"I do not know how many times I must tell you, boy." The aged biscuit barrel of a woman peered up at me through her comically large glasses as she sneered, "The tale is a myth to scare you young lions into behaving and acting at the very least cordial with Slytherin's."

"Yes I gathered that much, I don't believe there's so monster lurking in a school but you think one of the founders had his own private residence seeing how all three of the others had their ones memorialised." Maybe it was a trick of the light but she almost seemed to get tighter-lipped at the word, monster.

"I don't know what to tell you." She huffed, "Go look in the myths and legends section," She wrote down on a piece of parchment and harshly placed it in my hands, "Look for these." She waved me off aggressively.

I know better than to curse the old bint under my breath, she has bloody bat hearing, instead, I gave her a curt nod and walked towards the small dingy section.

No expectation and yet I was stopped in my tracks at the sight of a little version of Sirius Black hunched over a sparse book.

'Observe.'

Name: Regulus Black

Level: 15

Age: 14

Reputation: 0 [Pity for a lion.] Bella really has it out for him.

I know Black has a younger brother, but unlike the rest of his family, he doesn't make a splash in any way that's so possible. Honestly, for a moment I thought Potter somehow de-aged Black in the few hours since I've seen them.

He didn't look up from his table even if he did hear my loud footsteps in the ghost town of a library, and I had no plan to interact with… he had the book I needed…

I fucking thought my luck was one of my few good stats, yet it keeps forcing me to interact with fucking people.

Or I bet that bat did this on purpose.

"Excuse me."

The younger boy let out a tired sigh as his gaze slowly rose up from the book, he didn't make eye contact, and instead, his gaze fell on a loosened tie, "Let's get this on with."

My face scrunched up in confusion, "What are you on about?"

"You're not… what do you want?" He caught himself.

I flicked my fingers towards the book resting on the table, "May I borrow that?"

His eyes narrowed with a strange gleam in them, sadly in my time in Hogwarts I've seen that look directed at me a numerous amount of times by two Blacks, one is usually followed by pain and the other is followed by a prank of some sort.

"Why do you want it?"

A fucking book, he's asking me why I want a fucking book, "I want to wipe my arse with it." I sniped.

His passive stare was almost impressive, "I was here first, so wait your turn." He waved me off, and I swear to any gods that are listening I'm about to launch someone out of a window if I get waved off one more time.

"Listen hear you twerp-"

"You know I may just check out this book," He gave me a sly smile.

My eyes peered into his and I could feel them twitch at the amused gleam in his, I was forced to take a calming breath as I sat down on the adjacent seat to his.

"I need it for a project for Binns' class."

Persuasion Check Failed

He pulled out his wand the tip of his lit with fire, "You want to tell me the truth."

I gave myself a blank stare, "You're going to set fire to it because I'm not telling you why I want it, it a book, I just want to read it."

"I would've believed it if you didn't get so defensive about it in the first place."

"You would risk getting in this much shit for what… you're insane."

He almost smirked, "I'm a Black."

My options, well I had no options here really, the bint would be on his side no matter what, and the snakes had a unity that no other house did, even former members of the house showed solidarity even still. And what could I do, beat up the twerp for a book, what kind of angry fucking loser would that paint me as.

Even still frustration welled up in me but I let out a steady breath, "I'm looking for something in Hogwarts, and it's considered a legend by today's standards," I motioned to the book, "hence."

"What are you looking for?" He questioned with genuine interest.

"Curiosity killed the cat."

This time he smirked and the uncanny mirror of Sirius was shattered, my dormmate never looked so unnerving, "And satisfaction brought it back."

My fingers wrapped against the table and the boy just leaned back with the book on his lap waiting for me to go on, I don't know how much time passed but eventually, I opened my mouth.

"The Chamber of Secrets."

I expected him to scoff or even laugh out loud but instead, he looked intrigued, "Why would a Gryffindor be looking for the Chamber of Secrets?"

Taking a pause, I chew on my words, "Call it morbid curiosity,"

He shrugs his shoulders and lets out a huff, "Do you know what? I don't care why you want to find it, but I will say you won't," Before I could reply he cut me off, "Not on your own at least." I don't like where this is going.

"You want to help?" He nods and waits for my answer, "Why would I need it?"

He rolled his eyes and for the time since I've met him, he acted like his brother, "What chances does a Gryffindor have finding the chamber?"

First time for everything because I felt the need to defend my house, "Better chances than a Slytherin apparently, seriously how does it feel as a house to lose the last of your founder's residences?"

He opened his mouth to retort but he raised a hand and clenched it closed alongside his mouth, taking a calming breath, showing more restraint than the other two of his family I know, "I feel like we're both better than this, or at the very least I am." He mumbled the last part under his breath, "The both of us are better off working together and could find it."

"You know I could just take that book away from you." I flexed my wand hand for nothing as he wasn't the slightest worried.

"Then why didn't you? Why not act like a brash lion and take what you want, typical of your house?"

I tried to formulate an answer but for the life of nothing came forward. Maybe I'm trying to convince myself that I am that much of a bastard and just take what I want.

Quest Unlocked: Where it all began – Work with Regulus Black to find your way into the Chamber of Secrets

Optional Objective: Increase you Reputation with Regulus to friendship status.

Reward: 100 Galleons

Reward: 500 EXP

Optional Reward: Passive Spell

"If we work together, I have a condition."

"I figured."

I raised an eyebrow, "You may not like it."

He shrugged his shoulders, "As is the way of my life."

"When we find the Chamber,"

"If."

I continued as if he didn't just throw his pessimism all over the place, "When we find it." I grounded out, "We keep it to ourselves."

"Why?" He questioned in a passive voice.

"I need a safe haven," and a place to test out my abilities.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Fine with me, I just want to find to prove something to myself," I waited for him to further elaborate but he kept his mouth firmly shut. Whatever, not my business if he doesn't want to share.

"So where do we start?"

"So you're telling me, that Dumbledore hired a man who got a student killed because he snuck in a pet care of magical creaturesand this man is our gamekeeper?"

Regulus walked at a brisk pace as he led us to a small hut where the 'new' gamekeeper resided. Apparently perhaps a couple of decades ago a student was killed, and when it was revealed the girl was a muggleborn, whispers began to circulate that the Chamber of Secrets was opened.

However, it was quickly debunked when a prefect found the culprit, a half-breed. A half-breed with the pension to love misunderstood creatures. If only I were a smarter man then I would leave this all well enough alone.

"Pretty much, Dumbledore is a loon." He suddenly paused and winced as if he was waiting to be struck or reprimanded.

He kept on staring at me as if he was waiting for something, "What?"

Confusion was clear on his face, "You are not going to jump in Dumbledore's defence?" He questioned.

"Why should I?"

"Because the Geur's are a predominantly a 'light' family," He air quoted light, "and every light family adored the ground Dumbledore walks on." He said as if he was quoting someone.

"What can I say? He's a good man, but with too much power and influence, I'm sure he means well, but power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." I shrugged my shoulders in a fumbled attempt to backtrack not wanting him to quote me to his snake friends, "My uncle is a glass-half-empty type of bloke."

"So how do you know about the gamekeeper and his past? I figured the teachers would try their best to keep it all under the rug.

"Gossip," He said as if that gave an answer to my question.

"If he was caught as the perpetrator involved in the girl's death then what good will questioning him do? I doubt the headmaster at the time or even the ministry wouldn't look into the Chamber if it was involved, and if it was involved surely they would have found it."

He tutted as he gave me a blank stare, "The girl's death was inconclusive, no poison, no bite marks and no magical residue. What sort of acromantula could possibly kill like that?"

Returning the blank stare wasn't as wholly satisfying as I thought it would be, "How was I supposed to know how she died, I don't who the hell we're talking about, all you said it was a muggleborn, begs to question how you know so many details about this?"

He showed no outward emotion as he met my gaze, "I love history, I practically live in the library and I have no friends." He suddenly put on fake airs as he bowed, "I apologise I should've given you the girl's entire life story because it's so relevant." He snipped in a sarcastic tone.

I huffed and walked passed him, but he continued his sarcastic onslaught, "She was a Ravenclaw, a fourth year, her name was Myrtle Warren-" My neck snapped back towards him and I ignored the crack of it as I closed the distance between us.

"Her name was Myrtle. As in Moaning Myrtle, the ghost that haunts the girl's bathroom on the second floor."

"What?"

"You fucking tit." I grounded out, "She's literally a ghost still haunting this castle."

"A girl's bathroom?"

"Yes."

"Why do you know that?" His confused expression turned into one of distrust, "Is that why my cousin hates you?"

"No, shut up." I backpedalled as fast as I could, "I once heard a moaning in the toilet and I figured someone was being hurt or in danger so I went in there, but I quickly learnt it was actually Myrtle." I said in one quick breath.

"You heard moaning in a toilet and you thought someone was being hurt." A teasing smile wormed its way onto his face.

"I was eleven at the time, you pervy brat." I defended myself before swatting the back of his head, "Will you focus? We don't need to talk to the gamekeeper. We could quite literally talk to the ghost of the girl who was murdered."

"How sure are you?"

Wait a minute, 'Journal. Quest Log.'

Quest Log

'Current Quests.'

Ignoring the irrelevant ones it didn't take less than ten seconds to find the desired quest.

Where it all began – Work with Regulus Black to find the Chamber of Secrets

Where it all began… "Gods I'm thick."

As he trailed behind me I could tell he was gazing back trying to see if anyone would spot us, "Relax third years and above are all at Hogsmead around about now, anyone else will be at their dorms, common room, or the great hall."

"Still I would rather I was caught going into a girl's toilet with you."

A snort escaped me, "Relax you ain't my type."

"Oh, am I the wrong Black? Should I go get Bella?"

The thought of doing anything with wild hair witch is revolting, sure she's got looks on her side, but that's literally about it, "I prefer a girl who can display any human emotion other than hate."

"Bella's not that bad." He weakly defended.

My eyes rolled out of pure instinct, "Yeah of course you think that, she's family."

The scoff that he let out was filled with such anger and disbelief, "Family means nothing, well not in mine in any case, we're simply legacies to the older generation, and my brother, he..." He trailed off as if he was forcing himself to stop.

"Alton!" Myrtle shrieked in joy as she appeared out of her toilet floating in front of us.

"Uhh?"

I could a sly smile on his lips as he faced the ghost, he cleared his throat, "Miss Warren, may we ask how did you die?"

Myrtle looked at Regulus with a funny look, "You're the first person to ever ask." She whispered in a soft tone.

"Really?" A girl dies and comes back as a ghost and they don't think to ask how she truly died.

"I was crying in the bathroom," She wailed as she floated on top of a toilet lip, "then I heard a boy's voice," She suddenly rushed forward and let out a high-pitched scream, "I told him to go away but he stayed, so I got up opened the stall door." She started to float towards the encirclement of sinks.

"Then what?" Regulus looked shocked and eager to know how her short tale ended.

She started to sob, "I saw a pair of large yellow eyes, right here." I walked over to the sink and checked the mirrors, maybe there was some enchantment on them, "I died but I returned to haunt Olive Hornby, a girl who made my life hell." She started to mumbled to herself before letting out a ghostly wail as she rushed up to the ceiling disappearing from sight.

"So…" Regulus peered over my shoulder, "what's with, Alton?" He mimicked Myrtle's tone.

"I said don't."

"But I want to know." He put on a mock innocent voice, "Is it even possible for a ghost and a per-"

"Yes." She answered with glee as her eyes roared over my form.

"Regulus shut up." I waved him over to a sink, a sink with a sneak embolized onto the tap, "Check this out."

Hope beamed off his face, "This has got to be it, right?" He looked my way and his smile diminished, "Damn how do we open it? This is it, I know it, right?" He was sounding more and more unsure as he started to pace up and around the sink.

Quest Completed: Sanctum Sanctorum – Find a good and safe place for you to train and practise spells.

Optional Objective 1 Completed: Find the Chamber of Secrets

Optional Objective 2 Failed: Find the Room of Requirements

Optional Objective 3 Failed: Find the Spider Den

Reward: A Training Ground

Reward: 500 EXP

Optional Reward: Natural Perk – Parseltongue [Parseltongue is the language of serpents, as well as other magical serpentine creatures, like the Runespoor and Basilisk and those who can converse with them.]

Levelled Up

Level 3

EXP: 275/300

The skills and perk menu popped up but I quickly dismissed them focusing on the fact that I'm a parseltongue now. Did I just screw myself? because it feels like I did fuck myself over.

"Alton!" Regulus jerked me.

"Yes sorry, mate. Lost in my thoughts."

"Mate…" He shakes his head, "Listen I'm sure this is it, but how do we open it, do you know advanced spells or anything about enchantments?"

"Nothing that can help in this situation," I don't know why but my fingers trailed against the snake brand on the tap, "I'm so dumb, or I'm smart enough to know how dumb I really am."

"What are you talking about?"

"Open." My tongue flickered out of my mouth and I'm sure I spotted Regulus backpedalled away from me.

"Alton, what…" His jaw hung in the air as the encirclement opened up to reveal a tunnel going further down into the depths of Hogwarts.

A chuckle escaped my mouth at the thought of a founder using a slide every time he wanted to enter his chamber, I faced Regulus to gauge his reaction at the thought only to see him staring at me with wonder and something else I can't quite pinpoint.

"You're a parseltongue." He stated in a whisper.

"I guess so," My nonchalance failed at the mere thought that I now have an ability that has usually been connected to dark wizards.

"You guess so!?" He closed the gap and thumped me on my arm, "You're a parseltongue. You could be a descendant of-"

I pointed a finger in his face, "Don't. Don't finish that sentence," I took a calming breath, the thought of my family right about now was a confusing mess, my feelings for my father have always been complicated, my mother always talked about him as him he loved me despite never once appearing in my life, I always figured she was just trying to comfort me, but until recently I never paid the thought of him any mind.

And my mother, I thought the world of her, but she lied, she told me he was a muggle, even if I didn't get a confirmation that I'm a half-breed of some sort, this ability more than proves the man who sired me isn't an ordinary muggle, he just couldn't be.

"Would it be so bad?" He asked in a challenging tone, "To be related to not only a Slytherin but the one instead?"

"It would be considering he would probably would've drowned me at birth taking in my blood status."

Regulus didn't lose his challenging gaze, "It hardly matters since he's dead as are his entire line except…" He gave me a pointed stare.

"Regulus, as far as I know, I'm not related to Slytherin, I swear it."

Persuasion Check Failed

'Oh fuck off.'

Frustration leaked off me as I stared down at the tunnel, "How do you suppose we get down here?"

He gave me a teasing smile once again, "I don't know, why don't you command it with your parcletongue?"

I let out a deep sigh, last time it happened out of reflex, something completely out of my control, but this time I closed my eyes and pictured an ordinary garden snake, "Stairs." The words whispered out and the soft hum of the tell-tale sounds of something being transfigured filled the desolate toilets.

"Here goes nothing." Regulus said nothing as he fell into step with me as we trailed down the stairs, "Oh wait." I raised my wand, "Lumos."

Spell Unlocked: Lumos – Emits a light from the tip of your wand

EXP: 0/400

Levelled Up

Level 4

Once again I dismissed the menu pop-up, there's got to be a way of stopping them from doing that.

Regulus pulls out his wand and does the same as I turn to the entrance of the chamber, "Close." This time I could hear the hiss abundantly clear coming from my mouth.

"Good idea."

"Yeah totally, I can murder you without someone walking in."

He actually laughed in response, "That was exactly my thoughts."

The journey down the tunnel took longer than I ever expected, just how deep down is the chamber? Not looking like a great prospect as a training ground for me, but let's not write it off just yet. When we reached the end of the stairs we entered a cavern of sorts, the ground was caked in bones of different kinds of creatures.

"I just realised something." Regulus sounded alarmed as he stared down at the floor.

"Yeah, I think I have the same thought." I agreed.

He gave me a huff as if he knew my answer, "You're still going to delve further aren't you?"

I nodded, "I can let you out if don't want to go further," I said genuinely.

He took a deep breath resolving himself, "Can't let myself be upstarted by a Gryffindor." He said in a fake haughty tone, failing to hide his nerves.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, "You don't need to pretend, if you're scared let me know."

He shrugged my hand off, "I am fine, do not worry for me." He said in a stilted voice.

"Okay, if you're sure." I moved ahead and led a path through the chamber, our footsteps crunching and grinding the bones on the ground.

The cavern is spacious with multiple pathways, and natural light filling it, allowing us to stow our enlightened wands with a nox.

Spell Unloc-

'Dismiss.' How shit that work, I guess dismissing works well on the whole system.

"How much do you want to wager that there's a more suitable and time-efficient entrance?" I asked Regulus.

He let out a small snort, "That's a fool's bet. Magic has a funny way of revealing an easier solution only when the impossible has finally been obtained."

"Well to be frank, we did find the Chamber of Secrets within a day of searching," I stated neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his statement.

"I suppose so," Regulus walked off but I heard him call out to me a few seconds later. "Alton, do your thing." He commanded with an air of mock arrogance when we stood before a huge round door.

"Bite me runt," I said good-naturedly as I made my way in front of the large circle door with protruding metal snakes.

"Open." Almost instantaneously the snakes reacted and retreated into the wall around the door. The heavy metal door creaked open on its own.

Mine and Regulus eyes met and the unspoken words passed between us, 'Nothing ventured.' We walked into the next chamber though this time with a lot less joy and speed as we when going down the stairs.

Quest Completed: Where it all began – Work with Regulus Black to find your way into the Chamber of Secrets

Optional Completed: Increase your Reputation with Regulus to friendship status.

Reward: 100 Galleons

Reward: 500 EXP

Optional Reward: Passive Spell – Blackest Nights [Reduce damage taken from dark arts by 25%. MP Cap of 10%.]

EXP: 100/500

Levelled Up

Level 5

This chamber was vast and all I could of it at the moment was the lengthy corridor and a giant statue of a head. As we got to the end of the corridor I could see on either side of the head were a few timeworn-looking doors.

Regulus looks around and spots them as well, "Finally. This…"

Regulus' voice drowned under the old and angry one, "Who dares to disturb my slumber?" The hairs at the back of my arms stood up.

"Hello, who's there?"

Regulus paused his walk to the rooms and turned around to face me, "Uh, Alton, why are you speaking parceltongue?"

My eyes widened as I realised I had again spoken the dark classed language without meaning to yet again, yet this time it was in response to someone else speaking in the same tongue, "Reg, tell me you heard someone else speak too?" I asked even though I knew the answer.

"It was just you." He shook his head with a worried expression, "Maybe it's best if we both leave." He back towards me.

"The scent of human flesh," It sounded like it let out a pleasing sigh, "It has been a long time since I've feasted on wizard meat." Before I could even let out a 'what the fuck' the mouth of the head statue opened and a creature of some sort slithered out of the mouth.

Quest Unlocked: Close your eyes, idiot – Survive an encounter with a basilisk.

Rewards: You live.

Basilisk, Fuck!

I turned around and wrapped my right arm around Regulus' face, my forearm covering his eyes, my own eyes clamped shut the moment I knew what was coming for us.

Regulus thrashed around in my grip.

"Regulus, if you want to live trust me and stay still."

Persuasion Check Passed

EXP: 125/500

'Dismiss.'

"Stop!" The command rang in my own ears and dead silence filled the chamber.

"A speaker?" A puff of air hit my face and it literally just sunk in how close I was to death, or I suppose I still am, "But not kin to the master." It began to sniff at me if going by the noise I was hearing, "And not human, or entirely so."

"No, I'm not." I begrudgingly admitted.

"You are something… more. How interesting."

"Something more?" Could a fucking basilisk be the one to tell me what the fuck I am? But before I could ask for anything more, Regulus squirmed in grip.

"What is going on, Alton?"

"Oh, I'm having a chitchat with a basilisk," I said in a nonplussed voice.

He stopped his squirming and went still as a board, "I swear if you're messing with me-"

"I'm not, I swear it."

Suddenly there was a slight tremble in his body, "Can-n you get rid of it?"

"Let me ask." I'm pretty sure he started to curse me out in his thoughts as the muscles in his face tensed.

"Are you going to kill us?" I got straight to the point as the giant murder snake could do it without trying.

"Do you wish for me to do so?"

"NO!" I let out and the basilisk let out a noise of annoyance.

"No need to scream, young one."

"I apologise," I bowed my head despite it being awkward to do so right now, "I wish for the both of us to live, but I was just shocked it would be so… easy."

"I could never harm a speaker," It said as if were the most simple thing in the world, "also if you wish you, and you alone my gaze at my form, a true speaker would be protected from my gaze if I so wish it."

Quest Completed: Close your eyes, idiot – Survive an encounter with a basilisk.

Rewards: You live.

"What's going on?" Regulus almost whimpered as the only thing the boy could hear was probably the sounds of harsh hissing from a crazy upperman and a giant gaze-killing snake.

"She will allow us to leave."

"Oh thank every star in the sky." He sagged in relief.

"Just hold up."

"Not like I have a choice." I'm sure he gritted out in frustration.

Ignoring my better judgement I opened my eyes and craned my head up, when I did my view was a creature of haunting beauty; large, deadly and fierce but these yellow eyes held an odd shade of exquisiteness to them despite a chill running down my spine as I stare into them.

"Hello I am, Alton Geur." I bowed my head, "May I have your name?"

She let out a sound that almost sounded like a chuckle, "A good-mannered young man, with powerful blood running through his veins. The master would have loved you." Well I don't like the sound of that, "My name is Iflora."

"Well met,"

'Observe.'

Name: Iflora

Age: 1000+

Level: ?

Reputation: 50 [+50 Due to being a parceltongue.] - New master?

"Iflora if I may ask for a favour, may I please use this chamber as a training ground?In return, I may bring livestock for you to feast on."

This time I'm sure she let out a haughty laugh, "You are always welcome, Speaker Alton, It gets lonely in here, but to feast on food other than vermin would be a true joy."

"Thank you,"

I tugged Regulus towards where we came from, but Ifora's voice called out to me, "Speaker if you go into that room, you'll find a faster way for you to leave. The way you entered is usually for my use."

A sigh of relief washed through me as the thought of climbing the stairs sent a small amount of dread through me, "My thanks yet again. I will see you soon."

"Ow," Regulus bent down and rubbed his shins.

"I told you, you could've opened your eyes ages ago."

Regulus glared at me as I leaned casually against the door that led to a disused storage closet, which may or may not led to a more people-friendly entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Well forgive me for not wanting to be killed by a basilisk." He snapped.

I raised my hands in surrender, "I told you, other than almost eating us, she's a sweetheart."

"I hate you."