~Chapter 7~ The Lord of Snakes – Year 2 1992~

~Harry~

Nothing more really happened in Harry's first year, though he knew the exact moment that Voldemort decided to use the Philosopher's Stone because his scar bled a little. Yet the Horcrux was still there and Harry wondered if the damage to Voldemort's soul was too much for even the Philosopher's stone to properly heal. He debated hard on whether or not to tell his godfather about it but in the end, he knew he had to.

The man wasn't happy at all when Harry informed him that he'd brought back the Dark Lord, but he accepted it (after a long lecture about being more careful and taking better care of himself, or else…and Harry was sure he heard the threat of Veritaserum and pumpkin juice muttered under the man's breath). Severus even made contact with Voldemort by stating that an anonymous messenger had informed him of the Dark Lord's return. Voldemort didn't question it, though he spelled the Death Eaters' marks to look like they were still dormant when Severus informed him that Dumbledore would know of his return the moment it was noted that the marks had darkened once more.

For some reason, the man still seemed to be out for Harry's blood, even without the insanity and whatever Dumbledore had done, and Death wasn't helping much by constantly snickering and pulling a disappearing act the moment Harry called him to find out why.

Harry didn't even know how the being managed to snicker in its skeletal form but after finding out that the skeletal form was very real (after he tried to figure out whether Death was merely wearing a costume to mess with people), he concluded that he was better off not knowing.

Sticking his hand through the being's chest and having it go straight through was something he never wanted to experience again…not that Death would allow him to forget about it anytime soon…or ever...as he'd practically shrieked as Death allowed organs to form around his hand while his brain tried to comprehend what it was seeing. The sight and sensation had been burned into his mind and it had Death cackling for weeks on end.

Harry glanced at the familiar diary in his hands. He'd nicked it during his visit to the Malfoy's and replaced the original with a replica. Now there was no chance for someone to let the basilisk loose and he was glad that he wouldn't have to kill her this time around.

Instead, he had other plans for her, but first, he had to get through the year with the pompous Gilderoy Lockhart as their DADA teacher. He was half tempted to feed the man to the basilisk, but he didn't want to give her indigestion, so for now, he focused on making a plan that would allow him to avoid the man once school started again.

Also, to avoid the entire bookstore fiasco, Harry gathered his supplies early, as he already knew what books and stationery would be required for his second year. Unfortunately, he found out that his careful planning was no match for a very determined house-elf, and on the 31st of August, he woke to a very upset Mina standing next to his bed and wringing her ears.

His trunk and clothes, which had been readied the day before, had disappeared during the night and one of the older house-elves had seen a young house-elf popping away with Harry's belongings. The house-elves had apparently been searching for the culprit throughout the night, but he'd moved around so much that the trail got scrambled.

Something clicked in Harry and a wide smile formed on his face, much to the confusion of his house-elves. He'd almost forgotten about the mess that Dobby had made at the beginning of his second year. "Dobby, come here please."

A shocked house-elf popped into his home a second later, and for the first time, Harry noted how scared he seemed to be. That just wouldn't do at all. He thought for a moment before an idea hit him, 'Hey Death, would it be possible to give this Dobby the memories of the Dobby from my past?'

'It would be easy as he is currently a part of my domain, but I warn you that the same wouldn't be possible for a witch or a wizard…', Harry nodded his understanding before slowly reaching out his hand and placing it on Dobby's head, as Death instructed. The poor elf didn't have time to jerk away as memories entered his mind and by the end, he was a sobbing mess as he hugged Harry's legs.

"It's alright Dobby, I know why you did it, but you don't have to worry about this year. I made sure that nothing bad would happen to the castle even if your master decided to give the diary to a student." Dobby looked at him closely, as if judging the validity of his words until finally the memories seemed to settle and he snapped his fingers and Harry's trunk and clothes returned to their previous spots.

"Dobby is happy to see that Master Harry is safe, but Master Harry must be careful…", Harry nodded as the elf trailed off. He knew what Dobby wanted to say.

"I will be careful, but you don't need to worry, things will be different this time around, but I need you to keep quiet about all of it. Draco is my friend and I don't want him to get hurt. That means that I must also make sure that his parents stay safe.", Harry smiled when Dobby nodded determinedly.

Harry turned towards Mina, "It is fine, he was just trying to keep me safe by stopping me from going to Hogwarts." The poor elf looked completely confused but she didn't seem to be upset anymore. If only Dobby had been this fixated on Lockhart, then the man would never have…wait a second.

Harry turned to the two elves with a bright smile and they almost instinctively took a step back. "Dobby, Mina, would you be able to ensure that Gilderoy Lockhart leaves the country and goes on an adventure? As discreetly as possible?", the two elves glanced at each other before looking back at him and nodding.

Harry felt his smile grow wider as they popped away and Death's chuckle echoed in his mind, 'Now you're thinking like a boss…and I have the perfect candidate in mind.'

~The next day~

Harry quickly got dressed, he'd been up reading later than he had planned so he was running a little late, but there was still more than enough time to make it to the train station. He knew Draco and the others would meet him on the train so he asked Mina to take him there…only to bounce off a shield that seemed to be keyed to his own magical signature.

Luckily Mina could think on her feet and she immediately used elf magic to disguise them both. A confused Dumbledore appeared and Harry felt his anger, and in turn, his magic, burn with the need to decimate the old wizard.

Unfortunately, he would not allow his anger to rule his thoughts and he forcefully calmed himself down by wrestling his magic back under control. He used a little death magic to make a hole in the wards before asking Mina to apparate him directly onto the train, where he locked down a compartment before also throwing the invisibility cloak over himself.

He thanked Mina and she popped away with mutterings about stupid old wizards, candies, and superglue, which left Harry staring at the spot where she vanished, in surprise. It seems like she learned quite a bit on her trip with Dobby, though Harry was almost afraid to ask what they needed superglue for.

Harry knew that he needed to do something about Dumbledore, but he had specific plans for the old wizard, and as such, he had to put up with him for a while longer. It was also working in his favor at the moment, seeing as it got the different houses to interact more, so a little discomfort was worth it in the end.

When the train started moving, Harry carefully unwarded the door just enough to allow his friends to find him, and they were quite furious when he explained why it had been needed. They shared stories of their holiday and Harry was surprised to find that the diary's copy wasn't on the train. Maybe it was because Ron and Draco were friends this time?

When they walked towards the carriages, Harry was surprised when a thestral with green fiery streaks in its mane and tail walked towards him and he reverently held out his hand as he felt his connection with Death, open, 'Her name is Despair, she is my personal mount and she insisted that she would be the only one to carry you to your destination. You may call upon her whenever needed.'

Harry felt an instant bond with the magnificent mare and he ran his hands over her leathery skin. A jolt to the side reminded him that the others couldn't see her so he climbed into the carriage after one last pat. Once inside the carriage, which seemed to be more padded than the rest of the carriages, he explained what thestrals were and why they weren't able to currently see them.

More than one of his friends gave him a sad smile, but he ignored it in favor of enjoying the ride. Death had assured him that the plans relating to Lockhart were in place and Harry was quite eager to see whom Death had chosen to use.

Unfortunately, Death had quite a sense of humor and Harry was sure that the being existed just to terrorize him, because there…sitting right next to Dumbledore…was none other than Salazar Slytherin himself, with Peeves (formerly known as Godric Griffindor) seemingly trying to coax the dour man into mischief.

The man was glamoured with death magic, therefore only Harry could see who he truly was while the rest of the school's population only saw Gilderoy Lockhart.

Harry almost felt sorry for the man as some of the girls fluttered their eyelashes at him and he shifted slightly in discomfort at the unwanted attention, though Harry had to admit that the man's true appearance was quite easy on the eyes with his tall form, long black hair, and pale skin. Which was the complete opposite of Gilderoy Lockhart.

Harry found himself wondering how Death had managed to bribe the man, 'I have my ways, Harry, now stop gawking and get moving, the fun is just beginning. It's too bad that Merlin forbade Arthur from joining in on your scheme, that royal 'we' speech would have really revealed Lockhart's true character by the time the man returns…don't you think so too?'

The feast carried on as usual, but Harry felt Salazar's eyes on him during the entire feast and Harry wondered whether the man was planning on questioning him, by wand-point, on what his intentions were towards Voldemort, seeing as the Dark Lord was his only heir.

(A/N: I really wanted to add in the part with the next present, as it is already typed up, but Salazar jumped in and demanded that I at least write a little about him before I skip to the 31st of December. So next chapter will contain Salazar's class, and finally, our Dark Lord's reaction to the next present, though I wonder how Harry would be able to top the Philosopher's Stone…)