Title: Slytherin Forever! Book One - Blood Ties.
Author: Kathryn Volcanov.
Rating: PG-13.
Spoilers: PS/SS, CoS, FBAWTFT, QTTA.
Summary: CoS AU. The Slytherin House did not always have a bad name... or a mark of evil wizards upon its banner. As Hogwarts stands at the beginning of dark times a small group of Slytherins search a way to restore their House to the glory and pride once associated with it. Virginia Weasley, a witch raised in a Gryffindor household, struggles with the power given to her when she starts her first year at Hogwarts... as a Slytherin.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The plotline belongs to me, as well as any characters not found in JK Rowling's books.
Author Notes: This was a very easy chapter, seeing as I had a bit of support from the book this time. I love reviews, and I will take constructive criticism to heart. I won't keep you waiting any longer: here is chapter three!
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Chapter Three: Enemies Of The Heir.
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I'm the writing on the wall
See what it means to call me,
Call me by that name
- Whisper In The Chaos, Lullacry
~*~
Ginny could hardly believe that she had been at Hogwarts for a month already. She was completely used to Slytherin customs now and barely recognized herself when she talked to her friends and teachers. She had become a true Slytherin, making snide remarks about other Houses wherever she went and showing her wit and cunning in planning some of the harder practical jokes with Trevor and Nelson.
She was also used to the certain disregard for rules all Slytherins seemed to possess, especially when it came to getting House points. Her lessons - apart from Transfiguration - went extremely well and Ginny soon found that she had a special talent in the Potions field. Professor Snape gave her extra assignments, which she completed with new discoveries about certain ingredients and potions.
Fred and George left her alone, and so did Percy. Ron was a different story, seeing as he passed by at the most impossible times to make certain comments about Slytherin that didn't go down well with Ginny's group of friends. Ginny planned on getting him back for it sometime in the near future.
But by the time Halloween arrived Ginny's plans for revenge were disturbed. Her health was going backwards and she seemed to get tired even without making any effort. Madame Pomfrey had given her Pepper-Up potions every time she went to the Hospital Wing because she was not feeling well, but they only lasted for a short while.
Her search in the library about her little experience in the bathroom had not been successful. She had no clues on what was happening to her. Draco had asked Lockhart for permission to research in the Restricted Section, and had been granted full access at all times. So far his search had been without any success.
Draco had become one of Ginny's best friends after the incident with Ron, and was never seen without the little redhead outside of class. He was the only one who knew about Ginny's real problem - the others thought she just took too much work on - and was sworn to secrecy about it.
The diary was something Ginny didn't tell anyone about. Natalya and Alisha knew she kept a diary, but Marita and Dev were clueless. Ginny wanted to keep Tom to herself. Not even Draco knew about the spiritual friend Ginny's diary contained. Just the way she wanted it to be.
"We're going down to the Feast. Gin, are you coming too?"
Ginny rolled over on her back to look at Alisha, who had applied a ridiculous amount of make-up on her face. The other girls were standing behind the blonde girl with huge smiles. Their faces fell when Ginny shook her head and said:
"I'd rather not. I am going to sleep here for a while and then perhaps make some homework. You go and have fun, okay?"
The girls nodded, and although Dev and Natalya wanted to stay with Ginny Marita dragged them up to the Great Hall. Alisha took a long look around the room and then at Ginny, who already gestured that she would be fine.
But when the door closed behind Alisha and shut the noises coming from the Slytherin common room that was filled with partying Slytherins out Ginny got up and grabbed her diary. She let one single drop of ink fall onto one of the pages and began to write.
Several minutes later Ginny began to feel a bit light-headed, but Tom asked her to keep writing to him. She found his request nothing out of the ordinary - he had asked her this before - and kept scribbling things of non-importance onto the page. Suddenly Tom told her to stop. There was a flash, like lightning, and Ginny was dreaming again.
She was in a dark room with barely any light. The black book in front of her snapped shut as she rose from her seat and started to scan the page of another book that was lying on one of the beds. When she thought that she knew enough she walked out of the room down a dimly lit hallway with six other doors. But they were not her goal.
She entered a large room after she left the hallway. She thought that there was no way out at first, but then reconsidered the thought as she headed straight for a solid wall. There was somebody whispering a word in her mind, and she said it out loud. The wall opened. Ginny giggled as she realized that this was just like magic...
She was led through a maze of passageways until she knew for sure that she could not find a way back, and suddenly found herself standing on the hill again. The snow covered rocks called out to her, tauntingly, until she started to speak a language she did not know she could speak.
"I, the Heir of the Greatest Founder of them all, ask permission to open the Chamber and unleash the horror within. I am a child of Salazar Slytherin. I shall not be denied!"
To Ginny's ears it sounded like hissing, but her mind translated it for her in her own language. She gasped as the rocks began to move and revealed a large hole in the ground. She called out to something in the deep depths of the hole and then left the hill.
Suddenly she saw the butterfly that she had seen in her first dream. She went after it and found herself staring at a solid wall. The butterfly was gone but it had done its work well.
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE!
She wrote it on the wall with a beautiful red color, with the spell she had seen in the book that had lied on the bed. She finished just in time but accidentally touched her robes with her hand while saying the spell which resulted in the red substance being smeared all over the front.
Something was moving inside of the walls...
It should not find Ginny there. She ran away from the place, through pools of water on the floor, but soon encountered a cat. She called out to the thing inside of the walls, because she knew what it was... and left the scene.
She ran right back to the dark room and opened the black book once more. She wanted to get out of this world and leave the danger there. And her wish was granted.
Ginny got up and closed the diary just before her eyes turned red. This time, however, she was prepared for it and had herself under control within two minutes. She didn't know why her eyes turned red, and why it was a sign of lost control, but she would find out sooner or later. The fight for control had not passed without making any victims... namely some vases with flowers in them. Ginny could not be bothered to clean the floor. There were more important things.
Her robes were dripping with red paint. She waved her wand impatiently and was pleased to see the paint vanish. She went to the bathroom to fresh herself up a bit, and nearly screamed when she saw herself in the mirror. She looked like she had been dead for several days!
Her eyes had dark circles under them. She was pale, like a vampire, and her vivid red hair was more like thin rope. Her lips had burst from cold and were dry. She looked thinner than usual, for some reason, and her robes seemed way too big for her. And she was so tired all of a sudden...
When the other girls came back to their dorm they found Ginny fast asleep on the bed. Dev closed the door behind her softly, while Marita and Alisha cleaned the floor and repaired the vases with a flick of their wands (they would not let Natalya near them, seeing as she wasn't any good with Charms).
Natalya shook Ginny awake, which resulted in a reprimande from the tired redhead. But when Ginny noticed the grave faces of her friends she blinked in confusion and asked if anything was wrong.
"There is certainly something wrong," Marita said softly. "Mrs Norris was attacked tonight. The teachers have taken Potter, Granger, and your brother with them for questioning."
"It seems like we have got our revenge on Ronniekins after all," Natalya said happily. "Whoever it was that attacked Mrs Norris and wrote that message on the wall deserves a grand hug."
"Maybe it was Potter," Dev said. "I have always disliked him, and am not giving him a hug."
"Harry's not that bad!" Ginny exclaimed immediately because she still harboured a bit of a crush on Ron's best friend. Then, as an afterthought, she added: "And what is this about a message on the wall? Tell me everything!"
"It just said that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened," Natalya answered. "It had the Slytherin slogan underneath: Enemies of the Heir, beware! It was written with red paint."
"So now nearly everyone suspects a Slytherin to have done it," Alisha added helpfully. "But I wouldn't worry. Go back to sleep, Gin. You will need it in the morning. Lockhart's first."
Ginny nodded and closed the curtains of her four-poster. When she was certain that everyone was asleep she sat up straight and thought things over.
She suspected herself to have written the things on the wall. Her memory of tonight was blurry, but she recalled cleaning her robes because there was paint all over them. Red paint. She wanted Ron to be guilty, just to have a feeling of successful revenge, but she knew that she was.
The only logical thing to do was to write to Tom tomorrow. She needed his advice. But for now she had to sleep, because tomorrow would be a busy day.
***
Lockhart's lessons had turned out to be a bit of a joke after the first day. The Slytherins always enjoyed his lessons immensely, seeing as they were not very difficult and always good for a laugh. But today's lesson was very different from usual.
"After the disturbing events last night I have decided that you will have to learn something about counter-curses. I would like you all to grab your wand and repeat after me: Veritae Voltae!"
Lockhart was stupid enough to have pointed his wand at one of his photographs while saying it, so that it erupted in flames. Marita extinguished the fire with a flick of her wand and Lockhart beamed at her before continuing:
"I should give you feathers to practice on. This very counter-curse was used to repel a venomous werewolf so that I could save the people living in a little town in Romania from its wrath. Go right ahead and see what you make of the feathers!"
Ginny gave a derisive snort and pointed her wand at the feather given to her. She muttered the spell under her breath and was pleased to see that it worked instantly. She was one of the very few people who had pointed their wands at the feather.
Dev was busy with setting fire to all photographs within wand aim, and Trevor and Nelson extinguished those fires with a simple spell. Natalya and Alisha were pointing their wands at Lockhart's robes, and set fire to them. Lockhart did not notice a thing until Jayden called for his attention with pointing at Lockhart's feet.
He screamed like a girl. Thomas started to laugh loudly at Lockhart's panicky face and soon the whole group was hiccupping with laughter. Alisha had kept her head cool and extinguished the fire set to Lockhart before she dissolved into fits of giggles.
They had to pay for their little prank with a price of ten House points. It was a mild punishment - McGonagall would have taken thirty off - but it was still greeted with silence and in some cases loud objections. Ginny remained silent, but was already planning to get the lost points back with Potions tomorrow.
It seemed to be a bad day for all the Slytherins. Draco told Ginny inbetween lessons that even Sprout had taken three points off Slytherin because of a silly remark made by Pansy Parkinson. Professor Kettleburn, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, had dealt a record of detentions out to the Slytherin fourth years after they had failed their tests.
The Slytherin Prefects, Zeynep Zabini and Verice Walters, were having loads of trouble with complaining students. This resulted in a harder time for all the Slytherins. Zeynep had shouted at Marcus Flint for ten minutes straight because Flint had interrupted him with a faulty Quidditch training schedule, while Verice had taken twenty points off her own House by lunchtime. Ginny had talked to Zeynep just before her free hour started and was surprised to hear that the teachers were taking the threatening message on the wall seriously.
"You mean there is actually something in this castle like the Chamber of Secrets?"
Natalya's reaction to Ginny's report on the weird behavior of everyone in school was a welcome distraction from schoolwork for the other first-years. Nothing was more fun than seeing the blackhaired girl think everything over before she jumped to - usually stupid - conclusions.
"If there is indeed a Chamber, it is well hidden," Jayden said. Noticing the stares from everyone else he continued: "The castle has been searched thoroughly for such a Chamber, and nobody found it. Now we know why everyone is so hostile against us. The Chamber was built by Salazar Slytherin."
Alisha whistled through her teeth and grabbed her copy of Hogwarts: A History from the pile of books on the table. She leafed through it quickly - according to Dev Alisha knew every page by heart - and stopped at a new chapter.
"... And after an argument with Godric Gryffindor about the selection of students (see page twelve) Slytherin left the school. The story goes that Slytherin had built a secret Chamber, of which the other Founders knew nothing," Alisha began. "Slytherin sealed the Chamber so that none would be able to open it until his own true Heir arrived at the school."
"A Slytherin," Trevor stated. "The Heir must be a Slytherin."
"Not necessarily," Alisha answered and then continued with reading. "The Heir alone can unseal the Chamber, and unleash the horror within. This monster could be used to rid the school of those unworthy of studying magic."
A grave silence fell after her words, only broken by the racket some owls were making outside. Ginny felt faint. She was in Slytherin, and she did not know where she had been last night...
"The Heir can also be a member of another House," Jayden said thoughtfully. "Blood does not count with the Sorting Hat, because then most of us would be somewhere else, and most kids here have parents who were not in the same House."
"On the other hand the Heir could be a Slytherin," Ginny said softly. "The Blood of the Founders is more important than anything else, and influences your personality. The Clearwaters have married several Gryffindors over the years, and yet there has not been one who was not in Ravenclaw. Mum told me they are related to Rowena Ravenclaw herself."
"And the Bones family has always been in Hufflepuff," Dev said after a moment. "Ginny's right, the Heir is a Slytherin."
"I didn't say that," Ginny protested. "I said it could be, not that it was definitely so."
"Let's just hope that you're right," Nelson sighed. "The other Houses hate us enough as it is."
***
Vuori College For Witchcraft, Savonlinna, Finland.
Gudrun --
It has been a while since we've been in touch, and I regret not writing to you sooner. Things, as usual, got in my way.
The Zeppo is ready for action. We are keeping an eye on Y-K-W in Albania, and all our members are where they should be. I want you to pay a bit more attention to matters happening in Britain.
We received a very disturbing phonecall from Catherine two days ago. Apparently Mel has moved in with her, saying something about Hogwarts and Heirs before she fainted and was brought to a Muggle hospital nearby. If her premonitions are accurate - and you know they are - something bad is going to happen at the school soon.
Tell me everything you know about the Chamber of Secrets in your next letter.
Blessed be...
Although there was no name under the letter Gudrun Halonen knew from who it was the instant she had read it completely. Colin Montana's way of cutting to the case was infamous.
She frowned as she read the letter again. The matter of Hogwarts had been keeping her awake since last night, when she had received an owl from Severus Snape. His message had been urgent and disturbing, and Gudrun could not help but wonder who it was this time.
She knew who it had been the last time the Chamber had been opened. Although everyone thought it was somebody else Gudrun knew who the real culprit was. But he was too weak to attack anyone, and too far away this time...
Gudrun's mother had been at Hogwarts in the days of the Opening of the Chamber. She had died two years ago, but not before sharing her secret with her daughter.
It was 1941. Gudrun's mother, called Jessa, started her fourth year at Hogwarts as a Slytherin. That year had proved to become a bad omen for the following year 1942.
A sixth-year Slytherin died with Christmas, attacked by Aurors in her family home. The only witness of this murder was her friend, who escaped with a few cuts and bruises. Jessa knew that something was wrong with him the minute she caught him talking to his dead friend as if she was still there.
She had no idea that what she had just witnessed would become the foundation of the Rising of Lord Voldemort. Slytherin's Heir was at Hogwarts, and wanted revenge for the murder of his friend. So he unleashed the horror of the Chamber in the school, willing to rid it of those from Muggle parentage, but he had not seen a fairhaired girl sneak away towards the library the night the creature killed a Muggle-born Hufflepuff.
Jessa had seen the Heir of Slytherin at work. She knew what he could do. When Lord Voldemort rose, many years after the Chamber had been opened, she was the only one who knew his true identity. There was no one else who could link the snake-faced Lord to the handsome boy Jessa had known and trusted with her life.
And now Gudrun knew what her mother had known for all this time. She could give the information to The Zeppo, or she could keep it to herself for the time being. She would have to think long and hard about the decision that had to be made.
People could die.
Gudrun smiled grimly as she remembered the Slytherin slogan. It seemed so fitting for the occasion, so familiar for the battle ahead of them...
Enemies of the Heir, beware!
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