- The Dungeons, 31st of October 1992 –
True to his word, Dumbledore had offered Harry to sit out the Halloween Feast this time around. Harry had thanked the Headmaster for his offer, but answered that he and his friends had already been invited to Nearly-Headless Nick's Deathday Party in the dungeons, so he wouldn't need to be chaperoned in his common room this All Hallow's Eve.
Luna had become fast friends with many of the ghosts residing in the castle, and as Ginny and Harry often hung out with her because the rest of Ravenclaw House seemed to be making it a hateful sport to avoid the small girl, they of course had been invited as well.
Daphne, Theo, and Blaise had declined Luna's gracious invitation to join them, but Draco and Hermione had agreed to tag along, both curious as to what a so-called Deathday Party actually entailed. When running into Neville in the hallways, Harry had managed to convince his friend to come too.
That's how the six of them ended up celebrating Nearly-Headless Nick's party their second Halloween at Hogwarts, some of them clearly enjoying it more than others. Hermione had started a conversation with the Headless Hunt at the party, and Ginny and Harry had both gagged when smelling the rotten fish that was served for dinner. Raised with proper etiquette, Draco managed to politely decline when the ghost of a house elf offered him some food. All in all, it was definitely an experience, and Draco got to know some of the ghosts at Hogwarts, but he wasn't sure if a Deathday Party was on his list of social events to attend in the near future.
"Ron has been acting like such a prat recently," Neville complained as they walked back from the party, the three Slytherins escorting the Gryffindors and Luna back home. "No offence, Ginny. Dean and Seamus have noticed it too. He constantly keeps berating me for hanging out with you guys."
"No offence taken, Neville," Ginny sighed. "My brother has always been a bit of a prat, trust me. Just last week the twins had him hanging by his ankles from the Common Room ceiling after he told them off for allowing Harry to come into the Gryffindor common room so often. He claimed that snakes were not allowed in the lion's den and that he would tell McGonagall that they'd put him up there. She ended up scolding the twins for hanging Ron from the ceiling, but she also praised them for supporting interhouse cooperation. You should've seen his face, it was as if he was ready to explode," she laughed.
As the group rounded the corner on the second floor, they all came to a stop when they saw Mrs. Norris, the caretaker's trusty feline companion, hanging from a torch bracket in front of a puddle of water.
Hermione gasped out loud, her hands covering her face as she looked at the bloody writing on the wall.
THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED.
ENEMIES OF THE HEIR, BEWARE.
Before any of the children could respond, Argus Filch rounded the corner, screaming at them, threatening them for killing Mrs. Norris, freezing them all on the spot in fear.
Not long after, Professor Dumbledore along with the heads of houses showed up, trying to revive the cat. Even though Filch did not believe that the youngsters had nothing to do with it, the Headmaster invited all of them over for a cup of tea in his office to figure out exactly what had happened.
"Excuse me, Headmaster," Harry spoke up. "But if you will be talking to all of us about the petrification of Mrs. Norris, then I would like my magical guardian to be present, as well as his fiancé, Madam Bones."
"Now Harry, my boy, I don't think that will be necessary-"
"Kreacher!" Harry yelled, not letting the Headmaster finish.
Draco was impressed. It seemed like both Hermione and Harry were finally growing a spine when it came to the Headmaster.
The old house elf popped up and bowed at his master, albeit begrudgingly, grumbling he was surrounded by half-bloods and squibs. His wizened eyes taking in the scene carefully.
"Please tell Sirius and Aunt Amelia that they need to floo to the Headmaster's office as soon as possible."
The elf nodded his head once. "Certainly, master."
Severus Snape looked at Harry in approval, praising the boy with one of his famous smirks.
Once they got to the Headmaster's office, a very annoyed looking Amelia Bones and Sirius Black were waiting for them, already dressed in their night robes since they were getting ready for bed.
Before Dumbledore could greet them, the head of the D.M.L.E. growled at him, her anger causing her magic to crackle around her. "As I am sure you remember, Albus, the Headmaster of the school is not supposed to be meeting with the students without any magical guardian present to defend their interests."
Sirius crossed to the others, patted Harry's back, grinning impishly and whispered: "Just let Amelia do the talking, pup."
- The Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, 7th of November 1992 -
After professor Binns' initial surprise that the students were actually interested in history had faded, because he quickly realised they only wanted to know more about the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione had camped out in the library together with Luna and Daphne for the past three days, trying to find more information.
Luna had claimed the Chamber was real, and for all of the little witch's strangeness, their friend group had learned not to doubt the blonde.
Hermione had even called on Deandra, asking if she knew more. Since the spirit could not tell her of any of her future knowledge, she stated that the Chamber indeed did exist, but that none of the Malfoy family had ever seen it so she did not know of its exact location.
That was not a lie, Draco had no clue where the entrance to the chamber could be. He was assuming it might be one of the bathrooms, as Harry always claimed he heard talking coming from the walls. All he knew was that it was definitely real, and that Harry and Ron had gone to save Ginny Weasley.
Back in the first timeline, the bloody Boy Who Lived had killed a freakin Basilisk when he was only twelve years old. Draco shook his head and wondered how Harry's magical core would develop this time around, now that Pomfrey and Snape had almost force-fed him nutritional potions during the first year, trying to undo the Dursleys' damage. He was already immensely powerful the first time. That, and extremely lucky. He could only imagine how his power would grow this time.
The girls had left the library, realising they would need Professor Snape or Professor Flitwick to sign off on entering the Restricted Section if they truly wanted to learn more about the Chamber of Secrets.
To have a break from their studious efforts, they were currently seated in the quidditch stands. Luna was sporting a fake lion head of her own design but wearing a Slytherin scarf, stating she would do her best to cheer on both Ginny, the Gryffindor team's new seeker as Harry had always claimed she would be, but also Harry, Draco, and Blaise on the Slytherin team.
Hermione and Daphne were holding up their wands, using them as umbrellas to protect the three of them as they excitedly watched the match. The two of them were still Slytherins, so unlike Luna who was cheering for both teams, they wanted their own House to win.
The game was nearing its end, not a minute too soon for Draco, as flying in the wind wasn't very pleasant.
Harry and Ginny were neck and neck, trying to catch the snitch.
Draco could scarcely make out his father being in awe in the stands, it being the first game he'd actually found the time for to come and watch.
Sirius and Amelia looked extremely proud. Perhaps, Harry should consider becoming a professional quidditch player instead of an auror after all of this was over?
As Blaise attempted to pass Draco the Quaffle, it was hit midair by an insanely fast Bludger, which was going straight for Harry and Ginny.
"It's out of control, just like last time," Deandra said urgently. "Why does every first match of the year have to be like this?" she wondered annoyedly, as both Draco and Blaise started diving down, trying to warn Harry and Ginny.
The Gryffindor and Slytherin seekers looked up for a split second while chasing the snitch, seeing the Bludger coming straight at them.
Ginny, considering her own health was more important than winning the match, made a turn to the left, expecting Harry to do the same.
Harry however, stubborn to the core, saw his chance to catch the snitch and win the game for Slytherin.
Draco cursed out loud. At this rate, Harry would get hit by it, just like last time.
"It's not being aimed at Harry," Deandra panicked as they all saw the Bludger turning ninety degrees to the left and going after Ginny this time instead. Even though she was sitting on a new Nimbus 2001, she could barely outspeed the projectile coming for her head.
Somewhere in the background, Lee Jordan yelled that Slytherin had won after Harry caught the snitch as Draco, Blaise, and the twins were still speeding towards the small red-headed Gryffindor.
Draco soon realised that they wouldn't make it in time, Ginny and Harry had been too far away from them to begin with.
The Bludger should have stopped now that the game was over, and Ginny clearly had expected it to because she slowed down, no longer looking behind her as the Bludger kept coming for her.
Dear Merlin. It was going to break all of the bones in her body at this rate.
Suddenly, out of fucking nowhere, Harry freakin Potter sped past below them, low over the ground, the snitch falling from his hands as he attempted to make his body as small as possible, hoping the airflow and less friction would bring him to Ginny in time.
Right as the Bludger was going to hit the small girl, Harry kicked of his broom once again, Draco cursing him on the inside for his Gryffindor recklessness. He knocked Ginny off her broom mid jump, both of them tumbling onto the ground.
This seemed to have confused the heavy projectile for a second.
Harry looked up as the ball was still coming straight for them after changing directions. Not having his wand on him during the game, he did the only thing he could think off. He cradled Ginny in his arms and put her under him, protecting her with his body.
A sickening crunch was heard throughout the whole pitch and when the Bludger flew back up and attempted to hit the two children again, the ball dodging the Weasley twins swinging at it, a huge black dog came running at them full speed. It transfigured into Sirius right before the Bludger would hit them a second time.
"Finite Incantatem!" he yelled all out of breath, the Bludger now slowly falling to the side, rolling away into the distance. "Hooch, where the fuck were you?" the Lord of House Black yelled angrily at their Flying Professor who was speeding towards them now, having been side-tracked by an argument which had broken out between some of the other Slytherin and Gryffindor players.
Hermione and Daphne were running onto the pitch, elbowing their way through the remaining part of the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch team when they got closer to Harry and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley had done exactly the same and was crying out for her daughter, the Weasley twins grabbing their mother as she was almost fainting in shock.
Sirius, Blaise, and Draco were carefully trying to make Harry loosen his protective grip on Ginny, murmuring to the two of them that everything was alright now. Blaise got up and cleared a path for the Headmaster, followed by Lockhart, so they could get through the small crowd that had gathered around them.
"My arm," Harry grunted in pain as he finally let go of the witch. "Ginny, are you alright?" he bit out, impressing Draco considering a piece of bone was literally sticking out of the boy's arm. The only positive thing about living through a war, was that something like that didn't gross him out any longer. Hermione and Daphne on the other hand seemed very squeamish.
Ginny sat up straight now, her knees tucked under her as she shivered and nodded, her mother falling onto her knees in the mud beside her, hugging her close and patting her head to make sure she was alright.
"You sa-saved me, Ha-rry," she stammered as tears started running down her cheeks. "How- how can I… Ever th-thank you?"
"Salrite," Harry slurred as he was losing consciousness. "Do it again."
Harry's eyes rolled back in his skull and Ginny screamed.
Then the dickhead known as Lockhart happily exclaimed what a hero Harry was, took out his wand and said he'd easily fix the boy's arm.
Before Draco could stop him, Sirius had grabbed the Professor's wand arm, pinching it painfully. "You will not touch my boy," he spat out. "I don't trust someone who cannot get through Auror Academy to know a simple healing spell, Gilderoy."
The Professor stammered as Madam Pomfrey knocked him out of the way and conjured a stretcher, the mediwitch murmuring that Quidditch should be banned.
As Poppy started casting some basic healing charms and forcing a blood replenishing potion down Harry's throat, Amelia Bones showed up, Bludger in hand. "This is the second time a cursed object has attacked the children, Headmaster," she stated. "I would suspect after the first time, you would take better care to protect them considering Quidditch is dangerous enough as is."
Daphne noted it was good to have Susan's aunt on their side as they followed Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley who were hovering Harry and Ginny to the Hospital Wing.
Draco could not agree more, and Hermione and Daphne even called the head of the D.M.L.E. a "badass". Seems like she had found her new mentor figure to idolise.
- Slytherin Common Room, 17th of December 1992 –
Severus Snape was looking at the students in his House, his arms crossed, a scowl on his face. "For all of you wishing to attend the duelling club, let me get one thing straight," he said slowly.
"I will not condone fighting and cheating, and I will expect all of you to do your utmost best. If you have any questions, come to me or Professor Flitwick. For the love of Merlin, do not ask that bumbling idiot that calls himself your Defence professor for any help. You might end up blasting your own wand hand off with that idiot giving pointers."
The eager students who wanted to join the duelling club nodded and some others snickered at their Professor's description of Lockhart. By now, everyone had realised that he was nothing more than a fraud.
When he casually mentioned during one of their boring D.A.D.A. classes that he wanted to start a duelling club, Draco had wondered out loud if Professor Flitwick should join them considering he had been a Duelling Champion in the past.
Harry, who had always been exceptionally good at duelling since they started training a bit with both Sirius and Professor Snape during summer, had run off after class and asked the charms Professor for some tips, eager to learn more defensive spells.
"It's a good way to distract us," Blaise murmured as they walked to the Great Hall where the duelling club's first meeting would be held. "I don't particularly like the Creevey kid since he always hangs around with that camera of his, trying to get Harry to pose for a picture, but now that he's the second victim to end up petrified in the Hospital Wing…"
Draco nodded. So far, the petrifications had happened in exactly the same order as last time. He could only hope it would stay that way. He didn't need anyone to go dying on his watch. If only he could figure out who exactly was behind the opening of the chamber this time around.
Hermione had been doing some digging around in the restricted section of the library with Luna and Daphne, but they didn't have much luck yet. Some of her time was also spent taking more advanced potion lessons with Snape, along with Daphne.
Draco had declined his godfather's gracious offer to join them. It would be way too obvious that he knew how to make most potions already if the blond joined their extra credit group. He didn't need his godfather mistrusting him. Perhaps he'd join them in a few years, when he was actually expected to know most of the things they were brewing.
Just like the first time around, Lockhart ridiculed himself and Snape easily disarmed the twat, who tried to play it off as a demonstration.
Harry rolled his eyes at that one.
Just going through the motions, wondering if this would actually be useful, Draco did not expect his godfather to pair up Harry and Ron.
"Your godfather has his flaws," Deandra sighed. "One of them is his eternal hatred for Gryffindors. I'm sure he wants the Weasley boy to suffer a bit under Harry's duelling skills."
What no one, not even Draco, had thought was going to happen, was that Ron actually stood his ground against Harry.
"Where did he learn all of that? He couldn't have learnt it from Lockhart." Hermione frowned as they saw disarming spells and tickling charms being cast back and forth.
"Perhaps Percy or the twins showed him?" Ginny provided, also impressed by her brother's skill. "I've never seen him put any effort in his schooling though, so I am as flabbergasted as you guys. But doesn't Harry look heroic, trying to make sure Ron bites the dust?" She dreamily asked.
Hermione raised her eyebrows knowingly at Draco, smiling at Ginny's description.
Draco made a silent motion of disgust with his mouth, making his best friend giggle.
Ever since Harry had saved Ginny from the Bludger, the two had been almost inseparable, as if they weren't close enough already. Draco was not looking forward to the time when their teenage hormones would kick in. Dear Merlin, if he was a prefect again, he would take that damned map with him every night to make sure he wouldn't run into those two snogging in a broom closet.
"Enough," Snape said, stopping the two boys, equally surprised by Weasley's skill. "Perhaps you two can give us a demonstration on shielding spells?"
Harry nodded at his head of house, confident Ron wouldn't know any of those, and yelled out a Protego charm, as Weasley suddenly conjured a god damn snake.
Draco blinked. This was all too familiar. But how would the youngest Weasley son know how to summon a snake? Was he… Bloody hell.
"It's Weasley." He hissed mentally at Deandra. How did he miss the signs? Neville had mentioned multiple times how Ron had become more and more of a nuisance, always snappy and hateful. Almost as if he'd forgotten that they had beaten Voldemort together the year before. "But how? Did he get the book from his sister? How else would he know how to conjure a snake?"
Deandra concentrated, pouring her magic into him, assisting Draco in his legilimency.
There it was, right at the forefront of Weasley's mind. A book. Not a diary this time. It was something that almost looked like… An instruction manual? How had this belonged to Voldemort? In his mind, Weasley closed the book and Draco could finally read the title. "The Dark Arts of Fulfilling your Deepest Desires by Gormlaith Gaunt."
"Gaunt?" Draco questioned. "Isn't that Voldemort's mother's name? Where did Father even find this if it's been passing through different families since the middle of the seventeenth century? It's drowning in Gaunt family magic. No wonder the Dark Lord so easily influenced people to do his bidding with that dark artefact."
Hermione's hand grasping his suddenly nearly broke his concentration. He was still trying to look at the thoughts on the surface of the young boy's mind, see where the damned entrance to the Chamber was. When he felt Hermione squeeze his hand tightly once more, he broke the eye-contact and instead focused on her.
"Oh no," she said. "Now they will all know that Harry is…"
Draco looked up and saw Harry hissing at the snake, probably ordering it to leave Justin Finch-Fletchley alone, just like he had claimed he'd done the first time around.
Professor Snape stepped forward and made the snake disappear, sending it back to wherever Weasley had conjured it from.
"You tried to kill me!" The annoying Hufflepuff suddenly yelled at Harry, pointing at him accusingly. "What do you think you're doing?!" His arms shaking in terror as he spit in fear.
Harry looked at him in honest surprise. "What do you mean mate? I just told the snake to stop and leave you alone."
"Don't try and hide you're a Parselmouth." Weasley spoke up, an evil grin in his eyes. "You're just like You-Know-Who. Perhaps you're the heir of Slytherin who has been petrifying all the others?"
The students started murmuring among themselves, the gossip spreading already.
Hermione looked around them, squeezing Draco's hand painfully as she was getting more and more worried. "We have to do something." She pleaded with Draco. "They can't honestly think that Harry would do such a thing."
"Enough!" Severus yelled, waving his wand to silence the student body as he protectively stepped in front of Harry, the outrage among the students getting worse by the second. "I will hear no more unfounded accusations against the members of my house." He snapped.
Draco noticed how everyone, except himself, Hermione, and Luna had started slowly backing away from Harry, fear clear in their eyes.
Even the Slytherins seemed unsure about what had happened, but Draco thankfully noted that there was more curiosity than fear showing on their faces.
"Ginny," Hermione hissed in disbelief as she too had noticed their friends backing away. "You cannot believe what your brother is saying. You know Harry. Even if he is a Parselmouth, he would never hurt anyone. He saved you for Merlin's sake."
Her head whipped over to their other Gryffindor friend, outraged. "Neville, you guys were there when we found Mrs. Norris. Harry didn't leave our side for a second, how could he have done any of this? Is this how Gryffindors treat their friends? Harry has stood by you in that potions classroom since day one, he has always been on your side. How dare you betray him like this!"
Draco pulled Hermione closer to him, shaking his head at her, pleading with her to reign in her emotions. He understood her anger, but this might not be the way to go about it. By the looks of it, the other three houses were quite distrusting of them now. Ranting at them in a fit of anger, might do more harm than good.
"They have no right to treat him like he's a pariah," she whispered to him angrily.
"They don't, but Mione, look at them. They're terrified of him. Perhaps, we should take it slow, explain-" he answered, interrupted by Harry sounding heartbroken.
"Neville? Ginny?" The raven-haired whispered, noticing the fear in his fellow students' eyes. In his friends' eyes.
"Leave my sister alone, you filthy snake," Ron spat. "Everyone knows you're the heir now. That it is you who's been opening the Chamber of Secrets."
Harry looked murderous when he looked at the boy he finally had been considering a friend since their adventures last year. He looked at Ron defiantly and twirled his wand in between his fingers, Draco noticing that Harry was itching to hex the boy in front of him for accusing him.
Draco took out his wand slowly, ready to cast a shielding charm to protect either one of them if it came to that.
"So, let me get this straight. You claim that the heirof Slytherin has been opening the Chamber?" Harry asked, emphasising the word 'heir' as Snape was trying to break them up, and for Harry to shut up.
Harry was having none of it, however. He shrugged his head of House's hand off his shoulder, his stubbornness making sure that he would have his say in this.
"That's what the writings say, don't they?" Ron scoffed, crossing his arms and looking pleased at how disastrous this looked for Harry.
Harry looked down at his friends, determination in his eyes.
"Please don't tell me he is going to tell them," Hermione sighed when she recognized that look on his face.
"Don't do it, Harry," Draco warned him.
Too late it seemed. Harry threw every piece of caution to the wind, his Gryffindor recklessness showing, when he exclaimed in front of almost the entire student body that it couldn't be him opening the Chamber then, since he was technically not the Heir of Slytherin.
Weasley scoffed at that again. "Sure mate, how else would you explain that you're a Parselmouth then."
Harry smirked wickedly. "Well, I am LordSlytherin. But I can assure you, I don't have any current heirs, so I am quite sure that someone else is opening the Chamber."
Chaos ensued as Harry waved his hand and now had his lordship ring showing.
Some of the students started yelling both Harry's and You-Know-Who's name, the gasp of 'Lord Slytherin' going through them like a damned Mexican Wave at a Quidditch match.
Weasley was gaping at Harry like a fish out of water. At least that shut him up.
"Why does our friend sometimes act before he thinks?" Hermione sighed as she facepalmed at her best friend's behaviour.
"It all makes sense now," Blaise suddenly explained from behind them. "I never could figure out how that idiot with his Gryffindor bravery ended up in Slytherin. Bloody hat probably refused to put Lord Slytherin anywhere else, even if he's a Gryffindor at heart."
Snape started rounding up Harry and his friends angrily, waving over the rest of his snakes. Oops. His godfather probably didn't like being left out of the loop and must have noticed that none of them had acted the slightest bit surprised when Harry exclaimed that he was in fact Lord Slytherin.
"We need to figure out how Ron is being manipulated by the book. Remember, the books we read said that it can bring demise to whole families," Deandra said.
"Are we sure he's being manipulated and not just being a git?" Draco joked lamely as Deandra mentally smacked him in the back of his head.
"He's just a boy." She scolded him. "Much like you were the first time around. And you didn't have a cursed object influencing your every move like he does."
Draco rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly and reluctantly agreed. Well. Now that he knew who was controlling the Basilisk, all they had to do was:
Figure out how to get to the Chamber
Stop the Basilisk
And more importantly stop Weasley before he actually killed someone
But where to begin?
- Slytherin Common Room, about fifteen minutes later –
"Mate," Blaise said in wonder as the whole of Slytherin House had gathered in their Common Room. "Are you saying that you actually are Lord Fucking Slytherin?"
"Language, Mr. Zabini," Snape said, pinching his nose as he sat down in an armchair next to the fireplace. Draco and his friends were sitting cross-legged on the carpet, the rest of Slytherin house spread around them in chairs, sofas, and leaning against the cold stone walls, looking at the second-year wizard in disbelief.
His godfather had not been pleased to learn that the silver trio had known for more than a year that Lord Slytherin was sitting in their midst.
Draco reminding his godfather that he didn't want anyone to treat Harry like he was the local celebrity, did not improve the head of house his mood.
When Harry had admitted he hadn't even told Sirius, even though he was responsible for the Slytherin Estate until Harry came of age, Snape had called for one of the Hogwarts house elves to get Lord Black immediately.
"Why have you never told us, Harry?" Daphne finally asked, still confused. "You know we would never treat you any differently. Merlin, you know we don't even do that Boy Who Lived crap in Slytherin House. To most of us you're that scrawny kid who desperately needs a haircut," she winked teasingly.
Harry leaned forward and rubbed his neck with his right hand, trying to ease his own tension. "We thought it wise not to tell anyone until I became of age, since I got the title in a rather unconventional way seeing as I supposedly vanquished the last Lord Slytherin…"
Daphne gasped, as did most of Slytherin House.
Hermione grabbed Harry's hand in a supportive manner, leaning towards him and putting her head on his shoulder.
Severus Snape waved his wand and conjured two bottles of Firewhisky from his office. "Any of age Slytherins, feel free to join me. I'm sure you'll need it," he said offhandedly as the bottle magically started pouring glasses.
"Ehm Professor, I'm pretty sure the younger students shouldn't be-" Harry began. He immediately shut up as Snape looked at him, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Now don't go around telling us snakes what to do," Draco joked casually, punching his best friend playfully in the shoulder. "You might be Lord Slytherin, but that doesn't make the lot of us your personal house elves."
Harry raised an eyebrow at that. "It doesn't? Want to test that theory? Why don't you go and get me some treacle tart from the kitchens right now?" he joked.
Playing along, Draco stared straight ahead and stood up, making his way over to the exit of the common room, making everyone stare at him in disbelief.
"Just kidding," he joked as he walked back, falling down on the floor next to Harry who was snickering.
Severus almost choked on his Firewhisky.
Right as the fireplace turned green and Sirius waltzed in, since Snape had opened the floo-connection earlier, the Quidditch Captain Marcus Flint asked: "Is that why you can talk to snakes?"
Lord Black almost stumbled as he realised the question aimed at his godson. "You're a Parselmouth?" He asked, dumbfounded.
Harry nodded sheepishly, Hermione scowling at Sirius, daring him to say anything bad to her best friend.
Sirius just raised his hands in defence, saw that some of the other adults were drinking Firewhisky and motioned to them to get him a glass too before he let himself fall into an armchair Snape had just conjured up for him.
"I have to say, the Slytherin Common Room still looks the same as all those years ago." He mused, trying to make everyone relax and show that he wasn't angry.
"What do you mean, Black?" Snape spat at him. "You were never welcome in the dungeons back then."
Sirius smiled wickedly. "In my younger bachelor days, I often frequented the Common Room to take girls on dates," he said. "I just made sure I wasn't seen doing it." He winked at some of the older boys, raising his glass at them. They grinned back at him.
"Before you start poisoning my snakes with your Gryffindor stupidity," Snape said, "I would like for Mr. Potter to explain some things to you. To all of us."
Harry began the story of how Draco had suggested for him and Hermione to take a heritage test, considering life would be way easier, especially for Hermione, if she wasn't seen as a muggle-born by wizarding society.
Some of the older Slytherins actually looked ashamed when the mentioned that, considering that was exactly how they were raised. To hate muggle-borns.
Harry's own heritage test had shown he was the Heir of House Potter, obviously, and that his mother actually descended from the Bones and Rosier family, as well as the Spellmans from the USA.
One of the older students piped up explaining that the Spellmans wrote the first edition of the Spellman's Syllabary which was used in their Ancient Runes class.
Dropping another bombshell on all of Slytherin House, Harry proceeded telling them he was also currently Heir Peverell.
"Peverell?" Sirius whispered. "The same ones as in the story of the Deathly Hallows?"
"Obviously," Snape sneered. "Why are you so surprised, Black?"
Sirius just shook his head, and Draco wondered what the man was thinking. What was so important about the story of the Deathly Hallows? It was just about the brothers gaining three powerful items from Death. A wand, a ring and an… Invisibility Cloak. No way. Were the Hallows real?
"Like I told your father," Deandra spoke up. "All tales are just twisted truths."
After the initial shock dwindled down, Draco noticed that Pansy suddenly looked way more interested in Harry than himself. Dear Merlin help him. Being in Pansy's sights was not enjoyable at all.
Harry continued his story, stating that he was seen as Lord Slytherin by right of conquest. He also supplied that Voldemort apparently had been an heir of the Peverell line, making them very distantly related. Probably another reason why magic had deemed him worthy of the title of Lord Slytherin after defeating Voldemort, seeing as Harry and You-Know-Who shared some magical ancestor.
"The rest of the school will see you as responsible for the attacks." Sirius said solemnly. "I hate to admit it, Harry, but I was one of those assholes who believed all Slytherins were evil. You being a Parselmouth and Lord Slytherin… Bigotry in the wizarding world goes both ways. Some of those on the Light side will not consider you their hero anymore."
Hermione had been frowning for a while now. Draco could practically hear her brilliant mind at work. Determination filled her eyes, and she addressed both Snape and Sirius. "Harry could make a vow," she stated. "If he swears on his life and his magic that he isn't the one attacking the students, they will have to believe him."
Sirius put his hand on Hermione's shoulder, smiling sadly. "Beliefs are not that easily changed, kitten. But, you are right, we should try. In the meantime, we should figure out what is actually attacking everyone. And who's behind it."
All of the Slytherins were very supportive of Harry, promising him that they would stand by him, no matter what. It didn't matter to them that he was Lord Slytherin, or the Boy Who Lived. The past year and a half they had gotten to know him for who he truly was. Not the bullcrap that their parents had been telling them, or even worse the stories that had been written about him in the papers. Snakes stuck together. They always had, and they forever would.
Hermione leaned her head onto Harry's shoulder again, whispering to him that everything would be alright as she hugged him with one arm, pulling her closer to him.
What had hurt the raven-haired boy the most was the doubt and fear he saw in his friends' eyes. When especially Ginny and Neville had seemed unsure if they could trust him any longer.
When Justin Finch-Fletchly and Nearly Headless Nick were found petrified in the hallway only a day later, Draco, Hermione, and Sirius accompanied Harry to the Headmaster's office.
McGonagall told them to wait for the Headmaster, as he was currently visiting the Hospital Wing.
Once Dumbledore came in, he was surprised to see the boy bonding with his familiar Fawkes, before the phoenix exploded into a fireball, a pile of ashes all that remained.
Telling the Headmaster of the vow he was planning to make, the old Professor agreed, right as Hagrid ran in, ranting that the son of James and Lily Potter would and could never be the one attacking the Hogwarts students.
Harry smiled at his first friend, and hoped others might see the same.