The Power of the Quill

Author's Notes:

Thanks to all readers for being so patient with me. As I promised, here is my next chapter before New Years. I did it with over three hundred and fifty days to spare. I am sorry about the delay. I was reduced to working with my crappy old laptop after my motherboard finally took a dive. That was only part of the problem. I received a stack of novels for Christmas and my birthday. Once I read one, I couldn't help but read the rest. I love to read just as much as I love to write.

This chapter was beta'd by the magnificent proofreader Nakhash Makashefah. I would like all you greedy little authors out there to keep your dirty mitts off her. I need her for my stories and I'm willing to kill to keep her.


Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter and Co. I own nothing.



The Power of the Quill.


Chapter 15. Not playing by the rules. Part one.


Just after dinner, Harry entered Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He dreaded having to go back into the Chamber of Secrets, again, but thought it was something he must do, not just for Hermione's tooth, but also to conquer he own fears about the place. He was more prepared, this time. He had a backpack with some tools in it: a pair of pliers, in case the old snake didn't want to give up its fang easily, and a set of Any Stick shoe-covers and gloves, so that he could climb back out of the pipe. He also brought some rope and a small folding shovel, just in case.

Harry walked over to the sink with the small snake carved on it faucet. He stared at the small snake, trying to picture it as a real one. "IS IT TRUE?!?!" shouted a voice from behind.

"AAAAWWW," Harry screamed in surprise. He turned to see Myrtle glaring at him over the top of one toilet stall. "Don't do that Myrtle. You nearly scared me half to death," Harry told the teenaged ghost.

"Never mind that, Harry Potter. Is it true?" Myrtle angrily repeated.

"Is what true?" Harry irritably asked.

"IT IS TRUE!?!?" Myrtle shouted, as she shot out of the toilet stall splashing water all over the floor. She quickly zoomed up to him until she was only inches away. She was staring at the wedding band on his finger. "Harry Potter, how could you?" Myrtle asked, as she began to sob uncontrollably.

'Oh Merlin, not another Ginny,' Harry thought to himself. "I had to Myrtle. There was a new Law passed forcing half-bloods and Muggle-borns to marry purebloods. I didn't have a choice," Harry explained.

"You didn't even tell me before you did it. I had to find out by listening to some stupid fourth years gossiping in the ground floor bathroom," Myrtle accusingly said, as she continued to sob.

"I didn't know it was going to happen until it was over. I planned to tell you; I swear," Harry said, trying to comfort the weeping ghost. "I hope this doesn't change anything between us, Myrtle."

"OF COURSE IT CHANGES THINGS!" the ghost angrily shouted at him. "I'd always hoped you get yourself killed and come stay with me in my toilet. Now you'll probably go haunt that trollop you married."

"I guarantee you that will never happen, Myrtle," Harry said, trying to reassure her. "If I die there's no place in the world I'd haunt other that Hogwarts. Sir Nicholas would be hard-pressed to keep his job as Ghost of Gryffindor."

"What about this new wife of yours? Will she be coming to Hogwarts with you?" Myrtle asked, as her sobs abated a little.

"I don't think so. She doesn't really like Hogwarts," Harry answered. "If she does show up, you have my permission to haunt her right back out of the castle."

"I'll do that, Harry. I'll do things to her that I wouldn't even do to that old sourpuss, Olive Hornby," she assured him. "Harry, could you do me a favor?" Myrtle timidly asked him.

"Anything for you, Myrtle," he answered. "Just tell me what you need."

"I was wondering if you could hurry up and die. You're already older than me when I died. We'd make a better couple if you didn't wait too long," she suggested.

"I'm sorry, Myrtle, it's not really up to me. But if it makes you feel any better, there are plenty of people out there working very hard to find a way to kill me," Harry told her.

"Thanks, Harry. That does make me feel a lot better," she said, giving him a very rare smile.

Harry only wished that that statement wasn't quite so true.

"Harry, why are you standing next to that sink?" Myrtle nervously asked.

"I'm going into the Chamber of Secrets. I need to get something from down there," he explained.

"You're... you're going to open that thing up?" a very frightened Myrtle said, as she backed away.

"Don't worry, Myrtle. There's nothing down there, anymore," Harry told her.

"I don't know, Harry. Lately I've heard strange things in the pipes under the school. They remind me of it," Myrtle anxiously said, as she continued to back away.

"The monster is dead, Myrtle. I killed it myself. There's nothing in the pipes, unless it's the ghost of that basilisk," Harry said, trying to reassure her.

"A gh-gh-gh- ghost of that thing. Do you really think there is one?" Myrtle asked, looking very pale, even for a ghost.

"I'm sure there isn't, Myrtle. Just forget I mentioned it," Harry answered.

"Um, um, I have to go, Harry. I need to make sure there is no one hanging out in the prefects' bathroom that doesn't have a badge," Myrtle said, and with a splash of toilet water and a rattle of pipes, she was gone.

"Way to put your foot in your mouth, Potter," Harry said to himself. He then turned his attention back to the sink. He stared at the small engraved snake on the side of the copper tap. Willing himself to believe the snake was real, he spoke two words in
Parseltongue: "Open up." The tap suddenly began to glow with a brilliant white light. The whole sink began to lower itself as the tap started to spin. After just a moment, the sink was out of sight, revealing the man-sized hole below.

Harry sat down next to the hole in the floor and swung his legs inside it. Perching on the edge, Harry told himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. The monster snake was long dead and Riddle's diary had been destroyed. Sucking in a deep breath, he pushed off, sliding into the depths below.

Moments later, Harry landed on the floor of the stone tunnel with a loud thud. He rubbed his burning backside. The slide was nowhere near as damp or slimy as the last time he used it. Harry had to check to make sure the friction from the long slide hadn't burned a hole in his trousers.

"Lumos," Harry muttered, igniting the tip of his wand. He could see that the walls and floor of the stone tunnel were as wet and slimy as they had been years ago. Harry guessed that the slide was dry because the basilisk no longer used it to enter the school. Raising his wand in front of him, Harry began to move down the tunnel towards the Chamber of Secrets. Just as Harry reached the bend in the tunnel where the snakeskin had been, he noticed something crunching under his feet. Looking down, he saw hundreds of small animal bones littering the floor. He remembered the bones from before but thought there were a lot more of them, now. Thinking that it was just his mind playing tricks on him, Harry continued on to the point in the tunnel where the roof had collapsed after Lockhart blew up Ron's wand.

Harry studied the pile of rubble in front of him. He remembered there only being a small hole near the top that he and Ginny barely fit through. Now the hole was large enough that you could step through with only lowering your head a bit. Puzzled by this, Harry looked around to see if there was any evidence that someone else had entered the tunnel since he had been there over three years ago. Seeing no signs of footprints or anything else, he reluctantly moved past the cave-in and toward the chamber.

A lot quicker than he expected, Harry reached the wall with the two serpents carved into it, which marked the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Their cold emerald eyes gleamed at him, the same way they had years before. "Open," Harry said in a low hiss. Slowly, the twin serpents moved as the chamber opened. He slowly entered the chamber with the tall serpentine columns. Halfway down the long line of pillars, Harry spotted the long bleach-white skeleton of the basilisk. The creature's skull was lying upside-down on the floor with its jaw opened wide.

After taking off his backpack, Harry reached into it and removed the set of pliers. Hermione had told him not to use magic to remove the tooth because it would affect her spell. Not wanting to stay in the chamber any longer than necessary, he leaned over the monster's skull and inspected its upside-down toothy grin. Hermione hadn't told him how big a tooth to get. Not wanting to make a second trip to the chamber, Harry selected one of the two large fangs in the top of the skull. He gripped the fang at the base where it met the jawbone. Not wanting to break it, he used just a little strength to try and pry it lose. The fang wouldn't budge. Using more strength, he tried rocking it back and forth. Still the tooth wouldn't move. Harry began to twist the pliers, in hope of unscrewing the fang, but no such luck. Using all his strength, Harry violently shook the pliers in an attempt to wrench the fang free. Completely exhausted, Harry released the pliers' grip on the tooth and sat down on the floor to catch his breath.

As Harry sat there, breathing deeply, a flash of something yellow and green, from behind a far pillar, caught the corner of his eyes. Harry quickly turned to see what it was, but nothing was there. With his heart hammering in his chest, he continued to search the chamber for any signs of movement. Harry listened intently to the sounds in the chamber. His heavy breathing echoed loudly all around him. He could also hear the soft drip of moisture off the damp walls. Every now and then, he could swear he heard something slithering around in the darkness.

Harry knew it must be his imagination getting to him. 'This place could drive anyone off his nut,' Harry told himself. Wanting to leave the chamber as quickly as possible, Harry picked up his pliers and began to work on the tooth again. He continued to pull, twist, and shake the tooth for all he was worth. Harry was starting to believe that the basilisk must have had a cavity when it bit him, because that was the only way a tooth was going to come out of this jawbone. Fed up and angry, Harry kicked the giant snake's skull as hard as he could. To his amazement, the skull popped completely loose from the neck bones and slid across the floor of the chamber.

Harry walked over to where the skull now rested. A thought occurred to him. Maybe he could take the whole skull back with him. He reached down and tried to pick up the nearly three-foot long skull. It was surprisingly light, only about thirty pounds. 'This is going to look so cool mounted in the Gryffindor common room,' Harry said to himself, as a smile appeared on his face. Something rustled behind him. When Harry turned, he found himself face-to-face with another basilisk.

If it weren't for the fact that he could feel his heart beating ferociously in his chest, Harry would swear that he had been petrified. He was staring straight into the monster's large ruby-red eyes. 'Why am I not dead?' Harry thought to himself. He couldn't understand why he wasn't dead or at least petrified. The large snake was only four feet away from him; only the skull he held in his hands separated them. Harry's hands began to tremble with fear; he couldn't bring himself to look away. He realized that this snake was only about half the size of the one he had fought years before. Its skin was pale yellow with tints of dark green on the ends of it scales.

'It must be fairly young,' Harry thought. 'Maybe a basilisk needs to be full-grown before it can kill with its eyes,' he wondered. Harry had no doubt that this creature was very poisonous. He was holding his wand in his right hand, along with the skull. He didn't think he could drop the skull and aim his wand before the creature could strike. His only option was to throw the skull at the snake, hopefully forcing it away long enough for him to get a shot off with his wand.

Suddenly, the snake opened its mouth and in a very low hiss said, "Speak the master, to become the master." Harry said nothing. He didn't have a clue as to what the snake meant by that. "Speak the master, to become the master," the snake repeated in a loud hiss.

"Wh-wh- what?" Harry nervously asked, not even sure if he had spoken in Parseltongue.

"Speak the master, to become the master," the snake repeated once again. It sounded to Harry like the snake was becoming very impatient and angry with him. He knew the snake was asking him for something, he just didn't know what. He feared what a wrong answer would get him. Harry looked briefly past the basilisk to the large statue at the end of the chamber. A thought occurred to him. He tightened his grip on the skull, just in case he was mistaken about what he thought the snake wanted to hear.

"Salazar Slytherin," Harry forcefully said to the snake.

"The chamber is yours, master," the snake said, as it bowed its head to Harry. The snake lowered itself to the ground and slithered off into the darkness. Harry let out a huge sigh of relief as the snake disappeared from view. He wondered where the new basilisk had come from. Did it automatically appear as soon as the other had been killed? Hermione had told him that basilisks could live for hundreds of years, but maybe not a thousand like he thought. 'Did a new one take the place of the old one every time one died?' he wondered. Harry walked up to the front of the tall statue. He looked up at the old wizard's stone face. He wondered how a man that lived a thousand years ago could still have so much influence on the Wizarding world, today. Because of this man's evil teachings, both of his parents were dead. Even now, his evil still roamed beneath the school.

"Why did you build this place," Harry shouted angrily up at the statue. His voice echoed continuously through the chamber.

Suddenly, to Harry's surprise, the statue's head moved. It looked down at him and. in a powerful but low and slow voice. said, "That is the question. Isn't it, Mr. Potter?" Harry quickly stumbled backwards. He tripped over his own feet, landing on his bum with the skull in his lap.

"Who- who are you?" Harry nervously asked the statue.

"You already know that, Mr. Potter," the statue answered. There was a brilliant green flash from Harry's left. It was coming from the eye of a carved snake on the last pillar. "Touch the serpent's eye if you want your answers, Mr. Potter," the statue told him. Harry slowly got to his feet. He left the skull on the ground beside him. Like a moth to a flame, Harry felt himself drawn to the glowing eye. Even though all his common sense was telling him to run and leave this chamber forever, he still couldn't bring himself to leave. He slowly reached out his hand and touched the glowing snake's eye. A ball of light shot out of the eye past his hand. Balls of light shot out of every snake's eyes on all the columns. A hundred balls of light streaked all around the chamber. It look like someone had let loose a hundred giant fireflies.

The balls of light began to slow down. They all started to mingle together in front of the large statue's feet. The balls began to join, creating a shape. It was the shape of a man. A man that Harry had never met but was able to instantly recognize. Standing not ten feet away was Salazar Slytherin, himself. He had a slight green glow around him. It reminded Harry of the memory of Tom Riddle from the diary, he had met in this very chamber.

"What are you?" Harry asked the glowing figure in front of him. "Are you a ghost or a memory?"

"Neither, Mr. Potter. I am one of Hogwarts' four Oracles," Slytherin answered. His voice was wispy but with an air of authority to it. It reminded Harry of Professor McGonagall, just a little deeper. Slytherin was a tall wizard with nearly the same stature as Dumbledore. But he had none of the Headmaster's kindness or charm in his face.

"What's a Oracle?" Harry asked. He kept a tight grip on his wand in case the image of Slytherin tried something.

"I am a tribute to Hogwarts by the wizard I resemble. I hold all of his knowledge at the time he made me. I'm a gift to those clever enough to seek me out," Slytherin answered.

"You have all Slytherin's memories. So you are like that thing that came out of Riddle's diary," Harry uncertainly said to Slytherin.

"Nothing as crude or malevolent as that, Mr. Potter. The knowledge and wisdom of the man who created me is all I offer. It's the only purpose I serve," the ghostly figure answered.

"Slytherin created you. Did the other founders create Oracles?" Harry asked.

"Yes. We all decided to leave a living representation of ourselves inside Hogwarts," Slytherin informed him.

"Where are the other three?" Harry asked.

"Helga's Oracle is in the main kitchen I believe. It's in the form of an old baker's oven. Helga loved to bake. Of course, you're already well familiar with that attention-seeking braggart, Godric's Oracle. No one knows where Rowena placed her Oracle. The woman was truly too smart for her own good. She made her so hard to find that no one has done so in nearly a thousand years. I suspect it's in the library somewhere, but too well hid for any student to find," Slytherin told him.

"What do you mean I'm well familiar with Gryffindor's Oracle? I never remember meeting him," Harry told the ghostly figure.

"The Sorting Hat, Mr. Potter," Slytherin answered. Harry felt a little foolish he hadn't thought of that himself. After all, he did pull the Gryffindor sword out of it in this very chamber.

"So, you're here to answer any question I ask you, no matter what the subject?" Harry asked.

"No, there are some thing that I can't answer," Slytherin told him.

"Like what?"

"I cannot tell you what others have asked before. I cannot tell you the secrets of your fellow student, not even the ones that are dead or have long since left Hogwarts," the ghost said.

"So, you won't tell me what you said to Riddle over fifty years ago when he opened this chamber?" Harry asked.

"That I can tell you, Mr. Potter. I said nothing to the young Mr. Riddle," he answered.

"Why not?" Harry asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"He never asked the question, Mr. Potter. Only those who seek to know why this place exists are answered. Riddle believed he already knew that, before he entered the chamber. He believed this chamber was nothing more than a nesting place for my snakes. For such a talented boy, he was quite dim most of the time. After all, I did name it the Chamber of Secrets," Slytherin stated.

"Riddle told me he was carrying on your noble work. How would he know what it was if he never spoke to you," Harry asked in an accusing voice.

"I'm well aware what the memory of Riddle told you, Mr. Potter. Riddle didn't have the slightest idea what my noble work was. I spent the majority of my life teaching young witches and wizards. Hogwarts is the noble work I dedicated my life to," he answered.

"Why did you hate Muggles so much? Why didn't you want any Muggle-borns in Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Ah. The question that everyone is always dying to ask," Slytherin said with a smirk. "Unfortunately, it's not a very intelligent question."

"Why is that?" Harry asked in a slightly raised voice.

"Because, Mr. Potter, a thousand years ago there weren't any Muggles. The word Muggle is only three hundred years old. In my day, we had a very different name for them," he answered.

"What did you call them?" he asked.

"Christians, Mr. Potter. And they were something to be feared above all other threats to wizards and witches. Their faith doesn't tolerate our existence. They believe that any magic not belonging to their god is evil and must be destroyed. A millennium ago, most witches and wizards died at the end of a rope or were burned to death. Very few reached the age of forty. Of course, for every one of us they would kill, ten of their own would be falsely accused and go to their deaths.

"That is the reason Hogwarts was created in the first place. To have a safe place for young witches and wizards to learn their magic without the specter of death hanging over their head every time they tried to use a wand. This great castle would protect them from the dangers of the outside world until they knew enough to defend themselves," Slytherin said.

"But why not Muggle-borns. They would need Hogwarts more than anyone?" Harry asked.

"You sound like Godric, Mr. Potter. He too believed children from non-magical families should come to Hogwarts, as well. He couldn't see how dangerous it was to teach those children here," Slytherin said.

"How could Muggle-born students possibly be dangerous to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.

"Not the students, Mr. Potter, their families were where the danger lay. Most Muggle-born children were killed by their own parents as soon as they showed the first signs of magic. The few that did survive dared not show any magical ability around family and friends lest they be accused of being an agent of the devil. Gryffindor took it upon himself to try and save these children from their awful fate," Slytherin told him.

"What's wrong with that? I would have done the same myself," Harry bravely stated.

"I'm sure you would have, Mr. Potter. Unfortunately, like Godric, you fail to see the inherent danger of involving this school with ignorant, religious peasants that are afraid of their shadow. Anytime something went wrong in their miserable little lives, they would always blame magic and this school. The greatest protection Hogwarts offered was its secrecy. By bringing Muggle-borns here, Godric threw that protection away," Slytherin angrily said.

"Well you were wrong and Gryffindor was right. Muggle-borns weren't the end of Hogwarts," Harry told the ghostly figure.

"No, Mr. Potter, regrettably I was proven to be quite correct. Twenty-five years after I left Hogwarts, the plague came to Scotland. It wasn't long before the pestilence was blamed on the witches and wizards at Hogwarts. Over a thousand men marched on the castle that Easter weekend. The local bishop led them. By the time I received word of the attack, the castle had been under siege for nearly a whole day. When I and fifty other wizards and witches arrived to help our comrades, it was all over. The castle had been destroyed; most of the staff, and nearly half the student were dead. More than eight hundred of the attackers lay dead on Hogwarts' grounds.

This chamber is all that was left of the original castle. I build it as a refuge for the students in case the castle came under attack, again. Little did I know, this would be my greatest failure," Slytherin said with regret.

"Why, did the attackers break into the chamber?" Harry asked.

"No. No one entered the chamber that day. I made the mistake of only allowing a Parseltongue the ability to open the chamber. Unfortunately, no Parseltongues were at Hogwarts at the time of the attack. Under the rubble, we found over thirty dead children at the entrance to the chamber. Most were my own grandchildren. I had assumed that at least one of my grandchildren would have the gift. I didn't realize that the gift of Parseltongue was only passed down through the males in my family. I only had daughters, twenty-six of them before I gave up on having a son. I believe my first wife cursed me so that I would never have a true heir to my name. She believed that I left her because she only bore me three daughters and no sons. The truth is, I left her because she was as mean as a rabid dog," the ghost told him.

"The castle was rebuilt?" Harry asked.

"Yes, Rowena and Helga escaped into the forest with more than half the students and some of the staff. Godric stayed behind with most of the staff and a lot of the upper classmen students and fought the attackers. Only seven survived. Godric was not one of them. We laid him to rest under what is now the Great Hall. I took his hat from the battlefield and created his Oracle with it. The fool always loved that old hat. It took five years, but we built Hogwarts better than before," Slytherin answered.

"So the Hogwarts above isn't the first Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Above us is the lake, Mr. Potter, but no, it is the third Hogwarts that now stands today," he told Harry.

"The third, what happen to the second?" Harry asked.

"Cromwell's Puritans is what happen Mr. Potter. Three hundred and fifty years ago, they sacked Hogwarts. Fortunately, there was enough time to evacuate the castle; they were able to save most of the library tomes and rare artifacts. Only fifteen wizards were killed at the time of the attack. The ruins the Puritan army left behind are what all Muggles see today," Slytherin informed him.

A sound from behind him caught Harry's attention. The basilisk was slowly slithering across the chamber floor. "If this was suppose to be a safe haven for the students. Why did you put that horrible thing in here?" Harry demanded, as he stared at the large snake.

"That thing, as you so rudely put it, is one of the most rare and beautiful creatures on this earth. The great snakes are here to protect the chamber and everyone inside it. No human could hope to defeat it without the use of very powerful magic," Slytherin proudly stated.

"I defeated one with just a small sword," Harry boasted.

"Pure luck, Mr. Potter. And if I remember correctly, you had the aid of a phoenix at the time, the only animal immune to the basilisk's deadly stare. Besides, Fulcrum was nearly eight hundred years old, at the time. He had been on his last leg for many years," Slytherin told Harry. If that was the snake on his last leg, Harry didn't want to meet a young healthy one.

"Why didn't I die when I looked this snake in the eyes? I thought one look and you were dead?" Harry asked.

"The basilisk has two sets of eyelids, Mr. Potter. A set of red, partially transparent lids protect living creature from their deadly gaze. If their eyes are red, you're safe. But if their eyes are yellow, you'll only see them once," Slytherin warned. " The basilisk is a very territorial animal. So that they don't have to compete with their own young for food, the snake's eggs do not hatch until their parents have died or moved to another territory. And they only hatch one at a time. A single nest can produce a dozen snakes over a thousand years," Slytherin told Harry.

"I thought a basilisk was created by hatching a chicken egg under a toad?" Harry asked with a confused look on his face.

Slytherin let out a snort of laughter and just shook his head. "No, Mr. Potter that's just an old wife's tale. It's far from the truth. If it were true, the countryside would be over-flowing with them. Most young wizards attempt to create one that way. I have to admit, at the ripe old age of ten, I myself was tying a toad's legs around a chicken egg in hopes of creating my own pet monster. You'll also find that using a rooster to attack a basilisk isn't such a wise move, either. While it is true the great snake can't stand the crowing of a rooster, it is far from fatal to them. They're more likely to attack quicker to shut the bird up," Slytherin informed him.

"Why did Riddle have Ginny kill all of Hagrid's roosters?" Harry asked.

"He must have believed the old wife's tale, the same as you," Slytherin answered. "I brought an old pregnant female here when I first built this chamber. Before she laid her clutch, I magically imprinted on her the role as guardian of this chamber. That imprint would be passed down to her hatchlings. The snakes will only attack persons without any magic within them."

"Why did that other snake attack Muggle-borns?" Harry asked.

"Young Mr. Riddle was very gifted at Legilimency. He was able to control and force his own will upon the creature. He also cut away Fulcrum's second eyelids with his wand. He used the lids to make protective lenses for his own eyes. Alas, this had the effect of driving Fulcrum insane," Slytherin answered. Harry wondered if this was the reason why Voldemort had red eyes. "After he made that copy of himself in the diary, he stole four of the five remaining un-hatched eggs that were in the chamber. He must have realized that the old wife's tale about the snakes was false and just how rare and valuable they really were. Hermione will be the last guardian of the Chamber of Secrets," Slytherin told him.

"You named the snake after my friend?" Harry anxiously asked.

"Yes, I thought it was very clever of her to figure out that the monster of the chamber was a basilisk," he answered. "Riddle wasn't the only one gifted with Legilimency to visit the chamber, you know. Your Great-grandfather, William Potter, entered the chamber just over a century ago. He was the only non-Parseltongue to do so. I had planned to name the next snake after him, if it was a male," Slytherin told Harry.

"How did he open the chamber without being a Parseltongue?" he asked.

"He took control of the mind of a simple garden snake. He let the snake speak for him. A very clever young man, Ravenclaw all the way," Slytherin answered. "I wish I could tell you more about him, but the rules of secrecy forbid me. Let me just say he was an extraordinary young wizard. Of course, all of the student that make their way down here are a cut above the rest. I was very impressed with the young Miss Weasley. I never thought I'd see a witch with the gift of Parseltongue."

"She's not a Parseltongue. She was being possessed by Riddle; he was the Parseltongue," Harry told him.

"She may not have been a Parseltongue before she read Riddle's diary, but she is one now. He shared many of his powers with her before you destroyed that diary. You yourself received the gift in a similar way, if I'm not mistaken," Slytherin told Harry.

"Voldemort murdered my parents and tried to kill me. His body was destroyed when he used the Killing Curse on me. Before she died, my mother put a protection spell of some kind on me. I was left with this scar and some of Voldemort's powers," Harry said.

"A mother's love is very powerful magic. It should not be underestimated. And your mother was a very powerful witch when she was at Hogwarts," Slytherin told Harry.

"How do you know that? How do you know anything that goes on in Hogwarts if you're stuck down here?" Harry asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"I may only be accessible to others down here, Mr. Potter, but I'm well aware of everything that happens inside the castle. Like the stone statue behind me, I can see through the eyes of any carved bust or figurehead within the castle. I only wish someone would place a statue closer to the Quidditch pitch so that I could enjoy the matches better," Slytherin answered. Harry thought about all the statues and busts he had seen in Hogwarts, there had to be several hundred.

"You can see into almost every room in the castle?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but through only one set of eyes at a time. I'm able to keep track of most things in the castle," Slytherin told him.

"What did you see a week ago, Thursday night?" he asked, giving the ghost a wary look.

"You're referring to the attack on the Slytherin girl, aren't you?" Slytherin asked.

"Yes," Harry answered. "Did you see what happened to her?"

"No, the room where it happened was empty. I have no eyes there," he answered.

"But you saw who went into that room and who came out?" Harry inquiringly asked.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, but I can't tell you anything about her attackers. I'm not allowed to divulge any student's secrets to you. You wouldn't want me telling my next visitor about what you and your little club do in the Room of Requirement, would you? Besides, I believe you already know the answer to that particular question," Slytherin said.

"So, you know it was Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle that did that to her. How does it feel to have members of your own house do that to one another?" Harry asked.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that, Mr. Potter. And I've seen things just as horrible committed by students of all four houses over the last millennium. I do admit that my house seems to have more than its fair share of atrocities. For that, you should blame Godric and his infernal hat. It continues to put people of questionable character in my house. I preferred our original sorting ceremony. We would put a certain number of colored stones in a jar. Each new student would reach in and whatever color they selected is what house they would join. Blue, green, yellow, and red, it was as simple as that," Slytherin told him.

"Why did it change?" Harry asked.

"Siblings, Mr. Potter, especially twins. In case you haven't noticed, there is a higher than average number of twins in the magical world. Most refuse to be separated from one another. Shortly after Hogwarts was rebuilt for the first time, it was decided that the sorting should be changed. Godric's Oracle volunteered for the job. I should have burned that damn hat when I had the chance," Slytherin angrily said.

"Didn't you create the Sorting Hat?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but not for that purpose," Slytherin told Harry. "It was a kind of joke. You see, Godric put a copy of all his memories in a Pensieve shortly before his death. He planned to have a large bronze statue of himself placed in the main entrance of the school. This statue would be his Oracle, greeting everyone that came to Hogwarts, personally. Can you believe someone could be so egotistical?"

Harry looked up at the huge statue at the back of the chamber and said, "Yeah, I can definitely see someone being that full of himself. You know, it's getting kind of late. I need to get back before curfew, and it's going to take me a while to climb back up that pipe," Harry told the ghostly figure.

"There is no need to climb, Mr. Potter. Hermione will gladly take you back into the school. It's what she's here for, after all," Slytherin told him. Harry looked at the snake behind him. He didn't trust that snake as far as he could throw it.

"Uh, no thanks, the climb will do me good. You can never get enough exercise," Harry said, giving the snake a wary look.

"You do not have to fear Hermione, Mr. Potter. You are her master, now. She will obey only you until another Parseltongue speaks my name to her," Slytherin said trying to reassure him.

"What about you? Can you give the snake orders?" Harry asked.

"No, Mr. Potter, I'm not a living being. The snake is not even aware that I exist in this chamber," Slytherin answered.

"If that's true, how were you able to name her?" Harry asked, giving the ghost a skeptical look.

"Well, technically, I haven't told the snake what her name is," Slytherin hesitantly said.

"So I can name her anything I want?" Harry said with a smile. He thought the snake looked a lot more like a Narcissa than a Hermione.

"No, Mr. Potter, you can not," Slytherin defiantly said. "She'll only answer to the name I selected for her. If you don't believe me, just call her and see," he challenged.

"Hermione," Harry called to the snake.

The large snake slithered across the floor to him. It raised it large head off the floor and said in a low hiss, "Yes, master."

"Who told you your name?" Harry asked the creature.

"You just did, my master," the snake answered.

"Son of a bitch," Harry said, as he turned to face Slytherin.

Slytherin just chuckle at him and said, "Don't feel bad, Mr. Potter. I've been fooling wizards for a very long time. I am Slytherin after all."

"I can just change her name if I want," Harry told him.

"She will imprint on the first name she hears. You can call her something else, but she won't respond," Slytherin said.

"Did you ever think that there is a reason so few people have sought you out?" Harry asked Slytherin.

"I'm quite proud of the image history has painted for me, Mr. Potter. It's not very accurate, but it is memorable. Even as the evil wizard of Hogwarts, I will be remembered long after Godric is forgotten," Slytherin said proudly.

"It doesn't bother you that most people think you're a Muggle-hating monster?" Harry asked.

"They called me that long before I made this Oracle, Mr. Potter," Slytherin told Harry.

"So, you did hate Muggles," Harry said in an accusing voice.

"Yes, they were fifthly disgusting creatures for the most part. Although, six of my nine wives were Muggles," Slytherin said.

"You had nine wives?" Harry asked.

"Only one at a time, Mr. Potter. I was two hundred nineteen when I made this Oracle. That averages out to over twenty years apiece for each one. Take my advice, Mr. Potter. Always marry a Muggle. You don't want a women living with you that has that kind of power at her disposal," Slytherin warned. "I once spent six months trapped in the body of a pig, simply because I forgot an anniversary."

"I married a witch a week ago," Harry told him.

"That's right, someone from the Black family. Well, you're a braver man than I, Mr. Potter. Even in my day no one was fool enough to do that by choice," Slytherin said.

"I didn't have a choice. The Ministry forced me," Harry informed him.

"Be very careful with that one, Mr. Potter. There's a very good reason the Back Widow is on their family crest," Slytherin told him. Harry felt very uncomfortable talking to this image of Slytherin about his marriage. In the short time they had been talking, he could tell that this Oracle was not to be trusted. It was still Slytherin, after all.

"Well, I have to get going. I don't want to be late getting back to Gryffindor," Harry said, trying to sound polite.

"Feel free to come back anytime, Mr. Potter. And let Miss Weasley know she is welcome here, too. It's been a very long time since I've had a smart, attractive young witch to talk to," Slytherin said with a gleam in his eye.

'Like I'd let Ginny anywhere near an old pervert like you,' Harry thought to himself. "I'll let her know," Harry said, as he bent down and picked up the skull.

"Be very careful with that skull, Mr. Potter. Those fangs are still very poisonous," Slytherin warned.

"Don't worry, I'm always careful around dead thing," Harry said, as he walked out of the Chamber of Secrets. As soon as he heard the chamber entrance close, he turned to look behind him. The basilisk was on the floor of the tunnel, following him.

"What do you want?" Harry asked the large snake.

"I will protect master," the snake replied.

"I don't need your protection. Now go away. Go on, shoo," Harry shouted at the snake.

"Very well, master," the snake said, as it turned around and headed back towards the chamber. Harry wasn't sure, but he thought the snake almost sounded like its feelings were hurt.

............................................................................................................

It was Wednesday, September 18, the day before Hermione would officially turn sixteen. She didn't feel much like celebrating. In less than two weeks, she would have to marry Snape unless a miracle happened. She felt like a death-row prisoner hoping for the governor to call.

She entered the Great Hall for lunch with Ginny at her side. Hermione kept a close eye on the Slytherin table as she passed by. Draco was present, sitting between his two thug protectors. He was staring at her with murder in his eyes. As they passed by, Hermione took out her wand and gave Ginny a slight swat on her bottom while smiling at Draco.

"What was that for?" Ginny asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Just reminding myself of something," Hermione said with a smile.

"Tie a string around your finger next time," Ginny said, as they made their way down the table where Harry and Ron sat.

Just before reaching her friends, Hermione stopped as she saw something unbelievable. Millicent Bulstrode was sitting at her table, chatting away to her friends, with a brand new prefect's badge on her robe. "Hermione," Ginny said, trying to get her attention.

"Bulstrode has a prefect's badge," Hermione said in complete disbelief.

"I know. Snape gave it to her this morning," Ginny told her, as they move to down the table again.

"But she's an utter moron," Hermione said, as she took her seat next to Ginny.

"Who's a moron?" Ron asked.

"Bulstrode," Ginny answered.

"No arguments here. I think one of her parents was a trained gorilla," Ron jokingly said. Harry snorted pumpkin juice through his nose at hearing what his friend said.

"I can't believe that greaseball gave Pansy's badge to that behemoth," Hermione angrily said.

"Every house has to have six prefects, Hermione. Even if Pansy does come back, they won't put her back in Slytherin," Harry said.

"But Millicent, Harry. The girl has a five o'clock shadow by 3 pm ever day. She spends more on shaving equipment than my dad," Hermione seriously said.

"It's that one eyebrow that gets me," Ginny said, then gave herself a shudder.

"It's a disgrace to let an imbecile like that wear a prefect's badge. Did you know, when she first got to Hogwarts she thought that Muggles were hatched from eggs? I even caught her eating paste once. That was just last year. What next, are they going to make Goyle, Head boy," Hermione said in frustration.

"The dumber she is, the better for us, Hermione. It will be easier getting things past her than it would have been with Pansy," Harry told her.

"You're probably right, Harry. It's just I get so mad when it think of her wearing that badge. It somehow cheapens my own" Hermione irritably said.

"I think that has more to do with how she got it, instead of who got it," Harry said.

"How is Pansy doing at the Burrow, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Okay, I guess. Mom says she's talking a little more. Fred and George said she follows Mom around everywhere like a lost puppy. She even slept in Mom's bed for the first week. Dad had to sleep in my room. Mom said she's going to take Pansy to Diagon Alley this weekend for a new wand and some clothes," Ron told her.

"Have you guys set a date, yet?" Hermione asked.

"I'm letting Mom handle that. She'll let me know when Pansy is ready," Ron answered.

"She's already picked a date," Ginny informed him.

"What? When?" Ron asked in surprise.

"October first. Mom and Mrs. Granger are planning a double-wedding. It will be much cheaper that way," Ginny said.

"WHAT?!" both Hermione and Ron shouted.

"When did they decide on this?" Hermione asked with a shocked look on her face.

"Just this week. Your mother is going to tell you about it this weekend. I promised Mum I wouldn't tell you; so act surprised when you find out," Ginny told her. " They thought it would be a good idea because we'll only miss one day of school. They're going to set up a big tent in the field behind the Burrow. Dumbledore's going to perform the ceremony and I get to be your and Pansy's maid of honor. Which is great, because Mum is letting me buy a new dress for the wedding. It's not going to be one of those ugly brides maid's dresses, either. I'm going find something that makes me look really hot," Ginny said with a wicked smile.

"I can't believe my mom is planning my wedding without me," Hermione said with an annoyed look on her face.

"All mothers do that, Hermione," Ginny said. "It's some kind of biological need they have. Don't you want a big wedding, anyway?" she asked.

"No, not with Snape. I prefer to have a quick and painless wedding like Marietta and Flint did. Just ten minutes in the wedding chapel at Hogsmeade with only a couple of witnesses. The thought of having all my friends and family watching as I'm forced to marry that greasy git, just turns my stomach," Hermione said with a look of disgust.

"Well, at least you won't have to do it alone. Ron's going to get married at the same time; so only half of the people will be staring at you. Maybe you'll get lucky; Snape might burn up if he's in the sunlight too long," Harry jokingly said.

"Two wedding at once; who thought that up?" Hermione asked sound very aggravated.

"Dumbledore," Ginny answered. "He thought it would be a lot safer to do them both at the same time. That way, he can have all of the Old Crowd there at once. Just in case some uninvited guests show up."

"Well, I guess it's really going to happen," Ron said. "So Harry, are you ready to be my Best Man?"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Ron. Remember, I'll probably have to bring you-know-who with me. I can just see Narcissa at the Burrow. It wouldn't take her five minutes before she insults everyone there," Harry warned.

"My Mum and Mrs. Malfo- I mean Potter-Black in the same room together. It might be even better than when Hermione's parents met Snape," Ginny said with a smile.

"Do you have to bring her, Harry?" Ron asked.

"It's kind of expected that a man bring his wife to a wedding. It would look pretty weird if I showed up without her. Believe me, I'd rather not bring her at all; I'd rather bring that big snake that's under the school instead of her," Harry told him.

"Don't remind me that thing is down there," Ginny said with a pale look on her face. "I've had nightmares ever since you told us about it."

"Don't worry, Gin, it won't come into the school unless someone tells it to. And only you and I can do that, as far as I know," Harry told her.

"Me, how can I tell that thing what to do?" Ginny asked with a confused look on her face.

"Because Parseltongue is a Magical gift, not a learned language," Hermione told her. "Once you have spoken it, the gift can't be taken away."

"That's what Slytherin told me," Harry said.

"So Harry, when are you going to take us down to meet Slytherin?" Hermione asked.

"What? I wasn't ever planning on going back down there. That thing give me the creeps, and I'm not talking about the snake," Harry seriously said.

"It's an Oracle of a founder, Harry. Imagine all that we can learn from it," Hermione said, trying to convince him.

"I don't trust it, Hermione. If you want to talk to an Oracle, just go to the kitchen. Hufflepuff's is there. It's a baker's oven," Harry suggested.

"Every third-year knows about the talking oven that claims to be Hufflepuff. I've spoken to it. It just wanted to give me recipes for different dishes," Hermione said, sounding disappointed. "Besides, Ravenclaw's is the one I really want to talk to. But legend says that Ravenclaw's won't appear to you unless you've seen the other three Oracles first."

"I'll think about it," Harry said in a very non-committal way.

"Just don't ask me to take you," Ginny said, as she squirmed in her seat with one of her arms behind her back.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"It's this damn bra mom sent me to replace the one I gave Pansy. It itches and I think it's too small," Ginny said, as she continued to try readjusting her bra.

"Just take it off and put on another. There's plenty of time before our next class to make a quick trip to Gryffindor," Hermione suggested.

"I've tried that already. The clasp in the back is stuck, and the straps are so tight on my shoulders I couldn't pull them down. I'll just have to use my wand and cut it off at the end of the day," Ginny told her.

"Uh, Ginny, has your front grown recently?" Hermione asked, as she stared at her friend's chest.

"Well maybe just a little," Ginny said proudly, as she pushed her chest forward for Hermione to see.

"Put those things away, Ginny," Ron anxiously said, as he put his hand in front of her. I don't want every bloke in here to see my sister's you-know-whats. Harry, keep your eyes to yourself," Ron told his friend, who seemed to be mesmerized by the sight of his sister's outwardly pointing bosoms.

"Merlin, Ginny. You have really grown," Hermione said in amazement.

"You really think so. I was hoping to get at least another cup size before I stopped growing," Ginny said.

"I saw you yesterday in the prefect's shower Ginny. You were nowhere near this size. You're even bigger than Pansy. No one can grow a whole cup and half overnight," Hermione said, giving Ginny's chest a suspicious look.

"What do you think it means?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, turn towards me," Hermione asked her. As soon as she did, Hermione reached out with her right hand and placed it on Ginny's left breast. She gave it a couple of soft squeezes and asked, "How does this feel?"

"Strange. Like you're not really touching me, just my bra," Ginny answered. Hermione placed her other hand on Ginny's right breast. Suddenly, there was a clatter of dishes down the length of the table. Neville, Seamus, Dean, and the rest of the Gryffindor males present were all frozen in shock and delight at what the two girls were doing.

"There's something really strange about this bra, Ginny," Hermione said with a worried expression, as she released her grip on Ginny. "I'd better check it out to make sure there's nothing dangerous about it," Hermione said, as she took out her wand and pointed it at Ginny's chest. "Reperi Arcanum Acutus."

"NO WAIT!!" Ginny shouted while putting her hands up in front of her, but it was too late. As soon as Hermione's revealing spell hit her chest, steam shot out of Ginny's collar and from under her jumper. Suddenly, both of her breasts began to grow at a very rapid rate. Within seconds, she was sporting a set of double D's. Ten second later, they were the size of Bludgers. Ginny's jumper slit right down the middle; her blouse tore open shooting buttons everywhere. The two white cotton cups of her bra continued to stretch without ripping. "Hermione," Ginny said with a desperate look in her eyes.

"Don't worry Gin, I'll fix it," Hermione said, as she pointed her wand at Ginny again. "Finite Incantatem." Instead of stopping, her breasts started growing even faster. They were nearly the size of two small beach balls when Hermione finally said, "Come on Ginny; let's get you to the hospital wing." As the two girls rose out of their seats, Ginny's two massive mammary glands shot upwards, lifting her into the air. Hermione quickly lunged forward, grabbing hold of one of Ginny's legs before she could rocket toward the ceiling. To her amazement and terror, Hermione felt herself starting to rise. Ron quickly grabbed hold of Ginny's other leg. Incredibly, he to began to rise.

When they were both nearly a foot off the ground, Hermione felt someone grab her legs. She looked down to see Neville with his arms wrapped around her knees. She felt a little embarrassed that he could see right up her skirt. Harry grabbed hold of both Ron's legs. They weren't rising any more, but Hermione felt her grip on Ginny's leg begin to slowly loosen. Ginny screamed for help, as Hermione was slipping down her leg. The Great Hall was filled with shouts of terror coming from some and uncontrollable laughter coming from the Slytherin table. Soon, Hermione only had hold of Ginny's shoe. Suddenly, with a pop, Hermione fell away with only a shoe in her hand. She crashed down on top of Neville. Ginny, Ron, and Harry shot skyward. They were only eight feet in the air when Ron's arms finally gave out. He and Harry crashed to the ground with a hard thud.

Ginny soared upward toward the ceiling. Just when it looked like she was going to crash into the wooden rafters, two large, pink, rubber nipples popped out of the front of her huge, white cotton boobs. Sparks and bright pink smoke shot out of each fake nipple. Ginny began to zoom and twirl through the air, leaving a pink smoke trail behind her. The sound of flatulence filled the Great Hall as Ginny continue to spin and whip through the air. Several people, including Hermione, tried to train their wands on Ginny so that they could perform a levitation spell. Slowly, Ginny began to reduce speed as her two hot air balloons lost their steam. As suddenly as it began, the pink smoke stopped and Ginny, instead of falling straight to the ground, drifted down like a falling leaf.

Hermione and Ron grabbed hold of Ginny just as she neared the floor. With the exception of being very dizzy and having extreme wind-blown hair, Ginny looked relatively unharmed.

"LOOK!!" Padma Patil shouted from the Ravenclaw table as she pointed toward the ceiling. There, above everyone's heads, was the smoke trail Ginny had left behind. Written across the enchanted sky in bright pink ten-foot high letters was the name, "WEASLEYS' WIZARDING WHEEZES." All of a sudden, nearly everyone in the Great Hall broke out in fits of laughter.

"THOSE BASTARDS!!" Ginny shouted, as she stared up at the message. Hermione looked at her furious friend. The trick bra she was wearing had been stretched completely out of shape. It hung loosely off her shoulders with the huge cups dangling at her waist. Both of Ginny's normal-sized breasts were exposed for all to see.

"GINNY!" Hermione shouted to get her friend's attention over the laughter of the crowd. As Ginny turned to face her, Hermione reached out and pulled her robe closed. Seeing why Hermione had called her name, Ginny quickly crossed her arms in front of her. Tears began to stream down her face as her anger was replaced by utter humiliation. Hermione's own anger rapidly grew out of control as she witnessed the horrible pain on Ginny's face. Nothing would stop Hermione from completely castrating the twins the next time they were unlucky enough to cross her path. She wrapped her arm around Ginny's shoulder and said, "Come on, Gin, let give you back to Gryffindor."

As she and Ginny made their way past the Slytherin table, Hermione heard some of them call out to Ginny the most vile things she has ever heard. When they reached the corridor, Professor McGonagall ran up to meet them. "Miss Granger, what has happen?" the Professor demanded.

"Someone played a very cruel prank on Ginny," she answered. "I'm taking her back to our dorms."

"I'll take Miss Weasley back to Gryffindor Tower. You are needed right away in the Headmaster's office. Go there immediately, Miss Granger," McGonagall ordered. Hermione transferred her crying friend to the Professor's embrace. She watched as the two headed for Gryffindor Tower.

A short time later, Hermione entered the Headmaster 's office. Standing next to Dumbledore's desk was the one person in the world she hated almost as much as Voldemort. There, with his fish head and over-sized glasses, was Thomas Fitage, Undersecretary of Wizard Health and Well-Being. "Good news Miss Granger. You don't have to marry Professor Snape," the little wizard told her with a smile on his face. "We changed your betrothed to Lucius Malfoy."


TBC

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A/N's: I know I promised that Hermione and Snape would get hitched in this chapter. I really did plan it that way, but this chapter was just getting too long. I needed the stuff with Harry in the chamber for the end of the story. I'm more than half done with the next chapter, whish is all about Hermione and Snape's wedding. At least now you all know why they have to rush into it. Just give me a couple of day to finish it.

Some of you might think what happened to Ginny was a bit cruel, even for the twins. But she will get a very just and proper revenge on those two. They'll regret what they did to her for a very long time.

Some of you should keep in mind that Slytherin comments about the local Christians were solely from his narrow viewpoint; he did live in the dark ages after all. You'll notice that most of the witches and wizards in Hogwarts are Christians and even celebrate Christmas. They know that their magic has nothing to do with their faith.

Please review and let me know what you think.

Next chapter coming real soon.