Harry Potter and the Soul of the Serpent
Chapter 8
Resolutions
Standard Disclaimers Apply
oOoOo
The Firebolt blurred as it swooped downwards faster and faster. His heart beat faster as adrenalin pounded through his veins. A metre from the ground he pulled up and flew over the surface of the lake. A thousand metres below him, he knew, must lay the Chamber of Secrets. It felt good flying in the cold morning air by himself. He would go and get breakfast soon, and maybe explore the Chamber some more. He had decided not to tell anyone. The Chamber was his and his alone, he thought jealously. He had attached a chain to the pendant and now wore it around his neck. It rubbed softly on his collar bone and its presence comforted him. It symbolised his own retreat from the world, a place where nothing could touch him.
He returned to the castle and landed gracefully outside the front doors. Grabbing his Firebolt, he walked into the Great Hall and stopped. Obviously this had been the wrong time to come in. Six teachers sat at the head table. They had stopped talking when he entered. He had no choice but to walk past them and hope they wouldn't try to talk to him. Luck was not on his side. Since when had it been?
"How are you, Potter?"
He turned to the speaker and shrugged.
"Fine, I guess." How many times had he said that in the last two days?
The teachers nodded gravely. If one of them dared say one word…
"Dreadful thing, what happened to you, Potter," he said, shaking his head. Oh, there it was. Understatement of the century. Never hold too much hope for anything, because you never knew when it would com back and bite you. It was a teacher Harry didn't recognise, obviously new. Maybe Defense Against The Dark Arts.
Harry turned fiery eyes on him and the man cringed.
"Yes, it was," he replied. Madam Pomfrey looked him over.
"You're awfully thin, Potter. Have you had breakfast?"
Oh no, they weren't going to ask him to join them, were they?
"Yes, actually," he lied.
"Well make sure you eat plenty," she warned, "and come and see me if you feel ill."
Harry nodded. What did they think he was? A china doll? He'd spent a year in Azkaban. He certainly wasn't going to break now that he was out.
"Well, if that's all, I've really got some things I need to do…"
Harry escaped and made his way to the kitchen. He grabbed some toast and made his way back to Gryffindor tower. He turned the corner to see Katie waiting outside the portrait.
"How do you know where Gryffindor common room is?" he asked.
"Oh hi, Harry. My father told me. I just brought you some stuff you might like."
"Oh well, come on in, then," Harry replied, as the portrait swung open.
She followed him in through the portrait and he saw a grin on her face.
"I haven't been in here before. It's much nicer than the Slytherin common room," she said.
"Yeah, it is."
"You've been in the Slytherin common room?" she asked.
"Uh- yeah. In second year. Nobody knew it was us though. Long story," he grinned. He led her up to the dormitory and deposited his Firebold in the cupboard. Katie dumped a pile of books on his bed.
"What are these?" Harry asked.
"Last years books. I thought you might like to look over them and, you know, catch up." She looked at him, worried at his response. He grinned.
"Thanks. That'll be great." He sorted through the books. There weren't many, and he noticed one missing.
"No Defense book?" he asked.
"No. Last years' defence teacher was absolute rubbish. Didn't learn a thing."
At least that was one subject he didn't need to catch up on.
"So, what school did you go to before here?" Harry asked, flipping through The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Six, by Miranda Goshawk.
"Ugh, don't remind me. Santa Roma's in Italy. Hogwarts is so much better."
"Yeah? Why is that?"
"Well, I get to see Father every day here and the people are much nicer."
"Why did you transfer?" Harry asked curiously.
Katie's face fell.
"Oh- you know about the Order. Because of what Father does for it, he thought Santa Roma was safer. My mother died, you see, so she couldn't look after me. Now that the Lord Voldemort is back Father wanted me here with him, just in case someone found out. I use my mother's maiden name so people don't know."
"Sorry," Harry said. Why wouldn't she be safe? Voldemort wouldn't kill one of his servant's daughters, surely.
She shrugged.
"I don't remember her. I was only young. Father didn't take it well though. Sometimes I think he doesn't like to see me, because I look so much like my mother."
Harry was still amazed at the thought of Snape loving someone, let alone having a daughter.
"I suppose that's something we have in common then, isn't it," Harry said quietly.
The awkward silence was broken by a tapping on the window. Harry looked up and saw an owl carrying a letter. His face broke into the first true smile he had smiled since last year.
"Hedwig!"
He jumped up and opened the window. Hedwig attacked him with hoots of delight and finally settled herself on his shoulder.
"Is she your owl?" asked Katie.
"Yup," said Harry happily. "Had her since my first year."
Katie pointed to the floor.
"Look, she dropped your letter."
Harry placed Hedwig on her his bed and bent to pick up the letter. It had an official looking seal that Harry recognised instantly.
"It's from Gringotts," he said. He slit it open and withdrew a thick bundle of parchment.
The first piece contained only information about the contents of the envelope, and read:
Dear Mr Potter,
In regards to your account, we have reopened it and enclose your key. You will receive statements in three months time, and every quarter thereafter. In regards to other matters, on June 15th, two years previously, you inherited the estate of Sirius Black. The contents of his account were transferred to your account and your assets transferred to a more secure vault. We enclose details on the estate of the late Mr Black and await your visit.
Sincerely,
Ragtree
Manager
Gringotts Wizarding Bank
Harry handed the letter to Katie and stared at the list of items now stored in his vault. On the last page he read through the list of properties belonging to the Black estate. 12 Grimmauld place was included, but as Harry read the last one he frowned. The address was in Little Hangleton, a small village not far from Surrey. He had heard of it, but it surprised him that Sirius had owned a manor there. What interested him was the name. Riddle Manor. There were no other details; just that it had been deserted for many years and was somewhat in a state of disrepair.
"Riddle House," he murmured.
"What's that?" asked Katie, handing him back the letter.
"Riddle House," he repeated. "It was part of the Black estate."
Katie frowned, then shrugged.
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"No, I guess not. It's just…interesting. I'd like to see it."
oOoOo
The ability to speak to snakes has long been considered a mark of the Slytherin bloodline. It is the most common ability of the obscure branch of Parselmagic, which was developed by an unknown ancestor of the Slytherin family. Parselmagic is considered to be a Dark Art, due to the fact that it is able to overcome the common brand of magic. Parselmagic is extremely powerful, but difficult to learn, and as a result it has been practiced by few.
The passage continued on for some time, but Harry was lost in thought. He vaguely remembered someone once telling him that the last known Parseltongue was Voldemort. If Parseltongue was the most common branch, the others must be extremely rare. It seemed Salazar Slytherin was something of an authority on the subject. The extensive library had a section devoted entirely to Parselmagic, and it was in this section that Harry was now looking. After walking in the dark for sometime, with only his wand for guidance, Harry had noticed a strange clear basin on the wall. With some experimentation, he had realised it was a light, and the library was now warmly lit.
Harry put the book back in its place and browsed through the shelves. He picked out a book on the Dark Arts. Harry doubted whether any of the books in here would be found in the general section of the Hogwarts library. He placed the book back on the shelf and picked out a harmless one on transfiguration. He didn't want to be behind when lessons started again, though he doubted he could catch up in the few weeks he had left.
He tried one of the simplest transfiguration exercises in the book and found he could do it quite easily, which surprised him. He thought he would have lost some of his skills over the past year. He had forgotten to bring the books Katie had given him, so he couldn't practice any of the Grade Six level spells, but this book would do for now. He wondered if the pendant would allow him to go to Gryffindor tower, or just the dungeons. Perhaps it just took him to the place it was used to going, when Salazar Slytherin had owned it. Harry decided he would try when he was done and sat down in a comfortable dark green lounge. In fact, the chair was so comfortable that he fell asleep.
"My Lord. Harry Potter is back at Hogwarts. We have-"
"Silence!" Harry hissed. The man before him dropped to his knees and kissed the hem of his robes. "I will not tolerate any more blunders from you, Knot."
"Yes, Master, of course. Thankyou, thankyou!"
Harry gave a high, cruel laugh.
"Crucio!"
The man named Knot lay writhing at his feet. Harry ignored him and looked up at the circle of Death Eaters.
"Someone here is a traitor!" Harry hissed. "Someone told that muggle-loving fool of my plans, and I had been so careful for months…someone will pay, someone here. My next efforts will not fail!"
Harry gasped and opened his eyes. His scar burned slightly, though not as badly as usual. He had gotten off lightly. He wondered if he should tell Dumbledore, but instantly dismissed the thought. Let them find out on their own. Snape would tell them his news, whether Harry did or not. On a sudden thought, Harry got up and looked through the books again. Finally he found one that looked promising, and returned to the chair with it.
One being is able to possess another only if their soul is able to leave their body. If a being has enough power to control the powers of the soul, they may guard against possession, and they themselves may be able to possess another. Possession is considered to be a type of Parselmagic, though not restricted to it, because snakes are commonly used for possession because of their simple minds but deadly instincts.
The more complex a mind, the harder possession of it becomes, and it helps to know the mind you wish to possess. Few are granted the gift of the ability to possess another without much training, though it has been known to occur.
Harry stopped reading there. Was he able to possess people? He had been in Voldemort's mind, he knew that, but was that because of their connection or something else? He had possessed the mind of Voldemort's servant, Nagini. Could he do it again, if he tried? Then again, he didn't know if what he had done so far really was possession. If you could possess something, then you had the ability to impose your will on it, but he certainly hadn't done that yet. He remembered all too well the feeling of helpless when being possessed by Voldemort. He had remembered that sense of hopelessness, pain and despair thousands of times over the past year, and had no intention of going though that again.
The book was big, but Harry managed to get through the first few chapters and understand most of it that day. He debated whether or not he should take it back to the dormitory. He decided not to, in case someone saw it. He left it on the table next to the chair and grasped the pendant around his neck. A second later he appeared looking out of the window from Gryffindor tower. Tucking it back inside his robes, he dumped the rest of his things on the bed and went down to the common room.
"When did you come in?" Katie asked, frowning.
Harry stopped guiltily.
"Hi Katie. I uh, I was up there the whole time. I was sleeping," he lied.
"Uh huh." She didn't look convinced. He would have to be more careful next time.
"Well do you want to go through some of those spell books and help me?" Harry asked.
She shrugged.
"I guess. Right now?"
"No, maybe tomorrow, or whenever you feel like it."
"Well that's what I was actually here to talk about," said Katie, standing up.
"Father and I are going to Diagon Alley tomorrow. Would you like to come? I mean, you have to get all your school things, and new robes."
"I haven't got my list yet though," said Harry.
"Doesn't matter. Father has a list."
"Oh, well I guess I'll come then. But- I don't really want anyone to see me. Is it alright if I wear my invisibility cloak?"
"You have an invisibility cloak? Wow! I've always wanted to try one of them. Definitely bring it along!"
"Okay. But there is one other thing. I don't know what subjects I'm taking yet."
"Oh, that's no problem. Professor McGonnagall got back today. Just go and see her and she'll organise everything. Come on, I'll take you there now."
So Harry was reluctantly dragged to Professor McGonagall's office, thinking how he would rather be getting dinner.
He knocked on her door.
"Enter," came her standard reply.
Harry looked at Katie to see if she was coming, but she said she would wait outside.
Harry opened the door and stepped inside.
"Ah, Potter. I thought I might be seeing you some time," she said. "Take a seat."
Harry sat in the tartan coloured chair in front of her desk, looking around the familiar office.
"Professor, I'm going to Diagon Alley tomorrow, and I was wondering if I could get my subjects sorted out so I know what books I need to get."
"Of course. You're returning in seventh year I believe?"
Harry nodded, and Professor McGonagall pulled a folder from a draw in her desk.
"Do you have any idea which subjects you would like to take?" McGonagall queried. "I believe you told me you wanted to be an Auror when you finished school."
If I'm still alive then.
"Yeah- I guess so."
"Well, you'll have to take Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, History of Magic, and Herbology would also be helpful."
"Well I'll do them. And Care of Magical Creatures."
Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod and began filling in a form.
"I've been looking over some of last year's spells and practicing, so I don't think I'll be too far behind," Harry said.
"That's good, Potter," she said softly.
Oh please don't get all mushy on me!
Thankfully she pulled herself together and Harry was excused from her office. He told Katie what had happened and they went to get dinner. As they walked, Harry thought about the three days he had been out of Azkaban. He hadn't really had time to think about it, considering how busy he had been, but now that he did he felt the sense of betrayal wash over him again. They had been more than happy to toss him in jail, but now he was out they just wanted him to save the world again. He wondered if there had been anything in the papers about his release. He guessed he would find out tomorrow.
oOoOo
Harry and Katie met in the Great Hall after breakfast and walked down to the dungeons together. Snape met them in his office, where he already had a fire going. He glanced at Harry's invisibility cloak but didn't say anything.
"I have a list of everything you will need. I have other things I must do, so I will meet you outside Gringotts at one o'clock. If anything happens, use this and come straight back to Hogwarts, understand?" he handed them a bag of Floo powder. They both nodded. Harry didn't want to know what Snape thought might happen.
"I will go first," said Snape. "Katherine, you come second and Potter you come third. We don't want anyone to see you and make a scene."
Harry glared at Snape but he was already gone as he stepped into the fire and vanished.
Katie followed and Harry was left standing in Snape's office alone. Resisting the temptation to destroy something, he wrapped the invisibility cloak around him and stepped into the fire. He stepped out onto the cobbled street of Diagon Alley and cast a cleaning spell on his cloak, removing the soot. His first impression was that it was a good thing he had worn his invisibility cloak. Upon every door and window as far as he could see were huge posters of him, the word INNOCENT splashed across each one in glowing paint. He felt a stab of annoyance before turning to where Snape and Katie were standing waiting for him.
"I'm here," he said.
"Very well. I will meet you at one o'clock. Here is the list of things you will need," Snape replied. He handed everything to Katie and strode of into the crowd. Diagon Alley was the busiest Harry had ever seen it. Bustling people filled the busy street, and Harry realised it was going to be quite hard negotiating his way without being noticed. He moved closer to Katie so he could whisper to her.
"Shall we go to Gringotts first?" Harry asked. "I've got to get some gold."
"Okay. Just follow close as you can and just touch my elbow if you want to get my attention," she said. "Good thing you brought your cloak, too," she grinned. "Let's go."
They pushed through the busy street and finally managed to get to the bottom of the huge white steps leading up to Gringotts.
They entered the grand marble hall and waited in line at a counter. Gringotts was fairly busy, but it wasn't long before they were ushered to a vacant position. The goblin looked up as they approached.
"Good morning, how may I help you?"
He was as short as any of the other Goblins, and had a short reddish beard which was showing signs of age.
"I'd like to remove some money from vault 860," said Katie. The goblin looked at a huge ledger.
"Katherine Snape?"
"Yes."
"Key, please."
They went through the process of verification and the goblin began to call another goblin.
"Wait, there's one other thing," said Katie. Harry pushed his key into her hand and whispered the number of the vault. "I'd also like to remove money from vault 3003," she said. The goblin looked at her suspiciously and looked at the ledger again.
"You are not Harry Potter."
"I have permission to remove money from his vault," she said, and placed his key on the table.
"I'm sorry," said the goblin. "Mr Potter must sort out some issue with his account, due to the fact that it was recently closed."
Harry sighed and looked around. No one was really paying any attention. He stepped up to the counter and removed his cloak.
"I'm here, alright. I would prefer not to be seen. I need to remove some money from my account."
The goblin nodded and Harry put his cloak back on. He noticed a woman staring at him, perplexed. Obviously she thought she had caught sight of him, and he had disappeared. The goblin addressed them again.
"Very well, Mr Potter, Miss Snape." He motioned to a waiting goblin.
He muttered in his ear, obviously informing him of the situation. The second goblin turned to them.
"My name is Keygold. Follow me, please."
Katie and Harry climbed into one of the carts and they began the descent underground. They arrived at Vault 860, and Katie scooped a pile of coins into a small leather pouch. The next leg of the journey took them further underground than Harry had ever been before. Keygold explained that the larger vaults were in higher security areas, in deeper places. They drew to a halt outside his vault and Keygold ran his finger down the front of it. Harry's jaw dropped as the wall dissolved away and he saw the contents of the vault.
It was more than he had ever seen in his life. He understood now, how Sirius had been able to afford the Firebolt in his third year. There was more than money in the vault. Hundreds of family heirlooms were stacked against the walls, glinting in the dull light. Harry hastily scraped some coins into his bag and stepped back. The ride back to the surface went quickly, Harry pondering the contents of the vault. He decided he would come back some other time and have a decent look at everything.
The trip around Diagon Alley took them 4 hours, it was so busy. They still had an hour left before they had to meet Snape, so Katie pulled him out of the crowds and into a small shop, the bell merrily announcing their arrival. Sighing in relief, Harry looked around and noticed that it was empty. He pulled the cloak off in relief as the cooler air hit him. Wandering around all day carrying heavy bags in the sun was no picnic.
"That feels so good," said Harry, sighing. He looked around the shop. It appeared to be a joke shop and Harry instantly realised where they were.
"Uh, Katie, let's go some other place," he said, as she looked at the selection of lollies along the wall.
"Hang on," she said. "I just want to buy something."
It seemed the bell had attracted the owners of the shop. Harry tried to yank the cloak back over himself, but he was too late.
"Welcome to- Harry!"
Harry turned to the Weasley twins, his face blank.
"How's it going, Harry?"
Katie had turned to look at them curiously.
"Hi Fred, George. The shop looks good," he said quietly.
Fred and George exchanged awkward looks.
"Well, I guess that's all thanks to you, Harry," said George.
"Yeah," added Fred fervently. "You helped us get it running."
There was an awkward silence as Harry looked anywhere but at the twins.
George spoke up again.
"Have- have you seen Ron and Hermione? They're coming here soon."
"Uh- no, I haven't."
And I don't want to.
"I guess I better get going now. I'm staying at Hogwarts, gotta get back." He turned to Katie. "I'll see you outside," he said.
Fred and George turned to look at Katie and Harry took the chance to grab his things and slip out of the shop.
oOoOo
Harry and Katie made there way silently back to Gringotts to wait for Snape. She didn't ask about Fred and George, and for that he was grateful. They set there things down and waited half way up the steps.
"I feel really weird talking to someone I can't see," Katie whispered. "People are staring at me."
Harry feigned a laugh.
"You'll get use to it. Look, there's your dad." Harry spotted Snape making his way towards them, looking as sour-faced as ever. His view was blocked however, as the last person Harry wanted to see stepped in front of him.
Lucius Malfoy advanced up the steps of Gringotts, seemingly heading towards Katie. He was smiling unconvincingly and Katie seemed to be trying to smile back. Before Lucius Malfoy could reach them however, Harry was bumped from behind and stumbled into the path of Lucius Malfoy. He tried to prevent himself falling and in the process lurched into Malfoy's chest. Malfoy stopped abruptly and the man that had bumped Harry was staring.
lucius malfoy reached out, and before Harry could move, pulled the cloak from his shoulders. Katie stood by looking on at the scene.
Malfoy snarled when he saw Harry, and the other man yelled out.
"Harry Potter!"
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Lucius Malfoy stepped away from him, his face twisted into an ugly mask, and the crowds on the street stopped as one and turned to look up the steps. Snape was stuck in the middle of the street, fighting to get through. But he needn't have bothered, because witches and wizards were now streaming up the steps of Gringotts, intent on getting to the famous Harry Potter. Harry turned to Lucius Malfoy.
"Give me my cloak!" Harry ordered.
Malfoy flung it at him with a sneer as he was thrust to the rear of the crowd. People were babbling at Harry, calling out his name, but he was gone with a swish of his cloak. He ran up the stairs, grabbed his bag and grabbed Katie's elbow.
"Let's go," he hissed. They ran into Gringotts and approached one of the fires burning against the far wall.
"You go first," Harry said. He followed soon after her as the crowd burst in to the bank, goblins looking up from the work frowning.
Harry wondered: Did they want to catch a glimpse of the Boy-Who-Lived, or a murderer?
oOoOo
Harry lay on his bed. The room was dark and quiet, but far from soothing. Why couldn't he be normal? Harry resolved to finish this nightmare once and for all, as soon as he could. His meeting with Fred and George had upset him more than he cared to think about, but what didn't upset him these days? Harry picked up the potion Snape had given him and took a small sip. He didn't dream. But visions weren't dreams.
oOoOo
A/N: I think this chapter was really boring, but what can I say? I wrote it.
Chapter 9: Facing Reality