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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +50 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
~ Very soon, we'll return to releasing two chapters daily, including bonus privileges for Power Stone contributions
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He gingerly reached out to feel the crack and realized that it was not mortar at all. The "crack" had been carefully painted onto the stonework. Examining it more closely, he noticed a faint scale-like texture to the paint and realized the jagged crack was actually a very crudely drawn snake. But then, he saw that even its very crudeness was deliberate, as no casual viewer would have ever recognized it as a snake unless specifically looking for one. Harry cleared his throat.
"Ahem. Am I addressing the Sentinel?"
Instantly, the crack shifted on the wall, with the thicker piece at the bottom rising up to a point a foot above Harry's head and the rest dropping down towards a horizontal coil a few feet above the ground. It was now definitely a snake, white with grey eyes, and a large cobra from the way its hood fanned out menacingly as it regarded the boy. It was, without a doubt, the most intimidating snake Harry had encountered since arriving at Hogwarts.
"The Sentinel am I, charged by the Founder to guard the Prince's Lair. Who art thou, Speaker, to address me thus in the Founder's own sacred tongue?"
Harry's eyebrows shot up. He'd met many very old snakes in the castle, but none so old that the actually sounded archaic.
"My name is Harry Potter, Sentinel. I seek knowledge about the one called the Prince of Slytherin. I was told that you might be able to help me."
The Sentinel hissed angrily. "Thou art a child, ignorant and weak. Thou hast done nothing to earn passage save bleat entreaties in the Founder's tongue after prizing ill-gotten secrets from loose-tongued serpents. Thy humility marks thee as unworthy, and so, thy ... request is denied. Begone!"
Harry was shocked. He had never been spoken to rudely by any snake he'd encountered, and way the Sentinel said "request" felt like sheer contempt. Harry took a step back and then stopped himself, thinking deeply about what the Sentinel said ... and what exactly the Sentinel's views on the topic of "worthiness" might be. Then, after taking a deep breath, Harry boldly stepped forward again.
"You are gravely mistaken, Sentinel, especially in your assumption that I was making any sort of ... request. And what you call humility was meant to be simple diplomacy which I now see was wasted, and so I will be more direct. I am Harry Potter, Heir Presumptive of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter. I am a Speaker of the Founder's Sacred Tongue. I have quested throughout this castle in search of you and earned the trust and respect of the wisest of Hogwarts' serpents. Though I am young, I am no child, for my childhood was burned away by cruel neglect and brutality as soon as I could walk. I am not ignorant, for I was cunning enough to lay low a mountain troll despite my youth. I am not weak, for I have already crossed wands with my greatest rival within the House of Slytherin and humbled him, instilling in all my peers a fear of my power. Like a shadow, I pass unnoticed beneath the gaze of the most dangerous dark lord of our time even as I proudly aid those who seek his ruin. I have seen my heart's desire reflected in the darkest of cursed objects, and my will was strong enough turn aside from it. So, Sentinel, if these are not enough to earn my passage, then you will tell me what more I must do to satisfy you. Otherwise, serpent, you will obey my command and reveal to me the secrets of the Prince of Slytherin!"
The Sentinel's angry hissing grew louder and more incoherent as Harry spoke, until finally, after Harry issued his final command, it grew silent and still. Then, without any further response, the Sentinel twisted itself back into its original shape and resumed the apparent form of a simple crack in the wall. Harry deflated, disappointed that his attempt at bluster had been unsuccessful, when he heard a very soft grinding sound coming from the wall. Suddenly, the bricks that made up the wall split along the crack, not collapsing so much as peeling away in a manner similar to the wall that marked the entrance to Diagon Alley. With seconds, where the brick wall had been, there was now an entryway into ... darkness.
Casting a Lumos with his wand, Harry stepped forward. He need not have bothered – a soon as he crossed the threshold, the darkness of the entryway gave way to a room brilliantly illuminated by glass chandeliers, each crystal reflecting the light of dozens of enchanted candles. And what a room the Prince's Lair was! The secret chamber looked to be twenty yards wide and twice as long with a twenty-foot vaulted ceiling. All of the walls were covered in oak paneling, with polished marble floors covered in elegant rugs. The wall to Harry's right was marked with a massive stone fireplace easily big enough for a man to walk through without ducking, and there appeared to be a fresh bucket of Floo powder next to it. On either side of the fireplace were several massive bookshelves full of tomes so old and mysterious-looking that Harry resolved never to tell Hermione Granger about this room, lest she tear the Slytherin dungeon apart stone by stone to get at them. The wall on the left bore what looked like forty to fifty small silver nameplates meticulously arranged with room still for dozens more. The far wall was completely dominated by a massive tapestry. Most of the writing was too small to read from across the room, but the words "HERE BE THE HEIRS OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN" clearly indicated that it was the Founder's family tree.
In the middle of the Lair was a long mahogany table, with three chairs on each side, each also mahogany with emerald green upholstery. Rising up from the back of each chair were two matching brass finials elegantly cast into the shapes of adder heads. But it was the seventh chair that dominated Harry's attention, for even calling it a chair seemed so grossly inadequate as to be an insult. It was, without a doubt, the single most magnificent piece of furniture that Harry had ever seen. Shaking off his amazement, Harry stood tall and spoke out with confidence.
"Good evening to you all. My name is Harry Potter. I am honored to stand before you." The veritable chorus of hisses that welcomed him to the room made him grin from ear to ear.
A few hours later, it was Harry's turn to rouse Theo from slumber and drag him off to a secret room containing an ancient and somewhat sinister magical artifact. Once he had the boy inside the Lair, Harry explained where they were, why they were there, what it all meant, and, oh by the way, he could talk to snakes. Understandably, Theodore Nott immediately fainted dead away.
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