I have had some reviews and PM's hoping for this to be not a one-shot. This is a new chapter posted up for you hopers as it has now been one year since I published this story. There are a few cuss words but nothing serious. Probably not as good as the first chapter but do enjoy.

Chapter 2

Salazar's portrait listened to Harry as the boy explained his lessons from Albus Dumbledore. The boy was telling him what he had just learned about Horcruxes.

For the past year he had been trying to figure out how the boy had such a connection to Voldemort when he had told him about his numerous nightmares. Now with this new explanation he now had a good feeling he had found out what the connection was formed by. So he proceeded to inform the boy all of the relevant information he knew about Horcruxes. He had died himself nearly a century ago, so he knew very limited information on them.

That night, he helped Harry Potter perform a dangerous but necessary ritual that would rid his body of the attached soul of Lord Voldemort. The ritual was one where the possession would be forced out but the talents would remain. Harry did not want to lose his Parseltongue ability. He very much valued it.

One Year Later...

The Battle Of Hogwarts

Hogwarts was in turmoil. The once happy school was now suffering under a deep oppression and paranoia. Lord Voldemort was soon to be attacking and Harry was now heading to the chamber to destroy the two Horcruxes he had

In Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom, Harry Potter was hissing the sink to open while clutching a unique cup and the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. Ron and Hermione were not happy that he said he would do it alone. But he had pointed out that only a proper Parselmouth could get in, not wanting them to come across an alive snake that was believed to be dead.

Travelling along the tunnels to the main Chamber, he wondered what he could do to help Vera. The huge snake hadn't been feeling well at the end of last year and had complained of scale pains. Harry hoped it hadn't been brought on by the deceased Umbridge. Harry was quite sure the snake did a great service to the war. Harry was quite sure that if Dolores Umbridge had lived Muggle-borns would have suffered immensely. They still suffered though under Voldemort's reign.

"Harry," moaned Vera. Harry noted the infamous basilisk was waning. Her eyes were now pale green, she was lying on the floor like a wounded dog.

Harry went over to Vera and ran his hand over her head.

"How are you my angel?" he softly spoke to the suffering snake.

"I think I only have a few hours left," she groaned.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Harry asked her.

"Let me join the battle that is going on above ground," Vera responded.

Harry dropped his wand in shock. "No Vera, I can't let you go up," he said morosely. "People will be terrified to see a snake up there."

"I'll turn myself invisible," she said.

"VERA!" came a yell from the further corridor. "TAKE ME WITH YOU. I WANT TO HAVE SOME WORDS WITH MY BASTARD DESCENDANT!"

Harry decided not to argue. This was a fight against supremacy and evil. Salazar and Vera had wanted to do something about Tom for what he had done to embarrass the family line.

"Can you destroy these first, Vera?" Harry asked, holding out the Cup of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's Diadem.

Vera bit into them destroying it immediately.

Up on the battlefield of Hogwarts Lord Voldemort felt the two Horcruxes getting destroyed. He hadn't noticed that Nagini had left his side to find the larger snake, having sensed it.

Back down in the Chamber Vera was feeling a little better, but not by much.

"Ruler Of Snakes," came a hiss. Vera turned her head and noticed a python approaching her. Harry was in the other room talking with Salazar about what he wanted to happen.

Vera could smell the same magic of the Hufflepuff Cup and the Diadem on the snake. The past year she couldn't move much and was now completely starving.

Before Nagini could make another move Vera's huge tongue reached out and had coiled itself around her.

Nagini didn't struggle. She was feeling honoured to be about to be swallowed by the legendary snake.

"Destroy my connection to him if you want me to die," Nagini said, bowing to snake before she was swallowed. Vera made sure to bite down on the snake, destroying the last piece of Voldemort's soul that was on the snake.

Lord Voldemort was now mortal.

"Are you sure about this Salazar?" Harry asked.

"Yes I'm sure," the portrait said. "Me and Vera will take care of these morons."

Harry had just finished his task of getting Salazar's portrait off the Chamber wall and managed to get it tapered onto Vera's now invisible face.

"Now, ONWARD!" Salazar's voice boomed.

Vera went out the back exit of the Chamber that led to the deep pits of the Forbidden Forest.

Harry smiled. It was time everyone realised that Salazar Slytherin wasn't loony or evil.

"No one is to touch Harry Potter," Voldemort's voice boomed among his Death Eaters. They were about to destroy the protections that currently surrounded Hogwarts Castle.

"Now I will start, anyone who starts before me will suffer the wrath of me, Lord Voldemort," he spoke angrily.

"You always were such a petulant little child, weren't you little bastard," came a voice.

Voldemort dropped his wand in shock. He recognised that voice. That voice from the Chamber that came from the portrait of his ancestor that always screamed at him when he had gone down.

He turned around to see the portrait of Salazar Slytherin floating in midair.

"You call yourself a Slytherin, a descendant of mine. I am ashamed to call you family. If I could I would disown you and have your name blasted off the Slytherin Family Line."

All the Death Eaters stood in shock at the sight of a portrait of Salazar Slytherin berated a now cowering Lord Voldemort in front of them.

Lucius Malfoy let out a snicker at the sight in front of them. Soon all of the Death Eaters were laughing at the cowering Dark Lord, unable to control their laughter.

"And all you other morons," the portrait spoke, turning to face them. "You have also shamed the Wizarding World by what you have done, now you will pay the consequences."

He glared at the crowd before speaking, a feral and vicious smile on his lips. "Say hello to Vera."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

On the hill above where all the Death Eaters were, brief screams were heard as a giant snake became visible. Harry could see Vera smile before devouring her prey. Voldemort was already made short work out of and was now finally gone. More than half of the hundreds of Death Eaters were gobbled up by Vera and the rest were dead from her gaze.

Vera had just less than a hundred to eat when he saw her still and fall down. Feeling scared for his scaled friend, he ran up the hill to the fallen snake. He found Salazar's portrait which was still intact. Salazar was looking proudly at the carnage Vera had just caused. He was holding in a wide smile which he had plastered on his face from telling off his descendant.

"Vera," Harry shouted worriedly at her, trying to get her attention. "Vera."

"This is it," she coughed out. "I'm dying."

Hot tears began to fall down from Harry eyes. He did not want to lose Vera. She was a constant by his side, showing loyalty and friendship to him when he needed her the most.

"Don't go," Harry pleaded softly to her. "Don't leave me here."

"I hope I did well at protecting everyone in the school," Vera spoke softly.

"You did very well," Harry spoke with fierce determination.

"Harry, lift me up."

Harry lifted up the portrait of Salazar Slytherin to look at his snake.

"Vera, it's okay," he said. "A small bit of me is in this portrait, but a better much bigger me is up there, waiting to give you some nice livestock and a drink of Butterbeer."

Vera gave a wheezy laugh.

"Thank you Harry," she said. Her breath was slowing. Her scales were looking like she was about to burst. "You have given me the best years of my life."

Silence filled the air as Vera drawed her last breath. Harry broke into tears at the loss of his friend.

"I'm sad too Harry, but I'd like you to bring me into Hogwarts," Salazar spoke, breaking the silence. "I have some words I'd like to say to the morons that judged me."

The reactions of Salazar Slytherin's words to wizards and witches went universal. Never before had a portrait been stood on a pedestal and criticised their actions and prejudice towards others. His fury towards his own house had been met with cowering students. Even Draco Malfoy couldn't even manage a hissy fit.

Harry Potter and Severus Snape, whom he had learnt was a spy for Dumbledore, found a perfect place to hang the portrait of Salazar Slytherin. Salazar didn't want to be stuck in the Chamber anymore not that Vera was dead.

The news that Vera was the one that killed Voldemort went from shock to awe. Rita Skeeter tried to claim that Harry Potter was a Dark Lord for being a Parselmouth and was forced out of the country by the Ministry who refused to let the Prophet slander Harry any more. It was the last time the Ministry controlled the Prophet before Remus Lupin took charge, revolutionising the Daily Prophet back into the respectable newspaper it had been years beforehand.

To much confusion, Harry had it arranged for Vera to be given a posthumous Order of Merlin for her role in defeating Voldemort. He refused to have her in the background for what she did.

Under Kingsley Shacklebolt's control, the Ministry of Magic had its act cleaned up. The werewolf laws had been abolished and the pureblood agenda in the Ministry had fallen apart.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had also cleaned up its act. After having Harry Potter berate her for blindly following Albus Dumbledore's orders, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall had hired competent teachers and had put her foot down on the bullying. Someone else was taking care of any rising Dark Lords from the school.

The new First Year Slytherin's were escorted into the Common Room in the dungeons.

"...and lastly we have someone who would like to talk to you about other forms of behaviour."

Now the Common Room was full of students from every year. It was requested that they all be present for the special visitor. No one knew who it was.

A large tarpaulin was hung over a smiling portrait. When the tarpaulin was pulled off Salazar couldn't help but laugh at the astonished faces of the students in the Common Room.

"Hello, boys and girls," his voice boomed around the Common Room. "I know from the looks you know who I am."

They all nodded.

"Good," he drawled. "Not I want it to be let known that I am watching every one of you. This portrait cannot be destroyed and I can see through every portrait in this school."

Some fidgeted at the thought of Salazar Slytherin watching them.

"AND if any one of you decide it is a good idea to try and be a Dark Lord or practice anything that my foolish descendant has done I swear to Merlin that there will be repercussions to your actions. I hate Dark Lords and I do not want Hogwarts to be shamed for educating one. If you shame Hogwarts, you shame the Wizarding World."

Some were angry at being spoken to like children by the great Salazar Slytherin, but they knew better than to argue with someone whose bloodline was greater than theirs.

"IF I ever hear any of you spout off that prejudice towards Muggle-borns or half-bloods or towards anyone who is not fully human I promise you I will torment you throughout your life, whether you're alive or not."

Finishing his speech, he walked out for another similar appointment with the Gryffindor's about their behaviour towards Slytherin's. He wondered and hoped his deceased self was berating Tom Riddle.

"You are nothing, Tom Riddle," sneered the voice of Salazar Slytherin. "You have shamed the longstanding line of Slytherin with what you have done. You are not a Slytherin, but more of a foolish Gryffindor who charges into battle."

Godric Gryffindor had come along with his best friend to see the Dark Lord be embarrased. He agreed sadly that Tom Riddle was more Gryffindor than Slytherin.

After two weeks of listening to his ascendant Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor call him a foolish Gryffindor for his plans and having Vera the Basilisk routinely eat his soul for fun, Tom finally realised that Albus Dumbledore was right.

There are indeed fates worth more than death.