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yourgildedcage · 2 years ago

Text

"The World of Another Who Looks Like You"

Chapter 6: Malleus (alter) cannot Be normal. He does try though

Point of Origin: Mortal World

Having enough tea, Azul went into Malleus's room he decided it was time to look and see the damage done to Malleus's room in a attempt to look for clues as to where he was.

The closet door was hanging open displaying the winter clothes on the left side and summer ones on the right. The entire room smelled like dried roses. 'Just like Malleus', Azul thought quietly.

He pulled out Malleus's gift out his pocket; a red dried rose pressed into a glass mold in the shape of a rose. Azul chuckled thinking about how they both got each other the same gift the only difference was the name in gold ink on the back and that his gift to malleus had a dark red nearly black rose.

"Why don't we trade gifts? It'll be like doing each other a favor!" Azul had suggested that Valentine's day.

He walked over to Malleus's desk. The ebony painted oak wood cluttered with papers and odd things that probably went in the one of the desk drawers.

Azul sighed his eyebrow twitching in irritation.

'They could at least put his stuff back where they found it. It's not like it's hard.'

He stacked all the math notes in the first drawer on the left recalling that's where they were one of the previous times he was in Malleus's room. He returned the reading and science ones to their respective drawers on the right side.

"Alright all better," Azul stood up closing his eyes contentedly. Then he opened one as a realization came to him.

"Oh what did I come in here for again?"

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets discreetly keeping the picture he found.

"Hm maybe it was to feel closer to Malleus..."

Turning around he walked around the wall blocking view of the actual bed and huge pile of clothes and books and the others had simply thrown on the bed.

"Good feelings gone," Azul clenched his fists his face barely hiding his rage.

Hours later he had put all the clothes back and he determinedly ignored the black and white striped large travel trunk.

Currently on Twisted Wonderland~

"For starters would you like to tell me your relationship with.. The other NRC students, and their academic status?" Riddle asked taking a seat and opening a spare notebook.

"You're using me to keep track of the academic improvement of you and your classmates? What a workaholic!" Malleus alter laughed cheerfully and Riddle flushed wondering if he overstepped. But he was being cheerful about it...

[Timeskip]

Malleus alter returned to Diasomnia.

Riddle was almost completely the same as the one he knew. He still only had a vague idea what a overblot was and figured it wasn't his place to ask such a thing to Riddle.

Immediately approaching him was Lilia who looked rather curious about something. At least that's what he could figure given that he purposely sought him out. With a small smile he asked " is there something troubling you, Lilia?" To which he was surrounded by this universe's version of himself, Sebek and Silver. He knew that currently there was no reason to present themselves as a threat and yet he couldn't help but feel on guard.

"Did something... happen?" He asked turning around so that he was facing Silver, but still in a position where if Lilia or Sebek chose to attack he could defend himself. He was especially on guard around Lilia since he knew Lilia would choose something that wouldn't be perceived as dangerous, such as tickling, to lower his defenses.

"We each had a vision one that was a memory, obviously not ours, of you." Lilia stated using magic to pull up a chair to sit in.

"I myself am used to having strange dreams but I admit the dream of you struggling at handling that China cabinet despite doing well against those robbers, was quite a shock," Silver stated calmly.

'You don't sound very shocked' Malleus alter thought.

Malleus alter blinked. "You saw... What now?"

"It appears with you being here we are able to see our counterparts' memories, mainly ones involving you." Malleus stated making direct eye contact with his human alternate world self. Sparing a glance at Sebek he could see he wasn't too pleased about this.

"So the exact memory you saw was September 23, when Lilia left us all alone to go on a three day business trip. And the three of us were at home when the house was broken into the day Lilia was supposed to come back?" He asked. They gave a small nod in response except Lilia who pushed forward a cup of tea on a table he was certain wasn't there before and Malleus alter grimaced internally.

He put his hand to his chin trying to think. He'd walked off and had subtly moved from the little circle his alternate self and his family's counterparts had made. He wondered if they noticed yet.

Lilia tried for a smile "I know myself well enough to know it was taken care of and they were taught a lesson they'd never walk away from," he poured himself a cup via magic. "But I am curious. I'd like to know right now if there's anything we should know about before I see it in the memories of my alternate universe counterpart." "The same goes for the rest of us" Malleus stated so Malleus Alter got the feeling that wasn't the only memory he saw.

Silver sat down and actually drank his cup of tea. Both Malleus and Malleus Alter had yet to sit down and Sebek was adding a bit of cream to his.

"Well the truth is I... I have lots of friends who are precious to me. Like Riddle, Ace, Deuce and Ortho. My boyfriend, and my sort of friend Leona--"

"I have another question. What is your relationship with Leona Kingscholar?" Malleus asked his alternate self. Malleus alter startled and seemed to not be prepared for the question.

"The memory of you doing that reckless thing isn't the only vision I saw. I have lots of visions, albeit brief ones of you letting Leona inside the house you appear to be living in, inside your room, in your bed..." At this Malleus realized he probably shouldn't have said the last one since Malleus alter seemed to glare at him for bringing it up.

Instead Malleus alter sighed in resignation. "It's complicated between me and Leona,"

"try explaining anyway?" Malleus suggested earning another glare from his alternate self.

"Oh that's what you meant about not wanting to be judged. You're..."

"Pansexual" Malleus alter interrupted.

Everyone looked confused. "Idia explained it to me once," he commented quickly. Trying to think of way to explain it without explaining all the sexuality preferences.

"Look it's not that I'm not attracted to girls. I am it's just I don't really care about gender or sexuality. It's not that important to me," Malleus alter shrugged.

"You mean you're not a virgin anymore?" Lilia asked his eyes smiling.

"No-- wait wha--?" Malleus alter blinked realizing what he just answered. Malleus blinked owlishly as if processing the information.

"Yeah I walked into that one," Malleus alter sighed.

Malleus alter sat down in front of a open history book. Probably part of Sebek's homework, and rested his chin on his left hand. His other arm folded so it was on the book. He honestly looked kind of bored reading it since it was mostly the same except for some of the names and a few minor events being altered.

Lilia observed Malleus Alter read and couldn't help but notice how similar to Malleus he was. 'They really are the same person,' he thought noting the straight posture, the breathing, the way his face had that bored look when he "read" to look busy so he wouldn't be bothered or when he was told to read something he already read and instead was thinking about his parents-- wait a minute.

"Malleus.. Ah alter are you not particularly interested in the history book?" Lilia asked curiously.

"The book was good up till the point where it started spitting vile insults," Malleus alter scoffed closing the book with a bit of a harsh slam.

"Well that's how history is... It isn't pretty," Lilia tried to say gently.

"I know that. It's just not what happened in my world" Malleus alter stared out the window.

"I keep forgetting I'm here and not there..."

"Malleus alter would you mind telling me about your history in comparison to what you read?" Lilia smirked taking the book from him.

Malleus stared at him. "The Draconia family has a long history I don't think--" he started then sighed "of course you're happy to have new information"

"... I could bit I'm still processing alot of stuff it'll have to wait" Malleus alter rubbed on a lock of hair.

"I'll be more than happy to share it in my report to her Majesty," Lilia said cheerfully.

Malleus alter stared at him blankly for a moment.

"Malleus alter are you alright?" Silver asked.

"Oh yeah I'm fine I just had a weird flashback or sense of deja vu. Probably nothing."

Malleus stood alone with his alternate self. Curiously his eyes tilted toward him. "..So you and Leona Kingscholar...?" He asked raising a eyebrow.

"Its not what you think.. It was more of a..." He paused opening the book and flipping the pages.

"It... Was.." He faltered. Did he really want to tell his alternate self things he hasn't really explained to his own Lilia?

"Do you still have feelings for him?" Malleus asked but it almost sounded harsh.

"No"

"Then what's holding you back?" Malleus alter tilted his head curiously.

"It's hard to explain. He was there for me... I enjoyed his company even when we argued and got competitive. It was fun," mallleus alter seemed to be gathering himself better now. Malleus's eyebrow twitched with slight irritation.

"I didn't mind letting him sleep in my room and when we slept together it was more for our stressfully complex lives." Malleus glanced at his alternate self.

"W-what?" He stood up turning to face him.

"You had sex with him because--" malleus asked in disbelief.

"that's right it was our way of having someone to talk to." Malleus alter stated making it all more vague.

Malleus alter watched the small minor reactions to conclude that his other self of Twisted Wonderland seemed baffled.

Maybe Leona was different here..?

"Did... Kingscholar do it to anger you?" Malleus asked quietly.

"No of course not. If Leona even tried to put his hands on me without my permission knowing I can't get away with harming him till I'm 20, I would have had Lilia kill him for me," Malleus alter scoffed.

"There was nothing between us. We simply did it because it took our fancy. It had no emotional ties to it as per our agreement since he kept voming over to my place to avoid going home. It wasn't a relationship but more something we grew into. It got what we wanted to say to each other across easier than sitting on my bed and staring at the wall in awkward silence for three hours"

"How was your first time anyway?" Malleus asked his curiosity finally burning through his reserved and composed nature. Malleus alter tilted his head and had a odd little smile. "So many people want me to tell them things today!" He remarked.

He sat down on the bed in Malleus's VIP dorm room.

"That's personal!"

But I'm older than you," Malleus stated.

Malleus alter laughed "so? I'm closer to 18 then you which basically makes me the adult here"

***The next morning***

"I have a spare gym uniform!" Lilia said proudly

"You mean you threw together whatever spare clothes you figured I wouldn't need anymore right?" Malleus corrected wearing his own gym uniform.

"I don't go to this school do I really need to go to gym class?" Malleus alter asked.

Yes!" Lilia grinned "it'll be good practice!"

"Practice for what exactly? I can't use magic remember?" He asked

Lilia got a odd glint in his eye.

"Oh. You wanna test my skills and compare me to the me you got to raise. Of course you do" Malleus alter sighed.

Malleus alter ran a hand through his hair.

"I'll just park my backside right here..." He sat down on the roof.

"Hey! Draconia! What are you doing--" Vargas yelled.

"I'll just stay here and watch." Malleus alter announced "Surely there's no problem with that?" He asked as a afterthought.

Everything was somewhat boring until the next class showed. Malleus alter noticed that Azul was in this class and decided to move to the stands. If anyone noticed they didnt say anything.

"If they are also doing that broom riding thing it'll be interesting to tell Azul that this universe's version of him seems to have overcome his fear of heights~!' He thought smiling a little at the idea.

**Azul's p.o.v.**

Azul was doing well, he actually went higher than two feet in the air but it fell apart when he looked down and saw how high he was and lost control of the broom. Then he fell off. He didn't scream in panic but he did yelp and figured he might sprain his ankle or something. The force of landing on the ground never cane and instead Azul felt the warmth of someone who caught him. His heart nearly caught in his throat as he opened his eyes and saw Malleus alter staring at him in concern.

"Did that guy just blur?" On student said

"Yeah it was like he--" another started.

"He practically vanished and materialised under Azul to catch him!"

Azul looked confused since he hadnt been paying attention to Malleus alter.

"Those rumors are starting again..." Malleus alter muttered in irritation.

"What rumors?" Azul asked gaining his own footing.

"...." Malleus alter didn't say anything.

"He's just as overpowered as the real Malleus!" Another student said a bit too loudly in a exasperated tone.

"It's not important." He remarked. "Sorry I interrupted the lesson" he said looking over at Coach Vargas and letting go of Azul's arm.

Malleus alter patted his head "you're okay right?"

Azul tried not to blush. "Of course!"

Text Messages Malleus alter's phone:

Malleus alter: hey

Azul

Azul alter: yes?

Malleus alter:

Oh thank God I would have killed everyone here if texts didn't work.

Azul alter:

Didn't Lilia-san call you?

Malleus alter:

Yeah but calling is different from texts for me

Azul alter:

I see

....

How's progress on getting you home going?

Malleus alter:

I'm still here I think that answer's that question

Azul alter:

Don't they have magic there?

Malleus alter:

Yeah Lilia is researching a way for me to go home I think. I'd help but Lilia told me that since I don't have magic I don't know what I'm getting into.

This universe's version of you is like how you were before we started dating

Azul alter:

Please rephrase that

Malleus alter:

Azul alter:

... Yeah I'll let you win and get my revenge later.

Malleus alter:

No you won't

By the way I got to hold the Azul of this universe in my arms

Azul alter:

Say what??

Malleus alter:

It helped me realize how much I miss you.

Azul alter:

Mal-- it's been like five days

Malleus alter:

Feels like forever

Azul alter:

Dramatic much?

Malleus alter:

No I just really love you

Azul?

Malleus alter seemed depressed.

'I shouldn't have caught Azul earlier. I miss holding him.'

He stared at his hands. 'But I can't just walk up to this world's Azul and carry him. As much as that would make me happy, I don't wanna embarrass him. Nor do I want to spread any more rumors.'

'No doubt people are already saying there's no way i can be a normal human. Just from that alone. They are gonna flip if they see some of the other hidden talents I have...'

"I would like to thank you for catching my fall earlier." Azul's voice brought him back to reality.

"It was nothing I'm used to catching people" he said waving it off 'usually Ace and Deuce' he thought.

"Still I hate to owe a person anything. Is there any favor you'd like to ask--" Azul started, pushing up his glasses.

" come on Azul we don't need any favors, you already know I'm going to do whatever I can to help you--" Malleus alter interrupted but cut himself off as he suddenly realized who he was talking to.

"...! sorry that was a default response" he averted his gaze.

Azul stared at him uncomprehendingly "in any case as I was saying feel free to ask me anything to make up for you helping me in flight class today." He walked off presumably to get his own lunch.

'I cant believe I said that! I slipped into a "automatic" response to Azul's statement! "I hope I don't do that again" he said out loud without realizing.

Malleus looked up not that he had very far to look as it was only Riddle in front of him. Actually it wasn't just Riddle.

Next to him stood some vaguely familiar student who apparently recently got out the infirmary if his black eye was anything to go by. Malleus gave a nod saying Riddle could sit down if he wanted. But he remained standing.

"My freshman underclassmen would like an apology for a supposed offense that apparently happened when you first arrived here,"

Malleus glanced at the boy. He noted his Heartslabyul vest and armband. " A fight...." He put a finger his lips as if trying to think.

"Oh you must be that one who fell after I punched him like one time!" He exclaimed happily and the cafeteria seemed to go quiet.

Lilia approached about to ask what was going on but Malleus alter just smiled. "All right. I apologize for my reckless behavior

"I got suspended from school for according to Idia-- 'being too good at owning bitches'" Malleus alter remarked.

"Watch your mouth there are children around" Lilia scolded.

"Riddle knows I swear," he blinked as Riddle turned pink.

"okay maybe not this Riddle specifically but he's aware I do. And he is more or less used to it." He shrugged.

Malleus's Phone:

~2 new messages~

Azul alter:

Sorry I froze since I wasnt expecting that statement

How's the other you doing?

Malleus alter:

He's like my middle school self but worse

Azul alter:

Gargoyles?

Malleus alter:

Yes unfortunately.

It's extremely embarrassing

Azul alter:

ha ha

Malleus alter:

Oh that reminds me! I got into another fight.

Azul alter:

....

Malleus alter:

I can hear the facepalm

But listen it wasn't completely my fault!

Sort of.

Azul Alter:

Do tell dear significant other of mine

#malleus draconia #twisted wonderland #malleus doppleganger #azul doppelganger #azul ashengrotto #alternste universe #riddle rosehearts

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umichanya · 2 years ago

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𝖂𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖔𝖑𝖋 𝕲𝖆𝖒𝖊: 𝕻𝖗𝖔𝖑𝖔𝖌𝖚𝖊...

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬:

{Less proof-reading, many mistakes happen. Also perhaps not too detailed.}

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

As an honour student, you have been rewarded with a magical book of fantasy by your oh-so-kind principal: Dire Crowley. He told you that this book can be whatever you like, which means you can play a game as long as you write down the settings and rules or even just chill in there since you are the owner now.

Amused by this book itself, you decided to ask more questions so you can understand its functionality.

He did mention that while you are in this book, you won’t be able to harm each other so it’s a perfect place to practice. But the game in your mind just makes it more perfect to play with your friends.

You told him that you are very grateful for the gift before you left, which he wishes you to have fun. Dashing to your seat as you start writing the world setting and rules etc, your heart is beating in excitement for playing with your friends.

The game will start soon…

Brought to you now where you are just standing among your friends, inside the Book of Fantasy. Since you finally invited them after a countless night of setting up the rules yet modify the places, currently the place is empty where it's just a vast of greenery yet trees surrounding as there’s a hologram board where it is explaining the rules and your friends are reading and understanding the rules.

“Well, if we actually kill someone as a werewolf. Do they actually die or what?” Ace questioned.

“You idiot, you would just turn into a Ghost player. It was written down there!” Deuce answered with a ‘bruh really’ face.

There are some chatters including threats on how they would end up as a Ghost player in the first round if they do get the werewolf role. You only just stood there and looked around where there’s a distrust including forming an alliance as a talk, you just grinned. This is what you liked; you just loved how chaotic it can get yet blaming other people or even accusations and assumptions. You might get killed for the first round but you don’t mind at all. You don’t even mind if you had to be the audience right off the bat, what it matters is that you have to witness the chaos befalling upon your friends.

“Tell me when you guys are ready, the game will randomise us to an area so just get ready and so on.” You said it loudly so it can get their attention as well to notify them.

“We are ready [y/n], pretty sure there’ll be a quarrel in the first round.” Riddle just huffed as he crossed his arms where Deuce and Ace were having a squabble.

“We are ready too, just start whenever you feel like it.” Leona just yawned while Ruggie and Jack just nodded.

“Whenever you are ready.” Azul nodded, Floyd and Jade were discussing quietly as if they were plotting something.

“Yeah!! We are ready as always, [y/n]!” Kalim chirped as Jamil was still looking at the rules.

“Mmhm,” Vill just nodded with a hum, while Rook was whispering something to his ears. Epel seems to be confused with what they are talking about.

Idia and Malleus along with his group just nodded, no words spoken among them but just glancing around.

You grinned, everyone has a plan on their sleeve. Ahh this is very exciting, you don’t even know what’s their plan yet it seems there’s a distrust slowly growing. Nodding before you get dozed on assumptions who would be the werewolf, pressing the button where the system declared for everyone to listen.

It said as it teleported everyone to a place, a large mansion.

[Game started.]

Everyone, including you, were in awe of how big the mansion is. You didn't expect how big it was, it was a miscalculation on your part but the best part is that the game will get intense. You guys slowly enter, looking at every detail yet being lost for words.

The pretty statue in the garden, the big chandelier above the twin stairs yet it was adorned with gold. Then loads of beautiful paintings on the walls, lastly, a big dining table with a clean cloth on top of it.

[Area: Mansion, players please head to the dining room to start the game]

Everyone was adjusting to their seat yet having a small talk as always, the game system has spoken once again.

[Welcome players, we will now give you your own role, only you yourself can see.]

A hologram appeared in front of your face once again, looking at other people’s. It seems like you can actually see by yourself, smiling as you did the system correctly. Anticipating what role you are gonna get until—

Choosing a seat before the game actually starts, you choose to sit between Ace and Deuce just like in class. You keep talking about how excited you are as Ace teased that you might get killed in the first round where Deuce immediately shoots an insult to Ace. Therefore another bickering occurs where you just laughed.

{Your role is: Citizen!}

You froze for a second, kinda disappointed but at least you can aid the Detectives!! You look around as you see their face was filled with numerous emotions. Now this is the question, who are you going to trust?

The Game System announced once again,

[You may have 30 minutes of exploring before the First Night begins, choose your own room and try to survive. Good luck.]

You overheard your friends discussing that they are going to look around and the others are going to find a room yet so on. You slowly stood up like everyone, stretching as you looked around. Now your first quest began, who do you want to trust?

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐰:

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.

> Ace > Deuce > Riddle

> Trey > Cater > Leona

> Ruggie > Jack > Azul

> Floyd > Jade > Kalim

> Jamil > Vil > Rook

> Epel > Idia > Malleus

> Lilia > Silver > Sebek

> Solo.

𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧?

> Knife

> Bat

> Broom

> Hammer

> None.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦?

> Exquisite guest room, very comfortable to sleep in.

> Shabby room, very noisy due to the creaky sound from the old wood but the bed is still acceptable

> Attic, very bad environment and uncomfortable.

> Master bedroom, best choice of all. Best condition and too comfortable.

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬. 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒍��.

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 years ago

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Wishing you a happy new year, Raven! Can I request fluffy headcanons for Vil, Malleus, Riddle, Sebek, and Silver taking their fem! s/o out on a museum (art or history) date please? Thank you and please stay safe! ~🍁leaf anon

“Art is something I have come to admire over the years. Favored artists and styles come and go as easily as the changing of the seasons. It is fascinating to see the gargoyles that come from every decade...”

Curiouser and Curiouser...

It’s easy to spot Malleus in a crowd thanks to his horns, staggering height, and overwhelming presence. When you arrive at the designated meet-up spot, Malleus gently takes you by the hand and leads you off into a lesser known street with hard to navigate twists, turns, and narrow bends. He tugs you inside a building tucked away in a forgotten crevice of town. Malleus calls it his hidden gem--hard to locate, but precious... a gargoyle museum!

Gargoyles are a pretty niche interest, so the museum’s business is slow. In fact, you and Malleus are the only two there--but that’s fine, it just means you get to enjoy some well-deserved alone time. You can hold onto his arm and lean into him as he shows you around.

From the way Malleus’s eyes glitter, you can tell that not only is he extremely enthusiastic about gargoyles, but that he is very, very familiar with each and every exhibit. Without even looking at the plaques that accompany each gargoyle, he can tell you the year it came from, the artist, and various other fun facts.

Malleus confesses that he has actually named each gargoyle and assigned them their own personalities. He has come here so many times by himself that he decided to make friends of his own in the statues. Gazing at you tenderly, Malleus declares, “... I am fortunate to have finally found a companion to call my own, and to share this happiness with.”

Poor Riddle--he’s so short and wide eyed that the employee at the museum entrance thinks he’s too young to purchase tickets of his own until he shows his student ID! Starting off the date on a mortifying note definitely was not how he had expected things to go, but Riddle intends to make it up to you by demonstrating how knowledgeable he is!

As expected of an honors student, Riddle knows a lot about Magic History! He’ll take your hand in his and help you trace the route that settlers marched in the air, or lean into your ear to whisper about an old folklore. “It cannot be helped,” Riddle insists, a little red-faced himself. “Given the limitations of the museum... Keep quiet and do not touch... this is the most efficient way to teach.”

Even outside of school, Riddle feels a need to enforce the rules! Whenever you let a gasp out or accidentally speak too loudly, he presses a gentle finger to his lips--or yours--as a reminder to keep your voice down.

Another rule of the museum is “no eating or drinking”! That means you and Riddle just need to grab a bite after your museum tour. Luckily, there’s a cute little crepe shop not too far away--and you grab a strawberry one to share, relishing in the taste, each others’ company, and all the indirect kisses that linger.

Vil shows up to the art museum decked out in massive sunglasses, a face mask, and a muffler--and yet he still somehow manages to pull the look off spectacularly. He doesn’t want to be noticed in public (whether by eager fans asking for a signature or a picture, or by members of the media)--that would ruin your date!

Once you’re inside the museum, you can start enjoying the artwork! However, you find your eyes continuously drifting back to Vil between glimpsing works of art--as though Vil were also one himself, and you are not able to take your attention off of him. He catches your gaze several times and sends dazzling smiles your way, which causes you to just... melt.

Unfortunately for you two, your date is interrupted by a stampede of frantic MagiCam followers who swear to the museum staff that THE Vil Schoenheit is somewhere there. So much for the disguise and keeping a low profile. Vil sighs and hastily tugs you behind a large exhibit to hide and wait for the fans to give up.

But... there’s so little wiggle room in your hiding spot that your bodies are pressed up right against one another. You can feel his heart beating--and surely he feels yours as well. A blush starts to rise to your cheeks, and Vil definitely notices. “Ara, are you embarrassed?” He whispers through a smirk, “You’d best not make a single sound, then. Here, allow me to help you.” And there, behind an art exhibit, Vil silences you with a kiss.

Silver is intrigued by the medieval history museum that you’ve selected for your date. He spends much of it ooh-ing and aah-ing at the various swords and suits of armor on display, just like a kid in a candy shop.

Silver nonchalantly points to various weapons mounted on the walls and tells you a story or two about how his father taught him how to utilize each one (”in case you are without your magical pen”). You almost can’t believe half of the grueling tales that leave his mouth, were Silver’s expression not dead serious.

He seems oddly tense at some of the exhibits you come across--specifically, whenever a particular figure in raven and magenta hair appears in paintings or is references in literature. (They look familiar; have you seen them somewhere?) Silver is quick to shoo you away from anything with the mystery man in it, telling you that “I don’t want to accidentally summon him,” whatever that means.

You spend a lot of time in the museum’s souvenir shop, picking out cute matching lockets to wear--one with a shield design, the other with a sword. Silver helps to fasten yours on, and once it’s in place, he jokingly bows to you and says you look just like royalty.

Sebek is shushed multiple times while inside e museum--it seems that even his normal speaking volume is considered to be too loud! In an effort to not disturb the other museum-goers, Sebek vows to keep his mouth shut the entire time and only communicates to you via hand gestures and facial expressions.

During a historical reenactment scene, Sebek is asked by the museum staff to play the part of a knight on the losing side of a war. He plays the role just fine until the actors actually start coming at him! His training as Malleus’s retainer kicks in, and before you know it, Sebek has completely disarmed the entire troupe or actors without breaking a sweat, or uttering a single word.

He visibly puffs up with pride when you look at the section of the museum dedicated to fairy history. Sebek points and shoots you eager looks whenever he comes across an artifact pertaining to the Witch of Thorns. His zealousness is cute, and reminds you of a hyperactive puppy dog!

Though Sebek can’t use his words, you can tell from his body language that he’s enjoying every single moment with you. His grip on your hand holds strong, and the toothy smile and the blush he wears never once fades.

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kuroliondragon · 3 years ago

Text

Status, Friendship and Love p.1 (Riddle Rosehearts x Reader)

The day of your crowned ceremony is approaching and yet Riddle no matter how much he tries can not get you out of his head. He very well knows that you, a royal and a princess no less, due to your status can not have any romantic relationship with him. Yet your view on the matter is different, will he be able to finally express his desire to be with you before the ceremony?

Warnings: reader is princess and a half dragon half human, angst, fluff, slight nsfw

Proper etiquette wasn't one of the things you were good at or had any pleasure of doing. You never really gave a thought about it, just because in your mind proper manners translated to restriction of freedom. In your lifetime in your kingdom you sure had a fair portion of what that included, and as any logical person you didn’t want it anymore than it should be. Of course what would they expect from you? The King had let you run around in the Kingdom, discarding every social rule that applied to you and instead applied new ones. Keeping you on restriction but on different level than the one of your siblings. That's how you were trained, to be a fighter, a warrior and a leader; not a princess. So, how could they expect you to be proper? It was only suffering for you and those involved.

Your guard and your servant had insisted that it was about time for you to start a different kind of training. You asked if you needed a sword or daggers with you but they only gave you a half embarrassed half reasuring smile and said "Don't worry, you won't be needing those.”

Back then you felt confused…Now you finally understood why you had to stay still, for what had been a hour all ready. You weren't able to move a muscle and if you did, you had the watchful eyes of Riddle and Vil scanning your every move. Of course, your servants had to put in charge of their plan these two queens. There wasn't anyone else who wasn't a better fit. On one side you had the beauty queen, Vil, measuring and fixing the dress you have been wearing for so long. On the other side, you had Riddle with his commentary on your dress and posture: 'Shoulders back!', 'Stay still!', 'Back straight as an arrow, Perfect!', 'Stop scrawling (Y/n)!' .

You were about to lose every nerve of patience you had. Maybe if it was only Riddle, maybe you could handle the situation. But having Vil there, was more than a pain if anything! You could never see eye to eye with him anyway, so why for the love of seven had he agreed?!

You were so deeply lost, raging for the fact that you had to spend all day with Vil and his rude commentary, that the second you felt the thin sharp point of the needle, you jumped in the sudden pain. With a quick yelp, you moved away from the two queens. " What the hell are you doing?" You hissed at Vil, who stood displeased, needle in hand.

"Can you please calm down." It sounded more like an order than a pleading question. He really is a queen isn't he?, you thought angrily. "If you hadn't moved, my fingers wouldn’t have slipped and we wouldn't have the situation we are facing now." Vil stated simply but the frown on his face kept scolding you on why you had moved.

"I tried to be as still as possible-" You tried to retort back but you were cut shortly by the dorm leader of Heartslabyul, "Is this language befitting for a future heir, as well as, the perfect of the Ramshackle dorm?" he strictly warned.

Both of the strict queens looked disapprovingly at you. But you had enough. You gave a low growl and turned your back at them. "Is that it now? Acting like a animal? Seems you are no better than Leona himself!" Vil snapped at you. Only for you to give a deeper, more pissed growl.

"In case you don't remember, Vil, I am half animal! Does the dragon eyes and horns don't tell anything to you?" While you did angrily began, your anger seemed to fade in a sort of mockery.

Vil gave a deep sigh and put the needle down. "As you wish then. You keep that animalistic attitude up and see how far you will come. Come to me, once you learn basic communication skills." he said and elegantly left the room.

You let a fierce yell as you ducked your fingers in your skull pulling your hair. "What is your problem?!" your yell directed to the door Vil had just existed. You let another small scream and only then turned to look at the other dorm leader, who hadn't said much —and you knew he had quite a lot to say—and had observed the whole ordeal.

"Are you done throwing a tantrum now?" Riddle's voice was anything but reassuring. He sounded more disappointed and angry than Vil.

"So, you are taking his side?" You looked at the dorm leader in disbelief.

"I am not taking any side. You should very well know how to act and talk as a future ruler. We all have different roles and we act as these role inquire as to. In the very near future you will be Queen or King, a very demanding and important role. Is this how you will sort your problems with growling and turning your back?" Riddle's grey eyes narrowed.

You frowned at his words. You knew he was right. You knew you couldn't keep up that attitude. And yet, Riddle's words hurt more than you imagined. The way his displeased and warning eyes laid on you, were making you feel as if your friend didn't like you for who you were. "Well…if you are so bothered by it…then you can go. Nobody is keeping you here Riddle." You irritatingly declared. You sat down on the nearest chair and looked down on your lap. You gridded your teeth and pressed your nails deep in your palms. If he didn't want you to be his friend, now that you were going to be a ruler, then it was better to let him go the sooner the better…

Riddle sighed and you heard his heels clicking on the floor, moving. You didn't say anything, stayed still, gritting your jaw together in case tears decided to slip from your eyes. You hoped Riddle wouldn’t leave, that he wouldn't leave you alone. If he did that, then did that mean he never trully cared? Did you mean nothing to him?

You were cut off guard when a pair of Heartslabyul heels appeared in your vision and soon a very concerned Riddle squatted in frond of you. He gently took your trembling hands in his. His hands slowly caressed yours in a reassuring manner. He gave them a gentle squeeze and placed your hands in his lips, planting a soft kiss on your fingers. Even through you were instantly relived from your dark thoughts of Riddle leaving you, you had another problem. Moving your hands slightly away and leaning your back deep in the chair you covered your mouth in embarrassment.

Riddle knew you were taken aback with the sudden display of affection. But it wasn't the first time he had made such a gesture. There was one time —the very first one— were he fixed your uniform's cravat and much to his surprise then, you were blushing red. Riddle couldn't deny that he loved making small gestures like these. They were gentlemanly and they weren't as embarrassing for him as it would be holding hands in the hallway while facing the stares of every student of NRC.

"W-What…W-what are you doing?" You asked with stuttering voice.

Riddle took your hands in his again. Gently, barely touching, holding only the lower half. His mind warning him not even a millimeter higher. So in that way he was basically holding your fingers. Holding them in a friendly platonic way, his heart hoping to be more on the romantic side but his mind hissing that would be improper, not only to you as his friend but to your future status as a ruler as well. Riddle took another deep sigh. His heart and head wanted two different things and he needed to balance his situation, before you could realize the romantic feelings under his friendly mask and damage your reputation and friendship in the process.

"Relax." He gave you a small smile with bits of concern painted all around it. He gave another but this time small sigh. The situation was getting difficult to act on. “Truth is…I am very worried about you. I do what I do, to help you. I don't want you thinking of me as some malicious tyrant.”

You who appeared to be back to your cheeky self after Riddle's explanation, added with a little mischief "So you are saying that you aren't a tyrant?" You flashed him a toothy grin.

Riddle noticed your small yet sharp canines and he caught himself thinking how would it be to be kissed by those lips, those sharp fangs biting on his bottom lip… he imagined himself squirming a bit in your embrace. He would hold you by the neck and occasionally plant soft butterfly kisses on your shoulders, blushing at the contact. You would hold him by the waist, pressing him gently in your lap, whispering sweet nothings in his ear as he would, if he had enough courage. He would most definitely let you do the work, he was inexperienced in that arena and he would not know what to do without dying from embarrassment. He lost himself for bit in his little daydream that up until now he never had. He could not afford to daydream, he always had important tasks and duties that needed to be done. But now, as the days of your coronation neared he seemed to be indulging himself in those daydreams even more.

No matter how much he wanted, he couldn’t be with you. The first problem is your friendship, he didn't know if you felt the same for him. Second, is your status. You would be King or Queen of an Empire and he, even though have been taught the way's of nobles, was a commoner from the Rose Kingdom. No one would support this relationship, it would be nothing but a pleasant dream.

You cleared your throat in an attempt to bring Riddle back to his senses, only for his poor face to blush strawberry red the minute the thought about his daydreaming-and-not-so-pure-hearted thoughts struck like lightning in his mind. His slate grey eyes went wide and his lips trembled at the lewd direction his mind dared to have wondered. There was no way he was actually having such thoughts!

He raised his grey eyes facing your gaze. Those piercing eyes of yours, always calculating, always observing, always strategically placed their gaze.... as if they had a mind of their own. If given the chance...would...would they pin him with an unforgiving stare? Would they look at his form and long for it? Would they look at his lips with hunger?

“Riddle...Riddle!” You shouted trying to get the dorm leader's attention once again. But his lost expression showed you that he definitely wasn’t in this reality at the moment. You decided to shook him a bit and yelled his name again.

Riddle let a surprised scream, “W-What?!” as he jumped back in shock.

“You have been really out of it lately...is there anything bothering you?”

Your concern was visible and Riddle’s heart cried in pain when he couldn’t answer the question properly. To admit his blossoming feelings, that grew day by day? To admit how much he longed for you, that even a small moment with you was all he wanted to start his every day? To admit that taking care of you was his priority, that he would give up everything just to see your smile? But Riddle couldn’t say such statements, so he gulped down any rebelling thoughts of telling you his feelings right then and there and answered with a “It isn’t me you should be worrying about, but you.”

He took a breath and stood up, “If you are feeling better, we should move on to Table Manners instead.”

You gave him a weak smile but said nothing more.

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poisonepel · 5 years ago

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✨ Main Story Overviews - Prologue & Episode 1 ✨

These are not in-depth summaries !! But there’s a lot of chapters in the main story and sometimes I want to quickly refer back to one but can’t remember which one is which 😂 so these are like, brief overviews of each one. I thought I’d share too!!

Other Summaries: Episode 2 & 3

Prologue

Part 00 Crowley’s opening monologue at the mirror.

Part 01 Yuu wakes up to Grim trying to steal their robes; meets Crowley.

Part 02 (Rhythm) The sorting ceremony; Grim tries to prove his strength so he can enroll too.

Part 03 Grim runs away somewhere & Crowley ends the ceremony.

Part 04 Crowley tries looking for Yuu’s homeland in the library to no avail; he decides to let them stay.

Part 05 (Rhythm) They visit the Ramshackle Dorm for the first time, and realize it has ghosts.

Part 06 (Rhythm) Crowley brings Yuu and Grim dinner; he’s impressed that they warded off the ghosts, and asks them to show him how they did it by fighting him.

Part 07 Crowley dubs Yuu & Grim the school choredoers.

Part 08 (Ghost Battle) Yuu & Grim’s first morning as choredoers; Crowley asks them to clean Main Street.

Part 09 They meet Ace who gives them a crash course about the Great Seven.

Part 10 (Ace Battle) Ace starts making rude & mocking comments about them; Grim starts fighting with him & accidentally burns one of the statues; Crowley punishes them by saying all 3 of them have to clean 100 windows.

Part 11 Yuu and Grim wait for Ace to show up for the punishment; they go looking for him in the classroom & meet a talking portrait.

Part 12 (Rhythm) They find Ace in the Hall of Mirrors; he tries running away so they yell at a passing Deuce to stop him; in the meantime, Grim tries to escape himself. Ace makes Deuce help him catch Grim.

Part 13 Grim is swinging on a priceless, magic chandelier; Deuce hurls Ace up in the air to catch him; they end up breaking the chandelier. Crowley threatens to expel all of them unless they find a magic gemstone to fix it, so they go to the Dwarfs’ Mine to get one.

Part 14 (Rhythm) In the Silent Woods, they look inside Snow White’s cottage, then go into the mines where they find more ghosts.

Part 15 (Overblot Dwarf Battle) Ace, Deuce, and Grim all start bicker about whose fault it is that they’re in this situation; a giant overblotted monster resembling a dwarf appears and tells them to leave and that it won’t give up the stone; they all run away.

Part 16 Deuce is the only one determined to go back to get the gem; after some more bickering they all decide to go back.

Part 17 They manage to pin down the monster with Deuce’s cauldrons & grab the magic stone.

Part 18 (Overblot Dwarf Boss Battle) The monster breaks free and chases them out of the mines; they’re able to defeat it with magic; it leaves behind a black stone, which Grim realizes smells delicious so he eats it.

Part 19 Crowley didn’t actually think they’d be able to get the gem (he’d already filled out their expulsion papers), but then starts sobbing because he’s so proud his students worked together like that. He decides to let Yuu and Grim enroll together, saying they’ll be considered as one student, since Yuu is a good beast-tamer and Grim can use magic/take all the lessons that Yuu can’t. Grim receives his magic gemstone. Additionally, Crowley names Yuu a ‘prefect’ and gives them a ghost camera.

Part 20 (Opening Video) Ace, Deuce, Yuu, and Grim end the night with some more bickering & part their ways; Grim is super excited to start his new life as a student.

Episode 1

Part 01 (Disney Dream) Ace bangs on the Ramshackle Dorm’s door very late at night, wearing a large collar, declaring he’s done being in Heartslabyul.

Part 02 Ace explains he had eaten one of the tarts prepared for a party, so Riddle put this collar on him. He then decides he’s staying the night here; Deuce arrives the next morning, and they try to go apologize to Riddle so Ace can have his magic back.

Part 03 (Rhythm) In the Heartslabyul rose maze, they meet Cater, who has them help him paint the roses red.

Part 04 (Cater Battle) Ace asks where Riddle is; Cater tells him he can’t let him back inside the dorm unless he brings a tart to make up for the one he ate; he kicks them all out. But it’s time for class so they have to postpone making a tart right now.

Part 05 (Rhythm) After a few classes, Grim decides he’s done with school. Ace and Deuce only offer to help catch him if Yuu promises to buy them things from the cafeteria.

Part 06 (Upperclassmen Students Battle) At lunch, Grim gets excited about all the food available and bumps into an irritated upperclassman, making him drop his food. They get into a fight.

Part 07 Cater and Trey join them for lunch; they talk about why they follow the Queen of Hearts’ rules in Heartslabyul (it’s their tradition).

Part 08 They all discuss the other dorms; it’s revealed that this is an all-boys school; Lilia sneaks up on them when they bring up Diasomnia; Riddle appears just as Ace starts complaining about him.

Part 09 (Riddle’s Unique Magic) Riddle says he was considering removing Ace’s collar if he regreted his actions, but it’s clear that he hasn’t. Trey explains what “Unique Magic” is; he also tells them they’ll need to collect 300 chestnuts so they can bake a make-up marron tart.

Part 10 (Rhythm) Yuu and Grim run into Leona while looking for tools to pick up chestnuts; the gang peels all the nuts they collected in the kitchen.

Part 11 Deuce, Yuu, and Grim go to Mr. S’s Mystery Shop to buy some extra ingredients, since they used too much to make the crème de marron.

Part 12 (Upperclassmen Students Battle) On their way back, they bump into the upperclassmen from lunch earlier and Deuce accidentally drops the eggs they bought; he reverts into his ‘bad boy’ mode.

Part 13 (Rhythm; Deuce’s Backstory) After the upperclassmen run off, Deuce is distraught with himself for getting so heated and explains that he used to be a delinquent; they return to the kitchen and finish making the marron tarts.

Part 14 (Trey’s Unique Magic) Cater stops by to take pictures of the finished tarts; Trey uses his Unique Magic to change the flavor of their bites; Deuce joins Ace to stay the night at the Ramshackle Dorm. Meanwhile, at Heartslabyul, some students come up to Trey and Cater complaining miserably about Riddle’s strict rules.

Part 15 (Rhythm; Disney Dream; Cater’s Unique Magic) Today is the Unbirthday Party! Cater stops by the Ramshackle Dorm in the morning to get them all ready. When they get back to the rose maze, he uses his magic Split Card so they can finish painting the roses red quickly.

Part 16 At the party, Ace offers Riddle the marron tart, but there happens to be a rule against bringing marron tarts to the Unbirthday Party so Riddle starts yelling at him.

Part 17 (Trey & Cater Battle) Ace, Grim, Yuu, and Deuce are not happy with Riddle acting so strict & ungrateful about this tart; Riddle blows up and puts collars on all of them. Trey and Cater ultimately side with Riddle and kick Yuu and co. out.

Part 18 They meet Chenya in the rose maze, who encourages them to talk to Trey if they want to know more about Riddle.

Part 19 Riddle punishes more students in the lounge; Ace and co. corner Trey in the library; he tells them a little about Riddle’s backstory. Crowley appears.

Part 20 Crowley suggests that Ace challenge Riddle to a duel to take over as dorm leader. Both Ace and Deuce decide to go forward with that.

Part 21 (Riddle Battle; Disney Dream) Crowley supervises on the day of the duel; Riddle is forced to remove the collars so that they can start the battle fair and square.

Part 22 Riddle wins immediately by putting the collars back on them; Ace blows up, punches Riddle, and gives a long, angry speech about why Riddle needs to clean up his act. In turn, Riddle’s anger starts consuming him too and he threatens to impale Ace with the trees around them.

Part 23 Trey overwrites Riddle’s magic with Doodle Suit to rescue Ace from being impaled; Riddle’s anger continues to deepen.

Part 24 (Overblot Riddle Boss Battle) Riddle overblots; Ace and Deuce fight him to bring him back to his senses.

Part 25 (Riddle’s Backstory) Backstory! Riddle’s mother was overbearing and planned out every second of his life; Chenya and Trey helped Riddle sneak out to have fun a little; his mom got furious when she found out about this and banned him from seeing them again.

Part 26 Riddle wakes up; he begins crying because he didn’t agree with all the rules he enforced either and wanted to have more fun. Ace doesn’t forgive him easily and demands a redo Unbirthday Party where Riddle brings a homemade tart this time.

Part 27 Crowley and Trey take Riddle to the infirmary; Grim eats the black gem left behind by Riddle’s overblot episode.

Part 28 (Rhythm) Several days later, they successfully have another Unbirthday Party; Riddle brings out a strawberry tart he made with oyster sauce, since Trey would jokingly convince people that that was his secret ingredient; meanwhile, in Savanaclaw, Leona and Ruggie discuss a plan to take revenge on Malleus.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland summaries #twst summaries #prologue #episode 1

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tumbleranch-dorm · 4 years ago

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“I do not care what other’s say about their pointless excuses. Now.....focus on you’re work and GET MOVING!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Name: Clinton Hollingsbeck

Japanese: クリントン・ホリングスベック

Romanji: Kurinton Horingusubekku

Other Name:

C (Ferd)

Four-eye bastard (Eb)

Weasel (Leona & Ruggie)

Monsieur Occupé (Rook)

Sardine (Floyd)

Voiced by Jun Fukuyama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Birthday: September 22

Starsign: Virgo

Height: 177 cm

Eye Color: Grey

Hair Color: Coffee Brown

Homeland: Town of Iron Pistol

Family: Father, Mother, Grandfather

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PROFESSIONAL STATUS

Dorm: Tumbleranch

School Year: Second

Class: 2-B Student no. 03

Occupation: Student and Vice Dorm Leader

Club: Boardgame Club

Best Subject: Magic Analysis

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FUN FACTS

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Melted Butter Corn

Least Favorite Food: Toffee

Dislikes: Dawdle

Hobby: Preserve Mini Trains

Talents: Arithmancy

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UNIQUE MAGIC “TIME IS MONEY”

Manipulate speed of time: back, forth & freeze time from his pocket watch because that’s where his power source comes from. The effects will lasts within 5 minutes short or so depending on how much magic the user’s would hold a grip. Although, with much instability will consequently lead to have black smudges in his magic pen. This must always be guarded with him at all cost and of course, will not use for a personal gain.....especially fall to the wrong owner.

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PERSONAL INFORMATION

Clinton is a very intelligent and strategic individual able to solve problems both real life & magic without breaking his sweat that many claimed he’s one of the smartest student in 2nd year class which of his classmates immediately ask or approach him for cheat codes. He also had a strict attitude too strict to be exact but not a tyrant as Riddle taking the responsibility of vice, he would take this attentiveness and never overlooked from his duties too very serious claiming he’s a perfectionist doing the things in his own way to be exact perfect. Clinton would feel ashamed of himself or rather over dramatically won’t forgive himself making such mistakes whether it’s minor or not it must always be perfect for him! which most people find him very troublesome sometimes however he’s mostly calm.

With that seriousness, he does give off a solemn expression as if he’s displeased on something, well technically it is and that’s his natural expression which is mainly because his impatience and couldn’t forgive anyone who’d slack off from their respective duties. His impatience would grew more while he’d likely would teach someone a lesson of those who couldn’t do their job seriously especially to troublemakers. He’s also sane as Ferd, Clinton wouldn’t want himself to get involved in any unnecessary events except got dragged by others then ended up blamed for their cause which mostly the head and vice are the ones cleaning up the messes. His desperate wish of his peers needs obedience and this chaotic dorm to be NOT chaotic. He’d rather find friends who aren’t dangerously chaotic while in exchange, he’ll treat them less harsh but friendly towards them.

In secret, he has a cute side of him that he likes to collect mini trains and making DIY miniature land but he hides his embarrassing dorkish side from everyone’s beliefs and wouldn’t let his guard down when people have high expectations of him being the serious type or else he’d feel a bit vulnerable. The only one who knew about his obsession of trains is Ferd. Although, most people find him very odd everytime he shared his short-term predictions to anyone even to reveal someone’s plans when they’re in unusual situation. For example, If someone think about secretly causing mischief as drawing graffiti on the 7 statues then framing other students of doing it, Clinton was able to tell them the possibility of their devious scheme would end up badly as they found out the smudges of paint were exposed from their shoes which makes them to clean up the statues then get expelled from Headmaster Crowley. With that, he was well-prepared to prevent those troublemaker scheme after he warned them about the consequences. How did he predict the bad omen beforehand? Who knows. But it seems he have seen the misfortune outcome before

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BACKGROUND

His family, mainly his father (works as a CEO) and grandfather (a former president), runs their marketing cooperation “H. Beck” in Town of Iron Pistol. The cooperation used to be a big time industry but due to its recent bankruptcy, his father & grandfather were often busy leaving Clinton with his mother‘s care at home so his mother raised him wholeheartedly and the only parent who’s ever been there for little Clinton except between Clinton and his father had not enough time for father & son bonding then later on, both grew apart from conversing each other rarely except in dinner. It’s not that they have an argument but his father often caught up work over spending time with Clinton. It wasn’t last long when his father called out his mother to help him the issues in the company and without a choice to leave little Clinton in a caretaker’s care in the house. Being isolated by his parents affected him often studying by himself learning advance magic in order to work his best to gain much knowledge just like his parents without an interest making friends or enjoy any children s play at a young age. None of the family wouldn’t notice the loneliness he’s been through, thought it was ok for him without a complaint.

Until one day, his father luckily had a negotiation with the mayor of the town, who is actually Ferdrick’s father, to work alongside him in order to save the family’s business. Both fathers have slowly become close colleagues believing their cooperation won’t last but to continue their long-term business partnership. While for their sons: Clinton & Ferd had their first meeting which Clinton found & made ever first friend with the son of the influenced mayor then both quickly became friends. That time his point of view have changed him a bit thanks to Ferdrick’s companionships but still what he wanted his parent’s to take notice of him. Still.....it couldn’t be helped. At least this time Clinton’s grandfather was in turn to look after him. He did cared for his grandfather very much as he treated Clinton heart-kinded like his mother and like a real father to him, not like his real father who’s never been there. The most precious object that his grandfather gave to him is the family’s hairloom pocket watch.

According to his grandfather, the old pocket contains a powerful magic that enables to manipulate timespeed. So powerful that if you made a single change can cause the effect of the future. Every male heirs has to pass it on to the next heir, to be the keeper of the artifact. It was supposedly his father ‘s turn but didn’t get a chance due to his overwork and instead, he handed to Clinton. Not only to pass it on but to remind himself the pocket watch, itself has much love for Clinton from his family including previous generations

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OTHER FACTS

He’s twisted version of Mr. Wesley the businessman

Him and Ferd are childhood friends

The pocket watch was made by his grandfather

He secretly has a miniature land and collections of small trains kept in his room. It was just a rumor but no one ever confirms it

Other than his duty as vice, he does do other minor work like a househusband doing much of cleaning, cooking and fixing

Wants to become a businessman someday. He’s well prepared knowing how to manage finances and running a business. With that, he and Ferd had a good-term business friendship

Clinton can count money quicker with just a glance

He knows about all Heartslabyul’s rules because strangely he was fascinated by that

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst #twst oc #tumbleranch #tumbleranch oc #clinton hollingsbeck #clinton #twst clinton #Clinton’s profile #profile

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halothenthehorns · 4 years ago

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THE HEIR OF SLYTHERIN

James kind of got the worst chapter on this, again, didn't he?

HPHPHP

James began, feeling like ice was trying to freeze him over. He really didn't want this chapter, but he also was dying to know what on earth had happened to his son down there. Steeling himself, he forced out.

Harry found himself in yet another long chamber, with the ceiling so high up he couldn't even make it out, and no light source visible though everything had a green tint to it. Stationed and spaced around the room were stone carvings of snakes larger then Harry, all seeming to watch him walk. Which only reminded him of where the Basilisk could be.

"The Basilisk still isn't my biggest concern right now," Remus grumbled, "I want to know who dragged Ginny down there, who's been doing this stuff all year!"

Harry just looked at him miserably, as hungry for those answers as any of them.

Still, his biggest concern was, where was Ginny?

Then he nodded to himself, this question was still number one to him. Despite his gut feeling that Ginny was okay, in this particular moment anyway, he still had no idea what to make of that other memory flash, he desperately wanted to hear the book confirm this.

Still walking along as quietly as possible, he tried to ignore the paranoid feeling that the frozen snakes were watching him, and a few times the shadows made it seem as if they were moving.

"Creepy," Sirius said, drawing the word out for emphasis.

The end began creeping into sight, and Harry found himself facing a huge wall that climbed high above his head.

James bleakley remembered just a few hours ago when he'd made a joking comment that he hoped Harry found this place. It was something new, a part of the school's history that hardly

anybody would have known about. He'd wanted his son to find something like that, now he just wanted to drag him out of there as fast as possible.

Harry had to tip his head all the way back to make out the person etched into the stone, whose features seemed monkeyish.

All three boys couldn't help but release a snort of mirth at the beginning of that description. All five of them had a very good guess that this statue was of Salazar Slytherin, and the three boys were picturing someone walking up and calling him a monkey to his face.

The dry humour only lasted for a moment, but it was appreciated nonetheless in the tense silence. As much as they were all praying Harry would simply find Ginny and get out of there without running into anything, if history had taught them anything so far, Harry's life wasn't going to be that easy.

Laying facedown at the foot of this, was a small body with bright red hair.

"Ginny," they all breathed, Harry in relief, the others with trepidation.

So Harry had found Ginny like they were hoping, but the fact that she was face down meant absolutely nothing good. Could Harry's gut reactions finally be wrong, and the poor girl was

already dead? James wasn't going to sit around speculating, he blasted on.

Harry ran forward without thinking, throwing his wand away in a panic,

"You did what!" The four of them screamed. It must have been quite a racket, even upstairs, because the baby went off again. Gently placing the book aside, James blasted off to the stairs,

while Lily demanded, "Harry, he was joking right? You didn't really-"

Harry didn't even begin to deny it, his abashed face was all the answer they needed. His only defence was, "I'm sorry. I panicked, it was in my hand and I wanted both hands to-" he trailed off giving a helpless shrug, "I know now it was stupid."

"At least you recognize that," Remus sighed, flopping back against the couch.

"Honestly, remind me again why we don't have an elementary wand-safety class?" Sirius demanded. "Don't put your wand in your back pocket, don't toss it around like a stick, don't go

waving it around like a toy." He said all this in a very huffy tone of voice, clearly mimicking someone Harry couldn't place as he continued in his normal tone, "I didn't even like her and I

listened to those stupid rules."

"You can't call them stupid and then say they're needed," Lily pointed out as James came back down the stairs, childless and only slightly less grumpy than when he left.

"I thought you said you put a silencing charm on his room?" He directed at Sirius, pretty sure he was the last one to be up there.

"I did," he defended at once.

"Well it must have worn off then," he sighed, flopping back into his spot, "good lord how long have we been at this?" He demanded of nothing, rubbing at his eyes, then directing at Harry, "I

assume they all told you why that was stupid then?"

"We didn't have to," Lily defended, "he recognized it was stupid himself."

"Atta boy," James said, grinning weakly, "guess I can't blame you too much. You were in a pretty awful situation."

"Merlin," Sirius said in shock, causing the three of them to turn their attention to the other two, "has anyone seen the time? We've been at this all day, it's no wonder the charm wore off."

James really did check his own watch then and let out a low, throaty whistle while saying, "damn, we missed dinner."

Lily released a snort of mirth before saying, "well, we'll have a late one then. I don't want to delay this any longer, and I want Harry out of there. So keep reading James."

He shrugged, in no mood to argue the point, and began a little more easily now that he'd had time to clear his head.

so that he could grab her shoulders and roll her over to find a face whiter than snow and so cold. Her eyes weren't opening, which meant she hadn't been Petrified. His mind jumped to the only other thing...

All five of them shivered in disgust. The four of them never having even met Ginny, and still horrified at the mental image of the dead girl. Harry felt sick inside, even knowing it wasn't true, that was one memory he would gladly erase away all over again.

Harry kept shaking her anyways, watching her head move lifelessly as he begged her to wake up. Then a voice behind him whispered that she wouldn't.

They all started then, not having expected that. They had thought whoever had dragged Ginny down there must be with the Basilisk, so if someone was talking to Harry then they didn't need the book to tell them something really awful was about to happen.

Harry turned around to find a dark haired boy leaning against one of the stone snakes and watching him.

"You didn't recognize him?" Sirius asked, puzzled at once that a name hadn't been in there.

"He must be someone at the school though," Remus said, brow furrowing in confusion. "Admittedly we haven't come across anyone this year who it could be, but no one but the students

and staff are in the school enough for him to not stick out and be suspicious."

Harry was frowning for a different reason this time, somehow knowing the answer was going to be far weirder than anyone would see coming.

The longer Harry stared, the more he noticed that this boy was blurred around the edges, like looking at him through fog.

This just piqued their interest even more. By that description, it clearly meant whoever this boy was, he was wasn't really there. But they'd never heard of this type of communication before, which still didn't bode well for Harry.

Still the name jumped into Harry's mind, and he whispered Tom Riddle.

"Wha-" James began, triple checking that he had read that right.

"That arse who framed Hagrid all those years ago?" Sirius demanded. "You must be joking?"

Harry shook his head sadly from side to side, saying aloud, "no, it was him, or else he has a twin brother who looks and sounds just like him."

"But, fifty years later?" Remus demanded. "I don't care about genetics, that can't be the same person, or even his son. No one looks exactly like someone else. This isn't possible, he still

wouldn't look the same."

"I think you're all missing the point," Lily whispered, eyeing the book with high trepidation, "which is, why is he down there with Harry?"

That brought them up short. The odd realization that some kid who still looked the same fifty years later was weird, which had derailed them from what Lily had reminded them. After a drawn

out pause, James finally asked, "how?"

"With any luck, he'll explain, 'cause I've got nothing," Harry sighed, looking longingly to the book. He was very sure that the headache that was pounding away at him would finally be at ease

after this horrid year. Unlike last year, he'd gotten none of his answers slowly throughout the year, but more questions on top of questions. Now here he finally was, at the climax of this disastrous year, and he felt it was high time to get this over with.

James relented that if there was any justice, this wired ghost Riddle kid would explain something, soon.

Harry turned his attention back to Ginny, asking what he meant? Riddle admitted that while she was still alive, it wasn't by much.

Even with Harry's reassurances and Riddle's own declaration, that still wasn't making anyone in the room feel any better. There were some worse things to be then dead, and Ginny seemed to be heading that way.

Harry felt distracted once again by watching this boy, who by records should have been fifty years older, not the exact same sixteen year old Riddle as Harry had seen in that diary. Harry asked him if he was a ghost.

"That's not how ghosts look and you know it," Remus said, not reprimanding even, just being his typical self in pointing things out.

Harry pointed out right back, "like you, I wasn't exactly expecting that. It was the first thing that came to mind."

Riddle told that he was a memory, who had been saved in a diary all these years.

"That's, possible," Sirius said, slowly and uneasily, "but not to this degree. The most advanced form of that is the magical paintings, and even they can't leave their bindings. Since that diary is his binding, he should not be able to leave it and 'walk' around."

Harry was very curious to hear more about that, but now didn't seem the time.

He gestured to the little black book at Ginny's feet Harry recognized as having found in Myrtle's bathroom all those months ago.

All of them puzzled at this, indeed wondering how it could have made its way down there, and how it was all connected? This still didn't even answer their question of who was doing all of this, it actually managed to raise more!

Harry remained frozen in shock for a few moments before deciding he'd deal with that later, and asking Tom to help him with Ginny, trying to lift her into his arms himself. He voiced that the basilisk could be coming even as they spoke, but Riddle didn't even twitch.

"I didn't like him before," Lily began, notes of unease already creeping into her voice, "and I'm liking him less and less as this goes on."

"He's unnatural," Remus agreed, "whatever is going on here is something very Dark. How Ginny got mixed up in all of this still blows my mind."

Harry was frowning and shaking his head from side to side, somehow he just knew all of the pieces were right there in front of him in that moment, and so he begged his father on so that they would finally come together.

Harry only got to his feet with her for a few moments, before he reached for his wand and found it wasn't there.

"Not good," James hissed, beginning to bounce in place, though stopping quickly as this made it very hard to read, "very not good."

He began to ask if Tom had seen his wand, when he looked up to find said Prefect twirling it about in his hand.

"He shouldn't be able to do that," Lily yelled, her voice an octave higher than was normal.

"Nothing like this should be happening," Remus snapped back, then immediately apologized and said, "sorry Lily, just on edge."

She acknowledged the apology with the barest of nods, not having been the least bit offended by him. They were all beyond off edge by this point.

Harry thanked him for grabbing it, reaching out his hand expectantly.

Sirius had to restrain himself from laughing out loud at this. His poor pup, there was no chance that this would simply be resolved that easily. No, Riddle was there for some very Dark reason, and giving Harry back his wand most likely didn't involve those plans.

Riddle only smiled a bit, but didn't even move one bit towards giving it back. Harry's knees began to shake with the dead weight of Ginny.

Harry shuddered at that figure of speech, still not appreciating its meaning.

He tried to convince Riddle that they really were in a hurry, as the basilisk would be here soon, but Tom cut him off by saying it wouldn't come until called. Harry finally lost the battle and lowered Ginny back onto the ground, then asked what Riddle meant, then demanded his wand back. Tom only smiled wider saying Harry wasn't going to be needing that.

"I don't like this," Lily moaned, her hand beginning to dig into Harry's again. She really needed that reassurance right then, that her baby really was going to be okay.

Harry returned the pressure with a reassuring squeeze, the only comfort he could offer right then.

Harry began to ask what he meant, but Riddle cut him off by saying he'd been very eager to see Harry for a long time.

"Why?" James demanded through gritted teeth. "What on earth could he possibly want with you?"

Harry had no answer for him, except the instinctive one that they weren't going to like his stay in the Chamber.

Harry's temper was wearing in now, saying they could talk later, but they needed to get out of here now! Riddle shot back that he was in no hurry, and he wanted to talk now, then he put Harry's wand in his robes. Harry started to get a prickling feeling up his spine.

"Glad you picked up on that," Sirius said weakly, not mocking really. Harry was only twelve at this time after all. Any normal student wouldn't really question too far what was going on, except trying to get out of danger like Harry was.

He asked the first thing that came to mind, what had happened to Ginny?

"I'm getting a really bad feeling about that," James murmured, his words not nearly covering the feelings of unease that were still rampaging through him.

Riddle seemed amused by the question, saying that was quite a story. It started with the fact that Ginny had been talking to a diary for nearly a year.

Remus' mouth opened with a little pop. Upon questioning though, he just shrugged and murmured, "just, processing is all. I knew I didn't like that diary, but I really don't like what he's

implying. Just keep going James, I want to hear this."

James wanted to do the exact opposite in fact, and simply take Harry's word for it that everything was fine and move past this already. Still, he couldn't very well leave it like this now could he.

How the book that Ginny'd been writing in all this time had been so kind to her, how she'd bemoaned about her life of being poor and how the noble Harry Potter would never even look at her.

"This is foul, beyond loathsome," Lily hissed. "How dare he mock her for this! What on earth, why-" she sputtered out of air then, simply waving James on when she realized he still hadn't

really answered anything. He was just insulting the insecurities of an eleven-year-old, which in itself was awful.

The longer he spoke, the more hunger swam in his eyes as he kept staring at Harry.

"He's creeping me out with that," Sirius muttered, mostly to himself.

Riddle sighed about how boring it had been trying to comfort her, but she'd eaten it right up as she constantly thanked him for being such a good friend. Then he laughed, such a terrible sound that it made all of Harry's hair stand on end.

That had already happened to James a long time ago, and he wasn't even there to hear this in person. Just listening to his cruel depictions of mocking Ginny was enough to give him the creeps.

Riddle congratulated himself that it had always been easy for him to make others see the better side of him. Ginny had poured her heart and soul into that diary, and her soul had been just what Riddle needed.

Remus shuddered in disgust, not really wanting to answer when Harry asked, "I don't get it? Why would he want that?" He didn't seem able to bring himself to say those exact words Riddle had.

"Not for any good reason, I'm sure," Sirius almost whispered.

"What exactly is this thing?" Lily demanded. "I've never heard of anything like it?"

"I'm positive I don't want to know the answer," James huffed, before forcing himself to keep going anyways.

Finally Riddle had been feeding off of Ginny long enough that he could start giving her a little of his soul back.

Sirius actually did retch then, going a funny green colour at the thought of that.

Harry still dearly wanted to ask what on earth was going on, what this thing was, but one look around and he realized they had no more idea than him, which was the opposite of comforting.

He concluded by saying that Ginny Weasley had been the one opening the Chamber of Secrets.

'She can't have' James wanted to snap, but really he had no way to say it. All the air seemed to have gone out of him.

"Is it, possessing her?" Harry asked, looking from the book back to the others very quickly now.

"Seems like," Remus forced the words out, "but again, I've never heard of anything, anything, like this."

"Which is, above all, the creepiest thing," Sirius said in a ghost of his old teasing voice, "we're supposed to be able to use you as our walking dictionary."

Lily let out an almost hysterical laugh, which died quickly.

None of them could really think of anything else to say, though the dominant thought was 'why Harry?' Why on earth had he been the one to come across this, and why was this thing so transfixed on him? Of course they all had a pool of concern for poor Ginny as well, she was clearly a victim of something very wrong going on, something that still managed to tie into Harry.

James hated every word out of his mouth as he choked out.

Riddle continued in a happy voice that Ginny had been the one to tell the snake to attack those Mudbloods, and Filch's cat. Harry tried to deny it, but it hardly made it out of his mouth.

Harry very dearly wanted to interrupt again, with questions like 'why hadn't any of them noticed Ginny was acting weird all year?' At least her brothers should have noticed something! These questions though, would never truly be answered.

Riddle laughed, still speaking as if of the weather as he admitted that she didn't realize she was doing it at first, which had been the most amusing of her entries into the diary.

"Amusing?" Lily hissed. "Did he really just say that? I can't imagine what must have been going through the poor girl's mind, but amusing is far from it."

"This thing is a sadist," Sirius grumbled.

Harry couldn't really feel the horror on his face as he listened,

None of them needed to imagine that, since it was on Harry's face right now, and most likely mirrored on their own.

to Tom explain that her entries were now of how she'd woken up covered in rooster feathers and red paint. She had no idea where she'd been on Halloween night, how she had no recollection of what she'd been doing when the students were attacked, and she feared she was losing her mind.

By the end of this, Harry wanted to yell and rage and scream that he needed to shut up now, but it would be pointless yelling at his dad for that.

Silence seemed to have struck the room as Riddle just seemed to keep talking, none of them able to think of anything to add to how horrible this was.

Harry felt his hands tense up, white knuckled, as Riddle admitted that Ginny finally came to realize she shouldn't be trusting her diary and tried to get rid of it, when Harry found it.

'Which is when the attacks stopped', Lily realized, wanting to slap herself for not having linked that together before.

"Of all the-" Remus began, but quickly cut himself off. If Harry hadn't found it, then some other unsuspecting soul would have come across it. Since it had been in a girl's bathroom, even a mostly unused one, Harry finding it was almost, barely, a good thing. For if another girl had found it, she possibly would have gone through the same process as Ginny all over again. At least Harry had never written in it more than once, saving him from this horrid fate.

Riddle couldn't have been happier, as Harry was the one person he wanted to meet more than anything.

Sirius opened his mouth to repeat the question that was on everyone's mind, why on earth this demon seemed so intent on Harry, but James quickly kept going.

Harry could hardly spit out the words he was so angry, but he managed to ask why? Riddle told how Ginny had given him the story of the Boy Who Lived, and how Riddle must reach Harry and talk to him about this.

Sirius then had to bite his tongue to keep himself from making a 'fan girl' joke. Now wasn't the time, nor would it be appreciated.

Tom had chosen to show Harry the vision of capturing Hagrid, insulting the man a bit, just to get Harry to trust him.

"Don't insult him," James snarled. "While I'd love to burn this thing, I can't wait to find out where on earth Ginny got it, and drag it to the Ministry and prove it wasn't Hagrid you-" he cut himself off in a muttering of curses.

Lily blinked in surprise, this question hadn't occurred to her yet, but it was a good one. Where had Ginny gotten a hold of this thing? She couldn't imagine it would have been anywhere at her own house, her parents would probably die before bringing something so Dark into their home, and it couldn't be at the school. Where had she come across this?

Harry spat back that Hagrid was his friend, and Riddle had framed him! Riddle laughed again, clearly pleased at Harry's retort as he admitted it wasn't hard as he'd been the perfect school boy, very heroic, a prefect, perfect grades,

"Crazy, psychopathic, sadistic-" Remus had to poke Sirius in the ribs to get him to stop.

while Hagrid had been the opposite, always sneaking around wild animals, trying to take care of werewolf cubs,

All three boys were in too much of a towering temper to correct such a ludicrous sentence. On top of everything, this idiot didn't know the first thing about werewolves, and the fact that werewolf cubs didn't even exist!

Harry dearly wanted to ask about this, but still held his tongue.

or sneaking into the forest to fight trolls,

"This thing knows nothing about magical creatures does it?" James really did scoff this time.

"While there are forest trolls, there aren't any in the Forbidden Forest."

"You would know," Lily said, trying for a bit of good-natured humour, which really was appreciated right then.

but even Riddle had been shocked when people bought his story so easily. Anyone who looked twice at Hagrid should have realized he couldn't be the Heir.

"That is a very good point," Harry was loath to admit and agree with anything this thing said, but since it was about Hagrid...

Riddle had spent the past five years learning about the Chamber, then scoffed that Hagrid didn't have a portion of the knowledge to do half of this.

"And he's got an ego on top of all his other lovely qualities," Sirius grumbled.

Dumbledore had been the only one who didn't believe Riddle's story.

"Really?" Lily demanded. "Only Dumbledore? No other teacher, hell anybody with a brain, bothered to question this?"

"Prejudices," Remus offered bitterly. "I'm sure most anyone can guess Hagrid's half-giant. So when someone like Riddle would have come along and accused Hagrid of doing this, they ate it

right up."

"This is disgusting," James growled, he might have even kept going, but Harry was quick to get him back on track. While he hated this idea as much as anyone, there was no good in sitting about and talking about it, when they could possibly fix it.

Dumbledore had been the one to convince Dippet to hire Hagrid as the gamekeeper, and Dumbledore had also been the only teacher never to fall for Riddle's charm.

"Can't imagine why," Remus said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. "Could it possibly be he didn't fall for your demented act?"

Harry wasn't surprised, saying he was positive Dumbledore had seen right through Riddle. Tom agreed Dumbledore became a bit of a nuisance after all of that, it hadn't been safe for him to reopen the Chamber in his own time, so he'd laid aside the diary to do the work again for him later.

"With the blackest, cruellest kind of magic I've never even heard of," Remus said through clenched teeth.

"There's no way a sixteen-year-old did this," Sirius said weakly, "this is the darkest, most advanced magic-"

"Can we not," Lily moaned. "I don't want to be sitting around thinking about this. It's dark, and twisted, evil and weird, we all agree, but I want to see Harry getting out of there before midnight."

That silenced them for now anyways.

Now he could be free to finish Slytherin's true calling! Harry laughed aloud this time, pointing out no one had died this time, not even Mrs. Norris.

"Do you think," Harry began hesitantly, "is there any way Ginny was somehow, I don't know, trying to influence so that these set of circumstances happened? It can't really be a coincidence no

one's died."

They puzzled this for a moment before James said, "you know, I wouldn't be too surprised if that were true Harry. Everyone who's been attacked had a means out, Ginny may have been semi

influencing the choices to give them a chance."

Harry beamed, knowing this could never be proven one way or another, no way would he ever ask such a thing, but liking the idea anyways.

Riddle didn't seem concerned, saying that he had switched goals. Now he felt his job was to kill Harry.

James choked out that last word as if he'd had a dung bomb tossed down his throat. The horrid idea that someone wanted his son dead was awful enough, let alone him having to say it.

"Why?" Lily demanded of no one in particular, "this is, I don't even know what this is! What on earth does this creature have against you?"

Harry just shrugged, feeling frustrated he couldn't remember, though he was sure he found out in a few moment's anyways.

Harry just gaped at him. Riddle kept talking, speaking of his surprise about how the next time someone had written in his diary it had been Ginny again.

"Why would she go back to it?" Sirius grumbled. "If she had the ability to throw it away the first time, why didn't she just try again? Or better, go get a teacher, or-"

"Oh, now I understand," Remus cut him off, "it was Ginny who stole the diary from Harry. Ginny pieced together what had happened to her, which is why she got rid of it, she must have

recognized it was doing something to her. When she saw it in Harry's possession though, she was afraid the same thing would happen to him."

"That still doesn't explain why she didn't take it to someone," Lily sighed.

"I think," Harry said slowly, then broke off as soon as he had begun. Growing far beyond annoyed at his inability to give these answers, he instead said, "I know I understand everything

before the night's over. Let's please just hear about Ginny getting out of here, then we can keep questioning this" he all but pleaded in the end.

Nodding in assent, James forced himself to read on.

She must have seen Harry with that diary and feared Harry would use it. What if Riddle told Harry everything she'd written? What if Riddle had even told of how Ginny had been the one doing all of this?

All five of them grimaced as they got their answer anyways. Yes, the fear that Ginny would be blamed for these attacks would certainly hold the girl's tongue about this evil diary.

Riddle wasn't too concerned though, now knowing that Harry would go to any lengths to solve the mystery, especially if a certain muggleborn friend of his was set upon.

Harry gritted his teeth so hard he could almost hear them cracking. Riddle had targeted one of his friends on purpose that time! If this spectre didn't die this night, he certainly was going to soon.

For an added bonus, he'd made sure to have Ginny sign herself away and come down to the Chamber. She had tried to fight it off, becoming quite boring to Riddle.

'So now it's boring to watch a child beg for her life' James howled in his head, but didn't interrupt himself to say it aloud. Everyone here looked on the brink of yelling themselves soon.

Then all he'd had to do was wait, and sure enough Harry had come. Riddle added that he had a lot of questions for Harry.

Remus swallowed hard as he realized something else, he was feeding off of Ginny. The longer this conversation went on, the closer she was to dying. That's why all the talking, and explaining. He was purposely drawing all of this out. He very dearly wanted to point this out to the others, but either they had already realized it for themselves, or it would do no good in the end. So he decided against it, knowing it would only hurt Harry.

Harry growled that what could he want? Riddle's first question was, how had he done it? How had a baby defeated the most powerful wizard to exist, Lord Voldemort?

"Voldemort?" Sirius asked in genuine confusion "What on earth has this got to do with him?"

Harry opened, and just as quickly closed his mouth. He had known there was something significant about the name Tom Riddle, and he just knew they were on the brink of figuring it out. He tried his best to explain this, and now very curious James read.

Harry asked why he'd want to know, as Voldemort had rose after Riddle's life, but Tom gave a small smile as he said Voldemort was his life.

All five of them felt themselves going slack-jawed for a moment, but James wasn't giving anyone the chance to say anything until he read.

He used Harry's wand to spell out the name TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE. Then he gave it a flick, and the letters moved around until they instead formed I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.

"Voldemort is just an anagram?" Sirius said, almost laughing in shock.

"I suppose that makes sense in a certain light," James agreed. "After all, it's not a surname or anything of the like. I guess Riddle or Tom just wouldn't have the same spooky effect."

"Are you kidding me?" Lily screeched, going white as a ghost. "How are you laughing about this? What, how, why is Voldemort's... I don't even know how to phrase this it's so ludicrous."

"How is a bit of Voldemort walking and talking through a diary?" Remus offered weakly.

Lily nodded quickly as she said, "yes, that."

Harry very dearly wanted to answer, but the price was yet another stab at his brain, a very powerful one this time he was sure. He had known from the get-go that there was something very

particular he should remember about this diary, and it related to that question...but what?

The others were so stumped, they couldn't even begin to speculate on this. They had never heard of anything like this, even Sirius who had heard of some pretty dark magic growing up around his kind of family couldn't piece this one together.

Only taking a brief comfort in that Harry was still here now, and his insistence that Ginny survived this, was James able to read.

Riddle seemed quite pleased now as he explained that he would never keep the name his family had given him, his wasteful Muggle father.

Sirius suddenly snorted so violently, Remus leaned over him in shock and concern before Sirius began laughing, hard. James had to reread that sentence almost a dozen times, and he was still

frozen in shock.

Coming out of his laughing fit, only slightly, Sirius said in a breathy voice, "V-Vol-Voldemort's a half-blood! Oh Merlin, I can't breathe-" and he really didn't seem able to keep sucking in air as he continued laughing.

"The pureblood supremacists of the world, is a half-blood." Lily said the sentence slowly and distinctly, tasting the words and cracking a smile herself. "Well, that's certainly something I never saw coming."

"I'll bet his followers don't know that," Remus cackled. "I've always said there's no way possible every Death Eater's a pureblood, there's just not that many of them! It's no wonder Riddle's so lax."

"Is that what we're going to call him now?" James asked in a conversational tone of voice. "Riddle? I am completely okay with this."

"Well he certainly doesn't deserve the title of Voldemort, supreme ruler of liars any more," Sirius agreed, finally gaining back his breath. He still had a gleam of victory surrounding him, he had been contemplating going over to his 'oh so proud' parent's and informing them a little bit about their 'saviours of the wizarding world.'

James pressed further, asking, "so, Dumbledore knows this, right? After all, Ollivander knew Tom Riddle turned into Voldemort, and I'd bet my wand Dumbledore must know this! So Dumbledore would have looked into this, and known about him being a half-blood. Why hasn't he spread this around? It would put a real cramp in his regime if everyone knew."

"Maybe he can't prove it," Lily offered. "I mean, I'd love to look into this myself, but what if you just can't. Wizards aren't very good about birth certificates or anything..."

"This is fun and all," Harry said, a silly smile still plastered across his face watching his family enjoy this revelation, "and I hate to break the mood, but can we please finish this year? I'd still feel better seeing Ginny get out of there."

"What's a matter pup, don't trust your own gut?" Sirius joked.

Harry merely grinned, not willing to admit that this was it exactly. He knew by now though that if he said this aloud, they would all tell him that they trusted his gut, but he dreaded the idea that sometime soon his gut feeling was going to be wrong, and it was going to lead to something awful happening. So he brushed off the joke, and James decided to keep going.

He, who had the fortune of Salazar Slytherin's own bloodline from his mother, would never consider keeping such a Muggle name of the man who'd abandoned his wife when he found out she was a witch.

"Really?" Lily said, looking truly upset at this. "The worst wizarding war that's existing right now, all stems back to the fact that Voldemort has daddy issues? I'll admit, it's absolutely horrible his father abandoned them, because his mother was a witch, but-" she broke herself off shaking her

head sadly from side to side, unable to continue it was so pathetic.

Sirius couldn't help but release another snort of mirth, putting it like that made Voldemort look like

some bratty child rather than the darkest name in their history.

Riddle wouldn't stand for it, so he created his own name, one that the whole of the world would one day not even dare to say, and become the most powerful wizard there was.

"Cause that's not, you know, the most big headed thing I've ever heard," James scoffed.

"That's rich coming from you," Lily poked fun, grinning over at her husband, "considering how big your head was through most of school."

"Aw, I deflated, kind of," James grinned, not looking nearly offended by that as he once had been.

Sirius and Remus both gave appreciative chuckles, while Harry watched his parent's curiously. The two of them seemed like two people with completely opposite personalities most of the time,

so he was genuinely curious how they had gotten together. He really wanted to ask that question eventually.

Harry shot back that he had failed, that Dumbledore was!

This time Remus began applauding Harry, backing him up on that one hundred percent. Sirius and James considered it for a moment before deciding that they agreed, there wasn't another living

person who had done half the thing's their headmaster had done.

Lily was the only one who looked about disagreeing, but she was also just that little bit sore from last year. Still not completely convinced he hadn't set Harry up last year to do all those dangerous stunts, and he had hardly done anything this year to prove otherwise.

At this moment though, she would have gladly taken Dumbledore, or anyone for that matter, down there with her son. So she wasn't going to go around disagreeing with what he said either.

Despite the situation, James still had a bit of a goofy smile on his face as he said.

Voldemort scowled down at Harry, pointing out that Dumbledore had fled the school because of his memory!

"Actually, it was a corrupt government board, headed by a pompous arse," Sirius corrected, "and even then he won't be gone long. I'm still positive there's no way he made that injunction legally, so someone's going to be able to get around it soon."

Harry wouldn't let go though, saying Dumbledore was never gone so long as there were those to remember him! Riddle made to say something back, but was cut off by music.

"Music," Lily puzzled, wondering if she'd heard that wrong.

"Did you decide to start singing or something?" Remus asked.

Harry deigned him with a 'you're not funny look', but James didn't even look up.

Both of them looked around in confusion to find a bird flying towards Harry, bright red in plumage, and music coming from its windpipes.

"Fawkes?" James breathed in surprise.

"Unless there's another phoenix loyal enough to Dumbledore to respond like this," Remus agreed, grinning wildly.

"Does this explain the music?" Lily asked. "Why is it cawing music?"

"Phoenix music is rumored to embed those it trusts with bounds of strength," Sirius told her brightly, "it's supposed to encourage bravery and make you fearless and stuff."

"I give you half points for that explanation," Remus laughed out right at him, "you sounded pretty smart until you finished with 'and stuff.'"

Sirius just rolled his eyes at him, while James still continued on now more curious than ever.

The bird came swooping down towards Harry, something dark crumbled in its sharp claws,

No one stopped this time to ask what on earth Fawkes could be holding.

which it dropped at Harry's feet, and then settled on Harry's shoulder. Riddle was eyeing the bird with dislike as he pointed out that was a phoenix,

Remus gave a slow sarcastic clap this time, giving Sirius the joyful opportunity to smack him again and get him to stop.

and then noticing that it had dropped the Sorting Hat.

"Do what?" Lily couldn't help but ask this time.

"Why," James couldn't help but agree, "would Fawkes bring that? Is he planning to try and convince Riddle he didn't belong in Slytherin, and ruin his life further?"

Harry chuckled in amusement, but none of them had any idea what could be going on right now.

Then he started laughing again. Mocking Harry that he should feel so much better, with a stupid bird and a random hat. Harry felt like vomiting. Riddle didn't seem to care as he decided to move on, pointing out that Harry had already met him twice,

"Thanks' for that awful reminder," James muttered in disgust.

and Harry had lived both times. If Harry told him how, it would keep him alive all the longer.

"Something you'll never understand," Lily hissed viciously, wanting more than anything in that moment to be there for her son again, to stand in front of him and curse this demented creature into oblivion for threatening her baby.

Remus couldn't help but wince, remembering all over again why Riddle was drawing out this conversation.

For the first time Harry once again noticed the odd blurred lines around Riddle, and how the longer they'd been talking, the more they'd been vanishing. Harry realized that Riddle was still feeding off of Ginny, that the longer this drew out the more powerful Voldemort was getting.

Remus looked around and noticed no one seemed too surprised by this, so they had all worked it out then. They all looked equal amounts pissed off that Harry was being threatened like this,

again, and worried about his situation at hand. How had Harry made it out of this alive? Did he summon the basilisk and have it kill this evil spirit?

Harry shot back that he wasn't positive of how it had all happened, but he did know it was because his mother had died to save him!

"Personally, I wouldn't have told him that," Sirius scoffed, "not that he can do anything against you, but it still would have been all the more fun for him to never know the answer to that."

Harry shrugged, he had just enjoyed that one moment of lording that over the Dark Lord.

Mocking Riddle that he'd been overcome by his muggle-born mother!

James voice rang with pride for his son as he read out that last part.

Riddle considered this, admitting this was a very old bit of magic, that could be quite useful.

"It genuinely bothers me that he knows about that, and I've never heard of it," James huffed.

"Guess we should just be happy we don't really know the same things as this nutter," Sirius offered.

"Plus, we know now," Remus added vindictively.

Admitting how this didn't really change anything, as it meant Harry was nothing important.

"I disagree," Lily snapped with pure venom, "his very existence as being a loving person makes him infinitely more special than your heartless arse."

Harry blushed furiously at the compliment, while the other boys couldn't help but agree.

Riddle had been wondering on this, as there were similarities between the two of them,

James smile vanished at once, he looked like he was being force fed vomit as he continued.

that they were both half-bloods, orphans, and brought up by Muggles.

Sirius was muttering a couple of foul things under his breath, very much wanting to deny those last two, and hating that he couldn't.

The rare gift they both possessed in being Parselmouths, most likely the only ones since the original Slytherin. They even had a bit of the same features.

James was grumbling and snarling that these were all circumstantial, stupid things. For anyone to imply his son was the smallest bit like Voldemort made all four adults in the room want to curse something into oblivion.

Harry, who had begun to look rather upset at what he clearly did see as parallels, smiled around at them all again. Clearly, his family wasn't reading into these things, so he had no inclination to do so either.

Riddle was more than satisfied now though, realizing this was all unimportant. Harry stood stock still, readying himself for a fight as Riddle continued that it was high time the question be answered, and to pit the Heir of Slytherin himself against Dumbledore's greatest weapons.

"Well this can't be good," Lily moaned.

"What even would happen if he tried to use a spell with Harry's wand?" Sirius asked curiously. "I mean, he's tangible enough to hold it, but I still don't even know what he is! Will the wand

recognize magic in him, and perform the spell, or..."

"Maybe this memory doesn't know itself," Remus shrugged, "and he's not going to risk it. Whatever he is planning though, I agree with Lily. This isn't going to be good." He mentally

added that, if Ginny did die, this thing very well might likely be at least some kind of human again and could possibly do whatever the real Voldemort had done was doing now. Time travel was making this way too complicated, since his instincts now was crawling at the idea of two Voldemort's existing at once, while he reminded himself that in this timeline Voldemort had died

and this would be a rebirth of him?

He stopped his brain from trying to continue the paradox as James continued.

Riddle turned away from Harry, now looking up at the statue as he spoke in hissing tongues.

"He's summoning the Basilisk?" James asked wearily.

"Well this shouldn't be too bad," Sirius said with far more confidence than he really felt, "since Harry can control it just as well as Riddle."

"But," Lily began, then bit at her lip again. Then, sucking in a deep breath, she voiced, "but, Riddle obviously has far more experience with this. He's also been controlling this snake longer, so what if..." she couldn't even finish, the idea swimming around was too awful to put into words.

Since none of them really had any idea how Parselmouths worked, James simply hoped the book would explain.

Harry began backpedalling in fear as he realized what was going on, and Fawkes took flight from his shoulder. Harry didn't get a chance to see where he was going, as he slammed his eyes shut at the same time something heavy hit the solid floor. He wanted to call the bird back, he didn't want to be by himself, and he had no confidence this phoenix could do anything against the king of snakes.

"Quite a bit I'd wager," Remus offered weakly, "as highly intelligent as they are. Fawkes might not be able to win this fight, but he will be of use."

Harry turned blindly to start running, and heard the hissing command from Riddle to kill him.

James couldn't help but retch all over again at having to say that, dearly wishing he'd never have to hear those words again in relation to his son, let alone have to say them as many times as he had in this chapter.

While Harry began to blindly stumble along, feeling the snake in pursuit, all he could hear was Voldemort laughing behind him.

'Is Harry not even going to try speaking to it?' Remus wondered, but kept that thought to himself.

If Harry didn't think of it himself, well he could hardly blame his cub since the act of speaking and controlling snakes was still new enough to him.

His feet failed him, he hit the ground hard and felt blood spring into his mouth. He felt the beast rearing up behind him,

All four of them recoiled from that disturbing mental image, now willing to give up their lives all over again if they could have just been there for Harry in that one deadly moment.

but he was saved this time when something hard smashed into him and he went sailing into a wall. He must have been struck by the snake's tail rather than teeth. He remained stock still, waiting for something else to happen, but all he heard was jumbled hissing.

Harry felt very bad for his family, who all looked akin to corpses they were getting so pale. He floundered, trying to come up with something to help distract them again. Clearly his mental imagination was going to be the death of them all. The only one that came to mind was to offer up the explanation to them that this particular Basilisk never actually spoke to him in words and a language like he knew he could understand in the Chamber. Maybe it couldn't speak its own mind when under the command of someone telling it what to do, but Harry got the impression none of them knew enough about this to offer their own opinion, and wanted too much to hear of anything else but the giant killer snake for Harry to start a discussion about it. So Harry in fact had nothing of comfort to offer them. In his young life, this was by far the scariest thing that had happened to him yet, and words of comfort just weren't going to cut it this time. So he instead remained quiet, hoping the book would get past this quickly, and skip to however he got out of there with an alive Ginny in tow.

Finally Harry's curiosity won out, and he cracked his eyes open to find Fawkes flying around the snake's head, pecking furiously at the yellow eyes and avoiding the fangs that were longer then Harry's arm.

James at least no longer sounded like he was reading his own death warrant. Harry wasn't as alone down there as he had been thinking. Admittedly a bird, even a phoenix, wasn't the kind of help he would have been for his son then, but it was better than nothing. Even if Fawkes tipped the scales just that little bit, made it possible enough that Harry could get out of there, then he'd be just a tiny bit happy again.

Blood was starting to go in rivulets down the scales, and Harry was so transfixed by the sight that he had no time to close his eyes again when the head swung around and Harry should have been staring at the deadly eyes,

Then James voice choked off all over again when he realized Harry was looking into his own death. No one had air in their lungs to question the fact of Harry's survival. James himself only managed to keep going out of the will to see this miracle.

but nothing happened, because the eyes were gone. In their place were bloody sockets, with holes jagged into them from the furious phoenix who was still streaming around its head and cawing as the snake roared in pain.

"It's blind," Sirius finally broke the long stream of silence.

"Thank Merlin," Lily practically sobbed.

"Thank Fawkes, or even Dumbledore for owning the bird, or-" Remus broke off in semi- hysterical laughter.

"How come Fawkes didn't die if it was looking into the Basilisk's eyes?" Harry asked, a bit too late, but finally coming up with another random question.

James was more than happy to respond, saying, "phoenix's are damn near indestructible. They have healing tears, so their eyes are the most invulnerable part of their body. No one's ever put this to the test, but I guess phoenix eye's beat basilisk eyes."

Still shaking a bit, though now in relief, James was finally able to keep reading in almost normal tones.

Riddle realized what was happening, and howled at the snake to forget about the bird, go after Harry. The snake could still use its other senses to kill him!

"Guess it is still poisonous," Remus muttered to himself, "and how big again?"

The others ignored him, now confident this bird was the reason Harry had survived. Had Fawkes even somehow found a way to kill the Basilisk? They certainly hoped it got to that part soon.

The snake responded as told, still as deadly as ever as it blindly lunged, but Fawkes wasn't having it as it began scratching at the green nose.

Sirius released a semi-hysterical giggle as he said, "now he's trying to make it lose its sense of smell too. Next thing, he'll be trying to rip out its teeth."

Harry could do nothing as he lay on the floor, whimpering for someone to help him.

While none of them had exactly been back to a 'happy place' in this story, this verbal reminder from Harry himself needing help made them all want to take him up in a hug and never let go.

Fate be kind, the snake's back end was still waving madly, and flashed something across the floor right into Harry's face. Harry blinked in shock to find the Sorting Hat.

Well this was a pretty easy distraction. Had any of them ever figured out why the Sorting Hat was even there? Why had Fawkes grabbed it? None of them bothered voicing these questions allowed though, since no one had any answer, and they were all just too eager for Harry to hurry up and get out of there.

He didn't stop to consider it, shoving his head up under the material and begging the hat to do something, anything.

Lily felt such a tightening in her throat, it was almost impossible to swallow and continue breathing. Her little baby, reduced to cowering on the floor from a deadly snake, alone with

nothing but a rangy old hat. She had never wanted that mental image, and now wanted to burn her mind for giving it to her.

He wasn't expecting to nearly black out when something hard smashed over his head.

James tone finally changed from outright fear, to genuine puzzlement. A much better way of reading then every other word pondering if his son was going to die.

Half dazed and more than confused, he groped above his head and had to pull the hat off for quite a bit longer then he would have expected, when he was done a sword came toppling into his lap, the hilt inlaid with rubies as big as his fist.

"A sword?" Sirius burst out. "Not some nice advice on, I don't know, summoning a rooster or something, but a bloody sword? What the bloody hell is Harry supposed to do with that, duel the

stupid snake? Why, where did the sword even come from-" Sirius had been silent and pent up for so long, it seemed he would never stop his fountain of questions, but then Remus gave him a very sharp poke, causing Sirius to go silent again. None of them had an inkling of an idea how the Hat worked, that was old Founder magic. They wouldn't get an answer to any of these questions, until the book said them. If the book even did answer.

Riddle was ignoring all of this, still yelling for the basilisk to kill Harry already! The snake tried to respond, turning on Harry and with one, precise strike, came forward, only managing to smack into the wall as Harry rolled away.

"Ha!" Remus and Sirius both breathed, taking relish in this small victory.

He ended the manoeuvre by landing on his feet, sword poised and ready. When the snake moved and went for him again, Harry was ready, point perfectly positioned for the snake to come forward and the whole of the blade to run through the top of its skull.

Then their mouths flopped open in horror at all the horrible implications of that. Harry had stabbed it in the roof of the mouth, most likely hitting its brain and killing it, but that also meant Harry's whole arm was in between all of those poisonous deadly fangs! Each one of them took a moment to inspect the boy again, as if confirming he still had that arm and it wasn't snapped off.

The snake froze up before slumping forward and Harry felt a fountain of blood running down his arm from the twitching animal. He was more stunned to find a fang had managed to stab right through his own arm right above his elbow.

James couldn't help it, that was the final straw. He actually did twist over the side of the couch and vomit. Harry leaped back in shock, looking to the others in genuine concern. His mom was openly crying as she produced her wand and vanished the steaming pile. Remus and Sirius looked ready to keel over any moment.

Harry's mind scrambled about wildly as he finally blurted out, "are you okay?"

James brushed the back of his hand against his mouth, giving a weak chuckle as his hazel eyes met Harry's green ones. "Am I okay?" He repeated, as if he'd never heard such a sentence in his life. "Harry, I just read a sentence, that under any normal circumstances, would have meant that you would be dead. Not sitting there, but dead. On the floor-" he broke off before his mouth could keep going, shuddering all over again.

Harry looked about the room again, then offered, "did you want to me to finish? You know I'm not dead, but if this is too awful-"

"No," James said, bolstering himself up again after one more furtive look at his only child. "No," he repeated with conviction, "you did survive. There's a phoenix in the room," he reminded the others, the only explanation remotely possible as to why he was talking to his son, "and so Fawkes is going to save you, and I will later be embarrassed for my overreaction."

"That wasn't an overreaction," Sirius told him weakly, "since I actually did black out there for a minute."

Lily was brushing tears furiously from her face, and Remus was rubbing his eyes hard like he was trying to prevent himself from joining her. Harry felt something stirring inside himself, warmed beyond belief that these four cared about him so deeply like this.

Sucking in one, two more deep breaths, James forced out.

His body began seizing up at once as his limbs failed him, he grasped for the long white point and yanked it out of his arm, knowing it was no good, that the poison was already eating away at him as the colours of his surroundings began swirling out of focus.

Despite his own words of comfort, James still couldn't help his upper lip from curling in disgust as he continued reading about Harry dying like this. No one could muster themselves up to interrupt, the only comfort any of them had right now was the red and gold bird that just had to appear any second now...

A bright flash of red flew past his eyes, and Harry could just make out the sound of talons clicking across the floor towards him.

They all released a collective breath of relief at this confirmation.

Harry managed to choke out a thanks to Fawkes, telling him he'd done great.

Sirius had to choke himself off from saying something along the lines of 'you would thank the bird, while you're dying', but even the thought of those words being put through his mouth made

him want to pass out all over again.

Riddle came over to gloat, laughing that Harry was dead now, and even Dumbledore's pet was crying over it.

Remus actually did release a funny sound, like a laugh but strangled with emotion. Clearly Riddle didn't know the properties of phoenix tears, his ignorance would be Harry's salvation.

Harry's fuzzy eyes did manage to focus in on the bird, who was laying his head against the puncture in Harry's arm, bright tears trickling into the wound. Riddle clearly didn't care as he continued by saying Harry could take his time finishing up dying, he enjoyed watching.

James very dearly wished his son found some way to murder this apparition of Riddle soon, just to get him to shut up. He was still so emotionally wrung, he didn't think he could take much more of this taunting over his son's body before he really did curse something.

Riddle found the whole thing rather funny, how Harry was to die alone in this Chamber, with no friends,

Lily muttered something indistinct under her breath. The boys might have caught a few words, but they were all so disturbing they pretended they hadn't.

who was finally vanquished by Voldemort who he'd foolishly challenged all those years ago.

"Challenged," Harry grumbled out loud, "I'd gladly avoid him for the rest of my life! He keeps bothering me!"

All four of them really did laugh then, a genuine sound of amusement at Harry's truly annoyed look. His use of 'bothering' to describe constant attempts of murder was just slightly

underwhelming as well.

Harry would have the joy of being back with his Mudblood of a mother in a few moments.

James then groaned again, pressing his face into the pages of the book in utter disgust. Pulling away, he asked the ceiling, "what are the bloody odds I got every single stinking chapter, where someone said that horrid word!"

Lily reached around and gave her husband's shoulder a comforting squeeze, which James took gladly.

Harry wasn't listening all that much anymore, he was starting to think that dying wasn't all that unpleasant as the pain started to go away from him.

They all obstinately ignored that putrid sentence, since they knew the opposite was happening.

It was odd though, that instead of everything going dark, his surroundings were instead coming back into colour. His eyes were focusing much better now on Riddle hovering nearby, and Fawkes who was still crying into Harry's wound, then he blinked again and realized there was nothing there.

All five of them couldn't help but beam with pleasure. They had known without a doubt this was what was going to happen, but hearing it in words made the whole ordeal bearable.

Riddle realized this at the same time as Harry, and he pulled out his wand and shot a spell at the bird who flew away.

Then they all grimaced when they realized Riddle really had grown so powerful he could use spells now. This didn't bode well for Ginny, or Harry for that matter. Now the snake was dead,

but how had Harry gotten past Riddle?

He was cursing himself for having forgotten that phoenix tears could heal anything.

"Twat" Remus snapped, more than happy at this psychopath's lap in knowledge.

Then he glanced down at Harry and decided he didn't mind, he'd much rather be the one to kill Harry with his own power. He began raising up Harry's wand,

James couldn't help but wince all over again. Harry had just skipped death, and now his very own wand was being thrust back into his face for yet another go! Was Fawkes going to take this spell to? How long could they keep playing this game before someone's luck ran out?

but Fawkes reappeared above Harry and dropped something onto Harry's legs, the diary.

"While I agree that thing needs to be burned," Sirius said slowly, "what good is it going to do now?"

"Riddle said it himself," Lily pointed out, going bright eyed with glee now, "he had put a bit of himself in that object. So maybe, if Harry destroys it, this thing will finally disappear."

James fervently hoped so, now reading eagerly, almost praying this is what happened.

Harry only hesitated a second, then he reacted on instinct by picking up the fang that had nearly taken his own life, and stabbed it into the binding of the book.

"If that doesn't do it nothing will," Remus beamed.

Riddle had no chance to stop him, he was clawing at his chest in obvious pain, screaming at the top of his lungs, and then, he was gone.

"And good riddance to rot in hell you-" Sirius finally did get all of his pent up emotions out by spouting every foul word that came to mind. The others sat there and let him, venting in his own way until he finally ran out of steam.

Harry's wand fell to the floor, while the diary continued dripping ink. Harry got unsteadily to his feet, gathering up the hat, and wrenching the sword out of the dead snake.

"Souvenir," James said weakly, causing Remus and Sirius to burst out with renewed genuine laughter at what was clearly an old joke between them.

Harry and Lily smiled indulgently at each other, more than willing to put up with all their inside jokes if it meant nothing this awful ever happened again.

Then he heard a faint noise behind him, and he turned to find Ginny sitting up. She was blinking sluggishly as she glanced at her surroundings, then her eyes found the diary in Harry's hand, and she began to sob.

"The poor thing," Lily almost sobbed with her as she remembered all over again the traumatic experience this eleven-year-old had been through, "it'll be a miracle if she isn't scarred for life

because of this."

She began brokenly trying to explain herself, saying she hadn't done it on purpose, that Riddle had made her, the last thing she really remembered was Riddle appearing out of the diary.

James read all of this with a miserable look on his face. What Harry had just endured was the epitome of awful, but this little girl had been through something equally as tormenting all year.

She wasn't even his kid and he wanted to hug her in comfort.

Harry showed her the now destroyed book, comforting her that it was all over, but Ginny wouldn't be comforted, wailing in anguish that she was going to be expelled.

"Never," Remus vowed at the suddenly heartbroken look on Harry's face. "If there's any decency in the world, no one will look twice at Ginny once you tell them what happened."

"But I broke the diary," Harry seemed unable to stop himself from arguing back, "what if she really does get in trouble for this?"

"It's not going to happen," Sirius all but growled, "it's just not possible anyone could believe Ginny could do something like this."

Harry nodded, feeling relieved for once his first instinct was to agree with them, it was just his pessimistic side that was trying to say otherwise.

She'd wanted to go to this school her whole life, and what were her parents going to think?

"Thank god you're alive," Lily stated at once, "and the only reason you wouldn't come back next year is because they'll be worried sick to let you out of their sight again."

"Can't blame them," James muttered sadly.

It took a bit more soothing words from Harry before she hiccupped herself into sense again, and Harry supported her to her feet and began leading her back through the tunnel to the sound of rocks being pushed around.

"Ron," they all said in relief, the distant memory of his wand cursing Lockhart seeming like a gold mine of happiness compared to what they had just been through.

Harry called out to his best friend at once, telling him his sister was okay! Ron's face appeared in the hole of rocks he'd created

"Damn," Sirius said in congratulations, "and he did that without magic. Props to that kid."

shoving his arm through it and grasping hold of his sister, pulling her into his chest with a tight hug and screaming in relief that she was okay, then getting distracted by noticing the bird and asking where that had come from.

"Long story," James said weakly, drawing the first word out in remembrance, and dearly hoping he wouldn't have to reread that story himself, again.

Harry explained it was Dumbledore's, then Ron asked where Harry had got the sword from.

"A question I'd still like answered," Sirius said in an almost chipper tone. Their utter relief that Harry was finally out of there was more than palpable, and finally bringing normal conversation back around.

Harry promised to explain later, still keeping an eye on Ginny who had her face buried in Ron's chest. Harry didn't want to go into details of who'd been opening the Chamber with her in the room.

"So sweet," Lily sighed, unable to stop herself from grinning at her son who was still trying to put the girl's feelings first.

Then Harry asked his own question of where Lockhart was, and Ron said he'd taken him back to the entrance, he was in bad shape.

"And I still regret nothing," Remus said in full glee, "he deserves every bit of that irony."

Ron led them back to where Lockhart was leaning against the wall absently, smiling vaguely into space. Ron explained that the man's memory was gone, the spell had backfired, and he had no idea who he was, let alone where.

'Know the effects of that all too well' Harry thought bitterly, an inkling of pity beginning to form for Lockhart.

Harry then asked how they were supposed to get back up the tunnel, and Fawkes saved the day again by landing in front of him and waving his tail in front of him.

"And he saves the day again," Lily grinned, "you know James, I'm genuinely thinking I want one of those."

"First a jarvey and a crup for our garden, now you want a phoenix, we've already got Click and Hickory. Exactly how many pets do you want?" James demanded good naturedly. To be perfectly honest he didn't mind one bit, he would always indulge his wife in whatever she wanted.

Lily shrugged, not looking the least bit deterred at the animal count that was beginning to stack up.

"I'm wondering though, that there must be another way to get up," Remus voiced. "I suppose I can think of a spell or two, but you'd really think Slytherin would have given some kind of ladder back up."

"Let's not have Harry stick around to find out," Sirius grumbled.

Harry correctly guessed that the phoenix could fly them all up, and had them all hold hands, Professor Lockhart at the end.

"I think you can finally stop giving that bonehead such a title," Remus told Harry pleasantly.

Harry shrugged, it hadn't yet occurred to him, he had too much other stuff on his mind at the time.

The moment he took hold of the golden plumage, he began to feel light as a feather himself as they all rose up the pipe, Lockhart swinging along below them and calling out how cool this was, it was just like magic.

Despite how much all five of them genuinely hated this guy, they couldn't help but weakly laugh at this childlike innocence.

Before Harry could even really enjoy the ride, they were being set back down in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, with the entrance closing behind them.

"And may it stay that way forever," Lily muttered in disgust, to general nodes of agreement except for Harry, who had an odd feeling he'd find that Chamber opened at least once more, but not for anything bad...

Myrtle seemed shocked to find Harry back, pointing out that he was alive.

"And a good day to you to," Sirius grumbled, not really appreciating how close that sentence came to not being true.

Harry told her she sounded far too unhappy about this, while getting rid of some blood from his glasses.

"Ew," James huffed, trying to distract himself from why that stuff was there.

Myrtle blushed a bit by admitting that she'd thought Harry would die down there, and if he'd come back, he could have shared her toilet.

"Oh yes, that's just what Harry needs," Remus said, trying his very hardest to suppress a grin, "another admirer."

Harry didn't even have the energy to glare at him for that joke, he was just as ready for this year to be over as them.

Ron couldn't help mocking his friend for that bit as they went outside of the loo, telling Ginny she may now have a competitor.

"Really Ron?" Lily demanded of the ceiling. "Is now really the time to be poking fun at your sister?"

"I find it rather appropriate," Sirius countered, "it's kind of his way of saying, the world goes on. You nearly died, but I'm still going to poke fun at you."

Lily was beginning to understand why Sirius and his little brother didn't get along very well. Then again, she wasn't all too clear why she herself put up with him. If he wasn't James best friend, she was sure she would have strangled him out of pure annoyance ten times over. Never mind the fact that in recent years she had come to see him as her own sort of brother.

Ginny didn't react, still silently crying. Ron gave her a concerned look as he asked where they should head, and Harry gestured after Fawkes who was leading the way to McGonagall's office. They followed him, knocked, and then went in.

"Why did you knock if you were just going to go in?" Remus couldn't help but ask.

"Why did you knock at all?" Sirius grinned, "I think, in this particular set of circumstances, you really could have just waltzed in."

Harry just shrugged as Sirius took the book, having no response to any of them.

#Harry Potter #James Potter #Lily Potter #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #reading the books #fanfiction #the life that never lived

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thenerdycarat · 4 years ago

Text

Year 1: Ch. 4

A man with a long, white beard and half moon-shaped glasses rose from his seat at the long table at the front of the Hall. Albus Dumbledore.

He gave a friendly smile. “Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

“Thank you!”

He sat back down as everyone else applauded with a few chuckles here and there.

Before Colleen could blink, all of the dishes on the tables were filled with a feast. All different meats and side dishes that Colleen and her siblings enjoyed were piled high. A girl who seemed to be a fifth year helped Colleen fix her plate.

“Thank you,” she said before digging into the roast chicken.

“You’re Percy’s sister, aren’t you?” the girl asked.

“Yes, I’m Colleen.”

“I’m Penelope,” the girl smiled. “Ravenclaw Prefect. Percy’s told me all sorts of things about you and your brothers. Are you the youngest?”

“No. We have one more. Our baby sister, Ginny. She should get her letter next June.”

“Well, the more Weasleys, the better. And if you ever need anything, you can come to me, the Head Girl, or our Head of Ravenclaw House.”

“And who’s that?” Terry asked, his mouth half full with the beef.

“Professor Flitwick. That’s him right there.” Penelope pointed to a small man sitting next McGonagall. He was the size of a goblin, but he had a much friendlier presence.

“What does he teach?” Colleen asked after swallowing a piece of bacon.

“Charms.”

Colleen grinned. “Facinating.”

“And who do we have here?” a soothing voice spoke. All of the Ravenclaws looked up to see a ghost in a long white gown. She had a lovely face, a kind smile, and welcoming aura about her.

“It’s always refreshing to see new first years,” she smiled.

“This is the Grey Lady, everyone,” Penelope commented.

“Call me Helena.” Her transparent head turned to Colleen. “Now, this is a first. Nice to meet you, Miss Weasley.”

“Call me Colleen,” she replied.

“Well, we’ve never had a Weasley in Ravenclaw before, but we’re very happy you’re with us, Colleen.”

She returned a smile and continued with her meal. As soon as she was done with her plate, the leftovers of the savory dinner vanished, and various desserts appeared before them.

“I’m half-and-half,” a voice from the Gryffindor table sounded from behind her.

Turning to see who it was, Colleen found it was the boy named Seamus speaking. “Me dad’s a Muggle. Mum didn’t tell him she was a witch ‘til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him.”

He’s Irish, she thought, judging by his accent.

“Keeping an eye on your boyfriend, Weasley?” Lisa teased.

“I don’t even know him,” Colleen chuckled.

“He’s had his eyes on you since we got off the boats,” Padma commented. “I think he fancies you.”

“Only your first night, and someone has a crush on our new friend,” Penelope teased, which was followed by a few Ravenclaw students laughing.

Colleen blushed as she finished off the rest of her dessert. She just hoped no one noticed the handholding incident earlier.

Just like the main meal, the desserts disappeared; and once the Headmaster stood to his feet, everyone else fell silent.

“Ahem,” he cleared his throat, “just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

“First years should note that the forest on the grounds in forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”

Colleen noticed Fred and George trying to hide their snickers.

“Quidditch trials,” he continued, “will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch.”

Colleen liked the sound of trying out. Her and her siblings have all fancied the game, and she had always wanted to try for Chaser when she got to Hogwarts. Knowing that Fred and George were Beaters, they probably wouldn’t be much help in preparing; but she hoped to find someone who might help her.

“And finally,” the headmaster concluded, “I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.

“And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!”

The students rose from their seats along with the professors, and Dumbledore flicked his wand. “Everyone pick their favorite tune,” said Dumbledore, “and off we go!”

In various tunes and speeds, the students harmonized:

“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they’re bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we’ve forgot,

Just do your best, we’ll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.”

Everyone concluded the song as different times, Colleen almost cracking up at her brothers singing as if it were a funeral.

“Ah, music,” Dumbledore said. “A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!”

“This way, first years,” Penelope said. The Ravenclaws followed the Prefect throw the crowds, out of the Great Hall, and down a dark hallway. They turned a corner and were met with multiple moving staircases.

“The staircases change,” Penelope explained. “But as long as you time them correctly, you’ll get the hang of them in no time.”

Colleen and her fellow housemates immediately took note of some of the portraits on the walls. The various people and animals all smiled, waved, and or welcomed in some way. It was nothing new to Colleen, but she was still fascinated by it all.

Once they got to what Colleen guessed was the fifth floor, Penelope led them down a hallway ending in a stone spiral staircase. The Ravenclaw students climbed it, and eventually came to a wooden door that had no trace of a knob or keyhole, but rather a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. The knocker then twitched, coming to life, then asked, “Feed me and I live. Give me a drink and I die. What am I?”

Penelope turned to the first years. “This is how we enter our common room. The knocker gives you a riddle, and if you answer it correctly then you’ll be able to enter. Who would like to answer today?”

A few whispers among the students floated about, and Colleen’s mind began to work. She thought about every animal in the world. They all needed to eat food and drink water, but what was something that could only eat food and die if it was given water?

Water. It can be used to put out fire as well, she thought.

Fire. That had to be the answer.

She shot her hand up.

“Yes, Colleen,” Penelope pointed to her.

Colleen faced the knocker. “Is the answer a fire?”

The door immediately swung open, and her fellow housemates applauded.

“Well, done, Colleen,” Penelope congratulated.

She pushed the door open wider. The students followed her to the most beautiful room Colleen had laid her eyes on. It was an open and airy space due to its wide, circular design. The roof above them was doomed and painted to look like the night sky, and the arched windows revealed a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance. Bookcases lined the walls, and table and chairs with blue fabric were scattered around the room. Opposite of the entrance is another entrance that Penelope said would lead to the dormitories, and next to it was a stone statue of a what Penelope claimed to be Rowena Ravenclaw, which seemed as if she guarded the door.

“Boys dorms on the left,” Penelope announced as the students entered the doorway, “Girls on the right.”

Colleen, along with Lisa, Padma, and Mandy were with four four-poster beds, each with satin, royal blue canopy drapes over them. Each of their trunks had been brought up before they arrived there, and Colleen found hers right next to her bed. Her uniform and robes were folded neatly on the bed.

“Isn’t this exciting?” Mandy said. “Classes start tomorrow.”

“I don’t know if I can fall asleep,” Lisa replied. “Especially not now since Colleen has some admirers.”

“Enough about the boy from Gryffindor House,” Colleen laughed, nearly throwing her pillow at her housemate.

“What was his name again? Sean?”

“Seamus,” Padma corrected her. “My sister Parvati is in his house. She says he couldn’t take his eyes off you and nearly got left behind.”

The other two girls giggled as Colleen rolled her eyes.

“And what did you mean by ‘other admirers?’” Mandy asked as they all got into their pajamas.

“A few other boys in our year were saying how pretty Colleen was,” Lisa explained.

“They were not,” the strawberry-blonde girl objected as she sat in her bed, taking in how silky-smooth her bed sheets were.

“Yes, they were. They were complimenting your looks and personality. Even that brat Malfoy didn’t believe you ‘belonged to the Weasleys.’”

“Oh, go to bed.” Colleen immediately turned out the light and laid her head down.

“Good night,” Lisa called to them.

“Good night,” the rest of them called back.

Colleen’s head filled with thoughts about the conversation she just had with her roommates, and from what she could conclude, she knew she had just been labeled as the “pretty girl.” She didn’t want to walk around being known for her looks; all she wanted was to do well at Hogwarts and make her family proud, even more so now that she was in a different House.

With a reminder to show everyone else that she’s at Hogwarts to learn and succeed in whatever she does, she drifted off to sleep.

#harry potter #thegirlwholoved #seamus finnigan #oc #seamus finnigan x oc #draco malfoy #the weasleys #ravenclaw #hogwarts #Harry Potter fanfic

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shining-red-diamond · 5 years ago

Text

Ch. 4

A man with a long, white beard and half moon-shaped glasses rose from his seat at the long table at the front of the Hall. Albus Dumbledore.

He gave a friendly smile. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

"Thank you!"

He sat back down as everyone else applauded with a few chuckles here and there.

"Thank you," she said before digging into the roast chicken.

"You're Percy's sister, aren't you?" the girl asked.

"Yes, I'm Colleen."

"I'm Penelope," the girl smiled. "Ravenclaw Prefect. Percy's told me all sorts of things about you and your brothers. Are you the youngest?"

"No. We have one more. Our baby sister, Ginny. She should get her letter next June."

"Well, the more Weasleys, the better. And if you ever need anything, you can come to me, the Head Girl, or our Head of Ravenclaw House."

"And who's that?" Terry asked, his mouth half full with the beef.

"Professor Flitwick. That's him right there." Penelope pointed to a small man sitting next McGonagall. He was the size of a goblin, but he had a much friendlier presence.

"What does he teach?" Colleen asked after swallowing a piece of bacon.

"Charms."

Colleen grinned. "Facinating."

"And who do we have here?" a soothing voice spoke. All of the Ravenclaws looked up to see a ghost in a long white gown. She had a lovely face, a kind smile, and welcoming aura about her.

"It's always refreshing to see new first years," she smiled.

"This is the Grey Lady, everyone," Penelope commented.

"Call me Helena." Her transparent head turned to Colleen. "Now, this is a first. Nice to meet you, Miss Weasley."

"Call me Colleen," she replied.

"Well, we've never had a Weasley in Ravenclaw before, but we're very happy you're with us, Colleen."

She returned a smile and continued with her meal. As soon as she was done with her plate, the leftovers of the savory dinner vanished, and various desserts appeared before them.

"I'm half-and-half," a voice from the Gryffindor table sounded from behind her.

Turning to see who it was, Colleen found it was the boy named Seamus speaking. "Me dad's a Muggle. Mum didn't tell him she was a witch 'til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him."

He's Irish, she thought, judging by his accent.

"Keeping an eye on your boyfriend, Weasley?" Lisa teased.

"I don't even know him," Colleen chuckled.

"He's had his eyes on you since we got off the boats," Padma commented. "I think he fancies you."

"Only your first night, and someone has a crush on our new friend," Penelope teased, which was followed by a few Ravenclaw students laughing.

Colleen blushed as she finished off the rest of her dessert. She just hoped no one noticed the handholding incident earlier.

Just like the main meal, the desserts disappeared; and once the Headmaster stood to his feet, everyone else fell silent.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Colleen noticed Fred and George trying to hide their snickers.

"Quidditch trials," he continued, "will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch."

Colleen liked the sound of trying out. Her and her siblings have all fancied the game, and she had always wanted to try for Chaser when she got to Hogwarts. Knowing that Fred and George were Beaters, they probably wouldn't be much help in preparing; but she hoped to find someone who might help her.

"And finally," the headmaster concluded, "I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"

The students rose from their seats along with the professors, and Dumbledore flicked his wand. "Everyone pick their favorite tune," said Dumbledore, "and off we go!"

In various tunes and speeds, the students harmonized:

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot."

Everyone concluded the song as different times, Colleen almost cracking up at her brothers singing as if it were a funeral.

"Ah, music," Dumbledore said. "A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

"This way, first years," Penelope said. The Ravenclaws followed the Prefect throw the crowds, out of the Great Hall, and down a dark hallway. They turned a corner and were met with multiple moving staircases.

"The staircases change," Penelope explained. "But as long as you time them correctly, you'll get the hang of them in no time."

Colleen and her fellow housemates immediately took note of some of the portraits on the walls. The various people and animals all smiled, waved, or welcomed them in some way. It was nothing new to Colleen, but she was still fascinated by it all.

Once they got to what Colleen guessed was the fifth floor, Penelope led them down a hallway ending in a stone spiral staircase. The Ravenclaw students climbed it, and eventually came to a wooden door that had no trace of a knob or keyhole, but rather a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. The knocker then twitched, coming to life, then asked, "Feed me and I live. Give me a drink and I die. What am I?"

Penelope turned to the first years. "This is how we enter our common room. The knocker gives you a riddle, and if you answer it correctly then you'll be able to enter. Who would like to answer today?"

A few whispers among the students floated about, and Colleen's mind began to work. She thought about every animal in the world. They all needed to eat food and drink water, but what was something that could only eat food and die if it was given water?

Water. It can be used to put out fire as well, she thought.

Fire. That had to be the answer.

She shot her hand up.

"Yes, Colleen," Penelope pointed to her.

Colleen faced the knocker. "Is the answer a fire?"

The door immediately swung open, and her fellow housemates applauded.

"Well, done, Colleen," Penelope congratulated.

"Boys dorms on the left," Penelope announced as the students entered the doorway, "Girls on the right."

Colleen, along with Lisa, Padma, and Mandy were met with four four-poster beds, each with satin, royal blue canopy drapes over them. Each of their trunks had been brought up before they arrived there, and Colleen found hers right next to her bed. Her uniform and robes were folded neatly on the bed.

"Isn't this exciting?" Mandy said. "Classes start tomorrow."

"I don't know if I can fall asleep," Lisa replied. "Especially not now since Colleen has some admirers."

"Enough about the boy from Gryffindor House," Colleen laughed, nearly throwing her pillow at her housemate.

"What was his name again? Sean?"

"Seamus," Padma corrected her. "My sister Parvati is in his house. She says he couldn't take his eyes off you and nearly got left behind."

The other two girls giggled as Colleen rolled her eyes.

"And what did you mean by 'other admirers?'" Mandy asked as they all got into their pajamas.

"A few other boys in our year were saying how pretty Colleen was," Lisa explained.

"They were not," the strawberry-blonde girl objected as she sat in her bed, taking in how silky-smooth her bed sheets were.

"Yes, they were. They were complimenting your looks and personality. Even that brat Malfoy didn't believe you 'belonged to the Weasleys.'"

"Oh, go to bed." Colleen immediately turned out the light and laid her head down.

"Good night," Lisa called to them.

"Good night," the rest of them called back.

Colleen's head filled with thoughts about the conversation she just had with her roommates, and from what she could conclude, she knew she had just been labeled as the "pretty girl." She didn't want to walk around being known for her looks; all she wanted was to do well at Hogwarts and make her family proud, even more so now that she was in a different House.

With a reminder to show everyone else that she's at Hogwarts to learn and succeed in whatever she does, she drifted off to sleep.

#harry potter #Harry Potter fanfiction #seamus finnigan #oc #ravenclaw #the weasleys #thegirlwholoved

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authormitchel-blog · 6 years ago

Text

GOF: Part 12

Harry was sitting in the common room waiting for Blaise to get ready so they could head to Transfiguration when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. But when he looked back there was no one there.

“Do try to keep up, Potter,” Ely McGovern said, not standing in front of Harry.

Ely shoved something in his hands.

“What’s this?”

“Information, Potter, you can read can’t you?”

Harry nodded dumbly.

“Good then, I had my doubts, but Cass seems to think more highly of your abilities than I do. He was always one to favor lost causes and abandoned pets.”

“I’m not a….”

“Of course you’re not a pet, Potter, you’re clearly a boy,” Ely puffed some of his long blonde bangs out of his face looking handsomely candid as he did so. Harry probably would have just ended up with a mouth full of his messy locks if he attempted to do any such thing.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been getting a lot of attention, Potter, from a particular judge in this tournament.”

“Bagman?” Harry asked.

Ely waved his hand in a “come on” gesture, urging Harry to continue speaking.

“What about him? He’s a prat?”

Ely stared at him intensely.

“And are you or are you not attempting to cheat in this tournament?”

“What?” Harry exclaimed. “Of course not, I never wanted anything to do with this tournament in the first place, and I certainly don’t want anything to do with Bagman now.”

“Then why were you talking with him in Hogsmeade a while back?”

Harry huffed, feeling all sorts of wobbly as Ely showed him the other side of his politician’s persona, the one who gets the information they want at any cost.

“That was nothing. He was just talking to me about Barty Crouch.”

“Yes,” said Ely. “And just how much do you know about Mr. Crouch?”

“He’s been sick. I mean, my mate Ron’s brother works for him, but that’s it.”

“Ah, but I meant how well do you know, Mr. Crouch?”

“I just answered you?” Harry said, uncertain of his certain answer.

“Did you?” Ely asked before turning to walk away. “Perhaps you should read that Potter before you go thinking that you know anything.”

Ely left him then, and Harry stared down at the parchment in his hands.

When Harry got a chance the first thing he did was read what was in the parchment, and lucky for him and Madam Pince he moved the letter off the table he had it on in the library as soon as it caught on fire after he was finished with it. For someone with a Pureblood upbringing Ely sure did seem to like to reference Muggle movies.

Harry got out his quill and started a letter to Remus. If he wanted to know what happened right after the first war then Remus would be the one to know. Everything that Ely or whomever had written about Crouch couldn’t be true, could it?

Harry received a reply back that next morning at breakfast.

“Dear Harry,

Sirius says hello. He is currently out at the shops. The ministry has allowed him that much leave to stray from our residence. We are working on attaining license for a visit to see you very soon. Having a Hogwarts champion for the school looks quite good on the Ministry and a happy one looks even better. I did quite enjoy what you said about SPEW at the first task, that was wonderfully put. Should I think Ms. Granger or Ms. Bulstrode for the lovely outfit you were photographed as wearing? All joking aside, I am glad that you are well. Sirius has been in a tizzy, and I confess that I am not that much better. But using what skills you have and what tools are available is a wonderful lesson for dealing with the Dark Arts and I’m glad that you remembered that. You always were one of the best DADA students. Please also tell Ms. Granger that I still have her last essay with extended notes and commentary if she would like me to owl it to you for her. She has been quite insistent on its status.

Please tell me that you are being careful. I have no idea how you came by the information that you did, but I have to tell you that everything that you wrote to me is right. Barty Crouch did serve as the sentencing agent in many of the cases regarding rouge death eaters. Karkaroff was one of them. He eagerly gave up the names to several others. Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy. I am sure that none of these names will come as a surprise to you Harry. Everything you read in that harrowing account was real, even the part about Crouch sentencing his own son. He was involved in the rather gruesome torture of the Longbottoms alongside the Lestranges. We were rather good friends with the Longbottoms. They were fierce aurors and they loved each other and their son very much. I was glad to see that Neville is so much like them as you are your father. Barty Crouch Jr. was sentenced to a life sentence in Azkaban. His poor mother was devastated, but it turned his father into the man that he is today, strict, unrelenting.

We have no information about Crouch yet, but we will check into things on this side. No one can seem to get a hold of him. Until then, please take care. Sirius sends his love as always. Also, Sirius and I would like to know what color you would like your room to be painted?

Love,

Remus Harry tried to think about all of the things that he had just learned about Crouch and his son, but all he could really think about was what Remus had said. His own room? What color? The tournament would be coming to an end soon, and then the year and he would have to go back to the Dursleys, but then would he? Would he finally have a home like so many of his friends and housemates had? Would he finally be able to feel like he belonged somewhere, where the people were happy to see him instead of anxious for him to leave? Would he finally have what Malfoy had? Not the summers spent in luxurious places, but the time that the boy seems to spend with his parents. Would he finally have something that most people seem to take for granted? A family?

But Harry wouldn’t. No, he would cherish it if he got the opportunity. He would, he promised himself.

Now, all he had left to do was act on the last piece of information that was in the letter. After the location, it had said, “Time to take a bath.”

***

The prefect bathroom was magnificent and large. It was the size of a swimming pool with different taps for bubbles and different colored water. He placed his things by the side and got in. It was so deep that his feet barely touched the bottom, but even as he swam a few laps around the pool no sudden streak of brilliance came upon him. No more understanding seemed forthcoming as he donned a bubble beard either.

Finally, Harry decided to just try opening the egg while he was in the water. The wailing, screeching sound filled the bathroom and he quickly closed it so as not to attract Filch. Wouldn’t that be awkward?

“I’d try putting it in the water, if I were you.”

Harry had swallowed a considerable amount of bubbles in shock. He stood up, spluttering, and saw the ghost of a very glum looking girl sitting cross-legged on top of one of the taps.

“Myrtle!” Harry said in outrage. “I’m…I’m not wearing anything.”

The foam was so dense that it hardly mattered but it was still eerie.

“I closed my eyes when you got in,” she said innocently blinking at him through her thick spectacles.

“You haven’t been to see me in ages unlike that rather nice George Weasley,” she said nice like Hermione says library. Harry tried not to think about that.

“Sorry, Myrtle, but see I got in trouble for being in there the last time. Didn’t want to risk it. If I got caught then I couldn’t visit you at all and that would have been horrible.”

Myrtle seemed slightly appeased by this.

“Well, anyway….I’d try putting the egg in the water. That’s what Cassius Warrington did. Not too handsome in the face that one, but actually quite fit. His boyfriend wasn’t that bad either.”

Harry tampered back the question of whether she had watched them take a bath too, and instead lowered the egg into the water. When he opened it….it didn’t wail. A gurgling song was coming out of it.

“You need to put your head under too,” said Myrtle.

Harry nodded, took a breath and then dived under the water.

“Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground. And while you’re searching ponder this. We’ve taken what you’ll never miss, An hour long you’ll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour, the prospects black, too late it’s gone it won’t come back.”

Harry popped back up above the water.

“What on Earth does that mean?”

Harry swam around in the tub for what felt like an eternity before he had to get back to the dormitory. Snape always had the head girl and boy do nightly checks to make sure that everyone was where they should be. It involved nothing more than a quick charm cast on the outside of the room that monitored body heat, but if anything was amiss, Snape was notified immediately. And Triwizard champion or not Snape would have Harry in detention for the rest of the year if he caught him out this late after hours.

After getting dressed and heading back to the common room, Harry was almost there when he felt someone pull on his collar.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” Draco Malfoy said from the alcove he had just pulled Harry into.

“The dorm,” Harry answered succinctly, wondering where Crabbe and Goyle had gotten themselves off to.

“Did you get caught in a rain storm, Potter, or perhaps a poorly cast aguamenti?”

Harry shook his head no, and moved to leave when Malfoy noticed the egg.

Harry was walking away, going to the door, ready to go back to the dorm and try to solve the riddle when Draco said, “I can help you solve that thing you know.”

Harry stopped walking.

Draco met him down the hall.

“It’s obvious to everyone that you need a bit of help, and since this is now the battle between the upper and lower years, it only stands to reason that I should help you.”

“And what do you want out of it?” Harry asked, knowing that nothing with Draco Malfoy came without a cost.

“A favor to be named later,”

“Absolutely not,” Harry replied.

Malfoy laughed. “Then let’s just say that I get to be in charge of your campaign. Harry, the true Hogwarts champion.”

“I won’t bash Warrington,” Harry said plainly.

Draco scoffed.

“And you think I would. I do have eyes Potter, there’s no way I would ever want to get on Warrington’s bad side. I’d even less like to get on Ely McGovern’s bad side.”

“What’s Ely have to do with Warrington?” Harry looked on confused.

“They’re together,” Draco clarified. “Ely and Warrington, Warrington and Ely, they’re together, boyfriend and boyfriend til Warrington’s father has Ely murdered and then marries Cass off to a lovely Slytherin Pureblood with a vagina. Until then McGovern pulls that leash though I haven’t heard Warrington complaining.”

“Okay, okay,” said Harry. “I get it. Then what will you do then as the head of my campaign?”

Draco approached Harry who had basically all ready given his assent to this proposal and said, “First, you’re going to take me back to wherever you just were and I’m going to solve this puzzle for you, and then after that, I’m just going to….support you. Having a Triwizard champion from Slytherin and one as young as you are will only do good things for the House and thus by extension, me.”

Now, that made sense to Harry. He was sure that Malfoy wasn’t telling him the whole truth, but he figured that it was good enough.

“Deal,” said Harry, sticking out his hand.

Draco merely smirked then trotted off in the direction Harry had come from not even waiting for him to catch up.

***

Draco was apparently very aware of the prefect’s bathroom. He flicked his wand at the nozzles to turn on the hot water and what seemed to be a very specific series of bubbles and green balm that tinted the water.

Draco turned to look at Harry.

“I have to know how to work these for next year. It’s practically guaranteed that I’m going to be a prefect.”

“Sorry to tell you this Malfoy, but you don’t need any practice on how to be a pompous git. You don’t need a prefect badge to teach you how to be bossy.”

“The air of authority is a natural trait, Potter, that’s true,” Malfoy dismissed.

Then after making sure that the door was locked, and that no one could hear them from the outside, Draco started unbuttoning his robes.

“What are you doing? I already told you the riddle,” said Harry.

“I’m aware,” said Draco as he slipped out of his shirt.

“But I am also painfully aware of your memory and complete lack of detail when describing anything remotely important to anyone. So, forgive me if I’m not going to take your word for it.”

Harry turned away as the sound of a zipper filled the air, and he heard Malfoy slipping his pants off. Harry thought he waited long enough for Malfoy to get in the pool, but when he turned back around, Draco was still standing there naked as the day he was born.

Nobody in the dorm was particularly shy about their bodies, but it was also quick changes or Blaise walking around without a shirt, and that was when they were all bumbling first and second years trying to make it to class on time in the mornings, but this was different. Harry might spend most of his time at the Dursleys alternatively starving and working his body to exhaustion, but even he had grown taller and filled out with age.

Draco, it turned out, had done the same thing.

He was still skinny, but now it was more like lean. The sharp lines of his face were starting to soften, his legs were long, and his limbs were no longer gangly. Harry was starkly reminded of how Malfoy had looked at the Yule Ball, and how he had felt in his arms. The image of Flint and Wood’s passionate display also played out in Harry’s mind. Harry’s eyes were traveling a bit oo low when Malfoy huffed in annoyance.

“The egg, Potter,” Draco said, hurriedly.

“Oh, right,” Harry said, reaching down and then handing Malfoy the egg.

He wasted no more time after that, jumping into the water then diving under. He stayed under for so long that Harry thought that he might have to dive in after him, at least to get his egg back. But just as Harry was about to do just that. Draco popped back up. But didn’t say anything.

“Did you hear it?” asked Harry. “What do you think?”

Still, Draco remained silent.

Then Harry looked to the stained glass behind Draco. Then the words clicked.

“The Black Lake,” they said at the same time.

“What?” said Draco.

“The Black Lake, that makes perfect sense, I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before.”

“Right,” said Draco. “But Potter, do you know what kind of creatures live in the Black Lake? Do you know what haunts those waters? What the flicker of shadow is that blocks the light for only moments in the dorm?”

Harry shook his head no, as Draco got out and wrapped a towel around himself.

“Come on, Potter,” he said, dressing quickly. “There’s a lot I have to tell you.”

***

By the evening before the second task, Harry left as if he were trapped in a nightmare. He was fully aware that even if he found a spell that would help him hold his breath for an hour that he’d unlikely be able to master it before tomorrow. Draco had been as much help as he possibly could be, but not even all the gold in the Malfoy vaults could help him now. He sat with Hermione, Ron (Romione, as Millicent had taken to calling them), the girl herself, and Draco’s representative Crabbe in the library, tearing feverishly through one book after the other, trying to find anything that could help him.

“There must be something,” Hermione muttered. “They’d never have set a task that was undoable.” Ron looked like he wanted to disagree, but kept his mouth shut as Hermione shouted, “There has to be a way. There just has to be!”

Crabbe kept silent, dutifully flipping through book after book. But when Draco walked into the room, Crabbe breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank Salazar,” said Crabbe rising to leave with his master, commander, and owner. But Draco simply raised the letter in his hands.

“You and I have a date with Snape.”

Great, Harry thought, rising despite the bricks in his shoes.

“Not you, Potter. Snape wants to see me and Mil.”

Millicent seemed surprised by this, but said, “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” then lower to Ron, “Keep Granger on the rails or we’re all doomed.”

Ron nodded solemnly accepting the duty. Crabbe moved to go with them, too, following Millicent.

“Oh,” said Draco in mock surprise. “Have you solved it already, Vince? If that’s the case, you should have said and then we all would leave.”

Crabbe looked down at his hands. “No,” he muttered, sitting back down looking like a kicked puppy.

Millicent was gone for longer than Harry thought and even Hermione had to leave.

“I have a meeting with Professor McGonagall, but it shouldn’t take too long.”

Eventually both Crabbe and Ron feel asleep and Harry had to admit defeat as his own heavy eyelids fell shut.

#Slytherin!Harry #Harry Potter #Slytherin Harry #Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire #Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire rewrite #gofp12

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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

Photo

Padre Pio And Strength From The Eucharist

With Image:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/padre-pio-strength-from-eucharist-harold-baines/?published=t

“Let us humble ourselves a little, my good father, and confess that if God were not our armor and shield we would be thoroughly riddled with every type of sin. And it is for this reason that we must always cling to God with perseverance in our practices. - Padre Pio (Caption for linked image)

***

On December 18th, 1997 His Holiness, Pope John Paul II declared Padre Pio Venerable. This means that he is worthy to be honored publicly as a virtuous and holy person. Because of this, paintings, statues, and stained-glass windows of Padre Pio can be displayed in our churches.

There was a time when many enemies of Padre Pio tried to defame his image by ruining his good name and reputation, due to false accusations. He endured all the sufferings that the Good Lord permitted, in a spirit of peace and tranquility. He once said, “Be at peace in everything that you do.”

Many people have wondered where Padre Pio got all the strength to endure the excruciating physical pain of the stigmata, his ill health, weakened body, and emotional pain of false accusations regarding his purity and mismanaging money.

It has been said, that in life, there are three wounds of pain inflicted on man. The wounds are physical, emotional, and spiritual.

The first one is physical pain. It can easily be detected because it is seen and very much felt. The physical pain of a disease, illness, or malady is a “first degree” wound of suffering on the body. It is very painful, depending upon its depth and the nature of the physical ailment. Usually, various medications can be taken to lessen the pain and assuage the suffering. Padre Pio’s pain of the open wounds in his hands, feet, and side was so severe that no medication was able to stop the bleeding and pain.

Once, a news journalist came to see Padre Pio. He was very inquisitive and curious about the stigmata. He asked Padre Pio, who had a dry sense of humor, about it, and Padre Pio responded, “Well, the Lord didn’t give them to me to be decorations!”

Padre Pio often prayed for the stigmata to go away, but he began to understand that the stigmata was God’s Will for him. Because of it, Padre Pio experienced the emotional strain of embarrassing situations. He was subjected to constant physical and psychological examinations. There were all sorts of examinations and investigations to try to discredit the Divine Origin of the stigmata.

Once a student from the north of Italy came to see Padre Pio. He said, “Padre, my professor said that the reason that you have the wounds of Christ crucified, is because you meditate on the Passion of Christ so much that the wounds appeared on your body.” Padre Pio said, “Tell your brilliant professor to go out to the barnyard and meditate on a bull, and then see if he grows horns!”

Need For An Exorcism?

There were some ecclesiastical authorities who thought that the stigmata was diabolical. As a matter of fact, Pope Benedict XV, (1914-1922) had authorized a medieval exorcism in which a chain was placed around the altar when Padre Pio was celebrating Mass. If the chain would have broken, this would have been a sign that this stigmata was demonic. When the report of Padre Pio was presented to His Holiness, Pope Benedict XV responded, “They have chained the Saint, and let the beast run free.”

The Vatican, as well as the Capuchin Superior, sent medical doctors, psychiatrists, and scientists to investigate the nature of the stigmata. This went on for ten years. Doctor Amico Bignami, an atheist, was sent by the Vatican to give a scientific explanation of the stigmata, but he could not do so.

Even before Padre Pio received the stigmata in 1918, he never enjoyed good health. He had bronchitis, and often complained of stomach problems, and many times, he could not eat or retain food. He never ate supper. He would join the friars in Franciscan hospitality for meals, but a baby would not have been able to survive on the little food that he ate; yet, he maintained a weight of 160 lbs.

When Padre Pio was a young priest, many people thought that he had tuberculosis, but this was not the case. He endured temperatures of 125 degrees Fahrenheit, that once broke the thermometer.

This can only reasonable be explained that he was given a special grace to endure the severe physical suffering. He received strength to endure pain, as well as high temperatures that would have caused most people to die. He said that he received all his strength from the Holy Eucharist.

Emotional Pain

The emotional pain was even more severe than the physical. The embarrassment of placing him under an investigation because of the stigmata, and because people were coming to San Giovanni Rotondo from all over Italy and many other countries, calling Padre Pio, “Il Santo” The Saint.

Vatican authorities silenced him from 1931-1933. His faculties were taken away from him. This meant that he could not publicly celebrate Mass or administer the Sacraments. He was a prisoner in his own cell. He celebrated Mass alone, with a friar present to serve his Masses, in a small room near his cell.

It was during these years of persecution, that his Masses lasted two to three hours long, because he went into ecstasy. He wept very often at Mass. He was filled with so much joy of Christ’s presence, and he felt so privileged and unworthy to be a priest, thus enabling to offer the Holy Sacrifice. The Mass was his sole consolation during these years of persecution. He lived for the Mass. He once said, “This is my only comfort...that of being associated with Jesus in the Divine Sacrifice, and in the redemption of souls.”

Read Nearly Every Book

It has been reported that Padre Pio practically read every book in the Franciscan library during the years of persecution from 1931-1933. As happens to most of us in life, there are just as many people who will call you a saint, as there are who will call you a demon. Padre Pio had his enemies, and most of them were members of the clergy, from the bishop of the Diocese of Manfradonia down to the common friar.

Frequented Blessed Sacrament

He stayed close to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. He was often found several times during the day praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Eucharist gave him all the strength he needed to endure the emotional strain and drain of constant harassment, torment, and temptation.

Like Christ, he was slandered even by priests and some confreres who surrounded him like guardian angels to protect him from the crowds. But their hearts were not pure, and their lives were not conformed to that of the Divine Teacher. Filled with false piety, like the Pharisees, they saw black in every expression, word, and phrase of Padre Pio, and they threw mud on his purity.

The spiritual attacks were the most severe, because it struck at his very soul. The devil, knew how powerful Padre Pio was as a priest, so he did everything in his power to persuade Padre Pio to leave the priesthood.

Padre Pio was severely tormented by the devil, who would appear to him as the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Blessed Mother, St. Francis of Assisi, and the Father Superior. Padre Pio was smart, and tested the spirit. He would say, “If you are really Jesus, the Blessed Mother, St. Francis, or Padre Superior, repeat after me, “Viva Gesu!” and, the evil spirit would leave. The diabolical infestation was done with the purpose to ridicule, confuse, and constantly torment Padre Pio, so that he would give up his priesthood and the saving of souls for Christ.

Padre Pio spent fourteen hours a day in the confession box, bringing many souls back to the grace of Christ, and changing their lives to live as a committed Christian, ridding themselves of sin to live a life of grace. There were hundreds of people lined in the church to confess to Padre Pio. In fact, there were so many people who wanted to go to confession to Padre Pio, that in the 1950’s, the friars had to issue numbered tickets to confess to Padre Pio. Some people waited for days.

There was jealousy and suspicion, because Padre Pio was famed among the faithful as a good and holy priest and an extraordinary confessor. Some of his own friars in the monastery bugged his confessional to see how he dealt with penitents, and why he was so popular among the faithful as a confessor. It was not until 1963, that Pope Paul VI ordered that the tapes be destroyed.

He also suffered because he was silenced and ostracized from people, who both needed him and loved him. Prayer and solitude led him closer to the Lord. He would go to the monastery chapel in the early hours of the morning, praying before the Blessed Sacrament. Sometimes a light would illuminate around the tabernacle. Padre Pio saw Our Blessed Lord many times.

Padre Pellegrino Funicelli, who was once the guardian of Padre Pio, would awaken to spy on Padre Pio, so that Padre Pio would not hear him.

He reports: “Unfortunately, I did not have the good fortune of surprising and enjoying my confrere transfigured by a mysterious ecstasy. And this, despite all my great efforts. The ecstasies were totally his and not mine. In compensation, however, through the crack (thin as a razor blade) in the window, I saw him surrounded by a light which was for me, providential, and which I held to be emanating from his soul, abounding with the grace of God. I enjoyed this to the point that I would have liked to shout to him: “Welcome, and thank you for the beautiful things you are showing me.”

...And now, he shows us, as well, these wonderful mysteries of God.

#padre pio

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audienceexperiences-blog · 7 years ago

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Blog #2

This blog post will revolve around topics such as media ratings and target marketing, uses and gratifications and interpreting and decoding mass media texts and how they apply to audience studies. I would like to mention that programs on TV rely on founding from advertisements they air during show times. Hence it makes sense for programs and channels to co-operate with Advertisement companies to maximize their profits. However their profits come at the cost of us the viewer’s information this process is known as the audience commodity. One could think of an audience watching something unfold in tv yet this “audience” member is being watched themselves, by the type of shows they watch, during which hours of the day they’re watching TV, their geographical location, gender, age and socioeconomic status. By having this information advertisers can niche out their market, and have the upper hand in the political economy, which is known as “the study of social relations, particularly the power relations, that mutually constitute the production, distribution, and consumption of resources” (Sullivan, p.80). The fundamental evil of this political economy is that most of the time the viewers are unaware of their information being collected and sold back to them. In his “blindspot” debate Dallas W. Smythe argued “audiences generate economic value to the system of commercial broadcasting by internalizing adverting messages and turning them into demand for consumer goods and services” (p.81). His view is especially prominent in Kids TV channels. A quick glance of what shows are popular during times at which kids are free from school and watching TV and the toys which they own can paint a clear example of the blindspot debate. Kids watch cartoons and shows which advertisers heavily reflect back onto them in the forms of toys fashion and lifestyle. The parents are unaware as to why the kids want the products they do but purchase them to fulfill their kids needs. In doing so these parents turn their kids (the audiences) into commodity for the advertisers. Whether they’re aware or not the parents of young viewers “work as a labor force” and drive audience commodity.

To better understand how audiences could turn into commodity it is easier to understand how audiences become operationalized. Operationalization is “how to specify empirical “things” that are taken to represent an outside construct under consideration” (p.85). Audiences are made into quantified data in order to be operationalized. Quantifying audiences or their responses is knowing whether they’re tuned in or not. Looking at YouTube creators one can easily see what percentage of their audiences/followers views their content. Number of views per video and the number of subscribers given YouTube creator has is a useful tool for advertisers to see in real time the amount of engagement a channel gets and to advertise content on videos. YouTube stars have a very detailed data on their followers that indicate their age, sex, country of viewership, and the content makes then go onto make content according to their audiences needs. This is why there is a need to know or better understand viewers. I personally have witnessed a few channels I used to subscribe to change their styles and content to please the majority viewers. One channel in particular has changed so drastically over the course of two years to suit the needs of their younger following that I have unsubscribed to the content. Platforms such as YouTube and Facebook are a great place where audiences are turned into data in this case strata –stratified data. Upon signing up or creating an account for both social media platforms users are asked to input their name, age, sex and country of residence. This is a broad data that accumulates more information the more users stay active on the website. Facebook especially is known for selling data collected from its users to advertisement companies. The more likes, follows and posts a user engages in the more data Facebook collects about them. Through the use of cookies on websites what users were looking to buy or browsing on can appear in the form of ads back to them on Facebook.

Moving towards uses and gratifications among audiences one must keep in mind audiences move from a mass as a whole to individuals that make up smaller sub groups. The theory behind uses and gratifications revolves around “how and why individuals use media rather than considering the ways in which they’re acted upon” (p.108). This understanding of audiences leads way for producer and advertisers to better understand the kind of audiences they’re getting and maybe alter and change their contents to fit their needs. Elihu Katz a communications scholar urged for a shift towards a more functional audience inquiry, and “asking why people chose to consume various media messages” (p.113). Arguing “the audiences bring their own sets of beliefs, values, and needs some of which may be shaped by their social environment to their media exposure” (p.109). This is especially important to remember, not all of us take in information the same. For those with different backgrounds one message could mean multiple different things. An example was given to illustrate this point and it was in the form of a riddle. “A man and his son get into an accident, they’re airlifted to the hospital. At the hospital the doctor looks at the boy and says ‘I cannot operate on him, he is my son’”. What is the relationship of the doctor to this boy, the answer is the doctor is his mother. However a few different views arose from the crowd. Individuals who have two mothers could have seen themselves in that situation, or situate the context within their realm of reality and say the boy has two fathers. Or sometimes we get so caught up in the gender role that is assigned to being a surgeon that we forget that females could be doctors too. This point drives home the message that audiences interpret media messages differently.

Not only do we as audiences interpret message differently we often use different types of media. This arises from our “needs”, there are five types of needs according to Elihu Katz and his colleagues: Cognitive needs, affective needs, integrative needs, social needs, and escape. This needs concept drives from Abraham Maslow’s need hierarchy. These needs consist of basic safety needs at the bottom of a pyramid; followed by belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization at the top of the pyramid.

To illustrate how I have personally went through these “needs” steps myself I would like to urge the reader to follow along and note the similarities and differences of our experiences. We can all agree that our basic needs as audience members were met when our parents tuned us into kids channels to watch kids friendly programing that taught us the alphabet numbers. As we progress through life go to school and get older our interests change, we no longer need to watch those kids shows with rhymes but tune into watch cartoons that pretty much everyone our age group watches. As we head into junior high the sort of programing we views change parallel to the change we see in ourselves as adolescents. We watch content specifically targeted at high school students. These shows guide us through life as we first encounter our crushes and heartbreaks so do the characters we follow on TV. We grow and learn through the shows our social and cultural norms.

If we were to compare adolescent targeted content around the globe we would find stark differences, and these differences speak to the culture and social norms of a given country. I am not saying that these shows are our guidelines to how to carry out our lives. The interaction with them given our age and where we were in life greatly reflects how we take in and understand the content offered. Going from high school and learning to come to our own we understand our needs are a little different than the popular mass and we seek our media that reflects such needs. I personally wanted to learn new languages and about new cultures so I indulged in foreign media content. I went from being a ritualized audience which are those “that tend to use TV more habitually, watching in order to consume time or to be diverted from other activities” (p.117) to an instrumental audience. Which is a type of audience “who would search for specific kinds of message content often seeking out and selecting informational material in purposeful way” (p.117). In doing so I learned a new language watched content that was pretty amusing/interesting to me. I would like to highlight that the content I take in gives gratification to me and not all audience member will find the same content as fulfilling. This goes back to audiences bringing their own set of beliefs and values to their media exposure. At one point the kind of shows I was watching did not satisfy my needs. This ties gratification sought (GS) and gratification obtained (GO) I was still watching the same shows yet somehow I did not obtain the same level of gratification I was seeking; which then urged me to find different content to watch.

Our experiences shape what kind of shows/media we watch but they also determine the kind of message we take away from mass media texts. One of the biggest ways in which mass media txt decoding takes place is through semiotics. Which refers to “the study of everything that can be used for communication: it studies the way such signs communicate” (p.136). Basically one can think of logos for well-known brands to be form of semiotics, we do not need to be given their names in order to be able to accurately identify such brands due to their well known presence. There are texts which can be polysemy meaning they can carry more than one meaning depending on who is looking at it, when and where they’re from. Study conducted by showing homeless men Die Hard and getting their reaction to the film found that there is negotiated meaning given by audiences. The homeless men expressed their frustration with the economic system that is stacked against them by cheering on the terrorists over the hostages in the movie. This shows how meaning making has a lot do with individual audience’s experiences.

For the concept of gender and media interpretation I would like to propose the differences between Canadian and Korean media. If we were to take one show for example, like Being Erica to represent Canadian media and Emergency Couple for Korean we can see vast differences in the main characters alone. The Canadian character is allowed to have relationships with men and be a strong independent woman, yet in the Korean drama given the cultural climate the heroin always falls in love with her prince charming. Due to cultural stigma around being a single parent, or being a divorcee the fictional characters portrayed in Korean shows fall within a small mold of what it means to be a “good” girl. There are some traits in Canadian television shows that especially in the past portrayed women in a certain light, what is socially acceptable for women given their time and space. Although one could argue that these two countries and their interpretation of one gender is due to their cultural differences, I like to suggest that is falls within the realm of trying to mold women or genders in one category.

Reference:

Sullivan, J. L. (2013). Media audiences: effects, users, institutions, and power. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

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wheresmj · 8 years ago

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Hello! Today is my 29th birthday.

When I was 15, I made a list of 50 things I wanted to achieve by the age of 30. With a year left before my deadline, I thought it’d be fun to do a little audit to see how I’ve done so far, and whether I can squeeze in any last-minute (last-year?) check marks.

MJ Truong

Health, Period 2

October 9, 2003

Goals: By the age of thirty, I want to…

1. Own a house in France

Have I achieved it?

Ha, ha, ha. No. Three words: crippling student debt. But, on the bright side, I do rent a charming garden flat in London with my husband (!) Jeppe.

Do I still want to achieve it?

Not necessarily. We’ll take an abode wherever Jeppe gets a tenure track position, which is unlikely to happen in France because Jeppe ne parle pas francais.

2. Publish at least one book

Have I achieved it?

I have not.

Do I still want to achieve it?

Yes. Actually, I made it a goal to submit some short stories for publication this year. Wish me luck!

3. Achieve Nirvana

Have I achieved it?

No; if anything, quite the opposite. Rather than achieving release and liberation from this world, I find myself quite attached to and fascinated by it, and especially by physical objects which I feel provide valuable avenues to emotional and experiential meaning.

Do I still want to achieve it?

I’ve always pondered what it means to live a good life, and I’m sure that will always be on my mind.

4. Make an amazing movie

Have I achieved it?

No, but I made some pretty fun, silly movies in college.

Do I still want to achieve it?

Not really - I’m too interested in other things (design, pottery, writing, music) to pursue getting good at making movies - but I am very interested in learning how to write stories!

5. Go to a hypnotherapist/past life transgression therapist

Have I achieved it?

No, the closest I’ve gotten is one visit to a palm reader and several animatronic fortune teller machines that print out your fortune, which I LOVE. Seriously love.

Do I still want to achieve it?

No. I’m a pretty hardcore skeptic now, and I think it’s funny that I used to believe in this stuff.

6. Find my soul mate

Have I achieved it?

7. Find a door in Tibet

What the? Was this based on a dream or something? I have no recollection of this at all. I have not been to Tibet. But I have seen some pretty fantastic doors in my time!

Rodin’s Gates of Hell in Tokyo, 2014

Rodin’s Gates of Hell in Paris at the Musee d’Orsay, 2016

Gorgeous gateways in Cambridge, UK

There were some pretty lovely doors at Københavns Radhus, where Jeppe and I married.

8. Travel extensively

This I have done, yes, thanks mainly to my job doing global cooking and kitchens research. And, well, I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon :)

Next on my wishlist: Hawaii, Okinawa, Hokkaido, Florence, Berlin, Barcelona!

Thali in Ahmedabad, India

Dinner with a lovely Japanese family in Tokyo

9. Ride a hot air balloon

Have I achieved it?

Noooo

Do I still want to achieve it?

Oh hells yes. I think we can maybe make this happen within a year.

10. Ride a dolphin

Did I seriously write this? Why was I so corny 🙈

11. Be a guest on a late-night show

Why did I want this? Didn’t 15 year old me know I’m an incurable introvert?

12. Make a violin

Have I achieved it?

No, not cool or dedicated enough to have nabbed this one.

Do I still want to achieve it?

YOLO, this shit sounds hard.

13. See sunsets from every continent

Have I achieved it?

Surprisingly - for the number of trips I’ve taken - I’ve still only traveled within the northern hemisphere and seen sunsets from North & Central America, Europe, and Asia.

Do I still want to achieve it?

Definitely

14. Change someone's life

I’d like to think I have. But I can’t point to any specifics.

15. Cook like a pro or a mom

I am fairly well on my way, thanks again in large part to my job. Next, I want to learn how to do custard desserts!

16. Paint well

Have I achieved it?

Noooo. I haven’t really painted anything since the late great Robert Reed’s painting boot camp in Auvillar, France in 2009.

Do I still want to achieve it?

I do. But I’m also lazy.

17. Open a Salvador Deli

Hahaha. No way dude, I’m way more suited to design than restaurateurism.

18. Meet Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, Alanis Morisette, and/or Bjork.

Wasn’t I a cute 15 year old? 🙈

19. Be a photographer

I am actually super into photography these days. Check out my snaps here on Tumblr, or on Instagram if you’re into that kinda thing! Here’s a pic of my handy dandy mirrorless camera. I take it with me everywhere. Yesss, my preciousssssss…

I wouldn’t be opposed to getting more serious about photography someday and pursuing a gallery show or something like that. At the moment, my photography tends to be more lifestyle than artistic, but, y’know, things change.

20. See musicals all over the world

I’ve seen musicals in New York, San Francisco, and London (Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Once, Les Miserables).

21. Get a competitive medal in taekwondo

Have I achieved it?

Hahaha

Do I still want to achieve it?

No way dude, I’m old now 😅. Also, I’m a lover, not a fighter!

22. Be the creator of a trademark or famous poster

I’m not too sure what I meant by trademark (probably logo?). I did design the Innovation Factory logo, which is pretty cute if I do say so myself.

Also not exactly sure how I would go about designing a “famous poster”. Well, you never know!

23. Invent something awesome

Have I achieved it?

I may (or may not) be getting my first patent(s) this year (!!!), as some of my early projects for the Innovation Factory are finally coming to fruition. It’s a very exciting possibility - but I’ll believe it when I see it!

Do I still want to achieve it?

Again and again and again baby

24. Be a rock star with my band / Be a versatile, multifaceted, multitalented musician / Hear a song I wrote on the radio / Headline a show that sells out.

Haha :) I’m not going to lie, I harbor a secret desire to form an indie folk band and sing pretty songs in harmony with one or more people who also love indie folk.

Jeppe and I are not sure how much longer we’re going to live in London - but when we have a better sense of where we’re going to be permanently, I definitely want to work up the courage to pursue this dream.

25. Have extrasensory perception

Have I achieved it?

Oh, brother 🙈

Do I still want to achieve it?

No, but I still think ouija boards and tarot cards look cool.

26. Trace my family tree

I sadly have not done this. I want to, but just don’t think I have the time right now.

27. Know my parents' stories

I have several recordings of interviews with my parents. But … can you really ever know someone?

28. Learn a language by total immersion

I conclusively failed at becoming fluent in Cantonese when I lived in Hong Kong, but I can still say a few things, and I’ve been told my accent’s pretty good ;) . Ngo hai MJ! Ngo jyu hai London. Hou sihk le! Mou mun tai. Jou san. Ni go giu joh meh ah? Ngo yi ga hoeui jung waahn. Baai baiiiiiiii.

If I’m honest…I would really like to learn Japanese properly someday. And buy a summer house in Japan. With a Japanese bathtub. ~BLISS~

29. Fall asleep at the foot of a tree in a beautiful place after a wonderful day

I think, with some planning, I can make this one happen.

30. Take regular violin lessons

Maybe when I retire :D

31. Maintain integrity, humility, and goodness through good and bad times

I’ve done some shitty things in my time, but I’ve tried to keep that to a minimum and to learn from my mistakes. Being a good person is not something that’s one and done; you have to work on it every day.

32. Be quoted.

Not yet ;)

33. Watch all of the movies on my list.

Here’s the thing, 15-year-old me. The list just keeps getting longer, and longer, and longer…

34. Write a play.

Nahhhh. I wanna write a book!

35. If I've achieved celebrity status, be asked if I'm me and deny it.

I’m charmed at how ambitious I was as a 15-year-old…

36. Have an engaging conversation outdoors that lasts from sunset until sunrise

… And how painfully romantic.

37. Become vegetarian

I was vegetarian from age 17 until I moved to Hong Kong eight years later.

38. Make a trail of messages/riddles in envelopes and watch as someone solves it.

Ahh, Amélie. I still love that movie.

39. Coin a phrase that becomes popular.

I don't really know how I expected to be able to do this 😅 And with the number of Twitter followers I currently have, I don’t see this happening anytime soon. Or ever.

40. Make a music video. A good one.

I like how I specified that it needed to be “a good one”. Maybe my indie folk band and I will make a music video someday 😄

41. Go to Vietnam.

I have finally been to Vietnam! We stayed in the old quarter in Hanoi for 2 glorious days in 2015.

Vietnamese Coffee!!

42. Mean the world to someone.

43. Bathe in a hot spring

We stayed at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Nikko and it had private outdoor onsens and it was HEAVENNNNN.

44. Learn Italian

Pasta! Rigatoni! Parmigiano Reggiano! Ciao, bello~

45. Play the accordion

Ah, the devil’s squeezebox. I secretly still want to do this. Don’t tell the neighbors.

46. Meet someone who's had a near-death-experience and make them tell me about it.

This seems insensitive.

47. Write an album full of songs. A good one. / Compose one or several classical piano pieces.

I’ve written a few songs, but they’re not at the level I’d want them to be. Maybe with my indie folk band! Someday!

48. Save someone.

🙈

49. See some wonders of the world; not just official ones.

Some of the wondrous things I’ve seen include:

The Adalaj Stepwell in Ahmedabad, India

The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery, Hong Kong

Mount Fuji from my airplane window

The Top of Dragon’s Back at dusk, Hong Kong

50. Have someone be honored to meet me.

The closest I’ve gotten is: When I was single in NYC, my first OK Cupid date told me he was honored that I went on the date with him 😅

My Score: 14/50

Looks like I have a lot of work to do this year!

Xoxo

0 notes

readbookywooks · 8 years ago

Text

The Heir of Slytherin

He was standing at the end of a very long, dimly lit chamber. Towering stone pillars entwined with more carved serpents rose to support a ceiling lost in darkness, casting long, black shadows through the odd, greenish gloom that filled the place. His heart beating very fast, Harry stood listening to the chill silence. Could the basilisk be lurking in a shadowy corner, behind a pillar? And where was Ginny? He pulled out his wand and moved forward between the serpentine columns. Every careful footstep echoed loudly off the shadowy walls. He kept his eyes narrowed, ready to clamp them shut at the smallest sign of movement. The hollow eye sockets of the stone snakes seemed to be following him. More than once, with a jolt of the stomach, he thought he saw one stir. Then, as he drew level with the last pair of pillars, a statue high as the Chamber itself loomed into view, standing against the back wall. Harry had to crane his neck to look up into the giant face above: It was ancient and monkeyish, with a long, thin beard that fell almost to the bottom of the wizard's sweeping stone robes, where two enormous gray feet stood on the smooth Chamber floor. And between the feet, facedown, lay a small, black-robed figure with flaming-red hair. "Ginny!" Harry muttered, sprinting to her and dropping to his knees. "Ginny - don't be dead - please don't be dead -" He flung his wand aside, grabbed Ginny's shoulders, and turned her over. Her face was white as marble, and as cold, yet her eyes were closed, so she wasn't Petrified. But then she must be... "Ginny, please wake up," Harry muttered desperately, shaking her. Ginny's head lolled hopelessly from side to side. "She won't wake," said a soft voice. Harry jumped and spun around on his knees. A tall, black-haired boy was leaning against the nearest pillar, watching. He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window. But there was no mistaking him. "Tom - Tom Riddle?" Riddle nodded, not taking his eyes off Harry's face. "What d'you mean, she won't wake?" Harry said desperately. "She's not - she's not -?" "She's still alive," said Riddle. "But only just." Harry stared at him. Tom Riddle had been at Hogwarts fifty years ago, yet here he stood, a weird, misty light shining about him, not a day older than sixteen. "Are you a ghost?" Harry said uncertainly. "A memory," said Riddle quietly. "Preserved in a diary for fifty years." He pointed toward the floor near the statue's giant toes. Lying open there was the little black diary Harry had found in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. For a second, Harry wondered how it had got there - but there were more pressing matters to deal with. "You've got to help me, Tom," Harry said, raising Ginny's head again. "We've got to get her out of here. There's a basilisk... I don't know where it is, but it could be along any moment... Please, help me." Riddle didn't move. Harry, sweating, managed to hoist Ginny half off the floor, and bent to pick up his wand again. But his wand had gone. "Did you see -?" He looked up. Riddle was still watching him - twirling Harry's wand between his long fingers. "Thanks," said Harry, stretching out his hand for it. A smile curled the corners of Riddle's mouth. He continued to stare at Harry, twirling the wand idly. "Listen," said Harry urgently, his knees sagging with Ginny's dead weight. "We've got to go! If the basilisk comes--" "It won't come until it is called," said Riddle calmly. Harry lowered Ginny back onto the floor, unable to hold her up any longer. "What d'you mean?" he said. "Look, give me my wand, I might need it--" Riddle's smile broadened. "You won't be needing it," he said. Harry stared at him. "What d'you mean, I won't be -?" "I've waited a long time for this, Harry Potter," said Riddle. "For the chance to see you. To speak to you." "Look," said Harry, losing patience, "I don't think you get it. We're in the Chamber of Secrets. We can talk later--" "We're going to talk now," said Riddle, still smiling broadly, and he pocketed Harry's wand. Harry stared at him. There was something very funny going on here ... "How did Ginny get like this?" he asked slowly. "Well, that's an interesting question," said Riddle pleasantly. "And quite a long story. I suppose the real reason Ginny Weasley's like this is because she opened her heart and spilled all her secrets to an invisible stranger." "What are you talking about?" said Harry. "The diary," said Riddle. `My diary. Little Ginny's been writing in it for months and months, telling me all her pitiful worries and woes - how her brothers tease her, how she had to come to school with secondhand robes and books, how -" Riddle's eyes glinted "- how she didn't think famous, good, great Harry Potter would ever like her..." All the time he spoke, Riddle's eyes never left Harry's face. There was an almost hungry look in them. "It's very boring, having to listen to the silly little troubles of an eleven-year-old girl," he went on. "But I was patient. I wrote back. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Ginny simply loved me. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom... I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in... It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket ..." Riddle laughed, a high, cold laugh that didn't suit him. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck. "If I say it myself, Harry, I've always been able to charm the people I needed. So Ginny poured out her soul to me, and her soul happened to be exactly what I wanted... I grew stronger and stronger on a diet of her deepest fears, her darkest secrets. I grew powerful, far more powerful than little Miss Weasley. Powerful enough to start feeding Miss Weasley a few of my secrets, to start pouring a little of my soul back into her..." "What d'you mean?" said Harry, whose mouth had gone very dry. "Haven't you guessed yet, Harry Potter?" said Riddle softly. "Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets. She strangled the school roosters and daubed threatening messages on the walls. She set the Serpent of Slytherin on four Mudbloods, and the Squib's cat." "No," Harry whispered. "Yes," said Riddle, calmly. "Of course, she didn't know what she was doing at first. It was very amusing. I wish you could have seen her new diary entries... far more interesting, they became... Dear Tom," he recited, watching Harry's horrified face, `I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and 1 don't know how they got there. Dear Tom, l can't remember what I did on the night of Halloween, but a cat was attacked and I've got paint all down my front. Dear Tom, Percy keeps telling me I'm pale and I'm not myself. I think he suspects me... There was another attack today and I don't know where I was. Tom, what am I going to do? I think I'm going mad... I think I'm the one attacking everyone, Tom!" Harry's fists were clenched, the nails digging deep into his palms. "It took a very long time for stupid little Ginny to stop trusting her diary," said Riddle. "But she finally became suspicious and tried to dispose of it. And that's where you came in, Harry. You found it, and I couldn't have been more delighted. Of all the people who could have picked it up, it was you, the very person I was most anxious to meet..." "And why did you want to meet me?" said Harry. Anger was coursing through him, and it was an effort to keep his voice steady. "Well, you see, Ginny told me all about you, Harry," said Riddle. "Your whole fascinating history." His eyes roved over the lightning scar on Harry's forehead, and their expression grew hungrier. "I knew I must find out more about you, talk to you, meet you if I could. So I decided to show you my famous capture of that great oaf, Hagrid, to gain your trust--" "Hagrid's my friend," said Harry, his voice now shaking. "And you framed him, didn't you? I thought you made a mistake, but--" Riddle laughed his high laugh again. "It was my word against Hagrid's, Harry. Well, you can imagine how it looked to old Armando Dippet. On the one hand, Tom Riddle, poor but brilliant, parentless but so brave, school prefect, model student... on the other hand, big, blundering Hagrid, in trouble every other week, trying to raise werewolf cubs under his bed, sneaking off to the Forbidden Forest to wrestle trolls... but I admit, even I was surprised how well the plan worked. I thought someone must realize that Hagrid couldn't possibly be the Heir of Slytherin. It had taken me five whole years to find out everything I could about the Chamber of Secrets and discover the secret entrance... as though Hagrid had the brains, or the power! "Only the Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore, seemed to think Hagrid was innocent. He persuaded Dippetto keep Hagrid and train him as gamekeeper. Yes, I think Dumbledore might have guessed... Dumbledore never seemed to like me as much as the other teachers did ..." "I bet Dumbledore saw right through you," said Harry, his teeth gritted. "Well, he certainly kept an annoyingly close watch on me after Hagrid was expelled," said Riddle carelessly. "I knew it wouldn't be safe to open the Chamber again while I was still at school. But I wasn't going to waste those long years I'd spent searching for it. I decided to leave behind a diary, preserving my sixteen-year-old self in its pages, so that one day, with luck, I would be able to lead another in my footsteps, and finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." "Well, you haven't finished it," said Harry triumphantly. "No one's died this time, not even the cat. In a few hours the Mandrake Draught will be ready and everyone who was Petrified will be all right again--" "Haven't I already told you," said Riddle quietly, "that killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me anymore? For many months now, my new target has been - you." Harry stared at him. "Imagine how angry I was when the next time my diary was opened, it was Ginny who was writing to me, not you. She saw you with the diary, you see, and panicked. What if you found out how to work it, and I repeated all her secrets to you? What if, even worse, I told you who'd been strangling roosters? So the foolish little brat waited until your dormitory was deserted and stole it back. But I knew what I must do. It was clear to me that you were on the trail of Slytherin's heir. From everything Ginny had told me about you, I knew you would go to any lengths to solve the mystery - particularly if one of your best friends was attacked. And Ginny had told me the whole school was buzzing because you could speak Parseltongue ... "So I made Ginny write her own farewell on the wall and come down here to wait. She struggled and cried and became very boring. But there isn't much life left in her... She put too much into the diary, into me. Enough to let me leave its pages at last... I have been waiting for you to appear since we arrived here. I knew you'd come. I have many questions for you, Harry Potter." "Like what?" Harry spat, fists still clenched. "Well," said Riddle, smiling pleasantly, "how is it that you - a skinny boy with no extraordinary magical talent - managed to defeat the greatest wizard of all time? How did you escape with nothing but a scar, while Lord Voldemort's powers were destroyed?" There was an odd red gleam in his hungry eyes now. "Why do you care how I escaped?" said Harry slowly. "Voldemort was after your time..." "Voldemort," said Riddle softly, "is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..." He pulled Harry's wand from his pocket and began to trace it through the air, writing three shimmering words: TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE Then he waved the wand once, and the letters of his name rearranged themselves: I AM LORD VOLDEMORT "You see?" he whispered. "It was a name I was already using at Hogwarts, to my most intimate friends only, of course. You think I was going to use my filthy Muggle father's name forever? I, in whose veins runs the blood of Salazar Slytherin himself, through my mother's side? I, keep the name of a foul, common Muggle, who abandoned me even before I was born, just because he found out his wife was a witch? No, Harry - I fashioned myself a new name, a name I knew wizards everywhere would one day fear to speak, when I had become the greatest sorcerer in the world!" Harry's brain seemed to have jammed. He stared numbly at Riddle, at the orphaned boy who had grown up to murder Harry's own parents, and so many others... At last he forced himself to speak. "You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred. "Not what?" snapped Riddle. "Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days--" The smile had gone from Riddle's face, to be replaced by a very ugly look. "Dumbledore's been driven out of this castle by the mere memory of me!" he hissed. "He's not as gone as you might think!" Harry retorted. He was speaking at random, wanting to scare Riddle, wishing rather than believing it to be true. Riddle opened his mouth, but froze. Music was coming from somewhere. Riddle whirled around to stare down the empty Chamber. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, spine-tingling, unearthly; it lifted the hair on Harry's scalp and made his heart feel as though it was swelling to twice its normal size. Then, as the music reached such a pitch that Harry felt it vibrating inside his own ribs, flames erupted at the top of the nearest pillar. A crimson bird the size of a swan had appeared, piping its weird music to the vaulted ceiling. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons, which were gripping a ragged bundle. A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It dropped the ragged thing it was carrying at his feet, then landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry looked up and saw it had a long, sharp golden beak and a beady black eye. The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing steadily at Riddle. "That's a phoenix." said Riddle, staring shrewdly back at it. "Fawkes?" Harry breathed, and he felt the bird's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently. "And that -" said Riddle, now eyeing the ragged thing that Fawkes had dropped, "that's the old school Sorting Hat--" So it was. Patched, frayed, and dirty, the hat lay motionless at Harry's feet. Riddle began to laugh again. He laughed so hard that the dark chamber rang with it, as though ten Riddles were laughing at once. "This is what Dumbledore sends his defender! A songbird and an old hat! Do you feel brave, Harry Potter? Do you feel safe now?" Harry didn't answer. He might not see what use Fawkes or the Sorting Hat were, but he was no longer alone, and he waited for Riddle to stop laughing with his courage mounting. "To business, Harry," said Riddle, still smiling broadly. "Twice - in your past, in my future - we have met. And twice I failed to kill you. How did you survive? Tell me everything. The longer you talk," he added softly, "the longer you stay alive." Harry was thinking fast, weighing his chances. Riddle had the wand. He, Harry, had Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, neither of which would be much good in a duel. It looked bad, all right... but the longer Riddle stood there, the more life was dwindling out of Ginny... and in the meantime, Harry noticed suddenly, Riddle's outline was becoming clearer, more solid... If it had to be a fight between him and Riddle, better sooner than later. "No one knows why you lost your powers when you attacked me," said Harry abruptly. "I don't know myself. But I know why you couldn't kill me. Because my mother died to save me. My common Muggle-born mother," he added, shaking with suppressed rage. "She stopped you killing me. And I've seen the real you, I saw you last year. You're a wreck. You're barely alive. That's where all your power got you. You're in hiding. You're ugly, you're foul--" Riddle's face contorted. Then he forced it into an awful smile. "So. Your mother died to save you. Yes, that's a powerful countercharm. I can see now... there is nothing special about you, after all. I wondered, you see. There are strange likenesses between us, after all. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself We even look something alike... but after all, it was merely a lucky chance that saved you from me. That's all I wanted to know." Harry stood, tense, waiting for Riddle to raise his wand. But Riddle's twisted smile was widening again. "Now, Harry, I'm going to teach you a little lesson. Let's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, Heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him..." He cast an amused eye over Fawkes and the Sorting Hat, then walked away. Harry, fear spreading up his numb legs, watched Riddle stop between the high pillars and look up into the stone face of Slytherin, high above him in the half-darkness. Riddle opened his mouth wide and hissed - but Harry understood what he was saying ... "Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." Harry wheeled around to look up at the statue, Fawkes swaying on his shoulder. Slytherin's gigantic stone face was moving. Horrorstruck, Harry saw his mouth opening, wider and wider, to make a huge black hole. And something was stirring inside the statue's mouth. Something was slithering up from its depths. Harry backed away until he hit the dark Chamber wall, and as he shut his eyes tight he felt Fawkes'wing sweep his cheek as he took flight. Harry wanted to shout, "Don't leave me!" but what chance did a phoenix have against the king of serpents? Something huge hit the stone floor of the Chamber. Harry felt it shudder - he knew what was happening, he could sense it, could almost see the giant serpent uncoiling itself from Slytherin's mouth. Then he heard Riddle's hissing voice: "Kill him." The basilisk was moving toward Harry; he could hear its heavy body slithering heavily across the dusty floor. Eyes still tightly shut, Harry began to run blindly sideways, his hands outstretched, feeling his way - Voldemort was laughing. Harry tripped. He fell hard onto the stone and tasted blood the serpent was barely feet from him, he could hear it coming. There was a loud, explosive spitting sound right above him, and then something heavy hit Harry so hard that he was smashed into the wall. Waiting for fangs to sink through his body he heard more mad hissing, something thrashing wildly off the pillars. He couldn't help it - he opened his eyes wide enough to squint at what was going on. The enormous serpent, bright, poisonous green, thick as an oak trunk, had raised itself high in the air and its great blunt head was weaving drunkenly between the pillars. As Harry trembled, ready to close his eyes if it turned, he saw what had distracted the snake. Fawkes was soaring around its head, and the basilisk was snapping furiously at him with fangs long and thin as sabers Fawkes dived. His long golden beak sank out of sight and a sudden shower of dark blood spattered the floor. The snake's tail thrashed, narrowly missing Harry, and before Harry could shut his eyes, it turned - Harry looked straight into its face and saw that its eyes, both its great, bulbous yellow eyes, had been punctured by the phoenix; blood was streaming to the floor, and the snake was spitting in agony. "NO!" Harry heard Riddle screaming. "LEAVE THE BIRD! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. YOU CAN STILL SMELL HIM. KILL HIM!" The blinded serpent swayed, confused, still deadly. Fawkes was circling its head, piping his eerie song, jabbing here and there at its scaly nose as the blood poured from its ruined eyes. "Help me, help me," Harry muttered wildly, "someone - anyone..." The snake's tail whipped across the floor again. Harry ducked. Something soft hit his face. The basilisk had swept the Sorting Hat into Harry's arms. Harry seized it. It was all he had left, his only chance - he rammed it onto his head and threw himself flat onto the floor as the basilisk's tail swung over him again. Help me - help me - Harry thought, his eyes screwed tight under the hat. Please help me . There was no answering voice. Instead, the hat contracted, as though an invisible hand was squeezing it very tightly. Something very hard and heavy thudded onto the top of Harry's head, almost knocking him out. Stars winking in front of his eyes, he grabbed the top of the hat to pull it off and felt something long and hard beneath it. A gleaming silver sword had appeared inside the hat, its handle glittering with rubies the size of eggs. "KILL THE BOY! LEAVE THE BIRD! THE BOY IS BEHIND YOU. SNIFF - SMELL HIM." Harry was on his feet, ready. The basilisk's head was falling, its body coiling around, hitting pillars as it twisted to face him. He could see the vast, bloody eye sockets, see the mouth stretching wide, wide enough to swallow him whole, lined with fangs long as his sword, thin, glittering, venomous-- It lunged blindly - Harry dodged and it hit the Chamber wall. It lunged again, and its forked tongue lashed Harry's side. He raised the sword in both his hands-- The basilisk lunged again, and this time its aim was true - Harry threw his whole weight behind the sword and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the serpent's mouth-- But as warm blood drenched Harry's arms, he felt a searing pain just above his elbow. One long, poisonous fang was sinking deeper and deeper into his arm and it splintered as the basilisk keeled over sideways and fell, twitching, to the floor. Harry slid down the wall. He gripped the fang that was spreading poison through his body and wrenched it out of his arm. But he knew it was too late. White-hot pain was spreading slowly and steadily from the wound. Even as he dropped the fang and watched his own blood soaking his robes, his vision went foggy. The Chamber was dissolving in a whirl of dull color. A patch of scarlet swam past, and Harry heard a soft clatter of claws beside him. "Fawkes," said Harry thickly. "You were fantastic, Fawkes..." He felt the bird lay its beautiful head on the spot where the serpent's fang had pierced him. He could hear echoing footsteps and then a dark shadow moved in front of him. "You're dead, Harry Potter," said Riddle's voice above him. "Dead. Even Dumbledore's bird knows it. Do you see what he's doing, Potter? He's crying." Harry blinked. Fawke's head slid in and out of focus. Thick, pearly tears were trickling down the glossy feathers. "I'm going to sit here and watch you die, Harry Potter. Take your time. I'm in no hurry." Harry felt drowsy. Everything around him seemed to be spinning. "So ends the famous Harry Potter," said Riddle's distant voice. "Alone in the Chamber of Secrets, forsaken by his friends, defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry... She bought you twelve years of borrowed time... but Lord Voldemort got you in the end, as you knew he must..." If this is dying, thought Harry, it's not so bad. Even the pain was leaving him... But was this dying? Instead of going black, the Chamber seemed to be coming back into focus. Harry gave his head a little shake and there was Fawkes, still resting his head on Harry's arm. A pearly patch of tears was shining all around the wound - except that there was no wound. "Get away, bird," said Riddle's voice suddenly. "Get away from him - I said, get away--" Harry raised his head. Riddle was pointing Harry's wand at Fawkes; there was a bang like a gun, and Fawkes took flight again in a whirl of gold and scarlet. "Phoenix tears..." said Riddle quietly, staring at Harry's arm. "Of course... healing powers... I forgot..." He looked into Harry's face. "But it makes no difference. In fact, I prefer it this way. Just you and me, Harry Potter... you and me..." He raised the wand ... Then, in a rush of wings, Fawkes had soared back overhead and something fell into Harry's lap - the diary. For a split second, both Harry and Riddle, wand still raised, stared at it. Then, without thinking, without considering, as though he had meant to do it all along, Harry seized the basilisk fang on the floor next to him and plunged it straight into the heart of the book. There was a long, dreadful, piercing scream. Ink spurted out of the diary in torrents, streaming over Harry's hands, flooding the floor. Riddle was writhing and twisting, screaming and flailing and then-- He had gone. Harry's wand fell to the floor with a clatter and there was silence. Silence except for the steady drip drip of ink still oozing from the diary. The basilisk venom had burned a sizzling hole right through it. Shaking all over, Harry pulled himself up. His head was spinning as though he'd just traveled miles by Floo powder. Slowly, he gathered together his wand and the Sorting Hat, and, with a huge tug, retrieved the glittering sword from the roof of the basilisk's mouth. Then came a faint moan from the end of the Chamber. Ginny was stirring. As Harry hurried toward her, she sat up. Her bemused eyes traveled from the huge form of the dead basilisk, over Harry, in his blood-soaked robes, then to the diary in his hand. She drew a great, shuddering gasp and tears began to pour down her face. "Harry - oh, Harry - I tried to tell you at b-breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy - it was me, Harry - but I - I s-swear I d-didn't mean to - R-Riddle made me, he t-took me over - and - how did you kill that - that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I r-remember is him coming out of the diary--" "It's all right," said Harry, holding up the diary, and showing Ginny the fang hole, "Riddle's finished. Look! Him and the basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, let's get out of here--" "I'm going to be expelled!" Ginny wept as Harry helped her awkwardly to her feet. "I've looked forward to coming to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and n-now I'll have to leave and - w-what'll Mum and Dad say?" Fawkes was waiting for them, hovering in the Chamber entrance. Harry urged Ginny forward; they stepped over the motionless coils of the dead basilisk, through the echoing gloom, and back into the tunnel. Harry heard the stone doors close behind them with a soft hiss. After a few minutes'progress up the dark tunnel, a distant sound of slowly shifting rock reached Harry's ears. "Ron!" Harry yelled, speeding up. "Ginny's okay! I've got her!" He heard Ron give a strangled cheer, and they turned the next bend to see his eager face staring through the sizable gap he had managed to make in the rock fall. "Ginny!" Ron thrust an arm through the gap in the rock to pull her through first. "You're alive! I don't believe it! What happened?" How - what - where did that bird come from?" Fawkes had swooped through the gap after Ginny. "He's Dumbledore's," said Harry, squeezing through himself. "How come you've got a sword?" said Ron, gaping at the glittering weapon in Harry's hand. "I'll explain when we get out of here," said Harry with a sideways glance at Ginny, who was crying harder than ever. "But--" "Later," Harry said shortly. He didn't think it was a good idea to tell Ron yet who'd been opening the Chamber, not in front of Ginny, anyway. "Where's Lockhart?" "Back there," said Ron, still looking puzzled but jerking his head up the tunnel toward the pipe. "He's in a bad way. Come and see." Led by Fawkes, whose wide scarlet wings emitted a soft golden glow in the darkness, they walked all the way back to the mouth of the pipe. Gilderoy Lockhart was sitting there, humming placidly to himself. "His memory's gone," said Ron. "The Memory Charm backfired. Hit him instead of us. Hasn't got a clue who he is, or where he is, or who we are. I told him to come and wait here. He's a danger to himself." Lockhart peered good-naturedly up at them all. "Hello," he said. "Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?" "No," said Ron, raising his eyebrows at Harry. Harry bent down and looked up the long, dark pipe. "Have you thought how we're going to get back up this?" he said to Ron. Ron shook his head, but Fawkes the phoenix had swooped past Harry and was now fluttering in front of him, his beady eyes bright in the dark. He was waving his long golden tail feathers. Harry looked uncertainly at him. "He looks like he wants you to grab hold..." said Ron, looking perplexed. "But you're much too heavy for a bird to pull up there--" "Fawkes," said Harry, "isn't an ordinary bird." He turned quickly to the others. "We've got to hold on to each other. Ginny, grab Ron's hand. Professor Lockhart--" "He means you," said Ron sharply to Lockhart. "You hold Ginny's other hand--" Harry tucked the sword and the Sorting Hat into his belt, Ron took hold of the back of Harry's robes, and Harry reached out and took hold of Fawkes's strangely hot tail feathers. An extraordinary lightness seemed to spread through his whole body and the next second, in a rush of wings, they were flying upward through the pipe. Harry could hear Lockhart dangling below him, saying, "Amazing! Amazing! This is just like magic!" The chill air was whipping through Harry's hair, and before he'd stopped enjoying the ride, it was over - all four of them were hitting the wet floor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and as Lockhart straightened his hat, the sink that hid the pipe was sliding back into place. Myrtle goggled at them. "You're alive," she said blankly to Harry. "There's no need to sound so disappointed," he said grimly, wiping flecks of blood and slime off his glasses. "Oh, well... I'd just been thinking... if you had died, you'd have been welcome to share my toilet," said Myrtle, blushing silver. "Urgh!" said Ron as they left the bathroom for the dark, deserted corridor outside. "Harry! I think Myrtle's grown fond of you! You've got competition, Ginny!" But tears were still flooding silently down Ginny's face. "Where now?" said Ron, with an anxious look at Ginny. Harry pointed. Fawkes was leading the way, glowing gold along the corridor. They strode after him, and moments later, found themselves outside Professor McGonagall's office. Harry knocked and pushed the door open.

#ChamberofSecrets #HarryPotter

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