A Little Help from a Snake // Tomarry

23: Snape Adopts a Teenage Dark Lord

I take my writing seriously, I say as I change the titles.

Reposted: August 3, 2021

Last edited: December 10, 2021 (just one line)

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On Saturday morning after breakfast, Harry was situated in Salazar Slytherin's chamber once more, opening up the diary. Before he could call for Tom, Tom practically jumped out.

"I know where one of my Horcruxes is," he said, eyes alight with excitement.

"Good morning to you, too," said Harry, leaning back just a bit. "So how did you find the Horcrux?"

"I could feel its presence while in the diary," Tom replied. "It's in the Room of Requirements."

Harry regarded him with a blank stare.

"It's this hidden room located on the seventh floor. To get inside, you have to walk past it three times while thinking of what you need from that room. You know that tapestry, Barnabas the Barmy?"

Harry nodded.

"It's across from that. Come on, I'll show you." With that, Tom disappeared back into the diary.

True to Tom's words, a door appeared after Harry paced in front of it three times, thinking, I need to find a Horcrux. He had felt a bit silly but pushed it aside when it worked.

"You felt the Horcrux here?" Harry said as Tom popped back out again.

"Yes, follow me."

Tom took off at a power walk, and Harry had to practically run to catch up with him. "Can you slow down?"

"I can," Tom replied, proceeding to take longer strides. His lip twitched as Harry huffed and ran forward to overtake Tom. Tom merely grabbed his arm, pulled him behind, and continued walking. Harry glared at him but gave up.

"There it is." Tom pointed to a discolored old tiara.

Harry picked it up, turning it over in his hand. "Ravenclaw," he murmured, recognizing the quote etched in its surface: Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure. "Is there a reason you would have chosen something from Rowena Ravenclaw?" he asked Tom.

Tom pondered over this. "I've always had a liking to the Founders' items."

"Like the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw," Harry said, looking at the tiara. "What other items do the Founders have?"

"Hufflepuff's Cup, the Sword of Gryffindor, Slytherin's Locket," Tom said. "But I couldn't feel anything here except for the diadem."

"Which most likely means they're all outside of the school. Great. I doubt I'd be able to sneak out during Hogsmeade. What am I supposed to do, get a teacher to do it for me?"

He had grumbled the last sentence, but Tom looked like he was considering it. "Professor Snape trusts you, doesn't he?"

"I'm pretty sure I scared him shitless back in first year," Harry grumbled. Then again, he had kept an eye out for him and took points whenever Ginny followed him around or someone said something bad about Harry. In fact, he was doing it again, although Ginny had backed away for the most part. "What? You think we should tell him?"

"Why not? You saw it for yourself; he's marked. I doubt he'd be against you anyway if you told him about our esteemed Headmaster."

"Never use the words esteemed and Headmaster in the same sentence," Harry said seriously. "Fine, I'll do it. Get back in the diary, butthead."