Chapter Four.
"Your wand." Ravenclaw extended long white fingers.
"Oh, um…I think I dropped it," Harry said, running a hand through his hair. He remembered losing it when Bane had stuck him in the chest. He was in too much pain to think much of it at the time, but he could kick himself now. How could he forget something as important as his wand?
"Foolish," Slytherin said disdainfully.
"Very well, we shall fetch it later. Magical creatures know not to touch wands. Now, tell me, which House are you in?" Ravenclaw had finally arrived at the question everyone wanted asked. Hufflepuff paused for a second in the middle of pouring some Salamander blood into Harry's antidote. Slytherin was gazing intently at Harry.
"Gryffindor," Harry said slowly, as if making an important statement he had no idea the impacts of.
"Ah, so you chose the Lion over the Serpent," Ravenclaw nodded to herself.
"What?" Slytherin and Harry said together. Slytherin looked at Harry contemptuously. "There is no way this boy," he said insultingly, "would ever be considered for my House."
"There's no way I would ever want to be in your House, monster, you're the reason for the bane of my existence. I would never be a –a slimy Slytherin!" Harry said, incensed. Slytherin snarled, whipping his wand out at the speed of light. He grabbed Harry's hair painfully, pulling back his head, causing the boy to cry out.
"Insolence," he whispered into the boy's flushed neck.
"Salazar! Let him go!" Hufflepuff had pulled the cauldron from the fire and hurried over, prying Slytherin's vice-like grip off Harry. "He needs rest to get better!"
Slytherin allowed himself to be pulled back, but not before giving Harry's hair a painful tug. The minute Slytherin had let go, Harry massaged his head. Slytherin stowed his wand in his long robes, which, Harry noticed, were a fine black material and trimmed with glittering silver. He wore a green emerald brooch on his front. The only adornment, but Harry knew that the expense of the clothes made up for any lack of jewellery.
"What do you mean 'you're the reason for the bane of my existence?'" Ravenclaw asked slowly. Harry looked away from them.
"Nothing," was all he said.
"What are we going to do with him?" Hufflepuff changed the subject, ladling big spoonfuls of thick, creamy orange potion into several vials.
"Godric doesn't return with Leofrick for a week," Slytherin said, "Someone will have to look after the cub." He crossed his arms.
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff both stared at the Snake founder and when he noticed he let out a deep sigh. "No,' he said flatly.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, looking from Founder to Founder.
"Not your business boy," Slytherin said, "And me? Absolutely not."
"He was almost one of yours Salazar," Ravenclaw reminded him.
"And there's a reason why he's not," Slytherin hissed, his cold blue eyes narrowed.
"Salazar, he was almost yours, the responsibility falls to you," Ravenclaw said firmly. "Do not argue with me," she added when Slytherin opened his mouth to retort furiously. "I am not in the mood! I'mlooking after the rest of the Gryffindors. Unless you would prefer them…?"
"No," Slytherin interrupted. "One will be more than enough." He looked over at Harry. "Well?" he demanded. "Get out of bed."
Hufflepuff started to protest but Slytherin waved a hand at her to be quiet. He picked up the vials of potion she had made and swept out the door. Harry scrambled to follow and Ravenclaw held out a plain, white tunic to him. He stared at it.
"Where's my shirt?" he asked.
"Shirt?" Ravenclaw said uncertainly, "Is that what that thing was called? You can't wear that here, you'll attract too much attention."
Harry took the tunic from her, muttering thanks. He pulled it on and rushed after Slytherin but he stopped short at the end of the corridor. Slytherin was nowhere in sight.
Harry hesitantly took a left, coming to a halt at a flight of magnificent circular stairs. The castle was different from what he remembered. It was obvious now that there would be several differences, but he had supposed that the overall layout would still be the same. Alas, this was not the case. After peering around him, hoping faintly that maybe people would come this way, he started to climb the staircase.
As he climbed he looked out of the small rectangular windows, showing it to be a languid, sunny mid-afternoon. He could just about make out the Forbidden Forest. He thought about how, just yesterday, he had been at the Hogwarts he knew and now he was – lost?
Oh Merlin, he thought as a something struck him, how was he supposed to get back?Harry furiously climbed the steps at a faster speed. He was determined to find the serpent and demand an answer. Would he ever see his friends again? His guilt returned as he thought of his friends now. He didn't want them to part forever on those terms.
"Watch where you're going!" someone snarled, pushing him.
"You watch where you'regoing!" Harry retorted. The boy that had pushed him was a head smaller, with a freckled face and forward teeth that gave him a rat-like look, one that reminded Harry unpleasantly of another treacherous rat. The other boy sneered at him. Harry glanced at the rat-faced boy's tunic and sure enough there were green trimmings on them. Swallowing his pride with a great effort, Harry asked, "Do you know where Slytherin is?"
The boy spat at him. "Lord Slytherin to you."
"Yes, LordSlytherin. Where is he?"
"What house are you in?" the boys asked, looking at his plain tunic.
"Gryffindor," Harry replied shortly.
"And why would a Gryffindor want Lord Slytherin?" The boy attempted to shove past him, but Harry pushed him back, feeling his anger boil over. "Out of my way."
"Listen prat, all you have to do is tell me where he is," Harry said roughly, shaking the boy by his shoulders.
A sting of need-like pain coursed through his arm as rat-face snapped his wand out of his sleeve. Then rat-face got into what Harry assumed was a duelling position, and he felt his own face redden when the other boy looked expectantly at him.
Harry could have kicked himself again. What idiot picked fights without a wand? Harry watched apprehensively as a smile formed on rat-face's face. He lowered his wand and his grin turned feral.
"You don't know magic do you?" rat-face asked dispassionately. "What are you, a muggle?"
"Shut up!" Harry snapped. All Slytherins were and would always be the same. If only rat-face could see where muggles were now.
Rat-face twirled his wand condescendingly. "You are in no position to tell me what to do." The boy smirked with triumph.
Harry gripped his fingers into a fist. Rat-face thought he had the upper hand because he had a wand. No doubt he had little idea about muggle combat. Harry almost thanked Dudley for the constant practise he got at home. Without a second thought Harry flew at rat-face, crashing his fist hard under his chin. Rat-face let out a cry of surprise and pain, his hands flying to his face, dropping his wand. Harry stooped quickly, picking it up and giving it a little twirl. Rat-face had collapsed on the floor groaning.
From what Harry could see, he had a dislocated jaw, but that could easily be fixed. Harry gave the wand a little wave and there was a click followed by an even louder cry of pain. Rat-face's jaw was dangling from a few sinews of skin, completely disjointed from any of the bones. Tears streamed down the other boy's face, and he clutched his bleeding mouth. When he felt his loosened jaw the boy's eyes rolled back and he fainted.
Harry knelt beside him frantically. He had meant to fix it! A faint thundering of footsteps had him turning his head. A storm of students were making their way up, chattering. Harry groaned in frustration, reminded of his second year. This time, however, it was his fault.
He shut his eyes tightly, measuring the progress of the body of students by the sounds they were making. Steady, rapid footsteps; halfway there. Unsteady footsteps, slower at the front as they spot something strange at the top; three quarters of the way there.
A halt, whining from people at the back; they're almost at the top. The immediate quieting and the carrying whispers sweeping up and down the body of people; they were here. Harry counted to three and the screaming started. He opened his eyes to see Slytherins pushing their way to the front while the other Houses gawked and gasped.
"What did you do to him?" a blond boy, too old to be at Hogwarts by the look of him, asked angrily. Harry opened his mouth trying to convey what happened but his tongue was like cement in his mouth, his throat too dry to make anything more than a warble. The boy grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic, pulling Harry to his feet.
"What did you do?" he shouted, shaking him.
Harry couldn't do anything but look dazedly at him. The boy looked about nineteen and had blond hair with strikingly familiar piercing blue eyes. A young Slytherin girl, a fourth year, picked up rat-face's wand and held it up to the blond boy with reverence.
The blond boy kicked Harry hard in the shins, making him fall to the floor with a groan. With watery eyes he could vaguely make out a group of Slytherins hovering by rat-face, unsure of what to do. Many a girl had turned away at the sight of him, a few looking pale. Nodding to the girl, the blond took rat-face's wand and pointed at Harry.
"Let's see how you like it," he whispered. Sharp pain nettled it's way all over his body. It was milder than the Cruciatus curse but that might have made it worse. It gave plenty of room to thin, to dwell on how much it hurt. Harry bit his tongue, he was not going to scream, he was not going to let out so much as a whimper.
"Stop!" thundered a cold voice. The hurting abruptly ended. Harry was flooded with relief and then stiffened with horror. Slytherin. "Get up," said Slytherin coldly, looking down at him. Harry got up trembling at the suppressed rage in the Snake founder's eyes.
The blond stepped away from Harry, wand still at the ready.
"Explain Mattheus," Slytherin ordered the blond.
"Father – I – he was – we found him beside Ograrton – " Mattheus broke off to glare at Harry who had snickered at the name 'Ograrton.' Who would name their kid something so ghastly?he thought. And Slytherin has a son? Harry knew that's what had been familiar about Mattheus' eyes; they were the same as Slytherin's.
Slytherin turned his eyes to Harry and he hastily began explaining. "He – Ograrton – tried to attack me! I only asked him where you were!" Harry looked reproachfully at Slytherin.
"Well, boy you can't expect me to wait forever, can you?" Slytherin said impatiently, "Besides, you come here, you should know your way around."
"It's different, very different," Harry retorted. "And how would I know where you would be?"
"He doesn't go here Father," Mattheus said, "I've never seen him. I doubt he's even a wizard." The condensation in his words had Harry opening his mouth furiously.
"He is most certainly not a muggle, if that's what you're implying," Slytherin said, "And he does go here… eventually."
"Eventually?" Mattheus raised his eyebrows.
Slytherin ignored him and spoke to the crowd. "Clear out! Take another path, this staircase is closed, tell the others as you pass them."
The Slytherins left hesitantly, glaring daggers at Harry. Mattheus didn't move, still regarding Harry with the utmost suspicion.
Slytherin knelt beside Ograrton and gently pressed his jaw closed. Taking out his wand he concentrated and waved it with complicated strokes. The sinews holding the jaw gradually receded and eventually there was a grinding sound. Orgraton's jaw looked the same again and the boy was stirring weakly.
"Take him to the Hospital Wing," he told Mattheus, who complied.
"Locomortis," Mattheus said, pointing his wand at Ograrton and levitating him away.
When at last Ograrton and Mattheus was out of sight, and out of earshot, Slytherin advanced on Harry.
"So," he said dangerously. "So." His piercing blue eyes flashed. Harry gulped and stepped back "I leave you for two minutes and you cause a full scale riot in my school, as well as attack one of my students?" Slytherin said in an inhuman voice that emanated cold fury.
Harry thought better about protesting Slytherin's words. It had been more than two minutes, he was sure, and it hadn't been a full-scale riot.
"But," Slytherin said, taking a deep, calming breath, "you have a point, more than one actually." Harry gaped at him. "Don't look so surprised cub," Slytherin snapped. "Of course the castles changed, of course you couldn't know where I would go and Ograrton is prone to bouts of unpleasantness, you have put him in his place."
Harry stood rooted to the spot, mouth open. This was notwhat he had been expecting. Any other Slytherin he knew would never have accepted being wrong. And this was theSlytherin. Snape would have gone off his nut. And Slughorn too, probably.
"Well, I am neither Snape nor Slughorn." Blue eye regarded him with a flicker of amusement. But it was gone faster than it came.
"Don't do that!" Harry snapped. "Don't use Legilemency on me!"
"I barely grazed your mind boy, you have no shields, it's only too easy," Slytherin replied silkily.
"It's not like they teach it at school," Harry said, and Slytherin looked taken aback.
"They don't?" Slytherin said. "But that's one of the most important skills…" He broke off muttering. Harry waited patiently until he stopped.
"This can't go unpunished boy," Slytherin said finally, "Follow me, and try to memorize the way." Slytherin walked down the flight of stairs and Harry followed obediently. When they got to the corridor where Harry had lost Slytherin he turned to a door three down from the one Harry had woken up in.
"You were here all along?" Harry asked outraged.
"Yes, until I heard the commotion you started," Slytherin reminded him. "I told the others I would take care of it. They're waiting in the meeting room for a discussion, a rather important one so don't make a fool out of yourself. As punishment you will be cleaning out cauldrons for me."
Harry started to feel more cheerful about getting off easy but stopped when he saw the look on Slytherin's face. He had a feeling cleaning the cauldrons wouldn't be that easy at all. Harry decided to change the subject. "Are you the potions master?" he asked.
"Yes," Slytherin answered, opening the door and making his way in. Harry followed. The rom was large and spacious with stone floors and a high ceiling. It was decorated lavishly in green, red, yellow and blue. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were already sitting in high backed chairs, which were decorated with their House colours that made Harry feel like he was walking towards queens on a throne, and he reminded himself that where he came from they were like royalty.
"Harry, what happened?" Hufflepuff asked anxiously, getting up from her throne. Before Harry could stop her she was in front of him and ripping off his tunic. She gave a gasp and Harry looked down to see his bandaged had come undone and his chest was an angry red around a hoof-shaped bruise. Great, he thought, anotherscar.
"That should be hurting," Ravenclaw frowned from her perch. She stood from her chair and strode smoothly towards him. Her long fingers pressed gently on the wound and Harry winced, starting to feel a little pain. He looked over at Slytherin who had taken his seat on his own throne and was watching the women fawn over him with mild interest.
"I must have forgotten about it," Harry said.
"How could you possibly forget?" Hufflepuff asked.
Harry shrugged, Ravenclaw's hands slipping off his chest. "I'm used to it."
He knew instantly he had made a mistake. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff stared hard at him. He realized a second later what they were trying to do and immediately clapped his hands over his eyes and turned away from them.
"Well that is one way to stop them," Slytherin commented with a hint of amusement. Hufflepuff rounded on him, her plaited blond hair flying and hitting Harry on the back of the head.
"You think this is funny? Salazar, a boy shouldn't know such pain!" Hufflepuff said furiously.
"I never said I found it funny. You're quick thinking, aren't you, cub? Well, I guess you would have to be if you didn't know Occlumency," said Slytherin with a calculating look.
"It's safe to turn around. We won't use Legilemency, you have our word," Ravenclaw sighed. Hufflepuff made a noise but consented as well.
Harry opened his eyes with caution and faced them. Ravenclaw gave Harry a nod and sat back in her throne. Hufflepuff had a look of sorrow on her face, like she was experiencing all his pain. Harry's heart welled and he attempted to comfort her.
"It's okay, it's not that bad, and it doesn't happen a lot. It's normal, usual childhood things."
"Horrible liar," Slytherin muttered. Hufflepuff made a gesture of agreement. She gave Harry's hand a quick squeeze and sat back down again.
Slytherin waved his wand and Harry's tunic repaired around him. Once clothed again, he ordered Harry to sit at a wooden stool at the corner of the room. The minute Harry sat down on the dangerously wobbly stool, cauldrons appeared around him. Pungent in smell, slimy, and some were still full with potions that were crackling with acidity. Harry looked at Slytherin in disbelief.
"Salazar you can't expect him to clean them, he's still hurt," Hufflepuff said. Harry was glad she spoke. The odours were already making him nauseous.
"He has to be punished. Now, we must get on with the meeting," Slytherin replied calmly.
"What do I clean it with?" Harry asked.
Slytherin gave his wand a slight jab and a thin cloth appeared on Harry's lap. Harry picked it up. There was no way this could clean all the cauldrons, which looked to be about forty in number.
The Founders were already discussing things and Harry didn't want to disturb them further. He picked up the smallest cauldron near him, made out of pew and started to wipe it, trying to ignore the smell burning his nose and making his head start aching.
He wiped a bit of yellowish grime off and found that the cloth cleaned it easily and when he checked it, there was no stain. Harry grinned a little and tried to listen to the conversation to distract himself from the smell.
"…in danger, we can't possibly let them all stay. Hogwarts isn't safe, not with the Valkyries threatening to attack. Why did the students have to pilfer that nest?" Ravenclaw said tiredly.
"Why was the nest on school grounds? This is a school. There'schildren running around doing all sorts of stupid things. What did they expect?" Slytherin replied with more questions.
"Well, they are threatening us, threatening to attack the school. We can't let that happen," Hufflepuff said.
"Of course not," Slytherin snapped. "But what do we doabout it?"
Hufflepuff was silent for a moment and then she spoke in a low tone that Harry had to lean forward to catch.
"The nest that was destroyed contained two eggs from Isthol," she murmured.
Ravenclaw drew a sharp breath. "The Queen herself? We are in trouble, they aren't going to take it lightly. They're fiercely protective of the royal family. We'll probably have the whole lot here." She shook her head. "This is not good."
"Why were the Queen's eggs nested in Hogwarts grounds?" Slytherin demanded. "They should turn on the idiot that suggested it. After all, the pilferers were only children."
"They don't understand that," Ravenclaw said, "Their young are intelligent and learn fast. Children are considered responsible within a day of birth. They don't understand wizards."
Slytherin rubbed his face wearily. "Then there's nothing left to do, we must fight."
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff nodded grimly.
"I can stall them for a while longer. Send an owl telling Godric and Leo to get back as quickly as possible," Ravenclaw said briskly.
"The students will need to be evacuated, of course," Hufflepuff said.
"The older students can stay and fight," Slytherin said.
"If they want to," Hufflepuff replied. She caught Slytherin's look. "Only if they want to."
Slytherin nodded. "Meeting adjourned?"
The other two inclined their heads. Ravenclaw swept out of the room with a nod to Harry while Hufflpuff gave him a warm, strained smile. Slytherin stayed watching him.
Harry had made it through half the cauldrons, the magical cloth wiping grime away efficiently. The stench had dimmed considerably and he gasped out a question to Slytherin.
"I – cough – couldn't help overhear, Hogwarts is being attacked because kids pilfered – cough – a nest?" Harry spluttered.
"Don't talk boy," Slytherin barked. "And yes, that is the problem. Valkyries are…possessive, can hold a grudge for millennia and have an accursed desire for revenge. The nest that was pilfered wasn't just any nest; it contained two eggs from Isthol, the Queen. I would have imagined they'd have protected her eggs better, but no. Students, Gryffindors I might add, found them as fair game. Now they feel inclined to blame us all."
"Valkyries," Harry coughed. "I think we learnt something about them in history of magic" –Slytherin gave him a sharp look—. "Oh – it must be something about this. I can't remember, everyone hates history."
"All lessons are important. You could have been of some use to us, but your ignorance fails you. Remember that, knowledge is sacred," Slytherin reprimanded.
Harry looked at him strangely. "You sound like a Ravenclaw."
Slytherin smiled without much warmth. "Knowledge is power" – That's more like a Slytherin, Harry thought – "You can twist it to your will, knowledge of others, knowledge of the world helps you to manipulate anyone and anything to your advantage."
Harry kept his head bent lest he say something he would regret. He concentrated on the cauldrons, the smell almost gone. Slytherin waited in silence until finally the last cauldron was wiped clean, and Harry stood with aching hands, a cricked neck and a bent back.
Slytherin flicked his wand to disappear the cauldrons and the cloth. He strode out the door without a word and Harry hobbled behind him. Slytherin led the way down the other end of the corridor and past a statue Harry recognized. The one eyed-witch, he thought. They went down numerous flights of stairs, to the lower castle. Harry knew where they were going. He had been there in his second year. The Slytherin common room.
When they had reached the blank wall in the dungeons Harry was aching more than ever.
"Basilisk," Slytherin said. Harry scowled at the password.
The common room was as he remembered it from his short visit; splendidly embellished in expensive finery. There wasn't anyone in it, because he was sure it was well past midnight. Slytherin took a miniature staircase to a lone room off the side of the common room, not near what Harry assumed were the dormitories. He opened the door, and gave Harry a push in. The room was, like the common room, decorated in green and silver. The unfamiliarity of it struck Harry. What am I even doing here? I should be with the Gryffindors, he thought.
"You will sleep here," Slytherin said. "Go into the common room when you wake up and ask one of the students to take you to the baths. Then come down to the Great Hall. We passed it on the way here, do you remember?"
Harry nodded, vaguely recalling where it was.
"I want you in the Great Hall no later than seven o'clock." Harry grimaced at how early that was but didn't object. Slytherin felt in his robes and threw him something; it was a bottle of orange antidote Hufflepuff had brewed. "Drink it in the morning."
As soon as Slytherin left Harry slumped on the bed, drained. Kicking off his shoes and placing the antidote on the bedside table, he didn't even bother to get into the blanket and just fell asleep, as he was. His dreams were, strangely, not terrifying as usual. He was too tired to have nightmares, and in that he found bliss.