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Lucius Malfoy sat in his office reviewing the daily stack of mail. The morning headlines in the Daily Prophet were inane and so he set it aside for later perusal. His Gringotts reports indicated a healthy growth for certain investments. His solicitors had finally responded to a inquiry into an obscure old law that might result in better leverage against another member of the Wizengamot. He received the usual invitations for several upcoming annual balls among the pureblood circles and automatically ticked the RSVP for himself and Narcissa.
When he reached the bottom of the stack, where less important mail from unfamiliar senders was sorted, he found a scroll addressed to him in very sloppy handwriting. His usual charms detected no magical residue so he opened it, finding a second scroll within, also free from any trace of magic.
Lord Malfoy,
Good morning. I hope you don't mind my reaching out to you. I was unsure of how to deliver a message to the Dark Lord until I thought of this method. Please deliver the enclosed letter to him for me. To encourage promptness, I have sent this request to numerous known death eaters. I'm sure the pattern of those selected will be obvious, and if his reputation is correct, I'm equally sure none of you will want to be the last to reach out to him regarding this matter.
I appreciate your cooperation,
Harry James Potter
Lucius swore viciously as he tossed the outer letter onto his desk. There was no way he could avoid running this errand for the Boy Who Lived. The inner scroll was not sealed in any way and so he opened that one too. To his dismay, it was entirely in Parselscript except for several pictures of a seemingly abandoned farmstead. As he reached for his wand to tap his Mark, a long tap requesting his lord's earliest convenience, he wondered if he was about to deliver his own death warrant.
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Upon arriving in his classroom a few minutes prior to the first class of the day, Severus Snape found a scroll in his chair. The scroll bore no evidence of magic, but bore all too familiar messy handwriting.
Professor Snape,
Please be advised that I sent a message this morning to the Dark Lord about a portrait of Salazar Slytherin which I recently encountered in a portion of the castle that can apparently only be accessed by heirs of a founder. I asked a number of death eaters to pass the message to him, and I'm sure at least one of them will be sensible enough to actually do so. I did not ask you to do so since this is a school matter and I did not want to place you into a conflict of interests.
Salazar Slytherin wishes to speak with his heir, and so I have arranged an offsite location for this, if the Dark Lord is of the same mind. Whether or not you or he believe me, it's not a trap. I would be willing to swear to this, since I haven't discussed this matter with anyone who might make it into one, and I don't plan to do so.
I have no intentions of revealing this area of the castle until after my NEWTS, not even to the other founder heirs, and certainly not to the headmaster since he can't access it himself anyways. They aren't very pleased with him, about the classes that aren't taught anymore and the basic magical skills I should know at my age but haven't learned. If any of the portraits wish to speak to anyone specific, as did Salazar Slytherin, a portrait frame will be set up elsewhere. I'm especially hoping this not be made public until after I graduate.
I apologize for any difficulties this may cause you.
Sincerely,
Harry James Potter
Snape paled as he read the scroll. The dunderhead hadn't charmed or protected it in any way, and he wondered who else might have had a chance to see it. He tucked the scroll in his robes and drew his wand. By tapping his Mark twice, he requested a noncritical audience for later that evening after completing his regular school functions. A double burn in response acknowledged the request, and he was grateful that he didn't receive a long burn requiring immediate attendance.
He would hold Potter after class to discuss this. Allowing the Dark Lord to view Potter's sworn oath in his memory might get him back home safely, and chewing the boy out for completely ignoring any modicum of security would make him feel better.
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Throughout the morning, the Dark Lord received notification via the Marks from every single death eater who was on record at the end of the first war as having taken the Imperius Defense to evade Azkaban. They all brought to him copies of the same letter, in barely legible Parselscript, with several photographs.
Lord Voldemort,
Good morning. Regardless of the conflict between us, I do hope this letter reaches you in good health.
I recently discovered a long lost Hall of Portraits at Hogwarts. Among them were portraits of the founders, including Salazar Slytherin, a striking conversationalist. He wishes to make your acquaintance as his Heir. As such, by his request, a portrait frame has been placed in a neutral location. If you wish to access it, you may create a portkey for the coordinates 1c34r 22h14b by 17d9p 4r26f, northwest of London. I considered sending one, but I wouldn't trust one by mail either.
Enclosed are several pictures of the location. The house is unfurnished. The only thing present is the portrait frame in the main room by the entry. It can be activated by a greeting in Parseltongue. He will check on it daily at the 6's and 12's for two weeks. The only wards on the place are a notice-me-not and a muggle-repelling charm. Feel free to place the area under any wards or protectives as you like. It is newly acquired for the portrait frame and will not be missed.
While he would most like to speak with you, he asked me to mention that you could bring discreet friends if you'd like to. You could also discuss that with him for future visits. To be honest, I'm curious about your discussions with him. Godric didn't seem very pleased with me, and I hope you fare better.
Regards,
Harry James Potter