin common room but the door could only be open for one of his descendants.
"Well my mother explained to me the first time I spoke Parseltongue that her family the Sertroxs were descendants of the Slytherin family but also of Ravenclaw. "
"Interesting, so my family decided to bond with Rowena's."
Salazar was delighted to speak to a member of his family after all his years and also to learn that (Y/n) had his wand in his possession, (Y/n) introduced him to his familiar Kisara without whom he wouldn't have found the secret door.
During their discussion (Y/n) explained that the sorting hat told him to find this room and he also told him that he was not only a descendant of Salazar but that he was also his heir.
"Owning my wand and be able to use it, being a Parseltongue and the fact that you are here make you one of my descendants for sure, probably from a minor branch due to the fact that your mother's family no longer bears my name, but a few years ago a young man came here too claiming to be my heir and to have opened my secret room.
"Your secret room sir?"
"Yes, some person we started nicknamed the Chamber of Secrets, I built it before I left Hogwarts. "
"People say you left Hogwarts because of a disagreement with the other Founders because you didn't want muggleborns coming to Hogwarts. "
"Strange, it is true that there has been a lot of discussion about how to integrate muggleborns into the wizarding world and that I dislike muggles but I have never been against the fact that they can learn at Hogwarts ... no I had to leave Hogwarts because of one of my sons who… was a problem. "
"And who did he have in the room." "
"My familiar a Basilisk who was there to defend the school in my absence but I have no memory after that. "
"A Basilisk?"
"Indeed, but let's pick up where we left off do you want to? What did I say ? Ah yes my heir! I do not doubt the words of the Sorting Hat, it's a powerful artefact after all the four Founders were involved in its creation, but there is only one way to prove that and it is an inheritance test. "
"I've already thought about it but I have to go to Gringotts for this. "
"They entrusted the management of inheritances and titles to the goblins ?" "That's… an interesting idea, goblins are vile creatures but they remain unbiased about wizarding feuds and have certain principles, but you wouldn't need to go there for that my boy."
Following Salazar's indications (Y/n) quickly found what he was looking for, a bowl and a dagger both engraved with runes.
"If you are indeed my heir and if the Slytherin heir's ring is still the same then spilling your blood in this rune bowl should make it appear."
Following Salazar's instructions (Y/n) cut his hand with the dagger and let his blood flow into the bowl.
The wound made by the dagger magically closed after 7 drops of blood touched the bottom of the bowl, several runes gleamed and then it was the bowl's turn to emit a golden light, when it stopped (Y/ n) looked in the bowl and found a silver ring set with two emeralds with the Slytherin emblem in its center, (Y/n) put it on his right ring finger in response the ring adapts to his finger's size.
"Congratulations son, obviously our laws and the Magic recognize you as my rightful heir."
(Y/n) cast the Tempus spell and decided it was time for him to return to his dormitory, so as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Salazar.
"Young (Y / n)! I'm not familiar with the protocol of your time, but you should warn the goblins just to be safe, it's never a good idea to anger goblins. "
(Y/n) replied that he would send them a letter tomorrow morning, Salazar also told him that he could come here whenever he wanted or borrow his old grimoire, and that he had several other rooms left to discover.
Finally (Y/ n) returned to his room unseen and decided to write his letter to Gringotts's goblins before going to sleep for send it early tomorrow.
The next day after another school day when they were almost alone in the Slytherin common room (Y/n) asked Tracey, Daphne and Astoria what they knew about Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, so they told him what happened in their second years, the creature attacks first on Filch's cat Mrs Norris and then on the Muggleborns, the blood writings on the walls proclaim the heir to Slytherin had opened the Chamber of Secrets and that the Muggleborns are his targets, the suspicions about Iris Potter as she speaks Parseltongue, Hagrid sending to Azkaban and the last message from the heir saying he kidnapped Ginevra Weasley and her skeleton will forever rest in the Chamber, and eventually Iris, Ronald Weasley, and former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Gilderoy Lockhart came to the Chamber and the heir and his creature are stopped but the rest of the students don't know more and that they are not close enough to Iris to know more, all he could add is that after leaving the Chamber Professor Lockhart had lost his memory, some thinks it is about the work of the creature or for other mainly Slytherin it's Iris fault.
"And do you know what creature it was?"
"Several students including us think it is a Basilisk but we have never been able to confirm it. "
"But why are you interested at the Chamber (Y/n)? Astoria asked.
"Do you promise not to tell anyone?"
Each girls nodded and promised not to tell anyone.
After verifying that no one was listening to them, (Y/n) turned the ring on his finger and showed them.
"But it's…"
"Shhh !"
"It is ?"
"Slytherin Heir's Ring yes."
"it's not you who?"
"Tracey I was in Uagadou I remind you and I wasn't even aware that I was the heir of Slytherin at that time, and frankly you see me doing that?"
"No, of course not, sorry for asking."
"Apologies accepted."
"But when did you find out?" Asked Daphne.
"During the Shorting, the hat told me, well he mostly said 'Salazar would curse me if I didn't send his heir to his house' and I was able to confirm that yesterday."
"And how did you confirm it?"
"Uh ... um ... I promise to tell you everything but not today."
"I'm warning you Black you better not keep things from us that could endanger you, I don't want to see my f- um one of my friend get hurt, understand? Tracey told him as she stood up to press her index against (Y/n) 's chest, visibly angry, while beside her Daphne and Astoria nodded.
"Nothing dangerous I promise I just have to get something clear."
A few hours later after everyone had gone to bed, (Y/n) snuck out of his room and went to see Salazar and told him the story of the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.
"Very strange this story. My Basilisk was not only my familiar but it was also my family's, but this story is strange if one of my descendants was at Hogwarts two years ago where is he now? Why does Magic recognize you as my heir now? And why use my Basilisk to attack the Muggleborns?"
"I can't tell you more I'm sorry sir but have a question?"
"I'm listening my boy."
"What if I had ordered the Basilisk to stop these attacks. "
"Hard to say two descendants and if what you say is true two heirs who give him two different orders but in doubt he would have surely chosen to stop."
"So I could have stopped the attacks."
(Y/n) replied, his body shaking and taking his head in his hands.
"Don't blame yourself my boy, no one was hurt. "
"Maybe, but people were still in danger of death!" "
Once calmed down, (Y / n) came to his senses.
"But there is still something I can do."
The next day (Y/n) asked Daphne, Astoria and Tracey about the people directly and indirectly affected by the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and the Basilisk attack.
(Y/n) ended with a list of the petrified people, Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Mrs Norris Argus Filch's cat, the ghost Nearly Headless Nick, Hermione Granger and also the people involved but not 'having been petrified Ginny and Ronald Weasley and Iris Potter and the first and only victim Myrtle Warren known as Moaning Myrtle.
"But why are you asking?"
"I am the future head of the Slytherin family. The least I can do is apologize for what my predecessor did. "
"But are you sure it's very safe to reveal to everyone that you are the heir of Slytherin?"
"I'm not ashamed of who I am Tracey, people already think I'm the son of a traitor, killer and Death Eater and that I'll become like that too, while they think I am a future dark art user or even a future dark lord is the least of my concerns. "
"But that's not true, your father is innocent, isn't he?"
"Sure, but people willing to believe that have to be counted on the fingers of one hand."
"Tracey is only worried about you (Y/n) like Astoria and me but whatever you face you can count on us." Say Daphne.
"It's true, we've only known each other for a few weeks, but I've already learned that you are a caring and kind person." Continued Astoria.
"And you are one of the few purebloods who don't discriminate against anyone, be they pureblood, muggleborn, or half-blood like me. " Added Tracey
"Thank you girls, it means a lot to me. "
Of the six people to whom (Y/n) had apologized so far none were really going well, Filch barely listened to him and then threatened to send him to detention, to have him cleaned up all the school then to expelled him, Colin Creevey had as he suspected had been more afraid of him and had left running the second he had finished speaking, the same thing for Justin Finch-Fletchley who instead of running had started to insult and threaten him,, same thing for Ronald Weasley who simply insulted him before leaving, Nearly Headless Nick Gryffindor's ghost had easily accepted his apology but the discussion that followed lasted for hours and (Y/n) did not dare to leave out of politeness, Myrtle had also accepted his apology before starting to flirt with him in a little brutal and not really subtle way and by offering to join her in her toilet after his death.
Finally there were only three more people left, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley and Iris Potter, (Y/n) found them all three together in the Courtyard.
When (Y/n) called them Miss, Iris told him he could call them by their names.
"Only if you call me (Y/n)."
At first Ginny didn't seem very comfortable especially when a Slytherin especially when he introduced himself as the new heir of Slytherin but feeling safe enough with Iris and Hermione, she stayed.
After apologizing, Hermione points out that it was nothing to do with it and that even if he is a descendant of Slytherin or even his heir it is not him who unleashed the Basilisk on the Muggleborns students, order him to attack Iris or who to take Ginny to the Chamber, and Iris nodded.
"But if I had been there things would have turned out differently, I surely could have stopped the Basilisk"
"But the past is the past, it would be pointless to rehash it over and over again, that's not what keeps us going and it's not healthy."
"I know but, it must have been quite a traumatic experience, I feel guilty that I wasn't there."
"You shouldn't, like Hermione said it wasn't your fault." Ginny told him participating in the conversation for the first time.
(Y/n) nodded and thanked her.
"I would like to know more about what happened in the Chamber and especially who was this other heir of Slytherin…well later when we get to know each other better it must not be something easy to tell a complete stranger "
"Of course, it would be a pleasure to get to know each other better." Iris told him visibly enthusiastic, Hermione and Ginny nodded.
"But won't that be a problem for you, I mean with the other Slytherins and especially with Malfoy and his gang?" Ginny asked him.
"I don't think, after all I'm the future Lord Slytherin and the House Cup isn't really my priority so I don't see why I couldn't make friends outside of my house and for Malfoy he doesn't scare me."
After chatting with Iris, Ginny and Hermione a bit more and agreeing that they would go to the library together later in the week, (Y/n) left them. As he was leaving, he was interrupted by Iris.
"(Y/n), I was wondering if you had time to discuss about Sirius."
"I don't really have time, I'm expected and there isn't much to discuss, YOU are the last person to speak with him not ME. »Answer coldly (Y/n) before resuming his way, part of him regretted his words very quickly but when he wondered if he should apologize, Iris was already gone.
End notes:
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