Harry Potter and the Silent Dead: Book 1

Chapter 10: A midnight stroll

Harry opened his eyes as, finally, the snores and breaths of the other boys evened out into a steady rhythm, indicating they were asleep. A quick maintenance charm insured they would remain that way until he returned to undo it. He slipped out from under the silken silvery blue sheets, which glistened in the moonlight beaming through the slightly parted midnight blue curtains. Quickly, he changed into black trousers and a dark, stormy grey turtleneck he had bought from Madame Malkins. He chose to go bare foot, as it was quieter, and started to pad out of the room when he was stopped by an angry hiss. "You are not leaving me on my own again! This is as bad as the pet shop, you just dump me on a rock in the dark." Harry still didnt understand how a snake, a hiss, could sound petulant, but his girl managed it anyway. "I told you my dear, you need to stay out of sight for now, until I know who will be okay with you and who won't. We don't want anyway taking the great Shesha away from her ever loyal servant now, do we?" He leaned down and picked her up, placing her around his shoulders as he closed the large glass terranium that was now her home. "Fine. I'm glad you finally understand your place though."  He chuckled, and walked out of the dorms walking silently through the abandoned, dark halls. It was eleven, so he had five hours to explore. He'd heard some particularly excitable Hufflepuffs talking about an entrance to the kitchens, so he could start there and get some food for Shesha. Walking through the halls, he looked out at the bright stars against the black sky. They glimmered in the darkness, illuminating a figure in front of him. Quickly he stepped into an alcove, using a silent obumbratio spell to cloak himself in darkness. Yes, it was dark magic, but did he care? No. Swiftly, a small motley brown moggy stepped forward, staring at him, or at least at the alcove he hid in. She meowed, and footsteps drew closer, joined by a voice. "Ooh, what have we here my darling?" Harry shuddered at the sound of it and stepped further into his hiding spot. "I could eat the cat, if that would help?" Harry grimaced at the thought and shook his head. "No, but a distraction would be much appreciated." Immediately she slid off his shouders and out into the light, rising up and hissing.  The cat ran away, quickly followed by the hobbling man who was mumbling about troublesome Slytherins and their pets. A few moments later, he stepped out into the silence, leaning down for Shesha to return to his shoulders. He scratched her chin, and she hissed in pleasure. The two walked further through the castle, until they finally came to a painting of some fruit. Poking the pear, the canvas swung out, revealing a doorway into a kitchen. It was empty, except for a few elves sleeping in the cupboard. Quietly, he walked over to the table, grabbing slices of ham and chicken before walking out again. As he wandered around, he'd tear off small peices to feed Shesha, who was curled very contentedly around his neck, hissing meaninglessly. Harry wasn't sure what he was looking for exactly, as he mapped the twisting corridors and moving staircases, but knew that there had to be something useful hiding in this castle. He spent about an hour wandering around the castle, before he came across a dead-end corridor. There were no doors and no windows, so why was this here. Risking a simple lumos, he looked around to see nothing but a strange tapestry of, as he knew from his history books, Barnabas the Barmy. Teaching trolls how to dance, apparantly. Reaching his magic out to the woven image, he felt an intricate web covering it. An entrance of some kind. Relaxing his mind, he took a deep breath, weaving his magic into the web as he walked through the door. Inside, was a wide, cold room. And it was full of ghosts.

At first they just stared in shock. No living being had entered their home since Lady Rowena had built it. Then Peeves and the Bloody Baron rushed forward to attack the boy, even more shocked when, instead of going through the boy and knocking him out, they became solid and bounced back, straight into the walls. They sat up, rubbing the back of their heads, confused by pain they hadn't felt in years. An echoey giggle broke them out of their stupor as Helena walked towards the boy, taking a seat besides him. "Hello again, little necromancer." A necromancer! The ghosts quivered in fear, backing into the corners away from the pale, deathly child. Shaking her head, Helana leaned forward towards him. "If he was a threat, Hogwarts would not have let him enter. From what I have heard, he is more a friend to the dead than the living. Is that not right childe?" Looking up, the boy walked over to her, reaching out his hand, holding hers. He was truly powerful,to not only control the dead, but reach out to them through the veil. "What is your name, boy?" the Monk asked. "Harrison Potter-Elderbridge, a pleasure to make your aquaintance."
The strange group spoke for hours, Shesha exploring the area as the ghosts told him of the secrets of Hogwarts. He needed to try and find this Chamber of Secrets at some point. The priority however, was the restricted section. If there was any information on how to help Sally, it would be there. What was interesting was the third floor corridor that Dumbledore had warned everyone about. Apparantly, Peeves had seen Dumbledore and Hagrid bring in a glowing red stone protected by a bunch of different traps. Harry had already decided to stay out of it, but a little research wouldn't hurt. It was always safer to stay informed of the situations around you. As he stood to leave, Helena followed him through the wall. "Please do visit again Harry, it's so rare that anyone truly listens to us. And if you need somewhere to practice your more advanced magic, you know where the room of requirement is." Harry smiled, it was strange how much one could miss talking to the dead. They were so much easier to understand, easier to talk to. They listened, and respected you as long as you respected them. Helena and the others would be a welcome break from his new and strange life. He retrieved Shesha and walked back to the dorms, admiring the sunrise on the way.

Severus sat in his armchair by the fireplace, staring into the flames with a glass of firewhiskey in his hands. As per usual nowadays, his mind was filled with thoughts of Potter. However, where cruel and angry thoughts once spawned, confusion and pain was rife. The boy wasn't anything like he'd expected. He could barely draw comparisons to his father. That face, those eyes, they held so much of Lily that just looking at him made his heart ache. Minerva had been right, he couldn't hate the boy simply for the blood in his veins. He couldn't hold his previous misconceptions of the child either. He wasn't rude, he couldn't even talk. He concentrated on his work, did as he was told, and seemed to be quite frankly a natural at potions. Sighing, he took another mouthful of whiskey, comforted by the warming burn sliding down his throat. He'd reserve his judgements for now. Try to treat him like any other student, if not only for the boys sake, then for Draco's. Their friendship did worry him. Draco would follow in his fathers footsteps one day, and his closeness to Potter would be used against them. Dumbledore clearly already planned for Harry to be the golden boy saviour. Whilst everyone else saw the genial smile, Severus had seen the furious glare in the mans twinkling blue eyes when Potter was sorted. The man would meddle to get his way. Although Harry didn't seem awfully inclined to cooperate. In fact he didn't even seem to like the man. This would certainly make for an interesting year. He could only hope Potter was better at staying out of trouble than his father.

Quirrell stared into the mirror in his chambers, unnerved as always to see red eyes stare back. "The boy. He is more powerful than he lets on. It's almost as if he already knows the spells yet Dumbledore hasn't trained him. What would you have me do master?" A hushed, strained whisper replied. "Do nothing; we watch and we wait. The stone is still the top priority. Soon, we will take action. For now, I plan." Quirrell carefully unwrapped his turban, and in the mirror saw the reflection in the window behind him. There, the monstrous being that had taken control of his body and mind. He gladly served his master, eager to return the Dark Lord to his former glory! "Yes, soon we will deal with Harry Potter. For now, we wait.