Seated at the head of the table in his home, Harry glanced around lazily as he surveyed all of the guests he currently had around him. A couple of which were two of the last people he would have expected to host a few hours ago.
To his immediate right sat Sirius, who was acting in his role as Lord of the house of Black. On the left side of the U shaped table was the Tonks family, Andromeda, Ted and Nymphadora, as they were also a branch of the Black family after Sirius officially made it so. Standing to the side to spectate, but not participate, was Amelia and Susan Bones, who Harry speculated he was going to see a lot of during the summer. Then finally the final two guests he hadn't been expecting, Narcissa and Draco Malfoy.
Narcissa at least had the awareness to know that her future depended on the decisions of Sirius and her sister, Andromeda, as she held her head high while keeping her condescending attitude in check. Draco meanwhile looked as if he was a step away from going feral as he glared hatefully at Harry, obviously holding him accountable for everything that had gone bad for him in the last year.
"Mother, we don't need anything from these scum." Draco snarled as he stood and made to leave.
"Sit down." Narcissa snapped at him while waving her wand, making Draco's chair move as it knocked his legs out from under him, and forced him back to the table. And when he tried to argue, no noise could be heard from him.
"If there is nothing else, shall we get started?" She then asked while turning towards Sirius.
"Indeed. Tell me Cissy, why is it you want to return to the house of Black?" Sirius asked her as they officially began the talks, making Narcissa sniff irritably. It was obvious why, but they all knew she was going to have to say it to make her argument.
"My husband is in prison, possibly for the rest of his life. We've lost our home, as well as everything that should have been Draco's to inherit. I was able to get through until now by selling my remaining jewelry to pay for a room at an inn, but I cannot support my son in such a way, nor could I afford to send him to Hogwarts for the next six years. I have no other alternatives."
No one was surprised by Narcissa's admission, as those that knew her knew it would be the only reason she would seek them out.
"And if I welcomed you back, and another option presented itself down the line?" Sirius asked, and Narcissa stiffened noticeably.
"You ARE family Narcissa, and, despite how much I hate our family in general, I do wish to help what little is left. But how do I know that if Lucius should get out of Azkaban, or if Voldemort returns(everyone else but Harry and Amelia flinched), you will not betray our family? What assurances can you give me?"
Silence reigned for a moment as everyone stared at Narcissa, waiting for her answer to the question.
"Dissolve my marriage with Lucius." Narcissa eventually said in a small voice, barely above a whisper, earning her an incredulous look from Draco while both Sirius and Andromeda looked at her in disbelief.
"Cissy, are you certain?" Andromeda asked worriedly, speaking for the first time since Sirius and Narcissa began talking.
"Yes, I am sure." She said with a voice that seemed emotional for the first time that night.
"I love Lucius." She said in a firmer voice, speaking to all of them. "I've loved him since we were both in school, and I did whatever was necessary to ensure he was mine. And we all know the only reason the family allowed it was because he was a Malfoy.
"But Lucius is in prison. Nothing short of the Dark Lord returning will change that, and even then we would still be Knut-less and homeless. As such, I have to think of our son now, especially his future. If it will prove my sincerity to Lord Black, then I will dissolve my marriage with him, and swear an Unbreakable Vow never to serve the Dark Lord or his followers ever again."
The silence that followed her declaration was deafening, leaving only the crackle of the hearth before them as they all awaited Sirius's decision.
"Very well." Sirius eventually said as he nodded in agreement. "We can officiate your separation from Lucius later, but let's perform the vow now. The three key points will be that you will never again willingly serve or benefit Voldemort, you will serve the heads of the house of Black to the best of your abilities, including my heir, and you will endeavor to keep Draco from following the same path as his father. Is that agreeable?"
"Yes..." Narcissa said quietly, before rising to her feet as she approached Sirius. At the same time, Amelia approached them and pulled out her wand, while Sirius similarly rose to his feet.
Sirius and Narcissa grasped each other by their right forearms, similarly to a greeting, while Amelia placed the tip of her wand against their joined hands. A moment later, a thread of what appeared to be fire sprouted from her wand to coil around their hands, binding them together. And then, Sirius spoke as he started making the vow.
"Do you, Narcissa, swear to never again willingly serve the Dark Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Riddle, for so long as you live?"
"I do."
"Do you also swear that, to the best of your abilities, you will work to ensure Draco does not follow the same path as his father?"
"I do."
"And finally, do you swear to serve the Lord's of house Black for the rest of your life? Both myself and my heir, Harry James Potter?"
This time Narcissa hesitated slightly as she glanced from Sirius to Harry, before seemingly resigning herself as she stated, "I do."
With that, Sirius's side of the vow was completed, but they weren't done yet.
"With the conditions Lord Black has laid down before me, do you, Sirius Black, hereby swear to take in, provide for and protect myself and my son Draco, so long as we do not betray your trust nor your hospitality?" She asked him this time.
"I do." Sirius answered her, and then Amelia removed her wand from their hands, completing the Unbreakable Vow. The entire time Draco, who was still under the effect of Narcissa's magic, simply glared silently and hatefully at them all in indignation. But none more than his own mother as she retook her seat beside him.
"Is that everything?" Harry asked Sirius, who nodded quietly as he sat back down as well.
"Alright. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am famished." Harry stated to everyone else, before the table was suddenly laden with numerous dishes that magically appeared in front of them. Courtesy of Sweets of course.
Sirius, Andromeda, Ted, Nymphadora, and Harry all eagerly dug into the food before them, while Amelia took the seat on Sirius's other side to do the same, and Susan took the free seat beside Harry. Narcissa meanwhile lifted her previous spells from Draco, before she too began to eat the food before her with refined elegance.
The meal passed pleasantly enough, with Susan animatedly telling her aunt about the end of the term, as well as her talking with Nymphadora about how Hufflepuff was doing, as apparently that was her old house as well.
"So when are you two going to stop sneaking around?" Harry suddenly asked Sirius and Amelia curiously.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Harry." Amelia stated in denial, earning them a giggle from Susan.
"Please. We all know you two are sleeping together. Why not make it official?" Harry stated, to which everyone else started nodding around the table.
"Well, our relationship is a bit unique, pup." Sirius said slyly with a smirk, earning him a glare from Amelia.
"How so?"
"You know how your dad and I used to play pranks all the time back when we were in school?"
Harry nodded in affirmation, having heard PLENTY of such stories by now.
"Well, sometimes we would also prank the Hufflepuffs as well, just to shake things up a little. And naturally, each time we did so we would get an earful from Amelia here since she was more or less the lead Puff. Even more so after she was named Prefect.
"One day in fifth year I was especially bored. Everyone else was studying for the OWLs, your dad was trying to woo your mom, and I had what was probably too much time by myself to think up some fun ideas."
"Fun ideas?! You turned a vault of Nifflers loose in our common room! I still don't even know how you managed to sneak in!" Amelia declared indignantly.
"Yeah... I did." Sirius said with a faraway look in his eyes, before the mischief returned as he glanced at Amelia.
"Anyways... I was hiding out in a nearby classroom while the chaos unfolded, only to be found by Amelia as she immediately blamed me for the prank. She started screaming at me, then one thing led to another..."
"I think that's enough of that particular story." Amelia said pointedly with pink cheeks, glancing at both Susan and Draco meaningfully as she did so. And even if it went unsaid, Harry could figure for himself that the story ended somewhere along the lines of Amelia being bent over one of the desks.
"Right!" Sirius said while making a sound like a cough. "Anyways... Though we never officially dated, we did get together quite a few times after that incident. Especially after I pulled a prank on Hufflepuff."
"I'm sure you were only doing it at that point to get my attention." Amelia said irritably.
"You are sexy when you're pissed." Sirius replied, earning himself a thump on his arm.
Despite their banter, it felt to Harry and the others that there was a notably pink atmosphere over the table, which also made him reminisce about his own wife and mistress. Harry couldn't help but to wonder what Aela and Serana were doing at that moment as he continued eating.
Unfortunately, all good things need to come to an end, and that was when Sweets, Stumpy and Goggles all collected their dishes to take them to be cleaned, while the remaining food was either packed away as leftovers, or taken to the pigs Harry had bought over Easter break.
With dinner done, and the three Tonks returning to their own home, Harry stood and gestured to Narcissa to follow him as he made his way to his office upstairs.
"How may I be of assistance, Lord Potter." Narcissa asked after Harry closed the door to his office behind them.
"I wanted to talk to you about this." Harry said as he tossed something onto his desk with a thump, which made Narcissa's eyes widen as her complexion paled even more.
"How did you-?!"
"Did you really think I would let either you or Draco enter my home without searching through your things?" Harry cut her off as he sat in the chair behind his desk, looking comically small as he did so, but no less intimidating to Narcissa at that moment.
Narcissa wanted to rage at him at that moment for violating her privacy, but caught herself as she stared at the item Harry had taken from her warily. A nondescript book bound in black leather, with a name engraved on the bottom of the cover. A diary.
"Do you even know what this is?" Harry asked when Narcissa remained silent.
"I only know the Dark Lord entrusted it to Lucius before his fall, told him it would reopen the Chamber of Secrets and purge Hogwarts of those unworthy of studying magic. It was also the only thing that survived the burning of our manor, and Lucius entrusted it to me shortly before he was arrested." She answered quietly, looking only at the diary as it sat on the table.
"What is the Chamber of Secrets?" Harry asked her next, his curiosity piqued.
"A legend passed down through the House of Slytherin. Of the four four founders, only Salazar Slytherin believed that magic should be kept to those who come from magical families, and that those who come from non-magical bloodlines were unworthy of its gifts. Unfortunately the other three did not agree with him, and he was eventually banished from the castle.
"According to the legend, before leaving, Salazar created a hidden chamber that only those of his bloodline would be able to find and enter. And within they would find a creature left by Salazar himself, one that would rid the school of those unworthy of practicing magic."
If Narcissa had Harry's curiosity before, she had his complete and undivided attention now as he fixed her with a firm look.
"And this book can lead to the Chamber?" He asked her while tapping it with his finger.
"Yes, according to Lucius and the Dark Lord."
"What is it that is in the chamber?"
"I have no idea. The Chamber was last opened fifty years ago, well before I attended Hogwarts. There were several attacks on students back then, but only one was killed. No one ever knew what it was behind the attacks." She told him in a voice barely above a whisper.
"I see..." Harry murmured as he looked at the book, his mind racing with possibilities.
"I'll be keeping this." He finally said, and Harry noticed the tension in her shoulders bleed out slightly. "I don't want you to ever tell anyone about this diary, or this conversation. Not unless I give you the go ahead. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Lord Potter." She answered, now relieved that he wasn't kicking them out because of the diary.
"One more thing." He said as she turned to leave.
"Yes?"
"Do you know of any other items that Voldemort might have entrusted to other Death Eaters? Or is there anyone else you can think of that he would have?" Harry asked her.
"I cannot say for certain... But I know my sister was his most loyal follower." Narcissa eventually told him.
"Bellatrix?"
"Yes. Though she married into the Lestrange family, she was absolutely loyal only to the Dark Lord, bordering on fanaticism. If there was anyone he'd trust with an item of importance, she would be the most probable one."
"Thank you, Narcissa." Harry said when she finished talking, and the lady quickly took her leave. Leaving Harry alone with the diary he had taken from her few remaining possessions.
"Could it really be that simple...?" Harry muttered to himself as he picked up and examined the diary, which looked like an ordinary diary aside from the letters T. M. Riddle engraved on the front. It didn't take a genius to figure out they stood for Tom Marvolo Riddle.
The curious part was that the pages within the diary were blank, showing no instruction on how to open the Chamber of Secrets, let alone finding it.
But Harry wasn't one to give up so easily, especially when there was a hidden chamber to be discovered, a monster to be slain, and possible treasure just waiting to be discovered. So he did the only natural thing when faced with an empty diary.
Opening the leather bound book to the first page, Harry grabbed a quill and some ink before closing his eyes, and trying to recall his childhood before ending up on Tamriel.
He recalled the insults he was given at every turn. The oversized and ruined hand-me-down clothes he'd get from Dudley. He recalled being locked in his cupboard, sometimes for days at a time with only the barest food and water to eat or drink. He recalled being worked like their personal house elf, only to be hit by either his aunt or his uncle at the slightest mistake.
Finally, Harry dipped the quill into the ink and wrote in the diary with the untidy writing of an eleven year, starting with the date.
~~~
Dear diary,
I don't know if I'm doing this right, but my friend gave me this diary as we were heading home and said that sometimes writing things down would help. So here I go.
Today, my first year at Hogwarts ended and we all went home. Unfortunately for me, that means going back to the Dursleys.
I will never know why my aunt and uncle took me in, despite knowing about magic and hating everything to do with it. We were barely even through the front door when uncle Vernon took all of my school supplies and locked them away somewhere. I hope my teachers will understand why I won't be able to do my summer homework.
At the same time, aunt Petunia sent me straight to the kitchen to cook their dinner for them. At least they let me eat some of the leftovers after they were done, even if there were barely any after my cousin Dudley was done with them.
Now I'm sitting in my cupboard writing after I waited for them all to go to bed, praying for September to get here as quickly as possible so I can go back to Hogwarts.
I hate it here.
~~~
Harry trailed off there as he finished filling in most of a page, wondering if something would actually happen, or if he was wasting his time. But a moment later, as if it had been waiting for him to finish, the words he wrote quickly began to disappear. As if they were being sucked into the pages.
Then, brand new words that Harry hadn't written started to take their place.
~~~
I'm sorry to hear all of that. It sounds to me like your aunt and uncle aren't very pleasant people.
~~~
Harry couldn't help the grin he had as he read and then reread the words on the page, before they too disappeared a moment later. He quickly applied more ink to his quill, and wrote back to whoever it was that answered him, though he was sure he knew exactly who it was.
~~~
Who are you?
~~~
Again, a moment later the words disappeared before new one took their place.
~~~
I am Tom Riddle. This was my diary, though I suppose it belongs to you now. May I also ask your name?
~~~
Harry took a brief second to debate before he decided that nothing ventured was nothing gained.
~~~
My name is Harry Potter. How are you able to talk to me?
...
It is a common enough spell to make something respond to a person as if it were alive, you'll learn it in your fifth year at Hogwarts. I modified it a little bit so I myself would respond to the writer. I am glad to see that it still works.
...
That is amazing!
...
It is amazing, as is all magic. It's too bad your family can't see that. I assume they are muggles?
...
Yeah. My mom and dad died when I was a baby, so my aunt and uncle are all I know. According to them, my parents died in a car crash after my father got drunk.
...
I am sorry, Harry. I also didn't know my parents, and was raised by muggles who couldn't understand the greatness of magic. I know how frustrating it can be.
~~~
Harry smiled as he and Tom wrote to each other back and forth, pleased that Tom didn't seem to suspect anything about who he was.
And as for the talk of a spell to make it seem as if himself was responding to him? Harry didn't buy that excuse in the slightest.
The more they talked, the more Harry believed that the diary in front of him was actually one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. And it had practically fallen right into his lap!
Eventually Harry had to end the correspondence with Tom for the night, claiming that he could hear his uncle walking to the loo while being worried about being caught.
Closing the diary, Harry used a specially made key to open one of the drawers of his desk, and stashed the diary within before closing and locking it tightly. He already planned to milk this diary of everything of value that he could learn from it, starting with the chamber and whatever treasures were waiting for him within.
It helped that Harry established his horrible relationship with his only remaining family, which would help Tom 'corrupt' him into hating muggles and muggleborns. With any luck, Tom would tell him how to access the chamber, and maybe whatever was hiding in it, before he returned to Hogwarts in September.
Until then Harry was ready to play the long con, as he had other things to deal with during the summer break. For now though, he was content to head to bed as he made his way to his bedroom, and laid down after changing out of his day clothes.