Chapter 5

In the ancient days god said: "Let there be light." Light then took form, but those of the dark said: "Let light die." and the world was engulfed by darkness. So this is what existed first in the world... entwined by light and darkness... We live trapped in a world that does not show us the right path. This world is nothing but an illusion created by our own thoughts and maddening prejudices.

For those reasons alone, you will stand before me, as so often in the past, in the need to take my life and free yourself from my shadow…

~~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~~

Harry opened his eyes slowly to find himself in a large room with dark curtains and shelves filled with books all over the walls. There was only one seat there, and it was there were he was lying. The little light that came from the candles at a door did not allow him to see much more. Slowly he sat up, his feet touching the ground now.

"You have awoken…"

His head spun around to see a tall hooded figure appearing from the shadows. He shuddered, he hadn't noticed the stranger, but he could feel the dark presence radiating from him… The same way it did in his dreams.

"Who are you?" Harry asked a little bit intimidated.

"To that later, there are other important things I need to tell you before you return to Hogwarts." The man said.

Harry narrowed his eyes leaning his head to the side slightly; he knew that voice, although at the moment he couldn't quite say from where or to whom it belonged. The man moved closer and extended a hand towards Harry as the boy recalled it from the nights in which he dreamt about him. His mind screamed to run away, but the Gryffindor in him told him that if he had already come this far, he might as well go until the end. And so he took the offered hand, feeling dry and cold skin against his own. He was pulled up to his feet and then pulled along to leave the room. They wandered through dark hallways marked by time through the cracks in the walls that were visibly whenever they passed a chandelier hanging on the wall.

He wanted to ask where they were, but the man was walking awfully careful around, so he decided against it. It seemed to Harry that he was trying to avoid being discovered. They stopped at a corner and the hooded man glanced quickly around.

"When I'll tell you, you run." He whispered.

Harry nodded looking up and seeing the fiery eyes for an instant as the man moved to look again around the corner.

"Now." And he pulled at Harry's hand spurting quickly down the better-lighted corridor storming into a room and closing the door quickly and as silently as possible behind them.

A sigh escaped the hooded man and he pulled a wand out casting silencing charms and other spells at the door and their surrounding. Harry took the time to take a look around. This room was bright and decorated in dark green and calming blue colors. The shelves were a dark ebony color and Harry had the feeling to be sitting somewhere in the middle of the forest.

His hand was let go off and the man moved over to seat and motioned Harry to sit across him. The boy followed uneasily.

"You probably can tell that you're no longer in nor anywhere near Hogwarts." He said to Harry, and the boy nodded vaguely. "I called you because it is important that you know of the spell your parents did on you Harry…"

"The spell?" He blinked. "You mean about the one that stopped Voldemort from killing me?"

"Sort of…" the man said. "Tell me Harry, how much do you know about the Legends of the Founders of Hogwarts?"

He shrugged. "Not much, I mean, I know about that the founders used to get along pretty well until Salazar Slytherin left because he thought that the choosing of new students should simply be done from those of magical families. He left the school then…" he paused. "And well, also the thing about the Chamber of Secrets."

The other leaned back in his seat. "No one ever told you about the Curse of Slytherin, did they?"

"The Curse… of Slytherin?" this was a first.

"Let me tell you a story, Harry, a story that has long been forgotten. A story of betrayal of friendship… A story that you won't find in any history book, it is a story that is only passed down in those families that are blood related to Salazar Slytherin… or those who are burdened to carry on with the curse…"

*~*~*~*~*

Severus aparated to the outsides of Riddle Manor hoping to find Harry in one piece, if what Dumbledore said was true, Voldemort had summoned the boy to him. He could still barely believe that the Dark Lord possessed the ability to bring down the school defenses down to nothing. Severus had been able to leave the castle from his own quarters; there hadn't been any need to leave the boundaries of the magical seal around the castle's ground.

He made his way towards the manor his heart beating wildly in his chest as though it were trying to warn him of an upcoming danger. He pulled his robes around him hiding his face behind the white mask and entered.

A this time of night, there were very few Death Eater's running around Voldemort's hideout, yet still enough to worry if they should discover that he was here to take the boy back with him.

He kicked himself mentally. How come he hadn't known about the Dark Lord's plans? Even Lucius hadn't said anything, and that was considering that his old schoolmate was the Snake Lord's right hand. He knew practically everything that was going to be done.

He moved quietly through the empty and dark hallways down to the cellars were the prisoners were kept. He should better start looking down there. He certainly hoped the boy was still all right… Damn it! All this might blew his cover as a spy for Dumbledore! That boy definitely brought too much trouble up.

*~*~*~*~*

Harry couldn't believe what he had been told. "Are you telling me that Salazar Slytherin didn't leave the school and his own free will?!" he shook his head. "I mean that's almost as ridiculous as what you're saying about Gryffindor."

"I am only telling you the truth, whether you believe it or not, is your choice." The man said.

Harry passed a hand through his hair. According to what he had been told Salazar and Godric used to be best friend. But what had caused those two to become enemies? "It's can't just have been Godric's request of him to get out…"

The man shook his head lightly. "I doubt that was the true reason. But I don't know the whole story myself. All I can tell you is that Salazar did great things for the world and that the people acknowledged them as though Gryffindor had done it. While Slytherin remained working, the other took the credit and never cleared the fact that he hadn't done it alone…"

"That's ridiculous!" Harry said, but his voice showed that he wasn't so sure about it. "Why are you telling me this? I don't understand…"

The man leaned closer. "Because you are a heir to Slytherin as much as you are an heir to Gryffindor."

He gapped at the hooded one. "Wha- What?!"

"You speak Parseltongue." The hooded stated.

"Yes, but that because Voldemort passed some of his powers to me…" his voice trembled in disbelief.

The man laughed, a bitter laughter. "I should have know that Dumbledore would come up with an explanation suitable for him." He sighed. "I might be true that you received some powers that night, but Parsel can't be transferred like that. It is something that is already part of you."

"But I was able to call out Godric Gryffindor's sword down in the Chamber!" Harry protested jumping up to his feet. Suddenly the air around them seemed to freeze and Harry had the urge to run away from this man. This stranger that yet seemed so familiar.

"You were in the Chamber?" the voice had become cold and distant.

Harry nodded slowly.

"Dear Merlin… I'm too late…"

*~*~*~*~*

He stepped down the dark stairs holding his wand up to lighten the path down to the dungeons of the mansion. The air was unpleasantly filled with death and rotten scents mixed with the already natural humid air. The guards looked up to him as he came into their view. He nodded to them raising his sleeve and showing his mark. They nodded and returned their attention to their current card game. Severus proceeded. For a moment he considered asking the guards for information, but they might find it suspicious discovering his intentions and he might not get a chance to help the boy.

He glanced here and there to find either empty cells or horrible misfortune creatures that were barely alive. His hands were starting to sweat as he approached the end of the dungeon and there was still no sign of Potter. Cursing under his breath he knew he had no other choice but to look through the other rooms of the mansion. He shuddered, who knew what he might encounter there, he had never liked this house, it was freaking, even to him.

*~*~*~*~*

"What do you mean too late?" Harry asked in with a rising fear. "Too late for what?!"

The other passed a hand over his face. "The chamber is the trigger of the curse." Harry saw red eyes glancing at him from underneath the shadows of the hand and the hood. "It awakens in anyone who is blood related to Salazar Slytherin."

Harry smiled nervously. "Wait, I… I don't have any curse on me. " His lips twitched slightly not sure if he was truly speaking the truth. "I… I can't have curse on me! I would have noticed! That was four years ago!!" he was panicking a little. "I can't." he repeated to assure himself that he was really right.

"Calm down!" the other said in a harsh tone that made Harry shudder unwillingly. "Are you sure that you didn't feel any difference after you left the chamber?"

Harry passed a hand through his hair sighing. "Look everything went really fast down there. I mean, I had just killed that snake and had destroyed the diary… and then … " he broke off.

"You killed the guardian snake?" the other questioned.

Harry nodded. "Well, either that or have it kill me."

"Why didn't you order it to stop?"

Harry waved dramatically with his hands. "Hello! Voldemort was controlling it!"

The other seemed startled by this. "What?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "There was this diary of his from when he was at school and let's just say he wasn't very pleased with the idea to have been defeated by a child…"

He chuckle softly. "How the hell did that thing end up in Hogwarts? I thought it had gotten lost."

"Malfoy!" Harry answered bitterly. "Lucius Malfoy somehow managed to get it in."

There was a long pause after that before either of them spoke again and it was the hooded man who addressed Harry first. "Let's concentrate on more important matters again." He didn't give time to Harry to reply. "As I was telling you the curse is passed on by blood. And the families who have that line try hard to keep it pure in order to have Salazar Slytherin return one day. The curse says that the wizard or witch with the purest blood that enters the Chamber shall be granted the knowledge and powers of the old wizard."

"I wouldn't necessary called that a curse then…" Harry said slowly knowing instantly that that wasn't all to it.

"Yes, if it weren't for the fact that Salazar's soul would be reawakened in that body." The hooded man sighed.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "But what would happen to the soul of-"

"It would disappear. Absorbed and the body left for Slytherin to use at his will and command."

Green eyes starred shocked at red one. "You can't be serious! That's… That's horrible!!" he almost shrieked jumping to his feet..

"Sh!!" the other hushed him to quiet down again. "Do you want to be discovered you idiot!"

Harry bit down on his lip guiltily and settled back in his seat. "Are you telling me that Salazar will come out of my body?"

"Not necessarily…"

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You see, if you haven't felt anything else until now, I doubt that the curse had much effect on you…" he saw Harry sigh in relieve. "But I'm not sure about that. I mean, when I entered the chamber I felt nothing. No changes whatsoever, until… well, one day it was suddenly triggered by something and well, let's just say I was in no state to control the power by the time I understood what was going on with me." His voice dropped to an icy tone. "I was trapped by the people I trusted and used to do their will without being able to fight it!" he added bitterly.

"Okay, and what if it didn't work on me? I mean, the Avada was reflected from me onto Voldemort too, right?" Harry bit down on his thumb, wondering.

"Salazar's heirs are known by their abilities. Even if you hadn't opened the Chamber yourself, it would have recognized you as possible heir. You must figure out what knowledge, power or trace it left on you. It might be triggered by something as it did with me. I don't know, but be careful for when it happens… If you happen to be his full reincarnation, he might sooner or late take over your mind. You cannot allow Salazar to take over!!" he said strongly closing his fist.

Harry shuddered at the thought of being vanquished from his own body. "Can't you tell me how I'll know?"

"I don't know, maybe your behavior will start changing or you start talking in odd ways with the old accent…" the other shrugged.

"I meant the trigger." Harry said.

Another shrug followed. "I said I don't know."

Taking a deep breath Harry asked instead: "Can't that be stopped?"

"The only thing that might do so would probably be in the chamber itself."

"Great! Like I care to absorb an old spirit in my mind!!" he snapped annoyed.

"Whatever happens Potter, you must not, under any circumstances, let yourself be forced or start any kind of relationship with Draco Malfoy." The hooded man said standing up and walking to the window looking outside. "I already spoke to Draco about this, and I think he understood it… He told me you and he had discovered the secret about your families and that you were nothing more than friends."

Harry gapped at him unbelievingly. "Wait… are you saying that Draco is also an heir to Slytherin? I don't understand, what would be wrong in being friends with him?" How dared this stranger get involved in his personal matters? Harry felt anger rise in him.

"It's not that you can't be friends… It's that you can't be anything closer than that!" The man spun around and Harry suddenly felt in the presence of a dark being as through the clouds the moon's light shone into the room over the man. "You parents sacrificed their lives in order for you never to be bonded to Draco!"

Harry paled. "Wha… what?" his breathing was coming in short gasps.

"Harry the spell your parents did on you was to avoid that you would be forced to marry Draco and have children with him." The man pushed his hood back his hair keeping his face in shadows. "The power of a pure blood Slytherin would be unimaginable especially in the hands of Lucius Malfoy."

"I … I… I don't understand." Harry whispered starring at the man.

"I'll better show you or you won't believe it…" The other raised his hand and Harry's green eyes starred in shook as a spell hit him.

*~*~*~*~*

Closing the door behind him Severus barely managed not to run into Lucius Malfoy.

"Lucius." Severus said a little startled to meet the other this late at night here.

"Severus, what are you doing here?" the blond asked eyeing him curiously. It was unusual that Severus ran around here with his mask on.

"I came to check on a book on Potions from the Dark Ages." He lied straight ahead. "What about you?"

"I came to see our Lord of course." Lucius smirked. "By the way, didn't Draco tell you that I wanted to speak to you urgently?"

"Yes, but there were other things I had to attend to first. Dumbledore is starting to suspect something and I'm sure our Lord wouldn't be pleased if I failed on spying for him." He answered calmly back in an annoyed tone.

"Ah, yes, of course…" Lucius eyed him for a moment "I'll better be going then. Good night Severus."

The Potion Master didn't respond and watched the other disappear behind a corner. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance and impatience he moved on to check the next floor. It wouldn't do good to run into Lucius again. The man wouldn't let himself be lied to a second time.

Feeling the tension and bad feeling inside growing he continued down the corridor. He was starting to pray to any god, if there was one, to take the time to fucking help him find the stupid boy!

~~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~~

I feel heavy, my body hurts, and it feels as though my bones are dissolving and my skin pealing of me. I don't understand… It's so painful, and yet my body feels relived at the same time. It is as though some heavy weight was lifted of it…

I have to reopen my eyes… I can do it… But all I see is blackness… and then the red eyes that have so often come in my dreams…

And with sudden understanding I stare at Voldemort…