I could never tell where inspiration begins and impulse leaves off. I suppose the answer is in the outcome. If your hunch proves a good one, you were inspired; if it proves bad, you are guilty of yielding to thoughtless impulse.

- Beryl Markham

The Queen of Serpents

Chapter Fourteen

Fantastic Beasts

"speech"

thoughts

"parseltongue"

/mind speech/

=visions=

Writing

"Let me help you brew the potion."

Severus Snape gazed coolly into the silvery eyes of his furious apprentice.

"And just which potion would that be, Salazar? Do try to be more specific."

Sa'zar's eyes narrowed. "You know which."

"Really," Severus commented dryly. "Am I mind reader now."

"A legilimens," Sa'zar snapped back, "and it's the Mandrake Draught. Let me help!"

"Why." A statement, not a question.

"Because she is my friend. It is my duty to aid her!"

Severus's eyes widened fractionally. The words were to formal, and there was something in Sa'zar's eyes, something dark and ancient. Then the boy spoke again and the shadow of what was was lost once more. "Please." Small hands held out, almost pleading. "Let me help her. She's my friend."

And, despite himself, the dour potions master yielded, remembering another youth begging for a friend. "Very well."

Besides, the boy could do with the practice.

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The Slytherins were pooling their collective data.

"It's Slytherin's monster, so it's probably some kind of snake." Blaise flipped through the pages in his book. "Here. A basilisk."

"Doesn't that kill?" Tracy asked dryly from where she was lounging on the sofa. "Really Blaise, try reading the passage first."

"Could be a cockatrice," Draco drawled. "Those do petrify on contact."

"Why Draco, that's brilliant," Pansy simpered, leaning close to him. Draco attempted to unobtrusively move away. Harry snickered, earning him a filthy look from his friend.

"You do realise that the egg of an immature, male, chicken is not that easily found*?" Daphne snapped. "That alone makes a basilisk more likely."

"But Tracy just said that basilisks kill," Millicent complained.

"Only if you look at them directly," Harry pointed out. "And that's assuming Slytherin did not find a way to keep his creature safe."

"Oh, I can assure you he did not," Draco smirked. "Or that if he did it has either worn off or been removed." Every second year Slytherin turned to look at the smug blond. "Father told me that last time the monster killed someone; a Ravenclaw girl, I think."

"And you did not see fit to mention this, why?" Theo scowled at the Malfoy heir, and expression mirrored by the other members of their group.

Draco flushed. "I forgot, okay. It was over vacation."

Daphne sniffed, Milly just shook her head, Pansy patted Draco's shoulder comfortingly, and Harry and Blaise sighed exaggeratedly.

Greg frowned, thinking things through slowly as he always did. "Maybe Slytherin used something else. Something that is not a snake, just to confuse everyone?"

"You mean like a Medusa?" Milly smirked at everyone's surprised looks. "Please. I must have read every Greek play at least three hundred times. Thank the gods most of them are lost to time. Knowing my mother I would have had to read them otherwise." She shuddered.

Theo nodded at her, jotting down a note thoughtfully. "Good point, Goyle. We would probably be better off assuming that the monster is extremely dangerous, and leave it at that. There are simply to many creatures capable of petrification."

"Wonder where it sleeps," Vince said dully, much to the surprise of the others, who had assumed he was asleep.

"I wonder how it is getting around," Greg said slowly. If it's small it's easy to explain, but if it's big..." He trailed off, shrugging.

Harry suddenly slapped his forehead. "I'm an idiot."

"We know," Draco agreed pleasantly. "But what brought on this sudden epiphany?"

Harry glowered at his friend, but answered. "Sa'zar told me months ago that he was hearing parseltongue coming from the walls. So I guess it is some kind of reptile, and it's somehow travelling inside the walls."

"Seems I'm not the only one who forgets things," Draco smirked.

Harry scowled again. "It was Sa'zar. Would you have taken him seriously?"

Blaise laughed aloud. "He's got you there Draco. Sa'zar gets excited when he discovers a new species of daffodil, or thinks he has!"

"I think that's Longbottom actually," Harry corrected, but did not disagree.

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In a portrait over the mantle, a deep red constrictor hissed in amusement, almost smirking at the irritated expression on the face of the man it rested on. "He does have a point Serpent. You do get excited over idiocy."

"Hush Lion," the Founder murmured, but the injunction lacked heat. Silver eyes glowed with pride as Salazar's portrait listened to his snakes reason out - or attempt to reason out - the secrets of his Chamber.

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"Fifty years? You're sure about that?"

Dudley shrugged. "Pretty sure. Why Nev?"

Neville tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I think my Gram went to school then. So -"

"She might know something about it!" Ron grinned at Neville. "Brilliant! When are we going to send her a letter?"

"Err.. Later today?" Neville asked, a trifle nervously. "Are you sure I should though? I mean, she doesn't like to be bothered, you know."

"I doubt she'll consider this a bother," Dudley replied. "I mean, this is the Chamber of Secrets. It's kind of important."

"Yeah. She'll probably be thrilled that you want to know about it." Ron grinned at his friend. "She'll probably be really proud that you're trying to find it."

"Yeah..." Neville sighed. "I suppose. I'll write it later."

"Wonder who it is though?" Ron looked oddly thoughtful. "I mean, who'd be sick enough to do this? I mean we all knew Slytherin was a nut, but setting a monster on students?"

"Oh, only as insane as Hagrid." The trio glanced up at the portrait over the mantle, as Galen continued. "Believe it or not, he actually thought the thing was harmless. Actually, Sal thought anything even remotely snake-like was harmless... Do you know he tried to persuade Godric to let a dragon teach here?"

Ron snorted, which set the trio off. "You've got to be kidding me! What did it teach, how to burn down the forest?"

"Care of Magical Creatures," Dudley gasped out.

"Actually, I believe it was history." Galen shrugged. "Something about long memories."

"Probably would have been better than Binns," Neville joked, and the threesome laughed again.

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Once again, the Slytherin Second years were at work.

"So, some sort of snake-like creature, probably a basilisk or a cockatrice, with the former more likely then the latter." Theo ran a finger down the page, carefully listing the points. "It is seemingly getting around through some sort of hidden passage in the walls." Nods all around. "If it is a basilisk then the Chamber will have to be pretty big in order to hold it. However, it has remained hidden for a thousand years, which means it must be in a little visited portion of the castle."

"Underground," Harry said immediately, and Draco nodded. Which, of course, meant Pansy and Vince did too.

"He did build the common room down here," the blond noted, "and his quarters are supposed to be somewhere down here too."

Tracy smiled, her eyes bright as she followed their train of thought. "And there are parts of the dungeons that have not been visited in, literally, ages. I mean, Headmaster Severin sealed off a nice chunk of the dungeons because of flooding and they were never reopened. The Chamber could easily be hidden down there."

"Not the Chamber." Draco shot Greg an inquisitive look. "The door. Bet the real thing's further away. Dad always says never to put anything important near the door."

"Point." Theo made a note.

"Out of the way place," Milly suggested.

"Somewhere one would not consider looking," Draco countered, shaking his head. "Possibly in plain sight."

"You'll need Slytherin's blood, not hard considering we're all at least halfbloods, or his permission," Daphne added.

"You know, we'd be more willing to listen if you weren't so abrasive," Blaise complained, earning him a filthy look from the blond girl. "What? it's true."

Deciding he had better intervene before Blaise ended up in the Hospital Wing, Harry quickly cut in. "Considering what that monster likely is, you'd probably have to be a parselmouth too." He smirked at his friends, emerald eyes gleaming. "Add to that I'm the one with the invisibility cloak, and no one is getting in there without me."

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Val sat next to 'Mione, reading a book. So what if Madam Pomfrey said her friend could not hear? They said the same of coma patients, until the 'unaware' patients woke up and repeated their doctors' words verbatim.

"'The year 1085 was infamous for the Muggleborn Revolts, better known as the Crusade Massacres. Incensed by the muggle priests fiery sermons...'" Really, Binns had impeccable timing. The third years were learning about the Crusade massacres while Slytherin's monster roamed the castle. More than one student, Val included, had come to the obvious conclusion that that was why the monster had been bred. To stay exactly that type of threat. If she did not know better, Val would have sworn that Binns had been trying for that response. But then again, the History teacher had been acting somewhat more alive for the past two years. Curious really...

Mione had been smart to take precautions. The mirror was a stroke of genius. Half of Ravenclaw had one now, and the rest were catching up Val had one in her pocket, and her flashing earrings were mirrors too.

"'One side effect of the Massacres was the banning of all Muggleborn students from Hogwarts.'" Oh, look, a foot note. "Footnote: 'The exception were all muggleborn Slytherins and a few muggleborn Hufflepuffs, who chose to aid Hogwarts. The majority of these were adopted into the wizarding community and their descendants are considered purebloods.'" Interesting. "Text: 'The ban would not be officially lifted until 1517. This was,interestingly, attributed to Wendelin the Weird. More on Wendelin and her exploits in Chapter 12, Book 4.'

"'Another effect attributed to th-'"

Val paused, finger on her place, eyes focused on Mione's hand, or rather the parchment in Mione's hand. Carefully she manoeuvred her chair so she was closer to her frozen friend.

"'Another effect attributed to the Massacres is Godric Gryffindor's decision to leave Hogwarts. Reasons for this vary from the need to protect his lands, to track down the orchestrators of the Hogwarts Massacre, to looking for Slytherin.'" One hand, hidden beneath the book worked slowly and methodically at the parchment in Hermione's fist. "'Though the reason is uncertain, there is strong evidence proving that Gryffindor did leave at this point, allowing Severin the Scholar, (also known as Severin the Gaunt), to take the reins as Hogwarts second headmaster, (the first being Galen of Hogwarts. (Book 1, Chapter 5))'"

Finally. The page was in her hand. Pity she could not just look at it now. Madame Pomfrey would get suspicious.

"'Severin would have the difficult task of holding Hogwarts together, even as the Crusades swept across Europe. A daunting task by any stretch of the imagination. Fortunately, Severin was not one to shirk his duty. His strength may have come from his difficult childhood. Severin was the bastard son of the young Baron Saliir and the temptress Helena...'"

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Tom slipped unseen through the castle, glad that Harry had not asked too many questions. If his brother assumed he wanted to do some late night research, well, so much the better. Tom had certainly done his best to imply it.

He dodged the teachers easily, doing his utmost to be as silent as possible. He wished now that he had bothered with the animagus transformation the first time around. It would make things much easier. he made a mental note to work on it as soon as he had the opportunity.

And speaking of opportunities - the Entrance Hall was clear.

Steeling himself, Tom raced to the doors, hoping that no one would notice them opening. Once outside, he did not pause but hurried across the grounds instead. To his relief, a light shown faintly through the curtained windows.

"Hagrid," he called softly, "Open the door."

The half giant peeked out, looking nervous. "Who's there?" His voice was hoarse, fear shining in his eyes.

"It's me, Tom." The youth ducked under Hagrid's arm, removing the cloak as he entered the hut. "Is something wrong?"

"I've been expectin'..." Hagrid shifted uncomfortably. "Not importan'. Why're ye here, Tom? It's dangerous ter be out now."

Tom's eyes narrowed. He could tell when Dumbledore lied, and Hagrid was no where near that level subtlety. Still, his own problems took priority.

"Hagrid, what would you say if I told you that - legends aside - Slytherin's monster was not really a murderous beast, but an incredibly rare and misunderstood magical creature?"

Hagrid paused, kettle in hand. "Ye know what's attackin' the students," he said bluntly.

Tom frowned, but he would not have come here if he thought the man was an idiot. Hagrid was blunt, trusting and naive, but he was not nearly as stupid as he appeared. "She's a basilisk." Hagrid almost dropped the kettle. "But she does not intend to hurt anyone. She just wants to play with the students and can't see why she has to stay cooped up in the Chamber."

"Didn' ye tell 'er?" Hagrid asked, not unkindly, as he poured the tea.

Tom nodded. "Unfortunately she trusts Slytherin over me. I think he must have put a protective spell on her originally," he explained between sips. Tea was the only thing Hagrid seemed to be able to cook properly, but he did make a rather good brew. "It probably wore off over time as her magic grew stronger. Basilisks also tend to start out tiny, which means Slytherin had her when she was only a few feet long. She's somewhere between sixty and eighty now." Tom shrugged.

"Either way, her master - whom I believe is Slytherin - told her she was harmless. Apparently he had her babysit his children, whom she adores."

"Well, people can be a bit foolish abou' their pets," Hagrid said sagely. Tom had to bite down a laugh. Oh, the irony...

"Maybe. But I need her to stay inside the Chamber. We've been really lucky so far, but if she keeps wandering about the way she has..." He shuddered slightly, surprised to find that the action was genuine. He really did not want people to die. "But I can't go to anyone in authority. For all that it was unintentional she did petrify half a dozen people. Add to that that only a parselmouth can control a basilisk and I don't know how I'd ever convince them not to put her down. I just cannot allo-" he broke off, eyes widening at the sudden sound of knocking on the door.

Hagrid's eyes widened. "Get under th' cloak, Tom. Hurry!" The thirteen year old swiftly complied, crouching down in a corner.

"Good evening Hagrid."

Tom frowned. What would bring the headmaster here at this hour, and why was the Minister of Magic with him?

Hagrid had gone pale and sweaty, collapsing into a chair as he looked from one man to the other.

"Bad business, Hagrid," said Fudge in rather clipped tones. "Very bad business. Had to come. Four attacks on muggleborns. Thngs've gone far enough. Ministry's got to act."

Tom froze, his sharp mind quickly grasping the Minister's meaning. It appeared that he had gone to Hagrid too late. Not that he expected the half-giant to betray him; he would not have come if he was worried about that. No, the question was how Hagrid could help him while in Azkaban.

"I never," said Hagrid, looking imploringly at Dumbledore, "you know I never, Professor Dumbledore, sir..."

"I want it understood Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence," said Dumbledore, frowning at Fudge.

"Look Albus," said Fudge uncomfortably, "Hagrid's record's against him. Ministry's got to do something - the school governors have been in touch."

Of course, the governors had lost their power the moment Sa'zar had entered Hogwarts, but no one knew that yet. Tom glowered at Fudge from beneath the cloak, his eyes flashing red. How did that idiot ever become Minister?

"Yet again Cornelius, I tell you that taking Hagrid away will not help in the slightest." Dumbledore's bright blue eyes were filled with a fire Tom remembered all too well. He shuddered slightly, glad that this time he was on the headmaster's good side. Fudge was even stupider than he had thought if he was making Albus his enemy.

"Look at it from my point of view," said Fudghe, fidgeting with his bowler. "I'm under a lot of pressure. Got to be seen doing something. If it turns out it wasn't Hagrid, he'll be back and no more said. But I've got to take him. Wouldn't be doing my duty -"

"Take me?" Hagrid was trembling now. "Take me where?"

"For a short stretch only," said Fudge, not meeting Hagrid's eyes. "Not a punishment Hagrid, more a precaution. If someone else is caught, you'll be let out with a full apology..."

It would be a full apology, Tom decided. And a large monetary reward too, along with a complimentary tutor to complete the half-giant's education. And - just to show the world how idiotic Fudge was - Tom would make sure that the apology was public. Yes, he decided, that will do nicely.

"Not Azkaban?" croaked Hagrid.

Fudge muttered something inaudible, opening the door and motioning, fiddling with his bowler as he waited for hagrid to follow. But the groundskeeper refused to budge.

"If ye want ter keep somethin' locked up, ye might want ter lock th' door. That's all I'm sayin'" Fudge stared at him in confusion. "All righ, I'm comin'," said Hagrid, pulling on his moleskin overcoat. But as he was about to follow Fudge outside, he stopped again and said loudly, "An someone'll need ter feed Fang while I'm away."

Albus followed, pausing briefly at the door, brilliant blue eyes searching the hut. "If you would take my advice as well Tom, might I suggest heading to bed?" The door slammed shut behind the headmaster, leaving Tom, his mind a whirl.

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AUthor's Note: If this came up as an update, well, I'm sorry to say it isn't. I was just fixing the formatting. The new chapter should be up by tomorrow though.

Okay, so as you can see, I'm not fond of the Crusades. If you weren't Christian they were horrible. Entire communities were massacred for refusing the cross. I'm assuming that the Wizarding world fared similarly to the Jews and Muslims during that bloody time.

Well, Hagrid's in Azkaban, Val and the Snakes know about the basilisk. And speaking of Basilisks - JKR got that wrong. A basilisk is NOT hatched from a cockerels egg. That's a cockatrice. You can look it up. As to how you would go about hatching a basilisk, well... You'll have to tell me that!

Questions!

Chapter 14:

1: Who is Severin?

2:What did Severus see in Sa'zar?

3: How do you REALLY hatch a basilisk?

4:Who was the snake in Slytherin's portrait?

5:Why has Binns been acting more alive recently?

6:What type of coma patient is Val talking about?

7:What is Hagrid trying to tell Tom?

8: Bonus HP Trivia Question: Which famous Muggle Rights Activist was sorted into Slytherin? (Hint: The other houses conveniently 'forget' this.)

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:176

Ravenclaw:228

Slytherin:194