The Stubborn Old Headmaster
by Healer Teddylonglong
All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes.
COMPLETELY AU! Partly OOC! Dumbledore bashing!
It is my story, and I intend to write it the way I want it. If you don't like it, don't read it.
Reviews are very welcome, as they inspire my muse. Thank you so much for your kind reviews for the previous chapter!
It took several days for Harry to be presented the opportunity to speak to Tom, since he was never really alone for a sufficient length of time. When Harry woke up one morning, he stayed in bed for a moment and decided that now was as good of a time as any to talk to Tom. 'Hi Tom, can you hear me?'
Tom responded immediately. 'Yes of course, Harry, what's wrong that you needed to call me at such an ungodly hour?'
'Oh, I'm sorry, Tom, but it's not easy finding enough time alone to speak with you. I'm hardly ever alone,' Harry thought hesitantly and then told his friend about what he had found out a few days ago and the Founders' Lair. 'Can you come visit Hogwarts one day soon so that we can go to the Founders' Lair together?' Harry then asked pleadingly.
'Of course Harry, when shall I come over then? Maybe we could meet in Severus' quarters? I could use the Floo to get to Severus' quarters, and then your phoenix could take us to the lair; how's that?' Tom suggested.
'That's great, Tom,' Harry replied, contentedly. 'I'll ask Uncle Severus when we can meet in his rooms, and I'll talk to you again later, okay?'
早くチャンスがあると良いなあ
Severus was very surprised to say the least when Harry told him that he needed to meet with Tom in his quarters only to disappear together to an unknown location within Hogwarts. 'Uncle Severus, I'll tell you where we go, I just don't have enough time right now; Aunt Minerva is already up and will come to wake me up any minute,' he thought, giving his thoughts an urgent flair.
'All right, Harry, just tell Aunt Minerva that you want to spend part of the weekend assisting me brewing potions and ask when it would be all right. Then you can tell Tom and me the time and day.'
'Okay, Uncle Sev, thanks a lot,' Harry replied relieved, crawling out of his bed just as Minerva entered his room.
"Good morning, sweetheart, are you up already?" Minerva asked, pulling her son into a slight embrace.
"Good morning, Aunt Minerva," Harry replied while he slightly hugged his adoptive mother back. 'I have to tell her about the Founders' Lair before I tell anyone else,' he thought, suddenly feeling very happy and cared for. "Aunt Minerva, I have to tell you something, but we need a few minutes," he started hesitantly.
Minerva gave him a worried look. "Is something wrong, Harry?"
Harry laughed. "No, Aunt Minerva, everything's all right, it's just a long and interesting story."
"All right, then maybe we should hear it tonight after our conversation with Cecilia and Malcolm?" Minerva suggested, and Harry agreed, relieved that it had been so easy. "Now, Harry, I know your timetable says that you're spending the morning with me in the Transfiguration classroom and the afternoon with Uncle Severus in the Potions classroom, but Aunt Poppy suggested that you can come down to the hospital wing to visit Uncle Sirius, since he's much better today and would certainly like to have you around for a visit. What do you think?"
Harry gave Minerva an anxious glance. "Um… Will Aunt Poppy be with me the whole time?" he asked nervously.
"Of course, sweetheart; she may retreat to her office to give the two of you a bit of space, but she will stay with you if you ask her to. Don't hesitate to mind speak with her if necessary, even if you just feel a bit unsure about something," Minerva reassured the child in a soft voice, before she remembered what she had meant to ask Harry a few days ago. "By the way, Harry, do you have any idea why Mr. Filch has been running around the castle with green hair for the past few days?"
Harry gave her a shocked look. 'Why do you think I know anything about that?' he gave his guardian an anxious thought, averting his eyes to the floor.
Minerva smirked. "Because Uncle Severus always says that you are quite adept at brewing potions, which is a huge praise coming from his mouth, and I thought you'd be able to brew such a potion with such a compliment coming from him. Apart from that, I'd think you'd have a reason to want to pay back to him for what he did to you two weeks ago. Nevertheless, I'm astonished that Uncle Severus would you give permission to brew something like that. How did you get him to allow you to brew such a potion, and when will the potion wear off by the way?"
"I told him why I wanted to do it and asked him for his help, and he did. The potions last for a week," Harry replied in a very small voice, glad that his guardian obviously wasn't upset that he had pranked the caretaker.
ハリーと頑固な校長先生
Harry spent a few hours talking with Sirius that morning; however, he was not very attentive, as his thoughts continued to wander to the meeting that was to take place with the house elves that evening. The day passed much too slowly for his liking, but finally the evening arrived, and Cecilia and Malcolm popped up in the living room as soon as Minerva and Harry had returned from dinner in the Great Hall.
Both elves stood in front of Minerva and Harry, bowing deeply. Minerva frowned; often enough she had told the elves that they didn't have to bow for her. "Mistress Minerva, Master Harry," Malcolm started to speak. "We is sorry, we is both very bads house elves."
"Why do you think that you're bad house elves, Malcolm?" Minerva asked astonished with a puzzled look decorating her face.
With that, Cecilia started to cry, and Minerva and Harry watched in awe when Malcolm calmingly put his arm around Cecilia. "Cecilia is bad, Mistress Minerva, I is pregnant although house elves cans not get pregnant without ask Mistress or Master before."
"You are pregnant, Cecilia?" Minerva asked, smiling at the two elves. "But that's wonderful news! Congratulations, Cecilia and Malcolm."
Harry couldn't help laughing when he watched Cecilia and Malcolm staring at Minerva with wide-open eyes. "Mistress Minerva means, Mistress Minerva wills not give Cecilia and Malcolm clothes?" Malcolm asked hesitantly.
"Of course not, why should I?" Minerva replied astonished.
The two elves stormed to Minerva and once again bowed deeply in front of her. "Thank you so much, Mistress Minerva, Master Harry, we is the happiest elves in Hogwarts," Malcolm said happily.
"Um, ours' child wills be born in four weeks, and it is a little boy, and we wills call it Teddy. If Mistress Minerva agrees, we wants Teddy be Master Harry's elf," Cecilia explained, her voice trembling slightly.
"Oh, Cecilia, Malcolm, that's very thoughtful and kind of you, and I'm sure Harry will be very pleased, right, Harry?" Minerva told the elves in a soft voice.
"Thank you very much, Cecilia and Malcolm. I'm looking forward to meeting Teddy," Harry agreed happily. 'Wow, a new playmate. I can't wait,' he thought excitedly.
ハリーと頑固な校長先生
As soon as the house elves popped away, Minerva turned to Harry. "Now, Harry, you wanted to speak about something. Are you still awake enough to tell me?"
Harry walked over to Minerva and sat down next to her on the sofa, tiredly leaning his head onto her shoulder while he petted Kori's crown feathers with his left hand. The phoenix had joined them as soon as the elves popped away and had made herself comfortable on Harry's left shoulder.
Harry quickly explained to a very impressed Minerva how Kori had taken him to the Founders' Lair, where he had even met his mother. "But what I can't understand is that he told me they need four heirs and Tom and I are only three," he finished his explanation, giving his new mother a confused look.
"Hmm, I'm sorry, Harry, but I can't answer that question; you'll have to wait and see what Godric will tell you on Saturday. That's an extremely interesting story though; I've no idea what they could want you and Tom to do either. Anyway, you seem to be half-asleep, Harry. Go to bed, and in a few days we'll know more."
ハリーと頑固な校長先生
On Saturday morning, Harry and Tom met in Severus' office, and Kori flashed them into the Founders' Lair, where the four founders greeted them, enthusiastically. "Thank you, Harry, for coming again and bringing Tom with you," Godric started to speak, while Salazar was glaring at Tom with apparent suspicion.
"What are you…" Tom suddenly blurted out, glaring back at Salazar.
"Oh, shut up you fool. A small bit of Legilimency won't hurt you. I had to make sure that you're really cleansed from the evil you were consumed by before," Salazar returned sharply.
"So, if you're through with your glaring contest, let me explain to Harry and Tom why we summoned for them to come here to begin with," Godric told them impatiently, forcing the two men to stop their bickering immediately.
Harry somehow felt a little lost and lonely. 'I wished my Mummy and Daddy would come out of their picture again,' he thought uncomfortably, relaxing a bit when Rowena and Helga stepped next to him, both giving him a soft smile and placed a comforting hand each on his shoulders.
"All right then, let me explain a few things," Godric finally started to speak. "First of all, the pictures here are all under a charm that I invented nearly a thousand years ago. Because of this charm, the people in the pictures are able to leave their frames and even talk and interact with you to a certain extent. However, the charm doesn't activate until the respective person dies. Can you follow my explanation so far, Harry and Tom?"
'I'm not sure why he needed to tell us that, but apart from that yes I understand so far,' Harry thought, slowly nodding his head.
"All right, now there's only one picture that's an exception to the prior rule mentioned. I assume that neither of you know Marlin, the phoenix of Nicholas Flamel." When Harry and Tom shook their heads, Godric continued, "I'm a phoenix Animagus, and Marlin is in fact I. As a person, I would long ago passed from the mortal plane, but as an Animagus I'm able to be reborn from the ashes after a burning day. However, I'm not able to return back to my human form any longer as I then would die immediately. Therefore, my painting is charmed a bit differently from the others sheltered within the lair, as such the nature of the charm it allows for the same charm on my painting as all the paintings here with the exception of the fact that I'm still alive."
'What is that all about?' Harry thought confused. 'What is an Animagus? Is that someone like I, who's able to shape-shift into an animal?' Godric's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Harry, I need you to do me an invaluable act of kindness, it doesn't necessarily have to be today if you're not prepared. Would you be willing to give me a new life such as the way you aided Tom?"
Harry could only stare at the man. 'I give him a new life? But how? What does he mean?' He gave the founder an unsure glance and replied, "Yes, of course, sir, but what will I have to do?"
'You will have to change into your Chameguise form and duplicate yourself again, Harry,' Tom thought to him.
"Oh sorry sir, I understand now, you want me to change into my animal form and duplicate myself?" Harry asked quickly before he thought back to Tom, 'Thanks Tom.'
"Exactly, Harry," Godric replied. "Are you willing to aide me in such a manner?"
Harry gave the founder a short nod and changed into his Chameguise form immediately. 'All right, I want two of me here,' he thought, urgently, summoning as much magic as he could. To his great relief, he succeeded on the first try and quickly changed back into his human form, leaving the second Chameguise standing next to him on the floor.
"Oh my, that was brilliant, Amoureux," Rowena commended Harry, looking at the magical animal in awe.
Harry gave the friendly woman a small smile, suddenly feeling absolutely exhausted. "Harry, sit down and rest for a moment," Helga told him in a stern but motherly voice, and Harry gratefully sat down, resting his head on his knees.
"Harry, are you all right?" Godric asked worriedly, and Harry nodded his head slightly.
"Godric, I don't know if you were planning to complete everything today, but you can you can put it on the side of the fire for now. Harry has obviously depleted his magic in order to help you, and he needs at least a week's rest to recover before he can even attempt to do what you expect of him. Remember that it will afford a lot of magic, maybe even too much for Harry," Helga said firmly.
"Oyez, why don't you summons Marlin and let him take over the Chameguise?" Rowena suggested. "Then your newly born self would at least be acquainted with what we're talking about here."
"All right; as you know I spoke with him a few weeks ago, but you're right," Godric admitted before he quietly called his own Animagus form. In a flash of fire, a beautiful phoenix similar to Fawkes appeared in the room. "Hello Marlin," Godric continued and introduced Harry and Tom to the phoenix.
The phoenix in return trilled to Godric, #Are you sure that Harry will really be uninjured with my overtaking possession of his Chameguise?#
"Yes, I'm sure," Harry beat Godric to the punch and gave the phoenix a small smile, while he was petting Kori at the same time.
Marlin then hopped over to the Chameguise, which seemed to explode in a huge flash of fire. 'Uh, what just happened?' Harry thought frightened, anxiously watching the spot where his second form had been an instant before. Suddenly however, the fire was gone, and to Harry's huge surprise the Chameguise was still there. 'What happened?' he thought to Tom.
'I don't know exactly what happened, Harry, but I suppose that Godric has overtaken possession of the Chameguise and will sooner or later change into his normal human form,' the man thought back.
"Is everything all right, Godric? Can you at least give us a sign if you're all right?" Helga urged the Chameguise, which nodded its head with a positive answer.
A few minutes later, the animal changed its form into the stature of an about fifty-year-old Godric Gryffindor, who glanced around and then stepped in front of Harry. "Thank you very much, young one, for giving me an opportunity to live a second life in this time."
Harry quickly scrambled to his feet, until he felt himself being pushed down again by Rowena. "Stay put Amoureux, it's all right," she told him calmingly.
Godric from the portrait quickly filled in his real form that they were unable to do anything for at least a week, before he told Harry to come and visit them soon in the Founders' Lair and retired to his picture.
"Hmm, so what am I supposed to do now?" the young Godric Gryffindor asked, turning to Rowena.
"I suggest that you accompany Harry and Tom when Harry's phoenix takes them back. As you know, Harry is the adoptive son of Minerva McGonagall, who is headmistress and your only living relative as well. Amoureux, have you told your adoptive mother about us and the Founders' Lair?" she wanted to know, giving the child an enquiring look.
"Yes, I told her everything," Harry answered quietly. "I'm sure she will help you, Professor Gryffindor."
"Excuse me, if may suggest something," Tom threw in hesitantly. "Harry and I met in Professor Snape's office. Maybe we should just return there. He knows everything too, and he will be the best to help Harry if he needs a Pepperup potion or something else to assist in helping his recovery. Afterwards Harry can lead us to Professor McGonagall's office or call her to Professor Snape's office."
"I'm fine," Harry protested weakly, still feeling exhausted.
"That's a good idea," Godric answered before he turned to Helga. "Was that an order to wait for a week until we can let Harry do the magic, or was it just a suggestion?"
Helga threw the man an angry glare while she replied, "That was a definite order. Harry is only seven years old, and he is completely exhausted after transforming and duplicating himself in order to help you. What you are planning to do affords a lot of magic, especially for such a young knave. Therefore, you have to wait at least a week, and I warn you, I don't want to hear that you haven't been patient enough and something happened to Rowena's and my precious heir. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, I understand," Godric replied, rolling his eyes.
"Excuse me, sir," Tom threw in hesitantly. "Nobody has explained to us what we are expected to do and why I was needed here as well."
"Let me explain shortly; around five hundred years ago, there was a huge goblin rebellion, during which our school was attacked," Salazar began to explain but was interrupted by the two ladies.
"Does that have to be now?" Rowena asked incredulously.
"Take Harry back so that he can get some rest, and then Godric can explain everything," Helga insisted at the same time.
"Ah, yes, I'll explain everything when we are in Minerva's office. Otherwise we have to tell the whole thing twice," Godric agreed impatiently.
"Ah, then don't bother me now, but flash away," Salazar mumbled, obviously offended.
"All right, Kori; are you already able to flash three people at once?" Harry asked his familiar, while carefully caressing the magnificent bird's crown feathers, before he glanced at the founders and explained apologetically, "She's only a few weeks old."
# It's all right, I can flash three people,# Kori trilled back.
"All right then, could you please take Professor Gryffindor, Tom, and me back to Uncle Severus' office?" Harry asked Kori, and the phoenix immediately hovered in front of them so that they could grab her tail feathers.
ハリーと頑固な校長先生
Only seconds later, they found themselves back in Severus' office. Kori put them down on the visitors' side of Severus' desk, and Harry quickly made his way around the desk, scrambling onto his godfather's lap, who glanced around astonished.
"Severus, may I introduce Professor Gryffindor to you?" Tom remembered his manners and addressed the Potions Master.
Severus quickly scooped Harry up into his arms, where Harry snuggled against his godfather's chest, and got onto his feet to show proper respect to the founder.
"Nice to meet you, Severus, but please sit down and look after your godson; he probably needs a Pepperup potion," Godric told the younger man, before he explained what had happened in the Founders' Lair.
Severus quickly mind thought a few sentences with Harry, before he summoned a phial and held it to Harry's mouth, listening to the founder at the same time. "I suggest you accompany us to the headmistress' office; there I will explain what Tom, Harry, and I need to do as soon as Harry is able to afford the amount of magic that is needed, which I estimated will be significant," Godric ended his explanation.
"I will ask his godmother, who is our healer, to check on him and speak with you about the timing of when he will be able to assist in your endeavour," Severus promised before he once more scooped a now sleeping Harry into his arms and left his office, striding ahead leading the way to Minerva's office, while his guests followed, watching his robes billow behind him, with twin amused smiles on their faces.