New Neighbor Chapter 10
"What's gotten into you?" Hermione cornered me in the hallway the next morning, looking like she had just caught Ron cheating on her with a Slytherin. "Why did you yell at poor Headmaster Dumbledore?!"
"He is not poor Hermione, and you know it." I retorted. She growled at me and I smirked. "But if you really want to know why.... meet me down in Eryk's rooms tonight. Bring Ron with you."
"Fine." She stalked away and I snorted. "Uhm..." She turned back around, looking sheepish. "Where are they?"
"Moony's old rooms. By the Defense room." She nodded and stalked away again. Before I could start towards Transfiguration again, another person interrupted me.
"So you're angry with the Headmaster." Draco Malfoy was leaning against the wall a few feet away from me, sneering for all he was worth. "What on earth did the old man do to upset you, oh boy wonder?"
"That is none of your business ferret." Draco scowled. "What do you want, I'm going to be late for Transfiguration." Draco's scowl disappeared and he sighed.
"I just wanted to apologize to you for everything that I've done." My eyes widened in surprise. "I've been disowned for refusing to become a Deatheater."
"Why? I thought you wanted..."
"To what? Cower in front of a hypocrite? Be cursed for trying my best, which would never be enough for him? No thank you!" I smirked. "But don't think I'm on your side Potter!"
"No, I wouldn't think you would be." Draco smirked. "I'm not even sure what side I'm on anymore." I stalked past Draco, who fell into step beside me.
"What do you mean? Are you turning Dark?"
"No. Look, I don't have time to explain. Meet me in Professor Snape's rooms tonight around eleven." Draco cocked an eyebrow.
"Severus?"
"No, the other one." We both laughed. "I'll see you tonight?"
"Of course." We went our separate ways and I was only ten minutes late for Transfiguration.
Later that night
"Explain." Hermione commanded as we settled around Eryk's fireplace. I sighed. Ron was looking between Hermione and me with interest. "Please?"
"Fine." I growled. "Dumbledore lied to me." Ron gaped. "He hid the truth about me parentage as well as certain facts."
"He wouldn't!" Hermione exclaimed. Eryk, who had entered moments before merely smirked. I motioned for him to sit and I continued.
"You see, James was never with my mom." I began. "She was with Eryk. Dumbledore disapproved because of Eryk's fathers association with Voldie." Eryk held up a hand and I let him continue.
"Lily was related to James, you see. They were distant cousins or something." He said, getting right to the point. "James was never the heir of Gryffindor, Lily was. So Dumbledore basically ordered her to use the Fidellus Charm and she went in to hiding with James. But not before she spent one more night with me."
"James approved?" Hermione asked in shock.
"Yes. He never hated me, like he did Severus. And when she went into hiding, she was pregnant. With our child." Hermione and Ron both gasped. "James agreed to say it was his, to keep the child out of both Voldemort's and Dumbledore's hands."
"But it was yours! And when Lily and James were killed...."
"Dumbledore forbid me from contacting Harry or claiming him. Said it was safer for him to stay with the muggles." Eryk paused and glanced at me. "And I thought it was. You see...Harry....Tom Riddle isn't the direct descendant of Slytherin, even though he has some Slytherin blood in him."
"Like James?" Eryk nodded.
"Who is then?" Hermione asked.
"I am." I gaped. "So you see, I thought that if he wasn't in the wizarding world...."
"I would be able to grow up normal then choose for myself. Except Dumbledore's intervention and the Dursleys treatment got in the way of that." I finished. Eryk nodded. I leaned back, digesting this new information.
"But that means....Professor Snape is the heir too? Does he have Slytherins powers as well?" Hermione asked.
"No. When a family who is descended from a powerful wizard the Salazar has twins, the eldest son gains all of the powers. The youngest gains a few of them, though they are not as strong." Hermions nodded. "Please don't be mad!" Eryk pleaded. I smiled at him to reassure him and Hermione stood up.
"We'll be going now. I'll see you tomorrow Harry?" I nodded and Ron waved good-bye, still too shocked to speak.
"Thank you for telling me." Eryk smiled. "I told Draco to meet me here later...is that all right?"
"As in Malfoy?" I nodded. "Fine by me. Mind if I ask why?"
"He's been disowned or something and wants to talk about things." Eryk cocked an eyebrow. "I'm thinking of starting my own side to this bloody war."
"Good for you! Many will want to join, you know." I nodded. "Well, have fun then. And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Where do you think you're going Draco?" Draco cringed and turned around to face a frowning Professor Severus Snape. "And after hours, no less?"
"Why is it any of your business?" Draco snapped. Severus glared at the boy, who sighed. "I'm going to meet Potter and find out his intentions." Severus grimaced. "I'll tell you all about it later, all right?"
"Whatever. It's bad enough that Eryk has to hang around the whelp, and now you're going to start as well." Severus sighed dramatically. "Very well, proceed. But I want a full account on all that is said."
"Yes sir." Draco slipped out of the common room and made his way to Severus's twin's chambers.
Harry's POV
I was only mildly surprised when Draco showed up outside of Eryk's chambers. I let him in and motioned for him to make himself at home. He looked around the cozy room with a small half smile.
"This room is so different than Severus's." I smiled. "So, tell me. What are you mad at Dumbledore about?"
"Subtle much?" I laughed. Draco flushed and glared at me. "Dumbledore betrayed my trust. He lied about my parents and forced me to live with my muggle relatives, who hated me with a passion."
"What about your parents?" Draco asked. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You can trust me!" I blinked. "Put a spell on me that wont let me tell anyone what you said. Even under Veritiserum or torture."
"All right." I waved my wand and muttered a spell and Draco shuddered. "Now. We'll start at the beginning."
"Okay."
"Lily never dated James, like everyone said. They were distant cousins. Lily actually went out with Eryk until she died. James knew and supported her decision, though Dumbledore did not. When he had Lily go into hiding, she went so pregnant."
"With you." Draco cut in. I nodded.
"With me...Eryk's child." Draco whistled. "No one apart from me, Eryk, Dumbledore, Lily, and now you know."
"So why did he leave you with your muggle relatives?"
"He thought I was safer with them. Not only was I the descendant of Gryffindor.... but of Slytherin as well."
"Merlin's ghost!" I chuckled. "And Voldemort?"
"Has little Slytherin blood in him. The true heirs are the Snapes, and me, though Eryk has all of the inherited powers and is a tad more powerful." Draco collapsed against the couch. "Strange huh?"
"Very." Draco paused. "Bloody hell...you're more powerful than Dumbledore and Voldemort combined!" I smirked. "But...you're not on Dumbledore's side anymore, right?"
"I'm on my own side." Draco blinked. "The war has three sides now, right? Voldemort and his Deatheaters, Dumbledore and the Order, and the Ministry. None of them are completely good. Voldemort and the Ministry for obvious reasons...and Dumbledore because he's manipulative. He tells you some things, but not the important other things."
"Yes." Draco nodded.
"I want to start a fourth side. One that complements all three of the sides. We'll work towards freedom to walk in the muggle world and the monitoring of muggle and muggle-born blood introduced like Voldemort, but we'll oppose useless killing like the Order. And the Ministry.... well.... don't know about that one yet."
"So we're basically good bad guys. Deatheater ambitions, Order way of doing things, and a dislike towards idiotic Ministers." I nodded. "Sounds good."
"All I need to do is make a mark, and find supporters." I said. Draco leaned back.
"I'll join." He said calmly. I grinned. "I've turned down Voldie, and I refuse to join the Order or the Ministry."
'Excellent! Now let's decide on a mark!"
"It's perfect." I exclaimed to a beaming Draco. It was a few days since our talk in Eryk's rooms, and the mark was finally finished. I clapped my partner on the shoulder and he grinned broadly. "I love it."
"Good!" He joked. "Now for the spells." I nodded. "Nothing that will be painful when you summon followers, but it can't be anything easily ignored."
"How about a jolt of hot, followed by a chilling sensation?" I suggested. Draco nodded agreeably and wrote it down. "We can work on that later though. What are we going to do about Dumbledore? He's sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." Draco pushed the parchment away and we relaxed on Eryk's plush couch.
"I say we hex him." I frowned. "Kidding..." I shook my head to get rid of the image of Dumbledore doing the Macarena in his underwear. "I don't know what we can do, it is his school."
"I know. We'll need a place to practice magic though, without him noticing." Draco cocked an eyebrow. "I don't plan on gaining members and leaving them to fend for themselves like Voldie."
"Okay. We can ask Severus later if he knows of anywhere." I nodded. I stretched as Eryk entered the room, shaking water off of his coat.
"Blasted Peeves...Hello Harry, Draco." I chuckled as he plopped down beside me. "Finish that mark yet?"
"Just about. Here, take a look." Draco passed it over to Eryk for inspection. He nodded approvingly and handed it back to Draco.
"Nice." Draco grinned. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Eryk.
"We need your opinion on who we should approach. You are a teacher and you know many of the students." Eryk nodded thoughtfully. "Take this week to watch them and find out more about them, then write possible names on a piece of parchment."
"All right."
"We should go see Snape then." Eryk cocked an eyebrow. "To see if he knows of any place we can practice magic without being detected by Dumbledore."
"Good thinking."
"What do you want whelps?" Severus snapped as Draco and I appeared in the doorway to his office.
"Just wondered if you know where we can practice magic without being detected by Dumbledore." Draco drawled. Severus cocked an eyebrow. "We're starting another side to this war. One that has qualities and goals of the three other sides."
"I see." I leaned against the wall. "But no, I'm sorry. I do not know of a room not warded." I sighed and turned to stalk out of the room. I heard Draco apologize behind me before running to catch up.
"Well, that puts a damper on our plan." Draco commented. I ignored him, thinking deeply of other possibilities. "We could always make a portkey take us somewhere?"
"No, that would be too taxing. Besides, if our group grows it would be hard to cover up masses of people suddenly disappearing." Draco hummed. "But.... we could use the Chamber."
"What chamber?" I grinned.
"The Chamber of Secrets!"
TBC
Okay, I haven't had this beta read yet, but I did revise it a bit. Any one interested in being my beta reading, pls email me!! My other one seems to have disappeared.....I've also put chappies together so they're longer.
"What's gotten into you?" Hermione cornered me in the hallway the next morning, looking like she had just caught Ron cheating on her with a Slytherin. "Why did you yell at poor Headmaster Dumbledore?!"
"He is not poor Hermione, and you know it." I retorted. She growled at me and I smirked. "But if you really want to know why.... meet me down in Eryk's rooms tonight. Bring Ron with you."
"Fine." She stalked away and I snorted. "Uhm..." She turned back around, looking sheepish. "Where are they?"
"Moony's old rooms. By the Defense room." She nodded and stalked away again. Before I could start towards Transfiguration again, another person interrupted me.
"So you're angry with the Headmaster." Draco Malfoy was leaning against the wall a few feet away from me, sneering for all he was worth. "What on earth did the old man do to upset you, oh boy wonder?"
"That is none of your business ferret." Draco scowled. "What do you want, I'm going to be late for Transfiguration." Draco's scowl disappeared and he sighed.
"I just wanted to apologize to you for everything that I've done." My eyes widened in surprise. "I've been disowned for refusing to become a Deatheater."
"Why? I thought you wanted..."
"To what? Cower in front of a hypocrite? Be cursed for trying my best, which would never be enough for him? No thank you!" I smirked. "But don't think I'm on your side Potter!"
"No, I wouldn't think you would be." Draco smirked. "I'm not even sure what side I'm on anymore." I stalked past Draco, who fell into step beside me.
"What do you mean? Are you turning Dark?"
"No. Look, I don't have time to explain. Meet me in Professor Snape's rooms tonight around eleven." Draco cocked an eyebrow.
"Severus?"
"No, the other one." We both laughed. "I'll see you tonight?"
"Of course." We went our separate ways and I was only ten minutes late for Transfiguration.
Later that night
"Explain." Hermione commanded as we settled around Eryk's fireplace. I sighed. Ron was looking between Hermione and me with interest. "Please?"
"Fine." I growled. "Dumbledore lied to me." Ron gaped. "He hid the truth about me parentage as well as certain facts."
"He wouldn't!" Hermione exclaimed. Eryk, who had entered moments before merely smirked. I motioned for him to sit and I continued.
"You see, James was never with my mom." I began. "She was with Eryk. Dumbledore disapproved because of Eryk's fathers association with Voldie." Eryk held up a hand and I let him continue.
"Lily was related to James, you see. They were distant cousins or something." He said, getting right to the point. "James was never the heir of Gryffindor, Lily was. So Dumbledore basically ordered her to use the Fidellus Charm and she went in to hiding with James. But not before she spent one more night with me."
"James approved?" Hermione asked in shock.
"Yes. He never hated me, like he did Severus. And when she went into hiding, she was pregnant. With our child." Hermione and Ron both gasped. "James agreed to say it was his, to keep the child out of both Voldemort's and Dumbledore's hands."
"But it was yours! And when Lily and James were killed...."
"Dumbledore forbid me from contacting Harry or claiming him. Said it was safer for him to stay with the muggles." Eryk paused and glanced at me. "And I thought it was. You see...Harry....Tom Riddle isn't the direct descendant of Slytherin, even though he has some Slytherin blood in him."
"Like James?" Eryk nodded.
"Who is then?" Hermione asked.
"I am." I gaped. "So you see, I thought that if he wasn't in the wizarding world...."
"I would be able to grow up normal then choose for myself. Except Dumbledore's intervention and the Dursleys treatment got in the way of that." I finished. Eryk nodded. I leaned back, digesting this new information.
"But that means....Professor Snape is the heir too? Does he have Slytherins powers as well?" Hermione asked.
"No. When a family who is descended from a powerful wizard the Salazar has twins, the eldest son gains all of the powers. The youngest gains a few of them, though they are not as strong." Hermions nodded. "Please don't be mad!" Eryk pleaded. I smiled at him to reassure him and Hermione stood up.
"We'll be going now. I'll see you tomorrow Harry?" I nodded and Ron waved good-bye, still too shocked to speak.
"Thank you for telling me." Eryk smiled. "I told Draco to meet me here later...is that all right?"
"As in Malfoy?" I nodded. "Fine by me. Mind if I ask why?"
"He's been disowned or something and wants to talk about things." Eryk cocked an eyebrow. "I'm thinking of starting my own side to this bloody war."
"Good for you! Many will want to join, you know." I nodded. "Well, have fun then. And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Where do you think you're going Draco?" Draco cringed and turned around to face a frowning Professor Severus Snape. "And after hours, no less?"
"Why is it any of your business?" Draco snapped. Severus glared at the boy, who sighed. "I'm going to meet Potter and find out his intentions." Severus grimaced. "I'll tell you all about it later, all right?"
"Whatever. It's bad enough that Eryk has to hang around the whelp, and now you're going to start as well." Severus sighed dramatically. "Very well, proceed. But I want a full account on all that is said."
"Yes sir." Draco slipped out of the common room and made his way to Severus's twin's chambers.
Harry's POV
I was only mildly surprised when Draco showed up outside of Eryk's chambers. I let him in and motioned for him to make himself at home. He looked around the cozy room with a small half smile.
"This room is so different than Severus's." I smiled. "So, tell me. What are you mad at Dumbledore about?"
"Subtle much?" I laughed. Draco flushed and glared at me. "Dumbledore betrayed my trust. He lied about my parents and forced me to live with my muggle relatives, who hated me with a passion."
"What about your parents?" Draco asked. I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You can trust me!" I blinked. "Put a spell on me that wont let me tell anyone what you said. Even under Veritiserum or torture."
"All right." I waved my wand and muttered a spell and Draco shuddered. "Now. We'll start at the beginning."
"Okay."
"Lily never dated James, like everyone said. They were distant cousins. Lily actually went out with Eryk until she died. James knew and supported her decision, though Dumbledore did not. When he had Lily go into hiding, she went so pregnant."
"With you." Draco cut in. I nodded.
"With me...Eryk's child." Draco whistled. "No one apart from me, Eryk, Dumbledore, Lily, and now you know."
"So why did he leave you with your muggle relatives?"
"He thought I was safer with them. Not only was I the descendant of Gryffindor.... but of Slytherin as well."
"Merlin's ghost!" I chuckled. "And Voldemort?"
"Has little Slytherin blood in him. The true heirs are the Snapes, and me, though Eryk has all of the inherited powers and is a tad more powerful." Draco collapsed against the couch. "Strange huh?"
"Very." Draco paused. "Bloody hell...you're more powerful than Dumbledore and Voldemort combined!" I smirked. "But...you're not on Dumbledore's side anymore, right?"
"I'm on my own side." Draco blinked. "The war has three sides now, right? Voldemort and his Deatheaters, Dumbledore and the Order, and the Ministry. None of them are completely good. Voldemort and the Ministry for obvious reasons...and Dumbledore because he's manipulative. He tells you some things, but not the important other things."
"Yes." Draco nodded.
"I want to start a fourth side. One that complements all three of the sides. We'll work towards freedom to walk in the muggle world and the monitoring of muggle and muggle-born blood introduced like Voldemort, but we'll oppose useless killing like the Order. And the Ministry.... well.... don't know about that one yet."
"So we're basically good bad guys. Deatheater ambitions, Order way of doing things, and a dislike towards idiotic Ministers." I nodded. "Sounds good."
"All I need to do is make a mark, and find supporters." I said. Draco leaned back.
"I'll join." He said calmly. I grinned. "I've turned down Voldie, and I refuse to join the Order or the Ministry."
'Excellent! Now let's decide on a mark!"
"It's perfect." I exclaimed to a beaming Draco. It was a few days since our talk in Eryk's rooms, and the mark was finally finished. I clapped my partner on the shoulder and he grinned broadly. "I love it."
"Good!" He joked. "Now for the spells." I nodded. "Nothing that will be painful when you summon followers, but it can't be anything easily ignored."
"How about a jolt of hot, followed by a chilling sensation?" I suggested. Draco nodded agreeably and wrote it down. "We can work on that later though. What are we going to do about Dumbledore? He's sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." Draco pushed the parchment away and we relaxed on Eryk's plush couch.
"I say we hex him." I frowned. "Kidding..." I shook my head to get rid of the image of Dumbledore doing the Macarena in his underwear. "I don't know what we can do, it is his school."
"I know. We'll need a place to practice magic though, without him noticing." Draco cocked an eyebrow. "I don't plan on gaining members and leaving them to fend for themselves like Voldie."
"Okay. We can ask Severus later if he knows of anywhere." I nodded. I stretched as Eryk entered the room, shaking water off of his coat.
"Blasted Peeves...Hello Harry, Draco." I chuckled as he plopped down beside me. "Finish that mark yet?"
"Just about. Here, take a look." Draco passed it over to Eryk for inspection. He nodded approvingly and handed it back to Draco.
"Nice." Draco grinned. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Eryk.
"We need your opinion on who we should approach. You are a teacher and you know many of the students." Eryk nodded thoughtfully. "Take this week to watch them and find out more about them, then write possible names on a piece of parchment."
"All right."
"We should go see Snape then." Eryk cocked an eyebrow. "To see if he knows of any place we can practice magic without being detected by Dumbledore."
"Good thinking."
"What do you want whelps?" Severus snapped as Draco and I appeared in the doorway to his office.
"Just wondered if you know where we can practice magic without being detected by Dumbledore." Draco drawled. Severus cocked an eyebrow. "We're starting another side to this war. One that has qualities and goals of the three other sides."
"I see." I leaned against the wall. "But no, I'm sorry. I do not know of a room not warded." I sighed and turned to stalk out of the room. I heard Draco apologize behind me before running to catch up.
"Well, that puts a damper on our plan." Draco commented. I ignored him, thinking deeply of other possibilities. "We could always make a portkey take us somewhere?"
"No, that would be too taxing. Besides, if our group grows it would be hard to cover up masses of people suddenly disappearing." Draco hummed. "But.... we could use the Chamber."
"What chamber?" I grinned.
"The Chamber of Secrets!"
TBC
Okay, I haven't had this beta read yet, but I did revise it a bit. Any one interested in being my beta reading, pls email me!! My other one seems to have disappeared.....I've also put chappies together so they're longer.