Mark of Slytherin

Chapter 6

The following days Harry was, to put it simply, upset. Mad at how he had allowed Riddle to get the jump on him, mad that he had been so stupid as to attack. He didn't know what had possessed him that day. Had he just remained still he could have just snuck out, Riddle being none the wiser. And really, expecting the man to believe it was a ghost? Riddle knew about the helmet, so had Harry used his brain a little he would have known that the warlord would figure it out. As much as Harry may detest him, he had to admit that the other wasn't stupid.

And Hermione had been upset as well. She'd already been fretting over the time it had taken – most of it had been Harry waiting for the door to open, but still – and then having Harry appear, pale and flustered, almost pulling her out of the cafe in his hurry to get away... well, for a moment Harry almost believed he'd caused his friend a nervous breakdown.

But really, if anyone should have one, it ought to be him. He hadn't actually seen Riddle since that day, but he feared for when the time would come that Riddle deigned to pay him another visit. Additionally, the fear-spot was growing, noticeably. In fact, it was getting freakishly close to his apartment and Harry wasn't sure where he would go if it reached it. There was no way he could keep living there in that case. It had already stretched so the furthest edge reached Hermione's place, and whenever Harry was there the fear felt like a nagging sensation at the back of his head. Or to be precise, Harry believed that he had located the source to the back of his neck. The mark was always hurting a bit in the vicinity. He didn't let Hermione stay there more than she had to, even if she didn't feel it.

The good news was that Hermione's library membership had been reinstated. The pass had been returned by post and Harry had been delighted that his little scheme had worked until he saw the note that followed. "Consider this a gift." Harry would recognise that handwriting everywhere. He tore the paper into tiny pieces and threw them out the window. Fucking Riddle.

The bad news was that despite Hermione throwing herself into research day after day – Harry being unable to help her both because he didn't have the patience for it and because of the foul look he received from Lavender, clearly reminding him that he had promised not to set foot inside again – she still hadn't found anything substantial. Wherever Riddle had found his information from the start, it was becoming more and more likely that it hadn't been the library.

That wasn't to say Hermione hadn't found anything – it was Hermione, after all – what she had found was simple myth surrounding Slytherin. Slytherin had been an ancient king, ruling over a kingdom with the same name. Only a right git would name his kingdom after himself, if you asked Harry. The kingdom had been flourishing, and as things were wont to happen, had been constantly at war. The neighbouring countries sought to gain their wealth for themselves and were relentless. The king swore he would keep their kingdom safe forever and gathered the greatest magicians to create a medicine which would extend his life. He trusted no one else to be able rule the kingdom, the pompous arse. Surprisingly, the magicians succeeded and the king became immortal. But that was only where the troubles started.

Using his newfound immortality Slytherin became unbeatable, and he slowly but surely conquered the other kingdoms. But there was a price and the king soon became paranoid, accusing all of trying to betray him. And so he commanded his magicians to provide him with the power to compel his subjects and to ensure their loyalty would be with him and only him. Once again, they succeeded and the king ran his country with an iron fist. The previously flourishing country was still rich, but no one much liked living there anymore. People who publicly opposed the king or even complained about the changes disappeared.

But then something happened. Rumours of a beast began to spread and one by one, the king's most loyal started to disappear. Fear was spreading through the kingdom, worst in the capital but spreading slowly through the country. The king summoned his magicians but they were unable to find the cause of the fear, unable to stop it as it slowly turned to terror. And at the peak of it all, the king and the capital of Slytherin disappeared as if it had never existed. The fear disappeared and the kingdom was destroyed and forgotten.