Hey everyone,
ALRIGHT, let's start the new year off STRONG! With a chapter that will bring Hari closer with everyone who cares for him and with another CoS chapter put in one. Also, I hope you really liked the two new Previews that I added to Venquine's Mind. I personally do think that one of them – the latter – will become a true story at some point, but I can't promise anything.
At least not yet,

Venquine1990
PS. Inspiration comes from Leonette, check out their stories.
Shout-Out To:
V.

29th of December 1976
Reading Room, Ariador
Hari's POV

Hedwig flies up and lands on my shoulder the minute I come in, preening my hair and hooting in a way that proves she is aware of the inner turmoil I went through while meeting with the royals. I look at the rest of the readers and see Ron and Hermione look at me in concern. I look from them to the people grandpa mentioned, as well as grandma, and tilt my head.
The group looks at each other and I do it again, asking them silently to come over and moving to one of the corners that has black paint all over. This seems to startle the ones I motioned into action and they all come over, different levels of concern on their faces. "I need to tell you something, something that isn't going to come up for another five books, but that you deserve to know about."

I tell them, looking at Lindilwen, Jaurion and Snuffles mostly, but also adding the same look to Draco afterwards. The three look at me concerned, yet I keep my eyes on Draco and ask: "Don't take this the wrong way, but – do you remember what happened just before Neville took down Nagini?" The blonde grimaces and mutters: "Yes, he carried you to Hogwarts – dead."
"What? How?" Lindilwen asks and I sigh as I answer: "His power; the reason he has – according to grandpa – started to look so deformed these days. He's creating objects through which he hopes to remain immortal, to make sure that even the Killing Curse can't take him from this plain.""But what does that have to do with you being supposedly dead?"
Jaurion asks and I share a quick look with Ron and Hermione before I turn back to them and say: "The night the two of you –." But then Lindilwen says: "Lily and James. Snuffles and Lupin here say we are no longer really the people who died for you, even though we are still related, and I agree with him." I nod, relieved that this fact isn't going to change how she feels about me.
"The night Lily and James were killed, Voldemort turned his wand on me with the intention to finish the job. He failed and his objects made it so that he became no more than a spirit, but a part of that spirit, a part of his soul, got loose – and attached itself to this." And I motion for my forehead, Draco, Jaurion and Lindilwen looking at this in shock.

Yet Lupin and Snuffles seem less shocked and I turn to them as Lupin says: "We've known for a while. The bad Dumbledore told us about the connection, remember?" I nod at him, trying not to look at Snuffles at this and instead I turn back to Jaurion and Lindilwen as I say: "Right, it's just – in order for Voldemort to die – this needed to be out of my head first."
"And Dumbledore planned for that, which is why we were so reluctant to let you come with us, Lupin. He had insisted on keeping this, the journey, the knowledge about these objects, the weapon and everything else between the three of us, that we had grown too cautious and even become paranoid. Like he wanted us to, we distrusted even those who were meant to help us."
Hermione continues and Ron nods as he says: "And the end goal? Make Harry so independent and push him so far that, when he finally finds out about what is really going on with the connection between him and Voldemort, he would willingly do anything to severe it; even take his own life or let Voldemort do that, which is exactly what happened."

"But you lived." Lindilwen whimpers and I nod and say: "Because Dumbledore had set up this miniscule, ridiculous, nigh-on impossible back-up plan, just to make sure that I really, truly would be the one to take down Voldemort and that that monster would not get the last laugh. Though trust me, that plan depended on so many coincidences and so much luck, I'm still shocked that it worked."
The others look at me, shocked, concerned and curious and I say: "Voldemort drank Unicorn blood to stay alive in my first, as we read. He took my blood in my Fourth, to take that protection Dumbledore mentioned and he and I have the same core for our wands, which are Light cores, Phoenix cores that came from a Phoenix Dumbledore had access to, giving him the means to manipulate it."
"And he relied on that? On the fact that you both used his Phoenix in your wands so much, that there was a curse on Voldemort's blood which was probably fighting the protection he got from you and the fact that you willingly took a Killing Curse?" Snuffles asks and I sigh and say: "And on the fact that Voldemort was using a wand – that I was the actual master of.
Though that was yet another fact I didn't find out about – until after I took that damned curse.""That still doesn't explain why you had to be carried to the entrance of the school. I still have nightmares about that vision, just so you know." Draco snaps at me and I wince and look at him with guilt on my face as I say: "If I had tried taking Voldemort in the forest, the DE's would have killed me. I had no other choice, Dragon, I swear it."

The slightly older boy sighs and mutters: "Point taken. And you're right. Mother also told me the same, though she did so much less careful and with much more gloating over the fact that she saved you shortly after realizing that you were still alive and all that.""To be honest, she was another reason I kept myself still. I knew if I proved her to have lied, she would have been killed on the spot."
Draco rolls his eyes at this and I smile at him as I say: "I know now what kind of a witch she actually is, Dragon, and she's paying for it in the Tower just like so many others probably will soon. And I am sorry that I put you all through it. But the only ways I thought could help me get rid of this thing were the Killing Curse, Fiendfyre and Basilisk poison." Yet suddenly a thought strikes me.
"Wait a minute." I mutter, turning from the others and looking at where the others are waiting for us. "What's wrong, pal?" Ron asks, but I hardly hear him as my mind is racing, going through everything that happened at the end of my Second and combining it with what happened at the end of my Seventh and I think: "How – how is that possible?"

Yet I just can't seem to get an answer and so I turn back and ask: "Would you guys mind? I need Bill, Merden and grandpa here. I think only the three of them can solve a problem I suddenly thought of. And trust me, it's a big one. It's connected both to what I just told you – and what happens at the end of the book we're currently reading." The group nods and Ron and Jaurion leave.
The two of them come back with their respective family members and Merden and I make sure to summon both the Second and the Seventh book, paging through both till I get to the parts that both matter and confuse me. I bookmark both and give the two books to the trio and say: "Read this and tell me how that's possible." And I look at grandpa as I motion for my scar once more.
The man nods and I look at the others, silently asking them to leave this to us. "Come on, leave the rest to Hari. He'll tell us when he's ready." Snuffles says as he guides Jaurion and Lindilwen away, yet Ron stays behind until I whisper: "Ginny was in the room that night." And the elder boy nods, sending me a grateful look before he follows his girlfriend and my mate.

I wait until the lot of them have left the silenced area and then say: "The Basilisk poison was in my system for several minutes. Unless Dumbledore had already manipulated his Phoenix so that the tears neutralized the poison, but left the Horcrux, I just can't see how this is possible. The only other possibility I can think of is just more of his manipulations or something."
"Didn't you say that you met him in Limbo after you got hit?" Grandpa asks and I nod as the man looks up, a dark look of concern on his face as he says: "You need to come with me." And just those few words really worry. Merden nods and says: "I will give a brief explanation to the others, Your Majesty. Your Highness, I pray for your health and I apologize. I truly did not know of this when I approached you several days ago."
I look between the two and Bill asks: "Wait, that's – actually possible?""It is incredibly rare and there is a chance that Hari losing his laurel or Dumbledore now no longer being actually in existence has made it all undone, but – we can't take that risk.""Wait, are you saying that he might have cursed me while we were in limbo?" I ask, feeling just like I did when Nagini attacked Mr. Weasley.
The two nod and instantly I ask: "What can I do? How – how do I? What – what if?" And Grandpa wraps a comforting arm around me, but I push it off and mutter: "Not while I'm – like this." The man looks at me, hurt and concerned, but I can't comfort him, not while terrified of the thought that just the slightest touch might transfer whatever curse Dumbledore put on me.

But then I realize something else and whiten, my legs growing weak and starting to tremble as we walk and grandpa again reaches out to me, this time holding on tighter as I try to push him off again. "I cast a non-verbal barrier spell, child. Just let me support you. You can't hurt me, Hari. Let me be here for you." The man gently encourages me and yet I only hear his first words.
A slight sense of relief overcomes the fright and horror that are coursing through me and I whisper: "What if – what if I infected Jaurion and Lindilwen – or Draco – or Snuffles? What if I spread the curse –?""We don't even know if the spell is of that nature. It might be something else. Like a spell to make you follow his lead even in death, a mind-manipulation spell. Just walk with me, child."
Grandpa whispers and I try my hardest to take another small sense of comfort and reassurance out of his words, trying to make myself believe that he is right and that the spell might not work the way I fear it to; that I might not have infected my friends and closest loved ones with something else horrible and dark that Dumbledore wants to throw at them through me.

We walk through the revolving stairway in the center of the tower and go all the way down, back to the ground floor and then even further, down several floors into the basement. After about four floors does grandpa turn left and lead me through a huge hallway made of stone archways that somehow slide into each other seamlessly.
He leads me to the end of the tunnel and knocks with the back of his knuckles, causing for one of his bejeweled rings to knock against the dirt of the actual door. The door opens and an elf that wears an earth brown robe that has green highlights scattered over the robe asks: "How may we serve you, Your Majesty?" And grandpa gently pushes me forward.
"My grandson needs a full cleansing. He was tricked into entering a state of limbo and met the version of Albus Dumbledore that surrendered himself to the wicked side of Lady Fate. He may carry a curse put upon him by this old bastard while in there. I personally fear it to be a mind-manipulation spell, but my grandson fears it to be something that can be transferred upon others."
The Elf's eyes widen and he nods as he says: "This way, your Highness. Right in here." And to my shock do I notice that, after passing through one last small hallway, we enter a gorgeous underground room that has only a small pathway going around the edge of the room as the rest is all one gorgeous pool that has some kind of pearly shine and glow to it that makes it light up even in the dark.
Part of me is actually reminded of the lake I described only moments ago to grandpa and the royals, but this lake is truly different. The glow looks much more natural, there is an actual flow to the water as it moves throughout the pool, there is no island in the center and the scent that comes from where the water meets the earth feels relaxing instead of terrifying and foreboding.

"You need not undress yourself if you don't want to, Your Highness. Just move into the pool until it reaches just underneath your chin and then let us do the rest." The Elf speaks, drawing me out of a trance caused by the natural beauty of the lake and I nod at him, actually feeling a little excited to be allowed to enter such an amazing place and I reverently walk in.
The water starts to move as I take my first step in and after a few more steps does it pulse, causing for the legs of my pants to move up just a slight and for the water to move underneath it, flowing against my legs. Just this sensation causes me to shiver, yet I do so in delight and pleasure instead of disgust or a sense of unease and this sensation actually entices me to walk further.
My hands are next and the sensation of the flowing fluid against my skin feels like how I feel when Draco and I wake up in bed together or when either Jaurion, Lindilwen, Snuffles or Lupin are hugging me with a sense of love that is all their own. I smile at this, trying to blink away tears as I again realize how long I have longed for something like that and walk on.

"Your Highness, snap out of it." I suddenly hear a voice coming from very far away and I realize that I have been losing myself to the sensation of the water flowing around me. I shake my head and then realize that I have actually moved past where the Elf told me as the water is now almost up to my nose. I tilt my head up and gasp before quickly taking a few steps back.
"My apologies, Your Highness, I should have warned you about the allure of the water. It truly has a magic that is all its own, but for some youngsters like yourself, its pull might be a tad too strong. And to be honest, even I find myself sometimes almost falling for it, even after all these years." The Elf says as I walk back to the depth the elf recommended me and I nod at him.
Yet he turns to my grandfather and says: "Though the ease with which he gave himself up is most certainly concerning. Tell me, Your Majesty, what kind of father –?" But then I say: "My father died before I was able to have conscious memory. I was raised unloved, on orders of the Dumbledore my grandfather just spoke of." The Elf nods and says:
"That explains it. Those raised unloved, who have a strong desire for love from those most important to them, are indeed the ones most easily lured by the water's magic. It's one of the reasons this lake is this deep down. In the time of His Majesty's Great-Grandfather, that was almost half of the Elven population." At this I cringe, yet at the same time I push down a small sense of guilt.
Guilt, because I feel relieved with this knowledge as it makes me feel less fragile and stupid, especially after having spent the last week or so in the presence of everyone I ever wanted as part of my life. The Elf then shakes his head and says: "Either way, let's see what it is we are working with here, shall we?" And grandpa and I nod at him.

"Prepare yourself, Your Highness. I am going to let a single small wave run over you and then move it down here to me, so I may determine what kind of magic has been put upon you. This may again entrance you, but I must ask you to be strong and stay where you are until I am done." The Elf says, taking a stance with his legs apart and his lower arms raised up.
I nod, feeling sure that I will be able to fight the effects of the lake now that I know what they can do. I feel the water washing over me and make sure to take a deep breath in to make sure no water gets breathed in before it passes over and as it does, do I again feel as if Draco is behind me, hugging and trying to pull me closer against his form.
The need to follow him is strong, but I open my eyes once again and focus on Grandpa as I think: "I can hug him later. Got to stay focused." And with that do I fight the urge to give into the sensation of the water that I feel flowing against my back and after a few seconds does this sensation vanish, making me let out a sigh of pride and relief.

"This is – most interesting." The Elf mumbles and we turn to him as he says: "His Majesty was right, Your Highness. The spell was meant to turn you into a leader for the Wizarding World, one who would lead it in almost the exact same way as Dumbledore did; the Dumbledore that is no more, that is. However, the spell has already met its end, in a most – unusual way."
The knowledge that grandpa was right and that the spell is already negated are like music to my ears and I wipe away a few tears that escape me at hearing this as Grandpa asks: "How did it happen?" "The change. I don't mean the young prince accepting his Elven side, I mean the change between him and his mate. Him accepting to be Submissive instead of Dominant took down the spell."
This news astounds me and instantly I rush out, only dimly aware of how my cloths turn dry as I rush out of the water and through the tunnel, up the stairs and all the way up to the floor with the reading chamber. I burst into it and dash for Draco, sealing his lips with my own and filling the kiss with all of the passion, love and gratitude that flows out of me at knowing that he cleansed me.
That thanks to him and his bond with me I don't have to fear for being used by Dumbledore anymore. Draco is shocked, but his Veela quickly realizes what is happening and the boy kisses me back, crooning from the back of his throat as he pulls me even closer against his form. And any and all contact with the Veela that saved my mind from total manipulation is more than welcome.

Well, that happened.
And I will be honest, I REALLY did want to start this year off with a CoS chapter. I mean, we're only a few chapters in by this point, we really need to keep going. But I wanted to put a real twist to that whole Basilisk Poison thing the minute I wrote about it and from there the chapter just wrote itself. And I have to admit, I love how it allowed me to expand Ariador even more.
Now next chapter I PROMISE we will get to the next chapter. We will continue Chamber and we will have some fun at the Weasley home. Now I will admit that there will probably be some trouble brewing between the Weasleys and Lucius at this, but I will try to keep up with the respectful Lucius, not the demeaning one from Canon.
See ya'll,

Venquine1990
PS. Inspiration comes from Leonette, check out their stories.