AN: Just repeating the warning from Scheduling Conflict here: WARNING: You're not going to understand shit of this if you haven't read DPaSW. Then again, why the hell haven't you read it? Go read it! There's a reason it's the third* most followed fanfic on this entire damn website. You can always read my stuff after.

*might be second now, not sure.

AN: Virgo has been one of my favorite characters in DPaSW, and this oneshot is something that I expect to happen in some form at some point during second year. It honestly feels like the most logical outcome to me (unlike Scheduling Conflict, which was more a for-fun alternate timeline thing that wasn't likely to actually happen).

AN: Also, this may contain minor spoilers for the currently unpublished chapter 54 that is available on LeadVonE's discord, but considering Virgo is mentioned twice and doesn't actually appear in that chapter, I don't expect so. Timeline wise, this oneshot isn't locked down, and it obviously uses the information available in the first 53 chapters.

It just didn't line up.

There was no way John could have succeeded in vanquishing Voldemort after being sent back. Virgo already knew that – she had figured it out when she realized who Lord Slytherin was. Meanwhile, Harry had been sent back at a later time – presumably in an entire new timeline. He'd also been sent back three years further, giving him more time.

As if Fate and Death had only been lining up the pieces so that Harry could do whatever the prophecy said. Which meant John not only had virtually no chance at succeeding, he had never been meant to succeed. But right now she couldn't afford getting side-tracked, she'd get back to this.

Harry Potter would become worse than Voldemort ever was, according to the prophecy – a prophecy John had never heard the exact wording of.

But Death and Fate absolutely loathed Voldemort for his creation of horcruxes, for cheating them. Yet they aided Harry Potter. Harry Potter, who had presumably been mentored by Voldemort. Who was a horcrux merger. There was no way he did not know about horcruxes. Would Death really bend the laws of reality and send someone back in time to kill a person that cheated him, when that someone might very well try to cheat him himself?

But that had to have happened, right? After all, how else could Harry Potter become Lord Slytherin? There were only three ways to take up a Lordship. Blood related within three degrees, blood adoption, and right of conquest.

Virgo froze. And right of conquest.

That couldn't be, could it?

Then the title should have gone to John. After all, he was the Boy-Who-Lived. But… he wasn't the one the prophecy spoke about. The prophecy was about Harry Potter. It said Harry Potter was the one who could – or would, Virgo didn't know – defeat Voldemort. It said Harry Potter was the one who would become worse than Voldemort.

And again, why would Death send back in time someone that might very well try to cheat him?

It just didn't line up.

What if, for just a moment, she entertained the possibility that Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived? Right of conquest coupled with the change towards soul age could explain him being Lord Slytherin. His knowledge could come from either the future or his horcrux, or perhaps a mixture of both. Considering the soul chasm that she knew existed between horcruxes, he could have gained access to Voldemort's mind. She might just prefer that explanation over Voldemort blood adopting his horcrux.

It would also resolve the strange duality where John was the Boy-Who-Lived but the prophecy was about Harry. Sure, it was possible, but it seemed strange that the famous, political nemesis of Voldemort was the brother of the one who could defeat him, when you thought about it.

And what about the horcrux? Because she knew Harry either had a horcrux, or had merged with one. She had no practical experience, of course, but her gut told her that the horcrux would be more likely to attach to the target of the killing curse than to the brother of the target.

It made a lot of sense that way. But none of the evidence was conclusive.

Yet, at the same time – why had Dumbledore never told John the exact wording of the prophecy? The man was a politician to the bone, and a natural at hiding things. Had he done so here? Again, she didn't – couldn't – know, yet something seemed off. The pieces simply didn't quite fit if you took the knowledge she and John had about the prophecy at face value.

Lord Slytherin, she knew, was opposed to both Voldemort and Dumbledore. Voldemort was obvious – he'd been sent back in time to deal with Voldemort. Dumbledore wasn't much less obvious, considering the man had tried to send him off to Azkaban and had actually succeeded at doing so in the past timeline - or timelines.

Right now, Virgo was on John's side. She'd managed to convince him she wasn't a horcrux anymore, but she doubted Dumbledore would be so lenient if he ever found it out. Voldemort wasn't likely to appreciate her siding with John, and even if he would welcome her, there was no way she was throwing her money in with a man who'd ticked off Death enough to send not one but two people back in time to get rid of him.

Lord Slytherin, politically, seemed to be on the level of Dumbledore and Voldemort and rising. In magical prowess, not much below them. John? He could beat a seventh year. Barely. His political influence came as Heir to his father and favorite of Dumbledore, meaning he had almost none of his own. And Lord Slytherin might very well have a personal vendetta against him, considering he'd conspired with Dumbledore in the attempt to send Harry to prison.

To put it simply, being at John's side did not look appealing.

She could not get to Dumbledore's side even if she wanted. She did not want to risk Voldemort's side. Lord Slytherin, however, was much more of an unknown. He'd hunted her previously – she was quite sure of that now – but he knew about the diary, and thus most likely knew she was a horcrux, so he had a motive she understood, and perhaps she could convince him that it was outdated now that she had had the soul merger. Perhaps she could use her animagus form to help with that? After all, an animagus required a whole soul, so a horcrux couldn't be an animagus.

He also portrayed a rather meritocratic image, rather than Voldemort's traditional image or Dumbledore's tolerant image, which meant he was more likely to judge her on her abilities and potential. She had thought it a mask, but if he was not actually a horcrux merger, then perhaps it was more true than she'd previously believed. What if she attempted to side with him?

The worst case, he'd kill her because she was a horcrux. But then, that was the most likely outcome if she remained with John as well. Her sixteen years of magical knowledge would never match up to all the knowledge Voldemort had obtained over time and even who knew how many years into the future from now. In fact, she could barely match up to the assassin he'd sent, who she now suspected was Weasley – a first year.

If she could convince him she was willing to side with him, however… he was the side that was prophesized to be victorious – no matter how much or how little of that prophecy was true, this part didn't seem to be in question – and he had the power to stand against Voldemort and Dumbledore. That was more than John could claim.

She really was in an awful position. Going to Lord Slytherin – or Harry Potter, whichever was more true to who he was – was likely to be a bad move. But all other moves she could see were worse. She couldn't do nothing because John's side was horribly outmatched and two other sides had a personal interest in getting him out of the way. She couldn't join Voldemort because he was unlikely to accept her and was unlikely to be victorious in the long run, as well. She couldn't join Dumbledore because he'd most likely try and get her killed, or perhaps even do the deed himself. She could certainly not start her own side – that way she'd just have everyone coming for her. So – Lord Slytherin it was.

She took numerous deep breaths, then with a courage she thought must have come from Julia and her Gryffindor sorting, she set off towards the dungeons.

Virgo was in luck. The moment she arrived at the Slytherin common room the portrait hole opened and Weasley came out.

"Weasley. I want to talk to Lord Slytherin."

The red-head looked at her as if she were something she'd found under her shoe. "Perhaps send him a letter, Malfoy?"

"I figured going through you would be faster."

"Do I look like an owl?"

Virgo tilted her head slightly. "Not… particularly. But an owl does feel a little redundant, wouldn't you agree? No need to waste that time when it's so easy for you to contact him right now."

Weasley gave her a curious look.

"A moment."

The girl climbed back through the portrait hole and Virgo made to follow, only to be stopped.

"It's not like I've never seen it before," Virgo objected, causing Weasley to freeze. Yes, Virgo thought, I just admitted to having been in the Slytherin common room before. Let's see what you make of that.

"Doesn't matter," Weasley replied. "Even if I would trust you, and rest assured that I don't, escorting you through the common room would start all kind of unwanted rumors. You wait here."

The portrait closed in Virgo's face, and a minute later Weasley returned with Harry Potter.

Potter held out his hand. "Wand."

Virgo hesitated barely a moment before handing her wand over. All or nothing.

"Come along, and no tricks."

She followed Potter to a nearby abandoned classroom, where he thoroughly warded the door before sitting on a table, motioning for her to sit opposite him. Weasley positioned herself next to the wall, right behind Virgo, which left her feeling exposed.

"Ginny tells me you believe, for some reason, that I am Lord Slytherin?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I'm quite certain about that, Mr Boy-Who-Lived."

Even that did not break his mask, though Virgo did hear Weasley gasp behind her.

"Perhaps you can clarify why you want to speak with Lord Slytherin, miss… Riddle?"

"That name would not be accurate," Virgo corrected. "First, because I gave up the Riddle line for the Malfoy line when I was adopted, and second because I am not Tom Riddle."

"Do explain," Potter said, cutting off Weasley.

"After someone," she glared at him, "attacked my mindscape, the horcrux of Tom Riddle merged with the soul of Julia Olsen, who this body originally belonged to. I am Virgo Malfoy. Not Julia Olsen and definitely not Tom Riddle."

Potter studied her for a moment. "Why don't you tell me a few things about my dear brother?"

Translation, he had absolutely no reason to tell her anything, she had sought him out and would have to divulge everything she knew, and then he would judge whether that was enough for him to let her live. Well, it was her intention to tell him everything already.

"He was sent back in time by the Death and Fate after he died fighting Voldemort. You were sent back in time as well, and he incorrectly believes you went along with him. That makes no sense, because you went back three years further than he did, and clearly gained knowledge you did not have at the time John went back in time. My conclusion is that he was sent back first, seemingly destined to fail considering how little Fate and Death told him, and you were sent back separately.

"He knows who you are, and knows about horcruxes, as well as that I was one. He does not know how you became Lord Slytherin, though I believe he attributes it to your general evilness. He also does not know the exact wording of the prophecy, only it's supposed general contents."

She eyed Potter to see if the mention of a prophecy got any kind of reaction – not that she had expected that.

"What are your beliefs about Lord Slytherin?"

"Previously, I believed Voldemort recognized you as a horcrux and blood adopted and mentored you, explaining your knowledge and the Lordship, but then killed you after you merged with your horcrux. I now believe that you gained his knowledge some other way, perhaps through the soul chasm, and that you gained the title through right of conquest, making you the true Boy-Who-Lived."

"Why did you decide to seek out Lord Slytherin?"

Virgo hesitated. "Voldemort seeks to kill John because he is the visible figure of the Light, and I doubt your intentions towards him are much more generous after what happened in both previous timelines and the current one. Unless Dumbledore comes out on top in this three-way war that is brewing, John is doomed. And if Dumbledore does come out ahead, I doubt he will show any lenience towards me due to who I am."

"I am to believe you would not run to Voldemort the moment he rears his head?"

"If I am lucky, he'd force me into some kind of object again. I'd rather remain human."

Potter looked her over. "Being in a position of weakness is doing you well. You are already smarter than Tom Riddle was."

She brought up her occlumency barriers to avoid an angry retort.

"What do you think, Ginny?"

"She seems very forthcoming with information," Weasley replied.

"That she does," Potter agreed. Virgo narrowly stopped herself from pointing out she was sitting right here. "Of course, not much we don't know yet. Not to mention there are a lot of guesses that may not be accurate. What do you propose, Ginny?"

It remained silent, and Virgo risked a look at the redhead behind her.

"I don't trust her as far as I can throw her," the girl spoke. "But she is right in her assessment of the situation. The Light would certainly not accept her in the long term, I'm by no means an expert on Voldemort but what she said sounds sensible, and John is just a sad excuse for a human being anyway. Let her prove herself."

"Very well," Potter agreed. "Virgo, you will inform us of everything you know about either the Light or the Dark, and John in particular. You will subtly steer John in the wrong direction whenever possible – he's a Gryffindor, you should be able to manage that. How much influence do you have over Lord Malfoy?"

"Significant, but not total," she answered truthfully.

"Encourage him to take as passive a role as you can manage, but make sure to not expose yourself. If Draco trusts you, steer him further in the direction of the Gray as well. Beyond that, if I even have so much as a suspicion that the Chamber is opened, your life is forfeit. You will not even consider performing the Unforgivable Ritual or your life is forfeit. I may decide to make additional demands on the Unforgivable Ritual from you, up to and including an Unbreakable Vow to never perform it. You will display absolute obedience to me, Ginny, Daphne, Luna, Alex and Hermione. You will not be seen together with us unless there is an emergency or you have a reason unrelated to your political allegiance. When possible, you will inform Lord Slytherin of anything you have discovered by traversing the soul chasm towards his mind. Clear?"

"Clear. And I already know you are Lord Slytherin, no need to hide that."

"You should not regard your assumptions as proof, Virgo. Now, unless you have anything that we want to know right now, it is time for you to go back to that idiot brother of mine."

She nodded and made her way out of the classroom.

"Oh, and Virgo? Reign in that house elf, or your life is still forfeit."