Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything what you can recognize from the books. I do however own the plot of this story but I don't have profits because of it unless you count improving my English as a profit.
Preview: Slytherin duo gets in troubles. After reaching Hogwarts Express Harry, Hermione and two others get a brief summary about each house. In the end Harry makes a shocking statement.
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Thanks for such welcoming reviews.
Chapter two: Of Slytherin and Parselmouth.
After the man whom Snape called Regulus Black had left Snape ushered Harry and Hermione upstairs and told them that he will wake them up at seven o'clock sharp. Harry and Hermione spent better part of the evening at studying each other's notes about various subjects. At half past nine they parted and went to their respective beds.
Harry lied on his bed and tried to process all information he gained today. Specifically the stuff about his parents and godfather. What Regulus had said about his godfather was quite surprising but if he was one hundred percent sure that meant one thing, when the rat is found then maybe Harry may have someone who will take care of him better than the Dursleys. With that comforting thought he fell asleep.
He woke up to pounding on his door. Undoubtedly it was seven o'clock. He quickly dressed up and gathered his stuff into his trunk. Hedwig thankfully came back at some point of time and was currently sleeping in her cage.
On the corridor he meet Hermione, she was standing in front of Snape's room. When she saw him she knocked on the door and the door immediately opened. They went inside to see small table in the corner already filled with food. Snape was sipping his tea calmly and Regulus was snoring softly on the top of the already made bed.
"He had a bad night," Snape said in a way as if it would explain everything. "Our problem got away and he spent better part of the night sitting on the top of three barrels because someone let lose a dog. Dig in, he already ate."
"Why aren't we eating downstairs?" asked Harry as he seated himself at the table.
"Too much problems," Snape sighed. "I'm not planning to let Molly Weasley within twenty foot to you and hers bunch of devils are already running around."
"What is about that woman?" asked Hermione curiously when she sat down and reached for a slice of bread.
"She is good with love potions," Snape muttered. "Plus I heard her telling her youngest son, Ronald, to befriend you. If I were you I would be careful around him, the Weasleys were always problematic, at least from my point of view. Plus her daughter has a crush on you."
"But she didn't meet me," Harry said defensively.
"Doesn't matter," Snape muttered. "You are Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the hero. She crushes on the image and not the real you. Just be careful around them."
"I will," Harry said grimly.
"Don't take it as someone trying to run your life for you but if you want to make friends, make them with people who aren't awed by your fame. There will be some people who won't see the Boy-Who-Lived but just Harry," Snape added reassuringly. "And don't judge the book by its cover."
"When we are going to leave?" Harry changed subject.
"At eight. The rooms are already paid and we are going to apparate to King's Cross Station, there is a small apparition spot at the station. We are going to be there about three hours before the train will depart but I'm not going to risk running into Molly or someone else. I had been told to watch the students but there are some people whom I want to avoid besides her. You are going to stay with us until after the train will start moving and later you may move into other compartment," Snape explained.
"Did he saw that rat?" Harry asked curiously.
"No, not that he didn't looked. He brought back three rats but all of them were real ones," Snape explained. "Made him quite twitchy in fact. He is a Slytherin to the boot, Slytherins hates failure."
"I hope that he will find him," Harry sighed.
"He will, his ambition won't allow him to rest until the rat is in Azkaban," Snape gave Harry small smile. "I learned to trust his hunches lately, Harry and if he is saying that he has a hunch that Pettigrew is going to be found this year then Pettigrew is going to be found this year."
"What is about that place, Azkaban?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Azkaban is wizarding prison. It's located on an island on the North Sea, away from the land. The place is guarded by Dementors, foul creatures whose only purpose is sucking all happy memories from the prisoners leaving them with bad ones. Most people go mad inside these walls. Don't delude yourself Harry, your godfather might be innocent man but he still spent ten years in Azkaban, in top security cell with two Dementors guarding it, day and night. He might be alive but his sanity … he might be a mad man at this point," Snape said grimly.
At that the little hope which blossomed in Harry's chest last night had died. Even if they manage to free him … he might be unfit to take care of Harry.
"Severus Tobias Snape, always an optimist," came a sleepy snort from the direction of the bed.
"I'm a realist, Pussy," Snape replied and he took a sip of his tea. "Regulus Whatever-Your-Parents –Had-Used-For-Your-Second-Name Black."
"Arcturus," Regulus mumbled.
"R.A.B?" Snape asked in amusement.
"Better than Sirius, his middle name is Orion," Regulus muttered and he rolled on his left side, facing away from them.
"Son of a bitch," Snape snorted. "What about you?"
"Hermione Jean," Hermione said.
"Harry James, from what I know from my school record," Harry mumbled.
"That's traditional custom in wizarding world," Snape commented. "For first born child, especially a son the name of the father is given as the second name."
"So if Regulus's brother's middle name is Orion we can safely assume that their father's name was Orion," said Hermione curiously. "What about the other children than a firstborn?"
"Most commonly for second names of younger children in the family are the names of their relatives, grandparents, aunts or uncles. Regulus's middle name was given after his grandfather, Arcturus Sirius Black. The man from what I know is still around, so is his daughter and cousin," Snape explained.
"If they are still around then why Regulus didn't used them to get into the house?" Harry asked curiously.
"Probably because of an old family decree," Snape answered simply. "The Blacks are a pure-blood family and in most pure-blood families all inheritance is handed down the direct line to the oldest male relative with the surname of the family. From what I found out, the house of Black family, the one in London was an old family property which had been in the family for ages but since the older Blacks preferred Scotland, Regulus's other grandfather gave it to his daughter on the day of her marriage to her husband."
"I don't get one thing," Hermione muttered. "You said the Blacks and it was given to Regulus's mother…"
"Regulus is making fun out of inbreeding in pure-blood families but he won't admit that his own parents were second cousins, they had the same great-grandfather, the most unpopular Headmaster of Hogwarts, Phineas Nigellus Black. Phineas, from what I remember from vague history of Black family which my mother managed to tell me, had three sons and one daughter. Regulus's mother was the granddaughter of Phineas's youngest son, Cygnus, while Regulus's father was the grandson of Phineas's oldest son, Sirius. Then their parents were the oldest sons in the family, respectively Arcturus for Regulus's father and Pollux for Regulus's mother," Snape explained.
"How do you know so much about the Blacks, sir?" Harry asked curiously.
"My thrice damned grandfather wanted to fix my mother's mistake by settling me with one of Regulus's cousins. I believe that her name was Andromeda, she got disowned after she ran away, married a Muggle-born wizard and later gave birth to a girl. She was quite a cute Hufflepuff, the daughter I mean, and though good at Potions she was a total klutz. How she managed…" Snape's explanations were cut by knocking on the door.
"Who's there?" Snape asked impatiently.
"It's Nymphadora Tonks, Professor Snape," came the answer. "Can I come in? I have something for you."
"Speak of the devil. Pussy, hide," Snape hissed at Regulus.
"No need to," came muffled reply. "Babbler."
"Come in, Ms Tonks," Snape called out.
The door opened and a young woman with pale, heart-shaped face peeked inside the room. Her hair were blond and very, very short. Her eyes were brown in colour. Her nose was a bit small and a bit upturned at the end.
"Hello, Professor Snape, Professor Lemeraude, kids," she said cheerfully.
"What brought you here, Ms Tonks?" Snape asked curiously. "Don't pay attention to the log."
"Stuff yourself, Sev," came a mutter from the bed before Regulus sat up and stretched his arms above his head. "How is my favourite student?"
"Great, Professor," the woman beamed. "That's why I'm here. Remember when the two of you made a bet last spring."
"The one about you getting accepted by the Aurors?" Snape asked curiously.
"I received a reply yesterday," the woman said cheerfully.
"Sev is having my money bag right now," Regulus snickered. "But if you set a date you have our Raspberry Elvish Red Wine, a crate on that."
"I didn't came here to gloat," said the woman quickly. "I was passing through the pub this morning and I heard Tom telling his housekeeper to clear Professor Snape's room after nine. I wanted to thank you personally Professor and if someone owes someone something then it is me."
"Nonsense," Regulus chuckled. "You achieved it all by yourself Dora, we were just a guidance."
"But a good one on that," the woman pointed out. "Anyway I wanted to give you this," the woman said with a sheepish smile and she pulled out a big bottle of a liquor which had the colour of weak tea and set it on the table.
"Ogden's Best," Regulus commented. "You certainly know how to spoil an old man."
"You are just a year younger than me, Lemeraude," Snape snorted.
"Year and half," Regulus chuckled. "Actually one year, six months and twenty-two days."
"I was under impression that quite recently you turned thirty years old," Snape pointed out.
"And I was under impression that you are getting closer to thirty-two than you want," Regulus retorted.
"They are quite entertaining when they are quarrelling, aren't they?" the woman winked at them. "Wait till you heard them when they start quarrelling about Quidditch. Professor Lemeraude has been trying to persuade Professor Snape for ages to change the tactics in enrolling into Slytherin Quidditch Team."
"And is still failing miserably," Snape commented. "Persuade Flitwick to step away from being Ravenclaw's Head of the House and you can bossy around, Lemeraude."
"I'm only concerned about the state of Slytherin Quidditch Team," Regulus pointed out.
"In case you are having temporal amnesia you should be consoling McGonagall it is her team who is constantly loosing the Quidditch Cup, Lemeraude," Snape snorted.
"Minnie is looking for new Gryffindor Seeker. I say genetics is going to kick in and you are going to lose the Quidditch Cup," Regulus replied.
"Whose genetics?" Snape asked curiously.
"Harry's of course. Don't you see him. He is a Black all over, small and scrawny, perfect seeker's build," Regulus pointed out.
"If you are referring to our deceased Quidditch Captain then I would like to remind you that Mirzam Verascez beat his sorry ass at almost every match," Snape snorted.
"But he beat other seeker's sorry asses," Regulus pointed out.
"Beating Gryffindor and Hufflepuff? Yeah, right, that was rich," Snape muttered. "And the only time he won a game against Ravenclaw was once when Mirzam Verascez was lying unconscious in hospital wing because someone had pushed her from the stairs."
"It wasn't me," Regulus shook his head.
"So you were going to Hogwarts Professor," said the woman cheerfully. "What house you were in?"
"Slytherin," Regulus mumbled.
"My mother was as well, so was my 'dearest' aunt. She graduated in 1972/73 and I know from my mum's stories that in Slytherins which were sorted that year were only three boys, George Summers, Gilderoy Lockhart and her cousin, Regulus Black. So either you are one of them, which is very unlikely since George Summers was, is and will remain an drunken oaf, Gilderoy Lockhart was self-centred git and still is and Regulus Black who had been dead for twelve years, or you are lying," said the witch.
"I came to Hogwarts in 1973/74," Regulus said quickly.
"One year, six months and twenty-two days. I distinctly remember that Professor Snape's birthday were sometime in the beginning of January, no farther than at 10th January. One year, six months and twenty-two days gives us late July or early August of 1961 ergo if you went to Hogwarts you went there in 1972/73 as a first year," the woman pointed out.
"Just tell her the truth and get on with it," Snape snorted in amusement. "Amazing how you lasted five years without a slip and got hooked on Slytherin."
"I wouldn't have slipped if someone didn't accused me of hurting the only competence I had in Quidditch so stuff yourself, Sev," Regulus snorted.
"Oh, Merlin," the woman breathed out. "You are…" she stammered.
"Regulus Arcturus Black or I used to be Regulus Arcturus Black until I got into very deep shit with no way out except removing Regulus Arcturus Black from the face of the planet. My name is Mufrid Alphard Lemeraude," Regulus said in tired voice.
"You … you … taught me," the woman stammered.
"I don't see where is the problem, I taught you well and you were my best student," Regulus shrugged.
"You didn't insulted me, not even once," said the woman in shock.
"Why I should want to insult you?" Regulus asked simply.
"You didn't hurt me," the woman continued.
"Again, the same answer," Regulus shrugged.
"In fact he dotted on you for five long years. I always thought that his soft spot for you was a perverted one but as it turned out he just wanted to get to know his little cousin," Snape chuckled.
"But…" the woman stammered. "You are not getting from this room if you don't explain me everything."
"That is going to take an eternity," Regulus chuckled.
"You know perfectly well what I mean," the woman huffed.
"Can we move this conversation to King's Cross Station?" Regulus asked quickly. "I'm still a teacher and I'm supposed to keep Severus here from murdering the students during the ride to Hogwarts."
Then suddenly two things happened at the same time. If they had happened separately it wouldn't be much of a problem but since they happened at the same time the results made the situation even worse.
The door opened a bit and an older man peeked into the room. His gray hair were reaching his shoulders. His face was a bit heart-shaped, his cheekbones were high and Harry saw some resemblance to Regulus, except for the lines which were etched on the man's face. The man had thin, slanted at the ends eyebrows above his grey, pale eyes. He had no beard but above his thin lips and under his snub nose he had grey moustaches. His pale, long-fingered hands were resting atop the walking stick with silver snake head. Upon seeing them in the room he cringed, smiled sheepishly and was about to retreat when something else had happened.
Ms Tonks, like Snape called her, huffed in annoyance, "Regulus Arcturus Black if you don't explain yourself in an instant I will hail your bum to the Ministry for questioning."
"On what grounds?" Regulus snorted in amusement. "Being supposedly dead?"
"Being a Death Eater, perhaps," Ms Tonks huffed.
"That makes the two of …" Regulus started retorting but when he saw the old man at the door he fell silent.
The old man was leaning against the door with unreadable look on his face and his right hand over his heart.
"Regulus," he whispered brokenly.
"Oh, bugger," Regulus mumbled. "Out of the frying-pan into the fire. Nymphadora you have the worst timing in the world."
"You were the one talking about family reunion, Reg," Snape snorted.
"I had my brother in mind, Sev," Regulus snorted. "If Aunts Lucretia and Cassiopeia are going to show up I'm seriously going to report myself to Azkaban."
"On what grounds?" asked Ms Tonks curiously.
"I will come up with something, Dora, I'm not exactly a saint," Regulus muttered.
"Regulus," the old man repeated Regulus's name. "Little Reggie."
Regulus cringed and muttered, "I should have listened to Sirius, I really should."
"Regulus," the man whispered again.
"See you sometime later today," Regulus muttered and he disappeared from the room.
"What was that?" mumbled the old man.
"I believe that it was an old Gryffindor tactic: if you can't beat it, run away," Snape snorted in amusement.
"Where he had gone?" asked Ms Tonks. "King's Cross Station?"
"Either that or he is hiding in his favourite hiding spot," Snape answered.
"His office?" asked Ms Tonks curiously.
"No, my office," Snape muttered. "The only place where Dumbledore would look for him as the last place possible."
"But you were always good friends," Ms Tonks said quickly.
"What old man doesn't know doesn't hurt him. Around Albus we act like enemies, except for Bridge nights," Snape explained. "Regulus doesn't trust Dumbledore very much and has his own reasons to do it … and I have to admit that the more I hear about them the more I'm agreeing with him."
"He is at Hogwarts?" the man asked weakly.
"He teaches Ancient Runes," Snape explained. "Spent last nine years doing so."
"I'm a member of Hogwarts Board of Governors, I have the list of all Professors who are teaching at Hogwarts and Regulus Arcturus Black isn't one of them," the man shook his head.
"But Mufrid Alphard Lemeraude is, I believe," Snape shrugged. "Quite a clever disguise. After all who could ever expect supposedly Muggle-born Professor of the Ancient Runes to be a supposedly deceased descent of a an old pure-blood family."
Suddenly there was a crack and Regulus was back, he looked furious.
"Charity read your diary or was it Sibil?" Snape asked in amusement.
"I just saw the Malfoys," Regulus huffed and he threw himself at the bed. "I had been told that Sirius and I were spoiled kids but if Narcissa's brat ever makes Ancient Runes he is never going to get from under the amount of homework I'm going to assign him. I really should have asked Dumbledore for being Head of Slytherin house, Mr I-Wasn't-Very-Fond-of-That-Part-of-My-Contract, the kid will regret being born within a week."
"What my unfortunate godson had done this time?" Snape asked curiously.
Harry gasped, Snape was Malfoy's godfather?
"Sally-Anne Perks," Regulus growled angrily.
"Ah, our another Muggle-born firstie," Snape sighed.
"Her parents went to Gringotts to change some pounds into galleons and she was sitting at Fortescue, your godson pushed her into ice-cream bowl while his good-for-nothing parents had laughed from her," Regulus huffed.
"I assume that you didn't killed anyone," Snape said grimly.
"I cleared the girl, send her off with Augusta Longbottom and her grandson to the Leaky Cauldron and hexed the Malfoys off," Regulus shrugged.
"Do I even want to know what kind of hexes you used?" Snape sighed.
"Nasty ones," Regulus replied shortly. "One of the few times where extensive knowledge of Dark Arts and being a Black had paid off. There is going to be a riff in the house of the Malfoys and I will personally make brat's life miserable."
"Does Sally-Anne perks happens to have pale blue eyes and jet-black, curly hair?" Snape asked curiously.
"Why do you assume that she looks like that?" Regulus growled angrily.
"I believe that the answer to your outburst lies in Wye," Snape shrugged. "You weren't the same since Rodolphus, Rastaban and Amycus raided Wye and I distinctly remember seeing a certain grave in Wye when I was running around looking for potions ingredients few years ago."
"Fuck off," Regulus hissed, he looked absolutely furious. "You have no idea what losing everything you had, everything you cared for means. You never came home to find your family dead … your wife," his voice broke down for a moment, "raped and brutally murdered. You don't know what means living with the thoughts that if you were fast enough you could have your family with you. I could have saved them… I could have my wife and my daughter with me…"
"You were married?" the old man whispered in shock. "But we never saw it on the family tree…"
"Because it was your bloody tree," Regulus snarled at the man. "Your bigoted, close-minded tree. I was married for three bloody months before I vanished from the face of the planet. And you know why you never knew that I was married?" he said with a maniacal glint in his eyes.
"Why?" the older man whispered.
"Because your fucking family tree doesn't registers muggle marriages," Regulus said lividly. "I married a Muggle-born girl, in a muggle church with her family and my brother and his Muggle-born girlfriend as witnesses. Amazing isn't it?" he growled. "And you know why the rest of the family wasn't invited? Because aside from my wife and brother I never gave a damn about all of you. Because I saw and heard real Dark Lord you worshipped so much and I hated myself for being a part of it. Sirius was right, being at Dark Lord's beck and call was a waste of time and life but he was always smarter than the rest of us. I should have left the family with him. Now step back from the door before I will kill you."
The man stepped away and Regulus marched out from the room.
"Ray of sunshine," Snape muttered.
"Is he going to be fine, Professor?" Hermione asked timidly.
"In the end? Yes," Snape shrugged. "Right now I would hate to be a Malfoy or someone stupid enough to cross his path. He is particularly touchy about Muggle-borns, not that he always was but ever since he came to teach at Hogwarts there wasn't a student brave enough to insult a Muggle-born within his hearing range, of course few had tried and I believe that serving terms worth detentions with Mr Filch every night taught them a lesson what shouldn't be said near him," he answered.
"Because his wife was a Muggle-born?" Harry asked.
"His wife, his almost-sister-in-law, his first victim… She was beautiful little girl … innocent but what … the Dark Lord and Death Eaters had done to her … Regulus couldn't have stand it … She was only six years old, tortured, brutally raped … He knew what lied ahead for her and he stepped in … killed her … out of mercy and he was severely punished for it. That was the only time when I saw him casting an Unforgivable Curse," Snape said grimly and he winced. "He was shitty Death Eater material, he had knowledge, yes, but he was too pure, too innocent to last long as one and you know that he didn't."
"That's why he is so vehemently against You-Know-Who," Hermione muttered.
"Indeed," Snape nodded. "We should get going, kids."
"I will bring my stuff," Harry and Hermione said in unison.
The kids had left and Severus was left alone with his former student and Regulus's grandfather. Nymphadora was watching the exchange curiously and Mr Black looked like he was about to faint. Severs seriously started considering oblivating the old man for his own good, Nymphadora could get handy later if all of Regulus's assumptions were right.
"Who are this kids?" asked Mr Black weakly.
"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger," Severus replied simply.
"Is she related to Hector Dagworth-Granger?" asked Mr Black curiously.
"She is a Muggle-born," Severus muttered pointedly. "A very curious one on that."
"What about the boy?" asked Mr Black. "Where he was growing up?"
"With his aunt and uncle, according to Dumbledore because of safety precautions," Severus replied.
"What kind of safety precautions?" asked Mr Black.
"Blood wards," Severus answered lamely.
"Blood wards in a Muggle family?" Mr Black snorted. "They are void, my boy. I've spent a lot of time at studying wards and the only ward which can be placed on muggle houses is 'Harm Me Not' ward, generally meant for outsiders. Most Headmasters of Hogwarts placed it on the houses of Muggle-born students in dark times," he shook his head.
"Surely…" Severus started but didn't had a chance to finish.
"Surely Dumbledore wants to create a martyr from the boy," Mr Black commented icily. "Did you saw him? He is far too small for eleven years old boy and far too skinny. His glasses are held by a tape, his clothes are far too big for him. Plus he looks a bit frightened. I say that his relatives are abusing him."
"I agree with Mr Black," Tonks said quickly. "You know something more, Professor" she added and glared at him.
"His letters were addressed to the cupboard under the stairs," Severus mumbled. "And don't you think that I didn't paid attention, I saw the signs."
"And what?" Tonks hissed. "You will let it go unnoticed?"
"I can't do much," Severus sighed. "If he was one of mine … I could take the matter to the Board of Governors but if he lands in Slytherin he will be in great danger, every other house will be far more better for him than Slytherin. There are families which would love to see him dead, you know and I refuse to allow it."
"Still," Tonks and Mr Black said at the same time.
"The only thing I can do for now is waiting till the sorting and depending on the house in which he lands … Hufflepuff would be the best for him. Pomona always had a knack at finding abused students in her house, though not in the others. Minerva is far too busy to read sings and Fillius … as good wizard as he is he has his head in his charms to deep to see the signs, vide Verascez's case if you get what I mean Mr Black," Severus explained.
"So nothing will be done about it?" asked Mr Black. "To the hell with the wards, Snape. They aren't there, they won't protect him."
"Regulus has a plan," Severus admitted. "Sirius Black is Harry's godfather, his magical guardian…"
"Sirius is in Azkaban in case you are having an attack of amnesia, Snape," Mr Black muttered.
"Regulus came in possession of certain facts which will set him free," Severus said patiently.
"Dumbledore," Tonks muttered.
"He won't allow it," Mr Black huffed.
"So what do you propose?" Severus snorted.
"Fudge depends very much on Dumbledore's opinion but he depends on money more," Mr Black muttered grimly. "The family has enough money to buy our way to Harry's guardianship until Sirius will be able to take him. I will need to talk with Lucretia and Cassiopeia and your mother, Missy, but I have a feeling that they will agree. Lucretia didn't had a child on her own and ever since Ignatius had died she had been very lonely. Cassiopeia saw too much of abuse going around and she will take Harry's case vehemently."
"Mum would do it too," Tonks agreed.
"Do you think that we can come around in the evening to discuss this matter?" asked Mr Black politely.
"As long as you aren't going to insult dad, mum will most certainly agree," Tonks nodded.
"Noted," Mr Black nodded. "See you around girl, they still live at Shepherd's Walk?"
Tonks nodded.
"Six o'clock should work, won't it?" asked Mr Black.
"Would do," Tonks nodded. "Mum will be home and dad should be back too."
"We are going to keep you informed on the matter, Snape," Mr Black gave Severus small nod and with small shake of his head he left the room.
"I should get going if I want to be at home before six," Tonks said calmly. "See you around Professor," she added before she disapparated.
Severus started wondering in what he willingly gotten himself into. If he only knew that it was only just a beginning…
When Harry and Hermione made their way back to Professor Snape's room Mr Black and Ms Tonks were already gone. Snape looked a bit pale and very pensive and Regulus was nowhere to be seen.
"He will find his way to King's Cross Station," Snape said blankly answering Harry's unasked question. "He is too old d … I mean cat to get lost. You two on the other hand… I want you to don't let go of my hands or the cart. But if you by some sort of a miracle get lost come to wait between the platforms nine and ten," he added as he seemed to shake himself of from his pensive state.
Snape apparated them to small closed store at the King's Cross Station from where they went to the platforms, pushing their trunks and animals in the cart. Snape had them both hold the cart and was eyeing the surroundings suspiciously. It seemed that ages had passed before they reached platform nine but when they did Snape lead them to the barrier separating the platforms and without a moment of hesitation walked through it, pulling surprised Harry and Hermione with himself.
The platform looked surprisingly peaceful for a magical area. Both times Harry ventured to Diagon Alley he found it packed with people and pleasantly loud. Platform Nine and Three-Quarters except a scarlet steam engine which was standing next to the platform looked absolutely deserted. A sign overhead read 'Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock'. Harry turned his head around and saw wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. They had done it. They were at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
"In a matter of one and half of hour the place will be packed with people. By then it is the hardest to find an empty compartment," Snape commented. "I would like to keep an eye on both of you for first few hours of the ride but you may want to wander around meeting your classmates later. We will be travelling in the first carriage, last carriages are usually infested by the Weasley family and the farther you stay away from them the better for you," he added after a moment.
Harry tried to pick up his trunk and lift it up the stairs into the train but he could hardly lift one end – he bought too much books, he realised – and he dropped it painfully on his feet. Snape watched his attempt with unmasked interest and after Harry dropped his trunk on his feet for the second time Snape sighed and pulled out the wand from his pocket. Fifteen seconds later Harry's and Hermione's trunks were tucked on the bench above the seats and Hedwig and Crookshanks, Hermione's cat were sitting on their tops.
The compartment was amazingly huge as Harry realised, following compartment had barely eight seats but the one Snape picked for them had sixteen of them, all of them looked far more better than the seats in following compartment. They were four seats on the left and the right side of the door, six under the window and two directly next to the door facing the window, all seats were huge and when Harry sat down on one of them he realised that they were very comfortable.
"A relict of the times where teachers were bound to travel with the students. There is another one for the Prefects at the end of the carriage," Snape explained and to Harry's and Hermione's surprise he lied himself on all four seats filling them completely before he closed his eyes and muttered, "Wake me up when Pussy gets here."
For next hour and half Harry and Hermione busied themselves with comparing their notes about various subjects and Harry started feeling grateful to Hermione for explaining nuances of Transfiguration to him.
When half past ten had passed the door to the compartment had opened and a short, plump, round-faced boy with slightly unkempt (not as much as Harry's) black hair and dark blue eyes and small black and curly-haired girl with pale blue eyes were lead into the compartment by looking a bit peaky Regulus.
"Harry, Hermione, this is Sally-Anne Perks and Neville Longbottom. Sally-Anne, Neville, this is Hermione Granger and Harry Potter, your fellow classmates," Regulus introduced the kids. "Who killed the Potion Master?" Regulus added as he glanced down at sleeping Snape.
"No one did, Professor Lemeraude," Harry and Hermione said in unison.
Regulus raised left eyebrow daringly but he said nothing as he levitated Neville's and Sally-Anne's trunks to the bench.
The kids were smiling sheepishly, Neville was clutching a toad in his hands and Sally-Anne had her arms wrapped around the battered edition of 'Hogwarts: A History'.
Neville opened his mouth as if to say something but he didn't had a chance to say anything because Regulus stood over Snape and gently grabbed the end of Snape's hooked nose. Snape made a snoring sound and muttered something about incompetent dunderheads with brain of the size of a peanut but didn't woke up.
Regulus let go of Snape's nose and pulled out his wand. He waved the wand at Snape and instantly Snape's long, straight and greasy hair were pulled into a pair of curly pigtails.
"Don't you even dare to alert him to the change," Regulus chuckled quietly before he poked Snape's right shoulder with the tip of his wand.
The only reaction he got was a swat in the direction of the wand as if Snape was swatting a persistent mosquito.
"Dumbledore named you the Head of Gryffindor House!" Regulus called out and swatted Snape's nose with the end of his wand.
"Ouch!" Snape muttered and raised his left hand to rub his nose. "What did you said?"
"I sold your naked pictures to the Playwitch. Scoot over, lump, will you?" Regulus snorted.
"Keep saying it and you will get quite nasty surprise one morning," Snape muttered grimly but nevertheless he pulled himself into sitting position and scooted closer to the door but he was still occupying three seats with his long legs.
Regulus sat down on the seat closest to the window and using his right leg he pushed Snape's legs from the seat, his legs were reaching the middle of Snape's tight as Snape's legs were reaching the middle of Regulus's tights. That view gave Harry the idea that while he never saw both men standing next to each other at the same time they were equally tall.
"I saw the banes of your existence at the platform," Regulus muttered. "Are you certain that you are still up for the job?"
"Yes, I'm, thank you very much. The day when I will pass the duties as the Head of Slytherin House over to you will be the same day when I will get myself checked into St Mungo's Closet Ward because it will be a sign that I finally lost my mind," Snape snorted grimly.
"You could have always asked for the rooms on the ground floor instead the dungeons. All the humidity and coldness there goes into the head," Regulus commented.
"And still it was an infestation of the Boggarts which chased you from your former rooms in the dungeons after seven years," Snape retorted.
"At least the sun I get through the windows of my first floor rooms doesn't makes me look like Hogwarts resident vampire, that's in your contract," came the retort from Regulus.
"Right under teaching imbeciles who can't read instruction properly and right above the part where I'm supposed to serve as an amusement for Ancient Runes Professor," Snape snorted. "Now change whatever you have done to my hair before I will decide to test my latest poison on you."
"How did you know Professor, that Professor Lemeraude had done something with your hair?" asked Neville nervously.
"Let's just said that it wasn't the first time when he tried to turn me into a poodle, Mr Longbottom. The surprise wears off after the first time and after the second time when he tries to look all innocent like a newborn it's evident that he is pulling a prank. And my hair for him is same old joke," Snape explained with a shrug.
"Not my fault that you are resident greasy git of Hogwarts," Regulus chipped in.
"I would like to see you after one day in Potions classroom under the effect of all these fumes from the cauldrons, thank you very much. Actually I already did, cherub," Snape snorted and at the surprised looks on kids faces he explained. "Humidity, in my case it flattens my hair but most people end looking like a poodles after spending whole day in closed classroom under the ground with fumes coming from about twenty cauldrons with mostly dubious contents. He," Snape pointed at Regulus, "actually, falls into category of the poodle. Once he had to take over Potions lessons for a week when Wizards Flu was running around and I fell its victim. I was laughing so hard every time I saw him that I was worried that I broke a rib or two and I had to see him every evening to collect the homework from him."
"Greasy git," Regulus snorted.
"Poodle," Snape replied shortly.
"Resident vampire," Regulus muttered.
"Resident Boggart who can't hold a liquor to save his life," Snape chipped.
"Hogwarts least popular nuisance who can drunk even a half-giant under the table," Regulus retorted. "Not my fault that I got shitty alcohol metabolism after my dear old grandma."
"Not my fault that I got good alcohol metabolism after my grandfather and he could drunk even a goblin under the table," Snape shrugged. "Beside I thought that after you saw McGonagall on Yule Party in 1985 you know what Turrelan Potion is for."
"Don't you even remind me," Regulus groaned. "It took me months to forgot that image. Yuck!"
"Says the man who had been moaning 'Auld Lang Syne' from under the table for three hours always butchering up the last two lines," Snape snickered.
"Yeah, because whenever I got there a certain Potions Master kept slamming Dumbledore's back and chipping that it is okay to be gay," Regulus snorted in amusement. "Got me a bit distracted and I had to start over."
"I'm not leaving my drink anywhere near you again. Once was enough," Snape snorted.
"Agreed. Especially that part where you kept reminding him that at least he isn't going to die a virgin unlike some. Give me more information than I ever wanted to learn about my colleagues, thank you very much," Regulus shrugged.
"So that was when you started moaning 'Fifteen men on dead man's chest'," Snape snorted.
"That was when you landed under the table," Regulus pointed out.
"I didn't landed under the table, I slid from my seat to hit the git who started buggering 'Ten Little Niggers' and 'Fifteen men on dead man's chest' together and inserting Severus instead Niggers," Snape huffed.
"I knew that there was a reason for that black eye other than peeking under Sinistra's dress," Regulus muttered thoughtfully.
"Speaking about Sinistra you owe me, big," Snape snickered. "Especially for that part when you dragged me into the dungeons screaming bloody murder that you are gay and that we are off to …" Snape paused there and looked at the kids who were listening to the exchange between the professors open mouthed, "do whatever gay couples do together," he finished.
"I'm a healthy man, I need to get laid from time to time but Sinistra send me into celibacy for three years. Still water runs deep as they say," Regulus shrugged.
"So said your predecessor. Took you long enough to realise it," Snape snorted.
"And you are wondering why I only keep drinking with you," Regulus snorted. "You won't pounce me, won't run around in your underwear, won't foretell my death, won't kept insisting that grey hair are for sixty not twenty something going thirty men and that you are having an excellent hair dyer somewhere. Plus you know when I have enough and it is time to kick me through the fireplace into my rooms. You are predictable."
"Wait till you come next time for a drink," Snape snorted. "I will give you predictable."
"You will. You will keep quoting Potions essays on me half the time and bemoaning the incompetence of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professors like you usually do for the other half. Or you will dare me into a game of poker because you know that I can't keep a straight face when I'm drunk," Regulus shrugged.
"How do you know that I will do it?" Snape snorted. "For all you know I can do the things you recently mentioned."
" Because you are a Slytherin, Severus," Regulus said simply. "You posses Slytherin's qualities. You are ambitious, cunning and you use any means to achieve your ends. Your ambition is to scare me shitless and now when you informed me that you are going to scare me shitless you think that you aren't going to do anything but watch me fret and keep worrying when and where you are going to do something which will scare me. Having me worried is funny enough and you really don't plan do anything because you rather have me turning every corner with worry, because it is a thing which I, by any logic, wouldn't expect," he explained with a shrug.
"But unfortunately for me you are a Slytherin yourself therefore my plan won't work," Snape chuckled.
"How we are going to be sorted to different houses, Professor?" asked Sally-Anne curiously.
"My favourite rumour is wrestling with a mountain troll," Snape chipped in and kicked Regulus's left leg from the seat.
"My was the one when first years were supposed to get locked in one room with a snake, griffin, raven and badger, the one which jumps on you sorts you into its house. My brother kept telling me that with my fear of big cats I will land myself in Gryffindor," Regulus snickered.
"But it isn't the truth?" asked Harry nervously.
"Not really," Regulus chuckled. "Ever since Hogwarts was founded for sorting students to different house was used the Sorting Hat. You just sit on the stool, put the hat on your head and wait for it to sort you to one of the houses. Some people are easy to sort but some takes ages to sort."
"Vide yourself, you were sitting on the stool for three minutes," Snape snorted.
"That was because I had to talk the Sorting Hat out from sorting me into Gryffindor. I supplied that overgrown bowel-hat with images what will happen to me if I land in Gryffindor after my brother's sorting, thank you very much. Then we had a discussion about Ravenclaw because I really wasn't a Hufflepuff's material," Regulus snickered.
"I can imagine you as a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw and I already saw you in Slytherin but I can't picture you in Hufflepuff," Snape snickered.
"Imagine the surprise in my family if I got myself sorted into Hufflepuff," Regulus chuckled. "That would finish them off."
"So all we have do to is try a hat and it will tell us where we belong?" asked Hermione sceptically.
"That's the general concept," Regulus nodded. "Each house accepts different qualities, Hermione. Hufflepuffs for example are just, loyal and patient hard workers, though I never meet a Hufflepuff who didn't wanted to be in Hufflepuff. People call them blank, spineless, lacking of ambition, but these aren't true. The Hufflepuffs just blend with the background, they hardly cause troubles, that's why they are hardly seen. Ravenclaw is different, Rowena Ravenclaw valued knowledge, patience to learn. They are intelligent, very clever but it's hard to befriend someone in that house, they are greedy of knowledge and they guard it closely, on that ground there was a lot of backstabbing as long as I was around. They value books, but they value them too much, they can't appreciate the beauty of the world around them, they are overly suspicious of the acts of kindness, most of these I've meet over the years, anyway."
"What about Gryffindor and Slytherin?" asked Harry curiously.
"Gryffindors are brave, chivalrous, daring, have a lot of backbone but they are too hot-headed to think before they do something stupid. The old proverb is loyal to a fault; Gryffindors acts before they think, Ravenclaws think before they act. Actually instead of Ravenclaw you can insert the name of any other house besides Gryffindor. In a way it is a good house as long as they stick together, but they don't stick together all the times. People automatically assume that Gryffindors can't be wrong, their bravery gives the other courage but at the same time they are the most questioned house about their misdeeds. I've meet many Gryffindors over the years and while I found their bravery endearing I'm not a fan of their ostracism or the fact that if they think that someone had betrayed them they can be downright cruel."
"And Slytherin?" asked Hermione.
"By definition Slytherin is for people with ambition and cunning mind. Slytherins are cautious folk, Hermione. This house let out a lot of dark wizards, I agree with this statement, but with Slytherin it is the more visible than in the other houses. It is the ambition that drives them though. But aside from Hufflepuff House the Slytherins never do anything alone. They gave me enough of the headaches when I became a Professor and had to find a culprit amongst them because aside from Professor Snape no one can make them admit their wrongdoings. Slytherin is the most ostracised house of Hogwarts, mostly because of the dark histories of the families who were in Slytherin, that ostracism of the others makes them stick together in the end. A good leader in Slytherin would make them the finest house of all and I'm referring to a leader amongst the students, not their Head of the House," Regulus explained pensively.
"Thank you," Snape snorted.
"Anyway," Regulus continued and he folded his legs in cross-legged position as he continued. "Slytherin is the house when I encountered the most abused students, not abused by their classmates but their own families. Professor Snape has very keen eyes and picks these by automat and as the Head of the House he is extremely overprotective of his kin."
"If you are trying to get on my good side," Snape muttered.
"Compliments aren't going to get me anywhere, I know," Regulus chuckled.
"I find amusing that you are deliberately missing one important quality which is valued in Slytherin," Snape muttered.
"Blood purity?" Regulus asked. "That's a complete shit," he snorted. "And that's exactly what lead to the dark history about the house. Anyway," he scratched his chin, "what Professor Snape is telling is in fact true to some extent, but not really since this certain quality is the least important quality in the sorting. I've meet many half-bloods in Slytherin and few Muggle-borns. There is simply too little of pure-bloods in wizarding Britain and most of them end in other three houses for blood purity to be the most important part of the sorting into Slytherin. Add the fact that current state of Slytherin butchers Salazar's believe about his students," he explained.
"Excuse me?" snorted Snape.
"Salazar Slytherin was very fond of runes," Regulus sighed. "Wizarding Library in London possesses few of his letters to various wizards and witches of his time. Surprisingly his works through the ages remained not translated because people didn't knew how to approach them. Though every wizard and witch with mastery in Ancient Runes, and I really mean mastery not N.E.W.T.S level Ancient Runes, was welcomed to have a look at them – under the watchful eyes of a librarian who will put Madam Pince into a shame. Anyway, once I got my mastery in Ancient Runes I decided to have a go at Slytherin letters and I have to admit that it was the most challenging piece of work I had over the years," Regulus chuckled.
At that Snape seated himself in cross-legged position on his seat and propped his elbows on his knees as he rested his chin on his hands. The train started to slowly move.
"A colossal part of his works which the library owns still remains not translated for one simple reason, the runes on some stuff is impossible to translate because there isn't a language known to wizards. But there are other parts which for someone gifted with knowledge of languages and extensive knowledge in Ancient Runes will be very easy to translate," Regulus continued.
"Stop veiling your replies and get to the point," Snape commented.
"Anyway the few letters of Salazar Slytherin were thrice coded in Ancient Runes: Celtic, Egyptian and Hebrew. But they weren't just simply coded, you had to figure out which one of them was the first because in Celtic and Egyptian Runes you read from left to right but in Hebrew you read from right to left. In overall Slytherin's letters were coded as a mix of Celtic and Egyptian Runes with few Hebrew words written from right to left, not from left to right. To make the things even more complicated for these who don't like to think outside the box the letters tops and bottoms were reversed. You had to read from the bottom of the page to the top and from right to left. It gave me a mammoth headache before I figured out that order," Regulus explained.
"I think that you are lying," Snape snorted. "You are still a Professor, a Master of Ancient Runes and no self-respecting Master of Ancient Runes wouldn't announce his work and I think that I would spot a publication like that."
"True," Regulus chuckled. "But neither back then nor now is the best time to publicise Slytherin letters. I value my hide enough to not publicise the translations though I have the copies of the letters and translation hidden safely."
"Get to the point," Snape muttered.
"In these letters I discovered something which utterly surprised me and made me realise that if I announced my translation the world we know will crumble into ruins, whole wizarding science known from thirteenth century in light of Slytherin letters are nothing but piece of shit," Regulus said gravely.
"That's getting interesting," Snape muttered. "Keep going."
"Not before I will explain something to the kids," Regulus rolled his eyes. "Before I will explain the matter futher I need you to know the meaning of pure-blood, half-blood and Muggle-born in our science, the one we know for centuries. Muggle-born refers to every witch or wizard who was born in non-magical family. A pure-blood, according to the statute of 1353, is a person who can do magic that has four grand-parents that could do magic and is at least three quarters human. All people in-between are considered as half-bloods. For example a child born from one Muggle-born and one pure-blood parent is a half-blood, so is a child born from pure-blood and Muggle, two Muggle-borns, two half-bloods, one half-blood and one pureblood, Muggle and half-blood or Muggle and Muggle-born. Got it?" Regulus asked.
The kids nodded quickly.
"For years wizarding world considered Salazar Slytherin as a pure-blood, because he stated it himself," Regulus continued explaining. "Except in one of his letters he explains different view at this case. People considered today as pure-blood are called 'Of Old Families' but Muggle-borns are referred as 'Of Pure Blood'. Pure blood, blood not tainted by magical inheritance, pure in its core. That was Salazar's concept of a pure-blood, Muggle-borns…"
"Do you have a proof?" Snape asked skeptically.
"Other than his letters?" Regulus asked. "Yes. Slytherin's oldest yearbooks and history records in Wizarding Library. Approximately three-quarters of Slytherin's at the time of Slytherin posses no magical ancestors. Salazar Slytherin himself possessed no magical ancestors, he states so in his latter to Duncan Mole, his brother-in-law. Mole as far as I figured it out was a half-blood, most probably son of a member of old family and Muggle. Sarah and Ruth Smith, their wives also possessed no magical ancestry as Slytherin himself."
"So Salazar Slytherin valued these of pure, fresh blood?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Regulus nodded. "That's why he would roll in his grave if he saw Slytherin house now. It is nothing he would want it to be."
"Now I can see why you aren't publishing that translation," Snape muttered. "What about the Sorting Hat?"
"It repeats Slytherin words: these of pure-blood. It isn't Slytherin's fault that the Dark Lord Fallron changed the whole concept of science in thirteenth century," Regulus explained.
"And let me guess, he states that he has no magical ancestry in his private letters?" Snape asked.
"That's the only known and found stuff of his," Regulus nodded. "Salazar Slytherin is a mystery for a lot of people for a reason and a very good one on that. He was extremely private, a scientist, most particularly a Potion Master. From the references of the others, one of the best of his time, if not the best but sadly his works are long gone. They were either destroyed or hidden so deeply that even almost a millennium after his demise they remain unfound, not for the lack of trying. But that's not the best," Regulus eyes sparkled with glee. "Salazar Slytherin, despite his lack of magical ancestry was a Parselmouth."
"What?" asked Harry curiously.
"Parselmouth, a speaker of Parseltongue, Snake's Language," Regulus explained.
"He could talk to the snakes?" Harry asked curiously, that stuff sounded interesting. "How he was doing it?"
Regulus shrugged and leaned against the back of the seat, "No one has an idea. But the fact remains that he and his heirs could speak Snake's Language. The last known heir of Slytherin, sadly that it is him, not someone else who is far more normal, is the Dark Lord, You-Know-Who."
"Him?" Harry gasped.
"Yes," Regulus nodded.
"But how?" Harry mumbled.
"From bits and pieces known about Parseltongue is the fact that it is passed by blood. Slytherin was a Parselmouth, therefore every heir of his is a Parselmouth," Regulus shrugged.
At that the world around Harry swayed dangerously. Every heir of his, Voldemort was the heir and Harry … Harry could speak to the snakes. Was he … related to Voldemort?
"I'm a Parseltongue," Harry whispered quietly. "I can talk to the snakes."
Hermione and Sally-Anne gasped, Neville surprisingly sneezed and Snape and Regulus fell from their seats after hearing that statement.
Awaiting criticism - like always. I'm replying as long as you leave me your email or you log in while reviewing. Bring my ego down ;)
Next chapter: Our Slytherin duo after receiving disturbing information is tryig to reassure Harry that he is a normal boy and that being a Parselmouth is nothing to be worried about while both of them are freeting that this little information they got is something they should be worried about. Harry, Hermione, Neville and Sally-Anne meet their fellow classmates and watch as Regulus pulls 'Not Slytherin firendly Snape' uppon them. The start of the sorting.
