The Hand Basilisk and the Return to Hogwarts
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And I'll start releasing the story I told you about.
I think it might be as early as today))))
Enjoy reading.
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To say that Darius's actions had caused a stir was an understatement. A fortnight after the robbery, an article appeared in the Daily Prophet with news of the theft in Rosier's safe. After that, the entire society exploded discussing the news. Ordinary wizards were shocked that someone had managed to rob Gringotts, and in such a way that it had only become known over time and then by accident.
But the pureblood elite, in addition to shock, was worried that if someone had managed to rob the country's most secure vault, it meant that all their savings, artifacts, and family jewels were no longer safe.
Another news story was that Lord Rosier was admitted to St Mungo's Hospital in a semi-living condition, just the day after the article about the robbery. The public was given the version that Rosier had been injured during an experiment with potions, due to the wrong combination of ingredients, an explosion occurred. The public believed it, but Alex had the idea that Rosier was hurt because Riddle was voicing his "displeasure" to him, over the loss of the Horcrux.
Peverell himself was pleased, things were getting better and better for their party, Darius would be well soon, he had lured an experienced wizard to his side, and he had two of Voldemort's five Horcruxes in his possession. Marvolo Gaunt's ring, Alex had got it much earlier and Riddle hadn't had time to turn it into a Horcrux. Now he didn't know where to find Tom's diary or his snake, although Peverell had an idea about the latter, but that was for the future.
He had visited Slytherin Manor the other day and showed Lord Slytherin his medallion and the Cup, from which he had already taken out a piece of Riddle's soul. The Founder was pleased with the work he had done, and when he learned that he would be holding Rowena Ravenclaw's tiara for Christmas, he laughed to everyone's surprise. Laughing, he praised Alex for such quick and quality work and said that the tiara would make a great Christmas present.
After that, Salazar surprised him, even shocked him with one interesting piece of news:
Flashback
Three days after the Gringotts robbery. Slytherin Manor.
- You've done well Alex and proved yourself, so you deserve to be initiated into one of the major secrets of our family," Lord Slytherin said after Toby had carried the cup into the treasury of Peverell Manor and the locket that now rightfully belonged to the boy was placed around his neck.
- Secrets? - Lord Peverell-Slytherin asked in surprise.
- Yes, secrets," the man in the portrait nodded and then Alex noticed that most of the Slytherins had disappeared from the portraits. - Only those who proved themselves and only the heads of the Slytherin family were privy to this secret, that is, if you were a girl, there was nothing like that," the Slytherin explained.
- And what was the secret? - Peverell asked with great interest and curiosity.
- Before you do, make a magical oath that you'll keep quiet about it for the rest of your life and won't try to share it with anyone," the man interrupted the boy in a serious voice.
- Okay, - Alex agreed with surprise, though from this news his interest only increased after Peverell took out his senior wand, raised it upwards, and spoke in a loud voice:
- "I Alexandros Peverell-Slytherin swear by my magic and my life that I will keep silent about all the secrets of the Slytherin family for the rest of my life, and in no way attempt to share them with anyone," with the last word a bright white light enveloped the boy, confirming his oath.
- Very well descendant, now that all formalities have been fulfilled, I shall begin. I'll make it short, you'll get the opportunity to raise your basilisk," Peverell didn't expect this and now looked at the Slytherin with a shocked look.
- What?" The strength was enough for one single question, and his voice was hoarse with excitement.
- Every prominent Slytherin Lord goes through something like this. You've shown your best and you're getting this opportunity, and it's an opportunity few get," the man in the portrait said with a grin.
- But, I don't even know how I'm going to look after him," the boy said.
- It's too late, you could have refused, but since you took an oath, you don't have that option. Now about the basilisk, do you know how it should appear in the world? - Alex thought for a moment and after half a minute he answered:
- He's a snake, so he must come from an egg, and in the case of the basilisk from a chicken egg incubated by a toad.
- That's right, that's how normal basilisks are bred, but not Slytherin basilisks," the Slytherin founder said crossing his arms across his chest.
- What do you mean? - The boy didn't understand.
- How to say, the words pureblood and half-blood can be applied to basilisks too. Half-blood basilisks are those that, as you said, are born from a chicken egg incubated by a toad. They are the spawn of necromancy, and our basilisks, that is purebloods, are those that are born from eggs laid by another basilisk, - the man enlightened the surprised boy.
- And what is the difference between a purebred basilisk and a half-breed? - Alex asked with interest, sitting down on the transfigured chair.
- Half-bloods are mostly semi-intelligent because they are born from a chicken. They live off instincts only. They cannot control their murderous gaze and only obey their creator or his descendants. Their main weakness is the rooster's singing.
- Purebred basilisks have no such weaknesses. They are intelligent and can speak, but only in Parseltang. They have complete control over their gaze and will only kill with it if desired or ordered to. Purebloods are noticeably larger than half-breeds and their distinguishing feature: four small horns that form a crown. But the great thing about pureblood basilisks is that they don't give a damn about rooster singing," the Slytherin finished.
- I see, but wait, wouldn't it take two more basilisks to give birth to a pureblood basilisk" Peverell blushed at the last word, which amused the former Slytherin lords present.
- Yes we do, but we don't have them. Luckily the last Slytherin Basilisk left an egg, but unfortunately, the family died out and no one was able to awaken the egg," Salazar said with a sigh.
- Shouldn't the serpent have awakened in such a long time? - Alex asked in surprise.
- No, but basilisks are the spawn of necromancy, so if something is born to them, it is born dead, that's why a ritual is used here, which revives and binds the snake to you, actually making it your familiar, - answered the Slytherin.
- So what am I supposed to do? - Lord Peverell asked, rising from his seat.
- The ritual is written in a scroll in the head of the family, the egg is in the treasury, and you know the way to the ritual hall. Study the scroll, get the egg, and perform the ritual," the boy thought for a moment, then nodded. - Oh yes, when the serpent hatches don't forget to get some small animal, because the basilisk will be hungry, and to satisfy its hunger it has to hunt, - the young man nodded silently and left the room with portraits.
- Jack, - Alex called the housekeeper, leaving the room and closing the door.
- Yes, master? - A second later the old elf appeared and asked, looking at his master with a fanatical look.
- Go to my office and get the scroll with the ritual to revive and bind the basilisk and bring it to the ritual hall," ordered the Peverell-Slytherin.
- Yes, master," the elf bowed to the floor and then disappeared with a quiet clap.
Sending Jack for the necessary, Alex himself went to the family treasury to get the egg itself.
Half an hour later, Lord Slytherin entered the ritual hall, carefully holding a cushion on which rested an egg, an unusual black color, slightly larger than a hen's egg. Having placed his burden in the center of the rune circle, Alex went to the other end of the hall, where a wrapped scroll appeared with a quiet pop. Having opened it, the boy began to read the written words.
After another ten minutes, an incredibly tired Lord Peverell came out of the ritual hall, holding in his hands a basilisk egg, which was now white in color. Leaving the egg in his study and having a houseboy attend to it, Alex went to Peverell Manor, the egg would be perfectly fine, and it was still a month away from hatching, so there was no point in staying in Slytherin Manor at Peverell's.
End of Flashback
***
Nothing much happened during the rest of the holidays. Everything was quiet.
Up at six in the morning, then breakfast, studying until lunch: dark magic and blood magic with Antonin and Cassiopeia. Then lunch, followed by the business of the family, Gringotts reports, the House of Lords, and the Wizengamot. Dinner in the evening, followed by two hours of solitude with Bellatrix and Narcissa and at the very end an hour of potions with Snape.
But aside from all that, Alex had had some good fun over the summer.
Firstly, on his fourteenth birthday, a grand ball was organized and all the cream of society was invited. All the purebloods from the three parties, including the Potters, the Crouches, the Rosiers, the Lestrange, and even Gaunt, I mean Riddle.
And the second: his best friend Lucius Malfoy had taken Andromeda Black as his wife and another grand ball had been thrown at Malfoy Manor on the tenth of August. Alex dreamed about Orion and Cygnus' happy faces for a week afterwards.
***
At the end of the summer holidays the whole company of Alex with Bellatrix and Narcissa, Darius and Severus, Antoninus and Cassiopeia, joined by Frank and his mother and Mark and his father, stood on Platform 9¾ and waited for Lucius and Andromeda. The latter were already considered bride and groom, as a marriage contract had been arranged between their parents for the first of August.
- Sorry I'm late," it sounded from the left. Looking in the direction of the familiar voice, everyone saw Malfoy and Black, along with Orion and Abraxas.
- It's nothing, we've only recently arrived too," Darius waved his hand.
- 'Right, kids it's nearly eleven, the train's leaving soon, so hurry up,' Malfoy senior said, glancing at his wristwatch.
Once everyone had said their goodbyes. The younger generation boarded the train and went off to find an empty compartment. Longbottom and Greengrass, after apologizing, went to find their fellow faculty members.
An empty compartment was quickly found. Bellatrix sat by the window, Alex sat next to her, and Narcissa was already next to him. Malfoy and Andromeda sat opposite, as usual. Peverell was a little tired, as his familiar had hatched from an egg at the end of August, so he needed looking after, and Narcissa, as his consort and future Lady Slytherin, had volunteered to help him.
Flashback
A month after the ritual was performed.
Alex sat in his office and sorted through reports. Narcissa Black was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book. There was peace and silence in the office, broken only by the squeak of the master's pen and the rustling of Narcissa's pages. The reigning idyll was broken by a quiet clap. Looking at the source of the noise, the boy was alarmed, for it was Jack who had arrived, and he had been ordered by the boy to keep an eye on the basilisk egg.
- Jack, what's wrong? - Peverell asked, noticing Narcissa looking away from her book.
- 'My lord, the egg has begun to crack,' the houseboy said without delay.
- Has it begun? Find a couple of small rodents, and bring them to Slytherin Manor," the Slytherin ordered, standing up from his seat.
- Will do, master," and then bowing, the old elf disappeared.
- Alex, what's with the egg? - Narcissa asked after the houseboy had disappeared. Peverell thought for a moment, deciding whether to tell the girl about the snake or not.
- A basilisk egg," the boy answered honestly, getting up from his seat and heading towards the fireplace to move to Slytherin Manor. The girl's reaction was expected, she looked at the boy with a shocked look, and when she got over the shock, she asked:
- Can I see it?
- Sure, let's go," Alex said, holding out his hand to Narcissa. Black abruptly got out of her seat and, coming up to her fiancé, put her small hand in his palm and stood beside him.
Taking the girl's hand, Peverell threw a handful of flying powder into the fireplace and, after waiting for the emerald flames to burst into flame, stepped forward, pulling the girl with him, clearly stating the address, "Slytherin Manor."
The Slytherins appeared right in the office of the head of the family. There was an egg on the table and looking closely, the boy noticed a web of cracks spreading across the egg, which now covered a quarter of the entire egg and was slowly moving on.
This action went on for another ten minutes, and all this time Alex sat in his chair and kept his intense gaze on the egg. His spouse was also standing next to him. When the egg was completely cracked, Peverell even moved forward a little. With a final crack, the shell split open and a small serpent's head was revealed, adorned with four small horns.
- Come to me, little one, - Alex said in Parseltang in an affectionate voice.
- 'How beautiful,' Narcissa hissed in a delighted voice as she recovered from her surprise.
The basilisk heard their hissing, so it crawled towards Alex's hand very briskly for its small size. When it reached the Slytherin, the serpent immediately curled around his arm.
- Jack," Peverell said, releasing the snake onto the table.
- 'Yes, master? - The elf asked, appearing a moment later.
- Did you bring what I said? - The boy asked, looking at the housekeeper. He silently snapped his fingers and with a quiet clap on the table appeared a pair of ordinary mice, which immediately ran to the edge of the table and jumped to the ground.
But the surprise was that his wife was afraid of mice like fire. Immediately after the rodents jumped to the floor, the girl shrieked and jumped up, jumping on the guy's lap.
Another surprise, almost a shock for Peverell was that the basilisk hissed angrily and in just three minutes, caught up with both of them, bit, poisoned, and then swallowed them whole. As soon as the serpent finished with the second, it immediately crawled to Alex and climbed up on the table, crawled on his arm curled up in a ring on his neck, and then fell asleep.
End of Flashback
Suppressing a yawn, Alex leaned back and closed his eyes. He wanted to sleep very badly, but Peverell did not indulge his desires. Deciding that reading should help him, the boy took out a book on dark magic from his spatial pocket and, having opened it to the necessary page, started reading.
Twenty minutes later, the Slytherin felt Narcissa's head drop onto his right shoulder, who was barely audibly sniffling. Sighing tiredly, Peverell put his arm around the girl's waist, pulling her close to him. After another hour, the guy felt a heaviness on his left shoulder. Looking to his left, Alex again sighed tiredly, and putting the book away in his spatial pocket hugged the sleeping Bellatrix by the waist with his other arm.
Feeling eyes on him, Peverell raised his head and caught the gaze of Lucius and Andromeda, who were looking at him with a very big snicker.
The train arrived at Hogsmeade towards evening, the weather as always was pleasingly clear, for it was raining heavily. Sending his familiar with Narcissa, Alex himself went to the carriages with the rest of the company.
The Slytherins reached Hogwarts very quickly. After that, they went straight to the great hall. There, as always, was already almost the whole Hogwarts. All of the professors were there except Dumbledore and McGonagall. Taking a seat at the Slytherin table, Peverell began to look around. Bellatrix sat on his right hand as usual, Malfoy sat on his left, and the future Mrs Malfoy sat next to him.
- Congratulations Malfoy," it sounded somewhere to the left. Looking that way, everyone saw Umbridge along with Fudge.
- Thank you," Malfoy's voice could easily freeze boiling water at times like this.
The noise in the hall was interrupted by the appearance of the Dean of Gryffindor, followed by the first-years, and looking closely, Alex noticed Narcissa among them.
- The one whose name I'll call will come forward and I'll put a distribution hat on his head and it will assign you to a faculty," McGonagall, repeating her words of last year, pulled out a familiar scroll and the distribution began.
This year there were no students who stood out, and Alex was only concerned about two of them. And so the first of those two was called:
- Bartemius Crouch Junior," a very young Barty emerged from the crowd of children and walked over to McGonagall and sat down on a chair, before placing a hat on his head. Peverell was probably the only one who noticed that Dumbledore was looking at Crouch's allotment with undue interest. It was clear that Albus hadn't had much success negotiating with Crouch senior, which meant he was thinking of influencing him through his son.
- Slytherin," At the hat's shout, Salazar's valiant followers burst into applause.
- Narcissa Black," the transfiguration professor's words were followed by a dead silence, every student present remembered the article about the marriage contract between Lord Peverell and the Black maidens, so everyone, even the teachers, was curious to see the future Lady Slytherin.
- Slytherin," this time there was even more applause than before.
- Sis, come join us," Andromeda called out to Narcissa as soon as the latter approached the Slytherin table. The girl smiled faintly in response and sat down next to Alex.
After that, the distribution went quietly, there was no one else in particular.
- I am pleased to welcome those who are new to this school and happy to see those who have returned to continue their studies," Dumbledore said, spreading his arms, flashing his eyes, and smiling a smile that made Alex feel sick.
- And we're so glad," Nott said, the sneer in his voice sounding like something only a deaf person would hear. The table laughed faintly at the boy's retort.
- I realize you're tired after your long journey, so I won't bore you with long speeches," the headmaster continued.
- We'd appreciate it," Zabini said in the same snide voice. A slight chuckle spread across the table again.
- So, bon appetit," with the last word, the old mage waved his hand, and all the tables began to fill with food.
After checking the food for any nastiness, Peverell began to leisurely devour the food, noticing identical actions from all the members of the faculty. As soon as dinner was over, the headmen, along with the sleepy freshmen, went about the faculty lounges.
The boy himself hugged a tired Narcissa and went to his chambers with her sister, noticing that Lucius and Andromeda were talking to Slughorn about something.