Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making money by writing this. And I truly hope not to offend anyone's sensibilities by writing this.

This is shorter than the previous chapters. But I think it is action-packed. Till next time!

Listening to: Aerith's Theme from the Final Fantasy VII Soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu.

Chapter 9: Noonday Sun

There was something about the way he heard the hiss that made the hair on his arms stand up. Yet he could not take his eyes off the display of golden serpents writhe and slide into place to uncover their well-kept secret.

Despite what was projected outwardly, in Slytherin, the Baron held a selective group of students in counsel. Those who proved themselves worthy. However, none of them ever found out about the Chamber of Secrets. Truth be told, the Baron did a great job of disappearing for a good part of that year. Although he had hinted at Draco enough times throughout the years that when he accomplished certain actions, he'd be told as much as he deserved.

He tried to ask his father and his mother but he couldn't seem to write nor speak about it. He successfully asked his godfather except Severus could not answer. Eventually, the Baron found him and told him it was a remnant of Slytherin's magical signature.

It was a magical signature he started to feel at the start of the year. He recognized it as something he had always felt every time he crossed the wall into the Slytherin Common Room since he started school but was more aware of it since the beginning of this school year.

This was a subject he searched secretly in the depths of the Library Sanctum, which no other Slytherin House Member, present, or alumni he was connected to could feel. Not even those who claimed they were worthy pf Slytherin's Secrets. At first, Draco tried to enforce his position as a Malfoy to obtain the privilege of knowing about it. But as the past years went by, he noticed something. There were moments he could feel some magical presence that wasn't felt by most others in his year. There were times that Sally Anne Perks felt it before she transferred for private tuition and talked about it with him and Theo.

There were others in the years above but he was informed that the knowledge was protected by a spell similar to the Fidelius Charm. This is why he could not speak of it to his parents but he could with his godfather and those who knew a little bit of it in his year.

It was this time that the Baron of Slytherin House approached him quite abruptly. He felt as if the ghost weighed, measured, and found him wanting. Yet even though that was the case, Draco was told about one secret which the Baron felt he could be entrusted with.

At Hogwarts, there was a door similar to the Bifrost gateway. The Bloody Baron called it Hydra's Gate and described that there were nine serpents on it. Depending on what those serpents do, the gate reveals what they contained. And it was right in front of him.

The one Potter opened led them to a dungeon that displayed a pool of water and some underground halls, a dead basilisk, and a face statue of something that looked like an Anakim. Draco looked around for any sign of his House's founding father. Perhaps a hint on how to open the other eight gates. Aside from the pool of water from where Dobby and Winky were attempting to levitate the body of a dead basilisk, the giant open-mouthed face statue, and the dead basilisk's head, there was nothing to see.

That very thought jolted him to the present. Draco numbly walked behind his companions who immediately burst into a conversation that he couldn't process due to another train of thought. As he looked up first, he saw the arched ceiling of these cavernous spaces and transported his mind to a different time and place. He was thinking of an event that happened in his childhood when he came across Dobby in the kitchens earlier.

In his memory, he was in a room with Dobby and a ghost. Although fleeting, he recalled achieving something then hugging the elf. It then flashed towards another, more violent memory of being beaten by his grandfather on his father's side.

Draco remembered the ghost glowing briefly before Dobby popped in between him and an incoming spell, which he later learned as the Cruciatus Curse. A type of Memory Charm was used on Draco as well as another spell.

It made him feel weird beyond words.

Then he felt a hand on his forearm gently shaking him from his memories. It was from Luna. She silently guided him from the entryway towards where he could hear Potter talk. He then felt his focus in the current moment return, exercised self-control, and paid careful attention. He was not supposed to show anyone his true self.

Potter was saying, "So I was thinking that the Slytherins will come here for the D.A. until I can merge the two groups. I am just not sure when, or how to lead them in here. What do you think?"

"I am not sure what you're asking of me. This is a Slytherin legacy." Draco motioned to the entire room. "Anyone of us would be downright ecstatic that we would be able to come here." It was then he saw Luna wandering off once more. Right into the mouth of the giant statue where she stuck her upper body in. "You need to put a magical rope on that girl. Like the type that can bind you to her. Possibly control her cacoethes to wander off."

Harry turned around and cursed. "Luna!" He ran just as the rest of her disappeared into it. The Gryffindor copied his friend, by sticking his head inside which slowly got sucked into it, followed by the rest. Just before the rest of him disappeared, he yelled out, "MALFOY! COME ON!"

Shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "As if I am going to do that." But then, he felt like he ought to do so anyhow and followed.

There has always been part of him that wanted to be friends with Harry Potter. It screamed from inside him to go follow. It might have been ill-displayed and suppressed throughout the years, but Draco wanted Potter's acknowledgment and sought to be recognized by him. Consciously, he thought that he was a part of the other boy's life in some way whenever he went to antagonize him and his friends. And since Draco felt like he couldn't be friends with him especially after he sided with Weasley in the First Year, then he figured that the opposite would suffice.

Before he stuck his head in, Draco replied loudly, "IF I DIE, MAY DAGDA AND MORRIGAN TIE MY SOUL WITH YOURS SO I MAY TORMENT YOU IN BETWEEN!" He added a beat later, "AND THE PLAIN OF DELIGHT!"

He received no response. Then again, he wasn't expecting any. Although it was neither prudent nor logical, he still stuck his head in the hole. The thought that Weasley would do what Potter asked him without hesitation was the ultimate factor which urged him into action.

Among all the things he first noticed, it was that it was very clean, and smelled like a grassy field instead of the musky dungeon cavern smell he was getting accustomed to. He threw a quick prayer that he was not about to go to the Otherworld. Then he noticed that the space above him morph from darkness to light and felt a tingle that was Slytherin's magic.

From there he felt himself start floating up and stepped out into a mostly empty and grassy field.

Through the expanse of the area, he saw Luna and Potter converse with the ghost of a friar of sorts. He was quite different from the one associated with Hufflepuff. For one, he wore a black robe that shimmered with what looked like contained flames.

It was Potter who saw him first and waved over to him to come closer. So he started forward towards them, but couldn't help but look back where he came from.

There was a portal disc on the bed of grass he stepped away from. He noticed it was swirling gently, but another prompt from his companions kept him from going back to the portal.

"Malfoy! You have to meet Professor Mirabilis!"

"Yes, do come Draco," Called the little blonde.

He froze momentarily but kept on. He was recalling a few familiar feelings about this spectre. The robes looked familiar. Then suddenly he remembered the ghost in the Malfoy cellar.

"We meet once again, Young Master Malfoy."

Harry looked from the spectre to Draco who paled even more than he already was. "You two know each other?"

The Professor responded, "Aye, we do. Although it's been many years."

Draco responded, "My paternal grandfather banished him from home. Are we in The Other Land, Sir?"

"Correction. Your grandfather tried to banish me. However, I willingly went here in return for binding his magic so he would not be able to use it as he intended."

If Harry wasn't mistaken, he spotted the blond shoot the specter as much of a grateful look he could without saying something personal. Before he could ask, Professor Mirabilis continued.

"This is a part of the Drem Brigge. It is a place where no living soul should remain for too long. There is a price to be paid when you spend too much time here. As such, you all have much to learn in a short bit of time. We're rushing through many points of conversation. Instead, we must only spend time on the most important items of note. You will need to find my portrait for elucidation. First, you must tell them who I am, my little Moonraker."

"This is Frater Roger Bacon. He was a Master Alchemist and could have lived on like Nicholas Flamel. Instead of completing a philosopher's stone, he created Blaze Matter, Firepowder, and Fiendfyre; a trinity of fire-based magic. Scholars refer to it as Sempiternus Ignis. The Ministry does not condone these spells' use by non-Ministry persons. At some point, Muggles found some of his work, which he then passed off as gunpowder."

"Very good. But I admit, I was not the inventor of gunpowder. I merely documented the worthwhile formula that had been found and passed onward. The invention fully belongs to innovative Chinese non-Magical men. Still, I much prefer the name Professor Mirabilis, rather than Frater Roger. My otherwise reticent portrait ought to be more welcoming with your future questions if you call him Professor. I am also known for creating mechanical animal heads in Muggle history. Which brings me to the second item of the day." He faced Harry, "I am aware that you met and slew one of my Basilisks. The creature I once remade and raised was no longer intelligent. I thank you for putting it down."

Taken aback, he merely replied, "You're welcome, sir. What do you mean it was no longer intelligent?"

"You see, a Basilisk started as one of the unnatural beasts Mage-kind could recreate with Magic's Blessing. It was as simple as a child's play for alchemists back in my youth. We recreated beings such as Abraxans, Acromantula, even the creatures now classified as Dragons. Except we failed on the account that they became a type of life form that most humans couldn't communicate with. The Abraxans were based on the Pegasus of Greece, and I admit I am not sure what possessed a fellow alchemist to create a larger-than-man spider capable of human speech but incapable of moral rationality."

Harry snickered. "My friend Ron is likely to send his mother's Howler to that one."

Draco exclaimed, "Morfran's horses. When and where on Gaia's realm did you and Weasley find an Acromantula?"

"Second year, in the Forbidden Forest." After a beat, he added, "Also, part of the obstacles in the maze last year during the Third Task."

"Blazing-"

"Moonraker. You have grown slightly uncareful. Yes, you have, for you have been mentioning quite a bit of Powers while you're here. Do you want to summon a barrage of deity while you're here? Perhaps hold a reception while you're at it?"

Draco blushed. "No, sir."

"Very good. I'd rather not spend the remaining time I have to conduct a revision regarding dealing with the Powers who come here based on your careless speech. I hope you leave here taking more care in how you speak, young man. I wish I didn't have to tell you that some words can be categorised as Invocation to the point of Evocation. For that matter, you should know by now that words not only hold meaning, but they also carry much power especially for us."

He turned a deeper red, "I understand sir. I'm sorry."

Harry watched and processed the previous moment. Someone just reprimanded Draco Malfoy for his behavior, and he listened, even apologised for it. Although he did have questions, he was beaten to asking them.

Luna inquired, "What did you mean that the Dragons changed, Professor? And the Basilisk?"

"Exactly that. We constructed creatures based on some tales we learned growing up. Our teachers spoke of beings that were either extinct or dying species. Somehow, we thought we could bring them back. Some of us failed to meet our goals, and some of us succeeded before the creatures themselves changed. And it wasn't always for the better."

Harry must have somehow communicated a question he didn't know how to ask silently because the Professor turned to him and answered it. "Consider this example. The Muggles speak of an old king named Alexander the Great. If you were studying proper magical history, you would know him simply as the Warlord of Macedonia. His father was a non-magical King of a royal line who sought to conquer all of Greece. His mother was a mistress of alchemy and was so very beautiful. She had difficulty carrying children but eventually begat one using Magic: Alexander. Whether or not her actions were Powers Blessed, is a mystery. She raised him as an extremely powerful warrior. Why do I speak of him now? His actions changed from when he started his campaign, perhaps even his objective."

The ghost paused here to let them process the information before continuing his lecture. "At first, he wanted to free the oppressed and contribute his army to fight tyranny. But it gradually changed, the more time he spent on this quest. For all of Alexander's human appearance, his mind became much more similar to a beast's thoughtless, purposeless one. He was brilliant, and I grant that he was truly great for what he accomplished and how. Except for his natural defense to injuries and speedy healing as a wizard, he never used magic to conquer as he led his army from Macedonia to Egypt with neither thought of stopping nor granting mercy."

Harry remained silent like the others, his eyes sharp with focus. He could almost imagine the trek of this character as he crossed the different borders. Then a thought came to him. "Wouldn't those with him rebel against his actions though?"

"At first, they couldn't. Although his status as a wizard was well hidden, his mundane prowess with a blade and incredible charisma swayed most into following him. He exercised his magical gifts differently than his mother."

"When I was studying Muggle History before Hogwarts, we were taught that it was believed he was the son of Zeus through his mothers' prayer. Was Zeus real?"

"Perhaps he was. I cannot fully tell you."

Draco interjected, "You said that at first, Alexander's followers couldn't disobey against him as a leader. Do you mean to say that they were able to at a later point?"

Harry noticed the gleam of interest in his eyes. Even sensed the fascination the blond had about such a powerful figure of history. He wondered if Draco knew about Voldemort's origins. And how in some ways, Alexander and Tom Riddle were similar.

Before his thoughts traveled further, the Professor nodded and replied. "Precisely. Eventually, those closest to him took advantage of the moment that he was in one of his healing states. They poisoned him and he died in a country known as Egypt. Ptolemy I Soter, the very one who became the Pharaoh of Egypt, had hidden that information for many years. And those living will not find the proof of that deed. We, the Dead, hold the knowledge and can share it. But we cannot help the Living prove this. Although there are plenty of lessons to be learned here, why do you suppose I tell Alexander's story now? How does it relate to my Basilisk? And how am I allowed to impart this information to you?"

Before he could continue, Luna chimed in, "Your ability to speak of this to us does not directly change our present or our future. You are merely elucidating what happened in our past. You created the Basilisk intending to protect the school. Except somehow, it lost its ability to discern his purpose of contributing that protection. Therefore, it became nothing more than a creature that must be stopped."

"Exactly. Soash was an addition to Salazar's guardian. However, he devolved after he came into contact with corrupted magic when a young man woke him up and used him for his nefarious purposes. However, I admit he wasn't the only Basilisk I made. And this other one has been quite impatient to meet you, young paladin. You may look at this one, his gaze has no effect here."

Harry heard a slithering mass and turned to it. He came face to face with a Basilisk as large, if not larger than the one he met when he was younger. Instead of dull green scales, this one had iridescent black scales that glimmered a brilliant green with the light. Its underbelly was a silvery-white. Its eyes glowed sapphire instead of the bright yellow documented in the books.

He could hear Draco's muffled exclamation of, "Blazing anima!", and Luna's soft, "Magnificent!"

This one seemed tamed, and emotionally restrained as if it had a soul and a mind as canny as Hermione's. It gave him a different feeling from the one he faced before. Harry could see the creature observe them non-threateningly. He didn't feel any fear, rather felt the need to ask, "What's your name?"

"I am called Seshi. It means to guard, Master Harry. I hope I do not disappoint you the way my brother did."

Harry looked at Professor Mirabilis in alarm. "He knows my name?"

"Yes, they would. It's part of the magic in them."

"Why does he call me master? And what does he mean by disappointing me?"

The ghost explained, "As previously stated, I raised Soash to be a guardian beast before he got corrupted. Soash, after all, means "protect" in Parseltongue. Not that many could tell. As for why he calls you master, in some ways a Snake Speaker such as you, is a master of all serpent beasts. Soash would have called you master willingly if you knew how to introduce yourself to him before Tom Riddle ordered him to attack you. His magic would have bound him, even as mindless he had already become at that point. Seshi has no restriction from doing so and immediately presented himself to you."

And the serpent did present himself quite thoroughly in a repentant manner that had made Harry feel a bit embarrassed.

"I am yours to command, Master Harry. As well as my mate and our children."

He felt some sort of magic wash over him. There was a connection between him and Seshi. He felt it get stronger. Then he noticed that the midday sun in the field changed, and four other figures slithered nearby. Their forms rose from the ground to face him and bow their heads to him.

The Queen of Snakes had a brilliant black tinged with blue skin. Her size rivaled Seshi's. Her eyes were like the brilliant emerald that Harry himself possessed, and although he did not receive an oath from her, he felt more of a connection to her than Seshi. Then slowly, she acquired more humanoid features, as if she was half-serpent and half-mortal female. She presented their offspring and spoke in English, "I am called Sashara. It means sentinel."

Slowly, the other serpent children followed their mother and shapeshifted into humanoid forms. They were much smaller than their parents but were still alarmingly sizeable. The three turned into the equivalent of a pair of teen-aged boys and one girl with serpentine features. The boys had their mother's colouring. One had Seshi's eyes, while the other had two different coloured eyes. The girl had her father's colouring and her mother's eyes.

It was she who spoke first, "We're triplets. We don't have a name yet. Mother said that we would be receiving our names from someone."

Harry looked at the three of them in awe. He couldn't quite stop Luna from rushing forward towards the Basilisks and wrapping her arms around Sashara. He was dumbfounded to see her start crying.

Sashara gently coiled around her and swayed with a little display of magic, followed by the sound of a song in the air. The magic itself took form as dancing lights, much like how the fairies flitter and flutter at Christmas.

Luna lost herself in the melody and magic swirling in the air. As the noonday sun gave way to the early afternoon, she wiped her face and composed herself. She turned to her awkward companions. "My mother told me about the drakaina. How they hid from human eyes." She stopped herself from sharing the painful past and how she tried to make friends when she was younger but was soundly rejected. "I am glad that they are here."

She saw Draco hide his reaction and Harry try to be less alarmed. She looked into the latter's green eyes. "I'm sorry, I seem to be taking time away from what you need to do."

At that, she saw him shake his head as his eyes refocused. She could see the brilliance and could even guess his thoughts somehow. She reminded him, "We don't have much time to question things right now. But we can listen."

At this, Professor Mirabilis spoke once more, "Quite right. Sashara and Seshi will go back with you through the portal to Talamh Brigge. They need to prepare their home for their children."

Harry spoke up, "Professor, while Seshi's family is welcome to come and go as they please, I would like to use the place where we came from as a secret room to practice magic. I know you are aware of what is currently going on-"

"Yes, yes, I am quite aware. However, their presence will aid you and your endeavour."

"He's right, Potter," Draco interjected. "You will be dealing with Slytherins. A drakaina, as well as a family of Basilisks under your command, will make things easy for them to fall in line with your leadership."

Luna watched her friend gulp and passionately reject the idea, "I will not lead by fear."

"A healthy dose of fear is not a bad thing, Potter."

At this, Luna asked, "Harry, are you going to be throwing torture curses and hexes if someone disagrees with you? Or does not follow you?"

"No."

"Will you be punishing someone for making a mistake? Make them write lines with a Blood Quill?"

"No."

"Are you going to ensure that the Slytherins all follow you if they don't want to? For example, would you be casting the Imperius Curse on them?"

"NO! How could you ask me that?"

"I was simply checking your principles if they changed. Since you have confirmed that you won't be doing terrible things, I don't see a problem with taking your Basilisk family back to Hogwarts when we return."