Chapter 7: Congregation
August 28th; diagonal alley
It was an unbearably sunny day. There was not a single breeze or cloud in sight among the blue skies. As expected of the forgetful Potter lord, James had dragged Haedus on a last minute school supplies trip. Diagonal Alley had degraded over the years. While there were more shopping districts now in existence, Diagonal Alley had remained the same as always. There were large crowds of busy people whom were rushing back and forth for school supplies and clearance deals. There were more halfbloods that gathered in diagonal alley than their pure blood counterpart. It was around noon when they arrived at Gringotts bank. The tall and imposing marble building was surrounded by filthy-looking shops. Many people whom walked by the bank, did so with dread.
With timid steps, Haedus followed his father into the bank. His father took no notice of the long queue of the half-blood customers and headed straight to the front of the line. The line of customers cries out distinct indignant disapprovals before doing a double-take at the man who was cutting in line and quieted their discontent. The half-bloods knew the power which James Potter lorded over the pitiful masses.
"Hello. I would like to see the goblin representative for the house of Potter. Please be quick; I have many events to get to." James arrogantly stated to the goblin in the front desk. The goblin sneered for barking to the other goblins behind the desk in gobbledegook. A short, yet aggressive goblin hobbled into the main lobby. His diamond nametag read 'Griphook: Chief of Harmannu'.
With his gnarly hand in fist towards his heart, Griphook greeted, "Welcome, Lord James Potter, son of Charles. We meet again as old friends at last."
James nodded along without a care. He did not want to associate too closely with goblins - even if he was a light wizard. He would excused himself by saying it would not look good in the eyes of the dark lord, but he knew wizards should never trust filthy half-breeds. Lupin was a prime example of his mistrust; he had forsaken the light the moment had arisen.
"May your gold flow rich as ever." He replied nonchalantly. His posture screamed of superiority and contempt for the goblin banker. Griphook's round face turned sour and said, "I see that your son has come with you at last."
"Yes, he will be attending Hogwarts in a few days. I wish to open a new vault for him and place an annual sum of money for his allowance." James commented impassively.
"Of course. Your son looks healthy as a boar now." Griphook beamed at Hadrian. "Why! When I had seen your father's face at his first visit with Lord Charles, he had gasped at the treasure in the vault."
"How dare you-" James roared, misinterpreting the compliment for an insult. He was not a despicable animal like these goblins. A merely magpie for riches!
"I'm sorry for my father's ignorance, Warrior Griphook. May your axe grow bloodier." Haedus interrupted. "Father, Griphook is not just an ordinary banker for Gringotts. He is a famed warrior in goblin society. You dismissed him and his honour. That means you think of him as a lamed infant."
Not wanting a sour relationship in the future, James apologized to Griphook, "Forgive me, Warrior Griphook. It was unbecoming of me to say such harsh words."
"It already has been overlooked. Your father, Charles, has always helped me since I was a youngling. I promised to do the same for you and your son." Griphook smiled fondly. His ragged teeth gleamed in the artificial light. "We must first do a blood test to confirm yourselves. There are half-blood thieves that try to enter the main vaults in hopes of stealing what fortunes remain within the old vaults."
Haedus Potter
Direct heir to the house of Potter
Direct heir and descendant of Ravenclaw
Direct head of house of Polos
Descendant of House of Le Fey (unable to claim lordship due to family restrictions)
(Lordship may be claimed at the age of 13)
James and Haedus stared at the innocent parchment. Both did not think that Hardus would qualify as a heir of Ravenclaw. The house of Ravenclaw had not been seen in Britain for a few decades since Morgause 'sharp tongue' Ravenclaw had offended the magical minister of the time and fled to France. The Ravenclaws had then changed their namesake to Polos.
"Why is my son considered the head of house for Ravenclaw and not myself?" James interjected.
The chief goblin stated, "There are different rules for families of old lineage which have been here before the creation of wizarding government. And as such, a house head of Ravenclaw must have the blood of Ravenclaw through their veins and show the talents of a true Ravenclaw."
"I see." James conceded. "Please show us to the vaults then."
The journey to the vault was exciting for Haedus - not that he would admit to such childish activities. The group took the first available cart to vault 58. The plain wall only held the insignia of Ravenclaw's coat of arms: an albino raven on a branch. The raven's eyes were made of garnets and the feathers were carved out of pearls and quartz. It seemed to glare at James and gave out a stern warning through a loud caw.
"Please wait outside, Lord Potter." Griphook held back James from following the young heir into the dark vault. "Only a descendant of Ravenclaw may enter. The last intruder had been melted into a pile of molten flesh from the wards."
James looked annoyed at those words and shut his mouth into a thin line. He didn't want to test the wards of the family most known for their wit.
Haedus then entered the dark vault. Tiny orbs of lights lit up one by one as he walked. He hurried along the corridor. Portraits of past relatives awoke at the presence of Haedus's magical aura. They mumbled nonsense and joyfully greeted each other. The corridor opened into a large circular room. Tiny candles glowed with soft yellow, which lit up the vault. There were hundreds of books in elongated shelves. But the most notable objects were hanging on a solemn wall at the center of the book room. It was a magical portrait of Morgana Le Fay herself and an innocuous journal.
"Good a morning or is it nightfall?" Lady Morgana inquired. "I see that you have activated the blood runes of this chamber. You are clearly one of my own; the heavy wards in this vault would not allow anyone else to enter. I remember when young Helena came in as well. All of my own have the glint of knowledge within their eyes. And as your mentor, I shall impart my wisdom upon your young mind."
Haedus could nod mutely - too awestruck at the presence of the great witch. He was a great admirer of Lady Morgana from the private archives of Magical History. He owned entire volumes dating from his birth year. Very little information was censored regarding dark and light magic, opposed to the government's ideal of 'Dark is better'. Like the light magical ministry, the dark regime cared little beyond their own written works of history.
"There is no such separation in dark or light magic – only power and will. Both Merlin and I were wrong. We let our children grow like harsh thorns and never nurturing them into the flowers which they were; Arthur was destined for the darkness but Merlin seal it through emotional manipulation and his teachings. My mother, Viviane, was so worried for her two children that I was raised in lieu of Arthur's betrayal. She had loved Merlin dearly and wished for him to visit the lake. Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months. My mother… she simply gave up one day. And I grew to see Merlin as the evil that plague Avalon. As you know about the legend of King Arthur, I borne a child by the name of Mordred. Mordred was actually an fertile egg implanted by my mother, Viviane. As the Lady of the Lake, she had mysterious magic over life and death and created a third child to complete our trinity. Little did she know it would create the end of days…"
Haedus pondered on the moral of this tale and wondered why Lady Le Fay had chosen to speak of this – a tale didn't revolve solely around her own life.
"I had borne a child of hatred and discontent. Viviane and I had fed Mordred with the anger and despair over Merlin's departure. Viviane had learnt of Merlin's betrayal: he had forsaken his own son to a humble ironsmith and came back to reclaim Excalibur. When he had seen Arthur with the sword, he chose Arthur and the crown over his lover. In the end, both Viviane and Merlin died with sadness in their hearts. And so, all Ravenclaws have this curse: our love will only lead us to curse the very thing we cherish."
"I see." Haedus commented. He knew little of compassion and love outside of the people he had seen valuable. It would not be hard to cast aside the weakness of love. "I accept your mentorship and the terms you have named."
"Very well. You may take this journal. It contains a never-ending charm as well as a miniature portrait of myself. I forgot to ask your name. What is it?"
"Haedus." His cheeks tinted a light rosy shade as his soft lips spoke. In that dim light, it was if Haedus was acting out the part of the unfortunate Faustus.
September 1
With their feather-light charmed trunks and owls, Haedus and Hermione laid eyes on the elegance of the bright red and gold Hogwarts Express. Many things have changed from the past several decades, but the dark lord had ensured that Hogwarts maintained its appearance. Not many knew why the Dark Lord chose to keep Hogwarts the same since the former Headmaster Dumbledore had fled to the free country of France. But nonetheless, a magnificent red and gold train had appeared. Platform 9 ¾ was only area in the Kings Cross station; the rest of the muggle station had been demolished and wiped clean from existence.
Hermione tugged on Haedus' hand and they ran for the slowly moving train. With hurrying limbs, she herded him onto the train. After checking Haedus for any signs of distress from the exercise, the brunette stated, "I'll check the compartments for an empty one. So, we can sit together!"
In response to Hermione's wide gleaming grin, Haedus gave back a small thin smile and said, "I'll wait for you here."
Haedus waited for about half an hour before he had went to find Hermione. He had faith in her, but he didn't think that she was a Mary Sue – something muggle that James had kept saying in private about Aunt Narcissa. In his haste, Haedus had been blinded by his search for his companion when he had bumped into a large meaty lump of a back.
He was met with a cold sneer. The large bulky object was actually a boy; He had squinty browns with brown freckles covering his face. Haedus thought he looked more like a walrus of some sorts with his poor teenaged whiskers on his chin.
"Watch where you're going!" The boy snapped. "It's Lestrange to you peasant! You better bow to your betters, first year."
Haedus was stunned for a moment and felt the instinct to flinch. Yet, he told himself not to – he would be strong and unflinching towards danger. So, Haedus slyly stroked his 11 inch Yew wand before stating, "Lestrange, is it? I know who my betters are: a bastard of a whore? I think not. Aunt Bella told me much about how much of a sore thumb you were to her husband."
Lestrange paled drastically. Haedus guessed that the bulky walrus didn't expect to be out-witted by a new face, and most of all, being threatened by the circumstances of his upbringing. Lestrange obviously enjoyed pushing buttons on the weaker students in Serpens; it soothed the fear of being weak – a reminder of his bleak future as a servant and potential breeding mule to the purebloods.
He puffed out his chest before growling out in an animalistic manner, "How would you know!"
"Funny, how a bastard can talk to a legitimate heir?"
"You! You're nothing but a little brat with over-priced robes." Lestrange snarled.
"My name is Haedus Potter, heir to Ravenclaw and the Potter Fortune. I don't need much to dispose of a half-blood pest such as yourself." Haedus calmly said as his teeth gleamed like a serpent's fangs. He knew that people would try to taunt and belittle him. However, he was his own man now.
Lestrange huffed and sneered before shoving brutally past the Potter heir. He then muttered about rich kids and their pompous attitude.
Haedus had his wand out but didn't curse him that day. Thinking back on this dispute, he would regret it later.
Sometimes Hermione was prideful of the fact that she is quite nosey; she usually found interesting facts from lapping up information with eavesdropping. However, it got her in trouble this time. She had stumbled into a Slytherin cabin full of 6th years. It quickly became obvious that they hexed her on sight and paralysed her body.
"Well, well, well. Looks like we got ourselves a filthy half-blood or a mudblood servant. What should we do with her, Longbottom?" Flint sneered, digging his expensive dragonhide boots into Hermione's crumpled back. Icarus Flint was the second son of Lord Flint; he had the wealth but not the status of his brother, Marcus Flint.
With his back cowering, Longbottom studdered, "B-beat the filth out of her?"
"Good boy." Flint said, patting the snivelling Griffindor on the head. "Longbottom, you're more of a Hufflepuff than a no-good Griffindor. Now, deal with her. I should really stop by Headboy Malfoy's cabin and congratulate him on his new position."
Hermione heard loud mocking steps fade away. Flinching for the awaited blow to the face, she braced herself for the worse.
"I'm sorry." The nervous boy murmured.
"Why?" Hermione's mouth moved on its own; the petrifying spell was wearing off. Numbness cloaked her body, but she registered that her lip was broken and most of her body was sore from bruises.
"Flint's supposed to be my junior. But if Lady Lestrange ever hears a lick of my stubborn light affinity, she curse me blue and black." Longbottom replied. "If you ever need anything though, I'll help you within the shadows."
Finite incantuem! He whispered before scuttling away like a frightened beast.
"You're a coward, Longbottom." She whispered in retribution as Longbottom left.
Hogwarts Main Hall
Headmaster Snape surveyed the feasting hall. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw table was eagerly discussing the trivial nonsense of their summer lives while anticipating the first year and the transfer sorting. To his distaste, Slytherins were acting like birds as well. However, Griffindor was a solemn bunch of a few dozen; those who got sorted into said house was always bullied or demeaned for their part in the war. Snape hated the presence of children. Their constant cheerful demeanour and laughter dampened his mood. He would remember Lily's own laughter as well: a joyful chime of giggles. Now, he was alone in the world – a world without his beloved Lily.
He felt a cautious tapping on his shoulder; it was Yaxley, the magical history teacher. He whispered, "When are we going to start this bloody year?"
Snape coughed loudly to silence the buzzing crowd with no avail. His dark cloak ruffled in the air as his voice magically boomed, "Silence! We shall begin the school year anew with the traditional pledge of allegiance. Now, please stand as Headboy Malfoy and Head Girl Parkinson sing."
Both the head boy and head girl strolled towards the front of the teacher's table before bellowing unattractively,
"We pledge ourselves to the Dark Lord.
Through the perils of war and despair,
We will fight all those in our lord's way.
We give ourselves and our own
For the Dark Lord's cause."
Snape showed no emotion while the brats sang off-key and unharmoniously; obviously, both students had intended to be the star of the show. To some aspects, they managed it yet they managed to make a fool of themselves with such a short song.
The head of Ravenclaw, Mistress Carrow, then called out the list of the 1st year purebloods to be sorted,
"Geoff Ramus
Micheal Witherwind
Gavino Riverrun…"
Slowly, the line of purebloods grew shorter and Haedus' name was finally called: "Haedus Potter!"
He was then rushed to the wide-brimmed hat and asked to put on the weary old hat.
"Hello there, I am the sorting hat. I had many names before; the lady fortune, the stranger and all-seeing-eye." A voice of a weary old man spoke softly.
"You can read my mind?" Haedus murmured in surprise.
"Ah… that would be occumency. But I suppose I am something quite similar."
"What are you?"
"Since you descended from ones whom created this vessel for me, I can answer this question: I am many things – keeper of secrets, bearer of the sword but most importantly, seer of souls. Ah… yes, I see many traits that would classify you as all of the houses. However, there are three which I must put you in. This is quite a predicament… Say, boy, I shall give you the choice of three: the damned, the flock or the link?"
Haedus pondered for awhile before deciding: "The damned."
"Slytherin!" The Sorting Hat bellowed loudly.
Haedus then put back the hat neatly onto the stool and walked calmly in front of a sea of watchful eyes. From the Slytherin table, he watched as Hermione became more nervous from his sorting. He wondered if she had secretly hoped to be in the same house as himself. He resigned himself towards the inevitable: Hermione was too brash and bold for the likes of Slytherin.
Mistress Carrow then called forth the new transfers of the higher years, "Camilla Flogger."
Camilla blissfully strolled towards the hat before being stopped by Mistress Carrow's bony hand. Carrow's eyes was full of spiteful hate as she taunted the teary-eyed transfer, "Unfortunately, the Sorting Hat does not allow filth under its brim. You'll be using the extra table near the back of the hall. All new pureblood vassals will be sorted into their master house's previous sorted-house. Dismissed!"
A/N: I said that I was going to introduce all of the cast in the Order of Phoenix this chapter, but I wanted to devote the Hogwarts intro by itself.
