Harry had a lot of people in his life. But the truth, he'd discovered, is that dead people couldn't compare to living ones. It was a part of why he had insisted on attending Hogwarts in the first place. The hugs from Lily were affectionate, but cold and non-corporeal. His mother wasn't his mother anymore. She was a simulacrum of what Lily Potter once was - a little too focused on death and violence and revenge to ever be able to help raise him. The Potters acted how Harry figured they should have acted, their personalities stitched together by Harry's limited knowledge of them. They were echoes of their final moments, not full people anymore.
They were more like Hedwig, the ravens, his shadows, all sentient beings and his friends in an abstract sort of way. But the dead were dead. They didn't have personalities unless he wanted them to.
Harry wasn't sure if his mama, Alabasandria, counted as a real living person. Shadowed and frosted and apathetic to most things, older than any other wizard Harry had ever heard of. Lacking some endearing quality in living people that Harry couldn't quantify. She wasn't closed off - it was more so that she simply was not. Not warm and affectionate. She didn't understand how to be so, why such a quality was desirable. He didn't fault her for that, but it was a truth about her none the same.
The living had this emotional, fiery quality to them that he wanted, needed, desired.
Harry couldn't lose his friends.
"Mione," Ron murmured to Hermione, interrupting the interrogation and Harry's downward spiral. "Don't push it." Luna put her hand over Hermione's and the girls had a silent, heated argument for a moment, before Hermione huffed and let them carry on. Louder, he said. "Let's talk about something else. The Chamber, did your mum have any ideas on that, Harry?"
"She recommended we talk to someone who was there when Slytherin made the thing," Harry explained. He sent Ron and Luna a grateful smile. He would tell them later, he promised himself. Maybe next year.
Ron gave him a nod of understanding back. Him and Luna were always cool about Harry's frantic avoidance of certain things. He loved that about his friends.
"But - but that was centuries ago! They're all long dead, I don't even think there are any ghosts that old!" Hermione cried.
Harry shrugged. "Maybe we could find someone from when it opened last time? That was only fifty years ago." Meanwhile, his head was buzzing with ideas. Why settle for talking to anyone other than Salazar Slytherin himself? But where would his body be?
She huffed. "Well, I'd better start researching then. Oh, but I hope the Heir is discovered soon. I'm getting awfully worried."
"Do you reckon it's Malfoy?" Ron suddenly asked.
"I doubt it," said Luna. "He seems the sort to brag about that, isn't he? I don't think he'd be very good at keeping it a secret."
"Well that was my only lead," Ron said. "Don't worry, Hermione. After Christmas we'll figure something out. Try to enjoy the holiday, yeah? Even if you'll still be studying."
An Uneventful Holiday With Zero Murders
Mama looked over his notes and runes. She made a few small corrections but finally set them down and nodded.
"I'm very impressed. This is a complex ritual to develop at your age. Why, with a bit of tweaking we could use it to eliminate the need for horcruxes. It is a bit more risky, but much less costly on the soul. Who are you planning on using as the anchors?"
"I'm not sure. My first thought were muggles, but -"
"They would die far too easily I think."
"Right, but a wizard would notice pretty quickly that something was wrong with him."
"And we can't have the Ministry investigating a string of people suddenly bound by Dark magic. I don't suppose we could try to pin it on Voldemort? Oh but then Dumbledore would surely investigate."
"I was thinking maybe some of the prisoners of Azkaban? Mum and dad are over there torturing the Death Eaters, and apparently no one ever checks on them. They haven't noticed that Bellatrix Lestrange is dead yet."
"Well, no one would believe them if they started to complain about Dark magic, hmm? But gathering their blood will be tricky. The wards of Azkaban are impenetrable. We won't be able to just sneak in."
"Are they allowed visitors?"
.....
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