Outsider Chronicles: Thats So Wrong
Getting reborn into the world of Harry Potter is...interesting. I'm sure that many reading would think that it'd be great, but what if you were Harry's sibling in a WBWL story? Yeah, thats me. Now I have to deal with annoying parents, gold diggers and annoying 'friends'. Still, its not all bad. At least Harry's new family and friends are the hero type.
And here we go with year two. I've made more than a few alterations to this, so have fun and enjoy!
Chapter 2
Finally, the summer had arrived and with it, a chance to get well away from Ron and Hermione for a bit. Now, don't get me wrong, Hermione at least had enough brains in her skull to realize I absolutely hated my fame, but she was annoying for entirely different reasons, mainly her study habits and the fact she put far too much stock in books and authority figures for my liking. Plus, for some reason they were under the impression that we always needed to be together and tended to get upset whenever I disappeared to do my own thing, usually a run around the Great Lake to keep in shape. Plus, it meant that I could get back to my favorite hobbies, Parkour and martial arts.
Yep, I was a martial artist and a pretty good one too. At some point in the past, one of the Potter family heads had been a keen Fencer and had set up a room for it, complete with padded floors, mirrored walls and enchanted dummies to serve as opponents with settings that ran the gambit from beginner to what had to be Olympic level fencing, along with more combat ready settings to teach how to use a sword in real combat. True, it was meant for Fencing, but I'd been able to figure out how to modify the dummy's to serve as sparring partners in other martial arts.
I'd stumbled on the room when I was five during a boredom induced exploration of the extensive Potter mansion and had been using it ever since to blow off steam. It helped that my Father and Sirius had no idea it even existed. Yeah, the Potter mansion was that bloody large.
Anyway, I spent a lot of time in my little hide away that summer, both to avoid my Father, who seemed rather put out by something, and to ensure that my skills with a sword were up to scratch. I'd need them this year after all. Yes, I did indeed plan to deal with the Basilisk, even if Ginny did end up being the one snatched. Why? For the same reason I helped Hermione, despite finding her annoying. Shes a kid. Until I find concrete proof that I'm being potioned or something and she knows about it, I'm not going to leave her to die in a hole.
Of course, it would be nice if I could prevent it in the first place, but that was basically impossible. I had no real way of getting at the Diary at the moment since, even if I were to swallow my pride and visit the Weasleys, I'd have no reason to go snooping around Ginny's room. Hell, we even went to the Alley at different times, mostly due to the fact that my Father was busy with work on the day that Lockhart was there and the Weasleys would be going. Besides, even if I could get my hands on the Diary, what would I do with it? I wasn't powerful enough to cast Fiendfyre and even if I was, I wasn't dumb enough to try, and I was fresh out of Basilisk Venom. I suppose I could hand it over to the Unspeakables, but I really didn't want to go anywhere near those nutjobs. If they found out I was a reincarnated soul, they'd have me on a dissection slab before you can as Vivisection. With that in mind, I really didn't have a choice but to wait it out and go into the Chamber prepared and ready. Well, just as soon as I figured out how to enter it without being able to speak Parseltongue.
Moving on, the next interesting thing that happened was when I went shopping for my Second Year supplies and ran into Luna. It was...rather odd to say the least.
I was enjoying an icecream at Fortescue's after finishing my shopping and let go by Father to do my own thing, when someone plonked a large bowl of pudding flavored ice cream down across from me and plunked themselves down in the seat. I looked up with a raised eyebrow to see none other than Luna Lovegood sat across from me.
"Hello Brandon Potter," she said in a dreamy voice.
"Errrr, can I help you?" I asked, feeling rather confused about this state of affairs.
I'd never actually met Luna in person before, both because she was a year younger and because the Lovegoods had switched to the Gray block after Fortuna Lovegood nearly died in an accident, resulting in Father throwing a temper tantrum and cutting off all ties with them. It really didn't help that the Lovegood reputation of being completely and utterly around the twist was even worse with three of them.
"Oh, my boss wanted to know what I thought of you, so I thought I should get to know you," said Luna airily as she dug into her ice cream.
"Um, and your boss is who exactly?" I asked.
"Hmm, you'll see," she said.
My eye twitched. Oh, it was one of THOSE Luna's.
"So, what do you think of me?" I asked.
"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Luna, "I think I need to observe more. I'll see you at school."
She stood and skipped away with her ice cream, leaving me with a pounding head and a twitching eye. Something tells me shes going to be a pain this year…
After my encounter with Luna, nothing much happened for a while. Dobby never showed up and, as a result, no one got stuck outside the Barrier, so that was relatively boring. When we got to Hogwarts, classes started up, including Lockharts unfortunately. The man was nauseating to be around at best and I regularly found myself contemplating figuring out a way to feed him to the Basilisk.
Speaking of the oversized garden snake, Halloween rolled around before I knew it, bringing with it the petrification of Mrs Norris...which I was nowhere near, thank god. Frankly, I'd like to see anyone try to pin the Heir of Slytherin title on me considering I couldn't speak Parseltongue.
After that, the next big event was the Dueling club, which I only attended because A, Hermione wouldn't shut up about it (she'd been driving me barmy gushing over the ponce all year up until that point) and I really, really wanted to show off some. Sure, I may not like the fame of being the BWL (fake as it was), but one thing I was good at was dueling.
Its not really that surprising to say that learning Martial arts had resulted in my skills in Magical dueling going through the roof. I had more stamina than the average Wizard, was faster on my feet and, if I was disarmed, was fast and agile enough to avoid any follow up spells designed to take me out and take out my opponent without magic. Of course, that wouldn't fly in an official duel, but it'd keep me alive if nothing else.
"Oh, will you stop pouting Bran?" asked Hermione as she and Ron walked up to me where I was leaning against the wall waiting for the 'lesson' to begin, "This'll be really interesting!"
I rolled my eyes.
"Excuse me if I don't think that an idiot who doesn't even understand the basics of fighting knows a thing about Dueling," I muttered.
Hermione ignored me. She seemed to do that a lot whenever I said something vaguly intelligent. For some reason she thought I was an idiot.
"So, who do you think will be running it?" asked Ron.
"Preferably Flitwick since hes an actual professional Duelist, but I have a feeling its gonna be…" I said, before I was cut off by the squeals of girls as Lockhart flounced onto the strip, grinning widely, "Yep, him."
Lockhart waved an arm for silence.
"Gather round, gather round!" he called, "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works."
He gave a blinding smile and I rolled my eyes in disgust. I could already see some people heading for the door.
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile, "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"
"Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in my ear.
I nodded absently in agreement, more interested in analyzing the stances of the two Duelists. I'd learnt Dueling from one of the Paintings of my ancestors, specifically the man who was responsible for creating the Dueling room, Lord Salvatori Potter. He was an...interesting fellow, a complete and utter idiot in just about everything short of Dueling. In his day, he had been the top Duelist in the world and he'd taught me a lot. Those lessons were coming in handy now as I examined the two teachers. Right off the bat I could tell that neither of them were actual Duelists and both would be creamed in moments on the Circuit. However, Snape was clearly an experienced fighter, as indicated from the tensing of his muscles and the way he was watching Lockharts every movement. Lockhart on the other hand...well, his stance was flashy, there was way too many wasted movements and he was practically shouting his first move to the rafters. In short, exactly like I was expecting.
"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart said and I immediately stifled a snort.
That stance would see him laughed out of the little league Dueling Circuit.
"On the count of three, we will cast our first spells," continued the ponce, "Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."
"I wouldn't bet on that," I muttered, watching Snape baring his teeth.
"One — two — three —"
Both of teachers (and I use the term very loosly) swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent.
An instant later, there was a flash of light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.
Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes, as were a number of other girls.
"Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers.
I was too busy grumbling about the lack of proper Dueling wards to respond. Seriously, if you're going to teach us how to duel, at least do it properly!
"Well, there you have it!" said Lockhart, tottering back onto the platform, "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see . . ."
He trailed off when he caught Snapes murderous glare. Apparently he wasn't totally without survival instincts.
"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students how to block unfriendly spells," sneered Snape.
"A-ah yes, an excellent idea," said Lockhart, "Lets have a volunteer pair...Potter, Weasley, come on up."
"Forgive me Professor, but I feel that it would be best to chose someone who actually knows which end of the wand is which," said Snape, making Ron glare at him, "May I suggest someone from my own house? Malfoy for instance?"
He turned away and indicated for Malfoy to clamber up onto the stage as I did the same. We stepped up to the middle of the strip, Malfoy with an arrogant smirk and swagger, while I just analyzed his stance and movements. I narrowed my eyes slightly as my vision momentarily blurred and flashed purple, before I received a frankly massive amount of information out of nowhere. It was so unexpected that I jumped slightly. Malfoy seemed to notice my surprise and his smirk widened.
"Scared Potter?" he sneered.
"Not really," I said, "After all, you still can't manage to turn a beetle into a button and only past first year because your Daddy leaned on the Board."
I blinked. How the fuck did I know that? It was apparently true though as Malfoy went red and swelled up in rage.
"Alright, thats enough you two," said Lockhart before the other idiot could explode, "Lets begin. Wands at the ready!"
Malfoy and I both saluted, although it looked like Malfoy wanted to ram is wand into my eye rather than salute me with it, and stepped apart until Lockhart told us to stop.
"When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to dis-
arm them — we don't want any accidents — one . . . two . . .three —"
My heightened intuition that had come out of nowhere alerted me to Malfoy's early cast before he'd even started moving and I flicked my wand, deflecting the spell Malfoy had sent my way on two and responded with my own with a second flick. A bolt of crimson light shot out with the speed of a bullet and caught Malfoy full in the face, sending him shooting back up the other end of the strip as his wand went in the other direction.
"Impressive, you cheated and still couldn't hit me," I drawled as I leant back on my heels.
Malfoy scowled and snatched his wand back from Snape as he scrambled to his feet.
"Serpensortia!"
The end of his wand exploded and I stilled as a large, gray snake erupted from the tip. The snake hissed angrily as it hit the floor with a thud and raised itself up. As it did, I caught sight of the inside of its mouth and paled.
"Are you mad!?" I spluttered, "Of all the snakes you could have conjured, you went with a Black Mamba?!"
Malfoy's face lit up at the slight tremor in my tone.
"Whats the matter Potter, scared?" he sneered.
"As a matter of fact, I am," I said, keeping very still as I kept both eyes on the angry snake.
I also noticed that a lot of Muggleborns and halfbloods looked equally wary.
"The Black Mamba is one of the most dangerous snakes in the world," I continued, "And I'm including Magical snakes in there as well. Its fast, aggressive and with a venom so potent that if it bit someone in this room, I highly doubt that they'd survive long enough to get treatment."
"I find that hard to believe Potter," sneered Snape, "I have plenty of antidotes available."
"You really want to risk it?" I asked.
There was a moment's silence, before Snape gave a jerky nod.
"Very well Potter, you've made your point," he said, almost spitting the words as if they tasted sour, "I'll get rid of it…"
"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart.
He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang as it flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged and hissing furiously, it coiled itself up and launched itself at the nearest student.
Without thinking, I ran forwards, skidding to a stop before the snake, my fist already in motion. My fist hit the snake in the face...and the reptile exploded like it had been hit by an RPG round, sending blood and gore spraying all over Malfoy, Lockhart and Snape. The mangled body fell to the floor with a soft thump as everyone stared, wide eyed. I wasn't much better, but I pushed it off for now in favour of turning to the snakes would-be target to make sure they were alright. Much to my surprise, I found myself looking into the misty eyes of Luna Lovegood, who was eyeing me with some amusement.
"I think I've made my decision," said the odd girl, "I think you'll make an excellent addition to our group."
Before I could ask what in the hell she was talking about, the dotty girl turned and skipped towards the doors, humming quietly to herself as if she hadn't just nearly had a close encounter with an angry snake.
After the Dueling Club, I once again found myself the talk of the school, although this time the discussions were split into three. Some (mostly those who followed Dueling) were talking about how good I was on the Strip and how I should enter and take part in the upcoming Myrddin Cup next year. Those rumors I had no problem with whatsoever as the praise was well earned. Whether or not I deserved to get into the biggest dueling tournament in the world was another question entirely though.
The other conversations were a tad less savory. Some were talking about how I saved Luna and how I'd somehow managed to turn the snakes own attack momentum back on itself without apparently using Magic. Needless to say, some idiots were crying Dark Magic, although some were grumbling that I'd saved Luna from being bitten, mostly upper year Ravenclaws, including, much to my horror, one of the Prefects. What kind of twisted person wishes a painful death on a girl simply for being a little different?! Hell, she might cause me a headache in every conversation, but I found Luna to be a bright and charming girl I was happy to call friend. Ron was less happy that I was hanging out with 'Loony Lovegood', but I didn't care what he thought.
The final rumor also perterened to the Dueling Club and was apparently being spread by Malfoy and his goons that I cheated...somehow. Yeah, I wasn't to sure on the whys either. Fortunately, Flitwick cleared it up by giving a proper explanation of Dueling and the rules of the sport, although I could have done without being used as a human punching bag.
Anyway, time continued to roll along and before I knew it, Hermione and Ron had ambushed me and dragged me off to Myrtle's bathroom where they showed me their plan to try and get some information out of the Slytherin's.
"Polyjuice potion? Really?" I growled as I eyed the cauldron of what appeared to be slowly bubbling mud.
"Yes, is there a problem with that?" asked Hermione.
I glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow.
"You are planning on attempting to infiltrate a nest of snakes," I said flatly, "And I mean that literally. Malfoy and his cronies might be idiots, but the upper years know exactly what to look for to locate imposters."
Hermione looked stunned at that.
"Who were you planning to use anyway?" I asked.
Hermione shook her head and pulled out a vial with a hair in it.
"I got this of Millicent Bulstrodes robes," she said.
I groaned and let my head fall into my hands.
"Hermione, did you do ANY research at all?" I moaned, "Or are you trying to get caught?"
"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.
"Bulstrode is Gray," I said.
That just got me two blank looks.
"You...have done absolutely no reading into how the Wizengamot works, have you?" I asked with a twitching eye.
"No, but what does it matter?" asked Hermione, "Their all Slytherins, right?"
"True, but in the Snake Pit, things tend to be a tad unstable," I said, "Outside the common room, they put out a united front, but inside there is a state of constant back and forth between the Dark and Gray factions. If you tried to approach Malfoy looking like Bulstrode, you'd be immediately called out for being an imposter."
I shot a look at Ron.
"I would have thought you at least would know some of this," I said.
Ron shrugged.
"Never paid any attention in those lessons," he said.
"And people wonder why the Weasleys are in the shitter," I muttered too quietly to be heard by either of my 'friends'.
I huffed and pushed myself to my feet.
"I'm not helping you with this," I said flatly, "As the Heir to a high ranking Light house, there's too much risk that something could go wrong. I strongly suggest that the two of you reconsider as well. Polyjuice potion is a risky move, even without the potential political problems."
The image of Hermione as a cat came to mind. I nodded to the two twelve year olds and left the bathroom.
After that, things continue as they were want to do, with lessons, homework and stopping by the hospital wing to scold Hermione and Ron for being so utterly reckless, despite my warnings. Yeah, they'd gone through with it and now Hermione was coughing up hairballs for a month.
On the other hand, considering she missed the horror that was valentine's day, I think she might have been the lucky one. I'd ended up with a gaggle of them following me around until I had enough and just climbed into the rafters to hide until they went away.
In other news, the Diary never showed up in Myrtle's bathroom. Not sure why, but I suspect the brown sticky stuff will hit the rapidly rotating blades slightly earlier than normal this time through.
On the other hand, some things happened as I expected. Hermione got Petrified on the day of a Quidditch Match, Hagrid got arrested, Dumbledore was sacked and security cranked up to eleven. As such, I was busy making preparations for the face off with the Basilisk and Riddle, mostly by practicing some really powerful spells that would help blind the Basilisk or at least stop it from killing me with a look.
Then, finally, the big day arrived. I was making my way towards the Room of Requirement for some last minute training before the next class when McGonagall's voice echoed through the halls.
"All students to return to their House dormitories at once. All teachers to the 1st floor corridor. Immediately, please."
I stopped and took a deep breath. This was it, my first real battle. Well, this'll be fun…
It didn't take me long to reach Myrtles bathroom where I ducked behind a suit of armour on a plinth to listen in on the teachers.
"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message," said Mcgonagall, "Our worst fear has been realized. A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself! The students must be sent home at once...I fear that this is the end of Hogwarts..."
At that moment, Lockhart sauntered up, blinding smile on his lips as usual.
"So sorry — dozed off — what have I missed?" he said.
He didn't seem to notice that the other teachers were looking at him with something remarkably like hatred. Snape stepped forward.
"Just the man," he said, "The very man. A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Taken into the Chamber of Secrets itself. Your moment has come at last."
Lockhart blanched.
"That's right, Gilderoy," chipped in Professor Sprout. "Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is?"
"I — well, I —" sputtered Lockhart.
"Yes, didn't you tell me you were sure you knew what was inside it?" piped up Professor Flitwick.
"D-did I? I don't recall —"
"I certainly remember you saying you were sorry you hadn't had a crack at the monster before Hagrid was arrested," said Snape, clearly enjoying himself, "Didn't you say that the whole affair had been bungled, and that you should have been given a free rein from the first?"
Lockhart stared around at his stony-faced colleagues.
"I — I really never — you may have misunderstood —"
"We'll leave it to you, then, Gilderoy," said Professor McGonagall. "Tonight will be an excellent time to do it. We'll make sure everyone's out of your way. You'll be able to tackle the monster all
by yourself. A free rein at last."
Lockhart gazed desperately around him, but nobody came to the rescue. He didn't look remotely handsome anymore. His lip was trembling, and in the absence of his usual toothy grin, he looked weak-chinned and feeble.
"V-very well," he said. "I'll — I'll be in my office, getting —getting ready."
And he left the room.
"Right," said Professor McGonagall, whose nostrils were flared, "that's got him out from under our feet. The Heads of Houses should go and inform their students what has happened. Tell them the Hogwarts Express will take them home first thing tomorrow. Will the rest of you please make sure no students have been left outside their dormitories."
"Before we go, who was it that was taken?" asked Pomfrey, although she looked like she really didn't want to know.
Mcgonagall sighed.
"Ginny Weasley."
Well, that confirmed that at least. I waited a moment after the teachers dispersed, before darting across the corridor and into the room. I ignored Myrtle in favour of scanning the sinks for the snake mark and quickly found it. I pointed my wand into the basin.
"Serpensortia," I muttered and a small garden snake appeared with a pop, "Imperio."
I directed the controlled snake to hiss at the tap and the sink immediately opened.
"Huh, I can't believe that worked," I muttered as I vanished the snake, "Well, once more into the breach I guess…"
I took a deep breath and jumped into the pipe. I did my best to control my fall, although it was rather hard considering the twists and turns in the pipe, not to mention the slippery gunk that covered the walls. I really didn't want to know what that stuff was…
I eventually reached the bottom and shot out, rolling to my feet as I hit the floor and looking around, ready for an ambush. I didn't think it'd happen, but you can never be too careful. Once I was sure I was alone, I headed down the hall, keeping my eyes and ears open for any would be attack. I paused when I reached the skin and gulped. It was only when I saw the skin that I realized just how big my next opponent really was.
"Well, there's no way I can back out now," I muttered, "This is gonna suck…"
I continued through the tunnel until I reached a large door with snakes coiling over the surface. I took another deep breath and repeated my trick from the bathroom, allowing the doors to creak open.
I found myself standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber, lined with towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents that rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. I have to admit, the place must have been stunning in its heyday and even now, after centuries of neglect, it still had an air of grandeur to it.
I made my way through the chamber, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of movement, but there was nothing. Before long, I reached the end pillars and a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. Its face was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. Between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair.
However, I wasn't interested in Ginny right now, I was more interested in the figure stood off to the side. I hadn't used a light spell since I got down into the chamber, so my vision had adjusted to the gloom, allowing me to see him with little problem. Riddle smirked slightly when he saw I'd spotted him and stepped out of the shadows.
"Not bad Potter," he said, "I suppose Ginny's stories about you weren't totally inaccurate after all."
"Depends on what stories she told," I said, "If it was the one about me defeating the mummy horde or a flock of rampaging dragons, they're not true at all."
Riddle snorted.
"So I guessed," he drawled as he eyed me curiously.
"So, who exactly are you?" I asked, "You don't look like any student I've seen in school."
Riddle smiled thinly.
"Oh, I'm just a kind stranger little Ginny Weasley poured out all her problems to," said the Horcrux.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, mostly to keep in character.
I had no idea if the prime soul would gain anything from this bit when it was destroyed, so I wasn't about to give any hint of my future knowledge.
"The diary," said Riddle, "My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes — how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how she didn't think famous, good, great Brandon Potter would ever like her. . . ."
All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left my face. There was an almost hungry look in them.
"It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom. . . . I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in. . . . It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket. . . ."
Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that suited him perfectly. It still made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up though.
"If I say it myself, Brandon, 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. . . . I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her . . ."
"Possession," I breathed, "Ah, so thats it. You're not a memory, you're a Horcrux, aren't you?"
I ignored the way Riddles eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"So I suppose you had Ginny kill all the roosters so they couldn't accidentally stop your Monster?" I continued, "Then, when the Basilisk was safe, you had her release it and set it on Muggleborns and write messages on the wall. Rather clever all told."
Riddle sneered.
"Well, aren't you a clever one?" he said, "Yes, all correct. I must say, I am rather surprised. I was expecting you to be another dull Light side fool in Dumbledores pocket."
I snorted.
"I'm no ones puppet," I said, "Although there is one thing I'm curious about. If you're a Horcrux, who is your prime self? Only a truly depraved soul would create a Phylactery, but I can't remember any Dark Lords named Tom."
Riddle scowled.
"Of course not you fool," he sneered, "You really think I'd keep my filthy Muggle Fathers old name? No, I fashioned myself a new name after I left school, one that would strike fear into the hearts of the entire Wizarding World!"
He spun around and used Ginny's wand to write his name in fire, before flicking his wrist and making the letters rearrange themselves.
"Yes, a new name with which I would use to prove to the world that I am the greatest sorcerer to ever live!"
I glanced between the flaming words and Riddle, before I did something he probably wasn't expecting. I burst out laughing. Immediately, the manic grin was wiped of Riddles face and replaced with a scowl.
"What are you laughing at Potter?!" he snarled.
"Oh, I just find it funny that you used an anagram to create a name that means 'Flight from Death' in french," I said, "You are right though, that does tell the world what you really are. A coward, too afraid of death to live and make something of yourself and willing to start a war and slaughter countless innocent people over the fact that your daddy didn't love you."
Riddle was rapidly going purple and I think that, had he had a body, he would probably have had a heart attack by now.
"Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of allowing you to resurrect here," I said, all pretences of humor abandoned.
"You really think you can stop me?!" snarled Riddle, "You, the half blood spawn of a mudblood whore?! You have no idea of the powers I have at my disposal!"
"True, but I do know that you currently can't use any of them," I said, "However, even if you could, that wouldn't stop me from fighting. You won't be taking Ginny's life tonight."
Riddle stared at me for a moment.
"Tell me something Potter, why are you so insistent on protecting this girl?" he asked through gritted teeth, "I was under the impression you didn't like her."
I snorted.
"Yes, lovestruck preteen girls always know what their crush is thinking," I drawled, "While it is true I find her a tad annoying with that stupid crush on my title, thats no where near enough to make me leave her for dead. She's an innocent life, something worth protecting, no matter the cost!"
Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on my scalp and made my heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that I felt it vibrating inside my ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar.
A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its beautiful music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. A second later, the bird was flying straight at me and dropped
the ragged thing it was carrying at my feet, then landed heavily on my shoulder. As it folded its great wings, I looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye.
The bird stopped singing and fixed Riddle with a piercing stare.
"That's a phoenix. . . ." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it.
"Fawkes? But why would…?" I started.
"Because, Mr Potter, you have proven that you are worthy," said the bundle.
I blinked and opened it, revealing the Sorting Hat. Well, this was...unexpected.
"Worthy?" I asked, "Worthy of what?"
Before the Sorting Hat could respond, Riddle burst out laughing.
"So, these are the greatest weapons the Hero has at his disposal?" he sneered, "A songbird and an old hat. Pathetic."
He turned away and hissed at the statue. In response, the statue started to shake as the mouth slowly opened. Riddle turned back to me and sneered.
"Lets test the power of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Slytherin, against the famous Brandon Potter," he sneered.
I shut my eyes tight and readied myself, inwardly thanking whatever deity listening I'd thought to train in blind fighting. I was far from a master, but it'd do for now. Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber and I felt the impact through my shoes. Riddle hissed something and I heard something massive slithering towards me. I gritted my teeth and readied myself.
I sidestepped the Basilisks first lunge and went to run. I couldn't fight the giant snake here, so I needed to find somewhere where I had the advantage. Unfortunately, the snake seemed to anticipate my move and slammed its tail down in front of me.
"Aw shit," I muttered as Riddle's cold laughter filled my ears.
I tried to run the other way, but before I could, the Basilisk flicked its head and sent me flying into the wall. I slid down, tasting blood. I laid where I fell, dazed, as I heard the massive serpent slither towards me.
Then, there was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above me and then something heavy slammed into the ground close by. Without thinking, I opened my eyes to look. The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. I turned my head to see Fawkes swooping between the pillers, diving and pecking at the snakes face and eyes as the Basilisk snapped furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers. Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail
thrashed, narrowly missing me as it howled its rage and agony at the loss of its sight to the ceiling .
"NO!" screamed Riddle, "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!"
The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. I shook of the last of my daze and scrambled to my feet, sprinting towards the Hat. My only hope was the Sword, otherwise I was dead. I dove under a tail swipe and rammed the Hat on my head.
"HELP!" I yelled.
"Of course Mr Potter, you only had to ask," said the Hat.
The hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly and something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of my head, almost knocking me out. I grabbed the top of the hat and pulled it off, yanking the sword from the hat, spun around and took my stance. It was only then that I realized that the sword wasn't quite what I was expecting. Instead of being an ornate, silver sword festooned with rubies, it was an Italian broadsword with a ruby set into the center of the guard.
I didn't have time to contemplate it however as the Basilisk lunged at me again. I instinctively met the lunge with one of my own, but not with the sword. Oh no, instead I punched the giant snake in the nose.
BOOM!
The force of the blow made the Basilisks momentum completely reverse, sending it flying back into the statue of Slytherin and created a massive gust of wind that nearly knocked Fawkes out of the air and blasted a huge amount of dust into the air and then away in a secondary shockwave. I couldn't help it, my jaw dropped in utter disbelief as I looked between my fist and the clearly dead Basilisk if the dent in its head was anything to go by. Then, I remembered where I was and spun around.
Apparently, I didn't need to worry about Tom though because he looked just as taken aback as me.
"You...what are you?!" he spluttered, "Your not Human! You can't be!"
I took a deep breath and bent down, picking up the diary from where it had been blown at my feet...somehow.
"What am I you ask?" I said, "Well, that should be obvious. I'm the hero."
Then, I crushed the diary in my hand. Like with my punching of various dangerous creatures, I'm not sure why I did it, but against all logic, it worked. The diary spurted ink like a squeezed lemon and the Riddle shade went up in smoke. With the threat gone, all the tension fled from my body and I collapsed, gasping for breath.
"I'm the hero?" I muttered, "God, why the hell did I say that?"
"Your right, it was cheesy," said the Hat from where he lay, "But it doesnt mean its not true. You saved Miss Weasley after all."
"I guess thats true," I muttered as I glanced over at the stirring Ginny.
She sat up, blinking blearily as she looked around. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over me, then to the remains of the diary. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face and she flung herself into my arms.
"Brandon — oh, Brandon— I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy — it was me, Brandon," she sobbed, "But I — I s-swear I d-didn't mean to — R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over — and — how did you kill that — that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary —"
"It's all right," I said gently as I rubbed her back, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk.
C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here —"
"I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as I helped her awkwardly to her feet, "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and — w-what'll Mum and Dad say?"
I opened my mouth to try and comfort her, but before I could, my vision blurred and swam and, for a brief moment, I got the sense of staring at something vastly more massive than anything I could comprehend before the feeling vanished. I shook my head to clear it, inwardly wondering what in the hell that was, but I quickly pushed the thought aside for now. It could wait, the distraught girl could not.
"Don't worry Ginny, you'll be fine," I said, "Take the diary, we can use it as evidence that you were controlled."
Ginny ignored me and just kept sobbing into my chest. I sighed and glanced over at Fawkes.
"Hospital wing please," I said, "NOT Dumbledore's office or anywhere else he might have told you to take us."
Fawkes gave an affirmative chirp, grabbed the hat and sword, and fluttered over to Ginny and I. He landed on my lap and we all vanished in a flash of fire that cleared to reveal the empty Hospital wing.
I hoisted the sleeping Ginny into my arms (she'd apparently cried herself out and succumb to the exhaustion of her ordeal) and placed her into one of the beds, just as the door to Pomfrey's office opened and the nurse emerged, wand in hand. At the sight of me, her jaw dropped.
"Mr Potter?" she asked, "What are…"
Then she spotted Ginny. She immediately shut her mouth and ran to the bed, waving her wand over the unconscious girl.
"She was possessed," I said, holding up the wrecked diary, "This was responsible. I destroyed it and I think the spirit is gone, but you should double check."
Pomfrey's lips thinned and her wand waving upped in intensity. It took another five minutes before she stopped.
"While shes Magically exhausted, she'll be fine," she said, "Although she could do with visiting a Mind Healer. Now Mr Potter, what happened and how did you end up saving her?"
I twitched. Something told me I was in for quite the lecture. Still, I trusted Pomfrey more than most of the idiots in this place since she was well known in the Magical Medical industry for being one of the best in the field, so I told her everything, only leaving out exactly how I killed the oversized grass snake. I wasn't quite sure how to explain the fact that I'd punched it hard enough to completely powderize its skull.
By the time I was finished, Pomfrey was staring at me with an unreadable expression on her face. After a moment, she sighed.
"That was a very brave and foolish thing to do," she said, "You could easily have been killed."
"Oh believe me, that thought was on my mind the entire time," I said with a rufil smile, "But...I couldn't just leave her. She might be annoying, but Ginny's just a kid. She doesn't deserve to die in a dark hole and be eaten by a giant snake."
Pomfrey sighed again.
"Your a good man Brandon," she said, "Better than your Father by far."
I scowled. That was an understatement and a half.
"Now, I'm going to give you a quick check up while we wait for the Headmaster and the Weasleys to arrive," said Pomfrey, "You don't look hurt, but you have just fought a Basilisk and I'd like to be sure. Hop up on the bed."
I did as I was told as Pomfrey sent off a Patronus before turning back to me.
By the time she was done, the doors of the Hospital wing came crashing open to reveal the Weasleys led by Mrs Weasley, who made an immediate beeline to the bed Ginny was in and started sobbing over her. Overdramatic cow. Actually, that might be a bit mean considering she thought her daughter was dead.
"Well, against all odds, your in perfect health," said Pomfrey, "Theres nothing wrong with you at all. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and stop Molly from smothering my other patent. Do you mind waiting here for a while? I'm sure that Albus will like to speak with you and I have a feeling that you being here will help Miss Weasley remain calm. Plus, the school is still under lockdown, so its not a good idea to be wondering the halls."
I nodded as the matron walked over to the Weasleys and settled back on the bed to think. I had a lot to think about. Like the fact that I was somehow strong enough to kill something like a Basilisk by punching it, was completely unhurt, despite being smacked into a wall hard enough to break bones and I'd somehow destroyed a Horcrux by crushing it. How? How the hell had I done any of that? Then there was the odd feeling I'd felt during Ginny's breakdown.
I couldn't think of a single reason why it would be possible without some form of Empathic power, something that, if I did have it, would have popped up a long time before now. Then again, I suppose it could have been something Ginny had done. After all, even in adults, Accidental Magic wasn't unheard of when put in situations of intense stress and I had no doubt that the events of tonight had been the single worst experience of Ginnys life.
The sound of someone clearing their throat drew me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see a smiling Dumbledore stood at the side of my bed. I quickly schooled my face.
"Headmaster," I said cooly.
The headmasters expression faulted for a moment, but he manfully kept his smile in place.
"I understand we have you to thank for Miss Weasleys safe return," he said.
"Yes," I said.
"I see," said Dumbledore, "Could you tell me everything that happened? It will help us get to the bottom of it all."
I sighed softly. I didn't like or trust Dumbledore, but at the moment, he had no reason to turn on the Weasleys and every reason to keep them sweet. He was the best choice for keeping Ginny from getting blamed. With that in mind, I told him a modified story that was much closer to what happened in Canon than what actually happened. I didn't want him to know about my strength.
It took about ten minutes to fill the old man in on everything and hand him the Diary. By this point, the Weasleys were all listening in, with Mrs Weasley getting pailer and pailer and clinging to her Daughter as if she thought she'd vanish if she let go. When I finished, she burst into tears.
"Don't worry Molly," said Dumbledore reassuringly, "Ginny will be fine and I see no reason to punish her. People far older and wiser have been hoodwinked by Voldemort. Bedrest and a cup of hot coco is just the ticket for her to put this all behind her…"
Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat, cutting off the Headmaster.
"If you don't mind Headmaster, I will be the judge of that," she snapped, before turning to Mr Weasley, "Arthur, Ginny is physically fine, albeit magically and physically exhausted from her ordeal. Both can be fixed with a good nights rest and a good meal, but her mental state is far more serious. The act of possession is...incredibly traumatic, on par with rape, and in this case its even worse as she was nearly killed to restore the spirit in question. She needs to talk to someone and come to terms with it. I'll recommend some Mind Healers who can help."
Mr Weasley's expression went through a number of expressions, before resting on a mix of rage and helplessness.
"But...we can't afford a Mind Healer!" protested the balding man.
"I'll pay for it," I said, making everyone look at me.
Arthur looked rather nonplussed at the offer.
"Thank you for the offer Brandon, but…"
"Don't even think about saying you don't want charity," I said, cutting him off, "Ginny needs this if shes going to recover and I will not allow someone to suffer due to stubborness and misplaced pride."
I grinned.
"Besides, I have a feeling I'm about to come into a rather large windfall of cash."
Everyone stared at me.
"What are you talking about mate?" asked Ron.
"Well, since I killed the Basilisk, I'm claiming it by right of conquest," I said.
Dumbledore twitched slightly.
"Ah, Brandon my boy, that might not be…"
"Might not be what Professor?" I asked, "Are you saying I can't claim the body of the class 5 beast I killed single handedly?"
Dumbledore opened his mouth, before closing it and clearing his throat.
"Yes, well, as long as everyone is safe," he said, "If you'll excuse me, I need to go and lift the lockdown."
He turned and swept out of the room. I let out a sigh of relief. I didn't like being around Dumbledore, if only because I didn't want him trying to read my mind.
Suddenly, some deep seated instinct warned me of an incoming attack and I shot up, somehow pulling off a perfect handstand on the bed frame, allowing the incoming spell I recognized as a stinging charm shoot past where I'd been sitting. I blinked and glanced in the direction it had come from to see that Mrs Weasley had her wand out and pointed in my direction.
"Hey, what was that for?!" I demanded, ignoring the looks of utter shock I was getting as I dropped back to the floor.
The look of shock faded from Mrs Weasley's face in favour of a disapproving frown.
"You shouldn't talk to the Headmaster like that!" she said, "He knows best after all. If he doesn't think that you should claim the carcass, you shouldn't. I must say, I agree, a child shouldn't have that much money."
I stared at the large woman, not entirely sure if I should laugh or kick her through a wall. It was bad enough when she tried to control Harry in the original story, but here she didn't even really know me! I think we'd had maybe three conversations in my entire life and most of them could be boiled down to me telling her to leave me the hell alone.
"Mrs Weasley, I'm not sure where you get off trying to tell me what to do, but what I do is none of your goddamn business," I said, "I am well within my rights to claim the Basilisk carcass and do whatever the hell I want to with it. The law is very clear, not even my Father can tell me what to do with the body."
Mrs Weasley went purple.
"Why I never!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet.
"MUM, STOP!" shouted Ginny, who was apparently awake.
Immediately, Mrs Weasley's body locked up, pitching her face first into the floor as she was in the middle of stepping forwards. Complete silence fell as everyone, including me, stared at Ginny in complete shock. That...was completely unexpected. Where in the world had that even come from? It was as out of place as my own strength and durability! Even Ginny seemed stunned, judging from the way she was staring at her hands.
"What...was that?" stuttered Percy.
No one had a good answer.
The last few weeks of school also went by without good answers, not helped by the fact the Weasleys took their kids home with Dumbledores blessing. I wasn't really going to argue with that decision, although I did NOT agree with him canceling the exams. Did he even have the authority to do that for the OWL and NEWT students?
Anyway, in that time, I'd gotten in touch with the Goblins by sending a few copies of the letter with different owls and one through Muggle post, just to be safe. The letter I got back applauded my caution, but informed me that it wouldn't be needed. All Gringotts mail, ingoing or outgoing, wa protected by a rather impressive bit of Goblin magic that made it so it couldn't be intercepted without explicit permission from the Bank itself. They also informed me that they'd be happy to perform the rendering service in exchange for a reasonable sum and a portion of the raw material, mostly the meat. Since Basilisk meat is useless to Humans, other than in a few potions that were either incredibly Dark or had such specific uses that they were hardly ever needed, I was perfectly happy to agree. The rendering would be done over the holidays and the proceeds added to my Vault.
I also asked if they could recommend a good Mind Healer, but they weren't able to help with that.
However, since school was out, I'd have plenty of time to find a good one. Hell, I was already at it as I waited for the train to pull out thanks to Madam Pomfrey giving me a sheaf of flyers when I asked.
"You know, I know a good one," said a familer voice, making me look up.
I smiled at the sight of Luna stood in the door.
"Hi Luna, do you want to join me?" I asked.
"I would, thank you," said Luna, stepping into the compartment and heaving her Trunk onto the rack, "Now, as I was saying, I know someone who could help Ginny."
I blinked.
"You do?" I asked.
"Yes, I do," said Luna, "Shes very talented and has a lot of experience dealing with people with Wrackspurts and Snorkacks. I don't think shes ever had to deal with a Heliopath, but shes very good at her job."
I blinked a couple of times. Even after knowing her and spending a great deal of time with her over the last year, I still had no idea if she was being serious with her animals and was legitimately crazy, was actually seeing them with some unknown power, was a Seer of some kind or was completely trolling me. Frankly, any of them was as likely as the last with Luna.
"Well...can you give me her contact details?" I asked, "I'd like to speak with her first."
"Of course," said Luna, handing me a card.
I looked at it and blinked.
"Luna, this is a Muggle phone number," I said.
"I know," said Luna, "But she knows about the Wizarding world and will be happy to help."
"Well...if your sure," I said, tucking the card away, "So, how was your year?"
"Oh, it was fine," said Luna, "Some of my classmates are a little mean, but I dealt with them. What about you? How are you managing with the Code: Unknown?"
I stared at her.
"What?"
"Your Heliopath," said Luna, "You know, the thing that gives you your strength?"
I stared at her, my opening and closing in shock.
"Oh, sorry, was I not supposed to know that?" asked Luna, "Its so hard to keep the Timelines straght sometimes. Hmm, I wonder if Ginny'd doing OK with Authority?"
I blinked a few more times as Luna started muttering something about Dragons and worms or something, before shrugging and deciding that I didn't need the headache. Instead, I directed the conversation back to the more sane side of things.
The rest of the trip passed by without incident, other than a short visit by Hermione, who quickly left looking confused after talking with Luna for a few minutes. Surprisingly Draco didn't stop by, but I'm not going to complain.
Eventually, we got back to London where I quickly spotted James and Sirius stood off to the side, giving a rather large number of people the stink eye.
"Oh, theres my Mum," said Luna, pointing into the crowd, "Come and meet her!"
"Huh...WHOA!"
Before I could protest, Luna grabbed my hand and dragged me over to where a tall, attractive woman with long, black hair was standing, watching with amusement in her blue eyes. Other than her hair colour, Luna looked a lot like her and, if the woman's figure was anything to go by, Luna would be a knockout in a few years. She was wearing the Magical Worlds version of a womans suit and a fedora tilted at a jaunty angle. I hadn't actually ever met Fortuna Lovegood, despite the fact I knew of her and I'm pretty sure she was actually Harry's Godmother. My Father didn't like her very much, probably because she'd called him out on his bullshit more than once.
As we approached, Luna let go of my hand and flung herself into her Mothers arms, who caught her without any trouble.
"Hey there little Moon," she said, rubbing Luna's hair with a wide smile, "Did you have a good year?"
"Yep, sure did," said Luna, a mile wide grin on her face, "Oh, Mamma, this is Brandon Potter. Bran, this is my Mum."
"Nice to meet you," I said politely.
"Hmm, quite unlike your Father," said Fortuna, eyeing me up and down, "Although I suppose that was to be expected."
She eyed me for a moment longer, before smiling a smile that made a shiver go up my spine.
"I look forwards to seeing what sort of path you and my Daughter walk down," she said.
I blinked. That was an...odd thing to say.
"Um, thanks?" I said.
"Hey Fortuna, are we going to be much longer?" asked another woman who was stood nearby looking uncomfortable, "Only, I've got a pile of paperwork trying to eat my desk that needs doing."
I hid a frown as I took in the womans appearance. She looked young, late twenties at the latest, but something about the way she held herself made me thing she was older. She had long, straight black hair, gray eyes and was visibly hispanic. She had a lot of faded scaring around one eye and said eye looked like it was glass. Oddly enough, something about her made me thing I knew her, despite the fact I'd never seen her before in my life.
"Yes, of course," said Fortuna, "We're coming Becky."
She turned back to me.
"It was nice to meet you Brandon," she said, "Until next time."
She smiled and nodded, before leading Luna and the other woman away, the two elder women discussing something in low voices as they headed for the barrier with Luna skipping behind them. I stared after them, not entirely sure what to make of the odd interaction, before a large and familiar hand landed on my shoulder.
"There you are Brandon!" boomed James, dragging me into a hug.
I grimoused at the smell of BO that hung around my Father and the fact that it looked like he'd gained weight again.
"Hello Father," I said.
"Oh, don't be like that!" said James, "Now come on, lets go home. I want to hear all about your year!"
I sighed and grimoused again, but allowed my Father to lead me away. Not long now and I could, hopefully, get away from the asshole. It couldn't come sooner in my opinion
And that'll do. Honestly, the next chapter will probably be really short since I don't have any plans for anything of interest to happen over the Third year and I really want to get to the Fourth. If I decide to continue this.
Sooo, wanna guess what I have in mind for this? You probably can seeing as I haven't been particularly subtle with it. At all. I'll be more surprised if you can figure out exactly what Harry's been up to until now and who hes been living with. There is a clue in there if you look and have read my other stuff.
I...have nothing more to say. This is going to take a while to edit as it is, so I'm going to sign out and get started. Don't forget to leave a review!