"H-h-horcruxes?" Hermione stammered. "Aren't those...I don't know...bad?"
Slytherin frowned. "I guess I really wouldn't know a whole lot about them now, but we seem to be fine, don't you think? I'll admit that I wasn't completely sure of the processes at first, but everything seems to have turned out alright. Why? What do you know about horcruxes?"
"I-I was bored one day while we were staying at Grimmauld Place," Hermione explained. "The ancestral home of the Black family, a very old and typically Darker family," she added to help the Founders. "As I said, I was bored, so I decided to look in the Black Library. I was just skimming through, but before long I came upon a section of books that looked absolutely ghastly. They covered the most hideous Dark subjects, and soon I couldn't stand it any longer and left. But I specifically remember one book that stood out to me. It looked like the worst of the bunch, and its title said it was all about things called Horcruxes!"
Ron and Harry stared worriedly at Hermione, having never heard this particular story before. For Hermione to abandon a set of unread books was almost unheard of. That she had meant those books must have been extremely horrific. The portraits looked equally startled, and while they didn't know Hermione, that horcruxes were described in such a book was still very surprising.
"I can assure you," Ravenclaw responded, "that our methods and procedures were performed with the utmost care and without any ethical or moral ambiguities. It was actually a relatively simple process. We copied and stored our memories within the painting and left imprints of ourselves, almost like a more sophisticated way of making one's self a ghost. However, I only know of this adaptation of the magic. Salazar, is there any way this could be true, and that this is Dark Magic?"
"Well," Slytherin answered, "I most certainly agree with you that this particular form of horcrux is nothing bad. However, I'm not as sure about the general type of magic it uses and other potential forms that could come with it. My horcruxes are, essentially, a form of soul magic and soul bonding. As you know, at least I hope you know, people can form bonds with each other and other sentient creatures with the right magic. I dabbled in attempting to connect the soul with something inanimate that would protect the bond for many lifetimes."
"So this is a form of immortality?" Harry asked, mental gears turning.
"Not quite that," Slytherin explained, "More like...I'm not sure how to put it...a copy. A representation. I am not the Salazar Slytherin that lived and breathed on this Earth. He has moved on to the next great adventure, as have the other founders. We here are representations of them, with all their memories within us and thinking and acting as they would. We were put here to give aid and advice if students here in the Chamber of Secrets should ever need are higher than mere portraits, but we are not truly alive, so to speak."
"But would immortality be possible?" Ron asked, understanding where Harry was going. If this was what it sounded like, they might finally know how Voldemort had worked to escape death. However, if that was the case, they were going to have a much harder task than any had anticipated.
"I suppose," Slytherin mused, glancing at Ravenclaw, "that under the right circumstances, one might be able-"
"But you couldn't achieve that with mere connection, Salazar," Ravenclaw interrupted, "To retain true life and immortality, able to actually return to life or remain alive, the soul would have to be split entirely, not just imprinted, so that the transition of one soul part to the next life does not take the entire being with it."
"Is that even possible, though?" Slytherin responded. "The soul is not some physical object like a cloak or a piece of parchment. You cannot simply take hold of it and split it into two."
"But to leave a part of one's self behind? Remember, magic is most likely understood differently now than it was in our time. We don't know what has been discovered or what people are capable of."
"Anyway," Gryffindor interrupted, disrupting the theorizing and pondering of Slytherin and Ravenclaw, "you can theorize all you want on the magic's implications in this time, but the heart of the matter, as you mentioned, Rowena, is that we need more information before any action can take place. And for that, we need the help of the students to see what has happened." The others nodded, and Salazar turned to Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
"When these portraits were created, the idea of a horcrux was not an evil one," Salazar explained. "In your time, that may no longer be the case. We ask that you trust us when we say that we mean you no harm and that these actions will bring you no harm. If you agree to trust us, please place your hands on the portrait and open your minds."
Glancing only briefly at each other, Harry and the others stepped forward to place their hands upon the portrait.
"Wait," Ron asked, "how do I...uh...open my mind?"
"Clear it of worries and thoughts," Hufflepuff answered, "be calm and let your mind go blank."
"Shouldn't be too hard for you, Ron," Hermione joked, earning a glare from the redhead.
The trio pressed their hands against the portrait at the same moment. Once their hands made contact, they felt an odd tingling sensation travel up through their bodies toward their heads. Harry heard Ron let out a loud gulp before everything went dark.
Suddenly, pictures and faces began rushing through Harry's vision at a breakneck pace. He caught glimpses of Sirius, his parents, Dumbledore, and his friends. The visions paused for a moment and Harry found himself back in Number Four Privet Drive. The feeling was similar to being in a Pensieve.
"This is where you grew up?" Hufflepuff's voice rang in Harry's mind. "How terrible!" A younger Uncle Vernon walked right through Harry, coming to stop at the cupboard door beneath the stairs. He quickly began rapping on it, calling for Harry to get his lazy arse outside and make breakfast.
"You've never...um...returned to give them a bit of...repayment for their kindness, have you?" Gryffindor's disembodied voice inquired.
"I've gone there every summer," Harry replied, "But no, nothing like that. The Ministry of Magic would have my head."
"Oh. Yes, yes, them. Should have known," Gryffindor muttered, sounding quite disappointed.
Suddenly images of First Year flashed by in Harry's mind. The scene changed, and Harry was standing near the Mirror of Erised watching Quirrell unwrap the turban.
"This is man you spoke of, one who tortures Muggles for sport, yes?" Ravenclaw's voice rang through Harry's mind, and he confirmed her speculation.
Soon they came to Harry's first visit in the Chamber of Secrets. Salazar seemed awfully upset, but insisted on viewing the memory so he could better understand what had happend. Harry could tell he was getting much more information out of the memory than Harry would have gotten or could have told him. "It couldn't simply have been Parseltongue that let him do this," Salazar had mused. "Just because you speak the language doesn't mean the snake will obey, Themistocles would have been quite powerful and intelligent by this time, capable of seeing through most attempts at manipulation. He certainly wouldn't have done those things by his own free will."
They continued going through memories, year by year. It was an odd experience for Harry, and sometimes quite frightening. A lot of moments they focused on, such as Voldemort's revival, were memories he had never wanted to relive. The Founders had stopped asking questions and instead focused on Harry's memories, which could tell a lot more than Harry himself.
After viewing all related memories up to the current ones, Harry was brought back to the night his parents died. It was just an image he was seeing (thankfully not a memory), but it was still disturbing. A dark, cloaked figure who was obviously Voldemort was looming over him.
"It all comes down to this man, this thing, doesn't it?" Slytherin asked.
"Yes," Harry answered. "He's the leader. Maybe not the one who started it all, but certainly the one who brought the terrors back out of hiding."
"I feared as much," Slytherin responded. "We are finished viewing your memories. I must warn you that the process of returning back may feel a little...unsettling."
Suddenly, the image disappeared, and all Harry saw was pure darkness. He couldn't feel his body at all, but he felt like he was falling nonetheless. Light slowly appeared, like the end of a distant tunnel, and Harry attempted to brace himself.
Harry's mind snapped back into reality, instantly restoring his senses. Startled, Harry lost his balance and stumbled backward. Taking a moment to readjust to his surroundings, Harry noticed that both Ron and Hermione looked rather disheveled also. Turning to look at the portrait, Harry could see the Four Founders conversing quietly with one another. Harry couldn't hear what they were saying, but their expressions told him that the conversation was both serious and worrisome. He turned back to Hermione and Ron.
"Did they...with you...see your memories flash by?" They both nodded.
Ron added, "The feeling at the end...it was so scary I almost screamed. I'm hoping they have what they need because I don't want to go through that again!" The redhead shuddered, trying not to think about the darkness and feelings of falling.
"Do you think they found out what they needed to know?" Hermione quietly asked.
Harry nodded. "I think so. I bet now they're just trying to decide what to do about it."
After about fifteen minutes of discussion, the Founders returned their attention to the students. "Everything is much clearer to us now after viewing your memories," Slytherin declared. "And even if we dislike our conclusions, we now know what has happened and what needs to be done. It appears that, at some point in history, the magic that I refined and quietly introduced to the magical world was tainted by men with darker intentions. As we were speculating earlier, my horcrux magic was warped to split the soul in an attempt to achieve immortality. The villainous portrayal that I've been given in history could be due to my discovery of horcrux magic and some of my other more mysterious traits."
Harry thought that made a lot of sense. After meeting this representation of Slytherin, it seemed hard to believe that such a man could become so infamous.
"My goals and values, also, have been warped out of proportion," Slytherin continued. "It seems my descendants have taken cunning thought and respect for power to an unhealthy and inaccurate extreme. It makes me feel embarrassed and somewhat ashamed to see what the House of Slytherin and my descendants have become. None more obvious, perhaps, than the Dark Wizard you spoke of. The man named Tom Marvolo Riddle, now known as Lord Voldemort."
Slytherin shook his head, disgusted. "If others warped the nature and magic of horcruxes, this man outdid them all. This is how almost certainly how he gained his so-called immortality and was able to survive that fateful Halloween night."
"How can you be sure?" Hermione asked. "Maybe there is a new way that we don't know about. A way that we'd never seen or heard of, and thus not giving you any clue of it when viewing our memories."
"Ah, but you see, my dear," Ravenclaw explained, "you have encountered these horcruxes before. At least, one of you has," she added, glancing meaningfully at Harry.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"Your first visit into the Chamber of Secrets," Slytherin answered. "First off, a mere memory such as the one in the Diary taking control of Themistocles? Impossible! I'm fairly certain now that he was under the influence of powerful magic both times the Chamber was recently opened. A memory would not be able to bring forth or use such magic. Also, Tom Riddle's efforts to suck away Ginny Weasley's life force, and the means and effects of his destruction, point to one thing. That diary was horcrux. A tainted one, not one of mine, I mean. And, since that one was destroyed yet Voldemort still returned, he must have more hidden away."
"You guys couldn't tell what was happening outside this room? Even when the Chamber was opened twice within sixty years?" Ron asked.
Hufflepuff shook her head. "This room was intended to keep us protected. Imagine what someone with bad intentions could do with our magic, power, and knowledge. We needed to be isolated in order to be safe."
"After viewing your memories, we have seen the Death Eaters, the Blood Purists, and Voldemort himself, all doing terrible things in my name or bringing shame to my House." Slytherin continued. "Though perhaps I take the most offense, the other Founders are also quite aggrieved with what has happened. And, because my efforts of dabbling in soul magic are partially to blame for Voldemort's longevity, we have decided to give you our aid."
"What kind of aid?" Ron asked. "No offense, you guys, but you're portraits. You don't move. I'm sure there's plenty of knowledge i]n this room and in your heads, and that's great for these two," Ron gestured at Hermione and Harry, "but we need more than just information to beat these guys. You may have some interesting spells, but these people have been dueling for decades and studying magic for even longer. We're three teens who might have some potential, but at this point in time we don't have a chance. The only reason we've survived this long is because of outside help and a whole lot of luck."
"Well said," chuckled Gryffindor, who turned to look at Ron. "You're my kind of thinker. It takes more than intelligence or trickery to win a battle. However, we can give you more than that. I'll let the others explain that, though." Gryffindor gestured toward Slytherin and Ravenclaw, who nodded.
"As I said before," Slytherin explained, "We are more than just portraits. A lot more. This room contains important spellbooks and lost artifacts that will be of great use. But, I believe we will be able to help more than you might think."
"You'll remember that we talked about bonding to other beings," Ravenclaw added. "While we are currently bound to this portrait, this does not have to be permanent."
Hermione gasped. "You mean…"
"Yes," Ravenclaw answered. "With the proper spells, if you are willing, we would be able to move from this portrait to within your minds."
"We wouldn't be able to interfere or control you," Hufflepuff added, "if you might be worried about that. We'd be bystanders, more or less."
"However," Gryffindor put in, glancing meaningfully at Ron, "our presence wouldn't only be useful for communications or intelligence. You all would become significantly more powerful, able to cast spells more quickly and potently than before. Each of you won't be able to host more than one of us at a time; however, for the Founder that you do host, you main gain an ability or two as well. This hasn't happened before, so we won't know exactly what to expect, but I would imagine in my case some of my natural magical resilience and physical strength would be assumed. Maybe my Animagus ability would be gained as well, or I could at least help you find your own form, if you have one, more easily.."
"But if our minds can only handle one of you," Hermione pointed out, "that will leave one Founder left."
"Yes," Hufflepuff agreed, "If this is agreed upon, I will not be bonding with simply one of you. Instead, I will be partially bonding with all of you. This will tie the three of you together more closely, and it will allow us Founders to communicate even while separated. While having two Founders within a head would be too mentally taxing, my presence should not be a problem."
Harry looked at his two best friends. "I've been up against Voldemort for my whole life. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to put a stop to him. If that means sharing my mind with one of you, by all means let's do that. Personally, if that's all it will take to gain your help, that will be a welcome surprise. As for Ron and Hermione, they've been with me since First Year. Despite my warnings, they've never hesitated to follow me into danger. Even if I were to announce that I was leaving to take on Voldemort himself, I know that they'd be right behind me, despite my own attempts to keep them away from harm." Hermione and Ron nodded, happy that Harry was finally coming to understand that they weren't going to let him face danger alone. "I say we do this mind bonding now so that we can take down Voldemort that much sooner."
The Founders all looked pleased. "Before I begin teaching Hermione the spells to bring this out," Ravenclaw announced, "there is one final thing we must do. That is, assuming there are no arguments over which Founder takes residence within whom. We believe that the best combinations would be Salazar and Harry, Godric and Ron, and myself and Hermione."
The trio nodded, each glad with the Founder they would be sharing heads with. Ravenclaw glanced at Slytherin, wishing him to continue. She then gestured for Hermione to come closer. The two then began conversing quietly, working out the details of how to perform the needed magic.
"The final obstacle in our way," Slytherin explained, "is that one of you does not as of now have the mental space to host a Founder. Harry is already sharing his mind with another."
Harry's eyes widened in fear and confusion. Hermione and Ron looked equally surprised and worried. "What are you talking about?" Harry blustered. "I'm not sharing my head with anyone. Wouldn't I know that already?" But even as he asked, Harry felt a sense of dread within.
"You have noticed the presence for a long time. You simply did not know what it truly was. The pain in your scar. The sensations of emotion that didn't fit with your current feelings. The visions and dreams you had. When you were attacked as an infant," Slytherin elaborated, "whether it was a last effort of revenge or a mere accident, Voldemort's tattered soul latched onto you. He made you an incomplete horcrux. For me to inhabit your mind, we must destroy that fragment of him."
"Will it be difficult?" Harry asked. "Will I lose anything? Is that soul fragment the reason why I can speak Parseltongue?"
Slytherin smiled grimly. "I think that together you and I will be more than a match for him. As for the Parseltongue, since you have spoken and gotten used to the language, I do not think it will leave you. You might have more difficulty with it, especially words you have not yet spoken or read in the language, but I highly doubt your knowledge, however you got it, will completely leave you. Even on the off chance that it would, my presence would allow you to continue speaking it for as long as you and I remained connected."
"When can we remove him?" Harry asked. "Does the removal require anything special?"
Slytherin shook his head. "Once the connection process starts, I think Voldemort will reveal himself. When he does, I will act. I simply wanted to make you aware of this so as not to startle you."
"I think we're ready," Hermione announced soon after. "Or at least as ready as we're ever going to get."
Moving the furniture to the corners of the room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione cleared a large amount of space directly in front of the portrait so that no one would be injured after stumbling or backing up. The thick rug would help prevent anyone who fell from getting badly injured. Hermione cast multiple spells on both the portrait and the surrounding area to make sure everything would be safe and relatively easy.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood about three paces away from the portrait, wands out and extended forward. Just as Ravenclaw had instructed, they uttered in unison the long, foreign words required, careful to avoid stammering or mispronunciation. When they finished, white jets of light erupted from the tips of their wands, making contact with the portrait and bathing it in light.
Harry felt a searing pain in his scar, and he watched in horror as a ghostly apparition of Voldemort himself slowly formed next to his wand. From the portrait, Slytherin's form seemed to float out, taking shape and gaining color. While Voldemort's soul fragment shade was just barely noticeable and a blurry grey, Slytherin's form would almost have seemed real if it wasn't floating and slightly transparent. Harry risked a glance at Ron and Hermione, but they either couldn't see what was going on or they were too focused on the spell and its effects upon them.
"Begone, foul creature!" Slytherin snarled in a low, dark voice containing none of his previous charm, wit, and general likability. Looking at the man before him, who was filled with rage and preparing to fight an enemy, made it suddenly clear to Harry how Slytherin could be portrayed as a villain or Dark Wizard by historians who hadn't personally known him. Slytherin was a powerful friend to have, but he would make an even more powerful, unrelenting, and terrifying enemy.
"This is my territory," rasped the shade in a quiet, malevolent voice. "You do not want to feel my power or my vengeance."
Slytherin smiled, but the smile never reached his eyes. "Boy, you know nothing of power. Neither true power nor the fake power you think you own." Slytherin raised his hand, which which was surrounded by a reddish black aura. The soul fragment's shade began to glow as well, but as the aura surrounded it, its body began to disintegrate like dust in the wind.
"Who...what are you?" The shade screamed in a mixture of pain, rage, and fear.
Slytherin's eyes narrowed. "I'm the man whose House and legacy you tarnished with your actions. I'm the man you claimed to be the Heir of but disgraced my name. I'm the man whose magical discoveries you polluted. I'm the man who's now out for revenge. Riddle, I am your worst nightmare."
Slytherin clenched his fist, and the remains of the shade shattered, breaking off into smaller and smaller pieces before disappearing completely. Harry felt like a tremor had struck, but somehow he felt lighter, more awake, and altogether less burdened.
Harry watched as Slytherin glided toward him, still surrounded by the fiery, reddish black aura. He tried to keep his face emotionless, but Slytherin must have noticed Harry's unease. The aura dimmed, and the man seemed to shrink back down to his normal self.
"You need not worry, Harry." Slytherin assured him, his voice now gentle and calming. "Power is not something to be feared. It is a tool, like your wand or like a Muggle gun. If you remember that you are in control, you have nothing to fear."
"It's just…" Harry stammered, "you seemed so frightening. So powerful. You almost seemed like another Dark Wizard."
Slytherin smiled sadly. "Even in my day, people feared those with great power. Some even tried to claim that all those with great power had dabbled in the Dark Arts. Those with power can be dangerous, true, but you cannot hope to defeat Voldemort unless you too possess power. What matters is who you make your power a danger to."
When he saw Harry still looked a bit uncertain, Slytherin changed his approach. "Would you consider Dumbledore a Dark Wizard?"
Harry instantly frowned and shook his head.
"But he is a man of great power, even more than you may know. A Master in the arts of Dueling, Legilimency, Transfiguration, and tactics. He has shaped your life in many ways, some of which may have been for his own gains, his own Greater Good."
"I know," Harry mumbled. "I know he's not perfect, but...I don't know how to put...he's Dumbledore!"
"So," Slytherin continued, "even though he is very powerful, you trust him to use his power wisely, for the most part. He has great power, and he uses it to fight evil. Sometimes there are blurred lines, for things aren't always black and white, but that is one of the consequences of war. All we can hope to do is the best with what we have."
"Is this like what the uncle of the guy in the Spider-Man movie always says? Is that what you're trying to say?" Harry grinned. "I know you know what I'm talking about, since I remember glimpsing that movie while you looked through my memories."
Slytherin sighed. "I thought I'd gotten away with that. We didn't have entertainment like that back when I was alive. I was trying to avoid saying that, but yes, that is what I'm getting at. It's not the power that defines you, but what you choose to do with it. Now, as much as I'd love to continue this deep conversation, I think your body is going to be out for a while due to all this mental battling. We're one step closer to getting you your own private hospital bed!"
With a mental sigh, Harry felt consciousness ebbing away and prepared to get yelled at by Ron and Hermione when he woke up.
/:Note/ Well, another chapter is done! There's a bit more action in it this time, and hopefully the conversation was interesting enough. Thanks to all my viewers, reviewers, etc. for your support. That's always nice and appreciated. If anybody's got great ideas for powers/abilities (that would be usable/make sense, not just cool-sounding), let me know! Have a great day, and hopefully I'll see you all soon!