Chapter 6
Hogwarts
Great Hall
The gang sat at their respected house table as they ate breakfast and studied their subjects, Ron noticed Nathan twirling some eggs with his fork. "Have some toast, mate," he said handing him over a piece of wheat toast.
"C'mon Nathan. You're gonna need your strength for the game today," Hermione said as she gulped down a cup of milk.
"I know. There is something that keeps bugging me, though." Nathan said as he took a bite. The black haired Potter looks around the hall, when his eyes landed on Quirell. Nathan could not make out what bugged him about Quirell, but when he looked at Quirell, his scar flared with pain. He had thought it had been Snape that caused that, but maybe it wasn't. Admittedly, the first time it happened, Snape and Quirell had been pretty close to one another, so he might have confused which one was causing it. It didn't mean though that he trusted the grease ball of a potions teacher.
Moments later, Snape came by. "Good luck today, Potter," He snarled out before continuing, "Then again, now that you've proven yourself against a troll, a wee little game of Quiditch should be easy work for you. Even if it is against Slytherin." Snape said all of this like he would take great pleasure in seeing Nathan go splat against the ground or at least, fail to win the game for his team. Snape then takes his leave, limping slightly.
"That explains the blood." Nathan muttered as he glared back at Snape, watching Snape walk out with a slightly limping leg.
"Blood?" Hermione asked, looking up from her Transfiguration book. Nathan motioned them to lean in.
"Listen. Last night, somebody, I'm guessing Snape, let the troll in as a diversion so he could try and get past the three headed dog… he must've been bitten and that's why he's limping." Nathan explained as he whispered into the group. He wasn't really sure who it was that was really trying to get past the Cerberus. Snape seemed like the type, being a former Death Eater, but Quirell was just a little too much of stutterer to have gone through what he claims to have. His senses were telling him that there is more to Quirell than he was letting on publicly and Nathan needed to keep his guard up around him.
"But, why would he want to go anywhere near it?" asked Hermione.
Nathan stopped to think, his memory paused when he remembered about the article he read in the Daily Prophet. "That day we were at Gringotts before school started, Hagrid took something out of one the vaults. He said it was Hogwarts business, very secret" he explained.
"So you're saying…" Hermione said as she began to place the pieces together.
"Whatever that item in that vault was, that's what the dog's guarding, and that's what Snape or whoever it was that let the troll in, wants to get his hands on." Nathan said, before they were brought out of their conversation by the sound of flapping wings, the 3 turned to see Zeus flying towards them with something clutched in it's talons.
"Mail's early," Ron said as the mystic bird of prey flew closer.
Zeus carried the package then dropped it when he got close to Nathan. Nathan caught the package, which looked suspiciously like a broom. Zeus then flew onto his master's shoulder. "Thanks buddy," Nathan said. Nathan fed Zeus some bacon, which the undersized thunder bird was all too eager to eat up.
The students at the Gryffindor table looked at Nathan and his package. "What do you think it is?" Hermione asked.
Nathan shrugged, saying "I don't know, normally I just get the monthly paper."
"Let's open it" Ron suggested, which they all gladly obliged.
They began to unwrap it until it was viewable. "It's a broomstick," Nathan observed with surprise.
"That's not just any broomstick Nathan, that's the Nimbus 2000!" Ron said equally surprised.
"But who could've-"Nathan said wondering who was generous enough to get him it.
He looked to the table and saw McGonagall look at him with a smile, in which he gave back with a nod, realizing it must have been her.
Quidditch Pitch
Inside Gryffindor Quidditch Tower
Nathan and his team got dressed in their team outfit, namely crimson red robe with gold outlining. Several minutes later, they began to march towards the closed starting gate. Nathan turned to look at his team, the beaters cracked their necks and hands before grabbing their brooms and bats; the chasers doing the same.
"Scared, Nathan?" Oliver asked.
The black haired Potter turned to his Captain. "A little bit" he lied. Flying was nothing compared to facing down Madara Uchiha or Nagato, after all.
"That's all right, I felt the same way before my first game" he explained.
"What happened?" Nathan asked.
Oliver pondered for a bit. "I don't really remember… I took a Bludger to the head two minutes into the game… woke up in the hospital wing a week later" he explained.
"On your brooms everyone!" Oliver declared, his team acknowledged and got on their brooms. The gates opened and both teams flew out circling the Pitch several times as the houses cheered even louder.
"Hello and welcome to Hogwarts' first Quidditch game of the season! Today's game Slytherin versus Gryffindor!" Lee declared over his microphone.
The players took position in a circle, while Nathan flew a bit higher than the rest to get a better view. They look down as Madam Hooch steps onto the field with a trunk and sets it down in between the circle of players.
"Now, I want a nice clean game… from all of you," she spoke while looking at the Slytherin team, since they were more prone to playing dirty. She then kicks the trunk open letting the Bludgers zoom out.
"The Bludgers are up," Lee commentated as a familiar golden winged ball flies shortly after wards showing itself to both teams, " followed by the Golden Snitch. Remember the Snitch is worth one hundred and fifty points, the seeker who catches the Snitch ends the game."
The Snitch then zooms out of sight; Madam Hooch then grabs the red ball and tosses it into the air. "The Quaffle is released… and the game begins!" Lee shouted, with every house cheering.
Gryffindor took possession of the ball and flies past Slytherin towards their goal, the girl holding the Quaffle was Angelina Johnson. She flew down and around the tower avoiding the Slytherin chasers before throwing the ball.
The Slytherin keeper rushed at the ball but failed to catch it as it scored through the hoop.
*Ding!*
"Angelina Johnson scores! Ten points for Gryffindor!" Lee shouts as he presses a button and adding the points to the scoreboard.
"Nice moves." Nathan commented from, as his entire house does the same.
"Well done!" Hagrid said as he claps happily, though stopped when Slytherin gained possession of the Quaffle.
They watch as the opposing team passes the ball back and forth through team players.
"Bletchley passes to Captain Marcus Flint!" Lee exclaimed, as Flint maneuvered around Gryffindor's chasers and throws the ball to the hoop, it however didn't score as Oliver flew up and wacked it away with his broom.
Oliver smirks while Flint glares back, the positions change as Johnson and Katie Bell pass the Quaffle back and forth avoiding Slytherin as they fly in circles around the towers. This confused Slytherin's keeper as she looked in between the players for the ball.
Johnson takes the ball as it's passed to her and throws it at a hoop, scoring once again.
*Ding!*
"WOO!" Hermione and Ron cheered.
"Hmm!" Nathan said in approval as he watched his team score while flying around the pitch trying to locate the snitch.
"Another ten points for Gryffindor!" Lee proclaimed, adding the points to the scoreboard.
The Slytherin team sneered and decided now it was time to play dirty.
Flint turns to one of the Slytherin beaters. "Give me that!" he said taking the bat from the player and bashes a Bludger directly to Oliver. The ball hits Oliver in the stomach making him yell in pain before he falls off his broom and onto the ground. Luckily, his broom broke.
The majority of the crowd not liking this, booed at Slytherin. Nathan frowned at the opposing team's actions, while also noting that Slytherin had always played dirty as long as it was within the rules. The Slytherin players laugh at the downed boy as the medics take Oliver away.
The Slytherin team heads off with the Quaffle. They managed to maneuver over the Weasley twins and score into Gryffindor's goal which was wide open without Oliver. The Slytherin house cheers for their team.
Flint along with another chaser fly over head. "Take that side!" he orders as they close in on Angelina, then box her in between them.
Nathan looks and sees one of the bludgers and after calculating the trajectory, flies with his broom on a collision course with it, before flipping in mid-air and kicking the Bludger. The Bludger collided with Marcus's right shoulder, breaking it, and knocked him off his broom, freeing up Angelina, who kicked the other guy away, allowing her to score for Gryffindor. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw cheered, though they weren't too sure how they felt about the dirty trick Nathan pulled but then again, Slytherin always did it, so it was cathartic to see them get a taste of their own medicine. Angelina gave him a thankful nod. Slytherin booed Nathan but he could care less what those losers thought.
Nathan lowered himself to a few feet above Marcus. "That was a dirty trick!" Marcus growled through the pain of his broken shoulder.
"Like you have any room to talk. You don't wanna play hard ball, then don't play dirty, dick." Nathan said, surprising Marcus as he wasn't expecting cursing from one so young. Nathan then heard the snitch and turned his head to see it, before turning back to Marcus, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Gryffindor has a game to win." With that, Nathan goes right onto the snitches trail.
"Where's Nathan going?" Hermione asked.
"He must've found the Snitch. GO NATHAN!" Ron cheered, everyone in Gryffindor noticing Nathan began to cheer for the boy to catch the golden ball.
As the black haired Potter reached his arm out for the ball merely millimeters from his hand, he noticed and felt a jinx trying to affect his broom and pulled back his arm, activating the enchantment he put on the broom earlier. The enchant he placed on his broom before the game takes effect and nullifies the jinx without anyone noticing and he continues on with only Dumbledore and Quirell really noticing.
Quirell was about to try and jinx the broom again when Voldemort spoke in his mind. 'Don't bother!'
'But master I can get him this time!' Quirell argued back.
'No you won't! I've already analyzed the enchant he put on his broom. It will nullify any jinx you can utilize against it. Dumbledore is already onto you and now the boy likely suspects you! I'd punish you for being so useless, but we are surrounded by people! Sit back and enjoy your slight reprieve!'Voldemort hissed while thinking privately that Nathan was clearly more skilled than he let on. First the troll, now an enchantment on his broomstick to prevent anyone from messing with him while he is playing.
The black haired Potter sped through the air and the Slytherin seeker was flying after him.
The opposing seeker soon catches up and rams his broom against Nathan's as they both dive towards the ground after the snitch. the opposing seeker sneers and rams his broom against Nathan's. Noticing that they were quickly approaching the ground, the Slytherin seeker backs out leaving Nathan to go after the Snitch.
Nathan pulled up on his broom, being only a couple inches off the ground and with the Snitch still in sight as it flew away. Nathan sped up and tried to reach but, failed to as the golden ball continued to fly.
The lightning scared wizard then decided to do the unthinkable. Nathan slowly but, steadily stood up on his broom and after calculating the snitch's next position, jumped forward as the snitch zig-zagged a few inches to the left, catching it in his left hand though he toppled off his broom, though he rolled to his fee, skidding to a halt.
"He's got the Snitch! Nathaniel Potter receives one hundred and fifty points for catching the Snitch!" Lee shouted out.
Hooch walks onto the field and blows on her whistle, "Gryffindor Wins!" she declared.
Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw then cheered as loud as they could while Slytherin sulked in anger at their loss while the Slytherin players also looked at Nathan with wariness, as there was someone willing to put them in their place if they tried playing dirty, while the players on the other teams made notes to be more wary of playing dirty tricks if they play against Gryffindor from now on.
Nathan raises the Snitch into the air as they all cheered for him.
With the Gang
Nathan, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid walked out of the Hospital Wing and onto a path leading toward Hagrid's hut.
"So you're saying someone tried to put a curse on your broom?" Ron asked, as Nathan lied and said he had a Curse-Breaker put a protective enchantment on the broom to prevent any foul-play.
"Nonsense, why would someone put a curse on Nathan's broom?" Hagrid asked.
"Who knows, was he the same guy trying to get past that Cerberus on Halloween?" Nathan asked to the group.
"Who told you about Fluffy?" Hagrid demanded as he turned to the group, wanting answers.
"Fluffy?" Nathan asked.
"That thing has a name?" Ron and Hermione said in disbelief.
"Well, of course he's got a name. He's mine! I bought him off an Irish fella I met down at the pub last year, then I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the-" he was about to say but, then kept his mouth shut.
"The what?" Nathan prodded, wanting to know.
"Shouldn't have said that! Don't ask any more questions. That's top secret, that is" Hagrid retorted.
"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape or somebody, is trying to steal it" Nathan tried to reason with groundskeeper.
"Codswallop! Professor Snape is a Hogwarts teacher" he said. Hagrid sighs, "Now, you listen to me, all three of you. You're meddlin' in things that ought not to be meddled in. It's dangerous. What that dog is guarding is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamel!" Hagrid warned.
"Nicholas Flamel?" Nathan said, making Hagrid sweatdrop.
"I shouldn't have said that. I should not have said that. I should not have said that" Hagrid said to himself as he walked away from the group.
"Nicholas Flamel… Didn't he make the Philospher's stone?" Nathan asked, to the smartest of the group.
Surprisingly enough she shook her head, "I'm not sure?" she replied.
December 21st
Headmaster's Office
Nathan stood in front of a Griffon statue, "Here goes… Sherbet Lemon" he said, as stone stairs appear makes an appearance from behind the statue. Walking up he find himself in Dumbledore's office,. The old man sees the Potter walking up, "Is there something I can help you with, Mr. Potter?" he asked generously.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore sir… I need to head to Diagon Alley for a bit, so I'm asking permission if I could take my broom and head over there." he asked, and Dumbledore chuckled at the request.
"I can't allow a first year to ride a broomstick off school grounds. It would be very irresponsible of me," he said.
"But tell me… what is it you require at Diagon Alley?" he asked.
"W-well you see, there's this girl, a friend that I want to get a gift for," Nathan said, Dumbledore smiled already knowing what it was he was asking.
"Come with me, Mr. Potter" he said, the black-haired Potter nodded and followed the headmaster upstairs.
"Wait here for a moment," he said as he searched into a chest.
Nathan looked around the room, full of books, paintings, and paperwork. He then turned to see a majestic bright red colored bird, his memories from Voldemort telling him it was Dumbledore's phoenix that bonded with him during the Wizarding World War.
"Here we are," Nathan turned to Dumbledore as he handed over a small pouch before he motioned to the fireplace, "Now over here."
"You see inside that pouch is what's known as Floo Powder. What you do is walk into the fireplace, take a healthy handful of powder, state very clearly the destination you wish to travel, then drop the powder into the fireplace," the elder wizard explained.
Nathan bowed down to the headmaster. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore" he said as he walked into the fireplace, he grabbed a handful of the powder and stated loud and clear, "Diagon Alley" before dropping the powder and disappearing in green flames.
Dumbledore smiled as the boy disappeared. Hermione Granger would surely be very happy during the upcoming holiday.
With the Gang
Later
Hermione walked into the Great Hall with a cart. She saw the ghost singing carols, Christmas trees and decorations being put up throughout the hall, and students either leaving the hall or continuing with their school work. She walks over to Ron and Nathan as they play chess.
"Knight to E-5" Nathan states, as his knight piece moves towards its destination.
Ron cups his chin, thinking about his move, before responding, "Queen to E-5." Ron's queen then moves into position and clinks the knight away with its chair.
Hermione who was watching sighs. "That's totally barbaric" she says.
"That's wizard's chess," Ron replies and notices her cart, "I see you've packed."
"See you haven't" Hermione said with a raised eyebrow.
"Change of plans, my parents decided to go to Romania to visit my brother Charlie. He's studying dragons there" Ron explained his situation.
"Good, you can help Nathan. He's going to the library for information on Nicholas Flamel" the brunette said.
"We've looked a hundred times!" Ron complained.
"Not in the restricted section… Merry Christmas" she said before turning back and walking ou.t
"Hermione, wait!" said girl turned to see Nathan get up from his seat. "I got you a little something." He brought out a large present, white and black stripped.
Hermione took the present and smiled before giving the black haired Potter a tight hug. "I'll see you in January, Nathan." the brunette said as she left to make her way to the train.
"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" he said while waving goodbye.
"Merry Christmas!" she waved back.
Christmas Day
Gryffindor Common Room
Nathan rubs his eyes as he wakes up from his slumber. Zeus gives out a screech as it looks at his master. Nathan yawns and walks out of the room.
From the balcony, he overlooked the decorated Common Room. Ron was standing next to the tree wearing a sweater with an R on it.
"Merry Christmas, Ron." Nathan said.
"Merry Christmas Nathan!" he replied.
"Ron, what are you wearing?" Nathan asked, as he had never seen an ugly sweater before.
"Oh, mum made it for me… looks like you got one too!" he said.
"I've got presents?" Nathan asked surprised. He had never gotten presents in the orphanage or during his first life as Naruto Uzumaki.
"Yeah, come on down" Ron said. Nathan walked down stairs and up to the tree. Nathan picks up a silver wrapped present with a note attached.
"Who's it from?" Ron asked.
"Your father left this in my possession before he died. It is time it was returned to you. Use it well… huh? Doesn't say." Nathan replied a bit confused before he unwrapped his present.
"What is it?" Ron asked.
"Some kind of cloak," Nathan responds holding a black cloak with several star and moon like patterns, he put it on, clasping it around his neck like a proper cloak, before his entire body minus his head disappeared.
"Oh, I know what that is. That's an invisibility cloak. They're really rare. Wonder who gave it to you?" Ron asked.
"Well, I know one thing. Getting into the restricted section just got a lot easier." Nathan explains, since this would be better than trying to use the disillusionment charm that he hadn't mastered yet.
Library
8:00 PM
Walking through the dark sections of the Library, Nathan went into the restricted section, his wand sticking out of the cloak with Lumos activated. He made it to the forbidden section and pulled the hood of his cloak down, revealing his head as he searched the bookcases. He didn't really need to find info about Flamel, thanks to Voldemorts memories. He was here for other things that could be of use to him.
"Famous Fire Eaters. Nope," Nathan said, taking a book before he put it back.
"Fifteenth Century Fiends. Double nope," Nathan spoke as he looked between books.
"G.G.?" Nathan said as he found a thick late 19th century-style journal. Knowing what name those initials might stand for, he cast a spell to detect any curses or harmful enchantments. Finding none, he opened the book to find high-quality notes and very detailed descriptions of numerous potions, rituals, and dark spells that were definitely not in Voldemorts memory. "I'm definitely keeping this." Nathan said as he shrunk the book with Reducio and pocketed the treasure trove of information.
"Let's see, what other goodies can we find?" Nathan said as he took book another and opened it, the moment he did a face shot out of a page.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Nathan slammed the book shut and put it back.
"Who's there?" Nathan whipped around to see a lantern's light approaching. He threw his hood back on and extinguished his Lumos with Nox.
"Who is it? Show yourself!" Filch shouted as he came into the Restricted Section. He walked over to where Nathan had been and examined that a book was missing. Filch scratched his head in confusion before he found fresh foot prints, caused by Nathan disturbing the layer of dust on floor.
With Nathan
Nathan silently moved across the hall and turned a corner to see Snape push Quirrell against a wall. Nathan moved slowly to sneak past them. As he crept closer he ease-dropped on their conversation.
"Severus… I-I thought" Quirrell stated quietly.
"You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell", Snape threatened.
"W-What do you m-mean?" Quirell said.
"You know perfectly well what I mean," Snape said before stopping and turning around. Nathan holds his breath as the professor had somehow detected him. Snape slowly reached out towards Nathan who backs away slowly and silently, before he whips his finger back at Quirrell.
"We'll meet again soon… when you've had time to decide where your loyalties lie" he said before turning around to see Filch.
"Oh, professors. I found a book missing from the Restricted Section and fresh footprints. That means a student is out of bed" he explained. Snape let go of Quirrell and followed Filch with Quirrell trailing behind.
Nathan took this opportunity to enter a door and sneak right past them. Nathan sighs as he finds the room empty; the only noticeable thing was the large mirror in the corner.
The black haired Potter removes his cloak and stares into the mirror, he gasps as a man and a woman appeared in the mirror's reflection.
"Mum?" he asks, the woman smiles and nods. Nathan turns to the man. "Dad?" receiving the same response. Nathan reaches out to touch them only to feel the cold surface of the mirror. He sees Lily place a hand on the shoulder of Nathan's reflection. Then he saw his twin brother, Harry, still a baby. As young as he had been when Voldemort killed him in cold blood with the Killing Curse. Not only that, but the image of his first parents, Kushina and Minato, appeared behind them.
The black haired Potter then places a hand on his shoulder, trying to feel his mother's touch.
The image then shifted to one of him, older now, by like 20 years. Surrounding him were numerous children, all of them bearing some resemblance to him. He had a number of women standing at his side. He didn't recognize any of them, save for the woman at his older self's right side, who was obviously Hermione.
Great Hall
The next Day
Ron, and Nathan sat in their house's table. Nathan was studying Astronomy, while Ron attempted to brew a Shrinking Solution potion. Nathan had got Ron a book to help him with Potions, essentially a Dummies guide, since Snape was pretty unhelpful during class.
"Don't forget to add the Leech Juice," Nathan said not taking his eyes off his book.
"Right, right," Ron replies.
They heard a flapping sound and turned to see Zeus flying towards them with a small parcel. "Wonder what Zeus brought you this time" Ron asked himself, Nathan wondering the same thing.
The Thunderbird dropped the package in his master's hands, before landing on his shoulder.
Nathan fed his pet a small chunk of meat before looking at his package. "Who's it from?" Ron asked.
Nathan smiled. "From Hermione," he said opening the parcel, revealing it to be a black wand holster. He saw a note attached to it and read the contents.
"Hey Nathan. This is Hermione, I'm not sure if this parcel got to you on time, but this is my Christmas present to you. I know you like to practice spells so with this you'll be able to draw your wand faster. I also wanted to thank you for the other six volumes of "Standard Book of Spells" that you got me. Merry Christmas, Hermione," he read with a smile.
Nathan just looked at the holder before he wrapped the leather strips around his arm like a bracer, he brought out his wand and sheathed it into his new holder.
Mirror Room
8:00 PM
Nathan sat in front of the mirror looking at his dead family from both lives with a sad smile. He heard footsteps and turns around to see Dumbledore.
"Back again Nathan?" he asks as the black haired Potter stood up and dusted himself.
"I see you, like so many before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. I trust by now you also realize what it does?" he asked, before noticing Nathan's solemn look.
He chuckled, "In case you don't, let me offer a clue. The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see only himself, exactly as he is" he said.
"The mirror shows us our hearts deepest desires?" Nathan asked.
"Yes, it shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. Now you, who tragically lost your family at a young age, you see them standing beside you. But remember this Nathan, this mirror gives us neither knowledge nor truth. Many men have wasted their lives away in front of this mirror, even gone mad" he said placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. He didn't need to be a Legilimens to know that was the most likely thing he saw he in the mirror.
"It does not do to dwell on dreams Nathan, and forget to live," he finishes, as Nathan looks back into the mirror.
"What do you see, Professor, when you look in the mirror?" Nathan asked. Dumbledore looked into the mirror, and saw a younger version of Dumbledore and Grindelwald when they formed their bloodpact, Aurelia's death, Leta Lestranges death, the manipulations and tragic end of the Obscurial known as Credence Barebone, and so many other failings that it was hard to pinpoint the greatest, but the first scene stuck out the most.
"My greatest failures. I see my many failures and how I wished I could have prevented them." Dumbledore admitted and once again, Nathan thought he saw one on his eyes change color for a moment.
One month Later
Hagrid's Hut
The three wizards ran towards the hut as they avoided Filch. Hermione had come back to school to find out she had actually checked out the book that contained information on Nicholas Flamel. The three then decided to visit Hagrid to glean some more info out of him. Nathan knocks on the door several times before Hagrid opens, who was wearing an apron and oven mitts.
Hagrid looks at the three. "Oh, hello. Sorry, don't wish to be rude, but I'm in no fit state to entertain today," the half-giant said before closing the door on them.
"We know about the Philosopher's Stone" they all stated.
Hagrid reopened the door, "Oh…" he said before letting them all in.
"We think Snape or somebody is trying to steal it," Nathan began.
Hagrid just looked at the black haired Potter in disappointment, "Snape? Blimey, 'ate, you're not still on about that, are you?" he asked.
"Hagrid, we know it's the stone, we just don't know why?" Nathan stated.
Hagrid shook his head, "Snape is one of the teacher's protecting the stone, he's not about to steal it," he explained, receiving a surprised look from the three.
"Wait a minute, one of the teachers?" Ron asked.
Hermione sat down in one of Hagrid's chairs. "Of course! There are other things defending the stone, aren't there? Spells? Enchantments?" Hermione asked, receiving a nod from the half-giant.
"That's right, waste of bloody time trying to steal the thing, if you ask me" the half-giant replied.
"Ain't no one gonna get past Fluffy. Hehe, not a soul knows how, except for me and Dumbledore," he pauses as he the three look at him, "Shouldn't have told you that, I shouldn't have told you that." It was at that point that the cauldron that was being heated over the fireplace began to rattle.
Hagrid gasped and rushed over, took the cauldron out, then a rather large egg from inside, "Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Hot!" he said, seemed like the mitts didn't seem to help much.
He places it gently on a table for all to see, "Uh, Hagrid… is that what I think it is?" Nathan asked as he and the rest edged closer to the table.
"That? It's a… um…" Hagrid said trying to make something up, when Ron recognizes it.
"I know what it is! But Hagrid, how did you get one?" Ron asked.
Hagrid sighed, no point in keeping it a secret. "I won it! Off a stranger I met down recently at the pub. Seemed quite glad to get rid of it, as a matter of fact," he recalls.
The egg begins to rattle once more before the shell cracked, the pieces start to fly off as it reveals itself to be a dragon hatchling, which squeaks as it slips off an egg piece.
"Is that… a dragon?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Not just any dragon. That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania," Ron explains.
Hagrid wipes a tear from his eye. "Isn't he beautiful? Oh, bless him, look he knows his mummy. Hehe, hello Norbert" the dragon squeaks as it stares at Hagrid.
The three turn to Hagrid, "Norbert?"
"Yeah, well, he's got to have a name, doesn't he?" Hagrid responds.
The group laughs. Nathan meanwhile, is thinking about Voldemorts memories. Hagrid seems to have a penchant for keeping rare and dangerous magical creatures around. That Acromantula was only the best example. If only Voldemort's aim had been a little better and he had actually killed the damn thing when he had the chance. That Acromantula had escaped and nested in the Dark Forest, before it started breeding. Now there were hundreds of Acromanula's running around in the Dark Forest. Voldemorts memories showed stark contrast of the forest that Nathan knew. The forest had once been a paradise for Light Sided Magical creatures, like Phoenixes, Unicorns, Fairies, ectara. And Bi-annual hunts used to be organized to get rid of any dark creatures that tried to break into the forest.
Now the fairy populations are down to a record low, having been fed upon until they're nearly extinct by the growing acromantula menace in there. Werewolves and other dark things infest the place. The unicorns are dying off. Everyone now just accepts the place as a festering pit of darkness and evil. And why? Because Dumbledore allowed it to be that way. He let people seed it with the worst sort of dark creatures imaginable, then did nothing to remove them, out of laziness or something else, Nathan had no idea. The very worst of Headmasters before him had never sunk so low. That forest was one of the few places in the world where unicorns still roamed free, and now over half their population was eaten. Gone to feed the hunger of creatures like those acromantulas - who'll be moving on to human babies in the surrounding area the moment they've exhausted the forest. It was beginning to look like the only way he was gonna save any of the light side magical life left was to move them out and then burn down the whole forest to make sure none of the evil escaped. Nathan knew just the spell to accomplish this but he wasn't ready to cast that spell yet.
"Don't you Norbert? Dededede" Hagrid says as he raises a finger back and forth across the dragon's chin.
The hatchling backs away slightly before it hiccups a fireball into Hagrid's beard, the half giant uses the oven mitt to put it out the flames.
"Well… he'll have to be trained up a bit of course" he said as he manages to douse the flame, that is until he sees someone by the window.
"Who's that?" he said, making the three whip their line of sight to the window, the person jumps and starts runnig away.
"Malfoy," Nathan growls as he jumps out of his seat. Opening the door to Hagrids hut, he sees Malfoy only a few yards away and casts a wordless Incarcerous. Thick ropes wrap around Malfoy's legs, before binding his arms and chest as well.
"Potter! Unhand me at once! My father will hear about this!" Malfoy screams at the approaching Nathan, Ron, and Hermione with Hagrid wobbling behind.
"What's wrong, Malfoy? Were you perhaps hoping to get us in trouble, hmm? Perhaps make us lose that 220 point lead that Gryffindor currently has over your house?" Nathan asks as Malfoy looks to scream again. "Don't answer that. Silencio." Nathan's charm hits Malfoy and renders him temporarily mute.
"Hey Ron, help me drag him back inside." Nathan said as while they could levitate him in, he didn't want to be discovered. Ron helped him drag him inside and Nathan threw him onto a chair. Ron closed covered the windows so no one could see what they were doing.
"Well, what are we gonna do with you, I wonder?" Nathan asks Malfoy out loud.
"Well we can't just let him go. He'll rat us out to Snape and then we will lose all of Gryffindor's points." Ron says, as he didn't want to be a social outcast.
"We…could take his memories away." Hermione offered hesitantly, causing the others to look at her.
"Oh, dear,"Hagrid states as he sits down next to his pet dragon, not liking where this was going.
"You know the memory charm, Hermione?" Nathan asked with some surprise.
"I've been doing some light reading of my Christmas present, and started practicing with it a week ago. I could take away the memory of what he saw." Hermione offered hesitantly. "But, even saying that, we'd be breaking about a dozen school rules. Not to mention, it'd be a crime."
"I'm curious, Hermione, have you spoken with any of the older students?" Nathan asked, and Hermione shook her head. "Well, I have and in the last 10 years, the competition for the House Cup has become a joke. Slytherin wins every time, while the other houses have most of thier points docked for stupid things. Ravenclaw doesn't get docked nearly as much, but they still feel some of the effects. Now, do you know who got hired as Head of Slytherin House 10 years ago?"
Ron didn't have an answer but Hermione did. "Professor Snape."
Nathan nodded and continued, "Snape is a foul bigot and former Death Eater. He takes away points from students not of Slytherin House for stupid reasons, while not punishing Slytherin students for endangering students and actually rewarding them for things like simply arriving on time. I've asked around the older students about Snape's records, and he is the worst teacher the school has ever had, bar none, getting fewer graduates for Potions with lower grades than ever before. Snape commits weekly offenses that would get any other teacher not only fired, but blacklisted from ever teaching again! Entire schools in the non-magic world have been closed over lesser offenses! I can show you some examples on them when we get back to Gryffindor Tower."
Hermione looked sickly hearing this and got what Nathan was saying. The whole of Slytherin House was basically a joke. You couldn't really go in there without being accused of dark wizard, and if you were a muggle-born in it's current incarnation, you were fucked.
"So, I'm not gonna let Snape and the joke that is Slytherin house have their way this time. First, I need to see how much memory we need to remove. This can't be a rush job, otherwise, someone will catch on." Nathan said as he pointed his wand at Malfoy's headed and muttered, "Legilimens". Nathan looked through Draco's mind to see where they needed to remove memories.
"Okay, remove everything from the past hour from him, Hermione." Nathan said as he stepped away and Hermione, after a little more encouragement from Nathan, obliviated Draco, erasing everything he saw from the last hour. While she did this, Nathan realized he would need to come back later and wipe and alter Hagrid's memory of this as well. He didn't want to, but he knew Hagrid talked too much and couldn't keep a secret to save his life.
"Okay, now what?" Ron asked.
"Now, I implant false memories into his head. Falsificare" Nathan said as he implanted false memories into Draco's head, before knocking out the dazed boy with a punch to the face.
The three split off, with Hermione and Ron sneaking back to their room unnoticed while Nathan went to the Great Hall to make Draco the subject of a prank, knocking out Theodore Nott of Slytherin House, who he ran into on the way, which made him the perfect scapegoat.
Great Hall
Draco and Nott could be found the next morning, hanging from the from the ceiling with nothing on save for a pair of underwear. Both were shouting at each other and accusing the other of doing this to them while the other students laughed at the two, and even the Slytherin first years couldn't help but laugh at the two for looking so ridiculous. Even poor Pansy, who was to betrothed to Malfoy when they were of age, laughed at Draco, while a tiny seed was planted in her head that maybe she should consider other options for a husband.
Nathan had also gone back in the morning and replaced Hagrids memory of the event the previous night to cover his tracks, though he noted Dumbledore had already shipped little Norbert off to Romania.
Two Months Later
Nathan was walking late at night to the girls bathroom but not in the way you might think. It was time to open a certain chamber. But he needed to make it look convincing, like he was just exploring more of the castle and had just stumbled upon it.
As he walked into the bathroom, he saw the ghost of Moaning Myrtle.
"Oh, it's you," she said when she saw Nathan. "What do you want?"
"I have asked around and noticed that many of the ghost's here are at least several hundred years old, yet you appear to be one of the younger ghosts, if not the youngest. I was curious as to how you died," said Nathan.
Myrtle's whole aspect changed at once. She looked as though she had never been asked such a flattering question.
"Ooooh, it was dreadful," she said with relish as she pointed at the stall. "It happened right in here. I died in this very stall. I remember it so well. I'd hidden because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. The door was locked, and I was crying, and then I heard somebody come in. They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then — " Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining. "I died."
"Can you tell me how?" said Nathan.
"No idea," said Myrtle in hushed tones. "I just remember seeing a pair of great, big, yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away…" She looked dreamily at Nathan. "And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she'd ever laughed at my glasses."
"Where exactly did you see the eyes?" said Nathan.
"Somewhere over there," said Myrtle, pointing vaguely toward the sink in front of her toilet.
Nathan then walked over to it. It appeared as an ordinary sink to the naked eye. They examined every inch of it, inside and out, including the pipes below. And then Nathan saw it. Scratched on the side of one of the copper taps was a tiny snake. His memories from Voldemort surfaced and he realized this was indeed it.
"That tap's never worked," said Myrtle brightly as he tried to turn it.
"Open up," he said in Parseltongue.
At once the tap glowed with a brilliant white light and began to spin. Next second, the sink began to move; the sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.
"Hmm, Stairs" Nathan said in Parseltongue, and a flight of stairs appeared around the sink. Much more dignified and likely the method Voldemort used when he first came down. The stairs descended until they came in front of a snake themed gate, which again, Nathan used Parseltongue to open.
He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place.
He pulled out his wand for safety and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir.
Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. It was ancient and monkey like, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. It was the place where the Basilisk came out.
"Now or never." Nathan said as he spoke in Parseltongue. "Speak to me, Salazar, Greatest of the Four!"
The mouth opened up and when he saw the hint of the Basilisk, he closed his eyes. He heard the snake approach and the shadow in front of him told him the snake was right in front of him.
"Stop! Don't come any closer." Nathan said.
"Now what is this?" a loud voice in parseltongue boomed from all around him. "It's been a long time since a speaker appeared before me."
"I know you are a basilisk. I'm not about to open my eyes when a single glimpse of your gaze will kill me." Nathan said, and he heard something flick.
"There, I've covered my eyes so we can converse properly." The Basilisk said and Nathan slowly opened his eyes, seeing the reflection of it's yellow gaze in a puddle. Seeing as he wasn't petrified yet, he looked directly at the great beast. It was a massive 60 foot Basilisk. It's whole body was taller than a fully grown adult.
"You're not what I was expecting." Nathan said, to the Basilisk's intrigue.
"What were you expecting, speaker?" the Basilisk said.
"Certainly not a conversation with you. Voldemort did use you to terrorize the school 50 years ago. I wasn't sure what to expect." Nathan said carefully, though it still upset the basilisk. Nathan knew quite a bit about Voldemort, including all his magic knowledge and most of his life, though certain memories were not viewable. Like everything concerning the Basilisk, or several events in Tom's life, or the Potter families death. He didn't understand how they were all connected or why he couldn't view them.
"Don't remind me! I was created by master Salazar to be the protector of this school! But Voldemort corrupted my mission here! He used me for his own twisted ends!" The Basilisk hissed in frustration.
Nathan wanted to know more, so he requested. "What really happened back then?"
"He came to me in a similar manner to you, speaker. Though I was created to protect the school, I am bound by magic to obey Master Salazar's recognized heir. You clearly know what the basics of what happened. He used me to kill a student and then sealed me back up in here. 10 years ago, my connection to him was suddenly cut off."The Basilisk took a closer look at Nathan, "Tell me, Speaker, what is your connection to my master's previous heir? I feel a budding connection to you, but not the same as it was with him."
So, Nathan told him everything, about how Voldemort had tried and failed to kill him as a baby, and how Nathan could speak to snakes, and just about everything he knew Voldemort related.
"I see, so that's why I feel a connection with you. Speaker, until you defeat my master's previous heir in combat, the Slytherin House magics will not recognize you as the rightful heir to Salazar Slytherin through right of conquest. Until that happens, I cannot allow you to view my master's Chamber of Secrets." The Basilisk said.
'Well, that is too bad, though it went much better than I expected. At least I was able to avoid a confrontation.' Nathan said, as Voldemort had apparently never utilized the knowledge in the Chamber, since Albus caught onto him after Myrtle's death before he could learn anything, and Nathan was hoping he could gain it for himself, but he needed to overcome Voldemort first. "Before I go, Great Basilisk, what is your name?"
"Master Salazar named me Yunuzeth." The now named Yunuzeth said as Nathan made his way back to the surface to prepare for a confrontation with whoever was trying to take the stone.
Chapter End
So, Nathan has opened the chamber of secrets, but He didn't technically defeat Voldemort that night, because of certain circumstances, so he will have to beat Voldemort again with his own two hands to gain access to the Chamber of Secrets. I also tried to give the Basilisk some more depth, since movie and book fans only know the basilisk as Salazar's pet monster. Anyway, next chapter will see Nathan confront Voldemort for the first time in years.
I decided with the direction I am taking this story to change the name to the Hallowed Heir.