Disclaimer: See Chapter 1, please. Oh, and by the way, I only own
Johnson....And I'm very ashamed of it.
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"I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side?"
-Tom Marvolo Riddle, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione bit her lip so hard, as she took a step closer to Johnson's portrait, that for a while, she tasted blood. But her nerves seemed to have numbed themselves, and she ignored the pain. But there was a certain stabbing, intense pain that she couldn't ignore. It was the sort of pain that Harry felt, when he discovered that he had trusted an impostor. Mad- Eye Moony's impostor. And the putrid stench of deceit was wafting thickly in the room. That was harder to overlook.
"Clever, yes, but not intelligent enough," laughed Johnson. "You have lost, witch. History cannot be changed merely by time travelling, or the world would be....topsy-turvy, my dear," he sneered. "Everything happens in a cycle. Your actions in the past will haunt you when you return. Sometimes, you even end up worsening the situation....like what you just did, Gangly," he sneered, showing a row of rather pointy teeth, Hermione wondered why she didn't noticed his dark smile, that seemed to laugh at her before. I must be blind, she told herself angrily. Either that, or I'm just plain naïve.
"Yes, time hourglasses do exist, but their usages are closely monitored by the guardians of time. In layman's term, the confounded Ministry of Magic, and a roomful of half-breeds. Besides, as far as I am concerned, there is only one such magical artefact that remains. The other one was....broken. I remember you saying something about saving Harry's godfather with it illegally? My, my," he said, with mock admiration. "You must have some very strong connections, mustn't you? Only if permission is granted.....willingly, by the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, may it be used, undetected." Johnson hissed. "Dumbledore, I presume?"
Hermione turned more than a shade paler, as her mind processed the information that Johnson had just given. Her heart was threatening to burst its way out of her chest, and a gigantic lump rose in her throat. Dumbledore was the one who told me to use the hourglass, she thought, a sour feeling spreading in her stomach unpleasantly, as she clutched her chest in pain. When I get back-if I ever get back- I'll ask him why didn't he use it...to kill Tom.
"Tom might be Salazar's only heir....other than me, of course," he said silkily. "But I died, killed by Salazar's very own sentinel. I had just invented some untraceable venom, when it slithered into my office. I was careless, and it slipped my mind that I was supposed to....feed it that particular night. I was not as charismatic or Greek God-like, like Tom and no witch was willing to so much as give me a lock of her hair, not to mention flesh," he smiled thinly.
Hermione brushed some droplets that had formed unconsciously at the corner of her eyes, and noticed that he was a little vampiric, with his thin, bent body and glowing eyes. She swallowed nervously, when, for a fleeting moment, something like psychosis glinted in those vivid orbs. Hermione had never seen Voldemort before, but from Harry's description, she felt as though Johnson fitted the fallen wizard's profile perfectly. The portrait was in black and white, but if it was coloured, she could almost imagine the flaring nostrils and scarlet eyes glaring at her. She wondered if all of Salazar's heirs looked like that.
"To put it short, it didn't trust me, and, you know how deadly its stare is. But the others thought that I died because of my potion.....my death was never properly looked into, for I was not extremely....liked. The fools....," he said softly, sending goose bumps up Hermione's back. "When I died, I knew that a new heir would materialise, about half a century later. No two heirs can exist at once, Salazar once warned. Just as Harry and Tom couldn't live, while the other survives. So, I kept a lookout, for someone, who might just complete what we had left unfinished."
"When Tom first entered Hogwarts, his brightness, bitterness and shrewdness caught my eye. I immediately felt an affinity for him, when I......sensed Salazar's blood in him. How I knew, was similar to the way a boomslang's awareness of its prey is triggered. The ability to speak in Parseltongue isn't my only gift, you know," said Johnson with a proud look. He's a snake, she thought. He's a black mamba, a cobra, and a boomslang all rolled into one. Hermione clasped her palms together-they were becoming colder as the seconds passed. His words, combined with the low, dark tone in which he spoke, had a perverse effect on her.
"Like you, he found various excuses to enter the Headmaster's office, to speak with me. It was not particularly difficult, as he was Dippet's favourite boy. He's also a Parselmouth, and I was convinced that if there was one person who could complete Salazar's work, it would be him. But I remained cold and distant, as I wanted him to be filled with hatred. Hatred fuels the soul, you know. No muggle lover could continue Salazar's work, to rid Hogwarts of muggle-borns. I fed his impressionable young head with Hitler's......glories. I made him see how The Ripper's murders helped 'cleanse' the streets of London. I showed him the thrills and exhilarations of mass massacre, and what sheer power can bring. And it was I that awoken him to the fact that Salazar Slytherin's blessed blood flew in his very veins. He told me that his father was a muggle. That was why I concluded that he inherited Salazar's traits trough his mother. "
Hermione opened her mouth, but no words escaped from her lips. Her tongue felt as dry as a cactus, but that was not the point. Her throat was closing up because Johnson had just admitted that he groomed Tom. So it was Johnson who had moulded Voldemort? A portrait gave birth to the most evil wizard of all time? He was the one who distorted Tom's mind, and made Tom see the sadistic, malevolent dictator in an.......honourable light? She wondered if Tom Marvolo Riddle was simply born evil, or did Johnson had a hand in it. It doesn't matter, she told herself. When the time comes.......history will be changed, prophecy or no prophecy. As her mind raced, trying to find a way to undo her mistakes, and perhaps, to return to where she truly belongs, Hermione realised that she was trembling. Uncontrollably.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-Next time: Unexpected Reactions.
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AN: Review, pretty please? At least I'll know that someone's reading my humble fic :)
I write because you're reading it, you know. Let's see if I can get 10 reviews!
Dear Dragonbrat: You're my first reviewer for Chapter 10!! I've reached 10 chapters!! Never thought that I would actually continue this...this...this thing. *shakes your hand enthusiastically* Actually, more like Chapter 9, because chapter 3's just a note!
Dear DragonessKaei: Nah! Not ya fault for missin' two updates! More like mah fault, for writin' sucha' borin' story that can't sustain ya interest! *bows apologetically* BTW, if Rowling suddenly decides that Neville's the 'one', I'll stamp on the books, then burn them.
Dear Ariana Althena Evergreen: I didn't mind your hot words....Spew out some more, if it makes you feel better! :) He's getting worse by the day! Love ya!
Dear Mrs.shigwa.cobain: Really? I'm smiled like an idiot when I read your review. Hey, I've just realised: You've been reviewing my story since chapter 1! If I could send you a gift or something, I would. (not a virus, of course!) Oh, yeah, that story was posted twice. I removed it, as I decided to concentrate on this one. But then.......what a waste, right? So now, I've to start from scratch, because all the nice reviews were removed as well :(
Dear Yukura: Thank you, deah!
Dear Samantha-Carlyn: Professor Dippet is mean? Feel free to express yourself. I'm not the language police :-D
Dear UNnormalMonkey: Um....I hope I get this right-Jo0jo likes your name.
Dear Maraudertimes: You're back! *throws a handful of confetti* Missed you! Oh, and remember the secret weapon I asked you to guess? Don't worry, she's still gonna use it.
Dear Sonya Katz: At last! A chapter that passes your grade! *does a tribal Zulu war dance* Look harder, especially for the coming chapters, because I'm trying to explain something that I'm not even sure of! *Time of The Ghost is postponed until Johnson is done with his explaining*
Dear Miss Mina Murray: You never fail to make me feel....appreciated.
Dear LadyKarasse: How do you like this one?
Dear Jo-jo: I'm glad that I made your day. Really, you're like a live volcano, aren't you? One moment I'm blasted off my pc for a cliffy, the next, I'm being cheered up. But I love hearing from you, flames or not. Yeah....Christmas is quite near, so I think I'll post a few chapters before you go off and celebrate. Just so that you can party in peace. A Mary Sue is (I asked) a character who possesses admirable physical traits, and often have some sort of special ability as well. Most of the time, she will have boys falling at her feet. It's bad, yeah. Hortense is my Mary Sue. She's gorgeous, and she can predict the future. But, well, what story is complete without a MS?
Dear Sallymander: Scary, huh? Maybe I should change the genre to horror....nah! There're some action scenes coming up before the final act.
Dear *A certain classmate* : If you're reading this, then you've found my fanfic. Just....don't feel disgusted, okay? I know that I'm not as good as crescent_illusion/stardust_352, but, well, not everyone can write like her, no? Oh, and if you think that the TR/HG thing is icky, I don't blame you. I can't believe that I took up a fellow fanfic writer's challenge to create a story about them! What have I gotten myself into? :-D
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side?"
-Tom Marvolo Riddle, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hermione bit her lip so hard, as she took a step closer to Johnson's portrait, that for a while, she tasted blood. But her nerves seemed to have numbed themselves, and she ignored the pain. But there was a certain stabbing, intense pain that she couldn't ignore. It was the sort of pain that Harry felt, when he discovered that he had trusted an impostor. Mad- Eye Moony's impostor. And the putrid stench of deceit was wafting thickly in the room. That was harder to overlook.
"Clever, yes, but not intelligent enough," laughed Johnson. "You have lost, witch. History cannot be changed merely by time travelling, or the world would be....topsy-turvy, my dear," he sneered. "Everything happens in a cycle. Your actions in the past will haunt you when you return. Sometimes, you even end up worsening the situation....like what you just did, Gangly," he sneered, showing a row of rather pointy teeth, Hermione wondered why she didn't noticed his dark smile, that seemed to laugh at her before. I must be blind, she told herself angrily. Either that, or I'm just plain naïve.
"Yes, time hourglasses do exist, but their usages are closely monitored by the guardians of time. In layman's term, the confounded Ministry of Magic, and a roomful of half-breeds. Besides, as far as I am concerned, there is only one such magical artefact that remains. The other one was....broken. I remember you saying something about saving Harry's godfather with it illegally? My, my," he said, with mock admiration. "You must have some very strong connections, mustn't you? Only if permission is granted.....willingly, by the Chief Warlock of Wizengamot, may it be used, undetected." Johnson hissed. "Dumbledore, I presume?"
Hermione turned more than a shade paler, as her mind processed the information that Johnson had just given. Her heart was threatening to burst its way out of her chest, and a gigantic lump rose in her throat. Dumbledore was the one who told me to use the hourglass, she thought, a sour feeling spreading in her stomach unpleasantly, as she clutched her chest in pain. When I get back-if I ever get back- I'll ask him why didn't he use it...to kill Tom.
"Tom might be Salazar's only heir....other than me, of course," he said silkily. "But I died, killed by Salazar's very own sentinel. I had just invented some untraceable venom, when it slithered into my office. I was careless, and it slipped my mind that I was supposed to....feed it that particular night. I was not as charismatic or Greek God-like, like Tom and no witch was willing to so much as give me a lock of her hair, not to mention flesh," he smiled thinly.
Hermione brushed some droplets that had formed unconsciously at the corner of her eyes, and noticed that he was a little vampiric, with his thin, bent body and glowing eyes. She swallowed nervously, when, for a fleeting moment, something like psychosis glinted in those vivid orbs. Hermione had never seen Voldemort before, but from Harry's description, she felt as though Johnson fitted the fallen wizard's profile perfectly. The portrait was in black and white, but if it was coloured, she could almost imagine the flaring nostrils and scarlet eyes glaring at her. She wondered if all of Salazar's heirs looked like that.
"To put it short, it didn't trust me, and, you know how deadly its stare is. But the others thought that I died because of my potion.....my death was never properly looked into, for I was not extremely....liked. The fools....," he said softly, sending goose bumps up Hermione's back. "When I died, I knew that a new heir would materialise, about half a century later. No two heirs can exist at once, Salazar once warned. Just as Harry and Tom couldn't live, while the other survives. So, I kept a lookout, for someone, who might just complete what we had left unfinished."
"When Tom first entered Hogwarts, his brightness, bitterness and shrewdness caught my eye. I immediately felt an affinity for him, when I......sensed Salazar's blood in him. How I knew, was similar to the way a boomslang's awareness of its prey is triggered. The ability to speak in Parseltongue isn't my only gift, you know," said Johnson with a proud look. He's a snake, she thought. He's a black mamba, a cobra, and a boomslang all rolled into one. Hermione clasped her palms together-they were becoming colder as the seconds passed. His words, combined with the low, dark tone in which he spoke, had a perverse effect on her.
"Like you, he found various excuses to enter the Headmaster's office, to speak with me. It was not particularly difficult, as he was Dippet's favourite boy. He's also a Parselmouth, and I was convinced that if there was one person who could complete Salazar's work, it would be him. But I remained cold and distant, as I wanted him to be filled with hatred. Hatred fuels the soul, you know. No muggle lover could continue Salazar's work, to rid Hogwarts of muggle-borns. I fed his impressionable young head with Hitler's......glories. I made him see how The Ripper's murders helped 'cleanse' the streets of London. I showed him the thrills and exhilarations of mass massacre, and what sheer power can bring. And it was I that awoken him to the fact that Salazar Slytherin's blessed blood flew in his very veins. He told me that his father was a muggle. That was why I concluded that he inherited Salazar's traits trough his mother. "
Hermione opened her mouth, but no words escaped from her lips. Her tongue felt as dry as a cactus, but that was not the point. Her throat was closing up because Johnson had just admitted that he groomed Tom. So it was Johnson who had moulded Voldemort? A portrait gave birth to the most evil wizard of all time? He was the one who distorted Tom's mind, and made Tom see the sadistic, malevolent dictator in an.......honourable light? She wondered if Tom Marvolo Riddle was simply born evil, or did Johnson had a hand in it. It doesn't matter, she told herself. When the time comes.......history will be changed, prophecy or no prophecy. As her mind raced, trying to find a way to undo her mistakes, and perhaps, to return to where she truly belongs, Hermione realised that she was trembling. Uncontrollably.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
-Next time: Unexpected Reactions.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
AN: Review, pretty please? At least I'll know that someone's reading my humble fic :)
I write because you're reading it, you know. Let's see if I can get 10 reviews!
Dear Dragonbrat: You're my first reviewer for Chapter 10!! I've reached 10 chapters!! Never thought that I would actually continue this...this...this thing. *shakes your hand enthusiastically* Actually, more like Chapter 9, because chapter 3's just a note!
Dear DragonessKaei: Nah! Not ya fault for missin' two updates! More like mah fault, for writin' sucha' borin' story that can't sustain ya interest! *bows apologetically* BTW, if Rowling suddenly decides that Neville's the 'one', I'll stamp on the books, then burn them.
Dear Ariana Althena Evergreen: I didn't mind your hot words....Spew out some more, if it makes you feel better! :) He's getting worse by the day! Love ya!
Dear Mrs.shigwa.cobain: Really? I'm smiled like an idiot when I read your review. Hey, I've just realised: You've been reviewing my story since chapter 1! If I could send you a gift or something, I would. (not a virus, of course!) Oh, yeah, that story was posted twice. I removed it, as I decided to concentrate on this one. But then.......what a waste, right? So now, I've to start from scratch, because all the nice reviews were removed as well :(
Dear Yukura: Thank you, deah!
Dear Samantha-Carlyn: Professor Dippet is mean? Feel free to express yourself. I'm not the language police :-D
Dear UNnormalMonkey: Um....I hope I get this right-Jo0jo likes your name.
Dear Maraudertimes: You're back! *throws a handful of confetti* Missed you! Oh, and remember the secret weapon I asked you to guess? Don't worry, she's still gonna use it.
Dear Sonya Katz: At last! A chapter that passes your grade! *does a tribal Zulu war dance* Look harder, especially for the coming chapters, because I'm trying to explain something that I'm not even sure of! *Time of The Ghost is postponed until Johnson is done with his explaining*
Dear Miss Mina Murray: You never fail to make me feel....appreciated.
Dear LadyKarasse: How do you like this one?
Dear Jo-jo: I'm glad that I made your day. Really, you're like a live volcano, aren't you? One moment I'm blasted off my pc for a cliffy, the next, I'm being cheered up. But I love hearing from you, flames or not. Yeah....Christmas is quite near, so I think I'll post a few chapters before you go off and celebrate. Just so that you can party in peace. A Mary Sue is (I asked) a character who possesses admirable physical traits, and often have some sort of special ability as well. Most of the time, she will have boys falling at her feet. It's bad, yeah. Hortense is my Mary Sue. She's gorgeous, and she can predict the future. But, well, what story is complete without a MS?
Dear Sallymander: Scary, huh? Maybe I should change the genre to horror....nah! There're some action scenes coming up before the final act.
Dear *A certain classmate* : If you're reading this, then you've found my fanfic. Just....don't feel disgusted, okay? I know that I'm not as good as crescent_illusion/stardust_352, but, well, not everyone can write like her, no? Oh, and if you think that the TR/HG thing is icky, I don't blame you. I can't believe that I took up a fellow fanfic writer's challenge to create a story about them! What have I gotten myself into? :-D