2 . REBIRTH
"Speech"
'thought'
"parseltongue"
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Great Hall. (End of Harry's third year.)
The Great Hall was decorated in silver and green colours showing the victory of the Slytherin House in the House Cup. The Slytherin House, with 670 points, was on the top of the points chart. Ravenclaw was second with 625 points, Hufflepuff was third with 520 points, and Gryffindor was last with 485 points. This was the third consecutive victory for the Slytherin House.
The Great Hall was abuzz with rumors about the Chamber of Secrets. Students were pointing at Ginny Weasley and Eric Potter and whispering to their friends. The most common rumor about the Chamber of Secrets was that after Ginny Weasley was taken to the Chamber, Eric Potter went to his Slytherin brother to ask about it. There, Harry Potter revealed to Eric that he knew where the Chamber was and he could get them inside to rescue Ginny Weasley. Eric Potter, being the hero he is, immediately agreed and went to the Chamber of Secrets with Harry. In it, a fight occurred between both brothers and after Harry started getting overwhelmed, he ordered the basilisk to attack Eric. Eric Potter then killed the basilisk with the help of Fawkes, who had flown there to help them and again fought Harry to save Ginny. After some time, Harry Potter was defeated and the Chamber collapsed. Unknown to the students, this rumour was started by the Weasleys and the Potters. However, a lot of students didn't believe the rumor due to Harry's relation with different Houses. Also, a lot of students had seen him helping Muggleborns in the past.
Dumbledore stood from his chair and addressed the students with twinkling eyes and grandfatherly persona in place. "Another year has passed and everyone is waiting to go home. A lot of students who will leave today won't be coming back to study here again; they have my best wishes for a happy and prosperous life. So, I won't take a lot of your time but I feel it's necessary to reward those who have risked their lives for saving the school. For showing bravery and keeping a cool head in front of danger I award 150 points to Gryffindor. Eric Potter faced the monster of the Chamber of Secrets and killed it with the help of Fawkes and Ms. Weasley. And 50 points to Gryffindor for properly investigating and preparing a plan to kill the monster. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Eric Potter had created the plan to kill the monster."
There was a moment of silence after Dumbledore distributed the points, and then there was a huge applause from the Gryffindor House as the rest of the three Houses politely clapped for them.
"Ah yes, there should be some changes in the decorations," and with a wave of Dumbledore's hand, the green and silver banners were replaced by red and gold. "Now start with the feast."
"Excuse me, Headmaster. Where is Harry Potter?" asked Alistair Crow from the Slytherin table. A lot of students were wondering about the same thing, so they turned towards Dumbledore for the answer.
Dumbledore heaved a weary sigh, and turned towards Alistair, his face showing nothing but sadness. "Harry Potter was responsible for releasing the monster into the school." There were a lot of gasps from the student body. "In the aftermath of the fight in Chamber of Secrets, the roof of the Chamber collapsed and he was buried underneath. His last words were for forgiveness, so please don't hold it against him." Dumbledore said.
"What was the monster, headmaster?" questioned a 6th year Ravenclaw.
"It was a Basilisk. Harry Potter was able to control it using his parseltongue ability," answered Dumbledore. He didn't like where this was going, this was the first time students were asking questions. Before he could tell them to start the feast, another student stood up. Upon seeing who the student was, he prayed that she didn't ask any questions about Harry.
Daphne Greengrass stood from her seat and spoke in her usual cold voice. "So you are telling us that Eric Potter, who is mediocre in DADA and is a second year, was able to defeat not only Harry Potter; who is a well known prodigy in DADA and Transfiguration, and a thousand year basilisk with only the help of a phoenix and a first year? I am a third year student and I don't even know any spells that could be more than an annoyance to a Basilisk, which can kill with its stare. And about Harry being a Heir of Slytherin, it's a well known fact that the Potters don't have any Slytherin ancestors. Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets after breakfast and Harry Potter was in the library that day before lunch. I am sure Madam Pince will verify my statement."
Everyone turned towards Madam Pince who nodded her head and said,"Yes, Harry Potter was in the library the whole time that day before lunch with 5th year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs." Some of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff 5th years also nodded.
Dumbledore was cursing in his mind. If he didn't do something quickly, his whole plan would fall apart. But before he could interfere and end the discussion, Daphne spoke once again. "The point is, Headmaster, that the whole story has a lot of flaws. And the students who were in the Chamber are well known Slytherin haters. And everybody knows how much Eric Potter hates his older brother-the last time I saw Harry, he was going to the Chamber and his words were, "Even if I dislike Eric, I can't let him die; after all, he is my only brother." So I don't believe that Harry Potter was responsible for releasing the basilisk. Eric P-"
Whatever she was going to say was cut off when Dumbledore interrupted, "I know you were friends with Mr. Potter and the news of his death must have hit you hard. But the fact is that Harry Potter was responsible for the attacks on the students." Dumbledore knew the damage was already done and all he could do now was try to control it. A lot of students wouldn't believe the story now, and he could see the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff 5th years telling others about Harry being in the Library. He should have obliviated all of them when he had had the time. But everything happened so fast, and the Minister's visit in his office stopped him from doing so. Now, everything was falling apart. If this continued then Harry would be a hero and the students would suspect Eric for his death. He once again cursed in his mind when he saw Alistair standing up.
Alistair spoke,"Headmaster, Harry Potter was a Slytherin and we take care of each other. So after hearing what Greengrass said about him, I would like to hear a magical oath from Eric about Harry being responsible for ordering Salazar Slytherin's basilisk to attack students and that Eric had no hand in Harry Potter's death. And I am sure my fellow Slytherins will agree with me." There was a chorus of "yes" from the Slytherin House.
"There is no need for that, Mr. Crow. I fully trust Eric and there will be no more discussion on this topic," ordered Dumbledore.
"Headmaster, I insist. I don't want to suspect an innocent of murder. Once he takes the oath no one will suspect him and he will be the hero of this school," insisted Alistair. A lot of students were nodding their heads and looking at Eric Potter. Eric was very pale and looking at Dumbledore to get him out of this mess.
"I won't allow some slimy Slytherin to accuse my son of murder. How dare you?! He is 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'." Shouted James Potter. His face was red from anger.
"I know he is 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'. And I am not accusing him of murder. I just don't want to suspect him of it. And if he is innocent, then why is he not taking the oath?" Remarked Alistair coolly. James Potter looked like he had swallowed a lemon.
"Enough, Mr. Crow! I won't allow my students to talk like that with guests. Mr. Potter is here today because his son stopped the closing of Hogwarts and he has donated a lot of money to buy mandarake juice to aid the recovery of students who were suffering from the attacks," said Dumbledore.
"Come on, Eric. I don't want to hear one more word from these ungrateful students and get disrespected by them." Said a red-faced James, and he marched out of the Great Hall with Eric Potter on his heels.
"Eric didn't take the oath," said a loud voice. Malfoy was looking particularly smug today. "It means that either he had a hand in the death of Harry Potter or he lied about Harry Potter being responsible for releasing the basilisk, or possibly both." He was planning to milk it for all it was worth. He would turn all the Slytherins against Eric (not that anyone cared about him in the first place). Now the death of Harry Potter had opened a path for him to get to the top in Slytherin. He would take what was rightfully his: after all, he was a Malfoy and he should rule the Slytherin House just like his father did.
"Shut up, Malfoy! No one cares about the death of a slimy snake." Shouted Ron Weasley from the Gryffindor table with his mouth full, with bits of food flying from his mouth. The Gryffindors sitting near him moved away from him after seeing that. A lot of students from different Houses glared at Weasley for disrespecting a dead person.
Dumbledore, upon seeing people glaring at Ron, just sighed. His plan had fallen apart before he could do anything. This was the first time the students had asked questions in his entire 30 year career as Headmaster of the school. He glared at Daphne Greengrass, who was moving out of the Great Hall. She had destroyed his whole plan- portraits had reported seeing her talking with Alistair before the feast. But not everything was over, students would forget all about Harry Potter's death when they came back next year. He would give an article to the Daily Prophet about Eric's heroic rescue of Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets. The public would put Eric on an even higher pedestal. Yes, his chance to rally the students under Eric had fallen apart this year, but there would always be a next year.
Daphne Greengrass was sitting on her bed with a red flower in her hand. The flower was a gift from Harry. It was made of ice and charmed to show his health. Daphne sighed when she saw the state of the flower. It was slowly increasing in size, after almost totally melting. Daphne knew Harry was alright now and that he was recovering from the whole ordeal in the Chamber.
When she had heard the rumors in the morning, she had quickly run to her room to check the state of the flower. When she saw it was once again increasing in size after almost totally melting, she sighed in relief and then started planning to decrease the problems he would face once he returned. After a meeting with Alistair and some planning, everything was ready. And it all went according to plan in the Great Hall. Now when Harry returned, the whole school wouldn't be against him. She laid on her bed and started daydreaming about torturing Harry when he returned for giving her so much stress.
Harry's POV
When I regained consciousness, pain, my oldest friend, greeted me. My very blood seemed to be on fire. My heart was filled with molten lava. But it was nothing, nothing compared to my scar. It felt like it was ripped open and being dipped in acid. My eyes were blinded by a light so bright that it penetrated my eyelids and burned my eyes. I couldn't scream, for I had bitten my own tongue off. I did not know how long it had been. Hours, days, years? But it was long enough for me to realize that this pain was my reality. Oh, how I wished for it to end, for death. I could feel my body dissolving from the basilisk venom and being remade by the potion I drank before losing consciousness. The amount of magic that was inside me should have killed me, yet all I could feel was pain. I had read that a long exposure of the Cruciatus curse on a victim caused their minds to snap, yet nothing was happening to me, even though the pain I was feeling was worse than 10 Crucios. When it became unbearable, I lost consciousness.
Once again, I regained my consciousness, only to be greeted by pain. The pain that I felt when I was last conscious was nothing compared to what I was feeling at the moment. I could feel something inside me being torn in half. I could not feel any changes happening in my body, but that could be because I was in unbearable pain from getting something like my soul torn in half. My mouth was full of blood that was oozing from inside of my cheeks, which I had bitten sometime during my unconsciousness, so I could not scream due to fear of choking on my blood. There was a sudden feeling of emptiness inside me and the pain stopped: I knew whatever was being torn from me now not a part of me. Then the pain came back with a vengeance and I once again lost consciousness.
The next time I became conscious again, I immediately felt something was amiss. It took me sometime to realize that I was not in pain anymore. My whole body was aching and my throat was burning but the unbearable pain that I was feeling the last time I was I was awake was not there. I could feel my tongue in my mouth; somehow my tongue had grown back.
'Burning throat. Thirsty. Water'
"Here." I heard a gentle female voice. Someone gently lifted my head and pressed a goblet to my mouth. Cold water filled my mouth and I drank greedily.
"M-Madam Pomfrey?" I rasped.
"Not quite." I tried to open my eyes to see who was taking care of me but I was too weak to do so. I was feeling very tired and feeble. The last thought that came to my mind was, 'I am not dead'.
When I became conscious again, I was still feeling a bit tired but the aches in my body were gone. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I was still in the Chamber of Secrets. I was lying on a bed not far from where I remembered falling unconscious. I could see a massive basilisk lying beneath Salazar Slytherin's statue. When I turned around, I saw a girl around my age standing and concentrating on writing on a piece of paper. Maybe it was trauma, because it took me few minutes to realize I was lying in the Chamber of Secrets beside a girl I didn't know.
"Who are you?" I rasped.
The girl looked up from her work and stared into my eyes. It was then I noticed that she was quite beautiful. She had long crimson hair that fell like a waterfall over her shoulders and reached all the way down to her thighs. Her creamy skin looked like it was softer than silk and her blue-green eyes were breathtakingly enchanting. Between her thin waist, wide hips, small but shapely butt, large breasts, silky looking skin, enchanting eyes, and a face that looked like it had been crafted by a pantheon of angels on a quest to find perfection; the girl was easily one of the most beautiful females I had ever seen.
She raised an eyebrow after seeing me checking her out but still replied, "I don't have a name."
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow and say, "And I am a girl". Sarcasm was dripping from my every word. There was something strange going on here. I was not usually comfortable with a complete stranger. And even stranger, I felt like I could trust her with anything.
"Really, I never knew," she mocked, while looking at my crotch. It was then I realized that someone had changed my clothes. I was dressed in a white hospital gown. I glared at her with my face red with embarrassment.
"Okay, enough games. What have you drugged me with? I am never this comfortable with a complete stranger. And what is your name?" I asked after getting my embarrassment under control.
"Like I said, I don't have a name. And I have not drugged you with anything." Said the mystery girl.
"What do you mean by you don't have a name?" I questioned.
"What is the last thing you remember before falling unconscious for the first time, Harry?" Questioned the mystery girl.
"I remember a black mist flowing from Eric's scar to the diary. After that, Tom Riddle's shadow collapsed on itself. I remember the basilisk biting me and then Fawkes refusing to save my life. And how could I forget Eric's gloating about me being a sacrifice for the Greater Good." I said through gritted teeth. The mystery girl gave me a sympathetic smile.
"I think this will help you in understanding. And do you want to eat some basilisk meat?" Asked the mystery girl.
"Yes. And what do you..." Before I could say anything more she reached forward and touched my forehead. My eyes rolled back into my head and I fell asleep.
I woke up to the smell of roasted meat filling my nose. I sat up on my bed and searched for the mystery girl. I found her roasting meat near the corner of the Chamber. When she saw that I was awake she brought two plates full of roasted basilisk meat. My stomach gave a loud growl upon seeing it.
"What do you want to do first? Talk or eat?" Asked the mystery girl.
I gave her a blank look which screamed, 'are you stupid'. We completed our food in silence. The meat was without any spice or salt. After completing our food, we sat in front of each other and started to gather our thoughts. Finally, after some minutes of silence, she asked, "So what is the theory that you came up with?"
I replied, "According to Tom Riddle's information on Soul magics and Horcruxes, I have reached the conclusion that Eric's scar was a Horcrux. I don't know how much soul it contained but when Eric shouted about returning everything that is Tom's, the soul piece used Eric's blood on the diary as a medium and got transported from the scar to the diary. According to Tom's notes any object cannot contain more than ½ of a person's soul. So the Horcrux got destabilized and Tom's shadow collapsed. The pain I felt when I was awake was my soul getting torn into two parts. But I still can't come to a theory about your creation."
She was silent for a moment and then replied, "You are correct about the whole Horcrux destabilization. From what I can tell, you dropped some of the mixture of elixir of life, your blood, phoenix tears, and basilisk venom on the unstable Horcrux. And after the resulting explosion, the extra bit of soul of Tom that destabilized the Horcrux in the first place was destroyed. And the rest of his soul was purified by the mixture. I still don't understand half of the things that happened, but the result is me. I currently possess ½ of Tom Riddle's soul while half of your soul is shared between us. Before you ask, it happened due to you being in contact with the Horcrux the whole time. My gender was decided by the copy of the soul of Dorea Potter that you and Eric had, which provided you blood protection."
It took me a few moments to digest the facts, and then I asked, "What else can you tell me about yourself?"
She replied, "I don't have a magical core. I share a connection with your magical core which allows me to use magic. My body is sustained by your magic, so if you are out of magic then my body will collapse and I will die. I can feel what you are feeling and I can't betray you. I can also share my knowledge with you and have already shared all of the 16 years of Tom Riddle's knowledge with you."
"Won't sharing my magic with you make me weak? How stable is your body? And what do you mean by you can't betray me?" I asked.
"Not really. You haven't noticed it yet, but according to my calculations, your magical core capacity has increased by 3 times. And you can always tell me to stop using your magic. My body is stable as long as you have magic. I can't betray you because I share half of your soul and my body is sustained by your magic." She explained.
"Alright. Now all we need is a name for you. Hmmm... What about Elena ?" I asked.
"What?"
"Oh, come on. I know you want to be called that."
"That doesn't mean you are allowed to call me that" She pouted.
"Then what should I call you? Milady?" I asked.
"You may call me Elena or Eli for short. " She replied in a haughty manner.
Then we both started to laugh. After getting our laughter under control, I asked a question that had been bugging me for a while, "Why did you kill the basilisk? And why didn't I die when I looked into its eyes?"
"I killed the basilisk because it wanted to eat you and wasn't obeying my orders when I ordered it to leave us alone in Parseltongue. And you didn't die because you are a Parselmouth." Replied Elena.
"Weird. Anyway, how much time has passed since I entered the Chamber?" I asked.
"Hmmm... I am not sure, maybe around 10 or 11 months." She replied. As if 10 or 11 months didn't mean a lot.
"What do you mean by 'I am not sure'? Haven't you gone out of the Chamber?" I asked.
"No, I am not able to move more than 300 feet away from you because I am bound to you by your magic. So I haven't gone out of the Chamber." Replied Elena.
"About 10 to 11 months, damn. I need to do a lot of work. I will have to take my end of the year exams at the Ministry if I want to attend the classes with my peers. With Tom Riddle's knowledge, exams should be a piece of cake. Hmmm... You need an identity. Goblins should be able to create one for you. But first I need to meet with my grandfather. He's probably worried sick about me." I started planning what I should do today but before I could do anything else, Elena stopped me from doing it.
"You won't be going anywhere in the near future," said Elena.
"Why?"
"You are not in the condition to go anywhere. Your body is still very weak." Replied Elena.
"I am fine. See?" I tried to stand up, only to fall on my face when my legs gave out.
"I told you so." Said a smirking Elena. She helped me stand up and conjured up a mirror to let me see myself. My appearance had really changed.
"Damn, I look hot!" I said.
"The mixture you drank dissolved your muscles and rebuilt them and it also removed anything that was not required, like extra fat. It also forced your body to grow quickly." Explained Elena.
I couldn't recognize my own reflection in the mirror. My height had increased from 5'3 to 5'10. My shoulders had broadened, and I could feel abs under my gown. My face had lost all its baby fat and my eyes were glowing. Overall, I looked like "a young man whom fathers of teenage daughters would shoot on sight".I turned and gave Elena a lopsided grin that had her blushing.
"Now all we need is to get you accustomed to your new body." Said Elena.
1 Month Later.
One month passed in a blur. Harry had to run 20 times from one side of the Chamber to the other and had to do 100 sit-ups and push-ups 3 times a day. On the 7th day of training, Elena started throwing stinging hexes at him, but when they hit him, they just got absorbed into his body. Elena theorized that she was basically using his magic, so she couldn't harm him. Elena and Harry had gotten close as the days had passed. Her main fear was that she was bound to Tom Riddle just like she was bound to him, since she was a Horcrux. But one Horcrux revealing charm later, that misconception was cleared. Today, Harry was going to see his grandfather.
"Come on, Elena. Let's go." Said Harry.
"Alright. Let's go." Said Elena. Elena took hold of one of his arms and they apparated to a place near the Potter Manor. They had transfigured their clothes into dark green robes with a hood that was charmed to keep their faces hidden.
"Mipsy," called Harry.
A house elf popped out near them and looked at them curiously. A second later, a huge smile appeared on her face and she latched onto his legs.
"Master Harry, you are alive!" Cried Mipsy.
"Yes Mipsy, I am alive. Now tell me, is anybody home?" Asked Harry.
"Yes, Master Charles is in his room, while your parents have gone out." Replied Mipsy. In the Potter Manor, all of the house elves were taught to properly speak English from a young age. So all of the house elves were able to hold a conversation in English with ease.
"Very well Mipsy, I am going to meet with my grandfather. Don't inform him, I want to surprise him." Said Harry in a low voice. "And inform me as soon as anyone else arrives."
The elf nodded her head and popped away, probably to inform the other house elves.
Harry and Elena passed through the wards, and because Elena had the blood and magic, the wards didn't stop them. In Potter Manor, photos of Eric were all over the walls while Harry didn't have a single photo. Elena was looking at the photos with disgust. Elena had a deep hatred for the Potters after he shared his memories of childhood with her; the exception being his grandfather and himself. After reaching his grandfather's room, he found that the door was unlocked. He slowly opened the door and entered the room. There, he found Charles sitting on his bed and staring at the ceiling. When Charles saw two cloaked figures entering his room, he quickly snatched his wand and shot a bone breaking hex at the intruders. Harry calmly raised his wand and produced a 'Protego' shield wordlessly. Before Charles could cast another curse, Harry spoke, "You are slow, grandfather." After hearing the voice of his grandson, Charles loosened his grip on his wand. Harry removed the hood from his face and went to hug his grandfather. But before he could move more than two steps, Charles pointed his wand once again at Harry.
"Tell me something that only Harry would know," demanded Charles. His voice was full of emotions but his face looked like it was set in stone.
"I showed you the Philosopher's Stone in this room." Replied Harry. Charles dropped his wand and quickly hugged Harry. Elena stayed by the door, not wanting to interfere with the meeting. After few moments, Charles looked at Elena and then at Harry, and asked, "Do you trust her?"
"With my life." Answered Harry. Elena felt a blush rising on her face and silently thanked god that no one was able to see it. Charles invited her into the room and locked it. All of them sat on the couches, with Harry and Elena sitting beside each other and Charles in front of them.
"There is no need to hide your face here, no one will be coming here," Charles said to Elena. Elena blushed after realizing that she still had her hood up and quickly pulled her hood down, while Harry snickered beside her.
Charles raised an eyebrow after seeing her face and turned towards Harry and said, "Good choice, dear grandson. I approve." Harry and Elena blushed beet red and sputtered denials. Then Charles' face turned serious and after sensing the mood, Harry and Elena also grew serious.
"Tell me everything." Ordered Charles.
"I will. But tell me, what did my parents tell you about me?" Harry spit the word "parents" as if it were a curse.
Charles raised an eyebrow after hearing the venom in his tone, but said nothing about it and spoke, "Last year, your parents came to me with Eric and told me how you had opened the Chamber of Secrets and terrorized the whole school; and how you ordered the basilisk to attack Muggleborns. They also told me how Ginny Weasley was kidnapped by you and you used her as a bait for Eric. Then they told me about your fight in the Chamber of Secrets, where Eric, Ginny Weasley, and Fawkes fought against you and the basilisk and defeated you. In the aftermath of the fight, the Chamber of Secrets collapsed and buried you. And apparently you begged for forgiveness before dying."
Harry and Elena stayed silent for a long time before Elena finally said, "I will enjoy killing them." Harry placed his hand on hers and gave a gentle squeeze to calm her down. Harry turned towards his grandfather and started telling him about what really happened that day. When he reached the point where Eric revealed the whole plan, Harry had to physically restrain his grandfather to stop him from going and cursing his parents. After Harry completed the story, all of them sat in silence for few minutes.
"You were foolish and acted without thinking. I taught you to be better than that." Charles shook his head in disappointment. After hearing his grandfather, Harry hung his head. "But everyone learns from mistakes, and I hope you will not do anything so foolish again." Charles gave Harry a small smile. Harry sighed in relief that his grandfather was not angry or disappointed in him.
"I understand, grandfather." Replied Harry.
"Do you know why your father hates you, Harry?" Asked Charles.
"James Potter is no father of mine." Snarled Harry. "And no, I don't know why he hates me. Before my 11th birthday, he always ignored me, but after my birthday, he started to insult and slap me. And after my Sorting, he sent a Howler stating that he had disowned me. When I returned home, he used the Cruciatus curse on me for being Sorted into Slytherin. That was the last time we spoke to each other before the whole Chamber of Secrets ordeal."
"James doesn't have the power to disown you: I am still Lord Potter and James is only my proxy on the Wizengamot. On Eric's birthday, he demanded that I make him my primary heir and Eric my secondary heir. I refused, saying that I have already chosen you as my primary heir and that I am not going to change my decision. After a small shouting match between us, he marched out of the room. And after your Sorting into Slytherin, he once again came to me demanding that I disown you for getting sorted in Slytherin. He said that you were becoming a Dark wizard because you were jealous of Eric. I once again refused after reminding him that his own mother was a Slytherin."
"So James and Lily Potter hate me because I am your heir." Stated Harry.
"Yes," agreed Charles. He shook his head sadly.
"What are you going to do now?" Asked Charles.
"We are going to Gringotts to create Elena's identity, and then we will go to get her a new wand. After that, we will return to the Chamber of Secrets." Answered Harry.
"Very well, wait here." Charles stood up and went to his study table and started writing a letter. After completing the letter, he sealed it with wax and pressed his lordship ring onto it. He then gave the letter to Harry and said, "Give this letter to Grimjaw, he will help you."
Harry stood up and hugged Charles after promising he would come again in a few days and they apparated to Diagon Alley.
People were scattered along the roads and the vibrant colors of the shops surrounded him at every turn. Shop owners stood everywhere, trying to get the people passing by to buy their products. Harry and Elena once again pulled their hoods up and started to move towards towards Gringotts. Diagon Alley was not very crowded, so they reached Gringotts very quickly.
At the door, they were stopped by two spear wielding guards. "Pull your hood down, human," growled a goblin, while pointing his spear at his chest. The other goblin had his spear pointed at his neck.
"I am not going to pull my hood down. There would be no point to me wearing a hood if I did since everyone would know who I am," said Harry.
"We can't allow you to enter with a hood up. So either pull your hood down or return." Said the second goblin.
"Why don't you both keep your spears pointed at him while I give this letter to Grimjaw? This way I won't try to do anything unsavory against the Goblin Nation." Said Elena.
"Very well. But don't try anything or we will kill him," threatened the first goblin. Elena quickly went towards the nearest goblin to ask for Grimjaw.
Five minutes later, an old goblin in a pinstripe suit came out and signaled for them to follow him. After a long walk and a lot of turns, they reached a large door with a plaque stating: "Grimjaw, Potter Accounts Manager". Inside the room, he found that Elena was already sitting there, and he took the seat beside her and pulled his hood down; then glaring at her for leaving him outside at spear points. She just stuck her tongue out at him.
Grimjaw cleared his throat and spoke, "Your grandfather has requested that you should be tested as a heir for the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin. I have called the account manager of the Slytherin House, and he should be here in few moments."
Harry first thought about stopping them from doing the test because there was no way he was a heir of Slytherin, but then remembered that his grandfather never did anything without reason. So he settled for waiting. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door and another suit wearing goblin entered. He placed a small box on the table and greeted Harry, "Mr. Potter, my name is Barbcock, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Harry had to stifle a chuckle after hearing the name of the goblin. He replied, "The pleasure is all mine, Barbcock."
Barbcock said, "Now onto business: please place your hand on the box and tell us what you feel."
Harry placed a hand on the box and he immediately felt something humming from inside the box. Harry removed his hand from the top of the box and turned towards the goblin and said, "I could feel something humming inside the box."
"It seems that your grandfather was indeed correct, Mr. Potter." Replied Barbcock. He opened the box to show an heir ring. "You are the heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin."
Harry was stunned by the acknowledgment that he was the heir of Slytherin. Before he could say anything, Grimjaw pushed another box towards him and spoke. "Mr. Potter that's the Potter heir ring, please wear it too."
Harry put the rings on his ring and middle finger, and both rings adjusted to his size. He was still in shock about being the heir of Slytherin. He asked, "Do you know how I became the heir of Slytherin?"
Barbcock replied, "No Mr. Potter, we don't know how you became the heir of Slytherin. What else can we do for you?"
"I want you to create an identity for Elena." Answered Harry.
"Mr. Potter, it will take a lot of time and money to create a fool-proof identity for a person who is near you, because of your status." Answered Grimjaw without bothering to ask why she needed a new identity.
"How much money and time will it take?" Questioned Harry.
"It will take 6 months and Gringotts will charge you 800 Galleons." Answered Grimjaw.
"Take 1000 galleons from the Potter Vault and create it within 3 months." Said Harry.
Grimjaw and Barbcock shared a look and Grimjaw agreed. After giving the necessary details to the goblins, they pulled their hoods up and departed Gringotts. They quickly went to Ollivander's wand shop to get a wand for Elena. After entering the shop, they waited for Ollivander. After a few moments, Ollivander came out from inside his shop.
"Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Potter. I hope your wand is working well-Elder and Phoenix feather, 13 inches, nice and supple, excellent for both Light and Dark magic casting." Said Ollivander.
"Yes Mr. Ollivander, my wand is working well. My friend here needs a wand." Said Harry. He was not even a little surprised that the Wand Maker was able to tell his identity, even though Harry was under the hood. He had always thought of the Wand Maker as very creepy and somehow capable of recognizing magical signatures.
Ollivander raised an eyebrow after seeing the unusual age of his customer but didn't say anything. He asked Elena, "Which is your wand hand?"
"I am left-handed." Replied Elena.
Suddenly, the wand maker took out his wand and swore a magical secrecy oath about not sharing anything that he learned about them. Harry and Elena were stunned by the wand maker's actions.
"Now Mr. Potter, I have been selling wands for more than 80 years, but I have never seen such an unusual occurrence. I have never met two people who have the same magical signature. How did you achieve it?" Asked Ollivander.
After some thinking, Harry and Elena decided to share some facts with Ollivander, as Elena needed a wand. Harry told the wand maker about her creation; omitting the exact components of the potion and her dependence on his magic to survive. After hearing everything, Ollivander suggested that the best wand that she could use would be Harry's wand, but she could also use Dorea Potter's wand. Both of them thanked the wand maker but when they were leaving, Ollivander called them back and said, "Mr. Potter, I think the best course of action would be that you Obliviate me, only leaving the knowledge that 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' is alive. And Ms. Elena, are you trying to overcome the problem of the three hundred foot distance?" Asked Ollivander.
"Yes, I am trying to overcome it but I haven't reached anything conclusive," answered Elena.
"I think creating a secondary magical core should do the job, Ms. Elena. All you will need to do is to somehow bind yourself with Mr. Potter, other than his magic. Now Mr. Potter, please Obliviate me." Said Ollivander. Harry Obliviated Ollivander, then explained to him that he himself asked for the Obliviation due to sensitive information. They left the Wand Maker's shop and apparated back to the Chamber of Secrets.
Before Elena could go anywhere, he turned her around and asked, "What is bothering you? You were very quiet the whole time."
"I was just thinking about something. Don't worry about it."
"Very well, but if something is bothering you, then please share it with me." Said Harry.
"Okay." Said Elena. Suddenly, his Slytherin heir ring started pulsing and he heard a clicking and grinding sound behind him. He turned around and found that a snake statue had shifted from its place to reveal a door. Both Harry and Elena looked at each other and matching smirks appeared on their faces as they moved towards the door.
A/N: Thanks for reading and DON'T forget to drop a review. Facts like Harry being Slytherin heir and Elena's 300ft problems will be explained in next chapter. THANKS AGAIN FOR READING.