January 3rd, 1976

The next morning, Harry woke up extra early, however, it was not to complete his daily workout. No, today, he would begin his preparations to take down the Dark Lord once more. A fraction of Voldemort's soul, a Horcrux, was hidden within this school, and the only feasible way to destroy it was slumbering deep underneath the Castle's foundations.

Following his own advice, Harry silenced his footsteps and sneaked over to his trunk. A few seconds later, the cold, smooth fabric of his Invisibility Cloak concealed him from the world. He left the fifth-year dormitory and descended the steps down to the Gryffindor common room. The third Hallow allowed him to move through the corridor, yet, Harry would have preferred to have the Map with him as well. It was truly a shame that he had not carried the brilliant piece of charms work with him when he was sent back to 1975. From the common room, he climbed down through the portrait of the Fat lady and onto the seventh floor.

Taking the Giant Staircase, Harry descended all the way down to the second-floor corridor, which even in this timeline, all the students avoided. The Moaning Myrtle must be spending the night in a different part of the castle because all the stalls were empty. Harry moved over to the sink and searched for the familiar tiny engraving of a snake on the faucet.

"Open!" Harry hissed and watched as the sink moved away and revealed a dark long tunnel. "Stairs!"

The surface of the smooth pipes shifted until a set of stairs appeared, leading deep underneath the school. Harry took a long breath. With a silent Lumos, he descended down the stairs. It took a lot longer than simply sliding down there. However, Harry would prefer to find an excuse for a slightly longer absence, than explain why he was covered in decades-old slime that even the strongest Scourgify wouldn't be able to remove.

Finally, he arrived in the large antechamber. It looked different from the last time he had been down. The explosion caused by Ron's broken wand never happened here and most likely won't ever occur in the future. The main part of Slytherin's legendary Chamber looked just as he remembered. Made of cold stone tiles with small pools of water at either side and the beautifully decorated pillars, supporting the entire architecture.

The oversized statue of Salazar Slytherin overlooked its entire kingdom, its mouth firmly closed. Harry gulped heavily. It was time to awaken the most dangerous creature in all of Magical Britain. However, this time, he came prepared. His grip on the Elder Wand tightened and Harry flicked it twice in rapid succession:

"Gallus!"

A pair of roosters appeared before him. Harry immediately silenced them, so they could not warn the Basilisk before petrifying their lower half, leaving them unable to walk around by themselves. He levitated them towards the pillar he would take cover behind and faced the giant statue once more:

"Speak to me Slytherin, Greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"

The sound of stone scraping echoed through the chamber, as the mouth of the statue slowly opened, revealing a deep dark hole. Something hissed with its depths and Harry turned around instinctively, taking cover behind the pillar. With his wand trained at the two roosters at his feet, Harry waited for the heavy sounds that would indicate that the Basilisk had indeed left its lair.

THUD! There it was!

Harry flicked the Elder Wand and shot a light stinging hex at both of the roosters. Their crowing reverberated off the walls of the chamber, further amplified by another spell Harry had cast on their long necks.

Immediately, a blood curdling shriek was heard from near the statue and sporadic thudding from the thrashing of the Basilisk as it panicked. Something heavy slammed against the stone tiles one last time. Then, there was no more screeching, no hissing, and no more movement.

Harry threw both roosters around the corner, checking if they continued crowing. If so, then the Basilisk must be dead. The roosters continued for another few seconds until Harry decided that it must be safe. He peeked around the corner, catching a glimpse of the serpent, limp and unmoving, surrounded by pieces of rock it had dislodged during its final throes of life.

Even though it had only been a few years since he last saw its corps, laying his eyes on such a magnificent magical creature remained just as breathtaking. However, Harry had a job to do... But first, he would collect some tomes...

A conjured ladder granted him access to the mouth of the statue and Harry walked the few meters through the dark tunnel until he reached the small chamber, which he had found during the last occasion he had been down here. Harry frowned when he approached the door. This was not how he remembered this passage.

It had taken Harry years to feel the magic around him, similar to how Dumbledore had discovered the entrance to the cave with the Inferi, or figured out how to get the boat from deep within the lake. He was still not nearly as good as Dumbledore at sensing magic, however, even he felt that there was some sort of spell on the door.

How was that possible? It had not been there when he discovered the chamber in his own timeline and there was only one difference between the two occasions.

'Ginny. Or rather, a Horcrux possessed Ginny.'

Why had the Horcrux taken down the protections on this wall? Harry could keep pondering on it, or he could figure it out for himself. He approached the door with the Elder Wand held out in front of him. After a few elementary diagnostic charms, he figured out that it was an advanced ward indeed. However, it had not been cast in English or Latin.

Well, that pretty much only left one language remaining. Harry continued dismantling the ward using Parseltongue. The ward scheme was clever, but with a six-year mastery in ancient sorcery, including Runes and warding, Harry managed to bypass the protections after almost 15 minutes. One thing was certain. Only a Parselmouth and an expert in the field of wards would be able to break through them. Unfortunately for dear old Tom, Harry had become both.

With a loud click, the door opened. Tom had been so cautious that even though he was the only remaining heir of Slytherin, he cast his own protections on this place. There must be something special here then. With a flick of his wand, Harry lit the few torches, illuminating the space so that he could at least see something.

The room looked just as he remembered. The only additions he noticed were a few sheets of parchment on top of one thick, incredible old, leather tome. Harry carefully approached the shelf and performed a few simple spells. There seems to be nothing magical or hidden within it. It was just a book. He decided to skim over the rolls of parchment first and picked up the one on top.

The handwriting might be unfamiliar, but judging by the arithmetic calculation, comments, and memos, these had been Tom Riddle's notes on the creation of Horcruxes.

Actually, No! Not just the creation, Harry figured as he skimmed to the bottom of the page. Also, the instructions on how to uncover and destroy one. Things made a bit more sense now when his brain supplied him with a memory from sixth year, when Dumbledore described the danger of Horcruxes.

"Remember, the fraction of a soul inside a Horcrux is sentient, Harry. It will always actively prevent its own destruction. The sole reason a Horcrux is able to take over and possess another person is simply to ensure its own survival..."

He remembered the Locket trying to drown him when he dived to the bottom of the pond. He had tried to pick up the sword of Gryffindor, which was infused with Basilisk venom. Something that could destroy a Horcrux. In addition, a possessed Ginny Weasley had also taken out Hagrid's roosters immediately at the beginning of the school year. The Horcruxes must have sensed the danger in both cases and acted on it. That's why these notes had been eradicated in his original timeline. A possessed Ginny Weasley must have burned or otherwise destroyed them.

It all made sense! Why would the Horcrux allow for instructions on how to destroy it to be left somewhere where Harry could potentially find them. Ginny Weasley had told her Diary that Harry was a Parselmouth, and the Diary had acted and taken precautions against its destruction. But what was so special about this incredibly old tome that it had been eliminated as well? He blew the dust off the cover and frowned when he spotted something written in Latin:

'Familia Linguarum Serpentis'

"The family of serpent tongues?" Harry translated curiously.

He carefully turned over the first page. At first, the strange letters did not seem to make any sense to Harry. He could not read a single word. Harry clenched his eyes together and opened them back up while concentrating on the strange symbols. At last, he could read the first few sentences...

To my heir or heiress,

The gift within our blood is rare. Its conservation and continuity are of utmost importance to me. Over the decades, I have roamed this earth and followed my obsession with finding the roots of our talent. All I wished for, was to decipher the unique magic that was gifted to those, who speak the tongue of the serpent, including my own bloodline. My journey has led me to distant shores and foreign cities until I finally found it. The birth of our legacy...

These pages contain the diary of Herpo, the foremost of our kind. I have translated his discoveries, his research, and his reflections from Greek to Parseltongue so that only my blood shall ever decipher them and pass the knowledge to its own descendants. Manage this treasure with cautiousness, for an equivalent anthology of knowledge has never been compilated.

Be well, son, or daughter, and be at peace with what I leave you.

Salazar Slytherin

Herpo? Harry frowned and recalled a very distant memory of Hermione telling them about Horcruxes shortly before Bill and Fleur's wedding at the Burrow.

"Who even had the idea that splitting your own soul was something that might gain you immortality?" Ron asked.

"Immortality has been a dream of mankind for as long as we have existed, Ron. Regardless, the ancient Egyptian sorcerers uncovered that one might be able to manipulate the soul to achieve said goal. In the end, a dark Greek wizard named Herpo the Foul created the first Horcrux."

"Wait, isn't that also the guy, who..."

"Invented the Basilisk? Exactly, Harry!" Hermione explained: "He was supposed to be the very first Parselmouth in Europe. Herpo must be the Ancestors of Salazar Slytherin and thereby Voldemort..."

It all made sense now, Harry realized, as he stared down onto the collection of pages in his hands. This must have been one of the main sources for Voldemort's calculations and the basis for his research on how many Horcruxes one might be able to create. Somewhere within those pages, Herpo must have also explained how a Horcrux can be destroyed. That dangerous knowledge gave a possessed Ginny Weasley more than enough incentive to destroy the book.

Suddenly, Harry realized the sort of treasure he held in his hands. He was certain that he grew to be a powerful wizard by himself over the last decade. However, he had nothing on Dumbledore and Voldemort yet. The magic he might find within the pages, Ancient Magicks... Magic that even the professors in Switzerland were either too afraid to teach or did not even have knowledge of. That magic might finally give him the edge of the Dark Lord. Or at the very least make him his Equal.

Great Hall

Marlene enjoyed a healthy breakfast in the Great Hall just like every other morning for quite some time now. As a member of the Quidditch team, it was her duty to stay in shape even during the winter months, which could be considered as the off-season. Ravenclaw had two more games, against Hufflepuff and against Gryffindor. They had already beaten the Slytherins last term and Marlene had contributed seven of the eleven goals herself.

She was very much a rebel when it came to Quidditch. Neither her father nor her mother found it proper for a young pureblood witch to ride on a broom and be physically active. It was rather confusing, since, at the same time, her mother was very tight when it came to her diet. After all, she has to remain beautiful for any potential future suitors of course.

At least they had not outright forbidden her to play and even acknowledged that she was talented. Sure, she was no James Potter, who could single handedly outfly the entire enemy team, but the Ravens were nevertheless glad to have her.

She refilled her bowl with fruit salad, famished from the small workout she did this morning. Every other day, no matter the weather, Marlene would go for a 20-minute run around the grounds. Then, she finishes it up with some basic strengthening exercises, which she saw in a muggle magazine at Florence's house two years ago. The movements had looked incredibly weird at first, but apparently, muggle professional athletes did them all the time. Yet, after completing the circuit for a few weeks and noticing some small changes in her physique, she continued doing them.

It had been hilariously funny when other girls approached her, asking for the Charms she uses to keep her legs and butt toned and her tummy flat. She had patiently explained that there were no charms for that, and her physique simply resulted from her frequent workouts and diet. After that, the majority of girls became jealous and blamed her lucky genetics instead of recognizing the actual work she put into it.

The boys had been even worse. The Hogwarts uniform did not hide the curves of the female body, especially during summer, when no one wore the loose robes. Marlene's mother and her two grandmothers had blessed her with quite a well-sized pair of boobs already. The stares from the boys, therefore, only got worse when she began working out at the beginning of her fourth year and the results started showing for themselves.

However, just because the boys were ogling her even more and the other girls grew jealous, didn't mean that she would stop doing what she loved. In the end, it did not really matter. Marlene enjoyed the way she looked, and the physical fitness helped her in Quidditch and dueling. She worked out for herself, not for anybody else.

The moment she wondered when the Daily Prophet would be delivered this morning, the post owls flooded the Great Hall. A small brown one dropped the newspaper in front of her on her table and Marlene quickly unpacked it. It was always helpful to keep up to date with what was going on in the wizarding world. The picture that greeted her, however, was unlike anything she would have expected.

It was a sideways shot of a remarkably good-looking and very confidently grinning Harry Peverell, who seems to have been caught in Diagon Alley. Marlene spotted the familiar stores in the background and also recognized the woman that accompanied him as Lady Dorea Potter. With a frown, she began reading:

THE RETURN OF THE PEVERELLS

Did The Heir Of Britain's Oldest Wizarding Family Come To Stir Things Up?

By Rita Skeeter (Intern at the Daily Prophet)

Dear Readers, the above picture shows not, as many might assume, the Lady Dorea Potter ne Black with her son, Mr. James Potter. Instead, during the Yule Holidays, Lady Potter was spotted escorting a stranger through Diagon Alley, completing a belated back-to-school shopping trip.

Who is this stranger that shows an extraordinary resemblance to the Potter family, and yet has never been seen on British soil before?

The answer, dear readers, is one Harry Ignotus Peverell, who only recently moved to Magical Britain. According to numerous students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mr. Peverell has enrolled for the new term and was sorted into House Gryffindor. The fifteen-year-old boy, who has presumably been privately tutored on the continent, will be attending classes with his fifth-yeah peers.

But what exactly is known about Mr. Peverell? And what can our readers presume to be true about the rumors surrounding the legendary family?

We know that Mr. Peverell arrived in Britain at some point before December 26th, 1975. This was verified by our sources within the Bureau for Family Records, who received the original birth certificate of Mr. Peverell. "The young man must have been successful in claiming the Peverell Gringotts account, for the document to appear within our records. Consequently, the magic in his blood must have been strong enough for him to be recognized as the remaining descendant and rightful heir to the family." Explains an expert on wizarding genealogy, who remains anonymous.

The reactivation of the Peverell account is quite a surprise for many wizarding families since the main bloodline was thought to have died out several centuries ago. The Peverells can be counted among the oldest wizarding families in Europe. Their earliest appearance goes back to around 100 AD, which is almost a millennium older than the first records on other prominent British magical families. From what we know about them, the Peverells have always been a magically powerful, but secretive family. Records exist of them fighting great battles and pushing the boundaries of what wizards and witches were known to achieve.

Due to their ongoing involvement in the foundation of our society, the Peverells also have a claim to a permanent Wizengamot seat, which could be reactivated if Mr. Peverell wishes so. As the young and handsome heir to a magically and politically powerful old family, we expect Mr. Peverell to be flooded with proposals for strategic alliances and perhaps even offers of marriage.

Our readers can be sure that we will unravel the mystery that has joined our nation and share any further information we may find on him. In the meantime, we can undoubtedly expect young Harry Peverell to keep us on our toes.

"Don't say it!" Marlene snapped, who knew that her friend was smirking at her.

"I. Told. You. So!" Florence giggled and leaned back down to check the picture once more: "They caught him in pretty good light too. Look at that jawline..."

"I will certainly not look at his jawline," Marlene growled threateningly and pushed the newspaper away from her. Her thoughts were spinning. Peverell only moved here very recently, yet pretty much everyone agreed that he would be stirring things up.

Only yesterday, she had to sit through an hour of Lestrange complaining about him like a little child. Marlene had made the mistake of studying in the public library instead of the Ravenclaw common room. Of course, the first Slytherin that saw her instantly ran back to Lestrange to tell her where she was. Marlene did not even have time to leave before he showed up and practically demanded her to spend time with him.

One thing was certain: The seventh year Slytherin was consumed by vengeance. He had even detailed the gruesome way in which he intended to inflict pain on Peverell. As if that would impress her?! Marlene had been present when the two boys faced off after the Welcome Feast. Peverell had looked like he'd love nothing better to bury her almost betrothed six foot deep. It had been rather curious actually. The way he had addressed the older boy, the way he essentially sought out the confrontation. It was basically as if Peverell had known him already. But that could not be possible, could it?

She briefly wondered what her father would think if Peverell contacted the Lord McKinnon in regard to her. Would her father rethink the agreements with the Lestrange family? Was Peverell a better prospect? Stop! She forced herself. Why was she even thinking about marriage with him? She didn't even know him, let alone like what she had seen of him so far.

Speaking of the devil, just then the boy entered the Great Hall. The chatter instantly died and was replaced by excited whispers. Apparently, everyone had received the Prophet this morning. Marlene did not want to be caught staring at him like all his other fangirls. Hence, she carefully placed her long blond curls in a very specific way, which would allow her to peek through them and watch him.

Peverell merely raised a curious eyebrow at seeing everyone, including the members of staff, staring at him. Then, he walked over to his House Table, confident as ever. She noticed how he looked refreshed and excited as if he had just accomplished something he had worked hard for. His eyes were almost beaming as he sat down next to James Potter and slapped the other boy on the back in a greeting.

Observant as she was, she noticed that this morning's breakfast seemed to be the same for him as yesterday's. Whereas his friends consumed monstrous amounts of bacon and sweet pastries, Peverell chose some Greek yogurt, oats, eggs, fruits, a glass of milk, and one of orange juice. High Protein. Marlene remembered what she read in the Muggle magazines. Well judging by his body, he certainly needed it.

Marlene cursed herself when she recognized that she was staring at him again. She finally had to get a grip on herself. If Lestrange caught her doing so, she would be in deep trouble. He had explicitly mentioned for her to stay away from Peverell, after all. Well, there was nothing she could do about having classes with him, though. In fact, Defense against the Dark Arts would start in 20 Minutes. It was time for her to figure out what Peverell was actually made of...

Defense Classroom

Harry had been looking forward to Defense against the Dark Arts the most out of all of his classes. Sure, he already knew everything that would be taught, but it was one of the more practical subjects and would certainly be fun. Especially, if he was paired off against one of the Marauders.

As always, Harry and his friends arrived pretty much right before the beginning of the lesson and took seats all the way in the back. Marlene McKinnon's ice blue eyes shortly glimpsed over to him, before she huffed and engaged her friend in a conversation. What on earth was her problem with him?

Soon, Professor Munrose entered the class through her office. From what Harry had found out so far, her method of teaching was comparable to McGonagall's. Grey eyes roamed over each student and lingered a bit longer on him. "For your information, Mr. Peverell, my name is Lucretia Munrose. I served as an Auror for the Ministry for 25 years before retiring. Pay attention in my class and follow my instruction and there won't be any issues. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." Harry nodded, forcing himself not to chuckle as Sirius mock saluted next to him.

"Black!" The woman's eyes narrowed: "Bring Peverell up to speed on what we have learned before the break."

"We just started with shield charm. Before that, we reiterated the disarming charm, the stunner, and the full-body bind." Sirius answered lazily.

"Are you familiar with those four charms, Mr. Peverell?" The woman asked.

"Yes, Professor, I am." Harry grinned and ignored the snickers from James.

"Good!" The woman raised her voice: "I want you all to partner up. One of you will try to perform the shield charm, the other will try to either disarm, stun, or petrify their opponent!"

"No!" She followed up as she saw the apparently usual pairings coming together: "I will make the pairs today!"

Harry grinned. Perhaps, if he got very lucky, he would get to spend some one-on-one time with a certain blonde Ravenclaw...

"McDonald, Lupin!" Lupin seemed rather happy with his partner and moved over to the girl.

"Potter, Evans!" A wide grin spread over James' face as Sirius gave him a high five. Harry's mother did not look impressed at all, rolling her eyes at James.

"Pettigrew, Desford!" Peter moved over to a girl from Ravenclaw.

"Black, Fawley!" Harry noticed that McKinnon's friend seemed to be rather delighted with the setup.

"McKinnon!" The professor called, then her eyes found Harry: "Peverell!"

The girl seemed less than enthusiastic, but Harry confidently walked over to her, nonetheless. He ignored the other pairings and allowed himself to take her in once more. This was the closest he had gotten to her since their brief encounter in the Express. Her honey-blond curls were braided elegantly over one shoulder. She slowly got out of her chair and tightened any wrinkles in her uniform. As he had noticed before, she was quite tall for a girl, standing perhaps around 5'9.

"I believe it's time for a proper introduction." Harry's lips twitched: "Hopefully, there is no more confusion by now. I must admit that calling me Potter hurt quite badly. I am certainly better looking than that sod." He gestured for James and flashed her a grin: "Harry Peverell, at your service, my Lady."

"It appears that there are a few more things you two share besides physical appearance." The girl pursed her lips: "My list starts with A for arrogant and finishes with Z for zany." The girl replied, returning his gaze, as she held out her hand: "Marlene McKinnon."

She did not flinch as Harry took her soft, delicate fingers in his and bowed slightly to briefly brush his lips over her knuckles. "Charmed to finally make your acquaintances, Ms. McKinnon. You look rather lovely today if I may say so."

"I would appreciate it if we could finally start with the task that was given." Her eyes hardened; however, Harry did not miss the small traces of rose that crept up on her cheeks: "I would hate to lose any House Points because of you, Peverell."

"No, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Harry replied with another grin: "Ladies first then. Would you like to shield or cast first?"

Her lip twitched while she flicked her long braid over her shoulder and took a stance a few meters away from him. All around them, incantations were already being shouted, and spells surged through the air: "Let's see if you could have actually backed up that big mouth of yours against the Slytherins. I will be casting while you shield, Peverell."

"As my lady wishes." Harry bowed and let the Elder Wand slip into his palm. He watched her in amusement as she hopped on her heels, finding a confident position to cast in. His eyes were automatically drawn to certain assets, which started moving up and down as she bounced. Even though the girl in front of him was only sixteen, her curves had developed really beautifully already. He forced himself to concentrate on her wand instead, just as her blue eyes narrowed on him.

"Expelliarmus!"

She was not bad, Harry noticed. She had cut down the unnecessary wand movements to a minimum. Her stance was solid, her aim was pretty much perfect and by the deep colour of the spell, he could tell it had some power behind it. Certainly, more than he would have expected from the fifth year. It has been years since he last defended himself with a basic shield charm or even said the incantation out loud. Nevertheless, he flicked his wand and said, almost lazily:

"Protego."

Her bright red disarming charm was absorbed by his shield. McKinnon's eyes narrowed when she saw his relaxed posture and lazy grin. He was not even taking her seriously.

"Stupify!"

Her second attack was blocked in a similar fashion. Harry even reduced the size of his shield charm, so it barely covered the area of her impact, practically mocking her accuracy: "Come on, McKinnon, surely you can do better?" Harry grinned and shot her a wink.

He watched her knuckles whiten as she gripped her wand tightly. Large, blue eyes narrowed in anger and frustration, but the adorable way she bit her lower lip was simply too cute:

"Stupor!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

"Expelliarmus!"

Harry raised a single eyebrow, recognizing the popular pattern: "An Auror spell chain? Who taught you? Your father? An Aunt or Uncle?"

"My brothers!" The girl snapped and fired another stunner at him. Within a split second, Harry conjured his shield and blocked it. All around them, the other pairs had stopped casting and watched in fascination as the best DADA student of the class grew more and more frustrated when none of her efforts elicited a noticeable reaction from her opponent.

"Diffindo!" Marlene growled in anger and slashed her wand through the air.

Harry saw the bright orange cutting curse rushing towards him. Now the emerald orbs narrowed for the first time. That was a dangerous curse to perform in a classroom full of children. With a flick of his wand, Harry batted the spell aside, where it fizzled into thin air. It had taken him years to perfect the technique he had watched Dumbledore and Voldemort use repeatedly during their duel.

"McKinnon!" Professor Munrose's voice boomed through the classroom: "Five points from Ravenclaw for not following directions and casting a dangerous spell!"

McKinnon did not even seem to listen as she gaped at Harry in utter bewilderment. She wasn't the only one it seemed. Harry cursed under his breath. He had reacted on instinct when he saw her curse flying at him and forgot to keep up appearances. Now an entire class full of students had seen him perform a highly advanced technique.

"Peverell!" The Professor turned to him next: "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I am afraid you will have to specify what you mean by - that?" Harry shrugged as he walked back to the Marauders.

"Don't play dumb with me boy, I watched you bat that spell aside like it was a feather in the wind. I will ask you again..." Her nostril flared: "Where did you learn that?"

"I am afraid I still don't know what you mean, Professor" Harry replied through clenched teeth.

Munrose pulled her short wand incredibly quickly and fired a stunner at Harry. Not making the same mistake twice, Harry leaned his upper body sideways and watched as it narrowly missed him and connected with the wall behind him. The class gasped and a few of the girls yelled.

"Do you not think a warning would have been fair, Professor?" Harry forced his voice to remain low. He did not like getting cursed by people, no matter whether it was Voldemort, a Death Eater, or a Hogwarts professor. He defiantly held the teacher's gaze in a silent staring contest, forgetting the world around him. Then, suddenly Munrose smirked and stored her wand safely within her robes: "Well done, Peverell, take five points. Class dismissed!"