This chapter is dedicated to faithful animals everywhere. Especially Hachi, the dog who waited every day for his deceased master to return home.

And yes, Emy waiting for Sal is sorta based, just a little, on that story.

History is the present. That's why every generation writes it anew. But what most people think of as history is its end product, myth.

- E. L. Doctorow

The Queen of Serpents

Chapter Six

Oh Dear; Where is the Heir

"speech"

thoughts

"parseltongue"

/mind speech/

=visions=

Writing

Emerald paused halfway to her chamber. She did have to eat often, but she had not eaten in some time.

Her tongue flickered out, scenting the air. The scent of rat lay heavy about her.

Her mind decided, she slithered in to a nearby pipe. So kind of the humans to build her these special paths. There was good hunting there.

She would find herself a meal. Then she would rest. After she would find her master.

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Tom slid back into his seat. There. It was done. He did not have long to relax, however.

"Hunt. Kill. Feed. Hunt."

Sa'zar's eyes went wide. Tom's face paled. Harry jerked up.

"That voice," Sa'zar gasped. "That's the one I told you about!"

"It said it was hunting someone!" Harry spoke rapidly, urgently.

"Or something," Tom corrected. Now she chooses to hunt?

"We have to help," Dudley cried, leaping to his feet.

"This way!" Sa'zar raced to the door, following the rapidly receding voice.

Cedric, Percy, Val, the twins, Harry, Daphne, Draco, Ron, Dudley, Mione, Nev, Hannah, Blaise, Ted, Susan, Luna, Greg and Vince followed, with Tom trailing behind, silently cursing the timing of idiotic basilisks.

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Twenty people gazed in shock and horror at the wall, the message, and the cat hanging from a bracket above it. The twenty-first member of the group tried to appear invisible.

"I..I don't understand," Mione finally gasped out.

"That's a first," Ron muttered. Dudley elbowed him, as Draco stifled a snicker.

Cedric shut his eyes, forcing himself to think rationally. "Val, you're the fastest. Go to the Great Hall and get the teachers. Ted, get to the Hospital Wing and find Madame Pomfrey. Fred, George, help me get the cat down. Percy," he hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "Percy, stay by the stairs. The feast will end soon.."

Percy nodded pompously, heading to the top of the stairs. Below, there was a rumbling sound as the school was dismissed. Hundreds of feet pattered against the floor as their owners headed towards their dorms.

Percy stepped forward as the first students rounded the corner. There was a moment of shocked silence. Then Lavender shrieked, grabbing a hold of Parvati. The spell broke and everyone began to shout at once, screaming, wailing, clutching at their friends. Percy raised his voice, trying to restore order, but his efforts went unnoticed in the chaos.

A calm voice cut through the confusion. "Enough." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Professor Dumbledore had arrived on the scene. "May I suggest that you return to your dorms? After all," his blue eyes twinkled merrily, "I do not believe your teachers would approve if you were to sleep through their classes tomorrow." Sheepishly, the students calmed. Gryffindors and Ravenclaws continued on to their dorms; Slytherins and Hufflepuffs retreated down the stairs to their own common rooms.

Professor Dumbledore looked seriously at the group. His eyes were no longer twinkling. "I f you will return to the Teachers Room?" Silently, the group followed him, faces drawn, Cedric still holding the cat.

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Filch burst, sobbing, into the Teachers Room. "My cat! My cat! They've killed my cat! I'll kill them! I'll kill-"

"Argus!" Albus raised a hand, calming the hysterical old man nodded once, then turned his focus to Mrs. Norris.

Lockhart was talking a mile a minute, and no one was listening to a word. "It was definitely a curse that killed her- probably the Transmogrifian Torture. I've seen it used many times, so unlucky I wasn't there, I know the very counter curse that could have saved her..."

Albus was muttering strange words, tapping Mrs. Norris with his wand, his nose barely a hairs breath from her stiff fur. Finally, he straightened up. "She is not dead, Argus."

Filch choked. "Not dead," he whispered, peeking through his fingers. "But then why is she all stiff and frozen?'

"She has been petrified," Albus answered quietly. "But how, I cannot say..."

"B..But how's she to get fixed?"

Pomona patted the caretaker gently. "There, there. I'm growing mandrakes, and once they're fully grown we'll be able to get her back to normal in no time."

"Indeed." Albus turned to the students. "Now that that has been settled, I believe it is time for all of you to head to bed." Slowly, the group trickled out of the room.

"Tom."

The boy stiffened, slowly turning around, all the trouble he had ever had with Albus Dumbledore returning in single word. "Yes, sir?"

"Tom." Albus gave the stormy eyed boy a piercing look. "Do you have any idea of what that message might mean?"

Tom froze. He can't know. He can't. I'm just the beast suspect. Just- "It..It seems to be a warning. To be careful."

Albus nodded, steepleing his fingers. "I see. Would you agree that a curfew might be a wise idea?"

Tom nodded, trying not to seem too eager. "Yes, sir. I do."

Albus sighed. "Thank you for giving an old man some time, Tom. Now, to bed, and do try to be careful."

Tom nodded again, before turning and leaving the room.

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Sa'zar blinked as Mione stalked furiously into the common room.

"I don't believe it," she groused. "Every copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' has been checked out! I knew I should have brought mine, but I didn't have room with all those Lockhart books!"

"No one did." Val made a face. "Just another reason to hate the guy, right Liz?" The bright green chameleon nodded.

Sa'zar gave the bushy haired girl a sympathetic glance. "I know. Tom is the only one who brought a copy and he's refusing to let us borrow it. Something about us destroying his books."

The threesome sighed.

"Why not ask Professor Binns," Luna asked, not even bothering to look up from her magazine. "Daddy says he knows a lot of history. He even knows about Lady Ravenclaw's diadem. Daddy is trying to get his help in recreating it."

"Well." Mione struggled for a moment with her dislike of Luna and the validity of the advice. As usual with Mione, sense won. "That is a good idea Luna. Yes," she continued, "that's an excellent idea. I just have to check..."

Sa'zar and Val shared a grin as their bushy haired friend ran from the room. No one studied like Mione.

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"Just because it's Slytherin's Chamber doesn't make the heir a Slytherin," Nev argued.

"But it's more likely to be," Ron countered.

"Actually," Dudley cut in, "Tom says the currant heir is a gryffindor and he's in Azkaban."

Ron blinked. "How does Tom know that," he demanded, at the same time that Nev asked, "who is it?"

Dudley laughed. "Woah! One at a time! Okay, Tom knows because, when we were trying to figure out who Sa'zar was, my Mum got a list of all the currant heirs. The main heir is some bloke named- get this- Sirius! Can you imagine the jokes."

The other two laughed. A small furry head peeked out of Ron's pocket and the red head petted it distractedly. "First guy: I'm serious!"

Nev grinned. "Sirius: So am I!"

Dudley chuckled. "Now, be serious you two!" Laughing, the trio headed off to class.

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"This is what you were talking about." Harry frowned at his many times great-grandfather's portrait, daring him to deny it.

Slytherin raised an eyebrow. "I knew that the creature within was stirring, not that she would be aided or used."

"Well," Draco prompted his snake speaking best friend, "what did he say?"

Harry sighed. "He says he knew the monster was awake, but not that someone was helping her."

Above the mantle, painted eyes narrowed. Monster?

"That means that this 'heir' is almost certainly not a Slytherin," Ted theorized.

"If it was, Lord Slytherin would have known." Greg followed the thought to it's logical conclusion.

"Can't be a Hufflepuff," Blaise grinned. "They're too nice."

"Gryffindor," Vince said slowly, "'cause they're brave."

The other four gaped at him. Harry blinked slowly. "You know," he said, sounding as though he could scarcely believe it, "he has a point."

Blaise began clapping and Greg slapped Vince on the back. Draco rolled his eyes.

Ted frowned. "Assuming it is a Gryffindor, how do we go about finding him?"

"Or her," Daphne cut in.

"Or her," Ted conceded.

Seven Slytherin Snakes stared sneakily- at each other.

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Mione raised her hand almost as soon as class began. "Professor Binns, sir, what do you know of the Chamber of Secrets?"

Professor Binns jerked, a startled look on his translucent face. "Miss Gregor the Chamber of Secrets is a myth. Now to return to the Goblin War of- Yes, Miss Gregor?"

"Granger," Mione corrected, "and isn't it true that all myths have some basis in fact?"

Professor Binns frowned. "That is true Miss...Grater," Mione sighed, "but that particular legend has been proven to be false. Now if we could return to discussing some factual information- Yes?" Everyone in the class now had their hands up. Cuthbert gazed helplessly at his class. It had been years since any but his sixth and seventh years had paid attention to him. "Oh, very well. Let me see...

"The Chamber of Secrets. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago." Nods all around. "It was built by some of the greatest witches and wizards of the age."

"Of course," Padma interjected. "Godric of Gryffindor, Helga of Hufflepuff, our lady Rowena of Ravenclaw and Salazar of Slytherin."

"And Galen of Hogwarts," Sa'zar added. "He was a founder too!"

Professor Binns actually beamed at the silver eyed boy. "Very good, Sal. Five points to both your houses."

Sa'zar blinked. Both my ...What?

"To continue; over time the founders began to fall apart. Specifically, Gryffindor and Slytherin's friendship began to disintegrate. The major point of contention was, as you know, over weather or not to allow muggle born children into the school." More nods. "In large part the schism was brought on by the murder of Galen Hogwarts by a muggle-born, former Hogwarts student." There were several shocked gasps. "Eventually Slytherin and Gryffindor fought and Salazar was forced into exile."

"Forced?" Terry's eyes narrowed. "Hogwarts: A History only says that he left."

"Hogwarts: A History, though an excellent book, is not the definitive source of historic knowledge." Terry nodded. Binns continued. "Until this point we have clear, reliable, historical sources. But now we move from the realm of fact to that of legend.

"Legend has it, that before leaving the school, Salazar Slytherin built a secret chamber. With in this so called 'Chamber of Secrets' was a creature only he and his heirs could control. At some point in the future the 'monster' would be released and purge the school of all undesirables."

"Muggle-borns," Anthony said flatly. "That's what he meant."

"Not necessarily," Mione, surprisingly, disagreed. "Slytherin was known for his paranoia. He may have instructed the creature to attack anyone who was acting against the interests of the school."

Cuthbert sighed. "Be that as it may Miss Graper, there is no proof that Slytherin built so much as a secret broom closet, let alone a secret chamber!"

Something tingled at the back of Sa'zar's mind. Broom closet...

"Perhaps you need Dark Magic to open it," Padma suggested.

Binns frowned. "Simply because one does not use the Dark Arts does not mean that one cannot. If the Chamber existed, I am sure that Albus Dumbledore would be capable of opening it to defeat whatever happens to lay within."

"If only Slytherin's heir can open it," Terry said slowly, "wouldn't that exclude anyone not of his immediate bloodline?"

"That would make me the heir," Sa'zar pointed out, "and I have twenty different people who can confirm that it wasn't me."

"And the inheritance might not work that way," Anthony noted. "The Slytherin family may use different criteria."

"And there's no proof that Slytherin died," Padma shrugged. "For all we know, he could be sitting in class with us. Though, it's more likely that he's in stasis somewhere."

Professor Cuthbert Binns allowed himself a smile. He really did like Rowena's eaglets. As for the Chamber...Well, he put the blame for that right where it belonged.

On the shoulders of the sneakiest Gryffindor he had ever had the fortune, or misfortune, to teach.

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Somewhere in Tokyo...

Golden eyes, that once, long ago, had been the color of grass, sparkled in the light of the setting sun. Red hair blazed like the wild light of a torch.

A man, older by far then his appearance told, sat, head in his hands. About his neck, an old amulet sparkled as it twisted on its chain. His gaze was far away, as though he were looking at something which no other could see.

To see a hidden chamber, in the depths of a far off castle, where two friends once hid from a third, to play with the worlds deadliest serpent.

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Hannah smiled dreamily. "I know Slytherin can't have been all bad. I mean, he did love the Tigress."

Tom raised an eyebrow. He would have laughed, but for the fact that he had proof that the Tigress had existed, though the odds of her actually coming from the future were as likely as...as finding an amnesiac Salazar Slytherin in your backyard actually.

Susan shot her best friend an exasperated look. "Oh, Hannah. I can't believe you're actually giving any credence to that old legend."

Hannah glared at her. "How is it any less believable than the Chamber of Secrets? If the one is true, the other could be."

Susan shook her head in mock despair. "A romantic. There can be no hope."

And now Tom did laugh.

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"He's hiding something."

"Who?" Mione gazed blankly at Sa'zar.

The dark haired boy sighed, tugging fitfully at his braid. "Binns. He knows more than he's telling."

Mione frowned. "He's a teacher, Sa'zar. He wouldn't hide something from us unless we didn't need to know."

Sa'zar shook his head. "He's hiding something," the tiny boy repeated, "and I'm going to find out why."

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Lucius Malfoy paled as he read his son's latest letter. He scanned the last few lines again.

The entire school is searching for this mysterious 'heir.' Naturally everyone is looking to our house for their scapegoat. In light of this, we are conducting our own search.

Potter's brothers and their friends have agreed to aid us in this endeavor.

Potter's brothers. One of whom was Tom Marvolo Riddle. Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord. Slytherin's heir.

Lucius snapped his fingers, summoning one of the elves to his side. "Dobby," he spoke coldly, fear turning his voice to ice. "I have an important task for you..."

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AUthor's Note: Sooo, the next chapter. Quite a few mysteries here. The mysterious man in Tokyo makes another appearance. Binns knows more than he's letting on. Then there's Hannah's legend and, of course, the Chamber of Secrets.

Due to a complaint I will only list the full questionnaire every fifth chapter. So here are the questions for chapter six.

Question:

Chapter 6:

Why does Binns award Sa'zar's points to both of his houses?

Who was the Gryffindor Binns taught?

What task did Lucius set Dobby?

Why is Sirius the Slytherin heir?

Who else is an heir?

Why did Ron's rat react?

How much do you think Albus knows/suspects? (This is an opinion question.)

Who is the man in Tokyo? (To be answered in third year.)

Who is the Tigress? (To be answered in seventh year.)

Points:

Gryffindor:56

Hufflepuff:37

Ravenclaw:46

Slytherin:48