A/N: None here.
Disclaimer: Harry doesn't belong to me, blah, blah, blah. I only own Amelia, Ebony-Crested Dragon snakes, Silecia, Mithra, and any and all Dark Woods harps, along with anything else you don't recognize from the books. Oh, and I do use some of the same techniques Rowling uses with some fun lines I always enjoyed, so please don't sue me! I need all the money I can get for my student ambassador trip!
Parseltongue will be "~...~"
Chapter 29: A Dragon is worth two in an oven mitt
------------------------------------------------------
All in all, it was a chilly day down around Venice this late in the year, with a wicked breeze coming in from the sea and chilling anyone out and about. So now you would find two grown men moving around their kitchen sluggishly, having just woken up in their little seaside cottage in a rural village.
"...So..." yawned Sirius, pulling over a pot of hot water from the stove, intent on making some hot chocolate, "What do you want to do today?"
His friend, having just transformed last night, groaned from his spot at the table at the thought of doing something. The next time Remus moved was only to take the mug of hot chocolate from his friend. Sirius sat down opposite, and the two drank from their mugs in companionable silence. Remus broke the silence first.
"Do you think Harry got the letter yet?"
Sirius stood up and brought the cups over to the sink to wash out while saying, "He had to. We sent it off more than a week ago. Now the only question is whether he'll answer back or not."
"I guess so," finished Remus, staring out the small kitchen window in front of the sink and his friend. This wind was really fierce today; he only hoped Harry hadn't sent an owl out...
...The next few moments were complete confusion. One minute, Sirius had been standing in front of the sink and window, and suddenly, the glass was shattered, and Sirius fell back, wand out, as something struggled to get out of the sink. Sirius approached first while Remus fixed the broken window with his wand by turning in his chair, muscles aching in protest after last night.
"Remus, get a load of this!" muttered Sirius, who then reached in the sink and brought out the little 'something'. Setting the writhing thing down on the table, they both watched it.
"How did a Hungarian Horntail hatchling get all the way here?" asked Sirius. "The nearest reserve for them has got to be in Romania!"
"Wait a moment..." said Remus, reaching out towards the dragon. The little thing seemed to be holding something in its front claws... "It's got a letter!"
"From who?"
"...From Harry!"
"What?!" yelped Sirius, now reaching out for the exhausted creature which was now laying down on the table. It gave no form of protest as Sirius put it in a large oven mitt and set it on the table in an effort to get it warm. It seemed to help the dazed little thing regain its consciousness.
"Sirius, you have to read this," said Remus, now looking at the little dragon in interest. Sirius, ever eager, snatched the letter from his friend's hand.
Dear Sirius and Remus,
How are you two? In regards to your question, I am doing fine. A lot of things have happened recently, so I thought I would share it with you.
Well, first of all as you know by now, I have a new familiar, this miniature dragon named Mithra. He was a present from Draco over the summer along with a broomstick, a Nimbus 2001! Blaise got me a really nice athame as well!
I've also made and have had some of my friendships grow this year. Ginny Weasley is a new one, and she is strategically placed in Ravenclaw. She gives me very useful information from within the house. I've also become better friends with the Weasley twins. I am sure all three will eventually join the Deatheaters under me; all three would be very useful. By the way, what is your stance in regards to Deatheaters?
However, this is not what I decided to write to you about. New information has recently come out that I am an heir of the great Salazar Slytherin, as well as Blaise and Tom. I know you are probably thinking I've lost it, so make sure to ask Mithra about it. Tell him that Harry wants his friends to know. He'll do it. It's too long of a story to put in this letter.
Lastly, you said in your last letter that you were coming back next year and to send you post if I needed any advice or information. Firstly, my friends and I are all pleased to hear you're coming back. This fellow we have teaching DADA, Gilderoy Lockhart, has taught us nothing, and is a complete fraud. Secondly, and this is most directed towards Sirius, would you mind sending some information on Patroni and Animagi? I have purchased a book which contains excellent information on both, but I seem to be the only one of my friends that cannot even manifest a corporeal Patronus. Would you perhaps teach me next year?
Well, I hope to hear back from you soon,
Harry Potter
"What does he mean, ask the dragon?" asked Sirius, brows furrowed, resting his gaze upon his friend. His friend shrugged but replied, "I'll try it anyway. Hey, Mithra... Here, Mithra...."
At this and the poking that accompanied it, the little dragon, which had come to its senses while they were occupied with the letter, gave a little snort of indignity and laid back down on top of his oven mitt, intent on some sleep after its long and tedious journey.
"Hey, Harry said that you were supposed to tell us how he found out he is an Heir of Slytherin!" said Sirius, pushing the letter over to the centre of the table so that Mithra could look, as though dragons could really read....
They watched the little dragon roll his eyes ("?!"), stretch tiredly, and glide down to the floor. And before their eyes, a man appeared where Mithra had been a moment before, slightly brushing off his long cloak and tunic, slightly yawning all the while. He then turned his attention on the two men at the table.
"So, Harry must think highly of you if he were to send me all the way out in a hurricane wind to tell you this," said the mysterious, violet-eyed man, who then stuck out his hand in order to shake theirs.
"Silecia told me about you two. So, you two must be Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Pleased to meet you."
"And who the hell are you?!" said Sirius. It wasn't everyday that a messenger, let alone a _dragon_ messenger, just turned into a human.
"I am Salazar Slytherin, founder of Slytherin house and co-founder of Hogwarts," the young man said, sitting down at the kitchen table with the other two, pulling the oven mitt over towards him for no apparent reason other than it was soft.
"...You can't be. You would be over one thousand years old," stated Remus, and they watched as the man laughed.
"You know, Hermione said the same thing! Well, if Harry asks me to tell you the story of who I am and who he is, I will."
And so they talked. Sirius and Remus sat spellbound (not by magic of course) to Salazar's words. He described everything he had told Harry's group, from the beginnings of Silecia to the real Gryffindor up until Harry sent him off with the letter.
"-And I swear," complained Salazar now, "the winds down here are so bad! If it wouldn't have been so obvious, I would have grown larger to at least have some weight in the storm! I flew nonstop for two days straight and then a stupid hurricane!"
"But wait, I still don't get it," said Lupin, looking at the sandwich he was holding which had been served as lunch a while ago.
"What don't you get, Moony?" asked Sirius, still looking at Salazar as though this were all a prank.
Remus set down the sandwich and folded his arms comfortably on the table and looked at their guest. "How could Harry be an Heir of Slyth--- of you and Silecia?"
"The same way Blaise and Tom are. One of their ancestors must have shared my blood and it became active this generation," said Salazar easily.
Remus shook his head and added, "I know that, but that is the problem. The bloodlines. James' family tree was displayed on a large drapery in his house, which contained every witch or wizard in their family going back to the founding of Hogwarts. His family afterwards has ALWAYS married inside the lines of Gryffindor heirs that were purebloods. Not one person ever married a Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or a Slytherin. The house name was displayed with the person's name."
"Yeah," murmured Sirius, catching on. "And it couldn't have been Lily either. She told us that her family line has always consisted of Muggles. The knowledge of a witch in the family would have been passed down in the family history, the way they were."
Salazar sat back and frowned slightly.
"Yes, I don't quite see how, either, now that that information has been brought to my attention... I have to make sure to ask Harry about it when I get back. Oh, I believe if I read the letter correctly, Harry wants a response."
Remus motioned towards a bedroom down the hall and said, "If you would like, you can rest back there until we're done. It may be awhile."
Salazar smiled and said, "That's fine, I'll just sleep right here so I can leave quickly when you're ready. Whatever this thing is" - and here Salazar motioned towards the oven mitt- " it is quite comfy." And he turned back into Mithra, crawled inside the mitt, and quickly fell asleep.
"Well, what should we write?"
Meanwhile...
-----------------------------------------------------
"There, just a bit more... ah! Done!"
Harry grinned, taking the opportunity to lean against the wall and rest. He had been working ever in his free time for the past couple days ever since Salazar left. Looking up at the sky, the stars shimmered, providing soft light into the now cleaned practice field. Now the only question was getting back to the dormitories without getting caught.
Climbing out of the potrait, he slid into the shadows and began to make his way towards the dungeons, pausing every now and then to listen for any ahll wanderers. He had just reached the third floor when he swore he heard a rustling close by although no one was in sight. All he could hear was a slight whispering coming as though from the walls. It almost sounded like the walls were saying, "Delicious...". And then, quite close by, "It came... it came to me.... I ripped... tore...killed....".
Harry fell back, but he already heard the thing moving behind the walls. He hoped he was hallucinating, and tried to convince himself of that as he silently tore back to the dungeons.
--
"Harry! Why'd you get back to the dormitory so late? You could have gotten caught!" whispered Draco, as his friend sat down at the table, heavy circles under his eyes. Little did Draco know that Harry had been up all night, unable to sleep because of the disembodied voice.
'It had to have been because I worked so hard,' Harry thought, helping himself to some pancakes. 'Product of an overtired brain and magic supply.'
"Damn!" Blaise mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "I forgot to do my Transfiguration homework! McGonagall's going to kill me! Harry let me borrow yours!"
"Nope, no cheating from me," said Harry shaking his head as he took another bite of pancake. "No one is allowed to copy off me."
"Wait a minute. You're telling me that it's okay to kill people, but you won't let me copy your homework? That's a screwed up set of morals, Harry. Then again, we should probably be happy that you at least have any," finished Blaise.
"I don't know whether I should be offended by that comment or not," said Harry, and Draco laughed.
"Besides, remember I'm not in that class anymore."
"It wouldn't matter anyways," said Draco, waving an elegant hand. "Transfiguration's canceled until McGonagall turns up."
"What's wrong?" asked Ginny, who had been listening from her spot one bench over. She came over and sat beside Blaise.
"Haven't you heard? McGonagall didn't show up this morning for an early staff meeting. When they went and checked her office, she wasn't there. Went to her living quarters, the portrait said she never came back last night. She left the staff lounge late last night, and now she's no where. Snape found her cloak on the floor and some small book on the third floor this morning if I remember correctly. He's currently keeping both items to look for clues. Harry, what's wrong?"
But all Harry could keep hearing in his head was the disembodied voice.
"It came... it came to me... I ripped... tore... killed..."
-----------------------------------------------------
A/N: Sorry for keeping you all waiting, but as I've told you before, I NEED YOU GUYS TO GIVE ME IDEAS!!!! I've only been asking the entire story, and I'm only saying this to people who never give me ideas. Say what you think could happen next, ask questions of the future. The more you give me ideas, the faster chapters get out. Spring break is next week, so give me plenty of input so I can get out another one during the time off.
(March 10-30, 2004)
Disclaimer: Harry doesn't belong to me, blah, blah, blah. I only own Amelia, Ebony-Crested Dragon snakes, Silecia, Mithra, and any and all Dark Woods harps, along with anything else you don't recognize from the books. Oh, and I do use some of the same techniques Rowling uses with some fun lines I always enjoyed, so please don't sue me! I need all the money I can get for my student ambassador trip!
Parseltongue will be "~...~"
Chapter 29: A Dragon is worth two in an oven mitt
------------------------------------------------------
All in all, it was a chilly day down around Venice this late in the year, with a wicked breeze coming in from the sea and chilling anyone out and about. So now you would find two grown men moving around their kitchen sluggishly, having just woken up in their little seaside cottage in a rural village.
"...So..." yawned Sirius, pulling over a pot of hot water from the stove, intent on making some hot chocolate, "What do you want to do today?"
His friend, having just transformed last night, groaned from his spot at the table at the thought of doing something. The next time Remus moved was only to take the mug of hot chocolate from his friend. Sirius sat down opposite, and the two drank from their mugs in companionable silence. Remus broke the silence first.
"Do you think Harry got the letter yet?"
Sirius stood up and brought the cups over to the sink to wash out while saying, "He had to. We sent it off more than a week ago. Now the only question is whether he'll answer back or not."
"I guess so," finished Remus, staring out the small kitchen window in front of the sink and his friend. This wind was really fierce today; he only hoped Harry hadn't sent an owl out...
...The next few moments were complete confusion. One minute, Sirius had been standing in front of the sink and window, and suddenly, the glass was shattered, and Sirius fell back, wand out, as something struggled to get out of the sink. Sirius approached first while Remus fixed the broken window with his wand by turning in his chair, muscles aching in protest after last night.
"Remus, get a load of this!" muttered Sirius, who then reached in the sink and brought out the little 'something'. Setting the writhing thing down on the table, they both watched it.
"How did a Hungarian Horntail hatchling get all the way here?" asked Sirius. "The nearest reserve for them has got to be in Romania!"
"Wait a moment..." said Remus, reaching out towards the dragon. The little thing seemed to be holding something in its front claws... "It's got a letter!"
"From who?"
"...From Harry!"
"What?!" yelped Sirius, now reaching out for the exhausted creature which was now laying down on the table. It gave no form of protest as Sirius put it in a large oven mitt and set it on the table in an effort to get it warm. It seemed to help the dazed little thing regain its consciousness.
"Sirius, you have to read this," said Remus, now looking at the little dragon in interest. Sirius, ever eager, snatched the letter from his friend's hand.
Dear Sirius and Remus,
How are you two? In regards to your question, I am doing fine. A lot of things have happened recently, so I thought I would share it with you.
Well, first of all as you know by now, I have a new familiar, this miniature dragon named Mithra. He was a present from Draco over the summer along with a broomstick, a Nimbus 2001! Blaise got me a really nice athame as well!
I've also made and have had some of my friendships grow this year. Ginny Weasley is a new one, and she is strategically placed in Ravenclaw. She gives me very useful information from within the house. I've also become better friends with the Weasley twins. I am sure all three will eventually join the Deatheaters under me; all three would be very useful. By the way, what is your stance in regards to Deatheaters?
However, this is not what I decided to write to you about. New information has recently come out that I am an heir of the great Salazar Slytherin, as well as Blaise and Tom. I know you are probably thinking I've lost it, so make sure to ask Mithra about it. Tell him that Harry wants his friends to know. He'll do it. It's too long of a story to put in this letter.
Lastly, you said in your last letter that you were coming back next year and to send you post if I needed any advice or information. Firstly, my friends and I are all pleased to hear you're coming back. This fellow we have teaching DADA, Gilderoy Lockhart, has taught us nothing, and is a complete fraud. Secondly, and this is most directed towards Sirius, would you mind sending some information on Patroni and Animagi? I have purchased a book which contains excellent information on both, but I seem to be the only one of my friends that cannot even manifest a corporeal Patronus. Would you perhaps teach me next year?
Well, I hope to hear back from you soon,
Harry Potter
"What does he mean, ask the dragon?" asked Sirius, brows furrowed, resting his gaze upon his friend. His friend shrugged but replied, "I'll try it anyway. Hey, Mithra... Here, Mithra...."
At this and the poking that accompanied it, the little dragon, which had come to its senses while they were occupied with the letter, gave a little snort of indignity and laid back down on top of his oven mitt, intent on some sleep after its long and tedious journey.
"Hey, Harry said that you were supposed to tell us how he found out he is an Heir of Slytherin!" said Sirius, pushing the letter over to the centre of the table so that Mithra could look, as though dragons could really read....
They watched the little dragon roll his eyes ("?!"), stretch tiredly, and glide down to the floor. And before their eyes, a man appeared where Mithra had been a moment before, slightly brushing off his long cloak and tunic, slightly yawning all the while. He then turned his attention on the two men at the table.
"So, Harry must think highly of you if he were to send me all the way out in a hurricane wind to tell you this," said the mysterious, violet-eyed man, who then stuck out his hand in order to shake theirs.
"Silecia told me about you two. So, you two must be Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Pleased to meet you."
"And who the hell are you?!" said Sirius. It wasn't everyday that a messenger, let alone a _dragon_ messenger, just turned into a human.
"I am Salazar Slytherin, founder of Slytherin house and co-founder of Hogwarts," the young man said, sitting down at the kitchen table with the other two, pulling the oven mitt over towards him for no apparent reason other than it was soft.
"...You can't be. You would be over one thousand years old," stated Remus, and they watched as the man laughed.
"You know, Hermione said the same thing! Well, if Harry asks me to tell you the story of who I am and who he is, I will."
And so they talked. Sirius and Remus sat spellbound (not by magic of course) to Salazar's words. He described everything he had told Harry's group, from the beginnings of Silecia to the real Gryffindor up until Harry sent him off with the letter.
"-And I swear," complained Salazar now, "the winds down here are so bad! If it wouldn't have been so obvious, I would have grown larger to at least have some weight in the storm! I flew nonstop for two days straight and then a stupid hurricane!"
"But wait, I still don't get it," said Lupin, looking at the sandwich he was holding which had been served as lunch a while ago.
"What don't you get, Moony?" asked Sirius, still looking at Salazar as though this were all a prank.
Remus set down the sandwich and folded his arms comfortably on the table and looked at their guest. "How could Harry be an Heir of Slyth--- of you and Silecia?"
"The same way Blaise and Tom are. One of their ancestors must have shared my blood and it became active this generation," said Salazar easily.
Remus shook his head and added, "I know that, but that is the problem. The bloodlines. James' family tree was displayed on a large drapery in his house, which contained every witch or wizard in their family going back to the founding of Hogwarts. His family afterwards has ALWAYS married inside the lines of Gryffindor heirs that were purebloods. Not one person ever married a Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or a Slytherin. The house name was displayed with the person's name."
"Yeah," murmured Sirius, catching on. "And it couldn't have been Lily either. She told us that her family line has always consisted of Muggles. The knowledge of a witch in the family would have been passed down in the family history, the way they were."
Salazar sat back and frowned slightly.
"Yes, I don't quite see how, either, now that that information has been brought to my attention... I have to make sure to ask Harry about it when I get back. Oh, I believe if I read the letter correctly, Harry wants a response."
Remus motioned towards a bedroom down the hall and said, "If you would like, you can rest back there until we're done. It may be awhile."
Salazar smiled and said, "That's fine, I'll just sleep right here so I can leave quickly when you're ready. Whatever this thing is" - and here Salazar motioned towards the oven mitt- " it is quite comfy." And he turned back into Mithra, crawled inside the mitt, and quickly fell asleep.
"Well, what should we write?"
Meanwhile...
-----------------------------------------------------
"There, just a bit more... ah! Done!"
Harry grinned, taking the opportunity to lean against the wall and rest. He had been working ever in his free time for the past couple days ever since Salazar left. Looking up at the sky, the stars shimmered, providing soft light into the now cleaned practice field. Now the only question was getting back to the dormitories without getting caught.
Climbing out of the potrait, he slid into the shadows and began to make his way towards the dungeons, pausing every now and then to listen for any ahll wanderers. He had just reached the third floor when he swore he heard a rustling close by although no one was in sight. All he could hear was a slight whispering coming as though from the walls. It almost sounded like the walls were saying, "Delicious...". And then, quite close by, "It came... it came to me.... I ripped... tore...killed....".
Harry fell back, but he already heard the thing moving behind the walls. He hoped he was hallucinating, and tried to convince himself of that as he silently tore back to the dungeons.
--
"Harry! Why'd you get back to the dormitory so late? You could have gotten caught!" whispered Draco, as his friend sat down at the table, heavy circles under his eyes. Little did Draco know that Harry had been up all night, unable to sleep because of the disembodied voice.
'It had to have been because I worked so hard,' Harry thought, helping himself to some pancakes. 'Product of an overtired brain and magic supply.'
"Damn!" Blaise mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "I forgot to do my Transfiguration homework! McGonagall's going to kill me! Harry let me borrow yours!"
"Nope, no cheating from me," said Harry shaking his head as he took another bite of pancake. "No one is allowed to copy off me."
"Wait a minute. You're telling me that it's okay to kill people, but you won't let me copy your homework? That's a screwed up set of morals, Harry. Then again, we should probably be happy that you at least have any," finished Blaise.
"I don't know whether I should be offended by that comment or not," said Harry, and Draco laughed.
"Besides, remember I'm not in that class anymore."
"It wouldn't matter anyways," said Draco, waving an elegant hand. "Transfiguration's canceled until McGonagall turns up."
"What's wrong?" asked Ginny, who had been listening from her spot one bench over. She came over and sat beside Blaise.
"Haven't you heard? McGonagall didn't show up this morning for an early staff meeting. When they went and checked her office, she wasn't there. Went to her living quarters, the portrait said she never came back last night. She left the staff lounge late last night, and now she's no where. Snape found her cloak on the floor and some small book on the third floor this morning if I remember correctly. He's currently keeping both items to look for clues. Harry, what's wrong?"
But all Harry could keep hearing in his head was the disembodied voice.
"It came... it came to me... I ripped... tore... killed..."
-----------------------------------------------------
A/N: Sorry for keeping you all waiting, but as I've told you before, I NEED YOU GUYS TO GIVE ME IDEAS!!!! I've only been asking the entire story, and I'm only saying this to people who never give me ideas. Say what you think could happen next, ask questions of the future. The more you give me ideas, the faster chapters get out. Spring break is next week, so give me plenty of input so I can get out another one during the time off.
(March 10-30, 2004)