DISCLAIMER – Harry Potter and its affiliates are the sole property of JK Rowling. The only thing that is mine is the plot and names that you may be unfamiliar with.
DISCLAIMER – This story will mention slash, but I am not one that likes to go into detail with my subjects. Therefore you may not see anything more than a kiss on the cheek, lips, or things like that. I will NOT go into detail about sexual exploits. This is a fan fiction story NOT porno.
DISCLAIMER – I am not foolish enough to think that I will please everyone with this story. Human nature dictates that not everyone agrees with everyone else. Therefore, if this story is not for you, I thank you anyway for at least giving it a chance. I do ask that if this story is NOT for you that you do not badger me to change it and just move on to a story that is more your style and tastes.
Chapter 12 – Organization and Wards
Harry went back through the portal and stood in front of the assembled people. He waited until he had their undivided attention before he spoke is next words.
"Gather everyone together," he instructed Hermione and Remus. "We are taking a trip as a group to Hogwarts. From there, we can decide as a group what's going to happen and we can fill everyone in on what we discovered and so forth. This way, we don't accidentally get something wrong with the retelling of a story and whatnot. I want everyone to get firsthand knowledge of what's going on and what's going to happen."
"It does get rather tedious to have to repeat yourself all the time doesn't it?" asked Filius kindly. "We will be ready within the half hour. We have to alert the goblin guards that we will be leaving. Griphook will most assuredly want to accompany us to Hogwarts."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Harry with a warm smile. "I'll meet you all back here as soon as we can and get us through the portal. It can be used by those that I have given permission to use it. This will save us a large amount of time and energy."
Later the group all went through the portal one at a time as Harry added them to the wards. When they were all there in Hogwarts, they settled themselves comfortably inside the common room of Gryffindor Tower. Each person that was not a Gryffindor during their years was curiously looking around at the common room that was not theirs. Many were delighted with the likeness that the common room had with their own.
"Ravenclaw Tower and Gryffindor Tower are identical in every way except in color," informed Godric from his painting. "Hufflepuff and Slytherin both being in the dungeons are also the same as each other but designed slightly differently than the towers. The other founders and I felt that we should keep things as uniform as possible, so that one sect of students didn't get jealous over what the others have and so forth."
"That's a very logical way of doing things," said Hermione thoughtfully. "However, somewhere along the way, things got out of hand anyway. The animosity between the houses grew to the point where none of the houses really works with one another. Things like this caused problems for most of us. Trust is not given freely here."
"That is a conversation for another day," remarked Godric with a smile on his face. "We are here today to talk about the portal between this castle and the one that was built on my island. I'm here to give you a little bit of history about the island."
"The more we know, the better we can defend the island's treasures from those that would see us hurt or destroyed," remarked Harry. "I, for one, am glad that we can work out all problems now as it will be detrimental to the safety of those that would see everything in darkness."
"Succinctly put, Harry," remarked Godric. "My nephew many times removed is the least of your worries. His blood is honor bound to work for the island rather than to work against it. It was a pact that was made between me and the other three founders when Merlin asked me and my family to defend the island. It was not ours to begin with, but it was given to us by Merlin. He never had any children so I was the one to inherit his possessions as well as his job."
"Where would we find a bigger threat than Voldemort?" asked Albus in a confused voice. "He is the Dark Lord that is terrorizing the British Isles at the moment. Between Harry and me, we have worked nonstop to put an end to his tyranny with minimal success. There is a tentative peace between the three parties at the moment, but it will NOT last that much longer. He is determined to rule the Isles."
"He will meet a sticky end all on his own," stated Godric with seriousness in his voice that made them all worry. "Morgana had descendants that made it out of our radar. Merlin knew she had more children than just Mordrid. He is just the one that was the most popular due to who his father was. There were others who slipped past history and are out and about in the world."
"I thought her name was Morgan Le Fey," said Harry in a confused voice. "Why are you calling her Morgana?"
"Schematics," explained Hermione. "In history, people had more than one name as the legends got older. Morgana and Morgan is the same person. It all depends on who is telling the story. Merlin also had multiple names. His real name is Myrdin Emrys."
"Very good Miss Granger," stated Severus with a small smile. "You are absolutely correct. Please tell us more Godric. We need all of the information possible so that we may better protect the other castle as much as we do this one."
"Avalon is the original name of the island," explained Godric going into his memories. "Emma was right when she said that the scene was familiar. Our one major misfortune is that in that particular area, the species of the lost managed to survive. Thus you have extinct animals and such on the island. The only thing that we were able to do was to move the actual island. It no longer sits near the British Isles making it harder to find. You have to be either a trusted goblin or Gryffindor heir to know where the island actually sits. Those of you that are present are exception to the rule as Harry needs and trusts you all."
"This is where the dinosaurs have come in," mused Harry thinking about his earlier statement. "Please tell me we don't have pterodactyls on the island. We aren't warded against flying dinosaurs. It was hard enough to get them out of the castle itself. I don't think we are suited to stop flying dinosaurs."
"I wish I could tell you that, but I can't," stated Godric. "They just haven't found you yet. Thankfully, the magic keeps them on the actual island. As I'm sure Hermione has figured out, the island is not really in this world. It is a part of the world, but not in it. It stands on a plane in the middle. Thus, the magic allows the animals to survive and be known. You will be in for a fight with some of the species on the island. There is no getting around that. However, I feel that if Chief Ragnok sends his warriors to train on the island that they can battle some of the creatures for experience. Trust me when I say that Fluffy is not the only Hell Hound on the island. He is just the one that will protect you. I do have to say that the love Hagrid has shown him made it so that he is bigger than any that I have seen before."
"Thank you sir," mumbled a blushing Hagrid. "I love Fluffy. He's a good boy."
Godric winked at Hagrid before he went back into his story. He thought for a moment while studying the group in front of him. He made his decision and asked for Harry to work with him.
"The group that's here is all on the same page," said Godric. "What's going on is that when Morgana was defeated, her books and studies were hidden away on Avalon as was Merlin's possessions. The door that Hermione found will lead you to the vaults that are there. Harry, you are free to use anything in the vaults. I was an apprentice of Merlin and he told me that my direct line would be able to use the items and books."
"So basically what you are telling us is that we need to defend the island from the heirs of Le Fey," stated Harry with a sigh. "We need to not only find these people and make sure that they can't get to either castle, but we also have to watch out over Voldemort to make sure he doesn't find out this information as well. The last thing we want is for him to join forces with those people and kill us all."
"He won't," said Albus interrupting his tirade. "Don't forget that he doesn't like to submit to anyone. Morgan's heirs will be dominant over him and more powerful and he will NOT like that. Therefore, I think we should hinder him in his overall plans, but we should give him some leeway to help us keep the heirs of Le Fey from finding Hogwarts OR Avalon. It may be that information regarding all of this is out and about in the world. After all, the muggles did do the movies based on Avalon and there is partial truth to it. We just have to make sure that no one except those of us present now learns about the portal between the two castles."
"Precisely Albus," conceded Godric. "That is EXACTLY what you should do. This portal needs a guardian on both sides. The person has to understand that at any given time that they are to protect the identity of the portal and keep people from trying to get through to Avalon. Once they are on the island, they may be able to defeat the inhabitants to get to the knowledge and artifacts that are there to take over the world and not just the British Isles. Trust me when I say any witch or wizard would give their soul to possess some of the information or items which are in that vault."
"Have there been any descendants of Morgana that have come to Hogwarts?" asked Hermione tentatively. "If there were, we will have to either get them out of the castle or make sure that they can't get into Gryffindor Tower."
"There have been a right few of them to come through Hogwarts," stated Godric to the shock of the group. "Of them all, only five have really been trustworthy. Most of them have been in Gryffindor itself, but thankfully none of them found the portal. With Harry coming into his full inheritance, he is the only one that can reset the safeguards against the entry of the portal by those of evil means. It is something that we will have to work with him on to ensure that those that are related to Morgan can't find or use the portal."
"Who are the people that are the heirs?" asked a slightly green Hermione. "I really hope you aren't going to tell me they have red hair and freckles. That wouldn't be good as we have two of them living full time in the castle that actually almost succeeded in killing Harry."
"I'm afraid that anyone with the bloodlines of the Weasley and Prewett families are related to Morgan in one way or another," stated Godric with a sigh. "Of that family, Fredrick, George, William, Charles, and Arthur are the ones that are trustworthy, but I wouldn't tell them any of this information. It may awaken something in their blood. It would be best to let them be nice guys somewhere else. Secrecy regarding this matter will make your lives a whole lot easier to bear."
"This means that Ron and Ginny can't be allowed to come back into the common room," said Harry wearily rubbing his head. "It also means that we have to finish this somehow. We can't have other descendants being born that could cause us problems. My family will be battling them forever. There are more Weasleys than there are Potters. I would have to get started within the next year to begin having children. Then I would have to pray for twins and such to keep up with the flow of things. We all know that the Weasleys breed like rabbits."
"Magic is a wonderful thing," said Severus while Poppy sat there with a smile on her face. "We CAN make sure that you have many children that will carry your blood and magic in it. You are one of the more powerful students that I have had the pleasure of teaching. I may have been hard on you, but look at what you can accomplish with a mere gesture or a little thought. I have no doubt that your children will be just as powerful and just as intelligent."
"We do have some surrogate mothers that are more than willing to carry children for you," said Oliver. "I know that some of your friends would be willing to carry children for us. I'm not the only son in my family, so there is no need for me to pass on the name or bloodline. My brothers will do that. As for the surrogates, they are from good families that follow the light. They will be happy to produce children for you as they are not eligible for marriage and such."
"Getting back to the problem at hand," called a smirking Godric getting their attention. "While it is best that Harry starts reproducing NOW, there are more pressing matters to attend."
No one present was able to mistake the hint that Harry should get started with the insemination of the surrogates to begin having children. What they were more interested in was working with the portal.
"Harry you have to set a guardian on both sides of the portal," instructed Godric. "These guardians will be alerted the moment someone tries to activate the portal or becomes too interested in my portrait that isn't already in the wards. They will be responsible for making sure that those with Le Fey blood never find out about the portal or Avalon. We only know of the Weasleys and Prewetts. We don't know if any other families are of the bloodline. The bloodlines from my time to this one have mixed over and become diluted in spots. Certain people are still within certain bloodlines, but most of it has mixed around. Those of the Le Fey line will have an urge to harm others and are greedy, selfish, and power hungry."
"Damn," muttered Harry. "This just keeps getting better. Now not only do I have a megalomaniac trying to exterminate my family, but I have a family of people that would like to wipe out my line permanently. This isn't fair to me."
"Of course it isn't," said Albus catching him off guard. "Your life has been hard from the moment you were born. However, we know that you are NOT going to throw in the towel as the saying goes. You are too noble for that. All we ask is that you realize that all of us present will do our best to make sure that you succeed. You have love, life, and happiness now. Don't let this information ruin that for you. Things will work out as they are supposed to. You can only do what you can and nothing more."
"Thanks Albus," said Harry with a weary sigh. "I would like for you to be the guardian on this side of the portal. That way, you can keep all Weasleys out of Gryffindor Tower. I'm sure as the heir of Godric, we can get the sorting hat to place all those of Prewett or Weasley blood in another house from now on. That will help eliminate some of the threat of exposure to Avalon."
"That's a good idea," said Draco. "People like the Malfoys and Longbottoms can help keep an eye on other people in the future as well. There was nothing said about our children not coming to Hogwarts. It was only US that were supposed to be training on Avalon. We are the next generation of heroes. I hate to say it, but maybe we should let the Dark Lord know some of what we are learning. He may be able to help us eliminate some of the threat as it is also against him."
"That might not be a bad idea," said a figure appearing in the portrait along with Godric. "My grandson may be an idiot, but he is powerful. I'm sure by now you all know who I am."
"Salazar Slytherin," stated Harry for those that didn't know. "He is the founder of Slytherin House and the first known Parselmouth. Voldemort is his many times removed grandson and the last known blood descendant. I am the exception to most rules of course. I have the Slytherin magic as well as the title of Head of House even though I don't have the blood."
"You just as soon have the blood," remarked Salazar with a wry smile. "You are better suited for being my heir than that idiot. You at least know how to think and plan. His brain left him a long time ago. So I see we are finally working with muggles."
"These are my parents Dan and Emma," said Hermione politely caught off guard with the quick change of pace. "They have been helping us defend magic and the light. We know that most of what is written about you is mostly hearsay. I don't think for one moment that you purposely put the students of this castle in danger just because of blood status. It goes against everything that the founders were working so hard for during the building of the school. Also you wouldn't kill students just because their blood was different. The prejudices just grew over time as did the stories that went with them causing certain families to want to eliminate others due to house symbol and so forth."
"While it is true that I was more selective, I treated ALL students with the same respect and decorum," assured Salazar. "While many people today preach pure blood supremacy, we were not so stupid as to not realize that we need new blood to replenish our dwindling ranks. I have watched you over your time here Miss Granger and I am most impressed. You would have made a worthy Slytherin. The way your mind works and the way you handle situations would have made you ideal for my house. There have been muggleborns in my house in the past. It isn't only purebloods that have been in there."
"Well," said Harry looking around the group. "We still need someone for the other side of the portal to guard it. Albus may be powerful, but let's face it, he is older than most. He won't last forever here. No offense."
"None taken," said Albus. "You were only speaking the truth of the matter. I accept the post of defender on this side. My successor shall be chosen when the time comes. As for your side of the portal, I suggest that you tie the wards to yourself or Mr. Wood personally. The two of you can even work together on that side in case something goes wrong."
"That sounds like an ideal plan," remarked Godric. "This way, there will be more than one person. You may want a second person on this side as well. I suggest that the Headmistress take the second spot. It will help eliminate the need for finding more people in the future."
"The Head of Hogwarts can always be a guard," stated Harry. "This way, when my children start coming to Hogwarts, we can have some of them sorted into Gryffindor and the rest can be sorted to the other houses. If they are like me at all, they will not always get into Gryffindor."
"What do you mean?" asked Severus. "Why wouldn't an heir of Gryffindor or a Potter get sorted into this house?"
"The sorting hat stated that I had the ability to be in ANY of the four houses," explained Harry. "It only sorted me into Gryffindor because I asked to not go into Slytherin due to not getting on with Draco on our first meeting and from the stories I heard before arriving. Add in that you weren't the most pleasant of people to be around and you have the reasons. Not that Minerva was any better sometime."
"Keep talking Potter," said Minerva. "If you do, you will find yourself running from the two of us as we try to hex you from here until tomorrow."
"He does have a point though," said Salazar catching them off guard. "Of all of the professors in this school, the two of you are the harshest of the bunch. However, it is to be expected that sometimes you have to be harsh. Severus does need to lighten up a bit as he is a little too extreme in the way he deals with the students."
"Getting back to my point," stated Harry. "Just because a family gets sorted into a house doesn't always mean that the entire family will end up there. Sirius is a prime example of Black family not going into Slytherin. Tonks ended up in Hufflepuff. So it is possible to get my children spread throughout all four houses. This way, we have an heir in all departments that can keep an eye on things while working and learning. As a Peverell, somewhere in my line there is Slytherin blood. My mother is a descendant of Hufflepuff. I'm sure if we look hard enough, we will find Ravenclaw in there somewhere."
"You know," mused Godric. "I have other frames that I can go into. This isn't my only portrait. We can get the portraits of the other founders put in key spots around the school to help keep an eye on things as well. Albus had the brilliant idea of keeping an eye on the students through means of the portraits that hang in the halls. We as the four founders can always visit other frames and help with the safety of the school."
"As much as I hate to say this," said Harry. "Maybe we should put all Weasleys and Prewetts into Slytherin from now on. It has a stable and stern Head of House as well as the Malfoy line working with Severus to keep the students in line. With the assistance of my children in that house when they make it there, we have a way of protecting the portal even more. I don't want to offend anyone, but when the Weasley children start having offspring, this school will be filled with ginger haired children."
"That might not be a bad idea," said Salazar. "Place a second portrait of us in the Great Hall and let us observe the habits of the children from there when they are gathered. We can always be in our other frames when everyone is no longer in the dining hall. We don't want to alert others of what we are doing here."
"Why don't you go and get Helga and Rowena and meet us in the Head office," said Augusta. "This way, while you are gone, Harry can tie me and Albus to the portal on this side. From there, we can work with the sorting hat to make the necessary changes. You will have to walk us through the spells you used to make the hat to begin with so that we can alter them. Harry and Albus will have to make the changes as one has the power and one has the bloodline to do it with."
"That is an excellent idea," said Godric as Sal left the frame to gather the ladies in the Head office.
Harry worked with the wards and had Albus and Augusta added to the portrait of Godric to alert them if someone was attempting to access the portal that wasn't already keyed in. For good measure, Severus was added so that he could pass back and forth between the two castles for training and gathering purposes. It wasn't long before the party was assembled in Augusta's office.
Godric, Rowena, Salazar, and Helga patiently guided Albus and Harry as they went about the task of altering the magic that surrounded the hat. When they were all finished, both wizards were sitting there receiving a Pepper Up Potion from Poppy and Severus.
"Both of you are fine if a bit winded," stated Poppy. "Just take it easy for a bit and we will make sure you are back on your feet in an hour or so. The amount of magic you used was extensive and draining on the body. Neither of you is to do more magic until tomorrow at the earliest. I don't want any arguments from either of you or I will make it my trademark three days."
Both owner and former Headmaster sighed in resignation and admitted defeat. Poppy was a force to be reckoned with when she was trying to get her way.
"Have any of you found the hidden tunnels beneath the castle?" asked Godric.
"What hidden tunnels?" asked Albus curiously. "I have been in this school for well over one hundred years and I have never heard of hidden tunnels."
"Back in our day, the wars between the countries were brutal," explained Salazar. "The Chamber of Secrets isn't the only tunnel beneath this castle. There are hidden passageways all over the place that can get the entire school out of the castle safely in time of a siege and so forth. There is a labyrinth of tunnels that lead from this office to the medical ward and even to the potions labs and Great Hall. There are secret doors and tunnels that lead to just about every room in this castle. Why do you think the walls are so thick? They hold passageways between them for people to move about."
"Then we need to make sure that we find some of these entrances and make sure that they are marked and learned as to where some of them go," stated Harry. "We can use different colors to make lights and so forth. For instance, we can make green lights lead us to the Slytherin common room, white to the infirmary, orange to the Great Hall and so forth. Once we learn and map out where everything goes, we can guide those that need to know about them through them."
"Were you still a student here I would give you points for that," said Severus with a rare smile. "How about we get started right now? We can spend a few hours looking around the tunnels and creating the beacons needed. From there, we can always get Fawkes to guide us out in case we get lost. Miss Granger if you would be so kind as to make a list of the most important spots in this castle and use a color chart I would appreciate it. This way, we know what color to use when we are moving from one space to the next."
Hermione was in her element here. She quickly drew a chart and color coded the different areas. When she was done, she made copies for everyone and passed them out. From there, Godric pointed them to the opening in the Head office and everyone paired up and entered the tunnels together. They spent the better part of four hours in the tunnels marking the different areas they found. All had a great time using the tunnels.
"I'm rather surprised that my father or the Weasley twins didn't find these tunnels," remarked Harry to Minerva. "Can you imagine the havoc they could have created had they been able to use these things?"
"Please don't give me nightmares," responded Minerva. "This castle wouldn't have survived had they learned of the different ways of getting around this place. Now on to other things, you seem to be getting winded and I am getting tired also. Maybe we should just find a door to somewhere and call it a day. You still have to tie you and Oliver to the portal on the other side."
"It is getting late and I am getting tired," admitted Harry. "Let's figure out where this tunnel leads and get out of here. From there, we can send a patronus to the others and let them know we left the tunnels. We don't want to worry anyone and Ginny and Ron are still in the castle after all."
Minerva nodded her head and the two made their way to the end of the tunnel and exited into the Great Hall. Minerva quickly cast the magic that told the others where the tunnel they were just in led and posted a list on the wall by the entrance of the tunnel. Together she and Harry sat down and an elf brought them some refreshments. Minerva turned and sent a patronus to the other members and in a trickle of twos and fours, they all appeared. They sat down and ate something light before the Avalon inhabitants decided to go home. Harry let the others go first as he wanted a quick work with Amelia, Augusta, Albus, and Severus.
"Thank you," he said. "Without the four of you, we would not have been able to do this. I know this is hard to accept, but I really am going to be ok and those that are in my care will be just fine as well. Now that we are all on the same page, we need to make sure that Merlin and Morgana's belongings don't fall into the wrong hands. This will include Voldemort."
"Harry," said Albus before anyone else could speak. "We will support you. I may keep secrets and not tell all, but I have never hated you and I have always wanted what was best for you. I just made some bad mistakes that had a high price to pay when the truth came out. If you EVER need anything, just ask. We will do our best to provide it for you."
"I will see you all on Monday," said Severus giving Harry a small smile. "Keep your chin up Potter. You are the best person to lead the side of the light. We are here for you if you need us. Never forget that it is alright to need and want from time to time. Please start putting some of your own desires ahead of what others may want. It's ok to be selfish every now and then."
"Tell Neville that I will speak with him again soon," said Augusta. "I know that he is in good hands being with you. The Longbottoms will ALWAYS stand with the Potters. Things will work out as they are supposed to. You will see when you get older that what Albus and Severus makes perfect sense."
"Susan is in capable hands and I know she is safe," stated Amelia soothingly. "Now that I'm in a position to make a difference for the better, you can count on the Ministry of Magic to support you in all of your endeavors. Thank you for being so special. Now go on home before they send a search party looking for you."
Harry laughed as he stepped through the portal. If those four said things would be fine, he would sit back and enjoy what his life was offering him. The future was bleak, but for the first time, he knew he wasn't alone.
AUTHOR'S NOTE – This is as good a place as any to stop. Thanks for the support. I apologize for the slower updates, but life does tend to come first. Thanks for everything.