The Alexander Chronicles Year 4: The Return of Darkness.

Chapter 19: The chamber in the chamber.

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Here I am with a new chapter. Just some quick info before you start reading.

Parseltongue is in italics

Please enjoy.

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All three boys starred at the Slytherin founder in awe, "Well do not just stand there. Come in and let me see my descendants." The founder said. Alex knew that it was in parseltongue without looking at Erik or Malfoy. "Come on. I know that one of you can understand me. Otherwise you couldn't have found this place. So speak up. Which one of you is my heir?"

Alex looked at the man in the portrait; it was strange being face to face with one of Hogwarts´ founders. With one of his ancestors. He was bald and had a short thin white beard. Alex as looked into his cold green eyes. He got a feeling that the man was a bit impatient. Therefore, he took a step forward, and as he took that step, the torches that hung on the walls were lit by themselves "I am Alexander Black and I am your heir, noble ancestor." He said in a polite tone.

The portrait of Slytherin looked at Alex, when his eyes fell on the Gryffindor tie Alex had around his neck, he sneered. "You are from Godric´s house. If the fool knew then it would be all he could talk about. A Gryffindor as my heir! Well that is just prefect. Hmm at least you seeks company in my house." Slytherin said as he looked at Malfoy.

"Well I am you only living descendant that can speak parseltongue, so I am afraid that you have settle with me."

"Yes I suppose I do– A Gryffindor, The Fates works in strange ways- at least you seams more intelligent than that Riddle boy."

"He has been here?" Alex asked worriedly.

"No, I just saw him in the basilisk chamber, well before that imbecile destroyed my portrait because he was a little upset."

"You know couldn't you guys speak in English." Erik interrupted, "so we could understand what you are talking about."

Alex nodded and continued in English. "Right guys meet Salazar Slytherin, and this is Erik Jensen and Draco Malfoy."

"Yes you can be proud to be in my presence." Slytherin said making Alex roll his eyes.

Malfoy however was very awestruck about whom he was standing in front of. "Y-you a-are Salazar Slytherin. The Slytherin that founded my house."

"Yes that is me. You should be honoured." Slytherin paused and then looked at Erik, "ah and one of Rowena´s students."

Erik nodded and eyed Slytherin.

"And of few words too. Normally the Ravenclaws would jump at the chance of having academic discussions with me."

"Well you do have a bad reputation." Erik answered, "and I am a half-blood after all."

"Yes and I am a pure-blood, but what does that have to do with anything?" Slytherin asked.

"Well you do have rumour of you hating muggle-borns."

"I have never!" Slytherin hissed. "The only reservation I had was that they should be removed from their families for their sake as well as the wizardry world. I have to admit that I could see problems that many muggle-borns were uneducated in too many areas, so I wanted to wait until the muggles evolved. So I did have some problems with them, but hating them never."

"Strange," Alex said surprised about what he had leaned. "So why does the rumour exist? It is said that you created this chamber for that reason."

"I build this chamber to protect the school, and to annoy the other founders. However, it wasn´t because of the muggle-borns. It might be my first-born son. He was a bit extreme. Is he your ancestor?"

"No, it is your second son."

"Hmm good."

"So could you give us a way out?" Alex asked.

"Awe, come on, you don't want to talk?" Slytherin asked. "I can show you many things, and you have to explore my little house here. Just look, I have a library, a potion lab, and a whole room of indigents. Heck I even have a bathroom and a bedroom if it gets late."

"That is great, but I wasn´t really planning to go down here today." Alex said.

"Well yeah but it would be cool if we could stay a bit. I mean there is a lot of knowledge in here." Erik said walking around.

"Yeah where is your sense of adventure Black." Malfoy said, "just think we have I chance to talk with Slytherin himself. "Sir could I ask you what subject you taught?"

Slytherin smiled, as both Malfoy and Erik got closer to listen. "Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts."

Alex didn´t really listen as he examined the books to see if one of them had a switch that could open a door or something. That had happened in one of the few muggle movies he had seen.

"And if you are interested in the others founders." Slytherin continued, "Then Rowena, that magnificent women taught, Charms and Runes. Helga was in charge of the Hebology class as well as Magical Creatures."

"And Gryffindor?" Erik asked in exited voice, as Alex continued to examining the books.

"Transfiguration and sword fighting. So uncivilised the last one. Why fight like muggles when we had magic, and it didn´t help that he was bad teacher. No student ever needed sleeping potions after his transfiguration class."

"Ha I see the rivalry between you wasn´t overrated." Alex muttered.

"You would have understood if you had known him, boy. He was just so self-righteous. I am all that bravery is just stupid, he wasn´t a thinker if you will."

"Yes, this is all very interesting, but please tell me if you build more than one exit." Alex said as he walked over to the portrait.

"Can´t you just stay. See it from my point of view. I have not had anyone to talk to in uh – I don´t even know how long I actually have been here. So be a good boy and talk to an old man."

"Look I come back. I promise." Alex said grabbing another book.

"Okay I have to ask. What are you doing?" Erik asked walking over to Alex.

"Trying to find an exit. You should know, it what they do on muggle television."

"You know about that trick?"

"Yes of course I knew about that."

"Okay it is just weird that you know about that and doesn´t know Indiana Jones?"

"Look I just watched some muggle movies, but not that many really- I properly should apparently."

"And it doesn´t really matter Black." Malfoy interrupted, "look let us stay in here for a bit and lean stuff and have some fun."

"Being with you isn´t what I would call fun Malfoy." Alex hissed. "In fact we see fun a bit different. I don´t like mocking people. You do and if it isn´t you then it your idiotic friend Nott who truants people."

"You think Nott is friend, well he is not. I hate that guy."

"Whatever," Alex said grabbing a book on offensive magic. He was about to open when he paused and looked at Malfoy. "You haven´t really insulted Harry in a while and you have kept insulting Weasley to a minimum."

Draco was about to respond when a loud gong was heard. "It is curfew!" Erik exclaimed, "oh no I lost track of time when we walked."

Slytherin laughed, "Good then you can stay."

"Or you could tell us how to get out?" Alex hissed.

Slytherin shrugged, "I tell you tomorrow, or you can figure it out. I will say there is a way out in here. Have fun" And before Alex could ask where Slytherin had fallen asleep and was now snoring lightly.

"We are going to be in so much trouble." Erik whispered.

"Relax Jensen, what is the worst that will happen."

Erik looked at Malfoy, "We get detention, and they will owl our parents." He paused, "look I never been in trouble before."

"I doubt they will involve our parents, and getting detention well it have happen pretty much to anyone." Alex said, "But you haven´t really lived until you have been in risk of detention." As Erik didn´t reply Alex continued, "look I knew we planned getting back before curfew, but look on the bright side. You wanted to study Slytherin´s books and now we have the time."

"Well Slytherin did mention he also had a library." Erik said looking at the door that led there. "and I suppose I use this rule breaking to lean stuff."

"Okay and hopefully can we find an exit."

The boys started with the door that was left to Slytherin´s portrait, it led to a small hallway that led to three other rooms One of the door led to a relatively large library, it was smaller than the Hogwarts library of course, but still it was big and it seemed to have a lot of different topics.

"Wow, it is bigger than expected." Erik said walking in the library looking at the many books.

After having examined the library for a bit, the boys went to the other room. It was a bedroom, which had a small bathroom beside it.

"Great that means I have a place to rest up if I end up training though the night." Alex thought as he walked to see was behind the third door, but what he found didn´t really interest him, Erik or Malfoy, it was just some old swords and shields. So instead, they all hurried back to the office and to the door on the other wall.

That room was a potion lab that had a few cauldrons and tables. At the back at the room was another door that led to small storage room. There were some indigents in there some were common, others rare and then there was the stuff Alex didn´t knew what was, Alex found a bit weird that it hadn´t rotten away, but Erik theorized that there must had been a persevering charm on the jars. Not that it really mattered, the lab meant that Alex had a chance at making potions with the school professors knowing about. However what excited him the most was the many spell book hopefully there would be some he could use in this tournament or just make him stronger in case someone like Chris or Silan would attack him again.

Since Slytherin wouldn´t show the exit until the morning, and the boys wanted to lean, they might as well use the time. They quickly decided to start with the books that already was in Slytherin´s office.

"So when do you think he wake?" Malfoy asked looking at Slytherin, as they sat at the table while Erik where looking at the books then coming back with an old red one.

Alex shrugged, "I don´t know." He said without looking at Malfoy. "Beside I don´t really feel like talking to you."

"Look I'm not that bad, anymore," Malfoy said, moving over to the nearby self, while Alex stared at him, trying to figure out what he was playing at.

"Right, well hand me a good book then?"

"Do you have any preferences?"

"No just surprise me." Alex answered a bit surprised, that Malfoy just did it without complains.

"Hmm okay then so it will be-"Malfoy looked at the bookshelf, "right yes this one." He said and pulled out a book, and tossed to Alex who caught it and sat it on the desk. Alex looked briefly at the book; it was about potions that strengthen ones attributes.

Malfoy grabbed a book for himself and walked back at the table. Once again, there was silences as the boys read. Alex flipped through his new book until he saw a page talking about a potion that made the drinker faster. After a few minutes of reading, Malfoy spoke up, making Alex look up. "It was when I was a ferret."

"What are you talking about?"

"About that day Moody transformed me to a ferret. You was there so I suppose you remember."

Alex nodded, "I do."

"After that I was bullied. I mean I felt so humiliated and my house made fun of me. Nott, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle still stood by my side, but they wanted me to act like the same Draco. I couldn´t. I just knew what it was like being laughed at now. I mean I felt like the scum of the earth. Soon Nott managed to convince Crabbe, and Goyle to abandoned me, heck Pansy even dumbed me and begun dating Nott. I felt abandoned. My friends left and I realized why because I was a horrible person. I didn´t had any real friends; they were only friends because I was popular. I wrote to my father, but instead of comfort he just criticized me, told me that I was worthless."

Alex gave a sympatric look as Malfoy continued. "One day I ran out. I was so sick of being treated like a loser, and I just gotten another letter from my dad saying that." Malfoy signed. "So I ran out and begun to cry. For the first time in – I don´t know how long."

Both Alex and Erik stayed quiet, allowing Malfoy to continue.

"And then someone found me. It was Astoria Greengrass and she just talked with me, told me it would get better if I changed"

"So you just decided not to be a git?" Alex asked.

"Yes pretty much. I know she is right, and I want reel friends; I wanted to be a person that people liked not just feared. I wanted to be like you Black."

"Like me?" Alex laughed. "In case you haven't noticed I am hated the Hufflepuffs because they I deliberately stole Cedric´s fame. A good number of the Gryffindors hates me because my last name is Black. Half of the Ravenclaws hates me because of both those things, and most of the Slytherins just hate me. So Trust me Draco you don´t want to be like me, because I don´t want to be like me."

"But you at least have friends reel friends that stands beside you. I have seen how worried, Daphne and Tracey are for you, and Potter as well. I want that."

Alex didn´t say anything, Malfoy was right, he did had friends; he signed and walked over with the potions book. "Look uh Draco it is great that you want to change and all that, but I can´t help you."

"You could try be my friend, both of you could."

"Well that will give the Gryffindor another reason to hate me."

"That's a little selfish, don't you think?" Malfoy said, making Alex look at him. "You are already friends with Slytherins so why not me? You are one of the few that could be my friend. The only one that could forgive me."

Alex who looked for new book stopped up and signed, Malfoy had a point. He couldn´t just abandon him when he asked for help. "I will think about it okay?" He said as walked the portrait of the sleeping founder and leaned at the wall. It was there he spotted the one torch that hadn´t been lit, being curious he pulled it to he if it was broken. He hadn´t expected it to move. Therefor he was surprised when he heard a clicking noise and the sound of the wall sliding open.

Alex looked though the dark opening and saw a staircase leading upwards. "Looks like I found an exit, do you want to get to our common room? I personally want to go back, I am pretty tried and the bed is only for one, so if you want to sleep."

Both Erik and Malfoy nodded. "So this place is really amazing," Erik said, as he looked though the passage to the library as he passed it. "So are you going to be back here? The book I read had some good defensive magic."

Alex watched the chamber in a few seconds, "Yeah definitely." He said and then began to step up the stairs with Erik and Malfoy in tow. Once they passed the doorway, the wall closed, leaving it dark, where the 3 boys once again had to light their wands to lead the way, before he left Alex cheeked the wall where he was satisfied to see a snake, then he and his friends began walking the stairs.

It was a long way; they walked nonstop for ten minutes when they reached an stonewall. "What" Alex said, as he stopped, he tried speaking in parseltongue but nothing happened.

"It makes no sense that this would be a dead end," Erik said, "There must be something that we are missing."

"Agreed, but where maybe we missed something when we walked."

"Yes but why continue the stairs then? No it has to be here." Erik spoke out.

"Well you better look, and then I rest up a bit." Malfoy smirked as was about to lean against the wall. However as he leaned he phased through it, while giving a loud yelp.

"Yes of course." Alex said as he watched Erik put his hand though the illusion, before the two boys followed Malfoy.

The boys now found themselves in a small old room. There was not much in there, just a few tables and chairs. At the end of the room was an open door that led to something that appeared to be a small corridor in the dungeons.

"So it looks like we a back at Hogwarts." Malfoy said standing up, "but I wonder why I haven´t noticed this before."

Alex looked where he had come from, so see to that there was a painting of the Great Lake.

"Yeah weird," Alex said as Malfoy and Erik walked through the door. He was about to follow them as they turned, but stopped when he saw that they looked surprised. Why? They should be able to see him. Alex quickly snapped out of his trance and followed his friends, as he exit the door it felt he walked though something. Once he was out, could he understand Malfoy and Erik´s confusion.

There wasn´t a room, just an stonewall, that was partly coved by a broom closet. Alex touched the stonewall, it was solid, but when he spoke in parseltongue it became unsolid. Alex closed the entrance again, "brilliant, that way you won´t walk in to someone when you exit the chamber."

"It must be, but uh now that we are back at the castle, maybe we should head back to our common room before we get caught."

"Yes good idea. So we talk later okay?" Alex said to Malfoy, who smiled and nodded as Alex followed Erik.

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The days passed and the days of the first task grew closer and closer. Alex hadn´t told anyone else about the chamber. However he spent a lot of time there, so he could train. He had told the portrait of Slytherin about the task, and he had tried to help by having Alex study up on some spells. However since nobody knew what the task would be there wasn´t much to do. There was no specific spells or cruses he could lean. Slytherin wanted Alex to try to cheat and lean about the task by spying, and the old founder was annoyed at Dumbledore sense of fair play and he doubted that the other headmasters would do the same.

Alex would like to know, but so far, there was nothing. Alex wished he had the ability to slow time down. It would be useful in some many ways. Sadly he hadn´t found that spell.

The irony was that time seemed like it was moving faster, it was like the clocks were moving in double time, and Alex had gotten nowhere or so he felt.

Alex´s feeling of anticipation and nearly controlled panic was with him wherever he went to class, his free time even his dreams were bother by it. The insults and the quoting from the Daily Prophet followed Alex as much as his nerves. People would normally leave him alone when he was with his friends so he spend his time with them when he wasn´t training. His Gryffindor friends Harry, Hermione and Neville was a big help since Alex could be with them after curfew.

Then there was Malfoy or as Draco as Alex had begun to call him. After Alex had seen him sitting alone in classes and lunch, and had begun to speak to him. It really seemed like he had changed. During their conversations, Alex leaned much about Draco and his home life. And how much he didn´t want to be like his father. Erik, who also had talked a lot with him, also said that Draco had changed.

Despite all that, Alex still felt weird talking with Malfoy and he knew that if they were seen, he would be even more unpopular with the Gryffindors then he already was.

…

On the Saturday before the first task, all students in the third year and above were permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade. Alex didn´t really want to go, after all he could soon count the days until the first task on one hands. He had already said no to Harry, but he wasn´t the only one asking. The most persistent was Daphne who kept coming with augments, and eventually Alex agreed so she would stop.

"I am really glad you are doing this Alex." Daphne said, as she, Alex and Tracey were walking down to the carriages that would take them Hogsmeade. "I promise it will be good for you, it will give you a chance to be in less hostile environments."

Alex snorted, "Yeah except I think the hostility will follow me anywhere." He paused, "look maybe I shouldn't do this I should train or –"

"Alex you have been training, but you can only do that much." Daphne paused and looked at him. "Look I get training is important, but so is taking care of yourself. I mean if you don´t then you will collapse before the first task even has begun."

"Yeah," Tracey added. "Your secret hideout will be there when you get back."

"Wait how do you know? Have you been spying on me?"

"Not exactly, but you have been seen walking around in the dungeons." Daphne said.

"Who have seen me?" Alex said stopping up.

"Uh Blaise." Tracey said.

"Oh so is following me now is he?" Alex said getting angry.

"He is worried about you." Tracey said crossing her arms. "Look we all saw how tried you look at dinner, and when we walked out Blaise followed you to see if you was okay. But come on we need to get going."

Alex looked at the ground, but followed the girls without talking; it was only when they were in the carriage he finally asked that he had been thinking.

"What have he been up to lately? I mean is he doing okay?"

"That is a question, you can ask him." Daphne said, making Alex look at her.

"What do you mean with that?"

"Oh we are meeting him at the Three Broomsticks, I must have mentioned that."

"No you didn´t" Alex replied in an angry tone.

"Well you know now. So was thinking we have a butterbear and the two of you could chat a bit."

"I am not talking to him, until he says that he is sorry. I am going back to Hogwarts as soon as this stops."

"Alex you are being childish and so is he." Tracey hissed, "I am getting so sick of being caught in the middle of this, and the same goes for Daphne." She finished looking at Daphne, who nodded.

"Fine I go."

"And by that you mean go to the Three Broomsticks?" Alex didn´t reply so Daphne asked again. "Well I am waiting."

"Fine," Alex signed. "but can´t we at least just look around a bit first."

"If you promise that you will go with us?"

"Yes I promise."

"Great! Because we are at Hogsmeade now." Tracey said, as Daphne grabbed Alex´s hand and dragged him out of the carriage.

At Hogsmeade, Alex walked at behind Daphne and Tracey and watched the other students as they passed by, most of them were wearing the Support Cedric Diggory! Badges. However none of them had any rude remarks to Alex and none quoted the stupid article, which was nice.

"So wasn´t it nice to get a bit out?" Daphne asked, as the friends exited Honeydukes after having walked a bit around.

Alex took a bite of his Chocolate Wand, "yes, actually it is."

Tracey was about to say something, but Daphne interrupted "Alex! Hide quick." She yelled as she pointed at someone ahead. Alex followed her finger to see a familiar woman that made him in a nearby ally.

It was Rita Skeeter and her photographer friend; they had just emerged from the Three Broomsticks pub. Talking in low voices, they passed right by Tracey and Daphne without looking at them.

"She must be here to follow the tournament, " Tracey said, "she properly keep staying here so you should watch your back." Tracey said looking after Alex, "hey where did he hide? Alex come out!"

"Is she gone?" Alex hissed from is hiding place as the girls nodded, he walked out. "Great, she is here. I better get back to the castle. I mean if that women get on my scent, it wouldn´t be pleasant."

"No, she walked to the castle." Daphne said, then smiled. "So you have to wait, so you might as well have a butterbear."

"What?"

"Yes," Tracey added. "and it is funny we are at the Three Broomsticks."

Alex looked at the place Skeeter had come from, he hadn´t realized that the girls were taking him that way.

"Remember you promised that you would go."

Alex looked at Daphne, "right okay."

The girls smiled and dragged him to the pub.

…

Chapter end.

So Slytherin never hated muggle-borns like Voldemort do, and Alex have found more of the Chamber´s secrets.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review, it makes me happy and keeps me motivated to write.