Umm I just wanted to let you guys know that some of my chapters have been
uploading weird...their spacing is all jacked up and stuff. They're still
readable, as far as I know, but I'm sorry for any inconvenience it might
cause you. I'm not sure if all of the chapters are weird like that or just
a few, but I'll be trying to fix them when I can :)
"The True Heir of Slytherin"
Chapter 8: Dark Arts
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"Where have you been?" Hermione asked Harry as he entered the Gryffindor common room. Only Hermione, Ron, Krum, Fred, and George remained awake. Everyone else was asleep in their dorm rooms. Harry sat down in the corner where Hermione and Ron were. Krum was being entertained by Fred and George's joke toys and candy near the fireplace.
"I was talking with Professor Dumbledore," Harry replied.
"About what?" Ron asked curiously, biting into a chocolate frog.
"Siren," Harry replied in a quiet voice.
Ron and Hermione both rolled their eyes.
"Why are you so interested in her?" Hermione asked.
"I think I know why," Ron laughed, then he put on an innocent little voice, "I think Harry likes her." Ron laughed a bit to himself, and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Now really," she added, "I don't think Harry would talk to Dumbledore just about some girl he likes." Hermione looked at Harry and continued in a kinder voice, "What's wrong, Harry?"
"Siren's the real heir of Slytherin," Harry blurted in a hush voice, "But DON'T tell anyone!" Harry added quickly, just as Hermione was about to shout out. "Look," Harry continued, even quicker, "I don't think I was even supposed to tell you two, but she is. Voldemort is her grandfather, but she's nothing like him. She's supposed to be nice, just really powerful."
Ron and Hermione were completely awestruck.
"Woah," Ron said with huge eyes.
There was a bit of uneasy silence amongst the three of them, neither knowing what to say next.
"Yeah, nice joke, Harry," Hermione said, trying to laugh it off.
"I'm not joking!" Harry exclaimed in frustration, "I'm serious! How else would she know the Malfoys? Or Snape? And I'm pretty sure that Hunter's dad is a Death Eater, too!"
The three of them both looked towards Krum, Fred, and George to make sure they hadn't heard Harry being so loud. Fortunately they didn't.
"But you said that she's not like You-Know-Who," replied Ron, "how would she know all of those Death Eaters if she's nothing like him?"
"Yeah," added Hermione, "and if that's the reason why she knows them, then does that mean she knows who else was behind the attack ion the Dursleys?"
Harry finally remembered what Dumbledore had said about that matter. He wished that Dumbledore would have told him who it was. "I don't know," Harry replied, "But Professor Dumbledore does. He said that they were unwilling, under the Imperius Curse."
"So who is it?" Ron asked anxiously.
"Dumbledore wouldn't tell me," Harry shrugged, "yet. I guess that person is in danger now or something. Probably from Voldemort. But anyways, they're under Dumbledore's protection now."
Hermione gasped and put her hand over her mouth as she frantically tried to get Harry and Ron's attention.
"What?" Ron asked, looking at her awkwardly.
"What if it was Siren?" Hermione was finally able to whisper.
Harry understood. It must have been Siren! She must be there under Dumbledore's protection. After all, on the train to Hogwarts, Snape did say that he was there to assure that someone showed up safely, and then Siren arrived. And it would explain why she was so afraid to talk to Harry.
"Man," Ron replied uneasily. It was obvious that it all made sense to him, too.
"But why would she not say anything?" Harry thought aloud, "Or Dumbledore. Why didn't he tell me?"
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said quietly, making sure that Krum, Fred, or George wouldn't hear, "I mean, he already told you that she's the real heir of Slytherin. If he told you that she helped You-Know- Who kill the Dursleys, well, he probably thought that you might...y'know..."
"Retaliate," Ron added, finishing Hermione's sentence.
Harry was deep in thought. He certainly didn't blame Siren for anything. He knew she didn't mean to do it, right?
"What if he was lying?" Harry replied, "What if she wasn't under Voldemort's control?"
Ron flinched at the mention of Voldemort's name.
"Why would he lie?" Hermione asked, "And why would Siren purposely do it?" You don't honestly think Dumbledore would hire and protect a murderer, do you?"
Harry looked at Hermione. "Well," he said, "He has done it before. Remember Barty Crouch Junior?"
"You're not saying that maybe he doesn't know?" Ron asked, "Like, Siren lied to him?"
"It's possible," Harry added, "I mean, Sirius told me that all the heirs of Slytherin have wanted to destroy the heirs of Gryffindor. What makes you think that Siren's any different?"
Ron and Hermione didn't reply for a while. Finally Hermione spoke up. "You think she's here to kill you? And that everything she's told Dumbledore is just a cover-up?"
Harry wasn't sure about these suspicions, but he was sure not to trust Siren.
* * * * *
Eventually, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Krum all went to bed. Harry remained awake in his bed pondering all that had just been discussed. Was Siren really there to kill him? Or was she a spy for her grandfather? Or even worse, a new thought came into Harry's head: if Siren had submitted to Voldemort's Imperius curse once, what if she did it again while at Hogwarts? Or what is she was still under it?
Harry didn't want to think about it anymore. He closed his eyes and fell into a uneasy sleep. As he slept, he had an unusual dream. In it, he saw a bright light. He looked up and saw stars, beautiful stars. The distant singing came back into his head as the silhouette came closer to him. It was Siren, but she wasn't singing this time. As she came closer to him, Harry realized it wasn't Siren at all, although it did greatly resemble her. The girl finally came to about a foot away from Harry. Her eyes were very seductive, and Harry was held in a trance. The enchanting singing soon turned into an evil chanting in some unknown language, much like that which Harry heard outside of Grachus's study... Then it happened - the girl pulled out a dagger. She continued to look at Harry as she plunged it deep into Harry's gut. The pain was excruciating, and the girl started to laugh, a high, cold laugh. Then, a dark haired man came into view. He stood beside the girl, and he looked at Harry, smiling evilly. As Harry was about to fall down from the pain, the man began to say something. His voice sounded exactly like Voldemort's, and he was speaking Parseltongue.
"You won't survive it this time," he said.
The laughter of the two people began to echo within Harry's head, and everything around him became dark and chaotic. As soon as it had all started, it all stopped. There was no sound, and the two people were no longer there. Harry looked around the pitch-black room. He suddenly jumped as he heard a girl screaming. It was his mother. He looked behind him to see something he had never seen before...his mother standing before Voldemort. She was holding a child (obviously Harry). She screamed once again as Voldemort aimed his wand at her. A green light flashed, and she fell to the floor, dead. Harry awoke with a start, sweating all over. His heart was beating as though he had just ran a mile. He looked around the room, expecting to see Voldemort somewhere. Harry could still feel where the dagger had stabbed him in the dream.
Harry, breathing heavily, laid back down, and fell asleep once again into a dreamless rest. Not knowing whether or not it really meant anything, he decided not to tell anyone about the dream.
*************
Harry woke up the next morning remembering every vivid sound and action from the dream he had.
"You awake Harry?" he heard Ron say from across the room.
"Yeah," Harry replied sleepily, rubbing his head, "What class do we have first, Ron?"
"Dark Arts," Ron sighed bitterly.
"Oh, great," Harry muttered to himself.
The two of them both got dressed and met Hermione and Krum in the common room.
"We haff Dark Arts in fifteen minutes," Krum said to them groggily, rubbing his head and letting out a large yawn.
"Yeah, I know," Ron replied, "Sounds like fun."
"It should be," Krum replied, not noticing Ron's sarcasm, "I can't vait to see Siren teach,"
he laughed. Hermione didn't say anything, noticing the nervous look on Harry's face.
"Fifteen minutes?" Ron complained with a sigh, "What, no breakfast? Man, we really slept
in."
"I think everyone did," Krum answered.
And so, the four of them left the Gryffindor common-room and made their way down the corridors, trying to find the Dark Arts room. They walked towards the Northern-most part of the castle, where they finally found the room. They hesitantly made their way into the classroom, and noticed that they were the last students to arrive. There were only about 12 desks in the room, and eight students, including Malfoy and his gang, already there.
"You're late," Siren said from the front of the classroom.
Harry tried not to make eye-contact with her as he found a seat.
"Sorry, we couldn't find the room," Ron said, slightly blushing.
"That's okay," Siren replied kindly, "Just try not to let it happen again."
Ron, Hermione, and Krum all sat down in desks close to Harry. Hermione gave Harry a nervous look.
"Well," Siren continued as the class settled, "I'll start with taking attendance."
And with that, a piece of parchment appeared in front of Siren out of thin air, and it floated before her. She took out her wand and put it at the first name on the list. "Marie Abbott," she called out.
A thin girl at the front of the class raised her hand, while pushing her blond hair behind her ears. She looked about 16 years old, and was a Hufflepuff.
Siren checked the girl's name off on the list and continued. "Tyranus Campbell?" she said, looking at the class.
A seventh year Ravenclaw boy in the back of the classroom raised his hand. Siren checked him off and continued down the list. "Vincent Crabbe," she said.
Crabbe, who was sitting near the back of the class with Goyle and Malfoy, raised his arm. Siren looked at him, her eyes penetrating his. Harry guessed that she knew his father was a Death Eater. Siren didn't seem to like the spawn of Death Eaters too much, except for Hunter, of course, if indeed his father was a Death Eater.
She finally checked him off. "Gregory Goyle," she called out bitterly.
Goyle raised his hand hesitantly, noticing the loathing in Siren's voice when she called his name.
"Hermione Granger," Siren added, kindly this time.
Hermione proudly raised her hand.
"Viktor Krum," Siren called out.
"Here," Viktor replied, putting his hand up and laughing a bit.
"Now, now," Siren smiled, "Don't laugh at your teacher, Mr. Krum." It was obvious that both of them found the idea of Siren being a teacher quite humorous. Siren checked off Viktor's name and called out the next name on the list.
"Draco Malfoy," she said, rather quietly. Hate was very present in the tone of her voice. Draco smirked and raised his hand. Siren simply looked at him. "I really do hope that you, of all people, don't disrupt my class this term," she said coldly.
Malfoy put his hand down quickly, afraid of Siren's warning.
"Because if you do," Siren continued, "I assure you, you will pay."
The class went absolutely silent. Even Krum looked a little nervous. As Siren continued to call out names, Harry was deep in thought about the dream he had had the previous night. He wanted to know who the girl was that looked like Siren, and why she tried to kill him.
"Harry Potter," Siren called out, breaking Harry's thoughts. Harry slowly raised his hand as Siren looked at him and checked off his name.
Siren continued to call names, but stopped when she got to Ron's name.
`"Ron Weasley," she said as he put up his hand, "Are you by any chance related to Charlie Weasley?"
Ron went a little pink as Siren spoke directly to him, and replied, "Er, yeah - he's my
brother."
"I see," Siren smiled as she checked off Ron's name on the list, "I met him over the summer. Nice guy."
Ron nodded, going a little redder.
Siren grabbed the attendance sheet and put it away. "Well," she said, "As you all know, this is a very special class. Professor Dumbledore greatly recommended it for a select few students, which are all of you.
"Now, this class is finally being taught at Hogwarts under the gravest of circumstances, for it appears that all of you are, believe it or not, in some form of danger in regards to the Dark Lord and his followers. Some of you are involved more directly than others, but regardless of that, it is important that all of you learn to properly defend yourself, and that is what I will teach you."
The class was very uneasy at this point, except for Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy, who quietly laughed when Siren said that they were all in danger from the Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Hermione, however, raised her hand right away.
"Yes?" Siren asked her.
"Sorry, professor," Hermione replied, "But you said that you'd teach us how to defend ourselves, but, isn't that what the Defense Against the Dark Arts class is for?"
"Perhaps," Siren answered coolly, "Considering that Voldemort was going to attack all of you with boggarts and hinkypunks, which I can assure you that he will not."
Siren walked a bit closer to Hermione and looked at the class eerily, "The only sure way to defend yourself against a dark art is to use a dark art yourself. It's a concept many of us don't like to deal with, but it's true. Some, however, like Professor Dumbledore, refuse to use a dark art of any kind. But let's be honest with one another, we're not as powerful as he is, are we? The Dark Arts are the only real defense we have."
All of the Slytherin students seemed excited to begin, while others were rather hesitant. "But of course," Siren continued, "We will not get into spells and curses right away. That would be suicide."
Malfoy and his gang became disappointed at that statement, for they obviously wanted to learn as many dark arts as they could.
"Anyways," Siren continued, "for those of you who don't already know, my name is Siren Ridge, and I will be teaching you the art of Dark Magic. You can call me Professor Ridge, Miss Ridge, Siren, whatever. I really don't care. All I care about is that you pay attention.
"There are more rules in this class than in any other class, and if you purposely break even ONE of them, you will be kicked out of this school, never to return. You must understand that the magic taught in this classroom will be very dangerous, and you all must be very serious and careful about what you are doing. The slightest mistake in an incantation can even kill someone, so please pay attention to what you will be doing!
"There is to be no horseplay in this classroom, understand? I don't want any fooling around at all. Also, there is to be no arguing. I know that not all of the students in this class get along, but if you make even one rude comment, there will be many points taken away from your house - even if it happens to be my house as well."
She shot a nasty look at Draco, as if daring him to go against her words. "So," she continued, "time to get on with today's lesson. Today, of course, will simply be an introduction, for in order to perform the Dark Arts, one must fully understand them. So, I've decided that we shall be learning about Salazar Slytherin, and his conversion to darkness.
"I would like you all to take out your History of Dark Magic textbooks, and turn to page 55."
Ron looked at Harry uneasily. "Salazar Slytherin?" he said quietly. "This oughta be fun."
"I'll bet," Harry replied nervously.
Harry reached into his book-bag and took out his textbook. He turned it to page 55, and read the heading, which said, 'THE LIFE OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN.'
Siren began to read out loud from the textbook. "The life of Salazar Slytherin is not well-known, but what is known about him is somewhat interesting, though frightening nonetheless. While nobody knows exactly why Salazar became a Dark Wizard, it is known that he remains as one of the most powerful Dark Wizards in history."
Siren then closed the textbook which she was holding, and looked at the class, slightly smiling. "Now that is where the book is wrong," she added. "There remains but 3 people today who truly know why Salazar converted, and those three people are my mother, Voldemort and myself."
Most of the students flinched at the name of Voldemort, but Marie Abbot raised her hand.
"Question?" Siren asked her.
"Yes," Marie replied nervously, "how do you and your mother know why Salazar Slytherin converted?"
Siren laughed a bit and replied, "Don't ask my why I know it, just believe me when I say that I do. All of your questions will soon be answered. All in good time, Marie."
The entire class was extremely puzzled at this, except for Hermione, Ron, and Harry, who already knew the truth. For some odd reason, Harry felt like telling the entire class who Siren's grandfather was, but decided better of it.
"First off, let's talk about where Salazar Slytherin grew up," Siren continued, "Salazar was born in Rome, Italy, in 156 A.D.. At this time, Antonius Pius was Rome's Emperor. I just want to say that I find it hilarious that the Slytherin House is so obsessed with being purebloods. I say this because Salazar Slytherin, was, himself, muggle-born."
Malfoy and his gang scoffed at this, especially Malfoy, who's chin had dropped about an inch.
"Now, like most muggle-borns, Salazar didn't know he was a wizard until he was a bit older. However, he did, like most muggle-borns, make odd things happen, and his parents didn't know why. Eventually, his neighbours noticed these odd occurrences and began to shun Salazar's family. "As more people found out about it, the more Salazar was considered evil or wicked. This was horrible for his parent's reputation, so they disowned him. Salazar at that point was only five years old, and couldn't fend for himself. The Ministry of Magic, which was then called the Council of Magic, heard about Salazar, and sent someone to care for him. That person's name was Marcus Gryffindor, Godric Gryffindor's father."
Harry was in shock. He thought the Gryffindors hated the Slytherins, so why would they look after each other?
"Excuse me?" Harry said, putting up his hand.
Siren looked at him, and hesitantly replied, "Yes?"
"I thought the Gryffindor family and the Slytherin family hated each other," Harry said, somewhat rudely.
Siren went a little pink in the face as Harry said this, and Hermione gave Harry an uneasy look which simple said, 'why did u have to say that?'
"Well," Siren replied, avoiding eye-contact with Harry, "This was before the conflict arose. If you'll let me continue, I'll tell you how the conflict started in the first place."
"I already know how it came about," Harry snapped back, "Salazar killed Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff when he turned evil. And every heir of Slytherin since then has been evil."
The classroom was completely silent, and even the air they breathed was uncomfortable. Harry didn't know why he was saying all of this. A certain fury just seemed to be kindled within him and he couldn't stop himself. It was as if he knew for a fact that Siren was evil, just like Voldemort. Just like Salazar Slytherin. Siren, however, remained absolutely silent. She looked at Harry for a brief moment, and Harry could once again hear a distant singing. This time, the song was very lamentable, and very depressing. The music immediately stopped as Siren began to speak.
"That isn't true," she said quietly, "now don't interrupt me again."
Harry suddenly felt very guilty for saying all that he did, but Siren, however, continued talking as if nothing had happened.
"Marcus Gryffindor raised Salazar as if he was his own son. Godric Gryffindor, who was three years older than Salazar, was like a brother to him. As they grew older, Salazar and Godric became best friends. The continued to be best friends all the way into adulthood, when they met Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. The four of them decided to build Hogwarts, and it took them eight years to do so. Hogwarts was completed in 184 A.D., when Salazar was only 28 years old.
"I am going to pause for a bit here, and explain a little bit of Roman history to you. It will all make sense to you soon. Now, for centuries before Antonius Pius, the Roman emperors were known to be cruel. Many of them killed for sport, for entertainment; for the glory of Rome.
"I should mention that at the time when Salazar was disowned by his family and thrown out of Rome, a new emperor lived. His name was Marcus Aerelius. He was kinder than most emperors had been, even though he had Rome involved in many wars, and the Roman people loved him for it. Salazar, on the other hand, who now hated the Roman people, loathed Marcus Aerelius. Salazar loathed anything that made the Roman people happy. That loathing built up within Salazar over the years, and that hate and anger he carried within himself soon leaked out. Four years before Hogwarts was completed, Salazar, who had become extremely powerful in magic, took some time off to visit Rome. While he was there, he noticed how happy the Romans were. He decided to end that happiness.
"Salazar placed a curse upon the Emperor's nineteen year old son, Commodus, which would make him evil and power hungry. No one ever found out what Salazar had done to Commodus. Commodus then killed his father and became Rome's new Emperor. He was a cruel, sadistic, and wicked emperor, whom the Roman majority hated. He was given whatever he wanted. He had his fair share of little boys and little girls pleasurably, and he killed anyone who stood against him. The Roman people were no longer happy, but rather depressed and fearful. Thus, Salazar got revenge upon Rome.
"That was the very first evil-doing that Salazar Slytherin ever committed. I will tell you right now that everyone in this classroom is the first to hear this tale outside of Salazar's descendants. But there is much more to it than just that."
Everyone in the room was very attentive to Siren's every word. She had the ability to make people pay attention to even the slightest thing that came out of her mouth.
"Of course, by the time Commodus had become emperor, Salazar had become evil. In that same year he created the Chamber of Secrets, which I'm sure you're all familiar with. Salazar then secretly continued to perform many Dark Arts, and only three years after Hogwarts was created was he discovered to be a Dark Wizard.
"You see, the anger that Salazar had for Rome was the evil that slowly grew within him, and eventually turned him to darkness. This just goes to prove that the actions of others can have a surprising effect on a person, and thus on the entire world.
"Once Salazar was recognized as a dark wizard, his partners, Godric, Rowena, and Helga, all confronted him. They seemed to have thought that they could have helped him, or at least put his evil ways to an end. This confrontation, however, had the exact opposite effect. It caused even more conflict between the four of them, especially between Godric and Salazar, who it's safe to say were no longer best friends. Salazar, blinded by his hatred for muggles, argued that only wizards of pureblood, or blood untainted by muggle blood as he called it, should be allowed into Hogwarts. The other founders, of course, disagreed.
"Through the following years, Salazar became the most powerful wizard the world had ever seen. His power succeeded even that of the famous Merlin. Even his descendant, Voldemort, has yet to reach the strength that Salazar Slytherin possessed.
"As the conflicts between Salazar Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff grew, the stronger Salazar became. When the year 195 A.D. came around, Salazar decided to show off his powers, and he brutally murdered Rowena Ravenclaw. Helga Hufflepuff was the next to go in 197 A.D.. Godric Gryffindor was the only one who survived Salazar's wrath long enough to seek revenge. Three years after Helga's death, the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin conflict began, both between Godric and Salazar, and between the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses at Hogwarts.
"Ten years after Helga's death, Godric decided to stop hiding from Salazar, and rather to face off with him for the last time. He challenged Salazar to a duel, and Salazar, who had become very proud of his powers, agreed. The two of them met in a forest near London, where they had their final battle. The duel, it is said, lasted for two hours, and at the climax of it, it seemed as though Salazar would win. But as he aimed his wand down upon the fallen Godric, he was stabbed by a sword that Godric had obtained using the Summoning Charm. The sword flew at Salazar, and killed him, leaving him hanging from the sword in mid-air. Godric then left, fearing that Salazar's followers were near.
"Salazar's daughter, Serena, later found her dead father hanging from Godric's Sword. She took the sword and buried her father, while at the same time declaring war upon Godric and his family. By that time Serena was 31 years of age, she had inherited much of her father's powers. She then sought out Godric Gryffindor and killed him with the very sword which had killed Salazar.
"That sword, as some of you may know, is now known as the Sword of Gryffindor, and has been passed down to each heir of Gryffindor until only recently. Professor Dumbledore now has possession of that sword.
"Alright, any questions?"
The entire classroom was silent, and Harry was in shock. So that was how it all started? He thought, just because the Romans had ostracized Salazar Slytherin?
Krum slowly raised his hand and asked, "Siren, how do you know all ov this? They haff never taught it at Durmstrang."
"You'll all find out when I'm ready to tell you," Siren replied mysteriously. She opened her textbook once more and added, "For homework, I would like you all to read about Lady Andreala, who was mother to Salazar's child. There are about three pages on her in your History of Dark Magic textbooks, starting on page 60, I believe. I want you all to thoroughly read the chapter, because we will be discussing her life tomorrow. There are also a few questions at the end of the chapter I would like you all to answer.
"Well, you can get started now if you'd like, there's only 15 minutes left in the class."
Harry turned around in his chair to talk to Ron, who was behind him.
"Can you believe that?" Ron asked him, amazed, "we're the first people to hear the truth about it all! And how did she meet Charlie, I wonder?"
"How do you know she isn't lying?" Harry said quietly.
Ron raised his eyebrows. "Why would she lie about meeting Charlie?" he asked curiously.
"No, not that," Harry replied, "I mean, about Salazar, and how he turned evil and everything."
"Oh," Ron sighed, "Well, why would she lie about that? Besides, it seems pretty legitimate to me."
"I guess so," Harry mumbled. He picked up his textbook from off of his desk and turned it to page 60. It said, 'The History of Andreala Durmstrang and Salazar Slytherin,' in black, Gothic letters. Below it was a picture, and Harry literally dropped his book at the sight of it. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. Within the picture was the man and the girl from Harry's dream the night before. The girl winked at him and the man smiled evilly. There was something written below the picture, which said, "The famous painting of Andreala and Salazar which hangs in the Grand Hall of Durmstrang's School of Magic." It was Salazar Slytherin and Lady Andreala who had attacked Harry in his dreams.
__________________________________________________
Mwahahaha...yeah not that jaw-dropping, but whatever lol.
Becca- Yeah I know Dumbledore got a lil excited in the last chapter. I wrote it over a year ago...before I was really HP literate lol.
Isn't it weird how some things in my fic are corresponding with The Order of the Phoenix?? I thought it was totally weird, the whole dream thing...but the dreams in my fic are there for a different reason than the ones in HP5 lol.
-Summer :)
"The True Heir of Slytherin"
Chapter 8: Dark Arts
__________________________________________________
"Where have you been?" Hermione asked Harry as he entered the Gryffindor common room. Only Hermione, Ron, Krum, Fred, and George remained awake. Everyone else was asleep in their dorm rooms. Harry sat down in the corner where Hermione and Ron were. Krum was being entertained by Fred and George's joke toys and candy near the fireplace.
"I was talking with Professor Dumbledore," Harry replied.
"About what?" Ron asked curiously, biting into a chocolate frog.
"Siren," Harry replied in a quiet voice.
Ron and Hermione both rolled their eyes.
"Why are you so interested in her?" Hermione asked.
"I think I know why," Ron laughed, then he put on an innocent little voice, "I think Harry likes her." Ron laughed a bit to himself, and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.
"Now really," she added, "I don't think Harry would talk to Dumbledore just about some girl he likes." Hermione looked at Harry and continued in a kinder voice, "What's wrong, Harry?"
"Siren's the real heir of Slytherin," Harry blurted in a hush voice, "But DON'T tell anyone!" Harry added quickly, just as Hermione was about to shout out. "Look," Harry continued, even quicker, "I don't think I was even supposed to tell you two, but she is. Voldemort is her grandfather, but she's nothing like him. She's supposed to be nice, just really powerful."
Ron and Hermione were completely awestruck.
"Woah," Ron said with huge eyes.
There was a bit of uneasy silence amongst the three of them, neither knowing what to say next.
"Yeah, nice joke, Harry," Hermione said, trying to laugh it off.
"I'm not joking!" Harry exclaimed in frustration, "I'm serious! How else would she know the Malfoys? Or Snape? And I'm pretty sure that Hunter's dad is a Death Eater, too!"
The three of them both looked towards Krum, Fred, and George to make sure they hadn't heard Harry being so loud. Fortunately they didn't.
"But you said that she's not like You-Know-Who," replied Ron, "how would she know all of those Death Eaters if she's nothing like him?"
"Yeah," added Hermione, "and if that's the reason why she knows them, then does that mean she knows who else was behind the attack ion the Dursleys?"
Harry finally remembered what Dumbledore had said about that matter. He wished that Dumbledore would have told him who it was. "I don't know," Harry replied, "But Professor Dumbledore does. He said that they were unwilling, under the Imperius Curse."
"So who is it?" Ron asked anxiously.
"Dumbledore wouldn't tell me," Harry shrugged, "yet. I guess that person is in danger now or something. Probably from Voldemort. But anyways, they're under Dumbledore's protection now."
Hermione gasped and put her hand over her mouth as she frantically tried to get Harry and Ron's attention.
"What?" Ron asked, looking at her awkwardly.
"What if it was Siren?" Hermione was finally able to whisper.
Harry understood. It must have been Siren! She must be there under Dumbledore's protection. After all, on the train to Hogwarts, Snape did say that he was there to assure that someone showed up safely, and then Siren arrived. And it would explain why she was so afraid to talk to Harry.
"Man," Ron replied uneasily. It was obvious that it all made sense to him, too.
"But why would she not say anything?" Harry thought aloud, "Or Dumbledore. Why didn't he tell me?"
"Well, isn't it obvious?" Hermione said quietly, making sure that Krum, Fred, or George wouldn't hear, "I mean, he already told you that she's the real heir of Slytherin. If he told you that she helped You-Know- Who kill the Dursleys, well, he probably thought that you might...y'know..."
"Retaliate," Ron added, finishing Hermione's sentence.
Harry was deep in thought. He certainly didn't blame Siren for anything. He knew she didn't mean to do it, right?
"What if he was lying?" Harry replied, "What if she wasn't under Voldemort's control?"
Ron flinched at the mention of Voldemort's name.
"Why would he lie?" Hermione asked, "And why would Siren purposely do it?" You don't honestly think Dumbledore would hire and protect a murderer, do you?"
Harry looked at Hermione. "Well," he said, "He has done it before. Remember Barty Crouch Junior?"
"You're not saying that maybe he doesn't know?" Ron asked, "Like, Siren lied to him?"
"It's possible," Harry added, "I mean, Sirius told me that all the heirs of Slytherin have wanted to destroy the heirs of Gryffindor. What makes you think that Siren's any different?"
Ron and Hermione didn't reply for a while. Finally Hermione spoke up. "You think she's here to kill you? And that everything she's told Dumbledore is just a cover-up?"
Harry wasn't sure about these suspicions, but he was sure not to trust Siren.
* * * * *
Eventually, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Krum all went to bed. Harry remained awake in his bed pondering all that had just been discussed. Was Siren really there to kill him? Or was she a spy for her grandfather? Or even worse, a new thought came into Harry's head: if Siren had submitted to Voldemort's Imperius curse once, what if she did it again while at Hogwarts? Or what is she was still under it?
Harry didn't want to think about it anymore. He closed his eyes and fell into a uneasy sleep. As he slept, he had an unusual dream. In it, he saw a bright light. He looked up and saw stars, beautiful stars. The distant singing came back into his head as the silhouette came closer to him. It was Siren, but she wasn't singing this time. As she came closer to him, Harry realized it wasn't Siren at all, although it did greatly resemble her. The girl finally came to about a foot away from Harry. Her eyes were very seductive, and Harry was held in a trance. The enchanting singing soon turned into an evil chanting in some unknown language, much like that which Harry heard outside of Grachus's study... Then it happened - the girl pulled out a dagger. She continued to look at Harry as she plunged it deep into Harry's gut. The pain was excruciating, and the girl started to laugh, a high, cold laugh. Then, a dark haired man came into view. He stood beside the girl, and he looked at Harry, smiling evilly. As Harry was about to fall down from the pain, the man began to say something. His voice sounded exactly like Voldemort's, and he was speaking Parseltongue.
"You won't survive it this time," he said.
The laughter of the two people began to echo within Harry's head, and everything around him became dark and chaotic. As soon as it had all started, it all stopped. There was no sound, and the two people were no longer there. Harry looked around the pitch-black room. He suddenly jumped as he heard a girl screaming. It was his mother. He looked behind him to see something he had never seen before...his mother standing before Voldemort. She was holding a child (obviously Harry). She screamed once again as Voldemort aimed his wand at her. A green light flashed, and she fell to the floor, dead. Harry awoke with a start, sweating all over. His heart was beating as though he had just ran a mile. He looked around the room, expecting to see Voldemort somewhere. Harry could still feel where the dagger had stabbed him in the dream.
Harry, breathing heavily, laid back down, and fell asleep once again into a dreamless rest. Not knowing whether or not it really meant anything, he decided not to tell anyone about the dream.
*************
Harry woke up the next morning remembering every vivid sound and action from the dream he had.
"You awake Harry?" he heard Ron say from across the room.
"Yeah," Harry replied sleepily, rubbing his head, "What class do we have first, Ron?"
"Dark Arts," Ron sighed bitterly.
"Oh, great," Harry muttered to himself.
The two of them both got dressed and met Hermione and Krum in the common room.
"We haff Dark Arts in fifteen minutes," Krum said to them groggily, rubbing his head and letting out a large yawn.
"Yeah, I know," Ron replied, "Sounds like fun."
"It should be," Krum replied, not noticing Ron's sarcasm, "I can't vait to see Siren teach,"
he laughed. Hermione didn't say anything, noticing the nervous look on Harry's face.
"Fifteen minutes?" Ron complained with a sigh, "What, no breakfast? Man, we really slept
in."
"I think everyone did," Krum answered.
And so, the four of them left the Gryffindor common-room and made their way down the corridors, trying to find the Dark Arts room. They walked towards the Northern-most part of the castle, where they finally found the room. They hesitantly made their way into the classroom, and noticed that they were the last students to arrive. There were only about 12 desks in the room, and eight students, including Malfoy and his gang, already there.
"You're late," Siren said from the front of the classroom.
Harry tried not to make eye-contact with her as he found a seat.
"Sorry, we couldn't find the room," Ron said, slightly blushing.
"That's okay," Siren replied kindly, "Just try not to let it happen again."
Ron, Hermione, and Krum all sat down in desks close to Harry. Hermione gave Harry a nervous look.
"Well," Siren continued as the class settled, "I'll start with taking attendance."
And with that, a piece of parchment appeared in front of Siren out of thin air, and it floated before her. She took out her wand and put it at the first name on the list. "Marie Abbott," she called out.
A thin girl at the front of the class raised her hand, while pushing her blond hair behind her ears. She looked about 16 years old, and was a Hufflepuff.
Siren checked the girl's name off on the list and continued. "Tyranus Campbell?" she said, looking at the class.
A seventh year Ravenclaw boy in the back of the classroom raised his hand. Siren checked him off and continued down the list. "Vincent Crabbe," she said.
Crabbe, who was sitting near the back of the class with Goyle and Malfoy, raised his arm. Siren looked at him, her eyes penetrating his. Harry guessed that she knew his father was a Death Eater. Siren didn't seem to like the spawn of Death Eaters too much, except for Hunter, of course, if indeed his father was a Death Eater.
She finally checked him off. "Gregory Goyle," she called out bitterly.
Goyle raised his hand hesitantly, noticing the loathing in Siren's voice when she called his name.
"Hermione Granger," Siren added, kindly this time.
Hermione proudly raised her hand.
"Viktor Krum," Siren called out.
"Here," Viktor replied, putting his hand up and laughing a bit.
"Now, now," Siren smiled, "Don't laugh at your teacher, Mr. Krum." It was obvious that both of them found the idea of Siren being a teacher quite humorous. Siren checked off Viktor's name and called out the next name on the list.
"Draco Malfoy," she said, rather quietly. Hate was very present in the tone of her voice. Draco smirked and raised his hand. Siren simply looked at him. "I really do hope that you, of all people, don't disrupt my class this term," she said coldly.
Malfoy put his hand down quickly, afraid of Siren's warning.
"Because if you do," Siren continued, "I assure you, you will pay."
The class went absolutely silent. Even Krum looked a little nervous. As Siren continued to call out names, Harry was deep in thought about the dream he had had the previous night. He wanted to know who the girl was that looked like Siren, and why she tried to kill him.
"Harry Potter," Siren called out, breaking Harry's thoughts. Harry slowly raised his hand as Siren looked at him and checked off his name.
Siren continued to call names, but stopped when she got to Ron's name.
`"Ron Weasley," she said as he put up his hand, "Are you by any chance related to Charlie Weasley?"
Ron went a little pink as Siren spoke directly to him, and replied, "Er, yeah - he's my
brother."
"I see," Siren smiled as she checked off Ron's name on the list, "I met him over the summer. Nice guy."
Ron nodded, going a little redder.
Siren grabbed the attendance sheet and put it away. "Well," she said, "As you all know, this is a very special class. Professor Dumbledore greatly recommended it for a select few students, which are all of you.
"Now, this class is finally being taught at Hogwarts under the gravest of circumstances, for it appears that all of you are, believe it or not, in some form of danger in regards to the Dark Lord and his followers. Some of you are involved more directly than others, but regardless of that, it is important that all of you learn to properly defend yourself, and that is what I will teach you."
The class was very uneasy at this point, except for Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy, who quietly laughed when Siren said that they were all in danger from the Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Hermione, however, raised her hand right away.
"Yes?" Siren asked her.
"Sorry, professor," Hermione replied, "But you said that you'd teach us how to defend ourselves, but, isn't that what the Defense Against the Dark Arts class is for?"
"Perhaps," Siren answered coolly, "Considering that Voldemort was going to attack all of you with boggarts and hinkypunks, which I can assure you that he will not."
Siren walked a bit closer to Hermione and looked at the class eerily, "The only sure way to defend yourself against a dark art is to use a dark art yourself. It's a concept many of us don't like to deal with, but it's true. Some, however, like Professor Dumbledore, refuse to use a dark art of any kind. But let's be honest with one another, we're not as powerful as he is, are we? The Dark Arts are the only real defense we have."
All of the Slytherin students seemed excited to begin, while others were rather hesitant. "But of course," Siren continued, "We will not get into spells and curses right away. That would be suicide."
Malfoy and his gang became disappointed at that statement, for they obviously wanted to learn as many dark arts as they could.
"Anyways," Siren continued, "for those of you who don't already know, my name is Siren Ridge, and I will be teaching you the art of Dark Magic. You can call me Professor Ridge, Miss Ridge, Siren, whatever. I really don't care. All I care about is that you pay attention.
"There are more rules in this class than in any other class, and if you purposely break even ONE of them, you will be kicked out of this school, never to return. You must understand that the magic taught in this classroom will be very dangerous, and you all must be very serious and careful about what you are doing. The slightest mistake in an incantation can even kill someone, so please pay attention to what you will be doing!
"There is to be no horseplay in this classroom, understand? I don't want any fooling around at all. Also, there is to be no arguing. I know that not all of the students in this class get along, but if you make even one rude comment, there will be many points taken away from your house - even if it happens to be my house as well."
She shot a nasty look at Draco, as if daring him to go against her words. "So," she continued, "time to get on with today's lesson. Today, of course, will simply be an introduction, for in order to perform the Dark Arts, one must fully understand them. So, I've decided that we shall be learning about Salazar Slytherin, and his conversion to darkness.
"I would like you all to take out your History of Dark Magic textbooks, and turn to page 55."
Ron looked at Harry uneasily. "Salazar Slytherin?" he said quietly. "This oughta be fun."
"I'll bet," Harry replied nervously.
Harry reached into his book-bag and took out his textbook. He turned it to page 55, and read the heading, which said, 'THE LIFE OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN.'
Siren began to read out loud from the textbook. "The life of Salazar Slytherin is not well-known, but what is known about him is somewhat interesting, though frightening nonetheless. While nobody knows exactly why Salazar became a Dark Wizard, it is known that he remains as one of the most powerful Dark Wizards in history."
Siren then closed the textbook which she was holding, and looked at the class, slightly smiling. "Now that is where the book is wrong," she added. "There remains but 3 people today who truly know why Salazar converted, and those three people are my mother, Voldemort and myself."
Most of the students flinched at the name of Voldemort, but Marie Abbot raised her hand.
"Question?" Siren asked her.
"Yes," Marie replied nervously, "how do you and your mother know why Salazar Slytherin converted?"
Siren laughed a bit and replied, "Don't ask my why I know it, just believe me when I say that I do. All of your questions will soon be answered. All in good time, Marie."
The entire class was extremely puzzled at this, except for Hermione, Ron, and Harry, who already knew the truth. For some odd reason, Harry felt like telling the entire class who Siren's grandfather was, but decided better of it.
"First off, let's talk about where Salazar Slytherin grew up," Siren continued, "Salazar was born in Rome, Italy, in 156 A.D.. At this time, Antonius Pius was Rome's Emperor. I just want to say that I find it hilarious that the Slytherin House is so obsessed with being purebloods. I say this because Salazar Slytherin, was, himself, muggle-born."
Malfoy and his gang scoffed at this, especially Malfoy, who's chin had dropped about an inch.
"Now, like most muggle-borns, Salazar didn't know he was a wizard until he was a bit older. However, he did, like most muggle-borns, make odd things happen, and his parents didn't know why. Eventually, his neighbours noticed these odd occurrences and began to shun Salazar's family. "As more people found out about it, the more Salazar was considered evil or wicked. This was horrible for his parent's reputation, so they disowned him. Salazar at that point was only five years old, and couldn't fend for himself. The Ministry of Magic, which was then called the Council of Magic, heard about Salazar, and sent someone to care for him. That person's name was Marcus Gryffindor, Godric Gryffindor's father."
Harry was in shock. He thought the Gryffindors hated the Slytherins, so why would they look after each other?
"Excuse me?" Harry said, putting up his hand.
Siren looked at him, and hesitantly replied, "Yes?"
"I thought the Gryffindor family and the Slytherin family hated each other," Harry said, somewhat rudely.
Siren went a little pink in the face as Harry said this, and Hermione gave Harry an uneasy look which simple said, 'why did u have to say that?'
"Well," Siren replied, avoiding eye-contact with Harry, "This was before the conflict arose. If you'll let me continue, I'll tell you how the conflict started in the first place."
"I already know how it came about," Harry snapped back, "Salazar killed Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff when he turned evil. And every heir of Slytherin since then has been evil."
The classroom was completely silent, and even the air they breathed was uncomfortable. Harry didn't know why he was saying all of this. A certain fury just seemed to be kindled within him and he couldn't stop himself. It was as if he knew for a fact that Siren was evil, just like Voldemort. Just like Salazar Slytherin. Siren, however, remained absolutely silent. She looked at Harry for a brief moment, and Harry could once again hear a distant singing. This time, the song was very lamentable, and very depressing. The music immediately stopped as Siren began to speak.
"That isn't true," she said quietly, "now don't interrupt me again."
Harry suddenly felt very guilty for saying all that he did, but Siren, however, continued talking as if nothing had happened.
"Marcus Gryffindor raised Salazar as if he was his own son. Godric Gryffindor, who was three years older than Salazar, was like a brother to him. As they grew older, Salazar and Godric became best friends. The continued to be best friends all the way into adulthood, when they met Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. The four of them decided to build Hogwarts, and it took them eight years to do so. Hogwarts was completed in 184 A.D., when Salazar was only 28 years old.
"I am going to pause for a bit here, and explain a little bit of Roman history to you. It will all make sense to you soon. Now, for centuries before Antonius Pius, the Roman emperors were known to be cruel. Many of them killed for sport, for entertainment; for the glory of Rome.
"I should mention that at the time when Salazar was disowned by his family and thrown out of Rome, a new emperor lived. His name was Marcus Aerelius. He was kinder than most emperors had been, even though he had Rome involved in many wars, and the Roman people loved him for it. Salazar, on the other hand, who now hated the Roman people, loathed Marcus Aerelius. Salazar loathed anything that made the Roman people happy. That loathing built up within Salazar over the years, and that hate and anger he carried within himself soon leaked out. Four years before Hogwarts was completed, Salazar, who had become extremely powerful in magic, took some time off to visit Rome. While he was there, he noticed how happy the Romans were. He decided to end that happiness.
"Salazar placed a curse upon the Emperor's nineteen year old son, Commodus, which would make him evil and power hungry. No one ever found out what Salazar had done to Commodus. Commodus then killed his father and became Rome's new Emperor. He was a cruel, sadistic, and wicked emperor, whom the Roman majority hated. He was given whatever he wanted. He had his fair share of little boys and little girls pleasurably, and he killed anyone who stood against him. The Roman people were no longer happy, but rather depressed and fearful. Thus, Salazar got revenge upon Rome.
"That was the very first evil-doing that Salazar Slytherin ever committed. I will tell you right now that everyone in this classroom is the first to hear this tale outside of Salazar's descendants. But there is much more to it than just that."
Everyone in the room was very attentive to Siren's every word. She had the ability to make people pay attention to even the slightest thing that came out of her mouth.
"Of course, by the time Commodus had become emperor, Salazar had become evil. In that same year he created the Chamber of Secrets, which I'm sure you're all familiar with. Salazar then secretly continued to perform many Dark Arts, and only three years after Hogwarts was created was he discovered to be a Dark Wizard.
"You see, the anger that Salazar had for Rome was the evil that slowly grew within him, and eventually turned him to darkness. This just goes to prove that the actions of others can have a surprising effect on a person, and thus on the entire world.
"Once Salazar was recognized as a dark wizard, his partners, Godric, Rowena, and Helga, all confronted him. They seemed to have thought that they could have helped him, or at least put his evil ways to an end. This confrontation, however, had the exact opposite effect. It caused even more conflict between the four of them, especially between Godric and Salazar, who it's safe to say were no longer best friends. Salazar, blinded by his hatred for muggles, argued that only wizards of pureblood, or blood untainted by muggle blood as he called it, should be allowed into Hogwarts. The other founders, of course, disagreed.
"Through the following years, Salazar became the most powerful wizard the world had ever seen. His power succeeded even that of the famous Merlin. Even his descendant, Voldemort, has yet to reach the strength that Salazar Slytherin possessed.
"As the conflicts between Salazar Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff grew, the stronger Salazar became. When the year 195 A.D. came around, Salazar decided to show off his powers, and he brutally murdered Rowena Ravenclaw. Helga Hufflepuff was the next to go in 197 A.D.. Godric Gryffindor was the only one who survived Salazar's wrath long enough to seek revenge. Three years after Helga's death, the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin conflict began, both between Godric and Salazar, and between the Gryffindor and Slytherin houses at Hogwarts.
"Ten years after Helga's death, Godric decided to stop hiding from Salazar, and rather to face off with him for the last time. He challenged Salazar to a duel, and Salazar, who had become very proud of his powers, agreed. The two of them met in a forest near London, where they had their final battle. The duel, it is said, lasted for two hours, and at the climax of it, it seemed as though Salazar would win. But as he aimed his wand down upon the fallen Godric, he was stabbed by a sword that Godric had obtained using the Summoning Charm. The sword flew at Salazar, and killed him, leaving him hanging from the sword in mid-air. Godric then left, fearing that Salazar's followers were near.
"Salazar's daughter, Serena, later found her dead father hanging from Godric's Sword. She took the sword and buried her father, while at the same time declaring war upon Godric and his family. By that time Serena was 31 years of age, she had inherited much of her father's powers. She then sought out Godric Gryffindor and killed him with the very sword which had killed Salazar.
"That sword, as some of you may know, is now known as the Sword of Gryffindor, and has been passed down to each heir of Gryffindor until only recently. Professor Dumbledore now has possession of that sword.
"Alright, any questions?"
The entire classroom was silent, and Harry was in shock. So that was how it all started? He thought, just because the Romans had ostracized Salazar Slytherin?
Krum slowly raised his hand and asked, "Siren, how do you know all ov this? They haff never taught it at Durmstrang."
"You'll all find out when I'm ready to tell you," Siren replied mysteriously. She opened her textbook once more and added, "For homework, I would like you all to read about Lady Andreala, who was mother to Salazar's child. There are about three pages on her in your History of Dark Magic textbooks, starting on page 60, I believe. I want you all to thoroughly read the chapter, because we will be discussing her life tomorrow. There are also a few questions at the end of the chapter I would like you all to answer.
"Well, you can get started now if you'd like, there's only 15 minutes left in the class."
Harry turned around in his chair to talk to Ron, who was behind him.
"Can you believe that?" Ron asked him, amazed, "we're the first people to hear the truth about it all! And how did she meet Charlie, I wonder?"
"How do you know she isn't lying?" Harry said quietly.
Ron raised his eyebrows. "Why would she lie about meeting Charlie?" he asked curiously.
"No, not that," Harry replied, "I mean, about Salazar, and how he turned evil and everything."
"Oh," Ron sighed, "Well, why would she lie about that? Besides, it seems pretty legitimate to me."
"I guess so," Harry mumbled. He picked up his textbook from off of his desk and turned it to page 60. It said, 'The History of Andreala Durmstrang and Salazar Slytherin,' in black, Gothic letters. Below it was a picture, and Harry literally dropped his book at the sight of it. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. Within the picture was the man and the girl from Harry's dream the night before. The girl winked at him and the man smiled evilly. There was something written below the picture, which said, "The famous painting of Andreala and Salazar which hangs in the Grand Hall of Durmstrang's School of Magic." It was Salazar Slytherin and Lady Andreala who had attacked Harry in his dreams.
__________________________________________________
Mwahahaha...yeah not that jaw-dropping, but whatever lol.
Becca- Yeah I know Dumbledore got a lil excited in the last chapter. I wrote it over a year ago...before I was really HP literate lol.
Isn't it weird how some things in my fic are corresponding with The Order of the Phoenix?? I thought it was totally weird, the whole dream thing...but the dreams in my fic are there for a different reason than the ones in HP5 lol.
-Summer :)