~ Chapter Seventeen ~

Returning to Hogwarts after such a holiday was rather disheartening. Ciaran had deeply enjoyed being surrounded by everyone that loved him. He'd spent a little time with each of them but none as much as Draco. No, they had spent the most time around each other much to the amusement of their parents. But it mattered little to them what their parents thought. They were happy and that was what counted.

Unfortunately, like all good things, they had to end. His father had informed them earlier that morning that Ciaran wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts via train but with him through the floo. It was easier that way to keep a watch on Ciaran and to keep him away from Granger and Weasley. Also they had plans that needed to begin.

The split in their journey was just the beginning. Draco was to travel on the train and go to those with Death Eater parents. From there he was to explain further what was needed from them. The children weren't to take place in any of the fighting that would occur around the halls. All of them were meant to travel directly from where they were located to the portkeys waiting for them. In groups they would then leave Hogwarts without anyone the wiser until people did a headcount. From there they would be reunited with their parents. No one would have to risk their lives to fight for a cause that was relatively new to them.

It would be fairly easy to explain. The directions after all were simple and if everyone obeyed them then nothing would go wrong. All of the Death Eaters' children would be fine. None would be told of what was to become of their Headmaster or what the Death Eaters were actually attempting to do but they would work better if kept ignorant of these plans. Draco however needed all of his concentration to pass on the message. Ciaran, he was informed, would merely be a distraction.

His father's quarters would never change, Ciaran thought as they flooed in. A house elf was summoned to move their luggage to the correct locations before they settled in to relax for a small while. It was still early in the morning and the train hadn't even departed the station yet.

"What are you planning on doing today whilst we await everyone's arrival?" Severus questioned his son.

Ciaran pondered this. There really wasn't a lot that he could do on his own. Certainly, quite a bit of planning had gone into this so he needed to make sure that everything would be perfect.

"I believe I'll start with packing certain items grandfather wanted from Hogwarts. That way there won't be as much when the time comes and I won't have to run around rugged making sure they are all present." Ciaran explained.

Yes, that would make the most sense. He needed to make sure everything his grandfather wanted was with him when he left. No one would be returning to Hogwarts after this so everything would be needed. Starting the packing process now would save them time later when they would likely need it more.

"Very well, however you will call if you need some aid." Severus instructed strictly.

Ciaran rolled his eyes once his father's back was turned. He knew that his grandfather had only gotten more restrictive because of Dumbledore. He wasn't as concerned considering the old man was dying however he wouldn't allow Ciaran to fall into the Order's hands. That would be something that Marvolo would never allow, not again at least. That meant until they were to set their plan into action, he was going to be watched like a hawk eyeing its prey.

"Yes father. Do you want me to collect anything from the basilisk while I'm down there?"

Severus' eyes glinted. The mere thought of potion ingredients from that giant reptile was enough to get any Potions Master to drool. However he knew that this wasn't a joke. His son actually had access to such rare ingredients. Though he was loathe to admit it, Ciaran was the only one who could possibly reach and harvest them. Only a parselmouth would be permitted to even touch the snake skin without it deteriorating at the contact. Why it did this left even the greatest Potion Master baffled. Yet it mattered little. Once it was harvested it was a different thing entirely however until then he would need to wait for Ciaran to harvest them.

"That would be an excellent idea. I'm sure we could put it to good use."

Ciaran nodded happy to please his father. He knew it wasn't often that someone was gifted with such a rare and valuable opportunity. Severus would probably be bragging about it to others for months after receiving the substantial amount he was to be given. No one could return fire either and attack him knowing that he was the Dark Lord's personal Potion Master. It just wouldn't be wise even though many would desire to.

"I'll probably be gone most of the day. I'll call a house-elf for food."

Severus accepted knowing why his son was telling him this. If he hadn't, then he would have stormed around checking every single possible location for him. The worst possible situations would always enter his mind first. Ciaran was thankfully sparing him of that. Now that he knew where his son would be located, he could focus on stocking his supply cupboard instead. Not entirely what he would desire to do under the circumstances but it needed to be done.

"Off with you then…" he encouraged.

He received a short wave and a bright smile before he was left to his own devices.

x-x-x-x-x

Ciaran had said that he would be in the Chamber of Secrets however there was a small stop he needed to take before he even thought about the Slytherin library within the Chamber. What he needed to obtain was far more important to his grandfather than some musty old books that hadn't been read in fifty years. He needed his grandfather's Horcrux.

This was one thing that Draco wasn't permitted to know about. Nor was his father to be alerted for that matter. No, this one secret was to be between grandfather and grandson. After all if the news got out that the Dark Lord could be killed, the Light would pounce all over it in a heartbeat. Without Marvolo their side wouldn't flourish. He was their leader. He was their commander. He was the only one worthy of their respect and loyalty.

He paced before the door three times all the while thinking, I need a place to hide something. Truly this was the perfect location to hide an important object, Ciaran thought as the doors opened. The room was enormous and piled with the most random objects anyone could have every thought of. Just from where he was standing, Ciaran could see a small pile of books, a mirror that had a strange engraving around the outside and bedframe. How the latter object even made it that far was beyond him.

The door swung shut behind him giving Ciaran all the privacy he would need to locate this object.

Marvolo had given him a detailed description of Ravenclaw's Diadem. Of course no one had actually seen it other than his grandfather in centauries and wasn't that huge pressure. He knew that he couldn't leave Hogwarts without it. Leaving this particular item at Hogwarts would just place it at risk if it were ever discovered that something so dark remained within the school. Ciaran couldn't allow it to happen.

Crude pathways were formed between piles of forgotten and hidden items, making the room more like a maze than previously believed. This entire room was like a hoarders' dream. Miscellaneous objects were often grouped together wondering what connection or even purpose they had once served their owners. It was rather sad to see all of these objects just left here but there wasn't anything he could do about it. The room wouldn't allow just anyone to remove these objects. Only someone who needed it or someone who was related to the person who originally owned it could remove any of these items his grandfather had explained.

Then faintly, he felt a tug. It was like whatever was calling him was pulling at his very soul. Whatever it was, it wanted Ciaran to locate it. He wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.

In the end he was about a third of the way into the room before he felt the tug increase before disappearing altogether. He glanced around the area. In all honesty it appeared like every other section of the room, crowded with unwanted items, but there was something slightly different. The area in this section was dark and foreboding. Something within the area was causing it to become saturated in dark magic.

Moving around, he neared the pile that was producing the darkest energy and began searching. Items were swiftly pushed aside once he realized they weren't what he was searching for. Why bother looking at them when he wouldn't be able to remove them? Eventually he came across a box that was his target.

It was rather small but he knew that this was what he was searching for. He hissed "open" and it clicked. Flipping the lid up, he smirked as it revealed the diadem. It was sitting on a small cushion perfect to keep it safe. Having located the diadem, he closed the box and locked it in the same way his grandfather had done. Then, tucking it under his arm, he left the room never glancing at any of the other items.

x-x-x-x-x

Walking the deserted hallways was always something Ciaran had enjoyed doing. Of course when he was Harry Potter this was something that he was only permitted to do in the dead of night. No one would have allowed him to do it otherwise. After all, walking solitary along a hallway wasn't something a saviour did. However this time he had a destination in mind which was why it was rather curious when he ran into Professor Trelawney halfway there

Trelawney wasn't someone Ciaran was expecting to run into whilst leaving the Room of Requirement. Yet he could have cursed the instant he got a better look at her. She was in another trance. Ciaran remembered the look from back in third year. Her eyes were glassy and she wasn't focused on anything in particular. He knew that this wasn't a coincidence. Trelawney had wandered here for a reason.

Ciaran walked forward careful to keep the box hidden from view in case she should notice it. It wouldn't do to have the crazy lady to utter something to Dumbledore. His suspicions even on his death bed weren't desired in any form.

"What do you have to tell me?" he questioned.

Trelawney seemed to recognize his voice and opened her mouth to speak realizing this was who the prophecy was for.

"The Balance of Power shall rise. The Light shall fall to the Darkness of the world. The Light is doomed whilst the Dark legacy lives. Only once the Dark legacy dies can the Light remain all. The Light stands no chance against the Darkness of the World."

With that been uttered, Trelawney snapped out of her trance and stared uncertainly at Ciaran.

"What am I doing here?"

Ciaran smiled already knowing that speaking about the prophecy of all things to her wouldn't be an option. Instead he decided to direct her elsewhere and hope she never spoke of this to anyone again.

"You were looking for the kitchen I believe. They are near the Hufflepuff dorm."

Nodding, she moved off into that direction and away from Ciaran and his path. However there was obviously one thing he needed to do first before he could move towards the Chamber of Secrets.

Looks like a detour to the Owlery is in order, Ciaran sighed.

x-x-x-x-x

It had been simple to find a regular bird to take a message to his grandfather though he rather doubted that bird would be returning in one piece it at all. He had pondered whether to send the box with his little message but thought better of it. Something that precious shouldn't be handled by an owl that could be intercepted. Instead he chose to keep it on him until he could place it within the trunk along with the books.

"Open." He hissed as he reached the sink on the second floor.

The girl's bathroom hadn't really been used much since his trip down there. Everyone despised Moaning Myrtle and her constantly wailing. Ciaran had been careful to make sure Myrtle wasn't present within the bathroom before he entered.

Sliding down the pipe was exactly as slimy as it had been in second year. In fact it was exactly like this every time he had taken Draco down as well. This year however he was glad he knew a cleaning charm to refresh his robes. Being grimy and attempting to work wasn't exactly a good feeling. Even the brooms remained from the previous time the pair had journeyed down here for which he was grateful. He hadn't thought of how he was meant to return to the surface once he was finished with the books.

The walk in didn't take too long. Without another person with him, he didn't have to explain to the chamber why he was bringing a non-speaker with him. Everything ran smoothly. The Chamber was exactly as Ciaran had left it in his second year. Nothing had been moved or altered in anyway. The only item added to the Chamber had been the cabinet they were working on. It was situated in the centre of the room in case something went incredibly wrong while they were attempting to mend it.

Entering the chamber, Ciaran went directly to the dead basilisk, lying in the room. It hadn't even begun to decompose and more than likely wouldn't for decades. It was lucky that he had brought this up with his father otherwise it was likely that his father wouldn't have received any of this. They would have left Hogwarts without even thinking about it.

Within an hour, Ciaran was pleased with his progress of the basilisk and decided to begin collecting the books. If he spent some time doing each task then they would eventually be completed without hassle. Ciaran merely knew that attempting to do one task followed by the other wouldn't work. He was used to attempting to complete numerous tasks at once. This way he wouldn't become bored and leave them be until the last possible moment.

The Slytherin Library within the Chamber of Secrets was massive. The task of collecting all of these books was beginning to get rather daunting. Add that to the few months that he had to do this and Ciaran had a feeling that all of his spare time would be spent down here. He sighed. This was just brilliant…

Taking the shrunken trunk from within one of his pockets, he tapped it and watched as it enlarged. With another tap of his wand it sprang open and he placed his grandfather's Horcrux within its confines. Now that was taken care of he turned to the numerous shelves that appeared to go on forever.

How on earth was he meant to organize this? Sure all of the books were categorized and alphabetized but what did he start with? The books on rituals were over to his left while there were books on magical creatures to his right. He figured Dark Arts books would be further back in the sections but this was just insane. Ciaran had no clue as to what he was meant to be doing. In the end he decided that he would start with the section on magical creatures because it interested him.

The books held information long forgotten, Ciaran realized. There were books on Phoenix, Basilisk and even Dragons that had been extinct for many decades. It was all surreal. No wonder his grandfather didn't want to leave without taking these informative books with him. It would be wasted in the hands of the Light for sure. More than likely they would insist all of the books be destroyed because they were written by authors with a darker nature when in truth these books were a gold mine. The number of things one could learn from these authors was astounding.

What he'd learnt just by browsing through a few as he packed them away around the Horcrux was astonishing. Ciaran learnt that though the Phoenix was a fire bird it still enjoyed a good bath now and then. They also revelled in a good lightning storm when they were about. Certainly they were odd birds but no one ever said a magical creature was something not of great wonder.

Also whilst many believed the Basilisk to be a fearsome creature as long as you spoke parseltongue it would obey your every command. It preferred to live in dark, damp locations and could indeed sire its own children if there was another Basilisk around. It was only if there weren't any possible mates around that a Basilisk would forgo it and leave everything up to the toad and chicken. Rather nauseating or so Ciaran thought.

Dragons, though fiercely loyal to their own kind, would allow a certain few wizards into their fold, trusting them with their young. If the person wasn't independent they had no hope of getting anywhere near a Dragon. It only cause Ciaran's respect for what Charlie did to increase. Who would have thought that a working with Dragon's could be so demanding?

The facts continued to pour through the books and into Ciaran at an alarming rate that made him desire to remain down here for all eternity just reading. He couldn't though. The train would be arriving within the hour and he should be waiting for the others within the Great Hall at that time. If he wasn't there it would look very suspicious.

Sighing, he gathered the last of the A through H Creature section and stored them within the trunk. He'd debated on the way down whether or not he should keep the trunk with him and decided it would be for the best. He certainly could leave it down here but now that it had his grandfather's Horcrux buried inside he doubted he would feel comfortable without it. Having the Horcrux close by rather felt like his grandfather was with him. It was comforting to know that such a powerful presence was by his side.

Once the trunk was sealed firmly, Ciaran shrunk it and placed it within his robes. Once that was done he took off for the entrance. It really wouldn't do to be late today of all days.

x-x-x-x-x

Ciaran sighed as the Great Hall continued to fill with people. He had made it out of the Chamber with an hour to spare before the others began arriving. Yet it had been a good thing that he had left when he did. Ten minutes after Ciaran had entered his father's quarters, Dumbledore had shown up for a chat with the man. It would have appeared very suspicious if Ciaran hadn't been there considering how protective his father was of him.

As it was the old man carried on and on about useless topics that didn't really have any meaning or concern to him. If anything it sounded more like a test for him. With the way he continued to carry on about the Light and what they had been going through since Harry's death it sounded like he was fishing for sympathy. Well he wasn't bound to find any of that here. Neither Severus nor Ciaran truly cared that Harry Potter was dead. In fact they rather loved that fact so he was looking in the wrong place for anything of the like.

Then there was the constant badgering of where they had spent the holidays and with whom. Wasn't it bad enough that he was already hounding them for information that they had already explained? Nope, the old man just didn't know when to quit.

So, Ciaran was quite thankful when he took his leave and they headed towards the Great Hall. He had easily side-stepped Granger and Weasley's attempts at locating him by ducking behind a group of Ravenclaws before swiftly moving into the Hall and over to the Slytherin table where his friends were already waiting for him.

He could tell that they had all been informed of what was to come this term for the younger students it was written across their face, all of them wide-eyed and eager for some change. The elder students at least could hide their eagerness to get out of the hell-hole they were forced to learn in. Truthfully many wondered why this hadn't been done before now. After all what useful things were they learning? It certainly wasn't anything that the Dark would call useful by any means.

Taking his seat beside Draco, he gave a small smile and a greeting before turning to the head table and acknowledging his father. It was rather ridiculous to be done but it kept his father's worry down to a minimum and that was all he cared for.

"Welcome back to another term of Hogwarts." Dumbledore began.

Ciaran frowned. The benevolent smile upon the Headmaster's face wasn't doing anything to keep him calm. It rather unsettled him. He was planning something and no one else could see it.

"As you may have heard, Harry Potter is no longer with us. He was killed after being kidnapped by Lord Voldemort."

Many of the students shivered at the name. No matter how many times the Headmaster spoke it, that name would always send fear into the hearts of the masses. There was nothing to be done about reversing that particular feat. His grandfather not only immortalized himself but his very own name.

"I would like to take a moment to honour the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter."

Dumbledore raised his glass expecting the students to follow in his movement. Not many did. The Gryffindors raised their glasses in memory of their friend but the Slytherins didn't even so much as twitch. They chose to remain where they were seated staring defiantly up at the headmaster. Many of the Ravenclaws did the same. They couldn't reason why one person would get a notable mention when many more had died before Harry. Only those that were connected to Harry Potter were ever mentioned. Hufflepuffs followed their loyalties and raised their glass like they had done so many years ago for Cedric Diggory.

You could have heard a pin drop the air was so stretched with tension. The Headmaster stared openly out into the crowds focusing on specific people. All in all it was rather easy to tell now that the Headmaster had been testing them all in a way. Those that raised their glasses had leanings towards the Light those that didn't were either Neutral or Dark. It was a split and one that the old man didn't like at all.

If there was a split any larger within Hogwarts other than the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin then matters within the stone walls could only go from bad to worse. Tension would begin to rise and eventually there wouldn't be anything stopping the groups attacking each other for minor offenses. Albus cursed silently, he would need to find a way to fix this.

"As we have paid our respects, I do believe we can eat."

Food appeared on the table and all attention was turned to chatting amongst them. Groups broke off along tables and laughter was heard about the room. It was like nothing had ever changed and Ciaran rather enjoyed that.

"Did you see the looks he kept passing you two?" Theo sneered.

Of course the Headmaster would be the topic of conversation at their table When wasn't the old man not being besmirched here?

"It wasn't just Ciaran and Draco though," Pansy pointed out. "He was also staring particularly at Longbottom, Granger and Weasley. What could the connection be?"

Everyone turned towards them for answers. Unfortunately they didn't have anything. Neither could say for certain what had prompted the sudden interest between the five. But if Ciaran had to take a guess he would bet his money on…

"Harry Potter."

"What, Ciaran that doesn't make any sense." Blaise insisted.

Ciaran laughed apologetically before explaining further.

"Dumbledore doesn't have Harry Potter any more to lean on against the Dark Lord. The man's well over a hundred years old and couldn't possibly take on the Dark Lord and all of his minions with his Order alone. No, Potter was probably being trained to take Dumbledore's position and kill the Dark Lord. Now that Potter's dead however he needs to locate another suitable person. Obviously he believes that we could also be on that list."

The others hide their mirth as sparkling blue eyes swept over them again. Merely thinking that anyone within Slytherin would willingly aid the old man was rather humorous. If they even thought about it he would have to create a pretty good bargaining chip to ensnare them. They would work but they wouldn't do it for free.

Draco wrapped a comforting and possessive arm around Ciaran as Dumbledore's eyes lingered. However upon seeing this display he turned away. It wasn't anything he hadn't seen before however the dynamic of the duo meant that one would never be willing to part with the other for any length of time especially to work for the old man. It just simply wouldn't be done.

Dumbledore knew instantly that Ciaran and Draco were off his list definitely. They were simply too attached to each other to allow politics to come between them. Neither would allow him to pull the other away and with Draco already on the Dark side, Ciaran would follow. That just left him with three choices. Neville Longbottom wasn't really a choice. He mentally crossed that one off this list. Ron Weasley was rather a hopeless case as well. All that remained of his plan was Hermione Granger.

The muggleborn student was his last hope. She would eagerly listen to what he said and follow his instructions to the letter. The Gryffindor bookworm would swiftly figure out ways to make anything work with her intelligence. Sure she wasn't the best when it came to figuring out a plan but she listened to authority and never complained. If anything she was the ideal choice even if he hadn't wanted to choose her. It should have been someone that Tom could easily see parallels with. No matter. She was as smart as him so that would have to be enough.

As soon as the meal was over Dumbledore stood to address them once again.

"Since we have come to the end of the night it is time for the reminders. All students are to remain away from the Forbidden Forest. It is currently playing host to a heard of rather irritated centaurs. To approach them would mean certain death. I would also like to remind you all that Lord Voldemort is once again a foot. If you witness anything that seems slightly strange please contact a professor. Thank you, that is all."

The Slytherins stared blankly at him as the other houses applauded politely. That speech wasn't rather invigorating. In fact it appeared as if the entire thing that just been smashed together at the last possible moment. It was nothing to the standard of his usual welcoming speeches. If they hadn't realized something was wrong they certainly did now. Even their Head of House was staring rather openly at the man.

Ciaran smirked. People had yet to realize exactly how sick the man was. In the end everything would come out and then the Headmaster would have no one to turn to on his death bed. The mere thought gave Ciaran excited chills after everything the man had put him through.

Severus gave his son a long hard look and immediately could tell he knew what was happening around him. It appeared as if his little snake was even more perceptive then he had first believed. Whatever was wrong with Dumbledore he would discover at the House meeting soon to be gathered. Standing he stalked out of the room as his Slytherins left in a group ready to turn into their dwellings for the night and unwilling to remain in the open.

"What is wrong with the Headmaster?" was his first question as he swooped into the room.

The question was directed at his son who was lounging by the fire with his little group. Draco held him and they were both leaning into each other. He gave a disproving frown at the open show of emotion but didn't comment further. He wanted to know about Dumbledore first and foremost.

Everyone turned to listen.

"The Headmaster is dying." Ciaran said simply.

Silence surrounded them. Certainly no one had been expecting that. After all, the man had been alive for the longest time. For him to succumb to old age was just rather ridiculous in everyone's eyes. There was more to this story than just Dumbledore's eventually end and they all wanted Ciaran to hurry and speak it.

"How is he dying Ciaran?" Draco eventually asked in the silence.

"His hand, his right hand, has a curse upon it. It was meant to kill him within hours but he had someone, his brother, aid in keeping it secluded to his hand. Either way he only had a year left to live before the curse eventually eats its way through his body."

"When did this happen? When was his hand originally infected?" Severus enquired.

Ciaran smirked. This was the best part.

"Dumbledore has been sick all year. The curse infected him during the summer holidays though I'm not certain when. He would have been lucky to live to the end of the school year with that hand."

Severus felt a smirk of his own spread across his face. It was obvious by Ciaran's face that the Dark Lord already knew of this and had planned accordingly. What his plan was, Severus didn't know but it was certain that his son knew and was going to be the one to act on it.

"From what I can tell it's beginning to affect him greatly." Ciaran explained. "His concentration is rather poor at best and it's taking his entire mind to focus on one simple task and that isn't running the school or the happenings within the school. His entire focus remains with whatever he was planning with Harry Potter."

Every Slytherin smirked. That meant that they would be able to get away with a lot more than usual without his watching eyes. McGonagall was easy enough to get around if one knew how. By the end of the night all Slytherins would be able to do so simply to screw with the order within the school.

"My Slytherins, it appears as if we can finally play a little before it is time to leave. Inform the others." Severus ordered.

The Slytherins nodded eagerly. By the time they would need to leave, all Dark supporters would have had a go at pranking the school and no one would be able to prove it. The end was near and the Light would fall.

And that is the end of another chapter. I have a poll on my profile page for new stories if anyone is interested in voting. Thanks for the reviews.

~MidnightEmber