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Balance Factor Chapter 11

Year Two

Breakdown

A/N: Thank you for your support! Read and review as always.

It took a while for Harry to understand why being a Parslemouth was a bad thing. By the end of it, Harry was staring at wonder at Draco and then looked to Ron and Hermione.

"I see… But, they don't have proof," Harry said slowly. Ron shook his head.

"Harry, they don't need proof to treat you like you are the Heir of Slytherin," Ron said softly. Harry blinked, nodding.

"That's fine. But I'm not going to treat them any different," Harry said, smiling. "Excuse me. I got detention from Snape I have to go to. He apparently wasn't very happy I almost leveled the school… I can't imagine why. I mean, it is just a school. He should be happy I didn't kill anyone."

Draco sighed.

-0-

"Come in."

Snape was standing on one side of the room when Harry entered. Harry shut the door and walked in front of him.

"I taught you the theory of it, but today we should practice. Take out your wand," Snape said. Harry withdrew his wand and looked at him. "You may defend yourself by any means necessary. I realize you don't know that many spells yet, but you may also use those… abilities you possess."

"Alright," Harry said. Snape raised his wand.

"Legilimens."

"Kazuki?"

Kazuki looked up. Ryuuko smiled, picking him up. Kazuki had just turned four.

"We're going to meet your other Father today," Ryuuko said, giving Kazuki a heartwarming smile. Kazuki returned it brightly, his eyes blue shining. He was looking forward to this.

The scene flashed to when Kazuki was a little older.

He was sitting in Shirogane's lap, combing his long white hair as Ryuuko spoke with him. Kazuki's face was set into deep concentration, his little tongue sticking out. Neither man seemed to be paying attention to him, but Kazuki didn't care. Shirogane's pale hand was in his jet black hair, smoothing it calmly.

"There! Done!" Kazuki said proudly. Shirogane looked down at the child—His Child—and gave a small start. Kazuki had braided a couple long strands of his hair that fell to the front and tied it with a band.

Shirogane's face twisted in pure fury, but Kazuki looked up at him innocently and then at Ryuuko.

"Do you like it, Fathers?"

Ryuuko smiled. "I love it, precious son of mine. Don't you, Shirogane?"

Shirogane opened his mouth to retort, but Kazuki cuddled into his chest. Shirogane hesitated, but then wrapped his arms around the young child, cradling him to his body.

"It's acceptable."

All of a sudden, the scene crumbled in front of Snape. He staggered, regaining his footing. Harry was standing in front of him, holding up a barrier similar to what he had thrown up against Dumbledore.

"That seems to be the most effective counter I have right now," Harry said, looking at his wand. It was almost useless right now, as he had tried several jinxes to break the connection.

"Good, Potter," Snape said, looking somewhat pleased. "That took a bit longer than I thought it would." Harry shook his head.

"First years spells seem highly ineffective," Harry said. "What did you see? I was too busy concentrating on trying to throw you out to notice. Surely not my human time, since I haven't been in this body for that long."

"I saw… A man with long black hair and kind red eyes… Ryuuko, was it?" Snape said, frowning. "He was taking you to meet your other Father. I saw your other Father, Shirogane. Long white hair, a cold look on his face… Ice blue eyes… You braided his hair. He was not pleased."

Harry laughed. "Oh yes, I remember that. As we are entities, we're not supposed to bind our hair. Our hair is a mark of our status and power. It was a rule I didn't know when I had done that." He paused and added. "Shirogane can be very cold. He's not a very patient man."

Snape raised his wand again. "Let's continue. Legilimens."

There was a large orb floating in the air. Two rings, one black and one white were moving around the orb. The orb was split in two, one half of it white, the other half black. Darkness was creeping slowly across the globe, but Ryuuko raised his hand. His hand glowed white. The darkness retreated, crawling back to the boundaries. Ryuuko lowered his hand, smiling down at a young Kazuki.

"Kazuki. This is the balance. We tune our powers to this. Using our Factors, we can balance it. But it'll be your job to maintain it." Ryuuko placed his hand on Kazuki's shoulder. He looked at him carefully, embracing him close. "We will do all we can to keep it. But we need you to help us."

Kazuki nodded at Ryuuko. "Okay, Father. I'll help you and Father best I can."

"Promise me, Kazuki. Promise me that if you need help, you won't hesitate to ask us. I do not wish you to carry this burden alone." Ryuuko kneeled down to Kazuki's level placing his hands on Kazuki's shoulders. "Promise me that you won't carry this alone. You are our precious Child. The first one we've ever made together. You are our future."

"I promise, Father."

Snape was jerked out of Harry's memories. Harry was looking at him sadly, his eyes a little bit wet from tears.

"Potter…?"

"That is one of the few promises… I did not keep with Ryuuko." Harry smiled sadly, sitting on the ground. "One of the few I cannot help but break." He looked up at Snape, the barrier dissolving in his hands. He held up his wand. "Let us continue."

Snape nodded slowly. He held up his wand. But Harry was ready this time.

There was a huge flash of light and Snape was thrown backwards. He hit the wall hard, coughing harshly when he landed. Harry walked up to him and offered his hand.

"It seems… It's harder than I thought to force someone out of my mind," Harry said. Snape didn't take his hand and stood up without assistance. Harry smiled a little, dropping his hand, not at all offended by Snape's attitude towards him. "It is easier to prevent it altogether than to force you out."

Snape smirked. Progress!

-0-

Christmas was a rather depressing event. No one really celebrated. The weather cooled enough where it started to snow, the white flakes settling over the castle. Harry spent the break organizing the balance. His detentions with Snape were over, after all.

Snape seemed pleased with his progress, at any rate. Harry could throw him off quite easily by the end of the month and even attempted to counter attack. Ultimately, his attempts at casting Legilimency failed, but Snape seemed pretty confident it was because he was only a second year. Truth was that Harry actually wasn't really trying, as he didn't particularly want to invade Snape's mind.

The weather warmed slowly. The first flowers had started to bloom when Draco finally approached the group with some news about the Chamber. Harry had retired early to sleep.

"My father sent me a letter yesterday," Draco said, looking over his Charms textbook. "Apparently, fifty years ago, the Chamber had been opened. A muggleborn died." He glanced at Ron and Hermione's face before rolling his eyes. "No. Father did not open the Chamber. He just said someone did."

Hermione bit her lip. Ron scowled.

"I asked him if he knew who. He had no idea," Draco said. "I would be careful though, Granger. Apparently they had only attacked muggleborns fifty years ago. It stopped because someone was killed and someone else expelled."

"Did he say who?" Hermione asked. Draco sighed, shaking his head.

"No. By the way, do either of you know a Riddle? I found this diary on the floor on my way to the boy's bathroom. Apparently someone had thrown it out of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Draco said, holding up a diary. "Belongs to T. M. Riddle. They didn't write anything in it though."

"Are you sure it's not cursed?" Ron asked. Draco rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, Weasley. Sometimes you seem to forget I'm a Slytherin. My father owns many Dark Artifacts. I think I'd be able to tell if it were cursed," Draco said. Ron frowned, but Hermione spoke.

"What are you going to do with it?" she asked. Draco shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess I'll keep it for a while until I bump into someone named T. M. Riddle," Draco said.

"He got a reward! I saw it in the trophy room," Ron said suddenly. "Tom Marvolo Riddle. He got it fifty years ago!"

"Fifty? Maybe he knows who opened the chamber," Draco said. "Well, there's no point in asking the diary. It's empty. But if it was fifty years ago, he wouldn't still be around, would he? So I guess I'll keep the diary."

"Okay," Hermione said, shrugging.

Draco stood up. "I should get back to Slytherin dorms. You should head back too."

The very next day, another student had been attacked. Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick were found in the hallway outside of the Great Hall. Harry had been eating at the time when they were called back to their dorms. He paused, swiping a last cookie and heading towards the Gryffindor dorm rooms with his housemates.

As Ron had suspected, Harry had become the person to avoid in the school. Since the Dueling Club, Harry had seen and heard the whispers being passed around about him being the heir of Slytherin. People refused to sit next to him at the table. But that was completely fine with Harry. He rather liked his privacy after all.

Hermione and Ron both talked to him though. And so did Draco. So Harry didn't mind it. In fact, he kind of enjoyed the solitude.

But now it might end. Everyone had seen him in the Great Hall when the bodies had been found petrified. Harry sighed deeply, entering the common room with the cookie in his mouth. He needed two boxes of these.

Harry paused and sipped his pumpkin juice. He had finished his homework early with Ron and Hermione. There were many things he could be doing, but none of them really appealed to him at the moment. He wanted the sense of calm.

Harry sat cross legged in front of the fire. He closed his eyes, feeling the familiar wash of his Factor. His Factor settled in front of him. Harry observed the equilibrium of his Factor and then the cane head next to it. Shirogane's possessions sure came in handy when he was trying to stabilize the balance.

It was strange, but the amount of darkness he put into the cane head was already a fair amount. He wasn't sure what he would do with it, but for now, it seemed like a good idea to hold onto the item. If he ever met Shirogane again, he would pass it on. If not, he would feed it back into the equilibrium.

Ever since his explosion of power, Harry had been extra careful. His meditation sessions became longer, taking up many hours of his sleeping time as he filtered his light and darkness. He was careful to keep check of the time though, stopping in the early morning to catch a few hours of sleep. Truthfully, he probably could go another couple of years without filtering, but he didn't want to risk it.

He just hoped that the Quidditch match would end in his favor as Wood was being obnoxious again.

-0-

"Canceled?!" Wood howled. Draco winced as he heard the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain freak out about the match.

McGonagall swept in the room. She looked at Wood exasperatedly before speaking. "Mr. Wood! Cease that racket immediately! Where are Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley?"

Wood took a minute to collect himself. But then he pointed up the boys dorms. McGonagall frowned and said, "Go get them for me, Mr. Wood."

Draco spoke to Harry and Ron in a rushed whisper. "Hagrid had opened the Chamber fifty years ago. The diary is a magic diary from Tom Marvolo Riddle. He showed me. It's a very strange, but unique diary. I'll show you the next time we meet." He paused as the door opened. Harry tucked the mirror away.

Wood looked at the two boys before waving towards the common room. "Professor McGonagall wants you two." He stepped aside, letting the two pass.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Weasley. Come with me!" McGonagall said sharply, sweeping out of Gryffindor tower. Harry and Ron shot nervous glances at each other but followed silently. McGonagall swept into the Hospital Wing and pulled back a curtain.

"Hermione!" Ron groaned. Harry covered his mouth a little, a soft "oh!" of surprise leaving his lips. This was… certainly unexpected.

Hermione lay still, petrified in place. McGonagall held up a mirror.

"She was found holding this. Does this mean anything to either of you?"

Harry shook his head and looked at Ron. Ron looked visibly upset, placing his hand on her frozen one.

Rip… kill… tear…!

Harry shivered in the discomfort. He had learned to ignore the voice that no one else could hear, but it gave him the creeps. And for some reason, every time the voice got closer, his core would respond. It was as if something, someone, was trying to tell him something…

"Harry?"

Ron was tugging on his sleeve, pointing to a sheet of paper that was stuck in Hermione's hand. Harry jerked out of his thoughts, looking at Ron and then the paper. McGonagall had left, leaving them to mourn over their friend.

"Draco?" Ron asked. Draco's voice responded.

"I'm here."

"What does the paper say?" Harry asked. Ron read it out loud quietly. Draco interrupted them.

"Wait. If the basilisk kills with a single glare, how come no one has died yet? And how could Hagrid have set it loose? He is not the Heir of Slytherin," Draco said. Harry paused.

"Because no one has seen it directly in the eye… I think," Harry said slowly, trying to put the pieces together. "Mrs. Norris saw it in the flooded water. Colin, through his camera. Justin through Nick. Nick is already dead, so I don't think he counts. And Hermione…"

Ron was staring at the mirror on her bedside table. "The mirror. After she found this, she was using this to cut corners or something…"

"So…? What'll you do?" Draco asked. Harry hesitated.

"I… think we need to talk to Hagrid," he said. Draco snorted.

"Alright. In the meantime, I'll try looking for ways to kill a basilisk."

-0-

"Follow the spiders, he says," Harry said, looking at the ground. Ron was gripping his sleeve tightly, whimpering with fear in face of the giant Acromantula colony. "Someone needs to tell Hagrid that spiders this large are not pets anymore."

Aragog looked at the boy with his many eyes. It shifted, causing Ron to whimper and hold onto Harry tighter.

"In my days… Back in the castle… Hagrid… was good to me," the spider said, pincers clicking. "He has never killed anyone. I have never killed anyone. The creature that lives in the castle is far greater than us. We fear it." It took a deep sigh. "It killed a girl… in the bathroom…"

"I see. I'm sorry to bother you when you were resting. I shall take my leave now," Harry said calmly, bowing to the spider. The spider clicked its pincers again and turned to climb up the web. Hundreds of eyes gazed down at the pair as they were leaving, one even launching itself close to them. Harry simply side stepped it and moved on.

"Harry… What now?" Ron asked, his whole body shaking. Harry sighed.

"What can we do?" Harry asked, moving into the castle again, heading up to Gryffindor tower. "There isn't much we can do at this point. The basilisk moves, but we don't know where the chamber is." He thought about it a little.

"Harry?" Ron asked, entering the common room and slumping in a chair.

"Draco? Can Acromantulas petrify people?" Harry asked suddenly. Draco's voice responded.

"Not as far as I know. Their poison is deadly though, so I wouldn't recommend trying to see if it is able," Draco said. Harry nodded in acknowledgement.

-0-

"It's gone!"

Draco was looking frantically for something. He had just gotten back to the Slytherin common room to collect the diary to show Harry when he realized the little black book was missing. He racked his brain, wondering where he had taken it. This morning… in the Great Hall, someone had bumped into him. His books had fell out of his arms and hit the floor.

Draco could remember making a scathing remark to the person who hit him as they collected his books. They passed the pile to him, their head still bowed. Draco never saw their face.

He swore loudly. Someone had stolen the diary.

It had only been a few hours after that incident when Snape came in and ordered them to stay in the common room. Draco paused and looked at Snape.

"Professor Snape? What's happened?" he asked. Many students paused to listen. Snape merely gave Draco a look and swept out of the common room. Draco stood there, a little dumbfounded.

Half a castle away, Harry paused as a thought occurred to him. Aragog had said that a girl had died in the bathroom. What if she was still there…?

"The entrance, Ron. It's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom," Harry said suddenly. Ron looked shocked, then excited.

"We have to tell the teachers!" He dashed off, just as McGonagall's voice could be heard.

"Attention students. Please return to your common rooms!"

"Oh no… Not now…!" Rom moaned.