Magic Incarnate

On the day of the Yule Ball, Harry and Myrtle joined the rest of Champions with their dates in a side room near the Great Hall. Harry learned that Viktor was going with one of his fellow Durmstrange students, Fleur who due to her Veela heritage could never be sure if someone liked her for herself invited her cousin Draco so she did not have to worry about him having any expectations. The person who was with Marcus Flint seemed rather surprised at being asked by him. From what Harry had seen of Hogwarts there seemed to be too much rivalry between the Hogwarts Houses, none more so than between Marcus's House of Slytherin and his date who Harry recognized as Lee Jordan from Gyrffindor House. Though the Hogwarts students were also surprised by Harry's "date" being Myrtle. The teenage Ghost was both excited but also worried about people's reaction to her being the date of one of the Champions. "You do not have to worry about what anyone else said just have some fun. And if they make fun of how you look just remember they are just jealous of your outfit," Harry comforted her having gone all out with her dress. Having found out her favorite color was a dark purple that it was almost black Harry had changed the golden ballgown to the shade of purple she liked adding some yellow, white, pink, and orange accents near the bottom of the dress so it would seem like they were stars sparkling in the twilight. Her dress would be considered rather tame compared to the outfit he had chosen as he was wearing the rainbow-colored robe he had briefly changed into after being selected as a Champion. Harry was not aware of it but the reason he preferred this robe was that Lady Magic used a similar multi-color and ever-shifting rainbow robe as a sign of her office among her fellow Immortals.

When the doors to their room opened and the Champions presented themselves to the three schools there was some gasp at all but Viktor's choice of dates. As Harry had predicted many students began to badmouth Myrtle. Pansy of course was very vocal making loud jokes that Harry was so pathetic he could not find a real person to go with and had to ask out a ghost. "Don't worry about her," Harry said as he gently held Myrtle's arm in his, "after all look she bought." Myrtle had to use her hand to stop some loud giggles coming from her mouth seeing that the bully had come alone. This was because a person had only been allowed to bring a single person as their date and the only people who would actually go out with her were her henchmen Crabbe and Goyle, neither of which she found attractive.

As there was a meal before the dance began Harry was told to head to one of the Champion Tables. Unfortunately, the table he was at also contained Dumbles and Snape, but at least Draco's father had pulled through in setting up the restraining orders for numerous times during the meal both men would turn to Harry and try to speak to him but no words would come out of their mouths, at least none that Harry could hear. Harry did not even pay attention to them as he talked to Myrtle to get her thoughts on the castle and how it compared to when she had been alive. He had to smile seeing Dumbles expression at some of her stories about how many classes that had been taught when she was a student had been since either dumbed down, such as Transfigurations and Muggle Studies or removed altogether such as Magical Law. If Dumbles had any comment on this Harry could not hear about it since he was not Harry's current Headmaster discussing school work. Not trusting either Dumbles or Snape not to mess with his meal Harry returned to taking food from his stash eating some Jerky and shocking several others at the table as he pulled out an actual bowl of spaghetti'os and meatballs from a sleeve. Rather than worry about getting his robe dirty Harry shifted his clothing to more casual attire as head ate his meal.

When the dance started Harry shifted back into his rainbow robes before he stood up and took Myrtle's hand to help her to her feet. Guiding her by her hand they moved to the dance floor. Harry bowed deeply to her as he had been taught in various dance lessons before he took her right hand in his left and wrapped his right around her waist to hold in the middle of her back while she put her free hand on his shoulder. Harry smiled at her as the music started and he began to lead her in a waltz his eyes never leaving hers to help her focus just on him. Neither of them noticed when the crowd started to step onto the dance floor to start dancing alongside the Champions. When the song ended Harry made no move to leave Myrtle's side so they could continue dancing with one another. When the second song started even more students started to dance making it sort of crowded. Feeling rather closed in Harry used a personal floating charm on himself and using Myrtle being a ghost leads to them both floating over the heads of the others while not even breaking step in their dance. To protect Mrytle's modesty Harry also cast a spell so that if perchance any pervert, such as Snape, were to look up they would not be able to see anything under her ballgown.

As Harry spun and then dipped Myrtle, Harry saw that Dumbles had set himself up at the drinks table and was sending Harry a side-eye look. Harry could only guess that the man was trying to talk to him when Harry stopped dancing to take a drink. Even though he could not hear anything the man had to say Harry was not going to get near the man not that he needed to worry for he could use his magic to give himself energy if need be and as a ghost Myrtle would not need a break either. Harry planned on annoying the man by spending the whole Ball just dancing with Myrtle. Not that it meant he did not talk and hang out with others during the event. After the fourth song and dance Harry began to make copies of himself and sent them to meet with people which let him see that Ron had brought Hermione, Blaise and Theo came together as friends, that boy Dumbles has stated was the Hogwarts the Diggory boy Heir with Cho Chang, and Luna had been brought to the ball by Fred Weasley. He even had his copies dance with random people both male and female though not making a big show of it as his main body was with Myrtle.

Harry was sure that of all the teachers only Madam Maxine, Headmaster Karkoriff, and Duelmaster Flitwick had noticed that he had multiple copies of himself active at the same time and independently of each other. If a copy of himself saw a student sitting at one of the tables looking wistfully at the dance floor they would go up and ask if the student wanted to dance. He even used a version of his Mage Sight that allowed him to see some connections between people to play matchmaker with some students who appeared to be too shy to approach someone making most of them happy.

At the end of the Ball, Harry let all his copies vanish, making sure if any of them were dancing with someone they bowed in farewell first, as he brought himself and Myrtle back to the stand on the dance floor. Unlike the end of his dances with the others, Harry kissed Myrtle's hand as he bowed to her before he escorted her out of the hall. He waved at several students with who his copies had danced throughout the night while avoiding Dumbles and Snape.

"I had fun tonight, thanks," Myrtle said letting go of his hand once they had reached the top of the main staircase and dance/gliding with herself in front of him.

"I am glad you did Myrtle," he said with a chuckle as she danced through a suit of armor. "If you don't mind me asking how did you die?" Harry asked knowing that asking that question was a sign that one respected a ghost.

"Oh it was horrible," Myrtle said her tone turning serious while she still dance/glided a little. "It happened in my bathroom I had run there when a fellow student named Olive Horby had been teasing me. I had gone to cry in the bathroom when I heard a male voice saying something in a strange language that seemed to focus a lot on hissing sounds. I had opened the door to tell him to use his own bathroom only to see some large eyes and just die."

"Hm sounds like you were dealing with a student who can speak Parseltongue and possibly a Basilisk as that is the only creature I can think of that can kill someone by looking in their eyes," Harry said tapping his chin thinking it would be a bad thing if there was a Basilisk within the caste that was alone. From his travels, he knew that Basilisk only came into being with the help of Magicals due to how hard they were to produce with their egg laid by a rooster and warmed by a frog for eleven months on the east side slope of a pile of compost. With Magicals needing to help them get hatched most Basilisks had a high chance of becoming a Magical's familiar, so if this Basilisk was alone it could have been driven mad if it had been left at the castle after the student had graduated. "Do you think you could show me where you think you heard the voice from in your bathroom?" Harry asked.  Myrtle blushed a little but she had had so much fun that night she agreed to let him into her girls' bathroom and directed him to one of the sinks within the room.

On the sink, she pointed out Harry spotted a small green etching of a snake which he asked in Parsletongue to open whatever passage it was protecting. Both Harry and Myrtle watched as the sink sunk into the floor revealing a pipe so large even Madam Maxine and the half-giant who taught Hogwart's Care of Magical Creatures could both enter it with some room to spare. "Would you care to join me Myrtle?" he asked holding out his hand to her.

"Why not? You have brought some excitement into my life for the first time in over fifty years," she said taking his hand. Rather than just slide down the large pipe Harry began to dance with Myrtle again letting them sink to the bottom of the pipe.

When they reached the bottom they found some bones littering the floor as well as some faded skin of a large serpent that appeared to be over thirteen meters in length. Though she was a ghost, Myrtle tightly gripped his arms as he pulled out his Lightsaber and used it as a torch (flashlight) as they followed the path. They soon came to a large door that was marked with the symbol of Slytherin House that appeared to be locked shut by a ring of snakes that looked like they were biting the door. Once more Harry asked them to open up in Parseltongue leading the snakes to let go as a previously unseen snake slithered around the door as it unlocked. Holding his Lightsaber higher he and Myrtle entered into a grand hall where a statue of a man stood against the opposite wall. As they got closer to the wall the statue sunk into a pool at its feet until only the statue's head remained in sight. Guessing the person the statue was based on the crest on the door that led into the room and seeing its mouth closed Harry said, " Lord Slytherin please speak to me."

With the sound of grinding of an ancient mechanism, the mouth of the statue opened up stretching open larger than a normal mouth could, making the statue look like a person with some sort of serpent creature inheritance. As the mouth finally stopped moving it appeared as if the stature was sticking out its tongue out as the body of a large green serpent slithered out of it and coiled itself in the pool before him. "Myrtle close your eyes just in case this is a Basilisk," Harry said closing his own eyes as well. He had no fear of being caught unaware in case the serpent for he had several teachers during his travels including a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock and as well as a man who held animal fights in a gym he worked at name Brock that had taught him how to do everything with his eyes closed.

"Who has awakened me from my slumber?" a voice hissed at them making Myrtle shiver a little in fear.

"Why hello there," Harry said turning his face, eyes still closed, to where the voice was coming from as he used magic to create and take off a hat as he bowed to the serpent. "My name is Harry James Potter what is your connection to Lord Slytherin?" he asked.

"I am his familiar," the serpent hissed at him.

"Ah good, I suspected as much. Do you perchance have a name I may call you?" Harry asked as with an afterthought cast a spell so that Myrtle would be able to understand what was being said between him and the serpent.

"You have the honor of addressing Betsy the High Lady Basilisk and familiar to the Slytherin Family," Bety said in what Harry could only desire as a haughty tone.

"Good day to you than High Lady Betsy," Harry said bowing once more to her. "Also by random coincidence due to an event in my youth I am the current Lord Slytherin by Rite of Conquest." Harry felt something large and somewhat slimy rub against his face for a moment.

"Yes, you do have the taste in your magic of my ancient friend Salazar. But tell me young Lord why do you keep your eyes closed?" Betsy asked.

"To look into the eyes of a member of your noble species can kill mortals and even affect spirits, which is why my companion has her eyes closed as well," Harry explained.

"Ah, I do recall Salazar mentioning something like that. Have you perchance read his Grimoire?" Betsy asked him.

"I have not had the pleasure to do so," Harry said.

"Ah, that is too bad for he had one of your kind's magic to make it possible for me to look at others without them dying," Betsy said a hint of sadness in her voice making Harry guess she was feeling rather lonely.

"Give me a moment," Harry said as he used his Magic to gather all Grimoires he had in his various vaults and moved Slytherin's to his robes before pulling it out. Flipping through the pages Harry looked for the spell she had mentioned. By the time he did find it he had also located a spell to make it possible for her to change size. Setting the Grimoire open before him on a freshly cleaned bit of floor Harry began a ritual lifting his hands and weaving them through the air as he gathered some magic into them. "Vasi Malahk Tahro Kin. Shiko Mananto Gekoo Vily," Harry said chanting the words that appeared to be utter nonsense that had been in the book. After he spoke the last word of the ritual the magic he had gathered seemed to let him know that it was safe to look at her. As Magic had never let him down before he turned to look at Bety seeing that unlike the snakeskin he and Myrtle had come across earlier her skin was bright green with hints of yellow scales near her tail. She had a small crest on her head that was all different shares of green. But it was Betsy's eyes that were most startling was that, unlike normal slits that snakes had her eyes looked more human with deep purple irises that seemed to have some flecks of gold within them. "Your eyes are beautiful Lady Betsy," Harry said and was rather surprised to see a snake blush.

"Thank you young Lord Slytherin-Potter," she said her voice sounding rather pleased with a hint of shyness in it.

"Are you lonely Lady Betsy?" he asked.

"I have been alone for years but Salazar made sure that I am placed in Magical sleep unless I am called for," she said.

"But are you lonely?" he asked moving forward and gently placing a hand on some of her scales.

"Yes I am but I can manage it," Betsy said in a tone that spoke of her sad acceptance of this unhappy thought.

"As I was looking for the spell to allow you to be able to look at others I found one that Salazar had created that would allow you to change your own size. If you want I can cast it on you and allow you to resume your place as a Slytherin family familiar by joining me as I am at the castle," Harry offered.

"That sounds wonderful," Betsy said joy seeping into her voice.

The ritual that allowed Betsy to change her own size was easier to perform as it used actual words in a logical order. At first, when he finished the ritual he thought he had somehow messed it up as nothing happened but after a moment Betsy began to shrink in size going from a giant serpent that could fill up a home swimming pool to one that would be able to rest comfortably on Harry's shoulders. With a happy hiss that Harry could not translate Betsy slithered over to him as he held out his right arm to her to let her up to his arm and drape herself over his shoulders. Harry gently patted her head showing reverence to her crest as he and Myrtle left the Chamber and headed back to the main castle. After he said goodnight to Myrtle, surprising her with a small kiss on her cheek, Harry headed back to the room he was using in the castle feeling a familiar bond form between him and Betsy.