HP: Harry From The Ancient House Of Black [ Chapter 52 ]

That gave him some comfort and he regained control of his magic. "So tell me, why does it matter if Voldemort or the Heir of Slytherin killed your father?"

"Part of me believed that Tom was perhaps my grandfather, or my great grandfather. That just maybe the Gaunts were a false line and Riddle a false name and this whole time the Blacks were your descendants.”

“But Voldemort was not a Black. At the same time being your Heir makes Tom and I almost a weird kind of family. It makes the fact that he killed my father even more difficult to swallow."

"But does it really change anything?"

"No." Aries said with absolution. "My plans stay the same. When the Dark Lord returns I will play my part. I will destroy him and Albus Dumbledore when the time is right. It will just be a little more sweeter of a victory."

"Speaking of victory," Salazar began. "Tell me of your progress with the egg." Unfortunately, Aries had made little progress with the blasted thing. 

He was confident that he could succeed in the coming task regardless, though he would like to have the offered clue.

"Next to nothing." Aries confessed. "I'm rarely stumped but this egg has me dumbfounded."

"Perhaps your translation spell was not as unsuccessful as you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been giving it some thought, and I have to wonder if translation is not entirely the issue, rather the environment." Salazar had a thoughtful look as he spoke. 

"For instance, Merpeople can speak clearly in water, yet they sound completely different out of it."

"Merpeople!" Aries exclaimed. "Salazar, you genius!" He grabbed his egg from where it had been sitting in the study and rushed out to the edge of the Chamber, where long, thin pools of water lined the two walls. 

Setting the opened egg in the water, he lowered his head, and a melody reached his ears.

Come seek us where our voices sound,

We cannot sing above the ground,

And while you're searching, ponder this;

We've taken what you'll sorely miss,

An hour long you'll have to look,

And recover what we took,

But past an hour — the prospect's black,

Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.

They were going to take something from him? No, something he would sorely miss. It had to be a person. But who would they take from him? 

At the beginning of the year he would have assumed Draco or Arianna, but now Daphne had replaced her in his life and among his friends, not to mention she steadily avoided all of them. It had to be either Draco or Daphne. 

Aries doubted that any true harm would come to them seeing as they were not the champions, but if anything did there would be hell to pay.

"Salazar," Aries said as he returned to the study. "We have to rescue someone from the Black Lake. You wouldn't happen to know how to breathe underwater for an hour would you?"

"Rescue? That sounds like something Godric would do." Slytherin said with disapproval. "Well there is always gillyweed or the Bubble-Head Charm."

"Gryffindor, eh?" An idea came to him. "Godric wouldn't happen to have a portrait here too would he?"

"Of course, he did! He was a Founder of this school after all."

"Where is it?"

"The Room of Requirement of course."

….

The Room of Requirement, according to Salazar Slytherin, was located on the seventh floor, opposite of a very interesting portrait of Barnabas the Barmy, who was trying to train trolls for the ballet. 

Aries stood in front of the blank wall before pacing three times, focusing on the desire to see Godric Gryffindor's portrait. 

On his third path an intricate door appeared with a large golden griffin engraved on it. He went through the door and found himself in a cosy, round room full of squashy armchairs. 

Like Slytherin's study, the portrait of Godric Gryffindor hung on the far wall. He had long red hair and a beard to match it. A ruby encrusted sword was on his hip and a red cloak fell from his shoulders.

"Do I know you know boy?" He had a deep voice, one that could easily be imagined while reading a book of adventure.

"No, though I would say you know my ancestor." Aries answered, meeting Gryffindor's critical gaze. "I'm the Heir of Slytherin."

"Are you really?" Gryffindor sounded intrigued and a puzzled look came to him. "You look like you could be one of mine." The comment caught him off guard, but he maintained his calm composure.

"I can assure you that I am Salazar's Heir. It was his portrait that told me how to find you."

"Did he now? That's surprising indeed."

"I'm curious as to why you left your portrait here, rather than in some secret room for the Heir of Gryffindor."

"I always admired Rowena's creation of this room and she allowed me to leave my portrait here on one condition: that anyone could find my portrait so long as they asked for it. And here you are, yet, I cannot help but ask again. Are you sure you're not one of mine?"

"I'm sure." Aries said with irritation. "I'm the Heir of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. We have no lineage from you." But a sliver of doubt slithered into his mind, for they supposedly had no lineage to Slytherin either. "I think I know your Heir."

"Truly?" Godric asked curiously.

"Thomas Potter I believe. He's in your house. I can say that I think you'd be proud of your Heir."

"Tell me about him."

"Well he's foolishy brave." Aries began. "Often acts without thinking and values his friends' opinions far more than he should.”

“He thinks the best of people until they wrong him, though he forgives them nonetheless. And he's kind, far kinder than many who are as famous as he is." 

Aries was surprised at his description of Potter, perhaps he did not dislike the boy as much as he thought, though he would never admit that to anyone.