Title: The Circle is Almost Complete
Author: SNiMH.
Rating: T/Gen
Warnings: Slightly lunatic Harry, but hey, we love that.
Summary: "The circle is almost complete," Albus Dumbledore said in an ominous tone that was quite unusual from the gaiety one can always hear from the old wizard. "except for the Gryffindor and Slytherin heirs."
Notes: Unbeta-ed, so I am so sorry for any grammatical errors you might encounter. I had this baby sitting around my laptop for 3 years and realized to just put it out here.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its canon characters are not mine, JK Rowling owns them.
"The circle is almost complete," Albus Dumbledore said in an ominous tone that was quite unusual from the gaiety one can always hear from the old wizard. "except for the Gryffindor and Slytherin heirs."
"Isn't it obvious, Albus? Harry Potter is the heir of Gryffindor and Lord Voldemort, as it is public knowledge, is the heir of Slytherin." One of the older Order members called out from the gathered crowd in the Great Hall.
"You are all wrong."
All turned to the voice who have spoken so quietly but the confidence was quite hard behind those words. Draco Malfoy regally stood up, wearing immaculate dark blue robes with gold trim. He neared the ritual pentagram and the order members gathered there to protect it tried to block his way. He sneered at them all.
"What bollocks are you saying now, Malfoy? Don't tell me you still believe that you are the heir of Slytherin!" Ron Weasley said derisively. Draco Malfoy stopped in his tracks and threw the red-head a cold look.
"I am certainly not claiming I am the heir of Slytherin, Weasley." Malfoy drawled, clearly emphasizing on the Slytherin.
"What line do you represent, Mr. Malfoy?" Albus Dumbledore said, with unfailing politeness and congeniality. Draco met the robin-blue eyes defiantly and instantly felt what his father and mother warned him about, the feeling that your soul studied with those blue eyes. It was not certainly legilimency, it was just power: the power of Light magic emanating from the man.
"I am heir to the line of Gryffindor."
There were outraged gasps, some thudding on the floor, and yelling. He had expected this of course. They would not understand, even Dumbledore's face betrayed his surprise with those blue eyes widening fractionally.
"That's...that's...that's impossible! You can't be!" Granger beside Weasley was stuttering in outrage her frizzy hair frizzing even more.
"Oh yes, I can and I am, Granger." He smirked at her, "I was told you are a brilliant witch. Tell me, what does my family name mean?"
He saw her puzzle over and he thought even at his distance from her, he can hear her brain cogs whirring, overworking themselves until not a minute later, a metaphorical light bulb seem to light her face.
"Malfoy...Mal foi French, Mal means 'bad' and foi means 'faith' so Malfoy roughly translates to 'bad faith'." Granger said in a lecturing tone.
"Good, Granger now, what does Gryffindor mean also in French?" he asked the witch, Granger wasted no time in being puzzled over it and thought right away...aloud.
"Gryffindor...Griffin d'or, it means 'Golden Griffin' and what is the connection of 'bad faith' to 'golden griffin'?" Granger asked obviously thought about it and didn't see the connection.
"When Godric Gryffindor went home to France from Scotland, he received a note telling him that his wife back in Britain was barren and that time rich noblemen were required to have heirs to continue their line or the riches will go to the next relative or to the imperial treasury of France. Gryffindor knew war was inevitable between the wizard-kind and the muggles in Europe and was desperate to have an heir.
" In his desperation he have taken another witch in France and that witch was pregnant when Gryffindor went back to Scotland. War erupted and as we all know, Gryffindor fell in battle and became hero. The witch in France, desperate and cannot have a love-child lest she will be disowned by her own family went to Scotland and found the barren widower of Gryffindor and left her the child.
"The widower felt resentment to her dead husband and saw the child as a reminder of her shortcoming as a wife and named the child Malfoi, as a reminder of her husband's infidelity and her own faults. This child by default became the heir of Godric Gryffindor and the children of this child became heir of Gryffindor if they achieve certain...things the bloodline requires and if not, then the receive the generic Lordship to the Malfoy line.
"In this generation, it is I who achieved the certain requirements that will be kept as family secret hence, I am the heir of Gryffindor." He finally said, raising his right hand were the golden ring of Gryffindor encircled his middle finger, glinting in the sunlight.
This little history talk was met with absolute silence, with Ronald Weasley's jaw dropped on the floor, Granger's eyes bugging out of their sockets. Most wore an expression of surprise or shock. It was funny and if the situation wasn't serious, he would double over and laugh. Albus Dumbledore recovered faster than the others did. He told him to take his place on the one of the four thrones of the four lines on the raised dais.
The people then recovered after and arguments erupted about the heir of Slytherin. The unwillingness of the heir of Slytherin in this endeavour would be a disaster as not only the circle would not be complete but most of the wards that surround the castle were of Salazar Slytherin and only of his blood and knowledge could alter* or reinforce the wards.
The heirs sat quietly on their thrones. Luna Lovegood looking dreamy as usual seated on the royal blue and bronze throne on Ravenclaw, heads of eagles on both arm rests. Susan Bones looked far nervous of this whole thing if her fidgeting in the yellow, black and gold throne of Hufflepuff was any evidence and Draco Malfoy looked...apathetic about the whole thing, almost bored in his gold and crimson with heads of lions on armrests, the throne of Gryffindor.
The doors of the Great Hall banged open and Lord Voldemort strode in with three of his death eaters in their mask and robe regalia flanking him.
Dumbledore's countenance morphed to seriousness and he drew up his height. That made everyone truly look at the headmaster. The countenance of the old wizard seemed to scream of the great wizard the history claims him to be: a genius, a warrior, a hero.
"What brings you here, Tom? You are not suppose to get in the castle, it is warded specifically to keep you away."
Lord Voldemort laughed softly somehow that laugh brought shivers to anyone except Dumbledore and the heirs, who were heavily cloaked of the ambient magic of Hogwarts to be able to feel the darkness of this...creature laughing amongst them.
"I have just...learned about your little party here, Dumbledore, I just came to attend and apparently, be one of the guest of honours." He gave a little chuckle as if amused of his own joke "Hogwarts would never keep her heirs out, you of all people should know that.
"And all of this years... you still haven't learned to call me of my name, you still insist calling me of that infernal name!" he hissed dangerously "I will bring you to your knees, Albus Dumbledore and you will learn to speak my name!"
With that spells started to fling around, Draco startled, worried about the safety of his school mates and the professors who seemed to have froze on their places, witnessing the duel of the two of the most powerful wizards of the world. Hogwarts snapped a safety bubble around the crowds of children and to those who weren't part of this...duel.
The duel seemed to stretch forever: the walls exploding, rocks flying, things being conjured, banished, and thrown to the other and light beams that seem to fly anywhere and bounce off the bubble until a shimmering blue barrier also seemed to sprung up between the duellers. Lord Voldemort fired a spell to it but to their surprise, the spell seemed to be...devoured by the wall and seemed to dissipate.
"Go ahead throw anything, even the Unforgivables, you are feeding Hogwarts the energy anyway." A voice called from the entrance of the Great Hall.
All turned and saw Harry Potter, wearing black shirt and sweat pants and dragon hide boots. Draped around him seems to be a battle robe torn and tattered at different places. Potter himself was a sight, completely drenched in what seemed to be blood, mud, leaves and other unidentified materials.
"Your minions were quite nasty, Tommy-boy. Almost cornered me on Ireland, good thing I was prepared." Harry Potter said a greeting while waving his wand around himself wordlessly clearing dirt, grime and blood on his person making him look presentable.
"You should've just died there, Potter. You might have saved yourself from the humiliation of dying here." Lord Voldemort snarled. Harry Potter then burst out laughing which made a lot of people jump and stare at him in horror, he laughed to the Dark Lord's face.
"Oh poor, poor Tommy..." Harry sang as he skipped and neared the bubble. "And your minion...Rolfe, yes that man. He said you have attended the reclamation of the seats of the heirs here in Hogwarts and you came for the Slytherin seat. I might say, you are quite confident to come here, aren't you?"
"What are you blathering about now, Potter? I am the heir of Slytherin! Or did that puny brain of yours forgot about that known fact?" Voldemort snarled again, baring his teeth to Potter like some kind of viper rearing to strike.
"Are you? The heir, I mean? If you are then why haven't you have the ring?" Potter asked head tilting like a curious child then, he circled the bubble where the encased Dark Lord while tapping his chin with this wand, making red sparks shoot out.
"Hmm..knowing you, you should've worn it every time and I am sure you will wear it to sleep to rub it to the face of the world that you are the heir of the infamous founder of Hogwarts and one of the greatest chancellors of Durmstrang? But why don't you have it now?" Potter suddenly stopped pacing around and tapping his wand on his chin and looked at the wary looking Dark Lord with an exaggerated surprised expression and a dramatic gasp included.
"The ring didn't accept you! Am I right? Am I right?" Potter asked excitedly, they saw Lord Voldemort's face contort in a murderous expression that when Potter also saw it he laughed delightedly, almost madly then turned abruptly sober and wide, soulful green eyes had a look of pity to Lord Voldemort. "Poor, poor Tommy..." he whispered sadly then burst into another round of mad laughing.
The people were looking wary now with Potter acting like a headcase, laughing – cackling his head off. Voldemort was hissing now, the hisses were fast, enraged more likely and it just fuelled Potter's mad laughter even more.
"What I am talking about you asked? Well, I just came here to clarify one tidbit to you, Mr. Riddle." Harry said, in a tone that sounded like Albus Dumbledore. "Every first born of Slytherin descent acquires physical features that mark them as first born. I know you know one and that is the green eyes. Pity your eyes look...like that now, but that is beside the point. I bet you thought having those green eyes and the ability to speak serpent tongue is already evidence that you are the heir of Slytherin.
They all saw that Lord Voldemort indeed thought it was, until the expression went back to stoic,
"Well, heirs have a birth mark on their back and that mark is a serpent that seems to curl around the tail bone. Slytherin had many children, both legitimate and illegitimate and we knew those lines tried in vain to preserve the pure blood of their ancestor and then inbreeding festered in this lines until most of them died or became squibs. Unfortunately, there was a line in the Slytherin family that is above the others and you know why that Tom is?
"Carina Slytherin was the first wife of Salazar Slytherin, he was very in love of her and so was she, they were fond of each other both brilliant in mind yet, when Carina conceived and gave birth, the son she bore had no magic. This event threw the woman into distress who went into some kind of shock or madness until she died a month after the birth of her son. Salazar promised himself to give the child the magic he lacks and delved in the Arts, the one we all call the Dark Arts. Salazar all forgot about his young son who grew under the care of Rowena Ravenclaw. Sidus Serpens Slytherin married a witch who bore him a magical son who became the first heir of Slytherin.
"The first heir suffered the same fate as that of his grandfather whom all of sons and his daughter were squibs and the generations that followed them. This went on and on until the birth of one girl with eyes as green as the Killing Curse, to a half-blood father and a pureblood though squib mother, she was miraculously magical unlike her elder sister who wasn't and was said to be a brilliant student in her year. She thought she was a muggleborn since her parents never knew their own heritage, just knowing they came from the magical world. This girls name was Lily Carina Evans.
There were gasps heard from the teachers and even Voldemort himself looked as he was starting to realize know. Harry Potter continued with his tale.
"Oh, this girl married a pureblood, James Charlus Potter and in this union, a son was born and this son had this curious marking on his back, a serpent birthmark. The mother and the father threw themselves to research but found nothing of this. This child grew up and dubbed as the Boy-Who-Live, stupid name in my opinion but then again that's beside the point, for surviving the Killing Curse, Harold James Potter."
The audience was listening to him raptly, ever since the name "Lily Carina Evans" appeared, they knew now and stared at Harry Potter with barely concealed horror or with some, shock.
"I researched about this curious marking that I masked under glamours for a very long time, until I learned the significance of it, it was the mark of the heir of Slytherin, and only the heir can have it. The heir can never be harmed directly by another descendant thus; I survived your killing curse, Tom. Hogwarts safeguards the ring, all this years. Therefore, to clear you up of the confusion, I am the heir of Slytherin and you Tommy, is technically my charge."
Lord Voldemort looked gobsmacked for a moment and gave a hiss so enraged that all, even Dumbledore shivered unpleasantly but Potter cackled away, clearly mad so they were surprised when he wheezed out,
"No need to be so vulgar about it, Tommy." And Potter sobered again, making people rock from his mood swings "Hogwarts, dear lady, the ring please?"
There was palpable magic being gathered from the stones of Hogwarts itself, so palpable that everybody looked around warily and checked if the ancient stone ceiling would collapse on their heads. Everybody watched as pure white light enveloped Harry Potter and vanished, his long shaggy hair fluttering as the commotion subsided.
Harry Potter, now formally Lord Harry James Potter opened his verdant eyes and calmly looked at the stunned crowd with a gentle smile that seemed to soften the sharpness of those verdant eyes he calmly walked up to the dais and sat on the green and silver throne with silver serpents on the sides of his head, silver mouth barred as if threatening those who will harm their lord.
"The circle is complete, isn't it Albus Dumbledore?" Harry Potter broke the silence, "What are waiting for then?"