Slytherin's legacy
Looking around as he entered the castle he found himself alone. With a grin he moved towards the girls bathroom and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. His homework was up to date and he’d managed to catch up on his correspondence from Sirius. A quick disillusionment charm later and he slipped into the empty bathroom. Opening the Chamber he asked for stairs and light before descending deep into Hogwarts, closing the entrance behind him. Wondering why he hadn't done that last time. Casting cleaning charms he made his way to the chamber itself. He was a little afraid of what he would find, or if the basilisk would even obey him. Being Lord Slytherin by right of conquest didn’t mean the giant snake would listen. He paused before the statue of Slytherin and called for Kreacher.
The surly elf, dressed in a neatly pressed emerald green suit, popped in to stand before him, with a bow.
‘Heir Black calls for Kreacher?’
‘Yes, thank you. Do you need another house elf to help you with Grimmauld and keeping an eye on Lord Black?’
‘Lord Black is be needing supervision.’
‘There is a house elf named Winky, she was the elf for the Crouch family. I would like you to find her and bring her to me. If she accepts, I would like her to join the household.’
Kreacher looked at the young wizard standing before him. He was a most unusual wizard, very much like his grandmother. ‘Kreacher will try.’
‘Thank you Kreacher, she may be drunk if she has gotten her hands on butterbeer but if you can find her I would appreciate that.’
‘Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black.’
‘I have a question, are you able to bring goblins here?’
Looking around Kreacher nodded. ‘Yes. Here is rather dirty, why would you want goblins here?’
Harry pointed to the statue. ‘There’s a basilisk behind that.’ He watched the elf nod.
‘Kreacher can be doing this.’
‘Good, I’ll write to them to arrange when and let you know. You may go, I will call you when I have some letters for you to deliver.’ He wasn’t going to risk anyone intercepting his mail by sending his rather conspicuous owl to Gringotts. He would have to make sure he sent another letter to Sirius and Remus using Hedwig so she wouldn’t get angry.
He began exploring the chamber, not wanting to summon the basilisk until there were goblins on hand who could kill it for him. He didn’t think he could pull the sword of Gryffindor out of the hat this time. What he really wanted was to find an alternate way to get to the chamber. Sneaking into the girls loo wasn’t a long term solution and it was useful to have a large space. Looking up at the ceiling he wondered if there was enough height to fly. Probably not enough for a Firebolt but the space had potential as he headed back to the castle proper and his room.
He had just finished writing letters for his account manager and the branch manager at Gringotts when he heard the pop of a house elf appearing. He saw Kreacher had been successful in finding Winky as wizened elf stood there looking down his nose at the drunken elf.
‘Kreacher did find the disgrace as requested.’
Winky sobbed her way though something Harry didn’t recognise as actual words.
‘Thank you Kreacher.’ He turned to Winky. ‘When you are sober again, I want to ask you if you want to be a Black or a Potter elf.’
Big brown eyes looked up at him and began to fill with fresh tears. He never had learned to deal with crying females and winced.
‘Why would kind wizard want Winky. Winky is bad elf.’ Her voice a whisper she rubbed her hands on the stained dress she wore.
‘I don’t think you are a bad elf. I think your last master made a bad decision and blamed you for it.’ Harry dropped to his knees and took her hand. ‘When you are sober I want to ask you to be my elf, to help Kreacher and look after the Lord Black.’
‘Lord Black is be needing a minder.’ Kreacher agreed.
---
Goldsword looked across the desk at Hookfang, the Potter Account Manager and his brother by marriage as he put the letter down. ‘He is a most curious wizard to make such an offer.’
‘There are many within the horde who would sell their mothers for the chance this child offers.’
‘I think we both agree that the little Lord is no child.’ He looked once more at the letter the surly little elf had delivered to him with it’s offer of a living basilisk to dispatch. Hookfang was not wrong. Once this was announced there would be a bloodbath as warriors vied for the right to join the team to face such a mighty foe. It had been five centuries since any of the horde had faced such a creature and they still sung the songs. ‘Never did I believe I would live to be one who would see a new battle song sung.’
‘Nor I, and what of your cousin’s chosen child who resides in the wizards nest?’
‘Filius?’ Goldsword considered the little wizard who was the child of a goblin and worked as the charms professor at Hogwarts. ‘He still has the heart of a goblin, we should reach out. Let him choose the narrative of the songs they will sing of him.’ Perhaps it was time to mend things between the family and the half goblin wizard. He was after all, quite the legend in wizard dueling so clearly possessed the bloodthirsty instincts of his goblin ancestors.
---
Harry watched as the charms Professor bounced in place, his enthusiasm reminded him of Dobby, the Malfoy house elf he was also determined to save. They stood in the Chamber of Secrets. Waiting for Kreacher and the now sober Winky to bring the band of goblins from Gringotts.
‘I can not believe that I am likely the first Hogwarts Professor to step foot in this chamber since the days of the founders.’ The little wizard squeaked.
‘Oh believe it Professor Flitwick.’
‘Do you know, I wonder Lord Potter, of the honour you have given the goblins who will be arriving here today?’
‘Not really Professor. I just know I don’t feel like having to kill the basilisk and I wont risk my friends lives by leaving it here.’
‘You are a most unusual wizard.’
‘So I’ve been told.’
Kreacher popped into the chamber. ‘The nasty goblins is ready Heir Black.’
Harry nodded. ‘Thank you Kreacher.’
Flitwick shook his head as the elf clicked his fingers and a troop of goblins appeared before them along with the clan leader who managed the branch of Gringotts in Diagon Alley and another goblin he didn’t recognise.
Harry bowed. ‘Goldsword, Hookfang, you honour me by answering my request.’
Goldsword shook his head. ‘You keep amusing me Lord Potter and I will keep watching as you make me gold.’ He nodded a greeting towards Flitwick and looked around the chamber. The statue of Salazar Slytherin was clearly an acquired taste.
‘If everyone is ready, I will summon the basilisk. I don’t know if it will obey me or not, the last heir was Tom Riddle, fifty years ago.’ Harry looked to his charms professor. ‘Although these days he’s better known for his assumed moniker of Voldemort.’ He turned to the statue of the famed founder and hissed. Goblins fell into formation and waited. They faced death or glory. Either option acceptable and would see their names remembered in song.
Harry commanded the basilisk forward. He had no idea if the king of serpents would obey him. The sibilant voice of the giant echoed around him.
‘Who dares call me forward and demand I cover my eyes?’
‘Lord Slytherin.’ Harry faced the deadly fangs and flinched as he remembered getting one though his arm last time.
‘You are not my master.’
‘By the right of conquest I am.’ He watched the giant head shake side to side and threw himself to the floor as the basilisk darted towards him with fangs bared.
‘I only have one master and you are not him.’
The basilisk rose up to strike again and dove for Harry who rolled out of the way. He tried to remember fighting this creature at the age of twelve and decided he was glad for the goblins.
Images flashed around him like strobe lights making everything seem to move in slow motion while Goblin war cries echoed in the chamber. It was like a scene from an old movie with exaggerated shadows thrown around the room until with a war cry that chilled the blood a spear was protruding from the basilisks mouth, piercing the brain. A dozen more spears peppered the skin and the tail stopped thrashing as a thousand years of Salazar Slytherin’s legacy died.
Goldsword moved to stand beside the young wizard with a tilt to his head and an arm waved in the direction of the dead basilisk. ‘You told me you fought that in your second year the first time. And lived.’
‘I did take a fang to the arm and was healed by phoenix tears.’ He watched the Goblin shake his head.
‘If I was not sure you spoke the truth I would have some very real doubts about your life.’
Harry snorted. ‘Oh I have plenty of doubt enough for both of us, and I lived it.’ He accepted the hand offered him and rose to his feet.
‘Well, you have made me a tidy profit today and given honour to my kin.’
’Yeah, hay, can I get a coat made from the hide?’
‘I think that can be arranged Lord Potter.’
‘Cool, if you can spare a few of your troops the shed skin I mentioned is down this way and who knows what else we’ll find around here.’
Professor Flitwick found himself standing shoulder to shoulder with goblins that were usually wary of him with his wizard blood. His mother had not had an easy time since his birth and neither society was kind to those it considered less. Which was why he insisted his muggle born and raised Ravenclaws be tutored in how to move in the pure blood world of their peers. He decided he needed to spend more of his summers on the dueling circuit, having missed the charge of battle that hadn’t even come close to facing Salazar Slytherin’s famed creature. Something that would never have happened if this strange child hadn’t entered Hogwarts. He was however, not disappointed not to be the boys head of house. His Ravens would never survive the boy. But he was impressed with how easily this child, who embodied the best traits of all the houses, was moving through Hogwarts. For all the chaos he left around him. And he chose not to mention the claim of being Lord of Slytherin by conquest.
Harry walked back into the main chamber with Clan Chief and bank manager Goldsword.
‘I would like to split that shed skin between everyone here in the chamber, if you could arrange that for me. I think each warrior deserves a trophy and I know I’m not hurting for gold.’
‘You are a most unusual one Lord Potter.’
Harry shrugged. ‘Not having to kill that again has left me in a good frame of mind, some things are a lot easier when you don't have time to actually think about it.’ He grinned. ‘Come on, there must be more shed skin around here somewhere.’
They did find more shed basilisk skin and even a few lost fangs but the real treasure was a bookshelf and a chest that Harry shrunk and tucked away to explore later.