Emeralds and Ashes

Once all the students arrived, Slughorn waved his wand and shut the door to his classroom. Beaming at the students, he beckoned them forward near the large desk.

Harry looked and saw several cauldrons bubbling on fire.

"Gather around, everyone," Slughorn motioned with his hand. "First of all, I welcome you all to Advanced Potions. It's a shame that there are only so few of us even though I reduced the demands to Exceeds Expectations. Alas, there is nothing to be done about that.

"Now, before we begin, let us have a small test, shall we?" The man beamed. "As you can see, we have four cauldrons over here. I'd like you to try and identify the potions, for these are some of the ones you shall be brewing during the year which will contribute to your grades."

Harry looked into the cauldrons that were stacked side-by-side and got his first glimpse of the potions. The color, the texture, and the scent clued him into what these were. Arcturus' tutelage had truly improved him in this subject.

"Let us begin then, shall we?" Slughorn smiled and pointed toward one of the cauldrons. "Mr. Lovegood, care to identify this one?"

Harry's eyes immediately shot toward the boy, and now that he looked closely, he truly had the light-blonde hair that Luna shared.

"Polyjuice Potion, professor."

"Very good. The best way to identify it is its muddy texture, and believe me, it tastes as bad. Take five points for Ravenclaw, Mr. Lovegood," the man praised with a grin. "And this one? Mr. Malfoy, if you please."

Harry looked at the potion that looked as clear as water, Malfoy was quick to pick up on that fact.

"Veritaserum."

"Indeed. The most powerful truth potion in the world. Three drops and you will be spilling your deepest, darkest secrets, unless you have taken prior measures," the man answered with a small smile. "It is highly regulated by the ministry and even brewing it takes longer than a year. Don't worry, you won't be brewing this potion at Hogwarts. It requires a mastery in the subject to even come close."

Harry listened to that explanation with interest, particularly the way Slughorn had been smiling somberly when informing them about prior measures. It did indeed look like the man had done something so that the truth of the Horcruxes could not be extracted forcefully or without his will.

"What about this one? Mr. Peverell, if you will?"

Harry stared into the cauldron and saw the clear simmering surface of the potion. The answer came to him in an instant.

"It's the Draught of Living Death, isn't it?"

"Attaboy," Slughorn beamed. "Looks like you are a nifty hand in Potions yourself. Although I shouldn't be surprised. Highest scores in Potions in the last thirty-five years."

Harry smiled at the man who had a forlorn look on his face as he finished, wondering what it was about. He chuckled at the mock-awed looks on his friends' faces. Slughorn shook himself off his reminiscing and smiled.

"This is the potion you all shall be brewing today, and the one who brews the perfect batch shall be granted a reward from yours truly. However, before we get to that, we have one more potion left. Let's see… ah, Narcissa dear, if you will?"

Harry glanced at Narcissa who leaned forward to take a closer look at the potion before looking up.

"Amortentia."

"Indeed," Slughorn grinned. "The most powerful love potion, and a dangerous substance indeed. Tricky to brew as well. One of its unique characteristics is that it smells different to each person. Personally, I smell mint, cinnamon, and oddly, tangy orange. Many people consider this to be private but I disagree. Mind telling us what you small, dear?"

Narcissa frowned but obliged, leaning over and taking a small whiff of the potion.

"It's a peculiar scent, some pie or tart perhaps? There's also broom polish, and… yeah, that's it," she finished with a hint of red dusting her cheeks, pointedly avoiding looking anywhere but at the table. Meanwhile, Harry stared at her in amusement.

"What you all must always remember is that Amortentia smells like something which you are either personally attracted to, or which shares some connection with a person you gravitate toward. However, it does not create love between two people. Something like that cannot be manufactured. No, it only creates a powerful degree of infatuation. It is probably the most dangerous potion in this room… oh yes. Take five points for Slytherin as well."

Narcissa gave the man a small smile and inadvertently caught the teasing smirk on Harry's face. Try as she might, she couldn't prevent the flushing of her cheeks.

'That idiot,' she thought furiously.

"Now that we are done, I'd like you all to take your place and begin brewing the best batch of the Draught of Living Death you can. Although I do not expect you to succeed, if you manage to brew a perfect potion, you shall be awarded with this," Slughorn smiled and fished out a clear vial. "One of the toughest potions to make – the Felix Felicis, also known as the Liquid Luck. One little dose and you will find all your endeavors succeed… at least until the effects wear off."

Most of the students leaned forward eagerly, desperate to take a good look at the vial. Slughorn smiled and pocketed it.

"I can see you all are very eager to get your hands on it. However, there is a little catch. You see, a person can use this little potion here only once every thirty years," Slughorn informed with a chuckle. "Indeed, it takes a toll on your body. If taken in excess, it causes giddiness, recklessness, and dangerous overconfidence, and that's only the mental part. This potion is a double-edged sword, as the muggles like to say. The impact on the human liver is magically irreversible, and no matter how healthy you might consider yourself to be, more than five milliliters in thirty years and there is a massive risk of a liver failure. Witches and wizards have tried to bypass this restriction over the years, but none has succeeded."

"Have you tried it, professor?" Gideon asked in interest.

"Twice I have," Slughorn replied with a nod. "Once when I was twenty-four, and the next at fifty-seven. Two teaspoons with breakfast. Two perfect days."

The man stared dreamily into the distance, and Harry wondered just what he was reminiscing.

'Probably the time when he used the potion to get laid,' he thought mirthfully.

"And that," Slughorn said, coming back to earth, "is that I am offering as the prize. One perfect batch of the Draught of Living Death and this vial of Felix Felicis will be yours. Absolute luck for twelve hours, from dawn to dusk. You will be lucky in anything you attempt."

There was a resounding silence in the classroom which was filled only by the bubbling cauldrons.

"I must warn you that this potion here is banned in organized competitions… sporting events, for instance… or elections, examinations, and so on. So use it only on an ordinary day. However, even that ordinary day becomes extraordinary, so there is that. Only one person has ever received this award in all my years of teaching, so no pressure," Slughorn chuckled. "Off you go!"

There was a sudden rustling as the students scrambled to get to their respective cauldrons. The concentration of everyone in the room was almost tangible, and Harry saw students furiously riffling through their copies of Advanced Potion-Making. It was evident that everyone wanted that little vial to be theirs.

However, Harry had no intention of letting that happen. He had found a fundamental tool that might help him in his mission that concerned Slughorn, and he would be damned if he didn't do everything in his power to obtain it. He looked at his friends before his eyes fell on a diligently-working Narcissa, and he smirked.

'Sorry, everyone. This one's mine.'

Unlike the others, Harry didn't bother with following the instructions written in the textbook. He had already brewed the potion under Arcturus' tutelage, and he knew every shortcut he needed. Where the students were busy trying to stab the Sopophorous Bean or cut it to extract the juice, which resulted in the bean bouncing off the table every time, Harry pressed it with the flat of his blade and poured the droplets of juice inside his cauldron.

"Your father is doing good, I presume, Mr. Malfoy?" Harry heard Slughorn ask as he passed by the Slytherin table. He saw Lucius smirk and nod.

"He was wondering why you hadn't paid a visit for so long, Professor."

"Work has kept me busy, I must say," Slughorn replied and walked off without another word. Harry ignored them and focused on his work.

Seven counterclockwise stirs were followed by one clockwise stir, and Harry smirked when the potion started to turn a clear shade until it looked like water. He looked around at everyone's progress, and as far as he could see, no one's potion had turned as pale as his.

"And time's… up!" Slughorn called out. "Stop stirring, everyone!"

Everyone put their equipment on the table and stepped back once prompted. Slughorn started to move among the tables, peering into the cauldrons. However, he never made any comment, but occasionally gave a few potions a stir or a sniff.

It was when he reached the table where Narcissa and Bellatrix were sitting that Slughorn's facial expression changed. Although he gave the same rueful smile to Bellatrix's potion that he had been giving to every student, he beamed at Narcissa.

"So very close, dear! I can only find one fault."

Narcissa nodded with a sigh. Her potion was as clear as she could make it. However, it seemed it was not enough to be perfect.

"Fret not, dear. Your potion will work perfectly as well. But as it is with a delicious meal, it's not only the taste that counts. How the dish looks matters a lot to a professional as well. The same applies to potions. Your Draught, although perfect at work, needs just a little tinkering when it comes to how it should look like. I am sure it would have been perfect if you were given five more minutes. Alas, rules are rules. Still, take a very well earned twenty points for your effort."

Harry breathed a small sigh of relief as Slughorn smiled at her and came over to the final table, which he was sharing with Frank. As expected, the man peered into Frank's cauldron and gave a little nod. Then, he looked into Harry's cauldron and a look of incredulous delight spread over his face.

"Astounding!" Slughorn cried out. "We have a clear winner! Excellent work, my dear boy! What a dab hand at potions you are! Here, as promised – one vial of Felix Felicis. Use it well!"

Harry took the vial with a smile and quickly slipped it into his inner pocket before looking at the class. While most students were looking understandably upset, disappointed, or impressed in equal measure, it was the look of utter loathing on Malfoy's face that he relished in. He even winked at the blonde to rub it in.

"You're truly a genius, aren't you?" Frank commented once they were leaving the classroom. Harry glanced at Malfoy who was coming with Rockwood toward them and smirked.

"Got lucky, I suppose."

The sour look on the ponce's face was worth it.

-Break-

Harry was in the middle of lunch when a note appeared on the table in front of him. Curious, he opened it and immediately recognized the thin, cursive writing on the piece of parchment.

Mr. Peverell,

I would like to discuss a certain altercation that took place the previous evening. I hope you are enjoying your time at Hogwarts but I believe there is something we should talk about. Please come along to my office after classes end today.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

P.S. I enjoy Sherbet Lemon.

Harry rolled his eyes and vanished the missive with a flick of his wand. It seemed he had a meeting to attend with a certain someone.

Right after classes ended, Harry climbed upstairs to the seventh floor and walked through the corridors until he reached the spot where a single gargoyle stood against the wall.

"Sherbet Lemon," he called out, and the gargoyle leaped aside. The wall behind it slid apart and a moving spiral staircase was revealed. Harry stepped on it and was smoothly carried upward until he reached the door that led to the Headmaster's office. He grabbed the brass knocker and rapped it twice against the hardwood door.

"Come in," Dumbledore's voice came.

Harry walked through the door and shut it behind him. "Good evening, headmaster."

"And a good evening to you as well, Mr. Peverell. Do take a seat," Dumbledore gestured with a welcoming look on his face. "I hope you've had a good time settling into Hogwarts life?"

"It's been an eventful first few days, that's for sure."

"I imagine it has," Dumbledore nodded. "It's come to my attention that you had an altercation with a group of students from another house last evening. Could you elaborate on that?"

Harry stared evenly at the old wizard and said, "Malfoy and his group of twelve others confronted me and my friends near the giant staircase, and when I asked him how I could help him and his friends, one of his friends commented how the House of Peverell was now infested and will end with a blood traitor. That escalated the matter and insults followed."

Dumbledore nodded and motioned for him to continue.

"Malfoy expressed how disappointed he was that I chose to sully myself with the company of blood traitors instead of upstanding pureblood scions like him and his group, commenting what a true shame I was on purebloods. I politely corrected him by saying that I was a proud half-blood. It seems Malfoy took excuse to that and chose to call someone I care about the M-word," Harry continued, seething.

Dumbledore frowned deeply. He could certainly understand the young wizard's sentiment in a situation like that.

"I don't care who it is, but I take offense to that, and another round of insults ensued. Malfoy must not have liked what I said to him, because he went for his wand. Unlucky for him since I was faster and had my wand under his chin before he could move. All the Slytherins pointed their wands at us instantly, and my friends followed suit," Harry shrugged.

"I see," Dumbledore replied with a sigh.

"I didn't want any violence," Harry continued. "So I told my friends to back off and warned Malfoy and his group to stay away from us. We turned around to walk away when the same guy from before tried to curse me in the back. Again, I was faster and I banished him against the wall. Frank Longbottom grabbed me from behind and I warned them once again before we walked away."

Dumbledore nodded, frowning. Although the explicit details were missing, the young man in front of him had described everything as it had happened.

"While it is good that no spellfire took place, it doesn't fill me with any calmness to see students having such altercations," Dumbledore remarked, frowning when Harry scoffed.

"This is only the beginning, headmaster," Harry said seriously. "Soon, Riddle will start making his moves, and you can count on those students to join his cause as soon as they can. They, and their families by extension, are firm believers in blood superiority, and Riddle knows it. It won't be too hard for him to play on that weakness of British wizarding society to amass power for himself. And when it happens, lines will be drawn in the school as well, even though you might not want something like that to happen."

Dumbledore stared at the young wizard with a frown. "Tom is a half-blood himself. What makes you think those families will join his crusade?"

Harry chuckled mirthlessly. "Riddle is a parselmouth with a claim to the House of Slytherin. What makes you think those purebloods will care about his blood status? Not to mention the fact that he is an insanely powerful individual who will easily bend them to his will, by force if necessary. Furthermore, when they have such a powerful individual working to further their vile agenda, his blood status would be the last thing that would matter to them."

Dumbledore sighed. That was indeed a big possibility, and dare he say, the most plausible scenario depending on the rumors he had been hearing lately.

"Be as it may, I would like you to exercise caution. I cannot allow any violence to take place on school grounds," he declared sternly. Harry gave the man an unimpressed stare.

"You don't need to warn me, headmaster. I will never do something without reason or provocation. The rest is up to them. I also won't lie to you. If they do something, I shall deal with them as I see fit. I am not some pacifist who'd sit idle, only watching while someone attacks me or mine."

"You'd retaliate with as much force if someone takes action against you. This mindset of revenge is unbecoming for you, Mr. Peverell," Dumbledore remarked in disappointment. "I would hope you conduct yourself better than that. Forgiveness, you'll find, is a haven that brings the most contentment,"

Harry shot to his feet and slammed his hands on the desk, glaring at the surprised wizard.

"Don't act as if you know anything about me or how I should act, headmaster," Harry hissed. "If someone wants to take something from me, I would do everything in my power to prevent it and ensure that person never dares to even think of doing something like that ever again. I don't care what that makes me. You might have your moral beliefs, but I would very much appreciate it if you didn't shove them on others, especially me. I am not your grandson or anything, and you would do well to remember that. You are the headmaster of the school I attend. Please try not to cross that line in the future."

Before Dumbledore could even reply, Harry turned around and walked out of the office, leaving a set of angry portraits reprimanding him for the way he had talked to the headmaster of the school and a surprised old wizard who stared at the vacant seat in sadness.

"While it is understandable to have such strong emotions after seeing your parents die at the hands of a dark wizard, it is not healthy to let such negativity shape one's beliefs. I hope for your sake that you come to see reason before you do something you'll sorely regret, Harry Peverell," Dumbledore remarked in an empty office with a sigh.

-Break-

Harry took a little while to arrive on the fifth floor where a number of classrooms had been left abandoned. He had decided with Narcissa to hold their off-class study sessions here.

Taking a deep breath, Harry rounded the corner and saw she was already there outside one of the classrooms, seemingly waiting for him. The sound of his footsteps echoed in the silence of the corridor, and the blonde looked at him.

Harry returned her smile as he reached her.

"Miss Black, you look rather lovely this evening if I may say so," he greeted, smirking cheekily. Narcissa's response was to turn around and pull the door. They entered and Harry looked around. This would do for now.

"Mind if ask a few questions before we get started?" Narcissa asked, and Harry looked at her curiously.

"Sure," he nodded and leaned against the wall, pocketed his hands, and looked at her expectantly.

"Could you have cast the Cruciatus when Hopkins asked you to?"

Harry frowned as he stared at her.

"Why are you asking?"

"Just curious about something. You had no problems with the Blood Boiling Curse which tells me you can easily pull off lethal spells of that variety. However, the Unforgivables are, as you explained, different."

Harry sighed. "I don't know if I can," he replied. "Perhaps if I come face to face with someone I loathe with my entire being, I might. But currently, I don't think it's possible."

"And is there someone?" Narcissa asked further. "Someone you hate that much?"

The deformed face of Voldemort and his Death Eaters who had killed his friends immediately came to the forefront of his mind and Harry pursed his lips.

"There are a few, yes. What's with these questions?"

Narcissa ignored him and asked again, "What about those idiots from last evening? Could you cast it on any of them?"

"I don't think so," Harry replied with a small frown. He did hate them and perhaps he wouldn't hesitate in killing them should the need arise, but he didn't think he would cast the Cruciatus on any of that lot, at least not right now.

Narcissa pursed her lips and nodded. "Let's start with the practice for now. Where should we begin?"

Harry gave her a searching look which she ignored and took her place at the opposite end of the room.

"A little duel, perhaps? Nothing too drastic, simply casting a few spells and shielding to gauge our basics?" She prompted with a raised eyebrow.

Harry sighed and assumed his place opposite her. His wand shot forward and he adopted a relaxed stance, staring at her.

"I'll go first," she announced, and Harry quickly raised a shield. Her silent stunner collided against it.

"Not bad," he remarked with a nod. Narcissa flicked her wand and a massive blast collided with his shield, which still held firm.

"And that's the Reductor out. What's next?" He called out, looking on expectantly.

In response, Narcissa fired a silent blasting hex which collided with his shield and the blast rang around the classroom once again.

"Much better. Put some more power into your spells, Miss Black," Harry called out. Narcissa nodded and another blasting hex, more powerful this time, collided with his shield. However, it still held firm.

Narcissa stopped casting for a moment and gestured for him to take the shield down.

"Your spells are very powerful even though you cast silently. How long have you been doing that for, anyway?"

"A year," she replied. "Only up to OWL level though."

"Still very impressive," he commented honestly.

"Not enough if I couldn't even put a dent on that shield of yours. That wasn't a Protego, right?"

"Aegis," Harry nodded. "I stopped using Protego a long time ago. My turn to fire spells now. Wanna try the Aegis? Don't worry if you can't cast it silently for now."

"I'll try out my silently cast Protego first," she replied and Harry watched as a translucent shield materialized in front of her.

"Looks sturdy enough. Let's test it out," he nodded and whipped his wand. A resounding blast echoed around the classroom as Narcissa grunted under the impact. However, the shield held sturdy, albeit with massive cracks all over it. A stunner took care of it, shattering the shield into hundreds of sparkling fragments.

"That's all it took!?" She asked in surprise. Harry chuckled.

"I cast an overpowered Reducto at that shield. The fact that it held speaks a lot about its power. I'm sure the Aegis that you cast would be very strong," Harry replied honestly.

As he had predicted, her Aegis shield was indeed very strong, sustaining five overpowered Reductors and a powerful blasting hex in the end to crumble. Even though it was not cast silently, her ability was nothing to scoff at either. Harry didn't know Narcissa in the previous timeline, so he didn't know what to expect. However, he had certainly not expected her to be so capable at spellcasting.

"Alright, I'll teach you one little thing that would help you out a lot in duels and such," Harry started as they finally finished testing their basics. Narcissa nodded, looking interested. "Cast a stunner at me."

Narcissa quickly fired a silent stunner. However, her eyes widened when he batted the spell aside where it collided with the floor and fizzed away.

"You can do it as well?" She asked in surprise. Harry chuckled.

"It's not that tough," he replied. "You simply have to anticipate the contact and cast a concentrated shield charm close to your wand. Since the area is so small, even powerful spells which are considered dark can be batted aside. The trick is to successfully cast a shield over such a small area. You start by casting a standard shield and slowly shrinking it in size so that it becomes as small as you want."

"Sounds pretty volatile. Shouldn't the shield explode due to so much magic being concentrated in such a small area?" Narcissa asked with a frown.

Harry nodded, impressed. "You seem to have a good knowledge over magical theory."

"I read," she replied with a shrug.

"Anyway," Harry chuckled, "it is indeed correct that there is a risk of the shield exploding. That is why this skill should never be rushed. Start by a normal Protego and slowly start shrinking it. The moment you feel pressure on your magic, let go and start again. Slowly, start to shrink it even more and repeat until you've reached the level you want. Keep repeating it until you can do it at a moment's notice. If you really try, you can get comfortable with this skill in even two weeks. That would require constant practice though. I had more to do, so it took me a week more to cast easily."

Narcissa nodded. "I'll start on it today. Anything else?"

Harry looked thoughtful. "Know any spell chains?"

"The basic one – Expelliarmus, Petrificus Totalus, Stupefy."

"Let's see it," he nodded and raised a shield. Narcissa's spells collided against it one after the other in quick succession and Harry nodded as he took the shield down.

"Very nice. All three spells within a second. Although you can still reduce the time gap, but that will come with time. You should keep practicing it, and possibly look into a few more."

"Quite a taskmaster, aren't you?" Narcissa teased with a smirk, and Harry chuckled.

"Your turn then. What've you got for me?" He asked.

"You seriously expect someone like me to teach something to someone like you?" She asked incredulously. Harry snorted.

"I don't know everything, Miss Black," he replied with an easy smile.

"Call me Narcissa," she replied promptly. "I forgot to tell you before."

Harry smirked. "You should call me Harry then. And yeah, as I said, I don't know everything. I bet there's something you can teach me."

"There is indeed, but I don't think I can teach you the Black Family Magic," Narcissa replied with a chuckle. "Only family members can know how to cast those spells, and seeing how you're not…"

She shrugged unapologetically, smirking.

Harry had a sudden urge to tell her how they could easily arrange something to meet those terms but he kept his mouth shut and shelved those super appealing thoughts away for the moment.

"Well then, I guess you can teach me something other than that, seeing even I cannot teach you the Peverell Family Magic due to those very reasons," he replied with a smirk, looking pointedly at her. Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"Maybe. I can't think of anything right now though," she shrugged as she walked over and joined him near the front desk. "Anyway, it's time for dinner already. Same time tomorrow evening?" She asked.

"We got the pitch clearance tomorrow so it's Quidditch tryouts. I don't think I'd be able to make it. The day after then?"

Narcissa nodded.

"By your leave then," he smirked and turned around to walk out of the classroom.

Narcissa watched as he walked out and shut the door behind him and sighed to herself.

"Damn you, Bella…" she muttered.

-Break-

Dinner was a normal affair, if one didn't count how James entirely avoided even looking at a certain redhead, who gave the boy several glances throughout. It hurt Harry to see his parents' younger selves behaving like this with each other, and he had to constantly remind himself that these were not his parents.

He had managed to form a close relationship with the Potters and Sirius, but there was nothing of the sort with Lily. The thought saddened him immensely and he hoped he could rectify the situation with her soon.

However, with the situation as it was right now, it didn't seem too likely. It wasn't as if they were in the same class or social circle either. He could not go out of his way to spend time with her. That would send the wrong message to everyone, and he didn't want to create any headaches for her.

That left him with no choice but to let things happen naturally. It wasn't as if he was on unfriendly terms with her. On the contrary, he believed their relationship was perfectly cordial. Harry was content with that for now.

Currently, he was on his way to rectifying an error. He should have taken care of this when he first arrived at Hogwarts, but better late than never. Under his trusty invisibility cloak, Harry walked through the corridors in the aftermath of dinner toward the second floor.

Curfew was due to start soon and although he didn't care about something as trivial as that, the sooner he took care of the Basilisk, the better it was for everyone. Even though the creature had not been let loose, he could not afford to have such a risk slumbering right under his nose.

Myrtle's Bathroom was eerily similar to how it looked in the previous timeline, and Harry looked around when he entered. There was no one present, Myrtle included.

Walking over to the sink, Harry whispered in Parseltongue. The sink parted in the middle, revealing the secret passageway. He looked down and nodded to himself. In no time, he was rocketing down the passageway, leaving a trail of light behind him under the cloak. However, on the outside, there was nothing to see.

He had first seen the Death Eaters use this trick – flying without aid. However, their trail was dark. It was when the Order arrived that Harry saw their flashing trail. Even though it could not be sustained for a longer period, it was a useful skill, particularly in fights.

Harry flew through the chamber tunnels until he reached the large metallic door which led into the main chamber and landed on his feet. Whispering in Parseltongue once again, he watched as the snakelike fingers cocked back and the snake on the edge slithered around. The door opened with a metallic bang and he pulled it entirely.

Under his cloak, Harry walked inside the chamber and assumed his place to the right of that large pool of water in front of Slytherin's statue. He called out in Parseltongue and readied himself against the wall which was nothing but an outstretched beard of the statue.

The entrance slid open and he could hear the Basilisk's mad ramblings as its head slowly slithered out. The moment half of its body was out of the entrance, Harry cast a silent Ennervate on the rooster he was holding firmly in his left hand. The moment it was revived, the rooster let out a loud crow.

Immediately, the Basilisk, still halfway inside the tunnel, started to thrash in pain as the rooster kept crowing and trying to free itself from his grasp. However, Harry held it firmly and watched in detachment as the Basilisk continued to thrash about wildly, dropping into the pool of water face-first until it lay there, twitching before going still.

Slowly, Harry walked over to the front where the remaining half of the Basilisk's body slithered out of the statue and the creature fell into the water, entirely submerged underneath. He whipped his wand out and cast a powerful firestorm directly into the pool, pouring more and more power into it until the water started bubbling. In no time, it started to evaporate until the pool had entirely dried out.

It was not too deep – perhaps as much as a standard muggle swimming pool and as he looked in, he saw the dead carcass of the Basilisk coiled within.

The rooster was still crowing furiously and Harry sighed before stunning it once again.

"Thanks for keeping these, Hagrid," he muttered to himself. His task was done for now. He could acquire some Basilisk venom later. The rooster deserved a good night's sleep in its pen too.

-Break-

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