Somewhere Safe - Chapter 44

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked the assembled coven.

Mentioning the Chamber of Secrets may have been a mistake. He may have defeated a basilisk a couple of years ago, but that didn't mean he felt like trying it again. Plus, he didn't like having so many people he cared about tagging along. They gathered in what had been Myrtle's bathroom in the other world. Dumbledore had joined them since he was the headmaster and Professor Riddle was there as well since he was the only other Parselmouth they knew.

"I understand your caution," Professor Riddle turned a stern gaze to the assembled coven. "A basilisk is not like a gorgon. Their deadly gaze does not require eye contact, merely an unobstructed glance."

"We can summon roosters," Delphi shot back.

"Let's keep that as Plan B," Dumbledore said. "Not only was this basilisk placed to protect the school and students by Salazar Slytherin, but it would be the oldest one ever found."

"If it's still alive," Harry sighed.

"That's a definite possibility with the difference in realms," Padma said.

"It could also be in a sort of stasis," Miranda countered. "Otherwise, there would be sightings."

"And it would have starved to death," Padma said.

"Let's get this over with," Harry muttered.

§Open.§ Harry commanded.

The sinks split and shifted to reveal a tunnel.

"And we just jump in?" Hermione asked. "That doesn't sound like something Salazar Slytherin would do."

"Agreed," Miranda said. "The records tell of a man much to dignified to take a slide every time he wanted to visit his private chambers."

"He could just be bored," Dumbledore chimed in.

The Headmaster didn't wait for a reply then he hopped into the hole. A fading scream of pure joy marked his passage through the tunnel. The rest of the students turned their attention to Professor Riddle, hoping for the man to come up with something that made sense.

"He's got a point," Riddle flashed a mischievous smile as he jumped into the tunnel as well.

"They've gone mad," Padma whispered.

"There's a reason why my parents get along so well," Delphi rubbed a hand along her face. "The Black Madness isn't just a story made to insult my family. We all have some degree of crazy in our system. My father might not be a Black, but he does have his own madness."

"You seem fine," Lavender spoke up for the first time. "Well, now that Harry is here."

"True," Delphi nodded. "But the madness is still there."

Delphi jumped into the tunnel before anyone else could speak. Luna and Luna followed a moment later. Katie held her hand out to Rose and Lavender. The two took the offer and reached out to the others. Iris gripped her older sister's hand while Padma too Lavender.

"You're all crazy," Miranda muttered.

She turned to her twin to say something only for her face to drop when she had already joined the chain. Hermione wiggled her fingers. Miranda sighed and took it. Harry did a quick mental count of the coven. He didn't think anyone was missing before they jumped. Rose, Iris, Delphi, Miranda, Hermione, Padma, Katie, Luna and Luna, and Lavender. Honestly, it was getting a bit out of hand. Especially since the ladies still plotted to add a few more. If they had their way the coven would be in the double-digits. It sounded like paradise until reality was added into the equation. Spending time with everyone was already difficult. Plus, his parents were going to discuss marriage agreements over Winter Break.

Maybe he could petition the Ministry to use a Time Turner.

"Are you coming?" Katie asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"I'll be right behind you," Harry replied with a nod.

The girls jumped. He waited a moment before doing the same. Streaks in years of grime marked the path of the others. Harry didn't want to think too hard on exactly what that meant. Dumbledore was at the bottom of the slide applying cleaning charms to everyone as they landed. Harry gave him a grateful nod as he stood up. Someone had taken the time to conjure some floating lights. It made the feeling of the previously ominous cave relax a little. The scattered remains of shedding skin sparkled in the glow, turning them into objects that inspired wonder rather than terror.

"We'll need to be careful," Harry said. "There was a partial collapse last time I was here."

"Pardon?" Professor Riddle asked.

"A stray spell shook things up," Harry explained. "We're not tossing around bludgeoning spells, so we should be fine. Some reinforcement or something like that would be a good idea though."

Dumbledore turned the stone tunnel into sturdy brick walls with a flick of his wand. He even added a tiled floor and torches for extra ambience. Personally, Harry just thought the Headmaster was showing off. Dumbledore didn't have extra jobs in this world, so he probably got a little bored from time to time.

Harry led them to the next door and opened it as well. Professor Riddle and Dumbledore took the lead as they entered the chamber. Both older wizards summoned a string of soft blue lights to float around the room. The chamber was completely lit without being too bright. Part of Harry wanted there to be some sort of grand reveal once it was fully lit. Unfortunately, it was just a big, empty chamber.

"Where is the basilisk?" Professor Riddle asked.

"The statue opens," Harry answered pointing to the far wall. "Everyone ready?"

Harry spoke the words, and the statue opened. The sound of scales on stone echoed as the basilisk began to approach. He could feel the air shift as a tongue longer than he was tall flicked in his direction.

§What are you?§ A rich, rumbling voice asked.

§A wizard,§ Harry replied.

§No.§ The basilisk said, still not yet emerged. §Those behind you smell of magic. I know the scent of witches and wizards. You are not like them.§

Another flick of the tongue.

§I was bitten by one of your kind,§ Harry said.

§You smell of my venom,§ the basilisk sent a series of air bursts as they examined his scent again. §You carry the scent of my death.§

Thankfully, there wasn't hostility in the words.

§Tell me your story, little one,§ the basilisk finally emerged.

Harry stared in wonder as it appeared. He had thought that maybe the basilisk hadn't actually been that big. As it turned out, it was even larger than he recalled. The fact that he didn't instantly die was a nice surprise. He noticed a thick membrane covering the eyes. Harry took a deep breath, steadied himself, and told the story of his encounter with the basilisk in another world.

~§~

Sirius Black hadn't been in this new world for long, but he had already come face to face with some stark differences. His mother was still alive and a horrible person, though now her ire was directed at these 'New Blood' that were basically integrated Muggleborn and their families. There hadn't been a Dark Lord to worship, so she just ranted and raved until she was exiled to a house far from the rest of the family.

Reggie was alive and had a couple of sprogs running around. He preferred the company of other wizards, but with the population the way it was he was required to provide at least two offspring. The new niece and nephew were six and five years old. They were confused at having another Uncle Sirius, but that quickly turned to joy when they realized this one was almost exactly the same as the other. That meant more doggy rides, lots of sweets, and another wizard to wrap around their fingers.

One major benefit to this new world was the healing. His stint in Azkaban had rendered him sterile. The healers in the other world hadn't had the ability to restore his fertility. As such, he had named Harry his heir, though he probably would have done that anyway. Here, they did a couple of diagnostic scans, gave him a few potion treatments, and he was back in the game.

This development led to his second favorite part of this new world. An unattached son of House Black was on the market. He was more than happy to pick up the slack for line-continuation contracts. Marriage contracts were also on the table since the family magic had added him as a brother to Reggie and Sirius. He would have to take the name of the witch he married to prevent things getting muddled down the line.

His favorite part of this world was his friends. Aside from a few small changes, they were the same. James had fallen in love at first sight of Lily, she thought he was annoying for the first few years of school. The fact that she was part of the Marauders helped speed along their relationship. Oddly enough, being around Peter and Severus wasn't nearly as awkward as he had expected.

It helped that neither looked like the ones from the other world. Severus, Flapper really, had wonderfully tended silver hair that was cut short. The shrewd glare only appeared when the wizard was working on a difficult project or deep in thought. Peter didn't look anything like his ratty doppelganger. Sirius had forgotten how much of a genius the man had been at Practical Magics. Peter wasn't strong in charms, transfiguration, or herbology, but he could get the minor magics dance to his tune with hardly any effort. It was because of him that they were able to get things to work on a more subtle scale, otherwise the Marauders Map would have been large enough to cover the dorm room floor. He was also the one who figured out how to distill Mandrake leaf into a syrup, so they didn't have to carry it for an entire month. Still, Sirius still couldn't bring himself to call him Wormtail.

Sirius shook the thoughts from his head. He turned his attention to the ledger on the table before him.

"Sandra Bones," he muttered.

A few lines of information about her appeared on the page as well as a photo of the witch.

Older Sister- Amelia Bones
Older Brother- Gerald Bones
Contract – Line Continuation, two offspring

The woman was a redhead just like Amelia, but they weren't so close as the be twins. She was still quite attractive.

"The things I do for this family," Sirius said with a put-on sigh.

~§~

Harry waited for the basilisk to say something after he had finished the story.

§It is painful to hear how my sister-self was driven mad,§ the basilisk sounded legitimately sorrowful. §Your actions were warranted. Thank you for sharing your tale. What of those that have come with you?§

§They were curious about you,§ Harry said with a  smile.

The basilisk let out a little hissing laugh.

§Who am I to deny their curiosity?§ The basilisk said.

The basilisk slid forward, nudged Harry on his legs, and tossed him into the air. Harry found himself riding on the head of the giant snake. He had to lay flat to avoid getting scraped against the top of the tunnel.

Harry sat up as they cleared the entrance. He waved at the others and was greeted with a matching set of exasperated stares from Hermione and Miranda. The rest of the coven looked on in a mixture of awe, amusement, and mild terror.

"She's absolutely gorgeous," Luna whispered.

The basilisk gave the small witch a slow blink in reply.

"I think she understood you," Harry said.

§Of course, I understood her,§ the basilisk replied. §I've been alive long enough to learn quite a few languages.§

§How did you survive this long?§ Professor Riddle asked. §Apologies. My name is Thomas Riddle.§

§A pleasure, Thomas Riddle,§ the basilisk replied. §I am Euryale. The magic of Hogwarts sustains me. There aren't many places on this planet that have enough prey to feed me.§

§You're trapped here?§ Delphi asked.

§My duty is to protect Hogwarts and her students.§ Euryale replied with a gentle smile in her voice. §I am honored to be here. My greatest wish is to never need to leave this chamber.§

§Because that would mean Hogwarts wasn't under threat.§ Professor Riddle chuckled. §Would you like to travel the grounds?§

§That would be nice.§ Euryale replied.

§Hagrid will love her.§ Harry chuckled.