Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart.
- Carl Jung
The Queen of Serpents
Chapter Fifteen
But Where to Find Them?
"speech"
thoughts
"parseltongue"
/mind speech/
=visions=
Writing
Susan watched Tom, growing increasingly worried. Her friend just could not seem to realize that he did not have to shoulder his burdens alone. Instead of doing the intelligent thing and talking things out, Tom was attempting to stare a hole in the wall.
Not that Susan was too surprised, just worried. Everyone knew Tom and Hagrid were friends. Susan would have been shocked if Tom had not been concerned. It was just that... It was so unlike Tom to be so openly upset. Usually his emotions were under tight control. Now Susan feared he would do something, well, Gryffindor, for lack of a better term.
Susan sighed. Tom was her friend after all, and she would back him whatever he chose. She just hoped he would be alright.
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Tom gazed blankly at the empty portrait of Lady Hufflepufff. Pity, he could use her advice right now. He had found the Hufflepuff founder to be quite sensible, and sense was what he needed right now. That the attacks had to end was not the question. The question was how to go about it.
Tom was not about to betray Emerald to her death. Even if she had not been Sa'zar's familiar, she would still have been an invaluable resource. Nor did he intend to betray himself, unless such would be to his advantage. However, he did not intend to leave hagrid in Azkaban. For one thing, he needed someone to watch Norberta over the summer. For another, Hagrid was trusted by Dumbledore, which Tom found most intriguing. And Hagrid was a friend too, something which carried more weight than Tom could wish.
So he had to prove Hagrid's innocence, while protecting himself and Emerald. Not the easiest situation, though Tom was confident that he would find a solution.
He could arrange for another 'attack,' which would go far to proving Hagrid's innocence. After all, he could not be behind the attacks while in Azkaban, now could he? Unfortunately, the governors would likely decide to shut the school if another attack occurred. That was, of course, completely unacceptable. Hogwarts could not be shut down.
'Stopping' the monster, the way he did last time, held some thought, but Tom ruefully decided to scrap the idea. It might work if someone other than Dumbledore was headmaster, but as things stood... Besides, his brothers had seen the trophy, and he knew Sa'zar and Harry at least had some suspicions. 'Finding' the 'heir' would be tantamount to admitting the truth. He did not think they would betray him, but he would lose their trust. Yet another unacceptable outcome.
What he needed was a plan that would not result in him getting expelled, losing his brothers trust, Hogwarts shut, get Emerald killed or Hagrid left in Azkaban. Tom's eyes narrowed, brow furrowed in concentration. There had to be a way. he was certain of it. Lord Voldemort would not be foiled so easily.
A sudden smirk crossed his face. Yes, Tom thought, that could work. It would not have worked last time, but last time he had been older and he had not had Dumbledore on his side. That was key of course. Shocking how useful the old man could be really. Not that it would be easy to fool him, but Tom was confident that he could manage it. Perfect. He smirked again. Perhaps truth really was the best policy - provided a bit of constructive editing was done first. He just had to find the best way to spi-
"Hungry. Hunting. Kill. Be strong for Master."
Glee faded into fury as Tom bit back a curse. Why did she have to hunt outside the Chamber. There were plenty of rats there! Why could that idiot basilisk not listen to a single, simple command?
The dark haired boy stormed out of the common room, eyes flashing crimson. He would talk to Dumbledore, but first he was going to make sure Emy would remain in the Chamber. Lock the door, eh? Well, he had the perfect spell to accomplish that!
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"Pipes! Of course! No wonder no one's seen this thing!"
"Thing?" Sa'zar objected, before shaking his head, wondering what had possessed him. "Yes, except for the people she petrified. And To- Tom's progenitor." idiot. he had to be more careful.
"Tom's father? How do you know? Did he leave a record or-"
Sa'zar shook his head quickly, not wanting Val to get to curious. "There's a shield in the trophy room. The timing is about right, so," Sa'zar shrugged. "Anyway, if the basilisk is traveling through the pipes it explains why I keep hearing parseltongue coming from the walls."
"You've been hearing parseltongue?" Rolf grinned sheepishly at Sa'zar. "Sorry. Shouldn't have interrupted, but.. Well, you've read my grandpa's book, right?" Nods all around.
"Oh yes." Luna frowned dreamily as she walked over. "I was very disappointed. He didn't have anything to say on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, and not the slightest mention of nargles!"
"Well, he really only talked about the isles, with a few others added for the interest value," Rolf replied defensively, his voice raw. "And there were all these stupid editorial errors, like the stuff about sirens and selkies and where you can find Kappas."
"Oh." Luna patted Rolf's arm gently. "It will be alright! Besides," she added brightly, "He's not really gone, you know. He's just behind the veil, watching over you."
"Yeah..." Rolf smiled sadly. "Thanks Luna. Sorry for snapping at you." He brightened up a bit, the smile becoming stronger. "You know, someday I'm going to travel to the US and write about the creatures there. I bet you Snorehat is somewhere over there, and I'm going to find it!"
"Snorecack," Luna corrected, "and I know you will. So what did the snake say Sa'zar?"
"Wha-" Sa'zar blinked, startled by the sudden change in conversation. "Oh, right. Um... I think it's looking for something. At least, that's what it sounded like."
And then he grabbed his leg, crying out in shock and pain.
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"Gran sent me an answer." Immediately, Dudley and Ron were at Neville's side.
"What does she say?" the red head queried eagerly.
Nev frowned, disliking the way the other two were crowding him. "She was here last time. Apparently a Ravenclaw named Myrtle was found dead in a bathroom. The governors almost shut the school, but a Slytherin prefect caught the culprit and everything was hushed up. Here." He handed over the letter, "you can read it yourself."
"Huh." Ron quickly scanned the letter, before handing it over to Dudley. "Interesting. The Slytherin was a Riddle too. Any relation to Tom?"
Dudley shrugged, feeling faintly uncomfortable. "Maybe. Probably. So anything more about this Myrtle person?"
"What would you want to know about Moaning Myrtle for?" Ginny asked, pausing on her way to the portrait hole.
Ron gaped at his sister. "You know about her?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. She's the reason no one uses the girl's bathroom on the second floor. It's her favorite haunting spot."
"She haunts a bathroom!" Dudley turned, grinning at his friends.
"Probably the one she died in," Nev agreed. Neither boy noticed Ron's groan. "We should go talk with her."
"Yeah. Thanks Ginny." Dudley waved as he headed for the portrait hole.
Ginny scowled, moving to block the entrance. "Two things: One- there's a curfew. You can't go out alone right now. Two - Percy was going to come with me to he library. If you don't want me to tell him what you're up to you'll take me along. Got it?"
Ron opened his mouth to object, and possibly to threaten her, but the words changed midway. "Dudley!"
The chubby blond had doubled over, face twisted into a pained grimace.
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"First, Second, or dungeons." After a great deal of work, Theo's list had been narrowed down. "Either a basilisk or a cockatrice, the former being more likely than the latter. The entrance is probably somewhere obvious, but not too public. Daphne?"
The closest thing the second year Slytherins had to a historian unrolled a large, thick collection of parchments. "These are not the original plans. it's simply the set up of the school before the 16th century renovations." She flicked aside her blond tresses. "I've pinpointed several likely spots. In the dungeons the potions rooms were the obvious choices. If you could go back a thousand years you would find Slytherin teaching there. They have never been moved. The major detractor; if it was there Professor Snape would know." Nods. "Here." Daphne jabbed her finger at three spots on the map. "An unused potions closet, an old study room - still in use, but only sporadically, and a viewing room under the lake. The last was sealed off because of flooding, so I doubt the entrance is there.
"First floor." Daphne rearranged the scrolls. "A supply cabinet here, the passage to the lake, this room behind the Great Hall. I would have added the bathroom, but after the way it was smashed up last year I find it unlikely. The boys' bathroom used to be a classroom. I also doubt the room behind the Great Hall has much merit, but if we can't find the entrance elsewhere..." She shrugged.
"Second floor. Not much here really, just the two bathrooms. however, it is worthwhile to note that the first attack took place outside the gir- Potter?"
Harry's left hand was clenched tightly around the crescent scar, his right over the lightning brand on his forehead, as he fell to the floor crying in pain.
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In retrospect, collapsing the Chamber while in said Chamber was not the smartest thing Tom had ever done. Having several large stones fall on him, including the one currently pinning his leg, was just the icing on a really awful cake.
From the worried feelings his brothers were sending through the bond, Tom assumed that they knew he was hurt. not that it helped much; they had no way of finding him.
"Cobra? Are you well?"
Of course Emerald would be worried. it almost made Tom feel guilty. Almost.
"No! I am not well!" The hisses were sharp and angry. "If not for you I would not be trapped here. Why can you not obey? I told you to stay here! What was so hard for you to comprehend?"
Emy leaned back, her hood flaring at the angry words. For the first time, Tom realized how dangerous she really was.
But Emy had no intention of attacking. "I only wished to find my Master; to remind him of our bond." If snakes could cry her great yellow eyes would have been filled with tears. "I am sorry Cobra. I did not mean for you to be hurt."
Tom nodded, but he was no longer truly listening. "Yes. You should be," he agreed, not really thinking about the words. Bond. Of course. he did have a way of letting his brothers know where he was. He just had to hope they would have sense enough to get help, rather than coming themselves.
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Behind Hagrid's hut a young dragoness awoke. She blinked twice, head tilted as though listening to a command. Then she rose, winging her way towards the castle, carrying her message to those who might heed it.
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AUthor's note: So Tom has a broken leg, the brothers are in pain, their friends are panicking, and no updates until I get at least five reviews...
Ginny is more confident for two reasons: No diary and no Harry. Tom blew up the Chamber because he lost his temper. He really needs to work on that. Tom refers to himself as Voldemort when he is upset or angry or, more often, both. Susan is worried because she likes Tom and he's acting out of character. I decided to add her in because we never see her. The Slytherin's are continuing their conversation from last time. Considering Daphne was giving the lesson, self preservation instincts meant that no was going to interrupt.
Questions:
Chapter 15:
1:What is Tom's plan?
2:What book is Rolf talking about?
3: What did the book say about selkies and sirens that was inaccurate? (Hint: Read the book.)
4: Why did Sa'zar, Dudley and Harry collapse?
5:Why was Harry holding his scar?
6:How is Tom going to let his brothers know where he is?
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:244
Slytherin:212