Whatever begins, also ends.
- Seneca
The Queen of Serpents
Chapter Thirteen
Good News and Bad
"speech"
thoughts
"parseltongue"
/mind speech/
=visions=
Writing
It was back to school, and with it all sorts of worries.
Dudley was worried about grades, tests, and the possibility of another attack. They were halfway through the year now, and school was about to get that much harder.
Sa'zar was worried about the strange voice in the halls and the enmity the school currently bore for him. How could anyone think he would attack the muggleborns? 'Mione was one!
Tom was worried about Emy and what the snake had been up to while he was gone. How did you control an eighty foot long, deadly serpent who could kill with a glance when she did not want to listen?
And Harry was worried about Draco's nutty elf, and his upcoming match with Ravenclaw. He was not about to lose to Sa'zar again!
With all the worries, it was a good thing there was some good news to lighten the load.
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"Father says we no longer have to worry about that insane elf. "Draco smirked at Harry. "Good to hear, no?"
Harry nodded, the corners of his mouth turning up. "I'd say it is an improvement. Anything else happen over Christmas, or did you spend the whole time telling off old Dobby?"
Rather than getting irritated, Draco gazed up dreamily. "We went to visit the ancestral Malfoy lands. The old ones, that is. In France. We stayed at the shrine-"
"Shrine?" Harry caught himself just before he burst out laughing. From the look on Draco's face that would have been an unforgivable insult.
"Malfoys are descended from the Gaulish druids Potter. To renew our powers we have to commune with nature twice a year when we turn thirteen, on the winter and summer solstices."
Harry tilted his head slightly, a sign that he was intrigued. "Do all purebloods do things like that, or is it just your family?"
"Just the druid families," Draco explained cheerfully enough. He was always glad to talk about his family. "But other families have different rituals."
"And what happens if you don't go? What do you mean, you would lose your powers?"
"We would still be wizards." Draco hastened to reassure his friend, "But we wouldn't be druids anymore."
"Interesting." Harry made a mental note to look up druids. He was curious, but he did not want to display his ignorance. Not even to Draco.
"What about you?" The pale blond looked expectantly at his best friend.
"What about me?" Harry asked, quickly working on a suitable lie. He did not want to discuss the ritual. It would engender too many questions.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Do I have to spell it out Potter? How did you fulfill your obligations to Loki?"
"I have obligations to Loki?" Harry repeated blankly. That one had really come out of left field.
Draco laughed, but it died a swift death at Harry's obvious incomprehension. "You – You don't know? No one told you?"
Harry shook his head, frowning. "I've been researching etiquette and basic culture. I know most European purebloods are pagan – the Greengrasses and Goldsteins the obvious exceptions – but that was it. Mythology was not very high on my reading list."
Draco gapped at him. "Not high. Potter, you continually amaze. How could you skip something as important as religion?"
Harry glowered at him. "I do know about religion. Mostly Christianity, but I know some stuff about Islam and Judaism.
Draco sniffed. "And what about the Old religion? The gods and the fey and the druids and the elves? No, don't answer. You don't know, do you?"
Harry shook his head. "It's that important?"
Draco nodded. "Incredibly so. Now Potter, I am going to give you a crash course on wizarding faiths and in exchange… Well," the blond smirked. "We'll see."
Harry winced, but nodded, accepting the deal. If Draco was right about how important this was – and considering the part belief played in magic, it almost certainly was – he really did need to know this. Hopefully Draco's price would be reasonable…
Great. Something else to worry about.
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"The headmaster sent you an answer."
Sa'zar nervously took the crisp envelope from Val. "Thanks. You didn't.." He trailed off, unsure of how to phrase the question.
Fortunately, he did not have to. "Not a peek. I am curious though!" Val winked at Sa'zar, tiny question marks sparkling by her ears.
"You're writing the headmaster? Why? It must be really important if you are bothering Professor Dumbledore himself." 'Mione leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with eager curiosity.
Sa'zar shifted uncomfortably. "It's no-" He broke off with a gasp. Right. No lies. Not even little white ones. That geas could be really irritating. "It's private. Not even my brothers know."
"Oh." Mione sank back, disappointed. Then she leaned forward again, eyes wide. "And don't worry Sa'zar! I won't tell your brothers!"
"Thanks Mione." Sa'zar smiled weakly as he opened the letter.
Salazar,
If you will come by my office on Sunday,
I have arranged for you to be tested for the Sight.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
P.S. I would appreciate it if Miss Lovegood would consent to come as well.
"Well?"
Sa'zar could not help but grin at Mione's expression. "It seems likely that I will have to sign up for Divination. Luna, how would you-"
"Oh, I would be very happy to meet the headmaster. Do you suppose he knows where I could meet a scorpleapard?"
Slightly nonplussed, Sa'zar nodded. "Err… Right." How did she do that?
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"Glad you're back Dudley! And you too Nev. I was going bonkers without you two. No one but the twins, and that was almost worse than being alone!"
Nev shrugged. "I don't know that my vacation was any better Ron. Gran threw one of her 'parties' over the hols. Honestly, I would have preferred to stay here."
Dudley nodded. "Yeah. Mine started off fine, but then Dad came to pick me up. I don't mind spending time with him, but I could do with a little less 'magic is evil' stuff."
Ron winced. "Bad luck mate," he commiserated. Still, look on the bright side; you're back now!"
Nev nodded his agreement as the carriage rolled through the gates. "Thanks for coming to meet us."
Ron waved a hand dismissively. "Anything to get away from Fred and George. Due to everyone leaving for the hols I've been 'volunteered' as their test subject."
"That bad?"
Ron shuddered. "You have no idea."
Dudley winced. "I think I'll try to avoid them then," the chubby blond decided. "Bored twins are never a good thing."
Ron and Neville could only agree.
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"I asked my father about that containment spell you were wondering about."
Tom leaned forward, trying not to seem too eager. "What did he say?"
Cedric tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It is usually used on the Dragon Reserves. According to Dad, since its development, dragon escapes have been halved."
"That sounds good for a preliminary result."
Cedric nodded, reaching into his bag. A moment later he emerged, several scrolls in hand. "Here you go. The first roll has the background and the second has the spell."
Tom smiled. "Thank you Cedric. You have been most helpful." And he had been. Tom still found it difficult to understand how the Hufflepuffs could be so willing to help others, but they were.
"And my aunt has been looking into those laws about dangerous magical creatures, and the legal ramifications of having a dragon as a familiar."
Tom smiled at one of the only other people he considered a friend. He still hated having to rely on others, but it was getting easier. He knew Cedric and Susan could be trusted and – though he was unaware – showed just how far the boy who might have been Voldemort had come.
Tom tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you Susan. It was kind of you to take the time."
Susan smiled brightly. "Aunt Amelia thought it was a very good question and says you don't have to worry. While you are alive no one can touch Norberta – well, not unless she goes on a rampage or something. Aunt Amelia does think you should bequeath her eventually so as to avoid any problems with the Ministry after your death."
Mention of death, especially his own always made Tom tremble, but not in the way it once did. There were worse things than death, as he now knew.
Cedric was nodding in agreement. "Dad says the same. He also wants you to fill out some paperwork when you have the time. Apparently he needs it for his records."
Tom inclined his head, filing the information away. This was not really about Norberta. The young dragoness had no legal issues and knew better than to run away.
No, this was about Emy. Whenever the basilisk and Sa'zar found each other, Tom wanted to be certain that there would be no questions about Sa'zar keeping her.
Susan patted Tom's shoulder, making him stiffen. "You can relax Tom. Aunt Amelia says you have every right to Norberta."
Tom nodded and smiled, inwardly wondering what the odd, heavy feeling in his chest was. He could not be certain, but he thought it had something to do with deceiving his friends. However, he could not quite place the emotion.
Having never felt guilt before, Tom had no way of recognizing it.
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There was even more good news, as Tom soon discovered.
"Emy are you alright?" Tom frowned; worry creasing his brow as he watched the massive serpent. It was not like her to be so lethargic.
Emy hissed sleepily, her eyes moving slowly beneath a translucent membrane. "It iss cold Cobra. It makes me tired."
Tom blinked, then smiled. This was the best news he had heard in… in.. Well, it was very good news. Of course the cold was making Emy sleepy. She was a reptile – a cold blooded creature. And as the winter cold had left her too tired to leave her chamber, Tom no longer had to worry about any more little accidents.
All he had to do was reassure the basilisk that Sa'zar could manage without her. "You should rest then."
Emy hissed sleepily. "But my master," she objected though not, Tom was pleased to note, very strongly.
"I will watch him," the dark haired youth soother. "Rest now, and when you meet you will be strong."
Emerald hissed her agreement as she moved her massive head onto her coils. "Yess. I must be strong for Masster."
Tom slipped quietly out of the Chamber, not quite capable of stopping a smile. "Hello Myrtle. The basilisk has gone back to sleep, so you no longer have to worry about her."
"Oh." The ghost blinked sadly, tears welling up behind her glasses. "Does that mean you're not going to visit me anymore?"
"Of course I will," Tom promised, mentally cursing. He would have to do it too. He could not risk Myrtle revealing the truth.
And she was his first, albeit accidental, victim. He supposed that if anyone had the right to demand his attention – not that anyone did – it would be her.
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"The puzzle you gave me was most enjoyable. Thank you."
Dudley flushed. "Er.. Thanks Daphne. I mean – you're welcome. Er…"
Daphne crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"
Dudley wracked his brain desperately. What did she – Oh! Right. "Um.. Thank you for the book Daphne. It was really interesting." Dudley hated how lame he sounded. He always seemed to make a fool of himself in front of Daphne. "Um.. I really learned a lot from it. About that Akiba guy."
Daphne rolled her eyes. "You are welcome. Really Dursley, you have to come up with a better response. You sound like an idiot when you answer like that." She turned sharply on her heel and stalked off.
Ron scowled after her. "Friends like her, who needs enemies?"
Dudley shrugged, turning back to his eggs. "Actually, I thought she was rather polite." He grinned at Ron's dumbfounded look. "Considering that was Daphne that is." On the whole he was actually rather pleased with the conversation.
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Minas Tri could only be described as shocked. "I honestly do not know how you managed this sir. Two class A seers within a year of each other. The odds of that.." The Ministry representative shook his head for the enth time. "Incredible."
Albus nodded sagely, steepling his fingers. "Indeed. I am certain this comes as a relief to you." Sa'zar nodded vigorously, while Luna just gazed vaguely around the room.
"Oh yes, it is nice. Do you suppose it will help me find Coyote? Daddy thinks he knows where we could find a jackalope. Have ever seen one?"
"Er.." Minas gazed blankly at her, completely nonplussed. It seemed that seers really were an odd bunch. "Err…"
Albus smiled cheerfully. "An excellent idea Luna. Now Sa'zar, I believe Minerva wants you Transfiguration, and you are needed in Herbology Luna. Best hurry, and do take a lemon drop on your way out."
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"Good work Harry."
"We'll make a prankster of you yet."
Harry smirked, checking over his work with a critical eye. He was actually rather proud of his prank. Though simple in concept, the actual spell work was quite intricate. He has crafted a several layers of spell work to create a miniature, indoor, thunderstorm. It was the perfect thing to satisfy both Loki and Thor – at least according to the twins.
Harry was perfectly willing to give that all the credit it deserved, but Draco was actually in agreement with the two Weasleys. Thus Harry found himself in a hallway setting what was shaping up to be an excellent prank.
"I had better not get into trouble for this."
Fred shrugged. "You won't unless-"
"- the gods don't like your offering."
Harry glowered at the red headed duo. "This had better not be some elaborate practical joke."
The twins gasped in identical expressions of horror, which did not reassure Harry in the least.
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"Nice work Potter. Combining the offerings was an excellent idea. This way, neither Loki nor Thor can claim favorites, or say you were slighting him."
"That was the idea," Harry replied smugly, deciding not to tell Draco that it had been Tom's idea. He had come to the conclusion that the experience had been enlightening, if nothing else. The wizarding world, or at least its pureblood component, was deeply steeped in the ancient, pagan cultures and rituals. It made sense in a way. Magic was about belief. If you did not believe your spell would work it would not. That was just the way it was. And if enough people believed in something, in some form it came to be.
Of course, the universe played her part as well. Once something was brought into being she would not allow it to be destroyed. No amount of disbelief could un-create something. So most purebloods tended to stick with their ancestral faiths.
There did seem to be some sort of unwritten agreement regarding a single creator, who created magic rather than be created by it, but there were very few true monotheistic purebloods. Individual practices seemed to have to do with where your magic came from. Druids, such as the Malfoys, had to make periodic pilgrimages to the lands from which their powers sprung. Blood magic also played its part – every member of the Black major line worshiped the star who's name they carried. Apparently they received some sort of magical gift directly connected to the heavenly body.
Draco had been unusually silent on the gift he received from the dragon of the skies. Naturally, Harry was determined to learn Draco's secret.
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Sa'zar hummed happily as he stirred his cauldron. He knew what his picture was now, and had wisely decided to put it out of his mind. It was never good to know too much about the future.
There had been no attacks in months, for which he was grateful, nor had he heard any parseltongue when he did not expect it. He had figured out what the mysterious voice was while listening to Coral and Lioness chat.
Severus frowned as he watched his tiny apprentice. The mysteries surrounding the boy increased daily.
There was only one possible explanation for how Salazar had accessed the Slytherin, and that one so ridiculous that Severus would not even have considered it were it not for everything else.
Salazar looked like Slytherin, at least as far as his dominant features went. On the other hand, he looked nothing like a Gaunt. And how was the boy supposed to have been conceived when his supposed 'father' was in Azkaban – and had been there for the past fifty years?
Salazar sang in Gaelic, and he had an instinctive grasp of potions that could only come from years of experience. Severus glanced at the document in his hand. On a hunch he had asked Madame Pomfrey for a favor, and her answer had confirmed his suspicions. Salazar had so much potions residue in his cells that the nurse had been shocked. Apparently it would take centuries of potion brewing for such to accumulate naturally, but that was, of course, impossible.
Severus was beginning to suspect that it was not, actually, impossible. Not when his own findings had proved that Salazar Gaunt had an incredibly high tolerance for potions. The boy was theoretically capable of drinking an entire cup of poison, a few drops of which would kill anyone else. Carefully, the potions master added another note to his book.
Discuss with headmaster the necessity of having all information prior to taking a millennia old, amnesiac, Hogwarts Founder and potions master as an apprentice.
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"This time you support Gryffindor, and only Gryffindor."
Dudley did the only thing he could do in the face of Ron's stern injunction. He laughed. "'Course I will! Who else would I support?"
"Tom, if he was on the team," the red head answered promptly.
"That's different," Dudley objected. "Tom's my brother. Wouldn't you support your brothers, no matter what house they were in?"
"Not a chance," Ron grinned. "If we weren't in the same house I wouldn't be seen dead cheering for them!"
"Good thing your brothers are out, "Neville noted, "or you'd be in a lot of trouble right now."
"They're in detention," Ginny informed them. "McGonagal liked the spell work, but did not appreciate her hair standing on end all day."
Ron, Dudley and Neville burst into laughter.
"Merlin, that was funny!"
"Yeah, did you see Hagrid?"
"He looked like a porcupine!"
"Did you realize that the lightning specifically targeted teacher?"
"You forgot the prefects Nev. Percy wouldn't shut up about it."
"It was actually Harry's idea," Dudley added smugly.
"Good thing for him that McGonagal doesn't know that," Ron chuckled.
"Or can't prove it any way." Ginny waved gaily at her brother and his friends as she stepped through the portrait hole. "See you at the match tomorrow!"
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Tom smiled as he watched Norberta loop through the air. The young dragoness sent rainbow waves of delight dancing through Tom's mind. It was hard for the thirteen year old not to laugh, but he persevered.
"Shouldn't ye be at the game?"
Tom checked his watch. "Not just yet, I think. I have a few more minutes."
Hagrid frowned. "Woulda thought yeh'd wanter tell Cedric good luck," he suggested pointedly.
Tom blinked. "I suppose your right. That is a good idea. If you don't mind watching her that is?" He nodded up at Norberta.
Hagrid clapped the youth on the back, causing Tom to fall to his knees. "Not a' all, not a' all. Yeh just run and tell hi from me, all righ'?"
Tom nodded, brushing himself off as he headed towards the pitch. "Of course."
All good things must come to an end, and Tom never reached the locker rooms. Instead he met the team coming back, clustered together as though for protection.
"Cedric? Has something happened?"
The older boy nodded sadly. "You haven't heard Tom? Penolope Clearwater and Hermione Granger have just been found petrified by the library."
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Author's Note: So, I've been remiss in my duties. Instead of typing this chapter I was drawing up my web comic. (The link will shortly be added to my profile.) Sorry about taking so long. The story should start moving faster now…
This chapter has quite a bit of info, and I hope I didn't step on anyone's toes. I just think purebloods are pagan, and that it's part of the reason they have so many problems with the muggleborns.
I always wondered why there was such a long break between the attack on Justin and the one on Mione. Thing is, Emy is a reptile. They don't like cold. So I just put her to sleep for the winter. With the warmer spring weather she woke up. Other people may have different opinions, but this is mine.
Oh, happy news! I visited Harry Potter world! It was AMAZING! The journey through Hogwarts ride was beyond AWESOME! Really. You feel like your flying. AND you get to hear the FRounders talk. Ric and Sal were as expected, as was Ela. Ro didn't talk much, just looked pretty and proud and did not deign to respond. I visited the wand shop, but did not buy one. 60$ for a pretty stick is not worth it. You can buy cheaper ones that light up. But if you don't mind outrageous lines HP world should definitely be on your Florida itinerary.
Okay, enough about my trip. Time for the questions! And please put your houses at the end of your answers. I have to remember all these funny words for body parts (no good A&P class…) so I can't remember everyone's house too. Please help your authoress out a little…
Chapter 13:
1: How do we know the Malfoys come from France?
2: What are druids?
3: How are Loki and Thor related? (I will take off points if you tell me they are brothers. I am sorry, but I am sick of people making that mistake. Marvel is WRONG.)
4: Why are The Greengrasses and Goldstiens the obvious exceptions to the purebloods are pagans rule?
5: What is a geas? What is Sa'zar's?
6: What is a scorpeleapord? (Hint - BBC Merlin.)
7: Why does Tom want the information Susan and Cedric gave him?
8: Who is Akiba, and who wrote the book by the same name?
9: Why is Harry's prank a suitable offering for both Loki and Thor?
10: What is Draco's blood gift? (aka. What does he get from his constellation?)
Chapter 12
1: How did Tom get the picture of Merope?
2: Why does Sa'zar have a crescent shaped scar on his palm?
3: Why did the man in Tokyo collapse?
3.2: Who are the boys in the painting, and who tore it? (Sorry about that…)
4: What happened to Sa'zar when he was painting?
5: Who was the unknown boy in the painting?
6:Who wrote the Belgariad?
7: What has Tom figured out?
8:Who is the girl Sa'zar would send love notes to - if he was willing to admit it?
Chapter 11:
1: Why is Godric in Galen's frame?
2: What are the official Hogwarts colors and what is the school animal?
3: Why was the Hat amused?
4: Why Sult? (Just telling me what it is short for is enough.)
5: What is the HO-OH really?
6: What did Albus mean by the last line in his conversation with Sa'zar?
7: Where is the real Godric? When do you think he will show up?
8: Who is Val? (To be answered in fifth year.)
9: Opinion: When will Sa'zar regain his memories? How?
Points:
Gryffindor:122
Hufflepuff:158
Ravenclaw:216
Slytherin:194