Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Six Years of Solitude Part – 3

Fourth Year

Arthur’s fourth year at Hogwarts marked a significant shift in the school’s atmosphere. This was the year that Harry Potter—the famed Boy Who Lived—began his magical education. From the moment the small, scrawny eleven-year-old with untamable black hair and a lightning-shaped scar stepped into the Great Hall for sorting, the school’s collective attention pivoted dramatically. Suddenly, there was someone far more interesting to discuss than the strange, isolated Muggle-born Slytherin who had earned a reputation for fending off bullies with disturbing efficiency.

The arrival of Potter and the ensuing whirlwind of gossip provided Arthur with a welcome reduction in unwanted attention. Corridors that once fell silent at his approach now buzzed with excited whispers about Potter’s latest exploits—his selection for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, his early run-in with Malfoy, speculations about his scar, and the tragic night his parents died. With the school’s focus diverted, Arthur found he could navigate the castle with greater anonymity, allowing him to concentrate more fully on his advanced studies and personal projects.

Potter himself was as skinny and malnourished as Arthur had expected. Disillusioned by the wizarding world’s canonical narratives, Arthur had long resolved not to interfere with the destiny others seemed to have planned for Potter. Whatever role the Boy Who Lived was destined to play in the coming conflict with Voldemort, Arthur intended to leave it undisturbed; his own path led elsewhere.

However, one aspect of the year’s events did capture Arthur’s attention: the arrival of Professor Quirrell—and, more importantly, his hidden passenger. Though Voldemort had been reduced to a parasitic wraith, his lingering presence represented a unique opportunity. Not for confrontation—Arthur had no interest in playing the hero—but for acquisition. The accumulated knowledge within Voldemort’s mind, garnered through decades of dark experimentation and magical research, would be invaluable. The challenge lay in accessing it without exposing himself to mortal danger.

Throughout the year, Arthur observed Quirrell carefully, noting how the professor’s condition deteriorated under the strain of possession and the toll of unicorn blood. Near the end of the term, as events around Potter built toward a climax, Arthur seized his chance. Tracking Quirrell to an isolated corridor late one evening, he stunned the professor with a silent spell from behind. In a calculated burst of magical energy, he incapacitated not only Quirrell but also the malevolent presence within him.

With Quirrell unconscious and Voldemort momentarily subdued, Arthur employed the Legilimency skills he had diligently honed. Delving deep into the layered minds before him, he bypassed Quirrell’s fractured consciousness to access the dark repository that was Voldemort’s weakened psyche. For hours, Arthur methodically copied and cataloged information—spell creation techniques, forgotten rituals, obscure magical theories, and countless dark secrets harvested from the memories of victims and loyal followers alike.

Voldemort’s current state rendered him defenseless against Arthur’s practiced intrusion. By the time Arthur withdrew, he had extracted a treasure trove of magical knowledge that, through conventional study, would have taken decades to acquire. He left Quirrell where he lay, confident that neither the professor nor the vestige of Voldemort would recall the encounter in their compromised state.

As Arthur had expected, events unfolded largely as the canonical story dictated. Potter and his friends embarked on their perilous adventure beyond the obstacles of the third-floor corridor. Quirrell met his fiery end, Voldemort fled into the shadows, and Dumbledore manipulated the House Cup standings to award Gryffindor a victory that, by all rights, should have gone to Slytherin. Arthur watched the red and gold banners unfurl over the Great Hall with mild amusement. The House Cup meant little to him, but the headmaster’s transparent favoritism was an open secret that he found rather intriguing.

The true prize of the year, however, resided securely within Arthur’s mind: Voldemort’s accumulated magical knowledge—a resource far more valuable than any number of house points or even the fraudulent Philosopher’s Stone that Potter had supposedly rescued.

There was one other acquisition from this tumultuous year that gave Arthur particular satisfaction—a certain invisibility cloak of legendary quality. On Christmas morning, Arthur had managed to infiltrate Gryffindor Tower and “borrow” the cloak from the pile of gifts reserved for Harry Potter. Up close, the magical artifact was even more remarkable: fluid as water and imbued with an ancient magic that Arthur had never encountered before. He replaced it with one of the finest conventional invisibility cloaks available on the market—purchased months earlier in anticipation of this opportunity. With meticulous precision, he transferred Dumbledore’s tracking charms to the replacement, ensuring that even the headmaster wouldn’t notice the switch unless he examined it closely.

Arthur felt no guilt about this theft. He never claimed to be the good guy and Potter would still have an excellent invisibility cloak, just not one of the Deathly Hallows. The boy would only realize the difference decades later, when the replacement began to lose its magical properties as all conventional invisibility cloaks eventually did.

Fifth Year

Arthur’s fifth year coincided with the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and the ensuing series of petrifications. The first attack on Mrs. Norris, Filch’s cat, triggered a wave of tension throughout the school. Ancient prejudices bubbled to the surface as pure-blood supremacists seized the opportunity to spread fear among Muggle-born students.

Remarkably, suspicion briefly fell on Arthur himself. Rumors circulated that he might be the true Heir of Slytherin—suggesting that his Muggle-born status was merely a façade concealing a more sinister heritage. For a short, bemusing period, students from all houses gave him an even wider berth than usual, treating him with the fearful respect typically reserved for apex predators.

This misplaced suspicion evaporated during the infamous dueling club incident, when Harry Potter’s ability to speak Parseltongue was dramatically revealed. The school’s collective attention immediately shifted to Potter as the more plausible candidate for the Heir of Slytherin, leaving Arthur once again to his preferred state of relative anonymity.

Throughout the escalating crisis—the petrification of Justin Finch-Fletchley, Colin Creevey, and others—Arthur maintained his steady routine of advanced study. The castle-wide atmosphere of fear and suspicion did little to unsettle him. He observed the unfolding events with clinical detachment, recognizing the canonical pattern and anticipating each development. The mass hysteria, the persecution of Potter, Hagrid’s subsequent removal—all unfolded as expected. Arthur had long decided that the wizarding world’s internal conflicts were not his responsibility to resolve.

This policy of non-intervention was abruptly challenged when the Heir of Slytherin—or more accurately, Ginny Weasley, possessed by Tom Riddle’s diary—apparently targeted Arthur as the basilisk’s next victim. Late one evening, as Arthur returned from the library, a soft, sinister hissing emerged from the pipes in the wall beside him, followed by the scraping sound of something massive moving within the castle’s ancient plumbing. Recognizing the immediate danger, Arthur did not hesitate. He swiftly retrieved his invisibility cloak from his bag and draped it over himself, closing his eyes as he pressed against the wall.

Soon, the enormous serpent emerged from a hidden opening, its scales rasping against the stone as it slithered into the corridor. Through his barely opened eyelids, Arthur could make out a blur of vibrant green—just enough to confirm the creature’s presence without meeting its lethal gaze. Behind the basilisk, a slight figure with red hair moved with the unnerving stillness of possession.

Rather than attempt a confrontation with the basilisk—a battle that would raise far too many questions about his capabilities—Arthur remained perfectly still beneath the cloak until both predator and possessed puppet had passed. Once the danger subsided, he carefully removed the cloak and aimed a particularly nasty curse at the diary peeking from Ginny Weasley’s pocket. The spell, extracted from Voldemort’s memories and designed to inflict excruciating pain even upon disembodied spirits and magical constructs, hit its mark.

Ginny collapsed instantly as the diary emitted a high, thin scream that no ordinary book should be capable of. The basilisk, momentarily confused by its master’s incapacitation, retreated into the pipes with angry hisses. Arthur slipped away before anyone could recover, satisfied that the punishment had been duly administered.

The curse achieved had an extra effect. The attacks ceased for several weeks while the diary Horcrux recovered from the magical assault. This pause gave the school a brief respite from terror, although rumors about the Chamber and its monster continued to swirl. When the attacks eventually resumed, Arthur was not targeted again—perhaps the Horcrux had deemed him too dangerous, or perhaps it simply had other priorities.

Arthur allowed the canonical events to play out from there—Potter’s discovery of the Chamber’s entrance, his confrontation with the basilisk, and the subsequent destruction of the diary. When the petrified students were revived and Hagrid returned from Azkaban, the school celebrated the end of another crisis, blissfully unaware that the war was merely postponed, not prevented.

Another noteworthy development that year was Arthur’s acquisition of basilisk parts following Potter’s confrontation with the creature. Using creative, unconventional methods involving a snake, he managed to access the Chamber of Secrets several days after the final battle. The massive serpent still lay where it had fallen—its lethal eyes destroyed, yet its other valuable components intact.

Over several nights, Arthur painstakingly harvested the most useful parts—venom glands, scales, fangs, and heart tissue—each of which was a priceless ingredient in advanced potions or a rare magical material for crafting. He carefully preserved these treasures in a magically expanded and warded trunk, ready for transport. The profits from discreetly selling selected basilisk components would have made him one of the wealthiest young wizards in Britain, yet he retained the most valuable parts for his own use, recognizing their potential in advanced potions and magical crafting.

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