Castle Walls
Chapter Ten: Evil is Not Out There. . . It is Right Here.
Evil visited us yesterday, and we don't know why.
-Ron Taylor , headmaster of he school in Dunblane, Scotland, where a gunman killed sixteen 5 and 6 year-olds, their teacher and then himself.
As he exited the Great Hall, Clyde was cracking Gryffindor bashing jokes and a lot of them were very funny. As the mass of Slytherin students went chortling down the corridors they stopped. Suddenly they all stopped laughing, on some faces fear appeared. The rest just blanked their faces and hid any emotion they might have shown. Professor Snape who was going to be walking down with them froze when he saw what was holding up progress. He then sent a sixth year student to go get Professor Dumbledore, and went to the front of the crowd to control it. Gohan pushed his way up front as well.
As he reached the front, he saw something that he could never forget. Over a large and still spreading puddle of water from a girls' bathroom, Mrs. Norris was hung by her tail, half-dead and from the look of it scared into that shock. On the wall in bright bloody letters was written 'The Chamber of Secrets Has Been Opened.' Jaws were dropping open as others saw it. Murmurs were spreading, was the cat dead, what did it all mean, what should they do? From behind he heard Draco's distinctive voice happily ring out, "You're next mud bloods!"
Gohan escaped the crush and sighed with relief as Professor Dumbledore came and declared that the cat was not dead, only Petrified, whatever that was. Gohan was sure that it was all right as long as they didn't try to bury her. As the students were all starting to go to their common rooms Gohan sort of wandered in after the rest of the now somber Slytherins. He quickly claimed his favorite chair and brought his knees up to his chest and let his tail wrap around his ankles. As he did so a group gathered around Draco, who was considered the foremost authority on all things Dark in nature, and Pansy Parkinson, who had an equally great knowledge of the evil magic could do.
The lore of the Chamber of Secrets wasn't unknown to a majority of the Slytherins and the first years had been promptly informed as soon as they reached the common room that night by Draco and Pansy as to what the chamber was and what it meant. While they carefully explained the two second year students had cast a lot of dirty looks at the Sayajin boy curled up in the overstuffed chair in the darkest corner. Gohan didn't care if Mister and Miss Popularity of the Slytherins liked him or not. Those two could go take a long walk on a short but very tall and jagged cliff for all he cared. Despite this he did listen to the two as they imparted their knowledge upon the younger students, it was very fascinating.
Supposedly the founder of their house, Salazar Slytherin, was the one who started all of the pureblood ideas. The founder was doing it for good reason, back then the Muggles were hunting down and killing all wizards and witches, claiming them the devil's tools and servants. The magical community, once respected and looked upon as protectors and the helpers of kings, went into hiding and Hogwarts was founded to protect and help the children control their powers then send them out to do the same for others of magical ability. When they started to seek out anyone of the slightest magical ability Slytherin, ever the careful plotter and thinker, railed against it. He feared that if they took in one who sided with the Muggles, that that one weak link would expose the entire community and end up killing them all.
After a particularly fierce argument with Godric Gryffindor, he left never to return. Some said he went on and founded another school under an alias. But that didn't matter. When he left he left a room some where in the castle with his ageless and ever loyal servant, it would only be opened by Slytherin's heir to cleanse the school of Muggle-born wizards and witches who would lead to the school's downfall.
Gohan could see the true purpose in Slytherin's Chamber of secrets, it was to protect the school. It wasn't meant to hurt helpless cats and harm students who just so happened to be of Muggle parentage. It was to be the last line of defense in case the Muggles ever did decide to attack and kill the children. It wasn't a tool to be used in hatred, it was to be used in love for all of the students.
"Now someone, I don't know who, has finally come to finish the great work of Salazar Slytherin!" exclaimed Draco excitedly. Gohan sighed, the words would be lost upon the deaf ears of those two. He was always told by Piccolo to never pick a fight he couldn't win unless there was no other option. In this case he was better off just listening in silence and hoping that the dream was right and that no one would die because of his failure to act upon the threat.
Trusting in dreams was very out of character for him though. Was it wise? Piccolo would probably frown upon his current actions, but then again since when has Piccolo ever been told that he was a tool of Purpose and that he needed to follow the Supreme Kai and Moira's* plans for him or else he would unravel the very delicate fabric of Creation? The truth was that Gohan had no idea if it was all a product of an over-active imagination and gastrointestinal troubles. This was very unsettling for the young mind to take in. What if he could have saved the cat? What if this was all a mistake?
Gohan sat in the common room of the Slytherins. Everyone had gone to bed long ago but he was still sleepless. It had to be at least two a.m. but the sandman had yet to visit the eleven year old. Aster and Alesia had gone to their dorm rooms as soon as they got in that evening clearly distressed by the events of that Halloween night. Geoffrey had gone to his bed as well, he had told Gohan in a whisper that his mother was a Muggle and that he was scared that if anyone found out he would be on the list of the Heir of Slytherin.
The questions and fears for his friends pounded at his head so persistently that Gohan failed to note that he was now alone, all the other students had gone to bed. The hours passed and Gohan didn't move as he went into a quasi-meditative mode, almost leaving the conscious world while he went over all the facts he could recall from all of his dreams. He poured over it all, looking for holes, seeking out any reason to doubt, and in the end, finding none. This continued until a hand touched his shoulder. He was jerked out of his meditative state, and found Professor Snape and Mippy standing before him, Mippy was obviously worried for him.
"Are you okay? Mippy came to me when she couldn't get you out of your trance." Asked Snape. Gohan blinked, he had been in a true trance? Not even Piccolo had been able to enter into that kind of mode in the past ten years.
"Wow, so you couldn't get me out? For how long?" asked the boy. Mippy feebly smiled.
"I had tried every spell I could for ten minutes and Professor Snape was just about to give up his tries after twenty more minutes. What was going on, it obviously wasn't too terrible for you." she said. Gohan closed his eyes for a second and smiled.
"I'm reaching a new stage of awareness, if that trance was what I think it was," he looked at both of them, "I'm on the edge of having a Kami's level of perception and maybe powers. I hope that is correct. That means my dreams are real, not good." Gohan put his chin in his hands.
"Your dreams?" asked Professor Snape, "What have you been dreaming about?"
"I guess I can tell you, but you both must promise not to tell anyone. Really, it could throw off everything." Said Gohan with a hardened look to him. Both nodded and promised not to tell a soul.
"My dreams have told me that there are certain things I'm not allowed to tamper with here. The Chamber of Secrets is one of those things. Whatever happens with that I am not allowed to stop it, or reveal any information to help anyone. It is one of the many key events that Purpose needs to happen in order to keep balance. I don't like it at all and I'm sure that if you gave me one afternoon I could tell you exactly where the chamber is located and where Slytherin's servant is. But I have to trust my dreams." Gohan looked at the teacher and House-elf for their reactions.
Professor Snape was wearing a mixture of surprise, questioning, and concern. Mippy was just all out worried. Gohan sighed and let his tail free to stretch and he yawned.
"When did you have this dream?" asked Snape, his face and voice back to their normal guarded states.
"I started having the dreams last Tuesday, but yesterday they got really specific and started to name things and people. They also started to reveal more of the plan for my life as Moira has declared it, and I'm not going to second guess her and the rest of the Divine Sovereigns. That would be as foolish as asking to be killed in a slow and pain filled manner by Bulma or my mom." Said Gohan finishing with a slight smile of amusement.
"And you said the dreams and that trance are signs of you becoming a Kami?"
"No, I don't think I'll ever be a Kami. Watching over a planet or a galaxy would be absolute hell for me! From what it sounds like I and a Kai make up the last line of defense for all of the Star Universes. I am here so I can get the training and experience I need and so that the Supreme Kai can get me back and stay with in the rules of the life and afterlife." Gohan sighed, "I am simply gaining a few of the talents a Kami should have. I was told about it by my old sensei, he was the Demon King and his other half was the Kami of my world. He told me that the ultimate of the warriors and guardians of the universe try to reach the consciousness of the Kami they serve. He used to go in an out of that level regularly until about ten years ago, when he just couldn't take the awareness any longer." Said Gohan. Snape seemed interested.
"So what does this mean for you?" asked Mippy. Gohan looked at her and thought for a moment.
"Well, I'm not sure. Normally Piccolo would be here to guide me through my training, but I just got to keep on listening to my dreams and figure it out. I do know that this will help me get home. A Kami has access to the afterlife check in stations, and the guards of them have the best understanding of the 256 universes. If I am developing the powers, I can go and ask the guard here how to get home or at least how to communicate with my family and friends." said Gohan. Snape nodded and Mippy looked thoughtful.
"Well, despite the powers you are developing you need to go to bed. It is two thirty in the morning. If you need to talk or help finding any information you might need come and talk to me. I'm the head of your house, that is what I'm here for." He looked down at Mippy. "Come on, I need some help with a few ingredients for the potion lessons I have planned." He and Mippy left Gohan, and the boy got up and went up to the now dark room.
He heard the steady breathing of the four sleeping boys. He calmly stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. As he pulled back the covers he felt a cold creeping, crawling feeling down his spine. Lighting up a small ki ball he found his bed was covered with small black beetles with out real ki. They were all magical, meaning Keith took the Halloween truce seriously, and since it was technically All Saints Day the Joke was legal but un-welcome.
"Great, now how the hell am I supposed to go to bed? I don't know the counter for this." Muttered Gohan quietly. Yawning he decided to sleep on the stone floor. After all he had slept on worse before. Grabbing his pillow and bed spread he curled up on the cold floor, puffed out his ki for more warmth, and started to plan out just how to get even with his foe. But all too soon he was asleep and dreaming.
Notes: Okay, sorry but that's it for today. Moira is the Greek goddess of fate, she is above all of the rest in those stories and here her role will be shown soon. Thank you to all who reviewed, I don't have time to go and find the names right now but you all really do inspire me. My little bro is being a jerk and not participating anymore, but who needs him. Thank you to codesagewp, my friend and tutor in fencing knowledge which will play a role sooner or later.
I know things are getting weird, mythology, world religions, and all that is very important to this story's development. The Grand Kai is important, you'll see why in the next chapter. You'll also get a basic lesson in how the universes work. It's great fun. . .
Read Not Myself by Searry Snape at
It is really really good- 110 chapters of fun! I'm not gonna summarize it, just go and read it!
Later,
P.L.S