Chapter Four: A Story of the Past
The trio stopped in front of the great oaken doors leading into the castle and unconsciously stepped closer together. All the walk up they had been hemmed in by thick mists and suffocated by a stiflingly unnatural silence that had settled over the castle. The sun was shrouded over by clouds and a damp breeze made its way towards them.
"Do you think he's already here?" Hermione whispered nervously, looking up at the dark and foreboding windows of the castle as if expecting to see Voldemort's red eyes glaring out of them.
"No," Harry said quietly, "If he were here we would hear the fighting."
"Then why is it so quiet?" Ron whispered back, turning his head to look behind him at the advancing fog.
"Maybe he's already done what he meant to do," Hermione answered, drawing closer to Harry, her argument with the boys earlier completely forgotten.
"There's only one way to find out," Harry answered. Withdrawing his wand and motioning for the others to do so as well he held it out in front of him like one would hold a sword, and with his other hand knocked on the ancient doors.
A hollow echo sounded through the castle and pounded in their ears, mocking their anxiety. Without realizing it, the trio had stopped breathing and all three of them were frozen as if statues, as solemn footsteps made their way towards the doors as if from a far place.
Without a word passed between them, the trio took on their defensive stance, with Harry in the center and most prominent, Ron to his right, a few feet behind Harry, and Hermione to Harry's left, all three of their wands held steady and pointed at the doors.
The footsteps grew louder and faster, until in just a few seconds they were at the doors and bolts were being withdrawn. Suddenly, the doors swung open and the trio found themselves face to face with Professor McGonnagall, her ancient face screwed up in anxiety, the worry lines juxtaposed harshly against her severe glance.
"What is the meaning of this, Potter?" She demanded, her eyes landing on Harry's wand and then scanning quickly behind him, "Weasley, Granger, what are you doing?"
Harry lowered his wand and the others did as well.
"Then you mean he isn't here?"
"Who isn't here?" McGonnagall demanded, "Speak some sense, Potter!"
"Voldemort," Harry said quickly, "He isn't here?"
"Of course not!" Professor McGonnagall looked shocked, "What led you to believe he would be?"
"The horcru-ow!" Ron yelped and clutched the foot Harry had just stomped on.
"Profess- um, sorry, Headmistress," Harry amended, "Could we come inside?"
McGonnagall stepped away from the doors, making way for the three of them and looking out furtively into the mists before closing them again. Turning back to face them, she began her questioning,
"Now, what is the meaning of this?" She asked, pursing her lips into a thin line, "What were you saying, Weasley?"
"Nothing," Ron mumbled.
McGonnagall gave him a surreptitious look and then glanced at Harry, "Whatever it was you were talking about I'm sure Potter is the reason you stopped."
Ron scratched his neck awkwardly and looked at the floor. McGonnagall ignored him,
"Come you three, we need to talk."
"Where are we going?" Harry asked as they fell into step behind her and made their way through the familiar hallways.
"To the Headmaste- well…" McGonnagall began to take longer strides and she clutched her bony hands tightly, "…to my office. We need to speak privately."
Harry barely registered the alteration in title. It would always be Dumbledore's office to him, no matter how many Headmasters and Headmistresses followed him.
They stopped in front of the gargoyle Harry had visited so many times the previous year. McGonnagall wasted no time with complex hand motions or frivolities and merely said a simple phrase in a commanding tone,
"The Power the Dark Lord knows not."
The gargoyle sprang to life and moved aside for them, revealing a circular staircase. They climbed upwards and found themselves in Dumbledore's Office, just as he had left it the night he died.
All the strange instruments and whirring contraptions remained, Fawkes' stand still stood by the desk, a dark and sad reminder of what had once been. Upon the circular walls were the portraits of past Headmasters, the last of which was Dumbledore himself, sitting contentedly in a chintz chair, a bright purple turban balanced on his gray head, his bright blue eyes twinkling behind his half moon spectacles.
"Hello, Harry," He said brightly, "Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, Minerva."
"Hello, professor," Harry said quietly. Behind him Hermione blinked back tears and Ron stared uncomfortably at the floor, his face flushing.
McGonnagall took the chair behind the desk and sat in it, looking over at the trio in a business-like fashion,
"Now, Potter, tell me why the three of you came here without warning, protection, or reasonable thought in the middle of a war." Though she had not raised her voice, her tone was unmistakably accusatory and her eyes glinted angrily from behind her glasses.
"I had a hunch that Voldemort would be here," Harry said without preamble, staring directly at McGonnagall.
"A hunch," She said testily.
"A hunch." Harry replied, staring at her.
"You risked your lives for a hunch?" She demanded, her voice rising, "You risked your friends' lives for a hunch!"
"It…It wasn't exactly a hunch, professor," Hermione interjected, "Harry based his reasoning on something…on something Dumbledore told him before…before he died."
"And what was that?" McGonnagall asked, looking from one to the other.
"I believed that Lord Voldemort would come to Hogwarts for something," Harry said quietly, looking past McGonnagall and over at the portrait of Dumbledore who was watching the scene unfold. "I thought he coming for, for the last…thing we'd discussed before, Headma- professor."
Dumbledore looked over at Harry, "What led you to believe this, Harry?"
"I had a dream, sir, and he saw that-those…items from my memory," Harry said quietly, "I thought that was why he was invading my mind…so he could find out where…they were. I thought he would come here."
McGonnagall whirled around to look at Dumbledore's portrait, "Albus, what is he talking about?"
"Not now, Minerva," Dumbledore said quietly, "It is not wise to tell you just yet. Potter is doing the right thing in not telling anyone but his closest friends."
"But Albus-!"
"Minerva, please," Dumbledore said calmly, holding up his hand, "I need to speak to Harry and find out what he needs to say." He looked back over at Harry, "Please continue."
"I was almost certain he would come for them, sir."
"By 'them', I assume you mean the sword of Gryffindor and the Sorting Hat Godric took off his head?" Dumbledore questioned.
Harry looked quickly over at McGonnagall and then back at Dumbledore, "Yes."
"Your fears were well founded, Harry," Dumbledore said gravely, "but quite impossible. Defenses have been laid over both these items in case of just such an event."
"So," Harry sighed, "So Voldemort can't ever get Gryffindor's sword or his hat?"
"Not quite, Harry," Dumbledore said slowly, "but almost there. Lord Voldemort cannot ever touch the sword of Gryffindor or the Sorting Hat or the item of Ravenclaw."
"Why not?" Harry interrupted.
"Patience," Dumbledore smiled faintly, "I am getting there. Harry, remember when I told you of the Prophecy back in your fifth year?" Harry nodded and Dumbledore went on, "Harry, I mentioned the Power the Dark Lord knows not. I told you it was love."
"Yes."
"As long as you love Harry, Voldemort cannot touch those three items."
"What do I have to do with Gryffindor?" Harry demanded "Or Ravenclaw for that matter?"
"I believe Miss Granger can answer that question, Harry."
Everyone turned to look at Hermione.
"Harry, you aren't in Gryffindor, you are Gryffindor. You're everything the house stands for."
"Ok…?"
"Godric Gryffindor fell in love with Rowena Ravenclaw," Hermione said slowly, "and she loved him back. The problem was that Salazaar Slytherin loved Rowena as well, and Helga Hufflepuff loved Godric. Because the four friends were so close at the time and to prevent heartache, Godric and Rowena promised each other they would never marry and instead would found a school where children of the future would be taught magic. Salazaar and Helga thought this was a great idea so they decided to help with the school as well. But Godric and Rowena had wanted the school to be their own, so they decided to each pick a certain object very close to them and enchant this object with the characteristics of themselves.
"After they died these objects would remain and would stay in Hogwarts. They were meant to find the two students who were most alike to Godric and Rowena and help these two people fight the battle that was to come. Once these objects got into the hands of the intended, nothing would be able to stop them because of the love retained in the relics of Godric and Rowena." Hermione finished, breathless and looked back over at Dumbledore's portrait.
"As you can guess, Harry, what Miss Granger is saying is that you are the intended 'heir' of Godric. His sword is meant for you." Dumbledore said gravely.
"Then who is Rowena?" Harry asked, "I mean, well…Rowena's heir. Surely it's not Hermione?" He looked quickly over at her, "I mean, not as if I wouldn't like to be romantically involved with you…" Ron glowered and Harry reddened, "but uh…I've never really…um, thought of you like that."
Hermione nodded, "I'm not offended Harry. Pre-destined love is completely stereotypical. I like to choose my own future."
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he looked from Harry to Hermione and back again, "Well, now that that's been sorted out, back to the subject of Rowena's heir. Harry, just because Rowena and Godric were in love doesn't mean you have to fall in love with Rowena's heir. The love in the objects of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw will be triggered when they fall into the hands of the intended students."
Harry sank into the chair in front of the desk, "Um, sir, I'm a little confused. Godric and Rowena were in love, they put their love into objects…why?"
"They wanted what they could not have themselves to be given to their heirs."
"So I do have to be in love with Rowena's heir!"
"No, but you must have a strong bond with the heir. After all, Rowena's heir could be your sister, not that that could ever happen, but hypothetically speaking."
Harry looked up at Dumbledore in surprise at this, "But I always thought…oh never mind." He sighed, "Where was I? Yes. Ok, so I have to at least be friends with Rowena's heir for the magic to work. I have that down, and we know Godric's sword is in this office, but why would the Founders' love be enough to defeat Voldemort? And how am I 'protecting' the objects by continuing to love? And what does the Sorting Hat have to do with anything?"
Dumbledore took a breath, "That's a long train of questions, Harry, but I'll do my best to answer them all. Firstly, the Founders' love (Godric and Rowena) is enough to counter-act the hate of Salazaar. Salazaar is dead, so one could say the heirlooms of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are useless. This is not true. Salazaar has an heir-Voldemort, and part of him is carried on in this heir just as part of Gryffindor is carried in you, Harry. You must carry Godric's sword into battle along with Rowena's heir in order to fully destroy the spirit of Salazaar.
"Secondly, you are protecting the heirlooms of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw from Voldemort who will seek to destroy them by continuing to love. As long as you, the heir of Gryffindor continue to love the others around you, Gryffindor's love for Rowena will remain in the sword. By loving, Harry, you are preventing Voldemort from taking the heirlooms and turning their love into his hatred so that he can well…you know what I mean," Dumbledore said, giving Harry a wry smile.
"But why can't Voldemort just destroy the objects rather than turn them into a you-know-what?"
"I was getting there, Harry," Dumbledore said gently, "As I mentioned before, Voldemort carries the spirit of Salazaar Slytherin within him. Just as Voldemort could previously never touch you thanks to Lily's sacrifice, Salazaar could never touch Godric or Rowena because of their sacrifice. Since their characteristics were added to their heirlooms, Voldemort – who is the heir of Salazaar – cannot touch them. Their love still prevails."
"But isn't this whole 'having a part of Godric in me' rather like a you-know-what?" Harry asked.
"No, because Godric is not living is he?" Dumbledore asked, smiling, "He blessed his heir with his character. There is a difference."
"Oh."
"Now, where was I?" Dumbledore asked lightly, "Ah yes, your third and last question, Harry. What does the Sorting Hat have to do with all of this?"
"Yes."
"And the answer to that Harry, is a blank. I do not know. I have devoted my life to fighting evil and learning all I could about the ways of doing so. It took years to uncover the full story of Godric, Helga, Salazaar, and Rowena-!"
"Then how did Hermione know?" Harry interrupted.
Dumbledore smiled and looked over at Hermione, "She and I had a little chat some years back."
Harry looked at Hermione curiously and then back at Dumbledore, "Why?"
"That," Dumbledore said, leaning back in his chintz chair, "is for you to find out Harry. But now, I believe we have used up enough of Minerva's time and she must be thoroughly confused. Am I correct?" Dumbledore asked, turning to look at McGonnagall.
"Yes," She said stiffly.
"Don't worry, you will find out what we were speaking of soon enough. Now," Dumbledore began, "I think it is time to present Harry with his sword and then these three friends should be on their way. I believe Bill and Fleur have a wedding in a few days, correct, Mr. Weasley?"
Ron looked up, "Uh…yes sir, that's right."
Dumbledore smiled, "And you should all be well rested before then. Minerva, if you will present Mr. Potter with his sword…"
McGonnagall stood up and lifted up the glass casing over Godric's sword. Reverently, she lifted it up and walked back to Harry with the ruby encrusted weapon held carefully in her palms,
"Here," She said, "take good care of it…and do us proud."
Harry nodded and lifted up the sword. Dumbledore spoke from his portrait,
"And Harry, find Rowena's heir before it is too late."
Harry frowned, "What do you mean?"
"There are limits to love, Harry…it cannot wait forever."
The trio arrived back at Godric's Hollow that evening. Harry and Ron proceeded with a customary search of the premises and Hermione set about making dinner for them. Ron still wasn't allowed in the kitchen. Around six thirty the meal was over and the dishes were washing themselves in the sink as the three of them talked around the dining table, each with a mug of tea in their hands.
"So where do you suppose Rowena's thing-a-majig is?" Ron asked after giving Harry's sword a thorough examination.
"No one knows where Rowena's heirloom is, Ronald," Hermione corrected, "It was misplaced over the years. Or stolen."
"What I want to know is who Rowena's heir is," Harry mused, "then we can start worrying over the heirloom. According to Dumbledore as long as I love the heirlooms are safe from Voldemort, so their location isn't really a major concern right now."
The three of them were silent for some time until Hermione looked up suddenly,
"Do you think Rowena's heir is Ginny? It would explain why Voldemort was looking at your memories of her in the Chamber."
"It's not Ginny," Ron said quickly, "My sister isn't smart enough to be Rowena's heir."
"She's rather good at Potions, Ron," Hermione countered, "Perhaps you didn't notice when Slughorn told Harry he quite approved of him dating her last year?"
"That doesn't mean anything," Ron mumbled, "And since when did I pay attention to Harry's love life?"
"Are you implying I do?" Hermione demanded, her temper flaring.
"Oh shut up!" Harry exclaimed, "What's up with you two?"
"Ronald is being a prat."
"He asked you a question." Harry said reasonably.
"It certainly implied something!" Hermione snapped angrily.
"It didn't imply anything!" Ron countered, "I was making a statement on my own character, but if you think it implied something maybe I struck a nerve-!"
"RONALD BILLIUS WEASLEY!" Hermione screeched, standing up from the table and slamming her mug down furiously so that tea slopped over the table.
"Oh both of you just stop, please!" Harry appealed, "Just once, don't argue. It's really dumb. We're in a crisis right now and you guys are fighting over a dumb sentence Ron said."
Hermione sat down huffily, her face still flushed,
"Very well then, Harry, I'm ready to listen to what you have to say." She said stiffly.
Harry sighed. It wasn't peace but at least it was a truce.
"I don't think Ravenclaw's Heir is Ginny, I don't feel that way for her anymore."
"Dumbledore said it didn't have to be a romantic feeling," Hermione said quickly, "There just needed to be a bond for the magic to work."
"I still don't think it's Ginny," Harry said, shaking his head. "She doesn't seem like a Ravenclaw to me."
"Well that's just because you've always considered her a Gryffindor." Hermione answered, "It's perfectly understandable."
"Hey," Ron said, "Maybe it's Luna. You know, she's a Ravenclaw."
Harry looked over at Ron, "Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"Um, yeah…Luna's a great girl and everything Ron, but I can't imagine her as Ravenclaw's Heir either." Harry said slowly.
"Well you took her to Slughorn's Party last year," Ron countered.
"Because she was fun to be around, not because I was interested in her."
"For the millionth time!" Hermione exclaimed, "You do not have to be romantically involved with Rowena's Heir, Harry!"
"Right," Harry conceded, "I'm sorry, it's just…I always thought that…never mind."
"Funny," Ron mused, "That's exactly what you said back in Dumbledore's Office, mate. Is there something you want to tell us? Maybe a hope that you'd be able to force some girl into marrying you because oh…it was meant to be!" Ron performed a strange fluttering of the eyelids and clasping of hands as he said this that was so comical even Hermione laughed.
After he had recovered, Harry shook his head,
"No, Ron, it's not like that. I just always thought I'd…that I'd feel something for the one I face Voldemort down with."
Ron looked highly affronted, "Excuse me, mate, but I plan on facing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with you, and I don't want you swinging that way towards me."
Harry grinned, "No, Ron I didn't mean it like that. I mean I always thought I'd feel something for the girl who was there for me."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the weight of Harry's words sunk in and he realized just what he had said.
"But I mean, of course I didn't mean you, Hermione!" He exclaimed, appalled, "I just thought that um, that the girl who cared enough about me to fight Voldemort would um…that I'd uh…like…that girl, not that it's…I just thought…" Harry trailed off, muttering incoherently under his breath, his face reddening furiously.
Hermione was the first to react.
"Well, yes… It's um, it's getting late," She said in a flustered manner, "I think it's time we all went to bed. It's a big day tomorrow. We can't be late." She hastily turned around and made her exit from the kitchen. Harry made to follow in suit and go up to bed, but Ron grabbed his arm and pulled him back down into his seat.
"You…you don't have a thing for Hermione do you, Harry?" He asked sternly, his face anything but comical.
Harry yanked his arm out of Ron's grasp, "Of course I don't, Ron! What kind of question is that? She's my best friend…nothing more."
Ron raised his eyebrows, "Nothing more?" He said skeptically.
"Nothing more." Harry repeated irritably, "What's it to you anyway? Have you got a 'thing' for her?" He snapped.
"No." Ron said quickly, looking away from Harry, "She's my friend. That's it."
Harry looked over at Ron, "That's it?"
Ron nodded and Harry almost laughed.
"Don't lie, Ron, I know you like her. Or else what was that whole thing with Viktor?"
Ron's face turned bright red within a second and he rose from his chair violently, "I don't like Hermione, I was just looking out for her!" He snarled, stomping off through the door angrily.
Harry watched him go and slowly rose from his chair, feeling inexplicably tired after all the arguing. Somehow, this wasn't how he had imagined living with Ron and Hermione would be.
A/N:
I thank you (five people) for reviewing. This is better than before, but considering I now have over 300 hits on this story, I still would like more. That aside, thank you for reading and reviewing (the five of you that did) and please continue to do so.
Nocturnal007: Thank you, and I will try to look at your story (if I do have the spare time) however, in a few days my computer is getting fixed, so it could be awhile.
Gaelyn: Thank you, and I hope that this will help formulate a good opinion (I'm a sporadic reviewer too)
Sky Spirit: Thanks, I was sort of worried about how my characters were coming across, but thanks to you I know I'm doing okay
Sweet-As-Sugar-Just-Might-M...:Yes, Irealized the ring was also the Gaunts after I had typed up that particular chapter (Iam currently several chapters ahead of this one you see) when I was re-readingHBP with my family. I will try to correct the mistake in future chapters, however, I must apologize if I do not. I'm sort of lazy :)
