~Italic~ - Parseltongue
'Italic' - Mind Speech
In this chapter, we will sneak peek into the long lost history of the Slytherin family. Along with that, I have also tried to present the caring and witty character of Daphne in this instalment. So, enjoy!
November 2, 1994
It was 7:30 p.m. and with every passing second, the furrow on her forehead kept increasing. She kept on assuring herself that if he can handle the likes of Warrington then he can easily handle anything that Puffs will throw in his way although she was having second thoughts and had pretty much decided to gather her allies for his search. However, fate was on her side as he barged the door open and rolled inside. She rushed to get a hold of him and carried him to a chair while checking for any injury although she couldn't spot any nonetheless she asked, "Harry, are you fine? Did anyone hurt you? Take deep breaths," with this he started to breathe deeply and nodded after a few seconds.
"Bloody puffs and their loyalty, someday it will be the death of them. Thanks for getting hold of me. You were mistaken that they wouldn't dare to physically attack me nonetheless they couldn't land a single blow or a spell," he uttered while controlling his breath, "But, I can't evade them forever. They know all the classes I attend and have stationed lookouts on all possible routes."
"But, you can take down multiple opponents at once, you did it last night, people who followed me last night are terrified of what happened to them," she chuckled a bit while continuing, "That will keep them and their stooges silent for a month or two," she expressed while her eyes narrowed suddenly and carried on, "You are avoiding confrontation to reduce the number of enemies you have. An ingenious strategy which is destined to fail."
"Tell me something which I don't know." He blurted while falling back on the chair and dragged on, "One day or other they will get me and I am not as good as you think. It was all because of stealth and surprise I was able to help you. The worst thing is that my study is being hampered in the face of the Triwizard tournament."
"I think we should approach professors for their help," she replied.
"Professor McGonagall and Flitwick will tutor me in the name of detention. It would be completely unfair to overburden them with my worries," he replied while rubbing his forehead.
"Harry!" she shrieked startling him, "This is bullying we are talking about, physical bullying to be specific."
He bent forward, "This is not the first time I have been bullied."
"What do you mean by that?" she spoke with horror and worry evident on her face.
"During our second year, I was hexed multiple times and a few times I was able to evade them," he replied morosely and Daphne realised that he was lying to her.
"Harry, you didn't complain then?" she said in her soft and comforting voice.
"No! Ron and Hermione had also suggested then that seeking the teacher's help won't be useful as they can't punish the whole school. In hindsight they were right."
Anger flashed on her face which she controlled and spoke, "Don't you think we should let them know of the current problem…"
"Nah!" he cut her out and said, "I will handle it as always I have done. Don't worry about me."
'Why shouldn't I worry about you? Am I not your friend?' she vocalised these words in her mind but didn't utter them.
She recognised she was fighting a losing battle and decided to alter her approach as she recognised evidence of mental abuse in his defiance to seek support. She also realised that his short stature and skinny body must be due to physical abuse and malnutrition. She was saddened for his mental and physical health and was simultaneously furious at the people who had done this to him.
"Hey, Daphne! Why such a long face?" he replied curiously.
"Oh! I just remembered something," she said with hope in her eyes.
"Umm, regarding what?" he said sheepishly.
"Regarding your education stupid, Hat, the Sorting Hat," she continued with brightened eyes.
"The Sorting Hat?" he got confused with her increasing eccentricity.
"Aah! Don't interrupt me silly!" she cried out of frustration with her hands raised, "In Hogwarts' founding years, Lady Slytherin, to make a mockery of Godric Gryffindor, enchanted his hat to bad mouth him whenever he tried it. Out of annoyance, he tried to burn it with everything short of Fiendfyre and failed miserably. Seeing his misery, Lady Ravenclaw helped him by charming it as a Sorting Hat. When intake increased in the school, it led to a shortage of teachers then Lady Slytherin came to the rescue and further enchanted it as an assistant to professors. This started a sort of rivalry between her and Lady Ravenclaw. To maintain her superiority as the best enchantress, Lady Ravenclaw bewitched the roof of Great Hall to look like the sky outside."
"Daphne, you were saying something about Sorting hat?" he interrupted her questioningly.
"You again interrupted me. I well remember it," she reverted in annoyance.
"I was asking if you could forward to the part where you will tell me how that Hat will help me," he replied with a grin to further annoy her.
"I was getting there if you had not stopped me twice. Now, be quiet and let me complete the tale," she glared with a faint smile while speaking to quieten him.
"Her enchantment was so powerful that it converted the hat into a sentient being," she continued.
"Like wretched Goblet of fire," he quirked in between but to his bewilderment, she smiled sympathetically instead of scowling.
"Maybe more than that since it is rumoured that she had enchanted it with the knowledge of all four founders and her own," she said with great enthusiasm.
"How did you come to know of this knowledge?" he asked.
"My ancestors have been attending this school since its establishment. It has always been a great honour to study in this school. They documented a lot of their interaction with the founders which I can access in my family library," she replied with great pride in her voice.
He also felt a bit of pride for his ancestor who founded this school. However, his pride was overshadowed by pity for himself. His lazy and lackadaisical attitude showed his family in poor name. He will be damned if he let his mother's name pulled into the mud. All of a sudden, he piqued and asked, "While mentioning the founder, why do you never mention Lady Slytherin by her name?"
She was baffled at his remark nonetheless she said, "Lady Slytherin hailed from the house of Eveningshade which existed before the crowning of Arthur Pendragon as the king of Great Britain. It is blasphemy to voice her name, people have died trying and in some cases, their family carries the burn of their hyped bravado," with this her face went dark nevertheless she continued, "Lord Eveningshade gifted this piece of land as dowry along with his Lordship and his responsibility to his pureblood son-in-law who was an orphan."
"Lord Salazar Slytherin," he said with a slight hiss and she nodded at him.
"Eveningshades were more infamous than Peverells. Both of them gladly delved into the arts of Blood and Soul magic. Lady Slytherin is known to modify the Killing Curse in its present form, her pursuit and dominance are unparalleled in the field of ritualistic magic. She by far outranked all founders in knowledge and magical strength. She is rumoured to be the most beautiful woman of her time who would shame the Veelas and Mermaids. One of my ancestors mentioned that she had beautiful emerald eyes and dark red hair. Her physical beauty paled in comparison to the beauty of her character." Listening to this he raised his head with a wide eye which had hung down due to self-pity while she continued, "She gave shelter to Centaurs that reside in the Forbidden forests when they were hunted by muggles, she had protected herd of Unicorns from muggle hunters in some remote long-forgotten forest and gave shelter to them. Female unicorns particularly mother unicorns always welcomed her into the herd."
"~just like my mother~" he whispered in Parseltongue which completely rattled her. "Why was her name cursed? Who cursed it?" he asked with dark eyes and a hoarse sound.
Daphne was horrified by the sudden change in his emotions, "Lord Slytherin himself," was all she could speak and he croaked, "Why?" with his fists clenched.
"Exact events are unknown to all mankind, memoirs of families don't speak a word of it, it is rumoured that no one even dared to investigate it. It is rumoured that her sudden disappearance made Lord Slytherin go crazy and in the heat of madness he must have taken such action. On death bed, their daughter had confessed that muggles killed her mother while she was rescuing a muggleborn child from being burnt alive."
"So, out of love Lord Slytherin took this step," he said while gathering his wits and getting up. He started to move back and forth while muttering angrily in Parseltongue.
"Do you think the name Voldemort is cursed?" with a quick motion he faced and questioned her.
"Yes, during the war there was a taboo which revealed the location of the person who spoke his name," she said with a satisfied look and he looked at her questioningly.
"Unspeakables found it at their peril," she replied sadly.
"How do you know?" he asked her.
"My father was one," she said before quietening.
He went mute for a moment and said, "I am sorry for your losses," and she nodded at it.
"Why do you speak his name?" she asked with a frown.
"Give me some credit, I have faced him multiple times for nothing. Voldemort is a made-up name which a sixteen-year-old made to hide his insecurity. He attempted to be a cheap copy of Lord Slytherin. He used this name to display his superiority and power to his classmates," he chuckled while saying this and the frown on her face increased.
"Don't stress Daphne," with this he pulled his wand and mimicked the action of sixteen-year-old Tom Marvolo Riddle whom he had met in the Chambers of Secret. Upon seeing the real name and its anagram she jumped out of her seat with her mouth wide open.
"Riddle is not a pureblood name however Marvolo… Marvolo Gaunt, he is related to Marvolo Gaunt, the last scion of the House of Gaunt," she said the last statement while practically jumping on her place.
"Err! Marvolo Gaunt?" he said.
"Oh shut it! Give me a week or two and I will get back with his parent's name and other information," she said with undying enthusiasm.
"Why so much enthusiasm?" he questioned by quirking his head.
"I have been trying so long to know more about that bastard and this information is the break I needed. You don't know how much we will be able to know about him this time?" she said while explaining.
"But, I would suggest you be discreet about your inquiries," he said with concern.
"Oh, dear! A quintessential Gryffindor suggested to me about being discreet. You have such great humour, Harry," she said which reddened his ears and shut him down for a moment.
"But, how are we going to get the Hat? Are we going to nick it from Dumbledore's office?" he questioned embarrassedly while changing the topic.
His foolishness brought a smile to her face and she said, "Oh no we are going, to be particular, you are going to ask for it from Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore for assistance in your preparation. Also, you will ask for their permission to skip rudimentary classes like History of Magic and Astronomy which won't help much in the tournament."
"Aren't we expecting much from them?" he asked her.
"I read the rule book of the Triwizard tournament which you failed to read. It stated that champions need not sit their end of year examination, also they may be exempted from regular classes to prepare for the tournament. Of course, you would need a teacher's permission for …"
"Which I will get it from Professor McGonagall along with that hat," he said in between to ease her and continued, "I will skip all classes apart from Transfiguration, Charms, Runes and Defence against Dark Arts."
"I can understand about History of Magic and other subjects but why Potions and Herbology?" she questioned him back.
"I am in no mood to listen to the rant of Snivellus and Sprout was horrible to me in today's class, also I don't think that it will help me in near future," he said with a sour face.
"You wouldn't know what the future entails. For your relief the first task will probably consist of facing class XXXX or XXXXX creature, not something related to potion or plants," she said gravely.
It was all enough to stump him. "Harry! Harry!" she got up from the chair and started to shake him.
"Fudge and his bunch of moronic bootlickers have gone crazy. Someday, I am going to whip them and hang them upside down with their head dipped in diluted bubotuber pus to increase their agony," he lashed out.
"Hold your horses Gryffindor, we can later be creative with torturing. First, we have to get you ready for the first task. I will try to find out more about the beast which you will face on the 24th till then you will have to take your magic-wielding skill to the next level," she replied.
"How will I do it?" he asked with raised burrows.
"You are already taking extra classes with McGonagall and Flitwick, you can ask them. Also, I know a person who will help us," she shot back.
"Who is that benevolent person and why will he help me…err…us?" he was confused.
"Not he, she, my brother's intended, Samantha Robbins, duelling protégé of Professor Flitwick, Under 17 International Duelling champion and perfect of Gryffindor house," she said with pride.
"Wow!" he said with his mouth wide open and continued, "But…"
"Why will she help us?" she cut him off and carried on, "She will help because of me."
"Because of you? I don't understand," he said quizzing.
"Oho! Don't fret Harry, I will look into that," she said while embellishing her hair.
"Err! Daphne why…"
She raised from her seat and placed her finger on his mouth and said while looking deep into his eyes, "You saved me from the wraith of elder Slytherins, asked your elf to guard my sister overnight and in return, you didn't ask anything in return."
He opened his mouth to say something but she shook her head while proceeding, "When I was designated to assist you in Ancient Runes, I was on edge. You held a reputation for being Anti-Slytherin, your best friend Granger doesn't share an eye with me and you followed her with a blind eye which spooked me that you will hex the moment we meet."
He chuckled and said, "I wouldn't have done that."
"Trust me, you would have. I talked with Samantha regarding the assisting role imposed upon me at which she felt pity for me and said, "I am truly sorry for you Daphne, Potter is brave, noble and all that but his patience and attention are reserved only for Granger and Weasley clan. His action is influenced by the colour of your robes. If I were you, I would retract from the position even if it is a one-time opportunity." She said while seating herself.
"Then why did you proceed?" he replied with a shock.
"I had a feeling that something had changed within you. Your actions and personality were different from the Harry Potter we knew. Before summer, you were insecure and lived in ambiguity." she said with a sad smile and he nodded while she continued, "After a month, my friends inquired about you, they were curious about the Potter who was mature and confident. Your performance in the class was top notch, you were doing wonders with your wand. You even stopped getting riled up at Snape's snide remarks and focused more on your work. You came out of the shell of the boy who lived and showed true Harry Potter," she almost squealed at the end which startled him.
"I started living instead of surviving, stopped blindly following people, stopped taking things at face level and started treating people like I wished to be treated," he said quietly.
"You are a man now, Harry. You have my respect," she said with a smile while voicing in her mind, 'and my heart'
"It's almost curfew," he said with a sad face.
"Same place, same time and be ready to get your ass whipped," she winked at him and giggled at his horrified reaction, "Also, don't forget to get the Sorting Hat and permission to avoid classes in the face of preparation. See you then!" with this she collected her bag and headed towards her dorm. He reached for the Marauder's map and followed her on it until she reached her dorms.
November 3, 1994
He slowly woke up and realised that he had slept in the Room of requirement after practising dodging with dummies provided by the room. He knew that his head of the house wouldn't be impressed by his action if she came to know of it. He donned the Invisibility cloak and headed to his dorm to reach before his dorm-mates woke up. After a quick shower, he found Neville was up, "Hey, Neville!"
"Hi, Harry! How are you? Where were you last night?" he replied promptly.
"Not bad. Came late in the night. What about you?" he said while failing to comb his hair.
"I am also good. By the way, you are doing a fine job in avoiding Ron," with this he sped to the lavatory and Harry to McGonagall's office.
"Good morning Professor!" he wished chirpily with his trademark smile.
"Morning Potter! What brought you so early into my office? Have a seat," she replied while placing the newspaper on the table to pour a cup of tea and offer it to him.
"Thanks, Professor! I need your help," he replied while accepting the tea.
"I realised that when you came in so early in the morning with that Potter smile on your face. Your father also used the same trick so you can't fool me," she said while taking a sip.
"Professor, you offend me. I wouldn't have come to you if it wasn't an emergency," he replied dramatically.
"What emergency?" she said with curiosity.
"My chance of survival in the tournament depends on it," he spoke softly and looked towards her with an innocent face at which she nodded, "I…I…"
"Of! Will, you just say it?" she said while jerking off the newspaper and folding it in half.
"I don't know how to put it," he replied sheepishly and drew himself back. She raised her eyes and he said, "Ok! Ok! I am going to say it," she nodded.
"I am running short of time to prepare for the tournament and survive in it. So, I was thinking of skipping some classes," he said innocently with puppy eyes.
"Potter! Don't say that," she replied with concern.
"What?" he replied thinking that his plan is doomed?
"That you won't survive, nothing will happen to you. I am not putting extra hours for you to fail," she replied with a frown.
"I know and I won't fail you still it would be good if I…" he said with a bit of frustration.
"Some extra hours. That's what you need," she replied while having a glance at her watch and he nodded. "Which classes are you planning to bunk?" she questioned him.
"I was not going to bunk those classes but…" he replied with a fake long face that she spotted a mile away.
"I know, just mention the classes and I will talk to the professors," she said and emptied her cup.
"Thanks, professor!" he cheered but quickly composed himself which brought a smile to her face and he continued, "History of magic, Astronomy, Herbology and… err…. Potions" he added the last one hesitantly at which she sighed and said, "I knew this was coming and I don't know how I will do it nevertheless it has to be done to avoid the conflict between you and Professor Snape." His face went dark at the mention of Potions professor and withheld himself from bad-mouthing him which didn't escape McGonagall's attention.
"Is there anything else, Potter?" she asked after a moment of silence at which he nodded which earned him a scowl from her.
"I wish to have the Sorting hat as my mentor for the tournament," he replied with his head down.
"What?" she yelped? And after a moment, "Is that even possible? Why don't you ask Professor Dumbledore about that? If you are lucky, you might find him in his office."
With this, he emptied his cup in one go and rushed towards the door. "Potter! The headmaster is fond of mince pie these days," she said, which amazed him still he replied, "Err, Ok professor."
On his way to Dumbledore's office, he kept quizzing about the name of sweet and it suddenly struck him that it must be the password of his office. Once he reached the gargoyle he whispered, "~Mince Pie~" within a moment the gargoyle jumped off its place to make way which brought a gleam to his voice and he moved in to get on the spiral staircase and reached the oak door. Even before he tapped the gryphon brass knocker, "Come in, Harry!" a grandfatherly voice came from inside.
"Good morning Professor!" he wished him nervously and saw his headmaster seated at his chair ready for the day.
"A very fine good morning. Would like to have some sweets Harry?" he enquired enthusiastically while offering him a bowl of lemon drops.
"No thanks professor!" he replied hesitantly.
"I insist," with this he passed the bowl full of sweets towards the young wizard at which he initially hesitated, however, stepped forward and picked two of them while popping one of them in his mouth.
"Why don't you take a seat?" said the older one which he gladly followed.
"If by any chance, it is enchanted or laced with some potion," he spoke with a slight frown at the sudden loss of his nervous expression.
"Impressive!" Dumbledore said amusingly, "How did you infer that?" with a slight smile.
"When I stepped in, I was nervous and a bit defiant however after the sweets I relaxed," he said while rubbing his forehead.
"Yes, the sweets which I offered are laced with very dilute calming draught. I have found them useful for students who get intimidated by this old man," the wizened wizard said radiantly and continued, "What brings you to me this morning, Harry?"
"Oh! I was thinking of using the sorting hat as a helping hand in this tournament," Harry said calmly.
"Sorting hat!" the headmaster exclaimed, "It is just a sorting hat, Harry! Its purpose is evident in its name. I have no idea how it will be of use to you," he spoke while pondering over his student's request. He then leaned forward and said, "For a moment, we assume that it will help you in some way or other than how you will get it ready for your help. It is very defiant."
"Well, you leave that to me," he replied confidently which impressed his headmaster.
"Your arguments are going to fall on deaf ears Mr Not-Slytherin," came a voice not so far away from them at which Harry turned to see a pitched and frayed hat.
"If you are so deaf then how come you hear our conversation?" Harry shot back.
"Whatever, don't try to break my meditative trance," it said and closed its brim.
"Meditative trance!" he mumbled with a huff, got up from his seat and grabbed the hat from its place while starting to vigorously shake it which brought a chuckle to his headmaster.
"Okay! It's fine! I will do it! I will do whatever you say! Bloody Gryffindor. We could have sat down and talked like the gentleman we are." Hat croaked.
"Gentleman!" he grumbled and stopped his shaking while turning back to his headmaster, "Thanks professor, I would like to leave along with a piece of rag."
"Of course, however, I have something else to discuss with you. Have a seat," the lovely grandfatherly figure was now replaced by the strict academician. "I was uncomfortable when you confronted Professor Snape in such a rude manner. However, I can close my eyes to such behaviour seeing that you are still a child and children do mistakes. But, stunning one of your friends is not something I appreciate. Dark times are coming Harry and it passes away easily if you have your friends with you," he said in a very serious tone.
Harry bowed his head but didn't contradict his headmaster and said, "I understand your concern, Professor."
"Very well, if you do so then mend the bridges with your friends. Good luck!" his headmaster said while bringing a faint smile to his face.
Harry raised from his seat and left the office with his head down with the sorting hat in his hand and entered an empty classroom. He placed the hat on a table, sat on a chair and started to sob very badly with his head down for the next thirty minutes or so. After he calmed down his eyes were red bloodshot and his emerald orbs were shining.
"Judging by your actions, you aren't going to befriend Miss Granger," the hat said at which he agreed, "No need to explain, just put me on your head and I will see it all. Don't worry lad, your secrets are safe with me," with this he placed the hat on his head. For the next two hours, he and hat kept on viewing his life since his birth. The memory of his early childhood which he could view due to the magic of the sorting hat was something he was going to treasure for his life, it supplemented his finding from his parent's journal however his happy days came to end on that horrifying night. The memories of his later childhood to the present day were tormenting in comparison to his parent's dream and his initial life.
The hat, a sentient non-living being, felt anger and sadness for him and said, "Young lord, it would be an insult to say that your life has been full of challenges and difficulties. You shouldn't have lived such fatal encounters nonetheless you faced all of them with courage and bravery that would make Godric green with envy."
Harry completely agreed with him and asked, "What are your thoughts regarding my decision to end the friendship?"
"A true friend will never be envious of your achievements. One would always encourage you to cross your limit. Your current companionship didn't offer you such perks instead it robbed you of your opportunity to be more than the boy who lived. It might be because they saw nothing more than the boy who lived. Also, they have lived a sheltered life even while they accompanied you on your life-threatening adventures they were sheltered by your presence. Maybe in later life they would grow to be someone still at present they are nothing more than a hurdle to you," it carried on which irritated him.
"Hat, ~Hat, you have to just answer yes or no~. I didn't need a lesson," he replied with irritation on his face.
"How could a non-living being decide something for you? At best, I could suggest you give life learning from the founders and your great grandmother and some distinct professors and headmasters who took this institution to a new height. The final decision will always rest in your hand my lord," hat said in his monotonic voice.
"If you can't do that then what good are you for? And will you please stop calling me 'my lord'?" he almost shouted at it.
"No, I would never miss a chance to vex you. That is something you will have to bear if you need my help, milord," it said sardonically and continued, "What do you need me for? As already, I have told you about the knowledge I possess yet I fail to decide as I am non-living yet sentient."
"How come are you sentient yet non-living? What kind of enchantment made you?" he questioned cautiously.
"Your worries are mislaid. The kind of magic you encountered in your second is very vile and evil, it should not be practised as it goes against the laws of nature and magic. However, we will talk about it as you might have to deal with it in the upcoming conflict. Lady Belladonna Slytherin nee Eveningshade turned me into a sentient being when she channelled her magic and consciousness through me yet I am non-living as I don't have magic or a soul of my own. Her enchantment made me capable of channelling the ambient magic around me. My consciousness enhanced after I absorbed the memories of the founders along with Lady Belladonna," it said.
"I understand," he said.
"I could impart theoretical knowledge regarding all the aspects of magic including blood magic, parselmagic, soul magic, enchanting, warding and also necromancy. Magic is magic young lord, all that matter is intent. In your endeavour, you might need knowledge of all of these. Tom Marvolo Riddle is a highly motivated person and he embraced all aspects of magic with open arms. If you wish to stand victorious against such a great foe you will have to be more than equal to him in all aspects of life and magic. I give you my word as your humble servant that I will assist as long as Mother Magic permits," it said with assurance.
"So, when shall we start?" Harry jumped while drawing his wand.
At which hat replied, "Control your enthusiasm, young lord and place me over your head. We are going to delve into the magic of mind arts which includes Occlumency, the art of shielding your mind from external intrusion and Legilimency, the art of reading one's mind and action. The former will help you to increase your self-control, memory retention and control over magic while the latter will help to practice control over your surroundings by making you highly aware of your surroundings. Many people fail in mind arts as they don't have talent in that field or lack knowledge regarding it," with this his training initiated in mind arts.
A lot of thanks to all people who read the story and are willing to read the future instalments of this story. Kindly review the story.
Author's note:
1) The sorting hat will be one of the mentors, I have planned in this story for Harry who will be introduced in the later series.
2) The upcoming two to three chapters will be more focused on developing Harry's fortitude in magic and life. It would be a more subtle growth in all aspects of his life. He will fall again and again to rise above.
All the characters of this story belong to JK Rowling unless stated otherwise.