Declaration: I write for my own pleasure and not for profit. I do not own Harry Potter Universe.

Three to Triumph

Chapter 21

September 11, 1994, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scotland

Despite the obvious need for answers, Harry allowed the headmaster to lead the party to his office in order to prevent others from eavesdropping on their conversation. Dumbledore was hard-pressed to hide not only his shock at the betrayal of his most favoured professor in the school but also troubled by the ease at which he was deceived. The lack of any remorse at taking a life by the three Potters also bothered the headmaster who believed in giving a chance to those in the wrong to change their ways. If he was to really ask himself, he would be hard pressed to censure the three bond mates regarding their decision to take the life of Severus Snape, not that Harry or Luna would have listened to the old man's concerns. Dumbledore had to acknowledge at least to himself that the mistakes he made, whether inadvertently or coerced by Snape had a major role to play in the current situation they found themselves in. He did not forget the prayer he made just before the battle and thanked the gods profusely for the timely intervention of the three Potters that prevented a catastrophe. What he did not know however was, that his professed penance was not deemed to be sufficient by the gods, they were eagerly waiting to guide Harry and his wives into doling out a just punishment for the manipulative old man.

As soon as they were seated inside the office, Madam Bones laid into the headmaster with a harsh glare enough to melt ice, "It was your testimony that allowed Snape to go scot free; he was not even allowed to be questioned at your insistence. What was the reason that he was given a preferential treatment not only with his punishment but also with his position here at the school?"

Every eye in the room turned to that of the headmaster even that of his own phoenix, a bright red and gold coloured bird perched on a bookshelf in the corner of the office. Dumbledore never felt so intimidated before, not because of the stares, after all he considered himself powerful enough not to feel threatened by the occupants, except maybe for the three Potters, but the thought of what he would have to reveal made him fear for his well-being. The particular glare of both the wives of Harry Potter made him sweat, he understood that they knew about the treatment of Harry at the hands of his relatives and he was also sure that they knew that he was the one to place him there.

Before he could speak though, he was startled by the cold voice of Hermione Potter, "You better start talking Mr. Dumbledore before I lose my patience. If I have to rip the information out of your mind, it would not be pleasant to you." She already gained the knowledge about Snape's infatuation of Lily Potter nee Evans as soon as they took their seats and without the headmaster knowing too, but she felt anger at the blind faith the headmaster had for the former potions professor.

Dumbledore sighed deeply, there was no other way but to let go of his secrets, "When I was interviewing a candidate for the position of professor of Divination, she uttered a prophecy. This prophecy revealed the identity of the one who had the power to defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort."

He was interrupted by gasps of astonishment from the deputy headmistress McGonagall, "The old bat Trelawney, gave a prophecy?" Harry was saddened by the truth of how their family was destroyed just because of the ramblings of a woman, he could not even discount it as nothing but a fraud since they were aware of another prophecy that tied him and his wives with the darkness that they were currently fighting against.

Almost everyone in the room tried their best to hide their sniggers and even the headmaster's mouth twitched in amusement, "Yes" he conceded, "The important thing was that the initial part of the prophecy was overheard by a new death eater recruit."

"Snape" quite a few growled out that word.

Dumbledore acknowledged that with a nod of his head, "He was thrown out before the entire prophecy was heard but he carried it to his master." The headmaster now put on an air of deep remorse even though he knew that it was Snape who purportedly felt it, "When he knew that the prophecy could target his best friend, Lily Potter, he came to me and begged to do my best to protect her." Dumbledore was now confident that everyone in the room would agree with his desire to protect Snape.

Luna was very quick to pour cold water over the headmaster's logic, "Only Harry's mother?" she wanted him to clarify. The topic was too sensitive to Harry and so he allowed his wives to interrogate the headmaster which they did with zeal all the while sending Harry their comfort through their bond.

With uncertainty lacing his voice Dumbledore answered in the affirmative, his confusion was dispelled however as soon as Hermione retorted, "You felt that the man was remorseful even when he did nothing to try and save Harry, the one he knew could be the prophesied one to defeat Lord Voldemort." Dumbledore's eyes widened in realization but Hermione was relentless, "Did that not tell you that his so called remorse was nothing but a desire to get Harry's mother to himself and nothing to do with saving the child. I am sure he had no intentions of saving Harry or his father" she finished scathingly.

"How did you not see that, Albus?" McGonagall began berating her longtime friend and was immediately supported by Flitwick, "Despite our protests you made him the head of Slytherin house and see how he was able to foster animosity between the houses. I agree with Lady Ravenclaw, he only wanted to save his own skin."

"Enough beating around the bush headmaster give us the all-important prophecy" Amelia gritted with barely restrained anger.

Dumbledore hedged, "I am not sure that it is a good idea."

"Even after Snape was known to be a traitor, and took everything to his master?" Amelia countered in disbelief.

Before the argument could escalate though Hermione intoned, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..., Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..., and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not..., and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..., The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies"

Dumbledore looked at her in astonishment, "How… Why…?" he spluttered but after quickly regaining his composure adopted a stern look and admonished her, "That was meant to be a secret and now you let it known to the whole world."

Harry was quick to defend his wife, "Your attitude only shows that you do not trust even those you consider your friends. Everyone needs an occasional counsel and if you think that you are the only one who knows best then, the results would be exactly what they are now."

"Besides, Lord Voldemort already knows that Harry is a threat to him, he may not know the identity of the person who handed him his arse but now he knows that there is someone out to get him" Luna chirped in unfazed.

Even Dumbledore had to accept that logic but he had more concerns, "I have been unable to identify what this unknown power is? Can you please enlighten an old man?"

"Sorry, but that is something that we have to keep a secret" Hermione came back at him with a sweet smile. That statement brought smirks to the faces of Madam Bones, Professors McGonagall and Flitwick and a barely restrained scowl to the headmaster's face.

"This ties neatly with the other prophecy, I think that the 'Being Supreme' stated in that one may be the key to defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all" Harry mused in their minds and both Hermione and Luna agreed to his assessment.

His wives agreed quickly, "But what or more specifically how do we go about using this 'Being Supreme'? Do we even have a control as to its manifestation?" Hermione pondered.

"Ok, this prophecy states that Lord Potter would have the power to defeat the Dark Lord, and these three did put him on the back foot. What I want to know is how did Lord Voldemort survive the onslaught?" Madam Bones was relentless in questioning Dumbledore.

Even the three Potters wanted to know the answer for that; they were a little disheartened after seeing Lord Voldemort survive a lightning strike. Hermione was able to pilfer the location of his safe house but nothing more, and that too after a tremendous effort on her part, which nearly exhausted her magical reserves. They wanted to know how his body was able to repair itself; they knew of only one thing that could give a mortal that power, but at the same time were also sure that the 'Nectar of Life' or 'Amrutham' was unavailable to humans.

Dumbledore was not keen to admit his mistake but was not given any respite as professor Flitwick answered that question, "A few years ago, the headmaster brought the 'Philosopher's Stone' into the castle for safekeeping. We however found out during the summer of '92, that the stone was missing. We did not know when for sure but now I believe that Lord Voldemort stole it sometime between September 1991 and May the next year."

"Ok… what is this stone and what is it to do with the ability to regenerate?" Harry asked a little dubiously.

The three Potters were given a crash course about Nicolas Flamel's creation that had the ability to turn any metal into gold but more importantly produce the 'Elixir of Life'. They also speculated the role the stone might have played in the ritual that was used to bring Lord Voldemort back to life. Meanwhile the three bondmates were furiously debating the consequences of having a very powerful curative potion, one that apparently was as powerful as the 'Nectar of Life' in its healing ability.

"Even if we think that Lord Voldemort took the 'Elixir of Life' before the battle, do you think that it would result in such a rapid rate of healing, not to mention the ability of the body to be protected from lightning and fire?" Hermione asked her sister wife.

Luna pursued her lips in thought figuratively of course; as the others could only see that they were deep in thought. No one knew that the three could communicate effortlessly in their minds, something that the three Potters were not keen on sharing any time soon, or any details about the time they spent in the past for that matter. "I am not sure, that would depend on the type of elixir that the stone produces. But you were right My Sister, it would probably be impossible for even 'Amrutham' to counter such a tremendous strain on the body and so soon."

"Do you know how this stone was used in the resurrection ritual?" Harry questioned Dumbledore but did not get any answer. Even the others acknowledged that Dumbledore was the only one who could know the best about the 'Philosopher's Stone' due to his friendship with the creator of the stone, but even Dumbledore was at a loss to explain the details of the ritual. He now understood the depths of the betrayal of his erstwhile potions professor. Hermione also chimed in their bond that she did not get any glimpse regarding the resurrection ritual but in her defense, she was not looking for it too.

The three Potters were startled when the voice of 'Kalpa Taru' filtered into their minds through the 'Apuroopa Dalam' that was the crown that Luna wore. "If the stone was used in the ritual it is possible that the magic of the stone was also incorporated into the magical construct that was the body of Lord Voldemort."

Even though the surprise was great, Harry, Hermione, and Luna managed to keep their faces impassive, "Does that mean that the man has an ability to heal any and all injuries, however great they may be?" Luna questioned, the prospect certainly looked daunting.

The tree of life heaved a sigh, "Yes, the magic of the elixir would be tied to his 'Life Force' and then act to cure all his injuries. I do not think that his 'Life Force' would also be restored every time, unlike that of 'Amrutham'; nothing that was made or conceived by mortals would replicate the god given gift. It might have restored the body to a younger version but that was the magic of the ritual and not due to the 'Elixir of Life'. The ritual might have used that stage of Lord Voldemort's life when he might have stored a part of his 'Life Force' as a starting point to make his magically constructed body."

"So that means that as long as we are able to drain away his 'Life Force' completely Lord Voldemort could be rendered dead?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, very much so" was the reply.

Hermione had more immediate concerns, "If he managed to store away a part of his 'Life Force' before, could it be done again and multiple times?"

"Hmm…" 'Kalpa Taru' mused, "It could be done but would be a very painful process and even though I am the authority in these matters, I am not familiar with the magics of the dark nature and so cannot really speculate on that. It may do you good if you take that as a possibility when you confront him for the final time."

She gave them a few moments to reflect and before fading away had one last thing to impart to Luna, "Do you now understand what is asked of you Luna Child?"

It was difficult for a fourteen year old to contemplate taking a life in a predetermined way, but Luna took comfort in the strength of her partners and their love for her to do whatever it took to end the menace that was Lord Voldemort. She knew and accepted that she was in fact just a small player in the great cosmic events; Harry had a much larger role to play as a child of two prophecies and her role was to lend him the means and power to do the deed. Luna was sure that Hermione would not allow him to wallow in the grief of killing someone when the times comes and she would be sure not to allow Luna to be the same too; that was the strength of their bond.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nervousness Luna replied, "Yes, Mother, I know what to do and I will not fail you or my husband."

To everyone in the room, it looked like the three Potters came back from deep contemplation and were thankful that there were no curses flying after the revelations. It was evident to everyone that Dumbledore made a very big mistake where it concerned James and Lily Potter but especially Harry Potter, and was sure that he had to face the consequences of what he did. They were thankful that it was not in that room; after a few moments of contemplation they retired to the great hall for some lunch.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Back in the great hall of the school, the headmaster, after being advised by Harry announced to the residents of the castle that the school would be closed for a week. This would allow the students to meet their family and reassure them of their safety and wellbeing, they were however advised not to take the chance to go overseas as Lord Voldemort was still alive. The student population at large decided that the threat was still indeed active but with the prowess of Harry and his wives on display, they were also sure that it would not remain so for long. They did not know when the seemingly inevitable defeat of the Dark Lord would take place but were supremely confident that take place, it would.

The break afforded by the absence of the students would also give the staff a chance to recuperate from their own stress and would also give them time to look for a competent teacher for potions. Harry and his wives hoped wistfully about their own teachers from the Fairies and Dwarves, but knew that both the magical races were not fit to teach under the present circumstances, the Fairies having lost their healing magic and the Dwarves nowhere to be seen.

After lunch and before Harry, Hermione, and Luna could go to the founder's chamber which was the heart of the castle, they were accosted by Neville again but this time he had a pretty redhead on his arm. Both their faces showed a little nervousness but Neville had quite a bit of regret, possibly for his actions earlier in the day.

Neville bowed to the three of them while the girl curtsied a little awkwardly. The Potters returned their gesture with a nod of their heads and this allowed Neville to address them, "Lord Potter, Lady Ravenclaw- Potter, and Lady Hufflepuff- Potter, I humbly beg your pardon for my reprehensible behavior earlier. I was way out of line and beg for your forgiveness."

Harry as the head of the house acknowledged his apology but wanted Hermione and Luna to be the ones to decide, "It is my wives you insulted and it is for them to decide, not me."

Neville looked at them with trepidation but Hermione was gracious enough and Luna followed her sister's example, "I accept your apology Mr. Longbottom. I hope that this turn around would last forever and keep you firmly rooted to the ground."

"I agree that Dumbledore was much to blame in putting you under fire as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' but it was your arrogance that led you wrong. As my sister said, keep your feet on the ground and that is the mark of a true leader" Luna chimed in.

Neville's face flamed red in embarrassment but he knew that the chastisement was well deserved and so nodded his head demurely. "Lord Potter, House Longbottom was aligned with House Potter for many generations and it would be my honour to join you in alliance again" he hoped that Harry would accept the offer as currently he was in no position to defend himself if he was under attack. He silently vowed to do his best to work hard and be able to prove himself worthy of an alliance but for now he needed protection if Lord Voldemort was ever to attack him.

Harry knew that an offer of alliance was never to be taken lightly especially from a house that was traditionally aligned to his house. On the other hand, he also knew that any alliance at the moment would be a one way street and he was not ready to be encumbered with that, especially when he and his wives had a lot of things to do to establish a safer world. So he proposed a compromise, "Mr. Longbottom, I am thankful for your offer, but as you know alliances could only be broached by the respective heads of house. I am keen to maintain the ties that were made by my ancestors but could only do it with a corresponding head of house…" he left it trailing.

Neville understood the implied lack of trust in his conduct and took it as it was meant, a subtle suggestion to wise up his act, "I thank you Lord Potter. I would be looking forward to the day that I would be a worthy head of Longbottom house" he grinned at the redhead that was watching the interaction silently, "… I am sure that my girlfriend Ginevra Weasley would keep me in line."

He got a brilliant smile in return from the said girl and the three Potters took that as their cure to make their way out of the great hall. They were quickly followed out by the headmaster and his deputy much to their annoyance; Harry, Hermione, and Luna wanted some privacy when they would meet their ancestors but it was not to be.

"There's no founder's chamber as you say. I have been the headmaster for more than fifty years now and I have never even heard about it in all the time I was in the castle" Dumbledore bristled when Harry, Hermione, and Luna began walking into the dungeons of the castle to repair the damage that was done to the wards.

Harry glared at the headmaster, "It's this know-it-all attitude that brought this travesty upon this country. Who made you the one to control all our destinies? You are neither the ruler of this world nor the administrator; you are just the head of the judicial body and even then did not take steps to curb the power of the supremacists. Please do not poke your nose into things which are not known to you."

The aged wizard was left sputtering indignantly; no one in his life put him down so harshly. He was the one who knew all that happened or was going to happen. This upstart was not going to lecture him about what he had to do, what if he was the prophesied one, the 'Boy-Who-Lived'? Just as he was beginning to gather his wits about and launch into a tirade, they stopped before a wall.

His attention was diverted to a spot that was pointed out to him, "See that hole there? That was what the man called wormtail did to access the main ward stone."

Dumbledore was left gaping at the sight, he wanted to deny it, and he wanted to say that such a room did not exist but he knew that there was a central ward stone somewhere, just not where. Before his very eyes, under the combined touch of the three bond mates, the wall melted away to form an opening which led them to the huge boulder that was the central ward stone.

"This can be accessed only when the heirs to the four founders are together. If any one of the lines died out, then the castle would have shut the entire area down; even a rat would not have been able to come near this room" Luna supplied helpfully seeing the gob smacked faces of the headmaster and his deputy who accompanied them to the room.

The surprises were not finished however; four ghostly figures rose from the ground and smiled at the three Potters. Anyone who was born on the Isles would recognize the two witches and wizards who gave up their lives to ensure that the wizarding population could learn magic. "Ah! Harry, Hermione, Luna my dears, thank you for taking care of the attack on the school" the female who was obviously the unofficial leader of the four spoke.

Harry flashed a grin and wrapped his arms around the apparition, he could not obviously hold her in a hug but the meaning was clear, "Of course, Rowena, Mum how could we not? This is our legacy, our home."

Totally ignoring the presence of the two professors, the family members exchanged pleasantries, the trio brought their grandparents up to speed about what happened after they arrived at their timeline; taking care not to reveal the fact that they travelled to the past, only that they were well hidden and trained by masters at the art.

Finally after about half an hour of information exchange, Godric brought them to the topic of the ward stone which was still covered by a layer of lead. "Even though the metal covering you see would not allow magic to work, it cannot stop the magic of blood. You three need to bleed onto the ward stone so that our blood in you would reactivate the wards."

"Yes Sir" they replied before cutting their palms and allow enough blood to fall on the ward stone. There was a surge of energy as the ambient magic began channeling through the ward stone as soon as the blood of the founders repaired the damage to the central ward stone, there was a 'ping' that signaled that the wards were back to full power again. Goosebumps erupted on the two professors as a never before felt thrill went up their spines, the magic in the air sang with the strength and magic of the four founders and their will to protect those who sought sanctuary within the walls of the castle.

As the wards began restoring themselves and also purge any dangers lurking within the boundaries of the castle, Rowena turned to the three heirs, "Now, as long as you live only the three of you can tinker with the wards, the headmaster who had the privilege has now lost it due to his negligence. I also hope that you would take an active interest in the school my children."

"Yes Rowena Mum, Hermione is going to be the administrator forthwith and though she would not be the headmistress, all final decisions will be hers. She would be the one to take charge of the day to day activities of the castle, its security, finances and management while the new headmaster would only be concerned with the students and teaching. We also believe that the Charms master, professor Flitwick would be a good headmaster" Luna proposed.

Ignoring the sputtering coming from Dumbledore who knew without a doubt that he was no longer the headmaster, Helga asked, "... and why so?"

Harry answered this time, "Not only is he independent of Dumbledore's thinking but this would put faith in the other magical races that we are willing to work with them too. We are open to reward the right people and hard work irrespective of their race or creed."

"Brilliant!" all the four founders exclaimed.

Rowena Ravenclaw as the spokeswoman for the others intoned, "We approve, let it be known that Filius Flitwick of Goblin descent would be the new headmaster and Minerva McGonagall would continue in her position as the deputy head teacher."

Salazar piped in, "You three will have the control of the wards, but as Hermione would be the one to spend a considerable amount of time in the castle, the primary control would revert to her in your absence." No one had a problem with that arrangement and as soon as that was agreed upon, Harry felt a perceptible drain on his magic as Hermione drew quite a bit from him to manage the wards around the ancient castle.

Harry turned to Dumbledore with an evil glint in his eyes, "As for you Mr. Dumbledore, we have a special task for you, one that would let you know and experience firsthand the evils of your machinations."

Dumbledore was shocked but he could not say anything as the founders themselves decreed, little did he know that Harry was in fact the ruler of the magical world and his word was law from the moment he would declare himself thus. Harry, Hermione, and Luna were keen to do it as soon as they could; now that Lord Voldemort was without most of his followers, it was time to remove his sympathizers from within the government and establish the rightful rule of the 'First Four' families. Change was coming soon to British wizarding world.

"… and don't forget, you have Lord Voldemort on a back foot. Do not give him the time and the leeway to muster enough strength to pose a threat, sympathy to his fate could very well accumulate enough if given time" Salazar ever the strategist advised.

"Yes, Grandpa" the three chorused with cheeky grins. "We already have a plan in place sir and as soon as I get the intelligence we need, we would move in. Hermione had already gleaned his location, it's just a matter of time to pinpoint it" Luna elaborated.

While the four founders were congratulating them on their readiness, Dumbledore blustered, "… and how do you propose to do that. Lord Voldemort could very well have disappeared under a 'Fidelius' and you would never know it."

Godric gave him a sharp glance, "Do not think that you are the one with the power here Dumbledore, you do not know the capabilities of the three before you. Leave it to them to handle the dark lord, do not interfere in their affairs or they would annihilate you."

Even McGonagall was shocked at the venom in the founder of her house's voice; she believed that Dumbledore was the best person to take care of affairs after the fall of Lord Voldemort. In her opinion he would be the next Minister of Magic and in a position to do some good to the world, even though she knew that what he did to Harry Potter was wrong. She always thought that his actions as Chief Warlock were towards the betterment of the society. Her faith in him would come crashing down when the can of worms that was the Wizengamot would be opened and fumigated and the time for that was sooner than later.

Recovering the four artifacts that were gifted to the founders by the High Elves, Harry, Hermione, and Luna prepared to get back to Potter Manor. Harry had Salazar's locket around his neck and Godric's sword on his hip, while Hermione wore Rowena's tiara with pride. Luna took care of Helga's cup, one which she would always carry with her in a pocket of her robe.

The three blushing teens were sent away with Helga's parting comment, "Remember girls, no children till you are at least twenty."