HP: The Salazar's Heir Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Unveiling Secrets

“We've known each other for a while now, haven’t we?” Harry asked as they all walked through a series of puzzles, potion-based challenges that Hermione solved in a blink.


“Quite a while, actually,” Sebastian said. “It felt like days, but it's been more than that.”


Sebastian had experienced a lot of events: facing a basilisk, standing in front of the Ministry, joining Hogwarts, and becoming a student of two of the most prominent professors at the school. And now, chasing after a stone from a fairy tale.


It all felt quite surreal.


“We thought you hated us,” Hermione said. “You even declined to celebrate Christmas with us.”


“Ah, Christmas,” Sebastian sighed. “I don’t celebrate it.”


“You don’t?” Ron gasped. “It's one of the best events. Why don’t you like it?”


Chuckling, Sebastian looked down. “I just don’t enjoy festive days.”


“Is there a reason for that?” Hermione asked, but that's when Harry realized something.


“Oh, then it's not a big deal,” he said, immediately halting Hermione and Ron from pursuing the matter further. “I've never been a fan of such days either. It's only after joining Hogwarts that I started to enjoy them a little.”


It wasn’t a lie.


Harry had been ridiculed at every holiday, event or festival. Christmas, Easter, or Halloween—nothing mattered. He even grew to hate festivities, which only changed after joining Hogwarts.


And thus, he could understand that Sebastian might have a good reason for disliking festivals and holidays.


“What did you do on Christmas?” Ron asked, curious about the boy’s adventures.


“Stayed inside and studied magic the whole day,” Sebastian laughed. “Most would find that boring, but for me, it's been real fun.”


“Studying can be fun,” Hermione agreed wholeheartedly. “Magical study, even more so.”


The trio and Sebastian talked a lot, something they hadn’t done in a while. And the more they talked, the more they realized that Sebastian didn’t hate them; he was just too engrossed in studying magic to interact with his classmates often.


‘He did help us when Draco was bullying us,’ Harry recalled. ‘He's always been a good guy.’


“I can…” Sebastian frowned. “Sense someone.”


“You mean there's a person in here?” Hermione's eyes widened.


“Snape!” Ron exclaimed. “It has to be him.”


But Sebastian felt differently. “I... doubt it. I'm using a tracking charm that detects magical presence, and this magic... does not belong to Snape.”


“Then who is it?” Harry wondered, unable to consider anyone other than Snape as the culprit.


However, Sebastian didn't answer.


‘This magic... it's dark.’ He knew about the dark arts. He wasn’t an expert, but he could discern orthodox magic from dark magic. ‘It's not the dark arts displayed in the dark arts class.’


The magic was similar but also much more sinister.


‘And... Why does it feel like two clashing magic?’ He found it unexplainable. ‘It's like two different magics being emitted from the same body. One stronger yet less potent, and the other weaker, yet much more dark and sinister.’


“Let's go!” Harry urged. “We can't let Snape or whoever it is get their hands on the stone.”


‘Is it wise?’ Sebastian wondered. ‘None of them are proficient in using or countering the dark arts. It would be disastrous if I took them there.’


Till now, it had been all pre-designed trials with no variables. But with a person, possibly one with not so good intentions, it was different.


And while Sebastian wasn't biased about dark arts, he knew how dangerous it could be.


Magic was magic.


And the only way magic could be termed evil was if the user was evil.


“You three be careful. I don’t have a good feeling about it,” Sebastian said. “Considering the traps and the story about the stone, I doubt this person is going to be easy to deal with.”


“Which way do we go?” Ron asked, lost staring at the countless tunnels around him.


“You three walk behind me,” Sebastian said. “My magic allows me to track people.”


It was a lie.


He didn't have a specific magic to track people, at least not without something to use as an anchor.


But in this scenario, he was not tracking the person but the magic of the person.


“We take the left tunnel,” Sebastian said. “Then the middle one, and left again.”


The magic leaking out was what he used as a guide. It worked as a compass for him.


‘But why do I have a bad feeling about this?’


…

…


[Dumbledore’s Office]


Standing in front of a dark, mossy wall was none other than the headmaster of Hogwarts – Dumbledore. He stood lost in his thoughts, not moving an inch.


“He will learn of it soon enough,” he muttered, low enough that only his phoenix could hear. “Even if I don’t tell him, he will learn of it.”


He extended his hand, and in the palm of it was a certain pendant.


The very pendant that Sebastian had given him a long time ago, and a pendant that he had yet to return.


“It is a question of whether I should speed up the process or not,” he rubbed the pendant. “And if I do… is he ready for it?”


While it was a wonder that Sebastian did not ask for the pendant back –which held emotional value for him– it was also something that Dumbledore couldn’t simply return.


Not yet.


“Let’s wait until he has adjusted to this place a little more.”


With that, Dumbledore moved the pendant towards the mossy wall, a wall as unsuspecting as any other.


However, this was no simple wall.


“Because he needs to explore the secrets of Hogwarts.”


It was a wall that led to a place that only Dumbledore knew of.


“And he needs to explore Hogwarts,” with a stern yet caring face, he walked through the wall as it slowly started to close behind him. “After all, Salazar left it all for him.”


He vanished behind the closing wall, leaving no one but a certain phoenix keeping guard of the place.


The phoenix, ‘Fawkes’,  watched over the hidden passage, as Dumbledore walked into the depths of the hidden chamber, his mind consumed by thoughts of what lay ahead for Sebastian and the mysteries yet to be unraveled within the ancient castle's walls.


…

…


[Unknown Chamber, Hogwarts]


"YoUr fAtE dEpeNds oN hIm."


A certain bald man, not only covering his lack of hair but also concealing a dark secret with a turban, stood shaking.


"Y-Yes, my lord," he assured, trying to maintain his composure. "You shall not be disappointed."


He stood in front of a mirror, a magical mirror holding a certain item that he desired.


"He Is WhO cAn FiNd It," the haunting and croaking voice echoed in his ears. "If YoU fAiL yOu LoSe iT aLl."


The man felt fear, but he did not give up hope.


"He will be here soon," the man said. "And if he succeeds, we succeed."


Just as he said that, he sensed a presence.


"And he is here!" he rejoiced, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that the boy could finally reach the destination.


But what he failed to notice was noticed by the presence standing with him.


"FooL!" the presence yelled, bringing him back to his senses. "He iS nOt aLonE!"


And he wasn’t. As soon as the evil presence brought the situation to light, a certain boy’s voice echoed inside the chamber.


"I knew that this dark magical presence felt familiar."


It was the voice of a boy he was not looking for.


If anything, it was a voice he didn't want to have anything to do with.


"But who would have guessed that hidden behind such traps and dark magic was a professor of Hogwarts," the boy’s voice felt emotionless. "Isn’t that right… Professor Quirrell?"


After all, that boy was the heir of Slytherin.


Sebastian Slytherin.


The boy who shouldn’t have been there.


______________________________________________________________________________


[[A/N: The way I explain the changes from the original plot is through the example of the butterfly effect. Since Sebastian was never supposed to be a part of the story, his presence alone changes a lot of stuff.


The time at which these events occur and Dumbledore being in campus during all of this while according to the books he should be in London. But it will all tie up soon, don’t worry.]]