Author: HatefulRodeo
Title: Of Unexpected Deliveries and Doorsteps
Notes: Hola my dears! Long time no write but life had been INSANE and busier than ever but I think the length of this update makes up for it a little bit. Enjoy it! Also, we will be in several POV's and have a time skip in this chapter. Annnnnndddddd we will have EXPLIXIT SLASH; which is sex between two men so be warned. If it is not your cup of tea skip Severus' POV.
Although if you don't like slash I wonder why you're reading this... Oh well I think that is all for now and I will be updating Only Black next followed by Sirius' Awakening then Unexpected. Be Patient Please!
Alrighty On With The Fic! ; )
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I will make no money from the posting of this story.
Previously:
Just like Severus had Lucius to support him through the tough times Harry had Draco and from what the onyx eyed man saw when they were shopping in France Theodore Nott as well. Also, his blonde son seemed to have picked up quite the shadow in Blaise Zabini. The knowledge that his children had people to be there for them made the older wizard relax a little bit.
It made him feel at ease to know that if he, or Lucius, couldn't be there at least Theodore or Blaise would be around to assist their boys. Once the dishes were dry and put away the two men left the kitchen and settled in the sitting room with their books. Severus enjoyed the silence interspersed with crackling of the fire, the comfortably warm atmosphere, and the new book given to him by Lucius as a Yule gift; this was the way life should be over school breaks.
And Severus was going to enjoy every damn moment of this quiet time before he had to go back to teaching dunderheaded morons while dealing with an overly nosy Headmaster with a sense of entitlement the size of the North American continent.
~*~*~*Chapter 14~*~*~*
It felt great to be back at Hogwarts after the ordeals they'd faced during Yule break. True, Dumbledore was here and was responsible for most of the issues that arose over their off-time but Harry would never not come back to Hogwarts; it was his second home and he loved the old castle very much. He knew his dads wanted to take him away from here and enroll him in Durnstrang but he was happy that they were holding off for now. It would suck to have to leave this place.
He sometimes wondered if this was how the Dark Lord looked at the school. Did the crimson eyed man adore these mortared walls as much as Harry did and if so then the man couldn't be all bad? If Voldemort had even one ounce of ability to care left in him he wasn't completely irredeemable.
This thought pattern just lent more credence to his and his family's belief that the man was somehow regaining his sanity and ability to think things through before he acted. He remembered that the murderous Dark Lord had not killed or injured one person in his bid to acquire the Stone. That fact and the things his fathers told him and Draco during their conversation shortly before the end of winter break made Harry hopeful. They needed the Dark Lord sane and ready to help right the magical ship, sort of speak.
For too long the Light has run things and from what the emerald eyed boy saw they were running them into the ground. For Merlin's sake there were Santa Claus figurines inside a magic school! A Christian holiday was being celebrated by witches and wizards; the very beings that Christian teachings said should be burned at the stake or drown.
It was sickening! If muggle borns wanted to celebrate their holiday fine; they could do it in their own space within their dorms. However, it should not be imposed on everyone; most of the children attending Hogwarts were magical raised and celebrated Yule anyway. So that led to the question of why was Christmas being celebrated at all...?
papa Luc said it was to make the muggle raised feel more comfortable in their new world. It was a sickening cycle really if one thought on it. If the muggle raised were indoctrinated into their world sooner they wouldn't need a crutch like Christmas to make them feel more at home they would be comfortable already with their magic and the magical holidays celebrated in their world.
The Dark Lord, according to his parents, wanted to change the status quo. The Dark Lord wanted to shake the foundations of the norm and that scared those too comfortable in their high seats of power. For too long had these people controlled the world, exercising their unquestioned power over those that trusted them; people like Dumbledore didn't like young upstarts coming along and causing upheaval in their perfect world.
And after Grindelwald's reign of terror the magical world was ready to stomp on anything remotely Dark or un-normal. Dumbledore and his ilk used the public's fears of another Dark Lord to pass stifling legislation against Darker magic's and age old teachings were cast away as evil or uncontrollable. It was saddening and Harry was angry that any magical teachings were being lost due to someone's political agenda and their unfounded fear.
Harry wasn't just spouting nonsense. Nope, he looked it up in his papa's library at Malfoy Manor. Of course most of the books about the Dark Lord were vastly inaccurate but that was the way of it. The victors wrote the history books after all so the raven discounted those texts and moved on to the tombs detailing the changing politics within the Wizarding World.
The best part was books were self-updating so any laws passed were written in black and white; there were no politicians glad-handing him or trying to sway him with puff politics or fluffy feel good words. Nope, the facts were right there in crystal clarity and Harry was horrified by what he saw.
The Wizengamot could imprison someone for five years for practicing the rituals that were considered sacred for Sabbath's Blessings to be given to them and their families. Five years in the company of Dementors; it was pretty obvious that these five years were a death sentence. It was just prettier to write five years when anyone who was anyone knew most people never survived over a year or so fully intact around Dementors and their foul presence.
Sure, those people convicted would be released but what would be left of them then? They would either be catatonic or spitting mad and committed to St. Mungo's for treatment; treatment that would not help at all. There the person would languish and eventually fade away until there was nothing left of them.
How was this justice? How was that fair? It wasn't! The rituals they were outlawing weren't even bloody or harmful. No, but the minute those Light-minded bigots heard that the offerings used blood, even if it was cow's blood, they went batty and began to rant about demonic summoning's and evil sacrifices. Of course, this got the masses screaming for laws to make sure their children weren't caught and murdered for some monstrous pagan ceremony.
Were magical people this stupid? Harry always questioned the status quo and authority; he was raised by two men who were once Death Eaters. If any group challenged the powers that be it was the Death Eaters and while his fathers were no longer loyal the teachings and ideals that led them to go against the grain in the first place were passed down to Harry and Draco.
The emerald eyed wizard was glad his dad allowed him to ask questions and explore the reasons things were the way they were. His dad didn't just shrug Harry off and tell him that was the way things were and he should keep his head down. Screw that! Harry was going to shake this place up and put their world back to the way it was before meddling fools like Dumbledore mucked it up.
The muggle borns and muggle raised would still be welcomed, of course. Harry was not a blood supremacist; he was a half-blood for Salazar's sake! He just wanted every magical person to be welcomed earlier and made comfortable sooner in their world.
The Potter-Snape knew he hadn't wanted to involve himself in politics until he was done with school but maybe he could lend his support through his name for certain things. It was an idea; one he would talk to papa Luc about. He wasn't sure what he would, or could, do but he had to try something to stop this madness before they lost too much.
With a deep breath the young raven pushed his heaving thoughts down with his Occlumency Shields, which were coming along nicely if he may say so himself. According to his parents he was becoming very proficient in protecting his mind from intrusion.
However, he would never be able to mask his emotions thorugh his Occlumency like his fathers did. Draco was quite eager to learn how to do that as it was expected for the Malfoy heir to be stoic and cold; just like papa Luc was in public. Severus even mentioned that they would master Occlumency by the time they were fifteen if they continued to meditate and practice with him.
Harry snorted; Practice? More like allowing his mind to be assaulted with a sledgehammer; Severus Snape was an unforgiving teacher but the pain was worth it. The results spoke for themselves and the fact that two eleven year olds could shield their minds better than most adults spoke louder than words could.
Other than planning a coup against the status quo and learning Occlumency Harry's life was pretty routine. Ebony slithered around constantly snooping and gathering information about what was going on inside the castle; this was how Harry and his friend's avoided most of the Weasely twins' pranks and Peeves' traps. However, Fred and George's pranks were hilarious to watch especially when Ronald Weasely stomped into the Great Hall with Zebra patterned hair.
The raven felt a bit of malicious glee when he saw the red headed bastard. Harry didn't hate anyone but he very much disliked Ronald Weasely. The other boy was everything that was wrong with their world. He was bigoted, close-minded and had the manners and social grace of an ill-tempered Nundu, maybe even less so. It was a mystery as to how the twins and Ronald were even related to each other.
Fred and George were free-spirited and open-minded but they were fiercely loyal to their views and what they felt was right. Harry respected their principles and also their considerable intelligence; those two would go very far. Maybe in the future Harry would invest with the Weasely twins. Together those two would create some very interesting things given the capitol and the chance.
Ronald on the other hand was a dullard with none of the intelligence his dad claimed was prevalent in his other older siblings. While the emerald eyed boy could sympathize a little with feeling a bit unsure and inadequate against your older, more accomplished, siblings Harry could not excuse the complete lack of drive to better one's self.
The youngest Weasely at Hogwarts seemed content to drift by with less than stellar grades and a reputation that was becoming worse and worse by the week. Very few stuck by the red head; most Gryffindor's in their year hung around with Neville, which pleased Harry to no end. The shy boy was a good person who seemed to judge someone on who they were not where they were from or who their parents were.
Harry quite enjoyed the quiet boy's presence and took the time to always greet Neville when they passed in the halls. Sometimes they would even study together if need be. Through his friendship, if one could call it that, with Neville he'd begun to speak to other students who were a little leary of approaching him before.
Apparently, associating with Neville Longbottom, a notable Light scion, made it safe for them to speak to the Dark Parselmouth evil Slytherin Harry Potter-Snape. It was a little ridiculous really but whatever got people to get over their reservations was alright with him in the end. Neville thought the stereotyping of Harry because he was a Slytherin and a Parselmouth was patently stupid.
The magical world really needed more people like that. While Harry tried to stay in contact with Neville it was hard to do, especially with the Houses they were in. Slytherin and Gryffindor's did not mix well most of the time and while the incoming Hogwarts class was breaking in the mold and crossing the boundaries the older years were hesitant to integrate.
Not that it stopped the Weasely twins from hugging Marcus Flint and sticking a pretty red and gold bow to his head as a form of peace offering between their rival Houses. Harry almost wet himself when he saw the Slytherin's burly Quidditch Captain walking around with a bow on his head, apparently no one could figure out how to remove it; not even Flitwick had a clue.
In the end they decided since it wasn't hurting the older teen they would just leave it and eventually it would come off on its own. Turns out Marcus inadvertently figured it out when he finally swallowed his pride and just asked the twins to remove the thing, which they did with little fuss. George even gave the stunned snake a kiss on the cheek as a no harm done gesture.
The blush that crossed Flint's face was as priceless as the scene with him sporting a bow on his head. Well whatever happened between Flint and George Harry wished them luck with it. Sometimes all you needed to do was swallow your pride and great things could be done or accomplished.
Draco should really learn that lesson soon. It truly was pitiful how the boy was attracted to Blaise but wouldn't admit it. Instead the blonde would become angry at Blaise when a girl from their year would, through no fault of Zabini's own, try and flirt, unsuccessfully, with handsome Italian boy.
Poor Blaise was so confused as to why Draco was acting like a hormonal mother dragon and Harry really wanted to tell him but alas it was on his stubborn sibling to do so.
He wondered if this was how it went between his dad and papa Luc. Nah, Lucius would have went after his dad like a bat out of hell the minute he figured out he wanted the younger lanky potion's fanatic as his own. Hopefully, Draco would make the connections on his explosive behavior soon so they could all go back to normal. Trying to calm down a fuming Malfoy was not on Harry's top ten, not even top twenty things he enjoyed doing.
Eleven was a little young, at least for Harry; to be thinking abut a relationship. He just wasn't ready for that kind of thing. Draco on the other hand was always a bit more mature when it came to some things in their lives. As embarrassing as it was the raven knew his sibling masturbated; walking in on him in the bathroom while he wanked was one of Harry's most mortifying moments of his young life.
So it seemed Draco was maturing quicker than his younger sibling in the ways of sex and that was fine with the raven. Harry had way too much on his plate already. Sexual frustration would only be one more thing to add onto the already long list of things complicating his life. Merlin knew complications were something he was familiar with; Dumbledore was still trying to get him to reopen the Chamber so he could eliminate the threat of the Basilisk.
Harry refused steadfastly; no one was going to hurt Astaroth. The massive snake was evidently Ebony's best friend now and the two were now exploring the pipes together. Morgana help them if those two ever truly began plotting; sneaky snakes that they were. From what the raven could ascertain from his serpent Astaroth, and shockingly a young Voldemort, never meant to hurt anyone fifty years ago.
What happened to Myrtle was a horrid accident. While the Dark Lord had no issue killing people via the Basilisk he had not meant to do so like that. By killing Myrtle he had inadvertently brought too much attention onto the bathroom and the only known entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. It apparently ruined all of the Tom Riddle's plans for the rest of his school years.
Tom Riddle the true name of the powerful Dark Lord. Tom Riddle was brilliant from the little Harry could find to read about him. The boy shattered all standards of the day, destroying grading records and scores in every year. His O.W.L and N.E.W.T scores were the highest still to the day and Harry could understand how this boy could have amassed the ability to send people cowering in fear or bowing at his feet in awe.
Too bad he lost himself to madness. If the Dark Lord stayed sane he would have no doubt made changes for the better but it wasn't meant to be. Now though the man was allegedly recovering his mind and that gave Harry some hope for them. It weighed on him heavily. Their world was dwindling and stagnating so much from what he could see.
He read about the Golden years of the magical world around the time of the Founders. It was amazing; new avenues and areas of magic were being discovered. New spells and runic equations created for the use of all. No one screamed about Dark or Light; it was all magic and all of it was accepted with open arms. How had that changed? Why had it changed? Sometimes he wished there was a portrait of one of the Founders so he could talk to them.
That thought made him want to punch himself in the face. A portrait of one of the Founders! Where would a portrait of one of the Founders be? Why the Chamber of Secrets! Harry was such an idiot sometimes! Well he would have to take a detour to the Chamber and check it out. Ebony would be pleased with that.
The Titanoboa was constantly nagging him to visit so he could chat with Astaroth. Who knew a snake could get so pushy? Harry offered to visit the great serpent through Ebony via their link but the Titan refused, stating it would be rude to meet someone as important as Astaroth through secondhand means. Once his familiar was done scolding him for being rude she's slithered away and disappeared for a day or two.
The young raven wondered if the Dark Lord's serpent, Nagini, was this temperamental. Would the Dark Lord take offence if Harry asked him about his bond with his fearsome snake? Well he was going to ask the crimson eyed man anyway.
Not many were bonded to snakes anymore so it was nice to speak about it with someone who shared a bond with a magical snake. There were quite a few things that Harry wanted to talk to the man about when he was able to. The Dark Lord intrigued him very much but Harry was no fool.
He respected the other man's power and not for one second did the emerald eyed boy trust the murderer of his parents but he did have an open mind about him. Besides the Dark Lord in disguise was a great Defense teacher once you got used to the fake stuttering and tremors; though those tremors may have actually been real. Who knew how taxing it could be on the host's body to hold another man's very soul inside of you?
Their new Defense teacher was decent not great. The man's name was Elphias Doge and he was a member of the Wizengamot and according to papa Luc Dumbledore's lackey. This immediately set Harry's guard up; he would not be caught alone with the man and escaped the old man's attempts to speak to him quite handily.
Lucius was still compiling facts about the alleged attack via the Basilisk over fifty years ago. Harry failed to mention that he knew for a fact that the ancient serpent killed Moaning Myrtle; the raven figured the fewer who knew of that little fact the better it would be. Dumbledore knew or at least suspected but he would keep quiet sonce it would bring up too many odd circumstances.
And even if someone found out about the Basilisk no one could force Harry to open the Chamber. He was the ruddy Boy-Who-Lived even Dumbledore wasn't that stupid. The people would scream for the Headmaster's head if they ever found at the old man even tried to do anything damaging towards their precious savior.
Yup, the populace of magical Britain was back in his corner after they'd abandoned him for being placed within Slytherin and found out he could converse with snakes. He could truly care less but Harry would use them for his needs if it meant Dumbledore couldn't touch him.
Another thing that thwarted any plans to open the Chamber was the that the Chamber only opened for a Parselmouth and no one, not even if they tried Imperius, could make Harry speak in the language of snakes to open the sink wihin the bathroom.
Astaroth would remain safe. Harry was dead set on it. However, the same could not be said about Dumbledore's reputation which was about to take a hit if the jaunty bounce in his dad and papa's step had anything to say about it.
While the Malfoy Lord was unable to find anything about the attack over fifty years ago on Myrtle he did begin to build a good case against the Headmaster for endangering the school by agreeing to hide the Sorcerer's Stone within its hallowed walls. A meeting of the Board of Governors was being held later today and it was then that Lucius would put forth his case.
Severus explained that it was a toss-up how they would rule. It was almost a fifty fifty split down the middle between Light and Dark members with a few Neutrals rounding out the eleven member board. Harry was banking on a few of the Light representatives judging against Dumbledore using the school for his own purposes and that endangered their children, who happened to attend Hogwarts alongside Harry.
He knew Neville's gran was on the Board and no doubt the woman would be extremely angry to know that the Dark Lord was within easy striking range of her grandson. The same logic could be used for the Diggorys, the Macmillans and the Jordans.
Lucius would for once win an argument against the aged Headmaster; the elder blonde was gloating. Harry felt it was deserved. The emerald eyed boy knew that Dumbledore would not be fired; the Light side wouldn't punish their leader that severely but even a fine would be something. Plus, the way the gossip flew in the magical world guaranteed that everyone would know, tarnishing the old coot's shining reputation just a little bit.
It paved the way for doubt within the wizarding worlds' mind too. If the Headmaster, the pinnacle of Light and goodness, could do this what else could he do?
Harry doubted the old man would ever knowingly kill someone. No, Dumbledore was crueler than that. No, the old man would simply push someone to the side and let them languish in neglect and despair. Wasn't that what the man wanted to do with him when he ditched him at his aunt's home? Just get him out of the way until he could use Harry for his own gain?
In the meantime Harry would suffer with his hateful muggle relations, wishing desperately for someone to come and save him. And when someone did come for him Harry would be so eternally grateful he would love them for life. No doubt this was Dumbledore's master plan that night when he left Harry on the Dursley's doorstep all those years ago.
But the codger's plan was foiled by Petunia dropping him off on Severus' doorstep. Harry was grateful to his maternal aunt for that. With Severus and Lucius' influence he'd become an intelligent, confident and well-rounded child not the nervous, insecure wreck he would have been if he grew up unwanted and unloved by the Dursley family.
With a sigh Harry rolled over in his bed, withdrawing his wand from under his pillow so he could check the time. He always woke up earlier than his dorm mates but he quite liked it that way. It gave him the chance to be by himself and think on things without someone interrupting him. Theo was the best though when it came to recognizing that Harry was deep in thought and generally left him to his own devices for awhile.
A simple Tempus showed it was only six thirty in the morning; well that gave him about three hours of alone time before his friends and sibling woke to begin their Saturday. Ebony shifted at the foot of the bed and slithered upward until she was curling up in Harry's lap; "Why are you always up so early? It's our day off. Go back to sleep, Master."
Harry smiled down at his familiar, stroking her scaly head; "You know once I'm awake I'm awake. I was thinking of sneaking down to the Chamber and having a chat with Astaroth. Would you like to come with me or stay here and go back to bed?" Ebony looked as thoughtful as a snake could before giving the equivalent of a sigh and slithered out their nice warm bed.
The raven chuckled when he heard her begin to spit curses and complaints when her body touched the chilled stone floor. Rising from his four-poster Harry cast a strong Warming Charm on Ebony and laughed again when she hissed in contentment before leaving the room with a hastily spoken goodbye.
She was probably going to seek out a quick breakfast. Merlin knew there were quite a lot of mice around the castle and Harry even saw a disgustingly balding fat rat scampering through the halls. Harry knew that Ebony would be back by the time he was washed and dressed; she'd become quite the formidable mouser in their time at Hogwarts and he could tell by the increase in her size even in her shrunken form.
But his familiar's growth also meant that Harry was maturing magically as well. Granted his magical growth was small at this time but within a few years it would surge rapidly, growing almost to the point of where his full magical power would be when he reached his seventeenth birthday. Harry was looking forward to his next stage in magical growth.
Ebony would probably reach twenty feet by his fifteenth birthday, maybe even bigger than that and Harry looked forward to seeing how big Eb actually got. Sometimes the emerald eyed Slytherin wondered what he would do with a snake of that size but he didn't worry too much as long as she could shrink to a more manageable size that was all he cared about.
One day he would have the Potter estate so space was not an option at all. When he assumed the position of Lord and took control of his full inheritance Ebony would have plenty of space to slither around in on the grounds of Potter Manor. Harry would ask Astaroth if he would like to join them when he was granted access to his birthright at the age of seventeen.
The ancient serpent would probably jump at the chance to get the hell out of the castle. He knew the snake was lonely and craved to be free to explore outside without worrying about being seen or inadvertently hurting someone again with his deadly gaze.
Harry spit out the toothpaste in his mouth and rinsed before stepping out of the bathroom and dressing himself. His morning routine was essentially done by rote at this point; when you did the same thing every day for over several months you didn't need to think about it too much. Now fully dressed in comfy jeans, a few layers on his top half to fight the chill in the castle and some worn sneakers Harry was ready to go and see Astaroth.
Also, going this early would hopefully help to avoid anyone spotting him or following him; Dumbledore was pretty determined to find a way back into the underground rooms. After the events during Yule break Harry would not put anything past the old man anymore. To say his trust in the aged man was greatly diminished was an understatement, besides it wasn't as if Harry trusted Dumbledore all that much in the first place.
With one more once over Harry decided he had everything he needed, snagged his wand and exited the room, picking up an obviously full Ebony; the outline of her breakfast was still plainly visible in the top half of her body. She curled lazily around Harry's shoulders, squirrelling under his heavy over robe for warmth as the two of them left the Slytherin Common Room and made their way across the empty castle.
He encountered no one on the way to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and for that he was grateful. Upon entering the washroom the emerald eyed boy looked around, trying to figure out if Myrtle was in the room or if she was haunting the castle elsewhere. It seemed the bespectacled ghost was somewhere else; Harry was grateful for that in any case.
The young raven couldn't be sure if the spirit would report his presence inside the restroom to Dumbledore the second he stepped inside the defunct bathroom. So far so good at any rate. Sighing in relief he approached the sink with the small snake stamped into it and muttered the Parseltongue password, being careful to be loud enough to trigger the lock but not loud enough to be overheard by anyone.
One didn't need to be a Parselmouth to mimic the snake language enough to open the Chamber's safeguards. He was thankful that Dumbledore wasn't paying close enough attention to what he was saying the last time he was hear. If the old man did Harry had no doubt that Astaroth would be dead by now.
The sink slowly began to sink into the ground, allowing Harry to look down the pipe that would take him into the circular stone antechamber. Taking a deep breathe Harry slipped into the opening and sat down on the cool stone and pushed off, slowly sliding down the incline. Before he was too far away Harry turned and hissed the words that would seal the sinks back up so no one could follow him.
Harry continued to slink down the tube until he finally reached the bottom, standing the raven haired boy gave a quick brush to his backside to knock off any dirt. Once done Harry continued down the tunnel until after about thirty paces emerald eyes looked at the beautiful circular hatch that would lead him into Astaroth's home.
Ebony poked her head up and hissed in excitement. Harry smiled down at his familiar; he was happy she found someone to chat with while Harry was busy with school and other obligations. The raven loved his serpent, he truly did, but it was hard to give her all the attention Ebony felt she deserved. Since her friendship with Astaroth began she was much happier and didn't mope about so much.
Now eye to eye with the stone snakes on the vault door Harry hissed out the opening command and stepped into the Chamber when the door opened enough to let him through. Astaroth was dozing in front of the statue of Salazar, snoring lightly until Ebony slithered off Harry and began hissing for him to wake up.
The massive snake lazily woke and looked around, quickly covering his eyes in the protective membrane that would allow him to look upon Harry and Ebony without killing them. Eyes now safe Astaroth turned towards them and hissed a snaky welcome. Harry's pushy familiar resized herself and so in all her twelve foot glory Ebony began to badger the great snake.
"Have you eaten since I was here or have you slept the whole time? Really what would you do if I wasn't here to make sure you take care of yourself? You sulk too much Asta! It's no good for you!" Harry just stared as his positively small snake in comparison to the Basilisk handily put said massive Basilisk in his place.
The funniest thing was is Astaroth just let Ebony go on and on until she nagged herself out. Finally, the ancient snake huffed "Ebony, I've survived over a thousand years down here without you. I think I can manage a few days." The smaller black snake kept silent but Harry could tell she wanted to point out exactly how she felt about how Astaroth took care of himself.
He couldn't help it, really he tried but Harry just couldn't help it he burst out laughing. Ebony was treating the biggest snake in their world like a hatchling and Astaroth let her do it. Harry wondered if his snake remembered that Astaroth could kill her without even trying. But watching them together Harry realized the great serpent must like the attention Ebony was giving him.
Ebony and Astaroth turned to stare at the only human in the room when the sound of Harry's laughter echoed off the tall stone walls, creating quite the cacophony within the cavernous space. Ebony merely gave the serpent equivalent of an eye roll and began to speak to Astaroth about what was going on in the castle. Harry finally quieted himself and joined in on the conversation.
Soon though the young man brought up the subject of Salazar Slytherin's portrait; was there one within the castle somewhere that Harry could talk to? The great snake was unsure if there indeed was a painting of his former Master within Hogwarts but did give the emerald eyed boy a good idea of where the Slytherin Founder's private rooms were in the sprawling castle.
Apparently, they were near the Potions classroom but could only be accessed by a Parselmouth. The Potter-Snape inquired as to whether Tom Riddle knew of these rooms and the great snake replied in the negative. It disappointed the raven that the Dark Lord hadn't cared, or thought, to ask about the location of his long deceased ancestor's portrait.
Didn't the young Voldemort want to know where he'd come from? Harry wondered more often about the younger version of the Dark Lord; how had the once brilliant student turned into a psychotic madman hell-bent on dooming their world to war with the muggles? It was an intriguing topic and Harry was very partial to getting some answers soon.
The library could only do so much and no one seemed to remember Tom Riddle; and if the person in question did remember Riddle...well if they did they seemed to be extremely tightlipped about the boy who would become the darkest wizard in a century. Would papa Luc's father be willing to talk to him about his former Lord? Maybe but Abraxas Malfoy, at least from Harry's limited experience with the man's portrait, was a pompous ass who loved to hear himself talk.
He would probably here stories full of Abraxas' overblown deeds with smatterings of Tom Riddle thrown in for background. Sighing the emerald eyed boy began to talk to Astaroth about the events of fifty years ago; the how's and why's that Ebony hadn't thought to ask about once she got the broad overview of the Moaning Myrtle's untimely death.
The Basilisk was remorseful about hurting the girl but he was not too apologetic. He was simply following orders after all. Besides that Astaroth checked the bathroom before he exited the sinks; was it his fault that Myrtle burst into the room and surprised him? Astaroth thought not but it was still a shame that a life was lost.
Harry also learned a bombshell; Hagrid was framed for the killing. The raven wasn't sure how he felt about that. Sure, the giant was nice and no one deserved to be unduly blamed for something they did not do but Harry did admire Riddle's ability to improvise in a pinch. Surely, blaming Hagrid and his Acromantula saved the school from being closed and ensured that the budding Dark Lord could still access the Chamber, more carefully of course.
The Potter-Snape found himself wanting to clear Hagrid's name but that would endanger Astaroth. If he adjudicated the Gamekeeper than he would open the door for Dumbledore to bring up Astaroth and Harry would not allow that to happen. Right now things were settled and sometimes, as much as it pained him to do, you had to let dead dogs lie where they fell.
As long as Harry didn't kick up dirt and drudge up the past Dumbledore would have no reason to start spouting off about the Basilisk. By making it known that the Acromantula hadn't killed the girl than people would want to know what did, allowing the old coot to sling the Basilisk into the mix. Nope, the raven haired boy would remain quiet but if he ever got the chance to set the record straight he surely would.
Harry did have a feeling that Dumbledore was involved with the cover up of the Myrtle's death. There was little to nothing about it in the papers, only a few lines on page five in the Evening Prophet a day after the girl died. Dumbledore may not have had anything to do with framing Hagrid but the man seemed to be partial to covering things up when they didn't suit his needs.
Dumbledore wasn't a bad man but he had gotten his way for too long, no one questioned him or stood against him. That kind of unchecked power can go to anyone's head; as they say absolute power corrupts absolutely. While not corrupt per se the old Headmaster was as crooked as his nose.
Always skirting the line between legal and illegal, ethical and unethical; Harry shuddered when he thought about the man's morals, if the man had any past doing what was necessary for the Greater Good. But what was the Greater Good? Honestly, Harry wasn't sure but he knew the way things were could not continue. The tension between purebloods and muggle borns was getting out of hand. It needed to be addressed soon; the strain was becoming too much to bear.
Draco, his sibling, was a perfect example of an arrogant pureblood. If it wasn't for Harry and Severus Draco could easily have become a bigoted zealot, spouting the hateful word of mudblood as easily as he announced the weather. It wasn't the muggle raised child's fault that they didn't know about their rightful world until too late to matter and it wasn't the pureblood child's fault for being irritated with the muggle raised for slowing down their classes.
It was the systems fault and Harry just couldn't stop thinking about it. Sure, he was eleven but he was smart and really wanted to make a difference in their world. He already started by making associates and acquaintances in other Hogwarts' Houses but Harry wanted to do more.
It was amazing how naive and sheltered he was before Hogwarts. The raven knew about their world; he read the Prophet but he was so far removed from it in France. He read the articles but it was almost like what was happening was occurring in another world as opposed to another country.
Now that he was in Britain and actually saw the issues and maladies that plagued the magical people of England Harry wanted to help. Dumbledore would likely not like it at all. The old man had hoped to use the Potter heir as a mouth piece for his cause but Harry would never be anyone's mouth piece, not even his papa's. The emerald eyed savior would support what he felt was right in his heart and mind; no more, no less.
With another gusty sigh he refocused on Ebony and Astaroth's conversation. His familiar was listening avidly to the Basilisk's retelling of days gone by. Apparently, at one time there were quite a number of Basilisks in their world but over the years the number slowly declined with the expansion of the human race. Though they were magical it was hard for even a muggle to miss a fifty foot serpent slithering through the woods behind your house.
While he was enjoying his time with the two large snakes it was time for Harry to go and get ready for breakfast with his friends and Draco. Once he bid goodbye to Astaroth and Ebony Harry left the Chamber and slunk back to his dorm room.
~*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*
Severus shifted in his large bed, a small smile gracing his face when he felt his human pillow continue to breathe deeply. The raven haired man loved waking up with Lucius in his bed and since he began teaching again these lazy mornings were few and far between for them, so Severus relished them when they occurred. This term was insane so far and while he really wanted to pull Harry and Draco out of Hogwarts after the Stone incident Lucius talked him out of it.
The raven haired man grudgingly agreed it was for the best; the two pre-teens were happy at Hogwarts with their friends. Plus, they were making connections and allies within other Houses something that hadn't been done in a very long long time. That it was their two sons behind the groundbreaking changes within the school's dynamics was a great point of pride for the two fathers.
He loved his kids and he knew with every fiber of his being that both would do great things. It was gratifying to know he was right this far. And Severus couldn't pull Harry and Draco away from their friends; Blaise and Theo especially. The onyx eyed former spy could see how much Draco cared for the Zabini heir even if he had no idea about his growing romantic feelings yet.
He'd seen his blonde spawn throwing fits at the Slytherin table when Blaise flirted with another girl. The dark skinned Italian was so confused and lost as to why Draco was acting like a jilted lover but he had a feeling they'd figure it out soon. Harry seemed to know what was coming but other than that his emerald eyed child seemed to have no interest in anyone, which was just fine with Severus.
True, he and Lucius began their courtship when he was a young boy of eleven but everyone wasn't him and Lucius. While Severus was ready at that young age to start romantic relations with the blonde then Malfoy heir he could tell Harry wasn't ready for any of that. His child had too much on his plate at the moment that any distractions like a crush would be unwelcome.
Though Theo and Harry were close, closer than most friends ever got and maybe this would one day grow into something more or remain as a tight knit kinship as the two boys grew up. If anything Harry would have a firm ally in the Nott heir when they joined the Wizengamot.
The feeling of wandering hands broke Severus out of his thoughts, making him moan lowly when one of those hands caressed the crack of his arse. "What are you thinking so hard about this early in the morning, hm?" Onyx eyes came up to look into the sleepy silver orbs of his lover; Merlin he loved a sleepy Lucius. The man looked sexy with his mused hair, half-lidded eyes and husky voice.
Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was a sexy bastard and he knew and used it to his advantage all the time; almost as much as Severus used his wiles against the blonde. They were quite the pair weren't they? Slytherins to the core, both of them using their assets to get what they wanted. With a smirk on his face the raven lowered his hand from its place on the blonde's firm chest until he was grasping the elder's hardening cock. He thanked the Gods that they both slept nude, less to take off when they decided to become intimate on a whim.
"I was simply thinking what I would have to do to get this inside of me..." Lucius chuckled during the raven's speech but moaned when Severus gave his erection a harsh squeeze when he finished speaking; "Little minx aren't you? No one would ever believe me that Severus Tobias Snape was a wanton cock slut if I ever told them." The raven merely looked smug; "No, they would not. I have a very respectable reputation, not easily besmirched by the likes of your slander."
Lucius snorted, trying to repress his laughter; "Sev, everyone thinks you're an asexual dungeon bat with the romantic prospects of a troll." The Potions Master scowled at his lover and turned away from him with a huff; stupid Lucius and his stupid words. He was not asexual! He was just a bit prudish in public and outside of his and Lucius couplings.
Besides he didn't need sexual prospects he had an annoying blonde to satisfy him...a loud moan erupted form his mouth when he felt two long slickened fingers breach his hole. Fuck! Lucius knew just what to do to make Severus get over his small huff. Those two digits pressed in further, scissoring and opening his passage once again for Lucius' large cock.
Salazar! Severus did enjoy the sensual act of being penetrated by Lucius' fingers. He always had, even when the raven was young and inexperienced he'd loved the closeness and intimacy that came with being stretched the muggle way. Feeling horny and needy the thin man rolled over, grunting in annoyance when Lucius' fingers slipped form his body but moaning in delight again when those appendages sunk deeply within his arse as soon as Severus was comfortably situated facing Lucius.
Now laying on their sides and facing each other they looked deeply into each other's eyes until the fingers inside of him hit his prostate dead on. Severus' head snapped back as his eyes squeezed shut in ecstasy as that little bundle of nerves was being torments relentlessly by his slightly sadistic blonde lover. The raven couldn't hold back the moans and mmm's that were coming from him; it felt so damn good to have his body played with like this.
Gods and Goddesses it was wonderful and he wanted more. Quickly the thinner man rolled them over. Lucius was now on his back with Severus sitting atop his hips, the onyx eyed man's hard cock bobbed against his belly while those delightful fingers were still deeply buried inside of him. Now comfortable on his new perch Severus reached back and held onto Lucius wrist as he began to fuck himself on those invading digits.
It felt wonderful and after a few thrusts the blonde began to twirl and twist his fingers inside of Severus' body, sending the pale man into the throws of orgasm. Severus could feel it; he could feel the tingling sensation starting to prickle in his lower tummy as the heat from their sex was rising inside of him. The raven could feel his passage contracting around Lucius fingers, trying to suck them deeper inside of him while his hard slender cock throbbed and leaked angrily.
The silver eyed male under him smirked in satisfaction when he saw his usually composed lover losing it so thoroughly and all from two of his fingers being inside of his needy body. "MMM Severus...you look so delightful fucking yourself on my fingers. Tell me love do you want to cum for me?"
The raven haired man gulped, trying to get the words out of his mouth but it was too complicated to form coherent words when he was so for gone from pleasure. Instead of the pleading words he'd meant to speak all that came out was a pleading, high pitched whine that at any other time would have embarrassed Severus to his core but at that moment in time the slimmer man didn't give a damn.
Lucius' smirk grew to epic proportions as he watched his eloquent lover lose his astute mind. Roguish smirk still in place Lucius moved his free hand from Severus' bony hip to his lover's hard cock. The blonde began to pump the turgid flesh in his grasp, enjoying the way his raven writhed and moaned as he drove himself down onto Lucius' fingers.
The sensations and feeling coursing through Severus' thin frame were overwhelming and the onyx eyed man knew his end was coming; no pun intended. But he wanted to cum with Lucius inside of him; Severus wanted to feel his lover's seed fill his body as they both succumbed to their mutually gratifying release.
Shifting quickly the raven haired man moved off Lucius' fingers and lined his stretched hole up with his love's impressive erection. With little hesitation the slender male impaled himself, biting his lip at the slight bit of pain that was radiating from his somewhat dry passage.
A sigh quickly came from the raven's lips when his partner cast a simple Lubrication Charm on his cock, easing the way for Severus to take him all the way to the root without feeling any additional pain. Oh the raven felt a bit of pressure and a slight burn from the stretch but he did enjoy them, a lot.
And he got to look at Lucius' handsome face the whole time he was riding him; dark obsidian eyes got to see the love of his life enjoy their coupling and see the love and affection swimming in those silver grey eyes.
In turn Lucius also got the see the play of emotions cross Severus' usually blank face. The Potions Master knew Lucius loved to watch him during sex; the blonde positively loved to make Severus scream his name when they made love or at times fucked like rabbits. The rhythm started out slow and deep with the raven haired man taking Lucius' cock fully into him on every downward thrust of his bottom.
The Malfoy Lord began to thrust up every time Severus' round arse cheeks touched his hips, pushing his hard length even deeper inside of his lover's willing body. The punishment on his prostate did not abate in this now position and the slimmer man was groaning and moaning in pleasure as his nub of nerves was being bombarded by Lucius' cock head.
He could feel the blonde's length moving deep inside of him, stretching him further as he moved deeper into him. Severus was enjoying the way the Lucius' erection felt inside of him, caressing his sensitive anal walls and massaging his prostate enthusiastically. In turn Lucius was flushed and panting as the pace of his pumping hips sped up, forcing Severus to pick up his pace or be bucked off the strong blonde under him.
And keep up Severus did. The raven began to bounce in time with Lucius' thrusts and together they set a quick rhythm as the both chased their orgasm. On one particularly hard upward thrust Severus fell forward onto his lover's strong chest and remained there. Lucius' muscled arms came up from their postion on Severus' thin waist to wrap around his back, holding him in place but the slimmer man still tried to push his hips down as Lucius began to fuck him in earnest.
He screamed in pained pleasure when Lucius' hand skimmed down his back until it reached his already full hole and slipped inside of him, stretching his hole further than it had ever been in his life. Severus' scream was cut short by the blonde's greedy mouth; his lover kissed him with such fervor, sucking on his tongue and nipping at his bottom lip to distract him from the pain of being pushed beyond his body's accustomed limits.
The kiss helped to distract him from the slight pain in his arse but what truly made him mindless was the constant punishment his prostate was taking from Lucius' cock head. Once he got over the discomfort of having a finger inside of him Severus began to thrust down to take it deeper inside of him making his blonde lover laugh into his mouth through their kiss.
"So impatient love. You like that, do you?" Severus moaned into the other man's neck and mumbled an answer to his partner's lewd question, making Lucius chuckled a little bit. "Of course you do, love. I almost forget sometimes how much you like to be fucked and stretched out. Hmmm we should do this more often. As much as I like your cock up my arse I do love the feeling of your tight pretty hole around me."
The raven moaned loudly into the sweaty flesh of Lucius' neck and ground down on the appendages inside of him, trying to provoke his lover to do something! At this point the other male was just pumping his hips and finger shallowly, not giving any true pleasure to the man on top and it was annoying the onyx eyed man to no end.
Throwing his patience to the wind he rose from his position on Lucius' chest, shrugging the arm that held him down off and moaned when just by sitting up he made those lovely intrusions sink deeper into him. Lucius gasped and arched as Severus began to fuck himself with abandon, bouncing and writhing like a whore as he impaled himself like a man possessed.
Merlin and Salazar this felt amazing and Severus couldn't think of anything else but reaching their orgasms together. Letting his body guide him the raven began to roll his hips when his bottom was cradled in Lucius' powerful hips and tensing his anal muscles around the cock inside of him. The new additions to the slender man's sexual repertoire and the sounds of slapping skin made the blonde growl and groan as his erection was taken inside of Severus hot body and squeezed tightly in that silken channel.
Soon Severus felt Lucius' penis pulse and swell before releasing itself deep within his passage, filling him to the brim with the blonde's cum. The feeling of scorching hot liquid filling him made the raven see stars as Lucius' cock head smashed his prostate one last time; with one more loud moan Severus allowed himself to cum, splattering both their stomachs as his untouched member exploded in orgasm.
Mindlessly the onyx eyes man sunk down once again onto Lucius' sweaty chest as he wallowed in his post-orgasm high. He could feel the blonde shifting him until he was lying on the bed on his tummy but was too far gone in his haze to care until he felt something tapping at his well-used hole.
Raising his head to look over his bony shoulder Severus saw Lucius circling his reddened entrance with his finger, interspersing the caresses with small taps to the puckered reddened skin. He vaguely wondered what Lucius was doing but didn't protest the other man's actions since they felt so damned good to him. With a sigh of enjoyment he lowered his head and spread his legs a bit further so Lucius could have more room to play with.
The raven moaned when he felt his lover's seed begin to leak out of him and screamed into the pillow when Lucius' mouth sealed over his hole and sucked harshly, pulling even more of the other man's cum out of his body. Severus' body spasmed in euphoria as he was rimmed by the man he adored and moaned when Lucius pulled away and spat some of the collected cum back into the raven's still gaping hole.
Severus bit the pillow when he felt three of Lucius' fingers thrust back into his loose ass, teasing and touching every inch of his anal walls as the taller man played with his slicked ass. It was becoming painful to have his over worked body stimulated so soon after orgasm but even with the discomfort Severus felt his cock begin to harden again.
Lucius stopped toying with him when Severus began to hump the bed, midlessly trying to get some kind of pressure on his now fully rigid member. In one smooth movement the raven was on his back with a very horny Malfoy Lord forcing the raven's thick shast into the his slickened, stretched passage. When had his blonde lover even had the chance to prep himself?
However, with one hard downward thrust of Lucius' thin hips all coherent thought once again left Severus' brilliant mind. Together the two men spent the morning reacquainting themselves with each other's bodies and only left the bedroom when the time came for Harry and Draco to visit for lunch. Plus, Lucius needed to be ready for his Board meeting at three this afternoon.
~*~*~*POV Change~*~*~*
His genius plan had gone off almost without a hitch. The only problem was that Dumbledore now knew it was indeed the Dark Lord who stole the Stone from Hogwarts and not a mentally disturbed Professor Quirrell. It was a drawback but not a monumental one; he had faced worse in his long life and would persevere through this setback.
Besides it wasn't like the old coot could find him here; no one with the exception of the imprisoned Lestranges could break through the Wards surrounding Lestrange Manor. The elves were ecstatic to have someone to take care of after all these years of being left alone. The house was still in great shape as were the grounds, much to the Dark Lord's approval.
He'd begun to walk through the gardens, thinking about his plans. A few months already passed since that Yule night and on March Twentieth on the night of the Spring Equinox the Dark Lord world undergo the ritual that would give him his body back. He'd chosen the day carefully; spring was the season of renewal and rebirth, all that flourished in summer began in spring.
It was perfect time for him to undertake his reincarnation. The magic would be high that night as well, even magic would give its blessing to the Dark Lord's return. He was feeling the excitement bubbling up within his fractured mind. He'd already secured the locket and would be reabsorbing that soul piece during the ritual; it was a loss but he was gaining so much more for it.
To prepare for the coming ordeal Quirrell began to ingest an elixir with a small bit of the Sorcerer's Stone mixed into it. The tonic was strengthening both of them; in the end the crimson eyed man didn't want to lose his host. The shy man may be a bit timid but he was smart, loyal and as time went on he stopped acting like a sniveling servant and more of a, dare he say it, friend.
A friend; how quaint. Maybe he was taking a leaf out of the littlest Snape's book and making a friends with his faithful followers.
True, their relationship was a bit weird as Quirrell was sometimes essentially talking to the back of his head but it worked and now the Dark Lord no longer caused his servant pain when he displeased him, most of the time.
The crimson eyes man needed to learn how to deal with people again if he was to ascend in the political ranks; one could not go about Crucio'ing people when they annoyed him and expect to stay out of Azkaban.
Quirrell was helping him sharpen his once stellar social skills and it was going pretty well for them. But the true test would come when he encountered Lucius Malfoy. He knew when he went to collect his diary the blonde man would be there. The wards around the Manor may allow the Dark Lord in but they would alert Lucius to his presence within his house.
His encounter with the Malfoy Lord would set the tone on how it would go between the Malfoy-Snape family. Hopefully, he could allay some of their fears by presenting a little bit about his future plans and desires; which did not involve the murder of any of them. That should put them a bit at east, especially Harry. The boy was probably a bit on edge knowing his parents' murderer was hovering around his head like a storm cloud of doom.
Marvolo chuckled at his ridiculous thoughts but he was happy that for the first time in a long time that he was having positive thoughts at all. For so long all he pondered on was torture, death and how to cause the most pain to another human being; it was very disturbing indeed. That people followed him faithfully while he was like that was a mystery to him now.
Most were probably like Lucius, playing the part of loyal servant but secretly hoping someone would stop him and someone did; Harry James Potter happened that Halloween night all those years ago. Voldemort did not blame them really; as a matter of fact the Slytherin Lord thought he would have done the same in their place.
But alas he was his mind was returning in leaps and bounds due to the stabilizing presence of Quirrell's mind and the Sorcerer's Stone elixir. The Sorcerer's Stone truly was a marvel of Alchemy and he surely owed Flamel his many thanks once it was all said and done; maybe he'd even send back any remained bits of the red gem to the elderly man.
It would be a nice gesture wouldn't it? Not to mention it would in a way rub Dumbledore's nose in his failure to protect the Stone. And of course Flamel would be quite pleased to have the ticket to his conditional immortality back. Yes, the Dark Lord was merciful and would send back whatever remained of the roughly Snitch sized stone.
The man once known as Tom Marvolo Riddle continued his walk through the garden, conversing with Quirrell within their minds as he commanded their body to walk. This was happening more and more as he got stronger in mind and spirit; his host had no problems with letting him run the show as it were and happily conversed with him silently as they walked and relaxed in the winter sun.
Together the two unlikely companions enjoyed a splendid afternoon together as they bounced things to do once the crimson eyed man got his body back. So far they'd agreed on flying; well the Dark Lord would fly without any physical objects other than magic and Quirrell would attempt it but if he failed he would use a very fast broom.
Second on the list was going to the wine country in France to enjoy a couple of expensive bottles of wine while gorging on the delicious food found there. If it there was one thing he'd missed during his last decade of being a wraith it was the joys of eating good food and partaking in fine alcohol.
Soon, soon the Dark Lord would be whole and more powerful than ever before and this time he would not throw it all away on the whims of immortality.
All right my dears that is all for now! Another update may take a bit but it will come eventually! I have a ritual to work out for the next chapter so that may take a little while. Also, Qurrellmort will be happening at some point. Sorry I think good ole Quirrell deserves some good lovin'!
Anyways, that's all for me!
All Mistakes Are My Own!