P*T*E*N Page is up and running, slightly ahead of FFN and AO3. This pace will change to significantly ahead of FFN/AO3 once we reach the next hiatus point (at the end of the Durmstrang Arc). Visit P*T*E*N / 521dream if interested. Posted stories include A Flaw in Fate and Sacred Sight (A King's Path Rewrite/Remaster).

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The next chapter will be published . . . yeah I ain't gon lie I dunno when. Enjoy!

Harry Potter: Sacred Sight

The Goblet of Fire

IV. To Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

"The Triwizard Tournament! Can you believe that?"

Seamus Finnegan's voice washed over the Gryffindor part of the Transfiguration classroom. Harry did his best to drown it out, focusing instead on the notes sitting before him.

Gebo, Ingwaz, Eiwaz. A good enough triad.

He sat back, raising the parchment to his spectacles. A circle of condensed runes littered the parchment, with three runes in particular taking up most of the page. Harry nodded, satisfied.

That was deceptively simple.

"What's so interesting?"

Harry turned. Parvati and Lavender both sat to his right, their attention on him rather than the others' conversation. It was the former who spoke.

"The parchment, obviously," Harry grinned, "As a muggle-raised student, I've always found it quite peculiar. I used to use something called paper -"

"Yeah, yeah," Parvati rolled her eyes, a smile threatening to fill her face, "You're full of shit, you know that?"

"I do now."

"I don't understand," Lavender frowned from Parvati's other side, "The parchment's blank."

"He charmed it blank, Lav," Parvati explained kindly, "You and I can't see it."

"Why?"

Parvati turned to face him.

"That's a brilliant question, actually."

Harry shrugged.

"What's life without a few secrets?"

He laughed at the annoyance in Parvati's expression, pulling a second sheet of parchment out from his book bag. His quill traced thin words across its surface.

'Meet me where it all began, at midnight. I have a job for you.'

"Where it all began?" Parvati frowned, peeking over his shoulder, "What does that mean?"

"Probably that I'd like to meet someone at midnight."

The girls' expressions faltered. Harry ignored them both, folding the parchment into an airplane. He charmed it invisible with a tap of his wand before banishing it across the classroom.

"You'd best hope Hermione doesn't find out," Parvati murmured, struggling to track the plane's progress through the room. She eventually gave up.

"Who was it meant for?" Lavender asked curiously

"Can't be someone in Gryffindor. If it were, he wouldn't have to write a note."

"Clever," Harry awarded. Parvati smiled.

"The Sorting Hat did want to put me in Ravenclaw."

"I can see why," Harry lied.

If you actually used your brain, you'd realise that I'd only bother hiding a note meant for someone in Slytherin.

His eyes lingered upon the far corner of the classroom. He watched as his target unfolded the now visible parchment behind a stack of books, their lips curving into a thin sneer. They didn't look up.

"Oi! You lot!" Dean called eagerly from behind. Harry, Lavender, and Parvati all turned, "Any of you entering the Tournament?"

"Merlin, no," Parvati said, sounding exasperated, "We'd be dead before the second task -"

"I am," Ron grinned eagerly, "Most of us Gryffindors are -"

"'Most' isn't the right word," Hermione frowned, "Most of the boys are."

"So you, obviously," Parvati nodded at Ron, "I'm assuming Dean and Seamus, too."

"Obviously."

"What about you?" Parvati turned to Harry, "Thinking of taking a crack at it?"

All of them turned to face him. Harry forced out a faux sigh of reluctance.

"I don't know," he grinned, "Not having to take the end-of-year exams just might convince me, though."

Ron, Seamus, and Dean all laughed in agreement. Parvati rolled her eyes.

"Idiots," she spat, "That leaves Neville."

Harry turned to the left, a thin smile forming upon his features. Sitting along the divide between the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors (and, Harry noted, a tad bit closer to the former), was Neville Longbottom. The boy blinked at them all as their beady eyes fell upon him.

"Er - sorry?"

"The tournament, Nev," Seamus said quickly, "Are you entering?"

"Of course not," the boy said, shaking his head, "That'd be suicide."

"Thank you, Neville," Hermione's voice rang from the two seats to Harry's left, "At least one of you has common sense -"

"What about you?"

Harry glanced up. Neville has just spoken, his light brown eyes staring directly into his own.

"I'm not sure yet," said Harry vaguely. A mischievous grin threatened to show, "I suppose I still have to think it through."

Unsurprisingly, Neville didn't seem satisfied with his answer.

"Well, I suppose that's good enough for now," Hermione frowned, "You'll realise your folly sooner or later -"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The class fell silent. They watched as Professor McGonagall rose from her seat, striding purposefully toward the windowsill on the far end. She turned around a moment later.

"Mr. Potter," she said curtly, looking directly at him, "Your owl awaits you."

Surprised, Harry rose to his feet. He hurried over to where Professor McGonagall stood. Sure enough, a rather weary-looking Hedwig was perched just outside the window.

"Sorry Professor," Harry said quickly, moving to open the window. Hedwig fluttered over to his shoulder with a loud bark, "She didn't mean to make a scene."

He curved his lips upward not into Tom Riddle's perfect smile but rather a flawed, roguish one. Sirius had once said it was not unsimilar to his father's.

"No matter, dear," said McGonagall softly, "Move along now. Class is almost over."

Harry nodded, stepping out from behind her desk and toward his own. He gently removed the furled packet clenched between Hedwig's claws.

"I haven't seen you since the World Cup," he whispered in the bird's ear, "I was worried."

Hedwig nibbled affectionately at his ear. Laughing, Harry tapped the parchment with his wand, rendering it blank to all but himself. He spoke to Hedwig again.

"Fly up to the Owlry and get a good, long sleep. I'll bring you food from the kitchen in fifteen minutes."

He watched as the snowy white owl soared through the open door and out of sight. Smiling, Harry returned to his seat.

"Why did she deliver that during breakfast?" Lavender frowned.

"Long flight. She's been out for a while."

He fell back into his seat, unraveling the contents. Parvati and Lavender both looked away.

"What are you doing?" Harry snickered, watching as the two stared at McGonagall's desk with newfound interest.

"Giving you privacy," Lavender muttered, "You charmed two different notes unreadable earlier. It's called tact."

"Well, I appreciate it," Harry laughed, "But you don't have to do all that. I trust you."

The girls smiled. Behind them, Seamus and Dean both snorted loudly.

"He's just saying that because he's charmed this one unreadable, too," they laughed.

Harry grinned.

"That's for you lot, not them," he said, "Don't think I've forgotten there are people behind me . . ."

He turned back around, his eyes tracing the large sheet Hedwig had brought him. His heart pumped loudly as a rush of eager emotions swam beneath his skin. A tattered map sat before him, detailing two rather unimpressive villages. Harry grinned, his gaze jumping to the title posted above.

'Greater Hangleton & Little Hangleton: A Traveler's Guide'

Harry folded up the map, a thrill of satisfaction burning in his chest.

(-{- S S -}-)

A series of circular sinks sat before him. Harry ignored them, staring instead at the battered map clenched between his palms.

Little Hangleton . . . Tom Riddle's home.

"I should visit," he mumbled, tucking the map into his back pocket, "I could probably learn a thing or two."

"About what?"

Harry looked up. A ghostly figure appeared from one of the toilet stalls to his left. She now hovered high in the air, just above the circular sinks.

"Hello, Myrtle."

"Hi, Harry," said the ghost warmly, "You've gotten taller."

"I have," Harry smiled, "Boys my age tend to do that."

"You've grown in a good way, though. That's rarer."

"Coming from you, that means a lot."

The ghost blushed. Harry watched as she lowered slightly.

"The rude one isn't here."

"Not yet," Harry sighed, "Unfortunately for both of us, that'll change soon."

"It's quite nice of you to put up with him, even if I don't understand why -"

"I told you Myrtle, he's useful."

The ghost frowned.

"I could be useful," she moaned, "You could use me -"

"I need someone alive," Harry reminded her, "Someone who can hold things for me. Besides, I don't want to treat you like some sort of slave. You're my friend, remember?"

Myrtle smiled.

"Of course," she said, more to herself than to him, "Yes, I suppose you'd best use the rude one instead."

"I will indeed."

Clang.

Harry frowned as the large bathroom doors swung open, clattering loudly against the walls on either side.

"I'm here," someone barked, "Just how exactly do you plan on desecrating your body today -"

The voice sputtered off with an irritable flick of Harry's wrist.

"Quiet," he snapped, "You can save your stupidity for when we're inside."

The blonde-haired boy glared at him, unable to voice his frustrations.

"Hello, rude one," Myrtle waved cheerfully at him, "You've grown, too."

Harry turned. Sure enough, Draco Malfoy was a fair bit taller than he remembered. His blonde hair was longer too; it was just a few inches shy of his shoulders, producing bangs tucked along either side of his face.

"He has, hasn't he?" Harry said, closing the bathroom door behind Malfoy with a flick of his wand, "He'd best hope he gets his looks from his mother in the future."

Draco flipped him off angrily. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I'm not having a go at your mum, moron. I'm saying that the Blacks were better looking than any Malfoy will ever be."

He didn't wait for the blonde's irate reaction, instead turning to face Myrtle.

"We should probably get going," he told her, "Could you make sure no one's around when we come back out?"

"I always do."

With that, the ghost soared eagerly through a wall and out of sight. Harry turned to face the circular sinks.

"Open."

Porcelain tore apart as the sinks split, producing a grand (if disgusting) entrance. A heavy breath echoed from behind him.

"I don't understand why you refuse to tell people," Draco murmured, "If they knew what you could do, you'd never hear so much as a word about your blood ever again."

Harry frowned.

"From your friends, maybe. But the world isn't just Slytherins. Other people won't be so welcoming."

"Fools."

For once, Harry agreed. He watched as the sinks finished pushing apart, a gaping hole now in their place. He turned to Draco.

"After you."

The blonde-haired boy let out a silent sigh before jumping into the dark opening. Harry followed. The slide twisted and turned, going on for what felt like miles until it finally reached a sudden stop.

"You should get rid of all the bones," Draco complained at the slide's end, "They're a pain in the arse to walk over."

Harry frowned, climbing out from the slide. He glanced around the surrounding room. It was packed with a variety of bones and odd rocks.

"You broke out of my Silencing Charm," Harry noted. Malfoy's head rose with pride.

"You really shouldn't be surprised -"

"I'm not. Wandless magic is harder to control than its wanded counterpart."

The smile faded from Draco's face. Harry ignored him, vanishing the trash scattered across the room with a wave of his wand. He stepped through the door on the opposite end, heading off toward the main chamber.

"You could've done this at a more normal time," Draco mumbled from somewhere behind him. He sounded tired, "I've still got homework to do."

"So do I," Harry realised aloud. He shrugged, "It's not a big deal. Granger will do it."

"Why?" Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Because she'll see me looking ill in the morning and she'll feel bad," Harry yawned, "Why else?"

A passive expression overtook Draco's features.

"Neville's right," he muttered, "You are like him. Using people like that . . ."

Harry bristled, his fingers tightening around his wand.

"Pot calling the kettle black, blondie."

"Yeah, whatever," Draco frowned, "My point still stands. It would've been better to do this some other time - literally any other time. It's not like your little experiments take very long -"

"This one does,"

"Longer than those malnutrition potions?"

"Much longer," Harry frowned, "I only used runes to enchant a few of the ingredients in those potions. For this, I'm using them to enchant myself."

Intrigue flickered in Draco's eyes.

"What do I need to do?"

"Not much," Harry said, pulling out his notes from earlier. He passed them to Malfoy, "Here, read this."

Malfoy stared blankly at the parchment.

"You've handed me a plain piece of parchment."

Harry rolled his eyes, coming to a stop. He pinched the corner of the parchment Draco clenched in his hands. The boy's eyes widened as a myriad of Norse runes sparked into existence.

"This still means nothing to me."

Of course it does.

The two of them stalked through a large archway, entering the main chamber. A long, thin walkway connected where they stood to a grand bust of Salizar Slytherin's face. Serpent effigies lined the walls on either side, separated only by two pools of water.

"Right, you take this," Draco handed him back the sheet of parchment, "and properly explain to me what it is I need to do."

"Blood. I need you to copy the design on the parchment in your blood."

Harry turned around, waiting for the boy to explode in anger. It didn't take long.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?" Draco hissed, "My blood - you seriously think I'm going to fork over my fucking blood -"

"Someone's forgotten about our little vow," Harry yawned.

"That someone is you. I can prove it, too."

Harry spun around, watching as the boy furrowed about in the pocket of his robes. He eventually pulled out a thin, battered scrap of parchment.

"Perfect," Draco said, "Let's see then. So long as you say nothing about my father's involvement in the opening of the Chamber of Secrets -"

"You have a written copy of our vow?" Harry roared, his angry words shifting into Parseltongue, "Draco, I'm going to fucking kill you -"

"- I will occasionally aid you with tasks that do not go against my well-being. I also won't mention to anyone how similar you are to Lord Vo - Vol - "

"Voldemort," Harry finished furiously, setting the parchment alight. Draco yelped, "If you write that down ever again I'll snap you in two."

"It wasn't verbatim," Draco said, "Just a few hints only I would understand. Do you really think I'm stupid enough to risk breaking an Unbreakable Vow?"

"Funny you ask -"

"I think I've made my point, by the way," Draco interrupted loudly, "I occasionally help you. Help. At no point does it mention being your slave -"

"I don't care," Harry said, unimpressed, "Now help me before I use the Imperius Curse on you."

"You can't do that," said Draco uncertainly.

"Yeah? Try me."

Harry made his way down the end of the chamber, pointing his wand at one of the serpent statues. It bent with a flick of his wrist, a large doorway materializing beside it.

"Hurry up," Harry ducked inside, entering the mostly empty study. He plucked a pair of old gloves off a nearby shelf, "Here, you can use these."

He tossed them to Draco, who caught them reluctantly. The blonde boy glanced around the room.

"You want to do it in here?"

Harry nodded. He waved his wand through the air, producing a thin ring of light at the room's center.

"I'll start copying out the runes," Harry muttered, holding out his notes, "You grab eight glass vials from Slytherin's desk, and fill four of them with your blood."

Draco's lips thinned.

"What do you need my blood for?"

"Sacrifice," Harry explained, kneeling over. He drew a few runes along the floor with his wand, "I'll need someone to give up something for me. A willing sacrifice."

"Lovely," Malfoy said, "Just lovely. I can't wait to explain to the Board of Education why we were caught doing sacrificial rituals in the Chamber of Secrets at one in the fucking morning -"

"Shut up and find the vials."

Harry returned to work, his wand running gently against the stone floor. Violet runes appeared in the rock beneath his feet. Harry frowned as he examined his work, rubbing out a few of the runes.

"Easy does it . . . go on, go on -"

Harry turned around. Malfoy was sitting behind Slytherin's desk, a vial placed before him. A silver dagger was held to his palm.

"Can't do anything quietly, can you?"

"Piss off," Malfoy snapped. Harry rolled his eyes, "I only need to fill four, right?"

Harry nodded.

"I'll use mine for the rest."

"Thank Merlin grandfather died years ago," Harry heard Malfoy whisper from behind the desk, "He'd hang himself if he saw this . . ."

"I'm sure he's out there somewhere, rolling over in his grave."

He returned to his runes, continuing his work. After a few minutes, Malfoy stood behind him, watching as he worked.

"How do you know this is going to work?" Malfoy frowned, "If a fourth-year like you can do rituals, then everyone would be doing them -"

"I'm a special fourth year, Blondie -"

"Just answer the question. I'm actually curious."

Harry paused.

"They're not hard, rituals," he admitted, "In fact, most of them are really, really easy. According to Slytherin's books, people from his time believed that rituals were taught to our ancestors by the Devil. They're easy to perform because it makes it easier for more people to sacrifice things they probably shouldn't."

He looked up. Draco was still staring at his runes, his skin suddenly pale.

"And you're still doing them?"

Harry shrugged.

"It's probably just a rumour. Besides, this ritual doesn't accomplish much. The sacrifice isn't all that big a deal."

"My blood."

"And mine," Harry nodded, "Pain, too. Lots of it."

"That doesn't sound fun," Draco said pointedly, "What will it give you?"

Harry rubbed out another one of his runes, correcting it.

"More symmetrical features. It'll change the way my face develops during the remainder of puberty."

"A handsome ritual?" said Draco, intrigued. Harry's eyebrows rose.

"I'm not helping you do it if that's what you're asking -"

"I'm already perfect looking, thanks," Draco snapped, "And you clearly aren't, if you have to do this -"

Harry shrugged.

"It's an easy ritual to perform," he said, "A good first. Besides, you'd be surprised how easily people are swayed by a pretty face"

Malfoy yawned.

"I'm not surprised. I've lived fourteen long years with people ogling me. It's useful, if annoying at times."

"Uh-huh. Just come here. I'm done now."

Malfoy shuffled over, the vials clenched carefully in his palms. He gently lowered them atop certain runes as Harry instructed.

"Easy now," Harry nodded, watching as Draco's hands slowly moved over the centermost Gebo rune, "Be more careful - you've spilled a drop of blood on your shoes."

Malfoy swore, nearly dropping the glass vial. Harry glared at him.

"The fuck are you yelling about? It's your blood!"

"I can't be doing this," Draco moaned, "I might not have to - we made that stupid vow through a house-elf. It probably didn't even work."

"Dobby's more capable than you are," said Harry pointedly, watching as the blonde boy covered the final rune with his blood, "But if you'd like to find out how unbreakable an Unbreakable Vow is, be my guest."

Malfoy said nothing. Harry nodded once as he inspected the boy's work, holding out his palm.

"Hand me the four unused vials. I need to add my blood."

Draco pressed the vials into Harry's palm, wincing as Harry drew blood with a single tap of his finger.

"Is wandless magic difficult?"

"No."

"Are you just saying that?"

"Let me focus."

Harry covered the remaining runes with his blood. After a few moments, he stood up, satisfied.

"You know, I've just thought of something," Malfoy yawned from behind Slytherin's desk.

"Is that a first?"

Malfoy ignored him.

"It's what I'd guess Neville would say if he knew what you were doing."

Harry grit his teeth.

"And what's that?"

"That you're trying to make yourself look less like your parents. That you're ashamed. Ashamed of following his footsteps, ashamed of the fact that the way you think and act is little more than a cheap parody of you-know-who -"

Stupefy.

Draco tumbled out of Slytherin's chair, unconscious. Harry stared angrily at him.

Breakfast is in about eight hours. I probably don't need him to wake me up.

He tucked his wand into his pocket, stepping into the center of the runic circle. His eyes nervously slid shut.

"Begin."

A world of pain erupted around him, and everything went black.