Catastrophic Consequences
"#" and "§" = Parseltongue
"Abcabcabc" = Gobbledygook
Previously
"Voldemort's back," the Potions professor blurted out, causing many of the people in the room to panic. "And it gets worse. Much, much worse."
"What can be worse than Voldemort returning, Snivellus?" James Potter snapped at Snape.
Snape sneered in response, emphasizing the next part to make sure they understood just why it got worse, "He's back… and he's got an apprentice."
Chapter Three
Chaos. That was the only word that could adequately describe the reaction the Order of the Phoenix had to Snape's revelation about Voldemort's return and the fact that he got himself an apprentice, somebody suspected by the Order to be very dangerous, having not been told just how truly dangerous he was.
"Silence!" Dumbledore raised his voice over the racket that was caused by the news. Once everybody calmed down, Dumbledore continued, "Thank you. Will you please continue, Severus?"
"Of course, Albus." And so Snape went on to describe the horrifying events that happened not even ten minutes ago, not leaving out a single detail. Once he finished, many Order members were pale, including James Potter, much to Snape's satisfaction, and a few were even trembling in fear.
Everybody in the room looked at Dumbledore, hoping for some sort of good news or reassurance. When they received neither from the aged wizard, who looked pensive, the room erupted into chaos once again. Arguments began left and right, between friends (Mad-Eye Moody v. Kingsley Shacklebolt) and foes (Snape v. Potter & Lupin), over what to do. If what Snape said was true, then it was obvious that there was another dangerous player in the game between the light and the dark.
Meanwhile, Albus Dumbledore was, for the first time in a long time, looking his own age. He had anticipated Voldemort's return, but he hadn't anticipated that Voldemort would have an apprentice. From all he knew about Tom Marvolo Riddle, which was a lot, he would never share his power with anybody, friend or foe.
"You may all go," Dumbledore announced, finally breaking out of his thoughts, "I need some time to think on this, but rest assured, this new threat will be handled."
After everybody left, Dumbledore went back to his thoughts on a young Voldemort. Before long, though, his thoughts drifted away to a child that he had once know that had been missing for nearly three years. When he had first noticed young Harry Potter missing, he thought nothing of it, as the boy normally avoided his family at all costs. But, once school started and still no Harry, he began to get worried. He knew full well that the eldest Potter was powerful, but to what extent, he had no idea.
All of a sudden, a dreadful thought popped into the old man's head, before quickly shaking it off, thinking, No, he wouldn't.
(LINE BREAK)
The next day at Riddle Manor…
"Lucius!" Voldemort snapped.
"Yes, my lord?" the aristocratic blonde responded.
"Go find Lord Chaos. Tell him to come here to meet with me, he and I have important things to discuss."
"Right away, my lord," Lucius replied, before swiftly leaving the room to search for his master's apprentice.
Once Lucius was out of the room and the doors slammed shut, Voldemort immediately began a conversation with Nagini, "# What do you think, Nagini? #"
Said snake responded with a hiss, "# I think you ssshould let him decide. He did, after all, avoid the place for a reassson. And if you sssend him there, he'll missssss out on the raidsss and the Order will get sssussspiciousss. #"
Voldemort narrowed his eyes, "# Ssso you think that there isss a traitor in our midssst, Nagini? #"
"# I don't think that there'sss a traitor, I know there'sss a traitor. I just don't know who. #"
"# Bah, we'll discussssss this later. Besssidesss, Harry could alwaysss join usss during raidsss. You know just asss well asss I that he isss the Heir of the Hogwartsss Four, meaning that he hasss more control of that cassstle than the Old Coot. Even if he weren't, he could easssily ssslip passst the wardsss if he wanted to. He could alssso join usss by turning into a wraith. For sssome reassson he ssseemed to think that ritual would be helpful, at the time I didn't sssee how it could be helpful, but now that I think about it, hisss idea was brilliant. #"
"# Wel― #"
Nagini was cut off by the doors blasting open, signifying the arrival of the esteemed Lord Chaos. Voldemort and Nagini shared a look, having gotten used to Harry's overdramatic entrances over the years they spent living in the same home. Harry stalked up to the cozy chair that was facing Voldemort's and sat down, making sure to enjoy the comfort the chair provided. Once he was satisfied, he looked at Voldemort and spoke, "'Sup?'
Voldemort rolled his eyes, having gotten used to Harry greeting him like that, as well. "Well, Harry," he began, "first off, I would like to say that I would appreciate it if you didn't always blast open those doors, they aren't cheap, you know."
Harry shrugged sheepishly.
"Also, I wanted to discuss to you a slight change in plan."
Harry raised his eyebrow at this, "Oh?"
"Yes, the plan i― "
"# He wantsss to sssend you to Hogwartsss. #" Nagini hissed dryly.
"# WHAT?! #" Harry exploded.
"# Nagini! #" Voldemort scolded his familiar.
"# Hell no, Tom. I told you that I wasss never going to that place. Essspecially not with Jamesss and Lily Potter teaching there. Not to mention that there'sss Dumbledore, Rossse, Charlie, and Neville there asss well. Plusss, I wouldn't be able to go on any raidsss, which would be sssussspiciousss! #" Harry complained.
"# Why isss it that everybody sssussspectsss that there isss a traitor among usss except me? #" Voldemort asked incredulously.
"# I don't think that there'sss a traitor, I know there'sss a traitor. I just don't know who. #" Harry responded sagely.
"# That'sss exactly what Nagini sssaid, #" Voldemort said dryly. "# Anywaysss, as for the raidsss, you'd easssily be able to join us. If I'm not missstaken, you are the rightful owner of Hogwartsss, which meansss you can manipulate the wardsss as you pleassse. #" Harry frowned, and just as he was about to retort, Voldemort continued, "# And, there isss alssso your wraith form from the ritual you convinced me to help you with. #"
"# What'sss ssso important at Hogwartsss, though? #" Harry asked, clinging onto his last vestige of hope, which was soon crushed.
"The Philosopher's Stone," Voldemort replied, no longer speaking in Parseltongue. Voldemort's remark caused Harry to visibly deflate, which resulted in Voldemort looking smug.
"Fine! But you have to prepare the damn arrangements, because I will not go as Harry Potter," Harry responded moodily.
Voldemort smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way." This resulted in Harry leaving the room mumbling about 'annoying dark lords' and 'stupid Hogwarts' brats'. Voldemort turned to Nagini, "# That went well. #"
(LINE BREAK)
One week later…
"Attention!" Dumbledore called, getting everybody in the Great Hall to quiet down before the feast, "I would like to introduce a new transfer student, Harry Shadis! (Yeah, I got that name from Shadowed Malice. I'm terrible at making actual names.)" Dumbledore began clapping, getting a few claps from the crowd. "Tuck in," he finished. He turned to look at an annoyed Harry who was standing next to him, "Slytherin table is right there, Mr. Shadis."
Harry nodded absentmindedly, and walked over to the indicated table. As he walked to the table, the sneering faces of his housemates did not go unnoticed by him. Probably think that I'm a mudblood, he thought bitterly. Just why couldn't he come up with a pureblood name? Hm, how should I scare them into submission…? Harry paused, Yes! It's perfect! I'll speak Parseltongue in front of them. First, I need to summon a snake… It sure is a good thing that nobody at the meeting heard me talking to Voldemort in Parseltongue. On the down side, I'll have to make sure it stays that way… oh well.
(LINE BREAK)
Later that evening…
"How'd a mudblood like you make it into Slytherin," a blonde, who Harry was guessing was Lucius Malfoy's son, sneered.
"Yeah, you have no magical talent whatever," Pug-Face taunted.
"Looks like we need to teach the mudblood a lesson!" a big, burly guy shouted, getting cheers from the rest of the house.
Harry smirked as they approached and quickly grabbed his wand and shouted, "Serpensortia maxima!" At once, five giant King Cobras jumped out of the tip of Harry's wand and started slithering around scaring some of the students, but, not all of them.
Harry quickly used legilimency to invade the minds of the serpents and speak to them, "# Wait, my friendsss. I mean you no harm, I jussst wisssh to give thessse ussselessssss humansss a lesssssson. Ssso, I would appreciate it if you all turned and faced me, I'm the one who sssummoned you. Alssso, try and look menacing! #"
The snakes, after jolting out of their initial shock, immediately rounded on Harry and looked as if they were going to attack him. This resulted in a smug look from the blonde, who laughed at Harry's predicament, "Ha-ha! Oh, look, the mudblood's own spell is going to ba―"
He stopped talking once he heard Harry's hissing, "# Thank you, my friendsss. Now, pleassse turn around and ssscare the blonde. #"
"# Ok, ssspeaker, #" the five cobras hissed in unison, all turning to face the blonde who started the whole ordeal.
"# Flee from my wrath! #" The first King Cobra hissed in amusement.
"# Flee, petty two-legsss! #" Cobras three and five responded.
"# I wonder if jussst ssspeaking normal will ssscare them. #" The second cobra wondered aloud, the result of which was the blonde backpedalling as fast as possible.
"# Yup! #" The fourth cobra hissed victoriously.
"What is going on here!?" a new, silky voice shouted throughout the room.
Every student save the blonde, who ran and hid behind the new figure, turned and face a tall, man with silky, black hair and a crooked nose. Oh look, Harry mused, it's Severus!
"H-h-he s-summoned th-those cobras a-and told them t-to at-at-attack me!" the wimpy blonde stuttered out.
Harry watched on amused as Severus Snape twisted around so as to yell at him, only to stop dead, finally having taken in the blonde's words. "What do you mean, Mr. Malfoy," Oh yeah! I was right! Harry thought victoriously, "by he told them to attack you. Only a Parselmouth can command snakes, and there has only been one Parselmouth in recent history, and that was the Dark Lord himself!"
"I mean that h-he told them to at-attack me! H-he's a Pa-Parselmouth!" the boy whimpered.
For the first time since Severus had arrived, all attention turned back to Harry and his serpentine friends. The looks of shock and fear satisfied Harry to no end, but the shocked look on Snape's face worried Harry a little. What if somebody did hear me speaking Parseltongue to Tom, he thought concernedly. Nah!
Harry, bored with the silence, decided to break it, "Um, if that's all, I'm going to go to my dorm with my five new friends. Thank you and good night!" Harry rushed off to where Tom had told him the Slytherin Heir dorms lie. He approached the snake statue, out of sight from any who would watch him, and hissed, "# Open! #" causing the statue to move to the side silently, providing a small entrance for Harry and the five King Cobras to go through. Once they were all in the room, Harry whispered, "# Clossse! #" and watched with satisfaction as the door shut itself. He then plopped down on the bed and started laughing. "# Th-that, ha-ha, wasss sss-sssooo worth it! Thank you for your aid, my friendsss. You are welcome to ssstay with me if you wisssh, but you do not have to. I can sssneak you out later tonight through the Chamber of Sssecretsss and take you to the Forbidden Foressst if you prefer. #" Good thing Tom told me about the entrance to the Chamber in here… Now if only he told me where the fuck it is in here, Harry thought furiously, as he began to look around the magically expanded dorm that he found was more like a personal apartment, complete with a kitchen, two bathrooms, three bedrooms, a dining room, and a living room. Once Harry finished, he sat in a comfy chair and sighed, Damn it, Tom.
After a few minutes of thinking hard, Harry slapped his head. He stood from the chair and walked into what he guess was the middle of the home and hissed out loudly, interrupting the five serpents from their thoughts, "# Open, Chamber of Sssecretsss! #"
Harry grinned as he heard the sound of stones grinding against each other and walked to where the noise was. He ended up going into one of the bathrooms and looked under the cupboard, which revealed an open tunnel. Damn, what the fuck is with Salazar and putting Chamber entrances in bathrooms… he wondered as he remembered Voldemort telling him about the Chamber entrance in the second floor corridor's girls' bathroom. Probably a pedophile, Harry concluded. With that in mind, he crawled his way into the tunnel and kept going like that for five minutes, only to bang his head on the floor. I. Am. Such. An. Idiot. He thought to himself, before standing up. I can't believe that I actually thought that Salazar Slytherin would crawl his way to his secret chamber… Harry proceeded down the tunnel, completely unaware of the five King Cobras following him, until he reached a dead end, which made Harry sigh.
"# Uh, #" one of the cobras began, startling Harry, causing him to jump and hit his head on the ceiling, resulting in much grumbling from him, "# you ssshould probably sssay 'Open' again. #"
Harry, smacking himself for his idiocy, hissed out, "# Open. #" and began grumbling to himself when the wall did indeed open. Can't believe I didn't think of that… He continued forward only to slip and tumble down the inside of the pipe at break-neck speeds. "Ow. Oof. Ah. Damn. Ouch. Fuck!" Harry shouted out as he constantly hit some part of his body on the pipe. This continued to happen for another five minutes until Harry finally balanced himself out… only to come out the end of the pipe.
"# FUCK! #" Harry hissed, not realizing he had just shouted out in Parseltongue. All of a sudden the loud rumbling of stone grinding on stone sounded out. Harry spun to his left so fast he almost got whiplash, and was shocked to see a giant statue of Salazar Slytherin. It wasn't so much the statue he was shocked to see as much as it was the statue's giant maw opening up, revealing two yellow eyes. Harry suddenly remembered what Tom had told him the Chamber housed, snapped his eyes shut, and braced himself for instant death. After a few seconds bracing himself, he got tired of waiting and opened his eyes, only to be looking into two brilliant amber eyes that could only belong to one being.
Oh, shit, he thought
Basilisk.
(LINE BREAK)
Meanwhile, back at Riddle Manor…
Lord Voldemort sighed in absolute boredom, already regretting sending his companion for three years to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While he would never admit it to anybody, save Nagini, that he missed the company of his apprentice.
As he sat through a long, boring Death Eater get-together, he became lost in his thought. Back when he came up with the idea of sending Harry to Hogwarts, he figured Nagini's company would be enough to bear through the boring Death Eater meetings, just like it used to. He soon found out, however, that he was sorely mistaken. It became readily apparent to him that he had become just too used to his bratty apprentice's company. Nagini's presence in his Death Eater meetings, was just not enough to get him through, anymore.
He was brought out of his thoughts by one of his servants groveling at his feet, "My lord, I bring news that you might find interesting." Voldemort looked around for a moment and noticed that the meeting was finally over.
Voldemort looked down at the pitiful man and narrowed his eyes, "Well! Get on with it!"
"My lord, apparently Peter Pettigrew has escaped Azkaban. While it's not Pett― GYAH!" The Death Eater shouted.
Voldemort continued casting the Cruciatus Curse for a few more seconds before stopping it. "Go on," he snapped, "tell me why I would find interest in news about that worthless rat!"
"Y-yes, my lord. The news you might find interesting is the fact that he escaped the prison. If he were to tell you how he did it, then you could free the rest of your inner circle," the Death Eater finished, gasping.
Voldemort nodded, "Very well, you're free to go, Macnair."
"Thank you, my lord," Macnair mumbled before scurrying off elsewhere, eager to escape his lord's wrath.
Once only Nagini and Voldemort were left in the room, he hissed to his companion, "# I ssshould have taken your advice, Nagini. Thessse bumbling idiotsss are more irritating than I remember. Maybe I ssshould have kept Harry around. #" Nagini, in response, did her best to console her irritated master.
(LINE BREAK)
Back to Harry…
Oh, shit, he thought.
Basilisk.
"# Who are you? You are not my massster, yet you ssspeak the noble language like another, from not too long ago…" the ancient basilisk hissed out, exposing very large, and very pointy fangs.
"# Um, #" Harry gulped, "# I am your massster'sss heir? #"
The basilisk hissed violently, "# No, you are not Tom. Tom'sss ssscent tasssted different. Ssso again I asssk, who are you!? #"
"# I'm Lord Ssslytherin'sss other heir. #"
The basilisk stopped in its tracks, and flicked its tongue out again, gathering Harry scent, yet again. "# What you sssay, #" the basilisk began, "# isss true. You do tasssted like my massster, but my sssensssesss tell me Tom isss ssstill alive. How isss it possssssible for my massster to have two heirsss. #"
Harry relaxed a little, "# I'm Lord Ssslytherin'sss heir through magic, whereasss, Tom isss Lord Ssslytherin'sss heir through blood. #"
"# An impossster, then! #" the snake reared up, making Harry tense up again.
"# No! #" Harry hissed out desperately. "# I am your massster'sss heir, or at leassst, one of them. But I know the other. In fact, Tom isss my mentor. #"
The basilisk stopped at this particular piece of information, and pondered it over silently. "# Very well. It explainsss why you are not dead. #"
"# Why'sss that? #"
The basilisk looked away wistfully, "# Back when I wasss only a hatchling, my massster cassst a ssspell on me. It did not harm me. No, in fact it helped me. It granted me the ability to look at thossse who are in some way connected to him without accidentally killing them with my gaze. I believe that isss the only reassson you have not died. And if that'sss the cassse, then it meansss you are telling the truth. #"
Harry was only able to nod in understanding. "# I really wisssh I could meet your massster, he sssoundsss like a brilliant man. I'm Harry, by the way. #"
The basilisk stared into Harry's emerald eyes, as if trying to read Harry's intentions. "# I am Brazil. And… there isss a way for you to meet Massster Sssalazar. #"