Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? So I was hoping to get this out before the end of August but uh, beginning of September is close enough, yeah? The delay is also probably thanks to the fact that I think this is another one of the longer chapters I've written for this series so far so hope you enjoy all the extra content. We've now reached the portion of the winter holidays were a lot of stuff happens but the plot still doesn't really go anywhere beyond a step or two. I've divided the holiday chapter into two – one where the trio conduct their polyjuice investigation and the other where Seth finally talks with Kendra. Anyways, I'm not gonna keep you guys here long so please jump right into it and I hope y'all enjoy the chapter!
Like always, I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities.
Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.
Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.
Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.
Chapter 11: Winter Revelations
XXXXXX
Winter break began with a silence that blanketed the entire castle in the same manner as the snow that blanketed the grounds around it. Instead of being gloomy though, it was rather peaceful. Especially after all the hullabaloo before the term ended for the calendar year.
Harry certainly enjoyed it since he, Hermione, and the Weasleys had basically been given the run of Gryffindor tower. That meant they could play as many rounds of exploding snap as they wanted to, be loud and obnoxious without anyone telling them off besides Percy who was a killjoy anyways so everyone ignored his pompous huffing and puffing, and practice dueling under the surprisingly competent tutelage of the twins who only excused their excellent charms and transfiguration work as a means to pull off the best pranks possible.
The professors were still present within the castle, doing their best to find the culprit behind the attacks. But otherwise, they mostly stayed out of the remaining students' way.
In regards to the other students who stayed behind, there were still a few from the other houses.
Of course, there were none from Hufflepuff at all which was understandable given what happened to Justin just before the holidays began.
There were a few Ravenclaws though it seemed that Luna and one of the prefects, Penelope Clearwater, were the only ones out and about as the others spent their time holed up in the library or classrooms with the professors for extra tutoring. Luna mostly hung out with Ginny, exploring the castle together as Ginny wanted to spend as much time away from her brothers as possible who'd only spoil the experience for her. Penelope spent a suspicious amount of time with Percy as the two were often seen together on patrols that Percy deemed highly necessary even though they really weren't.
And from Slytherin there was only Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. The rest of the house refused to stick around, not wanting to be accused of anything should any of the remaining students have the misfortune of being attacked.
Before long, Christmas morning arrived. Harry and Ron were rudely awakened from their warm and cozy dreams at an early hour by Hermione bursting in fully dressed and carrying presents for them.
She sharply pulled back the curtains of their beds and then the window curtains. "Wake up, you two!"
Ron groaned as he turned away from her and the dim sunlight that managed to break through the winter morning clouds. "Why? It's too early."
"Are you even supposed to be in here?" Harry tiredly asked.
She rolled her eyes at them. "Merry Christmas to you too."
The boys slowly perked up at the reminder only to immediately snap the rest of the way to wakefulness when they were hit in the face with their presents courtesy of Hermione.
"I've already been up for nearly an hour putting the final touches to the potion," she said, "It's ready."
Harry's ire from the spiteful gesture was quickly forgotten. "It is?"
She nodded. "We should do the investigation tonight while everyone's relaxed and as unguarded as they can be due to the holidays."
At that moment, Hedwig swooped in, carrying a few packages with her. She nibbled Harry's ear affectionately as he examined the packages. One was from the Dursleys, which just had a pack of toothpicks and a note asking him to find out if he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer too.
He frowned as he remembered his conversation with Dumbledore and how, if the culprit wasn't found, the school would have to be shut down, forever. He shuddered at the thought and then shook his head to focus on the other package.
It was from Seth. Only a simple Christmas card hoping he and the others were enjoying their break and wishing them luck on the investigation. There was also a batch of home baked goods from his grandmother that used homegrown fruit and made Harry and the others feel warm and energized after eating them.
There was also a nondescript envelope with a photo of his mother at eight years old with an eight-year-old boy with black hair that Harry didn't recognize. The two children in the photo were captured during a moment of laughter in front of a disastrously decorated Christmas tree that made Harry chuckle as well.
Ron looked up from his gift from Seth that was a box full of Chudley Cannon merchandise. "What're you laughing at?"
Hermione leaned over to see as she precariously balanced a stack of chemistry and alchemy books she'd received from Seth. "Is that your mother? Oh, she looks so happy! I wonder who that boy is though?"
Harry turned the back of the photo to see the words written on it - Lily and Severus 8 - Christmas.
"I wonder who it's from?" Hermione pondered.
Harry shrugged. "I dunno."
"Hey! There's a letter here!" Ron said, pulling out a folded piece of parchment from the envelope, "Maybe it'll tell you."
The trio eagerly looked at the letter only to find that it contained a single sentence: 'Your mother would've enjoyed telling you the story behind this photo. -S'
"S?" Hermione murmured thoughtfully before perking up with an idea, "Oh! Maybe it stands for Severus! He must've been the one to send you the photo last year too. Maybe he's a close friend of your mum?"
"Yeah…" Harry said as he looked down reverently at the photo in his hand, "I wonder who he is though and if he'll ever tell me. It'd be nice to learn about my mum from when she was younger."
After opening up the rest of their presents, the trio joined the Weasleys, barring Percy of course who'd disappeared on another patrol with Penelope, in horsing around the common room until lunch. Then they took their horsing around to the snow outside until it was time to come in for dinner.
The Great Hall looked just as magnificent as it did last year with a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees, thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing across the walls, and enchanted snow falling warm and dry from the ceiling.
Due to the tiny amount of students still left, the atmosphere between them and the professors felt more relaxed and intimate. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favorite carols. Hagrid regaled them with stories as he boomed louder and louder with every goblet of eggnog he drank. McGonagall and Flitwick charmed some of the trees to do a little jig. Even Snape looked less sour than usual, actually engaging in pleasant conversation with Sprout and Sinistra while Trelawny watched with a goofy smile that held a cryptic undertone if one were to look hard enough.
No one knew where Lockhart was and no one cared enough to ask.
Harry and Ron had barely finished their third helping of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the hall to finalize their plans for the evening.
"We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," Hermione said, "A couple of hairs from Crabbe and Goyle should do. We also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're investigating so Seth and I came up with this."
She held up two delicious looking chocolate cupcakes.
"They're filled with a dose of sleeping draught that will knock them out for a couple hours," she explained, "All you need to do is make sure they find them. They're both greedy enough when it comes to food that they're bound to eat them no questions asked. Once they're out, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in the nearest broom closet."
Harry and Ron shared incredulous looks but kept their opinions to themselves as they each grabbed a cupcake.
"What about you? Who're you transforming into?" Ron asked.
"Unfortunately, I won't be transforming since none of the girls in Slytherin stuck around and it'd be suspicious if one did suddenly show up," Hermione responded, "Instead I'll use Harry's invisibility cloak and sneak in with you both and conduct my own investigation while you two interrogate Malfoy."
The boys shared incredulous looks again and this time, vocalized their opinions.
"Hermione, I don't think-" "This could go wrong in so many ways-"
"Just stick to the plan and do everything you can," she interrupted with a steely glint in her eyes, "Don't forget what's at stake here."
Harry frowned, remembering again what Dumbledore said about shutting down the school. At that moment, he wondered if he should tell the two of them about that conversation. But before he got the chance, Hermione bustled off to check on the polyjuice potion again leaving the boys behind to stand there dumbly with cupcakes in hand.
Ron sighed. "And there she goes." He looked at Harry in resignation. "Shall we?"
Harry nodded with grim determination. "We shall."
XXXXXX
To Harry and Ron's utter amazement, Hermione's plan managed to work perfectly and soon the boys pulled a few hairs off of the passed out Crabbe and Goyle. They dragged the two Slytherins into a broom closet and locked them inside, quietly hoping they wouldn't awaken anytime soon or that anyone would find them. They also stole their shoes since their own were too small.
The boys quickly returned to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and, after much encouragement and reassurance followed by a healthy dose of threatening from Hermione, downed their respective polyjuice potions. Now with Harry as Goyle and Ron as Crabbe, they made their way down to the dungeons with Hermione hidden underneath the invisibility cloak.
However, as soon as they reached the middle of the dungeons, they realized they had a problem.
"Um, guys, do you know where's the Slytherin common room?" Harry nervously asked.
Hermione opened the cloak to reveal her face and gave a frustrated sigh. "Oh shoot. I knew we were forgetting something."
"How do you forget something as important as knowing where we're supposed to go for our investigation?" Ron asked incredulously.
She scowled at him. "Well if you hadn't noticed, I was a bit busy making the potion that would help us get there in the first place."
"So what now?" Harry interjected before a fight could take place, "We've only got a little under an hour left right?"
Hermione went to answer but then immediately hid back under the cloak, disappearing from view and confusing the boys.
"There you two are."
They stiffened and turned to see Draco strolling over towards them.
Draco frowned. "I've been looking everywhere for you two. What're you doing, just standing there?" Before they could answer, he asked, "Don't tell me you forgot where our common room is again?"
Harry and Ron shuffled about in a manner that Draco construed as embarrassment and he shook his head in disbelief. "Honestly. You two are already second years. Why don't you act like it?" He walked past them and then looked back when he saw they weren't following. "Well come on then. We haven't got all night."
The boys plus one invisible Hermione scrambled to follow after Draco. They soon arrived in front of a bare stonewall with the only decorations being large ornate iron torch holders shaped like snakes wrapped around never flickering torches.
"Pureblood," Draco said to the wall that soon parted to reveal a passageway. He marched through with the trio following him.
When they arrived in the common room, the trio couldn't help but look around the interior in awe. The room was a long low underground room with large stonewalls and ornate silver and green decorations and furniture. There was a dimness created by the round greenish lamps hanging from the ceiling on chains that should've seemed intimidating but was actually rather calming. Overall, it looked like a very large sitting room that wouldn't be out of place in some goth royalty's castle.
Draco guided them towards the sofas and chairs and dropped down into one with a heavy sigh.
"Something wrong?" Ron tentatively asked as he and Harry shared a surprisingly comfortable sofa.
"No, nothing's wrong," Draco sarcastically responded, "I only received another letter from my father which only served to make me relieved that I chose to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays. I don't know if I'd be able to handle him right now."
"Why don't you want to be around him?" Harry couldn't help but ask.
That seemed to be a terrible question to ask as it gave Draco full permission to unload all of his frustrations in a massive rant. "It's because father has started to become more and more pushy about his expectations for me as the Malfoy heir. He keeps preaching about the image I need to project and trying to police every move I make. The Ministry's raid for dark artifacts has only made him worse, especially after the raid on our manor. Of course, not much was found, I know all about how many dark artifacts we have. But now I can't help but be suspicious as to where they went and how father managed to offload them so quickly."
He waved the subject away dismissively now that he was done. "Anyways, enough about that. I read through the Daily Prophet today and I'm surprised they haven't reported on the attacks yet given all the hysteria before the holidays. I wonder if Dumbledore's trying to keep the whole thing quiet so he won't get sacked?"
Harry felt sick at the thought of Dumbledore having to shut the school down and being removed as the Headmaster as well.
Draco sighed. "And then there's the whole thing with the Chamber of Secrets. Honestly, how can anyone believe that Harry Potter is the heir of Slytherin? Harry Potter? How much more idiotic can you get?"
Harry and Ron waited with bated breath for what Draco would say next, hoping it was the true identity of the heir.
"I just wish I knew who it was so I can give them a piece of my mind and throw them into Azkaban myself," Draco said darkly.
Harry's eyes widened in surprise and Ron's jaw dropped but he also looked a little relieved at the revelation that Draco wasn't involved in the Chamber of Secrets business. It was hard finding competent wizard's chess opponents after all.
"Why's that?" Harry eventually managed to force himself to ask.
Draco scowled. "From what father told me, the Chamber of Secrets had been opened before, 50 years ago, and a student died. It almost closed down the school for good and now history's repeating itself and if the culprit isn't caught, the school's going to be shut down and then we'll be sent to Dumstrung which I would like to never be an option thank you very much. I don't do well in that sort of extreme cold weather and I don't know a lick of Bulgarian. Of course, Beaubaxton is fine as a school too but I'd rather not have to remember the French lessons mother made me take as a child."
Harry refrained from saying that Draco was still a child, that they all were actually, which began to bring about some thoughts he didn't want to think about so he quickly shut it down. Then he wanted to ask about what Dumstrung and Beaubaxton were but decided now was not the time for such unrelated questions.
"Well the school's still open 50 years later, does that mean the culprit was caught?" Ron asked.
Draco shrugged. "A culprit was caught and after they were expelled, the attacks stopped. But now that they're starting again, I have my doubts that the student they caught was the culprit." He shifted restlessly in his chair. "I want to do my own investigation to find the culprit but father's been sending me letter after letter telling me to keep my head down and let the heir of Slytherin get on with it. But I refuse."
"Why?" Harry asked, confused.
Draco suddenly looked embarrassed and gazed around the common room to see if there was anyone nearby who could overhear only to remember that they were the only Slytherins left. He cleared his throat to clear up his embarrassment much to Harry and Ron's bewilderment. "It's because of Sorenson, obviously."
The boys were taken aback, surprised, bewildered, befuddled, shocked, and every related synonym in the thesaurus. They certainly hadn't expected that sort of answer. Even Hermione was so surprised she almost dropped the trinket she'd been examining near the fireplace and had to slap a hand over her mouth to make sure she didn't accidentally make a sound of her disbelief.
Draco scowled when he saw the boys' reaction, cheeks flushed a bright pink from embarrassment. "Don't look at me like that! It's not my fault Sorenson's so insistent on being friends. No matter how many times I tell him to sod off he keeps coming back like some blood thirsty tick."
Ron snorted in amusement and Harry struggled to hold back his laughter.
"Stop that already!" Draco snapped without any true heat given the way his cheeks flushed to a darker shade of red, "Now that Sorenson's ignored all my personal boundaries, I can't be held responsible for being just a little bit concerned for him."
That immediately sobered Ron and Harry up.
"Why are you worried?" Ron asked.
"I already told you, I'm not worried. I'm just…a little bit, tiny amount of concerned," Draco said.
Off of Ron and Harry's unimpressed looks, Draco continued. "It's just weird the way Sorenson has been acting these past few months. I hope he takes the holidays to get himself together again because as annoying as he may be, he is still a valuable acquaintance even if he is a muggleborn. And no, we're not friends so stop laughing at me like that again!"
He cut himself and stared wide eyed at Ron and Harry. "Hang on, what's going on with you two now? Did you eat something you shouldn't have again?"
Harry looked at him dumbly. "Huh?"
Draco pointed at him and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Your face and hair are changing."
Harry and Ron looked alarmed. The time limit for the potion had been reached and they were changing back.
"Um, my stomach, not feeling too good," Ron stammered out in response.
Harry nodded and grunted, "Me too, hospital wing."
The boy sprung up from where they were seated and tried to make a break for it only for Draco to pull out his wand and point it at them. "Locomotor Mortis!"
The spell struck true and both boys' legs locked together, forcing them to face plant on the ground as they slowly returned to their original appearance.
Draco turned red with rage. "Potter! Weasley!"
Ron rolled around and held his hands up to stop the furious Slytherin, frantically trying to salvage the situation. "Wait Malfoy! We've got a good reason for why we're here!"
"It better be the best reason possible," Draco growled, "Otherwise I should turn you over to McGonagall and Snape right now and see what sort of punishment they'll give you for breaking into another house's common room!"
"It wasn't exactly breaking in when you let us in," Harry stupidly pointed out, not making the situation any better.
"That's because I thought you were Vince and Greg!" Draco shouted and then gaped in realization, "Which, wait, don't tell me you used polyjuice potion?"
"How'd you know?" Ron asked, a little stunned.
"Sorenson asked me to help him get ingredients for it," Draco said before smacking himself on the forehead, "Ugh! Stupid! Stupid! I knew I shouldn't have let him convince me to help him but he just looked so utterly depressing that it was depressing me." He shook his head to focus. "Anyways, give me one good reason why I shouldn't report you right now."
"Uhhh…" Harry said, suddenly blanking out because of the insane situation they'd landed themselves in.
Draco growled. "Alright then, fine. I'm going to call for Snape."
"Wait! Don't!" Ron exclaimed.
"It's because we're trying to conduct our own investigation on the Chamber of Secrets!" Hermione blurted out in a panicked rush.
Draco whirled around, frightened by the appearance of what seemed to be a disembodied voice. "Who said that?!"
Hermione threw off the invisibility cloak to reveal herself and Draco gaped at her.
"Granger?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?!" He screeched in outrage.
"Look Malfoy, I'm sorry for the way we went about doing this but it was really for a good cause," Hermione calmly explained, "We wanted to investigate and search for clues on the Chamber of Secrets and the Slytherin common room seemed like the best place to do so."
"That's-" Draco began, trying to find some hole in her logic only to scowl when he realized she had a good point, "Alright fine, I can see the logic behind your course of action. But that doesn't mean I have to like it nor should it exempt you from punishment considering you broke so many rules to do so that you could be expelled."
Hermione looked nervous, no longer pushed by the outrage over what was happening to the students now that she was faced with the prospect of expulsion, a fate worse than death in her opinion.
"However," Draco said, looking thoughtful, "How about we strike a deal?"
The trio looked at him in bewilderment.
"A deal?" Harry asked, incredulously.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes Potter, a deal. You help me find the heir of Slytherin to fix my house's reputation and stop the school from potentially being shut down and I won't tell the professors that you broke enough rules to be expelled."
The trio shared looks of trepidation.
"What's the catch?" Ron asked, knowing how devious Draco could be when it came to making strategic moves.
But Draco shook his head. "No catch. Those are the terms of the deal. You can either take it or be expelled," he said.
The trio shared looks again. It's not like they had any other choice given the way Draco presented the ultimatum.
Hermione sighed. "Alright, fine. You have a deal."
"Excellent! Now," Draco pointed his wand at the still leg locked Harry and Ron, "Finite Incantatem."
The boys' legs were unlocked and they slowly pushed themselves up with a groan, still sore from when they were forced to kiss the ground.
"Shall we start our investigation now?" Draco asked.
The trio nodded and they split up in order to search around the common room for any clues about the heir and the Chamber of Secrets. As they were searching, Harry couldn't help but send a sly grin Draco's way that caused the Slytherin to frown.
"What?" He snapped at the bespectacled boy.
"So you see Seth as a friend, eh?" Harry couldn't help but ask with a sly grin.
Draco sputtered in protest. "I already told you I don't! We're barely acquaintances at best!"
Ron snorted. "That's not what you told us."
"Oh shut up Weasley!"
They eventually returned to searching after poking fun at Draco for a little bit longer. Then Draco paused from his sifting through a bookshelf when a realization came to him.
"Hang on, what happened to Vince and Greg?"
The trio stiffened and looked at him with sheepish guilt.
Ron chuckled nervously under Draco's sharp glare. "Ah. Knew we forgot something."
XXXXXX
Meanwhile on the other side of the country, Seth was torn on how to feel about his holiday. On one hand, most everyone was walking on eggshells around him and Kendra whenever they were in the same room, just waiting for another explosion to occur between the siblings. On the other, Bracken and Vanessa had gone back to acting normal with and around him which was nice.
Speaking of Kendra, there still hadn't been a clear resolution to the conflict between them. Oh they were civil, don't get him wrong. But just being civil with his sister was weird and he wished they'd just get the talk over with so they could clearly define where they stood with each other.
However, there were two problems with that.
One, something would always interrupt them whenever she managed to get him alone whether it be the grandparents demanding they complete their respective chores or some preserve related issue one of them needed to help take care of.
The other was that he himself was guilty of not really wanting to talk to her, completely afraid of what she had to say. So he'd do whatever he could to make himself scarce so as to minimize the chances she could get him truly alone.
He knew this wasn't a healthy way of dealing with his problems but give him a break. He got involved in dangerous magical creature adventuring preserve business at the actual physical and mental age of 11 so excuse him for not exactly growing up in the most stable of environments. Though he would never regret it and would always choose Fablehaven if given the chance again.
Anyways, everything between the brother and sister eventually reached a breaking point again and Seth decided to throw his self-imposed rule about the diary out the window and go write to Tom as soon as possible. He vaguely thought about how his dependency on the diary was like a drug addict needing another hit but he was too keyed up from nerves and anxiety to think much about it.
He pawed through his things, searching for the diary only for panic to well up inside him the longer he searched with no diary in sight. He suddenly realized that he didn't pack it, most likely forgetting it in his rush to catch the train. Upon that realization, his breathing became quick and shallow, his heart rate jumped through the roof, and his vision began to cloud.
In short, he was freaking the hell out and the only way to stop it was to break something.
Unfortunately for him, there wasn't anything he could afford to break in his room that wouldn't cost a pretty penny to replace or cast some kind of curse on him. And it just so happened that this was the moment Kendra decided that if she couldn't corner him anywhere else on the preserve, she'd have no choice but to do it in his room.
"Seth? You there?" She called through his closed door.
He vaguely wondered if he remembered to lock it as he responded through gritted teeth, "Go away, Kendra!"
But she wasn't having any of it. "C'mon Seth! We're already a week into the holidays and I refuse to let this cold war continue."
"I'm kinda busy! Can it wait?"
"No! We're going to talk now and not wait last minute like we always end up doing with important emotional stuff!"
"That's-" he began to protest only to realize she was kinda right, "Okay, fine, you have a point. But seriously, now's not a good time."
"I don't care Seth. I'm coming in whether you like it or not so you better be decent!"
"Wait-"
She opened the door, rudely (in his opinion) barging into his room and the first sight she saw was of her little brother looking like he wanted to punch something while in the throes of a downward spiral.
She frowned and marched over to him, grabbing him by the arm. "Come on."
He didn't argue as she dragged him out of the house and all the way through the forest to the little clearing where they liked to spar whenever the mood struck them. Suspiciously, they didn't run into anyone or anything the entire way there but Seth wasn't in the right mindset to care.
Kendra eventually let his arm go and threw something at him. He barely caught it and realized it was his sword. He also belatedly realized she had her own sword sheathed in the belt around her waist.
"Uh, what are we doing?" He dumbly asked.
"We, are sparring," she said as if it were a no-brainer.
He slowly nodded. "Okay. But…why are we sparring?"
"Because you look like you need to hit something and this is the only way I can get you alone long enough for that talk."
He sighed as he pulled his sword out of its scabbard. "Fair enough. First to hit?"
She shook her head. "You're not getting away from me that easily. First to incapacitate."
"Fine," he agreed with a grumble.
The two of them began their spar, swords clashing against each other again and again. Time ticked by without either of them speaking to the other as Kendra waited for Seth to get everything out of his system before she tried to say anything.
Eventually, he calmed. His once tense grip on his sword loosening, his stance no longer stiff and rigid, and his movements were precise and calculated instead of reckless and driven by emotion. That's when she finally spoke.
"I'm sorry."
Seth paused mid charge and lowered his sword. He waited for her to continue.
"None of what I said are things that I genuinely believe and I only said it because I know you just like you know me. So I knew exactly what I needed to say in order to hurt you and get you to stop focusing on becoming an Eternal."
He furrowed his brow and snarled as anger welled within him at her admission. He resumed his charge, bringing his sword down at her head which she blocked and then used her sword to push him back. But he continued forward, each strike being met by her as he slowly pushed her back.
"Why?" He couldn't help but angrily shout, "What's so wrong about me wanting to be an Eternal? It's not like I'm interested in being immortal but you know that ever since the day we decided to become official caretakers that we would always be a package deal. We're night and day, two sides of the same coin. We promised we would always trust one another and watch each other's backs."
With one last frustration filled strike, he knocked her sword out of her hands. He held the tip of his sword at her as she raised her hands in surrender.
"Tell me why, Kendra. Why after all this time do you want to stop me from keeping that promise? I know I'm a little shit 90 percent of the time but did you really not trust me enough to at least tell me the truth?"
There was a moment of silence as he waited for her to answer.
"I do trust you Seth, even if you are a little shit. It's because of the truth that I'm afraid to tell you. I didn't even want to believe it when I first heard it but once I finally accepted it and decided to tell you, you'd been cursed and de-aged," she said, looking at him with an expression full of regret. "It hit me then how young you were, how young we both were when we got involved in Fablehaven and everything it entailed. And I was so afraid for you that I let that fear control my actions."
"But what are you so afraid of?"
She initially hesitated but pushed past it because she did owe him the truth at the very least. "I know you don't like to think about it but we've always been treated differently. That difference only got worse once I became fairykind and you a shadow charmer."
"Because you're of the light and I'm of the dark."
"Exactly. And while many have gotten over themselves or not let their prejudice against the dark change how they treat you as a person, there are still those who will never trust the dark no matter what. Not even if their own stupidity slaps them in the face."
It took a moment before Seth understood who she was referencing to. His eyes widened and he lowered his sword in shock. "Agad."
Kendra nodded. "He may be permanently stuck in human form now but he's always going to be a dragon. And dragons follow their own whims before deigning to consider the logic of mortals like us. Agad, he will always view anything of the dark with contempt and as something to be destroyed."
"But he let the Sphinx become an Eternal."
"Only because everyone forced him too. Agad, he did something during the ceremony. Something that allowed the Sphinx to still retain his abilities to protect himself but also made him more vulnerable to its downsides. If he were to reach beyond the limits placed, it would punish him for it. You know how he's missing a few fingers now?"
He nodded, wary of the answer.
"Well he tried to summon some wraiths but his control of them broke when the limit was breached and they tried to devour him. He lost a few fingers before managing to escape."
Seth looked like he was going to be sick. Kendra continued, no longer holding back for his sake.
"When I began to prepare for my ceremony, Agad told me how, if you were to become an Eternal too, he'd do the same thing to you as he did to the Sphinx because and I quote 'No one can trust anything associated with the dark. It's only a matter of time before the Sphinx bites off more than he can chew and we'll finally be able to wash our hands of him.' Preferably after I became an Eternal of course."
She paused to let that sink in.
"And that scared me so much, Seth. Because you are an amazing adventurer, a strong warrior, and a brilliant shadow charmer. You're a proven case of how the dark isn't inherently evil but it's the people and creatures who wield it that make it so. And to hear that someone who's in charge of the Eternal ceremony would make it so if you were to become one, you'd be fated to die…"
She trailed off with a shudder, not wanting to say it but he could tell exactly how she felt about it and he understood. If someone told him they'd find a way to make sure Kendra died because of her abilities one day, he'd also not want her to get involved. Especially not after believing he'd lost her that first time all those years ago.
"Thanks Kendra, for telling me the truth," he said, genuinely grateful.
"Of course," she said, smiling bitterly, "I should've done so from the beginning. Then maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."
He picked up her sword and handed it back to her.
"I'm going to earn back your trust, Seth. No matter what it takes," she solemnly pledged.
He smiled. "If it helps, you've already gotten a lot of it back by telling me all that, especially the bit about Agad."
"Still, it was the least I should've done. Maybe…" she paused, looking thoughtful, "Maybe you could invite some of your school friends to Fablehaven? Grandma and Grandpa said as long as you can trust them, they can come visit."
Seth was taken aback by that. "Huh? I mean, I was planning to ask but I didn't think I'd get permission."
"You don't have many friends outside of the preserves," Kendra explained, "I guess this is our family's way of helping you keep the connections you make at Hogwarts."
He scowled. "Uh, rude. I have friends outside of the preserves. They just…don't know about the preserves." He grimaced. "Okay, I see your point so you can stop looking so smug now."
"Smug? Me? I would never," she said with a smug grin.
He rolled his eyes at her but still smiled. "Sure you wouldn't. But you know, I'm glad we had this talk."
"Yeah…so you wanna tell me way you were spiraling earlier?"
"Baby steps to trust, Kendra, baby steps to trust."
She snorted, easily conceding much to his relief. "Alright, fine. I won't push."
"Great! So…what should we do about Agad? Because I'm not going to give up on being an Eternal. Someone needs to watch your back and as much as I trust Bracken, I'd prefer if it were me."
She hummed. "Dunno. But we'll figure it out together, just like we always do."
He nodded with a grin. "Together."
Then the two walked out of the forest where they were greeted by their friends and family who looked relieved that the cold war between them was finally over.
XXXXXX
The day after Christmas, with the atmosphere around the Fablehaven Preserve much lighter now that brother and sister were no longer fighting, Seth received a letter from the Frosted Peaks Sanctuary.
"Who's it from?" Kendra asked.
Seth opened the letter and saw it was an invitation for tea and a chat. "Huh. It's from Yeshe."
"Yeshe?" She said before she remembered who that was, "Oh, you mean that dragon from…"
He gave her a look and she smiled sheepishly when she realized grandpa was nearby. Grandpa looked over at them in question only for that look to turn into suspicion when the siblings smiled innocently at him before turning back to the letter.
"So are you going to go?" Kendra asked.
Seth looked down at the end of the invitation - I hope to continue the chat we began that night. "Yeah."
She put a hand on his shoulder in both comfort and encouragement. "Alright then, do you want me to go with you?"
He shook his head. "No. I think I should go by myself."
She nodded and went to tell Grandpa about the invitation. The very next day, Seth was walking through the winding pathways of the Frosted Peaks Sanctuary. He was guided by one of the caretakers who led him to a large sitting room made completely of solid ice.
A Tibetan woman with long white hair and striking navy blue eyes sat at the table set up in the middle with tea and snacks laid out across its surface. Seth walked over and the woman looked up at him with a smile.
"Hello again, Seth Sorenson."
He raised a hand up in greeting. "Hey there Yeshe. So this is what you look like as a human then?"
"Yes. I find this form quite convenient when I wish to indulge in the many wonders of the human world," she said.
He snorted in amusement. "I'll bet. You ever go around the wizarding world like this?"
She smiled. "Of course. After all, it's quite amusing to hear the current generation's dragonologists boast their primitive knowledge of dragons while within earshot of said dragons."
Seth chuckled as he sat down.
"Tea?"
"Sure!"
He accepted the offered cup of butter tea and took a sip, sighing as warmth flooded into him. While he was more at home in the cold than Kendra, the chill of the sanctuary was definitely more than he was used to. The two sat in silence for a bit, enjoying the tea and snacks before indulging in idle chatter about the wizarding world and their respective preserves.
Eventually, Yeshe put down her cup and the atmosphere shifted. Seth instinctively straightened up and prepared himself for the conversation that was sure to follow.
"I'm sure you know exactly why I have invited you here."
"Besides sharing tea and snacks with good company?" He jokingly said.
She let out a huff of amusement. "Yes, besides that."
"Yeah, I know," he nodded, setting all joking aside, "You wanted to finish telling me what you knew about the mirror."
"That is correct."
He took that as his cue to continue. "So all you've told me so far is that it's like the mirror guesses what it thinks we want, like a tip of the iceberg shallow kind of want or something like that."
Yeshe hummed. "I suppose that was a rather crude way for me to explain it but it is something to that effect. The mirror indeed reads your heart and shows you what it believes you desire, that is no lie."
"But there's something else to it right?"
She nodded. "The mirror, it reads your heart to find what it is you are most insecure about, the uncertainties you harbor inside, the flaws you refuse to see, the desires you would never indulge in, the terrible thoughts you would never admit to. Then it offers you the balm to soothe all of your troubles. However, all of it is shallow, temporary, and can never offer what it is you truly seek."
"So that's why you said what you said. How Harry seeing his parents is because he wants familial love and connection and Ron saw him having more achievements than his brothers because he wants to stand out from them and not be compared…"
"That is correct," she said with a grim expression, "In my opinion, the mirror is a sinister piece of magic with its ability to enrapture the mind with enticing yet false promises. There is a reason many have died gazing into its surface."
Seth swallowed thickly and pushed himself to ask the question he really didn't want to ask. "So then what about me?"
"What about you?"
"...what did my Mirror of Erised desire say about me?"
Yeshe was silent for a moment as she gazed deep into his eyes, as if searching through his soul. Whatever she found there made her frown and Seth began to grow anxious for her response. But she merely shook her head and offered him a gentle smile.
"You saw yourself with great power at your fingertips, standing above your friends and family who groveled before you in fear and awe." He hesitantly nodded. "I believe that desire comes from the fact that you are a shadow charmer, mortals who are not necessarily evil because of their abilities but have become associated as such due to their immorality."
She took a sip of tea to allow a pause before continuing. "You are afraid that you will become the same as those before you and have worked hard to prove yourself to everyone as both an adventurer and as a person. However, the stigma of shadow charmers still follows. I believe that it was the cause between a rather explosive argument between you and your sister, was it not?"
He was taken aback by her knowledge and nodded. "Yeah, it was. How'd you know?"
"I sensed a great strife within you had only recently been resolved," she answered, "Continuing on, it is because of that stigma you sometimes wonder if all of your efforts are worth anything at all and wouldn't it be so much better to simply be the big, bad shadow charmer others still fear you will become?"
"That's-" he began to protest only to deflate because it was the unfortunate truth, "Yeah, sounds about right."
She smiled encouragingly at him. "Do not berate yourself for thinking in such a way, Seth. It's only natural that those thoughts would occur. After all, if someone is told they will be one thing their entire life despite all their attempts to be another, it wouldn't be odd for them to eventually succumb to becoming the very thing everyone claims they will be."
Seth immediately thought of the Slytherins and how everyone treated them like terrorists to be despite many of them being otherwise. Yeshe nodded as if she knew what he was thinking.
"You should be proud, Seth. The fact that you have not swayed in your path shows that you have a great heart, a strong mind, and an unbending will. All things that will change the tune of the naysayers even though it may take a great deal of time to do so."
"Yeah…" He said, smiling at how her words seemed to uplift and rejuvenate his spirit. He nodded to her gratefully. "Thanks Yeshe. I think I really needed to hear that."
"You're quite welcome, Seth." Then her smile dropped as she looked at him with a serious expression. "However, there is something else I need to speak with you about."
"Uh…sure?"
She paused as if trying to figure out how to word her question as delicately as possible. "Has there been any…changes to your life recently? Besides the argument with your sister of course. Someone new in your life? A hobby you've picked up? An artifact you may have come across?"
Seth immediately thought about the diary and whatever inner peace he managed to achieve thus far was replaced with a sharp spike of anxiety. "That's, um…I don't-"
"Seth. This is very important. Please answer the question."
He fidgeted nervously in his seat and quietly admitted, "There is something, I guess…"
She looked at him sharply. "Explain."
He did so, telling her everything about the diary and what had been happening since he started writing in it. As he spoke, he saw her growing more and more alarmed and even he began to realize that maybe the diary wasn't as good for him as he initially believed it to be.
"Seth," she began after he finished explaining, "I do not know what this diary is without examining it myself but you must rid yourself of it as soon as possible."
"But that's, it's important! It's been helping me! I need it!" He sputtered out in protest because he still had a dependency on it even if he could admit to having a problem.
Yeshe frowned and leaned forward, reaching a hand out towards him. Before he could ask her what she was doing, she tapped the middle of his forehead with a finger and something shook within him.
Suddenly, everything was clear again. Like he'd been walking through a fog for a long time until it disappeared the moment she touched him. He blinked, wondering what the hell just happened. And then everything began to trickle back in bits and pieces - memories he didn't remember making, things he didn't remember doing or saying - and he suddenly felt sick to the stomach as he remembered Harry's words.
"What if you could do something, even something horrible, and not even know you did it?"
"Oh god, I think I'm gonna be sick."
Yeshe snapped her fingers, summoning a generic bucket that Seth grabbed and shoved his head into as the tea and snacks returned from the confines of his stomach. Once he finished, he lifted his head and graciously accepted the offered cup of tea, drinking it slowly and allowing it to calm his nerves.
He put the cup down and groaned. "God. I'm such an idiot. How could I let that happen to me?"
She smiled sympathetically at him. "You are only human, Seth. You were plagued by the reminder of your insecurities and fears because of the mirror and your sister did not help matters when you returned home for the summer. It is not surprising you gave in during a moment of weakness."
"What do I do now?" He glumly asked.
"You must destroy the diary in order to completely break its hold on you," she said with utmost seriousness, "If you have it at Fablehaven, I can help you destroy it now. Or, at the very least, remove it from your presence entirely until it can be destroyed."
He perked up immediately. "Great! Then I'll just-" Then he remembered that the diary was still at Hogwarts. "Ah shoot. It's still at Hogwarts."
She frowned. "That is certainly not ideal. There will be nothing we can do until you return after the holidays."
"Can't we just go to Hogwarts now? You were able to last year, right?" He asked, confused.
She sighed. "That was only with Albus' explicit permission that allowed me to pass the school's wards without being rejected. And even then, he needed to have the request approved by the Ministry as one cannot simply allow a dragon to roam the grounds even in human form and with the Headmaster's permission without the government getting involved. And while we could simply send a missive to Albus and sneak onto the grounds, in this case, asking for forgiveness instead of permission will not work. The Ministry will find out soon enough and that could give them cause to remove Dumbledore as Headmaster."
Seth blanched at the thought of Dumbledore being fired just because he invited a dragon onto mostly empty school grounds in order to destroy a dark artifact without asking the government for permission.
Yeshe snorted in agreement. "Yes, the current Ministry indeed enjoys puffing up and lording their importance in the short term and damn the consequences for the long term. No, unless I'm invited again with the Ministry's approval, I cannot step foot on school grounds. I would have to send a letter of request to Albus but even then, it could take months before I'm approved to return and that is more time than should be allowed for this diary to continue to exist."
"Then what now?" He helplessly asked.
She sighed. "While not ideal, you will have to find a way to destroy the diary. I have cleared your third eye and added a minor enchantment to help defend your soul from further influence but that can only last for so long before it breaks so you will need to be swift."
He nodded and tried to make light of the situation because he'd probably cry if he didn't laugh instead. "Got it. So I've got a deadline to figure out how to destroy an evil diary. No biggie. Just another Tuesday."
She smiled. "I admire your confidence but do be sure not to be too overconfident. And while I would prefer the diary's influence not spread, if you must, tell only the people you trust to help you in this endeavor."
Seth immediately thought about Luna and nodded. "Alright. I'll be careful. I promise."
"Good. Now I believe I've taken enough of your time for today. I hope we will be able to do this again, preferably with Albus as he's always pressing me for stories of the preserves and I'm sure you have far more interesting tales to share than I would," she said.
He placed a hand on his chest and dramatically said, "Me? Having better stories to tell than a dragon who's lived more lifetimes than most people on this earth? Not likely."
She grinned. "Or maybe more likely than you think." Then her expression softened. "Until next time, Seth Sorenson. May the winds bless you on your arduous endeavor."
XXXXXX
It was now the end of winter break and Seth was actually rather sad about having to leave Fablehaven for Hogwarts, especially since he'd reconciled with Kendra and their bond seemed to return to the strength it had before the whole summer kerfuffle. However, he had a mission to complete and he refused to allow the diary to exist for another day. So he walked with purpose through the wall and onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters.
"Hold on, Seth," Kendra said, stopping him before he could board the express.
He turned to her in confusion. "What's up?"
She smiled and said, "I've got one last gift for you."
He raised an eyebrow in question as she pulled out a silver and mithril thread braided bracelet with three charms attached - a pair of fairy wings, a unicorn horn, and a sword. Both his eyebrows rose to his hairline as he recognized the bracelet as it was basically a carbon copy of the one he gave her many Christmases ago and was still worn on her wrist to this day.
"I charmed it with the help of Bracken and the Fairy Queen so that if you ever need me, just take hold of the charms, call out my name, and I'll come running no matter where you are," she explained.
"Kendra…" He pulled her in for a hug. "Thanks."
She easily returned the hug with a soft smile. "You're my little brother. It's the least I can do."
He released her from the hug and took the bracelet, putting it on his right wrist and showed it off to her with a grin. The express then took that moment to announce the last call for boarding and Kendra ushered him into the nearest car.
He stepped into the car but didn't leave the doorway, turning to her with a smile. "I'm looking forward to helping you out for your ascension ceremony!"
She grinned. "You better. I'm gonna make you work so hard you're gonna wish you didn't want to help instead."
He playfully stuck his tongue out at her and the two siblings laughed as the door closed, separating brother from sister. They waved farewell to each other as the train slowly chugged out of the station. Seth watched as Kendra slowly disappeared in the distance and once she was completely gone from view, he turned away and took a deep breath.
It was time to focus on the task ahead.
And scene! Hope you guys enjoyed the long chapter this time cause boy did I have some trouble figuring out what was going to happen during it. Of course we have our obligatory what's going on at Hogwarts during winter holidays part since that's vital for the plot. It also serves as a set up for where a certain character's journey will take them in the future *upupupu*. Also hope you guys like the fact that I threw Draco into the investigation mix cause that will certain create some interesting situations in this fic and future ones to come.
Anyways, I hope everything that happened in Seth's portion of the winter holidays made sense and don't have any glaring plot holes. I did my best coming up with good ways for him to make up with Kendra while also making him aware of the fact that the diary is indeed very BADTM. Also not me bringing back a plot device that only existed for a few chapters in the first book and then was never seen or heard from again to achieve this goal *insert nervous laughter*.
Regardless, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one. Until then!