A/N: This story and series is nearing its end. When I started all this I never planned on writing all seven years. I just wanted to explore a few what ifs and see what some changes could look like. Some things have certainly become easier and anti-climatic. The inclusion of competent adults can do that. *The last chapter will be a short epilogue that takes place well into the future.*

The Slytherin Reformation

By Spectre4hire

13: Legacy

"Well done, Harry."

He didn't look over at Moony, but kept his eyes on what had been his last target. A transfigured desk that was now a smoldering heap. It was one of many islands of debris scattered in an old classroom they had been using to train. His wand was still raised, but a quick scan confirmed he had gotten the last one.

"Thanks, Moony," He holstered his wand. "So should I get five points or ten points for Slytherin?"

His back was turned so Harry couldn't see his face, but he was certain he heard an amused snort over the sound of water that Moony had cast to put out the flaming wreckage. "It's the holidays, Harry."

"Exactly," He agreed, "The season of giving."

"Christmas is over," Moony was transfiguring the battered furniture back to their original forms.

"But the spirit lives on."

"If I give Slytherin five points will you leave me alone?" The teasing tinge in Professor Lupin's voice was impossible to miss.

"Ten."

"None."

"Okay," Harry admitted, "Five."

"Five points to Slytherin," Moony sent two desks back to their rightful places. "But its for your excellent spell casting."

"Obviously," Harry stepped to the side to miss a desk that darted past him through the air. It wasn't the first time he had tried that on him.

"You have your father's reflexes."

"Don't sound too disappointed that you missed," Harry moved to the side of the classroom where he pushed himself up onto one of the desks. There was a goblet waiting for him filled with ice water which he quickly gulped down.

This had been their routine every day over the holidays. Dumbledore wanted to ensure Harry received some additional lessons to better prepare him for when they went out to retrieve another one of Voldemort's remaining horcruxes. It had only been a few days of training but still he felt a little better after each lesson.

I don't want to disappoint them or die, he was trying the best he could without trying to think about what sort of dark and evil traps Voldemort had set to protect his immortality. This was the last lesson since they were heading out tomorrow. Even though I still have no idea where we're going.

Moony had been his primary teacher, but Dumbledore had stopped by a time or two to offer helpful advice which Harry tried to commit to memory as soon as he could. Sirius was usually here alongside Moony and depending on his mood was either encouraging Harry or making the lessons harder for his own entertainment.

I'm only helping you, Harry. His godfather told him while trying to hit him with said helpful spells.

"Do you know where Padfoot is?" Harry wasn't sure if Sirius' absence was a good omen or a bad one.

"He's hungover," Moony supplied with a growing smile.

"Really?" Harry asked, "But the party was a few days ago."

"He went out with Olivia last night."

Tracey's mum. Harry was pleased to hear it. He knew his godfather fancied her and he wanted Sirius to be happy. Azkaban had taken so much from him that Harry wanted desperately for him to recover the best he could. He wished it could go faster at times, because he didn't like to see Sirius struggling, but he knew that wasn't how life worked.

Moony seemed to read Harry's expression. "It's good to see him like this. It brings back some good memories from when we were younger, but he certainly can't handle his liquor like he used to," He chuckled, "Regardless, its safe to say it was a good night for him."

"Good." Harry hoped it to be the first of many between them before wondering if that had even been Sirius' first night out with Tracey's mum.

"I'd be remiss as a friend if I didn't go check on him," Moony said. "You're doing good," He complimented, "You're a good wizard who's turning into a great wizard, Harry."

"Thanks, Moony."

"Whatever tomorrow brings we shall meet it together."

Moony's words were a boost to Harry's sagging confidence and growing worry. He was accompanying Dumbledore and the others not because they needed his mind or his wand, but because Voldemort had transferred his parseltongue over to Harry all those years ago. It was true he had faced Quirrell and Voldemort in his first year, bravely and stupidly throwing himself and his friends at a series of dangerous trials.

They had not accompanied him when he went into the Chamber of Secrets the next year. Harry had learned from that mistake and made sure to leave the task to the headmaster. However, in the end, Harry still needed to go so his precaution was only partially rewarded. It was only him instead of his friends who'd face the danger this time, accompanying Dumbledore and Remus, but even with them there had been moments when he feared Moony would die and the headmaster would lose. Now, he's going with Dumbledore, Remus, and Sirius, but still he had no idea where it was and what dangers they'd face.

Hopefully, there's not another basilisk waiting for us, Harry stopped when he reached the stairs unclear where he wanted to go. He knew Theo was in the library working on a history of magic essay, but Harry wasn't really in the mood to do homework. I'd rather pick up where I left off with Luna's present. It was a copy of one of her older friend fictions, an egyptian adventure starring Harry, and the others as well as a very dangerous mummy. Last part I read was when my counterpart and Theo's had accidentally woken, said mummy. He wouldn't forget his friends' reactions to that blunder. I mean it wasn't like I actually did it.

"Mister Potter."

Harry nearly leapt back at the sudden ghost appearance that formed to his right. He let out a very foolish sounding half shout, half grunt of a curse word that would've lost him a few points had a professor heard him. Startled, he greeted the Bloody Baron who looked indifferent at the response he had elicited from Harry.

"You have been training."

No matter how many times he had seen or talked to the Bloody Baron, he still couldn't completely stave off the unnerving and cold feeling that settled in his gut. "I have," Harry didn't bother denying it or asking how the Baron knew. "I'm going after Voldemort." He hoped he sounded more confident then he felt.

The Bloody Baron appraised him behind a grim stare. "There have been few wizards or witches who have captured such fear and harnessed such power as what Tom Riddle wielded in his greatest moment."

"You know who he was?" Harry knew there were only a few who knew of the connection between Tom Riddle and Voldemort.

"I do," The Baron confirmed with a thin lipped smile. "Very few secrets can slip past my notice," he revealed, "Especially when they're being murmured within thecommon room and dormitories of my house."

"Did you know him?" Harry knew it was a stupid question since the Bloody Baron was the house ghost for Slytherin, but he believed he'd still receive a helpful answer. It had been the Baron who had helped him in his first year when they went after Quirrell, and he had passed on advice and warning last year after the Chamber of Secrets had been opened.

"Charming and cunning," His words could barely be heard over the sound of his rattling chains. "Classmates and professors both fell under his spell," His blood stains glistened when the candlelight hit it. "Even ghosts were not impervious to him," the word was said bitterly and the twist of his mouth showed how distasteful the admittance was. "You are a credit to the House of Slytherin, Mister Potter," The Bloody Baron observed, "So let us hope you return after this ordeal." With that deafening endorsement the Slytherin House ghost vanished leaving behind nothing but a brief chill in its wake.

Harry was left wondering what trick or charm Tom Riddle could've used to cause the Bloody Baron to give such a reaction and to whom.

"Incendio!" His voice was raw and his eyes blurred when the flash of fire spewed from his wand towards the target lumbering towards him. It burst in a brilliant flash, letting out a groan before it crumpled to the ground.

Inferi, he couldn't believe it. And they were coming out of the water. There were so many of them.

"Stick with me, Harry," Sirius called over his shoulder, handling a pair of them with a deft flick of his wand.

Harry didn't need to be told twice let alone once to stay by his godfather. He hadn't wanted to leave his side and that before the inferi started crawling out of the water. One minute, he was talking and laughing with his godfather, the next they were pushing back a sudden wave of rotten invaders.

Where's Moony and Dumbledore? He didn't really have the time to wonder or worry. The inferius in front of him didn't react to the flames that Harry shot towards it. It still tried to advance, but its body began to dissolve as the fire consumed it before turning into a heap of ash, bone, and scorched flesh.

It took most of Harry's discipline not to lose his stomach at the sight of these terrible dead things. His stomach had lurched when the first pale fingers began to push out from the still water. He had pushed down his fear and nausea and did his best to follow his godfather's lead.

In the distance he heard a boom and then a wall of brightness illuminated the cave. It was so sudden and dazzling, that he had to shield his eyes from its unexpected fiery birth. When he returned his gaze he could see the fire didn't fade, but only grew to form a wave of light that was washing its way over the lake and coming towards them. It set a blazing path incinerating any inferi caught in its path.

Dumbledore! Harry knew at once, in awe at this awesome magic and its devastating effects on all it touched. He turned just in time to see an inferious lunge towards him, lumbering and uncoordinated, he dodged its attempt to grab him. Harry led it past him, his wand at his back when he shouted: "INCENDIO!" At this close range, Harry had to jump back to avoid the orange sparks that burst forth onto the inferius, whose decaying body couldn't endure the spell at such close range, nearly exploding into embers and a puff of smoke feet away from Harry.

Sirius exclaimed loudly at the closeness of the spell. "Watch it, Harry." He chided with no heat. "I know I don't look my best, but I still certainly look better then these guys." Sirius laughed, sounding to be enjoying himself, destroying any inferious who got close to him with a dazzling display of brilliant spells that Harry would have to ask his godfather about once they escaped this terrible place.

Which will be soon, he thought triumphantly, seeing the ring of fire that Dumbledore had cast was lashing out in fiery whip like flames, snatching any inferious into its fiery grasp, and annihilating them with its blistering touch.

They were close, but not all the inferi were burned or retreated, some still came, clamoring to Harry and Sirius. They want to drag us to our watery grave, he thought grimly.

"Ha-" Sirius' words were swallowed up by a gasp.

"Sirius!" Harry nearly panicked at the sound of his godfather's distress. When he turned to face him that was when he felt the hand on his shoulder…

"AGHHH!" Harry sat up, heart thundering in his chest. He heard a voice but it was muffled. He couldn't understand what it was saying. He didn't know where he was, there was light, but it was all blurry outlines. He looked down to see he wasn't wearing the clothes he wore to the cave, but he was in a white and familiar gown. The hospital wing, he sighed, the coil that had tightened itself in his gut slowly unwounded.

"Harry."

Now that the vestiges of sleep were falling away he was able to recognize the voice. "Theo?"

For an answer he felt something being put in his hands. The object was familiar and he nodded his thanks as he put on his glasses to see his best friend was sitting at his bedside. The light on the stand was on and Harry saw a textbook was open and some half written parchment beside it. "Am I glad to see you, Harry," The relief plain to see in his expression. "What did you get for the final question on Flitwick's Charms homework?"

Harry laughed. "I don't remember." He answered, even though he knew it was a joke and a needed distraction from trying to recover his bearings without feeling overwhelmed by it all. "Where is everyone?"

"They're all fine," Theo assured him, "Professor Lupin and Mister Black aren't here. I need to get Madam Pomfrey. I was told to get her when you woke up," He stood from his seat, "That was how I got to stay here for so long. I had to make a deal with her," He winked before setting off to Madam Pomfrey's office across the room.

Harry sagged in his bed, but remained sitting. His back pressed loosely against the headboard. He looked around the Hospital Wing to see all of the beds were empty. It's always just me.

"Mister Potter," Madam Pomfrey was walking towards him, Theodore following behind. "Don't even think about leaving that bed."

"I wasn't." He sounded a bit mullish, feeling like a kid caught doing something bad. "Well not exactly," He amended, but the Hogwarts matron wasn't fooled. When she was close enough she started to wave her wand around Harry to do her usual incantations. "How long have I been here?"

"Hours," Theo answered with a shrug, "The others came to see you too," He revealed, "Greengrass was not pleased with you."

Harry chuckled, he wasn't surprised by that. "I'd hate to survive the inferi only to be killed by my girlfriend." The mirth quickly dried up when pieces of his fight in the cave began to resurface. He nearly jerked back his head thinking Pomfrey's hand was an inferi. "Where's Remus and Sirius." He asked, hoping no one noticed his reaction.

"Professor Lupin," Pomfrey corrected, "is on his way. I informed him before coming to see you."

"Thanks."

"You can thank me by staying still," Madam Pomfrey presented him with a pepper up potion.

Harry took it with a nod, drowning the substance in two swallows. The potion was a soothing feeling that went down his throat. He hadn't realized how much he needed it until he took it. "What about Dumbledore?"

That question didn't get answered because the door opened to show Moony. He looked tired, but relieved when he spotted Harry was awake. He quickly cut the distance. "Harry, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Harry answered, hearing a protesting tsk from Madam Pomfrey.

"Good," Moony's hand went to Harry's shoulder, "Good."

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked, "What happened? Did we get-" His questions were cut off when Pomfrey gave him another potion. He didn't even ask what it was, just drowning it without breaking eye contact with Moony. The taste wasn't particularly pleasant, but he was more interested in learning everything he missed.

"Sirius will be here soon," Remus looked like he was choosing his words carefully. "He had to go to his house."

"Grimmauld Place?" Harry couldn't believe it. The way he heard his godfather talk about it, it sounded as if he'd never set foot inside there again.

"Yes," Moony answered, he must have sensed that Harry's curiosity wasn't being satisfied quickly enough since he gave a small smile, "Last night unfolded differently than we planned."

"Were we even successful?"

A shadow fell over Moony's face. "I don't know."

"What?" Harry deflated. We couldn't have failed. Knowing how important these pieces were in destroying Voldemort once and for all. "Where's Dumbledore? Is he okay?"

"He is on the mend," Moony said over a particular louder tsk from Madam Pomfrey. "He's helping Sirius look into what was found inside that cave."

"What was it?"

"My brother's locket."

Harry had been so distracted by Moony and his own worries about their failure that he hadn't noticed his godfather's entrance or heard his steps until he was already standing at the foot of Harry's bed. The joy he felt at hearing and seeing his godfather in front of him drained just as quickly upon seeing Sirius' state. He hadn't changed out of his clothes from their trip to the cave. His robes were torn, flicks of mud splattered here and there. His hair was disheveled and dirty, falling limply across his forehead just short of his eyes. He looked troubled, his stare was unfocused. He hasn't looked this bad since that night in the Shrieking Shack.

"My brother," Sirius' fingers were clenched around a golden chain. "He turned against Voldemort." His hand was trembling, "He did it," His laugh was hoarse and fragile. "I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret," Sirius began, sounding as if he was reciting something. "I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more." He looked down, "My brother, my stupid, spoiled little brother." He shook his head, his tone was cracking. "He wasn't a coward, but a hero." He raised his hand which allowed Harry to see that Sirius was holding his brother's golden locket.

"My brother started this battle with Voldemort, and I'm going to finish it."

A/N:

I didn't like any draft of my depiction of the cave scene so I just short changed it by making it a confusing, fractured memory which we only see glimpses of from Harry. That's just sometimes how it is.

Sirius only recited bits of the letter, not the entire thing. The letter comes from "The Half Blood Prince," written by J.K Rowlings, I'm just cutting it up and sprinkling pieces of it in the story.

This was a short chapter, but I didn't like any of the follow up scenes I wrote so I thought I would just trim it here since its been awhile since I updated. Hope ya dont mind.

Things work differently in this story then they do in the books. Rowlings wrote it her way because that's how she needed it to play out, I'm writing it (poorly) in a different way to fit my story.

Until next time,

-Spectre4hire