Summary: Has anyone ever wondered how the Slytherins first became parseltongues? How did the knowledge on how to create a Horcrux first come to be? What if that knowledge wasn't lost? Harry Potter died that day in the Ministry of Magic, but what if he could get a second chance? What if the knowledge of a spell only used once could give him another chance, one that wasn't doomed to failure? A destiny predicted before the founding of Hogwarts is about to come to play, and the rise of the Third Serpent Lord has only just begun...

Warnings: Absoultely nothing. Just a few screams from a pregnant woman but that's to be expected.

Key:

"Blah" parseltongue

"Blah" english

Blah number/date

Blah spells

Salazar Pollux Black

Chapter 1: The Phoenix Knows All

1959 AD

It was a night no different to any other. Families met together for dinner, discussed how their different days progressed before retiring to their rooms to prepare for bed or just to work on their own without any disturbances. Children threw tantrums, parents sighed in resignation, and dogs barked at the full moon. There was nothing out of the ordinary happening, nothing whatsoever.

Yet in various forests across England, powerful magical beings looked up at the sky in wonder.

It was moment that had only been heard about in stories, happening years before Hogwarts was first even contemplated. It was a phenomenon that only magical creatures, and only a select few at that, could see. It had been given a name hundreds of years ago, and it was this name that was now uttered almost reverently.

"Dominus of Aevum quod Nex."

The wording changed every now and then but basically it was title. A phoenix and a thestral had given the occurrence a name as it had been shortly after that magical creatures as a whole were not terrorized and had been considered equal in the eyes of the beholder. But the title came with a cost. The name literally translated to the Lord of Life and Death, for one could not exist without the other, and it was how each who held that title died.

It was the title given to the Serpent Lord.

Despite being inherently Dark in nature, the Serpent Lord had always regarded the magical creatures of the Earth with kindness and friendship, no matter who they were. It was the humans, other magic folk whom the Serpent Lord distrusted, for they had done nothing but scorn and kill them.

The first Serpent Lord had developed a way for his bloodline to continue, he was a master at what he did. But he died alone, half feared and idolized as his power had tempted many. It was his family's power that gave serpents the ability to speak. He also was the first to ever earn the name "Dark Lord". Back then it was not a sign of evil, it was a sign of power, or respect bestowed upon him by magic users.

The second Serpent Lord had been powerful. He had devoted his time to furthering the education of other magical children, his own among them, and gaining alliances with various magical creatures. The light in the sky had heralded his coming. Unfortunately, despite living his life to benefit others, there were those that feared his power, and scorned it. He was defeated in battle by another magic user, who promoted Light Magic, completely ignoring Dark Magic as he was unable to use it. The Light Magic user had accidently severed the mind link between Master and Familiar, sending the Serpent Lord into shock before killing him quickly.

The Serpent Lord had been a Master of Life, and upon his defeat, became a Master of Death. His soul, like the soul of the first Serpent Lord, remained trapped on Earth but invisible to the eyes of magic users. They travelled around, watching over those they saw were fit to be protected, both searching for the next Serpent Lord.

But he was never found.

Many became known as Dark Lords in the centuries that followed, but that was because over time the knowledge of Dark Magic had become lost, and people feared what they didn't understand. Anyone who chose to study such a forgotten art was shunned, hated and feared as they had stumbled across one of the biggest cover ups in all of magical history.

The wizard to first dismiss such a magic, and later influence his followers, was Merlin.

Merlin became the herald of the Light, and it was his defeat of Dark Lord Theodore Slytherin that lifted him onto his pedestal. History has always been written by the winner, and because "Light Magic" won that day, "Dark Magic" was considered forbidden and dangerous, never to be used again.

But the creatures of the night and the magical creatures around the country…they remembered.

They remembered what the Serpent Lords had done for them, they remembered what it felt like when they departed from their mortal bodies, and they remembered how the sky shimmered with raw magic before the birth of the second Serpent Lord. And it was this memory that had Dark and Light creatures gathering together in excitement, discussing the possibility of a third Lord.

The year was 1959.

Fawkes the Phoenix stared up at the magically charged sky silently. He was among the few magical creatures in existence that could actually see the lights, but there were many more who could feel what was happening. The sheer amount of magical power in the air made it difficult for them not to. There may have been a few wizards who noticed as well, shivering in their sleep as history re-wrote itself.

Few knew Fawkes' real age, most just assuming he was only a few hundred years old, young by phoenix standards. No one knew where phoenixes came from, or how they were born. No one knew that because phoenixes kept their existence a secret, only appearing every few hundred years to bond with a wizard and keep their magic thriving. Phoenixes were created when magic was created. The raw magic shaped them into an avian form and gifted them with true immortality. No phoenix could be killed; they would simply burst into flames and be reborn from their own ashes.

There were six phoenixes in existence, yet only Fawkes interacted with wizards willingly. Each phoenix represented an element: fire, water, earth, air, darkness, and light. Each had an avian form, but over time they had learnt how to shift into another form, usually avian but not always, to avoid detection. Witches and wizards passed by different phoenixes every day without noticing them, the Phoenix of Darkness had taken the form of a stone statue in the courtyard of a castle, one that had been named Hogwarts near the end of the tenth century. Other phoenixes took the form of an owl; the Phoenix of Water took the form of a duck and travelled across the world undetected; the Phoenix of Earth was the only phoenix to take the secondary form of a mammal...a squirrel. This form allowed him to be close to his element yet still become airborn as he jumped from tree to tree. There were a few though who refused to mingle with humans unless absolutely necessary and hid away in various rainforests, deserts and other unoccupied places.

Needless to say, phoenixes were amongst the most ancient and powerful magical creatures on the planet. That is why they were able to see the raw soul magic at work.

Fawkes remembered the last time the sky had been ripped apart, back before Hogwarts had been established, just over one thousand years ago. He had been present for the birth of young Theodore Slytherin, hidden of course, but he had been there. He had seen the death-like emerald green eyes of the baby and knew that he would be powerful. He had then watched over young Theodore from a distance and noticed how Theodore was far more respectful to magical creatures than he was to his own kind. The prejudice that had existed back then wasn't as bad as it was now, but it was still noticeable.

Theodore Slytherin had united the magical creatures and gathered his followers in an effort to promote equality between wizards and magical creatures. He had been stopped by a relatively young sorcerer by the name of Merlin who held great prejudice against vampires and snakes. Merlin's mother had been killed when a snake attacked her, its venom taking her life slowly and painfully. His prejudice for vampires came from the fact that the woman he loved had been seduced by one and had left him. She had later been turned into a vampire and Merlin had sworn revenge.

From that day on, when Merlin had carelessly slaughtered Theodore's snake Familiar and triumphed over the Serpent Lord, Dark Magic had been shunned, as well as anyone who practiced it. Merlin had threatened Theodore's widowed wife and children about practicing the Dark Arts, but had left them alive. The Slytherin line continued, passing on Alexander Foul's legacy, but no one born from that line was considered worthy enough to be known as the Serpent Lord.

Fawkes had kept a close eye on the Slytherin line in silence. He was present when a descendent of Theodore Slytherin decided to open a school and a haven for those who had the Gift of Magic. Times had been getting worse and many young children needed somewhere to hide when their families turned against them in hatred. For the next thousand years Fawkes had rarely left Hogwarts. He would disappear for a century and then return, usually bonding himself to the current headmaster or mistress of the school.

The Slytherin line faded away until there was no direct link to Theodore Slytherin left. Many pureblood families had a hint of Slytherin blood in them, but not enough to mean much. The strongest bloodline was held by the Gaunts, but their blood had become weak with inbreeding and held little power. They had inherited the parseltongue Gift, but otherwise they were mere squibs. That line was almost destroyed completely; the only survivor was a half-blood boy with considerable power by the name of Tom Marvolo Riddle. He was the closest candidate to be a Serpent Lord, and may have been if it hadn't been for his disregard of everyone, magical creature and human alike.

No, Fawkes knew roughly where the soul would be going, for there was only one other family with a distant link to the Slytherin line in existence. The link was so distant that no one would be able to pick up on it and the blood had become too weak to carry any Gifts across it.

He would stay silent for now, but he knew that the time was coming. The time of the Third Serpent Lord was upon them, and he would stand by this one instead of hiding in the shadows. A new era was coming, alliances would be formed, and the Serpent Lord would lead them to victory. It was time.

Orion Black paced outside his bedroom. He was alone so no one could see how undignified he was behaving. His wife and her midwife were inside his room, and his wife was finally giving birth to their child. He had been overjoyed when he had been told that his wife was carrying his heir. They had been trying for years to produce an heir, especially since they carried on the main line, and the Black Family Fortune would then be given to a different branch of the family.

As purebloods, Walburga and Orion Black had invested in every protection spell known to man, and not all of them were considered Light spells. They had only used one spell directly on the child and that was to determine the gender, male, and that had been early on in the pregnancy. All other spells were to prevent miscarriage, to ensure a healthy child, and to protect against any negative spells Walburga was accidently or purposefully hit with. Anyone who cast a spell intending to harm her or the child would not live to see another sunrise.

Another scream echoed from the bedroom causing Orion to pause and stare at the door with such intensity that it looked like he was staring through the wood and protective enchantments to his wife beyond. The rest of the family was waiting downstairs in the dinning room with refreshments and waiting for any news about the birth of the Black Heir. Cygnus and Druella Black were waiting with their three daughters Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa. Cygnus had been disappointed that his wife hadn't given his a son but there was no denying that he doted upon his daughters. He and his wife were still trying for a son but so far they hadn't had much luck. Alphard Black had no wife, but spoiled his nieces when he was around. However, there was no denying that he desperately wanted a son to spoil of his own, which is why he was looking forward to the birth of his sister's son to spoil. Cygnus and Alphard were Walburga's siblings.

Orion only had one sister, Lucretia, who had married Ignatius Prewett. They had no children of their own but that didn't stop Orion from loving his sister. The entire Black family had been thrilled when he had informed them that his wife was carrying a male child.

Pollux and Irma Black, Walburga's parents, and Arcturus and Melina Black, Orion's parents had come up with many names for the child, and Orion was amazed at the number of names they had come up with. He had taken a few ideas from the lists they had made up, but wouldn't commit to one until he had seen his son for the first time.

The others in the family hadn't been able to make it, but he was sure that over the next few days his house would be bombarded by well wishing relatives longing to see who would inherit the Black Family Fortune.

Another scream came from the room and Orion placed his hands on the wall in an effort not to barge in. He had been pacing for an hour and a half already and he was tired of it. He wanted to see his son. It was then that his ears managed to pick up a different sound coming from the room, the sound of a screaming baby. His heart rate increased and he smiled ecstatically. He was ready to enter the room when his wife screamed again. Concerned now, because he had already heard the sound of a baby, he entered the room quickly in time to see the midwife pull another child from his wife.

Walburga sagged on her pillows and held her arms out to the midwife who delicately placed a wrapped bundle into each arm. The midwife noticed Orion standing at the door and curtsied to him.

"My Lord," she whispered.

"Dismissed," Orion told her. "Clean yourself up and wait for me in my office. I shall go over details with you after I have met my son."

"Sons my Lord," the midwife corrected with another curtsy, but nevertheless she left the room and allowed Orion to finally approach the woman he had come to cherish.

"Lord Black, may I present your Heirs?" Walburga whispered gesturing to the bundles in her arms. "Twins, something I never expected."

Orion delicately lifted one bundle into his own arms and stared down at the baby. Blue eyes stared up at him from a chubby face and tufts of black hair were plastered to his head. The baby kicked slightly and moved his chubby arms from inside the blanket. The baby was red all over, but Orion knew from past experience with his brother-in-law that all babies looked like that when they were born.

"He is the older one," Walburga said, pulling him from the staring contest. "By forty seconds I believe the midwife said before she left. What will you call him?"

"Sirius," Orion murmured. "After my grandfather. Sirius Orion Black."

"It is a good name husband," Walburga said in agreement. "Do you want to name your other son, or shall I?"

Orion easily swapped the two children, letting his wife hold Sirius while he picked up the as-yet unnamed Black child. This child kept his eyes closed but otherwise he was identical to Sirius. He was all set to name the child Phineas after a long dead relative, but then the child opened his eyes.

His breath caught as he stared into the emerald eyes of his youngest son. Despite only being a child and one not even ten minutes old, he could tell that his boy would be powerful once he was trained up a little. Orion didn't know how long he stared at his son before Walburga brought him to his senses.

"Did you want me to name him?" she asked in amusement. "I have a few names in mind."

"Salazar," Orion murmured. Walburga gasped. That was one name they had never considered as it was the name of the Founder most feared and hated in the magical community. It was a name of power, and that is why Orion chose it.

"Salazar Pollux Black."

Another chapter. To those who are reading this and waiting for an update from my other stories: They are coming! My muses are fighting for control in my find and currently this one is winning. I will try and update Immortal Hero after this, but no promises. I'm a little stuck on how and what to do at Mount Doom as I don't want it to be completely identical to my original story or the movie. Your patience will be rewarded and I will try to answer any questions you send me.

Thanks for reading and until next time!