New Life; Second Chances

Chapter 14

Tom POV

        I was waiting for Dahlia in the common room; we were going to head down to the Chamber of Secrets to find Slytherin's painting. She came down holding her cloak that she had brought just in case and we walked out. I silently walked with the girl who I wronged so much in the previous timeline that has saved me in this life. "Stop," she said narrowing her eyes at me. I looked confused and she continues, "I don't need to be an aura reader like you to sense the guilt coming off of you. We are all getting second chances to be happy, you get to be happy, not miserable or scared. That in the past was not you, it was a monster created using your body. Okay?" I stared wide-eyed before nodding. "Good, now come on Salazar is at the entrance, I'm going to make him visible when we get down there," she said. We walked up to the entrance and Dahlia looked to the side I'm assuming to where Salazar was. "Open," I hissed followed by "Stairs" from Dahlia.

            We went down the steps where Dahlia stopped and her hands glowed blue as a man who could pass for a Malfoy appeared. He had green robes, pale skin, green eyes that matched Lily Potter, and curly platinum blonde hair that went to his shoulders. "Hello, walk down the Hall and go off to the side, you will find an office with my painting in it," he directed as we followed him to said office. "Open" Dahlia said again. The doors opened again and we saw many books and started to look around as Salazar had disappeared. "They were supposed to go to my vault," his voice sounded again as Dahlia and I both jumped. We turned to see Salazar in a painting. Apparently he found it, "I had a feeling that I shouldn't put them in my vault so I didn't, but you two as my Heirs are able to have it," he continued. We spent a few hours looking at what we wanted to take before agreeing to come back later. I had grabbed the painting off the wall and we quickly went to the common rooms and into the Heir room that is connected to the other Heir rooms, the rest of our group was there as those of us who are heirs had given them permission to enter. We placed Salazar against a wall, and he asked, "Who are the other Heirs?"

            "Charlus Potter is Heir Gryffindor, Luna Peverell is the Hufflepuff Heir, Dahlia Peverell is the Ravenclaw Heir but she's in line for Gryffindor and Slytherin, and Tom Riddle is the Slytherin Heir," Abraxas spoke and the respective people raised their hands when their names were called.

"Okay, what is the plan for the others?" Salazar asked.

        "Well we are going to show you to the school as Dumbledick isn't here anymore and try to unite Houses to find them, if you have any clues to give, or if the respective heirs can do something to help." Dorea said.

        "Okay, that's reasonable. I do know how you can find them," he told us.

        The next morning we showed him to Armando who  told us to cover him and bring the frame with them to breakfast while he made the announcement. 

Third POV

        The Slytherins watched, confused about what seemed to be a painting covered by a sheet being carried by Tom Riddle to breakfast. The other houses seemed very curious about what he was carrying.

        Once breakfast had finished, Headmaster Dippet stood, "Now I have an announcement, I believe some more people have gone for an Inheritance test and found you were under potions and charms," many students nodded, "So a situation has come up that I thought would be a lovely way for everyone to start over and make more friends or acquaintances in other Houses," now a lot of students looked eager to know what this was, "Now, I am going to let Dahlia Peverell and Tom Riddle take over as I'm sure you have seen what Mr. Riddle has been carrying."

        Everyone looked on as the short black haired girl and the tall curly haired brunette male walked up to the podium. "So... I cannot reveal how this was found out, it is a family secret," some students already looked a bit disappointed but those who grew up in magical communities understood, "this involves the Founders," now they definitely had everybody's attention.

            "It had come my attention that they did another version of a painting where instead of magic possessing the painting it was there actual spirit," there were some mixed reactions ranging from confused to intrigued, "What's the difference?" a Hufflepuff asked.

        "Well with your magic it only leaves an impression of the witch or wizard such as a painting of a wizard as a knight is only going to the show the persona he had as a knight not what he actually acted like," Dahlia began, thinking about a certain annoying knight she had the pleasure of encountering in her first life, "While what the Founders did allowed them to still be around even though they are dead, but if they enter one of these paintings they can become visible. So basically the Founder you are interacting with is the actual Founder themselves," the students looked amazed and some seemed to have found it hard to believe.

        "What happened to them?" a Gryffindor questioned.

            "Well it would be the source of all our problems lately," Tom finally spoke, "Dumbledore had found three out of four paintings and managed to hide them so the spirits cannot enter them and are now stuck on where you would find them most likely. For example Slytherin would be in the dungeons and Hufflepuff would be in the gardens or kitchen. Understand?" the Gryffindor nodded and the confused students were not anymore. "Now, the only one that had not been found was Slytherin's because he put his main portrait frame in the Chamber of Secrets, yes its real, no we are not telling you where it is," Dahlia added quickly when certain students perked up. "The only way in there is if you're a Parselmouth which Dumbledore is not, so Riddle and I, being Parselmouths went and found his portraits. If you are respectful he will clear up the misconceptions about him. I believe he is in his portrait now," she paused and spotted Godric Gryffindor, as he was the one allowed in the Great Hall, although nobody knew that as the loud gasp of the crowd sounded from the "yes" that came from the portrait.

            "Ladies and gentlemen, witches and wizards, meet Salazar Slytherin," Dahlia introduced and Tom lifted the sheets and spun the portrait as students, especially the House of said Founder, leaned forwards as the blonde haired male was revealed. "Hello" he was calmly and softly but many still heard it. "Before questions are asked, I would like to clear up one big misconception," he paused, "I do not hate muggleborns," there were was the loud gasp again. "I only severely disliked there muggle parents as most try to hurt something they don't understand. At that time this castle was not hidden from muggles and I worried that these muggle parents would storm the castle. The others did not believe me; even Rowena who was a seer did not have a vision until it was too late. That monster in the chamber as you call it, is supposed to protect the school, I had set up that if all of my fellow founders were to pass that this castle became invisible to muggles unless they had a family relation with someone of magic. Did that clear up everything?" Many students nodded, very stunned. A Ravenclaw Halfblood raised her hand hesitantly, Salzar nodded at her to speak, "Can you explain why purebloods are the only ones in your house?"

            "Well I believe the two that found me are halfbloods?" he looked at Tom and Dahlia who nodded their heads. "About a third of them I believe are halfbloods, it's just that yes they are more cunning but they are also the ones that are a bit weary. They keep to themselves and don't like change much. All the new holidays coming in for the muggleborns and erasing and making illegal there holidays like Samhain are something that cause problems with them. They also try to separate from the muggles, aware of what they could do. Does a muggleborn understand what I mean?"

        A Ravenclaw stood up, "Um, when my first bit of accidental magic came around, my parents were so terrified they would beat me down and sent a priest on me hoping it would fix me," she sat back down and her friend pulled her into a hug. "My mother was a muggleborn and I remember staying with her sister and her husband who were muggles and they had tried to beat the magic out of me because they didn't understand and were scared of it," Dahlia revealed. "I got isolated in the orphanage I use to live at because my magic flared up against a muggle trying to attack me for being different," Tom also revealed. The slytherins were shocked that happened to their leaders and some thought if those two could reveal what happened to them then so can they. "See what I mean? I'm not saying this is all muggles, but this was my worry, magical children being beaten or bullied because of something muggles didn't understand." There was a mutual look of understanding in the room. "Because them being weary, the Sorting Hat I believe has been putting muggleborns into Ravenclaw if they could fit Slytherin," he revealed.