Harry was not sure how long he stood with his arms wrapped around the Headmaster as the tears flowed freely from his eyes. The man was whispering comfortingly to him, rubbing his back gently with his hands, and eventually, Harry managed to pull himself together long enough to step back.
He looked up into Dumbledore's kindly face for only a moment before he slowly turned to the body of Serana. His bottom lip began to wobble again when he saw her, but nevertheless, he took a step closer to his friend and, with a wave of his wand, he vanished the conjured spike that had killed her.
When he did, her now-freed head lolled to the side lifelessly, and Harry began to sob again. Behind him, Dumbledore drew his white wand from his robes and, with a great surge of power, the stone that had held her lifted into the air for a moment before settling back into the floor it had been pulled from.
"Come, Harry," Dumbledore said breathlessy to the boy, placing his hand on his shoulder from behind. "Fawkes will take us back to my Office."
Harry nodded but stepped forward toward the Basilisk, laying his forehead on Serana's snout. "Goodbye, Serana. I'm so sorry."
Dumbledore allowed him to have a moment before he cleared his throat. Harry turned once he had done so and allowed the Headmaster to place his hand gently on his elbow.
"Fawkes?"
With a flash, Harry experienced his first travel by Phoenix fire, and only a second later he opened his eyes to find himself in the Headmaster's Office.
"Harry!" Daphne cried as soon as he appeared, rushing over from the window she had been nervously pacing by toward him. When she reached him, she wrapped her arms around him immediately.
Harry brought his own arms up weakly to embrace her, breathing heavily from his nose and inhaling her scent. As fresh tears began to fall, he felt smaller arms wrap around him from behind, and a small part of his mind absently recognised that it must be Astoria. Then, finally, huge tree-trunk like arms wrapped around all three of them, much gentler than one might imagine, as Hagrid joined in the hug.
Harry was barely cognisant of what was happening in the Office around him and thus did not hear the flames in the fireplace flare, nor the Headmaster speaking softly and urgently, nor when the flames flared again and two people stepped out of the flames into the office.
He did, however, hear the voice that spoke to him after its owner had walked toward the group. "Harry?"
Daphne and Astoria both gasped, their arms dropping from his body and, after a moment, Hagrid took their lead and let go of them, stepping back to give the newcomer space. As soon as they had, Harry whirled and immediately stepped into the arms of Marie Greengrass.
Whilst Daniel wrapped his own arms around his daughters, holding them close and frantically asking them if they were harmed, Marie stroked her son's hair gently and kissed his forehead.
"Are you hurt?" She asked him gently.
Harry shook his head, his breath shuddering. "N-no, but Serana...she-"
"I know, baby, I know," Marie finished for him softly, her hands rubbing on his back. Harry began to truly weep then, safe in the arms of the woman who was the closest thing to a mother he had ever known, and he began to mourn for the loss of his friend.
"Hagrid," Dumbledore called, gaining the attention of the large man. "If you would be so kind, could you please find Professors McGonagall and Snape and ask them to join us here, my friend?"
"Of course, Professor Dumbledore, sir, righ' away," Hagrid replied quickly. The man reached out again to pat Harry gently on the back, receiving a grateful smile from Marie, before he turned and stepped heavily from the room.
While his wife and son remained standing, Daniel conjured extra chairs for them all. Taking a seat, bringing his two daughters down on either side of him, Daniel turned to Dumbledore, who was sitting wearily in his own chair and stroking Fawkes, who had remained on his shoulder.
"How could this happen, Dumbledore?" Daniel asked the older man, who sighed heavily.
"I believe it is connected to the plot you told me of, Daniel," Dumbledore spoke slowly, continuing to caress his familiar. "And, from what Serana herself told Harry, the only way for her to be controlled against her will is if a descendant of Salazar Slytherin commanded her."
Daniel shut his eyes tightly, his worst fears confirmed. "It's him again, then?" Dumbledore made a noise of agreement in response, causing Daniel to open his eyes and look at the man again. "How? How can he be in the castle again?"
Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer before he gasped, followed quickly by the rest of the room. All eyes turned to Harry, who had stepped back from Marie, His arms had lifted into the air as his eyes were screwed shut tightly.
Harry spread his magic further than he ever had before, so much so that it physically hurt, but he continued until he was sure he could feel the entirety of the castle and grounds.
His head pounded as his magic spread, information on what he was feeling assaulting his senses, but he tried to focus on the horrible, dark magic he had felt last year when Voldemort had been waiting for him by the Mirror of Erised.
Eventually, with a frustrated shake of his head, he was forced to give up, dropping his arms back to his sides as his magic rushed back into his body. He staggered violently when it did, kept on his feet only by the strong arms of Marie. He breathed in and out heavily, exhausted after his efforts, but after a moment of recovery he opened his eyes and turned to Dumbledore.
"He isn't here, I can't feel him." Harry reported in an emotionless voice. Slowly, he began to walk toward the chairs, supported the entire way by Marie who thankfully said nothing. He dropped into the chair beside Daphne, who immediately took his hand in hers, her face and eyes worried as she looked at him.
Harry did not notice, as he was still focused on Dumbledore. "How can he control her if he's not here, sir?"
"The book?" Marie suggested as she took the chair on his other side and wrapped her left arm around his shoulder and took his other hand with her right. Her eyes were trained on the Headmaster, however, as he stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"Perhaps," Dumbledore allowed, his own eyes facing out of the window as he thought. "After your warning, I took the liberty of adding to Hogwarts protections with a few of my own, designed to stop certain items from entering the castle at all," Dumbledore reported before chuckling humourlessly. "I am ashamed to report that a number of quite nasty items were confiscated from students' trunks when they arrived at the castle."
"So the book, whatever it is, is something that even you have never heard of?" Marie clarified, sighing heavily when Dumbledore nodded sadly in response.
"Did you search the students' trunks?" Daniel asked, receiving a nod from the Headmaster.
"The Hogwarts Elves checked every trunk as they removed them from the train. They were asked to keep their eyes peeled for any items matching the description you gave me. They found nothing, which leads me to believe that, if the book is in the castle at all, it remained in the possession of whomsoever brought it with them."
A knocking at the door sounded, and after Dumbledore bade the person enter Professor McGonagall stepped into the room, closely followed by Snape, whose eyes immediately darted around the room, his face settling into a displeased scowl when he saw who was present.
"Headmaster, what has happened? I felt Harry's magic as we were making our way here," Professor McGonagall asked in a worried voice when she spotted the rest of the room's occupants. She walked around the desk until she was standing to one side, her eyes now fixed on the tear-stained face of her favourite student. "Harry?"
Harry opened his mouth weakly but found that his voice could not say the words again. He swallowed heavily, his face morphing into a look of heartbreak, so the Professor did not press him and turned back to her boss. "Albus?"
Dumbledore sighed heavily as he conjured a chair for the witch. When Snape walked around to the other end of his desk, he conjured another, but the man ignored it in favour of standing just before the back wall of the room, his hands in his sleeves and an unreadable expression on his face.
"A tragedy has occurred today, Minerva, Severus," Dumbledore began to explain to his staff members. "The guardian of our school is no more."
Harry's face broke completely at this and he turned to bury his head in Marie's shoulder. While she was offering comfort to the boy, Professor McGonagall turned her eyes to him for a moment, quickly working out who the Headmaster meant. "What happened?"
Dumbledore sighed again, leaning back heavily in his chair. "We believe that, somehow, Serana was under the control of Voldemort again."
Professor McGonagall gasped while Snape turned even paler than usual. "How?" The Gryffindor Head-of-House whispered fearfully.
"I do not know at this time," Dumbledore admitted sadly, shaking his head. "Serana attacked young Harry and his friends, along with Hagrid, as soon as they entered the chamber, and only the quick actions and skill of Harry saved all of their lives."
"They should not have been there at all, Headmaster. You give the boy-" Snape started snidely before he was silenced by Dumbledore turning sharply toward him, his eyes furious.
"You made your thoughts perfectly clear during the summer, Severus, you do not need to repeat them now," Dumbledore warned him, raising his bushy eyebrows challengingly at the man, who fell silent, his mouth twisted bitterly.
Whilst Daniel and Marie glared at their children's Head of House, Dumbledore turned back to Professor McGonagall. "Voldemort is not present in the castle, Harry was good enough to check that for us only moments before you arrived."
Snape stepped forward slightly, ignoring the looks he was receiving from the Greengrass parents and looking only at the Headmaster. "Then how could the Dark Lord control the beast?"
Harry stilled from his position leaning on Marie, turning his head slowly toward his Head of House. "Serana was not a beast!" He hissed angrily at the man, who turned his head disdainfully toward him.
"From what I can infer from all I have been told thus far, it tried to kill you, boy, so do not be any more foolish than you usually are and continue under the delusion that it was ever anything more." Snape cruelly spat.
Harry's magic flared immediately in his fury, but Dumbledore jumped to his feet, his own magic heavy in the air as he turned to his Potions Master. "Enough, Severus! If you can not contribute meaningfully to this discussion then you will leave."
Snape, looking rather like a scolded schoolboy, stayed silent so Dumbledore sat back down in his seat. Whilst Daphne and Marie both tried to calm Harry down, Astoria spoke for the first time.
"Can you not search the students, sir? To try and find the book?" She asked, receiving a small smile from the Headmaster.
"Exactly what I was about to propose, Miss Greengrass." He told her, before turning to his Deputy who was nodding her head as she thought. "Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall jumped slightly as she was broken from her thoughts but recovered quickly. "We can, but we would need to provide a reason. We are allowed to check student's trunks at the start of each term to ensure nothing harmful has made its way into the castle, but at any other time we would need to let the Board of Governors know why we are invading the students privacy."
"Hogsmeade, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall spoke again slowly. "Hogsmeade visits have always been a blind spot in the castle's security. We could propose checks after each Hogsmeade weekend, to ensure nothing harmful has been purchased, or passed along, and then brought into the castle."
"When is the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Marie asked as she stroked Harry's hair gently.
"The weekend of October 3rd," Professor McGonagall answered promptly.
"Can we afford to wait that long?" Daniel pressed, receiving an unhappy look from the Headmaster and his Deputy.
"I do not see how else we can proceed, and as it is it will likely take me that long to convince the Board that these new checks are necessary," Dumbledore replied, shaking his head.
They remained in silence for a time, each of them trying to think of other methods, but in the end, none of them were able to propose another option. Harry was leaning heavily on Marie, emotionally and physically exhausted by the events of the day. Professor McGonagall, who had been looking at him sadly, turned to the Headmaster.
"Perhaps Mr. Potter should spend a few days at home, to grieve," She suggested quietly, receiving an understanding nod from the man. Before he could answer, however, another spoke.
"Headmaster, is that truly necessary? Surely the boy is not so weak-" Snape started, but once again Dumbledore shot to his feet and stared angrily at him, even as Marie and Daniel both had to force themselves not to attack the man, the former growling deeply and dangerously.
"Severus, it was Harry who was ultimately the one to release Serana from Tom's control. Though he is blameless, he feels responsible for the death of a close friend, surely you must understand how that would weigh heavily," Dumbledore said meaningfully, looking over his half-moon spectacles sternly at the man, who paled even more.
When Snape said nothing more, Dumbledore sat down again and turned to Harry. "Is that what you want, Harry? I would be happy to permit you to go home for the next week until you are ready to return."
Harry thought about it for a moment before he shook his head slightly. "No, sir, thank you but I'll be okay. I just want to go to bed now."
Dumbledore nodded in acceptance, sharing a look with his Deputy. After he had received her silent agreement he spoke again. "Very well, Harry, but for my own peace of mind I must insist that you do not attend your classes tomorrow." When Harry looked up oddly Dumbledore explained himself. "You need time, Harry, to mourn and come to terms. I will also allow Miss Greengrass to remain with you, I am sure you are both capable of catching up on any work you may miss,"
Harry turned to Daphne, sharing a look with the girl. When she smiled slightly, he turned back to the Headmaster and nodded his head once. "Okay, sir, we won't go to classes tomorrow,"
Dumbledore smiled at him in response, so Harry shakily got to his feet, looking around the room before settling on Daniel and Marie. "Thank you for coming, but I'm really tired. I need to go to bed."
They both nodded, got to their feet and wrapped him in a tight hug. Harry swallowed heavily at the contact, feeling hot tears begin to form again and broke away quickly to walk to the door, stopping only to glance back at Daphne.
Daphne smiled back at him softly, getting to her feet and receiving hugs of her own from her parents. Beside her, Astoria did the same, until they both walked to the door to join Harry.
As Harry was opening the door to lead them out, he heard the voice he was quickly starting to hate more than any other.
"Headmaster, what of the corpse? There are many valuable potions ingredients-"
Harry whirled, his wand shooting from his holster into his hand, but he was stopped from attacking the man when another did so for him. Marie had darted forward quicker than eyes could track and grabbed Snape by the throat with one hand, lifting him high in the air and slamming his back into the bookcase behind the Headmaster. Her other hand held her wand, which was pointed directly between the man's eyes.
Her teeth were bared and sharp as she smiled dangerously up at the Death Eater, who had a look of fear on his face. "So you have decided on remaining a monster, Severus Snape?"
"Let go of-" Snape choked out.
Dumbledore approached cautiously. "Marie, please release Severus,"
Marie turned slowly toward the approaching Headmaster, her predatory smile now focused on him. "No."
She turned back to Snape, barely reacting when Dumbledore drew his own wand to intervene. He paused, however, when the rest of the room's occupants, with the exception of Professor McGonagall, pointed their own at him in return.
It was the Scottish witch who spoke in the ensuing silence, her tone sharp and angry. "Stop this foolishness at once!" She glared around at them all sternly. "Stow your wands and calm yourselves this instant!"
Dumbledore closed his eyes and guiltily put away his wand before turning pleading eyes to Marie, who had no intentions of doing the same. Daniel, who had stowed his own wand, stepped forward toward his wife. "Marie, let him go."
Marie was still staring up at Snape as her husband spoke, her eyes narrowed dangerously. For a few moments it seemed as if she would ignore Daniel, but suddenly she drew her wand back and let go of the Potions Master, who fell heavily to the floor.
As Snape rubbed his neck, breathing heavily, Marie turned to the Headmaster who looked relieved. "No more chances, Dumbledore. The next time he speaks, or acts, out of turn against my children will be the last."
Dumbledore nodded heavily as he looked down at his spy, so Marie then turned to her children who had remained in the doorway. "You will inform me if he does?"
All three of them nodded solemnly, which satisfied the furious mother who walked away from the heap she had left Snape in to stand beside her husband. "Go on, get yourselves off to bed," She said to all of her children, before focusing her gaze solely on Harry. "It will get better with time, dear."
Harry nodded and, after another glance past the woman at Snape, turned to leave the room with Daphne and Astoria. The door closed behind them and the three were silent as they rode the spiral staircase down to the hallway.
They remained in silence until they reached the Ravenclaw common room, when Astoria dived into her sister's arms and hugged her tightly for a moment, before turning and doing the same to Harry. As she was hugging the boy, she locked eyes with her sister.
"You'll look after him?"
Daphne nodded firmly. "Always."
After McGonagall and Snape had both left the Office, the latter glaring at the pair of them as he did, Daniel and Marie were left alone with Dumbledore.
"Could you not have done anything for her, Dumbledore?" Marie asked the man as she sat back in her seat.
Dumbledore shook his head, chuckling slightly. "No, my dear, I could not. I do not believe I could replicate what Harry did."
Marie cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
Dumbledore sighed, steepling his fingers under his chin. "Harry pinned her in place with the stone flooring, wrapping it around her even as she fought to free herself. He did this first when the other three were present and he was also focused on keeping them from harm, and later when his attention was completely on Serana he was able to pin her completely in place. I do not think I could do that without risking extreme harm to my person in the meantime." He smiled slightly to himself, shaking his head. "When I was comforting him after the act, I took it upon myself to remove her bindings. It was a tremendous struggle for me to do so, so I cannot imagine how much power it must have required to keep it in place whilst Serana was actively trying to free herself."
Daniel and Marie both smiled wryly at this, causing Dumbledore to make a noise of interest. Daniel chuckled and leaned forward to clue him in. "He has progressed quickly in his training, he beats me every time now. It took him until mid-August to defeat Marie, but he can do it regularly now he knows he can succeed."
Dumbledore smiled happily at this information, nodding. "What are your plans for his future progress?"
Marie took up their side of the conversation then. "Once he can beat me each time we fight, we will begin facing him together, then when he inevitably can beat us both we will add Daphne and Astoria to our side."
Dumbledore nodded as he furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "And when he can defeat all four of you?"
Daniel snorted. "Well, we're a bit stumped then. We have friends on the continent we could ask to help, but Harry is...special, truly special, and it won't be long before we have nothing more to teach him."
"Perhaps I could offer my assistance?" Dumbledore said after a moment, looking between them. "Once Harry reaches that point, when he can defeat your good selves and others alone, he can face me." When the Greengrass parents cocked their heads he explained his reasonings. "He will need experience facing someone with a great deal of power, and please forgive me for saying so, but I have more power alone than all of your family together."
Neither parent was offended and instead nodded along, agreeing with his assessment. "Will you be able to spare the time? He will want to fight regularly, he is determined to improve rapidly," Daniel asked the man.
Dumbledore smiled again genially, nodding firmly. Absently, his left hand moved over to his right sleeve to touch the Elder Wand.
"I do believe this is more important than many of my other duties. I will find the time."
Before entering the common room, Daphne stopped Harry and reached up to wipe the tear tracks from his cheeks.
Smiling slightly at her care, he led the way into the common room and to their corridor. As he passed Tracey's room, he absently wondered if she had returned, but then realised he did not even know what time it was. Opening the door to his room, he paused for a moment and turned to Daphne, who just smiled again and took his hand before beckoning him onward.
When they entered the room Harry immediately moved over to his bed, kicking off his shoes and lying on top of it. Daphne followed slowly, taking off her own before walking around to the other side and joining him.
She shuffled up close to him, leaning her head on one hand whilst the other began to stroke through his hair gently. Harry sighed, closing his eyes as he relaxed his head into her touch.
"Harry, you understand that Serana wouldn't blame you, don't you?" Daphne said softly to the boy, who turned toward her while keeping his eyes closed.
He sighed heavily. "What if...what if there was something else I could have done?" He whispered softly.
"Then the Headmaster would have suggested it, Harry. You did all you could. If you could have asked her, Serana would have wanted you to do what you did." Daphne assured him, only receiving another sigh from Harry.
Daphne stared at his face, at the sadness that was still present even as his breathing evened out. He had fallen asleep, but Daphne would not leave him yet, she would remain and continue to offer him comfort.
If he had a nightmare, she wanted to be there to support him.
Whilst she continued stroking his hair, she leaned down to kiss him softly on the forehead, whispering "Goodnight," to him. He stirred briefly, shuffling slightly closer to her in his sleep, but did not wake.
Daphne wasn't sure how long she lay beside him, stroking his hair.
Sometime during the early hours of the morning, she blinked awake from her place snuggled into his side, but in the next second her eyes had closed again, her sleepy mind knowing she was where she needed to be.
And, when she awoke fully in the morning, she just sat back up and started to stroke his hair again.
Harry only awoke the next morning when someone began to pound on his bedroom door.
Blinking awake blearily, he looked around confused for a moment as the warm presence on his side suddenly vanished. Sitting up and rubbing his side, he saw Daphne padding around his bed toward the door.
When she opened it, he saw Tracey standing there, looking confused. "Where were you guys? You never showed up for dinner last night."
Daphne did not answer, just turned to Harry who slowly swung his legs to the floor and got up. He walked over to the door and reached out with his arm to pull Tracey in. She took it, and when she was inside he shut the door before trudging morosely back to his bed.
Daphne followed after him, going back around to her side of the bed, while Tracey shot them both worried looks as she slowly stepped after them. Uncertainly, she sat at the foot of Harry's side, looking between the two when Daphne had settled.
"What's happened?"
Daphne glanced at Harry, who swallowed heavily and nodded slightly toward her. Knowing he was asking her to explain it, Daphne began to do so, sitting up and crossing her legs as she began gently stroking Harry's hair again.
"Last year, when we were exploring we...met someone," Daphne started slowly, looking down at the bed covers rather than the other girl. "Her name was Serana."
Tracey frowned to herself. "There isn't anyone called Serana in our year, or our house actually. Is she an older student?"
Daphne shook her head slightly. "No, she was a Basilisk."
Tracey stared at her for a moment, before looking at Harry who was simply staring up at the ceiling. After a moment she turned back to Daphne and began to scowl. "Okay, I understand you two have your secrets and you can't tell me some stuff, but you don't have to lie to me. Just say you can't tell me rather than make fun of me."
"She's not lying, Tracey," Harry muttered just loud enough for the girl to hear, still staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't get the final image of Serana from his mind.
Tracey's mouth dropped open as her mind raced. She swore she had just heard...
"Did he just speak Parseltongue?"
Daphne nodded firmly. "Yes, Harry is a Parselmouth. It goes without saying that you can't tell anyone, Trace."
Tracey nodded absently as she looked down at the bedcovers. "Of course," She was silent for another few moments as her brain kicked into gear. "Okay, so, you met a Basilisk called Serana that Harry could speak to because he can speak Parseltongue and...oh."
She frowned again, turning sadly back to Daphne. "You said was."
Tracey looked between them when neither answered, but they didn't have to. It was on their faces for anyone to see, how Daphne's eyes watered and Harry's chin wobbled.
Kicking off her shoes, she climbed fully onto the bed, shuffling closer until she was sitting cross-legged by Harry's torso. "I'm sorry, guys. Was she a friend?"
Daphne swallowed heavily, nodding slightly. Tracey reached out to take her other hand, trying to offer comfort to the girl. "Can I ask...?"
Over the next half an hour, Daphne told her the tale of going down into the Chamber of Secrets to meet Serana, how she was the pet of Salazar Slytherin that had been tasked with guarding the school. How she had been used to kill a student fifty years ago, and that when they had gone to visit her the previous day she was under control again. Daphne stopped when she described Serana attacking them, her throat closing as she began to cry.
Tracey shuffled closer and wrapped her hands around the girl's shoulders before turning her gaze to Harry. He had turned his head away from them both, but the shaking of his body was enough of a sign as to why.
Tracey wasn't sure what to do in this situation, whenever she had cried when she was younger she had been left on her own, but she tried her best to offer comfort to her only friends as best she could.
Eventually, Daphne's tears dried and she pulled away, giving Tracey a watery smile. "Thanks, Trace."
Tracey smiled but jumped when a quiet pop sounded to her right. Turning, the two girls looked at Harry's desk, where a platter of breakfast foods had appeared. Tracey frowned but Daphne made a small noise of realisation, causing the brown-haired girl to turn to the blonde for an answer.
"Professor Dumbledore has excused us both from classes today, he must have arranged for breakfast to be sent to us," Daphne said quietly.
Tracey nodded and awkwardly clambered off the bed toward the platter. When she reached it, she smiled at the two on the bed, saying nothing when she could now see Harry's teary face. "So, what do you guys want?"
Daphne chuckled and shook her head, but Harry slowly sat up and rubbed his face with his sleeve.
"Toast, please."
He simmered with anger as he walked swiftly toward the second-floor bathroom.
The Weasley girl was proving stronger of mind than he had first imagined. Not enough to deny him, of course not, but enough to frustrate him.
It had been almost a week since he had last taken control of her tiny body before she let her guard down enough for him to do so again, so he could not afford to waste this chance.
During the week, the girl had continued to pour her heart out to him, all of her fears and worries.
How as the youngest child of seven, she needed to live up to her older brother's reputations, magical talent and popularity.
How as the only girl her mother both put more pressure on her and smothered her with protectiveness at the same time
How Harry Potter, the boy she was in love with, had not even glanced her way, too enamoured as he was with the Greengrass girl, despite her parents being filthy Death Eaters.
And it certainly had been frustrating to listen to the girl continue to gush about brave, good Harry Potter throughout the last week. It went without saying that his plan for the boy to perish at the eyes of his beast had failed, otherwise poor Ginevra would have been inconsolable.
And much easier to control.
Nevertheless, he had this night to descend back into the chamber for himself and find out just why the beast had not followed his commands. Dropping down the tunnel, furious that his ancestor had not installed a more dignified way to enter his lair, he landed on his feet and paced quickly toward the wall, opening it with a hissed command.
He paused as soon as his eyes set on the corpse of the beast.
After a second, he began to scowl furiously as he rapidly made his way over to inspect the fallen creature. It did not take him long to see the hole in the top of her skull, and when he moved around to check under her neck he saw another corresponding hole.
A spike, or a metal spear, directly through the brain. The beast would have died instantly.
Efficient.
His anger burned despite his appreciation for the method, for someone had taken from him what was rightfully his.
He needed to release his anger productively.
To that end, he made his way from the chamber and back into the castle proper. He could not feel young Ginevra's presence in his mind, and he knew he had all night to look for a target.
Surely some poor fool would be wandering the halls of Hogwarts at this late hour?
He prowled the halls for close to an hour, his anger not abating in the slightest before he finally found another soul. He quickly ducked into an alcove as the girl passed, the P of her Prefect badge glinting in the moonlight.
Not even the green trim of her robes was enough to save her.
Stepping out from the alcove once she had passed, he froze the portraits lining the hallway with a wave of Weasley's wand before he pointed it directly at the unknowing girl's back.
"Terebrare!"
The Piercing Hex shot out and cleaved a two-inch hole into the girl's right shoulder, dropping her to the floor with the force of it.
He did not feel much better and he'd staggered in this unfamiliar body after casting the spell. What should have been child's play for Tom Riddle was almost too much for young Ginevra Weasley's underdeveloped magic.
Breathing heavily, he scowled as he centred himself, pacing toward the girl who was shakily getting to her feet. Weasley may only possess a disgustingly small reserve of power, but it was enough for him, the greatest and most powerful student Hogwarts had ever seen, to use it and defeat this girl.
"Weasley!" The girl snarled when she caught sight of the red hair. "What do you think you are-"
He ignored her, drawing on Weasley's magic and sending a cutting curse her way. The girl blinked and dived out of the way, but Tom had anticipated this and sent another where she had dived, cutting deeply into her right wrist and causing her to drop her wand.
Stepping forward quickly, he stood on the wand when the girl reached for it with her other hand, Weasley's own pointed at her face.
Slowly, Tom smiled. He would enjoy this.
He silenced the girl with a wave of Weasley's wand, it would not do for others to be alerted by her screams.
Over the next half an hour, he vented his frustrations on the girl, enjoying how she writhed in agony under his ministrations and ignoring how exhausted he was becoming as he depleted Weasley's magic.
Once his anger had been sated, he looked down on the bloody mess. Now that his mind was clear he began to think about his situation. If the Basilisk had been dealt with, it stood to reason that his involvement was already suspected. He could not afford to be discovered fully.
He would need to clean this up.
With a sigh, he revived the unconscious girl, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"Obliviate."
Little Ginevra told him all about the ramifications of his attack the next day, her shock evident in her words.
A Slytherin sixth-year, Gemma Farley, had been brutally attacked while on her Prefect rounds the night before. According to her older brother Percy, Farley was a talented student and, unlike the majority of Slytherins, was not a bully, so nobody could understand how or why this had happened.
He tried not to preen as he offered meaningless suggestions to the girl.
She had been most worried when she began to report blank spots in her memory, but Tom had assured her that it was nothing to worry about, she had been working very hard after all to live up to her brother's reputations and earn the attention of her beloved Harry Potter.
Foolish girl.
When a Ravenclaw third-year, Cho Chang, showed up in an even worse state than Farley two weeks later, Weasley did not even suspect a thing. Why would she, she had spent all night in bed, had she not?
She had certainly been asleep when poor Miss Chang was screaming in agony, that was true.
And the week after that, when poor Hannah Abbott was lying in the hospital wing with two broken legs, Weasley bemoaned how unfortunate all this was.
Tom agreed.
He had been trying to permanently cripple her, not break her legs.
Alas, Weasley's magic was not strong enough to do true lasting damage, but it was enough for him to have fun. He knew he would not be able to kill anyone, if he did that thrice-cursed stain on Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, would finally get off his backside and do something about it.
The Unforgivable Curses were out of the question entirely, even if Weasley had been strong enough to manage them. He knew from experience that the use of any of the three would immediately alert the entire teaching staff, who would descend upon the perpetrator promptly.
He had discovered that for himself in his third year and only his intimate knowledge of the castle's passageways had allowed him to escape.
Speaking of...
Tonight, he had a more difficult target in mind.
Little Ginevra had told him of a rather wonderous map in the possession of her older twin brothers. She had noticed them studying it one night, and after swearing her to secrecy, they had shown her how it worked and had promised that, when they were finished with it, they would bestow it upon their beloved sister.
He was not willing to wait for their generosity, so he would take it for himself.
To that end, he was currently sitting in the Gryffindor common room after midnight, as he had been during the last two nights he had taken control, to wait for the twin boys to emerge from their common room.
When they did, they paused at the top of the stairs leading to their dormitory, blinking at her. One recovered and spoke in a laughing voice. "Hello, Gin-Gin, what are you doing up?"
He shrugged the girl's shoulders, hugging her legs to her chest. "I couldn't sleep. What are you two up to?"
The two began to descend the stairs toward her as the other answered. "What we do best, little sister. Business, you know."
As they were heading past what they believed to be their sister to the portrait hole, he got to her feet, ensuring he looked eager and excited. "Can I come? I promise I won't get in the way and I won't tell Percy."
The twins shared a glance for a moment before one shrugged as the other nodded. "Sure, Gin-Gin. I always knew you'd take after me."
"Or is she taking after me?" The other asked.
"Definitely me, I'm better looking."
He forced himself to giggle at their juvenile antics as he bounded over to them, following them through the portrait hole a moment later. He walked silently after them as they wandered the seventh-floor hallway, deciding how he would proceed.
The redhead on the left took out the map from a robe pocket, unfurling it and muttering the ridiculous password.
Behind him, Tom smiled.
Two at once would be a challenge, but he had the advantage.
For who would ever expect to be attacked by their darling baby sister?
As September rolled into October, a blanket of fear seemed to have descended upon the castle.
Five students had been attacked during the night, each of them injured terribly, and there was no clue left as to who the perpetrator might be. The students had their suspicions, of course, but they were quickly ruled out.
Students from each of the four houses had been attacked, so it wasn't about house rivalry.
The students had all been from different years, so it couldn't be personal attacks.
All the students had been purebloods, so it wasn't about blood purity unless it was a powerful muggle-born striking back. Of course, many did not believe that to be possible, so that was ruled out rather quickly.
As the student's speculation continued, the teachers had to try and keep the school running as normal, despite the complete lack of sleep each of them was feeling. Prefect patrols had been cancelled completely, and now the only ones allowed to roam the castle after eight p.m. were the faculty, who patrolled the hallways each night in hopes of catching the culprit of these attacks.
Each and every one of the staff was completely exhausted, but it was not lack of sleep that was currently causing Albus Dumbledore issues, no, instead it was once again Severus Snape who had caused the aging man a monumental headache.
"What on earth were you thinking, Severus?" He questioned in a hard voice, his blue eyes boring into the Potion's Master's own black pair. "Why would you warn your Slytherins of the new checks?"
Severus said nothing, merely stared back sullenly, as Albus sat back heavily in his chair, shaking his head. Severus, against all wisdom and sense, had decided to gather his house in the common room that afternoon before dinner and warn them of the checks that would be taking place when they returned from Hogsmeade the next day. Then, of course, at dinner, his students had told friends and family members of other houses, and before long the entire student body was forewarned.
The one in possession of the brown-leather book, the one who was almost assuredly behind these dreadful attacks, would be able to plan accordingly and evade them, all because of Severus' foolishness.
"Well?" He questioned again, allowing his magic to flare with his rising anger.
"Prevention is better than cure, Headmaster," Severus answered lowly.
His magic truly flared then as he got to his feet. "You foolish man!" He thundered, the temperature in the room growing frigid. "The purpose of these checks was to find the book, or had that gone completely over your head?"
Severus had the gall to scoff. "Headmaster, surely you do not believe their wild tale. The book does not exist." Albus stared at him, unable to believe what he was hearing. He was so angry that the blood in his ears was thumping along with his heartbeat. "Potter and the lunatics you have entrusted him to are playing you for a fool. The Basilisk attacked him because it was always a mindless beast, and these further attacks on our students are likely committed by Potter himself-"
"Not. Another. Word." The other occupant of the room said dangerously, her Scottish brogue thick in her anger. Minerva was glaring furiously at her younger colleague, her breathing heavy through her nostrils. "How dare you suggest that he is responsible! On what evidence do you base these accusations?"
Severus scowled back at her. "The boy attacked Draco Malfoy only last year, or did you both forget that? He injured him greatly, just as these other students have been injured, and he has only grown in arrogance since our esteemed Headmaster let him off with a slap on the wrist."
The temperature of the room was arctic when the man had finished. Albus slowly walked around the desk toward the man, and even in his own mind he was wondering whether he might curse him or strangle him.
"Severus-"
The door of the office opened with a bang and all eyes turned to Rubeus Hagrid, his great chest heaving and a panicked look on his face. "Headmaster, Professors, there's bin another attack!"
Instantly, the three of them moved, rushing past Hagrid and down the spiral staircase toward the infirmary, Hagrid bounding after them. When they reached the infirmary doors, they entered swiftly, and Albus immediately looked around the room for Poppy.
He spotted the witch beside the first bed on the right, frantically waving her wand to stabilise her patient. With quick steps Albus approached, looking down at the poor soul laying there, his face bloody and mouth slack.
Ronald Weasley was the sixth student to be attacked and, after a glance up at the clock on the wall, he saw that it was still only seven o'clock. The culprit was growing in confidence, no longer even needing to wait for the dead of night to attack.
He turned from the boy's prone form toward the three who had followed him. "From now on, students will be escorted everywhere by the faculty, to classes, meals, the library, everywhere. No student is to wander the halls alone from this day." He instructed firmly, receiving a nod from Minerva whilst Severus stared at poor Mr. Weasley. Albus turned back from them to begin assisting Poppy.
He could not allow this to continue.
He had only just avoided the impromptu checks that fool Dumbledore had introduced. He had convinced Ginevra to hide him in an abandoned classroom and she had done so, not wanting her friend to be taken from her.
When she had retrieved him, the time away had allowed her to grow suspicious.
He did not blame her really, in fact, it amused him that it had taken her so long to become so.
After her twin brothers had been attacked and their precious map stolen, she had cried as she wrote to him, her tears dripping onto the pages of his diary, but she had not grown suspicious
When her other brother, Ron, had been attacked? Well, that was a step too far apparently.
Tom could admit that he had been rash in this instance. Weasley had been subconsciously fighting him constantly and he was beginning to lose his patience. He wanted freedom, he wanted his own body and magic back, so when he had found himself suddenly in control of her body at dinner that evening he had immediately made his way to the Room of Hidden Things to retrieve the map.
And when he had spotted Ginevra's older brother walking alone toward the seventh floor he had been unable to resist.
The way his body contorted in agony was delicious, but yes, it had been rash, for Weasley was now suspecting that her blank spots and how close to home these attacks had become were perhaps connected.
She was ranting to him, and he could feel her suspicion as she wrote to him.
He had told her that he was merely a magical construct, a creation he had made during his seventh year, designed to help future students in their studies. She believed him, of course she did, but now she was beginning to suspect that he had been lying to her.
It had only taken her two months and six attacks to finally use her brain. Tom would have applauded her if it did not interfere with his plans.
But did it?
These attacks were really just a way for him to have fun whilst he sank his claws deeper into the girl, they were not truly necessary. His goal, his true goal, was to take the girl over completely and regain his own body, but she was stalling him.
If Weasley was suspicious, might it not be better to move on to greener pastures?
To that end, he began to scan the hall of students, looking for a target. Weasley's eyes rested on the Slytherin table and he glared at the sight of Harry Potter, sitting beside his little friends.
He had longed for an opportunity to attack the boy, but he was never alone, the blonde girl, Greengrass, was never apart from him, and if she was absent then the other, Davis, was sure to have replaced her.
Shaking her head, he turned his gaze to other members of his former house until his eyes alighted on one.
She could be useful. Very useful.
When dinner had ended the houses rose as one to await their escorts back to their common rooms.
It was really very easy to move along the line until he was level with the green-robed girl as the students were led from the hall, and child's play to slip his diary into her overlarge pocket.
He smiled as he followed along behind the Indian girl toward Gryffindor Tower.
He continued to smile when he was suddenly pulled from his control of Weasley's body and found himself back in the Chamber.
His smile remained in place as he waited patiently for his new guardian to make contact.
October 6th, 1992
I dont now how i missed this but i suppose i should use it
His smile widened even further when he took in the girl's words.
A simpleton.
He would have his own body back by January.
Harry woke up early that morning, quickly getting dressed into his school robes before he quietly left his room and made the rather short trip to the room two doors down.
He knocked on it lightly and to his utter surprise Tracey opened it immediately with a wide, knowing grin on her face. "You didn't expect me to actually be awake, did you?"
"Absolutely not," Harry responded immediately. "Have you got your present?"
Tracey's eyes widened and she ducked back into her room with a muttered curse. The door closed again for a moment before she suddenly appeared again, smiling brightly. "Of course I have."
Harry rolled his eyes and motioned for her to quickly shrink it. When she had done so, he stepped away from her door toward the one to the left and knocked three times, waiting for the door to be opened patiently. When it did Daphne's smiling face came into view and she reached out with both arms to pull them inside, shutting the door behind them.
Once she had turned from the door, they both began to smile widely at her. "Happy Birthday, Teenager!" They both shouted in unison, causing the birthday girl to giggle.
She stepped forward and hugged them both happily. "Thanks!"
When she released them she made her way over to her bed and sat on the end of it. Harry quickly took the spot beside her, while Tracey decided to noisily drag her chair from the desk to sit in front of them both.
After the assault on their ears had ended and Tracey was seated, Harry turned to the girl beside him with a bashful look. "Err, Daph, there's something we need to tell you."
Daphne cocked her head slightly as she looked at him, but it was Tracey that spoke next. "We, err, well...we've both really struggled to think of what to get you for your birthday, and, err..."
Daphne looked at her oddly when she didn't continue so she turned back to Harry who, after giving Tracey a filthy look, continued. "The thing is, well, we really couldn't think of anything, and when we asked Tori she only had one idea which she took for herself, and...I'm sorry, Daph, but we don't have any presents for you."
Daphne looked stunned for a moment before she forced herself to smile at both of them. "Oh, don't worry about it, you didn't have to get me anything." She assured them, lying terribly and obviously.
Harry and Tracey both sighed heavily in relief, smiling back at her. "I'm so glad you understand, Daph," Tracey told her in a breathy voice.
"Yeah, we're really sorry, Daph," Harry told her apologetically.
Daphne smiled weakly in response. "It's okay, guys,"
The three of them fell into an awkward silence for a few minutes before Daphne suddenly turned to Harry. "Okay, I originally thought you both were joking and you were going to suddenly whip out presents and say 'surprise!' but have you seriously not gotten me anything? Not even a bloody chocolate frog?"
Harry blinked, his mouth falling open dumbly. "Err, I can get you one from my-"
"I DON'T WANT A CHOCOLATE FROG FROM YOUR ROOM!"
While she had been shouting at Harry, Tracey had removed the gift from her pocket, unshrinking it, but she was now staring down at it in worry. "Harry, you told me she liked chocolate frogs, if she doesn't she'll really hate this present."
Daphne turned her head so quickly to the other girl that her long hair whipped Harry in the face. She stared down at the present in the other girl's hand, before looking back up at her face, where she was smiling nervously.
"Surprise?"
Daphne stared at the gift for a moment, before turning back to Harry, who had quickly unshrank his own and was holding it in both hands, smiling widely and unashamedly.
"Surprise!"
Daphne tried very, very hard to look angry, but the grin on his face was too much to resist and she happily took the present from him, beginning to tear the wrapping paper from it.
Tracey frowned. "Hey, I showed you my present first!" Daphne paused her unwrapping to give the girl a scathing look.
"Let me guess - you got me chocolate frogs?"
"...yes."
That afternoon, Hagrid collected them from their final lesson, Herbology, with Astoria and Luna in tow.
"Happy Birthday, Daphne!" Hagrid cried happily when he saw her, pulling the girl into a bone-crushing hug. After she had patted his arm repeatedly to get him to release her, she gasped for air as she thanked him.
"T-thanks, Hagrid," She rasped before looking around at his two charges. "What are you all doing here?"
"We are having a party at Hagrid's," Luna told her serenely, completely ruining what Harry had intended to be a surprise.
Daphne was delighted nevertheless and happily led them across the grass toward the man's hut. When they arrived, Fang immediately assaulted her which she welcomed cheerfully, cooing at the loving boarhound as she took her seat beside Harry.
The five of them were quite used to the interior of Hagrid's home nowadays, spending much of their time out of classes with the man. They enjoyed his company greatly, and his status as a staff member meant that they were not breaking the teacher's edict to not wander the castle unaccompanied.
Once they had all taken their usual seats Hagrid quickly opened a cupboard before stepping back over to the table, presenting the white box he held to Daphne. "Happy Birthday, Daphne! I made it meself,"
Daphne opened the box and discovered a birthday cake, with pink frosting and a big "13" written on it. She smiled widely at the man and thanked him profusely.
"Oh, I also have a cake," Luna announced, reaching down to her back and removing a smaller white box. "Daddy sent it when I told him I would be attending my first birthday party."
A pregnant pause followed her statement in which the other four all silently decided that Luna would be invited to every single birthday for the rest of their lives before Daphne took the cake from Luna.
"Thank you, Luna, and please thank your father for me," She said happily, but frowned when she looked at the bright green cake. "What...what flavour is this, Luna?"
"Kiwi."
"Ah," Daphne responded eloquently.
Astoria coughed lightly, drawing attention to her as she also reached down into her bag. "Err, Dad sent a cake too."
Daphne just laughed as she accepted her third birthday cake, quickly opening it and licking her lips at the sight of the cake.
"Daph..."
She turned to Harry and rolled her eyes when she saw him holding a cake of his own. "Marie sent one too."
Before she took the cake from him, she turned to Tracey with one eyebrow raised, but was relieved when the girl quickly shook her head, holding her hands in the air. "Hey, don't look at me, my parents wouldn't know a birthday cake if it hit them in the face."
Ignoring that rather depressing statement, Daphne smiled at the other girl. "Good, at least someone isn't trying to make me fat."
"Damn, caught again," Astoria moaned, bouncing her fist off the table and shaking her head.
Daphne rolled her eyes before she pulled the cake Hagrid had made for her closer. After she had cut it, passing out pieces to each of them, the six of them sat, laughing and telling stories between them.
When curfew began to approach Hagrid escorted them back to the castle, depositing the three Slytherins outside of their common room first. After Daphne had hugged the large man, Astoria and Luna, then thanked each for her presents and cakes, the three of them went into their own common room.
After they had spent a few hours in Daphne's room, chatting away, Tracey took the hint and got to her feet, stretching exaggeratedly. "Well, time for bed, I think. Goodnight you two, don't do anything I wouldn't do." She told them, winking at Harry as she waltzed toward the door.
Once the girl had left, Harry turned to Daphne who was sitting in the bed beside him. "Err, I...I wanted to give you another present if that's okay?"
Daphne frowned at him but nodded, smiling softly. "Sure,"
However, when Harry remained motionless for a few moments her frown deepened and she cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Harry?"
Harry swallowed heavily as he stared at her, feeling his mouth suddenly dry, and cursed his lack of courage. He didn't think he could do this with her looking right at him. "C-can you close your eyes?"
Daphne's eyes narrowed slightly but she dutifully did so. Once he was sure she was not going to open her eyes suddenly, Harry slowly and with trepidation leaned forward until their lips met.
When they did, Daphne jerked slightly in surprise, but after a second she melted forward, kissing him back happily and wrapping her arms around his neck.
After a few seconds, Harry pulled away and she opened her eyes slowly, smiling dumbly at his bright-red face.
"Happy Birthday, Daph."
As he sat back on the crunchy grass outside of Hagrid's hut, idly watching as Luna defended herself from Astoria's spellwork, Harry reflected on the past months.
Serana's death was still fresh on his mind, even two months later, but he found that, while the familiar pangs of grief still coursed through him, he would also begin to smile now when he thought of her, remembering happier times. He would always remember his largest friend, and he would one day avenge her.
He would accept nothing less.
There had been no attacks since Ron Weasley in early October, likely due to the teachers' presence at all times as students moved through the castle. No one ventured out at night, other than himself and Daphne of course.
They had taken to wandering the halls under his cloak after the redhead was attacked, hoping to catch the culprit red-handed. Harry would scan his surroundings constantly with his magic, but he felt nobody other than the teachers who were constantly patrolling the hallways.
The perpetrator had been silent for over two months leading many to believe the attacks had stopped.
The atmosphere in the castle was still fearful, but after so long with no further attacks, it had begun to lessen somewhat. Draco Malfoy had taken to complaining to whichever teacher was escorting their year group, believing that the danger had passed and any further 'babysitting' was unnecessary. Harry and Daphne would shake their heads in frustration but as they were the only ones who knew who was truly behind the attacks they had to stay silent.
But today it was the 12th of December, Tracey's 13th birthday, and he shook his head and focused on the present.
After another party at Hagrid's, during which the girl was presented with six large birthday cakes, Astoria decided to challenge all comers to a duel outside of the hut. Luna had put her hand up first to face the girl, but as he watched she was felled rather quickly by the black-haired girl.
Harry was smiling to himself as Astoria sauntered over to help Luna get back to her feet. Once Luna was standing, Astoria turned and called out challengingly to the three older students. "So, which one of you - not you, Harry - wants to face the reigning champion next?"
Tracey jumped to her feet eagerly and made her way over to the girl, who was twirling her wand cockily between her fingers. Luna wandered over to speak to Hagrid, who was sitting whittling on a large chair outside, thus leaving Harry and Daphne alone on the grass.
Daphne leaned in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder as she watched the duel between Astoria and Tracey begin. "Are we going out again tonight?"
Harry shook his head as he watched the duel between Astoria and Tracey end. "No, we'll have to be up early for classes tomorrow."
"You little- how can you beat me that quickly?" Tracey raged, her arms crossed as she glared at the grinning Astoria, who was now twirling Tracey's wand between her fingers.
"Talent," Astoria bragged, smiling widely. She threw Tracey her wand back before turning questioningly to her older sister, who shook her head. Astoria sighed and walked closer to them, dropping down to sit in front of the pair.
Tracey, grumbling, followed and sat beside her. "You could have let me win on my birthday."
"Not a chance," Astoria replied quickly, causing the older girl to roll her eyes as she turned back to her year mates.
"Reckon I can get in on this super-duper training you three have been getting?" Tracey asked lightly as Astoria snorted amusedly beside her.
Daphne shrugged. "Sure, I'll ask Mum and Dad if you can visit over Christmas."
Tracey's eyes darkened at the mention of the upcoming holidays but she still smiled in response, nodding her head eagerly.
Luna came back over to them, flopping to the ground beside Astoria gracelessly. "It is very useful that Harry can make the ground warm for us." She said by way of greeting, earning smiles from the rest of them.
"Has anyone started packing, yet?" Harry asked the group. The Hogwarts Express would arrive the following Friday to take them home for the Christmas holidays.
"Oh yes, it was rather easy really. I have much fewer things to pack than I did at the start of term." Luna answered as she reached out to run her fingers through the stiff, frozen grass, completely missing the frowns the other four exchanged.
"What do you mean, Luna?" Astoria questioned, looking intently at her friend.
Luna looked up from the grass, blinking slowly. "I seem to have misplaced some of my things and I have not been able to find them yet." She said lightly, before smiling at the other girl. "I am not worried, I am sure they will turn up."
"How long have they been missing, Luna?" Daphne questioned suspiciously.
Luna shrugged lightly. "I am unsure. Most of them went missing during September, but nothing recently."
"I can try and find them for you?" Harry offered, wondering if he could summon Luna's lost, or more likely stolen, belongings.
"Thank you for the offer, Harry, but it will be fine. They were not important items anyway," Luna declined with a smile before she decided to change the subject. "Are you looking forward to meeting your friends from France again?"
For the remainder of the conversation, one of their number was notably silent as she thought about what Luna had said, and more importantly, what she hadn't said. This was the first she was hearing of Luna's 'missing' belongings, and it made her blood boil.
She was determined to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
For once, he felt the festive cheer that the other, lesser beings usually felt at this time of year.
Things had been going very well for him, after all. His new host was many times more malleable than Weasley had been, more eager to bear her soul for her new friend, and much easier to overcome.
He spent more time in control of her body than she did these days, and that gave him a rather splendid opportunity to study the subject of his secondary goal. His first was, of course, to secure his rebirth, but the second was almost as important.
Now that he was closer to the boy, and had time to study him up close, he was forced to admit that Harry Potter was talented, nearly as talented as he had been at the same age, and would only grow in strength as he aged.
The boy was quiet, somewhat intelligent, but almost sickeningly kind to the fools that surrounded him.
He studied them too, the two Greengrass girls, Davis and the Lovegood oddity, as well as that oaf Hagrid - and had it not been a shock to see him present at the school after all these years?
In another life, Potter may be a somewhat useful tool for him to use, but that life was not this one.
When little Ginevra Weasley had told him how the brave, brilliant Harry Potter had defeated the terrible Dark Lord Voldemort when he had only been an infant he had been intrigued, had wondered how it was that his counterpart had failed so spectacularly, and he found he rather wanted to meet the boy.
However, when he had spoken with the beast, and she had told him about a boy called 'Harry' who was not only a Parselmouth but had apparently defeated his counterpart yet again during the last school year, he had begun to plan for the boy's death. If the stories were true, a threat such as he could not be allowed to bloom into a greater threat.
And when he discovered the beast dead, he knew it could have only been at the hands of the boy, and he decided that he would destroy both him and everyone he loved.
Unfortunately, he had had no opportunity to strike at the boy, and even if he had he knew his current host would not have a hope of defeating him. The new host was only slightly more powerful than Weasley had been, likely only due to being older, and he would not risk capture by seeking the boy out until he had regained his own body and magic.
But, he was in a rather good mood tonight, satisfied that his primary goal was within reach. He believed that it would not be long before he had fully corrupted his host and he could begin to siphon her life force from her. A few weeks, potentially more, but he could afford to wait.
So good was his mood that he decided to treat himself, and that was how he found himself walking through the halls of Hogwarts once again that night in search of his first victim in months. He had wisely stopped his fun after the Weasley boy, but after two months of waiting, he was sure that the security in the castle would have grown lax.
As it was, he made it all the way to the seventh floor and the Room of Hidden Things unmolested. He stepped inside and swiftly retrieved the rather useful map and, after uttering the ridiculous password, began to study it for a potential victim.
He started from the ground floor, disappointed to see as his eyes roamed higher and higher that only those he knew were faculty were roaming the halls, until his eyes alighted on another name, a name he recognised, on the same floor as he.
He began to smile widely and cruelly, unable to believe his good fortune.
He would leave a present for his future victim this night.
He glanced down at the map every now and then to ensure he would not encounter any of the staff on his travels and luckily for him the nearest, a 'Bathsheda Babbling', was on the fifth floor.
He had more than enough time for what he wanted.
When he reached the girl's position, walking slowly and as lightly as he could, he watched her for a moment while he absently froze the portraits lining the walls. The girl was looking up at a chandelier where a pair of shoes had been thrown, its laces tied together and caught on a candelabra.
The girl had a frown on her face as she looked up at the shoes before she sighed and pointed her wand up at them. He just about heard the girl mutter "Accio," as he pointed his host's wand at her now wide-open flank, once again delighted with his luck that the girl's wand side was facing him.
"Terebrare."
He was impressed with the girl's quick reactions, as upon hearing another voice she immediately dropped to the ground and rolled away. The girl got to her feet and faced her surprise attacker, lifting her wand high above her head and settling into a fighting stance.
He smiled again. He did enjoy a challenge.
The girl was talented, very much so, and he knew that had it not been himself in control of his host's body, she would have been felled quickly by the younger girl. As it was, however, he was in control and it took him only thirty seconds to relieve the girl of her wand.
As he caught it in his host's large hand, he smiled wider and paced slowly toward his prey. To her credit, she tried to attack him physically, but with a strong backhand from his host's arm, she was knocked to the floor where she fell heavily.
His smiled evolved into a full grin as he pointed his borrowed wand at the girl.
Oh yes, he would enjoy this.
She resisted at first, biting down painfully on her lip, but after a few minutes of his tender ministrations, she began to cry out in agony, silently and delectably. Her body twisted and she clawed painfully on the stone floor as she tried to crawl away.
He laughed at her attempt and cursed her again.
Twenty minutes later, when his host's magic had been depleted and he had removed her memory of the encounter, he turned away from the girl's pale, bleeding and unconscious form and walked away, smiling once more. As he walked, he took the map from his pocket to check it, finding no faculty in his path.
He grinned again when he looked at the dark, unmoving spot that indicated 'Astoria Greengrass', right where he had left her only moments ago.
He hoped Harry Potter enjoyed the Christmas present he had left for him.
I love Astoria.
I just had to remind you all of that before you get upset with me, she's hands down my absolute favourite character to write but unfortunately, this was always the plan so stick with me here, it was important.
Thank you so much for the response to the last chapter, it was great to see all your reviews both from those that review regularly and a few names, which means I must have done something right last chapter.
Let me know what you think of this one.
please don't hate me.
Enjoy!