Disclaimer: I own nothing other than the plot. The original concepts belong to JKR and Warner Brothers. Any concepts brought from other fictions are either coincidental or will be used in their own way, and no plagiarism is meant.

Chapter 19: Discovering History

March 26th, 1994

Privet Drive

Dumbledore appeared in a quiet alley, looking around for any signs of muggles. Not seeing any, he wordlessly casted a notice-me-not charm on himself, and made his way to the residence of the Dursley's. He had double checked the old book he had on ward-monitors, and verified that purple smoke was not something the device was enchanted to emit. He was sure of the color, and sure of what the old book said, so now he had to check the wards himself.

Approaching where he knew the boundary of the wards were, he redrew his wand and started waving it around, using non-verbal detection charms to get reading on what was there. Surprisingly, the wards were just as strong as they had been at the beginning of the school-year. Yet that wasn't what surprised him the most.

Harry had disconnected himself from the wards.

Dumbledore sat in thought, wondering how the wards could be charged and yet not be connected to a source. The wards were anchored to a stone, yet they were fed off of Harry's passive magic when he resided in the home. Generally, it took three to four weeks for them to charge, which was normal, yet Dumbledore was sure that while Harry had been there, he hadn't been there more than a few hours. Running his wand around several more times, he sighed.

Harry had called a new place home. Perhaps it was wherever Harry and Sirius stayed, but it didn't matter. Harry was broken from the wards, and if the wards fell, it left his relatives unprotected. Technically, muggles weren't allowed to have wards on their properties unless a magical lived there, but the wards were also from Blood magic, and that was highly illegal. From the readings from the wards, they would last a year, maybe two, but they would fall eventually. Harry could be reconnected to them, but if Dumbledore was right, it would be pointless as the connection would be broken again.

As Dumbledore made his way back to where he came from, he briefly wondered how the wards were recharged, but shrugged that off as a fluke. Harry's bindings were broken, and without the Horcrux in him, his magic and body were a lot stronger. Not to mention that he had surpassed his 13th birthday, and that meant another magical maturity. Dumbledore briefly shuddered, the thought of Harry becoming like Tom would be the worst thing possible. While Dumbledore knew there was very little magic that was actually dark, he also discovered recently that Harry's childhood had been far too close to Tom's and that now, he would do anything to ensure it was rectified, and that Harry wouldn't follow in the man's footsteps.

The only positive thing, if I want to call it that, is that now Harry doesn't have to die. Now, he has to win. Dumbledore thought, a near-silent crack echoing through the alley as the brightly robed man disappeared.

Potter's Cottage

Sirius sighed, reading the latest letter from Dumbledore. Harry was already on the train back to the castle, and Dumbledore was yet again insisting on meeting. Perhaps he should go, and see what the man has to say. Harry was right last night, saying that it is good to keep the man close, but not trust him implicitly.

Sighing, he looked to the phoenix who had been the bearer of the message, "Would you take a letter back for me?" He asked. Once he had written the reply, he watched as Fawkes burst to flames and disappeared.

Sighing, he pulled out paperwork. Merlin. The paperwork. There was so much of it, businesses that House Black owned that needed sold or changes made, old documents that needed sorted through. Requests for meetings and for alliances in the Wizengamot. Papers for the Wizengamot and for the Ministry. Despite having spent nearly two months working on everything, the stack had only increased, especially since he had been freed. It made him wonder if he should pay the goblins to do more, leaving him some more free time. He had hoped to return to the Hitwizard force in a year or so, but if this was what it was like being a Lord, it wouldn't happen.

Thankfully, if he could say that, Dumbledore wrote back a little before lunch, and wished to have a lunch meeting. It worked for Sirius, as he wanted an escape from his own second worst hell. Fawkes, seeing his agreement, flew to his shoulder and with a burst of flames, Sirius was suddenly in a different place.

The unfortunate thing was that Sirius lacked a chair where he went, meaning he crashed into the floor.

"Damn it Fawkes!" Sirius cursed. "Again? I thought we agreed last time that you would give me better warning?"

Said phoenix trilled and shook his head, before sticking his tongue out. Sirius sighed as he heard a small chuckle. "Ah, Fawkes enjoys the small things in life. Do not be surprised if he does it again. I think it is his method of pranking people."

"Still. It's a little unnerving to just vanish somewhere else unexpectedly." Sirius grumbled. After resituating himself in a chair, he turned to the old wizard, who was watching him carefully.

"You've been insistent on a meeting, and yet I can't help but wonder why?" Sirius asked.

"Well, firstly, I owe you a major apology. I should've pushed more to know what happened to you, but everyone had said you were guilty and convicted-" Dumbledore started, before Sirius waved him off.

"We had our secrets, Headmaster. Secrets seem to always cost us though. Lily and James died because of secrets after all." Sirius replied.

"Still. I am sorry Sirius. I am only glad that you were able to prove your innocence, and with Harry's help. He has surprised me this semester." Dumbledore said. He was seeing what Sirius would reveal, but Sirius was still occasionally smart enough to see it.

"How so Albus?"

"Well. I am sure he told you of the incident last year involving a basilisk? Since that time, he has improved dramatically. He has been applying himself to his subjects, and dare I say he has surpassed every other student in his year. On top of that, he seems to have taken to studying extra magic by himself, and even teaching some of his classmates occasionally." Dumbledore said.

That had been an interesting discovery. Once again, the castle had told him that there was a large amount of casting occuring in a less populated section of the school, alerting him to possible students in danger. When he had went to investigate, he had found that Harry and Neville were in the middle of a duel, and it seemed to be more instructional than aggressive. He stayed, in case someone got hurt, but it was unnecessary as Harry seemed to know basic healing charms. He had to admit, Harry had been good at explaining to Neville how to improve, even if he missed a thing or two.

"Harry told me. He is, was, afraid of being defenseless again. Since then though, he has come a long way, and improved himself rapidly. I wasn't here, per say, but I was helping him learn and pointing him in the right direction of good sources to learn from." Sirius responded.

He knew what Harry would want kept secret, but Harry hadn't known that Dumbledore was aware of his practice sessions. He would have to make sure Harry was aware, even if Dumbledore approved of what he was doing.

"Good good, I would hate for him to fall into the wrong subjects and possibly endanger himself or others. He is quite powerful after all." Dumbledore replied, "However, his academics weren't necessarily why I wanted to meet with you."

Sirius raised an eyebrow, "Yea?"

"Well, when I placed him with the Dursleys, I put some… less than legal wards around the property. The wards were based on blood, and were probably the strongest that could be used. As long as he called that place home, then he would be safe and the wards would stand." Dumbledore explained.

After seeing Sirius understood, he continued, "Recently, Harry's connection to the wards was broken, but oddly enough, the wards still stand. In fact, they are fully charged, though they will drain overtime and no longer recharge."

Sirius frowned. He knew what wards had been places, and though rather obscure, similar wards were on some of the Black properties. He knew that the wards would collapse, but the ward Dumbledore used was specific in its intent. It should have broken, but perhaps that Harry bore no ill will and wanted his aunt protected caused it to remain? It is possible.

"What is it?" Dumbledore asked.

"I think it might've been something Harry had done. We visited them the first day of break, and I know Harry broke his connection with the wards then. It is possible that his intention was to keep them safe long enough for them to move, which they probably will soon. If that's the case, perhaps the magic sensed his intent and the wards remained?" Sirius suggested.

"I've not heard of such a thing, but it is possible. I do not have much in the way of the type of blood ward I erected. I only knew it was safe to use on a child and powerful enough to protect him from Voldemort's followers." Dumbledore admitted.

Sirius nodded, "My grandfather taught us about blood wards, and though I'm not a master at them, I know quite a bit. That is the most likely explanation, though it is possible that the wards are simply leaching power from the earth and won't fade until Petunia moves. If there was the smallest wrong move made when casting them, odd things can happen." Sirius replied.

"Yes. Blood magic is very sensitive like that. I believe the first reason is the most likely though, but it cannot be ruled out that I did make a mistake." The older wizard responded. "However, I had hoped to keep the blood wards up. It was a powerful protection. Alas it is too late. Reconnecting Harry to the wards is pointless, as he won't view their home as his own."

"No. And I wouldn't return him there anyway. It is a miracle that he has such a good heart. The Dursleys had abused him, mostly emotionally and with some neglect if I am not wrong. While Petunia was remorseful because of the curse Pettigrew had placed on Harry had been removed, Vernon was not, and was still somewhat aggressive towards us. I wouldn't return him to their care for even a day." Sirius responded forcefully, though as calmly as he could.

He watched as Dumbledore seemed to think, and pale, before dropping his head into his hands. "Does he blame me? He knows I put him there."

"No. He blames Pettigrew, though his emotions are conflicted. Don't speak to him on the matter." Sirius spoke, Dumbledore nodded, and after a minute of gathering himself, continued on with a few other small things, both about Harry and Sirius, as they ate the food that had been forgotten earlier.

After Sirius left, Dumbledore sighed. Could he really have sent Harry to live the same childhood that Tom had? Would Harry be at risk of following the same footsteps?

No. Harry has something Tom never had. He has Sirius now, and his friends. Tom always was keeping to himself, and only sought companionship as a means to an end. I need to be careful, but it still has to be him in the end. Dumbledore thought. Feeling somewhat reassured, he sat back and finished the last of his paperwork so he could attend the feast later in the evening.

April 9th, 1994

Chamber of Secrets

Per his grandfather's suggestion, Harry made his way down the dark tunnel once more, his wand drawn and several curses on his tongue. Despite knowing the basilisk was dead and gone, he still feared what else would be down here. Already he had made it past the second door, and was just entering the main chamber.

After making sure everything was clear, he began to walk the perimeter of the Chamber, searching for anything that could be important, both while using detection charms and while searching the wall with his eyes. After not seeing anything, he checked the base of each of the statues, and then searched the pillars. Not seeing anything, he sighed, and moved forward to the central statue.

"Speak to me Salazar, Greatest of Hogwarts four!" Harry hissed out. He watched as the mouth opened, and aimed his basilisk wand, praying nothing came out. After a minute of nothing, he moved forward.

Again, there was nothing.

Maybe it wasn't in this section of the chamber. Perhaps it was closer to the entrance? Harry though. Following the same thing he had already done, he searched, making his way back to the pipe. Again, he was disappointed.

So there isn't anything in the chamber. Harry drew his mirror and called Sirius, who quickly answered.

"Find anything pup?" The man asked.

"Nothing. It is only a chamber unless he charmed it with parselmagic. It's possible that if he did, I might not find it without knowing what I am looking for. Either way, there isn't anything I can find at the moment." Harry replied, frustrated.

"Perhaps you should ask someone. Though who you would ask I have no idea. Only the… of course! The sorting hat. It has been around since the founders! It might know something." Sirius said excitedly. Harry grinned, entertained by Sirius acting like a child on an adventure, before something dawned on him.

"Sirius… how are we supposed to get the hat when it is in the headmaster's office. You know, the man who probably would heavily disapprove of what I am doing. He would insist on us stopping this search, you know?" Harry asked.

"Steal the hat?" Sirius suggested. "Maybe as an heir to the founders you could ask the castle for the hat to be brought to you? I know James and I used to call for elves when we wanted food, though there were times they told us to just go to the kitchen." Sirius said thoughtfully.

"Possibly but that means climbing back out of here. It'll take some time. Thankfully Remus is covering for me, but still." Harry whined.

"Get over it. The exercise will do you good." Sirius snarked. Harry just glared at the mirror. "Get to climbing, Harry, and let me know what you find. And be safe, please!"

"Always Sirius, stay safe." Harry responded. Sirius nodded before ending the mirror call.

Harry spent the next twenty minutes climbing out of the tunnel. Thankfully, he had thought about it and realized there were probably stairs, though he brought his firebolt anyways, just in case. Thinking about it, it would've been easier to fly up, but the discovery was fascinating.

After making it back to the bathroom, he made his way to his practice room, before adding his new privacy enchantments. Sirius had gotten some of the unspeakable spells from Charles which would help against Dumbledore's spying. Once he was ready, he called out for an elf.

"I had a question for you Tippy," Harry started, "Firstly, is everything reported to the teachers or headmaster?"

The elf frowned, "Everything's reported unless yous ask us not to report it, young master."

"Do you know that I am the Heir of Slytherin?" Harry asked. The elf nodded. "Have you told the headmaster?" The elf shook his head. Harry sighed.

"I ask you and any other elves, ghosts, or portraits to not report my status to him then." Harry said, not quite sure why he said portraits or ghosts, though he thought it was a good idea.

"Wes will not tell him then, young master." Tippy replied, "Now whys did you call me?"

"Is it possible that I could speak to the hat privately without the headmaster knowing? And would he tell the headmaster what we spoke of?" Harry asked.

"The hat bes required to keep yous secrets. I cans grab it for you without Graybeard knowing?" The elf asked. Harry nodded, and watched the elf disappear. It was only a moment later that the elf returned, an upset sorting hat in hand. It sat it down and disappeared in only a few seconds.

"So you wished to speak to me Mr. Potter? What about?" The hat asked, far less cheerful than its normal. Or at least from what he had experienced.

"Well. I found out I am the heir of Slytherin. And I was wondering if there was some area in the castle the ring granted me access to? Gringotts said they had nothing other than the ring." Harry replied.

"They wouldn't. The school is older than Gringotts. I sent the ring there a few hundred years ago, and waited. I knew none of Rowena or Helga's heirs lived, or those that did weren't worthy of the claim. While all of the founders were granted a title, Godric only ever had his sword, never a ring, though no one really knows that. I told you before though, it chose you as its master. As for Slytherin, I had lost hope. It seems I was wrong." The hat spoke. At first it seemed annoyed, but seemed to mellow out as it spoke.

"What is so special about the sword? I know it is goblin-forged, and it is now coated in the basilisk venom, but what else can it do?" Harry asked.

"The sword is not just a sword Mr. Potter. It is a powerful but unusual magical artifact. Besides its normal abilities, it has a full piece of dragon heartstring burned into the inside of it, and the rubies are covered in runes. It was a gift from the goblins for saving their Chief's life. It can act similar to a wand in the fact that it can cast elemental magic. Godric was fond of fire, but his lightning attacks with the sword were more spectacular than anything. On top of that, the sword is capable of absorbing physical blows, and can cut through nearly anything, magically reinforced or not." The hat said, slightly irritated. "Before you attempt to fight with his sword, learn properly so you don't kill yourself with it. I'd be happy to give you some of Godric's memories of how to wield it."

"Now, to your original inquiry. Yes. The ring has some properties. For one thing, you have a status here, above even the headmaster, over the castle and those bound to it. They will keep your secrets and help you, to a degree. Another is that you cannot be stopped from entering the dorms or other common rooms, nor can someone use the castle's wards or defenses against you. Had you already worn the ring before fighting the basilisk, you would've never been harmed, as the basilisk would've died by its own magic for attacking you."

Damn, that would've been useful. Harry thought.

"Now, while Salazar never made anything into the chamber, he did have his personal quarters. They used to be located in the dungeon, but because the castle has shifted in the last thousand and so years. Now his quarters are located on the second floor, north from the bathroom where you enter the chamber. It is a 'blank' wall on the right side, but you will notice a small snake engraving at waist level. Press the ring into it and you will be granted access." The hat said.

"But be warned, none have entered it since he passed, and I was never privy to see his quarters." The hat said with a slight turn of his tone. "Now, I have had more than enough excitement for the day, so I wish to return to my shelf if you don't mind."

Harry nodded, "Thank you hat, I appreciate the help, and I'd be glad to take you up on those lessons one day."

After that, he called an elf and returned the hat, before informing Sirius of what he had been told.

"Well. That is good news. Do you feel like you are capable of looking in his quarters? It is possible things have been cursed." Sirius asked. Harry hesitated, and thought it out.

"I think I will be fine. You improved my skill of sensing magic over break, and I've been able to at least detect normal enchantments and such. Perhaps he has made it to where I wouldn't notice, but I can always take the safe route and not touch anything." Harry responded thoughtfully.

Sirius thought for a moment, "Do the latter, but check for curses and such on things, and no matter what you feel, avoid touching things without having checked them. This summer, we will refine the ability and add more detection charms and some curse breaking spells to your knowledge. Those need practical applications and can't be taught like this."

"Alright. I'll contact you after I've checked it. My friends won't be looking for me until dinner, which is some time away and I've got my cloak, so I'll be fine. Talk later." Harry said, ending the call. Perhaps he was being a bit hasty, but he was excited. This was something from the founder! Something that people had wanted to know for hundreds of years.

After despelling his privacy charms, he made his way to the area described by the hat. As he searched, he wondered just what he would find. Rare tombs were likely, perhaps some armor or magical artifacts?

His breath stopped as he found the small snake in the wall, and Harry felt his ring heat up. He looked around and saw no one, so taking a deep breath, he pressed the ring into the carving, and watched as the wall folded, each brick moving itself like the barrier does for Diagon Alley.

As the wall opened, a fireplace illuminated inside, flames cackling for the first time in who knows how long. Harry stepped in slowly as he drew his wand, ensuring that if anything had made its way into the room, it wouldn't be a threat. After all, dark spaces were great for Lethifolds and Boggarts, and the spells for each were vastly different. As soon as he was inside the room, the wall sealed. He shrugged, and elected to look around instead. The room was spotless, nearly perfectly clean, with two brown chairs, a small bookshelf overburdened with tomes and scrolls, and a large oak desk to the side with nothing resting on it. There was also a hallway to the right of the room, though it seemed to be unlit. Harry had the distinct feeling he was being watched, and with a dark hallway, it was uncomfortable, but now he was committed, and determined to see this through.

With a flick of his basilisk wand, Harry summoned his Patronus. Though it was draining to hold for longer periods of time, it was a great source of light and comfort. He sent it down the hallway, and followed behind it… not that there had been a need. He followed behind it, and the instant he entered the hallway, torches had lit up, flames flickering as the light shined off the stone. Harry made out most of the hallway, and noticed that there were two rooms with doors open. Despite the feeling of a horror movie on the telly before a jump scare, he pushed on, entering the first of the rooms.

The first of two rooms was large and mostly empty, with a large stone table and some shelves at the far end of the room. Otherwise, there was just a twenty foot by thirty foot, give or take in size, space, with a roughly ten foot high ceiling. It was oddly unsettling that despite not seeing anything, he still felt like he was being watched and judged. Perhaps, he thought, the other room would solve where the feeling was coming from. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there was nothing there to signify that he was being watched. The other room was a massive bedroom, with carpeted floors and a large bed to one side, a window situated away from the bed, and a bathroom with a rune-carved tub, and a normal looking shower and toilet. There was also a large cupboard, probably meant for hanging robes in, but it too was empty. If Salazar had lived here, he had cleaned the place out quite well, or perhaps another or even a house elf had cleaned it.

However, none of the searching had managed to shake the feeling, and it was wearing down on his nerves quickly. Other than the moment he was in the bathroom, the feeling had been present. Odd, it respected boundaries, but who was Harry to question it. He walked back into the hall, spinning with his wand raised. What is causing this feeling?

"Homenum Revelio" Harry entoned. While the spell was meant for humans, it would also give a weird feedback if there was anything living in its range. It came back with nearly a dozen positives, which hadn't made sense until Harry remembered where he was at, and the fact that there were likely students above and below him, and possibly in the hallway. Besides, he had no idea exactly how far the spell had been effective, as power increased the distance. He slowly made his way to the main room, searching for anything that could possibly cause what he was feeling. Since he wasn't feeling any person's magic in the rooms, it meant that whoever was watching them had hidden themselves, or was not living at all.

"Reveal yourself. I can feel you watching me." Harry called out. There was a small chuckle as a portrait appeared above the fireplace, having not been there before. Harry knew it hadn't been, as it had been the first place he had seen.

"Well, one of my descendants has finally returned to me. I must admit, it has been far longer than I expected. I thought, maybe five hundred years, not nearly eleven hundred years." the portrait said. Harry was quick to look at the features of the man. He had long black hair pulled into a ponytail, smooth aristocratic features across his face, and bright green eyes, the same shade as the killing curse, and the same shade as both Harry and his mother. It was a shocking thing, at least to Harry, as it dawned on him exactly who the man was.

"Figured it out yet?" The portrait asked. "Well, if you haven't, let me introduce myself. I am Salazar Slytherin, Parselmouth, apparent Dark Lord, and one of the four Founders of Hogwarts."

A/n: So I spent some hours deliberating on how I wanted this to go, and truthfully, it was hard to figure out. I've seen several fictions use Salazar hiding his portrait in the Chamber, and though it works well, I wanted something different. If it wasn't for Harry being his heir, I was almost inclined to do a Gryffindor Portrait, as not many have written him in. However, for this story, Salazar is both the logical and necessary choice for Harry. That explanation will come in time though.

As for something else, I am looking for opinions. I haven't figured out how to make an actual poll on Ffnet, and that isn't an option on AO3, so instead, I'd appreciate those who are willing to leave a single vote on what they want Harry's Animagus form to be. While it will be some time before he becomes one, it is in his plans for the future.

There are three rules for the suggestions though:

Deer/Prongs and Grim/Sirius' form are out. While it isn't impossible logically, I want variety, and not mini-parents

No magical creatures. Per canon, no one, except possibly Merlin, had a magical form. As such, Harry won't either. While he can be a non-magical snake or bird, he can't be a Phoenix or Basilisk

And lastly, no bugs or insects. While they are useful for certain things, Harry isn't Rita Skeeter, and he isn't intending on hiding.

I had an idea for using a wolf or large canine, as Remus' werewolf keeps reacting to him, but that is up to you all if that idea comes to manifestation. Let me know in the comments, and we'll see what happens.

As for the next chapters, there may be one more before the end of the month, however, I will be busy next week, so it may be slower than normal. Until next time!