The Chamber was huge. There was an odd green glow lighting the place. It was sad and gloomy. Pillars lined the sides of the hall. Each pillar had snakes carved into them. There was water in deep pools between the pillars.
Moaning Myrtle popped up out of a pool. “Hi, Harry! Gloomy, isn’t it. I prefer my toilet.”
At the end of the Chamber was a stone statue. “That must be Salazar himself. A bit scrawny, wasn’t he? That face is made worse by the long thin beard. The headmaster seems to have followed the same style rules.” Harry shook his head.
There was no sign of Matilda. Harry waited. He had sensed a change in the magic in the place.
-ooOOoo-
“Here he comes. Stick to the plan, Harry. If he doesn’t take your offer now, don’t worry. He will know the deal, and it will gnaw at him until he takes it.”
“Thanks, Tom. Now shut up. He’s coming.”
-ooOOoo-
A dark mist flowed into the Chamber from one side. It formed into a cloud in front of Harry. A smooth noseless face appeared.
“Harry Potter! If I am not mistaken. What do you think you doing here?”
Harry moved Draco to one side. The wraith of Voldemort looked at Draco and sneered.
“The Malfoy brat, what are you going to use him for? All he is useful for is as a shield from a killing curse, like his cowardly father.”
“Draco is having his educational experience enlarged.”
Draco whimpered. Harry glanced at him. Draco’s eyes were wide as he stared at the wraith of Voldemort.
Voldemort laughed. “HA! You are terrifying him out of his wits. Look at him. He is nearly fainting.”
“Let’s talk about you, your darkness. You are stuck in a difficult place. As a wraith, you can’t do much except make empty promises. What did you promise Quirinius Quirrell? It must have been a lot to let you destroy him like that.”
“Quirrell had his uses. He slipped at the last moment, and the Cerberus caught him.”
“So, you promise nothing, and that’s what you deliver.”
“Potter! I know your fate; every insult you deliver makes it come closer.”
“Amusing as this banter is, I have something to offer you. I want something in return.”
The wraith roiled around and came back closer to Harry. “Bargaining! An eleven-year-old urchin bargaining with me! The Dark Lord!”
“I have something that you want, your smokiness.”
Voldemort stared at Harry; time passed. Harry heard Draco’s almost silent breathing.
“All right! What do you have?”
“I have written to Nicholas Flamel and explained our situation here. He has agreed to help me. He has used his Philosopher’s Stone to prepare one drop of The Elixir of New Life. I have it here in a phial. Nicholas has charmed it so that I and I alone can open the phial.”
The wraith almost became solid. The empty eyes glowed with a dull red gleam.
“What do you want in return?”
Harry shrugged. “I want you to make me your heir. You are Slytherin. You are all that is left of the Slytherin family in the world. As the Slytherin Head of House, you can declare me your sole heir. That is all I want.”
“Why? I have nothing, no money, no property. Also, I am not going to die. What possible use is it to be my heir?”
Harry nodded. “In terms of wealth and power, nothing. What it will do is this. Slytherin family magic will stop you from killing or injuring me in any way.”
The wraith shot around the Chamber a dozen times and returned to face Harry.
“So you know about that, do you? How? Who told you?”
“I spent nine years in Azkaban with Augustus Rookwood, Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, and Bellatrix Lestrange. They talked a lot about you. They are devoted to you and are desperate for you to return. However, they talk a lot more than perhaps they should.”
Voldemort’s eyes glowed bright red. “You are doomed, Potter. You know that, don’t you?”
Harry shrugged. “I know that one day, I will die. That does not frighten me. I have seen death many times. I want to live well and die when I am ready to go.”
The wraith disappeared. Draco squirmed and looked around. Then he hissed. “Can we get out of here now? Have you finished playing with Death? YOU IDIOT!”
Harry held up his hand. “Wait!”
Voldemort reappeared in front of Harry.
“I agree. First, show me The Elixir of New Life.”
Harry slowly took a tiny phial from the inner pocket of his robe. There was a tiny drop of red liquid in it.
“Here it is. I believe that you can already sense the magic in it.”
Voldemort hissed. “YESSSSSSS!”
Harry closed his hand around the phial. “Say the oath! Make me your heir in magic.”
The red eyes dulled. “I, Lord Voldemort, Head of the House of Slytherin, now declare that Harry Potter is my one, true heir, so mote it be.”
Harry held up his right hand. A slim silver ring materialized on his ring finger. There was a crest engraved on the ring in the form of the Slytherin serpent. The ring glowed with blue light and fitted itself to Harry’s finger.
Harry nodded. “Very good, I will open the phial. Then you may touch the Elixir.”
Harry took the stopper off the phial. A tendril of the wraith reached out and filled the phial. There was a silent flash of light as the rest of the wraith was drawn into the phial. Harry replaced the stopper.
“Job done.” Harry quietly said.
Draco screamed. “WHAT DID YOU DO? HE WILL KILL US ALL IF THIS IS A TRICK!”
“Lord Voldemort has gained a perfectly formed physical body, with his remaining soul attached. What has happened is exactly what I promised him.”
Draco moaned. “Where is he now?”
“In the phial, the Elixir of New Life transforms anyone who touches it into a new life.”
Draco growled. “Tell me the truth. What happened to the Dark Lord?”
Harry sighed. “As I said, the Elixir transforms anyone who touches it into a perfectly formed physical body. The one detail I didn’t mention was that this new body is about three days old. That is three days after conception. The Dark Lord is now in the state that he was in three days after his father’s sperm penetrated his mother’s egg and started making a zygote. That zygote is now under stasis in the Elixir of New Life. His remaining soul is permanently attached to the zygote, and he can’t escape.”
Draco stared, his mouth hanging open. He came to life. “Who dreamed up that mad scheme?”
“Ah, that was Nicholas Flamel. The Elixir of New Life is the first stage in making the Elixir of Life that he and his wife use to renew themselves every so often. Their Elixir renews their bodies as they were a short time before their present age, so they simply don’t age.
They don’t have to start again as Lord Voldemort would have to do if someone was to release him from stasis.
Even if someone did that, they would have to instantly implant that zygote in a compatible woman. Then it would eventually grow and transform into an embryo. The embryo would then have to attach itself to the woman’s womb and then grow into a foetus, which would then grow into a baby. After nine months, if all goes well, the baby would be born.”
“So, is that the end of the Dark Lord?”
“Err! No, it isn’t. There are a number of loose ends that have to be tidied up before Lord Voldemort can be sent to the Underworld forever. You don’t have to be concerned about that, Draco.”
“Is this secret? Who can I tell about this?”
“Well, Draco, you can tell anyone you like. They won’t believe you. The more you insist that what you saw is true, the more likely they will call you crazy and ignore you.”
“{WHO IS HERE? WHO IS IT? WHERE IS THE MASTER?”}
Draco shrieked. “WHAT WAS THAT?”
Moaning Myrtle popped up from her pool. “That was the monster! I’m off! BYE!” She disappeared.
Harry moved to the space in front of the statue. “{I’m here, Matilda. I’m the Master now. Come and taste my magic.}”
Draco whimpered. “You have no idea how creepy that is.”
The massive reptile, a Basilisk, slithered in from a dark opening. Draco shut his eyes and whimpered.
“{Come, Matilda. I am the Heir of Slytherin. Come and taste my magic.”}
The Basilisk slowly approached. The forked tongue flicked in and out as she tasted the air.
“{YOU ARE ALIVE. I CAN FEEL YOUR WARM BLOOD. I CAN TASTE YOUR MAGIC. YOU ARE THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN.}”
Harry hissed again. “{Have you eaten, Matilda? Are you hungry?}”
“{I HAVE EATEN MANY ACROMANTULA TONIGHT. I AM SATISFIED.}”
“{That is good, Matilda. You may go to your nest and sleep until you are called.}”
The Basilisk turned and climbed up the statue. The statue’s mouth opened as the snake approached. Once the reptile had slithered into the mouth, it slowly shut with grinding noises.
“Can we go now? Please! Can we get out of here?” Draco was pleading.
Harry steered Draco back to the Chamber door. It slid open at Harry’s command. The journey back to the bathroom was silent. Moaning Myrtle was not there.
Harry navigated back down to the Slytherin Common Room, where Draco was released. The excursion seemed to take most of the night, but it was still before curfew.
“I hope you enjoyed yourself, Draco.”
“You are crazy, mad, and twisted. Where did you learn to do that?”
“Azkaban, Draco. I was given private tuition by Lord Voldemort’s best Death Eaters. You will see what I mean if you ever meet Aunt Bellatrix. Goodnight, Draco.”
Harry went to his room to write a report for Nicholas Flamel, Cyrus Greengrass, and Eric Davis. He put Lord Voldemort’s little phial in a magical strongbox on a bookshelf and retired for the night.
-ooOOoo-
The Great Hall was full of students ready for breakfast. The food the Hogwarts house elves served was popular with traditional wizarding families. There were many fried, fatty delicacies that would have been roundly condemned by any proper health authority.
Draco had no appetite. He looked dreadful.
“What’s the matter with you, Draco?” Pansy asked in her grating, whiney voice.
“I had a bad nightmare last night. I dreamt about a red-eyed madman and a giant green snake. I was trying to run away, but I couldn’t.” Draco nibbled on his breakfast. It was one piece of dry toast.
“Where did that come from? You don’t have bad dreams, Draco.” Pansy squawked.
Nott glanced up the table. “Potter got some mail this morning. I wonder what it is. He gets a lot of packages.”
“Leave him alone!” Draco snapped.
“What! Why?” Nott asked.
“Leave him alone! Leave his Escort alone! Leave his Alliance alone! Don’t go anywhere near them.” Draco snarled.
“What’s happened?” Gregory Goyle asked.
“I won’t tell you. All of you, leave them alone!”
-ooOOoo-
Potions drew to the usual tumultuous close. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had their potions saved by the direct intervention of Draco and Theodore. Ronald Weasley and Seamus Finnigan turned down all offers of help from the better Gryffindor students. Parvati Patel and Lavender Brown successfully completed their assigned work. They tried to help Ronald and Seamus, but they were rudely rebuffed.
Ronald’s potion was black goo stuck to the bottom of his cauldron. Seamus’ potion started to give off a cloud of green fumes. Professor Snape vanished the cloud of poisonous gas and the potion in the cauldron. The Gryffindors received a scathing lecture and no marks.
Professor Snape loomed over Draco. “Mister Malfoy, see me after this class.”
The Gryffindors escaped from the dungeon. The Slytherins filed out in a more dignified manner.
The door closed, and the professor moved towards his office. “Come, Draco.”
They entered the office, and Draco waited. “Be seated, Draco.”
The professor sat at his desk as Draco sat in a chair opposite.
“How are you, Draco? Are you having any problems?”
Draco was about as surprised as he would be if Severus Snape had slapped his face with a wet fish. The Slytherin professor never initiated a friendly conversation.
Draco gave his best response. “Err! Ah! What do you mean, professor?”
“I mean that you are too quiet. You have not started any verbal jousting with Miss Granger or Mister Longbottom. You avoid Miss Greengrass and Miss Davis as though they have some infectious disease. You have been giving Mister Zabini curious looks. You are also avoiding him. I want to know why?”
“Well, umm, about Zabini, umm, I want to know how he is being rewarded for supporting Potter. He is not a muggle lover. He is a Blaise Zabini lover. So, why is he acting like a bodyguard for Potter?”
Severus glared at Draco. “The answer is obvious. His mother, Sabrina Zabini, has trained him to be her agent. She works in the grey world of supplying rare potion ingredients. These items are found in parts of the world where law-abiding wizards and witches are literally eaten for breakfast.”
Draco shuddered. “I don’t want to think about that.” He suddenly had a vision of a giant green snake.
“Sabrina Zabini exerts a level of control over Blaise because he knows that he will be rewarded for his obedience. As long as the Zabini business and the Greengrass business have their arrangements, Blaise will help Mister Potter. You should ask why the Marquis of Crécy is so interested in Harry Potter.”
Draco looked up at the professor. “Do you know why?”
“No, I don’t. It is sufficient for me to know that Lord Greengrass is very interested in Harry Potter. Instead of trying to bully and bluster your way to a position of influence, you should be looking for a way to apply your Slytherin cunning, if you have any.”
Professor Snape waited for a reply. None came.
“Draco, the headmaster knows you and Mister Potter entered the second-floor girl’s bathroom last night. That bathroom is haunted by Moaning Myrtle. Do you want to tell me why you were there? Also, what was it that took two hours?”
Draco whined and said nothing.
“Draco! Say something! If you don't tell me, the headmaster will get it out of you by less friendly methods.”
“Potter said that he was broadening my educational experience. He had me petrified except that I could look around and speak.”
The professor nodded and indicated to Draco to continue.
“He had a conversation with Moaning Myrtle. He persuaded her to go with us. I think he wanted her as a lookout.”
“A lookout for what?”
Draco shuddered. “Slytherin’s Monster! Potter took me to the Chamber of Secrets. He was holding me out in front of him the whole time. He was using me as a shield.”
“Did you see this monster?”
“YES! Potter spoke to it. The monster did what Potter ordered it to do. They are quite friendly.”
“That sounds a bit far-fetched, Draco.”
“I’m not going to talk about how this happened. Potter is the Heir of Slytherin. He is wearing the heir’s ring.”
Draco jumped up.
“Don’t tell the headmaster that! Potter said that they would say that I was crazy if I said what really happened. I’ve said too much. May I go now!”
-ooOOoo-
Draco had no control over his thoughts. Lucius had given enough training in Occlumency for Draco to be safe from other students at Hogwarts, but that was not enough. The whole Chamber of Secrets drama was easy to see using Passive Legilimency. Severus had to tread a careful path. If Albus Dumbledore was to question Draco, it would be revealed. Albus would claim the prize and somehow make a mess of it.
Draco was offered private lessons to improve his Occlumency. It would take months and possibly years to build his defences. The lessons also had to be hidden from the rest of Hogwarts. No hint was to get to Albus and arouse his curiosity.
Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle were told they had “Remedial Potions” tutorials. Draco Malfoy and Theodore Nott were ordered to be assistant tutors.
The “Remedial Potions” tutorials began the next day. Draco and Theodore were told they would tutor Vince and Greg and get advanced Occlumency training. They were not told why. Theodore asked Draco if he knew why.
“It’s a secret. It’s Slytherin business, and we are being trained for more responsibility.” Draco was learning when to keep his mouth shut, step one in learning Occlumency.
-ooOOoo-
Orders to report to the headmaster’s office did not come as often as they used to. Severus entered the office. The lights were low, Fawkes was sleeping, and the portraits pretended to doze.
“Headmaster?”
“Ah! Severus, I won’t hold you up. Have you had any response from young Draco regarding his night-time wandering with Mister Potter?”
“Yes, Headmaster, it appears that Draco was being pranked by Potter. Draco was taken by Potter into Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Potter seemed to imply that Draco was being used to shield Potter from threats. Potter, it seems, kept Draco in the bathroom while he had a long conversation with the ghost. Draco didn’t like the experience and now has confused memories of it. The conversation was about the Chamber of Secrets and Slytherin’s Monster. I would not say that their memories of the experience were reliable.”
Headmaster Dumbledore waited for more. “Mister Potter, what did he have to say?’
“I don’t want to waste any time with Potter. I will warn him to keep his pranks out of girls’ bathrooms in the future.”
Dumbledore muttered to himself and asked. “Did Moaning Myrtle have anything to say about the Chamber of Secrets and Slytherin’s Monster?”
“She talked about it. Apparently, there are miles of drains and places under the castle, which could be the Chamber of Secrets. I don’t think anything she said was reliable.”
Dumbledore frowned, ‘Is Mister Potter in the habit of staging pranks? I haven’t heard complaints from the other houses.”
“He usually targets Draco. One memorable one had an intense rainstorm in Draco’s room. Draco had to wait until the rain stopped on its own before he could dry it out. Draco couldn’t stop it and refused to ask Potter to stop it.”
“Very well, Severus, you may go.”
Professor Snape reviewed the interview as he walked back to his rooms. He had managed to satisfy the headmaster with a dismissive report on the conversation in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. The headmaster didn’t press for more details, so Severus was able to leave the impression that the incident ended there. It wasn’t a perfect situation. The headmaster may still be suspicious. The level of trust the headmaster placed in his Potions Master was decreasing, but Severus couldn’t help that. He had to conceal the fact that Harry Potter was keeping the Dark Lord in a glass phial in his bedroom.
The Easter break was coming. Perhaps Potter should be encouraged to leave Hogwarts for Easter and take his guest with him.
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