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Familiar	By : Vittani Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Draco Views: 65690 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 26
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A/N�the description of the chamber and the basilisk below are from the Chamber of Secrets book, not the film. So keep that in mind when reading this.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed�

Stasha�I think everyone hopes someone will answer their questions like that! I certainly do!

Aaliyah�It is a relief to finally have them done and thank you for all the positive comments you�ve given me.

WeasleyWench�No problem hun. I only recommend fic�s I like and I think its obvious from my reviews that I absolutely love your work.

PleiadesWolfe�Yes someone could have seen them but if they did I�m not gonna tell you yet. N heres the chapter, they definitely found more than I originally bargained on.

Wvsailor�Dumbledore is certainly gonna be as evil as he sounds. I�ve only shown everyone the tip of the iceberg so far.

Mari-Chan�Its so good to here from you. You can see Draco�s reaction to the chamber now.

Cheshire666�Harry could have Angel blood, there is one remaining blood that I haven�t talked about yet cos Krai wasn�t sure if it would manifest, but you�ll have to wait and see. And �bar� means except, apart from, with the exception of. Basically�Harry had no knowledge of the chamber bar what he had learnt on his previous visit. Hope that helps. And don�t worry I love long reviews.

26 The Chamber of Secrets

Unlike the last time he was here, Harry was actually ready for the end of the pipe. Instead of flying out of the end like he did the last time, he used a quick cushioning charm to �cushion� his fall. Of course he did the same for Draco when he came flying out of the end of the pipe. And if he made sure Draco�s �cushion� was softer than his own, who would know!

Draco in true Malfoy fashion, stood, dusted off his robes and looked around with clear distaste.
�So this is the Chamber of Secrets?�
Harry laughed silently to himself over his mate�s behaviour.
�No Draco this is not the Chamber of Secrets, this is just the exit that the basilisk used to use.�

Draco kicked at the bones beneath his feet, no doubt trying to see if there was a clear pathway beneath them. When he found that there wasn�t, he huffed.

He should have known that the bones of little animals wouldn�t have fazed his mate; after all with Lucius Malfoy as a Father he�d probably seen plenty of worse sites than that. And he had heard that the Malfoy Manor had dungeons, so maybe he was used to skeletons.

�If this is the snake�s personal doorway, then why didn�t we use the one Salazar Slytherin used?� Draco asked, a little exasperated with his mate for making him go through all that when they could have used a door.
�Hhhmm, we could, but I don�t actually know where it is!� I was planning to look for it while we were down here. I didn�t really have much time to look around the last time I was here.� Harry mused, lost in a few memories.

�Sorry Harry.� Draco said. �I got a bit knocked up on the way down and was a little pissed off that I could have gone through a real door instead of a slimy tunnel.�
�No problem love.� Harry replied, putting his arm around the blonde�s shoulders and leading him off down the tunnel. He smiled a little bit while he did so, Draco wouldn�t be Draco if he didn�t whine and complain a little.

***

They made it to the Chamber without incident. Harry only stopping once to point out where the length of shed snake skin had been the last time he was here. A few little scraps remained but most of it had been eaten by the creatures that lived down here. The ones the basilisk had fed off of for so long, kind of fitting really that it would feed them now.

He didn�t mind snakes; in fact he quite liked them. That was obviously the Slytherin part of him as most of the other Gryffindors hated snakes and no matter how many times he told them that snakes weren�t slimy, they wouldn�t believe him.

But even to him the basilisk had been a horrible creature. It wasn�t even beautifully patterned like most snakes were. It certainly was nothing like Krai.

A wall stood before him, a carving of two entwined serpents at its centre. He felt Draco tremble a little beside him and ran his hand over the blonde�s shoulders soothingly. For him, coming back wasn�t as hard as he�d thought it would be. But for Draco, seeing all this for the first time after hearing all of the horror stories of his youth and being here in second year when the attacks were occurring, well it had to be unnerving for him.

He stepped up to the snakes and for some reason, felt like he�d come home.

He ran his hands lovingly down the fronts of both snakes and watched as the inset emeralds that had made the snakes seem so real the last time, came alive again. If he didn�t know there were no torches around he would have sworn there were flames flickering within their depths and that the sounds that he could hear sounded suspiciously like snakes hissing, were in fact nothing more than a gentle breeze travelling through the bones of long dead creatures.

Yes just like last time, if he didn�t know better he�d say these snakes were alive. Choosing to ignore the feeling just like he had before, he spoke to them.

~Open~

They parted for him swiftly, seemingly eager to allow him entrance. While the rest of the wall slid apart, they coiled up at either end, their eyes� seemed to follow both of them as they passed to enter the Chamber.

They both stopped short, staring at the scene before them.

Well it was obvious that the creatures that lived down here did not have access to the Chamber, as it was clear that the basilisk was as intact as he had left it almost five years ago. He walked forward slowly, barely aware of Draco keeping close to his side, as he stepped up to the thing that had given him such problems so long ago.

And he felt pity.

It was only an animal after all, a snake just like Krai. Uglier yes but no less important to the world and here it had remained for centuries confined and made to do the bidding of wizards. And it was then that he realized something, he had been so afraid of the thing and so focused on finding Ginny that he hadn�t even tried to speak to the snake. He had just taken Riddle at his word, that the snake wouldn�t obey only him, because Riddle was �Slytherin�s heir�.

He laughed.

He himself was Slytherin�s heir, like so many had feared. But would they fear Salazar Slytherin now so much if they knew what he knew.

What would have happened if he�d tried to speak to the snake? Would it have stopped trying to kill him and then obeyed him, would it have still been alive now. Blinded but alive, here to welcome him back to the Chamber.

He did feel sorry for it.

Was it the snake�s fault that it was being used by the Dark Lord, just like so many other people had been used before it? It had done nothing different than the thousands of others the Dark Lord controlled, followed orders. But whereas his Deatheaters made the choice to serve him, the Basilisk had been forced.

He shook his head to clear the tears that had built up in his eyes at the memory of that night. Ginny had nearly died. Ginny had nearly died. He repeated it over and over to himself. And it was true but the snake had not been to blame for that. That had been Riddle. All Riddle. He looked back at the basilisk again, trying to see it as just another snake and not the creature that had terrified him and his classmates. He remembered the year�he remembered hearing the snake repeating its orders over and over again in its head. It was obvious that the poor creature was created to be a follower and not a thinker.

Either way it didn�t matter both the snake and Riddle were long dead now, only Voldemort remained.

But what to do with the body? Should he just leave it there? Well he didn�t really have much choice what else could he do?

The nature of the Chamber was preserving the body. He realized it now. The air was always perfect, the temperature fluctuated and no air from outside seeped in. there were no drafts, there was no hiss of air filling the chamber. Nothing, it was all silence, the water that covered the ground outside was not present in here. The air was devoid of its humidity. But what was the purpose of it? What was the reasoning behind it?

Why the basilisk in the first place?

It didn�t fit with his new image of Salazar Slytherin, his ancestor a man who loved another and was forced to hide his love behind hatred, much like he and Draco had since the day they met. A man not what he seemed.

The hat had said Slytherin�s animosity with Gryffindor was all an act. So if Slytherin was not really an evil bastard then why did he have a basilisk, to �purge the school of all those unfit to study magic�, all the muggleborns and half bloods. It didn�t make sense.

And if it were true then why would he leave without instigating the plan. The Chamber had to have another purpose, to be here for another reason.

Did Salazar hope that through his leaving, all those left in the school would forget both him and the Chamber? I mean why go to such pains to hide it, unless it wasn�t to be used. Wouldn�t he want anyone who thought as he did to have easy access to the Chamber so that they could continue his work?

The answer was, obviously not.

The Chamber had been hidden (In a girls bathroom?), its existence a mere rumour for centuries. The only people able to access it: Salazar and his descendents.

Wait, didn�t the hat say that Slytherin took away the descendent birthed by his own body. Now why would he take one child and not the other, the one birthed by Gryffindor? Unless, that child was not able to speak parceltongue.

That had to be it.
Salazar removed both himself and his son/daughter from the school. And it was centuries before a descendent came back to the school. Was that descendent able to speak parceltongue? He�d have to ask the hat that. And he didn�t know if he�d be able to do so. The hat never left Dumbledore�s office.

There had to be something here. Some purpose that would make all of those precautions necessary. I mean, it all made sense. Even if a descendent of his got this far and was able to open the Chamber, there was still a basilisk inside and no matter who you were, if you met its eye you�d die. What was so important about this place that he would build it so far beneath Hogwarts, only allow parceltongues entrance and then make them face a basilisk, what was it all for? What was worth all of that trouble?

Harry looked around trying to see anything, anything out of the ordinary. Baring of course the luminous green snake, he could see nothing. He sighed and turned back to Draco.

The blonde had been watching him for the last few minutes while he thought. Seeing Harry�s attention back on him he went over and gave the brunet a hug.
�Is being back here horrible, are you reliving everything?� he whispered.
�No actually, it�s surprising how easy it is for me to come back here.�
�Seeing that�that thing; didn�t bring back any painful memories. I find it hard to believe, if it were me I�d have never come back down here.�
�You�re a Slytherin, all about self-preservation and the continuation of your line; you�d have never come down here in the�first�place�THAT�S IT!�

Draco had stepped back at Harry�s yell, which reverberated around the room and echoed strangely. Harry turned to him with a strange intense light in his eye.
�Listen, why would Slytherin create all of this if he was essentially a nice person and had no real intention of setting it on the muggleborns. If he thought that way he�d have done so while he was still in residence at the school, why didn�t he? What�s the reason behind it? The two most important things to a Slytherin are self-preservation and�� he paused, waiting for Draco to make the catch up.

�Family!�

�Correct love. There can�t be any other reason. He wouldn�t go to such trouble for any other reason. I mean he was the first Slytherin! Any traits you lot have he had first, or you�d never have been put in his house in the first place. So what was he hiding, what was he protecting, why did he need all of this?� Harry almost demanded an answer from the air. �What am I missing?� he almost yelled that last, the echo came back but it just repeated what he said before, it offered no answer.

Harry gasped for breath. He was so close to a piece of the mystery. He knew it! But he just couldn�t�he just couldn�t grasp it!

***

They spent a little while longer in the Chamber before heading back up to the surface for dinner. The Gryffindors and the Slytherins had both had the last two periods before dinner free, which had allowed both of them to sneak down into the chamber. And since one of those had been a double period they�d had just over three hours in which to poke around the Chamber. They weren�t meeting up again that night, as they already had homework to do and they needed to finish it now if they intended to retreat to the room of requirement at the weekend to try out the animagus ritual.

Even after hours of homework Harry still couldn�t get the chamber out of his mind. He just felt that something was down there. Something important! Making his excuses to Ron and the others he headed up to the boys dorms. He found Krai curled up on his pillow.
The snake wasn�t asleep, he lifted his head when Harry came in and watched as his Master crossed to his trunk.

You intend to go back to the burrow don�t you Master.

If you mean the Chamber then yes I do. There�s something down there Krai, I�m sure of it.

May I come? I would like to see a snake burrow that was dug by a human.

Of course. You may be able to see something I�ve missed.

Harry finally pulled his invisibility cloak out of his trunk. Checking that there was no one about he picked up Krai and held the snake until he had securely wound himself about Harry�s shoulders. Once Krai was in a comfortable position, he waved his hand and spelled the curtains closed, as an after thought he added a silencing charm, so that if the other boys tried to check on him they wouldn�t wonder why he didn�t answer. After placing the cloak over his shoulders and spelling it closed, he headed down to the common room where he waited for a moment, until a first year stepped through the portrait hole.

Sneaking passed her; he headed back down to the second floor.

The Chamber of Secrets for the second time in one day, I must be mad!

No doubt of it Master

***

The snakes that guarded the door seemed even more active his time. Maybe they were nocturnal.

Krai passed no comment on them, though he did watch curiously when his Master stroked them and the quiet hissing that he had heard before, stopped.

Harry could tell that Krai was not very impressed with the human �burrow� he complained about how snakes liked to feel the earth on either side of them and how they liked the heat. This place was surely too cold for a snake to live in and was way too large.

His last comment was when he saw the basilisk itself.

~Lord of Serpents, no wonder you were cranky. No earth, only cold stone and no sun. How did you warm yourself; your Master did not provide for you well~

After that the snake remained silent.

The only thing Harry said was that back then humans had no real idea how to look after snakes and just gave them what they thought they needed. And that Slytherin was a parcelmouth, so if the snake had been really adverse to the situation then it would have complained to him.

Do you see anything? he asked a moment later.

There is a doorway there, between the legs of the man of stone.

Krai answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. And it probably was to a snake; after all they did have a different view of the world to humans.

And when he looked again, Harry could see the faint outline of a door that Krai must have spotted.

Standing at the feet of Salazar Slytherin was something that in second year, Harry had thought he would never do again. And here he was, all over again. At least this time there was no basilisk to face, apart from the one lying dead behind him.

~Open~

Nothing happened.

He tried again and there was still no reaction. Then he cursed himself, of course, if someone had gotten this far then just using parceltongue wasn�t enough to keep them out. He had to think, what would Salazar use to protect his secret. He tried everything, nothing worked. Finally he lost his temper and kicked the stone wall.

~Dammit, Please Open Up ~

He was shocked when a section of the statue began to move backwards revealing another corridor. Huh, he suddenly remembered Peeve�s taunting �Shan�t say nothing if you don�t say please�, guess you really don�t get anything unless you say please. Well Filch didn�t get anything that night but Peeve�s had to be an exception to every rule ever made.

After a quick check with Krai, to make sure the snake couldn�t sense the presence of any snakes in the corridor Harry stepped forward. The corridor wasn�t long, in fact it only took a few moments to traverse its entire length. With each step he took a torch affixed to a bracket upon the wall would light, allowing him to see more clearly. The walls appeared to be a translucent green, like jade, the light of the few torches bounced off the walls making the substance that coated them glow and light up the rest of the corridor.

It was beautiful, the torches and brackets had silver accents. And every so often Harry would pass protection runes and others he did not recognise drawn in molten silver. The runes were unobtrusive and would be hardly noticeable if it weren�t for the glow of the torches.

When he reached the end he stopped dumbfounded at the change. The light from the torches did not reach passed the threshold, the room was dark but the destruction could be clearly seen. Everything had seemed so peaceful, un-disturbed. Before him was what must have once been a bed chamber, the shape at the far end was partially recognisable as a four poster. The hangings were a tasteful design. Cream with accents of both red, gold, green and silver. The rest of the room was decorated accordingly, a partnership of colours that belonged to the two bitterest instigators of house rivalrys. There was no doubt that the room would have been beautiful if it weren�t for the condition it was in. It was obvious that someone had been here, most likely Voldemort. The room was destroyed. Furniture and other debris littered the floor.

He stepped further into the room not caring that he was stepping on things. He couldn�t believe it, he�d been so sure that he would find something in here and now it looked as though someone had beaten him to it. He looked down when something crunched under his booted foot. He�d stepped on the broken edge of a portrait frame. He crouched down to take a closer look. The portrait was badly tattered and ripped and it was obvious that whereas the man inside it could once move and speak, he no longer could. The portrait had been slashed violently, much like when Sirius had slashed the fat lady. But whereas she had gotten immediate attention it was equally as obvious that no one had been able to restore this portrait and its occupant had slowly died.

The man had to be Salazar Slytherin, he wore emerald green robes and had long messy black hair; he had Harry�s smooth, golden skin and his physique. If it weren�t for the changes he had gone through recently he and Salazar could almost have been twin brothers.

***

He left the room eventually, finding nothing of interest baring the portrait and a long chest that he couldn�t open. He had to use both a lightening and floatation charm, as the chest was big enough to hold two or three TV video combi�s. At Krai�s insistence he took that with him back into the Chamber proper, so that he could see it better.

While Krai tested the lock magically, to determine what locking spell had been used on it, Harry took another look around the Chamber. That room was bothering him; it couldn�t have been long since the preservation charm wore off. Harry knew that any preservation spells on a broken item would completely wear off after fifty years if not taken off by the original caster. If not removed and not destroyed the items could be preserved indefinitely. It was obvious that Tom riddle must have gained access to the Chamber when he was still in school, in a rage he broke everything in the room resulting in the degradation of the preservation charms.

What did he find out?

He almost wished he still had the Diary to ask Riddle.

There wasn�t anything else, he�d already asked Krai and the snake had said there were no more hidden doors. But Harry still felt like he was missing something.
A moment later, he knew what it was that had been nagging at him since he�d entered earlier that afternoon. His look was triumphant when he turned again to face the statue of Salazar Slytherin.

~Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four~

He grinned when his ancestors stone mouth opened wide. He looked up at the hole critically, well if a basilisk can get through then I�m sure I�ll have no problem.

He grabbed Krai and placed the snake around his shoulders.

Remember Master, smooth and easy. Go slow.

Harry concentrated on his magic, instead of directing it with his hand like he usually did when going wandless, he used his mind. Levitating charms were no problem for him now, he smiled thinking how far he�d come since he was a first year. He�d done this hundreds of times, Krai had no reason to give him instructions; the snake just didn�t like heights. As evidenced by his refusal to go out onto the balcony at Potter Manor.

As they ascended, he knew that if Krai had eyelids they�d be firmly closed. He didn�t tease the snake; everyone had something that scared them, even if �snakes don�t get scared�. As soon as he reached it he grabbed Salazar�s lip and hauled himself into the mouth, ok so did not need that image.

They slid down into what Harry would come to class as the belly of the serpent. The drop was arched and ridged, just like he�d imagine a throat to be. When he landed he hit something soft and almost had a heart attack when his vision was confronted with the diamond patterned skin of a snake. But lucky for him it was all shed skin, the basilisk had obviously lined its �burrow� with skin to keep itself warm. Maybe the snake was a bit of a thinker after all.

He looked around he was in another stone chamber, lined with basilisk skin but at the far end was the true shock of the night.

***

He stepped towards the plinth his eyes riveted upon what lay before him. This was a sight he never thought he�d see. And it was obvious that Voldemort had not done so. If he had, would this still be here? He doubted it.

He put out his hand to touch it but recoiled when he felt the magic of an obvious ward. He didn�t know what that magic would do to him if he touched it and he wasn�t about to try it out.

Before him was a marble arch and beneath it a marble plinth, on which was a bed of velvet cushions and sheets. Red with silver accents and green with gold. Upon those pillows bathed in a soft glow was the body of Salazar Slytherin.

His body appeared frail, the skin paper thin and luminous in the light. Though he was obviously only middle aged his black hair was almost totally white from stress and fear. The eyes which were silver grey like Draco�s were open and glassy. His lips were parted in a silent gasp, his neck and body arched as if in great pain. In one hand he clutched a tattered journal. The other still rested upon the hilt of the dagger still imbedded in his side.

Upon his cheeks and hands were symbols and runes, again for preservation and protection. Which must have been activated upon the moment of his death, for no blood trickled from his mouth, ears or nose, the body was pristine. The blood of his body had sunk to the lowest level, like any other the blood had all flowed closer to the ground. The lack of blood gave the luminous quality to his face. But the collection of blood had not caused the body to bloat like with any other corpse, it had settled their quite willingly without any problems. Due to the preservation charms no doubt. Salazar�s body was perfect. If it weren�t for the obvious evidences to the contrary Harry could almost believe he was merely sleeping.

Do you know how to break the ward around him? Harry asked his familiar, barely taking his eyes from Salazar�s face. Krai was silent for a moment while he obviously tested the wards.

No Master I cannot these are wards that to my knowledge don�t exist anywhere else. All of the usual and the unusual methods won�t work in this case.

It�s not your fault, but there must be some way to get that book. I�m sure it contains all of the answers to the curse.

He�s your ancestor? Krai asked him.

Yes, they always thought he left the Castle and died far away from here.

Harry was silent a moment contemplating everything and how much it would have hurt him if he were in Godric Gryffindor�s place. He had a greater understanding for his ancestors than most. He too had a mate that he could lose.

Godric never knew that his mate was just beneath his feet.

***

He had no choice but to leave Salazar there, even though the man deserved the highest honours and to be buried in the Founder�s cemetery with his mate, it was not something he could do for him right now. He had to discover how to remove those wards and get that book. He knew that that book would contain all the answers he needed.

Touching down to the ground in the main Chamber his eyes landed on the chest.

He�d forgotten about it.

Do you know how to open this he asked Krai.

Yes Master. I can do it for you now. Harry nodded.

A moment later the lock clicked and the lid sprang open.

�My god! Is that what I think it is?�

Nestled amidst folds of green silk, was an egg. But not just any egg, a Basilisk�s egg!

Hey guys my reasoning behind Draco�s reaction was that we don�t know what he has experience over his life and if he were uncomfortable he would more than likely hide behind his mask and not show it.

RECOMMENDATION�

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http://hp.adult-fanfiction.org/story.php?no=29034&chapter=1

If you can get passed the obvious mistakes and the random jumble of letters that appear every so often amidst the text then this is a very good read.

Harry/Draco. Harry discovers he is the son of the dark lord and all of the darker instincts in his personality are natural and not a result of the scar as Dumbledore told him. The idea may not actually be original, there is a lot of the usual H/D elements, resorting and so one. But the plans and methods of revenge that Harry employs are really worth reading.

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