Facing the Fire

Harry paced back and forth within the Chamber of Secrets, his wand held by his side. Today was the day of the first task, which would be broadcast live to the world.

"This is a very big day for you, perhaps a day of greater significance than you might realize it to be." said Salazar, sitting up straight within the frame of his portrait.

"I highly doubt that." muttered Harry sarcastically.

"Oh?" asked Salazar, "And why is that?"

"It's just a tournament, a form of entertainment. The sheep get the entertainment they want, and myself and the other champions all suffer."

Salazar shook his head slightly before nodding somewhere behind Harry. He turned around, quickly spotting what the portrait was looking at.

It was the chess board that Salazar had shown him during his first visit to the chamber. It seemed to be practically identical to how it was when Harry had first seen it, thought there was one noticeable difference.

The silver queen had moved to the center of the board, now capable of attacking nearly every piece on the board.

Harry turned back to Salazar, who was smiling at him.

"The silver queen represents me, right?"

Salazar nodded slowly. Harry walked toward the board, studying it much more closely.

"I'm in a position where I can attack almost anyone." noted Harry, "But I'm also incredibly vulnerable."

"Indeed you are." said Salazar, "You are one of the greats in your world - or will be, anyway, - and yet nobody has ever really seen you. This is your debut of sorts; today will show everyone how impressive or unimpressive you are."

"I thought you warned me to not attract too much attention?"

"I told you not to display any forms of immense power." corrected Salazar, "If you displayed a power that nobody else had, such as your wandless magic, people in powerful positions would feel threatened. You are simply demonstrating knowledge on a single powerful spell. Nobody will have seen the spell before, they will not know how much power you require to use it."

"Would it take a large amount of power to use it?"

"Normally it would. But thanks to it being derived from wandless magic, and you being a Mage, it will not be nearly as hard for you. Were you not a Mage, you would certainly not be capable of using the spell."

"Fair enough." said Harry, continuing his pacing through the study.

"It's a lot harder than it sounds, you know." Harry commented after a few minutes, "Making it seem like everything I'm just using a random, powerful spell I found in the library. Are you sure most people won't suspect that I'm a Mage?"

"Most will, considering that it is nonverbal." declared Salazar, "Not that it matters, they won't know the spell anyway. But it is that lack of knowledge that protects you."

"And Dumbledore?"

"He will certainly be curious as to how you have learnt it. But I do not think it will be anything more than simple curiosity. If he is as you say he is, he will understand that the school had countless ways for you to have learnt a unique spell or two. I doubt he will suspect you of being a Mage."

"Good." said Harry, "The last thing I need is for Dumbledore to be suspicious of me. He could destroy me in the blink of an eye."

Salazar shook his head.

"You must stop thinking of Dumbledore and Riddle to be leagues above you." Salazar reprimanded, "While it is true at the moment, it will not always be so. But if you think in such a way, you will continue to do so, even when you are at or have surpassed their level."

"You seem oddly certain that I'll reach their level." noted Harry.

"I am certain you will. Your magical power is growing at incredible rates, and you must remember that you have an incredible advantage over them. Besides, one's magical power stops to grow as you get older. Their magical power levels are likely stagnant.

"And experience?" asked Harry, "You've always told me knowledge and experience are the most important factor."

"You have experience to a certain extent, and you don't need nearly as much knowledge, you have a shortcut."

"That being?"

"Your wandless magic. Once you master it, you will be able to create things simply by willing them into existence. It will greatly decrease the knowledge you must gain to match them."

"Wandless magic uses a much greater amount of magical power than normal magic." argued Harry.

"And in return, you do not need a wand. You can also do things with it that can not be done normally."

Harry paused, turning to face the portrait.

"You really think I'll be able to equal them."

Salazar nodded.

"When the time comes, you will have to equal them, at least if you want to be left alone." said Salazar, "I do not know much about Dumbledore, but I do know many things about Riddle, such as what is keeping him alive. When you are prepared, I will help you in your fight to gain freedom."

"I'm not sure that's what I'm fighting for." muttered Harry, "Freedom, I mean."

He continued upon seeing the confused look on Salazar's face.

"When you asked me why I came to the chamber, and what I wanted, I said I wanted to be free, to be left alone - do you remember? But if that's really what I wanted, where's my king on the chess board?" said Harry, pointing at the board in question.

"You said that when I finally discovered whatever I wanted most, whatever I desired more than anything else, a king piece would be formed. It would symbolize what I was fighting for, the most important piece on the board. But if you check the board, - "

" - your king is not there." finished Salazar, seemingly understanding what Harry was saying, "You can not be fighting to be free, it can not be what matters most to you. If it was, you would have earned your king piece."

The portrait and person stood silently for a few minutes, both of their eyes glued to the board.

"When I was in my first year, I found a Mirror, called the Mirror of Erised." said Harry.

"'I show not your face but your heart's desire.'" said Salazar quietly.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"It was made by Morgana with the aid of her wandless magic." Salazar informed him, "She had some help from Rowena as well. She would have been very pleased that you found it. But I digress, what did you see?"

"My parents." muttered Harry.

The study was filled with silence once more, before Salazar spoke.

"They are not your king," said Salazar quietly, "They might matter a great deal to you, but they are not what you will be fighting for. They left the battlefield long ago."

Harry nodded. He had expected that, they could not possibly be what mattered most to him in the end. They were important, but they were gone to a place where he would never see them again.

"Your king piece lies within what you saw in the mirror," Salazar told him, "You must understand why you saw your parents, and then apply that logic to find your answer."

"I'll worry about that later." said Harry, "Right now, I have a dragon to fight."

.....

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