Chapter 148

Ghosts of the Past

As Lily reached the castle entrance, she shook her head, looking up at the entrance. It looked exactly like the entrance of Hogwarts, though it was dilapidated. "What are the chances that this place is an exact replica of Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"It's possible," Crouch replied. "Slytherin loved Hogwarts, and so it meant a lot to him. When he left, it's possible he wanted his own Hogwarts, where he could teach the students that he believed deserved to learn."

"We know from history lessons that the founders created Hogwarts in order to stop the wars and all the violence," Hermione said. "They helped forge the peace which led to the creation of Hogwarts."

"And when Slytherin left, he wanted to make his own piece of paradise, away from the other founders. I'm guessing he began to find students who deserved to learn, and brought them and their families here, creating a community," Scrimgeour said.

"So why did it fail?" Lily asked. "I mean, by all rights, shouldn't we have found a thriving community? They could have gotten more people over the years, kept their lifestyle the way they wanted."

"It's possible, but this does leave us with a lot of questions. I want to find the answers, but we'll need to find the Horcruxes first. Once we've defeated Riddle, I'm going to have people come down here and research. In fact, Miss Granger, when we're done with this war, I want you to lead the research team," Scrimgeour said.

"Me? Really?" Hermione asked.

"Who better? Miss Nagini, you like history, don't you? Maybe you could work with her?" Scrimgeour suggested.

"It'd be a pleasure, Minister," Nagini said, smiling. "It gives us something big to look forward to."

"Definitely. It'd be an honour, Minister," Hermione smiled. "I have to admit, I was considering returning to Hogwarts to complete my last year."

"I doubt you'll need to study, with your intelligence, you'll already pass the exams," Scrimgeour told her.

"She is brilliant," Molly agreed, as they entered through the large double doors. The entrance hall was the same as Hogwarts, though there were more statues of snakes around the area.

"You know, I've just had a nasty thought, and I hope I'm wrong," Lily said. "Dobby!" she called out. Within seconds, Dobby appeared next to them.

"Miss Lily called for Dobby?" Dobby asked.

"Dobby, I need you to go back to the safehouse, and get me the Sword of Gryffindor, please," Lily said.

"Right away, Lily Potter, Miss," Dobby said, before vanishing with a crack. Ron, Draco, Hermione, and Ginny all pulled out their wands.

"Damn, let's hope not," Ron said, looking around.

"Hope not what?" Bill asked.

"What did Slytherin leave in the Chamber of Secrets he made?" Lily asked. Every adult, aside from Nagini, all drew their wands.

"What is it?" Nagini asked, confused.

"Slytherin left a Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. If Slytherin knew he was going to die, and his people were going to leave, he might have left one here," Lily said, as Dobby reappeared, the sword hovering in front of him. Lily took the sheath and placed it on her back. "I killed it with this sword, and thanks to Fawkes blinding it."

"Fawkes, start looking around and see if there's anything here," Ginny directed the Phoenix, who let out a cry and flew off into the castle.

"Dobby will help too, Miss, as will Kreacher," Dobby said, moments before Kreacher appeared.

"Dobby called for Kreacher, is Miss Lily in trouble?" Kreacher asked.

"Maybe. Stay with us, we might need you to help us escape quickly. Our magic might not work well here," Lily said, accepting the need for them. "There could be a Basilisk here."

"Here, use these," Hermione said, conjuring up mirrored glasses for everyone. "I began researching them after our second year. I didn't think it likely that we'd ever come across a Basilisk again, but…"

"But you wanted to be prepared," Ron realised, accepting his pair. "We should take some Felix as well."

"You have some?" Scrimgeour asked, as Hermione began digging into her bag.

"Been keeping it for special occasions, and this is definitely gonna be time to use it," Hermione said. "Last year, Professor Slughorn had a cauldron of it, and we used it in the battle at Hogwarts. He gave us the rest in small vials, in case we needed it, though he kept a few vials in case of emergencies at Hogwarts."

"Excellent thinking, all of you," Scrimgeour complimented, as Hermione passed around small vials of Felix Felicius to everyone. "Take a couple of drops each, we shouldn't need the luck for too long, but be careful."

"No need to tell us twice," Bill said, taking his potion and sharing it with Charlie. "Let's stay in teams; not a good idea to wander around alone."

"Not with whatever Slytherin would have had planned," Crouch agreed. "And be careful; we don't know what we'll be facing here."

"I'm thinking we should start with the Chamber of Secrets, or at least where it would be if this place has one," Lily said. "It was his chamber."

"Alright, let's stick together for that then, and if it isn't there, we can split up," Sirius suggested. Lily led the way towards the staircase, hoping it would be that simple.

Coming out of what would be the Gryffindor Common room, Lily growled angrily. There hadn't been anything in the girl's bathroom that, in Hogwarts, housed the entrance to the Chamber, so they had split up into groups, heading in different directions. In the common room, they had found a number of old spell books, and research books, along with what looked like the remnants of old beds that had been worn away with time.

"Kinda creepy though, isn't it? I mean, could Hogwarts one day look like this?" Ginny asked.

"Now there's a weird thought, but I doubt it. Might even get more modern, with muggle tech maybe, like televisions, computers, even the internet," Draco said, chuckling.

"Anything's possible, I guess. I mean, it makes sense that the school should grow with the times, especially with the way the world is changing," Pansy said.

"I just can't stop feeling creeped out, looking at all of this," Lily said, as they made their way down the staircase, which had stopped whilst moving, from the angle it was at. "Steady; we don't want to fall," Lily added.

"I got this one," Draco said, magically making a bridge appear between the bottom of the staircase and the balcony area that would lead to the next part of the castle.

"You've been training hard," Lily complimented as the group carefully walked across the bridge.

"Kinda had to; being stuck in the house without much to do would have driven me crazy if I wasn't doing something," Draco replied. "Dobby's been helping me as well. I don't think I ever thanked you for freeing him; ever since he's been back as a part of my life, I've seen how happy he is. I never liked how my father treated him, but I couldn't actually say much."

"No, your father could be harsh; I even saw it at Flourish and Blotts. Still, even with the harshness, he loved you. I could respect that about him," Lily said, as they walked down a dusty corridor.

"I wonder how he'd feel about this, me working with you," Draco said.

"If we can figure out how to get the Resurrection Stone from the Snitch, maybe you can ask him," Lily said. "For all our differences, though, I suspect he'd be pleased that you're becoming your own man."

"I like to think so," Draco replied with a small smile.

"Did you hear something?" Pansy asked, looking around, frowning.

"Like what?" Lily asked, the group holding out their wands and forming a circle.

"I heard a whisper, calling to us, or rather, to Draco," Pansy said, as the group moved forward.

"Calling to me? Where from?" Draco asked. Pansy indicated another corridor, with Lily leading the way towards a set of double doors.

"What would this be in Hogwarts?" Ginny asked.

"I think this is the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room, though how we got here, I don't know, because we weren't anywhere near it," Draco said.

"I remember; this is it," Lily agreed.

"When were you in the Slytherin Common room?" Draco asked. Lily blushed and looked at the ground.

"I… owe you an apology about something," Lily admitted. "I forgot about it, but I meant to mention to you. Christmas, in our second year, Ron and I suspected you were the Heir of Slytherin, and we needed to question you… so we made Polyjuice potion and knocked out Crabbe and Goyle."

Draco's eyes widened as he remembered the day in question. "I always suspected there was something off about that day," Draco said, before bursting out in laughter. "Damn, you were brilliant to think of that."

"Actually, it was Hermione's idea," Lily said, smiling.

"And her potion too, right?" Pansy asked. Lily nodded.

"She was going to imitate you, but then she couldn't get a hair. She got what she thought was one of Millicent Bulstrode's hair… but it was a hair of her cat," Lily said. Draco and Pansy burst out into laughter as they realised what that meant.

"Oh god… I wish I could see Hermione as a human cat," Draco said.

"I don't understand," Ginny admitted.

"Polyjuice potion isn't meant to work with animals," Pansy explained. "She'd have become a human cat, so to speak."

"Oh, we gotta try that sometime," Ginny laughed, as they walked through the doors, looking around. As they reached the common room, all four of them froze at what they saw: a ghostly apparition of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy!

"Mother? Father?" Draco asked, looking at the ghosts.

"Hello Draco," Narcissa said, smiling at him. "You look well."

"And strong too," Lucius added.

"How… how are you here?" Draco asked.

"We are here because you are here," Lucius replied.

"This place is one of darkness and yet with a great power," Narcissa said.

"What is this place?" Pansy asked.

"It's a place like no other; a place where great magic once flowed, and which still contains remnants of that magic," Lucius explained. "Miss Potter, you have been a good friend to my son, and for that, I am thankful. You have given him direction; something I failed to do."

"You… aren't upset that I'm fighting Riddle?" Draco asked.

"No Draco, we are both very proud of you. If there is one thing everyone must do, it is to find their path and their destiny. We always thought your path would be with the Dark Lord, but after my sister killed us… we immediately knew we were wrong," Narcissa said.

"You know why we're here?" Lily asked.

"We do, Potter," Lucius replied. "You seek something dark and dangerous. I wish we could help you more, but we can aid you in a small way."

"What you're seeking is here in this castle," Narcissa said. "It was created by Slytherin a long time ago. He wanted to create a new wizarding world, one that would be pure, by his standards."

"How long did it last for?" Ginny asked. Lucius looked at her, with a small smile.

"Too long, and yet, not long enough it seems," Lucius said. "For five hundred years, people lived here happily, with their own version of Hogwarts, away from the muggle world, and away from anyone who would disagree with how they lived."

"One day, however, there was a wizard who began to question everything after he found his way to the upper world and met a muggle woman with whom he fell in love," Narcissa said.

"Did he leave this place then? How did that lead to what we're seeing here?" Ginny asked.

"You ask the right questions, Ginny," Lucius said. "When the wizard decided to remain on the upper world, his family came for him, demanding he return and not defile their family name. In the ensuing fight, his soon-to-be wife was killed. The wizard, in a fit of rage, killed his family, before coming down here and killing most of the people. The survivors knew they couldn't stay, and so they left, leaving it the way you see it."

"Yeah, I can see why anyone would be angry for that," Ginny said. Lucius looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.

"I… am sorry for what I did to you in your first year. I did not realise that the Dark Lord would attempt to take over your body; I merely expected the Chamber of Secrets to be opened, which would lead to Dumbledore being removed from the school. I never dared to imagine what it would lead to."

"You didn't think it would kill?" Pansy asked.

"In truth, I didn't know what was in the chamber; I merely thought it would be something that would cause Dumbledore to have to leave the school. I considered finding a way to let everyone know what was happening, or rather how, but before I did, you were able to stop it," Lucius said. "Before I was killed, the Dark Lord… tortured me at first, but then he seemed to be happy about what I'd done."

"Because it let him realise he could take over someone," Lily surmised. Lucius nodded.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "I never wanted to hurt innocent children; I have only ever wanted what I thought was best for the children, and for the future."

"I believe you," Lily said, holding Ginny's hand. "That night at the Ministry, I could see it in your eyes; you were going to let us go, before Bellatrix destroyed everything."

"You shouldn't have been involved in the war, Potter. You were still just a child. You acted in a noble manner; protecting your friends, whatever the cost. I… admired that about you. I still do," Lucius said.

"I want you to promise me something, Potter," Narcissa said. "No, Lily… I need your word that you'll keep Draco safe."

"I promise. He's been one of the best friends I could hope to have," Lily said. Narcissa smiled.

"You helped him, and for that, you will always have my gratitude. Even in death, my only concern is that my son is safe," Narcissa said.

"Is there a Basilisk in this castle?" Ginny asked.

"No, but the spirit of Slytherin is. We will do what we can to fight him with you, but when his spirit is defeated, so, too, will the last of the magic be destroyed. Once that happens, we will be gone," Lucius said.

"But we will always be within you, Draco. We are proud of you," Narcissa smiled, her ghost almost embracing Draco. "I love you, Draco; we both do."

"And we always will," Lucius told him. He then looked at Lily. "Now, Potter, summon your friends," Lucius told her. "It's time to destroy the remnants of Slytherin, and the Horcrux, once and for all!"