Disclaimer: I don't own Harry, he is JK Rowlings. I would be flattered if you thought he did belong to me!

Chapter 13: Prowling Serpent

Harry's eyes shot open in a flash. He had been jolted awake by someone shaking his shoulder insistently. He had tried to ignore them in the hope that they would go away, but whoever wanted him awake did not give up. Before his green eyes could make out the fuzzy shapes in the dark a hand clamped shut over his mouth.

Harry struggled as a pair of strong arms entwined themselves expertly about his body and stood him onto his feet almost effortlessly. "Stay calm," a voice whispered silkily into his ear. In reply Harry felt a growl creep into his throat and he lashed out at the shadowy man.

It was useless the grip tightened and Harry was soon immobile against a strong chest. "I mean you no harm," the voice coaxed softly but Harry was not convinced.

Harry stamped on the figure's toe but being barefooted and the stranger was wearing boots, his actions had very little effect.

The stranger chuckled and steered Harry towards the door. "Little Gryffindor, fighting me will not help."

With those words Harry knew who his kidnapper was. Salazar Slytherin. A chill ran up and down his spine and he felt bile rise into his throat. He swallowed hard and titled his head to look into hard emotionless eyes.

'Oh God,' Harry thought, 'He has joined Lord Voldemort.' Instead of redoubling his efforts to squirm out of Salazar's grasp, Harry chomped as hard as he could into the soft flesh of the founder's palm.

Salazar Slytherin yelled and let Harry go. Harry was ready and madly dashed down the hallway like a threatened hare.

Salazar watched as Harry ran and laughed to himself and nursed his hand. Murmuring a quick spell he flicked his hand and the swelling and pain disappeared. He shook his head sadly… this was going to be a long night.

Earlier

"Enter." The cold voice had commanded. Draco Malfoy looked adoringly at Salazar Slytherin, apparently so confident that they had the greatest of the Hogwarts four on their side. Salazar kept his face devoid of any emotion, which had become second nature early in his childhood.

Two great oaken doors swung open on their accord. Salazar was not fooled. Lord Voldemort was out to impress him. And Salazar was never one for trifle matters in the use of magic.

Draco indicated for Salazar to enter the room first, so without any hint of hesitation Salazar stepped casually into the chamber.

As he did so torches at the rims of the chamber lit up into an eerily green colour. The soft carpet underneath his feet was a rich emerald green, trimmed in lavish silver threads. The room was large, airy and somewhat cold in nature. About one hundred metres away sat a dark cloaked figure on a throne.

Whipping his cloak about him regally, Salazar threw up his head and strode confidently towards the throne.

"Ah, Lord Slytherin," the high pitched voice on the man said coldly, "we have been expecting you."

Salazar nodded his head to the side once and refused to let a smile creep up onto his lips. He did not lower his eyes; instead he raised his chin surveyed his last descendant critically.

The wizard on the throne was tall, cloaked in a simple black robe and cloak, his skin was unnaturally pale and pinched around his bones. It was the eyes that struck Slytherin as odd. Red. Not warm, comforting red. But cold, burning hatred and distain lay beyond them. Lord Voldemort was not human.

"And I have been expecting you," Slytherin commented wryly, conjuring himself a chair from the edges of the room.

Very slowly and deliberately Salazar Slytherin sat. Voldemort twitched in annoyance but otherwise did not make any other movement to communicate he was displeased.

It was very clear, Voldemort thought himself as a King. But Slytherin was not going to pay homage to his descendant.

"I must ask you," Voldemort demanded huskily as if he truly was not used to his voice, "why you allowed the others to escape."

Slytherin smiled thinly. He had been expecting this. "It did not…" Slytherin lazily threw a hand up carelessly as he had seen his father do numerous amounts of time. "Suit my purpose…"

"Purposssee…?" the word was hissed. A large green snake Slytherin had failed to notice was curled up in the corner. She lifted up her large diamond head regally and flicked her tongue at the founder. Clearly she did not approve of Slytherin.

"Gryffindor is mine…" Slytherin growled. "His quarrel is with me – not you."
Voldemort's lips moved strangely into a position Slytherin thought might be a smile.
"The boy is mine…"

"Ahawn Gryffindor?" Slytherin inquired innocently. Although he already knew the answer.

Voldemort's lips twitched irritably, "The boy who escaped with the other founders. His blood belongs to me…"
"He owes you a blood debt?" Slytherin inquired casually, looking to his fingernails as if the matter did not interest him in the slightest.
Voldemort didn't answer.

Slytherin looked up from his finger nails as if he truly couldn't care less and replied, "If you don't tell me what you need and why… how am I suppose to know. I'm not going to read your mind now, am I?"

Voldemort licked his cracked white lips with a yellow looking tongue. "Prophecy has spoken his doom. He is my equal." Voldemort laughed mirthlessly. "My opposite… a thorn in my side; too many times he has escaped my clutches."

"Sounds like a Gryffindor to me." Slytherin interrupted with a small hint of a grimace on his face.
"The boy must die at my hands…" Voldemort snarled.
"Surely he is no match for you," Slytherin suggested. Voldemort's slits narrowed.
"He is only a half baked novice after all."

Harry raced down the corridor and into the gardens. 'Oh god,' he thought frantically, 'Slytherin has joined with Voldemort.'

He rounded a corner too quickly and tripped over his feet clumsily. For a brief heart beat he was sprawled on his all fours, his nose an inch way from the cold hard stone of the garden path.

Harry's heart nigh stopped however when a pair of leather boots stepped in front of his lowered eyes.

Swearing Harry scrambled backwards and at the same time trying to find his wand in his cloak. Slytherin was faster. "Impedimenta."

Harry could not move a muscle or even bat an eyelash. Slytherin casually swaggered up to him chuckling humourlessly to himself the whole time. Slytherin crouched down to Harry's eyelevel and their eyes locked.

"I did tell you I meant you no harm."

Harry fought with himself to make his lips move but found he could not.

Slytherin stood regally and curled his finger as if beckoning to Harry. Without willing it Harry became upright. Slytherin's fingers caught Harry's shoulders and tighten claw like around him.

"If you value your life you will do as I say," Slytherin demanded pushing Harry in front of him.

With Slytherin force marching him down the garden path, Harry searched this way and that for a way to escape from the founder. But at the same time he knew the founder was holding him much too tightly for that!

"You got him."

Harry started as a few shadowy figures came across their path. He stiffened in fright. Death Eaters!

"What are you doing here?" Slytherin demanded angrily, obviously he had not anticipated this type of intrusion.

"We're here to escort the prisoner to Voldemort." Lucious Malfoy stepped from the main group and circled around Harry and Slytherin like a wolf circles his prey. Suddenly Malfoy stepped forward and viciously backhanded Harry twice.

"Half breed," Malfoy hissed spitefully.
"Inbreed," Harry murmured as his hands shot up to his burning cheeks.

Slytherin held up his hand to stop the Death Eaters, his face expressionless. "I will escort the boy."

"Voldemort's orders," a Death Eater snuffled through his bone white mask.

"Voldemort does not order me," Slytherin said drawing himself to his full height and took a step further down the path. "I have my own business with the child first."

Harry thought he was going to cry. So Slytherin and Voldemort were going to fight over who was going to killing him?

Malfoy stepped in Slytherin's way once more. "That arrangement is not satisfactory."

Harry felt Slytherin stiffen behind him and his hand snaking inside his robes looking for something. "Very well." Slytherin drew out a long dagger and held it up. Harry reflexively yelped as he saw the incredibly sharp blade and wondered what if felt like to have one's throat slit.

Malfoy watched Harry's fear in awe then his eyes travelled back to Slytherin who was bring the dagger down onto his own palm. The blade sunk into the founder's flesh.

Quickly grabbing Harry's scrawny shoulder Salazar Slytherin spun him so that they were face to face. As Harry flinched away, Salazar forced his hand onto the boy forehead and held him fast as he spoke ancient words that had been past down to him by his father.

"What are you doing?" Malfoy demanded alarmed by this strange turn of events. Slytherin released Harry. "My blood now protects the boy…another ward your master will have to hurdle over."

Harry froze. Did he just hear that correctly?

Shouts of outrage sprung amongst the Death Eaters and Harry was shunted sideways into the garden. With one little minute gesture the Death Eaters were consumed in a hungry blaze. It was another spell that had been handed down to Salazar from his father.

Salazar watched impassively as the Death Eaters screamed and ran down the path as they were slowly eaten by the fire.

Harry sat up in the rose bush he had squished and stared after the Death Eaters in horror. They looked like running sparklers. Gulping he looked to Salazar Slytherin who had been studying him steadily.

"I told you I meant no harm."
Harry swallowed with difficulty. "Why?"
Slytherin smiled slowly. "It did not suit my purpose."

Harry shuddered and wiped his fringe out of his eyes, getting Salazar's blood over his fingers as he did so. He looked at it is a sort of awestruck terror. "There's more to it than that… I mean nothing to you…"

Slytherin sniffed indifferently and snapped, "Get out of the rose bush boy!"
Harry jumped up to obey but continued to stare at Slytherin expectantly.

"You have ambitions boy?" Slytherin finally asked slowly. Harry nodded.

"My ambition." Slytherin turned on his heels and looked up to the shadowy bulk of Hogwarts Castle. "Has stood the test of time…"

"You didn't want Vodlemort to destroy it," Harry finished. Slytherin looked sharply at Harry then nodded.

"Salazar what are you doing?" A voiced shrieked in the distance…

Three more figures emerged from the darkness. The three founders stared at Harry's bloody forehead.

Godric grabbed Harry possessively and swung him behind his back as if to protect him from an onslaught. "What the hell have you done!" Godric roared. "He was my student."