Pain of Love
Disclaimer - This story is based on the Harry Potter stories owned by J.K. Rollings. The ideas are mine but the characters are hers. Enjoy.
A scream ripped through the air.
"My Baby! That Bastard Killed HER!"
Out in the middle of the Scottish Highlands was a castle. In the small room of that castle where four ghosts. One of whom was in pain for her family.
"Rowena, please, death has come for all of our children," said the other female ghost, her name being Helena.
"Not like this! Yes, some have been murdered but not by that curse! I can feel the pain of it tearing out part of me," the ghost wailed.
The two male ghosts in the room looked to one another trying to understand what their friend was saying. They knew they could feel the deaths of their descendants but there was never real pain. Though for Godric, he did feel a stab of pressure when the husband of the woman that was killed, was killed just before her. The husband being from his bloodline after all. It was part of the magic that was part of them to feel the passing of those who came after them.
"Rowena, you need to calm yourself. There is nothing we can do. Oh how I wish I could," said a man with a pained face. "So much terror by so many and most of it done in my name. The fact that it is my offspring doing this is hurting me also. I would cross over if not for the fact of the retribution that would happen."
"Sal, you know you are not to blame for any of this," stated Godric.
Salazar sighed. It didn't help but there was nothing he could do.
Helena was quiet for a long time. Then finally she spoke.
"There is a way. We would all have to give up part of our souls, but then one of us could…"
"HELGA, you know very well we can't do that. It would make the one that returned no better than that fake Lord now," bellowed Godric.
"No, it wouldn't. She's right. One of use could go and stop this and bring Hogwarts back to where she was meant to be. All of us pored so much of ourselves into creating her that it could sustain the one for some time," said Sal.
"We also put a small piece of yourselves into our portraits. So we would not truly be gone. What part of us left here would crossover," stated Rowena as she came back to herself.
"But Who should it be?" asked Helga.
"I will do it. It is my offspring that is the cause. The question is, when should I go?" replied Salazar as he looked around.
"It is still the night of Allhallows. The power between the realms of life and death is thinnest. With the deaths of Lilly and James you should be able to return to the living world," stated Helga.
"You will have to go quickly. Your return will be in Hogwarts. Go to the child. Return with him to the castle. Raise the child there. If the current Headmaster objects then toss his or her arse out," Godric stated his ideas.
"Why not use the death of another and get there earlier. Then so many more can be saved," asked Rowena.
"Death would not take kindly to losing so many souls and some have already been reborn. No it has to be this night and it has to be now," said Salazar.
"Then let us go to the great hall. There is more magic there," stated Godric.
The four ghosts disappeared from the room they were in and reappeared in the great hall of the great school of Hogwarts.
As they appeared so did four large portraits of the founders.
The four began chanting and light and power began to build. The great castle quaked with the power it was sharing and was happy. One of her parents was coming home.
Then with a final flash of light, three balls of energy flew and slammed into three of the portraits of the wall. The last ball of energy twisted and turned then faded leaving a man dressed in dark clothing standing in the middle of the room.
The man looked at his hands then reached up to his face and felt it. He was solid. Then he heard a sound of several feet running. He turned to see those sounds belonging to what looked like the staff of the school, with a tall man with a long beard in the lead.
"Headmaster, We need to talk. However I must go. I shall return," stated Sal and in a flash of light was gone.
A Large man was carefully coming out of what remained of a house and was met by not one but two men.
"Hagrid, Give me Harry. I'm his godfather. I will take care of him," said one man.
"Sirius, I have Orders to take him to Dumbledore," said Hagrid.
"You would denygh the rights of the child's godfather. You would be violating a magical oath that could harm the child?" said Sal. Having arrived just in time to hear what the larger man said.
"And just who are you?" asked Sirius as he took his godson from the surprised Hagrid. He had seen the man but then again he had not.
"I am a friend. My name is Sal. I have come to protect the child. As you are the child's Godfather you must come with me also," started Sal.
"Look 'ere, I have my orders. I'm to take little Harry to Dumbledore. He's going to take care of him," said Hagrid as he reached to take Harry back from Sirius.
Sal placed his hand on the big man's arm. Then the man was covered with a faint glow. Hagrid staggered and shook his head.
"What did you do?" demanded Sirius.
"Do not fear. Your big friend is all right. I have just removed several compulsion and loyalty charms from him. Come, let us return to the castle and I will explain everything."
With that Sal again placed his hand on the Big man as well as the man holding the child and with a flash of light left that area.
There were several shrieks as the flash of light faded. Three people now stood in the middle of the great hall.
"What is the meaning of this! Just Who are you?" demanded Dumbledore.
"OI' Headmaster, I tried to get 'Arry, but these two wouldn't let me," said Hagrid.
"Dumbledore, you know I'm Harry's godfather. Why the hell would you have sent Hagrid to get him?" yelled Sirius
"You Betrayed Lilly And James! You told the Dark Lord where they were!" yelled a man in black. "You were their secret keeper!"
"What? No I wasn't. Peter is. We changed at the last minute. It was Peter that lead the wanker to Lilly and James. Dumbledore, tell them. You where the one who cast the fadelis charm," stated Sirius.
Dumbledore blanched. This was not part of his plan.
"Sirius…"
"You placed this child and his family under a spell and then sat back and did nothing when the one chosen as keeper of secrets betrayed that trust. You as the caster would know who the keeper of secrets told. You should be tossed through the veil along with the traitor," yelled Sal. He had turned to the old man and would have done more if not for someone else talking.
"And just who are you?" asked a woman.
"I madam, am Salazar Slytherin. Yes, I am back from the dead to make right what has been left to be so wrong. I am here to protect this child. To train him for what is to come. And to see my heir stopped before he can do more harm."
"Your heir? And just who would that be?" asked Dumbledore. Though he knew if the man before him was Slytherin then knew it was Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Lord Voldemort.
Salazar looked at the man, "And you are?"
"I'm Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Now answer the question, who is your heir?"
"His name is Tom Riddle. His mother was of my bloodline."
"Why have you come back now? Why not before when he was a child to stop him?" asked the woman in a tartan gown.
"Because the deaths of others did not affect us as strongly as those of our blood," said a woman in a painting. "I am Rowena Ravenclaw, The child is the last magical descendant of myself and that of Godric Gryffendor."
This left everyone stunned for several moments
"But the Dark Lord has been destroyed," said Hagrid. "Tell 'em professer."
"No my large friend he has not been destroyed. He has been disembodied, but not destroyed," stated Helga. "The one you call this Dark Lord has cheated death by anchoring himself to this plane. Those must be destroyed before he can be cast in to the ninth level of hell where he belongs."
Albus watched and kept silent. He thought he had planned so well and that he would be able to raise again to the highest parts of the wizarding world but now he did not know what to do.
Here stood one of the most powerful men of the past and claimed he would stop Voldemort. No that would not work.
"I think before we do anything that we should investigate the house and see what is there. Then we need to have little Harry checked out to make sure he is fine," stated Albus.
"Sal, bring the child to me. I will examine him," said Helena.
Sal moved over to where Sirius stood holding a sleeping baby in his arms.
"Take the child to Helga's painting. She will not harm him. She is the greatest healer ever to walk this plain," said Sal.
Sirius knew as he looked at the man before him that he was who he said he was. He could feel the power about him and strangely he could feel the castle vibrating also. So he walked over to where the smiling round face of Helga Hufflepuff stood in her painting. Then to his surprise arms reached out and took the child from him and brought him into the painting.
Before he or any other could say another word the woman of the other painting joined her and took the sleeping child. The first then took her wand and began casting spells at the child to see if he was well. It didn't take long for the returned reading to show that there was something very, very wrong.
"OH BLESSED GODDESS!" Helga exclaimed and was glad she was not holding the child, as like her wand she would have dropped him.
"What is it? What have you found?" asked Rowina.
The man who was in the third painting rushed over.
"What have you discovered, my friend?"
"The child, he has been… been tainted by the most foul of magics. It is how that monster has cheated his fate. A horcrux has been created! This must be dealt with right now!" Helga shouted.
The large red haired man looked at the child, his last child, and then out to his friend. "Sal, have Castle bring you something that we can move this foul thing too so it may be destroyed!"
Before Sal could say a word all of the house ghosts appeared and with then a large pig.
"Thank you," said Sal as he moved the somewhat stunned beast into as close a position as he could get it to the pictures frame.
Then there was chanting with several bright flashes of light and then a strange black mist formed above the pig.
"You can't do this to me! I am Lord Voldemort! I will…" yelled the creature that was then sucked into the pig.
However something more surprising happened. There was another burst of light and another black mist was also sucked into the pig. Then a third, fourth, fifth, sixth black mist appeared and was sucked into the pig. Finally there was only last flash of light with its black mist came. This one looked around as it took what form it could.
"I will return and I will…"
"Oh do stuff it. The scales of life and death must balance and for all you have rout this night you will face death as you have made yourself!" yelled Rowena. She then went back to chanting with the others with several of the ghosts adding their voices to it and slowly the black mist form was pulled into the big.
Then with a final swish of a wand the big dropped dead and turned to dust.
"Now it is over," said a deep voice out of nowhere and the castle bells rang. "Let love heal the pain of lose. The future is clear. Balance has been restored."
There was a long silence that was finally broken by the gurgling of a baby and then some strange gagging noises.
"Oh how I had hope to never….AAAKKKKK" exclaimed Godric as he ran from the portrait holding his mouth.
Helga and Rowina started laughing.
"He was always such a weakling."
"Ummm… What is going on?" asked Sirius. He was worried as to what could make one of the most powerful wizard in the world run away.
"Oh there is no need to worry. Young Lord Harry has just made his displeasure over what was going on, known in the most smelliest of ways. Godric can handle being in the most gory of battles but can't handle a dirty nappy."
With that the three founders began laughing as Sirius made a strange face and started laughing too. He couldn't help but remember James and his reaction to the first nappy changes both had to deal with. He looked to Hagrid with a question.
"You did grab the nappy bag, right?"
Hagrid laughed some more and pulled a bag from his big coat and handed it to Sirius. He then looked around to see every one looking at him.
"What, I had to do this once or twice before. I know what I'm doing?"
He then went to the portrait and held his arms out for his godson. Helga happily handed the child out of the picture and waited to see what would happen next.
The smell hit the hall like a bludger sending people running.
"Oh Harry, you just wait. I promise I'll get you back for this and every other one you fill up. Oh the hours of embarrassing blackmail this is going to bring. AAAKKKKK this is just gross!" exclaimed Sirius.
Little Harry just smiled.
"So what will you do know? You have a new life to live," Rowena.
"There is a new world out there for me to get to know. I think I will find someone to show it to me. I also think I want to help Sirius to raise young Harry. He still has a part to play in the future," replied Sal.
"Make curtain our children are well taken care of before you go wandering. I felt that this Headmaster had something to do with this nights pain. I don't wish to see more," added Godric.
"I will keep my eyes on him. However I must learn of the world," Sal said then paused.
"Find someone you can love Sal. Let the Slytherin name stand for good things again. I want to see you with lots of little one and even more grand little ones. Find out if the bloodlines of your ancestors are fully gone then have new children to take the names of those lines and give them new life. The boy too can give life to several lost lines. Let the magical world fill again with our blood."
With that said a strange light flashed from the three portraits to the man. When the light faded Salazar knew his friends would be reborn through him.