Chapter 7
Dumbledore watched Harry interact with his peers. He looked so happy and content, eating his dinner surrounded by his classmates and friends. He just did not understand. Last year all these bad things happened and Harry did nothing but help concerned teachers with information. He did nothing to solve the puzzle himself. He was supposed to be a Gryffindor at heart, bravely defying all odds to protect the weak. Unfortunately Harry did not seem interested in dealing with the problems of the school. What happened to Harry in the period he was missing? What happened to make him so unconcerned? Harry was smart, that much was obvious, and he was also very cunning. Dumbledore could not miss that glint in his eyes, the same glint another student had fifty years ago. No, Harry was a boy to keep an eye out for, especially with company like Malfoy.
Harry shot a calculating look at the head table, specifically Lockhart. Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. Harry has been keeping an awfully close eye on Gilderoy. Something was amiss here and he was going to find out. Severus was watching Harry too, that hateful shadow in his eyes as was with James Potter. The man has a bone to pick with all Potters and Dumbledore could not blame him. He told Severus to watch Harry at all times, both to protect him and spy on him.
Harry finished lunch early and left, most likely for the library since he had two periods free. Malfoy did not follow him as he barely noticed him leave. "What a sweet boy, Harry. Charming and oh so helpful." He caught professor Sprout say. Dumbledore once heard headmaster Dippet say the same thing fifty years ago, about Tom Riddle. Flitwick was quick to agree, finding the boy blameless in every way. McGonagall wasn't convinced and neither was Snape, but they kept silent.
Theodore Nott was acting strange. Harry watched from the corner of his eye as the boy glared at him, clenching and unclenching his fists. The normally subdued and observant boy was now usually glaring at him and cursing every time he thought no one was looking. Harry suspected the boy found out about the company he bought, leaving the Nott family 60% poorer. It was a shame really that Lord Nott just recently invested millions into Spin and Knickknack shipping. They probably were living off of savings as it is. He shrugged, looking away from Nott. It wasn't his problem.
Seven months onto the school term found Harry in the school library in his usual corner, immersed in a thick tome the likes of which Granger was notorious for. Suddenly, a heavy book was dropped onto the desk, shaking it and it threatened to collapse. "Be a bit more careful next time Draco, or I won't have a desk." He stated. Draco rolled his eyes. "You can always find another one. May I sit? Thank you." The Malfoy heir sat down without waiting for a reply and opened his own book. "Did daddy employ you to read that?" Harry questioned from behind his book. Draco looked down at his own read. The legend of Slytherin. He frowned in confusion. "How do you do that?" he then shook his head. "Never mind. And no, father did not tell me to read it. I'm just curious."
They descended into silence as they read their respective books. That is until Draco yelped in pain. "Ow! Damn paper." Harry caught the coppery scent of blood in the air. His breath hitched a bit and he took a deep breath of the heavenly scent, eyes sliding closed of their own volition. He felt his heartbeat speed up and just knew his eyes have turned to slits. He tried to hold his breath but it was deemed futile when his restless inner demon woke up at that instant, smelling blood.
Draco put his finger in his mouth. Harry shot out of his seat, startling the blonde. "Excuse me." He said and almost ran out. "Hey Harry! What's wrong? Harry!" Harry ignored Draco's calls and as soon as he was out of his sight he ran as fast as he could without being inhuman. He passed several students until he got to an abandoned corridor. There he fell to his knees and whimpered in pain, clutching his chest. "Damn it." 'Master, I think it is time though I loath to say it.' Harry nodded, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a vial with a clear liquid with a gold mist floating in it. He moved to lean on the wall to get more comfortable. He was unwilling to drink the potion yet. It was a potion he made himself last summer, predicting that he would need it at some point. It was a mix of various calming droughts and soul cleansing potions all balanced out with the elixir of life to bring out the best qualities of the mixed ingredients. He was sure it would calm his inner demon temporarily until he could defeat it.
Another surge of bloodlust and pain racked through him and he clutched the potion closer, still hesitant to ingest it. The problem was that if he started drinking the potion the inner demon was sure to fight it. It would be calmed but for a short period of time. He did not know the exact period so when the potion wore off the inner demon could strike at any time, more powerful, catching him unprepared and making his reaction unpredictable. He did not want to risk that. He would be gambling with his reputation, the lives of the people around him, Draco's life.
He groaned in agony again. 'You have to my Lord. It is the only way.' Harry thought on it. It was all the same. He was still having the bloodlust surges catch him off guard; he was still putting the lives of these students in jeopardy. He would have to risk it. Once the pain left again, he uncorked the potion but he never got the chance to drink it. It was snatched from his pale fingers and he had to fight the snarl that made its way into his throat. "What do you think you are doing Potter?" Snape. He just had to be caught by Snape at the worst time possible.
Harry stared up at the dark-haired professor. "I asked a question Potter." He drawled, eyes gleaming with something Harry did not care to decipher at the moment. His breath was still heavy but he managed to say. "May I have it back, professor?" Snape raised an eyebrow mockingly. "What is this potion?" "I would tell you if you give it back first." "Don't gamble with me Potter." Snape hissed. Harry looked away, if only to keep from tearing the fool to shreds. He tensed up as another surge hit him, gritting his teeth until it passed leaving him robbed of some energy.
Snape did not fail to notice his pain. "What is wrong with you Potter?" Inside he was filled with glee. Here was James Potter's spawn sitting helpless on the floor at his mercy. He felt like laughing. The things he could do to Potter and by extension his nemesis. 'I bet Potter senior is rolling in his grave right now.' He thought. Whatever was wrong with Potter was making him feel good for once. But alas, he couldn't torture Potter, he made an oath to protect the boy. Though that didn't mean he could not make him suffer a bit. Potter did not answer him, choosing to stare at the stone floor fixedly. Snape stared at the vial in his hands that seemed to be so important to the boy. It was a strange potion, one of which he has never seen before. "Tell me what this potion is and I might give it back."
Of course Harry did not believe Snape would give it back. The man hated him more than anything and he did not trust him at all. So he did not give an answer. He could feel the man's annoyance from here. Lelita was furious. 'Why tolerate this pathetic excuse of a creature Master. Slit his throat and be done with it. God knows no one will miss him!' How tempting that offer was, to kill the man and be done with it. 'No Lelita, he is important to the war.' 'What do you care about the war?!' she screamed. Harry felt his own anger rise. 'Do not forget your place.' he hissed in his head. Lelita went silent, though he rage still boiled.
Snape grabbed his arm. Again he tensed. "If you do not tell me boy, then maybe you can tell the headmaster." He threatened and dragged him to his feet only to drag him in the direction of Dumbledore's office. Harry tried to keep up with his pace as much as possible but with the pain and bloodlust he barely managed. Snape was really fortunate he had so much control still left or he would have died the minute he showed his ugly face.
In Dumbledore's office he was unceremonially dumped into the chair in front of a perplexed Dumbledore. He barely managed to keep a whimper in, his body set on fire by another surge that was lasting longer than the rest. Sweat was beginning to form in his forehead, sticking stands of hair on his forehead. He kept his head down, hiding his eyes. "What is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore questioned. Snape replied "Ask Potter, he would have a better answer." "I was dragged against my will to this office for reasons unknown." Harry ground out, slightly sharper nails digging into the arms of the chair he was in. This was taken as anger fortunately.
"Stop your lies Potter. You were refusing to comply with me. I found this on him headmaster." Snape said in what Harry imagined to be a whine, but of course he must be wrong, Snape did not whine. 'The bloodlust is getting to me.' Dumbledore took the potion Snape handed him and scrutinized it carefully. "What is this Harry?" he finally said. Harry relaxed in his seat, the pain lessened for a while. "Why is it so important to you? I don't suppose that you regularly take stuff from unsuspecting students." He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Dumbledore scowled. He was getting worried. Harry did not look well. "Is it by chance related to your predicament?" "Obviously." "Show some respect Potter!" Snape snarled.
"If we allow you to take it will you tell us what it is for? Remember Harry, I am the headmaster and my duty is to protect my students, including you." Dumbledore said in a placating way, trying to get his point across. Harry let out a small laugh. "Don't worry headmaster, I can take care of myself." "Now Harry…" "If you want to protect me or your students you will give me the potion now." Harry snapped. Dumbledore leaned back in thought. What did he mean by that? Nonetheless he gave Harry the potion but became confused when the boy did not drink it. For some reason he just stared into the glass vial.
Harry hesitated again. 'Master what is wrong now?' 'I can't do this yet. I have to wait a bit longer.' 'You will lose yourself if this is not done.' Her point was proved by the strongest surge so far, making him bite his tongue and he could now taste the coppery liquid in his mouth. Luckily, it was short. 'No, not yet.' Determined, he stood up and hurled the vial at the wall where it shattered, spilling the goldish liquid. Next, with a quick motion he drew his wand from its holster, letting it settle in his palm. Snape drew his own wand and pointed it at him. "Put that away Potter!" Harry ignored him, slit eyes now staring at an astonished and slightly fearful Dumbledore. The headmaster reached for his own wand in his sleeve, tempted to defend himself.
With just a flick of Harry's wand the messed up potion along with the glass shards vanished. Both Snape and Dumbledore's eyes widened at that. Harry spoke. "Please try not to stick your noses where they do not belong." The two professors remained silent as he walked out hastily. After a few minutes Dumbledore said "I want you to find out what creature Harry might be by all means." "Creature?" Snape question, his wand now lowered. Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I managed to see Harry's eyes before he left. They were slit like a cat's and blood red. Get as much information as you can. I'll do my own research." Seeing the dismissal for what it was, Snape nodded and left. Dumbledore sighed, his age for once catching up to him. "What has happened to you Harry my boy?"
Severus Snape was not a good man, he knew that. He was ugly, bitter and unapproachable. On top of that he was a Slytherin through and through and he would do anything to reach his goal. He promised Lily that he would take care of Harry; he took an oath on it binding him to her son. He did not like Harry but he valued him because he was Lily's son and an important asset in this war. He would do anything to protect him.
That would be difficult if Potter was a magical creature. What he discovered from Dumbledore was shocking. How could they have missed it? Now it seems that whatever creature Potter has been tainted with is affecting his health and the safety of the students. If it was Severus' choice he would have had the boy expelled as soon as he learnt he was not completely human, but it was not meant to be. Severus was currently in the restricted section in the library looking up magical creatures wizards can turn into. After hours of searching he could find only two options, neither of which was comforting. He hoped that he was wrong but he knew not to ignore the facts. He feared for the students more than Potter himself.
Dear son
How have you been so far? I hope you are planning on trying out for the Quiditch team. It would be a shame if Slytherin did not have such talent as yours in the team.
I see that you have gotten quite close to Potter. Good job. I expect to hear from you at the end of this month. Do not disappoint me.
L.S Malfoy
It was an odd book he was holding, one he acquired a while ago. When he had taken a closer look at the book he realized it was a diary, not just any diary but Tom Riddle's diary, not just an ordinary diary but a horcrux. He has kept it in his trunk up until now that he knew what to do with it.
He opened the diary and dipped a quill in ink.
-May 5th
It has been a while since I started Hogwarts for second year. I don't really know what to expect anymore. Many people like me but some like Snape really hate me. There is so much pressure piled up on me just because I survived the killing curse. I really wish someone could help me understand.
He stopped writing to watch the pages intently. After a few moments the ink was absorbed into the paper only to be replaced by new words.
-Perhaps I can be of assistance. My name it Tom Riddle.
Harry smirked.
Dumbledore paced the length of his office. "That is a problem. Are you sure of this Severus?" The potions professor nodded affirmatively. "The two creatures both match the description. Red slit eyes, claws and frequent hunger for death. I couldn't find anything else." The old wizard's frown deepened. Snape had come back with his findings and they were not pleasing. He found that Harry could be one of two dark creatures; a vampire and a daemon. These two worried him greatly. Vampires were level 7 on the dark creatures list because of their thirst for blood, incredible speed and strength, resistance to some spells and near immortality. They were often hunted down by hit wizards and chose to generally stay away from wizards.
Though truth be told Dumbledore preferred that Harry be a vampire when compared with the second option. Daemon. It was a level 10 dark creature with a flee on sight order. It was so dangerous that even hit wizards avoided them religiously. A creature of the shadows that took pleasure in death that killed for sport and was once known to massacre people by their hundreds. Not much was known about them even today rare as they were but if one was found the most experienced wizard for the job was called in and even then victory wasn't guaranteed. Luckily for the magical world daemons were banished from this world by Merlin himself and since then only the weak daemons that still lingered are seen sparsely.
Now though, they might have one in their midst. Dumbledore doubts that Harry is a vampire. The boy might rarely go outside but he still enjoyed the heat of the sun. The wards at Hogwarts would have also alerted him to such a creature. Unfortunately it was harder to detect a daemon. How the creature got hold of Harry is a mystery and whether the person that masqueraded as Harry Potter was really still Harry was left unanswered. Drastic measures will have to be taken quickly. The whole world's future was at stake.
Harry opened the entrance to the famed Chamber of Secrets for the fifth time this year. He had been coming in here to clean and clear out the passage since first term, but he never spent too much time there, afraid to draw suspicion on himself. He entered the now clean antechamber, making his way to the real chamber where he believed the Basilisk was. He had a few plans that hinged on the serpent accepting him as its new master. For one it would be easier to harvest ingredients from a willing donor. He also wanted to get rid of a few select people in the castle. Myrtle would be the first. No need to leave witnesses.
The large serpent slithered out of Slytherin's gaping mouth. ~Who dares to call me from my slumber?~ Harry kept his eyes down and bowed low. ~It is I, Hadrian James Potter. Heir to the house of Slytherin.~ The snake tasted the air as she seemed to sneer. ~Another claiming my master's noble house. Tell me. Are you anything like the last boy that came to me?~ Harry decided to be honest. ~No. That man whose name is Tom Marvolo Riddle is nothing but a branch member whose claims weigh nothing. He has brought nothing but shame to the Slytherin name. I am not like him.~ The snake's interest was piqued. ~You know him?~ Harry nodded. ~Yes and no. I have never met him in person. A part of him was absorbed into me when my magic destroyed the horcrux he planted into me. I have seen his plans and wish to prevent scorn upon the Slytherin name which he brought.~
The basilisk settled around Harry in loose coils as if to trap him, but Harry did not move from his position. ~The last time I saw little Tom he was a student. What did he do since then?~ ~He has terrorized the magical communities. He has killed and tortured muggles and muggleborn. He kills anyone who stands in his way. He believes that by purging the world of muggles and their magical spawn he would be fulfilling Salazar Slytherin's legacy.~ The serpent recoiled in shock and anger. ~Sal never wanted such a thing. He wanted to protect the magical world from the muggle's curiosity yes, but not by killing every last one. He once proposed keeping the muggleborns from attending Hogwarts because they were endangering us and our culture. The other founders refused which is why he left. I was left behind as the school's last defense if push came to shove. My master never wished to purge the world of muggleborns at all. This boy Tom has done an unacceptable thing indeed.~
Harry smirked inwardly. This was going according to plan. ~Serpent Queen, as the last true heir of the house of Slytherin, I seek permission to replace the master that has been lost to you.~ The serpent tasted the air around him again. ~I hear your plea, but how can I trust you? The last one I allowed into my coils is the very man who has betrayed Salazar's cause.~ Harry bowed deeper. ~I will not make the same mistake he did. I will continue Salazar Slytherin's noble work but in a different way. The muggleborns are far too ingrained in our society to remove any longer. Instead, the new generation of muggleborn witches and wizards will be educated on wizarding customs and culture and be made aware of the dangers the muggles pose to our society. That way the magical world can remain safe and satisfied.~
The snake accessed him a moment longer, mulling over his proposal. ~I guess you are right. What you offer is far more than Salazar thought up while he was with me. I will allow you into my trust. Come forth.~ Harry walked toward the large head before him, eyes still down cast. The serpent opened its mouth to reveal sharp fangs dripping with venom. ~Taste my venom and I will be bound to you with the promise to fulfill Salazar Slytherin's work holding the bargain true.~ Harry warily looked up into the gaping mouth. He used the vial to collect the potent venom and without hesitation swallowed it. A tingling sensation washed over him as the mentioned oath tied him and he could feel a bond form between him and the snake, who he now instinctively knew to be Hershia.
~You can look up now, my gaze can no longer harm you.~ Harry did as told and he had the distinct impression that the serpent was smiling at him as he gazed onto the honey colored eyes. ~In all my life I never thought I would be bound to a Shadow Daemon, Lord of Darkness itself. I will serve you well.~ Harry smiled back. ~And I will use you well. First, I need to get rid of a few nuisances.~