It was early morning, and hardly any sunlight could be seen in the sky. A blanket of darkness concealed Harry's movements from any prying eyes. The disillusion charm also helped in that aspect. As usual, the castle was sleeping owing to the early hour. After a few more minutes of walking, he finally arrived at his destination.
He took down the disillusion charm and took in the girls' lavatory on the second floor. There was hardly any difference to the structure he could see under the light from the tip of his wand. Nonetheless, he cancelled the Lumos spell and began casting some basic detection charms. He could detect no wards or proximity alarms around the place, which was odd as he expected Dumbledore or any of the Hogwarts faculty to keep an eye on the Chamber.
Perhaps they didn't see any need for warding the entrance seeing as the Basilisk was dead and Harry was the only one capable of accessing the Chamber. He certainly had no complaints, and by a stroke of luck, Moaning Myrtle was absent from her usual spot. As he entered the lavatory, he summoned both Dobby and Winky. Both of them arrived with a customary popping sound.
"You two ready? We are going to enter the fabled Chamber of Secrets."
"Dobby is ready, Harry Potter, sir."
"So is Winky, master."
Nodding to his two elvish friends, he raised his wand, silently lighting the tip once again with Lumos. His eyes traced the snake effigies carved on the taps and pipes of the sink.
"Open."
Harry hardly felt he was hissing. To him, it felt like he was speaking as usual in English, but the sink folding on itself let him know that he was speaking Parseltongue.
As the sink moved aside, he saw the large hole in the floor. He didn't fancy jumping inside an enormous pipe, even if it was safe.
"Stairs."
To his relief, a spiralling set of stairs formed, replacing the long bottomless pipe.
"Follow me."
Harry climbed in first, followed by Dobby and Winky. He was careful to close the sink before continuing his journey further into the Chamber.
Despite the stairs forming on his verbal command, the slime and filth were present on the way down, just as he remembered. But he had the presence of mind to use a few cleansing charms to remove the filth. Winky also chipped in with a snap of her fingers, and the smell vanished.
"Thanks, Winky."
"Master is too kind." said Winky, a happy smile on her face at the compliment.
Frankly, he was baffled why any wizard would want to abuse House Elves. They were like dogs with superpowers and highly user-friendly. He just shook his head at the stupidity of Wizards and moved on.
After a few minutes of walking through a bunch of steps, he stepped onto a plain floor. The floor was riddled with remains of the Basilisk's meals. Just as he remembered, there were some remains of the cave-in, but the two elves quickly took care of that and cleared the path. The shed skin of the Basilisk was also there, hardly touched by time.
Harry didn't waste any time admiring as he continued the journey. Soon they were before a large metallic door with snake effigies.
"Open."
The snakes on the metallic door slithered in random directions before the door swung open. The true Chamber of Secrets lay open before them. Rows of huge snake effigies stood proudly inside the chamber on both sides of a wide hallway. At the end of the hallway stood the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin. On the hard floor lay the remains of the dead Basilisk, and sure enough, it remained untouched by time.
"Well, there it is! I welcome you both to the Chamber of Secrets." said Harry, noting that both Winky and Dobby were thoroughly amazed.
"This is a giant snakey, Harry Potter sir. How ever did you kill it, sir?" asked Dobby
"By stabbing a Goblin Steel sword through its mouth."
His answer only garnered two pair of wide-eyed incredulous stares.
"I know it was a stupid move and a dangerous one, but that's what happened." said Harry and shook himself out of some very unpleasant memories. Reading about that stuff was one thing, but having memories of that day from the perspective of Harry Potter was another thing.
"Now, how long will it take for you to harvest this creature?"
"It should be done within a week, master." said Winky, with Dobby nodding along.
"This place also needs some serious patching up, and I certainly am not a fan of the snake theme prevalent here. Now, can you two access the Chamber without my aid?"
"Dobby and Winky can pop in without your help Harry Potter sir." said Dobby, and that piqued Harry's interest.
"Truly! Aren't the wards going to stop you from teleporting in Dobby?" he asked curiously.
"Oh no, Harry Potter sir. House Elves can go anywhere so long as we have seen the place, even if there are wards."
Now wasn't that convenient, he thought with some relief.
Yet he could see the danger and potential in having beings that could just do as they please. If someone wanted to kill him, all they would have to do was to order a House Elf to do the job.
Perhaps some wards can block House Elve's unique mode of travel. Most likely, such wards may not have been developed during Salazar Slytherin's time.
Harry took out his pocket diary and made a reminder to search for wards that could block House Elves. Pocketing the diary, he continued his inspection of the Chamber, all the while, his two Elvish companions were poking and prodding the dead Basilisk. Strangely he felt no fear upon seeing that giant snake. There was hardly any need to fear as the bloody snake had been dead for almost two years.
Perhaps Harry felt no fear because his mind was occupied with other thoughts. He wondered about the many gigantic pipes that spanned across the Chamber and where all of them led to. Since the Marauders Map does not show the Chamber, he would have to find out manually.
But that was a task he was not going to tackle anytime soon as he could seldom waste time. Perhaps he could trace those pipes after the First Task was concluded. Still, there was something else that was bugging him. If Salazar Slytherin created a secret Chamber that can only be accessed by those who have the gift of speaking Parseltongue, then there was bound to be more than just some giant snake with a death stare. Certainly, there should be some personal artefacts, relics, weapons or even some books in the Chamber.
There was a chance one of these many entrances could lead to a secret room, but his eyes traced the giant head of Slytherin.
"Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of Hogwarts four."
The mouth of the giant statue opened all the way down till the chin rested on the floor.
Using his wand lit up by the white light of Lumos spell, he carefully climbed into the mouth of the statue. The inside of the statue was filled with slime and filth, which he vanished with a quick cleansing spell. He also decided to conjure some Bluebell flames to light up the part as the Lumos spell was hardly getting him the desired visibility.
Blue light from the Bluebell flames banished darkness, and his eyes found a trap door on the floor. His first instinct was to open it with his hand, but he was not suicidal. The trap door had been guarded by a giant Basilisk for centuries, so some healthy caution was necessary.
Harry took a step back and hissed, "Open.".
Nothing happened, so he pointed his wand at the trap door.
"Alahamora."
The trap door clicked open, and a light began to flicker into existence from the trap door. Harry cautiously moved forward and sent forth a few Bluebell flames through the trapdoor. Seeing no traps or anything threatening, he climbed in and found himself inside a large study. He conjured more Bluebell flames to get a better view of the study.
There were shelves upon shelves filled with books and scrolls, all in pristine condition. At the far end of the room, there was a large ornate table with lots of open scrolls and books. He took a look at the scrolls, and it was filled with Latin. Some were written in the Runic language. He even found a few books written in Old English and Welsh.
But among those dead languages, he found several parchments written in modern English. There was a good chance that these were notes prepared by Tom Riddle or some other descendants of Slytherin.
To that end, he began searching the study for any books, scrolls or parchments written in modern English. He found a few in his short search and began collecting them into a stack. He thought of taking these books with him but thought better of it at the last moment. He could access the room whenever he pleased, so it was safe for the books to remain here.
He searched the room for a few more minutes, and when he found nothing else, he just decided to call it a day and return to the Gryffindor tower. Overall, it was a productive morning, and his quest for acquiring magical knowledge has approached another milestone.
******
Harry gladly Frank a warm glass of milk at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Already, he had taken in two boiled eggs and a plate of pork chops. To overcome the frailty of his body, he fixed a diet.
Breakfast would involve meat, eggs and a glass of milk. Chicken and pork were most commonly served in the morning, but he had ensured Dobby or Winky would serve him some Lamb or beef from time to time. Lunch would be filled with veggies, and he decided he would not consume an iota of animal fat at that time. There were lots of fruit salads that were available at the table. There was even a Qulfi served at lunch and dinner, which he appreciated immensely. The dinner menu was much more simpler as he concentrated on a few fruits like apples, oranges, grapes or even a few slices of pineapple.
He designed the diet in a way that allowed easier digestion in his body by taking in as many nutrients as possible. He had even taken up the habit of drinking a blend of lemon and amla juice before going to bed as it helped burn fat in the body. It was well known that heavier food should be consumed in the early morning and light food in the evening. He was following that same principle.
So far, there were no marked changes to his body, and it was highly unlikely that he would see any changes soon. Perhaps he would gain some height by the end of the year. Seeking out some expert opinion from Madam Pomfrey might not be a bad idea as well, he thought.
"You are spacing out, Harry." said Neville with a small nudge.
"Ah, I was just thinking about my height or the lack of growth, to be more accurate. I am the shortest boy in our year."
"I am sure you will catch up with everyone Harry." said Neville
"I hope so, else I would become the boy-who-shrunk!"
Neville coughed out a laugh at that.
"I hope our star seeker grows up a bit. Can't have our Harrikins become a dwarf." said George Weasely.
"Right, you are George." Fred pitched in eagerly with a solemn nod.
"Our poor Champion looks like he is half dead already." said George
"Oh, cut it out, you two. Instead of picking up on me, how about you pranksters help me out a little bit." said Harry
"Look at this, George. Harrikins wants my help."
"I think he wanted my help, Fred."
"You can both help, and it is right up your alley." said Harry hoping to put a stop to the Twins going off on a tangent.
"Well, when you put it like that…" George trailed off.
"….we ought to be more considerate." finished Fred, and the two looked at him curiously.
Harry leaned forward conspiratorially and began to whisper into their ears.
*******
"Do I want to know what you are planning with the Twins, Harry?" asked Neville as they were on the way to the Charms class.
"A little precaution." said Harry, but Neville just gave an unconvinced stare.
"Oh, I just asked them to prepare a retaliatory prank against Malfoy and his goons." He explained.
"Why?"
"I get the feeling that Malfoy is going to come up with something that is going to annoy me. I am just preparing in advance to return the favour."
They were the first to reach the Charms classroom as others were still back in the Great Hall. The two of them took their seats on the front row.
"Neville, what do you know about the Wizengamot?" asked Harry as the two of them began to take out their books and quill from their bags.
"Well, my Grandmother's on it." said Neville.
"I see. What does the Wizengamot do?"
"They create laws for Wizards and Witches. They even conduct hearings although that is rare."
"Truly! Then how are the members selected?"
"Well, there are some thirty permanent seats reserved for noble houses of Magical Britain. Then there are the select few ministry officials. I don't know the exact number, but I think it is seven or eight. Then there are the recipients of the Order of Merlin. Each person is afforded one vote."
"Hmm. Interesting."
Before Harry could ask more questions, students began to pool in. He watched Hermione and Ron walking, engaged in a heated argument amongst themselves. He paid it no mind and avoided looking in their direction.
He knew that Hermione must be in a tough spot with two of her best friends, not in speaking terms. Sadly that's how it is going to be, and he finds no reason to rekindle his friendship with Ron.
If he were just Harry Potter, that would have most likely happened, but he was not the old Harry Potter. He was so far away from the real Harry Potter character-wise. He preferred tackling life on his lonesome. While he certainly had friends and a girlfriend in his old life, he had kept them all at an arm's length. He had no interest in dragging himself into their problems and found peace in his solitude.
In his opinion, if someone can't stay at peace and comfortable by their lonesome, then they need to reevaluate their character. If someone can't be at peace within themselves, they would be a disaster to others. Besides, he prefers to keep attachments to a minimum. That was why he enjoyed as much travelling as he liked. After college, he found three jobs and all of them in three different cities.
In short, he was a nomad, but he understood why the original Harry would forgive Ron so easily. Ron was the original Harry's first friend.
Unfortunately, the original Harry was absent in this body. To the new Harry having Ron along in his plans for the future would be like tying an anchor around his neck.
Harry blinked and shook awake from his thoughts as Flitwick walked in, and the Ravenclaws filled in the leftover seats in the classroom. A small revision of the previous class and some questions later, they were onto the practical application of the Summoning Charm.
Having established a close bond to his magical energy performing the Summoning Charm was as easy as breathing for Harry. Flitwick was obviously happy that someone other than Hermione managed to master the spell in the class. But not everyone managed to breeze through the class effortlessly.
"I don't know what I am doing wrong. Perhaps I am a squib." whispered Neville in a broken voice, looking forlornly at the ball Neville was supposed to summon into his hands.
"Hey, don't be like that, Neville. Magic does not respond well when you lack confidence in yourself. Try one more time but this time, just imagine that you are holding the ball in your hand when you perform the spell." said Harry as he clapped on Neville's shoulders, showing his support.
On the next try, Neville didn't manage to summon the ball, but the ball did move towards Neville, wobbling all the way. While not a complete success, it was nonetheless a good start. With what he knew about Neville's wand problem, this was definitely a worthy achievement.
After Charms, it was Potions, and he didn't fancy sitting in a class with Severus Snape. From the memories he could access from this body, the guy should be locked up in prison for mentally harassing children. Not to mention the gall to place Slytherins and Gryffindors in the same room led by the most biased Hogwarts staff was bound to be a disaster. It was things like this that made him doubt Dumbledore's credibility as an educator or even a decent human being. It was as if the guy wanted to cause more problems between Slytherins and Gryffindors.
"Uh, Harry, are you sure you want to sit with me in Potions?" asked Neville as they stepped into the dungeons.
"I am sure, Neville. Just be a little bit more confident."
"I would like to, but…" Neville paused as Draco Malfoy and his courts blocked their path to the potions class.
All the Slytherins were wearing a badge which made him remember Hermione's SPEW badge. The badges showed a single message:
Support CEDRIC DIGGORY-
The REAL Hogwarts Champion!
"Like them Potter?" asked Malfoy loudly as Harry and Neville approached. "And this isn't the only thing it does – look!"
Draco pressed the badge with his hand, and the message vanished, only to be replaced by another one:
POTTER STINKS
The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges, too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around Harry, who just let out a sigh and rolled his eyes at the resident bully.
"I see. Very imaginative. While you are at it, why don't you just plaster one on your forehead? At least your head will have some use other than thinking up silly things and embarrassing yourself even more. Already you are a joke, and I wonder how low can you go. Each day you surprise me by dragging yourself further into the mud of stupidity. So congrats on scoring a new milestone."
Whatever reaction Malfoy was hoping to get from Harry that was not the one he was banking on. Harry watched dispassionately as the smug smile was wiped off from the face of the resident bully.
"Still, you have insulted the House of Potter. Rest assured, my retaliation will find each and every one of you at my leisure." Harry added, taking turns to stare down at each of the faces in the group. "I will exempt Crabbe and Goyle as I don't like to attack mentally challenged goons that barely have two brain cells between them."
"You can't just…" Draco began but was once again sharply cut off by Harry.
"I shall also exempt you, Greengrass. I doubt I should bother with someone who is living on borrowed time. What a curse must it be - isn't it Greengrass?"
The otherwise silent girl was now pale white, and her blue eyes were wide, staring at Harry in abject terror.
Seeing that the situation was spinning out of his grasp, Draco made a last-ditched effort and turned his attention on Hermione, who was standing beside Harry shocked, just like everyone else.
"Here, want one, Granger?" Draco offered a badge to Hermione. "But don't touch my hand, as I wouldn't be wanting to taint myself with a Mudblood."
"I will take it." Said Harry, and before Draco could blink, the badge was in Harry's hand. "I will keep this as a souvenir to remember just how much of an inbred Trashblood you are, Malfoy."
"How dare you?" Draco hissed and pulled out his wand, and screamed out a spell.
Harry's eyes traced every inch of movement of Draco's hand. He was close enough that he could probably snap the fool's wand in two with his left arm, but he dismissed that idea. His right hand, which held his own wand, made a flick, and a transparent shield sprung up with no incantation. The shield absorbed the spell with nary a flicker.
"I am surprised you have the spine to look me in the eye and cast a spell, Malfoy. In the first year, you ran with your tail between your legs when you challenged me to a duel. You didn't even have the decency to show up for the duel, which showed how much of a wuss you are. Then in the second year, you were soundly beaten up before the entirety of Hogwarts. In the third year, you acted like a hysterical princess and got punched by Hermione on the nose. And now we are in the Fourth year, and not a soul could forget you turning into a ferret." Harry shook his head in a disappointed manner, and he could hear roaring laughter from his back. In fact, he could see amusement in some of the Slytherins. "You have always thought of yourself as my rival. The truth is I consider you a bug that I sometimes swat away or, when I am in a generous mood, just avoid altogether. Consider my present mood as generous."
With that said Harry walked around the group of Slytherins into the potions class. Not surprisingly, he saw Severus Snape lurking, hoping to pitch in, but he gave no mind to the man and merely took a seat at the front desk. He avoided any eye contact and discretely pocketed the badge. He could imagine a good use for this little piece of magic.
It took a few minutes for the class to start, as his response to Malfoy seems to have struck everyone by surprise. He didn't give that a thought and merely focused on his potions book. He felt Neville take a seat beside him and just gave him a small smile. Neville returned the gesture with some hesitation.
As Snape began the class with his classic 'instructions are on the board' approach, he quietly read through the instructions. They were going to create an antidote for infections.
"I expect you all to carefully read the instructions and gather the essential ingredients. There will be no bickering, and when you prepare the antidote, we will need someone to test them on." said Snape, and the guy was now staring at Harry as if that was supposed to be intimidating. All he felt at that moment was that he was going to kick the son of the bitch in the balls if that happened.
Something must have shown on Harry's face because Snape was now doubling on his stare. Then a knock on the door broke Snape's focus. Snape waved his wand, and the door opened to show Colin Creevey.
The third-year Gryffindor edged into the room with zero fear when in the presence of Snape. The boy was beaming at Harry all the way and now stood before Snape.
"Yes?" said Snape curtly, and Harry could see the man was hardly satisfied by the lack of reaction from Colin.
"Please sir, I'm supposed to take Harry Potter upstairs."
"Potter has Potions class to complete." Snape stared down at Colin.
"Sir, Mr Bagman wants him." said Colin, now showing a little nervousness. "All the Champions have to go, I think they want to take photographs…"
"Very well, very well. Potter leave your things here, I want you back here later to test your antidote." Snape snapped
"Please, sir, he's got to take his things with him." Colin gulped as Snape rounded on the boy with his stare. "All the Champions are supposed to…"
"Very well. Potter, get out of my sight."
Harry didn't move right away. He took his time, and throughout all that time, he trained his eyes on Snape. One thing was certain in his mind at that moment. He was going to make sure that the resident bat was going to get kicked out of this school and if possible, in a nice cell in Azkaban if he could help it.
All of a sudden, he felt the feeling of a pinprick on his forehead, and the sensation disappeared when his mind instinctually blanked out. He frowned at the feeling, and yet when he searched for it, it remained elusive. He had an idea what happened, but he was not exactly a hundred percent sure. He paid no attention to anyone and left the dungeons with Colin Creevey in tow.
"It's amazing, isn't it, Harry?" said Colin
"What is?"
"You being Champion?"
"Hmm…I guess."
"I think you will win, Harry." said Colin excitedly.
"I appreciate your support, Colin."
They made some small talk on their walk until finally, they were before the right room.
"Good luck Harry." said Colin, and then the excitable third-year left.
He had prepared for this moment ever since he had come to this world. He knocked on the door and entered.
He was in a classroom, but all the desks were pushed to the side. He recognised Ludo Bagman, who was conversing with a lady whom he assumed was Rita Skeeter. Viktor Krum was hanging around a closed window, looking moodily at the whole classroom. Fleur and Cedric were conversing with each other in another corner. A paunchy man, holding a large black camera, one that would be common in the 60s, was staring at Fleur as though she was a goddess.
He noticed an almost glazed look on Cedric as well, and he realised Fleur was releasing her allure. It must have been in a controlled way seeing as Bagman and Krum remained unaffected.
"Harry! Here he is! Our youngest Champion. In you come, Harry…nothing to worry about, it's just the Wand Weighing ceremony. The rest of the judges will be here in a minute or so…"
"I see." Harry nodded at the man. He could at least rest assured the man was here to help, and an easy-going fun character hardly posed any threat to him.
"We have to check that all your wands are fully functional, you see. The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a wee little photoshoot. This is Rita Skeeter," said Bagman as the witch dressed in luminous green robes moved closer. "She's doing a small piece on the Tournament for the Daily Prophet..."
"Maybe not that small, Ludo." Said Rita Skeeter, her eyes brightly glimmering as she zeroed in on Harry. "I wonder if I can have a little word with Harry? The youngest Champion, you know…to add a bit of colour."
The woman's smile was now predatory.
"Sure. But I don't think we will get the privacy." Harry supplied with an innocent smile.
"Oh, don't you worry, Harry." Rita grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and dragged him out of the room. They were in another room, and Rita closed the room behind her.
He took in the dusty buckets and brooms inside the room and realised it was a broom closet.
"Hardly a venue for conducting an interview, but if it's okay with you, why not." He said with a shrug and merely leaned on a nearby wall while Rita took a seat on a bucket and she closed the door, immersing them in darkness. A light began to shine as a candle was lit out of nowhere, and the candles floated in the air as Rita Skeeter started to to take out a notepad along with a quill.
"You won't mind if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill, do you, Harry?"
"If you want to sure, but I wouldn't advise it, Miss Beetle."
"What?" Rita Skeeter was now staring at him with an open mouth.
"I wonder why you hide your animagus form, Miss Skeeter. I suppose you would not be able to properly infiltrate and do your 'investigative journalism' properly. And the Ministry would most likely lock you up if they get wind of it, isn't that right? You have made too many enemies with that ability of yours, and the least you will get will be an Azkaban sentence."
Now that he knew that he had sufficiently shocked the woman to her core, he smiled and took the quill away from her hand.
"I think we are familiar enough, and you have certainly come to realise that you don't want to make an enemy out of me. If I know your deepest dark secret that you have not shared with anyone, then there is no reason for you to disbelieve when I say that I am a dangerous foe to my enemies but a good friend to my wellwishers." said Harry and placed his hand on her shoulder making Rita Skeeter shiver. "Now, I hope we can be friends, and I always help my friends."
"What do you want?" asked Rita, but his wand was now digging into her neck.
"Please leave the wand you were trying to pull out from your sleeve. A memory charm won't work on an accomplished Occlumense, and unfortunately for you, I am one. Now, be a good girl and leave that wand."
He removed the wand from Rita's neck and smiled nastily.
"I know you thrive on controversy, and I can deliver you many, Rita. So are you team Potter or are you going to be in my enemy camp, in which case I give you my best but don't come crying to me when the world that you built falls apart around you in the blink of an eye?"
The slow nod from Rita Skeeter put a smile on his face, and he began to converse with the woman. As promised, he fed her a controversy, one that suited his plans.
A while later, they were back in the room with the Champions, and the Wand Weighing ceremony commenced without a hitch. Dumbledore was shooting him curious looks throughout the ceremony, but he paid the old man no mind.
Ollivander went around and inspected each wand. He was obviously happy with Cedric's wand as it was one of his own. Krum's and Fleur's wand he was not so fond, but he declared them all in pristine condition. Then came Harry's turn.
"Ah, yes, Holly and Phoenix feather. How well I remember how well... Unusual combination and…" Ollivander pressed his ear into the wand. "Oh yes. The song is different. The dominion by the castor is complete. The Phoenix feather is singing to your will, Mr Potter. Exceptionally powerful in the right hand."
Ollivander waved the wand, and a jet of water shot out. He promptly declared the wand was in the best shape and handed it over to Harry. A few more photos were taken with the Champions together, and Fleur gave him a curious look. He merely raised an eyebrow in question, to which she turned her nose snobbishly. He just shrugged and went his own way when the circus was over.
Later that night, he was tired with all the training done in the evening. Exhausted and planning to grab a snack from the kitchen, he stumbled into his dorm to pick up his cloak. He was not so confident in his disillusion charm to hold up after the intensive training he went through.
"A letter arrived for you." said Ron from his bed.
Harry looked at the Hogwarts' owl patiently waiting on his bed. Sure enough, there was a letter in the owl's claw. He picked up the letter, and the owl went its own way. Ron said something snarky, but Harry paid him no mind. He left with the letter in hand after retrieving his cloak. The letter was from Sirius, and soon he was going to meet his godfather. This was something that he had been looking forward to, and he intended to make it a productive conversation.