Harry sighed inwardly as he walked down the Gryffindor table to his seat. Like usual, on the first morning of school, there was only one first year with any food appearing before him.
Harry watched as the first year pureblood packed food onto the plate and then ran out into the hall where there was a group of giggling children.
The hungry half-bloods watched on quietly. They had undoubtedly expected it to happen on the first morning. It was almost tradition; it happened so often.
The Muggle-Borns of course made their protests loud and clear. Harry heard exclamations of, "where's our food?!" and "this is ridiculous!" and even his own name as he walked past.
"Hey Hector." Harry said as he sat beside his friend.
"Hey, so how long did they keep you up last night?" Hector asked, turning to look at Harry.
"Half past one if I remember right…" Harry replied before stocking his plate with food.
"Better than last year, I suppose." Hector replied before going back to gorging himself.
"Yeah, I have Jack to thank for that. I'm almost surprised he didn't purposefully wait, just to make me suffer and stay up even later," Harry joked.
Harry saw the Weasley twins walk in at the moment. He watched them briefly, out of the corner of his eye, before looking back at Hector.
"Fred and George are prefects now. I don't know how they did it. Frank was the last prefect to come to me last night. Has he said anything to you?" Harry whispered.
At that, Hector turned away from his food and looked back at Harry. "Frank's losing control of his year? Serves him right. He was getting a bit big for his boots. The little brat called me your lapdog over summer." Hector said angrily.
Harry nodded but didn't say anything. Hector being his "lapdog" wasn't entirely... untrue. Hector was powerful and intelligent enough, he was a good, pureblood, wizard. But he wasn't exactly smart.
Hector had latched onto Harry, like a parasite, rather early on in his Hogwarts career. Harry liked Hector, he really did. But he would admit that Hector wasn't exactly "officer" material.
He had told the headmaster that himself just last year. When post-graduation careers came up. Harry, like many Gryffindors, would be joining the Royal Wizarding Force. Hector would also be joining, and he would serve under Harry as his XO.
Hector took it as a compliment, but Harry was just relieved to have someone he could trust to carry out his orders.
Harry was interrupted out of his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder. "Hello, Harry." The voice spoke as it sat beside Harry.
Harry sighed inwardly but hid it with a smile. "Hello Margery, how was your break?" Harry asked pleasantly.
"Oh you know... Father was busy with work, so I spent quite a bit of time by myself. Did you get my letters? It's impolite, you know, not responding to a witch's letters." She scolded, looking expectantly at him.
"Hmm, they must've gotten lost… to receive letters from a witch such as yourself would be an honor!" Harry exclaimed, almost passionately.
Margery's lips thinned at the jab, but her smile remained.
"Oh Harry, always with a joke… Anyway, I better leave you to it, you know how it is, Headgirl duties to attend to and such." Margery spoke before using Harry's shoulder as leverage to stand.
"You know, I hear there will be a ball this year. You ought to act fast, lest I am taken by someone far more handsome," Margery whispered into Harry's ear.
Harry scoffed at the idea. "Please, there is no one more handsome than me." He said seriously.
Harry smirked as he turned to look at the girl. "Besides, even if there were, why would he ask you?"
Margery's eyes squinted in irritation, but she refrained from making another comment.
"Blimey, Harry, I don't know how you talk to her that way. Anyone else and they would be in the hospital ward by midnight." Hector muttered after Margery was out of earshot.
Harry chuckled slightly before returning to his own food.
Margery and Harry went way back. They had been quite good friends as children. Their fathers both worked with each other in the government. Naturally, the parties and events that Harry got dragged to, Margery had also been forced to attend. They had a decent relationship when they were first years or so at Hogwarts, but being sorted in different houses wasn't easy. Harry becoming Headboy and later Margery, Headgirl, pretty much ended the friendship.
At least at Hogwarts. Outside of school, they were civil, even friendly. Marriage had been mentioned once or twice by their fathers, but neither Harry nor Margery pushed for it much. Their mothers were displeased at first, but they didn't wish to force the pair together. Who was better for their perfect child than their perfect niece/nephew? The sisters still whispered between themselves that it was only a matter of time.
The 15-minute warning bell rang out as Harry finished his breakfast. "The girls sure are taking their time," Harry thought out loud.
Another ten minutes passed before Harry's two very disheveled looking friends walked in.
"You better hurry, not much time to eat," Hector said with a smirk as he watched the girls grab some food in a very unladylike manner.
"Oh shut up you plonker," Lyra snapped.
Hector held his hands up as if to display his innocence. "What's got you riled up? It's not my fault you need your beauty sleep." He poked.
Lyra ignored him this time in favor of blowing a loose strand of hair from her mouth.
The two witches had barely taken a bite when the morning bell rang. Lyra's face scrunched in anger as she tried desperately to take a few more bites of her pancake. Two bites in and it, along with the rest of the food, disappeared.
"Dammit!" Lyra muttered angrily.
Harry and Hector smirked at each other before standing up.
The four walked in silence out of the Great Hall. Except for Lyra, who was still whispering angry curses.
"At least we got some food." Angelina finally muttered to Lyra as they passed some hungry looking half-bloods.
Lyra briefly looked at the half-bloods before looking back at Angelina with a smirk. "You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" She mocked, her previous bad mood all but forgotten.
Angelina's face scrunched into a glare, but she held her tongue.
Harry and Hector trailed the pair in silence, both refusing to get involved.
The four seventh years found their classroom after a small walk and sat down. Harry watched as more Gryffindors trickled in, a few Hufflepuffs and Slytherin, and even a Ravenclaw.
'Same students from last year' Harry noted.
The room remained quiet for a few minutes as students whispered amongst themselves, waiting for class to begin.
Suddenly a tall man with short grey hair walked in. "If you don't remember me, I am Professor Gibbon. If you don't know or are in the wrong place, this is Wizards in War 701."
Professor Gibbon waited a single moment before continuing. "Great, open your textbooks to page 17, we'll continue from last year." He said in a no nonsense tone before students quickly pulled out their books.
...
The day went by slowly for Harry. He had four classes that Monday, two before lunch and two after. It was mostly just a review of the year prior, of which Harry had little need.
Harry rubbed his stiff neck as he walked back to the common room with Lyra.
"Man, Terrain and Magic 721 has never been fun, but it's even worse this year." Lyra said as she too stretched her back.
"What did you expect? Gibbon isn't going to retire for another ten years at least, and he's only getting worse and worse every year. I honestly feel bad for Flora." Harry joked.
"How old is he anyway? 180? 200? When was the last time he saw combat? We're learning from a fossil." Lyra asked angrily.
"My grandfather says he's one of the best men he knows and that I should be honored to be taught by him." Harry replied in a voice that was mockingly similar to his grandfather.
Lyra cracked a smile at that. "Yeah, and I bet Gibbon taught him as well. He's a fossil and you know it." Lyra finished Just as they reached the Gryffindor common room entrance.
"Strength," Harry whispered after briefly looking around. It wouldn't look good to have their password leaked so early.
The portrait flung open, revealing a very loud room.
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered as he walked in.
Two groups were fighting in the middle of the common room, and the spectators were cheering them on.
Though when they saw Harry they quickly shut up and made themselves scarce.
The two furious groups, however, didn't seem to notice and perhaps even grew louder and more violent.
Harry watched for a moment, scoping out who was fighting who.
"Silence!" Harry shouted after a few moments.
The two groups didn't seem to notice, or perhaps they just didn't care.
"Bombardo" Harry spoke after he had pulled out his wand. He focused on keeping the spell weak to not seriously hurt anyone.
The group split in two as both sides blasted apart at quite remarkable speeds.
There were a few grumbles of pain and a few stood up and had their wands trained on Harry.
It either took them a few moments to recognize him or perhaps they were just deciding whether to risk it.
Harry waited patiently with Lyra at his side as the grumbling teens slowly stood up and recovered the bearings.
"Come with me," Harry muttered after the last teen looked him in the eye. Harry led the group away from eager eyes of gossiping teens to the prefect's room.
"So? What's this all about?" Harry finally asked after no one made a move to speak.
It was the usual suspects. But the leaders seemed to be Fred and George Weasley on one side, with Frank Fawley and Avery Wilkes on the other. All four of them, sixth year prefects. Everyone else Harry recognized seemed to be a sixth year student as well. Some sort of inner-year power struggle, perhaps?
While Fred and George had been new prefects this year, Avery and Frank had been prefects last year.
None stepped up to explain themselves.
Harry snorted before continuing. "Let me tell you what I think is going on here. Some sort of disagreement that started last night, which has been picked back up tonight." Harry spoke as he looked each student in their eyes.
"Harry, it's Fred and George, you k-" Frank finally spoke up, but Harry was quick with his wand and shut him up.
"You had your chance, Frank, now it's my turn." Harry cut him off and spoke his name mockingly.
"Now instead of sorting this like good little pure-blood wizards, you're out here brawling like common muggles! You didn't even have the decency to do it behind closed doors. This is the common room, you stupid monkeys!" Harry shouted.
Harry took a deep breath and stepped back to calm himself. He wasn't actually angry, not really, not over a thing like this. But he had to present himself as if he were and threaten them.
"Harry-" Fred now spoke up.
Harry held his hand up, silencing him. "There are ways to handle this. Ways you should know about. Do you wish to be treated like the Muggle-Borns? I could make it happen. You brawl like them and apparently even think like them. So why shouldn't you live like them?" Harry asked, honestly.
Some looked at Harry in disbelief. Some looked at Harry like he was the devil. The four prefects looked at Harry with a mixture of anger and resentment.
Harry waited a few long moments for effect before continuing calmly. "We all know what's happening this year, Gryffindor is going to be under more threat than it has been for years. Get your shit together, or I'll do it for you." Harry finished his threat before leaving the room, with Lyra chasing behind him.
"You're scawwwy" she mocked after they were out of earshot.
"You think? Hopefully... Those idiots have been a pain in my rear for years." Harry remarked as he thought back to all the situations they had put him in.
Harry and Lyra walked through Gryffindor tower until they arrived back in the common room.
The students who remained looked at Harry eagerly for some drama, but Harry would not give any up.
Harry sighed as he sat down on one of the couches. It had been a long night and long day. He just wanted to take a nap, but there were so many things to do.
"Aguamenti," Harry heard before he felt water drench the back of his neck and head.
Harry clenched his eyes in annoyance for a second before standing up.
'Of course…' Harry thought as he looked at who had cast the spell.
"I challenge you to a duel, cousin." Benjamin Potter stood there looking proud. Harry just wanted to throttle him.
"Again? Are you sure?" Harry honestly asked. He had no problem beating his cousin, but not when he was so tired and the couch looked so comfy.
"Scared, cousin?" Benjamin mocked.
Harry sighed before shaking his head. "C'mon," Harry muttered.
Harry led Lyra and Benjamin to a hallway before Benjamin turned to address the room. "If any of you wish to see me finally triumph over my tyrannous cousin, then, please, come and watch history!" Benjamin said passionately.
Few in the room looked up from the books, fewer got up. Not even Jack batted an eye.
"Are you done?" Harry asked after a moment.
If Benjamin was disheartened at the lack of support, he didn't show it.
Benjamin had always seemed to be under the impression that if he beat Harry in a duel, then he would take his life. He would become Headboy, take his friends, even take his inheritance and transfer the Potter Lordship to him.
If Harry ever lost a duel to his oaf of a cousin then perhaps he really did deserve all that and more. But he wouldn't.
Benjamin was practically a squib, only getting into Hogwarts on his name. His father and uncle and all the Potters were ashamed of him, but he was still a Potter. So he had been left well enough alone at Hogwarts because of Harry.
"Are you ready?" Harry asked in a bored tone as he walked to his side of the room.
"Yes, dear cousin. Lyra, I shall save you from my cousin's corrupt influence. Fear not, it won't be much longer, dear." Benjamin said before taking quite the extravagant bow to his opponent.
Lyra looked at Harry, clearly weirded out, and mouthed the words "kick his ass."
Harry snorted before returning to his cousin with a bow of his own.
"Expelliarmus!" Benjamin said slowly, passionately enunciating each syllable. Harry swatted the spell away easily before returning with one of his own.
Harry cast the pimple jinx and watched as it hit its target easily.
"Such a weak spell, dear cousin. Are you even trying?" Benjamin mocked as disgusting looking pimples and acne started forming.
Harry sighed before deciding to end it."Incarcerous," he cast.
Thick ropes shot out from his wand and wrapped themselves around Benjamin.
Benjamin struggled on the ground for a moment or two before stopping. "Ah, it appears you've bested me this time. I shall have to train harder! I'll save you next time, Lyra, I swear!"
"Please don't," Lyra mumbled as Harry rejoined her at the sidelines.
The pair began walking out before Benjamin called out. "Cousin? Are you going to untie me?"
The pair ignored him as they made their way back to the common room.
"I'm gonna go take a nap. Wake me if you have to," Harry whispered to Lyra.
"Want me to join you?" Lyra asked with a smirk.
"Maybe next time," Harry snorted.
Harry quickly made his way to his room, not wishing to be stopped by any more distractions. The Weasley twins and then his cousin were enough.
Sleep found Harry quite quickly as he let his mind wander to the future.
...
"Thanks for waking me." Harry said coldly as he squeezed Lyra's shoulder.
"You looked so peaceful. Angelina wanted to wake you, but I reminded her how tired you said you were!" Lyra passionately defended as she rubbed her shoulder.
Harry slid in beside his cousin at the Gryffindor table.
"Yeah, or you just wanted all the steak to yourself. You're looking a little larger than when I last saw you, now that I think about it." Harry mumbled.
Lyra gasped in horror and opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Angelina.
"Oh, get a room" Angelina said in an almost bitter tone.
Lyra turned to the dark skinned witch like a vulture to a body.
"Jealous? Halfbreed?" She asked with a disgusted tone.
Angelina's face clenched in anger at the term.
"You inbred piece-"
"Ladies... you're drawing attention to yourselves. Act like the prefects you are." Harry said sternly. It was true, some Gryffindors sitting nearby were looking up the table.
"She called me a halfbreed, Harry, she-"
Angelina spoke up once again, still angry.
"Then do something about it, but don't do it here." Harry said coldly.
Truth be told, there wasn't much she could do. Lyra would wipe the floor in a duel. Her also being a pureblood with Angelina being a "halfbreed" left few options.
Angelina's lips tightened, and it almost looked like she wanted to say something, but she refrained at the last moment.
"Thank you," Harry told her honestly. He preferred to keep all house politics within Gryffindor Tower. Politics, in said house, oftentimes could get quite violent, it didn't look good in front of the other houses.
Dinner passed by in a blur after that as Harry's prefects came and updated him on things throughout the dinner, every prefect but two. He looked down the table, to Fred and George, who were happily talking and joking around with some fellow sixth years.
Harry might have to sort out sixth year if they kept this up...
"You haven't eaten much, Harry…" Lyra commented when people were starting to head back to their common rooms.
"Yeah, I had a big lunch, not hungry." Harry replied easily.
Harry and his group stood to leave and walked down the table. Harry snorted as he watched some first year Muggle-borns and even some half-bloods try to stuff their robes with food.
Their pockets inflated with food. Of course, at that same moment the bell rang and all the food disappeared, including said food hidden away in robes.
Harry watched as the first years panicked angrily. One even looked as if she might cry.
Harry slowly walked through the halls of Hogwarts until coming to Gryffindor tower.
Harry sat with his friends for a few minutes before letting out a yawn. "I'm going to bed, I think. No one disturbs me." Harry said before standing.
"Not even for breakfast?" Lyra asked.
"Shut up," Harry muttered as he walked away.
Harry checked the time after he closed the door to his personal room.
8:00
'Three more hours.' Harry thought.
…
Harry quietly walked through his room, gathering his stuff.
He opened a secret compartment in his trunk and pulled out a dark robe and wood mask. Harry quietly dressed before throwing his invisible cloak over himself.
Harry slipped out into the dark hallway before quietly making his way through the Pureblood wing before finally stopping in front of a painting.
It depicted a nude woman picking an apple from a tree. Wrapped around the tree and all it's branches was a snake with its head hanging near the apple and the woman's hand.
"Open" Harry hissed.
The snake slowly slithered onto the woman before wrapping itself around her entirely. The painting popped open and Harry quickly went through the opening.
Harry descended an uncountable amount of steps before finally reaching the bottom. He saw another robed figure at the bottom, but the two didn't speak to each other.
The pair walked with each other before coming to another door. "Open," the other person hissed.
The snakes on the door slowly unhinged themselves and the door popped loose.
Inside was a great cavern with many effigies of snakes and the greatest founder.
In the center of the cavern, near the largest effigy, was a group of similarly cloaked people.
Maybe fifty total. They whispered amongst themselves. Some wore gold masks with decorative jewels and images. Others wore copper or bronze masks with moving carvings in them. Some wore silver masks with no carvings or jewels at all.
"I believe we're all here," a cloaked figure wearing a highly decorative gold mask spoke in parseltongue. The man beside him was clearly different from the rest. Around his neck rested a beautiful red stone that Harry had to consciously remove his eyes from.
"Welcome to the Order of The Basilisk, my family… I have missed you all dearly." The man with the red stone spoke in a practiced hiss.
As the man spoke, the cloaked figures seemed to arrange themselves. The ones in decorated gold masks joined him at his sides. Seven gold masks in total. Standing far away from everyone else were the blank silver masks. Three of them in total.
Standing in the middle, somewhat intermixed were the bronze and copper masks. Harry along with two others in wood masks stood in the back.
"Before we begin this meeting of our proud Order, there is someone we must thank." The man with the red stone continued. Suddenly, a young boy appeared from nowhere. He was clearly unconscious. One of the men in silver levitated him closer to the man with the red stone.
"Thank you, child." The man said before taking over the spell.
"Every year we must not forget our protector. The one who protects this hallowed school as well as magical Britain at large." The man with red stone spoke before turning around to the effigy behind him.
"I call upon thee, oh great serpent of stone, show yourself to us, your devoted family!" The man spoke, increasing in volume with every word.
Harry heard a loud hissing sound, as well as stone rubbing against itself. Slowly, the mouth of Salazar Slytherin slid open.
"Who has awoken me from my slumber?" A deep booming hiss sounded out. Whereas Harry's and these men's parseltongue sounded almost like a cheap imitation, this voice sounded like a God.
It boomed with power and strength. Harry knew the basilisk had to be at least a thousand years of age. But when he heard its voice, he couldn't help but thinking it might be a bit older.
"Us, your devoted Order of The Basilisk. We offer you a sacrifice; an unwilling Muggle-born wizard." The man with the red stone said, raising his arms into the air.
Finally, at the mention of a sacrifice, the large snake poked its head out of its stone sanctuary.
"A sacrifice? You are willing to give me your own kind? Foolish mortals... Very well. I accept." The basilisk boomed once again. The chamber shook at the power of the snake's voice.
The basilisk poured out of its chamber almost like a beautiful silky liquid. It slithered its way around the large cavern once until its entire body was free.
Only then did it return to the group.
The man with red stone held up the boy.
"Wake, Child. Wake and see what your own kind has done to you." The basilisk hissed.
Whatever magic that had kept the boy unconscious up until that point obviously wore off. The boy's eyes opened and for a brief moment he remained floating… before he crashed down to the ground hard.
The boy screamed in pain and panic as he stared at the great beast. He looked right into its eyes but remained alive.
"Gaze at my beauty and… run!" The basilisk spoke, shaking the cavern even more.
The boy didn't need to understand the basilisk for its magic to take effect. Even Harry felt a slight urge to run, though it was easily ignored.
The boy stood before limping as fast as he could away. He seemed to almost not even notice the cloaked figures until the last moment.
"Help me!" He shouted at the moment before the basilisk lunged. There was a soft shrieking sound, then a loud crunch, and then it was over.
The cloaked figures watched silently as their God ate its prey.
Once it was finished, it let out a loud shriek which surely woke up the entire school above. Even Harry had to cover his ears and look away.
When Harry looked back up, the basilisk had encircled the cloaked figures and watched them intently.
"Gaze into my eyes, mortals, receive my blessing."
The basilisk spoke powerfully.
Many cloaked figures let out screams of pain or even whimpers as their eyes connected. But Harry held strong.
"I see your future, mortal, you cannot hide from me." A voice spoke in Harry's mind as the basilisk and him gazed at each other.
"My future?" Harry thought hesitantly. This had never happened. The last two times he had been here, Harry felt like his brain might explode, but there were no voices.
"Yes, I see your future, little snake. Good luck, my offspring." It spoke in his mind once again. Before Harry could respond, the connection was broken and the basilisk looked away.
Harry clenched his head in pain, it had never been this bad before…