CHAPTER 30

Later On…

Harry found a relieved Theo waiting for him just mere feet down the corridor, pacing agitatedly.

After reassuring his friend that, yes, Jim Potter was still very much alive, the two returned to the Slytherin dungeons. There, Harry and Theo stayed up talking and eating unconscionable amounts of Honeydukes chocolate until well after the sun came up, before crashing and sleeping until noon.

29 December 1991 - Slytherin Dorms, 10:53PM

After a lovely dinner with his mother in her private quarters (Theo had preferred to eat in the Great Hall), Harry lay quietly in his bed, ruminating over the events of the past few days. He was inordinately happy for Theo and his confession of his father murdering his mother. Not only was his friend sleeping through the night, he seemed more relaxed than he ever had, the catharsis of finally talking about his mother's death with someone he trusted doing him a world of good. Thankfully, Jim had heeded his warning about blabbing Theo's business; Brother Dearest had practically quailed at the sight of him – and it seemed clear that the Brat-Who-Lived had taken his words to heart. Neither he nor Theo had been bothered by Lackey Weasley or any other Gryffindor who'd be inclined to gossip.

Turning his thoughts to more pleasant topics, Harry thought about all the gifts he'd received. His wardrobe was practically teeming with its new additions, and he knew Mia had already added all his new Quidditch posters and other relevant paraphernalia into his room at the Evans Keep. He'd already made headway in all the new books he'd received from his mother and uncles, especially Prefects Who Gained Power by Mervyn Wynch (Slytherin, Class of 1875). Though Tom had not expanded on the bookmarked chapters' significance, Harry was clever enough to ascertain that they had something to do with 'seeking the Sentinel', which would provide further insight into finding out exactly whom and what the Prince of Slytherin title entailed.

Focusing, Harry slipped into a meditative state, allowing his body to calm as his mind focused on Wynch's words.

Within the Halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Prefects are designated as the authorities of their respective houses, just beneath the helm of the Head Boy and Head Girl. One male and one female student are selected by the Head of House and Headmaster in their fifth year, a position they are expected to maintain well into their seventh year until graduation. They serve as student leaders; guardians for the lesser years to aid with their schooling needs, patrols for the halls to ensure students abide by curfew, and, should the need arise, remove House Points and assign detention to those who disobey the school rules.

Though some may consider them lesser powers, the Prefects - Harry's eyes suddenly flew open as the whir-click of his mind pieced a bit of the puzzle. Egbert had used the exact term of 'lesser powers' when he had (unbeknownst to Harry at the time) described the Prefects. And now, Harry could comfortably assume that 'the nest' referenced Prefect's Row, a private side corridor that branched off from the common room. Prefect's Row housed six prefect bedrooms that doubled as personal offices, and it was also a place where no First Year was allowed without explicit permission.

Quickly, Harry got down from his bed and pulled on a casual robe, checking to make sure that Theo was still sound asleep. With newfound excitement, he made his way into the Common Room, pausing to hiss a quick hello to Kyna before entering Prefect's Row. Ahead of him was a dimly lit corridor about forty feet long, with three equidistant doors on each side. The left was demarcated for the males, and the right for the females. Adjusting his glasses, the young Slytherin activated the Rune Detector, having done some additional research on rune recognition since his run-in with the Mirror of Erised. Like before, multiple runes sprang into existence over each of the doors, some he recognized as complex alarm wards and anti lock-picking charms ('so no Alohomora there'). Based on the runes colors (a vibrant mix of glowing indigos and oranges), he realized that attempting any spell to counteract the charms would trigger them, and though none of the rooms' inhabitants were present, Harry was in no mood to potentially have to explain why he'd been in Prefect's Row to begin with.

Sighing somewhat dejectedly (with no small amount of irritation), Harry made to deactivate the Detector feature before he suddenly paused while staring straight down the hallway. From his vantage, he could see a very faint glow emanating from a small point in the blank wall that marked the hallway's end. And even more curiously, the shape of the glow resembled a snake.

Carefully, Harry walked all the way down the dark corridor, past all six bedrooms, until his path was blocked by a blank wall with the curious glow, much brighter now due to increased proximity. Turning off his detector, Harry noticed that the wall wasn't actually a blank wall. Rather, it looked more like an archway that had been sealed over years or even centuries before with uniform gray bricks. At some point, a large crack must have developed in the wall which had been patched over with a chalky white mortar, leaving the impression of a jagged scar several inches thick in places that ran all of the way from the top right corner to the bottom left.

"Very curious… why on earth would a crack in Hogwarts' wall be manually repaired with mortar when they have magic?"

Slowly, he gingerly reached out to feel the crack and realized that it actually wasn't mortar; rather, the crack was a raised mold that had been carefully painted onto the stonework. Examining it more closely, he noticed a faint scale-like texture to the paint and realized the jagged crack was actually a very crudely drawn snake. But then, he saw that even its very crudeness was deliberate, as no casual viewer would have ever recognized it as a snake unless specifically looking for one. In a moment, Harry made up his mind.

"Hello there. Am I addressing the Sentinel?"

Instantly, the crack shifted on the wall, with the thicker piece at the bottom rising up to a point a foot above Harry's head and the rest dropping down towards a horizontal coil a few feet above the ground. It was now definitely a snake, a massive cobra with large gray eyes, looking none too pleased as its hood fanned out menacingly while glaring at the boy. It was, without a doubt, the most intimidating snake Harry had encountered since arriving at Hogwarts.

"The Sentinel am I, charged by the Founder to guard the Prince's Lair. Who art thou, Speaker, to address me thus in the Founder's own sacred tongue?"

Harry's eyebrows shot up. He'd met many very old snakes in the castle, but none so old that they actually sounded so… archaic. Thankfully, his many lessons with Madame Milburga (as well as Tom's enduring formal vocabulary) ensured that he was more than up to the task.

"I am Harry Potter, a student of the Founder's great House who requests knowledge about the one called the Prince of Slytherin. I was suitably informed that you, the Sentinel, would be the one to grant the knowledge I seek."

The Sentinel hissed angrily. "Thou art a child, ignorant and weak. Thou hast done nothing to earn passage save bleat entreaties in the Founder's tongue after prizing ill-gotten secrets from loose-tongued serpents. Thy humility marks thee as unworthy, and so, thy request is… denied. NOW BEGONE!" His hood flared angrily upon his final statement, his hissing turning staccato in his anger.

Harry stood dumbfounded, shocked by the snake's rudeness. The Sentinel was by far the rudest snake he'd ever encountered, a complete opposite to any snake he'd encountered at Hogwarts, since most went out of their way to be helpful. The Sentinel was as contemptuous as he was mercurial, and it seemed the young Potter would gain no reprieve there. Harry made to take a step back before pausing, thinking deeply about what the Sentinel said… before another whir-click of his mind informed him exactly of what he should say to gain the Sentinel's worthiness.

"You are gravely mistaken, Sentinel, especially in your assumption that I was making any sort of request. And what you foolishly called humility was a mere attempt at simple diplomacy. But upon seeing the waste of my hard-wrought efforts, allow me to be more… direct." Harry sneered before taking another bold step forward, almost nose-to-nose with a still furiously hissing Sentinel. " I am Harry Potter, Second-born Son of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter, and Oath-Sworn Godson of the Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. I am a Speaker of the Founder's Sacred Tongue, and one of few worthy living descendants of the Founder's Noble Bloodline. I have quested throughout this castle in search of you and earned the trust and respect of the wisest of Hogwarts' serpents. Though I am young, do not mistake my youth for the ignorance of the lessers that litter this hall. By the force of my cunning and intellect was I able to slay a mountain troll that would have consumed a lesser. By the persistence of my power did my wand cross that of my greatest rival within the Founder's House, humbling him and instilling a fear of my power within my peers. I am the living shadow that passes unseen beneath the gaze of the darkest lord of our time, even as I proudly aid those who seek his destruction. I have seen my heart's desire reflected in the darkest of cursed objects, and by the strength of my will was I able to turn away from it. So I beseech you Sentinel, if these are not enough to earn my passage, then you will tell me what more I must do to satisfy you. Otherwise, serpent, YOU WILL OBEY MY COMMAND AND REVEAL TO ME THE SECRETS OF THE PRINCE OF SLYTHERIN!"

The Sentinel's angry hissing grew louder and more incoherent as Harry spoke, until finally, after Harry issued his final command, it grew silent and still. Then, without any further response, the Sentinel twisted itself back into its original shape and resumed the apparent form of a simple crack in the wall. With a deep exhale Harry deflated, disappointed that his attempt at bluster had been unsuccessful, when he heard a very soft grinding sound coming from the wall. Suddenly, the bricks that made up the wall split along the crack, not collapsing so much as peeling away in a manner similar to the wall that marked the entrance to Diagon Alley. Within seconds, where the brick wall had been, there was now an entryway… into darkness.

Casting a Lumos with his wand, Harry cautiously stepped forward. He need not have bothered – as soon as he crossed the threshold, the darkness of the entryway gave way to a room brilliantly illuminated by glass chandeliers, each crystal reflecting the light of dozens of enchanted cream-white candles. Gawking, Harry took in the rest of his surroundings. The secret chamber looked to be twenty yards wide and twice as long with a massive twenty-foot vaulted ceiling. All of the walls were covered in oak paneling, with polished marble floors covered in elegant rugs in multiple shades of green and cream. The wall to Harry's right was marked with a massive stone fireplace easily big enough for a man to walk comfortably through without ducking, and there appeared to be a fresh bucket of Floo powder next to it. On either side of the fireplace were several massive bookshelves full of tomes so old and mysterious-looking that in that instance Harry resolved never to tell Hermione Granger about this room, lest she tear the Slytherin dungeon apart brick by brick to gain them for herself.

The wall on the left bore what looked like a massive gilded plaque bearing artful snake motifs titled Princeps Emeriti, filled with forty to fifty small silver nameplates meticulously arranged with room still for dozens more. Beneath that was a slightly smaller plaque bearing multiple smaller silver nameplates titled Consiliarii Emeriti, with at least five or six arranged in a neat row on the left, connected by a glowing line to a nameplate on the right. Lightly squinting to activate the zoom feature of his glasses, Harry happily realized that he recognized quite a few names on both sets of plaques, most notably Tom Riddle, Lucius Malfoy, Regulus Black (Sirius' brother!), Severus Snape, and (with a loving smile) Lily Evans. Shifting his view to the far wall, Harry saw it was dominated by a massive tapestry, in a style remarkably similar to the Black Family tapestry within Grimmauld Place. The words "HERE BE THE HEIRS OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN" were emblazoned at the top in shimmering silver letters, clearly indicating that it was the Founder's family tree. With a keen eye, Harry quickly picked out his (and his brother's!) names, connected by a pulsing glowing line to Lily Evans, which was connected to her father and his father until reaching an ancestress with the last name Wilkes. That ancestress was connected by an extremely faint line to another Wilkes, whose line descended unbroken to Erasmus Wilkes, who was connected by an extremely faint line to Lily Evans. It seemed Erasmus had fathered a daughter, as a glowing line descended from his name to 'Amaryllis Wilkes'. Both the Wilkes and Evans names were faintly connected to the Gaunt Line, which currently ended at Thomas Marvolo Riddle Jr.'s name.

In the middle of the Lair was a long mahogany table with legs carved to represent massive snakes. It had three chairs on each side, each also mahogany with brilliant emerald green upholstery. Rising up from the back of each chair were two matching brass finials elegantly cast into the shapes of adder heads with jeweled eyes. But it was the seventh chair that dominated Harry's attention, for even calling it a chair seemed so grossly inadequate as to be an insult. It was, without a doubt, the single most magnificent piece of furniture that Harry had ever laid eyes on. It was a massive black throne that looked to be carved out of a solid block of basalt inlaid with gleaming silver filigree, covered with thick emerald green silk cushions to provide comfort.

But the most impressive – and intimidating – thing about this throne was what sprang out from its back: a number of truly massive silver snake sculptures, each with huge emeralds for eyes. By far the dominant one was the silver basilisk in the center that curved over the throne almost protectively. Its body was as wide as a tree trunk, and it loomed at least fifteen-feet tall with massive emerald eyes the size of a man's fist. Flanking it were a python and a king cobra that were almost as tall if not so wide. On the right side of the throne (from an onlooker's perspective) were three smaller but still over-sized snakes; an ashwinder, a boomslang, and finally a krait. On the left side was a large runespoor with three heads growing out of a single oversized trunk. The whole thing looked like something out of antiquity or myth, the throne of an ancient serpentine god-king of millenia past. Squaring his shoulders, Harry hissed out a respectful greeting:

"Good evening to you all. My name is Harry Potter. I am truly honored to stand before you." The veritable chorus of hisses that welcomed him to the room made him grin from ear to ear.

Some Minutes Later…

"Theo! Theo! Theo, c'mon! Wake up!" With barely contained excitement Harry shook his friend awake, who struggled to blink the sleep out of his eyes.

"H-Harry? W-what's going on?" He gave a great yawn and stretched, wondering what on earth could have his usually calm friend practically vibrating with excitement.

"Oh it's remarkable Theo! Absolutely remarkable!" Before Theo could even respond, Harry grabbed his hand and dragged the confused (and increasingly worried) boy off all the way down the stairs, through the Common Room, through Prefect's Row, and straight into the Lair without pause. Once they entered, Harry excitedly explained where they were, why they were there, and what it all meant while Theo gawked in open-mouthed shock.

"Oh… and I'm also a Parselmouth. I can talk to snakes and have been able to for most of my life." And to Harry's shock, Theo Nott immediately fainted dead away.

AN 1: And here is the Sentinel! As noted, this is Part 1; Part 2 will contain a more in-depth follow-up conversation with the Sentinel which will provide some much needed background on its history, purpose, etc.

AN 2: We will see the Tapestry come into play further on in the story.

Next Up: The Sentinel, Part 2!