Chapter 19: Legend
October drew nearer and the dampness around the Slytherin dungeons seemed ever more present. Even within the common room, with the sight of the great lake above them, the humidity and condensation seemed that much more present. The hissing green hearth-fires couldn't quite stave off the bite of the chill, made all the worse by the tiny collections of icicles adhered to the edges of the enchanted ceiling.
Madam Pomfrey began handing out potions to any student who succumbed to a chill or cold. The elder Slytherin's able to brew the potions themselves rented out the NEWT potions lab to brew them in mass production. Soon the entire common room was a fair trade of billowing steam from student's ears and the sharp spice of pepper.
The most interesting commotion in Adrian's venture to find the hissing voice was nearly being crushed by Peeves, the resident Poltergeist, who managed to drop a large cabinet and smash it just short of crushing students.
Lutain took to late night treks across the castle in search for the voice, allowing Adrian to stay up late into the night practicing his Occlumency, in which he was becoming quite proficient. His new night owl status caused Theo to become desperate- he had resorted to conjuring bluebirds to wake him for classes.
The others discovered that Adrian's dark hair, almost blue hued in the light, sported a massive bed head when he didn't have time for vanity. A cowlick large enough for a crow to roost on.
The Halloween feast came around and once more the tall thestrals stood guard over the pumpkins, nearly the size of a garden shed. Lockhart seemed oblivious to the creatures and instead told an exaggerated story with a large turkey drumstick as a prop. The skeletal creatures watched the meat hungrily and followed it with their heads. It seemed odd that a man who had experienced so much, had yet to witness death firsthand.
Pansy noticed that the entire golden trio seemed to be missing from the table, something she announced loudly for everyone to hear.
The others were quickly distracted by the Weasley Twin's contest of how many pumpkin pasties they could stuff into their mouth at one time.
"Disgusting," Draco grunted, sipping his grape juice with exaggerated daintiness to emphasise that at least he had class. The obvious reference to sipping Pureblood chilled wine was quickly abandoned in favor of the spiced pumpkin juice.
The feast ended with a loud choir formed of enchanted jack-o-lanterns, with bats billowing out from the orange faces to fly tornados above the student's heads. Theatrics were always pleasant; it reminded Adrian of the time Bellatrix had a bat become entangled in her wild hair.
The students filed out once the last of the entertainment ended. With the low rumble of hundreds of footsteps on stone and the hubbub of voices echoing off the hallway, they walked in small groups through the halls. Theo was entertaining the group of Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, and Adrian himself with a tale of when his owl retrieved a real vampire bat and left it in his bedroom.
With little warning or little logic, the hoard suddenly stopped and grew quiet. Draco frowned and started to jump, attempting to see up over the heads of taller students and find out why the crowd had stopped and was now dead quiet.
Adrian sighed and spotted a nearby stocky Slytherin; the boy in question cleared a path and allowed the group to squeeze between tightly packed bodies.
There was blood on the wall. Glittering and shimmering in the haunted lighting. It had been written- arced sloppily into bold letters-
The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir beware.
Adrian felt his jaw slacking. To make the scene even more perplexing, a stiffened cat hung from a torch bracket, maybe somewhere in the state of rigor mortis. It certainly looked dead to Adrian.
All of this was behind the Golden Trio.
At least everyone knew where they had been during the feast. Practicing dark arts or necromantic sacrifices? Adrian had to give them credit, he didn't think they had it in them.
"Enemies of the Heir, beware!" Draco suddenly shouted, breaking the shocked silence that had fallen over the students. Malfoy's voice seemed that much louder because no-one else had dared make a sound. "You'll be next, mudbloods!"
Adrian shot his head around to stare at Draco in unrestrained shock, was the boy a complete idiot? Malfoy's complexion was fixed with a rosy flush, his face split with an excited grin as he eyed the cat.
The Chamber of Secrets?
What was happening?
"What's going on here!" A loud angry voice shouted as the unmistakably voice and body of Filch shoved his way through the crowd. He spotted the cat and he stumbled backwards; his hands curled inwards to his chest and trembled in dismay. "My cat! My cat! What's happened to Mrs. Norris!" He shrieked, and his eyes fell on the very guilty sight of Skylar Potter.
The cat was Filch's? Adrian hadn't ever spent time with the man, normally only Gryffindors were granted his company.
"You!" He screeched, hand pointing threateningly at the horrified Chosen One. "You! You've murdered my cat! You've killed her! I'll kill you! I'll-"
"Oh please," Pansy snickered under her breath. "I'd love to watch that fight."
"Argus!" Dumbledore had appeared, followed by a number of teachers who split the crowd to press against each wall of the passageway. "Come with me, Argus, and you Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger."
Draco grinned as the four turned to walk away, only for Lockhart to stumble into the way with his bright velvet robes in an unsettling tone of pumpkin orange.
"My office is nearest, Headmaster- just upstairs- please feel free-"
"Thank you, Gilderoy," Dumbledore nodded and the entourage mournfully walked away, Filch clutching his stiffened cat in his arms.
"Two galleons that Granger did it," one slytherin piped up with a grin. "Those puffskeins don't know a spell to stun a butterfly."
"You think a mudblood would write that?" One asked in disgust. "You're denser than the Weasley if you think that."
"Oi! It would be a good cover! Nobody would suspect her!" The first boy defended.
The sudden interchanging of hushed suspicions and rumours filled the passageway with the susurrus of many voices. By the time the mob had diverged into specified houses, dozens of ideas and rumours were circulating.
The "attack" seemed to rattle everyone in the castle, even Slytherins grew wary of the other houses. Students and Prefects started approaching Adrian almost constantly, asking him for information about the attack. Most students wanted some sort of spell or object that would keep them safe from this invisible attacker.
Adrian also hadn't seen Hermione around the castle, which was strange considering she would most likely seek him out to find out what she didn't know. She had disappeared almost completely. Speaking to her house was useless; no Gryffindors were willing to talk with a Slytherin with tensions running so high.
The school in itself seemed to be avoiding Skylar. Whispers were being exchanged rapidly with no control or intended target.
'He's been trained by Dumbledore since he was very young..'
'He vanquished You-Know-Who, maybe like this-'
'Better stay away from him-'
'He'll be after you next-'
Adrian found most of the ideas hilarious. The mental image of Skylar Potter trying to avoid Bellatrix's playdates nearly left him hysterical.
After cashing in two deals, one with the Pavarti Gryffindor girl, Adrian finally found Hermione. Granted, she approached him outright, which made the two deals he cashed in entirely useless much to his own irritation.
Adrian hadn't know that it was common knowledge that he liked to watch the sunset when able from the northernmost covered bridge. A guilty pleasure, he supposed.
"Adrian," she greeted, looking thoroughly miffed and irritated by everything around. "I need to borrow a book."
"What a pleasant night it is," Adrian started,completely ignoring her request and rudeness. "What a wonderful sunset; all of those colours remind me of Lockhart's terrible wardrobe-"
"Do you have Hogwarts: A History?" She asked, lacking the concept of subtlety. She must have been desperate if she was asking for a book Adrian was almost positive she already owned.
Hermione approached him, crossing her arms with an impatient glance.
Adrian was taken aback by her exhaustion, she elaborated tiredly. "All of the copies have been taken out, and there's a two-week waiting list."
"I'm surprised you didn't bring your own copy."
She didn't ask how he knew she owned it. "There wasn't enough space with all of Lockhart's books."
Adrian snorted and Hermione whacked him on the side.
"Alright alright," Adrian held up his hands in defense. "Why do you want that book?"
She looked surprised, "The same reason as everyone else wants it: to read up on the legend of the Chamber of Secrets."
Adrian blinked slowly. As much as people had been talking about it, Adrian shamefully knew next to nothing about it. "What is it? Specifics, not rumors."
"That's just it, I can't remember." Hermione bit her lip. "And I can't find the story anywhere else-"
Adrian lifted his hand and frowned, thinking. The Chamber of Secrets, somehow it felt familiar but he couldn't recall-
"I'm calling in my debt," Adrian stated, holding out his wand which Hermione tentatively took; she gasped when the flare of heat snaked up her arm, leaving it tingling.
"Don't tell your classmates where I'm going to take you and of what happens."
Hermione looked confused but nodded. Adrian turned on his heel, already starting to walk down the bridge back into the castle. He took the first downward staircase, already starting the trek.
They continued further and further until Hermione recognized where the troll had chased them the year before. She gasped and pointed at a specific suit of armor, dented slightly on its metallic surface. Adrian didn't even glance in the direction.
Adrian found the small snake in the wall, eying them indifferently until he clearly stated "Purple Heather."
The wall started to move with the sound of stone grinding on stone, pulling back on some hidden, probably magical hinge. Adrian stepped inside the entryway, nearly leaving Hermione scrambling to follow inside. It was late enough at night that the room wasn't too overpopulated, although the low buzz of conversations abruptly halted.
They stared at Hermione each with varying levels of distaste and outlandish surprise.
"What the-" One started, jaw dropping into an unfortunately ugly expression.
"What's the mud-" Draco started, springing upwards from a couch on the right with an accusing finger already pointed in their direction.
"Is Carmen in?" Adrian interrupted, rolling his shoulders and feeling one crack under the movement. "Someone find Carmen."
One fifth year vanished up the staircase, poking her head into one room and calling for the person in question.
Adrian spoke louder. "Carmen! I'm calling in our deal!"
The room was quiet once again, a few people looking forward eagerly.
"What in Merlin's name..." A fourth year groaned, "How did the kid get Carmen to make one of those bloody deals?"
"Reckon it was for something good? If not I'm cursing that mudblood out myself," someone else muttered.
Hermione noticeably shrank behind Adrian, her hand shaking on her wand.
Carmen popped her head out and around the doorframe of the upstairs room. She blinked in surprise, arched one eyebrow, and looked at Hermione. "You brought a Lion?"
"Ignore her," Adrian said. "I'll get one of you in their common room sometime."
One student whooped loudly at the idea of sabotaging the Gryffindors in their own home.
"You know where the common room is and you've been holding out on us?" Carmen pouted, then sighed. "Of course you do. Should have told us after they took our Cup last year."
Adrian offered his wand, at this point most people knew the drill. Carmen walked down the steps, reaching out without hesitation to grasp the lip twitched slightly, signifying she felt the magic race along her arm.
"Alright kid, what do you want?" She said, crossing her arms yet thankfully not addressing the terrified Gryffindor behind him. Carmen was significantly more lenient compared to the recently graduated Vaisley.
"She's under a deal," Adrian pointed over his shoulder at Hermione. "And you're the Prefect. You're almost as much as a bookworm as her-"
There were a few mumbles of agreement, causing Carmen to flush although not in embarrassment.
Adrian lifted his chin slightly, jutting it outwards unconsciously similar to Draco. "Tell us the story of the Chamber of Secrets."
There was a low whistle from a sixth year.
"All of them?" Carmen pouted, looking put out, "Come on, kid-"
"Do it Carmen," One laughed. "You're lucky more aren't back yet."
She grumbled something under her breath, stalking across the room to grab a chair from an unoccupied desk.
On cue, chairs and couches rotated or in one case, levitated to form a circle around the exasperated Carmen.
"You're a real menace, you know that?" Carmen huffed, sitting backwards on her chair and resting her chin on her forearm. Adrian motioned for Daphne to slide to the side of her couch to accommodate two more.
Hermione, still rather scared was totally absorbed in what Carmen was about to say.
"Alright fine," she started, turning to try an address everyone. "As you all know or better know by now, Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by two witches and two wizards. The four worked together to build the castle and in honor each of the houses are named after the founders: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and our own noble house, Salazar Slytherin."
The Slytherins broke into cheers, a startling amount of noise for roughly thirty people in the misshapen circle. The display of house pride was unexpected to Hermione, generally Slytherins were composed and rather aristocratic in public.
"Settle down!" Carmen shouted annoyed. "Or I'm quitting now! The legend goes on something like this: as time went on and the little details were picked out, Slytherin stuck to his own ideas. Slytherin wanted to be more selective about students and that all magical teachings should only be taught to all-magic families!"
There were quite a few who looked at Hermione, who was beginning to regret coming to Adrian for help.
"He didn't want to take Mudbloods under his wing, because in that time muggles liked to kill wizards," she hissed out, throwing out her arm for theatrics sake. "So those born to muggles weren't trustworthy and they still aren't trustworthy!"
More cheers, and Adrian pulled his wand, shifting his body language towards Hermione. Adrian doubted anyone was going to do anything, although it would be a spectacular story to try and explain to Professor Snape.
"Eventually Gryffindor and Slytherin had a fight, a duel or an argument or something, and Slytherin was kicked out of Hogwarts! So Slytherin built a hidden chamber in the castle, one that none of the other founders knew of. Slytherin sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that nobody would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived. The heir alone would open the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the monsters within, and use it to purge the school of all mudbloods!"
That sounded ridiculous in Adrian's point of view. If that was truly the case, why wouldn't the Chamber have been opened during Grindelwald's time, when the muggle's were actually being a threat?
Adrian stood abruptly, stretching lazily and giving a small nod to signify he was satisfied. Carmen politely gave him a rude gesture, abandoning her chair to get back to whatever homework he had taken her from. Hermione stumbled upwards quickly, eager to leave the room. The other students began reorienting the room back to its natural position, dragging the chairs across the ground.
"Where do you think you're going!" Millicent blurted, jumping to her feet and clumsily knocking over the chair she had been sitting on. "Leading a Gryffindor here, inside the Common room, and not only that but she's a filthy-"
"Step aside, Bulstrode," Adrian commanded, rubbing his temple with one hand. The other gripped his wand in his sleeve. "We've already established that you do what I say."
Millicent stormed right up and too close for Adrian's comfort. "What'cha gonna do about it, orphan?"
Adrian's cheek twitched and his eyes narrowed. There were a few whooping sounds as students turned to see the exchange- the story of the burning Bulstrode was something of a classic. A prime example of tiny first years decking it out.
"I'm saying that you should step aside, and we won't have any unfortunate accidents."
Millicent's breath was directly on Adrian's face. Her nostrils flared like an ox. "How about, no."
Adrian's grip on his wand tightened. Hermione moved behind him, likely reaching for her own wand.
"I said," Adrian paused, feeling the swell of magic under his call, moving with the current of his aggression, "move."
Millicent shouted and paused dumbly. It took a moment for her to process the situation before she dropped to the floor- her green and black knitted Slytherin scarf was smoldering hotly. Not full out fire, but the uncomfortable heat around her throat.
The Slytherin common room was filled with the enthusiastic clapping of the minority who had been paying attention. The others jumped, peering around in confusion, then disappointment, as they realized they missed yet another feud. Adrian pulled Hermione out through the common room, thankful that the confrontation had happened inside the room. Hermione gave a full body shiver as the magic set the deal in place.
"Your deal is set," Adrian's voice was suspiciously blank, his eyes dull and looking far too distant. "You won't be able to tell anyone about the events that happened inside, good luck finding a book for Potter."
"W-wait." She garbled out, clutching his arm tightly. "You- I didn't know that you're an orph-"
"Don't," Adrian growled out, glaring at he with a menacing look which made her breathless. "I left them, not the other way around."
"Like- emancipation?" Hermione seemed confused. She stumbled, eyes widening in shock. "Were they... were they bad to you?"
Adrian's jaw creaked as his teeth pressed harshly together. Hermione twitched as she finally realized she was on testy grounds.
Adrian pulled his arm free and walked past her, Hermione stumbled in worry and mostly confusion. "Wait! Where are you going!"
"Owlery," Adrian grunted, not even dignifying her to pause. "To send a letter."
"At this time?" She questioned, baffled and sounding a bit lost.
Dear Merlin did he have to do everything?
She followed him a safe distance, only until she recognized her surroundings and diverged off towards her own tower. Adrian continued to the Owlery, writing a quick letter on the free parchment provided in the building. Bellatrix would know something about this madness; it seemed right up her alley to know something about monsters out to eat mudbloods.
He didn't receive a letter back, much to his dismay. Hedwig returned happy though, so she must have mooched decent food off of Rabastan's plate again.
On the bright side, knocking down his reputation in Slytherin had given him another deal with Hermione, although this time not in his favour.
It was barely a week later when she came running to him in a corridor, wanting to 'purchase' a deal like it was muggle currency.
He was starting to regret gaining her infallible trust the prior year.
This time she wanted him to somehow obtain shredded Boomslang skin and powdered bicorn horn, potion ingredients he didn't have on hand.
He stared at her, and she shrugged with an uneasy smile.
"Will you be paying for this, this time?' Adrian sighed, scratching behind his ear as he thought. The ingredients would be expensive, normally debts only qualified for the service of obtaining them, they didn't include the price of the items themselves.
"We can pay!" Hermione blurted. "We just need a little of each!"
'We.' That meant he was assisting the Golden Trio once again. Spectacular.
Adrian looked at the two ingredients and thought about what they could be used for. "Alright, I'll get them to you and you pay once I deliver. Boomslang skin will be harder, it's normally a galleon per vial, you're lucky I know somewhere I can get it for fifteen sickles."
"We just need them soon." Hermione blushed, looking at her feet unsure.
'We' again. The Golden Trio was on something time sensitive, which likely meant they were brewing potions or trying rune-based rituals. Considering the shared intelligence of the group, potions was much more likely. He couldn't help but wonder why they were they brewing potions?
He still had the lists of Knockturn Alley stores that allowed order by Owl, he could easily purchase the ingredients and be reimbursed at a later time. The benefit was now he knew the group was attempting something.
He wished Bella would get back to him already, he had questions still.
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