Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Foolish Emotions ❯ One ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: JK Rowling and all her publishers own Harry Potter. All of this is written for entertainment purposes only.
 
Note: Two years ago, I wrote this first chapter, intending this to be a one-shot. But now I'm quite inspired to continue this story that I had ended so long ago. So, without further ado, I'll leave you to your reading pleasure.
 
 
'So, you shall be in... SLYTHERIN!'
 
Harry felt giddiness and sadness swell inside him at the same time. He wasn't going to be with Weasley, but with Malfoy in Slytherin. Everyone in the room became even more silent, if that were possible. If someone had dropped a pin, it would have echoed throughout the castle, destroying everything in its wake. Harry looked at the Head table. No one on the staff looked happy. Shrugging, Harry got off the stool and walked leisurely over to the Slytherin table, pointedly ignoring the silence. He sat down next to Draco silently and the students at the Slytherin table erupted into cheers for Harry.
 
Suddenly, the face of Dumbledore appeared before him, 'You should have been in Gryffindor, your parents would not have been proud of you, Mr. Potter... Mr. Potter... parents... not proud...' The words continued to echo as Harry saw accusing faces surrounding him.
 
Harry turned to run from Dumbledore and the accusatory faces, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and Headmaster. When he looked behind, he saw he was no further than when he had started running. He felt his stomach drop when he saw his feet toppling over the edge of a cliff and his body began to fall towards the abyss. The words were still echoing in his ears.
 
Harry woke up, yelling and panting slightly. Harry struggled to keep his heaving stomach down as he detangled himself from the blankets, hopping out of the bed and going into the bathroom for some water. The first day back for his second year, and the first year nightmare was back. He thought back to it and shook his head, rubbing his face raw with water. Moments later, Draco entered the bathroom, rubbing one of his eyes sleepily.
 
"Why were you screaming, Harry?" whined Draco.
 
"So sorry for waking you up," said Harry sarcastically. "Never mind me, I only had a nightmare."
 
"Oh, the one with Headmaster in it, again?" asked Draco, shaking his head. "I swear he shouldn't have told you that about your parents. It's enough to make anyone crazy."
 
"Tell me about it," said Harry bitterly, punching his fist into the side of the sink and winced. "How would he know how my parents feel? He didn't know my parents that well, did he?"
 
Harry rubbed his arm, ignoring the pain he acquired a week ago, shaking his head with fury. He exhaled and looked at Draco who didn't know what to answer.
 
Draco shrugged lamely and Harry nodded in understanding. Draco had no idea, as he should not know these things. Without another word, the two boys went back into their dorm. The blond plopped on the bed as Harry sat in a chair next to him. Their beds were across the room from each other. Not wanting to wake their roommates, the boys continued talking in quiet tones.
 
Draco huffed.  "You know, the other day in Diagon Alley, I saw Granger and her boyfriend Weasley enter the bookstore for school books... Our Defense teacher was there and Granger was practically drooling, worshipping Lockhart. It was nauseating, the way they were talking. One would think she had absorbed all of his books.
 
"Well, she probably has, no doubt... and then she and Weasley came my way after they got their books and said at least no Slytherin got the Philsopher's Stone. Granger vowed to keep her eyes glued to us this year. I wish that mudblood would just drop dead already," finished Draco, picking up his pillow and punching it.
 
"Well, that's Granger for you. I mean, for Merlin's sake, last year was just one big disaster, from the first feast to the very last. At least Professor Snape stopped Quirrell from getting the stone in the end," Harry said. “All because we figured out what was going on and told Severus about it. Not Granger.”
 
"Yeah… Well, and we won the House Cup last year," said Draco, nodding.
 
Harry took out his journal he got from Malfoy for his birthday, opening halfway in the book.
 
"This is very useful, Draco, I'm enjoying my conversations with him," commented Harry. "How did your father come across this one?"
 
"Oh, it was during the rise of the Dark Lord," replied Draco. "Find anything useful?"
 
Harry nodded in answer.
 
"There's a place called Chamber of Secrets in Hogwarts. Did you know that this Riddle is the same person as Voldemort? I have a hard time believing that he was once a kid..."
 
"Don't say that name, Potter," hissed Draco. “And no I didn't.”
 
Harry rolled his eyes, shutting the journal.
 
"Stop flinching Malfoy, it is confusing to call him whatever you all call him. The only thing that Headmaster is proud of me for is saying his name," groused Harry.
 
"Now, about this Chamber of Secrets...” he continued, “well, I don't think we should talk about it in this room," he said, looking around the room suspiciously.
 
"All right Harry, let's go back into the bathroom," said Draco, and they both went back into the bathroom. Harry spelled the door closed and silenced against eavesdroppers with his wand. "What is it you found not fit to talk about in our room even with everyone sleeping?"
 
"Well,” Harry said slowly, watching the door, “there's a basilisk within this school.
 
"What?! A—a Basilisk? No, Merlin, you're lying, aren't you, Harry?" asked Draco, moving away from him involuntarily.
 
Harry scoffed at him, shaking his head, opening his journal again.
 
"Do I look like I'm lying, Draco?"
 
Draco shook his head in answer, his eyes wide.
 
"Anyway, I'm obviously not going to set the snake on any of us. Riddle said that the snake was used to attack the mudbloods and muggle-lovers. He tried that last time and it failed. Hogwarts was almost closed. But, now..."
 
Recovering from his shock, Draco grinned gleefully, rubbing his hands together briefly. "Perfect opportunity in getting that mudblood."
 
"I know," grinned Harry back, evilly. "But you better not tell anyone."
 
"I won't! I want to help too," said Draco defensively.
 
Harry nodded, picking up his quill with its never-out ink and began writing something in the journal, which he propped on top of the sink.
 
Hey Tom

Hello Harry
 
I want to start wrecking havoc on the mudbloods and muggle-lovers as we discussed. Can you tell me where the entrance is to the Chamber of Secrets?
 
Yes, of course. The entrance is in the girl's bathroom near the Defense wing, I'll show you. My basilisk managed to kill a girl in there when I let him out. A filthy mudblood.
 
Girl's bathroom?
 
Yes, it was the best place for Salazar Slytherin. Who would expect? Now, hold on for another ride into my memories.
 
Okay, I'm ready.
 
"I'll be right back, Draco," said Harry as he was pulled into Riddle's diary.
 
He immediately found Tom walking among the empty, barren corridor (save for portraits that conversed among themselves) and Harry began following him. When he approached the Transfiguration wing, he saw the girl's bathroom as Tom entered after checking to see if anyone was coming.
 
'Time has changed... I guess this wing used to be used as the Defense Wing back then,' thought Harry, following him inside and heard him saying 'open' to a sink that had the mark of a snake around the faucet. The sink opened up to reveal a big circular pipe leading down below Hogwarts. Without a backward glance, Tom jumped into the pipe. Harry nodded to himself, knowing now where the Chamber of Secrets was. Grinning, Harry was sent back to his present time.
 
"Well?" asked Draco, worry in his eyes. "You just vanished and now you're back! Did… did you apparate?"
 
"No, more like, went back in time," replied Harry, rolling his eyes. “I know where Chamber of Secrets is."
 
"Oh, where?"
 
"The out of order girl's bathroom near the Transfiguration wing."
 
"Oh great, near the bloody Gryffindor Head of House's chambers," groaned Draco, and then frowned. "Isn't that bathroom—"
 
"Haunted, yes. Myrtle! That must be the girl he mentioned. That annoying ghost haunting the bathroom died in there because of the basilisk the last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened," replied Harry. "She haunts the bathroom now because she was a miserable excuse of a witch back then. Annoying, that mudblood. I wish she'd do Hogwarts a favor and just move on and leave us all alone."
 
“Oh. Well, when can we let the basilisk out?” asked Draco, leaning forward in his seat with anticipation.
 
“As soon as we can devise a fool-proof plan. We really can't let the Headmaster know what is going on,” said Harry. “We can't have them close the school. Last time, they nearly closed because of the attacks.”
 
“Oh I see. I suppose that's true, can't have history repeating itself,” said Draco, nodding. “Well, at least history is good for something besides sleeping.”
 
“Yeah,” said Harry then he yawned. “Let's go back to sleep, it's too bloody early to be out of the common room, now.”
 
“It's only five-thirty in the morning, you can be out of bed at six-fifteen,” said Draco.
 
Harry shrugged. “I rather sleep `til eight, we don't get our timetables until nine this morning,” he said, returning to his bed as Draco went back to his bed.
 
“Yeah, you're right. See you in a few hours then,” mumbled Draco, pulling the comforter over his face.
 
Harry bundled himself in his blankets, staring up at the green canopy, wishing that the accusing faces would stop bothering him in his dreams.
 
He really wasn't sure how to deal with Headmaster or Voldemort. Quite frankly, he didn't care that much about Riddle or Dumbledore, but he did want Weasley and Granger out of the picture. They were interfering too much for his taste.
 
The idea was fanatical, but he was actually wondered if they'd been ordered to befriend him, or watch him, or something. He doubted that was the actual truth, though. Turning over in his bed, Harry pondered. Maybe they were on Dumbledore's orders. Harry scoffed into his pillow, turning over again. He could just see the Headmaster talking to them.
 
Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger, I want you to be friends with Harry Potter. Won't you do this for me?”
 
Yes, Headmaster! We'll do anything for you,” the two replied, love and admiration emanating from their eyes.
 
Harry snorted at his foolishness. Closing his eyes, he felt his stomach tie into knots. What if he didn't really want to kill those two people? They didn't deserve to die, even if the Headmaster might. He felt anger surge toward the old wizard. Frowning, Harry wondered what he wanted? Friends, power, or—or love? One thing he knew was that friends were associated with love, as was family. He really couldn't forget the Mirror of Erised last year. That had stirred a lot of emotion inside him. The Dursleys had been far too abusive for anyone to live normally, let alone grow up normally. Love and care didn't exactly thrive in that environment. Love. It was the reason why he kept getting those haunted looks in his dreams, especially his parent's looks. They looked so accusing that he figured maybe he deserved growing up with the Dursleys.
 
His thoughts mulled over to his diary and Tom Riddle. The boy within the pages had called him the next Heir of Slytherin because, technically, Voldemort's `gone.' For now, anyway. Tom had requested two things from him: one was to be a host, so Voldemort could come back to life, and after that, he wanted Harry as a follower. As a Right-hand man. A Death Eater.
 
He shuddered at that thought. This was the man that killed his parents! It felt wrong to even associate with the murderer that killed his family and sent him to his so-called relatives. But Tom wasn't really the one that did that. Tom was only a few years older than him.  Turning over in his bed, he ignored the wild feeling that something was missing as he choked back a sob quietly.
 
Harry sighed, trying not to let his emotions out, feeling the pain throughout his body, and wished he could go and see Madam Pomfrey but he did not want anyone to know what happened over the summer. He was highly grateful that Draco did not prod about his vacation. Fustrated, angry and upset, Harry sniffled as he fell asleep into a troubled slumber.