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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Action/Adventure Warnings: Disturbing Imagery Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 160 Summary: Dumbledore is dead. Harry ran away from the Dursley's before getting his Hogwarts letter. Who will save the magical world now? Hitcount: Story Total: 85543; Chapter Total: 4881 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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The next morning Harry arose early and, armed with his goblin knife, the sword he forged himself, and his centaur bow and arrows, he walked out of the common area and looked upon the southern forest. Pollux, who was up for an early hunt, saw him and trotted over. "If you don't challenge our ancient enemy, your family will lose face," said the centaur with a gleam in his eye. "If you do challenge them, you will be killed, and your family will still lose face." Pollux laughed. "Either way, I will benefit." "No one is trying to displace you, Pollux," said Harry. "But if my family and friends have an enemy to the south that only I can defeat, then I must do what I can to help." With that Harry grimly marched down the hillside towards the creek that seemed to mark the boundary between the centaurs and their enemies. The centaur village quickly disappeared from view as Harry followed small game trails up the densely forested hillside. Though the goblins had taught him to steal quietly through a forest, he made no effort to hide his passage, even stopping to relieve himself knowing this would leave a scent trail for predators. At midday, Harry knew he would soon have to turn back if he wanted to spend the night in the centaur village, and in the back of his mind he was glad not to have encountered any monsters. As if that very thought jinxed his journey, a distant roar sent a chill down his spine. He pulled out his sword and ran up the hill, hoping to find some high ground. Before he reached the ridge top, however, he heard another roar coming from above and the sound of something running through the brush. Harry stopped in a clearing and suddenly a large animal appeared running toward him very fast. It had the body and mane of a lion, the head of a very large man, and a long tail with a sharp point. With a deafening roar, the animal landed a few feet away and would have leaped on top of Harry, but Harry waved his hand and petrified the animal in its place. The momentum of the animal's tail threw it forward and the sharp point was headed straight for Harry's face, but Harry swung his sword and cut off the end of the tail. Harry then pressed the point of his blade to the creature's throat. "Speak, if you can," said Harry. With another wave of his hand, Harry released the beast's head, so he could talk, whilst keeping the rest of him petrified. "Who are you, and why do you attack before finding out who you 're trying to kill?" "I am Mountbatten, king of the Devon Manticores," said the creature. "Who are you, wizardling, and what makes you dare to stop me from hunting in my forest?" said the creature. "I am Harry Rabbitslayer Orion," saying his goblin name in Gobbledygook. The Manticore gave an exaggerated sniff. "You stink of centaur. We do not trust wizards, who hunt us for sport, and we do not allow centaurs or goblins to invade our forest." "I am a hunter, too," admitted Harry. "Though I have taken a vow never to kill a sentient creature, yet I once had to do so in self defense. Please do not make me break this vow again." He lowered his sword. "I will release you if you will make a similar vow to never kill another sentient being except in self-defense." He shook his long hair back, which happened to expose his forehead. Mountbatten's eyes widened, then he lowered his head. "I vow on my life, Harry Orion, never to hunt or kill another sentient being, except in self-defense. I will also order the members of my pride to take the same vow." Harry waved his hand and the Manticore stumbled slightly as he regained his footing. Before they had a chance to speak further, three more Manticores, two males and a female, leaped into the clearing. Harry noticed that the larger male had an open wound on one of his front legs and limped slightly because of it. "Who is this wizardling, your highness," said the larger male deferentially but with a hint of rebelliousness, "and why have you allowed him to live?" "This is Harry Orion Athailt," said the large Manticore with a look in his eye that made Harry think the others might place some significance on the last word. "He has persuaded me to take a vow to no longer hunt or kill other sentient beings except in self-defense, and I ask you to make the same vow." The three Manticores' eyes widened in surprise, but after scrutinizing Harry for a moment, they knelt down on their forelegs and made the vow. Mountbatten then introduced Harry to his brother, Hal; his son, Alfred; and his queen, Ernestine. "Come, King Mountbatten," said Harry. "I want to introduce you to the centaurs who have given me shelter for the last several months so that your pride may make peace with their troop." Mountbatten looked at the sun, now well passed midday. "I will join you, but if we are to get there before sundown, you had best ride on my back. I don't think your stubby legs can move as fast as mine." Harry laughed, then looked at the Manticore's truncated tail. "I'm sorry I had to cut off the end of your tail," he said. "That's alright," said the king, "It'll grow back." Then he gave a sly look and said, "But the venom does give a nice taste to the meat." Harry climbed on the Manticore's back, and with a roar the four Manticores bounded north towards the centaur encampment. Two hours later, the centaurs could hear roaring sounds coming from the south. They gathered at the top of the hill overlooking the southern forest and could see the four Manticores, with Harry mounted on the largest one, leaping across the stream. "That wizardling has betrayed us!" shouted Pollux. "Fire your arrows!" Several of the centaurs--but not Castor or Torino--quickly let loose a volley of arrows. The Manticores continued to charge, but as the arrows approached Harry waved his hand and directed the arrows off to where they could do no harm. Then he leaped from Mountbatten's back and yelled, "Cease fire! We come in peace." Without waiting to see what the centaurs would do, he continued walking up the hill, with the four Manticores behind him. "You were supposed to defeat the monsters in combat," yelled Pollux. "Instead, you have joined them, you traitor." "At my demand," said Harry, "the king of the Manticores has vowed to never kill another centaur, or any other sentient being, except in self-defense. Please, Pollux, do not make him break that vow," Harry finished with a glare. Pollux and the other centaurs watched in stunned silence as Harry led the Manticores into the sacred ring. "Come," said Harry. "Let us talk." Harry stood in the center of the common area, and the four Manticores sat on their haunches. They were so large that even just the four of them occupied easily a quarter of the ring. Castor followed and stood opposite the Manticores, with Pollux on his right, Torino on his left, the other male centaurs forming three-quarters of a ring around the sacred circle, and the females and young centaurs crowding behind them. "King Mountbatten," said Harry, "the centaurs tell me that members of your pride attack and kill any centaurs who enter your forest. Why did you kill other sentient creatures without notice?" "We are hunters," said the king proudly. "We do not invade the centaurs' territory, but we do not tolerate other hunters competing with us for game in our forest." "Would you agree to have peaceful relations with the centaurs if they do not hunt in your forest?" asked Harry. "We have always been peaceful with the centaurs as long as they do not enter our forest. Why would they enter our forest except to hunt?" "The centaurs do more than hunt. They gather plants, collect minerals, and trade with other sentient beings. Would you be willing to let them enter and pass through your forest to do these things?" The king scowled. "We have nothing to trade," he said, "and we do not want anything they have to trade with us." Harry thought for a minute. "What if you were to trade security?" he asked. "What if the centaurs would agree that, if wizards or anyone else were to attack you, they would come to your aid, and if they were attacked, you would come to their aid?" The king brightened and gave his brother a brief look as if to say, "I told you so." "Yes," he said aloud. "That would make a very fine trade. I vow that, so long as the centaurs do not hunt in our forest, our pride will allow them into and through our forest for mutual defense, to gather plants and minerals, and to meet and trade with other beings." Castor stepped forward. "That is a very fine trade, your highness. On behalf of the Devon troop of centaurs, I agree that we will never hunt in your forest, but we will come to your aid in the event of any attack by anyone else." Mountbatten stood and Castor reached his hand out to shake hands with the Manticore's paw. "Your highness," suggested Harry, "You said you needed nothing that the centaurs have for trade. But my family has made some potions that would help heal minor wounds, such as the one Prince Hal earned in his recent hunt." For a moment, Prince Hal looked like he was too proud to accept help from the centaurs, but Mountbatten said, "Yes, I think my brother is brave enough to be the first of us to try a centaur potion." Harry gave Nephele a significant look, and she ran and got a canister of healing potion that she somewhat nervously applied to the large Manticore's leg. The prince looked surprised as his pain faded away and soon he was walking without a limp. That evening, a deer that Harry had killed the day before was turning on a spit in the center of the sacred ring and Pollux and Prince Hal were laughing together as they boasted about hunting stories. As Nephele courteously handed the king the first serving of meat, Harry offered one of his spice bottles. "This isn't the same flavor as venom," he said, "but you might enjoy it." The king took a tentative bite and his face lit up with joy. "That's delicious, Harry Athailt." Prince Hal, who had just received his platter of meat, said, "Let me try," and he grabbed the bottle of Mad Dog 44 Magnum. "Uh, I'm not sure you want to try that one," warned Harry, but it was too late: Hal had dropped a big dollop of the sauce on his meat and handed it off to Pollux. Harry's heart leaped into his throat as he watched them both take large bites and wondered if this was going to ruin all of the peacemaking he had done this day. "Y E E O O W W ! !" yelled Pollux as his face turned bright red and he ran to a water trough and dipped his entire head in. Amazingly, however, Hal was completely unaffected. "What's he so excited about?" asked the prince. "It's good, but not that good." Harry cringed as Pollux trotted back to the center of the common area, but Pollux just laughed. "Harry Orion," he chortled, "you have got your revenge on me for doubting you earlier." Harry offered him a milder sauce, but Pollux decided the rest of his meal would remain sauce-free. * * * * * "Bassie, I will be going home soon and won't be back until September. That means we won't be able to hunt together for more than two months." "I will miss you, Ginny, but I have gone much longer than that without leaving the Chamber to hunt." "I know, but I was wondering if you would like to come home with me this summer? You would have to remain shrunken most of the time, but I could restore you to full size to hunt at least once a month." "That would be wonderful, Ginny. Except to visit the Forbidden Forest with you, I've never before left Hogwarts." On boarding the Hogwarts Express, Ginny and Bassie, who was wrapped around her arm, sat at first with Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. But after an hour or so, Ginny decided to find her brothers, who she hadn't visited much during the school year. As she passed through the train, she noticed that many of the students in other houses looked at her rather nervously. Apparently, they had heard the rumors that she was somehow involved in petrifying the students. When she found a compartment with two redheads, they cringed in mock terror. "Protect us, Lee, from the Dark Lady!" said Fred. "Lee can't help; he's pureblood too. She'll petrify us all!" cried George. "You pratts," said Ginny with a smile. "Does every student at Hogwarts think I am a dark lady in training?" "That's the rumor," said Lee Jordan. "Rumor also has it that you only petrify boys who try to make you do things you don't want." "Well, keep that in mind this summer," she said with a mock glare. "You can try to prank Ron, but better leave me in peace." "Yes, oh great Dark Lady," said Fred. "We hear and obey," said George. In the next car, Ginny found Ron, Neville, and Hermione in one compartment. As she opened the door, Bassie's head poked out of her sleeve. "Ginny!" cried Ron. "What are you doing with that snake?" "You have a rat," said Ginny. "Why can't I have a snake?" "Only dark wizards and Slytherins keep snakes as familiars," said Ron, scowling. "Then, since I am a Slytherin, I guess I qualify," said Ginny. "However, I don't think I have the equipment to be a dark wizard." "Be nice to your sister, Ron," said Neville. "So, Ginny, how did you do on your tests this year? Rumor has it that you are going to beat Hermione's first-year scores." Hermione smiled, but looked a little nervous. "I think I did okay," said Ginny modestly. Then, pride took hold, and she added, "Some of my professors were actually talking about putting me in with some of the third-year classes next year." Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Can Hogwarts students skip a year?" she demanded. "Nobody ever told me I could skip a year." "I've never heard of it happening," said Neville. "But then, Ginny is pretty special, right Ron?" Ginny beamed as Ron shifted uncomfortably. One morning a week after the students returned from Hogwarts, Arthur Weasley beamed proudly at his brood at the breakfast table in their Muggletown apartment. Fred and George were laughing, Percy was serious, Ron was scowling, and Ginny was quietly ignoring them all. "Boys, Ginny, I have an announcement to make," he said. "I know you've had a stressful year, what with monsters petrifying students at Hogwarts." "Yes, but they only petrified Slytherins," said Fred, "so it wasn't stressful for us!" said George. "Of course, it might have been stressful for little Gin-Gin," said Fred, "except that the monster mysteriously only seemed to petrify Slytherin wizards, not witches," added George. "Nevertheless," said Arthur, "since we can't be at the Burrow, we want you to have a good holiday. So when I learned yesterday that we won the Wizard's Lottery. . . ." "We won the lottery!" cried George. "How much do we get?" said Fred. "Quiet, quiet," warned Arthur. "Your mother and I have decided that we should all take a trip to Egypt to see your brother Bill." The room broke out in excitement. Even Percy looked happy. Ginny, who always considered Bill her favorite brother, was eager to go. So, on July 1st, they all took a portkey to Cairo, where Bill met them in front of the local branch of Gringotts, where Bill worked as a curse breaker. For the next two weeks, Bill showed them pyramids, ruins, tombs, and magical museums. One day he took them to the tomb where he was currently working. "My team has been working hard to decipher all of the wards and other magic protecting this tomb," he said. "So far, we have been unable to open it." Ginny looked in horror at the images of giant snakes and repeated statues of the same man, with European rather than Egyptian features, that adorned the outside of the tomb. That evening, she took Bill aside. "I think I know how to open your tomb," she said. "I also think that if you open it without me, it will be very dangerous for you and your crew." "Don't worry, Ginny," he tried to assure her. "We are used to dangerous places. Besides, what makes you think you can open it?" "Take my word for it, Bill. Tell your men to not come to the tomb tomorrow morning, and I'll open it for you." The next day, the two of them approached the entrance to the tomb. "Bill, you must do exactly as I say. I want you to turn around and close your eyes. Don't open them until I say it is safe to do so." "Okay, I'll play along. But hurry--we only have 30 minutes before my crew comes back to work." Ginny watched him to make sure he was following her instructions. Then she turned and faced the tomb and hissed in Parselmouth, "Open." When nothing happened, she hissed, "Speak to me, Salazar Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." Slowly, the doors began to open, and she could hear her brother turn in surprise. "Turn away and keep your eyes closed, Bill," she commanded. Just then, a large shadow emerged from the tomb. "Who dares disturb the last resting place of Salazar Slytherin, the greatest of the Hogwarts Four?" hissed the Basilisk. Ginny drew out her sword and cried, "Stand down. I am the heir of Slytherin, and I command you to stand down." The snake hesitated, then said, "Anyone may hold a sword. Prove you are the heir of Slytherin or I will kill you where you stand." Bassie emerged from Ginny's robe at her neck and nudged her cheek to get her attention. "Enlarge me, Ginny Weasley," she hissed. Ginny set Bassie on the ground and Engorgioed her. "I am Ambassadoress, guardian of the Chamber of Secrets. I confirm that Ginny Weasley is the true heir of Slytherin and tell you to stand down." The other snake froze in recognition. "Ambassadoress, I am Aliskander, your mate from long ago." He turned to Ginny. "I will stand down. Thank you for returning my mate to me." Hiding her sword, Ginny turned to Bill saying, "Okay, you can turn around now." Bill turned, not sure what to expect, then froze at the sight of two gigantic Basilisks. "Ginny, run! If you look into their eyes, they'll kill you." Ginny just rolled her eyes. "Why do you think I insisted you keep your eyes closed?" she said. "These are my friends. They won't hurt you, at least not unless I ask them to." Bill was dumbfounded with astonishment. Ginny turned back to Aliskander, who was gently nuzzling Bassie's neck. "Aliskander, may we enter the tomb you are guarding?" "You have brought my mate to me, and you are the true heir of Slytherin," he said. "Everything in the tomb belongs to you." "How am I going to explain that to Bill?" Ginny wondered aloud in English. "What?" said Bill, still too stunned to think. "Aliskander, may I call you Alisk for short?" The snake nodded. "Alisk, Bassie, I am glad you found each other. I can give you a choice. You can stay here if you wish, or you can return to England with me and I can release you in a forest of your choice. Or you can stay with me in England, but if you do I'll have to keep you reduced in size much of the time." The snakes agreed to go with Ginny for now; once they returned to England they would decide whether they wanted to live with Ginny or in a forest. Ginny reduced the snakes, who wrapped themselves around her right arm. Then she turned to Bill. "Bill, I know you work for Gringotts. But what happens when you find out someone has a prior claim on a tomb?" "That rarely happens, Ginny, as most of the tombs we excavate are for people whose families are long dead. But if such a case were to arise, then the contents of the tomb would be split equally between the heirs and the excavators." "Then you need to know that someone does have a prior claim on this tomb, which is the final resting place of none other than Salazar Slytherin," said Ginny. "The heir of Slytherin should get half the contents of the tomb. Plus, the heir will demand first rights to choose any magical items found in the tomb." "I know there was talk at Hogwarts about an heir of Slytherin, but I don't think Slytherin has any living heirs," said Bill. "I can assure you that Slytherin has an heir, and the heir demands the rights to the spoils of this tomb. You can pass that along to Gringotts if you wish. If you don't, then I will do it personally." Bill stared at her. "Okay, Ginny. I never expected you to open the tomb, but since you have, I guess you probably know what you're talking about. I'll talk with Gringotts about it." Bill's crew arrived, looking almost as astonished as Bill at the open entrance to the tomb. "Let's go see what's inside!" said Ginny with a smile. "Wait, Ginny! There may be more traps and wards," said Bill. Ginny hissed at Alisk, then said, "No, once the door was opened, the Basilisk was the only protection." Some of the crew who heard her looked terrified at the thought of a Basilisk. "Don't worry," she assured them. "The Basilisk won't hurt you now." She headed into the tomb, holding up her wand and silently casting a Geminus Lumos spell. The snake motif continued inside, and the floor, like that of the Chamber, was littered with the bones of small rodents that had evidently sustained Alisk. Deep inside the tomb they found a crypt surrounded by articles that no doubt once belonged to Salazar Slytherin: a helmet, a bowl, a staff, a knife, and various other hardware. Most of the items were made of brass or some other metal (though none seemed to be gold), but the wooden staff somehow had survived nearly a thousand years. "I claim the staff on behalf of the heir of Slytherin," said Ginny. "I'll have to have the goblins appraise it," said Bill. "If this is Slytherin's staff, it must be incredibly valuable." "Everything in here belonged to Slytherin," said Ginny. "I am sure several other things are at least as valuable as the staff." "Okay, you're probably right," said Bill. "The goblins will appraise the collection and let you know what your half is worth. If they find any dark magic, they will remove it before giving you your half." "No! They must not remove any magic from the staff," said Ginny. "If you can't promise me that, I'll take the staff now and they can have the rest of it." Bill called over one of the goblins on his crew. "This is Doubleknot, our appraiser," he said. "Doubleknot, my sister Ginny claims there is a living heir of Slytherin who demands half the value of the items in this tomb. In particular, she wants the staff." Doubleknot looked at the items recovered by the expedition so far. "If this is truly the tomb and staff of Salazar Slytherin, then I estimate the staff to be worth about 20 percent of all the items here. Does your claimant have evidence that he or she is truly the heir of Slytherin?" "Do the goblins have any speakers of Parseltongue?" asked Ginny. "Such speakers are very rare," Doubleknot averred. "I am not sure there are any alive today." "I am such a speaker," said Ginny. "You see these snakes?" she added, laying them on the floor of the tomb. "They are Basilisks. Engorgio! Engorgio!" The snakes expanded to their full size and hissed at Doubleknot. "Salazar Slytherin left one guarding his Chamber of Secrets in Hogwarts, and the other one guarding his tomb here. They obey only the true heir of Slytherin." As Doubleknot gaped in horror, Ginny pulled out the sword of Slytherin. "This is Slytherin's sword, and it recognized me as the true heir of Slytherin," she said. "Because I bear the sword, the snakes recognize my title and obey my commands. Do you wish a demonstration? At my command, they could kill or petrify someone as easily as look them in the eye." "No, there will be no need for demonstrations here," said Doubleknot hastily. "You make a persuasive case. That is a goblin-made sword and it bears the marks of Slytherin. I must discuss this with my superiors, but if they support my judgment you may take the staff as soon as we've done a thorough appraisal. What do you wish done with the rest of your half of the spoils?" "Does the Slytherin family still have a vault at Gringotts?" "I doubt it, as the family supposedly died out long ago. I'll enquire and, if not, we'll open one." "Good. You may sell all of the goods but the staff and put the value of my share of those goods in the Slytherin vault. If you agree not to tamper with the magic of the staff, you may take it now for your appraisal and I'll pick it up before my family returns to England." "It shall be done, my Lady," said Doubleknot with a slight bow. "It is a pleasure doing business with you, Doubleknot," said Ginny with a curtsey. Bill escorted Ginny back to the family's hotel before going back to work. After walking in silence for a time, he asked, "Ginny, how could you be the heir of Slytherin?" "Believe it or not, it's because I was able to pull this sword from a stone," said Ginny waving the sword before making it invisible and sheathing it. "Slytherin may be our distant ancestor," she continued, "but I think it has more to do with character than ancestry. I was sorted into Slytherin, so apparently I live up to his ideals, whatever those were. "Please don't tell the family about it," she added. "I'd never hear the end of it from Fred and George, and Ron mistrusts me enough already." "As the heir of Slytherin is now a client of Gringotts, I am required to keep the heir's affairs confidential," he assured her. "But I hope you know what you're doing." The next afternoon, Bill and Ginny went to Gringotts to pick up the staff. They were met by a goblin who introduced herself as Butterfly Knot, saying she was Doubleknot's sister. "Our appraisers estimate the value of the items found in Slytherin's tomb to be 200,000 Galleons," said Butterfly Knot. "The staff is worth 40,000 Galleons, and since you are claiming that, we have deposited the other 60,000 Galleons of your share in the Slytherin family vault." She handed Ginny a key. "You can access these Galleons at any time from any of our branches." Ginny was outwardly calm as she thanked Butterfly Knot, but inside she was quivering with excitement. Sixty thousand Galleons! Except perhaps Bill, who worked for Gringotts, she suspected no one in her family had ever seen that much money at one time. Butterfly handed the staff to Ginny. "I must warn you," she said, "our appraisers detected what appears to be some very dark magic in this staff. We did not attempt to remove it because you asked us not to tamper with it. If, however, you would like us to purify the staff, we can remove it for a fee." "Thank you, Butterfly Knot. I will consult you if I need your services." Bill also seemed to be amazed at Ginny's new-found wealth. "What are you going to do with all that money?" he asked in a low voice. "I don't know. I do know one thing I want to do," she answered: "Free house elves." "But Ginny, house elves go insane if they are free." "That's just a myth, Bill. Can you find out how much it would cost for me to buy a house elf?" "I'll check, but families rarely sell their elves." Bill was excited about Ginny's money, but he couldn't tell the family about it without Ginny's permission, and she was keeping quiet because she didn't want to be teased about it until she knew what she was going to do with the money. Nevertheless, in quiet celebration, Bill hired a professional photographer to take a picture of the family in front of the pyramids. He sent the photo to the Daily Prophet to show what the winners of this year's Wizard's Lottery did with their money. Three days later, a bored guard at Azkaban Prison stepped outside to read the paper with the photo of the Weasleys in Egypt. When he was called back to duty, he dropped the paper and a gust of wind carried it to the barred windows of one of the prison cells. Like a famished man attacking a bowl of freshly cooked rice, the occupant of that cell eagerly grabbed and read the paper. "He's going to be at Hogwarts," he muttered to himself. The next day, surprised Aurors reluctantly reported the first known escape from Azkaban Prison. When the Weasley's returned to England, they spent one day at the Burrow, where they tended their garden, taking care not to harm the gnomes. Ginny took her snakes into the forest, where she Engorgioed them and allowed them to hunt. Aliskander captured a deer and Ambassadoress a wild boar, which would satisfy their appetites for at least a couple of weeks. Back at Muggletown, Ginny waited until the excitement of their trip to Egypt was over before pulling the staff out of her luggage. The staff was even better than an ordinary walking stick, as the magic it contained protected it from harm. She also took Alisk and Bassie. "Mum, I'm going to the park," she said. "Okay, Ginny, be sure to be back before dinner time." Lacking Floo access, the entire family had become familiar with at least the basics of the underground, and Arthur in particular was thrilled to take the trains to the Ministry for work. But Greenwich Park, which Ginny was visiting, was just a short walk away from Muggletown. The park had large fields and forests that, for Ginny's purposes, made it ideal for what she wanted to do. What she did not want was for the Ministry to know she had Slytherin's staff. Though she persuaded the goblins that she was the legitimate heir of Slytherin, she didn't trust the Ministry to believe her or even care that a twelve-year-old girl might have a claim to a powerful magical artifact such as this one. Since her brothers Fred and George had hinted that the Ministry probably had some wards at Muggletown capable of detecting powerful magic, she decided she should only explore the capabilities of the staff away from Muggletown. After making sure she was out of sight and putting up privacy charms, she put Alisk and Bassie on the ground and Engorgioed them. "I am sorry there is nothing to hunt around here, but I thought you would want to observe a ritual I am going to do," said Ginny, who knew the Basalisks were still digesting the catch from their last hunt. "If I'm right, you may meet someone you know." Then she set the staff on the ground, touched her wand to it, and whispered, "Homenum Restorem." Slowly, a phantom emerged from the staff. He was much older than Tom had been, and his head was bald and his beard seemed to be white, though it was hard to tell for sure. "Hwa beon unc and whence amiere se foldrest Salazar Slytherin?" asked the phantom. Ginny could barely understand him, as the dialect of English he spoke was far different from what she was used to. So she decided to introduce herself in Parseltongue. "My name is Genevra Weasley. I am told I am the heir of Salazar Slytherin. I have your sword and you may remember my companions, Aliskander and Ambassadoress." The phantom looked around and saw the Basilisks. "They are much bigger than I remember. How many years have passed?" "It has been about 900 years since you died. I found Ambassadoress in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts. I found Aliskander and your staff in your tomb in Egypt." "And you can speak Parseltongue, which means you may well be a descendent of mine. I was the only wizard I knew who could talk with snakes. But how did you know you would find me in my staff?" "About 50 years ago, another wizard made a Horcrux out of his diary. I have that diary and have conversed with him. When I found your staff, I could feel some of the same magic emanating from it." "That is rather perceptive for one as young as you–what are you, thirteen years old?" "I just turned twelve. I am small for my age, but I suppose witches were even smaller 900 years ago." "Perhaps so. When I was at Hogwarts, anyone who was five feet, six inches tall was considered unusually tall." "Today, that is considered short; many people grow to over six feet." "So why did you awaken me? There is a ritual where you can give up your soul and body to restore mine, but I do not want you to do that." "No, I don't, either. But I did learn many things from the diary Horcrux. I thought I might be able to learn even more from you." "So once more I am called upon to be a teacher. The first thing I must teach you is that this staff is not precisely a Horcrux. A Horcrux is made when someone murders someone else and in doing so rips their soul in half and puts half in a container. This staff is a Morcrux, a place where I stored my soul when I myself died. I have no desire to murder anyone, even if it means immortality. But I also didn't have any desire to move beyond earth, especially as I am not even certain there is a life after earth." "I am glad you are not a murderer. There are many rumors at Hogwarts that you and Godric Gryffindor fought over whether to teach Muggleborn wizards and witches." "We had our share of disagreements," said the phantom, "but they never became violent." "How do you feel about Muggleborns?" "Do you mean magical people born from non-magical families? Everyone at Hogwarts was happy to teach all magical people. Our only disagreement was how much we should reveal to non-magical people. The non-magicals had committed many acts of violence against wizards and witches. So I sought to teach the students you call Muggleborns without informing their families about the existence of magic. Godric disagreed, and said we needed to inform them otherwise they might not be willing to send their children to school. Few people went to school in those days." "Unfortunately, many Slytherins today believe that Muggleborns are inferior, and would happily enslave or even kill them. The wizard who made the Horcrux I own was very powerful and he killed many Muggleborns in an attempt to conquer magical Britain." "That's terrible. It especially hurts that such things have been done in my name." He turned to the snakes. "Aliskander, Ambassadoress, do you know this to be true?" Bassie answered. "The wizard who made the diary Ginny Weasley spoke of was full of anger and violence. He claimed to be your heir, but I did not like him. He treated me like a slave and unhesitatingly used me to kill a magical student at Hogwarts. If he is any indication of what wizards are like today, I am glad I am serving Ginny Weasley, who I've observed to treat all magical creatures equally." "You've convinced me, Miss Genevra Weasley," said the phantom. "I will teach you if you will help spread knowledge of my real goals and protect all witches and wizards from those who would do them harm." "That is my goal," said Ginny. "I'll return you to the staff now, but I'll call on you for lessons soon." She them cast a "Homenum Protectem" spell. After shrinking Alisk and Bassie, she turned and headed for home, using the staff as a walking stick. On arriving home, her mother gave her a letter that had arrived for her from Bill. The letter said that the going rate for house elves was about 5,000 Galleons. With the 60,000 Galleons she had in the bank, she would only be able to buy a dozen elves. She went to her room and called Dobby. "Miss Weasey, you is calling Dobby?" "Yes, Dobby, it is nice to see you again. What have you been doing this summer?" "I is working with house elves at Hogwarts. " "Dobby, I have enough money to buy about a dozen house elves. Do you think I should do that and free them?" The little elf looked thoughtful for a minute as he puzzled over the question. Finally, he said, "There is nine other free house elves in Britain. So we is need 490 more free elves to break the spell. Freeing 12 elves won't be enough. Dobby thinks you should save your money until it can do more good." "I think you are right, Dobby. But if you hear of any house elves that are being abused, let me know and I might be able to buy them." "I will, Miss Weasey." "In the meantime, would you like to work for me?" The elf's face brightened. "Miss Weasey wants Dobby to work for her! I be happy to work for you. I won't even charge you a Galleon a week." "No, Dobby. I'll pay you a Galleon a week. Don't worry: I'll still have money to buy some house elves if you find any that are being particularly abused." "What work would Miss Weasey like Dobby to do? Do you want me to clean your room? Make dinners?" "No, Dobby, I would like you to help me with research. If we are going to free house elves, we need to find some allies. Can you compile a list of all other sentient magical races, what their magical abilities are, and what it would take to get them to help us free house elves?" Dobby's eyes widened. "Dobby has never been asked to do research before," he said. "But I will try to do as you ask." |
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