Disclaimer: I do not own any character's objects or anything else that comes from J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.
Warning: This story will contain scenes of violence, bad language, and maybe other themes that some audiences may find unsuitable. You have been advised.
"Regular speech or spell"
"Parseltongue"
Text
'Thought'
The True Heir of Slytherin
Chapter 11:
"Everyone is here, Harry." Seamus said as he walked up to stand next to his lord.
"Good." Lord Slytherin paused, standing where he had multiple times before, once again in front of his Order in Salazar's secret chamber. "I am glad to see all of you in good health and well. First of all, I would like to extend my gratification to all of you for your remaining loyalty to our cause. I understand that life here must have been tense since my departure. You honour me, and I am grateful to all of you."
"Thank you, milord!" The crowd bowed in unison.
"No thanks are necessary. All of you have earned my trust as well as my loyalty on your own. Now, I have some news of which to inform you. There are some details left to work out, but the Order of the Phoenix, one which Dumbledore himself leads against the false heir, has allied themselves with us. Despite this, though, know that I have arranged a deal where we operate however we wish. They will not interfere with us." Harry paused to examine his followers' reaction. All of them remained stoic.
"I also wanted to notify all of you that Slytherin Castle has been discovered, and I have gotten it up and running. In the near future, I imagine, it will be our new base of operations. Any questions?" Lord Slytherin quirked an eyebrow.
Blaise Zabini raised his hand.
"Yes, Mister Zabini?"
"What are to become of the traitors, and, furthermore, if my lord doesn't mind, did you know of their true allegiances?"
Lord Slytherin, looked over at his betrothed, and chuckled. "No, I don't mind, Zabini. I can not expect you to trust me if I keep things from you. The truth is, Daphne and I knew. We were informed by Miss Susan Bones, who learned from Hannah herself. On top of that, I have kept a careful eye on all of you, whether you have noticed or not. This was meant to be out of protection rather than mistrust, though obviously Hannah and Neville evoked the latter. Satisfied?"
"Yes, milord."
"Good. Transparency is key amongst each other. Now, to answer your first question, we have not decided how best to punish the traitors, but let me assure all of you… they will be." A wicked grin emerged on Harry's face.
"For the time being, continue your classes, but you don't have to worry about our secret ebing out. You may come and go as you please from here, although I must warn of vigilance. No outsiders excluding the Order of the Phoenix may step within these hallowed halls. With their children here, the Ministry won't dare make a move."
"Yes, Lord Slytherin!" His followers bowed once more.
"Thank you, my friends. You are dismissed. Enjoy your new freedoms wisely." Harry nodded his head in respect before turning to Daphne. "Care to accompany me to Dumbledore's office?"
"Always, Harry." She grinned back, taking his outstretched arm.
A few minutes later, they were letting themselves into the Headmaster's office.
"Busy, Dumbledore?" The young lord asked as he strode in. The old man was sitting behind his newly fixed desk, reading some papers.
"No, I am not, Harry. What may I help you with?" He replied, paying no mind to how stealthily the two penetrated his office. Already he seemed able to come and go like the wind.
"We wished to discuss a few topics dealing with our organizations. We'd like to call a meeting between the orders tonight in two hours." Daphne answered.
"We would like to hold it in Salazar's chamber. We expect you and your followers to meet us just outside of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom." Harry paused a moment. "Also, Dumbledore?"
"Yes?"
"It is Lord Slytherin and Miss Greengrass, Headmaster Dumbledore. We may be allies, but do not begin to think for a moment I forgot how you treated me before our alliance. At the beginning of this school year, you decided it was best to leave me on my own when I had nobody to turn to already. You excluded me from an order against a man, whose biggest target was myself. Even when we agreed to meet, you betrayed our arrangement and positioned that same Order to keep an eye on me. Shall I continue or have I made my point abundantly clear, Dumbledore? We may be allies, but you have yet to earn my trust." Lord Slytherin remained calm and cold through his speech, not letting any anger slip into his voice. This served to stab his point in further.
Dumbledore sat in shock, speechless from the lord's words.
"It appears I need not go on. We will meet with you in two hours time." Lord Slytherin along with Daphne rose from their seats before leaving without another word.
"Feel better?" Daphne asked as they walked the castle Harry partially owned. Harry remained silent. "That little, huh? Well, I might have just the thing to cheer you up." Daphne grinned devilishly.
A few minutes later, the two wound their way through the Chamber of Secrets until they reached the prison portion. It was not large by any means but did hold ten separate cells with each large enough to accommodate at least four men. Any more than four would have to sleep on the floor, however, or bunk up with one of their cellmates. Excluding the two cots bolted to each side of the wall, a hole for a toilet, and a small sink, the cells were devoid of any features besides the black walls on three sides and the one barred side with a gate. Each cell was an anti-magic zone to ensure security.
Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott were locked in the farthest cells away from each other on the dungeon's left side, while Dolores Umbridge was locked in the middle one on the right. The couple stopped and stood in front of their captives, silent for a moment. Neville and Hannah shyed their eyes away from Harry and Daphne. The pain wracking Umbridge's body barely allowed her to finally look up.
"I… demand you… release me at once… There will be… consequences." She struggled.
"Madam Toad, there is always a consequence for every action. Your captivity is merely the result of your own decisions and choices. You could not live without belittling others and raising yourself upon a pedestal." Lord Slytherin paused. "How fitting that taking so much power resulted in the loss of it all."
Umbridge attempted to spit the blood out of her mouth at Harry but could only muster letting it leak down her face. "The Ministry-"
"The Ministry has no choice in the matter. Soon we will be at war and there will be bigger problems. Now that the Order of Slytherin has decided to ally itself with the Order of the Phoenix, a true defence can be made against the pretend Lord as well as a way to eliminate him once in for all."
"Dumbledore is backing you?"
Lord Slytherin turned towards the voice to see Neville at the bars of his cell.
Harry smiled slyly from the corner of his lip. "So one traitor finally speaks. Interesting."
Neville stared stoically back at his former leader. Harry tilted his head.
"Well to answer your question: yes. He is. Even the very man who ignored my calls for help finally aided me compared to you, my former dear friend who turned his back after I trusted my confidence in him." He turned to Daphne. "Have I missed anything?"
Daphne wondered for a moment. "No, I don't believe you have."
"Oh shove it with the routine. Are you here just to rub it in, or are you finally going to give up what you have planned for us?" Hannah called angrily.
Harry sighed. "I actually do not know what I am going to do with you. I considered the two of you a couple of my closest friends. Your betrayal… Even if I push my feelings aside, the two of you know too much for me just to release you, so until then you will stay."
"That's better than what I think you deserve." Daphne added. "Come on, Harry. Let's get out of here."
Lord Slytherin nodded. "Good idea." He spared one last look at the two traitors before he turned away. "Goodbye."
The two exited the prison inside the Chamber of Secrets silently.
"Even just keeping them locked up is a greater nicety than they would have given us. We would have been lucky to make it to Azkaban." Daphne finally spoke after a few minutes of walking in silence as they made their way out of the chamber.
Harry sighed deeply. "I know, but it is hard to draw the line between what I feel and what I think with those two."
Daphne stopped. They were just outside the bathroom that hid the chamber. Her betrothed quickly stopped after a couple steps to look at her. "Harry Slytherin Potter." She shook her head. "As much as you have changed, I still see the same heart inside you. It's okay to be unsure. You have people with you who are here to help, who trust you with their lives, who you can trust with yours"
Daphne took a few steps towards him until she was extremely close.
"People like me." Daphne hugged Harry close. "Just talk to me, and we will figure it out, always."
Harry backed away slightly but kept a hold of Daphne in his arms so that he could meet her eyes.
"I'm so thankful to have you with me." The young man leaned in and began to sweetly, passionately convey his emotions through his lips. "I love you."
Daphne smiled at him. "I love you, too. Now, tell me. What's on your mind?"
Harry turned and kept an arm wrapped around his future wife as they continued to walk the castle.
"Well, to be completely forthcoming, I am torn between wanting to hurt them like they hurt me, wanting to just keep them locked away, or finding some way to release them." Noticing Daphne's quick glance at him, Harry continued. "I know that we can't just release them as is. They know how to get into the chamber as well as many of our sources, but they were once our friends. They had to betray us believing it was right. They are true representations of their houses after all." Harry sighed for a moment. Many students were passing the two and staring in awe at the interaction between them. "As far as keeping them locked up, it does not seem a viable option, forever. How long do we plan to keep them even? Then to punish them otherwise…"
Daphne chuckled, "It's not in your character as much as the Ministry would want everyone to believe. You're angry. That's understandable, considering."
Harry for the first time since rejoining the world smiled and laughed. "I suppose so."
"Now, what does my lord wish to do now?" Daphne inquired teasingly.
"Yes. What does Lord Liar wish to do now?" A voice called from behind them.
Harry and Daphne's faces fell back into calm demeanours, as they turned around.
"Is this who changed you Harry? A Slytherin hissing lies into your ears, convincing you that you're the heir of an ancient founder, that your own dearest friends are nothing more than hurdles in your path?" Hermione spoke loudly, standing beside Ron.
The entire corridor seemed to slow down as the students around the 4 moved out of the immediate path of them but stood transfixed at the altercation. The few members who were a part of the Order watched with their hands ready to reach for their wands.
"Hermione, I assure you that the lady beside me has been much more honest yet supportive than you have been." Harry spoke, taking a step forward.
The young witch started to open her mouth, but Ronald quickly halted her, stepping forward himself while pushing her back slightly.
"Harry. Can we talk to you somewhere privately? Please?" Ronald added, imploringly upon seeing Lord Slytherin's stony gaze.
Giving a glance over to his lady, the young lord looked back at his one time friends.
"Very well. Lead the way." Harry motioned with his hand.
The couple began following the Gryffindors to a nearby classroom with Harry having to give a disarming look to the members of his Order. Once they entered, Hermione and Ronald stood beside the wall opposite the door, and Harry closed the door while Daphne kept her eyes on the other two.
"Well?" Lord Slytherin quirked an eyebrow.
Hermione and Ronald exchanged a look and silently argued for a moment before Hermione turned from the ginger in a huff. Ronald sighed and scratched the back of his head as he turned towards his one time friend.
"Well… We came here to... talk... and apologize-"
"To you." Hermione finished for her friend due to his sluggish pace.
Lord Slytherin furrowed his brow but remained silent.
"Listen. I was a git. We did some shitty things, and I'm sorry. I mean it." Ronald implored.
"I am too. We shouldn't have ignored you so much…" Hermione added meekly.
"You're right. You both acted despicably and really betrayed our friendship." Harry finally spoke.
Ronald sighed in frustration. "We just admitted that, didn't we? Besides, it's not like you were all Mr. Honest with us either. I was a git, but so were you!"
Lord Slytherin paused unoffended, interested before turning to his betrothed.
"What do you think?"
Daphne looked at the other two, Hermione glaring daggers at her. "They seem sincere, but it's not my call, Harry. It's yours. They're your friends."
Harry let a small smile on his lips unseen from Ronald and Hermione before turning back to them.
"I hope you don't expect everything to be mended here and now, like this."
The Gryffindors' heads snapped up with hope in their eyes.
"You mean…?" Hermione asked fearfully.
Lord Slytherin straightened up. "Apology accepted for what you did to me. I am willing to try for us to be friendly again. There is one more matter for you, though, Hermione."
"What?" The young witch asked hesitantly.
"Apologize to my betrothed."
The entire room stopped as all eyes turned towards Harry in shock, even Daphne's.
"Your betrothed?" Ron asked in surprise.
"Yes, the woman beside me, who I adore with all of my heart. You insulted her for no just cause." Lord Slytherin's eyes remained steeled as he stared at the witch across from him.
"When did you…?" Ron started but drifted off in disbelief.
"Ron. I'll fill you in later. Right now, I'm waiting for Hermione to speak." Harry's eyes still had not wavered.
Hermione finally looked down before sighing and looking at Daphne.
"I… I'm sorry." Hermione glanced over at Harry as soon as the words left her mouth.
Harry looked over at his love, who smiled slightly and shook her head in disbelief. "Apology accepted. I hope you'll see just how much I care for this man." Daphne spoke to the other witch to which she only got a nod as a reply.
"Well, if that's all, we will see you around." Lord Slytherin had already grabbed his lady by her hand and started to walk when he was stopped.
"Actually. There was one more thing, Harry, um, Lord Slytherin." Ron spoke up.
The couple spun around slowly to look at the ginger.
"Dumbledore invited us to attend the meeting tonight, the one with your order and his… We didn't want to go without your permission."
Harry and Daphne exchanged a look.
"Is that why you apologized?" Harry asked calmly.
"No, no, no. Not at all. I wouldn't have even brought it up if things went…" Ron panicked.
Harry let a small smile grace his lips. "If Dumbledore wishes for you to start entering his order, then I can't stop him. He has the right to operate however he sees fit. You may come." The couple once more turned away and started to leave but stopped at the open door.
"If you wish for more with me and mine, however, expect to require patience. Also… I hope you understand at least partially what I am capable of now. Betraying me would not bode well for either of you."
Before Ron or Hermione could reply to Harry's statement, he left and let the door close behind him.
"You didn't have to make her do that, you know." Daphne whispered in their language.
"Maybe, but I felt it was necessary. She will think again before opposing you if she wishes to stay in my good graces, and the two of us are a package deal." The young lord kept looking straight ahead as they ventured through the castle.
Hours later the two found themselves waiting in the corridor outside the second floor bathroom. The members of the Order of Slytherin were already inside the chamber.
"Lord Slytherin. How are you?" Dumbledore asked as he strode forth with the rest of his order behind him.
The lord nodded. "Good, Headmaster, and you?"
Dumbledore's eyes betrayed his normally calm demeanour, shining excitedly. "Good… Is this where the entrance of the chamber has laid hidden then?"
Lord Slytherin scanned the Order of the Phoenix, including Ron and Hermione, who remained at the rear then nodded.
"Before we enter, though, know this: the Chamber is not yours. You are visitors in our territory. You will not enter without an accompaniment. You will come and go as you please. This vault has already been tainted with one assault. I will not tolerate another, from enemies, nor allies. Understood?" Harry scanned the crowd once more. Many seemed shocked at his terse tone and wanting to speak up, but were silenced.
"We understand." Dumbledore ignored the stares beaming into his back and looked his one time student in the eyes.
Harry nodded. "Very well." He turned towards the wall and leaned in close to whisper, "Open."
The bricks moved to reveal the staircase and soon the Order of the Phoenix followed the two leaders of Slytherin to the top floor of the Chamber of Secrets. The bricks closed quickly behind Ron as soon as he passed through the entrance, much to his surprise.
"Oh, my…" Dumbledore gaped upon seeing the chamber.
"How… how large is this place?" Even Snape commented.
The lord couldn't help but share a grin with his lady.
"A tour can be arranged at some point. In the meantime, however, let us meet the others and get to work." Daphne stated before walking alongside Harry towards the stairs without checking behind them. Almost all of the Order began to follow except for Snape, Hermione, and Ron, who were still staring around the Chamber.
"Excuse me, sirs and lady. Milady and milord expect you with the others." Dobby popped out from thin air behind them.
"Dobby! What are you doing here?!" Hermione asked, floored.
"Master Harry was finally kind enough to let Dobby serve him! He dressed me well and given me so many socks! I'll serve the master until the end of my days!" The elf giddily replied.
Hermione stood still in shock before Dobby started shoving the two Gryffindors down the stairs. Snape had already begun his descent after his fellows. Finally Hermione and Ron entered the large dining hall under their own volition although still shepherded by the house elf. Stopping just inside the doorway, they gazed upon the many chairs surrounding the large, long table that spanned the gaping room. They quickly realized, though, that they were the only ones who had not seated themselves and moved to correct their mistake. Each member of the Order of the Phoenix and Slytherin were present.
"Now that we are all here," Harry began as he saw the two frantically sit, "is there anything anyone wishes to bring up before I get to the reason behind this meeting?"
The people assembled shook their heads, though Hermione started to open her mouth to be silenced by Ron.
"Very good." Harry stood. "As much as all of us know that the Ministry will hold off an assault for the time being, I believe it is imperative that we don't become too comfortable here and stay longer than we can. I think as pleasant as it is to control our long time home, the safety of our people comes first."
"It would not look well either if we were seen battling aurors and forced to retreat." Daphne added as she sat beside her lord.
"Just what exactly are you proposing then, Lord Slytherin? I have told the students that we were not abandoning them, and all of you are still students. You belong in your classes."
Harry sat down and shook his head. "I am not responsible for the promises you make, and you are not responsible for the people of my order. Dumbledore, we are at war. Everyone here knows it." The lord scanned the table to scan the confirming faces of the men and women of both orders. "Voldemort is slowly spreading across the country like a plague even as we speak. These 'students' as you call them can choose for themselves what they wish, but all of us know that to defeat the imposter, every single wand we get is another step towards victory.
"How do the people of the Order of Slytherin feel? I may be your lord but you are not voiceless."
The lord's people looked at each other and all stood as one.
"We're with you, milord." Seamus stated passionately.
"To the end of the line." Blaise added.
The entire basiliskian order nodded at their lord and lady to confirm their feelings. Daphne subtly grabbed and squeezed Harry's hand in assurance as well.
Lord Slytherin tilted his head slightly at Dumbledore. "I believe you see now that arguing is useless. Besides, you'll find us more than prepared for anything an exam may throw at us. We will worry about the trivial and mundane once the immediate is over. Is that enough to your satisfaction?"
Dumbledore looked the lord in the eyes and held his gaze for a moment before nodding. "I still disagree, but it seems I can no longer guide you as I used to. Let's hope, however, that there now resides balance between us."
The young man held the old wizard's gaze once more. The entire room watched the two.
"All relationships require balance, Dumbledore. Our alliance is a fresh one. We are both learning to understand one another and our… capabilities." The gaze still held.
Dumbledore finally broke the interaction and nodded his head once more, his eyes twinkling much duller than they once had. "Quite. What is your timeline for evacuating the castle?"
"We should have the Chamber's contents completely transferred to my ancestral home by the end of the week, sooner if we focus solely upon the task. By the time that is done, us Basiliskians will have decided when we shall make our departure."
"Very well. I suppose I shall go ahead and start readying a speech for the other students." Dumbledore stood followed by most of the members of his order.
Harry remained seated. "Unless you wish to first take me up on the tour of this chamber, we will leave you to your preparations."
Dumbledore, having already taken a few steps, paused, and turned towards his old student before looking around at the members of his order. Their eager faces returned the luster to his eyes. "The preparations can hold for a few more hours, I am sure."
Harry grinned. "Very well." He looked around at his comrades. "Would you mind beginning to show our guests around? I will join up with you shortly."
As soon as the door closed behind the last member, Harry turned his gaze from the wall to his one-day wife. "What do you think?"
Daphne smirked. "He needed to be put in his place, and I think you did so very well. Besides, as long as we have Castle Slytherin, we don't need to barter with them too heavily."
"I know how you hate bartering." Lord Slytherin stood.
"And you don't?" She replied, beside him.
"Oh, I do, but I have learned that some battles need to be picked and chosen."
Daphne wrapped her arm around Harry's own as they started to follow after the others. "For better or worse, it looks like you learned from Astoria as well as me."
"But I enjoy my lessons with you so much more." The young man flirted.
"You'd better." Daphne teased. "Remember who you're stuck with!"
"Daphne, of all the ways to describe being with you, I would not include the word, 'stuck."
The witch turned and looked up slightly at Harry's face as he led them down the halls, their comrades and allies just within sight. The way his eyes would go from cogs turning in thought to orbs shining with hope fascinated her. How as much as he had grown, Harry still had the same heart.
Concerned by her silence, Harry looked towards her. Catching her gaze, he smiled. "Life is a funny thing. Just a few days ago, it was just us against the world." He chuckled. "The funny thing is: I didn't mind. Not with you there."
"That's probably because I was there too!" Seamus called from the back of the group after waiting a few feet behind the others.
The Irishman's mock humor was chilled quickly, though, by the murderous intent rolling off Daphne.
The young lord left a quick kiss on his lady's cheek, though, eliminating most of the rage in an instant. Then, with a shake of his head, he looked up at his lieutenant, asking as the couple passed him, "Will you ever learn?"
Muttering to himself, "I hope so," Seamus began following the group as the Lord and Lady guided the tour themselves.
Once the tour ended and the members of the Phoenix were escorted, the Order of Slytherin got to work already starting to lock and seal away the various belongings in the rooms. It wouldn't be until the next day that everything was ready for transport. The house elves of Slytherin castle quickly, though, managed to bring everything over and start unpacking as soon as their lord notified them where to pop in. The week Harry had given Dumbledore was more for the benefit of his own people to adjust as well as to hopefully let the old wizard misjudge some of their abilities.
The one unforeseen obstacle in their plans came two days after the joint meeting between the orders. Harry was sitting with Daphne at their small eating table in the kitchen, enjoying a light snack when Dobby popped into existence.
"Mistress Daphne, a letter for you, from your parents." Dobby held the sealed envelope out.
The couple exchanged a look then turned to the house elf.
"Don't worries, sirs and ma'ams, Dobby had it checked for traps." He reassured.
Daphne grabbed the letter hesitantly but couldn't stop herself from quickly tearing it open and removing the parchment inside. Soon after it touched the fresh air, she unfolded and began to read in silence. Moments passed as her eyes scanned the lines.
"So?" Harry finally asked, concerned.
"It's going to be tricky, but they're ready for us." Daphne looked at him, a smile starting to form on her lips.
"I guess it's finally time for me to meet your parents." He smiled back as he stood up. "Shall we get started?"
Two aurors patrolling the perimeter of the Greengrass manor heard a twig snap beside them, but, as they turned their heads, they each found a silent, vicious curse to their chests. The only sound they made was their bodies collapsing onto the grass. The three person team quickly shadow travelled through the darkness while others cloaked in black robes dispatched the other perimeter guards. As they moved in towards the manor, the original three already snuck inside by their shadowy technique, hugging the darkness underneath the doorway.
Within minutes, the Greengrass manor was cleared except for the master bedroom. Daphne stopped at her parents' door and slowly knocked. A few moments went by.
"Come in." Lord Greengrass called.
Daphne slowly opened the door but found her parents weren't alone.
"Stay back or we will kill them!" The taller auror spat in fear as she pressed her wand further into the lord's neck. The other auror followed suit with the lady he held hostage.
Daphne's face remained blank as she made eye contact with the woman auror. Suddenly, the adult woman's eyes went wide in shock as her wand hand was severed off from her forearm. Yelling in pain, she went to grab at the stump but only found death as a fiery spell in the shape of a basilisk emerged from her chest. From the ground, her dead eyes stared at her companion who suffered the same fate.
Out from the shadows behind them, Lord Slytherin strode out silently. He quickly used a cleaning spell to rid the blood off his Lady's parents, then spoke.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Lord and Lady Greengrass."
AN: Hello, everyone! I just want to apologize for being gone so long, especially to those of you who kept asking for more. Thank all of you who have stayed with my stories this far and to anyone new who finds it. I had given up on this part of my life, but I still would get emails notifying me of a new follower or favorite. This motivated me to try again. Thank all of you so much. I am going to try not to let you guys down again. To be honest, it's weird having people who enjoy my work. I only realized this recently and that has been my motivation for this chapter. So as before, reviews or any feedback is appreciated.
Occidere Prima Vel Occidi.
