I'm so so so sorry! I just started a new job, and moved to a new apartment, and it took some time to get internet access installed! Here's a nice long chapter...forgive me and review? Please?
Chapter 10
The next day, while looking through his trunk to find a pair of clean socks, Harry noticed "Nature's Nobility" underneath some old homework. He realized that he had completely forgotten to look up his family and find out whether or not what Tom said was true. It probably was. Tom was not known for being wrong about things, and he had no reason to lie to Harry about it. But Harry wanted to find out for himself. His roommates were all out of the room. Seamus and Dean had left for breakfast, Neville was in the bathroom, and Ron was probably waiting for Hermione in the common room. Harry quickly cast the Parselspell to conceal the book and put it into his school bag to read whenever he had a spare moment during the day. He went downstairs to the common room and found Hermione and Ron waiting for him. He noticed that Ron wasn't standing very close to Hermione. He walked down to breakfast in the middle of his two best friends.
It wasn't until the free period after lunch that Harry was finally able to open up the book he'd been carrying around all day and find the Potter family. The book was not self-updating, and it had been published in 1908, so the most recent Potter listed was Julius Andrew Potter, born in 1900. At the time the book was published, he was the only male child in the Potter family. That meant he could have been Harry's great-grandfather. The family tree took up two "pages" of the book, though it was something like a magical pop-up book. When the book was opened to those two pages, the entirety of the known family tree was displayed in a 3-D image. Harry followed the line of Potters all the way to the top, noting the peculiarity that the Potter family had always had at least one son. Harry also noticed that primogeniture must have operated in the wizarding world as well as the muggle one, as the families of daughters and younger sons were not listed on the tree, excepting the cases where the eldest son had died before having an heir. At the top of the tree, there were several question marks and missing names. The names of those who were the heirs and lords of the Potter family were highlighted in red, which made following the main line of succession quite a bit easier. When Harry got to the top of the family tree, he found a man named Leopold Potter, who lived from 1423-1502. Harry supposed more than 500 years of his family's history was quite good for a single book, and he really shouldn't have expected to find the answer in the first book he picked up. He turned the page, just in case the family tree had been continued. It hadn't, but it also did not reveal a different family tree. Instead, Harry found a list of the Potter family's most notable achievements. That held him fascinated for some time, seeing who had invented new potions and spells, and who had been Minister of Magic, and who had invented the cure for dragon pox. And then, at the very bottom of the list, it said "Though it is not known for certain, the Potters are widely believed to be descended from the Gryffindor line. The Gryffindor line by name ended with Felicity Regina Gryffindor (1428-??). In 1430, the Gryffindor family was attacked by a Dark wizard, and Felicity was the only survivor. No one is certain what happened to her, but her body was the only one that was never recovered after the attack. Then, in 1445, Leopold Potter married a young witch from no known magical family, but who was well educated in the traditions and etiquette of wizarding high society, and therefore could not have been a muggleborn. She was called 'Gina,' and her hair was the raven-black colour trademark of the Gryffindor family. Many magical historians have put two and two together and come up with four, though there are some that argue that these circumstances, and the Potter line's propensity for being in Gryffindor house at Hogwarts, are simply coincidences, and that the Gryffindor line is extinct.
Harry closed the book and sighed. It certainly seemed to all add up, but there was the possibility of coincidence. Would this circumstantial evidence have been enough to persuade Tom that Harry truly was the direct heir of Gryffindor? Harry didn't think so. Then, unbidden, a memory came back to him. "Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat," Dumbledore's voice echoed in his mind. Harry snorted. Just like King Arthur pulling the sword from the stone, Harry had proved his birthright. He'd literally been hit over the head with a giant clue, and it was somewhat surprising he'd never considered the possibility before. Harry knew Snape had told Tom about his conversation with Dumbledore after the Chamber incident, which meant that Tom knew Harry had been able to take and use Gryffindor's sword. Combined with the existing rumours about the Potter line, that would have been proof enough for Tom.
Harry realized that he'd been in the Room researching for over an hour now, and that it was time to go to class. He got there just before the bell rang, and took the first seat available. Much to his surprise, Ron, who had come in just after he did, took the seat next to Harry, even though several other seats were open, including the seat next to Hermione. Throughout the rest of the week, Ron gradually seemed to get more and more comfortable with being around Harry again. Conversely, he tried to get close to Hermione less and less often. That made spending time together far easier for the three of them. Harry still withdrew at least once a day to study and practice spells, but when Hermione didn't argue about Harry leaving, Ron didn't either.
In the week before the Christmas holidays began, Harry got a note requesting another meeting with Professor Dumbledore. This one was scheduled for Thursday night at seven. Harry wasn't sure whether or not he hoped Dumbledore would try to see into his mind. Harry was eager to begin his plan, but he hated having his mind read.
A festive atmosphere permeated the castle by the time Thursday night arrived. Harry presented himself at the Headmaster's office promptly at seven o'clock, only to find Professor Slughorn just leaving. "Harry, my dear boy!" the stout professor boomed. "Lovely to see you, simply lovely. We all missed you at my holiday party last night!"
"Er, sorry Professor," Harry said, trying to look sheepish. "I had a headache yesterday afternoon and I went to Madame Pomphrey for a potion. I guess the potion made me sleepy, 'cause I accidentally took a nap for 4 hours." Actually, he'd gone to the kitchens to chat with Dobby for a while, and then hid in the Room practicing some Dark spells.
Slughorn laughed, his rotund belly jiggling. "Not to worry, not to worry, I'm sure we'll see you there next time!"
"Yes, sir," Harry said, and stepped past the still-open gargoyle onto the moving stairs up to Dumbledore's office.
The door was already open, so Harry walked in. Dumbledore was pulling the Pensieve out of the cabinet. Fawkes chirped a note of greeting. "Good evening Fawkes." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and good evening to you, too sir," Harry said, as though it were an afterthought.
"Good evening, Harry," Dumbledore replied, seeming both amused and relieved by Harry's good humour. Since Harry was not making any issue of their previous uncomfortable parting, the elderly professor apparently decided to follow Harry's lead and pretend nothing had happened. Dumbledore pulled a corked vial out of his robes, and Harry noticed immediately that this vial was not the same as the others. The contents of this vial were somewhat chunky, as opposed to the smooth swirliness of the others Harry had seen.
"Sir?" Harry said.
"Yes, Harry?"
"I thought you said we were leaving off with studying memories of Tom Riddle." Harry had hoped that Dumbledore would finally be teaching him some useful magic. At that point, Harry felt the tell-tale signs of someone entering his mind. He put his plan into action. He dropped all but the most rudimentary Occlumency shields from his mind, and pretended to be trying valiantly to hold those basic shields in place. After about five seconds, he let Dumbledore into his mind. He allowed the old man to see memories of Harry studying diligently for class, Harry's disappointment at not being taught more magic, and his fear that he would be killed by Voldemort. He allowed Dumbledore to see memories of Harry reviewing the nights at the graveyard and the ministry, and wondering if he could have saved Cedric and Sirius, had he only been more prepared. Then he felt Dumbledore's presence withdraw from his mind.
"I see you have been studying Occlumency," Dumbledore said, as though he had not just violated Harry's privacy in the deepest way possible.
Harry pretended not to mind. "Yes, sir. Snape, um, I mean Professor Snape might need some work on his people skills, but he knows what he's talking about when it comes to dealing with Voldemort. And if I had learned it before, Sirius would still be alive. I won't let anyone else die because I can't protect my mind."
Dumbledore paused for a moment. "Do you think you might be able to see far enough past Professor Snape's lack of…people skills, as you put it, to make another attempt at learning from him?"
Harry looked indignant. "I know I'm not doing it perfectly, but I've only been studying it for a couple months! Sir."
"Do not misunderstand me, Harry. You have made progress, and excellent progress at that, but without an instructor, it is difficult to know precisely how much progress has been made."
"I'm sorry, sir. I know you trust Professor Snape, and you have your reasons. I respect that you can't tell me those reasons. But I have not seen any reason to trust him, especially because he did not give me anything but the most rudimentary instruction when he attempted to teach me previously. If you can think of anyone else who can teach me, I will accept, but I can't learn from Professor Snape." Harry purposefully used 'big words,' having learned from Tom that people, especially older people, would take you more seriously if you did. He hoped Dumbledore would take that bait.
And he did. "Very well, then, Harry. I shall teach you myself. We will begin after the Christmas holidays, as I must be away on business until then. Now, back to our purpose for this evening."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Harry said. He didn't have to fake the excitement in his voice.
"As you so wisely pointed out earlier, I did say that we would be leaving off from the study of Tom Riddle's childhood. The memory we are about to see is from Tom's days at school. At the time of this memory, he was already calling himself 'Lord Voldemort,' and he had already lost his innocence by murdering his family. Therefore, I believe we can say that he was no longer a child."
"Whose memory is this, sir?" Harry asked. "And why does it look so different?"
"An excellent question, my boy," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "This memory was taken from our very own Professor Slughorn, Potions teacher and Head of Slytherin house while Tom was at school. You will recall, I believe, Lord Voldemort's claims to immortality?"
Oh, so Professor Slughorn had known Tom at school, and apparently had useful memories of the young Dark Lord! That explained why Dumbledore had been so desperate to get Slughorn back into Hogwarts. Harry replied, "Yes. And it seems like he must have something to back it up."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Indeed, he does, and this memory is the key to discovering just what means he used to that end. As for why this memory looks different, it will be easier to explain after you have viewed it." Dumbledore uncorked the vial and dumped in the memory. Harry stuck his face into the bowl.
He watched as Tom carefully manipulated Slughorn into giving the information he needed. Harry was glad Dumbledore hadn't entered the memory with him, as he could not keep a look of sheer admiration off his face. Harry's attempts to wheedle information from Hagrid, Lupin, Sirius, and various other people throughout the years looked pitifully amateurish compared to Tom's mastery of the art. Perhaps Tom would be willing to teach him something about this, too. He saw Tom asking Slughorn about Horcruxes, and watched Slughorn carefully for his response. Was Dumbledore finally going to reveal the secret of the Horcruxes to Harry? But it turned out that Harry would still have to play ignorant. The memory turned to a cloudy white, and Slughorn's voice echoed around him: "I don't know anything about Horcruxes, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" The scene went back to normal, and Professor Slughorn bade Tom goodnight. Then the memory ended.
"What happened? Was the memory damaged or partially Obliviated?" Harry asked as soon as his head left the Pensieve.
"Very good, Harry. Indeed, Professor Slughorn has tampered with his own memory of the event. I believe he did not wish to recall his own contribution to the rise of Lord Voldemort."
"So in the real memory, Professor Slughorn explains to Tom what a—what was it called?"
"A Horcrux, Harry."
"What a Horcrux is then?"
"I believe so, and I believe there is more to the discussion than just the definition of the term. However, only two people know for certain, Tom Riddle and Horace himself."
"You think he still has the original memory, sir?"
"Yes. Had he truly erased the old memory, the new memory would not have appeared so flawed. Somewhere in his mind, he knows what truly happened."
"Sir, what exactly is a Horcrux?"
Dumbledore smiled. "Ah. The crux of the matter, if you will forgive me. Tonight, I am giving you a homework assignment of sorts. You will learn what a Horcrux is when you retrieve the true memory from Professor Slughorn."
"Me, sir?" Harry did not have to fake being a bit nonplussed. "I don't even know Legilimency!"
"Yes, you, Harry. I do not suggest you attempt Legilimency to accomplish this goal, either. Professor Slughorn is quite an accomplished Occlumens. No, you will need to persuade him to give it to you willingly."
"May I ask for help, sir?"
"I would prefer that you not tell Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger about this just yet. After you have retrieved the memory, you may discuss it with them."
In other words, no. Luckily, Dumbledore didn't have the faintest idea who Harry really intended to ask for help.
"And when is this…homework due, sir?"
"I'm sure you understand that time is of the essence. Lord Voldemort's power grows with every passing day, and this memory holds a piece of knowledge essential for defeating him." One of the tinkling silver devices on Dumbledore's desk suddenly gave off a loud siren noise. "I do believe it is time for you to go. I shall be in contact about our Occlumency lessons. Good night, Harry, and good luck."
The door to the stairs opened behind him, and Harry walked out, wondering what the cause of the alarm and his abrupt dismissal was. But he didn't really have anything to base a conclusion on, and he probably wouldn't ever find out if he was right anyway, so he gave that up as a bad job.
The next day was Friday, the last day before the Christmas holidays began. Afternoon classes had been cancelled so that the students could return home. After lunch, Harry was standing in the Great Hall saying goodbye to his friends. "Are you sure you don't want to come to the Burrow, Harry?" Ginny asked. "Mum and the twins will be terribly disappointed."
"Thanks, Ginny, but I'm really looking forward to having some time by myself to study. You guys have a great Christmas. I'll owl you your presents."
Hermione and Ginny both gave Harry a hug goodbye. Ron proved that he was not entirely over his discomfort around Harry by offering a nervous handshake. Harry shook Ron's hand while rolling his eyes at Hermione. His three friends took their bags and waved goodbye. Harry watched as the carriages rolled down the hill toward Hogsmeade, continuing to wave until his friends were completely out of sight. He was a little bit sorry, but it was outweighed by his relief at the feeling of freedom he now had. With his friends, and more importantly Dumbledore gone, Harry could spend as much time as he wanted in the Chamber library. No one would bother him or ask him where he'd been all day.
He'd ordered presents for his friends a long time ago, out of a catalogue. He got a new pair of Quidditch goggles for Ron, and sets of matching gloves, scarf, and hat for Hermione and Ginny. The gloves were kid leather, and the hats were made of alpaca wool. According to the catalogue, it was the most lightweight, warm, and waterproof wool available. Hermione's set was done in shades of green and Ginny's in shades of blue. Kreacher, of all people, had helped him pick those out. Who would've thought the crazed elf would have such good taste? For his roommates, he'd simply bought small boxes of candy, as he always did. He'd also bought socks for Dobby, as well as some for Professor Dumbledore. He thought he'd send the socks to Dumbledore with a note that said "Use them well." The old man would probably find it amusing, and take it as a sign that Harry still fully respected and cared for him. Harry saw it as a symbol of Dumbledore's refusal to trust Harry. The Headmaster had seen what the innermost desire of Harry's heart was, after all, and wasn't Harry's desire just as personal of information as Dumbledore's? But instead of giving like information in exchange, Dumbledore had given Harry a farce of an answer. So Harry would give him the farcical desire. There was only one person he couldn't think of anything to get for. Tom.
He wasn't even sure if he should get Tom anything. Their relationship was hardly normal, and until very recently, they had been mortal enemies. But Tom had become an important person in Harry's life, and Harry wanted to acknowledge that with a Yule gift. He just didn't have the faintest clue what that gift should be. Tom wouldn't want Quidditch supplies or candy, his usual stand-bys. He might want books, but he would only want rare and powerful books, not anything that could be purchased from a common store like Flourish and Blotts. The same would be true for magical artefacts; Tom wouldn't want anything that could be purchased at a store in Hogsmeade.
He supposed there was still a week before Christmas, so he still had some time to think about it. Maybe an answer would come to him down in the Chamber, in an atmosphere that reminded him of Tom. And if not, finishing with the two books he currently had would please Tom. Without anyone watching him, Harry was able to spend almost all of his time in the Chamber library, studying and practicing. Over the next three days, he only emerged to eat breakfast and dinner, and to go to sleep in his dormitory. Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus had all gone home for the holiday, so when coming back from the Chamber, he could simply appear in his room. He'd also figured out the password to get back into the Chamber without having to deal with Myrtle or the slime built up in the pipe slide. As the voice that he now knew to be Salazar's had said, the password was extremely simple. It was "§enter,§" said while picturing the main room clearly in your mind. Of course, that meant that one had to find the pipe entrance and get in the hard way the first time.
On the third day, Harry entered the Chamber to find a man there waiting for him. The man's form was ethereal and glowing, though not translucent like that of a ghost. "§Salazar?§" Harry gasped.
"§Very good, lion cub. I see you accomplished both of the tasks I set for you. §"
"§But how are you here? You obviously aren't a ghost, but you don't seem completely alive either.§"
"§All four founders left a part of their spirit somewhere in the castle. In life, our magic was tied to the castle. In death, our magic remained here, with Hogwarts, and therefore a portion of ourselves did as well. I am something like a magical portrait, only far less restricted.§"
"§So the spirits of the other founders are here too? Do you know where they are?§"
"§Yes, the others are here, and yes, I do know where they are.§"
"§Where are they? Would they talk to me too?§" Harry was extremely excited at the prospect.
Salazar just smirked at him.
Harry sighed. "§Let me guess—something else I must 'discern for myself?'§"
The apparition smiled. "§Of course. I will give you a small hint: you have already interacted with Godric's spirit, as has every student who has passed through Hogwarts.§"
Harry thought about the parts of the castle associated with Gryffindor. He couldn't think of anything in the Tower. The idea that it was the portrait of the Fat Lady was laughable. The sword of Gryffindor also seemed unlikely. Wait—the sorting hat, it had once belonged to Godric, hadn't it? "§The sorting hat?§" he posited.
"§You are very quick, child. The other two will not be so quickly found, but if you have not found them before the Easter holidays, I will indulge you with another hint.§"
"§Thank you, sir.§" Salazar smiled at him, but did not say anything more, so Harry decided the conversation was finished and continued on to the library.
Twilight Spells had proved to be everything Tom claimed it was. Harry's understanding of Dark spells had greatly increased after reading it. He was somewhat surprised by how quickly he took to Dark magic. It was powered by negative emotion, the stronger the better, and Harry hadn't ever thought of himself as a negative person. But when he thought about it, he realized that his life had given him far more experience with negative emotions than positive. The first year of his life had undoubtedly been filled with love, trust, and happiness. After that, in his time with the Dursleys, he had never, not once, felt loved. Nor could he think of even a single moment when he had felt truly happy. The ten years of his life spent there were characterized by fear, jealousy, guilt, spite, shame, anger, sorrow, and hatred. During his childhood, the time when children learned about feelings, Harry had only known the negative ones, and so it was no surprise that these feelings came to him easily. It was more surprising that Harry was able to cast powerful Light spells like the Patronus. Or perhaps not. Most people were used to being happy, or if not actively happy, at least content. Harry's moments of happiness had not occurred until Hogwarts, and even there they were few and far between, so they stood out intensely in his mind.
Today, however, Harry was finished with the book on Dark magic. He had begun with the book on the Animagus transformation, but he had made little progress so far. But that was also not his current objective. Time before Christmas was running short, and he still hadn't thought of anything to get Tom. He decided to make a list, the way Hermione would, and see if that helped. He pulled out a scrap piece of parchment and a quill, and wrote at the top "What to get Tom for Christmas." He would write down all of his ideas and choose the best one.
Half an hour later, Harry was staring at the still-blank parchment. No possibility even worth considering had crossed his mind.
"Having problems, lion cub?" The sudden reappearance, comment, and transition into English from Salazar startled Harry, and he dropped his quill, sending ink flying. Salazar laughed as Harry murmured a spell to clean up the spilled ink.
"I don't know what I could possibly get Tom for Christmas," Harry said, sighing in frustration.
"Tom? Who is Tom?" Salazar asked, intrigued. Surely Harry did not mean that Tom…
"Tom Riddle, your heir, of course. He came to the Chamber while he was at school, you must know him."
Okay, Harry did mean that Tom. Salazar was intrigued. His spirit could only materialize in the Chamber, but he still communicated with the spirits of Godric, Rowena, and Helga, and between them they had a fairly good idea of everything that happened within Hogwarts castle, and through that, the outside world. He knew what had become of Tom Riddle after leaving Hogwarts, and he knew the story of Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. "Yes, I know Tom. We spoke often during his time at school. I was simply not aware that your relationship with him was on such friendly terms."
Harry smiled, a shy and yet mischievous smile that was exactly the same as Godric's. The boy's hair was also the same raven-wing black that had been a characteristic of almost every member of the Gryffindor line. What were the odds of that happening, with over a thousand years having passed between Godric and Harry? The boy had to be a direct heir. "It wasn't, until very recently," Harry answered. "But back in September, Tom and I had a meeting. We've been meeting every couple weeks since then, and Tom has been very good to me. He teaches me about more advanced magic, which Dumbledore won't do. I'm not on Dumbledore's side anymore, and I could never hurt Tom in any way. Tom is my best friend now, but I can't just say that, it would be embarrassing, so I want to show him how much I care about him by getting him the absolutely perfect Christmas gift. But I can't think of anything good enough!"
Now Salazar was suspicious. He knew something of the prophecy--that Harry was one, perhaps the only one, who could defeat Tom. He could easily see Tom being kind to Harry to make sure that the boy would not be an obstacle. But he also knew about what happened in Godric's Hallow, and something of the near-fatal encounters the two had had during Harry's time at Hogwarts. There was no ordinary way that Harry would have forgiven Tom so quickly and come to care for him so deeply. Tom had to be up to something. Salazar wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want his heir to be defeated and killed, especially since Tom was his last remaining descendant. But he liked Harry. The young man reminded him so much of Godric, who, despite what legends had to say, had actually been Salazar's closest friend. He didn't want to see Harry hurt or killed, either. He decided he needed to have a talk with his heir and find out exactly what was going on.
"You said that you meet with Tom on a regular basis? How is that possible?"
"You know about what happened when I was a baby, right?" Harry asked.
"Perhaps not all the details, but I know the story, yes," Salazar answered impatiently, wondering what that had to do with anything.
"When Tom tried to kill me that night, and his curse backfired, it didn't just give me a scar on my forehead. It created a bond between us. Before September, I would sometimes see through his eyes, and feel what he was feeling. I didn't have any control over it, it just happened. But one day in September, my mind was pulled to him. I wasn't really there with him physically, but I had an illusion of a body. I'm not sure why our link changed like that, but I think it might have something to do with when Tom possessed me in June. That day in September was when we really talked for the first time. Now, I only feel what he feels when he wants me to, and he can also feel what I feel when I want. So we use that link whenever one of us wants to talk, and then Tom pulls my mind to him."
"Fascinating. I've never heard of anything like that happening before."
That comment made Harry grimace. "That's the story of my life—stuff that's never happened before."
Salazar laughed. "It seems to have worked in your favour so far."
"Great. So now I'm overdue for it to work against me."
"Whatever happened to Gryffindor optimism?"
"I don't think I'm really the best person to tell you that."
"And why is that, lion cub?"
Harry gave him a blank look. "Didn't you know?"
"Know what?"
"I wasn't really supposed to be a Gryffindor." Harry couldn't fight the smirk that came over his face.
"Ah, that. Yes, I did know that. You would have made an excellent addition to my House."
Harry blushed. "Thank you, sir."
Yes, Harry definitely deserved whatever protection Salazar could give. He would have to find out what his heir was up to regarding the boy. "So, you can meet with Tom whenever you want?"
"Well, I can ask him to meet with me. He hasn't said no yet, and I don't think he would without a good reason."
"I want you to request a meeting with him this evening. It's been many years since Tom and I last spoke, and I would like very much to see him again. Ask him to come to the Chamber on Christmas Eve."
"Can he do that, sir? What about the Hogwarts wards?"
"The wards are strong, but Hogwarts cannot deny entry to one of her own, and I control who may and may not enter the Chamber. Some precautions will need to be taken, but Tom is quite capable of seeing to those himself."
"I'll ask him tonight, and I'll let you know tomorrow."
"Now, back to your original problem."
"You mean the Christmas present? It sounds like you knew Tom quite well, do you have any ideas?"
"I'm sure you have already figured out that it cannot be anything purchased in Hogsmeade or by owl catalogue."
"Of course not! Tom would want something unique."
"Have you considered that it does not have to be a material possession? Tom is quite wealthy, and can easily buy whatever material things he wants. You should give him something unique, perhaps something that only you can give."
"Something only I could give…what do I have that Tom might want? The Invisibility Cloak? No, you said not something material, and besides, if Dumbledore can become invisible without one, Tom certainly can. Maybe something I could accomplish for him? But what could I do that he couldn't do himself?"
"I think you're getting closer, little lion. Keep thinking about it, you'll come up with something. Don't forget to pass on my request to Tom." And with that, the apparition vanished, leaving Harry once again alone in the Chamber library.
Harry smiled, thinking about where he was. He was in the Chamber of Secrets, talking with the spirit of Salazar Slytherin and practicing Dark magic. If the Order only knew…
Wait! The Order! Harry wasn't a member yet, so he didn't know everything about it, but he did know quite a bit, including some things he was fairly certain Snape didn't know. That was it, the answer! He'd write a list of everything he knew about the Order, who was in it, what their goals were, their recent missions that he'd overhead people discussing, and some of the codes they used. He couldn't give away the location of the Order's headquarters, but he could give hints. He got out a fresh sheet of parchment and a new quill and started writing notes for his task. He grinned. This would make Tom so happy.
Several hours later, Harry was rubbing his stiff, ink-stained fingers and feeling quite triumphant. He'd filled up over ten feet of parchment with carefully organized information about the Order of the Phoenix, including information on Professor Dumbledore. He rolled up the parchment, conjured a green and silver ribbon, and tied the ribbon around the parchment. He decided to leave the parchment on an empty shelf in the Chamber library. Salazar wouldn't let anything happen to it, and Harry didn't want to take any risk, however small, of someone else finding it. Satisfied that Tom's Christmas present was taken care of, Harry decided to go up to dinner.
After dinner, Harry went back up to his dorm and read the last chapter of Twilight Spells. Then he spent a couple hours practicing some of the calmer, less destructive spells from the book. When he thought it was late enough, he sent a non-verbal message to Tom, asking for a meeting. After about forty-five minutes, he got a feeling of acceptance. Harry went to sleep immediately, and quickly found himself in the familiar surroundings of Tom's study. He took his usual seat while saying "Good evening, Tom."
"And to you, Harry. I trust you have been enjoying your Christmas holidays?"
"Absolutely. It's such a relief to not be constantly worried about who's watching me. I've had a lot of time to spend in the Chamber and study."
"How are you coming along with those two books?"
"I'm almost finished with Twilight Spells. There was one that I had a question about though."
"Oh? Which one?"
"Sansperare. I can't quite get the wand movement right. The spell keeps coming out a pale yellow instead of a bright orange like the book says it should be."
"I see. You must not be completing the downward left sweep before the flick and jab. Here, let me show you." Tom stood up and pulled out his wand, the thirteen inch yew stick that was the brother of Harry's own. "Come here and stand by me," Tom said imperiously. Harry did as he was told. "Now put your hand on my wand, right here under mine. I'll guide your hand through the proper movement." Harry was shocked, both by the close physical proximity and by Tom allowing Harry to touch his wand. Tom slowly moved Harry's hand through the correct motions, and Harry immediately saw what he'd been doing wrong. As Tom had said, his downward sweep had been cut off too quickly. Tom moved Harry's hand again, faster, and Harry concentrated on the point where he had been making his mistake. Then Tom let go, leaving Harry holding the wand. "Show me that you can do it by yourself now," Tom said. Harry put the wand through the proper motions for the spell, but did not say the incantation, knowing that without his physical body he was unable to cast any spells. "Again," Tom said. Harry did it again, a little bit faster. "Once more, quickly," Tom said. Harry did it as quickly as he could this time. "Excellent," Tom said, smiling approvingly. "When you return to your body, I think you will find yourself able to cast the spell without trouble."
"Thank you Tom!" Harry said, and while handing Tom's wand back to him, kissed Tom's cheek. Harry knew Tom had just shown an extraordinary amount of trust, letting Harry hold his wand, even if Harry couldn't do anything with it, and Harry wanted to show how much he appreciated that. After doing so, Harry returned to his chair, only blushing a little.
For a moment, that action caused Tom to freeze. He knew Potter was attracted to him, but he never thought the boy might actually do something like that! He also returned to his chair, and quickly hid his discomfort by changing the subject back to the spell. "Sansperare, though simple, can be one of the most useful spells in any Dark wizard's arsenal. Do you know why?"
Harry also seemed relieved to resume the conversation as though nothing had happened. "Well, it causes your enemy to lose hope."
"And why would that be so important?"
"People are strongly affected by what they believe they can and cannot do. Part of what gives you your strength is that you don't believe there is anything you cannot do. I used to be, and probably still am, limited by my belief that there are many things I can't do. In a duel, if your enemy loses hope, they will believe that they cannot defeat you. If they believe they cannot defeat you, they may stop trying. Muggles call that a 'self-fulfilling prophecy.' If you use it on an enemy outside of a duel, for a long term, they could easily be driven to suicide. Someone you are torturing for information may lose hope in being rescued, or lose hope that their side can ever win the war, and may give in more easily."
"Very good, my little serpent." Tom honestly was impressed at the boy's insightfulness and understanding. "Now, if you have no other questions about spells," Tom paused until Harry shook his head no, "what is the latest news from Dumbledore?"
"He met with me one more time before the holidays. He finally introduced the idea of your Horcruxes, but he did not explain anything about them."
"How did he introduce the subject?"
"He showed me a memory of you at Hogwarts, a memory taken from Professor Slughorn. But Slughorn didn't give Dumbledore the whole thing. He edited out certain parts."
"I assume you refer to the memory of me asking my dear head of house about Horcruxes?"
"Yes, that was the one. But Slughorn edited out everything in between you asking the question and him telling you to go to bed."
"Did Dumbledore give you any further information after viewing the memory?"
"No, none at all," Harry said, somewhat indignantly. "He told me that he wants me to somehow get the original memory from Slughorn, and that when I get it, I'll know what a Horcrux is."
Tom looked at Harry over elegantly steepled fingers. "Do you have any idea how to go about retrieving the memory?"
Harry looked surprised. "I hadn't really thought about it. Dumbledore obviously already knows what a Horcrux is, so that can't be the only thing he wants from the memory. There must be some other information, something Dumbledore doesn't already know, and I assumed you wouldn't want him to know it. I wasn't going to put any serious effort into the task."
"That will do for now, but Dumbledore will expect results from you. If he does not get them, he may suspect that you are not really trying."
"Then what should I do?"
"I will think on it further."
"You were brilliant, by the way," Harry said suddenly.
"What?" said Tom, wondering where that had come from.
"In the memory. You manipulated the Head of Slytherin House like it was nothing. You had him eating out of your hand. I was impressed."
Tom was pleased by the compliment, as he hadn't been pleased by any other compliments he'd heard for a very long time. It must just be because this compliment was offered in full sincerity, without any sycophantic desire to flatter. "Thank you, Harry."
"You're welcome." There was a moment of semi-awkward silence.
"Oh! Salazar wants to see you," Harry said finally.
"Really? Did he say what it was concerning?"
"Nope, only that he hasn't seen you in a long time. I guess he misses you."
"Tell him that I shall consider it, and I will decide within the next few days."
"Will do."
"Is there anything else?" Tom asked.
Harry thought for a moment. "No, that's everything for tonight."
"Then let us say goodnight now. I will speak with you again shortly."
"Goodnight Tom," Harry said. "I look forward to it." Harry's presence left the room, and Tom found himself thinking that he looked forward to it, too. He pushed it out of his mind as an automatic response to what Harry had said, and then went to sleep himself.
Two nights later, Tom drew Harry to his side for a short meeting. "Good evening, my little serpent. I do not have much time this evening, so I will come straight to the point. Tell Salazar that I will grant his request. Meet me tomorrow evening at midnight, in the Chamber."
Harry smiled at the thought of actually seeing Tom in person. "I will. Goodnight, Tom. See you tomorrow."