Disclaimer: Still don't own it.
A/N: This is the longest chapter I have ever written for RTT. Probably the longest chapter I've ever written for a story. I actually cut a couple things out and put them in the next chapter just because this chapter felt like it was getting too long.
Reminder that this story updates every Monday.
Reaching Through Time
Chapter 25: Quidditch and the Second Guardian
"Thank ye again Professor." Hagrid said happily as he was escorted by Professor Dumbledore to the little hut near the edge of the forest where the current grounds keeper lived. Since he lived in Hogsmeade, Hagrid would walk to and from Hogwarts each day.
It had taken Dumbledore months to finally convince Dippet to allow the lumbering Hagrid to become an apprentice to Grounds Keeper Mulford. It'd taken even longer for Dippet to talk the Board of Governors into allowing it.
Hagrid would be given a small living allowance as compensation for his work and when he took over Mulford's job he'd be given a normal salary.
The half giant didn't really care that he would be earning a little money; he was just happy to be doing something!
Dumbledore had even promised to help the boy get some sort of education while he worked with the grounds keeper.
In reality Dumbledore would conveniently find himself too busy to give Hagrid any real tutoring.
"Think nothing of it my boy." Dumbledore gave the large boy a comforting and warm smile as they walked the long path from Hogsmeade. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more." He made his voice sound as remorseful as he could and Dumbledore crumpled his expression just enough to look like he was near tears.
"Oh no Professor!" Hagrid reached up as if to comfort the man that was in essence his savior. "You have already done so much for me professor! I know I'm not making things easy for you." The half giant continued to babble assurances of just how grateful he was for everything Dumbledore had done for him.
Dumbledore smirked ever so slightly when he finally left Hagrid with Mulford. The oaf wouldn't actually working as the grounds keepers apprentice until the start of the next school year, but Dumbledore already had Hagrid thoroughly under his control.
When the next school year started, Dumbledore was sure he'd finally have Harry Malfoy all to himself. He would learn everything there was to know about the boy and then he would either find a way to control him, or Dumbledore would drain him of his magic and dispose of the boy.
Either way Dumbledore would gain a great deal of power and that made him shudder excitedly.
In the end Harry ended up telling Tom everything. It would have been impossible for Harry to have kept the information a secret for long, but Harry was rather proud of himself for keeping the secret until after winter break.
Tom had become rather suspicious after the break though when Harry started spending more time in Ravenclaw tower. He'd found out about those frequent visits from his 7th year follower Neil Lament; who was dating a 7th year Ravenclaw girl.
It took little effort on Tom's part to make Harry break. All he had to do was silently glare at the guilt ridden first year until he finally started confessing everything.
At first Tom had been furious; he had TOLD Harry to drop the whole thing, but afterwards he'd been curious. The whole idea that the castle was alive was something that Tom had never considered.
And then there was the fact that apparently Tom had access to special magic that only the heirs of Founders could get to. Senestra had happily shown Tom had to connect to and access the magic Salazar Slytherin had placed in the castle after that.
Tom was more willing to forgive Harry for keeping secrets after learning about the power Tom had access to.
For the rest of the year nothing really happened. At least nothing different. No other accidents happened and Harry was able to stay out of the Hospital wing for the most part. Both Tom and Harry kept up their training with Leighleas, Dumbledore kept trying to get alone with Harry, Harry continued his research into what sorts of creatures the other guardians might be, Tom continued building his follower base, and everyone continued learning everything they could.
When the end of the school year came, Harry was surprised to find that he was second from the top of his class. First went to a Ravenclaw boy that kept mostly to himself.
Harry didn't mind, he'd gotten an Outstanding in most of his classes except for Astronomy and Transfiguration. He had achieved an Exceeds Expectations in those two classes; not that he was all that upset about it.
His father was a little upset, but after a sharp look from Mrs. Malfoy nothing was said.
For Harry, Tom, Abraxas, and the other children that were staying with the Malfoy's the summer went by quickly and enjoyably.
Soon enough though the summer came to an end and all the children in the Malfoy home were preparing to return to Hogwarts.
With the war still going on, the Malfoy adults had ordered all the books and school supplies in order to avoid going to London and Diagon Alley. The only time the family and the children staying with them even ventured into London was when they were boarding the train to go to school.
Harry, Orion, and Rupert were all looking forward to their second year for one major reason; they could try out for quidditch. Most second years didn't make the house teams, but it never hurt to at least try out.
"I can't wait to get some practice time on my Speedster 60." Orion gushed as the trio packed themselves into the train compartment. Eileen had put her trunk away before making her excuses to go and find one of her non quidditch enthusiast friends.
"Do you think we'll be allowed to fly around the pitch?" Harry asked as he flopped down into his seat. "Are we even allowed to fly if we're not on a team?"
"They can't really tell us no..." Rupert offered up. "Only first years are banned from bringing their own brooms. The rules don't really say we can't fly on our own so long as it's only at the pitch."
Harry wondered though if he would even have time to be on a quidditch team? He really wanted to, but between classes, homework, his lessons with Leighleas, Tom, and spending time with his friends would he really have time for one more thing?
Not to mention he still had the whole Hogwarts Guardian mystery to solve.
It was a very good thing Harry was already ahead of his year and knew all the material for year two. He only really had to be concerned with finishing the homework and turning it in for his classes.
"Harry?"
Harry snapped out of his thoughts to look at Orion. "What? Sorry."
The black preteen rolled his eyes a little before bumping his shoulder against Harry's. "I asked if you wanted to have a mock match this weekend? To practice. I'm sure we could scrounge up enough second years from all the houses to put together a couple of teams."
After the Samhain party last year the first and second years from all the houses had grown closer. Now they were all second and third years, but the inter house friendships had only gotten stronger. It helped that several of the students were currently staying with the Malfoy's.
"Sure. It'd be fun." Harry grinned widely at Orion.
With it being only Thursday, classes wouldn't start until Monday. That gave them Friday to plan out the details and then Saturday or Sunday to have the mock match. There would be plenty of time before or after to go visit Senestra down in the Chamber and to meet with Sir Leighleas about their future lessons.
"I don't think everyone will have brooms though." Rupert commented after a few minutes. He had an older Racing Falcon that still flew pretty well even if it was a couple generations old.
Orion shrugged a bit. "Maybe we can ask Professor Kenneth if we can borrow some school brooms."
"Kenneth? Stickler for rules Kenneth? Perpetual broom up his bum Kenneth?" Harry asked with a groan. "You really think Professor Kenneth would be willing to let a bunch of second years borrow school brooms for a casual game of quidditch?"
That made Orion stop and think for a few minutes. It was true that the Hogwarts flight instructor disliked students. In fact Orion was sure that the world would end if the man let them within a mile of the broom shed.
"You could always ask Professor Slughorn for a pass." Rupert suggested with a smirk.
It was well known that Harry was one of Professor Slughorn's favorite young students. Harry figured it was mostly because of Tom and Abraxas, but he wouldn't deny the fact that the potions professor and head of Slytherin house definitely showered Harry with favoritism.
Harry groaned at the very idea of going to Slughorn for help.
Favoritism was something that rubbed Harry wrong. As nice as the potions professor was, the man always seemed to be too nice.
"Speaking of asking a certain Slytherin Professor for things," Orion's smirk turned down right sneaky. "Are we going to have another Samhain party this year?"
"I don't see why not."
The door to their compartment had been left open. Eileen had returned and with her was Myrtle, Persephone, and a Hufflepuff boy that Harry hadn't gotten the chance to be around much last year.
In fact, other than Myrtle, Eileen, Orion, and Rupert, Harry hadn't really spent time with only his age last year outside of the occasional party that Eileen had been able to setup.
"Scoot over Black." Eileen quite literally shoved Orion until he had scooted from the center of the bench seat so that she, Myrtle, and Persephone could join him.
"You see how she treats me?" Orion tried to hide the whine in his voice, but there was still a bit of upturn to his lip as he rolled his eyes. "You would think I mean nothing!"
"You remember Bannrhine Scamander, don't you Hadrian?" Eileen chose to ignore the complaining boy next to her in order to introduce the Hufflepuff second year that was standing a little awkwardly in the door.
"Just Bann...please." The boy had wavy dark brown hair that he rubbed at awkwardly. A worn handmade yellow and grey scarf was wrapped around his neck and shoulders and his brown eyes were soft and warm as he looked around at the group seated in the compartment.
Harry didn't even need to shove at Rupert to get him to scoot over so Harry could move to make room for the Hufflepuff boy.
"Thank you Malfoy." Bannrhine took the offered seat with a small smile.
"My friends all call me Harry."
"Except Prince. She seems to forget she has permission to not use his full name." Orion's snort turned into a cough when Eileen reached over to smack him in the chest.
The two bickered for a few minutes until settling down enough to continue the conversation about having another Samhain party.
About an hour into the train ride Tom found them laughing over a muggle card game that Myrtle had introduced them to.
"Everything going alright in here Harry?" Tom asked as he lightly leaned against the door frame.
Harry turned sparkling green eyes up to Tom and the sixth year Slytherin prefect felt his breath catch in his throat.
He had gotten better control over his jealousy over Harry's friends, especially after Harry had made a point to spend more time with Tom, but even still that little green creature inside him stirred at how happy Harry was surrounded by his peers.
Tom didn't think he would ever stop feeling jealous of the people Harry chose to show affection towards.
"We're playing Bluff." Harry continued to grin as Orion continued to tell Eileen that he did not have any of the cards she wanted. "Bann is winning."
Tom remembered the card game. It was one of those games that a bunch of kids back at the orphanage would play together while excluding him and Harry. The two couldn't explain play it together as at least three people were needed to make it at least a little fun.
The new name caught Tom's attention. His dark gaze flickered to the new boy that was sitting next to Harry.
It didn't take more than a minute for Tom to realize who 'Bann' was. Alf had pointed out the Scamander boy last year. With the whole Grindelwald situation the Scamander boy had been a little bit of a celebrity for several months.
"If you could join Abraxas and myself in our compartment for lunch Harry, it would be appreciated." Tom wanted to spend at least a little time with Harry before they arrived at Hogwarts.
Harry smiled and nodded in understanding. They both knew that Tom would be even busier this year. He'd had duties as a fifth year prefect, but as a sixth year prefect those duties would be doubled. Time would be in short supply for the two of them.
Once that was confirmed, Tom left Harry to be with his friends and returned to his patrolling of the train. He was done quickly and relieved by a fifth year prefect so that he could return to the compartment he and Abraxas were using.
Thankfully no one had decided to join Abraxas while Tom was out doing his rounds.
"I found Harry with his friends." Tom commented as he gratefully sat down with a weary sigh.
"He is rather fond of them." Abraxas had his nose buried in a book and was only partially paying attention to Tom.
Tom stared at Abraxas for awhile, just waiting for his adopted brother to actually pay attention to him. "They were playing strip poker."
"Whatever makes them happy."
"Is that book really that interesting or are you ignoring me?" Tom demanded as he flicked his magic out wandlessly to knock the book out of Abraxas' hands.
The blond blinked in surprise and then glared at Tom. "Just because your love remains one sided does not mean you can take it out on me."
Tom hissed softly and proceeded to turn his head to glare out the window. "If you weren't my second in command I would crucio you."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night Tom." Abraxas sighed softly and picked up his book off of the floor. He was tempted to go back to reading it, but decided it would be better to find out exactly what was wrong with his brother.
"You're sulking Tom." His brother shot him a glare out of the corner of his black eyes before glaring back out the window again.
To make him more comfortable, Abraxas placed several locking spells and privacy charms on the door and around their compartment.
"Why don't you just talk to him? At least let him know how you feel."
"He's too young." Tom groaned ever so softly. "We've been friends since we were small and we've been brothers," Tom sneered at that word. "For the past couple years. Besides...it's not that kind of love, despite what you say."
The two of them had had this conversations many times since the winter holidays when Abraxas had watched Tom spending as many quiet moments with Harry as he could. When Abraxas had brought up the unrequited love, Tom had gone ballistic. He refused to allow himself to admit to a weakness such as 'love'. At least not the romantic love that Abraxas was determined to talk about.
Tom did love Harry, but not in the kind of way that couples felt. Harry was Tom's whole world and Tom would do everything in his power to make Harry happy. But that wasn't the heart stopping romantic love that left people feeling weak in the knees. He wasn't a bumbling idiot like the other boys his age that were chasing after pretty girls.
Despite Tom's arguments, Abraxas was sure that what Tom felt was in fact the kind of romantic love.
"You get jealous whenever someone else gets close to Harry." Abraxas refused to back down even as Tom sent his most venomous glare at him. "You would give Harry the world on a gold platter if you could. You're willing to take over all of Hogwarts just to keep Harry safe."
"That's not love." Tom insisted. There was no word for what Tom felt. Obsession came close.
"When you can tell me what it is, I will back off." Abraxas was getting tired of arguing in circles with his brother. "Until then I will badger you until you admit that you are in love with Harry."
"He's too young." Tom insisted softly as the conversation came to an end. Abraxas grabbed up his book again and Tom went back to glaring at the moving scenery zipping along as the train made its way steadily towards Hogwarts.
Even as silence descended between the two teens, Tom's mind couldn't stop thinking about that one word. Love.
He had no idea what love was. He had seen it between others, but what was love exactly? Lust he could understand. Lust was a physical reaction when one was near someone they wanted to be physical with. But love? It had no purpose. It made a person weak.
At least that's what Tom tried to convince himself of. What he felt for Harry wasn't love. It didn't make him weak. If anything, what he felt made him strong. He had to be strong. For Harry.
It was surprisingly easy for Harry to convince Professor Slughorn to give them access to the broom shed that first weekend the students were back at Hogwarts. All Harry had had to do was mention how he wanted to practice for quidditch tryouts and Slughorn was practically shoving the permission note into Harry's hands.
Somehow, in the time it took between the welcome feast and breakfast the next morning, the entire second year class knew about the quidditch game that was being planned.
In all honesty, most of the school knew, but it had been unanimously agreed that only second years would participate.
"33 second years have asked to play." Orion was practically bouncing in his seat and Rupert seemed to be equally as excited. "Including the three of us."
Harry groaned a little as he picked at his breakfast. He had been hoping for just a small match, between his friends and the few other second years he knew. Instead this entire thing had blown out of proportion.
He was surprised Tom hadn't shown up to shut it all down.
"So, what? Four matches with rotating players?" Rupert asked.
"I doubt everyone knows how to play. When we get down to the pitch a bunch will probably back out." Orion was very sure about it.
"You're going to need a referee." Harry looked up and found Cyril Rosier, the Slytherin team captain, standing behind Orion. "A bunch of people have already said they're going to go down and watch when you have the match. It's really turning into an unofficial official match."
"It's just for practice!" Harry cried out in shock. "It was supposed to be a friendly match between second years."
"Regardless, it's going to be an interesting show." With that said, Cyril moved away to go join the other seventh years.
Eileen frowned as Harry just groaned again and nearly lowered his head into his breakfast. "Don't worry Hadrian," She soothingly began rubbing Harry's back. "The older years will lose interest quickly. Second years don't have the experience to make a match look interesting."
What Rosier had said though was true; they were going to need a referee for the unofficial match. Professor Kenneth wasn't likely to help them out, so who else was there among the adults that could act as referee?
"Do you guys at least have a list of names and what positions they want to play?"
Harry didn't even hear Eileen as he glanced up at the table to observe the staff. He had no idea if any of them besides Kenneth were even interested in Quidditch.
An idea came to Harry and he quickly left the Slytherin table to hurry up to the staff table.
"Sir Leighleas?"
During the summer the mediwizard had visited the Malfoy Manor a few times in order to check up on Harry and Tom to make sure they were keeping up with their training.
"Is there something I can do for you Mr. Malfoy?" The mediwizard was as coon and composed as he always was.
Harry grinned at him. After a year of seeing the mediwizard and spending time with with the older man, Harry had gotten used to reading his emotions. The mediwizard may look uninterested in what was going on, but he had his full attention on Harry and he was holding back a slight smirk.
"The second years are going to have a mock quidditch match-"
"So I had heard." Sir Leighleas let out a a long sigh and leaned back in his seat. "I will make sure to have the Hospital Wing fully prepared for the ridiculous injuries that will occur." He knew there would be injuries; preteens were not known for playing it safe.
"Actually," Harry had to fight the urge to fidget with his shirt sleeve. "I was wondering if you could referee the match? That way people would get injured less!"
Once again the mediwizard let out a long sigh. His gaze narrowed as he scrutinized the youngest Malfoy in the school. It was true that if he were to referee the match he could prevent quite a few injuries. He knew a little bit about quidditch; enough to at least keep the young students from breaking any rules.
Besides, how could he say no to Harry with his big green eyes and hopeful smile?
"Fine. Just send me a note when the match will be." Sir Leighleas felt like he was selling his soul as Harry grinned and babbled several 'thank you's before rushing back to his table.
For the rest of the day the second years were busy getting everything set up. Orion and Rupert got all the names, what positions they wanted, and if they had brooms while Eileen bravely spoke with Professor Kenneth about using the quidditch equipment.
In the end enough people pulled out of the lists that they were able to make 4 teams, with a couple reserve players. Most of the students had their own brooms, but a few would use the school's brooms. Professor Kenneth had agreed to let the students use a practice quidditch set that had been set to easier levels, though he wasn't very happy about it.
There would be 3 matches total. 2 against 2 and then the winning teams against each other in a final match.
Houses did not matter. All the second years had been mixed up together since no one house had enough interested second years to make up a team.
Harry was regretting agreeing to do this. By Saturday most of the school was talking about the match and word was that most of the school would be showing up.
"Rosier said all the captains would be showing up to watch." Unlike Harry, Rupert was extremely excited. "They're using this as an impromptu tryout."
"Great. More pressure." Harry's nerves felt stretched thin. As much as he enjoyed quidditch, he didn't much like the attention aspect. Honestly he should have expected the entire school to make such a big deal out of it. It was a boarding school; what else did bored students have to do besides gossip and homework?
Harry was half tempted to go and hide in the dorms until the stupid matches were over. His thoughts of escape stopped though when Abraxas pulled him into a side hug.
"You'll do fine. Just fly and have fun." He could tell that his little brother was stressing well past what should be normal. "Tom and I will be there with our friends. We'll make sure nothing bad happens."
Looking over at Tom, Harry was relieved to find his dearest friend nodding in encouragement. He knew Tom wasn't happy about the unofficial quidditch match, but he wanted Harry to be happy.
Tom knew Harry enjoyed flying and playing quidditch so if this was what Harry wanted to do, then Tom would support him. He would just make sure that Harry was as safe as possible.
Once breakfast was done, the second years scattered. Many ran back to the dorms to grab their brooms while others hurried to the quidditch pitch. At least half the school decided to join the second years down at the quidditch pitch.
Harry had his broomstick resting against his shoulder, a brand new Comet 180 that he'd gotten for his birthday, as he made his way down to the pitch.
After protective practice gear was handed out and the teams separated, Sir Leighleas gave a rundown on the rules for the match.
Harry was only partially paying attention. It was only because of his fast reflexes that he was up in the air the moment the whistle sounded. Having almost half the school watching was distracting and it took all of Harry's control not to shake from nerves.
The dampening charm was at full strength as he began circling the pitch once the snitch was released. They'd found out last year that his sensitivity actually allowed him to track the snitch and locate it even when it was moving.
It was tempting, using his sensitivity to catch the snitch, but Harry wanted to win by his own skills at flying.
Eventually the fact that there were a ton of people watching faded and Harry was able to relax and focus on the game. It helped that Tom kept sending him calming and reassuring feelings through their bond.
After about a half hour of chasing the snitch only to be lose sight, of bludgers flying a little too close for comfort, and Harry literally rolling through the air at one point to avoid the other seeker that had flown past him at one point, something strange happened.
Harry's broom bucked.
With a frown Harry tapped his fingers against his broom. The sharp movement could have just been the wind or something jolting him, but then his broom wrenched to the side and Harry's head snapped against his neck so that his ear hit his shoulder.
"What the-"
The broom twisted around and began actively trying to get free of Harry's grip. It was only by sheer force of will that Harry was able to hang on.
With a curse Harry lessened the strength on the dampening charm to see what the hell was going on.
A dark and sludgy magic was wrapped around his broom and it left Harry feeling ill. He knew that magic; it was Dumbledore's. Whatever the transfiguration professor was doing, probably some sort of curse, it was making Harry's broom go out of control.
"Tom!" Harry cried out as his broom movements became more and more violent. Unless he knew which curse Dumbledore was using, a counter curse would be useless.
The moment Tom felt dark magic reaching out to Harry, he started scanning the audience. The magic was strong and subtle, a student wouldn't be able to create such a curse. Only a few professors and adults were watching, one of witch made Tom hiss angrily.
"Harry's broom is going crazy!" Abraxas was out of his seat and was about to wave his wand to do something when Tom grabbed his hand to stop him. "Tom!"
"Dumbledore."
Not even needing to say anything more, several of Tom's Slytherin followers broke away from the group and went to the transfiguration professor whose eyes were staring fixedly on Harry.
Tom could hear Harry yelling and the fear he felt through their bond made Tom's blood boil. He was hissing constantly and he could feel magic coiling up in and around him. It wasn't Tom's magic that was responding to him, no, this magic felt older and left his skin feeling like a snake was coiling around him.
"By my ancestor Salazar Slytherin's power, I curse you." The words came to Tom before he could even comprehend what he was saying. "So long as you are within the bounds of Hogwarts magic, you will NEVER achieve your desires. You will NEVER feel peace. Your magic will wither until you are NOTHING."
The yelling from both the crowd and from Harry stopped. Dumbledore had been distracted by the Slytherin students that had secretly set his robes on fire and by the surge of green tinted magic that settled across the older man like a cloak.
The crowd yelled again and Tom was forced to look away from Dumbledore when he felt Harry's exhilaration.
In the time that Harry had dropped the power of the dampening spell to find out what was wrong, he had spotted the snitch. The only thing he could think in that moment was to end the game so he could get back to the ground safely.
With the snitch struggling in his tightly grasped hand, after nearly falling off his broom from a sharp turn to avoid a the side of the stands, the game was over. His team had won and would move onto the final match.
For the rest of the day nothing else happened. Dumbledore had left the quidditch field in favor of returning to his private rooms in order to change out of his ruined robes. During the second match Tom took hold of Harry and refused to release him from his arms until it was time for the final match. When that time came Abraxas made Harry switch his broom with Abraxas' older Comet model; just to be safe.
As much as Harry would have loved it, his team did not win the final match. The snitch had been inches from his fingers when a bludger had collided with his side. The other team's seeker, a Ravenclaw, had caught the snitch and had ended the second year mock match.
Just about everyone had forgotten about the problem Harry had had with his broom during the first match. Harry knew that his broom had been cursed, and when Tom asked him about it Harry gave him as many details as he could.
There was one other person that hadn't forgotten about Harry's broom going crazy during his match.
"Malfoy. Black. May I speak with you both?"
Cyrus Rosier had been in the stands watching the matches, just as the other three quidditch captains had been. He'd been watching just as intently as Tom had and it hadn't taken a genius to realize that the loss of control hadn't been Harry's fault.
For a moment Harry and Orion looked at each other and shared a silent conversation. They had just turned in their practice gear and had been planning on heading back to the school to shower; since non team members weren't allowed to use the showers.
"Abraxas and I will wait by the exit." Tom said just loud enough for Rosier to hear him. They eyed each other and Rosier dropped his gaze to show his respect before Tom led Abraxas away.
"You two flew very well today. I was impressed." Rosier didn't waste time. "I'm not changing the team roster, we have a strong team this year, but I wanted to know if you both would like to take up the reserve positions for seeker and keeper."
Harry felt light headed as he was offered the chance to be a part of the Slytherin team. Orion was grinning like mad and nodding his head quickly.
"The likely hood of you both playing in an actual game is low, but you'll get to train with the team. If you do well you could be moved up from the reserve positions next year."
The question Harry had been asking himself came to mind; would he have time for quidditch practice?
"Normally the team practices three to four times a week, but reserve players only need to come to one practice a week." Rosier continued to explain since neither of the boys were telling him no yet. "I would prefer if you came to each practice, but I understand that school comes first."
Orion might have been willing to join immediately, but Harry need to at least speak with Tom first. "Can I give you my answer later?" Harry asked as he glanced over to where Tom and Abraxas were standing and waiting.
Rosier knew exactly what the youngest Malfoy was thinking. If he hadn't already asked Tom during the final match if it would be alright for Harry to join the team, Rosier would have waited.
Despite only being in his sixth year, Tom Marvolo Gaunt was the King of Slytherin. He was also the leader of the secret Knights of Walpurgis which Rosier was a part of.
"That is acceptable. First practice will be Tuesday evening after dinner." Rosier nodded to Harry before looking to Orion.
"I accept the reserve keeper position." Orion was having a hard time keeping himself from bouncing.
With a final nod of acceptance Rosier left both Orion and Harry.
News of the offer spread through Slytherin like wildfire. For the most part Harry tuned out the gossip that was going around in favor of really thinking about whether or not he should take the spot. Harry still didn't have a decision even as he and Tom secretly made their way down to the Chamber.
"You love flying." Tom pointed out as he and Harry entered the flooded chamber. They had come by the night previously to greet Senestra, but hadn't had much time to really tell her about how their summer had gone.
"I can fly without playing quidditch." Harry pointed out as he went over to the ancient Basilisk to give her snout a hug.
"Being on the team would give you more time with Orion." Tom kept his tone as neutral as possible as he made that point.
Harry hummed softly in thought. He didn't give a reply until he had climbed up on Senestra's neck so he could scratch at her scales there.
"But how much time would I have for other things?" Harry asked with a sigh. "Between classes, homework, lessons with Sir Leighleas, and dueling practice with you..." He shook his head with a wince. "When will I have time for quidditch practice?"
Tom knew Harry had a point. Classes hadn't even started yet and already he knew Harry would have a busy schedule. Tom himself was going to be busy with increased Prefect duties on top of everything else he had to do.
They were both lucky that they were advance enough to not have to worry too much about their classwork.
On the other hand Tom did want Harry to be on the quidditch team. Rosier was one of his loyal followers, and one that he actually trusted. If Harry was on the quidditch team then that would put him under the watch of a loyal follower that would keep him safe.
Then again with what happened during the mock match Tom worried that something else might happen. Quidditch wasn't exactly a 'safe' game to play after all.
"You have some time to think about it. If you are still hesitating later, then turn down the position." Tom shrugged a little. "It's not like you can't try out later."
That was true enough. Even if Harry didn't join the team, even as a reserve player, he could always try out when he was ready for the workload that being on the team would bring.
Sensing a lull in her Master's conversation, Senestra decided to speak up. "I sensed something earlier." She turned her muted gaze to Tom as she spoke. "You called on Slytherin's magic."
"I did./" It made sense to Tom that Senestra would be able to sense such a thing. She was a Guardian of Hogwarts and had a direct connection to the magic that Salazar Slytherin had placed into the school.
"Dumbledore endangered Harry. So I cursed him."
"It was Dumbledore then?" Harry sighed softly when Tom nodded. "I thought so. His magic is too distinctive and disgusting to confuse with another persons'." Harry had been distracted holding onto his bucking broom to find out exactly who was cursing his broom.
Both Tom and Harry had heard Senestra when she was angry, but the hissing sound that she made then was like nothing they'd experienced last year. Her hissing started soft and built up until the sound filled the flooded chamber.
Strange green sparks dripped from her extended fangs onto the cold damp stones beneath her. The sparks disintegrated immediately upon landing, but after a few sparks the ground started glowing an eerie green.
"Senestra?" Tom eyed the green glow as it began to stretch out across the stone floor. He wasn't afraid of it, Senestra could not harm him in any sort of way seeing as how he was the Slytherin Heir and her Master, but he would always be leery of strange magic.
The glowing had almost filled the entire floor when suddenly it compressed and formed a long curved line that twisted squirmed until its movements resembled that of a snake. Tom was only able to get a good look at it for a moment before the glowing 2 dimensional snake shot off and darted into a crack in a far wall.
"Senestra. Explain."
The hissing that Senestra had been making stopped abruptly and she blinked a few times before lowering her eyes in submission to Tom. "I requested the Castle intervene with this 'Dumbledore'."
"And will it?"
If Senestra had shoulders, she would be shrugging them. "We will have to wait and see. But if you can ever get this Dumbledore to me, I will ensure he never harms my hatchling again." Her fangs glimmered in the dim light as her venom dripped and formed a shallow pool beneath her.
The promise of death had Tom feeling lighter when he and Harry finally left the chamber just before curfew. Tom was exempt from curfew, but Harry wasn't.
Tom knew he would never be able to get Dumbledore down into the Chamber, but he felt better knowing that they had Senestra supporting and protecting them.
After a lot of thought, Harry decided to turn down the reserve seeker position. Rosier had been disappointed, but it wasn't like they absolutely needed Harry. Rosier could count on one hand how many times they'd needed the reserve seeker to step in.
Harry's reasons were valid and Rosier could respect his decision. Since the current seeker was in his 7th year Rosier did offer to let Harry train with the team whenever he had spare time. The team captain was sure Harry would make an exceptional seeker one day.
Joining the team for some training every other week or so worked for Harry and he was glad to accept the offer.
Orion was more than excited to be on the team, even in a reserve position.
"I wish you had joined." Orion said for the hundredth time with a deep and dramatic sigh. "We'd get to spend so much time together!"
"Not really Orion." Harry was snickering softly and trying to hide a smile as Orion began leaning against his shoulder. "If I'd joined then the two of us would have been busy training. Hanging out is much more fun than sweating."
That didn't seem to satisfy Orion though so he continued to lean against Harry as if he were melting into his friend.
"You're going to knock Hadrian over." Eileen frowned at Orion even as the Black pre-teen glared at her and slung an arm over Harry's shoulder to keep him in place.
There was an odd fluttering in Harry's chest when Orion pressed closer against him. He could feel his cheeks heating up and it took all of Harry's self control not to fidget.
A surge of anger and dark energy rose up at the door leading into the great hall and Harry's head whipped around in surprise. The doorway was empty, but Harry knew he had just felt Tom there.
"I have to go." Harry pushed Orion away until the other boy let go. "I'll see you guys back in the common room."
That anger that Harry had felt; it'd been sudden and overwhelming. There was only one person Harry could sense emotions from so the anger had to have been coming from Tom.
When harry went looking for his oldest and closest friend though, he found that Tom had masked his location. Harry could still sense his magic, he knew Tom was somewhere in the castle, but Harry couldn't narrow his location down.
"Tom..."
Why had Tom been so angry so suddenly? Had someone said something or done something before Tom arrived for dinner?
Harry ended up at the top of the astronomy tower. Since they were still in early September, the air wasn't too cold yet.
He still couldn't find Tom though. The only places Harry could think of where Tom could be were the Chamber and the Room. Since the Room was closer Harry turned to head that way.
Later Harry would realize how lucky he had been while wandering around. He'd slipped away from the Slytherin table before any of the older students had noticed and he'd completely forgotten about having someone with him at all times in case Dumbledore were to show up.
Perhaps it was less luck and more of a coincidence that Harry arrived at the Room without any problems.
The fact that there was already a door available for Harry to go through didn't register in Harry's mind until he had slipped inside and the door had clicked shut behind him.
Harry had been expecting the training room that he and Tom had spent so much time in, but instead Harry found himself in a circular stone room with four empty portraits lining the walls. There was a single empty window that let a gentle cool breeze into the room.
"Tom?" There were no other doors than the one behind him and no real place for a person to hide. Thinking that perhaps the Room had made a mistake, Harry turned and tried to open the door leading back into the 7th floor hall.
A melodic trill stopped Harry, his hand just barely grasping the door latch.
Slowly Harry turned his head to look behind him only to frown when he found nothing there. Carefully, Harry lowered the strength on the dampening charm, but he only saw the magic of Hogwarts sparkling around him.
Taking a deep breath to center himself, Harry turned and marched right into the center of the room. "Whose there?" He called out as he slowly turned.
The portraits were empty so it was possible that the thing he had heard had come from one of the portraits. But the portraits were empty of both scenery and life.
"I'm going to have to leave if you don't show yourself." Harry called out as he turned in a slow circle. He wasn't scared; not when the only thing he could sense was Hogwarts. The school would never harm a student such as himself.
When the trilling sound came back Harry spun around instantly to glare out the only window. Knowing that he knew enough magic wandlessly, Harry chose not to grab his wand. His wandless magic tended to be faster anyway.
Harry's hands dropped to his side and his jaw went slack as the creature that had been singing came to rest on the windowsill. Out of all of the creatures in the world, what he saw was one of the last things he would have ever expected.
Sitting there, with feathers glimmering gold and a brilliant red, it's neck curved gracefully and its head turned to one side so Harry had to stare into a pitch black gaze, was a phoenix.
"Two take to the air. Two have a magical stare." Those were two of the hints that the riddle had given Harry. A phoenix didn't have a magical stare exactly, but Harry had read about how the tears of a phoenix could heal any wound. "You're a Guardian."
The phoenix preened a little in pride before dipping its head in either a nod or a bow.
Harry didn't know what to say or do. He'd been comfortable with Senestra because he could speak with her, but how would he be able to communicate with a phoenix?
'Quite easily actually'
Although no words were spoken into the air, Harry could hear a soft voice within his mind. Since the phoenix was the only other living creature in the room it was safe for Harry to assume it was the phoenix speaking to him.
'You remind me of Godric.' There was a tinge of sadness in the Phoenix's voice. 'So curious, so brave, so loyal. But there's some mischievousness there as well.'
"You're the Guardian of Gryffindor then?" Harry was grinning widely. If Gryffindor's guardian was here then maybe Harry would get to speak with the last two soon. He found himself moving closer to the phoenix until he was close enough to reach out. His hand froze mid reach to gently stroke those red feathers. Harry bit his lip and pulled his hand back to hold it against his chest.
'You may touch me.'
Harry held his breath as he reached out once more. Just his finger tips made contact with those feathers, but that was enough. The feathers were warm, as if the phoenix had just been in front of a gently burning fire, and they were as soft and smooth as silk.
'It is interesting. You are a descendant of my Godric, but you are not his heir.' The phoenix tilted its head as it considered Harry. 'The current heir left Hogwarts several years ago and I can sense he still lives.'
"Oh..." Harry bit his lip and let his hand drop so that it was resting on the windowsill next to the phoenix. "That might be because I'm not from here."
He found himself telling the phoenix about his life, about the time travel and how he had been adopted into the Malfoy family. It was a long story and by the time Harry was done he was sitting in the center of the room with the phoenix resting on his raised knee.
'You have been very brave living through what you have.' The phoenix had been silent throughout the story until Harry finished. 'As much as I feel you would be worthy, I can not connect you to Godric's magic within Hogwarts.'
"That's ok. I don't really want it. I just want to meet all the Guardians." Harry wasn't like Tom; he didn't want power, he just wanted to enjoy life.
The phoenix tilted its head in confusion and its black eyes seemed to stare right into Harry's soul. 'You are a strange one Harry Potter, but I suppose that is to be expected. You are Godric's descendant after all.' All of the Gryffindor heirs had been strange in some way.
As if it had made up its mind, the phoenix nodded its graceful head. 'I will grant you a boon. Although you cannot control it, if you are ever in need or find yourself in danger, you may call for me and I will do what I can with Godric's magic to help you.' The phoenix only ever gave its name to those that it deemed worthy.
'Just call out for Fawkes.'
The phoenix, Fawkes, left after that. Harry watched, mesmerized as Fawkes spread his gorgeous flame colored wings and lifted into the air with powerful thrusts. A strong breeze filled the circular stone room as Fawkes flipped around to soar right out of the only window, singing his beautiful and hypnotizing song the entire time.
It took a few minutes before Harry was able to collect himself and shake off the residue of the phoenix song. He stood up feeling stronger, centered, and ready to face down just about any enemy that could possibly be beyond the door.
He still had to find Tom after all and Harry didn't exactly know how long he had been in the room speaking with Fawkes. He was pretty sure he had missed dinner at least.
With new determination Harry left the Room of Requirement and marched down the hall to continue his search for Tom.
Harry didn't have to look for long. Apparently he'd been gone long enough that Tom's anger had cooled off so he'd returned to the Slytherin dorms to speak with Harry only to find him missing.
He'd scrambled his followers and the other older Slytherin students that at least listened to Tom in order to find Harry. It was Alf Mulciber that found Harry riding the moving staircases down.
"You're in serious trouble Harry." Alf whispered as he quickly caught up to Harry to escort him down to the dorms. "Tom is in a right state with worry. He knows you're alright, but you know he doesn't want you to wander around alone."
"I was only on my own because I went looking for him." Harry responded, but Alf didn't seem to hear him.
In fact Alf didn't seem to notice anything except where they were going. This was probably the first time Harry had seen Alf so serious and quiet.
"Finally!" They were almost to the Slytherin common room when the entrance opened quickly to reveal Tom striding out. His emotions were tightly controlled and sealed so Harry had a hard time figuring out what Tom was feeling.
"Thank you Mulciber. Send a message out that Harry has been found."
Tom's eyes never left Harry even as he grabbed the younger pre-teen by the shoulder and dragged him towards the secret passage to the Chamber of Secrets. The two didn't even make it to the chamber though. As soon as the secret entrance was sealed shut Tom turned to Harry.
"Where have you been?" Tom's words were so close to actual hisses that they sounded almost like parseltongue. "You've been gone for hours! Black and Prince say you left after dinner started."
Just the thought of what Tom had seen when he'd first walked into the great hall had his anger and jealousy rearing up. He was barely able to seal it away before Harry could catch it.
"I was worried about you." The courage from the phoenix song was still singing through Harry so he was able to stand tall under Tom's red glare. "You were so angry and you left so fast that I was worried something had happened. I went to find you."
"You should have taken someone with you." Tom's teeth were grinding against each other has he forced himself not to let Harry become the target of his rage.
Harry frowned deeply as he watched Tom. By Tom's body language Harry knew he was angry, but even with the dampening charm at its weakest setting Harry could only barely pick up on Tom's emotions.
The dampening charm had been spelled so that Tom wouldn't be blocked at all, so why was Harry having such trouble now?
"I forgot. I'm sorry." He didn't feel sorry, but Harry knew if he didn't apologize then Tom would only get more upset.
It took several deep breaths before Tom was able to get himself under control. He felt like he had been yelling, but Tom knew his voice had stayed at it's normal level.
"Just...don't do that again." Tom closed his eyes and rubbed at them tiredly. When he opened them again the red had receded so that it was barely rings around the black of his eyes.
Seeing that Tom had calmed down, Harry decided to take a chance he normally wouldn't have taken. "Why were you so angry Tom?" He asked quickly before his courage could leave him.
Of course Harry would ask him that. The younger boy had no idea how seeing Orion hanging all over Harry would upset Tom. Harry had no idea just how deeply Tom felt for him.
Maybe Abraxas was right and Tom should speak with Harry about his feelings, but seeing Harry looking up at Tom with such worry in his eyes made him stop. Harry was a boy. He was too young to understand deeper emotions such as the ones Tom was feeling.
And Tom still had no idea how to describe what it was he felt without having to rely on that ridiculous word 'love'.
"It's nothing for you to worry about right now Harry." Tom felt his anger fading when Harry reached out to take his hand. "I'll tell you when I have a better understanding of what happened."
Those words were as good as a promise from Tom and Harry was willing to let it go for now. "Please don't disappear like that again." Harry looked down at where he was holding Tom's one hand in his two. "I searched everywhere for you, but I couldn't find you. It scared me."
The two were quiet for several long minutes. What little anger Tom had still felt vanished. He knew Harry was telling the truth, he could see it in the way those light green eyes shimmered.
By running off and shutting off his connection to Harry, Tom had inadvertently scared Harry and caused the younger boy to run around without protection.
If Harry had gotten hurt it would have been Tom's fault.
With a sigh Tom opened the way out of the secret passage they were in and led the way out. "I won't do that again Harry." He said softly as the two of them returned to the Slytherin common room. "I promise."
The tension Harry had been feeling in his chest eased and he smiled a little up at Tom. As he was tackled by Orion and Eileen, Harry completely forgot to tell Tom about Fawkes.
Harry only remembered to tell Tom about Fawkes and everything that had happened a few days later when he returned to the Room to spend some alone time with Tom.
It was a conversation that Tom had not particularly liked. He had to keep reminding himself that Harry hadn't gotten hurt and that spending time with the phoenix had kept Harry out of any potential trouble.
The fact that Harry was related to Godric Gryffindor, but not his heir, did trouble Tom a little bit though.
"Sometimes I wounder if you're a niffler and trouble is your gold."
Harry could only grin up at Tom. The two of them were reclining on the couch in front of the large fireplace that the Room had provided.
"It is one of my most redeeming qualities." Harry's legs were swinging over the edge of the armrest while his head was resting on Tom's lap.
Tom snorted softly. "That and your inability to run away from danger."
"You know," Harry's eyes were starting to close as Tom began running his fingers through his hair. "I would have thought the Gryffindor Guardian would be a Griffin."
Tom shook his head and rolled his eyes. "That would have been too obvious. But then again," He rubbed at his chin with his other hand for a moment. "With how oblivious most Gryffindors are, they probably need all the hints they can get."
"Ha ha Tom." Harry batted at the hand running through his hair. "I could have been in Gryffindor you know."
"Thank Mother Magic for minor miracles."
Special thanks to: Louise to and Deb