Harry Potter and the Founders Vault
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and some of the words are JK's, but they're needed for this particular chapter.
Note: I apologize for the long wait between chapters – my beta recently got a new job, so it's been hard for him to balance edits to our main story, this, the job and his family life. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you like!
The True Heir of Salazar Slytherin
Harry and Harper were standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit Chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long black shadows though the chamber, greenish gloom that filled the place.
Their wands still out, the siblings moved forward between the columns, every careful footstep echoing loudly off the shadowy walls; the hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following them as they remained cautious, looking out for any form of life, especially Ginny.
Then, as they drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue as high as the Chamber itself came into view, standing against the back wall. They had to crane their necks to look up onto the giant face above; it was ancient and old, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous grey feet stood on the smooth Chamber wall. And between the feet, face down, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming red hair.
"Ginny!" The two called as they ran to where she lay; Harry turned her over and shook the girl with his free hand, but she didn't move.
"Hey, is this a diary?" Harper asked, banding down and picking up the book that was lying next to Ginny. "T.M Riddle…?" She read off the front.
"There's something wrong with her," Harry said. "She needs the hos…"
"She won't wake," a soft voice spoke. Harry jumped and spun around while Harper turned on the spot. A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edged, as though they were looking at him through a misted window.
"I don't recognize you," Harper said, seeing the green of his robes, being the Slytherin of the siblings. "And that uniform looks like it's from Myrtle's time."
"I think we found the Heir of Slytherin," Harry muttered. "Who are you? What have you done to Ginny?"
"She's still alive," the boy glanced momentarily at Ginny's lifeless form before moving forward. "As for me, I am Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"Who?" Harper and Harry asked as one. They'd never heard of a Tom Marvolo Riddle.
"A memory," Riddle responded quietly, "preserved in a diary for fifty years…"
"Fifty…?" Harper tried to wrap her head around this.
"No," Harry said ready to react.
"I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter, Harper Evans," Riddle continued, not even taking any more glances toward Ginny, "for the chance to see you, to speak to you two."
"What do you mean?" Harper asked, her wand raised against the boy while Harry stayed back, ready to use his sword if needed.
"How did Ginny get like this?" Harry, however, asked. He needed to know the link, how Ginny could be opening the Chamber and how this boy was linked to it all.
"Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly, "and quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley is like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger."
"That journal?" Harper asked.
"Indeed," said Riddle with a curious look, "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me her pitiful worries and woes: how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with second-hand robes and books, how–" Riddle's eyes glinted "–how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her," all the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look to them.
"Harry–" Harper began, but Riddle cut her off.
"It's very boring having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," Riddle went on, "but I was patient, I wrote back, I was sympathetic. I was kind. Ginny simply loved me!" Riddle laughed a high, cold laugh that didn't suit his appearance. Harry and Harper shared a look at this. "If I say it myself, Harry, Harper, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So, Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted," Harry's grip on his sword tightened at these words. "I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful – powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her."
"You were behind it all," Harper concluded. "Some sort of mind control. Getting her to open the Chamber of Secrets for you, to control the Basilisk under your guidance."
"You have done your research," Riddle smirked at Harper at this outburst. "Yes. Of course, she didn't know what she was doing, it was very amusing… even more so when that oaf of a half-giant got sent to Azkaban for it all! I couldn't believe the Wizarding World would think to blame him – twice! "
"Hagrid's our friend," Harry said, his voice shaking a little now.
"You framed him the first time around, back when Mrytle died," Harper added.
"Well, it was my word against Hagrid's back then. The perfect Slytherin prefect vs the half-giant who couldn't perform a basic spell," again, Riddle made that high, cold laugh. "Only the Transfiguration teach, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent – and he trained him to be the school's gamekeeper! Can you imagine?"
"I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," Harry remarked, his teeth gritted.
"Surprised he didn't look deeper into Mrytle's death," Harper added at this.
"Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after that," Riddle dismissed, "I know it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind my diary," he nodded to the book still on the floor beside Ginny, "preserving my sixteen-year-old self, or some form of it, so I would be able to lead others in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work."
"I don't believe for a second that Salazar would have wanted to hurt students," Harper snapped back at this, getting bored of this boy's monologue, and wanting action, to fight him or at least get Ginny out of this place.
"Besides, no one's died this time – not even the cat," Harry pointed out.
"Haven't I already told you?" Riddle sighed at this revelation, ignoring Harper's remark, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been you – Harry Potter!"
"Me?" Harry frowned at this.
"Him?" Harper asked, taken aback too.
"Him," Riddle confirmed, but glanced curiously to Harper as he said this, "but also you, Harper Evans."
"Now I'm confused," Harper stated.
"It'll all become clear soon," Riddle stated, clearly enjoying having a sociopathic hold on the pair. "Imagine how interested I was when Ginny told me about you two – from the rumors that Harper was the heir of Slytherin, that you could speak Parseltongue," he addressed Harper, "to the story of the baby, with no extraordinary magical talents managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape, Harry Potter, with nothing – not even a scar – while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" There was an odd, red, gleam in his hungry eyes now.
"Why should you care how I escaped?" Harry asked, his hand going numb over his sword as he was holding it so tightly.
"Voldemort was after your time," Harper added at this.
"Voldemort…" Riddle said softly, "is my past, present and future…" with that, he pulled a wand from his pocket – it must have been Ginny's wand – and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words:
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves:
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
"We really should have seen that coming," Harper muttered.
"You see?" Riddle whispered, "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts to my more intimate of friends; I wasn't going to keep my filthy Muggle father's name. No, Harry, Harper, I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest wizard in the world!"
"Wow, you have an inflated ego," Harper said back, Harry gave a small laugh at that.
"You think you're so smart," Riddle responded back at this, taking a step toward Harper now. "Who are you? You and I have to be the only two Parseltongues to walk into this school since the great Salazar Slytherin himself."
"Once again that ego. Where do you think your ancestors went to school? There are generations of Slytherins children walking into this school all speaking Parseltongue. You're not special," Harper said back to this.
"You should control your mouth," Tom said moving closer to Harper
"Stay away from her," Harry hissed, moving quickly between Riddle and Harper, his sword almost touching the other boy. "Voldemort is not the greatest wizard in the world. In fact, I saw him just last year. He's a mere shadow. Defeated. And you are nothing but a memory of him!"
Harry didn't wait for a response as he went to put the sword right through Riddle's stomach, the same way he had done to Quirrell the year before, figuring to destroy this memory would save Ginny. But his sword went right through Riddle, without hurting him.
"Foolish child. I'm not living yet. Not completely," Riddle stated. "You can't hurt me. But let's put this to the test. Since I know nothing about Harper Evans, compared to the great Harry Potter, let's put the real Heir of Salazar Slytherin against Harry Potter and his Mudblood sister!"
"Harry Potter, Heir to Godric Gryffindor," Harry said. "And his sister, who is the daughter of a witch and wizard, will be your downfall." Harry spat back at Riddle now, sharing a look with Harper at this. He felt stupid, though. Merlin had been right: everything had been right in front of them the entire time, the three Heirs in Hogwarts. "Harper. It's you. I'm the one without the power. You're the one who can take him down."
"What?" Harper asked. "Harry I…" but Riddle had turned to face the giant stone statue and spoke words only Harper could understand:
"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four," Riddle hissed; far above them Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving, his mouth opening wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths.
"Harper…?" Harry hesitated as something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Knowing this was the Basilisk, the giant snake that could kill with a simple glance, Harry instinctively shut his eyes, just as Riddle made another hissing noise:
"Kill them," Riddle commanded the giant snake.
"STOP!" Harper found herself instantly shouting back, almost able to hear the hissing her mouth made as she addressed the giant snake head on. At the command, the Basilisk turned to her. Harper didn't have time to shut her eyes though, and she was looking right in the Basilisks eyes. She expected death, to be torn from her body as the stare of the snake killed her, but she wasn't a spirit – she was still breathing. She was still alive!
"Hello again," the Basilisk hissed to Harper. "You have come here, young Heiress."
"What? No, kill her!" Riddle yelled in Parselmouth.
"Don't hurt me or my brother," Harper said, indicating Harry who remained glued to the spot with his eyes closed.
"Your brother?" The Basilisks asked. "Yes, you are both kin to my Master, but he does not speak. You do though? This other Heir demands me to kill. But what would you demand of me, young Heiress?"
"I don't demand anything! I just don't want you to hurt anyone," Harper responded, Riddle seeming lost for words at the interaction.
"Then the test is set," the Basilisks said, and suddenly they heard a sound as the door they had come through far back into the Chamber closed. The floor shook and before them some stone tiles moved aside, similar to how the sinks had moved to gain entrance to the Chamber, and through the newly formed hole and smaller statue, similar to the stone pillars lining the Chamber, rose; the mouth of his snake statue was open, and the teeth looked sharp.
"The Chamber has sealed itself. There are three kin to my master in this room, but only two hold his gift, and only one can be his true Heir or Heiress," the Basilisk announced; Harry had since reopened his eyes, having stumbled at the shaking. He watched in silence now, letting Harper take the lead.
"What?! I am the true Heir," Riddle yelled out.
"That is to be decided! In this statue is the gift my master's second wife gave him on the day they were married. Only the child bloodline who he had with her may remove the gift. That child is his true Heir. The other will be disinherited as a false Heir forever more," the Basilisk explained.
"You got chatty," Riddle groaned to the snake.
"What happens if neither of us are from the second wife?" Harper asked.
"Then the Chamber shall remain sealed until a true Heir opens it from the outside," the Basilisks explained.
"Harper, mind filling me in?" Harry asked.
"Basically, me and Tom here are being put through a sort of test to see if either of us come from Salazar's child with his second wife," Harper said.
"Salazar Slytherin had more than one wife?" Harry asked, but Harper shot him a glare.
"I am Salazar Slytherin true Heir," Riddle said in English now, looking at Harper. "I will claim the right now!" He had already gone to the statue and put his hand in the snake's mouth, but the snake's eyes glowed and the jaw closed around Riddle hand.
Riddle removed it, unharmed, due to him still not being whole. "What?!" He looked shocked at this.
"Harp, you can do it," Harry said, not missing a beat, encouraging her.
"False Heir," the Basilisk spit out at Riddle, though.
"No," Riddle hissed, not believing it as he looked at the statue.
Harper took a deep breath as she put her wand away, remembering what the Sorting Hat had told her the year before, it having had nearly put her in Gryffindor, but she needed to summon that bravery and she took a step closer. She walked right passed the Basilisk, who didn't move to stop her. Riddle seemed to be glued to the spot, too, as he watched on.
Harper put her hand in the stone snake's mouth, expecting it to be cut right off… but nothing happened. She reached further in and found what she thought was a hilt of what she thought was a sword but, as he lifted it out of the snake, she noticed it was a dagger with a very large, slightly curved blade.
As Harper removed the dagger a glow came from the snake statue; the glow filling the entire Chamber they were in and Harper knew, too, throughout all the parts unseen. She felt connected to the Chamber somehow now- she knew this place was in her blood. And with that, the Chamber itself changed.
The colors, which had been dark and gloomy, changed to lighter and brighter, of the four main House colors: blue, red, yellow, and green, while the statue of Salazar in front of them changed; the old man became younger, the beard receding back into the face, which itself seemed to morph into a much more attractive male. Then, some of the statues of the snakes within the Chamber changed into people who Harper recognized as the other three founders: Godric, Rowena, and Helga. All in colorful robes of their own colors.
And Harper knew this was how the Chamber was really meant to look. Over the years it seemed that Riddle's ancestors had changed it to the gloomy place it had been, which, not even the Basilisks had been able to counter, having to follow the orders of that bloodline until now.
"No!" Riddle called. "I am the true Heir," Riddle shouted to the Basilisk. "Obey me!"
"You are the false Heir! I have a true Heiress now," the Basilisk responded, and something about the way it said it made even Harper pause. "You made me attack my master's school twice. You had me kill a girl, a student. You shall pay." With that, the Basilisk went to attack Riddle who started throwing spells at the snake. Harper knew though, somehow, that this Basilisk was female.
Harper rushed over to Harry who had been guarding Ginny.
"The Basilisk is on our side now?" Harry asked, but it sounded more like a statement.
"Yeah," Harper said, looking down at Ginny. "She's not looking good," the girl was pale, and her breathing was weak; Harper felt for a pulse and it was barley there. She would be dead soon.
"Doesn't seem Basilisk is having much luck killing Tom," Harry said, glancing at the battle between snake and former master.
"She can't. He's only a memory stored in a book until Ginny dies," Harper sighed, and then both looked at each other and then at the diary still with them.
"The journal!" Both said together. Harry took his sword and threw it into the diary, but it didn't do anything – it didn't even penetrate the book.
"Let me try." Harper held up her newly-claimed dagger and stabbed at the book, only to the same result as Harry.
"Well, that was anti-climactic," Harry said as Harper frowned. Harry looked over the Basilisks and Riddle fighting – the two seemed to be at a draw, with neither able to hurt the other yet. "Basilisk venom is very poisonous and destructive…" Harry mused.
Harper looked at Harry as he said this and Harper grinning, picking up the dairy.
"Hey, bite this!" Harper yelled out as she threw the book towards the Basilisk, as though they had meant to do this all along.
As the snake caught the book in her mouth, her fangs penetrated the object. Suddenly, there was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spirted out of the diary in torrents, forcing the Basilisk to drop it so as not to be downed, it spilling across the new-renovated Chamber floor. Riddle himself was twisting, screaming in pain, writing in agony and then…
He was gone. There was a sudden silence throughout the Chamber.
The Basilisk came up the pair now, a sorry look in its doleful eyes – eyes that weren't as bright as they should be. "I am sorry for all the trouble I have caused. I had no choice until you came, my true mistress. What do you want me to do?"
"Color is returning to Ginny," Harry stated.
"Don't let her see you. Go!" Harper said, and the Basilisk nodded, slithering back up to the rejuvenated mouth of Salazar Slytherin, which closed. Harper looked up at the statue, having followed the snake with her eyes, and looked at the new man it showed, but she didn't have time to wonder. She put the dagger in her trousers and covered the hilt with her shirt. "Pick her up Harry. We need to get her out of here before she wakes."
Harry agreed with his sister and picked up Ginny, passing his sword to Harper. Harper also moved to pick up the diary and Ginny's wand that Tom had been using as the two left the Chamber. As they left and headed back down the tunnel, they noticed everything was in fact changed: the discarded Basilisks skin was gone, while the colors were brighter of the tunnel and more welcoming, with actual lit torches now lining the walls. The ceiling, meanwhile, didn't look like it was falling apart either.
"That was some magic!" Harry said impressed as they walked, but Harry had to stop as Ginny moaned. He gently put her on the floor now.
"Harry? Harper? I… Tom! He…" Ginny started.
"Gone," Harper said.
"I tried to get rid of it, but I couldn't. The diary… it was…" Ginny said having tears in her eyes.
"You were possessed but we need to get out of here now," Harry said.
"How?" Ginny asked.
"Come on, can you walk?" Harry asked. Ginny was already getting to her feet.
"Come on," Harper stated, leading the way back, it much easier now their path was lit.
They noticed the bones of the dead creatures had gone from the floor too, and, when they reached where they had landed earlier, they noted how clean it looked too.
"Definitely some magic…" Harry repeated to himself
"I have no idea how to get up there," Harper added, looking up the shoot they had come down – it had twisted and turned so much down and under the castle, she couldn't see the top anyway. "Ginny, how did you and Tom…?"
"I don't know," Ginny stated quietly.
"I have an idea," Harry said, looking at his sword in Harper hand. "Give me the sword. Let's see if this works…" Harry took the sword from Harper and concentrated, putting some magic in it like Merlin had taught him in his dreams. It was complicated, but he knew it just had to work.
Letting go of the sword, it floated in the air before them and Harry grinned, turning back to the others. "Hold on to me, and we'll float up," he stated. Harper decided not to question this magic.
-Harry Potter-
Rowan had gone for Professor McGonagall, but Hermione was surprised when both Professors Snape and Dumbledore came as well – she hadn't known the headmaster had returned to the school.
Without a word to Hermione or Neville, the three teachers tried to get the sinks open.
"Well, it seems the only way to open this is with Parseltongue," Professor Dumbledore finally sighed, and as the word left his mouth, those gathered were surprised by the sinks starting to move and open.
Professors Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall all pointing their wands at the opening, backing off as they did, only to be surprised as a hovering sword came out of it – the name 'Harry James Potter' showing to them before the three people it carried appeared. Harry holding on the sword with Harper and Ginny holding him. "Well, well, well," Professor Dumbledore said and pointed his wand at the rope ladder Hermione and Neville had made, it moving into the hole and attached to the wall.
A moment later, Harper grabbed hold of the rope ladder so she could climb out from it.
"Oh, hey Dumbledore is back! That has to be the shortest firing ever," Harper remarked as Neville held out a hand to help her out. "Oh, and you got the key? Nice one Nev!" Harper held up her hand for a high five, but Neville just looked at her. "You're leaving me hanging here…"
Professor McGonagall, meanwhile, was helping Ginny out. The young girl was shaking as Harry helped her too.
"Hi professor," Harry said smiling at Professor Dumbledore. "Harp, the sinks?"
"Oh yeah," Harper said turning to the sinks. "Close..." she instructed, and the sinks closed up and the three teachers gave her a look. "Oh, trust us. You don't want to go down there."
"But why did you go down there…?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Minerva," Professor Dumbledore said, putting a hand on his Transfiguration teacher's shoulder. "Let's get Ginny Weasley to the Hospital Wing. Her parents are there waiting already. You four…"
"Your office, we know," Harry and Harper said together.
"Hey Nev, you'll finally get to meet Fawkes," Harper said, putting an arm around him and Neville had to smile as the four left to head for the office.
Post Chapter Note: I hope you liked our twist on the Chamber and the Heirs to Slytherin. I'll possibly get the next chapter up next week, if not, the week after for sure. More scheduling information to come then though.
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Karry Master OUT!