No O.W.L.'s

"You're sure about this?" Kay asked as she and her sister faced the sinks of the girl's bathroom.

"It's the only way to get to the bottom of Salazar Slytherin," Morgan said confidently. She flashed a look of confidence at Kay. "You're still with me, aren't you?"

Kay nodded, and hefted her broom, a Firebolt Mark Ten.

"Okay, then," Morgan said and spoke aloud in Parseltongue, "Open!"

A wailing alarm went off, screeching like a thousand banshees at once. The sound penetrated the girls' heads, driving into their inner ears. Bright lights burst around them in succession, and suddenly all the taps in the sinks were dispensing a light blue gas. Kay shrieked once, and then she and Morgan slumped to the ground, unconscious.

***

"I am very, very disappointed in you both!" Professor Merrythought's face was livid as she rose from behind her desk.

Morgan and Kay, sitting in cane chairs in front of her, squirmed tried to make themselves smaller than they were.

"The Chamber of Secrets is off-limits, as you both very well know! This fact is announced at the beginning of every single term. The penalty is severe, very severe!"

Flanking the desk of the headmistress were Kay and Morgan's heads of house. Professor Slughorn was stroking his chin and looking thoughtful, but the Potter girls only had eyes for the new acting head of Gryffindor--their own sister, Lily Potter! Since Professor McGonagall's recent retirement, Lily had been chosen to represent Gryffindor, in addition to teaching classes on Magical Healing. She looked downright infuriated; Lily was a terror when she was angry.

"Professor," said Lily slowly, "since neither of them are speaking, I think you should tell them what punishment they're facing."

"Expulsion," Professor Merrythought said simply. She produced a piece of parchment and raised her quill. "I suggest you both go and pack your bags."

"NO!" Morgan cried out. "Please! It was my idea. I knew I was the only one who could open the Chamber, but I knew I couldn't go in alone. I told Kay I needed her help. It's my fault, but please, please don't expel us. We have to go in there. It's very, very important."

"Why?" Lily asked, folding her arms across her chest. Her red hair caught the candlelight in the room, accenting her already stern expression. Her head looked like it wore a crown of flames. "You need to field-test your Parselmouth abilities?"

Kay looked at her older sister in surprise.

"She said she was the only one who could open the chamber, and someone had to set off the alarms, Kay. It's either you or her; and she is a Slytherin, after all. The Sorting Hat must have seen it, and that's why she's there." Lily shrugged her shoulders, as though it were all quite obvious.

"Please!" Morgan cried out as Professor Merrythought inked her quill. "This has to do with the trip I took to see Professor Snape!"

"Care to enlighten me, Professor Slughorn?"

"Since the Goyle Incident, Miss Morgan Potter has been studying the background and the nature of Slytherin House quite intensely. Her recent epiphany regarding Slytherin's records is ample proof of what I'm speaking. I'm sure you remember."

The Headmistress nodded. "Go on."

"Morgan and I started wondering how long the pure-blood credo had been in place in Slytherin House. Since Professor Snape is one of the few remaining alumni, both Minister Potter and I wrote to him to ask if Morgan could talk to him about it. He agreed to set up a meeting with Severus Snape, and Morgan went to visit him a few weeks ago. I received a ten-minute capsule report from her. But she said nothing about the Chamber of Secrets." He looked at his star pupil with narrowed eyes.

Morgan swallowed, and her forehead felt damp.

"What's your involvement in this, Kay?" Lily asked, looking at her younger sister with narrowed eyes.

"No more than what Morgan and Professor Slughorn have already said. Morgan asked me to come along with her for protection."

"Protection?" Lily asked in disbelief.

"Hi-yah," Kay said softly.

"Oh," Lily said, her face deflating slightly, remembering seeing her sister coming back once from the Room of Requirement, dressed in her gi.

"Explain yourself, Morgan," Professor Merrythought said sharply. "Or else," she nodded in the direction of her owl, "Zephyr here is going on a journey."

Morgan babbled out her string of suppositions about Salazar Slytherin and the purpose of the Chamber of Secrets as a cache of Slytherin's knowledge, and why she and Kay were bound for there when they'd unknowingly tripped the alarm.

When at last Morgan was finished, the three teachers all looked thoughtful.

Finally, Lily Potter broke the silence. "You're giving Slytherin a lot of credit for having an ulterior motive in everything he's done."

"He was one of the founding members of Hogwarts," Kay said. "You can't take that away from his reputation."

Morgan gave her sister a grateful look.

"So why didn't you just come to me with your suspicions, Morgan?" Professor Slughorn said, looking stern. "I could have told the Headmistress here and gotten you a dispensation to enter the Chamber of Secrets. Why all the secrecy? Why risk expulsion?"

Morgan looked at her feet and fidgeted. "I don't know," she said finally. She looked at her head of house with a guilty look, her green eyes wide and sorrowful. "I guess it just seemed more exciting to do it secretly. It's...I don't know, sort of thrilling to have a secret that you keep hidden from everyone. Especially from those in charge of you." She flushed, and sniffled. "I know that sounds sort of stupid, but, that's why."

"You already had a secret," Lily said to her. "Being a Parselmouth! I bet you didn't even tell Mum and Dad!"

Morgan bowed her head and started to cry.

"No," Kay said, suddenly standing up and looking at her older sister with wild eyes. "No, she didn't, because she was afraid of a reaction like this! Just like Professor Lupin didn't tell Dad for years that you're the spitting image of Grandma Potter because he knew how much it would affect him; or that you'd use that to your advantage. And you did, didn't you?"

"Sit down!" Professor Merrythought barked. "I won't have this turned into a family quarrel!"

Kay took her seat again, but she was satisfied. Lily's face was bright with shame.

Professor Slughorn offered a lace handkerchief to Morgan who took it and wiped her eyes and, after a moment, blew her nose. At last she recovered, and looked at the headmistress and the two teachers with a shaky expression.

Professor Merrythought's expression was stern, and the parchment in front of her was already half-finished, but she wasn't writing on it any longer. Her black eyes were narrowed, and intent on the two younger Potter girls. She looked at them, and then flicked her gaze to the two other teachers, and finally she spoke. "This is a very difficult decision. You have willingly flouted Hogwarts rules, but most of the reasons you've given are sensible ones. The intent of your mission is to further knowledge, and to gain a further understanding of Slytherin House. Understanding the unknown is what this school stands for. The Goyle Incident has also seriously hurt the school's reputation, just when parents felt that the school was safe again. And," she looked at Morgan with renewed fury, "you may recall that the Board of Governors said that one more lawbreaking offense would be grounds for suspension of the Slytherin Charter! You, a prefect, may well have doomed your own house!"

Morgan's eyes widened and she burst into a fresh storm of weeping.

When she had calmed down again, Professor Merrythought continued. "However, in light of the clarity of purpose, and the potential of broadening the understanding of Salazar Slytherin, I am willing to allow your mission to continue." She paused, as if for dramatic effect. "With certain restrictions.

"First, the two of you will be accompanied into the Chamber of Secrets by a teacher, who will make sure that you don't get into any more mischief. Professor Potter, would you do me that honor?"

"Gladly," Lily said, nodding.

"Second, anything you find in the Chamber of Secrets will be turned over to Professor Slughorn for his analysis. No exceptions! Horace, I will trust you to keep me up to date of what you and the Ladies Potter discover."

"Of course, Professor."

"Third, you two," she said to Kay and Morgan, "will write up regular reports of what you find and the steps you take in discovering these things. These reports are to be written up and hand-delivered to me here in my office. I will talk to you both after I've read through them, and you will answer any questions I have; immediately, and truthfully!"

"Yes, Professor," they both said meekly.

"Any more charging around behind my back, or getting into mischief because you think you're special will not be tolerated! I had enough trouble with your brothers, Sirius and James and their New Marauders gang. I'm not going to go through all that again.

"Fourth, fifty points from Gryffindor and Slytherin, each!

"Fifth, and finally," she brandished the letter, "this letter is half-finished, and I can finish it at any time, and I will if I think you're breaking the rules I have just laid down. I'd hate to throw you both out, because you've both done so much for this school already, and it would hurt both your parents. But don't think that my friendship with your family gives the ability to do whatever you want. It doesn't! As long as I'm the Headmistress of Hogwarts School, I am the final voice of authority, and you have no free pass from me!

"Do you understand?"

"Yes, Professor!" Morgan and Kay said, their voice trembling. The girls sat in their chairs, quivering with fright.

Professor Merrythought dropped the unfinished letter into the center drawer of her desk and then locked it. She looked at the clock on her wall. "The other students will be getting back from Hogsmeade in about three hours. I will allow you, Morgan and Kay, exactly one hour to examine the Chamber of Secrets for any secret cache left behind by Salazar Slytherin.

"Professor Potter," she addressed Lily, "since you'll be going with them, I suggest you dress in some clothes that you won't mind getting dirty. If you don't mind a suggestion, perhaps some Muggle jeans?"

"Good idea," Lily agreed.

"Well, you'd best get going."

The group started to leave, but Morgan and Kay hung back, looking at the headmistress with a mixture of fear and gratitude. After a moment, both girls stammered out their thanks.

"You have intrigued me, ladies," said the headmistress. "But for your sakes, I hope you find something. You both came very close being expelled today."

"We know," Kay assured her.

"Regardless of what happens," Morgan said, choking, still teary-eyed, "I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight."

"No, I doubt very much you will, but not for the reasons you think." Professor Merrythought folded her hands in front of her and leaned forward, her eyes intent on Kay and Morgan. "You see, years ago, when Professor Dumbledore was informed by your father about the location of the Chamber of Secrets, he wrote everything up in a report, which was forwarded to the Minister of Magic; at that time, it was Cornelius Fudge. Minister Fudge then made a suggestion to the Board of Governors of Hogwarts, who agreed with him, and they passed a directive which each and every headmaster or headmistress has agreed to follow. It states that if the Chamber of Secrets is ever opened again, the Ministry of Magic is to be informed immediately--who has opened it, and why!"

Morgan's face went chalk-white, while Kay let out a moan and fell into her chair in a half-faint, her eyes glazed over.

"As much as I would like to protect you from your father's retribution, my hands are tied. I must inform the Minister of Magic. That's the law!"

"Oh no," Morgan groaned, her hands in front of her face.

"Perhaps now you see why you should have talked to either me or Professor Slughorn, first?" Lily asked, with one of her eyebrows raised.

Morgan slumped back onto her chair beside her sister, shaking with fear and embarrassment.

"I never thought I'd say this," Kay said, "but right now I wish Dad wasn't the Minister of Magic!"

Professor Slughorn cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. "If I might make a suggestion?"

"Please," Lily said. "Anything that can help. This is bad for all of us."

"Let me write the letter to Minister Potter. I'll word it properly, in a very hopeful manner." He raised a hand to stop Professor Merrythought's protest. "Nothing but the truth, Melinda. It's all in the wording. I've had more years as a teacher than you, and plenty of experience in breaking unfortunate news. While those three are down in the Chamber, I'll write it up, and then deliver it to you."

"All right, Horace, but you'd all best get going now. The law binds me, and every moment of delay is costing us."

Professor Slughorn nodded, turning toward the exit. "Let's go, ladies; time is wasting."

***

Professor Slughorn asked, looking at the three of them, dressed in old denims and ratty Weird Sisters T-shirts. "All set?"

Morgan nodded, and then spoke in Parseltongue again. The sink shuddered, and began to move again, without the sirens and gas. After several moments, the entrance tube was clear.

"Professor, I'm sure that this is the place to start," Morgan assured him, waving a hand at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, which she had opened only moments earlier.

Lily Potter looked at her younger siblings with suspicion, but said nothing.

Morgan gripped her broom in one hand and then leaped into the tunnel. After a moment, Kay and Lily followed.

"Dear, dear," Professor Slughorn said in a worried voice, looking into the passage. "Why didn't I agree to go along?" he muttered.

"Because you've got a faint heart," said a voice.

Slughorn whirled about and then breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't frighten me like that Malfoy!"

Draco Malfoy's ghost chortled a bit, and then floated backwards into the arms of his beloved Myrtle, who laughed at Professor Slughorn's fright. "Just telling an unpleasant truth, sir."

"He's right, you know," said Myrtle, grinning. "You're still the same old softy I remember from my own schooldays."

Horace Slughorn let out a loud harrumph! "How did the two of you wind up together?"

"She was the only one who understood me, and still cared about me." Draco looked at Myrtle, who gazed back at him with adoration. "When I died, I couldn't bear to leave her behind. I knew then and there that I'd finally found true love"

Myrtle laughed, and drifted close to Draco. "Likewise," she said, without further explanation.

"True love; truly beautiful to see." Slughorn waved his wand and called up a comfortable chair and a velvet pouffe for his feet. He set up a piece of self-writing parchment in the air and got ready to dictate the letter to Harry Potter. He paused for a moment as he gazed at Draco and Myrtle. Above him, the two ghosts were sharing a long, passionate kiss.

"Dear Minister Potter," Professor Slughorn began, relaxing in his chair. He reached down beside his chair and filled a glass with a hearty port. "After a long and arduous journey of gathering evidence and elusive clues--most recently with the aid of Professor Severus Snape (which you so gallantly helped to arrange)--your daughter Morgan and I have come to the astonishing conclusion that the infamous Chamber of Secrets is still in use. Not holding a deadly monster, but possible evidence which could prove once and for all that in the eyes of Salazar Slytherin, there is no difference between pure-bloods and Muggle-born wizards..."

At the bottom of the passage, Lily, Morgan and Kay held up their sparkling wands like torches and followed the path that their Mother, Father and Uncle Ronald had taken years earlier.

"Thanks for coming along, Lily," Kay said to their older sister.

"Sure," said Lily, glancing at her two younger siblings. "But don't think for a moment that you're getting off lightly."

"We didn't even think about expulsion," Morgan said, looking at her older sister with haunted eyes.

"Yes, not thinking is part of the problem," Lily said as she walked, still holding up her flashing wand.

"Can we please just concentrate on what we're doing?" Kay asked plaintively. She stepped over a boulder, and then pointed. "There are the snake skins that Dad and Uncle Ron talked about!"

"And there are the remains of the cave-in," Morgan remarked, pointing to a pile of fallen stone.

The girls found a hole in the rubble and managed to get past the cave-in and walked on toward the door to the Chamber proper. Morgan took a breath and spoke in Parseltongue, "Open." The door swung wide, and the sisters glanced at each other, then as one all three took a deep breath, and walked into the Chamber of Secrets.

The dead basilisk was now nothing more than a skeleton, its flesh stripped away by time and years of feeding rats. They glanced at the dark stain of blood from the fatally wounded diary, and looked at the spot where Ginny Weasley, their mother, had once lain. Finally, Lily looked at Morgan and asked, "Okay, where's the cache of Slytherin's wisdom?"

Morgan looked around the barren chamber and tried a few simple commands in Parseltongue: "Library", "Information", "Treasure", and many others, all to no avail.

At last Morgan stopped and looked at Kay. "Anything you can think of?"

"If I were Salazar Slytherin, and I wanted to hide something here for my successor, I'd put it somewhere an intruder would never dare go." Kay looked around the chamber, the puddles of water, the green walls, and furrowed her brow. She thought about what had happened here so many years before, how their father had defeated Voldemort for the second time, and rescued their Mum. She recounted the details and compared them to what Morgan had discovered about Salazar Slytherin; then added that knowledge to what she saw in the chamber now.

"The chamber--" Morgan started to say, but Kay waved her to silence.

"No, not the Chamber of Secrets itself, because there's always the possibility of intruders finding the place, maybe even of slaying the basilisk itself. But if you're already here, and the basilisk is gone, or at least somewhere else, where else can you go?" She stared at nothing and then snapped her fingers. "The basilisk's den," she exclaimed, and pointed. "Only the Heir of Slytherin would dare go in there, because he'd know that the basilisk wouldn't harm him. Anyone else would be too scared to enter!"

"Eeew," Lily said, looking sick at the thought.

The dark hole beckoned, and the girls looked at each other. Without a word, they all held each other's hands and then walked slowly toward it.

"Professional dragon slayers cleaned the place out, right?" Kay asked.

"That's what Professor Snape told me," Morgan said, her mouth suddenly gone dry.

"I hope he was right about that," Kay muttered, balling her fist in her nervousness, and then slowly stepped into the hole.

It was a dark, smelly passage leading far back into the rock, but it was fairly smooth, apparently worn smooth by the passage of the basilisk. The girls crawled along, their wands lighting the way. They glanced this way and that, but saw nothing unusual. At last, they came to a wider chamber, the nest of the creature. Lily raised her wand and increased the brightness. Chunks of scales were scattered here and there, and after a moment, both Kay and Morgan stuffed a few into their pockets as keepsakes. There were a few shreds of dried snakeskin here and there, but nothing else.

"Another dead end," Lily muttered.

"Not so fast," Morgan said, smiling. "Salazar Slytherin wouldn't just drop his things on the ground. He did like snakes, after all. I think he would have buried it." She dropped to her hands and knees and began to sweep dirt this way and that.

Kay had a happy thought, pulled out her wand and waved it, "Byrgan thesauros Apperen!"

A metal chest suddenly burst out of a nearby wall and fell to the ground, narrowly missing Morgan's hands. The young Slytherin fell backwards and looked at the chest, and then at her sisters.

"How did you do that?" Lily asked, stunned.

Kay grinned and tucked her wand into its leather holster, a Christmas gift from their mother three years earlier. "Well, we're looking for a treasure, so I just summoned it. Seemed easier than digging for it."

"Did you make up that spell yourself?" Morgan asked.

"Yes," Kay lied, crossing her toes, and thinking fondly of their youngest brother. The little genius was definitely proving his worth!

"Incredible," Lily said. "Until this very moment, I didn't believe we'd actually find anything."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Kay said to Lily in a snide voice.

"I wonder what's in here?" Morgan muttered, running her hands over the chest.

"Well, let's not open it until we get it back to Professor Slughorn," Kay said moving toward the hole chest had come from. "This is a false wall," she said running her hands over it. "It feels like plaster. Salazar Slytherin probably made this up before he put the basilisk in here."

"C'mon," Morgan said, taking one side of the chest. "Give me a hand with this thing."

The girls pushed and pulled the chest out of the basilisk's lair and into the Chamber of Secrets proper. Once there, Morgan enchanted it with Wingardium Leviosa, and then simply pulled it behind her. The girls walked back to the entrance tunnel where they had left their brooms. Then, one by one, they flew back to the surface.

***

"Complicated sort of lock," Professor Slughorn remarked as he puzzled it out in his office. "I may have to use acid on it."

Lily had left them to give a preliminary report to Professor Merrythought, and to deliver the honeyed note that the Potions Professor had dictated.

"Here," Kay said, reaching into one of her pockets and pulling out a gold-inlaid switchblade. She snapped it open and inserted the blade into the keyhole.

"What's that?" Morgan asked.

"One of Uncle Fred's inventions. He patterned it after a knife Dad got from Sirius Black." Kay twisted the knife, and the lock sprang open. "It's guaranteed to open any lock."

"Ingenious," Professor Slughorn said.

Kay grinned at him. "When you're a Squib or a low-level witch, magical items become your best friends, outside of sisters, that is."

Morgan smiled and lightly punched her sister on the shoulder, and then slowly opened the chest and peered inside.

The chest was divided into three separate compartments: scrolls, books, and several smaller chests, each one locked. Kay started to open these as well, but Professor Slughorn restrained her.

"Remember the story of Pandora, Miss Potter? We should first read the enclosed scrolls. They will likely contain instructions."

One scroll was bound with ribbons in the Slytherin colors, and Morgan opened it first.

"Greetings, Heir of Slytherin,

If you are reading this, then you have discovered the first of my ward of wisdom.

The legacy of Slytherin is that of power and dominance; it is wisdom garnered through careful research and winning spells. A true Slytherin will not settle for second best, and will strive to achieve glory by whatever means necessary. A proper Slytherin will never give up.

The basilisk will obey your every command, and will destroy your enemies should it prove necessary. Remember, however, that enemies and rivals will give you strength, for they spur you to greater heights in your desire to overcome them. Therefore, use the power of the basilisk sparingly.

The contents of this chest will give you clues to uncovering my next trove of wisdom and artifacts. If you cannot find it, then you are unworthy; pass the legacy on to another, for you will have found your place in the world.

Salazar Slytherin

Kay looked at Morgan and Professor Slughorn with narrowed eyes. "I didn't hear anything in there about killing Muggle-borns, did you?"

"Voldemort certainly didn't understand, did he?" Morgan remarked, looking up from the scroll and shaking her head.

Professor Slughorn snorted disdainfully, but said nothing.

Kay laughed, "'Enemies and rivals will give you strength.' That's not the philosophy of a bigot, that's for sure."

"Well," Professor Slughorn remarked, bringing out a quill and a roll of blank parchment. "Let's go through the contents of the chest and catalog everything properly. Then we can begin sorting out the nature of what we've found."

By the end of the evening, the three of them were more than willing to break for supper, but the contents of one of the smaller chests had the girls breathless with excitement. It was a key inlaid with precious stones, but it was also clearly for a Gringotts vault!

"The following weekend," Professor Slughorn was saying as he led the girls toward the Great Hall, "the three of us will go to London and examine the contents of that vault."

"Can't we go now?" Morgan asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

"No, of course not. The bank will be closed, and tomorrow is Monday. You two have reports to write this evening for Professor Merrythought about what has happened, as well as classes and schoolwork to do. Next Saturday is the soonest we can go." He looked at their disappointed faces, and wagged a finger at them. "You two are students, and I am a teacher. School must take precedence! Now, let us eat, for all this research has given me an appetite!"

In the Great Hall, Morgan sat among her fellow Slytherins, nodding to them and filling her plate with pudding and steak-and-kidney pie. She ate almost automatically, her mind roving over the day's discoveries, as well as the terrible mistake that had nearly destroyed her life. So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that it was only when a hand snapped its fingers in front of her face that she realized that someone had been talking to her.

"Hey," said a voice, "are you awake?"

Morgan looked, and found Andrew Avery staring at her. "Sorry, I was thinking about the special lesson I had with Professor Slughorn today. What were you saying?"

"I was asking you about that Hufflepuff friend of yours."

"Julie?"

"Yeah. What's the story?"

"I met her on the train coming to Hogwarts in my first year. We sat with some other girls and had a great time getting to know each other. After the Sorting, we decided to stay friends, despite the fact that we were all Sorted into different houses; no matter what anyone else said. People call it odd, so we decided to be the Odd Squad." She looked at him defiantly, "So what!"

"I'm not criticizing you," he said, holding up his hands. "I was asking about your friend, Julie. What can you tell me about her?"

"Oh," said Morgan, smiling slightly. "Her name is Julie Finch-Fletchley. Her father was a Hufflepuff, in school with my dad. I think her Mum was a Ravenclaw. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. I just got to thinking about her ever since that one lunch a few days ago when you were all sitting here at our table." He turned back to his food, as though dismissing the subject.

Morgan watched him for a moment, and then slowly smiled. "She's usually studying in the library before bed," she said casually, "and almost always alone."

As she ate Morgan wasn't surprised to see Avery hurry through his meal, grab his book bag and leave the dining hall, heading toward the library.

***

"You're kidding," Kay said, as Morgan related what she'd seen.

"No," Morgan said, using her 'crafty' voice, and then grinned. "Andrew Avery is definitely sweet on Julie. Whether he's going to do anything about it, that's another story." She grinned as Kay shook her head.

The girls were standing in the main hallway, walking aimlessly now and then, talking mostly, before they had to go to their separate dormitories for bed.

"A Hufflepuff and a Slytherin," Morgan said in a musing voice. "I wonder if it's ever happened before?"

"Sure it has," Kay remarked, snorting. "I don't know any names, but in a thousand years of school history, it's happened. Sometimes I think this whole business of separate houses in constant competition is a joke, anyway. People are people, no matter what labels we give them."

"You sound bitter, Kay."

"I guess I'm just frustrated by this whole house rivalry thing. It causes more problems than it should, I think!" She waved her hands expressively as she said, "Mum and Dad's quarrels with the Malfoys, Great-Uncle Sirius' battles with Severus Snape, the heckling that our brother Albus took when he was dating Jenna Abbott, the looks that people give you and me because Gryffindors and Slytherins are supposed to be mortal enemies.... the list of problems goes on and on! And in the end, it doesn't really make that much difference, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," said a new voice, and the two Potter girls whirled about to see a tall blond woman standing behind them, with a camera in her hands. Kay recognized her and jumped.

"Roberta Skeeter! What are you doing back here?"

"Ms. Lovegood, the editor, insisted on getting a picture of you and your sister together before we could run the story. So, here I am." She walked forward and extended a hand. "You must be Miss Morgan Potter. I've heard so much about you."

Morgan took the woman's hand, looking at her in wonder. "You came back here, just to get a picture of Kay and me, together?"

Roberta Skeeter nodded. "Not everyone is as far-seeing as you two are. May I call you Morgan?"

"Sure, it'll help tell us apart, since we're both 'Miss Potter'!"

"Exactly!" The reporter exclaimed. "Anyway, Morgan, a lot of people still think in the Sorting-style--classifying folks, rather than just accepting them as people. So, yes, the idea of a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, who are also sisters, but remain friends--well, let's just say the public is in a state of disbelief."

Kay and Morgan looked at each other, smiled, and then stood slightly apart, with their hands clasped in a handshake, their bodies cocked at a ¾ angle so that their respective house devices were prominent on their robes. Roberta Skeeter snapped off a picture.

"Now turn your heads toward me and let's see some teeth!"

The sisters were photographed sitting together on benches, or standing together, their arms around each other, or in a few posed shots, such as helping each other with homework or studying Quidditch strategies. At last, Roberta Skeeter announced she was finished. "Do you have anything you'd like to say, Morgan? A quote for one of your pictures?"

Morgan thought about what they'd discovered in the Chamber of Secrets, and then said, "The true legacy of Slytherin House has yet to be written."

***

The Gringotts teller stared at the jewel-inlaid key and then at Morgan and finally gestured in the direction of the General Manager, who walked over and stared at the key as well. After a moment, they put their heads together and talked in hushed voices, something Morgan had never seen them do. Finally, the manager goblin walked off and disappeared into an office, taking the key with him.

Morgan looked at her sister Kay, who shrugged, and looked in turn to Professor Slughorn, who shook his head; he didn't know what was happening either.

After several minutes, the original goblin teller appeared and waved for the two girls and Professor Slughorn to follow him behind the counter. They went through a doorway and into a private office with a long table. "Please be seated," he said, waving a clawed hand at the chairs.

Professor Slughorn pulled out the chairs for the girls, and then seated himself beside them. "Is anything the matter?" he asked.

"The key in question is a part of a very specific account; as well as being a very old one. There are certain procedures we must follow." The goblin coughed delicately, and Kay wondered if that was the whole truth.

The minutes stretched out, and finally the door opened and an elderly goblin appeared with two younger goblins supporting him. They seated themselves on the opposite side of the table from Professor Slughorn and the Potter girls. An old, rolled scroll was put between them, as well as several thick leather ledgers bound with red ribbons.

The old goblin was in fact ancient, his skin was like cracked leather, his breath came in wheezing gasps, and frankly he stank. His eyes were slightly milky, and he wore thick glasses, but he projected an aura of great power about him. It was easy to see that he was the President of the Bank.

"So, the time has come at last," he wheezed, and gestured for his two assistants to unroll the scroll.

"What time is that?" Kay asked. A foot kicked her on the shin, and she was sure it was Morgan's.

"Time that one of the oldest vaults in our bank is opened," the elderly goblin wheezed. "But first...first we must follow the procedures laid down by the original client." He peered at the writing on the scroll, and then looked at the two girls, ignoring Professor Slughorn. "Are any of you a Parselmouth?"

Morgan swallowed, and then raised her right hand. "Me. I'm a Parselmouth."

One of the goblins reached into a pouch on his belt and removed a small viper. "Speak to this snake!"

Morgan smiled, and hissed a greeting to the little serpent, which responded. She held out her hand, and the snake crawled into the palm of her hand, coiled there, and the two spoke for a few moments.

"Sufficient," said the Gringotts President, and the assistant took back the serpent and put it in his pouch. He peered at the writing on the scroll and then said, "Are you a Pureblood witch?"

Morgan glanced at her sister and then shook her head. "No, my father is a Halfblood."

"Very good," said the older goblin. He took a wheezing breath, and then lifted himself out of the chair. "Please follow us."

The goblins led them down a sloping passage at the rear of the bank and down to a wide hallway with several stout doors. At last they stopped before a large metal door of dark metal with a green snake sigil carved into it. One of the goblins inserted the key into it and then pulled the door open.

The wealth of nations lay inside: millions of gold Galleons, stacks of platinum bars, piles of silver coins, heaps of rubies, emeralds and hundreds of diamonds, as well as dozens of copper tubes with writings on them. The girls gasped while Professor Slughorn swore repeatedly.

At last, Morgan muttered, "Professor Snape said that Slytherin was the wealthiest of the four founders. He was right."

"There are several provisos incurred before you may take full possession of the contents of this vault," the elderly goblin said, wheezing slightly.

"What are they?" Professor Slughorn asked.

"First, you must declare your intention to seek out the original owner of this vault."

Kay's jaw almost hit the floor. "Are you saying Salazar Slytherin is still alive?"

"I didn't say the owner was Slytherin, did I?" said the old goblin, chuckling.

"He's got us there," Morgan muttered, looking at the goblins in grudging admiration. "Just because the key was in the box doesn't mean that everything in the original chest belonged to Slytherin at all."

"What are the other provisos?" Professor Slughorn asked.

"Your access to this vault will be closely watched. Any wanton spending sprees will be considered a breach of the terms of use, and your rights to it will be indefinitely cut off."

"So much for a castle of my own," Professor Slughorn remarked in defeated tone of voice.

"But small withdrawals are allowed?" Kay asked.

"Yes," said one of the goblins, "but only a few handfuls."

"What about the records?" Professor Slughorn asked, pointing at the sealed tubes. "Those are waterproof containers for scrolls. I recognize them!"

"Those can be read, but they must be returned to the vault. They cannot be removed from Gringotts property."

"This is unbelievable," Morgan muttered, rolling her eyes in disgust.

One of the goblins snorted. "If you don't like the terms, you can refuse to honor them."

"What happens then?" Kay asked.

"The contents of the vault reverts to the original owner," said the elderly goblin, chuckling. "You get nothing."

The Potter girls and their teacher looked at each other, and then Professor Slughorn said, "We will honor the terms of the agreement. I think we would like to make small withdrawals on our own, and I would like to examine a few of the documents. May I take them to a private room?"

Alone in a small office, Professor Slughorn, Kay, and Morgan looked at the pile of copper tubes and then spotted one marked with a golden '1' on it. Morgan pulled out the metal plug from one end, and then slid the scroll out and carefully unrolled it.

"Greetings, Heir of Slytherin, you have progressed to the next stage of your journey.

By now you will have learned of the terms and conditions surrounding your use of this, one small part of the wealth of Slytherin House. Yes, there are reasons for this, but the most obvious is simple: Greed is the most powerful of sins, and few can resist it; once in its thrall, a thousand other temptations arise, each more deadly than the first. Lest you become diverted and destroyed, you shall be saved by the power of Contract Law.

Never forget the power of the law. The wizard who seeks to impose his will upon everything and everyone will be undone by a higher power."

Morgan stopped and looked at Kay. "Dad certainly proved that right, didn't he?"

"He sure did," Kay agreed, smiling.

"Go on, go on," Professor Slughorn said, making notes on some parchment.

"Make careful note of all the scrolls herein, and the wisdom they possess. A proper Slytherin is mindful of the power of recorded thought. True might cannot be measured in power, but in the knowledge gathered through study. Application to the printed word is the key to advancement. Only in this way can you progress."

"Continue," Professor Slughorn said, his quill flashing.

"That's it," Morgan said.

Kay grimaced. "Well, that wasn't very helpful."

Professor Slughorn shrugged. "We'll just have a look at the other scrolls."

"Not today," said one of the goblins, poking his head into their room. "You may only open it for thirty minutes at a time, once a week; at least until you can give us a password contained here in the vault."

"What?" Morgan gasped.

"That's not fair!" Kay exclaimed.

"Life's not fair," the goblin said, shrugging. "I'm not the one who wrote the provisos." He raised a hand that sparkled with arcane energy. "I'm just the one who enforces the rules."

"But I didn't even get to withdraw any money!" Morgan complained as the goblin took back the tubes of rolled scrolls.

"Speak for yourself," Kay said, rattling her pockets meaningfully.

***

"Professor, can we stop in at Ollivander's?" Morgan asked as she licked the ice cream cone that Kay had bought her with money from their new vault.

"Can we? Certainly. May we?" he said, his eyes twinkling. "Of course. I know why you want to," he added.

When they got to the wand shop, he politely opened the door for the two girls.

The door tinkled from the bells mounted at the top, and a stout matron with blonde hair glanced back, and then laughed as she recognized them. "Kay and Morgan Potter! Whatever are you doing here? School is on..." she trailed off, and then laughed again. "Professor Slughorn! Has Ginny given you charge of her girls for the day?"

"Hi, Mrs. Macmillan!" Kay exclaimed. "We didn't expect to see you here."

Morgan walked up to the counter, glanced at Kay who nodded, and she rang the bell for service.

Horace Slughorn politely kissed Hannah Abbott-Macmillan's hand in greeting. "School business," he explained. "And what brings you here? As if I didn't know," he added, his mustache twitching in mirth.

"Yes, I'm here to see the newlyweds," she said, blushing slightly. "A mother's prerogative, you know. Ever since my brother Howard was killed, his daughter, Jenna has been just like one of my own girls. Now, even though she's properly married..."

"Coming!" came two voices shouting together, and then from behind a teetering stack of boxes, Albus Potter and his wife of only a few months, Jenna, came out together. Amidst the shouts of welcome and congratulations, Albus stepped back to look at his younger siblings.

"Well, it's a bit surprising to see you both during the school year. Welcome, though!"

"It's great to see you, too, Albus," Morgan said, smiling at her older brother. Tall and slender with sandy hair cascading to his shoulders, Albus was unlike either of their parents.

"I see you got the prefect's badge, just like I thought," Albus said, pointing.

Morgan nodded, looking proud.

Kay glanced around. "Doesn't look like you've changed the place much since Mr. Ollivander retired."

"No," said Jenna, breaking away from her aunt's embrace. "We promised him we wouldn't change the name, or the front area, remember? Can't let the customers feel alienated. Only the workshop's been upgraded, and the storage bins for the wand cores expanded. Everything else stays the same."

"As it should be!" Professor Slughorn said approvingly. He strode forward and pumped Albus Potter's hand forcefully. "You've done a fine job here, Mr. Potter. You have every bit of potential that I saw in you in your first year!"

Albus Potter smiled absently at his old Potions professor, and then held out his hand to his bride. Jenna came forward and slipped an arm around her husband's waist.

"So what are you all doing here?" Jenna asked.

Professor Slughorn glanced at Hannah, and then spoke for them all. "Just a social call. It's not often we get the chance to do so, and shopkeepers get the chance to do the same."

"Oh, Professor, don't start that again!"

"Albus!" Jenna said, squeezing her husband's waist, and then stopping him with one finger on his lips. "Remember what I said about sore subjects?" When he was silent, she turned back to their guests. "Come in the back. We've got a few stools set up in the living area, and I'll make you all a pot of tea."

Albus put a sign in the window reading, "Back in an hour," and snapped the lock shut.

Seated on stools and a few wooden chairs, Jenna Abbott Potter passed tea around in decorative ceramic cups. Morgan recognized them as belonging to the set her mother had given as a wedding present.

When Jenna was finished she sat on a small loveseat beside her husband. "It's great to see you all, especially you, Aunt Hannah."

"You're welcome," Hannah said, smiling at her.

Albus took a breath. "Sorry about the outburst back there," Albus said, absently rubbing Jenna's hand.

"No, the apology is mine to make," Horace Slughorn said, putting his hat on his head and then taking it off again in a forgive-me gesture. "I didn't word my sentence properly. What I meant to say was that I know how busy you are. The Ladies Potter here expressed a desire to pay a social call, and I thought it a fine idea.

"Albus, since you apprenticed to Mr. Ollivander I have heard nothing but good things about the work you have done here. Did you know he wanted to terminate your two-year apprenticeship after only seven months? He felt there was nothing more he could teach you!"

Albus Potter's eyes widened, and he shook his head numbly.

"Quite true, I assure you!" Slughorn sipped at his cup. "Gunpowder tea, is it not?" At Jenna's nod, he smiled. "Simply delightful." He sipped again, and then continued. "You have done fine work, and now, nearly a year after taking over this business completely, you continue to do excellent work. Yes, I disapproved of your career choice. At the time, I thought it a waste of talent. But now, I see that the young man before me is not simply talented, he is an artist! An artist must be free to choose his form." He saluted Albus Potter with his teacup. "May you continue to produce wands in the style and craftsmanship worthy of the Ollivander name, and may you both be happy in your life together, and may you found a dynasty to continue that proud tradition!"

Hannah broke out in applause, and after a moment, Kay and Morgan joined in the clapping.

Jenna's eyes were stark with tears, and Albus was simply in shock. After a moment, they both stammered their thanks.

The conversation turned to less profound subjects, and after the gossip from the Potter, Macmillan and Abbott families were exhausted, Professor Slughorn heaved himself up and announced that it was time to return to Hogwarts School. As they walked toward the front of the store Morgan whispered to her brother, "So, no babies yet?"

"Being married is enough of an adventure for us right now, thanks!" Albus silently shook his head, his long sandy hair swinging freely.

"Too bad," remarked Kay, "I think Mum really wants to be a grandmother."

"Well, she's going to have to wait," Albus said.

After a few more good wishes, they departed, and Ollivander's opened up again for business, to the relief of a few waiting customers.

***

When Kay got back to the Gryffindor Common Room, a very impatient Alice Longbottom met her with a flinty gaze. "It's about time you showed up! Where have you been?"

Sticking to the cover story they'd agreed on, Kay said, "Remedial potions with Professor Slughorn."

"Well, never mind! Ramius Vane has just come down with serious case of dragon pox. He's a good flier, but you're not bad, so I want you to take his place on the Quidditch team as Seeker."

"Me?"

"Is there a problem?" Alice looked at her sternly. "I know you're not much on spells, Kay, but you can ride a broom just fine. It's first year magic, after all."

"But the next game is against Slytherin, isn't it?"

"Yes, and we need a victory if we're going to take the Quidditch Cup this year--" she broke off as she saw the stricken face of the younger girl. "It's about your sister, isn't it?" She rolled her eyes. "Good grief! Your other sister Emma doesn't have a problem when she plays against Ravenclaw, and her own twin, Charlotte!"

Kay nodded, and dropped into one of the common room chairs. "I know. It's not been easy for her being a Slytherin. I've always tried to smooth things out for her when I can. I don't want this to seem like I'm stabbing her in the back."

Unlike her reticent father, Neville, Alice Longbottom had a fierce sense of determination, inherited from her mother, Melinda Bobbin. "So you're unwilling to help Gryffindor House, is that it? Should I ask your cousin, Hermione Weasley?"

"No! I just don't want to cross Morgan, that's all."

Alice started to roll her eyes again, and then looked at Kay straight on. "Then why don't you go talk to her, or send her an owl or something, and give her a warning."

"Okay, okay," she muttered, retreating from Alice as quickly as she could. She opened her trunk, and then pulled out her two-way mirror. When Morgan's face appeared, Kay explained why she was calling, and braced herself for the explosion.

"Great!" Morgan said, smiling, her eyes flashing a challenge. "I'll look for you on the field! Care for a flutter on the match?"

Kay blinked, and then said, "Okay, five chocolate frogs says Gryffindor beats Slytherin."

"Make it ten!" Morgan exclaimed, grinning.

"Ten it is!" Kay agreed.

It wasn't until she snapped the mirror closed that she remembered that Morgan never bet on anything but a sure thing. With a sinking feeling she realized that Slytherin must have something special planned for the match. After a moment Kay remembered her sensei's combat motto, "Understanding your enemy is half the battle."

"Alice," she called out, "I think we may have a problem..."