Ginny Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Ginny Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Chapter One - Homecoming

The start of a new school year was always an exciting time at Hogwarts. First year students were wandering around in awe, returning students were renewing old acquaintances, and the staff of Hogwarts were busy with the countless details, large and small, that inevitably accompany the start of term at a school with nearly a thousand students.

A figure watched the students filing into the school. He was slightly below average height, and possessed of a thin build. His eyes darted about, looking at the spires of the castle, the lay of the grounds, and the assortment of odd creatures. Hogwarts had certainly changed since his time here - it had been a long time indeed since he had visited.

He waited, silently, until nightfall. Waiting was no trouble; the man was quite possibly the most patient person on earth.

At last, the sounds of the castle subsided. All was peaceful. The man smiled; that was almost certainly about to change.

He took a step forward, and waved his wand while muttering an obscure spell that hadn't been used for centuries. Instantly, the man could see the layered wards surrounding Hogwarts. Dozens of them, built over centuries. They were only visible to his eyes; a stranger observing would have thought the man was mad as his hands made circles in the air.

The man traced the outlines of the wards, feeling the magical energies. The wards were all quite good; absolutely brilliant, in fact. Generations of Hogwarts staff had done their job well.

The wards would not, however, impede him in the slightest.

A flash of color swirling in the air drew his attention. Ah, now that was a nice trick. This ward would certainly alert the staff of the castle to his approach; although it would do nothing to halt his entrance into the castle. The man sighed. He had been right. A quiet entrance into the castle was out of the question.

He muttered another obscure incantation to find who had cast that particular ward.

Damn. He was right. He should have known that the late Albus Dumbledore would be the caster of the offending ward. Dumbledore's throughness - some would call it paranoia - would certainly surprise the occupants of the castle. He wondered idly if any of the current residents knew what the breaching of the ward signified - it had obviously been cast shortly before Dumbledore's death, and it's entirely possible that the late Headmaster had not yet informed anyone of the latest ward.

The man shook his head. In the end, it didn't matter. The current staff of Hogwarts would be unable to affect what would be to come.

He straightened, adjusting his perfectly tailored Muggle business suit. One last adjustment to the tie and he was ready to go.

He took one more step forward, breaching the wards that separated the actual grounds of Hogwarts from the path leading to Hogsmeade.

The air shimmered, and a low wailing sound came from the castle - WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH - the repetitive sound reminded him of the sound of a Muggle burglar alarm. Lights went on all over the castle.

The man walked briskly up the path to the main gates. A wave of his wand, and the castle opened itself to him.

The moment he crossed the threshold, he felt it.

POWER. Primal and raw.

The castle reacted to his presence. He closed his eyes for a minute, staggered by the emotions he was feeling, and the waves of magical energy, long suppressed, washing over him.

He knew that the current Headmistress would feel the shift in power, too. She would instantly sense that she no longer had total control over the castle.

He walked into the Great Hall, and there they were. McGonagall. Snape. Sprout. Weasley. Longbottom. Lupin. A host of others that he did not recognize.

They were some of the most powerful wizards of their age, and every single one had a wand pointed at him.

His eyes bored into Snape. Slytherin. I know you. We share the same house, don't we, Severus Snape? Oh, yes. Do you know me? And if you do, are you brave enough to admit it? Have you lived up to the standards that Slytherin House sets? If I find you haven't, young man, you will answer to me.

McGonagall spoke first, as was to be expected.

"Who are you?"

Ah, one of Godric's children. So lacking in subtlety. I see some things haven't changed.

"I believe you have an opening on your staff - Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am here to offer my services for that position."

"Generally speaking, applicants for staff positions do not show up in the middle of the night on the first day of term."

The man spun around at the voice, studying the face. Ah, but he knew this one, from reports and photographs in the Daily Prophet.

He broke out into a smile. "Oh, this is a pleasant surprise, I certainly was not expecting you here! You have done so well for yourself, Hermione Weasley, so well indeed. You really should have been sorted into my House. Perhaps the Sorting Hat made an error?"

"And what House would that be, sir? And I don't believe you've given us your name." Snape had broken his silence at last.

"Why, Severus, the House we both share. Tell me, do you truly not recognize me?"

"I do not. Should I?"

"You should, indeed. I would think you would have greater respect for the House you have the honor of leading."

"Enough. I don't know how you breached the wards, nor why you think I would hire you for the Defense position under these circumstances, but this is a school, and you are a disruption." The man thought McGonagall was doing an admirable job of keeping the anger she had to be feeling out of her voice. Perhaps the Gryffindors had learned something during his absence, after all.

"I do apologize, Minerva, I must confess I am very old, and my sense of humor seems to warp ever more with the increasing years. I have been rather rude, I suppose."

McGonagall was confused - the man appeared to be in his late forties - and he did have quite a strange accent that she could not place. She pushed that question aside.

"I do not recall giving you leave to address me by my first name. You have a very strange manner for a person applying for a position."

"I believe it is allowable for staff to address each other by their first names, is it not? And I am not applying for the position, I have already told you that I intend to offer my services. I don't believe you have the option to decline."

"You are very presumptuous. I cannot believe that Arthur Weasley would allow the Ministry to arbitrarily appoint a new Defense teacher after the last debacle."

"The Ministry? No, they did not appoint me. That would be impossible."

"Last time. Your name, sir!" Snape stepped forward, and pointed his wand directly in the man's face.

The man mumbled something in a language no one could understand, although Hermione's eyes widened, slightly - That phrase couldn't mean...could it?

Instantly, everyone's wands flew up out of their hands, and slammed against the castle walls, pinned there by an unseen force.

McGonagall's eyes widened.

"You use the Castle's own defenses against us! How?"

"Forgive me, things seemed a bit tense there, for a moment, and I did not want any accidents. I take responsibility; I should have introduced myself earlier."

He offered a hand to McGonagall, and in a calm voice stunned the assembled teachers.

"I am very pleased to finally meet you. My name is Salazar Slytherin."