Chapter 9 – New Friendships

The rest of Harry's holiday break went by rather smoothly.

He spent most of the time reading over the book Nicolas Flamel had given him on Alchemy back when he returned the stone. It was called 'The Foundations of Alchemy'. It was written by Flamel so it had a lot of useful information in it which he wouldn't have known otherwise.

There were also a lot of spells in it which were invented by Flamel himself. It was mainly things like spells to protect yourself during experiments and projects, and other quality of life spells.

One in particular which Harry fell in love with was a spell that made solid matter have the quality of clay temporarily, so it could be molded into a desired shape, before the spell wears off and it then stays in the shape which it was molded into. Flamel wrote that it was something which he now used as a necessity.

The Molding Spell, 'Materia forma', as it was called, worked well with gems and other metals that were difficult to shape correctly. With gems, it allowed for their entire mass to be used, but also to not lose anything which usually happens with gem cutting. With metals, it was great for intricate work for someone who wasn't a craftsman.

Anything made with metal this way, wouldn't be as good as it would have been if it was forged, like swords and armor. For Alchemy though, it worked perfectly.

When Harry saw this spell, he though of building his home. It would be a miracle worker to get the metals in place, but it also worked with wood. With enough know-how, he could build his whole house this way, then after it was done, he could even merge things together with the spell, making it quite sturdy. That was before he added the Runes, he was thinking of to it.

One large development during his break was that after the night at the Malfoys, he had decided to take Flamel up on his offer of further correspondence. He mentioned that he had heard some stuff about the Gods in the wizarding world, and asked for more information about them. Another part of his letter mentioned that he had come across the mention of something called a Horcrux, and wanted to know more about it.

That of course, made Flamel more than a little curious, since he as someone which most saw as immortal, knew quite a lot about other methods, and that was one he reviled. Harry also wanted mention the basilisk, but figured that he could deal with it on his own. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to do with it yet, but that was a plan for the rest of the year.

After the mentions of the two subjects of his letter, Flamel sent Harry two books.

The first was called 'Gods and Goddesses: A Treasury and Mythos'. It mainly gave basic information, which of course was quite foundational stuff. If he looked in other bookstores outside of the UK, he could have found most of the same information there. It just seemed like it wasn't that easily accessible in the UK, which he didn't know why.

It gave brief descriptions of a number of deities, their symbols, domains, and what was known about them. A lot of it had passed to the muggle world as mythology, but in the magical world, the stuff they remembered was much more important. Wars between Pantheons, the rise and fall of certain gods, but nothing every too detailed. It just made Harry want to learn more. This much, however, was not enough for him to complete his quest.

The second book, was one which Harry was strictly warned about. To not attempt anything in the book unless he fully knew the consequences, and even then, it was best just to have this book as an educational tool on what NOT to do. It was called 'Secrets of the Darkest Art'. After Harry scanned through the first few pages he began to shutter and put it away. It was going to be a book that he would have to read sparingly little at a time.

Aside from this, Harry just studied, practiced magic, and drew up some architecture plans for his home. He mainly needed to know where he was going to build the support pillars, which he was leaving for summer. He didn't want to leave all this sitting around in the snow partially done.

As the end of break came, he decided to put his points he earned from the dungeon to good use. 10 into LUK, so he could get 7 points per level from now on. He considered it an investment. 10 into WIS, and then 5 into both STR and VIT. He believed that a solid foundation would be most beneficial for the future, when he would need to decide on what he wanted to focus on.

Harry James Potter

Title: The-Boy-Who-Lived

Level: 23 [EXP: 1415/2300]

HP: 4000 ((STR x VIT) x 10) = HP (Regen = (DEX x VIT) / 100) 4 Min

MP: 1020 ((INT+WIS+VIT) x 10) = MP (Regen = (WIS x INT) / 100) 16.8 Min

STR: 20

VIT: 20

DEX: 20

INT: 42

WIS: 40

LUK: 20

Stat Points: 0 (+7 Per Level)

January 3rd, 1993

King's Cross Station

Slipping back onto the platform was quite easy while invisible and with his chest in his inventory carefully stored away. After he found a compartment, he covered the windows with the curtains then took his invisibility off.

He knew it wouldn't do him any good if nobody ever saw him around. It would cause questions to be asked that he didn't want to answer.

The train started to leave the station, and just a few minutes later there was a knock on his compartment door.

"Hello Hermione, Ron." Harry said.

"Hey, how've you been?" Ron asks.

"We've been worried about you." Says Hermione.

"I've been good. Been a bit busy with stuff. The whole Heir of Slytherin thing isn't that helpful." Harry said with an eyeroll.

"Yeah umm… You aren't, are you?" Ron asks quietly, only to have Hermione give him a wilting glare.

"No, I am not. I don't know why people think I am. I can talk to snakes. Big deal." Harry said with a touch of sarcasm.

"But, you can talk to snakes!" Ron said.

"And? Does that really change so much?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it does! Everyone who talks to snakes are dark wizards!" Ron says, getting a bit heated up.

"So I am a dark wizard now?" Harry asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No, that's not what I—" Ron stutters a bit.

"Ron, just stop!" Hermione demanded before he could make it worse.

Harry just shook his head. This conversation went down hill fast. It seems like Ron was stuck on that idea, while Hermione was trying a bit. He could work with that, perhaps.

"Honestly, I would consider myself grey if anything." Harry responds.

Hermione turns back to him, looking him over for a second. "But… that's not a thing!" She says. "I haven't read anything about grey wizards in any books!" She says quickly.

Harry just rolled his eyes a bit. "Yeah, that's the point."

Ron just shrinks in his seat a little bit. He seemed to know about them.

Harry takes a deep breath. "Grey wizards are more of a middle area. All magic is just that, magic. Magic itself isn't light or dark, there are just the methods in which it is used that can be considered light, or dark."

Harry was leaving out White and Black magic which were more extremes, that wouldn't have been helpful in this conversation.

"But then, why haven't I heard of it before?" Hermione asks, sounding distressed.

Reasons like this were why Harry was avoiding Hermione. It was both annoying and exhausting dealing with someone who always had a need to know everything. Harry loved knowing things, but didn't freak out or go into a panic attack when there was something he didn't know.

"I just heard it from my dad a couple times. He called grey wizards: neutrals, or fence-sitters. It sounded quite political." Ron said with a shrug.

Harry knew a bit more than that, since he read over his grandfather's journal. The Potters were historically Grey, but at the same time were many old families. In recent times, it seems like your family is expected to take a side. The Potters took the Light side of things, while the Grey Houses were now the minority.

"It is political, but at the same time, its more about how one person views magic and how they use it that determines that. A Light wizard can't suddenly proclaim themselves to be a Dark wizard. It is a process which has to happen over time, a change in a person's magic."

When Harry said he was grey, it was because he was practicing all sorts of magic, including the Dark Arts. He couldn't actually tell what nature his magic was, since that was a form of magical sensing that he hadn't learned yet.

Their conversation entered a lull, making them all fall into an awkward silence.

"I didn't realize that you two went home. I figured you both stayed at Hogwarts." Harry said. It was something he wasn't expecting.

"I just wanted to go home and see my parents over break. I don't get to see them that much, and usually only in the summer." Hermione responded.

"I wasn't planning on it, but uhm… Ginny was acting a bit odd. She didn't seem to be enjoying her first year. I went home with her, to see if being with her at home would help. It did a bit, but she still seems jittery and nervous. A bad case of homesickness."

Now that Harry thought about it, it did make a bit of sense. Hermione went home for break last year, and Ron stuck around for him. Without him there, there wasn't anything holding him back.

Also, the part about Ginny did catch his attention. He knew it had to do with the Diary, but he still wasn't completely sure what it was doing to her. A form of possession was likely due to the description of the Diary, but he still didn't know enough about Horcruxes to be certain.

Their conversation went dead again. It seemed like they really were growing apart. And strangely, Harry didn't mind.

January 11th, 1993

The first week of school went by rather quickly. Everyone seemed to have gotten over their fears from the end of the previous semester, and even though most stopped talking about the Chamber and the Heir of Slytherin, it didn't make people forget.

He was still looked at with suspicion and fear. He had to avoid pretty much everyone he could. There were times when a spell was sent at his back, but most were nothing but annoyances.

He tried to make himself seen more often, and only went invisible when he knew that he could get away with it. It was one of those times now at Lunch. He was sitting beside Luna Lovegood, and writing to her.

"How are your classes going? Enjoying your first year?" Harry wrote to her.

"They're okay. The people aren't, but I do love learning about magic." She said softly with a hint of a smile.

"I am not a fan of the people either. They all seem to just lack common sense." Harry wrote.

"Why do you say that?" Luna asked with a slight frown.

Harry hesitated for a moment, before writing. He still hadn't told her who he was yet.

"They way they are looking at Harry Potter. They think he is trying to cull the school of muggleborns, when his own mother was one. I believe that he actually respected her quite a bit." Harry wrote, remembering his earliest memory of a green flash.

"Yeah, I guess I can see what you mean." Luna said with a thoughtful look.

"I also assume that you love learning magic for other reasons besides what most people love about it. You love the way it looks and changes, don't you?" Harry wrote with a soft smile. He enjoyed the look of shock on her face.

"How did you…" She stuttered.

"I know things. It was also because you can see me, or rather my shape that gave it away." Harry wrote.

"Can you… not tell anyone? My father told me to keep it a secret…" She said softly.

Harry almost wanted to ask why, but stopped. In one book on the Dark Arts he read, it mentioned using the blood or body parts of people with bloodline traits. His Parseltongue would count, which already made him a target for some. But having Luna's eyes would be wonderful for any magic user. He could already understand why she wanted to keep it a secret.

"Alright, I will. You have my word." Harry stated.

Harry wrote a quick farewell to her and got up to leave. He had some time to himself, so he headed to the library. He had been splitting his time between thinking of a method of dealing with the basilisk and investigating herbology books.

He was mainly looking for the mention or information on a Blood Tree. Mostly due to him having acquired a Seed of a Blood Tree from the dungeon. He knew he needed to feed it his blood, but nothing else besides that. After the last week of looking through the herbology books, he realized something.

A plant that needed to be fed blood wouldn't be in a school book, or would probably be in the restricted section if anything.

Harry was about to pull out another book from the shelves when he stopped and had a thought. He could just ask someone.

He quickly left the library and checked the Great Hall, then headed up to the Gryffindor common room, where he met the person he was looking for.

"Hey Neville, I wanted to ask you about something." Harry says while sitting down beside him.

"Hey Harry, what is it?" Neville asks back. They had both been getting along decently since working together in class, and he was the only person in Gryffindor who he talked to on a decently regular basis.

"I have an herbology question. Have you ever heard of something called a Blood Tree?" Harry asked.

Neville sat there thinking hard for a few seconds, fidgeting with his fingers. "I, think so?" He said, but sounded unsure. "If I had, then it would have been in my Family's— well, you know." He finished.

Harry just nodded. With his father out of the picture, he had access to the Family Grimoire, atleast in a limited quantity. Old Families were always careful on how their own families would get access to their grimoire, and limited how others in their family could get at it.

For instance, if the heir of the family killed or made the lord indisposed, the magic of the Grimoire would prevent them from being able to access it. It was a safety feature, but also a deterrent.

"If I remember correctly, most of them have either been destroyed, wilted, or simply lost. The seeds even more so. A seed will only come from a tree, and the seed can then be used by someone with different blood." Neville sat there, biting at his fingernails. He seemed deep in thought. "I don't remember the specifics of what they do. I could find out for you, though." Neville said.

The Longbottom's always had a deep grasp on herbology. If Harry's ancestors took correct notes, then it is highly likely that their Family was founded by a Druid. That would have had a decent effect on their future generations.

"Thanks Nev. Consider it a favor to me. I will repay you in the future." Harry said. Neville just nodded in understanding with a small smile.

Their conversations had mentioned their future Lordships, and Neville was always worried about that as a position. He never thought he could make decent agreements with people for the good of his family, but this gave him a starting point.

Favors dominated the political arena, and the more you have, the better off you will be.

Harry took a glance at his inventory, seeing the egg he had obtained, but knew nothing of how to use it. It didn't match any descriptions of anything he had read or looked over, and the only family he could think of off the top of his head for Magical Creatures were the Scamander's which were a minor house.

The next couple days went by smoothly, with nothing major happening. Harry had realized at one point that he had been thinking about ways to deal with the basilisk, but he hadn't thought of finding the chamber. It had completely slipped his mind.

He had a few hints, but nothing specific. He did remember Draco mentioning that he knew it had opened about 50 years ago, so that is a good starting point. He knew that asking teachers wouldn't benefit him at all. Last year he tried talking to them about the Stone and his suspicions, but they were just thrown off. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

With a renewed vigor, he began looking through the library once more.

He spent the next two weeks looking through the library and other parts of the school for any mention of the previous chamber being open.

He wasn't having much luck, and he wasn't planning on asking the teachers. Some could have been around then, but he didn't plan on asking. Last year, he brought his concerns to members of the staff, but they all just waved off his worries. He wasn't going to be making that mistake again.

One thing he did find was newspaper articles. One mentioned the opening of the chamber, with the same method of writing in blood. Then another article about a month after mentioned the death of a student.

It never said the students name, or anything about them. He looked around the school for something to indicate that. A memorial, a plaque, a photograph, something. In doing so, he learned that there was actually a lack of anything of the sort, for any student.

Magic was a wonderous thing, but handling it carelessly can have dangerous consequences. With this in mind, there should have been some deaths of students over the years, but there was actually a huge lack of them. Or just simple no mention ever done.

It was unnerving, but at the same time it was done too cleanly. Almost as if someone had tried to clean up any mention of them.

In a way it could be understood. You don't want to tell the parents how many children had died within these halls, but at the same time, it was disrespectful of the dead, to be forgotten like that.

When Harry was thinking of the dead, he suddenly had a thought.

The Ghosts.

He could perhaps ask one of them.

Between classes and studying, it took Harry a couple days to finally get an answer from one of the ghosts.

The reason it took so long, was that they all avoided him.

The second he appeared; they would quickly move away. Believe it or not, it was actually Peeves who finally gave him an answer.

"You feel… unnerving. The ghosts don't like it, but I can handle it." Peeves said.

Harry thought that Peeves actual sounded much more serious now than he had ever heard him. No joking, no pranks. That just made it weirder.

"Why do I feel unnerving?" Harry asked.

"You feel like… well, death." Peeves said with a slight frown on his face, as he was trying to think of something.

"Like death?" Harry asked, slightly bewildered.

"I am a Poltergeist. I am amortal. I have never lived, so I am unable to die. "You feeling like death is more towards my spirit side, I suppose." Peeves said. He tapped his nose a bit in thought.

"Ghosts were once living, but they didn't want to pass. They fear death. That is why they run from you."

Harry frowned in thought as well for a few moments, before facepalming hard.

He was wearing Death's cloak. It must have more side effects to it than he realized. The ghosts could sense it, and thus ran from him because of it. He knew now that he would never have any good relations with ghosts.

To Peeves, the feeling of death must be unnerving, since it isn't something he should ever experience, and so the dichotomy of amortality and death pushing against each other does this. Maybe that is what is making Peeves be more serious?

"Thank you for telling me, Peeves." Harry said with a slight bow.

"But I must ask you then. Do you know of any students that died about 50 years ago? I don't want to ask the teachers, and there are no records in the school." Harry said.

Peeves floated there, then crossed his legs before leaning forward and scratching his chin.

"Hmm… 50 years ago…. 50 years ago…." Peeves kept muttering.

Harry realized a slight issue. To something which is amortal, time must have little meaning. Thankfully he was in luck.

"Ah! I do remember!" Peeves shouted with a grin.

"If I remember correctly, then it was Myrtle!" He said.

"Moaning Myrtle?" Harry asked in bewilderment. He had seen the ghost a couple times, but usually avoided it.

"Yes! Her!" Peeves said happily for a few moments before turning serious again. "Don't call her 'Moaning Myrtle', it hurts her feelings." He said.

"Right, just Myrtle it is." Harry said with a nod.

Harry turned and left, but it would have been valuable to him if he had used 'Observe' on Peeves.

Now that Harry was thinking about it, he did remember finding the Diary in Myrtle's Bathroom. That shouldn't be a coincidence. The student who died to the basilisk was found near the one thing which caused it this time.

He dipped around the corner before turning invisible and making his way down to the second-floor girls' bathroom. He stepped in, and looked around.

There were no female students, which wasn't surprising. Few ever came down this way. Taking a glance around the bathroom, he didn't see Myrtle either. It seemed like she also ran from him.

He slowly started searching around the bathroom, checking every nook and cranny. He was thankful that atleast now he had narrowed it down to a single room. If he had to go through the entire castle like this, he would've rather gouged out his own eyes than look everything over.

Half an hour later, he stood before one of the sinks. On the faucet was the carving of a snake.

He was tempted to try and open the passage way, which he figured was in Parseltongue. However, he wasn't ready to face the basilisk. He remembered how insane it was sounding, and knew due to his 'observe' ability that it had been struggling against opposing orders.

He had to force himself to step away from the entrance, and went down the hallway, to the room which he had been practicing in. He decided it was best to work on spells that he could use to help against it. Piercing hexes and curses for its eyes, a bit of conjuration for roosters, and basically any spell he could see himself using.

He did have to admit, that it was favorable that there hadn't been any more petrified students since school started back up.

February 6th, 1993

Harry checked his EXP he has earned throughout the past couple weeks.

+25 EXP x 5 weeks x 10 assignments per week = 1,250 EXP

Level up!

He had now hit level 24, and was proceeding at a decent pace. It was not as much as he was hoping for however. He realized that these assignments would keep a decent amount of EXP incoming, but he needed to find ways to earn more EXP. Quests would be beneficial, but at the same time, he wasn't sure what quests would be good to get.

Harry was sitting in his study room, and decided that it was about time he started reading 'The Elements of Olde', the book on elemental magic.

He started reading through the book, but was a bit surprised.

Modern spells and charms, which use things like 'aguamenti' and 'incendio' weren't true elemental spells. They used the element, sure, but not in the way it was meant to be used.

Reading further, he found that true elemental magic had no incantations, and was completely wandless. It was shaped and controlled by someone's will and magic. There were ways to mix this into enchantments and wards, but that was much more difficult, and could only be done once a person was quite proficient in elemental magic.

He was reading through the book, and it talked about magical control, which wasn't something he had really ever heard of. It made sense however.

He pulled out his Family Grimoire and flipped to the front. He was quite thankful that it actually had a bit of a search function. On a certain page, all he had to do was write down a word or phrase and the book would show which pages stuff was on.

He wrote down "Magical Control", and actually got a lot of info on it. Most of it however, was from his far distant ancestors.

Magical Control came from meditation. It was something that held most prominence in Asian cultures. They still knew a bit of it today called 'cultivation'. It wasn't the same, but it was somewhat similar.

He read through examples and saw that he would need to focus on his magical core, then pull a bit of magic out, and have it flow through his body in a pattern he desired. Usually it was along the bones, muscles, or blood vessels, but having it go out of control can damage the body. High risk, and a high reward.

Once you reach a certain point, you can push your magic outside your body, and have it flow around you that way. Once that point was reached, they could then control their magic to make it take an elemental form. Due to this process, it was much more potent, cost less magic, and was more easily controlled.

These meditation exercises would in turn help him with casting other magic from this point forward.

He wondered why it had fallen out of favor. Flipping through a few pages, he realized why. They didn't need to do this in order to use magic. Magicals just needed a wand, and they completely bypassed it. Magicals were weaker without it, but they just didn't put in the time for it, and now it is rarely mentioned thanks to the passage of time.

He looked back towards his elemental book in new light. It must be pretty old in order for it to mention such information as if it was common knowledge.

He put that book away and sat down in a meditative position.

It took him about an hour of focus, mixed with his occlumency. Finally, he could sense his magical core. It looked like a kaleidoscope of lights. It was filled with energy, and pulsing in beat with his heart. It had a small film around it which made the core. He slowly controlled his breathing, and began to pull out a bit of his magic and have it travel along his bones.

His bones were the most durable part of his body, which lessened the risks.

Ding!

New Skill obtained!

Magical Control [Level 1]: Your control over your magic. With a higher control, comes numerous possibilities. +1% Max Magic, +1% Magic Regen.

He controlled his breathing as he looked the skill over. It made sense, considering he was manipulating it through his core, and exercising it. He took a deep breath and began practicing some more.

He made it move down one leg, up the leg and down the other. He made it do a whole cycle through his body, feeling it move through his body like gas. Everywhere it touched would tingle, leaving a warm sensation behind.

February 14th, 1993

Valentine's Day

Harry had spent the majority of the past week focusing on his control over his magic. When he compared his growth rate to that of the records he had, it showed that he was actually progressing at an insane rate.

He asked Orczy why that was, and his answer was that it was the effect the System had on his body. It made his highly adaptable, and direct learning was much more beneficial compared to book learning.

He had already hit level 23 in Magical Control. His progress was slowing down a bit, but not as much as he expected.

Today however, was Valentine's day. It usually wouldn't be too special. There would be a couple people doing odd romantic pronouncements, confessions, gifts, the usual.

That was before Lockhart came to the school.

During Breakfast, Lockhart was wearing lurid pink robes. He had prepared to have large pink flowers to decorate the hall, and there were heart-shaped pink confetti falling from the ceiling. That alone was a bit over the top, but then he made an announcement. He had hired a dozen dwarves to wear golden wings and carry harps to make them look like cupids.

Any student could write a letter and give it to a dwarf and have them deliver it, by either singing it or saying it aloud. The issue was that he didn't limit how many a single student could send.

Later in the day after lunch, after Harry had already received a couple, he turned invisible, and dropped a large stack of letters in front of a couple dwarves. He had used self-writing quill and had wrote down over a dozen horrid letters, and had them be given to one person.

Potions that day was rather interesting. While he was working on his own assignment, he got to watch his letters be read aloud to Snape during class.

"His nose as crooked as a vulture

His hair as greasy as a pig's fat

A dungeon bat named Snape

Who has the self-control of an overgrown ape!"

It was one of the horrid poems that Harry had tried to write. He didn't care how terrible it was, especially since the reaction was worth it.

Snape was getting deep red in the face, barely restraining himself from cursing the poor dwarf who was reading them. As soon as it finished reading it, he gritted his teeth.

"Get. Out." He said to the dwarf. Harry was sure he could hear Snape's teeth grinding from where he was sitting. The rest of the class finished without another word from Snape, who was sitting there just glaring. Harry was sure that he couldn't figure out it was him, but he was also sure that Snape was going to blame Lockhart.

Harry and Lockhart both had been having their own bouts. Harry would say stuff or do pranks against him, while Lockhart would put Harry in tough situations, or have him do things he wouldn't want to. He even once wanted to reenact a part from his book, having Harry play the werewolf. Sure, he could do that.

Then Lockhart wanted him to howl and get down on all fours. Yeah, he wasn't doing that. The next day, Lockhart was stuck with dog ears for the rest of the day. Things had actually been getting a bit worse on that front over time.

Some of the students had begun to realize that Lockhart didn't know anything, and this Valentine's Day alone wasn't helping at all.

During Dinner later that day, there was lots of glares aiming towards Lockhart. It seemed his attempt to boost morale through the school hasn't helped.

February 21st, 1993

It has been a week since Valentine's day, and Harry just decided to bite the bullet. He had been preparing as well as he could for the basilisk, but he could only prepare so much in the given time.

He didn't know if it would lash out still, so he decided it was time to go investigate.

He turned himself invisible, and cast multiple charms to silence his steps, get rid of his scent, and anything he could to hide himself. He then walked towards Myrtles bathroom and up to the sink. He decided to try the first thing which came to him.

§§ Open §§ Harry hissed.

The sink lowered into the floor and slid away, revealing a long dark tunnel.

He decided to try something else.

§§ Stairs §§ He said.

Stairs started appearing from the walls, giving him a way down. He cast a couple cleaning charms on the way down, and finally stepped out of the bottom of the tunnel.

The first thing he noticed was the piles of bones. They were mainly from rodents and other small animals. These didn't seem to be able to fill the basilisk with enough food given its size.

He walked a little farther and came across a snake skin. It was slightly pale compared to its actual scales from Harry's memory, but the skin itself was nearly 40 feet long.

Harry walked down the stone tunnel he was in until he came across a large metal door. It seemed to be iron, but Harry was sure it was something much harder given its location.

§§ Open §§

The door made thudding sounds as the snakes on it slowly shifted in their positions, unlocking the door. It swung open, revealing a large chamber.

It was dark green, and was quite damp, with puddles forming on the dark stone floors. There was some moss on the walls, and the snake effigies looked as if they could use a good scrubbing. Their color seemed dull, and Harry was sure that they should shine when polished.

At the end of the Chamber was the large face of Salazar Slytherin. Harry glanced around and didn't see any sign of the snake.

Due to his Familiar Bond with Hedwig, his eyesight was fixed and enhanced, allowing him to see many details he would have missed otherwise. There were trails along the floor where it seemed a large snake had slithered through.

He looked around for a moment, before deciding on his method of choice. He walked up to the side of Salazar Slytherin's head and climbed on top, sitting down.

Putting his wand to his throat, he cast 'Sonorous'. It was a useful spell for amplifying things, and in this case, his voice.

He closed his eyes, and prepared himself.

§§ Hello? Anyone there? §§ Harry hissed out.

A few seconds passed, until he began to hear the grinding of stone under him.

§§ Who calls me? §§ A voice says.

Harry almost let out a sigh at that. Atleast the basilisk sounded somewhat sane.

§§ I do. My name is Harry. What is yours? §§ Harry asks back. He knew the answer, but he couldn't say that.

He could hear it moving along the floor, as if searching for something. He kept his eyes closed, not daring to open them.

§§ My name was one given to me by my master. My name is Amaranth. Where are you? §§ She replies.

§§ Hiding. I have heard you in the walls of the school. You sound much saner now than you had before. §§ Harry says back.

§§ My Master wanted me to defend the school… My Master's heir wanted me to kill the students. I… couldn't do either. The magics forbid it. §§ She sounded stressed. As if she knew what she had to do, but couldn't.

§§ The Heir, he went by the name of Tom Riddle, didn't he? §§ Harry said.

§§ Do not speak his name! §§ He heard the basilisk roar before slamming into something, sending a loud sound through the chamber.

§§ He twisted me and my Master's wishes! I have been protecting the school for 1000 years! Then that brat wants me to ruin it all! He had no respect, and only wished to destroy and destroy! §§ She ranted aloud, letting her fury be known.

§§ I notice that you aren't following his orders now. Why is that? §§ Harry asked. He wanted to be sure the basilisk wouldn't be a threat in the future.

§§ My Master's orders take priority! Given enough time, his will push out those that go against them! The Heir in the girls' body hasn't been here, so they no longer bind me! §§ She sounded relieved at that, and triumphant.

§§ Yes, I am aware of that. I have the object that was controlling her. He won't be down here again. §§ Harry answers.

Amaranth goes silent for a few moments, then Harry could hear a soft hiss. §§ Thank you. §§

§§ You're welcome. I wanted to be sure that you wouldn't attack anymore students. §§ Harry said back.

§§ Have—Have I killed any, this time? §§ She asked.

Harry realized that she must have realized what happened to Myrtle 50 years ago.

§§ No. Only petrified, and that will be undone soon. §§ Harry answered.

§§ Good. That's good. §§ She sounded relieved.

§§ Yes. If a student had died, then this conversation would have happened quite differently. I am glad that you are back the way you were. Most of the school currently is still tense about the previous ones, but with no more happening, things should go back to normal. §§ Harry said.

They were both quiet for a few moments.

§§ Why do you still hide then, if I am no longer a danger? §§ Amaranth asks.

§§ Because of your eyes. I don't want to drop dead, and hiding is the best way I could think of to protect myself. §§ Harry replied back.

Harry heard some hissing noises, but then he realized that it was laughing. The basilisk was laughing at him.

§§ What's so funny? §§ He asks.

§§ A Parselmouth can't be affected by my gaze. It is one of the very few things we can't affect. §§

That surprised Harry. "Hey Orczy, is she right?" Harry asked the System.

Yes. I detected no falsehood, and on closer inspection, that does seem to be the case.

That made Harry let out a relieved sigh.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, and looked down. He saw the basilisk turning from side to side, looking around from him. She appeared to actually be around 80 feet long, which was titanic for the size of a snake. She was also much larger around than long compared to a normal snake. Looking into her eyes gave him a soft tingling feeling, deep inside his body and soul as it resisted the gaze.

§§ You are much bigger than I assumed you to be. §§ Harry said softly, but with 'Sonorous' being on, she heard it easily.

§§ Of course! I am a 1000-year-old King of Serpents! §§ She said in a boastful tone. §§ That means that you are looking at me, and you're alive. Therefore, it proves I was correct! §§ She said with a hint of joy. It seemed that she enjoyed actually having someone to talk to after her long hibernation.

§§ Yes, you were. I had my own ways of making certain of that. §§ Harry replied.

§§ Will you let me see you now? I wish to know what you look like. §§ Amaranth asked.

Harry removed the spell from his throat, making his voice go back to normal, then he tentatively dropped his invisibility.

§§ I had hoped that by coming up here, I would be out of your range. It seems that isn't the case. §§ Harry said.

The basilisk quickly turned to look up at him and they locked gazes for a few moments, before Amaranth put down one of her eyelids, removing that odd feeling Harry was having.

§§ A good idea, but one that wouldn't have been fully successful. §§ She said while raising her body up to meet his. §§ You are much smaller than I assumed you to be. What year are you in? §§

§§ Second year. I am twelve years old. §§ Harry said back, only to get a soft laugh from Amaranth.

§§ I recognized your name the moment you mentioned it. You were outed to the school as a Parselmouth. The Heir didn't like that someone else could access the Chamber, so the next day he sought to have you expelled, same as he had the previous time. §§ She said.

§§ Who was it last time? §§ Harry asked.

§§ Some half giant. He had been keeping an Acromantula under his bed in his dorm. It was an easy out for the heir. §§ She said.

Harry quickly realized it was Hagrid. At the mention of half giant, he was the first who appeared in his head, and the mention of being expelled matches what Harry knew. Especially considering he was having to use an umbrella as a wand, which didn't seem legal at all.

§§ I know the man. He is the groundskeeper here at the school. §§ Harry said.

§§ He shouldn't be! Raising a man-eating spider in a children's dorm is disgraceful, and he should be expelled for that alone! Who knows what the oaf has done to the forest over the years! He had too great a love for all sorts of dangerous beasts with little regard for others! §§ She hissed angrily.

It seemed that she still had a dislike for the man, and even more so now.

§§ I don't know for sure. I have only been in the forest a couple times. Once to hunt down the creature that was killing unicorns, and other times to befriend thestrals and get some blood from them. I do think I saw some Acromantula in there. §§ He said honestly. During the day when he went to see the thestrals, he could see some webs covering the forest canopy.

§§ I wish I could take a trip in there to check. §§ She said before her tongue flicked out, licking across her teeth. §§ Acromantula are always delicious. So crunchy… §§

Harry shuddered a bit at that. §§ Are you hungry here then? I could try to get you some better food than what you have been eating. §§

§§ Yes! And can you come down to talk to me a bit? It gets lonely down here. §§ She says.

§§ Sure I can. There is a lot of stuff I would like to talk to you about. §§ Harry said with a smile, and with a quick glance down, he realized that her tail was thumping against the floor, almost like a dog.

§§ It's getting late. I will have to come back later. I will be sure to come back with some food for you then. §§ Harry said with a smile. He bid his farewell, and left the chamber.

Ding!

Congratulations!

You have befriended a Basilisk!

Rewards: +10 Stat Points, +10,000 EXP, +Adept Skill Ticket

Level up x 4! Now level 28!

Harry looked over his rewards for this with a smile. The part which got him interested was the Ticket.

Adept Skill Ticket: Write the name of one of your skills on the ticket, then tear it. This will raise that skill up to the Adept level.

Now Harry just had to figure out which skill to use this on.

The next couple days had Harry studying, but at the same time, he was thinking about Amaranth. She was around 1000 years old. That meant that she must know some things that he didn't. Harry assumed she was Salazar Slytherin's familiar, but he wasn't too sure how accurate that was.

Harry was sort of stuck with his idea of muggle fantasy stories. Where the main character would come across an ancient beast filled with knowledge and wisdom. He was hoping that this was also the case. There was a lot he wanted to know, which he couldn't find elsewhere. Perhaps, she could teach him Parselmagic?

He shook that thought off. Right now, it was night time.

Harry was invisible and making his way into the forbidden forest. He came here, because he needed to get some acromantula for her.

He had gotten used to having his invisibility cloak, but at the same time he didn't feel comfortable relying on it so much. At this point however, it was for safety, and he wasn't about to endanger himself simply for his pride.

He had ambitions, and he had to cunning about it. Perhaps the Sorting Hat was right?

At this point, he still did remember it had a restriction. It would deactivate after 30 seconds into combat, so he had to be quick about it, and get what he needed, and already be running before those 30 seconds were over.

He walked further into the forest, and looked up. He could see the webbing along the trees, and a few acromantula crawling along the trees. Harry was about to start walking again, when he heard footsteps.

He leaned back against a tree, calming his breathing as he saw a light appear.

A couple seconds later, Harry saw who it was.

It was Hagrid. He was holding his crossbow in one hand, and his lantern in the other. He was walking calmly through the forest, and didn't seem the least bit bothered by the spiders.

Harry remembered what Amaranth had said, about Hagrid keeping one. It also didn't help that she mentioned he had probably helped the Forbidden Forest stay true to its name. That gave Harry a thought. Had it always been the Forbidden Forest?

He shook the thoughts away, and followed closely behind Hagrid. He was quite curious about the reason he was here.

He followed behind Hagrid, deep into the forest. Deeper than he had ever been comfortable with. The webs along the branches of the trees were much thicker, and the acromantula were appearing in swarms now, but they never approached Hagrid. They only watched from a distance.

They soon came upon a cave, where the webs were densest.

That was when it came.

A huge Acromantula came crawling out of the cave. It looked close to the size of a small elephant. Harry wasn't even sure just how wide it was when including its legs. The whole thing looked hideous. Harry was tempted to burn it on the spot.

"Aragog, how've you been?" Hagrid said to the spider.

"We've been better Hagrid. Has there been any new information on the monster?" Said the spider, now named Aragog.

"No. There hasn't been anythin' else. It would be easier if ya' just told me what it was." Hagrid said.

"We do not speak of it!" Aragog shouted. "I have told you before. We spiders fear it above all else. I will not say its name! Ever since it ran me out of the castle, we have lived in fear that it would wake up again. And now it has."

"A'right. I was just wantin' to check on ya. How've your children been?" Hagrid asked, trying to shift away from that topic. It seemed like it was one conversation they had many times in the past.

"They've been doing better." Aragog rasped. "They have begun to come closer to home. Staying as far from the castle as possible."

"And Mosag?" Hagrid asked.

"She is doing well. Laying more eggs for the colony." Aragog said.

That made Harry raise an eyebrow. It seemed they were a mating pair. He couldn't see any spider the size of Aragog around though. If there was a nest for eggs, it would probably be deep in that cave Aragog crawled out of.

"Ah, that's good. These younglings are looking healthy, but nowhere near as big as you." Hagrid chuckled.

"Yes. They are growing well. Food is going to become bit of an issue." Aragog said, even though he was downplaying it. Food was already scarce for them, and his children were trying to eat whatever they could get. The new eggs were going to be an issue.

"I'll see what I can do. Can't have you gettin' hungry now, can I?" Hagrid said with a jovial tone, which didn't fit the situation in the slightest.

"I best be gettin' back up to the castle. It's getting rather late." Hagrid said.

"Farewell, Hagrid." Aragog said, and watched as Hagrid left.

Hagrid lumbered out of the clearing, and back towards the castle. Harry stood there, watching.

Aragog had yet to turn away, just watching home go.

He made some odd clicking noises, and the rest of the spiders stilled for a few seconds, then they quickly left, spreading out into the forest. This was probably the only time in Harry's life that he wished he could understand spiders.

Harry slowly made his way back the way Hagrid went. He was now thinking about how to deal with these acromantula. There were hundreds, if not more. They were a plague on this forest. He would have to look up how to easily deal with them in some books.

Near the edge of the spider colony's territory, Harry killed three acromantula with well placed piercing hexes to their heads, making them drop. He then placed them in his inventory, to feed Amaranth.

Dumbledore

He was sitting down at his desk, sucking on one of his lemon drops. He hadn't been completely blind to the changes in Harry. At first, he believed it was just a child acting out, but the longer it went on, the more he believed there was something going on there.

He turned and looked at his familiar, Fawkes.

"What do you think? Is something wrong with him?" He asked

Fawkes gave out an odd squawk before going back to grooming his feathers.

Dumbledore just nodded in agreement. "Yes, I believe so too."

Harry had been becoming much more secretive, and distancing himself from his friends. Ron and Hermione must be devastated.

This whole part about them separating wasn't helping his plans at all.

He knew the chamber was opened again, and he knew what the beast was. He did also have a solid idea where the entrance was located, but he couldn't get the damn thing open!

The fact that Harry was a Parselmouth fit so well in this too, even if it was disconcerting. "Perhaps it is his scar acting up?" Dumbledore voiced to himself.

He had some plans to make on that front. He wanted Harry to face and deal with the basilisk. If it gave Dumbledore access to the chamber, then all the better for him.

He put those thoughts aside, and looked down at the letter on his desk.

It was another Letter of Refusal from The Sorcerer's Guild.

Dumbledore just shook his head and sighed. "They just can't understand. I have been doing this all for the Light, but they just refuse to acknowledge me. A shame."

That of course, was not the reason for his refusal. Dumbledore just couldn't understand there actual, reason, or he just didn't wish to believe that there was another reason. His worshipful ways of the Light just didn't help this matter.

He pulled open the drawer on his desk, and added this letter to the growing pile of Refusal letters from the Sorcerer's Guild.

Luna Lovegood

She was sitting down on her bed, working on making a new necklace. It was always odd and wonderful when unique charms and necklaces made from seemingly random items actually produced a magical effect.

She could see the change that occurs when it finishes, and magic flowed into the object. She just couldn't understand yet what it was doing, but she knew it wasn't harmful.

As she was working, she thought back to her one and only friend. That mysterious person, who could hide from everyone's senses and spells, except for her eyes. She knew at this point that the person was a student, but she just couldn't figure out who.

"Don't worry. I will find out who you are, sooner or later." She said to herself.

She thought back to her other friend, or more accurately, former friend. Ginny had been acting odd ever since school started, and her magic starting getting chaotic and flowing out of control at times. That odd happening had stopped, but now Ginny didn't like her at all.

It didn't help that Ginny had also called her Loony. That sort of sealed the end of that friendship.

"I hope… that other person can be my friend…" She said softly, slipping on her newly made necklace.

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been gone for over a week. Someone mentioned that I should try to write down a plan for my story, which I am going to work on. I know the beginning of my story, and how I would like it to end, or atleast a general idea. Now I just need the middle part, which is the most important.

I will say that there isn't going to be anything major happening for the rest of second year, but starting in third year, things will be picking up, as well as getting political. I will also be introducing some of my new ideas for the Harry Potter world at that time.

I had already mentioned the Sorcerer's Guild, which will be expanded upon later.