(A/N sorry again for the late chapters. I hit a snag on both and worked on my own for a while. I'll get back to it so I can update more regularly. enjoy!)
Harry and Hermione had done their best to explain to the founder of the Slytherins what his hair had done. But once Harry had mentioned the basilisk the ghost seemed to act in rage. My dear pet has been slain! And used for unspeakable horrors! Oh my Sophia! He wailed in more pain once again. It left Harry in an awkward position. "I apologize Salazar. I had to do it to save the life of another and all those in the school Tom set her on." Salazar floated to his knees, an act that was bemusing to watch. Damn that godric! Damn him! "So you see… the diary Tom used was a horcrux." The spectrum grew even angrier. "He has made three for sure that we know of. There could be more". Hermione continued. "Your locket was one. Or is one. We don't know for sure. When we soul bonded it went cold." Salazar looked to the teens and turned in thought. He used thine own heirloom for such darkness. It would not be below his morale to use the others. A soul bond is a powerful thing. Thy daresay the most powerful thing in magic. Tis why tainting ones soul is a sin unforgivable. "Is there a way to tell if the locket is still tainted?" Salazar grunted and floated to his wall, vanishing for a moment before returning a moment later. Thy path is still open. The only place to seek the answers is tyne library in tyne chamber. "The chamber can be accessed through here?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Hogwarts is hundred of miles away. How is that possible?" Salazar gave a strange smile, looking almost preditory in nature. Magic
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They talked with Salazar a bit longer before Dobby was summoned with orders to tell the Slytherin girls to sneak away to the third floor corridor girls lavatory as soon as they could. Once there Dobby would pop them into the chamber. Salazar requested to follow and say goodbye to his beloved snake. Seeing no harm, they quickly followed the ghost to the entrance of a tunnel with an almost water glass reflection to it. Once thy walk through thy shall be in thyn inner study. Sophia would rest there until thy called. Harry made a noise of understanding. "That's why she came out of your mouth from the statue. She was waiting for you." Hermione felt bad for the spirit floating beside them. To loose everything and still stuck on earth must be torture.
Harry took the first step and touched the mirror like doorway. It shimmered and rippled out, before allowing him to slip through. Hermione quick to follow, Salazar keeping contact with her shoulder as she did so, so he could pass through. It was like wading through mud, and then being sprayed with ice water once through the reflection. The room lit by candle the moment Harry was fully in the room. Subtle green and black decorated the walls. Books laid in dust over multiple bookshelves. A large nest of torn cloth and hay lay in the far corner with a skin on the small tunnel way. Hermione instantly walked over to the shelves, to which Harry rolled his eyes. "Harry…there are books here so rare they were thought to be just myths. And first editions… journals…. Harry I may never leave." That gave Salazar a deep throat laugh. The maiden be a Dagworth. Strong blood in her viens. Hermione had since turned out any distractions, greedily plucking a book off the shelf and blowing the dust off before gingerly opening it. "Mione, don't you think you should I don't know ask first?" With no answer from the bushy haired girl Harry turned to the soiritm "I hope you don't mind. She will be lost for a while." The ghost gave Harry a grin and motioned for them to exit the room.
The smell had been horrendous at first but cleared rather quickly. The snake was nothing more than bone now, fange still dripped with the toxic venom. Harry bowed his head to the snake. Even grown it was still massive. Salazar floated to the skeleton and bowed his head to it. You are free now.
Harry again apologized but was waved off. Thy fought bravely. Sophia was a force. Her venom is yours to claim. Harry blinked and looked to the toxin. He shook his head and looked up in time to see two girls pop into the chamber. "Salazar's balls Harry! What the hell is that?" Tracey shouted out and Harry palmed his face. A deep chuckle came from beside him again. Thyn name be a curse now?" Both girls froze and looked to the ghost beside Harry. "Harry… is that?" Harry nodded and both girls instantly curtsied to the spirit. "Lord Slytherin we apologies for any disrespect!" Daphne started but was waved off. Thy have not been a lord in many moons. It is humorous to hear they name used in such ways. Both girls had the decentcy to blush. "Where is Hermione?" Daphne asked after a few moments and the shock wore off. "I'd say on her second book if not third. Aparently said owner of this chamber had a massive collection of books." Both the Slytherin girls looked intriguingly around and Harry sighed again pointing to the still open mouth of Salazar's statue. "In there." He didn't even finish before both girls quickly walked away. Thou friends amuze me. Now dost thou have mine locket on hand? Harry shook his head. "No. But Dobby can fetch it for us now that he knows where to go." The spirit nodded and began to float around his chamber. This was once thy home. When godric and the others tried to ban the mundane born, I sought to continue to teach them. Thou ancestor offered his home and I would use the mirror to travel back and forth without them ever knowing.
"So how exactly are we going to see if the locket is still a horcrux?" Salazar paused his reminiscing and looked back to the Potter boy. Sophia has the answer. Use her venom on the locket. If it clean it shall not harm it. If it is tainted, it shall scream. Harry smiled softly to the floating founder and scratched his neck. Feeling the prickle and knowing he needed a shave soon. And with an almost silent summons, Dobby popped back and handed him the locket. "Thank you Dobby. Now I know it will be a daunting task. But you need to be brave." Harry began and Dobby stood a little straighter puffing out his chest. "You have to get the girls out here and away from the books." Dobby faultered for a moment. Looking at Harry as if he was just given a death sentence. "Harry Potter sir… wants Dobby too…"
"Yes." Dobby gulped audibly and looked pleadingly to the ghost for a moment. When Salazar said nothing the little elf hung his head. "Dobby will do this sir. Dobby does not wish to come between lady Potter and books sir." Harry gave him a grin.
Daphne and Tracey came out begrudgingly and scowled at Harry a bit. But the sight of a small elf trying to pull Hermione out of the statue mouth while she fought him was a hilarious sight. Instead of popping her out like he normally would Dobby had tried the gentle approach, then a little more forceful, to what they now all witnessed. Dobby had her by her belt loops and was tugging with all his might, Hermione was holding onto the statue doorway inside the mouth. "No Dobby! The books! My books!"
"Lady…Potter…must…come!" Dobby shouted with each pull. After a few moments there was a loud sigh, before Daphne waved her wand at them. Hermione freezing, and allowing Donny to pull her away. "No fair Daphne! I wanted to do that." Tracey chuckled, watching as the little elf panted after depositing the girl at Harry's feet. "Thank you Dobby." Dobby gave a tired smile before falling backwards on his butt. Hermione had blushed deeply at the look the others gave her. A copy of a book in her hand. It was unlabeled but a picture of the school was clearly sketched on the cover. "It…I…sorry." Harry chuckled in his throat then turned to the founder. "Now what sir?"
The founder floated to his snake and attempted to touch the skeleton head. His hand would have gone through had he not stopped it just where the bone started. Now thou need a vile. Collect as much of the venom as you can. Then open the locket and drop a single drop there. Hermione pulled off her bag, finding a large stopper bottle that was empty and handing it to Harry. "Be careful Harry." With a shaky hand he held up the now uncorked bottle to one of the many fangs. Using the lip of the bottle, he pressed up slightly and venom slowly dropped into it. Hermione realized it before Harry and quickly pulled out all the empty viles as she could. The first was almost full and the first fang was still giving. "Dobby. I need you to get as many empty viles as you can for Harry. I have quite a few in my dorm room. In my trunk." Daphne spoke softly, do by perked up his ears and quickly popped away to do as asked.
It had taken him an hour and almost twenty viles before the fangs no longer gave him any. "Harry you're sitting on a gold mine." Tracey said softly. "Potion viles the size of your pinky finger go for well over a thousand gallions." Harry balked at the girls for a moment. "Basilisks are rare, and are outlawed almost everywhere, but that was after Salazar died. There are only a few small magical tribes in the rainforest and some in the Indian jungles that are permitted to have one. And even then they are kept in temples and only used for ritual purposes. Milking snakes is always a task to keep them healthy, so when they do they will sell the venom." Hermione whispered softly. "Yes but never in this amount or quality. Most are killed before they reach twenty years, so they can't escape and hurt the people." Daphne added. They are correct. I certainly was not the only one with a beautiful beast like Sophia. I had imprinted on her when she was born, and she never looked anyone in the eye. She knew it was a command used under duress. My being absent for so long must have returned her to a feral state. No one to talk to, or care about her. So when they heir came… "She still had enough in her to follow your heirs command but the trust you built in her was gone." Salazar nodded. She would never had attacked anyone let alone a Potter or Dagworth.
"Dagworth? Who?" Hermione blushed and slowly stepped behind Harry for a moment. "Apparently me." Both girls looked to each other then back to Hermione. "This is something that cannot be kept secret from our fathers. I don't know word for word what it says, but the old alliance may be able to gather once again."
