I was writing Enshrouded In Darkness when this came to mind. Sadly it is just a one-shot. If you're wondering what warnings this story contains it will be Somewhat Dark! Harry and Alive! Basilisk. AU.

Italics are Parseltongue

I Must Not Tell Lies

I Must Not Tell Lies

I Must Not Tell Lies

"Hem, Hem," said the most sickening voice Harry had ever heard. "Let's take a look Mr Potter."

Professor Dolores Umbridge grabbed Harry's hand violently. Harry longed for nothing more than to strangle the incompetent professor until she died. The image of her broken, bloodied and mangled body gave him immense happiness. The sight of her carcass, being devoured by what the woman called half-breeds would probably be enough to conjure the most powerful Patronus.

"Tut tut," she muttered darkly. "It has obviously not sunk in Mr Potter. Write the same words over again."

"Are you scared of centaurs, Professor," he said darkly, putting emphasis on her title.

Umbridge stepped back, startled. She quickly regained her composure however. She glared at Harry, who glared right back at her.

"That does not matter, Mr Potter," she said scowling. Her ugly features were more displayed when she scowled. Harry wondered if a princess would even kiss her. Oh wait, that was a frog. This is a toad.

"Would the same thing go for a snake?" he asked cautiously.

She laughed. An evil cackle of a laugh. "Mr Potter, I was sorted in Slytherin. I love snakes," she spoke dreamily for a brief moment. "I'd love to see a basilisk though. I've seen every other snake that existed." Her cold demeanour came back. "Keep writing," she screamed savagely. "You try to distract me one more time Mr Potter you will receive a month's detention."

So you want to see a basilisk Umbitch, Harry thought savagely. You will receive your wish.

An hour later Umbridge took another look at Harry's hand. She looked proud to see that the message was a lot more bloody than it was an hour ago.

"That is enough, Mr Potter," she said, smiling. "You may continue from here tomorrow night."

Like you'll even be alive, Harry thought.

He made his way to Gryffindor Tower, pondering his plan. What would he need for it to happen successfully?

He rummaged through his trunk for what he was looking for. The Marauder's Map was there, as was his Invisibility Cloak.

He worked on his homework for the rest of the night in the Common Room. Hermione had offered to help him get it done quicker. She was concerned for his hand and didn't want him to be writing. She had Murtlap Essence for him when he came back. He was playing along into the night with his homework. He didn't bother with the homework Umbridge left out for them. He felt sorry for Hermione though. She wouldn't have a teacher to hand it to tomorrow.

Dong, Dong.

The clock in the Common Room striked one am. It was time to move.

Before Harry started out he pulled the Marauder's Map out of his pocket. He had the Invisibility Cloak in his pocket. He knew that the portraits reported to Dumbledore about late night wanderings. Tonight he could not afford to be seen by any portrait in the castle.

"I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good," Harry muttered silently. At once the web like writing began appearing. Once the introductory message to the Marauders Map had disappeared he searched his route to the destination. Filch was patrolling the other end of the castle, Mrs. Norris by his side. Dumbledore was unsurprisingly awake, seemingly pacing in his office once again. Umbridge's dot was still in her office, well away from her quarters.

Harry left the Common Room, draping his Invisibility Cloak over himself before leaving, making sure no portraits in the Common Room saw him putting it on.

Silently he made his way to the First Floor Girls Lavatory, watching out for Peeves. Filch was still at the other end of the castle.

Harry went into the lavatory. Moaning Myrtle was not in the room, meaning there would be no witnesses incriminating him. This was brilliant!

"Serpensortia," Harry conjured a snake. He then turned to the sink. "Open."

While the sink started moving Harry banished the snake he had conjured. The sink slid into the ground exposing the entrance into the Chamber Of Secrets.

"Up," Harry called out in Parseltongue. At once a platform zoomed right up from far below the floor from the Chamber at break necking speed. Harry had discovered this at the end of his Second Year when the Basilisk told him about it. Smirking at the thought of the memory Harry stepped onto the platform. He then disappeared from sight as the platform descended and the sinks closed.

Flashback

30 May 1993

Harry had killed the basilisk the day before. He was brooding about the castle, just following the route he was taking, although he was not focusing on where he was walking.

He was thinking about the events of the year. The first attack, the second, the third, and the fourth. Although coming to mind to Harry was the ability he discovered he had that year. Parseltongue!

Had Voldemort transferred other powers to him that night as well. If he had Voldemort's Parseltongue talent did that mean he had his magical talent. Although he wouldn't admit it just yet, he very well believed Voldemort to be extremely powerful at magic. He was that night he had killed his parents.

BUMP! Harry had walked into something solid. Coming out of his daze, he looked to see what he had walked into. It was the sink in the First Floor in the Girls Lavatory. Figuring now that the Chamber would be safer to enter now that he had defeated the Basilisk within he had opened the Chamber entrance. He once again jumped into the dark hole. He honestly wanted to explore the Chamber. The Basilisk was a secret, he realized. Not secrets. He wanted to find out what other secrets were hidden in the long lost chamber.

Once he had arrived he had looked to where he expected the carcass of the deceased snake to be. Lying there was its corpse. He then turned and looked at the statue of Slytherin. He recalled Tom Riddle speaking to it less than a day ago.

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." The mouth on the statue had opened and Harry walked in, wondering what had lain beyond the mouth that the snake lived in. Ahead and around him was a large tunnel to fit the large basilisk. There was a flicker of light far up ahead.

"What are you doing in my Chamber," an angry voice retorted. Harry had jumped and looked around frantically, believing Tom was back.

"Over here," the voice said. Harry had turned and saw, to his surprise a portrait of Salazar Slytherin. Right now he knew every Slytherin would be jealous of him if they knew where he was. He walked up to the portrait.

"Can you possibly tell me where my Vera is."

"Your what," Harry asked.

"The Basilisk," the portrait of Slytherin said.

"I killed it," Harry said.

"WHAT," the portrait yelled. "Did that Riddle brat come back and have her attack Muggle-borns again?"

Harry was surprised at the anger, but also at the fact that Slytherin himself didn't say 'Mudblood'. However, it seemed that Slytherin did not want the snake attacking students.

"Then why did you place her here," Harry asked.

"To protect the students," Slytherin had practically roared. Then his portrait seemingly and startlingly relaxed.

"How long has she supposedly been dead for?" he asked.

"Not even a full day," Harry had said.

At once Slytherin's portrait swivelled open inwards. "Go into my room and get the Ravenna Potion."

Harry had gone through the portrait. He had been astounded from what he discovered. He was in the never discovered Salazar Slytherin's Personal Chambers. There was a Duelling Room even there. He would explore that room another day. He found the Ravenna Potion in a Potions Room and Lab inside the portrait.

"You got it, good," Salazar said relieved. "Put it in Vera's mouth. She will come back to life as long as she hasn't been dead for twenty four hours. Otherwise rigor mortis will set in."

Harry just stood there dumbly, looking at the portrait with disgust.

"You want me to bring that monster back to life," Harry said, with revulsion in his voice.

"She was meant to protect students," the portrait hissed. "Riddle ignored me again. When he finally dies, I will kill him. Put the liquid in her mouth and command Vera to follow your rule," he hissed. "You obviously speak Parseltongue, you're speaking it to me. Order her."

Harry's face had lit up. It could possibly be fun to order a snake around. He had rushed out of Slytherin's Statue and went over to the supposedly dead carcass of the Basilisk. He uncorked the potion and poured it into the basilisk's mouth. The liquid pushed itself to the snakes fangs and settled in, eventually sucked in. The gaping wound Harry had given it with Gryffindor's Sword had slowly began healing.

Once it had healed the snake reared its head and looked directly at Harry. Harry was expecting himself to drop dead as he had realised the eyes were healed. Once he realised he wasn't dead he saw the snake had green eyes.

"I thought you had yellow eyes," Harry said.

"I can change eye colour," the snake said. "Green eyes won't be fatal to anyone. But if I changed to yellow it is fatal to anyone, except Slytherin's Heir."

"What about me?" Harry said.

"From what that idiot Tom told me," the snake said. "You had defeated him three times according to his sources. No one has ever defeated him four times. You have defeated and survived him four times. This makes you Slytherin's heir by right of conquest. You have absolute control of me. I am at your command."

"Can you tell me everything about the Chamber?" Harry asked eagerly. "It's obviously called the Chamber of Secrets for a reason."

That night Harry stayed in the Chamber in Salazar Slytherin's Quarters. Vera had happily spent the night telling Harry about her life in the Chamber and the many secrets that surrounded the legendary place. She was delighted Harry listened to her. She happily agreed to defend him as she could do more than just petrify and kill people. Because she was a magical snake she could a lot more than any other regular snake and the other magical ones. She told Harry of the many ways to leave the Chamber and not get caught.

Present

"What did she do to you,?" Vera asked.

So Harry showed the giant Basilisk his hand. The snake took one look and nearly lost it. It took Harry several minutes to calm her down.

"Would you willingly harm her?" Harry asked.

Vera reared her head and looked at Harry with the yellow eyes. He was definitely immune to her gaze.

"I was left to protect the students," the snake hissed. "I shall take care of it. No go back to your tower and make a noise so you won't be suspected. Fake a nightmare. With that being an occurrence it will work in your favour."

Harry smiled a shark like grin and went into Salazar's Chamber. He often talked with Salazar himself. Everyone in the Wizarding World perceived him the wrong way. He was wary of the prejudice that the British had for Witches and Wizards then and didn't want to endanger Muggle-born students. Including the fact some of them weren't exactly tight lipped about their world sometimes. Harry remembered Molly Weasley nearly shouting out the Platform number before First Year. Salazar was most displeased about Wizarding Society in the present day when Harry told him each time what happened. When Harry had told him that his idiotic descendant had returned not long ago and the Ministry was denying it he was furious, stating that a "bloody squib would be a better Minister". Harry couldn't agree more.

Harry went over to the device Salazar built in the room. It was built a millennium ago. It was some sort of Teleportation Device. Because of the secrecy Salazar had instilled on the Chamber, nothing from down below in the Chamber could be detected in the school.

Harry could go anywhere in the world, even past well warded areas. Salazar had not allowed Tom into these Chambers as he disliked the boy.

"Gryffindor Tower Fifth Years Boys Dormitory," Harry called.

Immediately Harry found himself standing on his bed. He always landed here. Quickly Harry had got changed and into his bed. He made sure there was silence in the room for an hour before pretending a nightmare. Salazar already told him what false story to say. Vera knew when to strike for the nightmare to be confirmed as a conspiracy to what happened.

Luckily Seamus and Dean were out of the room. Harry did not care where they went but he didn't want to be seen by them.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH," Harry yelled sitting bolt upright. His drapes were suddenly forced open by an angry Ron.

Harry tried to find his voice. Damn it was easy to act. "He's happy," Harry said. "Something good has happened."

Ron now looked frightened. "Has he got it?"

Harry shook his head. "He's like that when he murders someone. I think I saw the person." He frowned, as if trying to remember the person. "I can't think. Doesn't matter anyway."

And he went to sleep.

The next morning Harry woke up in time for breakfast. He smiled. No toads for breakfast today. He made his way to the Great Hall, whispers surrounding him when he went in, but he didn't care. Today is going to be a good day after all. He didn't show his happiness though. If people thought him unstable they would definitely think he attacked Umbridge if he was happy.

Like he thought Umbridge did not show up at the table. She did not show up anywhere today. The Hogwarts Rumour Mill as usual was completely inaccurate. Some thought she had left to join a Toad Commune, some thought she fell through the stairs and was stuck under Hogwarts. In a way they were partially right.

Harry had gone up for his detention though that night anyway to find anything. After all he did have it to be done, and it wouldn't be good to not turn up.

When he turned up there were Auror's in her office, with a sickened looking Amelia Bones.

She gave a curt nod to Harry. "What are you doing here, Mr Potter?" she asked.

"I have detention with Professor Umbridge," he said respectfully to her.

Madam Bones grabbed his hand and looked at the marks of I Must Not Tell Lies. She looked back at the array of Blood Quills on the desk they had found in her drawer.

"Madam Umbridge has disappeared Mr Potter," she said. "There is signs of a possible instant death. We have cast this charm that would tell us if she was living. It said she died in here, but it can't determine the cause of death. Just that was instant."

"Who will replace her?" Harry asked innocently.

"Kingsley Shacklebolt will," she said proudly. "He is extremely adept at Defence so he will be competent enough to do it."

"How was your meal, Vera?" Harry asked, once he came down to the Chamber.

"I'm glad I protected the students to do it," the snake said. Vera was attempting to spit out bits of Umbridge from her mouth. "But this vile woman tastes horrible."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"She tastes like toads."