Harry Potter and the Orb of Slytherin

Chapter 8: The Old Man in the Mountain

Harry walked carefully down the path into the depths of the ancient tunnel. Despite adequate light from Harry's spell, the tunnel seemed endless. After a few hours of walking, Harry had to stop to take a rest and eat something. As he continued, he began to fear it might go on forever should he do nothing but keep going. He knew he had a couple days' rations of food and water, so he continued on despite his lingering doubts.

After an hour or so more, Harry finally saw a break in the darkness ahead of him. Reaching the end, Harry entered a large marble room that looked a lot like Gringotts. There were columns and large desks and bookshelves. It made Harry wonder how long it must have taken anyone to build such a place so deep inside a mountain.

As he walked amongst the many deserted areas, he couldn't help but notice how wonderful the place would have been if much of it wasn't destroyed. Tables were blasted here and there and books lay on the floor tattered and ashen. Harry figured a battle must have taken place and judging from the dust, it had been a long time ago. As he continued through the room, destruction was more and more evident. The battle had gotten more violent with each step Harry followed through the great hall.

Reaching the end of the room, Harry came to another tunnel. Confident that the tunnels weren't some sort of complex maze, he started on in confidence. After only a few minutes, Harry came to a large steel door that looked solid despite the cobwebs - dust covering its ancient frame. Words were engraved on it:

Friend of the enemy shall not dare

To seek entrance to the lair

Of the condemned one with a will resolute

To commit the plan of evil absolute

Harry assumed the friend of the enemy was a friend of the evil person referred to. He was no friend to evil, so he must be good to enter. Harry was still slightly afraid to touch the door and he certainly had no idea what lay behind. The mountain harbored a deep magic and a wrong turn anywhere could lead to his own death.

Courage, Harry.

He placed his hand on the cold, steel door and gave a push. The partition gave a tremble, but moved slightly and after a good hard push, the door slowly swung open with a mighty creak. Stepping inside, Harry gaped at what he saw.

The room behind the door was incredibly humid - it smelled of pond scum. It was small and there was no exit, so the room was the end of the tunnel in the mountain. Two glows instantly caught Harry's gaze.

The first was to the right of Harry. Softly shining and levitating above the ground was an orb that was as white as the moon. Harry couldn't take his eyes off it. It was like he was finally seeing what Professor Trelawney said one were supposed to be seeing when looking into a crystal ball - sheer magnificence and wonder. He wanted to approach the orb and take hold of it immediately, but his eyes were drawn to an even more jaw-dropping sight.

To Harry's left was what seemed to be a large and dimly glowing bubble or cage of some sort. It was bright enough to seem like a light, but was too dim to be able to illuminate anything surrounding it. Inside of the cage was a man sitting on a chair. He was incredibly old. He had a thinning, white beard that dropped to the floor and pooled near his feet. His head was bald, his eyes were drooping and tired, and he was wrinkled from head to toe. His robes were tattered and pale and there was nothing else inside the bubble besides the chair. He was a rusty and depressing relic and Harry really felt sorry more than anything else. The man must have been in the cage for ages, but how was that possible?

Harry donned his hood, pulled out his wand, and slowly approached the cage. As he did so, the man lifted his head and Harry stopped and gasped when his own eyes met them... it was Salazar Slytherin. There was no mistaking the monkeyish face and still-sharp eyes of the once-great founding father of Hogwarts - they stood out in sharp contrast to the light flickering from Harry's staff. Harry took a step back and was beginning to breathe heavily.

"You're... but that's impossible... w-what is this place?"

"You..." the man spoke in a quiet, scratchy voice, as if he had never used it. "Who... are you?"

Harry's eyes were still wide and he looked here and there to make sure he was still safe. He was becoming paranoid and knew he needed to gather his wits. He stood straighter and answered.

"I am Harry. Harry Potter."

The man struggled to sit up and in a long, uncomfortable moment, attempted to stand, but finally gave up. He sat back in his chair, breathing heavily. He lifted his hand and began to speak again in between gasps.

"Tell me... young lad... please tell me..." He coughed and put a hand to his chest.

"What? What do you want to know?" Harry approached the cage and was a little less afraid. The shock of seeing a thousand-year-old man, however, was still entirely disconcerting.

"Tell me... how long has it been?"

Harry could feel nothing but pity instantly and finally understood why Nicolas Flamel had no remorse about finally dying.

"Centuries have passed. It has been over a thousand years," Harry said quietly.

Slytherin's brow furrowed and he looked completely destitute, but he breathed once more and looked up at Harry.

"So... you know who I am, do you?"

"I've seen your statue down in the Chamber of Secrets at Hogwarts."

The man's eyebrows lifted and he seemed like he was gaining a little strength back.

"You opened my chamber?"

"Yes."

"Then..." He looked down with sadness in his old eyes. "Then, did you destroy the Muggle-borns in the school?"

Harry walked up to the thin barrier holding the wizard inside. He put his hand to it and touched it. It was smooth but slightly flexible. He could feel the magic emanating from it and felt safe enough.

"No," he finally answered. He looked straight into Slytherin's eyes. "Your heir who was before me tried and failed twice - only one person died, although that, in itself, was something I would find hard to forgive anyone for."

"May I ask you a favor, lad? Please, don't deny an old prisoner his request."

"What is it?" Harry asked warily.

"Tell me everything." He looked at Harry with eagerness in his eyes.

Harry understood what he meant instantly and told him everything he knew from his History of Magic lessons, as well as everything that happened in reference to Voldemort, the wars, the Chamber of Secrets, his own birth, his parents' deaths, the prophesy, Dumbledore, his friends and loved ones, and his quest. For some reason, Harry felt he could trust the man with everything he was saying, in part because he was in a cage that must have been powerful and in part because he was too old to even move much. The fact that he had once been the most evil man to walk the planet until Lord Voldemort escaped him.

Once Harry had finished, he stood quietly in expectation. The man was silent, but still breathed evenly. Finally, Slytherin looked up and sighed a great deep sigh of grief.

"I was such a fool," he said quietly, lowering his head.

"I'm sorry?"

"Let me tell you a story now," he said with a sad smile that pained Harry to see.

"I'm not going anywhere," Harry replied, producing a chair with his wand and sitting down.

"Before I came to be here, I was once a mighty wizard. I traveled the land and was loved by many. I, along with my close friends Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, and Rowena Ravenclaw did many great things, but none were as great as our masterpiece: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The four of us built a grand school in which to train wizards to hone their magical skills and abilities. I was insistent that we only train pure-blood children in order to keep the best family lines strong and weed out the half-bloods and Muggle-borns that were beginning to spring up so rapidly. I thought I could change how people came to see magic and the witches and wizards who possessed it, but I was blinded by my own arrogance."

"There are no more pure-bloods anymore," Harry said quietly. "A few families claim to be, but for the most part, it is impossible. And you were wrong. One of the strongest witches I have ever known is Muggle-born. Magic, it would seem, is a blind mistress."

"Yes..." Slytherin nodded, "yes, I know. However, in my insistence over what I believed, I had a falling out with my very best companion, Godric. I left, but not before putting a curse on the school. In my anger, I predicted the rising of an heir who would hunt and kill all non pure-bloods. My chamber, which no one knew about, would be sealed until the day he came forth."

"That heir was produced in Tom Riddle," Harry said. "A half-blood who came to be known as Lord Voldemort - the one I've told you about. Your curse failed and your Basilisk was destroyed."

"I see. From what I have heard, may I surmise you were the one who slayed the serpent?" he asked knowingly, a small smile on his old face.

"I take no pride in killing a monster that attacked my friends," Harry said with a straight face. "It killed none of them in the end, so I harbor no grudge, but it is not a matter I take lightly."

"After I left," Slytherin continued on, "I traveled to many places, but eventually came to Falknard: a small, but history-rich city. I saved it from a large group of unruly gremlins and the city, in thanks, built a monument to me. From there, I traveled a long and lonely path to self-destruction. I began to see myself almost as a god and I looked for ways in which to preserve myself from dying... in other words, I was looking to truly make myself into a god."

Harry was beginning to put the pieces to together. The old wizard had been in a prison for centuries without dying and his crime was immense evil.

"That's when you came across the magic of Horcruxes, wasn't it?" Harry said, sitting up excitedly.

"That's... that's right!" Slytherin replied in surprise. "How does a young man like you know about that kind of deep magic?"

"It's how Voldemort is keeping himself from death. He has split his soul into seven parts. I am seeking to destroy them."

"Seven! Seven parts?" Slytherin began to shake. "How does he keep his sanity? There is just no possible way..."

"He maintains himself perfectly because he is bent on pure evil. You, on the other hand, were driven to evil by the dismantling of your soul. There is good in you, but the loss of a half of your soul in exchange for immortality left you without your head. Correct me if I am wrong."

"I am amazed," Slytherin said smiling, calming down a bit and breathing more deeply. "You can't be more than seventeen years of age, and yet your aptitude in the ways of magic is amazing. Has Hogwarts truly become as great as we had hoped it would be?"

"We had a worthy Headmaster," Harry smiled.

"You are right about what I did. I murdered a common peasant in order to form the Horcrux, which I placed inside my orb - an orb that only I could ever destroy. The combined forms assured me unlimited life and power, but I failed to take into account what truly mattered - my own soul. This Voldemort you spoke of... you said he has perfect mental health despite no real soul?"

"Yes. He is a demon who cares about nothing except himself."

"I guarantee he has not begun to know the true consequences of the Horcruxes. When one or more are destroyed, he will begin to feel the pain of the loss. It may not be truly painful until more are destroyed, but when he finds himself with only one piece left... he will wish for death."

"Then he has hard times approaching," Harry said confidently. "I have already destroyed three of his Horcruxes."

"Impressive. If what you say is true about this Voldemort, he would have placed most powerful curses on each of them."

"Yes," Harry said reserved, turning his head away. "We have had our casualties."

"This battle has torn the world apart, I can see. I know this because that is what I did. In my newly demented mind, non pure-bloods were a threat that needed to be eliminated and I sought to purge the world of them. I killed many - so many that even with the part of my soul I have left in this broken body, it causes me grief to no end. I have had to live with that grief these many long years."

"In the end, you were defeated by your friends, right?" Harry asked, wanting to know more.

"I was... I was. In my pride, I faced them alone, deep in this mountain where I had taken up my study away from Hogwarts. It was a long and hard battle, but their fierce love for all wizard-kind kept my three stalwart companions in the fight. I underestimated them as I always did... especially Godric; and just when I thought I had the upper hand against them, they united to employ a very deep and rare magic that trapped me in this utter void of a prison - a magic known as Amor Immensus or 'boundless love.' I know very little of the magic myself, but I do know it has no limits and what it can truly do was known to no one in my time. The barrier they created was the result of the magic that time, but I think it responds in different ways. I shudder to think of that kind of magic in the hands of a man truly bent on evil."

"What is this cage made of?" Harry asked curiously, running his hand over the gelatinous-looking barrier.

"I don't know. The magic they used seemed almost accidental and was empowered by the desperation they had to save the world from my insanity. I was powerless against it. They took away my staff - the one you hold in your hand."

"I guess they took it back to your study in the Chamber," Harry said, looking at it.

"That would be like Godric: a place for everything. After they defeated me, there was nothing that could be done. They found the cage could not be overturned except by the ones who cast it. Since they did not know how to destroy the orb and I was too stubborn at the time to tell them how, they kept it down here as well, in order that no one might wield its magic ever again. And here have I been ever since... aging, but never dying, doomed to suffer the consequences of my own actions. In my solitude, I have gained back my sanity and lost it time and again. I see, however, that I was wrong and I regret what I did deeply."

They sat in silence for a time. Harry was at a loss for words. He was sitting in the middle of a mountain deep in Bulgaria, talking with a founder of Hogwarts and discussing Horcruxes. When will I ever lead a normal life? Finally he spoke to break the silence.

"This orb..." Harry said, walking over to the levitating magical object. "Rumor has it the orb had special abilities to protect Horcruxes."

"Oh yes," Slytherin said matter-of-factly, raising his hand to his chin. "I designed it that way when I made it. I needed a shield for my Horcrux, so I created the orb. It took me almost twenty years, but it is very difficult to destroy and can block many, many curses. It seemed to have developed a talent of destroying other Horcruxes by itself, however - possibly because it houses one and thus contains its properties."

"Can it block Avada Kedavra?" Harry said, turning his head to Slytherin.

Slytherin looked at him in curiosity, as if he was speculating about something. Finally he answered.

"Once."

"I'm sorry?"

"The orb can block that particular curse once."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Avada Kedavra is the strongest curse known to wizards... at least it was in my day. It was thought to be unblockable. I spent many years working on my magic and this orb should be able to block the curse; however, it would be destroyed in the process - it is the only way to destroy the orb in fact."

"What good does blocking Avada Kedavra do if the curse exposes the Horcrux though?"

"It doesn't. I always knew that would be a problem, but you just can not escape that curse."

"Actually, you could, in theory, if your soul was whole and the orb was just an orb, right?"

"Ah, I see Mr. Potter," Slytherin said with a smile and a chuckle. "Would you wish to take the orb for yourself?"

"I don't presume anything. However, I admit I had come here to acquire it. I did not expect its owner to be alive... I'm sure you could understand that. My wish is to destroy Voldemort and nothing more."

"I will make you a proposition then, Mr. Potter. You may take my orb and use it as you see fit. However, in return, I must ask you for a very grave favor - one that may be very difficult to accomplish."

"What is it you wish me to do?"

"End my life."

Harry and Slytherin looked at each other for a very long time. Harry knew why he had asked it, but how could he possibly kill someone just because he asked? He looked down at the floor, thoughts running heavy in his mind.

"It is a difficult thing I ask, I know, but I cannot live on. I am tortured. If I had known what this life would be like, I would have told Godric how to destroy my orb and end my life, but I did not. There are some things worse than death."

Harry's head shot up when he heard those last words. Could it have been a coincidence? Or was eternal imprisonment what Dumbledore had been talking about?

"Please, Harry Potter. Promise me that once you have completed your quest, you will return and end my prison term. You could use the Unforgivable Curse to destroy the orb and my Horcrux inside and then turn and destroy this withering body. Any spell can come through this cage, so it would be a simple task. Please promise me this last request so that I can rest with my friends."

Harry looked up at him and nodded.

"You are very brave lad. Now, the orb is protected by a powerful ward, but the spell can be undone by a wand and magical words I know by heart. It's long - do you have a piece of parchment?"

Harry waved his wand and produced a quill and parchment.

"Ah. Alright, you may want to sit down. It's a long counter-ward. If only I had my books..."

Harry instantly materialized Slytherin's magical text and showed it to him.

"My tome of magic! My boy, you have not failed to amaze me. Are all wizards your age as powerful and clever as you?"

"I know a certain witch who is far cleverer than I will ever be."

"Then she has a spectacular future ahead of her. Open the book to the anti-ward portion and on one of the pages is the rite."

Once Harry had found the passage and performed it, the orb began to quiver a bit and suddenly dropped with a thud onto the ground. Harry reached out and picked it up. It seemed to glow even brighter as he gazed at its intense beauty close up.

"It is responding to your power. The bright glow means it will be used powerfully through you," Slytherin said, now standing. "Now, take your staff and put your wand in the small opening near the top, with the tip pointing up.

Harry took his wand and, after dispelling his light, looked at the small hole in the cup of the staff. He took his wand and dropped it in the opening. It sank below the edge and Harry looked at Slytherin inquisitively.

"Your wand is probably shorter than my twelve-inch wand was, no?" Slytherin said knowingly. "Wait for it."

Harry watched the staff, and sure enough, his wand slowly came back to the surface so that its tip matched the edge of the hole.

"Fantastic," Harry whistled.

"Now place the orb on top and complete your new magical ally."

Harry slowly brought the orb he cradled to the cup of Slytherin's staff. As soon as it came close, it snapped into the cup and began to give off an immense light that Harry had to shield his eyes from. After a moment, it died down, but the air in the room felt much more intense and Harry could feel immense power running through his entire body.

"Congratulations Mr. Potter. You now wield the Rune Staff of Edifice."

Harry brought it down and looked at Slytherin with an intensity in his eyes that made them glow - he felt ten times more courageous than he ever had before.

"Salazar, I will return in good time. I hope I will have the courage to complete your request upon my return, but know one thing."

"What is that?"
"I will return."

* * *

December 23^rd

As Hermione shouted to everyone and pointed him out in the window, Harry looked at his staff and remembered what events had transpired in order to acquire it. Whatever they were, I'm home now. I'd give it up in a heartbeat to go back and be here where I was supposed to be.

The front door swung open and Ron and Hermione ran outside where it was beginning to snow, followed by Ginny and the rest of the Order. They stopped in front of Harry and they all looked at him. Ron and Hermione had smiles on their faces, while the rest looked at him as if they didn't know what to think. Harry wasn't surprised. Ron, Hermione, and Percy were the only ones who had seen Harry since he had first left.

Harry looked at Ron first. The smile there was what Harry had most hoped to see - one of forgiveness. Harry wondered constantly whether Ron would be angry at him for leaving without his best mate by his side. He didn't want to think of what it would mean should he come home and everyone was angry at him. It was unbearable, however, to imagine Ron hated him for it; but there was no hatred... just a smile. Ron winked at Harry and Harry nodded slightly.

Hermione's smile was a trembling and tearful one. Harry took pity on her - she must have gone through so much. She blames herself for the day we were found and nearly killed. Harry gave her a warm smile - the first he had been able to manage that night - to let her know he was alright.

Ginny's face was the opposite of Hermione's. He could see resentment and a little anger there as well as the happiness and hope. Harry knew he would have to face up to Ginny like a man, as opposed to what he had been doing before he left. It wasn't fair to her and he knew it, and if he was going to have his time to become whole with Ron and Hermione again, he would need to reconcile with Ginny first.

Now, though, he was with his family. Those who loved him and missed him and worried about him were there and he wouldn't ever let go of them again. Hermione had been right - they sacrificed themselves because they cared for him. He had been wrong to leave on his own, despite what he had accomplished.

"I'm home," he said quietly, the smile refusing to leave.

"Harry..." Hermione said quietly with a smile on her face that Harry thought was adorable. "I knew it. I wanted so badly to believe you were alive."

"Well of course he's alive!" Ginny said excitedly.

In a moment, everyone rushed him at once in a stampede that threatened to crush him. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, and Hermione had gotten to him first and in seconds, Harry had been covered in enough kisses and hugs to last him a lifetime. Soon the men took over and quickly led him in as everyone followed, all asking questions at once.

"Where have you been?"

"What is that staff you have?"

"Did you leave so you could work out? You're so fit!"

Harry presumed they were leading him through the hallways towards the more spacious living area where they could sit him down and ask him questions all night, which Harry expected and was glad to actually be able to do; unfortunately, the noise everyone was making set off the inevitable tirade from the resident Mrs. Black.

"They're back! Disgusting mudblood-loving filth! Putrid scum of our world! How dare you enter my home! I curse the ground where you stand! Get out!"

The rotted, purple curtains in the hallway had flown open and the screeching, drooling woman in the portrait was as loud as ever and refused to stop, even as Ron and Mr. Weasley tried in vain to close the curtains once again. People rolled their eyes and frowned at the extremely annoying woman, all desperately wishing at the moment that the portrait would burst into flames.

Harry looked at the foul woman on the wall with an utter loathing and raised his staff. Suddenly, all was quiet. The veritably evil woman began looking at everyone in complete fear and had become silent. She shrieked and then fainted in sweats, falling to the floor out of sight. Harry had performed Slytherin's curse that made one lose his will.

"That will take care of her," Harry said amidst stunned looks from everyone surrounding him. "I have come to realize that sometimes attacking someone from the inside is much more effective than attacking them on the outside. Our friendly Mrs. Black just needed a reminder of what happens when she places honor on public standing as opposed to actual magical ability."

More chaos ensued as Harry was dragged to the large living area, sat down, and interrogated from all sides. Shouts went higher and higher as they were desperate for answers. Finally Lupin, who had joined the party when Hermione had shouted Harry's arrival, barked to calm them all down.

"Alright everyone, calm down! Harry is here and I'm sure he's not going anywhere. We have to ask our questions one at a time. Is that okay with you Harry?"

Harry looked around at all the expectant faces with a tender look - he was unable to hide his appreciation. He had been dreaming of this moment. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were on one side of the room, sitting next to each other but concentrated on Harry. Fred and George were beside them and Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were sitting on the floor in front of the chair where Harry was sitting, a few feet from the fireplace. On the other side of the room were Remus, Tonks and Percy. Lastly, Mad-Eye Moody was silently listening in the corner. His electric blue eye was swiveling about as usual, but his attention was on Harry and he had a slight grin on his face - My return... another story in Mad-Eye's book, Harry thought.

"I know you all have wondered and hoped and worried about where I have been and what I have been doing," Harry said quietly but with earnest. "I know some of you have been angry with me and some of you have become proud of me. I will answer whatever questions you might have, no matter how long it takes tonight. I just want it known here and now that I am back for good and that, in the end, I was sorry I left. It was foolish. Please forgive me."

"Oh Harry," Ginny cried, "of course we forgive you! We have missed you so much. You have come at such a great time too! We are winning the war!"

"Hush Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley said only half-disapprovingly. "There is much to be done and we are still at a great disadvantage."

"Harry, tell us," Mr. Weasley spoke up. "Where have you been? Where did you go when you left?"

Harry breathed deeply and began to tell his story. He explained his reasons for leaving and where he went first. He explained how he got each of the pieces of his Rune Staff, traveling first to Hogwarts and then to the Edifice (Hermione blushed on hearing of his meeting with Krum, which Harry was very vague about.) and the Bulgarian mountain.

"Wait, wait, wait," Fred said, holding up his hand. "Thee Salazar Slytherin? I think Harry's gone off the deep end."

"It's true!" Harry said chuckling. "I know it sounds hard to believe, but because he split his soul and created a Horcrux, he became immortal, although he rather looks like the most disgusting prune one could ever imagine."

"So," Hermione said, working out her thoughts. "Was what Mr. Beauregard told us true? Was Slytherin's Horcrux inside that orb?"

"Yes. It resides there now. I made a promise to Slytherin that once I used it to destroy Voldemort, I would return to him."

"And just give it back?" George asked aghast.

"No. I promised I would destroy it along with him."

Everyone became silent and looked around at each other.

"Slytherin had been down there for hundreds of years in dark solitude and the cage he resides in cannot be dispelled. He wants his soul and body to finally be at rest, as his mind and sanity had finally come to be. I promised him I would give him that rest. I just hope I can find it within me to finish what I promised."

"Let's change the subject," Hermione broke in. "What else has happened Harry? Have you come across any more Horcruxes? Are you the reason Voldemort and his followers have been spotted less and less lately?"

"I would like to say yes, but I honestly don't know why Voldemort has been so peckish lately. I have found and destroyed another Horcrux, however, and that has to have him worried."

A cheer went up all around and hope was coming into the eyes of everyone in the room. They had always secretly thought of Harry as a hero and their desires to see him as their front against Voldemort were being realized.

"How did you do it?" Tonks asked. "Didn't finding and destroying Horcruxes eventually lead to Dumbledore's withered hand and exhaustion?"

"Well, this staff protects me against many curses and is capable of destroying Horcruxes. Not only that, but I had Ramses along, who had considerable knowledge of both Voldemort and Horcruxes."

"Hey yeah!" Ron spoke up. "Where is that Beauregard chap? Did he not come back with you?"

Harry looked at Ron with saddened eyes and he lowered his head, gripping his staff tightly.

"He...he..." Harry quivered slightly, but he somehow couldn't find the words. He looked at Hermione, who had an immensely sad face.

"Oh Harry," Hermione said, coming up to Harry and placing her hand lightly on his leg. "He did what he had to do - we all would have done the same. You must have dwelled on this for so long now."

"Hermione, what do you mean?" Ron asked quizzically.

Everyone's eyes were shifting between Harry and Hermione. The awkward silence could have been cut with a dull blade. Harry finally continued.

"Beauregard was a true companion in the face of the adversity I faced and he was the reason I am sitting here tonight with all the things I possess. Without him, I would never have come to accomplish what I did... with him, Voldemort is short one more piece of his despicable soul."

With that, Harry proceeded to tell the story of his and Beauregard's hunt for Helga Hufflepuff's magical chalice.

END Chapter 8