Voldemort Apparated in front of Harry. Harry says, "Oh, hello Tom Marrolo Riddle, the heir of Salazar Slytherin, and opener of the Chamber of Secrets, fancy meeting you here."
"Fancy meeting you here Harry James Potter, heir of Godric Gryffindor and mortal enemy to the dark lord."
"Oh, I'm the heir to Godric Gryffindor? Thank you for telling me. Now I know what Professor Dumbledore never wanted to tell me. Now look at the time! I must get going. Oh, and Tom, you know that I'm stronger, so don't try to kill me. After all, you raped my Grandmother, and then you put a memory charm on her, so she couldn't remember it, and that's why you didn't want to kill my mum. You had to kill me, because I was Slytherin and Gryffindor's heir, the two strongest founders, and the biggest rivals, now united in one. My mum would have been placed in Slytherin, had she not begged not to be, like I did. She was put in Ravenclaw, and I in Gryffindor, probably due to my other heritage. It was you who left most of the clues in that diary of yours. I have a photo album of my parents, which has pictures of them and my other family members in it. She didn't look like her 'father' but she looked like you and her mom. So what followed was deduction, and I guessed that. Just now you told me I'm an heir of Gryffindor, which made everything come together. Besides, you wouldn't have wanted to be the last heir to Slytherin, so you had to make sure there were more. Isn't all I said true, Tom?"
"Yes, it is."
"Well, goodbye Grandfather, I've got to go to my Godfathers trial." With that Harry Disapparated, leaving Tom Marrolo Riddle to feel proud of his intelligent offspring and thinking of a way to help in the trial. He had to, to get his plan to work. So he Apparated to where Peter was, telling him to send an owl to the ministry, telling them the truth, then signing it.
*********************
In the middle of the trial an owl flew in, dropped a letter, then flew off again. The letter was addressed to the Minister of Magic. He opened it, and read it out loud,
"I, Peter Pettigrew, declare Sirius Black is innocent, of what he is being charged for. It was I who killed all those Muggles, and I was the spy. He is however guilty of disobeying rules at school, being a mischief maker, an illegal Animagus, like I am and James was, and having a flying Motorcycle. But there is a fact that only one amongst you knows, the line of Salazar Slytherin will live on, even if the impossible happens, and my Lord dies. The youngest heir is also the heir to Gryffindor.
-Peter Pettigrew "
Everyone was shocked, other than Harry, but Harry put on a big facade of surprise. Only Dumbledore and the closest friends of James knew the Potters were the descendents of Godric Gryffindor. This meant that only Remus, Sirius, Peter, Dumbledore, Voldemort and Harry knew who the heir to the two founders was, and only Voldemort and Harry knew why he was an heir to Slytherin. The ministry had no choice but to let Sirius go, but they did insist on making a document on what animal he became, and the same for Peter and James, although James was dead.
As soon as they were back in Hogwarts, Dumbledore told Harry to accompany him to his office. He wanted Sirius and Remus to be there too, because he wanted to tell Harry about his ancestors. He started, "Harry, remember when you wanted to know why Voldemort wanted to kill you, but not your mom? I know this might come as a shock to you, –"
Harry interrupted, "I know, I'm the heir to Gryffindor, and Voldemort is my Grandfather from my mothers side. I figured out that Voldemort was my relative before my third year."
Dumbledore was startled, "I only knew about you being the heir to Gryffindor, do you know why Voldemort is your Grandfather?" So he told them the story. They were shocked. Then Ron and Hermione came in just in time to hear the last sentence, "So, that's the story of why my mom was able to become Headgirl, as a Muggleborn." They wanted to know the whole story of course, but Harry said, "No." So they just told him that Professor Snape wanted them to get him for potions. Harry left Dumbledore's office with them, but he didn't tell them what he had told the grownups.
They came to the classroom. Harry apologized to Snape, and hurried to his seat. Snape said, "Potter and Malfoy, I want you two to stay after class." After class Harry and Draco stayed, like ordered. Their friends wanted to stay too, but Snape ordered them to go away. Then Dumbledore came in with the Sorting Hat. Snape said, "Draco, you said, you would like to be sorted again, because you felt that you didn't belong in Slytherin any longer. Dumbledore insisted that Harry be present. Why, I don't know."
He looked at Dumbledore expectantly, so Dumbledore told them why, "The reason is, Harry is the heir to two of the founders, Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin." Both Draco and Snape's mouths fell to the ground. They were astounded; neither would have guessed that Harry, of all people, would be the heir to both of them.
Harry spoke, "Professor, I would rather have the fact stay a secret. Can I trust that no one here will tell anyone?" The three solemnly nodded. "Excellent, now let's get down to business. Draco, put the hat on."
Draco set the hat on his head, and Harry consulted with it. After a long time they simultaneously declared, "Gryffindor." They called all the teachers to tell them of Draco switching houses. They were all very surprised when Dumbledore mentioned that the Sorting Hat and the heir to Gryffindor and Slytherin had both agreed to put Draco in Gryffindor.
Then McGonagall asked something that they all wanted to know, "Who is their heir?"
Harry silenced Dumbledore, who was about to say something, with a wave of his hand, then stepped forward and answered, "I am."
Later, Harry lay down in the bedroom given to him, Sirius and Remus. Draco had been accepted hesitantly, as he had always made fun of them. There were rumors flying around everywhere, from ones that bordered on the truth to the most absurd things he had ever heard. Sirius and Remus were off on a new mission, so Harry was alone. The thing that most people noticed was that the teachers were treating him with much more respect than before, and Snape treated Harry almost like a Slytherin. Another thing no one missed was that Harry let Draco sit next to him at the table, and Draco had bowed to him before accepting. Harry also let him hang around with him and his friends. They were now fast friends.
The Slytherins now loathed Draco. They tried playing pranks on him, but Harry always figured out about it, and stopped it from taking place. Then he figured out who had tried to pull it, and with some help from the two marauders and the twins, paid them back tenfold.
Draco had gotten a howler from his father. It told him what a disgrace he was for his family. Then he got one that wasn't a howler, but it clearly stated, that if Draco ever went home again, his father would kill him. So, Harry had asked Sirius, who had agreed to take him in, if he would do the same for Draco. Draco sent his mom a letter telling her where he was going to be. He used Hedwig, afterwards explaining that his mom really loved him and his father a lot. He then sent a school owl to his dad saying,
Dad,
You can spend time with one heir, but I prefer spending my time with an heir to Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Draco Malfoy
One month after the trial, the knowledge slipped about Harry being an heir, thanks to Snape. He had read something out loud, which happened to be asking the heir to come to Dumbledore's office. Harry had to go, but first he told Snape with one glance, 'If you dare tell them, you're in big trouble.'
Snape clearly understood, because he nodded slightly. Then he found Draco's pleading eyes on him. He gave in, "OK, you can go too Draco."
Draco grinned his thanks, and followed. Ron and Hermione, who now were partners, whispered, "How does he always get his way, with teachers." Draco had this air around him, which made teachers almost always do what he wanted. He probably could use this on Harry, but he respected him as who he was. He had silently sworn to himself, that he would never use it on Harry. His whole life he had been controlled by his father, now he was finally breaking through that, and finding out who he really was. This happened to be a Gryffindor, not a Slytherin. There was a deep friendship growing between the two teenagers now: they both had grown up with people that didn't love them. Draco had at least had his mother, Harry had been hated by everyone until he came to Hogwarts, where he had for the first time found friends who were not afraid of his cousin.
So, Draco accompanied his best friend to Dumbledore's office, only to be told to stay outside. He reluctantly obeyed, after he was threatened to be expelled, and started sulking. Dumbledore spoke, "Harry, I just got the news..."
Harry finished, "the heirs to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are on their deathbeds, and they don't have any children."
Dumbledore stared, then asked, "How did you know that?"
"All the heirs can sense when another heir is going to die soon, and they can also sense if they have children or not", he answered.
"Oh. Well you have to find two people that will take on their powers, because only when the power of the four heirs is combined, will the greatest Darkness be defeated. They do not have to be from the houses of those founders, I think it would be best to choose one of your friends. It's totally your decision. But they have to trust you."
Harry pondered, "Hermione would be perfect for Ravenclaw, but Hufflepuff is the hard one."
Just then Sirius burst in. He gasped, "The Dursleys, they – they were all murdered! Voldemort killed them!" Then Draco came back in, with a letter clutched in his hands, looking very pale. He gave the letter to Dumbledore, who read it out loud,
"Draco,
Today were the Dursleys; tomorrow it's you and your filthy Gryffindor friends.
-Lucius Malfoy "
Harry was furious. Many things were thrown back by the raw energy developed by his anger. "How dare they! First they kill almost all my remaining family, and then they threaten my friends! Dumbledore, you will make sure that all the Gryffindors have dueling lessons! Sirius, you and Remus will teach the rest of the Gryffindors, while Snape teaches my friends and I! Don't argue with me! He knows about their habits! Now, I must find someone who'll take on Hufflepuff's heir's powers!" Then his anger subsided a bit and he realized who it must be. He turned to that person and said, "Draco, would you take on this responsibility? It took a while, but it just dawned on me that you would be fantastic for the part. Do you accept this offer Draco Malfoy? This is a way that you can help in the war. It takes a lot of courage to do this, so don't choose lightly. Once done, it is irrevocable."
Draco tried to swallow the lump that was forming in his throat. Then he answered, "I – I'll do it. I will do anything within my power to stop Voldemort. Even if to do so, I have to take on the power of the heir to one of the founders."
Harry smiled slightly, then told him, "Stay here. I'll get Hermione for the same reason, only Ravenclaw, not Hufflepuff." Then he turned to the grown ups, "If you sit there all the time, nothing will ever happen. Get a move on it! This is important!"
They at once started moving. Dumbledore was writing up an order for all the Gryffindors to start dueling lessons, and Sirius went off to talk with Remus about what spells should be taught.
Harry went down to get Hermione, who had just finished her potion. Snape would have let her go even if she wasn't finished: Harry looked rather frightening, and every bit the heir to Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor. During his temper tantrum his clothes had changed, so that he now wore red and gold robes and a two sided cape that on one side was green and on the other silver. He looked majestic, handsome, powerful and very dangerous. All the girls looked at him, and started giggling and talking together. Hermione went with him. She asked about the clothes, because they had the emblems of Gryffindor and Slytherin faintly marked on them. He answered that he didn't know why they were there. Then she asked what he had come down for. "Hermione, the heirs to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are dying. Will you take on the powers of the heir to Ravenclaw?"
"Yes, I will." After her answer he told her all the other things that had happened. She gasped, then started fretting, then realized that Harry had arranged for himself and his friends to study dueling with Snape. She wondered if he was sick, but didn't have time to ask him, because they were already at the headmaster's office. They went in to fetch Draco, then used the Portkey that Dumbledore had made.
Soon after they had arrived where the heirs were. Draco and Hermione knew by instinct which one they had to go to. The heirs then took their hands, transferring all their powers to the two chosen ones. Ravenclaw's heir spoke, "It is done. You now have the same power as an heir, but you aren't one of us." Then, turning to Harry, she continued in a whisper, so that only Harry could hear, "Heir to Slytherin and Gryffindor, take care of them for us, and overcome evil. You and your friends are the last hope of the human race. Farewell, heir."
With that the two heirs drew their last breaths and died. Harry gave them a proper wizard burial. Draco told him how to do it, because Harry didn't know how to. Then they returned to the school. The rest of the school was in the meantime trying to get Ron to tell them which heir Harry was. He had to tell them he didn't know. This was the truth, but they didn't believe him. Harry came to his rescue, "He's telling the truth, only the teachers, Draco, my grownup friends, Voldemort, a death eater and I know. I didn't even tell Ron and Hermione who it is. They know just as much as you do. The other people who know won't tell you either. So, just plain forget it. You won't ever find out who it is."
With that he went to his room and whispered the password, then entered. Closing the door behind him he found Sirius and Remus already there. He flopped onto his bed, changing into his pajamas, relieved to finally go to sleep after a very tiring day.
Nothing changed until one week later, when Voldemort decided to attack the castle. Harry was on his way to his Care of Magical Creatures class, when his scar started burning. He fell to his knees, because of the pain. His friends stopped as they saw the advancing death eaters. Harry got up from the ground, his scar still burning. He had learned to handle pain. Voldemort was heading towards him and his friends. Voldemort made a cage, which sealed all of Harry's friends in it, using the Imperius Curse. After he finished the curse, they started screaming. They wanted out! Draco and Hermione tried using their new powers, but they hadn't trained enough with them yet. Voldemort turned to Harry, and said, "Harry, my grandson, I will give you the choice, either you come with me, to learn how to control evil, or you watch your friends die slowly by the Cruciatus curse. It's up to you, either your friends die, or you come with me. What do you choose?" Harry hesitated. "Oh, you can't decide? I'll have to help you. Crucio!"
He pointed the curse at the cage, and all of the ones in it fell to the ground screaming. Harry yelled, "STOP IT! I'll come with you."
Voldemort smirked, and stopped. "I knew you'd come in the end. Now hurry up, I lowered the Apparating barrier, now come with me, grandson!"
Harry reluctantly followed his grandfather, knowing he would probably never be able to return to this place, or ever see his friends again. His last words were, "Farewell, my friends." He then Disapparated, leaving his friends behind. The teachers arrived soon after to set them free and listen to what had happened. They all hoped that Harry would somehow get out of Voldemort's grasp. All they could do was hope and pray.
Harry followed Voldemort to his hideout. He knew that he had to play his cards just right, or he and the rest of the world would be destroyed. Voldemort started by teaching him the unforgivable curses. Almost on his first try he could do all of them. Then Voldemort taught him all sorts of curses, which he also learned very fast. Voldemort was getting really excited about all this, so he started teaching the rest of the spells you learn in school, which Harry also mastered very quickly. Then Voldemort decided it was time for the counter curses. Harry had to be able to protect himself. After Harry had mastered that as well, Voldemort started teaching him spells that he himself had created.
All in all, Harry was quickly becoming as powerful as Voldemort. What Harry didn't know was that Voldemort was also secretly using brainwashing spells. So, little by little, Harry was forgetting who his real friends were, and believing that Voldemort was the only one who cared for him. The rest of the world hated him. He was literally a fighting machine that was powerful enough to destroy the world. But there was also always something nagging at the back of his mind, but try as he might, he couldn't remember what it was. All he knew was that it was important. But he knew that someday he would have to kill his grandfather. That was clear to him. But, why? Why did he have to? There were those kids at Hogwarts who lied to him about being his friend; he had been lied to his whole life. He knew that his grandfather had killed his parents, but had been told that he did so to help him, to save him from the abuse he had foreseen would be inflicted on him if he stayed with them. He vaguely remembered abuse from when he was young. His Godfather wanted to kill him; the teachers pretended to like him but laughed behind his back. His so called 'friends' always left him when he was in trouble. The world was evil, other than his grandfather and his servants. The death eaters were only there to do what he and his grandfather pleased. Muggles and Mudbloods were inferior to purebloods. He and his grandfather were the best. No, he was above his grandfather now. He was now stronger than him. Now he didn't need him anymore. He could kill him. Harry decided that he would commit the deed that November. He would be sixteen by then, and maybe he would have figured out by then why he had to it. It was now the beginning of June.
That November, when Harry killed him, Voldemort realized his mistake. He had forgotten to make Harry have a conscience. He was a perfect killing machine, but not capable of being controlled. He could only hope that the rest of the world would find a way to stop his creation. In the meantime, it was back to being without a body, just like fifteen years ago. Now he had to start everything over again. But at least his servants would come sooner now, then before. So, off he went to find Wormtail, to revive him.
Meanwhile, Harry had Apparated to the grounds of Hogwarts. He couldn't place it but he was sure he had once liked this place. This was the place where his grandfather had told him his enemies were. These were the people who had betrayed him, the people his grandfather had told him all about. Dumbledore was also there. Harry knew his name, but nothing more about him. He suspected that his grandfather had been afraid of telling him, and wondered why. As far as Harry knew, his grandfather was almost as strong as he.
End of Chapter