He was standing at the end of a very long and dimly lit chamber. Giant statues of snakes were on both sides. The ceiling was lost in the darkness and there was an odd greenish glow to the entire place. Ancient lighting charms and torches illuminated a large statue two hundred meters from his position and he could see from so far away that Ginny Weasley was lying down in front of it. He slowly walked towards her, idly looking around for the Basilisk. He reached the girl, bent down and shook her arm.
"Weasley, wake up."
"She won't wake," said a soft voice.
Harry immediately stood up and took his duelling stance in record time. His eyes narrowed when he saw a tall black haired boy leaning against a stone pillar. The edges of his body seemed to be blurred, but otherwise, he looked quite solid. And he was also holding a wand.
"Who are you?" asked Harry quietly, still not having moved from his stance.
"Tom Riddle," he said quietly.
"Voldemort!" breathed Harry, his eyes wide in shock. "You're responsible for these attacks? But I checked - I thought for sure that you were not in the castle."
"Oh, so you know who I am?" Riddle smirked. "Good, very good, Harry. That ensures that I have your attention."
Harry saw that Riddle was gripping Ginny's wand. What in Merlin's name was he? This was not the Voldemort he had detected last year, was he? How did Voldemort circumvent the enchantments on the map?
"What are you?"
"A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years."
"Don't test my intelligence," snapped Harry, sounding annoyed. "You are not a mere memory."
"True," Riddle nodded, looking amused. "I know that you are far from stupid, Harry Potter. Ginny has told me all about you; about how you got yourself accepted into the accelerated program, about how you won the Under-13 International Duelling Championship, everything. Most impressive, I must admit."
"I'm glad you think so," Harry said curtly, his brain worked overtime, thinking about what in their surroundings he could use against Riddle.
"I have waited a long time to meet you, Harry Potter," said Riddle softly, eyeing Harry hungrily. "So long ..."
Harry's eyes fell on the diary that was held in Ginny Weasley's hands. Several memories came slamming into Harry's mind, but this time he was ready. He created a pocket in his mind, trapping the memories within so that he could view them later.
"Why did Weasley open the Chamber?"
"Oh, figured it out, have you?" said Riddle, smiling broadly. "It's not like she had a choice. Stupid little Ginny has been writing in my diary all year, telling me all sorts of things. Things she had never told anyone else. I grew stronger as she poured her fears and secrets into me day after day. She began pouring her soul into me and that was exactly what I needed. Slowly I grew stronger, Harry, and I began ordering the attacks on the Mudbloods in the school."
Riddle's eyes had a red tint to them now and Harry watched the boy, his face still impassive. He needed an opening to attack.
"But of course, my initial plan took a backseat once Ginny told me your fascinating history," said Riddle, his eyes not leaving Harry's face. "About how you survived a Killing Curse at the age of one and managed to actually reflect it back at the caster, namely me. So I wanted to know more about you. I was quite stunned when Ginny told me that you were a Parselmouth so that increased my desire to find you, to talk to you ..."
"And did you think I would have been interested in talking to an alternate version of my parents' killer?" spat Harry.
"I knew that you wouldn't talk to me, Harry. That's why I thought I could make things more interesting. But before that could happen, someone had discovered my secret. Your little girlfriend discovered the existence of the basilisk and how it was using the pipes concealed in the school to launch its attacks. If Greengrass ran off to the Ministry, it would be nearly impossible for me to talk to you, so I decided to eliminate her. Of course, she is a smart girl, I will give her that. When she realised that there was a possibility of an attack, she took the necessary precautions. If not for that stupid hand-held mirror, she would have died, just like I wanted her to."
"Why did you want to target Daphne?" said Harry through gritted teeth. "Did you think I would be easier to talk to if you had killed my best friend, my fiancée?"
Riddle laughed loudly. "For someone who supposedly shuts off his emotions, you are quite attached to her, aren't you?" he said with a smirk. "A natural Occlumens; very interesting ... I had to learn Occlumency on my own, though, but I did possess a natural talent for Legilimency. We do have so many things in common, don't we Harry?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, both of us are orphans, both of us are quite exceptional when it comes to magic," said Riddle. "Both of us have a natural affinity for the mind arts. We even look alike, don't we? We are both Parselmouths. Both of us are half-blood and -"
"You're a half-blood?" asked Harry in surprise. He had tried to find out any and all information about Tom Riddle from Hogwarts and the Ministry, but all useful information had been wiped clean. He knew that Riddle was not a British wizarding name, but he had expected something else; not ... this.
"Of course I am," said Riddle, his face distorting in rage. He traced his wand in the air as he began writing.
TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE
He slashed his wand in the air and the letters rearranged the letters forming -
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT
"Did you think I would keep my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins flows the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, on my mother's side? No, Harry. I chose a new name, a name someday everyone would be too scared to speak when I became the greatest sorcerer in the world!"
"It didn't turn out that way, did it?" Harry smirked. "How pathetic must you really be if you were unable to kill a fifteen-month-old infant?"
"Yes," said Riddle, clenching his teeth. "How is that you, a defenceless baby, managed to survive the Killing Curse? How did you survive with nothing more than a scar as Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?"
"No one knows how and why the curse rebounded on you," Harry answered in a calm voice. "My mother performed a sacrificial ritual based on blood magic, but it would not have worked against something as deadly as the Avada Kedavra curse; at least that was her hypothesis from what I've read from her journal. Maybe it worked or maybe it didn't. But the ritual would not have reflected the curse back at the caster. Since I was just a baby then, I can't remember what happened or how I managed to do so. It's a mystery to me as well."
Riddle began laughing a high, cold laugh. "Blood magic?" he repeated, quite amused. "My, oh my, looks like your mother wasn't as 'light' as I heard, Harry. From what I have been told, Lily Potter was considered the epitome of the light and yet she dabbled in the Dark Arts."
"My mother was a brilliant woman and a pragmatist," Harry shot back. His green eyes were focussed on Riddle's form, trying to piece together the puzzle that was Lord Voldemort. He was curious. What had made Riddle want to become the psychopath killer that he was? He needed more information and for that, he needed to talk to Riddle. Voldemort was clearly alive and had a lot of secrets. This was probably the golden opportunity to learn more about the man that had wanted to kill him as an infant more than a decade ago.
"She knew that her son's life was in danger and took action. I don't believe in the stupid stigma called light magic or dark magic. It's all the same. It is the intent behind the use of magic which makes it dark or light. Magic in its purest form does not come with such labels attached to it. It is just that - magic, and my mother understood that."
Riddle smirked. "Oh, you certainly aren't Dumbledore's golden boy, are you?" he cooed. "The old man is quite bigoted when it comes to anything even remotely related to the Dark Arts. I heard you don't like Muggles as well. That shows how alike we are, doesn't it?"
"What is this, a recruiting ground?" Harry sneered. "Do you think I'll join you, a man who is so demented and insane that he needlessly killed thousands of witches and wizards for his own personal amusement? As for me hating Muggles, I have a reason for it! I was raised by my mother's Muggle sister and her husband. I was abused mentally and physically throughout my childhood. I was given little to no food to eat while forced to sleep in a tiny boot cupboard under the stairs. They beat me up every day for accidental magic and had I had not escaped when I was seven years old, I would have died! None of the Muggles in the area helped me even though all the signs of abuse were present!"
"Were you nearly beaten to death during your childhood? Were you starved day after day? Were you scorned by your teachers and neighbours? Were your parents' memories tarnished by others spreading rumours that they were drunken prostitutes? I have every right to hate them! They didn't do anything to help me but instead made my life miserable! What reason do you have? You're the one who hates Muggle-borns along with Muggles. I have no problems with Muggle-borns. My own mother was Muggle-born! A brilliant one at that. Magic is magic and you are killing the very thing which makes us different! You are a fool, Riddle!"
Riddle was quiet. That was not what he had expected. Just as he was about to speak and let the boy know of his own horrible childhood, Harry took his moment to attack. His wand slashed in the air and a jet of blue light flew from the tip of his wand. Riddle dodged it and waved his own wand. Jets of light flew from both foci, their curses becoming lethal.
These were the curses Harry had studied from books in the Black library and they were quite dark in nature. The pain one would feel if it was inflicted on them was truly horrifying. They were indeed the Dark Arts, but Harry had come to realise that there was again a difference between the Dark Arts and the Black Arts, the latter being quite dangerous, from what he had read from his mother's notes. The dark wasn't something that shouldn't be learnt. Anything in excess was bad, including light magic. Balance was essential, but Dumbledore, in his fear of dark wizards, had removed several subjects when he became Headmaster of Hogwarts to ensure that only light magic was taught.
That led to poor quality witches and wizards graduating every year. They were slow and sloppy, not to mention weak. The balance was broken, but on the other hand, Voldemort and his Death Eaters were perfect examples of what would happen should one sink too deep into the darkest of magic. Voldemort and Bellatrix were literally insane.
Harry flicked his wand at the pool of water to his right. The water rose into the air; he quickly spun his wand in a small round motion and the water immediately flew towards Riddle, trapping him in a large liquid sphere. The tip of Harry's wand was glowing bright blue while he was using his off hand to steer the sphere to the other side. Suddenly, Riddle broke free and banished huge gallons of water back at his opponent. Harry charmed it to solidify into ice and transfigured it into tiny, razor-sharp ice crystals and flung them back at Riddle. The other boy slashed his wand in the air and transfigured the ice crystals into grains of sand. He then moved his wand in a circular motion many times, pointing it up. The sand formed a mini tornado which was fast approaching Harry.
Harry then pointed his wand at one of the ancient torches in the chamber which flew off its hold; the fire disintegrated the sand tornado, but it turned into a giant fire eagle which launched itself at Riddle. But it no longer was an eagle, but a large black serpent moving towards Harry who blasted it to smoke, which solidified within seconds to form several daggers which moved towards Riddle. The older boy conjured marble to impact the daggers, but some of them escaped and hit him in the head and chest.
Harry had just dodged the block of marble which had headed his way when he saw the daggers impact Riddle. "It's over Tom. You -" said Harry, but stopped mid-sentence with his jaw hanging open in shock.
Tom Riddle smiled at Harry widely. The holes that had formed in his chest and head had disappeared as if they had never existed. "Did you think you could defeat me, Harry? I am Lord Voldemort! The greatest and most powerful wizard in history! One that was able to drive Dumbledore away from this castle! Did you think I would lose to a mere twelve-year-old boy?" he sneered.
Harry stood silently, breathing hard. This was not a regular body; it was a magical construct so conventional means would not work. How else was he supposed to kill him?
"Do you feel safe now, Harry Potter? You were foolish to come here alone. There's no one here to help you. What's going to stop you from dying now?"
Harry was frozen at his spot when he heard something. Music was coming from somewhere. He and Riddle turned and spotted a beautiful scarlet phoenix flying towards them. Fawkes dropped something in Harry's hands and settled on his shoulder.
"The Sorting Hat?" Riddle laughed. "This is proving to be quite entertaining. Let's see what you and the songbird can do against the King of Serpents."
Riddle turned towards the massive statue and hissed, "Speak to me Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts four."
Harry backed away, looking for a way to escape. Maybe coming down here alone wasn't a good idea after all. He conjured a rooster and hit it with an amplifying charm. The rooster crowed, but Riddle laughed.
"Impressive conjuration, Harry, but it won't work," he said with a smile. "This is Salazar Slytherin's basilisk. It is not that easy to defeat it. Kill him."
Harry closed his eyes as he felt Fawkes lift off into the air. Extending his senses, Harry flicked his wand at Riddle's general direction as he began shooting curses; anything to distract Riddle. He put the Sorting Hat over his head for all the good it would do, but he had never practised magic with his eyes closed.
Harry winced in pain as he hit a massive snake statue, having been thrown off his feet by a blasting curse. Blood poured from behind his head and smeared on the stone pillar as he panted. Why did Salazar keep a Basilisk in a school? It made no sense! He founded Hogwarts to protect magical children from the Muggles. So there was no way he would use it to kill the students of the castle, Muggle-born or not. It was his job to protect the students -
Protect. That was it! Salazar did not raise this Basilisk to kill the students, but rather to protect the students in case the Muggles ever invaded the castle. It was probably the final backup plan, in case all was lost. The snake had been here for more than a thousand years; it must be confused as to who really was the enemy.
When he heard the basilisk shriek in agony, Harry opened his eyes, not being able to stop himself. The sight before him made him gasp.
The basilisk was probably seventy feet long! It was fighting the phoenix which was flying circles around the great snake. Harry saw that blood was leaking from the basilisk's eyes - Fawkes must have destroyed its eyes.
"NO! LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD!" screamed Riddle. "THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU! YOU CAN SMELL HIM! KILL HIM!"
'Thank you for believing in the true legacy of Salazar Slytherin, Mr Potter, and not the twisted version that history has turned him into. You are truly worthy of being the heir of Gryffindor. Godric would be proud of you,' said the Sorting Hat in Harry's mind. The next second, Harry felt something very hard and heavy hitting him on the head, which almost knocked him out. He pulled the hat away from his head, only to grab a handle. He pulled on it to grab a gleaming silver sword probably three feet long, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs.
The basilisk approached him. Harry quickly raised the sword, but what was the use? He had learnt martial arts, but not fencing! The basilisk lunged blindly. It missed him, but it struck the giant snake statue, sending chunks of stone everywhere. Harry tried to strike it back, but the great tail of the snake hit him instead, bodily throwing him across the chamber.
Harry whimpered in pain as he got to his feet. Fawkes was trying to distract the basilisk, but it won't be for long. Conjuring a ladder, Harry climbed on top of one of the snake statues.
"Here snakey, snakey," hissed Harry, holding the sword in both hands. The basilisk heard him and struck blindly, its mouth wide open. Taking his chance, Harry plunged the sword deep into the snake's mouth all the way to the hilt. It pierced the snake's brain, killing it instantly. With a hiss, the basilisk rolled over and crashed on the floor, bringing him with it.
When Harry crashed on the floor painfully, he noticed something. A fang was stuck to his forearm below his elbow. He didn't even have the strength to stand up. White hot pain was spreading throughout his body. Tears began to well in his eyes as realised that he was going to die.
"Tsk, tsk," Riddle clicked his tongue as he walked closer, a smirk on his lips. "Oh, how sad. Are you in pain? Do you feel lightheaded? Is there anything I can do?" He laughed softly. "You'll be dead in seconds, Harry Potter. Remember now that this is what happens to those who oppose Lord Voldemort. Say that to your dear Mudblood mother when you see her. No one can stop me from conquering the world - not even the precious Boy-Who-Lived ..."
But he felt better. What was happening? Harry looked down and saw that Fawkes was crying into the wound. Thick tears were falling on the skin where the fang had pierced him, healing him. Phoenix tears!
"Get away, bird!" snarled Riddle. Harry's eyes caught sight of the diary several feet away. Wandlessly summoning it, he took the basilisk fang in his hand and plunged it into the pages.
"NO!" screamed Riddle, but that as the last thing he said before there was a scream from the diary. Ink poured out of it like blood as Riddle vanished after withering and screaming, and suddenly, the Chamber was silent.
"Thank you, Fawkes," said Harry softly as he stroked the beautiful feathers of the phoenix. "I owe you my life. I really was reckless coming down here alone, but thank you for having my back."
Fawkes trilled happily, but Harry smirked slightly. "This still doesn't change anything, though. I still hate your companion."
The magical bird trilled again, apparently not expecting anything else. Harry limped forward towards the basilisk. He removed the sword that was nested in the mouth. He held it up against the light and his eyes widened. On the blade, just below the hit were the words -
GODRIC GRYFFINDOR
"Y-You gave me the sword?" Harry whispered, addressing the Sorting Hat. "I know of my family history. You had the sword all along? Generations of Potters have been searching for it for centuries and Godric had hidden it right under our noses?"
"When Geraldine Gryffindor and Alan Potter had a son, Godric was in a dilemma," the Sorting Hat replied. "He didn't know whether to pass on the Gryffindor family titles and fortune to his grandchild, not sure if his descendants would be worthy of it. However, he finally decided that he would test them, and that his treasures would only pass on to a child of the Potter family who embodied what Hogwarts represented."
The Hat continued, "The only way for any Potter to claim the Gryffindor title and fortune, as you know, is to find his legendary sword. That much is known to the Potters, considering they have been searching for it for the last thousand years; but what you didn't know was that it wasn't a game of hide and seek. Godric entrusted me with the sword and told me to present it to someone of his blood who I felt was worthy. I have sorted generations of Potters into all four Houses of Hogwarts. Many of them were exceptional, but I waited. Today, however, I present the sword to you. You embody the true heritage of Hogwarts - bravery, loyalty, intelligence and ambition. You truly believed that Salazar could not have been evil, and that was what made me finally choose you. You are unique, Harry Potter. I have never encountered anyone like you before. You are truly worthy of bearing Godric's family name. Welcome back, Lord Gryffindor."
A sheen of golden light formed on the surface of the sword and Harry felt an aura wash over him. Golden light enveloped him and after a few seconds, the magic seeped into his skin as a ring appeared on his left ring finger. It was a large ruby placed on a gold band with a lion on it. He had gained the Gryffindor title; something which his ancestors had been trying for centuries.
"Thank you, Hat," said Harry sincerely.
"I am merely doing my job," said the Hat. A few seconds later, Harry heard a groan. He turned to his left and saw Ginny Weasley waking up. His face became impassive again. He tried to ignore it, but couldn't help but be annoyed with the girl. She was a pureblood; shouldn't she know that a diary such as that was dangerous? While he could admit that she was just a naïve eleven-year-old girl, he couldn't help but feel that if she hadn't been so stupid, all of this could have been avoided.
Ignoring the babbling girl and supremely unbothered by her distress, Harry picked up the Sorting Hat and sword and magically attached them to his belt. Delicately grasping Fawkes' feathers with one hand while taking Weasley's hand with the other, they escaped the Chamber through the pipes. When they emerged, they saw Professors McGonagall and Flitwick there, with their wands raised.
"Oh, thank Mother Magic you're all right!" said McGonagall shakily. "We were informed by Myrtle that you went into the Chamber, Potter, and we were trying to come after you, but the wards wouldn't budge. Come on, your godfather and Miss Weasley's parents and are in the Headmaster's office."
"Perhaps it is better to take them to the hospital wing, Minerva," Professor Flitwick interrupted as the sink sealed shut behind him as Harry closed it with a Parseltongue command.
"What?" McGonagall blinked in confusion as Fawkes disappeared in a flash of flame. "Oh yes, come on, you two. Let's get you to Poppy."
Harry was still feeling dizzy as he limped along. The pain was unbearable now that he had nothing else to focus on. When they reached the hospital wing, they saw that the petrified students had been revived. Daphne was sitting on her bed with her parents by her side, wearing a stony expression on her face.
"Poppy!" cried Flitwick. "We need you here!"
Madam Pomfrey came over and led them over to a bed. The other students were all looking at them, wondering what was going on. Just when she finished scanning Ginny, the doors burst open and they all heard a screech.
"Ginny!" screamed Molly Weasley as she ran towards them, grabbing her daughter in a tight hug. "You - you saved her!"
She turned towards Harry to hug him as well, but a shield materialised in front of her, pushing her back. Molly Weasley's face turned red with anger when she spotted Elizabeth Greengrass with her wand raised.
"Who do you think you are?" she screeched.
"He is not comfortable with strangers hugging him," Elizabeth replied, unfazed. "As for who I am, I'm his future mother-in-law. Now if you would kindly let Madam Pomfrey treat him, it would be greatly appreciated."
Harry smiled gratefully at her. Just then, Sirius, Amelia, two of her Aurors and Dumbledore arrived as well.
"The threat of the Chamber of Secrets has been neutralised," said Harry quietly. Madam Pomfrey hissed next to him as she scanned him.
"What the hell happened down there?" she exclaimed. "You have fractured bones, a concussion, internal bleeding, and trauma to the skull and spine. You have also been poisoned, but I can't tell by what because it has already been neutralised ..."
"You were bitten?" yelped Daphne, looking horrified.
"The poison is basilisk venom," said Harry, making people gasp and Dumbledore grimace. "Don't worry; the basilisk is dead."
"You need to be healed!" Madam Pomfrey yelled hysterically. Sirius was looking frantic. "The poison reacts too fast -"
"It has been neutralised, as you said. Fawkes cried into the wound. Here, this was what caused the Chamber of Secrets to open in the first place."
He gave the diary to Dumbledore who looked at it with keen eyes. "It was Voldemort's sixteen-year-old self, Professor," said Harry quietly.
"Brilliant," said Dumbledore softly. He never thought that Tom would make one of his Horcruxes into a weapon such as this. It was quite unconventional. He was beyond happy that a Horcrux had been identified and destroyed. He would most definitely ensure that Harry was rewarded for this. Perhaps an award for special services to the school would suffice?
"I'll need to vanish your clothes, Potter," she said. With a flick of his wand, Harry's uniform vanished and he was lying there in his underwear. "Miss Greengrass, could you please scrub him clean while I heal him? We don't want any residual poison on his skin."
"Of course," Daphne said quickly as she took the sponge from her, carefully wiping his body with it.
"I would like to see the memory of the event, if you would please, Harry," said Dumbledore.
"Later, Albus," Madam Pomfrey snapped, looking annoyed. "He's been through a terrible ordeal and is suffering from magical exhaustion. Potter needs time to heal."
"No, it's alright, Madam Pomfrey," said Harry tiredly. Pointing his wand to his head, he removed the memory just as Dumbledore passed him a phial.
"I know that I was wrong in suspecting you, my boy, but I have to tell you that I am incredibly proud of you," Dumbledore smiled at Harry as he accepted the memory.
"Sirius," he murmured, motioning his godfather to come closer, ignoring the Headmaster. When he did, Harry gripped his locket and a privacy bubble formed around them.
"It was Lucius Malfoy," said Harry quietly. "He was behind it all."
"How can you tell?" asked Sirius sharply.
"See that diary? I recognise it. Lucius placed it in Ginny Weasley's cauldron after he and Arthur Weasley fought in Flourish and Blotts last year. The memory is not clear, but I know what I saw. There was also an incident with his house-elf, Dobby. The elf repeatedly came to warn me about danger at Hogwarts and that I should go home. Lucius was also responsible for Hagrid getting arrested and Dumbledore getting suspended. He planted the diary, I'm sure of it. It belonged to Voldemort and Lucius was one of his high-ranking Death Eaters, wasn't he?"
Sirius' eyes narrowed. "Are you absolutely sure?"
"Positive," said Harry confidently.
"Then I believe I should pay dear Lucius a visit!"
"When you negotiate with him, can you get his elf Dobby freed?" he asked hopefully. "The little guy risked his life to help me and I don't want him killed by Lucius in his anger."
"I'll see what I can do," Sirius replied quietly. "Rest for now, son. I'll be back soon, alright?"
Harry nodded as his head hit the pillow, feeling butterflies in his stomach when he heard Sirius refer to him as his son. Amelia finished speaking to Ginny Weasley. When Dumbledore wasn't looking, Harry discreetly gave her a copy of the memory.
"Don't let him see it," whispered Harry. "This has a little extra to it and I have plans for this."
Amelia nodded as she put it inside her large robes. She was five months pregnant at this point, but her robes hid her belly. Telling them that she would be back later for any further inquiries, she and the two Aurors left the hospital wing. Dumbledore was still looking at the diary as he made his way out of the room as well.
"Tippy," Harry called out quietly. When the elf appeared, he said, "Take this sword and fang and place it in the vault in my study, will you?"
"Yes, Master," Tippy said happily as she left with the items.
"I'm alright," he said softly, addressing the elder Greengrasses. "I'm just tired."
"Don't ever scare us like that again," Elizabeth whispered worriedly, placing a gentle kiss on his head.
Harry felt a rush of emotion as he looked at her with affection. "I'll try," he told her, wearing a small smile. But that was the last he said before the dreamless sleep potion took effect and he was out like a light.
As they walked out of Hogwarts, Cyrus looked at his wife. "He is warming up to us, isn't he?"
Elizabeth nodded and smiled.
HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP
Lucius Malfoy had just finished negotiating with his business partner in France. When he came back to the villa he owned in the middle of a vineyard in Northern France, Dobby appeared in front of him.
"Master, Lord Black is here to see you," said Dobby, shakily.
"What?" said Lucius sharply. Pursing his lips, he said, "Show him in. And Dobby? Crucio!"
A jet a red light impacted the elf for a second, making him shriek in pain. Shakily, he popped away and a few minutes later, Lord Sirius Black was escorted into the drawing room, impeccably dressed as always. Lucius hated the fact that there was going to be a new male heir for the House of Black. There was absolutely no way for Draco to inherit the title and fortune now.
"Lucius, how have you been?" asked Sirius cheerfully as he sat down in an armchair opposite to the man.
Malfoy's lip curled. "Sirius," he greeted him. "I didn't know you were in France."
"Oh, until a few hours ago, I wasn't. But I had some important matters to deal with, so while I was here, I thought I could visit my favourite cousin!"
Lucius waited for a while as Sirius stared into the fire. "Do you, by any chance, recognise the name Tom Marvolo Riddle?"
"What?" snapped Lucius, but his eyes bulged out. How had this man come across that name? The Dark Lord had ensured that there were no traces of it. He himself had erased all knowledge about the Dark Lord's past in the Ministry archives, leaving only the barest essentials behind.
"Yes, Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort." Sirius barked out a laugh. "Dear Merlin, who would have guessed that the Dark Lord was nothing more than a filthy Mudblood?"
Lucius clenched his hands in fury. How dare Black call the Dark Lord a Mudblood? His Lord was the heir of Salazar Slytherin! He was incredibly powerful, so it was easy to ignore his less than savoury heritage. Very few people actually knew about it. He and Barty Crouch Junior had known, and Lucius knew that his father Abraxas and the others in the generation like Thaddeus Nott and Randolf Lestrange also knew about it. The other Death Eaters were blissfully unaware, just like the Dark Lord wanted it.
That was not to say that others had not tried to reveal the information to the public. Albus Dumbledore had tried to get the information printed in the Daily Prophet but the Dark Lord had personally tortured and killed the editor, Dorcas Meadows, one of the old headmaster's supporters and member of the Order of the Phoenix, before that edition of the newspaper was printed. After that, the paper changed ownership and Dumbledore had no control over it again.
Lucius was a believer in the pureblood cause, true, but it didn't really matter that their Lord wasn't pure because he was the leader who fought for the rights of purebloods. That was enough. Besides, being Salazar's heir was sufficient to gain the respect of many.
"I have some information here, Lucius," said Sirius as he opened a small notebook. "This book has been in my family for centuries and it is quite useful in times of need. Do you want to know what it says?"
Lucius Malfoy could feel sweat forming on his brow. He knew that the book wasn't the original; Merlin knows Black wasn't that stupid to remove the infamous book filled with blackmail material from his vault. This was probably for theatrics, but he wondered what he had in the original book. He knew of several families that had suffered because of the information that generations of Blacks had collected.
There was a reason the House of Black was considered one of the most powerful families in Magical Europe. Even now, Lucius wondered how they did it. The Head of House ring gleaming at him from Sirius' finger really did not help any.
"Let us take a brief history lesson, shall we?" Sirius smirked. "There were several Most Ancient and Noble Houses in our country centuries back, but many of them are now, unfortunately, extinct. The Most Ancient Houses are the oldest families in Magical Britain, dating back to the time of King Arthur of the Royal House of Pendragon, the last magical king of Britain. In fact, King Arthur was the last magical king in the world. All other major magical dynasties - Narmer of Ancient Magical Egypt, the line of Qin of Ancient Magical China, the Akkadians of Ancient Magical Mesopotamia, and the Ikshvaku Clan of Ancient Magical India ... all of them had been replaced by Muggle emperors."
Lucius wondered where he was going with this. His grey eyes were narrowed and he gripped the handle of his cane.
"The Most Ancient and Noble Houses like Black, Potter, Peverell, Nott, Greengrass, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Longbottom, Smith, Ollivander, Lestrange and several other now-extinct families were all once serving under King Arthur in his court at Camelot. Once the king died, Lord Myrddin entrusted the future of the magical world to us, through the Wizard's Council - the Wizengamot."
"The royal line ended with Arthur, but an offshoot Muggle line ascended to the throne. Witches and wizards did not like serving a Muggle, but it continued. A few centuries passed and there was the Norman invasion of England which brought about families like yours to Magical Britain. That's where this book comes in," said Sirius, acting as though he was reading the said book. "Interesting ... so the land on which Malfoy Manor sits was presented to you by a Muggle? It seems Armand Malfoy was quite close to the then Muggle king - Willam, I'm told. I also have proof that later in the sixteenth century, Lucius Malfoy, a man you were named after, had very close contact with Queen Elizabeth I. He was courting her, wasn't he? Then there is evidence that for centuries you curried favour with the Muggle royals, interacting with them."
Lucius' face was pale. This information was something which the Malfoy family had gone to great lengths to suppress, with all the evidence destroyed. How had the Blacks gotten their hands on it?
"The Muggle royals came under a lot of fire when they refused to help witches and wizards, leading to the formation of the International Statute of Secrecy," Sirius continued. "All over the world, the Muggle Royal Houses are hated for the way they, directly and indirectly, led to the slaughter of countless witches and wizards in their bid to keep us downtrodden."
"If this information gets out, Lucius, the downfall of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy is imminent. People still haven't forgotten the atrocities committed by the Royals against witches and wizards. Mother Magic herself does not favour them. That's why there has not been a single Muggle-born in their families anywhere in the world even though all of them, however distantly, had magical ancestors."
"What do you want?" said Lucius, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.
"How dare you try to endanger my son's life?" hissed Sirius angrily. "How dare you use one of Voldemort's little trinkets to open the Chamber of Secrets and put innocent children in danger? Did you think we would not figure it out?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Lucius replied smoothly, wondering what Sirius was talking about in referring to Harry Potter as his son.
"Cut the crap Lucius, I saw you put the diary in Ginny Weasley's cauldron in Flourish and Blotts. That diary possessed that girl and unleashed a basilisk inside Hogwarts, petrifying Muggle-borns and nearly killing the heiress of House Greengrass and the heir of Houses Potter and Black! You fool! If Harry or Daphne had died, do you think Cyrus Greengrass or I would have let you go scot-free? We would have hunted you down and killed you! I'm quite tempted to do it now, anyway!"
"Basilisk?" yelped Lucius, his eyes wide. The Dark Lord had never said anything about that! He only said that it would cause the Chamber of Secrets to open, getting rid of the filthy Muggle-borns in the school.
"Yes, you fool, a basilisk!" snapped Sirius. "My godson had to kill a bloody basilisk! Do you have any idea what would happen to you if people found proof of your involvement? You would be awarded the Dementor's kiss! The International Confederation of Wizards would have you utterly destroyed for putting thousands of children in danger by unleashing the deadliest magical creature known to wizard-kind, and nothing and no one would then help you."
Malfoy was white as a sheet. He had put his own son in danger. There had been a basilisk roaming in the bowels of Hogwarts and he had been unaware of it. He had put his own son in danger in the process. If something had happened to Draco ... he didn't even want to think about it. The boy may be spoiled, but Lucius and Narcissa loved him dearly.
"I haven't even mentioned the other part," said Sirius calmly, leaning back. "I can also disown Narcissa from the House of Black and brand her a blood traitor. It won't amount to much, but how do you think she would handle it? I can demand the dowry paid by my family to be repaid with interest and further compensation for putting the Heir Black, my godson, in mortal danger. You are rich, Lucius, but you are nowhere close to the Potters or the Blacks in terms of gold and I can utterly destroy you. Do you think you can survive the financial and political ramifications of this move? How would you like to be compared to the Weasleys?"
Lucius was bat shit furious at this point, but Sirius held the cards. One wrong move on Malfoy's part and everything the man held dear would be gone.
"What do you want?"
Sirius smirked. "Good. I'm glad that the art of negotiation isn't lost in you, Lucius. Let's start with your seat on the Hogwarts Board of Governors ..."