Mended Crown

The beast didn’t move, nor did Alex. Outside, he could hear a series of yells, the owners belonged to Ernie Macmillan, McGonagall, Peeves, and Potter, but none were Blaise’s. 

The beast—a giant snake—watched for the slightest of movement from the boy, but Alex wasn’t scared of it. When it finally realized that Alex wasn’t a threat, it became friendly and leaned its head closer to the boy. Alex treated it like a scared puppy. Until someone began to bang against the lavatory door, and it slithered off to the nearest corner. 

“Alex? Open the door!” Blaise’s voice rang against the old elm. Alex turned to reassure the snake, but he found it had disappeared. 

He looked at the piece of parchment in his hands, and his eyes read over the tightly written words. He opened the door, and saw both Blaise and McGonagall. He looked worried, while she—agitated wasn’t the word—overwrought with what she had come across. 

“What?” Alex questioned. He had been more caught up on the large snake than he had about the petrification of Sir Nicolas or Finch-Fletchley. “Did another attack happen?” 

Blaise looked confused. McGonagall rose an eyebrow, and motioned back to the incident behind her. “Yes, Mr. Snape! Another student has been attacked! What is the matter with you?” 

He couldn’t tell her. Despite the trust he had for both her and Blaise, he couldn’t tell her about the snake—the beast of Slytherin—without confessing. 

“We came upon it together, don’t you remember?” Blaise asked. His face had distorted into pure bewilderment, his eyebrows had furrowed and his lips drew into a thin line. “You, me, and Baron?” 

Alex looked back into the lavatory, then at the paper in his hand once more. McGonagall snatched it from him before he could slip it into his pocket, and he watched her own face become unreadable. 

“‘You’ve yet to find me, boy. Try again.’ What is this?” 

He didn’t know what to say, but he couldn’t just blurt it out in an empty hallway. He felt his muscles strain in his neck, and he tilted his head upwards at the voice that had entered his head. 

Don’t tell her. Lie.

“I found it next to Finch-Fletchley’s body, and I ran after who had dropped it. I think it was for someone else to find,” he said. He looked to Blaise for backup, and the other boy nodded. 

“Potter ran up after we did, Professor. It could’ve been meant for him.” 

Alex hated the idea that Blaise just lied for him, but if it meant McGonagall would get off their back, then Alex had to make sure they weren’t found out. But now it meant he had to tell Blaise everything, or else he would lose him too.

McGonagall’s lips drew in once more, she looked between the boys as if she wanted to catch them in that lie. Instead, she made up her mind and spoke, “I want an additional two parchments added to your essay on why you will stop interfering with this investigation, and how Reparifarge could save you from being caught again.” 

They both bowed their heads to her, and watched her walked away from both them and what was left of the scene. Blaise turned to Alex, and gave him an impatient look. “Tell me everything.” 

Word spread around quickly that Potter had attacked both Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick—because what creature could attack a ghost? Students moved away from Potter, the same way they still avoided Alex, but for once he was glad that the attention wasn’t directed towards him.

By Christmas, Alex knew he could breathe a sigh of relief—and knew Potter had wished for the same—by how many students would leave for the holidays. While Alex figured that the Gryffindor Tower would be mostly empty, he wasn’t too pleased that the Slytherin dungeons wasn’t. 

Blaise had left for home—after Alex had told him everything he could and made him swear to never speak about it in front of Malfoy—but he had promised to bring both Amarra and Alex something from the ‘human world’. 

Alex spent most of his time in his Snape’s office while Amarra annoyed their father, or in the library. Rarely did he stay in the common room, not with Malfoy constantly around. He ate dinner with his father and sister in Snape’s office, and they opened presents from their family. 

He left Amarra in the office—he watched her try to get Snape to dance with her— and headed for the common room. For once, he felt enough strength to deal with Malfoy and his goon squad, and entered the space. Instead, he found Malfoy and what could’ve passed as Crabbe and Goyle to the naked eye. 

Potter and Weasley. 

“Snape! Nice to see you’re finally joining us, I was beginning to worry that the beast got you!” Malfoy joked—snide and unhelpful. 

Alex took the opportunity to bite back. “Aw, you worried about me? That’s sweet.” 

Malfoy rolled his grey eyes, and motioned to the leather sofa he sat upon. “Don’t get your hopes up. Join us, I was just about to show these two this wonder news clipping I received today.” 

Alex sat beside him, and crossed his leg over the other. Malfoy handed him the article first, and he almost felt ashamed for the laughter that came from his lips. Of course, a Ministry-led raid by Arthur Weasley failed to find any dark artifacts at Malfoy Manor. 

However, he watched carefully as he handed the clippings to ‘Crabbe’ and watched his face turn an awful shade of red. Malfoy started to talk about the Heir of Slytherin thing once more, and while Alex wanted to leave, he stayed to watch the other boys’ reactions. He knew the real Crabbe and Goyle had heard it a millions times before, but this time it felt different. 

“Father says that the last time the Chamber was opened, a mudblood was killed and someone was arrested. He said that the Heir is still in Azkaban, but I think that old one died and there’s a new one. Father said that I should keep my head down and let the heir do their job of purging the school. I hope they go after Granger next—what’s with you, Crabbe?”

‘Crabbe’ stood too quickly at Malfoy’s words, and Alex studied his features as the short, stout boy began to get some of his ginger features back. 

Alex looked Goyle in the eyes, and scratched at his hairline when he saw the other boy’s hair grow back slowly. Goyle stood too, and Alex smiled as they made an excuse to leave. 

“Where’s Parkinson?” Alex asked before the two oafs could leave. Malfoy looked at him, and then around the common room, but the polyjuiced boys looked at one another then left. 

“Weird, I saw her at the feast, but I could’ve sworn she came back with us,” Malfoy said. His grey eyes landed on Alex’s, and then looked away. “Do you want to see what else I got for Christmas? Mother sent baskets full of sweets, and Father sent me this heirloom ring.” 

Yeah, I know your mum well. She sent me sweets too, Alex thought. A smile came to his lips, and while Malfoy thought it was because of his Christmas gifts, he let the boy believe what he wanted. 

The holidays came to an end rather quickly. Alex had heard from Baron that Granger was in the Hospital Wing after a failed attempt of Polyjuice, and he visited her before the new term started. She apologized for two things: not taking his warning seriously, and that she would have to push back their meeting. Alex felt sorrow for her, and promised that they would meet again before Easter holiday. 

As the new term started, Alex and Amarra had been summoned to Snape office—where he informed them that they would start Occlumency lessons. 

“You will be given homework, and I will know if you don’t do it, Miss Amarra.” He looked directly at his daughter, who beamed at him with defiance. “This is to train your minds and prepare you for your futures. I will be teaching you the art of Occlumency and Legilimency, but for now we will work on the former.” 

Amarra went first, and fell to the ground on her first try. Snape looked rather satisfied that he had entered his daughter’s mind, but when it came to Alex, he looked more excited. 

“Legilimens.” 

Alexander could feel his father’s metaphorical hand reach into the depths of his mind, and search through each of his memories. Snape found one and like a thief in the night, he broke in. 

Alex stood in his mother’s room, Snape by his side as they watched a black-hair toddler reach into the air for the ghostly figure that was his mother. The baby called to her in coos and the faint whisper of ‘ma-ma’ before both Alex and his father were back in the office.

He could feel his father’s eyes on him, and while Amarra questioned what they had seen, Alex turned away. Amarra handed him a piece of chocolate while Snape explained their homework for the week. “Read the marked chapter, and I want you to practice shutting off your mind before falling asleep.” 

——

By February, the Occlumency lessons shifted to Legilimency, and Alex’s health began to deteriorate faster than the golden snitch could move. Alex had mastered Occlumency by the third week, and even his father couldn’t read his mind by the time they started Legilimency. Amarra still struggled, but she was quicker at Legilimency than her brother, and she let him know that. 

“I think we should enter Filch’s head, and see if he has any other thoughts than his cat,” Amarra told him from across the Great Hall one evening. Alex looked to the caretaker, and then nodded. He could see his sister concentrate before a devious smile appeared on her lips. 

“He’s think about what he would do if he ever caught the Weasley’s twins, and honestly, it’s fun to listen to.” 

Instead, come Valentine’s Day, Filch had more reasons to be angry at Lockhart than the Weasley twins. The bumbling oaf that was Lockhart had decorated the Great Hall in various pink and red papier-mâchés strands and confetti, while dwarves dressed as cupids walked around and shot arrows at students. 

Snape, although rather murderous that Lockhart had ordered him to brew Love Potions, asked his children to practice on Lockhart or Malfoy, but Alex had another target in mind. The very same person who looked as ill and ghastly as he: Ginny Weasley. 

Her footsteps still echoed in his head from Halloween night when she ran at the sight of him, and now, he was sure that she had been subjected to the beast of the Chamber as he had. She had sent a card to Potter—to which an annoyed dwarf sung it to him— and then proceeded to run away from Potter while Malfoy laughed at her. 

“Don’t listen to Malfoy. He’s just jealous, that’s all,” he told her once he had caught up to her. Her face was scarlet from the embarrassment, and she slowly took her books from his hand after Alex helped her off the floor. “He wouldn’t know what hit him until it knocked him over. I thought your valentine was cute, Ginny. I would be happy to receive something like that.” 

He winked at her, and he could see in her eyes that she had waited for someone to say something to her. Anything at all. Even for a moment. But the look in her eyes told him that she wanted to also say something—an invitation. 

You’re the boy he talks about. Help me, please.

Alex watched her run off toward her class, and stood there for a moment long before he turned away. He hadn’t seen Riddle in months, but if the Former had Ginny in his grasps, then what would that mean for those around her? 

The very same evening, Alex ran into Granger. She pulled him into the second-floor girls’ lavatory, and he surely thought he was in trouble by the sheer look upon her face. “What did you say to Ginny Weasley?” 

Alex furrowed his eyebrows, and stared at her. “How do you know that?” 

“Because I saw you, now tell me Alexander.” 

He shrugged. “I just helped her with her books, and told her that Malfoy’s a prat. Why?” 

She squinted her eyes as she tried to read him, before her shoulders relaxed. “A bit of color came back to her this afternoon in the common room. She looked embarrassed by the whole singing dwarf thing, but when I asked her, she said she talked to you.” 

He looked around the bathroom. He hadn’t been back in there since he caught the trio of lions four months back. It hadn’t really changed, but he noticed a snake had been engraved into one of the sinks. 

“Speaking of, and since we are here, Alexander. What kind of information do you have about the Chamber?” He turned his head back to her, and furrowed his brows once more. Then he remembered, but he wasn’t sure how much he should tell her now that he knew who had opened the Chamber this time. 

“I know what the beast is,” he began. “It’s a basilisk. They are synonymous with Salazar Slytherin and Dark Wizards. You can only be killed by it if you—”

“Look directly into its eyes!” Hermione chimed. “That’s why Mrs. Norris, Colin, Justin, and Nicolas didn’t die, because they didn’t look directly at it. You’re a genius, Alex!” 

He felt his cheeks grow red. A flush of blush. He bit his lip, and told her what else he knew. “It’s being controlled by a student, but that student is being guided by the ghost of a former Dark Lord.” 

She looked at him suspiciously. “That doesn’t make sense. Harry said that Hagrid had opened the Chamber all those years ago. But how would—oh my god… oh my god, you’re right. The last time we talked, before the holidays, you said that a student had been arrested and the killings stopped. But what if Hagrid had been framed?” 

Alex nodded. He knew she would get to it if he gave her the right clues. “The boy, Tom Riddle,  who turned Hagrid in was awarded a service trophy, but was warned not to speak about it further. And do you know who Riddle turned out to be?” 

Her eyes widened in horror, and Alex nodded before she could get any words out. “Harry found a diary that has Riddle’s name in it. Alex, do you think?”

“Who had it before Harry did?” 

She looked at the door as if she heard someone call her name. “Ginny did… Ginny opened the Chamber! No… she couldn’t have… Alex, don’t tell me she did?” 

Alex looked at his hands, unsure of what to tell her, but he knew one thing: she couldn’t tell Potter what he had just told her. “Potter must find out on his own,” he said cooly. 

She stared at him in disbelief. He could see all of the trust she had given him slowly slip away. “What do you mean? He’s got to know!” 

Alex turned from her, and walked to the sink. “And what will happen if you tell him where you go this information from, Hermione? From me? He won’t believe you if you say my name, and he sure as shit won’t believe what I’ve told you either. To him, it’ll be a lie if it comes from a Slytherin. He’s hellbent that Malfoy’s the Heir, but he doesn’t know that the person he’s looking for is right under his nose.” 

He saw her face in the dirty mirror. He watched her contemplate on what to say—if she wanted to curse him out, or storm out without another word. If she wanted to betray her friends and slowly let them figure this puzzle out themselves. Then, finally, she gave a grave nod. 

“I’ve been looking through books about what the beast could be, I’ll keep searching through there until the time comes to tell them. But Alex? Don’t make me promise to not tell them anything again.” 

He turned back to her. For a moment, he thought he saw something flash across his vision. He thought he saw the beast again, but this time it was with Ginny. This time… he saw Hermione. 

“I promise.”