Mark of Slytherin

Chapter 10

The ruins looked much the same as they had last time. Riddle's hasty, but carefully organised path still led the way deep inside and only a few boulders had fallen since then. That had Harry breathing out a sigh, because he'd been half convinced that the warlord would blow the place up behind him, making sure that no one else would be able to get to any remaining treasures. Or secrets, in this case.

Perhaps it had been a precaution from Riddle's side, to ensure nothing would be lost in case he needed it. Harry already knew that Riddle hadn't been sure of what would happen at all. The stupid bastard.

Fuming slightly as he remembered the stupidity, Harry trekked down the path. He figured the best way would be to go to the centre and then work their way out from there. If there were any magicians lurking around in there, all fiction had told him that they would be found in the centre. For magic users, that kind of thing mattered as well. Rituals and stuff. Places of power. It was also the place with the statues, Harry was pretty certain of that.

Harry didn't know much about it, but even if no one was there this would let him investigate just how the hell Riddle had come over these new 'powers' of his. Or rather, how he had managed to curse himself. Trust that bastard to purposefully curse himself and act as if it was a boon.

Unlike last time, when Bellatrix had been dragging him down that road on the end of a rope – Harry mentally gave his most gracious thanks to her for that pleasure, he now had the time to actually look around, stop for a moment to investigate anything that caught his eye. It made for slow going, but now that they had reached the destination Harry didn't much mind. When he wasn't in a hurry (in other words, running away) he truly enjoyed visiting these places. It had grown on him, ever since he and Hermione stumbled over their first. Even if he wasn't as into it as Hermione, who would go crazy over the smallest vase fragment.

Surprisingly, the palace seemed clean of fear-spots. As they wandered the chambers Harry figured that it would have been the first to go, but he didn't feel even a sliver of fear. Well, he didn't feel a sliver of unnatural fear. If he yelped and jumped back, crashing into Bellatrix, as he looked around a corner and came face to face with a statue of a wolf, no one needed to know.

But this didn't mean it wasn't exciting. Slytherin's ruins were a strange place, dark and with tunnels that diverged into seemingly all directions. It felt more like a maze than a castle, even if the main road was easy enough to follow. They had been incredibly lucky that Riddle's quest hadn't forced them off the beaten path because Harry figured you could be lost for days.

The thought sent his heart racing and Harry had to force himself to continue down the main road. They had a mission, he could run off and play later.

He was, in fact, planning on doing so once all of this was over with. Maybe take a week to just explore the deep paths. Hermione would be with him too, he was sure she'd love it. He most certainly did not dwell on the fact that with things being the mess they were, 'after' might not look anything like he expected. Things had shifted and his rivalry with Riddle... well, it wasn't the same now that he knew how intense Riddle's grey eyes could get as the man pushed close, or how much Harry really liked the feel of those hands creeping up his back. He didn't consider his confused mumble of emotions, probably more suited to a hormonal teenager than a man well into his twenties. He didn't consider it at all.

The huge chamber looked the same as it had the last time, only less well-lit and a bit more of a mess. Harry shone his torch around the room and took in the fallen statues and the debris left behind from a heavy battle. Except for the bullet holes in the walls Riddle (well, his men) had done an admirable job of cleaning it up. Harry couldn't find a single bullet littering the floor and of course, the fallen men were nowhere to be seen. Riddle ran a clean operation and leaving a trail of bodies was never a good choice.